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.
[King vs. Queen]
That night, Ryoma and the gang decided to check out Atobe's villa in order to see what exactly he was planning for the queen of tennis. Usually, this was supposed to be a boyfriend/girlfriend outing, but this time, keigo came prepared as long as An is under his care since her brother Kippei and his teammate Kamio had agreed to let the leader of Hyotei take a crack at her instead of just the seigaku brat. Unfortunately, Atobe was not going to be that easy to deal with since this guy has the ability to defeat almost anyone in tennis and other sports just like he did with Ryoma previously. But this time, the locations of the dates are still the same even if it means taking An to her favorite locations. However, she was not that amused.
"You're literally insane, you know that? Would you mind explaining what I am doing at your luxurious mansion? And don't tell me we are going on a date!" stated An.
"That is exactly what we are doing! You are my date remember? I had promised your brother that I would take you to your favorite places just like I did with that brat ryoma and even he felt comfortable with me. So you should probably be able to get used to hanging around me for a while. Furthermore, I am what you would call "unique." Said Atobe with a smile on his face.
Out of the corner of Atobe's eyes, he could see Ryoma and the others looking inside, but he immediately nodded to Kabaji to let them in. As the boys entered inside, they could see that An was being served tea while she was busy setting her bags down in one of the guest rooms. As she took the tea from kabaji, she thanked him and took a seat on the chair to relax her self.
"How unique are you? Are you a people person?" she asked.
"Very unique. In fact, I am one of the nicest person to hang around with and I think Ryoma would agree with me since we are a cute couple." Winked Atobe.
"No, we're NOT! I only dated you temporarily in order to be friends with you." Said Ryoma furiously while blushing.
"Don't lie to your senior captain, brat! You are aware that my tennis magnificence makes my body stand out to attract girls right? Furthermore, I have a wonderful personality and don't you forget it. Remember, we are still going on dates but right now, An is probably finding me attractive right now."
"I don't care how magnificent you are at tennis, and as for your personality, I respect it. However, I don't want to say anything that will go against your wishes, but if I was to be your girlfriend, this could have a huge impact on my future and your life, depending on where I will go to study."
At that moment, Atobe realizes that An was contemplating the idea of telling Kippei in order to let him give a good chat to the king of Hyoutei. But her brother was not in a position to lecture him about romance or love since this was his sister's decision to woo him. It's not like Kippei is going to worry about his own sister since she chose to be together with him since Atobe was not a stalker, but rather a charmer to please girls in order to prove himself worthy to find a girl of his dreams.
"So this is your future eh? Are you worried I might leave you so soon?" continued atobe.
"That's beside the point, but I am not worried about you leaving me. And since I trust your judgment, let's go get some ice cream and drinks, shall we?" said An as she tugged on the diva's shoulder.
Atobe rolled his eyes and stared at An for a second before talking again, "Are you serious about this relationship?
"Of course I am! you think I am joking? I really want to see what it is like being your girlfriend." Smiled An.
Soon, shocked looks appeared on everyone's faces inside the room. Ryoma coughed for a bit before trying to hold his laughter while the Oshitari cousins sniggered quietly in the corner since they have never seen An taking on a challenge like this before. Furthermore, this would be the first time that Atobe has been picked to date a girl from a different school since he has spent way too much time with the Seigaku rookie. It was time for a change of pace.
"I have to admit, you got guts to date a guy like me. I am surprised that you actually accepted my love for you and here I thought I would escort you to the guest room to change into something more comfortable myself." Contined the diva.
"I don't want to catch your germs, but thanks anyway. I know my own dress code routine." Finished An as she watches Atobe taking a seat on the desk finishing up some last minute papers while a butler escorted her towards the dressing room. "Your clothes will be ready in a few minutes, do you need to extend that time period?" He then hands a glass of lemonade for An as she finished changing.
"Are you really trying to impress me here?" asked an as she pointed at the marble staircase and the long dining table in the dining room.
"It sure is," replied Atobe lightly. "Do you want more lemonade?"
"Nah, this should be fine, thanks." An is thinking that she likes apple juice better, but the lemonade definitely suits her taste
'Are you ready to go?" asked Ann.
"Of course, I just need to change into my tuxedo and I will be out in a minute." And with that Atobe left the room to change into something more handsome since this will be a first one-on-one date between him and the girl since he is striving to please her any way possible. However, Ann was feeling a bit embarrassed after witnessing what just happened earlier. After all, she worked really hard to get to this point thanks to the pointers that she got from Ryoma and his friends. Although her date with Momo was a little bit on the downside, she feels that spending more time with Atobe would sooth her need because it was necessary for her to meet a guy that can change the outlook on her life.
