A/N Chapter 3 is up! Also, I kinda suck at describing tennis matches, so...please bear with me. Also, sorry for not updating in, like, what, two weeks or so? Kinda had no inspiration for it, but have no fear, here is a longer than usual chapter to make up for it!

Also, be warned, an EXPLOSION of OCs is coming your way. Hope you don't mind!

THANK YOU TIME TO: NightmareNyxGrim for favoriting!

Warnings: blindness, relatively mild language, some suggestive jokes, basic pubescent angst, possible unintentional OOCness, sensitive topics, possible unintentional Mary Sueness, mentions of yaoi...what else can I say?

Pairings: YukimuraxOC (are there any pairings you guys want? Sanadax? has to be male, since I mentioned that in the last chappie)

Disclaimer: Any sports anime written by me would be like "he hit the ball...he won the game." So, no, I don't own the 178 episode anime and way more than 178 chapter manga, I'm assuming.


iii A World Of Connections iii

Lunch comes and Yukimura is amused to note that Angela has disappeared from the classroom before her classmates can get ahold of her. Several girls and boys express their frustration at having allowed her to run away from them.

"Gah, she's not here!"

"And I wanted to get to know her better!"

"I bet if she's lived in America, she knows a lot of things!"

"Kyaa! I bet she's had a boyfriend before!"

"Boyfriend? I bet she's already done...it."

"Huh?"

"You know...it."

"I don't get what you're trying to-"

"I wonder if she knows anybody rich!"

"Did she live in Hollywood? I would die if I ever got to live in Hollywood!"

"Why doesn't she want to talk to us?"

"Baka, didn't you see how annoyed she was?"

"Annoyed? Not really, she won't open her eyes or anything..."

"Actually, she reminds me a bit of Yukimura-san..."

Slowly, conversation dwindles as everyone realizes the truth in that last statement. Yukimura's smile only widens as head begin to turn towards him, probing eyes and burning gazes directed at him. Deciding that keeping the tense, awkward silence is more amusing than it is uncomfortable, he merely stands and glides (literally, he glides) out of the classroom, quickly followed by Sanada and Yanagi (the former more because he doesn't want to spend any more time with the non-tennis obsessed idiots surrounding him than needed, the latter because his calculations tell him that something interesting might occur if he follows Yukimura's lead).

Yukimura unhesitatingly turns right, heading down the hallway as he nods respectfully in response to the enthusiastic waves and greetings directed at him by his schoolmates. As it is currently lunch break for all the seniors, many students are roaming the hallways, talking and laughing with each other.

If there's one thing he knows about Angela, it's that she doesn't seem to enjoy crowds too much. As a blind new girl, there aren't many places she can go to if she wants solitude, much less places that she can find using only four of her main sensory systems.

Even now, there is only one that Yukimura can logically think of, which is the place he is heading as of now.

Descending several flights of stairs, Yukimura enters the West Wing of Rikkai Dai High, dedicated towards the extracurriculars and electives. He comes across his destination and pauses for a moment, cocking his head towards the door, in order to listen.

Most people during lunch here head towards the cafeteria, the rooftop, or the fields outside. A good number often stay inside their classrooms as well, and others disperse throughout random rooms within the school.

The West Wing is often avoided. In comparison to sports, the other extracurriculars just aren't as popular. Music and the visual arts do rather well in Rikkai Dai, naturally placing first in nationals every season, but...

Other activities suffer.

Including this one.

Without preamble, Yukimura pushes open the double doors, making sure that Sanada has a good grip on it before letting go.

As always, the area is as noisy as ever, the whirring fans as a result of the ventilation throughout the whole school practically deafening in here. The lighting and circuitry also hum softly, fading into a static background noise that only contributes to the quiet din.

And Angela stands directly in center stage, head turned up, hands clasped behind her back. Yukimura has the sneaking suspicion that she knew he had been looking for her long before he even set foot inside the dilapidated black box theatre. For that reason, he clears his throat and gently asks, "Hendrickson-san, how are you doing?"

