Hey….My next chapter…. I'm really grateful to my two new reviewers, Coco96 and mellode and of course, my dear Twinkle-chan…
Thank you so much! Your reviews really motivated me to write this chapter. Pri-Chan 1410 and strawbewii, thank you for adding my story to your favourites(but I'd appreciate it, if you let me know why you liked it)
I hope you all like this chapter. I spent a lot of time on it. I also hope I've made some improvement. Reading your reviews made me feel soooo happy. Please continue sending them. Anywayz….on with the story…Fuji if you please.
Fuji: Saa… ai-chan doesn't own Prince of Tennis.
ai-chan: Kyaa….that was so sweet and painful at the same time. You're amazing Fuji! (faints)
"In good times and bad times, I'll be on your side for ever more...that's what friends are for."
Chapter 6: Closer
Dedicated to:
Twinklejade-chan
Coco96
mellode
Pri-Chan 1410
strawbewii
Yup. My life sucked. I must've been cursed or something. I opened another book and read more about Apollo, the Greek God of the Sun. I sighed. I'd been here for the past fifteen minutes….he was really late. I sighed. Why did I have to end up with him, of all people? I laid my head on the table and groaned lightly…My stupid rotten luck was unbelievable….
Four days ago….
Matsura-sensei announced to the class about their project on Greek history. "Ok…we'll take lots this time, I'm not going to risk the stampede that happened last time, when I asked you to choose your partners," he said. Half the class groaned. Ayane wringed her hands, nervously. "Takuji and…..Mitsugi." "Shinji and….Kimura" "Katsura and Satoshi"
"Shizuno and….Kikumaru" Her heart almost stopped. 'Wait! What? No…he didn't! Oh no! No… no… no! Not him…not Eiji. This is BAD!' Eiji happily sat himself next to Ayane, oblivious of her inner turmoil.
"Nya! I'm glad I got you as my partner, Aya-chan. The last partner I had was pretty scary…"
Ayane slightly winced. "O-oh….um...right."
"So when do you wanna start working on the project?" Eiji asked. "Oh…um… well we're supposed to do it together so I guess when you're free from tennis practise." Ayane replied. "Nya! I don't have practise this Friday. How about then? " Ayane nodded.
Present
I let out a groan. Darn that Toshiru! He was Class President and who did he get as his partner? Chiako-chan, the second best student in class on Greek Mythology. I sulked as I turned the page. Wow…this thing with prophecies was driving me crazy. I closed the book. Hmm…maybe I could go find a book on Poseidon, I liked the sea. I got up from my seat and checked the shelves.
After ten minutes of searching, I finally found the book I'd wanted. Only one problem though…I couldn't reach it. The ladder wasn't there so I had to use the stool, which still didn't help me. Darn my shortness. This was so embarrassing. Nuh-uh! I could do this. I'd just have to…reach out a bit…yeah…that's right. I set down the stool and stood on top of it. Nope, I'd definitely have to reach out. I bent forward and stretched out my hand. The stool moved. Woah. I let out a little scream. My face burned as I looked around. Good, no one saw me. Jeez…What kind of idiot put a stool with wheels? Maybe I could just ask - No…no. I could do this. That's right…I got it…almost… just an inch…
ooooooooooooooooooooooo
Eiji still couldn't figure out how it happened. His head still hurt. Wow. 'Nya! Aya-chan's really strong. I wouldn't want to mess with her.' He sweat dropped at the memory.
FLASHBACK
He packed his bag and said a quick 'Bye' to Oishi. He hoped Aya-chan wouldn't be mad. 'I guess I kinda got carried away…I was having so much fun teasing Ochibi and Sakuno-chan!' He chuckled at the thought. He stepped quietly into the library which looked pretty deserted except for a few kids and the librarian. 'Nya! How do I find Aya-chan? I know...maybe I can find her somewhere near the History Section.'
Eiji walked past the Section…nope…no one there. Wait, those were her books on the table, weren't they? She must be near by. Just then, he heard a small scream and a muffled voice. Eiji quickly walked towards it. He'd just appeared from behind the shelf when he saw it. Being the flexible guy he was, Eiji quickly lurched forward and caught her just as she stumbled from the stool.
END OF FLASHBACK
Ayane's POV
FLASHBACK
I'd almost got it. Then suddenly the stool just slid and I was stumbling forward. I shut my eyes tight and waited for the impact. I felt myself hit something, and then I was lying on something…which was definitely not the floor. I opened my eyes and found myself staring into a pool of cat-like dark blue eyes.
