"Blah" talking

'Blah' thinking/different language

Blah whatever

(Blah) me/translation

Blah New time, place, and POV

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A few days later/ Saturday/ 7:25am/ Ame's POV:

'Sigh! I thought... bosses were... supposed to... make you... work more! At least… in those cartoons... So what's wrong... with mine?' I thought, while hitting a tennis ball against the school wall in rythem with my thoughts, my favorite racket was clenched in my hands. Anyways, back to the bosses.

Ever since I joined the team, my manager told me not to work Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays! "Che!"

What's surprising is Naomichi-san (the boss) likes tennis! No- liking is an understatement. He loves it. He even threatened to fire me when I tried to go to work today! Pooey.

"Yosh! Now that I'm on the team! I'll have to do my best!" I shouted, pumping my fists into the air.

"Oh? Talking to yourself Ame-chan?" a voice called.

"Kyaa!!!" I squeaked and turned around "Oh, it's just you Fuji! Don't scare me like that! You meanie!" I picked up the runaway ball and hit it to the wall again.

"Gomen, gomen." He laughed. "But why are you here so early? Practices are at 8:00"

"Ah.. Ano… Um… Uh... Ah! Why are you here!" I retorted, butI instantly regretted it. 'Oh wow, that did not sound cool at all...'

Fuji chuckled and replied, "To practice."

"Oh… Me too."

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Shut up"

"You want to try me?" Fuji asked suddenly.

"Try you what?" I asked with a blank look.

"Tennis"

"EHH!?! But everyone says you're a tensai! I don't wanna go up against a tensai!"

"Too bad. You're serving."

"Eke?! Hold on a minute!"

"Hurry up, Ame-chan." He replied.

"Fine… but I don't want to do this!"

"Just serve!" He said, getting exasperated.

"Fine!!!" I sniffed and served. The game has started.

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Seishun Gakuen/ 8:00/ Normal POV:

Fuji ran up to the net and whacked a tricky ball. "Heh, you're pretty good Ame-chan!"

"Thank you, Fuji" said the girl as she ran up to the net.

He hit it to the far left, she ran back and got to it in no time. She did a backhand. Fuji faked a left hit and whacked it to the right making sure to give it a strong sidespin, the ball bounced the opposite direction she was heading, therefore making her miss. " Fuji's, 30:0 " He called out casually. Their score was 5:4, and guess who was winning.

"I know! I know!" She snapped, while pulling her hair into a sloppy ponytail. Fuji served the ball and saw her getting into a stance. She crouched low and bended on knee behind the other, and she held her racket to the bottom right of her. She was about to return it when…

"HOI HOI! GANBATTE AME-CHAN, NYA!!!"

"Gaaaaah!!!!" She jumped, tripped out of the stance, just in time to see the ball pass by her, they turned their heads to see Eiji and the rest of the players, female regulars, the non-regulars, and Ryuuzaki-sensei standing around the court, watching their game.

"Oops… Gomen Ame-chan… Fujiko..." Eiji mumbled.

"Who's winning?" Momo asked, getting fired up thinking about his own match to come.

"Fuji" Ame answered "The score is 15- oh wait! Now it's 30:0" She corrected herself, looking meaningfully at a guilty Eiji.

"Mou! I said I was sorry!" He pouted.

"What, I didn't say anything!"

"Senpai-tachi! (more than one upperclassmen) Can you get back to the game?" Echizen complained.

"Yes, Ame-chan, let's" Fuji encouraged. "I'm eager to finish"

"Haaaai!" she answered. And served the ball.

Fuji saw a breeze blowing on Ame's face, waving her bangs a bit.

He did a slice lob on the ball, giving it a big back spin it flew over the net and then curved upward out of sight and hit the base line.

"Ah! Hakugei!" A few tennis club members shouted.

'Argh! I can't see the ball! It disappeared!' Ame thought furious. She saw a glimpse of the ball hitting the base line, then it began flying to Fuji.

'Chance!' She ran hard to the ball to hit it, and swung her racket until it hit her target. It flew over the net. And bounced right on the line.

"Ii, data" Inui and Keiko still had more to write down in their notes.

"Lee's, 30 : 15." She announced.

"Sugoi! Lee-senpai countered Fuji-senpai's Hakugei!" Tomoka shouted surprised.

