Hyoutei's First Date

By: NarutoandBleach

When Ryoma gets word that the Hyoutei Captain has become obsessed with him, everyone knows that something is up and Ryoma is keeping secrets from his friends. Are they really dating each other or is this simply a plan to bring two rivals together as one?

Disclaimer: The original manga, Tennis no Oujidama, is the work of Konomi Takeshi. Characters and settings have been adapted without authorization or approval, and I am making no profit from their use.

[Calming Passion]

As the school draws to a close, everyone wrapped up practice before cleaning up the field and heading home for studying since many of them have basically passed what they have learned so far. As for the rest, they still had a lot more to work on here at Hyoutei so more work might be required. Elsewhere, Atobe and the others were back in the club room finishing their work with Echizen following them.

"So, guys. How did I do with that little coaching thing?" he asked them.

"You were amazing out there my dear! I didn't know you had that much passion in you for teaching tennis to beginners. Also, I think you really do have what it takes to be a hyoutei trainer." Smiled Atobe.

"I had to do my best out there since some of those new students had missed a few balls when swinging. So as long as they continue to work on that, it should be okay." Said Ryoma.

"Dude, your other girlfriend, Sakuno Ryuzaki of Seigaku heard that you taught her the basics as well and showed her what tennis is all about. I can imagine what my cousin would think if he saw you sharing your teaching skills at his school." Continued Yuushi.

"Unfortunately, Kenya-sempai tells me that his school has a bunch of idiots that are too lazy to practice and some didn't show up at the courts because of other school related activities. Furthermore, I don't know if any of them knows what tennis is or if they have any passion for that sport. Not even coach Osamu can straighten them out. I bet Shiraishi is pissed and would not hesitate to use his poison arm to slap some sense into those newbies." Continued Ryoma.

"He can be soft and gentle, but don't mess with him or his lovers." Said Gakuto nervously.

"Anyway guys, I believe that when my first day of high school starts, I think I will be pretty comfortable around here since I've been like family to you all. Although I know that Atobe will probably follow me around yet again but whatever. I will be back to check to see how much improvement that these guys have later on." Said Ryoma.

"So, you really are coming to our school? That's so cool! I can't wait to practice with you because you seem to really care about us. I can tell that Fuji took you under his wing when you were made bench coach during our first meeting. I can see that you have that passion for tennis and I look forward to working with you." Said Jirou as he shook Ryoma's hand.

"Thanks, Jirou. Also, my parents are going on an extended vacation for the summer time so this gives me a chance to spend more time with you guys at the beach. Of course, my cat would also love to join you since we all need someone to look after him and I cannot leave him all alone in the house." Continued Ryoma.

"Hey, not to worry! We will all be happy to look after your cat. But seriously though, you should try and date other people instead of just our captain because Yukimura wants some love from you as well." Continued Taki.

"Are you cheating on ore-sama? You better not or else I will introduce you to some painful torture." Atobe glared at him with an evil smirk.

"No way, I would never cheat on you. I am sure Yukimura wants me to spend time helping him setting up the plants at his school since Fuji and Shiraishi are already on their way. I should probably get going so I will see you soon!" with that Ryoma darted out the door and into the open streets towards Rikkaidai while Atobe looked from the window above.

"That brat really knows how to make a getaway when I deadpanned at him. Besides, I think our destiny has finally brought us together."

"Seriously? Why are you still going after that kid?" asked Shishido.

"I need to make sure that he is safe from danger and I will have my men guard his house from intruders while his family is out on their vacation. Besides, we will all be there at Echizen's house for a little bit and I can try and expand it a little more so that we all have room to sleep there." Said Atobe.

"Are you out of your mind? You mean we all have to spend the night at that brat's house while his parents are away? What if they find out about us being there?" shouted Hiyoshi.

"Hey, it shouldn't be a problem. His father told us that we can stay for as long as we need to because that brat needs company and we don't want him to be all alone with his cat. I am sure your cousin would want to stay with him as well?" Atobe turned to Yuushi with that maniacal smile, causing the teammate to step back from getting molested.

"Geez, sometimes you scare me, Atobe-sama. But I will try and talk to my cousin at his place once school is over." Groaned Yuushi.

