Echizen Household
"You sure you wanna do this?" Nanjiroh asked curiously, tapping his tennis racket on his shoulder casually.
Of course Roko was sure. His headache had receded, and he felt stronger than he did before, and while his head still throbbed slightly this was the perfect opportunity to practice the FuuRinKaZan. Roko wouldn't waste this moment.
Roko simply nodded in response, and Nanjiroh sighed loudly.
"Alright" he said, "You just stand there and I'll hit the ball to you". Roko nodded in acknowledgement, since him and Nanjiroh both knew he couldn't run around while he was sick, it would only make things worse. Nanjiroh moved to the court at the front of the house with his casual stride, and Roko moved to the other side, gripping his tennis racket loosely. Nanjiroh moved to the baseline and produced a ball instantly, and Roko simply stood in the centre of his own court.
"Here I go" Nanjiroh declared, throwing the ball into the air with much practice and slamming it towards Roko, who returned it with ease to the other corner. In an instant Nanjiroh was there, returning the ball back towards Roko with a wide grin, and Roko lowered his racket like he had practiced, slicing upwards like he was drawing a sword invisibly fast, and the ball blurred forward over the net, bouncing before the baseline and hitting the wall. Nanjiroh just watched with interest, and whistled in admiration.
"Wow. That was a nice shot. Where'd you learn that?" he asked curiously, and Roko just shrugged indifferently, but he could tell Nanjiroh didn't buy it, but what did it matter? He was just here to practice his techniques. Nanjiroh grunted in response, moving back to the baseline and producing another ball, throwing it into the air and slamming it toward Roko, and Roko returned it to Nanjiroh easily. Nanjiroh moved and struck the ball quickly, and Roko returned it back, but he didn't expect for the ball to curve towards Nanjiroh, and Roko smirked.
Nanjiroh was using the Samurai Zone, his own technique. The old man smirked as he returned the ball, and in response Roko swung his racket low, barely clipping the ball on the edge of the racket, noting in satisfaction how it lost all rotation and glided over the net as if it was carried by the wind, barely landing in Nanjiroh's court.
So Rin could be used to counter the Samurai Zone. That would be useful if Roko ever played Tezuka.
"Another technique" Nanjiroh commented out loud, "How many of those have you got?"
Roko simply answered by holding up four fingers, and Nanjiroh's eyes glittered in amusement as he smirked.
"Oh? Four of them?" he asked, "I like the sound of that. Show me what you got, brat"
Roko smiled softly, almost shaking his head in amusement at how excited Nanjiroh was getting.
Nanjiroh moved back to the baseline, producing another ball and serving again, and Roko caught the ball and allowed it to slide down his racket before returning it, and then concentrated as he bowed his knees and spread his feet outwards, imitating the formidable stance he'd seen Sanada use. Even from here he could see Nanjiroh smile in amusement, and he returned the ball to Roko's right corner rather than himself, but the ball moved easily towards Roko, and without breaking the stance he returned the ball, applying the Samurai Zone as he did.
"That's a pretty boring technique" Nanjiroh called across the court, and Roko's eyebrow twitched as Nanjiroh moved to the ball with ease and returned it, the ball travelling towards Roko on its own, and in response Roko raised his arm above his head, holding the racket high, and in one swift motion he slammed down on the ball with his racket, throwing his weight forward and balancing on one foot.
And the ball ran straight into the net, and Roko seethed in annoyance. Nanjiroh just laughed.
"That one looked interesting" he commented, "But you need to practice that more". Roko was aware of that, and he looked up and scowled at Nanjiroh in annoyance, to which he laughed again.
"It looked like a power technique" he observed, "But you haven't perfected it yet". Roko nodded in response, and Nanjiroh frowned, cupping his chin.
"Though it's kinda weird" he stated, and Roko raised an eyebrow curiously.
"It's not about the power" he said after a pause, "It's how you hit the ball". Roko stared at him for a while, not understanding what he meant, and Nanjiroh caught the look and sighed.