"I hope I get to be a regular like them" Sakuno sighed dreamily. (did you know that Sakuno's actually pretty good at tennis? In the anime she sucks, but in the manga she's actually good enough to be a regular someday! It says so on Wikipedia!)

'She's got good control. She's one of the few people who can counter my Hakugei.' Fuji thought, amused. He smiled, and served, but made sure to spin the ball before striking it. The ball flew towards her, and disappeared.

"The cut serve!"

"What the-!" Ame squeaked. She was unable to find the ball until it was too late. She swung air.

"40 : all. Fuji's lead"

Fuji served again but did another cut serve. This time she almost got it. She looked left and right and then up, she thought she saw a glimpse of it and smashed what looked like air. The ball made contact with her racket and it flew towards him-

"She hit Fuji's disappearing serve!"

-But it didn't go over the net.

"Game set and match, Fuji Syuusuke wins 6 games to 5" Sora declared. Fuji grinned, his eyes opened for a minute, but immediately became hidden. He walked up to Ame-chan.

"Ack! I botched it…" She muttered, embarrassed, rubbing the back of her head shyly. But up close, she whispered, "Doesn't matter because if Fuji would've played seriously, he would have won all 6 straight games."

He smiled "Let's do this again some other time."

"Yeah! We should!" She beamed at me. "I'll get better! Don't worry!"

She looked around and blushed, suddenly recognizing the crowd that had formed. "Oh snaps! Why are you guys all watching?!" She cried. "I thought you were going to do your own things!"

"It's okay," Ryuuzaki-sensei assured her. "It's good that we saw."

"Is that for a good reason or a bad?" No answer.

"Hoi hoi! Ame-chan! You did great! Nya!!!" Eiji shouted while glomping us.

"Eiji! Eiji! I can't breathe!" she wheezed out. "Eiji!"

"Ah! Gomen gomen!" He then noticed Ame's uniform "Ame-chan! You finally got your uniform?" He asked excitedly "Although it's a bit big, it's cute! Ah! Your ponytail's back!" He was too excited to on one topic.

"But you're clothes are supposed to come with a skirt! Where is it?" Haruka asked.

"It's getting ready to collect dust in my closet" She answered tartly.

"Wow, you're pretty rebellious, aren't you?" Juri asked.

"... The manager at the uniform store is pretty mean though... He didn't believe me when I said I was a senior!" She whined, as she tried to change the topic.

"You know," Mitsuki interrupted. "I don't really blame the owner for that. I'm not sure I can believe it that easily either, senpai."

"M-Mitsuki-chan!" Junko scolded, shocked at the disrespect that her friend had just shown to their upperclassmen.

"I'm a senior!"

"Nya, She's got a point" Eiji said while examining her closely. "Don't you think so, Oishi?"

"A bit" he admitted reluctantly.

"You said you were fourteen, but you look much younger…" Haruka added. "When's your birthday?"

"April 30th!" She replied haughtily.

"Eh?! No way! That's Oishi's birthday!" Eiji exclaimed while looking at the both of them with wide eyes.

"Really!?!" Ame asked. She turned to Oishi. "We're TWIIIIIIINS!!!" She laughed while hugging a surprised, and most likely embarrassed, Oishi, until he got replaced by Eiji, who somehow squeezed in between.

"Hoi hoi! That means I'm older than the both of you, nya!" Eiji winked.

"No way!" Ame laughed. "That can't be!"

"It's true! My birthday's on November 28! I'm five months older than you! Nya ha ha!" He laughed triumphantly.

"Darn it!" Ame sulked. "Everybody's older than me!" She pouted, all the while adding everybody's birthdays on the calendar in her phone.

"Everyone!" Ryuuzaki-sensei reported, interrupting their bonding time. They lined up in front of her "Tezuka might be able to come from Germany if we make it to the Nationals."

"EH!?!"

"Who?"

"The other buchou."

"Tezuka-san?"

"What?"

A look of irritation passed through her face but she continued, "So we should work hard so that we make it!"

"Okay!"

"Yosh!"

"So I'm going to train you as much as I can until I'm leave. Remember Tezuka's favorite words! Yudan sezu ni ikou" (Don't let your guard down!)

"Hai!"

"Okay" Inui stepped in "We'll now run laps around the courts," He updated us.

