Prince of Tennis
Christmas Special
Team: Seigaku
Written by: Lady Abbess
Message: Read, review, and enjoy!
Standard Disclaimer Applied
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Echizen Ryoma
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There are a few things that could make someone like him really happy, and believe it or not most people don't see just what those things could be. Well, maybe tennis and his pet cat, and drinking his Ponta. Oh, and don't forget Christmas.
Yes, that holiday holds a special place in his heart and the reasons how he ended up with playing tennis, having Karupin and drinking Ponta somehow happened during that holiday.
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It was snowing and he was going home from the park, and he recalled being in kindergarten then.
There weren't much people out then, and the streets were an immaculate white.
If it weren't for the mewing, that pitiful mewing, Ryoma wouldn't have found the small round fluff curled on a park bench.
He took it home with him and asked his mom if he could have it – she had no problems with the matter at all and was delighted with having a cat in the house (he was also delighted when his newfound pet bit his dad when the old man voiced his opinion about having troublesome pets in the house).
The cat was Himalayan with wide, blue eyes that seemed to follow him everywhere and he gave it the name Karupin.
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He was introduced to tennis some time ago when he was still young but his mom asked him to give justice to his studies more than focus on the sport like his father did. And so he followed what his mom asked him, but later on, he was more and more engrossed with tennis that his mom had no choice but to give in to the fact that her son would take after her husband.
One Christmas he was given his very first tennis racket – and it was still the one that he uses in every match. It felt like a good luck charm, considering the fact that it was a gift from both parents.
Nanjirou would often take him out to the sports centers with tennis courts or to amusement parks, but never material gifts (the old man would rather not waste money so it was more often trips to the sports center).
And his mother often gave him practical things like a new book and other things she felt a young boy needed more.
Ryoma remembered the happy feeling upon tearing through the wrapper and seeing the racket.
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When Ryoga was still staying with them, the guy was a source of never-ending annoyance for him. He'd tease him, steal his cap and remind him how he still sucked at tennis. And his dad would agree with him, too. And then he'd think how those two dare pick on someone as small and young as him. He was small and young, after all!
Who'd expect him to be a really great tennis player right then and there?
But Ryoga could be a good big brother when he wanted to, especially if he fights off all those that bully his Chibisuke and gives him candy.
And it was Ryoga who introduced him to the wonders of the grape-flavored soda drink named Ponta.
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"Meow." The Himalayan cat looked up at him, curious.
He crouched down and smiled, petting his little friend.
"Ne, let's play in the snow, Karupin."
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Takeshi Momoshiro
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For a healthy, growing young man like him, what could make him really happy were hamburgers, fries, steaks, sushi, rice and more. Yes, Takeshi Momoshiro would admit how much of a food lover he was and no one else would dare contradict him because it was an obvious fact.
Maybe you would like to ask him sometime, is there something that he wouldn't eat?
Oh please, don't think of him as someone who has the stomach for everything.
There were still foods and cuisines that he wouldn't dare touch – wasabi sushi, escargot, honey mustard, horse radish, bitter gourds and some others that deserved to be featured in Fear Factor – like balut and maggots (see him shudder).
And of course, Inui's special vegetables juices had managed to be on the top of his list.
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He loved the holidays, especially if it involved food to be enjoyed and savored, like Valentine's (think of all the chocolate), and Christmas.
At least he thought he did, or maybe it was his stomach doing the talking, but he didn't mind if that was the case either.
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The snow was a beautiful sight to see, Momoshiro decided, as he walked down the street. He wondered what was a good thing to do for the holidays, especially since no one in their right minds would play street tennis at that time of year and students were enjoying their vacation period. There was nothing to do at home and he thought a walk would be nice but without someone to talk to, it turned out to be a rather boring and stupid idea.
He sighed and dug his cold hands into the warmth of the pockets of his thick winter jacket. "I might as well just take out some burgers and hang around in my room," He muttered and crossed the street.
He took note of the festive decorations in every shop and the cheery Christmas stuff in the display windows.
Then, he wondered what he would give the other Seigaku regulars.
