Prince of Tennis and all related characters and events belong to Konomi Takeshi.

Start Running, Brat

Uhh, Akaya, maybe comparing Marui and Niou to Hindu gods wasn't exactly the best idea. Some Marui/Niou implied. OOC. Crack-fic. 500 words.

Despite the 'demon' persona on courts, Kirihara Akaya was pretty harmless outside them.

More or less.

"What are you grinning like that for, brat?" Niou asked warily, finding it slightly worrisome that Kirihara had been grinning like a fool ever since the start of practice.

The little seaweed head turned his seaweed-covered head to Niou, smirking evilly and letting out a low chuckle.

Watdafuck.

"Did you just . . . ?" Niou was at a complete lost for words.

Kirihara Akaya did not smirk evilly and chuckle lowly outside the court.

Okay, maybe-technically-all-things-considered, they were standing inside the court.

But they were supervising the first years doing their swings, dammit! That did not account for Akaya's evil smirks and low chuckles!

"Ne, Niou-senpai," Akaya chimed.

Kirihara Akaya did not chime, on or off the court, dammit!

"Do you know the Hindu god Ganesh?"

And most of all, Kirihara Akaya did. Not. Effing. Know. About. Any. Hindu. Gods.

"We're learning them in Matsuhara-sensei's class."

. . .

Oh. Oh. Oh. OH.

"Oh."

Matsuhara-sensei was Yukimura's favorite teacher.

"That explains everything," Niou muttered.

"Did you know that Ganesh has an elephant's head?" Akaya asked. "And that he's a god who absolutely loves sweets? Just like Marui-senpai?"

"I heard my name." Pop. "What's up?"

Niou grimaced as Marui sauntered over to them, chewing on his gum.

"Ne, Marui-senpai. Do you know about the Hindu god Ganesh?"

Pop.

"We're learning them Matsuhara-sensei's class."

Pop. "Oh."

"Did you know that Ganesh has an elephant's head?" Akaya repeated. "And that he's a god who absolutely loves sweets? Just like you?"

" . . . Are you comparing me to a god with an elephant's head?"

Akaya grinned.

"Did you also know that each of the Hindu gods rode on specific animals? Like how Brahma always rides on the swan? And Vishnu rides on the garuda?"

Niou and Marui stared wide-eyed at Akaya, processing the complicated words coming out of his lips.

"Who are you and what have you done to our seaweed-haired brat?"

"Anyways, Ganesh rides on an animal, too," Akaya continued cheerily, ignoring their last in-synch question. "Guess what it is!"

Niou's face scrunched up, his nose wiggling in an awkward manner while Marui grimaced.

"A rat!"

" . . . "

" . . . "

"Brat, I don't see the point," Niou deadpanned.

"You call that hairstyle of yours a 'rattail', right?" Akaya grinned.

" . . . "

" . . . "

"Start running, brat."

Akaya gulped.

"Uhhh . . . "

Maybe comparing Marui-senpai and Niou-senpai to Hindu gods wasn't exactly the best idea.

"Ten. Nine. Three."

"EEP! You skipped seven numbers! Buchouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" Akaya shouted, running for cover behind Rikkaidai's protective deity called 'Yukimura'.

Beside him, Marui started chuckling.

"At least he got one thing right."

Niou grimaced.

"I'm always on top."

"Shut up, bubblegum freak."

"You know you like it."

" . . . Shut up."

Owari.

A/N: Yes, I came up with the idea for this while reviewing my Asian History notes. Yes, there really is a Hindu god named Ganesh who has an elephant's head and absolutely loves sweets and rides a rat. Yes, I probably barely passed my exam because this was all I could think of the moment the Ganesh question popped up.

I need to stop drinking coffee while studying. TT^TT Nothing productive comes out of it. I'm switching to chocolate milk.

And yes, I know the title stinks; it's midnight over here. And yes, I also know that there are only six numbers between nine and three; Akaya stinks in math, m'kay?