Disclaimer: I don't own PoT. I kind of wish I didn't come up with this idea, because that would mean that I couldn't get blamed for it.
A/N: This is for April Fools. Bad, bad idea, Niou and Yagyuu. Very bad idea. Well, have fun, people! And make sure you get those that matter most ^^ *hides from her family, particularly her younger brother*
Also… this may be a bit more angst than an April Fools fic should be. I tried to make it light. Really. But Yukimura and Sanada wouldn't cooperate. Also, watch out for OOCness.
A Prank Gone Wrong
March 31st
"Niou, do you mind helping me?" The silver-haired trickster blinked up at his captain. "Yukimura-buchou? What's up?" Smiling down at the player, Yukimura sat down beside him. "Well, you have to promise not to tell Yagyuu, ok?" Niou nodded, grinning to himself. "Ok, now I need you to help me for tomorrow…"
Niou assured his captain he would help in the plan. He waved cheerfully to Yukimura as he left. Then, grinning, Yagyuu pulled his wig off. Yukimura had only said that he couldn't tell Yagyuu. But that didn't mean he couldn't tell Niou.
*** April 1st ***
Frowning, Yukimura glared at the courts. This was strange. Both Yagyuu and Niou were missing. He'd expected Niou to be gone- after all, Yukimura had enlisted his help- but Yagyuu's disappearance meant that he knew as well. But Niou had promised not to tell… sighing, Yukimura fought the urge to facepalm. He should have known better than to trust the trickster.
Yukimura looked at his watch. Now was the time. He tapped Sanada on the shoulder. "Genichiro, I'm going to the washroom. I'll be right back." Nodding, Sanada turned back to the courts and continued barking out orders. Yukimura walked calmly back to the changerooms.
Immediately, he sought out Niou. "Niou, now go and do your impression of me so that he'll follow me here," he hissed, glaring at the silver-haired boy. "And why did you tell Yagyuu?"
Grinning, Niou shook his head. "I didn't tell Yagyuu," he said gleefully. "Yagyuu told me." Yukimura groaned. He still couldn't tell them apart when they switched. "Damn," he cursed quietly, before regaining composure. "Well, still, just go and do the impression, will you? I really need to talk to him!" Rolling his eyes, Niou left, grinning happily. Yukimura shouted after him, "And don't do anything stupid! Yagyuu, you too!"
Sighing, Yukimura took a seat on a bench and waited.
***
This was going to be soooo much fun. Niou smirked at Yagyuu, who smiled back. Of course, Yukimura hadn't realized that he'd picked April Fools to do this. Sanada-fukubuchou was never going to believe him.
Of course, Niou and Yagyuu weren't going to stop Yukimura. No, they would just… change the premises slightly.
With Yagyuu helping, this was just going to get even better. They would just make sure that Sanada knew of April Fools first. That was all. And then, they would see what the result was.
From behind a tree, Niou put on his best Yukimura voice. "You know, today's April Fools. I think I should play a prank on Genichiro." Yagyuu peeked out from behind the tree, and saw that Sanada had frozen, obviously listening hard. Grinning, Yagyuu gave the thumbs up sign.
"But Yukimura, isn't that a bit mean? I don't think he even knows what it is!" Yagyuu responded, sounding like himself. Niou said, "Oh, I'm sure he won't be too mad. I mean, who doesn't know what April Fools is? It's only the greatest day in the year, especially for tricksters like you and Niou." Yagyuu, barely concealing a grin, said, "Why thank you. But it's true. April Fools, the one day where people actually enjoy pranks rather than get annoyed at them. When else can you play a trick and have the other person laugh instead of get pissed?"
Niou was almost doubled over with suppressed laughter at this point. "Very true. Well, I'm going to the changerooms. Tell Genichiro that I need to speak with him, won't you?" Niou made sure that his footsteps were loud and clear as he walked to the changerooms- keeping the tree between him and Sanada at all times. He was going to die of laughter, he really was.
Quickly wiping the smile off his face, Yagyuu stepped out from behind the tree, and walked towards Sanada. "Fukubuchou, Yukimura wishes to speak with you. He's in the changeroom right now." Sanada, looking like he'd been carved from stone, managed to nod jerkily, before heading towards the changeroom.
This was going to be the best prank ever. Even if they died for it.
***
The door opened. Finally! Yukimura stood and faced Genichiro. He would not allow himself to be nervous. Yukimura Seiichi was never nervous.
Ok, maybe he was nervous. But that didn't mean that he had to show it.
"Thank you for coming, Genichiro. Please, sit down." That would have been more elegant had they not been in the changeroom. God, what a romantic place… not. Again, Yukimura cursed the fates that had landed him in this position. The problem was, the only time Genichiro was free was during tennis practice, and only if Yukimura asked him to talk. Therefore, Yukimura had to do it during tennis practice. But Yukimura had Niou ask so that he wouldn't have to. Truth be told, Yukimura was a very shy boy.
