Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters. I only own my original characters.
Warning: Spoilers for the latest manga chapters. Shonen-ai fic. Mildly OOC Tezuka. Very, very, very long chapter (Please bear with me).
Pairings: Tezuka X Echizen, Sanada X Yukimura
(This chapter tallies with chapter 12 of Echizen, Our Buchou)
A/N: There would not be so much humour in this chapter, as it would take on a more solemn mood. Though I doubt it'll be angsty. I suck at writing angst, and my angst tends to end up comical. -.-!!!
Liek Traum, currently, I'm using Microsoft Word to be my beta for glaring mistakes. Ehehe. I tend to ignore the minor ones, or my updates would really be too slow. Hmm…DUI, at first I wasn't too sure what that term stood for. Thanks for mentioning.
Yei, yup. Watari's from Death Note, though I'm only going to be borrowing the names, not the characters. Crossovers require a lot of time to form a plot, in my opinion. Of course I was joking about the one year thingy. If I wait till one year, I would have lost all my mood to type already. XD . I'll see what I can do about faster updates. My mood for typing fluctuates faster than L finishing a bar of chocolate. (How fast does he finish a bar of chocolate anyway…?) Btw, since you're a Death Note fan as well, I would highly recommend this fanfic—Mind Games. Shonen-ai between Light and L. Very nicely written.
Ria Sakazaki, don't worry, I saw your PM and that sure counts as a review, ne? Thanks for your encouragement.
black-winged Fury, yeah, I've just written the chapter when I realized it was chapter 13. Coincidence? I wonder…
Skyla Ladona, (stares at people being flushed away by tears) O.o I am not guilty. I am not guilty. (whistles innocently, turns the other direction and walks away from the crime scene)
DreamFreak336, hmm…your reaction is the only one different from the others. lol. Thanks for your compliment.
NE1410S, whoa…give her Inui juice and drop her into a cage full of rabid skunks? Are you related to Fuji? XD . I am so tempted to go with your idea…
I am grateful that there were no flames this round.
Currently I've seen till chapter 334 of the manga. Atobe's new hairstyle… (throws up blood) However, Tezuka against Chitose's match is so cool. Tezuka-sama! Kakkoii!!! (rabid fangirl mode activated)
(Please try to read Echizen, Our Buchou first before reading this fic)
Thank you all for your reviews.
To the story then…
Life After Seigaku
By: Gwynhafra
Chapter 14
The news about tennis prodigy Echizen Ryoma hit by a car naturally made headlines for several days, and the fact that it was done by a member of the Atobe family sent the media into frenzy.
On Atobe Keigo's instructions, a certain blue-haired tensai had then seized this unexpected opportunity to drop an anonymous tip to the media, which of course got the Kanto High headmistress in deep trouble.
By the time everything had settled down slightly, there was only 3 days left to the District Tournaments.
Currently, Oshitari and Atobe had met up at one of Atobe's mansions to talk about what had happened.
"Ore-sama really did not expect this though. To think the reason my aunt seemed to have so much money was because her hacker of a husband had been drawing out resources from Global Industries." Atobe was saying, while sipping on his drink.
Oshitari folded his arms. "I would say he's a professional, considering he covers up his tracks quite well. I was lucky that he had gotten careless and I was able to trace the funds to his account. He had transferred the money to his wife's account, but was not so careful in erasing his tracks this round. Otherwise, I might not have been able to find the evidence you wanted."
"Hmph. Such bravery. I'm glad that woman is out of my school. You should have seen how angry my father was..."
::flashback::
"I'm sorry, Ki nii-sama. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me..." Miyabi was weeping before the heads of the Atobe family, who had called for this quick meeting after they found out of her treachery.
Atobe Kirie, who was leader of the heads since he was from the main branch of the family, stared at his sister with such fury in his eyes that she did not dare to look at him. It was those eyes she feared, ever since she was young, those very same eyes that the blasted Kanto High captain seemed to have as well.
