Hello anybody reading this! So, um... There is some OOCness from a few characters in this chapter. I'm sorry! Please forgive me! Anyway... Yeah, this chappie is longer than a lot of the others, but I request you not kill me for how it ends... Oh, and yeah, the last sentence is partly inspired by ChangeChildren, before anyone asks... I just couldn't think of a better way to say it...
Sakimi1014- Thank you! I'll update now!
AnimeFan06- Honestly, I think that the only problem those two really have troubles with their relationship is because they care a little too much (Something I previously did not think was possible) and they don't communicate. They just worry too much about worrying each other! -Laughs.- I hope your exam went well.
Meino Nanako- Terribly sorry to tell you, but I can not answer how he found out all of those things about Tezuka and Fuji. It will be answered in the next chapter, and I would hate to ruin it for you.
DarkDemonCat- Ryoma can see other people's dreams, like he did with Gakuto's, the first night with the shadows, but he can not enter them.
Okinneko- They're adorable aren't they? I hope they can remain together forever as well.
ShadowinRW- Hmm... A piano... I'll keep that in mind! And yes, he does (Not really, because how can you call that love? It's more like obsession!) love Tezuka, but he is also insane.
Rei2480- Alright then, do as you feel you must, just, please, do not be too hasty to set free those demons of yours!
Yoshikochan- Yes, they are talking again! Yay! Hmm... Wringing his neck would be a good way to bring him to his end too... My, the reviews for this story are getting quite violent! Ha!
Lucky.Syuusuke.Yukimura-
Darknesswithinthebush- Hahaha... Well, the two plots that you mentioned, the YuushiGaku part, with the shadows, and Tezuka's pains will be brought to rest eventually. Please note that 'brought to rest' does not imply that it will be a happy ending. It might be, but it might not be. It all depends on other deciding factors. And yes, I certainly agree, Ayame needs to die, and there is quite a mob poised to go after him.
Shimizu Miki- Tempting as it is to tell you, I can't tell you anything about the twins' relationships at this point. Please just trust me when I tell you that I now have a plan! Also, about Wakato's DNA, yes it changes every time. That is why it is so difficult to determine his real DNA, because it is constantly changing, whenever he touches another TPP. I can only think of one way to test it, but perhaps I will try it when I have space! XD!! The next few chapters will be very packed! Oh, and you caught another of my infamous typos... Well, I don't feel like fixing this one, but thank you for telling me!
ImmortalTigress- Shia-chan is very happy with the way that chapter turned out! It was really fun to write, but I'll be happier once I get to some other scenes that I really want to write still... Ah well, I'm glad that you enjoyed it.
Disclaimer- I do not own Prince of Tennis
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Ayame seethed. He could not believe this, not at all. He really thought that he had had figured it out this times, but it seemed that he wasn't getting anywhere. He had, however, learned one important thing, that he could now use. He really hadn't wanted to threaten Fuji with Tezuka's past. He really wouldn't have wanted to use the buchou's past against him, but he knew that sacrifices would have to be made, in order to save Tezuka from that evil tensai.
What he had learned, however, was that Fuji was... Protective of Tezuka, for whatever reason. Probably because if the facts about the Buchou's past got out, then Fuji couldn't use his influence around the school anymore. Surely, that was what Fuji was after.
Fuji glared at nothing and hit a hard return back to his warm up partner. His partner looked frightened at his angry attitude, but like the rest of them, he was too afraid to say anything. People, Ayame had long ago decided, were pathetic. Except for Tezuka-buchou. He was special. He was perfect.
Ayame smiled a bit to himself at that. Tezuka really was the only person who deserved to walk on this earth. So, Ayame knew that he had to go to greater lengths to protect the buchou's perfection, and to save him. He thought again about sacrifice, and the way that Fuji reacted when it was Tezuka he threatened.
With a new plan forming in his mind, though not one he was very pleased with, he hit another return, trying to figure out how he would get all of the things he would need to pull this off.
