Disclaimer: I own very little.

A/N: I'm sorry this chapter took so long. The main reason is that I spent forever debating whether this should be one or two chapters. In the end, I put it all together -- I hope it isn't too cluttered this way.


Nothing in Tennis

"Love means nothing in tennis, but in life, it is everything."

- Anonymous

Chapter 11
Playing Games

Yamabuki had never been a particularly quiet team. Even during matches, there was always some kind of noise from the sidelines, and during practice, there was never a quiet moment. The noisiest of all, of course, was the clubroom, and especially on days when they were going to have ranking matches. Though Sengoku had continued on Banji's tradition of not letting such matches have much influence on the regular team, they were still a subject of great interest and caused much talk both before and after. Tuning out the constant chatter as best as he could, Sengoku concentrated on looking at his boyfriend, who was quickly revising data of his opponents of the day.

Suddenly, there was a faint snapping sound Sengoku's ears caught even through the general noise. Though he didn't directly see the cause for the sound, the other results were visible enough: Dan's hair fell down all around his face, no more held up in a ponytail.

"Oh, damn desu." Dan frowned, crouching down to pick up the broken hair band from the floor. "How could it just snap like that? And of course it happens on the one day I don't have any spare ones with me desu!" He gave a helpless gaze around, only to see heads being shook in denial as nobody could help him with his problem. This was hardly surprising; after all, nobody else in the team had long hair. Like Muromachi had once said, they were hardly Hyoutei.

"Can't you play with your hair down?" Sengoku asked even as he tried to think how long it would be to run to the closest store to buy some hair bands. "Or would it get in the way too much?"

"Yes, it would," Dan sighed. "It's okay, though. I think I can handle this desu." With this, he started digging through his racquet bag. After a moment he found something with a triumphant little sound. "I knew I had it somewhere around here!"

Sengoku blinked as Dan drew something that looked like a piece of cloth from his bag. Then, however, he recognized this particular piece of cloth. It was the headband Dan had been wearing almost constantly a few years ago. "You still have that old thing?"

"Of course desu! Why would I ever throw it away?" asked Dan even as he slid the band around his head, adjusting it. "It fits better than it used to in middle school, at least… Well, this should do desu." Drawing the band up from his forehead, he pulled the last few strands of hair away from his face.

"Well, now that I think about it, you did have it when you first showed up in club," Sengoku said, frowning in thought. "But you gave it up soon after that… I just thought you'd lost it or something."

"Lost it? Oh, no. Rather, I was worried it'd get too worn if I wore it every day, so I just hid it in my bag for safekeeping. But it can't hurt to wear it just once, right? It's not that old, after all!"

Of course it wouldn't hurt, not the head band, anyway. Sengoku, however, couldn't help but feel a bit unsettled as he watched Dan happily adjusting the headband to hold his hair. He knew very well why Dan was holding onto the old thing – because of its original owner, of course. And if Akutsu still had such a hold over Dan… well, he had little hope of not losing Dan to Akutsu eventually.

But then, Dan had promised, hadn't he? And Dan never broke his promises. Sengoku would just have to stay strong and have faith in his boyfriend.

That, and this very evening he'd go to the nearest store and buy as many non-girly hair bands as he could find. Just, you know. Just in case. Like a good boyfriend would do.

Jealousy had nothing to do with it. Honest.

…And really, he didn't even for a moment consider stealing the headband from Dan's bag and disposing of it entirely.


The next day, after school, Sengoku was on a very good mood. They didn't have afternoon practice, but Dan and he had agreed to meet and go out together. It was rare that he got to spend time with his boyfriend outside school and tennis club, and he was intent on enjoying every single moment. Thus there was a broad smile of excitement as he walked towards their designated meeting place.

The smile faltered a bit, though, as the figure he saw there was quite a bit taller and broader than he had expected.

"Sengoku." Akutsu nodded at him. "Before you go off with your boyfriend, I'm going to borrow him for a word." There was no sign in either Akutsu's tone or expression that he might not be completely serious about the matter – or that he expected Sengoku not to agree. Not that there was much to agree with, mind. It wasn't like this was a suggestion, after all, never mind a question – there was simply an announcement, curt and sharp, telling him how things were.

"As long as you bring him back in one piece." Not that he truly believed Akutsu would harm Dan, of course. In fact, as far as Sengoku knew, it would have taken quite some looking to find something Akutsu would have rather not done than hurt the boy. If such things even existed.

The main point being, well, it wouldn't really be hurting Dan even if Akutsu took him from Sengoku, now would it?

Nevertheless, Sengoku didn't protest. He'd just have to have faith in his boyfriend and the said boyfriend's promise. Dan had said he wouldn't leave Sengoku, not even for Akutsu. And he had to believe that promise to be true – after all, if he didn't trust his boyfriend in such a matter, who could he trust?

