Log: Atobe Keigo and Yukimura Seiichi

Sep 12, 2008 00:40

Who: Atobe Keigo and Yukimura Seiichi
What: Atobe has the worst of luck when it comes to the ghost -- or the people he has to accept help from. At this rate, things may get interesting in class one.
When: Thursday evening
Where: Various locations along the way from the shrine steps to Atobe's room
Rating: PG
Comments: It would be entirely unfair of me to define the ghost too clearly as Atobe's player, even if Atobe is the one with the most sightings of it. His first attack of nausea and faintness may have been because of his jetlag, the later accounts being more psychosomatic than anything. ...Or the ghost may indeed be the cause. Decide for yourself.


Atobe cursed his own carelessness as he warily made his way towards the stairs to the shrine. As many times as he'd sworn he wouldn't go anywhere near it again... But then, he didn't really have a choice, did he? He needed to get his necklace back.

It had been careless of him, of course. To simply drop something as important was nigh inexcusable. But then, he hadn't exactly been in a normal state of mind when he'd misplaced it... Waking up to find himself outdoors, looking up at what was likely a ghost, was not the best way to set ground for sensible thoughts. He'd been in more of a hurry to get back to his room than to notice the missing piece of jewellery.

Of course, it might not even be there. He couldn't be sure he'd dropped it on his way back to his room that night. Actually he wasn't even sure he'd dropped it that night at all; perhaps he remembered wrong about having been wearing it before going to sleep. However, he'd already searched everywhere else, and he hadn't seen it since that night... It had to be either at the steps, or somewhere on the way from his room to there. Unless he'd wandered elsewhere in his sleep, naturally.

Looking carefully around the ground, Atobe did his best to ignore the feeling of being looked at. He was being ridiculous and he knew it. No wonder everyone was making fun of him. Much though he disliked the fact, even he had to admit he wasn't exactly giving them any reasons to show him any particular respect. Ghosts, indeed. If he'd been anyone else, he wouldn't have believed it, himself.

He'd seen it, though. Whatever the others claimed, he'd seen it; it hadn't been a dream, certainly not the first time he'd seen it, in the middle of a day. Even if Fuji couldn't see it…

Ah, who cared. The ghost was not going to bother him now. He wasn't even going to go up the steps. He just had to find his necklace and leave, and all would be well.

Something flickered at the very edge of his field of vision. Atobe froze. Then, very slowly, he turned his head.

There was nothing.

Atobe let a sigh fall off his lips. Of course. Why would there be anything? He was just imagining things. It was stress, that's what it was, and all the talk about the ghost. Just because he'd seen it once - twice - didn't mean he was going to see it again. The others hadn't seen it properly at all, after all. Right now, he could just let his gaze wander up the stairs to the shrine, and see…

"Tachibana?"

Even as Atobe spoke, he knew it was not Tachibana. For a moment he just stared up the steps, the… creature… staring right back at him. A cold shiver ran down his spine, a slightly faint feeling taking over him.

Finally Atobe broke himself from the ghost's spell, turning around and stumbling away despite the nausea and general weakness that was rising within him. Forget the necklace. He wasn't going anywhere near the shrine anymore.

Yukimura, walking back to the dorms after a short practice session in the tennis courts, noticed Atobe stumbling away from the direction of the shrine looking rather nauseated. Wondering what could be wrong, he jogged over to where the other boy was still stumbling.

Approaching, he called out: "Atobe, what happened?" Upon receiving no answer, he went over and leant his shoulder just as Atobe was about to fall. Helping the boy over to the dorms, Yukimura tried again.
"Atobe. What happened?"

Atobe hated himself for letting someone see him in such a weak condition... but then, such things apparently were out of his control whenever the damn ghost came into the picture. He didn't really have a choice here but to let Yukimura help him, now did he. Not if he wanted to actually make it into his room.

It took him some time to manage to gather himself enough to actually speak. Finally, he managed to get out, "...The ghost. I... saw it again."

