Fanfic100 - Insides
Title: Life Must Go On.... Part 1
Fandom: Prince of Tennis: Fudomine Chuugaku
Characters: Kamio Akira, Tachibana Kippei
Prompt: 004 - Insides
Word Count: 504
Date finished: 07/17/2008
Rating: G
Summary: Akira needs a reason to get up in the morning. Kippei gives him one.
Author's Notes: I really didn't think I'd write a sequel to If Only...., so this came as a shock. I didn't write on it for nearly two months before I finally finished it. There will be five parts.
Disclaimer: Characters are owned by Konomi Takeshi, and whoever did the anime. At any rate, it's not me.
Kamio Akira woke with his alarm and wondered why he should get out of bed today. His last reason had been removed yesterday when his boss had fired him. The main reasons for getting up had died a year ago.
The phone rang, and he reached over to answer it. "Hello?"
"You sound like you're still in bed."
Akira closed his eyes and fell back onto his pillow. "Good morning, Kippei."
"Do you have plans after work?"
"No. I don't even have plans for work."
A stunned silence followed his words. "What do you mean?"
"I was fired yesterday."
The mumbling that followed could have come from Shinji. Akira caught "stupid" and "know what day" and "bad timing" - and, to his surprise, laughed.
The mumbling stopped abruptly. "Akira?"
"Yeah?"
"Get up and get dressed. I'll be there in 30 minutes."
Ah. A reason to get up. "I'll leave the door unlocked."
The thought of spending even a couple of hours with Kippei gave Akira a burst of energy, so his shower didn't take him as long as it usually did. He pulled his shirt on just as he heard the knock at the front door, and started toward it as he tucked it in. "Come in," he said to Kippei as he opened the door, and backed up so his friend could do so.
"You look good," Kippei said, closing the door behind him. He remained there, however, not going further into the apartment.
"Thanks." Akira didn't believe him.
"Grab your racquets. I want a game after breakfast."
Akira stared at him. "I… you…" he stammered, then finally folded his arms. "Why?"
Kippei smiled. "Akira speak for 'I haven't played in a year', right?"
"No. I mean, I haven't, but… why?"
"Because while you look better than the last time I saw you, you don't look great. Bring your racquets, we'll get them restrung during breakfast, and then have a game."
"I won't even challenge you."
"Not today." Kippei turned him around and shoved him gently toward the bedroom. "Go. Hurry. I'm hungry, and I know you haven't eaten."
Confused, Akira did as Kippei told him, and then followed his former buchou down to his car.
Akira played worse than his own expectations. By the time Kippei called a halt, he needed a second shower. He collapsed onto the bench and lay his head back against the fence. "That was an exercise in futility," he murmured as Kippei sat next to him.
"No," Kippei told him gently, "that was to show you how much you have to work on."
"How much I…" Akira repeated, confused.
"I'm losing my warm up partner in three months; he's getting married. You have those three months to get back in top condition."
Akira gaped at him, stunned. "I… I'll never… There's no…."
"Yes, there is. You can do it, Akira. If you want to."
It took him a while to recognize the offer as a lifeline, but he took it and pulled himself back to life with it.
Fudomine
Fandom: Prince of Tennis: Fudomine Chuugaku
Characters: Kamio Akira, Tachibana Kippei
Prompt: 004 - Insides
Word Count: 504
Date finished: 07/17/2008
Rating: G
Summary: Akira needs a reason to get up in the morning. Kippei gives him one.
Author's Notes: I really didn't think I'd write a sequel to If Only...., so this came as a shock. I didn't write on it for nearly two months before I finally finished it. There will be five parts.
Disclaimer: Characters are owned by Konomi Takeshi, and whoever did the anime. At any rate, it's not me.
Kamio Akira woke with his alarm and wondered why he should get out of bed today. His last reason had been removed yesterday when his boss had fired him. The main reasons for getting up had died a year ago.
The phone rang, and he reached over to answer it. "Hello?"
"You sound like you're still in bed."
Akira closed his eyes and fell back onto his pillow. "Good morning, Kippei."
"Do you have plans after work?"
"No. I don't even have plans for work."
A stunned silence followed his words. "What do you mean?"
"I was fired yesterday."
The mumbling that followed could have come from Shinji. Akira caught "stupid" and "know what day" and "bad timing" - and, to his surprise, laughed.
The mumbling stopped abruptly. "Akira?"
"Yeah?"
"Get up and get dressed. I'll be there in 30 minutes."
Ah. A reason to get up. "I'll leave the door unlocked."
The thought of spending even a couple of hours with Kippei gave Akira a burst of energy, so his shower didn't take him as long as it usually did. He pulled his shirt on just as he heard the knock at the front door, and started toward it as he tucked it in. "Come in," he said to Kippei as he opened the door, and backed up so his friend could do so.
"You look good," Kippei said, closing the door behind him. He remained there, however, not going further into the apartment.
"Thanks." Akira didn't believe him.
"Grab your racquets. I want a game after breakfast."
Akira stared at him. "I… you…" he stammered, then finally folded his arms. "Why?"
Kippei smiled. "Akira speak for 'I haven't played in a year', right?"
"No. I mean, I haven't, but… why?"
"Because while you look better than the last time I saw you, you don't look great. Bring your racquets, we'll get them restrung during breakfast, and then have a game."
"I won't even challenge you."
"Not today." Kippei turned him around and shoved him gently toward the bedroom. "Go. Hurry. I'm hungry, and I know you haven't eaten."
Confused, Akira did as Kippei told him, and then followed his former buchou down to his car.
Akira played worse than his own expectations. By the time Kippei called a halt, he needed a second shower. He collapsed onto the bench and lay his head back against the fence. "That was an exercise in futility," he murmured as Kippei sat next to him.
"No," Kippei told him gently, "that was to show you how much you have to work on."
"How much I…" Akira repeated, confused.
"I'm losing my warm up partner in three months; he's getting married. You have those three months to get back in top condition."
Akira gaped at him, stunned. "I… I'll never… There's no…."
"Yes, there is. You can do it, Akira. If you want to."
It took him a while to recognize the offer as a lifeline, but he took it and pulled himself back to life with it.
Fudomine