Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or Lilting Glamour's OCs

A/N: I wanted to take some more time to flesh out these characters, even though this story is 90% characterization and 10% actual tennis.

This chapter contains the most swearing so far. And lots of Oshitari too. Lots and lots and lots.


~xXx~

"Come over the hills and far with me/And be my love in the rain." –Robert Frost

~xXx~


"How could he?" Tsukiko groaned, running her hands through her hair as a telltale upset habit of hers. "I know Atobe-kun usually gets away with whatever he wants, but hurting Yuuka like that…that's just…"

Oshitari, who was reading the school newspaper at that very moment, finished for her. "Uncalled for and insensitive and terrible?" His brows were raised, mouth set in a firm line that was not very happy.

She nodded, plopping down—still with the grace and elegance of a swan, Erena noticed with envy—onto the seat across from him. "Exactly."

"Give me that," Erena said, snatching the paper from Oshitari's hands. She skimmed the article, eyes widening with each word she read. "Bastard," she swore. "What the hell was he thinking?" Erena demanded, throwing it back down at Oshitari. "They dated for four years, that should be enough for him to know better! "

Oshitari grimaced, rubbed his forehead and stood up. "I'll talk to him," he decided, opening the door to the clubroom. Pausing, he added, "Granted, Akechi probably kicked his ass already."

~xXx~

"I. Fucking. Hate. You." Yuuka growled, stalking over to the culprit. "Get the fuck back here, you arrogant bastard."

Unruffled like the royal peacock he was, Atobe merely sighed. "Yuuka-chan, such profane language is not ladylike," he reminded, trying to ignore that seedling of dread in the pit of his stomach.

"Shut the hell up, Keigo," she snapped, eyes menacing. "You sound like that stuck up bitch Harada, pretending to be all ladylike and shit."

"Is it really necessary to swear so much? Your point still comes across without all of it." Despite the brave words, Atobe could not help but feel dread creeping up his arms and across his neck and taking over every section of his body.

She growled—literally growled, teeth exposed and eyes narrowed—, and he would not have been surprised if she were to slash her claws scross his face. Yet they stayed by her sides, unsheathed but ready to strike.

Yuuka took another step forward, cutting him with just her eyes. "Listen here, Keigo—" when had she stopped using the honorifics again? "—I don't care if you had all the good intentions in the world, but you had no fucking right to expose that in the school newspaper!"

"It's not like anyone actually reads it!"

"The whole damn school reads it, including you and all the parents!"

He had never quite seen her like this before. Yuuka was made of sarcasm and sass, and as a result easily prone to anger or exasperation. But this upset, convincingly ready to kill him with anguish on her face? This was a first.

And, well, even Atobe had to admit that he'd been wrong. It had been so very wrong and insensitive and crude of him to say that in an interview, and it had not shone her in a very good light. Not that Yuuka even cared about how others saw her, but it was this specific topic that could make her so upset.

She took a deep breath, and when she looked up at him there was just a tiny sliver of sadness in her eyes. It wasn't close to bad, but it was the most remorseful he'd ever seen of Yuuka. "I told you so many times that it was impossible, that it just won't ever happen and that it isn't my fault, and that's how you see things? I tried so hard, Keigo, so goddamn hard, and if that's what you really think about me you can go fuck yourself," she said calmly, a slight tremor in her voice.

If he could take back those words he'd told the girl who ran the weekly Hyotei newspaper he would do so in less than a heartbeat, less than a blink of the eye.

"Yuuka-chan," he said softly, reaching for her and resting his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry, so very sorry." She just kept on glaring, prompting him to smile ruefully. "Nothing I can say will fix this, right? Because it's something that never should have been touched upon?"

Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to his chest, resting his chin atop her dyed hair. Still she did not move, claws still unsheathed by her sides. "But I really am sorry, okay?"

Grudgingly—he could tell even though he couldn't see her face—, she sheathed her claws and hugged his waist just the slightest awkwardly. "It's your fault," she mumbled, bitterness in every word, every syllable. She didn't cry though, because Yuuka didn't cry.

Absently he held a section of her hair in his fingers, stared at it until he could just see the rose gold underneath the pink and purple. But maybe it was just his imagination. "I know, Yuuka."

Perhaps it was wicked of him to want to see her cry.

~xXx~

"Come here, Minori."

Harada Minori sat down elegantly, smoothing her skirt and fixing her hair. "Yes, Father?" She already knew what this was about. Everybody who had connections to Hyotei and just about all of Tokyo knew, in fact.

Her father straightened a newspaper in front of him, pointing to a section that was highlighted and circled. "There's something interesting Atobe Keigo has revealed about his ex-girlfriend in here, Minori. Read it out loud for me, will you?"