Elsewhere at Rikkaidai, Fuji and Shiraishi arrived at the captain's office and could see that the place was covered with his plants since he also gave the one to his principal as a gift because of his wedding anniversary. Furthermore, Sanada and Akaya were not fans of his plants and decided that they must head back to his house since his grandfather was asking for a shogi match with Tezuka's grandfather even when they are rivals. But when a text message came telling them that tezuka was busy healing his injuries, his grandfather actually agreed and decided to play his rival.

"Ah, that was a quick response. But Tezuka-buchou will suffer my wrath for missing out on our game!"

"Fuku-buchou! You really are scary sometimes." Added Akaya.

"Tarundoru! No one asked for your opinion, seaweed head! My little nephew has been annoying me to no end thinking I am his uncle when clearly she should have addressed me as his big brother. So, I need you to keep him occupied for a while, okay?

"What? Why me! I got my own plans and…" He could see that Sanada had vein popped while raising his hands ready to slap him for defying his request.

"OKAY! OKAY! I will do it! Geez! PMS much!?" shouted Akaya.

"I heard that Akaya!" boomed Sanada as he finally calmed himself down and sighed.

By the time night fell, Ryoma could hear his lover knocking since he had the key and opened the door without any hesitation. Furthermore, Karupin heard who was at the door and immediately waited for him to come in while trying to eat some of the fruit that his friends left for him in a fruit basket since the ribbons are a cat's favorite toy. "Hey Karupin, let go of the ribbons." He was laughing while trying to store the ribbons on top of a shelf. "You're lucky that I find you cute." He reminded the cat while putting the fruit basket outside for his lover.

"Is everything okay in there?" asked Atobe from the outside.

Ryoma sighed for a moment while holding his cat close to him since there was no way he can open the door with a cat in his lap. Furthermore, he unlocked the latch from his door and clicked the doorknob in order to let his guest in. "Monkey King, there is another spare key on top of the shelf outside and if you use that one, you should have no problems. Anyway come on in."

Atobe immediately showed himself in while ignoring the dangling shelf outside since the screws were knocked off from its hinges. "Your shelf is falling apart, I am going to have to let Mukahi take a look at that tomorrow. Anyway, you could have left your door unlocked!" scolded the visitor. "If anyone came by, they would be knocked out and—"

This was nothing new to Atobe when he saw flowers and a fruit basket after stopping mid-sentence. Even Echizen was surprised himself to see the amount of stuff he was getting from other schools.

'That's… quite a fruit basket and flowers." Said the Hyoutei captain.

This was quite a surprise because Echizen's house wasn't that big and his bathtub couldn't fit anyone big. Furthermore, there were blueberries, cherries, pineapples, and mangos along with grapes and bananas packed with well-done curls and ribbons. Furthermore, the room smelled like oranges and apples. As for Ryoma, he didn't seem to have a chance to open the envelope and find out who sent him the fruit basket because karupin had been keeping his master busy since he grew fond of the ribbons.

Ryoma turned to atobe and said, "Please help me move the fruit basket to a safe location because I don't want my cat to tear it apart."

"Sure thing." Replied Atobe as he took a handle from one side of the basket while Echizen placed his cat inside his comfy bed while taking the other side of the basket handle and placed it in the back room. "Now as for your key, why are you giving it to me?" asked Atobe.

"I have no use for it, so I wanted you to keep it because in case if you wanted to stop by for a special occasion you are more than welcome to do so. Furthermore, I got other keys on my keychain in case that I get locked out. So where else am I going to keep it since my room has no place for a key now, why do you still want to know about it?" said Ryoma.

"You are too important to me and I want to keep you safe from harm." Replied Atobe.

There it was. Ryoma tried to shake off that weird feeling from his neck when Atobe started going all boyfriend on him. At this rate, Atobe is taking the date thing for granted since they never played any matches of tennis since the Hyoutei captain finds it too boring, just like when Nanjiro hooked echizen up with a bunch of ladies taking him shopping for weird things. Furthermore, Ryoma never met a guy that make big fusses like this since he knows that the golden pair would sometimes make out at the clubhouse, but no one else had ever gone on a date with men. Even if Ryoma thinks that he is dating Atobe, he didn't need to complain. "This isn't Chula Vista you know." Said Ryoma

"Well, you might never know where trouble will find you when you're out in California." Continued Atobe.