I blinked. It took me a few seconds to realize that I was lying on top of…Eiji. My face went so red; I think I'd have put even a tomato to shame. His face was inches apart from mine and our legs were all tangled up. I shot up like I'd been stung and it was an impulse really and I just pushed him. I only realized what I'd done after I heard the "Umph!" that came from him as he rubbed his head, where he'd hit the stool. Oops.
END OF FLASHBACK
oooooooooooooooooooooo
The setting sun cast its shadows on them as they walked side by side along the pavement. Ayane still looked a bit flushed but Eiji was practically skipping, letting out a small whistle. Ayane suddenly said, "If you have trouble with your part of the work you can always tell me. It's probably taxing on you, having to do homework, then your project and go for tennis practise." Eiji shook his head. "Nya! I like playing tennis so I have fun, except when Inui comes up with his horrible concoctions!" Eiji stuck his tongue out here. Ayane giggled. "I can do my half, Aya-chan. I think you've already taken most of the hard parts, Nya!" Eiji added. Ayane gave a small smile.
As they walked on, she felt more guilt creep into her. Ayane looked at Eiji from the corner of her eyes and then her gaze shifted to his head. That hit had been pretty hard. While they were waiting for the signal to turn red, she saw a small café to the right, across the road. "Hey Eiji-kun, why don't we stop by that place?" Eiji looked in the direction in which Ayane pointed. "Sure."
ooooooooooooooooooooooo
The café wasn't so big but it had a cozy feel to it. It was a really nice place to hang out with friends. It wasn't so crowded now but Ayane was sure it was popular seeing how the people who worked there were so friendly. She sipped her chocolate shake and sat back to look at Eiji who was busy stuffing another scoop of his sundae into his mouth. "Nyah! Dish ish really good! Hey! You want shome Aya-chan?" asked Eiji, sticking a scoop of sundae at Ayane's face. She blushed slightly and shook her head. "I'm good, Eiji-kun. This shake has me stuffed," she said, "Besides, I wanted to treat you after what I did. I'm really sorry!"
Eiji looked bewildered for a moment. "Wait! Why are you- Is it because of what happened back at the library?" Ayane nodded. "Nya! You don't have to apologize for that. It's no big deal!" he said, grinning. After they finished their desserts and having fought over the bill (which Eiji won much to Ayane's disappointment), they resumed their walk back home. At a fork they had to go separate ways. "I'll see you tomorrow, Eiji-kun and next time I'm the one paying!" she said, sticking her tongue out before running off. Eiji stood shocked for a moment then shook his head. "We'll see about that…"he said to himself, smiling like a Cheshire cat.
oooooooooooooooooooooooo
Shizuno Residence
Ayane buried her face in her pillow. This wasn't her day. First, she'd been late. Then during P.E class she'd been whacked with a volleyball; twice, obviously some one from the Eiji Fan Club. And finally, that. She sighed. An image of Eiji gobbling his ice-cream flashed across her mind. Slowly, a smile found its way to her lips. 'Eiji…you're still the same…' Ayane suddenly remebered how she'd stuck her tongue out at him. 'I can't believe I did that. I guess I just got used to being around him again. I can't let myself get too close.'
Ayane sat up straight and reached for her bag, lying next to her. She saw a booklet cramped inside with her books. Suddenly, she remembered that they were the violin scores she was supposed to have given Chiako. She ran over to the phone and dialed her number. After a few rings, a male voice was heard through the phone.
"Atsuki Residence."
"Ano…Can I speak to Chiako-chan?"
Ayane couldn't really hear what the other person was saying…there was some sort of song playing there…something classical…. "Excuse me?"
Suddenly there was some sort of struggling and crackling.
Chiako's voice panted out: "Hai….Nani, Aya-chan?"
"Umm…I…uh... called to tell you that you-" She was cut off by some kind of shouting on the other side.
"Why can't she just do it?"
Chiako's voice came in softly. "I-I'll see you at school. Ja ne Aya-chan."
With that she hung up. 'What was that?'
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The chilly morning air was filled with the beautiful melody of Gavotte (1). It resounded through the hallways and seemed to bring everything to life. Suddenly the music stopped and silence settled, once again, in the empty corridors of Seishun Gakuen. Chiako sighed and set down her violin. 'I can't believe I lost my scores! How am I going to learn the rest of the piece when my competition's nearly here?' She picked up her bag and violin case and slowly stepped out of the empty classroom. As she was walking along the corridor, her head hung low, she didn't see a pile a floating books walking straight toward her.
