The Regulars

Full of energy and ready for a good practice session, Harumi opened the door of the girls changing room and stepped outside. Suddenly, the smile faded from her face as the cold wind enveloped her. Shaking badly, she ran back into the changing room and shut the door behind her, panting.

"Huh? What's the matter, Harumi-chan?" asked Amaya.

"It… it's so freaking c…c… cold outside!"

Amaya giggled. "Of course, silly. After all, it's winter!"

"Yeah, but..." she approached the window and looked at the Regulars standing there. "How can they just stand there in the cold? It's as if they aren't feeling it at all."

Amaya looked at the Regulars as well. "The Regulars have all trained under much harsher conditions than this! But today is just a normal routine. Look, they are receiving instructions from Ryuzaki-sensei, their coach. I believe their warm up is coming up next. Why don't we join them?"

"Can we do that?"

"I guess… as long as we don't bother them. Anyway, their captain, Tezuka-san, is going to make them do laps around the court, as usual. And, if I am also right, there might be an element that will make them warm-up thoroughly!" she giggled again.

An element? What could she be talking about?

However, she quickly forgot about that when the enthusiasm of being able to practice with the Regulars overpowered her reluctance to go out in the cold.

A real tennis player should not be stopped by a mere weather problem, she thought to herself.

Amaya opened the door, letting in a flow of icy air. Harumi shivered but didn't back off. She followed Amaya and started running towards the tennis courts. In her short clothes, she thought at first that she would drop dead right on the spot, but as her muscles started warming up, she felt better.

"Here we are!"

The two girls stopped behind the group of Regulars. A commanding voice reached Harumi's ears. "Well then, is it understood? 50 laps around the court for everyone. In this weather, if you do not warm up properly, you will either be sick or be injured. There are no tournaments at this time of year, but still, let's not get careless."

"Hai, captain Tezuka!" replied everyone.

"And…" a guy with glasses slipped in between a redhead and a guy wearing a bandana,"the last one to complete the laps will have to drink my new and now improved Inui remix vegetable juice. It is very good for the bones, and the taste has been thoroughly rearranged." He smirked, and his glasses shone briefly.

Harumi was stunned by the look of panic and disgust that invaded everyone's expression, and by Amaya's giggle. "That is the element I was talking about…"

Before she could finish her thoughts, all the Regulars had disappeared in a cloud of dust. Running for their lives, they started doing the laps.

"Well then, let's join them!"

"H…hai!"

Harumi and Amaya started running, trying to catch up with the Regulars, but they were too fast for them. After about 10 laps for the girls, the guys all caught up already from behind . Harumi looked back and saw that the bandana guy and a guy with dark hair that stood up on his head were leading.

"Move over, Viper!"

"Fssshhhhh!"

Suddenly, the redhead caught up and jumped over the dark-haired guy's shoulder to land in front of them. He was now leading.

"Hoi hoi! Number one!!!"

The redhead's big and dark blue eyes met those of Harumi for an instant. While still running towards her, he cocked his head a little bit to the side, seeming to wonder who she was and whether it was normal that he had never seen her around before.

"Hey…" He started in her direction, but never finished his thought as he was suddenly squeezed against the court fence by a guy brandishing a racket and yelling stuff in English.

"BURNING!!!!!" He shouted at the top of his lungs while swaying his racket like crazy in front of him in order to open up a path for him.

"I'm BURNING! Come on, BABY!" The poor Kikumaru finally managed to squeeze out of the confined space between his noisy teammate and the fence. As he fell behind once more, he brandished an angry fist in Takasan's direction.

A little guy wearing a cap was sprinting right in Takasan's track. He was wearing an amused smile.

"Hoi! Echizen, you did it again!" complained the redhead.

"Mada mada dane!"

That group passed by the two running girls without paying them further notice.

Those are the Regulars? Well, their sanity is questionable, but at least they look like people with whom you can have fun!

Harumi laughed good-heartedly. "Come on, Amaya-chan, let's catch up!"

"Hai!"

They turned the corner of the tennis court and heard more running footsteps behind them. Harumi looked back and saw the remaining Regulars coming their way. In the lead was the glasses guy. Beside him was captain Tezuka, apparently not rushing too much for the time being. Coming last, and smiling softly, was the last Seigaku Regular. Harumi met his gaze, (well, actually his fake gaze), and was a little bit stunned by his smile.

Is he smiling at me? He is, he definitely is, at least I think so! But why?

