Chapter 4

Neither Atobe or Fuji had won their bet, and neither of them were happy about that. They had been looking forward to having Kawamura back on the team, but it looked like it would be at least another month before he had a chance to rejoin them. Not that Atobe blamed Momoshiro for winning the last slot in B Block.

Oh, no. He blamed Tezuka for rigging the damn blocks in the first place.

The next day in his home room, he noticed Kawamura being resigned and a bit disappointed. Atobe would have tried to cheer him up, were it in his nature, but it wasn't. Atobe Keigo merely gave Kawamura's shoulder a reassuring squeeze and asked him how his training menu was going.

Kawamura's sweet smile in reply had been relieved that Atobe hadn't condemned him. Atobe tended to wash his hands of people he didn't consider worth the time, but Kawamura was good company.

Fuji hadn't been happy, either.

"It's going to be a while before the next ranking matches," the prodigy said as they changed later that day in the locker room. Kawamura was with them that time, wearing the light green warm-ups of a third-year non-regular. "I think things just got interesting."

Atobe had to agree. It would be odd not having Inui on the team, since Inui seemed to be one of those forces of nature that was utterly unstoppable. He wasn't the best player, but he was good. Atobe hadn't been surprised by that first year winning, but Kaidou had been a bit of an upset. Had Inui's data been that faulty?

Kawamura leaned against the door, blocking others from entering while Atobe was in there. Atobe had long ago made it quite clear that he didn't like being stared out while changing, and Kawamura had finally agreed to stand watch if it would keep Atobe from throwing a fit. Kawamura would do a lot of things for Atobe, if only to keep him from going off.

Really, the boy was too sweet for his own good.

Atobe finished zipping up his jacket before inspecting his tennis bag, making sure no one had snuck any "surprises" inside. It had only happened once, and he still hadn't figured out who had thought it was funny to change the CDs he kept in there with Cher and Madonna ones. He hadn't been amused at all, even though his own had been located in his shoebox. The prank had required planning, but no one was supposed to get away with that sort of thing. If he hadn't known better, he would have suspected Fuji, but his friend sworn up and down that he hadn't done it... though he wished he thought of it first.

Fuji watched Atobe's preparations with a careful eye, waiting for him to finish. Atobe was always late, and if they didn't get moving soon, Tezuka was going to have the right to order them to do laps. It would be just the right way to get practice for the prefectural matches started off. Atobe would be pissed and sweaty, and Tezuka would look like a dictator... again.

Sometimes it was difficult to believe that both boys didn't do things just to incite each other.

"Let's go." The diva picked up his racket then turned to Kawamura with a smile, giving him a nod to indicate that he was ready.

The three of them entered the courts a few seconds after Tezuka did, Atobe's languid gait a familiar sight to many of the club members. The captain turned to give him a sharp glance, one that said he had barely made it on time and just one second more would earn him twenty laps around the courts.

"The second and third year students will be in the C court. A and B courts will be for the regular members. Finally..."

"Wait a minute, for the regular members..."

Just as Tezuka was about to finish giving out his instructions, Ryuzaki-sensei entered the courts. She was giving everyone a slightly more cheerful look that day, and there were no signs of her usual aspirin bottle about. Their coach gestured to the much taller third year ex-regular standing beside her with a rather unbecoming grin for someone of her age.

"I've asked this man to prepare a special training menu." The old lady beamed. "He has offered to be the manager during the period of time he's off the school team."

While Inui briefed everyone on that day's training exercise - footwork, which means training up their ankles for strength and endurance by weighing them down with additional weights - Tezuka once again glanced at Atobe, who appeared to be only giving the data tennis player half a ear. The diva finally turned to stare back at the bespectacled boy, feeling more than slightly irritated at Tezuka's looks.

"...red, blue and yellow balls have been prepared."

"I see, nya." Kikumaru beamed, recognising immediately that this was his forte.

Speed body motion recognition was one of Kikumaru's special abilities, and so far, there were very few people on the team who could rival him in that aspect of tennis. They were supposed to differentiate the coloured lines on the tennis balls and hit them towards the cones of the same colour. It looked like they were just hitting the balls randomly, until one paid attention and noticed that the tennis balls were coloured.

Inui's reply was calm. "Make an error and it's over."

Fuji and Atobe observed the match from the side of the courts, waiting for their turn. The prodigy smiled when he saw that Ryoma was actually matching Kikumaru ball for ball, and it came off as something that was no less than impressive. A couple of the first year girls were standing behind the fence just a little away from them, making astounded remarks on Ryoma's playing.

"Maa, it looks like Echizen has been picking up admirers already." Fuji tilted his head to one side as he turned to smile at Atobe.

The older boy smirked. "He still has room for improvement, then, if it's only two and not a few dozen. Unlike us."

Atobe glanced easily at the crowd of screaming girls standing by the left side of the courts, then offered them a smile, causing a small uproar. An unhappy frown from Oishi was delivered in his direction, just as Kikumaru missed one of his serves and started wailing at Inui for being unfair. Atobe actually raised an eyebrow as Inui brought out his special "punishment." If Inui hadn't been so blasted fair in everything, he might be tempted to think he had it in for Kikumaru... but that would only be partially right. Inui probably had it in for everyone, right now.

