Hey guys! :)
I'm new author here in , and this is my second story so far.
This is mainly OC story, but of course heavily influenced by the original characters. This story is set in PoT high school universe, so I guess you can categorize this as an AU.
I will try not to create too many Mary-Sue-ish kind of OCs, though if you think they are, it's because that part is important for my plot/story line.
Any kind of criticism is welcomed, but please try not to be too harsh. :))
Anyways, enough talk (in my part).
Enjoy reading (I hope)!
Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis will be mine..if only I could save a million yen every freaking hour of my life (which sadly is impossible). So, yeah, PoT will never be mine. The OC's are mine though.
Prologue: Where We Left Off
"Hey! Have you heard about the Seishun Team?!"
"Yeah…I heard they formed a team which plays at private tournaments."
"Aren't their team suspended like two years ago?"
"Eh?! That's too bad. They have such good team before. What happened?!"
Shira Anazawa silently fumed from where she is standing.
The whispers about the Seishun High tennis team has been steadily growing louder these past few weeks. Ever since the Regionals ended (where Hyotei and Rikkai Dai had another stand-off), the rumors about the possibility of Seishun High school team going back to the tournament circuit next year has had the high school tournament circuit-buzz thrumming incessantly.
"So those girls are planning on returning to the tournaments eh?" her captain, Miaka Tachikawa, murmured amusedly beside her. "Too bad. By next year, Hyotei will be stronger than ever, ne, Shira-chan?"
She nodded rigidly, pride brimming inside her chest. Being a junior and a vice-captain is an accomplishment that she is very proud of. Who wouldn't?
"I'm sure you'll do fine leading Hyotei to victory next year, just like what I'll be doing this year."
She can hear the haughty, regal tone that is a mark of a real Hyotei Queen. Miaka Tachikawa is every inch the quintessential Hyotei Royalty. Beautiful, intelligent, deadly on the courts and insanely rich.
Of course, Shira Anazawa is hot on her heels to becoming the next Queen. Only she can match up to the current Queen, and she had made a vow to herself that she is going to surpass her predecessor—in every way possible.
"Buchou," a silent voice called out to them. She watched as Miaka-Buchou tilted her head to look at the newcomer.
"Yes?"
"We found seats for the whole team." The junior smirked as she crossed her arms in front of her, head tilted towards the courts. "They managed to attract such a big crowd. No wonder they are such favorites."
The captain just raised one elegant eyebrow at her kouhai. "Indeed. Well," she waved her hand in dismissal, "What are we waiting for? Let's grace them with our presence, ne?"
~~~~Ж~~~~
"Why didn't I say 'no' to them?! Ugh! This is so annoying." Saiya Hyuki murmured angrily as she balanced the three bags that she is carrying in her hands. One has a couple of canned drinks, the other had an assortment of breads and snacks, and the last one had bottled water. Her team, who are currently sitting at the bleachers, 'asked' her to 'get snacks for her poor senpais'.
And her, being the dutiful kouhai that she is, complied eagerly. She regretted her decision when the whole team (a total of 8) recited their preferred buns and drinks while shoving a couple of bills towards her. After three minutes of listening to their requests, she stood alone in the middle of the street with a dazed look on her face. The barking of an expensive looking poodle shook her out of her stupor. She made her way to the snacks stands that lined up the side of the pathway of the clubhouse and bought all the snacks. She was pleasantly surprised when she managed to remember each of her senpai's preferred snack. After making her purchases, she is now trying to remember just where the rest of her team is sitting.
"Was it E4? Or F4?" she mumbled to herself while scanning the whole gymnasium for a sight of any of her teammates.
The whole clubhouse where the charity tennis tournament will be held is a huge one. According to what she heard, it has a capacity of at least 2,000, give or take a little. And to say that it was packed was an understatement.
'I wonder if they managed to get a seat.' She wondered as she continued her search for the elusive teammates.
Her eyes caught a blazing trail of black and red among the gathering crowd up ahead and, remembering the clothes that some of her senpais were wearing, she made her way hastily towards the group. Huffing, she planted her foot and set down the plastic bags before tapping one of the girl's shoulders.
"Akio-senpai! I've been looking for you-!" she stopped suddenly when the girl jumped away from her, seemingly surprised by her sudden appearance. Getting a good look at the girl in front of her, Saiya realized her mistake.
