A/N: Here we are, chapter three. This chapter only has Atobe and Jiroh in it. It also has a series of weird questions. While the story hasn't actually gotten to a plot point of conflict, it's getting there. This is the layout of some of the common theme(s) that will be present throughout the story. Anyways, it's a chapter of cuteness, mainly on Jiroh's part. So, read and enjoy!

I don't own PoT...If I did, I wouldn't be wasting my time writing a fanfics about it...I would make it actually happen in the series...

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"Atobe…I'm bored!"

"Ore-sama knows that already."

"That doesn't change the fact that I'm bored."

"…"

Atobe was sitting on his luxurious couch with a notebook and pen quickly jotting down ideas for the partner project. Jiroh was lounging on the same couch except he was sitting upside down so his legs dangled over the top and his head hung over the edge. It was a sunny Saturday and Jiroh did not want to be wasting his time doing a stupid project.

While he hated the project, he did not hate that he got to hang around Atobe more. Usually, they never really did much together or said much. Jiroh was most likely sleeping and Atobe was too busy being the great buchou that he said he was. Now that he thought about it, he did not really know anything personal about Atobe.

"Hey, Atobe?"

"What?"

"I decided that I don't know enough about you."

Atobe stopped what he was writing and looked over at Jiroh. The other boy was looking at him, still upside down, expectantly. He sighed.

"Where did that come from?"

"I dunno. I was thinking about how we don't really hang out with each other, so I don't know much about you."

The buchou still did not understand where Jiroh was getting all of this from, but he continued to answer the questions if only to keep the other boy awake.

"It is perfectly understandable that you would want to understand the greatness and beauty that is ore-sama. What do you want to know?"

"What's your favorite animal?"

"Out of all the questions in the world that you could ask…You ask me about my animal preference?"

Atobe stared questioningly at Jiroh who looked back just as expectantly and innocently as before. He shook his head and then thought about the question.

"I suppose ore-sama's favorite animal is a dog."

"What, really?"

Jiroh looked genuinely surprised at the answer he received. It was now Atobe's turn to look at him expectingly.

"Well, I just didn't think you'd say something so…normal."

Atobe felt his eyebrow begin to ever so slowly begin to lightly twitch.

"I figured you'd say something like a peacock…or a cardinal or eagle or some other weird animal that I wouldn't know. It seems weird you would pick something so common as a dog."

Jiroh readjusted himself so he was now on his stomach facing Atobe. He supported his chin in his hands and smiled at him. Atobe also adjusted himself so as to get a better view of Jiroh.

"I say a dog because they are obedient, loyal, and offer an unconditional love that is not false or simply a means to accomplish an end. Sometimes a simple answer offers the most information while something complex may not offer any answer at all."

The other boy stared dumbfounded at Atobe. He was impressed. First, at the fact that Atobe's favorite animal is a dog, and second, that he was able to tell a lot more about the Hyotei buchou from his answer.

"That's impressive."

"Yes, ore-sama's brilliance dazzles all."

"Actually, I was talking about how you could say something so deep like the whole meaning behind a dog, and about simple answers…And then say something like 'ore-sama no bigi ni yoina' (1) or any of your other weird responses."

Atobe suddenly felt the twitch in his eyebrow grow stronger.

"How is it you haven't been beaten up, maimed or killed yet?"

"Hmm, I guess it's just one of the great wonders of nature!"

He looked down at Jiroh who was still looking up at him with the same smile. Atobe wondered why he was never able to bring himself to actually get mad at Jiroh. No matter what Jiroh said, he was never insulted by it. Maybe it was because he was genuine in what he said. Everything he said was the truth and he never seemed to have any ulterior motives.

"You in and of yourself are a wonder of nature, Jiroh."

"Thanks!"

"I'm not sure that was a compliment."

"I'll take it as one."

Atobe gently shook his head and then smirked.

"My turn. Why are you so interested in finding more about me?"

Jiroh looked surprised at him for a moment before he gave him a wide grin like he was a fool for not knowing.

