Spy Games
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Ego Trip: Hi all, thanks for reading this story and thanks to all who've reviewed it. It's always fun to get reviews and find out what you guys think so don't forget to review this chapter as well. Thanks much.
Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis characters are not mine…
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Ring Ring
"Ok class that's it for today, have a nice weekend and don't forget you have a test next Monday," said their sensei evilly, eliciting groans all around. "ne Inui-sensei is so mean! How am I suppose to enjoy my weekend if I have to worry about that horrible history test? Wah… I hate history!" wailed Eiji as they filed out of the classroom behind their classmates.
"Don't worry Eiji, I'll help you with your revision," assured Oishi, knowing that history was Eiji's worst subject, mainly because the lively and energetic boy saw no point in studying about people long dead and buried. "Really? Thanks Oishi, you're the best!" exclaimed Eiji as he turned and gave Oishi a big bear hug, right there in the middle of the hallway, causing a few members of their fan club to start hyperventilating. Showing his extreme eternal gratitude, Eiji clung onto Oishi, chattering away about how he was going to repay Oishi for his kindness. It was indeed a wonder Oishi could still move with Eiji clinging onto him like a vine. Watching from behind them, Fuji couldn't help but smile wistfully at their conspicuous public display of affection. Noticing out of the corner of his eye that Tezuka was no longer walking beside him, Fuji stopped and turned around, scanning the crowd for Tezuka.
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Walking beside Fuji down the hallway while watching the silly Eiji and Oishi Show episode 17, Tezuka allowed his mind to drift away. 'So Inui Sadahara had indeed infiltrated into the school faculty successfully. Having arrived just two days ago, he'd become the substitute teacher for the previous history teacher who had developed mysteriously a need to move to another city. Admittedly, having someone on the faculty would make things slightly easier, yet how much did he know about the oldest member of the Guardians? Having received notice that two other Guardians would be making their presence known in the school soon, no other information had been given, except the name of Inui Sadahara and the that other Guardian is also a student in the school.'
A light tap on his shoulders disrupted his train of thought and brought him back to the present. Turning around, Tezuka noticed a junior member of the students' council waiting impatiently for his attention. "Note for you from Inui-sensei," said the younger boy, handing Tezuka a note.
Tezuka-san,
I'm sure you have many questions regarding my presence in the school, especially since the file you received must have been woefully sparse in actual content. Please allow me to clarify all your doubts. Meet me at the storage room in the west wing right after you receive this note.
Inui-sensei
When Tezuka looked up again, the junior was already gone and Fuji was standing next to him, looking inquisitively at the note he'd unconsciously crushed into a ball. "There's something I have to attend to right now so why don't you go home first with Eiji and Oishi," suggested Tezuka brusquely, still thinking about Inui and that other mysterious person. He didn't like being kept in the dark, especially not when it came to matters concerning Fuji's safety.
"Did you forget? Eiji and Oishi are going for their Guardian training lessons today," reminded Fuji, surprised that Tezuka would forget such an important thing and that he would speak in such a brusque manner. No matter how stoic or indifferent he seemed to others, Tezuka had always been slightly warmer to him. For that matter, Tezuka had been slightly spaced out recently, as if he had a lot on his mind. At first, Fuji had just dismissed it as one of Tezuka's moods, but it was beginning to worry him. It felt as if Tezuka was deliberately trying to distant himself from Fuji, especially after that last incident with the storm and… well there was no other way of putting it, it hurt.
Knowing that Eiji and Oishi would be going for their training at some obscure location Fuji had been rejoicing the fact that he and Tezuka would be left alone, at least for a while. But now it seems that plan isn't going to work anymore. Sighing inwardly, Fuji forced a smile and said, "It's ok, I can go home by myself, I'm not a little kid anymore."
Staring at Fuji for a moment, Tezuka weighed his options. Since Eiji and Oishi were unavailable, it was his responsibility to stay by Fuji's side and make sure he remained safe. Yet there was that matter concerning the mysterious Guardians in school, something just wasn't right there, something that had his instincts going on red alert. As leader of this generation of Guardians, he was suppose to know everything there was to know about all the others, yet his information regarding these two was unacceptably inadequate, something that had to be corrected immediately. Faced with such a dilemma, Tezuka made up his mind and said, "My meeting won't take long, why don't you wait for me in the courtyard and I'll try to be done as soon as possible, than we'll go home together." Hearing this, a wide smile spread across Fuji's face, maybe things weren't as bad as he'd imagined.
