silver pair!!! woots! i think they're kinda cute tgt, don't you agree:)

disclaimer: don't own PoT!!

Chapter 1

Osaka High Tennis Club

It was the first day of the new school year and Shishido Ryou was now a proud second-year student at Osaka High. Not to say that his result was lousy but rather, his involvement in the Osaka Tennis Club had taken up a lot of his time and effort. Enough to cause him trouble with his school work. Then again, he could also chalk it up to his own laziness since his senpais didn't seem to have any trouble in making it into the third year.

Alright alright, so he had been a little lazy last year, but that was going to change! And well, at least he wasn't the last in the whole level, he thought rather gleefully.

"Yo Shishido!" His fellow classmate cum club-mate waved enthusiastically at him as he walked into his classroom.

"Yo, finished your holiday homework?" Shishido smirked knowingly - Kazuma never did any homework and often ended up in detention.

"Why ask a question you know the answer to," Kazuma waved his question away, "Anyway, I just heard from Sou-senpai that the second years don't have to attend club activities today,"

"Ah, today's the tryout for the first years isn't it? Well, good for us then," Shishido grinned, "At least for me. I'm betting that you'll end up in detention,"

Kazuma growled in response.

"Alright, everyone to your seat," Their teacher instructed as she walked in, interrupting their conversation.

Shishido took a seat near the window and attempted to pay attention. Really! He did! Don't blame his short attention span. Seriously, he had no idea why the only place that his focus could last was on the tennis court.

Tennis. Every time he thought about his favourite sports, his face would appear. Choutarou. He hasn't seen him in a while.

Shishido frowned. How long had it been? Nine months? Or ten? He couldn't remember. He didn't know how they had lost contact. Of all the Hyoutei Regulars, the one he least expected to lost touch with was Choutarou. He even managed to keep in touch with Atobe! And that was saying something.

But he couldn't place all the blame on Choutarou, after all both of them had been busy. Shishido had been occupied with his crazy training schedule, since he was the only first year that was a Regular last year. He had a reputation to upkeep. Otherwise those snobby second years would start having his head. And Choutarou, well, he was appointed to be the Hyoutei's Captain and that was some heavy commitment. Who knows how much he had to put in to maintain the hundreds in the Club and choose the best eight to be Regulars.

So really, their losing touch was something that occurred naturally. Though Shishido really wished it wasn't so. Somehow in his third year at Hyoutei, the two of them had grown really close.

Shishido sighed. He must really missed Choutarou a lot, seeing that he could mistake the silver-haired kid rushing in through the gates as Choutarou. Choutarou was always on time and man, that kid was really late. Shishido let a smirk graced his face as he thought about the consequences the kid has to face.

"Shishido Ryou. I do not think there is anything funny about History for you to smirk about," His teacher's voice rang clearly through the class.

Shishido gulped, that was one thing bad about having teachers follow you up the years - they knew you all too well.

xXx

"First years, quickly write your name down on this list and move to one side so that others could write their name down," A tall brown-haired third year ordered, holding the loud-hailer close to his mouth.

Otori Choutarou patiently waited behind this red-haired guy who had his hair spiked to one side. Idly, he wondered if that kid did it to give him a wind-swept look to impress the girls. He seriously didn't think that they would be particularly impressed.

The guy in question seemed to have caught him staring at his hair and turned around, "Hiya, name's Taiyo and it's just a case of severe bed hair. It's not like this all the while," He grinned.

Surprised at being caught, Otori grinned sheepishly and held out his hand to shake Taiyo's, "Gomen gomen, I didn't mean to stare that hard. Name's Otori,"

"That kind of implies that you were staring, ya know," Taiyo said good-naturedly, "So you're alone? Where're all your friends?"

"They aren't that into tennis, so I'm left all alone,"

"Well, you can join us. My friends are over there, having signed up earlier without helping me to sign up, those idiots," Taiyo stuck his tongue out at a group of first years who had started waving to him when he pointed them out to Otori.

Otori grinned. At least he wasn't alone in the tennis club now.

A few minutes after both Taiyo and Otori signed their names on the sheet, the Loud-Hailer, affectionately dubbed by Taiyo's group of friends, gathered them round in a circle.

"Hello first years, I'm Soutake but everyone just calls me Sou-senpai and I'll be giving you further instructions. First, on behalf of Osaka High Tennis Club, I would like welcome all of you into the tennis club," He waited for a few moments for the scattering applause to die down.

"Now, we'll be holding several matches just to see where you stand. Don't worry, for those who had never played tennis before, please proceed to Court D and wait for instructions from the senior over there," Another pause for those people to exit.

"So I'll assume all of you have some sort of experience playing tennis and I would like to stress this now. Osaka High Tennis Club does not care how much experience you have with tennis. You may have been the best or the lousiest player back in your junior high. You may have never played in any of the school's tournament or you have been some champion in some open tournament. But Osaka High does not care," Loud whispering broke out immediately.

Loud-Hailer cleared his throat, "Your skills will be judged now by us so we hope that all of you will take the following matches seriously. It is not impossible for a first year to become a Regular but no, you should not get your hopes high. We are only judging you now so that we can later spilt you guys into groups to do a training programme better fit for your needs,"

"I'll announce the groupings now and each of you will match everyone in your group," He eyed a bunch of loud first years harshly and they immediately became quiet, "Since we do not care how much past experience you guys possess, please do not discuss such details in front of us. We would rather not be disappointed,"

Taiyo leaned over to whisper to Otori as Sou-senpai started to call out names, "Osaka Tennis Club seemed rather snobbish, doesn't it?"

"They're pretty good, I've heard. Made it into the Finals a few times," Otori whispered back.

"Really, I've never heard that," Taiyo's eyebrows were raised in surprise.

"Oi, you two are in the same group as me. Were you two even listening?" Taiyo's friend, Mizuno asked in exasperation.

"No need to, after all, we'll trash all of you," Taiyo glanced at Otori, "Er well, since I'm not too such about Otori's prowess…"

"Snob," Mizuno punched him lightly, "Anyway, that's the rest of our group," He said, pointing out to a bunch of rather snobbish looking guys who had already crowded at Court B.

"And you call me a snob," Taiyo shook his head.

"Do they know each other?" Otori asked.

"Think so, look at the way they're pointing at us," Mizuno said darkly.

"We'll show them! For looking down on us!" Taiyo said fiercely and walked up to stand next to the bunch of guys.

Otori blinked. Did that friendly and good-natured friend of his just turned vengeful or something? In a blink of an eye?

"Don't worry, you'll get use to it," Mizuno assured him.

xXx

A few matches within the group later, Mizuno lost his first match to one of the arrogant snob and Taiyo only managed to scrap a narrow victory.

Otori had to admit that the bunch of snobs did have some skills up their sleeves since Taiyo and Mizuno weren't that bad themselves.

"You're next, Otori, show them!" Taiyo cheered him as he entered the court.

"Why do you seem to think that Otori is even of any good?" One of the snobs, Yamaka sneered at him.

"Instinct,"

Beside him, Mizuno furiously hope that Taiyo was right as Otori took his position opposite his opponent.

"One set match, Fugio to serve,"