Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction ❯ ◄:� S A K U N O Chronicles �:► ❯ Small World ( Chapter 4 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: Still hindi akin.

â™¥ A P A T â™¥

Tezuka wondered how he got roped into this. He was minding his own business, on his way home from checking out some new bait that the fishing store carried. Contrary to popular belief, he actually knew where the mall was and even shopped here with his parents every once in a while. Not that he would go around letting random people or even any of his teammates know about it though.

Eiji proclaimed it lucky that he passed by, Fuji spotting him right off the bat. How Fuji still manages to have perfect eyesight despite his eyes being closed more than half of the time eluded him. Tezuka didn't have any choice but to join his teammates, schoolmate and friend of Sakuno while they waited for her.

Why they all had to wait for her together, he didn't know.

Inui was probably taking this chance to gather more data. That man tries his best not to get anything past him and Tezuka suspected that hardly anything ever does get past him.

Oishi is here because Eiji called him and well… he's Oishi. Oishi wouldn't be Oishi if he didn't look out for every kitten, puppy and pony within the fifty mile radius of anything belonging to Seigaku.

Momo is friends with the Tachibana girl, so of course he was going to wait with her. A real man never abandons a girl in need. And Momo is nothing but a real gentleman. That's why a lot of people liked him.

Eiji is flitting and running circles around them because his outing with Momo was postponed. “We were going to play some DDR but now I no longer feel like it,” was what he said. Despite his cheer, you can tell that he was concerned for their coach's granddaughter.

Fuji was staying because he was concerned about the little girl whom he seemed to have taken under his wing. Hm…

Tezuka stayed because he decided he was going to stay. He also cared about what happens to Sakuno, even if no one else would guess from his unreadable facial expressions, but Kikumaru's possible scenarios were starting to make his head hurt.

Perhaps if he tried hard enough, he could block out Eiji's incessant chatter.

“Nyah minna, look at this!” Kikumaru said as he tried to walk the edge of the fountain on his hands.

Or not.

“Eiji, be careful, you might fall in!” Worry was evident in Oishi's face as he was holding Kikumaru's shirt up, since it fell to pool at his arms, blocking his vision.

“Aaaah!” Kikumaru screamed as he lost his balance.

“Eiji!”

“Kikumaru-senpai!”

“Hehe, just kidding nyah!” He righted himself, gaining his balance. “As if I'm really going to fall into the fountain, Oishi.” He rolled his eyes.

Oishi looked like he wanted to bang his head against the nearest wall. Ann and Tomoka clapped involuntarily with the other spectators, impressed by Eiji's balance.

Tezuka bit the inside of his cheek from keeping against barking out orders for his team to do laps, his nerves were stretched near its limit, but if not for Kikumaru's antics, the group would be hip-deep in worry about now, especially since it's starting to get dark outside.

All of them with cellphones, at one point or another, tried to contact Sakuno and failed.

Inui declared that the girl most probably has her cellphone off and it only increased their worry. They thought about calling her family to inform them of it, but thought it best to keep it to themselves for now.

“There's no use worrying Ryuzaki-sensei until we know for sure what happened,” Tezuka's voice of reason convinced them.

Momo suggested that they do a search for her, and Tezuka dispersed the group into pairs of two - Inui with Momo, Oishi with Eiji, him with Fuji - to scout the mall while Osakada and Tachibana stayed at the fountain to wait, just in case Sakuno came.

They didn't find any sign of Sakuno, thirty minutes later, but Tachibana's little sister took the time to call reinforcements, which arrived in the form of one Kamio Akira and Ann's brother, Tachibana Kippei.

The two of them had to cancel their plans for a movie and some popcorn after Ann explained the situation to them. Who knew Tachibana-buchou was susceptible to younger sibling blackmail?

Since both their captains were there, Momo and Kamio settled on glaring at each other over the top of Ann's and Tomoka's heads quietly, with occasional heated words exchanged.

At least someone looks like he's having fun. Tezuka thought as he glanced at Inui, who was scribbling away on one of his newly bought data books, muttering “Ii data” every once in a while.

