Disclaimer:…ah screw it; we all know the whole "Me no own" spiel is in the prologue.
Here We Go Again
Chapter Five: And I'm Not Afraid To Use It
The former Seigaku Regulars arriving in one's office with scowls on their collective faces was not something one would find pleasant at seven-thirty in the morning.
Such was the principal of Seishun Kokou's discovery. The man was a thin, faint-of-heart sort of person in his late forties, with graying hair and thick glasses.
"Sawada-kouchou. Please excuse the interruption, but we have something to discuss with you before classes start." Captain or not, Tezuka Kunimitsu had a formidable presence. When he was being serious (more so than usual), it could send lesser men running.
Luckily for the principal, another figure came forward. The boy had been obscured due to his (lack of) height and slender frame. Sawada felt a surge of relief, before he noticed the girlish good looks, haughty air, and golden eyes. He had gone from speaking to a scarily emotionless and commanding man to the richest, most famous boy in school. He honestly didn't know which was his preferred option.
"Why are Momo-senpai and Kaidoh-senpai not on the tennis team?" Not one for words, Ryoma had gotten straight to the point.
"W-well, they were causing chaos and potential harm to those around them." The man's response was barely audible, a timid mumble.
"If you're going to lie, put some effort into it. We all know they've always been like that. We also all know that Nishi bribed you. Now, I can either tell the media and the superintendent in a way that will ruin you completely, or I can still tell the media and the superintendent, in a way that will almost ruin you and ruin Nishi completely." The speaker himself was surprised; that had to be the longest speech not (directly) related to tennis he'd ever given. 'Oh, well. I came back to go to Nationals with them, and that's exactly what I'll do.'
"Are you blackmailing me?" The principal's slightly emboldened voice cut through his thoughts. Responding was unnecessary, though, as their resident expert on all things blackmail had stepped up. The smiling teen couldn't let his Ryo-chan fill up his monthly word-meter in one go, now could he?
"Not at all, Sawada-kouchou. Ryo-chan is simply saying that he'll bring the truth to light no matter what; justice will prevail and all that. No, he's actually helping you. People will find out one way or another about this mess, but he can make it so Nishi is vilified instead of you. You'd just have to fire him and give our friends their rightful spots on the team." That would be Fuji-speak for, "Of course he's blackmailing you. You can give into our demands or face our wrath."
"Yes, o-of course." While Sawada had heard Fuji's actual words, the message had been clear. "Tezuka-san, if you could arrange this with me after classes are over today."
Nodding, the addressed student bowed at the waist. "Understood. We'll be taking our leave."
Departing as one, most of the group visibly relaxed (Kikumaru opted to jump in the air and glomp Oishi) as soon as the door closed.
"Well, that went well." Momo was punching his rival jokingly on the arm, sparking another argument.
"But what if Nishi gets our parents fired because of this?" Oishi (Ryoma had no clue how) was immune to the strong arms wrapping him in a bear hug.
"Simple. When I tell the media, I tell them about his threats, too, so people are going to know he did it if something happens to them. And that's assuming I wouldn't be able to back you guys." The baby of the group yawned as he spoke, regretting getting up so early; talking to Sawada hadn't needed the time they thought it would. He was most definitely sleeping through English, and possibly Japanese and math after that.
"Unyah? Ochibi, what's that behind your ear?" Ryoma froze. 'Oh, no.'
Flashback
Echizen Ryoma stared at himself in the mirror.
It was the middle of July and sunny out. Logically, he wouldn't wear his blazer and have at least two buttons undone. Following that train of thought, he'd been more thorough when tying his hair up.
Instead of a messy ponytail at the nape of his neck like yesterday, he'd pulled all the hair he could into the style used in tennis matches, atop his head. This meant most of his side bangs were pulled back as well. Which meant people would be able to see that.
Echizen Ryoma glared at himself in the mirror.
