Eisei Gakuen's Hissatsu

The Camp

(In Tatsuya's POV)

The camp was just as Tatsuya remembered. Nestled at the bottom of Mt Fuji, facing a pristine beautiful lake.

They were welcomed by their local camp overseer Kenzaki Ryuuichi; who would also double as their helper and field nurse in case of any accidents.

Kenzaki didn't seem like the warm and welcoming type with his bluish green hair and pale skin that reminded Tatsuya of Vampire stories he had heard of.

During the welcome speech, he gave Tatsuya a cold smile, sending shivers down his spine. The reaction seemed unwarranted to Tatsuya; especially at someone whom he had just met.

After the welcome speech, they all dispersed to check out the camp grounds or to settle in the dormitories. Tatsuya stood at the entrance to the camp, taking in the breathtaking beauty of the lake in front of him. Again, he felt that strange sensation... like the lake was calling to him... almost demanding.

He couldn't explain it. The feeling seemed odd. It wasn't threatening or scary, but he couldn't ignore it either. So he took off his shoes and nimbly made his way to the edge of the lake. He tipped his toes in the water. The water was cold. Not too cold that it gave you shivers but cold enough to make you take a dip on a nice sunny day. He slid his feet into the water which lapped playfully at his ankles. All of a sudden he felt different; as if his tiredness had abated. The wind picked up around him, rustling his red hair...

It was a while before he went inside. His friends were all settled in. They had already picked their beds in the dorm. To his glee, Tatsuya found himself in the lower bunk near the window that overlooked the lake. He was a bit surprised though. That was probably one of the more coveted spots in the room. Why then had no one claimed it first? He wondered.

As if to answer his thoughts, Hiroto said matter-of-factly, "You just missed the battle"

Saginuma chimed in, "Midorikawa tried to single handedly fight off Nagumo and Suzuno to save the spot for you. And then Hiroto joined in as well."

"We showed them for real, didn't we", smirked Hiroto, with his arm resting on the shoulders of a sheepish looking Midorikawa.

Nagumo and Suzuno glared at the two of them from the other end of the room.

Tatsuya soon found out that what had started as a verbal battle had quickly turned into a 2 on 2 mini soccer game. The result of the match was obvious. Otherwise it would be Nagumo or Suzuno in his bed right now. He smiled gratefully at his best friend Midorikawa, who was now happily tucked under the blanket on the bunk bed above him.

After resting for a while, Tatsuya decided to take the team on a short trip around camp. They all gathered in the hall. Tatsuya cleared his throat and began, "The camp has many training area's set up. But the best training arena is nature itself. You will always find an answer to your problems there". With this he led them to the backside of the camp building to show them the soccer pitch. It wasn't fancy. Just a regular soccer pitch with a dirt ground. They could see that the lines on the field had been recently repainted (maybe at Hitomiko's request? Tatsuya wondered). He could see Hiroto scorning. Hiroto hadn't been the most enthusiastic about this trip (Tatsuya had a feeling it had something to do with flying here). But he thought Hiroto might cheer up after a while.

Tatsuya then took them to the tire swing area. Tatsuya smiled, "The tire swings are also part of practice", Tatsuya went onto explain, "Endou uses tire swings for keeper practice, Gouenji uses them for kick practice. Kazemaru uses it for dodge practice. There are others on Raimon who use it for balance practice as well. The practical applications of the tire swing are limitless. We should use it for practice too." He said, looking at the tire swing with an expression possibly similar to what cavemen had on their face when they first discovered fire.

He went onto show them the climbing wall, the balance beams, the wooden pillars and many more of the surroundings of the camp. The waterfall was an instant hit with the team after Nagumo decided to test how high the ball would go up the waterfall.

After the trip around the camp, everyone decided to go for a dip in the lake.

The whole team looked lively with the exception of Hiroto who was gloomily sitting at the bank.

"Hello Hiroto. It's a beautiful night isn't it", Tatsuya said wondering how Hiroto could look so sad on such a night.

"Why don't you join us in the lake?" No response from Hiroto.

But Tatsuya wasn't going to let it go that easily. He knew how to get Hiroto to react. "I bet I am a better swimmer than you. Much faster I reckon..." Tatsuya smiled tauntingly.

Hiroto glared at him but the look dissipated quickly.

"Hiroto, what's wrong?" Tatsuya asked. After all, it was very unlike Hiroto to turn down a challenge.

Hiroto responded with an inaudible grumble that Tatsuya couldn't catch.

"What was that?" he asked.

"I don't belong here", Hiroto stated. Tatsuya was taken back. He could find no reason why Hiroto felt so. The team had done nothing to make Hiroto feel out of place. In fact the team's relationship with Hiroto had only gotten better since their match against Inakuni Raimon the last summer. So where was this coming from?

Hiroto realizing what Tatsuya was thinking shook his head. "It's not them", he said, "I feel like I don't belong here" he said, only this time pointing to his surroundings.

He sighed, "Ever since we got here, I have had this bad feeling... like I am an intruder here. Like, I shouldn't be here. Like maybe...", he was reluctant to say it out loud, the feeling that was bugging him since his arrival. However Tatsuya's round green eyes filled with concern made him continue, "Like maybe I should have died or something...", he said closing his eyes not wanting to see Tatsuya's reaction.

"You are wrong", Tatsuya said indignantly

Hiroto sighed. He didn't want to argue with Tatsuya. So he gave a small smile and said, "Maybe I'll feel different in the morning... Maybe it's the after effects of... flying?" he looked questioningly at Tatsuya. Tatsuya nodded as Hiroto went inside.

Tatsuya was angry... not at Hiroto... He had reacted instinctively to Hiroto. But the minute Hiroto had said it out loud, something had clicked in his mind. As if some long lost memory was trying to surface... As if some part of him believed Hiroto was right...

That Hiroto... was supposed to be dead...