Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction ❯ Tattered Strips of Green ❯ Chapter 6

Tattered Strips of Green

 

Chapter Six

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of the associated characters. I do own Nabiki and Yukiko. Isis belongs to Syldana and is being used with her permission. I did make up the origin story for Isis though.

 

Warning: Attempted self-mutilation (in a flashback this time).

 

Author's Note: I could be wrong, but as far as I know, we never see Kaidoh's bedroom. I'm going to assume he has a bed rather than a futon, since both Inui and Ryoma (I only remember seeing their rooms in any real detail) had beds.

 

~*~

 

At noon, Oishi and Taka arrived, as Oishi had said they would. Both were dressed for a casual day out, and Oishi had a large bag slung over one shoulder.

 

“He's not going to want to go anywhere,” Inui said with a small frown as he let them into the house. Nabiki briefly poked her head out of the kitchen to see what was going on, then quietly went back to finish the lessons Inui had assigned her for the day.

 

“I told you, he's coming with us whether he wants to or not,” Oishi said, his eyes seeming to gleam with an unholy light. Inui took an involuntary step back. Oishi was a kind mother-hen. He didn't do unholy gleams of light. That was Inui's specialty.

 

“I don't know, Oishi,” Taka said uncertainly. “If he really doesn't want to come with us, maybe we shouldn't force him.”

 

Oishi reached into his bag and pulled out a racket. Then he gave it to Taka.

 

“All right! GREAT-O!” Taka roared. “Mamushi-kun is coming with us!”

 

Taka's charge into Kaidoh's room was followed by sounds of surprise and a brief struggle. Then the large man emerged with a dazed-looking Kaidoh over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Taka had apparently put shoes on him as well as a….

 

“Wait!” Inui cried out in alarm. “You can take him with you, but not like that!”

 

The ineptly tied bandana on Kaidoh's head was pink with little black and white panda faces. Inui knew that Kaidoh kept that particular bandana at the very bottom of one of the three drawers that housed his impressive collection. He never wore it and would only blush and hiss if asked about it.

 

Inui plucked it from Kaidoh's head and took it back to the other man's room, returning with a blue and green leopard print bandana. It was hard to correctly place and tie it with Kaidoh hanging over Taka's shoulder, but Inui had become an expert at removing and replacing bandanas during his teenage years due to a mild obsession with running his fingers through Kaidoh's hair.

 

Kaidoh's only reaction to it all was to blink a couple of times and look mildly stunned.

 

“We'll bring him back about half an hour before I need to go to work,” Oishi said as they walked out the door.

 

Once they were gone, Nabiki peered out from the kitchen again. “Why did Oishi-san and Taka-san kidnap Papa?”

 

“I have no idea,” Inui admitted. “But I think it might be for the best.”

 

He also had no idea what had caused Kaidoh's bout of self-mutilation. Maybe whatever Oishi and Taka had planned would help him. Being around Inui certainly wasn't doing him any good.

 

“Papa doesn't really hate you,” Nabiki said suddenly.

 

“…I know,” Inui said. Kaidoh did hate him, but the younger man also felt other things for him. It was too complicated to explain to a five-year-old though, so he lied to her instead. “Nabi-chan, could you finish your lessons in your room? I have a phone call to make.”

 

“Okay, Mama.” She grabbed her things and darted to her room before he had a chance to correct her.

 

For a moment, Inui stared fondly in the direction she had gone, then his expression turned serious and a little sad. It was time to do something he should have done years ago. He had been too cowardly before, but after what had happened yesterday, he felt he needed to know the answer to the question that had been on his mind for several years.

 

He took a deep breath and picked up the kitchen phone to make a call.

 

~*~

 

Momo had just entered his old room at his parents' house when his cell phone rang. He thought it was Ryoma calling to check in again at Eiji's insistence. The tennis star had been going out with Yukiko a lot, usually accompanied by the gymnastics instructor. They were never quite dates, but Eiji had gleefully reported that Yukiko seemed to be suffering some sort of inner turmoil.

 

“What's going on now, Echizen?” Momo said into the phone.

 

“It's me,” Inui corrected. “I need to ask you something.”

 

“Okay. Is there something you need me to do for the plan?” He really hoped so. He hated just being there as an observer. It made him feel so useless.

 

“No….I…I want to know what happened seven years ago, after I….”

 

“After you broke my best friend's heart,” Momo finished for him, his voice tight and angry. “If you want to know, ask Kaidoh, because there's no way I'm going to tell you.”

 

“…Excuse me?” Both disbelief and mild bewilderment were evident in his voice.