"From the looks of things, you're swinging too hard and not focusing on where the ball is actually going" he stated bluntly, and Roko blinked. Was he? He had no idea, but it sounded plausible, since Roko was indeed trying to put in as much power as possible.
"How'd you learn those?" Nanjiroh asked again, and Roko frowned. As much as he didn't want to tell Nanjiroh, if he didn't Roko was sure he wouldn't be able to find out how to perfect Ka, and the old man may be quiet about it.
"I copied them from my captain" Roko's hands replied, and Nanjiroh smiled in amusement.
"Oh?" he asked mischievously, "You did? And how did he develop them?". Roko didn't hesitate, remembering the kendo movements he was taught.
"Kendo" his hands said, and Nanjiroh raised an eyebrow.
"Heh?" he asked out loud, "How does that work?"
"They're all kendo movements using a racket" Roko's hands replied, and Nanjiroh's eyes narrowed at him in disbelief, and a moment later they lit up in understanding.
"I get it" he declared, "That shot you hit before was like drawing a sword". Roko nodded in agreement, and Nanjiroh smirked.
"Try using that shot you're having trouble with" he said simply, and Roko nodded as Nanjiroh moved back to the baseline, producing another ball and serving, and Roko returned the ball simply, to which Nanjiroh moved to the ball easily.
"Try cutting someone's head off!" he called across the court.
Wait... what?
Roko didn't have time to contemplate as the ball was sent back towards him, and he imitated the movements he'd seen, bringing his racket high above his head and slamming down on the ball swiftly, throwing his weight forward but remembering Nanjiroh's advice to lessen his power, and to Roko's surprise the ball moved surprisingly fast, slamming into the ground before bouncing roughly out of the court.
"It worked" Nanjiroh declared, and Roko just stared confusedly. He'd just mastered Ka. But how? How come it worked that time?
And then it hit him.
Fuu was a shot that used the movement of a sword being drawn.
Rin was a drop shot that imitated a person blocking with a sword.
Zan was a formidable stance like a swordsman standing his ground.
And Ka mimicked the movement of cutting someone's head off.
"Try cutting someone's head off!"
Nanjiroh had figured it out. Ka was the movement of decapitating someone.
Roko looked up to Nanjiroh with understanding, and Nanjiroh smirked.
"Sounds like you have a gruesome captain" he commented out loud, and Roko was surprised at how true those words were. He'd need to re-assess how much he knew about Sanada, and then he'd need to thank his grandfather for teaching him.
Rikkaidai Fuzoku Tennis Courts
Ann would do it. She would gather data. She would do it for the sake of Fudomine.
So her first attempt hadn't gone so well, but now Ann was using her head, and she realised in order to do it effectively she had to be hidden, and at the same time have full view of the players.
So she'd chosen a tree. In hindsight it probably wasn't the best perch, but there was nowhere else that fit that description, and Rikkaidai's courts backed onto small woodland, so it was perfect.
Well, it would be perfect if it wasn't for a certain hole in Ann's data, and that particular hole happened to be the Speed Demon of Rikkaidai.
Where are you? She thought in irritation, scanning the courts with gnashed teeth. This was the second day he'd been gone, and it was grating on her. Was he skipping school? Maybe he was sick? It didn't matter really, what mattered was that Ann had no data whatsoever on him. She didn't even know his name.
So there went her plan entirely. Since she was here was watched carefully, holding her camera in her hands the whole time and recording the practice matches, making sure to record their special techniques, which Ann had to admit were crazy. She was sure she had never seen anyone make a ball glide across the net as if it had a life of its own. Or swing a racket like a golf club. Or send the ball across the net slowly, and suddenly as if it was possessed the slow ball moved with frightening speed.
Or turn into the devil.
Ann practically gulped at Kirihara Akaya's appearance, the madness in his blood-red eyes, the maniacal laughter after every point he scored, the way his tongue licked his lips like he was a snake. It was like he really was a demon, and Ann understood perfectly why he was the Devil of Rikkaidai.
But it wasn't just that either, it was the fact that he was the weakest and youngest player in Rikkaidai. Which meant despite his monstrous strength and appearance, every other member was better, though she couldn't truly say that, since the Speed Demon of Rikkaidai could be a second year too.
