A/N: Alrighty, another chapter. I'm not sure what I was thinking with this chapter. It is a lot of crack mixed with the deeper meaning behind clothing. I was inspired to write after watching the junior training camp arc. I don't know how this turned out, but I enjoyed writing it. So, I hope you enjoy this too.
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Doing It Right
"I don't see why this has to be a big deal. I don't need a new wardrobe. I do have clothes at home."
Atobe glanced over at Sanada and looked at him like he was stupid.
"Ore-sama thought we went over this already. Ore-sama guarantees you do not own anything that can be of use."
"Shopping with Atobe…Wow…That sounds…wrong…"Sanada sunk into his seat and pulled his cap down while he attempted to ignore Atobe's rambling. However, with the diva of Hyotei, that was impossible.
"And stop doing that."
"Doing what?"
Atobe motioned to the cap on Sanada's head. The Rikkai fukubuchou stared menacingly at him. He defensively grabbed the corner of the cap's bill.
"What about it?"
"Stop hiding under it. You wouldn't be half as stand-offish and disgruntled looking if you would ditch the hat once and a while."
Sanada was indignant.
"I am not stand-offish. At least I'm not so garish as you. Besides, I'm not hiding anything."
Atobe looked like he was about ready to slap Sanada. His eyebrow began to twitch ever so slightly. Taking a deep breath, Atobe swallowed his other remarks and explained what he meant.
"First off, do not use garish. You sound like a fool. Second, yes, you are stand-offish. Third,…well, we'll get to that one later."
Outwardly, Sanada kept an indifferent, serious front, while on the inside he was mentally strangling Atobe.
"It's like trying to argue with a parrot…A really pompous parrot…And I'm not hiding behind anything…""We're here."
Sanada looked outside the car window at the huge crowds. Atobe motioned to the door.
"Get out of the car. And don't you dare try to run away."
"Hmph."
He stepped out of the car and looked around. Masses of people were crowding the intersections and flooding the entrances to the department stores.
"Come on. We're going here."
He grudgingly followed Atobe inside one of the larger department stores. When he got inside, he was actually impressed. He was expecting it to be some outrageously fancy place filled with people just like Atobe. He was surprised to find that it was pretty much like every other one.
"Surprised?"
"I had imagined you would shop…elsewhere."
"Great fashion does not mean it needs to come from a fancy store. Besides, this is the best place for you to learn. How often do you shop at a high-end place? Probably never. Since you most likely shop at an average store, that is where we shall shop."
Sanada watched Atobe amusedly as he carried on with his lecture.
"He just never shuts up. Atobe must really love to hear himself talk."
He put his hands in his pockets and then had an idea.
"Hey, Atobe. What's the point of this? I'll just go. I didn't bring enough money with me to go shopping like this."
He realized this as he shoved his hands into his pockets and felt that they were empty. It was not lying since it was true and it would get him out of shopping for a new set of clothes. Sanada's plan was quickly shot down as he noticed Atobe ginning smugly at him.
"Nice try, but no cigar. Ore-sama will not let you get out of it. Money is no objection since ore-sama is getting it for you. Now let's go."
Sanada watched Atobe walk off with a shocked expression. He did not want to shop to begin with, but to have Atobe pay for it was out of the question.
"I am not that desperate, nor do will I accept you paying for anything."
Atobe continued to walk away and calmly responded.
"Ore-sama doesn't think you're desperate either…Well, not that desperate. Ore-sama is also not doing this out of pity. I have my reasons, but if you must know at least one of them, think about it this way."
He glanced over his shoulder and once again gave Sanada a smug grin.
"I'm giving to charity. Because ore-sama is so considerate and philanthropic, ore-sama is freely giving to the poor in fashion taste. It is not out of pity, but out of my own humble good graces that I would bestow a gift to those who are unable to fashionably dress themselves."
Sanada was left speechless. He was not sure if that was because he actually believed Atobe or if it was the speech itself.
"Atobe and humble…Humble Atobe…That's an oxymoron if I've ever heard one…""Fine. But nothing too…too…uh…"
"Hm? 'Nothing too' what?"
"Please…Nothing with…frills or lavender…I can't…Just please no…"
Atobe stared blankly at Sanada and then looked down at his own shirt. It was a regular, lavender dress shirt.
"What's so wrong about lavender?"
"Nothing…It's just that I don't care too much for lavender. Or anything else in the purple range."
