A/N: Happy new year, everyone!

Disclaimer: Konomi Takeshi owns Prince of Tennis.

Chapter Four: Motives and Motivations

Kousuke wordlessly went to the desk, skimmed through the player profiles, and then stopped at Fuji's.

"Fuji-kun," he started, "is an interesting guy. It wasn't that he lacks motivation, as you may think – it's just that he doesn't actively seek motivation other than the sheer thrill of the game."

Kazue frowned. Tsk. Same difference.

"He is undoubtedly a genius, blessed with a natural feel for the sport. Unfortunately, he unconsciously seals his own potential. And that is why..." he paused, searching his daughter's eyes. "...we have to help him."

The girl narrowed her eyes. She did not like where this was going. "What are you planning to do?"

"We're going to create the motivation he needs," Kousuke said. "It's either that, or instill in him something similar to it."

"Like the sense of responsibility," Kazue finished for him. She didn't like it when her father beats around the bush.

"Right."

"Fine," Kazue said after a few moments. It's not like she could do anything about it anyway. Her father's the coach, after all. "It's not my fault if the team loses as early as the prefecturals."

"Don't worry, it's all on me," Kousuke gave his daughter a cheery smile. "Oh, and one more thing. Don't take him out of the singles one spot, alright? Or else it won't work at all."

Yuuta visibly froze when he opened his locker to change into indoor shoes.

"What's the matter, Yuuta?" Fuji asked his brother with concern.

"Ah, nothing, it's just..." Yuuta did not know how to respond. If his Aniki were to know that there was a letter inside his locker, he was certainly doomed to be teased his whole life. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration but... anyway, he had to hide it before anyone else sees–

"There's a love letter inside his locker, Fujiko!"

Too late. Trust Eiji to have quick eyes.

Yuuta sighed. He was no match against his brother and the bubbly senpai combined when they insisted the three of them go to school together, and now he was paying the price.

"Really? Let me see," Fuji said with a hint of mischief in his usual smile. "Maybe I should take a picture for nee-san..."

"Go away, Aniki!" Fuji chuckled as his brother pushed his face out of the way, and then turned to the snickering Eiji behind him. "And it's not a love letter, Eiji-senpai!"

"Now, now," the acrobat said, trying to control his laugh, "don't be shy, Yuuta-chan!"

"Stop teasing me, you two! And don't call me Yuuta-chan!"

"So much for not being a love letter," Yuuta muttered to himself as he finished reading the contents of the letter when he finally got to be alone. He casually crumpled the piece of paper with one hand, and then nonchalantly tossed it in the nearest trash can.

It was evident in that relaxed stance of his – he had seen it coming. His eyes, however, changed: a certain hardness, strikingly similar to his brother's serious expression, began to show in them.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked away, unaware of the gray-eyed girl watching his back. She waited until he turned into a corner before approaching the trash can, and then slowly bent down to pick the thrown paper from the heaps of garbage. With gentle fingers, she straightened it out and began reading.

Don't be so full of yourself, Fuji Yuuta. Just because you are Fuji the genius' little brother, it doesn't mean you are untouchable here in Seigaku! Why don't you go back to St. Rudolph before something bad happens to you? Just a little warning.

Kazue pocketed the letter, and left the scene with eyes gleaming dangerously like the blade of a sword.

"Psssssh…" Kaidou stopped rallying with Oishi and hissed in annoyance.

"Having a bad day, viper?" Momoshiro started on his rival as he balanced his racket on one finger.

"Shut up. It is noisy enough as it is," the other boy answered with a scowl.

It would have escalated into another full-scale shouting spree and shirt grabbing, if not for the fact that the power player actually agreed with him. The noise killed the mood for any bickering.

"The last time this happened was…" Momoshiro put a finger on his chin in contemplation. "…when Echizen joined the team three years ago," he finished, sending an amused look to the girls loudly chattering about their extremely good-looking coach.

"Kantoku is even more prolific than Echizen in attracting fans," Inui suddenly said, his notebook in hand. "On Echizen's second day on the team, spectatorship shot up by 36 percent. Today, as of my last computation, the number of people watching our practice increased by 61 percent," he adjusted his glasses as he finished.

