Summary thus far: Ryoma and Tezuka were let go from the club early by Shinju so they could escape Mito! And… Shinju seems to have unleashed BURNING Kawamura to do 'something' to punish Fuji for letting Mito into the tennis courts. And what's this? TEZUKA AND RYOMA HAVE KISSED? By accident, of course ^^

TENSHI HIGH'S EVIL BUCHOU!

-Chapter Nine: Onsen… Trip?-

The two quickly separated with a deep blush. "I'm sorry Ryoma! The door… it just…"

Ryoma attempted to smile. "It's fine Tezuka, I understand completely."

Tezuka looked at Ryoma. "…Kunimitsu."

Ryoma blinked. "…Tezuka," said teen smiled.

"Kunimitsu."

The golden-eyed teen sighed. "Tezuka, I don-"

"Kunimitsu. We can do this all day, if you want."

The black haired teen widened his eyes in shock. "You've been… I said that before… you just copied me…! Kunimitsu."

Tezuka ruffled Ryoma's hair, holding in his laughter. '…I don't want to ruin our friendship if he doesn't like me. Confessing… is just something not for me, especially.'

'How can I not take advantage of him… when he does this?' Tezuka thought while an anime tick grew to life on his head.

Ryoma was sleeping without his shirt on and his arms wrapped around Tezuka's waist, pulling him into his groin. Tezuka tried to get out of the teen's grasp.

He failed miserably.

Instead, Ryoma moaned out an unintelligable name breathily. Tezuka groaned as he became even more aroused. "Ryoma…" the ex-Seigaku captain closed his eyes and desperately tried to go to sleep.

'Kami-sama… I think you truly to hate me at this point…'

Hazel eyes opened slowly. "Morning Kunimitsu."

The teen nodded and mumbled, "Good morning, Ryoma. Where are my glasses?"

Ryoma smiled slyly. "I won't give them to you unless you tell me what is so special about today."

"Today… is Tuesday… December 24th… ah! Sorry, Ryoma, and happy birthday!"

The younger teen smiled victoriously. "You remembered!"

Tezuka smiled along with his crush. 'How could I not?' the hazel eyed teen shook his head. "Of course, what made you think I didn't…?"

"Mmm, no reason. Ne, do you remember what buchou said at lunch yesterday…?"

"…Kind of…"

FLASHBACK

"Ne, Shiro, I'm out of ideas!" Shinju sniffled childishly and all the regulars looked at him suspiciously.

"Ideas… for what?" they asked both in a curious and an accusatory way.

Toushiro sighed and shook his head. "You're better off not knowing. Oi, Shin, what about that place we went to during the summer?"

"Hah? Oh yeah! That place was fun… plus we get a discount… ehe, and we did a lot of 'bonding' there, ne?" Shinju giggled when he saw his lover blush.

"Sh-Shut up."

"Umm… where are we going…?" Oishi asked, his eyes filled with concern and apprehension.

Shinju winked. "Hi~mi~tsu~!" the silverette pressed a finger to his mouth. "I want you guys to come extra early tomorrow, and pack some extra clothes; you'll need them."

Ryoma sighed. "I have a bad feeling about this…"

Toushiro scoffed. "Trust me… that 'bad feeling' is about to get much worse."

END OF FLASHBACK

Tezuka put his glasses on and pushed the covers off of him so he could get off of the soft bed after he stopped reminiscing.

"Where do you think we're going?" Ryoma asked.

"Who knows? Only the coach and Kiryu-buchou know as of now," Tezuka reminded with a shrug as he packed extra clothes into a small duffel bag.

"Maybe it's a water park… you need extra clothes there, right…?" Ryoma commented and there was a brief silence.

"Water… park…?" Tezuka paused in horror and shook his head.

"Hou, do you not like water parks, Kunimitsu?" Ryoma asked with a smirk.

"As a matter of fact, I'm not fond of them."

Ryoma chuckled. "Mada mada dane, Kunimitsu. Ne, should I pack my clothes in there too? Or in a separate bag?"

"Just put them in here," Tezuka opened the door to the bathroom.

Tezuka waved goodbye to his family. "See you later," Ryoma told the Tezuka family.

"Have a good trip, and good luck Kuni-chan!" said teen blinked.

"Good luck for wha—?"

"Oi! Do you guys need a ride? It'll be tiring to walk there at this hour," Toushiro called from his car.

"Coach, yeah, that would help. C'mon Kunimitsu," the hazel eyed teen silently followed behind Ryoma. "Where're we going, anway, coach?"

There was a loud scoff. "MOU! Stop asking! It's a birthday present, so it has to be a surprise! Geez! Here, wrap this around Echizen's eyes, Tezuka," Shinju handed the confused teen a red blindfold.

