Merry Christmas to everybody out there! I was quite literally bowled over by the reviews I received for the last chapter - thank you so much, everybody! Well, read on and enjoy!

Chapter 9

Tensai, tensai, tell me why

You don't like a certain grey-haired guy

The sun shone brightly overhead, making her squint slightly. She mopped the sweat off her forehead, noting sardonically that she hadn't even started playing yet and a light sheen of sweat already glistened on her skin.

It's hot…

By the time she had reached the park, she had abandoned her earlier plan to exercise. Instead, she sat down under a leafy tree, glad for the shade it provided. A slight breeze ruffled her hair. She closed her eyes in bliss, enjoying the feel of cool air hitting her face.

She suddenly snapped to attention, looking sharply all around. No one. That's funny. I could have sworn I felt someone watching me just now…

She closed her eyes again and was on the verge of dozing off when she felt that odd sensation again. She whirled around.

"Who's that?" She demanded abruptly.

There was no answer.

"Can't you let me rest in peace?" She snapped pettishly, a little annoyed that her almost-nap had been disrupted twice.

"Talking to empty air, Shyoko?"

She started as Fuji's familiar figure materialised in front of her. Then she levelled an accusing finger at him. "So it was you! Just go away and let me sleep in peace, okay?"

"It was me? What did I do?" Fuji was genuinely bewildered.

"Just stop staring at me!"

"What?!!"

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What started out as a simple accusation soon escalated into a full-blown quarrel. Shyoko, apparently, valued her naptime a lot.

"I didn't do anything!"

"Yeah, right. I believe you with all my heart and soul." The biting sarcasm in her voice made him wonder how he had never seen this side of her before.

He decided to try a logical approach. "Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. At least give me a fair trial, ne?"

She looked at him for a long moment and much to his surprise, burst out laughing. "It's just so ridiculous!" She sputtered out. "You're asking me for a fair trial because you disturbed me sleeping?"

He smiled. Her sense of humour had not quite deserted her yet, it seemed. "Saa, you were going to play tennis?"

She looked at her discarded tennis bag. "Well, I was, but then I decided it was too hot to play... Anyway, I'd probably get a sunburn."

"Aa... shall we go for some ice-cream?" He smiled. "Since it's so hot, an ice-cream should be just the trick to refresh you."

Shyoko glanced at her watch, and said regretfully, "I'm sorry, but I've got to meet someone in about an hour's time."

"Aa." Fuji smiled, thinking nothing more of it.

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"Nya, Fujiko, I'm hungry. Let's get something to eat!" Eiji whined, pulling on his friend's arm.

Fuji allowed himself to be led to the nearest food outlet. After all, he could do with a bite too. "Eiji, what do you want to eat?"

There was no reply. He turned around to look at the redhead, only to find that Eiji was looking as if he had just seen a specter. "What's wrong, Eiji?"

"Fujiko! Look over there! Shyoko and – and – "

At the mention of Shyoko's name, Fuji whirled around. What he saw next was something that utterly wiped his smile off his face. This was who she was meeting with?

Eiji turned to Fuji to say something, and quite nearly scrambled away in fright when he saw the tensai's face. Cerulean orbs were a seething mass of anger, while pale pink lips were pressed firmly together into a thin line. All in all, it was a very wise thing to stay a safe distance away from Fuji at the moment.

"Fujiko?" Eiji hesitantly asked. The prodigy paid no heed to him, all his attention focused on the table at the other side of the restaurant.

Eiji called a little louder. "Fujiko?"

Fuji took a step forward, a look of uncontrollable fury on his face. Eiji guessed where he was heading and immediately tried to pull Fuji away.

"Fuji!" The tensai was really very strong when he put his mind to it. It was only by virtue of sheer desperation that Eiji managed to drag him out of the restaurant and to a nearby park.

"Fujiko! What do you think you were doing?!"

Fuji struggled in Eiji's grip. "Let me go!"

"Stop it! Are you just going to march up there and beat his brains out?" He stopped as a new idea struck him. "Fuji, you're jealous, aren't you?"

Fuji suddenly seemed to go limp in his grasp. "What are you talking about? Of course I'm not jealous."

"Then why were you so angry?"

