Disclaimer: i dun own Naruto or The Prince of Tennis...
Enjoy
Niwasae Shiina
The Prince of Tennis
It was a sunny day and beautiful day, perfect for the first day of the Kantou Tournaments for High Schools. Seigaku, Rikkaidai, and Hyotei were the top 3 seeded schools with Fudomine coming in at 4th in the Tokyo region. But like Fudomine did, years ago, there were many un-seeded schools attending. One of the un-seeded schools, however, stuck out most among the others and made it to the Kantou.
Shinobi Gakuen.
--
A group of eight people stood in a circle as the blond from the group gave out instructions and their placement in the tournament. They were wearing black collared sleeveless shirts and white knee length shorts. On the back of the shirts and over the heart was the name Shinobi Gakuen written in white.
"Alright then, Doubles 2: Lee and Shikamaru." The slender, 5'3" blond stated in a soft voice. Sapphire blue eyes twinkled as the thin whisker marks on his cheeks lifted with his smile.
"Let us win, for YOUTH!" Rock Lee shouted as he pumped one arm in the air. Lee was a peculiar looking boy. He was 6'2" with a runner's build, bowl cut hair, round eyes, and thick eyebrows. Lee was a person who worked hard and strived for the very best. He was a good person, even if he was a little…eccentric.
"Che, mendoukusai (tiresome)." Nara Shikamaru sighed as he plugged one finger into his ear to block out Lee's cries of youth. Shikamaru was a lanky 5'4" teen with half-mast eyes, a constant sigh on his lips, and a high ponytail that made his hairstyle look like a pineapple. He had an IQ of over 200 and although he was the resident genius, he was lazy-as-hell and deemed everything as to troublesome. Then again, with an overbearing mother and a girlfriend-wanna-be, he had a right to be tired.
"Doubles 1: Sasuke and Haku." The blond continued with a chuckle.
"Hn." Uchiha Sasuke grunted as he glanced at his counterpart from the corner of his eye. Sasuke was Shinobi Gakuen's number two heartthrob, his aniki being number one, with short ebony hair that naturally spiked in the back and bangs framing his face. His 6'2" athletic build made half the women's population swoon in delight. With a perpetual scowl or emotionless face, he gave a new meaning to 'stick like glue' when it came to his partner.
"Of course Naruto-kun." Momochi Haku stated with a smile. Haku was a very kind and polite person who could get away with murder if he so wished. He was 5'4" with an effeminate figure and could usually be seen wearing a woman's yukata around school with his long dark chocolate hair in either a bun or just flowing down his back. Haku smiled at his doubles partner and stepped even closer to him so that their arms were touching.
"Right well, Singles 3 will be Gaara." Naruto said turning to the short redhead.
Subaku no Gaara was of the same height and build as Naruto. The redhead pierced Naruto with his mint green eyes that were surrounded by a thick ring of kohl. He nodded and closed his eyes to block out the scenery. Gaara was the "Dark Prince" of Shinobi Gakuen, who gained that title because of his cold personality and aura of bloodlust that only subsided when near his teammates. Though, that didn't stop any of his fangirls approaching him with gifts.
"Singles 2: Neji." Naruto said, staring at the Hyuuga.
Neji nodded. Neji was about half-an-inch shorter then Sasuke but had a runner's build like Lee. At first glance, his pale lavender eyes made him look blind but that was not the case. The Hyuuga's were one of the richest families in the world and their distinct trait was their eyes. He also had long hair like Haku, though a bit shorter, and tied into a low ponytail. Neji glanced at Gaara and resisted the urge to brush the short strands aside to see the tattoo on Gaara's forehead. His boyfriend-to-be wouldn't like that. Neji had two faces. One, he would show to the public, and the other to his close friends and family. The one shown to the public was blank and professional while the one shown to his friends was slightly the opposite. Neji had a one track mind when it came to Gaara, constantly shadowing him and throwing proposals left and right. It was safe to say that Gaara had become paranoid and was close to giving in. He was always glancing at dark corners, behind trees, outside the windows, under his desk, and in his closet to see if his stalker was there or not.
"And finally, Singles 1 will be our own buchou, Itachi." Naruto said giving a loving smile to his boyfriend.
"Hn." Uchiha Itachi grunted giving the same response as his otouto. His garnet eyes stared down into his lover's sapphire blues before looking towards the court. Itachi was the tallest of the group standing at an intimidating height of 6'4". His athletic build towered over his smaller lover and did well for his professional life. Itachi was the heir to the Uchiha family. They were at the top when it came to bloodline and fortune. His shoulder length coal black hair was tied back at the nape with his bangs framing his face and a line running down from each eye, giving him a more mature look. He was the school's number one heartthrob and every fangirls wet dream. Since he was standing behind his love, he reached out to touch a stray strand of blond hair. Itachi's favorite pass time was touching his beloved's long hair, which was currently held in a bun with a senbon. His usually emotionless eyes softened a bit when he saw Naruto turn to look at him. Naruto was his world. The keeper of his heart and soul, and he'd be damned before he let anyone else touch what was his.
"Is there something wrong?" Naruto asked Itachi.
Itachi just lifted a brow and Naruto chuckled.
"If you say so." Naruto said. He had an uncanny ability to read him like a book. Itachi had yet to figure out whether or not it was a good thing or bad.