"Why did you do such a thing, Miyabi?" Kirie asked, his voice sad, disappointed and very, very angry.
Miyabi continued to weep loudly, hoping to get their sympathy. In her heart, she was cursing loudly.
'Mafuyu! This is all your fault! Thanks to you, everything I've worked for had gone down in smokes. Keigo...you must have been the one to send those documents to the media...damn you...'
One of her cousins, Atobe Yuuko had then spoken up.
"This is a scandal that would severely affect the family name. Kitsune Miyabi, starting from this day onwards, you would have nothing to do with the Atobe family. You will receive no aid from us, and we will see to it that you move out of this state by next week."
Yuuko gave a glance at all her relatives, and each of them nodded to show their approval. The punishment for those who smear the Atobe family name was to have their ties cut after all.
"Onii-sama!" Miyabi turned pleading eyes to her brother for help, but Kirie's gaze had hardened.
"One more thing. You're also stripped of your power as headmistress of Kanto High. That school was built specially for members of our family, and you've reduced it to such a terrible state. I've restored the former headmaster to his position. By the way, we've frozen all your bank accounts."
"Ki nii-sama...you cannot do this...you're not supposed to interfere with my business..." Miyabi had really lost her cool now, as she genuinely frightened.
Kirie gave a bitter laugh. "The Atobe Creed does not apply to you anymore, and you've lost its protection, so I do have the right to interfere when I see fit. Especially since I'm an unofficial member of the board. By the way, you've really outdone yourself this round by bribing every single member of the current board. I think you would be pleased to hear that they're fired along with you."
"Nii-sama...please don't do this to me...I'm your sister." She clung on to his shirt.
He pushed her away, disgust written all over his face. "You should have thought about that before you did all these." He said coldly.
He paused a while to let all the news sink in before dealing the finishing blow. "After what had happened, a meeting had been called for at Global Industries. Mafuyu has lost his rights to be a candidate. It has been decided that Keigo would be the next President of Global Industries. He would be taking my place." Kirie threw a look of pride at Keigo, who had been in the room as well throughout the whole meeting, standing at one of the sides quietly with the other heirs of the Atobe family.
Atobe threw his aunt a smirk, and that caused the woman to totally lose it as she lunged at him, though Atobe's father was faster as he gave his sister a slap, knocking her away from his son.
"I'm already very angry at you for how you treated my Keigo in school. I will not forgive you for trying to assault him now. Take her away!" he ordered his bodyguards.
"Don't be late for your trial. None of the family lawyers would help you this time." Another cousin called after her as she was dragged bodily from the room.
::end of flashback::
It wasn't just his aunt who was in trouble. His uncle too was charged for hacking, and Mafuyu was put on trial for drunk driving.
Also, because of all the chaos caused by the headmistress, the newly reinstated headmaster Toruwa had then ordered for the April examinations to be cancelled until the situation has calmed down.
So everything was working in Atobe's favour, as now there was nothing to stop them from going to the competitions.
"Oh? So you're the soon-to-be President of that company eh? You must be feeling relieved now that there is less trouble for you."
"Of course. Ore-sama was fated to be President ever since ore-sama was born." Atobe replied.
Oshitari shook his head. "Same as always huh, Atobe."
For a while, neither spoke up as Atobe sipped on his drink.
"Though I don't think you would have made it if this incident didn't occur." Oshitari stated.
"Aa." Everything was finally settled, but the price to pay was too high...
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Several days ago
"Where is he?" Oishi asked as all the other regulars rushed to the hospital as soon as they had received that call from Atobe. They had been in Kawamura's Sushi shop when Oishi heard the news. Even Kawamura had come along with them.
Atobe met them at the entrance of the hospital, his face grim. "He's in the E.R. now. They're trying to save his life." He spoke quietly as he led the way.
Tezuka was seated outside the room, as were Nanjirou and a red headed woman, who was crying against their coach.