Genichiro sat, but on the other bench. His eyes held no emotion, other than the stoic look they always sported. Inside, he was seething. Yukimura wanted to play a trick on him? Well, he would see what kind of trick it was. For all he knew, it was something small and harmless. He'd see how 'fun' this April Fools thing was before he passed judgement.
Yukimura swallowed hard. He was really nervous about this. How was he supposed to do this without sounding like a fool? "Um…" And where had that come from? Yukimura Seiichi was never at a loss for words! He decided to say it outright.
"Genichiro, I like you. Will you go out with me?"
Sanada froze. Then, he slowly stood up, carefully keeping his head bent respectfully. Yukimura frowned slightly. "Genichiro…?"
His head snapped up, and Yukimura flinched. Actually flinched. The look in Sanada's eyes was cold and predatory, like a wolf's. When he stood, he towered over Yukimura, who was still sitting. Quietly, but clearly menacingly, he snarled, "Is this your idea of a joke, Yukimura? Is this supposed to be fun?" And for a fleeting moment, Yukimura could have sworn he saw a hint of pain in Sanada's eyes, before he turned and walked out of the changeroom.
To say Sanada was furious was an understatement. To say he was wounded was a bigger one. How dare Yukimura play upon his feelings like that? For Sanada had no doubt that Yukimura knew of his feelings. Yukimura knew everything. So why would Yukimura hurt him like that? Feeling an inexplicable urge to destroy something, Sanada went back to the courts. He'd play a match against Akaya for the sole purpose of beating him soundly.
Yukimura was still in the changeroom, stunned beyond belief. What did Genichiro mean when he said, "Is this your idea of a joke?" It meant that Genichiro didn't accept Yukimura's love. It meant that Genichiro didn't reciprocate said love. It meant that Genichiro was disgusted with Yukimura, for feeling such a thing. "Oh god," Yukimura whispered, cradling his head in his palms. "Oh god…" And Yukimura Seiichi, for the first time in his life, began to cry.
Niou and Yagyuu glanced at each other from their vantage point on the roof. This prank hadn't turned out the way they'd expected. Sanada was supposed to say, "Is this your idea of a joke?" and Yukimura was supposed to say, "No. Why would it be?" And Sanada would then go on to explain April Fools, then Yukimura would protest that he'd never heard of it before. All their little prank was supposed to do was confuse them both for a while, not lead to this… falling out!
Niou let out a dejected "Puri…" and Yagyuu sighed, pushing his glasses up on his nose. "I suppose we'd better fix this, huh?" he muttered, not looking happy with that. Niou just sighed, sounding very similar to Yagyuu. "Let's go, we have to do something, right?"
***
But, as it turned out, neither Niou nor Yagyuu was very willing to sacrifice their lives for their captain. Sanada was on a rampage, and they weren't going to get close for any price.
He'd started out with Akaya. The poor second-year had been completely owned by Sanada, not winning a single point, even when he entered devil mode. Akaya was currently sitting in a corner of the court, rocking back and forth and muttering to himself dejectedly.
Sanada had then challenged Marui and Jackal- at the same time. Despite that, he never lost a game, although it had gotten close during a few. Sanada had used everything he could against the doubles pair, managing to defeat them soundly.
Even Yanagi was falling victim to Sanada's vengeful tennis. He'd managed to win a few games so far based on his data, but then Sanada had given into his rage, and all data that Yanagi had was obsolete. Sanada was completely dominating the game at this point- after the second game, Yanagi had been unable to score a single point.
And now, between points, Sanada was looking for the last doubles pair- Niou and Yagyuu. But they weren't about to let themselves be found any time soon. So, they were hiding. And probably would sneak away sometime soon.
That was when they noticed their captain, standing a distance away, with a terrible look on his face.
Shit.
***
Yukimura had finally dredged up the courage to leave the changerooms. Perhaps he could go after Genichiro and explain that it wasn't a joke, that he really did love Genichiro. Even if Yukimura got rejected, at least it wouldn't be over a misunderstanding.
But after following Genichiro to the courts, Yukimura had been shocked. It was as though nothing had ever happened- practice as usual was progressing normally. Genichiro was even playing a tennis match with Akaya, seeming completely unaffected by prior events. Was Yukimura's confession so little to him? Was it so unimportant that he was able to brush it off and go about life as normal?
And for the second time in his life, Yukimura felt hot pinpricks of tears in his eyes as he turned away.
***
For just a moment, Yanagi lost focus of the game. Sanada shot the ball past him and he didn't even try to run for it. There was something in his eyes- they'd opened just a sliver, before shutting again. But that was enough for Sanada to notice.
He turned around. And managed to catch a glimpse of stunning blue hair before it disappeared behind a tree.
Sanada froze again. Dimly he thought that if he froze any more over the course of the day, his muscles might just tense of their own accord and paralyze him. But they didn't, and he forced himself to move, mechanically tossing the ball up and serving.
Yukimura was walking away from the tennis courts. He was walking away from Genichiro. What did that mean? It probably meant that Yukimura was angry that his prank hadn't gone the way it was supposed to. Well, that was his problem for wanting to pull such a prank in the first place. And yet, Sanada felt a hint of… guilt? … niggling in a corner of his mind.