"Whoever's not able to finish each lap in one minute gets to drink my latest Inui juice, the Sumizu." He grinned while holding a pitcher full of mysterious purple liquid. "Good for the energy and bones"

"GAAAH!!! RUN FOR IT!!!" Everyone else shouted. They went pretty far. Except Ame, who stayed put.

"You are participating too, if you didn't notice." Inui said while pointing at Ame.

"What? You can't decide things for me!" She protested.

"-Or you get a whole bottle"

"Why? Is it that bad?" Ame asked worried.

"No, actually it's quite tasty" Fuji grinned. She looked at him suspiciously, then dipped a finger in the pitcher, and licked it.

"BLAAAAAAGH!!! GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!!" She hollered out, spitting the vile taste out of her mouth. And actually passed the players and eventually the Regulars who started 45 seconds earlier. "I am SO not drinking that!!!!"

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30 minutes later/ Normal POV:

"Eh? The regulars are STILL running!?!" Horio gasped.

By now the only people who could still afford to run were the Regulars, the rest fell victim of the Sumizu.

"Keep running!" Mitsuki screamed, the few times when she was actually active and somewhat loud. "Faster Junko-chan! Faster!"

"Oh? Last lap." Inui exclaimed while looking at the time. "Okay, new rule. The last person who is unable to finish this lap gets to drink this whole pitcher"

"NANI!?!" Move outta the way!!!" Everyone screamed.

"They really don't want to drink it" Ryuuzaki-sensei mused.

"I'm gonna be first!!!" Momo cried out, grinning proudly.

"Like I'm ever gonna let that happen!" Kaidoh ran on.

"Sorry boys! I'm taking that spot!" Juri laughed.

"Here Takashi-kun! A racket!" Haruka tossed it and Taka-san caught it gratefully.

"HAHA! SUCKERS!!! BURNING!!!" Taka-san bellowed and ran in front of them.

"Oh no you don't!!!" Momo and Kaidoh grabbed onto him.

"G-gomen, Mina-san!" Junko cried as she rushed past them.

"Hoi hoi! Thank you, nya!!" Eiji laughed as he jumped over them and caught up to Ame, who had miraculously sneaked up to the front.

"Yo! Huff huff! Eiji!" Ame smiled.

"How come you're so tired? Inui says you didn't have that much stamina, but you seem worn out! How'd you even make it this far?" Eiji asked full of teasing.

"Shut wheeze up!" She said in embarrassment. She looked forward, and grinned, "Pant! Last corner! Huff! Fast!" She shrieked at him.

"Hoi hoi!!!" They ran like lightening.

Hadzuka-buchou laughed as she zoomed past them. "Nice try, guys!"

"Buchou!!!"

By now everyone caught up. "ACK!!! I have to kick it up a notch!" Ame mumbled to herself. She crouched for a second and suddenly zoomed past all the Regulars.

"What the-!?!" Mitsuki yelped.

She was the first person who made it, by 1.12 seconds, followed by the rest of the Regulars a second after.

"YATAA!!! No Sumizu for me!!!!" She cheered.

"Crap!"

Inui went up to her and gleamed. "I forgot to mention, the winner gets this for a prize" He held up a mug full of red liquid. "You didn't get the chance to drink my special, this is the new and improved Penal Tea Advance, now drink up. It's good for muscles and the tendons"

"What? I'm not drinking that!!!" Ame yelped and started running again. Inui just chased her with the pitcher in his hands. "It's good for the muscles and the tendons" he muttered over and over like a zombie.

"Get away from me!!!"

Everyone followed, not wanting to miss this fun sight. Soon he had her cornered in the courts.

"Wait! Stop! You can't! I.. uh.. uh.."

"Penal Tea Advance. Good for the muscles and tendons" He just said looming closer and closer. And he grabbed her arm.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"

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Soon After/Ame's POV:

Everything is black, pitch black.

"Ame-chan!!! Ame-chan!!! Wake up!!! Please!!! Nya! Inui! Look what you did!!!"

'Eiji?'

My eyes fluttered open and I saw two blurry Eiji's and everyone else over me. Eiji's face was right up to mine. He had cute, worried look on his face.

"Ei…ji?"

"Ah! She woke up!!!" Juri exclaimed with relief.

"What happened?"

"You drank Inui's Juice" Sora replied.