Listen to the genius at geography while missing the point. Furthermore, Ryoma constantly loses track of his key when he was younger and it took him forever to find it, which was considered to be embarrassing.

"Watch your step and your head because the door is coming up." Continued Ryoma.

"Thanks for the heads up." Said Atobe. "But if you are going to have a key, keep it somewhere safe like in your desk drawer without leaving it out in the open."

"I don't have a big desk since it is old and worn out. Besides I do need a new desk anyway since I couldn't afford one in my elementary school years." Continued Ryoma. "Besides, you keep it since you are always welcome to visit me off-hours." Atobe looked at him for a moment and was stunned since he didn't know what to say.

"Are you sure you want to do this? What will your parents say?" asked Atobe.

"I am sure they know you very well already. So it's no big deal since you need it more than I do." Continued Ryoma.

"Wow, thank you. I never realized that you were so nice to me. Besides, have you thought about making your house bigger?"

"Afraid not, we didn't have the time because my father is pretty lazy since housework is not his forte and he always leaves it to my cousin since she is not a real estate developer. And besides, if I wanted the house bigger, then we would have remodeled it and – "Ah-Ah karupin!" He immediately scooped up his cat before he could get his paws on the fruits while giving him a kiss and a squeeze. After the cat was placed in his room, he slowly closed the door behind him.

"Now where was i? Oh yes, the card is actually courtesy of Shitenhouji High School and Rokkaku's Davide. I couldn't make out the bad joke he scrawled out in pen. But anyway, want an orange?" said Ryoma as he handed his guest the fruit.

"Thanks so much Ryoma." Replied Atobe as he catches the fruit and ate it. "This is good orange I tell you. Furthermore, the endeavor from Shitenhouji is truly magnificent. They are proving to be tenacious as well. I supposed this is a gift for our time in love together I assume?" At that moment, Atobe was cracking a smile since this is the first time that Echizen saw his boyfriend like that.

As Ryoma looked and studied the card carefully, he was shocked to see himself in a wedding dress and kissing his lover which left him flushed and flustered. But once atobe looked at it, he starts laughing like a maniac while hugging his boyfriend tightly. So what's the deal with the marriage drawing? Unless… Holy Shit!

Ryoma looked back at Atobe who was still talking to himself. "I think this marriage is beside the point since you normally see these sorts of things at my house. Oh, like I said, you are always welcome at my home for a little breakfast for any other reason since I always send out invitations to my teammates whenever their parents are out for any particular reason."

"Of course and thanks. As for my brother, he probably is somewhere laughing his ass off thinking that I am already married to you, but I told him that it is all a big misunderstanding and that I am not ready to propose yet. However, we have to tell the guys at Shitenhouji that the wedding isn't going to happen since they made a minor error." Continued Ryoma. Except for the fact that Nanjiro and Rinko were fully aware that their son was dating which shocked them to no end. Although they were trying to disparage this from happening, they actually decided to let Atobe keep Ryoma under his wing for a while. If Atobe's parents found out about this, they would not allow the marriage to take place except for their friendship to stay strong.

Atobe was probably standing waiting for an answer from his best friend since Echizen had a habit of rejecting his boyfriend's requests since he had thought about "ignore and move on" but today he said, "I might consider your offer." He then flipped the card and rubbed his eyes for a moment to read the notes that said "Wishing you a good marriage to the craziest guy at hyoutei and be sure to send us a picture since Zaizen wants it on his blog." At that moment, Ryoma snickered while thinking about the issue of how to thank them for the fruit while telling them that they are not married.

As atobe looked at the card, he scratched his head for a moment and said, "Just to let you know, we never got married, but I am sure they had a reason to send that note since there is no way that we missed something like this."

Echizen tried his best to wipe the whole "dated by Atobe" thing from his mind since this was a lunatic with infinite resources that is considered special in many ways, but Ryoma could handle this friend even if Atobe doesn't get dated back. At this point, the young echizen must find a new place to live since he is being stalked by the hyoutei captain and his old man all together.