But the fact still remained that Fudomine would be overpowered by Rikkaidai if she didn't gather optimum data, and so Ann made sure to gather every last detail with her trusty camcorder, sitting high up in the branches.
Of course she had expected to be discovered much later, so it came as a surprise when a hand suddenly appeared on her shoulder, and Ann almost screamed, turning so sharply she steadied herself on the thick branch to stop herself falling, and the person chuckled. Ann looked up, immediately recognizing the Trickster of Rikkaidai, Niou Masaharu.
"It's not every day we have a spy hiding in a tree" he declared with a smirk, "And never one so cute"
Ann blushed furiously, frowning harshly at him as she moved to press the stop on her camcorder, and Niou frowned at her as she did.
"Where are you from, spy?" he asked curiously, and Ann stared him down.
"That's none of your business, Niou Masaharu" she stated bluntly, and Niou smirked wider.
"Heh? You're a feisty one. I like you, puri ~" he declared, and Ann's eyebrows knotted together in annoyance.
"What do you want?" she asked, and Niou's smirk grew further.
"Well I can't play a match with you recording everything, can I?" he asked pointedly, and Ann frowned.
"You knew I was here" she said, and to her surprise Niou snorted.
"Everyone knows you're here, puri ~" he stated bluntly, and Ann's eyes widened, "Maybe one or two morons in the non-regulars, but aside from them, only the idiot hasn't noticed". Ann's ears perked, and she frowned curiously.
"The idiot?" she echoed, and Niou nodded.
"Kirihara" he stated, "He's too busy trying to kill his opponent to notice anyone else"
Ann paled slightly at the thought, and Niou chuckled.
"You actually looked pretty scared when you were watching him" he observed, and Ann's eyes widened.
"You were watching me?" she asked sharply, and Niou smiled in amusement.
"Funny isn't it?" he asked, "You were watching us, but we were watching you at the same time". Ann didn't have a response to that, and Niou glanced down at the camera.
"People watch us play a lot, but I've never seen someone in the trees before. You were here yesterday too" he stated, and Ann's eyes widened again.
"I'm guessing you're a spy for Fudomine Chugakko, our next opponents" he declared, and Ann must have shown her shock from how he snorted.
"Do what you like. Rikkaidai will win anyway" he stated.
Ann felt her senses come back to her as her eyes shrunk to their normal size, and she frowned.
"What?" she asked curiously and Niou shook his head.
"Didn't you hear me?" he asked, "Rikkaidai will win no matter how much data you gather". Ann felt anger building in her, and she frowned harshly at the Trickster.
"What are you talking about?" she asked in annoyance, "Fudomine will win with this data. Data doesn't lie" she stated, and Niou chuckled again, and to Ann's growing annoyance she could see genuine amusement in his eyes.
"You sound like Yanagi" he stated, and Ann frowned. Yanagi Renji, the Data Master of Rikkaidai and one of the Three Demons of Rikkaidai.
"Speaking of which" Ann said, changing the subject entirely, "Where is the Speed Demon of Rikkaidai?". Ann didn't miss how Niou frowned at her question.
"Why are you interested in him?" he asked curiously, and Ann sighed.
"Because I need data on him" she replied honestly, and Niou snorted.
"Echizen won't be playing in the semi-finals, Sanada already decided Kirihara will play in Singles 3" he declared, and Ann frowned.
"You think you're going to win in three matches" she stated more than asked, and Niou nodded.
"Obviously, do you think we'll lose so much as a game to an unseeded school?" he asked, "We had trouble against our quarter-final opponents, but we still beat them without going all-out or using any techniques, and they came second in the Districts"
Ann stopped, frowning at Niou deeply. They had beaten a team who came second in their district tournament? Fudomine had lost in the second round. This wasn't good at all.
"Well, whatever. I'm going back to practice. Have fun, spy" Niou said simply, moving slowly to the tree trunk and clinging onto it as he took a few steps down, before jumping the rest of the distance and landing on his feet perfectly, walking off like nothing had happened.
