Haruka's Fanfiction

*NOTE* Alternate Universe wherein I shamelessly borrowed/altered ideas from various media sources and even threw in some of my own. If anything is canon here, it’s probably an accident. Some chapters contain corporal punishment. Yaoi warning.

Earlier chapters can be found here.


Changechildren (Prince of Tennis)

Part 77

By Haruka (haruka@ymail.com)

--

One moment they were in the cabin, the next they were back in the mansion.

"Dude, I LOVE your power!" Akaya exclaimed to Eiji.

"Me too!" Eiji declared, then cupped his hands and yelled out, "Where is everybody?!"

Kids started pouring out of different parts of the mansion. Fuji, who hadn't moved from Yuushi's side, inched closer to him instinctively. Yuushi gave him an encouraging squeeze and met Atobe's eyes significantly.

On all sides, the kidnapping victims were caught up in hugs, slaps on the back, and enthusiastic greetings.

"Eiji!" Oishi cried, swinging him around.

"Whee!" Eiji crowed in delight.

"Hey kid!" Akaya's hair was ruffled simultaneously by Nioh, Yagyuu, and Bunta. "Good to have you back!"

"Okay, okay!" Akaya protested, trying to struggle away from them, but smiling broadly all the while.

Nanjiroh stopped in front of Ryoma. "You all right, Boy?"

The twelve-year-old shrugged. " I made out okay," he said. "Better than others." He glanced toward Fuji, huddling against Yuushi. Nanjiroh raised an eyebrow in that direction but didn't ask.

"I was worried about you," Yukimura told Sanada, touching his cheek softly.

Sanada covered that hand with his own. "I know. I'm sorry."

Atobe was ruffling Beat's fur as the dog jumped all around him excitedly. He looked up as Tezuka crouched in front of him and their eyes met.

"You've got to stop getting kidnapped, Kei-chan," Tezuka said huskily. "You'll make me old before my time."

Atobe smiled softly. "We can't have that, now can we?" He leaned forward and they kissed.

“Thank God you’re all okay,” Sumire said, looking around. “Where’s Sengoku?”

“He’s being brought home by the police,” Sanada explained. “Kevin’s riding home with Sakaki-sensei.”

“Yuushi!” Gakuto launched himself toward his boyfriend but stopped when he saw Fuji glued to his side. He scowled and took a step toward him. “Move it or lose it, Fuji!”

Yuushi quickly intervened with a hand on Gakuto’s shoulder. “Don’t.”

“Why?!” the smaller boy demanded, glaring resentfully at Fuji.

“There was … some trouble. He needs time.”

Gakuto looked frustrated and upset, but it was Taka who couldn’t hold back when he saw Fuji’s expression of uneasiness. “Fujiko?” he ventured softly, moving forward.

He was horrified when he saw his lover edge closer to Yuushi and hide his face in the other boy’s chest.

“What the hell’s going on here?!” Gakuto yelled, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Yuushi,” Atobe said, “take Fuji upstairs.”

No one said a word as Yuushi obeyed, including Fuji. As soon as they were out of sight, Gakuto turned on Atobe with gritted teeth.

“I want to know what’s happening with them and I want to know NOW.”

“I’ll tell you,” he answered, glancing around the room, “all of you. But I warn you, I’m not going to sugarcoat this,” Atobe said grimly. “Baker tried to rape Fuji.”

There were horrified gasps all throughout the room, and Taka turned white. “No,” he whispered.

“It’s true,” Eiji said gently, moving over to put a hand on Taka’s shoulder. “He wasn’t successful, but he came close, and Fuji’s been freaked out ever since.”

“The police gave us the name of a counselor who deals in victims who are children,” Sanada said, handing a slip of paper to Sumire, who accepted it sadly.

Taka began shaking his head. “No, Fuji’s stronger than this –“

“There’s no shame in counseling, Taka …,” Sumire started.

“I know, but I don’t think Fuji will need it,” he insisted and started up the stairs.

“Taka!” Tezuka called firmly and the other boy paused to look back. “Be careful.”

--

Yuushi didn’t know what to do. Fuji didn’t seem ready to be on his own and yet he couldn’t stay glued to his side forever. He knew Gakuto wasn’t thrilled with the current situation, either.

He just hoped that Taka wouldn’t set him on fire.

A soft knock came at the door and Fuji looked sharply toward it. Yuushi gave him a reassuring squeeze. “Come in,” he said.

When Taka came in, Yuushi winced inside. Hadn’t he just been worrying about facing him? But then, Taka didn’t look angry; just worried. “Why are you knocking?” Yuushi asked. “It’s your room.”

“Atobe told us what happened,” Taka said, eyeing Fuji sadly. “I want to talk to him.”

Yuushi knew this was a conversation that Taka probably wanted to have alone, but as soon as he started to stand, Fuji grabbed his hand.

“It’s all right,” Yuushi said gently. “It’s just Taka.”

“Fujiko, won’t you talk to me?” Taka pleaded as he knelt in front of his boyfriend. “Please?”

After a few moments of searching Taka’s face, Fuji nodded, and released Yuushi’s hand.

The blue-haired tensai breathed a relieved sigh, and giving Taka an encouraging look, quietly left the room.