"Ah! Gomen ne, Gomen ne!" she bowed furiously, waving her hands around in a nervous manner. The girl looked at her weirdly. "I thought you were someone else! You were wearing the same colors so…" she trailed off when she realized that not only the girl was looking at her weirdly, but the other girls with her as well. She blinked her eyes. 'Black and red.'
She tilted her head and scanned the other girls who were staring at her, confusion and a little bit of hostility on their faces. 'Seishun high…'
She has heard about the team of Seishun girls who had been participating in these kinds of tennis events. Though this is the first time that her team has decided to accept the invitation to watch the games (simply because they've heard about a certain national-caliber player playing for the team), and the fact that her Buchou wanted to scout potential players.
An exaggerated cough cut through her thoughts. She turned her eyes to a girl who is now standing in front of her, her blue eyes staring at her curiously, a tentative smile in her lips. 'She seemed kind of nice.'
"Yo." The smile got a little wider, "are you lost?"
Saiya waved her hand in front of her. "Oh! Ah…no, I am not lost." She tugged on a piece of hair, "I was just looking for my teammates and then I saw you and you were wearing the same colors as some of them so I thought you were them and so…"
A sudden laugh stopped her rambling.
"You don't have to be so nervous!" the girl leaned forward and grinned at her. "Name's Resha Takami by the way. What's yours?"
"Eh?!"
"Your name!"
"Oh…My name is Saiya Hyuki." She bowed her head, "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!"
The girl blinked several times. "Oh. You're from Rikkai right?" and then she smiled once more. "Your team is here to watch the games?! Awesome!" she then turned to the girls behind her. "Hey girls! We have to bring our A-game today! Rikkai is here!"
Saiya watched in bewilderment as some of the girls looked at her with raised eyebrows and challenging eyes. There is a total of 6 girls presently standing around her, the girl—Resha Takami—included. She can see a tall girl with short black hair and equally black eyes, beside her is a girl with dark-brown hair and light-green eyes. Another girl is sitting on her racket bag, her blue eyes smiling at her, while her black hair is in a high ponytail. The other girl was lazily tapping her feet while bobbing her pink-hair in tune to an unheard music, her eyes are closed. The other girl has curly blonde hair and green eyes, while the other one (the one she tapped earlier) has short rust-red hair (which reminded her of her senpai) and dark-cobalt blue eyes.
Resha grinned at her. "We hope you won't be bored while watching us play!"
She smiled hesitantly. "Ah…yeah. Good luck with the game." She wanted to turn and walk away, but her feet seemed to have been glued at the place. Or maybe…the way that Resha is looking at her makes her feel a little bit…different. Her blue eyes seem to sparkle with some inner light, as if she knows that Saiya is berating with herself in some inner struggle. It was quite discomfiting.
Taking a deep breath, she aimed a smile at the girl and turned on her heel.
Only to come face to face with a girl that is wearing the same smile as Resha does.
Only this time, it has much more intensity. As if those dark-brown eyes are staring down and through her soul. As if the owner of those eyes are reading her. Saiya didn't know what to feel.
"Hello."
~~~~Ж~~~~
Tezuka Kunimitsu resisted the urge to sigh in annoyance. Fuji is testing his patience to its end—and this time, the Tensai is on the verge of succeeding.
"Fuji." His voice has a tint of warning. "Just pick out any drink and let's go."
He watched as the honey-haired Tensai brought his pointer finger to his chin and cocked his head, doing what his friend has dubbed as his 'thinking pose'.
"Saa…But I can't decide between grape and apple…banana sounds good too."
Tezuka glared at the vending machine. The said machine retaliated in silence.
More than four years of friendship has gotten him used to the quirks of the Tensai, but he is not in the mood to appreciate his friend's attempts at humor (on Tezuka's expense, of course).
A chuckle accompanied the sound of a canned drink dropping from the machine. He watched as Fuji gracefully took the drink and straightened to his full height.
"Saa…this is such a great day to be watching a tennis match, ne Tezuka?"
"Hn."
They started making their way back to the gym where the games will be played. Outside the gym, the sun is beating down at them harshly, a sure sign of the impending summer. He grimaced (mentally) at the thought.