Ann scowled, knowing her cover was blown, but if no one was going to disturb her because they thought themselves so much better, then she supposed it didn't matter, and so she picked up her favourite camcorder and pressed record, completely oblivious to how Niou Masaharu had mentioned the name 'Echizen'.
Rikkaidai Fuzoku School Grounds
I just got word. Seiichi will be moved to a hospital in Tokyo in a few days for his operation
From: Yanagi Renji
Renji sent the message and put his phone back into his pocket. Echizen would be happy to know that Seiichi would be closer for him to visit, since Echizen could never visit often because of the distance from his house. It had been bothering Renji how infrequent Echizen's visits were becoming, and he agreed that Echizen should probably see Seiichi more. He didn't need to ask to know it hurt Seiichi.
Renji returned to his food, half-glancing up at the rest of the team as they ate at their favourite spot. Aside from the spy that had been watching practice - whom Renji had discovered was the little sister of the captain of their semi-final opponents - the day had been relatively smooth. There was a slight issue in tennis practice with one or two cocky non-regulars who thought Echizen wouldn't be coming back and deemed a position open. That was dealt with quickly and painfully.
"Buchou" he heard Akaya state, and Renji looked up curiously as Sanada looked at him with his stoic expression.
"What is it, Kirihara?" he asked bluntly.
"Who are we playing in the semi-finals?" he asked, and Sanada grunted, glancing at Renji understood the look.
"Fudomine Chugakko" Renji answered, drawing the attention of the group, "They're an unseeded school, but they defeated Hyotei Gakuen in the first round of the Tokyo Districts, but lost in the second to Seigaku"
"So they're weak" Marui said simply, and Renji nodded.
"Evidently so, by their spy who was gathering data on us" he stated, and everyone excluding Akaya nodded in agreement.
"Eh? What do you mean, Yanagi-senpai?" he asked, and Renji opened his mouth to speak.
"It's not important" Sanada cut in, "What matters is that our finals opponents will be Seigaku"
"That will be a fun match" Marui declared with his carefree smile, and most of the team nodded in agreement.
"We will still win" Renji supplied, and again there was another collective nod.
"It's a shame you couldn't play Tezuka, Genichiro" he continued, and Sanada's eyes narrowed.
"I will defeat him in the Nationals" he said with confidence, and Renji nodded, not debating his opinion.
"But the finals will be great" Marui cut in, and everyone turned to him curiously.
"How so, Marui?" Yagyuu asked curiously, and Marui smiled wider.
"Because, if Seigaku is as strong as we think, we get to see a duel of the Echizen twins for the championship!" he declared, and Renji could swear he saw everyone's eyes light up in excitement, except for Sanada's, whose eyes narrowed in annoyance.
"Who do you think will win?" Niou asked curiously.
"Our Echizen of course" Marui replied with a smile, "Echizen may play with his brother every day, but Rikkai's training is better"
"Agreed" Renji said, "But it will be an interesting match to say the least"
"Tarundarou..." Sanada muttered loudly, and the team collectively turned to him.
"Do not think that Seigaku will take one game from us, let alone two" he declared, "We will crush them and take the championship for Yukimura"
Renji mentally frowned. He could easily see Sanada's determination to win, but it was equally clear that Sanada didn't just want a win; he wanted a win for Yukimura. It wasn't surprising really, if Renji were in his position, and they lost the finals, Renji wouldn't have the faintest clue what to say to Yukimura. In others words, Sanada was doing this as much for Yukimura as his obsession with winning.
For some reason Renji understood exactly how much pressure was on Sanada, and he restrained a sigh.
"We will, Genichiro" he agreed solemnly, "But what matters is that we win, not how long it takes". Sanada turned to Yanagi, and he was unsurprised to see genuine surprise on his face.
"You're getting too soft Yanagi" he stated bluntly, "Only a flawless victory will be acceptable"
"We didn't have a flawless victory against Yamabuki" Renji pointed out, because of course, despite the fact they'd won in three games and not used any techniques excluding Akaya, Yamabuki had managed to take quite a few games from them.
