AN: It's been a while, hasn't it?
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Chapter 9The first thing that hit them as the door opened was the music, pounding over the din of conversation turned up to full blast.
Ryoma winced. No matter how good the music was, tuned up to that volume, it became nothing but ear-shattering noise. It was no wonder that most people these days went deaf early.
He was dressed in a deep blue vest that left his arms bare. His legs were clad in loose, black velvet and matching black armbands had been placed around his wrists. Fuji had banished his hat and exchanged his tennis shoes for a pair of soft, black boots.
Fixing an expression of utter indifference onto his face to hide his discomfort, Ryoma followed Fuji into the light and the ruckus.
The tensai was still wearing that infuriating little smile as he swept into the party in a black cape lined with red satin.
Ryoma flinched when the smile turned his way. Fuji always managed to get away with a lot of things, but the prodigy and a Halloween party simply promised too many possibilities.
"Saa, where would you like to start?"
Ryoma glowered. "Hn."
Fuji smiled, leading him towards the two long refreshment tables on the side, draped in black and orange tablecloths. "Here, I brought some refreshments for everyone to sample."
Golden eyes turned wary and their owner made a note not to eat anything that night lest he be poisoned.
His suspicions were confirmed as a boy moved up to the punch bowl Fuji had just put down. The first obvious sign to the careful observer and expert on a certain light brown-haired prodigy's antics was the sickly, unnatural black color of the liquid substance contained within the glass vessel. On Halloween this was probably not too unusual, but the bubbles rising in the drink should most certainly have been fair warning. So Ryoma could not honestly say he was surprised as the unfortunate boy and initial victim took a gulp and promptly keeled over.
"What did you give him?" he demanded as Fuji slipped back to his side. He sincerely hoped it was not what he thought—knew—it was—must be.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
He sighed and rephrased. "What did you bring?"
"Saa, that juice was one of my favorites so I asked Inui for the recipe."
"What did you put in it?" Ryoma demanded, spluttering as the trembling student's laughing friend took a sip and turned a rapid shade of green. Pausing for a moment, he corrected himself hastily. "On second thought, I don't want to know."
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Soon after, the room darkened and the music calmed as the dance floor was cleared of any stray chairs and forgotten plates. As other couples moved into the center, Fuji turned to smile at his boyfriend.
"Shall we dance?"
Ryoma seriously wanted to edge back but there was a group of chattering girls standing right behind him. "Maybe we shouldn't."
"Saa, no need to be shy," the tensai said consolingly, dragging him out onto the dance floor. "We're here to have fun."
"You mean, you're here to have fun," Ryoma muttered in response. "And I'm here so you can torture and embarrass me."
But no one was listening to him as Fuji bodily dragged him into the swaying crowd. The music kicked up, speeding into a feverish rhythm that had the blood racing through their veins. Resigned, Ryoma allowed the tensai to guide him through the steps, scowling at the smug smile that flittered across Fuji's face. Pausing in the middle of the dance floor, Fuji leaned down to kiss him lightly on the mouth before dropping down to nuzzle his neck.
Ryoma pushed him away, glaring. "Don't you dare bite me with teeth like that."
Fuji smirked. "Why? Are you afraid? I'm not really a vampire after all."
"I wouldn't really be surprised."
To that, Fuji Syusuke just laughed.
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Daisuke was a fan of sweets and the cookies set in heaping trays on the refreshment table was his idea of heaven. Stocking his plate with cookies from sugar and lemon to chocolate chip, he took a seat at a table and prepared to dig in.
There was only one other person at his table and he could not help peering around the collection of pitchers—out of curiosity one must understand—to see who it was.
He blinked in surprise at the boy slumped in his chair on the other side, golden eyes peering suspiciously around at the crowd. "Are you hiding, buchou?"
Ryoma started, glaring and motioning for Daisuke to be quiet, glancing around again to see if Fuji had found him. He hated being cornered in public.
Glimpsing the familiar head of light brown hair coming towards them, he cursed. Hastily, he slid from behind the pitchers of fruit punch and ducked again into the crowd.
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Haru watched their captain weave through the milling dancers, frowning. "Have you ever seen Echizen so—well—"
"Scared?" Minou supplied.
Adjusting his glasses, he took a sip of his punch and smiled. "I did some research the other day."
Haru was almost afraid to ask, but did so anyway. "On what?"
Minou nodded towards the shadowed corner where Fuji had finally cornered his pray and pinned his wrists above his head. "Those two."
Setting his drink aside, he pulled a navy-blue notebook from his coat and flipped it open. "They obviously know each other very well—"
Haru thought that was the understatement of the century.
"—so I looked into the old Seigaku tennis records. Here, this is a group picture of the Seigaku regulars taken a few years back. They were rumored to be the best team the schools have ever seen."
Haru accepted the notebook and blinked down at the photograph Minou had pasted on the right-hand page. On the left of the group stood two familiar figures dressed in the white and blue uniforms of the Seigaku tennis team. The one with light brown hair had his arm wrapped around the waist of the shortest member in the group.
"Fuji Syusuke and Echizen Ryoma," Minou took the notebook back and closed it, still deep in thought, "known in the vast world of tennis as the tensai and the prince."
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AN: Thanks for reading and please review.