disclaimer: i lay claim to nothing but the plot


Chain Reaction

He leaned back in his seat, letting his head fall bonelessly backwards, eyes closed. With an arm slung across the back of his chair, Niou Masaharu was the perfect picture of ease and indifference, as always. And as always, it annoyed his teacher no end.

"Niou. Question five!" the teacher barked at the audacious boy who had started humming a most irritating tune not quite under his breath. Question five was an exceptionally mind-boggling one and judging by the way Harada sensei was staring daggers at the silver-haired nonchalance there was no doubt that the latter would suffer a most painful death if he failed to provide a proper answer. All eyes turned almost eagerly to the reclining boy; it would be nice if some misfortune befell the Trickster for a change.

"15. 45. 227. Reject 60, 56 and 130," Niou drawled as he started rocking his chair, legs grating against the ground. He grinned as a unanimous hiss of annoyance arose from his not-so-friendly classmates; Niou Masaharau did so enjoy getting on their nerves. He could hardly help it if he was so talented at both Maths and driving people out of their minds.

"Get out of my class!" Harada sensei had turned a livid hue and appeared to be on the verge of a heart attack.

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Niou got to his feet and casually made his way to the door. "Sure thing, sensei," he purred, wide smirk splashed across his face as he slid the door open. An amused chuckle escaped him as Harada sensei threw a well-aimed hardcover textbook at his head; his tennis-trained reflexes were the only thing that kept him safe from the threatening volume. As he slid the door close once again, Niou could hear a huge ruckus starting up in the homeroom.

As always.

It had become a routine for him, and for them.

Niou drew a hand languidly through his hair; routine was good. It was good for things to follow a set routine, to happen as they always did, so that the Trickster would know exactly how to respond and react. So that he could put on a good and entertaining show which of course could be taken either way by his audience; most hated it though. He was a natural performer, but even the best performers needed to rest. Niou was no exception, and this place was the perfect place for him to remove his mask for a breather. The corridors were quiet, dead quiet, and deserted during classes. He would not be disturbed here; it was the one place, the only place in school that he was truly safe. He could be himself here and be safe.

As a result, he would always find ways to get the teachers to send him out of class whenever he needed to think, or to just let Niou Masaharu take over. Except that he had started doing it more and more often these few days. He wondered why. But then, he already knew the answer to the answer. Niou grimaced; it was painful, when you already knew the answer to the one problem you could not solve, yet could not do anything about it. Niou sank his head against the wall and closed his eyes cursing under his breath.

Yagyuu.

"Damn you, Yagyuu Hiroshi," he hissed. "Damn you."

He did not like how pained he sounded. How… needy.

Yagyuu.

Contrary to popular belief, Niou Masaharu, resident Trickster of the Rikkaidai Fuzoku tennis club and devil incarnate overall, knew that love was much more than just a four-lettered word; had known it ever since the bespectacled Gentleman first beat him at tennis. It started off as no more than an infatuation when he first set eyes on the other boy, but as time went by, it… festered. It was not a good word to use, but it was the only word that Niou could think to use to describe what had transpired in the few months following Yagyuu's acceptance into the tennis club. Instead of going away, the infatuation had worsened, eating at the Trickster, breaking him. And when he finally lost all his concentration in the game against Yagyuu resulting in an overwhelming defeat, he knew that he had fallen deep and hard for the beautiful boy.

Fallen… in love.

The chuckle that escaped Niou was a wry one.

For the first time in his life, the Trickster was ensnared thoroughly in a game of his own making. For the first time, the Trickster lost at his own game.

Therefore, when Niou Masaharu finally gathered enough courage to admit defeat and confess his feelings to the ever-enigmatic Gentleman a year ago, he knew exactly what he was getting himself into. Well, at least he thought he knew what he was getting himself into. The humiliation, the pain, the suffering… he had expected all these, but he had never dreamed, never dared to, of Yagyuu Hiroshi returning that love.

Not that the other boy ever did.

Niou let out a ragged breath.

What they shared was something in between. There was no doubt that Yagyuu harboured feelings of affection for him too; Niou could see it whenever Yagyuu looked at him out of the corner of his eyes when he thought he was not looking, could feel it in his touch when they were together. But Niou knew better than to assume that the other boy loved him back. Being with the Gentleman had taught him never to make assumptions.

So he had lived for a year, never once taking the liberty to assume that Yagyuu ever returned his love. It had been a good way to live, a long-term affair with no strings attached. But lately, things had changed. For the worse, it seemed.

Niou slammed a fist into the wall in frustration.

Yagyuu…

An all-too-familiar warmth trailed its way down the Trickster's face and Niou did nothing to stop it. Through his blurred vision, he watched clear drops of tears fall to the ground with silent thuds that were too loud for his ears.

"Yagyuu…" he whispered barely above the quiet.

