Disclaimers: Thoroughly not mine.
Notes: A Prince of Tennis/Here is Greenwood crossover – it was inevitable. For beckymarie still.
You can start from the beginning HERE
They stood at a bus stop. Tezuka didn't know where they were about to go, but he doubted it was back to Shinobu's school. His cousin wasn't the type to let things happen outside of his control.
He looked warily at where Shinobu was standing with his hands neatly folded behind his back. He was perfectly composed, like usual, which made Tezuka want to start shaking him. Was he taking Nagisa seriously, or merely having fun at Tezuka's expense?
Probably both, knowing his cousin. Shinobu detested Nagisa with the fire of one thousand suns, but he never missed an opportunity for amusement. He reminded Tezuka a certain teammate who was overly fond of wasabi.
That was why Tezuka kept his mouth shut. He knew encouraging Shinobu by showing any reaction would just make him worse. So Tezuka stood, wishing he had brought one of his textbooks, as he shifted his weight every now and then to keep his feet from getting sore. At least studying would have been a productive use of his time, instead of wondering what Shinobu was up to.
They waited quietly for about ten minutes until Shinobu looked at his watch and smiled in satisfaction. It was a smile that made Tezuka's stomach drop to the vicinity of his shoes. He wished that he had enough restraint not to show his curiosity, but experience had taught him, painfully at times, that forewarned was forearmed, especially when his family was involved.
"What are you doing?" he asked, knowing that Shinobu was up to something. Shinobu was always up to something, and it usually didn't bode any good for anybody in his sphere of influence.
"Checking our schedule. If things are on target, Mitsuru was just kidnaped by Nagisa's goons." He sounded smug.
"And that's okay with you?" Tezuka asked dryly.
"It's all in the plan, Mitsu-chan," Shinobu said reassuringly, patting his cousin on the back reassuringly. He wisely slid out of arm's reach almost immediately after. Tezuka's temper was uncharacteristically on the verge of fraying.
"Do you care to share this plan, Shinobu-niisan?" Tezuka asked. He hated being in the dark, since he trusted Shinobu as far as he could throw him. He may have found his cousin amusing occasionally, but his well-developed sense of self preservation kicked in too often for him to be comfortable around Shinobu.
The wounded look in Shinobu's eyes didn't fool Tezuka for an instant. "Really, Mitsu-chan, can't you have some faith in me?"
"Not when my welfare is directly involved," Tezuka replied bluntly. "Or my teammate's." If he had things figured right, he was pretty sure that Fuji had been taken with Mitsuru. He frowned as he considered the possibility. "Did you talk to Fuji?" he asked suspiciously.
"I might have given him a few thoughts, but he really is quite intelligent. I'm very impressed with your taste in friends."
Tezuka rubbed his forehead tiredly. He had a strong suspicion now of what was happening.
"Look, here's our bus! Shall we?" Shinobu asked as he rose to his feet.
Tezuka followed him, feeling a bit like a limp puppet. For some reason, he was starting to pity Nagisa.
Echizen Ryoma had discovered the meaning of hell.
Being kidnapped was taking a considerable chunk out of his day, but he could have dealt with that. The ropes weren't that uncomfortable, and he figured he could take a nap until something interesting happened. Unfortunately, he wasn't being offered the chance.
Despite their original protests, Fuji, Ryoma and Mitsuru had been relatively cooperative as the men shoved them into a rather posh apartment complex. Then they had been tied into chairs, apparently awaiting the arrival of Tezuka's cousin. The female one, not the one who was friends with the fake Tezuka. Tezuka's family made Ryoma's head hurt when he tried to think too hard on it.
Fuji Syuusuke was offering his most innocent smile to their kidnappers, several of which were sporting tennis-ball shaped bruises on their skin. The men looked at him warily.
"You know, you really shouldn't tie us up like this," Fuji said.
"We're the bad guys. Of course we're going to be tying you up," the largest of the men said rather crossly.
"I understand, but you shouldn't be tying us up like this," Fuji stressed. "It's not very efficient." His hands did something, and the ropes fell away. "See?"
The men stared at him, utterly horrified. Ryoma decided then that their kidnappers were absolutely idiots. He wondered what Fuji was up to.
"If you're going to tie someone up, you have to do it properly," Fuji said in a gentle voice, like a teacher correcting his pupils. "Let me demonstrate." He rose slowly, and when none of the men made any move to stop him, he walked over to Ryoma. "You didn't tie him up right, either."
"What do you mean?" the leader asked.
