Note: Chapters will be in third person POV, but they will follow a single character (whose name will be with the title). There will be no honorifics. Tennis isn't very important with this story; just assume that all tennis matches are still taking place whenever they're supposed to. There are some changes from the first version, all in an attempt to make the story better.

Special thanks to my awesome beta, HanakoAnimeaddict.

Enjoy!

…

Chapter One: An Unexpected Visitor (Yagyuu)

After school, when Yagyuu arrives at the tennis clubhouse, Niou isn't present. This is not an unusual occurrence; Niou regularly is held after class for detention due to his pranks. However, considering that he hadn't heard of anything happening, the bespectacled teen was suitably wary.

With the majority of the regulars gathered, Yukimura sends Sanada out to the courts to get the non-regulars started on their warm ups. When he returns, Yukimura begins the meeting.

"Alright, this meeting is about going over the new training regime that Renji has designed for us in preparations for the Kantou Tournament. Does anyone know where Niou is?"

Yagyuu inwardly cringes. While Yukimura's voice might sound soft and delicate, all the regulars have seen someone on the receiving end of his punishments for missing practice.

"He was in our last period, but I haven't seen him since," Marui offers.

"Niou didn't tell me he'd be missing practice, so I believe that he may just be running late," says Yagyuu when Yukimura turns to him.

"Forty-five percent chance that Masaharu is late due to being detained by a teacher. Thirty-eight percent change that he is late due to a girl. Seventeen percent chance that it is because of a prank."

Yukimura nods. "Thank you, Renji. We'll start without him then. Marui, you're first."

Yagyuu listens while Marui is being lectured about his sweets and given a rigorous training schedule to enhance his stamina. Then, Jackal is told to increase his lead weights and given a regime to better his early game. After him, Kirihara gets told off for lacking control and is scheduled for weight training.

"Yagyuu, for you I have devised a plan that I believe will –"

Yanagi's voice is cut off by a knock on the clubhouse door.

"Hm. I don't believe we were expecting anyone, were we?" Yukimura asks Yanagi.

Yanagi grabs his planner to check. He shakes his heads. "No, there isn't anything planned."

Sanada goes over to open the door. When he does, it reveals a girl of average height dressed in a Hyotei uniform.

"Um, hi. This is the clubhouse for the tennis team, right?" The girl shifts her weight from one foot to the other and then back again.

"Who are you?" Sanada crosses his arms. "You are disrupting our practice."

"Now, Gen," Yukimura chides, coming up to his fukubuchou, "that's no way to talk to a visitor of our school." He smiles at the girl. "This is the team's clubhouse. I'm Yukimura Seiichi, the captain. Is there something that you needed?"

The girl offers a small smile back. "Hi, Yukimura. I'm Kumiko Rie. And I'm really just here to return this." She holds out a Rikkai regular's jacket. "It belongs to Niou Masaharu."

Yagyuu frowns. What had Niou been doing at Hyotei? "Excuse me, Kumiko, did Niou cause trouble at Hyotei?"

"Oh," the girl laughs awkwardly, "no, no. He left it at my car last night."

"In your car? Why was Niou in your car?" Kirihara asks, staring hard at the girl.

Kumiko fidgets nervously as the Rikkai team watches her. "Well, we had a date. It was late, and I didn't want him walking home, so my driver drove him back to his house."

"Wait!" Kirihara bounds up to the girl. "You and Niou are dating?!"

"Yes?"

Yagyuu frowns at her answer. Niou hadn't told him that he'd been seeing anyone, let alone that he was in a relationship. It was odd. Niou usually told him… well, not everything but most things, the important things at the very least.

"Look," the girl worries her bottom lip, "is Masaharu here? I really just came to give him his jacket back."

The team stares back at the girl in silence. Her use of Niou's given name does not go unnoticed. Yagyuu vaguely wonders how long they've been dating, while he is busy holding down feeling of anger at Niou's silence on this matter.

Akaya is, surprisingly, the first to recover. "Niou isn't here. He's supposed to be, but he's late."

Kumiko frowns. "Darn, I was hoping… Oh well. Would it be alright with you if I waited around until he gets here? If not, I understand."

Yukimura motions for her to come into the clubhouse. "Of course. We have to wait for Niou to arrive before we can continue anyway."

She releases a breath, relieved, and beams at him. "Thank you so much. I just have let me driver know that I might be a while. He worries." Kumiko turns and starts off towards the front of the school. However, she only gets a couple feet away when she stops.

"Is something wrong, Kumiko?" Yagyuu asks, walking up next to her. He follows her gaze to where his missing doubles partner is kissing a second year. "Oh."

"Well," she laughs nervously, "this is awkward."

Yagyuu frowns. This isn't like Niou, and he knows the trickster better than anyone. The platinum haired boy didn't do cheating. He barely did dating! Yagyuu can't fit this new set of information with what he already knows about his partner.

At first, there's just the sound of rustling fabric and then, "Um… Yagyuu? Would you mind giving this to him when he's done?" Kumiko holds the jersey out to him. Her voice is soft. Her eyes are downcast.

Yagyuu grabs ahold of the yellow material and nods. "Not a problem."

The girl offers him a weak smile and begins to walk away. Yagyuu can't help but wonder if he'll ever meet her again.

"Hey, Yagyuu, where's she going?" Marui asks, stepping out of the clubhouse.

Yagyuu nods in the general direction of the trickster. Marui takes a cursory look before his eyes snap back and stare. His smile has faded.

When the redhead makes as if to head over to the couple, Yagyuu heads him off. "It's Niou's business. Even if we don't agree on the choices that he's making, we have no right to reprimand him. We're not his parents."

For a moment, it looks as if Marui is about to continue on regardless. Then he nods to bespectacled teen and satisfies himself glaring at his friend.

And, as if he could feel the glare, Niou glances over. He pulls out him cell phone in panic, takes one look at it, brushes off the girl, and runs over to his teammates. When he reaches them, he looks vaguely annoyed. "Hey, why didn't any of you guys come get me? Captain is going to let Sanada kill me for how late I am."

Although Yagyuu remains silent, Marui seems to have gotten over his earlier reservations. "What the hell, man? Why are you over there swapping spit with fangirl-what's-her-name when you have a girlfriend?"

Niou scoffs. "What girlfriend? I'm a free agent."

Yagyuu watches Niou for any tells. From the way his eyes narrow and the slight hesitation before speaking, Yagyuu knows he's lying. But he wants to know why. He turns back to Kumiko's direction; she's almost out of sight.

"Niou." His partner eyes flit over to him and then back to Marui. "Niou," he says more sharply. This time Niou's eyes stay on him. He can feel the other boy searching his face for any tells before following his gaze.

"Rie."

…

What do you think? A little short, I know. Dialogue, man. It takes up a lot of page space without adding a lot to the word count. Anyway, so this is the new version of the story, and I hope you like it.