A few minutes later, Atobe reemerged from his room with his new look along with a flower tucked into his tuxedo and this surprised Ann just as it did to Ryoma and everyone else. Soon, Yuushi and Kenya placed their homework assignments down and walked over towards their captain for a moment and said, "Wow Atobe, you are really taking this date seriously eh? Perhaps we were right about you choosing An as your true love, I hope this date goes well."
"My friend, when I went for ryoma, he felt really relaxed about the whole date thing and to me, this is going to be a walk in the park. And besides, we are only going out for a few drinks and ice cream since she really want this date to be special." Said Atobe as he gently patted the blue-haired tensai on the back before strolling off with his new lover.
"Looks like Atobe's insanity is off the charts this time, I would never imagine that he would fall for Ann that quickly. I can almost imagine what Ryoma is thinking right now. He probably is wondering why his lover is bed-hopping with all the cute kids these days. To me, that's just letting the matchmaker setting up all the decisions for them." Added Gakuto.
"If anyone is responsible for the matchmaking business, it has to be Fuji Syusuke because he has been watching Ryoma and Ann for quite some time now." Stated Yuushi.
Although his feminine instincts has been tingling ever since that kid and Atobe has been hanging around for a long time and it is becoming very frustrating to him that he didn't have a lover of his own. Sure, there were times when Fuji spied on Atobe stalking Ryoma throughout the night at his house in America or when Atobe had his attention on the girls at his tennis courts since he finds them to be awesome.
Oh! This is going to get very interesting indeed since Ann was finding his lover to be incredibly observant because no one can trick him because he will definitely check with his regulars before turning his attention towards his next lover because he has more time to spend with her instead of the entire tennis team because this is a perfect way for Atobe to get to know his acquaintances a lot better. But life was not going to be easy for the tennis captain since he cannot deal with the stress of his teammates if they continue to cause a ruckus. Finally, Atobe grabbed Ann and took her outside towards his car and they drove off towards the ice cream parlor while the others stayed behind to keep track of his progress.
"Do you think Ann really is going for that guy? I mean he has enough on his plate as it is and now he has to deal with this feisty little queen? Give the guy a break!" whined Kirihara.
"We know, seaweed head. But this is Atobe we are talking about here and he likes to have some time alone with ann because she hasn't seen him for such a long time now. Please respect their privacy." Said Shishido.
If Atobe knew that he had taken his time off to date Ann, he would have cancelled club activities and tennis practice in order to let his regulars take a break from their gruesome training since they worked so hard to get this far. At this point, he was amused that Ann took her time off from her busy schedule to date a diva since she still has a few exams left to finish before the semester's end and this was her chance to use this mini-vacation before the summer break because there could be other activities that Ann has to focus on later.
"So, what made you decide to come and see me all the way here in Hyoutei?" asked atobe.
"Well, my class was let out early and I had to come and visit you since you made me your date." Added Ann
"I see, so you are lucky that you got this mini vacation while I have to deal with my squabbling teammates. Sometimes I get splitting headaches hearing them fight all the time and I have to let them run laps to cool their heads since that is the only way to keep them from fighting. Overall, I am glad that we could have this time to ourselves so consider it as a little love fest between us." Continued Atobe as he gently stroked An's hand.
"Love fest? But we are not actually in love yet, this is only a date, remember? And besides, you invited me out here for a little drink and ice cream and I thank you for that. However, this won't count as a date unless it is a movie or the amusement park." State An as she ordered her Pepsi drink.
"Really? But what would you call this?" asked Atobe.
"It's a little something that I like to call hanging out and having a first impression since you and I were meant to be for each other. Although you failed to give me your best looks last time, I can assure you that I won't falter as long as I make you my true love." Continued An.
"Something tells me you really want to see this date through right? Okay then, bring on the sodas, one rocky road ice cream and one vanilla chocolate fudge, ma'am!" called Atobe.
"Coming right up!" said the waitress. At that moment, An was surprised that Atobe had made orders like this for the first time since this is exactly what Ryoma did previously with Hanamura. Furthermore, the Fudomine girl could see that Atobe does have a heart behind his ego despite how bitchy he might be or how holier-than-thou he seems. Although there are other girls that Atobe has no interest in such as the swooning ladies and the gushing girls who always bows at his feet, An seems to like to slap the guy in the head when he acts like an asshole after going for a strong-willed and a sassy woman like he because he is too used to girls falling for him.
