Chapter 2: No You, More Life!
Disclaimer: PoT is not mine
Well, we now know the first group and why they were chosen to be in that group, this one I leave for you dear readers to figure out why I placed them together.
-oOo-
"Ah, my head hurts." Kamio complained as he rubs his temples.
"Get your feet off me!" Shishido complained slapping someone's foot from his chest.
"Hey! That's my hand!" Yuuta retracting his hand after someone stepped on it.
"Itte! Watch were you're stepping!" Kenya complained after someone stepped on his leg.
"Fsssh. Why is it so dark?" Kaidoh hissed.
"Stop whining!" Sanada shouted.
"Who shouted? Stop shouting my head hurts enough." Kamio complained still trying to get a feel of his environment in the dark.
"What happened? The last thing I remember I was running, then, everything turned black." Kenya asked no one in particular.
"And who are you guys?" Yuuta asked.
"Who are you?" Shishido asked Yuuta back.
"I asked first." Yuuta complained.
"Quiet!" Sanada shouted again.
"Hey! Stop with the shouting already." Kaidoh hissed.
"Mamushi?" Kamio recognising Kaidoh's voice.
"Kamio?" Kaidoh recognising his voice back.
"E? Kaidoh and Kamio? What are you doing here?" Shishido asked.
"What are we doing here?" Kenya corrected.
"Okay, everyone just say your names so we at least have an idea of who we are here." Shishido instructed.
"Kaidoh."
"Kamio."
"Fuji Yuuta."
"Oshitari Kenya."
"Shishido des. Anyone else?"
"Sanada."
"E?" Everyone said in unison after hearing Sanada's name.
"Nani?" Sanada asked.
"Betsuni." Everyone answered. They were fine with everyone else, but Sanada, they we're uncomfortable with him.
"Can someone find the light switch or something to light up this place?" Sanada asked everyone.
"I can't even find the wall." Kenya replied.
"Itte!" Yuuta and Kamio shouted after bumping into each other while searching for the light switch.
"Fssshhh. Where are we anyway?" Kaidoh hissed.
"Oi, Kaidoh, do you think we'd be struggling in the dark if we knew." Shishido answered him.
"You're in a special house that will be your home for this week." A male voice announced on the speaker.
"Who are you?" Sanada demanded.
"Now, now, Sanada-kun, is that the way to talk to the elderly?" Banda-sensei replied over the speaker.
"Ano, can you please turn on the light, whoever you are?" Kamio requested.
"Before we do that, you have to promise your complete cooperation." Another male voice announced.
"Watanabe-sensei?" Kenya said surprised to hear his coach's voice.
"Sheez, my players are no fun to toy with." Watanabe-sensei said quite frustrated.
"Stop talking into the mic then, you always spoil the surprise." A female voice said over the speaker.
"Ryuzaki-sensei?" Kaidoh stated, also surprised.
"Kaidoh, you're no fun to deal with as well." Ryuzaki-sensei replied irritated, and then the lights turned on.
"Sensei, what are we doing here? And how did we get here?" Yuuta asked.
"You have been summoned to participate in a special contest which will be held in a week. And to ensure your full cooperation, you have been gathered from your specific schools and brought here to train." Sakaki-sensei announced over the speaker.
"Sakaki-sensei, you're in on this too?" Shishido asked surprised that his coach was involved.
"Why don't we just talk to them directly, they already know it's us." An older male voice announced.
"Who's that?" Kamio asked to no one in particular.
"Who knows, must be another coach." Shishido replied. Right about then a door opened.
"That was me." Oji first stepping in, the other coaches behind him.
"E?" everyone said in unison, except for Sanada who was frowning in a corner.
"So, everyone gather." Ryuzaki-sensei signalled their group to come closer.
"Sensei, why are we here?" Yuuta asked again.
"Well, you have been selected from your respective schools and grouped together for a special purpose. Starting today until the day of the competition, you will live together in this house." Sakaki-sensei answered.
"Live together?" Kamio repeated.
"With them?" Kaidoh added.
"What competition?" Kenya also added.
"A professional tennis player is hosting a tennis based event, and this will be a gift for him. A special program that involved the best tennis players." Watanabe-sensei explained.
"So we're going to play tennis right?" Yuuta asked.
"Of course we are." Shishido confidently answered.
"Iie." Ryuzaki-sensei replied spoiling the hopes of the young men gathered.
"Nande?" they all asked, again with the exception of Sanada.
"Because for this week, just for this week, you are not tennis players." Banda-sensei added to their disappointment.
"What are we then?" Sanada finally commented after a long silence.
"You're just middle schoolers, having fun." Oji answered.
