Channel 26- A Date
Essentially everyone who wasn't on Seigaku had decided to take a day off as the eleventh morning rolled around. The rest of the group was determined to get Oishi and Fuji to win against someone on the boy's tennis team even if it killed them. And by 'them' I mean Fuji and Oishi.
It was convenient for them because the girl's tennis team did not have practice on that particular day while the boy's team did. So they evaluated that this was the best time to do something.
They had all gone back to a house that belonged to either Fuji or Oishi in order to change clothes and drop the horses off just so they wouldn't look quite as strange. They knew that even though they would be magically transferred back into their alternate universe clothing when they jumped again, they figured it was good to look slightly normal while they were in a slightly normal universe.
Inui still wore his patch, though, because he was probably totally terrified of what might have been (or not have been) underneath it.
"All right," said Eiji as the group of six hid behind a bush and spied on the boy's tennis team practicing. "It'll be no problem."
"Easy for you to say." Said both Fuji and Oishi.
"Those two right there." Inui pointed at two of the boys that where practicing together. "They're a doubles team. You should woo them."
"Why do we have to do this again?" Oishi whined.
"Because it likely won't work for you guys to win against us anyway." Said Taka. "Right? I mean, in the Knight Universe when Inui and Momo tried to kidnap the princess and me and Eiji saved her, it didn't work."
"That's a good point, Taka." Inui commented. "Even I hadn't thought of it. But I'm sure I would have eventually."
"What are you guys waiting for?" Momo said to Oishi and Fuji. "Go out there and get them to play tennis with you and lose!"
"But what if they don't lose on purpose?" Oishi said.
"Way to look at the glass half empty!" said Eiji.
"No, really." Said Fuji. "What if their manly testosterone takes over and they go into that mode where they just can't lose against a girl?"
"Oh come on!" said Momo. "It's not like that at all! I bet if I played against a girl then I'd definitely let her win."
"I wouldn't intentionally let anyone beat me." Said Fuji, a shadow covering half of his face. "Ever."
"Well, that's YOU Fuji!" said Eiji. "I know Oishi's different from that!"
"Yeah, but that's me." Said Oishi.
"You guys just aren't making any sense at all!" said Momo. "Just go out there and get this done so we can get to the next Universe and subsequently make it to our OWN Universe in which you guys get to actually be guys again!"
With that, Momo gave both Fuji and Oishi the boot in the direction of the tennis courts where the boys were practicing.
"Are we sure that there's no other way to do this?" Taka asked as he watched Fuji and Oishi dejectedly walk in that direction.
"I'm sure there are a hundred ways to do this." Inui admitted.
"But this is the most fun for us!" said Eiji with a laugh.
"Oh." Taka said.
They all watched as Fuji and Oishi both carried on a conversation with the boys for a little, and then retreat back to the bush where they were all disappointedly waiting.
"You were supposed to seduce them into playing a tennis match with you!" said Momo.
"They said that they were too busy with practice today." Oishi reported. "But they didn't have practice on Saturday."
"When's Saturday?" Eiji said.
"Tomorrow." Oishi answered.
"So play tennis with them tomorrow then." Said Inui. "It's unfortunate that we must stay an extra day, but we'll survive."
"Well actually we turned them down." Fuji said.
"WHY?" demanded the four others.
"Because they said they'd only play tennis with us tomorrow if we went on a date with them tonight." Fuji answered.
"Get your butts back over there and tell them that you accept!" Momo commanded.
"There's no way we're going out with them!" said Oishi.
"It'll be one night of horror and then it will be over." Said Inui. "This time tomorrow will be in the next Universe and you'll have forgotten about the date."
"Except we'd both still be girls, and therefore reminded of it every minute of the day." Oishi reminded him.
"Oishi, it's the only way!" said Eiji.
"But didn't you guys say that…" Taka started but then he trailed off when he noticed they were all getting their elbows ready to subtly attack him.
"Couldn't we travel to another school and look for someone who will play against us?" Fuji tried. "Or find some girls who are even worse than we are?"
"I suppose we could do that." Said Inui. "Do you have the ability to drive in this Universe?"
"Um…no." Fuji said. "But couldn't we take the bus?"
"So this is your plan…" Momo said. "To ride around in a bus randomly until we find some people playing tennis and then challenge them to a match, hoping to beat them?"
"Um…" Fuji and Oishi looked at each other.
"Just accept their kind offer!" said Momo. "I'm sure they'll be very nice when it comes to play in the match tomorrow!"
"Well if we go through all this and they don't end up letting us win then I will personally make sure your lives are living hells." Fuji said.
And the scariest thing about it was that he had a perfectly content smile on the entire time he said it.
For the afternoon, everyone (including Hyoutei and Kirihara) went over to Oishi's fake house where his fake family was.
"How long will your friends be staying here?" Oishi's fake mom asked as she poked her head in the little mini-apartment they had downstairs in the basement especially for parties.
"Um…the night?" Oishi tried.
"The night?" his fake mom said, looking concerned. "All these boys?"
"Uh…yeah…is that okay?" Oishi asked.
His fake mom sort of just mumbled something under her breath and then closed the door.
Oishi turned back to everyone else. "Yeah…I don't know if it's going to be okay with her." He reported.
"That's all right." Said Taka. "If all of this works out properly then we'll be gone tomorrow afternoon and you'll never even have to see her again."
"Good point." Oishi said with a nod.
"So let's go over what is happening tonight." Inui picked up his notes. "The boys from the tennis team will pick you up at eight o'clock. First, you will be going to dinner. Then—"
"THEN?" Fuji repeated, his voice elevated ever so slightly. "No. I'm sorry. But the night is ending right after dinner."
