Disclaimer: I do NOT own Tennis no Oujisama TT-TT

AN: I know I should be updating the other two. Trust me, I know. Unfortunate for those stories, and my sanity, Eiji called. And I was reminded of a One-Shot we had in mind that ties into later stories, so you're getting this, because I find it amusing.

Misunderstanding

Eiji was worried. Oishi hadn't called him that day, and had left the poor red head sitting on a bench at the street courts. He made a small whimper, pouting to himself as he watched people play. He could have jumped in and played a singles match...but he wanted to beat everone at doubles. They needed to practice their new formation either way.

"What are you doing here?"

Blinking, Eiji looked up and found a familiar pair of slanted blue eyes glaring down at him. He pouted again, "Why should I tell you? I was here first!"

"...Without your partner."

"...So? Oshitari-san's not with you, either."

Gakuto twitched visibly, refraining from murdering the other red head on the spot. He asked his question again, "What are you doing here?"

"Oishi told me to meet him here."

"...Yuushi told me to meet him here."

Both went quiet, thinking over it. It could have just been a coincidence. But when it was Oishi and Yuushi, two people that planned things extremely carefully, that just wasn't normal. Gakuto slumped into the seat next to his rival, looking depressed all of a sudden. Before Eiji could question him, a pair of familiar voices called out both of them.

"I'm sorry, Eiji!"

"Gakuto, you're early."

The two red heads looked up, finding their partners standing side-by-side. They shrugged it off as a coincidence.

The next day, it happened again. This time, their partners were later than before. The day after that, they were even later. They always had bags with them, too, that they wouldn't let either acrobat look into. By the end of the week, Eiji and Gakuto had become accustom to sitting next to each other, on the bench next to the doubles court. They were even helping each other condition. Gakuto seemed to be down more than usual those days. He rarely spoke to anyone, including Yuushi, unless asked something. He always seemed to be glaring, but not at Eiji this time. It was aimed at Oishi...and that day their partners were later than they had been all week. Eiji finally got up the courage to try conversing with the other acrobat.

"What's wrong? Your game's been off all week!"

"They're up to something."

Eiji finally clicked what was going on. That glare wasn't disappointment or spite. It was pure suspicion. Now that he thought about it, Oishi had been spending a lot of time with Oshitari. It was starting to make Eiji feel left out. He didn't like being left out when it concerned Oishi. He made up his mind then, and jumped up from where he'd been sitting on the ground, "We're going to find them!"

Gakuto watched him a moment, before sighing and shrugging in agreement. They left the tennis courts, thinking of where the bags had been from all that week. While arguing on the way down the street, Eiji grabbed Gakuto and pulled him behind a bush, hand over his mouth. Gakuto blinked and looked at him, then where he was starring. Oishi and Yuushi were walking down the street.

"Com'on!"

Before Gakuto had a chance, Eiji had dived over him, and had begun sneaking after the pair, in very ninja-like motions. The Hyotei player could only sigh and follow, refusing to do the ridiculous moves, and snapping that Eiji was lucky he was even going along with the hiding. If he'd had it his way, he would have beaten both of them into the ground, boyfriend or not. Eiji had pouted at that, but continued his ninja-like moves all the same.

They ended up in front of a party store. Both exchanged a confused glance and walked in, hiding behind a shelf from their partners and following them around a corner.

"...What the hell are they doing? ...Kikumaru?" Gakuto looked around, noticing the Seigaku player had disappeared. In that case. He'd just take things into his own hands. Yuushi wasn't getting out of this in one piece, unless he had one hell of a good reason. When he grabbed the two, they looked at him in shock.

"Gakuto--"

"You better have a damn good reason for this, Yuushi." He growled, silencing his partner almost immediately. He almost failed to notice the horrified look Oishi had on his face. In confusion, he followed the player's gaze and felt his own jaw drop somewhat. Eiji was hanging off the ceiling, waving at them with a big grin plastered on his face. When the store bell rang, he looked at the door and started to go that way. It almost looks like a crab walk...ugh. Freak. Gakuto shuddered.

