Draft Special
Because all of them are drafts, I didn't mark each of them anymore.
The Bleach one is the only het one of the bunch. Though tell me, except for 'key', does everything else feel very slashy at all?
Title: Key
Series: Hikaru no Go - part of OgaShira
Wordcount : 658
Warnings: Angsty Shirakawa, a little groping, etc.
Shirakawa sat outside an apartment, a bag of groceries beside him. Had it been his apartment, it would be easy to insert the key in the lock and turn the knob. He looked at the key in the palm of his right hand. It was different from the rest. Not that it looked any different; nor did it serve any other purpose besides unlocking a door, but it was different. Extraordinary, in fact, since it was a key to his lover's apartment.
Lover. Just the word summoned illicit thoughts. He thought that he would not be the first, neither would he be the last to use this key. Ogata being the man he was would have lovers, would need lovers to slake his needs until he found the right mate. But he, he was not the kind of man to have lovers, and even when he was an affectionate man love was a different thing. He just couldn't move from one lover to another so easily.
He wondered if this was a test, something Ogata devised to see how seriously he took their relationship, some next step he had to take. Alone, as it would never be a true answer if Ogata was there. He'd never needed to use it. Ogata had always been with him before, unlocking the door with his own set of keys.
If he didn't hurry, he might have no time to cook before Ogata arrived. He was getting hungry, and the meat for the sukiyaki would thaw and leave a puddle where it was. He hated dealing with such a mess.
He stared at the key in the doorknob, unbelieving. Had he actually gotten it into the doorknob all by himself? He opened the door.
"Are you actually coming in?" Ogata asked, not even turning to look at the door from his seat by the computer. Shirakawa nearly took a step back.
"I didn't think you were inside," Shirakawa said, going to the tiny kitchen to put away the ingredients. "You said you will be out today."
"I did say that, but I decided to cancel," he replied, not leaving the computer where a go game was in progress. "Come here please," he said, more command than request.
Shirakawa went, unwillingly. He paid attention to the game, deliberately ignoring the other pro. It was on the IGS server, between two amateurs, from the looks of it. White had just played a keima at the upper left.
"There are better moves than that," Ogata said, pulling him down so Shirakawa was partly sitting on his lap. Shirakawa squirmed but couldn't get away. Ogata rested his chin on Shirakawa's shoulder, watching the game progress.
Shirakawa frowned, concentrating on what white was thinking. "It's not as bad as you think it is. Though it's merely a standard answer, there's the possibility of opening his influence in the left."
"No, white isn't seeing this right. If he tries for influence a point lower would have extended it and protected the current influence he has, and open a chance to attack later. It's always best to take every chance to attack."
"Attack?" Shirakawa turned a little, to see Ogata's face. Ogata looked at him steadily, before bringing Shirakawa's face down for a kiss.
Ogata's hands trailed up his arms, ghosting over the lapels of his coat, falling to the buttons holding it closed. Unhesitating, his fingers undid them. And all the while Ogata was kissing him, lulling him to compliance. With his coat open those hands were sliding up and down his torso, bringing warmth wherever they touched. His own fingers were buried in Ogata's hair.
"How did you know it was me?" he managed to ask, even as Ogata nibbled at his ear.
"I thought it would be obvious. You're the only one with a key to my apartment."
And he closed his eyes, wanting badly to believe that for Ogata, he will be the only one.
-end Key-
Title: Mornings After
Series: Bleach
Wordcount : 383
Warnings: ???
Nanao paused before the door, trying to summon enough anger for what she was guaranteed to see the moment she stepped inside. She'd heard the third seat and fourth seat joking about how much sake their captain had drunk last night, and they went silent when they saw her.
"Does no one in this place care what people think of the captain?" she muttered, putting down the tray to open the door. This was almost a ritual between them, since she was assigned to the eighth division.
Captain Kyouraku was lying on the floor again, lazing. He didn't look much different from the usual, but Nanao knew better. The slackness of his body and the even breathing said he was asleep. She knelt and lifted his hat, and he didn't even move a muscle.
"Captain," she said, and then louder, "CAPTAIN!"
"Nanao-chan," he greeted, a goofy smile on his face. "Did you see the wine jar?"
"No, and I won't tell you if I did." Nanao frowned down at him. He tried sitting up, and groaned. Nanao poured a foul-smelling concoction into a cup.
"Sweet Nanao-chan, smile for me this morning, my head hurts from all the sake I drunk."