"Because I like you and I want to know more about people I like! Besides, we're friends aren't we? Well then, I want to know more about you…Don't you want to know more about me?"

The buchou could not help but suddenly feel odd the way Jiroh stared up at him so innocently with puppy-dog eyes.

"You do make a point…Yes. I would like to know more about you…However, I don't think that will be much of a problem. We'll be spending much more time together and I am already learning more about you just by being around you."

The answer seemed good enough for Jiroh who suddenly became all bubbly.

"Alright. What's your favorite color?"

"I'm particularly fond of gold and black…Though I don't know if you could say black is a valid color since it is a shade. Whatever the case, I like the way it looks."

Once again Jiroh was left speechless as to the odd color choices. Those were not the colors he was expecting. Sure, he could reason with gold, but black threw him through a loop.

"Really? It's not purple or leopard print?"

Atobe felt that steady twitch that developed whenever Jiroh asked a question regarding his personal tastes.

"No, it's not. And leopard print is not a color…"

"I can kind of see how you would like gold. I mean it's shiny and pretty and looks good with a lot of stuff. It's also kind of royal. What I don't get is black. Why black? It's so plain. And your so…not plain."

Jiroh smiled like he was proud of himself when he came up with that last part. Atobe waited for Jiroh to come back to the present world before answering.

"True, it is plain, and ore-sama does not particularly enjoy wearing it unless it is to accentuate something. And that's exactly why I like it. It may be plain, but place it behind another color, that color becomes even brighter. That versatility that allows black to darken or brighten is what I like about it."

The other boy stared at Atobe in wonder. Jiroh found it absolutely incredible that someone so ostentatious and pretentious could have such simple likes. It was also impressive how Atobe had been able to explain why he like such things with perfectly valid and logical arguments.

"Wow. I never really thought about black that way. That's really cool, Atobe!"

"Of course it is. Now, how are you choosing these questions?"

"You can tell a lot about a person by what they like or dislike. With you, I can learn a lot more since you give me a reason as to why you like the things you do!"

Atobe looked back at his long forgotten notes and just decided to end it. At the rate they were going, neither Atobe nor Jiroh would be able to get around to it again.

"Alright, next question. What do you like to do for fun? You know, like a hobby or something."

"I enjoy reading and on longer breaks I enjoy fly-fishing."

"Oaky, I think I can understand why you like reading, but what's up with fly-fishing? I always thought of you as spending your free time posing in front of the mirror and coming up with new poses or something since you are good at posing."

"It's true, ore-sama is good at posing. I enjoy fly-fishing for the same reason I enjoy reading. It is a calming way to spend time. The excitement of tennis is good and all, but with fly-fishing, there's a certain peacefulness and tranquility that cannot be achieved on the courts. Besides, fly-fishing requires both technique skills and patience. Both are fundamental to building character and enhancing the mind and body alike. That all together makes it enjoyable."

Atobe was impressed. He thought Jiroh must be truly fascinated by the answers since he was still wide-awake and wanting to know more.

"Wow, I never knew that. Hey, Atobe, will you take me fly-fishing sometime?"

"Sure…But how would you not fall asleep. I can't imagine it holding your attention for very long."

"True, but it would still be fun to do something like that together. Not only that, I would be able to say, 'I got to go fishing with Atobe!'"

"While that is flattering I'm not sure about that last part. It just sounds odd."

Jiroh began giggling like crazy after that last comment.

"But you are odd, Atobe!"

The twitch in his eyebrow came back again even stronger this time. Atobe was stunned at how Jiroh could say that so plainly like it was the most natural response and that he was foolish for stating something as obvious.

"My turn. Are you actually serious in asking all these questions?"

"Of course. I wouldn't lie to you. I really don't like lying. It's harder to lie than to tell the truth. I don't like making things harder than they have to be."

Atobe was impressed that Jiroh had such an honest opinion. True enough, from what Atobe had observed, Jiroh was never false in his feelings, opinions, or actions. He realized that this was perhaps one of the reasons he enjoyed Jiroh's company and did not mind whenever he said anything.

