A/N – Yes…I'm alive… -feebly picks herself up and starts typing-

Chapter 04: Crush, Anyone?

Hell had broken loose on the tennis courts at Seishun Junior High two days later.

"What?! Tezuka has a girlfriend?!"

"No way!"

"So he finally chose someone, eh…?"

"Nooo, Tezuka-kun!!"

And so on and so forth.

The cause of this was by one slightly painful response from none other than….-arrows pointing- Fuji Syuuko!

–and maybe Momoshiro Takeshi for his loud mouth, major cause for spreading the thoughtless comment. Unfortunately, for Tezuka of course, Momoshiro had overheard Oishi and Fuji's conversation two days back and had immense difficulty in keeping it secret. He had told Ryoma in the most secretive way – but in a voice that was about 130 decibels loud. Naturally, curious ears listened, and Chinese whispers started.

Everybody in the club had to run for about 4 hour's straight – with a free, generous Inui Juice Super Deluxe (Maximized to the Extreme) at the end for those who could still breathe. If some were lucky, they could still inhale it in.

"All of you…will explain why you participated so little in our practice time," said Tezuka in a low voice, glasses glinting. His tennis schedule had just been messed with; nobody was getting out alive. And if you crossed Tezuka Kunimitsu now, you were either stupidly brave or just utterly retarded.

…

Well Fuji Syuuko wasn't one to be part of the norm.

"Oh, I'm sure you can ask Momo-chan–" Momoshiro shuddered violently "–about that," she said with a smile. Tezuka shot her a look that read 'I know you were part of it, you demon'. "Momo-chan, chop chop…hurry and answer buchou." The smile she sent to the power-horse told him a clear message that his senpai still did not forget what he had said about her two days ago (of all things, a host). After a Spartan-like practice which was seven-fifths punishment, Momoshiro was to talk to Tezuka.

The next time Ryoma and the others saw Momoshiro, he looked like he had been bleached.

"Never…say…anything…about Fuji-senpai his pretty-boy looks," he said in a shaky voice. "Ever."

His word became law.

---

"Fuji."

Fuji heard the voice call to her and turned, the normal smile – though with a slight edge to it – present on her face. "Tezuka."

Tezuka's eyebrow twitched; well, at least Fuji had stopped saying the pet-name for him. "Explain," he said, trying to bring back the sharpness in his voice.

"Momo already did it, no?" came the calm reply.

"Explain how this happened. From–the–start," he pressed in a voice not at all amused. Fuji gave up with a reluctant sigh. Even Fuji had a little trouble with dealing with her captain when he was in a most unsympathetic mood.

"I guess I might as well say,' sighed Fuji listlessly, and Tezuka almost felt triumphant; he still had that edge to unnerve the infamous Fuji Syuusuke, which is an incredible feat in itself. But his slight molecular-level size of triumphant emotion was shot down as Fuji suddenly turned around, a sickeningly dark smile on her face which resembled a puppet clown with a slit for a mouth. "My mouth slipped about what I saw on, hmm, Sunday, was it?"

Tezuka felt his mood fall drastically. That was when…he would never have even imagined….

Fuji smiled as she placed her racquets back inside her bag, zipping it up and slinging it over her shoulder.

"That was it?" Tezuka's low reply came from behind.

Fuji turned around, slightly off-guard. "Hmm?" 'Is he admitting?'

Suddenly, even Fuji backed off slightly when Tezuka's emitted a feel of killer intent. A whole 90 minutes worth of tennis practice had been replaced with 240 minutes of corporal punishment. Not tennis.

Tezuka practically grew horns.

"That, Fuji," he said, trying to keep calm, "was my cousin."

Fuji edged away.

Oh….Jesus….

'….Maitta na…(1)'

---

"Tezuka! Are you okay? You look like…well…" Crap?'

"…"

Oishi felt himself sweat-drop. "Well, you don't have to answer…like you just, well – anyway, if you need anything, just…" he trailed off awkwardly as Tezuka's eyes darkened significantly, most likely due to the new disturbances encircling the tennis court. The Newspaper Club had just strolled in too – maybe they wanted to help them pick up tennis balls?

Yes, instead of picking up on the gossip of the desirable Tennis Captain Tezuka Kunimitsu, they decide to help out by being ball-boys.

That was as likely as Inui Juice willingly drunk.

"God, Fuji, do something about it," Oishi urged in an undertone to the said 'boy', glancing back at their still-reigning tennis captain who was just standing there, tennis racquet at his side along with a strange, unearthly aura.

"Why? His play is still exceptional, now don't you think?" said Fuji dismissively, smile ever-present on her face.

"That's really not the point."

"Oishi! Fuji! If you have time to talk, play a practice match! 20 laps around the court!"

Fuji frowned good-naturedly, putting her hand to her chin as though in thought. "Alright, I guess; since I don't want to do these laps all the time."

'That's so selfish!' thought Oishi, shocked by how unfeeling the genius was right now.

Fuji just smiled and started her laps. Oishi sighed as Eiji walked up to him, wondering why his doubles partner hadn't come to the court for practice. "Oishi, what's up?"

"Nothing," said Oishi in a dead-pan voice, staring hopelessly at Fuji's retreating back. "I have to run some laps, start without me."

"Okay…." Eiji turned to face Fuji. "What's wrong with Oishi, Fuji?"

"Hmm? I don't know…he looks a bit stressed." A frown formed on Fuji's face. "Maybe I should try to help more good-naturedly."