Sure, Atobe has the tendency to annoy the hell out of his teammates, but he is a loveable captain as stated by Oshitari since he is Atobe's best friend next to Kabaji of course. Furthermore, Oshitari knows a lot about their dramatic captain and feels that he is a normal guy underneath his pomp and arrogance. Unfortunately for Jirou, he finds Atobe to be a challenge because the captain will often wake him up and ensure that he focuses on tennis and real life since this guy has various personalities that Jirou finds interesting. As for Shishido, he respects his captain highly no matter how vain they really are. Although this guy needs a brutal cut down since he wasn't all that great. Now, Gakuto really appreciates his captain's humor and likes the fire that he emits throughout his body even though atobe does have the tendency to go bat shit crazy. Finally, Ohtori and Hiyoshi both think of their captain as an obstacle and a funny guy since mushroom head wants the captain defeated permanently so they can become number one. Overall, they like Atobe just the way he is.
"Looks like your teammates think they like you the way you are since they have faith in you. No one should underestimate you or me since I am looking forward to joining your school in the near future." Continued An.
"True, my teammates do have their ways to annoy me but I always tell them to focus on their things instead of just on me and this, I have made the right decision to date you and Ryoma combined since I feel that you both can make my life a whole lot easier. Therefore, my intention is to try and see if you both have conveyed your feelings towards me."
"I do think Ryoma has already showed his feelings towards you, but for me it could take a while. So let's enjoy our drinks and ice cream for now since you seem to care a lot about me. After all, this date is a test to see if we can build a relationship together." Continued Ann.
"Are you really sure about this? This is just a date, and having a relationship now would take a while. Please keep it as a sign of friendship between us, okay?" stated Atobe.
Elsewhere, Shishido and Gakuto stood behind their seats at the ice cream shop and were shocked to see their captain and An making their first date official since they have seen how their captain did it with Ryoma previously. But now, they are certain that this date could go down in flames. On the other hand, Choutaro feels that An could have misjudged Atobe and feels that he isn't so bad after all.
"Looks like the queen of tennis is starting to fall for our captain now and I think she might make this even more interesting." Stated Gakuto.
"Agreed, that deranged captain never seems to break his promises when Kippei asked him to date his sister. I wondered how Kippei knew about this?" asked Shishido.
"I think he must have talked with Fuji since he is an expert at this whole matchmaking thing. Furthermore, that sadistic sempai has the ability to ensure that all dates will go smoothly without fail. If I were you, I'd start joining them on their little date since we know for sure where this is going." Added Kamio.
"So, Fuji is behind all of this? What exactly was he thinking? Unless he had a talk with Atobe and other people to set the date up like this, he is pretty daring. Unbelievable! Who knew that guy had an ingenious plan like this?" continued Gakuto.
"Ingenious my ass! We all know that Atobe and Fuji are both egotistic and sadistic at the same time since they both will do anything to get what they want. We cannot trust either of them since they can make people's lives a living nightmare. Furthermore, they have made us drink Inui's secret juice and it tasted awful! Remind us to never try those drinks ever again." Boasted Shishido.
"At least that guy knows how to make reservations at this ice cream chain, we will give him credit for doing that. However, we need to have a serious talk with Fuji immediately." Continued kamio. And soon, the three of them headed outside into the direction of Fuji's house. As they arrived, the younger Syusuke sibling opened the door and could see Shishido, Gakuto, and kamio outside.
"Hey guys, what's going on? Are you looking for my brother?" asked Yuuta.
"Yes, we were looking for him. Did you see him around anywhere?" asked Kamio.
"I think he might be practicing in the backyard somewhere. Let me get him for you." Said yuuta. And he immediately dashed into the backyard and to his surprise, he was right there practicing his tennis swings for the upcoming world cup. Soon, the gang emerged from the house and went towards the backyard to wave at Fuji.
"Saa, so you were looking for me. What brings you guys here?" asked Fuji.
"Did you set up a matchmaking date with Atobe and An? Because we just saw them at the ice cream parlor earlier and it seems that they are hitting it off." Said Shishido.
"Indeed, it seems that an is starting to make her first impression on our captain and she plans to join our school later on. Was this your idea all along?" asked Gakuto.
"Saa, of course it was. Like I said before, Kippei asked me to set up a date between her and Atobe since I want them to experience it for themselves. Besides my ryoma has done it before and he had no problems with Atobe at all. So I don't see anything wrong with them making out at the parlor." Smiled Fuji.