"No." She handed him the stoneware cup, and he grimaced at the smell.
"You wound me, Nanao-chan. Is that one of those fetid brews you make me drink for my hangovers?"
"If only you wouldn't drink so much you won't drink it so often." She couldn't understand why a Captain of the Gotei 13 would be so foolish and get drunk, or get himself into trouble.
"But you're only nice to me when I'm doing something stupid," he said, before finishing the drink in one gulp. Nanao frowned, not amused. "The taste only gets worse every time," he said, looking much more alert.
"I'm glad you noticed," she said, as he tucked his double zanpakutou into his sash. "Commander Yamamoto called a meeting for all the captains and vice-captains."
"Really? Well, I think I can even stomach breakfast now. Will I get to eat something else my Nanao-chan made for me?" Nanao hit his wandering hand with her fan. "Oooh, cruel Nanao-chan!"
"It's lunch." There was a fleeting smile on her face when she said, "I'll accompany you to the meeting later, captain."
-end Mornings after-
Title: Yukata
Series: Slam Dunk
Wordcount : 383
Warnings: flaffy (fluffy and waffy at the same time)! XD Set in Volume 23, before the match with Toyoyama.
"So what if Shohoku's basketball team just started getting back on its feet this year? We've been doing damn well to deserve a higher ranking on this stupid magazine!"
The C ranking really rankled him. Kogure didn't bother giving reasons to justify the rank, merely settling back to enjoy listening to Mitsui's voice.
Mitsui stretched in his yukata, flopping back on the pillows. He looked good, so much that Kogure couldn't keep his eyes off the other player when he's in the court. Even now Kogure couldn't help staring as Mitsui settled down on his futon.
"Kogure."
Mitsui had caught him staring. He looked away, embarrassed. "What is it?" he asked, flustered.
"Oh, nothing." And he had to leave it at that. Mitsui rambled again about Shohoku's lower ranking compared to Kainan and Toyoyama, but this time he was distracted, talking just for the sake of talking. Kogure couldn't look at him again, so he pretended to be packing his bag. When everything was quiet he turned back, he found Mitsui regarding him intensely. "What?"
"You - " and then Mitsui trailed off in a mumble. He'd never heard the self-assured Mitsui talk that way. It did something restive to his stomach. This was the second time - whatever Mitsui had in mind had got to be important.
"I what?" he asked, his voice hushed. He was afraid to break this silence. Mitsui turned over, idly flipping through his magazine yet again. Kogure looked down at his hands, deciding it was high time to call it a night.
"I'm going to sleep."
"So early. Stay up with me. Hell, we can even wait up for Akagi, just in case he gets lost." Mitsui smiled, as if the thought was just too funny to be true.
Kogure didn't think he could take any more without doing something incredibly stupid. Something that involved kissing, and touching, and totally out of his alley. "I'm too tired to stay up, and we've got to wake up early tomorrow."
"Suit yourself." Mitsui didn't seem to mind his refusal much, Kogure thought, chagrined. He lay down on his futon and pulled up his blankets.
"Hey Kogure."
"What?"
"You look good in a yukata."
Kogure turned over to Mitsui's side and removed his glasses. He was grinning.
"So do you."
-end Yukata-
Title: Psychotherapy
Series: Prince of Tennis
Wordcount : 893
Warnings: o_o;
"Lie down and we'll discuss what has been troubling you lately."
Kaidoh had looked askance at the grass around his sempai. The question had been clear. "You can always use my lap as a pillow," he had suggested then, more of a joke, but it'd pleased him when his kohai took it as permission to do so. And then, with a few hesitant words, Kaidoh started to talk.
That had been three weeks and five days ago, after one particularly counterproductive tennis club practice that he noted as the climax of Momoshiro's and Kaidoh's long-standing emnity.The punishment of picking up the tennis balls they'd upset and clearing the clubroom after fifty laps had done nothing to improve their mood, but he was particularly worried about Kaidoh. He had known that Momoshiro would find an outlet for his anger - in videogames, in awful unhealthy fastfood, maybe even in a game with Echizen - but Kaidoh was a different thing entirely. Kaidoh would run and train until he was numb, and the over-exertion would be bad for his kohai's body. He had come up with what certainly sounded like a silly idea at the time, but Kaidoh certainly needed to learn how to manage his anger productively.
And that was why Kaidoh was now lying on the grass with his head on Inui's lap, speaking more openly with him than with anyone else. Inui had initially planned this to be a form of anger management but just hearing Kaidoh talk could make him forget of his original intentions.
