A/N: Hello, minna-san! OMG, 7 chapters had passed already. I hope you'll enjoy this one also. And for Hotaru's slipping cold mask, sorry about that, she's so fun to write when she slips up. But I am trying to do it whenever she's alone only.
As for Atobe, sorry for writing him with short POVs, it's really hard to write a match, you know? Oh, and then, the party is Thursday. Last chapter's setting is Monday(?), Fudomine and Hyotei's game is Wednesday. And then the finals is on Friday. So after practice, Atobe is going to pick up Hotaru.
Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.
Atobe raised his hands and put his middle and second fingers between his brows and spread his fingers on both cheeks like a mask, "Insight," he said. "I can see your openings. Get ready to be defeated, Tachibana!"
Tachibana moved faster than return Atobe's shot. Atobe flinched then narrowed his eyes. He returned the ball with graceful, but with force swing. They've been rallying for the last an hour or so. The two tied up because no one wants to lose, even the score is 2-2 and Atobe need to win really bad. He needs this to beat Tezuka and show him that Hyotei grow stronger even more than the last time they had a match. A serious match, that is.
The two continue to rally, both breathing heavily. I'm losing consciousness, he thought. He returned the ball and when he thought that Tachibana's going for a volley, he lob instead. As the ball cross over the net, years of training slowly took over Atobe. He halted with his right foot, turn a bit, ran a faster, then return the ball. Or he tried to. Before he could even see what happened, he lost the little strength he have.
"Atobe!" the Hyotei regulars run to see their captain sprawled in the tennis court. Only Echizen could do this to him, they thought, remembering the nationals almost three years ago. They loomed on him worriedly. Oshitari raised Atobe's left arm as he crouched to put it in his shoulder.
"Shishido, get the other arm," he commanded the guy next to him.
"Hai," he did as he told to. They lead their unconscious captain in the bench. "Get a water ready," Oshitari told Gakuto. "Get a towel, pour water in it and give it to me."
The regulars are not listening as the referee called out who wins. Suddenly, hundreds of Hyotei members roared in joyous streak, jumping and screaming, and crying. Then it struck the regulars. Their captain wins the game. With an unshed tears, they smiled against each other.
"Look out for him when he wakes up," the navy haired guy walked up to the Fudomine. He bowed to them, "Thank you for the match." He turned and walk away but freeze when Tachibana called him.
"Your captain is a monster," the other guy said, smiling.
Oshitari return his smile, "Yes, he is."
The said monster blinked his eyes as he came out from being disoriented. "W-who won?" he asked, he feels like choking up.
When nobody answered him, he tried to focus his eyes to whoever is in front of him. "W.. did..did we won?" he asked Gakuto, as the shorter guy tried to wipe the cold towel on Atobe's face.
He smiled, "We don't want you to kill yourself for beating up other guys. Your effort and dedication is what we all need.
"That didn't answer my question," he asked sharply. His eyes are burning with... something fierce?
Someone smack him in the back, "Yes, we won, dummy captain." Oshitari pushed his eyeglass up.
"Ahahahaha," he laughed suddenly. So loud that most of them sweat-dropped, "Be owed at the sight of my prowess." He put both of his hands in his hips and laugh. And laugh. And laugh.
Oshitari smacked him again, "What was that for!?"
Before the other guy answer, the referee called out for both teams. They lined up and bow. After straightening, they reached out their arms for a hands shake, "Thank you for a match!"
"What do you want?" the girl asked the man. Two weeks after the Kinomichi-Atobe engagement party.
"I saw how the way you look at the fiancée of Atobe Keigo," he answered. His voice is thick and eerie.
"And?" she said, raising a brow. If she doesn't have her bodyguard with her, she will cry of being scared. She tried to hide her shiver as the man in front of her lean forward until their face almost touch.
"And I want her fiancé to suffer," he answered. "you see, that boy's dad is the reason I am very 'poor' right now. Living in a scarce food and struggling of paying a rent. I want them to suffer both."
"I am not sure hat you are talking about," she started, "but I just want to get revenge on the girl. And to do that, I need to get her guy."
"You can give him to me after that," he said. "I could do all the dirty work for you, if you want to. You don't want this slim hands," he touched her hands that were setting in the table, "to get dirty, don't you?"
She retrieved her hands from his filthy one, "Of course not."
"Then I can help you with the girl," he said, a very sinister laugh broke out from his mouth. "but you need to pay me, of course."
Without any hesitation, she said, "How much? But before that, Report to me before you do anything stupid."
"Oh-ho. Okay," he smiled creepy, "36700 yen*. However, you can give it to me if I did the job right, if you want."
She squinted her eyes, then, "Deal. But if, and only if, you get the job done. Otherwise, I am not going to give you anything."
"You need to pay for my runaway vehicle, my costumes, and of course..my props," he said. "I need money to start."
She groaned, "Here it is," she opened er purse and give him the money. "About the first event..."
"Pass the juice! Pass the juice!" Yes, juice. Even though they are celebrating, for a minors like them, Atobe and team drink a very unworthy beverage.