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Ryoma took a deep breath, and tried to relax. He couldn't, however, as something really didn't feel right. It felt like something bad was going to happen, and with every other bad thing that had either already happened, or was still happening, they really didn't need anything else.
Momo, perhaps having heard his intake of breath, looked at him curiously, but Ryoma just shook his head. The feeling was probably nothing anyway, and he didn't want to waste this precious alone-time with Momo by making his worry over nothing.
"The breeze feels nice, doesn't it?" Momo asked, his eyes closing as he smiled, laying back into the grass again. Ryoma remained propped up with his hands holding him up behind him, and smiled slightly.
"Yeah." The breeze really did feel nice, and it was surprisingly warm, despite the snow the day before. Ryoma closed his eyes as well for a moment, just enjoying where they were, the warmth, and the fact that Momo was laying there right beside him.
Ryoma was so content, that he didn't feel the extra presence until it was too late, and a soft pair of lips were pressed against his. Ryoma tried to pull back, but the lips moved back with him, and finally he was forced to push the figure off of him.
Ryoma opened his eyes in shock to see blonde hair and sparkling eyes. "Hey now," The American said, his Japanese almost perfect. "Did you have to be so harsh?"
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Despite the fact that everything seemed fine now, Kunimitsu worried for his tensai. He knew that there was more to it than Fuji was telling him, so when he got the phone call...
"I just have to step out for a bit, Love," Kunimitsu promised softly, kissing the tensai's hair without thinking, wrapping him into his arms. "I'll be back about an hour."
"Why can't I go with you?" Fuji asked, but he nuzzled up against Kunimitsu's chest anyway, melting into the embrace.
"It's just something for school," Kunimitsu lied easily and smiled down at Fuji's recently clingy nature. He understood the feeling of not wanting to be apart again, after the events of the day before. "Shusuke," he chuckled, "The sooner you let me go, the sooner I'll be back with you." The tensai looked back up at him, saw his smile, and released him.
"Please, Kunimitsu," Fuji said, smiling back, "Be careful?"
"Of course," Kunimitsu assured that he would, and held the other boy close to him once more before letting go. When he felt the separation of their bodies, something just didn't feel right. Why did he feel an impending sense of dread? "I love you, Shusuke," he said, "Please don't forget that."
"Ah," Fuji seemed to feel that separation as well, "You too, 'Mitsu. You too."
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Momo was not happy. Not at all.
First of all, he didn't like Kevin Smith to begin with, so watching the twelve-year-old practically all over his Ryoma bothered him twice as much as it would if it were anyone else. Then, there was the fact that Ryoma wasn't doing anything about it, which bothered Momo even more. Still, unable to do anything about without seeming overly possessive and making Ryoma mad at him, Momo just sat and fumed quietly while Ryoma and Kevin spoke.
"Yeah, me and the Griffeys are here for about a week," Kevin was explaining with a smile.
"Why?" Ryoma, as always, seemed uninterested, but asked anyway.
"Because of the weird weather and... Things," Kevin gave Ryoma a look that said something along the lines of 'I'd tell you if I could'.
"The Trivial Pulse?" Ryoma asked nonchalantly, as if he had expected this. Perhaps he had, with his mind reading powers.
"The what?" Kevin looked confused, so Ryoma sighed and slipped between forms, so that his wolf ears and tail were visible. "Holy crud..." Kevin covered his mouth, clearly surprised. "Here too?"
Momo and Ryoma looked at each other and laughed. Momo grinned, "You ain't seen nothin' yet."
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They were kissing passionately, but Akaya knew something wasn't right. Normally when they kissed, he could feel Ikasu just beneath Bunta's surface. He could sense him, and knew that Ikasu was watching them... Enjoying it? Yearning after what they had? Akaya no longer knew. He liked to think that Ikasu felt it too, that love that passed between their lips, because Akaya knew quite well that that love was meant just as much for Ikasu as it was for Bunta. Thinking about Ikasu now, Akaya whimpered slightly, and Bunta pulled back, comforting hands gripping his shoulders softly, yet firmly, and soft eyes looking at him with worry.
