Antonyms

May 2, 2008

A/N: I love Ryoga. He's fun to write. :-) Y'all have fun now.


The black cordless phone sitting on Fuji's nightstand could have melted by now due to the stare it had been receiving for the past two hours. The promise of a call by a certain bespectacled man was the reason for all this staring. It was only 7:16 in the evening and our tensai had not moved an inch since getting home at around five.

He's going to call. I know he's going to call. He's probably busy with schoolwork. Yeah. That's it.

"Syuusuke."

Fuji spun slowly in his swivel chair and faced his older sister. He had been so engrossed with what he was doing to have heard the door open. An earthquake could've come and he would not have taken his eyes of the not-ringing-phone.

"It's only seven. He said would call you. I take it this Tezuka person is a man of his word?"

He nodded slowly.

"Then stop trying to get the phone to ring by glaring and do something productive. Like taking a look at your cellphone. It's ringing."

Fuji spun back to face the desk and realized that his phone had been ringing. Not from a call but from a message. Fuji entered his unlock code and opened the e-mail. From: e.ryo(a)jp-net

Ryoga?

'I'm coming over to get my package from Atobe. Make sure you have Heineken.'

Fuji rolled his eyes. Echizen Ryoga was all about the women, the alcohol and the thrill. Fuji sent a silent prayer to whomever the playboy ended up marrying. If he married at all or lived long enough to. With the way he was spending his time, little could be said for his future.

"Onee-san, mom and Miku left early for their trip, right?"

"Yeah. They left this afternoon. Why do you ask?"

Fuji set his phone back on the desk. "Do we have any Heineken?"

Yumiko sighed. "Ryoga-san's coming over."

Fuji didn't even have to nod.

"I'm surprised he hasn't tried to come over before."

"Echizen Ryoga is a person who will constantly surprise you."


Ryoga tapped his fingers on the black leather steering wheel of his sleek black Batman-ish Viper. About two minutes after sending an e-mail to Fuji, it had received a message from his ex-lover Atobe Keigo, hounding him with questions about the said brownette. Ryoga was no longer surprised to get bothered every now and then by the Elites. It had started about three years ago, in the month before his first semester at Todai University.

His dear little brother had been acquainted with the would-be Elites when they were still in high school. Ryoga had attended a different high school as Ryoma and only learned of the would-be Elites existence when they had decided to 'drop-by' for a surprise visit. Ryoga saw no need to put up appearances when he was around his family. Also, there was a very slim chance that he would meet his brother's friends again so he decided to be himself. Not the cocky, playboy Echizen Ryoga he was known as by his friends; at least not as much.

Little had he known that his brother's friends were not only older but that they would also be going to the same university as he would. They were quite surprised to see that Ryoma's older brother acted completely different from how he did when he first met them. It had taken Yukimura Seiichi 15 minutes with Nanako and the truth was eventually revealed.

So here was now. Occasionally hounded by the likes of Atobe Keigo and Yukimura Seiichi, hoping he would lose the mask and his second-rate 'friends'. Needless to say, all attempts at converting him had failed. Power is everything. Making people fear you is even better. Or so he thought.

Upon nearing the gates of the Fuji residence, he spotted the Fuji in question holding out a box with a ridiculously fancy bow. Ryoga chuckled as he stepped out of his car and strode forward, pass Fuji and towards the open front door. Fuji stuttered in protest and ran after him.

"Jo-jotto… Ryoga…!"

Ryoga paused at the threshold and turned around slowly. "Finally. That took you three years too late. And without the formality too."

Fuji turned red briefly and raised his hand to his mouth. Ryoga ignored the gesture and headed for the kitchen, the only room with the light on.

I just called him Ryoga… purely out of shock of course. This is his first actual visit to my house. Not counting the several times he's broken by bedroom window by throwing pebbles the size of cupcakes at them.

Ryoga grinned as he swung open the fridge door. He pulled out an ice-cold bottle of Heineken.

"You know me so well, Syuu-chan."

Fuji's eye twitched. "Syuu-…chan?" Did he just… call me Syuu-chan??

He popped the top with his car keys and took a long swig. "Syuu-chan," he repeated, "Now that you've called me by my first name; I should do the same… Intimacy and all that… We should be BEST FRIENDS!"

The said the last part out loudly, raising the notable green bottle. Fuji tilted his head in annoyance.

Is he drunk already? He sighed. I don't know why I put up with him…

Fuji had been busy contemplating the reason why he tolerated this kind of behavior when Ryoga put his arm around Fuji's shoulders and dragged him to the dark living room. Fuji never liked the living room. It was a showroom. It's purpose was it's exact meaning, for show.

