Eiji the Cat

by Yoshikochan

DISCLAIMER:  So I don't own Prince of Tennis, or the song "Brownie The Cat", but I can sing it pretty well, though they didn't have it at the karaoke place I go with my friends.  =(

NOTES:  Guess what!  This part takes place after the Rikkaidai matches. -__-;; I guess.  (cause I mention Niou.  It's not much of a spoiler though.)   Actually, parts 4, 5, and 6 all take place on the same day (and maybe 7 too?).  O__O;; Long day, huh...

The part splits a little here: the first part is from Oishi's view, then the second part is from Eiji's.  

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Part 5: And I wanna

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        And I wanna be your girl

        And give you my credit card

        I'll take you to paradise

        You are welcome to my world

--------------------------------  ~<3

Oishi was worried.   Well, that wasn't too surprising, since he was always worried.  It was important that somebody be worried, and considerate to all the dangers and discomforts of the world around.  And considering the nature of his doubles partner, he had to have at least enough worry for two.  Especially lately.

First, Eiji's performance during practice had been abysmal.  While he still showed an absurd flexibility on the courts, his accuracy and concentration seemed to have reached a new low.  No balls slipped past him, but after they left his racket, it was up to the scrambling first years to keep track of the flighty projectiles and make sure they actually made it back within the court gates.  Then, when he tried to check his partner's temperature, he'd ended up in a hedge. Of course, Eiji might have done that on purpose because he was trying to keep Oishi from catching his illness, but then he had immediately run off, so that didn't seem to be the case.  He wasn't mad about it, but it worried him that his favorite acrobat was fumbling through his routine.

Worried, he had gone to class 6 to see Eiji, but just as he entered the red-head suddenly dashed past him and out, without even noticing his partner had come to see him.  

Since the objective his sortie was now absent, he'd asked Fuji if he knew what was wrong with his partner that day, to which the tensai had told him not to worry, Eiji had apparently just had a weird dream and would be fine after enough time passed.  As to Oishi's following inquiry about the contents of this 'dream', all Fuji said he could tell him was that the most detailed part was about cheesecake.  Frowning, Oishi had let it slide.   

Then Fuji had noticed some twigs caught up in his bangs, probably from when Eiji had pushed him into the bush, and carefully removed them.  He thought he heard something of a crash out in the hall, then a several minutes later Momo appeared and abruptly blurted that their youngest Regular had fainted and was in the nurses office.  Consistent with his description as the mother of Seigaku, Oishi had hurried to the indicated place, followed by Momo and Fuji, but by the time they arrived they were told Echizen Ryouma had already recovered and left.  Oishi sighed in relief, since he'd always thought the tart tennis player was studier than that, and worried that maybe he was becoming anemic.  

Afternoon practice was cancelled that day, since Ryuuzaki-sensei had suddenly called in sick and they couldn't find a replacement for her, and by school regulations they couldn't meet without an adult supervisor.  Normally this would worry him, but for now he only sighed with relief; it had been a long day.  So Oishi headed home, his thoughts turning back to his initial worries about his evanescent partner.  Usually they walked home together, but he hadn't seen the red-head anywhere, so he figured that Eiji had just slipped out in the commotion.  Had the chibi player really been hurt, Oishi would have stayed with him until his parents arrived, and Eiji didn't have the patience to stick around for that.  

It was barely 3 o'clock, but the heat of the sun was already beginning to weaken, drifting off in the wake of a streaming oceanic breeze.  Rustling leaves hinted that the trees had fallen into gossip, probably talking about the up-coming heat wave that surely they could sense better than any weather forecaster.   A calm-looking park sat invitingly on one side of the bright street Oishi walked down, and on the other side small stores lined up with equal enticement, trying to lure afternoon strollers on the way home from day activities, the sirens of the modern world.  Except entering meant not death but destitution.  Further down, he knew, street vendors would be shouting out their wares at prices more manageable for a middle school student.   

He liked this street.  Soon he passed the cafe where he and Eiji had had their first outing together.  There was also a sports store where he knew Eiji had recently bought shoes and some of the other regulars liked to visit to buy tennis balls and grip tape.  

His thoughts drifted back to that first time they had gone out.  He recalled that that time also, Eiji had acting unusually tense.  Ryuuzaki-sensei had suggested that since they were going to be playing doubles together, they should get to know each other off the courts as well.  It was actually Oishi who suggested the place.  Something about it's quaint, airy atmosphere seemed perfect for the acrobat, like it too had a bountiful cheerfulness crowned around it.  

Yet once inside, Eiji had not been cheerful at all, not at first, anyways.  He kept looking down at the table, his mouth pushed into an upside down V, like an unhappy cat, huffy and on-edge.  His knees seemed stuck together, and his hand stuck on top of them, with all of his fingers drawn back into his palms, like he was nervous about something.  Then he'd muttered something incoherent, and it took Oishi a while to realize he was discussing one of the science projects they'd recently been assigned.  Then the ice-cream showed up, and the subject had been tossed out the window, and next thing he knew Eiji was as bright as the center of the galaxy, and he stayed that way for the next two years he'd gotten to know him.

