ro log: echizen & tezuka

[hyakurensei]

Rating: PG
When: after this
Where: Jungle, then beach.
Summary: Tezuka gets Echizen out of a tree.

Secured in the very top boughs of an extremely tall pine tree, Echizen wondered how on earth he got himself into these things. Karupin mewled from his arms, and Echizen had his answer.

This morning, he woke up to find that Karupin somehow snuck out of the shelters. In panic, he ran off on his own to find her. Fortunately, he did...several hours later in a huge tree. Climbing up to meet her was no issue, but Echizen didn't really consider the dilemma of climbing down one handed with a squirming cat until he reached the top.

If it didn't put Karupin's life and Echizen's tennis career in jeopardy, Echizen would have chanced the climb. He hated asking for help, but in this situation he really had no other option.

Tezuka checked his journal. Reading through the entries, he paused on Echizen's and sighed. It did not surprise him in the least that Karupin had made her way up a tree and Echizen followed. A few replies later found him closing his laptop and rummaging around for rope, a tennis ball, his racket, and a can of Ponta.

He made his way through the jungle toward Echizen's location. Upon arriving, he looked up to see teen and cat. "I am glad to see you are not afraid of heights."

Echizen closed his phone upon seeing Tezuka and put it in the pocket of his shirt. Karupin shifted in Echizen's lap, as she recognized the sound of Tezuka's voice, and meowed down at the teenager. "Heights are fine," Echizen said, thinking it best to not tell Tezuka about the cliff jumping episode. "Climbing down from trees with squirming cats, on the other hand..." he spoke with a little smirk.

As long as Karupin was safe, the situation didn't distress him at all. Tezuka would help them get down.

Tezuka rested his racket against the tree trunk and wrapped the rope around the ball, tying a good knot around it. Picking up his racket, he eyed where they were exactly and threw the ball and rope combination into the air, smacking it with his racket. He watched as it curved over the branch the two were on and dropped half way down.

Grabbing the ball, he removed it and made a noose knot, pulling the length gingerly to allow it to tighten around the branch.

Tezuka's aim was spot on, as expected. "Buchou, teach me that knot later," Echizen said, while pulling at the rope to make sure it would hold both of their weight. When he determined he would, Echizen secured Karupin and wrapped the rope around his wrist before grasping it in his fingers.

He propelled himself off the branch and started to walk down the stump of the tree, supporting himself mostly with his feet. The rope ensured that he kept his balance and didn't fall and crack his head open.

"Aa." Tezuka held the remainder of the rope, slowly slackening the line whenever Echizen needed more. One he had safely gotten to the ground, he opened the can of Ponta and held it out for him. "I thought you might need this."

"Thanks, you thought right," Echizen said, once both feet were firmly on the ground. There were few times in his life when he was in greater need of Ponta. It had been an extremely trying day. He took the can of Ponta from Tezuka and offered him a scared feline in turn, "Trade?"

If Tezuka could dislodge her claws from his shoulder, that would be nice.

Tezuka stroked between Karupin's ears a few times before gently placing a hand between her and Echizen's shoulder. He pulled her off with relative ease and cradled her in his arms in an attempt to calm her down.

Karupin curled her claws into Tezuka's shirt and soaked up the attention happily. Finally, she was down from that tree!

Echizen drained about half the can of Ponta and rotated his arm a few times. There were a few scratch marks from the scared cat, but nothing that bad. "Want some?" Echizen offered Tezuka the Ponta while he eyed Karupin with concern. She seemed to be calming down.

Tezuka watched Echizen's movements carefully. No visible damage. "You might want to get some peroxide from Oishi for the cuts. It wouldn't do for them to get infected."

At Echizen's question, he shook his head. "You need it more than I," he said, shifting Karupin in his arms a little to make it more comfortable.

"I'll sneak a bit and leave an anonymous note when he's not there," Echizen said. He didn't want Oishi-senpai to worry about something so trivial. Besides, Oishi might also try to check him for worms, which he definitely did not have.

"True," Echizen admitted. "You just had to climb to the very top," he scolded Karupin, only half serious. She just mewed and rubbed her chin on Tezuka's arm.

"One of these days, he'll set a trap for you." Tezuka was quite cure that Oishi was going to have a coronary if Echizen or himself carried on the way they did. Though, given Oishi, that was par for the course.