"Na, Tezuka." He heard Fuji call out softly. He turned his eyes to see his friend gazing softly ahead.
"Hn?"
"Do you think the school board will approve of Kisana-chan's appeal to let them join next year's inter-high tennis tournament?"
"Ah."
Both of them are currently playing for their high school tennis team at Seishun High, along with some of their former team mates from junior high. Except from Kawamura, who decided to start his sushi training two years ago, and Echizen Ryoma who is currently playing abroad, the same members and regulars were back together again. He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed by the fact that their team will never be the same again. Junior high felt so long ago.
"I see no reason for them not to grant the request." He added offhandedly.
Fuji nodded absently. "I really hope so. Kisana-chan has been working for that approval since last year."
"But even so, they lack members."
"Saa…don't worry. I heard Kisana-chan's younger sisters will be joining the club no matter what. And by the way things are right now, they have a really big chance of making it to the nationals."
"You put too much faith in them, Fuji."
"Saa…I've watched some of them play numerous times Tezuka." Fuji looked at him, a soft smirk on his lips. "Takami-chan and Kanama-chan are really good, as well as Rin-chan and Akayama-chan. And you know how good Kisana-chan is." He turned his head forward once more. "I have no doubt in my mind that they will do well if given the chance."
Tezuka wanted to say something in response to his friend's declaration, but when a sudden cheer erupted from the gym, he caught himself suddenly being dragged by the eager Fuji Shusuke.
In retrospect, he knew nothing that he would say would change his friend's view—especially if it has something to do with the girl by the name of Kisana Kurosu. He—along with his other friends and team mates—has learned that when it comes to the girl, Fuji Shusuke is anything but the Tensai that he is.
Something that neither Tezuka nor Inui can explain, or even understand.
~~~~Ж~~~~
Tezuka soon found himself seated between Atobe Keigo and Sanada Genichiro, while in front of him, Fuji and Yukimura Seichi is having a rather enthusiastic conversation about cactus and other plants.
"The probability of the Seishun team winning is 98.45%" he doesn't have to turn his head to know who stated the fact.
"Nyah! This is so exciting! They made it to the finals!" the redhead acrobat exclaimed as he glomped the nearest person to him, which is Oishi.
"Calm down, Eiji." The calm and patient ex-fukubuchou (future fukubuchou as well) chided softly.
"I can see some familiar faces from other female tennis clubs," Oshitari Yuushi commented from beside the Seigaku Tensai, a novel propped open in his hand. "Even the Hyotei Queens are here. How fascinating."
"The probability of that happening because of a certain player: 100%" Yanagi announced from beside Inui. The two are both scribbling something down in their respective notebooks. The other regulars shook their heads at the two resident data fanatics.
Down at the court, the Doubles 1 players for both teams are already warming up.
"Who will be playing for your school's team?" The Hyotei Tensai asked.
Inui flipped a page before answering his question. "Momo Sugiraki and Ai Haikawa. Both are seniors. They played for Seigaku when they were in junior high. Sugiraki-san is a left-handed baseline player, while Haikawa-san is a right-handed serve and volley player."
"A baseliner and a serve-and-volley player?" Yuushi blinked, "That's odd."
Atobe grunted. "Arn~ who decided the pairings?"
"The captain did."
The whistle sounded, and the game got on its way.
On the other side of the gym, Shira let her light-violet eyes follow the movements of the players. The Doubles 1 players from both teams are good—though compared to her and the rest of her team, still mediocre. She can see boredom etched on the elegant face of her Buchou, and she can almost hear her other team mates yawning from the lack of interest at the on-going game.
From what little information their data-gatherer (a freshman by the name of Leika Shiffer), the team has-at the most—five acceptable enough players. Judging from the performance of the Doubles 1 pair, it is clear that the two aren't part of that specific group. 'I wonder if those can really play. This is such a waste of time.'
After almost an hour…
"Finally." She heard their Buchou exclaimed in a perfectly clipped tone, "that was the lamest tennis game I have ever seen. Don't they have better players?"
A giggle erupted among the other girls.
"You can't expect them to have good players, Buchou."
Snicker. "Yeah. Seishun is lame."
