[saltlakecity]
Title: A Lesson In Friendship
ID: [saltlakecity]
Word count: 6,400
Character(s) or pairing(s): Oishi Shuuichirou, Ohtori Choutarou, Seigaku ensemble
The room was still, save the soft beeping that came from a pager lying on the table. Yet the owner of the pager, a young man in a white lab coat, was fast asleep. The pager beeped for a good minute, stopped, then started beeping again; but the man was still oblivious to the summons.
Barely a minute after the second page, a stout middle aged woman in a nurse’s uniform burst into the room, there was a frown on her face, but her expression softened upon seeing the sleeping man, half slumped across a small table. As he slept, he wore a small smile on his face, as if he were having a good dream of some sort. It had been a while since she had seen the young doctor relaxing. Still, the stresses of his job could be seen in the faint lines on his forehead and dark circles under his eyes. As much as she was hard-pressed to wake him, there weren’t exactly many other doctors around at this time of the night.
“Sensei. You’re wanted, wake up. Oi, Sensei… OISHI-KUN! THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO BE SLEEPING!”
The sharpness of her voice did it, and the young doctor jolted awake as if he had been electrocuted, and practically jumped out of the chair. “Yes?!!” He exclaimed, then realized who had woken him, and blushed meekly. “Ah, Ishii-san! Sorry about that. Is there a problem?”
The senior nurse hmphed. “You didn’t answer your page just now sensei. We called you twice.”
“You paged me?” Oishi fumbled around for his page, only to remember he had put it on the table next to him before he had fallen asleep. He checked it and there were indeed two summons there. “Ah… I’m so sorry. I just thought I was going to rest for a little bit. I didn’t expect to fall aslee…”
“Save it for later. A certain patient in Room 304 woke up screaming and won’t listen to any of our efforts to calm her down.”
“Oh, Mai-chan.” Oishi noted. “Did she have another nightmare?”
“I’m afraid so. In any case, we don’t want to have to sedate her until someone has looked at her, and Izuru-sensei is in the operating room. Plus, there is the fact that you always seem to have a way with the kids.”
Oishi blushed at the remark. “Ahh, don’t say tha… Ishii-san??” He questioned as he found himself being pushed out of the door.
“Multi-task sensei. Walk and talk. We don’t have all day.”
“H..hai!!”
Even with Oishi’s knack for handling children, it still took him a good twenty minutes to calm the crying child. After which, Oishi insisted on staying with the six-year-old until she had fallen asleep.
“Sensei, you should go home and get some rest.” Ishii remarked when Oishi came out of the room. “You’ve been doing too much overtime lately, and frankly, you look like you’re going to fall flat on your face anytime soon. Izuru-sensei should be finished with the operation soon, and it’s only another hour till the doctor for the next shift comes in. We should be able to handle things till then.”
“But I don’t mind… oh, alright I’ll go home.” Oishi sighed as the senior nurse gave him one of her infamous ‘you-should-take-my-advice-or-I’ll-nag-you-till-you-do’ looks.
In the elevator, Oishi happened to catch a glance of himself in the mirrored walls and was shocked. He was sporting pretty prominent eye-bags that contrasted with pale skin from being indoors too much. It also hadn’t help that he had been working night shifts for the past couple of months, meaning that he set out when the day was dimming and came home when the sun had not fully risen. And because he was also involved in a couple of research projects he sometimes just stayed overnight in the hospital, sleeping in one of the ‘resting rooms’ for the staff that had bunk beds. Also, his hair, which he had decided to grow out a little, was sticking up haphazardly.
Ishii-san was right. I look terrible… he thought. He ran
To top it off, his stomach decided to make itself known, rumbling softly. Oishi blushed despite the fact that there was no one else in the lift. He realized that he hadn’t eaten a thing since breakfast.