"I'm sorry," Akaya said, feeling pitiful even as he said it, and heard it in his quiet voice.
"It's okay," Bunta held him close, "I feel it to you know, his absence. More than you do, I'm sure."
"I know... Telling him I didn't want to see him anymore must have hurt, but..." Akaya said softly, and Bunta tightened his grip. "I didn't... Really want him to leave. I didn't want him to go... Away. I just wanted some space..."
"Shh, shh, I know, Akaya," Bunta tried to sooth him, and Akaya realized then that he was crying. He shook his head however, at the senior's comforts.
"I was just upset," Akaya whispered. He hadn't talked to Bunta about this since it had happened, but knew that now was the time to come clean. About his feelings, about his theories about Ikasu, and about what exactly he had meant by pushing Ikasu away. "I was upset because I had never... Been kissed quite like that, not even by you. Your kisses always show me how you feel, and I love your kisses, but something in Ikasu's... I could just feel something there that I don't feel with you. I mean... Bunta... I-I..." Akaya took a deep breath, "I don't just 'like' you, I love you. I do." Akaya gave him a look, as if daring him to make fun of him, or laugh of his feelings.
""I love you too, Aka-chan," Bunta whispered, holding him even closer to him. Akaya nodded.
"I know," he said, "That's what I'm talking about. When you kiss me, I can feel that you love me. I feel that love. When Ikasu kissed me, I felt that... Love... But I felt something else there too."
"Lust?"
"No, that's in your kiss too, it's something else..."
"I think I know," Bunta said softly, not wanting to break the low volume level they had set for their conversation. "It's hopelessness. Ikasu thinks that because of me, he can never have you." Bunta smiled kindly at his little love, "Do you want to talk to him?"
"I do, I really do," Akaya answered in a breathy whisper. "But Bunta... You're not upset?"
"Me?" Bunta's smile widened, "No, not at all! Ikasu is part of me, so I'm glad that you love him. I'm glad that he loves you." Akaya looked at him, his chinchilla-brown eyes softly asking 'Do you mean that?'. "Yeah, I do," Bunta answered the unasked question. "Ikasu is a part of me. That cockiness and competitive side of me... I don't feel that part there any more. I still play to win, but that major, nearly obsessive drive is gone. It's kind of like half of me just decided to become someone else. They became Ikasu. Every part of me has been... Split. He got half of my anger, my sadness, my vain side, my insecure side, my happiness... And my passion." Bunta kissed Akaya's hair softly. "I know that he is my other half, and I feel that I'm a better person now because of it. I don't think that I'd want to go back to how I was."
Akaya was surprised at how serious Bunta was acting over this, but he smiled nonetheless. Bunta was just too sweet that way. So was Ikasu. They always seemed to put him first, even when they were explaining things about themselves, they were so careful not to hurt him. Perhaps that was why it had stung so bad when Ikasu had pulled away like that. When he apologized for kissing him. Because Akaya knew that what he was really doing was apologizing for loving him. And that really hurt.
"Do you want to talk to him?" Bunta asked again. This time, Akaya answered with a nod. Bunta smiled softly. "I'll force him out, then. I don't know how long I can keep him out, but I'll try. I love you Akaya."
"Ah, love you too."
And then he was staring into too icy, crystalline eyes.
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Ryoma was annoyed at the way Momo was acting. Kevin had kissed him, and there Momo sat, just like nothing was wrong! Normally, Ryoma wouldn't have cared about something like this, but he could help but wish, right then, that Momo would be a little possessive. He wished that Momo would have just kissed him hard right after, to show Kevin that he was his.
That would have been a great first kiss. There was no way he was going to count that lip crashing that the Kevin had given him. It wasn't like he had kissed him back anyway. That had been the first (and only, as far as Ryoma was concerned) that Kevin had kissed him, but Ryoma hadn't kissed back, meaning that, by his logic, he still hadn't had his first kiss.