To which Miaka-Buchou sighed dramatically and eyed the players with a sympathetic glance, her lips turned slightly upwards in disdain. "They are so pathetic, trying to reclaim the former glory that was smashed into dust by their own. I wonder who the pathetic being who thought up of this plan."
"The captain, Kisana Kurosu, Buchou." A soft voice answered.
"Oh?" Miaka tilted her head towards the sitting girl, head buried in her thick notebook. "Is she any good?"
"She is. She is undefeated."
Shira raised an eyebrow at that. She's heard the name, but she never was interested so she ignored the rumors attached to it.
"Hmmm. Interesting. Will she be playing then?"
"Hai. She always plays Singles 1."
A smile brightened the Queen's face. "Good. We'll stay and watch then."
On the other hand...
Saiya sat frozen in her seat.
Seishun has just taken the fourth game—and the fourth win. They are already declared as the winners, but as to the regulations, Singles 1 would still be played.
"Did you see that Doubles 2 game?! It was awesome!"
"I never thought someone can be as graceful and deadly as that!"
"I swear I can see wings on her feet! Damn! That girl was fast!"
"I made the right decision coming here and watch this game. This is better than any games played in the thigh school tournaments!"
All around her, people are whispering amongst themselves, all are astonished about the games that they have watched so far. Saiya, personally, has never thought that the girl she met earlier was one of the singles player of Seishun. Resha Takami is fast.
And that other girl…
She shook her head to clear her thoughts.
"I never thought they are that good." Her Buchou's voice reached her ears. Turning her head, she saw those normally clear and confident green eyes waver and clouded.
"Buchou…?"
Saeko Arisawa smiled at her. "Ah, Saiya-chan. They are good, ne?"
"Hai." 'But we're better…right?'
"Hyotei is here."
Yes. She'd seen some of the players earlier when she was making her way back to her teammates.
"Think they're scouting as well?"
Their Buchou shrugged her shoulders. "No idea. Probably just to gloat for winning the regionals."
A sudden hush fell upon them. This year was the first time that Rikkai lost against Hyotei on the regional tournaments. It was probably the saddest day in all the history of Rikkai Dai High.
Their sudden silence was cut when a loud applause erupted. The sound was deafening, Saiya noted.
"So that's Kurosu, the captain."
"She's…short."
She is, Saiya agreed. The girl is probably half a head shorter than her, not to say that she is skinny as well. She was clad in a red and black jersey, hair twisted in black and red ribbons, the ends billowing in the wind. On her hand is a racket of purest black, glinting in the sun. She exuded a strong aura: a strong and deadly aura.
Saiya was about to say something to her Buchou when her eyes caught a familiar face sitting on the stands. 'Ayame-chan.'
The girl seems to have heard her, for she turned her head just a little bit so as to face Saiya. Even from the slight distance, she can see the glint in her friend's light-green eyes. That look means one thing: Ayame has just gotten some good data. She smiled to herself. Next year, after the Nationals are over, she will take her place as the next Rikkai Dai Empress.
And she will lead her future team to victory, alongside her best friend.
'When you become the captain,' Ayame looked at her with eyes blazing, 'that's when I will try for the regular spot.'
'We'll lead the team together ne, Ayame-chan.'
Silence. "Ah."
"Hyuki."
"Hai!"
"Watch the game. Kurosu may just be your greatest rival in the coming year."
She eyed the girl who has just won her service game with four untouched aces.
"Hai."
Saeko Arisawa smiled to herself.
Saiya Hyuki is an extraordinarily good player, with a strong sense of discipline and a drive that rivals even her own. Makino Ishigahara may have been just a tad better technically, and Ayame Toyama may have been a player close to being a prodigy, but both of them lacks that special something that all leaders should have. The day that Saiya Hyuki emerged victorious against the Singles 2 player of Hyotei, Saeko knew she has chosen well. Only Saiya Hyuki can lead a team under the Rikkai name, and emerge victorious.
She just hopes that the girl currently dazzling the crowd wouldn't be on her protégé's way.
~~~~Ж~~~~
"Game and Set: Kisana Kurosu. 6 games to love."
"Kurosu wins the match at 2 sets to love. Shake hands."
"Two love games," Yanagi started,
"and two sets to love." Sanada finished.