"That smash idiot doesn't even train half as hard and people think his dunk smash is enough. So he's sneaky," Kaidoh drudgingly conceded, "but that doesn't do anything about his tennis - "
Inui was by far one of the most patient in the Seishun Gakuen Tennis Club, but hearing Kaidoh talk about Momoshiro, their rivalry, what new thing Momo did to tick him off, and other sundry things did make him feel - well, it wasn't jealousy.
No, it wasn't, he thought, steering his thoughts firmly away from thoughts of how he should get rid of the second-year, so he may have Kaidoh all for himself. There was a fanciful idea from a fairy tale, something about a poisoned apple - but in Momoshiro's case it should be a hamburger with a near-fatal dose of Aozu. In this situation, Ryoma, Momoshiro's constant companion in his hamburger escapades might serve as his 'prince'. But how to get the Aozu in the hamburger - prepare the burger patty with the concotion? Spray the vegetables with it?
"Sempai? Are you still listening?"
Belatedly he realized that his kohai was not talking anymore, and that his hand had gotten itself entangled in Kaidoh's hair.
"Yes, Kaidoh, I am," he said automatically.
"Fsssh." Kaidoh's trademark sound carried a multitude of meanings - disbelief he caught his sempai woolgathering, doubt, assurance. There seemed nothing more from Kaidoh.
It didn't seem like there was anything else to do but talk. "Can I speak about my findings?" At Kaidoh's nod he said, "You are very concerned about Momoshiro."
"Not by much."
"Ii data, it doesn't lie. I must admit that I am experiencing misgiving with the method I have used to clear your mind." Kaidoh looked up, and he continued, "I have determined that you are more partial to Momoshiro than to any other member of the te - "
"Chigau!" kaidoh bolted upright. The strength of Kaidoh's denial made Inui focus on his kohai. Was Kaidoh embarrassed by what he just said?
"It may mean you find his company the most conducive to improve, or more pleasant than - "
"I don't like that dunk idiot's company the most."
"Ah." The jump from partiality to liking was significant - very significant. Inui pushed up the glasses, thinking maybe his cheeks were as warm as they felt. "If nothing is bothering you then I guess these sessions must be discontinued. Now about your current training - "
He stood up, about to walk to his bag when he felt a hard tug on his pants' leg. Kaidoh clutched on, a slight line of pink on his cheeks, covered by his hair and bandana.
Inui, for all his calculations and theories, did not expect Kaidoh to stop him. He looked away, but couldn't resist looking back.
"Can we - continue?"
"If it's your wish, Kaidoh."
"But what I really want to do is to slam one Boomerang Snake straight to his face one day and he wouldn't know what hit him but being the dunk idiot that he is he'd just jump and - " Kaidoh said, settling down more comfortably. Inui glanced down at his kohai, amused. The psychotherapy goes on, with one important difference.
Kaidoh looked up at him from the circle of his arms. "What do you think?"
"Wouldn't it be easier to use a different method to extract your revenge? There are ways necessitating the use of an accomplice, in which you can introduce a foreign substance into his diet - something known to cause extreme discomfort for those who ingest it."
"Aozu?" Kaidoh looked squeamish at subjecting someone to Inui juice.
"I was thinking of being literary-minded, and using an apple - "
"Hamburger," Kaidoh corrected. "With Ryoma as his 'prince'."
And in that they were in perfect accord.
-end Psychotherapy-
Title: Camera-shy
Series: Prince of Tennis
Wordcount : 941 (longer than Psychotherapy! O_O)
Warnings: TezuFuji. XD
Fuji was a hunter, albeit he prowled not the dense forests of Latin America, nor the vast grasslands of Africa. His prey had a sixth sense when it comes to his stalking, shying away from wherever he was. but he has gotten trophies as well. Kikumaru and most of the Seigaku team were willing to pose, and neesan was always there, but the models he loved the most were almost always camera-shy.
He remembered this shot of Yuuta, when he was watching out for his little brother. He'd forgotten about the flash, and it was just providence that got him away before the other St Rudolph investigated.
It was a photograph worth the hardship. Just like these photographs he was developing now.
"Do you have to?" he'd asked, embarrassed to be caught doing something as trivial as eating an ice cream cone.
"Um-hm, how often will this ever happen?" was what he'd said, putting down the camera and giving his sunshiny smile. And though he obviously had misgivings over this his companion left it at that.