Well, he could give Echizen something Karupin could use; Fuji-senpai a new gardening set or a new potted cactus; Tezuka-buchou a new detective/mystery novel (the stoic captain voiced out wanting that new one from some Jeffrey Deaver, could you imagine that?); to Kaidoh-baka he could give some new barbells or other training stuff, maybe weights; Kikumaru-senpai a new stuffed toy; Inui-senpai new notebooks (but maybe he could give himself a present and sabotage every single concoction that the data man ever came up with); Oishi-senpai might like a new goldfish for a present; and Kawamura-senpai might like some cookbooks, after all, the power house had started taking interest to not only sushi-making (Kawamura-senpai just might become a good chef of sushi-making and other cuisines).
And what about the others?
He wasn't that close with Osakada so he just doesn't know what to give the loudmouth; Sakuno-chan seemed to have taken an interest in baking (she gave him really tasty cookies one time) so maybe an apron, a cookbook and something else; Ryuuzaki-sensei must learn to wear clothes for her age and not some tight, fitted, skimpy clothing so something for her age; and the others…
Hm, Momoshiro then realized he wasn't rich, so if couldn't give everyone gifts, then maybe Christmas cards.
After all, it's the thought that counts, right?
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Momoshiro spotted a gifts shop and headed towards it, opening the door and was greeted with a shrill, girly, "Iraishaimasse!!! How can we help you?" chorus.
Assistance is most likely welcome.
He smiled, "Ano, I was wondering if you had any…"
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Eiji Kikumaru, Shuuichirou Oishi and Fuji Syuusuke
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For the fifth time of that day, he whooped, rose up in the air and tumbled down onto the piles of snow in the park, earning chuckles from one friend and words of worry and concern from the other.
"Oh, come on, Oishi," He said, sitting neatly on the snow, "It's fun so just join me instead of being a worried mother. Nya, I'm right, neh, Fuji?"
The Prodigy of Seigaku nodded his head with a grin, holding his camera with such reverence and turned to Oishi, "It's vacation time, Oishi. Shouldn't you loosen up?"
Shuuichirou hung his head and wondered if he could make his message be understood by the two carefree seniors that he wasn't being molly-coddling them because, seriously, accidents and injuries happen when you least expect them. "Ano, fine. I'll try loosening up but it's just that you guys might get yourselves hurt!"
"Oishi-mama, stop worrying." Fuji looked at him with a 'everything's under control' sort of smile, "Everything's fine."
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When the red-headed acrobat of Seigaku decided to call his two dear friends, Oishi and Fuji, what he had in mind was a day of fun to spend with them. Of course, how could they hang out when they're too caught up with tennis practice, homework, exams, and Inui juices lunged at them? Ano, the Inui juice was forced down their throats but it all meant the same – life was being harsh to them.
He had lots planned – they'd go ice-skating, fool around the arcade, make snowmen and snow angels, etc.!!!
Yes, that was what he told Fuji and Oishi when he called them. "Nya, let's have some fun, Fujiko!!!" He exclaimed into the phone. And the tensai's voice became an amused chuckle. Then, Eiji went on, rattling about what they'd do and what they'd eat, wondering if they could mess with Ochibi later on, and if they could draw Tezuka out of the quiet (the guy needed to have fun once in a while!).
"Saa, Eiji." Fuji said, "You're becoming overexcited again. Don't make Oishi-mama worry too much over you."
"Oishi-mama needs a break too!"
"Hai, we'll have to make him take a day off, ne?"
"Hai, hai!!!"
"Hm, I'll see you at the park then. You don't mind if I bring my camera, Eiji?"
"Nope. Ja, mata, Fujiko!!!"
"Ja, mata."
And when the call was over, Eiji grinned more and dialed Oishi-mama's number.
"Nya, Oishi!!! Me and Fujiko are going to the park, want to come?!"
"Ano, right now? But isn't it still a bit cold? Is there something I should bring – like extra jackets or something? Oh dear, what if someone catches a cold…?"
