Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters.

Warning: Shonen-ai one-shot. Crack pairing.

Pairing: Akutsu X Kaidou

Fallen

By: Gwynhafra86

It was a very hot day, and a day like this was never conducive on one Akutsu Jin's temper.

He was prowling the streets as usual, scaring away any human who came close to him and sending them skittering to another path. His expression promised murder...or at least, it looked like he had already done the deed, and was looking for another victim.

A puppy came into his path, and he came to a stop. The white-haired Yamabuki player glared down at the ignorant animal. Did this creature have some kind of a death wish? To not know who he was, and to step before his path in a silent command for him to halt his steps? He was Akutsu, Akutsu Jin, and he took orders from no one, not from humans, and especially not from puppies.

The puppy, either stupid or incredibly brave, gazed up at him fearlessly with its brown eyes. It even had the nerve to wag its tail at him. Akutsu twitched, and twitched some more when the puppy gave a tiny yip and rubbed itself against Akutsu's leg.

Akutsu was not known for being a kind person in the first place. He kicked puppies for a living, and this little brat was no exception. He lifted his leg, his eyes gleaming with a sadistic light.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

Akutsu froze in his steps, looking around at the familiar voice. Seeing no one, he realized that nobody had spoken to him. No, the voice came from his memory.

XXX

Roughly a month back, Akutsu had been walking on this very same road, heading towards one of the bars he frequented. Back then, it hadn't been a puppy which had crossed his path, but a kitten. Akutsu had ungracefully kicked the feline aside for getting in his way.

The defiant animal picked itself up and hissed at him angrily, arching its back at him, teeth bared. Akutsu's eyes narrowed. This round, he'd do more than kick the animal aside.

He snatched up the animal by the scruff of its neck, but before he could do any real damage, someone else had snatched it out of his grip.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

The voice had belonged to a green bandanna wearing boy. Akutsu searched his memory. Ah yes, Seishun Gakuen's Kaidou Kaoru. The Seigaku regular's eyes were trained on him in a death glare, while his muscled arms were wrapped gently around the kitten.

Akutsu drew himself to his full height. Kaidou was tall, but Akutsu was way taller than he was. "It's none of your business." he said coolly.

Most people would have been intimidated by now. Not Kaidou though. The boy stood his ground, his body language indicating that he would defend that little critter to the end. "Don't hurt others just because you feel like it!" Kaidou snapped at him.

Akutsu seized Kaidou up by the collar and slammed him against the nearest tree. Kaidou's eyes had widened in shock, his grip loosening on the cat, and it leapt out of his arms before bounding away from the two.

"Who do you think you're ordering around? I'm Akutsu, Akutsu Jin."

"I know who you are. That still doesn't give you the right to bully others. Fssshhh..." Kaidou retorted.

Akutsu's eyes gleamed, again taking on that murderous aura. Barely anyone had dared to talk back against him, and this guy had the cheek to do so. How he'd love to pound his face in.

He halted at that. On second thought...this was... fun. How often was he able to find someone who would actually try to challenge him? It would be so much more thrilling to break Kaidou's defiance than to actually beat him up.

"Heh. Not bad. You have a lot of nerve to go against me, Kaidou-kun." He sneered. Before Kaidou could react, Akutsu pinned him against the tree and forcefully stole a kiss from him. Kaidou's eyes widened, his hiss silenced by Akutsu's mouth.

The next moment, Kaidou had turned and ran off, though not before giving Akutsu a bruised jaw as a parting gift. Akutsu had laughed at his retreating back, while rubbing his injured face. "What's wrong, Kaidou-kun? Was that your first?" The only answer he got was a fading hiss in the distance.

After that day, Kaidou had avoided him, seemingly developing some kind of radar to know where he was. Akutsu, on the other hand, took sadistic pleasure in trailing after the bandanna wearing boy like a stalker, determined to frighten him and break his mind. It wasn't easy though. Every time he managed to corner Kaidou, the boy still held the same defiance and determination in his eyes, always ready to back up his "no-bullying-the-weak" principles. No matter how Akutsu tried, he couldn't intimidate Kaidou like he did the rest. That guy was dead stubborn!

By trailing after Kaidou, it had Akutsu comparing himself to the other boy. Both of them were born with a scary face, and both emitted the same aura which had people fleeing from their presence. Also, both were known to be loners, preferring to keep to themselves, avoiding everyone else.

That was where the similarities ended. Akutsu was good at tennis, but he could care less about it. Kaidou was good at tennis, and he had such a passion for it that he was always striving to improve himself. Akutsu was the devil reincarnate, his bad boy reputation spreading far and wide, and his name alone can make many other tennis players' knees buckle in fright. Kaidou, on the other hand, was such a good boy. He obeyed the rules, he respected his senpai, he made sure to follow everything which society's norms had spoken for, and...he had a notoriously soft spot for animals and cute little things.

It made Akutsu sick to even think about it. It must be a crime to be so...disciplined! He wasn't too sure if the feeling had stemmed from Kaidou's attitude, or his own realization that this was one characteristic he could never reach.

It was somewhere along the way there, did Akutsu only realize that it was this same characteristic which was drawing bad boy Akutsu to good boy Kaidou.

XXX

Akutsu returned to present time, his mind half in memory lane, while the other half was now focused on the suicidal puppy STILL rubbing at his leg. After a moment of indecision, he placed his leg back down on the ground. "Ceh. I'll go easy on you this round. Get out of my sight!"

The puppy gave a yip and ran off. Akutsu shoved his hands inside his pockets, silently cursing himself that he was getting soft. It would severely affect his reputation if he could no longer go around kicking puppies just because little animals now reminded him of Kaidou.

He had only taken a few steps when he stopped again, realizing that someone else was standing before him now. The green bandanna he was getting increasingly familiar with, the hiss escaping someone's lips, and that same, scary face.

The person was no other than Kaidou Kaoru, and that same fierce determination blazed in those eyes.

Kaidou said nothing, seemingly having witnessed the whole scene which had transpired before him. Akutsu could already see his reputation slipping before his eyes.

The moment was broken, however, as Kaidou resumed his jogging, passing Akutsu with a soft (and was that an approving?) hiss. Akutsu, for once, didn't shove Kaidou against the nearest tree and start snogging him. For once, he left the boy alone, not bullying him

Akutsu gave a soft snort to himself. He had started with every intention to corrupt Kaidou, but it seemed that now...

...he was the one who had fallen instead.

::End::

Please Read and Review. No Flames Please.

-Gwyn