Date-O! Date-O! Arc - Middle School Years - 06by Wind ChijmesGame. Set. Match. Six-Four. Echizen Ryoma. Hyoutei Gakuen...Hiyoshi Wakashi. Josei Shonan...Shinjo Reiji. And now...Rikkaidai...Sanada Genichirou. Names of fallen schools and conquered heroes added to his already impressive list. It was almost hysterical how such a thought could occur to Echizen Ryoma now as he stared around the courts with a dazed and amazed sort of disbelief. He did it. The months of preparation, the stress that built around him like a pressure cooker, the sweat, the stinging burns and grazes from too many practice sessions, the eyes of his seniors wide with fervent support and fear and anticipation and hope... Now pure, pure exuberance. ECHIZEN! OCHIBI! RYOMA-KUN! NATIONALS! The roars were deafening around him. Echizen blinked again, his limbs numbed and unmoving, his eyes almost blinded now in their aching protest, but he heard his seniors' ecstatic screams and he'd be damned. It was all worth it. Buchou, wherever you are, you're better be watching this and taping this, and then watching it again. He closed his eyes, opened them a moment later, saw a glimpse of white Yamabuki uniform in the stands that was gone when he refocused his vision. Then Echizen stopped thinking altogether as he was swamped with a flurry of blue-and-white Seigaku colours and excited pats on his head and way-overly-affectionate hugs.
Tears welled in Dan Taichi's eyes for the first time since he began watching Echizen's match. He couldn't even begin to describe what he had felt as he followed every move, every stroke, every ball that Echizen played against Sanada. There was sheer joy when Echizen started to lead, horror when Sanada started to get the better of Echizen, and then sweet relief when Echizen eventually emerged the victor. Dan lifted his quivering fists and held them at his heart. If this goes on any further...I'm going to die of a heart attack before I even hit thirteen! Dan thought, giddy with the still-churning emotions within him. But even if that happened, it'd be a happy kind of heart attack. Swiping away his tears with the backs of his hands, Dan stood up and let out the breath he didn't even realise he had been holding all this time. He had accomplished what he came to do, had been doing for the past few months when Echizen was still preparing for the Kantou Tournament. Time had sure passed real quick. He turned around and saw Sengoku-senpai lounging against the tree. Like Dan, Sengoku had been watching the Seigaku-Rikkaidai match. The flame-haired boy grinned at him, green eyes dancing with knowing mischief. "Yo!" "Sengoku-senpai," Dan waved back, quickly bouncing up the stairs to his senior. "So Seigaku won, huh..." Sengoku straightened himself as Dan approached. The older boy cast a look towards the Seigaku celebrations on the court, and for a fleeting moment, his grin faded into a wistful sort of regret. It was an expression that was just wrong on Sengoku-senpai's usual grinning face. Dan scampered over to him and curled his hand around the older boy's uniform sleeve. "We're still going to the Nationals! We'll do better there! Right, senpai? Sengoku-senpai's lips quirked again into a grin. "Sure we will, kid," he ruffled Dan's already tousled bangs as they walked away from the courts and the noise and the cheers faded behind them. "Besides, at the Nationals, you get to fantasise about Echizen again, so it's all good." "Wh - what?! I don't - I don't know what you mean!" Dan sputtered, his cheeks flaming all sorts of shades of red. Too late, he remembered that he was the one who had consulted Sengoku-senpai on his crush. And, to Sengoku's credit, the senior hadn't taken very long to figure out that Echizen Ryoma was the subject of Dan's affections. Sengoku-senpai had been supportive, but at the same time, embarrassingly so, taken every opportunity to tease Dan about it. "You don't?" The gleam in Sengoku-senpai's eyes was disturbingly sly. "Well! I mean when you think about how you wanna hug him, kiss him, breathe him..." Ohmygod...ohmygod, ohmygod! As Sengoku went on his horribly explicit definition, Dan was mentally ticking off the checklist. Check, check, check and check. He'd done all of those! "Jump into bed with him..." "We did not do that!" Dan fairly squawked. If a hole would open in the ground, he'd dive into it and never come out. "What?" Sengoku blinked innocently. "I meant jumping into bed to do homework." "Oh!" Dan sighed, but then the seriousness evaporated from Sengoku's face and the older boy guffawed with unrestrained glee. "Senpai..." Dan whined, lifting his hands to his cheeks because they were burning. "You're evil." "Aww...to say that to your favourite senpai..." "Akutsu-senpai's my favourite senpai. You're mean." "You're too easy, kiddo...So, have you kissed him yet?" "I'm - I'm not telling you!" It was then their school bus came into view, and they fell silent. As Dan took the first step up the bus, he turned and cast a glance towards the courts he had already left behind. He didn't know when was the next time he could see the Seigaku team again, but for now, he just so happy for them that he did not mind at all. "C'mon, kid," Sengoku's voice called out to him. "Let's go."