Angela doesn't move. She doesn't even so much as twitch. It's almost as if she hadn't heard him at all. If not for the sense of a connection Yukimura feels towards her, he would almost believe her.

But he doesn't.

"Hendrickson-san, when a person asks a question, it's common courtesy to answer."

Angela, once again, doesn't respond or react to Yukimura's light taunting, and at that point, Yukimura decides that he has had his fun and makes his way farther into the room, walking around the perimeter towards the stairs on the side of the stage. Once he climbs on, he stops right next to her, unabashedly observing her.

After a long, pregnant silence, Yukimura finally speaks up again. "Hendrickson-san, are you just going to keep on ignoring me?"

Ignore.

"Hendrickson-san, that's a bit rude, don't you think?"

Ignore.

"Hendrickson-san, how do you like this school so far? How does Japan compare to America?"

Ignore.

"Hendrickson-san, do you enjoy theatre?"

At that point, her head swings towards him so quickly, it's an achievement that she hadn't gotten whiplash.

Her eyes are still closed, but her aura glows with a sort of expectancy that she somehow manages to convey without the use of her physical body. Still, she doesn't speak, but that doesn't really matter.

Not when they've reached an understanding. Language, after all, isn't the only means of communication, of expressing oneself.

The two of them are more familiar with that fact than anyone should ever be.

"Do you play tennis?"

A nod, a brighter smile.

"Would you like to watch the regulars play from inside of the cage?"

A more fervent nod, a wider smile.

"After school, then."

No response, except for a whispered, "Thank you."


Yukimura finds himself looking towards the end of classes more than usual. Even though his attention never wavers from the teachers' lectures (and never from the chance of catching one off guard), he finds himself shooting glances towards the clock hanging from the wall above the white board, counting down the seconds until the minute hand strikes twelve and he, Sanada, Yanagi, and Angela can head down to the tennis courts.

When classes finally end, Yukimura calmly begins to pack up, watching in amusement as Angela once again disappears in a flash. Really, it's a mystery how she manages to move so fast despite having such a smooth, lazy gait.

"Aww, she disappeared again."

"I was so looking forward to talking to her."

"Maybe she's just shy..."

"But she totally owned Himura-kun! And she doesn't seem shy at all...after all, she looked directly at Yukimura-sama without fainting! Kyaa!"

"Well, she's blind."

"Wait...do you think that it's a sickness?"

"My dad told me that he once read an English book where blindness spread like a disease..."

"Eww! Like, anemia or something!"

"Baka, anemia is a genetic disorder! Blindness is like hemophilia! OMG, what if it spreads through blood?"

"Ew, ew, ew! Honda-chan, you're disgusting!"

Even Yukimura, a boy with the patience of a saint, can't help but feel the slight beginnings of irritation stirring inside of him as he continues to eavesdrop-ahem, listen to his classmates' chatter.

The educational system here could certainly use some work.

Finally finished with packing up, Yukimura stands, sliding his tennis bag over his shoulder. Luckily, his schoolwork isn't too heavy today, so he has no need for stopping by his locker before heading directly towards the courts. Sanada and Yanagi fall in step with him as they sweep out of the room, leaving it full of silent, lovesick teenagers.

As the Three Demons of Rikkai Dai walk down the hallways, Yukimura finally speaks up. "Ne, Yanagi, what are the chances that she'll show up?"

Without even snapping open his data book, the Data Master answers, "100%."

Sanada only observes his captain and friend silently, wondering just what about this girl interests the Child of God so much. Yes, she's blind. Yes, she seems to play tennis. Yes, she's a bit different from other girls her age.

Yet what could possibly be so alluring about her?

The three leave the school building and move towards the courts. Already, the familiar sounds of tennis balls hitting the ground echo through the air, resonating within their ears. They were lucky this year, that they managed to gain so many gifted, dedicated players. Even before the buchou and fukubuchou have arrived, all the other members are already practicing.

Though the reason why soon reveals itself.