"Something must have scared her for her to climb up that far." Though, she seemed quite calm now. Echizen's nerves over the situation might have not helped any.

"I won't let my guard down," Echizen said with a smirk. There was no way he would let Oishi-senpai force him into taking some kind of medication.

"I don't think so, I haven't seen any predators. She was probably chasing a squirrel and got scared when she realized she couldn't jump down." It was pretty hard to calm her down while that high off the ground...

Tezuka nodded. However, he wouldn't put it past Oishi to try any method necessary. "It might have ran off before you arrived," he offered. "Perhaps we should head back to camp in case it decides to appear again."

Echizen straightened his hat and furrowed his brow. "Yeah...If it comes near Karupin again I'll kill it." Though he hated the idea of killing anything, he hated the idea of anything threatening Karupin even more.

Tezuka found it endearing that Echizen cared for Karupin so much. "As long as she doesn't escape into the jungle again," he said as they made their way toward camp again.

"I'm not sure how she got out of the shelter," Echizen said, walking beside Tezuka. "Maybe someone got out to pee and she left."

Usually she just slept with him regardless of who vacated the tent. He might have to put her on a leash in the future.

"Or perhaps she followed you and got lost," Tezuka suggested. Karupin was a smart cat, but she seemed to have a penchant for getting lost, if the incident during Echizen's first year was of any indication.

"When I woke up she wasn't next to me," Echizen said, "So she couldn't have followed me."

It was worrying that she would sneak out without him.

Tezuka had no response to that. He wasn't familiar with the inner workings of pets and how they did things. It always seemed like cats did as they pleased though. "Perhaps you should keep her on her leash for the next few days, just in case."

"That's what I'm thinking," Echizen said. A lurch in Echizen's stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten anything all day.

"Are you hungry?"

"We can put her on it when we arrive at camp," Tezuka said as the shelters became clearer through the thicket.

"A little. I suppose you must be ravenous."

Echizen agreed. Karupin lost her no leash privileges for awhile.

"I'm always ravenous," Echizen replied, smirking up at Tezuka. He could probably just heat some water over the fire and use it to make ramen. "Let's play tennis after lunch."

Tezuka had no doubt about the perpetual state of Echizen's appetite. If there was no need to ration, he had a feeling Echizen and Momoshiro would see how much they could go in one sitting.

"Right-handed," he suggested.

"Sure," Echizen agreed easily. It would give Tezuka's shoulder more time to heal; besides, Echizen needed practice with his right anyway. "Do we have any fish in the cooler, or should we try to catch some for lunch?"

Even if there was vension left, Echizen wouldn't touch it with Atobe at the end of a six foot pole.

Tezuka thought for a moment, then nodded. "I believe there is some from yesterday still stored," he said as they arrived at the encampment. "I think there will be enough for us." If not, Tezuka has no qualms about taking his equipment and catching more.

If Echizen ate enough to simply not be ravenous anymore (because he was always hungry), they would likely have enough.

"It should be fine. Want to grab the fish while I get a fire started?" Echizen suggested as he approached the log pile.

"Aa," Tezuka replied, handing Karupin back to Echizen and dropping off the rope in his cabin. He picked up the cooler, as well as cooking utensils, on the way back to the fire pit set up in the middle of all the shelters and set it next to Echizen. "Twelve," he said, taking a seat. "Is that enough?"

Once Echizen gathered a few suitable pieces of firewood, he saw about attaching Karupin's leash to the nearest tent.

"Don't you go anywhere," Echizen told her as he coaxed a flame to start. Karupin simply flopped and rolled over. The day's adventure had been more than enough for her.

"Six each, that should be plenty," Echizen said. His stomach gurgled in enthusiastic agreement.

Tezuka was inwardly amused at the situation that just played out but deigned to comment on it. "Two is more than enough for me," he said. "We should save a few until there is a chance to replenish the cooler."

"Two fish isn't enough to eat, Buchou," Echizen teased him. He picked up the skewers Tezuka brought and started arranging the fish on them. "I'll have four and make some rice to spare the fish," and to get Tezuka to eat a little bit more. How was he supposed to recover his arm without extra energy, really?

"For you, no," Tezuka mused. With rice though, two fish would be quite enough. Even after tennis, he would still be fine until dinner. "You don't need to eat less on my account. If you want six, have six. There will still be four left and I can always catch some later this afternoon."