She would much rather die than read something Atobe said about Akechi Yuuka, even if it was something bad. But she accepted anyway, clearing her throat before reading, "Atobe Keigo and Akechi Yuuka were the talk of the city during their four year run, but a shocking secret following their breakup has us seeing them in a new light." It was so corny and cliché how this was written. The school newspaper really needed better editors and writers.

"Iseki Fumiko asked Atobe-san about his thoughts on his ex, namely what kind of relationship they have now. Upon a first glance it's quite clear that they're still very close, but are they really that close? Atobe-san's response reassured us that they are still very good friends, but that their previously romantic relationship was actually one-sided.''

"'Yuuka-chan didn't love me,' he stated plainly, as if it were obvious as day. 'At first I thought that it was because she wasn't taking the relationship seriously, but then she explained that she physically could not and did not love me. It's a setback of a trial she underwent before birth, and of course it's not her fault, but it would have been appreciated if she'd told me before entering the relationship.'"

Even Harada had to wince internally at his words. Much as she did not like Akechi Yuuka, and she knew Akechi did not like her in return, those words hurt to just read. That certainly explained her expressive rage earlier that day in school.

It wasn't that she hated Akechi, not really. Harada would have to say that she was envious of how the other girl could be as unladylike as possible and still be so cool, so collected and sorted out. Or at least, she was collected and sorted out until Atobe had to open his big mouth and say something like that.

Her father, however, was not on the same page as her. "Do you see how excellent this is, Minori? Atobe-san is clearly still upset over his breakup with the Akechi girl, and this is the perfect opportunity for you to snatch his heart."

She wanted to slap him for saying that, but ladies didn't do that. Akechi Yuuka did. "How, Father?" she asked instead, trying to keep her eyebrow from twitching at that expression on his face.

"You simply learn from the girl who stole his heart first."

Okay, she really wanted to slap him now. Or maybe, she thought, it wouldn't be that bad of an idea, considering he wanted her to act like Akechi Yuuka now, the most unladylike of all Hyotei.

"Are you saying I should dye my hair and get my brain tinkered on?" She asked, thinly veiled sarcasm in her voice.

Her father, however, did not notice. "Minori, I am not asking you to change your appearance. If anything, I want to take a page out of Akechi Yuuka's book and learn how to seduce Atobe-san."

Seduce Atobe-kun. Of course. Wasn't that the whole purpose of her existence?

"Yes, Father."

Harada had no intentions of acting like Akechi Yuuka. Not if the consequences were getting hurt like she had this morning.

~xXx~

Some felt sympathy for Yuuka, namely Tsukiko, Erena, and Oshitari. Some felt vicious pleasure, because they thought that she deserved it.

Then there was Shun, who honestly could not give a fuck.

So what if Atobe had said some hurtful words and exposed Yuuka's biggest and only insecurity? She walked in today with cold fire in her eyes, and nobody except Tsukiko and Erena had dared to approach her. And she assigned killer laps and suicides to the club members, but that was just how some people coped.

In short, unless Akechi Yuuka was drowning, bleeding, burning, or dead, Shun still did not give a fuck.

It didn't help that Taiki happened to speak for once and reveal something about himself that she had not known before. "Hi, Nee-san. This is my best friend, Akechi Hayato." He said, gesturing to a boy with black hair and solemn green—eden, to be more exact—eyes next to him. In their house. In their living room. An Akechi in the fucking living room of their fucking house.

Let the world end now, she begged.

"It's nice to meet you, Akechi-kun," was all she said, curt and short and uninviting and not the least bit friendly. That was accented by the slamming of her bedroom door.

Shun hadn't even known there was an Akechi son, had always thought Yuuka was an only child. She wondered vaguely what kind of sister Yuuka was, whether she was cold towards her own brother like the general population or as kind as she was to her best friends. She suspected it was in between the two.

Oh lord, if Yuuka happened to be the one picking Hayato up tomorrow…all hell was going to break loose, that was for sure.

To keep her mind off things, she decided to kill some time and just text Takara—not that she ever actually needed an excuse to text her. Shun clung very tightly to her belief that Takara was her one and only friend, and no one else.

Himura Shun: Started scouting out the competition yet?

Suzuki Takara: Oh please, we started ages ago.

Himura Shun: Any good teams to be wary of, then?

Suzuki Takara: Well, if you insist upon knowing. Our scouts report that Seigaku's not bad, and Rokkaku's decent. Oh, and of course there's a little school called Hyotei that's not too shabby.

Himura Shun: That's very funny, Takara.

