As a Senpai

Stupid, arrogant brat, Kaidou thought angrily. He lunged as a fast ball flew towards the far corner of the court, returning it with a sweep of his arm. He skidded to a stop and changed direction, knowing the ball would soon be headed back to him. It was irritating that someone so young could push him like this. I ought to beat his smug little face in, he snarled in his thoughts.

His opponent swiftly hit the ball back over the net and Kaidou rushed to return it. Then, as he was swinging his racquet, he noticed the corner of the other boy's mouth pull up in a smirk. Unconsciously, Kaidou let out an aggravated hiss as he hit the ball back.

"Ne, Kaidou-senpai, is it all right if I win this match?" Ryoma asked innocently. Kaidou glared at him, his irritation flaring at the boy's smugness.

Ryoma smirked again before sprinting forwards and leaping up for a smash. Kaidou dove for the ball as it hit the ground, only for it to land just beyond his reach.

That was the match point – he'd lost.

Picking himself up, Kaidou hissed angrily and stalked off the court, grabbing his water bottle as he headed towards the gate.

"Don't worry about it, Kaidou! Ochibi's just really good ~nya!" Kikumaru called happily, trying to be encouraging. Kaidou restrained himself from acting brashly – after all, Kikumaru was his senpai. He was only trying to help.

Kaidou stopped and looked back when a voice shouted after him.

"Done with your match already, Mamushi? Did Echizen really beat you that fast? It must be a record!" Momo hollered provokingly from his court.

"Nandato?!" Kaidou snarled, turning around to face him.

"Now, now, Mamushi. No need to be a bad sport just because you lost."

"Care to say that again?!" Kaidou challenged, utterly enraged.

"You heard me," Momo smirked. Loosing any self-control he'd had up to that point, Kaidou bolted forwards, intent on giving Momo a much-earned punch in the face.

He was almost on the court when, much to his disappointment, Inui – who was Momo's current opponent – chose that moment to serve the ball right between Momo's feet, catching him by surprise.

"You really should pay attention," Inui warned, pushing up his glasses, "Your opponent might not wait for you to focus during a match."

Distracted from the oncoming fight, Momo turned to face Inui as he served again. Kaidou stopped at the edge of the court and hissed; he couldn't interrupt Inui-senpai's match – it would be rude.

He turned around and stormed off the tennis courts, mentally cursing his teammates. Finding a secluded place in the small woods nearby, he determinedly continued his workout with renewed vigor.

Taking a break, Kaidou reached for his towel to wipe away the sweat that was running down his face. As he was bending over, he froze when – suddenly – he heard a faint whimper come from behind him. He whirled around, but nobody was there.

Kaidou scanned the trees for a moment, a frown marking his expression, before he leaned down and picked up his towel. As he wiped his face, he listened closely for any more suspicious noises.

There! This time, a terrified screech pierced the silence, catching Kaidou's attention. Curious and slightly worried, he dropped his towel and slipped silently into the trees, searching for the source of the noise.

After winning his match against Kaidou, Ryoma left the courts to buy a Ponta from the drink machine. To his mild annoyance, the freshmen trio followed, commenting on the game.

"Ha! There was no way that Kaidou-senpai would beat Echizen in that last match! He had no chance from the start! After all, Echizen is clearly a better player!" Horio boasted loudly.

Mentally, Ryoma let out a snort; you'd think that Horio was bragging about his own accomplishments, rather than Ryoma's.

"Horio! Keep your voice down! What if Kaidou-senpai's nearby?" Kachiro scolded worriedly, looking around as though he thought their snake-like senpai would jump out at any moment.

Horio paled visibly, but, stammering slightly, he rebuked, "W-well, you're just worrying too much. I'm sure Kaidou-senpai is off training somewhere by himself. After all, he was pretty angry after he lost. Ne, Echizen? – Echizen?"

Ryoma ignored him as they reached the drink machine. Silently, he fished a coin out of his pocket and put it in the slot. The other freshmen droned on as he punched in a number and waited for his drink to drop into the tray.

