*present*
Atobe's first thought upon seeing Oshitari beside his friends was: simply stunning. No one should have been allowed to be so beautiful, besides himself, naturally. But he was. Atobe rarely, if ever, graced anyone with his compliments. That he was noticing and amazed by someone's beauty besides his own was astronomical. He had the strangest urge to run his hands through the blue hair, to know everything about this dazzling creature. But that would have been totally out of character and would have sent everyone around him into panic attacks so he settled for staring at his new found obsession with the full force of his Ore-sama-ness.
Unused to such scrutiny but unwilling to let it get to him, Oshitari stared right back at him. Atobe tilted his head in thought and smiled. It was a sharp smile that Oshitari would later come to associate with hell.
"And you are?" he asked in his velvet voice.
Oshitari grinned.
"Oshitari Yuushi. The pleasure's all mine." He pointedly held out his hand. Will you accept my challenge?
"Indeed." Atobe squeezed his hand. Hard. The message was clear. Challenge duly noted. May the best man win. And by that I mean me.
They shared a smirk, each quietly marveling at the beauty who stood opposite them.
*15 minutes ago*
Ryo, Gakuto, Jiroh, and Oshitari all walked together towards the Hyoutei tennis courts.
Oshitari found himself staring at Shisido's hair, which really was quite long. Unfortunately, Ryo noticed.
"What are you staring at, foureyes?" he asked cuttingly.
"Why is your hair so long?" Oshitari returned, ignoring the insult.
For some reason, Ryo blushed. Gakuto snorted. "It's because Atobe has a thing for long hair- Ouch!" Gakuto whined as Ryo hit him.
That name again. Oshitari wondered who this Atobe person was. He had only been here a day and yet the focus and highlight of most conversations seemed to circulate around this 'Atobe'.
"And who is Atobe?" His companions stopped and Oshitari stopped too. "What?"
They resumed walking, trading each other disbelieving glances.
"How could you begin explain Atobe Keigo?" Ryo asked aloud.
"He's wealthy, arrogant, rude, arrogant, domineering, arrogant, a tennis prodigy, not too bad lookingt- did I mention arrogant?" Gakuto stated, ticking off each trait with is fingers.
Oshiari nodded, amused. "Ah, but if he's so arrogant, why is he the main topic of discussion?"
Gakuto rolled his eyes once more. "I just told you."
"The point is," Ryo interrupted. "He stands out at our elitist school- that should tell you something."
"Okay." Oshitari nodded as though he understood. Why would someone that unpleasant be so popular? It just didn't add up.
Jiroh looked at him with understanding. "You'll see," he said sagely. "When Atobe plays tennis, he changes and it is magical." He got a dreamy expression on his face. "And he promised me a match this afternoon!" he announced proudly.
"Whatever," Ryo responded. He sounded slightly put out.
The conversation stilled as they entered the Hyoutei courts.
*
Oshitari looked at the only person who could be Atobe Keigo. And he looked again. He was positive it was the same person who had run into him. Why wasn't he surprised? Even then Atobe had screamed confidence. But, he really shouldn't have stood out, Oshitari mused, as he stared in overt fascination at the regular who had made Vice-Captain. He was wearing the same Hyoutei tennis uniform as everyone else. He should not have stood out. He should not have sent a shock through Oshitari's body. But he did.
Everything about Atobe radiated an overflowing sense of self-assurance, from his designer tennis shoes to his perfectly styled hair. The aura of confidence only grew stronger as Atobe closed in on them.
"Why are you late?" Every word was executed with the faintest tinge of rebuke. The voice the words were spoken in was soft but dangerous, deep, but pleasant to listen to.
"It won't happen again," Gakuto assured him. They all seemed to know Atobe could have cared less about the reason for their lateness.
"Fine. 15 laps for warm up." Atobe's lip curled. "2 laps for every minute you were late."
Trying to be inconspicuous, Ryo glanced at his watch and cursed mentally. They were ten minutes late.
Oshitari watched as the other started to run, joining and passing those who were already on the track. They were good. They were Atobe's; they couldn't afford to be anything but.
*present*
"So, Oshitari-kun, is it? Do you play tennis?" Atobe broke the silence.
Oshitari stood up and reached his full height. Damn, he wasn't taller than Atobe. "Yeah, I suppose. Nothing serious though."
Atobe nodded his understanding. Something flickered in his eyes as he said, "Will you indulge me in a match?"
"But of course." Oshitari paused before saying, "Vice-captain."
The flicker became a flame before going out. No, it wasn't gone- it was still there. Smoldering, ready to be called upon, to explode. Glowing, Oshitari thought.
*
Atobe might have been half in love with Oshitari when they found a clear court to play on, but it didn't mean he would go easy on him. No, quite the opposite. Oshitari had to learn what it meant to be part of Atobe's team. What it meant was hard work, sweat, commitment, on the odd occasion it meant tears, but most of all it meant pride and victory. Always, victory. If you couldn't deliver, couldn't cut it, you were cut. And you had to accept it. Atobe might as well have owned the school; he owned the hearts and minds of the entire student population. And he knew it.
It was time to show Oshitari just why he was called Ore-sama.
"Smooth or rough," he asked, eyes ablaze.
The wind rustled through Oshitari's blue hair as he replied, "Rough. But you can serve."
Indeed, it landed on rough.
A roughish smile lit Atobe's features as he said, "Why, thank you."
A saying came to mind but Oshitari dismissed it. He'd always thought the saying 'don't play with fire' was a stupid one.