"Nanjirou-san...what are you doing here?" Kira asked.
The monk stared up at him, a weak smile on his face. "That's my son in the room." He said softly.
At that, everyone blinked. "Eh?" Kikumaru asked.
"Echizen Nanjirou, also known as the Samurai Echizen and formerly a professional tennis player, but had retired suddenly right before the Grand Slam title." Inui announced his arrival. Behind him, several of the regulars of Rikkai Dai (Yanagi, Sanada and Yukimura) had followed him here.
Nanjirou nodded at that. "Ryoma wouldn't be too happy if he knew that I've revealed that to all of you, but I suppose he would not be able to know that now…" The minute he mentioned Ryoma's name, Nanjirou shuddered and became glum again.
Tezuka had been quiet all that time, seated with his arms crossed, though the pain on his face was far worse than the time he had gotten his shoulder injured in his match against Atobe last year.
The ones who knew about his relationship with Ryoma threw a glance at him, and Sanada hugged Yukimura tighter to himself. "I understand how he feels..." He said quietly, having gone through a similar experience last year.
Yukimura gave a sad smile. "Sorry to cause you to worry."
They waited for hours, each of them with worried expressions on their faces. Ryoma was undergoing surgery at that moment, and everyone knew the risks.
Just then, the red light that was just above the door had gone off, and a doctor walked out.
Immediately everyone rounded on him. "How is he?" Nanjirou demanded.
The doctor looked weary as he shook his head. "It's too early to tell. We have done everything we could for him. So far, his condition has been stabilized, but he's in a coma."
The redheaded woman (Rinko, as Inui whispered to them) gave another sob, and Nanjirou patted her lightly.
"He was lucky though. He really would have died if the car had come at him full force." The doctor told them.
Inui flipped though his book at seeing the confused looks on everyone's face. "Kitsune Mafuyu had gone drinking with his fellow student council members that day. His treasurer and secretary were seated at the back, while his vice-president was the side passenger. I believe his vice-president must have slammed the brakes just moments before the collision, lessening the impact."
The doctor nodded. "His condition isn't really life-threatening. He fractured his right arm and his right leg, and he had a few internal injuries. However, he had hit his head when he fell, and we do not know the true extent of his head injuries. We've already removed the clotted blood in his head. For now, we can only wait and see if he wakes. Please be prepared in case anything happens, as there is still a chance that he might not wake again."
They spotted one of the surgeons wheeling Ryoma out of the room, and all of them rushed forward. "Echizen!"
The boy was heavily bandaged, and his injured arm and leg were in casts. He looked so pale that they feared he was dead, if it wasn't for the doctor telling them beforehand that he was in a coma. Ryoma did not respond to any of them, and his eyes were tightly shut, as if he was sleeping.
All of them looked at the Ryoma sadly, while Kawamura had passed out on the spot, and the Rikkai regulars supported him before he flattened Fuji.
Tezuka's eyes were haunted as he stared at the boy. "Ryoma..." he held his boyfriend's hand briefly before the prodigy was wheeled off to another room (Ward 13).
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The regulars of Kanto High paid frequent visits to the hospital, as did many well-wishers and admirers of the tennis prodigy. Already there was a mountain of gifts by Ryoma's bedside.
Ryoma's parents came here on a daily basis, though they were not the only ones, as Tezuka was here too. Somehow, the K-High captain had retreated deep within himself, and became unresponsive towards everyone and everything around him.
Atobe frowned at seeing the captain seated quietly by Ryoma's bedside. The blow to Tezuka was not one that the brunette could recover from so soon. It was just his luck that this had happened right before the Tournaments.
Just then, they heard more footsteps pounding down the hallway. "Ryoma-kun!" Sakuno entered the room. Of course, Tomoka was with her. Unfortunately, it seemed that someone else had tagged along as well.
Tina's eyes widened with disbelief at seeing the heavily bandaged boy now lying motionless on the bed. For a moment, everyone wondered if Ryoma's number one stalker was about to faint.
