| Author's Notes: I can't write tennis fics, I've no aptitude for sports of any kind, and I don't know enough about the details to feel confident writing fics for an anime that revolves around tennis matches. But I love the characters. So, this is an attempt to bring those characters into an environment that I *do* know, college. There will still be tennis as a sidenote, but not so professional or longterm goal-oriented. This will be set in the US since I don't know enough about Japanese colleges, and the families and backgrounds of the characters will be adjusted to fit the fic since I don't know their personal histories. The japanese word usage will also be toned down for the most part. And, just as an early warning, the rating of this fic is guaranteed to climb as it progresses. Category: Anime, Prince of Tennis, Yaoi, AU (Alternate Universe) Warnings: none yet, eventually it will hit lemon/lime content Pairings: Eiji+Oishi, Tezuka+Oishi, Taka+Fuji, will be OishixEiji, MomoxRyoma, InuixKaidoh, possible Tezuka+Fuji Author: Arigatomina Email: arigatoumina@hotmail.com Website/Complete Archive: http://www.oocities.org/arigatomina University Life Part 1: Moving Day The little campus definitely needed a longer check-in period. The cars were backed up for what seemed like miles. At least, it appeared to take forever to the over-excited teen whose face was nearly plastered to the passenger window. They'd spent the last four hours driving and they were finally at the rural campus. And now, just when he was ready to get out there and move into his own place, they were stuck in a traffic jam. Eiji sighed for the fifth time in the last three minutes. "They need more roads." "That's what you get for picking a college out in the country," his sister commented, her eyes glinting over at the pouting redhead. "I still don't see why you want to go to school all the way out here." "Because," Eiji said, holding a finger up, his head tilted to the side, "I'm an adult now and I need to leave the nest. Besides, I always wanted to get out of the city. Look! They even have trees!" The boy had turned away to stare at the cluster of trees that lined the winding road they were currently creeping along. She knew the wood was really just a clump left from where they placed the college housing, but Eiji's eyes were as bright as if they were a national forest. "If you wanted trees, you could have moved into an apartment next to the park. And since when were you a nature person?" "Eh?" Eiji blinked, glancing over at her for a second before darting his gaze back to the pile of leaves in one of the trees across from them. It looked like a nest, a really big one, and he grinned. "I could climb that one, easy." "And make a fool of yourself. That's a great way to make a first impression. Your roommates are going to think you're some kind of weirdo." "No they won't!" Eiji denied, his dark blue eyes wide with hurt. "That's so mean! I'm not weird, I'm just excited. I bet everyone's excited on their first day." "Maybe, but not everyone would be scouting trees to climb." A quick sideways glance found Eiji's lips curving into a pout and she smirked at him. "Just don't do anything too strange. You don't want people picking on you." "No one's going to pick on me. Don't worry so much." A hand moved away from the steering wheel to pat his head, and Eiji swatted it playfully, ducking against the door. "You'll mess my hair!" "You should have cut it," his sister smiled, giving the car a bit of gas as they moved forward a few more feet before waiting again. "If it gets any longer you're going to look like a girl." "You're just jealous because my hair's thicker than yours," Eiji said, rolling his eyes. "Still, I can't imagine what your roommates are going to think about you." "You worry too much." Glancing ahead of them, Eiji shifted restlessly, rubbing a finger over the small bandage on his right cheek. "Why is it taking so long? We just have to get a parking spot and find the Residence Life building. How hard can that be? Country people drive too slow." "You're one to talk. You don't even have a car." A quick glare hit her and she smiled, reaching a hand out to pat his head again. He ducked away, nearly smacking his forehead on the dash and she let out a small laugh. "Poor thing." "I'll have you know the first thing I'm going to do is get a job on campus and then I'll have a car - better than yours!" An eyebrow rose on the skeptical face beside him, and Eiji deflated, falling slack against the seat in defeat. "Okay...maybe not better, but it'll be blue!" "Tan is practical. Besides, you don't want to worry about saving up for a car. You'll be so busy studying you won't have time for anything else. And you know mom would buy you a car if you'd just pass the driving test." That was a subject best left alone, and she regretted breaching it the moment the words left her lips. She didn't have to look to feel the grumpiness that permeated the air. "Sorry." "It's just not fair," Eiji muttered, folding