Disclaimer: Konomi-sensei's, Konomi-sensei's and Konomi-sensei's. And oh, the TeniMyu cast belong to themselves, of course. XP The story? Written by Silver Wind. v^__^
Warning: still TeniMyu-based. Prequel of ... With Little Help From Our Friends.
a Tennis no Oujisama fanfiction:
Four For One
by Silver Wind
silverwind at yaoi-front dot org
"No way," firmly and clearly said by the youngest member of Japan's Davis Cup team to his three teammates.
Kikumaru Eiji planted his fists on his hips and glared hard enough to bore holes at the arrogant brat, "Ochibi, you WILL come with us."
"Oh?" Echizen Ryouma smirked, "Make me, Eiji-sempai."
Fuji Shuusuke watched the whole 'talk' from the sidelines, smiling in amusement. For Fuji, there were few things in this world more entertaining than watching one half of the Golden Pair arguing with the 'Brat Prince', as how the international press had dubbed Echizen. Beside him, the other half of the said Golden Pair closed his eyes in resignation. Ooishi Shuuichirou knew exactly just how stubborn Echizen could be, and also how determined Eiji could be when he faced the genius.
Eiji smirked too now, looking smugly at the younger man, "Ochibi, if you refuse to come with us, I WILL tell the press AND your fans just how you stripped at Seigaku's club room years ago after you drank Inui's Aozu Beta version two."
Ryouma blinked as the embarrassing event again flashed in his mind, "You won't...!"
"And I have the pictures to prove it," the cat-like smirk widened.
Echizen glared back, "Eiji-sempai, you're playing dirty."
The prodigy chuckled at that and Ooishi put a hand over his face. They both knew that the younger player was just playing hard-to-get and trying to ruffle Kikumaru's feathers, but Eiji apparently had learned a few tricks from the brat himself.
The acrobatic player rolled his eyes heavenward, "O~chi~bi~! What's so hard about joining us to dinner! Like you've never had any with us~! Mou!"
Ooishi coughed mildly to attract their attention, "I have to agree with Eiji there, Echizen."
Ryouma's gaze moved to rest onto Fuji, and he just raised both hands to show that he had nothing to do with it, although the grin on his face showed otherwise. The youngest just let out a sigh dramatically and grabbed his rackets bag, tugging his cap lower with his free hand.
He stopped at the door and looked over his shoulder, smirking again, "What are you three waiting for?"
"Wai~!" Eiji threw his arm around Ryouma's shoulders, bouncing lightly, "Let's go then!"
"Just for this, Eiji-sempai, you're buying me dinner," Echizen warned, shrugging the arm off.
"Hai, hai. Brat."
Ooishi watched Kikumaru's back as he exited the locker room and looked at Fuji, raising an eyebrow. The prodigy laughed softly and, together with Ooishi, started following the other two.
"The JTA must be mad, putting all of us together as a team," Ooishi murmured half-seriously, as Eiji and Echizen began to argue again.
Fuji put a hand under his chin thoughtfully, "Either that, or Tezuka finally showed us his sadistic tendencies by advising them to do so."
"Or maybe they just know how good we are as a team, Ooishi-sempai," without missing a beat or looking back, Ryouma supplied the line.
Eiji snorted, "I vote for Tezuka's sadism."
"And that," Ryouma added, shrugging nonchalantly.
"Lots of other players are complaining, though," Ooishi said, a worried tone creeping into his voice, "They said that Tezuka only pays attention to us, the ex-Seigaku Regulars."
Blue eyes narrowed, the glance sharp under the hotel lobby's artificial light, "Really. This I haven't heard before."
"But you will kil~~~~~~l them, Fuji nya," Eiji replied, seriously this time, "That's why they don't say it around you. They know."
Fuji only smiled, stopping to look at another Japanese player in the lobby with his eyes still narrowed, "How interesting," realizing that he was under Fuji Shuusuke's scrutiny, the other player nearly tripped himself in his haste to disappear into an elevator.
"Mada mada dane," Echizen said mockingly, "When we bring home the cup, they can complain all they want."
Ooishi and Eiji exchanged a smile at the brat's arrogance. But Fuji didn't say anything, pulling his coat tighter around him.
---
"So you're going home in three days, Fuji?" Ooishi asked as they were waiting for their meals to be served in the small Chinese restaurant.
