Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction ❯ Singing Juices: A Tenipuri Musical ❯ Opening Act ( Chapter 1 )

Title: Singing Juices: A Tenipuri Musical

Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis does not belong to me. All songs belong to their respective owners. Some of them have been a little changed to better fit the story.

Words = singing

Summary: After drinking Inui's juice, Ryoma, Momo, Eiji, Kaidoh, and later Inui all begin to hallucinate hearing music and compulsively start singing. Needless to say, they're not happy with this, but it might help them with their relationship problems.

Author's Note: Ryoma's a freshman in high school (15-16 yrs). The rest of the boy's ages follow that. (Momo is 16-17, Eiji is 17-18). MomoRyo, Golden Pair, InuiKai, some TezuFuji. Also, this is just something I did for fun, so it's probably not gonna be that good. And I know so little about tennis I shouldn't even be doing this. Be warned.

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Chapter 1: The Opening Act

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“Echizen!”

The voice sounded like Momo and that was the only reason Ryoma looked up. Seeing the second year across the hall, grinning madly and waving a hand wildly in the air, Ryoma smirked, adjusted his grip on his tennis bag, and changed his course. “Momo-senpai,” he greeted.

“Hey,” Momo replied, shouldering his own bag and falling in step with him. “You going to practice?”

“Of course,” Ryoma looked up at the taller boy slyly, “I'm gonna beat you Momo-senpai.”

Things with Momo hadn't changed much over the years. If anything, things between the two of them had gotten better. They'd always been close, but nowadays they were even closer. If Ryoma had a problem, Momo was the first one he'd go to. He was the one Ryoma went to when people were acting weird and he didn't understand the many social complexities that made up life. The one he went to when his father was too hard, or too annoying, to deal with. They could spend hours outside, just lying in the grass, not talking.

It was new, and somewhat strange, but Ryoma kind of liked it. It was . . . nice.

“Brat,” Momo reached out to ruffle his hair affectionately, but Ryoma ducked out of the way. Momo let it go. “Just you wait,” he warned seriously, “I think I have a new trick or two up my sleeve.”

At this, Ryoma snorted, turning away as they made their way down the hallway to practice. “You're getting delusional in your old age.”

“I'm only one year older than you!” Momo protested.

“Old man.”

“Brat!”

Seemingly bored, Ryoma shot Momo a side-ways glance. “Is that the only thing you can come up with?”

“Why you—!” Momo sputtered, reaching out to grab him and missing when Ryoma ducked out of the way again.

Ryoma smirked up at him. “I hear it's your reflexes that are the first thing to go. Is that true?”

“I'm not old!” Momo insisted loudly.

Ryoma looked like he sincerely doubted this. “Bet you can't catch me, Momo-senpai.”

“Oh I bet I can,” Momo disagreed.

Ryoma just laughed at him, giving him one last look, before taking off.

“You little brat,” Momo muttered before racing after him.

 

 

 

Kaidoh frowned, lost in thought as he walked down the hallway to practice.

This week would mark two years that Inui and him had been together. He wanted to acknowledge it somehow, but wasn't sure. It seemed girly to put too much stock in anniversaries.

He almost couldn't imagine it though. Had it actually been that long? It seemed like just yesterday when Inui had taken him aside and started spouting probability after probability about approach tactics and acceptance rates while Kaidoh had stood there like a lump, completely lost. Inui had finally stopped talking long enough to kiss him and they'd been dating ever since.

It had started as a partnership of convenience, Kaidoh remembered, with Kaidoh being trained by Inui and Inui getting whatever it was he got out of it, but it had turned into something much bigger. Kaidoh didn't know how it had happened but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He'd been happier these past two years than any other time in his life.

Sure, things in the last six months or so had seemed almost strained, but Inui had been busy. What with school, tennis practice, data collection, extra training, his juice, and the up-coming college entrance exams, Kaidoh was lucky to get any time with Inui at all. It was selfish of him to want more.

Kaidoh sighed and adjusted his grip on his tennis bag, continuing to walk down the hallway alone.

“Kaidoh.”