 

“I'm not telling you,” Momo repeated. “You managed to talk me into not telling him the truth, something which I'll never forgive myself for, and then left me to clean up the mess you caused. As far as I'm concerned, you don't have the right to know what happened. Kaidoh might feel differently, but I don't really think you have the guts to ask him. Goodbye, Inui.”

 

He hung up before the other man could say anything, then flung himself down on his bed. He sighed softly, thinking about the past.

 

Kaidoh was on his knees by the river when Momo found him. It had taken him only two minutes to get from the park to the river after Inui's call, but there had been a possibility that Kaidoh would run off.

 

Inui had met with Momo an hour earlier, telling him about his conversation with Kaidoh's mother and his resulting decision. At first, Momo had insisted that Kaidoh should be told the truth, but had then reluctantly agreed that there was no point in getting Kaidoh upset with his mother. He had also agreed that Kaidoh shouldn't be left alone after Inui was finished talking to him.

 

That was why Momo was currently standing by the river, staring down at the man who had once been his rival and was now his best friend. Kaidoh didn't react to his presence at all.

 

“Oi, Mamushi, you okay?” he asked, reaching down to lightly shake Kaidoh's shoulder. It was a stupid question, but he couldn't think of anything else to say.

 

He still didn't react, not even when Momo pulled him to his feet. He just stared at the ground, his expression mostly blank with a hint of sadness in his eyes.

 

“Mamushi?” He grabbed Kaidoh's shoulders and gave him another gentle shake. No response. He slapped him, but that didn't get a reaction either and left Momo feeling like he'd just kicked an injured puppy.

 

He sighed and let his hands drop from Kaidoh's shoulders. “Well, come with me. It's not a good idea for you to just stand around here. Not good at all.”

 

He started to walk away, but stopped when he realized Kaidoh wasn't following him. He sighed again, knowing what he was going to have to do. He'd be laughed at if anyone he knew, other than the former Seigaku regulars, saw him. Screw them, they didn't matter.

 

He went back to Kaidoh and reached out for his hand. The instant he touched Kaidoh, the other teen grabbed his hand with a firm grip. Momo looked at him, startled, but other than that, there had been no reaction to his presence. Kaidoh was still staring at the ground with that same blank but vaguely sad expression.

 

It made sense, he supposed. Kaidoh had had to deal with a lot of rejection in his life. If someone was around right after the biggest rejection of all, he wouldn't want to risk that person abandoning him.

 

He gave Kaidoh's hand a light squeeze and smiled at him. “Come on.”

 

As Kaidoh docilely allowed himself be led away from the river, Momo tried to decide where to take him. He immediately thought of his favorite burger joint, but dismissed the idea just as quickly. He doubted Kaidoh was in the mood to eat anything, and even if he had been, he'd often claimed in the past that it disgusted him to watch Momo gorge himself on enough cheeseburgers to kill a normal person.

 

What kind of things did Kaidoh like? Animals and bandanas. Momo cocked his head slightly in thought. Back in junior high, when Kaidoh had been suffering from a temporary bout of amnesia, he had reacted to a video clip of Ryoma's cat. There was an animal shelter not too far away. Maybe taking him there would help.

 

They got to the animal shelter just as one of the volunteers came out to inspect a box that had been left outside the door. She pulled out a note and a small white kitten. The kitten yowled and struggled as the woman read the note. She sighed and looked sadly at the tiny animal.

 

“What's wrong with the kitten?” Momo asked.

 

“It's deaf. No one will want the poor thing,” the woman answered.

 

“I want it.”

 

Momo looked behind him, startled by Kaidoh's sudden words. He wasn't staring at the ground anymore. His eyes were focused intently on the small creature the woman held.

 

She gazed at him skeptically. “I don't think you understand-”

 

“I want it,” Kaidoh repeated, cutting her off. “Nothing should have to go through life unwanted.”

 

Momo winced a bit at that. “Give us the kitten,” he said, letting go of Kaidoh's hand and taking a step toward the woman. “He's really good with animals, so he'll be able to take care of it, even if it is deaf.”

 

The woman sighed. “Fine. We haven't officially taken it in yet, so here.”

 

Momo accepted the squirming kitten from her and handed it to Kaidoh. The little creature calmed once Kaidoh cradled it in his arms and let it sniff his fingers.

 

Kaidoh didn't need to be led by the hand after that. He quietly followed Momo to a store and seemed content to wait outside with the kitten while his former rival went inside.

 

Momo grabbed some litter and a bag of kitten food before looking at the available litter boxes and food dishes. He suddenly realized that he didn't know Kaidoh's favorite color. He seemed fond of green though, so Momo went with that, grabbing two bowls and a box.