"We're tennis players, that's who we are." Sanada replied.
"I have to agree with Sanada on this one." Shishido stated.
"Me too." Kenya joined in.
"Those who refuse to participate will not be permitted to hold a racket, or participate in any competition, when we get back." Ryuzaki-sensei replied in a very firm voice.
"A-Ano, aren't Sanada-san, Shishido-san and Oshitari-san retiring already since the Nationals are finished and they're graduating anyway." Kamio stated making Kaidoh and Yuuta gasped.
"Good point Kamio-kun, but they are still part of the tennis team, and I'm sure they still want to continue playing in high school." Watanabe-sensei answered in a threatening voice. The three seniors kept quiet, they were tennis freaks themselves and still wanted to play even though Kamio did have a clear point.
"So, if we agree?" Sanada finally spoke.
"You have no choice but to agree. You're trapped here. No means of escape, and even if you do, we'll be able to bring you back." Sakaki-sensei replied.
"Isn't this kidnaping? After all we are still middle schoolers." Kenya argued.
"We got your parent's permission Kenya." Watanabe-sensei replied.
"E?" everyone was surprised to hear even they're parents were in on it too.
"So if we were you, we'd start preparing our presentation for the competition." Banda-sensei commented.
"What kind of competition are we talking about exactly?" Kaidoh clarified.
"A week from now you will all gather, including your other team mates who are also in secluded houses like you, you will present what you have prepared in front of a panel of judges who will also come from your school's tennis club. They will comment on what you have prepared and will decide who will win." Sakaki-sensei explained.
"So what about the rich pro-tennis player?" Yuuta asked.
"He will also be watching, but not commenting." Ryuzaki-sensei responded.
"No tennis huh?" Kenya confirmed.
"No tennis." The coaches replied in unison.
"No tennis." Yuuta repeated sadly.
"No tennis. No rackets, no balls, no tennis courts." Banda-sensei enumerated.
"What are we going to do then?" Shishido asked.
"You are going to have to figure it out for yourself. You have one week." Ryuzaki-sensei stated before the coaches walked out the door.
"One week without tennis." Kamio pondered on.
"Where am I supposed to run in this place?" Kaidoh asked noting how small the space was.
"Run? How am I supposed to do weight training around here?" Yuuta added.
"Will the three of you stop whining?" Shishido reprimanded the three juniors.
"Let's just at least try and get along with each other." Kenya added.
"Iie." Sanada replied.
"Sanada?" Shishido and Kenya spontaneously stated, clearly Sanada was not in agreement with them.
"We will continue training." Sanada declared.
"How?" Kaidoh asked.
"We are athletes right?" Sanada confronted the others.
"Hai." They all replied in unison.
"We have lost a few battles, but still believe we're all winners right?" Sanada stirred them up.
"Hai!" everyone replied again.
"So even if it's not tennis, we're going to win this competition!" Sanada declared fire burning in his eyes.
"Hai!" everyone who was obviously stirred up agreed.
"Oshitari-kun, where are you going?" Shishido asked noting Kenya positioning himself to run.
"No speed, no life. This is how I get my brain to start working." The speed star began running around the room making the rest of them dizzy.
"Hey, if speed is what were after I won't let you get my rhythm down!" Kamio stated then started running around the room as well.
"Oi! Like I would let you!" Kaidoh also running after the two.
"I think we're going to have a problem with those three." Yuuta said to the two seniors who were following the three with their eyes.
"Hmn." Sanada and Shishido agreed.
-oOo-
"Do you think they're going to be okay?" Ryuzaki-sensei asked the other coach as they watched the six tennis players on the hidden camera installed in the room.
"They will be, provided Sanada doesn't snap and go all Spartan on the other five." Sakaki-sensei replied.
"Are those three going to stop running sometime soon?" Watanabe-sensei asked getting dizzy from following Kenya, Kaidoh and Kamio ran around the room.
"I doubt it." Banda-sensei stated.
-oOo-
"Yamero!" Shishido shouted at the three who were still competing who was faster in running.
"Guys, please stop it we're getting dizzy." Yuuta pleaded.
"Nande? Too much for you Fuji Syuusuke's otouto?" Kamio teased Yuuta.
Yuuta snapped and started running after the three as well.
"Hay, this is getting worse." Shishido buried his face on this palms.
"I said, Yamero!" Sanada shouted stopping the four in their tracks for a second, that is, until Kenya started running again, and the other three ran after him.
"Give up Sanada; we'll just have to wait for them to get tired." Shishido sat himself on a chair and placed his arm on the table supporting his chin with his right hand as he watched the four people run around the room.
Sanada's patience was ready to give in, so he closed his eyes and sat across from Shishido.