It was nearing eleven o’clock in the night, and because he had an early start the next day, he did not want to travel too far, so the Kawamuras’ restaurant was out of the question- how long had it been since he had even seen Taka-san anyway? His twins would be around two years old by now. Even though Oishi’s workplace was not that far away, somehow he just hadn’t managed to find the time to go there. But even if he could, hadn’t really been up to going there… it would just bring back too many memories…
His wandering around looking for a place to eat somehow led him to an establishment named The Water Hole Bar and Lounge- “Have a drink and unwind to ambient piano music! We serve food too!” proclaimed the sign plastered across the tinted front windows. At this point in time, Oishi just wanted something to eat, and the description sounded inviting. When was the last time that he had eaten food that was not instant or from the office cafeteria?
Once inside, Oishi was lead by a waitress to sit at the bar as it was quite packed with patrons and he didn’t have a reservation, not that he minded. He was just planning to eat and go home. Plus it wasn’t as if he had company with him. He took a quick look at the menu and settled with a simple curry rice meal. Oishi had never been very adventurous with food and it sounded like a safe bet.
As he waited for his meal, the bartender approached him. “Would you like something to drink?”
“Ah… no thanks. I’m fine.” Oishi replied.
“But I insist,” the bartender said, smiling. “Look, have one on me. It looks like you need it.” With that, he produced a glass of drink in front of Oishi, who stared back in surprise. When had he made that? Oishi took the glass and gave a tentative sniff. “It smells like lemon.”
“It’s a new recipe of mine. Lemonade with a special ingredient. Go ahead, there’s nothing weird in it I swear.”
Although the words “new recipe” and “special ingredient” set off warning bells in his head, Oishi decided that this couldn’t be as bad as Inui Juice or Aozu, seeing that they were in a decent establishment and all… he took a sip from the glass. Aside from the fact that it tasted a little lemony, it really wasn’t bad. He took a bigger swallow, and then another, and within a few seconds, he had polished off the entire glass.
“Now that wasn’t so bad was it?” The bartender grinned.
“Could I have another one?” Oishi asked.
“Sure thing.”
After the second glass, Oishi was starting to feel a little light-headed, but he accounted it to that fact that he was tired. When he was halfway through the third glass, his food arrived as well but for some reason he was not that hungry anymore. He felt like he could just fill himself with these drinks. Whatever that special ingredient was, it added a little punch to what was otherwise just ordinary lemonade.
“These are amazing!” He proclaimed loudly after his fourth, no fifth cup… actually it didn’t really matter, he had not been counting anyway. “Bartender-san, you should stop experimenting and selling these. They’ll be a hit!” Oishi grinned.
“Ah, thank you,” smiled the bartender, “it’s good to hear. But Mr… I think you should stop for a bit. You look like you’re reaching your limit.”
“My limit? What limit?” Oishi was genuinely confused. It wasn’t as if he was drinking sake or wine. “I could live off this stuff!” He said, and then giggled. Oishi did not know why he just laughed… he must be really tired that adrenaline was the main thing running his body.
The bartender was becoming concerned. “Hey, Why don’t you eat your food before it gets cold?”
“Aw, bartender-san, if you say so… after I a finish this glass!”
“Say, I’m just wondering… what is a young man like you doing out alone at night?” The bartender asked, trying to distract Oishi from taking another drink.
Even though it was an alcohol serving establishment, he did not want to be the cause for a customer being drunk and creating a scene, even if this guy was pretty tame compared to other people he dealt with. This chap was young looking and seemed pleasant enough, although he looked like he could do with some sleep.
Oishi blinked at looked at the man. “Huh?”
“I asked, what are you doing here alone at night. You’re a not that old, I mean, you can’t be older than thirty, and don’t take this in the wrong way, but you’re not that bad looking either. Surely you have a girlfriend or someone you could be spending your time with, rather than sitting around drinking… even though this place isn’t some seedy nightclub or anything like that.”
Oishi blinked again.