"OCHIBI!" Kikumaru beamed at him, his red curls seeming even bouncier in his excitement. "You're our hero tonight, so you get to pick first! Go on!" "I'm not a hero," Echizen muttered reflexively, but he certainly wasn't going to pass up the chance to get first pick of the sushi. Not when all his seniors' ravenous gazes were fixed longingly on the sushi as well! He took just a few seconds to decide, quickly picking out his favourites and piling them onto his plate in a mountain. No sooner had Echizen done that, the other Seigaku tennis players immediately launched themselves at the food. And for several long moments, the whole image of them as amazingly-gifted middle-school tennis players was comfortably exchanged for what they were outside of tennis - just a bunch of boisterous, hungry boy adolescents. "Say," Momo spoke around a mouthful of sushi and almost spewing it out in his eagerness. "Say, Echizen! Don't you think there's something missing here?" "Huh?" Echizen didn't really digest whatever Momo-senpai was saying. His chopsticks hovered over the selection of sushi on his plate. Hmm...which one to eat next.... "TRUE ~ TRUE!" Kikumaru cut in suddenly. He was grinning altogether too brightly. "More like, don't you think someone is missing?" "Someone?" Echizen frowned thoughtfully. Someone, who? All the tennis regulars were here... Well, except... "You mean Buchou?" "Of course not!" Momo sighed impatiently. "Who doesn't know that Tezuka-Buchou is still in Kyuushu for his treatment?" "What Momo mean is," Fuji chimed in unexpectedly, a loaded smile playing on his lips. "Don't you think we should have invited Dan Taichi to dinner today?" Everyone were like statues at that declaration. Kawamura looked suitably puzzled. Oishi cleared his throat compulsively. Kaidoh looked like he'd rather be anywhere but there. Momo and Kikumaru had identical admiring expressions. Inui simply looked like this was a great time for more data collection. Echizen choked on his salmon. "Wow, Fujiko!" Kikumaru whistled. "That's really in-your-face!" Oh, that was one apt expression. After he had downed a huge gulp of Ponta to stabilise his nerves, Echizen looked up and gave Fuji-senpai a frown. "Why is Dan Taichi supposed to be here." True to nature, his words came out as a statement, not a question. Not one to be cowed by their Ochibi's famous temper, Fuji simply shrugged. "Why, Echizen-kun. Isn't he your boyfriend?" This time, it was Oishi and Kaidoh choking simultaneously on their drinks. "No he's not," Echizen replied quickly. A little too quickly, and certainly Fuji-senpai didn't miss it at all. "We're - " He was going to say they were friends, but then he realised he had no idea what he and Dan Taichi were. Were friends supposed to share kisses? Were friends supposed to drag you away to a playground at night and push you on swings? Echizen had never allowed a peer to do that to him. Just when Echizen thought he might just pack up his things and go home, Fuji-senpai abruptly leaned back with a light laugh. "Pardon me, Echizen-kun. I was just teasing you. We know you and Dan are friends." "Of course!" Oishi was quick to soothe any ruffled feathers. He waved at them with a matronly hand and beckoned them to eat. "Come on, guys. We have so much food to finish!" And so, all the boys began attacking the rest of the food. However, whatever his seniors had planned to effect was already there. Even as Echizen popped the last of the sushi into his mouth, he couldn't help replaying his seniors' words over and over again. Were they right? Should Dan Taichi be here? He suddenly recalled the distinct white Yamabuki uniform he had seen among the spectator stands after his match. He had not seen the face, but knew instinctively it was Dan cheering for him in the stands. Right after, Echizen had not seen Dan around, and thus completely forgotten about him. A funny constricting feeling squeezed Echizen's insides. Even if...even if Dan Taichi should be here celebrating with them, how was Echizen supposed to go about inviting him? It was an almost scary thought, to go up to Dan and asking him to join him in celebration. There was no way he could bring himself to do that! "Echizen...?" Oishi's voice brought him out of his reverie. The Vice-Captain's eyes were gentle when they regarded him. "Are you still bothered by what Fuji said?" "No," Echizen said truthfully. He had never held anything against his fellow tennis mates, no matter how stupid or ridiculous they got, simply because he took them for who they were. Fuji-senpai was just being Fuji-senpai when he said all those weird things. "Okay," Oishi nodded. "You can talk to me if you need to." At this, Echizen really could not help it. Looking directly at Oishi, he said with a completely straight face, "Fuku-Buchou, you can talk to me about Kikumaru-senpai if you want to as well." "E - Echizen! You - " Oishi's cheeks flamed a startling red as he flailed at regaining his composure. Smirking to himself, Echizen took another gulp of Ponta. That last mouthful of sushi was tasteless, and it wasn't the standard of cooking or anything. Or Ponta, like how his seniors always went and on about how Ponta and sushi were not supposed to be mentioned in the same breath. It was...his gaze flickered over to the empty seat next to him. It was as if his seniors had expected someone else there and chose not to take that seat. Well...now it was empty. Taking his can of Ponta in one hand, Echizen excused himself, never mind all the noisy protests from his seniors, and stepped outside the restaurant for a breather. The night sky was clear, though the stars were none too bright. A light breeze ran cool fingers through his hair and Echizen tilted his head back to enjoy it. For one brief moment, and Echizen would deny it even to himself later, he wondered what Dan Taichi was doing at that very moment.
