A/N: Keep up the reading! Reviews and constructive criticism greatly appreciated!

Inanimate objects seem to hate me today… my pen stabbed me, drawing blood and puncturing my leg, a sharpie tripped me, sending me flying into the couch, and the couch scraped the back of my foot while I was trying to walk away… and this butterfly house thingee tripped me and almost sent me face first into the wall.

ANYWAY….. Hope you like the chapter! I had to research for it a bit! ;)

Chapter 9

What Just Happened?

There was silence.

"With who?" Oishi and Rei asked.

"Eiji."

"Miku."

The friends were at a loss for words.

It was Monday, and Miku was walking to school, chewing gum and listening to her iPod.

As she passed Eiji's house, she stopped walking and stared longingly at the front door. She quickly grabbed her phone and texted him, "Want to walk to school together? –Miku" before she could chicken out.

Eiji had his uniform on and was looking out the window at Miku, wondering what he should do. In his right hand, his phone buzzed. It was a message…from Miku. She wanted to walk to school together. But… should he go with her and act like nothing had happened, or should he decline the offer?

Eiji decided that he was going to oblige, but this was probably going to be awkward.

He raced down the stairs and out the door, just as Daisuke was looking out the window, saying "Look, guys! Eiji's girlfriend!"

Miku smiled with relief as Eiji joined her, walking to school. She put her iPod in her backpack and gave Eiji a piece of gum. They walked in silence for a while, both not knowing what to say.

"How many different flavors of gum do you have, nya?" Eiji asked, trying to make conversation.

"You don't want to know," said Miku with a laugh. "You might keel over by the sheer number of them."

There was silence.

"Is there any other candy you like? Oh, and by the way, there's this thing called mint gum. It's really good; you should try it."

Miku stuck her tongue out playfully at him. "I don't like mint gum. But I LOVE chocolate."

"W-well, you are a girl…"

"Oi! Don't be stereotypical!"

They both laughed, and Eiji mentally sighed with relief. It seemed that she wasn't holding a grudge or anything.

Miku continued, "I don't even like pink!"

"Then what is your favorite color?"

"Purple."

"Mine is-"

"No, wait! I want to guess!"

"Uh…okay…"

"So, let's see…it's not pink, because that would just be…weird…is it blue?"

"Nope, that's Kaidoh's favorite, nya."

"Okay…green?"

"Tezuka."

"Silver?"

"Ochibi."

"Ugh…white? Please no…"

"Oishi."

"Thank God. Um…brown?"

"Nope. That's Fuji, strangely enough."

"Black?"

"Inui."

"Teal?"

"Taka."

Miku was desperate. "Red?"

"That's Momo's favorite…"

"I give up, then."

"…and mine."

Miku gasped. "Really? I thought I was never going to get it and it was one of those obscure crayola crayon colors…"

Eiji laughed. "Well, it is, actually, I just thought I'd make it easier for you." He smiled at her.

"Thanks," she said sarcastically, smiling back.

It was then that they both realized that they were standing the Seigaku gate- and it was deserted.

They exchanged "oh crap" looks and sprinted off to their first class. They were going to be very late.

It was now after school, and the regulars were changing for tennis practice.

Eiji and Fuji were standing next to each other, cleaning up everything they weren't using for training.

"Fuji," Eiji said quietly.

"What is it, Eiji?"

"Can I talk to you in private after practice is over?"

"Yeah, of course. Where should we meet?"

"In here, probably, when everyone else leaves."

"Okay." They both grabbed their rackets and headed out. Since practice wasn't quite starting yet, they both walked over to Miku and sat on either side of her.

"Hey, guys," she greeted them.

"Konnichiwa," Fuji answered.

Eiji was poking his racket strings and had a slightly confused look on his face. Every time he prodded on the strings they sagged under his fingertip way more than they were supposed to.