A group of girls are gathered near the gate. Yukimura immediately identifies them as Rikkai Dai's girl's tennis regulars. Seven of the only girls in the entire school who aren't airheads who spend their time mooning over the tennis regulars, they have all long since garnered respect and awe from the boy's tennis team.

"Ah, konnichiwa, Aiko-san." Yukimura comes to a stop in front of the girls, politely waiting for them to turn around and address him. A few of them continue to watch, but that fact doesn't bother him all too much.

In all honesty, he's never been much of a stickler for rules or what modern society considers "politeness" and "common courtesy." If he were, well, that would make him a bit of a hypocrite, wouldn't it?

Kita Aiko. A girl of average height, slightly above average looks, and a striking aura that doesn't allow her to be ignored, Kita excels in almost everything that she dabbles in. As befitting of a student of Rikkai Dai's prestigious accelerated program, Kita is the second daughter of the one of the largest transnational corporation's board of representatives-Kita Hinata, a trans woman and Kita ni Ikeda Hitomi, a UN woman's rights ambassador. Her entire lineage is full of impressive individuals who accomplished impressive things-and, as a result, Kita herself has been feeling the pressure of being perfect since preschool.

Yet even with all these constraints pushed upon her, Kita has never once doubted who she is, and what she wants, and for that, she has even managed to gain Yukimura's own respect.

Kita nods politely to Yukimura in return. "Konnichiwa, Seiichi. I am sorry to bother you. My teammates and I were wondering if you would be willing to spare some time to have a few impromptu practice matches. We wish to show the rest of the club what is expected of them."

And joining only to fangirl over the boy's tennis regulars is not what we're looking for is the implied, unstated information.

Yukimura's smile widens and he nods graciously. "Of course. I have no problems with that. Renji?"

Yanagi nods, continuing to scribble in his data book. "I have no problems either, Seiichi. As an additional benefit, Angela would be able to see the best of both teams. I have a feeling that showing her what we are fully capable of would be a good idea."

Sanada raises an eyebrow. Renji too? What is it about you that makes you so special, Angela Hendrickson? "I have no problems with it either, then."

Yukimura lightly claps his hands together. The clap is quiet, but the courts immediately fall silent, all eyes turning towards the buchou and the girls standing near the gate. "Regulars, please gather in Court A now. All non-regulars and first-years are welcome to continue practicing or to watch us play impromptu practice sets with the regulars of Rikkai Dai High's girl's tennis team."

The moment his words die out, the courts are bustling with activity. The regulars drop what they were doing and rush towards the court, excited gleams in their eyes at the prospect of playing their female counterparts. Even they acknowledge the strength of Kita Aiko's team.

After all, quite a few of them have gotten their asses handed back to them on the court after doubting the skill of said girls in the past.

Meanwhile, the Three Monsters of Rikkai Dai head towards the clubroom silently, contemplating the upcoming matches. Yanagi is calculating the best set ups so as to benefit both sides, Sanada is still puzzling over his friends' strange curiosity towards the blind new girl, and Yukimura is already beginning to plan out his match with Kita step-by-step.

After they quickly change into their jerseys and gather their tennis gear, they head back out, entering Court A. The regulars of both teams are already standing in a loose semi-circle around Kita and her fukubuchou, Maki Ryoka. Maki is a taller than average girl with lanky limbs and a willowy body who, in contrast to Kita's often serious and formal behavior, boasts a wild, robust attitude that works well with Niou's own mien. When the two of them team up, not even Yukimura can confidently say that he won't be pranked.

Fortunately for him-or for those two, really-both Maki and Niou are smart enough to avoid doing such a thing.

Yukimura and Sanda step up to stand next to Kita and Maki as Yanagi slips into the circle, but not before slipping a sheet of paper into Yukimura's hands. Yukimura unfolds it and nods in approval upon seeing the pairings listed on it.