***
The next day during practice, Kikumaru hopped over to his side. "Nyaa, what, that again, Fuji!? That explains it!"
"Hm?" Fuji flipped through the photo album, smiling at his pictures with his beloved brother. "What is?"
"Why Buchou hasn't been hanging around you lately, nyaa."
"Tezuka doesn't 'hang around' anyone," Fuji said, amused by the way Kikumaru phrased the situation. If anything else, he was the one hanging around Tezuka, teasing him, trying to make his stern exterior crack before everyone. "Where is Tezuka anyway?"
"Hmph, talking to Oishi." Fuji's smile widened at Kikumaru's pout. So that's why the other boy wasn't clinging to his doubles partner. Fuji looked to their direction, and narrowly missed Tezuka's Look.
He called it Tezuka's Look, because there was no other way to describe Tezuka's serious face when a flicker of emotion went by on those features with the speed of a lightning strike. Was Tezuka jealous of the time he spent with Kikumaru? That wasn't it - Tezuka knew they were close friends, and nothing more. What else could incite his jealousy?
"Nyaa, Yuuta-kun looks so cute, not like now!"
He glanced down at his pictures. Yuuta, his sweet brother, was utterly cute and cold to him. Yuuta was cold because he was easily embarrassed and very camera-shy, and that reminded Fuji of this certain someone who often pretended to be cold as well.
"Hm," was all he said, comprehending what this was all about.
***
It took no small feat of manipulation, making sure his targets were alone when he talked them, else there would be witnesses. One never really knows how Tezuka keeps track of everyone in the team, and it would be best not to tempt fate. Therefore it was conspicuous that even after the match assignments both Kaidoh and Inui were nowhere to be found.
"Fuji."
Tezuka stood before him, looking irritated.
"Ah, buchou," he said, smiling up to Tezuka as he took out yet another album from his bag.
"You should be in a match with Kaidoh right now," was what he said. Fuji smiled.
"Kaidoh's nowhere in sight. Weren't you supposed to be in a match against Inui?"
"Inui called Kaidoh for some discussion over their training menu." His tone carried an underlay of suspicion - as if he had a feeling Fuji had something to do with it but had not enough basis to accuse the tensai outright. Fuji's smiling face betrayed nothing.
"If you're doing nothing why don't you sit down?" It would be better not to mention how he manipulated Inui into doing that, or how willing the other senior had been to be led along to the second-year. Tezuka didn't like him interfering into the affairs of the other players, and if he kept at it discreetly he can go on. Fuji patted the seat beside him. "Aren't you tired standing around looking so improtant, Tezuka-buchou?" he teased.
Tezuka said nothing, looking pointedly down at his album. "I don't forbid the others their hobbies, but when they distact you from the game - "
"I guess anyone else would think I was distracted." Impyling that Tezuka ought to know better than to accuse him of that. His innocent smile grew wider. "I think my photographs inspire me. Don't you think it's wonderful that something could inspire the same emotions as you do while you lead the team to the Nationals?"
Tezuka looked away, towards the courts of the game they both love. "Don't do that."
"Do what? Hint? Say something that can be construed as hitting on you?" Fuji's smile widened when Tezuka avoided his glance - if a look with smiling eyes could be construed as a glance - by shouting an order to the players in the court before them. "Maa, if you're so against my looking at my albums to 'inspire me', then why don't you just give it a look, and see why it makes me want to do my best."
"After which you'll play."
"I'm yours to command, buchou."
Tezuka sat down, and Fuji handed the closed album to him. Tezuka frowned, before opening it.
Fuji wished he had a camera to capture the frozen look on Tezuka's face when he saw who the person in the photographs were. But maybe his memory of this moment would be enough to last his lifetime.
"Naa, camera-shy Tezuka, did you know you're rather photogenic?" he asked, smiling.
Or maybe, he thought, sliding a little bit closer to the still stunned captain, he can find a way to get that look on Tezuka's face again.
-end Camera-shy-
The Snape thing is much, much more difficult than I thought. I wanted the myth to sound like it came from a fairy tale, so let me read my Grimm's, my Andersen's, my Hoffmann's, before I attempt to do so. Well, it's also reference reading for Monster, so....^_^;; It's v. important, because the myth takes up more than half of the story, like a tale within a tale....
'The moon was the world of Selene, who gazed upon the world from the silvery parapets of her residence on its journey across the skies. Selene was lonely, except for the white swallowtails that served her, flying across the midnight sky to leave a trail of moonlight in their wake.'
