Hello anybody reading this! Um, so... I'm late in posting, and this chapter is quite short, but I promise that I do have an explanation. Last Thursday I had to go to the doctor with my mom, so that day was out already, but I stayed at my mom's house all weekend, and so could not type. Also, my doctor is freaking out, as usual, so I have to be more careful than ever, and my parents are making me rest a lot. So sorry, I promise that the next chapter with be better! Gomennasai!
Sakimi1014- Wahh... That one was short, and this one is worse! Gomene!
Meino Nanako- Why?! -Cries- I was so happy to be able to make it for you! -Gets over it.- Oh well, it was good for the story, so I really don't mind.
Yaelifivefour- Yay! Rain! Rain is great, ne? I really think that Gakuto's power could be really cool if he learned to control it, but, nya...
Blufox- Yes, Sengoku does. Was there ever any doubt? X-)
Shimizu Miki- First, about Wakato. I would gladly take your suggestion, but the truth is not that I'm hiding it from you, it's that there is really no way to tell what Wakato would have been, because when he 'awoke' he had Takahisa's wings. I'm honestly not keeping the information from you, it is just impossible to prove one way or another. If you can think of some kind of test to determine it, I will gladly make him a tanuki in the story. (I'm honestly surprised that I didn't make anyone one in the story. I love them...) Also, feel free to rant to me about anything you want, I listen (Or read I suppose) rather well! I'm sorry your family stinks... You should get all of your friends addicted to anime, and then have them storm your house. That's more or less what I did. Good friends can make up for a crappy family, if they're loyal enough and listen to (And CARE about) what you have to say. As for Yuushi, wouldn't it be great if everyone in the world could show that amount of devotion to those they love? Actually, I think that my dream guy is a lot like Yuushi -Reads what she just typed and dies.- -Revives herself, to post the chapter.- As for the whole 'Youhei' 'Kouhei' thing... WOW! What a typo! Thank you SO much for mentioning it! It's all supposed to be Kouhei! I'm so sorry!!! Haha... Yeah, I really messed up, ne? '
Vierblith- Well, to answer your questions on birthdays, Yukimura's is on March 5th, and Sanada's is May 21st . Oh my Jell-o! That's tomorrow!! If you want to know any other birthdays, just ask, I have a list!
RaiPheonix015- Brutality! Yay!! Alas, I have a friend who is rather squeamish, and she has asked me to not kill Ayame in such a way. No worries, however, for he shall suffer, only in a different way. Nefufufu... I love MomoRyo, by the way, almost as much as TezuFuji, but not quite. By the way, I love how you describe Dirty Pair as 'constantly needing to be close to each other'. I never thought about it that way, but you are most certainly right. And, yes, as long as they are together, I believe everything will be fine. Oh! And happy birthday! For this chapter is the first half of your birthday! My birthday is on New years eve, so I see it a lot in textbooks, and yell 'It's my birthday!' and then we change papers and I'm sad because I got no presents and no one even said happy birthday to me. -Sigh.- I love Sengoku as well, by the way. I love writing about him, because it always flows. He reminds me of someone I care about very much (who used to be a real pervert...) so whenever I write about Sengoku, I have to smile. The Kouhei questions: 1) If Kouhei could hear Sengoku's every thought, he would probably show off his legs more, and pray that Sengoku just jump him already. -X)- 2) I agree entirely. 3) Me neither... But it may take a while. -Sigh.- I have other things to do first. Also, please feel free to love each chapter as much as you like!
KiriharaAkaya- As for Gakuto's shadows, I'm not sure that they are evil. You do have to remember that Gakuto was having a nightmare at the time. I personally think that they were lashing out, thinking that they were protecting Gakuto. In essence, Gakuto does control them, but in his unconscious state, they might as well have minds of their own. It was Yuushi's right hand, by the way, because he was reaching out instinctively with his dominant hand. That is dealt with in this chapter. About your... -Ahem-... reading mistake... 0.o ... Yeah... Oh, and thank you very much, I'll be waiting to see the pictures!
Disclaimer- I do not own Prince of Tennis
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"Hey, Ayame, what is that? A wing?" Fuji's attention was immediately alerted, and he turned to the group of boys, all looking at the necklace Ayame held in his hand. Light glinted off of the silver wing, and Fuji's eyes flashed on their own. Fuji was nearly trembling with rage, but said nothing for the moment. He continued to watch.
"Oh, this?" Ayame smiled, but Fuji saw something else in the boy's eyes. "It's nothing."
"... It's mine," Fuji said in an anger whisper. He knew by Ayame's smirk that he had heard him. "You--!"
"Fuji." Fuji turned, knowing that he had almost lost it, still angry, to the soft, melodic voice that had spoken.