"Which was unacceptable" Sanada returned harshly, "We cannot have such a pathetic display in the semi-finals"
Renji supressed another sigh. Sanada probably wasn't even aware of how much pressure he put on his players, resulting from pressure on him that came from Yukimura.
Rikkaidai was the three-time National Champion, but they were only humans, all equally pressurized to maintain their status and win every single year.
Sometimes it was easy to forget just how desperate everyone was. Rikkaidai was a great team, but they would lose eventually, because no king can rule forever. Not that Renji would dare say that to Sanada, he was too stubborn to acknowledge it.
"When do you think Echizen will be back?" Akaya asked out of the blue, and the team turned to him curiously.
"Not sure" Niou replied, "Probably tomorrow, but we don't know how sick he is"
"Maybe we should visit him" Marui suggested, "We still haven't met Echizen Ryoma yet"
"There isn't necessary, Marui" Renji cut in, "We can meet him at the finals". Marui pouted in annoyance, and Jackal sighed next to him.
"If you want to see Echizen, Bunta, you can just go" he advised, and Marui smiled.
"I guess I can. I can bring some cake with me too" he muttered out loud, and Renji sighed.
"He's sick, Marui" Sanada cut in, "Don't bother him"
"But why, Buchou?" Marui asked with a pout, but Sanada's gaze did not falter.
"He needs rest, not cake and pestering from you"
Renji's phone chimed, and he put down his lunch and unlocked his phone.
Which hospital? And when?
From: Echizen Roko
Speak of the devil, were Renji's thoughts as he typed a reply.
"But Buchou" Marui whined.
Tokyo General. Seiichi should be there the day before our match with Fudomine. Also, the team asks when you will be back
From: Yanagi Renji
"No" was Sanada's strict reply, and Marui pouted again.
"You can see him when Echizen comes back, Bunta" Jackal intervened, and Marui smiled softly.
Renji's phone chimed, and he glanced at the new message.
That's not far from my house or the tennis gardens. I could visit when he arrives, and I'm not sure when I'll be back. I don't feel great, so maybe tomorrow.
From: Echizen Roko
Renji mentally nodded, already aware of the hospital's location. When he had found out Seiichi would be transferring he'd researched the location, happy to find it only ten or so minutes away from the tennis gardens. He locked his phone and put it back, glancing up at the now dead atmosphere of the regulars and supressing a sigh.
He could practically sense the want to visit Echizen emanating from Marui, and the mix of similar want and fear of punishment from the others. Even after all this time, Echizen still had a strange effect on people, an effect that make people want to know about him.
Renji remembered how Marui and Niou dragged Echizen against his will to this spot on the first day here, when he wasn't a regular, because of such effect.
"What is it, Yanagi?" Sanada asked suddenly, and Renji turned, realising he'd been spacing out. For a moment he considered lying, but saw no merit in it.
"I was thinking about how things have changed" he admitted, "Months ago Echizen was just the mute boy who had joined the tennis club"
Renji could see the looks on the others' faces, how they suddenly slipped into a look of nostalgia, until Niou started chuckling, and the team turned to him curiously.
"Remember when he became a regular?" he asked, a devious smile on his face, and the team shared similar smiles.
The Ranking Tournament had finished, all of the participants and spectators gathered before the tennis courts as Yukimura, Yanagi and Sanada stood next to each other, the regulars behind them. The air was lax, the non-regulars not expecting anything to happen. After all, they were Rikkaidai's regulars, and no one had defeated them, so there was no reason for this event.
"Before we begin" Yukimura called out, "I would like to thank all of you for participating, though many of you lost, the loss you gained will be valuable experience in the future, and so I expect this to be used to your full advantage. Rikkaidai does not tolerate losers in real tournaments"
The air thickened slightly, but Yukimura continued.
"And now" he declared, "For our newest regular"
There was dead silence for a moment, and suddenly whispers and voices shouting over another in a mad frenzy.
"What!?"
"Someone beat the regulars!?"
"Impossible! Rikkaidai are the strongest!"
"No one won, we saw all their matches!"
"ENOUGH!" Sanada bellowed, far louder than necessary, and immediately the noise stopped.