The bartender sighed. Had this guy’s brain been fuddled that fast? It wasn’t even a strong cocktail. Then the customer spoke, his voice a little shaky.
“I… I…” The next time their eyes met, his eyes looked misty. Oh crap… He must have hit a tender spot. “Look, I’m sorry I asked,” The bartender quickly apologized. “You don’t have to…”
But it was too late. The young man burst into tears.
//
He had played this piece so many times that he closed his eyes, letting the emotions of the music guide his fingers across the black and white keys, tuning out the soft chatter and clinking of cutlery and glasses in the surrounding. When he hit the final note, the patrons applauded in appreciation. The pianist stood up and bowed. It had been his last song for the night, and he sighed, relieved that he had gone through the three hours without making any mistakes.
The pianist walked over to the bar to get a drink. The bartender, knowing him well enough, had the drink ready when he reached the counter.
“Another night, another great performance. I loved that last piece you played, and the customers did too, who wrote it? I don’t think I’ve heard it before.”
“Ah… It’s just something that I’ve been working on.”
“You composed that? Wow, you’re really a genius Ohtori-san. You should be in an orchestra or playing with the pros, not in some dodgy old bar.”
“Ahaha. You flatter me Miyagi-san.” Ohtori smiled. “And this place is better than most bars I’ve even. Even some hotels are more, what is that term you used? ‘dodgy’. And I used to be part of an orchestra remember? But I stopped.”
“Right. I remember. It’s a pity though… but it’s a good thing since it brought you to us. The bar is doing better than ever. Some of the ladies in the crowd come just for you, I swear.” The bartender laughed.
Ohtori blushed, and quickly tried to change the subject. “So, how has your night been? No trouble from unruly patrons I hope.”
Miyagi laughed. “Thankfully. But I do have a sort of situation… though I wouldn’t really call it unruly.”
“What happened?”
“See that guy over there?” Miyagi pointed to a man slumped over on the table at the opposite end from where they were sitting. “Well, let’s just say he had one too many Lemonade Breezes and then he was out. Now, I have to figure out how to get him out of here since we’re closing soon. Kitchen’s asking for his plate back… didn’t even touch his food.”
“If he won’t be too much trouble, I could call a taxi and make sure he gets into it and home…” Ohtori said.
“Really? That would be great. If it isn’t too much trouble. I’d let him stay there but you know the manager is pretty strict with this kinda thing. Doesn’t want it to ruin the ambience, as he calls it.”
“No problem.”
The bartender went over to the customer that had fallen asleep at the bar and gently shook him. “Oi, Mr… the place is closing soon. You need to get up.”
“Unghh…” The man seemed to come to life in slow motion, prying his head from the table and then stared at Miyagi quizzically. “Wha... What is it?”
“This nice man over here is going to help you get to a taxi, and you will go home and get some rest. Boy, I don’t envy the headache you’ll be having tomorrow. Hope you don’t have to be anywhere early. Are you able to walk?”
The bartender was talking too fast for Oishi to comprehend. But he heard the word ‘home’ and the thought of his bed sounded nice. He tried to get up, stumbled, but someone caught him. Funny, his legs felt like dead weights. He must be really tired.
“This is weirrrrd” he slurred. Why did everything seem to be moving so slowly? Even his speech sounded like it was in slow motion.
“Oi…Oishi-san??” a surprised voice asked from next to his ear. It was the person who was supporting him. He turned to look at his helper, who had silver hair and wore and suit.
That voice… sounds familiar he thought, but his mind was too hazy to think straight. And since he seemed to know Oishi, he shouldn’t have to worry right? After all, Oishi did not really have enemies… not any any that he could think of anyway. He tried to be on friendly terms with everyone he met.
Ohtori couldn’t stop staring. He was pretty sure he looked like a fish out of water.