"Eh? Why should I tie it arou—?"

"IIE! YADDA! I'm NOT going to have that cloth blind me, zettai!" Ryoma shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Why not?" Shinju whined childishly.

"Because I don't trust you!" the prodigy growled.

The senior pouted. "Meanie! Tezuka, you have to tie it around his eyes… otherwise it won't be a surprise!"

Tezuka shook his head. "No… Ryoma doesn't want it."

Shinju sighed. "I thought you might say that…" Shinju sighed again in (perhaps?) defeat. "I guess we'll have to do this the hard way…"

Ryoma backed up as horrible images came into his mind. "OKAY! You can use the red thing, just don't do anything weird!"

Shinju smiled. "Will you do the honors, Tezuka?"

"…Aa…" Tezuka wrapped the cursed cloth around Ryoma's eyes and whispered, "Sorry about this…"

Ryoma half smiled. "Its fine, I guess… as long as it's you," the last part was mumbled but Tezuka had heard and he blushed slightly.

Unfortunately, Shinju had also heard that last part.

"Aww, how cute! It's like a newly wed couple!" the silverette teased.

Ryoma blushed. "I-Irusai, buchou!" he managed to say.

"Haha… we're coming up on the school now. Ne, Tezuka, could you lead Echizen around and sit next to him on the van, please?" the senior begged with his puppy dogface on.

"Ah… okay…."

"Great! Now let's get on the van," Shinju jumped out of the car and opened the door for the two teens. "Hmm… Echizen, do you think Tezuka should carry or lead you?"

Ryoma stubbed his toe on a (very oh-so-convenient) rock and cursed. "I think carrying would be better."

"Eh?" Tezuka found himself carrying Ryoma the way a man would hold his bride and blushed deeply.

"No one else is here yet (thank god is probably what Tezuka's thinking… XD) so you guys take the seat in the back," Shinju directed the two to the back of the van.

As soon as Tezuka and Ryoma were seated, the other regular tennis members began to come. Shinju sat in the passenger's seat and smiled. "C'mon Shiro! Let's go!"

Fuji chuckled. "To where?" he inquired curiously with an innocent face.

"…Give me your phone, Fuji," the teen did as told and Shinju took out the battery while whispering. "I find Echizen-san there and you are SO dead," the captain seethed in a low whisper.

Fuji chuckled nervously. "I… understand."

The hyperactive teen smiled again. "So, we're going to an onsen in the mountains!" Shinju shouted out when Toushiro locked and began to drive the van.

"EH?" Shinju took a moment to get everyone's reactions:

FUJI- had his eyes open in surprise

KAWAMURA- blinking in shock

INUI- dropped his notebook

KAIDOH- pale face and blinking uncontrollably

OISHI- looks somewhat… happy?

EIJI- overexcited about the whole thing…

TEZUKA- in brief shock, but recovered… as expected of him

RYOMA- fainted onto Tezuka's lap

"Ryoma?"

"He's fainted, oh well! Since he knows about it already, you can take the blindfold off now, Tezuka. All of you get some rest; the ride is two hours and it's an overnight trip."

Tezuka unwrapped the cloth hurriedly and narrowed his eyes accusingly. "You had this trip planned…?"

Shinju nodded vigorously. "Of course!" he then added, "Now… go to sleep, or feel my wrath."

Everyone nodded in fear.

"Good!"

Toushiro turned onto the dirt path. "…You look like you're going to kill the next person who tries to mess up your plans."

Shinju chuckled darkly. "I can't let my guard down around Fuji or Echizen-san, of course."

Toushiro maneuvered the van carefully up the mountain. "Of course you can't. Shinju… do you think their love will last… truly?"

"It has to," Shinju replied with a smile.

"…Don't joke about it, Shinju, I want a straightforward answer with reason."

Shinju closed his eyes and chuckled again, but it was lighter this time. "I think… they'll love each other forever. Not just because of the fact that it is the main plot of my play, but because they are such a perfect fit. One cannot grow bored of teasing Echizen and Tezuka, too… their reactions are hilarious."

"…I think that only applies to you."

"Hmm? Does it?" the silverette asked innocently.

Toushiro shook his head before asking, "Is Hitsumata-san coming?"

Shinju shook his head. "No, this is strictly a tennis club trip only."

Toushiro turned slightly to the left. "Then why is Kawamura here?"

Shinju twirled a strand of hair. "Ah, he's an exception because I need him to keep Fuji in line."

The older man shook his head. "Won't the other people at the onsen just be a bother, though?"

