Hey guys! Next installment all done and stuff! I bounce around a lot especially between points of view in this because a lot is happening at the same time, so try to keep up. I hope everything it isn't too confusing. If there are any problems just ask and I'll clear things up. Feel free to tell me how good or bad this chapter is! I love reviews and PMs. They make me very happy.

SPOILER ALERT: Fudomine match. Okay, if you aren't this far into the series, I worry. And wonder, what in the world are you doing reading my story? But still, I want to be safe.

Oh, and for reference, I don't own PoT, TnO, or however you wanna say it. Never have... sadly never will.

START

"Kuso! How could I get lost?! Not to mention I'm already really late! Gah, Eiji-kun is not going to be happy!" Miki continued mumbling to herself with frustration as she desperately scanned her surroundings for some sign of where she was. It was well past noon and she wondered if she would even be in time to see any of the matches.

As she passed a ponta machine for the fifth time, Miki groaned and slumped to the ground. Just great! What now?

"Miki-chan?"

She looked up at the voice and sighed in relief at the sight of Kikumaru's blue orbs. He gave her a wide grin and tackled her in a hug, knocking them both to the ground.

"Yokatta! I was wondering where you were! You've missed so many of our matches. We've won them all so far. There's only one school left to play, but they've beaten everyone else and nobody's ever heard of them. But we'll win anyway! We're Seigaku! We-"

"Ano, Eiji-kun?" As if just waking from a trance, he looked wide-eyed at her. "I'd love to hear about your matches, but I think we should go find the others in case the last match starts."

She giggled to herself when his face changed from excitement to realization. I bet he forgot he even had a match! With the true spirit of an acrobat, Kikumaru jumped to his feet. Miki stood as well and looked to him for some sign of which direction to go. Before she could object, Kikumaru moved behind her and swooped down under her legs. She made a noise of surprise and quickly stabilized on his shoulders. Her heart calmed a bit when she realized that he had a strong hold on her legs.

"Eiji-kun!" she whined, "I told you to warn me before you do that!" She could practically feel his cheeky grin. With an exasperated sigh she leaned back, letting her body drape down his back with her legs held firmly over his shoulders. It's a good thing I'm not wearing a skirt today! she thought, watching the upside-down world pass by her.

The two walked happily to the court, which Miki realized was where she'd come from before she'd given up. That irked her. I'm such a horrible navigator! On their way back they passed some tough-looking boys walking in the same direction with the name "Fudomine" written on the back of their jackets.

"Ne, Eiji-kun, have you played them yet?" He completely turned around to see who she was talking about, flinging Miki to the side in the process.

"Iie. They're the team that's tied with us and are our last opponents. They're almost completely unknown so we're not sure what we need to look out for, but we definitely won't lose! Nobody can defeat the Golden Pair!" As if to emphasize the statement, he threw his hand in the air and made a victory sign.

"AH! Eiji, the other leg!" Miki was hanging sideways and she felt his grip on her other leg slipping. He quickly corrected his mistake and reset his hold on her legs. She smacked his side for almost dropping her.

"Gomen, Miki-chan! I forgot..." Geez...

: Regulars' POV :

"Where's Kikumaru-sempai? The match is about to start," Momo asked the others with a grumpy expression. He was NOT happy about being a reserve in this match. Oishi shrugged with a concerned expression.

"I haven't seen Eiji. I think he said he was going to look for Miki-chan again before the match. He'd been a bit worried since she said she would show up earlier." He looked around for his doubles partner. "Ah, there he... Are those legs?!"

Everyone turned to see the redhead walk into view with a happy smile on his face. Sure enough, he was holding a pair of legs over his shoulders as if it wasn't strange at all.

"Konnichi wa, minna-san!" a cheerful voice called out from behind Kikumaru. Two arms came into view on the pair of legs and Miki-chan pulled herself into a sitting position on his shoulders. "Gomen, I got lost." Kikumaru dipped to put her back on her feet, but knocked into her as he straightened up. She stumbled and almost fell into Momo. Before she fell, a pair of long arms snaked their way around her waist and pulled her back so she was back on her feet. Once she'd fully regained her balance, Miki turned to thank whoever had kept her from falling. Imagine her shock when she came face-to-face with Kaidoh. He immediately let go and made a strange face to himself.