"Ry— Echizen-san… It's too dark! Let me switch on the lights."

Ryoga let go of Fuji's shoulder and randomly dropped down on the first soft thing he touched. "We're back to last names? Aww…"

Fuji flicked the lights on. "There. Brighter."

Fuji set the box down on the coffee table and took a seat on the chair adjacent to the sofa. "What's in the package?"

"That's what I'd like to know as well,"

The brunette man, untied the ribbon and pulled the top off. He stared for a minute and burst out laughing. Fuji's eyebrow went up.

"Echizen-san…?"

Ryoga took a few deep breaths to calm himself. "Damn that Oshitari…"

He pulled out a Ziploc bag containing ten or so pictures. "I didn't even see him at that fair…"

Fuji saw the pictures and his mouth dropped open. His cheeks rapidly colored at the indecent scenes depicted by the Polaroids. Ryoga laughed at Fuji's tomato-ish face.

"What's wrong, Syuu-chan? Haven't you even seen a guy give another guy a blow—"

"Kombanwa Ryoga-san."

Ryoga grinned and turned to the female figure leaning at the doorway. "Fuji Yumiko. Just as good looking as your brother."

He strode over and gave her a kiss on the hand.

Fuji made a face. Why must they all do that?

Yumiko focused on Ryoga and asked, "Are you going to Yukimura-san's party too?"

"Probably not. Yukimura asked me yesterday and I'm still thinking about it. Why do you ask?"

"Because Syuusuke's going too. I'm afraid he doesn't know where the house is. I was thinking he could go with you."

Fuji sighed. "No need, Onee-san. Tezuka-san is taking me."

A pair of perfectly shaped eyebrows went up. Ryoga laughed out loud.

"Tezuka…Kunimitsu…asked you to ride with him?"

Fuji nodded uncertainly. "Is there something wrong with that…?"

Ryoga shook his head with a chuckle. "Nothing at all…" Wow… now I know why Keigo's asking nonstop about him… What else can you expect from the Elites?

Yumiko's eyes had turned sparkly. "SYUUSUKE'S GOT A DATE! My little brother is growing up so fast!"

Fuji groaned. "Onee-san… why are you here in the first place? Weren't you supposed to go to a rave half an hour ago?"

"Oh, Tezuka called earlier," she replied nonchalantly. "So that's the ride he was talking about earlier…" she added.

"WHAT? AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?"

"I told him that you would definitely be riding with him," Yumiko replied innocently.

A vein throbbed on Fuji's forehead. "If you already knew why'd you act so surprised when I told you now?"

Yumiko smiled. "Involuntary Onee-san reaction."

Ryoga sat back down on the couch and rifled through the other things in the box Atobe sent him. "My little bro gets the same attention from our cousin, Nanako."

"Little brother?" Fuji muttered, "You have a little brother?"

A light bulb lit over Yumiko's head. "You're brother just happens to be Echizen Ryoma, right?"

Ryoga nodded uninterestedly and examined a pair of black silk boxers. "You know him?"

"Of course I do. Everyone who's anyone does."

Yumiko pulled a magazine out of nowhere and opened it up to a Marks and Spencer ad. A younger version of Ryoga dressed in a light green polo and black slacks was sitting on an armchair with an intense look directed towards the invisible camera. Fuji's mouth threatened to drop open.

"He…looks just like you…" Well duh! They're brothers!

"If I remember correctly…" Yumiko said, "He's going to be starting his first year at Todai this semester."

Great. More Echizens to worry about. Fuji thought dryly. Good thing there's still three weeks before I meet him.

Ryoga tossed the ribbon inside the box and closed it. "You'll get to meet him at the party."

Wonderful.

Ryoga gave a salute at the occupants of the room and exited. "See you soon, Syuu-chan."


Ryoga grabbed his Blackberry and gave quick e-mail to Yukimura. He smirked and drove off.


Beep.

Yukimura paused his typing and flipped open his phone. It was an e-mail from Ryoga.

'I'll be crashing the party tomorrow. Give my regards to Ryoma.

PS: Order two crates of Heineken for me.

Yukimura smiled. Saa…He went to visit Fuji-kun…

He turned back to his computer.

This is going to be interesting…


PS – I wonder how Fuji will fare riding with an Elite, Tezuka nevertheless, for a whole hour? Pray for our sweet, little Syuu-chan… (insert evil laugh here)

-Pain Au Chocolait