A/N: I'm sorry. I know I have to finish Shukuteki and Teach Me but this bunny has been nagging for a good month now and I need to relieve it.

Title: The Stalk of Lavender (1/?)
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Prince of Tennis />Pairing: Akutagawa Jirou x Marui Bunta
Genre: Romance/Humor
Warnings: Well, um...boy love. Though if you don't like that, you shouldn't be reading my PoT entries xD Also alternating PoVs every chapter.
Summary: A story of a fanboy, his idol, and an unparalleled, unique love. Only spurred by a pair of lavender eyes.
Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis. It is the property of Konomi Takeshi.

~*~

If you've ever seen me at one of Rikkai Dai's games, you probably know that I am completely and utterly obsessed with Marui Bunta. And, well, you'd think that such a strong affection would take years to develop. But nope, Marui-kun had me at hello. The reason? His eyes. It started at that Newcomer's Tournament, when we were both first years...

~*~

“Oi, Jirou, you've gotta see this,” Gakuto squealed breathlessly. His stamina was ragging on him, I noted blearily. Gakkun must've run a long way.

Rubbing my eyes, I yawned and offered my new best friend a grin. “What's up?”

“Y'know Rikkai Dai is here, right?” Gakkun asked, panting heavily. “They let out...he's a few months older than us, Marui. Marui Bunta-san. You won't believe what he can do with the ball. Yuushi told me it was almost impossible, but it's kinda cool. And knowing you, Jirou, you'll probably really like it too!”

I tilted my head. He had to be pretty amazing to have a name like Marui Bunta(1) and not be teased at all by Gakuto. “Lead the way, Gakkun.”

~*~

“Mukahi-kun has an impressive acrobatic style of play,” Sakaki-kantoku told me, face blank as usual. “Oshitari-kun is our school's best game-maker. Taki is well-suited for doubles. Shishido-kun is extremely promising in his talents as a counter-puncher, and Atobe-kun is technically the perfect all-rounder. Akutagawa-kun, you also have potential, but you show no preferred style at all. That's not good, because one set style is essential to your growth in tennis. You should choose a style that you like, Akutagawa, and that enthralls you.”

~*~

Unfortunately, Marui-kun's back was to us, because Gakuto and Oshitari got crappy seats. I wasn't happy with this, because they did belong to two of the richest families in Tokyo, and there was really no other explanation...

Though, I don't think I would've cared if Marui-kun wasn't so amazing and I really wanted to see his face. His moves were so tensai and the tightrope-walking thing was just really, really cool! Gakuto cheered every other time he used it, and I could tell Oshitari was also interested.

As I screamed at the top of my lungs and just about threw a party for every point Marui-kun scored, I remembered what Kantoku said to me the other day. A style that I liked? Well, I really, really liked Marui-kun's style, whatever it was. I asked Oshitari, and he told me it was serve-and-volley. I told myself to make up some original volley move later to show off in Kantoku's face.

/>At the moment, though, Marui-kun was revealing a new move – Metal Bell Hit – and took the game, 6-2.

I remembered how people had called me narcoleptic in the past and felt the urge to laugh at the irony – here I was, wide awake and totally ready to rock. “MARUI-KUN!!! SUGOI--!!!” Yells rang out from other ends of the stadium as well. There was a guy with icy blue hair laughing and waving at Marui-kun from the other side of the stadium.(2))

Then the loudspeaker rang out, “Akutagawa Jirou vs. Marui Bunta. Please report to Court B.” I nearly dropped dead from excitement. My first match! In the Newcomer's Tournament! With MARUI BUNTA!

Gakkun handed me my racquet and winked. “Oi, Jirou, let's see how you do.” I nodded eagerly and snatched it, bouncing hyperly to Court B, which was only a few meters away.

~*~

“Akutagawa-kun, ne?” I saw him blow a huge green bubble of gum and found yet another reason to idolize this wonderful, wonderful person. It didn't pop.

Then he finally looked up at me, and, well, I...I lost it. But you really can't blame me. Anyone getting their first look at Marui-kun's eyes would lose it. I don't get how Oshitari and Gakkun weren't affected at all, but maybe that's because they only have eyes for each other, ne?

Anyway, as I was saying, his eyes. They're positively gorgeous. I didn't even really like purple, but they were just such a soft, gentle shade of lavender, and fringed with his light red eyelashes, they were just so beautiful and like...breathtaking. I thought I might fall in love and never ever get out.

I did fall in love and never ever get out.

“Marui-kun, you're really, really, cool. And amazing. And you're just the most wonderful person in all of Japan,” I blurted out like an obsessive fangirl who'd been deprived of her dose of ranting. “No, not Japan, Asia. No, the world. Marui-kun, you're so cool.” I ended this with an extremely long stare at him, taking in everything a back view had lacked; his shaped face, with its high cheekbones, the Rikkai uniform, which fit his figure so nicely – did he have it custom-made? And finally, I ended at his eyes – his wide, slightly shocked, and obviously disturbed, albeit very flattered, eyes. I felt a thrumming in my chest as I realized I'd wrung a reaction of of him. I'd flattered him. He was appreciative of my complimenting him. It felt so uniquely familiar but so distant and new at the same time that I just about exploded into a huge grin – was this being in love? It was wonderful.

“...Thank...thank you, I guess...” Too bad he didn't feel quite as...exotic as I did. In fact, he blushed really hard when I realized I was staring, and quickly grasped my hand and shook it for barely one second before letting go. My skin tingled; it'd never done that before!

“Smooth or rough?” he mumbled, obviously very embarrassed. He looked down at his feet, red bangs obscuring those magnificent eyes.

“Smooth,” I answered cheerfully that day.

Our relationship, I think, was not.

End Chapter One

(1) – 'Marui Bunta' translates to 'ball of fat'. xD So cute...<3

(2) – Damn you, Niou. Always somehow getting into my works that even mention Rikkai.