Disclaimer: Woo hoo! I'm on to Chapter Four and no, I don't own Prince of Tennis. Let's see how great the Seigaku team is at stalking. Wink, wink.
There were a couple of people outside of Kawamura's. Most of them were regulars.
Momoshiro crouched on a nearby corner of the sushi shop. He was equipped with a walkie talkie, a motorcycle, and a racket.
"This is Peach One. No drastic change in environment."
There was a voice replying back. "Good. According to Inui's data, Takashi should be going to Hirosue's, a restaurant famous for their desserts. We've been there before. Check you GPS if you don't remember."
Momoshiro hissed at the small communicator. "I do remember, Eiji. I wouldn't miss this out for a million yen."
"Oh really? Then would you miss it out for a, uh, billion yen?"
"Yeah. I could buy infinity burgers with that much money. But it can't be helped that you don't have a billion yen, can it? Can't be helped..."
At noon, the sun was roaring. Soundlessly, yet powerful. It reminded Rina of a lion she had seen at the zoo.
"So, uh, Taka-san, where are we going?"
"Over there." He pointed at a cafe where it was advertising sweets.
"Oh, I've been there before."
"Really?"
The conversation went on smoothly, as if there was a script. Movie-wise, it felt too strained, too, because they tried to not notice the camera recording every nook and cranny of their (there is no other way to say this) date.
Fuji was wearing all green and brown, total camouflage. He was on a mission, the kind where people would literally kill to swap places right now. He knew at least three people who would. One was Taka-san's mother. Two was Rina's brother, Akutsu. And three, Sengoku, because he was continuously trying to attract her attention by flirting with other girls to make her jealous. Man, what a guy.
"Yeah. A guy took me here-- oh my God, I shouldn't have said that."
"It's all right. People I know have girlfriends and boyfriends before. And alternative evil egos, like me."
"Like you? Definitely."
She smiled at him, and he noticed for the first time there was a dimple on her cheek. It made her charming and mischievous. He wondered why he wasn't stuttering like he usually did when a pretty girl like the ones at school tried to order some plate of sushi. Usually he would either screw it up or his mom would come to the rescue.
Her smile turned cold. And he did too, because this time he hadn't a clue what happened.
"Taka-san. Who is the guy with brown hair and a camera recording us? Because people aren't supposed too. Usually they're either perverts or stalkers or something. And it's interrupting our date."
Behind Takashi, there was a young man with evil blue eyes glaring at Rina.
"Oh come off it," Fuji scoffed. "What are you kidding? His mom made us--
Takashi had thrown a bit of the homemade banana pudding at Fuji mouth. Then, resorting to desperate measures, he turned it off and grabbed Rina by the arm, pulling her away from Fuji.
"Come on! In five minutes they'll have canceled our reservation."
"Oh. Okay. Whatever makes you happy," and Rina ran as fast as he wanted her to run, go wherever he wanted to get her, all because they certainly weren't going to the dessert cafe. They weren't even going to go by plans anymore.
They stopped at a shrine, old and ancient and dusty. Rina could hear all the cicadas crying in the heat of the day. It made her feel a little tired and scared, but at least they were far away from the people that were trying to chase them.
"Those guys," she said after a while, "Were they after you? Or me?"
Taka shrugged. "I have no idea. They used to be on my old tennis team."
"What?!? Why were they following you anyway?"
"I don't know. They think it's funny. But that's because they have as much experience as a twelve year old on matters like relationships."
Rina kept quiet on that.
Takashi smiled vaguely. They were sitting together on a stump of a big oak tree, and he noticed that they were pretty close. Not touching, mind you, but close like friends. He wondered once if he would ever find a place of peace, and there he was. Calm. Tranquil. Serene.
Rina, however, dispelled the silence. There was a giant cicada on her thigh and it was bothering her enormously.
After squirming for a couple of uncomfortable moments, it finally flew off, and she gave a sigh of relief. There was something creepy about their eyes...
"Do you hate bugs?" Takashi asked her. He had been watching Rina the whole time.
She shook her head furiously. "No, I don't."
They both knew she was lying. Takashi raised one of his bushy eyebrows, something that he had learned at the movies.
"Well, I do, but it doesn't stop me from doing things outside the city. I like camping and hiking."
"Hmm... Well, I'm not so sure about camping. I like Tokyo."
She stood up, and Takashi did the same. They walked toward a coffee shop and he ordered two iced cappuccinos.
Fuji walked back to base with a mouth full of banana pudding, complete with whipped cream. It was delicious.
Momoshiro did not seem happy. Nor were Eiji.
"Geesh, Fuji, I thought you were an expert blackmail."
Fuji swallowed, then said, "The pudding was so good that I had to give them a little privacy. I'm ditching this and I'm asking his mom to make more."
"... Ho-kay, Fuji. I think you're nuts."
"You'll be nuts when everyone finds out this picture of you and this girl making out. Say, who's that blue haired girl?"
Eiji got livid. "Shut up! Shut up, Fuji, or I'll-- I'll-- "
Fuji smiled. "Stutter at me? Come on. I know better."
Momoshiro got interested. "Ooh, who's your girlfriend, Eiji? You can tell me. It'll be our dirty little secret."
Walking her home, Taka-san felt happy that Rina didn't reject him.
"Um, Rina?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks." There, something coherent and easy to understand.
"You too." She smiled, and waved as she went up the front porch. Her pale blue eyes sparkled for the first time, and Takashi was glad, in spite of all the things that went wrong today, that he had seen it.
Author's Note: Yay! Taka-san goes on his first date, Fuji didn't do anything, and it didn't end up too mushy. So far so good.