Author's note: sorry for the VERY late update, I tried to rack my brains for Niou's sake, but I don't think I succeeded well. Anyway, please read and review!

PS: this is the updated version, special thanks to Lissie Lupin for correcting all my grammar.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TENNIS NO OUJI-SAMA!

…/

Niou lay on his bed, reviewing what he had done that day. It was his first week at Rikkaidai, and he had met a formidable opponent – Yukimura Seiichi. It was luck and only luck that prevented him from getting pranked. He needed to plan a better trick to play this time, and he anticipated it with fervor.

Niou always loved a challenge.

Though he decided, for a warm-up session, he would play a few pranks on his other classmates first. Maybe the one that told on Niou when Niou tried to sneak out the teacher's lounge. Why was Niou sneaking into the teacher's lounge in the first place? Easy, he was to pay back to the teacher that didn't believe him. The teacher did get what he deserved – laxatives in his coffee.

Niou's chance came quicker than he thought. In Computer class, that poor guy was sitting opposite him and had asked to go to the bathroom—right when Niou came up with a plan.

Welcome back, did you enjoy the trip to the toilet? His computer typed when that guy returned. The victim's face was as if he had seen a ghost. "Se…sensei…t…the computer…!"

Niou chuckled to himself, those idiots. Niou was so caught up in his own prank, he did not notice Yanagi throwing him a look. Niou had typed those words on his own keyboard and connected to that classmate's computer. While the teacher was lecturing the victim outside for trying to make a fool out of her, Niou swapped the keyboards back. Poor guy, of course the teacher wouldn't believe him, she never saw the computer type. In her point of view, that guy typed something and called her over. Niou smiled contently to himself. I should have swapped the mouse too, that would have been more fun.

/./././././.

On the first day of school, Yukimura had made his presence known by the end of the day. He had challenged his upperclassmen on the courts and won easily—they hadn't stood a chance. Of course, Sanada's Tarundoru Slap and Yanagi's "… that's what you would say" predictions had caused a stir as well. The Legend of the Three Demons was in the making.

Their reputation even spread to the Senior High and University sections of the school, and many tennis players from their respective clubs of those sections had come to the three in high hopes to defeat them and their 'so-called arrogance' but always ended losing horribly. Their confidence was cut in half right when Yanagi greeted them with their names, rankings, and stats. Sometimes, if they were rude to the three, they were even greeted with some of their private information. Then their confidence quartered when Sanada threw the death glare along with a present of 'Tarundoru!' and finally their resistance ceased totally when Yukimura walked on to the court, his angelic smile suddenly transforming into one of a ruthless leader as he said the words, "Let's get started."

If looks could kill, these three would be the best assassins the world would ever know.

They may have earned enemies, but they also earned respect. They set an ideal standard for RikkaiDai, They never failed to score less than 90% on any test ever taken. Yanagi, the Data Master, never failed to score less than 100%.

/./././././.

At break time, Niou was taking a walk behind the main school building; it was the quietest place Niou knew so far. He needed to think, and being the perceptive trickster he is, a part of him was telling him that the wavy bluenette was not just lucky; he knew about Niou. The three looked so superior together, even Niou could not help but to admire them in some way. Strength from Sanada, knowledge from Yanagi, combined with the charisma that their seeming leader Yukimura had, they seemed destined to rule Rikkaidai. Just as Niou was arguing and contradicting himself, he walked and turned a corner, crashing right into someone, and that someone had a hell load of paperwork, the scattering of the compressed wood sheets made too much noise to be just one pile or two. Whoever it was, he was carrying more weights than he could afford.

"Watch it!" Niou scorned at whomever was carrying the pile and was about to carry on throwing insults at the person until Niou saw him clearly.

A pale-skinned boy with his hair neatly parted, not one single strand out of place… Okay, one, which was due to Niou bumping into him, his pair of reflective glasses hid his eyes from Niou's sight, and for some strange reason, Niou took an immediate interest in this boy.

Niou was slightly stunned, he blinked a few times at the boy, that boy apologized. Niou sensed something from this boy, something he did not know, but he just had this weird feeling.

"Anou…" Niou muttered, and suddenly at a loss of what to do. Normally he would have thrown a 'be careful of where you are going, four-eyes!' or give him a death glare with his sharp emerald eyes. Without knowing, he started to pick up the scattered papers for the boy, which was very unlike Niou.

Around the corner of the building, Yanagi mused at the scene and made some mental notes and calculations.

/./././././.

Niou lay on the roof of the school, skipping class again. His mind went over what had happened.

Niou walked this boy over to the Council room helping to carry the papers as he insisted that those were too many to carry for one person. Niou did not know why he volunteered; he still had other business to deal with…

In the process of walking, and through small talks, there was a lot of silence in the beginning though, he learnt that the boy's name was Yagyuu Hiroshi, a nice name, he had noted. After the exchange of names and stuff, the atmosphere lifted a little.

Niou had learned that Yagyuu was a Class President, HIS class president at that, but he would not have known since he did not pay much attention in class, he was either doodling in his textbook or sleeping. Or worse, he might not in class at all. Like right now.

Yagyuu is very gentleman like, but with Niou's perceptive ability, he saw something quite different. How different, he did not know then. He saw something that caught his interest, but he was not sure what it was.

Niou had told Yagyuu a lot, like his plans to over throw the three demons, and he showed off his tricks. He just found it easy talking to Yagyuu once he started. What surprised him the most was that Yagyuu agreed to help Niou with his trick.

Niou smiled, this person maybe his first true friend and partner in crime. He was truly happy at that thought.

…/

Author's note: I can't promise that I'll update any time soon, I have decided to REALLY crack my brains to think of a trick worthy of both Niou and Yagyuu. Hopefully I can think of one. Please review!