Yukimura, sighed as Atobe finally managed to answer his question. Of course it had been the ghost. He doubted anything else would make Atobe, of all people, like this. Continuing to lead Atobe to his room, he shifted slightly, arranging his arm so that he was supporting Atobe properly. Taking one look at the stairs, he grimaced, and began the task of getting Atobe up them, opting for the easiest way of sweeping him off his feet and simply carrying him. It wasn't that far to the second floor, after all.

"I can walk..." Atobe muttered even as he clung to Yukimura like a child, not even believing his own words himself. He'd had such difficulty walking there was no way he could make it up the stairs by himself. "Not that... weak..." Ha. He might have been more convincing in his own ears at least if he could have actually formed an entire sentence.

Indeed, no wonder people made fun of him so eagerly. Rather, it was a wonder some people weren't laughing at him yet. The ghost was messing up his entire life!

Yukimura scoffed at Atobe's weak protests. If he couldn't even speak in full sentences, he obviously wasn't fit enough to walk up the stairs. He sympathized with the other captain, and he really would prefer to have Atobe being calm and composed rather than clinging to him like a terrified child.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Yukimura stepped into the hallway, and blinked, wondering which room belonged to Atobe. He looked down at Atobe for some assistance.

Atobe motioned towards his door as he realized why Yukimura had stopped. "...Room F," he managed to say. "And I can walk... really..." No, he couldn't. But damned if he was going to just admit it.

Yukimura, seeing the room, headed towards it, opening the door and walking over to the bed, setting Atobe down on the purple covers of one of the beds. He sat down beside him on the bed.

"So, Atobe. What happened with the ghost to get you like this?" he inquired, settling himself comfortably on the bed after having gotten up to close the door.

"I saw it," Atobe sighed. "I just saw it... nothing else..." He threw an arm over his eyes, biting his lip. "See why I... dislike it...?" He hated himself. Hated, hated, hated.

"I suppose so…" Yukimura responded, moving over to Atobe's head and taking the aforementioned head in his lap. "If you dislike it so much, why were you at the shrine in the first place?" He stroked Atobe's hair, hoping to calm him down some.

Atobe almost protested at Yukimura's actions but couldn't find it in himself to do it. It just felt too soothing... "I lost my... necklace..." he muttered. "I didn't even... go up the steps..."

Yukimura smiled, feeling Atobe relax a bit. "So the ghost was at the bottom of the steps?" Continuing to stroke his hair, Yukimura was at lost as to what else he could do to calm down the distraught captain.

"No... I saw it further up them..." Atobe was quiet for a moment, then managed a somewhat bitter chuckle. "This is... embarrassing..."

"I'm sure." Yukimura said, a small smile on his face. Watching Atobe relax, he snorted silently, then continued stroking his hair. It wouldn't do for Atobe to be like this during class tomorrow.

"Sorry..." Atobe murmured. He was feeling vaguely better, though not exactly well yet. "Didn't want you to... see me like this..." Not anyone, really, but Yukimura seeing him so weak was even worse than others. Yukimura was a very skilled tennis player and therefore a worthy rival; it was unthinkable that such a person would consider him weak.

Since Atobe seemed genuinely unhappy to be seen in such a state by himself, Yukimura decided it was best to leave, before his normal dislike of Atobe set in and he said something upsetting or insulting while his rival was feeling like this. It would, of course, be terribly underhanded of him if he did. Getting up, he quietly left the room, turning off the lights, and closing the door behind him.

"Don't tell anyone..." Atobe managed to get out as he realized Yukimura was about to leave, unsure whether the other boy even heard him. Then he rolled over to his side, closing his eyes, trying to forget the slowly fading nausea. Ugh. How could he look Yukimura in the eye in class tomorrow? Fuji alone had been bad enough... now two people in his class had seen him in such a state.

He wasn't sure which one he hated more at the moment, the ghost or himself.

Yukimura, hearing Atobe's request, answered him with a polite "We shall see."
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