Egao no Tensai
Drabble, 659 words
First person (DON'T HATE ME!!!).
Disclamer: Don't own anything... Except my socks, AND YOU'RE NOT TAKING THEM!
Warnings: First fanfic, be nice. There's some OOC in this chapter. Shounen-ai (feels ridiculous to warn about something like that in this fandom).
Category: Angst...? Err not really, something like that though in this chapter. A bit AU.
Pairing: Urr, yeah... You'll figure it out... Maybe... Ok ok, on with it.

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I don't know why Momo asked me this, but here goes.

It was in the early weeks of our second year at Seishun Gakuen. I was working hard at becoming a regular, as were many other second years. Quite a few spots had been vacated as the old third years graduated, and while the new seniors where more than convinced they'd be the ones to fill those spots, I knew better. There were quite a few talented people in our year, among them a timid boy with an unbelievable hidden strength, whose name was Kawamura, and a skinny redheaded boy who never seemed to be able to keep still, called Kikumaru. It was the latter one that one day brought a friend to practice, a short, tan-haired boy with a sweet smile and almost feminine features.

At first glance the redhead's friend seemed just a pretty face, and the following tennis practice did nothing to discourage that assumption. The boy, having been tricked into a 'friendly' game, played well but not extraordinarily so. He moved gracefully, but not nearly fast enough to keep well up with his opponents rally. In the end the boy lost, yet his, almost overly, kind smile never left his lips. He thanked his opponent and walked off court to join Kikumaru again. The redhead was pouting for some reason, and the moment the boy joined him by the sidelines Kikumaru started whispering furiously to him. The boy nodded and kept on smiling. It wasn't until later that I realised he never once opened his eyes.

The boy didn't show up again until the first ranking matches of the year, and then only as a spectator. I vaguely remember him asking me when 'Eiji' was playing. It took me a while to realise he meant Kikumaru. I knew I should be better with names, but I couldn't really bother back then. I'll get to why later. I directed the boy to the courts where C-block would be playing, as that was the block to which Kikumaru had been assigned. I even showed him the way, as I had some interest in that block as well. It was the block Tezuka and Inui would be playing in. Thinking back on it like this, it was rather unfair to Kikumaru. Inui uses the information he gathers on other players during practice to beat them. He knew Kikumaru through and through, no matter how much the redhead impressed us all with his acrobatic movements on the court. The tan-haired boy comforted a sulking Kikumaru after his loss. It was his second one, which meant he wouldn't be making regulars this time around. I didn't pay a lot of attention to what was said between them, even though I was standing right next to them. The next match was Tezuka versus Inui, and while Inui was a casual acquaintance of mine, Tezuka Kunimitsu was by far my best friend. And truthfully, perhaps back then I saw a bit more in our friendship then what was really there. I was the only one Tezuka ever really talked to after all. I think I believed that had to have some deeper meaning. I think I really wanted it to. Tezuka was quickly becoming my world, which is why I paid so little attention to anything else back then.

The match was proceeding as I had known it would, Inui struggling despite his 'data', Tezuka with his amazing shots and effortless play owning the game completely. However, no matter how much I wanted to watch Tezuka's match, I was distracted from it by the sudden silence beside me. I remember looking somewhat concernedly at Kikumaru, but he in his turn was staring at his friend in complete awe. And so I looked to the shorter boy.

That was the first time I saw the eyes of tensai Fuji Syusuke. And it was at that point I knew Tezuka was lost to me.

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To those who may not know; tensai means prodigy.

I have no idea when Fuji really joined the tennis club, but this is my story so I get to make stuff up, whee!

And yes, I'm aware that the title is somewhat unimaginative. Ignore that please.

Review? Please?