Hey! Sorry for the late update - I was having exams. :S And a very big thank you to all who reviewed! You made my day! As for the pairing, we'll just see how it goes, okay?
Anyway, just a quick note to warn you that Atobe is a little out-of-character in this chapter - and the ending of the chapter was a constant source of dissatisfaction for both shirlynn and I. But I shouldn't be taking up your time rambling on like this. Ja, read on!
Chapter 15
"We're here."
Maika looked around at the tennis court that Tezuka had brought her to. She had suggested using Atobe's one, since there were so many courts that he wouldn't miss one being occupied, but Tezuka had just muttered something about not showing any weakness and brought her here. Where ever this was.
"So what do we do first?" She asked him, swinging her racquet playfully about. "Do we – "
"10 laps around the court." Tezuka replied.
She froze, her racquet in midair. "What did you say?"
"Run ten laps around the court." Tezuka repeated patiently.
A suspicious look crossed her eyes. "Are you trying to punish me for something I did which annoyed you? 'Cause I don't remember being too irritating yesterday."
He snorted. "If I had wanted to punish you, I'd have made you run fifty laps. And that wouldn't even cover it. This is for warm-up."
"Warm-up?!" She could hardly believe her ears.
"Now. Or do you want twenty?"
She was off before he even finished his sentence.
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"What a wonderful warm-up," She gasped out, still managing to inject a little edge of sarcasm into her voice despite being all out of breath. "Now can I rest?"
Tezuka looked at her as if she was crazy. "Don't be silly. We've only just started."
"Started?!!"
"50 swings now!"
"...maybe I should just have stuck with Atobe."
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Atobe was bored. There was no denying it.
He drummed his fingers idly on the table, gazing out at the flower-infested gardens his mother so loved. Thinking of flowers made him think of girls, which inevitably led him to Maika.
He groaned. Not again...
Perhaps if he went and took a drive around, it might help get his mind off things. Besides providing some kind of entertainment... He brightened.
"Chauffeur!"
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"I feel so dead..." She groaned. Who knew that Tezuka Kunimitsu was such a slave driver?
She checked her watch, and groaned again. Only fifteen minutes and already she was sweating like a pig. If this kept up any longer, she probably wouldn't even be able to make it back home.
"Mou, Tezuka, can't I rest?" She pouted slightly.
"Not if you want to improve," He told her.
"YES! FINALLY!" She immediately made her way to the nearest bench and plonked herself down on it.
Tezuka raised an eyebrow. "You don't want to improve?"
"Not right now, I don't," She agreed amiably. "Come on and sit, Tezuka."
He eyed the bench quizzically.
"You know, a little rest can't hurt you," She patted the spot next to her. "Sit!"
Against his better judgment, he sat.
And immediately regretted it as he was rewarded with a pat on the head. "Good doggie!"
"..."
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Atobe sat in the air-conditioned limousine, smiling slightly as the scenery passed slowly. While not exactly how he pictured himself spending the day, at least it provided some diversion to thinking about a certain brown-eyed girl...
He immediately lost his train of thought as he suddenly caught sight of two familiar-looking figures.
The word was out of his mouth before you could say 'Jacknife'.
"Stop!"
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"How 'bout we go down to the street courts to play for awhile?" Momo suggested, stuffing the remains of his burger into his mouth.
Eiji frowned for a moment. "Nya, I haven't done my homework yet..."
"...but who cares? Let's go!"
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"Nya, Fujiko, let's go play at the courts!"
"Eiji?" The tensai's questioning voice came out of the receiver end of the phone, which Eiji had put on loudspeaker.
"No, it's Barney." Ryoma rolled his eyes. "Could you just say yes before Kikumaru-sempai starts yelling – "
"Hey!" Eiji took the phone away, making a face at the freshman. "Mou, Fujiko..."
A silvery laugh was heard. "Hai, hai, I'm coming. Which courts?"
"Anou..." Eiji thought for a moment. "How about those near that newly-opened restaurant?"
"Sure!"
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"I thought you said there wouldn't be anybody here, Kikumaru-sempai!" Momo complained loudly.
"Well, I thought there wouldn't – " Eiji stopped abruptly in the middle of his sentence, and without any explanation, simply dragged them all into the nearest bush.
"What the - !"
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"Did you hear something?" Maika asked Tezuka, her head cocked to one side.
Tezuka shook his head negatively, and they continued practising.
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Inside the bush, an emergency meeting was going on.
"Kikumaru-sempai!" Momo said indignantly. "What do you think you're doing, pulling us all into the - !"
Surprisingly enough, it was Ryoma's hand which clapped over his mouth and muffled him.
"Echizen?!" Momo spluttered. "Get your hand off – "
"That's Tezuka-buchou." Ryoma hissed.
There was immediate silence.
"Ahhh..." Momo finally saw the light and was just about to drag them all out of here before they got laps when Eiji emitted a surprised squeak.
All heads turned to him.
"Is that – is that Maika-chan?!"
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Atobe got out of the car, torn between an infantile desire to stomp up to them and demand what they were doing at a street court with each other and the knowledge that if he threw a temper tantrum in public, he'd never be able to live it down.
So what was he to do? He mulled it over in his head for a moment, making sure that he was well-hidden behind a conveniently tall tree.
Maybe he could pretend to have been walking through the area and – oh, right... Atobe Keigo NEVER walks.
