Title: So You Say You Love Me
Author: Rhythm Runt
Disclaimer: I'm a college student. In other words one step down from trading sexual favors for food. If I owned this, I doubt income would be a problem.
Warning: It might very well be hazardous to your health to read this. Or it might just cure bitchiness or erectile disfunction. I'm kinda chronic with the first some days, so I'll let you know. Oh yeah, I don't have a beta and I'm doing this on wordpad which lacks all that fancy correctin' stuff, so just point out a mistake, don't mock me for it, k?
A/N: Alright, alright, I'm a newbie (more or less) so don't be too harsh just yet. Let me get my toes wet or sutting before you start choppin' 'em off. This fic started harrassing me last night and I couldn't get to sleep and I'm doing it now as opposed to working on that english essay. Sigh College is a waste anyway, ne?
Chapter 1: So You Say You Love Me
"Echizen, did you have some reason for gathering us all together like this?" Sanada asked coolly, glancing out over the packed tennis court where a large number of gifted players had convened
"Yeah. Some of us have places to be," Kirihara complained loudly, hands crossed behind his head, sneer in place.
"Hmm, if I'm not mistaken it's your day to stalk me according to Inui's schedule, right?" Ryoma asked acidly. That silenced the mutinous rumblings eminating form the court. "I'd meant to ignore it until it passed, but ..." He glanced over at them. "It's gotten out of hand."
"Out of hand? I don't know what you mean ..." Kentarou laughed awkwardly.
"I have sixteen stalkers."
"Actually," Inui corrected, pushing his glasses up his nose, "You have seventeen and Kevin Smith." He turned to glance around at the players gathered. "But why are you here Oishi? You haven't expressed any romantic interest in Echizen."
"Morbid curiosity," Oishi answered. "That and to make sure things don't get out of hand."
"Interesting," Inui replied scribbling away in his notebook.
"So I've come up with a way to put an end to all of this," Ryoma announced as though any previous interruptions hadn't happened.
"Oh?" Inui queried, glancing up from his furious note-taking.
"I'm proposing a contest between those of you who think they love me."
"It's not a tennis match, is it?" Eiji asked worriedly, while the others divided their glances among Tezuka, Sanada, and Atobe in a similarly fearful fashion.
"No."
"Whoo," Eiji whistled out in relief. "I was worried there for a minute."
"So what is this contest, Echizen?" Momo asked loudly.
"If people would stop interrupting me, I'd have already gotten to that," Ryoma responded coolly. Everyone wilted under his glare and were immediately silenced. Well, almost everyone ...
"C'mon brat, we don't have all day."
Echizen glared at Akutsu, who wasn't fazed in the slightest, before continuing. "I'm proposing a 'True Love Test'."
"Hmm ... a love contest, ka?" Fuji asked to himself quietly, smiling cheerily.
"Ne, Oishi, this sounds like fun!" Kikumaru exclaimed, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet excitedly.
"But, Eiji ..." Oishi looked more than a little concerned about this test.
"Bah. He should just go ahead and choose Ore-sama already. Ne, Kabaji?"
"..."
"Kabaji!!"
"Fshuu," was Kaidoh's only reply as he rolled his eyes and began to slouch off the courts.
"What kind of test is it, Echizen?" Mizuki asked, curling his hair around his finger in amusement.
"It's simple really," Echizen answered watching the others lean in expectantly, as though he were Moses offering religious proclamations. "I'm simply going to ask how you'd prove that you love me." This was met by startled silence until the voices broke out in irritation again.
"How is such a lame test going to prove anything," Kirihara whined.
"I fail to see the factual merit in your test, Echizen," Inui also complained, once again readjusting his glasses. And he'd been hoping for something intense and statistical. Like some dating site's survey.
"I'll know if it's real," Ryoma assured them. "You don't need to worry about being overlooked by accident. But," he warned them holding out one finger for emphasis, "You only get one chance."
'There must be more to this test than I'm seeing. I guess I'll just have to start researching.'
Others weren't as convinced ...
"Echizen," Tezuka called out sternly. Which is to say in his normal tone of voice.
"Buchou?"
"Fifty laps." At that Echizen narrowed his eyes dangerously before puffing on his bangs and setting off around the courts.
"Ne, Tezuka, I don't think that's what Echizen had in mind," Oishi told him soothingly.
"Oishi."
"Hai?"
"Fifty laps."
"But I'm not even after Echizen!" Oishi wailed as he began running around the courts.
A/N: So what you think? Good? Bad? Too horrified to form an opinion? Then tell me so in a review if you would be so kind!
A/N 2: I'm also mildly torn on the end result. If you have anyone in particular you'd like to have Echizen paired with, or no one at all for that matter, if you can sell your point to me I might use it. As of now, though, I have an ending (no middle though) that I really like, but I am amenable to suggestions. Or maybe I'm just suggestible? Who can say?
'Til Next Chapter!