Sara: Here it is! The next installment of Living Hell. Thank you thank you thank you for all who reviewed! It really fuels us to update faster :3

Sky: Enjoy! Please read our author's note at the bottom ~

Disclaimer: We don't own Prince of Tennis.

Review time ~

phoenixfirekitsune: Another Fuji brother chapter is coming up next! :3 In the meantime, we hope you enjoy this tennis-centric chapter!

hoshino: Hehe, these short stories are some of our best work in this story; stay tuned for another one next update!

Kissy Fishy: What do you mean by that, Fuji talking to Tezuka in his dream? ^^' It wasn't really in our plans for the story, but we'll see what we can do about it!

Living Hell
Chapter 9: Speak of the Devil: Inui-Kaidoh Pair versus Yanagi-Kirihara Pair

"The next match is Doubles 2: Rikkaidai Fuzoku's Yanagi-Kirihara pair, versus Seishun Gakuen's Inui-Kaidoh pair."

On Seigaku's side of the stands, the data man and the viper began stripping themselves of their wrist weights. Kikumaru and Oishi were joking around despite the serious situation, the Golden Pair forever in synch. However, Inui and Kaidoh acted so… serious. Calm. Collective. It was especially unnerving for the rest of the team, who were on their toes in apprehension.

"Are you ready, Kaidoh?" Inui asked his protégé as he stood up and straightened his glasses.

"Fsssh… Of course."

"You'd better win, Mamushi!" Momoshiro shouted over Echizen's head. He grinned and grabbed the smaller boy in a headlock. ("Itai! That hurts senpai!")

"Fsssh, speak for yourself, peach head!" Kaidoh retorted and turned his back on his rival.

"Oi, you two!" Ryuzaki-sensei barked, nearly face palming herself. "Cool it!"

"Hai, Ryuzaki-sensei!"

The viper and the data master stepped onto the court, and the Seigaku crowd cheered them on.

Let's go, let's go, Seiiiiigaku! Ganbatte!

"So we'll see who's the number one data man, eh Sadaharu?" Yanagi said when they came to the net, his perpetually closed eyes surveying his friend carefully.

"May the best data man win, Renji," Inui responded, shaking his friend's hand.

Meanwhile, Kirihara was disgruntled. He should be the one playing Singles 2, not that fool Niou, he thought. Only he, Kirihara Akaya, Rikkaidai's Junior Ace, could even dare challenge Rikkaidai's Three Demons, and now he was playing Doubles 2. He was nothing short of furious.

"One set match!" the umpire called. "Seigaku's Inui to serve!"

"Let's win this Kaidoh," the data man said.

"Fssshh…."

Inui went all out on his first serve, the ball nearly disappearing in a torrent of what looked like water. The crowd was in awe.

"Ne, what's that serve called?"

"Did you see all the water?"

"We should call it… the Waterfall!"

"Hm, Waterfall," Inui commented, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "That sounds good, ne Kaidoh?"

"Fsssh… Sure," the bandana-clad teenager said indifferently.

Inui hit another ace, once again stunning the crowd.

"30-love!" the umpire called.

Soon it was, "Game! Inui-Kaidoh pair! One game to love!"

Let's go, let's go, Seiiiiigaku!

Hm, so that's how it is, isn't it Sadaharu? Yanagi thought, eyeing his friend with a newly kindled interest. He genuinely appreciated how much his old doubles partner had improved in the past years. Well in that case, two can play at this game…

Yanagi served, and Inui thought, Chance of serving into the right corner… 100%!

Inui dove to the right, but Yanagi's ball bounced and flew to the left, out of Inui's reach.

Nani…?

"15-0!"

Inui was stunned. His best data tennis wasn't working…? He had known Renji since they were children, he was watching his back when they had played doubles together, and now with all the data he had collected, his friend had scored a point...?

Inui shook his head, trying to clear it. No, that point was just a fluke, just a fluke…

"Ne, why isn't Inui-senpai's data tennis working?" Katsuo asked, worry creasing his forehead.

"Because Inui's data tennis is very limited," Oishi said to the freshman. "If there is someone who can evolve during the game and change his style of play, Inui is totally helpless until he can collect enough data to play against him."

"Che. Mada mada dane," Echizen supplied with a cheeky smirk.

Apparently, Yanagi's shot wasn't a fluke. He targeted Inui by hitting to his weak spots, the spots that Seigaku's data man wasn't expecting, not even letting his friend touch the ball.

The probability of a cross-court shot… 87%!

"Game, Yanagi-Kirihara pair, two games to one!" the umpire called as the shot went down the line.

Always win, Rikkaidai! Let's go, let's go, Rikkaidai!

Inui surveyed his friend's expression, which was smug.

I've got you cornered now, Sadaharu, Rikkaidai's Professor thought with satisfaction.

"Kaidoh," Inui said suddenly, turning to the boy with the bandana. "I think it's time to pull that out now, ne?"

