Title: Fictional Truth
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: not mine, cool? cool.


On the bus ride home, Niou called to let his mother know that he was going to Yagyuu's for dinner. As soon as they dropped their bags off in Yagyuu's room, the two of them sequestered themselves in the bathroom Yagyuu shared with his sister to dye their hair back to normal. "Did you bring the dye?" Yagyuu asked, locking the door behind him as he walked in with several extra towels and a large trash bag.

"Yes." Niou's chalk-white look - the product of a failed attempt to scare Yukimura that he ended up liking enough to keep - didn't suit Yagyuu's more traditional, tame hairstyle. Likewise, Niou had kept bleaching his hair after the first time their third year of junior high, and just looked weird with brown hair. By the time they finished that, Yagyuu's mother had already called them down for dinner twice.

The dining room was silent after the initial greetings, as everyone picked up their chopsticks and started eating. After several meals at Yagyuu's house over their years knowing each other, Niou had learned that mealtime at the Yagyuu household was typically a quiet affair, since too much excitement while eating was apparently bad for digestion. He didn't think that was true - he always talked while eating and digested just fine - but he also wasn't interested in arguing with Yagyuu's dad. Yagyuu's mother, however, would occasionally question after her son's affairs. "Did you boys have a nice day in Tokyo today?"

"Yes. We won the Kantou finals, and Yukimura's surgery was very successful." All it really took was one visit to the Yagyuu household to see why Yagyuu always maintained such a polite exterior. He responded to his parents in the most polite ways possible, always in complete sentences and never raising his voice.

"Congratulations!" Yagyuu's mother smiled at her son, while his father glanced at him for the first time since they had begun eating. If it were his family, Niou knew his parents would be asking all about how each game went, and how Yukimura was doing, if perhaps they should send flowers or call his parents. Niou ate quickly, wanting dinner to just be over.

After they finished and excused themselves - it's his sister's turn to do the dishes, Yagyuu explained - they went up to the rec room for a game of pool The Yagyuu family had an awesome rec room that his father occasionally used but was mostly left empty for the family's teenage boy and his friends. Yagyuu broke with a loud clack, giving just a glimpse of how much power his wiry frame hid. As usual, Yagyuu won the game in under six rounds. Niou wasn't particularly bad at pool, but Yagyuu was pretty amazing. "You secretly practice every night, don't you." It was a familiar grumble from Niou as they pushed the remaining balls into the pockets and hung up their cue sticks.

"No, I'm just that good." The response was also a familiar one. Yagyuu wasn't given to arrogance any more than any other boy their age, but the longstanding joke between them had at some point lost all meaning other than just the tradition of being said each time Yagyuu beat Niou. They pulled out their homework and sat on the floor facing each other across the coffee table that has been against the wall of the rec room supposedly since before Yagyuu could remember. Every summer break, Yagyuu made sure Niou spent time every day doing some of his homework so he wasn't taxed with unfinished work the weekend of Nationals finals, right before school started again.

"Hiro, can you help me with this problem?" As usual, Niou had zoned out during the part in class where their chemistry teacher had gone over this particular subject. As usual, Yagyuu had been paying careful attention and explained it concisely to Niou. One time, back in junior high, Yagyuu had asked Niou why he didn't pay more attention in class. Niou's response was, "Because you explain it so much better anyway."

The only thing that changed was that when it reached eleven-thirty and Niou had to go to home, Yagyuu also changed his shoes. "I'll walk you home."

"You don't have to do that. I'm not a girl; I can walk a couple blocks by myself." Niou wondered why it was that he was like a girl in this whole drama involving Yanagi and Yagyuu. He wasn't particularly girlish - hell, Yanagi was more feminine than he in many aspects.

"I don't think you're a girl; I just want to spend more time with you. How about I walk half the way with you?" Yagyuu's response was one that Yanagi had never bothered to give, but instead the compromise that Niou always suggested. The night air was pleasant, and for the first time in a long while, Niou actually felt relaxed. They talked about Nationals - Niou had been watching the videos he'd taped of all the televised Wimbledon doubles matches, and had a new formation he wanted to try out.

"Wait, my house was two streets back." Niou stared at the convenience store across the intersection where they were stopped and realized he'd been so engrossed in describing the play-by-play to Yagyuu that he'd completely forgotten about going home and walked right past his house.