Flashback End
"It's nothing," Ryoma replied, desperately hoping that someone would change the subject.
"Unyaaah! Oishi, Ochibi got a tattoo! Why?" Sure enough, a square inch of skin between the back of his left ear and corner of his jaw was occupied by the kanji for "Rain."
"Ryo-chan, why did you get a tattoo? It makes you look like a thug." Fuji's voice was dangerously playful, suggesting that he wanted a good answer.
"I told you, it's nothing. I lost a bet." That had been embarrassing. Kevin had bet Ryoma that he would face Rafael Nadal in the French Open finals last year and beat him four sets to one, Ryoma let his pride take over and bet that Nadal wouldn't get a full set (1).
"Hm." Fuji seemed like he was going to press the issue, but Ryoma was quite literally saved by the bell.
"Oh, sorry senpai-tachi. I have class." Bolting towards the first year's hallway to escape the brunet's glare, the freshman only really relaxed when he sat down in class 1-A.
Setting a notebook and pencil in front of him to keep up appearances, the narcoleptic student put his head on his arms (tattoo facing down).
He was drifting into a pleasant doze when-
"Ryo-kun? Are you alright?" That irritating, simpering voice broke the heady silence. Suppose he ignored her, would she go away? Ryoma didn't sense movement near him, and decided to change tactics. Tsukiko was suddenly faced with glaring gold eyes.
"Oh, you were just sleepy. Sorry for waking you." She giggled, as if interrupting his precious sleeping time was funny. "Since you're awake, I wanted to ask you something. I'm in the art club and there's a little showcase after class today. I'd love for you to come."
Was the girl being idiotically tactless on purpose? If so, she was doing splendidly. "No."
"If it's about tennis, the showcase doesn't start until later, so I could watch your practice and then we could go together." Contrary to popular belief, Ryoma knew when someone was asking him out. Actually, while he had no experience with relationships, he had honed his rejection skills to an art. It was inevitable, with girls (and the occasional boy) professing their love to him left and right (2).
"I've got something going on today." Not deigning to elaborate, the Prince laid back down.
"Oh… Next time, then." The brunette looked crestfallen, though Ryoma remained apathetic.
'Don't hold your breath,' he thought as Ayaka-sensei started class.
~X~
"Well, Kunimitsu, how'd it go?" the prodigy asked, walking up to his best friend as the day's last bell rang.
"Nishi-sensei was fired earlier today, and I've contacted Echizen and gave permission to circulate the pro-Sawada story to the media. Momo and Kaidoh have been allowed back on the team, but we have to deal with Nishi-san and the others on our own." Tezuka was, to the few that could see the miniscule changes in his facial expression, pleased. The meeting with Sawada had gone well, as the man seemed to be intimidated by him.
Fuji chuckled. "It looks like the school system can actually accomplish something when… motivated."
Fingers twitching for the aspirin in his pocket, the stoic brunet decided the minor headache Fuji brought was nothing compared to what he'd have to deal with at practice. Not to mention it would look strange if he started swallowing pills in the middle of the hall.
"Aa. Now, come on. We have to tell Momo and Kaidoh that they've got practice." The two walked towards the stairs leading to the second year's hallway.
"Ne, Kunimitsu, Ryo-chan coming back really was a good thing, huh?" The shorter of the two said in a soft voice, eyes open. The gentle look in those orbs of blue was not lost on Tezuka.
"Aa."
~X~
"What was that? It was your damn fault in the first place, Mamushi!"
Ryoma looked up as the locker room's door slammed open. The two juniors were next two each other, glaring daggers. It was clear they were, once again, an inch from starting an all-out brawl. "Heeh… Didn't know you two were so eager to get kicked out again," he said with a smirk.
"Not now, Echizen!" Momo yelled over his shoulder.
"Momo. Kaidoh. Change, then give me thirty laps." It was only then that the boy noticed his two senpai had two more senpai standing behind them.
"H-hai." Momo cowed.