his arms over his chest and ducking his chin. "I have better reflexes than half those supposed teachers. So I forgot to adjust the mirror - big deal! It's not like I can't just turn my head and look, that's what necks are for!" "Mm-hm, and not stopping at the red light?" "It was yellow! It was! Yellow, I'm going through, and then it's red and what? I'm supposed to stop and back up? Of course not, I kept going." "Eiji." "Hmm?" His sister was pointing toward the front of the car and he blinked, a big smile breaking over his face. "Two more, only two more to go! I'll be so glad to get out of this car, it smells like vanilla." "Since when do you dislike vanilla?" his sister drawled, giving him a small frown. "Since I've been stuck smelling it for hours," Eiji pouted, shifting just a little bit to put more distance between them. "And you wouldn't let me put down the windows..." "I have the airconditioner on," she reminded him, shaking her head. "And you'll be smelling this town for four years, you'll have more than enough time to breathe it in." "I bet it smells great so long as there aren't any cows around," Eiji said, glancing back to the trees. They'd given way to a small stretch of grass behind the first row of apartments on each side of the road, but he could still see them. The forest had obviously been cleared back for the brick apartment buildings and parkinglots, but he'd seen a long stretch of the woods when they came up the highway. After the last gas station there was nothing but woods on either side for what had to be a mile. He couldn't wait to see what sort of animals they had out here. Comparing a real forest to the park a few blocks from their own home was just wrong. This was the country. "It's going to be so fun..." "What?" Startled blue eyes flicked to her, and she shrugged. "There's the reason for the hold up," she said, nodding to the person who'd stopped the car in front of them. There were signs telling where to park according to the areas of housing, but obviously that wasn't enough. "They must have limited parking." "It's a small campus," Eiji said, his tone quieting a bit. Now that they were right alongside the apartments he could see the cluster to their right had the label O'Daniel South on the little sign next to the road. And there were so many people carrying things into the rows of buildings that it looked horribly crowded. He hadn't expected to see so many students. "I guess most freshmen live in that section." "Isn't that why you picked it?" "No...they said it was closest to campus." Her brother was looking a bit nervous, and she sighed, shoving his shoulder. "Cheer up, college boy." "Hai!" With a big smile, Eiji straightened and locked his eyes on the woman ahead of them. She'd finished with whatever she was doing and he held his breath as the car was waved on. His sister pulled up to the intersection, rolling down his window so the woman could be heard. Eiji blinked when the lady barely looked at him, a clipboard in her hands. "Apartment section?" "O'Daniel South," Eiji answered, his eyes flicking from the clipboard to her bored expression. "Okay, find a spot over there," she said, waving to the apartments behind her, "and get your information pack from the green booth." She motioned to the small table a few feet behind her, where a number of students were waiting in line to pick up what looked like brown envelopes. "You'll have until the end of the week to turn in your apartment check sheet and to get a tag for your vehicle." His mouth opened to tell her it wasn't his car, but she had already stepped back to wave them on. He blinked and turned uncertain eyes on his sister. "Ano..." "That was quick," his sister commented, rolling up his window as she turned onto the lane to their right. "I don't see what the long wait was for if that's all she was telling people." "Maybe they asked questions or something," Eiji said, looking back to where the woman was talking to the next carload. "But I thought people in small towns were friendlier." "Ah, don't worry about it. She's probably been at that all day. Look, which building are you in? I'll try to find a space close enough to unpack from and you can walk over to get your packet." "Noble." "Noble?" Blue eyes danced merrily at her and she shook her head, turning her gaze to the white letters on the side of each building. "At least it isn't Bigger." "That's-" Eiji's eyes widened and he blinked, rubbing a finger over his nose. "I can't believe they named a building that..." "Hendrix, Wallace, Bigger, Noble! Ah, and a perfect parking spot." Pulling in under a dark pine, she turned off the engine and sighed. "And that's it. Do you want to meet the roommates first, or get your package?" "Roommates!" His sister laughed at him, but he grinned, hopping out to look around him. The parkinglot was set up in a rectangle attached to the end of the road they'd been pointed down. A grassy divider separated them from the cars and apartments opposite them, and he spotted the green-topped