A/N: The entire idea came to me last month but I have only finished wrapping it up this week. Whew! I am playing god again. 8th PoT fic, minna…Saa, I wonder when I will stop…
Don't you just love Shiraishi?
Disclaimer: Had I been the owner of PoT I would have made Fuji into a girl—but t PoT would not be as interesting as it is—good thing I am not. Neither are you. Don't sue me.
ECSTACY
"Hitouji can you say this for me?"
Hitouji Yuuji received the piece of paper from his captain, one Friday afternoon after their regular practice. His captain had invited him for a short chat inside the changing room and Yuuji had even joked about his sexuality. The captain had just smiled.
The blue haired tennis player silently read the two words legibly written on the paper which looked a little bit crumpled and somehow he had a hunch that his captain had hesitated to ask him to execute the task after all. Those two words sent shivers to his spine and he wondered why out of all there was to say, why those particular words.
However, why it was him and not the other members was not a question. It would have been easily answered had it been asked. Hitouji Yuuji was the only person who could do it in Shitenhouji. With much concentration, hoping he could really get it right, he looked at the silver haired boy patiently waiting in front of him, and tried, "Tsubame Gaeshi."
Shiraishi Kuronusume considered it for a moment. He thought and he thought hard. His brown or were they grey eyes fixed their merciless gaze at the speaker. His bandaged hand kept still, supporting his chin and only a keen pair of eyes, say Ryoma, Kikumaru, or Saeki, or Kikumaru, or Niou would have noticed the slight trembling of that hand.
Hitouji waited for the judgement with his eyes closed. In his mind he had prepared several possible answers to taunts and questions.
But Shiraishi knew better. He laughed.
Thus begins Shiraishi's battle against himself.
…..
"Nani nani NAAANNNNIIIIIIIII? Why is Shiraishi asking Hitouji to copy Fuji? What is happening? Is Shiraishi ok?" asked the very active Kintaro to one befuddled Koharu.
"Can you please ask questions one by one? Even a three-digit IQ such as mine can burst!"
"Kenya! I am sure you have an answer for me!"
"I'm sorry. I also don't know Kin-chan. I only know he began to be like that after the Yakiniku contest," replied the all too innocent Kenya, putting a hand under his chin, trying to remember what had happened that night. "Remember, we were about to lose and we decided to eat head to head against Seigaku. With all the meat plus Inui Sadaharu's Potions, it was really tough. Then it was the time they were to get a plate ahead of us, we decided to try our best."
"Haaaaiiiiiii, I do remember eating five slices at the same time, my jaws hurt! But it was a good meal, NNNNNNEEEEEEEE? When are we going to eat that again? Seigaku I bet eats after every successful game, that's their secret I suppose! I should eat so I can beat Koshimaeeeeeeee!"
A nerve throbbed dangerously at Kenya's temple. Before the speed star of Naniwa could totally lose his patience to Kintaro's continuous blabber, Chitose intervened. Glimmering under the daylight with his Pinnacle of Wisdom, he said, "Kin-chan, your chitchat will end after three minutes and Kenya will forget to tell you why Shiraishi is behaving mysteriously."
"Ah?"
"Arigatou, Chitose."
"The next time Kin-chan speaks again, I'll show him my third eye," Koharu spoke devilishly.
"Majiska? Iie! Yamete!"
And Koharu started running after Kintaro who gave his best in dodging the "homo." Kenya lost his marbles and chased the two around campus. Zaizen, Chitose and Gin only looked at them. "Your prediction worked," Gin commented, totally impressed as Zaizen for the first time felt glad that he was not in the limelight, applauded Chitose.
"Iie. That is merely out of experience. It's all a re-enactment to me."
"Hai."
….
"Shiraishi, can't you just tell us what you have been doing so far?" Oshitari Kenya seriously asked a more serious Kuronusuke, sipping what looked like an imitation of Inui Sadaharu's vegetable juice and playing with more vegetables daintily cut and laid on a plate.
Shiraishi looked up from his plate of salad. "Nani? Dosh'ta, Kenya?"
"Well, you've been asking Yuuji to do something for you, right. All of us are wondering why that has to be hidden from the team," Kenya gulped, either because of the food combination that his captain was eating before his very eyes or the deadly tone dripping in every syllable that the silver-haired bishounen had uttered.
