Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis; they're owned by their
respectful owner, Takeshi Konomi.
Author's notes: Please read and enjoy. If you don't like it, kindly leave
comments as to why not and what needs to be further fixed Arigatou
gozaimasu.
=====
"What's bothering you, Fuji?"
Fuji pried his eyes away from the game going on between the power- house and the skinny acrobatics guy in front of him. True to his word, Momo is winning, 3-2 in his favor. "Aa, Oishi?"
Oishi replied with a smile. "What's wrong?" he repeated as if he hadn't said it before.
There was a long, uncomfortable silence that followed before Fuji finally answered, "Eiji."
Oishi paused and looked at him questioningly. Eiji? What was wrong with Eiji? He looked over to the bouncy guy on the court, smiling and glowing brilliantly like nothing is wrong with the world. So what was Fuji talking about?
"... He's failing his science class. If this continues, he'll be pulled out of tennis."
"But I tutor him almost every time he has a test!"
Fuji smiled. "I know; you're a great teacher. I've been tutoring him myself. I don't know what's going on. Maybe we were to soft and easy on him?"
"... Maybe..." Oishi said, unsure. "What's going to happen now then?"
"He said he's going to get some tutoring. Probably Sagashi-sensei; he's a good teacher. I hope Eiji does better, not just for the team, but for himself..."
"Aa..."
=:=
"Duuuuhhhnn..." Momoshiro grunted out his favorite trademark sound as he aced his smash against Kikumaru for the tenth time since the match started. The score was now love-40, 5 games to 3 in Momoshiro's lead. He grinned at the look on Eiji's face.
"Hoi, Momo! Stop it, that's annoying, nya!" Kikumaru yelled on his side of the court, clenching his left fist tight while the right hand pointed at his opponent in an accusing manner. "Duhn, duhn, duhn... I'm getting sick of it!"
Momoshiro grinned wider, which made him look like a sadistic moron. "Eiji-senpai is just mad because I'm beating him."
"Aaaghh!"
"Eiji! Calm down!" came an approaching voice that sounded all too familiar. "It's just a friendly match, don't get mad at him over something like that."
"Demo, Oishi! I' m losing, nya! How am I supposed to calm down?" Eiji whined to his doubles partner.
Oishi smiled. "Remember, concentration is the key to win. If you're mad or frustrated, you will only lose your concentration and think about unnecessary stuff. Just relax... I'll be waiting for you in the next court, ok?" He walked away, contented on what he has done. Not just because he consoled his dear friend, but also because he was able to--well... get near him. He didn't know why, but he felt like bursting if he missed a day of getting near him and touching him... talking to him quietly like that... it's what makes his day. He turned around once he reached his spot and eyed Eiji.
"Yosh! I want to play with Oishi already! Once I beat the crap out of you, Momo, I'll play doubles with Oishi and beat the crap out of Ochibi and you, again! Nyahahaha!" Eiji showed a cocky grin and threw the ball into the air to serve Momoshiro's match point.
"Service ace! 15-40," yelled Horio, the annoying first year, who had begged to be Eiji and Momoshiro's referee.
"N-nani? What was that? Eiji-senpai's serve got faster..." Momo whispered to himself. Whoops, another ball whizzed by him!
"Service ace. 30-40!"
"Kuso," he growled. Eiji's serves, as he had observedfrom the past two serves, had been deep. He knew just what to do. He moved a few steps back and bent his knees lower than usual. "I'm ready..." he thought.
Kikumaru saw Momoshiro's adjustment and grinned.
"Nani?! Kuso!" Momoshiro was forced to run forward as fast as he can as he saw the ball fall not more than 1 feet away from the net. It took all his energy just to reach it and lob it back.
"Ah! Kikumaru-senpai!" the first years yelled. "He's up at the net already!"
"That stance..." observed Fuji with blue fox-like eyes open. He smirked.