"Did that really knock me out? How long was I dead?"

"Umm…" Yuki checked her watch "I'd say… 10 minutes"

"What???" I was wide-awake by now and I jumped up. "Are you kidding me!?! Why didn't anyone wake me up?"

"Fshuuuuuuu… What do you think we've been doing this whole time, senpai?" Kaidoh asked, not trying to sound rude, a wasted effort.

"Oh… Well, I'm sorry for the trouble everyone!" I sighed, my head bowed.

"Daijobu, daijobu" Yuki reassured.

"Oi! Senpai!" Momo told me, while wrapping his arm around my neck. "You don't need to bow to us! We're your friends! Okay? So, there's no need for those kinds of apologies!"

"Oh! Um… I'm sorry?"

"Okay now we hit coded balls." Inui popped up again holding red, yellow, and blue cones, with a matching set of balls. While handing us a set of weights, we fitted them on our arms and legs.

"Ah! I remember this!" Eiji shouted "Let's go Ochibi!"

"I think I can figure this out!" Mitsuki cheered. "Come on, Junko-chan!"

"Eh?" I didn't get it. I looked around.

I saw Eiji and Ryoma hitting the balls, "Yellow!" and hit a ball on a yellow cone, it was a yellow ball, Junko and Mitsuki did the same.

"... eh?"

Sora rolled her eyes at me. "You hit a pretty red ball to a pretty red cone, and a blue ball to the blue cone, what is it that you can't understand? The concepts of colors and their matching hues? Do you want me to draw it out for you?"

"Ah!" I placed my fist onto my hands, ignoring her smart remark. "I get it! Ooh! Ooh! Me next! Me next!" And I ran to an empty spot.

After a while my feet started feeling heavy "What the-? R-red!" and I clumsily hit the red ball to a red cone.

"B-Blue!" I stuttered, getting ready to hit the ball when Inui asked, "Isn't it yellow?"

"What-? Ack!" I hit the ball, and it zwinged in a completely different direction, I looked at it. It was blue.

"Inui! You meanie, you tricked me! That's not fair!" I howled out.

"Next person's turn!"

I started muttering in a mix of incoherent Korean and Japanese, most of those words being a bit inappropriate I admit, but everyone could pretty much guess what I was saying.

"I didn't think anyone like Ame-chan could know words like that…" Haruka sweat-dropped. Taka agreed.

I rested for a bit until it was my turn again, even though it was a long wait.

Pretty soon practice was over. We showered, and after saying bye, to everyone else, walked up to the remaining handful of people. Hadzuka-buchou, Yuki, Oishi, and Inui had left to make some training plans; Junko and Juri left to go home; Mitsuki said she had something to do, Kaidoh left to take a jog; Sora left to take some art class; Fuji followed her to talk about their artistic beliefs; Taka-san left to go to his sushi parlor; and Haruka followed because she was applied as a waitress. Which meant that it was only me, Eiji, Momo, and Ochibi.

"Man, am I hungry!" Momo shouted. "Eiji-senpai! Let's go out for burgers! You too, Echizen!"

"Hoi hoi!" Eiji yelled out. "Sounds yummy! You wanna come too, Ame-chan, nya?"

"Sure!" I replied, I could still faintly taste the Akazu in my mouth.

Echizen and Momo then huddled up, whispering to each other about something. I heard bits of "But she's a girl" and "Paying for us"

Hmm…

"Eiji-senpai! You and Ame-senpai are paying for us right?" They asked with a sinister smile on their face.

"What? Since when?!"

"Hoi hoi! Choutto matte!"

"Now you wouldn't want your kouhais to starve, would you?"

"But-but-but!"

"And we're off!" They shouted while dragging us away.

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Soooo, whacha think? Is it okay so far? I hope you guys liked it, even thought my writing's simple... Anyways, REVIEW PLEASE!!! They make me happy, like a chocolate ice cream cake with whipped cream, and oreo crumbs, sprinkled sprinkles, with melted chocolate drizzled on it, and a cherry on top... With milk! Haha, anyways, please review!!!

Btw, did you guys notice the new title? This whole time I was thinking and this was the best I could get! (The naming choice will hopefully be explained later in the story). Anyways, Merry Christmas!!! I hope you guys get a whole bunchies of presents!!!