"What other people?" Shinju asked with a sly smile. "That onsen is owned by my family. No one can get there without reservations, and I got my parents to avoid having onsen stays on this particular day and the next."

Toushiro parked the van and sighed. "You're… evil."

"Ehe, I know!" the silverette grinned.

The tennis coach smiled. "But, that's one of the things I just love about you," he lightly pecked Shinju's cheek and got out of the driving seat. "We should wake them up."

Shinju, dazed as he was, stepped out of the van and shouted into a bullhorn (where the heck did he get it? O.o) loudly, "WAKE UP YOU TENNIS PLAYING NITWITS! WE'VE GOT A TRIP TO BE HAD YOU KNOW!"

"Hmm… we're here already?" Tezuka asked as he stretched out and Ryoma snuggled closer to his human pillow. "Ryoma, get up… we have to go now."

The younger groaned and mumbled sleepily. "Five more minutes."

Tezuka sighed. "Ryoma, you do know if we don't go to the onsen soon, buchou'll kill us?"

Golden eyes snapped open instantly. 'Onsen…? Where Kunimitsu'll only be covered by a towel—'

"Morning! Let's go!" Ryoma shouted happily while at the same time trying to shake the dirty thoughts out of his mind.

"Shinju!" a woman hugged the teen.

"Kaasan! It's been a while," Shinju greeted with a hug of his own.

The woman smiled. "Ah, you've grown a bit taller these past five months… Toushiro! What a surprise, you usually don't go on vacations with Shinju willingly… because you're always so embarrassed! Oh my, it's always a pleasure to see you two together… you guys look so cute together!"

"Thank you, Kiryu-san."

"No need to be so formal… thought I told you that in the summer. No matter, this must be the tennis team! I've heard a lot about you. I'm Kiryu Ikoena, but you can call me Iko!"

A man stepped out of the room. "I thought I heard you, Shinju. You're here pretty early. Ah, Toushiro, come here!"

"Kiryu-san," said man ruffled Toushiro's hair into a mess.

"What've I told you about the formalities? Do I need to hammer it into your brain? You're practically our son-in-law!"

Shinju giggled. "And he will be your son-in-law very soon, 'tousan."

Toushiro blushed and Shinju's dad continued to speak, "Ah, you guys must be Shinju's tennis team! I'm Kiryu Hikaru, but it's okay to call me Karu since you guys are Shinju's friends!"

'More like… play things for some messed up game…'

"Kikumaru Eiji, nyaa~!"

"Oishi Shuichiro desu, yoroshiku."

"Saa, Fuji Syuusuke," Ikoena's eyes narrowed slightly before lightening again.

"A-Ah, Kawamura Takashi …"

"Inui Sadaharu, you're Kiryu-buchou's parents? Ii data…"

"Fshhhhhhhhh, Kaidoh Kaoru."

"…Tezuka Kunimitsu," Hikaru's eyes widened a bit.

"Echizen Ryoma, yoroshiku."

Both of Shinju's parents smiled. "Oh~! So you two are Echizen and Tezuka, huh? You were right, Shinju… they're adorable! They'd make a nice couple."

Ryoma glared at his present buchou with suspicion. "Ehehe, we should go to our rooms first, ne?" the silverette asked while totally ignoring the harsh glare from his teammate. "Here are your room keys~!"

Toushiro took out a clipboard. "Pairings (the others raised their eyebrows at this word) are as followed: Inui with Kaidoh in room 100, Fuji with Kawamura in room 102, Oishi and Kikumaru in room 101, and Echizen with Tezuka in room 103."

Everyone sweat dropped. "It's the same… as the costume celebration…"

Shinju smiled with a dark aura emanating from him. "Do you have a problem with that?"

Everyone shook their heads. "B-Betsuni."

Ryoma put his bag on the bed. "You want to go to the onsen now, Kunimitsu?"

The older teen shrugged. "I suppose…" the two stood in an awkward silence for a while.

"So…"

There was a knock on the door. "Oi! Are you guys coming to the onsen any time soon, nyaa?"

"…Aa."

"Well hurry up then!" the door opened and Shinju walked in. "There should be some towel and towel robes in the bathroom… and there should also be swimming trunks."

Ryoma gaped. "There's a pool here?"

Shinju smiled and happily said, "Yep!"

"Nyaa, get dressed ochibi, Tezuka!"

The two sighed. "We'll be there soon."

Shinju nodded and left the room, closing it behind him. Toushiro greeted Shinju in the hallway with a very noticeable frown.

"Hey Shiro, what's up, ne?"

Toushiro groaned. "Stop saying 'ne,' it makes you sound weird, and it makes you sound like some type of girly guy."

"For you, Shiro, I will be anything~!" Shinju whispered seductively.