"Ochibi looks miserable, nya!" Kikumaru declared loudly and was immediately shushed by Oishi. "But he does!" "Miserable is probably not the right word," Fuji rejoined thoughtfully. "I was thinking more of lonely." "I don't understand what's happening," Kawamura interrupted, rubbing at his head. Sushi was a lot easier to understand than all these dynamics. Momo gestured animatedly as he spoke. "It goes like this. A long time ago, we thought Echizen had a secret admirer - which he did. So we followed him and well, it turned out that - " "Following Echizen was wrong," Kaidoh looked incredibly put out by that memory. "So anyway, turned out it was Dan Taichi! Can you believe it?!" Kikumaru piped up. "So now, Ochibi's miserable because Dan's not here. Get it?" "Ahh...no, not really." Kawamura looked overwhelmed. Was this even about tennis anymore? "Wait, wait, all of you," Oishi tried to talk above the buzz of voices. "We can't interfere in their business. Echizen is not going to like it." That translated to Echizen was absolutely going to hate it and would probably exact an elaborate revenge. "But he will never resolve the issue on his own," Fuji said quietly. Again, everyone else was suddenly all ears. Fuji always had that effect, even on Tezuka if he were here. "So as seniors, we have to lend a hand. A moping Echizen cannot be good for the team, ne?" "In other words," Inui continued, pushing up his glasses. "We have to formulate a plan." "That's RIGHT, Inui-senpai!" Momo exclaimed, pounding an excited fist into his other palm. "Why do I fear the sound of that," Oishi sighed under his breath. "I propose," Inui gave a glinting, rather disturbing smile. "A day trip."
Secondly, they argued that that some sunshine and woods and water would do all of them good, even if it was just one day. Thirdly, they swore by the camp tennis court. Small and old it might be, but it was fully functional and since it was in the middle of said sunshine, woods and water, it was going to be neat. Echizen said yes. Not for those three reasons, but because they were a team, and no way in hell were his bunch of very noisy seniors going to let him worm his way out of it anyway. He half suspected that even if he said no, they would kidnap him or something. Or worse, hold Karupin hostage. There was NO telling what his seniors would not do. So here they were, staring at the camp site. It actually was pretty all right, Echizen realised, almost surprised by it. He had been expecting a derelict rat-hole of sorts, but this camp turned out looking...okay. And it was then, his seniors unveiled the fourth reason for the trip. "We have a surprise for you, Ochibi!" "C'mon, Echizen! Look here!" Echizen thought it sounded downright ominous. He turned, almost dreading to see what they had in store for him. Dear gods, if he found his father standing there - that Oyaji! - Echizen was going to murder his seniors. Slowly. But what he found was - for several seconds, his mind couldn't process at all. The figure standing before him was almost of his height, but more slender, his T-shirt and shorts hanging off his frame. Long bangs brushed at his chin and cheeks in a tousled fall, framing a small mouth, a dainty nose and most strikingly, wide brown eyes. It was so strange yet so familiar a figure, Echizen would know it anywhere. "Dan..." The word slipped mechanically from Echizen's lips. What was Dan Taichi doing here? At a Seigaku camp? Then, like a break of light over his clouded mind, it occurred to him. His seniors, of course. Suddenly the idea of murdering them sounded pretty good after all. "Go say hi, Ochibi!" Kikumaru lectured him, hands jammed on his hips like a fussy matron. "Don't just stand there like an idiot, nya!" Echizen just snorted and lowered his head. He knew he looked like an idiot like Kikumaru-senpai said, just standing there unmoving, but he had no idea what to say without sounding like an even bigger idiot. "He - Hello..." The hand that was extended towards Echizen was delicate and fine-boned, but covered with calluses. Tennis calluses. Echizen knew that hand. It had been the same one which had pushed him, so tentatively but so sincerely, on the swing that night. Raising his eyes to meet Dan's brown gaze, he wrapped his hand around Dan's. "There, isn't that good?" Oishi said with a smile, coming over to them. He patted both freshmen on their backs. "We invited Dan along for the trip. So he can improve on his techniques!" Oishi ended rather hastily at the pointed look he received from Echizen. "I - " Dan broke in, his hands