A/N: This is a product of sheer daring. My friends and I were talking about Hyotei Gakuen once and I got inspired. This is for my amusement and I will definitely feel greater if this will amuse you too.
The plot is set immediately after ATOBE's GIFT. Remember the moment when Kabaji saw "Kabaji thanks for everything"? Yes that one. If you haven't seen that special episode (which I doubt you haven't), just endeavor reading the fic.
MAGICLORDY, this is for you.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any nor do you so don't sue me.
USU!
"Kabaji is going to make a speech?"
"Hontou?"
"This night is really full of surprises."
Those whispers rapturously exploded in the hall. Everyone talked to his or her neighbor, be it a friend or foe. This was what Atobe Keigo had wanted in the first place when he had decided to give Kabaji a perfect gift.
"Echizen, do you know if that copy-monster can really speak?" Kirihara Akaya asked, finding this sudden event extra trivial that he forgot that the sight of the cocky brat could irritate him.
"I'm not sure. I heard him say 'I can't BEEP anymore' more than once though," the prince said in his low voice as he eyed the empty stage.
"This is insane! Fuji senpai, do you know what's happening? This can't be true, this can't be," Momoshiro Takeshi shook his head and looked at Fuji Syuusuke who was unexpectedly speechless. It was clear that the blue-eyed tensai didn't have a single clue to what was going on.
"`This is a fluke' is what you are thinking," Yanagi Renji said. "Right, Sadaharu?"
"The probability of you thinking the same thing is 100%," Inui responded.
"Pshhh," Kaidoh Kaoru muttered at this exchange as he glared at the stage.
"Nya…Even Kaido is troubled by this situation. Of course who wouldn't be, nya," Eiji Kikumaru said in his childish voice. "I haven't tried listening to a robot before. Demo, if you'll count listening to the droning voice am station, then—"
"Eiji!" reprimanded Seigaku's fukubuchou's Oishi Suuichiro. "Don't say such things. He's big and he looks scary but that doesn't mean he doesn't know how to read and write. You must consider his feelings. Remember even though he looks older than his age, he's only a sophomore…and…mutter mutter mutter."
"At least I am not saying anything about his appearance," Eiji muttered to a chuckling Kawamura Takashi.
Even the as-still-as-mountain Emperor of Rikkaida was moved by the news that he went near Tezuka Kunimitsu who was enjoying a cup of tea. "Congratulations on winning Atobe's Cup."
"Arigatou."
"What do you think, Tezuka?"
"Hm…Yudan sezou ni ikou."
The word spread like fire and it reached the pilot's cabin. No doubt he was surprised, he could not even suppress his emotions that he lost control of the plane for 0.33 second.
Meanwhile, in a very cozy room lavished with velvety curtains and carpets and fluffy pillows…
"Nani? Kabaji wants to make a speech? Well, I'll let him. Make sure that the stage is well made and nothing will fall. Check the lights and sounds. Make sure that there is food for the audience to make them comfortable."
"Hmm. Too much preparation for one Kabaji. He is lucky, ne…" Oshitari commented as Atobe pushed the end call button.
"Naze, Oshitari? Do you want me to prepare such a celebration for you on your birthday?"
Oshitari's mind began to work rapidly. He saw himself following Atobe anywhere, towing their bags, towels, water bottles, and rackets. He saw himself saying 'Usu!' to whatever the silver-haired captain would say. Oshitari Yuushi, Hyotei Gakuen's Tennis Club tensai, concluded that it was not a good picture at all. "Iie, Atobe. Daijobou."
He looked at the rest of the regulars. It was as if they were thinking of the same thing. Shishido expressed a complete dislike, Ootori a mild amusement, Hiyoshi a feigned indifference, and Gakuto mixed emotions. Oshitari knew his partner well. Mukahi Gakuto liked to bathe in attention but he did not want to be treated like Kabaji. However, there was still someone who would react differently to Atobe's offer. Instead of being sleepy like usual, Akutagawa Jirou was quite active, following Atobe around, pestering him with thousands of questions about having a birthday party.
Atobe Keigo displayed an aura of being used to these questions as he had answered more questions in press conferences, interviews, dinners, etc. He patiently answered all of Jirou's questions and when the childish one paused for a moment to take in a deep breath, the king passed by him and hurriedly went to where he was supposed to be. Oshitari gave a signal to the others and they all followed their leader to the main hall.