If only he'd been a bit more trusting a person…


Dan glared up at Akutsu. As he'd been on his way to meeting with Sengoku, he'd suddenly been pulled aside by a strong hand. Now he found himself looking at the one who had chosen to abduct him in such a manner. He did not appreciate this, not at all – which was exactly why Akutsu now found himself in the receiving end of a glare most people would have never dared to give to him.

"Oh, give it up," sighed Akutsu. "It's not like you can fucking scare me with that glare of yours. It's like a puppy trying to look strict."

"Explain, please desu." Dan's voice was cool. "What do you want with me, Akutsu-san?"

"An explanation. Well, that and you stopping this fucking avoidance." Akutsu growled deep in his throat, like a predator going in for the kill. Dan hardly seemed to even notice. "It's getting simply ridiculous. You know I'm not going to give up, so why insist on fucking going on?"

"I don't know what you mean desu." Oh, but Dan knew it very well. The truth could be read in the set of his shoulders, his jaw, in the tiniest flicker of his eyelids. Really, he was like an open book, sometimes. To the few people who knew how to read him, at least. Thankfully, Akutsu was one of them.

"You know all too fucking well what I mean," Akutsu said dryly. "Now, stop yapping, puppy, and tell me exactly why you went from practically stalking me to pretending you don't even know me well enough to greet me."

Pale though he was, Dan's expression was determined as he spoke. "Perhaps I just decided I've got enough of adoring someone so clearly not worthy of it. Now, would you please leave and let me be?"

Akutsu raised his eyebrows. Now, this wasn't like Dan at all. Avoiding him was one thing, telling him to leave was another. The former Dan was obviously capable of, but the latter, despite all the evidence…

"Who the fuck are you and what have you fucking done to Taichi?"

Once again, Dan glared at Akutsu as fiercely as he could, which was not very. He was not exactly the expert of glares here, after all. "I am myself," he replied, sullen. "If it shocks you that much that I don't want to follow you around anymore, well, you can just fuck off desu."

For a moment, Akutsu just stared at the younger boy with wide golden eyes. Then, he burst into laughter.

"Okay, kid, point one," he said once he had recovered from his amusement. "The desu is fucking cute, but if you want to swear, drop it the hell off. Point two, swearing doesn't suit you anyway, and I fucking doubt Sengoku wants to kiss such a dirty mouth. And point fucking three, don't tell me what to do, got it?"

"What does it concern you what Sengoku-senpai likes or doesn't like? You've made it rather clear that when it comes to me, you'd rather just take his damn place, yourself."

"Look. I understand swearing if you're angry, everyone fucking does that, but casual curses? Suit some people, but not fucking little saints like you. Just drop the habit." Akutsu smirked. "You always sound embarrassed about it, anyway." Then, Akutsu frowned, now more serious. "What does it concern me? Think, kid. It's obvious you're with Sengoku. And the idiot's more serious about you than he's ever been about anyone. If you're happy with that, I'm not about to interfere."

"Do you mean to imply I'm not happy, perhaps?" Dan raised an eyebrow in question. "Because I am."

"Really?" The word was hardly more than a deep rumble in Akutsu's chest, hardly a comprehensible word at all. Dan more felt than heard it as he was suddenly drawn close to Akutsu, strong hands holding him close, then starting to travel down his back.

Dan swallowed. He knew these hands, big and strong and sure, had watched them often enough to commit them to memory. Countless times he had thought of them, dreamed of them, of being touched by them. And now those dreams were coming true, those hands touching him, petting him, drawing him close. Strong fingers slid down his sides caressing, teasing…

Dan couldn't recall ever doing anything as difficult as it now was to push himself away. Nevertheless, he did so, stepping backwards to put some distance between himself and the taller boy. "Don't do that." His voice was hardly more than a whisper.

"Do what?" Akutsu raised his eyebrows. "Don't even try to tell me you don't want it."

Dan grimaced. Of course he wanted, had wanted for years, but it was too late now, wasn't it? He said as much. "It doesn't matter if I want you or not desu, anyway," he added quietly. "What matters is that I'm with Sengoku-senpai, not with you. And I'm not about to cheat on him."

"Ever the saint, aren't you?" Akutsu reached out a hand to brush a finger against his cheek. "…Then again, I guess that's one of the fucking reasons people like you."

"It's the very basic requirement for any steady relationship," Dan replied somewhat stiffly. "People have various preferences and views on such things, I know desu, but I still don't believe I could ever dedicate myself into a relationship that was not entirely faithful."

"Well, that's good." Akutsu turned on his heels, preparing to walk away. "And don't even think about avoiding me anymore, kid."

"Huh?" Dan blinked in surprise. Talk about abrupt. "You mean… that's it? You just leave after something like that?"

"What else should I do?" Akutsu glanced back over his shoulder. "You've made it pretty fucking clear you're going to neither leave Sengoku nor mess with anyone else on the side. Continuing to try to change your mind would only make sure not only you but also bloody Sengoku would start avoiding me – at the fucking best. I'm not that desperate, you know. I can wait. …Oh, and Sengoku's still waiting for you where you were supposed to meet."