Suzuki Takara: I know, I'm such a riot, aren't I? Anyway, how's Taiki doing? Haven't seen the kid in a long time.

Internally, Shun thought, it's because you left, Takara. You left like everyone else, like Nee-san and Onii-chan and Mariko and even Mom, when I thought you would be the only one who'd stay.

Himura Shun: He's good. Scored second on his midterms a while back.

Suzuki Takara: Oh? Smart kid, smart kid. I got fiftieth on ours. You?

Himura Shun: Twenty-first.

Suzuki Takara: Not bad. Azami (she's our brainiac) got first. But guess what? She tied with Yanagi. Yanagi fucking Renji of all people. Go Aza.

Himura Shun: Good for her (not that I care)

Suzuki Takara: Rude.

Himura Shun: (not that I care)

Suzuki Takara: You're a funny child, aren't you? Well I've got to get back to practice, so I'll text you later.

Just like everyone else, Takara left. Except, it hurt just a little more.

~xXx~

The four days following the incident with the school newspaper were, as Oshitari put it lightly, interesting days. There was tension everywhere, between the tennis teams and the newspaper committee, between Shun and Yuuka, and even between Atobe and that Harada Minori.

To start with, Oshitari saw exactly how much damage Sorano Tsukiko could cause when someone flipped her switch. Gone was the sweet and kind and melodic voiced singer, and there erupted an angry fire goddess. Well, only aimed towards the newspaper committee. He had unfortunately witnessed the tail end of her "discussion" with them, and the look on Iseki Fumiko's face was as pale as if someone had frozen her to death.

The two second years were even getting in on it, or more accurately Airi was somehow dragging Chizuru along. Oshitari learned that they both had very loyal feelings towards Yuuka, although for different reasons. Airi admired her strength, aspired to become a tennis player as tactical her. Chizuru, on the other hand, the shy girl she was, respected her for her intelligence and how nothing ever seemed to get to her.

So when Oshitari caught them in the midst of their plan to—actually it was Airi's plan—drop buckets of red acrylic paint and glitter on the newspaper committee, he had to put his foot down and tell them not to. Shy, kind Chizuru was not to be tainted like that, and Atobe wanted someone to keep an eye on Airi. Oshitari was still in charge of tutoring her since Chizuru was too busy most of the time.

Erena wasn't quite innocent, either. One glance at her might scream fragility, from the wrist brace to the delicate fairy features, but then they saw her height and proud expression and knew she was not one to mess with. In fact, Oshitari had been walking home with her when she walked right up to Wakahisa the editor of the paper and slapped him across the face. With her right hand too, the one that was capable of those forehands even he sometimes couldn't touch. Needless to say, Wakahisa had a purple handprint on his face the next day, stretching from forehead to chin.

Even Anna and Ikue, tied for the second most reserved team members, shot glares at the committee members and anyone who so much as uttered Yuuka's name. This of course he made a comment about during class one day, to which Anna merely smiled a twisted smile and told him to "mind his own fucking business". It might have just been him, but a bespectacled mahogany haired girl sitting behind them looked up at them when she said that.

Then, the infamous heated rivalry between Shun and Yuuka was even more tension filled than usual. Something had struck within Himura Shun, made her more hateful and scoffing of Yuuka with each passing day. True to herself, Yuuka ignored her, but he had no doubt that she would snap soon. Even geniuses have their limits. He knew that, even though he wasn't really a genius.

As for Harada Minori, well, that was certainly something very interesting. Everyone knew of Harada's attempts at winning over Atobe, and while Oshitari could not say he was the one Atobe confided everything to—that honor would always and only ever go to Kabaji—, he knew that the brown haired boy did not like her. Especially after what had happened with Tanaka Jun.

But there were some things that Atobe did not confide in him that he knew anyway, because they were quite obvious. Harada Minori was the precise opposite of Akechi Yuuka, and yet somehow Yuuka was the one who had dated Atobe for four years. Ever since their second year of middle school Harada had always kept a close eye on Yuuka, trying to figure out what made her so special in Atobe's eyes. In all honesty, Oshitari wasn't so sure himself.

As for his opinion on Harada, he didn't really know or care about her. Under normal circumstances she might have been the type of girl he'd like to spend an evening with, but this was Harada Minori, and she seemed dead set on scoring Atobe. And, well, after somehow being dubbed "Atobe Keigo's Wingman" by the general population (he himself did not think nor want to be Atobe's wingman), it was probably better for him to not cause any rumors with her.

Perhaps the worst of it all, there was still some leftover tension between Atobe and Yuuka, tension so thick it could be cut through with a knife—hell, maybe even a fork, or even fingernails. It was tension still leftover from their breakup last year, and Oshitari doubted it would go away any time soon. Not as long as people kept on whispering and gossiping about the former couple.

