Disclaimer: I own very little.

Shousha Ha Atobe

It took Tachibana about five seconds after his arrival at the street courts to figure out that something was wrong.

Well, to be exact, he had been fairly sure the moment he got a text from Kamio, saying nothing but, "Emergency at street courts." Nevertheless, his first glance around the stands told him as much.

Shinji was the first clue, really, lying on the stands with his head resting on a folded jacket. A jacket that, Tachibana recognized, belonged to his sister. His next reaction was looking for An, whom he spotted soon, talking with Kamio with a worried look. Upon noticing Tachibana, though, Kamio turned towards him.

"Tachibana-san!" he said, sounding rather hurried. "You have to do something about those bastards!" Kamio pointed towards the court.

"Hm?" Tachibana looked over, seeing a pair of unfamiliar players standing at the court, taunting the people at the stands. "What about them?"

"They keep playing everyone," An explained him. "That's not a bad thing, of course, but… they play really violently. They even hit Shinji-kun's head; he got so dizzy he and Kamio-kun had to forfeit. And every time they claim it's an accident!"

Tachibana frowned. Purposefully violent tennis… This was not good. Looking at the two boys again, he asked, "Does anyone know them?"

"I think someone said they're from Ginka, but even that wasn't too sure," Kamio said. "That's all we know… They say they're going to keep playing until someone beats them, but every time someone tries, they end up hurt."

"Sounds like someone needs to be taught a lesson." Glancing towards Shinji, who kept mumbling to himself, Tachibana found his anger starting to grow. Nobody hurt his team like this just for fun and got away with it. Nobody. But he wouldn't be any better than them if he started to fight… but then what could he do?

An shivered, hugging herself. Tachibana frowned; it was getting fairly late, and an autumn breeze was cooling the air. She must have been cold with only a t-shirt on. However, before he could even start to take off his own jacket, An was already being handed one.

"Here, An-chan," Kamio said, offering his own jacket. "You're going to get cold."

"So are you, Kamio-kun," An protested. "I'm not some little princess!"

"Just take it," Kamio sighed. "It's my fault Shinji's hurt; I should have returned the ball." There was concern in his voice that might not have been entirely for his best friend, Tachibana noticed. He'd have to keep an eye on his vice-captain…

"Well, who's going to play us next, or are you all too scared?" shouted one of the boys at the courts. "How about you, new-comer?"

For a second Tachibana thought they were talking about himself. Then, however, he noticed that the boy was pointing towards another direction entirely. On the other side of the courts Tachibana saw two rather familiar figures standing self-confidently, eyeing the courts as though they owned the entire place. Well, at least Atobe did. Kabaji mostly just stood there.

"Play against you? Oh, please." Atobe raised his eyebrows, calmly walking across the court as though he didn't care for the two at all, Kabaji following right after him. "Ore-sama certainly can't be bothered to play something as simple as doubles."

"Funny," Kamio spat. "Last time you at least said you were playing, but it was just your pet giant running to and fro."

"Last time?" Tachibana raised his eyebrows. "Atobe plays here?" He certainly hadn't seen the Hyoutei captain at the courts before…

"As if! He was just being his usual big-headed self," Kamio replied, loud enough that Atobe certainly heard him – in fact, it was a miracle if someone on the courts didn't hear him. "He said that if he and Kabaji beat everyone on the courts, An-chan would have to –"

"Enough, Kamio-kun." An kept her hand firmly over Kamio's mouth. "That doesn't matter anymore, does it?"

"Actually, it does." Tachibana gave Atobe a sharp gaze. "If you've been harassing my little sister, you'll be sorry."

"Oh, please!" Atobe rolled his eyes. "Ore-sama merely asked her on a date, nothing more. And besides, I let Kamio and Momoshiro win, didn't I?"

"Looks like we won't be playing any more," a loud voice interrupted before Tachibana could explode. "Those guys apparently can't play doubles at all, eh?"

"That's not true!" An protested. "Onii-chan could beat you in tennis any day!"

"Oh? You seem quite sure of yourself." One of the guys leered at An, who hugged Kamio's jacket closer to herself. "Then how about this? We play against your brother and one of his friends, and if we win, I get a date."

"An-chan," Tachibana said warningly. "Don't play along with them."

An, however, apparently wasn't listening anymore. "Fine!" she spat. "Onii-chan will beat you fair and square, with none of your petty tricks!"

"Settled, then." The two guys eyed them challengingly. "So who's playing with him?"

Kamio opened his mouth. However, before anything could come out, someone cut in.