This…man couldn’t be Oishi Syuuichirou, not the ever friendly and helpful ex-vice captain of the Seigaku tennis team. But it was, albeit looking very bedraggled and tired. He looked like he hadn’t been eating or sleeping properly; thinner than Ohtori last remembered which was quite a while ago come to think of it. And the dark circles around his ex-rival’s eyes were really scary, especially when it contrasted with his pale complexion.
“Oishi-san… It’s me, Choutarou. From Hyoutei?”
When Oishi said nothing and continued to look at him, Ohtori sighed. “I’ll take it from here Miyagi-san. I’ll even make sure he gets home...”
Miyagi gave him a look with a familiar glint in his eyes that said he wanted to know more.
“…Yeah, he’s an old acquaintance of mine… I’ll explain tomorrow alright, see you!” with that, Ohtori lead Oishi outside.
//
That night, Oishi’s sleep was filled with images of faces from his past, of a certain group of people crowding around him and fussing over his state of appearance and well being. He could picture very well what his old team mates would say if they were to see him like that, and he could just imagine a certain energetic redhead bouncing with concern around him, “Oishiiii! What have you been doing! You look like a zombie nyahh! Go home and sleep or I’ll make you…” and then said redhead would…
No. No!! Make it stop!!
Oishi woke up with a start. He had tried so hard to suppress those memories of those times but the dream had been so real. He groaned and buried himself deeper into the covers of his bed.
Wait… bed?
Oishi sat up and realized that he was at home. He thought back to the previous night and vaguely remembered a bar, piano music, lemons, and OH OWWW~
His head suddenly felt like it had been hit with a jacknife. The throbbing was so intense and then his stomach lurched, and he ran to the bathroom and threw up. This feeling, the symptoms… it was almost as if he were…
Drunk? But that’s impossible. He didn’t recall drinking anything. Even he did drink, he was always careful with the amount he consumed as he could never stomach too much alcohol… and it also came from the habit of having to look after the others.
The others… what would they think of me if they saw me like this… Tezuka will be disappointed.
But he was undeniably suffering a hangover.
When he was done throwing his insides out, he decided to make a light breakfast. Perhaps some food in his belly would help the empty feeling. He was just glad that it was a Sunday, and he didn’t have to go to work. If he did, he’d have to call in sick… how embarrassing… a doctor sick from a hangover.
He was pottering around the kitchen, when he saw a note tacked to his door, and it didn’t look like any penmanship he recognised. It was written on one of the hospital notepads he had left lying around.
Oishi-san,
I hope you’ll feel better soon… Sorry for intruding by the way, but you were in pretty bad shape at the bar, so I volunteered to bring you home. If you need anything, you can call me at 82-78268721. Otherwise I’ll be at The Water Hole tonight, from 8-11pm. Just ask for me. Hope to hear from you!
Ohtori Choutarou
PS. In case you don’t remember me, I used to play doubles with Shishido-san in Hyoutei.
Oishi stared at the note. Ohtori was at the bar? He didn’t remember seeing him there… And if Ohtori was the one who took him home… Oh crap, it meant that Ohtori had witnessed him stone drunk as well. At that point, Oishi nearly wanted to hit his own head with the box of cereal he was holding.
Could it get any worse?
Still he decided that he should go to thank the guy for taking him home and all. He just hoped he hadn’t done anything stupid when he was drunk, like that time when he was with his team mates in junior high. They never let him live it down, teasing him every time it that night came up.
So when night fell, Oishi found himself back at The Water Hole. The bartender recognised him and started chatting with him, asking how he was feeling and apologizing for something Oishi couldn’t remember… the whole time Oishi was blushing furiously.
“Erm, actually, I came here to meet someone, an Ohtori Choutarou?”
“Ahh, Ohtori-san. He was the one who brought you home last night. Well, if you don’t mind waiting for a couple of minutes, he should be done with his work soon.”
“Eh, does he work here?” Oishi asked. He never figured Ohtori to be the kind of person who’d end up working in the service industry. It just seemed weird for any of the Hyoutei regulars to do something like this. Not that I’m judging or anything… he immediately corrected.