THUMP!
She fell on the floor with a thud, her bag fell open too and some of her books jumped out. She looked around for her violin case and found that it was under a small pile of books. That's when she noticed the guy sitting in front of her, rubbing his head. "Toshiru-kun?" The azure eyed lad jerked his head up to see Chiako.
"A-ah! G-gomen ne, Atsuki-san. I didn't see you, it was very irresponsible of me," he said, bowing. "Oh no, no….It was my fault for not looking where I was going. Please, you don't have to apologize." said Chiako, waving her hands. Toshiru quickly got up and held out his hand for Chiako. A small blush crept over her cheeks as she took his hand and raised herself up. He immediately made a gesture to help her with her books. "Oh! It's fine. I can take them myself. Let me help you with your books."
As Chiako picked up another book she noticed the title Zeus: The Greek King of Gods. As she handed the books back to him, she asked, "Were you using those books for extra reference?"
"Oh! I thought I'd just check out a couple more books. I think they came in quite handy. We could add that in too since we haven't completed the project yet," he replied. "By the way, Atsuki-san, was that you playing the violin?" he asked. "Yeah, I was practising for the competition," said Chiako, giving a strained smile, "So do you have time today? I won't have violin classes so I can come to the library."
"Sure. I'll be there by four." Chiako thanked him again and rushed off to class. Toshiru Seito watched her leave and then continued his trudge back to class.
oooooooooooooooooooooooo
Ayane entered the class and found Chiako in her seat. That was a first, she always came a lot later. "Why can't she just do it?" The way the conversation had ended so abruptly last night floated into her head. Ayane looked at Chiako worriedly. 'I hope she's alright. That voice over the phone was scary. Chiako-chan…'
"Hey, Ayane-chan. Good Morning!" greeted Chiako;cheerily, bringing Ayane out of her thoughts.
"O-oh! G-Good Morning."
Ayane took her place, two seats in front of Chiako. As she sat there awkwardly, wondering what she should say to Chiako, the latter came and settled down in the seat next to her. "Ayane-chan, can we have lunch together at our super secret place today?" asked Chiako with a wink. "Sure. I'd love that." Ayane smiled. The door opened with a bang and a bouncy red head walked inside followed by a tensai.
"Nya! Good Morning Aya-chan, Chiako-chan!"
"Saa…Good Morning Ayane-san, Chiako-san."
The girls greeted them back. Eiji sat down in front of Ayane who was chatting with Chiako again. He listened as Chiako went onto talk about their History project, then he suddenly exclaimed, "Nya! Aya-chan, I forgot to tell you, I can't come today, we have tennis practise till four."
"That's okay. I'll just wait in the library."
"Waoh," said Chiako, "Do you think that's a good idea?"
"Why not?"
Chiako whispered, "Don't you remember last P.E class? Those girls were throwing dirty looks on you the whole period. Who knows what kind of booby traps they've set up in the library?"
An image of a sinister stool appeared in Ayane's head. 'I was lucky Eiji got there in time or I might have broken some bones.' She sweat dropped. "Y-you're probably right," she said, "I think I'll wait at the courts till practise is over."
"Nya! That's a great idea. Now I can introduce you to everybody."
Ayane and Chiako laughed airily. Ha…Eiji….so dense, so dense…
ooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The midday sun shone brightly and the air sounded with the chirps of birds that were enjoying the light breeze. The door to the rooftops opened and two girls sat down to have their lunch under the sun shade. Ayane slowly chewed her food and felt like choking in the dreadful silence. She almost jumped when Chiako suddenly spoke.
"My mother and I had a fight last night. It was pretty bad and we both got really mad," she said staring at the ground; so intensely, Ayane thought she could burn two holes into it. "I'm sorry you had to hear that, Aya-chan."
"It's okay…" Ayane said, unsurely, "So…is everything okay now?"
Chiako looked up at her and smiled, "Yeah, its okay. Mom and I can't stay mad at each other for long. Anyway, why did you call?"
Ayane looked puzzled for a second then it hit her that she'd never told Chiako why she'd called. "I actually called to tell you that I had the violin scores you forgot in class yesterday," she said sheepishly. Chiako blinked. "What?"
"I guess I kinda forgot to tell you. My bad."
Chiako felt the corner of her mouth twitch. "You idiot! I almost cried thinking I'd lost them and here you are telling me you had them all along."
"Hey! I called. It's not my fault you were busy picking a fight with your mom."
"You didn't tell me in the morning either."
"Well….I…that…" Ayane pouted.
