Eternal.Angel
September 15, 2007 to October 28, 2007

Disclaimers: I do not own any part whatsoever of Prince of Tennis or Angelic Layer or Chobits, and some magical terms are Angie Sage's, so I do not own those words either.
Summary: Sleeping over at Fuji's house could be one of the worst choices that the Seigaku Tennis Club Regulars and Freshmen have ever made in their entire lives! Being sucked into a video game that was just being played with, the regulars and freshmen must find a way out by saving the entire world! But…how? Enjoy! And don't forget to review please!

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Escapade Eight: Request
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"Nya, the week goes by so fast!" commented Eiji as he laid back onto the leather sofa in the Fuji household.

"Eiji, it's only been a day," reminded Oishi as he took a light sip from the ice tea which Fuji offered.

"Right! But it feels like a week!" remarked the red head, "And if we don't find Sakuno-chan soon, nya, sensei will murder us!"

"True enough, Eiji-senpai," agreed Momo as he nodded his head and deftly rubbed his chin, closing his eyes, "We need to get this done fast, but I wonder if we can do something to slow down time…"

"Slow down time, huh…" said Fuji to himself as he smiled. He got up from his sitting position on the floor and headed towards the VCR attached to his television.

"What's wrong Fuji?" asked Taka as he popped a sushi into his mouth and chewed, enjoying the savory and fresh taste of perfectly steamed salmon.

"Well," explained Fuji, "If we need to stop time, then perhaps we should stop the game?"

"But that wouldn't make sense," interjected Inui as he furiously wrote in his notebook, "How will we have access to the game then if we stop it?"

"My point is that we pause the game so that we play within the software, and possibly everything will stop around us?"

"Fuji, do not let down your guard," warned Tezuka as Fuji neared to press the button.

"Fssh…good luck senpai, although I have no idea what you meant by that statement," said Kaidoh, hissing.

"Don't listen to Mamushi – he never brings any luck anyway," said Momo with a shrug as he sarcastically yawned.

"You want to fight?!"

"Bring it on!"

"Fssh!"

"Hmph!"

"Mada mada dane," said Echizen with a sigh as he drank from his can of Ponta.

"You're not helping Echizen," proudly stated Horio, "With my two years of tennis experience, I…"

"HORIO-KUN!" shouted the two 'twins', Kachiro and Katsuo in unison.

"I'm going to try it now," said Fuji with confidence, and swiftly he pressed the pause button on the VCR, waiting patiently like the rest. However, nothing had happened.

"Fuji-senpai didn't do anything?" wondered aloud Kachiro as he looked around him. "Nothing has changed."

"No," interjected Ryoma with a cold voice, "Something has changed."

"But what?" whined Horio as he swiveled his head back and forth.

"Everything has stopped in time except for us," firmly said Inui as he snapped his notebook shut and adjusted the position of his glasses. "When Fuji pressed the pause button, it did not affect this household since it's attached to the outlets of his living area, but those outside of Fuji's household will be frozen in their current stances and positions."

"Shall…we go check?" hesitantly said Kawamura, who did not like to be entwined into trouble that much. Everyone nodded in unison and slowly got up from their seated positions, heading to the sunny street of the block. The regulars casually strolled the block and began entering the houses of the residents and neighbors close by. Some were watching the television; the mothers were cooking lunch during midday; and so forth. One particular place mused most of the regulars, having them burst into fits of laughter.

As the group turned the knob and pushed the door open, two children, possibly twins, were fighting over the television remote, biting one another. The dog was supposedly running, chasing its tail when it froze in the air, its mouth wide open and ready to bite down on its stubby end. The boys continued to wander throughout the household and found the mother ready to use the fire extinguisher in her hands, for the stove was on fire and the smell of burnt food wafted through the air. Her hair was frizzy from the countless tries of cooking a perfect lunch to serve to her family. They now walked upstairs to the second floor and walked into a random room, which they found out soon, was the father's office.

Fuji strode towards the man who was leaning on his rolling chair, with a pencil in his hand. Approaching him slowly, the third year took easy and calming breaths before tapping him on the shoulder. Since he had no reaction whatsoever, carelessly he pried the pencil out of the person's hand and shoved it into the father's nostrils; the writing utensil was now hanging from the nose boogers and stuffing inside the hollow space, casually dangling from time to time. Fuji could only smile sadistically, scaring away most of the regulars.

