Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction ❯ Hyoutei Rabbits ❯ 05 ( Chapter 5 )

The Seigaku Tennis Club regulars panted in various poses of collapse. Although the newest version of Inui juice was absent, one can never be too sure.

 

“Echizen,” Momoshiro panted to catch his breath, “Do you want to get a burger after this?”

 

“Ueese,” Echizen wheezed out between breaths.

 

“Eiji-senpai?”

 

“Hoi,” Kikumaru panted, “hoi.”

 

 

When Ooishi reached the burger joint, the three hungry Seigaku regulars had just set their trays down. “Sumimasen(1), minna(2),” he apologised, “You didn't have to wait for me.” He had rushed there, after locking up the clubroom. Three pairs of eyes blinked.

 

“We didn't wait, Ooishi-senpai.”

 

“This is our second round.”

 

It was Ooishi's turn to blink. Momoshiro had an upsized meal on his tray, plus a milkshake and two additional cheeseburgers. “Are you sure it's healthy to eat so much, Momo?”

 

“Daijoubu. Momo-chin is a growing boy,” Kikumaru remarked. “He'd grow bigger than Cavy-chan.”

 

“Eiji-senpai, Cavy-chan didn't grow big. He grew fat,” Momoshiro complained.

 

“Aa, Horio nearly sprained his wrists from carrying him.” Echizen grinned. His scrawny classmate was tottering all over like an old lady, before landing on his bum.

 

“Mou,” Ooishi's face was flushed, “I didn't know he wasn't supposed to eat that much. I just replenished his feed, when the tray is empty, and he just kept eating.” Although he had already explained many times, Ooishi felt the need to repeat himself every time the issue was brought up.

 

“I wondered if Cavy-chan has lost any weight?” Kikumaru said, whilst nibbling on a fry.

 

 

The Kikumaru household was teeming. This was unusual for a mid-afternoon, when only the grandparents were at home. The cause was the first meeting of the rabbit adopters. But after the initial discussion and petting, the boys were drawn to the game console.

 

Echizen Ryouma sat alone at the dining table, nursing a grape Ponta (a brand of fruit juice-soda) and a bruised ego. He had just lost his place to Horio Satoshi. The eight rabbits were gathered in a corner of the room. In fact, Echizen would have described them as being huddled together. And the way they were twitching their whiskers, noses and ears, he would say they were having a meeting of sorts.

 

“Atobe, you don't look too well,” twitched Chocolate, the Angora. Beside him, Honey, the English Lop had fallen asleep. Coffee, the Havana, gave his fellow lagomorphs an once-over. Kabaji seemed to have gained some weight. However, Atobe was not the only one who looked enervated; two of the second-years, Hiyoshi Wakashi and Ootori Choutarou, looked drawn too.

 

“What's wrong, Atobe?” Oshitari Yuushi asked, “Haven't you been resting or eating well?” A tired Atobe was a rare sight, even if he was a fluffy white rabbit then.

 

“I'm fine. I just seem to need more sleep in usagi-form.”

 

Coffee furrowed his brows. This isn't right. Atobe should have plenty of time to sleep. What else did he need to do? “What have you been eating?”

 

“Hay, carrots, apples, cabbage, tasteless pellets - things that don't fill the stomach,” Atobe replied as if in a trance.

 

“Anything else?” Oshitari persisted.

 

“What else is there?”

 

“Your pellets?”

 

“Didn't I just mentioned that I ate pellets, ahn?”

 

“I meant your own pellets,” Oshitari explained patiently, “Rabbits ex-, produce two types of pellets. The moist-”

 

“Ore-sama do not eat bodily excretions!”

 

“But you do eat bird's nest, no?”

 

Atobe shuddered with indignation. “That's not the same. It's a delicacy. And I only eat it. I don't- don't-”

 

“It's like foie gras, really. An acquired taste,” Oshitari persuaded pleasantly. “If you're put upon to taste yours, you might like to try mine. It's quite-”

 

“I'm taking none of your crap!”

 

“Why, Atobe, you've just made a joke about it. Surely, that's an improvement.” Oshitari smirked in his mind. He was enjoying niggling his normally unflappable captain. “Now, why don't you-”

 

 

“Argh!”

 

The fourteen-year old sank back into the silk sheets of his four-poster. A sheen of perspiration covered his face. These nightmares had become less frequent. He remembered the weeks after the ordeal. Sakaki Tarou, their coach, actually inquired if he was falling ill.

 

At least, it wasn't one of the really horrible ones. He groaned into the air-conditioned darkness of his bedchamber. Unbidden, the thought brought to mind images of `mutated' rabbits with permed or artificially coloured fur, bizarre adornments and tasteless fur-cuts. These often appear in his dreams in the manner of a PowerPoint presentation, and he awoke from these dreams with his eyes squeezed shut. However, even this was better than waking up with a churning stomach and real physical pain in the jaw.

 

Atobe gave up on sleep.

 

 

He never did find out how and why they were transformed back to humans, although true to the unpleasantness of it all, it was not pleasant.

 

They were going to a rabbit fair. The Seigaku and Fudoumine students wanted to go with the rabbits, on the chance that their owner or owners might be there. The Hyoutei rabbits wanted to look for the bejeweled rabbit.

 

The fair was horrendous. Atobe thought people only do those things to dogs, and he had to look through all of the monstrosities for the one who could turn them back. He did not find it. He did not think anyone did either, although by unspoken agreement, they did not discuss the ordeal after it was over. The horrible backbone-melting sensation began about noon. It was more drawn out than the previous one. They were within the fenced up area for the ten metres dash contestants. They looked at one another, and understood. Eight rabbits vaulted over the low fence; the smaller ones using the Flemish Giant as a trampoline. They tore through the crowd, and hid in the backyard of an empty house.

 

The process was nauseating. They lay panting on the grass, tired and naked. So like in so many low grade comedies, they stole laundry from a few homes and ran all the way to Hyoutei Gakuen. There, Atobe ore-sama-ed the security, barefooted, into opening their clubroom, and with the master key, opened their lockers to retrieve their tennis attire. He had no idea how the rest explained their absence. His parents were abroad then, so he did not need to account to anyone.

 

 

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

1) Please excuse me.

2) Everybody