 

When he left the store with his purchases, Kaidoh was still leaning against the front of the building, petting the kitten.

 

“Come on, Kaidoh,” he said. “We have to go to your house.”

 

Kaidoh nodded and followed him once more, staying silent the entire way. Right before they got to the front door, he stopped and blinked slowly, as if coming a bit more to his senses.

 

“My mom is allergic to cats.”

 

“Don't worry, she'll let you keep this one,” Momo promised.

 

Kaidoh nodded and went into the house, accepting Momo's words even though he knew his mother better than Momo did.

 

“Kaoru?” Hozumi called, coming out of the kitchen as they entered and took off their shoes. She seemed concerned. That concern quickly turned to shocked dismay when she saw what her son held. “Is that a cat?”

 

Kaidoh walked past her without answering. From Hozumi's expression, Momo could tell that was far from his usual behavior when at home.

 

Once he was sure Kaidoh was out of earshot, he glared at Hozumi. “You will let him keep the kitten,” he said quietly. She opened her mouth to protest, chastise him for his rudeness, or both. Momo didn't know or care which, but he spoke again before she could say anything. “You will let him keep the kitten, or I'll tell him about the conversation you had with Inui this morning.”

 

He turned away from her before she could respond and carried the bags with the kitten's things into Kaidoh's room. Kaidoh was sitting cross-legged on his bed with the kitten on his lap. It purred loudly as he gently scratched its ears.

 

Momo set the bags down and closed the door. “So…um…what happened?” he asked awkwardly. He knew exactly what had happened, but he couldn't let Kaidoh know that. “Did it…um…involve Inui-senp-”

 

Momo abruptly stopped talking. Kaidoh was no longer petting the kitten, and his expression had gone completely blank. He slowly and carefully moved the kitten from his lap to the bed. Then he was up and moving in a flash, pulling something from his top drawer before Momo even realized he'd moved.

 

“Kaidoh, NO!” Momo yelled, lunging toward him. The blade of the pocket knife was set to slice into his arm rather than his wrist, but Momo didn't want him hurting himself at all. He grabbed Kaidoh's hand, using all of his strength to keep him from using the knife.

 

“Kaidoh, don't do this! What about the kitten? We should find out its gender,” he babbled. “And it needs a name.”

 

Kaidoh stopped struggling and broke free from Momo's suddenly lax grip. He calmly put the knife away and went back to sit on his bed, cuddling the kitten once more.

 

“I already checked the gender. She's a girl,” he said, acting almost normal as if he hadn't just gone crazy. “Isis would be a good name, I think.”

 

Momo swallowed hard, staring at him with wide eyes. “Um…yeah. Isis is good. I'll set out her food and water and stuff. She's probably hungry.”

 

His hands shook a bit as he filled her bowls and then the litter box. Inui, he decided, was definitely a subject best not spoken of. For now, anyway.

 

~*~

 

The first part of whatever Taka and Oishi had planned involved lunch at Kawamura Sushi. Taka's father, who had retired and given the restaurant to his son, had taken over as the sushi chef for the day.

 

Tezuka was again waiting for them at one of the stools, and Kaidoh soon found himself sitting between the former captain and Taka. As he nibbled at a piece of sushi, he realized he hadn't eaten in over twenty hours. Each bite made him feel a little bit more in touch with reality. He wasn't sure that was a good thing.

 

Tezuka, Taka, and Oishi began discussing English literature, a topic Kaidoh could listen to and enjoy without having to actively participate. He was certain they had chosen it for that exact reason. Why would they do that? And why did all three of them seem content to have wasted two days in a row with him instead of doing something productive?

 

Before he could even consider asking those questions out loud, they were all finished, and he was being herded somewhere else. That somewhere else turned out to be the zoo. Kaidoh managed to stay in control until they neared the reptile area, where the last remnants of the fuzzy, stuffed-in-cotton feeling deserted him.

 

He swallowed hard and clenched his fists to keep the shaking of his hands from being obvious. “I…um, need to go for a minute,” he blurted. “Just stay here. I'll be back.”

 

He turned and fled before any of them could react. He darted into the small space between a gift shop and a restroom building and sat against one of the walls, hugging his knees tightly to his chest and pressing his face against them.

 

Slow, deep breaths, Kaoru, he told himself. He closed his eyes and took several deep, even breaths. Okay, now rebuild your walls and everything will be okay.

 

He couldn't do it. With the strange, fuzzy feeling gone, he was left open and vulnerable to emotions, and he couldn't seem to rebuild his walls. He cursed softly as hot tears slowly spilled down his cheeks.

 

He hated crying. It made him feel weak and pathetic. He didn't even really know why he was doing it. Without his walls or the fuzzy feeling, sadness had filled him like tainted water welling up into a ground fed spring.