“Isn't this a bit large for a little girl's entourage?” Tachibana was in the same position Tezuka was, doing an imitation of a telephone pole with his arms crossed across his chest, and he didn't even look at Tezuka when he asked the question.

“Perhaps,” Tezuka allowed, as if he was going to admit anything out loud. What would become of his image if he was easy to bait? “Don't you have somewhere else to go, Fuji?” Why was Fuji at the mall - okay, his preppy clothes probably originated here - but he didn't carry any bags when he herded Tezuka to the little meeting.

“I was on my way to see something when I spotted Eiji and Oishi.” Fuji didn't elaborate.

“And I don't feel like going to the arcade anymore,” Eiji volunteered. “Neither does Momo, but I think it's because he found a new date.”

“I'm not on a date, Kikumaru-senpai! How can I be on a date when there are others with us?”

“It's called a group date, Momo-chin!”

“My fish don't need to be fed until later tonight,” Oishi said - his bag of fish food was on the floor.

Scribble. Scribble. “I thought it would be a good time to gather data.” Scribble.

Tezuka silently thanked the fact that his mother had stopped accompanying him to buy clothes ever since he made it as the buchou. He shuddered to think what the tennis data man would be writing about him if he ever saw him shopping with his mom.

The afternoon went by in a blur. A group of teenagers hanging out at the mall wasn't a rare sight, so no one really paid them any attention when Kikumaru behaved himself and prattled about anything and everything under the sun.

The two captains exchanged polite thoughts, Fuji giving his opinion on their conversation once in a while. Oishi would even join them in between looking out after Eiji like a worried mama to her young, diffuse anything heated exchanged between Momo and Kamio, and hover over the girls, assuring them that everything was alright.

And Inui… well, he was busy gathering data as usual.

This continued like a well-oiled machine until Kikumaru jabbed an accusatory finger at Inui's direction. “Inui, you lied to us!” He looked upset, “You said she would be here any minute now and it's almost dark, yet she's still not here!”

“Actually, Eiji-senpai, I think the sun set already,” Momo said, looking at the clock worriedly. “It's past six now.”

Inui frowned at his green notebook. Why did the data fail him?

“I'm sure it was just a slight miscalculation.” Oishi was worried, but he tried not to show it.

“How many times do I have to tell you, Kamio? Ann and I aren't on a date!” Frustrated hands pulled on his spiked hair. “And if we were, what difference does it make anyway? Her brother is here and even he doesn't seem to mind, so why are you breathing down my neck?”

“Because I don't trust you. You're too familiar with Ann-chan.”

“Gah! Whatever, we're not dating and that's the end of the story, okay?”

Momoshiro and Kamio can argue about the same topic for several hours. Inui wrote on his notebook.

“I have my eye on you.”

“Ooooh, I'm so scared!” Momo taunted. “And I also have my eye on - hey, Echizen!” Momo waved at someone behind Kamio.

“Is it The-Seigaku-Tennis-Club-Goes-To-The-Mall Day or something?” Kamio thought how only that dual-personality guy and that snake guy were the only ones missing and Seigaku would have its entire Boys' Tennis Club at the mall right now.

Ryoma paused as someone called out his name, then looked like a cornered cat when he realized who it was. “Momo-senpai?” Instincts were telling him to run away as fast as he could and go home, but he saw several other senpai and “Buchou?” Did someone forget to tell him the tennis club had an outing?

“Echizen,” Tezuka, Fuji, Inui and Oishi greeted.

“Ochibi! Nyah is that really you? Yay, kochi, kochi! You can stay with us while we wait for Ryuzaki-chan!” Kikumaru glomped the younger boy, almost buckling him with his weight.

Atobe Keigo was bored. He never shopped in these kinds of malls, only commoners did and the great Atobe Keigo was no ordinary commoner. So what was he doing here, you ask? Well, the answer is simple - he was performing an act of public service to the masses. The masses didn't shop where he normally did, and he didn't want to deprive anyone of the greatness that was him. So every once in a while, he would make it a note to mingle with the ordinary folks and frequent their usual `hangouts'.

