Finally finished Chapter 10! Yay! Although this has nothing to offer in the way of tennis matches, it shoudn't be too boring... I think...

Read on!

Chapter 10

Tensai, tensai, tell me why

You never say die

After two days of putting up with an irate Fuji, Eiji decided that he couldn't stand it anymore. Being the tensai's best friend had its disadvantages, too. Being subjected to intense glaring by Fuji's unusually piercing blue eyes, listening to rants that could go on for hours at a time, and even once being made a substitute for Atobe soon drove Eiji up the wall. That was the price of brilliance, he supposed, sooner or later the strain got to you and warped your brain proportionately. And feeling that he had to do something, not just for Fuji, but also for his own sake, he went to find Shyoko.

"Shyoko!" He flagged her down during lunch break.

"Hi, Eiji." She smiled sunnily. "Is there anything I can do for – "

She was interrupted by Eiji dragging her roughly away from the cafeteria. He looked extremely serious, as if he was sent on a do-or-die mission that could decide the fate of mankind. When they reached the roof, he released her, both breathing heavily.

"This should be secluded enough." Eiji said, only managing to add to Shyoko's confusion.

"Secluded enough for what?"

He waved her question off, instead shooting an abrupt question at her. "Why did you date Atobe?"

"Huh?" Came the intelligent reply.

"Your date with Atobe!" Eiji hissed, looking around. On second thought, this might not have been the best place to hold this conversation. Fuji sometimes came here to eat his lunch, and if the tensai caught him at it, he was dead meat.

"What date with Atobe?!" She hissed back, unconsciously slipping into a whisper, thanks to Eiji's secretive attitude.

"On Wednesday!" Eiji couldn't believe that she'd already forgotten about it. Was Atobe really that sub-standard until girls forgot about him taking them out?

"Oh, that? That wasn't a date!"

"It wasn't?" Eiji's head was starting to hurt.

"No, I was supposed to meet a friend, but he made me miss the bus and – " Eiji cut her off halfway. He didn't need to know the details, just that it wasn't a date. He dragged her all the way back to the classroom, where he had left Fuji. Not surprisingly, the prodigy was still there, deep in thought.

"Go tell Fuji it wasn't a date!" He shoved her into the empty classroom save for Fuji, ignoring her demands for an explanation and her many questions. Shutting the door, Eiji proceeded to glue his face to the pane of a window in an attempt to see what was going on.

Shyoko found herself in the classroom, alone with Fuji. The honey-haired boy lifted up his head upon hearing the door slam, and a smile automatically curved on his face as he came forward to greet her.

"Saa... did you need anything?"

"Ah..." Since Eiji seemed so desperate, she'd do what he told her to, although she would definitely want explanations later, even if she had to hunt the redhead down. "Anou... about Atobe..."

Fuji's smile disappeared almost entirely. "What about that?"

Now Shyoko had a mischievous side to her, and for a moment, she wondered what would happen if she didn't do what she was supposed to do. And being a spontaneous person, the next sentence that came out of her traitorous mouth was definitely not in her original plan.

"It was a date!"

Outside, Eiji stared at the window in undisguised horror. What did Shyoko think she was doing? Did she want to get annihilated?

Sapphire eyes flew open, pinning Shyoko down.

"It was a date." Fuji repeated dangerously.

She suddenly realised what a perilous position she was in, and slowly backed away. There was a moment of silence when no one moved, and the black aura that surrounded Fuji permeated the whole room. Then Fuji's eyes curved back into its usual half-moons, and Shyoko let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She made a mental note never to try something like that again. It was just too hazardous to her health.

Fuji sure looked pissed like hell... and I'm not quite sure he isn't still...

She walked out of the classroom, not daring to look back and was immediately accosted by a frantic Eiji.

"Why on earth did you do that? How did he react? Is Fuji mad?" The questions came like a stream of bullets, and she hadn't even had time to answer them when Eiji put his head is his hands.

"I'm gonna die, nya! And it'll all be your fault!" The ever-dramatic redhead moaned. He fully expected to be used as target practice later that day. "Just remember that when you bury me!"

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"Saa, let me walk you home today." The blue-eyed boy said with no apparent trace of animosity.

Shyoko looked at him suspiciously. There had to be a reason. But nobody could defeat the tensai when he had his heart set on doing something, which was how she found herself walking beside the road with a smiling Fuji beside her.

"The sky's so blue today, don't you think? It's beautiful."

She looked at him, wondering how he could look at the sky and still walk as gracefully as ever without tripping over something. But then, he was a tensai, after all. She nodded slightly, lifting her gaze to the clear blue sky above. It was very pretty. In fact, it was entrancing – the way the clouds traced fairy patterns across the sky, weaving in and out...

Her pleasant contemplations were interrupted by a sudden sensation of her foot striking a stray stone, making her lose her balance. She shut her eyes, bracing herself for the impact of the paved sidewalk.

But it never came. Instead, she found herself enveloped in Fuji's arms, her head half on his shoulder. His fresh soapy smell assaulted her senses, and she relaxed for a moment, wondering why she hadn't hit the floor yet. When her brain finally registered what had actually happened, she hastily extracted herself from the embrace, her cheeks coloured a wonderful rose pink.

"G-gomen..."

Fuji simply smiled, as if his heart was not banging against his ribcage so hard until it hurt.

They walked the rest of the way home in perfect silence, not quite daring to look each other in the eyes.

"Aa... this is my house." They halted in front of a brown gate.

"Well, I'll see you in school tomorrow." Fuji said, and was rewarded with a nod and a smile. Then he leaned closer to her, close enough for his breath to tickle her skin. Before she could jump back, he whispered into her ear.