"Looks like this wedding can't go on without a little music." Replied Echizen as he handed the card over.

Atobe started to laugh heartily. "I see, well my apologies for trying to start a marriage, but let's keep it as us going on dates since we need to see more of each other as the time go on."

"Don't worry, we will keep it on the down low and we missed the old wedding version."

'You're not seriously suggesting that we are going to get married right away right?" because that is not going to happen and my teammates would seriously get on my case if that occurred." Said Atobe.

"Nope, like I said, you and I need to be serious about dating if I truly love you. But for now, let's tell them this: we did not get married, but thank you for wishing us the best dated couple ever. This will be a perfect reply for Shitenhouji." Said Ryoma.

Atobe smiled and erased the whole marriage out of the picture since Shitenhouji was being ridiculous. Really, Shishido and the others were about ready to throw a fit if Ryoma really married Atobe and a parade would be out of the question. Furthermore, even Tezuka and Yukimura would never attend this sort of ridiculous same sex couple marriage because it does not fit their pride. However, did shitenhouji ever send Yukimura a fruit basket since he arranged a flower ceremony at his school? Probably not.

"Hah, look at those clowns!" laughed Atobe.

"What's funny?" asked Echizen.

"It seems that Kintaro and Koharu wants pictures of you wearing that Juliet dress from that play we did when you were younger." Said Atobe.

"That weirdo assclown Koharu? Why I am not surprised? Those people are seriously joking and ridiculous at the same time." Sighed Ryoma.

"I agree. I would probably wonder where those guys came up with that idea in the first place. Sure I may have a good looking physique, but wearing a wedding suit is not my forte." Nodded Atobe.

Echizen hoped that he didn't mean any of that since those suits were costumes for the play and not real marriage equipment because they were not girls. This would also cause Ryoma to stop believing any squabble that is coming out of the woodwork. However, the kid focused on keeping what fruits that can be placed in the fridge while wrapping the others for Atobe since he wants that guy's teammates to enjoy them as well.

"That wedding dress at the play really suited you, I am surprised that Shiraishi couldn't see that." Smiled Atobe.

"Oi, Atobe-sama! I swear I am not wearing that dress anymore in any future plays." Continued Ryoma.

"Don't worry, that's never going to happen since our school is putting ona new play without any dress costumes." Responsed Atobe.

"Good."

"Do you need help?"

"I got it, and also the trash can is right there in the living room and the sink is in the kitchen." Said Ryoma as he tried to sort out the fruits quickly while trying to stop the crazy talk from his crazy boyfriend. However it would be a waste to throw the gift out now since some of them are perishable. Elsewhere Atobe was playing with karupin as he scratched the cat's belly gently while the kitty cuddled in the man's hands since he was infatuated with this lover.

"Hey, I left your half on the front porch and make sure to let your teammates thank me for the fruits. Also, I will try and stop by at Hyoutei for some practice matches during the summer before we head to Hokkaido." Replied Ryoma.

"Thank you so much, I will be sure to let my driver take care of that." Smiled Atobe as he took his half of the fruits while waving towards his driver. But Echizen was hungry and decided to follow him in the car. Furthermore, he could see that his guest was grinning at him.

"What?" asked Ryoma.

"Nothing, its just that some of our friends in the area are not that supportive, so we need to give something to them in order to show our token of appreciation," said atobe.

"No problems, but just so we are clear, we did not get married. The guys at Shitenhouji made a mistake in writing that note."

"I know that." Soon enough, Echizen turned away putting the melon outside so that it does not get rotted out before he could sense Atobe hugging him from behind. He struggled to set himself free but didn't put up a fight.

"Seriously, why are you glomping me like Eiji or Mukahi does? Get off me!" protested Ryoma.

"Sorry about that, I just thought that you needed that because friends do that when we get a gift like this." Continued Atobe.

"It's okay, but let's get the wedding off our heads." Said Ryoma.

~/~

By the time Atobe returned to his homeroom, Oshitari could see Atobe reading more of those love novels while he was preparing for his musical recital since he can tell that the mood of his captain didn't go so well. This had never happened to him before ever since the whole dating scheme started with the Seigaku brat. However, Atobe was still smiling in a good way since he felt happy to be getting a date from that kid. That brat was going to get whatever is coming to him for messing with this diva.