"Oh. You're right." Yagyuu didn't seem even the slightest bit fazed. Niou studied his face, but it was impossible to tell if Yagyuu had noticed and just didn't say anything. They turned back in silence, and Niou didn't protest when Yagyuu turned towards his house with him instead of heading back to his own. At the front door, Yagyuu leaned forward and kissed Niou on his left temple.

"I'll see you at practice on Monday. Bring me the tape - I want to see it."

"Yea." If it weren't for the kiss, and if Niou didn't know any better, he would've sworn their evening was really as "just friends." Yagyuu was honoring his promise to take it as slowly as Niou wanted, and he was grateful for that.

As they ran their extra laps Monday morning, Kirihara fell into pace beside Niou. Yanagi had come in early and did his already - Niou would have to come in earlier if he was going to run Yanagi's punishment laps with him. Since school had let out for break the week prior, their practices were longer and in the mornings only so they could avoid the afternoon heat. "Niou-senpai, what happened to Yanagi-senpai?"

"What do you mean?" Niou glanced at the junior, who was looking at him innocently.

"He shouldn't have lost that match. He was winning, and when Inui threw away his data, that only made him weaker, right? So it should have been even easier Yanagi-senpai." Kirihara wasn't supposed to be so sharp. He slept through lots of things and mostly rattled off tennis statistics and got into heated discussions with Yukimura about strategy when awake and fully conscious.

"Why don't you ask him?" Niou looked ahead as he rounded a corner, hoping that the conversation was over.

"I actually wanted to ask you something, senpai." Ever since Yukimura, Sanada and Yanagi had schooled Kirihara in tennis a year ago, Kirihara had become unfailingly polite to his seniors, even the ones he repeatedly beat in singles and even the ones not on in the tennis club.. "Is it true that you and Yanagi broke up?"

Niou was proud of not even missing a beat. "Sure." He hadn't even realized news of their dating was so widespread, much less word of their breakup. There was no use in hiding it, though.

"Do you mind if maybe I confessed to him?" Kirihara's words were questioning, but the conviction he said them with told Niou more than the words themselves did.

"You like Yanagi?"

"He's nice to me. And he really likes tennis - he's really good at strategy. I like watching him." Kirihara spoke softly and looked straight ahead, instead of at Niou. There was undeniably a tone of passion in his voice, deep and well-hidden like an underground torrent.

Niou chuckled. Who knew the demon spawn had a crush, and on Yanagi Renji, no less? "I don't mind. In fact, let me know if I can help in any way." His mind was already spinning, thinking about what Yanagi would like.

"Can you really? You could probably come up with something good. The only thing I could think of was to ask him to tutor me in English, then thank him by taking him out to dinner or something, but that's so contrived. And I'd have to study English." The last sentence was added on almost as an afterthought. Kirihara hated English with a passion, and Niou laughed at Kirihara's grimace when he realized what his plan would mean.

"You should study your English anyway. Don't want to fail in the middle of Nationals." An idea suddenly popped into Niou's head, and the smiled that stole over his face was the one that had never failed to land him in hot water.

"I know that smile; Marui-senpai told me to always be wary when you have that one on." Kirihara was a sharp one, that was for sure. Hopefully, he'd still be up for Niou's idea, though. He couldn't even imagine what Yanagi's face would look like.

"Call me tonight and we'll discuss it."

"Masaharu, what're you planning now?" Yagyuu immediately noticed something was up after practice finished and they were finding some place to grab lunch before heading over to the library to do some more homework. Niou knew his face probably gave Yagyuu all the hints he needed.

"Is it that obvious?"

"To me, yes. I always know when you're up to something."

"Well, this one doesn't involve you, so you'll just have to wait and see. I'm in the mood for soba - how's that sound?" Niou grinned and Yagyuu shook his head, smiling back at him.

"Fine."


This part was just incredibly difficult to bang out. I did re-outline it till the end though, so hopefully it'll be smooth sailing till then (even though I reoutline every couple of chapters.) Also, my outlines are all written in present tense, then I change to past tense when writing. Feel free to point out any discontinuities...

So, any guesses where Niou ends up:P