Hey guys…..hope you liked the last chapter. Wow…I passed ten reviews…T.T I'm so happy….Thank you so much for your reviews Coco-chan, Yuzuru-chan and Salty-chan! Thanks to those who alerted and favourited as well, I'm glad to know that you're reading. Well….here we go….
Taka: Umm…..ai-chan doesn't own P-pri-
ai-chan: Ummm…^_^|| Taka-kun you could put a little more power to that.
(Fuji jumps outta nowhere and hands over a racket)
Taka: WHOA BURNING! NOWAY DOES AI-CHAN OWN THE PRIIINCE OF TEEENNIS!
ai-chan: (flinches)…the pain….(sigh) Well…I asked for it…T.T
Dedicated to:
Ganzyyy
LuCky-StAr69
Sergeant Salt's Shaker Beat
Yuzuru Renge
Coco96
Lorna Roxen
Kris 77
"Remember me and smile, for it's better to forget than remember me and cry."
Chapter 8: Pain
Atsuki Chiako looked out of the window and watched as the rain fell on the earth and settled gracefully on leaves and petals. She traced her finger along with the drops as they slid down the glass pane. Her gaze suddenly shifted to the old grandfather clock, which stood in the corner in all its grandeur, as it chimed three times, indicating that it was three in the afternoon.
She sighed and sat down on the couch, thinking about the conversation in the car.
Two hours ago
The car was filled with an awkward silence as it sped on through the clear road. The sky, however, in contrast to this, was dark, with its looming clouds.
"Your grandfather's coming." the lady said, calmly. Chiako looked at her from the corner of her eyes. "I see."
"I'll be leaving for the airport to pick him up. In the meantime, you should prepare yourself for his arrival. Also, see to it that everything is in proper order."
"I will."
The lady turned to look at her. She said, "You'll have to discuss things with him and you'll have to decide what to do. You can't run away from it forever."
Chaiko's face hardened. "I realize that, thank you."
"You're getting quite good at this mock politeness, aren't you?"
Chiako faced her and smirked. "Why, is it bothering you?"
The lady's expression was unreadable as she looked ahead once more.
"I'm only trying to help you, Chaiko. I wish you'd understand that."
Present
Chiako stared down at her clasped hands. She bit her lip in frustration. Why? Why was all this happening now? When she'd finally gotten everything she'd ever wanted. It just wasn't fair. Her lips twisted into a bitter smile. 'Then again, life is never fair, is it?'
ooooooooooooooooooooo
Ayane looked at her watch. 4:30. Good, she could still catch Eiji before he left. She quickly walked out of the library and sped towards the tennis courts. As she neared them she could hear the rhythmic sound of tennis balls being hit back and forth.
'Whoa! These courts are huge. How the heck am I going to find Eiji?' She looked around and spotted a seventh grader who was carrying a box full of tennis balls. She jogged up to him and asked, "Excuse me, but do you know where I can find the Regulars?" The boy looked at her, exasperated.
Ayane guessed what might have been running through his head and flinched. "They're at the other end. Although, I don't think you'd be able to make it through the barrier." With that said, he walked off.
'Barrier?'. Ayane called out a thank you and proceeded in the direction in which the boy had indicated.
"KYAA! That shot was so awesome! You're the best Fuji-sama!"
'Oh!That barrier…..'. Ayane sighed and rolled her eyes.
The horde of Fuji fan girls waved their banners and little flags. Just then, another girl shouted at them, "What do you mean "Fuji-sama is the best"? Hah! I bet Tezuka-sama could beat him any day," she turned toward her 'fan mates', "Isn't that right, girls?"
"KYAA!"
Ayane stared at the scene before her in disbelief. Wow! How did the Regulars ever survive with these crazy girls after them all the time? She quietly slipped past them as they pulled at each other's hair and legs. She sighed in relief as she walked towards the other courts where the fans seemed to be much more peaceful. As she walked about aimlessly, looking for Eiji she bumped into someone. She immediately blurted out an apology, "I'm so sorry!" She bowed.
The boy rubbed the back of his head. "Oh. Please don't apologize. It was my fault as well for bumping into you."
Ayane looked up to see a boy with light brown hair and a kind face. She smiled. "Hi…My name is Shizuno Ayane. It's nice to meet you."
The boy smiled as well and said, "My name is Kawamura Takashi. It's nice to meet you, Shizuno-san."
Ayane frowned in thought, sounds so familiar….Suddenly her face lit up with recognition, "You're Taka-san from the tennis team. Eiji-kun's told me about you. I'm in his homeroom class." 'I think Eiji was lying. This guy looks like he wouldn't even hit a fly.'
Taka's face seemed to turn red, Ayane noticed and she wondered why, as he said, "O-oh."