"How did I play on these…? I need to get them fixed…" he said, mostly to himself. "I'll be right back, guys." With that, he started to walk back to the clubhouse to get a new racket.

"Fuji?" Miku asked, when Eiji was out of earshot. "Can I trust you to keep a secret?"

"…yeah."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

"Open your eyes, Fuji. Not that I could tell if you were lying anyway, but…"

Fuji opened his deep blue eyes and looked into Miku's. They weren't lying in the slightest, and if they were, Tezuka was a ballerina and had lost his virginity at 12. Which was impossible.

…right?

"I promise." Fuji said with a definite tone. Miku sighed and leaned over and whispered in his ear, "I…I like Eiji. A lot."
She leaned back and looked at Fuji's face. His expression was…mixed. Present in it were surprise, knowing, and a hint of abandonment.

Not many people other than Fuji could pull off that look and communicate so much through a glance.

"You realize that that's a really hard secret to keep, right?"

"Yes, but I trust you Fuji," Miku said, with a weak smile.

"Are my eyes really that amazing?" Fuji wondered quietly at her, and then continued in a louder, more normal tone of voice.

"So when Yuuta came home yesterday, kaa-san made him his favorite pumpkin curry," Fuji started a story. Miku was confused for a moment, and then saw Eiji coming back out of the corner of her eye and jumped in.

"Wow, that's great!" she said, putting a smile on her face. "How is he getting along at St. Rudolph?"

"Pretty well."

Eiji sat down next to Miku, on her other side.

"Who's Yuuta again, nya?" he asked.

"My younger brother," Fuji explained. "He's still as stubborn as ever, that one."

"Everyone to practice now!" Tezuka's voice rang out around the area of the courts. Miku waved to her friends as they left to start their tennis drills.

Miku cheered for Fuji and Eiji as they played practice matches as a part of their training menu, and as practice drew to an end, they had both won their matches. Exiting the courts, the regulars went back to the clubhouse to get changed. One by one they all left, leaving Fuji and Eiji alone, trying to look busy.

Eiji looked up, around the room, and then sighed, which made Fuji look at him.

"What did you want to talk about, Eiji?"

"Can you keep a secret?"

'Oh Kami-sama, not another one,' thought Fuji.

He opened his eyes, since, according to Miku, apparently they were magical.

"Yes, I can, Eiji."

Eiji clenched his fists and looked Fuji in the eyes.

"I like Miku, Fuji. A lot."

Fuji wore the same shocked, yet knowing, yet still slightly abandoned expression as when he talked to Miku-not on purpose; this was just…new to him…and then not at the same time. But this time there might have been a bit more abandonment showing.

"You realize that that's a really hard secret to keep, ne Eiji?"

Eiji nodded. "I'm sorry to entrust you with this; I had to tell someone."

"It's all right." Fuji smiled, his eyes closing once again. He stood and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm all ears if you need to talk."

"Thanks Fuji. See you tomorrow." Eiji grabbed his tennis bag and left the clubhouse, a spring back in his step. He was relieved to have someone else to confide in; someone who knew and could help him.

"Hey!" Miku was suddenly by Eiji's side. "Why so happy?"

"Happy is my natural state of being," Eiji said, after a bit of thought. "It's easier and less work to be happy than sad."
"I'm glad to hear that," Miku sighed with a smile.

"Listen, Miku," Eiji said, turning to face her. "I'm really sorry about Friday. I was being stupid and I wasn't thinking straight. Gomenasai."

"It's okay, I forgive you."

Eiji was relieved to see her genuine smile still present on her face.

"Well, shall we walk home?" he asked. Miku nodded, and they proceeded out of the Seigaku gate.

Behind them, Fuji had finished locking up the clubhouse and had been watching. He wore a relieved smile on his face. Fuji knew that Eiji was a bit childish still, and he hoped that the latter wasn't too naïve for this…

A/N: Wow...I must've been tired... at first Eiji clenched his face :O

I'll try to update soon!