Today was just a normal day for him, Kabaji by his side. He didn't really mind the occasional fan that would stop to ask him for an autograph or take a picture with him - he was such a kind and giving person. And today proved that his public service acts didn't go unnoticed by karma!

The hairs on the back of Tezuka's neck stood in attention, as if foretelling impending doom, just as a pompous voice shouted out. “Oh Tezuka! I didn't know Ore-sama would be seeing you here.” The students from Seigaku and Fudomine were greeted with a brilliant smirk from the captain of the Hyotei Gakuen team. “Is that Tachibana Kippei I see? What is this, are Seigaku and Fudomine joining forces and plotting against the other schools? Why wasn't Ore-same invited to this conference? This is an outrage! Isn't that right, Kabaji?”

“Ossu.” The giant automatically agreed.

“Maybe they're plotting against us and Ore-sama, aren't they, Kabaji?”

“Ossu.”

“Because the other schools are afraid of our superior skills and prowess, ne Kabaji?”

“Ossu,” Kabaji continued to agree.

A proverbial sweatdrop hung on top of the heads of the people in the group. “We're not planning anything against the other schools, Atobe.” Tezuka replied.

“If the Monkey King's so great, how come he's shopping at the mall?” Tezuka leveled a look at Echizen. “I'm just wondering, Buchou.” He shrugged his shoulders in indifference.

“If you must know, gaki, Ore-sama graces places Ore-sama doesn't usually go to as an act of public service to the masses.” The size of his ego couldn't even fit the massive mall. “It would be a shame to deprive them of Ore-sama's brilliance otherwise.”

“… right,” Echizen muttered under his breath. “Whatever you say, Monkey King.”

“Echizen.”

Ryoma tipped his hat downward and tried to ignore the flamboyant Hyotei Captain and his faithful sidekick. Just when you think your day couldn't get any worse…

“As I was saying, Tezuka,” Atobe continued, “what would the captains of Seigaku and Fudomine be doing together if not to concoct something?”

Tachibana cleared his throat. “I assure you we're not plotting anything against anyone, Atobe-san. We're here waiting for a friend of ours.”

Atobe raised a perfect brow as he surveyed the people waiting. “It takes this many to wait for one person?” The thought that someone had a bigger entourage than him was insulting. “This person must be very special and Ore-sama has to meet this person to see if he or she is indeed worthy. Isn't that right, Kabaji?”

“Ossu.”

“You don't have to wait here, Monkey King.” If he was going to be stuck here waiting for Little Miss Clumsy, he needed an outlet for his irritation and it might as well be the stupid, pompous son of a monkey. Why did they all have to wait for her anyway?

“Ore-sama doesn't remember asking for your permission, kid.”

Fuji spoke up before their bantering grated more on Tezuka's nerves. “The more the merrier, ne, Echizen?” He smiled at the kid, daring him to disagree.

Echizen took note of the smile and looked away. “Che. Whatever, I don't really care.” I don't even know why I'm waiting out of my free will in the first place. Why was Fuji-senpai so concerned anyway?

Dear Diary,

Today I was informed that I'm going to get a new tutor. My grades are okay all around, but I'm having a little difficulty in English. I don't think I'm the only one, because I hear a lot of my classmates complaining about that subject as well. I think I'm just lucky enough to have parents who care enough about my education to enroll me in a tutor slash big-sibling program.

I heard it serves as double extra curricular activities for the senior who takes on the job, and it doesn't hurt the kouhai either. Imagine my surprise (and pleasure) when it turned out to be none other than Fuji Syusuke…

He shot a glare at Fuji-senpai. He would bet his most prized tennis racket that he was better in English than Fuji-senpai, so why didn't she come to him for help with homework they shared? What was so special about Fuji Syusuke?

“So tell Ore-sama more about this person we're waiting here for.”

“I don't recall anyone inviting you to wait with us, Monkey King.”

“It's a schoolmate of ours, Ryuzaki Sakuno.” Inui answered.

