Title: Friends and Feelings
Author: Henzie (tennis-player)
Rating: T
Summary: Sakurai Masaya and Ishida Tetsu have noticed something weird was going on with two of their teammates, Ibu and Kamio, but when they point this out to the rest of their team, they ignore it. Upset at their teammates' lack of consideration and Ibu and Kamio's strange behavior, they decide to find out what's wrong on their own. Birthday Fic for Sakurai Masaya, Kamio x Ibu.
Characters: Sakurai Masaya, Ishida Tetsu, Kamio Akira, Ibu Shinji.
Notes: Yes, people! I actually care about Sakurai Masaya, unlike some people! *glares at said people* I mean, jeez! So what if he doesn't have a face like Fuji's? Who does, anyways? (besides Yukimura ^^") This is my tribute to Sakurai Masaya for his birthday, because I care about our precious Fudomine regulars, and not only Ibu, Kamio and Tachibana.
Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis, but if I did I would make sure Sakurai got more screen time!
Sakurai Masaya and Ishida Tetsu of Fudomine sat together on a bench beside the street courts, which their teammates were currently using for some doubles' matches, as they watched Kamio and Ibu talking.
"Tetsu?" Sakurai asked his partner.
"Yes?" Ishida replied looking up at his friend.
"Have you noticed how Kamio and Shinji have been getting a lot closer these days?" he asked.
Ishida paused for a moment. "But it's not just that, is it? Since they've gotten closer, they've been acting weird. Skipping club activities together sometimes, busy with plans for meetings at once. Whenever one is gone, so is the other, no matter what they tell us."
Sakurai nodded. "Like they have a secret from us…"
Ishida glanced over to the two, who he noticed were unnaturally close, talking to each other in hushed voices, with the occasional smile or smirk.
"Should we ask the others about it?" Sakurai asked.
Ishida nodded. "They might know something…"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~At Club the Next Day~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Tachibana-san," Sakurai asked, walking up to his captain in the clubroom after practice.
"What is it, Sakurai?" Tachibana asked, turning to look at his companion.
The other regulars (save Kamio and Ibu, for they had left already) turned to the two.
Sakurai paused. "Do you know what's wrong with Kamio and Shinji? They've been acting strange recently…"
Everyone in the room sputtered, besides Ishida and Sakurai.
"… What?" they asked in unison.
"N-nothing!" Mori said quickly.
"Y-yeah," Tachibana added. "Don't worry about it, there is nothing wrong with them… they're just…"
"Just what?" Ishida pressed.
"It's nothing!" Uchiuma said. "Nothing at all… right, Tachibana-san?"
Tachibana nodded. "Right."
And so, Sakurai and Ishida remained ignorant, slightly annoyed and left out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Later on…~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While Sakurai and Ishida walked home together, they thought about what the others had told them in the clubroom. What was going on between Kamio and Ibu that was so important as to be kept from them…
"Masaya?" Ishida asked.
"Yeah?" Sakurai replied.
"Think we should check what Akira and Shinji are up to? Seeing as the others don't want to tell us, we can see for ourselves, can't we?" Ishida purposed.
Sakurai thought for moment, before nodding with a smile. "You're right! Let's do that."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Following Kamio and Ibu~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Look! There they are," Sakurai pointed.
Ishida let his eyes follow Sakurai's finger. "You're right. What are they doing, though?" he asked.
Kamio and Ibu were walking down the street, side-by-side, hand-in-hand.
"They're holding hands!" Sakurai said. "Do you think…?"
Ishida shook his head. "No way," he replied in disbelief. "That's not possible."
Sakurai nodded. "Mm, you're right."
The two followed Kamio and Ibu through the streets until they stopped at a small coffee shop. Sakurai and Ishida followed them in, taking a booth near Kamio and Ibu's table and observing closely.
"Ne, Shinji?" Kamio asked, sipping from his iced cappuccino.
"What is it…?" Ibu asked, raising his eyebrows and giving him a curious look.
"Want to come over tonight?" Kamio asked. "My parents are out of town, so…"
Ibu looked up and stared at Kamio. "Kamio is inviting me over… I should probably say yes… we haven't hung out at each other's places in a while… and he says his parents aren't home… that means we can do whatever we want… we can stay up late eating chips and stuff… I like chips and stuff… I should say yes now…"
Kamio nodded. "Then we'll pick your things up on the way back."