"Ne, Taka-san, could you tell me where I can find Eiji-kun?"
"S-sure. He's playing with Kaidoh-kun in Court D."
Ayane blinked. "Where's that?"
Taka smiled. "I-I'll show you the way."
oooooooooooooooooo
"Fshshshsh…"
"Nya, Kai-chan, you need to stop frowning so much. You'll get wrinkles."
"Fshsh…Just serve the ball, senpai."
"Nya…okay, okay! No need to get so jumpy."
Eiji grinned as he threw the ball into the air and hit it towards Kaidoh's side of the court. Kaidoh smacked it back with ease. Eiji ran forward and returned the ball with a volley. He looked up grinning but that soon vanished as he saw Kaidoh reach the ball, as quick as lightning. He paled as he saw Kaidoh's grip on his racket tighten and the next second the ball had spun around the net and landed on Eiji's side of the court with a thud and then bounced off.
Eiji pouted. 'Nya….the Boomerang is hard to return….' Eiji sighed and shivered as he felt a chill down his spine. He slowly turned to look at the figure standing outside the court. A pair of glasses glinted evilly as the figure grinned.
Eiji gulped. 'If I keep this up, I'll have to drink….it".' He almost blanched. Oh no. No way was he gonna drink that poison. He was too young to die...That's it, this was a battle for survival which he couldn't afford to lose.
ooooooooooooooooooooooo
Ayane followed Taka and soon found herself standing next to a tall guy with spectacles. Her neck started to ache as she had to crane it just to look at his face. The boy looked down at her through his glasses which hid his eyes, giving him a mysterious appearance. Ayane was taken aback by how intimidated she felt by his height and….his.. aura, altogether.
Ayane sweat dropped as she said, "U-um….H-hello, m-my name is Shizuno Ayane. Nice to meet you."
She waved her hand limply and waited for a reply. She finally gave up when he said nothing even after three minutes. However, she was curious to know what he was reading from the book in his hand….maybe just a peek..
Ayane almost jumped a mile when he spoke suddenly, "Shizuno Ayane. Class 3-B. Transfer student from the United States.
Excels in: English and Biology.
Hobbies: Drawing and Reading.
Hates: History and Geography.
Member of the Arts Club.
Close Friends: Kikumaru Eiji, Fuji Syusuke and Atsuki Chiako.
Has a very bad sense of direction, tends to knock things down or bump into people a lot. Likes playing basketball or watching basketball games. Decent artist."
He looked up from his notebook and his glasses shined as he said, "Also rumoured to be Eiji's -". Inui's glasses glinted.
"Whao! You're Eiji-senpai's girlfriend?" Momo shouted, coming out of nowhere.
"Nya-" Thump!
Everyone's eyes, except Ayane's, turned towards Eiji who was lying on the ground like a corpse. A tennis ball rolled from his hand. Kaidoh's face was frozen in shock. He recovered quickly though and moved towards Eiji.
"Fshshsh….Eiji-senpai?" No response. "Eji-senp-"
He was cut across by the sound of a crash against the fence. Everyone's attention turned towards Ayane, who was holding on to the fence for support. Taka looked at her, concerned. "Are you okay, Shizuno-san?"
"I-I'm h-his w-what?"
"Oops. Sorry about that. I guess I shouldn't have said that out so loud," said Momo, sheepishly, scratching his head.
Ayane looked like she was about to faint. She repeated, "H-his w-what?"
Inui started, "His girl-"
Eiji shot up like a rocket and turned wildly to look at the group standing there. His face turned red as he shouted, "Nya? She's my what?"
Inui's brow twitched. He took a deep breath and said quickly, " Hisgirlfriend."
Ayane blinked. Once. Twice. Then, her face turned crimson and steam seemed to come out of her ears. "Y-y-you've got this all wrong! I-I-I'm j-j-just his friend!"
Eiji nodded his head vigorously. "Nya! That's right. Aya-chan and I are friends."
Momo grinned. "Yeah…that's what they all say," he turned towards Eiji and said, "Wow, Eiji-senpai, she's so pretty."
Kaidoh blushed. "You dumb Peach-Head! Don't just blurt out things like that."
Momo glared at Kaidoh, "You pickin' a fight Mamushi?"
"Fshshshsh!"
They glowered at each other so menacingly that they would've put Snape's death glare to shame.(AN: HP fan XD)
"Stop it you guys!"
Everyone, stunned, turned towards the voice. Oishi Syuichiroh panted as he slowly stepped forward. He looked at Momo and Kaidoh and said sternly, "That's enough, both of you. We've got enough confusion over here."
He shifted his gaze towards Ayane. "I'm sorry for all the trouble my team mates have caused. This is all just a big misunderstanding."