"Tezuka..." Fuji said, not daring to speak his first name around so many people.
"Love," Kunimitsu said it without hesitation, and Fuji knew that the buchou was using his power to shield his voice from their hearing. "Don't overreact."
"Overreact?" Fuji scoffed. Kunimitsu gave him a hard look, and dropped his power. Fuji was about to turn back to Ayame, but Kunimitsu's voice cut through him.
"Fuji, ten laps at afternoon practice."
Fuji turned, flabbergasted, though he tried to keep it off his face. He felt like crying, as well. How could Kunimitsu not do anything, when they both could clearly tell that the necklace in Ayame's hands was Fuji's?
His head down, Fuji brushed past Kunimitsu. "Excuse me, Eiji," was all he said, as the mentioned acrobatics player moved out of his way. Fuji walked right out into the rain.
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"What happened to your hand, Oshitari-senpai?" Choutarou asked, looking shocked. Yuushi glanced down at his bandaged right hand, where the shadows had first hit him the night before. He smiled slightly at the junior.
"It's nothing, just a scratch," he lied, glad, for once, that it was raining hard enough that practice had been cancelled. Atobe asking him all sorts of unnecessary questions about why his playing was not as efficient as usual was the last thing that Yuushi needed right now. He was more worried about Gakuto, and how they were going to deal with this newest obstacle. He wanted, even more so now, to find some way to get his parents to listen to him, and let him room with Gakuto. The only problem that that they never listened to him, never had.
Perhaps that wasn't true. It was a fact that they had been proud of him when he was younger; their genius son. He wasn't entirely sure where he went wrong, actually. He had always played the part of the perfect son, even when he wanted to retaliate, until recently, he had not. He was always polite, and was smart and talented. Yuushi also knew that he was 'easy on the eyes', so he could not figure out what exactly it was about him that made his parents despise him so.
He wished, more then anything, that they would listen to him, for Gakuto's sake, if not his own. Yuushi could live without their love, their respect, their pride. He could get by without all of that, he had done it before, he had lived without anyone to lean on, before Gakuto. Gakuto...
Yuushi looked around. Where was Gakuto anyway?
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Kunimitsu stood stunned for a moment. Then he realized, much slower than he normally would, that Fuji was out in the rain, with no umbrella, and, knowing the other boy as he did, the tensai would probably be standing somewhere in a daze, possibly crying over Kunimitsu's harsh words. The buchou felt immediately ashamed, but he knew that what he said was necessary. It was better for Fuji to be angry with him than for the tensai to get into a fight.
"Pardon me," Kunimitsu could barely hear his own voice as he headed towards the door. People parted for him, giving him curious looks.
The rain fell in lazy but consistent drops, and Kunimitsu felt like he was drenched before he had even gotten fifty yards from the locker rooms. Ignoring that fact, he looked around, trying to discern which way the tensai had gone. Sighing, the buchou removed his glasses, know that with the rain they would be more in his way then anything. It wasn't as if he needed them anymore anyway.
A ways away he saw a cherry blossom tree, nearly bare in the late season, and knew, just knew, that that was where Fuji would be. Where his tensai would be.
Kunimitsu approached on silent feet, careful not to let Fuji hear him. The last thing he needed was for Fuji to run off into the rain. His hands shivered as they moved to remove the necklace that hung around his neck, and the buchou was careful to hold back his sigh as the familiar cold of the metal was moved away from his skin. Reaching out, hearing Fuji's intake of breath, he slipped the necklace around the tensai's own neck, and then wrapped his arms around the lithe figure.
He felt Fuji try to move away, but he held the other boy firmly in his grasp, and put his lips to Fuji's ear. It was early, he knew, and with the rain no one would be around. He had not heard anyone follow him out, so he felt no qualms about holding the tensai close, especially when he felt the racking sobs Fuji was trying his hardest to hold back.
"Love, please, don't be upset," Kunimitsu whispered, "I'm just as angry as you are, I promise." Kunimitsu let his words sink in for a moment, the rain and Fuji's uneven breathing the only sounds in his ears. "I'll get your necklace back for you. Please, just wear mine for now, and I'll take care of everything. If you fight with Seikaku, you won't get anywhere but in trouble. Shusuke, Love, I'll get it, and no one will ever have to know what happened. I'll keep him from bothering you."
Fuji mumbled something so quietly that even Kunimitsu's sharp ears couldn't pick it up. "What was that, Shuu?"
"I said..." Fuji sounded very annoyed, and wouldn't even look at the buchou, "... I'm not worried about me. I'm more worried about you."
"Me?" Kunimitsu could normally follow the tensai's train of thought, but this time, Fuji had lost him.
