Chapter 9: Lion Vs Snow Leopard

"What do you mean you're not coming to the roof again? Skip it"

This is the message she has just received thanks to a certain someone. The owner of the phone shuts it, placing the white sleekness back into the bag currently hanging over her shoulder as she and a few others sit on the train headed for a certain destination. The girl rests the back of her head against the glass, her nerves alive and her skin crawling with anticipation. The world seems brighter at the moment, vibrant to the point that the light could hurt her eyes if she were to look around too much. But instead she keeps those eyes of hers closed, carefully protecting them from the pain they may get simply for being open. Her shoulders feel heavy yet light with her excitement, blood coursing through her veins thanks to adrenaline and the cup of coffee she probably shouldn't have had about an hour ago. Such caffeine is only hitting her body now, oddly enough, her body having decided to have a delayed reaction to it. Where was it when she actually needed it?

At her side sits her long time friend, she can feel his eyes every now and then coasting over the crowd and slowly making their way to her where they rest. Studying her, watching for any sudden and unwarranted movements. Waiting for her to bolt. The thing is, she won't be bolting. Not away from them this time. And yet he still watches her. She feels more than sees him nibble at his bottom lip, lightly tearing at the skin there with his front teeth- a nervous habit he's had since he was a child. The funny thing is, when you've known another person all your life, is that you're almost constantly in their head. Able to think of things they'll do before they do half the time, and able to sense even the most subtle of things from them. She twitches a little bit when a knee accidentally taps against her own leg, the muttered sorry from a certain blue eyed boy ringing in her ear even as they sit directly shoulder to shoulder due to the lack of space in the train's ever shifting cab. In front of her is a brown haired male, his face warped into an emotionless mask where only his eyes show the adrenaline that rushes his own veins and shows the determination he has to win. To this man's left is another, and to his right two others, each of them hanging onto one of the poles that run from cab ceiling to floor to help them stand and remain stable.

"Oi".

She sighs upon seeing the persistence in the text, able to hear his voice despite being now miles away from him. In his writing even she can hear the blunt drawl of his speech. Pressing a key to begin writing back, she focuses on the little screen at hand. "I'm not skipping it. This team looks interesting. I can't wait to see how crushed they feel by the time I'm through with them". Dark words for a plenty friendly girl such as her, however the competitive ways she has lived by for years are currently alive. She smiles as she looks down at the simple message, indeed excited to see what will happen when she's done crushing their dreams. Maybe they'll cry? Quite possible. Once upon a time she felt bad for beating people, going so far as to start crying when even only a few tears came from the people she just beat. Often times she would take a chance to try and cheer them up, try to get them to continue believing in themselves so that they can race again. However, after being rejected so many times, and still unable to find an equal, she started to become cold to the losers. Let them cry. Let them whimper into their mothers' shoulders. Let them cling to one another and whimper like the weaklings they are. She doesn't care. Not any more.

"They that good? Their basketball team sucked so much they didn't even really last half a game against our team," the text returns, "Crush them".

Amused, the teenager smiles and replies, "I plan to obliterate them".

"Good girl"

The praise makes her smile, amused. The guy certainly has a way with words if nothing else. Once more snapping her phone closed and putting it into her bag a second time, she meets gazes with her Captain. "Taicho," she intones, "What school are we running against?"

"Ichijyokan," Hanabusa replies, "You're running even if it means I have to force you to".

"Yea," Yatsuhiro snarls, lip turned up, "You're taking Kaoru's spot this time around so you better do us proud. You got that?" He still doesn't like the girl, her level of cockiness will probably always get under his skin. And then there's the fact that they honestly need her to make it to the top. Why do they need a woman in a man dominant sport? He doesn't get it. Not completely.

Tatsumaki waves the blonde guy off, ignoring the displeasure in his violet eyes due to her action, "Don't worry. Pair me off with any one of them. I assure you I'll crush them into nothingness".

"So long as we win," Hanabusa allows.

However the relationer speaks up, "Rather, so long as we do our best. I think that's a better angle at which to look at things, Taicho". He hasn't ever really agreed to Hanabusa's way of thought, which truly stands out when they're tasked with a race to finish. Older brother or not, he's not really helping the whole team work vibe that Stride is known to have.

