Disclaimer: Here's a random fact: There is no such thing as a red dwarf. Here's another random fact: I don't own Prince of Tennis, or any of the characters. :)
Rating: G
Warnings: Shounen-ai/yaoi, pointless Rikkainess.
Summary: So what do the Rikkai boys want to do after highschool, anyway?
Author's notes: Another Rikkai drabblething. You don't have to have read the ones that come before this, but it might help a bit. The drabblething list goes:
Times of Stress
Passing the Time
How to ask out Marui Bunta
Four Days Later
October Ice
Because I Love You
Evil
Further Nonsense
Dear Diary
Kind of… the same
100 Word Challenges
Driver in a Hurry, Child in a Coma
Doctor, doctor!
The Woes of Solomon Grundy
I'm Not Going
The Little Things
I Had To
He WHAT?!
Operation: Christmas Party
Being Fukubuchou
Once Upon a Time
My Brother Bunta
Dear Diary: Living with Niou-senpai
A Morning at the Pool
This is Love
SFRR
And So It Begins
Most Unexpected
This Is March 5th
No Small Wonder
The Last Day Of A Stage in Life
Back to Basics
Blame it On the Damn Vodka
Papercuts
The Stuff of Myths
Finally Understood
Dear Diary: Beginning the Third Year
Operation: Disbelief
May 21st
The Collective Threads
A Minesweeper Kind of Mind
Sanada Hates Random
Time Will Tell. Probably.
Ok, firstly, I'm so sorry for not updating for like, a whole month. ;.; Believe it or not, I'm actually busier during the holidays, so I've had precious little time to write stuff. That's my excuse, and I hope you'll forgive me! –Bows-
Secondly, thank you to EVERYONE who reviewed any of my fics over the last month. I wish I could list all of you, but I'm worried I'll miss someone out, so… n.n;; I hope you know who you are!
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Lethargy hovered like an ominous cloud over the small grassy lawn.
It was the fifth of August. The air was warm, but there was still a slightly cool feel to the wind from the night before; the scorching summer temperature hadn't had a chance to kick in properly yet. It was just the right kind of weather for sitting outside, waiting for the library to open so that they could get the Kanto tournament lists and details that Niou had left in there. Probably accidentally, although you never really could tell with him. In any case, Yukimura and Yanagi had gone along to get them, leaving Sanada in charge of the morning practice. Of course, Akaya had asked Very Nicely if he could go with them, and Yukimura said yes because he very rarely could say no to him. Which of course led to Marui inviting himself along too.
Unfortunately, the library had decided to open an hour later than usual. Hence the sitting outside, waiting.
"What do you want to do after high school?" Marui asked idly, breaking the comfortable peace and quiet.
There was a brief pause, then Yanagi said, "Who was that directed to?"
"Anyone. Everyone?"
"I'd like to study Psychology at Rikkai University," Yukimura offered.
"Really? I thought you wanted to do History with fukubuchou?"
Yukimura gave a small shrug. "I'd have preferred that, but I want to go to Rikkai University and it doesn't do a good History course."
"Why d'you not want to go anywhere else?" asked Akaya curiously.
"Well, because the only other university I could go to without living most of the year away from home is Tokyo university, which is insanely hard to get into."
"You could do it easily, I bet," Akaya said eagerly. "You're really smart and everything!"
Yukimura chuckled. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Aka-chan. But I think I'll stick with psychology."
"What do you wanna do?" Akaya asked his boyfriend. Marui chewed noisily on his gum for a moment, then shrugged.
"I don't really know yet. I've got like, two years to think about it, right? I'll work on it."
"I'd like to get a degree in English," Yanagi said thoughtfully, "and then maybe go to America or somewhere for a while."
Akaya made a face. "Ugh. English is evil. It's totally stupid and..." he thought, then said, "illogical. It's illogical."
"Well, what would you like to do?" Out of some parallel dimension, Yanagi's notebook had appeared and he was scribbling away in shorthand.
Akaya eyed the notebook balefully, but said, "A vet. I wanna get a… vet degree thing."
"But you don't like animals," said Marui in surprise.
"Exactly." Akaya looked smug.
"… Oh, right." Marui shifted so that he could rest his head in Akaya's lap, looking up at him with adoring eyes. "You're so evil."
Akaya looked offended. "I'm not evil!"
"Sorry, sorry," chuckled Marui.
"I wonder what 'Haru wants to do?" Yukimura mused.
Out popped another notebook. "According to my data, there are many paths open to him. One of the most likely ones is that he'll start a degree in either Archaeology or Biology, get bored after a year, and leave to go to an acting school."
