TITLE: Who Says College is Easy?

PART: Nine of Eleven

GENRE: Yaoi/Shounen-ai

PAIRING: NC SengokuShishido, developing AtobeTezuka, seemingly lost OhtoriMizuki.

DISCLAIMERS: The series I'm referring to does not belong to me… ^_^ only this weird story does.

Part 09: Underlying Bonds

It was the feeling of something cold pressing against his back that woke Shishido up. His lids slowly lifted, seemingly tired and almost fluttery. He did not know why he felt so spent. He did not know why there was something cold pressing against his back when he should be sinking into his bouncy mattress in his room... at least, he thought he would be... if he was at home at all.

CRASH!

Something fell from... somewhere near him. Surprised at the sudden eruption of sound ringing closely in his ears, his eyes snapped open, wide enough to render him dizzy as too much light entered his optic system. With a pained groan, he closed them, his hand involuntarily reaching up to rub circles against his aching temple - only to find out he couldn't move.

At all.

What -

His mind was screaming for him not to panic, unfortunately, his body decided to do otherwise. He struggled out of whatever it was holding him against the cold, slimy wall. It was probably the crash and the loud clanging of something he thought of as chains that made five very familiar people barging into the room, eyes wide with something akin to fear. But fear of what exactly? As it was, he wasn't in the position to be feared upon. He was chained last time he checked (Which was only a minute ago), and butt-naked (Since he could feel the whoosh of chill air on his body).

"Jirou?" He rasped. "What... why..."

Akutagawa Jirou, for once in his life was not snoozing. It was with singular amazement that Shishido noticed it. Then, his eyes narrowed. There was a more important thing to wonder about. He was still standing motionlessly in front of him, not doing anything close to freeing his shivering form so that he could go home already. Something was definitely wrong here, and Shishido knew that whatever it was... it was the ugliest he would be seeing in such a long, long time.

oooOooo

"I can't believe I'm stuck with you." Atobe groused, kicking a rock that was unfortunately lying on the warpath. "This is so boring."

"You're the one to talk. You never said anything either."

"Well, I'm talking now, aren't I?"

Tezuka glared back at him. "Then what am I doing, playing Monopoly?"

Atobe sighed and turned his head away. "Where could he be?" He muttered restlessly. "If something happened to him..."

There was pinprick of something resembling jealousy deep within the chambers of his heart. After all, Atobe sounded as if Shishido was his life. And somehow, that made him feel uneasy... and alone. What were they to each other? Did they share some bond that he hadn't the eyes to see since he came to the university? And why did he even care?

It was no use lying to himself.

Sighing, he walked on, eyes searching for the missing Shishido... without much success. He was getting more edgy by the minute... and somehow, he knew that Atobe was feeling twice as much as he was. The first thing that came to mind as he gazed at him was that he was unusually pale. And the doubts grew in him overtime. Shishido and Atobe were quite chummy over the phone, but he never thought that they were more... He sighed.

He was jealous.

He finally admitted it.

And he would never deny it now that he did.

"Tezuka... stop staring at me." It was when he uttered those annoyed words that Tezuka realised he was gaping - fortunately he did not catch flies. And he was not drooling. He had somehow preserved his dignity, however little it may now be. Why was Atobe so annoyed anyway? He had done the same to him in the past and he didn't say anything about it. Tezuka quickly turned away. He wasn't apologetic of it at all, so why bother apologising?

He wanted to stare at him... he liked staring at him.

Just like he loved staring at that lone person he had loved, the one who changed his life, the one who lived his last days around him. Gustav Shostakovich. He thought all too fondly. What is it that you have... that Atobe also has... that leaves me teetering on the edge of my sanity?

"I must look like a total lunatic like this, no?" Atobe suddenly piped up. Tezuka, even though surprised, remained quiet. He didn't have anything to say. "Shishido is great and I don't want to lose him. He has a nasty temper and I know that it would put him in trouble sooner or later, so I keep close tabs on him most of the time. I worry over him not only as a former captain... but also as a friend."