He looked at Inui now. "Inui, why did you say something like that when you already knew it wasn't true? I heard you talking about it with Fuji yesterday."
Inui grinned. "I was just collecting data….." He took out his pen and started scribbling furiously.
"Wait a minute! Nya! Fujiko was in on this?"
"Oh well, looks like the cat's out of the bag," said Fuji, smiling, as always and appeared behind Eiji.
"N-nya! You scared me Fujiko!"
Fuji chuckled. Eiji looked at him accusingly, "Nya! I can't believe you sided with Inui, Fujiko!"
"Oh! But it was Chiako-san who gave me the idea in the first place. Although, she didn't know it."
'Chiako-chan?'
Ayane was starting to feel light headed and her heart was beating so hard she thought it was going to jump out.
"What are you all doing?"
Everyone stiffened at the sound of the voice and they slowly turned around to face (gulp) their captain.
Tezuka looked at them sternly. "All of you 20 laps round the courts, now!"
"Yes, buchou!"
The Regulars ran like their life depended on it. Ayane stood there awkwardly.
'I guess I now know why Taka-san got so flustered back there. Oh man, this is such a mess! Kami-sama….help me!'
oooooooooooooooooo
Ayane dried her hair with a towel and sat down on her bed. As she continued rubbing, she thought about her crazy evening. To think it was all because Chiako had said that one thing about her being in the nurse's office. Well, the rest of the evening had been full of constant explantions and ultimately, in spite of all her protests, Momo still refused to believe her.
She sighed. 'Why me?'
Soon her thoughts drifted to Chiako. Ayane couldn't help but worry about what had happened to her. Finally, deciding that dwelling on the matter was of no use, she got up from the bed and pulled out a chair and sat down to complete their History project but however much she tried to concentrate her thoughts kept drifting to a conversation with Eiji, about which flavour ice-cream was the best, as they'd walked home together last week.
The corners of her mouth lifted upward. Then she sighed heavily. 'Should I just let this happen? Is that the best thing to do?'
oooooooooooooooooooo
The sunlight poured in through the window and fell on a red haired lump that was curled up on the bed. Her breath came out evenly indicating how fast asleep she was.
She ran and ran, desperately trying to escape something but she wasn't sure what it was. She knew one thing though; the pain she could feel in her heart was that of sadness and loneliness. She stopped running and sank down under the shade of a cherry tree, resting her back against the tree trunk. She bit her lip, trying to hold back the tears that were forming in the corner of her eyes.
"Oi, Aya-chan, what are you doing over there?"
Her heart almost stopped at the voice.
"Ne, Aya-chan?"
"Aya-chan?"
"Ay-"
"-ane!" called a strained voice from downstairs. "Wake up already!"
Ayane groaned and stretched her arms, as she yawned. "I'm up, mom!" she shouted back. She scowled, getting up from her bed.
oooooooooooooooooooo
The school was filled with an eerie silence. Morning practice had ended earlier than usual as Coach Ryuzaki had to go somewhere urgently. The corridors echoed with the sound of footsteps.
Fuji slid open the door to the empty classroom and made his way towards his seat. As he didn't have anything to do in particular, he fell to staring out of the window. He smiled as he thought about the fun they'd had, taunting Eiji this morning, and seeing Oishi trying to stop them, in vain. Tezuka seemed to be exhausted from having dealt with the 'fangirl war' that had taken place yesterday. So he could say that it had been a very pleasant morning, after all he was a sadist. Fuji chuckled.
He was also very pleased with the results he'd received from his little experiment yesterday and it was better than he'd thought. He knew there was some hidden secret in Ayane's eyes from the first time they'd met. He wasn't called the 'Tensai' for nothing. But he still had a few things to find out. He'd have to have another talk with Inui.
He sighed, sitting alone in class wasn't fun. He got up from his seat and went towards the window.
The grounds were almost empty save a few kids who were playing baseball. The cherry tree next to the tennis courts looked bare without its usual splendour of sakura flowers. Students were starting to arrive now.
Fuji's attention was drawn towards a figure that quickly ran towards the club rooms. He frowned slightly. "Hmm...I wonder what she's doing here so early," he muttered under his breath. He turned towards the door and having shut it behind him, made his way towards the Physics Lab.
oooooooooooooooooooo
Eiji breathed in the sweet smell of the beautiful, brown delicacy he held in his hand. He bit into it happily and turned to his doubles partner who was busy discussing about the Kantou Tournament with Tezuka.
"I think we should consult Ryuzaki-sensei about it as well," said Oishi. Then facing Eiji he said, "We have to put more into our practices, the matches are next week. We can't slack off."