"Whoa, it's true! Many are watching us even from the school buildings!" Eiji opened his eyelids wider to have a better look.

"Perhaps I should ask him to model for me sometime," Fuji paused for a bit, and then he added with a chuckle, "I wonder how much I will earn if I were to sell his pictures to those girls..?"

"Fuji!" Oishi exclaimed. He never did get used to Fuji's antics.

The genius only chuckled some more in response, which they did not actually hear because of the sudden torrent of squeals from their female audience. The squeals meant only one thing: their coach had arrived, with their manager not far behind.

"Before we begin our practice today," Kousuke said after the club members greeted him, "I'd like to introduce our newest member."

The squeals turned into murmurs of curiosity, which eventually turned into another round of chattering when the gates creaked open, followed by the footsteps of the person who just entered.

"Ne, tell me, Sakuno," Osakada elbowed her friend, "is it just me, or is that Fuji-senpai's younger brother?"

"Yes. He was watching yesterday, didn't you see him?"

"What? No! I didn't notice him at all! I was busy ogling Irukawa-sensei…" the girl intertwined her fingers, her expression suddenly turning dreamy as she turned her attention back to the handsome coach. She completely forgot all her questions about Yuuta's sudden transfer.

"I think many of you knew him already, but this is Fuji Yuuta-kun, Fuji-kun's younger brother. He'll be joining us starting today," Kousuke tapped Yuuta's shoulder.

"I'm Fuji Yuuta. Nice to meet you," the boy bowed respectfully. When he straightened up, his eyes met his brother's. The genius smiled at him proudly.

Kousuke clapped his hands twice to get everyone's attention. "Okay everyone, finish warming up. We'll be doing physical fitness tests today."

"Hai!"

Somewhere in the far end of the courts, two second years were whispering.

"What are we going to do, Arai? He looks unfazed."

"Don't worry, we've only sent a warning anyway," the second year smirked. "The worst is yet to come."

They were completely unaware of a pair of gray eyes closely watching them, like a predator eyeing its prey.

"Welcome," Kawamura said automatically when he heard the door sliding open. A girl in a Seigaku uniform entered, and then walked towards the counter.

"What would you like to order, miss?" He asked with a smile.

"I'd like some tempura sushi, please," she said as she made herself comfortable on the seat.

"Certainly," Kawamura said, and then proceeded to the kitchen to prepare her order. When he got back, she was looking at the maki rolls he had been making.

"You were practicing?" she asked as soon as she spotted him.

"Ah, yes," he said shyly. "Here's your tempura sushi."

"Thank you," she said, and began eating.

There weren't many customers that day, so Kawamura resumed making maki rolls. From time to time he would glance at the girl to see if she was enjoying the food, but eventually he focused on his training.

"Kawamura-kun."

"Yes?" he was so engrossed in making the rolls that he was not able to catch that the girl knew his name.

"The team needs you."

He almost dropped the maki in shock.

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry, I should have introduced myself first. I am Irukawa Kazue, the manager of the tennis club."

"What can I do for you, Irukawa-san?" he said tentatively, not really understanding what was going on.

"Like I said, the team needs you."

"Eh? I don't understand. Why me? I already quit tennis three years ago. Now, I am training to be a sushi chef to help in the family business."

"I know."

Kawamura did not know how to go from there. The girl's gray eyes were staring directly at his own. He swallowed.

"I know you are fully aware that the team has weakened considerably now that you, Tezuka-kun, and Echizen-kun are not part of it anymore. Last year, the same team lost in the quarterfinals of the prefecturals. The team needs all the reinforcements it can get."

"Fuji's younger brother already joined the team, didn't he? I'm sure with him around, the team wouldn't need me anymore. All I ever had was power, anyway."

"That's why I'm asking you to come back."

"Eh?"

"I'm going to make you a player with not only power in his arsenal."

Kawamura blushed. It was the first time he ever heard such a thing said to him. It was… touching.

"I intend to go to the Nationals with this team, Kawamura-kun. So please think about it."

There was vandal all over Yuuta's locker.

He instantly shut it closed as soon as he got his indoor shoes, which were miraculously spared from all the ink and paint.

Or maybe it wasn't really a miracle…

Someone didn't want his brother to know about this. In any case, it was more convenient for him. He did not want the genius to know, either.