"Thank you Sanada" Yukimura said calmly, despite how loud he was.
"Buchou" one person called from the crowd, "Did someone seriously beat a regular?"
"Of course" Yukimura replied, and just like that there was another flurry of whispers from the crowd.
"Who is it?" one of them asked, and Yukimura smiled widely.
"I was getting to that, but it seems I keep being interrupted by the noise you're all making" he said calmly with that misleading smile of his, and immediately there was complete silence.
"Now, the newest regular" Yukimura began, "Defeated Yagyuu 6-3 in Court C, assuming the position of the ninth regular on our team"
There was dead silence as the entire crowd collectively leaned forward.
"Echizen Roko, please step forward" he called, and there was a collective gasp and a mumble as the small freshman made himself visible in the crowd, the eyes of everyone around him widening in disbelief. Echizen took a step forward, and suddenly a third year appeared in front of him, looking at Yukimura incredulously.
"You can't be serious, Buchou!" he exclaimed, "There's no way this idiot mute boy defeated Yagyuu!"
"He did" Yukimura replied smoothly, "Though since none of you were watching their game, you cannot attest to this, can you?"
There was another long silence, but the third year in front of Echizen didn't move, and Echizen just watched his back with his blank expression, waiting for him to finally move out of the way.
"That can't be true" the third year declared, "Rikkaidai are invincible"
Yukimura's smile sharpened and the temperature in the air dropped several degrees suddenly, causing everyone to involuntarily shiver.
"Are you perhaps questioning me?" he asked sweetly, and the third year froze.
"N-no, Buchou" he replied carefully, and Yukimura's smile returned to its usual serenity.
"Well, answering your question, Rikkaidai are invincible, but since Echizen has joined us, he is invincible too, and I expect you to treat him so" he replied, and the third year took a step back in disbelief, and Echizen cut past him and walked up to Yukimura, none daring to question their captain. Yukimura grabbed Echizen's shoulder and turned him to face the non-regulars.
"This is Echizen Roko, and from now on he will be a regular of Rikkaidai Fuzoku, and above all of you. I expect to hear no more of this 'mute boy'" he declared, his voice barely lowering an octave at the use of Echizen's nickname, and the crowd collectively nodded.
"Good" Yukimura said, "You're all dismissed"
Just like that the entire crowd scattered, and Niou, Marui and Kirihara all sniggered in amusement.
"You sent 'em running like scared kids, Buchou" Niou commented, and Yukimura smiled slightly wider in amusement.
"Welcome to the team, Echizen" Yagyuu greeted politely with a nod of his head, and Echizen returned the nod.
"This is gonna be interesting" Marui declared with a smile.
"I knew you could do it, Echizen" Kirihara stated with a wide smile, and Echizen simply nodded in thanks, not that he could do much more.
"Congratulations on achieving the position of regular, Echizen" Yanagi said simply, and Echizen nodded in acknowledgement.
Sanada just glared at the freshman.
"Now then" Yukimura said, attracting the group's immediate attention, "With the addition of a ninth regular, we will have two players not participating in every match. That does not mean, however, that any of you can slack off. I expect nothing but flawless victory"
"Yes, Buchou!" everyone chorused except Echizen, and Yukimura looked down at the freshman and smiled slightly wider than before.
"And Echizen?" he said, and Echizen glanced at him curiously.
"Welcome to the team"
Downtown Tokyo
Ok, so Marui may have defied the orders of his captain, but really, Sanada had no power outside of the tennis courts, and if anything it would only cost Marui laps, and that was fine so long as he got to see Echizen. Of course along the way Marui stopped off at a bakery he noticed and bought two slices of strawberry cheesecake for himself and Echizen, holding them in the box with care. He would have baked his own if he had the time, but with the semi-finals coming up it seemed Sanada wanted to work his players to the point of exhaustion.
Marui didn't feel that bad though. If anything he was kind of excited, since he'd be able to eat his special energy cake before his match. It was partly why he looked forward to his own matches, because of the cake he ate before-hand and how delicious it tasted.