"It looks like it hasn't been hidden after all. By what you have mentioned, it seems that you already know what it is about."
Oshitari Kenya, like he never prayed before, vowed to all of the gods in the Japan never to meddle in one Shiraishi Kuronusuke's business anymore unless invited.
…..
"He doesn't do it that way!
"Yuuji, one more try!
"Yuuji! Fuji won't say 'Aha!'
"Wwwwaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh! I can't take it anymore! I've been trying to be the most obedient person on earth and …why in the world am I trying to be in the first place? Koharu…"
Koharu could only pat his "boyfriend's" shoulders as the latter poured his heart out through his sea of tears. "Who would have known that buchou is an uke?" He contributed to Yuuji's 10000 decibels of wails.
Then there was a deafening silence—you would know that it was that sound when you had been accustomed to the loud music from humongous stereos then suddenly the electricity went out. Imagined that? Exactly. That was the sound everyone heard after that three-letter word. And as you got over the shock of losing the electricity and began to wonder out loud why so, so did the members of Shitenhouji team. There were loud whispers here and there: even Yuuji dropped his act and gossiped with the others.
"…never thought of that before…never considered him one before…"(Gin)
"…Chitose would have been a better candidate…"(Zaizen)
"Nani? Will you shut up?"(Chitose)
"… don't tell me you haven't foreseen that, Chitose…"(Zaizen,, smirking)
"I'd rather go blind…" (Chitose)
"Hmph…"(Yuuji sniggering)
"…Did he go out with Kenya?..."
"Oi!"(Kenya)
"…baka …don't ask for obvious answers!"(Koharu)
"Oi!"
"NANI, OSHITARI?" (Shitenhouji)
Kenya innocently pointed at the red head Kintarou who was blushing and could not seem to figure out what to do with his knees.
"Eh?"
"Nande, Kin-chan?"
"Aaaannnnoooooouuuu…."
"'Anou?'" All of them including Kenya were looking at Kintarou now, adding to the kid's discomfort. He started playing with his racket gut.
"…mumble mumble…"
"Eh?"
"…mumble mumble…"
Koharu suppressed a snigger. "It would be more helpful if you'll say it out loud Kin-chan. There's nothing wrong with it."
Kintarou gulped and in his usual whiny voice, asked, "What is uke?"
Shitenhouji tennis club marked their calendars that day.
….
"Shitenhouji?"a befuddled tensai asked an even more befuddled Ryuzaki-sensei. The latter had called the first amidst Seigaku's ultimate preparation for the finals.
"Hai. You seem to have gotten their interest," Ryuzaki nonchalantly said as she watched Momoshiro receive a Hadokyou from Kawamura. She glanced at Fuji Syuusuke who kept his non-commital smile intact. "Your kind of tennis proved to be a worthy opponent against their Bible after all."
A fraction of Fuji's smile dropped. He opened his eyes but directed his glare to something beyond the tennis courts of Seishin Gakuen. "Saa…"
Ryuzaki smiled, enjoying the rare tension she could feel emanating from the usually calm, composed, and easy-go-lucky member of the team. "The team members are quite concerned for the buchou though…"
Fuji snapped from his reverie and resumed his all-too-innocent expression, eyes closed, a smile on his lips.
"Shiraishi, it seemed, after your game, felt like he did not win at all."
…..
A day before the nationals, Fuji Syuusuke, wearing his tennis uniform, graced Shitenhouji's staying area with his presence.
"Thank you for accepting my request."
Oshitari Kenya and Shiraishi Kuronusuke looked at each, other, both astounded. They had said the same thing at the same time to the same person but they had different intentions. Even their team mates were mildly surprised.
Fuji Syuusuke smiled, amused. "Iie, betsuni."
The best of one set match, Shiraishi vs. Fuji, Fuji to serve.
"Fuji, you don't how much I wanted for us to have this game."
Shiraishi looked at the tensai who merely gave him an ethereal smile. How he wished he could wipe off that smile that could mask everything. He knew however that as he could not play without his Bible, his adversary would not play without that 'technique.' Seigaku's tensai could be the most intense and indifferent player on the court without even caring for the result.
Fuji served the ball.
Shiraishi Kuronusuke permitted himself a lopsided grin. "Hm…Ecstacy…"
"Ne, ne, nnneeeeee, Kenya, why didn't Shiraishi ask for an unofficial match in the first place?"
