Sorry it took so long to update! Being sick and having an ankle injury all at the same time don't really go over well...

But anyway, here's the chapter! Remember: outotou=little brother.

Chapter 15

After the Fact

Eiji was sleeping soundly on Monday morning. His alarm clock didn't go off, so it was quite inevitable that he would be late to morning tennis practice, and maybe even to school. Unless someone came to wake him up, that is.

His sister, Hikari, entered the room at the request of her mom. The third oldest Kikumaru sibling was probably the mellowest of them all.

Not that that accounted for anything.

"Eijii!" she yelled in his ear, shaking him. "Don't make me jump on you!"

Eiji groaned and stirred, burying his face in his pillow. He reached over to his bedside table where a fly swatter lay. He grabbed it and slashed it quickly across Hikari's face, knocking her over.

"SCORE!" Eiji yelled, jumping up, his voice resonating through the house.

"That's 3-2, Eiji leads," Tatsuya commentated, pencil posing as a microphone in hand, jumping into the room with Daisuke.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Hikari argued from the floor, propping herself up on one elbow. "No one said we could use weapons!" She rubbed the red, repeated x-pattern that was now showing on her face.

"A fly swatter doesn't count as a- uh oh!" Eiji cried, covering his mouth in shock as he saw the clock. He ran out the door of his bedroom, grabbing his backpack.

"Wait, Eiji! The war has just begun!"

"Halt, child!"

"Outotou! The teddy bears!"

Eiji arrived just in time for practice, so he wasn't late after all. He walked onto the courts after setting his backpack in the club room. He walked up to Fuji, wanting to have a practice match as a warm up.

Fuji looked up from fixing his grip tape and snorted with laughter.

"F-Fujiko?" Eiji said, confused. "What's so funny?"

"Did you just roll out of bed, or am I missing out on Pajama Day at school today?" Fuji asked, still laughing.

Eiji blushed, looking down at what he was wearing- under his blue and white Seigaku jacket was a big red t-shirt and the hot pink teddy-bear print bottoms that he'd had to wear for a week because he lost a bet with Daisuke. Eiji turned crimson as he begged Fuji to give him an extra uniform. Fuji handed him the extra clothes, and Eiji, blushing more, if at all possible, walked as quickly as he could to the clubhouse to change- and maybe set fire to the stupid pink bear pajama pants.

"Mada mada dane, Eiji-senpai," Ryoma teased with a smirk. Anyone could tell that he was about to burst out laughing.

"Ii, data." Eiji didn't have to look back to see who said that.

"Kikumaru, you have 30 seconds," Tezuka ordered.

Eiji ran into the clubhouse and past Momo, who was holding his sides and laughing so hard he was almost falling over.

In about 25 seconds, Eiji sprinted back out onto the courts in full tennis uniform, but just ended up standing in the middle of the playing area by himself awkwardly. After looking around, noticing everyone was staring at him, he dragged Fuji onto the other side of the court and started the game.

Eiji had had to change out of his uniform to go to school. Throughout the entire day, he wore a permanent blush as he tried to avoid being seen in the halls. There were mixed comments, ranging from "Eiji! Love the pants!" to "What the hell are you wearing?" Laughter followed him everywhere he went.

After practice, Eiji kept Fuji's uniform on (despite the fact that it was slightly too short for him) and left as quickly as he could, promising to wash and return it the next day. As he exited the Seigaku gate and started home, he spotted Miku up ahead of him. He launched into a run.

"Miku."

Miku looked up from her walk as Eiji caught up and kept pace with her. He looked down, and, noticing her ring, held out the paper.

"Is this yours?" Eiji asked, knowing full well that it was.

"I-I don't need it anymore," Miku said, not giving the instructions sheet a second glance. Eiji folded it into fourths and put it into his back pocket.

"What did you do this weekend?" He asked, attempting to sound nonchalant.

The ring flashed scarlet.

