The Rumour

Chapter Two: The Fun Begins!

The feeling that something bad is going to happen dogged Oishi throughout classes. The normally conscientious student couldn't concentrate at all during class, thinking about Fuji's promised plan, and was reprimanded by his teachers at least twice that day. Fuji was seldom destructive the way Eiji or Momoshiro are when they get hyper or mischievous, but when the tensai got it into his head to do something, students and teachers alike tend to get out of his way. His mind kept running through all the possible 'plans' that Fuji could have in store for the tennis club. Fuji's plans tended to be – ah, spectacular, to say the least. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, class ended, and Oishi bolted for the door. 

He was stopped by a light touch on his arm. "Ah, Tezuka!"

The taller boy looked at him with his clear grey eyes, saying nothing. Oishi understood. He and Tezuka have been best friends since their first year at Seigaku. He knew without saying that Tezuka was concerned about him… He just wasn't good at showing his feelings.  "I'm okay, really. Let's just go to practice okay?" Oishi managed to say with a smile.

For a moment, he thought Tezuka would have said something more, but Eiji joined them in the hallway with his usual contagious enthusiasm, hurrying them towards tennis practice, and the moment was lost.

The day's practice was relatively uneventful, at least for Oishi's portion of it. He couldn't help noticing Fuji a lot more than usual, but the tensai seemed very much his old smiling self, at ease and joking with everyone like normal. Maybe Fuji forgot about his plan, thought Oishi hopefully. After all, practice was almost over and nothing's happened so far. But just in case, Oishi thought maybe he'd go over to Tezuka and see how he's doing. Just in case. Oishi swallowed and crossed his fingers.

"Hey Tezuka, how's everything going?"

"Nn," Tezuka glared at the first and second year students practicing in the courts before him. "Something weird's gotten into all the non regular players today. No concentration at all, and they keep looking at me and giggling. Giggling!" The tennis buchou spotted another small gaggle of boys huddled together whispering at the net, and shouted out, "Ikeda! You lot, twenty laps for talking in practice!"

"Hai Buchou!" Ikeda and his friends dashed off to begin their laps, stealing little glances at Tezuka as they passed the tall captain and vice captain.

"Oishi," said Tezuka. "Do you know what's going on with them today?" It was a valid question. Oishi was the recognised 'mother hen' plus arbitrator of disputes and trouble-shooter of problems in the entire tennis club.

Oishi blanched. Fuji did do it after all. But what exactly did he do? The sharp-eyed buchou narrowed his eyes. "You know something," he stated flatly.

"Ah…" Oishi tried to prevaricate and was saved by the bell. "Tezuka, watch out behind you!"

"What?" Tezuka turned and promptly stumbled over a first year student. The contents of the glass the student was holding splashed out and landed all over Tezuka. "What the --?"

The young boy looked up in horror. "Oh no! I'm so sorry Buchou!" The young first year was bowing so low, his head practically touched his knee. "Inui-senpai is making all of us drink his juice. I was just trying to run away to get rid of it before he sees me! I didn't mean to spill it on you! I'm sorry!"

We don't blame you, Tezuka and Oishi both thought simultaneously with a pang as the smell of the spilt juice hit their noses. "Ah, it's all right. Just… go ahead with whatever you're doing," said Tezuka faintly, as he tried not to breath in the noxious juice fumes.

"Yes, Buchou! Sorry, Buchou!" The young player ran away as fast as he could. 

Tezuka grimaced and plucked the soaking shirt away from his body, nostrils flaring in protest. "Look Oishi, I'm going to take a shower. Help me end the practice? We'll talk again later."

"Sure, I'll finish up here. You go ahead," Oishi agreed with relief. He needed to find Fuji to stop whatever it is he's doing – and fast.

Oishi was about to head back to courts A where the regulars are practicing when he was stopped by another non-regular player. The boy was obviously the chosen representative of the delegation that was standing just a couple of feet behind him. "Yes, what is it, er, Nagayama-kun, isn't it?"

"Oishi-senpai, we were wondering if we could ask you to confirm something…"

"Sure, what is it?" asked Oishi patiently. This seems like a pretty important deal to the boys.

Nagayama looked back desperately at his friends behind him for support. After a couple of hissed, "Go on!" "Ask Oishi-senpai!" the second year player took a deep breath and finally spoke. "There's a rumour going around that you'll get to date Tezuka-senpai if you manage to beat a regular in a match," the boy blurted out quickly. 

Oishi felt as if he'd just gotten hit with a big heavy hammer. "Wha – What?! Where did you hear --? Who told you that?" he choked out through his shock. He could feel a wave of red creeping up from his neck. Date Tezuka?

The second year student blushed. "Well, we heard it from Arai, who said he heard it from Takeshiro, and he said he and a whole bunch of people heard it from Fuji-senpai… They say if we manage to beat any of the regulars in a match, we will…" the boy blushed harder at this point. "… Will get to spend a whole night with Tezuka-senpai. We were just wondering… I mean, we couldn't tell if he was serious or just joking." The student looked up earnestly at Oishi. "Really for one whole night, senpai?" He asked hopefully.

