Eiji's Family Secret Chapter 8: Come Back

"So Eiji will come back in two weeks?" the fukubuchou asked, hopeful and smiling when he heard Tezuka's last sentence. He was really happy that his doubles parter would return in two weeks.

"Yes, that's what Atobe said, and I think it is true." Tezuka replied, looking at all the other regulars. "The only thing we can do now is believe him and Kikumaru, and wait." The others only nodded, but were really happy. Everyone was smiling and unable to hide his feelings now (Wow! Ryoma and Kaidoh smiling XD), except the stoic buchou who only walked out of the clubhouse with the others behind him.

For the next two long weeks, everything in the tennis club was normal except for the mood, which was boring, sad, and stressful. No one had ever realized Eiji's impact on the mood during tennis practice until now. Without someone jumping everywhere, glomping everyone, and screaming things like "hoi hoi" or "nya" everything was very boring. Everyone, including Tezuka-buchou, felt the change, no matter how much Momo tried to soften the mood by screaming and fighting with Kaidoh as usual. It still didn't change the fact that he wasn't Eiji, but everyone continued with Momo's game to make him useful.

"So when will Eiji come back?" Fuji asked the buchou while Oishi tried to calm Momo who was fighting with Kaidoh again. His smile didn't look as real as his other ones. As a tensai, he knew how to make that smile perfectly, but without Eiji he couldn't do it the way he wanted.

"This week," Tezuka said, studying the mood of the tennis club. "I know the club is going to return to the way it usually is next week with Kikumaru jumping everywhere and everyone smiling." He was really hoping for the hyperactive acrobat to come back.

"Eiji are you really sure of this?" Gakuto inquired his red-head friend as they arrived at Japan's airport. "Think about what you are going to do." He was looking at him with worried eyes. Eiji was very stubborn whenever he decided to do something.

"Yes I'm sure of what I told you," the red-haired guy answered his friend while looking at him with those cat-like eyes. He was really serious on what he was talking about. "At first, I was going to enroll….. but then I decided to attend Seigaku, which was my first mistake, and I'm going to fix that mistake this week. I'll be going with you to Hyoutei."

"O-okay, but I think you should say goodbye to your friends at Seigaku before leaving, Eiji," the fuschia-haired guy advised, realizing that Eiji wasn't going to change his mind, no matter how many times he tried to say something. Maybe his Seigkau friends could convince him.

"Okay okay, if you say so, I'll go," Eiji sighed and agreed with his friend. Maybe it was a good idea since he wanted to see his friends very much. He really missed them, and thought that nothing could go wrong if he said goodbye.

"Damn, it is raining. EVERYONE, PICK UP THE BALLS, NETS AND EVERYTHING! ALL REGULARS TO THE CLUBROOM AND NON-REGULARS TO THE SCHOOL! WE ARE GOING TO WAIT UNTIL THE RAIN STOPS!" Tezuka ordered, pointing at the clubroom. Everyone obeyed, and a few minutes later the regulars were in the clubroom, drying their hair and changing into their school uniform when someone knocked on the door.

"Who can that be? Everyone else is in the school, and everyone knows what to do, so who could be?"

"Maybe a thief or a killer."

"Ii-data, maybe a scientist."

Everyone in the clubhouse began to make guesses until they heard something outside the door.

"Nyaaa, it's cold here. Please open. I'm not a thief or a killer nya." Everyone recognized the voice on the other side of the door. It was from…

"EIJIII!" everyone called out as Fuji quickly opened the door to see his friend outside getting wet. He let him in and gave him a towel. Everyone hugged the acrobat and smiled (except Tezuka , Ryoma and Kaidoh of course). They were all happy that Eiji came back safely, except for some little cuts on his face.

"Eiji-sempai, you are back with us," Momo greeted, hugging his sempai and getting wet while everyone nodded and smiled.

"Yes, but not for long because I'm transferring to Hyoutei." At that moment everyone froze in shock. Eiji came back only to say that…Why?