Eiji pouted. "Nya! Momo-chan shtarted it. It washn't me."
Oishi sighed. "Right."
"Nya! I can't bellieve you're shiding witch him, Oishi. That brat wash ashkin' for it! And then they all began to ambush me witch all thosh questionsh, shpecially Fujiko! Then Inui got really shcary-", Eiji swallowed, "-and did you see that aura around him? Nya! He might be possessed by aliens from Jupiter like in Space Station." He shuddered.
Oishi sweat dropped at his friend's exaggeration.
"That's no excuse Kikumaru."
Eiji sulked as he got up. "Nya…I'll see you guys later."
oooooooooooooooooo
Ayane dropped onto her seat with a huff. 8:25. Wow. Too close for comfort. She sighed and looked towards Chiako's place, only to find it empty.
Ayane was alarmed. 'Chiako-chan didn't come today. Is she okay?Maybe I should've called…but…' Ayane flinched as she remembered the last time she'd called.
"Why can't she just do it?"
'That voice was really scary…But…I-…she…' She groaned in frustration and rubbed her head, messing up her loose locks of hair. She didn't get to think further about it as their teacher walked into class.
Throughout the lesson Ayane remained disturbed and she hardly paid any attention to what their sensei was saying. She nearly jumped when Aiko sensei called her name.
"Y-yes sensei?"
"Could you please elaborate on that last quote?"
"U-um..the….fifth one?"
"Yes."
Ayane gulped and read the quote out loud.
With every line she read her heart almost dropped. She slowly placed her book on the table and looked up at her teacher as she said, "Well….it means that…. the person would want his loved one to forget him rather than cry remembering him… because, he doesn't want to see her in pain thinking about him. He is willing to sacrifice that for her happiness."
Aiko sensei smiled. "Well done, Shizuno-san. Sit down and please pay attention."
Ayane sweat dropped as she sat down. 'Busted…' She read the quote once more before she turned the page to read the passage. Her heart felt like lead as she thought about the words. She shook her head as though trying to get the words out of her head. 'No...no...no...CONCENTRATE!'
oooooooooooooooooooo
Ayane almost cheered as bell rang, signalling the end of fourth period. Gathering her books, she made her way to the rooftops. As she climbed the stairs, Ayane thought about what was left to be completed in their History project.
'I have to write the conclusion and then stick those pictures Eiji gave me yesterday. I have to write the contents too….'
Opening the door, Ayane stepped out and smiled as a light breeze kissed her face. Looking up at the sky she noticed the grey clouds in the distance. She frowned. 'Summer rains…darn. I'll have to get back early…' She sat down and opened her bentou. Ayane stared at the empty space where Chiako would've been sitting. She quietly bit into her onigiri as she thought about whether she should call Chiako.
'She's my friend and if I'm a good friend I should find out if she's alright. So it's decided…I'm calling her!'
Ayane smiled to herself as she thought out how she'd finish the project.
ooooooooooooooooooooo
Eiji leaped from the branch he'd been sleeping on and landed gracefully, just like a cat. He'd successfully escaped from meeting any of his devious team mates. Pulling out a candy from his pocket, he walked into the school.
'Nya! It's so boring, not playing tennis….maybe I can go tease Oishi for a while...wait, what? NO! Focus Eiji….you are mad at him! You will not talk to him!'
Popping the sweet into his mouth, Eiji lazily walked past the library and turned the corner. To his surprise he found a certain red haired girl walking right in front of him. Eiji suppressed a snigger…this was going to be fun. He quietly or in his mind, stealthily, followed Ayane and ….observed her.
Inner conscience: 'What are you doing?'
'Well…Nya…I'm…um…collecting data.'
'Really? And since when did you become a poison concocting, scary scribbling, geeky spectacled Data Man?
'Nya...well…I…Alright fine! I'm bored and stalk- I'm mean…observing Aya-chan's fun! Besides…who knows what dangers lie in store for her, personally I'm just looking out for her.'
'Oh really? Well…you keep believing that. Don't think I'm leaving….I've got my eyes on you…'
Eiji wanted to just stick his tongue out but of course, he couldn't…well, actually he could but people would think he was a weirdo. So after his inner turmoil, Agent Eiji once again resumed his mission to protect Aya-chan from unearthly dangers.
oooooooooooooooooooo
Ayane stopped in her tracks and looked around wildly. The corridor was empty but she couldn't help feeling that someone was following her. 'Wow…I must be going crazy. This project's going to my head…the sooner I finish it, the better.'
As Ayane chided herself for her crazy imagination, she heard someone calling out to her. She spotted a girl a little ahead and even as she looked, the black haired girl made her way over. Stopping in front of Ayane, she said, "Hey, could you help me out? Kanazawa-sensei asked me if I could take a bunch of footballs to his staffroom but Yoshina-sensei called me just now so could you take it over instead?"
