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"Hey Gakuto! You're falling behind!" cried the boy with bright red hair as he bounced almost cat-like from one monkey bar to the next.

" You're supposed to swing from the monkey bars, not jump across them," panted Gakuto as he mercilessly tried to keep up his steps. " Woah!"

The boy missed his mark by only an inch, but it was enough to send him falling through the gap between the bars and onto the hard ground below. He groaned in pain as he slowly sat up.

" Gakuto! Are you alright?" cried the red haired boy as he jumped to the ground towards his friend, landing perfectly. Gakuto's eyes began to well up with tears.

" Are you hurt?" inquired the boy as tears began to stream down his friend's soft cheeks.

" I'm covered in dirt Eiji," sobbed Gakuto. Eiji was slightly taken aback by his friends words, it was only a little bit of dirt, it wasn't going to hurt him.

" You need to jump more," smiled Eiji, hoping that a little encouragement would cheer his friend up.

" Huh?"

" Try to jump more!" replied Eiji as he ran back around to the start of the monkey bars, ready to try it one more time. " Come on!"

Gakuto watched as his friend jumped from bar to bar flawlessly. He gritted his teeth. Why couldn't he do that? It didn't look all that hard. Try to jump more. Try to jump more. The phrase kept repeating over and over in Gakuto's head. The young boy stood up, ignoring the pain his elbow had been exerting since his fall. He walked over towards the monkey bars and glared at them. Try to jump more.

" I'll do it. I'll show you that I can do it too..." muttered Gakuto as he hoisted himself to the top of the bars. Eiji had already finished his turn and, as always, had finished it off with a jumping somersault off the last bar, to land perfectly on both feet.

" Come on Gakuto!" cried Eiji as he walked over to stand beside the bars, preparing himself in case Gakuto fell again.

" What are you doing?" snapped the dark haired boy.

" I'm here to catch you if you fall," replied Eiji energetically. Not noticing that his statement had clearly agitated his young friend.

Gakuto lowered his gaze towards the bars. I'm going to do it, he thought to himself. He slowly started to jump from bar to bar. He was doing just as well as Eiji had, he was almost at the end. His excitement lessened his concentration and before he knew it he felt himself falling once again. This time however, he didn't hit the ground.

" Gotcha!" beamed Eiji as the boy landed in his arms. Gakuto opened his eyes to find himself cradled in his friend's arms, his face flushed a bright pink as he stared into his friend's eyes.

" E-Eiji..." whispered Gakuto as he tried, without much success, to draw his gaze away from Eiji's beautiful blue eyes.

" My turn!" cried Eiji as he placed the boy back on his feet and rounded back towards the bars once again. He began bouncing from one bar to the next, flawlessly executing every leap perfectly. Gakuto watched in awe. It had been in this very park that he had met Eiji only three years earlier. Gakuto had admired, even back then, how light on his feet Eiji was, how he never managed to miss a single step. Eiji had coaxed Gakuto into trying it as well, and since then, everyday after school let out the two boys would meet at the park and work on their acrobatics. But it was only recently that Gakuto had realized that once they entered junior high, they would most likely never see one and another again. He would be attending the prestigious Hyotei Gakuen, and since they were of two different economic backgrounds, Eiji would most likely go to a school close by. Every night Gakuto thought about not being able to see Eiji again, and last night it had finally occurred to him that the feelings he had towards Eiji were more then just friendship. He cared for him, he wanted to always be near him. If this would be one of the last times he saw Eiji he wanted him to know how he felt, he wanted to know if his friend felt the same way, if there was a possibility that maybe they could be together even if they went to different schools.

" E- Eiji...I uh," the boy started quietly. He clenched his fists and closed his eyes, his whole body so very nervous yet he just had to know. " EIJI, I LIKE YOU!"

" Hoi, hoi, huh?" for the first time since Gakuto had met Eiji, the red haired boy had missed his step and came crashing towards the ground.

" E-Eiji? A-are you alright?" cried Gakuto as he ran over to his friend who lay motionless on the ground.

" That was a dirty trick," whispered Eiji.

" W-what?" gasped Gakuto as he grabbed Eiji's hand to help his friend up. Eiji snatched his hand out of Gakuto's grasp.