twisting anxiously around his racquet. "I hope you 're okay with that, Echizen-kun...I'm sorry I didn't tell you before...I mean, I would have asked you out to tell you - " "I don't mind," Echizen muttered, not ungently, but albeit rather hurriedly when he noticed the sudden perking-up of his seniors' ears. "I'm so glad!" Dan burst out, a huge smile brightening up his face like a ray of light. He also looked enormously relieved, as though he had been expecting a scolding from Echizen or something. Echizen reined in his sigh, suddenly remembering his seniors' nagging to be nice to people. That it was Dan Taichi made it easier, but still, Echizen hadn't quite figure out how to humour people, without being blunt or brutally honest at the same time. "So..." Dan looked around them, cheeks turning pink as he realised he was the centre of attention of some of the most talented middle-school tennis players in the country, all of whom were his idols. "What...what shall I do now?" "Dan, Dan, Dan..." Momo appeared behind him, his wide violet eyes dancing and a lopsided grin on his face. He was bouncing his racquet on one shoulder. "You have to ask? Tennis of course!"
They took turns on the court, playing doubles most of the way to maximise the number of players at any one time. It was amazing none of them was even vaguely sick of tennis having just finished the Kantou tournament days ago. They paired themselves up in the weirdest partnerships they could think of, just to see how things would go. There was the Inui/Fuji pair - or the Scarily Potentially Psychotic Pair as the others inwardly christened them - against the Kawamura/Kaidoh pair. The match didn't make too much sense, but eventually Inui/Fuji won by a close margin. There was something about Inui looking meaningfully at Kaidoh at inopportune moments which made the younger boy lose points so startlingly that not even an on-fire Kawamura could salvage their game. There was Momo/Kikumaru - the Play Pair - versus Oishi/Echizen. Turned out to be a non-contest either, because they knew one another so well. Oishi and Kikumaru were just too good at anticipating each other's moves, while Echizen took great delight in stopping all of Momo's Jack Knife moves, even though he sucked at everything else necessary in doubles play. As they hit the afternoon, Inui played again, this time against Fuji alone just to see if the prodigy had improved without his knowledge. Expectedly so, Fuji revealed absolutely nothing, content to limit himself to tame rallies. And then there was Momo/Kaidoh up against the Chibi Pair - Echizen and Dan. Now this one got all their attention. Having played as doubles partners before, Momo/Kaidoh were almost old hands at this. Their chemistry was entirely different from Seigaku's Golden Pair. Where Oishi and Kikumaru shared perfect harmony and a near-telepathic bond, Momo and Kaidoh thrived on their inherent differences. Momo was all acute senses and primal instincts, not to mention his amazing strength and resilience. Kaidoh played like a dogged machine, never failing, never backing down, and punished any errant balls with his incredible spin shots. The Chibi Pair was a completely different kettle of fish yet again. One, they had never paired before. Two, Echizen was not kidding when he admitted freely that he was absolutely horrid at doubles. He even demonstrated that in his earlier match already. Three, no one knew of Dan's prowess, or even his style of playing. True he had played Echizen in that one match months ago, but it had been an almost fiasco because he had spent half the match displaying copies of Echizen's moves. In conclusion, the Chibi Pair was a very new, very developing, and very, very interesting pair to watch. And so, none of the seniors would dream of passing up this chance. As the four boys got ready on the court, the spectators were already gathered around the sidelines in anticipation. Momo and Kaidoh were quick to take their positions, despite hurling some choice curse words at each other along the way. On the other end of the court, Dan and Echizen barely conversed...well, save for the few seconds that Dan took as he spoke shyly and softly into Echizen's ear, to which Echizen merely raised an eyebrow, before shrugging and nodding his acquiescence. "I wonder what position they would take," Oishi was saying, a spark of rare fire in his eyes, quite apparent that his mind was already churning out all sorts of different possible formations. "Australian, maybe, Eiji? Since Echizen would have seen it already from our play." Next