"Umm….I'm not too sur-"
"Oh please! I really have to go and I can't find anyone else."
Ayane looked uneasily at the girl's pleading eyes. Finally she said, "Ok. I'll do it. Kanazawa-sensei's staffroom is on the second floor, right?"
The girl nodded, beaming. "Thank you so much!" And with that she waved and sped off.
Ayane nearly smacked herself. Great, just what she needed. 'No no…don't be negative. You can do this, just think clearly. You know where the store house is. You can do this. That's right…you can do this!'
Fifteen minutes later…
'Ok..I can't do this!' Ayane looked around her in panic.
'Oh gosh! Where the heck am I?' Ayane gripped her hands tightly and tried to calm herself down but the ghastly silence in the halls was making her feel edgy. 'Come on…calm down, calm down, calm dow-'
"Nya-"
"AAAAAAAH!"
Eiji cringed. Ok, that was a bad idea. "Nya, Aya-chan, it's just me."
Ayane looked at him with bulging eyes and she was breathing heavily. Suddenly, her eyes lit up with such fury that Eiji took a step back. Ayane looked at him menacingly and muttered, "E-i-JI!"
Eiji gulped and then, sweat dropped. "Nya…I- I'm sor-"
"I SHOULD KILL YOU! YOU NEARLY GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?"
Eiji smiled sheepishly, "I'm sorry, nya. I didn't mean to…I mean…well..I didn't think you'd get so scared…"
"WELL OF COURSE I WOULD!"
Ayane continued to glare at Eiji but she seemed to have calmed down. She bent down to pick up her bag, which she'd dropped. Sighing, she asked, "What are you doing here anyway?"
Tying his hands behind his head, Eiji said, "Nya, I was just following Aya-cha-"
Eiji stopped midway, realising his mistake. Too late.
Ayane's brow twitched. "You were doing what?"
"N-nya, I was just having a little fun. I'm sorry!" Eiji braced himself for her outburst. He was surprised , however, when she just sighed.
"Well, at least now I'm not alone."
Seeing as everything was alright, Eiji asked, "Nya, I thought you'd be going to the storehouse, so what are you doing in front of the music room?"
Ayane continued walking as Eiji looked at her expectantly. Her brows twitched.
"Aya-chan?"
Her vein popped. 'Control…..Don't massacre him…'
"Aya-chan?"
"I GOT LOST, OK?"
Ayane fumed. After a few minutes of silence, the halls echoed with Eiji's hysterical laughter.
"N-nyahaha….I can't bel-..hahaha….you…haha…I'm sor-ahaha…I can't sto-ohahaha…." Tears were streaming down his cheeks as he held his hands over his stomach, trying to calm himself.
"Kikumaru Eiji, unless you want to spend the next few months in a hospital wing, I suggest you stop laughing right now!" Ayane said, icily.
Much to Ayane's frustration, this had no effect on him. "Ei-ji…"
"No..no…haha, I'll stop…haha…realllly…haha.."
"You're dead."
Eiji started running, still laughing like a madman, followed by Ayane, who looked like she was out for blood. Not that she was a vampire or anything. Anywho, the blood chase continued as Agent Kikumaru ran for his life.
After what seemed like the longest ten minutes they stopped, panting, in front of….the Destination, a.k.a, the storehouse. Ayane looked up and realized where they were. Eiji stood upright, grinning.
"Nya, here we are Aya-chan."
Ayane glared at him. Catching her breath, Ayane opened the door to the storehouse and took a step in. Suddenly she stopped. Smiling lightly, she turned back and said, "Ne, Eiji-kun, could you help me again?"
Seeing her smile, Eiji held up a victory sign and said, "Sure."
Stepping inside, they looked around. The storehouse was dusty and dimly lit. There were a lot of cupboards to their left and some shelves on their right. A whole stack of boxes sat at the back, partly covered with a sheet that almost looked like a rug. A large broken cupboard was standing in the middle which now served as a stand for some javelins and some metal rods.
"Okay Eiji-kun, you take the right and I'll look over here."
As they searched for the pack of footballs, Ayane mentally thanked God for sending Eiji to help her. 'In fact, he's always helping me….I wouldn't have made it without him….'
Closing another cupboard at the bottom, she was starting to get up when there a loud snap and the whole lot of rods came toppling down straight toward Ayane.
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo
I'd watched a ton of movie where the heroine would just stand there like an idiot as danger fell upon her and all those times I'd felt like giving her a whack on the head and telling her, "Get a move on you bimbo." But right now, I could understand why it was so. No matter how much I wanted to move, I couldn't, I watched as they fell toward me and then I did the dumbest thing. I closed my eyes.