It was a long time ago when Eiji learned that where Fuji was agreeing, Oishi was on the negative side, worrying.
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"Nya, I wonder what the others are doing!!!" Eiji exclaimed before dodging a snowball thrown at him.
Fuji smiled more when he saw that he missed his target, and crouched down to make some more snowballs. "Tezuka is probably cooped up in his house, doing nothing but sit by the fireplace and read his detective novels."
"Buchou is sooooooo boring." Eiji frowned, "What do you think, Oishi?"
"He likes it that way."
"I know, but if I'm going to live like that, I'll die of boredom!!!"
"Eiji, don't talk like that. I mean, could someone die of boredom? And Tezuka would probably be pissed off if we intrude in his affairs."
Fuji laughed and hurled a snowball at Oishi. "That would make things more fun, don't you think?"
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Ask Fuji what he liked about the holidays and he'd show you tons of photo albums filled with shots of each and everyone he knew. It was the time when he could use up all the films he ever owned and the cost of each roll wasn't much of an issue when he could see different expressions on each face – Echizen's annoyed look when he was hit with an off target snowball, Kaidou's flustered look upon seeing that he and Ryuuzaki-sensei were both under a mistletoe (Momoshiro laughed and laughed all that time but no kiss happened, much to his and Momo's disappointment), Kawamura's excited face when everyone told him how much they liked the cake he baked and how much he was complimented by his dad that he was certainly improving, Sakuno, Tomoka, Katsuo and Kachiroh's bewildered looks as Horio rolled down a hill big snowball style, Tezuka's supposedly calm (he could see it a bit perplexed and ticked off) expression when he was bombarded with too many gifts by fan girls, Oishi's blank face when he was handed an Inui juice instead of tea secretly by the data man himself before fainting, Eiji's face of glee and Inui's look of triumph when that happened.
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Oishi Shuuichirou admits that he liked being in the Fuji residence every holiday, partly because he enjoyed being there and the food was heavenly and partly because he had developed a sort of crush on Fuji's sister. He hadn't told anyone that, especially Eiji who'd tease him to no end and Fuji (who knows what that sadist would be up to?), and thought it better to keep it to himself.
And he could see everyone so happy during that time of year, but he had no blind eye for those poor kids in orphanages and streets. He'd often come up with ways that he knew could help those kids – he'd collect stuff that they could use from his neighborhood: books, toys, clothes; and he'd try spending time with them. He even convinced Echizen, Sakuno, Eiji and Fuji to come with him. Thankfully, their first-year rookie made no objections and wasn't one bit a brat during the entire trip (imagine, Echizen comforted one little boy to stop him from crying).
What he didn't know was that Fuji told his sister of the charity they were involved in, and she agreed to come with them.
He'd see her more often then, and that sort of crush grew a little more.
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Tezuka Kunimitsu
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Even if he didn't look like it, Tezuka Kunimitsu enjoy getting gifts from people who knew him – the regulars, his parents, friends, Sakuno, Tomoka, the Ichinen Trio, tennis club members, Ryuuzaki-sensei (except the part when she does so in skimpy clad clothes, like his last birthday), and, maybe, the fan girls.
It was the reason why he liked Christmas. And of course, one couldn't deny being able to be with one's family.
He glanced up from the novel he was reading and stared stoically at the large clock on the wall.
One thing he also liked about vacation was being able to spend his time alone – away from the same people who gives him his presents – and locked up in his room. It wasn't that he was self-centered, he just didn't like the ruckus people would make when gathered together.
He remembered the unexpected get-together devised by Fuji and Inui with the other rival schools (how they were able to he does not know) and made quite a racket at the central plaza.
Tezuka blinked and went back to reading his bookmarked page.
And speculated on how the death of the rich business tycoon really happened.
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A few moments later, he received a call from Eiji, Fuji and Oishi, with the red-head speaking first. He could only shake his head at the immatureness displayed by the three and wondered if being out in the snow was the cause of it. "Fuji, is there something you need from me?" He slowly spoke.