“Ore-sama is waiting for a girl? A girl…” He turned to Tezuka, “Are we waiting for your girlfriend, Tezuka? Why didn't you tell Ore-sama sooner?”

“She's not my girlfriend, Atobe.”

Atobe seemed not to hear him. “Hmmmm… Ore-sama didn't know you were romantically linked to anyone, Tezuka. This is new information. Right Kabaji?”

“Ossu.”

“Ryuzaki is not the buchou's girlfriend, Monkey King. Didn't you hear it the first time?”

“Ore-sama thought tennis was your one and only passion, Tezuka. I guess Ore-sama thought wrong.” Atobe wasn't listening to them. “Is she beautiful? She must be, if you asked her to be your girlfriend.”

“Sakuno-chan isn't Tezuka's girlfriend, Atobe.” Fuji tried to reason with him. Maybe if they repeated it enough, it would get through to him.

“And Fuji calls her so familiarly? What is this? Do you have some competition for the affections of your girlfriend, Tezuka?”

“Tezuka isn't dating Ryuzaki-chan, Atobe.” Oishi told him as Kikumaru laughed somewhere in the background.

“And you kept it a secret from even your fukubuchou? Tezuka, you sly dog.”

Kikumaru's laughter escalated, he was now using Oishi to keep from falling to the floor with his mirth.

“I used to think monkeys were smart animals.” Ryoma quipped. He didn't like it that the Monkey King had gone and assumed Ryuzaki to be the buchou's girlfriend. Even if the buchou denied it, he wasn't denying it hard enough in Ryoma's opinion. He looked at Momo-senpai.

Momo shrugged. “I'd tell him Tezuka-buchou isn't Ryuzaki's boyfriend but I doubt if he'll listen to me.”

“Well, Tezuka? You haven't answered Ore-sama's question yet. It seems like Tezuka is deliberately avoiding the question, right Kabaji?”

“Ossu.”

Tezuka blinked hard. Must not strangle Atobe… I must not strangle Atobe… must not strangle Atobe… “And what question would that be?”

“Ore-sama would like to know if your girlfriend is beautiful. Is she pretty? Ore-sama would assume that she is.” He declared haughtily. Tezuka wondered why Atobe asked him a question that he decided to answer himself anyway. “As Ore-sama's rival in tennis, Ore-sama wouldn't expect any less of you.” He nodded, as if he reached a conclusion all on his own. “If you get an ugly girlfriend, Ore-sama's reputation will be tainted as well.” No one but Atobe could see the connection. “Isn't that right, Kabaji?”

“Ossu.”

“Sakuno is not Tezuka-san's girlfriend.” Ann jumped into the discussion, “And she's NOT ugly either!” Tomoka nodded in total agreement beside her.

Atobe looked at her quizzically. “You look familiar.” A manicured finger tapped his chiseled face, “Has Ore-sama seen you somewhere before?”

“You tried to force her on a date before, boke!” Kamio stepped forward, shielding Ann behind his back.

Atobe blinked at his outburst. “Ore-sama did? Ore-sama doesn't remember doing such a thing.”

This shit is bananas

B-A-N-A-N-A-S

This shit is bananas

B-A-N-A-N-A-S

Ann's cellphone rang, distracting them as she dug for it in her pocket. “Moshi-moshi? Ah SAKUNO!!!” All eyes turned to her, the relief they felt was quickly replaced by curiosity. “You what?” Ann shrieked. “And then what!?” Even Ryoma wondered what the `what' she was talking about. “Oh, and then, oh, okay. Just as long as you're safe. We thought you were kidnapped or something!”

“Is she okay?” Tomoka asked Ann, eager for some news of what happened to her friend. Why did Sakuno call Ann instead of her? She pushed the green-eyed monster rearing its head at her aside, curious for any news of Sakuno.

“You're where? Ah, that's only a bus stop away. We'll wait for you here, okay. Be careful Sakuno, don't get lost again!” Ann advised as she hung up.

She looked up to face several expectant faces. “Well?” Atobe demanded, “What happened to Tezuka's girlfriend?”