"A-arigatou, Kaidoh-san," she said shakily with a thankful smile.

"Fshhh."

Eiji began apologizing to Miki again, who was laughing at his worried face. Many of the others were watching the scene in amusement, but Momo and Inui were watching Kaidoh with slight surprise. Momo jumped at the chance to tease him when Kaidoh began walking away from the group.

"Oi, Mamushi!" he called with a condescending smirk.

"Don't call me Mamushi," Kaidoh snapped, trying to walk away from his rival as fast as possible.

"Yeah, whatever. Ne, it seems to me like there's something between you and Miki-chan. Could it be that Mamushi has a crush?"

Kaidoh's face flushed in embarrassment and anger and he turned to glare viciously at Momo. "Leave me alone, baka. Every time you open your mouth, you sound even stupider."

Momo looked as if he was about to respond, but the loudspeakers nearby came on. The match was starting, so the two sent each other a final glare and stalked back to the courts to watch their sempai play.

: Miki's POV :

"Ah, where did Kaidoh-san and Momoshiro-san go to?" Miki asked nobody in particular. She'd heard Momo call Kaidoh "Mamushi" again, but didn't see them walk off.

"I told you, Momo-chan is fine."

"GAH!"

The voice behind her startled Miki into jumping forward. Straight into Fuji. She quickly composed herself and spun around to glare at Momo, smacking Fuji in the face with her hair.

"Ah, hontou ni gomen nasai, Fuji-sempai!" She bowed deeply to him, to which he just smiled.

"Daijobu da yo."

Miki narrowed her eyes at him playfully. It's been her goal for two years to get a picture of his eyes, but every time he opened his eyes before she'd been to captivated to remember to take a picture. As if reading her mind, Fuji looked back at her and smirked before walking onto the court with Kawamura. One day... I'll have a picture to add to my collection! For emphasis she grabbed the camera hanging around her neck tightly.

"You know you'll never get that picture, right?" Kikumaru asked her. She looked at him with wide eyes.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She looked at him innocently and walked over to Kaidoh, who was leaning against a wall behind the bench.

: Kaidoh's POV :

"Konnichi wa, Kaidoh-san," she said happily. He glanced over at her, grunted, and turned his eyes back to the game. Miki kept looking at him.

"Nani?" he finally asked, frustrated with her stare.

"I don't know if I should ask. It's a bit personal."

"Then leave me alone."

She sighed quietly and started to walk away. He felt bad and started to reach out to stop her. Before he actually did though, he remembered that he was in public and brought his hand back. He watched Miki move to sit on the ground in front of Momo to watch the game. Kaidoh watched her lean back against his knees, swatting at his hand as he started tugging her hair. A thought occurred to him: if he kept upsetting her, why did she always come back? Most people he scared learned to stay away, but not this girl. It was strange. Kaidoh thought back to the day after they had met.

Flashback

"Ne, ne, Kaidoh-san!" a cheery voice chirped from behind him. He had been running peacefully, enjoying the breezy morning and the silence of the forest. Until he heard her.

Miki jogged to catch up with him. She was wearing black knee-length shorts and a dark blue sleeveless shirt. Her hair was tied up, except for her right bang hanging over her eye. She smiled happily at him, running right next to him on the path.

"Beautiful morning, ne? It's the first time in a while there isn't humidity. Perfect day for a jog."

He just looked at her strangely before picking up his pace. In his mind he was hoping that she'd tire quickly and leave him alone, but she wasn't having any problem keeping pace, and her breathing was fine. Thankfully she kept quiet most of the way. In fact, she never said anything until they were back at the start of the path, heading home. Kaidoh started walking in the opposite direction Miki was, until she called out to him.

"Ne, Kaidoh-san?"