tent not too far away. But that could wait. He really wanted to meet the people he'd be living with. He'd made his plans so late that he hadn't gotten a chance to call his future roommates the way he'd hoped. All he knew was that there were two of them, meaning he'd have a room all to himself. He couldn't wait. "Let's go!" "Which side is it on?" "The number's 80...34A! On this side," Eiji called, rounding the building on the right side and looking at the numbers on the first door. "Lucky!" "That's nice, we really did get the perfect parking spot." Her brother nodded eagerly, and she stood back as he knocked on the door. He was practically dancing in place, but she couldn't help the bit of nervousness that tickled her senses. There was a sidewalk that separated Noble from Bigger, and her eyes widened on the person carrying things into the door opposite them. He looked years older than her brother, surely not a freshmen. "Are you sure freshmen pick this section?" she asked, blinking when she saw Eiji's face. "What-" "They're not home," Eiji sniffed, his shoulders slumping. "I didn't think I'd have to move in without meeting them first." "Well," she said slowly, trying to think of something that might cheer him up a little, "I'm sure they're not-" Her brother moved past her and she turned, not sure what he was looking at. "Eiji?" "Not balanced at all..." The redhead crossed the grass to the sidewalk and approached a faded brown truck parked next to her car. He nearly reached the parkinglot before she realized what he was looking at. The older boy she'd noticed had bent over the back of the truck, a large box in his arms with two bags on top of it. She winced, hurrying after her brother before he could get himself into trouble. "Eiji! Don't-" One of the blue plastic sacks slipped, the redhead moving to catch it with a bright smile. "Oi," Eiji grinned, holding the sack out to the dark-haired teen. "Need help?" Dark wide eyes snapped to him and he blinked at the threatening expression, his first thought being 'predator.' The taller youth stared at him, and he blinked, not sure what he'd done wrong but smiling anyway. "I can help you unpack if-" "No." The word came out harsh and sharp, perfectly matching the look in those dark eyes. Eiji sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "Well, if you're sure." Silence was his answer and he frowned a little as he lifted the sack. "Here." Setting it next to the other one, he pushed the two bags up against the teen's chest, not paying any mind to the way those dark eyes widened. "So close to the edge and they'll fall again." The teen didn't move when he'd finished, and Eiji waved a hand at him. "Well, I have to go get my keys now, but if you're still here when I get back and you change your mind about needing help-" The tall menacing looking youth stepped past the redhead without a word, not so much as glancing at the older girl who'd frozen next to the sidewalk. She winced again, grabbing Eiji's arm. "I don't see how I can leave you here by yourself," she whispered, dragging the boy when he seemed to be stuck staring after the rude teen. "Let's just get you in that apartment with the door locked. Oh...what am I going to tell mom about your neighbors...?" "You think I said something wrong?" Eiji murmured, glancing over his shoulder as he let himself be drug across the parkinglot and in the direction of the green-topped booth. "I think he was surprised...but he could have been mad. Do you think he was mad that I offered to help him?" His sister had a hand over her face and he halted, pulling on her grip. "What?" "Eiji..." A glance found the boy visibly confused and she sighed, tugging him into motion again. "You can't just go up to strange, violent-looking people like that. I know you want to make friends with every person you meet, but no one knows you here. Wait till you get to your classes. Accosting strangers is the best way to get in trouble." "Accosting?!" Eiji's face twisted in insulted disbelief. "I was just trying to help! And he needed help. Did you see how his arms were flexed? That box had to be heavy. There was no way he could have gotten the bag without setting it down, and then he'd just-" "I know, Eiji, I know. You were being your normal sweet self, but just be careful, okay? You don't have any friends here, no one to watch you." "I don't need anyone to watch me," Eiji sniffed, taking one more glance over his shoulder before setting his sights on the booth. "And I'll make friends, you'll see." They reached the line of students and he looked over the people ahead of him. He saw at least one who was accompanied by an old couple, grandparents maybe, and others with what looked to be their parents. And they all seemed as excited as he'd been. If his sister hadn't ruined his mood with her worried criticism of his friend-making skills he would have tried talking to one of them. But that could wait. She worried too much. He didn't really want to give her any horror stories to take home when