Either way, there probably won't be as much as humor in this series from here on out- the occasional laugh, but the rest is probably gushy drama.
Alas, I am psychic. No, so Sanada did win. Hm, what can I say? Battle of will... literally. Geni defies gravity by whispering magic words. Maybe he has hidden Jedi potential.
Boom, a new pairing: SyusukexKin. I still prefer YuutaxKin, but it's still quite amusing really...
Oh yeah, is it true for the rumor that Prince of Tennis is ending at chapter 370??? (It came from a forum site from a French site.)
This title came from Lieyan… (SCREW IT!!! Dante and Shakespeare are ALL THE SAME TO ME!!!)
Chapter 21: The Divine Comedy
Inner Taro: Where art thou? Of course, the course of true love never did run smooth.
Inner Kin: Forsooth! What light from yonder window breaks your brain?!
(smacks)
Her hands folded in her lap, Kin waited impatiently for her stoic brother to show up on the driveway. Twice a beat-up truck swerved at the end of the road as she waved frenziedly, but only to end up splattered with mud.
Sweat rolled down her face as the sun rose higher in the morning sky. Her stomach rumbled noisily as she sighed in exasperation. Her brother was sure taking his time.
---The Day Before---
Tezuka stared intently as the rest of the regulars practiced footwork drills. Eiji rambled on at the same time like it was second nature, while Kawamura clumsily fell over a few times.
"This is boring. Don't you-" Echizen interrupted the captain's thoughts.
"Our first match in the Kanto Tournament is three days away. Forget the basics and you'll let your guard down."
"Hai, hai, demo-" Ryoma cut in exasperatedly.
"Would you prefer laps?"
"Understood, captain." Defeated, the shortest regular returned to his drill post with a ball in hand.
Tezuka wiped his brow. The days were heating up and soon summer would come. He remembered the sheer skill, speed and power of each National-level player. Each one of them had the ambition and potential to be the best. Glancing around, he only saw a ragtag team of teenagers. Their drills and exercises could not compare to the fancy equipment in Rikkaidai's gyms or professional guidance of Hyotei. They only had each other and one thing in common: their ambition to become Japan's number one junior high team.
A spark of incredulity flickered in his eyes.
"You don't seem like yourself, Tezuka." He felt Fuji's hand on his shoulder. "What's bothering you?"
"Nothing. Now resume your laps, Fuji." His friend simply smiled reluctantly and ran off. With a single glance at his captain's crossed arms and stoic demeanor, Fuji knew there was definitely something amiss about Tezuka.
'Mah, even pillars of support can bend, hm?'
---The Next Day---
Fuji's smile faltered as he watched Kin slam the door shut. Her clothes were torn, her hair a mess, purple bags under her eyes, and mouth silent.
As her brother demanded an explanation, she simply shrugged, looking at her shuffling feet. She paid no heed to Yuuta who was desperately trying to console her. As her head drifted off to sleep, he inspected her interestedly.
Her spirit was broken. There was no denying it.
Her innocence was torn, replaced by the recognition of her mistakes and flaws, tainted by harsh reality. She didn't try to fool anyone with her barrier of obliviousness or hyperactivity. Whenever she could help it, she betrayed no weaknesses like her brother, yet her vulnerabilities were obvious to everyone in the car. Everyone grew up eventually, and it was finally happening to the girl next to him. He vaguely wondered who had done such a thing to break Kin, who was like granite. Present, reliable, strong.
The Tezuka siblings were polar opposites. Kunimitsu showed no emotion; Kin censored none. He was gorgeous; she looked ordinary. He went to Seishun Gakuen; she went to Ginka Chuu. Even the miniscule details counted, down to their gender and age. In every area, Kin was at a disadvantage. Yet, they were surprisingly similar, if you got past their iron masks. They had the same absolute perseverance, burning passion and contagious charisma as well as personal insecurities and family issues.
The most pathetic fact was that neither of them knew it. Both went to great lengths to cover their personalities, subconsciously trying to outwit the other. It was quite an amusing paradox.
Seeing his little brother's distress, Fuji cocked an eyebrow.