Atobe looked down at his shirt again and then shrugged.
"Very well. But honestly though. You are called the Emperor. You should like purple since purple is the color of royalty. But ore-sama supposes you wouldn't be able to pull off this color as well as ore-sama does."
Sanada sighed. He shook his head and followed after Atobe. After going up a couple of levels, they finally arrived at the men's section.
"Originally I was just going to get you one nice looking outfit, but then I thought about that saying, 'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.'"
"You corrupt everything, don't you? Not even old adages are safe."
"Hmph. That's besides the point. Anyways, ore-sama has already decided what colors would look good on you, but just for giggles, what colors do you like?…And please don't say 'yellow'."
"I like black and grey."
"You would, wouldn't you? Hmm. Interesting though. This might be easier than ore-sama thought."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Sanada stared questioningly at Atobe who simply ignored him. The diva thoughtfully crossed his arms and looked around in deep thought. Since Atobe was surprisingly not speaking at the moment, Sanada began to feel uncomfortable. He quietly tipped his hat down. When he glanced back up, he about fell over from shock.
"Didn't ore-sama say not to do that?"
Hyotei's buchou was right in front of Sanada with his face only a few inches away. Sanada thought his heart was going to explode from the shock and fear of suddenly having Atobe hovering.
"Not to do what?"
"Hide behind your hat."
Before he could object, Atobe quickly snatched the cap off of Sanada's head and began to examine it.
"What's so great about this thing?"
Sanada stood stark still and just watched Atobe fiddle around with his hat. Atobe then plopped the cap on his own head and faced Sanada.
"Now if we could get you to smile that way all the time, then children would have nothing to fear."
The other boy noticed that he was slightly grinning and quickly replaced it with a standard frown. Out of pure habit, Sanada reached up to pull down a non-existent cap. It was then that he realized what Atobe was talking about.
"I don't see what's so odd. I'm just a normal person. You in that cap made you look ridiculous and I was simply responding to that."
"Are you actually that dense or do you just pretend? But anyways, if you could at least manage an actual facial feature like that, it would really make a huge difference."
"Can I have my hat back?"
"No."
"And why not?"
"Not until ore-sama breaks you of that habit."
Sanada sighed in defeat. On the tennis courts, he would own Atobe. In the department store, he was completely at his mercy. Atobe kept the cap on and continued to look around. Sanada was quietly straightening out his hair when the other boy suddenly tugged at his sleeve.
"Over there."
He followed Atobe to a shelf filled with button up dress shirts. They ranged from one end of the color spectrum to the other. Atobe made a sweeping gesture with his arm and looked expectantly at Sanada.
"Now pick. Ore-sama will let you pick first to get an idea."
Sanada felt like an idiot. He began glancing up and down the shelf at each shirt. At the far end he noticed the darker colors. Atobe watched with interest as Sanada went to that side of the rack and picked out a gray colored shirt.
"Does this meet his highness' approval?"
Atobe slowly nodded his head.
"That's fine. Though definitely not interesting."
"What's that mean?"
"Gray is fine and it can look pretty classy if used correctly, but sometimes, you need to let loose and add some color in your boring gray life."
Sanada wondered where Atobe came up with these kinds of sayings. It amused him to no end how Atobe can be so flamboyant and dramatic even while shopping.
"Now am I supposed to pick something…colorful?"
"Of course."
Sanada let out a small sigh. He began staring at each and every color while Atobe stood patiently to the side, fiddling with Sanada's cap, and at the same watching his every single move. Sanada severely missed his cap.
"Oi, Sanada, this isn't rocket science. Just pick a color you like…And don't pick yellow."
"What is your problem with yellow?"
"Ore-sama has no problem with yellow. It just looks ugly as a tennis uniform and isn't a very flattering color on you. At least not glaring yellow. It hurts ore-sama's eyes."
The other boy's shoulders slightly sagged. He was having more difficulty than he anticipated. Sanada then took a deep breath and began methodically thinking it out.
"Fine. Anything yellow is out of the question. That would then eliminate the oranges. Let's see. Red is better, I suppose, but it's too bright. I don't care for purple. So, that leaves the greens and blues."
"You know, it hurts ore-sama's brain just imagining what you are thinking so hard about."
Atobe walked over to where Sanada was standing and looked at the colors he was staring at.
"Between the greens and blues…Tough choice. Personally I would aim for somewhere in between."