Chiako suddenly burst into fits of laughter. Ayane looked at her surprised and then joined her. "Well…make sure you give it to me before you forget again," said Chiako, wiping tears away, "You'll be pretty busy this evening, I'm sure."
Ayane frowned, "What are you talking about?"
"Oh…you'll see," said Chiako, giving a sly smile.
ooooooooooooooooooooooo
Tennis Courts, Seigaku
Pok. Pok. Pok.
The sound of tennis balls being hit back and forth resounded all around the courts. Some freshmen were swinging their rackets and others were hitting balls against the wall. Most of the others were playing with each other. Tezuka as usual, stood by the sidelines, watching the practice matches. The Kantou Tournaments were nearing, they'd have to work harder, can't let their guards down.
Eiji ran to get the ball and hit it back with a volley. Momoshiro seized this opportunity and hit it back with his dunk smash.
"30-30"
Eiji panted. 'Nya…Momo's giving me a run for my money.' He rubbed away the sweat that slid down his cheek with the back of his hand. 'Ha! No way I'm gonna let an underclassmen beat me! Get ready Momo!' His face looked determined. Eiji got ready to serve again. Momo grinned. "C'mon Eiji-senpai! Give me some sport."
"Oi! Don't get so cocky, you brat. Just because I'm down by one game doesn't mean you're gonna win the match."
"We'll see about that."
ooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Ayane walked out of the school buildings. 'The tennis courts were that way, weren't they?' She went left and took a turn to the right. A path split there. She turned right again and reached a gym. She slowly slid the door open.
"Hey, Kenji, pass it to me."
"I got it!" A brunette caught the ball and made a free-throw.
"Ya! Great throw Kenji!"
Ayane continued to watch the match. 'That really was a good throw but that guy really seems to be full of himself.'
"Kya! GO KENJI-SAMA!" Hiroshi Kenji turned to his wonderful, ever-supportive fan girls and gave them a wink and a victory sign. "KYA…"-faints-. Ayane felt her brow twitch. 'It's no wonder he is…' Ayane turned her attention back to the game. The other team was getting pretty tense. 'They're gonna have to score soon or else the other team's going to win. Wow. This is exciting! It's been a long time since I've been to a basketball match.'
One of the players, too agitated, quickly shot the ball to the side. "Kazu, get it!" However, it went sailing through the air way too fast for him to get it. Ayane who was lost in her thoughts didn't see that the ball was heading towards her. There was no time for her to move out of the way. The ball hit her right in the stomach. She felt pain shoot through her body, her legs gave in and she slid to the floor. She felt tears form in the corners of eyes. She held her stomach with her hands lightly and tried to sooth out the pain. She was surprised when she felt a hand touch her shoulder.
"Hey, are you okay?"
She tried to form some words but to no avail. She felt herself being lifted and in a few seconds found that she was being carried by someone. She felt too tired to look at who was carrying her or where she was being taken, her eyelids felt like lead and she let them shut.
oooooooooooooooooooooooo
What? The racket slipped out of Eiji's hand. "They took her to the nurse's office," Chiako panted out. 'Aya-chan…' He raced out of the courts; he didn't even care if Tezuka made him run a 100 laps for this. Chiako blinked.
"Hey, Atsuki-senpai, is this person Eiji-senpai's girlfriend?", inquired Momo.
Chiako smiled slyly. Well, she'd expected him to get all worked up but this was even better. "Oh…you could say that…" "Huh?"
Oishi looked stunned,"Wait! Eiji has a girlfriend? He didn't tell me…"
"Saa….This should be interesting."
"Iie…Data."
"Mada mada dane, Eiji-senpai."
"Wait, how does Eiji having a girlfriend make him "mada mada dane", Echizen?"
"He let himself fall for a girl. He's weak."
Chiako sweatdropped.
"That's enough discussion. Back to practise, everyone!"
oooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The room was quiet and it was bathed with the golden light from the setting sun. Her hair was sprawled on the bed, her eyes were closed and her face looked peaceful. She almost seemed like an angel lying there asleep. Ayane opened her eyes slowly. She flinched as the light shone into her eyes. She cracked them open again and found herself staring into a pair of sky blue eyes. "E-eiji…" Her voice came out like a croak.
"You're awake. Thank goodness." Ayane frowned. That definitely didn't sound like Eiji.
Her vision became clear and she recognized the person sitting beside her on the bed, it was…
"Hi, my name's Hiroshi Kenji. I'm from the Basket Ball Team. I thought I'd stay till you woke up. Besides, it was because of the irresponsibility of one of our players that you ended up here in the first place, so Captain told me to see to it that you're fine." He smiled.
