A/N: Jumping forward about a month in time, just so you know.

Also, the POV changes sometimes between paragraphs. I hope you can tell when without me pointing it out, I feel that disrupts the story.

Disclaimer: Still don't own, Konomi Takeshi-san does. Deliriun owns a Ryoma-plushie, which she throws in the face of her friends while shouting 'mada mada dane'.

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Chapter 1

Eiji was not stupid. He could tell something was wrong when Fuji suddenly stopped standing next to Tezuka at practice. While Eiji usually went around telling anyone that would listen that he was Fuji's best friend, he knew he didn't come close to knowing Fuji as well as Tezuka did. However, Tezuka seemed oblivious to any change in Fuji. No, that wasn't it. Tezuka seemed to have stopped caring about what Fuji did during practice. Fuji could have sat in a corner of the court singing European folk music or reciting dirty limericks (actually Fuji had already done that last year, now that Eiji thought about it) for all Tezuka seemed to care. And that just wasn't right. If nothing else, it made Eiji wary. If Tezuka was ignoring Fuji, it meant Fuji was free to do just about anything he pleased. And that was bad!

"Nyah, Oishi," Eiji tugged at his doubles partners arm. "Is Tezuka ok? He's ignoring Fuji."

"Hmm?" Oishi looked over to where Tezuka was standing looking immersed in the game currently being played between Momo and Taka-san, and blinked when he realised Fuji was not next to him. He looked around and found the misplaced tensai standing at the complete opposite of the court. As far away from Tezuka as currently possible. He blinked again.

"Actually, they both seem to be ignoring each other," he said slowly.

"Nyah, aren't they! I wonder why… Hoi, maybe Fuji did something bad again, like change Tezuka's water bottle with Inui's, or steal Ochibi's underwear!"

Oishi gave a bit of a twitch. Sometimes Eiji's mind went slightly off kilter. Not that it was necessarily a bad thing, it just made it more difficult to understand him at times. At the mention of the word Ochibi their newest addition to the team looked up from where he was tying his shoes, already having learned the nickname his always-happy senpai used for him. He looked bored as usual.

"Kikumaru-senpai, did you want something?"

Oishi flinched. Echizen hadn't gotten to know his acrobatic senpai very well yet. Not good.

"Hoi! Ochibi, drop your shorts, I want to see if you still have your underwear!"

"…What?"

"Nyah, drop'em!"

And with that, the chase was on. Oishi tried to grab Eiji as he ran by, but the redhead wasn't called an acrobat for nothing and easily avoided his partner. Eiji chased the freshman around the courts once, then in circles around Kaidoh a few times ("Fshuuuu!"), over to the changing rooms and then back towards the courts again. Echizen, finally having had enough, did the smart thing. He ran onto the courts and right in front of Tezuka. Tezuka gave a start, as if he had been far away, then turned to look at the freshman who, having been finally caught by his senpai, was struggling to keep his black shorts on. One of Tezuka's eyebrows twitched.

"Kikumaru, Echizen! Forty laps around the courts, now!"

"Forty?" Eiji exclaimed incredulously. Tezuka glared at him. The redhead swallowed audibly and glanced expectantly towards Fuji, forgetting for a moment the discussion that had started the chase. Normally Fuji would have talked their captain down to at most twenty laps, but now Fuji simply smiled at his redheaded friend and stayed where he was. And thus Eiji's suspicions were confirmed. There really was something wrong.

Fuji could tell Eiji was tired during homeroom, which was the first class of the day. Running forty laps at the morning practice would have made just about anyone tired. The acrobat made a bit of a show of his fatigue however, lying with his head on his desk whimpering and pouting. Quite a few girls came to give him hugs and candy, comforting him and agreeing when Eiji ranted on and on about what an evil bully Tezuka was. All in all, Eiji seemed to be having a lot of fun. Fuji only wished he knew just what it was that caused the redhead to try and get into Echizen's shorts. Fuji turned his head away from Eiji so the other boy wouldn't see his smile go from unbelievably fake to undeniably real. Now, if it had been Oishi's shorts…

Fuji bit back the laugh that threatened to surface. Their teacher was giving Eiji a look that spoke of both reproach and amusement. Homeroom with class 3-6 was never dull with Eiji in it, and the teacher had given up trying to get him to listen. She had given up about Fuji as well, although that was for a different reason entirely. Fuji's smile turned sad for a moment. He frightened teachers. Not just his homeroom teacher, but all of them. At one point Fuji's math class had a substitute teacher who had never heard of Fuji Syusuke. He caught the tensai staring out the window, as he had for want to do. Smugly the substitute had given Fuji the honour of coming to the front and writing the solution to the problem on the board, thinking Fuji wouldn't be able to do so. Fuji had written the answer to the problem flawlessly, however he had not written the calculations for the answer. The substitute had believed he cheated somehow, and had given him a paper with another problem to solve. Fuji had solved it in a matter of seconds, again without writing out the calculations. The substitute had refused to give up and had thrown problem after problem at the tensai, finally annoying Fuji to the point where he had gone up to the board, written down a problem of his own and told the substitute to solve it, then left the class. The substitute had quit the next day, and Fuji happened on him as he was leaving. The man had given him a look of such fear that Fuji actually felt guilty. Later he was called to the principal's office and asked to either please not 'flaunt' his knowledge quite so openly, or accept one of the many university offers he was constantly being given. Fuji had smiled and gone back to his classes. He refused to be any more different than he already was. Fuji wondered absent-mindedly if Tezuka ever had these problems. While he was not a tensai, he was still above their current school level. Fuji shook his head. Thinking about Tezuka was something he had promised himself over a month ago that he would not do anymore. He sighed quietly. It was proving difficult.

A voice spoke through the speakers in the hall, echoing into the classroom through the open door.

"Would Fuji Syusuke-kun please come to the principal's office? I repeat; would Fuji Syusuke-kun please come to the principal's office?"

Fuji blinked. Just when he was thinking of the last time he had been in there, he was called again? This time he couldn't think of anything he had done however. Eiji was looking at him with eyes larger than tennisballs. Fuji smiled at his friend and got up, bowed at his teacher and walked out into the hall just as the teacher started to dismiss the rest of the class. Whatever this summoning was, he hoped it wasn't because of another crazed foreigner hoping to recruit him to his school/tennis team/research lab. Fuji was happy where he was. Well, as happy as he could be at any rate. He arrived at the office and rapped at the door. Not bothering to wait for an invitation (as the principal hardly ever bothered to give any), he opened the door and stepped in. He got two steps into the office before a fist connected with his face and sent him tumbling back out through the door.

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A/N (again!): Cliffie. Err, I like cliffies, they make it easier to write the continuation. Don't hate me please, I'll try to update soon. If I get reviews that is, hehehe…

As always; flames will be given to Howl to power his moving castle, which will then go wandering into the flamers gardens trampling all their flowers…

Review please!