"Well, we were just wondering…" The tensai drawled on, "Do you mind if we invite you to Kawamura's? We'll be eating there, but of course, that is quite obvious since it is a sushi shop. Maybe you'd like to try some wasabi sushi – I recommend to you that they're good, especially if eaten there."
"Fuji," Tezuka said again, "You're rambling."
"Nya, Tezuka-chan's already annoyed!!!" Eiji's voice exclaimed.
"See, I told you he'd be angry," Oishi said. "Gomen ne, Tezuka."
Fuji chuckled, "We were trying to see if we could draw you from your reading for several minutes. And to see if we could get you out of the house. Oishi reckons that being cooped up for long is going to be bad for you. You need to have social interaction."
"I am interacting now." Tezuka replied.
"Oh yes, with your mother and us three. But with anyone else? I think zip."
"We could ask Ayana-san if you like!!!" Eiji piped in.
"Eiji!!!" Oishi exclaimed in surprise.
"Or we could just tie you up and drag you around," Fuji suggested, "How's the sound of that?"
And Tezuka could picture the sadistic grin slowly forming on Fuji's face.
"Not you too, Fuji…" Oishi exasperatedly said.
"At what time and where shall I meet you?" Tezuka finally said.
"We'll just pick you up."
And the conversation was finished.
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Tezuka went down the stairs and was greeted by the smiling face of his mother, and he took note of her appraising look on his appearance. "I hope you have a nice time out, Kunimitsu. And I wonder which one did it? Fuji or Eiji?"
"Both, okaa-san." He replied.
"I just wish they'd do it often now, Kunimitsu. You do need to see the sun and be with friends, you know?"
"Hai, okaa-san. But are you going to be okay if I left?"
"You sound like you're moving away. Please, your mother would be fine." And she laughed.
"I'm just worried, okaa-san."
"I'll be fine."
The doorbell ran, followed by Eiji and Fuji's call for him.
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Inui Sadaharu
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He blinked and looked up from his notebook, remotely sure that he had forgotten to list something down. When he set off to the central plaza, he was sure that he had his shopping list ready but now, there was that nagging voice in his head telling him that he was forgetting something.
Oh well, he would remember it sooner or later.
He picked up his shopping bags and turned around, heading for the door.
It seemed fortunate for him that it was already the winter season when the science teacher assigned them a research project with them choosing their topic. He already had a topic decided and whatever he would use was already accounted for.
About a month ago, he watched something on television (it must've been a news show or something) and the segment was about a new-forming pest that was infesting bodies of water and causing trouble for fishermen. It was something called a 'janitor fish' and as his research told him, it was the cousin of the catfish and had a sucker for a mouth and was used as a filter for dirt, harmful algae in aquariums and fish pens.
From what he's heard and learned, they were breeding like crazy, with eggs ranging to a thousand and more, and destroying even the good algae.
Fishermen were now trying to come up with ways of ridding their fishing waters of the fish – some killing them; some eating them even when it was still unsure if they were harmful or not; and some high school kids managed to make floor wax from its body fats, biofuel, and produced leather that they used in making wallets, keychains, etc.
His plan now was to do what they already did, come up with more ways of how that fish could be useful, and see if he could use it for his Inui juice as a key ingredient.
Oh yes, speaking of wallets and keychains, he now remembered what he was forgetting.
He had also planned on buying a gift for his mother.
Well, better be off to a gifts shop then.
And he calculated that it was an 80 percent chance that he was one of the few who had come up with such a complex project.
Fuji told him that he'd do a project on his beloved cacti – probably to see if he could crossbreed them.
The others had no plans as of yet.
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The option of taking the cab home crossed his mind but he decided against it because he was trying to save money and an exercise felt a good thing to do right now. Even if it was only brisk walking, it was still exercise.
And after receiving a phone call from an overexcited Eiji Kikumaru, he thought it was sort of conventional for him that he was walking for the Kawamura sushi shop was in walking distance.
So much for being the data expert, he found himself quite surprised when he received the call.
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Kaidou Kaoru
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No one in their right minds would think of jogging when it was too cold with all that snow outside like he was doing right now. But if you were someone who showed a strong determination and perseverance to even brace the cold, then you might as well get along with him, Kaidou Kaoru.