The Bleach one is the only het one of the bunch. Though tell me, except for 'key', does everything else feel very slashy at all?
Title: Key
Series: Hikaru no Go - part of OgaShira
Wordcount : 658
Warnings: Angsty Shirakawa, a little groping, etc.
Shirakawa sat outside an apartment, a bag of groceries beside him. Had it been his apartment, it would be easy to insert the key in the lock and turn the knob. He looked at the key in the palm of his right hand. It was different from the rest. Not that it looked any different; nor did it serve any other purpose besides unlocking a door, but it was different. Extraordinary, in fact, since it was a key to his lover's apartment.
Lover. Just the word summoned illicit thoughts. He thought that he would not be the first, neither would he be the last to use this key. Ogata being the man he was would have lovers, would need lovers to slake his needs until he found the right mate. But he, he was not the kind of man to have lovers, and even when he was an affectionate man love was a different thing. He just couldn't move from one lover to another so easily.
He wondered if this was a test, something Ogata devised to see how seriously he took their relationship, some next step he had to take. Alone, as it would never be a true answer if Ogata was there. He'd never needed to use it. Ogata had always been with him before, unlocking the door with his own set of keys.
If he didn't hurry, he might have no time to cook before Ogata arrived. He was getting hungry, and the meat for the sukiyaki would thaw and leave a puddle where it was. He hated dealing with such a mess.
He stared at the key in the doorknob, unbelieving. Had he actually gotten it into the doorknob all by himself? He opened the door.
"Are you actually coming in?" Ogata asked, not even turning to look at the door from his seat by the computer. Shirakawa nearly took a step back.
"I didn't think you were inside," Shirakawa said, going to the tiny kitchen to put away the ingredients. "You said you will be out today."
"I did say that, but I decided to cancel," he replied, not leaving the computer where a go game was in progress. "Come here please," he said, more command than request.
Shirakawa went, unwillingly. He paid attention to the game, deliberately ignoring the other pro. It was on the IGS server, between two amateurs, from the looks of it. White had just played a keima at the upper left.
"There are better moves than that," Ogata said, pulling him down so Shirakawa was partly sitting on his lap. Shirakawa squirmed but couldn't get away. Ogata rested his chin on Shirakawa's shoulder, watching the game progress.
Shirakawa frowned, concentrating on what white was thinking. "It's not as bad as you think it is. Though it's merely a standard answer, there's the possibility of opening his influence in the left."
"No, white isn't seeing this right. If he tries for influence a point lower would have extended it and protected the current influence he has, and open a chance to attack later. It's always best to take every chance to attack."
"Attack?" Shirakawa turned a little, to see Ogata's face. Ogata looked at him steadily, before bringing Shirakawa's face down for a kiss.
Ogata's hands trailed up his arms, ghosting over the lapels of his coat, falling to the buttons holding it closed. Unhesitating, his fingers undid them. And all the while Ogata was kissing him, lulling him to compliance. With his coat open those hands were sliding up and down his torso, bringing warmth wherever they touched. His own fingers were buried in Ogata's hair.
"How did you know it was me?" he managed to ask, even as Ogata nibbled at his ear.
"I thought it would be obvious. You're the only one with a key to my apartment."
And he closed his eyes, wanting badly to believe that for Ogata, he will be the only one.
-end Key-
Title: Mornings After
Series: Bleach
Wordcount : 383
Warnings: ???
Nanao paused before the door, trying to summon enough anger for what she was guaranteed to see the moment she stepped inside. She'd heard the third seat and fourth seat joking about how much sake their captain had drunk last night, and they went silent when they saw her.
"Does no one in this place care what people think of the captain?" she muttered, putting down the tray to open the door. This was almost a ritual between them, since she was assigned to the eighth division.
Captain Kyouraku was lying on the floor again, lazing. He didn't look much different from the usual, but Nanao knew better. The slackness of his body and the even breathing said he was asleep. She knelt and lifted his hat, and he didn't even move a muscle.
"Captain," she said, and then louder, "CAPTAIN!"
"Nanao-chan," he greeted, a goofy smile on his face. "Did you see the wine jar?"
"No, and I won't tell you if I did." Nanao frowned down at him. He tried sitting up, and groaned. Nanao poured a foul-smelling concoction into a cup.
"Sweet Nanao-chan, smile for me this morning, my head hurts from all the sake I drunk."
"No." She handed him the stoneware cup, and he grimaced at the smell.