"Nah," Tatsumaki smirks, meeting the hazel gaze after looking over at the wine colored one, "Just winning in general is fine". The rest of the ride is silent. No talking, no texting between her and the blue haired male back at school probably hiding away from Momoi. Instead, it's just them and the ride on the train.

Upon arriving to the area that holds the course, a district that is between the two schools and is not familiar grounds to either party, Tatsumaki glances around curiously, pondering on who she'll have to run against today. A crowd has already gathered, the blocked off roads rimmed by person after person, only a small catwalk containing a place for the two teams to meet up at the beginning of the event. They have about an hour to warm up and figure out their running order as well as take a look at the course map to figure out what is out of bounds and what isn't. Tatsumaki's eyes currently scan the crowd. Searching for any sign of the other school. Dressed in a black and red jogging suit, she keeps herself warm for the time being, making sure that her shoes are tight but not too tight, and that her hair is securely tied back and out of her way. While she has the time to, she glances down at the map provided to her, gazing over the various markings on the paper and ignoring Yuji as he gets set up at the station where relationers are to stay from beginning to the end of the race. The event begins sprint coming into a sharp curve, there is where the first set of gimmicks will be done. After that is a straight and another set of curves. The second leg appears to be made of straights and gimmicks, forcing the runners to keep their eyes open for what they can. Her eyes continue to scan over the paper, going on to memorize the last three legs so that she knows where the hell she's going while crushing these guys.

"There they are," the sound of Satoshi's voice brings her from her thoughts, the black haired lad's eyes only for the team that has arrived, dressed in white and black and a rather hot pink. They vary in height and body build, but despite their own track suits she can tell that each of them is fit for the sport. Whether they can actually succeed at it or not however is obvious. Too gentle, too kind. They don't walk like people worth her time. But then again, Yuji said that this school was one of the first to take on the world of Stride when it first became a sport. That being said, they may have some tricks up their sleeves that even she hasn't seen before.

Tatsumaki pauses and tilts her head before looking to Satoshi, apparently her keeper for the day- or something along those lines- "You guys lost to them last year, right?"

"We did," he admits, a dark competitiveness swirling in the ocean color of his gaze, "The Captain from last year, Kadesano, had gotten hurt along the way. He tore his ACL trying to win the race, but obviously with an injury like that, he couldn't do anything but sit there on the ground and watch as their anchor took the win. The next day he resigned and gave the position of Captain to Hanabusa".

She didn't care for the little history lesson, but no matter. "Ehhh," she drawls lazily, purposefully showing her slight disinterest in that story, "So this is a revenge match".

Satoshi nods, his eyes casting to where the rest of their team is. While Nobuyuki is setting up at the relationer's table still, the others are warming up and stretching to be ready for their portion of the race. As usual, Hanabusai and Asei are talking with one another, the deep voice of the Captain chuckling at something the kind Vice Captain mentioned. In the mean time, though he is not running, Misaki too stretches, assisting Yatsuhiro with getting his arms and legs ready to go. His eyes then cast back to the ace of their team. She has not stretched yet, or if she has it was a short session, and he wonders if the Taicho is going to pit her against the other team's gimmick master. Or perhaps their prodigy runner? She of course could do either if not both.

"Tell me about them," she demands of her fellow first year, gesturing to the confident opponent team with a lazy wave of her hand. "Tell me everything you know". She cannot ask him who he ran against, which is a shame, because he's also a freshman. The first run of his high school career, this is. But despite it being only his first year, next to Yuji he's the one with the most information on other teams. He does the most research- so she figured out during those two weeks of training with them- and is big on statistics and percentages. He would make a good relationer too, but it would appear his passion is the actual action of running which is just fine.