But Fuji was not called a prodigy for nothing. One of his specialities was getting out of tight situations, after all."Because she's fraternising with the enemy!"

"Really? Are you sure?" Eiji started dancing around him excitedly. "Fujiko's jealous, nya!"

Fuji decided to drop the subject. Eiji could be really persistent when he wanted to. "Maa, let's go home, Eiji. I just remembered – Yuuta's coming home today."

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"Aniki, what are you doing?"

"I'm throwing darts." Came the terse reply.

"Throwing darts?!!" Yuuta repeated confusedly. "Whatever for?"

"To prevent myself from doing something stupid."

Yuuta threw his hands up in the air. I give up! I always knew aniki was a little weird, but throwing darts at Atobe-san's picture! Really, that takes the cake.

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The next morning, Fuji sat in his normal place, with his normal expression on his face. Eiji watched him carefully, but could not detect any trace of yesterday's anger. When Shyoko arrived, his smile slipped a bit, but he greeted her with the same smile as always.

Shyoko frowned. There was something wrong with Fuji today. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but his smile seemed a little more… forced each time he talked to her. Which really didn't make any sense at all. She shrugged, and went on with her work.

Class went on as usual, and it wasn't until tennis practice that Fuji began to show signs of cracking. If there hadn't been practice that day, he might have got through the day alright. He seriously considered calling in sick for a while, but then realised that the other regulars would suspect something. That was one of the bad things about having an impossibly strong constitution.

The start of the practice wasn't too bad, really. In fact, running thirty laps helped him to take his mind off things. But when he was paired with Shyoko for doubles training yet again, he knew he was in serious trouble.

"Fuji! What's wrong with you? Play seriously!" Shyoko was starting to get irritated, partly by the fact that they were losing abominably when they should have won easily, and also because Fuji was obviously not making any effort whatsoever to play.

Fuji looked at her – and realised that his problem was easily solved. He nodded at her to continue.

The next time a ball came, he imagined Atobe's face coming towards him and took appropriate action with his racquet. Needless to say, they won very quickly after that. Momo and Kaidou had quite a few big bruises when they were unlucky enough to get in the way of the ball.

"Fuji," The said tensai looked up to see Tezuka's unsmiling face. "Come here. I need to talk to you for a moment."

He smiled and nodded, his body on autopilot as his thoughts got distracted yet again by yesterday's incident. He was rudely jerked out of his thoughts by Oishi worriedly placing a hand on his forehead.

"Fuji, are you sick? Perhaps you ought to go see a – "

"No, I'm fine." He brushed off Oishi's hand and went outside, where Tezuka and Ryuuzaki-sensei were waiting for him.

"Fuji," Ryuuzaki-sensei began without further preamble. "Your playing today was not up to par. We expect more from you."

He nodded.

"You need to concentrate, Fuji." Tezuka's voice sounded. "You've never had these lapses of concentration before."

"Is anything the problem, Fuji? You can always tell us if there's anything." That, of course, from Ryuuzaki-sensei. The sky would fall down the day Tezuka asked any of his teammates to share their problems with him.

"Ah, it's nothing. I'll be fine." Fuji smiled reassuringly.

Ryuuzaki-sensei looked at him mistrustfully, as if doubting his words. "Well then, take care."

"I will. Arigatou, sensei, Tezuka." And Fuji walked off, his mind already shooting back to the previous day's incident.

He walked home, looking but not really seeing, instead replaying yesterday's scene over and over again in his mind. He smiled grimly. Atobe would pay for that, oh yes, he would pay very dearly indeed…

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"Hello?" Shyoko picked up the phone. "Ah, Atobe! Thanks for yesterday."

There was a faint crackle of static before the reply came. "It was certainly unplanned, meeting like that."

"Definitely unexpected." She agreed.

"I had to make it up to you, after I made you miss your bus." There was a short pause. "You contacted your friend, I suppose?"

"Yes, of course. She said not to worry, and that we could always go another day."

"That's good."

"Well, thanks anyway."

Over at the next house, Atobe replied. "Do itashimashite."

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Do itashimashite - You're welcome.

Yay! I finally finished this chapter! Please do review and tell me what you think! The Hyoutei match will be in the next two chapters or so... I'm still trying to decide who to represent Hyoutei...