"I apologize for her ungrateful behavior," Tezuka forced out. "Thank you, Fuji-san, for the ride."
"Anything for Yuuta's girlfriend," Yumiko smiled in return, sad eyes staring at the rode as the car swerved along the thin lane.
Somewhere along the way, the carload of Fujis got entwined in the middle.
---Later That Day---
Kin rolled around uncomfortably and dug her face deeper into her pillow, clutching the sheets.
'Wait, pillow? Sheets?'
She jolted from her bed. The clock read 4:15.
"Eh-eh-" she frowned. "Crap. Besides, how did I get home anyway? Onii-chan didn't carry me the entire time, did he?"
'You'll never really know, will you?'
"TELL ME!"
'Promise me you won't freak out.'
"Just spill it already."
'Yuuta carried you.'
"YUUTA?! How dare that pervert hit on me when I was most vulnerable!" She huffed before she realized that Inner Kin was laughing.
'Just kidding. Yes, it was 'nii-chan.'
"D-darn you..."
'Oh, puh-lease. Don't pretend like you didn't wish for it to happen.'
"Only you would dream of such indecent tricks, pervert," she pouted. The door creaked open as a genuinely worried face popped.
"Oh, Kin! You're finally awake," her mother invited herself in. Kin rolled her eyes and looked away. "I'm sorry that I missed your call. I was grocery shopping. I made a snack for you. After all that exercise, you must be hungry, neh?"
"Of course not. I had a very fulfilling breakfast," she mumbled crossly. "Now go."
Rumble.
"Come on, just take a sip." Why was her mom always so pestering? She wasn't hungry, so why didn't she understand the message, 'leave me alone'?
"I told you I'm not hungry!" Kin exclaimed with a sudden flare of irritation, sitting on her bed. To her increased resentment, Tezuka Ayana placed the tray on her desk and sat next to her, wrapping her in a one-arm embrace.
"You're usually ecstatic and ravenous after a six-hour nap. What's wrong this time?"
"Just leave me alone!" Kin pushed her mother's arm away. "I'm not your little doll anymore, 'kaa-san, so stop babying me like this. What were you expecting? A little heartfelt mother-daughter chat?"
"Kin, I never-"
"Save it. Look, there's no point in getting angry at you. Even if you were a teenager again, you wouldn't understand. Besides, your shakes have always been horrible. Too much sugar." She ran out the door and jolted down the stairs, never looking back. If she had, she would have seen the creases on her mother's forehead and the distraught hesitance that tore her away from chasing after her daughter.
"Teenage hormones these days," a raspy, amused voice crept from the door.
"'Tou-san, don't scare me like that," she sighed and propped on the bed. "I feel like I haven't been the best mother. Truth is that my own daughter's becoming an alien in my house. I can't bribe her with sugar or clothes and I don't know how to communicate with her anymore."
"Everything has a tendency of turning out all right. Besides," he kept a straight face, "when you were a baby, I dropped you a lot more than you did with Kin, but I still see my beautiful girl alive in front of me."
She glared at him, but grudgingly relented.
"Does my shake really taste that bad?" Nonchalant, he took a sip and immediately regretted it. He choked hard, muttering something about high cholesterol.
"Are you okay?"
Coughing, he turned away. "I-it's uh, a good idea to keep with me during judo practices. Wakes me up." Not persuaded, she took a big gulp. The words 'too much sugar' had been an understatement. Choking as she rushed to the bathroom, she couldn't help but wonder if their fight had been an excuse to avoid her food concoctions.
---An Hour Later---
Kin grimaced as she sat down on the warm bench with a sigh. She simply wanted to forget the words Fukushi shouted at her. Still, coming from that lazy arse, she knew that would never happen.
The nap was quite relieving, but her muscles still sagged in fatigue. When Kin walked, Kunimitsu ran. When Kin ran, Kunimitsu was already beyond the horizon. She was always so tired, always pushing herself beyond her limits, always worrying. She wished she could take a break and be lazy like Fukushi, but if she did so, she would lag further and further behind.
'Why am I doing this to myself?'
It wasn't even that big of a deal. It was middle school tennis, for heaven's sakes. A stupid tournament full of boys who had too much time and pride in their hands. A pointless game where people smacked a ball back and forth.
