Author's Note: This is insane! A second update in the same week! This story was tugging at my mind to much and I couldn't ignore it anymore so...here is the fifth chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own PoT/TnO no matter how badly I want to.
Chapter Five:
"I am not defying anyone," Oishi said calmly, stopping his fast paced walk in front of the livid Atobe.
"You are," Atobe said darkly. "You are defying Ore-sama!"
"People ought to be treated with kindness and respect," Oishi went on. "Not as servants."
"Ore-sama treats people as Ore-sama seems fit," Atobe said, his arrogance never faltering.
Oishi shook his head. "Is this how your regulars treat other people?" he asked.
Atobe threw a careless look to the other Hyotei regulars, who were staring at them. They all looked towards their now silent captain. Suddenly Atobe just laughed. The regulars and Oishi all looked at the captain as if he had grown another head.
"Uh, Atobe-buchou," Ohtori called out softly.
"Yo Choutarou, I think Atobe's lost his mind," his doubles partner, Shishido Ryou whispered.
Atobe managed to get his laughter under control and smiled at Oishi. There was something about Oishi being defiant towards him that made him laugh. No one had ever dared to defy him before. His teams, his school, even some of the teachers were all out to please him. But Oishi…he was different. He didn't care that Atobe was rich and had power. He stood up for everyone else and Atobe admired that, though he would never admit it. "Ore-sama has never laughed quite like that," he said. "Now, it is time to test your tennis abilities."
Oishi just stared. 'How is he able to laugh at something so serious?' Oishi thought. Deciding that he would rather not escalate the issue into something else, Oishi gave a slight shrug and said. "I still do not have a racket to play with."
Atobe permitted himself to smirk. "And who's fault is that?" he asked. "Ore-sama was generous and provided at racket for you but you gave it back."
'Not this again,' Oishi thought. "That racket…" he began.
Atobe cut him off with a wave of his hand. "Ore-sama has heard enough about this topic, show me your tennis!" he demanded. "Ohtori, lend him yours."
Ohtori was quick to obey his buchou. "Here you go, Oishi-san," he said.
"You didn't…" Oishi said.
"I was planning to take a break anyways," Ohtori said, smiling.
"Arigatou!" Oishi said, taking the junior's racket.
"Court A," was all Atobe said to Oishi and began to walk onto the courts. "Regulars, Court B and C, begin practice matches." He rapped out.
Oishi began to follow Atobe onto the court when he bumped into something, or rather someone, in the middle of the path. Oishi looked down and noticed a guy lying the middle of the path, with a regular's uniform on. Oishi stared at the sleeping regular and for a moment there, thought the other guy wasn't breathing until he saw the rhythmic movement of his chest.
"Ore-sama doesn't like it when he has to wait," Atobe called out to him.
"Ah, gomen, but there's someone…" Oishi said, indicating to the sleeping player.
"Jiroh fell asleep again," Atobe said. "Kabaji!"
"Usu!"
"Wake Jiroh,"
"Usu!"
Oishi just watched at the giant picked up the smaller boy and went to the B and C courts to wake him up there. Shaking his head at the odd boy, Oishi walked to the where Atobe was impatiently tapping his racket against his leg.
"Normally, Ore-sama would have had Kabaji crush you for making Ore-sama wait," Atobe said. "But since you are Oishi of Seigaku, I will let it pass, this time."
"You order Kabaji to hurt people?" Oishi asked, his eyes widening.
Atobe shrugged. "Ore-sama waits for no one," he said.
Oishi almost shook with anger. "It does not give you the right to hurt people," he said through clenched teeth. He didn't know why he bothered to try to talk to the arrogant captain. It was clear that what he said only passed in one ear and out the other. He sighed. "Would you like to start serving?" he asked, his polite manner sliding easily in place.
"Ore-sama is feeling generous so Ore-sama will let you serve first," Atobe said.
Oishi nodded and bounced the fluorescent green ball on the court. At first he was nervous. 'What if I have never done this before?' he thought. But as soon as he tossed the ball into the air, his tennis instincts kicked in. As the ball fell to the right height, Oishi reached up with his racket and smashed the ball to the other side of the court.
The ball landed just inside the service line. Atobe moved quickly and returned the ball easily to the side where Oishi was standing. Oishi swung his racket and delivered a forehand hit to the side Atobe was not on. Atobe was there in a flash and easily hit a backhand back. Oishi closed up to the net and hit a volley. Sending the ball to the opposite corner of where Atobe had been previously.
"Child's play," Atobe said, easily maneuvering his racket to hit the ball back with a slice.
Oishi softly grunted as he chased after the ball, determined to win this point. Atobe stood there, reading the position of Oishi's racket and determined that he was going to drop shot it; he moved closer to the net. "Predictable," he said.
But instead of doing a drop shot, Oishi opted to lob the ball with his famous Moon Volley. The ball landed right on the baseline, ending the point. Oishi just stared at what he had just done.
"What was that?" he asked, referring to the way the ball had landed right on the baseline.
