Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction ❯ "Byooki" - Seigaku - GP ❯ Chapter 1

"Byooki"

A Prince of Tennis Fanfic

Rating: PG.... I think... err.. maybe PG-13 for some kissin'

By Andrea Readwolf <andrea_readwolf @hotmail.com>

Date Started: April 27, 2004

Status: Rough Draft completion: April 30, 2004

Revised: May 4, 2004

Pairings: Oishi Syuchiroh & Kikumaru Eiji, Tezuka/Fuji

Genre: Fluff, shounen-ai, possible lemon

Disclaimer: Tennis no Ohjisama, characters and settings are the property of Konomi Takeshi.

Warnings: Nasty stuff like fevers, snotty tissues, sweat fits, lethargy, sneaky friends in possession of cameras, and um...oh, underage characters in homosexual romantic situations of self-discovery.

Summary: A member of the Golden Pair becomes ill. How will his partner and the others deal?

List of Vocabulary as I understand it:

Anou: sound of hesitation

(Domo) Arigato (gozaimasu): Thank you

Baka: Stupid-head, idiot, silly

"Baka no ____." ____ is a dummy, basically.

Buchou: captain, refers mostly to Tezuka as he's the Seigaku tennis captain

Chibi-- (derogatory) short person; kid

Daijoubu: Are you all right/I'm all right.

De nada: It's nothing [note: not Japanese]

Demo: but

Do itashimashite: You're welcome!

Ecchi--perverted (abbreviated form of "Hentai")

Genki--well, happy, or energetic

Golden Pair---refers to the doubles team of Oishi Syuchiroh and Kikumaru Eiji.

Gomen (nasai)/sumimasen: (I'm) sorry.

Hentai-- perverted or of a sexual nature (think, descriptive sex)

Hoi/Nya: Expressions used by Eiji

Honto ni: Really? Truly? Honestly?

Kaishiten: place or time of beginning

Konban wa: Good evening!

Kon'nichi wa: Hello/good afternoon!

-kun: an honorific that expresses respect for one's peers

Kuso/K'so!: Shit/Damn

Mada mada dane: Echizen's catch phrase, which I believe translates into "not yet"

Mamushi--Snake or Viper, refers to Kaidoh Kaoru

Momo-chan: Momoshiro Takashi's nickname.

Mou/ Oi/ Saa/Yosh: Verbal expressions

Ne: Right?

Ochibi: Eiji's affectionate pet name for Echizen which can mean "our baby"

Ohayo (gozaimasu): Good Morning!

Owari: the end

Oyasumi (nasai): Good night!

Regulars---refers to the eight varsity tennis players, the best of the best.

-san: an honorific that expresses greater respect for one's peers or elders

Seigaku--- Prince of Tennis's Junior High School

Sempai: elder classman

-Sensei-- teacher

Sugoi: amazing/wonderful or awful/terrifying.

Tensai: genius or expert, prodigy

(Note: I found it interesting that 'tensai' can also refer to a natural disaster...hmmm...)

Yoosh!: Yes, okay, agreement [note: not Japanese]

Zen'zen: not at all

Note: Any other strange words that you may encounter probably belong to the author's twist lexicon. Apologies in advance.

"Byooki" by Andrea Readwolf

The honey-haired tensai of Seigaku's tennis team noticed something amiss near the end of second period. Frowning softly beneath his perpetual smiling mask, Fuji paid closer attention to his long-time friend rather than the sensei's droning voice until the bell sounded out the end of the period and the beginning of their fifteen-minute recess. If anything, his frown deepened enough to actually peek through the cracks of his mask.

Kikumaru was unusually quiet. The normally genki Golden Pair member would have been bouncing out of his seat before the bell's toll had finished ringing, and then well on his way to pestering Fuji to join him down on the tennis courts for some quick volleys. But Eiji didn't even seem to have noticed the period's passing, despite standing and bowing in their regular end of class procedures.

"Daijoubu, Eiji-kun?"

Sapphire-eyes blinked wide with surprise as Eiji practically jumped in his seat. "Ah, Fujiko! I'm fine, I'm fine," he professed heartily, scratching his auburn covered head and laughing gaily. "Just... a little tired, I guess."

"Ah," Fuji relaxed into the moment. "I see. The Golden Pair must have been working extra hard last night, eh? Holding special practices?"

The honey-haired teen waited for the comment's double meaning to reach his younger friend, for Eiji to flush red with the embarrassed implications and yell at him to stop being mean and suggesting such things.... but he waited in vain. It seemed that Eiji didn't seem to detect the ecchi overtones of his friend's words.