Kita clears her throat, and the group immediately silences. No one wants to get on Kita's bad side. Not even Yukimura or Fuji ever want to see an angry Kita Aiko. "As Seiichi has said, we will all be participating in several impromptu matches. I want to measure my girls' improvement since the beginning of school and the end of the last school year, and believe that having us play matches with you all would be the best way to do so. I assume that Renji has already drawn up the matches and given them to you, Seiichi?"

A few chuckles fill the air as Yanagi freezes slightly before calmly flipping a few pages, most likely to write down some more data about Kita. Yukimura also laughs, handing the sheet of paper over to her. "Nothing escapes your eyes, Aiko-san."

Kita accepts to slip, running her eyes over the matches. She nods approvingly as well before answering, "Renji is rather predictable. For all of his perception, it is much easier to read him than for him to read any of us."

Yanagi frowns, his pencil stopping for a moment. Kita, noticing his displeasure, hurries onwards, a smile tugging at the edges of her lips. "All right, the following pairings will be playing one full set, and no switching!"

A few moans and groans accompany her announcement, but she ignores them in favor of reading the matches aloud. "Niou-Yagyuu pair versus Maki-Mori pair on the last court."

Niou and Maki exchange challenging smirks. He saunters up to her, clasping her hand in a tight, bone-crushing grip. She only grins back at him, tightening her own grip on his hand until both of their hands are white from the cut off of circulation. "Good luck, puri."

"I should be saying that to you, Rat Man."

"Unsexy Girl."

"Rodent Teeth."

"Flat Board."

Maki gasps, eyes narrowing on Niou. "You-"

"Hai, hai, let's save the fighting for the match, Ryo-chan." Maki's double's partner, Mori Kaori, and the only girl who could possibly control the fukubuchou appears behind Maki, gently prying the two away from each other. Maki sends a venomous glare towards Nious, who merely sticks his tongue out at her and replies cheekily, "Puri."

Maki trembles in anger, her black eyes practically burning a hole into Niou's back as he and Yagyuu head over to the far court. "Ooh, that boy pisses me off so much!"

Mori rolls her own dark brown eyes, moving to follow her opponents. "Well, look on the bright side, Ryo-chan. If he called you 'flat board,' it meant he was looking, right?"

Maki's jaw drops and her entire face turns bright red. "I-I-Kaori, how the hell is that supposed to be on the bright side?" she shrieks, running after her doubles partner.

Kita merely sighs at her team's antics before glancing back down at the paper and reading off the next pairing. "Jackal-Marui pair versus the Sasaki twins."

As one, the two Sasakis stand up. As identical twins, they look like exact carbon copies of each other, from the build of their slender bodies to the tennis gear currently on them to the freckles the lightly dust across their tanned noses. The only thing that saves someone from making the mistake of substituting one for another is the fact that their attitudes are polar opposites.

Sasaki Mika is bubbling and outgoing and has a love for all things cute. She has no qualms about expressing her thoughts and opinions, no matter who stupid or brainless they seem.

Meanwhile, Saski Miki is quiet and reserved. She opens up to very few, and once she does, she tends to stay closed unless pushed even further.

Even with their differences, the two are always stuck to the hip. Where one is, another will be. Such is the bond between them.

And that bond is what makes them such valuable tennis players. As a doubles team, the idea of synchro was never far off to them, not even when they first began tennis years ago, in their first few years of elementary school. Right now, they're the only female doubles team in the entire high school circuit that has achieved synchro to the level they have gone to.

It's said that only the Golden Pair of Seigaku could even think of competing with the bond the Sasakis share during synchro.

One of the girls-no one knows who it is, since the two have a habit of impersonating each other to throw their opponents off-leans forward, a bright smile pulling her lips up. "Bunta!" she cheers, wiggling her fingers at him. "Good luck! You're going to need it!"

The other twin stands to the side, watching impassively.

Marui swallows and glances at Jackal, who looks a little nervous. "I never wanted to play with you guys again!" he whines, pouting at Kita and Yukimura, as if his puppy dog eyes would actually work. A glint of amusement enters Kita's eyes as she merely raises a hand and points at the court right next to where Niou, Yagyuu, Maki, and Mori are already playing.