It was all Momo's fault, of course, for taking so long. Ryoma didn't know what (and he refused to read Momo's mind to find out) the other boy was waiting for, but Ryoma was quickly growing tired of this. Still, he would wait, because he wanted Momo to kiss him first.
So, Ryoma fumed in silence, positive that even Kevin, who would not stop prattling hadn't noticed. The fact that the Trivial Pulse had spread so far was pretty amazing though. Very interesting in fact, and no doubt would interest Inui as well, if he and Kaido ever left their room long enough for Ryoma to tell them. Apparently, the day before had had snow falling all over the northern hemisphere, not just in Japan. And it had brought a new wave with it. Kevin and the Griffeys, apparently, had changed the day before, and had come to Japan because it was there that the strange weather was most concentrated. Ryoma wouldn't have known all of this otherwise, seeing as no one in the mansion really watched the news, but it certainly explained some of the strange thoughts he had heard in school that day.
"So, it really is going on, all the way over here..." Kevin said softly, looking around at the lounge room full of half-animal boys. The boys he spoke of turned to him, some seeming interested, and others bored, but all stared once they saw his tail, his ears and the black markings on his face, coming in a straight line down his forehead, past the inside of his eyes, and then curving out to the sides. His eyes were a dark blackish-brown, and Ryoma could tell even without haring his thoughts that the other twelve year old was nervous about walking around like this, despite boy Ryoma's and Momo's reassurances that it was fine.
"Sugoi!" Kikumaru's easily recognizable voice rang out, and the aforementioned senior tackle-glomped Kevin. "Nya! What are you?" Eiji moved back to admire the marks on Kevin's face.
"Texas Ocelot," Kevin answered in English, not sure how to saw it in Japanese, one of his eyebrow raising, as he clearly thought Kikumaru was crazy.
"Tech Sauce oh-say-rot?" Eiji looked confused, probably wondering 'Why would I say 'rot'?' or perhaps 'What's 'Tech Sauce'? Is it yummy?'. When Ryoma checked, it was the second one. He had to smile, and tried not to laugh at his senpai's confusion.
"Eiji, he's talking about Texas, the state in America, not tech sauce," Oishi, reliable as ever, came to his koibito's rescue before he could ask the humiliatingly naive question in his mind. "And an Ocelot is a type of wild cat. Texas Ocelot's are endangered."
"Oh!" Eiji seemed to understand, and laughed, hugging Kevin once more, "Sorry!" He let the pre-teen go, laughing as Kevin threatened to call animal control on him. Eiji tail just wagged, and Ryoma grabbed Momo's hand, pulling him out of the room with him, now that Kevin was preoccupied.
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"Ikasu...?" Akaya said, feeling tentative now, even though he had said that he wanted to see Ikasu. He did. He needed to.
"...Kid..." That chilled, soft voice spoke, eyes of nearly transparent blue looked sad. "I didn't mean to come out here. I'm sorry. I know you don--"
"Don't finish that sentence," Akaya warned, "If you do, I'll never forgive you." It was a lie, of course. He doubted he could ever 'not forgive him'. "I want to see you. I'm sorry. I was upset before."
"I'm sorry," Ikasu said, and explained when Akaya glared at him, "No, I mean that I'm sorry for making you upset."
"You should be," Akaya said, frowning. "It really hurt. It hurt when you kissed me like that, and then apologized." Akaya felt a twinge of it again, and flinched a bit at the memory.
"I'm sorry," Ikasu repeated.
"Hnn... I'm sorry too," Akaya said, and Ikasu looked confused. "When you kissed me, even if you pulled away... I should have just done this..." He leaned forward and captured Ikasu's lips with his own. He let his tongue delve into Ikasu's surprised mouth, and waited as Ikasu slowly began to kiss him back. He came up for air several minutes later. "I... Love you, Ikasu," he confessed, breathing hard from their kiss.
"You... What?" Ikasu looked confused and slightly horrified. "What about Bunta?"
"Bunta knows," Akaya said. "I love him too. I love you both. You're the same, but different. He is part of you, and you are part of him. He agrees."
