Chapter Ten: Of Purple Shirts and Many More
The night with Fuji was… how should we put it… Interesting wasn't intense enough… Hateful just didn't measure up to the standards… Maybe three million sixty-six thousand four hundred fifty eight dollars and twenty-seven cents wasted away might have been a good way to describe the tip of the iceberg.
After endless pesters of who that girl was from his servants and an absolutely 'pleasant' dinner filled with Fuji's sly remarks and poking at everything demanding to know if it were edible and not poisoned, the girl proceeded to 'accidentally' knock over an antique vase when 'examining' it, topple over several more valuable items just for good measures, slide into Atobe's room when he was taking a shower and snitched endless photographs, some articles of clothing, (because they looked expensive probably worth a lot) and among many other little things, and by the time the boy had returned, she was labeling a sticky note on the items called 'Atobe's Personal Blackmail Material'. Atobe was not pleased.
However, what was really annoying was the phone calls he had been getting, which usually were along the lines of:
"Atobe! You're getting married!"
"Atobe! You're going to be related to Tezuka!"
"ATOBE-SAMA! DON'T MARRY HER! I… I LOVE YOU!" (of course, you know this is the president of The Official Atobe-Sama Fan Club)
"Atobe! Are you really engaged to Tezuka's cousin!"
"Atobe! Do you already have a kid!"
And so on and on it went, though where the kid part came up he could only guess. But that wasn't really important. The important fact was that his reputation was ruined. RUINED! All in one day's time! And these people were dumb enough to actually believe it! It was just scandalous! It was irony! It was… Fuji! Atobe made a mental note to crush the girl once she was a he again.
But the real problem was that she was going to be at Hyoutei for the rest of the week… or was she? Hmm…
Atobe sighed as he grabbed his rarely used phone book and the nearest phone. Someone was going to be sorry, but it wasn't going to be him.
"… I'm going to St. Rudolph?" The brunette blinked at the rich boy told her the news with a smirk. "Since when did you have any correspondence with them?"
"Since yesterday," Atobe informed her as he dumped her things in her arms. "Because I will not tolerate you tainting my reputation anymore than you've already had."
"Really? And I thought you and that what's-his-name guy were just exchanging purple shirts," Fuji shrugged. "You had quite the collection in your closet. They were the only things I didn't touch because it was just so contaminated."
"They are not purple!" Atobe insisted as he wrenched open the front door. "They're-"
But the boy's words were lost in a sea of screams and flashes that had gathered in front of his door, all shouting things like:
"Atobe! Look over here!"
"Atobe! Smile at the camera!"
"Atobe! We would like to get your opinion on your current engagement!"
"Atobe! Would you introduce your fiancée to us?"
"Atobe! Could you tell us when the wedding will be?"
"Atobe!"
"Atobe!"
"Atobe!"
Usually, the boy would be flattered and proud of so many people chanting his name, but in this case, it was just like murder. This had happened a few times before like when he became captain of the Hyoutei tennis club and a lot of tennis magazine reporters had come to interview him, and when his father's company had acquired major fortunes and he was asked how life felt as the son of a company CEO and so and so… But this was just ridiculous! (Thank goodness his parents were overseas.) And even more so, Fuji was enjoying every moment of it!
"Ne, don't be shy about it, Kei-chan," Fuji giggled as she linked arms with the reluctant Atobe, who was absolutely mortified as the crowd gave a huge cheer and photographers were starting to snap away like no tomorrow. His eyes quickly scanned the crowd, and found his teammates all huddled in a corner laughing, some people from other schools, and surprisingly enough, Eiji, Inui… and Tezuka, who, it appeared, was smirking. Oh, where has the sanity gone!
"…No way…"
"… I refuse to believe this is happening…"
"… She's gotten cuter, da ne…"
Fuji happily skipped into class as her fellow third years (which oddly contained all of the third year St. Rudolph regulars for some strange reason) stared at her with interest. A handful however, stared at her with fear and disbelief. (You can guess who they are, no?)