Tezuka nodded. He knew that. It was obvious.

And it didn't help pull him out of the darkness he felt he was sinking in.

There was something between Atobe and Shishido that he did not know... something that he knew he didn't want to know.

In a flurry of movements, Atobe grasped his scarf and pulled hard - so hard in fact that Tezuka whirled a complete ninety degrees, facing his doubles partner's now-taller form. Atobe looked down at him, eyes clear and unblemished...

And smiled softly.

"Shishido Ryou is a very good friend, Kunimitsu..."

Atobe's voice echoed along Tezuka's spine... and he was captured... rendered almost senseless as he stared back at him.

Atobe gazed down at him with so much uncharacteristic gentleness he never knew he was capable of with his bottomless... deeply passionate... For a short unguarded moment, his past love's aquamarine eyes flashed, superimposing against Atobe's earth-coloured ones before fading away completely.

"Just a very good friend, nothing more, nothing less."

Tezuka smiled back at him.

I finally understand... they both have the same eyes.[1]

oooOooo

"Why are you doing this?"

"You are Jin's friend."

Shishido stiffened even more. They're in first name basis? Then... aren't they supposed to be friends since they do that? He was confused... and to tell the truth... afraid. He had never been so scared of anything in his life. This was not the man whom he had made good company with in his last years of junior high... or the cheerful skirt-chaser who seemed to be carrying a lot of perkiness inside him. This was not the person he knew way back.

His eyes were crazed - tinged with something he thought of as disdain.

"Nothing to say to that?"

Shishido cried out in pain. The sudden impact of his captor's movements almost tearing his flesh away. It was excruciating. He wanted to escape, but it was too obvious he couldn't... if the way his hands were roped securely to the two jutting posts above his head were any indication. "You..."

"You see, Jin isn't exactly the type of person you want to mess with." His captor laughed wryly. "Do you know that he almost killed his stepfather in an uncontrollable fit of rage?"

Shishido let out shuddering breaths, eyes closing in pain and mortification. Why was he being subjected to this? This man wanted Akutsu... so why him? Akutsu had many friends! Kawamura-san and Choutarou... his mother... but why him? Why not them? "A~H!" He cried out as the surge continued, forcefully now, the stabs going deeper... more precise. It doubled the agony he felt when the guy's lackeys beat him up. His cuts were still bleeding, and his bruises were turning an angry shade of purple. "Stop...!"

"Why should I?" Came the mockery. "You were the one he cared about the most! You enslaved him with your stupid girly habits and long stupid hair!"

Shishido's innards roiled hotly in his body. Akutsu what? If he were in a different situation, he would've been laughing his guts out. "Stop! Stop...!"

The force was overwhelming, and his captor panted with it each movement, as did he. One pleasured, the other pained. "I told him he was special, I treated him better than everyone else - even you! And what did he tell me?"

A blow was delivered on his already bruised cheeks.

"Ah...! Sto... op..."

"He told me he didn't need me! I gave everything away for him, and still he didn't care for me! Hah... hah..."

"Don't..."

"I've always thought he'd come around. I almost thought he would - until you came and took everything away from me! All my hard work to tame him for nothing!"

Shishido knew that if this continued on, he would be reduced to a lump of gore. His captor was pounding him... pumping right inside him, pulsing... angrily taking revenge on him for trying to be nice to Akutsu Jin. Misinterpretation... that was all this was, and he was being punished for it! Screw them! Screw Akutsu, that freaking devil! Tears escaped his eyes. He didn't deserve this. He didn't! If there was one person who deserved to be tortured like this, it was Akutsu Jin.

And yet, the mere thought of the temperamental bastard receiving this brand of 'care' was disturbing. He didn't want him to end up like this, even if he was the most evil person in the planet. And the one submitting him to this suffering... he did not deserve to get his heart and soul ripped out.

Shishido had an epiphany, as pain pounded steadily onto him.

Once I get through this alive... If I get through this alive... I will say nothing.

Darkness began to consume him, and his body began to numb.

He closed his eyes.