Satoshi is surprised to hear the demand, curiosity obvious in her tone despite the lazy position of her body. "I suppose I'll start with someone who may actually give you a hard time if you're pitted against him," he begins and nods his chin in the direction of the tallest one there. The man, for he by now should be a third year, is massive by standing at a total of 198 centimeters. His orange hair is short and wavy, shaggy even, and his eyes are a feline yellow. His lips, seemingly constantly in a smile, shows the confidence he has in his skills and his desire for victory. He carries himself with a powerful stride, long and swift and efficient. Not a single movement out of place. A predator. His surname fits him all too well. "That man there is Ichijyokan's prodigy runner. His name is Shishibara Kaoru; he's not someone I personally would like to run against. He s the team's fastest runner on top of being a prodigy at Stride". Now he points to the shortest one there. A rather feminine looking man with long hair situated into pig tails. Though he's heard that this one despite his girly features is rather masculine and strong. This hair is different to say the least, half of it being black and the other blond, his eyes are purple much like Yatsuhiro's though compared to the fully blond haired second year, the third year's eyes are also large like a girl's. "Even though he looks like a girl, he's actually very strong," Satoshi reports, "His name is Himemiya Yuri; he excels at gimmicks thanks to his small and flexible stature. Next to him is Washimi Kiyoto. He's their anchor or so I've heard. It's pretty fast, though he doesn't have any extraordinary skills like the other two". This man, Washimi, is tall though shorter than Tatsumaki by a fair amount. He is skinny, having a build of a normal track runner, with semi-long dark green hair and narrow green eyes. He has facial hair, signaling his elder age to her, on his upper lip and chin. He looks like someone whom is a bit too laid back for his own good. The fourth one is also shorter than Touou's female ace, though much like Aomine he has bronzed skin and navy blue eyes. His hair however is gray with a braided rat's tail in the back. He does not look like one for many words. "I don't know much about him, but that's Samejima Arata," Satoshi continues to note. "Last of the runners is Hachiya Tetsu. All I really know from the other guys on our team is that he's noisy and annoying. He likes to talk a lot," such as right now as the man can be heard all the way from where Satoshi and Tatsumaki are sitting. He has short purple hair that is parted to the left, while gold and white sunglasses hide his brown happy eyes from the rest of the world and he has pale skin.

"And the last one? The relationer," she prompts.

"That is Donozo Shiki," Satoshi informs as his yes land on the red eyed man whose detestable gaze rests behind thin wired glasses. His short black hair is kept neatly save for the one bang that insists on hanging between his eyes on the bridge of his nose. He holds himself as though he were the king of the world. "I hear that he is a true jerk, preferring to taunt and tease his opposing team to get a rise out fo them"

That last one sounds like someone she would end up decking. Tatsumaki sighs, "So you really only have information on two of the runners," she prompts, earning a bland nod from the other, "...Well then they're the only two you have to worry about then. Normally when you can't find information on someone, either they're very secretive or they have no skill to brag about. I'm going with my gut and saying it's the latter for these guys".

"Tensai, Satoshi, come here," Hanabusa calls, waving with one hand and in the other is a paper. The running order, the two freshmen realize. Which means that the event will finally be beginning very soon. "Alright," he announces as Yuji at last makes his way to the gathering, bringing the team into a full circle to keep outsiders away. "Hayate, you're running against Hachiya Tetsu. He's fast but you're far faster; keep your eyes on the prize and aim for me. Got it?"

Hayate pauses, his heart thrumming once in his chest at the sound of his Captain's words. Aim for him? Keep his eyes on the prize? Those are the same words he's been saying to him since their first year of Stride together yet still it sends a tingling sensation to bring his nerves to live. A calm and gentle smile spreads across the black eyed man's face, his long inky locks tied out of his face for the day, "I will not fail. I'm confident that I will give us the immediate lead that we need".

"Very good. I'll be going against Samejima Arata," the gray haired bronzed third year, "So I'll be running second". Next, his eyes fall to the only female on their team, his eyes narrowed and commanding. "You'll be going against Shishibara," he tells her, "He's a very good runner so keep your eyes open and make sure you keep to that lead Hayate gives us. Got it? I don't want you slacking off and giving him a handicap. This is the first race leading to End of Summer so I want you to grind him into dust. Am I clear?"

Tatsumaki tilts her head, a frown tugging at her lips. Yes, he is clear. The intimidating aura that surrounds him is something new. Did he learn that from Aomine? She's always known him to be a serious guy but now he's more like a general ordering his soldiers around rather than simply a leader. "I understand," she grins broadly. Her Captain is a pretty cool guy, isn't he? "He won't know what hit him". Her name isn't Tatsumaki just for show after all. Honestly, she doesn't expect anything truly impressive from the lion man, but she'll still put in the effort her Captain demands of her. If she doesn't, who knows what he'll do to her?