Abruptly, the voices of the three chattering behind him cut off. Ryoma didn't turn, but listened carefully for whatever had startled the others. Thanks to the freshmen's silence and his acute senses, he was soon able to hear the sound of approaching footsteps.

Suddenly, the feet stopped and a dark voice rang out, "So – what's a guy to do to have some fun around here?"

Ryoma could here his friends stuttering nervously in reply, but he merely reached down and took his Ponta from the machine. Then, he turned to face the intruder, calmly cracking open his drink and taking a sip.

The freshmen flinched at the noise and the older boy's sneer grew more pronounced. He was tall and muscular, his black bangs nearly hiding his cruel, brown eyes. The boy was clearly a middle school student, and Ryoma guessed that he was probably in his third year.

The intruder set his gaze on Ryoma, the lurid bloodlust evident in his eyes, "Hey, you. What's this school got for entertainment?"

Ryoma looked at him for a moment before nodding his head towards the tennis courts and taking another gulp of his Ponta. The boy turned to glance at the courts, and his expression became angry. Ryoma kept his face straight as the boy glared at him, obviously irritated by his casual manner.

"Seigaku certainly has a few arrogant little freshmen. They should consider it a favor once I teach these children a lesson," the guy mused, seemingly to himself. Meanwhile, his expression had become eerily bright and excited at the prospect of violence.

Suddenly, he turned and kicked Horio in the stomach. Too surprised to move away, the blow caused the freshman to double over onto the ground. Kachiro and Katsuo whimpered as their friend struggled for breath while he clutched at his stomach. Regardless, they didn't dare to move towards him in fear that the guy would attack again.

"Lesson number one; you should always refer to your elders as Sama. Do you understand?" the boy asked, his eyes glimmering sadistically.

Not to be intimidated, Ryoma smirked, "So, what do we call you?"

The boy's eyes narrowed at his defiance and his fist clenched tightly. He glared at Ryoma, causing Kachiro and Katsuo to whimper worriedly. Then, the boy let out a deep breath and his body relaxed. Thinking that they were safe, the freshmen let out sighs of relief.

Then, unexpectedly, the boy's eyes sharpened and his lips twisted into a cruel smile. With shocking speed, he grabbed Ryoma by the front of his jacket and hoisted him into the air. He let him dangle for a moment before he spoke.

"You can call me Nezumi-sama," he hissed into Ryoma's ear. Then he lifted him even higher and, with a snap of his wrist, threw him against a nearby bench. Unwillingly, Ryoma let out a pained yell as a large splinter dug into his side. The other freshmen appeared terrified as he fell to the ground, gasping sharply from the pain.

"And now, on to lessons two, three, and four," Nezumi laughed, turning away from Ryoma to face them. The boys gulped, horror-struck. Then, as Nezumi stepped closer, Kachiro let out a terrified scream.

Nezumi flinched and darted forwards, grabbing Kachiro around the throat and cutting him off mid-scream. Then, he flung him to the ground, causing Kachiro's skull to crack against the pavement. For an instant, his eyes were wide and his mouth gaping, then his body went completely limp.

Horio and Katsuo both began to shake in fear. Nezumi turned to face them, "Lesson number two; children should be silent and respectful before their elders."

He approached them again, cracking his knuckles menacingly. His sadistic smile had returned, and he looked eager to continue the bloodshed. Suddenly, he froze and his face became angry.

"Mada mada dane," a voice croaked weakly. Nezumi whirled around to see Ryoma smirking as he leaned against the bench for support.

"What did you say, you little brat?" Nezumi snarled. He strode over to Ryoma and grabbed a fistful of his hair, shaking him roughly. Then he dragged him closer, so that they were nose to nose.

"Did you say something to me? Huh?!" He shouted angrily. He drew back his fist and punched Ryoma in the face, knocking him down. Ryoma let out an agonized cry as his injured side hit the pavement, causing the splinter to dig in deeper. Nezumi smirked.

