No tennis in this AU. They all know each other, though.

Hell, another name for the Underworld. The home of the cruel, heartless demons. The people despise that place and its inhibitors ever since an incident 20 years ago. A single demon appeared in the World of the Living and destroyed most of Tokyo in no time. The humans learned that, resisting was futile against the monster. In its dark beast form, bullets would not harm it. Worst of all, it had many powers instead of a single one. Barriers, wind, fire, teleportation, super-strength, and so on.

Its rampage only ended because it was used too much energy. A few moments after the demon fainted in exhaustion, a white hole appeared in the sky. The beings that stepped out of the portal looked like humans instead of evil monsters.

If it wasn't for the weird hole in the sky, anyone would have guessed that the 9 people were normal teenagers. Except for the fact that all of them had different color katanas. Half of them carried it in their non-dominant hand, while the rest had it slung over their backs.

They dropped to the ground and examined the unconscious demon. The humans were even more frightened now. These 9 beings were extraordinarily calm, except for the shortest one with the red katana who screamed out, "Ah, this sucks! How are we gonna bring him back?"

Then the blue one spoke up. "Akaya. Control yourself. We're in front of humans."

Said guy sighed in annoyance. Although they seemed perfectly calm, they were visibly paranoid, as if they were scared of something. The girl with the green katana and long black hair tied in a ponytail walked over to one of the civilians and apologized for the actions of the raging demon. "But do not worry. We will seal it so something like this will never happen again." She briefly bowed and went back to the group.

The human didn't believe a word that the black haired girl said. But with the given situation, he and the others had no choice. If anyone or anything could help them even in the least, it has to be the powerful demons.

"So do we kill him or what?" the orange guy asked.

The guy with the gray katana scoffed at the seemingly ridiculous question. "Did you forget that he has incredible abilities? He can regenerate his body parts if they are destroyed. We have to seal him so he can't break it."

"Oi, oi… Where are we gonna do that? We can't transport him back to Hell," the wielder of the yellow katana pointed out. "Well, we can, but that would take too much energy, even for the 9 of us together."

They all sighed in defeat. This was going to be more difficult than they thought.

"We gotta do it here," a commanding voice cut the silence.

"But how? Who knows what might happen if we seal him in the World of the Living? Can't you think of anything better, Kurou?" Akaya whined.

Everyone glared at Akaya. They mostly followed Kurou's ideas, so why should this time be an exception? Besides, there was no alternative.

But there was still one problem. The humans were still there and if something goes wrong in the process, it would be their fault. They had to get them away from the area. "Midori, tell the humans to get out of here."

The said girl nodded. "Humans, please listen to us. It may be dangerous, so we suggest you evacuate the city for now or move somewhere within a 5 mile radius," she warned. The people of Tokyo were more than glad to leave that place for the time being and rushed to the Shinkansen.

The group started to get on the job. After putting their weapons in a safe place, they surrounded the huge demon in a circular formation and put their hands together. The colors of their auras became visible, the same as their katanas. The auras flowed in an arc and stopped when it reached the next person. The full circle now consisted of the 9 colors: white, black, red, blue, green, yellow, gray, orange, and purple.

As the group increased their amount of radiating aura, the circle was starting to become colored in every corner. From an overhead view, it would have looked like a pie chart with 9 equal parts in a rainbow-ish thing with its different colors.

More and more aura flowed to the center of the circle, where the demon lay. Although a large amount of energy was being released, nothing seemed to be happening. As it grew more intense, the 9 sealers grew weary. Slowly, but surely, the demon's body was sinking into the ground. After two long hours, the task was completed and the demon was sealed into the earth below Tokyo. A rainbow of colors illuminated the sky for a few seconds before fading away.

Even though these beings sealed away the demon, the humans refused to trust the entire race of demons altogether. They believed that humans and demons couldn't exist in the same world without conflicts, so the demons who lived among the humans were shunned. Friends, mentors, everyone refused to acknowledge their existence.

Unknown to them, some demons still lived amongst the humans all over Japan, as normal people.

After this incident, a new law was made in Hell. If the raging demon was ever resurrected or reincarnated, everyone shall kill him if they run into him. Anyone who allies himself with the beast will be considered a traitor and face the same fate.

