Summary: An intimidating tennis team is determined to bring Seigaku's advancement toward the nationals to a violent halt. The more they cross the line, the more Fuji ceases to care about drawing one.

Rated: K+ (PG) for mild violence and language

Narrative Note: I habitually short-cut to thoughts and "memories" using italics and quotes. I'm sorry! Also, I hope you'll find my translated-subtitles method of writing dialog to be charming rather than annoying. ^_^;

Timeline Note: In the Manga, Seigaku plays the Regional Quarter Finals match against Midoriyama. In the Anime, it was Jousei Shonan. In the Musicals, the match was cut altogether. Hopefully this means that neither Konomi-sensei, Ueshima-san, nor Viz Media will mind my taking the liberty of replacing it with my own match. ;)

Ignorance Note: I tried to follow tennis rules and patterns of match progression; really, I did! But some aspects occasionally confuse me, so if there are any inconsistencies, I apologize to you tennis-players out there. Gomenasai!

Disclaimer: "Prince of Tennis" is an original work of Konomi Takashi.I claim no rights or ownership of the "Prince of Tennis" series or characters. This story is fan-made for the purpose of entertainment only.

Playing Red by Nemu

…moreover, I think he's improving a lot. Even with Ryuzaki-sensei out of town, everyone has really been putting their all into it lately. After the Hyoutei match was so close, I think a few of us are a little nervous about the Quarter Finals. Even Inui doesn't know much about the next two schools we're playing. One is Rokkaku Chuu. Fuji is childhood friends with the vice captain and says that they're a little unorthodox in their play style. I didn't really understand but I guess we'll find out soon.

But before that, we play Hachiyama Chuu. It was a last-minute decision by the Kanto Junior Tennis Board. Apparently two of the regulars were suspended this spring, but they've managed to find replacements in time to reenter the competition. Because of that, Inui hasn't gathered much data on them yet.

Maybe that's why some people are nervous. Of course, not me! Eiji is, maybe. I'm fine; feeling confident and eager about the match! But Eiji is a little uncertain, and we've been practicing a lot so he can relax. But I'm fine.

Well, I'd better go work on today's menu. We'll keep giving it our best, so don't worry! I'll call you Friday, after the match.

- Oishi.

The padded underside of the door brushed against the floor and a warm breeze from outside caught the shorter strands of Tezuka's hair. He looked up.

"Kunimitsu-kun?" Doctor Karen smiled expectantly over her clipboard. "Are you ready?"

"Oh… Yes." He moved to take up his racket, only to realize he'd never fully put it down; it leaned against the edge of the locker-room bench, and his fingers were still curled around the grip. "Thank you. I'll be right out."

"No rush." She smiled again before stepping back and letting the door sweep shut after her.

Tezuka glanced down at his phone screen one more time. But it wouldn't do any good to dwell on the email just now. Standing, he closed the phone and pocketed it. Still…

Hachiyama Chuu.

He knew the name well. He knew also the reputation belonging to it. He crossed to the door, pulled it open, and felt the sunlight and the warm breeze greet him again. He closed his eyes.

"Everyone," he murmured. "Be careful."

"BU-URNING!"

From Echizen's spot halfway up the bleachers, the sound of racket on ball sounded like a sledgehammer on cement. In a moment of curiosity, he nearly tipped the brim of his hat up to look down at the court. But on further consideration, he decided he was enjoying his cat-nap too much.

"Uwah! That was close!" Momoshiro caught his balance precariously after leaping out of the tennis ball's path. He grinned. "That return's sure getting fast, Taka-san!"

"Better believe it, kid! You won't get one point off of me! GREAT-O!" There was another loud whack and Momo laughed, dashing back to the center line.

Throwing his right side into the swing, Momo sent the yellow streak back over the net. Suddenly, the air around Taka seemed to compress and then release. Even from the stands, Echizen could feel it raise the hair on the back of his neck. He sat up, eyes locked on Taka's stance. The air undulated again, heavier this time.

The ball seemed to waver and disappear into the vaporous air around Taka's racket. Then abruptly, the muscles in his shoulder rolled and his elbow snapped straight.

Barely audible over the boom of impact, Taka shouted, "Hadoukyuu!"

There was another dull bang and Momo leapt aside again, staring wide-eyed at the ground. The ball was long-gone from the court, leaving only a black scorch on cement.