"I see you are doing some reading?" he asked his captain.

"Yep. This is a love story." Said Atobe while studying the contents of the novel carefully while sighing and looking up at the sunlight. "love is a battlefield in Romance where men must fight to get their pride and joy back."

Oshitari was a bit confused at Atobe's strange remark but decided to focus his mind on his musical work since he knows how determined his captain wanted to see this date through. Furthermore, some serious shit was about to go down when they are going to Hokkaido.

"A battle is never won unless one man covers for his beloved's pride. However, when the lover dies, the beloved goes into a fit of rage and wants revenge. Once his fate is sealed, his homeland will be a distant memory."

You call that a love story? It's more like War and Peace! Thought Oshitari to himself before noticing the keys that he had stashed on his desk and decided to ask him on the nose. Furthermore, Atobe was thinking about letting Echizen move in with him while his family was away on vacation because that way, his cat will be in good hands.

"You know, Echizen seems to be unaware of the deep affections that I have on him." Said Atobe with that blushing look.

"You're joking right?"

"Of course not! But still though, he cares a lot about me and I can definitely see it in his eyes, no doubt about it."

As for Oshitari, he had some disbeliefs of his own and didn't want to laugh in his captain's face or move a muscle since this was Echizen all right. As he capped his highlighter, he gave Atobe his full attention. "If my hunch is correct, his own emotions are too basic and he is not able to synthesize presence and import. The entire world sees something that he cannot see after our existences ended. Don't you find it amazing that there is a melody in here that doesn't wake him but it is calling to him to come to me?"

Oshitari could tell that he was not interested in hearing these metaphors, but asked "I see that you paid Echizen a visit just a while ago?"

"Yup, Echizen was well informed of the situation at hand." Replied Atobe.

"I see, but why did that brat give you a key?" he asked.

"Don't worry about it. Also, I plan to let that kid move in with me since his parents are going somewhere for vacation." Continued Atobe.

"Are you for real? That brat gave you his key and still managed to tell you that he was not marrying you? What the hell did he do to you?" asked Oshitari.

"Like I said, I always keep the love thing as a secret so don't bother."

"Fine then, but eventually, you will have to go public with this or I win the bet and you have to shave our heads."

"What bet? I already won, what are you, blind?" laughed Atobe.

"I can take it that Echizen isn't into you because some friends of mine told me this." Continued Oshitari.

"You need better friends and plus if Echizen stays with me, perhaps I can get you guys to look after him and his kitty because we need him to experience what it's like living in a lap of luxury." Said Atobe.

"Seriously? You really want to date Echizen Ryoma and invite him to your house? You are talking love over here with that cheeky brat from Seigaku, and you want us to spend time together with you guys at your beach house and in Hokkaido?"

"What makes you think I was not serious? Yes, and besides, I want that kid to feel what love really means to him and I am sure I would want him to get to know you guys better since he taught us what tennis meant to us and the other schools. Also I might have the other schools to keep an eye on that kid as well since we are all going to take him to places that he hasn't been to for a long time." Said Atobe.

"Wow! I guess I never thought about it. But still, are you sure this is a good idea? When did you seriously fall in love with him?" continued Oshitari

"Of course! Ever since I laid eyes on him, he has become that special someone to me and I couldn't let him go into the darkness. Do you remember that match we had with the American team? I can see in my future that the kid would be the right man for me as I saw him beat that other tennis prodigy from America. I realized now that the flower of my manhood has bloomed even greater for me."

"He was freaking eleven! And also since when did we become babysitters to that brat?" began Oshitari.

"I call them like I see them and also we all have to treat him well if we plan to make this date special. Besides, I already texted Kite and your cousin since I want him to go on a one-on-one date with each tennis club member from Tokyo all the way to Osaka because this is a good way for him to accomplish his desires for me."

"Seriously!? Are you gay or something? What is this, The Bachelor? You are not telling me that he has to let every single student go on a date with him?"

"Yup, that's the plan. Since I know the truth, we were born to love and care for each other since the day we were born. We fought as rivals and our bonds are stronger than ever. So, I want him to share those bonds with other people around us. I will have him start off with the students at Rikkaidai." Said Atobe.

