Amber Flame

Amber Flame

Summary: The story was finished right? ^w^ Not without a little wrap up and glimpse of the future! Thanks for even reading!
Disclaimer: Look, I can’t play tennis and if I tried I’d be drinking lots of Inui juice. I don’t own Prince of Tennis…but it owns me.
Warning:
Author’s Note: I loved writing this a lot. I love the duality I've created in my mind for Taichi and think if I do another fic...he's going to be one of those people with a sweet facade that's really a mean bitch or something...maybe he'll abuse Sengkou! Lol.

Epilogue:Taichi

"Taichi-chan! It's time to get up!"

Ugh. I'm so sick of hearing that shit. Everyday I say don't call me that and she does. Every fucking day. But I get up. I mean, I love my Mom but she's got this problem for real about being too sweet and neurotic.

I get up and put on some new boxers and No, I don't do that in my sleep anymore. I give my hair a quick brush and go to put on my pants.

Yamabuki High starts at eight.

I played tennis sure, but after getting good, after getting some person coaching both on and off the field from Senpai I got bored too. I even went to nationals, but wouldn't you believe it, we got beat. By Seigaku. And Captain Ryoma Echizen.

After putting on my black wife beater I put on my jacket. My bangs still get in my eyes, but I let them. THe headband is gone because one night it just sorta got ripped off my head and snapped while I was going down on -

"Taichi-chan! Breakfast!"

"Okay Mom! Damn!"

"Taichi-chan, don't cuss at your sweet Mother!"

I mimic her silently and grab my bag. I'm cutting it close but I can at least eat some toast or something. I go down stairs and kiss her cheek. Dad's already gone someplace, but that's not my concern.

"Bye Mom!"

She stands at the door waving just like she used to when I was five and I won't tell her this but it makes me feel good.

The walk to school is pretty standard. People see me and say "hello". I just nod or grunt. They remember that old Taichi how would have killed himself trying to wave back, but I've mellowed out considerably. I've learned alot in four years, being with Senpai, being on the team.

Speaking of the team, our club almost got eliminated when it broke that Sengoku was screwing the coach. After that we made it our goal to work super hard so that the administration wouldn't get any ideas about getting rid of us. It was a big scandal. I think his family moved to Tokyo after that or maybe the states, who knows, but Sengoku was a grade A whore. After he saw Senpai and me together he just kept throwing himself at him. It was pathetic and sure I was just a kid compared to him...but I know Senpai didn't want him.

I say Hi to people who are on the tennis team now. They've got a freshman manager this year too. It's like a tradition I accidentally started back in middle school and just like I used to, the kid follows me around, trying to get me back on the team.

"Dan-senpai!" she chirps, bouncing around me as I head inside the building.

"You're almost late! Want to come eat lunch with me today?"

I laugh and pat her on the head. Yeah, I can do that now. Listen kids, fuck milk. Senpai's make you grow. I'm five eleven now, almost as tall as Senpai. I say almost because he grew a few inches too. He's six three now. So, no matter what I'll always look up to him.

"Sanako-chan, you're late. Get to class."

"But Senpai -"

"Stop trying to get me to each lunch with your fan club!" I laugh and she blushes, waving and running off.

Oh yeah, there's a fan club. Apparently they snap pictures of me and write stories about me and have me fanpaired with another player on campus. It's ridiculous!

But it's cute.

The Akutsu Jin fanclub, member one, amazingly disappeared after our first night together.

He was fanpaired with me of course.

I mosey into class, ignore the teacher and plop down in my seat.

School is boring as hell and I can't wait till March graduation.

**

After school I head uptown. I have to take the subway a ways then hop a bus, but it's not big deal. Wish I didn't have to go to work later, but it's fine. I work in the area so getting there won't be a hassle.

The college is near here too but I don't know if I want to attend. My practice test scores are pretty okay...I mean I'm not going to Tokyo U but in Fuku with Echizen we've both got a good chance. He's going to Seishun U. It's full of his tennis buddies.

I'm careful with my bag not to hit anyone as I get off the crowded bus and stepped down onto street. It's pretty nice up here. Hyotei's somewhere around here, Hyotei high. Now that's a rich school. I heard that there are butlers in the cafeteria. That's pretty sweet, but I'm not into going over there and watching girls faint at the foot of the Atobe statue.

I walk for a while. Fall is in that nice stage where it's still warm and comfortable and none of the leaves have fallen yet. They're changing, but not falling.

I get to where I'm going and go in to the apartment building. It's pretty nice here too. A bit expensive I'd say. I never knew Senpai's parents had so much money, but he told me they saved all their money for him. They thought one day he'd need it for legal fees.

I rap on the door twice with the back of my hand and there's no answer so I just open the door. I toss my bag down by the entrance and slip off my shoes.