The smiling guy didn't let her debate on that matter with herself for much longer, because one second later, he had caught up with them. Instead of passing them by, like the others did, he slowed down and started running at their pace. Now that he was this close, Harumi felt more intrigued than ever.

"Hi there, he said, are you new?"

Alright, she didn't expect him to talk to her! For x reason, she suddenly felt her voice getting stuck in her throat.

Now is not the time to be speechless! Voice, come back, I command you! – she thought fiercely.

She opened her mouth…

"Yes. Today is my first day at school. I saw the tennis courts this morning and thought that I should check them out. It's been a while since I played tennis, you know, so I felt nostalgic. I didn't know that you guys practiced during winter, too."

She paused to catch her breath. What are you doing, Harumi Yamazaki??? What on earth are you doing right now?

Before she could stop it, her mouth opened again.

"At first I thought that I couldn't do it, you know, going out like this in this weather, but then I thought that a real tennis player should be able to play in any condition. I hope my tennis hasn't gotten bad. It's been more than two years. I still can't believe it. But I'm happy that I can finally have this opportunity again. It compensates for the sad moments during math class. You should have seen what happened this morning. It was a total mess. I…"

HARUMI, STOP!

Finally, she forced herself to stop. The guy looked at her, but she couldn't read what was going in his mind behind that smile of his.

Oh no, oh no, oh no, he's probably laughing inwardly at me. And I would totally deserve it. What a baka I am, talking like that to a perfect stranger. I hate it. I hate that part of myself. I hate me, I hate me, I hate me.

"I see." The Regular finally said. His smile somehow broadened. Harumi was now blushing furiously. She caught Amaya's surprised look and blushed even more. She didn't even dare look at the guy running beside her and even wished he would just go away before he could see her like this.

She pressed her eyes close together and counted until three, feeling certain that by that time he would have run far away from her for sure. Reason? She was crazy, she knew it herself and couldn't deny it.

Okay, here it goes! One… two… three!!

She opened one eye and looked carefully at her right.

What a pain! He's still there!

"Neh, he said, I am sorry, but I don't seem to know your name…?

"Oh… ano, it's Yamazaki Harumi! Nice to meet you…"

"I am Fuji Syusuke." He looked at her kindly. "Nice to meet you too."

"Neh, Fuji-san, the others have caught up!" commented Amaya. "At this rate, you know what's awaiting you, right?"

"You mean the Inui juice? Hum, actually I think it's pretty good."

Amaya sweatdropped. "Oh, that's right, I forgot that you are immune to it. Tss, lucky!"

Fuji smiled. "Still, it wouldn't do if I end up being the last one, would it? I will see you later then, Amaya-chan, Yamazaki-chan."

He then took his leave. Harumi looked at his back for a while, before sighing.

"He didn't notice how stupid I am. Lucky me…" she muttered to herself.

Amaya heard, and laughed.

"I don't think Fuji-san thought you were stupid, Harumi-chan. But… what on earth was that?!"

Harumi gave her a dangerous glare, then gave up and sighed again.

"It's just me being… me, I guess".

I wish I were less awkward, sometimes. Oh well, you can't help your inner nature, right?

After their warm up, Amaya and Harumi went to the girls' tennis court. There they were welcomed by a light-haired girl with a severe look on her face.

"Captain Mai." greeted Amaya "This is Harumi Yamazaki. She wishes to become a member of our tennis team".

Harumi fell on her head. "Amaya-chan! Since when did I say that I wanted to become…"

"Just in time, we were short by one member, interrupted the captain. Alright, I assume you have warmed up. Harumi-chan, being a member means that when the time comes, you will have to participate in the female tennis tournaments with us. In the meantime, you will have to follow the practice sessions of the team. I assume you are ready for that, hum?"

"No, I'm NOT! I can't play tennis anymore! I've forgotten everything! How can I participate in some freaking tournament with my level? If you want my death, just say so!"

"Come on, Harumi-chan! Joining the club will let you play tennis anytime you want. And since tournaments don't start until summer, you still have many months to improve your skills! I am in the club too, so you will be able to see me everyday!" Amaya said with a grin.

Harumi's eyes narrowed. "And since when THAT is a good thing? I can't believe you set me up like that, Amaya-chan! And I thought I could TRUST you! Now you have shattered my world to pieces! I don't think I can trust anyone anymore after this heartbroken betray…"

Amaya shut her up with a bang to the head. "Stop being melodramatic, Harumi-chan! The captain is waiting. Right, Mai buchou?"