Startled, Kaidoh jumped, whipping around to find that at some time Inui had joined him. “Inui-senpai! How - how long have you been there?”

“I just arrived,” Inui said with a small frown and adjusted his glasses. “Are you alright?”

Kaidoh hissed, annoyed with himself for his reaction. He should be used to Inui just appearing like that. “I'm fine.”

“Good,” Inui nodded and then got on to business. No more time for pleasantries. “Did you do the practices I set out for you last night?”

Kaidoh closed his eyes, irritated despite himself. “Yes, senpai.”

“And how were they?”

“They were fine,” Kaidoh said, reigning in his irritation, knowing that he should be thankful that Inui was taking time out of his busy schedule to help him train. That meant he cared, didn't it? “But I think I may have been over-extending a bit in my right arm.”

“Is that so?” Inui asked, the small frown coming back. “Very well. How about I come over tonight after practice and help you?”

At this, Kaidoh ducked his head and hissed, embarrassed but already looking forward to it, “That'd be fine.”

 

 

“Oishi!” Eiji whined. “Come with me!”

Oishi frowned and tried to detach Eiji from his arm. “No, Eiji. I need to study.”

“You can study there!” Eiji said, trying to get Oishi to see sense. He ignored the people around him, pointing at Oishi and him and whispering.

They always did that. It wasn't like he was blind or deaf. He knew what people were saying about them. He only didn't say anything because he kind of wished it was true. But Oishi didn't like him like that.

At least he didn't think Oishi did.

“With all those people?” Oishi asked, continuing before Eiji could answer, “No. I need quiet. I'm not like you, who can study anywhere you want and not be bothered. I'm going to the library.”

“But the library is so boring.” Eiji looked ready to cry.

“It's also quiet,” Oishi said firmly.

“But Oishi!” Eiji whined again.

“No.”

“Fine,” Seeing that Oishi wasn't going to budge, Eiji let go of his arm with a huff and turned away from the other boy, crossing his arms irritably. “Go to your stupid library.”

“Eiji . . .”

But Eiji wasn't going to be placated any time soon. He wanted to sulk. He wanted Oishi to go with him to the burger shop.

“Eiji, you know I can't,” Oishi said, not willing to budge on this one thing. Then he got an idea. “I know. How about I make it up to you?”

Eiji turned slightly, looking at Oishi out of the corner of his eye. “How?” he asked suspiciously.

“Ice cream? My treat. We can go tomorrow.”

“Really?” Eiji turned back around excitedly and reattached himself to Oishi's arm, all forgiven. “Oishi's the best!”

Oishi smiled at his excitement. “Come on,” he said, nudging the other boy, “We need to get to practice.”

“Hoi! What time is it?” Eiji grabbed Oishi's arm, turning it so he could read the watch. “You're right!” Detaching him himself from Oishi, Eiji hurriedly grabbed his tennis bag, throwing it over his shoulder, and grabbed Oishi's hand. “Come on!” he said, starting to drag Oishi along with him to the tennis courts, pushing his way through the crowd of people.

 

 

Sun burning in the sky, Ryoma absently wiped his face, shifting his grip on his tennis racket as he focused his attention on his opponent, Fuji. Just one more score and Fuji would win.

For the last hour the team had been playing practice matches against each other, each fighting to dodge a loss and Inui's new juice. Ryoma was playing against Fuji, while Inui and Eiji faced off on the next court, and Momo and Kaidoh played doubles against Oishi and Tezuka. Their new coach, Nakayama-sensei, had recently taken to changing up the doubles pairs in an attempt to work on individual weaknesses.

For the most part, the Regulars hadn't changed much throughout the years. Now in high school, the largest changes were in height and Kawamura's decision to stop school in favor of mastering the sushi trade.

Most of the team had also come out of the closet, if only to the other Regulars.

Fuji had been first, coming out as bisexual when he had suddenly decided that he needed to seduce Tezuka in his first year of high school. A year later, Tezuka had finally given in. This new relationship had then prompted Inui and Kaidoh to come clean about their own, having been together for almost 4 months at the time. And, three months after that, Momo had privately confessed bisexuality to Ryoma, not wanting anyone else to know for some reason that most likely made sense only to Momo.