"Let's see…What's your favorite subject?"

"I enjoy all subjects, though I suppose if I had to choose one…I would say that it would be Greek."

"You take Greek?"

"Yes."

"Who uses Greek in Japan?"

"Not to many people."

"Then why would you want to learn it?"

"Because Greek is a fascinating language in which many of the writings I enjoy were originally written in Greek. It has a unique style that sets it apart from other languages. Besides, I can already speak German and English, so why not another? Greek is new and challenging. That makes it enjoyable."

Jiroh stared at Atobe. He could not fathom being able to speak foreign languages with skill, let alone something like Greek that really, in his mind, had no relevance. He agreed that is would be challenging and he understood what it felt like to enjoy nothing more than the challenge itself.

"I see. Wow, I really learned a lot today!"

Atobe sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I'm glad you feel so accomplished. Fine, this is the last question. Are we done yet?"

"Huh? Hmm, well yeah, I suppose. I need to process this information before I continue on."

Jiroh nodded his head sagely and looked over at Atobe.

"Did you enjoy this or did you think it was a waste?"

The tennis buchou looked at Jiroh. His expression gave nothing away. He just patiently waited for an answer regardless of what it might be. Jiroh was honest in asking so it was natural for him to expect an honest answer. Atobe thought about the questions he had been asked. After thinking for moment, he knew his answer.

"Yes, I did enjoy this. You weren't the only one who learned something."

Jiroh looked at Atobe questioningly. He was the one who asked all the questions. So he wondered how Atobe was able to learn something about him.

"How? You didn't really ask personal questions?"

It was Atobe's turn to grin knowingly at Jiroh.

"Sometimes, you can tell a lot about a person by the questions they ask. Answers reveal only a portion of the whole. The true depth and meaning are revealed by the question."

"Wow…That was deep, Atobe. I think I get it, but I'm not really sure what you actually said, but I know it sounded really cool! You're so smart!"

"…Thanks…I suppose…"

Atobe sighed in defeat. It was clear that Jiroh did not fully comprehend what he was getting at, but it did not matter. Atobe did find the whole thing amusing whether or not Jiroh understood how he was able to learn more just by the questions. On the flip side, Jiroh was perfectly content in what had happened and that was enough for the both of them.

"…Anyways, does that sound good for the project?"

Jiroh tilted his head to the side in question. He stared blankly at Atobe who waved the notes in front of his face. Seeing the notes jogged his memory as to why he was with Atobe in the first place.

"Oh yeah. MmHm that sounds like it would work. So how are we going to get the sample and all that other math jargon junk stuff?"

"'Math jargon junk stuff'…I love how you put that…Well, I figured we can use the teams in the Kantou region."

Atobe glanced over his notes and then tossed them to Jiroh. The other boy took a few moments to read the notes before looking back up at Atobe.

"So we have to talk to all these people?"

"Yes."

"Are we going to start today?"

"I don't see why not. If we drop by some of the street courts, we should most likely run into a few of them."

"Alright! Time to get out of here. Let's go!"

Jiroh swung his legs from over the top of the couch and deftly rolled backwards off it and landed gracefully on his feet. He walked over to the door and slung his tennis bag over his shoulder. Atobe joined him by the door as they put their shoes back on. He too grabbed his tennis bag knowing what the other boy was thinking, but he still had to confirm what Jiroh was planning on doing while completing their project.

"Why are you bringing your tennis bag? We can come back here afterwards."

"But we're going to the street courts!"

"To interview tennis players."

"Yeah, but what if they don't want to be interviewed?"

"Why do I have a feeling like I know what this is leading to?"

"If they don't want to be interviewed, then we can play them in tennis and make them answer the questions!"

"Jiroh, your thought processes still remain out of my reach and understanding."

"Hey, thanks!"

"That wasn't…Never mind…You're welcome."

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A/N: Whee! Another chapter is completed! So what did you all think? While some of the things they talked about are random, keep some of them in mind as they might show up again later. Anyhoo, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Thanks to all of you who reviewed the last chapters! Well, hope you enjoyed it!