“She's not buchou's girlfriend, Monkey King.” Ryoma muttered once again.

“She was, um, detained, for a bit, but everything is fine now and she's on her way here. She forgot her cellphone at home,” the girl frowned at the unfamiliar number that appeared on her caller ID, “but someone was kind enough to lend her his cellphone to call.”

“Explains why she wasn't able to call before,” Inui pushed his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose as he scribbled on his notebook.

Ryoma adjusted his white cap impatiently. “Can I go home now?”

“Sorry about that,” a slightly embarrassed Kirihara Akaya apologized once again. He considered himself a confident guy, but anyone in his position would be embarrassed right about now.

It was pleasing to wake up from a great nap, and even better to discover that your slumbering pillow is a cute girl. Very disorienting, but pleasing at the same time. Lucky, too!

After waking the cute girl up, the girl repeatedly apologized to him, which threw him off track. In his mind, he was solely at fault for whatever happened, but the girl made it easier for him to dig out of the hole that he crawled into.

Sakuno was her name. She was supposed to meet her friends at the mall and go `build a bear'. She explained to him how she took the wrong bus the first time and ended up taking his bus before he detained her.

Akaya stretched long arms upwards. “That was the best nap I've had in a long time.” He grinned as Sakuno blushed. Was that rose tint her natural color? Did she blush easily or was it just with him?

“You don't have to do this, Akaya-kun,” Akaya insisted that they were way past formalities already, seeing as how they napped together “I know my way from here, the mall is the next stop and-“

“Nonsense, Sakuno-chan!” Akaya interrupted, waving her excuse away. “The least I could do is make sure you get there safely. What if your friends already left?”

Sakuno bit her lip. “Then I could just go home and call them to apologize. I know how to get home from the mall,” she assured him.

“What kind of man would I be if I let a lady go home alone? It's already dark,” he pointed at the darkness outside the bus. “You can use my phone, if you want.” He pushed his phone into her accepting hands as she thanked him profusely.

He listened to her sweet voice explain something to the person on the other line. No other female he knew blushed as often as this one did. She was really petite compared to him and her pigtails made her look really young. She wasn't someone you'd take one look at and fall in love with immediately either, but Akaya found himself liking the girl more and more each time he looked. Her honey-colored hair looked as soft as it felt; he wondered why she kept it in those girlish braids instead of allowing it to flow freely. Her huge brown eyes had a reddish tint to them, brimming with innocence.

“Thanks for allowing me to use your phone.” Sakuno thanked him again and then looked at her feet. The boy was really cute when he smiled like that.

“It's the least I could do after bothering you.”

“Oh but you weren't a bother at all, Akaya-kun! I - I had a nice nap as well, so it wasn't any bother.” Sakuno sounded embarrassed.

“And it's not a bother for me to make sure you meet your friends safely.” Akaya replied with a bright smile, wondering how he could ask for her number without scaring her off.

They stood up and stepped off the bus when they reached their destination, a cool breeze greeting them as they made their way through the crowd. How do I get her number without looking desperate? If only they taught them that at Rikkai Dai… Come to think of it… what school did she go to? Did she already have a boyfriend? She didn't mention any boyfriend, but then who would mention her boyfriend to a stranger they've just met, right?

Sakuno squealed happily when they approached the fountain, interrupting his internal dialogue. “There they are!” She broke out into a full blown grin and attack glomped two girls who were about the same age as she was. Akaya's eyes widened and his eyebrows shot to the ceiling when he identified the people lounging by the fountain.

Disregarding the three girls who were acting like they haven't seen each other in years, Akaya zeroed in on three people respectively - Tezuka Kunimitsu, Tachibana Kippei and Atobe Keigo..? What was he doing here? If he wasn't mistaken, that was the well-known tennis prodigy Fuji Syusuke as well.

“Wow,” he felt like doing a double take. Could his day get any luckier?

“Ryuzaki-chan!” Kikumaru joined the squealing girls as he hugged Sakuno like a long lost daughter. “I'm so glad you're safe, Oishi was very worried and he thought that you were kidnapped by the Yakuza!” He whispered loudly.