They are in Atobe's mansion, surprisingly, his father is not home that day. Not that he's always home, but when Atobe's mom left them, his dad is trying to get closer to his only child. So he stays home in weekends, and try, yes, that word again, to go home early.
The impromptu party has different kind of food in the buffet, soda, fruit punch, juices, water, and so on. The big swimming pool is crowded with both girls and boy from Atobe's school. However, not the entire school is there, only the teams and the cheer-leaders.
The boys are on their trunks, the girls on their skimpy swimsuit. On one corner, a group of boys laugh together, same as the other corner. Girls and boys dance in the music, grinding each other with the fast beat of the sound coming from the big speaker. Atobe, who is observing, smile with happiness as he watch his people. Oshitari sat beside him, "Wipe that smirk on you face," he said.
Instead of getting pissed off, Atobe smiled wider as he turn to look at his friend. Kabaji sit on the other side of him. "You know, I'm just happy. Another day and we could beat up Seigaku."
Oshitari rolled his eyes, "Suuure. If you can."
He narrowed his eyes a little, "Are you questioning oresama's great prowess?"
"No."
"Then shut up." Oshitari shrugged.
"How's your little fiancée?" he asked after a pregnant pause.
"My what?" Atobe asked.
"Your fiancée..." he repeated. "or did you forgot about her already?"
"Ahhhhh," he prolonged the 'h', the image of a cold girl dawned at him, "No, I did not. And No, I don't know her welfare."
"You are unbelievable," Oshitari said, bewildered. "You haven't seen her since your engagement party?"
"No," he mumbled.
"That's..."
"That's what?"
"Idiocy?" he declared, unsure. When Atobe glared at him again, he cleared, "Because you are not making any effort to know her."
"What's to make an effort for?" he arrogantly said, "If she want to know me, she will hire an investigator." To stop all this stupid question, Atobe stood and went to the dance floor. As the music gets louder and faster, bodies to bodies are being grind together.
"This is not a party," Oshitari muttered to himself as he look at the heating dance floor, "this is an orgy."
Not known to them, a shadow of an investigator is carefully hidden in the rooftop, like a ninja on a mission. He took a picture of Atobe who is sandwich between two bimbos- I mean, fellow classmates. He anxiously fixed the camera for any flashes. He doesn't want any trouble if someone will see him.
On the other side of the house, another shadow was looming as he watched the event downstairs. "Have some fun, Atobe-kun, before you will suffer with great depression," he chuckled silently, didn't saw the other shadow who took his picture.
Hotaru entered her walk-in closet. She look through her gowns and kimonos. She remembered what happen in school...
"Hey, Hotaru-chan," Tanaka called her, "Are you coming to my parent's party?"
"Yes,"she answered, and that was it. The others do try to have a normal conversation with her, but if it's not a nod, or a shake, she is a certified one-liner, or is it one-worder? That doesn't sound right.
"We are going too," the others said.
"You need a partner though," Tanaka said, frowning. "My partner is oniisama."
"Shiro?" Murosaki frowned.
"No, baka," the shy girl said not too shyly, "my other brother."
"Ahh," she sigh in relief, "you don't call him niisan. I should have remembered."
"It's because you always get your feelings work before your head whenever Shiro-senpai is mentioned," Mizuki said.
"I could asked niisan to escort you if you want," Tanaka offered.
"No way," Murosaki turned down. "If ever he escort me, I want him to ask me himself."
"Or better yet, ask him yourself," Mafuyu injected.
"That's a great idea!" Mizuki clapped her hands. "let's plan it."
"That's never going to work," Murosaki said,"I don't have time to get ready."
"Then let's practice before my ride come, niisama will be there and you know that he always greet us before getting in the car."
"I. I don't know," she's freaked out. She knew she couldn't do it.
"Uhmm," Hotaru interrupted uncertainly, "What kind of dress should I wear?"
"Yes, I want to know that too," the other girls agreed.
"Well, you see," the shy girl hide her amusement behind her bangs, "The theme is traditional, so a kimono is highly recommended."
"Is that right?" Murosaki's voice is coated with a dangerous doubt.
"Yes," she smiled weakly, "and you really need to check on your invitations. The theme is always there."
They took their invitations out in a matter of second except for Hotaru. They saw the 'Traditional Theme' in the invitation. "Oh," the said together.
As she look through her kimonos, Hotaru took her phone out and texted Shiro, "Ask Murosaki-san for your partner tom." Her phone buzzed after a few seconds.
"?" it said.
"The girl has a huge crush on you, IDIOT!" she stared at the message. Erase, erase, she thought. "Just asked her out!"
"...Okay..." the message said.
"You owe me, Murosaki," she giggled.
A/N: Sorry for late update! This is it, chapter 8. I thought I can write the party here, but it doesn't look great so I decided to put it for the next chapter.
Please review and read. Thank you very much!
*Approximately $350.
Yay! Many Atobe POV.. and yeah, I wrote things about the antagonist too, so everyone understand what's happening. Irony, me! Irony! We know what will going to happen, but our protagonists doesn't know what strike them! Oh well, I think the 'poisonous plan' of those two is going to start on the party. We don't know, so seat back, read, and enjoy!
And sorry, it's so short! I will try to write longer for the next one.