He was thankful of the vacation given to them, tired junior high students, but it does get boring after sometime.
And somehow, he was not used to not following the training menu that he was given. The feeling of not being useful was overwhelming and whoever might say that he was being silly thinking that way (probably that baka Momoshiro or Eiji-senpai), he did not simply care.
Since the river was currently frozen up, there was no way he could practice his swing and the best he could do was to make himself sweat.
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No one knew but he liked taking breaks at his kouhai Echizen's house, which he passes by every time he goes through the park while jogging. It was by accident though, never had been intentional, because while passing by, outside was Echizen and the kid's mother. He paused to greet both, and hid his surprise to see that Echizen was actually helping out in tending to the house (they were currently cleaning up, and it must've been fall, because leaves were everywhere).
Mrs. Echizen invited him to the house, and not a word was said about it by the capped boy, and gave him tea and some onigiri.
That was when he met every (well, almost) member of the household.
He also got to meet the legendary tennis samurai Echizen Nanjirou, Ryoma's cousin and the pet cat Karupin.
Afterwards, he was ready to bid the family goodbye for he was intruding and he felt embarrassed already but Nanjirou-sama challenged him to a tennis match (there was no way he could refuse!). Ryoma got a bit interested in that and picked up his cat, and went with them when they headed for the court they had at home.
He absolutely had no idea that Ryoma's house was in or beside a temple.
Kaidou lost, of course, and understood where his kouhai's competitiveness was coming from.
Having Nanjirou-sama for a father was a hurdle one had to get through if one wanted to be an excellent tennis player.
He actually learned a lot about the family, and knew that Inui-senpai would've been jealous because of whatever data he might've taken down in his notes.
The Echizens were sort of dysfunctional.
And the pet cat was cuddly and really friendly.
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And he was passing by again, and there was the cat and his owner, playing in the snow and his kouhai seemed to look less like the cocky tennis player he knew. Should he coin the term 'innocent-looking'?
"Fssssh… Ohayou gozaimasu." He greeted and was still jogging.
Echizen looked up and so did Karupin, who mewed and pounced him. There was a grin on Ryoma's face and the greeting was returned. "Aren't you tired of exercising and training, Kaidou-senpai?" He asked.
And it was a question he dared not answer anymore.
"Would you like to come in?" The boy asked again, "Okaa-san would be happy to see you and Oyaji-baka would like to play a match with you."
"Fssssh… Not today, though. Gomen ne."
The younger one tipped his cap and muttered a few things, before turning back to his senpai. "Are you sure you wouldn't want to drop in?"
Now, Kaidoh was unsure what to think of the tennis prince's sudden hospitable attitude.
It must be the season…
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Kawamura Takashi
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To make snowball crunchies, one must prepare the following ingredients: 1 cup of powdered sugar, 2 cups of margarine or butter, 5 cups of sifted flour, 1/2 teaspoons pf salt, 2 teaspoons of vanilla, and 1 & 1/2 cups of chopped nuts.
He, of course, had no problem with the ingredients at all and was very accustomed to a kitchen that one could say that he practically lived in it. Oh, and thinking of it, let us say that he couldn't live without the kitchen.
Takashi propped a bowl on the counter and followed the procedures written on his recipe booklet (it was a small notebook with copied recipes from different cookbooks), starting to cream the butter and sugar, adding flour a little at a time, creaming well after each addition.
His father actually liked the idea of his kid experimenting and messing up in the kitchen all the time, knowing that Takashi was "expanding his horizon and learning new things" and felt proud because he knew what the other regulars were like, not that they were awful and all, but the others were simply all tennis-minded and had no plans for the future as of yet.
After the creaming, he read that one must add the nuts, salt and vanilla. Then chill, if possible. But since what he was doing was a simple experiment, he decided not to, wanting it done quickly.
Then, shape one rounded teaspoonful into a ball about 3/4 inches in diameter.
All right, how the hell would he know if the ball was 3/4 inches in diameter?!