Momo gave an impressed, slightly nervous laugh. "Scary."

"YEA-AH! VICTORY!" Taka whirled his racket arm round and round in a side-circle. "INCREDIBLE!"

"Eh… Taka-san…" Momo sighed. He ran back to the net, clearing it in one jump. He quickly caught the edge of Taka's racket on the upswing and jerked it away. "Whoops! There we go."

"BURNI ─" Taka's whirling arm slowed to a halt and he dropped his hand to his side. "Ah… Great game, Momo. Thanks a lot for practicing with me."

Momo passed Taka's racket to his other hand, pairing it with his own. With his free hand, he patted Taka on the shoulder. "Anytime. Thought you were gonna kill me with that Hadoukyuu, though."

"Eh-heh." Taka rubbed the back of his neck ruefully. "Sorry about that. I'm trying to get it perfect before the match day-after-tomorrow."

"Yeah, I think it's working."

"Momo-chan-senpai!" The shout came from three voices at once and Momo looked over his shoulder. Three sets of sneakers scraped against the court in an eager dash on short legs. Horio reached them first, waving a tennis ball in the air.

"I noticed you were out of balls, so I brought you one for the next set!"

"So did I!" Katsuo added, coming to stop next to Horio. "And I think it was Kachirou who noticed, Horio-kun."

"Thanks, you three." Taka smiled at Kachirou as he finally caught up. "But I think that's it for me today."

"I'll put yours in your bag, Taka-san." Momo propped the two rackets on his shoulder and walked back toward the bench.

"Oh…" Kachirou's shoulders sank in disappointment. He slid one foot back, tapping the heel of his left shoe with the toe of his right. "Um, Kawamura-senpai… I was wondering…"

He trailed off uncertainly, taking no notice of Horio's prompting elbow bonking his.

"We were just curious," Katsuo continued instead. "…why do you get so angry when you play?"

"'Cause when you get that way, it's like it helps you win," Horio added.

"Angry?" Taka tilted his head to one side. "I don't think I've ever been angry while playing tennis."

"But…" Kachirou spoke up at last. "Not even when you're yelling and hitting the Hadoukyuu so hard like that?"

"No, not at all. Eh, people do say I get pretty energetic sometimes, though." Taka's mouth quirked in a half-smile. "But not because of anger. That'd be no good. Playing angry… even if you win, there's no real victory. You might win the game, but you'll lose everything else. No matter how much I want to win, I hope I never play angry."

"O-oh…" The trio still looked confused, but they nodded, heads bobbing slightly off-sync from one another.

"Taka-san, I can't find your bag!" Momo stood outside the fence, still holding the two rackets.

"Oh, sorry! I'll get it!" Taka ran back toward the benches, calling over his shoulder to the three first-years, "Thanks for all your hard work today!"

They answered something in unison, too loudly to be understood.

The sun was beating down hard on Echizen's hat and he pulled the brim down further over his eyes. He sat a moment longer, watching Momo and Taka gather up their bags. Slowly, he stood up and slung his own bag over one shoulder.

Now he was torn. The heat was making him thirsty, but the beverage machines were in the opposite direction from the warm-up court. He stuffed his fists into his pockets, then pulled them out; a mirror of his indecision.

He could feel the urge itching away in his left hand. How did the Hadoukyuu work? After watching both Taka and Kabaji use it so many times during the last match, he at least knew the stance and the action. But he was still missing something.

The urge won and he headed for the court.

There was a wash of orange color over the school by the time Fuji reached the entrance gate. Waving goodbye to the two other seniors on the yearbook committee, he readjusted his tennis bag strap and started walking homewards.

The last of the day's heat had rolled itself into a comfortable evening breeze that blew along the road at about waist level. Fuji unzipped his Regulars jacket so the corners could flap around in the wind. It made a sound like pages turning in a large book. It was a very nice sound.

At last, the river came into sight on his left. Fuji paused, staring out at the streaming fabric of water and the reflected orange light. He was delighted to find his camera still hanging around his neck. Through the frame, he watched the river a moment longer, then pressed the silver button and the shutter snapped. Another truly lovely sound.

There were a few seconds where the wind died away and Fuji caught the sound of two familiar voices ahead of him on the road. He turned the camera forward and saw the backs of Taka's and Momoshiro's heads through the lens. Smiling, he snapped the shutter again and then broke into a run to catch up.