"You wound me, Nanao-chan. Is that one of those fetid brews you make me drink for my hangovers?"
"If only you wouldn't drink so much you won't drink it so often." She couldn't understand why a Captain of the Gotei 13 would be so foolish and get drunk, or get himself into trouble.
"But you're only nice to me when I'm doing something stupid," he said, before finishing the drink in one gulp. Nanao frowned, not amused. "The taste only gets worse every time," he said, looking much more alert.
"I'm glad you noticed," she said, as he tucked his double zanpakutou into his sash. "Commander Yamamoto called a meeting for all the captains and vice-captains."
"Really? Well, I think I can even stomach breakfast now. Will I get to eat something else my Nanao-chan made for me?" Nanao hit his wandering hand with her fan. "Oooh, cruel Nanao-chan!"
"It's lunch." There was a fleeting smile on her face when she said, "I'll accompany you to the meeting later, captain."
-end Mornings after-
Title: Yukata
Series: Slam Dunk
Wordcount : 383
Warnings: flaffy (fluffy and waffy at the same time)! XD Set in Volume 23, before the match with Toyoyama.
"So what if Shohoku's basketball team just started getting back on its feet this year? We've been doing damn well to deserve a higher ranking on this stupid magazine!"
The C ranking really rankled him. Kogure didn't bother giving reasons to justify the rank, merely settling back to enjoy listening to Mitsui's voice.
Mitsui stretched in his yukata, flopping back on the pillows. He looked good, so much that Kogure couldn't keep his eyes off the other player when he's in the court. Even now Kogure couldn't help staring as Mitsui settled down on his futon.
"Kogure."
Mitsui had caught him staring. He looked away, embarrassed. "What is it?" he asked, flustered.
"Oh, nothing." And he had to leave it at that. Mitsui rambled again about Shohoku's lower ranking compared to Kainan and Toyoyama, but this time he was distracted, talking just for the sake of talking. Kogure couldn't look at him again, so he pretended to be packing his bag. When everything was quiet he turned back, he found Mitsui regarding him intensely. "What?"
"You - " and then Mitsui trailed off in a mumble. He'd never heard the self-assured Mitsui talk that way. It did something restive to his stomach. This was the second time - whatever Mitsui had in mind had got to be important.
"I what?" he asked, his voice hushed. He was afraid to break this silence. Mitsui turned over, idly flipping through his magazine yet again. Kogure looked down at his hands, deciding it was high time to call it a night.
"I'm going to sleep."
"So early. Stay up with me. Hell, we can even wait up for Akagi, just in case he gets lost." Mitsui smiled, as if the thought was just too funny to be true.
Kogure didn't think he could take any more without doing something incredibly stupid. Something that involved kissing, and touching, and totally out of his alley. "I'm too tired to stay up, and we've got to wake up early tomorrow."
"Suit yourself." Mitsui didn't seem to mind his refusal much, Kogure thought, chagrined. He lay down on his futon and pulled up his blankets.
"Hey Kogure."
"What?"
"You look good in a yukata."
Kogure turned over to Mitsui's side and removed his glasses. He was grinning.
"So do you."
-end Yukata-
Title: Psychotherapy
Series: Prince of Tennis
Wordcount : 893
Warnings: o_o;
"Lie down and we'll discuss what has been troubling you lately."
Kaidoh had looked askance at the grass around his sempai. The question had been clear. "You can always use my lap as a pillow," he had suggested then, more of a joke, but it'd pleased him when his kohai took it as permission to do so. And then, with a few hesitant words, Kaidoh started to talk.
That had been three weeks and five days ago, after one particularly counterproductive tennis club practice that he noted as the climax of Momoshiro's and Kaidoh's long-standing emnity.The punishment of picking up the tennis balls they'd upset and clearing the clubroom after fifty laps had done nothing to improve their mood, but he was particularly worried about Kaidoh. He had known that Momoshiro would find an outlet for his anger - in videogames, in awful unhealthy fastfood, maybe even in a game with Echizen - but Kaidoh was a different thing entirely. Kaidoh would run and train until he was numb, and the over-exertion would be bad for his kohai's body. He had come up with what certainly sounded like a silly idea at the time, but Kaidoh certainly needed to learn how to manage his anger productively.
And that was why Kaidoh was now lying on the grass with his head on Inui's lap, speaking more openly with him than with anyone else. Inui had initially planned this to be a form of anger management but just hearing Kaidoh talk could make him forget of his original intentions.
