Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis. This story is very random and weird. Especially the pairing... but then again, I like weird pairings.
Shiba was groaning. From too many coffees and donuts.
"Quit pulling, you hog!"
"No, I won't! You bi-shonen fangirl, let go!"
"Hell, no! He's my man, you goody goody two shoes! You housekeeping twit!"
Inoue felt like he was torn apart. He had agreed to take Nanako-chan on a date, but here was his partner, Shiba, who was venting all her frustration on him. As if that weren't bad enough, Ryuzaki and Ojii were making plans for "priority seats" for the loser, whatever it was. That didn't sound too great.
To put it frankly, it was a tug-of-war. And he was in the middle. Something like that has to hurt.
"Wait, stop!" A miraculous voice vibrated around the office. No, it wasn't the boss complaining of the foam on his cappucino. It was Echizen holding up a Fujifilm camera. Which could mean only one thing... he had taken a leaf out of Fuji's book... incredible...
"Heh, I had absolutely no idea that you were attracted to journalists that my old man would definitely disapprove. Wait 'till he gets a load of this!"
Nanako stared. "Aren't you supposed to be in America right now?"
He shrugged. "Nope. I finished the U.S. Open already. I'm just another stupid tourist wandering around. By the way, which direction is the house?"
Seeing that Nanako was distracted, Shiba gave a hearty yank.
Nanako pulled back. Inoue had given her the orange juice, not Shiba! (See episode 126 for details.)
Echizen took three copies on the digital camera, and left. Mama would be pleased.
"All right, all right, stop!" Inoue cried out. He gulped in air as though it might be the last time he could breathe.
"The only way we're going to decide on this is a good start. One... two... three!"
They pulled. The result was him falling face down on the office floor. Not a pretty sight.
Then he woke up, something he had not expected. Usually he loved every minute that he slept in the bed, but he was, truly, grateful.
He laid back and murmured quietly, so that nobody would hear, "I hate my job."
Author's Note: Wow... that didn't turn out too bad. I know it was short, but I'm trying to practice on one-shots.