Ibu nodded this time. "We're going to-…"
Kamio cut him off. "Okay now, let's go!" he said, dragging him out of the store.
Sakurai and Ishida followed suit as Kamio led Ibu, and unknowingly, them, to his house, and dragged Ibu inside.
"Damn, how do we keep track of them now?" Ishida asked, looking around.
Sakurai pointed upwards. "There!" he said, pointing to a tree that's branches led a meter or so left of Kamio's second floor bedroom window.
Ishida gave him a funny look. "Seriously?"
"Do you want to find out what's up or not?" Sakurai asked.
Ishida sighed. "Fine, let's go."
The two made their way up the tree and towards the branch near Kamio's room, where his and Ibu's voices flowed out like aroma would.
"Shinji…" Kamio asked. "What do you want to do?"
Ibu paused. "What do you think?"
The sound of Kamio chuckling and his feet shuffling disturbed the silence that could have been there.
"Mm…" came the short moan sound from Ibu. "Don't be so rough!"
A small chuckle came from Kamio's mouth. "Aww, but I thought you liked it rough, Shinji…" he purred.
"Ah! Mm, too fast…" whined Ibu.
Kamio grunted in response.
"What the hell are they doing?" Sakurai hissed at Ishida, who stared directly in front of him with wide eyes.
Ishida's eye just twitched, and he continued to listen.
"Look," Kamio's voice rang out.
"I can't," Ibu's voice followed. "It's way too dark in your tunnel!"
Kamio scoffed. "It's supposed to be dark."
Ibu groaned. "Ngh… but I don't know if I got it in properly like this!"
Kamio sighed. "That's why I'm always on the top," Kamio replied.
Sakurai and Ishida exchanged a look.
"Let's go down there…" Sakurai said.
"Mm," Ishida replied, and the two scrambled down the tree.
They slipped through the front door, which was dangerously left unlocked in Kamio and Ibu's haste, and up the stairs. Pausing at the front door, the two exchanged one more look before bursting in.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" they exclaimed, almost is perfect sync (almost, though :P).
Kamio and Ibu looked up from their game of toy cars.
"What are you talking about?" Kamio asked, looking up.
Ishida and Sakurai looked at the set of hot-wheels car tracks, complete with tunnels, turns and launchers.
"What…?" Ibu asked, looking at his companions. "What? They thought we were doing something bad… but what kind of bad thing could we do with toy cars…? We never even did anything to start this… they are randomly accusing us without any basis… moreover, they don't trust us… they think we'd misbehave… but what could we be doing…?"
Kamio looked away from Ibu and back at his two other teammates.
"W-well…" Sakurai started, looking embarrassed. "We kind of thought you two were… ya know…"
"No, I'm afraid I don't know," Kamio said, looking at Sakurai in annoyance. "So please, do enlighten me."
Ishida stepped forward, and heaving a great sigh, he said. "We thought you were having sex."
An awkward silence fell over the room.
"What?" Kamio and Ibu asked simultaneously.
Sakurai laughed sheepishly. "Well, that's what it sounded like from the window…"
Kamio raised an eyebrow. "You were eavesdropping at the window…?"
Ishida did a face-palm.
"Oh, um…" Sakurai chuckled. "Err…"
Kamio stood and glared. "Well, I hate to accuse, but you don't trust us? After everything?"
Ishida cut in this time. "That's not it! We were just curious as to why you and Ibu were spending so much time together, and the others wouldn't tell us. Then we assumed you were dating, and hearing the sounds from outside…"
Kamio laughed, and looked at his friends. "Don't worry, we were, by no means, having… err, sex…"
Ishida and Sakurai nodded.
"W-well then…" Sakurai said. "I guess we'll take our leave now…"
Kamio and Ibu walked Ishida and Sakurai to the door. Smiling, the two said good-bye and turned to leave, but when they were directly outside the door, these words made them freeze.
"Oh, and by the way, we are dating," came Kamio's voice, but then the door slammed.
Sakurai and Ishida looked at each other.
"Well then… at least we know why the others wouldn't tell," Sakurai joked.
Ishida thumped him lightly in the back of the head.