The wonders of a paradox

Disclaimer: Konomi-sensei owns the Tenipuri characters. Aiba Hiroki belongs to himself, though I'd love to own him hehehehe.

Rating: PG or K+

Genre: Suspense, slight romance

Pairing: Implied Tezuka and Fuji

Warnings or notes: Possible anime spoilers, AU, OOC-ness.

Another awesome character in Tenipuri made his first appearance in my story now! Lol. By the way, do you think the time flow is too slow in this story? Oh, I am still keeping it a secret about Aiba-chan. Hehe, hope you enjoy the suspense and guessing.

Thanks, Johin for beta proof my story. :)

Kindly review if you have any opinion regarding my plot. Thanks!

: Ready… Go :

Chapter 5 – A forthcoming game

Rumors were spreading fast. In fact, it was spreading in a pace that outmatched any epidemic. Fuji could care less about what he learned, if not heard. As usual, the whispers spoke of him, and this time it was his decision to join the tennis club after months since his transfer.

"I overheard coach said Fuji-kun only joined now because of the upcoming ranking match."

"You mean to say he can skip all those early practices and just join the ranking matches whereas others have to suffer for a few first months?"

"I can't believe it. Fuji-kun is not like that…"

"What do you know? He's always smiling, but he may not be what he seems."

"Hey, watch it! He's kind and nice to everyone, unlike you."

And the conversations went on. To the sandy-haired boy, he really did not care much. After all, it was nothing new to him anymore. No matter where he went, there would be rumors surrounding him. Nevertheless, sometimes he just wished to be left alone.

Fuji waited for Kikumaru to grab his things before tennis practice that day. Chatting idly about everything and occasionally chuckling at each other's stories, they headed for the clubhouse. The ranking matches would be held next week. His redheaded friend was very thrilled and eager to have his name be included in the list of candidates. On the other hand, Fuji did not mind even if he somehow failed to make it. It was not as if he wanted to be in the team anyway.

Contrary to popular belief, he joined the club not because he wanted to be in among the regulars. His target was much higher than something so boring.

"Watch out!" A freshman had shouted at his teammate when a tennis ball speeded towards them. Tezuka jerked his head up in time to see Fuji raise his racket deftly avoiding a direct hit. Surprisingly, it was well aimed and landed into a basket along with the other balls. Several gasps were heard followed closely by murmurs of awe.

Tezuka narrowed his eyes while keeping his gaze at Fuji. Not once did he hear of the other brandishing such skill. He had become suspicious of Fuji when he saw how the tiny hands held the racket with a firm grip and the stance he bore whenever he was warming up. One with trained eyes could see that Fuji was, indeed, well versed in the sport. But, why had he kept it a secret until now? No one knew Fuji had such amazing skills. Even Kikumaru did not know Fuji played tennis before he joined the club!

True, ever since Fuji joined, they had somehow become friends. Granted, they were not really close to each other if compared to his own friendship with Oishi or Fuji's with Kikumaru. They would engage in small talk. Sometimes though it felt like Fuji could read his mind and their connection would ironically end there. It was down right creepy as if he were sharing his private thoughts with someone. How could anyone be so calm about it when you knew someone could read your mind that easily?

However, Tezuka never found the idea disturbing. If anything, he would like to have a friend that understood him without having to exchange words. From the first moment he had locked eyes with Fuji, the young pillar knew he was captivated. Having a match with a skilled opponent in tennis excited him, but solving a mystery like Fuji could be just as thrilling.

Tezuka was determined to find out more of the fragile looking boy.

"I think you two are alike in more ways than one," a deep voice startled Tezuka, and a soft laugh followed. A hand was placed on his shoulder. "You two will make good friends in the future," Yamato added with a knowing smile.

The younger pillar could only nod as a reply. Then, he turned to look at Fuji and found several people were surrounding the boy, asking him how he managed to hit so accurately. The petite boy's lips moved as he replied with a wide yet calculating smile.

"Maa… everyone could have done the same na?" Fuji said, in an overly sweet tone that subconsciously warned others not to question any further. Oh, sometimes he loved how he was able to manipulate his smiles, words, gestures, and tones to influence others. Ha, every single Fuji in his family could have done that easily; be that consciously or unconsciously.

When he finally noticed someone's gaze upon him only did he turn towards Tezuka's direction and offered a rare genuine smile. Standing there with their captain, the ever famous Tezuka Kunimitsu was Fuji's prey. He could feel the difference in him. The moment he crossed paths with him, Fuji knew that Tezuka was a challenge, a difficult maze to be explored, mapped and understood with treasure at the very end.

If only they realized, their names were registered in the list of a forthcoming game.

Atobe Keigo was sipping his drink gracefully while his left hand was flipping through a magazine in a lazy manner. An article caught his attention, and his eyes scanned through its entirety before he let a smirk off his handsome face. Today's headline: 'Disappearance of one-in-a-lifetime prodigy, Aiba Hiroki'.

: To be continued :