For a while the girl trembled slightly, and the next moment she had burst into her loud, over-exaggerated tears.
"Oh, My Ryoma! How could you do this to me? What am I going to say to all my friends? It would be so embarrassing if they found my boyfriend looking like this. What if you die? What if you're paralyzed? I don't want to date a vegetable…"
The next moment, a glass shattered against the wall behind her, narrowly missing her head. Of course, the girl screamed bloody murder.
"Get out…GET OUT!" Tezuka roared, having completely lost his temper and thrown the cup at her. Oishi, Kikumaru, Fuji and Yamato restrained him before he hit the girl, who was still standing on the spot.
"How dare you attack a lady like this?! Have you no manners?" the thick-skinned girl asked with a huff, though the next moment she was staring into Atobe's icy gaze.
The vice-captain gave a snap of his fingers, and five of his bodyguards appeared at the doorway.
"Gentlemen. Please escort this lady out of here, and get her on the next flight to America. Now!"
"Hai! Keigo bocchama!" Atobe's men dragged the kicking and screaming banshee out of the place.
It seemed like that was perhaps the only reaction they could draw from Tezuka, who was now seated quietly by Ryoma's bedside again. Atobe's frown deepened.
"Ore-sama will be the temporary captain for K-High, for now." He finally announced to all the regulars. There were only 2 days left now, and Tezuka didn't look like he was in any condition to play.
He gave each of them a glance in turn, and they nodded to show approval.
Atobe glanced back at Tezuka. The competitions were their main focus now. "We'll be back for you later, Tezuka. You had better be ready by then." With that, the regulars left.
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The competition grounds bustled with the same energy as the one during the District Preliminaries.
Atobe's face was unsmiling as he led his team to the competition grounds that day, giving off such an icy aura that players from other schools wisely kept their distance.
Well, while they kept their distance, their voices could still be heard though.
"Isn't that Atobe? Have you read the papers? His aunt is now on trial for embezzling money from his father's company."
"So I heard. That family of his must be really twisted."
Before Atobe could bark orders for those insolent peasants to be removed from the area, he heard his name being called. Turning around, he found himself face to face with Gakuto and Oshitari, who had come to watch the matches as well, since Roshan High wasn't playing that day. Behind them, Kabaji stood between a grumpy Shishido and a sleepy Jirou.
"Oh? Atobe. You're the temporary captain? Where's Tezuka?" Gakuto enquired curiously.
Oshitari on the other hand gave a snort. "Hmm? He really didn't make it here, huh."
Gakuto gave his doubles partner a confused look at that. Alas for him, Oshitari didn't look like he was going to give any explanations about it.
"He's having a rest for a while. Ore-sama will see to it that he joins us for the future matches." Atobe told the acrobatic player.
Oshitari walked up to the boards and studied it, giving a frown. "Kourin High huh…If I'm not mistaken that team consists of two players who were formerly from Jousei Shonan."
"Aa. That's why for this round, ore-sama had to change the order a little." Atobe spoke quietly.
Oshitari gave a chuckle. "This should be interesting to watch. Well then, don't let us hold you up. We'll try to get the best seats."
"Ceh. The outcome is obvious. The winner would definitely be K-High. Right, Kabaji?"
"Usu." Kabaji picked up Jirou (apparently he had been sleeping while standing upright) and followed after Oshitari and Gakuto. Atobe then turned his attention to the last person to leave-Shishido, who was fidgeting quite anxiously.
"What's wrong with you, ahn?" Atobe's eyes narrowed.
"No. It's nothing." Shishido made his escape before Atobe could bombard him with anymore questions.
Atobe smirked. There wasn't a need to ask questions in the first place anyway. Being Shishido's teammate for three years, he could roughly guess that whatever-or whoever- was the cause of Shishido's anxiety was probably now having a match in the junior high competitions around the same time.
"Alright, listen up. I would be reading to you the order for the players." He told his K-High members.