"You are a sadist you know that? We don't want their date to impact An's future at fudomine and her high school year so why did you do it?" asked Gakuto.
"Well, I have been talking with An lately and she said to me that she needed someone to date because it would be in her best interest to talk to someone that can bring her hopes of playing tennis back up. And I feel that Atobe was the perfect person to do it since he can be a little bit out of whack, but he cares deeply about Ann Tachibana. Therefore, it would be in his best interest to flirt with her and give her advice on how to become a better tennis player if she plans to go to hyotei later on. Plus, I responded to her texts since she wanted me to set her up with a date and so I accommodated her to Hyoutei and assured that the date will happen." Continued Fuji.
"I think she can find her own path even without any assistance, but since you helped her, she has your sincerest gratitude, Fuij-sempai. However, we have to let An choose her own path from now on. If she needs help, she will ask, if that is okay with you, Fuji." Added Kamio.
"Of course, but I feel that she might need assistance from me or Momo so we will let her decide after the date is over." Replied Fuji.
Everyone nodded in agreement and shook Fuji's hand for his assistance. As for Yuuta he approached his brother and asked, "What did you do for An tachibana?"
"I set her up on a date with keigo Atobe because I feel only he can get to know the girl a lot better since Momo feels a little too nervous around her. So it was in my best interest to let her take this opportunity to get to know the king of Hyoutei a little better. I never knew that she would start warming up to him in a matter of minutes, this is quite a surprise." Smiled Fuji.
"Fuji-sempai, seriously are you really just as deranged as Atobe is right now? I mean come on, even he knows that An won't fall for him!" stated kamio
"Oh no? Take a look on screen, it seems that she is holding the diva's hand and kissing him at the same time. I would call that the first impressions date. And I think she has what it takes to ensure that Atobe will belong to her forever." Continued Fuji as he showed them the screen in front of them featuring Atobe and an holding hands together and kissing on their foreheads, leaving everyone shocked.
"Are you seriously kidding me? Is Atobe really serious about this relationship with An?" asked a shocked Shishido.
"He is dead serious! And I do believe this could leave Ryoma singled out." Added Gakuto.
"I don't think he will care, besides, he probably would let An temporarily date Atobe so that he can practice tennis in peace for a while without having to be stalked by that diva repeatedly. This is a good chance for that brat to concentrate fully on his techniques. But other than that, I am happy that he finally let Ryoma be for a little while because that kid must be getting tired of spending all that time together with Atobe. I think he is moving on to other important matters and—oh hold on a second I just got a text from that brat." Said Kamio.
From: Ryoma Echizen
To: Fuji Syusuke, Akira Kamio
Subject: Atobe and An dating
Guys, I have to take a break from dating Atobe for a little bit since I have to focus on my tennis practice, but no worries, I am sure Ann will do well with that King for a while because I feel that he can easily handle this since I am given a break from dating more people for a while.
Echizen Ryoma
Once everyone looks at the text sent by that brat, they were most impressed with his tenacity and his sheer will to let someone else take over his mission for a little while. Furthermore, Ryoma really needed a well-deserved break so he can focus on sports in order to defeat his rival and opponent at the world cup later on. Once Ryoma got himself situated, he decides to spend the night prepping for the upcoming competition by practicing in the backyard for a while. Soon, Ryoma gets a phone call from his father asking if he was okay and if he needed any extra clothes. He replied that he has packed the necessary clothes needed and that he does not need anything else.
"Also dad, atobe is seeing An Tachibana for a little while even though he still sees me as his backup boyfriend. So, I decided to take a break from dating him for a while and I have to focus on tennis." Said Ryoma.
"What? Why are you taking a break from Atobe? I thought you were being serious about your relationship with him, so what happened? Did Ann take your boyfriend away from you?" asked Nanjiro.
"Nah, I decided to share my boyfriend with Ann because she needs him to make her future brighter, After all, she is also going to Hyoutei to perfect her tennis skills as well." Continued Ryoma.
"I see. That's understandable. Well, at least now you are being nice enough to let the girl take over what you have started. Honestly, you are a good kid and you are always polite. I always wondered where you got the general neatness from, oh yes you probably got it from your friends, no wonder you have so much loyalty towards them. Anyway, take good care of yourself and I will see you later!" smiled his father as he hung up the phone.
