a/n: Hi guys! At long last, I was finally able to update this story. I'm so sorry if I've been gone for so long. I had so many things to do what with our NSTP (community service) and all. Thank you for patiently waiting for this story's updates. Here goes the newest chapter. Enjoy!

By the way, I forgot that Atobe is a diva in the last chapter that's why I forget to change his I into Ore-sama.

Chapter 9: Preparations

The remaining days had passed and the long wait is over. As the nine regulars of Seishun Gakuen hopped off the bus Sakaki had ordered to pick them up from their school, wearing civilian clothes, they watched in awe at the huge estate that is Hyotei Gakuen. They all know that the school is rich, but they didn't know that it is this rich that you could even fit five whole campuses of Seishun Gakuen inside.

"Welcome to Hyotei."

Seigaku turned to their side and saw Atobe, extending a hand and smiling so widely at them, his minions behind him in a line.

"Atobe," Tezuka stepped forward and took Atobe's hand for the customary shaking. "I don't know why you chose us but we'll gladly help."

"Thank you, Tezuka! With you and your team's addition, Ore-sama had finally been able to complete the cast."

Standing behind Tezuka, Syusuke tilted her head to the side in confusion to Atobe's words. "Cast?"

Atobe turned his gaze to Syusuke and lingered his eyes on hers. "Yes, cast. We're conducting a play after all. And you, Fuji, would play an important part as well."

The sinister smile Atobe had when he spoke that last sentence put shivers down Syusuke's spine. She looked away and, unintentionally, her eyes landed on Oshitari who stood a little farther behind his teammates, yet looking at Syusuke with unreadable eyes. Seigaku's tensai raised an eyebrow but Oshitari only shrugged, a hint of blush tinted his cheeks.

Tezuka's brows twitched at the exchange between Atobe and Syusuke and Syusuke and Oshitari. Jealousy is striking his being, big time.

"So, shall we?" Atobe smiled warmly towards the Seigaku regulars, leading the way. "We have the whole auditorium to ourselves these two weeks."

Atobe nicely explained the tasks that everyone has to finish.

"Atobe-san, you said there was a cast. You mean we're going to participate in the play?" Momo asked as they entered the huge auditorium. Other helpers from the school's tennis club are now on the stage; painting sets, doing props, fixing the lights, and making the costumes.

"Well, Ore-sama has picked some from you and some from my team for the actors."

Eiji looked around. "What is the play about anyway?"

"Snow White." All Hyotei regulars, except Atobe, moaned.

Kawamura chuckled at the unwanted reception of Hyotei to the play. "You, guys, don't seem to be happy about it."

"Of course we're not!" Shishido bellowed. "It's the one Atobe passed to the festival's organizing committee. We could have done something cool like Hikaru Genji or anything from the Shinsen-gumi period."

Choutarou laughed at his doubles partner. "Shishido-san."

"Stop your whining, Shishido, and don't be such a gay." Jirou frowned at his friend as he stifled a yawn.

The blue-capped boy gave him a glare. "If we're going for a fairy tale, it should've been Sleeping Beauty and Jirou would be Princess Aurora."

Hiyoshi Wakashi and Gakuto snorted. Jirou protested, "How did you even know her name?"

Atobe only rolled his eyes at his teammates antics. "Here is a list of the cast." Atobe handed Seigaku the papers with bold letters.

Play: SNOW WHITE
Scriptwriter & Director: Oshitari Yuushi
CAST
Snow White ~ Fuji Syusuke
Prince ~ Tezuka Kunimitsu
Evil Queen/Stepmother ~ Shishido Ryou
Mirror's Spirit ~ Akutagawa Jirou
Huntsman ~ Atobe Keigo
Seven Dwarfs ~ Mukahi Gakuto, Haginosuke Taki, Ootori Choutarou, Kikumaru Eiji, Momoshiro Takeshi, Kaidoh Kaoru, Inui Sadaharu

"Are you sure this isn't a miscast?" Echizen asked, eyeing at the names that will play the part of the seven dwarfs.

