Prince of Tennis © Konomi

Another pointless inspired after reviewing Niou's character. My conclusion is that he is an enigma who is deprived of screen and panel time.

Turned Blue
Marui was always weary of Niou. When he met the boy as a first year, his laid-back attitude always struck him as being and unmotivated and lazy soul, but when Niou started snapping with words, racket, and ball, Marui knew that he was a tidal wave force to be reckoned with.

The self-proclaimed genius always thought that Niou was more distant from the rest— cold even. He knew that behind the bored eyes lied a monster in the wake, ready to spring out and unleash it's wrath and fury at any moment. Niou sheltered a complex mind. Marui didn't try to comprehend it. That was already being taken care of by Yagyuu.

Speaking of Yagyuu, his administration into the regulars really raised eyebrows on a few. His title of the Gentleman was known quite well throughout Rikkai, as well as his skills with a golf club. As if the sudden transition from golf to tennis wasn't queer enough, it turned out that the one who caused all this drama was Niou. When Marui learned that the trickster had actually approached someone he hadn't spoken to before with a grand proposal, he was dumbfounded. When Marui leaned that the trickster had actually succeeded in his scheme, and decided to retired into doubles, the part of his brain labeled 'Niou' (Which was in a grouping called 'tennis club', which was in another grouping called 'school', which was in the complete thought called 'SUGAR'.) completely died.

So with all his previous theories on the boy diminished into rubble and scrap, Marui had to once again, rebuild everything from scratch, (Ok, maybe not scratch because Marui was about ninety-nine point nine percent positive that Niou Masaharu's name is actually Niou Masaharu and not some other person taken on a pseudonym.) and what better way to do that than to confront the boy himself? Or course, since 'Niou' was ultimately in the 'SUGAR' category, Marui decided that stomach food was needed more than brain food at this moment.

Niou would never have noticed Marui had his hair not been the color it was. Surprisingly, he was actually quite drawn to it. It reminded him of the queerer side of life, and naturally he appreciated all things odd and displaced. He thought his bleached hair was wild enough, but how anybody got their hair to be that hue when all Japanese people usually have black (or close to it at least) hair was not in his department. That was Yanagi's place, and Niou didn't have the time or logic power to take over his corner of the office. Despite his sometimes obliviousness, Niou had rather sharp and quick eyes. It didn't take him long after scanning Marui's favorite café to find the boy.

"Hey," he greeted as he tapped the other on the shoulder.

Marui's senses were usually very, well, sensitive. Pastry and candy and other sweet stuff the only things that could shut down all of his guard as he savored the melting sugar on his tongue. That day, however, he wasn't as concentrated on the taste as his mind wandered elsewhere, deeper, into his realm of 'SUGAR', namely, Niou. (And Jackal and Sanada, and Yanagi, and Yukimura, and the newly added Yagyuu because, after all, he does deserve a rightful place and it wouldn't have been very nice to have placed him the 'Rejected Thoughts' group.) Still, that didn't mean that Marui wasn't a sitting duck, because he very much was so. Niou presence just added more complications to the problem.

"Ah!" Marui barely had anytime to take a snatch at the to-be-toppling-over parfait before Niou hauled him out of the store, leaving Marui whimpering as his treat grew smaller and smaller. "What's the big idea? I paid for that, you know!"

Niou merely snickered deviously, but did not slow down as he and Marui came to a secluded alleyway off of the main road. Marui could feel a shiver running down his spine. Him in a dark corner with nobody around save Niou was not exactly in his 'picture-perfect days' album. The (self-proclaimed) prodigy was both a bit unnerved, but immensely curious. Niou wasn't one to go out of his way to talk to others unless it was important, but since his Niou hardrive had just been flushed, Marui wasn't sure of anything at the moment.

"Cake," Niou said, and Marui returned to reality once again.

"What?"

Apparently, Niou wasn't one to waste unneeded words, and the next moment Marui found himself squirming unhappily as Niou flicked off the piece of cake crumb from the corner of his mouth. Did someone mention that Marui is very sensitive about anything other than soft food (like cake, and bubblegum, and ice cream) touching him there?

"That hurt!" he whined as he stuck a piece of gum into his mouth and waited for the pang of pain to pass. Niou merely shrugged, and once again Marui began to wonder why the boy went out of his way to drag him here.

"It's about Yagyuu," Niou said. Marui didn't consider being shocked because the backup Niou drive had 'mind reader' encrypted all over it.

"What about Yagyuu?" Marui asked as he blew a bubble. It helped in all situations.

"What do you think of him?"

Marui frowned slightly. His backup drive also stated that Niou would never ask a question unless it had a double meaning to it. Marui decided to approach this with caution and much thought. "I think Yagyuu is a very fast learner." This was, no doubt, true. The boy had shocked them all at how quickly he was able to adapt to the game while it would take some years to reach his level. Of course, he and Niou were still trying to smooth out their doubles act.

"That's nice to hear," Niou remarked, and the next thing Marui knew, the boy started walking away in his usual saunter. This was it? This was what the trickster dragged him out here for? Nothing?

"Wait, that's all?" Marui said. "You dragged me from my parfait for this?"

"Bye."

Marui could only sigh hopelessly. By now, his treat would've already been whisked away by the waitress, so there was no point in going back. All he could really do now is watch Niou's back disappear into the crowd and try to contemplate his original intention.

The next day when Marui walked out of the shower at tennis practice, he realized the 'original intention'. Sometime during the period when Niou dragged him out of the café to when he strolled off, he somehow managed to switch Marui's usual shampoo with something else. So the mind of the trickster wasn't as complicated as Marui thought. While others would philosophy about life, he would be forever fixed on whatever was in current time and his amusement factor. Niou had just turned that head of his pink-haired amusement factor that he was so fond of blue.