she left. He could just imagine what she already had stored to tell his mother. The line moved faster than the cars had, and he smiled at the tall seated teen who was handing out envelopes. "Name?" Glancing over the boy's orange hair and kind looking eyes, Eiji smiled. "Kikumaru Eiji." The boy blinked before giving him an almost shy smile in return. He nearly grinned in reaction. After flipping through the indexed envelopes filling the large box to his left, the boy nodded. "Okay, this is your package. It has your keys, your parking tag registration, and you check-in sheet. If there's any damage to the apartment you'll want to mark it on that sheet and turn it in to your RA by the end of the week. Or you can turn it in to Residence Life." Eiji nodded and he hesitated, glancing at the boy's sister for a second before frowning a bit. "Have you been to Residence Life?" "No," Eiji said, a niggle of worry hitting him. "We just got here and the lady told us to come to this booth first thing." "Oh, yes, that's fine. But you'll want to fill out your parking information and take it over there," he pointed to his left, gesturing to a tall building down the road opposite the one they'd taken earlier. "They'll give you your tag. If you have any trouble, they can answer any questions, too." "Thanks." Taking the large envelope, Eiji smiled, cheered when the boy nodded. If there hadn't been a line behind him, he would have introduced himself. There was an open friendliness in the tall youth's face that made him reluctant to leave. Hopefully he'd catch sight of him on campus some time. His sister led the way back across the parkinglot and he opened the envelope, coming up with a small key with his apartment number on it. "Set!" "That was easy enough." "Yep," Eiji nodded, "but I still wish they were home. I hate going in when they're not." "Why? You're going to be living there, too, now. I'm sure they knew they were getting a roommate, and that you'd be moving in today." His sister paused at the car as he went on to unlock the door, and Eiji paused, glancing over at the apartment across from him. The tall dark-haired boy from earlier halted the moment their eyes met and he smiled, waving a hand at him. A scowl was his answer as the boy's head lowered and he moved back to the truck. Eiji sighed. He unlocked the door and opened it, blinking at the clean but small livingroom that met his gaze. He'd just stepped inside when his sister reached him and he took the bag she brought, giving her a chance to look around. "Kind of small, isn't it." "But it's clean..." "Yeah," Eiji sniffed, wrinkling his nose with a smile at the odd scent that filled the room. "Smells like spice or something. I like it." "You would," his sister said, rolling her eyes. There were two doors, one on either side of the livingroom, both closed. "Which room is yours?" "Don't know, but there's one way to find out." With a bit of nervous excitement at the thought of looking into his roommates' room when they weren't home, Eiji tried the door next to the large television. The doorknob didn't turn an inch. "Guess it's not this one," he said. He was relieved, but also disappointed. The quickest way to learn about people was to see their homes. But there would be plenty of time for that later. Turning resolutely, he smiled at his sister before opening the second door. And he halted in the doorway with a stumped expression. "Egh?" "What is it?" "It's not empty," Eiji said, staring at the neatly made bed facing the wall. There was a second bed by the wall next to the door that was bare, only a clear plastic case covering it. Not sure what to think, he moved into the little room, glancing to his right to see a dresser and bathroom sink. There were things on one half of the dresser, open drawers showing on the other side. "I guess you'll be sharing with one of them. You didn't sign up for a single room, did you?" "They charge more for the single rooms, but still. I thought if they were living together they would be sharing a room. Or they'd move into the same room before I got here." The older girl passed him to peak into the bathroom, a light laugh making him blink and lean in after her. "What?" "He's clean," she smiled, moving to the side so he could get into the small room. "And he likes blue." Eiji grinned, glancing over the spotless tub as he fingered the dark blue shower curtain. "Nice." "Well? They must have known you were coming. Half of the dresser's empty." She crouched, checking the bottom drawers on the right side. A quick peak into the other drawers gave a glimpse of folded clothing before she closed them quickly. "What do you think?" "It's fine," Eiji said, nodding emphatically. "Yes, this will be fine. I've never shared a room before, but I don't mind. Now! Let's get me moved in!" The boy nearly ran from the room, only pausing in the livingroom to wait for her. She gave him a mock scowl as he waved toward the front door. "Are you that anxious to get rid of me?" "Hai!" The boy's smile was so