Hm, was that his father calling him?
He turned to the sound of his father's voice; "Is there something that you need?" he called out.
"Yeah," His father's voice floated from the other room, "Your friends are here, Takashi. And I need help with the sushi."
"Hai, I'll be right over in a minute."
He looked down on the food he was trying to make and thought it fortunate that he hasn't started on rolling the dough yet, maybe he should just let it chill in the fridge then. Grabbing the bowl, he opened the refrigerator, stuffed it in and shut it quickly, not forgetting to rinse his hands before he walked out of the kitchen.
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"Nya, Taka-san!!!!" Eiji waved wildly and stood a bit from the table they were at, "It's so nice to see you!!! We want some sushi please, thank you!!!"
He laughed out loud – he wasn't ashamed to do that – and so did their tennis tensai, Fuji, but the other two of the group didn't share the same reaction. Oishi pulled Eiji down quickly and when questioned why, their fukubuchou pointed to Tezuka, silencing Eiji's whining at once.
The restaurant wasn't that crowded and no one would've really bothered if they made quite a ruckus but if Tezuka would be your companion, then you'd be anxious enough to even make a squeak.
"Ohayou minna." He smiled and walked over to their table, ready for the orders – even if he already knew by heart what each of the regulars wanted to eat the most. "Why is it that only you guys are here? Where are the others?"
"Inui-san is on his way." Fuji said, "And Oishi is thinking of calling the others as well."
"Why don't you call them? It would be nice if everyone's here so this get-together would be complete."
Eiji brought out his phone and speed-dialed the sophomore powerhouse's number, "I'll start with Momoshiro, nya!!! Ochibi and Kaidoh are hard to reason with, after all!!!"
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A few minutes later and getting Momoshiro's approval of coming to the Kawamura Sushi restaurant, the number they called up was Echizen's and the group had decided that it would still be Eiji to make the call (who pouted and exclaimed, "They're sooo hard to talk to!!! WHY DON'T YOU CALL THEM?"). There was a moment of silence when Eiji grinned, "Nya, Ochibi!!! This is your beloved Eiji-senpai!!! …Nani? What do you mean I am not?!? You're so mean!!!"
Fuji chuckled and Oishi bit back his laugh because he knew that it was rude to laugh at another's expense. "I suppose you should start telling him the reason why you called because Echizen gets frazzled easily." Fuji said.
"Oh right… right… Ne, Ochibi, come over to the Kawamura sushi shop, will you? Everyone's here – well, Inui and Momo aren't yet, and we'd still call Kaidoh… Nani? Kaidoh's there? What on earth is he doing there? Is there something you guys are NOT telling us?!?!"
The group all heard Ryoma's equally loud retort, followed by a hiss of disbelief from Kaidoh. "WHAT on earth are you thinking of, Eiji-senpai?" Echizen had demanded.
"Ano, gomen, Ochibi-chan… Ano, so are you two coming or not?"
There was low mumble and when Eiji grinned, they knew that both had agreed to come.
When the tennis acrobat ended the call, he sighed and looked at the others' amused faces – yes, including Tezuka's and Kawamura Sr.'s. "Nani? Is there something wrong?!"
Everyone, except Tezuka, of course, laughed and left Eiji more confused than he was before. "What is so funny?" He asked.
Fuji stopped and with a teasing smile, he said to his red-headed friend, "Saa, Eiji… What on earth were you thinking earlier?"
Eiji flushed. "F-Fuji!!!! Oh, come on, it wasn't my intention too, nya!!!"
"Get your mind out off the gutters next time." Tezuka said.
"AH!!! Not you too, Tezuka!!!!"
"Happy holidays, Eiji." Oishi and Kawamura chorused, and thus started another round of laughter.
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SEIGAKU
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A/N: Ah, soon it will be Christmas and we'll be having the holiday break. I just can't wait!! And I'll try making fics for the other teams because I've noticed that I'm writing mostly on Seigaku and Rikai. My, my, I'm becoming neglecting… Oh well, review please!! Thanks, guys.