Title: Lunchtime
Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis.
A/N: I would like to take this time to mention that Youkai Kisaki is my beta-reader and yeah….enjoy.
Tezuka was surprised to say the least, Hikari Suzumiya was very helpful. She could explain the formulas on the geometry sheet very well. "You're good at explaining this, even better than Oishi," he said.
"Oh, thanks," she said, "I'm just thinking back to the night classes I took last year."
"You took night classes?" he asked, slightly surprised that a Middle School student like himself was already taking them.
"Yeah," she replied, "I just want to be ready for whatever the future has in store for me. I don't know what I want to do yet, but I'd like to keep my options open."
"Suzumiya-chan, Tezuka-kun," Ryuuzaki-sensei called out, "I know that I told you all to get to know your new seatmates, but I would prefer if you did so in your own time."
"Yes Sensei," they said simultaneously, turning back to their work.
As the day went by Hikari found that Kunimitsu Tezuka wasn't that bad as a seat mate, but if the death glares being sent in her general direction were any confirmation, there would be some trouble to come with it. "Now Ryuuzaki-sensei told me about this new seating chart of hers," Soma-sensei, their Social Studies teacher, said pushing up his thick glasses, "So to push things along I want each of you to write up a sheet about your seat mate."
'Okay, I swear those glares just increased in intensity,' Hikari thought, 'I'm doomed.'
As the bell then rang for break Tezuka gathered his books, stood up and turned to Hikari, "Are you coming?"
"Yeah," she answered, "I'm just going to wait for Ai."
"Okay, see you after break," he said, before turning to leave.
She patiently waited for Ai to join her at the front of the class before leaving, she didn't want to leave alone, for fear of fangirls ambushing her, and she wouldn't put it past them.
"Man you are so lucky," Ai groaned as she arrived, "I got stuck with Mei Honda!"
"Who?" Hikari asked.
"Mei Honda, president of Tezuka's fanclub," Ai answered, "She wouldn't stop interrogating me about you, since you are his seating mate now."
The two girls walked out into the sunshine and found a shady spot beneath a tree. Hikari sighed, "What did Honda-san ask you anyway?"
"Your birthday, hobbies and interests and level of attraction to Tezuka-san, among other things," Ai said, "Of course I told her the attraction level was very miniscule."
"So true," Hikari said, "I'm sorry you had to put up with that though."
"It's okay," Sakura grinned, "Now let's eat."
Hikari opened her obento to find her usual lunch of three onigiri, each with a different filling packed by her Mother. Ai's obento, on the other hand, had a rather meager looking salad within it.
"Are you sure that's enough for your lunch?" Hikari asked, peering into the box.
"Yeah," Ai answered, "My Mother planned out a new diet and dance program for me this year."
Hikari then noticed how thin Ai was, 'She's lost a lot of weight over the holidays, but she was always skinny so I never noticed it. But I know she can take care of herself.'
"Well let's eat," Ai smiled, nibbling at a lettuce leaf.
Oishi and Tezuka joined the other members of the tennis team at the bleachers by the tennis courts. The regular team was composed of eight members, four of them being Tezuka, Oishi, Fuji and Eiji. The other four were Ryoma Echizen, a first year with gold-brown eyes and blackish-green hair, Takeshi Momoshiro, a second year with violet eyes and spiky black hair, Kaoru Kaidoh, also a second year with black hair and eyes and Takashi Kawamura, a fellow third year with brown eyes and hair. Also with them was Inui, who was now an assistant coach as he had lost his position in the ranking tournament.
"You're really lucky Suzumiya-san is your seat mate, I got stuck with Hanako Makie," Oishi sighed.
"Who's Hanako?" Tezuka asked.
"Fangirl," Oishi answered, "She wouldn't stop clinging to my arm."
"Ah," Tezuka mumbled.
"Suzumiya, as in Hikari Suzumiya?" Inui asked, writing this new fact into his notebook.
"Yes, why?" Tezuka asked.