Sighing, she knew she was disillusioning herself again with one of her excuses.
'If only things were that simple.'
"Thus, Ginka is shattered. Without a heart, Fukushi can't exactly function well as a brain, neh? Our happy little fairytale finally comes to an end."
The voice was naggingly familiar.
"Yori?" She straightened up at her beanstalk-sized classmate.
"Do you mind if I sit here?" He hovered beside her. In response, she eyed him suspiciously. "All right, I'll stand then."
"So..." Her voice trailed off, "how did you find me?"
"I was stalking you, of course." She glared at him again. "Gosh, looks like Fukushi stole your humor as well as your dignity. Sarcasm, Tezuka, do you know what that means?" She flushed abashedly. His belittling tone was beyond annoying. The guy was inviting a punch.
Contrary to his word, he sat down next to her. It occurred to Kin that she had never really paid much attention to her classmate. Was she really so shallow that she dismissed people by height? After a few seconds of pondering, she decided the answer was yes. It wasn't just height either. She judged people by comparing their skill, looks and intelligence to her brother. Everyone failed at that competition, but one who had come the closest was... Echizen, as much as she hated to admit.
Stop treating us like dirt! We're older, stronger and more experienced than you, you little brat.
"I'm really shallow, aren't I?"
"Yup."
Come to think of it, she did have a fan-girlish admiration about her brother. Over the years of gawking, that admiration had eventually come to an obsession of beating him, no matter what it takes. That obsession had overruled everything else. Everything.
Everyone has limits and you've breached them without a single thought.
"I'm really insensitive, aren't I?"
"Yup."
When was the last time she had actually shown appreciation to the people she cherished? Her mother loved making the strangest snacks for Kin, but when was the last time she had properly said, 'arigatou,' despite the fact that her mother probably used overdue ingredients? She was taking too much for granted: Taro's reliability, the regulars' loyalty, her parents' concern, a genius older brother, even a genuinely good-willed math teacher.
You just won't swallow your pride, will you, you Tezuka trash?
"I've been a bitch recently, haven't I?"
"Yup." She smacked him on the back of his head.
"You aren't making this any better!"
"Sorry, was I supposed to?" He grinned aloofly.
"Che, you're worse than I am."
"No, I know not to wallow in self-pity."
"I'm not wallowing in self-pity!"
"Self-denial too."
"Teme..." Kin knew this topic of discussion was going nowhere, so she sighed and moved on.
"So how's Doumoto doing?"
"Well enough. I don't think he realizes it happened yet."
"I'd rather keep it that way."
"The world's biggest procrastinator, huh? You are so different from your brother, it's scary." She hated it when people compared them like that. "Are you sure your mom didn't drop you off a ten-story building?"
Boy, were her eyebrows twitching a lot today. She wondered why.
"Though you do kind of look like him. He has gravity-defying hair, but you have pretty eyes."
"Why, thank you," she replied, each syllable heavy with sarcasm.
"Plus a bushy excuse for hair, a nonexistent nose and lastly but not least, a completely flat chest. Did I mention-"
"I get your point."
"Please, tell me you don't think these thoughts every time you look in a mirror."
"You just-"
"You're an egotistical jerk. As oblivious as a rock with an insensitivity to-"
"-DON'T KNOW WHEN TO STOP!" She clapped her hands over her mouth.
You don't know when to stop!
Fighting back tears, no matter how hard she had been repressing and avoiding her memory, it ultimately came back to haunt her.
You're out of the club, bitch. Get lost. I don't want to see you ever again.
"I hate you," she muttered softly.
"What, me?" If looks could kill, Yori would be dead quite a few times over. "I'm completely innocent. Unbelievably innocent."
"Shut up."
"No, Tezuka, I'm doing this for your own good. Don't you want to be a better person?"
"Not from you."
"That, you see, is why you are wrong, because if you aren't going to learn from yourself, you may as well go drown yourself."
'This guy is insane. I shouldn't listen to a word he's saying.'
"It's such a pity that you're so very gullible and stupid. After all, what else could I expect from someone who never ceases to fail mathematics every semester?"