Why was he doing this again?
A voice penetrated his consciousness.
"... improve... forehand drive..."
Tezuka.
Oh, right.
Tezuka
And Maika.
He shook his head. No, not compatible! Simply not compatible!
Stay cool. He took a deep breath. Stay calm. Atobe Keigo is calm, cool, composed...
Peering around the tree trunk, he saw Tezuka adjusting Maika's grip for her.
He's touching her! He's holding her hand!
Calm and composed flew out of the window in an instant.
"FOUL!!!!!!!!!!!"
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Maika looked up, startled by the sudden shout. Who on earth shouted "Foul!" at a tennis court, anyway?
The figure which came striding towards them was very familiar, and definitely unexpected.
"Atobe?!!"
He did not even bother to address her, turning straight to Tezuka instead.
"Tezuka, I would have expected you of all people to at least play fair! You know you shouldn't be taking advantage of the situation here." He sounded almost petulant, blissfully ignoring the fact that he had done exactly the same thing barely twenty-four hours ago.
Tezuka blinked.
Atobe did not seem perturbed by the lack of response. "It's really unfair, seeing as how I have parental supervision all the time and you don't and – and – ARGHH!! Tezuka! JUST STOP HOLDING HER HAND ALREADY!!"
"Huh?"
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The regulars looked on in amazement as Atobe Keigo barged into the scene, creating what could only be described as mild chaos.
"Atobe-san's trying to steal Maika-chan away from Tezuka!" Momo reported, horrified. "We have to help buchou!"
"But – " Oishi began to protest.
"Saa," Every head immediately swiveled around to face Fuji.
"That looks like fun."
It only took an answering grin from Eiji, and the threesome on the courts was officially doomed.
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"Eiji! Fuji! You mustn't!"
Fuji gave Oishi a who-me-I'm-completely-innocent kind of smile - the kind of smile which usually made everybody within ten feet of him start backing away. "Don't worry, Oishi. Besides, we have to help Tezuka as much as he can. He is our buchou, after all..."
"But – "
"Would you leave a friend in distress?"
"But – "
"Would you leave Tezuka to fight this battle," Fuji paused for dramatic effect. "...alone?"
"But – "
"It's true, Oishi-sempai," Momo sighed. "You don't know how it is to find the girl of your dreams... and then – poof! She's snatched from under your nose!"
Taka-san patted him awkwardly.
"But – " Oishi closed his mouth, then opened it again. "Atobe-san – "
"Che, I don't care what happens to Monkey King." Ryoma finished the last of his Ponta and got to his feet. "Although perhaps you could give him my salutations."
Fuji quite accurately interpreted it as a kick in the ass, and grinned from ear to ear. After all, what good was it having nice, strong leg muscles when you didn't use it from time to time?
Seigaku's pride had to be upheld, after all. It was just the question of technique.
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Maika was thoroughly fed up. Not only had she absolutely no idea what was going on, Atobe's appearance had disrupted her tennis practice. Not that she actually minded it, but now that there was nothing to concentrate on, she had suddenly realised that she was really, really hungry. Ravenous would probably be a better word for it.
She looked at the two arguing boys (well, Atobe was doing most of the talking, but hey, who's counting?) in the midst of the... Seigaku regulars?! Since when did they get here? Well, who cares? She could have been sitting down to a delicious, mouth-watering dinner at home by now, but no, she had to be stuck here watching these madmen fight or do whatever they were currently occupied in doing.
It was enough to make her blow her top.
"STOP IT NOW!"
Everyone stopped and stared at her.
"Atobe Keigo!" In the deafening silence that followed, her shout held more than just a hint of a threat.
He reluctantly disengaged himself from the crowd, expecting the worst. "Yes?"
"Where's your limo?"
"Huh?" He hadn't seen that one coming.
"Where's your limo?" Maika repeated impatiently. She narrowed her eyes at him. "You did come in one, didn't you?"
He blinked at her once. "Yes... it's over there."
She looked over and saw the familiar black limousine. "Could I borrow it for awhile?"
He was too busy gaping at the sudden randomness of it all to answer.
"Ja, see you! Have fun arguing!" She was halfway to the limo before he realised that she was going to leave him stranded here with all these people with no means of transportation back home and...
"Maika! Come back here! NOW!"
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Atobe slammed the car door behind him, panting slightly. Thank God for his tennis reflexes, or he'd never have made it in time - no thanks to Maika.
He made a face at her. "Limousine thief!"
"Who, me?" She fluttered her eyelashes at him. "What did I do?"
"That makes you look seductive, not innocent." He told her, half-laughing at the sudden scandalized look that appeared on her face.
"Oh, fine," She huffed. Then her mind turned to other more important matters. "What were you and Tezuka arguing about anyway?"
His cheeks took on a faint pinkish tinge. "Nothing important..."
She raised an eyebrow. "Well, obviously important enough for you to have just destroyed your reputation – among the Seigaku regulars, at least."
He gave her a blank look.
"Your reputation...?" She repeated, waving a hand in front of his face. "Unless you go about randomly bursting out from nowhere and getting into a violent argument in public all the time?"
His eyes widened. "Oh, crap!"
"Yes, crap," She agreed pleasantly. "Would you like a glass of champagne to celebrate your voluntary destruction of your own public image?"
"Shut. Up."
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So how was it? Review, ne?