He should not exist. He fueled the humans' hatred and fear of every demon. It was all his fault that the humans rejected them. As much as the demons of Hell despised that one particular demon, everyone had to admit his powers were amazing. In mere minutes, Tokyo was almost destroyed. They were lucky that he was only a baby demon at the time, or else he would have gone on a week-long rampage and bring destruction to the entire continent of Asia.

This was why it was crucial to dispose of this demon quickly, if he was to resurrect. Hopefully, that day will never have to come. Unfortunately, the demon was eventually reincarnated…

Tezuka woke up in the middle of the night, unable to sleep. This was getting ridiculous. He hasn't been able to sleep normally these past few days. He felt as though an evil presence was approaching him. And as every night passed, it grew stronger. And closer.

Then, he sensed someone or something with an unusual aura. He got up from his bed, changed his clothes, and went outside. Upon exiting the house, his suspicions were confirmed. There was a werewolf across the dimly lit street. A black hole was behind him and Tezuka knew it was a low level portal(1).

The werewolf had a bad feeling about this. As soon as he got out of the portal, he felt an overwhelming aura. He looked around to find his target. Seeing a figure in the corner of his eye, he turned to get a better view. He didn't know whether to feel excited or scared.

This was the guy, the extremely dangerous and powerful being that everyone was so terrified of. Of course, he was too. He was powerful, all right… He can stand there without difficulty. Only the strongest demons can maintain a human form. Normal demons can only stay in their demon form (2).

And he looks so damn calm. Was he going to kill him or just walk away? The werewolf hoped for the second one.

He couldn't move. Was it fear or was this guy starting to unleash his powers? He watched in silent fear as Tezuka walked closer and closer.

"For what reason have you come to the World of the Living? You cannot possibly think you can live among the humans with that appearance," his words cut through the air.

The werewolf didn't want to answer. He was too scared to even talk to Tezuka. But if he didn't give him an answer, Tezuka might just kill him on the spot.

"I'm not that cold, you know."

His eyes widened. He was reading his mind? Time to run now. For some reason, he couldn't run, either. Finally, he gave in and answered, "I-I have received orders from the 9 Blades(3) to go to Tokyo and check if there was anything wrong."

"You mean me, right?"

"Yes… What do you plan on doing with me now?"

Tezuka turned around and started walking down the sidewalk. As he walked away, the werewolf called him. "Oi! You mean you're just gonna let me get away?"

Without turning back to face him, Tezuka replied, "Does it really matter? They'll find out either way. And I'm not a big fan of killing innocent beings. You should get back to your world before someone passes by and sees you."

Taking his advice, the werewolf opened a small portal and went back to the Underworld.

Tezuka wanted to take a walk for a bit. No, he needed a walk. He needed to think about what to do.

"Morning, Tezuka." Tezuka was greeted by Fuji's smiling face at the door.

"Morning to you, too. Shall we get going now?"

Fuji nodded and the pair walked to school together. Tezuka didn't know why, but he always felt comfortable around Fuji. Unknown to him, Fuji also felt the same way. They never talked a lot, but they were both fine with the silence. It has always been like that every time they walked to school together.

Although Tezuka considered Fuji his close friend, Fuji didn't feel the same way. Ever since they met each other in their freshman year, Fuji started to develop a crush on the taller boy. Fuji didn't want to tell Tezuka because he knew Tezuka would never be gay. Even if he was, he most certainly wouldn't like Fuji back.

Even so, Fuji's heart raced whenever he was with Tezuka, even walking to school. He failed to suppress a sigh. Tezuka noticed this and lifted an eyebrow. "Are you okay, Fuji?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about something," Fuji lightly chuckled.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry."

"If you say so."

Fuji's heart was pounding faster now. Tezuka had looked him in the eye with a hint of worry, and made it worse. Hopefully, they will reach the school soon…

Lunch break had come and Tezuka stayed in the classroom with his best friend, Oishi. They decided it was better to eat there than to eat in the cafeteria since it was crowded. Unexpectedly, Kikumaru jumped into the room. And behind him was his best friend, smiling ever so sweetly.

Oishi and Kikumaru were talking about coming over after school. That gave Tezuka an idea. "Fuji," he called.

Hearing his name, Fuji answered, "Yes, Tezuka?"

"My mother wanted me to invite you over for dinner today. Would you like to come?"