The fact was that he was no longer merely in love with the boy. He now lived on his presence, depended on him for life. He started to shake, with the need for Yagyuu Hiroshi, for his look, his scent, his voice, his touch, his… presence; the intoxicating presence of Yagyuu Hiroshi was a drug he was addicted to, and every second he was away from Yagyuu was hell. He ached with the need; it was so intense. He could not remember when it started, but by the time he found out it was too late. There was no stopping it, and there was no buffer for him. He just kept falling.

He could no longer stand the thought of Yagyuu ignoring him, of Yagyuu not needing him, not loving him; the good old life was gone.

Therefore the past few days had been living hell for him. Watching Yagyuu worrying about people other than him made his stomach burn with pure jealousy. Yes, jealousy. Yagyuu was his, and he was not about to share him with anyone else. So he had done everything he could to get Yagyuu to notice himself again. Including the hateful deed he did to Sanada and Yanagi.

Anything, anything, to get Yagyuu to notice him, to be aware of him once again. Even if it meant hurting his friends.

"I'm so tired of waiting for you to see me, Hiroshi… so tired… of needing you… when you don't care at all," Niou said softly as he crumpled to the ground. Drawing his knees to his chest, he stayed in the foetal position for a long while.

Yagyuu Hiroshi.

Then the bell rang and the Trickster was ready for the stage again, mask firmly in place.


Marui did not know how to react when Yanagi broke the news to him. It was too sudden and Marui was not prepared. So he had stood there, a silly grin plastered to his face, as he listened to Yanagi talking to Jackal without actually registering a single word. He must have said something stupid because Jackal looked at him the way he always did when he was very very worried about him.

Anything that Marui did to make Jackal worry was stupid and so, Marui must be extremely stupid in that sense because everything he did was a cause of worry for Jackal.

Marui buried his face in his arms.

He did not know how he felt, except that it was something that he had gradually grown used to. There was no anger involved, though it seemed that way to anyone present. Marui had learnt to live without anger a long time ago; there was no need for anger when you had someone like Jackal. It was something else. Something that had been tugging at him, gnawing at him for a while now.

Somehow, in the recesses of his mind, Marui knew that he had expected this. Since a long time ago.

"Marui?" Soft footsteps that were not Jackal's were coming in his direction.

"Go away, Niou. I want to be alone," Marui whispered, voice quivering. He hugged his legs nearer to himself.

"You've been by yourself long enough. Stop moping and come out." He could hear the sneer in Niou's voice. He could also hear the concern that was expertly masked by the other boy's indifference. "Sanada's going to make you run laps if you insist on missing practice like this; he said so just now."

"Go away. I don't want to talk to you right now."

"Okay." Silence ensued but there was sign that Niou Masaharu was leaving. It stretched out between them for what seemed like eternity. "You know Yanagi didn't mean any harm right? He's just doing his job. He can't help it if the Kantou games are coming up and the team needs only the strongest players…"

Niou sounded almost embarrassed.

Marui whimpered; his body had started shaking uncontrollably. He squeezed his eyes tight as he curled himself up even more. He would not cry. Not when Niou Masaharu was right outside waiting.

"Ne. You know, Marui, it's not just you. I… Che. Yagyuu, he…" Niou's voice was strangely low. It sounded as if he was near tears himself, but Marui could not be sure because the walls were too thick. He felt a strange desire to laugh; it was funny in a twisted way how the two of them were always crying around each other. It was the same the last time, and the time before and before. He had lost count of the times they were together, shedding secret tears that no one else knew about.

"You want to come in? You sound like a wreck yourself." Marui reached to open the broom cupboard, earning a startled gasp from the silver-haired boy who had previously been leaning on its door.

"No. I sneaked off during practice. They… Yagyuu's probably looking for me now." If he still cared enough. Niou stared at a single speck on his shoe intently, carefully avoiding looking at Marui. He was afraid of seeing how broken he felt reflected in the other boy's eyes.

Marui exhaled shakily. "It's always like this, isn't it? It's always like this when we're together." He started to trace circles in the dust. "We're always sad and broken when we're together." His voice was barely above a whisper but it sounded deafening in the silent room. Then his finger brushed against something that caught the light. Something silver.

He picked it up.

"I think it's yours, Niou." Marui held up the single strand delicately for the other boy to see.

Niou looked up from his shoe and saw the hair Marui was holding between his fingers. Uncalled-for memories washed over his consciousness. Memories which no one knew about, locked away in that broom cupboard.

"Not mine, Marui. Ours," he said softly as he leaned kiss the redhead on the forehead, plucking the silver strand from him.

As he leaned into the kiss, Marui knew that something was horribly wrong. He should not be doing this when he already had Jackal. If Niou chose to be unfaithful to Hiroshi, it was none of his business. It definitely did not justify his actions. Not that he was trying to find excuses for himself; there was no excuse for what he was doing right now, or what he had done before. But he needed Niou, just as Niou needed him.