I like this apartment. It's pretty big you know and it's got this cool cream colored carpet and he has his own couch which is great for couch sex -

"What the fuck, can't you knock?"

I look at Senpai and glance back at the door. "I knocked. Where were you?" I point at him. He's half out of his day clothes.

"In the bedroom. I didn't hear you."

I just sort of grunt and walk past him to the table. "Yeah, well I did. Are we still going out?"

"Research my History paper and we will."

It was crunch time for Senpai. He was a college Junior already. It amazed me that he'd chosen some double History major and something like sports writing. I know he isn't stupid or anything, but I never know what to expect.

"I don't have time to tour with you Kid." He sort of looks at me then pats his pockets. I dig in my own and toss him a pack.

"You should quit smoking."

"Then quit fuckin' bringin' them!" he lights up and comes to sit near me, leaning back and crossing his legs, balancing his ankle on his knee. "You have trouble getting here? I can pick you up."

"Don't waste your gas. I don't need your car."

We're like this now. It sounds harsh to other people, but somewhere along the way I picked up how he talked. It's fewer words and it expresses more. I used to talk all the god damn time and he didn't exactly hate it, he just told me I was wasting my breath. I'm a man of fewer words now though sometimes...

"Besides, my Mom says she wants to get me a car! Isn't that great Senpai?!"

He looks at me and he's amused. I just time travelled on his ass.

"Shut up Taichi."

He laughs and lean forward on the table. His hair is pretty much still the same, just smaller. I think he's trained it to stay up by itself, though it is still cute to see himm come out of the shower and only be six two.

"You know that girl I was telling you about?"

"Hn."

"She won't quit. She still wants me back in tennis."

"You quit your freshmen yeah right? Yamabuki High?"

I nod and lull back into quiet. He knows why. I wasn't the best of the best, but I kept getting picked over. I didn't have leadership skills apparently and I was just chasing other people's backs instead of creating my own way. It was all lies. After awhile I just stopped trying and put myself on the bench for most of Freshmen yeah until I quit.

Senpai heard and he asked me why. I said I was bored like him and he said I was a liar because I loved tennis even more than him and it was true. It's just that eveyone remembered small Dan Taichi with the bandana slipping into his eyes, following Akutsu everywhere. No one could see me as the tennis player I was. I went six gamess to five with Captian Kirihara of Rikkaidai and that was difficult seeing as he'd become as formidable as Sanada was when he played for the team.

But no one cared.

Akutsu came to watch my games sometimes. We played sometimes. I still couldn't beat him, maybe I didn't want to but he knew I had talent. I even play against Echizen now and again and I don't get as many "Mada mada Dane's" as I used to.

He kissed me and I stopped thinking about crap. I felt better and just decided to move onto his lap. I sat there with my back to his chest and we looked out of his living room window.

"...You think I should try to play college Tennis?"

"You could try. How would you like to be apart of the SanadaAtobeTezuka triad? Worshippers made daily. There's a huge pool of regulars like they way Hyotei used to be and it's all people you know from Tennis. Shit doesn't change. They asked me to be in the club, I told them, fuck no. Tennis ain't my life."

I turned a little and looked at him. He stared right back at me, still taking drags on his cigarette. His eyes were like two little points of anber flame. They burned still, but not for tennis.

He kissed me on the neck and he smelled good. Like whatever he'd put on this morning plus the day.

It wasn't mundane for me yet, being with him. I mean it's been four years and it isn't as if no one else has been after him. There was the Yukimaru incident, the Kamio wants to ride your rhythm incident, the Shy Taka wants to have his world rocked incident and many others.

Even if his apartment's big, his bed is a nice large futon. Being on my back with him in me reminds me of that time. Those first few times when he loved me.

Panting for him, clawing for him, calling for him I know he loves me. We don't say that crap to each other, but he does often tell me things like: "Guys don't get pregnant" and "I like fucking you, why change up?"

"Jin -Jin -" I can see the clock from here and I'm about to lose it. I'm going to be late, but I really want to finish.

He pounds into me and scream out when it happens.

When it's over I clean up real quick and get dressed in the clothes I leave over there. I'm a waiter so I have to get dressed in the vest and tie and stuff and Jin likes this thing where he fucks the waiter so it's all good.

I get ready to leve and he nips the back of my neck.

"Come back."

"I will." I say, looking behind me.

His hair's a little messed up but I can see his burning eyes. They burn for me.

Those two points of amber flame.

*OWARI*


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*Can I honestly say I loved writing that chapter more than almost any of the others? It's like the jump off point for a more mature Taichi/Akutsu story! They're just so great together wouldn't you agree?
*Thanks for reading, I really had fun!
*Schwarzwald loves ya'll