Kenya shrugged his shoulders. "No one knows Kin-chan."
Chitose, glimmering under the sun (Yuuji: Can't you control that thing? / Chitose: I wish I could.), prophesied or guessed, "Shiraishi was not ready yet to be defeated. Having an opponent who could stand against his Bible tennis was a huge threat for him."
Kenya nodded. "Perfection in tennis is what he holds on to."
"Meeting Fuji Syuusuke who broke through his technique also broke his faith. He has to keep that intact," Gin said.
"Hmm," Zaizen observed. "Then playing against Yuuji reassures him that he won in the semi-finals?"
"No—THAT'S AN INSULT ZAIZEN!- He played against me so he could prepare himself for the next time that he and Fuji would meet on the court, fair and square."
"Yuuji, that was very romantic!"
"Sankyu, Koharu!"
Shitenhouji stood watching, hardly daring to breathe or blink. It was very important not to miss that match.
"Ne, we could have invited the whole Seigaku team over, neeeeeeeeee!"
Kenya was about to retort to this childish outburst when he was saved by his ringing phone. Out of all the time that his cousin could have called! He answered the phone…and looked at the tennis court in a different light. He nudged Chitose…
…
"What happened to the match?"
"It was 7 games to 5, Fuji won."
"Fuji even won without using his Hecatoncheires no Monban. He keeps on getting stronger."
"Sasuga, Fuji Syuusuke. Kowaii, ne?"
"Nandeeee, Keeenya, why didn't you watch Shiraishi's game?"
"Yes, you've taken a great time talking on the phone."
"Who was that Kenya? Yuushi?"
"No, Kenya's uke…"
"KOOOHAAARUUUU, I don't want to hear thaaaaaaat!"
"Kenya, on the phone…was that Fuji?"
Kenya looked at Chitose. With a sigh of relief that he was not alone in the world, he replied. "Hai, it was Fuji Syuusuke."
"AAARRREEEEEE?"
…
"If this is just what you wanted, you could have gone to him from the start."
"Arigatou, Niou," Shiraishi smiled at the silver-haired guy who was engrossed in picking on his racket gut.
"Fuji Syuusuke…this has been a pretty easy game, piyo," Niou Masaharu indifferently put his racket back to its case and prepared to go.
For a moment, Shitenhouji's buchou could not say anything against this remark. However, as the Rikkaidai trickster took a number of steps from the court, Shiraishi found his answer.
"You will know once you play with him."
Niou remained, at least outwardly, apathetic and left. Who said Shitenhouji's Bible was perfect? But it was a good technique…who would be the best person to try his discovery with? Niou Masaharu had all the time in the world to play a game—a trick? –against anyone, be it a tensai or not. Tomorrow will be interesting…puri.
…
0100 am, the day of the Nationals. Fuji Syuusuke woke up to the blaring sound of his cellular phone. It was not his usual ringtone. As Inui Sadaharu had suggested, everyone recorded Kawamura Takashi's "Greato, Moerze, Burning" voice and used it as a ringtone or alarm.
"The possibility that all of the regulars would be on time for tomorrow is 97 %."
Fuji pushed the answer button, thinking that it was just an overexcited Eiji or a jittery Oishi, and with a groggy voice greeted, "Moshi moshi…"
There was dead air at the other line for awhile before a familiar voice spoke up. Fuji Syuusuke opened his cerulean eyes.
…..
Shiraishi Kuronusuke looked up at the stars for the last time before he closed his eyes to get his well deserved sleep. His phone was beside him. The last person he had spoken to before he got to dream land was a tensai and the latter had given him an answer to his challenge. After the Nationals…
Fuji Syuusuke…you are really interesting…
After the Nationals…
After the…zzzzzzz
More A/N: I like Fuji. And Eiji…and Shiraishi…and Niou… (Oshitari: Aren't you forgetting someone?)…so I often disregard cannon pairings and go with my make shift ones.
It is just an attempt to delve on Shiraishi's reaction after his match with Fuji -checkout PoT Nationals OVA episode 15 Roar- and justify Niou's illusion(as Shiraishi) in OVA 23 Can You See Stars in Broad Daylight?
Need to say something? Hit the review button then. Flames will receive Yagyuu's Laser Beam (as Niou is in here). Saa, minna, yudan sezou ni ikou.