 

He automatically looked up when he heard footsteps, revealing his tear streaked face to Tezuka. He looked away, ashamed. “You probably think I'm weak,” he mumbled.

 

“You're one of the strongest people I know,” Tezuka quietly contradicted. “You've always been able to stand on your own. That's one of the many reasons I chose you to take my place as captain when I graduated.

 

“That quality also made it difficult to be there for you. I was relieved when Inui took you under his wing and got you to stop dealing with anger and frustration by hurting yourself. Though it looks like you've started that up again.” He looked pointedly at the bandages wrapped around Kaidoh's forearm.

 

The younger man's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “So Inui became my pillar in your place?”

 

“No, though I admit that's what I thought at first as well. You aren't the type to need or want one. Instead, you became Inui's pillar.” Kaidoh looked up at him, startled. “It didn't happen all at once. You gradually became a central part of his life, someone he could depend on to always be there, to always hold firm and steady.

 

“But a pillar will crumble if it's attacked from both inside and out. I don't know exactly what happened seven years ago, but Inui did something and destroyed his pillar. He's had to stand on his own, and he's nowhere near as good at it as you are.”

 

“That doesn't make any sense,” Kaidoh murmured. If what Tezuka said was true, then why had Inui broken up with him? Why had he said it was nothing more than an experiment? Had it been a case of not realizing what you had until it was gone?

 

“Play a match against me later today,” Tezuka said suddenly, breaking into Kaidoh's thoughts.

 

“…Okay.”

 

“We should head back to the others,” Tezuka said, approaching and holding out his hand in a silent offer to help him up. Kaidoh stared at him for a moment, his head cocked slightly.

 

“I thought pillars were supposed to stand on their own and not need anyone.”

 

“People aren't architectural fixtures. Humans need each other.”

 

“Even you, buchou?”

 

“It's often been said that I'm not human, but I assure you, it isn't true,” Tezuka said dryly.

 

One corner of Kaidoh's mouth twitched up into a slight smile as he let Tezuka help him to his feet. Together, they went back to where Taka and Oishi were waiting.

 

…Within the coils of the serpent, the twitches and slight movements of sleep ceased. The young man slowly started to open his eyes…

 

~*~

 

Kaidoh stared at the ball he had just barely missed, his breath coming out in harsh pants. That was the end of the game and the match. Twenty-seven to twenty-five, with an overall score of seven games to six in Tezuka's favor.

 

“Good game, Kaidoh,” Tezuka panted, equally out of breath.

 

Kaidoh's eyes gleamed as he moved to the net to shake Tezuka's hand. “I haven't been practicing for the past eight months. Next time, you won't win.”

 

“Next time will be once you're back on the pro circuit. And you might be right.” The sunlight reflected from Tezuka's glasses as he gave Kaidoh a challenging look. “Then again, you might not be.”

 

…The young man got to his knees, his eyes only half open. He was not yet fully awake. The serpent hissed in agitation…

 

~*~

 

“Stupid, pompous buffoon,” Inui muttered to himself as he opened the front door. Nabiki trailed behind him, wisely staying silent. “Why do these idiots even bother hiring me if they aren't going to listen to my advice?”

 

He'd been hired to create and supervise a training program for a promising young athlete, but the boy refused to cooperate, claiming that someone with his natural talent shouldn't have to work that hard.

 

Inui longed for a client as easy to train as Kaidoh had been. He had never complained and had even agreed to stop doing too much once Inui had explained the dangers of pushing himself too hard.

 

He sighed and rubbed his temples. He was tired, his head was starting to hurt, and he still had to make dinner for himself and Nabiki. Instant ramen wasn't all that healthy, but it was fast and easy to make.

 

His dinner plans were derailed by the sight of Kaidoh in the kitchen, cooking. Kaidoh cooked for himself all the time, but he seemed to be making enough for all three of them.

 

“Set the table. This is almost ready,” he said quietly, refusing to look directly at Inui.

 

“R-right,” Inui said, his mouth suddenly dry as he complied.

 

Dinner was quiet and a little awkward, but Kaidoh stayed and ate with them instead of going to his room. It hurt, to see Kaidoh fighting not to show his increasing agitation, but it was good to have him there.

 

“I'll clean everything up,” Inui offered gently. Kaidoh gave a jerky nod and what might have been a look of gratitude before bolting to his room.

 

He could tell Kaidoh wasn't ready to have normal interactions with them yet, but he had tried, and that meant a lot. He glanced at Nabiki to gauge her reaction. She looked back at him, her eyes filled with something Inui hadn't felt in a long time. Hope.