A/N: Arigatou for the reviews! This one exceeded 1000 words because I just couldn't stop myself from adding Fuji in. It's important for future developments.

Just a small comment – I sort of like to write in soap opera style. You know, with many scenes, many things going on at any one time, that kind of thing. I haven't reached there yet, but just to warn you that...I might start doing it again without realizing so hope you got no problem with that.

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3: Plotting

"Yosh! Now we're all together, we can start off!" Eiji exclaimed enthusiastically. "I've got a greeeeat idea ochibi! Why not we-"

"Do we HAVE to do it here, Kikumaru-senpai?" Ryoma asked, a hint of irritation evident in his voice.

"But of course!" Eiji replied enthusiastically. "We can't let anyone know! Not even Oishi, because he won't let us do anything bad, even if it's to get Inui! Not even Fuji 'cos he'd spoil the fun! Well, I suppose it's okay if Kawamura knows, but we'd have to run laps forever if word gets to Tezuka about what we're planning! I suppose-"

"In an ALLEY, senpai?"

Eiji grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "The villains always planned their stuff in the back alley..."

"That's for dirt poor villains. The Mafia does it in cool underground chambers. With class. I am NOT going to sit here looking like I'm a criminal."

"But what if we get caught?"

Ryoma glared at him. "Just follow me. I promise you, where we're going, not even that annoying girl will know where we are."

"Um..okay." Eiji bounced up to trail after the shorter freshman. "Where're we going?"

Ryoma smirked. "You'll see. You don't want to get overheard, do you?"

Eiji coloured, and shook his head. After a few seconds, he frowned in deep thought. "Ochibi..."

"What."

"Is this place, like, your secret hideout or something? Is it underground? Or...above ground? Like a treehouse? Coool...I've never had a treehouse! Actually, I've never seen a treehouse. So...is it a treehouse?"

Ryoma gritted his teeth. "No. No. No. No. And no."

"Sou desu ne..." Eiji mumbled, deep in thought.

"You'll see it soon enough, senpai," Ryoma assured him annoyedly.

"Okay!" Eiji grinned. Then he furrowed his brows in deep thought again.

Ryoma groaned inwardly. Please...don't ask anymore questions! I feel like I'm walking with my dad. Stupid old man.

"Ne, ochibi..."

Ryoma almost had to hit himself to stop himself from physically shutting his senpai up. "Yes, Kikumaru-senpai."

"Who's the 'annoying girl'?"

Ryoma sighed. It was going to be a long evening.

----

"Ready to go, Oishi?" Fuji asked cheerfully as he entered the tennis club room.

"Yeah. Hold on for a second." Oishi arranged the school racquets carefully where they were kept on neat shelves. "By the way, Fuji....do you know what's up with Eiji today? He told me he got plans, and ran off. I got a feeling something's up with him."

Fuji shrugged and smiled. "Nah, I don't think he's up to anything. Maybe he has to do something, run errands, get a present or something. Don't worry over him."

Oishi smiled ruefully. "Yeah...I guess I tend to overdo it sometimes. Where's Tezuka?"

"Here," Tezuka answered with little enthusiasm as he entered the room.

Fuji smiled to himself. Best not to let anyone know, ne, Eiji?

"Oh, yeah! I forgot." Fuji smacked his forehead as if a thought had just occurred to him. Which, it actually had. "I have to go and get something for that brother of mine. He just did well in school, and that's rare, so I gotta get something for him."

"That's great," Oishi commented. "So you guys are okay with each other?"

Fuji shrugged and smiled . "It's a love-hate relationship. I love him, he hates me."

Oishi nodded uncomfortably.

I knew talking about Yuuta would keep him quiet. That leaves me to do whatever I want today...

Fuji slung his bag over his shoulder and walked out, putting up his hand as a farewell wave. "Ja."

Let's see if I can find out what you're up to, Echizen....Eiji.

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"You're smart, ochibi!" Eiji crowed happily as he kicked off his shoes. "This is so great! No one will find us! And your room is really cool!" He bounced onto the smaller boy's bed.

Ryoma shrugged and sat himself on his desk chair. "So...as you were saying, senpai?"

"Yeah! I say let's give Inui a taste of his own medicine! We'll cook up something really disgusting for him. That'll show him how we, the regulars of Seigaku, have suffered!"

Ryoma shook his head. "Not good enough. A lot of things could go wrong with that. We could kill him by accident, and I don't want to go to jail yet. And besides, even if we didn't end up killing him, it's not punishment enough."

Eiji stared at Ryoma with a look of pure astonishment. "Hidoi na, ochibi..."

Ryoma glared at him. "It's not cruelty. We should make him suffer like we did."

Eiji nodded slowly. "Yeeeeah...It was really embarrassing when I couldn't serve! Or return the ball! And I kept falling flat on my face!"

Ryoma tried not to roll his eyes.

Eiji suddenly sat straight up. "I've got it! We'll really embarrass him by getting him, say, a secret admirer! We could pose as his 'admirer' by sending letters and stuff, and he'll think it's for real, and then after that he'll be really embarrassed when he finds out!"

Ryoma shook his head. "Mada mada da ne. I think Inui-senpai doesn't really care about that sort of thing."

Eiji tilted his head, deep in thought. "How do you know that? If you say that, the only thing that he cares about is his data. Stupid little book."

Ryoma stopped short. "That's it."

"Huh?"

"We'll take his data book. He'll die."

"Ooooh, great idea ochibi! But..." Eiji frowned, "what if he needs his data book?"

"That's the whole point."

"To make us the cure?"

"Oh....that's true." But Ryoma couldn't resist toying around with the data book idea. "Surely there's something we can do with that book."

He thought.

Eiji thought.

They both thought....and somebody's stomach rumbled.

Eiji grinned sheepishly. "Sorry...I'm starving."

Ryoma sighed, and they both went to look for food.

-----

"Hey, Momoshiro!"

Momoshiro turned. It was Fuji, smiling cheerfully at him.

"You're alone? Where's Tezuka?" Momoshiro asked as Fuji drew closer.

"You make it sound like we're joined at the hip. Although I don't really mind that," Fuji commented happily, smirking inwardly at the look of fear that crossed Momoshiro's face.

Wonder what it was that had him grossed. The thought of me and Tezuka together, or the idea of being joined at the hip with me?

"Hee..heee.." Momoshiro smiled weakly.

"Where's Echizen? You two are usually together," Fuji said casually.

Momoshiro shrugged, trying to ignore the chills that ran up and down his spine. "I really don't know. Anyway, senpai, gotta run. See you tomorrow!" And he ran off.

Fuji smiled at his retreating back. Guess my luck ran out, Echizen. Maybe Eiji will be easier to tackle.