Now that he'd gotten used to the red-head, he wondered if his partner really had been nervous.  Usually Eiji was so full of energy and talkativeness, but then he hadn't been, and now that Oishi thought about it,  his current behavior seemed to be a relapse of back then.  But it was just so rare, Oishi couldn't figure out what it was all about.  He had come to accept his companion's flighty nature, and though it was a little hard to empathize with the carefree youth, he'd come to expect it.   . . . or rather, he loved it.

Fast forwarding, in the nowadays the two went everywhere together, whenever they both had time, out for snacks or to the amusement park or just to walk.  It had become a natural thing.

He knew that he'd loved the free spirit for a very long time, maybe since watching Eiji splatter whip cream on his cheeks in the cafe, and even though he had finally realized it a few weeks ago, nothing had really changed between them.  That too was a natural thing.

He passed by several more cafes and boutiques, wondering if maybe he should pay his tennis partner a visit.  If so, then he should definitely get a gift, that would surely cheer the acrobat up.  He stopped to look at some ceramic animal figures at one of the booths, smiling at a collection of playful cats toying with thread.  Then several feet down, a particularly radiant color caught his eye, and he headed over towards one of the venders down the way.

Smiling, he knew he could not pass by without buying what they had to offer. 

---~<3

Intense grating scratches could be heard coming from the Kikumaru household that afternoon, causing neighbors to close their windows and doors and dog walkers to choose the other side of the street to stroll on.  Luckily for the family in question, the only one home was their youngest son, the very perpetrator to these raucous noises.   

Eiji felt like the grating came not from his nails but from every nerve in his body.  What was this emotion called again?  Oh yeah, irritation.  

After spending the entire morning blushing giddily and acting foolish, all his usual emotions of vivacity and general blissfulness were completely worn out, leaving him feeling anxious and groggy. He hadn't felt this way since that damn Niou had noticed his bad habit of tilting his racket.  

He knew that it was probably a misunderstanding.  It wasn't like he'd taken the time to stare carefully at what Oishi and Fuji'd been doing.  But still.... Oishi probably hated Eiji by now, after all, he had pushed him into a bush, and Fuji was so brilliant at tennis that maybe Oishi wanted him as his new partner now.  He just couldn't help but think like that.  He knew Fuji would never make a move on Oishi - as his best friend, Fuji knew better than anyone how the redhead felt about his long-time doubles partner, and Fuji was in love with Tezuka-buchou anyways.  

But what about Oishi?

Ding-ding-ding-a-dong.

A sinking feeling in his chest told him it might be better not to answer.  Sure enough, the object of his affection-now-turned-to-irritation stood patiently beyond the peep hole, a whitish plastic bag holding some box-like shapes in one hand, and his tennis racket bag in the other.

Even so, seeing those gentle eyes and placid features dampened his emotions a bit, so he opened the door with a kind of muttered "Hey".

A little more friendly "Hey" was returned.  A smile adorned the raven head's face, but a little concern was clearly mixed into it. 

"I noticed you looked a little flushed today, and was worried, so I thought I'd visit..."  His eyes darted nervously to the side, and Eiji felt his brain dull at the unmentioned bush-involved incident by the faucets.  "It'd be pretty hard on the team if you got sick, with Nationals coming up," he added.

The red head sighed, trying to calm down.  He knew Oishi would never do anything with Fuji, and his jealous irritation was more due to the fact that Oishi always cared... about everything.   And anyone.  And Eiji wanted those dark chestnut eyes all to himself.

After the new comer removed his shoes, the two made their way to Eij's room, which they were both so familiar with.  No one else was home, but it seemed unnatural to stay downstairs, considering how many times Oishi had come over before.   After all, the living room was for guests.

Oishi was family.

Eiji tried to settle down, but his skin still felt cold and on edge, even when surrounded by his favorite teddy bears.  Certain thoughts echoed over and over again in his mind, like a scratched cd the car player couldn't handle.

"I wonder...    I wonder if you would do this for everyone."

Oishi looked up inquisitively, setting the plastic bags on the small lamp stand table.  "Of course I would."  He sounded puzzled, like he wasn't sure what sort of answer was expected of him.

He certainly didn't know that he had answered wrong.  

Eiji's thoughts were on target -  Oishi was oblivious to how his partner felt about him.  And here he thought Oishi was all understanding, all considerate, all gentle-

"Eiji, if you don't tell me what's wrong, I can't help you."

There!  He really didn't understand!  The irritation relapsed in a wave worthy of a tsunami, increasing the ba-bum, ba-bum clamor that seemed to have come out of the walls.  Like Eiji could actually say it, could actually mold his lips into the shapes they'd need to take in order to say...