"What's your point?" 'Does this guy have nothing better to do than point out all my faults and make me miserable?'
Yori was practically exploding with exasperation. "My point is that this is exactly how you act everyday!"
She blinked at him. "I-I act like that?"
Yori heaved a deep sigh, thinking wearily, 'This girl... is unbelievably innocent.'
His dazed body with swirling eyes dropped in a heap to the ground.
"I do not act like that," she pouted. "There's no way I'm as stupid and callow as you."
"You're being insensitive again…" he reminded. "Don't you want to become a better person like the world demands?"
"Yeah, and look at whose mouth that's coming from."
"Hey, attitude reflects leadership, isn't that what they all say?" To her surprise, he laughed and she chuckled along with him.
"But..." She scratched her head. "I really never realized how bitchy I was acting. Thank you for the wake-up call. Fukushi needs to work on his communication skills too. A simple, 'stop acting like Atobe' would have been sufficient. Yori-kun, what kind of girls do you like?"
"Me? I like girls with long, flowing blonde hair, sparkling ocean-size eyes, good posture, heavenly perfume-"
'Looks like you're not the only one who's shallow.'
"-who praises my beauty and kisses my cheek. She would be an amazing tennis player and-"
"I meant her personality!"
"Oh, her personality? Someone polite, diligent, and fragile. A proper woman with perfect etiquette. She would have astounding intelligence and-"
"Never mind." She stalked off with a storm cloud drenching her.
"Is there something wrong, Tezuka?"
"Nothing, nothing." He watched her walk off, her head drooping and her arms slack. He knew he had been harsh with her, but he felt smug. The girl wasn't half bad, but she could be so much better. No matter what happened to her, Kin was the strong-willed and optimistic type. Tennis wasn't the only important thing in life, after all. Social skills were equally valuable.
The Tezukas were a proud family, after all. She would never show true anguish or tears. She was the kind of person who bottles it all up inside, like her brother.
I hate you.
Still, those words were true. Kin really did hate him. An acid burned in his mouth and maybe he had gone slightly too far. Maybe she deserved an apology. He wondered why he was feeling so altruistic today. That girl really did rub off on him.
He got off the bench to go apologize, but she was nowhere in sight.
---
She stared mournfully inside the bookstore. It was locked and closed, the disheveled heaps of books and shelves thrown without another thought. She got depressed staring at the trash sprayed around street corners, the gray paint peeling off the buildings, and the roads full of ditches. She recalled the days where this had been a bustling district with newly opened restaurants and clean parks.
'Why does this always happen to me, just when things were starting to look up?'
Then her stomach rumbled. Sighing embarrassedly, she was glad no one was there to hear it. She was wrong.
"Why the bitter face?" Her eyes shined in surprise at the familiar voice.
"Fuji-kun?" She blinked at the smile from time immemorial.
"Hungry? I know a good ice cream stand not too far from here."
"No, that's okay. Thanks for the offer," she frowned suspiciously. 'What is he doing here? Was he stalking me?' She shuffled by him, taking long strides.
"Where are you going?" He asked curiously from behind.
"Home," she lied.
"Do you mind if I come with you?"
'Yes.'
"No, of course not." As he caught up hear her, she feigned a smile. She was surprised at how easy acting came to her nowadays. Crossdressing had its benefits after all.
"Fuji-kun, can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Why do you smile all the time? Hasn't Yuuta ever told you it's annoying?"
'Insensitive, insensitive-''But it's the truth!"
"Why do I smile?" He sauntered closer to her pondering eyes. "Because smiles spread more smiles. If you don't have a smile, I'll give you one of mine." Her lips curved. "My turn then. How about this: do you really hate your brother?"
"Yes." It was one of the most painful honest answers Kin ever gave. Fuji's smile faded.
"Why?"
"Because he makes my life miserable. If I was an only child, my life would be so much easier."
"I see. So he makes your life difficult, huh?"
"Among many reasons, yes. However, I love him a lot more. He's affected me more than anyone else in my life- indirectly without even realizing. He was the iron wall at every end, hampering my efforts. He set the bar, and I never reached it. Because of this, I'm the person you see before you. If he wasn't my brother, I suppose I'd just be another teenage girl."
