A/N: Yes, I know I'm usually late, but this time, I forgot about the whole thing. I've been busy studying for my midterm tomorrow, and the thought of Shiraishi's birthday completely slipped my mind. So, I'm working up this now. By the time I post this, it'll be about two minutes to twelwe locally, so I just need to write the rest and update in about half-an hour (the primary thing is to get the date, I'm somehow obsessed with that.

Edit: Now it's done. YAY! Please ignore any potential OOC-ness from Kura, and the absence of Gin. It's not my fault that he never showed up...

Disclaimer: Do. Not. Own.

Warnings: Un-beta'd text, slight swearing.

Painful

"SHIRAISHI!"

A groan escaped Shiraishi Kuranosuke's lips as he heard the unmistakable sound of Tooyama Kintaro approaching. Yes, he thought wearily, he should have stayed home today. With that killer headache, it might be just as useful as going to school, he mused. Instead, he found himself outside the tennis courts, glaring at the pavement for its white, shiny existence that only seamed to increase the pain. To hear Kintaro making his way over in a dangerous pace was also quite a disappointment for the Shitenhouji tennis captain.

Next to him, his best friend Chitose Senri sighed with pity. Personally, he had never been cursed with what one could call the Kin-chan torment. Or at least, that was what Shiraishi called it.

For once, said captain had hoped he could escape the little kid, if only for a day, even. It was not that he found Kintaro a bother, annoying or just simply wanted him to die. No, Kintaro was just simply... Tiresome. Especially if you had a tremendous headache.

"You know, you can always hide behind the bushes," Chitose chuckled. "I'll tell him you went the other way."

"It won't work, he'll smell me out," Shiraishi mumbled, too tired to really come up with a proper comeback, and started walking towards the clubhouse instead. "There is something not quite natural about that kid."

"Seriously?" Chitose did not even bother feigning surprise as he fell in step next to the smaller boy. "I didn't notice." He frowned as Shiraishi sighed again, closing his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Sure you're okay?" he asked in concern, eyeing his friend. "I'm sure the teachers will let you go home. It's your birthday after all."

Of course it was his birthday. Isn't that typical? You always secretly look forward to that date, the one that marks the x'th celebration of your birth. Shiraishi was no exception, no matter how much he pretended to be one. Yet, when he awoke the 15th of April, he suddenly wished he would stay asleep the rest of the day. No, nothing beat an aching temple at six in the morning when you knew this was the day you had been looking forward to. Shiraishi, the Bible of Shitenhouji, had cursed really bad that morning.

"It doesn't really matter now, does it?" Shiraishi muttered darkly. "I'm already halfway through the day, it'll be fine if I keep it up this way."

"You're damn stubborn," Chitose sighed in defeat, albeit with a fond undertone in his voice. "Fine, but don't complain to me later when you're charged with murder. All six of them."

"Don't exaggerate it," Shiraishi shook his head. "I think I'll manage without killing Gin. Maybe he can do some of the killing for me, to spare me the pain. Even shifting my eyes hurt like hammer right now."

"Take some painkillers at least, you're starting to sound like a girl," Chitose chuckled, gently patting the blonde mop of hair.

"I would have you know, I'm out of them," Shiraishi grunted in response. "And the nurse wouldn't let me have any more. Apparently, there is a limit to how many you can have a day. It could cause an overdose... Which, of course, is a bad thing."

"Your intellect amazes me."

"Your lack of brains amazes me."

"Since when did you get so prissy?"

"Since you called me a girl."

"Which you have called me many times, despite the fact that I'm obviously the more masculine of the two of us."

"If you want me to say touché, I won't do it."

"I didn't expect you to, I merely - "

Chitose did not get the time to explain what he meant, for in that precise moment, Kintaro decided to honor the duo with his presence. Or rather, torture Shiraishi and amuse Chitose.

"SHIRAISHI!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, despite standing less than a meter from his senpai, who quickly covered his ears.

"Will you please be quiet, Kin-chan?" he groaned, glaring at the younger. Chitose had to suppress a laugh at the look on Kintaro's face. Said redhead merely cocked his head and stared in confusion at Shiraishi.

"Oi, Shiraishi, what's up with you?" he questioned, moving closer to inspect him, as if the cause of his distress was written on the tip of his nose. Shiraishi, of course, only backed of and continued his Glare of Death.

"He's having a headache," Chitose explained with a chuckle, rubbing his neck slightly as Shiraishi's glare shifted to him. Kintaro, on the other hand, looked just as confused as before.

"Head-ack?" he asked, scratching his chin. "What's that?"