"Go."

Still whining, Marui reluctantly drags his feet, an amused Jackal following him as the Sasaki who seems to be Mika (or Miki, it's a mystery, in all honesty) bounces around the two, the Sasaki who seems to be Miki following at a much more sedate pace.

Kita glances down at her sheet again, lightly smirking as she reads out the next pair. "Kirihara versus Ueda."

Kirihara's eyes bulge out and he immediately jumps away, wildly shaking his head. "Nu-uh. I am not playing that-that monster!"

Ueda scowls at him. Her hands tighten around her racket, and her eyes narrow dangerously. "Bakaya..." she practically growls, her voice promising a painful death towards the junior ace of Rikkai Dai's boy's tennis team. "You used to play the exact same tennis!"

"Which is why I don't want to play you!"

"Akaya."

Yukimura's smooth voice cuts through Kirihara's complaints, and he immediately freezes, slowly turning in fear towards his buchou.

"Ah...buchou?" Sheepishly chuckling, Kirihara reaches up and lightly rubs the back of his head.

"Is there a problem with this arrangement?"

Quickly shaking his head, Kirihara takes off in the direction of the third court, his wailing sounding long after he left the group. Ueda sighs in disgust and stalks towards him, her hand on her racket clenching and unclenching.

A moment later, Kirihara's scream pierces the air and Ueda's scream of, "I'll dye the court red!" sends chills down everyone's spines.

"Well..." Kita sweatdrops before turning her attention back to the piece of paper in her hand. "And last of all, Fukui versus Yanagi, me versus Yukimura. Sorry, Sanada, it seems that you will have to sit this practice out."

Sanada nods in response to her words and, despite the fact that he is obviously upset, graciously moves off the courts and towards the benches along the sides of the court. As he does, he finally notices that Angela is sitting on one of them, her smiling face turned towards the group.

Sensing his approach, she raises her head even further and gently greets him. "Konnichiwa, Geni."

Sanada's brow twitches. "Geni?"

Angela raises an eyebrow in response. Paired with her closed eyes and that infernally calm smile, a sort of eerie effect is created. "Is there something wrong with that? I did warn your class that I would be using shortened versions of all of your names...oh, was I being too presumptuous?"

Sanada blinks at the torrent of words that just came out of her mouth, all coated with a heavy helping of sarcasm, but she did notice her wrong, so... "You were, but it's all right as long as you understand-"

"You weren't in my class, were you? Well, I'm so sorry about that. I'll be calling you Geni from now on, okay?"

A muscle feathers along his jaw, and he has the sudden urge to bitch slap her and shout "TARUNDORU," in her face, but even he has limits. He won't lay a hand on a female, no matter how infuriating and rude she is. "I do not think that-"

"Shh." Sanada can only stare in shock as Angela slaps her hand over his mouth, effectively cutting him off. "They're starting. I need to listen."

With that last sentence, Sanada immediately sits back. He practically bitch slaps himself-in his mind, though. How could he have forgotten that the girl in front of him is actually blind?

Maybe because he spends so much time with Fuji, but, still...

"Kita to serve!"

Sanada twists around in her hold, and Angela drops her arm, leaning forward as she does so. When he glances down at her face, he's once again surprised by her-this time, by the look of intense concentration on her face.

He's starting to see what both Yanagi and Yukimura saw ages before him...


Yukimura watches Kita from across the court. Ever since the two met in their first year of high school, they've had monthly friendly practice matches with each other. He, of all people, know just how hard a game Kita plays when serious.

And when facing him, the number one girl tennis player in the entirety of Japan's high school circuits is always serious.

"Shall we continue from our score last time?" Yukimura asks Kita, knowing that with her sharpened hearing, she'd be able to hear him from across the distance.