“I did NOT!” Oishi protested indignantly.

“What took you so long, Sakuno?!!?” Tomoka demanded. Ann shared a glance with Sakuno, which didn't leave the observation of their senpai-tachi. Ann was brimming with questions about the guy - the cute guy Sakuno was with, but she wisely kept her mouth shut.

“It's a long story, Tomo-chan… um, I'll tell you all about it later, okay?” Sakuno's eyes widened as she saw who was there with them. She was surprised to see Kikumaru-senpai here but she didn't expect - “Buchou?” Sakuno blinked. What were they doing here? “Syusuke-nii… Inui-senpai… Oishi-senpai… Momo-senpai… Kippei no nii-chan… Kamio-kun…” She counted off, not really believing her eyes. “Ryoma-kun?” What were they all doing here? She also saw the Hyotei Captain and his sidekick, but she didn't really know them personally.

Ryoma was irked at the order that Ryuzaki listed their names off. He was last on the list, almost like he was just an afterthought. “Yo,” came his grumpy reply from beneath the white cap.

Atobe studied the girl he correctly assumed they have been waiting for. She was… short. She had… pigtails… and she was young. Very young, was this girl even out of swaddling yet? “Tezuka,” Atobe said, still not taking his eyes off of the girl, “your girlfriend is rather… young, isn't she?”

Kirihara's brows flew through the roof at the statement. “Sakuno-chan is Tezuka's girlfriend?” He couldn't help but ask incredulously. Ryoma visibly stiffened, Fuji frowned and Tezuka's brow raised a record high - almost a scant centimeter.

“Excuse me,” Fuji smiled amicably, “but who are you again?” And why are you so familiar with Sakuno-chan, he wanted to ask. It took some time for him to convince Sakuno to address him as -nii instead of -senpai and for them to fall into being “Sakuno-chan” and “Syusuke-nii” with each other, so who was this stranger who acted so familiar with her?

“Ah, sumimasen!” Kirihara grinned almost maniacally as he bowed respectfully. “I'm Kirihara Akaya. Nice to meet you.”

“The tennis ace from Rikkai Dai,” Inui informed them, scribbling on his data book.

“Weren't you that guy who went to spy on our practices a while back?” Kikumaru accused, he could remember it clearly now. “Tezuka made us run laps because of you!” He wailed at the tall Rikkai Dai Regular.

Busted! Akaya laughed nervously. “I wasn't really spying, spying… I was just... lost! That's all!” He tried not to cringe at the suspicious looks they were giving him.

“I don't recall that was what you said that day.” The Seigaku Captain frowned at him. Behind him, his Regulars looked united against the intruder, and even the other two captains were giving Kirihara disapproving looks.

“Tezuka, you still haven't answered Ore-sama's question!”

“Were you the reason for Sakuno-chan's tardiness?” Asked one tensai to another, blue eyes glittering dangerously.

“Tezuka?”

“What did you do to our Ryuzaki-chan?” Hiss went the redheaded acrobatic cat, showing his claws.

“Tezuka, did you hear what Ore-sama said?”

“He didn't do anything, Syusuke-nii, Kikumaru-senpai.” Sakuno felt like she needed to stand up for him, with all of her senpai-tachi ganging up on him like that.

“Are you okay, Ryuzaki?” Oishi checked his kouhai for injuries, who knew what the boy did to her if she had been with him all this time. Maybe he decided to take his spying on a higher level and was now using Ryuzaki as some kind of bait.

Sakuno blushed, feeling like a piece of meat or a dog in a competition as Oishi-senpai twirled her around for inspection. “I'm okay, Oishi-senpai.”

“Ore-sama believes that Tezuka is avoiding the question, isn't that right, Kabaji?”

“Ossu!”

“Did he try to kidnap you, Ryuzaki?” Momo jumped into the fray, looking Sakuno over with a critical eye for any injuries missed by Oishi.

