100 Percent – Too Much Information

The plan and Ryoma's crush come into better focus in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis

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Chapter 5

The boys relaxed after lunch at the picnic table under a large cherry tree that had long since shed its beautiful flowers. Fuji touched his hair; it was almost dry from their swim. He had planned to let Tezuka win, but at the last moment, the competitive spirit seized him and he pushed forward, taking the win for himself.

It was nice because Tezuka didn't mind if he lost in swimming and even admired Fuji for his aquatic abilities. Fuji liked the attention.

Their race had been nearly perfect except for one unexpected ripple. Ryoma had jumped into the water right before they started and moved along side Tezuka. Fuji assumed that Tezuka had asked Ryoma to join them while they were alone in the bedroom, but after the race, Tezuka had asked if Fuji invited him along.

A lone wolf like Tezuka, Ryoma obviously looked up to the captain and wanted to watch him. Fuji had underestimated that desire in the first year, thinking it only affected tennis. But Ryoma's interest encompassed anything competitive with Tezuka, as though striving to mimic him so he could surpass him and eventually beat him.

Well now the little sprite knew that in swimming, Tezuka wasn't the top of the totem pole, Fuji was.

Eiji and Kawamura had prepared a light lunch for everyone. Oishi and Kaidoh had cleaned up. Tezuka had gone for a walk and though Fuji had wanted to join him, he could sense when his friend needed time alone. Ryoma had disappeared shortly after Tezuka, not telling anyone where he was off to.

"Oishiiiiiii," Eiji cooed. "What do you want to do before dinner?"

"Gosh, I don't know. Momo, any ideas?"

"There are some good trails around and we'll go water skiing tomorrow, but you can take the boat out if you like," Momo said, biting into an apple.

"The speedboat!" Eiji jumped up in excitement.

"Not the speedboat, the row boat." Momo glared at Eiji. "If you think I'm gonna let you drive the speedboat by yourself, you're crazy!"

Eiji pouted and pointed at Momo, stalling for a good comeback.

"Eiji, the row boat will be nice," Oishi said softly.

Inui opened his notebook and wrote something down, probably data about the interaction between Eiji and Oishi.

"I'd like to go," Kawamura said.

Eiji nearly fell off the bench he was standing on, exasperated.

"Two percent," Inui said cryptically.

It took Fuji a moment to remember that two percent was the probability Inui had given Eiji about not being alone with Oishi.

Kawamura's brow furrowed. "Eh?"

"That'd be great Kawamura," Oishi said with a big smile.

Eiji's face contorted into a humorous representation that one could only assume was the boy's attempt at disappointment.

"How many seats are there?" Oishi asked Momo.

"Six."

"You guys want to go too?" Oishi asked everyone.

"Kaidoh has to run," Inui said, followed by a quick hiss from his training pupil.

"I've had enough water for today," Fuji said, wanting to wait for Tezuka to get back.

"I'll go. No doubt you morons need someone to teach you how to row." Momo boasted playfully.

"I have some numbers to crunch, data to analyze," Inui said, waving them off.

"Of course you do." Momo shook his head in dismay. "To the boats men!" He hollered, leading the boating crew down to the shore.

Kaidoh stood and began to stretch.

"Five kilometers," Inui told him.

Kaidoh grunted and ran off.

Inui wrote for a few minutes while Fuji watched the soft clouds float by.

"I've devised a plan," Inui finally said.

A plan! He knew Inui would come through for him. "That one there, looks like a hamster." Fuji pointed to a round cloud with a small head.

Inui looked up and squinted. "If you say so. I must say Fuji, the plan is complicated."

"Tell me about it."

It took Inui twenty minutes to cover all the details and make sure Fuji had memorized them. There was an order to each step and it had to be done in the precise manner Inui projected. Any deviation would collapse the whole plan like a house of cards.

"There is one more thing," Inui said, hesitating.

"Oh?" Fuji's enthusiasm had returned, feeling invigorated by the plan.

"It's about Echizen," Inui paused again, licking his lips nervously.

"Ryoma?"

"He likes someone, but I thought it would interfere with your quest for Tezuka."

Fuji's back stiffened. Ryoma liked Tezuka? How had he missed that? "Does it change the data between me and Tezuka?" Fuji asked.

"Yes."

Fuji had to laugh, mostly out of irritation because no matter how wonderful his feelings for Tezuka made him feel, there was always a "but."

"How much?" Fuji whispered. "How much does it affect our data?"

"The probability you and Tezuka will end up together drops to fifty percent."

Fuji felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. "Fifty, fifty eh?"

"Stick to the plan Fuji, I shouldn't have told you." Inui stood up from the picnic table.

Fuji found himself gnawing on his fingernail, an old habit he had long broken, and flung his hand away from his mouth. Ryoma hadn't been competing with Tezuka, he had been trying to spend time with him.

Tennis, swimming, the bedroom, they weren't random acts. Ryoma had been positioning himself near Tezuka all along. And the way that boy observed things, he had probably seen Tezuka's interest in Fuji, mimicking him to understand what it was about Fuji that Tezuka wanted, so he could magnify the same qualities in himself.

Fuji's eyes narrowed—Tezuka was his.

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Camp fires and marshmallows galore next! The next chapter is longer than the other ones so far, so it's a lot to look forward to. I'll finish editing and post it in the next day or so. ;)

A/N: All the reviewers have good ideas about who Ryoma likes and what the pairing may end up as, but don't be surprised if I twist it up a little—or a lot :)