All three of us... we don't deserve to suffer more than we do now.

oooOooo

Akutsu was trying to stop trembling - but was doing a very bad job of it.

Cold water sloshed down the sides of his paper cup as he raised it to his parched lips. He was trying not to panic, but he knew it was futile. His movements were saying otherwise.

"Where could he be?" Mizuki whispered to no one in particular, his fingers drumming against the wooden table of the plaza's only coffee shop.

"If I knew, would I have been looking for him like a stupid dog here?" Akutsu growled (No pun intended) angrily, slamming down his half-empty cup.

"Akutsu... no need to shout. He can hear you perfectly fine." Fuji said warningly, eyes unnervingly open, making him shudder as they seemingly bored into his very soul, the blue irises somewhat cold and filled with murderous promise. He did not know why Fuji was acting that way. After all, Akutsu knew he detested the cowering figure he had just dumped his ill temper onto. It was a known fact that Fuji hated Mizuki with his very soul - enough to humiliate him by pretending to love him for a half a year. So why this now? He shook his head in befuddlement. The world was escaping him... he couldn't understand anything anymore...

Even the tension in his body, he couldn't grasp it. Why was he being so worked up over the pretty boy that was his roommate when he could be worrying over other things such as his lagging schoolwork? Why was he having these spurts of fear over him when he virtually told Shishido that he did not want to have anything to do with him?

Maybe he was going crazy...

Or maybe...

"Ahh..." Atobe plopped gracefully on the lone cushioned seat available with his usual flair of annoying superiority. "I'm so tired... I can't find him anywhere!" Sullenly, he crossed his arms on the table and banged his head on them in a very un-Atobe-like way. "Where is he, where is he, where is he..." He punctuated with every hit. "I'm going to deny him another practice game if I fail my exam later at ten." He swore, finally halting his frustrated movements and resting his head on his arms.

If it was a different situation, he might have snorted in amusement. The King was losing his beauty sleep. How entertaining. However, Akutsu was currently anxious. He couldn't do anything but try to calm down and wait.

"Sleep a bit if you're that tired." Came Mizuki's quiet remark, his hands ripping the forgotten tissues into long noodle-like shreds. If it was doing well in calming him, the effect on Akutsu was the opposite. The movements were aggravating him so much that he swore he would rip Mizuki into shreds if he didn't stop doing it. Silently, he counted to ten, his eyes watching the patterned movements and seeing that until there were things to be ripped, he would continue doing so. Without warning, he angrily swiped the offending material from the tense hands and hissed in annoyance, crumpling everything into a ball and throwing straight at Mizuki. It hit him squarely on the forehead. Bull's eye.

"Akutsu-san." Akutsu inwardly cringed as the reproachful tone of Fuji reached his ears. What was wrong with him? He did not know... maybe he did not want to know. From what Kawamura told him, it was best that he did not.

"Sorry." He muttered grudgingly, sitting back on his seat, trying to calm himself down. Batch President Tezuka Kunimitsu to the rescue. He thought crossly, as he watched him place a throw pillow on Mizuki's lap, and then place another between the narcissistic bastard's big, fat, drowsing head. He sighed inwardly. All around him, people were being mushy. And he hated it. Absolutely HATED it.

If Akutsu had his way, he would've outlawed dating and lovey-dovey stuff long ago. Well, it wasn't as if Tezuka and Atobe was a couple... it was just... irritating, especially since -

Especially since...

He shook his head vigorously, much to his companions' concern. He must've been looking like a total whacko. Damn that drama queen and his midnight rendezvous with stupid people. He thought half-heartedly. He wanted to just lash out for the injustice of it all.

Because he knew that Shishido was being punished for what he did not even do.

He was being punished for being Akutsu's...

"We found him!"

At that, he immediately stood up, toppling his chair over, eyes wide in obvious surprise... and anticipation. Soon, he was a running, both eyes fixed on Ohtori's darting form in front of him. The sooner they stop, the sooner he got to where Shishido was.

Please let him be alright...

oooOooo

"Sengoku took him."