Suddenly I felt myself being pushed and then I was falling to the ground. I closed my eyes tighter as I waited for a painful impact with the cold stone floor. But it never came. I was lying on something soft. I slowly opened my eyes and found myself looking at a band aid. Eiji. My heart was beating like a drum and I started feeling light-headed as alarm shot through me. I moved slightly to get off of him.
"Aya-chan…"
His voice was strained. My brows pinched in worry but I replied, "I'm okay. Wait, let me get off of you."
I rolled to the side and slowly sat upright. I looked to my side to find that Eiji was trying to push himself up. "Eiji-kun, hey, don't exert yourself."
He looked up at me with his usual cat-like grin and said, "Nya…I'm okay!"
Yeah right. Rolling my eyes I took his arm to help him up. But as I lifted him I noticed that he flinched. Suddenly, the blood was draining from my face. No. No. No. No! He can't be. Oh please no. My hands went over my mouth and I couldn't stop the tears that were flooding my eyes. My voice was trembling as I said, "E-eiji-kun…y-you're hurt.."
My voice broke off with a shudder. No…no….no…Get a grip. Don't be hysterical. You have to help him. Help him. But my mouth wasn't listening. "Y-you're hurrt and it's all m-my fault. Oh God…..Oh God….." More tears fell.
Eiji looked at me, alarmed. "N-nya, Aya-chan, d-don't cry. It's no big deal. It's just a scratch."
I bit my lip. Calm down…calm down. I let out choked breaths. Taking in a gulp of air and wiping away the tears, I said mechanically, "Show me your arm."
"Nya…I-it's alright. I'm fine Aya-chan. You do-"
"Show me your arm." I said, raising my voice.
Reluctantly he put it out in front of me, saying, "Nya, it's not so bad. It just stings an-"
I shut his voice out and looked at his arm. The tears came back. And they slid down my cheeks as I looked at the long cut on his forearm, from which blood was streaming. What had I done! Eiji….I hurt him. I just wanted scream at myself.
Eiji started, "Nya..Aya-"
"We're going to the nurse's office." I said, shakily.
"What? No. Nya, I really am o-"
I looked into his eyes sternly. "We're going to the nurse's office."
Eiji gulped and nodded.
ooooooooooooooooooooo
Nya….This was scary. I mean, I was practically being dragged and I was the faster one of the two of us. So that's saying something. Seeing Aya-chan cry like that made me feel really ….I don't know, different. I'd gotten myself hurt so many times I'd lost count and all those times Oishi, my mom or my sisters would go crazy. But even then, it didn't make me feel like this. I couldn't explain it but it was something about her face which made me feel that way.
Aya-chan almost knocked the door down trying to open it and started looking around for Mizuno-sensei, yeah, I'd come in here so many times I learnt her name and almost all the things you'd know about a friend. Nya, she's a really nice person. It's too bad kids don't take the time to talk to her for at least a few seconds. Anyway, Aya-chan flung me down on the bed and then disappeared. While she was gone, I thought back to what happened back at the storehouse. It was really strange that those poles just gave away suddenly.
I looked down at the cut, on my right arm, which started from my elbow and ended at my wrist. It wasn't very deep but I was bleeding a lot. I examined my elbow which looked like a red ping pong ball now. Nya, I was glad Aya-chan hadn't seen it or else she'd probably have had a fit. I sighed, hoping that it would heal soon. I couldn't afford to go play like this for the matches. Aya-chan suddenly appeared with a first aid kit in her hand. She was panting and sweating and her hair was all messed up. Her eyes looked red too. I felt that weird feeling again. She gave me a towel indicating my left hand which I'd placed over the wound to stop the blood from falling to the ground.
"Sensei's gone home sick, today."
Her voice was really raspy. I nodded stiffly, not knowing what I should say to make her feel better. Should I say something funny? Would that be insensitive? Kimi-nee chan always kept telling me that I was insensitive to situations. I gulped.
Aya-chan stuttered out, "I— well— can I?"
I didn't understand at first but then I understood that she wanted to treat my wound.
I smiled and said, "Sure."
She kept the box on a small table, next to the bed, and took out some antiseptic and cotton. With a cotton pad, she wiped away the blood that was still on my hands. Then she took the antiseptic and pressed another piece of cotton to it.
"This might sting a bit."
I nodded again.
Aya-chan kneeled in front of me and I put out my arm for her. She dabbed the cotton onto my arm ever so softly, like she thought that it would worsen the cut. I couldn't stop myself from smiling. She started at my elbow but then she suddenly stopped. I realised what was wrong in a few seconds and I flinched. Her glassy emerald eyes were boring into mine and even under those circumstances I felt my face turn red.