Atobe was waiting beside the sound system, giving orders here and there. So intent was he that he did not notice his team members already sitting at the best couches prepared nearest to the stage.
"What do you think that Kabaji has to say?" Shishido asked out of the blue to whoever could answer him. No one obliged as nobody knew the correct answer. No one even showed the slightest interest in answering so Shishido turned to his pair who merely shrugged to answer.
Gakuto surveyed the crowd and found to his surprise that everyone to the least important character, that nameless and insignificant one was there to listen to Kabaji's speech. Even Seigaku and Rikkaidai are there to listen."
"Hm? Kabaji is famous, eh?" Oshitari said.
Atobe walked toward his teammates after being satisfied with the sound system. He put his left hand on his face, his forefinger reaching his brow. "I wonder…"
His teammates froze, yes those really serious and I-hate-to-lose guys froze. They knew that stance, knew it by heart. There were only two possible things that could happen: either Atobe was using his insight to look for their weaknesses or he was evaluating them, looking for someone to do a rather superhuman task. Between the two, they would all go for the first. The King was a very fickle man. They were used to his whims but on rare occasions particularly when Kabaji was not around—say a vacation with his family, hai minna, he still had a family aside from his sister—Atobe would require someone to perform a Hawaiian dance (Jirou), or retrieve a dog from the river(Ootori or Hiyoshi, the later having no choice), or jump from a building(Mukahi), or play the violin in time for dinner (Oshitari), or just stand at the corner to hold the overhead projector (Shishido, this was the only task he had permitted himself to do).
"Hm...You'll do."
With that, Atobe gave the silver microphone engraved with his face to the person who would accomplish another superhuman task. The receiver could only open his mouth in protest.
…..
When everyone was comfortably seated and ready to listen to an entertaining speech, Kabaji and his partner went up the stage festooned with Kabaji's favorite flowers. The brightest spot light was on Kabaji since he was about to give a very important speech. The dimmer one was on the secondary character that was a shade lighter than usual.
"Eh? Why was He there?" were the whispers in the hall. These made the secondary speaker blushed to the roots of his hair.
The Hyotei regulars tried their best to suppress their laughter. Atobe took another microphone and spoke from where he was sitting. "Minna, we are gathered once again to listen to once in a lifetime speech from Kabaji. I trust that everyone will do his or her best to listen. You cannot miss this. Be awed by his awesome…" The king paused for a moment and so did the listeners. It was the first time Atobe Keigo groped for words and he himself knew that. Just when the pressure was on him he resorted to "…Speech." He hurriedly went to his comfortable seat and immediately drank the tea that was prepared for him.
"Awesome speech?"
"Well whatever. Let's just listen."
Kabaji in his regular jersey tapped the microphone to test if it was working. "Ah, ah, ah…usu."
Everyone laughed good naturedly at him.
"Usu, Usss," Kabaji said on the microphone, staring blankly at the audience.
"Konbanwa minna. Gomen for dragging all of you here," the other character said, trying to do his job well amidst the snigger of the audience.
"Uuusu usssssss ussu."
"I want to thank everyone for participating in this program."
"Usu," Kabaji looked down for a moment then returned his gaze to the audience. "Usu, usu, usu, uSSSSSSSu."
"Actually, I am really touched at what you did for me, trying to enjoy your day although I know you would be happier practicing on your own than make me feel better."
"Well, it's not as if we had a choice from the beginning," Akutsu spat.
"Hoo…I'm starting to feel bad because I did not even think everything was for Kabaji after all and yet I was the one enjoying the program…" Eiji said.
"Hai, me too, me too," came a response.
"Hush…he's saying something again."
"UUssu usu Ussssu," continued Kabaji as he nodded.
"So I will try my best to give you what I know even though I know that you know more than I know."
"That's a lot of `knows'," Ryoma pointed out and he drank his Ponta. Inui scribbled on his notebook.
"Usu IIIIIII ussu usu UUUsu."
"Let's approach the future and be brave no matter what happens."
"Ho ussu uSSSSuuuu UUssU RAA."
"Sometimes problems are lobbed at us but we must return and answer it with a smash."
"UUUSsssu ussssssssu usu, ha, ussu."
"When friends come in our way we must not just let them pass without saying thanks."
"Usu fut uuusu ussssssu usu usu."
