Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews! Oh my, 118? You people are the best. Well here we are, Chapter Nineteen! I think there's only one more chapter to go and then this will be done! Thanks for reading.
Disclaimer: I don't own PoT/TnO.
Chapter Nineteen"What are you doing here?" Oishi asked.
"Ore-sama was nice enough to come looking for you," Atobe said.
"Thank you, but I already told you that I quit," Oishi said. "There was no need to come looking for me."
Atobe narrowed his eyes and threw Eiji's wrist from him. He strode up to Oishi and stood before his former fukubuchou. "Ore-sama did not say you could leave," Atobe bit out. "You are still fukubuchou."
Oishi shook his head. "No," he said softly. "I don't belong there."
Atobe's eyes widened for a second as shock coursed through his body. 'He…couldn't have…impossible…' Atobe's mind fired a million questions a minute, unable to understand how Oishi could have… "So you remember," Atobe said as nonchalantly as possible.
Oishi turned from Atobe but didn't say anything. However, his silence said all that needed to be said and had Atobe been a normal person, he would have simply walked away and accepted it. But Atobe wasn't like everyone else.
"No matter," Atobe said. "You still attend Hyotei."
Oishi turned back to Atobe. It was true. He did still attend Hyotei and there was no way the judges at Nationals would let him play for Seigaku.
"You're right," Oishi whispered.
Atobe smirked and grabbed Oishi's wrist. "We will leave now," Atobe said, gloating that Tezuka and the other Seigaku regulars couldn't do anything to stop them, even if he was on Seigaku property. He started to lead Oishi away with said fukubuchou trying hard to resist.
Just then, the other Seigaku regulars moved to stand in front of Atobe. "Oishi isn't leaving with you," Fuji said.
"You can't take him, Monkey King," Ryoma said.
Atobe narrowed his eyes. "You all dare to impede Ore-sama?" he asked.
"Out of necessity," Tezuka said from behind the Hyotei buchou.
"Kabaji!"
The towering junior came at Atobe's call and Atobe prided himself for bringing said junior. He loomed over the other Seigaku regulars who stood firm, not intimidated by his size. "Usu!"
"Clear a path, we're leaving," Atobe instructed.
"Usu!"
Easily, Kabaji moved the other regulars aside and despite their struggling, no one could move around the giant player. Tezuka narrowed his eyes and started to walk towards Oishi and Atobe.
"Let him go," Tezuka said.
"Ore-sama advises you, Tezuka, that you are not permitted on Hyotei property," Atobe said.
"We are on Seigaku grounds," Tezuka said. "Oishi!"
Oishi focused his gaze solely on Tezuka, his green eyes wondering what Tezuka wanted to say. "Hai?" he answered.
"You don't have to go with him," Tezuka said.
"He belongs at Hyotei," Atobe said, tightening his grip on Oishi. Oishi winced and tugged his wrist from Atobe's bruising grip.
"I'm not coming with you," Oishi said quietly.
Atobe's eyes blazed and he fought to keep his calm composure. Everything was falling apart. Everything he worked to for was quickly unraveling and he had no way to stop it. 'It wasn't supposed to be like this!' Atobe thought frantically. His perfect plan to undermine Seigaku and elevate Hyotei was being torn to shreds and it was all Tezuka's fault.
In a move so uncharacteristic of Atobe, he grabbed Oishi's hand and ran towards his awaiting car. Tezuka was shocked for a second by Atobe's behavior but in that second, Atobe had time to take Oishi away from him. Gritting his teeth, Tezuka ran after Atobe and Oishi. The other regulars could only watch helplessly due to the fact that Kabaji still held them captive.
Atobe ran down the street with Oishi, who tried not to trip behind Hyotei's buchou. "What are you doing?" Oishi cried out. "Atobe, stop."
"Atobe!"