Fuji didn't know how to reply. He knew that if he accepted the offer, he would be stuck with Tezuka and possibly go crazy from his stupid heart. But if he didn't, it would be rude of him since he had no excuse. "Sure, I'll come," he smiled.

"Well, I should get going now. Thanks for the dinner and study session, Tezuka."

"Aa, no problem," his reply was monotone as ever.

"Let me check if I have my keys first," Fuji said. He dug in his pockets, only to find nothing. Slightly frowning, he checked his school bag. He rummaged through the papers, also to find no keys.

Tezuka gave him a questioning glance. "I must have forgotten the keys at home when I left in the morning," he frowned. "Nee-san's out of town with my parents, and Yuuta's living in the Rudolph dorms."

"Would you like to stay for the night, then?" Tezuka offered.

"I-"

"The guest room is open," Tezuka interrupted. Tezuka thought he saw Fuji's cheeks slightly redden for a moment, but he brushed it off.

Fuji's trademark smile came back and grew wider than ever. "Is that so... So, you WANT me to stay, right? If you want me around so much, you could have asked me to sleep with you."

Tezuka's eyebrow twitched and he turned away. Fuji chuckled at this reaction and accepted Tezuka's offer once again.

"I'll get everything you need and put them in your room, so don't worry about it and take your shower," Tezuka said.

"Thanks again," Fuji said with a smirk. The tone in Fuji's voice seemed so mocking that Tezuka said nothing and left the room.

While Fuji proceeded to take his shower, Tezuka grabbed everything that was needed. Placing the blanket on the mattress, Tezuka thought of possible reasons for Fuji's strange reaction. Was he getting hot? He had to admit that it was pretty hot at the time. Maybe Fuji was sick. No, he rarely got sick…

Tezuka decided not to dwell on it any longer. He went back to his room and lay on his bed. He didn't get any sleep last night thanks to a certain demon. Good thing he finished his student council paperwork ahead of time. His homework was already done in class since he already knew the material that the teacher went over.

He was too tired to even take off his glasses. He wanted to sleep for a little bit. Just a little… Before he knew it, he slept through the entire night with a nightmare.

Tezuka opened his eyes to a dark room dimly lit by two floating flames. It was cold. Very cold. The cold air was visible and made the room foggy. He shivered, about to bring his arms down. That was when he noticed they wouldn't move. His vision was still slightly blurry, but he could clearly see pure black chains. Wait a minute. Chains?

He was fully awake now. His hands and feet were chained to a wall behind him in pure black chains. A sword was embedded in his abdomen and it brought pain whenever he tried to move. Blood was running down his body from where the sword was. At least he still had his clothes on, or else he would have frozen to death already. He tried to teleport out of his binds, but all that did was waste his energy.

When he tried to burn the chains, the sword glowed blue. It was directly absorbing the energy from his flames. The sword sent jolts of pain to Tezuka's body every time he released the flames. The pain increased as he tried harder to break free. Attempting to overpower it, Tezuka released a large amount of flames. The sword glowed an extremely dark shade of blue and began to give off energy. It seemed to plunge deeper into his body and the intensity increased tenfold. 'Just a little more…'

Small blue flames started to leak out of the sword and the air grew warmer. Then, it disappeared. Tezuka grunted in pain. He had managed to let a small flame escape, but it didn't do much before fading away. There was no doubt about it. The chains sucked in all of his energy while the sword tempted him to give off more and absorbed the flames. Not to mention the cold air was making it difficult for him to breathe. There was no escape.

He noticed the door open and saw someone walk in. Since it was dark, he couldn't see the person's face clearly. The unknown person pushed the sword deeper into Tezuka's abdomen, getting a groan in return. A cold voice came out of the unidentified person and sent chills down his spine, "Hurts, doesn't it? This is the same pain you have caused our race and do not think this is all of it." Tezuka closed his eyes, refusing to stare at the unknown face.

The figure grabbed him by the shirt and forced him to open his eyes. He waved his hand and something came on.

There was a woman on her knees carrying a baby, engulfed in blue flames. She begged and pleaded for the attacker to spare her and the baby, but to no avail. The man stepped out of the flames and his face was revealed. The person was no other than Tezuka.

"You are dangerous. You kill innocent humans just for the hell of it. You shouldn't exist. Your existence itself is a threat to both worlds."