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In the storage room
"Inui-sensei, remind me again why we're here," hissed an annoyed Kaidoh. He didn't like being in dark confined rooms, especially with Inui, who due to a cosmic mix-up of severe proportions, was now a sensei at his school. Adjusting his spectacles slightly, Inui said, "I just received a note from Tezuka saying that we were to meet him here. I suppose he must be wondering why we've taken so long to show ourselves." Looking around the storage room, Kaidoh searched for the elusive light switch. "Speak for yourself, I've been here since the beginning of term, you're the one who took too long to get a job. Anyway why can't he meet us somewhere else, there are cobwebs everywhere," hissed Kaidoh in disgust.
Just as Inui was about to flip the light switch, two pairs of eyes opened in the shadows and within a split second, Kaidoh and Inui were both knocked unconscious by blows to the back of their heads. Melting out of the shadows, were Momoshiro and Ryoma, holding in their hands a dictionary and a Britannica encyclopaedia volume A respectively.
"Is that the best you can do? Ooh, look at Ryoma with his killer encyclopaedia, scary," mocked Momoshiro, chuckling to himself.
"The pot calling the kettle black," mumbled Ryoma, replacing the encyclopaedia back on the shelf.
"Hey I had to make do with what's at hand, it was either this or a box of flying chalk," said Momoshiro defensively.
"Whatever, hurry up and tied them up, Tezuka will be here soon," reminded Ryoma as he went about tying Kaidoh's hands and legs together.
"This is going to hurt me more than it's hurting you Inui-sensei," said Momo as he taped up Inui's mouth.
"You realise when either finds out it was us, we're both going to get it," Ryoma mentioned as an afterthought.
"Yeah that's why it's going to hurt us more than it's hurting them," added Momo.
"What I don't get is why we're doing this, what's the boss man's plan? Any idea partner?" asked Momo as he tried to position unconscious Inui in a relatively comfortable position.
Having no clue why Tenkawa had sent them to ambush Inui, Kaidoh and later Tezuka, Ryoma shrugged and said, "The only way we're going to find out is to go through with it. Who knows what kind of perverted plan he's cooking up, let's just go."
"Well look on the bright side, this is probably the only chance we'll ever have to beat up Inui, Kaidoh and Tezuka," said Momo with no small degree of relish.
"You do realise they're going to kill us when they find out, so how is pain and torture a good thing? You better enjoy whatever happy moment this brings you now, I don't think we'll be feeling happy for a long time to come," stated Ryoma in a bored voice. He hated doing stupid things and it seemed that ever since he'd been paired up with Momoshiro and started working for Tenkawa, all he'd been doing were stupid things.
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Knock knock
When no response came, Tezuka pushed open the door warily and walked into the darkened storage room. When his eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness, he vaguely made out the shape of two people lying on the ground. Immediately he went into red alert mode, settling into a combative stance instinctively. Moving closer to the figures lying on the ground, he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye and turned immediately, only to see Ryoma standing by the door.
"You, what are you doing…" Tezuka managed before he was struck on the head by a flying dictionary.
As Momo bent over Tezuka to retrieve the dictionary, Ryoma sent him a baleful glance, indicating his disgust at Momo's choice of weaponry.
"Well, whatever works right?" asked Momo as he proceeded to tie Tezuka up.
"Now our mission is completed but I still have no clue what the boss man's up to," said Momo as he finished tying the knots binding Tezuka's hands.
"I wonder…" murmured Ryoma as he looked at the three unconscious figures on the ground. There had to be a connection between them, something tying them together. (No pun intended) What was it Tenkawa wanted that these three would have prevented him from getting?
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In the courtyard
Fuji sat under a tree reading a book while waiting patiently for Tezuka. Unbeknownst to him, Tezuka was unconscious in the storage room, in the process of being bound and gagged. Suddenly, almost as if he sensed something, Fuji looked up only to see Tenkawa Kai approaching with a smile on his face.
End Of Chapter
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Yes, I am EVIL. Sorry to leave you with a cliffhanger, but somehow I felt this was just how this chapter should end. I'll leave your undoubtedly active imagination to ponder on what happens next. See you next chapter and don't forget to review!