"Mou... Not really," the darker-haired teen replied, closing his glassy eyes and laying his head down, waiting for the break to be over. Quite possibly waiting for the day to be over.

Fuji frowned, but let his friend rest in peace. He waited, knowing it wouldn't be long before the other half of the Golden Pair turned up, looking for his missing partner.

"He says he's tired," Fuji offered before Oishi could approach any closer. "Must have been working extra hard last night, ne?" he tried. "Is the Golden Pair holding special practices?"

The seemingly oblivious teen shook his head, frowning, a hand reaching up to rub through his practically non-existent sleek black hair. "No, not really, we just studied some Math for that quiz today."

Fuji sighed--it seemed he was 0-30 today. Maybe he should skip out of practice... The bell ending recess tolled softly in the chattering hallways, and Oishi sighed peeking into the classroom that held his sleeping partner.

"I guess, I'll stop by after lunch and check on you guys, then," the shorthaired teen announced softly with a worried look in those dark green eyes of his.

Fuji nodded and smiled and answered needlessly, "We'll be here."

Lunch came and went... It just didn't seem right without the auburn-haired boy's excited chatter, Fuji noted absently.

"Are you sure you're feeling well, Eiji?" he tried to ask again. Playing mother hen was not the honey-haired teen's forte, but even he was worried about his friend at this point. "Maybe you should go to the nurse's clinic."

"Mou, Fijiko, you're getting fussy like Oishi. I'm fine. Really."

But there was a slight quiver of his hand as Eiji held his chopsticks; shoveling the food into his mouth with the lack of appreciation he usually devoured his food with. And when Oishi tracked the pair down as promised, Eiji's smile lacked a certain gloss that always seemed to shine for his tennis partner.

"He won't go to the clinic," Oishi groused to Fuji when Eiji returned to his seat as the sound of the bell.

"I know."

The look the vice captain shot his friend was easy to understand: watch over him. Fuji just continued to smile at the other boy, before reminding him, "You'll be late to class."

With a heavy sigh and a departing look toward his doubles partner, Oishi darted down the hallway to his own classroom just as the teacher was cresting the top of the stairs. The dark-haired teen didn't get a chance to stop in and check on his partner during cleaning time, which Fuji considered fortunate, since it wouldn't do to cause a scene. If the other teen had seen Eiji that afternoon he would have surely insisted the redhead go to the clinic, to the point of dragging the other boy there himself.

Eiji was cold. Even wearing his and Fuji's jackets, the redhead was practically shivering in his seat. Fuji highly suspected that the other boy must have a fever, but the redhead was adamant about going to the nurse.

"I'm fine, Fujiko," he whined petulantly, trying to clear his throat discreetly. "Just a little cold is all. I'm going to go get a drink of water. Be back in a sec."

Fuji sighed. "Perhaps you should skip practice today, Eiji," he suggested when the last class's bell sounded.

The redhead looked properly scandalized. "I can't do that! Mou! Fujiko, it's mean to tease like that! Hoi!"

It was an act, one that Fuji could clearly see through, but maybe the others wouldn't. For whatever reason, it seemed apparent that Kikumaru Eiji did *not* want to go to the nurse's office. And to make matters worse, Fuji knew that Tezuka, Inui, and Ryuzaki-sensei had chosen today to implement a new training program.

The honey-blond practically sighed with relief when Oishi came over to hover next to his partner's side; at least the redhead hadn't collapsed during his watch he thought before moving away to the other side of the line up to watch from afar. Kikumaru was a damn good tennis player, Fuji knew, and he accounted this fact to the reason why he lasted halfway through the practice before falling victim to Inui's new and improve Super Elixir.

It was the last straw for the redhead's struggling system.

He turned several different, unhealthy shades of green, blue, and purple before making it off the courts, ignorant to the calls behind him.

"Eiji!" Oishi started after his partner, only to be stopped by Tezuka. "Buchou!"

"You're next, Oishi," the dark haired captain nodded towards the court, and Oishi's waiting combatant, Momoshiro.

"But Eiji--" he started to protest.

"Will be fine," Tezuka groused. "Now get back there or forfeit."

For a moment, Fuji thought Oishi might actually hit the captain by the way the shorthaired boy's fists quivered at his sides. The blond quickly stepped in, holding a cup full of dark greenish-brown liquid out towards the assistant captain with a pleasant smile still pasted on his face.

"I forfeit," Oishi growled before tipping the drink back, allowing the substance to by-pass his tongue and slide down his throat as quickly as possible before handing the cup back to Fuji and taking off after his partner, leaving stunned silence and a very angry Tezuka behind.