No. That wasn't him. He has never killed anyone before. Especially innocent people…

"Having doubts? Believe it or not, that monster is you. All you bring is suffering. And now, you shall experience it yourself."

Before the mysterious person could do or say anything else, Tezuka saw him vanish, being replaced with another person. The air grew warmer. The new person grabbed the handle of the sword and pulled it out in a swift motion, splattering blood on the floor.

The chains suddenly broke and Tezuka found himself being held by the figure. It pulled him closer and whispered in his ear, "I love you, Tezuka." Before he could react, it disappeared just like the last one.

Tezuka woke up from the nightmare and sat up in his bed. Everything was so blurry… He looked to the side and saw his glasses, since it was the only thing he could make sure of. That was weird, he remembered that he kept his glasses on when he fell sleep. And there was also a blanket covering him. He also didn't remember putting a blanket over himself. He figured that it was his mom's doing.

Fuji woke up at the same time Tezuka did. Folding his blanket, he thought back at last night's events.

When he finished his shower, he went to the room that Tezuka let him use. The blanket and pillow were in their respective places. Drying off, Fuji forgot that he had no clothes to wear. He wrapped the towel around his waist and entered Tezuka's room. "Ne, Tezuka, do you ha-" he stopped when he saw the bespectacled boy sleeping.

He figured Tezuka must have been having a nightmare since he tossed and turned around in his bed. 'But he still looks as handsome as ever.' Fuji shook his head. This wasn't the time to be thinking of that. He opened a drawer and borrowed a set of Tezuka's pajamas.

He didn't want to wake up the serious boy, but he also didn't want him to have a nightmare all night long. Before he knew it, Fuji found himself walking closer to Tezuka and hovered over his face. Getting the closest view of Tezuka's face, his cheeks felt VERY hot now. He quietly whispered, "I love you, Tezuka," before noticing what he'd done. 'I should get out of here now'. He quickly left the room and tried to go to sleep as soon as possible.

Fuji sighed at the memory. He could have kissed the stoic boy right there and then. But then again, he'd be doing something behind Tezuka's back. He sighed again when he heard the door open. "Morning, Tezuka," he smiled casually. Tezuka nodded and said the same thing back to him. Scanning the room, he caught sight of a set of familiar-looking pajamas.

"Fuji, why do you have my clothes here?"

"I didn't have any clothes so I borrowed some of yours. I hope you don't mind."

"Ah, It's fine. Sorry I didn't prepare them for you earlier."

"Ne, you don't have to apologize…" Fuji lightly chuckled.

Tezuka's eyes widened at a sudden realization. Fuji saw him sleep. He didn't mind, but this was Fuji. He might have done something sadistic like force him to drink some Inui Juice while he was sleeping. Not to mention he was having a nightmare. How embarrassing for his friend to see him like that. Knowing Fuji, he might have taken pictures…

And about the mysterious people, who were they? Who was the second person? He/she said those words. Who was it?

"Ne, Tezuka."

"Sorry, what?"

"Are you okay?" Tezuka raised an eyebrow at this question. Fuji read his expression and said, "You seemed to be having a nightmare last night."

"Aa… It's nothing," Tezuka replied.

Fuji frowned at this reply. His face said, 'Are you sure?' Tezuka countered with a simple, "Yes."

"Let's be on our way?"

"Aa."

Somewhere near Seigaku, a white portal opened up in the sky. Midori stepped out looking like a normal student and walked towards the school, heading for classroom 3-6.

Note 1- The werewolf is a low level demon, so he can only open ground portals. Air portals, like the one used by the group of 9, are high level ones.

Note 2- Normal caliber demons can't suppress their form into a human appearance. High level ones can maintain a human form and still be able to use their powers in them. The werewolf's appearance is a werewolf because he is not strong enough to have a human form.

Note 3- The 9 Blades are the nine demons that sealed the rampaging one at the beginning. Most of their names are based on the name of their color katanas. All are made-up characters except for Akaya.

White- Shiro (B)

Black- Kurou (B)

Red- Akaya (B)

Blue- Aoi (B)

Yellow- Kira (B)

Green- Midori (G)

Gray- Hairou (B)

Orange- Daisuke (B)

Purple- Murasaki (G)

Review please~? It doesn't kill you to post a simple comment or anything. :P