" THAT WAS A DIRTY TRICK!" Gakuto's eyes widened in shock. It hadn't been a trick, it had been the truth. " Why would you go and yell something like that knowing it would break my concentration! Just because you can't do it you have to go and screw me up too?"

" Eiji, I...." Gakuto reached out one more time to help his friend up. Eiji slapped his hand away and got up on his own. He walked over to his backpack and flung it over his back.

" Eiji, where are you going?" inquired Gakuto as he began to chase after Eiji as he began to walk towards the sidewalk.

" Seishun Gakuen. I want to watch their tennis practice. I'm going to join the team next year," replied Eiji coldly, not even turning back to see his friend who was now running to catch up with him.

" Will I see you tomorrow?" Gakuto called out.

" No, Mukahi. I'm not going to come back, I don't want to be friends with someone who is so childish," Eiji snapped back as he headed towards the school.

Childish? Thought Gakuto. He leaned his back against the gate to the park and slowly dropped down to ground. He slammed his fist against the cement sidewalk. He was more angry then upset. How could Eiji have thought that it had been a trick? Did he really think that little of him to think that he would do something like that? Gakuto got to his feet, tears streaming down his cheeks.

" Tennis club eh?" muttered Gakuto. Try to jump more. Gakuto reached up and turned the collar of his uniform up. He wiped the tears from his eyes as an evil grin began to creep over his face. " I'll show you I can be just as good as you. No...I'll show you that I can be better than you!"

3 Years Later - First Round Kantou Tournament

" Game, Hyotei. 1-0. Change Court."

Gakuto and Oshitari walked towards the opposite side of the court. He had taken the first game from him. He had finally shown him that he could do it, he could match Eiji's acrobatics, and not only that, but that he could do them better. Since that day three years ago he had done nothing but practice his acrobatic moves in anticipation of this day. He was going to win this game and make Eiji regret he had ever said those things, that he had ever walked away from him. He waited for the precise moment that he passed his old friend. He had thought about this moment everyday for three long years, how he would say it and picturing in his mind how Eiji would react.

" Hey, Kikumaru" said Gakuto.

Eiji turned to look at the boy who he had at one time spent all those hours playing in the park with. " Huh?"

" Try to jump more."

Description
"Hey Gakuto! You're falling behind!" cried the boy with bright red hair as he bounced almost cat-like from one monkey bar to the next.

" You're supposed to swing from the monkey bars, not jump across them," panted Gakuto as he mercilessly tried to keep up his steps. " Woah!"

The boy missed his mark by only an inch, but it was enough to send him falling through the gap between the bars and onto the hard ground below. He groaned in pain as he slowly sat up.

" Gakuto! Are you alright?" cried the red haired boy as he jumped to the ground towards his friend, landing perfectly. Gakuto's eyes began to well up with tears.

" Are you hurt?" inquired the boy as tears began to stream down his friend's soft cheeks.

" I'm covered in dirt Eiji," sobbed Gakuto. Eiji was slightly taken aback by his friends words, it was only a little bit of dirt, it wasn't going to hurt him.

" You need to jump more," smiled Eiji, hoping that a little encouragement would cheer his friend up.

" Huh?"

" Try to jump more!" replied Eiji as he ran back around to the start of the monkey bars, ready to try it one more time. " Come on!"

Gakuto watched as his friend jumped from bar to bar flawlessly. He gritted his teeth. Why couldn't he do that? It didn't look all that hard. Try to jump more. Try to jump more. The phrase kept repeating over and over in Gakuto's head. The young boy stood up, ignoring the pain his elbow had been exerting since his fall. He walked over towards the monkey bars and glared at them. Try to jump more.

" I'll do it. I'll show you that I can do it too..." muttered Gakuto as he hoisted himself to the top of the bars. Eiji had already finished his turn and, as always, had finished it off with a jumping somersault off the last bar, to land perfectly on both feet.

" Come on Gakuto!" cried Eiji as he walked over to stand beside the bars, preparing himself in case Gakuto fell again.

" What are you doing?" snapped the dark haired boy.

" I'm here to catch you if you fall," replied Eiji energetically. Not noticing that his statement had clearly agitated his young friend.

Gakuto lowered his gaze towards the bars. I'm going to do it, he thought to himself. He slowly started to jump from bar to bar. He was doing just as well as Eiji had, he was almost at the end. His excitement lessened his concentration and before he knew it he felt himself falling once again. This time however, he didn't hit the ground.