wide she couldn't help but laugh at him. Passing through the open door, she managed to run a hand over his nicely kept hair, knocking up a few ruffles out of place. "Just keep in mind that I'm going to make unnanounced visits to check up on you." "Nn, not the hair." Smoothing down his dark red hair, he moved after her, not bothering to shut the door. "It's such a long drive, you can't come down without making sure I'll be here first. You have to call first." A suspicious gaze snapped to him and he smiled innocently, leaning forward to grab at the boxes in the open trunk. "Not that I'll be doing anything that you might interrupt if you do make a surprise visit, of course. Just wouldn't want you to waste a trip." "Right." The boy seemed to be debating on what to pick up and she pushed him out of the way, lifting the large box closest to her. Eyes widening, she promptly dropped it again. "Eiji! What's in that?!" Eiji blinked, innocence flowing from his wide, dark blue eyes. "Books." "How did you get it in the car?" she demanded, bending over the thing again and groaning. "Baka! You don't put so many heavy things in one box, don't you know how to pack?" "I've never packed before," Eiji reminded her, tapping on her shoulder and motioning for her to move. She raised an eyebrow at him and he grinned, tossing his head. "And I carried it to the car, just fine." Bending over the trunk, he hefted the box, beads of sweat breaking out over his brow. "See? I got it." The boy's lips were twitching and he took a step back, tilting a little. "Eiji-" "Heh, it's fine." Holding the box close to his stomach, he took another step back so he cleared the trunk of the car. The weight was pressing, tilting, and he winced a little, fighting not to let his arms shake. "Really." "Eiji, here, let me help." Blue eyes frowned as she stretched her hands out and the redhead took a large sidestep, nearly pitching over. "Eiji, don't be so stubborn. Just--" His shoe touched the bottom of the grassy slope and his balance snapped. "Ah!" "Eiji!" He winced the moment he felt the difference, his knees bending automatically to lessen the backward impact, and he nearly bit his tongue when he bumped into something far too soon. His sister's face was white, and he blinked, tilting his head so he could look over his shoulder at the person behind him. "Ano..." Dark eyes glared at him and he could feel a trickle of sweat trail down his cheek. "G-gomen!" "Ch'." Recovering his balance, Eiji hurried to move forward, taking his weight off the teen. He could see the blatant worry in his sister's eyes, but he felt more embarrassment than anything. "Sorry about that, really. I'm not usually so-" A hissing sigh interrupted him, and his mouth fell open in surprise when the boy took the box, turning and carrying it to the open door without a word. It took him a moment to recover before he darted after him, his hands twitching. "Look! You don't have to do that, really!" He reached the doorway in time to see the dark-haired boy halt in the livingroom. "Which room?" The tone sounded more put-out than angry, and Eiji closed his mouth, pointing a finger to the open door. He didn't follow, but he heard the sound of the box being set on the plastic-covered bed. The stranger appeared seconds later, scowling face set on the door behind him. Eiji moved to block it quickly, a tentative smile flexing over his lips. "Thanks a lot," he said quickly. "That was really nice of you. My name's Eiji, Kikumaru Eiji." He started to hold out his hand, but a glance at the boy's expression made him bolder. With a disarming smile, he took the boy's right hand and shook it once. Looking down at his palm, the dark-haired boy sniffed and curled his hand. "Kaidoh." "It's nice to meet you, Kaidoh. And thanks again for helping." The boy gave a sharp nod, a bit of that scowl easing into a general frown. Eiji stepped back so he wasn't blocking the door anymore and smiled when the teen moved past him. Dark brown eyes flicked back and he tilted his head questioning. "You have more?" "Ah!" Eiji winced, rubbing a hand over his temple. "You don't have to help, really. You have your own stuff to unpack, too, right?" "I'm finished," Kaidoh said, glancing away from the bright-eyed boy. "They were supplies." "Then you're not moving in?" A sharp shake of that dark head answered him and Eiji eased his smile a little. "Well, if you want, I don't mind an extra hand. My sister and I can get it, but three'll make it a lot easier." Kaidoh looked over at the girl still frozen near the open trunk and sniffed. "And I packed things a little wrong," Eiji added. "I've never moved before." The teen left him, heading for the car, and he hurried to join him. He was definitely going to have to introduce him to his sister or she'd probably stay frozen to that spot indefinitely. With a quick smile at having gained his first name at the college, he joined the two next to the car. * * * TBC Post a review Next Past reviews Back to Prince of Tennis Fanfiction Home |