Marui walked easily through the streets of Tokyo, marvelling at how it wasn't overly hot like it was in Kanagawa, remembering the way there perfectly, because he was the Genius of Rikkaidai.
He found the house easily, since it stood out quite a lot, being the only house with a ten foot high wall around it, and Marui could hear the ringing of a bell. He entered through the gateway slowly, noticing Echizen's dad pulling the string of the bell casually with his ankle, the rope tied around it as he read a magazine. Echizen had talked to him about his dad's collection of porn magazines before, and Marui couldn't help but chuckle. His description was surprisingly accurate.
"Excuse me" he called out, and the man looked up, not stopping his ankle moving up and down as he did.
"Oh, aren't you Marui Bunta?" the man asked, and Marui nodded.
"Is Echizen here?" he asked curiously.
"Yeah" the man replied casually, "He should be in his room". Marui nodded, walking towards the house with an excited smile as he entered the building through the open screen door, turning into the hallway and up the stairs quickly. When he reached the top of the stairs it occurred to him that Marui had no idea which door was Echizen's, and so he frowned in curiosity, turning and scanning the doors. He noted then that one of them was half-open, and he moved towards it and knocked politely in the hopes it was the right room. He waited a few seconds, waiting for a response, and then realised that of course Echizen couldn't respond, so Marui opened the door, and he smiled seeing Echizen sitting on a bed with his earphones in his ears, and he looked up, his eye widening in slight surprise at the sight of Marui. Marui smiled and waved.
"Yo, Echizen" he said, and Echizen removed his earphones and nodded his head, and his eye glanced down at the box in Marui's hand and widened, and Marui chuckled.
"Want some cake?" he asked, and Echizen nodded his head eagerly, causing Marui to chuckle more. Echizen didn't look so sick anymore, making him breathe a mental sigh of relief. He was wearing black jeans and a buttoned up green and white shirt, contrasting to Marui's Rikkai uniform.
Marui stepped into the room, noting in that moment that there was also a second bed next to Echizen's, probably where the other Echizen slept. The room was basic, with two drawers, two desks and chairs and two beds, with a bedside table in between the two beds and several posters on the walls, which were simply white. On the other Echizen's side of the room there was nothing but tennis posters, but on their Echizen's side, there were English posters of what seemed to be album covers and - much to Marui's amusement - Niou's poster that he'd gotten Echizen for his birthday of the man with wings, which Marui was sure, was also an album cover.
Marui moved to Echizen's bed and sat on the end, putting down the box, and Echizen's eye glittered in excitement as Marui opened the box. He looked so freaking adorable in that moment Marui wanted to hug him. Echizen always did when he had cake. Marui revealed the strawberry cheesecake within, practically salivating at the sight along with Echizen, and produced the plastic fork that came with it, cutting off a small chunk and stabbing it, holding it in front of Echizen. Echizen frowned, looking at the chunk, and then up at Marui, who was smiling widely in amusement.
"Since you're sick right now, I'm going to feed you" he stated amusedly, and Echizen glanced at him for half a moment before glancing back down at the cake. In response he opened his mouth, and Marui almost laughed as he put the fork in Echizen's mouth, who chomped down on the cake and hummed in delight.
Marui liked it when Echizen had cake, not because he was adorable, but because when he ate he always hummed like that. It was the only sound he'd ever heard Echizen make.
"You seem to like it, Echizen" he stated with a huge smile, and Echizen nodded in response, his eye glittering, and Marui laughed out loud as he cut another chunk and fed it to him, Echizen taking the cake instantly and chewing in satisfaction. Marui cocked his head at the freshman as he ate his cake in delight. He looked so cute and innocent in that moment and it made Marui practically melt. How could he be so cute like that? It just wasn't right, and more so because of how he was treated at school.
Marui involuntarily clenched his fists, remembering well the day Echizen had ran crying to Yukimura covered in bruises without them ever knowing.
Echizen looked up, his eye curious as he glanced at Marui, and he realised he'd noticed his fists, and Marui shook his head as a response.