"She's a monster." Yuushi offered, novel forgotten in his lap.
Fuji and Inui shared a chuckle, while Eiji grinned at the other regulars.
"Kisana-san is really good nyah!"
"So it seems," Yukimura murmured. "I wonder how she would fare against our female players though."
"There's only 23.89% possibility that she'll be able to play in equal footing against Arisawa-san." Yanagi predicted.
A snort was heard behind them. They all turned to look and were promptly surprised upon seeing two girls: one was smiling nervously at them, while the other one was busy writing something down in her notebook.
"Ah, Gomen! My sister didn't mean to…" the girl trailed off in hesitation.
"Ah, it's okay Amika-san. No harm done." Inui answered.
Yuushi raised an eyebrow at the girl—Amika. She has light-brown, almost golden shoulder-length hair, with eyes the same shade. Her skin is an exotic molten gold tone, glowing under the lights.
"Arn~ you know them?" Atobe asked Inui without looking at the data-man.
"Ah. These are Kisana-san's younger sisters: Amika and Choharu Kurosu."
"Kurosu?" Sanada asked, his eyes looking intently at the two girls.
"Aren't they the doubles pair who was undefeated?"
Oishi smiled at the two girls. "I didn't know that you'll be watching as well. We could've gone together."
Amika smiled. "Hm. We ran a little bit late. Cho here wanted to perfect one of our maneuvers and we lost track of time."
"It's not entirely my fault, Amika." Choharu grumbled, "You purchased the wrong ticket and you got us lost."
Amika flushed. "Cho-Cho!"
"Don't call me that!"
Choharu raised her face (which was buried in her notebook earlier) to stare indignantly at her sister; and Atobe resisted the urge to ogle. The girl—Choharu—had the most beautiful eyes he has ever seen. Mysteriously dark, deep-like the deepest wells that hides secrets, fringed with long and curling eyelashes, round and large, hidden by the glasses that she's wearing. Her face is heart-shaped, framed by dark and shiny curly hair, her skin is delicately white and smooth, a hint of pink on her high sculpted cheeks. He couldn't help but let his eyes roam her face, from her forehead, to her eyes, her cheeks, and her nose down to her lips. He has seen so many beautiful faces, but Choharu Kurosu is the only one who has rendered him speechless.
A soft laughter cut his musings (to which he was thankful).
"Cho. Amika. What are you doing up there?"
Below their seats, stood Kisana Kurosu, dark-brown eyes filled with amusement.
"Kisana-chan!" Fuji called out to the smiling girl.
"Omedetou Kisana-san!" Oishi and Eiji cried upon seeing the girl.
"Arigatou!"
Atobe watched as the Seigaku regulars chatted with the older Kurosu. Fuji leaning closer, as if wanting to get even closer to the happily laughing girl.
"So, that's the girl he has been pining after eh?" Yuushi observed.
"Hn." Tezuka answered.
"She's sort of pretty," Yukimura commented, a thoughtful look in his face, "pretty—and somewhat…different."
Meanwhile, Yanagi was looking at the two girls in front of him. He has heard about the Kurosu twins from some of the Rikkai Dai junior high players. Apparently, the two has remained undefeated all throughout the tournaments, a feat that is admirable since Hyotei and Rikkai both have strong doubles pairs in their roster. What made them better than all the other pairs? He has to know.
"Come on you two, the whole team is waiting." Kisana called out softly to the two girls. Amika smiled shyly at the male regulars, while Choharu rolled her eyes at her older sister, huffing as she shoves her notebook in her bag.
Kisana turned to Tezuka. "Ah, Tezuka-san. Do you want to talk to Rin-chan?"
Tezuka shook his head. "It can wait. It seems your team wanted to celebrate."
Kisana turned her head towards her waiting team mates. A brown-haired girl was jumping up and down while brandishing a light-green racket. Beside her, a girl with pink hair is frowning at her behavior.
"Hmm. They are a little bit too excited for our winning this tournament." She turned back to Tezuka. "I hope you enjoyed the games."
"They didn't." Choharu said, "Same with the players from Rikkai and Hyotei, and just about every high school around Tokyo."
Kisana nodded. "Ah. That's too bad."
"That's not true, Kurosu-san." Yukimura countered. "It was a good game."
