*NOTE* Alternate Universe wherein I shamelessly borrowed/altered ideas from various media sources and even threw in some of my own. If anything is canon here, it's probably an accident. May include corporal punishment.

Changechildren (Prince of Tennis)

Part 14

By Haruka (email: haruka at ymail dot com)

Atobe was doing his homework when he heard someone say, "Hey, Atobe, have you got a minute?"

The Hyotei Captain looked over at Takahisa and wondered what the Jyousei Captain could want. They'd barely ever spoken before. "What is it?"

Takahisa leaned in the doorway. "I've got a first date with someone tonight and would like to be able to take him into town in the limo rather than on the bus."

Atobe smiled knowingly. "I can understand wanting to show a first date some class to make a good initial impression." He shrugged. "I'm not going anywhere tonight, so I don't see why not."

"Thanks, I appreciate it." Takahisa grinned.

"Who's your date, anyway?" Atobe asked, turning the page of his textbook.

"Mizuki Hajime."

Atobe's head came up sharply. "I rescind my consent."

Takahisa stared at him. "What? But you just –"

"THAT was before I knew I was doing something to benefit that conniving little snoop," Atobe replied firmly and gave Takahisa a steady look. "I'll admit the little weasel is physically attractive, but he's nothing but trouble, and he's even worse since he gained the Invisibility power. My advice to you is to break the date and distance yourself as much as you can."

Takahisa's lilac eyes flashed. "I can't do that, nor do I want to."

"It's your funeral," Atobe replied and turned away, signaling an end to the conversation. The room rumbled briefly, then Takahisa stomped off, nearly taking out Tezuka as he walked in. He put out a hand to catch a lamp before it tipped over from the tremor.

"What's wrong with Kajimoto?"

"He's about to commit social suicide and is angry because I won't help him." Atobe shook his head. "Imagine voluntarily dating Mizuki Hajime! The boy must be a masochist."

Momoshiro peered down at Akira, who lay on his bed with one arm flung across his eyes. "Your skin is a little off-colour there," he remarked.

"I'm surprised it's not completely green," Akira replied weakly. "That 'hoiing' stuff is a killer! The first couple of times it doesn't bother you, but somewhere around the third or fourth your stomach and head start going flooey and it's all downhill from there."

Momo sat down on his own bed and debated for a few moments whether to bring up the next topic. Finally, he decided to go ahead with it. "Hey, Akira, when did you first realize you were attracted to Shinji?"

Akira peered out from under his arm. "Where'd that come from?"

"I just wondered is all. There's, um, someone I'm interested in and I'm trying to get info from more experienced people."

Akira rubbed his stomach. "Well, I guess I was attracted to Shinji the first day I met him. He was gorgeous, and I loved the sound of his voice."

Momoshiro looked at him dubiously. "You mean that mumbling he does all the time?"

The redhead chuckled. "Yeah. It's typically Shinji, so how can I not love it?" He gradually raised himself into a sitting position. "He and I had a lot in common from the start. Not just a love of tennis, but he was fearless and determined – I mean, you know the hassles we had trying to start a team, right?"

Momo nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Shinji never backed down, even when the older kids were beating us up. He's beautiful and looks like a porcelain figure come to life, but he's tough as hell." He grinned. "He's got a nice butt, too."

The other thirteen-year-old blushed. "Oh. Yeah."

Akira wrapped his arms around his knees. "So, who is it you're interested in?" He looked wary suddenly. "It had better not be An-chan! She's like a little sister to all of us on the team, not just Kippei, and we watch out for her."

"It isn't her, it's a guy," Momo told him, deciding not to debate the issue of why Akira didn't think he was good enough for Tachibana An. "I guess I might as well tell you, since your boyfriend already figured it out. It's Ryoma."

Akira looked skeptical. "Is that kid even capable of enough emotion to put into a relationship?"

Momo held up his hands. "Hey, I'm not you and he's not Shinji. I'd settle for a little handholding and maybe a stolen kiss now and then." He sighed. "Today, though, I think what Shinji did embarrassed him."

"You mean the leaving you alone part or the part where he told Ryoma that your equipment bag said you were interested in him?"

"What?!" Momoshiro jumped up. "You're kidding? Please tell me you're kidding!"