XXX
Doubles 1 had consisted of Yamato and Kira, who had won their match against their third-year opponents, 6 games to 3.
The Golden Pair pulverized their opponents 6 games to 0. Kikumaru had made it seem like there was three of him on the courts, and the opponents were confused into thinking that they were fighting 4 players instead of 2.
Asakawa had finally tried playing Singles 3, and made up for his weak accuracy with his speed, defending his side of the court as best as he could. He too won- 6 games to 4.
Finally, it was up to Singles 2.
"Ah! He's playing singles again. This is bad…" a few whispers could be heard from Kourin High's side.
Fuji Shuusuke's smile remained unchanged as he stepped out to the courts. On the other end, first year Shinjou Reiji represented Kourin.
"I haven't seen you in a while. Not since the Jr. Senbatsu camp." Fuji greeted as they shook hands.
(A/N: The Jr. Senbatsu camp was the one in which they chose players for the US-Japan games)
"Aa." Shinjou said nothing else, being a person of few words.
"One set match. Fuji to serve!"
Fuji merely smiled and started the game, engaging in a battle with the tall Kourin High first year.
Of course, the tensai looked to be the stronger player, as he scored 3 games to 1. However, the next shot caught him by surprise.
'This shot…it feels heavy!' Fuji thought as he returned it using all his strength.
Shinjou then got into the same pose as he hit the next shot, and Fuji prepared to return the power shot. To his surprise, however, the shot this time was light.
"Out! Game, Kourin's Shinjou. 3 games to 2." The referee announced.
Fuji merely gave a smile. He had seen this used before. "Mirage huh. You're playing seriously now, it seems."
Fuji recalled how both Echizen and Oshitari dealt with the Mirage. It took Echizen quite a while the last time, but the tensai of Hyotei had overcome Shinjou's skill pretty easily during the Jr. Senbatsu camp.
He smiled. Well, Oshitari had backed off to the baseline, while Echizen had used his twist serve to return it. He would go with Echizen's idea. As Shinjou hit another Mirage, Fuji got into a very familiar looking pose.
"Quadruple Counter: Tsubame Gaeshi!" Using the spins with the returning swallow, he managed to nullify Mirage (it had been a light shot this time) and prevented his return from flying out of the courts.
"Game. K-High's Fuji. 4 games to 2."
Fuji smiled serenely at Shinjou. "Don't bother trying to use that again. It's useless against me."
Apparently Shinjou thought otherwise, for this round, his Mirage was a heavy shot.
It didn't make much of a difference to Fuji, who returned it with Tsubame Gaeshi again. Though after a year, Shinjou's mirage was definitely stronger as Fuji had to return the shot with all his strength.
"Game. K-High's Fuji. 5 games to 2."
With that, the next match begun. A short rally began between the two before Shinjou used yet another skill, getting into another pose with his arms crossed out before him.
Fuji recognized it immediately. "Deep Impulse! He hasn't abandoned this dangerous skill?" the tensai wondered aloud. When Shinjou used Deep Impulse against Ryoma last year, his shots had hit the boy terribly, injuring him.
Shinjou fired a very powerful shot. To Fuji's surprise, it did not aim at his body. Instead, the ball hit the very edge of Fuji's racket, knocking it out of his hands.
"That is my new Deep Impulse." Shinjou said calmly.
Fuji gave a chuckle. "This is interesting." He said to himself. Using the same destructive power as the old Deep Impulse, Shinjou had deliberately aimed for the edge of Fuji's racket, causing the shot to feel much heavier than it actually was. Well, he would have to think of something for this. He definitely couldn't use the returning swallow, as by hitting the edge of the racket, it also meant that Fuji would not be able to create enough spins to use that counter.
They began another rally again. Fuji tried his best to seal the game with his returning swallow before the opponent had the chance to hit his Deep Impulse, though when the opponent used that skill, Fuji's racket would still be knocked out of his hands.