Finding it best to ignore the acrobat at the moment, Gakuto turned back their partners, hands on hips and waiting for an answer, "Well?"

"If you'll calm down--"

"Nu-uh. You answer." He turned on Oishi, ignoring Yuushi for the time being. The player looked terrified, still watching his partner on the ceiling follow whoever had come in. They were heading this way. He tried to get the violent red head to head outside, "Why don't we talk about this somewhere else--"

"No! Now!"

"Oishi-kun!"

Oishi flinched, and Gakuto whirled around. A family of red heads was standing behind him, smiling at the mentioned player. He was waving back at them at the point, with a sweatdrop, "Kikumaru-san...it's been a while--"

"You're saying that's his family?" Gakuto and Yuushi sounded at the same time, turning to Oishi with jaws dropped. Oishi blinked a bit, and nodded. He didn't see why it should be so surprising. There weren't that many red heads in Japan...and the mother looked just like Eiji, afterall.

"I've told you a million times to call me Jenny, Oishi-kun." The woman looked hurt, pouting at him, then looked over Gakuto and Yuushi, "Are you Eijiko's friends, too?"

While Gakuto normally would have snorted at such a question, he was still trying to get over how much the woman looked like Eiji when she pouted, and how much better she looked. The son obviously hadn't inheirited his mother's fashion sense. His sisters seemed to look like their mother as well, as did his brothers, save their eyes. And he really didn't like the way they were starring at that moment.

Before he could growl though, Yuushi beat him to it. He growled at the two older boys, putting a protective arm around his partner's waist and pulling him back a bit.

The seemingly older of the two looked at his brother with a frown, "Told you she was taken."

Gakuto twitched, clenching his fist. He hissed through clenched teeth, "I. Am. A. Boy."

"...That's a sin."

Gakuto looked confused, almost screaming when Eiji landed next to him, crouched on all four, "He's saying it's a sin to call you a boy," he informed his rival cheerfully, "Don't worry, they hit on Fujiko, too. Except, y'know, Fujiko kinda beat him to a bloody pulp..."

"He what?" Oishi yelped, at the same time Gakuto growled.

"I do NOT look like a woman!"

"Nothing!" Eiji smiled innocently at his terrified partner. If he didn't know better, he'd say Oishi was ready to faint.

"Baby!" Jenny squealed and threw her arms around her youngest child, squeezing him tightly to her chest. Eiji began squirming, trying to get away, crying, "Mommy! Oishi, help meeeeee!"

Oishi sighed, prying them apart.

During that time, Yuushi had pulled Gakuto away, "I think it's best to leave them be..."

"You never told me what you were doing."

Yuushi looked down at his partner. He once again had his hands on his hips, looking ready to kill his partner if need be. The tensai chuckled, patting the red head affectionately on the head, "Alright, alright. We were getting supplies for a party. We were going to throw it for everyone, as a kind of celebration for winning the Interventional Tournament. It was Atobe's idea, and he didn't want us to tell you two."

"Why not?"

"He knew you two would compete to get the better pranks in."

Gakuto started to say something, cut off by the commotion behind them and turned around. Eiji had managed to get away from his mother, now clinging to Oishi. His brothers were picking on him, calling him the "baby of the family" and "mommy and daddy's favorite", while his sisters started teasing him and Oishi. He looked up at Yuushi, and got an affirmative nod. It would be much safer to just leave while they could.

Totally pointless, I know! And I'll probably end up rewriting it -sighs- I took out alot from the original outline -ashamedashamedashamed- BUT THERE IS GOOD NEWS. I'm going to Eiji's house tomorrow! So we'll have lots of new stuff for you! -asifI'mnotdrowningasitis- And we'll be getting more on the Inui's Delux Penal Tea and A Small Fall up real soon!