“In a ways… he’s right over there.” The bartender, whom Oishi had since found out, was called Miyagi, gestured over to the vicinity of the lounge area, where the soft but emotive piano music was coming from. Oishi realized that he must have been to drunk the other night to realize there had been a piano playing, but he did recall the sign outside the establishment.
He scanned the waiters and crowd, but saw no sign of Ohtori. In fact, it had been a couple of years since he had last seen the other guy, so he had no idea what he’d look like now. “Ano… I don’t see him Miyagi-san…”
Miyagi laughed. “You’re looking in the wrong places. Where is the music?”
“Huh? You mean the pi…ano.” Oishi finally saw a familiar looking silver haired man seated at the piano. He was playing with his eyes closed and had a contented smile on his face. Oishi became enraptured with the rise and fall and flow of the music.
“He’s good huh.” Miyagi commented, when Ohtori had finished playing.
“Yeah.”
Ohtori bowed and walked over to the bar as usual, and his eyes lit up when he spotted Oishi. The other man looked much better today. Upon seeing Ohtori he blushed slightly, reminding Ohtori of the old Oishi he remembered. Warm, friendly and a little self conscious at times.
“Oishi-san! You came! For a moment I was afraid you forgot who I was…”
“Ohtori-san… how could I forget you? Sorry for inconveniencing you yesterday.”
“Ah, it was no hassle.”
“But I still have to make it up to you! I can’t believe after all these years, you had to see me like that. Have you eaten? I can buy you dinner.”
“It’s fine Oishi-san… really.” Ohtori smiled. “But if you insist you can buy me a drink. I already ate before I came to work. Do you mind if we just sit here for that? I’m quite comfortable here, unless you…”
“No no no… I’m fine with this place too.”
Ohtori ordered his drink, grinning when Oishi vehemently refused to get one for himself. “I’ve drunk enough yesterday I think. What was in that drink anyway?”
“Lemon Breeze what it? Ah, it has lemonade, triple sec and bourbon. It’s a new drink that Miyagi-san introduced recently, and it’s fast becoming a hit with the customers.”
“Wait… Bourbon? You mean alcohol bourbon?”
“You mean you didn’t know?”
“Ah…no. Miyagi-san just said it was a secret ingredient. I should have realized… I mean, it is a bar. Great, how much more embarrassing can this get.” Oishi put his hands in his head.
“Don’t worry about it too much Oishi-san. It happens to all of us. So, I’m curious, what brought you here in the first place?”
“I stayed at work late, and this was one of the few places around that was open. I work at the hospital three blocks from here. By the way, I didn’t mention earlier, but you play very well. I was touched.”
“I see. I see. And thank you. I enjoy it so it isn’t that stressful to me, although every time I pray that I don’t accidentally slip up… it happens.”
“I’m curious.” Oishi said, “How did you end up working here?”
“Oh, I’m really just here for fun. I just play here on weekend nights. On weekdays I teach piano and violin at a music school. So, how have you been? Have you seem the other Seigaku team members lately? You guys seemed to be so close last time. You and Eiji-san were inseparable.”
It was weird because Oishi went quiet for a while and didn’t respond, and Ohtori realized that he had just touched on a sensitive topic. And he suddenly remembered what Miyagi had told him earlier that evening… “That guy…” said Miyagi, “he suddenly broke down and started crying before he went comatose. Was bawling something about Seishun? And some person called Eiji… said it was his fault Eiji left. Were they together or something?”
Ohtori hastily apologized “Ahh, I’m sorry Oishi… I just assumed.”
“It…’s alright.” Oishi replied, his voice a bit shaky. “Not many people know.”
“We can change the topic.”
“No, it’s okay. I’m over it.” The young doctor replied, although he was clearly not.