"Yes," the prodigy replied, putting his hands around the hot mug of green tea, "Just for a week, then I'm going to the tournament at London."
"We're going to New York tomorrow," Eiji chirped in, playing with his chopsticks expertly, "And Ochibi? What about you?"
"Tomorrow. Straight to Melbourne," the young man answered in a bored tone.
"Hmm. But we have our Davis Cup TC two weeks from now, right?" Fuji flipped his cell phone open to check his schedule.
"Un!" Kikumaru bounced on his seat, "We'll meet each other again in Tokyo!"
"Ne, Fuji," Ooishi said gently, "Why don't you go and see Tezuka when you're home."
Fuji's fingers froze over the buttons of his phone. Ryouma's eyes widened slightly and he sat up a little straighter in interest. Eiji looked back and forth between his partner and his best friend, fingers flexing nervously.
"Aaahhh, do you think I need a therapy, Ooishi?" he smiled to the former vice-captain, narrowing his eyes again.
Even Echizen winced a little at the dangerous light in the blue eyes. But Ooishi only smiled calmly, although his hand closed over Eiji's under the table.
"Fuji, please," he gave the prodigy his trademark reproachful look, the one which said clearly that the receiver was being stupid and it worried him very VERY much, "We've known each other for... what, twelve years? Half of our lifetime? Fuji, I know... no, I think WE know that you love Tezuka."
Japan's number one Singles player continued smiling, but his eyes said another thing, Tread carefully, Ooishi. I restrain myself because you are Ooishi. But tread VERY carefully.
Suddenly Eiji reached across the table and put his hand over Fuji's. The piercing blue gaze softened only slightly as it rested on the acrobatic player's face.
"Fuji nya," Eiji began slowly, "You're going to listen to me nya? I'm your best friend, right?"
Fuji only inclined his head slightly, never closing his eyes or stopped smiling.
"I agree with Ooishi nya," Kikumaru said very seriously, not even smiling back, "You've waited for so long, but nothing happened. So I think you should just go and smack him awake. Or something."
The smile turned painful then, "But he doesn't love me, Eiji. Or at least, he doesn't need me."
"Fuji," Ooishi shook his head, "That's not true. I'm Tezuka's best friend. He's trying to build Japan's tennis to be the strongest in the world all by himself. And he shuts his eyes for everything else."
"Including me," Fuji chuckled softly, but there's no humor in it.
"That's why you have to smack him awake, Fuji-sempai," Echizen jumped into the conversation with his usual arrogance, "That's just the way Buchou is."
"Aaaaahh~! Even Ochibi knows it!" Eiji threw his hands upward dramatically, "That's it~! Fuji, we'll help you nya! I'm going to see the two of you together, even if I have to sacrifice the Cup!"
Ooishi raised an eyebrow at his partner, "Eiji?"
Kikumaru looked at Ooishi, eyes burning in determination, "Ooishi, remember that gift for Tezuka we bought yesterday?"
"Aa, but...," Ooishi's eyes widened and he smiled in comprehension, "Ah."
Echizen smirked slightly.
"Yes~!" Eiji half-shouted, pounding his fists on the table. And then he turned to Fuji, "Fuji, we have a gift for Tezuka. You have any idea what to do?"
Fuji smiled, a smile which usually sent a shiver down mortal people's spines, and purred, "Do you want me to give it to Tezuka, Eiji?"
Kikumaru grinned, flashing a thumbs-up. Ooishi smiled with a martyred expression.
"Then, Echizen," at that, the youngest man raised an eyebrow in question to Fuji, "Since you also want to see me and Tezuka together, can you do something for me?"
Ryouma put his Fanta glass down lazily and took his cell phone out of his bag, "Phone call or e-mail?"
The smile widened, "Oh, it wouldn't be like you if you call him. We'd better leave the phone call to Ooishi. Ne, Ooishi?"
Ooishi mock-saluted, the martyred expression still on his face, "No problem. Then, do you want me to give you Tezuka's phone address, Echizen?"
The brat smirked, "Please do."
Fuji put a hand under his chin, smiling in amusement, "But you'd better wait until I give you a call to start bombarding him. If I can't smack him awake myself, then you can help."
The other three just nodded, grinning with varying degrees of amusement.