"Tezuka, we still haven't voted on the new captain and vice captain, you can't assign them laps yet." Fuji joked, stepping into the locker room.
"Oi, Fuji, Tezuka! What're these two losers doing back here?" Nishi, hearing the commotion, had walked in to find almost all of the Seigaku Regulars gathered in the room.
"Oh, you're still here?" Fuji inquired, tilting his head in (mock) innocence. "Your father was fired for bribery earlier today. It should be in the paper tomorrow. Also, Sawada-kouchou gave Momo-chan and Kaidoh their spots back. We're having an impromptu ranking tournament today and voting on who's going to be captain and vice captain. You know, just to make sure your father played no unfair part in things."
"That's ridiculous! What do mean the old man was fired? And are you saying I didn't earn my place as captain?"
"I meant what I said, and no, not at all. I have no doubts that our earlier selections were completely legitimate." The prodigy's eyes opened, piercing into Nishi's and joining the glares of the other four.
"Tch. Whatever. We already earned those spots once, it won't be hard to do it twice." With that, the pale teen stomped away.
"Ne, Buchou. Can you put me in a ranking block with that guy?" Ryoma's childish voice broke the silence. The teen was staring intensely at the door, already planning how to make Nishi eat his words.
"The groups are already set. You'll have to go find out." The words immediately sent the boy out the door, tugging on his white hat.
The others soon followed, Momo joking loudly ("Why couldn't you've put the selections off a bit? I wanted to make the brat act like a first year for once!"). At the bulletin boards, they joined Inui, Oishi, Kikumaru, and Ryoma.
"Damn. I'm not in a block with that Nishi guy."
"Mou, Ochibi! You sound like you're not happy to be facing me!" The team's resident carrot-top was immediately in the bishounen's face, purple eyes blinking twice.
"Che." With that, the short teen spun around (his ponytail nearly whacking Kikumaru in the face) and walked off.
Oishi laughed a bit, trying to stop his boyfriend's sulking. "It looks like Echizen really hasn't changed in two years.
"Saa… Tezuka, you didn't put me in a block with my Ryoma-chan?" The prodigy's question was put forth jokingly, but he was still a bit upset.
"80% chance he thinks doing so would call down a freak rainstorm but will never admit to that." Inui stated matter-of-factly, snapping his notebook shut. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go get Inui Hyper Remix Juice Version 12.5 for those who don't win any of their matches."
Faces turned blue, tennis players froze, and silence fell on the little complex. Due to Nishi's hatred of the vile juices, he had banned Inui from using them. It was possibly the only good thing he'd ever done from the club, but now he was gone and the data man was eager to "motivate them and help build up their bodies."
At the mention of the drinks he (luckily) hadn't been within 100 miles of for two years, Ryoma's Pinnacle of Hard Work activated without him even noticing. The third year he was warming up with definitely noticed, though. Poor guy.
'I'm winning no matter what!'
From here on out, it would be war on the tennis courts, and pity those unfortunate enough to face a Regular.
Kikumaru, Echizen. Block A.
Fuji, Oishi. Block B.
Tezuka, Kaidoh. Block C.
Inui, Momo. Block D.
Now that Nishi wasn't around to let his son and son's friends on the team, everyone could see the eight that would make the cut. Nonetheless, if they could manage to take just one match, against anyone, they wouldn't have to drink…
The giant glass mug in Inui's hand, which was currently shifting between the colors of the rainbow and spitting sparks in various (unnatural) colors. "I've been working the past few months. It's very good for stamina and overall muscle strength," stated the tall man with a maniacal grin.
~X~
"Sorry Ochibi, but Inui promised a shot glass of that gunk to the loser in a match between us old Regulars! I'm going all out."
Ryoma's only response was a strong flare of aura. When he next looked at the acrobat, his hair was a spiked up, luminous green, matching his glowing emerald eyes.
"Unyah?"