Mai didn't smile at all. She pursued as if no one has spoken :

"Also, to join our team, you have to possess the required tennis skills. You will have to play two matches with two members of our team. Based on the results and on the skills you display, we will then take into consideration your joining application. Is that clear?"

"See? SEE? What did I tell you? I do NOT possess the required tennis skills!"

"Calm down! Buchou says that to everyone!"

Harumi crossed her arms and sulked. Amaya's eyes shone briefly. She got closer to her friend's ear and whispered.

"Just think about it, Harumi-chan! You will get to practice with other tennis players…"

Harumi threw an inquiring look at her.

"Other MALE tennis players…" she added.

"I don't CARE about that!"

"Other male and CUTE tennis players…"

Harumi smirked. "I see where you are going, but it's of no use! I'm not the perverted type, sorry to disappoint you."

Amaya got even closer. "Other male and cute and SMILING tennis players…"

This time she got it. If stares could kill, Amaya would have dropped dead on the spot. Harumi turned around to hide away her blushing face.

"I… I could consider that!" She sighed dramatically. "Just for you to leave me ALONE, I will say yes. But it's not because of… you know…! After all, my tennis does need more practice!

Amaya chuckled. "Of course, Harumi-chan!"

Mai popped up before Harumi from nowhere.

"Then pick two pieces of paper from this bottle with the names of your opponents written on them. Our team has 6 members right now. If you join, it will have 7 members, which is the right number. Ready to start?"

"Hai, Mai-san." she said with resignation.

"Mai Buchou." The captain corrected with a composed face.

"...Buchou." Harumi repeated with a sigh.

She then rummaged through the little pieces of paper and then picked up two of them from the bottle that Mai was holding. She unfolded the first one and read : Aika Hiroshou. She moved close to Amaya's ear and asked, "Aika? How is this person?"

"You are lucky this time, she is not really one of the strongest in our team, but you shouldn't get careless nonetheless."

Harumi stared at her. Amaya frowned. "Alright, I speak like captain Tezuka, so what? Go play your match!"

Harumi gave her a friendly shove, then winked. "Alright, alright. I'm getting excited!"

Harumi entered the court and saw Aika walking towards her. She was smaller than her, and her brown hair was short. Her eyes were brown as well and were shining with challenge.

"Let's have a good game." she said in a plain voice.

Harumi gripped her racket a little tighter.

Bring it on, shorty!

After they've decided who would play first, they both took their positions at opposite sides of the court.

"One set match, Yamazaki to serve."

Harumi lifted her racket and gripped the ball.

This feeling… this feeling of excitement… I haven't felt it for a long time. And that's why I won't hold back!

For the first time, the interior voices who were acting so cool all the time, and her external and usually shy self, merged into one. Her purple eyes shone briefly. The ball flew upwards, and Harumi's racket met it in mid-air. The ball described a straight path to the right corner of the opposite court.

"Yamazaki, 15 love."

"Service ace??" Amaya exclaimed, amazed. "To hell with those two years of lack of tennis!"

Harumi didn't smile. She took out another ball and hit it again. This time Aika returned it, and Harumi returned it back.

"It's a rally now!" Amaya commented. The other girls were starting to gather around their court in order to watch the match.

"Go back to your practice." commanded Captain Mai.

They all went away with reluctant expressions on their faces.

"No, analyzed Amaya, Harumi is only warming up. She's probably also regaining the feelings she hasn't experienced in two years."

At the end, Harumi ended the rally with a drop shot.

"30 love."

Aika gritted her teeth, and then positioned herself in a weird way. Amaya was surprised. "It's coming already? Aika must feel the pressure. Amazing."

When Harumi served the ball, Aika swung her arm entirely back, and then hit the ball, which traveled back at Harumi. Harumi held her racket tighter and ran to the net. The ball bounced before her, but then shot upwards in a vertical line and then dropped behind her in a lob. Harumi gasped in surprise.

"There it was, the Arrow shot" murmured Amaya. "What will you do, Harumi?"

"30 – 15."

After a few more rallies, Aika won the first game.

"Game Hiroshou, 1-0. Change courts."

Harumi smirked. "Hum, not bad". After three more games, she found a counter to the Arrow shot. When the ball was rising with super speed, she just jumped higher, and then returned it with a smash. After about half an hour, the referee announced:

"Game and match, Yamazaki, 6 games to 4."

Aika fell on her knees and tried badly to catch her breath. Amaya noticed with a shock that Harumi barely seemed tired. "She has an incredible amount of stamina. Sugoi!"