"Now, let's see how you like this!" He laughed gleefully. Horio and Katsuo watched in silent horror as he struck Ryoma's wound with his foot. Ryoma grunted, and the two saw that his jaw was tightly clamped shut. The effort it took for him to keep quiet was obvious.

Dissatisfied, Nezumi kicked him again, putting more effort in it this time. Horio and Katsuo flinched at the sound of the impact and Ryoma's corresponding groan.

"What a tough little brat you are. But I wonder if you'll be so tough after I kick you in the face?" Nezumi snorted. The freshmen shouted in protest, but the boy didn't even turn to glance at them. Ryoma's eyes snapped open, but he found that his body wouldn't move. He could only watch as Nezumi took a step back for one last kick.

Kaidou had sat back behind a bush and watched as the scene unfolded. He decided not to get involved, figuring that Ryoma would be fine by himself. After all – he usually was.

Then, as Ryoma was thrown down and beaten by the intruder, Kaidou became unsure. Should he do something? The whole thing was beginning to irritate him.

He stood up, thinking to intervene, when he saw Ryoma's eyes open wide, the look in them terrified. He froze, shocked by the frightened display of emotion from his normally calm teammate.

Then, the older boy's words drifted his way, cruel and sadistic, "– wonder if you'll be so tough after I kick you in the face?"

Kaidou's lips twitched angrily and he felt a fierce emotion roar in his chest. It felt weird and unfamiliar, and he could only identify it as – protectiveness.

The intruder – whom Kaidou had mentally dubbed as Evil Bastard Guy – stepped closer to Ryoma and, as the guy laughed at his own brutality, Kaidou suddenly saw red.

He darted forwards, hardly realizing what he was doing. Consumed by rage, he smashed his fist against the side of the guy's face, sending him tumbling to the ground.

"Don't mess with our freshmen," he snarled, his fierce glare causing the other boy to scramble up and run away. Now beyond words, Kaidou hissed at his retreating figure.

Once he was out of sight, Kaidou turned to look over the four freshmen in an effort to control himself.

Kachiro was lying sprawled out on the pavement, blood seeping from the wound on the side of his head. He seemed to be unconscious.

Horio had remained on the ground, an arm wrapped around his stomach where the guy had kicked him. He was moaning softly now that he had caught his breath.

Ryoma was wincing, his jaw tight as he struggled to sit upright. As he moved, Kaidou saw the blood beginning to stain Ryoma's jersey beneath his regular's jacket.

The only one who was unhurt was Katsuo, whose knees had collapsed when Nezumi had walked towards him and Horio. Still, his eyes were wide and terrified, and Kaidou hoped he wasn't in shock.

With rationalism conquering his thoughts, Kaidou let out a sigh.

"Go tell Ryuuzaki-sensai that we need some help getting these three to the infirmary," he ordered, looking directly at Katsuo. The boy nodded quickly before scrambling to his feet and running off.

When he was gone, Kaidou walked up to Ryoma and gently pushed him upright – mentally scolding himself for acting soft. At that time, he noticed that the Ryoma was watching him, analyzing his face.

"Ne, Kaidou-senpai, why did you help me?" Ryoma asked, his expression slightly confused. After all, he knew that Kaidou wasn't very fond of him. So why did he protect him? Why did he help him sit up?

Kaidou grunted, "Tch, I don't know."

He closed his eyes and looked away.

"All I know is –" Kaidou added as an afterthought, "– as your senpai; it is my responsibility to look after you."

Ryoma couldn't help but smirk, "So, if I say that I'm hungry, will you treat me out to burgers?"

Kaidou glared at him and said flatly, "No."

Then, he turned on his heel and walked away, conveniently forgetting that the three freshmen still needed to be looked after. Even if he was their senpai, there was no way in hell that he was going to stand around and be made fun of by them. Stupid brats.

I hope you liked it. Please, please, please review! I spent a lot of time writing this and it would really make my day!