Chapter-1

Tezuka watched as the Rikkai Dai Fuzoku boys' tennis team walked into the park where the district preliminaries would be held. He knew every team member inside out by now. So the new addition to the team was a bit of a surprise to him. There, a rather frail looking girl, wearing the Rikkai Dai boys' tennis team jacket and trousers, trailed behind the team. It was no rocket science that she was a player and not just a manager or fan.

"Who is she? Is she playing too?" Momoshiro asked. They haven't seen this particular player in this year's Kantou tournament. So no one could tell. Tezuka watched as the team moved towards their assigned court, opposite to theirs. The girl though, stopped following her team and turned towards them. For a moment Tezuka thought it was he who the girl was looking at. But he soon realized that she was looking at someone behind him. Turning slowly he saw that Fuji was staring back at the girl. They kept eye contact for a while then the girl turned and jogged towards her court.

When he turned around, Fuji was gone as well. What was that about? Whatever. I can't let my guard down right now. I can know about all this later. "Everyone!" he called out to his team one final time before their match against St. Rudolph.

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Asuna Takahashi was sitting on the bench after their warm up jog. She was trying hard to forget the moment between her and Fuji from a while back. "Nervous?" Yanagi Renji sat down beside her. She smiled. "Not at all senpai." Renji looked at her a little longer then turned away.

"Prepared for the midterms?" Asuna gaped. Yes, Yanagi Renji was studious. He was always the top student in his class. But he would never mention anything outside tennis during practice, let alone before an important match like this. "What?" he asked. Asuna shook her head and beamed. "I guess I'm prepared. Plus, I have the professor to depend on." She winked. Renji shook his head and turned away, hiding the almost undetectable pink dusting his face.

Their match against Yamabuki started soon after. Asuna kept her gaze steady on the court while the others played, losing her concentration once in a while when her eyes would wander to the players in blue and white. The closed-eyed data master had seen it all.

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A huge round of cheers sounded from the opposite court from Seigaku's. Fuji was fairly sure what the reason of the uproar was but he felt the need to confirm his suspicions. After all, he was successfully done with his match.

As he came near the court, he smirked. He was right. Asuna was playing against Kiyosumi Sengoku. She had the 'Lucky Sengoku' running all over the court huffing and panting.

Inui approached him with his trusty notebook. "Name: Asuna Takahashi, 2nd year, height: 160cms, tennis style: offensive. She can use techniques similar to yours and Tezuka's. But I'm guessing you already know all that." Fuji raised his eyebrows. "Why would you think that?" "The kind of familiarity the two of you shared through your eye contact reveals an 82% chance that you two share a past." A frown came on his face. Only a past? Nothing else?

Fuji's thoughts were disturbed when the crowd went wild. Apparently, the boys' tennis world had welcomed her rather warmly. Asuna had won the game 6-3. He was surprised the girl had spared a few games for her almost fainting opponent. As she stepped out of the court, their eyes met again. He held her gaze for a while then returned to his own court.

Snap out of it Suna! Don't let him destroy you once again. She beamed at her teammates. "Was I any good?" "I expected a 6-2 from you." Sanada frowned. Asuna countered with her puppy dog eyes. "B-but he was trying so hard! I would've felt horrible if he fainted without winning at least 3." Sanada could only sigh. This girl could be so manipulative!

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After acing all their matches scheduled that day, the Rikkai Dai tennis team was heading out when they came face-to-face with Seigaku. The two captains shook hands while the others exchanged silent greetings. "I don't believe we've met before, I'm Oishi Shuichiro." Oishi said as Asuna shook his hand firmly. "Asuna Takahashi. We have met before senpai, but clearly you don't remember." She said smiling. That left Oishi feeling awkward and guilty. "Don't take this out on others." Fuji warned. She gave an impressed look "Since when are you concerned about others?"

Suddenly it felt as if the temperature dropped. Everyone was staring at the two. "Suna chan-" Kirihara started. "It's okay. I'm fine. See you all tomorrow." She nodded to Tezuka and his team and left. They all turned to Fuji. He tugged the strap of his tennis bag angrily and left without a word.

The two teams then exchanged rather awkward goodbyes instead of heated words that they usually use to keep their motivation going. The dispute between their teammates had them distracted, leaving everyone to wonder what might have happened. Interesting. Inui thought.