Atobe's eyes slitted in muted anger. "Jirou... Why didn't you do anything?"

Jirou fidgeted. "Can't do anything... I have sworn brotherhood with those guys. I let Shishido-san escape without them knowing, and frankly, I dunno what would happen to me once they found out..."

"Then why don't you give up on them... you can get out of a frat, can you not?" Ohtori asked carefully.

"It's because I'm... well, let us just say that I'm protecting someone..."

"Who?"

"Ummm... It's well... complicated."

Tezuka stepped forward and knelt, helping Mizuki heft Shishido's deadweight form enough to carry him off. "Momoshiro." He murmured. "You are protecting him, I know."

Jirou fidgeted some more, eyes trained on the tips of his boots. After a few minutes of silence, he nodded and looked up at Tezuka's solemn gaze. "Tezuka-san... I know you and Takeshi-kun go way back, with you being his captain and all in junior high... and I know that you know how it feels to have someone so close to you suffer." He paused, resuming his fascinated inspection of his shoes. "Well, Sengoku, he... he had a grudge against Takeshi before, and well, he was pretty much aggravated when he learned that he couldn't quite match up to him in most of his tennis games, and well..."

Atobe, irritated, obviously, cut him off. "Will you stop saying 'well' before getting to another phrase?"

Jirou, seemingly out of it, nodded. "Sorry..." He mumbled. "Well..."

Before Atobe started pounding on him, Mizuki stepped in. "He was frustrated then... that's why he quit tennis... correct?"

Jirou nodded. "What he said was that... he was supposed to be lucky, but he wasn't exactly winning anything... even..." He gave Akutsu a long look... and then turned his gaze at the limp body of Shishido.

"Even what?" Ohtori prodded.

"Ah, we have to go now. At this rate, Shishido-san wouldn't be given ample care. His wounds seem very painful." It was Fuji who spoke first, overriding Jirou's attempt to clear things up. It was a brave task, everyone had to admit, since Akutsu was literally sizzling in his own skin for something not everyone clearly had an idea why.

No one contested Fuji's words though.

They could always talk about it after.

oooOooo

"Akutsu-san, you can go home now, I'll keep watch over him."

Akutsu, staring blindly at the figure lying almost lifelessly on the hospital bed, shook his head, growling almost inaudibly to leave him alone.

Ohtori's eyes softened. Sighing softly, he sat down on one of the chairs on the other side of the bed. "Akutsu-san... please, just rest..." He pleaded gently in his most placating tone - all to no avail. He still sat, not budging even the slightest bit. Ohtori had a vision of him being glued to his chair so no one could make him go away. He might've found the imagery funny if not for the sickly form of Shishido Ryou directly in front of him.

Ohtori remembered what the doctor told them earlier...

"His rectum is severely bleeding... The muscles were literally ripped, and it looks like it won't be healing anytime soon. We have to keep the padding on for a while to get him lie down comfortably." One of Atobe's personal doctors said, shaking his head grimly. "No activities until his internal wounds are healed..."

"Could you give us an approximate time span for his rest period?" Mizuki asked worriedly. Ohtori knew he was thinking not only of his friend's welfare, but also of the tennis team's. After all, Shishido was a key player.

"If he wakes up soon enough, then we will estimate, but not after that."

The words sent a chill up his spine. "What do you mean if, sensei?"

"He was knocked over probably more times than I can count. He doesn't suffer from hemorrhage, but there might be a slight damage to his system. We cannot get complete information unless he wakes up."

"You mean..."

"Yes, most of his bodily systems are temporarily malfunctioning."

Akutsu stepped forward, fuming.

"Tell me you're joking, you bastard!"

Ohtori couldn't dispel the feeling of terror in the pit of his stomach. The doctor said Shishido would definitely wake up, but... what if he didn't? He took a huge calming breath. No, Shishido would wake up, he would make sure of it.

Because, as selfish as it may sound...

He didn't wasn't to lose another friend.

TBC

A/N: Looks like I'm extending this to chapter 11. XD Enjoy! ^^