"That smash idiot doesn't even train half as hard and people think his dunk smash is enough. So he's sneaky," Kaidoh drudgingly conceded, "but that doesn't do anything about his tennis - "
Inui was by far one of the most patient in the Seishun Gakuen Tennis Club, but hearing Kaidoh talk about Momoshiro, their rivalry, what new thing Momo did to tick him off, and other sundry things did make him feel - well, it wasn't jealousy.
No, it wasn't, he thought, steering his thoughts firmly away from thoughts of how he should get rid of the second-year, so he may have Kaidoh all for himself. There was a fanciful idea from a fairy tale, something about a poisoned apple - but in Momoshiro's case it should be a hamburger with a near-fatal dose of Aozu. In this situation, Ryoma, Momoshiro's constant companion in his hamburger escapades might serve as his 'prince'. But how to get the Aozu in the hamburger - prepare the burger patty with the concotion? Spray the vegetables with it?
"Sempai? Are you still listening?"
Belatedly he realized that his kohai was not talking anymore, and that his hand had gotten itself entangled in Kaidoh's hair.
"Yes, Kaidoh, I am," he said automatically.
"Fsssh." Kaidoh's trademark sound carried a multitude of meanings - disbelief he caught his sempai woolgathering, doubt, assurance. There seemed nothing more from Kaidoh.
It didn't seem like there was anything else to do but talk. "Can I speak about my findings?" At Kaidoh's nod he said, "You are very concerned about Momoshiro."
"Not by much."
"Ii data, it doesn't lie. I must admit that I am experiencing misgiving with the method I have used to clear your mind." Kaidoh looked up, and he continued, "I have determined that you are more partial to Momoshiro than to any other member of the te - "
"Chigau!" kaidoh bolted upright. The strength of Kaidoh's denial made Inui focus on his kohai. Was Kaidoh embarrassed by what he just said?
"It may mean you find his company the most conducive to improve, or more pleasant than - "
"I don't like that dunk idiot's company the most."
"Ah." The jump from partiality to liking was significant - very significant. Inui pushed up the glasses, thinking maybe his cheeks were as warm as they felt. "If nothing is bothering you then I guess these sessions must be discontinued. Now about your current training - "
He stood up, about to walk to his bag when he felt a hard tug on his pants' leg. Kaidoh clutched on, a slight line of pink on his cheeks, covered by his hair and bandana.
Inui, for all his calculations and theories, did not expect Kaidoh to stop him. He looked away, but couldn't resist looking back.
"Can we - continue?"
"If it's your wish, Kaidoh."
"But what I really want to do is to slam one Boomerang Snake straight to his face one day and he wouldn't know what hit him but being the dunk idiot that he is he'd just jump and - " Kaidoh said, settling down more comfortably. Inui glanced down at his kohai, amused. The psychotherapy goes on, with one important difference.
Kaidoh looked up at him from the circle of his arms. "What do you think?"
"Wouldn't it be easier to use a different method to extract your revenge? There are ways necessitating the use of an accomplice, in which you can introduce a foreign substance into his diet - something known to cause extreme discomfort for those who ingest it."
"Aozu?" Kaidoh looked squeamish at subjecting someone to Inui juice.
"I was thinking of being literary-minded, and using an apple - "
"Hamburger," Kaidoh corrected. "With Ryoma as his 'prince'."
And in that they were in perfect accord.
-end Psychotherapy-
Title: Camera-shy
Series: Prince of Tennis
Wordcount : 941 (longer than Psychotherapy! O_O)
Warnings: TezuFuji. XD
Fuji was a hunter, albeit he prowled not the dense forests of Latin America, nor the vast grasslands of Africa. His prey had a sixth sense when it comes to his stalking, shying away from wherever he was. but he has gotten trophies as well. Kikumaru and most of the Seigaku team were willing to pose, and neesan was always there, but the models he loved the most were almost always camera-shy.
He remembered this shot of Yuuta, when he was watching out for his little brother. He'd forgotten about the flash, and it was just providence that got him away before the other St Rudolph investigated.
It was a photograph worth the hardship. Just like these photographs he was developing now.
"Do you have to?" he'd asked, embarrassed to be caught doing something as trivial as eating an ice cream cone.
"Um-hm, how often will this ever happen?" was what he'd said, putting down the camera and giving his sunshiny smile. And though he obviously had misgivings over this his companion left it at that.