"Dunk Smash-u!" (insert the song they always play... tuunununuuun tuunuuunnnnn) Kikumaru finished with a big cocky grin plastered in his face. Momoshiro on the other hand, was too stunned to move.
"Deuce!"
"Duuuuhhnnn..." Eiji knelt on the floor, arms crossed, making a (friendly) mockery out of Momo.
"He's provoking him," Fuji chuckled, as if what was happening was something cute.
"Kuso!" Momoshiro went back to his receiving place and muttered something under his breath.
"Ready, Momo? Here I come!" Kikumaru hit the ball with his full power and ran up to the net to finish it off.
Momoshiro clutched his racket tighter and closed his eyes for a split second to concentrate. "Dorya!" His adrenaline level skyrocketed and he willed himself to return Kikumaru's serve. He lobbed it high, very high, up to the point where even he himself, if he were the one receiving, would not be able to return it easily.
"Agh!" Kikumaru bent down to give himself more momentum and kicked off the ground as high as he could.
"Sugoi! He jumped so high, even higher than Momo-chan-senpai's jumps and got it!" exclaimed Katsuo. Tomoka and Sakuno squeeled in delight and admiration.
"Eiji, that's very irresponsible!" Oishi, who had been watching on the other court, blurted out. "You won't be able to get his hit afterwards!"
Momoshiro grinned and knew this; he hit the ball back with his full blown power away from Kikumaru.
"Deta, Momo-chan-senpai's Jack knife!"
Kikumaru's cat-like eyes squinted in sheer concentration while in mid- air and dived on to the floor, head-first. He used both his hand and the momentum from Momoshiro's hit to return the ball crosscourt from Momo.
"Sugoi! He was able to get two hits in one jump!" Takashi Kawamura's voice came somewhere in the D-court. He had been playing a match against Echizen and was momentarily stunned at Kikumaru's playing style. Quite the same can be said for Echizen.
"Ii deta..."
The girls squeeled, the boys cheered, and the other club members mumbled in excitement.
"Eiji is catching up, ne?"
"Momo's on the bag." Oishi replied and looked at Fuji; they both laughed.
=====
"What's bothering you, Fuji?"
Fuji pried his eyes away from the game going on between the power- house and the skinny acrobatics guy in front of him. True to his word, Momo is winning, 3-2 in his favor. "Aa, Oishi?"
Oishi replied with a smile. "What's wrong?" he repeated as if he hadn't said it before.
There was a long, uncomfortable silence that followed before Fuji finally answered, "Eiji."
Oishi paused and looked at him questioningly. Eiji? What was wrong with Eiji? He looked over to the bouncy guy on the court, smiling and glowing brilliantly like nothing is wrong with the world. So what was Fuji talking about?
"... He's failing his science class. If this continues, he'll be pulled out of tennis."
"But I tutor him almost every time he has a test!"
Fuji smiled. "I know; you're a great teacher. I've been tutoring him myself. I don't know what's going on. Maybe we were to soft and easy on him?"
"... Maybe..." Oishi said, unsure. "What's going to happen now then?"
"He said he's going to get some tutoring. Probably Sagashi-sensei; he's a good teacher. I hope Eiji does better, not just for the team, but for himself..."
"Aa..."
=:=
"Duuuuhhhnn..." Momoshiro grunted out his favorite trademark sound as he aced his smash against Kikumaru for the tenth time since the match started. The score was now love-40, 5 games to 3 in Momoshiro's lead. He grinned at the look on Eiji's face.
"Hoi, Momo! Stop it, that's annoying, nya!" Kikumaru yelled on his side of the court, clenching his left fist tight while the right hand pointed at his opponent in an accusing manner. "Duhn, duhn, duhn... I'm getting sick of it!"
Momoshiro grinned wider, which made him look like a sadistic moron. "Eiji-senpai is just mad because I'm beating him."
"Aaaghh!"
"Eiji! Calm down!" came an approaching voice that sounded all too familiar. "It's just a friendly match, don't get mad at him over something like that."