"Why aren't you playing? You're the fuku-buchou; you should at least play the game against our first opponents." Lee asked Naruto.
"Baa-chan called me this morning saying that she was going to be late for our first game, so she asked me to fill in as bench-coach and sub-player." Naruto stated.
"That is very YOUTHFUL of you Naruto-kun!" Lee shouted.
Shikamaru sighed enviously before turning and following Lee who was headed towards the court at full speed.
The rest of the team followed at a more sedate pace.
"Who are we up against first?" Haku asked.
"Fudomine." Naruto stated.
"Hmmm…Fudomine, isn't that the team with Tachibana Kippei?" Haku asked as he held onto Sasuke's arm.
"Aa, he was a National level player back in Middle School. Now, he's probably a beginner Pro." Gaara said unexpectedly.
Neji turned to Gaara with a pensive look. It seemed as though Gaara was interested in Tachibana.
'Unacceptable! He is not supposed to be interested in anyone but ME!' Neji thought as he grabbed onto Gaara's hands and brought them up between them.
Gaara's left eye twitched.
"Unhand me Hyuuga."
"Fear not my love, I shall protect you from Tachibana," Neji spat. "And his ilk. Fate demands it!"
"I think Gaara needs more protection from you rather then everyone else." Haku murmured quietly.
Sasuke agreed with a grunt and pulled Haku closer to him just incase the stalking-fate-obsessed-idiot heard him.
"Burn in hell Hyuuga," Gaara growled. "Besides, are you stupid or something? Just because you're pretty doesn't mean you don't have a brain! You're in Singles 2. We need only 3 games to win, so what the hell makes you think that you're even going to lift your racket?!" Gaara snapped.
The rest of the team stood in stunned silence.
"Wow Gaara, that was 5 sentences." Naruto stated.
"Yes, from glares, to grunts, and now complete sentences. It is a vast improvement." Haku agreed.
Sasuke snorted in amusement while Itachi just raised a brow. Nobody was too surprised though. Gaara was bound to snap sooner or later.
"Did you just say that I was pretty?" Neji asked with a very happy look on his face.
"Figures, the only thing he heard was that part." Sasuke said.
Gaara flushed with anger and embarrassment and walked faster towards the court…with Neji on his heels…as usual.
"Well, at least we know now that Gaara feels something for the stalker as well." Sasuke grunted.
"If he's a stalker, then what would you call yourself Sasu-kun?" Haku teased as he followed the duo.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes before catching up with the boy.
"Did you just compare me to him?" he demanded.
Naruto sighed and looked up at Itachi who looked amused.
"At least life is never boring with them." Naruto voiced.
"Hn." Itachi agreed.
--
"Who is playing now?" Kikumaru Eiji asked.
The hyperactive acrobatic player turned to his doubles partner who was checking the board.
"Fudomine and Shinobi…" Oishi Syuichirou trailed off in confusion.
The 17 year old fuku-buchou frowned as he wracked his brain for an explanation.
"Who is Shinobi Gakuen?" Momoshiro Takeshi asked, voicing everyone's question.
His violet eyes turned to Inui Sadaharu, who had a glint on his glasses. He flipped open his notebook and flipped through the pages.
"Shinobi Gakuen is an un-seeded school. They won all matches without any losses from the very beginning up till now. They are dangerous in the fact that we don't know much about them." Inui stated.
"Then what do we know?" Kawamura Takashi asked.
"They have a Doubles team that rivals the Golden Pair and two of their other players are a complete mystery."
"Why?" Fuji Syuusuke asked.
The tensai had his head tilted to the side curiously.
"Because they have never played." Inui stated.
"You're kidding right?" Momo said, shocked.
"Fshhh…that means that they've never went past Singles 3." Kaidou Karou hissed out.
"And who are these players?" Tezuka Kunimitsu asked.
The stoic Buchou of Seigaku was slightly worried but interested as well.
"Well, the Doubles pair that rivals our Golden Pair is Uchiha Sasuke and Momochi Haku." Inui paused to let that sink in.
"When you say Uchiha, do you mean the heir to the number one company in the world, The Uchiha Corps?" Kikumaru demanded.
"Hai that Uchiha, except, he isn't the heir. The buchou of Shinobi is Uchiha Itachi. He is the heir to the Uchiha Corps and one of the two players who didn't play."
"So we have two powerful siblings, game wise and not, on that team. Who else?"
"Nara Shikamaru is their genius like our Fuji. Rock Lee is a speed demon and their power house. Hyuuga Neji is a serve-and-volley player. And Subaku no Gaara is a defensive/offensive baseliner." Inui finished.
Everyone was silent before Momo spoke up again.
"Who is the other player that didn't play?"
Everyone turned to Inui.
"Their fuku-buchou, Uzumaki Naruto."
Their youngest player perked up at this.
Echizen Ryoma had grown only two inches since Middle School, so was still the shortest among his peers. His golden eyes blinked from behind his dark emerald locks as he pulled down the lip of his hat and walked away.
"Oi, Echizen where are you going?" Momo asked, gaining the attention of the team.
"I'm thirsty." Ryoma said and walked off.
'Uzumaki Naruto…why does that name sound so familiar?' Ryoma thought. The only thing that he could recall was a strong sense of respect and kind sapphire blue eyes.