The day the newspaper had been released and Oshitari had just left Tsukiko and Erena, he had walked in on Atobe and Yuuka in his study. And he was kissing her, arms engulfing her like he was trying to hide her from the rest of the world. But she didn't move, didn't even kiss him back. It looked painful for both sides. Oshitari had been forced to cough and subsequently break it up between them, causing Yuuka to leave and Atobe to stare after her with a sort of detached look.

"I had to," was all he said, emotionless and empty. "I had to sort one last thing out before…and now I wish I had left it untouched."

You arrogant son of a bitch, Oshitari thought, staring at this pathetic, worn down version of his friend. You started moving on after she couldn't love you, and now you're regretting it.

Strangely, as he found himself awkwardly patting Atobe on the back, he imagined a girl with mahogany hair who sat behind him in class.

"You don't still love Akechi-san, do you?" he had to ask. This was crucial to the situation.

Atobe shook his head. "I loved her for four years, but not anymore," he replied honestly. And Oshitari believed him, he really did. Atobe would not lie about something like this.

As they were about to leave, Atobe suddenly asked, "Did you ever feel like there were words left unsaid between you and Fukumitsu?"

Oshitari paused, considered the question. "Don't be such a sap, Atobe. It doesn't go well with your face."

~xXx~

To answer Atobe's question, yes, there were some things Oshitari wished could have gone differently with Erena. She was his ideal girl, though maybe too tall, and while he was satisfied with their friendship, sometimes he caught himself thinking about their dating days.

He had asked her out during their third year of middle school, and they dated for a year. Back then her hair had been long, grown past her chest and tied back in low pigtails. She still had her fringe, but had not dyed green streaks through it yet. In short, Erena was a little more childish back then, still a hint of roundness in her cheeks and bright youthfulness in her eyes.

And then one day following their breakup, she knocked on his door and told him that she needed a makeover, a change. Baffled, Oshitari had gone along with it, but had secretly wondered why the sudden urge. She wasn't upset over their breakup, and she didn't have a new boyfriend, so what could it be?

He'd watched her get her hair cut short, then dyed green highlights in, and only then did he realize that she was a good five centimeters taller than him. Her face had lost any roundness, was now more angular and adult like. Just when had she changed this much?

So maybe yes, there were some things Oshitari wished he could have said to her, asked why she felt the need to change her appearance. But everyone changed their appearance, didn't they? And she was still so driven when it came to tennis, so he didn't see anything physically wrong with her besides the fact that she came back from a trip to Greece with a broken left arm. It had been broken before she underwent her makeover, and the only explanation she'd ever served was that she hadn't been careful enough.

But the main difference between Oshitari and Erena compared to Atobe and Yuuka was that Oshitari did not love Erena romantically, while Atobe appeared to have had some lingering feelings. Everyone knew about Yuuka now, but she was still as unreadable as a book with all the pages torn out. Add Harada Minori and the sudden appearance of Tanaka Jun to equation, and this was all even more interesting than he'd originally thought.

~xXx~

A week following the incident, there was still some tension left in the air, but it had decreased by a lot. Anna, though not personally affected by what happened, was glad nonetheless. She rather liked Yuuka for her cunning and apathetic nature, so she had not hesitated in telling off some haters of her.

Her and Ikue were becoming quite good friends, too, and she really enjoyed the company. Things had not been the same ever since Misaki left, and sometimes Anna wished she could see Akiko—Misaki's best friend and doubles partner—again, too. Anna had plenty of friends, most of them other girls on Hyotei's Beauty Queen list, but some of them were stupid, others arrogant, and some just plain annoying. Ikue was plain but steady and much more down to earth, which she greatly appreciated.

And while she knew Atobe and Yuuka hated it, Anna was friends with Harada Minori too. Harada was another one of the beauty queens, and one of the sanest of the bunch. Anna could not hate her for trying to charm Atobe, she was a seventeen year old girl for heaven's sake. But she had been rather upset over finding out what happened between Harada and Jun, whose presence she came to like.

As for tennis, Anna was improving at a satisfying rate. She finally managed to beat Ikue after a three set match, which she viewed as a small victory. Then she'd been paired against Erena the next practice match, and that had been a completely different story.

Anna wasn't stupid. She knew that she would never be able to beat Erena, not even if she stayed until midnight practicing. She simply did not have the natural talent the taller girl possessed, and was fine with that. But the last thing Anna wanted was to be the team's weak link, which was why she was determined to stay in the middle but not get too high up the pack.