Akira was shaking his head, then put a hand against it. "Okay, can't do that, it makes me dizzy again." He gave Momo a look of regret. "Sorry, but that's what happened. Shinji told me after we left."

Momoshiro groaned and fell back onto his bed. "This isn't good, not good at all. Now he'll be uncomfortable around me."

"You could look at it that way, or you could take it as an opportunity to come clean about your feelings." Akira shrugged.

"What if I do that and he's not interested? It could affect our friendship."

"With THAT guy?" Akira snorted. "He'd just tell you straight out and continue behaving the way he always does. You should know better than I do that he's no emotional rollercoaster."

That was true, Momo admitted to himself. And if that was the case, then he had nothing to lose.

Takahisa put the phone down in frustration. Even though he couldn't really afford it, he had decided to try ordering a cab to pick he and Mizuki up and take them home later, but there weren't any available to come out as far as the mansion at that time. It was starting to look like the bus was his only option, after all. Some great impression this was going to make.

"Is something wrong, Kajimoto-san?"

He looked over at Fuji Syuusuke, who was leaning back against the wall beside him. "Nothing," he lied. He was fairly sure that Fuji wouldn't care less about his problem in showing Mizuki a good time.

"I felt the tremor earlier," Fuji remarked, looking up at him from under his lashes. "Are you sure nothing is wrong?"

Takahisa caught his breath. He'd always known that Fuji had amazing eyes, but they were even more potent close up. "I need transportation, that's all. Something nicer than a bus."

"Just for you?" the smaller boy inquired, his voice doing something strange inside of Takahisa. It felt like being stroked, as if he were a cat. He couldn't explain why, but it made him feel good. Made him want more of it.

"No," he answered. "For Mizuki and I. I'm taking him to the Bistro."

"That's a very nice restaurant," Fuji remarked softly, his aqua eyes fixated on Takahisa's lilac ones. "I can see why you wouldn't want to arrive by bus. It would almost certainly taint the overall enchantment of an otherwise lovely evening together."

"I asked Atobe if we could take the limo, but he said no," Takahisa explained, part of him wondering vaguely why he was still talking to Fuji, and the other part not wanting to stop.

Fuji smiled at him and Takahisa's heart did a little dance in response. "The limo driver stays in the servants' quarters – I'll talk to him for you."

Now the Jyousei Captain was uncertain. "But Atobe already refused. He won't go against his boss' orders."

"Atobe probably hasn't even spoken to him about it since he already told you no," Fuji said simply, then winked. "And I can convince the man to do it as a favour to me. Atobe need not know about it at all."

Takahisa was overwhelmed. Why did Mizuki dislike Fuji so much? He was obviously a very generous person to do something like this despite Mizuki's treatment of him. A niggling thought about motives tried to push its way into his consciousness, but Fuji was still smiling engagingly at him and he was sure there was nothing to fear.

"All right," he said finally. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," the other boy replied warmly, then moved closer. He went up on his toes so that his lips were almost touching Takahisa's. The taller boy couldn't turn his eyes from Fuji's now if he tried, and he didn't really want to.

"You're going to go out with Mizuki and show him a great evening," Fuji told him, his voice breathy and captivating. "Then tomorrow, you're going to –" He whispered the rest directly into Takahisa's ear. "Understand?" he asked.

Takahisa nodded. "Yes," he answered.

"You'd better go get ready now," Fuji advised, patting him on the arm. "I'll take care of the driver."

They parted ways. As soon as they were gone, the Tanaka twins peered out into the hallway from their own room down the hall.

"Can you believe that?" Kouhei asked his brother as they stepped back. "Fuji plays dirty!"

"No one else could have heard what Fuji said, so that means we're the only ones who know what's going to happen." Youhei cocked his head thoughtfully. "The question is, do we want to stop it?"

"We can't let a Seigaku player manipulate our Captain like that!" Kouhei said indignantly.

His twin gave him a pointed look. "Would you rather see our Captain take up a relationship with someone like Mizuki?"

Kouhei's expression mirrored his brother's uncertainty and both boys wished their hearing hadn't been quite so sharp this time.

End of Part 14

(2006)

Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi.

This fic is not to be re-posted.