Mai-chan approached Harumi and said : "You did well for your first match. Go drink some water and get some rest. Can you do the second match today?"

Harumi smiled and winked. "No problemo, captain!"

"Very well, then. I will see you later."

Amaya hugged Harumi from behind. "That was amazing, Harumi-chan! I didn't know you had it in you!"

Harumi laughed wholeheartedly. "Well, me either! I will go and get some water, now! Please keep on practicing. I will see you in a while!"

After walking for some time, Harumi arrived at the water fountains, but couldn't wash her face nor drink the water because it was icy cold.

"Darn it!"

She wandered around and finally found a vending machine. She hesitated between a Ponta and a 7up, but then opted for the Ponta. While drinking it, she came across the guys' tennis courts. Ryuzaki-sensei was surveying the practice matches that were going on. Curious to see how the Regulars played, she approached the fence and looked into the courts. Not far from where she was standing, two first year girls were jumping excitedly.

What are they so thrilled about?

"Hurray, hurray, Ryoma-sama!!" screamed one of the girls while doing cheerleading poses.

"To… Tomo-chan! Please calm down!" pleaded the girl with two long braids. "It's not even Ryoma-kun's official match, it's just a practice session."

"But still!! Ryoma-sama is just so amazing! As the president of Ryoma-sama's official fanclub, I must cheer for him at all time! Hurray!! Hurray! Ryoma-sama!!"

The other girl sweatdropped.

"Neh, you are Harumi-chan, right?"

Harumi turned around and nearly fell on her back. Ok, I know I'm tired from all the moving to Tokyo and from this morning's inhuman math treatment, but still, for my eyes to play tricks on me like that, it just ain't right!

She closed her eyes, then opened them again, and still she was looking at two identical girls standing in front of her.

"My name is Naoki."

"And I am Naoko."

"We are the Kurunitsu sisters from the female tennis club. Nice to meet you!" they both said in sync.

"Ah… huh…yeah…"

Okay, this is weird. I have never seen twins before, but at least I'm not going crazy. Harumi noticed that the only thing differentiating them was that Naoki was wearing a red head band and Naoko a blue one.

"We heard about your match against Aika-chan! Sugoi! You really are something!"

Harumi shrugged. "Nah, now you are making me embarrassed."

The three of them laughed. Harumi turned towards the Regulars once more. "So, these are the famous Seigaku team members, huh? They do look pretty good!"

"They are awesome! – said Naoki – Naoko and I have played a doubles match against them in the past. They are really something. Even with our twin instincts, we couldn't beat them."

"Who did you play against?"

"Kikumaru Eiji and Shuichiro Oishi. They are also called the Golden Pair and are at Nationals level."

"Wow, are you serious? That's a pretty big accomplishment. The Nationals, huh? That's like... wow."

Harumi looked at the redhead and his partner. Kikumaru was, as usual, doing some acrobatic plays, and Oishi was returning his shots with the Moon Volley.

"They have some pretty cool moves, especially that Kikumaru guy!" Harumi exclaimed.

"You bet!"

Harumi then remembered having encountered Kikumaru's gaze earlier during warm up. And his eyes are so cute, too.

She giggled.

"What's so funny, Harumi-chan?"

Harumi snapped out of it and sweatdropped.

"AH, NOTHING, NOTHING! So, how about the other players?"

Naoko pointed her finger towards the bandana guy and said : "His name is Kaidoh Kaoru. His special moves are the Snake, the Short Snake and the Boomerang Snake. Oh, he just did that one. Did you see?"

Harumi was speechless and could only nod.

"It's well known that he's always bickering with that guy, Momoshiro. Momo-chan's specialties are the Jack Knife, the Dunk Smash, Super Dunk and any shot related to physical strength."

Naoki pointed to the muscled guy and said : "He is Kawamura Takashi. His Hadoukyu is really awesome! He changes into a totally different person when he holds a racket! It's funny!"

Hum, a little bit like me.

"And that is Echizen Ryoma. He's only a freshman, but he's incredible! During the first ranking tournament, he beat Kaidoh and Inui as if they were of no match to him. His Twist Serve and his ability to evolve during matches have even caught the attention of the captain."

"I see, I see, and he has his own fanbase, as well."

"Really? I didn't know that!" Naoko giggled "But he's quite the cutie, so I'm not surprised, really."

"Nah, I think that guy, that Kikumaru guy, is cuter!"