to Oishi, Kikumaru shook his head with a grin, bouncing his weight from one foot to the other. "Nah, our Ochibi can't do the Australian to save his life!" he said without the slightest hint of malice. "It's gonna be something we've never seen before ~" As it turned out, Kikumaru Eiji was startlingly accurate in his prediction. As they watched, Echizen moved to the centre of the court, positioning himself at the baseline quite comfortably - and very familiarly so. "That..." Oishi looked stumped. "That looks like his singles play." "That is his singles play," Fuji confirmed. A metre or so behind Echizen, Dan moved into position, also at the centre. He had put on a cap to hold back his bangs, and for a moment, looked amazingly like Echizen. The greatest difference was the look of open determination and passion in his eyes, which was at stark contrast with the steely fire of Echizen's gaze. "What kind of strategy is this?" Inui asked. It might well be a rhetorical question for none of the other boys could answer. The first point began soon enough. Expectedly, Momo and Kaidoh moved smoothly around the court, feeding off each other's vibes. Not so expectedly so, all their shots were returned from just one person - a cool, composed Echizen Ryoma. "How long do you think you're gonna last on your own?" Momo tossed out that challenge between shots. "Eh, Echizen-kun?" he lobbed the ball high. Echizen merely smirked and took off on one leg. He might be shorter than his seniors, but the spring in his legs more than made up for it. He reached the lobbed ball, forcing it down in a powerful smash. "Longer than you anyway, senpai!" The ball hurtled past Momo, but the boy's lips simply curled into a deliberate smile. "Not in doubles, junior." Kaidoh emerged in a flash, his racquet swinging in a breathtaking Snake, catching the ball and flinging it back onto the opposite court right on the line. The ball bounced, then twisted away as Kaidoh's heavy spin did its work. Echizen did not move towards the ball; he lowered his head but there was no hiding the gleam in his eyes. "You might wanna say that again." A slight figure detached itself from behind Echizen in a move so sudden and swift he was like quicksilver. It sprinted after the twisting ball, caught it with time to spare, and smacked it back onto the Momo/Kaidoh court, well past a stunned Momo. "Well!" Momo said as he straightened and stared back at Echizen and the panting but grinning Dan behind him. "I'll be damned." As the two pairs traded points and stunning court play, everyone realised what the Chibi Pair's strategy was. Echizen, who had very little understanding how to work with a doubles partner, simply played as he would in a singles match. Yet talented as he was, court coverage would be a problem now that double lines were used. And so Dan Taichi would step in to retrieve the shots Echizen could not reach effectively without moving out of position. It sounded pretty simple, but it actually translated into a strange, yet oddly fascinating style of play that would have been out of place in any doubles match. Most surprisingly of all, it was Dan Taichi who stole the limelight from the other three players. He was obviously less skilled and sorely lacking in match experience, but as Inui noted scrupulously in his notebook, Dan Taichi had incredible speed and an innate court sense that allowed him to reach every ball he tried for, and even return every one of those shots back onto the other court without once playing them wide. It was rather much of a pity then, when the match ended prematurely as the sun dipped beneath the horizon and they could no longer see the ball. All the way to the communal baths and afterwards when they were refreshed, ravenous and sat roasting chicken wings, sausages and marshmallows over the fire, Momo took every opportunity to remind Echizen that he and Kaidoh were leading 5-4 when play was stopped, and thus, victory technically went to them. Echizen had nothing much to say to that at all, but simply replied Momo's chortling with a sort of peeved look. All the boys would have liked to stay up longer, and they did try their darndest, but they had had an exhausting day. It didn't take too long before Kikumaru was already nodding off on Oishi's shoulder, and a bleary Dan looked like he would drop off to sleep exactly where he was seated. It was a stroke of good thinking then, that Oishi instructed everyone to pitch their tents the very moment they had arrived in the morning, for certainly none of them now was up to it. Fuji helped take