The thick, green juice Inui produced, waving it in front of Kikumaru, brought motion to a halt, with the exception of Ryoma, who continued to hammer away at the balls. "You know, I almost feel sorry for the genki one," Atobe mused.

Fuji stared at Kikumaru as he tried to make excuses before finally accepting his fate. "I think it looks like fun. Want a glass?"

Atobe rolled his eyes. "Please, no. God knows where it's been or what's in it."

From the scream Kikumaru let loose, and the way he dashed for the water fountain, it was obviously something unimaginably vile. The team watched Kikumaru use his amazing speed to vanish from the court, and Tezuka didn't even bother to chide him for it, obviously a bit surprised himself.

Kikumaru's antics finally distracted the first year regular, and Ryoma stopped dead in his tracks, trying to figure out what the heck was happening around him. He wasn't a terribly observant person, though, so when Inui appeared with the glass, he gamely tried to drink it.

"AHHH!!"

Even Tezuka blinked at how fast Ryoma managed to take off.

"Hmmm..." Atobe mused, staring at where the first year had stood. "Guess he's not so tough after all."

"Are you volunteering for a free glass?" Inui asked, sounding curious. He held out a cup of the juice, and Atobe smirked again.

"Why should I? You'll need to save plenty for Tezuka, since I'm sure he wants to do everything he can to improve his performance," Atobe shot back. His smirk was downright wicked as he stared at the captain.

"I wouldn't want to deprive you, Atobe," Tezuka replied quietly, keeping his arms folded across his chest. The light that glimmered in his eyes was a warning, and Atobe could tell that Tezuka was genuinely concerned about what was in the concoction Inui deigned to call juice. He opened his mouth to make another retort, but Ryuuzaki-sensei intervened, calling him and Fuji to the court.

Even with the threat of punishment hanging over his head, Atobe played solidly, not missing any of the balls. Color discernment was easy for someone who had his insight, but it was more fun to watch Inui - Inui had a tendency to glance over at the cone which the ball was supposed to go to after serving, waiting for Atobe's return. All he had to do was follow Inui's eyes to figure out where the ball was supposed to go next. He figured it was subconscious, really, and it certainly wasn't the point of the exercise, but there weren't rules in how something was done as long as it was done well.

Inui only paused once, after Fuji missed a ball. Atobe looked over at his friend, not at all surprised to see the pleasant smile pasted on his face, mixed with a tilt in his head that indicated impending mischief.

He smirked in return, knowing that Fuji was probably going to do something which very few people could understand or believe, even. The diva turned back to Inui, watching him walk over to Fuji with a glass of his so-called 'vegetable juice'. It was really rather dubious-looking, thick, green and filled with more than a hint of... strangeness.

Everyone stared as Fuji finished the drink, apparently waiting for him to start running to the fountains in the same way Kikumaru and Ryoma did. Contrary to everyone's expectations, the prodigy only smiled and handed the glass back to Inui, a bright smile on his face.

"That's really quite tasty."

For the next few moments, everyone could only stare at Fuji in silence. Atobe felt a smirk surfacing again, and hearing the uproar by the courts as fan girls and the other club members alike applauded Fuji's skill. Inui appeared to be honestly confused and more than slightly afraid of the smiling prodigy, accepting the empty glass with a hesitant smile.

Score.

Fuji gave him a small nod when he left the courts, an indication that it wasn't as bad as he thought. Although he would trust his best friend more than everyone else, the fact that the drink actually had normal people running off screaming wasn't as comforting as seeing Fuji down it like it was a normal drink.

"Ah, yes," Inui said, before returning to serving balls toward Atobe.

He continued practising with Inui, until it reached a point where he was frankly getting quite bored with the whole training process. Just as he was about to forfeit his turn and take the horrible juice just to see if he could, Inui gave him a small nod.

"Take a break. You're doing well."

It wasn't until then that he noticed the additional weights on his ankles, weighing him down and giving him some slight difficulties while walking. He leaned against the fence beside Fuji, glancing over as Tezuka took the recently vacated position on the courts.

The prodigy tilted his head to one side in question. "Ahh, it's Tezuka's turn now, isn't it?"

"Yes," Atobe's voice was a lazy drawl. "I can't wait to see him drink that juice."

"It's really not that bad. Maybe a little on the spicy side, but I don't really mind." Fuji's cheerful smile was something Atobe had learnt not to trust while they were talking about food. The last time that happened, he ended up eating a roll of wasabi maki.

The diva crossed his arms. "You have an unnatural fondness for spicy things. For someone who can finish a plate of wasabi maki, I wouldn't be surprised if you only find the drink 'slightly spicy' while the rest of our team are tearing up and screaming for help."

"But it is really good." Fuji continued grinning, until his friend gave a slightly exasperated but amused sigh. "You should try it some time."

"Thanks, but I'll pass," Atobe adjusted his grip on the racket, then glanced over again to where Tezuka was hitting each of the tennis balls back to their respective coloured cones with practised precision. "Someone's in a pretty good form today."