Momoshiro's cry of praise and thank you for being saved from Inui's drink broke the silence before Echizen stepped up to remind the second year student he now had to play against the freshman, and Momoshiro's cries of pain and torture redoubled.

Fuji stood by Tezuka's side an extra moment; smiling pleasantly up at his captain who glared off in the direction Oishi had chased Eiji.

"Eiji's sick," he finally broke the tension. He noticed the slight jerk of the taller teen's shoulders--something that would surely have gone unnoticed by anyone not fluent in Tezukanese. "He's been fighting both mine and Oishi's attempts to get him to go to the school nurse."

He didn't say anymore. He knew he wouldn't have to. Whether the vice captain still had to run laps tomorrow for displeasing the captain remained to be seen.

Tezuka turned away from the fence, turning to look over his charges left on the courts. Fuji followed suit, waiting patiently, waiting... waiting...

"Go check on them."

"Of course."

He wasn't very far away when he heard Oishi's voice.

"Shh... here, drink some more water."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Eiji mumbled unhappily.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, love, now here, wipe your face." There was a pause, followed by, "Why didn't you tell me last night that you weren't feeling well?"

"I always feel good when I'm with S'chiroh." Even without seeing it, Fuji could hear the smile in the younger man's voice.

"That's not what I mean," Oishi practically growled. "Will you at least allow me to take you to the nurse *now*?" he pleaded.

"I don't--"

"Please? Just until I can call someone to pick us up?"

"But--"

"Eiji, please don't fight me on this. You're not feeling well. Please, let's go to the clinic?"

"What about practice?"

Even to Fuji it sounded like a weak protest. Eiji had already given in to the other boy's requests.

"I'll explain to Tezuka tomorrow. Or I'll call him tonight--"

"But, we have a meet this weekend!" Eiji protested.

"One that we'll just have to not play," Oishi chided him gently. "Really, you wouldn't have played if you were sick, Eiji. I wouldn't allow it. You could've gotten hurt today as it is. I'm... I'm sorry I let you stay. I should have insisted you go to the nurse."

"But--"

"No 'buts'. Let's get you to the nurse. Come on. I'll help you stand."

"I'll help, too," Fuji added, smiling as he joined the pair. "And don't worry about Tezuka. He didn't know Eiji-kun was sick."

Oishi's coloring bloomed to match his partner's fevered complexion. "Fu--Fuji--when, when did you--I mean--"

Fuji smiled, holding a finger up to his lips. "It's alright, Oishi. Let's worry about Eiji now, ne? And I'll worry about Tezuka later."

The nurse took one critical look at the thermometer and then promptly huffed. "You should be home in bed, not pattering about a tennis court!"

Oishi managed to sneak a worried peek at the numbers from over her shoulder and blanched slightly even as he started to tug the blankets up further around Eiji's shivering body.

"I'll be happier when we get you home," the dark-haired teen muttered, sitting down on the edge of the bed and brushing a hand against Eiji's too warm, too dry face.

"Nya..." Eiji's face turned into his partner's palm. "Stay with me?"

"I'm not going anywhere."

*

Fuji returned to the courts and Tezuka's side almost as surreptitiously as he had left. "Eiji has a fever," he informed the captain softly.

"Bad?"

A small inclination, before he answered the next, unvoiced question. "Thirty-seven point two."

If anything, Tezuka's frown increased. "They won't be able to play this weekend."

Again, Fuji nodded. An annoyed sigh escaped the captain's lips. "Well, there's nothing for it then. Echizen! Momoshiro! Doubles practice! Now!"

The two tennis players looked up at their captain with disbelief, but only Momoshiro tried to protest vocally. "Eh? But Buchou--!"

"Start with ten laps, synchronized!"

"There's no hope for it," a fresh voice whispered. "There's no way Echizen and Mom-chan-sempai can compare to the Golden Pai--ah!"

Horio had to duck quickly as two tennis balls smacked mere inches from where he was standing beside two other freshmen. The boy shook pitifully, looking with horrified disbelief at Momoshiro and Echizen; the pair of which were currently looking at each other with questioning eyes and grinning lips.

Fuji found himself hard pressed to avoid a true smile at the spirited duo.

"Speaking of practice...." Tezuka cut into Fuji's thoughts meaningfully. "Don't you think you should get back to yours now?"

"Ah, I suppose. There is still some time left until practice is over, isn't there." He looked briefly for his own sparing partner, not surprised to see Kawamura Takashi brandishing his "Burning" at Kaidoh Kaoru as Inui watched on with fanatical-glazed eyes. And from the looks of it, the viper's anger was getting very sorely pressed.