Sanada looked at Atobe, then looked at the shirts. There were about three different shades in between blue and green. At that moment he wanted to kill whoever made up these colors. Atobe noticed the light twitch developing under one of Sanada's eyes and chuckled.
"You're thinking way too much about this. You're also worrying too much about the little details. For once in your rigid life, relax and just choose what you want…Ore-sama is going to go check for something. By the time ore-sama returns, you had better picked a color."
With that, Atobe took off leaving Sanada stranded and alone with the shirts. The other people quickly passed around Sanada as they feared the teenager with a solemn stare and mumbling about a baseball cap. He was about to snap when he noticed a person pass by. Sanada was then reminded of his buchou and what he had said.
You know, you worry too much…You shouldn't take too much on yourself. Just let loose and have fun once and while.
"Yukimura…"
He suddenly felt refreshed and took a deep breath. Sanada quickly glanced at the shirts again and went with his gut instinct. He proudly grabbed the shirt off the shelf and held it triumphantly. It was not until a little child asked what he was doing when he realized some of the shoppers were staring at him. Sanada was about to reach up for his cap when he stopped himself. He then realized what Atobe was talking about. Instead of giving into habit, Sanada pushed the other people out of his mind and walked off thinking only about how he would enjoy the party with the tennis team.
"Rejoice all ye souls of the Earth! He picked a shirt."
He noticed Atobe walking up to him still wearing his cap. Now he was wearing it sideways. Sanada could not help but think about the Change Over guy from Jyousei. The thought made him crack a small grin.
"And there was much rejoicing throughout the land. He can smile."
"Of course. I'm told I have a charming smile."
"Don't let it get to your head. Your smile is not near as charming as ore-sama's."
"If that's how it is in your fantasy world of frills and lavender."
Atobe made an exaggerated gesture of being hurt by the comment. He then collected himself and indicated to other sections of the store. Picking out pants and a jacket went much smoother and soon, Sanada had a couple of different outfits.
"Well, that should be enough to get you started. It's hard to mess up with those colors."
"So we're done?"
"Far from done. The day is still young and there is so much more that I must teach you before you are properly equipped to go out and impress your mark upon the world."
"You live in a different world, don't you?"
"You have no idea. Alright, now we're leaving."
"I thought we weren't done yet?"
"We're going to the hair dresser."
"Why?"
"Ore-sama doesn't know if you noticed, but your hair looks awful and you need a hair cut."
"I don't want one."
"Tough."
After purchasing the items, the two tennis stars got back into the limousine and drove off to the hairdresser.
"Grab your new clothes."
"Why?"
"Because I said so."
"That means nothing to me."
"Whatever. Just grab them."
They walked into a small building that turned out not to be that small on the inside. It had a lavishly decorated interior. Upon entering, there was the front desk and waiting room. To the right, all the hairdressers were busily trimming and designing hair while to the left were rooms for spa treatments.
"What in the world is this place?"
"It is where ore-sama goes for a haircut."
Atobe waltzed up to the front desk and began talking to one of the workers. Sanada glanced around the area taking in the sights. Atobe, who motioned to follow him, knocked him out of his sight seeing tour. They were led by one of the assistants to a back room.
"This is ore-sama's private section."
"You have a private section in a beauty salon?"
"Of course."
The section of the shop had everything the front area had except on a smaller scale. Atobe grabbed the clothes from Sanada and instructed him to sit in one of the chairs.
"Clean it up a bit. Make it look presentable."
Sanada held in his comments while Atobe instructed a hairdresser what to do. After getting his hair trimmed, Sanada had to admit that it looked much better. He no longer had the flat, hat-hair and it was neatly combed and trimmed.
"Alright. Now it's time to put it all together. Sanada, go put on your new clothes. Ore-sama does not care which ones, just pick something and then come back out."
Sanada stood up from the chair and grabbed the bag of clothes. He walked to one of the dressing rooms and began deciding on what he wanted to wear. He was about to think long and hard about what would look best, when he caught himself.
"Don't worry too much…Just pick."
Atobe stood patiently outside the dressing room and was pleasantly surprised at Sanada when he came back out. He went with brown slacks and the second shirt.
"Impressive. You actually look good for a change. See? Ore-sama is a genius."
"…Right…"
Sanada noticed a mirror in one corner of the room and walked over to it. He too was surprised at how he looked. Even though he never would have thought about wearing a shirt that color, he enjoyed how it looked.