Ryoma breathed a sigh of relief since he was starting to get a headache from listening to all of that, but then he winked a smile on his face and resumed his practice session. "Loyalty, eh? I have proven time and time again that my friends are proving to be very useful to me. I still like them the way they are even though they do annoy me sometimes, but I have great respect for them since all of them treats me like a brother."
Back at the parlor, Atobe gobbled up the rest of his ice cream while watching Ann taking her time with the remains of the vanilla flavor since they are not speed demons. But soon, Atobe picked up a spoon and took the cup holding the ice cream and starts feeding An the rest of it before wiping her mouth clean. Furthermore, An was blushing a bit at what just happened earlier and said, "Atobe-sama, just what do you think you are doing? Did you really have to embarrass me like that in front of everyone?"
"So sorry about that, I just wanted to feed you the rest of the ice cream since you are taking too long to eat it. I had to help you even though we are just starting our date together." Said Atobe.
"Well, thanks for your help, but I can easily finish it on my own. Anyway though, you ready?" said Ann.
"Yep, I am ready. So we are going back to my place for a bit before you head home." said atobe.
Once the tab has been taken care of, Atobe takes Ann back to his house for a little chat since she still has a few minutes before heading home for a good night's rest. As they arrived, both of them headed up stairs towards their room when they head ball sounds from outside. As they checked, they can see ryoma still practicing while breaking a sweat. They decided not to interfere since these two still have a few minutes before Ann heads home.
"Is Ryoma going to be okay?" asked Ann
"I am sure he is fine, he is a fierce competitor and will fight to defeat the leader of the Genius 10 later on. Just give him a few more minutes before he comes inside for his rest." Said Atobe as he gently placed Ann on his bed. "Looks like our first impression date really seems to be going well. I am impressed that you are starting to take an interest in me." Smiled Atobe.
"Well, even though you can be a bit egotistical, this won't be the last time that we will see each other. We will still go on more dates after I finish my exams. Furthermore, I already know that you and Ryoma are still seeing each other from time to time and I can understand that. Still, I have to thank you for taking good care of him," added Ann.
"Glad that I could help him, and you know as well as I do that Ryoma will still be my number one lover next to you. Besides, I chose you both as my dates in order to fulfill my destiny to find love and since I found it, you both will be doing more tasks later on, are we clear on that?"
"Yes, of course, but why us though? I thought I was going to be your permanent date or something?" stated Ann.
"You will soon enough, but right now, I need to train Ryoma a little bit more since he still needs time to flirt with the girls. Anyway, do you need a ride home?" asked Atobe.
"Sure thing. I want to thank you for letting me spend the night with you. I will hopefully see you soon to keep track of Ryoma's progress." And with that Atobe quickly escorts Ann outside where he tells the driver to immediately take her home. Once the car departs, Ann waves back at her date before disappearing into the distance. As atobe heads over to the back yard, he notices that Ryoma was on the ground since he has reached his limit on tennis practice and said to him, "Looks like you are well on your way to stardom, brat. You still need a little more training in order to fulfill my goals."
"Don't remind me, you still owe me a tennis match tomorrow. Anyway, how did you start falling for Ann anyway?" asked Ryoma.
"Ore-sama has his ways of meeting women just like you do and he knows how to impress the girls. However, you still need a little more work on talking to women. So, are you ready to come inside? I got some water ready to cool you off. Make sure you bathe thoroughly if you want to get a girlfriend, hahahahaha!" laughed Atobe as he immediately scooped up Ryoma and took him inside.
"How many times do I have to tell you that Sakuno is not my girlfriend? She is just a childhood friend of mine. Also what are you, my mother? I know how to take care of myself!" protested Ryoma. But Atobe didn't hear him as he sets the kid down on the bed and stripped him clear of his dirty clothes before handing him the pajamas and directing him to the bathroom. "Towels are on the rack, shampoo and conditioners are inside the shower. Let me know if you need anything."
Ryoma only huffed as he enters the shower to clean himself up completely before heading to bed since this was a night worth remembering after seeing how well Ann did with the monkey king. However, it will take a while for him to regain confidence if he plans to date girls in the near future. At this point, Ryoma is not planning to crack under pressure because he has earned the trust of his teammates, his family and his obnoxious boyfriend since they are supporting him all the way. In other words, this will be Ryoma's chance to rise to the occasion and show the world that he can make the girls fall in love with him.
Author's notes: Ann sure has her creative ways to impress Atobe and she certainly has a lot of surprises. As for Ryoma, I don't know. He still has ways to go if he wants to catch up to Ann and his rival. I guess love is in the air for the two handsome rookies.