Kita laughs, getting into standard position. He notes the angles of her knees, her arms, the tilt of her head, even something so seemingly mundane as the positioning of her fingers across her racket handle. A master at deception, Kita's tennis is never exactly what it seems. Much like Yanagi and Inui of Seigaku, she plays a sort of analyzing tennis, but a different style. Instead of analyzing her opponent, she analyzes herself, taking every little thing she does into account and dissecting it, breaking her motions and actions, even her own breathing patterns, into their basic components before rebuilding them from scratch. In that way, she is able to control her own body to an extent that, admittedly, scares even Yukimura.

But even in such a seemingly perfect facade, there has to be a crack somewhere.

"It's no use, Seiichi!" she calls, even as she throws the ball into the air and bends her knees. "My Facade tennis is impenetrable!"

The face of her racket connects with the fuzzy yellow ball with a resounding smack, and Yukimura's eyes trace its path as it pierces through the air, aiming to land in the corner of the service box.

Her serve has gotten faster, but, too bad for her...

Yukimura easily hits the ball back with a smooth forehand, using Kita's own force against her. "We don't know until we try, ne?"

As the rally continues, Yukimura says something every few hits, most having to do with their previous matches. Kita, finally far more pissed than she could give him credit for, executes one of her sealed (meant for those who she deemed worthy enough) moves: "Fade."

Yukimura keeps his eyes on the ball as it heads back to him. He had noticed the glint in Kita's eyes-no matter how impeccable her control over her body is, her control over her own emotions is shaky at best. His guess was that she had finally decided to pull a trick out of that bottomless hat of hers, and he was right.

Just as the ball enters his court, a cloud passes over the sun. Normally, this wouldn't affect Yukimura all too much, but for a moment, the ball seems to shimmer, to waver. That moment is more than enough of a distraction, and when the cloud leaves, the ball is sitting on the ground on the advantage side of the court, the complete opposite way of where he had been heading.

A few surprised gasps and shocked exclamations erupt from the crowd of non-regulars and students who had come to witness the incredible clashing of the two National-level tennis teams of Rikkai Dai. Uso...the Child of God...lost the first ball?

"15-love!"

Yukimura, not at all bothered by his loss, turns his smiling face towards Kita. She stares grimly back at him, that glint in her eyes giving her away.

"Ah, yes...I believe we ended at the tiebreaker at that time, correct? Let's continue, Aiko-san."


Even as Yukimura and Kita battle it out on the first court, four more just as incredible matches are playing out on the other courts of Court A. When Sanada glances to his left, where Angela sits on the bench, he finds himself pleasantly surprised (once again, what is it wih this girl and surprising him?) at seeing her focusing, not on Yukimura's match, but on the matches behind him.

As if sensing the weight of his gaze on her, she reaches out and lightly tugs Sanada's tennis jersey. "Ne, Geni."

Swallowing his surprise, he replies gruffly, "Hmm?"

"Can you take me to the other side? I want to listen to the doubles matches."

Sanada nods, but quickly freezes in shock once he remembers again that she's blind. "H-hai."

And so Sanada finds himself gently leading Angela safely around the courts, trying to ignore the looks his teammates who should be focusing on their own matches send him-not to mention the stares of the people surrounding the courts.

Really...what a troublesome girl she is.

Once the two finally reach the other side, Angela immediately lets go of his arm and heads directly for the referee chair. As she leaves him, she turns around only to widen her smile at him.

Sanada ends up staring after her stupidly, even as she somehow manages to replace the second year who had been the referee for the Niou-Yagyuu and Maki-Mori match.

Seriously?


Wooh, about 4,500 words (maybe a bit over)! Hope the wait was worth it! Next chapter will be a little continuation of this one-more tennis matches, a conclusion of Yukimura-Kita, and maybe a little more!

Also, if there are any pairings you guys want for this story, please comment them! I'm open for almost anything: yaoi, yuri, straight, etc. Although I'm not sure if I'll be able to write any polygamy type relationships, but I'll consider it if enough of you guys want it.

Yeah. Peace, see ya next time, hope you liked it!

Never (LivingDaLife)