"That's very detailed, Renji," Yukimura said, impressed.
"What about Jackal?" Marui asked.
"Jackal… ah, yes. He's most likely to pursue a career in care of some sort. Possibly nursing."
Marui and Akaya sniggered.
"Now, Akaya," Yukimura chided. "Nursing is a very sound profession."
"But, but..." Akaya could barely speak through the growing laughter. "Jackal-senpai... in a... nurse's uniform!"
He and Marui fell into hysterical laughter, only stopping when Marui started choking on his gum.
"What's Yagyuu likely to do?" Yukimura asked over the noises of a panicky Akaya trying to do the Heimlich Manoeuvre (completely unsuccessfully).
"Yagyuu will become either a lawyer or a police officer," Yanagi said immediately, not even checking his notes. "99.3 percent probability."
"What's the other 0.7 percent?" Yukimura neatly dodged Marui's gum as it flew out of his mouth.
"Professional golfer."
"Ah."
"Oh, good morning." They all looked up to see the friendly figure of the woman who ran the library desk. "Are you waiting for the library to open?"
Yukimura stood up politely, the other following suit. "Yes, we are."
"Well, I'm here now." The woman got out her key and opened the doors, pushing her way in. "What are you boys after?"
She and Yukimura engaged in amiable conversation. Marui and Akaya looked around the library with interest, being careful not to touch anything under Yanagi's watchful eye.
"Ne, ne, Maru-chan?" Akaya whispered. "I bet I know what Mura-buchou's gonna be when he grows up."
"Yeah? What?"
Akaya grinned. "I bet he's gonna be one of those people who cons old women into religion."
"What, a priest?"
"No! Those nice ones."
"… Monks?"
"No! They're not nice!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Akaya."
"Yanagi-senpai," Akaya whined. "You know what I'm talking about, right?"
"I can't say that I do…"
Yukimura came over, holding their lost papers in his hand. "I found them," he said, smiling. "Come on; let's go and rescue Genichiroh."
"Saint!"
"… I'm sorry, Akaya?"
"Saint. You're gonna be a saint after highschool."
Yukimura looked hopefully at Yanagi for an explanation, but all he got from his friend was a shrug and a few scribbles. "I don't think you can choose to become a saint," he said carefully as they exited the library. "I think you have to either perform a miracle or die for your religious beliefs."
"You can get 'Haru to shut up," Marui said helpfully. "That's a miracle."
"I was thinking more along the lines of…" Yukimura racked his brains for a good example that Marui couldn't deliberately pervert. "Mm, causing rivers to flow from where your decapitated head touches the ground."
Akaya opened his mouth, then shut it with a slightly panicked look.
"You won't be a saint!" he gabbled quickly. "I don't want anyone to decapitate you, Mura-buchou."
"Oh, it's too late now!" Marui grinned, waggling his fingers dramatically in Akaya's face. "You've said it! You've doomed him to an early grave!"
"Shut up! I take it back!"
"Don't tease him," Yukimura said reproachfully, reaching out with his free hand and patting Akaya's shoulder consolingly.
Marui snorted. "Oh, yeah, you can talk. You make fukubuchou suffer whenever you feel like letting out your mischievous streak. Like that thing with the shrews. He was so confused that he actually asked me what you and 'Haru were talking about."
"That's different," Yukimura said. "Genichiroh isn't my boyfriend."
"Yet," snickered Marui. He shook his head as Yukimura raised an eyebrow at him and said, "So anyway, I've thought of something I might do after highschool."
Yanagi's pen twitched hopefully. "Yes?"
"I wanna become the world's first professional gum-chewer."
"How would that work?" Akaya asked doubtfully.
"Hell if I know," Marui shrugged. He flashed his peace sign and said, "You can help me research it after school, yeah?"
"Ok!"
The four turned the corner of the street and disappeared from view, then gradually from earshot. The librarian shook her head fondly and told the attentive bookshelves, "You know, I always wanted to be a librarian. I hope they get what they want as well, eh?" Humming peacefully, she started reorganising the stampers.
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Sandy: Love it or hate it, I'd love you to leave a review. :D
Oh, and what do you think will happen to the Rikkai boys after they leave school? I'd love to hear your thoughts! The person with the best suggestion gets to request the next Drabblething (44th). :o So suggest away! Either cracky or serious (or both) is fabby. Reasons why would be excellent too. xD
Until next time!
(Oh, P.S. Merissala, I haven't forgotten you ;) The next Drabblething is the 44th, then your requested 45th. Just in case you might've though I'd forgotten. n.n)