"Hmmm... yes. Then again, I've never seen a day when he wasn't," Fuji said.

Another scream across the court indicated that Oishi had just fallen victim to Inui's juice, and Atobe watched the vice captain sprint for the gate. "Think we should use that to help our timed sprints?"

"Maybe."

In the end, everyone except Tezuka and Atobe ended up drinking the juice, and the regulars all lounged around the court, looking groggy and disorientated. Atobe smirked as he and Fuji sat side by side, watching Kaidou's slightly green face. Amazingly, it was possible for him to look more like a snake.

Inui's recitation of their weaknesses brought laughs, especially when he told Atobe that he was too cocky (he was not!) and Tezuka that his expression was too cold. Atobe didn't need to be a data analyst to know that - but then again, it was impossible to change someone who had a lump of granite for a personality to begin with.

Tezuka sat with Oishi in their classroom, sharing lunch. Tomorrow they would be entering their first match of the season against Gyukurin, and they had a problem. It was the same problem they had last year, aside from what had happened at Kantou...

Tezuka shook his head. Not the time, not the place.

Frankly, their doubles line up sucked.

Kikumaru and Oishi were definitely aces in the Doubles 1 slot, but Tezuka was unable to suggest anyone else to Ryuuzaki-sensei who he would trust to actually win in Doubles 2. Cooperation didn't seem to be in Seigaku's vocabulary, and while Inui might have been able to learn to play doubles, he was no longer an option.

Ryoma? Momoshirou? Kaidou?

The three remaining candidates would have made him laugh, were he the kind of personality that did such a thing. Ryoma, from what Tezuka had seen of him, was extremely stubborn, extremely independent, and wouldn't fair very well in doubles, having most likely never played it. Kaidou and Momoshirou couldn't stand the sight of each other. The possibility of splitting the Golden Pair up was something he was seriously considering, because MAYBE Oishi and Kikumaru might rub off on their underclassmen.

Luckily, the final decision didn't rest with him. It was Ryuuzaki-sensei's headache.

Oishi took a bite of his lunch, staring over his desk at Tezuka thoughtfully. "This year's team looks strong," he said, but there was a hint of nervousness in his voice.

Tezuka merely nodded, unable to deny that in singles, Seigaku would be fielding one of the strongest teams it had seen. Between himself, Atobe and Fuji, there were few chances of losing any of those slots. Fuji, who played in third singles, was strong enough to defeat most schools' number one players.

Especially if he took a dislike to them.

Fuji was one of those people Tezuka held in great respect, and quite far away, knowing that he was a walking time bomb. He was never outright hateful to Tezuka, but in some ways that was worse. Atobe, despite his active dislike of him, was in many ways easier to deal with, because Tezuka at least knew where he stood.

On opposite sides.

With Fuji, he wasn't quite sure.

It would be easy for most people to pass off the prodigy as a harmless, smiling boy who sided with Atobe despite knowing his faults. What Tezuka saw was a somewhat sly person who knew which side of the equation to nudge as and when he wanted to, simply because it suited his sense of humour. And simply because he knew the type of reactions he could get out of others.

The fact that he was Atobe's best friend was just a matter of coincidence.

He often thought that Fuji would have known what to do and probably would have chosen the same path as Inui, citing no one and taking after nobody. His close friendship with Atobe was something of a surprise to many, since Fuji was an extremely quiet and unobtrusive boy during his first year.

Very few people had a thorough grasp of his level of expertise (despite knowing that he was a junior level champion) and even fewer had the chance to be at the receiving end of Fuji's carefully calculated returns. The prodigy liked picking victims, and although he had never faced down Fuji when the latter was serious about his game, he could more or less gauge the prodigy's level.

"I think we might get stronger." He put down his chopsticks and picked up the water bottle sitting beside the lunch box.

Oishi gave him a mildly worried frown. "I do hope so... we're awfully bad at doubles. That's our only weakness."

He glanced over. "I'm sure we can find a way out of that."

"Ahh-"

From outside the classroom, a loud voice drifted past the semi-opened window to reach their ears.

"Yes, of course you can expect nothing but the best from me." Atobe's proud voice was hardly easy to be mistaken.

Tezuka was sure that he could recognise the other's voice even if he was standing ten miles off. His drawl was simply that distinctive. As usual, the captain could hardly be bothered about his rival and he picked up his chopsticks again, reaching over to pick at what was left in the lunch box.

It was unfortunate that Kawamura had to be in the same class as the diva, and the even more unfortunate fact was his eventual decision to follow Atobe. In Tezuka's opinion, Kawamura was a sweet young man who was a little too soft at times, and that was the part of his personality which Atobe took advantage of, he was sure.

People had tried explaining the reasons behind why they followed Atobe, but Tezuka thought it was all a waste of effort, actually. It was simple enough to see the prima donna of their team for who he was.

It was even simpler to be prejudiced towards him simply for his behaviour, a small voice reminded Tezuka.

He gave a faint shrug, and start packing the remains of his lunch away. Oishi glanced up from where he was playing with the last bits of his lunch, a fond smile on his face.

"Let's hope that Ryuuzaki-sensei can come up with something good tomorrow."

End: Chapter 4