"See, Echizen is actually pretty flexible, and he could probably escape from this if he tried." Ryoma wished that looks could kill. He wanted Fuji dead at his feet, but all he could do was glare unpleasantly. Fuji patted him on the head like a puppy, causing Ryoma to squirm. "Too much wiggle room."
"Oh!" The light of knowledge seemed to be dawning.
"Now, if you wanted to do this right, you'd actually loop it through... let me demonstrate." Ryoma winced as Fuji unwrapped the ropes, only to start tying them more tightly, wrapping them around both wrists before tying them together. "Relax, Echizen. I did this to Yuuta all the time when we were younger."
The thought was not in any way reassuring. He knew how much the Yuuta hated his brother. Apparently he had good reason. Ryoma glanced over at Mitsuru, who was watching with a carefully blank face. He knew the older boy was laughing on the inside, and if there was one thing he hated, it was being laughed at!
"The trick is to tie it tightly without affecting circulation," Fuji said. "If you do it right, it's only uncomfortable for the person when they move. Since you don't want them moving, they'll stay still."
The men nodded in agreement. "Would it be easier with a different kind of rope? Or something else? Hideki wanted to use duct tape..."
"Duct tape? Well, I suppose that's okay, but it really hurts coming off," Fuji said as he gave Ryoma's ropes one more jerk. "It takes the top layer of skin off."
"Well, yes, but-"
"Trust me, if you want to tie someone up, there's nothing better than clothesline." Fuji smiled brilliantly. "It's cheap, easily available, and relatively strong..." Ryoma wondered if he'd entered the twilight zone. Fuji was happily giving their abductors pointers on keeping prisoners. One of the men even had a notepad out and was taking notes.
He should have known better than to get involved with anything Fuji was up to.
Nagisa was running slightly late. Her manicure appointment had run over, which had thrown her entire schedule off. Of course she hadn't given her beautician a tip after such inconvenience.
She had dressed carefully, wearing a red scoop-neck dress that barely extended to cover her thighs. The color was good on her, and the three-inch heels on her sandals rang against the floor of the lobby when she finally arrived. She looked good, she knew, which was part of the whole role she was about to play. She nodded graciously to a rather handsome young man who smiled at her in the elevator, noting that his clothing spoke of money and position. Everyone who lived here had that, and it wouldn't do to cut off a potential admirer.
As he stepped off on the third floor, she noted a business card flutter from his left hand onto the floor. He hurried off quickly, leaving the card in his wake.
She studied its elegant crispness against the green carpet of the elevator, wondering for a second what to do with it. Finally an idea struck her and she grabbed the card, turning to pin it to the residents notice board above the buttons. Using a very expensive red flair pen, she scrawled an invitation to call that number for a good time. It was her good deed for the day. Hadn't the man been after that? She merely was expediting matters.
Like she would honestly let anyone touch her.
She was smiling to herself as she unlocked the door to the apartment. Her loyal henchmen had called and let her know that her cousin had been "detained." She really couldn't wait to gloat that she had gotten the better of Mr. Perfect.
She wasn't expecting the three faces that met her. One was her cousin, trussed up like a turkey, but the other two, boys wearing the same boring black uniform, she didn't recognize. She was irritated to note that one was actually untied, happily sipping a glass of lemonade. She forced herself to take a deep breath before turning to her henchmen, her teeth showing slightly.
"What... is this?" she asked, her voice only rising a bit. The dark-haired boy muttered something about "cats in heat" and she shot him a glare.
"You said no witnesses," the tallest of her employees said. She had forgotten his name again, and that annoyed her more than she cared to admit. It was so much more satisfying to scream obscenities when you could yell the idiot's name as well.
"I didn't mean for you to grab everyone in sight!" She folded her arms across her chest, a frown marring her perfect brow.
"They were with him," a second one chimed in. She couldn't remember him, either.
"So? Wait till he left them alone!"
"They were walking home together."
Most people wouldn't have noticed anything wrong with that observation, but Nagisa knew her cousin. He was antisocial, not the type to walk home with friends. Her skin tingled in a way she recognize, the feeling she had when something was about to go wrong. Suspicious, she looked closer at her "cousin."
Purple eyes stared back defiantly behind gold frames.
"You're not Kun-chan!" she shrieked.
And that wretched, wretched boy had the nerve to smile at her. "I never said I was."
Fuji listened as the woman who had just entered began to rant about incompetency. She would be pretty, he supposed, if her expression wasn't so disagreeable. She did, he noted, know how to dress with style, though.