charge then, motioning a sheepish Oishi to get the near-comatose Kikumaru back to their tent. Kaidoh, Momo and Kawamura also retired back to their tent, but not before Momo made Kawamura promise to play a game with him the next day. "Hmm, Echizen?" Fuji said when he noticed the freshman hovering around him. Echizen flicked him a glance, before jamming his hands into his pockets. "Fuji-senpai, I guess that means I'm sharing a tent with - " "Dan-kun, of course." The look of surprise on Echizen's face was genuine. "I thought the original plan was that I share a tent with one of the seniors." "Well," Fuji smiled amiably. "If we didn't say that, you'll never have come along with us, would you? Besides..." his eyes turned a little sharp and his voice lowered. "You are sharing a tent with Dan-kun." "Oh...okay..." Echizen gave that 'whatever' look again, but could not entirely mask the petulance on his lips at being so unceremoniously silenced by Fuji. He headed towards the tent he was supposed to share with Dan. The Yamabuki freshman was already standing in front of it, staring towards the starlit night sky, without the slightest indication that he had heard the conversation that had transpired between Echizen and Fuji. At Echizen's approach, Dan whipped around with a bashful smile. Echizen gestured a little brusquely, but quite apparently got his message across, as Dan turned pink and slipped quickly into the tent, Echizen following him right after. Fuji watched the two freshmen for several moments even as they disappeared into their tent. The area around the campfire was suddenly empty. Bending down, he picked up the scattered remnants of their dinner and litter and deposited them into the trashbag they had tied to one side. Straightening, he saw Inui standing near the fire and watching him with a thoughtful expression. Fuji smiled at him. "Yes, Inui?" Inui was silent for a few seconds, before he ventured. "I was wondering," he said purposefully. "Just why you're so eager to get Dan and Echizen together. And then I was wondering, if it's because of Tezuka?" Fuji felt his hands twitch a little at that name, an involuntary reaction that he had never managed to curb all these years. He let his smile fade. He could easily keep it going of course, but there was no need to in front of Inui. "And why," he humoured the bespectacled boy. "Would you think it's because of Tezuka?" "Several reasons," Inui said with the air of a scientist. "The first that occurred to me was that you know how integral Echizen is in Tezuka's life, in a way that no one else, not even yourself, can be. And so, you'll prefer it that Echizen is taken by someone else." Fuji's lips tightened, just imperceptibly so. "Is that so, Inui?" The other boy stared at Fuji unwaveringly for several long seconds, before he relaxed and smiled slowly. "No, that's not so, Fuji. That was the wrong conclusion I came to. What I think is that you want to take care of the team in your own way, and not just for Tezuka, but also because you genuinely care. Oh and, it's all hypothetical, naturally." Fuji blinked, letting the words sink into his brain. Then he turned his face and laughed a genuine laugh. "That's an interesting theory, Inui." When he looked at Inui again, his eyes twinkled. "Perhaps I just have fangirl tendencies and think Echizen and Dan look adorable together." At Inui's slack-jawed shock, Fuji added sweetly, "And perhaps I also think that of you and Kaidoh. Hypothetically speaking, of course." Inui coughed intelligently, murmuring something under his breath, before shifting stiffly around. "That was an enlightening talk. As expected from our prodigy. Good night, Fuji." "Good night," Fuji said, watching Inui disappear into the tent he shared with Kaidoh. Inui had been right on that count. It had been an enlightening talk. Truth to be told, he had no idea if any of Inui's theories about his mindset was accurate at all. It was probably somewhere between Inui's first brutally honest assessment and his second one that made Fuji look like a white knight of sorts. Ah well, Fuji was fifteen, and he had all the time in the world to decide if he should be evil or angelic. Right now, however, there was something more important to do. Sliding out his mobile phone, Fuji punched in the numbers and waited for the recipient to pick up his call. For the first time in days, Fuji felt something akin to true excitement. His heartbeat skipped, just a little. There was a click, and a painfully familiar baritone spoke. "Hello?" Fuji broke into a smile. "Hello, Tezuka."