“No one tried to kidnap me, Momo-senpai.” Sakuno twisted the hem of her skirt nervously. “Whatever gave you that idea?”

“Tezuka?”

“Well, you were very, very late, Sakuno-chan.” Fuji's eyes softened. “You can't blame us for worrying.” Inui scribbled furiously into his notebook.

“Next time, you should make sure not to forget your cellphone.” Tachibana Kippei scolded gently.

“Yeah!” Ann and Tomoka agreed. Tomoka was still a little stung as to why Sakuno called Ann instead of her, but she was more curious about the boy that Sakuno brought with her now.

“Tezuka?”

Akaya wondered if he stepped into the twilight zone. All he wanted was a phone number and now here he was, surrounded by some of the tennis players he actually admired and was now seeing them in a new light. Were Fudomine, Seigaku and Hyotei on such good terms that they often hung out with each other? He calculated how good of a data this would be for his team and wondered how he could stay longer so he could gather more data and his first priority - the phone number.

“Tezuka?” The boy bravely dared to poke the stoic captain.

“Yes, what is it Atobe?” Tezuka's tone was very resigned with maybe just a drop of irritation showing through.

“Aren't you going to answer Ore-sama? Well that's kind of rude! Isn't that right, Kabaji?”

“Ossu!”

“How many times do we have to tell you, Monkey King? Ryuzaki is not the buchou's girlfriend!” Was it possible to have high blood pressure at the age of twelve?

“And Sakuno-chan is still a baby,” Fuji smiled cordially at Atobe. “She can't date anyone yet.”

“Yeah, what Fuji said! She's only a freshman! She can't have a boyfriend yet! That'd be like… Tezuka robbing the blind!”

“Cradle, Eiji.” Oishi corrected. Kikumaru looked puzzled. “It's `robbing the cradle', not robbing the blind.”

Tachibana Kippei looked amused as he coughed into his hand. “Yes, exactly. Tezuka isn't one to take advantage of young girls, Atobe.”

Atobe mulled this over, refusing to be wrong. “Ore-sama understands now.” His perfect head nodded in acceptance. “You're just waiting for her to grow up before you court her properly, is that right, Tezuka?” His piercing look made Sakuno hide behind Tomoka and Ann for protection. “You're a real sly one, Tezuka. Ore-sama can see where you're going with this.” He nodded sagely, as if he finally figured everything out. “Ore-sama couldn't believe Ore-sama didn't realize it sooner!”

Tezuka was almost afraid to ask. “And what would that be, Atobe?”

The pompousness level in the air was suffocating. “You found yourself a delicate little flower, one that you know for sure would bloom into a beautiful rose, given enough time. So you decided to reserve it for yourself. Ore-sama knows your true motives now; Ore-sama couldn't believe he missed it before!” Heads cocked to the side as they tried to process what he was saying. “As expected from Ore-sama's rival!” Atobe gave his rival an appraising look. “You always exceed Ore-sama's expectations, Tezuka!” Tezuka met the admiration with a blank look, mirrored on everyone else's faces.

“Maybe the Monkey King was dropped on his head when he was a child.” Ryoma's voice broke the silence after several moments of silence.

“You know, it's been fun and all but we have to go now,” Ann said as she grabbed Sakuno's arm, she was really looking forward to making that bear for Sakuno. Maybe she can put one up the banshee this time. The image of Sakuno preferring her bear over Osakada's sent a feral grin to Ann's face. “Momo, it was really fun but I have to go on my date with Sakuno now.” She smiled at how he blushed, he was so easy to tease. “I had fun so maybe we could do this again next time.”

“Ann-chan!” Kamio protested, face flushing in anger directed at Momo, “stop saying things like that! People would think it was true!”

Atobe was curious. “Where is your girlfriend going, Tezuka?”

Ryoma decided he's had enough. He didn't really appreciate the baka saru not getting it into his thick skull that Ryuzaki wasn't the buchou's girlfriend. Someone had to set him straight. “Monkey King-“

“We're going to the Build-A-Bear Workshop,” Sakuno answered shyly, interrupting Ryoma.