"Your Moon Volley," Atobe said. "It caught Ore-sama quite unexpectedly."
" 'Moon Volley?'" Oishi echoed. "How was I able to do it?"
Atobe shrugged. "Former skills," he answered.
Oishi just nodded dumbly, "Probably," he said.
"On with practice," Atobe announced. "Ore-sama cannot allow you to score another point."
Lifting his racket again, Oishi and Atobe practiced with each other well after normal practice was over.
:Seigaku:
"Nya! Fujiko-chan, what you did at lunch was mean!" the acrobatics player of Seigaku said. "And before I could say anything, you left!"
"How was it mean, Eiji-chan?" Fuji asked, his trademark smile in place.
"You stole my cookie, nya!" Eiji pouted.
"Ah, sou ka. I'll buy you ice cream after school to repay you," Fuji said.
"Hoi! Ice cream!" Eiji said.
Fuji turned his attention from the happy player to the team's captain. Even though he betrayed no emotion, Fuji could still sense that something was not quite right. Making up an excuse, Fuji left the overly happy Eiji and went to stand by Tezuka.
"Still no word from Oishi?" he asked calmly.
Tezuka seemed to stiffen a bit at the question. "Iie," he said.
"Have you chosen a new Fukubuchou?" Fuji asked.
"There will be no new Fukubuchou," Tezuka said stiffly.
"Eh? Why not?" Fuji prodded.
"Oishi is still Fukubuchou," Tezuka replied.
"But…" Fuji began.
"Get back to practice, Fuji, or it is thirty laps," Tezuka said, trying his best not to let his emotions affect him.
"Hai," Fuji said and began to walk back towards Eiji when he turned around and said. "You should not let your sense of duty rule your emotions. This is why you are where you are."
Tezuka just stared blankly back. Unknown to Fuji, Tezuka kept this piece of advice tucked away. 'He is right.' Tezuka thought. 'If I had not pushed Oishi away, he wouldn't have run away and I would not have had to chase him. It would not have resulted in Oishi's memory loss. He would be here today, by my side as Fukubuchou…where it is his place.' Shaking his head, Tezuka pushed those thoughts away. 'As buchou, I have a duty to my team. Now is not the time to think about personal affairs.'
Walking to the regulars, he called them together. "Zenkoku is as near as ever. Today, we will play in the following lineup: Doubles Two: Momoshiro-Kaidoh pair, Doubles One: Kikumaru-O…" Tezuka stopped himself to clear his voice. "Doubles One: Kikumaru-Fuji pair, Singles Three: Kawamura, Singles Two: Echizen, Singles One will be myself. Doubles on Court C, Singles court A and B."
No one seemed to notice Tezuka's slip up, but Fuji did. 'Tezuka,' he thought. He continued to stare at the captain before he felt Eiji tug on his sleeve.
"Nya, Fujiko-chan," Eiji called.
"Hai?" he answered.
"Daijoubu ka?" Eiji asked.
"Aa, daijoubu," Fuji answered. "I'm fine. Tezuka is not.'
"Unya, it's weird having Fujiko-chan as my doubles partner," Eiji said, skipping to court C.
"Saa, Oishi is usually the one, ne?" he said.
"Hoi," Eiji said affirmatively. "Where is Oishi anyways?"
Fuji shook his head. Despite him being a tensai, this was one question he could not answer. But he had this feeling that they would find out. Soon.
:Hyotei:
Oishi was breathing heavily as he collapsed onto one of the benches. He and Atobe had been practicing for hours and his muscles were protesting. Atobe stood a distance away and evaluated the other player. 'His style is different.' Atobe thought to himself. 'Perhaps it is because of the absence of that other player.' (A/N: Yes, he is referring to Eiji)
Walking to Oishi, Atobe said something that was totally uncharacteristic of the regular Atobe.
"You have potential," he said. He shocked himself a little though he chose not to show it. 'Ore-sama just offered him a compliment.' Atobe thought. 'No one has ever done anything to gain this from Ore-sama.'
"A-arigatou," Oishi said.
"You would be wise to play singles," Atobe said, deliberately steering Oishi away from what he had been at Seigaku.
"I don't even know if I'm trying out for the team," Oishi said quietly.
"Ore-sama's time is valuable," Atobe said, a little irked that Oishi would say this after he had spent so much of his own time playing him.
"I…" Oishi said.
"Ore-sama expects you at morning practice," Atobe said, and then promptly left, leaving the other player with no opportunity to respond.
Watching the other player disappear into the changing room, Oishi sat alone on the court to think on what Atobe said. 'He did say I had potential.' Oishi said. 'But am I really good enough to…become a regular?' Shaking his head, Oishi rested for a moment longer before heading into the changing room himself.
Author's Note: Ah, I hope this chapter was good. I think that the whole scene with Oishi and Atobe was boring. And of course Atobe is a much better player than Oishi so I don't know how Oishi managed to get a point from him. Gomen!
Read and Review! Arigatou!