It was never love, or even lust. It was never that.

It was a need to know that he could exist without Jackal, that he was still himself without Jackal. And Niou was the only one who understood it perfectly.

He loved Jackal with all of himself. So much so that it came to a point when he could no longer function without the quiet boy. It was as if his whole life depended on Jackal's very presence. Every moment they were away Marui found it hard to breathe, hard to concentrate, no matter how much sugar he consumed. Like a fish out of water, he would be left struggling helplessly until Jackal was with him and he could live again.

But Jackal.

"He's so far from me, Niou. It feels as if he's a world apart even when he's holding me to himself. Even when we move together on court it's as if he has a pace of his own. A pace I can never match." Marui buried his face in the crook of Niou's neck. "He's so far away."

Jackal was too good for him.

He did not need Marui the way he needed Jackal; Jackal was himself even without Marui. He was independent, a presence that could sustain itself even without Marui; he had no need to depend on Marui the way Marui was dependent on him. And Marui was afraid. Afraid of losing Jackal, afraid that one day would come when everything would be over between them. Because then Jackal; would move on while he was left behind in the black hole of despair. If there was anything that petrified Marui to death, it was this.

The inevitable emptiness that would consume him when Jackal was gone.

"Niou, I'm scared," Marui sobbed into the other boy's shoulder. Scared hardly started describing what he was feeling right now, but it did not matter, Niou understood.

"I know." Slender finger were shaking as they ran through scarlet silken hair.

"Trust me, I know."

The strand of silver flittered into the dust and lay there, forgotten.


"You alright Jackal?"

The defence specialist gave a little start at Yanagi's voice; he had not heard the other boy approaching. But given the state of mind he was in, he probably would not have noticed even if the sky fell on him. "I'm fine. Just a little surprised," he said carefully as he averted his eyes from the Master.

Yanagi nodded. "It was all for the best. I would have let Marui stay on if I could, but we can't afford to lose even one game. I hope you understand." His voice was low. If it had been anyone else, Jackal would have thought he sounded apologetic, remorseful even. But this was Yanagi Renji.

"I understand perfectly, Renji. I just hope Marui doesn't take it too hard," he replied, picking at a seam in his shirt. "He always takes things too hard on himself."

"It's nothing personal."

"I know, Renji."

"Thank you."

They fell silent then, both waiting for the other to continue.

"How's Akaya? Have you two… talked?" Jackal ventured, frowning at a stain that he had not noticed before on his shirt. He felt Yanagi tense beside him and he cringed inwardly; he had never been able to handle awkward situations well. He rubbed at the stain intently.

"He's fine. He's making progress…" Yanagi started.

"You know that's not what I mean, Renji." Jackal slowly looked up at the taller boy. "Akaya hasn't been himself lately, and neither have you. It's obvious that there's some sort of misunderstanding going on and it's even more obvious that neither of you is doing anything about it. Is it okay with you?"

Yanagi looked away.

"Is it okay to let a silly misunderstanding come between the two of you?"

Barely open eyes focused on a certain green-eyed junior who was flying across the court in the distance. Jackal laid a hand on Yanagi's arm. He was starting to say something when Yagyuu came up to them.

"Has anyone seen Niou? I can't seem to find him anywhere." Jackal was surprised to see Yagyuu's brows knitted uncharacteristically together. "Sanada will make him run laps if he doesn't come back soon."

"Correction. There's a 94.56 percent chance that he will make all of us run laps if we continue standing around any longer," Yanagi intoned as Sanada stormed towards them.

The fukubuchou seemed to be in an exceptionally foul mood.

"The percentage just rose to 99.45." Yanagi's face twitched a little.

Needless to say the regulars were soon back on court before their fuming fukubuchou could reach them and practice resumed as per normal.

Tennis was tennis after all; their hearts would have to wait.


A/N: It's finally out! Niou and Marui were a pain to write, though I do so love them. Akaya's out of the picture again, but it's necessary to leave him out a little longer cos I need to start making links... lolx. This is going to be one long fic if I ever made it to the end. Hehz. Lalala. Drawing links, making the plot move... nyah! So much to do, so much to write, so little time... Haha. But am so enjoying myself. And school's ending in a week's time! Then it's one whole month worth of holidays! Write on, write on!

Ok... that was the hyper other-me talking. Shall ignore her for the time being. Life's great, but my most loved characters are not doing well. So angsty... I try to keep them in character, but please forgive me if there should be any ooc-ness; it's all merely for dramatic purposes. Nyah. Did I ever mention that for physical education, my class is doing thetennis right now? Gosh does it hurt! My arm is paralysed for the whole week after every lesson. As a matter of fact, my arm is still aching from last tuesday's lesson. Imagine what our beloved Tenipuri have to go through... But I digress. I shall sign off now and go for my well-deserved sleep!