"Best of one set match, Echizen to serve," called out the referee.
Bang.
No one had seen a thing, but the tennis ball that had once been nestled in the young pro's hand was now rolling lazily around Kikumaru's side of the court.
"Ne, Kikumaru-senpai. Is tennis… fun?" inquired Ryoma with a small, genuine smile.
"Ref! Tell Ochibi to stop abusing his power, nya!" Kikumaru was indignant at being faced with the power he'd only ever admired (from safely off court).
"K-Kikumaru-san, I can't do that. It's fair," replied the sheepish third year.
"But it's the Pinnacle of freaking Perfection! I've got some of the best eyes in school and I didn't see a thing. Ochibi's so mean!"
"Gomen, but I'm not drinking that thing, Kikumaru-senpai," Ryoma replied calmly. "Ref, you going to call that?"
"15-Love."
"Yosh. I've got to beat this thing. I'm not drinking that." The redhead muttered to himself, a sharp look coming into his eyes.
Despite his best efforts throughout the match, if he couldn't see a ball, he couldn't return it. And so, twenty-five minutes later, the call rang out. "Game and match to Echizen, six games to love."
Sighing in relief and releasing the Pinnacle of Perfection, Ryoma smirked. "Too bad, so sad, better luck next week, Kikumaru-senpai."
"O-chi-bi! I'll get you for this! Be prepared to 'accidently' get Fujiko's weirdo food tonight!" The redhead was seething, more at the use of his catchphrase than his loss.
"That won't be necessary, Kikumaru. Echizen, you'll be taking the shot for using your Pinnacle against a teammate in a match you probably could've won anyways. It's just unsporting." The effeminate boy twitched and turned around. The ever tall, dark, and creepy Inui stood behind him, holding a deceptively small shot glass of Version 12.5. 'He doesn't honestly want to spite me for beating him two years ago, does he?'
"The ref said it was legal," he deadpanned, determined not to panic.
"Oh? You're conscious when you play in the Pinnacle of Perfection? Ii data. Either way, the Pinnacle is for emergencies, which this was not, and you can't let yourself be reliant on it." The last bit was meant to play on Ryoma's pride, and it did so wonderfully.
"Che. I can do just fine without it." With that, he took the shot glass from Inui's hand. Attempting to stare at the unnatural drink instead of Kikumaru (who was sticking his out tongue at him) was rather trying. 'Well, only one way to end it.'
Swallowing his fear, Ryoma quickly drew the little cup to his lips, downing all the liquid inside in one gulp.
He was unconscious before his body hit the ground.
~X~
"Well, that wasn't surprising. All of the old crew made it into the Regulars." Fuji was looking over Tezuka's shoulder, eyes scanning over the gridded paper.
"I'm glad," came the monotone reply.
The prodigy nearly purred in contentment. "It seems Nishi, Gorou, Kazuya, and Aoiyama weren't too keen on staying in the club after their… losses." Fuji-speak for, 'after we crushed them.'
"There is a 99.6% chance that we'll be able to assume practice as usual tomorrow with them gone." Inui had appeared, a slightly nauseated Kikumaru trailing behind him. That was all well and good, if it weren't for the petite frame slung over the tall man's shoulder.
"Inui, what did you do to my Ryo-chan?"
"100% chance he would be protesting you calling him that were he awake, and 94.8% chance that you're ready to wring my neck."
Fuji said nothing in reply, but the unusual frown on his face was confirmation enough. "Kikumaru, could you please go get a golf cart from the custodians? I'm sure they have an extra and Inui probably doesn't want to carry Ryo-chan the whole way." Sometimes it was truly incredible how many hidden meanings the brunet could lace into his words.
"Y-yeah… I'll be right back." With that, the cat-boy bolted, in such a hurry to be away from the tense atmosphere that a few copies ran in his wake.