He turned to her. She seemed a bit apprehensive about whatever she wanted to say, but he waited for her to work out how to say it. Strangely he felt he owed her for her silence earlier.

"Why...," she sighed and shook her head before trying again. "Why does Momoshiro-san call you 'Mamushi'?"

It took a moment for the question to sink in. He definitely hadn't been expecting that question. To him, it was obvious.

"I look like a snake, act like a snake, and my tennis moves are named after a snake..." It was evident in his voice that he thought the question was stupid, but she wasn't affected by that at all.

"You don't look like a snake... and all you do that's snake-like is hiss and stare down your opponent. Besides, it's really rude to call someone something like that."

"We're not exactly best friends."

With that he turned around and walked away. He didn't have time for such meaningless conversation.

Later that day at school, though, Miki was just as cheerful. It was as if he wasn't even rude to her earlier. She just bounced right back into her happy mood.

End Flashback

A sudden pressure near his elbow brought him back to reality and Kaidoh realized Miki was next to him again, clutching his arm with wide eyes.

"K-Kawamura-sempai is s-scary..." she managed to say. Kaidoh rolled his eyes at her, but didn't bother trying to shake her off. She'd just be back in a few minutes.

All eyes turned to the captain of Fudomine as he stood and walked away from the court. Including Fuji's and Kawamura's. Attention returned to the courts when the line judge called an ace for Fudomine.

"Tricky, tricky," Miki muttered to herself, narrowing her eyes at the retreating back of Fudomine's captain. Momo started snickering.

"What are you laughing at?" she asked him in mock outrage.

"'Tricky, tricky'," he mimicked, raising his voice to sound feminine.

Miki leaned forward and smacked the back of his head lightly. Momo, not expecting it, lurched and slipped out of his seat. Kaidoh chuckled through his nose at the fool. Miki turned wide eyes to him, looking at his face with awe.

"Kaidoh-san laughed," she gasped, a twinkle in her eye. She was mocking him! "Ne, ne, Momo-chan, hurt yourself! I want to see if Kaidoh-san will laugh again!"

She received strange looks from everyone sitting around her. "What?" she asked with an innocent expression. "I'm conducting an experiment."

Kaidoh was pretty sure it was the first time everyone on the team rolled their eyes at the same time. Miki pouted and stuck her tongue out at everyone once they turned to continue watching the match.

Out of nowhere Miki gasped and super-jumped over Momo by placing her foot on the back of the bench. She landed right by the wall, her camera held tightly in her hands. Momo was staring at her with a very startled expression on her face, and Kikumaru burst out laughing.

: Miki's POV :

Fuji had opened his eyes. It only lasted a few seconds, but she'd seen it. She knew instantly that this would be a serious match for him. This is my chance! She vaguely heard Oishi mention the captain returning, and Inui explained why he'd left, but Miki was paying close attention to the match.

Fuji opened his gorgeous azure eyes to stare intently at the incoming tennis ball.

"Kirei," Miki gasped, her grasp on the camera loosening. Her eyes followed his movements as he performed his first triple counter, Tsubame Gaeshi. The ball dropped on the other side of the net and just rolled across the ground, letting the energy run out. Once the flare of the shot died out, she snapped her eyes back to Fuji, only to find his smiling face back in place.

"KUSO!" she cried, smacking the wall with her palms. "Curse you, Fuji-sempai!!"

Momo and Eiji snickered at her, but quieted when all three received a warning glare from Tezuka. Miki had never talked with Tezuka, but she didn't really want to. He was really intimidating!

"Gomen nasai, Tezuka-buchou..." she muttered, sitting in front of Momo again. He nodded stiffly.

Fuji was smiling at Miki, a taunting smirk at her defeat. She glared back.

"Maybe next time, Miki-chan," he called, taking stance at the baseline for the next serve. She knew he'd show his blue orbs again this game, but it was no use now. Instead she decided to just enjoy the game, and save her pursuits for later.