"Your elbow's hurt too."
I explained that it had hit the floor pretty hard when we'd fallen. To my surprise, she didn't say anything or shout at me like I expected her to. Instead she bent to look at my arm again and I couldn't see her eyes as her bangs hid them. However, the next moment my eyes went wide as I noticed the tears that fell on the ground.
"I'm sorry….I'm sorry…I'm so sorry...I-"
Her voice was died out.
In all my life, I'd never felt as helpless as I did then. I opened my mouth to say something but then I stopped when I saw that she seemed dazed. I frowned as I said, "Hey Aya-chan….are you okay?"
She gave a slight nod.
Aya-chan…
ooooooooooooooooooooo
I'd done it again. I'd hurt him. And once again he'd given me that reassuring smile, telling me it was okay. I hated myself…for being such an idiot. Always getting lost, always knocking things down, always hurting him….always….. always. The tears were flowing down my cheeks and I wiped them away furiously. I could hear Eiji saying something but it was all jumbled up to me. The only thing I could hear was the loud echoing of "Wipe the blood. Clean it up. Wipe the blood. Clean it up."
Why…why had I done it again? Why was it happening?
Ayane pounded on the dirt with her fists. Her sobs were getting louder by the second. Her cheeks were tear stained and red from all the rubbing and so were her eyes.
"I'll…..I'll n-never get it back…I-I've lost it," she wailed, "Daddy…D-daddy gave it to me and I-I've lost it….!"
Eiji looked as distressed as she was as he tried to sooth her.
"Nya…it's okay, Aya-chan. We'll find it."
"But we already looked for it, everywhere."
"Not everywhere. It's got to be here somewhere."
"B-but…..it's starting to rain and now it'll get buried or….or….. washed away."
She held onto her bruised wrist and wailed. However, she stopped, when Eiji suddenly got up, his eyes burning with determination.
"E-eiji-kun?"
"Don't worry. I'll find it," he said, looking straight into her eyes, "I promise."
With that he ran off. Ayane stopped crying but now panic rushed through her.
"W-wait, Eiji-kun. I-I'm coming too."
She struggled on to her feet and followed him. She ran faster and faster, trying to catch up to him, but he'd gotten way ahead. It was getting hard to see now because the rain was pouring down harder. Ayane came to a stop in front of a forked path. She looked to her left and her right, frantically. 'Which way? Which way? I noticed that I'd lost it at the park….Did he go there?' Deciding that that was where he'd went, Ayane turned right and started running again.
She looked around but she couldn't see anything or anyone.
"Eiji-kun!" she shouted. No reply came. "Eiji-kun?"
She walked again, calling out his name. Her tears mixed with the rain as it slid down her cheeks. "Eiji-kun!"
Her sobs seemed to drown out in the empty park but suddenly a faint voice called out, "Aya-chan?"
Ayane's face immediately lit up. "Eiji-kun!"
She ran towards the voice and a little later she spotted a figure next to a large tree, which she recognized as the one on which she and Eiji had played in the afternoon. Her face broke out into a smile as she saw him wave at her and give a thumbs up. She was running so fast the she tripped on the wet ground and fell, injuring her leg. She slowly pushed herself up, not minding the pain that she felt in her leg, because Eiji had found it, the hair pin which her Daddy had given her on her sixth birthday.
When she got up Eiji was standing next to her looking concerned.
"Nya, Aya-chan….Are you okay?"
Ayane reassured him that she was fine. "So where is it?" she asked eagerly.
"Nya, it's caught in the leaves of a branch. I think it fell there when we climbed down the tree," he said, "But, the thing is-"
He stopped abruptly, staring at the ground, frustrated. When Ayane turned to have a look at Eiji, she was shocked to see many bruises on his arms and legs.
"Eiji-kun….It's okay. L-let's just leave it. Please don't hurt yourself."
But Eiji refused to give up. He looked around for a long stick and started shaking the branch until finally something fell from it and landed with splash in a little stream of mud water which was streaming down the slope behind the tree. Eiji clenched his teeth in determination and dived to catch the pin before it went down but, the grass being slippery, made Eiji slide down as well.
"EIJI-KUN!"
Ayane limped to the slope and found that Eiji had rolled down all the way to the bottom. She looked on terrified as he lay there, motionless. Her whole body was shaking as she dropped to the ground, helplessly. "Eiji-kun…Eiji-kun….." she uttered, in a broken voice. Her head was drumming, her hands were ice cold and her vision was blurring as hot tears poured out from her eyes. "Please…. please….PLEASE…..save him….please….Eiji-kun…..Eiji-kun…."