Oh, and of course there was that Oshitari Yuushi. He spoke to her more often now, small, meaningless conversation that would have been insignificant had there not been a particular gleam to his eyes. It was as if he were analyzing her, trying to figure her out without being too obvious or probing too much. She didn't really care, as long as he didn't get too cocky and think he had special privileges to her. Those were not handed out anymore.

Anna left class a little late on Friday, thinking about their prefectural match the next day. It was against St. Rudolph, whose girls could hardly be classified as a good team. If all went according to plan they'd be playing Seigaku in the second round and some no name school in the third. Seigaku would be a threat, but that didn't mean Tsukiko and Shun were going to be careless with the lineup.

If there was one god-be-damned thing she couldn't stand though, it had to be Sakaki. The day following districts he'd stumbled into school with dark shadows under his red eyes and winced at every loud noise—telltale signs of a hangover. She'd seen her father like that enough times after the divorce, only returning back to normal when Yuzuki appeared one day.

The man wasn't even doing anything, anyway. Anna seldom saw him helping the boys out, and he'd sat in as bench coach during Districts but hadn't said much. In fact, she didn't recall him even opening his mouth or looking at his team. She was actually good friends with Taki, who had faithfully remained a sub-regular since getting kicked off during middle school. He said that Sakaki was a good coach albeit strict, but she didn't believe a word of it.

Okay, so maybe she was biased and bitter, which was the only reason why she hated him. And well, she didn't really hate him, but whenever she walked past the art room a wave of hatred spread over her all the way from her toes to the ends of her hair. You did this, you bastard old man. You made her quit, it was your fault.

You'd better be sorry.

~xXx~

"Um, excuse me, Hayashi-san?"

She looked up and saw the last person she'd expect to see talking to her. "Oh, hey, Tanaka-san. Is there something you need?" Anna's friendship with Harada Minori had set Jun on edge ever since the incident, and it was painfully awkward because she still liked the mahogany haired girl.

Jun shifted nervously, like she already regretted coming up and talking to her. "Not really, but I was wondering if you could ask Chizuru-san if she could tutor Choutarou tomorrow? It's just for one day, and only because I suddenly have another commitment and—"

"And Kataoka likes Ootori?" Anna raised a brow. That much was clear as day to everyone but Choutarou himself. For God's sake, she wouldn't be surprised if even Jirou knew of it.

She laughed a little. "Yeah, I guess you could put it that way. So can you do it for me, Hayashi-san?"

Before Anna could reply, another voice strolled in. "Anna-chan, what are you doing here? Practice starts in two minutes," Oshitari called, stopped right next to her—and a little too close for comfort, to be completely honest.

She gritted her teeth slightly. Don't think you have sudden privileges. "Shit, I forgot. Akechi's gonna kill me," she said instead, hastily picking up her bag. "See you later, Tanaka-san."

"…oh," was all Jun said in response, flustered by the sudden departure.

Oshitari walked by her side, hands in pockets and head tilted back ever so slightly. "I didn't know you were friends with Tanaka Jun-san," he commented lightly.

"Not really," Anna shrugged. "She just wanted me to tell Kataoka something."

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him watching her, eyes glinting behind his glasses. Did the bastard really think he was all that clever, just because the general population thought he was a genius? Idiot.

Don't you dare think you've got some special privileges, Oshitari. Because I'm anything but weak.


~xXx~

End

~xXx~


A/N: Just had a sudden urge to write about Lilting Glamour's Tanaka Jun and Harada Minori, and this is what happened. There's still a lot of things about Yuuka to be revealed, this only being the first.

You know, I think I'll try my hand in the fun fact thing I've seen other authors do. It's a really cool idea, and I just wanted to try it. The first one is on a character that it seems a lot of people like.

Some Things on Himura Shun:

She kind of hates her name because it's too boyish. Whenever the teachers call out attendance on the first day of school they always call her "Himura Shun-kun", which she's gotten used to but still finds annoying.

Her hair accidentally got dyed traffic cone orange during vacation and she refused to leave the house until it washed off three weeks later.

When she was younger and in particularly bad moods she would duct tape her mouth shut so people would leave her alone. Mariko always made fun of her for it (but it worked so take that). It would be weird to still do that now, but it's very tempting sometimes.

Her favorite color is any shade of green besides eden. For a reason that she keeps close to her heart, forest green has a certain effect on her.

She once created a fake account for a dating website with Takara. A few days later, thirty people were asking "Takechi Iria" for a date, and there were four marriage proposals. To this very day the account is still there but untouched after someone wrote a highly suggestive message that left both Shun and Takara scarred for life.

Leave a review with your thoughts! And which girl should I do next for the fun facts?

-Cara