Tsubame Gaeshi really turned the tide of the game. Seigaku turned from defensive to completely on the offense, pushing Fudomine back. Until their baseline player made his partner move over and looked to his captain.

"Uh oh, this isn't good."

"Why?" Momo asked her.

"They have a secret move or something. For him to need to ask his captain if he can use it, it must be trouble for us..."

The baseliner took stance and flexed his arm tightly. He yelled, watching his target approach. Muscles bulged out of his forearm and his grip on the racket increased. Finally, he swung with all of his might. Miki jolted forward, watching the ball speed towards Fuji.

"Fuji can't hit that," she told Momo quickly, watching Fuji with very worried eyes.

"Don't do it, Fuji!" Oishi yelled, voicing everyone's thoughts. Fuji just watched the ball approach, determined to keep Fudomine from getting the edge. He brought his arm back to swing...

"Fuji!" Kawamura yelled from his right, jumping in the way to take the shot. He strained with two hands to return the ball's immense strength. A loud crack sounded, covered by Kawamura's fierce battle cry. Miki heard it though, and buried her face in Momo's legs. She knew that sound anywhere.

Sounds of surprise came from all around her, but she couldn't stand looking. Momo looked down at her with worry.

"Daijobu, Miki-chan?" he asked. She tried to calm herself down, but her shoulders started shaking. Badly. It only increased when she heard Kawamura call out in pain. She whimpered, clutching his pants tightly.

"Kikumaru-sempai!" Momo called, worried for the distraught girl clinging to his leg.

: Kikumaru's POV :

Kikumaru looked over and jumped up to run over. Miki turned to latch onto him instead and instantly started shaking less.

"Eiji-kun... Kawamura-sempai's wrist..." She make a strangled noise, burying her face into his chest. Kikumaru nodded and rubbed her back gently. He ignored questioning looks from everyone but his doubles partner.

Fuji and Kawamura forfeited the match and left the courts. Miki watched from over Kikumaru's shoulder as Inui sprayed cool-down spray on Kawamura's red wrist. She'd been slightly wrong; his wrist was sprained, not broken.

"What's wrong with Miki-chan?" Momo asked not-too-quietly. She took a deep breath and tried to stop shaking, but didn't succeed. Kikumaru made a face as Momo. Oishi took him aside slightly to talk in a low voice.

"Miki-chan doesn't respond well to other people in pain... It involves her past, but it's not my place to tell everything. All I can say is that it hurts her for others to get hurt." He glanced worriedly at her, knowing he'd have to steal her only source of comfort for the next match.

Kikumaru had just been thinking that. Leaving her in that state was not a good idea, but he had no choice.

"Miki-chan?" he asked her in a soft voice. "I have to play the next match." He really regretted saying anything. She nodded slowly, wrapping her own arms around her body tightly. Her shoulders were still quivering.

Miki stood shakily and took a seat on the end of the bench next to Echizen. Kikumaru smiled slightly at her position. Instead of sitting on the other end with Fuji, who she'd known for years, she decided to sit in front of Kaidoh. It's good she found someone she's naturally comfortable with. He smiled and grabbed his racket, following Oishi onto the court. For fun he winked back at her, making her smile slightly. He noticed Kaidoh watching her carefully from behind, and Fuji would occasionally glance down at her. Her shoulders weren't shaking nearly as badly as before, even when he was comforting her. He pouted about that for a second, before turning his attention back to the game. There were still 4 more sets to this match!

End

Yay! Right? Time to say thanks for my reviewers so far... Arigatou!!

hemiyami: Thanks for taking an interest! I hope the story only gets better for you over time. You haven't even seen interesting yet, but I can't say more. XD The lines were acting very strange indeed. It's all better now. Maybe it was just something with me. Iunno... Thanks for reviewing!

Moonlitelover: I love oc fics too! Not quite sure why, though. Oh well... I'll keep updating as soon as I can! Thank you for the review!

I think this chapter was longer that the other two, so I'm happy. And I got to my planned stopping point. It's not really a cliffhanger or anything, so things are all good. I'll work on the next chapters soon!