The genius himself was surprised; shouldn't he be enjoying this? 'So why have I been paying so much attention to him, and been so… protective? It must be that someone else was teasing Ryo-chan. That must be it…' He looked over to where Inui was placing the boy's limp form down on a chair. 'Or maybe it's because I-' A pair of eyelids opened halfway. 'I suppose so. That has to be it. How interesting (3).' Fuji laughed quietly at his discovery.
At the sound of screeching tires, the prodigy looked up. A golf cart was speeding towards them, Kikumaru predictably behind the wheel. "Fujiko, I got it, nya! We just have to give it back to the staff once we drive Ochibi over!"
"Ah. Thank you, Eiji. I'll go with him and get him in bed. I doubt he'll be able to wake up before morning after drinking that." Over the past two years, Inui had mixed up one or two juices that could even knock him out. It wasn't as if he feared Inui Juices, he had just learned to be wary of the ones with more eccentric colors.
Fuji walked over to the chair that Ryoma slept in and picked the boy up bridal-style. "You'd think he'd be a bit heavier, seeing as he's an athlete (4)," the prodigy murmured.
"Hop in, nya! Okay, we're off!" The cart shot away and began down the path to dorm T-V-1. Kikumaru started chatting animatedly, relying on his memories and reflexes to keep them from crashing. The brunet beside him simply smiled, nodding and humming occasionally. On the outside.
On the inside, Fuji was thinking over his epiphany, confirming it and nurturing the feelings that had surged through him once he had. One arm snaked around Ryoma's thin waist, keeping the teen from falling off the dangerously swaying cart.
When they arrived, Fuji picked up the dark haired boy beside him once more. 'He looks so much… younger asleep. Much more sweet and innocent.'
As Eiji sped off, in a hurry to return the cart and still walk back with everyone, the older of the two bishounens opened the dorm's front door. He kicked his shoes off in the mudroom and calmly walked towards the stairs, where Ryoma's room lay. 'It's rather strange for everything to be so quiet and calm in here. Usually I'd need to commandeer Tezuka's Quiet Room to get privacy here. Huhuhu…' he laughed quietly, the bell-like sound penetrating the building's strange silence.
"Good thing he didn't bother locking his room," Fuji stated cheerily, stepping through the threshold. 'Wait. Did I just carry someone, bridal style no less, over a- how coincidental.' Almost laughing at what his recent actions signified, he gently laid Ryoma under the covers of his unmade bed, tucking him in afterwards.
Seeing the calligraphy tattoo on the boy's pale neck, he acted on the spur of the moment. Chestnut hair gleamed in the late afternoon sun as he swept down, planting a light, chaste kiss on the dyed skin. "Sleep well, Ryo-chan," he murmured.
BWAHAHAHA! FINALLY! SOME FANSERVICE! Am I right? I'm also "BWAHAHAHA" ing at the fact that this chappie is finally D-O-N-E! It took soo looong!
I posted this in a rush, so I forgot to initially add this. There were some mix ups in the way that I posted a few earlier chapters, but I fixed them the other day. Thank you to those who pointed them out (and bigbigbigbigbigggg thanks to ALL reviewers; I love you to death!)
Yes, I know Fuji switches between calling him Tezuka and Kunimitsu, but I think (correct me if I'm wrong) that he switches names in the canon, too.
(1) A set is six games (you know in the canon, they say "one set match"). In official men's tennis matches, they play five sets, best of three winning.
(2) Okay all you skeptics out there, Ryoma's been abroad for two years and is used to fangirls. He just doesn't know when he himself is interested in someone (and doesn't suspect Fuji because Fuji's always like that). Even in the canon, he could recognize a date between Momo and Ann.
(3) If anyone can't even guess what Fuji figured out, especially if you've read the end of this chapter, go smack yourself or stand in the proverbial corner or something (Oo, or no updates for a month! *evil laugh*)
(4) Ryoma isn't ripped or anything, but he's a professional athlete. He's bound to have muscles. Just think wiry muscles.