"I'm more worried that he won't leave you alone," Fuji answered, "It's obvious that he's still after you. He has no other reason to bother me."
"Don't worry about me, Love," Kunimitsu smiled, "It doesn't matter if he's after me or not. I don't care."
"I do," Fuji said firmly. Clearly this really bothered the tensai.
"Alright, then I'll take care of that as well," Kunimitsu promised, he turned the tensai around and captured his lips with his own.
Pulling back, Kunimitsu gave him a soft smile, the tensai smiled back, eyes red, but the tears having stopped. "Shusuke..."
"Yes?"
"You should skip first period, I think." The tensai laughed.
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'Kuso.' Gakuto was in a bad situation, and he knew it. A really bad position.
'Kuso.'
The young man, another senior, and a large one at that, standing across from him had just told him that he had feelings for him.
And by the look Gakuto saw in the behemoth's eyes, it wasn't an innocent kind of feeling.
Gakuto tried to move backwards, only to remember that the person before him had trapped him against a wall. This happened to him a lot. People at Hyotei were normally all action, and, for someone as small as Gakuto, this was a real problem. Where was Yuushi? Gakuto really needed him now, because any moment...
"Gakuto..." The Godzilla-like figure in front of him leaned in, trying to kiss Gakuto hard and sloppily. Gakuto grunted and tried to move away, but was held firmly against the wall by the bulk of the other senior's body.
Cramming his eyes closed, Gakuto tried then to twist away, as he had before n situations like this. When this failed, he tried to knee the ogre-boy in the groin, but his knee collided instead with an athletic cup. Gakuto mentally cursed, and then took a sharp breath.
That monstrosity was touching him. In the place he had only ever let Yuushi touch him.
Not knowing really what was happened, Gakuto's vision went black, and something inside of him broke, letting loose a rampant force he had unconsciously been keeping at bay.
And then the shadows were there.
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"Gakuto?" Yuushi called out ahead of him as he rounded the corner. What he saw made him momentarily freeze in his tracks.
Gakuto was sitting with his back against a wall, his knees up against his chest, crying. Yuushi's feet were moving before his mind could, and he didn't notice the unconscious body in front of his doubles partner until he nearly tripped over it. He looked from the body to Gakuto and back again.
"Gaku..?" Yuushi asked, but swept the smaller boy into his arms all the same.
"I didn't mean to," Gakuto said softly, still sobbing silently now and then. "I only wanted him to go away, because he... Touched me... And the shadows..."
"It's alright, Lover," Yuushi soothed softly, trying to keep his anger at the unconscious man to himself. "It's not your fault."
"Yes it is," Gakuto insisted, his voice quiet but firm. "I let them get at him like that, encouraged them to engulf him until he was out cold... I enjoyed it, Yuushi."
"Then why are you crying?" Yuushi asked, not believing that Gakuto enjoyed seeing someone else in pain for an instant.
"... I can't help it," Gakuto answered after a moment, and a new wave of sobs came over him. Yuushi's eyes softened and half closed as his arms tightened around his doubles partner.
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Akaya was really starting to get annoyed. And worried. Well, mostly annoyed.
He hadn't seen Marui since lunch, and it was now almost time for afternoon practice. It was strange to begin with that Marui wasn't on time for tennis practice, which was one of the few things the dog-boy put his full effort into, but it was even stranger that Akaya didn't know where he was.
Apparently, Sanada-Fukubuchou was surprised as well, when his eyes widened that fraction of a millimeter when Akaya had admitted to not having seen Marui yet. It made Akaya kind of mad for some reason. It wasn't like he was the older boy's keeper or anything, or like he had to know where Marui was all the time.
And the most annoying part of it all was that he wanted to be able to know where Marui was at all times. That was just stupid though, wasn't it?! And possessive...
Glowering the entire time, Akaya started up the stairs where he could normally fins Marui hanging out.
He froze.
There was Marui, no, Ikasu, by the looks of those eyes, as they turned, shocked, to see Akaya standing there, as he still held that girl's face in his hands, and face that had been dangerously close to Ikasu's.
Like they were about to kiss.
Or perhaps just had.
Akaya felt the tears, but turned before he let Ikasu see them. Or the girl. That stupid girl.
"Wait...!" Akaya heard Ikasu call after him, but didn't turn. Instead, he began to run blindly, his feet moving him faithfully through the halls and out of the school.
People, his teammates, fan girls, teachers, they all tried to stop him, but he didn't stop. He couldn't stop. He ran and ran like he hadn't ever in his life.
Blurry eyes registered that he had arrived at the Trivial Property, and he raced inside, and up to his room, closing the door and locking it behind him.