"Good. I'm putting Satoshi against Yuri. Remember what I told you the other day, Satoshi. He's small but he is a genius when it comes to gimmicks. As an all rounder, it's your job to at the very least keep on his tail if you cannot maintain the lead we have," Hanabusa states. Tensai however is confident that she will give her fellow first year a lead so large that he won't know what to do with himself. "Finally, Yatsuhiro, I'm making you our anchor. The lead we have by then will be plenty for you to play with and bring us to the winner's circle".

Yatsuhiro's purple eyes narrow as they slide to the side, seeing something that the others do not. "Anything to beat those bastards," the blond utters. Finding a hand placed on his shoulder silently, he looks to the other side, spotting Misoka quietly calming his already hot temper. "You're right, I can't get too worked up now can I? Thanks Misoka". The red haired teen nods once, showing that he is happy to have helped.

The resounding voice of a member of Stride's grand Association- the man who makes an official race rather than just a warm up of sorts- echoes through out the area. "The first race of the End of Summer tournament is about to begin. Will Ichijyokan High and Touou Academy please report to the stage"

It takes little time for Tatsumaki and her team to get going, though she can feel Yuji's eyes on her calm frame. He's worried about her like he always is. He simply needs to calm down and relax like her. She's going to win whether she tries her hardest or not. Then again, if she were to go all out then that just wouldn't be fair. She can feel her silently excited muscles twitch in anticipation, warmed up from her short stretching session. She rolls her eyes when the orange haired male she's to run against eyes her up and down disbelievingly, his gold eyes obviously surprised at her height and her gender. Normally when girls join a Stride team, they are relationers. The two teams line up in running order with the relationers standing at one end of either line in order to join their team in a greeting good natured- supposedly- bow and a wish of luck to their opponent. Not that any of them believe they'll need it.

"So you're the famous Tensai, huh?" her opponent chimes with a broad smile, golden eyes wide and challenging. "I've heard a lot about you. You're a prodigy whom claims she cannot be beaten. But I'm a prodigy too; this should be interesting".

Tatsumaki does not take the bait in full, though she can't help but smirk and hold her head high as though she were not three inches shorter than this man. "I'm glad I get to run against you; if you're a prodigy then I pray that you're actually a challenge". Seeing the lion man's grin flicker into a slight frown, she finds herself pleased. If he wants to talk dirty then she'll gladly return the favor.

It is from there that the runners are transported to their spots by way of golf cart, workers of the event dropping them off and keeping an eye on them to assure that neither is going to cheat. The resounding synthetic voice can be heard over both the distance and the Bluetooth sets in either opponent's ears. The buzzer that announces the beginning of the race alerts Tensai to what is to come. The fun has begun. Calm and collected, she lightly stretches her body out a second time, not wanting her frame to grow cold with the wait. Starting cold for skirmish races is fine, but doing so against someone who hopefully will entertain her for some time is no good. She waits, relaxed and excited at the same time, filled with energy and nothing but as she gazes at the runway in front of her. Ah, she can't wait. She wants to show this guy just how badly she'll crush him, dominate his speed with her own. The only one who can beat her, is her.

It is not an opinion nor a theory. It is fact.

She can hear the voice of the announcer telling the viewing crowd just what is going on. Who is in the lead and who is doing what. The speed is rapid, much like a pair of horses going at it on a race track. Just as Hanabusa had asked of him, Asei was certain to take off and give them a lead, certainly pushing off with his powerful left leg and rushing forth despite the displeasure of the annoying purple haired opponent. The transition from Touou runner to Touou runner is near perfect, according to the announcer whom still apparently is stunned by the lead Asei has given his team as the starter. Hanabusa maintains the lead, the third runner hears, his strides long and confident. Powerful. She can nearly feel the strain of her Taicho's muscles and despite this he continues, making his way to her. His hand would be the ax to cut through the leash keeping her at bay, tying her down despite her consistent lunges in an attempt to go forth and dominate. She can feel adrenaline rushing through her veins, making them sing and causing her heart to pump blood faster than before.

