A/N: It's memorial day weekend which means I might be able to churn out a chapter or two. Here's the latest chapter! Also, I've been thinking if I should change/add a genre onto The Doppelganger. But we'll see...

Again, thank you for the reviews.

Lokica: Thank you! I can promise that things will get a little weird...but interesting, well, I think you have to decide that for yourself. (:

Lahdolphin: Thank you! Hopefully, my writing improves with each new chapter. (:

frejahimitsu: Thank you! I hope you enjoy this new chapter.

Day Three

'Yagyuu's still not back?' A voice asked.

Marui replied with an incoherent answer.

Yagyuu still had yet to return.

'It's probably a summer cold.' Someone said.

Summer colds were the worst. To fall ill during the summer seemed ominous but to Marui, it was nothing out of the ordinary. The tennis members practiced a lot during the summer; it wasn't odd for any of them to fall ill, especially due to overexertion and exhaustion.

'He probably just needs more rest.' Someone stated.

Marui nodded in response. He leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh. The red-head had one more day of remedial lessons before he would have to take the supplementary mock exam. He wasn't sure if he would survive through the day. His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.

'Hey Marui-chan…'

'Here we go again…' The bubblegum-lover mumbled under his breath.

Niou sat in the desk in front of the red-head and faced Marui. That same glint in his eyes made the red-head uneasy.

'How were your remedial classes, Marui-chan?' He asked.

The red-head ignored his teammate and instead, focused his attention on the board in the front of the room.

'You're ignoring me?' The trickster asked.

Suddenly, their faces were inches apart. Niou had leaned forward and stared directly into the red-head's eyes. His lavender orbs burned an intense gaze into Marui's green ones.

He smiled.

'Just kidding.' He whispered all the while ruffling Marui's red locks.

Niou made his way over to his own seat with a satisfied smile. A scowl found its way onto Marui's face. The bubblegum-lover sunk into his chair, awaiting the arrival of their homeroom teacher.

The bell rang out, signaling the end of the regular school day. As the students filed out of the classroom, Marui solemnly packed his belongings. He swung his bag over one shoulder and made his way out of the room.

Once he was in the corridor, he dragged his feet slowly, making his way to room 1-D. As he walked, the afternoon sun embraced his silhouette and filled the corridor with an orange glow.

He arrived at room 1-D and took a deep sigh. Sliding the door open, he found that once again, Matsuda-sensei was yet to be seen. He went into the room and noticed that the others had already arrived, albeit sitting in different seats.

The duo which included Yoshida-san had moved to the front of the room; the stoic one sat upright, flipping through the pages of that same book and Yoshida-san was sleeping again but this time in a more composed manner. His arms surrounded his face and he slept soundly. The hooded figure had moved to the middle of the room – his same large headphones enclosed his ears. The young man who had fallen asleep yesterday now sat near the windows towards the front of the room. He was wide awake today and gazed longingly at the setting sun. The girl sat in the back corner. She too, looked out the window with an air of melancholy. Today her face was clean and had no trace of make-up. Marui noticed that she was unusually plain without her painted face.

He took his seat behind the hooded figure.

Time passed slowly. Marui twirled his pen between his fingers and tapped his foot in a rhythmic motion. The lesson was nearing its end yet Marui could not focus. He diverted his attention towards the darkening sky outside.

'Alright, that's the end of lesson. Tomorrow's the last day of lessons. Be sure to show up!'

He heard Matsuda-sensei order the students to study hard and prepare well for the supplementary exam. Marui nodded his head. There was only one more day before the lesson; he disliked it but there was nothing he could do. He needed this class to make up for his poor grades but most of all he needed to perform well so that he could go back to playing tennis. That was what he missed the most: playing tennis with the others.

He packed his bag and made his way out of the room somewhat eager, somewhat uneasy.

After leaving the entrance of the school, he maneuvered his way around the narrow streets. He took his regular path home which included a shortcut through the small park. As he made his way home, the mixture of birds chirping in the air and the sound of children's laughter filled his mind. With each step, he took in the sights and the sounds. Marui took a deep breath. He stretched out his arms and let out a sigh of relief.

A murmur whispered through the winds. Marui turned around and dropped his arms in disbelief. His bag fell to the ground.

'Yagyuu…' The red-head whispered.

Marui walked towards the gentleman, who had a smile on his face.

He walked slowly and then, he picked up his pace. Marui almost began to run towards Yagyuu.

'Yagyuu…Yagyuu…Yagyuu!' His voice escalated.

But as he neared his teammate, the gentleman before him began to faze. Marui could not believe the sight. Yagyuu became an image that slowly disappeared with each step the red-head took. The gentleman's smile remained before being carried off by the wind.

Marui blinked his eyes to dispel his confusion.

'Marui-chan!' He saw the resident trickster of Rikkai Dai running towards him. Niou waved to Marui with a smile similar to that of the image the red-head saw earlier. Marui shook his head.

'What's wrong, Marui-chan?' The trickster draped his arm around the bubblegum-lover's shoulder.

'I need more sleep.' The red-head said.

Niou gave Marui a questioning glance but the red-head shook his head.

'So, so…' The trickster started, 'Let's go out to eat, Marui-chan. I haven't seen you in awhile since you've been taking remedial classes.'

Marui scoffed but dismissed his bubbling anger; he was too tired to bicker with the trickster. Marui felt defeated and submitted himself to listen to Niou's ramblings. The duo headed through the narrow path. Thoughts flooded through Marui's head and as the sound of laughter erupted from the duo's conversation, Marui forgot all about that strange hallucination.