“Okay… so what happened?” Ohtori asked gently. “Did you guys fight?”
“No… actually I have no idea what happened myself. We used to live together when I was in medical school. Eiji still wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, so he took some short course while working at a pet shop. Then one day…” Oishi took a deep breath, “he left.”
“He left?” Ohtori echoed. It was strange indeed. Eiji always seemed to be the more attached one of the pair.
“Yes. He just left a note behind and that was it. It didn’t say where he was going or anything. And when I asked his family, they said that Eiji had decided to go abroad, but they didn’t tell me much else. I haven’t seen him since… And before you ask, he didn’t tell the others either.”
“Oh my…” Ohtori let the story sink in. It must have been pretty hard on the whole Seigaku team, especially Oishi, who had been doubles partner to Eiji since their days in junior high. If Shishido-san suddenly disappeared like that, Ohtori would have been devastated too… he couldn’t even begin to imagine what Oishi must have felt.
“Oishi… I know I’m in no position to say this, but I’m sure Eiji-san is fine. Knowing him, it must have been hard for him too, but everyone has their own reasons for doing things.”
“It… It was MY FAULT.” Oishi suddenly burst out, surprising Ohtori. “I should’ve spent more time with him. I should’ve realized that he was feeling lonely. I was too obsessed with my work, too obsessed with helping other people that I overlooked the person who was beside me.” Oishi put his hands in his head and groaned. “I promised myself that I’d keep team together and look at what I’ve done to it.”
Even though Oishi wasn’t crying, Ohtori could see that the doctor was trying very hard not to. His whole body was shaking and his fists were clenched so tightly that they were white.
Ohtori reached out and patted him on the back, not very sure how to deal with things. “Oh Oishi-san…”
“I…I skipped the last couple of reunions, because he wasn’t there… and it’d bring back the memories. It’s been ages since I’ve spoken with any of them.” He’d even stopped going to Taka-san’s restaurant. He’d just be reminded of Eiji and Momo fighting over the sushi platter, laughing over some secret joke with Fuji, teasing Echizen, and, and… His head hurt just thinking of it.
“… Calm down. Everyone’s just probably really busy, like you are.” Ohtori assured.
“Really? At one point of time I tried to believe that was so, but I haven’t been myself lately. Not since Eiji…”
There was a period of silence, and then Ohtori leaned back in his seat and smiled softly at the man opposite him.
“I envy you Oishi-san…”
“Huh? Ohtori-san?” Oishi was confused. Was Ohtori feeling alright? Did he not hear what he was saying? How could anyone possibly envy a wreck like him.
“You heard me right. When I was in Hyoutei, I’d have been ecstatic if the team were as close as you guys.”
“I don’t understand… weren’t you guys…”
“For us, especially with such as big tennis club, it was always a survival of the fittest. We were together as a team, yes, but we saw each other as rivals throughout. It was the only way to reach the top in Hyoutei and stay there. Even at the start, I admit that I was a bit reluctant to pair up with Shishido-san for doubles, even though I was the one who volunteered...”
“Wow… I... didn’t know. I mean, I always saw your team together.” Oishi admitted. “So you guys saw each other as competition?” While he understood the logic of where Ohtori was coming from, it was still a little hard to comprehend Competitions amongst the Seigaku regular had been more of the friendly sort, even if they may have appeared intense and people may have gotten emotional, but it was all laughed off later. There was never really a fight for survival as it was with Hyoutei. Then again, Seigaku’s club was not as massive, and their team had been the best talent in a long while. In Seigaku, they weren’t competition to each other, because they each had different strengths, and all those strengths formed one team.