"Anyway… care to explain this?" the white haired coach waved the several pieces of paper. "The pairings are different from what I would expect from you."

Shinju chuckled and purposefully said, "Ne, Shiro… if I said I liked someone else, how would you feel?"

"Hah…? Umm, I don't know… a bit… jealous… I guess," the coach admitted slowly.

Shinju winked and took the papers from Toushiro's grasp. "Ping pong! That's correct!"

Toushiro narrowed his eyes in confusion. "What are you getting at, Shin?"

Shinju waved the papers teasingly. "Do you not get it? I'm going to use Tezuka's jealousy to confess to Echizen. Especially since he thinks Fuji likes Echizen… I'm sure it will work."

"If there are no interruptions. Shinju, what if Tezuka gets too jealous, or he gets the wrong idea? Things like that can happen."

Shinju grabbed Toushiro's wrist and kissed the back of his hand playfully. "Don't worry, I have a plan."

Toushiro slightly blushed. "You really think this'll work?"

The teen smiled and kissed Toushiro after saying, "I'm sure it will."

"…You don't like anyone else, do you…?" the whitenette asked, causing Shinju to looked up at his lover with a wry smile.

"Why? Feeling a bit jealous there, Shiro?" said teen blushed and looked away. "Haha! I'm right, aren't I?"

The tennis coach glared at his younger lover, but the look head no real feeling behind it. "Just answer the question."

"No," Shinju grasped Toushiro's white locks and said, "there's no one else but you," before kissing the man again.

CLICK

CREAK

GASP

THUD

"What are you doing Kiryu-buchou? Coach Hitsugaya! And in the hallway too!"

Shinju turned his head to see a very embarrassed Tezuka and a fainted Ryoma. "…Kissing…? I didn't know it was so illegal…"

Tezuka picked Ryoma up. "I… I can see that! I want to… I meant why are you doing it?"

"Be-cause~! Shiro's just so~ irresistible," the silverette drawled on while winking at his lover.

Toushiro rolled his eyes and picked Shinju off of him. "Let's go to the onsen."

Tezuka nodded in agreement hastily.

"What the hell!" Ryoma shouted as he awoke from 'his' Tezuka's arms.

"It's okay, Ryoma… it's over."

Shinju raised an eyebrow. "Che, you make it sound as if it's some horror scene in a scary movie."

"To them, it just might be that," Toushiro kissed Shinju's forehead and pulled his koibito into the steam filled outdoor onsen.

"It's been a while since I've been here!" the teen announced with a grin.

Toushiro shook his head. "Five months isn't that long, Shin."

"Meh, whatevers," Shinju slipped the robe off of his shoulders and jumped into the heated water. "Uwaa! It's so warm! Come in, Shiro!"

Toushiro sighed and threw his own towel like robe into a basket. "No need to shout, baka," the coach stepped into the onsen as quietly as he could.

"Buchou!" Oishi called to Shinju. "Fuji's gone!"

The young captain blinked with a bored look in his eyes. "…So?"

The mother hen sweat dropped. "You… you don't care?"

Shinju stated bluntly. "No. I know where he is so don't worry… I must keep tabs on my arch/mortal enemy at all times."

Toushiro leaned against Shinju's back. "Hmm? You're back is really smooth, Shinju."

"Hah? I thought you said that two nights ago when you rode—"

Toushiro turned around with a furious blush to clamp his lover's mouth. "…A-Anyway, why aren't Echizen and Tezuka coming in?"

Two said people blushed. "Oh, umm… w-well…"

Shinju smirked when Toushiro put his hands back underwater and forced himself to blushed as his lover hugged him from behind. "A-Ah, Tou…shiro…"

"Nani?" the older asked, knowing exactly what Shinju was planning.

The silverette teen gasped and leaned against Toushiro's body with a flushed face. "O-Oh… don't… not here…"

Toushiro nibbled on Shinju's ear. "Why not?" the older wrapped his legs around Shinju and pulled him closer to his body, all the while looking at the two very flustered teens who had still yet to go in the warm water filled onsen.

Tezuka fell forward in shock and Ryoma tried to help him. "Kunimitsu!" however, both fell into the water because Tezuka dragged Ryoma when he 'blacked out.' Ryoma pushed his head out of the water and gasped for air.

"Ah, they're in now! My plan worked!"

Oishi managed to stutter out, "P-Plan…?"

Shinju nodded and smiled. "To get them both in the water. I expected Echizen to fall, but whatever. Ne Shiro, you can let go now."

Toushiro chuckled. "No, I still have to 'punish' you for not listening."