"And finally, don't drop the opportunity to make your rivals your friends."
"Usu usu usssu ussu," Kabaji extended his arms, gesturing the entire audience to listen. "Usu usu usu."
"So, I am thanking everyone."
"Usu usu…"
"Particularly"
Kabaji looked at the seats nearest the stage. "Atobe Keigo."
"A—a…do I have to translate it?"
"Kabaji? What's the meaning of this…" Atobe muttered, half surprised, half amused.
"Usu, usu usu! Ussssu usu usssu! Usu."
At this, everyone heard a slight change in Kabaji's voice. Was it chocked? Happy? Broken?
The translator was hesitant for a while. "Th-thanks for being a friend. I consider it one of the greatest opportunities in my life. Hai."
The audience began to clap after that heart whelming speech that they forgot the comedy of using an interpreter. They clapped for him too but the loudest applause was dedicated to Kabaji.
"Yarujan, Kabaji," Ryoma grinned and he tilted his cap to hide his smile.
"That speech was a-awesome," Kawamura said in between sobs.
"Here, Taka-san," Fuji handed him his racket.
"GREAT-OOOO! Burning! I will support you all the way Kabaji-kun even though you're my RIVAL. C'MON Baby, let's make our cheers louder!"
Atobe glanced at the audience. Some of them wept, some of them smiled. It was obvious that they highly enjoyed the speech. "Hm…They should. It's only once in a while that they could get to see that kind of entertainment." He got up to the surprise of his other team members and left.
The big man bowed to the audience and left to his quarters. The interpreter joined his friends as they decided to leave for their own rooms. They were still sniggering at him when they reached their meeting rooms. That room filled with fluffy pillows and velvety curtains and carpets. That time, it was also filled with lavender scent to give a soothing air good for sleeping.
"Please don't ask me to do that again!" the exhausted Mukahi Gakuto, the renowned acrobatic player who prided himself as better-than-Kikumaru, threw the microphone to the nearest cushion and sat down beside Oshitari.
"You did well, Gakuto," the blue-haired boy said in his slow Kansai accent and gave his partner a smile.
"Why do I always do funny things?"
"Obviously you are the best one for the part," Shishido surprisingly admitted.
Ootori nodded and tried to compliment the purple-haired teen who was obviously at the end of his patience. "You get a lot of practice from talking with Oshitari senpai."
"I can't use Gekokujou to you in that aspect senpai," Hiyoshi declared, not looking at Mukahi.
"Nani?"
"To be more precise, he doesn't want to," Oshitari chuckled.
"Ahh!"
Jirou snorted his approval, turned to a more comfortable position and slept.
"How about it Hiyoshi, can you control him?"
"That I have to figure out."
"If there is one thing you really can't Gekokujou it is how Atobe leads the 200-member Hyotei team. You might as well start leading Kabaji."
Hiyoshi thought about it for a moment and came up with a one-word reply.
"Usu!"
It took a while before the Hyotei regulars got out of their trance and gave Hiyoshi a piece of their minds. The most aggressive one was Gakuto who felt that it was an opportunity for him to vent his earlier embarrassment.
….
"Oi, Kabaji, you had a good speech. Ore-sama has to admit that he was speechless after listening to you." Or Mukahi.
"Usu!"
"Demo, Ore-sama thinks that it has been a long day. It is best for everyone to go to bed and sleep. However, if you wish to do something for yourself, ore-sama will let you for some time. This is a celebration of your birthday—whenever it is—after all."
"Usu!"
"Oyasumi nasai."
Atobe turned and opened the door to his luxurious chamber. A soothing chamomile scent immediately wafted through the opened door. He took a step in.
"Arigatou," came the deep voice from his loyal friend.
Atobe gave Kabaji a sideway glance and a smile. "But of course."
FIN
MORE A/N: Before I get flamed, let me make this clear that I know that Kabaji can speak. IIII, Hho, Ha, Fut are the sounds that he makes every time he plays tennis. Check out episode 61.
Why Gakuto interprets for him? I got the idea when Mukahi interprets Oshitari's abbreviated styles.
I like the OST of this special episode…Hm, so how did it go? Good? Bad? Well, just hit the review button and off you go. Zanen Munnen Mataraishu.
*magiclordy, thanks for being my friend. I consider it one of the greatest opportunities in my life. Hai.