The lemonade he was drinking was pleasantly tart, obviously fresh squeezed. He liked the guards, who seemed like decent enough chaps once you ignored the whole "hired thug" thing. Really, they were just like puppies that wanted a pet from their owner. One of them had even invited him to player billiards when this was all over after finding out Fuji enjoyed the sport. Fuji rather thought he'd go.
Watching Ryoma squirm was another highlight. The first year was too self-assured for his own good, and Fuji enjoyed watching him become disconcerted. Tying him up had been all too entertaining, and the revolted look as he stared at Nagisa was simply priceless. It was just so much fun watching someone get taken down a well-needed peg or two.
Nagisa had moved from stomping in anger to waving a finger in the face of the guard, every now and then pointing back at Mitsuru, who wore a slightly bored expression. He had managed to wiggle out of his bonds at some point - the guards really should have taken Fuji's advice and tied him more securely - leaving Ryoma the only one bound. Fuji noticed and winked at the Tezuka impersonator, who merely rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Enjoying yourself?" Mitsuru asked, staring at the nearly empty glass in Fuji's hand.
Fuji drank the last bit slowly, savoring the slurping sound that resulted. "Of course. Never turn down a free drink," he said. The guards and Nagisa were too involved with each other to note what their prisoners were doing.
"They could have put something in it," Ryoma pointed out sharply.
"Really?" Fuji gave Ryoma a sweet smile. Of course the guards hadn't drugged it. They liked him too much.
Ryoma shuddered. "Stop doing that, Fuji-senpai!"
"What?"
"Smiling!"
Fuji pulled out a hurt-puppy expression. "I'm sorry if it bothers you." Then he smiled again. "How are those ropes?" Ryoma growled something under his breath in English. Fuji didn't quite understand what the first year said, but it sounded nasty. He set his glass aside, and turned his back deliberately on his underclassman. "Any idea when the calvary is going to charge in?" he asked Mitsuru.
Mitsuru checked the slender watch - the only article of clothing that was his own - and tilted his head as he considered it. "Knowing Shinobu? As soon as she starts threatening us again, which should be..."
Nagisa finally noticed that two of her hostages weren't as restrained as they should have been. She narrowed her eyes menacingly and she pointed one of her perfectly manicured fingers at Mitsuru. "And how," she asked in a voice that rivaled the Arctic winter for warmth, "do you explain this?"
The bodyguards blinked. "That one wasn't untied," the smallest one hedged, looking guiltily at Fuji.
"Oh?" Nagisa wasn't stupid and caught the prevarication. "Then explain him!" The red-tipped finger was now aimed at Fuji's chest.
Fuji gracefully caught her hand in a smooth movement, shaking it once. She looked poleaxed as he smiled at her cheerfully. "Hello! I understand you're Tezuka-san's cousin. He didn't tell me you were so pretty!"
She blushed a bit in surprise, but remembered herself quickly. "And just who are you?"
Fuji bowed a bit lower than necessary. "I'm Fuji Syuusuke, a friend of Tezuka's." His smile grew just a bit wider. "And you're about to be in big trouble."
On cue, the door opened on silent hinges, and everyone's attention was diverted.
Tezuka Kunimitsu stood framed in the doorway, his arms crossed firmly over his chest. He was the tallest person in the room (something Shinobu found amusing, since Mitsu was only fourteen) and he looked like he was about to explode, though only those who knew him well would be able to recognize that.
Shinobu quickly surveyed the room, noting with satisfaction that Mitsuru and Fuji were both free. He didn't recognize the other kid who was there, but from the way the frown deepened on Mitsu-kun's face, he suspected it was another of his tennis teammates.
He admired the angry expression on his cousin's face - a slightly raised right eyebrow and a certain firmness in his mouth. His eyes had narrowed slightly, rather like a cat about to spring on a hapless canary. Mitsu-kun was quite imposing when he set his mind to it. Shinobu knew his cousin had a long, slow-boil temper, but like everyone in the Tezuka family, Kunimistu tended to get nasty when he was pissed off.
Shinobu decided it would be best if he just watched the fireworks, positioning himself a half step back and to the side.
The silence hung deafeningly through the room. Nagisa's face was sorting through all kinds of interesting expressions and satisfying colors, her goons were gazing at her helplessly, and Mitsuru was smirking.
"Hey, Tezuka! You're late!" Fuji chided. "Your charming cousin already served the drinks." Fuji sailed forward, holding out a nearly-empty wine glass. "Would you like something to drink? I'm sure the nice people can spare you a glass..."