Nobody bothered to ask Eiji and Oishi. It was just too obvious.

Ryoma groaned. Fuji had hit a hard line drive to the far right corner that he had been unable to get to, meaning he'd lost the match. So now he had to drink that juice.

Accepting this, Ryoma straightened from his crouch and turned to walk toward the benches. He was apparently the last one there, Eiji, Momo, and Kaidoh (the other losers) already sitting on the bench, holding their stomachs, looking dizzy and faintly nauseous.

Well, at least they hadn't fainted. That was a good sign.

“Here,” Inui said as soon as Ryoma arrived at the bench, handing him a glass of juice, this one a strange murky yellow-pink, fizzing slightly.

Ryoma made a face but downed the drink as quickly as he could to get the torture over with. He immediately choked and tried to spit out his own tongue to disconnect himself from his taste buds. This failing, the juice hit his stomach and he groaned miserably, bending over and clutching his stomach.

“Hmm, interesting,” was all Inui said, the sadistic freak, taking a few notes on his behavior.

Nauseous, the world starting to tilt alarmingly, Ryoma nearly fell, taking two steps to the side quickly to keep him on his feet.

Momo scooted over to give him his seat and nearly fell over on his side when the world tilted around him at the movement. Putting a hand to his head, he pulled himself up and tried to hold still. “Oh wow.”

Putting his head between his knees, hoping that would help, Eiji grunted in agreement. Kaidoh scowled at him, looking miserable and not amused.

Watching this, Tezuka nodded to himself and said succinctly, “Practice is over. Get to the locker room.” And he turned to head in that direction himself, trusting that his orders would be followed. With one last amused smile at his suffering teammates, Fuji followed behind.

“Ugh,” Eiji said emphatically, and tried to comply. Pulling himself up, being unsuccessful and falling back into his seat. He tried again and this time he was successful but stumbled, grabbing on to the first thing he could to keep his balance. This first thing, unfortunately, was Kaidoh, who had just struggled to his feet. This unbalancing him, Kaidoh stumbled and fell into Momo who almost fell into Ryoma. Just barely stopping himself in time, Momo threw out his hands to help him with his balance, almost hitting Kaidoh in the face.

Hitting the hand away, Kaidoh hissed, “Psshhhhhh. Watch it.”

Momo glared back. “You watch it. You're the one who pushed me.”

“I was falling.”

“And you should have fallen.”

The glaring intensified and Kaidoh hissed again. Attempting to stop the fight before it began, Oishi stepped between the two. “Why don't we all just go back to the locker room like Tezuka said?”

Still glaring, Momo and Kaidoh both mumbled an angry “Fine,” turned away from each other and began to walk towards the locker room.

Nearby there came the sound of a beat being played on a piano. It was loud and in their ears and Ryoma and Eiji looked around, but couldn't find its source.

Glancing at Momo angrily, Kaidoh began to sing to himself. “What is this feeling? So sudden and new.”

Shocked, everyone stopped moving and turned to look at him. Inui frowned. A single beat played.

Giving Kaidoh a disgusted look, Momo added, “I felt the moment I laid eyes on you”

By now the beats were getting faster, but Kaidoh, apparently in a world of his own, ignored them. “My pulse is rushing.”

Momo seeing that Kaidoh wasn't listening, rolled his eyes, immediately regretting doing so when he was hit by a wave of dizziness. “My head is reeling.”

“My face is flushing.” Kaidoh, finally noticing his audience, glanced over at Inui, Eiji, Oishi, and Ryoma with a blush.

“What is this feeling?” Momo and Kaidoh looked down, seeming to be truly thinking this question over. Meanwhile, the piano in the background had graduated to an actual melody that seemed to strangely match what Momo and Kaidoh were singing. Eiji stuck a finger in his ear to see if maybe that would make it stop being so loud.

“Fervent as a flaaame. Does it have a naaame?” At this the two looked up at each other, and seemed to realize the answer. “YeeeeeeeeeEEEEES”