"That won't work." Said Atobe.
"Of course it will." Fuji said.
"Then you guys REALLY have to lay on the charm." Said Momo. "Fast."
"Easily." Fuji said.
"Um…maybe we should see a movie too…?" Oishi said, twiddling his fingers.
"No, dinner will be enough." Said Fuji. "We should be home by eight thirty at the latest."
"All right but don't rush anything or else they might not play tennis with you tomorrow." Kirihara warned.
"Hey, the deal was that if we went on a date then they'd play tennis, so they HAVE to no matter what, right?" said Oishi.
"Err…" everyone said slowly.
"By the way," Inui said suddenly. "Do you two even know their names?"
"Not…no…" Oishi frowned.
"Wait, what are your names?" Shishido asked. "I mean… your girl names."
"Oh well…apparently we're both Shuuko." Fuji answered.
"What?" said Shishido. "Why?"
"Because…" Fuji said. "Shuusuke. Shuuichiro. They're both essentially 'Shuu' with a boy's name ending."
"That's lame." Said Shishido as if it affected him at all.
"But you all should just call us Fuji and Oishi anyway, so it won't matter." Fuji said.
"Oishi!" said Eiji. "Hey, what are you going to wear tonight?"
"What…am I going to wear?" Oishi said.
"Yeah!" said Eiji. "You have a hot date in just an hour or so and you have to wear something, unless you have other plans…"
"Eiji, please." Said Oishi. "Get your mind out of the gutter."
"What?" said Eiji. "What did you think I was talking about? I don't even know! You get YOUR mind out of the gutter!"
"Well…no, I don't know what I'm going to wear tonight." Oishi sighed. "I hadn't even thought about it."
"Hey, can we follow you around and spy on you all night?" Eiji asked eagerly.
"Eiji, you're making this VERY difficult." Oishi admitted. "Just so you know."
"Oishi…I'm sorry…" said Eiji, bowing his head in shame. "I'm just trying to be nice and act as though nothing's wrong…"
"But something is wrong, Eiji." Said Oishi. "I'm a girl. So is Fuji."
"In addition to that, I am still without color." Atobe reported.
"At least you got to keep your manhood." Oishi griped.
"That much is true." Atobe nodded. "I don't know what I would have done if I had ended up in this Universe."
"I probably would have killed myself." Oshitari said.
"Hm…I as well." Atobe nodded. "It sure is lucky for us and everyone else that we did not end up in this Universe."
"Lucky?" Fuji inquired but the others urged him to keep himself under control.
"You know, Shishido…" said Choutarou to his best friend ever. "It's odd. We were only superheroes for about eight or nine days, but now I feel like I'm going into withdrawal because I haven't fought crime in so long."
"Hey, you know what?" said Shishido with a slight laugh. "I felt the same way but I didn't want to say anything because I thought I would sound crazy!"
"Wow!" said Choutarou. "How great! Does anyone else miss their Universe?"
"None of us were anywhere long enough to really grow attached to it." Said Momo with a shrug as he gestured to himself, Inui and the Knights.
"I don't really miss it." Atobe said to Oshitari.
Oshitari shook his head. "It was nothing special." He said.
"I'm glad I left MY Universe." Said Kirihara. "I despised it there."
"I guess we're alone on this one, Shishido." Said Choutarou with a smile.
"Well, I don't exactly miss the UNIVERSE…" Shishido said. "Mostly just what we did IN the Universe. Frankly, I'd rather be back in my own Universe playing tennis and going to school and stuff like that."
"Oh of course!" said Choutarou. "But it was nice to fight crime and be around people who loved us unconditionally!" Then he pondered and frowned. "Well, actually, there were also some people who hated us unconditionally too."
"Like Squidbeard." Shishido said.
"Ahhh…" Choutarou nodded his head in remembrance of Squidbeard.
"Don't mind us, but we're only trying to have a relevant conversation." Fuji said, looking crossly at the Silver Pair.
"What?" they both said.
"In any case, you two should get ready." Inui decided. "Your dates will be here soon and you have to make sure you do everything right."
"What are you guys going to do?" Oishi asked. "Hang around here until we get back? I don't know if my fake mom will be too crazy about that. She didn't really want you here in the first place, let alone here WITHOUT me."
"Don't worry, we'll take care of her." Said Oshitari.
"No!" said Eiji. "I won't let you kill Oishi's fake mom!"
"Oh, I'm sure he wasn't thinking about THAT." Said Oishi with a laugh.
Oshitari only sat there, cleared his throat and then readjusted himself in his seat.
"Oh right." He said. "Of course not."
"Um…don't kill her." Said Oishi. "Seriously. Even though she's not my real mom, she's a nice lady and I have to admit that I would be distraught if she was dead when I came home."
"Fine, fine." Said Oshitari. "I won't kill her."
"No one kill her." Oishi said.
Atobe sighed. "Too much emphasis on the 'I', Oshitari." He said.
"Sorry…" said Oshitari.
"You two are insane." Said Momo. "I think you DO miss your Universe where you could kill people with no consequence."
"Maybe." Said Atobe. "Maybe not."
"It's almost eight o'clock." Inui reported. "Please. Oishi, Fuji. Do your best. We will be sending you good vibes all night."
"One hour." Said Fuji. "Maybe two."
"All right." Said Inui. "We will be sending you good vibes until you get home, however long it may take."
"I'll try to explain the situation to my fake mom…" Oishi stood up. He and Fuji left the room to get ready for their…DUN DUN DUUUUUUN. DATE!