"Taka-san, Momo!"

"Huh? Oh!" The two came to a stop and Momo turned a grin on him. "Fuji-senpai. We thought you'd already gone home."

"I had meeting with the yearbook committee today."

"That's right! I forgot," Taka said as the three began walking again.

"What about you two?" Fuji asked. "Practice was over hours ago."

"We stayed late. Momo was helping me practice the Hadoukyuu some more."

"Speaking of Momo," Momo broke in. "This is me." They stopped again as he gestured to a bike rack on their right. He crossed to a blue bicycle at the end and set about unlocking it. "In the end, though, I think Echizen stuck around later than all of us."

Taka blinked. "Still practicing?"

Momo shrugged and nodded. "Maybe he's nervous about beating Hachiyama. I don't know, but the name does sound a little familiar. They might be a pretty tough team." He lifted the bike free and deftly mounted it. "But we'll definitely win. Can't go losing a match while the captain's away, right? How bad would that look."

Taka nodded once. "Right."

"Alright, see you both tomorrow!" Momo pushed a shoe against the pavement and sped off down the hill, ringing his bell for no reason.

Wordlessly, Taka and Fuji began walking the now empty road again. For a minute, there was only the sound of the low breeze and the river next to them.

Then Taka chuckled nervously. "So… are you nervous about the match?"

Fuji passed him an inquisitive smile. "Not really. Should I be?"

"No… I am a little bit, I think. We don't really know anything about this team, except that some of their regulars were suspended. I wonder what kind of play style they'll have, that's all."

"Hence the extra practice?"

"Yeah…" Taka rolled his hand around on his wrist thoughtfully. "I'm trying to make it more powerful, but if Oishi puts me in, I wish I could have something new to bring."

"If it helps, I don't have anything new, either."

Taka grinned. "But no one's ever beat your triple counter. Besides, you're good at imitating other techniques, too."

Fuji rubbed the corner of his jersey over the camera lens before aiming up at the wisteria branches above them. "Thank you for saying so. Although, even imitation is a technique I borrow from one of my teammates."

The camera made its lovely snap-clicking noise and Taka nodded knowingly. "Echizen, right?"

"Mm. That's the one." He took a second shot, just to be on the safe side. "I think it's better to have techniques of your own making and to improve them in your own way. That's why your Hadoukyuu is exactly what Seigaku needs from you, Taka-san."

Taka looked out at the river, wearing an appreciative smile. "… I'll keep working on it, then. Thanks, Fuji. If I could help us get one match closer to the nationals, it's worth it."

Fuji glanced sideways, and then down. He noticed Taka's hand shaking. Slowly, it tightened toward a fist.

For a moment, Fuji was filled with a strange, quiet feeling with which he'd become quite familiar. He'd periodically met with this feeling ever since joining the Seigaku Regulars. Once the prefecturals had begun, he seemed to encounter it daily. The most recent occasion had remained constantly on his mind since the Hyoutei Match.

"Tezuka… if you keep playing… it'll be dangerous."

"Tezuka-buchou, please stop! Your arm… You won't be able to play tennis anymore!"

"… Just one more point… I won't lose."

Fuji didn't know much about this feeling, except that it was blue in color, it was mysteriously exciting, and it always left him with a kind of gentle melancholy. When he was near his teammates, the blueness of it radiated from them like pure heat. But that was the only way he ever felt it for himself.

Slowly, he looked away, lifting the camera again to take a picture of his own shoes.

"Hey!" Taka spoke up suddenly. "I just realized, you and I haven't played doubles ever since losing our game against Yamabuki."

Fuji snapped a picture of their two shadows on the path ahead and nodded. "Yes, that was very frustrating, wasn't it?"

"We should play doubles again soon. Eiji said Oishi's been really tense about the match; we could play a practice game with them and help him unwind. Just for fun, ya' know?"

Fuji let the camera hang down around his neck at last and smiled brightly. "Mm. I'd like to."

"Great!"

Facing forward again, they both readjusted their tennis bags, making the rackets inside rattle against each other. It was very pleasant sound, indeed.

TBC...

Glossary:

buchou - captain

hadoukyuu - Taka's technique, lit; "wave shot"