“Aaaaah!!!” Kikumaru suddenly squealed. “Do you mean that new store that lets you make your own bear and everything?” Eager eyes sparkled with innocent joy.

“I believe it opened just recently.” Inui consulted his notes.

Momo gaped at him. “You mean you even have that on your data?”

His glasses gleamed almost evilly as he grinned. “I overheard Ryuzaki-chan and Osakada talking about it in school.” Sakuno involuntarily shuddered at the mental image of how Inui-senpai `overheard' that conversation, and wondered what else he's been `overhearing' from them.

“Ryoma-sama,” Tomoka thought of a great idea that would make Sakuno happy and prove that she was a better friend than Ann, “you want to come with us?”

Ryoma shrugged indifferently. He wasn't going to go build some sissy bear with some girls.

“I wanna go!!!” Kikumaru squealed again, clasping his hands together. “Can I, can I? Can I come, ne? Can I, please?!?!” He bounced in excitement.

“I think it would be fun to go,” Akaya looked at Sakuno as he said it, making the girl blush. Ryoma's cat eyes narrowed. Kikumaru jumped up and down as he discussed what bear he was going to make with Oishi.

“I agree,” Fuji looked at his friend. “Doesn't that sound fun to you, Tezuka?”

“Is that a challenge?” Atobe declared just as Sakuno smiled at Akaya and timidly said “Akaya-kun could come if he likes.” The wide smile that the Rikkai Dai student wasn't missed by anyone, much less by the great Atobe. “So it IS a challenge! Tezuka Ore-sama believes you have a different rival this time, wouldn't you agree, Kabaji?”

“Ossu.”

“What the heck are you talking about, Monkey King?” Ryoma wasn't the only one confused by the Hyotei captain's statement. It seemed that Kabaji was the only one who understood him, maybe. Even Fuji and Tezuka looked puzzled, despite their unreadable masks. Inui looked up from taking notes; Kikumaru stopped bouncing, causing Oishi to get a relief from his headache; it also earned him curious looks from Kippei and Kamio as well as the three girls, and Kirihara blinked at him owlishly, trying to figure out what went on inside that supposedly brilliant mind of his.

“Ore-sama believes that this person -“ Atobe waved a dismissive hand at Tezuka's rival's direction.

“Kirihara Akaya,” Akaya barked out, somewhat at a loss as to how to deal with Atobe's massive ego and disregard for anyone else who wasn't Tezuka.

“Yes,” Atobe continued, “Ore-sama believes that he just challenged you to this Building-a-Bear contest, Tezuka. One that would win the heart of the fair maiden of course. Isn't that right, Kabaji?”

“Ossu!”

Sakuno, Ann and Tomoka were doing great impressions of Oishi's fish at the moment.

“I'm sorry…” Ann shook her head, trying to process what the King of Pompous Town just said “… what?”

Her brother was fairing just the same. “How did you figure that out from the boy's response?” He wondered out loud.

One thing capable of keeping Kamio and Momo from fighting each other is Atobe and his skills at confusing people with his massive ego. Inui happily scribbled on his notebook, feeling like a child in a candy store. Echizen seems really bothered by the fact that Atobe likes to call Ryuzaki-chan Tezuka's girlfriend. Beside it he drew a box and wrote A new rival for Echizen is more probable in Kirihara Akaya than Tezuka - 76 percent. Turning a page, he continued. Kikumaru seems to enjoy bears as much as the Ryuzaki-chan, Osakada and Tachibana do.

“Alright, it's been decided!!!” Kikumaru chirped, happily pumping a fist into the air. “So we're all going?” The only person who didn't look dazed was Atobe. “We're all going to build the best bear ever, with the names of our schools at stake, is that it?” He looped an arm around Echizen's neck and dragged him along with him, leading the way. “Let's go, Ochibi-chan!”

kochi - this way

baka - stupid

saru - monkey

P.S.

I don't own the lyrics to Ann's cellphone's ringtone. Gwen Stefani does.

And I don't own Build A Bear Workshop as well.

Reviews will be greatly appreciated.