"Mou, what did I do to—fudge…" the talkative teen blushed furiously and hid half of his face under the water. "…I didn't know this affected you like that."

"How could it not? There's steam, the water makes your hair stick to your face like when you came out of the shower last night, and your skin is so flustered from the heat," the older male whispered so only his lover could hear him.

Shinju moaned softly. "Shi~ro…"

"Hmm?"

"…A bed would be more comfortable, you know," the teen quipped while looking to the side.

"Right," Toushiro grabbed two nearby towels, wrapped his lover, wrapped himself, and then climbed out of the onsen with the younger following blindly yet happily.

Tezuka rose his head above water and desperately gasped for air. "You okay, Tezuka?"

"Yes, Oishi, I'm fine," the brunette answered.

"Kunimitsu…" the youngest male present murmured softly.

"Hn…?"

Ryoma paused. "You should probably take… your glasses off."

Tezuka did as he was told and put the object in question on a folded towel. "Thank you, Ryoma," said teen nodded and smiled.

"Saa, it's not like you don't forget easily, Tezuka," Fuji said as he got into the onsen with the other three regulars.

The sadistic tennis player winced and Kawamura noticed. "I'm sorry, Fuji…"

The tensai just simply smiled. "It's fine, Taka… I'm not hurt that bad."

"Eh? Is Fuji-sempai hurt?" Ryoma asked, bewildered.

"Umm, you could say that," Fuji scratched his cheek. "Taka was moving boxes and one was about to drop on him, so I moved him out of the way. I got hurt instead, though."

A fan hit Fuji on the back of the head. "Oh really?"

"…Buchou…" (Shinju's 'Fuji's-up-to-something-bad' sensors went off and he immediately went back into the onsen)

"…Fuji…"

The two got in another heated glaring match. "Eh, what are you wearing?" Ryoma asked in an effort to lighten the mood a little.

"Hmm? A shirt… and pants… with sandals…?"

Ryoma shook his head. "Umm, I meant why is there a music note on it?"

"Be-cause~! We're going to have a singing competition here! Da, da, da, DUN!"

Everyone stared at Shinju in disbelief before shouting to the universe, "…WHAT?"

Shinju cleaned his ears out. "There was no need to shout so loud… and you didn't hear me out all the way! The singing will be in pairs, and the winning team gets to have two orders… one for each person."

"O-Order…?"

"Yes. He gets to order one person to do something once!" Fuji opened his eyes in amusement, Oishi blinked with Eiji, Ryoma looked at his crush, and said crush stared back while Kawamura noticed that Fuji had opened his eyes.

Shinju observed the reactions. "Ah. But… the pairings will differ."

Everyone sulked at least a little bit… but Tezuka was impassive as always and Fuji seemed to be… elated… in a way…

Shinju smiled. "Kawamura with Inui, Kaidoh with Kikumaru, Toushiro with Oishi, Fuji with Echizen, and I'm with Tezuka," Shinju noted the various reactions:

KAWAMURA- a bit disappointed

INUI- blinking in surprise

KAIDOH- also blinking in surprise

KIKUMARU- sulking in depression

TOUSHIRO- glaring menacingly at Shinju

OISHI- looking at Eiji longingly

FUJI- …mad… maybe…?

ECHIZEN- fuming with anger

TEZUKA- hint of anger/disappointment in his eyes

The tennis captain smirked. "Well then, let's start. The rules are:

One: one person in your team will sing the first round, and the other will sing in the next. For the final round, the others -those who have been kicked off- will choose the singer.

Two: NO cheating! I've got eyes in the back of my head!

Three: you CANNOT vote for yourself

Four: vote ONLY depending on VOICE!

Five: no changing of teammates…

Six: FINAL RULE is to HAVE FUN!"

"I will never find another person, sweeter than you… sweeter than you. I will never find another person, more precious than you… precious than you," Tezuka subtly looked at Ryoma. "Boy, you're close to me you're like my father, close to me you're like my lover, close to me you're like my brother, close to me you're like my lover."

'This is for you, Ryoma…'

"You are the only one in my life, my everything, and for you this song I sing: All my life, I pray for someone like you… and I thank God that I, that I finally found you. All my life, I pray for someone like you… and I hope that you feel the same way too. Yes, I pray that you do love me too."

'Kunimitsu… has a great voice…'

"I said you're all that I'm thinking of. Said I promise I'd never fall in love, with a stranger. You're all I'm thinking of, everything you have done. For falling in love, I cherish every hug… I really… love you."

'Why's my heart beating so fast? It's just Kunimitsu singing a song!'

"You're all that I have ever known, all that I need to know. When you smile the tears on your face will flow. You turned my life around, you've picked me up when I was down. You're all that I'd ever know, when you smile the tears on your face will glow. You picked me up when I was down."