"Don't be naughty when I'm not around."

He left her staring disbelievingly at him, deep crimson staining her cheeks. And the blush was not because of the wind.

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Fuji did not go home, as expected, but instead waited until Shyoko had recovered her wits enough to go inside the house. Then, he rang the doorbell of the neighbouring house, still not quite believing that he had actually said that to Shyoko. Well, it didn't seem to have an adverse effect, so he pushed it out of his mind, concentrating firmly on his task.

There was a slight buzzing before a voice came on through the intercom. "May I know who this is?"

"It's Fuji Syuusuke."

After a moment, the gate slid open to admit him entrance. He walked confidently past the letterbox and the gate into the lavish compound. Engraved on the classic black letterbox in gold characters were the words: Atobe Residence.

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"Fuji Syuusuke, tensai of Seigaku. What brings you here?" An indifferent voice addressed him. He turned to face the speaker, who was currently lounging in an armchair.

"Atobe Keigo." The smile offered was mere courtesy.

After half an hour of small talk, Atobe finally broached the question. "Surely you did not come all the way here just to exchange pleasantries with me, no matter how irresistible I am."

Fuji fought the urge to roll his eyes, settling instead for a demure, "Indeed."

"Well?"

There was a moment of silence before Fuji cleared his throat and spoke. "I would prefer it if you did not mix so much with... Seigaku students."

Atobe looked confused for a moment. "Oh, if you mean Tezuka, we were simply discussing the upcoming matches."

Fuji fixed him with a piercing stare. "It's not Tezuka and you know it."

Atobe racked his brains, trying to remember any Seigaku student he had interacted with in the past week that could cause such a reaction from Fuji.

"I'm talking about your neighbour."

Light dawned on Atobe. "Oh, Shyoko!" That's right... I almost forgot she's in Seigaku. He looked at Fuji. "What about her?"

"You won't date her." Fuji said it simply.

Atobe raised an eyebrow. "What makes you so sure I won't?"

"Because I say you won't." Fuji's logic was infallible.

"I will date whomsoever I please." Atobe replied haughtily.

Fuji smiled his best 'I'm-going-to-torture-you-until-you'll-wish-you-had-never-been-born' smile. This was usually when his team mates started backing away, not at all eager to be anywhere within ten feet of the prodigy. Unfortunately for Atobe, he did not recognise the warning signs until it was too late.

"You remember the time your mother had a brilliant idea to dress you up as Santa Claus?" Fuji said it casually, almost as if he were discussing something as trivial as the weather. "She decided you were too skinny and stuffed a pillow under the suit to create a perfectly humongous potbelly."

"Wha – how – ? " Atobe spluttered.

Fuji retrieved a photo from his bag, appraising it critically. "You look quite adorable, I must say." He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Although shoulder pads and another pillow might have improved it drastically."

Atobe snatched the photo out of Fuji's hand. He looked at it in growing horror, before throwing it down and stamping on it.

"My, my, Atobe, stepping on your own picture now?" He tutted reproachfully. "Ah well, at least I have ten more copies at home and the negatives. Then you don't have to pay for the damage. Aren't you just the luckiest guy on earth..."

Atobe looked as if he would beg to differ, but Fuji interrupted him. "Now, don't throw a hissy fit, Atobe... And then there was that time you shaved the front half of your scalp and tied the rest of your hair back. It came out looking rather like a failed attempt to emulate the Manchurians in China, if I remember correctly."

Atobe's eyes were nearly bulging out of their sockets. Encouraged by his response, Fuji continued.

"And then that time you – "

"STOP!!!" The grey-haired teen burst out, unable to control his anger.

"Oh, do you need to go to the loo? I can always continue once you're back." Fuji's voice was laced with poisoned sweetness. He was thoroughly enjoying himself by now.

Atobe stood up, towering over the smaller boy. This was going too far.

Fuji looked up from where he was comfortably seated in a plush armchair. "You've got a double chin, Atobe."

Atobe choked, and sat back down abruptly.

Fuji could have collapsed in giggles right there and then. The look on Atobe's face was simply priceless. Then he remembered what he had come for, and his expression turned calculative.

"Do you want this to spread through Hyoutei and Seigaku? Or will you keep your dirty hands off Sh–" He stopped himself just in time, and replaced it with a more general word. " – Seigaku's members?"

When Atobe hesitated, Fuji added, "Of course, I can also send it to Rikkaidai, Rokkaku, St Rudolph, Fudo – "

"I'll do what you want." Atobe gritted out from between clenched teeth.

Fuji bestowed his most winsome smile on the captain of Hyoutei's tennis team. "Saa, I'm so glad we understand each other perfectly."

He looked at the other boy, but as nothing else seemed to be forthcoming, he stood up. "Well, I'll just be going then. See you, Keigo!"

Fuji gave a small wave before sauntering out of the room like he owned the whole house.

Atobe reached for his glass of water (he was on a strict no-wine diet until after the Seigaku game) and looked at his reflection on the surface. I haven't lost yet, Fuji Syuusuke... After all, all's fair in love and war, isn't it? He smiled triumphantly and raised his glass to the skies in a show of defiance.

"To the downfall of Fuji Syuusuke!" He downed the liquid in a single gulp, and it was halfway down his throat before he realised that it wasn't water. There was only time to register the fact that it was the vilest liquid he'd ever drunk before he collapsed in a dead faint.

Fuji heard the unearthly scream from a few streets away and chuckled, congratulating himself on a job well done.

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