Kisana laughed. "No worries Yukimura-san. I am sure you are used to watching spectacular games, being a prominent player yourself." she smiled at the others, "I hope my team will be able to entertain the next time you watch our games. I hate to disappoint twice." She bowed deeply, and then sending a smile to Seigaku regulars, turned on her heel and walked towards her waiting team. Amika followed her sister after leaving a smile and a wave, but the dark-haired sister stayed behind.
"Choharu-san…" Fuji started.
Choharu turned, her eyes dancing merrily while staring at the Rikkai Dai data-man. Inui chuckled amusedly.
"Yanagi-san." She called out to which the closed-eye male responded with a nod. "Your calculations…were incorrect. My sister has a 67.12% chance of beating Arisawa-san using her right-hand, and using her left hand," she cocked her head to the left side, her eyes crinkling as if she's thinking hard. "I'd say Kisana has 98.10% of beating her…in one hour flat." She then smiled and bowed her head before following her sisters, leaving Yanagi frozen in his feet, the others silent.
They all watched as the pink-haired girl pulled Choharu into a one-arm hug as soon as she reached them.
And then as one, the team left the courts, intent on celebrating their success.
~~~~Ж~~~~
Saiya followed her team out of the clubhouse into their school bus which was waiting for them outside.
Her team mates were still in a little bit of daze after watching the games. The Seishun girls were good—that she could give them, but the captain was what surprised her. Kisana Kurosu won the game without even dropping a point. She wished she could say that it was because the opponent was weak, but it wasn't the case. She's played games with Aika Himotori during their junior high school days, and Aika was good. For her to not even win a point…
Her Buchou suddenly stopped, making her bump into the older girl's back. 'Huh?'
She stepped to her left and craned her neck to look past her two teammates who were in front of her.
What she saw left her breath stuck in her throat.
There, leaning on the door of their bus, smirking as if has all the rights was Miaka Tachikawa, the Hyotei Queen herself, the one who dethroned the Empress of Rikkai Dai. Beside her was her cohort, all looking at them with all the smugness they can muster. Saiya felt her fukubuchou tense.
"My, my." Miaka shook her head slowly, letting her dark-purple hair swish elegantly across her shoulder blades, "If it weren't the Empresses themselves! Oops! My bad," her lips turned downwards, "you guys were already dethroned by…oh! That was me! What a shame for me to have forgotten about that!"
As if on cue, the rest of the regulars laughed condescendingly.
"Oh…sorry, that was inconsiderate of me!" Miaka continued, a feral smile in her lips. Her amber eyes literally glowed, like a tigress hunting its prey.
"Do you need anything Tachikawa?" Saeko asked in a steady voice.
One of the Hyotei girls snickered. "What does your pathetic team has that our Buchou would need for?"
"Well then, can you all please move away from our bus? We would like to leave and go home now."
Miaka chuckled darkly. She started walking slowly towards the Rikkai Team, eyes maliciously eyeing each and every one of them. Once she was at least two steps away from the captain of the opposing team, she stopped. With a smirk, she fingered Saeko's collar. Saiya saw her fukubuchou tense, but one look from their captain was enough to stop the burly senior from grabbing the Hyotei girl and throw her to the ground.
"Such a pity, Arisawa-san." She sighed dramatically, as if a heavy burden was thrown towards her. "Well, I guess we'll give you some hope for the nationals eh? How about an odd of maybe 90 to 10? Hmmm." She put her finger on her temple, while her eyes adapted a faraway look. "But that's too much. I know!" she suddenly cried out, clapping her hands together, "How about 99 to 1?! Isn't that fantastic?!"
Saiya knew it took all of their hard-earned discipline to not throw caution to the winds and grab the Hyotei bitch and claw her eyes out. She can feel the raw anger that her team mates are emitting.
She can almost smell blood.
"Don't do anything that you will regret, Asumi." Her Buchou reminded the girl beside her.
"Demo-!"
Miaka laughed even heartily. "Ohhh…Listen to that!" she turned to her team mates, "captain here is reminding her team not to do anything to us! Isn't that heartwarming?!"
"As if they can do anything!"
"Well, let's see them do it. Maybe they'll end up like that pathetic excuse of a team from Seishun!"
