It was a beautiful day at Rikkai. Birds chirping in the trees and students were sitting outside in the sun instead of being locked up in classrooms.
The tennis club regulars were no exception. But the calm was soon broken when a shrill voice cut the air.
"Oi Bakaya! Gimme back my pocky!" Marui Bunta shouted, launching at their second year ace.
"Try and get it senpai", Kirihara smiled, and danced out of reach of the angry boy. "Hehe, seems like you're too fat and lazy already as it is!"
"Hey! Respect my genius!" Marui ran after the second year as the rest of the regulars watched, mildly entertained. Yanagi was reading a book and Yukimura was discussing something (probably tennis) with Sanada. Nious was eating the last of Marui's pocky and Yaguuy was studying.
"Hahaha! Too slow, Marui-senpaouch!"
Kirihara had run into Jackal who caught the struggling boy and held him so that Marui could catch up with them.
"Thanks Jackal!" the self-proclaimed tensai said, panting slightly. "You're a wall!"
"Uh yeah, that's why I'm one of the regulars?" Jackal said.
"Stupid Jackal-senpai!!" Kirihara screamed, trying in vain to wiggle out of Jackal's grip. "Why'd you do that for?!"
Marui smacked his face, but lightly. "That'll teach you not to mess with a genius, Bakaya." he grinned.
Said Bakaya kicked the bubblegum-blowing boy on the leg, definitely earning his new nickname. Marui kicked back and soon a war of leg-kicking was going on at full frenzy with Jackal trying to hide behind Kirihara and at the same time holding him.
Niou stood up, and walked over to them (after finishing with Marui's pocky, that is). A smile danced in the corners of his mouth.
"Hey hey", the trickster said. "No use of violence in public places. You're embarrassing the tennis club!"
Sanada, who was listening with half an ear, would've agreed. Would've, if the words hadn't come out of Niou's mouth while Niou was smiling. Nothing Niou said or did could be good for any living being.
"Marui", the trickster now said, "let's teach the brat a lesson."
"Eh? What're you thinking, Niou?" the redhead popped a bubble.
"Jackal! To the showers!" the trickster said, sounding excited.
"WHAAAAAAT?!" Kirihara screamed. "But- but senpai! I was just joking! It was a JOKE! I wouldn't steal Marui-senpai's pocky for real, would I? Cause- cause that's stealing!"
"Shut up and stop struggling", Marui said, hitting Kirihara over the head. "It's not gonna hurt you to get a little wet!"
"Noooooo!" Kirihara wailed as the three senpais carried him towards the clubroom. "Buchoooooou! HELP MEEEE!!"
"Genichirou, why don't you go and take care of it?" Yanagi suggested.
"Why don't you do it, Renji?"
"I doubt I alone could handle the unified forces of both Niou and Marui", he said.
"And I simply don't want to", Sanada declared. "It's Akaya's mess. Let him solve it. Besides, today is hot. Like Marui said, a little water won't hurt him."
"IDIOTS! You're the WORST senpai-tachi in ALL OF HISTORY!!" Kirihara screamed at them as he was carried away.
Suddenly, Niou dropped the leg he'd been carrying, and ran back towards the other regulars.
"Wha?!" Marui still held onto the other leg. "Hey Niou, where're you-"
"Marui, Jackal, RUN! He's turning into red-eye mode!" Niou shouted as he ran.
The other two dropped their kouhai and ran after Niou, screaming and flapping their arms. But who wouldn't be if a red-eye mode Kirihara was chasing after them?
"Genichirou, I'm starting to get a headache from all this yelling…" Yukimura said, sighing. Sanada shot up as if someone had poked a stick up his… well, you get the idea.
"That's enough!" he roared, and the four regulars stopped dead-on. "Now all four of you will come back here and sit your sorry asses down THIS INSTANT!"
"Hai fukubouchu!" the three third-years shouted, saluting.
"Hey, no fair!" Kirihara said. "Fukubouchu, why didn't you interfere when they tried to shower me?!"
"Because", Sanada said, "by that time Yukimura still hadn't gotten his headache from your loud yelling, Akaya. Now get back here!"
Kirihara did, but as he passed Sanada, he muttered something under his breath. Sanada grabbed the collar of the boy's school uniform.
"Would you care to repeat that sentence louder?" he said, turning Kirihara around to face him.
"I said you're being unfair!" Kirihara said. "You're always picking on me! Niou-senpai ate Marui-senpai's pocky-" (Marui gasped, and Niou inched away from the redhead)
"-but you're not telling him to run laps or any of the things I usually have to do!"
"So you want fairness to the last detail?" Sanada growled. Kirihara nodded. "You can start by go back to the others and rest. Because you're going to run laps during afternoon practice until you fall down!"
Kirihara opened his mouth to protest, but took one look at Sanada's face and decided to do as he'd been told instead.
"Come again next year, kouhai" Marui whispered as Kirihara walked past him.
"OK, that does it!" Kirihara said. He picked up his schoolbag, and started walking towards the school gates.
"Kirihara-kun, where are you going?" Yagyuu called after him. The other boy didn't even bother to answer. Instead, he rushed out and got on the first bus arriving at the bus stop.
Kirihara walked to the back of the bus, where he slid down on a seat. He closed his eyes.
Stupid Marui-senpai and stupid fukubuchou he thought before slowly drifting to sleep.