But before they could say anything else, a new voice said, "Eh? Fuji-san, Ooishi-san, Kikumaru-san and Echizen-san?"
They turned around and saw another young Japanese man beside their table.
Ooishi stood up, "Kikuchi-san! What are you doing here?"
The Paris JTA's representative laughed, "I just want to have dinner, and it surprised me very much when I saw the whole Davis Cup team here together. Am I interrupting anything?"
"No, not really," Fuji put his plastic smile on, "We're finished talking our business. Please, join us, Kikuchi-san."
The waiter brought another chair and Kikuchi sat down. Echizen nodded slightly at him and Kikumaru offered his hand in greeting.
"You're all going back to Tokyo in another two weeks, right? For the TC?" Kikuchi asked cheerfully.
"Aa," Ooishi nodded, smiling too, "We're all looking forward to it."
"Then you'll have sessions with Tezuka-sensei?"
The corner of Fuji's smiling lips twitched at that.
Eiji frowned slightly, "Nnn. You know Tezuka, Kikuchi-san?"
"Who in the JTA doesn't know Tezuka-sensei, Kikumaru-san?" the man's smile turned wry, "He's become a legend in the office with his devotion and brilliance. I watched his game once when I was in senior high school. He was amazing."
"Yes, that he is," Fuji murmured under his breath.
Kikuchi's eyes widened, "That's right! You were all his teammates, right? Back in junior high and senior high schools? You were all Seigaku Regulars!"
Ooishi smiled, "Yes, we were."
"Seigaku was a legend, thanks to you all," the JTA's official said in admiration, "Tezuka-sensei was your captain, right? And Ooishi-san was the vice-captain."
"Our father and mother," Eiji corrected, grinning like a cat.
"And Echizen-san was the youngest," Kikuchi nodded at Ryouma who only smirked, "Your games back in junior high against Hyoutei Gakuen and Rikkaidai Fuzoku were legendary, even until now."
"It's all because of Tezuka," Fuji said smoothly, "Speaking of Tezuka, how was he? It's been almost a year since the last time we saw him."
"Ah," he nodded again, a worried expression on his face, "Tezuka-sensei is... how shall I say it? He's overworking himself."
Ooishi sat up, nearly knocking his mug down, "What?"
The dangerous light again crept into Fuji's blue eyes. Kikuchi noticed it and gulped, even he knew how unpredictable the prodigy could be.
"That's what I heard from the Tokyo office, Ooishi-san. We all think that Tezuka-sensei is overworking. Even his secretary said so," he said carefully.
"That's Buchou for you," Echizen half-grumbled, but his eyes gave Fuji a very significant look, "Someone should just drag him to onsen or something."
Fuji only smiled again, fingers drumming a melody on the table.
The JTA man coughed slightly, half-afraid of Fuji's expression now, "Well, my friends are waiting for me at my table there," he inclined his head in the direction of his table, "It's really good to see you all today. We wish you the best for the Davis Cup."
"Aa, thank you, Kikuchi-san," Ooishi smiled disarmingly, Eiji waving his goodbye and Echizen giving him a slight nod.
"Thanks for telling us about Tezuka, Kikuchi-san," the plastic smile was back on Fuji's face.
"Aa," Kikuchi forced a smile on to his face, "I'll see you later, everyone."
They all watched silently as the man quickly moved to his own table.
Then Echizen grinned, "Fuji-sempai, you're scaring him."
Ooishi sighed and Eiji rolled his eyes heavenward. The prodigy only grinned back charmingly.
"So, back to the plan," Kikumaru snapped his fingers, attracting their attention back.
"What about it? Anyone still have questions?" Fuji chuckled softly.
Ryouma shrugged, fingers closing around his Fanta glass again. Ooishi and Eiji exchanged a look then smiled at Fuji.
"Thank you, everyone," the prodigy said sincerely, the smile turned more genuine.
"Yooosh~!" Eiji raised his glass of orange juice determinedly, "Project Tezuka, starting now!"
Fuji clinked his own mug to the glass and smiled again.
FIN
Notes :
1. Kime-chan, Kou-chan, Tsucchii and Ichi-kun (or Nagayan. Again, take your pick).
2. written in early morning, while listening to Jay Chou's Yeh Hwei Mei CD. So you all can blame Yi Fu Zhi Ming for this one. XP
Finished : December 15, 2003.