"Hello my dear classmates!" she began over enthusiastically with a side dish of sarcasm and sadisticness, which isn't even a word, but that's not important. "I am Fujiko Suzume, Tezuka Kunimitsu's cousin, Fuji Yuuta's niece, Fuji Syusuke's daughter, and Atobe Keigo's wife to be. Nice to meet you."
Saa… They're all going to be pretty stupid if they believe that…
"Oh my god! I saw you live on the news today with Atobe!"
"So Fuji Yuuta really does have a niece!"
"I can't believe Fuji Syusuke actually has a daughter!"
"Fujiko-chan!"
"Fujiko-chan!"
"FUJIKO-CHAN!"
… I had no idea how gullible this world is… Must get mother and father to pull Yuuta out of this school before his mind gets corrupted...
The day passed a lot better than it had at Hyoutei. Well, maybe not, because everyone was ignoring the teacher and just simply staring at Fuji, but she didn't mind that much. However, when lunch came around…
"…Y-You there! Halt!" Mizuki demanded as Yuuta just sighed at how absolutely ridiculous his sempai was acting. Why was he dragged along too? "I demand to you to confirm the rumors to me!"
Fuji blinked for a second, putting on a face to seem as if she was trying to recall who the person was, smiled, and frolicked over to…
"Uncle Yuuta!" she exclaimed as she glomped the unfortunate boy, who yelped as he tried to free himself from what he imagined must have been the chains of death. "I had no idea I would find you here too!"
"Eh…"
"As I was saying," Mizuki huffed impatiently. "I am the great Mizuki Haji-"
"And little red ribbon boy and the ugly duckling are here too!" Fuji went on as she hauled Yuuta over to where Atsushi and Yanagisawa, (anywhere but near Mizuki)who were observing the scene with lunch spread out before them, just because they're such good friends and Atsushi's the only one who can consul (and actually tolerate to some extant) Yanagisawa, who constantly complains about not being liked by girls despite his dashingly good looks that "far exceeds Hyoutei's Atobe himself da ne".
"Pay attention to me, will you! Who do you think it was that got you into this school!" Mizuki said in a dangerously low voice as he clasped a hand onto Fuji's shoulder, pried her off of Yuuta, and turned her around to look at him.
"Oh, and who might you be?" Fuji asked obliviously. "Have I met you before?"
"MI-ZU-KI," Mizuki emphasized. "Say it!"
"ME-TU-LI?" Fuji said in the same tone.
"No!" Mizuki screamed as he let out an exasperated sigh. "You met me the other day at the street tennis courts, remember?"
"Hmm…" Fuji started as she placed a finger on her cheek. "Nope. Don't remember."
"…!"
Tennis practice wasn't exactly any better…
"Ne! Fujiko-chan da ne! Do you want me to give you lessons, da ne?" Yanagisawa called as Fuji observed from the sidelines. Fuji just smiled and waved, but said nothing.
"I think she likes me da ne…" Yanagisawa sighed dreamily.
"Right…" Atsushi answered, too nice to say: "You wish."
"Just serve the ball!" Mizuki screeched. "I haven't got all day to wait around for you guys! And just because Akazawa captain isn't here doesn't mean we can slack off!"
"But I wonder just who exactly is actually in charge around here," Yuuta mumbled.
"Did you say something, Yuuta?" Mizuki asked in a sickening sweet voice.
"No, nothing at-"
"Uncle Yuuta! Why are you engaged in a conversation with that… thing?" Fuji demanded as she skittered onto the court with a forced smile.
"For the last time, I am not your uncle!" Yuuta screamed as he threw down his racket and started ranting.
"I'm serving the ball," Atsushi randomly announced, slightly annoyed that he was being ignored.
"I don't think they can hear you da ne," Yanagisawa pointed out as Atsushi's ball went in with zero attention paid to it.