For a moment Dan just stared at Akutsu's retreating back. Finally, he drew a deep breath, shouting out the words he'd wanted to say for a long while now. "See you tomorrow, Akutsu-senpai!"

Akutsu didn't respond, he never did, but Dan knew him well enough to recognize the nigh unnoticeable nod of head as the agreement it was.


"Practice paused. I know none of you can concentrate anyway."

Sengoku's announcement was hardly even noticed as everyone gathered around one of the courts. Matches between the regulars were always a cause for interest for everyone, and it'd been quite a while since they'd last seen Dan and Muromachi playing against each other. Shaking his head, the redhead made his way as close to the court to the possible, using smiles and buchou power and sharp elbows to reach the best spot to view the match.

"Ready, Dan-kun?" Muromachi smirked a bit as he looked at Dan.

"As I'll ever be, Muromachi-senpai." Dan smiled, tilting his head to the side. "Do your worst desu!"

"As you wish." Muromachi got ready to serve. "I'm not going to go easy on you!"

After a brief smile at Sengoku, Dan forgot everything outside the court, as was far too usual. When he was playing against a skilled opponent, he often focused so completely on the match he even forgot to keep track of the score, and Muromachi, Singles One, was the most skilled player Yamabuki had to offer – the most skilled player who actually played, anyway. Smiling at the thrill of the challenge, Dan returned the serve.

For some time they rallied, both keeping a close eye on the other for the slightest sign of faltering and finding none. Dan went over data in his mind, data of both Muromachi and the various techniques that might work against him. Cataloguing every sign and gesture inside his mind, he did his best to match Muromachi's movements, trying to predict the direction of each shot as early as possible.

Muromachi cocked his head to the side. Dan did the same.

As the match progressed, they were soon tied at two games each. Shifting his weight from one foot to another, Dan smirked a bit just as Muromachi did the same, almost unconsciously mirroring his opponent's expression as he tried to figure out where the next shot was going to be directed. The most logical direction was right, all his data pointed to that, so if he just –

Except that Muromachi was going to hit the ball to the left.

Dan didn't know how he knew that, exactly. It wasn't the usual tennis instincts, warning him where the opponent was about to move, but something else that he couldn't identify properly. Nevertheless, he couldn't ponder on it much further at the moment. He had to act or he'd lose.

Reaching to the left, he found the ball coming right towards him. Hitting it back, he grinned a bit at Muromachi's baffled expression.

"…Okay. What were the chances for that?" asked the fuku-buchou, returning the shot.

"Incredibly low, actually." Dan dragged his racquet a bit, hitting a perfect Moon Volley as the ball came closer. "I was just about to go to right when I realized you'd hit left."

"So you decided to move there?" Muromachi reached the ball just in time, eyeing him carefully. Now to figure out which way Dan would move… "How did you know such a thing, anyway?"

Except he moved exactly to the direction Muromachi hadn't expected him to. "Not entirely sure," Dan replied, returning the shot. "But it sure works desu."

"So it would seem," muttered Muromachi as the game went on. "Whenever I think I know where you are going, you go to the other side. It's getting somewhat unsettling."

"So sorry desu," Dan said with a smirk, once again reaching a shot he wasn't supposed to. "I do apologize for messing with your instincts." If that was what it was, anyway. The few times Muromachi actually pinpointed these strange occurrences, there was nothing wrong with Muromachi's instincts – he knew exactly where Dan would have moved based on all his data and experience. Too bad it was those times that Dan decided to move against his logic – and was right to do so.

In the end, Dan wasn't entirely surprised to win the match. As they shook hands over the net, he grinned at the fuku-buchou. "I really am sorry, Muromachi-senpai," he assured. "It's like… like I could tell where your instinct was telling you to aim."

"So that's what it was!" Sengoku's voice startled them both. "I kept watching you and wondering what was going on… but that's the logical explanation, isn't it?"

"What is?" Muromachi raised his eyebrows at the buchou. "That Dan-kun managed to tap into my instincts?"

"Exactly." Sengoku grinned brightly. "You did notice how he kept mimicking your gestures, right? It helps you get on the same wavelength with another person if you mimic them. And, well, the Puppy Dog Serve is all about getting on the wavelength of the opponent's instincts. Right, Taichiichi?"

"Sounds almost logical," Dan said with a shrug. "I'll have to analyze it further, though. For all I know, it was just a freak occurrence."

"But if it wasn't, you might have discovered a fairly powerful technique." Muromachi nodded approvingly. "Next time we play, I guess I'll have to look out."

"What, you didn't need to do that now?" Dan pouted playfully. "Mean desu!"

"Oh, you know, Dan-kun." Muromachi smirked a bit. "Why look out for someone who's stupid enough to go out with Sengoku-buchou?"

The two both laughed, and Sengoku found himself joining in, if only because the sight of Dan laughing made him glad enough to ignore the teasing.