"Hey, Kid, I... This can't be right. You're Bunta's... I..." Ikasu seemed to be unable to form words.
"If you don't care about me that way, I will understand," Akaya said, not wanting to pressure Ikasu into anything.
"No, that's not it, it has nothing to do with..." Ikasu did not want to upset him again. "The way I feel."
'Ikasu?'
"Hnn?" Ikasu said it out loud, before he realized that Akaya hadn't been speaking.
'Can you hear me? Yes or no?'
'Yes,' Ikasu tried to answer the voice in his head, just to see if it was really there. Funny, but the voice sounded a lot like... 'Bunta!'
'Yeah, it's me,' Ikasu could almost see his smile. 'I think I've figured it out, or something. Whatever it was that kept us separate before, I can hear you now. I can even hear Akaya.'
'Is... What he's saying true?' Ikasu had to ask, even if it there was the possibility the answer would hurt him.
'Yes,' Bunta answered. 'Can you really deny that we're two halves of the same person?'
'I... I don't know.' Ikasu answered. 'I wasn't around before. I don't remember how you were before.'
'How we were,' Bunta corrected, 'But that doesn't matter. Trust me. Trust Akaya.'
"Ikasu?" Akaya brought Ikasu back to the world of reality as if on cue. Ikasu smiled for the first time in a while, and leaned in to kiss Akaya again. And this time, it felt really good to reciprocate.
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"Talk to me," Ryoma demanded of Momo, looking his teammate in the eye.
"I have been talking to you," Momo protested.
"No, you haven't," Ryoma argued, "Not since Kevin came."
"You mean not since Kevin kissed you," Momo practically hissed. Ryoma did his best to hide the fact that Momo's jealousy pleased him.
"So you admit that you haven't been talking to me," Ryoma said coolly.
'Darn it all!' Momo's mind roared. Why had he been so ill-fated as to fall for someone with such a literal mind? "You let him kiss you!" Momo accused.
"I pushed him away," Ryoma defended himself. "You didn't do anything all that time he was all over me!" Ryoma was getting angry, and was well aware that if he let his emotions get out of hand, his power could cause problems and possibly even hurt one or the both of them.
So, he took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. It wasn't easy, especially as Momo looked just as peeved sitting across from him. The kitsune-boy grumbled, "I just can't believe that someone else got to be your first kiss..."
"That wasn't my first kiss," Ryoma said flatly, and Momo looked at him, confused and horrified at the thought. "Of course I've been kissed before," Ryoma rolled his eyes, "None of the regulars can say otherwise, can they? There are crazy fan girls all over the place. Don't tell me none of them as ever forced themselves on you and kissed you when they confess." Ryoma looked very annoyed at this. "But none of them could have been my first kiss either. My first kiss will be someone that I kiss, of my own free will."
"Your own will then?" Momo smiled slightly.
"Ah," Ryoma answered, "I'm just waiting for you."
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry then," Momo smiled teasingly, "To make you wait."
For once, Momo didn't care about making things perfect for this. It suddenly didn't matter. Ryoma wanted to kiss him, and that was what mattered. He slowly, pressed his lips to the freshman's, and smiled.
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Fuji was nervous, and didn't know why. Kunimitsu had called the house to say that because of how late it had gotten, he had decided to stay at his parents house for the evening, since it was closer to where he was. It made sense, even if Fuji would have rathered he just flew home, late or not. Still, his nervous feeling had nothing to do with being alone. He just had this terrible feel of dread that something bad was going to happen, or perhaps had happened, to Kunimitsu.
Which was foolish, right? Because Kunimitsu himself had called the mansion and told Ryuzaki that he was staying at his parents. Perhaps it was just the fact that Fuji hadn't talked to Kunimitsu himself that bothered the tensai. Yes, perhaps that was it.
His cell phone rang. At nine thirty in the evening, when everyone who knew his phone number either was in the house with him, or would have no reason to call him this late. Unless something bad had happened. He picked up the phone before the end of the first ring, held his breath, and listened to the voice on the other end.
"Do you know where your buchou is?"