Hee... I got a request to use only the traditional pairings... Well, that was pretty much my plan to begin with but I'm not gonna do it without creating some major chaos first... --evil laugh-- But no worries people, even if it might not seem like it in the beginning, after things settle down a bit towards the ending there'll be mostly regular couples (I think...). I even remembered a play that was perfect for this – creating chaos, I mean (and eventually bringing lovers together, of course). I'm not sure how well I've remembered this play since it's been some time I last read it but I just downloaded the script and made some other reseaches as well so it's probably close enough... What's the play you ask? Read and find out! By the way, you don't have to know this play to understand this story, I'll try to write this that way. But I really think all of you have at least heard about it. If not, I'm really amazed.

Disclaimers: I own neither the Prince of Tennis nor this play

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Chapter 2: Lessons of fine Literature

"Ne, Inui", Fuji asked smiling wickedly. "What play is it going to be?"

Inui straightened his glasses and smiled. "Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare."

"Nya", Kikumaru winced. "Why would there be a play about summer in the Winter festival?"

"Eiji, do you know what this play is about?" Fuji asked his friend and as expected the redhead shook his head. Fuji of course was familiar with it. In fact it was his favorite – or at least one of them. The story about the problems of lovers that only get even worse as the play goes on. Even to a chaos, one could say. Fuji chuckled. No mistake about it. Inui had something on his mind when he chose this play but there was no reason why Fuji couldn't also benefit from the situation. The perfect opportunity to create some chaos and also to bring together some people that were so dense they couldn't set their own love lives together themselves. And maybe even... Fuji glanced at Tezuka with a calculating smile on his lips. Oh yes. This was going to fun...

"So exactly what kinda play are we talking about?" Momoshiro asked. "This Shakebear guy sounds familiar."

"It's Shakespeare", Ryoma corrected, annoyed, "and he happens to be the most famous Renaissance play writer there is."

Inui looked intrested. "So Echizen is familiar with English Renaissance literature?"

"Not really", Ryoma gave an extremely bored look. "We had to read Romeo & Juliet in school when I was still living in America."

"Is this gonna be a fun play?" Eiji asked obviously very worried since his class had also read Romeo & Juliet the previous year. Well, actually it was more Fuji that read it to Eiji than Eiji himself since the bouncing redhead refused to read the whole story when he realized it was not a happy one. He had criead pretty much the whole time Fuji had read the rest of the story to him. He had been completely crushed by the ending.

Fuji smiled remembering this too. "Don't worry, Eiji. It's a funny play."

"So Fuji knows this play also?" Inui asked, opening his notebook so that no piece of information could escape from him.

"Yes, of course", Fuji said and gave a mischievous smile to Inui. "It's my favorite play. Have you already decided the casting? If not, I could maybe give some suggestions..." Fuji felt Tezuka's glare at his back and couldn't help smiling even more. So the buchou already knew he was up to something... But it didn't matter. The game had already begun and Fuji would not lose. If only the casting was selected as he wanted it to be... Fuji Syusuke was ready to work his magic.

"Nya, I wanna know about the play first!" Eiji said.

"Yes, it would be pretty pointless to tell the casting if almost no one is familiar with the story", Inui said. "You will all be getting the scripts later but let's go through the story briefly... There is this young woman named Hermia who is supposed to marry a man named Demetrius. She however, loves another man named Lysander. Hermia and Lysander escape the city so they can be married elsewhere."

Kikumaru's face drop. He didn't like the beginning at all.

"Demetrius follows the two of them and after him comes another woman, Helena, who is in love with him. She and Hermia have been friends since childhood."

Momo looked confused already.

"All gets messed up when the fairy king Oberon – who is currently in the same woods as the four lovers – sends his servant Puck to find a flower which's juice has the ability make the person fell in love with the first creature he or she sees."

Inui didn't even notice the frightened looks of most of the regular players when he mentioned the word juice.

"The fairy queen falls in love with a human man that has the head of a donkey – the servant Puck had played a little prank on this man – and both Demetrius and Lysander now fall in love with Helena."

"Am I the only one who's head is feeling dizzy?" Momo whined, holding his head with both of his hands.

"Hoi, how's it gonna end?" Eiji sounded like he was gonna cry any minute now.

Fuji smiled to him. "Don't worry Eiji. Both the couples end together happily in the end, and so do the fairy king and queen."

"Good", Kikumaru sighed in relief and hugged his doubles partner's arm again. There was a slight blush on Oishi's cheeks but of course nobody noticed this exept Fuji. If he just could deside the roles...

"So, Inui-sempai", Momoshiro asked, still looking rather confused. "Does the girls' tennis club take part in this too? I mean, we need some girls to the parts, right?"

Inui's smile grew wider. "No, Momoshiro. This is going to be all male casting."

"What!" all the regulars – exept Fuji and Tezuka – yelled. Tezuka was glaring deadly at Inui and Fuji just smiled even more. Just what he had hoped for... but he had already been pretty sure that Inui would do this anyway.

"So the parts..?" Momo was almost too scared to even ask.

Inui opened his notebook again. "The role of the fairy queen is for Fuji." Fuji smiled so much his cheeks were starting to hurt now – and that was rather much for a person who smiled pretty much always. "The king is going to be Tezuka. The first couple is Kikumaru and Oishi, Kikumaru playing the part of Hermia and Oishi Lysander. Momoshiro and Echizen are the other couple. Echizen is Helena and Momoshiro Demetrius."

Fuji actually beamed of joy while the others were staring at Inui, not believing his words – Ryoma actually looked like he wanted to strangle his sempai. To Fuji this was almost too good to be true. The perfect opportunity to get those two couples together at last. And of course... He gave a meaningfull look towards Tezuka.

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to be continued...

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God I love tormenting people. I'm starting to understand why I turned out to be most like Fuji in the PoT test I took. But what does it mean that my PoT couple turned out to be MomoXRyoma..? Well, they are my favorite couple to mess around with my Seigaku family in Sims2. I just can't believe how well all the characters turned out --smile-- Even when I'm not controlling them Eiji always brings his teddy bear to cheer up people when they're down and Oishi looks after everyone... But Fuji turned down Tezuka's attempt for their first kiss... big dissappointment. Well, I just got the game anyway, can't wait too much yet.

Pleez R&R!