Tezuka was catching up to them and Atobe knew in order to salvage his plan, he needed to get away, now. Finally, Atobe spotted his car. "Driver!" he called out. The driver of the car got out and opened the door to usher the two players in. Oishi pulled and tugged, trying to get free because he knew that once he was in the car, he would have to go back to Hyotei. He would be cut off from any connection with Seigaku and more importantly, he would be away from Tezuka.
Tossing his head, Atobe continued to pull the reluctant Oishi behind him. Oishi struggled to break free from Atobe's grip but it held steady. "Let go, please." Oishi said frantically, as they stopped in front of Atobe's car. He began to pull backwards. He knew that if he went back to Hyotei, there was not way Atobe would let him come back to Seigaku.
Atobe glared at the struggling fukubuchou. "Driver!" he called again.
"Hai Atobe-sama?" the driver answered.
"Get him into the car," Atobe said.
Tezuka could hear Oishi and he urged his legs to run faster. He saw Atobe enter the car with Oishi still struggling outside. "Oishi," Tezuka said.
Oishi turned to look at Tezuka, his eyes pleading. Tezuka was almost to the car but just when he reached it, Oishi was brutally shoved inside and the door slammed shut. Oishi desperately lunged for the door handle but Atobe held him back.
"Tezuka!" Oishi screamed tears steadily beginning to flow once more. It wasn't fair! He and Tezuka had just managed to be together again and this time, Tezuka didn't reject him. Tezuka could only helplessly watch as the car drove away, the image of Oishi's pain-filled expression lingering in his mind.
Clenching his fists, Tezuka walked back to Seigaku where his regulars were waiting for him. Kabaji managed to disappear somewhere.
"Tezuka-buchou," Momoshiro called out.
"He's gone," Tezuka said.
"Not again!" Eiji whined. "Nya, why does Atobe…"
"Nationals," Tezuka said. "I said it before, Atobe knows Oishi is strongest when he plays with Kikumaru."
"So he takes away Oishi and we don't have Golden Pair anymore," Fuji said.
"Nya!" came Eiji's angry reply. "Atobe's not playing fair!"
"He has done nothing against the rules," Inui piped up.
"Inui-senpai?" Kaidoh asked.
"Oishi is currently enrolled at Hyotei," Inui said, flipping through his notebook. "Atobe has every right to recruit Oishi as a Hyotei regular."
All the regulars fell silent. They couldn't argue with that fact no matter how much they hated it. Tezuka slowly began walking back to the courts, each step echoing in his heart. Just fifteen minutes ago, he and Oishi were in each other's arms, and now, fifteen minutes later, it was as if Oishi never came back. Tezuka raised a hand and placed it over his heart, trying to alleviate pressure pushing down on it. 'Oishi…'
:Hyotei:
Oishi silently got out of the car and just stood there, a blank look on his face. Atobe got out and dismissed the driver. "There is still practice," Atobe said in a business-like manner.
"I already quit," Oishi said.
"Ore-sama did not agree to it," Atobe said.
"Atobe," Oishi said. "You know I cannot play for Hyotei."
"And why not?" Atobe demanded.
"My loyalties do no lie with Hyotei. I know they should but they don't," Oishi said. "If I were to play for Hyotei, I don't think I would try very hard, especially when the time comes when Hyotei has to play Seigaku."
"You. Attend. Hyotei." Atobe said through clenched teeth.
"I'm aware of that," Oishi said.
"You are Hyotei's Fukubuchou," Atobe said. "Ore-sama will make sure it stays that way."
"Atobe, you can't force someone to remain here," Oishi said. "I know that you've put a lot of time into training me for Nationals and I appreciate that but…"
"As long as you attend Hyotei, you are Fukubuchou," Atobe said. And with that, he stalked off towards the courts where the other regulars were busy practicing.
Oishi stared after the Hyotei buchou, his words ringing in his ears.
'As long as you attend Hyotei, you are Fukubuchou…'
"As long as I attend Hyotei," Oishi said to himself. Then Oishi broke into a smile. "I'm coming back, Tezuka."
Author's Note: Well...cheesy and corny again. Oh well. Good? Bad? Tell me!
Read and Review! Arigatou!