"That, Kin-chan," Chitose started friendly, before halting, realizing that he was not quite sure of how to proceed. "Is... Uhm, when your head... Ache. Like, hurts."

Again with that confused look. How thick could you be?!

"Kin-chan, you know when your head hurts, like here?" Shiraishi interrupted, clearly annoyed at the slow progression, and pointed at his temple. "As if you're hit with a tennis racket?"

Immediate response.

"Yeah, it's painful!" Kintaro chirped, a smile forming at this new realization.

"That's how I feel right now!" Shiraishi boomed, returning to his glare.

"Poor Shiraishi-buchou," Kintaro said pitifully, not at all frightened. Chitose had to say he was impressed by the first year. "Have you tried eating those candies that the kind lady at the office says helps?"

"Yes, I've tried painkillers," Shiraishi sighed, walking over to a nearby bench and sitting down.

"Apparently, you can only take so many before you go crazy," Chitose smiled to Kintaro.

"Then I think it's too late for Shiraishi," the redhead said with a frown. "I don't think he's all that good in his head."

"What's that - "

"Ooooh! Of course he's not!" A fourth voice chimed, apparently from the bushes. The trio barely had time to turn around, before a grinning Koharu appeared out of said bushes, dragging along an equally grinning Yuuji.

"Our Shiraishi-buchou was never quite sane!" Koharu continued as he danced around the small company with an expression that made Chitose want to puke. "I mean, look at me! I've got one of the highest IQ's in the country, and sometimes I believe that our buchou and I do not even share a mind from the same universe!"

"Believe me, Konjiki, the feeling is completely mutual," Shiraishi muttered, only loud enough for Chitose to hear.

"But, but, Kon-Kon-senpai," Kintaro wailed, clearly unsatisfied with something. "If Shiraishi-buchou is crazy, then we need to help him!"

"I'm not - "

"Oh noes, has it gone that far already?" Koharu gasped, putting one hand in front of his mouth in an awfully feminine gesture. "We need to help him!"

"Yup, yup!" Kintaro quickly agreed. "Especially since today is his birthday!"

Shiraishi froze. When did Kintaro..?

"See?" Yuuji interrupted, scowling at Koharu. "I told you it was today! What good is an IQ of 200 if you cannot even remember a stupid date?"

"Well, 14 and 15 are very similar," Koharu shrugged. "Well, I do keep you for some reasons."

"Why, you - !"

"Oh stop it, you two," Shiraishi groaned from the bench, making everyone turn and look at the previously so quiet captain, who was practically fuming at this point. "My head hurts like a bitch, but if you two won't keep quiet or move to somewhere further away than Siberia, I will personally - "

"Please don't finish that sentence, Kura," Chitose interrupted merrily. "There are minors present."

"... What the hell, we are also minors."

"My point exactly."

"I hate you when you think."

"Aw, look at that!" Koharu squealed, jumping up and down and cradling Yuuji's hand. "They're like an old married couple. They're LIKE US!"

"We are so not an old married couple!" Yuuji grunted in response. "We're, in fact, very young!"

"Are you married?" Kintaro butted in, suddenly curious. "Why wasn't I one of the bridesmaids!"

"Of two perfectly fine reasons," a certain Zaizen Hikaru replied, smirking as he casually strolled over to the mayhem along with his favorite senpai, Oshitari Kenya. "One, there never was a wedding. Two, you're a boy."

"Oh for the love of GOD, will all of you get lost!" Shiraishi cried in despair as even more insane regulars appeared. "Otherwise I won't be held responsible for doing...! … Very bad things to you!" He added as an afterthought with a glare at Chitose, who looked suspiciously innocent.

"Don't be naughty now, Shiraishi," Oshitari taunted. "We already have the baka duo for that."

"Oh, did you hear that, Yuuji?"

"I think I did."

"They want us to be naughty!"

A unison "NO!" rang through the group, even from Shiraishi, who immediately regretted it. If nothing else, than at least because of the pain.

"Look at that senpai, he's doing ugly thing with his face again," Zaizen commented to Oshitari as Shiraishi's face scrunched up in pain. "I thought he'd quit that."

"I thought you stopped being a bitch when I put you in doubles with blondie," Shiraishi growled through gritted teeth, showing a full, albeit painful, awareness.

"... Your hair is blonder than mine." Oshitari said dryly. Shiraishi ignored him.

"I swear to whatever high entity up there," Shiraishi started, moving his Glare of Death over each of them, making sure they were sufficiently terrified before moving on. "Unless all of you either get the hell away, OR get me some decent painkillers, you won't just wish that you never came here, or that you hadn't started at this school, I swear, you will regret not committing suicide in kindergarten!"