"Anou, Inui? Would you like to practice doubles with Kaidoh-kun against Takashi and myself?" he offered the bespectacled third year.

"It would provide wonderful data," the youth replied with a wicked grin, joining Fuji and the others on court.

*

Eiji moaned as he settled down into his bed. Oishi helped adjust the sheets and blankets around the youth, rubbing his arm to help stimulate some warmth for the shivering teen.

"You're sisters gone to get an extra blanket," he told his partner gently. "Then we'll make you some hot tea and warm soup..."

"Don't leave," Eiji whispered when Oishi seemed to pull away.

"I'll be right back," the dark haired boy promised, smiling down at his partner. "I'm just going to get you some water and medicine, okay?"

"No need," a cheerful voice called from the doorway. "Here, take this, will ya?" Eiji's sister lugged the thick blanket from her shoulder to Oishi, managing not to spill any of the water she was holding with the other hand. She cracked two pills out of their casing while Oishi adjusted the blanket.

"Okay, chibi, open up," she instructed.

"Hoi..."

"Don't argue with your sister, or I'll drop this water over you."

Oishi just grinned, finished with adjusting the blanket to his liking. "Here, let me. Could you get that tea and soup started?"

"Saa, I guess," the young woman turned to leave, only to stop at the door. "Oh, hey, is it safe to assume you're going to be staying over for a while?"

"Um...

"Not leaving," Eiji reminded his partner, who flushed a darker shade of pink as Eiji's sister laughed lightly.

"It's okay, I didn't think you'd go, and Mom and Dad are out of town until the weekend, and I don't mind any. I was just thinking about calling over to your place and maybe having someone bring a change of clothes for you, is all," the girl waved a hand as she continued out the door. "I'll call when dinner's ready."

"Aaa...."

"Mmm...Cold," Eiji mumbled, hardly sharing his partner's nonplus behavior towards his sister.

"Should I get you another blanket?" Oishi offered, slightly more capable of handling his partner's needs than his partner's sister.

"Hoi... a S'ch'roh blanket...." The redhead fought--and lost--a battle with a yawn. "But don't wanna make you sick, too...."

Oishi didn't try to fight the small smile as he carefully lifted a corner of the blankets. "If I'm with you, I wouldn't mind being sick," he admitted, climbing in next to the feverish boy and wrapping him up in his arms. "Anywhere, as long as I'm with you," he whispered, pressing his lips to Eiji's temple.

"Love you..."

"Aaa... I know, love. Sleep. Rest. I'll be here when you wake."

*

Neither Oishi nor Kikumaru were at practice the next morning.

"Maybe Oishi is running late," Fuji offered, smiling unseeingly at the courts. Beside him, Tezuka continued to scowl.

"I'll make a copy of today's work." It was neither a question nor a statement, rather a blend of both. 'If Eiji's sick, Oishi won't be coming in to school today. I'll give you his work for him, since I know you'll probably stop in on them anyway. Just don't do anything brash...'

Fuji inclined his head a mere fraction, knowing Tezuka would see it. "Mmm." 'Of course, I'll go, and whatever would make you think I would do something brash?'

The school day passed quickly and uneventfully. Fuji was one of the last to emerge from the showers after practice, just in time for Tezuka to be coming in. The taller third year watched the honey-haired blond dress with the lazy eyes of a predator, and Fuji found himself dropping his smiling mask before rounding to face his captain.

The fierce cut of those sapphire eyes seemed to surprise Tezuka.

"You're not still seriously considering making Oishi run laps are you?" the tensai demanded with soft intensity. The small tightening around the corners of Tezuka's lips were enough to tell the blond that the thought of not making the Seigaku senior run laps for so blatantly ignoring both practice yesterday and today hadn't even occurred to him.

Fuji sighed, falling back against his locker, tilting his chin just a notch towards his chest, the effect causing his lashes to fall over his eyes while still watching Tezuka. "Saa, it must be nice..."

"What?" Tezuka all but growled, moving to his locker and beginning to pack up his belongings.

"To be so much in love with your partner that you would--"

A low growl did leave Tezuka's throat this time as he warned, "Fuji."

"Defy even Buchou's orders, ne, Kunimitsu?"

Tezuka removed a folder from his satchel, laying it on the bench near Fuji. He didn't say a word.

"I called Eiji's house at lunch," the blue-eyed boy continued. "His fever's down a little bit, but Oishi-kun sounds tired." He waited.

And waited.