-oOo-
"My head hurts." Watanabe-sensei complained.
"We already told you to stop looking at the four running fools an hour ago." Ryuzaki-sensei replied.
"I know, aren't they getting tired yet?" Watanabe-sensei asked.
"Well, Oshitari-kun is your player, you should know." Sakaki-sensei answered.
"Iie. They're not getting tired yet." Watanabe-sensei answering his own question, he knew Kenya was far from getting tired.
-oOo-
"Oi Sanada, are you getting tired of waiting?" Shishido asked; he was really getting annoyed of the four running around like that.
"It's been more than an hour, aren't they getting tired yet?" Sanada asked.
"They're not even slowing down." Shishido noting that indeed the four runners were not even dropping their pace.
"I'm ending this." Sanada stood up; his eyes looked like they were ready to kill.
"Oi Sanada, calm down. Killing them is probably not a good idea." Shishido also stood up.
"Yamero! Baka!" Sanada shouted.
"You know, there's an easier way to do this." Shishido stated putting his foot forward, tripping the overly clumsy Kenya, which in turn tripped the other three making them all fall to the ground. "See? Told you there was an easier way to do this." Shishido smirked.
Sanada looked at Shishido, but he did have to agree that what Shishido did was actually practical. "Are the four of you done now?" Sanada turning to the four other members of their group.
"No speed…" Kenya started but was cut by Shishido covering his mouth and pulling him down before pushing him into the couch.
"Baka! Yamero! You'll start them running again!" Shishido scolded Kenya.
"Don't you people realize the task at hand?" Sanada asked.
"We don't even know what to do yet." Shishido added.
"So, let's plan." Kenya replied.
"How are we supposed to plan when the four of you keep running around like fools?" Shishido snapped back at Kenya.
"Running helps me think." Kaidoh replied.
"Yeah, me too. Especially when there's music." Kamio agreed.
"Weight lifting usually does it for me, but given the absence of weights, running will have to do, to help me think as well." Yuuta agreed.
Sanada pinched the bridge of his nose, he was having a headache. This discussion was going nowhere.
"What are your talents anyway?" Shishido asked.
"Tennis." Everyone said in unison, including Sanada.
"Baka! I mean other than tennis." Shishido half-shouted at everyone, yes, even at Sanada.
"What is your talent, Shishido-san?" Kaidoh asked.
"I can play billiards as well." Shishido proudly answered.
"Like that's going to help." Kenya commented.
"Oi!" Shishido facing Kenya.
"I can dance." Kamio blurted out.
"I can't." Yuuta confessed.
"Neither can I." Kaidoh added.
"I refuse to dance." Sanada stated bluntly.
"I can dance as well." Shishido added.
"So, let's just dance!" Kenya concluded.
"How are we supposed to dance if three of us can't dance?" Shishido snapped back at Kenya.
"You know, Yushi said you were nicer, I guess my cousin was wrong." Kenya snapped back at Shishido.
"Nani? Maybe you and your cousin should stop talking about other people over the phone, then, you'd get a better sense of life!" Shishido was almost ready to snap Kenya's neck but Kaidoh and Yuuta managed to stop him.
"Yamero!" Sanada shouted.
"Can we stop with the shouting, please?" Yuuta covering his ears.
"Iiyo, three of us can dance, and three of us can't, so dancing is definitely out of the question." Kenya stepping up.
"So what do we do then?" Kaidoh asked.
"If we practice enough nothing is impossible." Sanada replied starting them off on the discussion on the possibilities of what they would perform on the day of the competition. That was, until Kenya ran out of ideas and began running around the room again starting the other three to run after him.
"How long before we trip them over again?" Shishido asked Sanada.
"Let's tire them a bit. Give them an hour." Sanada responded hopelessly.
"No speed, no life!" Kenya stated as he passed Shishido.
"If you weren't here, I think I'd have more life!" Shishido snapped at Kenya before burying his face on his palms as he and Sanada felt the headache coming back.
-oOo-
"Sa, I think they'll be okay now, at least I hope they'll be okay now." Ryuzaki-sensei told the other coach as they watched part two of the running's spree in the room.
"Ah, there he goes! I was wondering how long he could hold up." Sakaki-sensei states as they saw Shishido stand-up and started running as well after giving in to Kenya's provocations.
"Will Sanada-kun be okay?" Watanabe-sensei asked.
"He has no choice but to be okay." Oji replied.
"Shall we go to the next group then?" Banda-sensei offered.
"Hai." The rest of the coaches agreed and finally left the second group running around the room, except for Sanada who still has his face buried in his palms fighting off a severe headache.
-oOo-
So, have you guessed why I put them together in this group? =)