"Ore-sama will."

"What? No way!" Kamio protested. "You can't play doubles at all! I won't let you go there and lose!"

"Really, now." Atobe sniffed. "Do you really think ore-sama is that incompetent? Just because ore-sama would not play doubles that one time doesn't mean he can't do it." He turned towards Kabaji. "Kabaji, my racquet."

"Usu." Kabaji took one of the two tennis bags off his shoulder, opening it and handing Atobe a racquet.

Figuring protests were useless at this point, Tachibana merely took his own racquet from his bag. "If we lose because of you," he said to Atobe even as he kept his eyes on the two Ginka players, "I'm going to make you pay."

"Oh, worry not," Atobe said. "Ore-sama does not plan to lose to such pitiful creatures."

The game started well enough, Tachibana and Atobe easily pressuring the two – though they had no previous experience playing doubles together, they were both more than competent enough in singles to make up for that. However, after losing a couple of points, their opponents started to clearly increase the strength in their shots, which had been fairly heavy to begin with. Tachibana himself had no particular trouble returning them, but he had to wonder how Atobe was doing – he was hardly a power player, after all.

Atobe, though, seemed to find the heavy balls not troubling at all. "Ore-sama's used to practising with Kabaji," he said as a way of explanation. "These do not even come close to compare."

Thinking of Kabaji, all that height and muscle mass, Tachibana found he had to agree.

Though their opponent got a point or two in as well, they were soon one point from winning the game – and, according to the street courts' rules, the match. Tachibana grinned as he hit the ball over the net, hard. This would be –

Not so easy. Just as the ball crossed the net, An's voice called out, "Ibu-kun!" Tachibana turned to look. So did Atobe.

The next second, the ball hit Atobe's temple, hard.

Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as Tachibana watched Atobe fall. Atobe tried to turn as he fell towards the ground but only managed halfway, his head hitting the concrete as he fell. For a moment he lay still, unmoving, a silence falling over the courts. Then, slowly, he pushed himself half up from the ground, one hand held over the left side of his face.

There was blood seeping between his fingers.

For a moment Tachibana was seeing something else entirely – another game, another shot, another player on the ground – and was frozen on the spot. Then, an unfathomable rage filled him. He hardly even noticed the enraged Kabaji at the edge of his field of vision, barely held back by the rest of Fudoumine. Rushing towards the net he was determined to make those two pay, tennis wasn't supposed to injure, Atobe wasn't supposed to be holding his eye like that –

A hand on his arm stopped him. "Calm yourself, Tachibana," Atobe said coolly. "There is no reason for such an animalistic reaction."

Tachibana blinked, trying to regain control of his angered mind. "But – your eye –"

"Is perfectly fine," came the dry response. "Ore-sama merely gained a wound on his forehead. See?" He took the hand off his face, revealing a bad gash that kept bleeding steadily. The blood dripped onto his tennis jacket, dyeing the cool blue an ominous shade of purple.

This sight caused a simultaneous gasp from most of the audience, along with one infuriated growl. Atobe, however, merely raised his hand, snapping his fingers.

"Kabaji!" he called out sharply. "Stay back. Ore-sama will finish this game… fairly." With these words, he got back into his position on the court, the only thing he did about the bleeding being closing his eye to stop the blood from getting into it. "Well, Tachibana?"

"You're insane, Atobe," Tachibana said, getting into his own position. "Completely insane."

Atobe smirked. "Ore-sama prefers to call himself, 'unique.'"

Their opponents seemed shocked at Atobe's insistence to continue playing. As they saw he wasn't joking, though, they started hitting even harder than before. Sadly for them, though, Tachibana's anger couldn't be controlled quite as easily as Kabaji's. The game was over after what seemed like seconds.

"It seems you have learnt your lesson for the day," Atobe said with a smirk, pointing his racquet at their opponents as though half of his face hadn't been covered with blood at all. "Be awed at the sight of our prowess!"

Tachibana's brain hadn't even managed to make note of Atobe's use of plural form as Atobe started to fall.

Rushing towards the other captain, Tachibana caught him before he hit the ground. Lifting Atobe into his arms, he murmured, "Idiot." Directing a glare at their opponents, he then spat, "If I were you, I'd make myself scarce before Kabaji over there decides Atobe's instructions don't apply anymore."

The two glanced at Kabaji, the tall and strong Kabaji, who still seemed to be only barely holding himself back. Then they looked at Atobe, who looked almost frail and very much hurt there in Tachibana's arms.

By the time he had carried Atobe to the stands the two were already away.