"But uncle Yuuta! Of course you're my uncle!" Fuji insisted. "I mean, why wouldn't you be if I'm your brother's child?"
"My brother does not have a kid!" Yuuta said in frustration.
"Of course he doesn't," Mizuki said comfortingly as he placed a reassuring hand on Yuuta's shoulder. "Fuji Syusuke is far too hideous to attract any type of woman towards him."
"Excuse me. Please get your filthy hands off of my uncle, Thing," Fuji hissed.
"Why should I?" Mizuki snapped.
Yuuta sighed as he watched the two glare at each other. Oh yes, it was just an absolutely wonderful relationship between the two, just like the one between Mizuki and his brother. His brother… now that he thought about it, the two really were… Yuuta shook his head. There was no way she could be his brother. I mean, the word she just said it all, and there was absolutely no way his brother had a kid. Right? Right…?
"I said I'm serving the ball!" Atsushi frowned as he served again. This time, it was all but ignored.
Mizuki had been in the middle of a very heated verbal fight with Fuji, and was waving around his racket like a madman to emphasize his incoherent words when Atsushi's ball made contact with it. Of course, since he was whacking around like an absurd idiot, (no offense to Mizuki of course) the ball flew clean off of his racket right into a random first year, who was knocked into a ball cart, sending balls all over the place, many of which ricocheted off of everywhere, bonking everyone on the head, and even some random guy who so obviously did not have a good grip on his racket as it was sent flying, eventually going THRAK of Fuji's head. Fuji was NOT amused.
There was silence… and then…
"Let's go, Metuli-san," Fuji mustered out with a bitter smile and her eyes flashed open for a spilt second. Grabbing his wrist, the girl literally dragged him across the court to the exits with everyone looking on. Naturally, Fuji didn't really mind and coulf care less.
"Wha-? Let go of me!" Mizuki demanded. "Do you know who you're dealing with?"
"I know perfectly well what I'm dealing with. It's a thing which alienates uncle Yuuta from his family and has the most horrible fashion sense imaginable in this century," Fuji said with a biting edge of sarcasm. Snickers emerged on the court.
"Where are you taking me!" Mizuki snapped.
"But Metuli-san! You just asked me out on a date!" Fuji pouted. The crowd gasped, for they all knew that Fuji was suppose to be with Atobe.
A date to make you scream and cry for sanity that is.
"What!"
"Oh, Metuli-san! You're so brave, asking me out despite the fact that you know I'm already engaged! I commend you for you courage and will gladly accept your offer to have dinner together for just this one time only," Fuji gushed out dramatically without so much as flinching at her own words. (Though she thoroughly detested them no less.) The crowd broke into hysterical chattering, all except for Yuuta, who just sighed. Now he understood everything.
"What are you up to this time, aniki?" he sighed.
"Now, now, Metuli-san," Fuji hissed as she dragged him out of school grounds. "Don't be such a pain."
"What are you-? Who are-"
"I'm so sad that Mizuki-chan doesn't remember me," Fuji smirked, saying the boy's name with as much hatred and emphasize as possible. Her eyes opened once again as she sent a death-piercing glare at him. Mizuki paled.
"Y-You…! Y-You…! …!" Mizuki gasped as he ripped his wrist away from the girl and immediately backed away. "H-How…! Wh-why…!"
"Really now, I expected you of all people to not have such a traumatizing realization," Fuji sighed. Then she smiled again. "So! Now that we're here and all, let's go on a date!"
Also known as hell and back for you.
Mizuki just stared at her, jaw opened. "H-How can you say that with no hesitation at all! And why are you a girl!"
"Oh, Mizuki-chan, I'm flattered," Fuji said sarcastically. "I can't believe you've finally realized I'm female."
"… I knew it! Fuji Syusuke has been denying his- herwomanhood all along!"
Fuji twitched.
Oh yes, someone was going to be very, very, very sorry.