"Honestly, I am not sure what goes through your head anymore, but to be honest you are confused. But I am quite impressed that you are gunning for Echizen since your delusions have gone off the wall. But technically, you are insane and no one sees what you are seeing."

"I am already here in reality, so would you please call up Sanada and let him know that we all need to be role models for that kid? Thank you so much." Continued Atobe.

"I was getting to that! Anyway, let me get this straight, two years ago you were planning to fall in love with Echizen and at that time, he thought of you as an annoying little dickhead. Now, you see him as a lover for your heart. Are you out of your mind?" groaned Oshitari.

"Love begins with you as a lover and it wants you to realize that you are completely falling for that person. Furthermore, think of it as a light switch where you turn it on and off. Even if this is common, that kid is a like a bolt of lightning ready to strike swiftly and quickly."

Oshitari couldn't understand where his captain's brain was going with all this shit.

"A man who is alert and awake before the sun rises could see the clouds are asking him where his love was. This tells me that the man could see that the day is coming, but they are not aware of it. A majority of them would probably ignore that sign since they do not fully understand what love means to them. I won't let this moment pass because this is a sun that will shine on us forever." Continued Atobe.

"I am no romance expert, but I can tell you that this is not how love works." Said oshitari.

"Echizen and I share a strong bond together and we will not let that separate since it has been going on the courts. So we shall tie it together forever."

"Atobe, you realize this is just another one of your tennis crushes right?" said Oshitari.

"Not to me, but now that you mentioned it, that kid does remind me of my younger years since I kicked everyone's ass and made it easy as pie."

"I knew it! You know, there are other ways to stroke your ego instead of hitting on Echizen since it is very effective."

"Thanks, but I can tell the difference between love and desire."

"You're not really in love with him; you just think you are doing that to gain attention! You don't know what will happen because love isn't like sunshine to begin with. And there will not be a field of flowers or the birds singing Mozart. This is all a dream that you concocted and you're trying to make someone else's life a part of yours." Said Oshitari.

"Thank you for that input, I like it." Smiled Atobe.

"What makes you think that Echizen will fall for you when he clearly does not want you?"

"What are you talking about? He accepts my invitations to take him to play arcade games or see movies each month. So my intentions are quite clear." Continued Atobe.

"He probably wants to play tennis, have you not noticed that?"

"No, but still I need to change his daily tennis obsession into other things and check on our activities. And besides, it will be up to you to oversee those interests for him. Thank you for suggesting that."

"Let me know how it all works out." Finished Oshitari as he took out his pen and finished working on his Bach sheet music. He could hear Atobe's cell phone beeping with the push of buttons.

Now he is calling Echizen during morning hours? Echizen might not have his phone on, but decided to reply anyway.

"Ah, echizen, just to ask you if you prefer one-on-one dates with other people during the summer break? Let me know."

"Sure, I would love to, after all since my parents are out doing other things I would be happy to do one-on-one dates with everyone." Continued Echizen.

"Wonderful! I will let everyone know and also, you know Hanamura Sensei right? She is also asking for you to do a one-on-one as well."

"You mean that lady from Josei Shonan where she wants to make me her masterpiece? Okay, sure I think she might be crazy, but I will go for it."

"Great, I will see you after school!" And with that the phone disconnected. Just then, Gakuto stepped in and heard everything that was going on since he started hearing about the one-on-one date thing. He was surprised that the brat would be looked after by everyone here for the date since this was a bet that Atobe had proposed on the brat.

"You can't be serious! Now that crazy loon wants us to date that kid as well?" grumbled Gakuto.

"Yes, I am afraid so and if anything, that kid will be moving into our captain's estate soon if this is accomplished." Whispered Oshitari.

Gakuto could only groan at that remark and wanted to smack his captain in his head for that unprofessional behavior. "You are not talking about, operation: one-on-one love with the Short Pants right?"

"Yes, exactly. So what we have to do is to show that brat anything that he likes and treat him to delicate foods. In other words, we need to have a good time with him."

"Oh my god!" Groaned Gakuto. This was not something that he was good at, but he decided to comply anyway and walked off to tell the silver pair the news.