'But… it feels like… he's confessing… to someone…'

"You're all that I'd ever know, when you smile your face will clearly glow. You picked me up when I was down. And I hope that you feel the same way too… yes I pray that you do love me too. All my life, I prayed for someone like you… and I thank God that I, that I finally found you. All my life, I pray for someone like you… and I hope that you feel the same way too… yes, I pray that you do love me too."

'…I love you, Ryoma.'

Ryoma blushed and looked away from Tezuka's gaze. "Fuji, Echizen, you guys are next!" Shinju called.

"Saa, then I'll go first," Fuji said.

Ryoma was already on the stage and smirking evilly. "Mada mada dane, sempai."

'I have to 'thank' Kunimitsu for that song.'

"So what song are you gonna sing, Echizen?" Shinju asked.

"…The broken clock is a comfort, it helps me sleep at night. But maybe it can stop tomorrow… from stealing all my time. For you here I am waiting, though I still have my doubts. I am fallin' for you, but I know you knew that too. I'm falling apart… barely breathing, with a broken heart… that's still beating. In the pain, I find healing. In your name, I find meaning. So I'm holdin' on… I'm holdin' on… I'm holdin' on, barely, holdin' on to you."

'Ryoma… his voice is so… so angelic…' Tezuka stared at Ryoma's lips.

"From your look of worry, I knew you got inside my head. I try my best to be guarded… but I'm an open book instead. I can see the thoughts that… are inside of your head. You are lookin' for an answer… still clinging to hope. I only come everyday… just to see what, you will throw my way. And I'm hanging on… to the words you say. You said that I will be… I'll be okay. On this dark and stormy nigh, you left me here alone. I know that I am lost now, but… I haven't forgotten the way… into your warm embrace."

"Nice, ochibi!" Eiji teased. "I didn't know you had a voice like that, nyaa~!"

Shinju smiled. "I agree, Kikumaru. Shiro and Oishi, you guys are next!" Toushiro stood. "Go Shiro!"

The white haired coach blushed. "Be quiet, baka! How long have I been in this storm… so overwhelmed by the ocean's shapeless form? Water's getting harder to tread… with these waves crashing over my head. If I could just see you, everything will be all right. If I could just see you, the storminess will turn to light. If I walk on water, I know you'll catch me if I fall. If I get lost in your eyes, I know you'll show me the way. So everything will be all right… and everything will be all right."

'Shiro… this song it's…' Shinju smiled. '…The one I wrote for you…'

"I know you didn't bring me here to drown… so why am I ten feet under and upside down? Barely surviving has become my purpose… cause I'm so used to living underneath this surface. If I could just see you, everything will be all right. If I could just see you, the storminess will turn to light. If I walk on water, I know you'll catch me if I fall. If I get lost in your eyes, I know you'll show me the way. So everything will be all right… and everything will be all right… everything is all right."

"Ehe, Shiro… that song—"

Toushiro blushed. "I know! You don't have to point it out! Kaidoh and Kikumaru are next, right?"

Shinju chuckled at his boyfriend's discomfort and Eiji got on the stage with a smile. "What song are you singing, Eiji?" Oishi asked. "Is it—?"

"This time what I want is you. There is no one else who can take your place. You truly see me with your eyes; you see past all the lies. You take it all away; I've seen it all, and it's never enough… it keeps leaving me needing you. Take me away, take me away, I've got nothing left to say… so just take me away. I try to make my way to you, but still I feel so lost. I don't know what else I can do. I've seen it all and it's never enough… it keeps leaving me needing you. Take me away, take me away, I've got nothing left to say… so just take me away. Don't give up on me yet, don't forget… who I am. I know I'm not there yet, but don't let me stay here alone… this time what I want is you. There is no one else who can take your place. I've seen enough and it's never enough. It keeps leaving me needing you. Take me away, take me away, I've got nothing else to say… just take me away. Take me away, take me away, I've got nothing else to say… so just take me away. I can't stand it anymore, just leave me somewhere, I need you to take me away."

"Wow! That was a great song, Eiji!" Oishi told his doubles partner.

"Hehe, it's your turn now, Kawamura and Inui pair!" Kawamura pushed Inui toward the stage in his state of worry.

"Eto… do I have to…?"

"Yes," Shinju nodded. "Do your best~!"