"Clothes are taken care of, hair is taken care of, now all that is left is how you carry yourself."
"How I carry myself? I carry myself just fine, thank you."
Atobe shook his had and patted him on the shoulder.
"No, you don't. But ore-sama shall soon remedy that. First off, your shirt."
"What about it?"
"How do you like to keep the buttons?"
"Buttoned?"
Atobe shook his head again at Sanada's remark. He walked in front of Sanada and placed his hands on his hips.
"No. It is important to take into consideration what kind of look you want to go with for the occasion. You do that by buttoning your shirt different ways."
Sanada looked back into the mirror and attempted to understand what Atobe was talking about.
"Unbutton the first two and also the bottom one."
Even though he did not comprehend, Sanada obeyed the command and unbuttoned the designated buttons.
"There. Keeping it completely buttoned is for formal occasions. Going to a casual party, you would unbutton some of the top ones and the bottom ones depending on how much material is after the buttons. Since it's you, ore-sama kept it conservative."
Sanada once again glanced into the mirror. It did look more casual but something about it did not seem to fit right.
"It doesn't look right."
"That's because you're standing all wrong."
"Now I know you're wrong. I have good posture."
"If you're the little tin soldier. Relax your shoulders a bit. Good. Now hang loosely."
Sanada attempted to follow Atobe's instructions but was having a hard time with the last part. He looked over at Atobe who was currently in his "Insight" pose. Sanada watched curiously as the Hyotei buchou randomly poked him in the side. The sudden action caught Sanada off guard and his body instinctively moved.
"There. That's what ore-sama is talking about."
Sanada looked into the mirror and saw how he was standing.
"It's uncomfortable."
"Then make it comfortable. Move around a little bit, but keep the general posture."
After a few minutes of moving around, Sanada found a position that was actually quite comfortable.
"Good. You have now learned the basic skills. After perfecting it, you can move on to things like this."
Sanada watched half amused and half awed at what Atobe did next. He made a series of poses each one causing one or more girls to practically swoon or call in the other girls working there.
"See? It's how you carry yourself."
Atobe took a few steps back. Sanada felt as though he were a piece of art on display. His feelings were not far placed.
"This has to be one of ore-sama's greatest masterpieces."
As Atobe was admiring his job well done, he glanced at his watch.
"Perfect timing. Now, to get you to your party."
They quickly gathered Sanada's things and went back to the limousine. As they were driving, Sanada thought back to what had occurred that day. He suddenly felt something soft land on his lap. Looking down, he found his cap resting limply on his leg.
"So I get it back?"
"As long as you don't wear it until after you get done with the party. Ore-sama doesn't want that hard work to go to waste."
"It won't…Thank you, Atobe."
"Of course. It was ore-sama's pleasure instructing you in the ways of the world."
Sanada cracked a small grin and lightly bowed. The rest of the ride was in total silence for a change. Sanada took the time to think about Yukimura and about himself.
"I suppose I did learn something…Yukimura…You were right. I need to enjoy life and do what makes me happy…I can't believe I learned that while spending time with Atobe of all people…This must never leave this vehicle…"
The limousine finally pulled up to the karaoke bar Sanada had mentioned. Before he got out he once again thanked Atobe.
"No problem…You know, this is a good look for you…But you know what? No matter what you do or how you dress…You're always going to be the same boring guy. That seems to just be the way you are."
Atobe smiled at Sanada who stared back questioningly. Even not knowing what he meant exactly, Sanada realized what Atobe was doing for him.
"You're a strange one. But you're not all that bad."
"Hm…Now hurry on my Cinderella. Ore-sama has magically transformed you and now you must hurry to your Prince Charming."
Before Atobe could finish the sentence, Sanada slammed the door to the car shut and smiled at the weird analogy.
"That guy…I don't know where he gets it…but…Thanks…I'm going to do what I want to do and enjoy this night…"
With that, Sanada adjusted his posture to how Atobe had shown him and sauntered confidently into the building.
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A/N: Second chapter completed. You know, writing for Sanada is kind of difficult. He needs a personality, but anything relating to emotions makes him OOC. I tried to keep him as close as possible and took all my Sanada cues from the anime. So, these are all based on what I've observed of him from the anime. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed! Next chapter: Sanada gets to hear the opinions of his teammates on his new dressing style and the color shirt that he picked is revealed…Not that it actually is a big deal or anything…