"Fsssh… whatever you say, Inui-senpai," Kaidoh answered with a shrug.

Nani? Yanagi thought. What's that?

"Fsssshh…"

Yanagi got his answer as Kaidoh hit a forehand that finished with his arm wrapped around his body, his racquet resting on his shoulder. The movement put such a spin on the ball that it seemed the air around it whirled and twisted itself around the ball. It bounced just inside the singles court on Yanagi's side.

"What… what is that shot?" people were starting to ask.

"It looked like… a tornado!"

"It's the Tornado Snake!"

…

"0-15!"

Nani? Inui thought. He returned it…?

Sure enough, Yanagi stood smirking, still in his follow through position as the ball rolled to Inui's feet.

"Wow!" someone whispered in the crowd. "That Yanagi returned Kaidoh's new Tornado Snake? He must be strong!"

Kaidoh stood up, shock clearly on his face. He had never seen someone return his Boomerang Snake so easily, yet this… this Yanagi returned his new Tornado Snake? It was a hit on both his and Inui's confidence.

The pace of the game returned to Yanagi and Kirihara's favour, and soon they were winning with four games to one.

"Saa… I suppose this is it for us, Kaidoh," Inui sighed in defeat.

But Kaidoh wouldn't have it. "No, Inui-senpai, we aren't going to give up! We can't let them lose this easily!"

"Kaidoh…"

But the boy stood at the baseline, ready to return Kirihara's serve. A long rally became of it. But then, Kaidoh hit a forehand shot with such speed and power that even Yanagi couldn't return it.

That's… Yanagi thought suddenly, Hiroshi's Laser Beam!

Meanwhile, the Gentleman of Rikkaidai, Yagyuu Hiroshi, sat in the stands, his eyebrows raised just slightly. He was thoroughly impressed, as Kaidoh only had used his specialty shot once or twice, and it had greatly improved since they had played doubles together.

"Fsssh… I told you we're not giving up yet, Inui-senpai."

Inui smiled at his protégé. "Certainly not, Kaidoh."

But then, a loud cackle resounded from the opposite side of the net, bringing them both back to the game. Kirihara was on all fours, his hair now stark white, his skin bright red, and his eyes bloodshot and menacing.

"Ahahahahaha! Do you really think you are going to win against me, Kirihara Akaya? The only man who can take on Rikkaidai's Three Demons?" he cackled maniacally.

"That's… that's Devil Kirihara!" Niou whispered to Marui from the sidelines. "That Seigaku pair is really in trouble now!"

Inui and Kaidoh braced themselves for the wrath of Kirihara. Inui planting his feet behind the baseline, bending his knees so that he could return Kirihara's expected powerful shots.

But Inui wasn't prepared for the serve that headed straight for his face. He backed up yet wasn't nearly quick enough, for the ball sliced across his cheek and left a deep gash.

Knuckle Serve…

"Inui-senpai!"

The data man merely smiled vaguely. "It's all right, Kaidoh. I was just careless."

But the regular couldn't shake it off as 'just careless' when another of Kirihara's balls slammed into his shoulder. He thought he heard something crack, but was in too much blinding pain to be sure.

"Inui-senpai!"

"Kaidoh, just keep playing!"

Kaidoh could merely watch in horror as he saw his senpai being pummeled and beaten by Kirihara. His anger was enormous as he saw his friend, his teacher, his mentor, being hurt.

Finally, as Inui collapsed to all fours on the court, Kaidoh's last nerve snapped. His black hair turned brilliantly white, and his skin was dark red as blood pounded through his body. The whites of his eyes turned a similar colour, and he was Devil Kaidoh. He stepped angrily forward, toward Kirihara, his mind only determined to kill.

But a hand grabbed his wrist, restraining him. Then, a hoarse voice whispered, making him stop dead in his tracks:

"Stop it, Kaidoh."

Inui Sadaharu gazed up at his student, his protégé, his expression utterly serious and pleading. "Stop it, Kaidoh."

Shocked and hurt, Kaidoh slowly turned back to himself, much to Inui's relief.

"We're going to win this match, the fair way," Inui said, and he somehow managed to smile through his pain.

Kaidoh nodded, rather uncertainly. "Hai, Inui-senpai."

He helped his injured senpai up, and Inui toddled forward, bending over to reach his racquet…

And then he collapsed.

"Inui!"

"Sadaharu!"

"INUI-SENPAI!"

Sara: D': WAH Inui! Sorry for such a crappy chapter, I couldn't get a lot of inspiration for this one. But the next chappie is going to be a Fuji-brother-centric short story, so hopefully that will make up for it :3

Sky: We also started another Perfect Pair fic that's going to be our version of the movie Pan's Labyrinth, since Sara loves that movie so much. It will be more of a romantic/fantasy fic, so stay tuned! We won't upload that one until we're finished with this story, though.

Sara: Super-duper excited though, I like what I've written for that story so far :D Anyways, review please~