"Game, Kourin's Shinjou. 5 games to 4."
Shinjou had hit yet another Deep Impulse. This time, Fuji held the handle of his racket with both hands, improving his grip so that he could hit the very powerful shot back.
"That skill of your sure was nasty. Oh well." Fuji had hit a lob, and Shinjou fell for it, hitting a smash.
"Quadruple counter: Higuma Otoshi." Fuji returned the shot, making the ball fall behind Shinjou.
"Game and match. Won by, K-High's Fuji. 6 games to 4." The match was finally over, and Fuji found himself glomped by his ever hyper best friend.
"You did it nya, Fuji!" Kikumaru cheered.
Fuji chuckled at his best friend's enthusiasm. "Hai."
Atobe was already headed over to the courts. He threw up his K-High jersey, and it was caught by one of his bodyguards.
"Good work, Fuji. Now sit down. It's ore-sama's turn to shine." He said, walking off as the referee called for the Singles 1 match to be started.
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"Oh? I've heard a lot about you, but I've never played against you before." Kajimoto Takahisa stated as they shook hands.
Atobe gave an arrogant smirk. "Of course. There are really few players who could actually be considered worthy to play against ore-sama."
Kajimoto gave a good-natured smile. "I see. I should be honoured then."
Kajimoto was to serve first. He threw the ball into the air, bent backwards completely, then hit the ball with such a speed that when Atobe blinked, the ball had already rolled out of the courts.
"15-0"
"His spine must really be incredible, to be able to bend backwards like that." Oishi observed.
Fuji nodded. "Back then, we were not able to see him perform as his team had lost, and Singles 1 was not played. I've heard about this skill of his though. L-Doru serve, where he bends backwards and launches his serve like a catapult. Even if Atobe's eyes are able to follow the shot, I don't think it can be returned so easily."
Kikumaru stretched. "I think if Tezuka-buchou were here, he too might find it difficult to return it. I might be able to though." Kikumaru gave a catlike grin.
Fuji chuckled. "I think there is one advantage Atobe has against Kajimoto-kun that Tezuka would not have. His ego."
Surely enough, as the referee announced the 1 game to 0 score, Atobe had placed his fingers between his eyes.
"How brave. Are you trying to challenge ore-sama with service aces? Very well, ore-sama will accept that challenge."
It was Atobe's turn to serve next, and Atobe fired a serve with glided across the ground without bouncing.
"Tannhauser Serve. Be awed by my beautiful skills." Atobe crowed at a slightly amazed Kajimoto.
This serve was unreturnable, just like Kajimoto's L-Doru serve. With that, their scores were soon tied at 4 all.
"This is the fastest, most boring game ever to be played by Atobe, I think. Are they going to use serves all the way to tie break? I hope not nya…" Kikumaru groaned.
Fuji gave a knowing smile. "I wonder about that. It may be boring, but their serves would allow them to keep their service games. Saa, Atobe. What would you do now?"
It was Kajimoto's turn to serve again, and once more, the Kourin High first year bent backwards before launching the L-Doru serve again.
To his surprise, this time Atobe managed to catch up with it and return it. Not perfectly though, as he had hit the net.
"Ceh. Just a little bit more." Atobe snorted.
When Kajimoto used the serve again, this time, Atobe successfully returned it as the ball rolled over to the other side of the net. Kajimoto then had to bend over and retrieve it quickly by hitting it upwards in a lob.
"Rondo to Destruction!" Atobe hit the racket out of Kajimoto's hands before scoring with a smash.
"Hmph. How naïve, ahn." Atobe had put his fingers between his eyes again.
The next round, after returning the L-Doru serve, Atobe proceeded to draw out the match in a rally.
"That's strange…" Yamato, who was quiet all that time, suddenly spoke up.
All eyes turned to him. "What is?" Kikumaru asked.
Yamato pointed at Kajimoto. "Firstly, Atobe-kun had chosen to draw out the match when he could have easily finished it. Secondly, notice how Kajimoto-kun has to bend forwards and backwards repeatedly to return Atobe-kun's shots?"