"Fuji-senpai, mada mada dane," remarked Echizen as he sipped his Ponta and shook his head, "I never knew my senpai could be this drastic."

"But he deserves this, Echizen, since he nearly threw my cactus out the window," replied Fuji as if nothing had happened, still smiling.

Tezuka was shaking his head as he rubbed his temples, Fuji, you are too much sometimes.

(horizontal line)

"Ah, where are we now?" asked Momo as he looked around him, seeing lots of green trees on one side while another had villages and towns built. The sun was at its peak and shone brightly throughout the virtual world.

"According to my data," explained Inui as he glanced into his Notebook, which was flying in the air, "The forest is named Tenochtitlán (1) and the town, Teotihuacán (2). The forest is famous for the prowess of the animals which reside there, and the town is known for its advanced technology."

"Well, let us head for the town then, senpai-tachi?" offered Ryoma as he adjusted the sheathe of his sword before striding down towards the road. Everyone followed suit as they trailed behind the snarky and arrogant first year with the sword.

When the regulars and rest of the first years had arrived at the town of Teotihuacán, they could not help but widen their eyes in disbelief at the sight that was right in front of them. Tall, vast buildings dwarfed the people as they cordially greeted one another before moving along quickly with fast strides. Statues and memorials were set from place to place in honor of a specific one. Just as they stepped into the village, they were stopped by a guard.

"Who are you to pass?" inquired the guard harshly as he pointed a laser beam to the bouncy-red head, who suddenly jumped behind his doubles partner.

"Oishi, nya! He's freaky!" complained Eiji as he slid behind the frame of Oishi. Oishi affectionately patted the hand on his shoulder before explaining, "We're here in search of someone who can wake up one of our friends."

"Who?" asked the guard once more. Tezuka, knowing Oishi from the first year, knew exactly what he was thinking and called Kaidoh to the front. The second year hissed and strolled towards the guard, carrying an unconscious girl that was laid in his arms, bridal style.

"Hmmm…I'm not sure. You guys seem suspicious," remarked the guard as he rubbed his chin deftly.

"It's alright, Hatou – they're peaceful travelers," voiced a male, who was walking towards the guard of the front entrance. The regulars squinted their eyes until they saw the figure of a human, specifically, a male's. The details were very vague until he approached the members of Seigaku.

"He looks familiar, noted by my two years of tennis experience," said Horio with interest as he rubbed his own chin.

"Yes Kajimoto-san," murmured the guard as he shuffled away from the Seigaku students and back to this patrol spot.

"Kajimoto?!" exclaimed Momo as he jumped off the ground, "Isn't he the captain of Jyousei Shonan?!"

"Jyousei Shonan? Where's that? I live in the main building of Teotihuacán, where all advanced technology takes place. Would you like a tour, since you all seem to be nice people," he offered with open arms, his voice kind yet careless.

"If you do insist, then we accept politely," said Oishi as he walked up to shake hands with Kajimoto, "My name is Oishi Shuichiro."

"Ah, it's nice to meet your acquaintance, Oishi-san," greeted back the former captain of Jyousei Shonan. "Follow me, if you will."

Kajimoto and the rest of the group stopped in front of an iron door from a fairly large building. Stepping up in front of the security door, he placed his hand on the keypad, and immediately the doors parted way for all of them to enter.

"Come on in – I'm sure you'll like it here."

And true to his word, the regulars and freshmen gasped in awe as they looked around their surroundings. The walls were finely laminated with real marble glass, while the floor was tiled perfectly with eccentric designs. The hallways were vacant and large, and along the way, both to their left and right, were many different rooms with enormous machinery operating on auto-mode. Fairee Tezuka, taking note of this, cleared his throat before inquiring a question to Kajimoto, "Kajimoto-san, what are all of these machines for?"

"They're used to operate the city and protect our people," he responded coolly. "Ah, here we are! Just walk right through this archway one by one to the other side of this wall."

"You can walk through walls? Neat!" exclaimed Momo as he clapped his hands enthusiastically. "I'll go first."

"Hope you hit the wall," murmured Kaidoh under his breath as he slightly adjusted the sleeping female freshman in his arms, placing her in a position, bridal style.