The look Nagisa gave him would have curdled milk. Shinobu couldn't help but admire how efficient Fuji was about getting under his sister's skin.
"Fuji," Tezuka's voice was as implacable as a glacier.
Fuji nodded a bit, then stepped back, apparently deciding to let Tezuka handle things.
"Hello, Nagisa-neesan," he said formally. "I believe you've abducted a few of my friends." He sounded throughly unamused. "If you really wanted to see me, a phone call or a note would have been sufficient."
Nagisa didn't seem capable of forming any coherent words. Her lips moved with silent rage as she tried to find something - anything - to say, but Tezuka wasn't done.
"I don't think I need to point out that you've just earned yourself several kidnaping charges," he said. "I could, of course, mention it to grandfather, and he'd probably feel obligated to inform his friends on the force."
Nagisa's face went from red fury to white panic. "Kun-chan..." she managed to stutter.
Shinobu enjoyed watching his cousin as Tezuka pulled his glasses out of his pocket, setting them on his nose before continuing. He was drawing this out deliciously. "There is also the possibility of an international incident, since Echizen is an American citizen."
Nagisa actually whimpered. It was such a sweet, sweet sound.
"However, since you are family, I believe I could make the effort to persuade Fuji and Echizen not to press charges, and I'm sure Ikeda-san would be willing to let it slide." Then he adjusted his glasses. "There would naturally be several provisions attached to such a scenario."
Shinobu couldn't help smirking. He had known getting Mitsu-chan riled would be more than enough to make Nagisa wish she hadn't gotten out of bed that morning.
Mitsuru rubbed the bridge of his nose after removing the fake glasses. They had been just a touch too snug, but he could already feel his unnatural healing abilities kicking in, and knew it would be mere seconds until his appearance was restored to normal.
Nagisa had high-tailed it out of there as soon as she could, looking more shaken than Mitsuru would have imagined possible. Her cousin had been unfailingly polite, but still managed to rip her apart with well-chosen words and condescending explanations, as though she wasn't worth scraping off the bottom of his shoe.
Everyone expected Shinobu to be scary. Mitsu-chan had the same ability to terrify through words alone, but was much less overtly threatening. Mitsuru had to admit the subtly was admirable - and decided that getting involved with Shinobu's family life was a bad, bad idea.
Fuji was happily rearranging the room, pushing furniture against the walls. Somewhere he'd found a tube of oil paint, and he spent several minutes spreading it on the wall, creating a rather art nouveau look. The navy blue paint actually looked rather attractive against the beige walls.
Mitsuru wondered idly if he should say something to stop Fuji's descent into vandalism, but the other boy was having such fun and didn't seem to be malicious about it - merely insanely curious, like it was something everyone should try once. Shinobu and Tezuka merely watched, one amused and the other irritable.
When Fuji found a lap-top, abandoned by one of the men, he looked carefully out the window before giving it a merry heave. They could hear a rather sickening "thump!" as it landed in the parking lot three stories below. "I always wanted to do that," Fuji admitted.
"Are you quite done?" Mitsu-chan asked, looking ready to defenestrate Fuji as well. His patience seemed to be nearing its limit, and Mitsuru thought Fuji was mad to push it.
"Just about!" Fuji answered cheerfully. Apparently he possessed no sense of self-preservation. They watched him vanish into the kitchen, and heard the sound of the refrigerator door opening.
"What's he doing?" Mitsuru asked.
"Nothing good," he heard Ryoma murmur, but Tezuka took him seriously.
"Probably making dinner for when they return," Tezuka replied.
"Dinner?"
"He likes being nice, occasionally." His words were belied by the coffee table balancing rather precariously between the arm-chair and sofa in a very-not-feng-shui arrangement.
"Uh-huh..." Mitsuru murmured without agreeing. If Mitsu-chan was scary, then Fuji approached Shinobu-esque levels of fear. He eyed the rope which had been abandoned on the floor with amusement. "So, Shinobu, are we done here?"
Shinobu had been examining the room with barely-checked gloating. "I think so, yes. You and Mitsuru can switch clothes back at your place. Fuji-san?" he called.
"Yes, Tezuka-san?"
"We're about ready to go!"
"Coming!" Fuji replied cheerfully, and after another loud "bang! bang! CLATTER!" returned to the room. Mitsuru realized it was probably a good thing he hadn't seen what Fuji had done to the kitchen.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" a rather unamused voice said.
They all turned to stare at Ryoma. "Yes?" Shinobu asked curiously.
Ryoma wore a sullen expression on his face. "Aren't you going to untie me?"
THE END