"It's nothing, Echizen" he assured, and though Echizen didn't look convinced, the look soon faded as Marui fed him another chunk of cake. Echizen hummed in delight again, and Marui smiled. He wondered if his parents knew about how he was treated at school. Probably not, since if they did Echizen probably wouldn't even be at Rikkaidai anymore, and Marui looked at Echizen curiously as his eye was closed in satisfaction.
Why did you never tell them? He thought, and almost immediately Echizen's eye snapped open, and Marui smiled in response.
"Want some more?" he asked, but Echizen didn't respond as he narrowed his eye at Marui, and Marui frowned.
"What is it, Echizen?" he asked, but Echizen continued to stare him down.
So Echizen had noticed. Marui kept his smile going, but eventually he gave up and sighed.
"Why don't you tell your parents about how you're treated at school?" he asked bluntly, and Echizen frowned at the question. The cuteness evaporated immediately, but Marui wanted to know.
"Is it because of us?" Marui asked, "Or do you think it'll be the same in a new school?"
Echizen nodded, and Marui frowned.
"The second one?"
A shake of the head.
"The first?"
Another shake of the head.
"Both?" Marui asked curiously, and Echizen nodded in response.
"Why do you think it'll be the same?" Marui asked, and Echizen just looked at him flatly. Marui stared at him for a moment, and then whined.
"You can't talk if you don't have your notepad. Where is it?" he asked, and Echizen simply pointed behind him, and Marui turned, noting the pad and paper on Echizen's desk, snatching them quickly and handing them to Echizen, who wrote quickly.
'It's always been the same. Why would it change now?'
Marui frowned as he read the paper, looking up at Echizen, whose face portrayed nothing.
"I guess so..." he said slowly with much reluctance, not really disagreeing with him, and Echizen wrote more on his paper.
'If I changed schools I would be back to square one. At least you don't see me as diseased, and that's enough for me'
Marui just stared at the paper, reading it several times to make sure it was really there, and then glanced up at Echizen. Suddenly his face broke out into the biggest smile, and Echizen raised an eyebrow curiously.
"You're so cute, Echizen" he declared sweetly, and Echizen just rolled his eye at the comment. Marui smiled slightly wider, and then his eyes glanced around the room, landing on a familiar object on the window sill, and Marui's eyes widened.
"Isn't that Buchou's cactus?" Marui asked in surprise, and Echizen glanced at it and nodded. Marui glanced back at Echizen and smiled.
"You use all of our gifts, don't you Echizen?" he asked, and Echizen nodded, writing more on the paper and holding it up.
'Except for yours'
Marui laughed out loud, surprised by Echizen's words, and smiled even wider at him.
"Yeah, but it was nice while it lasted" he stated, and Echizen smiled softly and nodded in agreement.
"By the way Echizen" Marui said, "Where's your brother? I wanted to meet him". Echizen frowned for a moment, writing on his paper again and holding it up.
'Not sure. He probably went to get burgers with Momoshiro'
"You know the regulars of Seigaku?" Marui asked curiously, and Echizen nodded, writing more on his paper.
'They're annoying' the paper read, and Marui laughed out loud again.
"Why's that?" he asked, and Echizen took a long time writing more, and Marui watched patiently.
'Inui is basically the same as Yanagi, Tezuka is like Sanada, Fuji is Yukimura, Momoshiro is like Kirihara, Kikumaru is like you, Oishi is like Jackal, Kaidoh is like Niou and Kawamura is like Yagyuu'
Marui frowned at the paper before glancing up at Echizen.
"So then what's the difference?" he asked, and Echizen wrote quickly and held up what he wrote.
'They're louder, and do nothing but annoy me and invade my house'
Marui laughed again, looking up at Echizen and noting the soft smile on his face, and when he calmed down he glanced back at the abandoned cake box.
"Hey Echizen, want some more cake?" he asked, and Echizen's eye lit up suddenly as Marui grabbed the fork and took another chunk of cake, and Echizen opened his mouth expectantly as if he was five. Marui chuckled and placed the fork in his mouth, and Echizen hummed in delight, causing Marui to smile even wider.
I'm sorry I couldn't help myself.