" Gotcha!" beamed Eiji as the boy landed in his arms. Gakuto opened his eyes to find himself cradled in his friend's arms, his face flushed a bright pink as he stared into his friend's eyes.

" E-Eiji..." whispered Gakuto as he tried, without much success, to draw his gaze away from Eiji's beautiful blue eyes.

" My turn!" cried Eiji as he placed the boy back on his feet and rounded back towards the bars once again. He began bouncing from one bar to the next, flawlessly executing every leap perfectly. Gakuto watched in awe. It had been in this very park that he had met Eiji only three years earlier. Gakuto had admired, even back then, how light on his feet Eiji was, how he never managed to miss a single step. Eiji had coaxed Gakuto into trying it as well, and since then, everyday after school let out the two boys would meet at the park and work on their acrobatics. But it was only recently that Gakuto had realized that once they entered junior high, they would most likely never see one and another again. He would be attending the prestigious Hyotei Gakuen, and since they were of two different economic backgrounds, Eiji would most likely go to a school close by. Every night Gakuto thought about not being able to see Eiji again, and last night it had finally occurred to him that the feelings he had towards Eiji were more then just friendship. He cared for him, he wanted to always be near him. If this would be one of the last times he saw Eiji he wanted him to know how he felt, he wanted to know if his friend felt the same way, if there was a possibility that maybe they could be together even if they went to different schools.

" E- Eiji...I uh," the boy started quietly. He clenched his fists and closed his eyes, his whole body so very nervous yet he just had to know. " EIJI, I LIKE YOU!"

" Hoi, hoi, huh?" for the first time since Gakuto had met Eiji, the red haired boy had missed his step and came crashing towards the ground.

" E-Eiji? A-are you alright?" cried Gakuto as he ran over to his friend who lay motionless on the ground.

" That was a dirty trick," whispered Eiji.

" W-what?" gasped Gakuto as he grabbed Eiji's hand to help his friend up. Eiji snatched his hand out of Gakuto's grasp.

" THAT WAS A DIRTY TRICK!" Gakuto's eyes widened in shock. It hadn't been a trick, it had been the truth. " Why would you go and yell something like that knowing it would break my concentration! Just because you can't do it you have to go and screw me up too?"

" Eiji, I...." Gakuto reached out one more time to help his friend up. Eiji slapped his hand away and got up on his own. He walked over to his backpack and flung it over his back.

" Eiji, where are you going?" inquired Gakuto as he began to chase after Eiji as he began to walk towards the sidewalk.

" Seishun Gakuen. I want to watch their tennis practice. I'm going to join the team next year," replied Eiji coldly, not even turning back to see his friend who was now running to catch up with him.

" Will I see you tomorrow?" Gakuto called out.

" No, Mukahi. I'm not going to come back, I don't want to be friends with someone who is so childish," Eiji snapped back as he headed towards the school.

Childish? Thought Gakuto. He leaned his back against the gate to the park and slowly dropped down to ground. He slammed his fist against the cement sidewalk. He was more angry then upset. How could Eiji have thought that it had been a trick? Did he really think that little of him to think that he would do something like that? Gakuto got to his feet, tears streaming down his cheeks.

" Tennis club eh?" muttered Gakuto. Try to jump more. Gakuto reached up and turned the collar of his uniform up. He wiped the tears from his eyes as an evil grin began to creep over his face. " I'll show you I can be just as good as you. No...I'll show you that I can be better than you!"

3 Years Later - First Round Kantou Tournament

" Game, Hyotei. 1-0. Change Court."

Gakuto and Oshitari walked towards the opposite side of the court. He had taken the first game from him. He had finally shown him that he could do it, he could match Eiji's acrobatics, and not only that, but that he could do them better. Since that day three years ago he had done nothing but practice his acrobatic moves in anticipation of this day. He was going to win this game and make Eiji regret he had ever said those things, that he had ever walked away from him. He waited for the precise moment that he passed his old friend. He had thought about this moment everyday for three long years, how he would say it and picturing in his mind how Eiji would react.

" Hey, Kikumaru" said Gakuto.

Eiji turned to look at the boy who he had at one time spent all those hours playing in the park with. " Huh?"

" Try to jump more."