The laughter grew even more, coupled with snickers every now and then.
"Senpai-" Shira was beside herself. She didn't know what to do. Her team mates are being over the top, although this is a usual behavior for them, their coach wouldn't be too happy if she hears about this.
On the other hand…Tachikawa-Buchou is one of the few who doesn't care about what their coach thinks.
She was about to walk forward and put a stop to the situation herself when a stray tennis ball made its way to one of her senpais-the one who has just spoken.
Giving a yelp, Mari-senpai jumped sideways, trying to avoid the speeding ball that was heading towards her face. Doing so, she pushed the other girls who were standing on her left, causing the four of them to topple and fall down. It was such a disgraceful sight.
Shira turned her head towards the direction where the ball came from- and saw a girl with light-blue hair and dark-eyes bouncing a ball in her left hand, a light-blue racket on her right.
Mari-senpai angrily pushed herself up and dusted her clothes, her eyes becoming angry slits.
"You bitch!"
She started walking angrily towards the calmly waiting girl.
"Is there anything wrong Sanae-san?" a soft, cold voice stopped the enraged girl in her tracks.
Shira's eyes widened as she saw the smiling girl, staring at her senpai as if nothing is wrong.
"Get out of the way, you bitch." Mari snarled.
Kisana chuckled amusedly, all the while looking at Mari curiously. "I cannot do that- You see, Miyu-chan here is my teammate, and I cannot let anyone like you hurt her."
Mari's eyes widened. "Anyone like me?!" she screeched, "Who the hell do you think you are?!"
Kisana blinked. "Oh. Well, I am Kisana Kurosu. Yoroshiku!" she smiled while extending her hand.
Mari's snarl became a smirk as she eyed the girl's extended hand. Grabbing it with hers, she gripped it: hard.
But her eyes widened when she felt the other girl's grip tightened around her hand. She tried retracting her hand, but the other girl wouldn't even budge. She gasped as she felt her fingers being squeezed too tightly.
"By the way, I don't like it when insignificant people make fun of my school." She opened her eyes, and Mari felt a shiver run down her spine. "It would be for your own good to remember that."
The grip tightened even more when she scoffed. She gasped loudly at the sound of her bones breaking.
"FINE! I won't make fun of your team now let go of my hand!" Mari all but shouted.
Kisana immediately let go of the hand. "Oh! Gomen! I guess I was still a little bit excited from playing." She smiled once more, before turning and walking away from the scene.
Meanwhile, Saeko sidestepped Miaka and made her way towards the bus door where three of the Hyotei girls were still sprawled out. She merely looked at them, before opening the door and beckoning for her team to follow her lead.
Saiya watched as her team mates started walking towards the bus. She remained.
She didn't know why she remained rooted on her spot. She can hear Miaka Tachikawa breath ruggedly few steps away from her, she's probably angry at what happened. She still cannot understand why the purple-haired captain hated Arisawa-Buchou so much. Her animosity is more than just because of rivalry-it runs deeper than a high school tennis rivalry.
The Hyotei captain stomped her way towards the other senior, all along shouting at her other team mates to hurry up so they can leave the forsaken place. The other girls scrambled to obey the command.
Only one of the girls remained.
Saiya stared at the other girl, her long dark-blue, almost black hair, in a ponytail at the top of her head, light violet eyes staring at her. She can feel the intensity behind the stare: there's animosity, challenge, and something else she cannot discern.
All that she knows is that she cannot afford to drop her own stare.
Shira let her violet eyes look at the girl opposite her. She has thick black hair that is highlighted with red streaks, amber-gold eyes. Her stance is somewhat…awkward, but there is something...yes, strength. And something more.
She knows her-Saiya Hyuki, the future captain of Rikkai Dai, the one who flattened one of their singles player during the regionals, one of the two players who were able to win against her team. She is good.
And the fact that she will be a captain like her makes Shira all the more apprehensive about the other girl.
They stood there; two girls from two different teams,
'My team is better.'
…heading towards the same direction,
'I will make my team even better.'
….with the same conviction,
'I will be the best.'
…And only one goal in mind:
'I will win.'
~~~~Ж~~~~
Victory is more than just a word…
Its conviction
~~~~Ж~~~~