"Y-you are kidding right, Eiji?" Oishi asked, looking sadly at his doubles partner. "You are going to stay with m…….us" No, this can't be true: Kikumaru Eiji was right here in front of him only to say that he was going to leave? No, he couldn't let him go like this."Eiji why?" The fukubuchou tried to make his voice sound calm, but he was obviously not.

"Because if I stay here you are going to be in deep trouble, and I don't want that happen, not to you. I'll never forgive myself if you get hurt because of me ..." Eiji's voice was shaking, and there were some tears in his eyes.

"Get hurt because of you? Why?" Fuji inquired with his completely opened eyes looking at the acrobat in front of him. He couldn't believe what he was hearing: his best friend was leaving because he was afraid?

"Y-yes.... BE CAREFUL!!!!!" Eiji screamed and pushed Oishi to the floor as a blade hurt in his back. Everyone watched in astonishment the guys on the floor and the blood coming out from Eiji's back. Fuji quickly glanced out the window, but only saw a shadow running away, so he looked back at his friends and helped Eiji up.

"Eiji, are you all right? What was that?" Oishi asked really worried when he saw his friend bleeding. He couldn't believe what had just happened: one moment he was talking with his doubles partner, and the next moment both of them where on the floor with Eiji bleeding.

"I-I'm fine, don't worry. It's only a cut, nothing else," the red-haired boy assured, looking at all the regulars who were watching him, worried and afraid. "This is why I didn't want to stay here. It's very dangerous. You already saw what would happen if I stayed. Today I was lucky that you didn't get hurt, but next time you would get hurt, so I can't stay." He turned around and was about to run away when Oishi grabbed his arm and pulled him close, getting dirty with his friend's blood.

"Inui, bring the first aid kit, and Eiji please don't leave us. You think we are going to be better if you leave us?" Oishi pleaded, hugging and refusing to release his friend despite the blood when he felt a little nod from him. "You are so stupid. It's obvious that these guys are going to follow you to Hyoutei, then they would be in danger too, and..... we can't be without you. We felt very sad without you. Eiji, please come back. I – we can't be without you." Oishi could no longer hold his tears. I can't let him go. I can't. Eiji widened his eyes when he felt his friend's tears on his neck. He didn't know what to do, but Oishi was right. If he transferred to Hyoutei then they would be in danger too, so it was better to stay at Seigaku, but he was worried about them.

"Eiji, Oishi is right," Fuji agreed, taking the first aid kid from Inui and walking to his friend. He separated his doubles partner from him. "Please don't leave us." The tensai tried to remove Eiji's shirt, but the owner of it wouldn't let him. "Eiji, why won't you let me take off you shirt? You're hurt. I need to take care of that wound." The brown-haired boy sounded really worried about the action of his best friend. It was very obvious that Eiji was hiding something, or he wouldn't be acting so strangely.

"NO!" Eiji yelled, running away from Fuji and covering his wound. "No please leave me alone. I'll take care of the wound at my house."

"NO, STAY HERE KIKUMARU EIJI!" This was the first time Fuji Syusuke called him by his complete name. Everyone was astonished and speechless at the tensai's actions, but the scream was useful, because Eiji turned around, approached the tensai, and sat down.

Understanding what his friend meant by sitting in front of him, Fuji took off the shirt to receive a bad surprise. Everyone was speechless when they saw Eiji's pale body with many little scars on it. This was something they have never seen, and it was horrible. Now they understood why their teammate didn't want to show his body.

"Eiji..." was the only thing Fuji managed to say. Looking at his best friend's face, he saw that he was crying, embarrassed about everyone seeing his scars. That hurt him a lot. The only thing the tensai managed to do was take care of the new wound and try to confort his friend by patting his head softly and caring. "Who did this to you?"

"I'm sorry Fujiko. I was hiding something from you." Eiji turned around to face the tensai whose eyes were completely open. He looked at everyone else and then back at Fuji, who didn't seem surprised at what the acrobat said.

"We knew you were hiding something, and Atobe told us a lot of things about your life and past. The only thing he didn't tell us was who is the one trying to kill you. All these wounds were made by those guys?"