"Hikari!!" Eiji gasped, "Do you mean that weird girl with the long fringe?"
"Eiji!" Oishi scolded the redhead, "You shouldn't say things like that about other people."
"Sorry," Eiji apologized, "But you have to admit last year when she slept though the majority of her classes and got top marks was a bit weird."
"That's because she was taking night classes last year," Tezuka explained.
"How did you know that?" Eiji asked.
"She told me this morning," Tezuka said blankly before opening his obento.
"Someone spread a rumor that she was a ghost once, because she was always falling asleep," Kaidoh mumbled.
"Who would believe such a stupid rumor?" Momoshiro jeered.
"I never said I believed it!" Kaidoh hissed.
Momoshiro rolled his eyes, "Then why did you mention it? Idiot Viper."
Ryoma sighed, "Why are my senpai-tachi talking about Suzumiya-senpai anyway?"
Everyone turned to Oishi and Tezuka who merely shrugged before eating.
Sakura took a long sip of water from her bottle then turned to Hikari, "So what's it like sitting next to the most popular guy at school?"
"Quiet," Hikari answered, "We talked a bit, but not for long."
"Yet it was enough to catch Ryuuzaki-sensei's attention," Sakura pointed out.
Hikari sighed, "Well don't tell his fanclub, but he needed some help with the math sheet, okay. Subject change please."
Sakura gasped, "You actually helped someone!!!!! You never helped me!!"
"Only because helping means actually listening to me explain something, not copying my answers, which is classified as cheating," Hikari said.
"Oh, well then, my other theory was that you were developing a crush," Ai said.
"Say what!" Hikari yelled, "WHERE THE HECK DID THAT COME FROM?!"
"Well you have to admit there's a certain aura of shy yet serious bishie around him," Ai sighed.
"You're free to him if you want," Hikari grinned.
"Thanks, but you're the one who has to get up-close and personal with him,' Ai said suggestively.
"Oh yeah, that assignment," Hikari groaned, "May as well get things over and done with."
Ai glanced to her watch, "You still have ten minutes to catch him, and he's probably at the bleachers by the tennis courts."
"See you in class," Hikari called as she headed to the courts.
As soon as she was close to the tennis courts she could feel her heart hammering, still, she was lucky she wasn't ambushed…yet. She stepped up to the bleachers to find Tezuka surrounded by the other members of the team. 'What am I going to say?" she wondered anxiously.
Tezuka ate quietly as the team continued with their separate conversations. "Buchou isn't that Suzumiya-senpai coming here," Ryoma pointed out.
He turned to find her walking over.
"Hey Tezuka-san, I was just coming to ask about the assignment that Soma-sensei gave the class," she said, blushing slightly at the curious glances from the team.
"Of course," he answered, "Are you free after school?"
Hikari nodded, but thought, 'Well as I don't participate in any club activities at all I'm always free after school.'
Tezuka thought about it for a while, "Well practice finishes at 5:00. Would you mind waiting?"
"No, and I live nearby, so would you mind walking to my place?" Hikari offered.
Tezuka shook his head.
"I'll be at the library then," Hikari answered, turning to walk away. Hikari quickly stepped down but her foot met nothing but air as she fell forward she screamed, bracing herself for the impact.
Tezuka saw Hikari miss the step and quickly grabbed her right left hand and wrapped his arm around her waist to prevent her from falling, pulling her closer to him in the process. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Hikari's face was flushed in a brilliants shade of red. "I-you-wha," she stuttered.
"Are you okay?" Tezuka repeated.
"I think so," she answered, "You can let go of me now."
"Okay," he said, "But don't let your guard down like that."
Hikari bowed her head, "Thank you." Then she walked down the steps, but this time a bit slower.
The bell then rang and Tezuka quickly headed back to class to avoid any questioning by his fellow team mates.
A/N: As a side-note to the whole sleeping in class thing, my Japanese Teacher told the class that Japanese Students who take Night Classes do sleep in class and are allowed to….to a certain extent. So yeah…