"Shut up, Mamushi," retaliated the other second year as he walked right through the barrier successfully, never appearing back on the opposing side.

"Nya! Momo disappeared!" hysterically cried the red head as he jumped behind his double partners, scared as always.

"It's ok," reassured Kajimoto as he prepared to enter the barrier, "Just walk right through – there's no harm in doing so." Then he strolled right into the wall, and never appeared like Momo.

The regulars and freshmen, having nowhere else to go, shrugged their shoulders and proceeded through the entrance way one at a time.

"It's that lady?!" shouted all the regulars in unison at once as they inspected the figure of the woman cloaked in a white lab coat, Professor Hanamura.

"Hanamura-sensei, I brought some tourists from outside of our city," reported Kajimoto as he bowed to the lady, and she smiled in return as she shifted the position of her spectacles.

"That's wonderful; thank you, Kajimoto-kun."

The woman walked towards the group of boys and her smile was even broader.

"What do we have here? May you all introduce yourselves?" questioned the young woman politely with a deep voice, smiling.

"Fairee Tezuka."

"Oishi Shuichiro."

"Fuji Syuusuke."

"Kikumaru Eiji, nya!"

"Kawamura Takashi…"

"Inui Sadaharu, Ii Data."

"Kaidoh Kaoru, fssh…"

"Momoshiro Takeshi!"

"Echizen Ryoma, hn."

"Horio Satoshi, with two years of tennis experience!"

"Kachiro Kato."

"Katsuo Mizuno."

"Nice to meet you all," replied sensei as she bowed, "And I am Professor Hanamura Aoi, and I run this city with all the technology processing by itself."

"She also founded the city," remarked Kajimoto with a smirk as he stared into the eyes of his sensei. She smiled back at him and nodded her head, agreeing with his statement.

"That's right, Kajimoto-kun. But besides all that flattery, I also wish to aid people with their needs. However, there is a price to be paid for everything that you want – and I believe there is something each of you want, particularly…Kaidoh-kun?"

Kaidoh, hearing his name, averted his attention towards the friendly woman and stared into her eyes for a moment before looking away, nodding his head slightly.

"And what is it that you want, Kaidoh-kun?"

"…"

"If you never say what you really want Kaidoh-kun, you will never be able to awaken her ever again."

"…"

"Well? Is there something that you want, or are I only hallucinating in my dreams?"

"…you knew?"

"Well," started Hanamura as she casually walked closer to the second year, "As one who has lived longer than you, I'm pretty sure of what I see." She gently smiled at him as her eyes fluttered close.

Kaidoh was quite hesitant with his response, but breathed heavily before speaking slowly to the adult, "I want…her to wake up again."

"And exactly who is this person you want to wake up?"

The second year was ready to have the vein growing on his forehead pop. The lady was so…so…annoying! Aggravated by her pompous attitude, he bowed down low as he lifted the sleeping female in his arms, as if an offering.

"Please, wake up Osakada Tomoka from her sleep!" pleaded Kaidoh with his eyes closed as he continued to remain in the same bowed position. Hanamura could not help but to smile as she gently lifted her newest patient from his arms.

"I will gladly take care of her for you, Kaidoh-kun."

Maybe it was a hallucination, but was…he smiling?

"Kajimoto-kun, where are you taking us now?" requested Fuji politely as he walked alongside with the assistant of Hanamura-sensei.

"Oh, you'll see soon," replied Kajimoto with a happy, light tone. Just then, the group of boys arrived right in front of a large stadium that was round, with the top roof opened as the sun shone through. It was a perfect day to…to do what, exactly? This was something that all of them wondered, and their questions were about to be answered.

"Welcome…to the Tennetic Stadium."

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Owari
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A/N: Man, I am the slowest updater on earth. I received reviews saying to update, but it's so hard to do so! And this chapter was so short too, this will probably take me five years to do it or something! And with NaNoWrImO coming up this November, I'll be busier than ever. So don't expect any update from me until…December? Next to update on this story: the Regulars are introduced to the wonders of Tennetic Fight!

(1) – Ancient Civilization in Mesoamerica
(2) – Ancient Civilization in Mesoamerica

Please review and give me any feedback! I am very happy to be criticized because there is always room for improvement. Arigatou!

Ja ne, and I do not own any part of Prince of Tennis!

Eternal.Angel