Author's notes: Finally...an update!
Sorry guys...I got lazy on updating this fic, and therefore a 7-nearly-8 month hiatus... Mengo mengo!
This chapter is a bit uncoordinated and messy in my opinion so please just bear with it all right?
Enjoy this chapter and please review!
Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters.
Chapter 2: Rehearsals?
The regulars met in the auditorium after school. As unwilling as some of them were, all of them dared not be late and incur the wrath of their buchou. Nobody especially wanted to try the new juice Inui had created. They were almost half sure Tezuka would prescribe that in the punishment together with running laps under the influence of Inui.
"I'm sure all of you have read the script." Tezuka's baritone voice boomed through the rather empty auditorium. "We shall start the rehearsals now." He nodded to Horio.
"Ahem!" Horio cleared his throat. He sat in his self-prepared director's chair and had a stack of papers rolled together to make something like a loudspeaker. "So now we shall practice the first scene with Cinderguy, the evil stepfather and the three evil stepbrothers. Actors, take your places!" Katsuo and Kachiro sweatdropped at Horio's flashiness.
Ryoma stood on the stage, holding a broom on his left hand and the script on his right. He had a bored look on his face. Then, Fuji as well as the stepbrothers Kawamura, Momoshiro and Eiji joined him on the stage.
"Cinderguy! This place is still so dirty! Are you sure you have cleaned this place?" Fuji acted perfectly. He was totally into the role of the evil stepfather.
"Yes I have cleaned it." Ryoma replied in a very bored tone.
"Cut!" Horio's voice cut in. "Echizen!" he scolded. "You have to put in more emotions! You have to infuse yourself into the role of Cinderguy."
"Mada mada da ne." Ryoma said, his eyes fleeting off somewhere.
"All right! We shall do the scene once again!" Horio proclaimed.
All the actors got into their position. Fuji once again, portrayed the role of the evil stepfather perfectly.
"Yes I have cleaned it." Ryoma said, putting in some fake emotion which everyone knew immediately. Horio thought he would let it pass this time as they had to go through the entire play.
Momoshiro and Eiji acted their characters well too. Well, it can be said that they were enjoying indirectly teasing their ochibi. Ryoma just glared at them the entire time.
"Kawamura-senpai! You cannot be so kind! You have to have some more emotion!" Horio cried out.
"Emotion? Well I don't really know…" Kawamura scratched his head. Fuji then passed him a racket. As soon as he took the racket, he went into his burning mode.
"GREAT!" Kawamura swung his racket around wildly. Eiji and Momoshiro hopped away for safety.
"BURNING!" Kawamura screamed and pointed his racket to Ryoma who was staring wide-eyed at him. "You're so stupid Cinder-chan! I can't believe you are actually my brother!" he then dropped to his knees and started weeping.
"Ta…Taka-san!" Momoshiro grabbed the racket from Kawamura. Once away from the racket, he became his normal self again. He stood up shyly and scratched his head.
"Erm…was that ok?" Kawamura asked.
"Ah? Haha…" Horio could only give an uneasy chuckle.
"We'll be going on the next scene!" Horio announced.
The next scene was that when the fairy godfather appeared in front of Cinderguy. Ryoma sat down on a chair.
"Oh if only I could go to the ball." Ryoma was still monotone. Horio was irritated with the tennis prince's disinterest but decided to get with him after this scene. Why? Tezuka-buchou was going to make his appearance. Horio did not want to keep the buchou waiting. Even though he was the director, he was still in awe of Tezuka.
It was time for the fairy godfather to appear. Tezuka was not holding the script. He had already memorised all of it. He was one to take things seriously.
"Cinderguy. Cinderguy." Tezuka said.
"Who are you?" This time, Ryoma was acting properly. He could play around with the other regulars, but definitely not with his buchou.
"I'm your fairy godfather. You have a kind heart, and that is why I have come to grant your wish to go to the ball."
"Oh really?" Ryoma recited.
"If you do not believe me, I will show you my magic now." Tezuka said as he pretended to tap on things.
"Now you can go to the ball, but beware, the magic will wear off at exactly 12 midnight. You will have to return by that time." Tezuka ended his part. He looked at Horio.
"How did I do?" he asked.
Truth to be told, it could clearly be seen that Tezuka did try to act out his part well and put in his emotions. However, it was still emotionless. Not only that, his poker face was on throughout his part.
"Er…ver…fine…very well! Hehe…" Horio struggled to find the words to say. Eiji, Fuji and Momoshiro were stifling their laughter while Inui was scribbling into his notebook. Kaidoh was wide-eyed. Tezuka noticed the three regulars and glared at them.
"Fuji, Kikumaru and Momoshiro! 50 laps! Now!" Tezuka commanded.
"Hai!" The trio quickly stopped their laughter, except for Fuji who did not stop smiling. They ran out of the auditorium to serve their punishment.
"So shall we continue?" Tezuka glanced at Horio.
"Ha…hai!" Horio let out, frightened.
Many rehearsals were held over the next few days. However they were less than fruitful. Ryoma as usual, was acting bored and had been punished by running laps many times. He only acted a little better when threatened with Inui Juice. Momoshiro and Kaidoh had been sent running too when Momoshiro commented that there was never such a pretty queen. A quarrel then ensued which effectively sent them to do their laps.
Fuji wasn't spared the running too as he was the only one who even dared to laugh at Tezuka. However Inui Juice could not be used as a deterrent as he was immune to it. Therefore Fuji continued to do his thing while Tezuka continued to send him on laps.
Inui was thinking of the best way to act as the princess. "I just have to…" he mumbled to himself.
"That man is sooooo handsome!" Inui acted in a fake-girl tone and exaggerated movements. Everyone sweatdropped at his performance.
"So how was my performance?" he asked.
"I…Inui…" Eiji looked at him in disbelief. "You…you were…were…so…so…so…" he tried to find the right word for him.
"Gay." Fuji finished the sentence for him with a smile.
Everyone stared at Fuji. He as usual, was the one who dared to voice his opinions, or rather, everyone's unvoiced opinions. However, nobody had the guts to provoke Fuji and therefore he was safe.
"Really?" Inui scratched his head. He flipped out his notebook. "According to my calculations it should be the best way to act as a princess without looking like a gay…"
Oishi sighed. The rehearsals were not as successful and the date of the gakuen sai was approaching.
"Oh no! What am I going to do? What am I going to do?" he thought. Unknown to him, he was showing everything on his features as well as actions. Everyone turned to stare at him.
This time it was Katsuo and Kachiro's turn to sigh.
"I really hope nothing goes wrong…" Kachiro said.
"Me too…" Katsuo added.
The rehearsals were conducted feverishly over the next few days. The gakuen sai was approaching and they could afford to waste no more time, hopefully.
Ryoma continued his bored acting, Fuji continued his fabulous portrayal of the evil stepfather, Kaidoh and Momoshiro continued to fight especially when the latter laughed at the former over the acting of the queen and the queen's costume, Kawamura continued to go out of control when a racket was in his hands, Tezuka continued to put his emotions into his roles, Oishi continued to worry and try and get everything in order, Eiji continued to bounce around, Inui continued to act as a gay, Horio continued to worry over the outcome of his masterpiece and Katsuo and Kachiro continued to pray that nothing would go wrong.
Once again, all of them continued to do their things.
"Everyone! 100 laps around the school!" Tezuka commanded.
"But Tezuka!" Oishi tried to persuade. "There's not much time left…"
The countdown to the Seigaku Gakuen Sai begins…
Author's notes: Next up is the Gakuen Sai! How will things turn out?
Please read and review!