"What's wrong with that?" She glared at him and realized he was joking.
"You know me. I like feeling special."
"Like becoming the vice-captain of Ginka's tennis team?" Her jaw dropped, and she gaped at him in astonishment.
"Never tell my brother that. Did Yuuta tell you?"
He sat down next to her. "Maybe." Now she was starting to get annoyed at that smile. It kept people guessing.
"So anyways, my turn. What's your favorite hobby?"
"Isn't it obvious? Pestering Yuuta, of course."
"Seriously."
"Well, in freshmen year, I tried fervently to get Tezuka to smile- in vain, of course. During junior year, I traveled to every corner of the earth discovering new species of cacti-"
"FUJI!"
"Saa, I'd have to say photography."
"Not tennis?"
"I love the thrill, but I'm not as challenged."
"So you're not properly challenged in tennis, is that it? Come on, what do you do in tennis practice everyday if you're not playing my brother?"
"Unlike you, it's not as easy for me to get into it." His tone was curious, insinuating. She saw a curious flicker in his clear blue eyes. 'What was that? Jealousy?'
"Geez, I wish I was you. Geniuses have life so easy." Although she knew she was being untrue, he didn't dissuade her opinion.
"I guess people are never satisfied with what they have. There will always be someone better than you at anything and everything you do. It's one of the paradoxes of life that never fails to hold true."
"I'm sure you would know this very well," she replied sarcastically, smiling slyly.
"Better than you might think."
As she turned around to face Fuji, she realized that he was already at a vendor stand.
"Two ice cream cones, please," he ordered. "Oi, Tezuka-san, what flavor do you want?"
"Eh? Wait," she ran up beside him. "I'm perfectly fine, you shouldn't hav-" She waved her hands frenziedly, but when Fuji stuck a vanilla ice cream cone in her mouth, she melted as she drooled in utter contentment.
Hastily, she licked like a cat and then bit the last few bites until the crumbs disappeared.
"Ah, good food makes the world all better," she smiled, licking her fingers. Fuji laughed and took a bite. 'It's so easy to please her.'
"I'll buy you another one. What flavor?"
"I don't need you babying me. I can buy ice cream just fine by myself," she stuck out her tongue at him teasingly. "Chocolate mint ice cream, please."
As they sat on a nearby bench savoring each lick of the ice cream, she folded her legs in and glanced up at the sky.
"Still not finished yet? I don't get you. You devour the first cone in seconds and you've barely touched the second one," Fuji observed.
"Well, I like to savor each yen of my ice cream."
"I see. So my money doesn't count for anything. Only your own, neh?" She blushed slightly, shoving him lightly.
"Fuji-san?"
"Hm?"
"Thank you for picking me up. I guess I owe you one. Tell Yuuta that... I'm sorry, okay?"
"Anything for a friend. In return, you have to answer one question truthfully."
"What?" Her curiosity piqued, she looked at him suspiciously. Was she really this interesting or was he just playing with her?
"If you could have one deepest desire fulfilled, what would you wish for?" A glint of surprise shown in her cerulean eyes. Her tongue paused as she brought the cone to lap. A drizzle of melted cream splattered on her knee.
"World peace," she replied happily. He looked at her incredulously.
"All right, all right. I don't know. I've never thought about it, I guess." She stared down at her cone. Suddenly, she wasn't so hungry anymore.
"I'd wish for more wishes. Isn't that the smart thing to do?"
She could feel his steady presence next to her, waiting for a response. Still, as the silence grew more profound, she said nothing, like as if all words had been robbed from her tongue.
Kin stared at those smile-plastered lips and remembered Yumiko's cherry-lipped smile and Yuuta's wry frown. She blinked hesitantly at his impeccable mask that fooled everyone.
Except for Kin.
'What a hypocrite.'
---At Night---
Fuji's fingers fumbled around the telephone coils as he waited.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
"Tezuka Kunimitsu."
"Mah, it's me."
Fuji could hear crickets chirping from the other side.
"How did it go?"
"It could have gone better if it was you talking to her, not me."