"Lately, I've been thinking that-"

Why couldn't he stop talking?!  Eiji knew this voice - it was the voice Oishi used when concerned about any of his teammates.  Any of them.  Eiji wasn't special at all.  Why didn't, why didn't, 

"Why don't you get it?!"

"E-eiji,"  Oishi seemed taken aback by the redhead's sudden outburst.  A couple of blinks confirmed his uncertainty.

"Tha-that is... why'd you have to come over anyways..."  I didn't want to see you right now... I wanted time to sort out my feelings...

A deep frown came with the words, "What's going on?  Did something happen at school?  Eiji what's wrong with you lately?"

How could he not understand?!  Oishi supposedly understood everything!!

At that moment, something inside him burst, like a helium balloon that suddenly came across a tiny choleric flame.

"What's wrong with me?  What's wrong with you?!  You just don't understand me at all!"

"Eiji!     Can't you see I'm just worried about you?!"

"Yeah!! You worry about everyone!"  the red-head screamed.  "All you ever do is worry!" 

"I'm just trying to prevent something terrible from happening!  It's only natural to worry; bad things happen and we have to do what we can to avoid them." 

"But what will worrying change?  I never asked you to worry about me!  Why don't you just leave me alone?  It's none of your business if I get sick or am nervous or whatever!"  All you had to do was be near me when I need you, and understand me.  Why is that so hard?!

"Of course it's my business!  I have to take care of the team while Tezuka's away, I made a certain promise that I intend to keep."

"Is that what this is all about?  The team?  And here I thought you care about me.  Or maybe you just wanna act concerned so as to keep together the all-important National level Golden Pair."

"Of course I'm care about you, we've known each other for three years and even if we weren't double partners I-"

"Oh just go away already!"  His stomach hurt and the tips of his fingers felt raw from clawing earlier.  Being so close to the person who drove his emotions crazy from the very start of the morning was vexing to say the least, and he felt like ripping up a pillow.

But his backtalk caused a second balloon to burst, this time inside the other member of the Golden Pair.

"Eij, how can you be so selfish?!  You're always like this, like that time against Rikkaidai, you never listen to me when it's most important!"

"I knew you'd bring tennis into this!  It's like that's all you know!  You're so stupid, Oishi!"  Don't you ever think about my feelings?

"Who's stupid?!  I'm not the one who has to skip practice sometimes to take make-up tests to keep from failing!"  

Sure, they were dragging this all over the place, but it's not like they had a goal, anyways.  Being irritated with one another, all the petty, negative quirks that each had never noticed about the other became excruciatingly obvious.  

"Sorry I'm not a genius like Tezuka and Fuji!  Sorry I have a life besides school and tennis, and don't study every minute we're not at practice!"

"Are you saying I'm a fool for trying to get ahead?!  This is the real world Eiji, not some place for children to spend all day running around and showing off with acrobatic tricks!  We have to grow up some time!"

"You're the one who always treats me like a child!  And now you're saying I should be like an adult? I'm sick of you patronizing me!"

"I've never done that!  All I've ever tried to do was support you in tennis, as your doubles partner!"

"Heh, some partner!  Everyone knows I'm the main dish of the Golden Pair!  And that you're the weakest out of all the regulars!"

The room suddenly jolted into silence, thrown into the wake of cataclysm.  Eiji knew he'd gone beyond into what he should have never said, but he was too angry to care.

Oishi's mouth shut abruptly, his lips curling downwards into a thin, taught line.  His pupils had shrunk and turned black and his forehead turned inwards in a cold, angry shock.  He stood, slowly and deliberately, as the air around the room stood still, frozen by the chill of his countenance.  He turned away, opened the door, and walked out, pulling the door harshly behind him, almost slamming it against the frame.  Eiji could hear heavy footsteps walking steadily and methodically through the hallway and down the stairs, hardly faded before a second door was opened and slammed closed.

The fury expressed in the red-head's eyes and pushed out lips had not diminished.  Suddenly noticing the plastic grocery bag still left on the table, Eiji shouted angrily to the empty hallway, "YOU FORGOT YOUR BAG-"

but as he swept up his hand to catch the plastic handles, his palm caught on the top corner of the boxes inside, pushing the already-precariously placed package out onto the floor.  Spots of red sweep out over the carpet, rolling outwardly or piling on top of each other.

Dozens of strawberries lay ruined before him.

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Author's note: *sniff*  ^^; I wrote the last four paragraphs before I even wrote part 3, I'm so bad!  But I really liked this part.

Eiji hasn't really realized that he's head-over-heals in love with Oishi yet, though he's almost got it... he gets distracted pretty easily.  I know it seems a little weird that he went from being lovey-dovey flushed every moment to suddenly irritated and touchy, but I think one is the result of the other;  the nerves that keep Eiji happy were kind of sent into over load and shorted out, so he was already in a really bad mood when Oishi came over.  ^^;;; Well, that's the theory, anywayz.  ... um, okay, so they kind of got into a fight out of nowhere.  -__-;; Sorry.