"I'm eating less on my own account. Rice is more filling than fish," Echizen pointed out, "And gives me more carbs to burn during tennis." His trainer did teach him something. Besides, if he ate six fish now he would be all fished out by dinner time. Though, he supposed he could always boil water and have instant ramen for dinner. When the fish settled down to cook, Echizen fetched the rice and a small pot to boil it in, and got that going.

Sitting down next to Tezuka, Echizen held out the small plate of cat food he brought out as well. Karupin, who seemed to be asleep a moment previous, immediately sprang up and made for the dish. With the comforting smells of Tezuka's deodorant, cat food and slowly cooking fish in the air, Echizen had to fight off the urge to slip into a nap.

Tezuka nodded again and closed the cooler, putting it on his other side so there was no longer any object between himself and Echizen. He reached forward and turned the fish over. "You can nap after lunch, Echizen," he said, tugging on the teen's hat.

He stole a glance to see how Karupin was then got comfortable again, waiting for lunch to finish.

"No, tennis after lunch," Echizen reminded Tezuka as he straightened his hat. "Nap with me after tennis," he smirked. Somehow, it was easier to sleep when Tezuka was there...not that he usually had a hard time falling asleep.

Once the fish looked nice and cooked, Echizen started plucking them from the fire into a plate.

"I have difficulty sleeping during the day. How about while I fish, you nap on the beach nearby?" Tezuka checked the rice and pulled it away from the heat. He scooped it onto their plates and tugged his close. "Itadakimasu," he said quietly.

Echizen repeated the same tradition before replying. "Okay," Echizen agreed. "Just keep an eye on Karupin," he added before digging in.

He was even more hungry than he realized.

"I'll wrap the leash around your wrist, but I won't be too far away," Tezuka said, giving a stern look to the cat in an attempt to stop her from even thinking about straying again.

Karupin blinked innocently up at Tezuka, licking remnants of cat food from her face. Obviously she could do not wrong.

Echizen nodded. Halfway through his third fish, he reached for some rice and gorged indulgently. "She'll be good," Echizen said, after swallowing. "She knows she's gotten into enough trouble today."

Tezuka hoped that the cat decided to stay firmly planted in the sand at her owner's side and didn't decide to wander. He doubted Echizen wanted to climb another tree. "I'm sure she does." Setting his finished plate aside, he took a long drink of water and waited for Echizen to finish.

Echizen washed down his meal with the rest of the Ponta can and sighed, finally less hungry. They could let some ocean water rest in the rice pot to soak and then wash it later. He stood and stretched.

"Tennis," Echizen said, finally possessing the energy to play.

"Tennis," Tezuka echoed and stood up, picking up his racket and shoving the ball in his pocket. Once Echizen had his racket and Karupin in tow, they made their way through the jungle toward the courts.

Karupin, having had a long day, fell asleep immediately and remained so until they reached the courts. A comfortable, determined silence fell over the boys, as they could only focus on the tennis ahead.

When they reached the courts, Echizen set Karupin safely where he could see her and asked, "Which?"

"Smooth," Tezuka answered, taking his place on the far side of the court as Echizen got settled. He practiced swinging with his right for a few moments, waiting for the racket to drop.

"It's smooth," Echizen informed Tezuka. On his side of the court, Echizen started to stretch, his right arm particularly. It had been awhile since he played just using that.

For once, Tezuka decided to keep serve. He knew Echizen's Twist Serve was strongest with his right and having not played with the arm for awhile was asking for him to be down a match before he even got comfortable. Pulling the ball out of his pocket, he bounced it a few times, only starting when Echizen took his stance at the baseline.

It didn't take long for it to turn into a long volley as they reacquainted themselves with playing with their right hands.

The challenge of a match forced Echizen to reacquaint himself very quickly with his right arm. As always, he adapted rapidly and pushed the limits of play, making his shots little by little more inconvenient for Tezuka to hit.

If it was Tezuka, they could probably volley forever.

Tezuka managed to get three sets before Echizen's experience playing with his right hand was too much for him to keep up with. He wanted to switch back to his left, but this was training and he had to keep going. He wanted to be just as good with his right. A true Nitoryuu like his opponent.