Oh my god. My head hurts. Oishi thought. He says it like he wants it to be true. Fuji, Fuji, I am – no, *Tezuka* is going to kill you for this. And maybe he'll even let me help him. Oishi was about to explain to the poor student that no, the rumour is not true, that Fuji senpai was just joking, ha ha, when suddenly, a deep voice broke in. "Come on, Nagayama-kun. You don't have anytime to waste if you want to improve enough to beat a regular. And now you have a really good reason to want to beat us, right? Hurry up and go practice."

"Yes Inui-senpai! Thank you!" Nagayama ran off, shouting to his waiting friends, "Hey guys, Oishi-senpai says it's true!"

"Wait a minute! Hey! Wait! I didn't say anything!" protested Oishi weakly.

Inui clasped a big warm arm around Oishi's shoulders and gently steered him towards the clubhouse and changing room. "It's okay, Oishi. Why don't you come along with me and we could discuss this further."

Oishi was practically shivering with shock as he followed Inui into the changing room. The boys stopped just inside the door. "Inui! We can't let those boys think that they could…" He stopped and gulped for fresh air before continuing. "Think that they could… beat a regular player and then date Tezuka."

"Who's dating Tezuka?" came a new voice from the door. "Neh, Oishi, who's dating our buchou? Tell me! Tell me!" asked the irrepressible Eiji, followed closely by Fuji and the rest of the Seigaku Regulars.

"Buchou's got a date? I thought Buchou has no life outside tennis," commented Momoshiro.

"Hssss…."

Oishi fastened his stare at Fuji and lurched towards the shorter boy. "You! It's your fault! Nagayama said he heard it from you! Tezuka is going to freak when he finds out!"

"No, he won't," said Fuji calmly with a small twinkle in his eyes.

"Huh, what's going on," asked the totally clueless Kawamura.

"Ask him!" shouted Oishi.

"Now, now, you really must calm down, Oishi-kun," smiled Fuji. "It's just a little rumour that I started to give the non-regular players an incentive to work harder."

"HOW?" screamed Oishi. "BY TELLING THEM THEY'LL GET TO SPEND A WHOLE NIGHT WITH TEZUKA IF THEY BEAT ANY ONE OF US REGULARS?!"

A resounding silence descended upon the small changing room as Oishi's words penetrated through the brain of all the players.

Eiji was the first to break the silence. "Oh Syusuke, you didn't!" he breathed in equal parts horror and awe, staring at his blue-eyed friend.

Fuji smiled and nodded. "I did."

"But, but…" stuttered Momoshiro, "Shit, Fuji-senpai. Buchou is going to kill you."

"I don't think he will, Momo-kun. After all, I only did it for the good of next year's Seigaku Regulars, right Inui?"

"There is a 94% probability that the news would spur on the non regular players to work a lot harder than they are now. After all, boys our age are all pretty hormonally driven. The promise of a sexual fulfilment as a reward would be just the thing to push them to work harder. For some strange reason, the use of my new Special Inui Super Juice is only 63% effective. It just isn't working to help them as much as I thought it would."

"Well, that's no surprise," muttered Kaido. Ryoma and Momoshiro could only nod in agreement with Kaido.

"Yeah, but did you have to use Tezuka as bait?" asked Oishi wearily. "Also, sexual fulfilment? Tezuka is a guy!"

"But I had to," replied Fuji angelically. The rest of the regulars could have sworn they saw a tiny sparkling halo blink into existence around Fuji's head. "After all," the pretty third year student smiled sweetly, "Tezuka is the mostly highly admired and respected and worshipped buchou Seigaku has ever had. He's also got one of the loveliest pair of eyes, and such a wonderfully taunt, tanned body… and his lips…" Fuji sighed for a moment, then coloured prettily. "Anyway, he's the perfect choice for this kind of thing. I'd use myself as bait if necessary, but for some strange reason, quite a lot of people seem scared of me. Of course, they're pretty frightened of Tezuka too, but he has this aura that enables people to trust him completely at the same time," Fuji concluded with a soft laugh.

"Besides, Tezuka will never be called on to fulfil the, ah, promised date, because no small, little, insignificant non-regular player is going to beat one of us for a night with Tezuka. Right, minna?" Fuji asked with a terrible gleam in his eyes. The halo popped out of existence immediately, only to be replaced by tiny perfect horns.

Practically everyone gulped. "Er, sure, Fuji."
Oishi looked at the members around him. "I don't know. I still don't think we should let this kind of rumours continue around Tezuka. I mean, I'm pretty sure something horrible will happen."

"Oh come on, Oishi –," started Fuji, when he was suddenly interrupted by Ryoma who was staring out the door, looking at the courts.

"Ch, just decide already. All the other players are still out there practicing."

"What?" Oishi, and the rest of the regulars made their way out to stare at the courts. True enough, the courts were still filled with excited, hormonally charged first and second year players whacking the heck out of the tennis balls. "Whoa. They are really working hard today."

"See, Oishi. My plan worked!"

Oishi said slowly, still staring out at the hordes of players. "I think… I'm going to regret this."