Silence. Then - "What is he talking about?"

God, Shiraishi wanted to suffocate Kintaro that moment. So... Slowly... Painfully...

"... Go to the nurse and ask for some painkillers, Kin-chan," Oshitari urged the redhead as he watched Shiraishi's anger rise. Kintaro stared dumbfounded at him.

"You mean those white candy pills?" he asked, frowning as the self-proclaimed not-as-blond-as-Shiraishi nodded. "But I don't hurt..."

Zaizen, however, saw no reason for it to remain this way, and quickly grabbed Oshitari's tennis racket, whacking it over Kintaro's head.

"Ow ow ow ow!" the youngest of the group exclaimed in horror, and grasped his now aching temple.

"Now you hurt," Zaizen said simply, handing Oshitari back his racket. "Go fetch, kid!"

As they watched Kintaro grudgingly take off, Oshitari turned to Zaizen with a frown.

"You're only a year older than him, you know," he said. Zaizen shrugged.

"Well, he's unnaturally immature, I'm naturally cool," he said. "It's not my fault that those factors creates a mental age difference of about four years between us." Oshitari sighed in resignation.

"Let's just go."

"But Shiraishi - "

"Let's. Just. Go."

"... Happy birthday then, Shiraishi-buchou."

But Shiraishi paid little heed as Naniwa's speedster and genius boy quietly walked away. He was to absorbed in the soothing darkness of his palms.

"That was a bit mean of Oshitari-kun, don't you think?" Koharu said idly, glancing over at Yuuji, who had, sometime while Oshitari tried to solve the conflict, flung his arm across the genius's shoulder.

"Yeah," he replied with a frown. "Just running off like that, and on buchou's birthday, even. At least Zaizen congratulated him, but I don't think it was very sincere."

"But still!" Koharu whined. "Hikaru is growing into such a cute boy! Maybe I need to keep an extra eye on him so that Kenya, that trickster, won't steal him away...!"

"Hey, idiot!" Yuuji suddenly exclaimed. "You're with me, remember? If Kenya want the bitch, then give him the bitch!"

"Oh, but isn't it a waste to let such fantastic material slip away, and to the likes of Kenya, at that?" Koharu pouted.

"Could you two please take that discussion elsewhere?" Chitose sighed, desperately trying to ignore things he did not want to hear. "It's wrong in so many ways. And can't you see that we've got a dying man here?"

Truth to be told, in between their banter, Koharu and Yuuji had, in fact, forgotten about Shiraishi, despite him being their initial subject of conversation.

Shiraishi, on the other hand, was perfectly fine with being forgotten. Well, he would have preferred it if the idiots had taken their internal conflicts somewhere else, but at least he was not addressed anymore. Which suited him perfectly.

"Fine fine, phew, you are grumpy today," Koharu muttered, looking at Chitose. "Is that the annoyed wife attitude I spot?"

"No, that would be Shiraishi," Chitose rolled his eyes. "Now please, I think he'd appreciate some silence. Which is impossible when you two are nearby," he quickly added as Koharu opened his mouth to protest.

"Fine," the bespectacled boy huffed, glaring at Chitose. "Otherwise, happy birthday, Shiraishi-kuuun!"

"Yeah, have a good day," Yuuji added as the duo turned to leave.

"Couldn't have happened soon enough," Shiraishi mumbled from his position at the bench. Chitose chuckled.

"And to think, only half of the day has passed..."

"I know, I know," Shiraishi sighed, looking up in defeat, scowling at the sun for being so damn bright. "I'm going home. If I'm quick, I might just be able to leave the grounds before Kintaro returns."

"Yeah," Chitose smiled. "Good luck with that."

"Thanks." Shiraishi smiled back slightly as he stood, a bit wobbly at first. A quick hand from Chitose steadied him again, and the captain smiled gratefully.

"You know what, Chitose?" he said as he regained his balance. "I think I'll keep you for a while longer."

Chitose laughed and blinked in approval. "Sure thing," he said. "Happy birthday, Kura. Now get home and get better!"

"Don't you worry, I will!" Shiraishi reassured him as he grabbed his bag and walked away, heading home. "I will."

Yes, finally finished. Now I can go to bed and hopefully stay awake tomorrow... -.-;

Oh, and by the way, please review and tell me something! Whether it's "OMG! I WANNA MARRY YOU!" or "You suck at life, go die in a pig farm" or something like that, a little feedback would be nice! Thankies! :D