"… I was young but I wasn't naïve. I watched helpless as you turned around to leave. After that, I still have the pain to carry a past so deep that I couldn't bury if I tried. After all this time, I never thought we'd be here… never thought we'd be here now. When I thought my love for you was blind, but I couldn't make you see it… couldn't make you see what was ours. I loved you more than you'll ever know; a part of me had died when I let you go. I would fall asleep only in hopes of dreaming… that everything would be like it was before. But on nights like this, it seems too good to be true. They disappear as reality crashes onto the floor. After all this time, I never thought we'd be here… never thought we'd be here now. When I thought my love for you was blind, but I couldn't make you see it… couldn't make you see what was ours. I loved you more than you'll ever know; a part of me had died when I let you go. After all this time, would you want to leave it… would you ever wanna leave it? Maybe you could not believe that my love for you was blind… because I couldn't make you see it… couldn't make you see what was ours. I loved you more than you will ever know, a part of me died when I let you go. I loved you much more than you'll ever know… and a part of me died when I had let you go… after all this time."

"Ahem! The first round is officially over! Please vote for the top three!"

Ryoma blinked and tilted his head. "Hah?"

Shinju smiled. "There are three rounds, duh! Round one has five teams, round two has three, and round three has two!" Shinju gave out strips of paper. "Vote… err, write… who you think was the best singer! NO VOTING FOR YOURSELF!"

VOTE COUNT:

Tezuka/Kiryu- four votes

Echizen/Fuji- two votes

Oishi/Hitsugaya- two votes

Kikumaru/Kaidoh- one vote

Kawamura/Momoshiro- one vote

"…Huh… what a… coincidence…" Shinju blinked and mumbled. "I thought we'd only get three votes, whatever. Now then for round two… Tezuka, me, Echizen, Shiro, Oishi, and… Fuji… will go on. I'll go first, I suppose," Shinju stood on the stage and Toushiro looked at his koibito.

"…Good luck… Shin."

"I'm finding my way back to sanity, again. Thought I don't really know what I am gonna do when I get… there. Take a breath and hold on tight… then it's time to let it go… and gracefully fall back in the arms of grace. I'm listening to all the words you say, and even if you don't want to speak tonight… that's all right, all right with me. 'Cause I want nothing more than… to sit outside your door and listen to you breathing, that's where I want to be, yeah… where I want to be. I am looking past the shadows of my mind and I'm, trying to identify the voices in my head… choose, which one is you. Let me feel one more time what it, feels like to feel. Break these handcuffs and chains off of me, one more time. 'Cause I'm listening to all the words you say, and even if you don't want to speak tonight… that's all right, all right with me. 'Cause I want nothing more than… to sit outside your door and listen to you breathing, that's where I want to be, yeah… where I want to be."

'Shinju… you…' Toushiro narrowed his eyes. 'He seems to be troubled…'

"I don't want that look from you… sympathy does not fit you, and… I bet you're already tired of me now. But I just want to be here now… with you. I'm listening to all the words you say, and even if you don't want to speak tonight… that's all right, all right with me. 'Cause I want nothing more than… to sit outside your door and listen to you breathing, that's where I want to be… where I want to be… with you."

"Saa, I suppose I'm next, hmm?" Fuji and Shinju glared at each other again.

"Calm down, Shin," Toushiro said while bringing the younger into a hug.

"Hurry up Fuji-sempai, I want to get this over with quickly."

"What day is it? And in what month? This clock never seemed so alive. I can't keep up, and I can't back down… I've been losing, so much time. 'Cause its you, and me, and all of the people, and I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you. All of the things, that I want to say just aren't coming out right. I'm tripping on words, you've got my head spinning! I don't know where to go from here. 'Cause its you, and me, and all of the people, with nothing to do, nothing to prove. And its you, and me, and all of the people… and I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you. There's something about you now! I can't quite figure out. Everything you do is beautiful, everything you do is right. Cause it's you, and me, and all of the people… with nothing to do, nothing to lose. And it's you, and me, and all of the people… and I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you, and me, and all of the people with nothing to do, nothing to prove… and it's you, and me, and all of the people! Though I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you. What day is it? And in what month; this clock never seemed so alive."

"Nyaa~! It's Oishi's turn now, Oishi's turn! GO OISHI!" said teen blushed.

"A-Ah, thanks Eiji…"

The red head beamed at his best friend and winked. "It's what I'm here for!"

"After the fire is over, after the ashes cool, after the smoke has blown away… I will be here for you. After the stillness finds you and after the winds of change, all that is good and true between us… this will remain the same. Slowly… slowly… we turn the page of life. Growing… knowing… it comes at quite a price. After the fire is over, after the ashes cool, after the smoke has blown away… I will be here for you. After your time of wandering along this lonely road… there will be many voices calling. Mine will say, 'Welcome home' Slowly… slowly… we turn the page of life. Growing… knowing… it comes at quite a price. After the fire is over, after the ashes cool, after the smoke has blown away… I will be here for you… I will be here for you, always."