"Demo, Oishi! I' m losing, nya! How am I supposed to calm down?" Eiji whined to his doubles partner.
Oishi smiled. "Remember, concentration is the key to win. If you're mad or frustrated, you will only lose your concentration and think about unnecessary stuff. Just relax... I'll be waiting for you in the next court, ok?" He walked away, contented on what he has done. Not just because he consoled his dear friend, but also because he was able to--well... get near him. He didn't know why, but he felt like bursting if he missed a day of getting near him and touching him... talking to him quietly like that... it's what makes his day. He turned around once he reached his spot and eyed Eiji.
"Yosh! I want to play with Oishi already! Once I beat the crap out of you, Momo, I'll play doubles with Oishi and beat the crap out of Ochibi and you, again! Nyahahaha!" Eiji showed a cocky grin and threw the ball into the air to serve Momoshiro's match point.
"Service ace! 15-40," yelled Horio, the annoying first year, who had begged to be Eiji and Momoshiro's referee.
"N-nani? What was that? Eiji-senpai's serve got faster..." Momo whispered to himself. Whoops, another ball whizzed by him!
"Service ace. 30-40!"
"Kuso," he growled. Eiji's serves, as he had observedfrom the past two serves, had been deep. He knew just what to do. He moved a few steps back and bent his knees lower than usual. "I'm ready..." he thought.
Kikumaru saw Momoshiro's adjustment and grinned.
"Nani?! Kuso!" Momoshiro was forced to run forward as fast as he can as he saw the ball fall not more than 1 feet away from the net. It took all his energy just to reach it and lob it back.
"Ah! Kikumaru-senpai!" the first years yelled. "He's up at the net already!"
"That stance..." observed Fuji with blue fox-like eyes open. He smirked.
"Dunk Smash-u!" (insert the song they always play... tuunununuuun tuunuuunnnnn) Kikumaru finished with a big cocky grin plastered in his face. Momoshiro on the other hand, was too stunned to move.
"Deuce!"
"Duuuuhhnnn..." Eiji knelt on the floor, arms crossed, making a (friendly) mockery out of Momo.
"He's provoking him," Fuji chuckled, as if what was happening was something cute.
"Kuso!" Momoshiro went back to his receiving place and muttered something under his breath.
"Ready, Momo? Here I come!" Kikumaru hit the ball with his full power and ran up to the net to finish it off.
Momoshiro clutched his racket tighter and closed his eyes for a split second to concentrate. "Dorya!" His adrenaline level skyrocketed and he willed himself to return Kikumaru's serve. He lobbed it high, very high, up to the point where even he himself, if he were the one receiving, would not be able to return it easily.
"Agh!" Kikumaru bent down to give himself more momentum and kicked off the ground as high as he could.
"Sugoi! He jumped so high, even higher than Momo-chan-senpai's jumps and got it!" exclaimed Katsuo. Tomoka and Sakuno squeeled in delight and admiration.
"Eiji, that's very irresponsible!" Oishi, who had been watching on the other court, blurted out. "You won't be able to get his hit afterwards!"
Momoshiro grinned and knew this; he hit the ball back with his full blown power away from Kikumaru.
"Deta, Momo-chan-senpai's Jack knife!"
Kikumaru's cat-like eyes squinted in sheer concentration while in mid- air and dived on to the floor, head-first. He used both his hand and the momentum from Momoshiro's hit to return the ball crosscourt from Momo.
"Sugoi! He was able to get two hits in one jump!" Takashi Kawamura's voice came somewhere in the D-court. He had been playing a match against Echizen and was momentarily stunned at Kikumaru's playing style. Quite the same can be said for Echizen.
"Ii deta..."
The girls squeeled, the boys cheered, and the other club members mumbled in excitement.
"Eiji is catching up, ne?"
"Momo's on the bag." Oishi replied and looked at Fuji; they both laughed.