“Fuji,” Taka said softly, “I’m so sorry I couldn’t keep those men from kidnapping you, and I’m sorry about what that creep did to you.” He grasped both of the smaller boy’s hands in his. “You know me better than anyone – I’m not a violent person unless I’m holding a tennis racquet. But I swear to you that if I ever see that Baker guy again, I’ll –“ his voice caught as tears filled his eyes, “I’ll turn him into a charcoal briquette, and I’ll make it slow.”

Fuji raised aqua eyes to stare at him. “Taka-san –“

“I mean it!” the other boy stated firmly, his eyes determined. “I’ve never wanted to hurt anyone before, but I would gladly KILL that man for touching you!”

Fuji’s own eyes grew moist and he touched Taka’s cheek. “Please … Taka-san … don’t. It wasn’t your fault – please don’t change.”

“But I’m your boyfriend, and I couldn’t protect you!”

“Neither could Tezuka do anything, or Oishi, or any of you,” Fuji told him earnestly. “You can’t blame yourself or feel that you did anything wrong.”

“Then neither can YOU!” Taka took hold of Fuji’s shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes. “Baker was the one responsible and you were a victim, but you don’t have to be anymore! Let me be here for you, and help you get through it, okay?”

Fuji sniffled, and a tentative, watery smile appeared. He nodded, and slipped his arms around Taka’s neck. The power player held him, rocking him slowly. We’re going to get through this, he vowed silently. I promise.

--

Sengoku hadn’t slept well, but it had certainly been better than sleeping at the kidnappers’ hideout. He didn’t want to hang around his house – he’d had enough of confinement for a while. Instead, he wandered down to the public tennis courts and sat on a bench to watch the players.

“Didn’t think I’d be seeing YOU around here again.”

Sengoku recognized the sneering voice before he even looked up, but he was used to dealing with this one. “I got lucky,” he replied, glancing toward Akutsu Jin. “Here’s a question, though. Why would you think I wouldn’t be here?”

Jin’s expression didn’t give away anything. He took the time to light up a cigarette before finally saying, “Dan told me you’d been kidnapped.”

Okay … that was possible. Dan told Jin everything. Still, something didn’t feel right. “Did you miss me?” he joked.

Jin snorted. “Like a crutch.”

“Yeah, I figured.” Sengoku chuckled, but it was for show only. Inside, he couldn’t shake the uncomfortable feeling that there was something he was missing, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. If he was meant to know, chances were he’d luck into it, as he did everything else.

Then again, sometimes luck needed a little help.

“It was pretty awful there,” he remarked carefully. “Smith and Baker indulged their weird fantasies with us.”

“Sucks to be you.”

There hadn’t been a single hint of surprise at hearing the men’s names. He looked back toward Jin. “Dan told you about Smith and Baker already?”

Jin blew out his smoke and echoed Sengoku’s earlier thought, “Dan tells me everything.”

Sengoku stared at him. “He didn’t tell you it was them. He doesn’t know yet.” He got to his feet. “You KNEW about them, didn’t you? You knew what they planned to do to us!”

Slowly, Jin stood. He blew smoke directly into Sengoku’s face and smirked. “Prove it.”

Without thinking twice, Sengoku swung at Jin. The taller boy, although not a boxer, had far more street experience in beating people up. He caught Sengoku’s fist and shoved him to the ground, then tossed his cigarette away.

“You’re pathetic, just like the rest of them.”

“Is something wrong here?”

Both Jin and Sengoku turned toward the new voice and saw a beautiful individual with silver hair and purple eyes. They could have been either male or female. A couple of steps behind stood another attractive person, but this one was definitely a boy. His hair was as orange as Sengoku’s, and his expression was one of disgust.

“What do you care?” Jin asked, focusing on the orange-haired boy, figuring he would be the only one who’d dare interrupt; the androgynous one certainly couldn’t have.

“I don’t know if he does or not, but _I_ do,” the silver-haired one said, and the voice was just as hard to pin down in gender. Jin gave a short, rude laugh.

“I don’t need to answer to someone who can’t make up their mind if they’re a boy or a girl.”

The orange-haired newcomer snickered, and his companion scowled at him, then approached Sengoku and helped him up off the ground. “Unless he attacked you first, there’s no reason to go shoving people around.”

Jin grabbed the pretty one by the shirt collar and glared menacingly into the purple eyes. “No one tells me what to do,” he growled. “Boy or girl, your buddy is gonna have to carry you home.”

“Hey!” Sengoku started to move in, but the orange-haired boy caught his shoulder.

“Don’t bother,” he said, rolling his eyes.

In the meantime, a strange smile had crossed Jin’s intended victim’s face. “He’s NOT my buddy.”

This statement was followed by Jin flying through the air. Even though he’d seen the whole thing, Sengoku still wasn’t sure how it happened; it was that fast.

“Show off,” the orange-haired boy said to the other, who ignored him.

“Are you all right?”

It took a moment for Sengoku to gather his wits enough to answer. “Uh, yeah. How’d you do that?” He looked twenty feet away to where Jin was cursing as he tried to struggle his way out of the dumpster he’d landed in.

“He does it all the time,” the orange-haired boy said flatly. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and started walking away. “I’m going home.”

The silver-haired one sighed, shaking his head. “Sour grapes.” He winked at Sengoku. “He probably wishes he’d done it. Don’t tell him that I believe he actually could have.”

Sengoku watched him follow his non-buddy as they walked away, then looked back toward Jin. He decided it was probably a good idea to leave before he got back on his feet.

--

End of Part 77

(2009)

Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi.

This fic is not to be re-posted.