"Nice Oishi~!" Eiji said happily.

"Ehe, thanks Eiji."

Shinju clapped and grinned evilly. "It's the end of round two! Vote again!"

VOTE COUNT

Echizen/Fuji- four

Tezuka/Kouen- four

Oishi/Hitsugaya- two

"Hyuu~! It's a tie, ne!" Shinju said. "Well then… you guys can go first, ne? Who do you, among those who have been dropped out of the contest, think should sing: Echizen or Fuji?"

Eiji grinned. "Ochibi!"

Oishi blinked. "Err… I guess Echizen…"

Inui pushed his glasses up his nose. "Do you even have to ask? Echizen."

Toushiro looked at Shinju briefly. "I suppose Echizen."

Kaidoh hissed. "Fuji-sempai."

Kawamura smiled shyly. "Err, Fuji…"

"Well… majority rules. Echizen, you're singing. Oh yes, before I forget… between me a—"

"Tezuka!"

"Tezuka-sempai!"

"Fshhh, Tezuka-sempai."

"Err… Tezuka."

"T-Tezuka…?"

"Shinju," said teen hugged Toushiro and fake cried.

"They don't like me Shiro!"

Everyone sweat dropped. "Umm… that's not it…"

Toushiro sighed. "Just give them the songs they have to sing."

Ryoma stepped back. "You're going to choose the songs for us?"

Shinju grinned sadistically and looked at his victims. "Of course. Here you go."

"…What the heck?" Ryoma shouted and threw the paper onto the floor while blushing furiously. "I am not going to sing that… that… that thing!"

Shinju frowned. "Would you rather I have you sing something else? Something more—"

Ryoma picked the paper up. "It's fine."

Shinju chuckled and sat on Toushiro's lap. "Then… you know how it goes?"

"…Unfortunately, yeah."

"Then sing," Shinju said with a smile. "Good luck~!"

"Che, mada mada dane… sempai-tachi. An overflowing urge moves our hearts. Now, our story… our future is going to shine on. If I try to move forward, I collide with someone else. Always then I lose my nerve. But I'm going to face front and walk ahead, if it means I can see you. Your trembling voice, pelted by the rain… even if I have to wander sleepless nights, I'll go until the day when I can see you. An overflowing urge moves our hearts. Now, our story… has started off. The impact of our meeting shocked this dull, gray world. And in an instant, it bursts into brilliant color." Tezuka blushed when Ryoma finished.

"Now, Tezuka's song, muahahaha…" the captain cackled.

"…This song is…!" Tezuka blushed for the nth time that day.

"Since Echizen sang his song, there's no reason for you not to sing yours," Tezuka nodded unwillingly. "Go."

"…As black and white skim through our colorless encounter, a cool finger beckons me. Like a stubborn piece of ice atop melted water, you softly scoop me up and play with me on your upper lip. Even so, I will search for that one true love. Your dry eyes have come so far for this moment. If I could, I would wrap you around me like this and be done. Night falls and my wish does not come true, but tomorrow brings a new morning. With your sweet, warm, ill-fated kiss, fill me with color as if it is the last time the moon will shine upon us."

"So now that you've heard the two songs, which one do you think sang better, 'tousan, kaasan?" the two mentioned people where thinking really hard.

"Now that's a hard one… why doesn't everyone vote?"

Shinju chuckled. "Sure, sure, why not? Minna, please follow the same instructions as before and vote who you think was the better singer."

"Hai…" the regulars responded while scribbling on their pieces of paper.

Shinju read the results and smirked before pointing at Tezuka. "Our team wins, Tezuka!" Fuji scowled deeply, glaring at the silverette. "Don't trust me? Look for yourself!" the teen huffed and gave the brunette the results before clapping his hands together. "So what's your request? I'll do mine after yours!"

"Ah, I'd rather not order anyone to do anything," the bespectacled brunette said.

"Oh, c'mon! You were captain before! You can not say that!" silence ensued and Shinju rolled his eyes. "Geez, fine, you big party pooper. Your order is hereby nullified, happy?"

"What's your request?" Inui asked.

A big grin was plastered on the silverette's lips. "Tezuka, kiss Echizen. On the lips."

-End Chapter Nine: Onsen… Trip?

-Kekeke, this is where I shall cut off, for now

Fuji: (glares at Shinju) I despise you

Shinju: the same to you, bastard

-Language, please!

Shinju: (rolls his eyes) whatever

-Anyway, (smacks Fuji on the head) don't you dare say you hate Shinju! He is me, and if you hate me, then who knows what will happen to you! Readers, please review ^^