"Why does it matter?" she said, voice trembling, struggling to keep her voice quiet.

"I-I was just...asking..." Eiji said softly, trying to be peaceable.

"I have to go. Dad's finally home for once," Miku said, eyes closed, and a pained expression on her face. She walked away.

"Say hi to him for me!" Eiji called after her, pausing on his trip home to leave her be. He saw her tense and walk faster.

"What did you do now?" Fuji asked, suddenly standing beside Eiji.

"I have no idea," Eiji answered, looking after Miku, but she was no longer there. "She said that she had to go home because her dad was there."

To this statement, Fuji shuddered and mumbled, "Not that again..." Aloud, he continued, "Eiji, did you notice anything funny in the way she acted as she said that?"

"Well, she didn't look like she really wanted to go home. Do Miku and her dad fight a lot?"

Fuji rubbed his temple as if he had a headache.

"I don't know how to put this, Eiji," the former murmured.

"Spit it out, Fujiko."

"Miku lied to you."

There was silence, apart from their feet padding along the sidewalk.

"Say what?" Eiji said, confused.

"Miku... doesn't have a dad, Eiji."

"N-Nani? Why? What happened, nya?"

Fuji sighed. "It was on her fifth birthday that it happened. Miku's father was driving home from getting presents and party decorations when he was hit while going through an intersection. Both drivers were killed instantly. By the time emergency crews arrived, both cars were flipped over and ablaze. When the news was broken first to her mom and then to Miku, the party was cancelled and they spent the rest of the weekend crying."

Silence filled the air.

"That's… that's terrible," Eiji whispered, not able to say much because of his current state of shock.

More noiselessness.

"So… how did your little stalking adventure go?" Fuji asked, slightly more cheerful now.

"Do I have to say?" Eiji groaned sadly.

"Yes, you do. Was it that bad?"

"Actually, it was," Eiji replied resentfully. "Ootori and Miku kissed."

Now it was Fuji's turn to be stupified; so much so that his mouth hung open slightly and his eyes widened.

"W-What?"

"Yup, you heard right. With their date and Ootori saying he loves her, it was… all too much..." Eiji looked at a nearby brick wall and wondered how hard he'd have to kick to put a hole in it.

"Eiji, I'm so sorry," Fuji said genuinely. Inside, though, he was seriously confused. What had happened to the secret that she had entrusted him with?

"Don't be, it's not your fault," Eiji dismissed his friend's comment bitterly. "You missed your street, by the way."

"I did?" Fuji looked back. "Right. See you tommorow, Eiji."

Eiji waved once, and both friends parted ways. Eiji walked up his driveway, subconsciously avoiding the foam bullets and soccer balls that were shot, hurled, or kicked at him by his siblings (namely Hikari). He shut the door, and as he did so, someone whizzed past his house on a bike.

He ascended the stairs, entered in his room, and solemnly sat down on his bed. With a sigh, he hung his head in his hands.

Miku, trying to forget Saturday, trying to forget the hour beforehand, was going faster than she had ever before to the park. She sped past Eiji's house and heard the click of a closing door.

Suddenly, a soccer ball rolled into her path, and she flew off of the bike, tumbling to the ground. When Miku finally stopped rolling, she heaved herself up onto her side and surveyed the damage. She had skinned knees and elbows, scrapes up both shins, cuts on her palms, and on further examination, one deep scratch across her cheek. She sighed, and stood up…

…but promptly fell over again in pain.

She had sprained her ankle.

Not knowing what else to do, she propped herself up against the brick wall that acted as a fence for Eiji's front yard and tried to feel where the sprain had occurred. But after scrutinizing her ankle further and bringing more throbbing pain, Miku discovered that the entire left half of the joint had been injured. With a disdainful look to her now mangled bike, she limped home as best she could.

Before she completely bypassed Eiji's house, though, she looked up to his second story window and thought, 'I'm sorry, Eiji.'