"I…think so too," said Eiji with a sweat-drop. "Say, Fujiko, me and Momo are going to the burger joint – come, ne?"

Fuji was glad for the absence of their past tension, ever since Eiji had stumbled upon her little secret. She guessed she owed him one for being such a good friend. Plus, she had a hard time saying no to him when he seems to make everything like a drama, lively and interesting.

"Sure. Well, I'll have to do Kuni-chan's laps now or–"

"Fuji!" From a distance, Tezuka's glasses flashed dangerously.

Fuji winced, giving a small smile. "There he goes. Ja na."

Eiji did not expect to learn something through that simple trip to the burger joint.

---

The burger joint usually had sporting teens loitering around after school hours, particularly after club activities. The Seigaku team were regulars there as much as they were at school (bad pun, much?), and the joint makes a hefty profit from Momoshiro alone, who could stomach Eiji's, Fuji's, and Ryoma's meal by himself – with room to spare. Seated in the corner, next to the windows, were Momoshiro, Ryoma, Fuji and Eiji, along with Kawamura Takashi, commonly referred to as 'Taka-san' by team mates and the like.

"The next tournament will be against Hyotei, right?" started Momoshiro leisurely, taking a vicious bite out of his hamburger. "The one with that Atobe in it?"

"Yes. I heard that the Hyotei Tennis Cub has over 200 members," said Kawamura.

"Atobe…eh?" mused Fuji, smiling over her milkshake. "I'd like to verse him – Atobe Keigo, I mean…."

"That would really be a match to see, ne, Echizen?" Momoshiro nudged the smaller boy with his elbow causing the first year to cough out his cola. He glared at the oblivious older boy before shrugging.

"I don't care about that Monkey King," he said, cleaning up the mess with a napkin, "or Hyotei as of now."

Momoshiro elbowed him again playfully, now knocking the boy's burger flying out of his hand. "Damn you, you little cocky runt."

"Momo-senpai, I'll get angry," said Ryoma, irritation present on his face at the fate of his fallen burger.

Fuji smiled and looked out the window as Momoshiro lodged the freshman. Then her eyes narrowed slightly and her mouth creased into the smallest of frowns. Was that –?

"Hooooi, Fuji, what's wrong?"

Fuji snapped out of her reverie. In a span of less than a second her perfectly carved mask was back in place, a charming smile back on her lips.

"Nothing's wrong, why would you ask that?" But she didn't like the mischievous grin Eiji held at the moment as he quickly turned to catch a glimpse outside the window. Looking slightly surprised, he muttered, "Buchou…?"

Fuji's heart felt like it was beating in her throat.

"Ah, you're right! It's buchou!" exclaimed Momoshiro while Fuji silently cursed him as the others all followed suit and looked.

…

And then there was a sudden stillness in the air as the image burned into their eyes.

Momoshiro broke the silence.

"IS THAT TEZUKA-BUCHOU WITH A GIRL?!"

"Y-you mean someone of the opposite gender?" clarified Kawamura, wide-eyed like a doe. The absurdness of it all rendered him unable to ask any intelligent questions.

Meanwhile Ryoma failed to grasp the current situation with his captain.

"Ho ho!" Leaning over the chairs to stare out the window better, Eiji ranted, "I see, I see! One of our favourite buchou's is in the clutches of another woman – in fact two of them!" he exclaimed as a blonde came into view. "Fujiko, you got–!"

Fuji's hand clamped itself over the red-head's mouth as she murmured through the corner of a smile, "Don't know what you're talking about, Eiji~!"

"Mengo, mengo (-)! Let me go, please, Fuji-sama~!"

As he was released, Eiji couldn't help but let a devious smile play on his lips at the sight of a slightly irked Fuji Syuusuke – Syuuko, actually.

"I did not know Tezuka conversed to girls apart from the head of the girl's tennis club," he started again, grinning at Fuji's face.

"I didn't even know he conversed…"

"It's his cousin..." said Fuji in vain as they chose to ignore her.

"Ah, he's going around the corner," commented Momoshiro. "Probably heading to the train station."

And true to his words, Tezuka, accompanied by two girls, disappeared around a run-down shop.

---

Eiji, thinking nothing of it at the time, had decided to pop in a little question for the second-best player on the team.

"Ne, Fuji," he started, and Fuji had to repress the urge to punch the suggestive look he had on his face at the moment, "Are you interested in anyone?"

It was not difficult to discern that Eiji knew of her little crush and thought nothing of it except as a new topic for jokes.

But Fuji merely smiled at him in that same clown-like manner.

And, being much too proud, said nothing of it.

A/N – Thank you for the reviewers who, well, reviewed even when I was inactive and almost dead. And I know I initially said that Fuji will say somethign interesting, but changed it to you will find something interesting. Not really interesting, about Fuji's founded-out crush. ^^

There's a poll on my bio page – if people have time, please mark in your suggestion so I get a gist of what to do. I'll most probably close the poll when there are enough votes – if not, around early next year. It concerns the continuation of this….story. Made on a whim. xD

Hopefully until next time~!

-

(1): まいったな: Just a Japanese phrase with the literal translation going along the lines of "you got (me) there". In this case, it's kind of like "damn…I'm in for it" if you get my drift. You hear it a lot in anime.

(-): Mengo Mengo, Eiji's re-arranged phrase of Gomen Gomen, or "sorry, sorry!" in Japanese.