She tried getting up but fell back as pain shot through her. Her head slightly hurt too. "Hey, don't push it. Let me help you." Kenji slid his arm around Ayane's shoulder and slowly raised her into a sitting position. Sitting up straight, Ayane said, "It's okay. I'm alright now. Please don't blame your teammate; it was my fault for standing there like a dummy."
"You're really kind." He leaned forward and placed his hand on her cheek. Ayane's eyes widened. What the heck was this guy doing? Suddenly the door to the room burst open.
Eiji stepped into the room panting. He looked strikingly handsome in the golden light, his red hair all ruffled and his dark blue eyes looked so genuinely worried. Ayane's eyes became the size of dinner plates. "Nya! Aya-chan, are you o-" Eiji stopped mid-way and stared at the scene before him. Kenji's hand was placed on top of Ayane's, who was giving him a death glare now.
She pulled her hand away quickly. She looked at Eiji and forced a smile. "Eiji-kun, hi," she said, "Is tennis practice over?"
Eiji slowly stepped forward. "No, I…I heard from Chiako-chan that you were hurt so I came to check on you."
Ayane blushed. "T-thank you. I'm fine, Eiji-kun. Please don't skip practice." She gave him a bright smile. Eiji was standing beside the bed now. He smiled at Ayane, "Nya! Tezuka would probably make me run laps all through the night so I think I'll just go for practice tomorrow," said Eiji sheepishly, scratching his cheek.
Ayane let out a small chuckle, while Eiji stood there grinning. Kenji gave a small cough. Ayane jumped lightly. "Oh….um….Sorry, Hiroshi-san," she said, "Umm Eiji-kun…This is Hiroshi Kenji from the Basket Ball Team. He's the one who brought me to the nurse's office."
Eiji looked at the guy sitting on the bed. His blue eyes looked like he was scrutinizing Eiji and he looked almost annoyed. Nevertheless, Eiji smiled and held out his hand, "I'm Kikumaru Eiji, Regular, Tennis Club. Nice to meet you!" Kenji shook his hand stiffly.
Ayane felt like the air was suddenly very tense. "Umm…W-" "I should get back," Kenji cut across, "Well, I'll see you later umm..-"
"My name is Shizuno Ayane."
"I'll see you Ayane-chan." He took her hand and gave a small peck. He got up and left the room, closing the door behind him. There was an awkward silence in the room which was broken by Eiji. "Nya…Aya-chan, I thought you were going to come to the courts."
"Huh?"
"Well, you said you'd come to the courts today."
Ayane blinked. "I …I got lost," she said, her voice barely audible.
"Nya?"
"I got lost," she said, a little louder this time.
"What?"
"I GOT LOST, OKAY?" she said, her face bright red. She pouted and looked at her clasped hands. She was startled when Eiji suddenly started laughing. Eiji was laughing so hard he was finally holding his aching sides. Ayane's face broke out into a small smile.
Her head throbbed again and now it felt like it was going to explode. Her eyes were closing …
"Aya-chan!"
"Aya-chan…"
'Eiji…' She smiled as she fell back.
Phew! This chapter was loooong. It took me forever. I hope you guys didn't get tired of waiting. Well… …. tell me what you think. ^_-…Please…T.T
BTW, dear mellode, did you get my PM?
(1) The gavotte (also gavot or gavote) originated as a Frenchfolk dance. Gavotte also refers to the music for the dance. Gavotte is often played after the sarabande and before the gigue, along with other optional dances such as minuet, bourrée, rigaudon, and passepied.
I just thought I'd put that in, incase any of you were wondering. ^_- It is played by Kahoko and Kazuki in La Corda d'Oro, Episode 2. It's really fun to listen to. I'd recommend that you hear it.
Japanese Word
Gomen - Sorry (I really couldn't help it. I'm sorry; I just felt that "gomen" gave more of an effect, than a simple "sorry" ^_^||)
I noticed that I used the word, "suddenly" a lot. I hope it wasn't disturbing. I'm so happy. This is my longest chapter yet. I want to know what you felt about this chapter. I wasn't actually planning on writing about this Kenji guy; while I was typing, he just popped out of nowhere. Tell me what you thought about the little you saw of him. I don't know if I want to use him a lot, let me know if you want to see more of him.
Please give me your precious reviews. My school's going to reopen tomorrow so my updates might get a lot slower but if you review I'd be really motivated and that just might result in a new chapter…^_-