Ohtori continued. “We travelled together because it was convenient, and it’d make us look more unified. Atobe-buchou was particular with that sort of thing. We had to be undefeatable, no weaknesses and all that… But before you think that we are a bunch of selfish people, I would like to say that we sorta supported each other in different ways. Even though we may have patted each other on our backs when we lost, we may not have cheered loudly for each other, we may not have hugged each other when we won a match, but we were always there for each other, cliché as it sounds. We were always there if someone wanted a match, there to help each other get stronger… in a strange way, our rivalry binded us together. We all had the same determination to be the best. And that’s all that matters. Even now… even though we’ve gone our separate ways, if one of us even has the thought of falling, the rest of us will go and shake him up.”
“I guess, what I want to say is that you should stop worrying Oishi-san. Everyone’s busy following their own dreams, doing what they what to do, so if you guys haven’t been in contact much, it’s natural. But I’m sure they haven’t forgotten about you. You just need to call them, and they’ll come. If Seigaku is exactly as I remember it, they will be there if you really need them.”
“I… I don’t know what to say.” Oishi said, after a short period of silence. Ohtori’s words had struck an odd chord inside him, and it was quite a bit to digest.
“Ano…Ohtori-san, I think I need to go home now. What you’ve said, I need to think it through. But I do feel much better now, thank you.” He said sincerely.
Ohtori smiled, nodding in understanding. “No problem. If you ever need someone to talk to, you know where to find me.”
That night, Oishi slept more soundly than he had in ages.
//
Even though Oishi was still concerned about his team mates, he found that after that talk with Ohtori, he worried about it much less, and it felt like a significant portion of the weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He also tried to get some semblance of a life back and made sure he did not do so much overtime, and resisted the urge from staying back late to do his research. From time to time, he dropped by The Water Hole to say hi to Ohtori. He hadn’t managed to gather the courage to contact his old team mates just yet, but he was working on it. He had visited Taka-san’s restaurant although when he went, Taka’s wife was there, so he left his regards and a present for his friend.
The next day, Taka had phoned him to thank him for his present and they started talking about the many other things that they had missed out on since the last time they seen each other. Although Taka had not contacted the other Seigaku regulars much, with his business and young family to worry about, Fuji did send him the occasional postcard. The brown-haired tensai was pursuing his passion for photography and was wandering around the globe capturing people and places with his camera, and had apparently even won some awards with his talent. And Momoshiro still dropped by for the occasional meal or two when he wasn’t off chasing the latest news.
One day, a few months into his ‘improved life’, Taka invited Oishi to his restaurant for dinner.
“I’ve been trying out a something new and I would like some input. Would you mind coming this Friday? Say around eight.”
So on Friday Oishi went to the Kawamura Sushi Restaurant. However when he went inside, it was dark, and quiet. Oishi was puzzled and wondered if the restaurant had a black out. But it’s strange… the lights outside are working… For a second he thought he heard the sound of people whispering.
“Taka-san?” He called out in the darkness. “Are you here?”
“SURPRISE!!” Suddenly the lights came back on, followed by a series of ‘pops’, and Oishi found himself being assaulted with party streamers.
He looked at the sight before him and blinked in disbelief.
His ex team mates were all there. And they were all smiling at him.
“Wha... what are you guys doing here? What’s the meaning of this?”
Tezuka was the first to speak. “It’s your birthday is it not?”
His birthday! What was today’s date again? Oishi had been so busy with things that he had forgotten. It had been awhile since he celebrated his birthday with other people, so he hadn’t been prepared for something like this.
“Y…yes.” Oishi replied.
“So we’re celebrating it with you. Relax and have some cake Oishi.” Fuji smiled at him.
“Gee Oishi-sempai, at least smile, you look like you’ve gotten a heart attack.” Ryoma smirked, only to be pounced upon by Momo. “Oi, don’t be rude to your sempai.” Momo tried to ruffled Echizen’s hair, but the ex-prodigy was taller than him now, and ducked away. “Che, you’ll have to catch up with me if you want to do that.”
Momo let of a string of protests, but no one could miss the spark in his eyes. It was obvious that he was happy to see Ryoma after such a long time.