Atobe laughed. "Of course not. Ore-sama thought of everyone's part thoroughly."

Suddenly, Syusuke's frustrated voice echoed in the auditorium. "Why the hell am I playing the princess?"

"Because it suits you," Oshitari blurted out without thinking. All heads turned to him and he blushed. "Well, you would look better with it than any of us and we couldn't think of anyone else who would fit the role, right, Atobe?"

Atobe stifled a laugh at the pleading look his friend is giving him. The buchou just nodded and eyed Tezuka and Fuji. "Ore-sama expecting a great performance from the two of you. Now, as for Echizen, you would be the lighting director, Kawamura-kun you would be…"

As Atobe continued on designating tasks to the other members, Tezuka's mind drifted to the story of Snow White. As a guy, he isn't fond of fairy tales but it doesn't mean he is new to the story.

Snow White is a very beautiful young princess who has snow white skin, red lips, and pink lips. When her father died, her evil stepmother took over the throne. Because of Snow White's breathtaking beauty, the evil queen sent out a huntsman to kill her in the forest. But, becoming fond of the princess, the huntsman sets her free and she reaches a small house owned by seven dwarfs. The dwarfs like her so much and allowed her to stay but the evil queen finds out that Snow White is still alive and, thus, goes out of her way to kill the young child. She tricks the princess into eating a poisoned apple and she dies. The seven dwarfs mourn for death and lay her on a flowerbed encased with a glass coffin. After a few days, a prince came and gives Snow White the medicine for her to be awakened. A true love's kiss.

A true love's kiss.

KISS.

The word set a bomb within Tezuka and he felt himself going dizzy as all his blood rushed to his cheeks. He immediately turned his back to the others and tried to compose his self. Tezuka is the prince and Syusuke is the princess. Does that mean he has to kiss the tensai?

Echizen, leaning on the wall, watched his buchou panic with delight. Just thinking of his two senpais becoming all lovey-dovey onstage makes him want to laugh on the spot but he can't do so, thus, he settled himself with a snicker. Momo and Eiji looked at him warily, probably contemplating if their Ochibi has gone mad. Maybe he is mad for wishing to see something like that.

He looked back at Tezuka who has now mildly regained his composure. The freshman noticed how the stoic man steals a glance at the tensai every 30 seconds or so. This piqued Echizen's interest.

Could their buchou have harbored feelings for their tensai? Feelings that aren't really supposed to be there?

The preparation of the play is almost complete. The costumes are on their way to a final assessment by Atobe who, aside from playing the huntsman, is the head of the costume committee as well. The props, backdrops, and lights have already undergone their final checking that Friday. The play is on Monday evening so Saturday will be dedicated for a one-hour general rehearsal. But, the problem is, never in all the days that the cast had practiced that were they able to finish the whole script. For some reason, there have always been distractions and Syusuke and Tezuka – as Snow White and the Prince respectively – never got to practice the part where they will interact intimately on stage – something Momo actually described the first time he finished reading the script. Atobe is getting frustrated, fearing that the play won't end as a success, but Oshitari feels slightly thankful that they never got to the intimate parts, a thing he actually found quite disturbing.

Saturday ended and, still, the actors weren't able to practice enough to make the play successful and so, Oshitari and Atobe – though the latter did it unwillingly – dismissed the group, hoping that come Monday, even without enough practice, the cast would be able to successfully deliver their lines.

a/n: So how is it? Tell me what you think, minna! :D

MintLeafon: Don't worry! Syusuke's mom won't be appearing in this story for quite a while. :D

Tiffy44: Hey! Know what? There's still another person who knows of her secret but I won't be revealing that for now. Not just yet. :DDD

Anonymous: Watch out for the next chapter! Your review inspired me to write that one. Thanks for reviewing by the way!