If anything she just wanted to drop dead right then. Her head felt like lead and Ayane cloud see black spots now.
"Ayane's here!" a voice shouted from behind.
The last thing Ayane felt was an arm snaking round her shoulders, lifting her up.
ooooooooooooooooooooo
She groaned as the light fell right into her eyes, nearly blinding her. A dark figure loomed over her and asked in a concerned voice, "Aya…are you okay? Honey…."
Ayane slowly forced her eyes open to find that it was her mother sitting next to her on the bed.
"Where….am I?" she asked weakly.
"We're at the hospital. No…no. Don't try to get up. You've got a high fever and the doctor says that you should take rest."
"Where's Eiji-kun?"
"He's in the next room. He had a lot of bruises on his body when we found him. He's got a high fever too."
Ayane was crying again. "It's all my fault, mom. He got hurt trying to get back my pin. It's all my fault….. E-eiji-kun's going to hate me now….It's my fault…"
Ayaka wiped away the tears from her daughter's face and said softly, "Sh…Don't cry, sweetie. Everything's going to be fine. You and Eiji-kun are best friends, so of course he won't hate you. Now get some rest."
Ayane shook her head. "I want to see him…."
"Aya….you can see him in a little while but right now you have to sleep, honey."
"No…..I want to see Eiji-kun."
"Aya…"
"Please mom! Please….."
Ayaka stared into her pleading eyes and finally with a sigh, she said, "Alright…"
She carefully picked up Ayane from the bed and took her to the next room. Eiji was lying on the bed, barely conscious. There was patch on his right cheek and several other cut on his face, arms and legs. Kikumaru Sayuri was sitting in a chair next to the bed. She got up and smiled at them.
"Is she alright now?"
"Better," Ayaka replied, returning the smile, "How's Eiji-kun?"
"He's alright. A high fever and lots of bruises but none too severe. Except for that one on his cheek, the doctor says that might leave a scar."
Ayane sniffled. Sayuri gave her a smile and said, "Oh don't cry Aya-chan. He'll be fine. Oh! I almost forgot. He's been holding on to a hairpin ever since we found him and he just won't give it to us. I think it's yours Aya-chan."
Ayane nodded, teary eyed.
Approaching the bed, she called out softly, "Eiji-kun…."
Eiji shifted slightly. Ayane called him again and this time he turned to look at her.
"Aya-chan," he said feebly, "I….I got it. So…you…don't have to cry anymore. Here."
He opened his little palm to reveal a beautiful pink sakura shaped hair pin. Ayane burst into another set of tears. "I'm sorry Eiji-kun….I'm so sorry…."
"N-nya…..I'm okay." he said, smiling
Because of me, Eiji now had that band aid on his cheek. It was my fault. And now I'd given him this big cut and a swollen elbow, right before the Kantous too. Right then, I felt like the whole world was resting on my shoulders and my knees couldn't hold me up anymore. I almost fell but Eiji caught me by my shoulders. He shook me slightly and was saying something but my head was buzzing like crazy.
oooooooooooooooooooooooo
"Oi! Aya-chan… Aya-chan….are you okay? Nya, say something…..Aya-chan!"
Ayane seemed to be coming out of her trance. She held on to Eiji's shirt for support. Eiji shifted his hold to her waist to steady her. Ayane blinked again and again, like she was waking up from a dream. Eiji's face was scrunched up in worry as he looked at her face.
"I…I…...I'm…. I'm so sorry," she mumbled.
"Nya, Aya-chan it's alright. It wasn't your fault at all. The poles just fell suddenly; you didn't do anything to cause that."
"But you got hurt trying to save me."
"That's okay. It doesn't matter as long as you're alright."
Ayane fell forward, resting her head on him. Eiji blushed heavily. He was startled, however, when he felt his shirt getting wet. 'Aya-chan….'
For a moment Eiji was puzzled as to what he should do. But then he lifted his hand and stroked her hair gently, comforting her.
Wow! It's done…finally. Ok…now this was long. Atleast by my standards. Ok….you all must have gotten tired of waiting for my update but I assure I had a good reason. First off, this chapter was huge and at certain parts I had a bit of writer's block.
Second, school was hectic and I barely got time to read ff much alone type my story. It was like one freakin' exam after another. (shudders) Gives me nightmares just thinking about them.
I saw the first part of Deathly Hallows, which would explain the slight mention of Snape in this chapter..:D. I hope you enjoyed reading. I have mixed feelings about this chapter and I'm not sure if I made any improvement at all. T.T
PLEASE REVIEW and tell me what you thought about it.
I've already started with the next chapter…so….I might post it soon…(sweat drop) Yeah…..my sister was telling me that I should keep deadlines. Anywho….please press that review button.