The twin sisters looked at her, and then smirked.

"Are you hitting on him already, Harumi Yamazaki?"

"Wh…what? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? I'm just stating a fact, that's all"

"Oh, a fact, is it? Hum…?"

"Stop it, girls! Besides, just to give you another FACT, that guy is even cuter!" Harumi exclaimed, pointing at Fuji.

She then realized what she just said and wished she could die on the spot.

Smirking more than ever, the twin sisters approached.

"Hum…? Ain't that something? I guess you learn something new everyday! Fuji Syusuke! I can see why you are hitting on him. Who hasn't? He's a tennis prodigy. With his Triple Counters and his ability to analyze situations calmly, he is undefeated up until now."

Harumi was furious. "I am not hitting on anybody!"

"Right, right, it's just facts! We got it!" Naoko winked.

Harumi gave up. It was useless to fight against the twin sisters. "So what about the glasses guy?"

"Oh, that's Inui. He has two specialties: Data Tennis, and the Inui Juice. Which one is deadlier? Well, we are still debating on that."

"And finally, Captain Tezuka…."

"He really is something." sighed Naoko lovingly.

Harumi seized the opportunity like lighting! "You are hitting on him! You are hitting on him, alright!"

Naoko looked at her with big eyes and Harumi smirked like the devil. Naoko played with her braid absent-mindedly and sighed : "Yeah, you are right. I'm hitting on him. Since I first set eyes on him. I mean, what an amazing man! He's the hottest captain ever! And the Tezuka Zone he uses… man… I feel attracted to him at the same time as the ball…"

The other two sweatdropped.

"Si…sister, I think you are going too far."

"Not at all, not at all. I'm just being honest with my feelings, you know?"

"Then have you told him, Naoko?" asked Harumi.

"About what?"

"About your feelings!"

She finally took her eyes off her dear captain.

"Are you insane, Harumi-chan!? Look at him! Does he look like the kind of guy that you would just invite to your house in order and tell your feelings to over a cup of tea?"

"Ano... yeah."

"Ano NO! I think he wouldn't even notice that I've spoken to him! That would be too heartbreaking. I can't do it."

Naoko seemed on the verge of tears.

"Now, now, sister, don't get all worked up again!" sighed Naoki.

"You don't understand, Naoki! I really do ache for him all the time!"

"Er…hehe, funny… eer, Naoko, stop it."

Harumi wasn't listening anymore. She was watching the Regulars play. There was just something so full of passion about all of them. Suddenly, a move caught her attention. She turned left just in time to see one of the coolest moves ever! And of course, it was performed by the tennis prodigy, Fuji Syusuke! The ball hit the ground and then crawled all the way out of the court.

"Tsubame Gaeshi!" someone cried out in awe.

Harumi couldn't believe her eyes. She gripped the fence, a fire burning in her eyes.

"Tsu…tsubame Gaeshi? Fuji-san, you truly are awesome. Someday, I am going to be as good as you, and I will play against you!"

She smiled. But for now, let me just enjoy his match. I have never seen such tennis before!

"Harumi-chan? Harumi-chan!"

"Huh? Ha? What?" She finally turned back to the twin sisters who have finally stopped their bickering about Tezuka. Naoki scratched her head. "Geez, you truly are drawn to Fuji-san, aren't you? I have been calling your name for the last minute!"

Harumi jumped back and waved her hands before her!

"Sorry, sorry!! None of that, please! I was watching him play, you know? As in, watching his tennis, and not watching him! Although, you have to watch him when you watch his tennis, it's just obvious! So you can't blame me on watching him when I'm actually watching his tennis because…"

"Yamazaki!"

She jumped again, startled. "Oh, it's you, Mai-chan! I mean, Mai Buchou. Gomen, gomen! You want me to play my second match, right? I'm on my way! Anyway, so, bye girls!"

Naoki narrowed her eyes as Harumi ran away. "Saved by the captain."

"Still, it's very cute – mused Naoko – it's so obvious that she has already fallen for that Fuji guy."

Naoki sighed and nodded. "Oh well, let's hope it stays a crush, cause when you get serious with Fuji, things turn bad. I mean, as a nice guy, you can't find a better match, but…"

"Yup, agreed."

Alright, so that was another chapter! Please review and tell me if you like this story or not, cause if no one reads it, well it would be pointless to keep on going, right? Just gimme your opinion, whether its positive or negative! and once again, if you are reading this, CONGRATULATIONS!! and thank you very much! LOL.