"I've tried, but she's been avoiding me ever since the prefecturals started," he replied nonchalantly without a hint of concern.
"For good reason too, considering how you're ashamed of being related with her."
"Don't be ridiculous," Tezuka rebutted.
"You're the one who's being ridiculous. She's obviously suffering from child neglect. Say, Tezuka, have you ever taken her out to ice cream?"
"Once or twice, maybe. What does this have to do with anything?"
"What's her favorite flavor then?" There came a slight hesitation.
"Strawberry chocolate."
"Wrong. It's chocolate mint."
"Well, then she changed it. I fail to see how-"
"This isn't like you, Tezuka. Not like you at all. Tennis and school are important, given, but are so is family. You can't dissuade the rest of your life because of Echizen, or the Nationals-"
"I don't need you to lecture me on my family." Fuji knew that he couldn't stay calm if they kept on talking. As the line went slack, Fuji slammed the phone down and sauntered off to bed.
As he climbed into the clean sheets Yumiko had dried earlier, he recalled his conversation with Kin.
"Only one wish?"
"Ah, only one." Her face was unreadable. He could see the blocks of chocolate floating slowly in melted mint. She held a solemn smile as she threw the cone away, wiping her hands.
"Well then, I'd wish for love."
Eh... Well, I suppose it was okay. Fuji was hard to keep IC. Here's a little crack-filled tag:
-What Happened That Night-
Fuji Yuuta was taking a periodic restroom break in the middle of the night. As he passed his brother's door, he heard a strange voice inside. 'It's probably nothing. Just the wind.' But as he climbed into bed, the noise became more profound and annoying. Deciding that his brother was trying to rid him of his sleep (of course, the Kantou finals were coming up) he creaked the door open a centimeter and tip-toed in.
Seeing nothing amiss, he always found it strange that Syusuke wore a beauty mask to cover his face every night. That constant smiling must have caught up to him so it was natural for him to worry about premature aging. As he tilted over his bed, he noticed something very disturbing: two crystal blue eyes stared back at him.
He had to clamp his mouth shut before he would die of horror. 'Aniki sleeps with his eyes open?!' Eyebrows twitching, he crashed into his desk and a few photos wafted onto the ground. Picking them up hastily, he shoved them back on and scurried to the door. Halfway outside, his mind began to process what he saw.
'WTF? NO BLOODY MURDER WAY!'
Walking backwards, he took a closer look at the photos lightened by moonlight. His jaw clanked on the ground. In each picture, there stood his brother (no surprise) deviously smiling with a girl next to him. It wasn't any girl. Nope, it just happened to his girlfriend.
"Kin-chan..." A whisper pierced the night. "So you like ice cream, hm?" It took a moment to realize that his voice was not his own. It came from the bed next to him.
Kin was glowing in each picture, cheerful and carefree. There were snapshots of them playing tennis, sharing jokes, being herself. His fingers fumbled over them as they dropped to the ground like a feather.
"ANIKI, YOU--- YOU GIRLFRIEND STEALER!"
Then he mildly collapsed onto the heap of photos. Another picture floated on top of his nose and settled there silently. It showed two friends sharing the same ice cream cone.
And hence, Fuji Syusuke received some hypocritical family issues of his own...
To Floriculture (because I like it better than Chocolate Cosmos):
MysticLegend11's list of princes:
1. Kirihara Akaya
2. Yukimura Seiichi
3. Fuji Syuusuke
4. Mizuki Hajime
MysticLegend11's list of anarchists:
1. Atobe Keigo
2. Kabaji Munehiro
3. And all those Gary-Stues out there…
My huggable little clubs:
1. Ginka (Surprising, neh?)
2. Rikkaidai Fuzoku
3. Higa
4. Shitenhouji
WHY DO YOU HATE AKUTSU? He is, I hate to admit, one of the only original characters in PoT. Unfortunate, but true. He's the only one who actually has proper flaws and personality (BEYOND saying mada mada dane.)
This chapter was the longest one yet because I had written two original drafts and combined them when I couldn't settle with either one. School's started too, so I'll try to update, but don't expect much, 'kay?