"Tatsumaki," Yuji's calm voice rings in her right ear, alerting her to the good news, "Hanabusa is .15 seconds ahead of the other team. You know what to do". Honestly he would like to tell the girl to hold back, to wait, or even just give her a late start as either way she would make it to the transition zone on time. However, he does not want to risk that being what makes them loses- though the chance is slim. He closes his eyes, recalling the last time he had felt her energy waft into him simply through a technological connection. She's like a power plant all on her own. He can feel it, her excitement despite being on the malicious side and cannot help but feel high. Like a sugar rush yet not. "Three...Two...One...Go". He ignores the enemy relationer freaking out simply because Touou has blown his team away right from the get go. This is what happens when your team is strong. So strong that it's unfair. He can practically hear the explosion of power the girl gives off on her take off. And as he looks down at his tablet to find her red and black blip rushing forward he notes that as usual she knows just what to do. Her pace is a perfect match to Hanabusa's; the transition between team mates again is smooth and flawless.

Kaidou's heart hammers as his palm slams into Tensai's, his muscles sore and tired from the high speed of constant motion as he watches the girl speed away at such a pace he swears he heard a sonic boom the moment their hands touched. He looks to his own palm, it still tingling from the sensation of touching hers. The energy that flew from her even before she truly took off. He had never felt something so raw before, as this was the first time they had actually done a takeover together. Despite this, her pace had been perfect, a match of his yet obviously subdued as to not over come him without transitioning first. He can now understand just why she is so confident in full. Why she doesn't feel the need to train- though he still does think she should to keep herself just as sharp if not sharper. Is his brother watching this? Kaidou hopes so. And if he is, he better be astonished because Kaidou knows he is for certain.

He looks to the side upon hearing the heavy panting- or rather, upon stopping ignoring it- only a few feet away from him. The gray haired third year he had run against stares ahead with wide blue eyes. "There's no way she's actually that fast," he complains, "That shouldn't be allowed".

"Just because your lion is far slower than our snow leopard does not give you the right to complain. You had claimed that we would lose only a few minutes ago. Look who is wrong," Kaidou returns blandly as the announcer's voice continues to claim that the battle between Tensai and the prodigy runner of Ichijyokan is one sided.

Tatsumaki grins as she leaps over thick hurdle after thick hurdle. She leaps over and around the others, not bothering with it. The man whose surname hints at lions snarls from far behind her, obviously cursing her lighter frame for passing him up despite running his hardest. She however feels like she is walking compared to his mad dash of speed and power. She takes a breath as she opts for a lower route, not feeling like listening to his mumbled swearing as she goes. She can see the takeover zone coming her way and Yuji announcing that she has put them ten whole seconds ahead of the other team. In a sport like this, ten seconds is a lot of time. Her palm collides with Satoshi's without hesitation, passing on to him some of her energy and all the time in the world to dilly dally if he wanted to. She stands confidently, collecting her breath even as Himemiya is forced to take off a total of eleven seconds after Satoshi had, pushing his small feminine frame hard in an attempt to close the gap between them.

She looks over her shoulder at the tall orange haired male, his gold eyes tired and his thick chest heaving breaths in and out. They meet gazes, her steady and calm while his own is smoldering. "You appear to want to say something to me," she prompts when his breathing has slowed and he's wiped the sweat free from his face. "Feel free to say anything you want". She's used to people hating her for her skill, claiming that she cheats or is even on steroids. However, the only drug they'd ever find in her system if they were to test her at random is maybe medicine for a head ache. Nothing more.

Shishibara puts his hands on his hips, keeping his chest cavity wide open as he stares down at the tall woman. "You're incredibly fast," he praises, a smile on his lips though the hurt of loss is in his eyes as he hears the announcement of Yatsuhiro leaving the other team's anchor behind with more than just a little ease. Fifteen seconds ahead is a substantial amount of time. "It's not fair that you are, but you are," he didn't believe it when he read about her in Stride monthly, the article stating that there was no sign of her after her sudden disappearance in the middle of last year. But now that he's witnessed it or himself, he cannot help but want something. "Will you marry me?" He's not a smart man, this much is certain. He prefers to focus on his running and honestly he'll be able to make a job out of it once he graduates next spring. However, to have her by his side would be a major plus. The girl is pretty, he'll admit openly, and if they were to have children, they'd be even faster. It would be plain awesome.

