When Akaya Plots and Niou Distracts

Written by: Ulat Bulu

Pairings: NiouYagyuu, hints of SanaYuki and YukiKiri

Rating: T

Genre: Romance/General

Disclaimer: PoT does not belong to me.

Author's note: This one is unbetaed again, so ignore the grammatical/tense mistakes. English isn't my first language.

It was practice time like usual for the Rikkai boys. The weather was perfect, and for once Akaya didn't terrorize the other club members. He sat on the bench looking unexpectedly bored. The courts were full, so even though he was itching to play, there was no place for him. He knew he could just throw a tantrum and people would voluntarily give up their courts for him—except for Jackal and Yanagi at court A, and Sanada and Yukimura at court B, that is—but he figured he could give his beloved buchou a break. After all, today was the captain's comeback after being absent for as long as Akaya could remember. In case you're wondering, the second year's thoughts went back as far as the Ice Age. Yup, that's how long it was for Akaya without his buchou.

He watched as Yukimura easily returned Sanada's shots, which obviously were lacking in its usual speed and power. Sanada probably didn't want to pressure Yukimura on his first day of returning to the court again. The stoic vice-captain carefully aimed for reachable places, making Yukimura frown in disagreement. Everybody knows Sanada had a soft spot for Yukimura. But too bad, buchou has a soft spot for me, Kirihara thought. I'm gonna tell him you abused me when he wasn't around. Buchou will believe everything I said even if I lied. Meet your doom, Sanada! Hehe.

Akaya began contemplating his words to back up his little lie. First, he would begin by saying Sanada forced him to practice non-stop, and then he'd make things a little dramatic from there, and he'll conclude by saying Sanada Genichirou abused him so bad to the point he was mentally scarred for the rest of his life. Akaya felt like he should be awarded an Oscar for Best Drama Script—if they have the category, that is. The second year ace was about to carry out his plan when Niou and Yagyuu came over with Marui, whose gum blowing habit truly drives Akaya out of his mind.He wished he could just raid his sempai's locker again, but Marui Bunta learnt from his mistake. Now the redhair's locker had five padlocks. Last time Akaya managed to break in and throw away the stash of bubble gums, and that was practically the first time he brushed past death.

"So Niou, tell me how you met Yagyuu." Marui asked as he blew on his gum. "Where did you guys meet?"

Little Akaya's ears literally perked. He wanted to know too! Maybe he could use this piece of information to get back at the Trickster for what he had done to him all these times. He would wait for his chance to come. If it didn't, then maybe it's God's sign to never cross Niou Masaharu.

"Ahh, it feels like yesterday." Niou mused as he slung his arm around Yagyuu's shoulders. "Naa, Yagyuu?"

The former golfer remained quiet and opted to walk away from his partner. He really didn't want to get involved in telling tales about their first meeting. Niou told different stories every time someone asked him about it. What he told Yukimura was different from what he told Sanada, but Yagyuu doubted those two believed his stories though.

"And how did that happen exactly?" Akaya found himself asking before he knew it.

"Akaya? Were you eavesdropping?" Marui asked annoyedly.

"Eavesdropping? No, of course not. It naturally flows into my ears. How could that be eavesdropping, Bunta?"

"You bastard! It's Marui-senpai to you!! Only Jackal and Yukimura can call me Bunta!!"

"Niou-sempai, go on." Akaya prodded, completely ignoring Marui's screams.

"Well, I rescued Yagyuu from a pervert." Niou said and looked at Yagyuu rather perversely himself.

The bespectacled boy simply rolled his eyes and continued drinking his water, waiting patiently for Niou to continue his story-telling.

"Whoa! I didn't know people like Yagyuu-sempai could attract perverts!" Akaya commented carelessly. "I thought only pretty people like Yukimura-buchou would attract one—or lots of them."

Yagyuu unconsciously gripped his water bottle tighter. Most of the time he could dismiss what the kouhai said, but to insult him like that was something he could not overlook. Damn Niou-kun for telling such a story.

"So what happened then?" Akaya asked.

"Easy. I punched the pervert on the face, but I got careless and he punched me back. So I kicked his shins instead—I almost missed—and then punched him on the face again. Then I rammed his head on the sidewalk and kicked him over and over again until he begged for my forgiveness."

"And then?! And then?!" Akaya chirped a little too excitedly. Wow, he didn't know Niou-sempai is such a cool person!

"But the guy was tough you know. He tackled me to the ground and hit me with a glass bottle. It was painful and my head was bleeding, I tell ya. I grabbed a knife and stabbed him on the shoulder."

"Ooohh! What then? Tell me! Tell me!" Akaya squealed.

Niou proceeded to tell more while Yagyuu listened, wondering how on earth anyone would believe such a stupid story. But apparently, Akaya does. With each passing details, Akaya's frenzy squeals were getting louder and louder. At the courts, Yukimura, Sanada, Yanagi and Jackal literally stopped their match and stared at them.

"Hey Yagyuu," Marui called out. "He's bluffing, right?"

"Obviously." he replied matter-of-factly and pushed up his glasses.

"Aww, poor Aka-chan. He believes it so much." Marui said and shook his head sadly.

Yagyuu decided to interrupt for the sake of his kouhai. He didn't want little Akaya to get a false impression of his senpai. "Niou-kun, that's enough. Let's practice. Buchou and fukubuchou finished their match."

"Aight." Niou answered and stood up, picking his racket at the same time. "We'll continue next time, Aka-chan."

"Okay!! You're so cool, sempai!!"

Hearing this, Yukimura and Sanada shared a look as they neared the suddenly hyper second year. Did Akaya just say Niou is cool?, Sanada thought. He must be delusional.

"What did you and Masaharu talked about, Akaya?" Yukimura asked.

"Ohh, buchou!! Niou-sempai is so cool!! I think we could be best friends!!" the boy declared happily.

"You think so?" Yukimura chuckled and patted Akaya's head affectionately.

"Yeah!!"

-----------------------------

"How's my story, Hiroshi?" Niou asked as headlocked his partner once again.

"You made me sound like I was a girl, Niou-kun." Yagyuu answered indifferently. "I could take down a pervert without your help."

"Oh? Really?"

"Yes. And everything else was too outrageous."

"But you like it, don't you?"

"Shut up."

In the end, Akaya completely forgot about his plan to bring down Sanada.

FIN