They watched for a while, and surely enough, Atobe had hit as shot near Kajimoto's feet, making him have to bend over to return it.
"Now that you mentioned it…" Oishi frowned.
Fuji on the other hand chuckled. "This is interesting."
"30-15!" the referee announced as Atobe had finally ended the rally and scored a point.
"Kajimoto-kun. If you don't keep your service game, you have no chance of winning against ore-sama." Atobe taunted, folding his arms.
Kajimoto started off with his L-Doru serve again…and the ball hit the net.
"Fault!"
He tried again, and once more, the ball had hit the net, scoring Atobe a point.
"His aim is off! How could that be possible?" Kikumaru wondered aloud.
"Atobe was up to his old tricks again, just like when he faced Tezuka. He must have used his insight to guess Kajimoto's weak point. As you can see, he wore out Kajimoto's spine, causing Kajimoto's accuracy to decrease as well." Fuji explained to his best friend.
"Game and match, won by, K-High's Atobe. 6 games to 4." It wasn't surprising that Atobe had won the match, as Kajimoto was worn out, and there was no way he could return the Tannhauser Serve.
"A battle of service games. I think Atobe's the only one crazy enough to do that." Kira sighed.
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Under Atobe's lead, they defeated their opponents and proceeded on to the next match. Before long, it was time for the finals, which would be held two days later.
"Hoi hoi! We finally made it to the finals." Kikumaru cheered as all of them walked over to the boards.
Fuji nodded. "Aa. Atobe did a great job as temporary captain. Now I can see why the Hyotei team had no vice-captain when it was under his rule."
"Let's win this and report the good news to Tezuka…well…that is if he would finally respond to any of us…" they all stopped before the boards, and immediately all their faces fell when they saw who their next opponent was.
"Ah."- Yamato
"Oh dear."- Kikumaru
"Looks like we have no choice."- Oishi
Atobe nodded solemnly. "We need Tezuka."
For there was a single line connecting K-High and Rikkai Dai.
XXX
"Tezuka, please get back to your senses." Oishi pleaded yet again to an expressionless captain.
It had been easy finding the K-High captain, as he could only be at one place-Ward 13. The captain was still seated quietly by Ryoma's bedside, having long retreated deep inside his mind to lessen the emotional pain he was feeling. Well, while finding Tezuka was easy, trying to talk to him was not.
"Tezuka, we need you to join us for the competitions." Kikumaru tried too. He received no response either.
"Tezuka-kun." Yamato shook him lightly.
The Golden Pair, Asakawa and Yamato were trying their best to plead for Tezuka's return. Atobe, Fuji and Kira watched their futile attempts silently.
"Tezuka…" Kikumaru looked like he was about to give up.
Atobe uncrossed his arms and strode over to the quiet captain. To all their surprise, he raised his hand, then brought it down and gave Tezuka a swift slap across one cheek.
"Atobe! Yamero!" The four who were around Tezuka hurried to separate him from the captain.
Atobe's eyes flashed furiously. "Hoi! Tezuka! You've won the position of captain from ore-sama, so you had better start acting like one, Tezuka! Or have you forgotten your responsibilities?"
Tezuka gave him a dead stare, not saying anything.
That only served to infuriate Atobe even more. "Tezuka! What do you think he would say if he suddenly opened his eyes to find you sitting there when the District competitions are going on? Do you think he will be happy?"
Tezuka still remained dumb, though something had flashed in his eyes briefly.
Atobe turned on his heels and walked towards the door. "We're leaving. There's no point wasting any more time here when he's not even going to answer. We'll deal with Rikkai ourselves." He told the other regulars.
One by one, they reluctantly followed Atobe's lead. Fuji was the last to leave, throwing Tezuka a worried look before he closed the door, once more throwing the room into darkness.
XXX
Tezuka had long lost track of time. