Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of the characters related to it. They all belong to Konomi Takeshi.

Rating: T for borderline angst.

Author's Note: This chapter was undoubtedly the HARDEST chapter I have ever written. And the only one where I had serious writer's block. It was the kind where I knew exactly what needed to happen, but the sequences of events and thoughts were a jumbled mess and I couldn't transition anything right...

But eventually things worked out and hopefully the chapter turned out as well as the rest of the story. At least Chapter 12 will be much easier for me to write. *sigh of relief*

Randomly, I was listening to Tenimyu Final Match First and Second on shuffle when I was working on the transitions between scenes and adding detail to what was already there. Whenever I was writing someone's dialogue, their actor just happened to be singing. And this happened quite often. Irony, anyone? Or maybe just selective hearing…

Please read and review if you get a chance! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far :) Other than that, please enjoy the long-awaited Chapter 11! ^^

The alarm clock went off, piercing the silence that Yagyuu had accompanying him all night. The night had certainly not unfurled its splendor - the seconds ticked by painstakingly slow as Yagyuu drifted in the narrow void of being asleep and awake at the same time. Incoherent thoughts had occupied his mind that night, staying long enough to be noticed, but the moment he tried to make sense of one, it fled to be replaced by an even more muddled thought.

'I am a complete wreck,' thought Yagyuu sadly as he attempted to get up. He felt completely sapped of energy and emotionally ruined. He couldn't even comprehend learning in school, which was inevitably approaching as he laid there. The only thing he knew for sure was that Yanagi was no longer his boyfriend and he wished that it was all a part of an unwanted nightmare.

'No one can know,' Yagyuu thought with a grave heart. 'Nothing has changed - everything is the same.' It was the downside of having kept his relationship a secret - the inability of being able to have others comfort him without having to explain how he first got into a relationship.

Yanagi would no longer discreetly brush his hand across his during lunch or in the library. Yagyuu would no longer have roses and notes pleasantly surprise him every couple of mornings in his locker. Yanagi would no longer hold him in his arms, whispering sweetly how much he loved him in his ear… and Yagyuu would no longer embrace him back with words of the same...

Just thinking about going through the day where everything was going to return back to its initial starting position like nothing had ever occurred was absolute torture. He finally climbed out of the bed without even bothering to fold the blanket. He figured it was better than destroying something, which he suddenly had an urge to do, and made his way to the bathroom.

'Was Yanagi-kun being fair to me?' pondered Yagyuu as he brushed his teeth. 'He didn't even take my feelings into consideration!' Tears were trickling down his face so he avoided looking in the mirror to avoid feeling more weak and helpless than he already was.

However, Yagyuu didn't know what his feelings were exactly once Yanagi instilled some doubt in him. It also didn't make Yagyuu feel any better knowing that both of them were responsible for causing all of this second guessing. He wiped away the hot tears sliding down his face angrily and looked in the mirror with fierce determination.

'I am strong,' Yagyuu told himself resolutely. 'I can make it through today without anyone knowing anything.' He wanted to say his resolve was there 100%, but he would be lying as his will continued to crumble from the same relentless thoughts he had been prey to all night.

Already halfway through the day and no one suspected Yagyuu of being anything less than his normal self. The sheer amount of willpower that it took to be himself was excruciatingly taxing and he felt the need to seclude himself from the hustle and bustle of the cafeteria. He avoided going to the roof because it reminded him of Niou and he avoided the library because it reminded him of Yanagi. He eventually found a spot outside in the shade of a tree where he could see the tennis courts.

He took a sip from his drink, wincing slightly as the cold liquid stung the inside of his throat, hurt from crying endlessly through the night. He was lucky that he didn't have to speak much that morning - his voice started to sound bit hoarse as the day went on, but he claimed it was because something was caught in his throat when one person asked.

Niou was not present in their first class, which meant that he overslept, and that happened from time to time much to Yagyuu's disapproval. Despite that, he was able to show up at the end of class, apologizing that he missed the test, and asked if he could take it during the next period. Fortunately for him, they had math next, and since he was an exemplary student in that subject, he was excused without any issue.

For Yagyuu, the morning's events meant that he was not near Niou, enabling him to have an easier time coping with all of the turmoil that he had inside. Part of him wondered if he would have felt better with Niou poking fun at him or distracting him in some way, but the other part of him knew that Niou and his unknown feelings made up the root of the problem.

"Hey Hiroshi," said Yanagi's voice and Yagyuu looked up to see him standing over him with a tired look on his face.

"I thought you were tutoring some students today," Yagyuu said feeling a bit perplexed.

"I ended the session early," he admitted sitting down next to him. "They were able to accomplish everything that had to be done."

Yagyuu didn't reply as he looked at his soup, debating if he could actually eat it.

"I was worried about you all night and I needed to see if you were okay."

"I have to be, but I'm not."

"That makes me feel slightly relieved," Yanagi said honestly. "I was afraid you were going to be depressed today and that's something I don't want you to feel."

"It's fine. I'll feel better eventually," came Yagyuu's disheartened answer.

"Hiroshi," Yanagi said pleadingly. "This as the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. You are not the only one hurting so please don't push me away as your friend."

"You didn't have to break up with me."

"I would be hurting you more if I didn't."

Yanagi squeezed Yagyuu's hand briefly and tenderly. Yagyuu found that being so close to him and knowing that he was so far away was unbearable.

"You can end this hurt and this agony as soon as you ask Masaharu about his feelings. Whatever his response is, you will have someone in your life again."

"Why can't you ask him yourself?" Yagyuu asked irritably.

"Because he would lie to me. And besides, don't you want to hear the answer for yourself?"

The bell rang and Yanagi stood up to depart.

"Please ask him soon. It hurts me to see you this way." A single tear slid down the left side of his face as he left for his next class.

'Yanagi-kun is right,' Yagyuu thought to himself as he got up gingerly. 'The sooner I ask, the faster this gets resolved.' All Niou had to say in response to his his question is 'no' and he would be with Yanagi again after a full apology for doing this to him.

A fresh wave of sadness tinged with guilt washed over him as he headed into the hall. Inevitably, one person was going to gain and one person was going to lose from this, and it distressed Yagyuu greatly knowing that he couldn't make them both truly happy.

Of course, if he didn't ask Niou at all, then he would continue in this downward spiral of anguish that he would have to deal with by himself, ensuring that the other two would go on contentedly with their normal lives. Yagyuu wasn't sure where his emotional breaking point was, but he was afraid to find out, ruling out this choice as a possibility. He was helplessly cornered without any chance of escape.

"Mother, I am going to bed early," Yagyuu said as he headed upstairs towards his bedroom.

"Are you sure Hiroshi? Phantom of the Opera is on and it's your favorite movie."

"Thanks for thinking of me Mother, but it's been a rough day and I need some rest."

"Oh?" his mother inquired worriedly. "But you didn't even have tennis practice today."

"It's not something you should worry about really. I will be fine in the morning." He left as the exuberant melody of 'Masquerade' sounded across the living room.

'The entire movie reminds me too much of what I'm going through right now,' thought Yagyuu dejectedly.

Indecisive and quiet Christine has to choose between the two men that want her - the dashing and protective Raoul or the tormented and mysterious Phantom. Throughout the majority of the movie, Christine's feelings are easily swayed by Raoul and the Phantom, and it isn't until towards the end where she is forced to make a decision between them, knowing that she could only make one of them happy. Yagyuu wondered if Christine would have confronted her feelings and chosen on her own if she wasn't in such a perilous situation.

'That would make me the girl then,' Yagyuu thought as he struggled into his pajamas. 'And Yanagi would be Raoul and Niou would be the Phantom.' He winced at the thought of himself as the opposite gender. He hastily tried to put his mind on something else…

Yagyuu loved Yanagi because of his patience and stableness. He was very drawn to his romantic personality and limitless intelligence. Yanagi just made him feel completely safe because he was from the same kind of world he was from: order and predictability.

Niou was essentially chaos incarnate that would unleash himself at unpredictable times. People failed to recognize that what he does, from mischievous deeds to upstanding authority, is already thought through. His timing is not poor - he chooses whether he wants to be in trouble or not as he never sees it as a form of punishment.

Yagyuu sometimes found himself in admiration of this particular trait of Niou's almost in an intoxicated way. It was like he wanted more that controlled unstableness in his life, but he hesitated every time because he didn't want to leave what was safe. The only time he felt comfortable enough to be troublesome and carefree was when he was pretending to be Niou during their tennis matches, and while it always felt liberating to not have so many expectations, it was something that he never wanted to become fully.

Yanagi was everything he knew and respected - Niou was an enigma that he wanted to pry into despite all of the danger signs. To Yagyuu, Yanagi would gladly share his thoughts like an open book - Niou's book would have to be pieced together first, assuming you can find all of the pages. Yagyuu faced a difficult decision: Did he want to live his life in constant comfort or did he want to take a chance and venture into the unknown, maybe discovering something even more wonderful than what he had?

There was still the remaining question of whether Niou even liked guys. Yanagi implied that he did because he supposedly has feelings for him, but Niou mentioned in the locker room after their confrontation that he didn't. He wouldn't think that Niou would ever lie to him, but there was a small chance he would if he was trying to hide his feelings. However, if he cared for him, why would he not fight back for him?

'The answer is simple,' Yagyuu told himself. 'He thought I would be happier with Yanagi. I probably would have done the same thing.' Everything was running in circles, which irritated Yagyuu immensely. All three of them were essentially the same - introverted, deceptive, and sacrificial. That meant that it was hard to separate their true intentions from their actions and even harder to understand without inquiring about their thoughts. He had nothing to work with but his own unfounded suspicions, and that once again led up to having to ask Niou about the situation.

He finished changing and switched off the lights. The darkness was faintly pierced by the moon, obscured by dark clouds, filtering through the window. Yagyuu made his way to his bed and climbed under the covers to continue mulling over his thoughts some more. Regardless of his feelings, whatever they may be, Yanagi was not taking him back unless he proves that Niou didn't have these feelings. He wondered if he would feel slightly better if he sorted out his own feelings anyway before trying to sort out someone else's without any form of genuine fact.

'The only way I can think of figuring this out is to start with the most recent,' Yagyuu thought to himself. 'So that would be the Saturday I spent with him…'

The first thing that came to his mind was sitting in the concert hall and letting the soothing melodies of a piano concerto wash over him. He was settled comfortably back into his seat, but still maintained a respectable upright posture as he reflected back on the day and how much he enjoyed himself.

'Indeed, I laughed freely and quite often when we were playing in the arcade. I felt comfortable enough to wear my shirt more casually than normal. And I felt happy when Niou chose to do things that would appeal to us both…'

He remembered sneaking a glance over at Niou, whose eyes were following the quick movement of the violin bows and noticing that it looked like Niou was enveloped in a warm glow. He wondered if his imagination was playing tricks with him again…

'I don't think Niou is selfish at all, but for a day that was supposed to be all of Niou's choosing, I certainly didn't expect what I had gotten with my favorite cafe and a concert and…'

Fragments of memories suddenly rushed through head like they had been waiting behind a dam that had finally broken down after the constant pressure of water beating against it. Drowsiness had started to settle in from how worn out he was and he forced himself to make sense of them. He remembered…

…feeling a slight tingling sensation where Niou's hand had brushed across neck when he was unbuttoning his shirt…

…the color rising to his face when Niou bought him desert and he couldn't control it…

… hugging him for the second time in their friendship because his body moved entirely on its own…

… seeing Niou almost glowing - or maybe it was a trick of the sunlight filtering in from the windows set high on to to the wall of the museum? He couldn't help but notice how attractive he looked…

… Niou smiling at him more often and brightly...

… the same tingling sensations whenever Niou accidentally brushed him with his body…

… a craving for more when he was being massaged...

… wishing that he held on longer when they did embrace…

…never being bored together…

…laughing uncontrollably…

…trusting completely…

…supporting tirelessly…

…accomplishment…

…competition…

…satisfaction…

…smiling...

…loving…

"Niou's missing?" Yagyuu exclaimed when he heard the news from Niou's mother who had answered the door when he knocked.

"He didn't come last night and part of his belongings are gone," she choked out, gasping desperately for air. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder while he regained his own composure.

"I am going to look for him," Yagyuu declared, sprinting off without another word.

It was almost pitch dark and the street lamps were not on for some unknown reason that Yagyuu did not care to think about. Yagyuu didn't need to see anyway - he knew exactly how to get to where he was going.

A cold chill swept through, but Yagyuu pressed on, hot from running at full speed. His left foot caught something abruptly and he fell, one side of his face and arm scraping the pavement roughly.

He winced as he got up and touched the areas that were affected. It was moist and he deduced that he was bleeding a bit heavily for the kind of fall that he had. He shrugged it off and kept on running until he was at the lone mahogany tree that was a part of their secret hideout.

Niou was not there. Yagyuu made his way over to the tree, panting heavily and clutching his chest, which was burning from exhaustion and concern.

He fell to his knees, pounding his fists against the tree in agony at the thought of never seeing Niou again. His one and only best friend that deserted him without a word.

"No! Come back Niou!" Yagyuu cried out into the darkness.

'This can't happen again! I worried about him constantly when he was missing for three days a couple of weeks ago.'

The rest of his body collapsed to the ground, succumbing to the nagging feeling that needed to know if Niou was okay. He didn't know where to start looking or who to ask - Niou never let anyone know his whereabouts because he enjoyed having people guess at how his mind worked. Yagyuu was never one of those people until now.

A flash of lightning came out of nowhere and Yagyuu saw something glint in the corner of his eye. Yagyuu made his way over in earnest curiosity and grasped around blindly until he felt his hand touch something cold and smooth.

It was a glass jar. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his cell phone and used its light to see. There was a folded piece of paper and he tried to take off the top, but it was tightly sealed. After trying to no avail, he concluded that the only way to open it was to break it.

Before he could throw it against the tree, it shattered on its own, shards piercing into his skin or flying off in every direction. The pain was excruciating and his hands shook as he struggled to open the note, which he deemed more important than his current physical state.

Dear Yagyuu,

By the time you get this note, I will be gone. I'm sorry I left without saying a proper goodbye, but I knew you would do everything within your power to stop me from leaving, and so I was left with this choice. Don't bother looking - you won't find me and I don't want you to try.

I couldn't take it anymore. It hurt me every time I saw you with Yanagi - holding his hand, kissing him, and loving him. I wanted all of you for myself because I had fallen madly in love with you. You never returned those feelings… I wasn't sure if you had even noticed how I felt…

I have to leave for my own sake - you can think of me as being selfish if you want. Don't worry - I am not alone. Yanagi is here with me if you didn't find out he was missing yet.

He wanted me to tell you that he thinks that you are a wonderful person and an amazing boyfriend. It was just, as time went on, he started developing stronger feelings for someone else…me... and he couldn't gather the courage to tell you the real reason behind his breakup with you. He knew that telling you would break you completely.

But you needed to know why we both left and now you do. Hopefully you feel a little bit better knowing that we don't hate you although I know you will hurt for a very long time. Despite everything, please don't forget that I will always cherish our friendship and all of the memories from it. And I hope you find happiness in someone that deserves you like I have found in Yanagi.

- Niou

It might have been the rain that started falling from the sky or the blood dripping profusely out of his hands and neck and face, but when Yagyuu went check the message to make sure it wasn't his imagination hoodwinking him, the words had became obscured and unreadable.

He turned the piece of wet paper over miserably and, to his mild surprise, saw that there was something more written on the back. Yagyuu had to squint to see since the writing was miniscule and light.

P.S. If you can find all of the the pieces of the glass jar and put them together in a pile, then I will see you one last time...

A flicker of hope. The entire idea sounded impossible, but Yagyuu lived to transcend the impossible. He wanted to see Niou again… to yell at him for running away, to slap him for worrying everyone, to hold him and ask him to come back because he had finally accepted his feelings just before he left… Fate was being unfair to him, robbing him of the two people that was precious to him, and leaving him alone to suffer.

Using the only light source he had, he frantically started searching around for the pieces and started forming a pile. The rain was starting to pour harder and harder, making the pieces even harder to see. Out of desperation, he started grabbing fistfuls of mud and squeezing it, hoping to find more of his precious glass. When his hand stung, he knew he was successful and would remove the piece quickly before resuming the painful cycle.

"I didn't know how to ask you!" Yagyuu hollered into the darkness. "I didn't know how to ask you how you felt about me!"

Another piece - another step closer.

"You told me you didn't like guys before!" Yagyuu threw a few slivers of glass furiously into the growing pile as he was ranting. "But then I figured out after a while that you had lied…"

He paused to wipe the rain water and blood from his face in exasperation.

"Didn't you say we were going to play as a doubles team together until we graduated high school?" Yagyuu continued yelling as he remembered the first day they had started playing together in the first year of middle school. The new recruits were randomly split into pairs by the captain, and it only took one practice for Niou to declare Yagyuu as his official partner because of his strong skills. At first, Yagyuu had judged him as a spontaneous troublemaker that lacked respect for anyone but himself, but the more that they played together, the faster he got over his first impression.

"Didn't you say we would win a National Tournament together?"

They were not on the regular team their first year, but were considered to be two of the strongest players of the the rest of the tennis club. Disappointed, they both vowed to train harder to become regulars the next year. Their second year came around and only Yagyuu was on the regular team when Rikkai won the tournament for the second time. Niou barely missed the cut. The day he got back, Niou proclaimed that he was going to go above and beyond the already high standard they had set for themselves so that he would make the team and accomplish their goal. Yagyuu had no doubts about his ability and he finally became a regular during the winter season.

He approached him later that day and asked him what motivated him so greatly that he improved at a record pace and astounded even the Three Demons when he played during the ranking matches. Blushing slightly, he mumbled that they were partners and he missed playing doubles with him.

"Didn't you say that we would be best friends forever?"

He would never admit it to anyone else, but his fondest memory was the day towards the end of his first year that Niou led him to his secret spot, the mahogany tree that Yagyuu was currently by, and said that he wanted to be best friends. He admitted that he was reluctant to open up to Yagyuu at first because he only partnered him for his talent, but the he found that he couldn't stop himself from sharing his feelings. Not only that, but it felt easier than it did with anyone else… like he didn't have to force himself to be accepted.

Yagyuu remembered saying yes without any hesitation. He felt the same way and offered his hand out to shake. Niou took his hand into his own with firm grasp and said that this was something he would never let break apart. Yagyuu trusted his word completely…

His cell phone's light was dimming - he was running out of time. When he was sure he found all of the pieces on the ground, he started pulling the pieces out of his skin one-by-one and added them to the substantially growing pile.

'Will I ever get to scold you again for being late to school or practice? Will I ever get to help you again with a clever prank?' Yagyuu thought, exhausted from yelling. He was starting to feel faint from all of the pain, but the agony he would feel from never seeing Niou again kept him going.

A memory of winning their match against Seigaku's Golden Pair from the Kantou Regional tournament filled him with temporary joy. The switch that they had been meticulously planning for months was thrilling and successful. The whole team, after getting over the shock of the trick and the heartbreak of losing the finals, gave them a playfully hard time about it and Yagyuu knew they were proud of them. Personally, he felt gratification in the fact that there was no other pair that knew each other as well as they did, showing how far they had come as competitors and as friends. They were somehow one person that day, not two people, that shared the same goals and dreams for their team and for themselves.

'Is this the last one?' thought Yagyuu as he found a large piece embedded deep near his heart. He took a large breath and pulled it out, giving off a strangled cry. He was bleeding freely now and he held up his free hand to try to stop the flow. With his other hand, he set the piece on the pile and waited. Nothing happened for a few minutes and Yagyuu almost gave up. Then he heard something different - something that didn't match the sound of pouring rain through leaves…

'It worked! Niou is here, like he promised…'

He couldn't see him in the pitch darkness, but he knew it was him. It had to be him.

"You found all of the pieces, Yagyuu. I'm proud of you," said Niou appreciatively. Warmth was radiating from where he was and his cold, drenched body wanted to be closer to it. He reached upwards and felt a hand close around his, but before anything could happen, he faded into unconsciousness.

'I guess it's too late…' he thought sadly as he felt the last of energy leave him. He was sorely disappointed that he couldn't say anything after trying so persistently…

They would never play a match together again. They would never switch identities again. They would never spend time getting to know each other inside and out again. There would no longer be a Platinum Pair. And he would no longer see Niou's beautiful smile again…

Yagyuu jolted awake, covers clenched tightly in his fists. His face was drenched in cold sweat and his breathing was frantic. His hand automatically moved to touch his chest near the heart and he felt that the area was dry. He touched his neck and his face before holding his hands out in front of him to make sure they were clean of blood.

"It was just a nightmare," Yagyuu said as he steadied himself. "It wasn't real… They didn't leave with each other…"

Taking a few deep breaths, he laid back down knowing that he had no one to turn to for advice or for comfort. He could not talk sense into his ex-boyfriend and he could not talk to his best friend about his problems. For the first time in his life, Hiroshi Yagyuu felt truly alone.

"Come on, this will work, you just need to have some faith…"

"I think this idea is ridiculous. Find someone else to do it."

"It has to be you. Let's go, we have fifteen minutes left before the start of the mission."

"I have a bad feeling about this. Do you remember when Yagyuu flinched when he saw what you had?"

"You're being superstitious. Besides, didn't he say it was just a nightmare?"

"What was this about Yagyuu?" Niou said as he went around the corner of the hallway, curious about the last bit of what they had said about Yagyuu.

"Geez, don't scare us like that Niou," Marui said, annoyed.

Niou shrugged nonchalantly, sticking one hand in his pocket and leaning against the wall.

"You've been listening the whole time, haven't you?" Marui inquired, blowing a small bubble with the gum he was chewing.

"Naturally. It's not my fault that you always talk so loud."

"Hey hey, cut it out you two," Jackal said, trying to stop a potential argument from arising. "Anyway, you wanted to know about Yagyuu…"

"Yeah, I do," Niou said, eyeing the object in Marui's hands that he couldn't see before when it was behind his back. He was a bit confused since all he saw was a message in a glass jar.

"I know, right?" Marui said as he assessed Niou's reaction. "For some reason, Yagyuu flinched when he saw this in my hands towards the end of lunch. And then when he asked him if something was wrong, he quickly denied it and said that 'it was just a nightmare'…"

"Yagyuu doesn't have nightmares hardly at all…" Niou said, looking at the ceiling thoughtfully.

"And he seems a bit… different right now," Jackal added. "Or at least, for the last couple of days…"

"Seriously? He seems perfectly normal to me," Niou answered back, more confusion seeping into his mind. "I would be the first to know if something's wrong."

"Not necessarily. You are his best friend - if he really didn't want you to know, then he should be able to find ways to hide his feelings until he is very overwhelmed."

Niou nodded knowing that Jackal hit the target dead-on. After all, Niou did the same to Yagyuu not too long ago, so now it was just a waiting game until Yagyuu would give in and tell him, which would only happen if Yagyuu knew that Niou didn't know about his sudden, slightly abnormal behavior. They were more alike than most people thought they were.

"Thanks for telling me guys."

"Not a problem Niou," Jackal answered back. "We'll continue keeping an eye out for you."

Niou smiled. Jackal was one of the nicest people he knew and he made a mental note to get to know him a bit more than he already had.

"Changing the subject, what's in the jar?"

Marui grinned widely.

"It is a note that says 'Bunta Marui's absolute favorite flavor of gum is strawberry'," he announced proudly.

"What the heck?"

"You see, we're going to put this jar in the pond and one of my fangirls will hopefully find it and spread the word," Marui continued as Jackal rolled his eyes. "And then I will have all of these gifts of my favorite gum from my large number of fangirls. Jackal will benefit too since he won't have to buy me anymore for a while…"

"Wait… you have a large number of fangirls? What do they see in you?" Niou pointed out sarcastically.

"My charm, my optimism, my intelligence… you know, everything you don't have."

"Will you guys ever leave each other alone?" Jackal asked wearily. "Change the subject somehow…"

"How are you going to get the jar into the pond if you will be seen now and you will be in class for the rest of the day?" Niou asked, seeing a potential flaw in the plan.

"We've already thought about that, mastermind prankster," Marui taunted, blowing another bubble that Niou suddenly had an urge to smack into his face. "Jackal will throw the jar from the window of our English classroom when the pond is deserted just before class starts."

"You don't have English next."

"I know, we'll run in their pretending to play catch and I'll miss it when Jackal throws it. It has to be that room - it's the closest to the pond on the third floor."

"So Jackal has a limited timeframe to do this in and he has to be able to throw it accurately?"

"Yup. Genius, isn't it?"

"I still think it's crazy," Jackal said with a sigh.

"I agree with Jackal there."

"You two are no fun."

"Here's another question, how did you figure out that it was Jackal who had to throw it and at what distance and force?"

"Yanagi," Marui admitted.

"So you're not completely a genius," Niou said jeeringly as Jackal grabbed Marui to restrain him from attacking Niou. "Since you needed extra help."

"We tested it after school the other day," Jackal said, still holding onto the struggling Marui. "Yanagi knew I had an unexpectedly accurate and far throw so we had practice with me throwing glass jars at targets while Yanagi took the data down…"

"Whoa, he reaches new heights of data scariness every time I see him," Niou acknowledged, telling himself to be more careful around him so that his inner-most pranking secrets aren't discovered.

'Or worse, used against me,' Niou thought dryly as Marui was finally released from Jackal's hold.

"What did you have to give him in return for his precious data?" Niou inquired interestingly. Hardly anything was ever given for free on the Rikkai tennis team minus Jackal and Yagyuu on occasion since they were genuinely nice. Yukimura manipulated you into thinking he is being generous. They all liked each other very much as friends, but giving away bigger things without a price was almost synonymous to giving into defeat. Sanada would not approve.

"Actually, that was the other surprising thing…" Jackal started as Niou's eyes widened in astonishment. "He didn't want anything."

"Did you ask?"

"Yeah we did when he didn't demand anything at the beginning," Marui chipped in. "Come to think of it now, he's been acting a little…. strange too."

"Maybe it's an illusion," Niou stated, trying to divert some attention so they don't go prying for some answers on Yanagi. "Like you got off easy this first time so the next time you ask him for advice, he'll double the payment."

"Man, that's cruel Yanagi! It's just like Yukimura! " Marui declared loudly. "I will beat you today in practice!"

"Hey, it's time," Jackal said, tapping him on the shoulder and looking out of the hallway window to make sure the target was clear.

"See you Niou!" Marui said cheerfully, stretching out his arms and jumping up and down, all anger evaporating instantly.

Niou watched amusedly as they started a pretend game of catch with the glass jar, quickly making their way towards the classroom. Their reflexes for throwing and catching were remarkably fast, making the fragile object look like a blur in the air. They disappeared into the classroom, and moments later, he could hear Marui's angry shout as he missed catching Jackal's powerful through from the doorway, the noise of Marui's bare hand meeting Jackal's bald head, and then two sets of apologies as their teacher scolded them for playing around. They left with their heads down, but the moment they got back into the hallway, they both grinned. Mission successful.

Niou left with a wave of his hand as his temporary excitement for a plan correctly executed went away to be replaced with some more concerning facts. Knowing that there was a chance that both Yagyuu and Yanagi were acting strange meant that something happened between them, but there was no way of being able to find out what it was without having one of them tell him. Niou could not read Yanagi to save his life, and he wasn't exactly close with him either, so his primary focus would have to be Yagyuu. He would need all of the luck he could get to figure out this frustrating puzzle.

The mission was much more successful than Niou and Jackal had originally thought as a beaming Marui came in with an armful of strawberry gum to stash in his locker. The word had gotten around what seemed like the entire student body within three hours, and two hours later, the nearby grocery store and the school's vending machines had been sold out. Niou wasn't going to be stealing gum from him for a while since he had solidly earned his prizes and his bragging rights. Now he needed someone else to prey on for a while…

The door opened and Kirihara came in, blushing slightly. Marui and Jackal had just shut the door on Marui's locker when they heard the noise, and turned around to see who it was. Kirihara approached them shyly with his hands behind his back, and as he passed Niou, he was able to see that he was holding a pack of strawberry gum. He couldn't suppress a grin.

"Uh, Marui-senpai…"

"What is it, Kirihara?"

Some incoherent mumbling came out of Kirihara and Niou had to struggle not to laugh. Marui had to ask him to repeat himself and he turned even pinker.

"I heard that your favorite flavor is strawberry!" he said quickly, whipping his hands from behind his back and holding out his gift in front of him. He had turned his head away in embarrassment. "And I wanted to thank you for always looking after me."

Marui was speechless. So was Niou. Jackal had to shake off the daze, but he was able to speak first.

"That was very kind of you, Kirihara."

"Thanks Jackal-senpai," he pushed the gum into Jackal's hands and took off for the courts as quickly as he could.

"…Wow…" came Marui's incredulous reply after Kirihara had dashed off. "I knew he appreciates everyone deep down, but I never thought he would actually admit it…"

"Now I wouldn't be surprised to see Sanada coming to you with a cake someday," Jackal said jokingly.

"Don't say such scary things like that, Jackal. Anyway, I'll have to thank him somehow. See you on the courts Niou."

"Yeah, see you."

Niou thought it was rather sweet of Kirihara, but his act of kindness meant that he had to find yet another person to prey on for the next week. He was running out of options.

"Yagyuu! What are you doing?" Yukimura asked, mildly annoyed from his spot on the bench. "Compared to the rest of the team, you're not performing as well."

"I'm sorry Yukimura-kun, I will try harder."

"Yes you will," came Yukimura's reply, which was more like a command that you had to obey for your life's sake.

Niou was at a loss. Yagyuu seemed perfectly fine to him and he had been watching his every movement like a hawk during practice. He brushed it aside as Yukimura trying to get him to really work hard since Yagyuu would be easily manipulated by a shot at his work ethic.

He glanced across the court where Yanagi was standing, watching the practice progress and collecting data as it went. Nothing was out of place with him either that Niou could tell. Jackal and Marui were their opponents for their doubles practice and they both gave Niou a subtle look that meant they didn't know what Yukimura was talking about either.

The practice progressed on with an atmosphere of excitement and ferocity as spectacular shots and saves from all of the players occurred. There weren't any unexpected incidents and nothing crossed Niou's mind as unusual until he noticed a minor drop in the speed of Yagyuu's specialty shot. Then he looked over and saw that Yagyuu's eyes were a bit glazed and his breathing was irregular. It was very strange since they had about the same amount of balls hit to them, but Niou was nowhere near short of breath and he was the one with weaker endurance of the two.

Marui and Jackal had to take advantage of this rare opportunity and started putting more pressure on by mixing up their shots and adding some more power. Niou didn't blame them - he would have done the same thing if he was the opponent. Yagyuu started missing some easy shots and ended up diving for one out of a last minute attempt, which he barely missed reaching.

He got up wincing slightly and brushing the dirt off of his shorts and shirt.

"Hey, you okay, Yagyuu?" Niou asked concernedly.

"Yeah, fine," Yagyuu said simply. "I'm just having an off-day. Everyone does."

"You didn't really need to justify yourself. I understand."

Yukimura was annoyed earlier - now he was furious.

"I need to excuse myself for a bit, Yukimura-kun," Yagyuu said apologetically.

"Good because I was about to tell you to go run laps."

"How many?"

"As many as you need to clear your head and get back to the game."

Yagyuu started off running, leaving behind Niou who was once again confused.

'Yagyuu has never had to run punishment laps for his own performance - just the collective team ones,' Niou thought to himself as he tried to figure out what could be eating away at him so badly that it would affect his tennis playing. He had absentmindedly taken a step towards the direction that Yagyuu had left in and was immediately scolded by Yukimura.

"No, you cannot run laps with him, Niou," Yukimura warned sternly. "You didn't do anything below today's standard. Yanagi - partner him."

Yanagi made his way over with a curt nod towards Yukimura and a small smile for Niou. They had only been partners a few times for a short period, but they had never really played in a match. Marui and Jackal knew this fact and they grinned devilish at the thought of utterly crushing them. Niou smirked back - he was feeling quite malicious from being inwardly irate at Yukimura's punishment on Yagyuu and confounded by Yagyuu's abnormal behavior. Plus he wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of winning and neither was Yanagi.

Practice was over and everyone made their way inside to change and go home. Time ran out before their match was finished, but they had surprised Marui and Jackal with a late comeback that impressed both Yukimura and Sanada (who had just finished his practice with Kirihara). Niou had a lurking feeling that they were considering using their combination for a match during the National Tournament, but he was totally fine with that since they ended up working stunningly well together.

Yagyuu was not present since he had ran laps the entire time and now was so exhausted that he could barely make his way to the locker room. Niou was a bit infuriated with this recent development in Yagyuu - wasn't he given a choice to stop running when he felt better? If it was Niou, he would have stopped running as soon as he could have, but Yagyuu's persistence to keep going seemed like he was trying to ruin himself.

He ran ahead of everybody to go check on Yagyuu, who he found laying down on a bench outside of the locker room with his eyes closed, completely drained. The rest of the team (minus the Three Demons) went inside with a wave and Jackal gave him an encouraging smile.

"You know, you really didn't have to run the entire time…" Niou started, sitting down next to his head.

"I had to… my performance was poor."

"Weren't you able to clear your head enough to come back to practice?"

"Yeah, but I wanted to run for my physical performance, not my mental healthiness."

"Because nothing's wrong, right?"

"Yes - nothing's wrong." Niou peered over his face and saw that his eyes were still closed, rendering him more unreadable than he already was.

"I was just mad that I was not up to my usual standard…"

"Personally, I think you're too hard on yourself sometimes," Niou stated truthfully. "The world isn't going to end because you missed a couple of tennis balls that you should have gotten."

Yagyuu sighed deeply before talking again.

"Have I been acting normal?" Yagyuu asked quietly and Niou stiffened up slightly, but luckily, Yagyuu didn't see that.

"Of course you have," Niou answered back reassuringly. "I don't know why Yukimura called you out, but I assumed it was because he wanted to push you to work harder."

"It was a good tactic from him," Yagyuu confirmed with approval. "He definitely aimed at one of my stronger traits."

"If something was wrong with your behavior or attitude, I would know immediately," Niou lied. He would apologize later when the time was right, but this was definitely not the time. It was almost time to initiate his latest scheme.

"Thank you for looking out for me."

"Not a problem. Changing the subject then, I would like to ask if you wanted to do something this weekend."

Yagyuu's eyes fluttered open in surprise.

"That's tomorrow," he noted.

"Well, it sounds cooler to say 'the weekend'".

"Uh… what did you want to do?"

"I want to go to our secret hideout and have a picnic!" Niou said brightly. "We can study if you want, but I think it will be enjoyable."

Yagyuu looked hesitant to Niou, which brought some more concern into Niou's thoughts, but before he could answer, Yanagi came by because the meeting was over.

"Hiroshi, are you okay?"

"I'm fine really. Just tired," Yagyuu claimed.

"I'll walk you home just in case," Yanagi offered, holding out his hand.

"I was just about to offer…" Niou added, trailing off as he saw Yagyuu take Yanagi's hand and pull himself up.

"It's okay Niou-kun, I'll go home with Yanagi-kun so you can take care of some other business."

'Boyfriend over best friend,' Niou thought sardonically as reality sunk in again. He wanted to be the one holding his hand.

Yanagi caught Yagyuu who was trying to steady himself firmly on the ground. Yagyuu thanked him and straightened up before looking at Niou.

"I'll see you later Niou-kun."

"Sure thing," Niou acknowledged casually. "Oh, and Yagyuu?"

"What is it?"

"About what I asked earlier… I won't take 'no' for an answer," he said seriously, but then added a radiant smile for playful effect. He went into the locker room before he could get any form of response and left when he heard them coming in.

While Yagyuu was running his laps, Niou had spent part of the match formulating a plan and was amazed it didn't distract him from playing well. He was sure that being partnered with Yanagi helped since he was able to cover any gaps that Niou may or may not have left wide open. The hardest part of making the plan was finding a way to ease Yagyuu into telling him because forcing him would have been a bad idea.

Someway or another, that led to using their secret spot as a location and using the idea of a picnic study party as a guise for what Niou was really after. Niou recalled that both of them had said on numerous occasions that they felt absolutely at peace there, so it was his best bet to stage the operation there. Now he just needed to go get some tasty food to further entice him.

Weeks ago, Yagyuu had not tried to dig deep into Niou's problems and Niou did feel slightly guilty that he was not giving him the same respect. He argued with himself that there was no harm in this situation since he didn't catch Niou physically interacting with someone and so everything should be alright once things were cleared up. It was the least he could do to comfort him since he could never have him like he wholeheartedly wished he did.

He sighed as he continued walking home, tossing an uneaten apple in the air with one hand and watching it fall into his hand. He was a bit annoyed with himself that it took him as long as it did to notice that Yagyuu's behavior resembled his own from the time of the library incident. He was completely normal on the outside, but if he had looked at him much closer, then he would have seen that Yagyuu was an empty shell, especially during the practice.

The apple missed his hand a second time and hit the ground with a dull thud. The unwritten rule of friendship that dealt with respecting personal boundaries was really a double-edged sword. He didn't know what was going to happen tomorrow, but he was willing to risk to find out. He hoped that their friendship was strong enough to get them through whatever it could be, but it didn't completely erase his sudden anxiety.

Yagyuu was a puzzle with over a million different pieces that Niou could never completely solve, but he never stopped trying. He was unquestionably addicted and didn't want to stop.