And--

When Tezuka finally moved it was in a flash of seconds; he was suddenly before Fuji, pressing the smaller man against the lockers as his mouth descended demandingly upon the blond's. Lips smashed against lips with a burning intensity, parting willingly to greedily suck thrusting, dueling tongues. A moan escaped one of the boys, the only sound in the otherwise silent clubroom.

A moment later, the dark-haired captain drew back, just enough to release his claim on Fuji's lips. Both boys were panting with heavy need, eyes shut against the face of their young passion.

"What would you have me do, Fuji?" he finally asked, his forehead pressed to the blond's as he continued to suck cool air into his burning lungs.

Fuji's hands slid around Tezuka's waist with firm assurance, holding the taller man to him as one hand slid up into the silken mass of brown, pressing Tezuka's face against his throat. "The best place for Oishi right now...is by Eiji's side," he murmured against his love's ear. "No one faults him this. It would be a worthless act for him to try and come to practice while Eiji's sick. He would worry himself sick before even a half-an-hour had passed."

He allowed the truth of his words to sink into the other teen, judging Tezuka's acceptance through the back muscles that tightened and finally relaxed against Fuji's palm.

"If...if there's anything... he... they need..." Tezuka offered, knowing Fuji would relay the message to the Golden Pair for him.

*

Fuji knocked quietly on the bedroom door, waiting only a few seconds before deciding to let himself in. With a mischievous nature that rivaled the bed-ridden sick teen in all but his own sinister ness, the honey-haired blond had brought one of his favorite quick-snap cameras, anxiously awaiting whatever scene he would find on the other side of that simple wooden panel..... Only to find his mask soften into something closer to 'fond' than 'sneaky'.

The two sleeping boys really did look 'golden', he thought as he carefully lifted the camera and focused. Like two halves of one whole, seemingly incomprehensible on their own.

For a moment, he couldn't move away from that image, couldn't do more than just star through the lens and ache... and then, quickly, he depressed the shutter, twice.

Oishi must have been closer to awake than Fuji had realized, that or the dark-haired boy had simply felt another's presence. In one moment, the blond was stealthily slipping his camera safely back into his pocket, and in the next, he was staring at a pair of piercing emerald eyes, only slightly clouded and disorientated by sleep.

Fuji could see it, see the wheels in Oishi's head turning over the facts surrounding him... He was in bed, not his own. Fuji was standing in the doorway, and... and Eiji was using him like an overstuffed and well-loved teddy bear. The blond could see the comprehension and sudden fear that washed over the prone boy as if there were subtitles written over his head--the realization of what kind of picture he and the redhead must make, cuddled together in bed like lovers in post-coital bliss with Eiji wrapped so thoroughly and condemningly around him....

"Fuji," he sputtered, moving to pull away from Eiji with embarrassment.

A raised finger for silence was a warning too late.

"Mmmn.... C'h'roh... don't go.... cold..." the redhead mumbled, pressing his face more fully against Oishi's throat and shoulder.

Green eyes flew to Eiji's slumbering face, and a hand moved over the redhead's back in soothing circles, enticing the younger teen into a deeper sleep. "I'm here, its okay," Oishi whispered close to Eiji's ear--it looked like he was place a kiss against the delicate flesh. "Rest."

"Mmn."

Fuji watched the pair, and realized what that painful ache in his chest was: envy. Despite the cautious, guarded look Oishi was now giving him, despite the fact that the other teen obviously expected Fuji to condemn him and Eiji for the relationship they had constantly denied for months now, the blond was envious of them. For the couple who could be so much to and for each other.

He slipped his mask tighter into place, the pleasant smile that could hide so much. "I've brought today's and tomorrow's class work," he announced, hefting the bag slung over his shoulder, showing Oishi before lowering said bag down to the floor with a soft thump.

"Eiji's, too, in case he's feeling better tomorrow," he added when Oishi still didn't say anything. He hesitated. "Tezuka sends his best," he said finally, turning to leave. "Make sure Oishi and Eiji rest plenty and are well enough to join us this weekend, ne?"

"Fuji!"

The blond paused, not turning back towards the bed and its occupants, but angling his head back enough to give the impression of looking. "Mmm?"

"...Thank you..."

So much said. So little...

"Mmmm...."

He closed the door behind him, thinking to himself... how special... how... golden...

~Owari no "Byooki"~

End Notes:

Eiji's fever was equivalent to approximately 99 degrees Fahrenheit.

"Byooki" is the new word I learned this last week when I had to explain to my principal why I looked green and was shaking like a leaf. ^.^ I'm better now, saa, I wish I had had an Oishi teddy to cuddle next to, though.