"Oi." Dan turned around, hurriedly tugging his oversized T-shirt on. He just hoped the blush on his face wasn't too obvious. Echizen was wearing similarly baggy, comfortable sleepwear. As efficient and no-nonsense as he always was, he had already arranged their portable futon properly, together with the thick blanket on top. There was a frown knitting at his brows as he cast Dan a glance. "We don't have sleeping bags." The look he subsequently gave was one of obvious irritation. "I just knew it." Dan didn't know what to say; he just felt a sharp sting in his chest. It was the same when he had seen Echizen face-to-face again that morning, after a whole two weeks of not seeing him when Echizen had been totally wrapped up in the Kantou preparations. Echizen had looked positively ill at seeing Dan. Then, there was the tennis match where Echizen was forced into playing doubles with him even though Echizen was strictly a singles player. Again, at the campfire when he accidentally overheard Fuji-san ordering Echizen to share a tent with him. And now, for the umpteenth time, Echizen had to share space with him again in the same tent, on the same futon. No wonder Echizen was pissed about it. "What are you doing there?" Dan blinked rapidly, before getting to moving as he clambered as lightly as he could over the futon, making sure not to touch Echizen at all. Actually, what he really wanted to do was hug Echizen properly, like how he hugged his soft toys. But he realised they were a little bit older now and it was just not...right anymore. Besides, Dan didn't want to feel worse than he already did. He didn't want to think of Echizen's look of disgust if Dan really did something like that. As Dan laid down, he realised then how close the two of them were. The tent was small to begin with. And now, lying on the same futon with Echizen and wrapped in the same blanket, the tent seemed even smaller. His heart began to beat like a thousand drums were thundering all at once; his hands got clammy. "Oi," Echizen said again. "What's wrong with you?" For one crazy second, Dan considered not speaking to Echizen at all. He simply could not trust himself to sound coherent or keep his emotions under control if he should even look at Echizen. But he did anyway. Turning his head, Dan tried not to choke when he nearly bumped noses with Echizen. Ohmygod, we're so close! "What?" Dan squeaked. "You heard me. What's wrong with you?" Echizen said quietly. There was no anger in his tone. One of his arms was tucked under his head. Without his cap, his dark bangs tumbled across his forehead, making him look so much more like the twelve-year-old he was. His amber eyes were sharp as always, but now his expression was only inquiring. "There's - " Dan breathed, swallowing several times. "There's nothing wrong - " "You're lying," Echizen told him as a matter-of-factly. "There's something wrong with you," he looked awkward for a moment, before continuing. "You...didn't smile much today." "Smile?" "Not as much you used to." "You were watching me?" Dan blurted out and wanted to stuff his stupid foot into his stupid mouth. But instead of glaring and turning over onto his other side like Dan had really thought he would, Echizen simply stared for a moment, before shrugging. "Yeah. You haven't answered my question." "I..." Dan's mouth worked silently for a few attempts as he tried to get the words out without sounding like a complete moron. Then, he just knew there was no way around it, and he spoke in a rush. "Doyouhateme?" Echizen raised an eyebrow. "Say what?" A deep breathe. "Do you hate me, Echizen-kun?" When Echizen did not answer at once, Dan bit on his lower lip to stop it from quivering so much. "You looked like you didn't want me around today. If - if you don't like it, you just have to tell me, and I'll make sure I don't appear in your life again. Like, ever!" "Like. Ever," Echizen repeated. He turned his face to stare upwards at the low ceiling of the tent. "You sure you can do that? I recall you saying something like that before, but then you started stalking me again." "Well, I - " Dan flushed hotly, and somewhat indignantly despite himself. "I can try!" "I don't hate you." "EH?!" "You heard me," Echizen muttered, shifting a little as though he was trying not to squirm. "Earlier, those idiot senpai are around, so I - " he stopped speaking, as if realising how much he was revealing and opting for stony silence instead. "Does - " Dan felt suddenly light and free, like a huge, huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Now he found he absolutely enjoyed sharing the futon with Echizen. And the blanket. Especially the blanket. "Does that you mean you like me?" "Don't push it," Echizen growled under his breath, looking resolutely away. Silence means yes! Dan grinned to himself, his good spirits returning in full force. He understood now. Echizen simply was being himself the whole day, particularly when his seniors were around. That didn't mean he hated Dan or anything. It just meant he wouldn't admit to liking Dan even under the threat of certain death. Dan thought he could live with that very much. It was really not all that different with Akutsu-senpai. A strangely-comfortable silence reigned for a while as both boys were lost in their mutual thoughts. Then, Dan snuck a quick peek at Echizen. The Seigaku freshman was not sleeping. He had taken to staring upwards again, his profile sharp and boyishly handsome. Watching him made Dan's cheeks burn. "You played all right today," Echizen said again, a little more gruffly this time, as if he was just not too used to dishing out compliments. "Not really," Dan sighed and pursed his lips. "My ankle's still a bit sore after I fell in my team practice. So I was a bit slow on the court today." "That was slow?" "Yeah," Dan rubbed his head sheepishly. "Usually I'm faster." "Hn," Echizen had an