“Sa… some things never change do they,” Fuji commented, and they shared a laughed, even Tezuka had a rare smile on his face.
Oishi stared at the scene before him. Despite the fact that they were all a bit older, they all still looked the same more or less, their personalities had remained the same, much to Oishi’s joy. The fact that they had all come together for his birthday was more than he could have ever asked for. He suspected that Taka had something to do with it, since it was his restaurant, and he had been pretty insistent on the phone that Oishi came over that night.
“You guys…” he said, his eyes starting to tear a little. How could he ever have doubted them.
“No need to thank us. We’ve been planning this for a while now, but it’s been hard to get everyone together at one time since some of us have been overseas.” Taka said. “It’s been a long time coming.”
“Thank you all the same.”
“Sa… by the way, Oishi, I think someone here wants to say something to you.”
“Oishii…”
Oishi turned at the soft voice, to find Eiji standing behind him. The other man looked the same as always, except the plaster on his cheek was gone, and his hair seemed to be a little shorter and tamer. There was also a strange seriousness to him that there hadn’t been there before, and his eyes looked older, as if they seen many things.
“Eiji…”
“Oishi… can we go somewhere and talk?”
“S…sure.”
They ended up outside the restaurant and for a while, neither of them spoke. It had been three years since they had last seen each other, three years since Oishi had found that note on the refrigerator… finding the right words to say wasn’t going to be easy.
“I’m sorry.” Eiji broke the silence. “I’m sorry I left…”
“No Eiji, I should be the one who’s apologizing, not you.” Oishi interjected. “I pretty much ignored you when we were living together, and I didn’t realize it until it was too late… I understand if you’re still mad with me and…”
“Wait, what are you talking about Oishi, why would I be mad at me? Is that what you’ve been thinking all along?”
“I… erm… well…” Oishi, surprised by Eiji’s answer, stammered.
“It’s I who was the selfish one Oishi. I stayed with you and you had to take care of me even when you were busy with med school. I was being a burden to you Oishi. That’s why I left. I had to go and sort things out. I was doing some thinking, and I remembered that time I found my true potential in tennis when I had to play singles when you were injured, and I figured that if I took some time to myself I’d actually force myself to think independently, instead of hanging around you all the time, although it wouldn’t be such a bad idea.”
“Huh.” Oishi was in a daze as the truth sunk in.
Eiji started laughing. “I can’t believe you thought I was mad at you. How could I be? Silly Oishi…” he swatted Oishi on the arm. “You’re always so paranoid. I guess some things don’t change, Nyah!”
Oishi stared at his friend. He suddenly felt light headed, and it wasn’t because of Lemon Breezes. Eiji wasn’t mad at him. Eiji had never been mad at him! The absurdity and irony of the situation caused Oishi to burst in to laughter as well.
When their laughter had died down, Oishi asked, “So, where did you go when you left? No one could tell me. Your family said you went abroad.”
“I did. I decided that I had to get as far away from possible, so I wouldn’t be able to run back to you if I wanted to. I ended up in America. I ended doing a social work course. It’s my last year now. It’s been a long trip, but I’ve finally found something I can see myself getting serious about. To tell the truth, I was partly inspired by your work with children Oishi. Seeing you bring smiles to those kids faces in the hospital, I wanted to understand what you did, and besides, I have always loved being with children. You know me, a kid at heart!” Eiji grinned.
Oishi was touched that Eiji had been inspired by him, and also proud of how far his doubles partner had come.
“Eiji…”
“Oishiii…”
As they shared a hug, Oishi found himself tearing.
They stood there, talking about the things that had been going on in their lives the past three years until the Fuji came outside looking for them. “Can’t have a birthday without the main person now can we.”
At the end of the day, Oishi turned twenty-five, and as he blew out the candles on his cake, he had never felt happier. Ohtori’s words rang in his head that night. The silver haired pianist had been right.
” If Seigaku is exactly as I remember, they will be there if you really need them.