"Atobe," said Kabaji, sounding mournful. He reached a hand towards his captain but hovered some distance away as though not daring to touch him. "Sorry…"

"It's not your fault," Tachibana sighed, settling Atobe down on the stands, An wordlessly offering her still folded jacket that Shinji no more needed. "He told you to stay away, right?" Taking a towel Kamio wordlessly offered him, he pressed it against the wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding. "He must have hit his head pretty bad as he fell…"

A wordless sound of sadness escaped Kabaji's lips. An shot Tachibana a glare that told quite plainly, 'Don't say anything that'd make him feel even worse.'

"I never thought he'd go that far," mumbled Shinji, who was now standing more or less steadily – most likely the cause for An's sudden exclamation during the match. "And why'd he even play, anyway? Was he really that mad just because Akira said he couldn't play doubles? He couldn't have been concerned or anything, at least, he's probably just too proud to admit any kind of defeat, this is really quite stupid of him you know…"

"Shinji," Tachibana said quietly but firmly, "don't." Drawing the towel back to look at the gash more closely, he frowned. It really looked bad… In the worst case, it might even require stitches. Atobe really wouldn't like it, his beautiful face ruined like this…

Why was he worried for Atobe Keigo's face, anyway? Oh, yeah, because he'd got hurt helping An. Perhaps it hadn't been exactly his primary motive, but it was true nonetheless.

"Tachibana-san?" Tachibana blinked as he saw Kamio offering him another towel, this one wet. "To… clean the blood away."

"…Oh. Oh, yeah." Keeping the other towel still pressed against the wound, Tachibana started cleaning away the blood from the rest of Atobe's face and neck. Perhaps they should take Atobe to a doctor, he thought. He might have a concussion or something, fainting like that, and that really wouldn't be good now would it…

"…Those two will regret this when ore-sama finds them." Atobe's voice startled him. The other's eyes were still closed, but it was indeed Atobe who had spoken.

"And how are you going to find them, if they aren't from Ginka after all?" Kamio asked dryly. "Are you going to search through every middle school in Tokyo?"

"Nothing that complicated, no." Atobe smirked a bit, his eyes still closed. "Ore-sama is merely convinced one of his bodyguards is currently following them."

"Bodyguards?" Tachibana's eyes widened. "You have bodyguards other than Kabaji?" Glancing hurriedly at Kabaji, he then said, "Ah, I mean –"

"Kabaji is ore-sama's friend, not a bodyguard," Atobe snapped. "But yes, I do. They have been instructed not to interfere with ore-sama's tennis, but ore-sama would be quite surprised indeed if they didn't locate those two after such a show."

"It makes sense, doesn't it," Shinji muttered. "Momoshiro told about that helicopter, and he's obviously rich in every other way, there must be threats of kidnapping fairly often, but still it seems a bit overboard to make bodyguards follow a middle school kid…"

Ignoring Shinji, Atobe opened his eyes, looking right at Tachibana. There was something unnerving about that cool gaze from the still partly bloodied face… "So, if ore-sama recalls right… the prize for winning the match was a date with Tachibana, ahn?"

An frowned. "Look, just because you got hurt playing doesn't mean I will –"

"Tachibana-chan," Atobe said, empathizing the honorific, "ore-sama never said a word about you, now did he?"

Tachibana blinked, looking down at Atobe. Surely the other didn't mean –

Before he could think any further, or indeed think at all, a pair of hands was reached up, around his neck. The next moment he found himself pulled down, against – a mouth. A warm mouth that tasted slightly of blood.

"Well?" Atobe let go of Tachibana, smirking even as he licked his lips. "Though even ore-sama has to admit he isn't probably on his most attractive right now…"

Tachibana stood up straight, looking down at the still smirking Atobe. Then he looked at Kabaji, whose expression was unreadable as ever, and then his team and sister, who exhibited various states of shock.

Looking down at Atobe, he chuckled. "I guess I owe you that much for helping my sister out even at the cost of your oh-so-pretty face," he said. "Even if you were the one who bothered her the last time."

"Excellent." Atobe sat up, only to immediately sway dangerously. Kabaji shot forward, but Tachibana was faster, taking a hold of Atobe's shoulders and lowering him back down.

"Woah, there. Don't you go fainting on me again." Tachibana frowned. "That's it. The first place you're going is a hospital, we have to get that head of yours examined."

"I'd have liked to say that," Kamio muttered under his breath. Tachibana shot him a sharp glare.

Atobe Keigo certainly wasn't an easy person to deal with, he concluded.

But at least he was an interesting one.