odd look in his eyes like he had some revelation or something. "I'll never be as good as you though!" Dan said cheerfully. He knew his own limits and had no problems with it. As long as his seniors, Echizen and Seigaku did well, he was happy. "You were amazing against Sanada-san!" "I did okay," Echizen sounded as non-committal as ever, but he had that small quirk to his lips that clearly said he was pleased with himself. "There is just - " An unusual pause. "One area I still need - practice." Dan jerked his head around in surprise. It was entirely out of character for Echizen to make an admission like that! Besides, Dan couldn't think of ANY area which Echizen needed improvement in. Other than - recollection lit up in Dan's mind and he stared at Echizen. Echizen was keeping his face turned away. Only the tensed line at his jaw indicated any emotion otherwise. "Do..." Dan swallowed around the enormous lump in his throat. "Doyouwanttopractisenow?" One second. Two seconds. Several seconds. Dan thought his heart was going to leap out of his chest. Then... "Maybe." Without thinking, and with a damn lot of nerve that Dan was sure he would never work up again in his life EVER, he rose and then swung himself around so he was straddling Echizen and leaning down on his elbows. Echizen had gone completely rigid. Hurling all caution to the wind and crossing his fingers in his heart, Dan bent down and pressed his mouth to Echizen's lips. It must be the weird position and the awkward angle, but his kiss landed off-course and he ended up catching the side of Echizen's mouth instead and clattering their teeth together. Dan jerked back with a furious blush. That was horrifically, horribly, mortifyingly, the-world-is-over BAD! "Why does your first kiss always suck?" Echizen shot him a truly withering look. "So - Sorry!" Dan stammered, ready to get off Echizen and bury himself in a hole. Abruptly, a hand wound into his bangs and jerked him back down. "Oof!" Dan winced as his nose bumped against Echizen's. And that was the last thing Dan uttered for QUITE a while because in the next moment, Echizen was kissing him. Hard. Soft. Hard. A hand at the back of Dan's head to hold him firmly in place. In a demanding, impetuous, imperious manner much like the way Echizen played tennis. With an all-consuming fire that stole Dan's breath away, and when they finally pulled apart, left their lips kiss-bruised and red and wet. "I...I wanna do that again!" Dan declared. Echizen was still breathing erratically, his cheeks stained with a rare red. "No - way! You only need one practice session for that." He glared ineffectually. "I want to sleep." Dan's lower lip stuck out in a pout. He didn't get WHY they must always stick to just ONE kiss. If he had his way, they'd do it all the time! Echizen was already scrunching up his face in that way when he refused to budge on a topic. Sighing, Dan settled for the next best thing. He flopped down like a boneless doll, curling his arms around Echizen, ignoring the undignified yelp from the boy, and tucking his face into the crook of Echizen's neck. It was SO much warmer this way too. "Oi..." Echizen sounded peeved and embarrassed and altogether unsure of himself. "Oi, get off." "...g'night...Ryoma-kun..." Dan murmured against warm skin, snuggling closer. He had absolutely no intention of moving whatsoEVER. "I...I told you not to push it!" Silence. Dan was fast asleep before he knew it, the day's events and emotional rollercoaster finally catching up with him. So he didn't hear the words from the other boy as they were uttered resignedly in the small, quiet tent. "Whatever."
Fuji, Kaidoh and Inui had already kept their tents and even freshened up. Oishi was trying to keep up while nursing dark eyebags from a rather restless sleep as one had to tolerate when sleeping next to an extremely fidgety Kikumaru Eiji. Kawamura and Momo were actively trying to get their tent under control enough to pack it away. "What about the two chibis, nya?" Kikumaru piped up suddenly, looking around to the still standing tent which housed their two youngest boys. "Let me go wake them," Fuji said agreeably, already moving towards the tent. "They must have had an active night." "Fuji-senpai..." Momo, who had been listening in, now looked a little green around the edges. "You know HOW wrong that sounds? On SO many levels?" "Eh..." Kikumaru looked completely blank, until he caught the drift. "Oh! OH!" his eyes rounded. "Fuji~! What if they're not even wearing - " he broke off with a yowl as Oishi's elbow caught him in the ribs. "They're twelve," Oishi looked properly scandalised. "Eiji, please. And - Fu-Fuji! Wait, don't - !" Before anyone else could voice an objection or protest, Fuji had already pulled open the flaps of the tent. He stared inside for a long, wordless moment. There was no smile on his face, no sign at all what he was looking at. At length, he rose to his feet and turning, beckoned them over with one hand. Like an obedient bunch of schoolboys, they trooped over, burning with both trepidation and no small amount of curiosity. The flaps were pulled wider, and a myriad of different pairs of eyes peered in. There was silence. Then there was an almost collective sigh of "aww...". The two young boys slept soundly, oblivious to the world. The blanket was already tossed off to God-knows-where. Echizen was on his side, face half-hidden in long bangs that did not belong to him, one arm flung carelessly around the bundle of soft hair and slender limbs curled against him. Dan Taichi shifted in his sleep, murmuring a little, before burying himself deeper into Echizen's chest and neck. "I guess..." Oishi spoke quietly, affectionately. He turned around and winked at the smiles from the rest of his team members. "We can let them sleep a little longer." Nestled together like two tired puppies, Echizen and Dan slept on. ~*~ fin ~*~ |