GO HOME! YOU DON'T BELONG HERE!

Fuji's eyes opened wide as he read the vandal inside Yuuta's locker. He'd noticed the change in his brother after he received that letter, so he decided to secretly investigate. And then these greeted him.

It was strange, the genius thought. He was pretty sure there was no trace of any ink or paint on Yuuta's indoor shoes. It was totally impossible not to soil them, unless… it was deliberate. The person behind all these was then… afraid of someone knowing about this. And that someone was most likely him.

The culprit was someone who knew him well. Which could only be…

Fuji's eyes were burning with anger, like a blue flame fueled with gasoline.

"He won't appreciate you doing something about this from the shadows."

He turned, and his blazing eyes met a pair of steel-cold ones.

Kawamura stared at his old racket, which was hanging on the wall in his room. He hadn't touched it in years – he did not want to feel that burning of a fire lighting inside him whenever he did so, now that he had decided to quit tennis and pursue his sushi training. It would certainly give him second thoughts, and he did not want to disappoint his father by working halfheartedly.

But after that talk with the manager of the team, he was instantly tossed into a whirlwind of doubts. What she gave him was not a merely an opportunity to go back to the team – it was a promise, a promise that he could be more than what he used to be.

He got up from his bed and went to the kitchen. He found his father preparing a delivery.

"Father."

"What is it, Takashi?" the older Kawamura gave him a quick glance and then went back to arranging the sushi rolls in the wooden tub.

"What would you say if… I suddenly went back to playing tennis?"

"Hmm… why do you ask?" the man set his lips in a firm line. He knew this day would come.

Kawamura's first impulse was to tell him it was nothing, just never mind, he was just being silly anyway, but he never had the heart to lie or hide something from his father.

"Eto… you see… the manager of the team came by yesterday. She says she wants me back on the team."

"And?"

"She says she'd make me more than just a power player."

The old man said nothing.

"Ano… I promise I'll work harder! I'll double… no, triple my sushi training!" he suddenly said and bowed low, surprising both himself and his father. His body just moved on its own accord.

The older Kawamura smiled after a few moments of awkward silence. "Go ahead. You've always been fickle, my son," he said, and then affectionately ruffled Kawamura's hair.

"Thank you, father!"

That night, shouts of "burning baby!" echoed in the Kawamura household, together with the familiar sound of a racket cutting through air.

A loud crash startled the whole class. Yuuta was down on the floor, and underneath him was the mess that used to be his chair seconds ago. It broke down the moment he set his weight on it.

"Are you okay, Fuji-kun?" several girls offered to help him up, but he gently brushed them off and stood on his own.

"I'm fine, thank you," he said, flashing them a small smile of assurance. "We must tell sensei about the chair, though."

"I'll go tell him about it now," one of the girls said, and then she quickly excused herself.

"The chair must've been old for it to break like that," another girl from the crowd said.

"Yeah. Must be," Yuuta muttered absentmindedly. He was sure he heard the tiny sound of a metal hitting the floor before he fell with the chair, which could only be the screws rolling near his feet. Someone definitely loosened them beforehand.

The coach was nowhere to be found.

Everyone on the team was already done with their warm-up, and they were all looking at Kazue expectantly. She sighed. Judging by the absence of the girls behind the fence, she had a fairly good idea where her father could be.

Her phone rang. Here comes the devil.

"Father."

"I'm sorry, Kazue-chan, several students asked for remedial classes, and I had no choice but to indulge them because we're having basketball, which is a pretty hard sport for girls. But uh, apparently, students from other classes have heard about it and now I'm sort of stuck here in the gym."

She knew it. She could hear the squeaks of "sensei!" in the background.

"And?" She put a hand on her hip and frowned, which prompted some of the club members to back away a few steps.

"Well, you can handle the announcement on your own, can't you?"

"Alright. At least I wouldn't have to worry about the noise."

"I'm counting on you, the- ow!"

The line was cut. Her father was probably being mobbed again.

Why does this happen all the time?

She sighed again, and then turned to the club members once more. There was no use thinking about the advantages and disadvantages of having a good-looking father when she had an important task to do. It was better for her, too, she decided, because she could freely do as she pleases now that he's gone for the day.