***
The next day during practice, Kikumaru hopped over to his side. "Nyaa, what, that again, Fuji!? That explains it!"
"Hm?" Fuji flipped through the photo album, smiling at his pictures with his beloved brother. "What is?"
"Why Buchou hasn't been hanging around you lately, nyaa."
"Tezuka doesn't 'hang around' anyone," Fuji said, amused by the way Kikumaru phrased the situation. If anything else, he was the one hanging around Tezuka, teasing him, trying to make his stern exterior crack before everyone. "Where is Tezuka anyway?"
"Hmph, talking to Oishi." Fuji's smile widened at Kikumaru's pout. So that's why the other boy wasn't clinging to his doubles partner. Fuji looked to their direction, and narrowly missed Tezuka's Look.
He called it Tezuka's Look, because there was no other way to describe Tezuka's serious face when a flicker of emotion went by on those features with the speed of a lightning strike. Was Tezuka jealous of the time he spent with Kikumaru? That wasn't it - Tezuka knew they were close friends, and nothing more. What else could incite his jealousy?
"Nyaa, Yuuta-kun looks so cute, not like now!"
He glanced down at his pictures. Yuuta, his sweet brother, was utterly cute and cold to him. Yuuta was cold because he was easily embarrassed and very camera-shy, and that reminded Fuji of this certain someone who often pretended to be cold as well.
"Hm," was all he said, comprehending what this was all about.
***
It took no small feat of manipulation, making sure his targets were alone when he talked them, else there would be witnesses. One never really knows how Tezuka keeps track of everyone in the team, and it would be best not to tempt fate. Therefore it was conspicuous that even after the match assignments both Kaidoh and Inui were nowhere to be found.
"Fuji."
Tezuka stood before him, looking irritated.
"Ah, buchou," he said, smiling up to Tezuka as he took out yet another album from his bag.
"You should be in a match with Kaidoh right now," was what he said. Fuji smiled.
"Kaidoh's nowhere in sight. Weren't you supposed to be in a match against Inui?"
"Inui called Kaidoh for some discussion over their training menu." His tone carried an underlay of suspicion - as if he had a feeling Fuji had something to do with it but had not enough basis to accuse the tensai outright. Fuji's smiling face betrayed nothing.
"If you're doing nothing why don't you sit down?" It would be better not to mention how he manipulated Inui into doing that, or how willing the other senior had been to be led along to the second-year. Tezuka didn't like him interfering into the affairs of the other players, and if he kept at it discreetly he can go on. Fuji patted the seat beside him. "Aren't you tired standing around looking so improtant, Tezuka-buchou?" he teased.
Tezuka said nothing, looking pointedly down at his album. "I don't forbid the others their hobbies, but when they distact you from the game - "
"I guess anyone else would think I was distracted." Impyling that Tezuka ought to know better than to accuse him of that. His innocent smile grew wider. "I think my photographs inspire me. Don't you think it's wonderful that something could inspire the same emotions as you do while you lead the team to the Nationals?"
Tezuka looked away, towards the courts of the game they both love. "Don't do that."
"Do what? Hint? Say something that can be construed as hitting on you?" Fuji's smile widened when Tezuka avoided his glance - if a look with smiling eyes could be construed as a glance - by shouting an order to the players in the court before them. "Maa, if you're so against my looking at my albums to 'inspire me', then why don't you just give it a look, and see why it makes me want to do my best."
"After which you'll play."
"I'm yours to command, buchou."
Tezuka sat down, and Fuji handed the closed album to him. Tezuka frowned, before opening it.
Fuji wished he had a camera to capture the frozen look on Tezuka's face when he saw who the person in the photographs were. But maybe his memory of this moment would be enough to last his lifetime.
"Naa, camera-shy Tezuka, did you know you're rather photogenic?" he asked, smiling.
Or maybe, he thought, sliding a little bit closer to the still stunned captain, he can find a way to get that look on Tezuka's face again.
-end Camera-shy-
The Snape thing is much, much more difficult than I thought. I wanted the myth to sound like it came from a fairy tale, so let me read my Grimm's, my Andersen's, my Hoffmann's, before I attempt to do so. Well, it's also reference reading for Monster, so....^_^;; It's v. important, because the myth takes up more than half of the story, like a tale within a tale....
'The moon was the world of Selene, who gazed upon the world from the silvery parapets of her residence on its journey across the skies. Selene was lonely, except for the white swallowtails that served her, flying across the midnight sky to leave a trail of moonlight in their wake.'