Idyllic Dystopia
If this seems like a filler chapter, it's partially because... it is one. It's sort of an intermezzo between the introduction of the story, to the turning point, which will happen next chapter. I'm so sorry if this chapter (8) bores you!
But anyway, I don't own TeniPuri or any of its characters, and please read on!
Latent Epiphany
'I don't like what you're implying, Fuji,' Atobe said with a frown.
Fuji simply smiled back serenely, amused by Atobe's obvious annoyance. Fuji glanced to his side, and noticed Ryoma sleeping serenely upon his shoulder, and couldn't help but see the dark circles under Ryoma's eyes. Was Ryoma not getting enough sleep? Why? Fuji remembered that they (as in the regulars) had seen Ryoma sleeping at school...
Fuji couldn't help but feel that there was something wrong as he stared, his smile dropping slightly, at the boy's slight frame. Did Ryoma use to be so emaciated?
'What are you trying to say about Hyoutei?' Atobe continued in the same affronted tone.
'Shh...' Fuji said, placing a finger against his own lips, raising his smile once again. 'Echizen's sleeping.' He patted Ryoma's head.
The tensai couldn't help but smile wider at the indignant look on Atobe's face upon perceiving Ryoma's head on Fuji's shoulder.
'Are you jealous, Atobe?' Fuji said, a teasing note in his voice.
Atobe looked even more offended than before. 'Jealous? Of what?'
Fuji laughed out loud. 'Atobe, I thought you were supposed to be intelligent.'
'Well, excuse me, if my great self doesn't have your genius qualities,' Atobe said, his superciliousness irked. 'What am I supposed to be jealous of?'
Fuji couldn't help but laugh again, but more quietly, taking care not to jostle the boy resting against his shoulder, for reasons that Fuji told himself were not ulterior.
Absolutely not because the burden of Ryoma's head was a rather comfortable one.
x
Bright, cheerful incandescent lights greeted Ryoma, as though welcoming him with a polite 'Finally woken up?'. Sitting up straight, he glanced about, seeing the smiling waitresses adorned with cute aprons and other café patrons. He noticed his bag beside him on the same comfy looking couch that he had been resting on.
This was not the limousine background that he had expected to see upon waking up (though he hadn't planned on sleeping either.)
'Atobe here picked you up and brought you in with us.'
Ryoma looked straight in front of him to see Atobe and Fuji sitting beside each other, Fuji with a small smile upon his face, Atobe with a bit of a frown.
'What are we doing here?' Ryoma asked, bemused.
Fuji spread out his hands to gesture at the table in front of them, which held one cup of black coffee (in front of Atobe), one cup of green tea (in front of Fuji), and one cup of café au lait.
'We're at a café, Echizen. What do you suppose we're doing?' Fuji's smile grew wider.
Ryoma felt like rolling his eyes. 'But why am I here?'
Atobe's frown grew more pronounced. 'You should sound more grateful because I'm treating you to a drink in a most prestigious café.'
Ryoma looked around again. Nothing particularly special. He looked at the café au lait in front of him. Nothing special there either. 'Prestigious?'
'The best café in Tokyo,' Atobe said with a bit of arrogance, as if he was the one who owned the café. (And Ryoma didn't doubt that said owning was definitely possible, considering Atobe's wealth.)
'But why am I here with the two of you?' Ryoma raised an eyebrow.
Fuji said slowly, as if speaking to a small toddler, 'Well, Atobe here wanted to ask you out for a date, and I couldn't help but tag along.'
Ryoma's eyebrow stayed raised.
Atobe replied, 'I want to know what's wrong,' completely ignoring Fuji.
'As do I, Echizen,' Fuji added, his expression serious, his blue eyes staring right at him.
Ryoma didn't know why the two of them were so annoying. And persistent. 'Since when did you care, Monkey King?' Ryoma said with a smirk. 'You don't even know me outside of tennis.'
'You still owe me a game!' Atobe dissented. 'A proper one. If you hadn't ran off before the school year ended-'
'I didn't run off,' Ryoma said in a low voice. Running off meant being cowardly. Running off meant trying to hide from something, to put as much distance between the fear and himself. Running off meant that he had disappeared willingly.
'I didn't mean it that way, Echizen-' Atobe tried to correct himself, seeing Ryoma's expression, but Fuji interrupted.
'Then what did you do, Echizen?' Fuji said dangerously. 'If you didn't run, then what did you do? What would you call vanishing all of a sudden, leaving the job of winning the nationals to your senpai-tachi? What would you call leaving without a word, not telling any of us where you left? What would you call it, Echizen?'
Ryoma stared at Fuji, unaccustomed to such behaviour when directed at him. He had seen Fuji acting in such a way before - when playing against Mizuki Hajime. But Fuji was different. He didn't sound only angry... but sad as well.
Ryoma opened his mouth, and found that he didn't have a reply. What could he say? 'I had to leave' wouldn't cut it, as Fuji would have asked for an explanation. Neither would 'I had something to do in America.' He closed his mouth.
Then, a minor miracle happened. His bag started ringing.
At their table of three, all six eyes immediately turned to stare at Ryoma's bag
Ryoma stuck his hand into his bag, pulling out a cell phone. Flipping it open, he answered it hesitantly.
'Hello?'
'Ryoma-san! Where are you?' Ryoma heard Nanako's anxious voice through the cell phone.
'I'm ... out with some other people,' Ryoma replied.
'Oh, it's good that you're out, but you need to come back now, okay? You have an appointment.'
'An appointment?' Ryoma asked, a feeling of dread growing inside of him.
'It's just for a check-up, Ryoma-san, don't worry.' Nanako was attempting to reassure him, but her tone of voice showed that she was worried. Ryoma didn't want to know why she was anxious. 'Do you need a ride?'
'Yes,' Ryoma responded, deciding that he didn't want to ask Atobe to drive him to wherever he needed to go, for more than one reason.
'Where are you?'
Ryoma looked at Atobe, covering the phone's receiver. 'Where are we?'
'Nadoyami Café,' Atobe replied quickly.
Ryoma, taking his hand off of the receiver, replied, 'I'm at Nadoyami Café. Do you know where it is?'
'Yes. I'll come pick you up now, Ryoma-san! I'm very close, so you can come out now.' Nanako hung up. Ryoma flipped the phone closed, and shut his bag.
'I need to leave,' Ryoma said brusquely. He stood up, and left, leaving Atobe and Fuji at the table with three drinks.
x
Fuji, after seeing Ryoma take a few steps away from them, whispered in Atobe's ear, 'An appointment.'
Atobe, having heard those words come from Ryoma's mouth as well, nodded.
'...Are we going to follow?'
Atobe put some money on the table, and the duo watched as Ryoma went out the door. And immediately stood up.
Atobe picked up his own phone, and called his chauffeur.
The two ran to the front of the café, where Atobe's limo was already waiting.
'Where to, Atobe-sama?' The chauffeur asked as the two of them slipped in.
'Follow that car.' Atobe pointed at a car in which two individuals, one with blackish green hair, were sitting. 'But from a bit away.'
'...Hai, Atobe-sama.'
Atobe muttered, 'We don't need them to notice us and then have him disappear on us again.'
The limo started driving, the car a little ways ahead of them as the two vehicles started their journey (though the occupants of one vehicle didn't know their destination quite yet) to the hospital.
x x x
Now, reviews would be perfectly lovely. Wouldn't you love to? Any review will do! (Though long and/or amusing ones are preferred.) Even ones with violent threats for if I don't update are welcome! -awinchan