"What did the coach say, Irukawa-san?" Oishi asked.

"He's on the gym teaching remedial classes," she said, not exactly feeling the need to explain the circumstances. "Anyway, I'm going to announce the regular roster now."

Kazue cleared her throat. Everyone suddenly tensed up, with the exception of the former regulars.

"Captain," she paused, scanning the faces of the third years. They glanced at each other, and then directed their gaze at one particular person.

Oishi.

It was only natural that he would be expected to be the captain, because it was in his hands that Tezuka left the team three years ago. Taking charge when no one else would was innate in him, and nobody probably cared more about the team that he did.

Personally, Kazue didn't think he could keep the team together. A leader was not supposed to do things on his own – he was supposed to influence and inspire his members to achieve a certain goal. But to be honest, he'd rather have him be the captain than…

"Third year, Fuji Syuusuke."

For a fraction of a second, the genius' eyes fluttered open in surprise, but his usual smiling face was back as soon as Eiji tackled him.

"Congratulations, Fuji!" The other regulars also offered their greetings.

"Thank you…" With slightly furrowed eyebrows, he sent a questioning glance at Kazue, but she avoided his gaze. He then caught Yuuta's eyes, and forced to smile at his brother's thumbs-up sign.

"Vice-captain," Kazue said louder to catch everyone's attention once more. "Kaidou Kaoru."

Most of the members shot Kazue a confused glance, as if seeking for confirmation, but her cold stare made them all look away at once. She then nodded at Kaidou, who only hissed in response.

Making him the vice-captain was her compromise with her father: she needed his tenacity to make up for Fuji's laidback demeanor. It slightly irked her that Kousuke didn't seem to mind at all, as long as Fuji was the captain. Seriously, what did he see in the genius? Attitude problems were the hardest to fix, in her honest opinion.

She continued.

"Third year, Kikumaru Eiji." The said boy bowed gracefully, and then flashed everyone a peace sign along with that wide grin of his. He was too goofy for her, but not everyone excels in playing doubles as easily as him.

"Third year, Inui Sadaharu." The data man adjusted his glasses in satisfaction. She did not like his playing style at all, but if they could get wins off it, then it's totally fine.

"Second year, Momoshiro–"

"Alright!"

"–Takeshi." He was too loud, but that instinctive tennis of his was something to be admired – and feared.

"Third year, Oishi Shuichirou." The former vice-captain nodded in acknowledgement. He was a decent strategist, and Kazue could not afford to break off the Golden Pair. She needed their synchro to beef up the doubles roster.

The courts suddenly grew silent. Everyone who was expected to be a regular was already called. The two remaining spots could be anyone among the rest of the club members.

"Second year," Kazue paused, her eyes searching for the boy in the crowd. "Fuji Yuuta."

A chill ran down Yuuta's spine when he saw Kazue's eyes boring through his.

Her eyes are even scarier than Aniki's…

"And last but not the least," Kazue closed her eyes briefly, listening to the approaching footsteps. "Kawamura Takashi."

The gates opened, and the power player entered shyly.

"Hello."

"Eh? Kawamura-senpai?" The freshmen trio chorused.

"Taka-san!" The air was squeezed out of Kawamura's lungs as Eiji tackled him.

"This is totally unexpected. My data did not predict this at all," Inui said, and then he sent a glance to their manager.

I have no data, but I get the feeling that this is her doing…

"It's good to have you back, senpai," Kaidou quickly got over the shock and greeted him politely.

"Ah, thank you…" It sure feels nice to be back in the courts again…

Momoshiro was about to hand him a racket when Kazue suddenly cleared her throat.

"Anyone who has objections with the selected regulars, you may replace one of them provided that you defeat them in a one-set match."

Fuji opened his eyes in sudden realization. She's going to lure them out.

"Eh? What is the meaning of this, Irukawa-san?" Oishi asked worriedly. She said nothing, only sent him a gaze so sharp that he couldn't say anything more.

For a few moments, the courts grew silent once more as everyone processed that information in their minds. And then, slow footsteps took them out of their reverie.

"I'd like to challenge Fuji Yuuta, please."

A/N: So. A cliffhanger, huh? Many things happened in this chapter. Don't forget to leave a review, that would be very much appreciated!