Tatsumaki stumbles in her confident stride having been on her way back to her team to congratulate them on their win. Even if she hadn't been there, the team is strong and they would have won regardless. Just not with as large a margin as this time around. However the question takes her by surprise, no one having ever asked her it especially when they just lost to her moments before. "I'm sorry?" she exclaims, but backs up all the same when his long powerful strides bring him far too close for her comfort.

"Will you marry me? I graduate next spring and I know you're a first year and all but I think it'd be worth a shot," Shishibara insists even as Tensai begins to back up. He continues to advance, his golden eyes bright with the thought of this woman being with him. Pretty and fast. What more could he ask for? "I'd take good care of you," he assures, "You'd be very comfortable at my place and everything. You wouldn't have to transfer schools and we could just get engaged first and wait for you to graduate too".

Tatsumaki, not completely certain on how to reject him, continues to back up as they walk. Unfortunately or fortunately, in the time that she continues to be silent and he continues to describe what life would be like for her as his wife, she is hearded all the way to her team. Her head whips around upon hearing the familiar voice of her childhood friend. She takes this chance to find salvation, cowering almost comically behind his shorter stature. "Yuji help! This guy is trying to make me his wife and I don't know what to do!"

The green haired male stops all conversation with Asei, the two of them brought to silence as they look at the white haired girl and then to Shishibara whom stands a careful difference away from the pride of males. Yuji raises a brow and meets the taller man's gaze, "You want to marry Tatsumaki?"

"Sure do," Shishibara admits, ignoring Dozono as he a bit further away continues to throw an absolute fit about their loss. He could care less for the ass anyways and only listens to him because he's the relationer and the coach said to. He smiles a happy smile, one he hopes is inviting while he reaches out for the girl of his dreams whom hides behind the short relationer named Nobuyuki. He's not certain of her relationship with the green haired man, but he wants her away from him now. "Come, Tatsumaki-chan, we'll go look at rings right away".

"Ah! See?" Tatsumaki cowers. How does she say 'no' without seeming like a complete bitch? "Yuji fix this".

Although amused by her suffering, Yuji feels his veins run cold with displeasure. This guy wants to take Tatsumaki away from him? Like hell. His childhood friend isn't going anywhere damn it. "I'm afraid, as you can see, she doesn't want to go with you, Shishibara. Tatsumaki isn't used to romantic notions towards her, so she doesn't know how to reject you. So I will for her. Not in a million years will she marry you".

Before Shishibara can snap and claim that Nobuyuki cannot do that, the one called Yatsuhiro glares death his way. "Didn't you hear him, punk? The girl ain't goin' with you. Scram before I kick your sorry ass". Of course that would get them disqualified from the tournament, but the threat is real enough all the same. He does not like Tensai, she is rude and disrespectful. However, she did give them that massive lead in addition to the one Asei-senpai got them. He watches as the man with scars on his cheek hesitates, and then feels the rest of the team circle around their gem of a team mate. She's their ace. Like hell they're letting go of her.

Shishibara hesitates a second time, though as his yellow eyes look over the protective team- the protective pride of other lions within which is a single lioness- he has no choice but to turn tail and retreat. "Tch," he scowls, "Whatever".

Tatsumaki sighs, relief coming over her even as she continues to hold onto Yuji's broad shoulders. She picks her head up from its hanging position and grins to her team mates. These guys aren't so bad after all. "Thanks guys".

Yuji nods and slips from the girl's hold, assuring her, "No one is taking you from us. Right guys?"

"You are our ace," Yatsuhiro states, "We aren't the sharing type either".

"If you're happy with us," Asei assures, "Then we'll protect you with everything we have".

Misoka nods silently, a small smile on his lips as his golden eyes meet her emeralds. His deep voice speaks up for the first time today, "You belong here". Even if she does skip practice and everything, she's already begun the process of bonding with them. He doesn't talk much with her but he wouldn't want to see you go.

Satoshi assures, "I would be disappointed to see you go". He is happy with his idol right there within reach. With them both being first years, it makes things even better.

"As Captain," Hanabusa inputs, his serious gaze continues to watch the slinking lion man whom goes back to his team as though beaten, "I forbid you from leaving even if you want to. Understood?"

Touched, Tatsumaki grins and nods once to her Captain, meeting his steely hazel gaze with an award winning smile, "Understood!"

She could get along with these guys better than she thought, she realizes.

Unfortunately, she still finds Stride boring.