His body on autopilot, he proceeded to defeat Yanagi completely, then walked woodenly off the court. He had to find Yukimura. So what if Yukimura was mad at him? Sanada hated seeing Yukimura walk away from him. Sanada would just have to find a way to tell Yukimura the truth, and hope that he was forgiven.
But first, he had to find Yukimura.
***
Niou and Yagyuu let out a relieved sigh as Sanada left the courts. That meant he wasn't looking for anyone else to destroy… or at least, they hoped it was so. For all they knew, it just meant that he was searching all out for them now… they shuddered at the thought.
Fortunately for them, Sanada wasn't planning on playing any more tennis. Destroying his own team could only let him go so far. He needed to settle this with Yukimura.
There- that blue hair- Sanada latched onto the man's arm, spinning him around before realizing his mistake. This person's blue hair was perfectly straight. Pulling his arm out of Sanada's grasp, the guy turned and started muttering. "What a weirdo. I wonder what he wanted? He looked disappointed to see me. Am I that ugly? Or maybe he was looking for someone else. Well, sorry for not being that person. You didn't have to pull on my arm like that though." The strange mutterer continued his monologue as he walked away.
Sighing, Sanada looked aimlessly around. He had no idea where Yukimura could be. He'd left campus long ago in search of his captain, but could find no trace of Yukimura. Where could he be?
And then, finally, Sanada saw him. Sitting on the edge of the fountain in the middle of town. "Yukimura!" he called out.
Yukimura's head snapped up, staring in shock at Genichiro. He'd come? Why had he come? Wasn't he disgusted with Yukimura after the confession of love for another person of the same gender? Wasn't he completely unconcerned with the fact that someone had confessed their love at all? So then, why had he bothered to follow Yukimura here, during the middle of tennis practice?
Sanada made his way to Yukimura quickly, finally standing before him and breathing hard. "I… Yukimura…" he said slowly. He was uncertain what he was supposed to say at this point. Was he supposed to apologize to him? Say his real feelings? Or confront him about the prank?
"What possessed you to say that you liked me as a prank?" Well, there was that decision made for him. But Yukimura didn't laugh and say, April Fools! Instead, he stared confusedly up at Sanada. "What do you mean? It wasn't a joke. Why would it be?"
And now Sanada had to backpedal. "It's April 1st. April Fools day," he clarified. Yukimura's eyes opened wide. "Oh shit," he muttered. "I totally didn't realize that… but I didn't mean for it to be a joke! It was true!" he said. And for the first time, Sanada thought he saw a hint of vulnerability in Yukimura's eyes. But that was impossible. Yukimura wasn't vulnerable to anything.
Softly, Yukimura said it again. "I like you, Genichiro. Really. It's not a joke," he said softly.
Suddenly, he frowned. "Wait… why were you so mad when you thought it was a prank then?" Sanada blanched at that. Uh oh… time to come clean. "Because… because I like you too." There, he'd said it.
Yukimura blinked owlishly up at him. "Huh…? You…" then he doubled over, laughing. Sanada was just more confused, but stayed silent. "And here I was, thinking you were disgusted with me for saying such a thing!"
"I could never be disgusted with you." And there went Sanada's big fat mouth.
Sighing, Yukimura smiled up at him. "Good. And… I'm sorry. I hadn't realized it was April Fools. It caused us a lot of trouble…" Sanada let out a soft sigh as well. Yes, but perhaps they would be able to remedy that…
They walked away from the fountain, and Yukimura immediately began pressing Sanada for details about the day. "Why did you think I was playing a prank on you? You know I'd never say such a thing for a joke!" Sanada nodded, shamefacedly. "Yes, but I heard you talking to Yagyuu just moments before, saying you wanted to play a joke on me."
Yukimura's brows met. "Yagyuu? But I haven't talked to him today at all…" his eyes widened. "Don't tell me…" he whispered. Sanada was just confused. "Yukimura?" he asked, concerned.
"Call me Seiichi," Yukimura said, turning to smile at Sanada, but there was something in his eyes that looked rather… evil, somehow. Sanada shivered, and thanked the gods that Yukimura… no, Seiichi, was no longer mad at him.
***
Well, they hadn't been far off when they said that they were going to die for the prank. Not at all. God, this was worse than anything they could ever imagine.
Sanada and Yukimura had doubled up against them. Meaning they played two against one. Niou had just gotten completely owned by them. And Yagyuu was next. Sighing, the 'Gentleman' stood and picked up his racket. Maybe he could get away with just ducking every ball. He wouldn't be hurt then… hopefully.
The match started, and Yagyuu once again regretted pulling off this prank with Niou. He should never have interfered…
*** Owari ***
A/N: Yeah, weird ending. I didn't know how to end it. And I'm sorry for OOCs, because I haven't written anything for Rikkaidai before. I'm pretty sure the biggest OOC would have to be Yagyuu. I mean, he switches with Niou, but I'm certain he's not that much of a prankster… ah well. Please tell me your thoughts, as well as how to improve my characterization of the Rikkaidai players! Because I desperately need help o.O