Echizen's last shot was just out of Tezuka's reach and the match was over, six-three. He wiped his forehead with his wrist band. Walking toward the net, he tucked his racket under his arm. "Nice game, Echizen."

Approaching the net as well, Echizen adjusted his hat and said, "You too, Buchou." As they stood across the net from each other, Echizen avoiding the traditional handshake to reach up and curl his fingers in Tezuka's shirt. He smelled like exertion and the strong deoderant Echizen sometimes stole. Before Tezuka could say anything, Echizen went on his toes and pulled Tezuka down, bringing their lips together for a kiss.

It wasn't anything fancy or complicated, but it felt nice.

After a moment, Echizen let go of Tezuka and smirked, golden eyes flashing with challenge. "When you win, you have to kiss me."

Tezuka felt himself tugged down. He was going to protest -- sportsmanship dictated proper etiquette after matches -- but he found he couldn't. Kissing Echizen was rather nice. Tennis was better, but the after wasn't too bad.

His lips curled slightly. "Then perhaps I should have kissed you when I won before."

"You could have," Echizen informed him. Though, Tezuka probably knew that. "Mada mada dane, Buchou," he teased, looking up at the curve of Tezuka's mouth from under the brim of his hat.

"I could," Tezuka agreed. "I was slightly distracted before." Kissing Echizen had been the furthest thing from his mind when he had damaged his shoulder. Though, he could make up for it now...

He nudged up Echizen's hat just a bit and leaned down, kissing Echizen lightly.

Echizen had known perfectly well why Tezuka didn't, he simply hated passing up an opportunity to tease his former captain. Though, it was a little more fun when Tezuka knew he was being teased.

...Or if he did that. Tezuka hadn't won yet, but Echizen overlooked that in favor of kissing him back.

Not so mada mada dane, Echizen thought, even though it didn't make much sense.

Admittedly, Tezuka wasn't sure that was going to keep Echizen quiet, but it had and he felt inwardly smug about it. "I'll earn the next one properly," he said quietly and pulled away slowly.

"Hai," Echizen agreed, his gaze not leaving Tezuka's face. "Though," he said, adjusting his hat back down again, "...I wouldn't penalize you if you didn't."

However, he didn't put it past Tezuka to assign himself laps, so he said nothing further. Instead, he went to fetch the water from his bag. If he tasted Tezuka on his lips whenever he swallowed, he would definitely be distracted.

Tezuka wasn't about to take advantage of the situation. He would earn the privilege to kiss Echizen. Walking over to the bench, he put his racket away and took a long drink of water.

"After dinner," he started. "Right again."

"Perfect," Echizen said, grinning at Tezuka. He unwrapped Karupin's leash from the makeshift bench and hauled his tennis bag over his shoulder.

"Beach?" he asked. If they were going to play again, he needed a nap.

Tezuka nodded and shouldered his tennis bag. He could fish while Echizen slept and keep an eye on Karupin. Hopefully, he'd catch enough fish to make them both satiated.

"You might want to grab a pillow when I pick up my fishing equipment."

Echizen shook his head. "No, I don't want to get it sandy, I'll just use my tennis bag," he said as they started walking back to camp. He didn't really need a pillow to sleep: just his hat to shield the sun and knowledge that Karupin was safe.

They made their way back through the jungle and to the shelters, where Tezuka switched out his racket for fishing pole and tackle box. He waited for Echizen to drop off his bag, then began making their way toward the beach. Since Echizen was going to nap, Tezuka figured he would be able to find the best spot. He could fish anywhere.

Though Echizen didn't drop off his bag, he did load it up with a few more Ponta drinks before leaving camp. He picked up Karupin so she didn't have to walk in the sand and trekked a small distance to the most convenient fishing spot. Echizen wasn't too picky about where he slept. Plopping down unceremoniously, Echizen stretched out, resting his head on his tennis bag while Karupin sprawled across his belly. The end of the leash was wrapped carefully around his wrist.

"Here is okay?" he looked up at Tezuka.

Tezuka walked ahead a little more, closer to the actual ocean. "Here is fine," he said, setting down his tackle box and kneeling in front of it to search for the right bait. Once he finished getting his pole set up, he glanced back at Echizen, making sure Karupin was still nearby. It looked as though Echizen had already fallen asleep, so Tezuka went ahead and began fishing. He would wake Echizen when he finished.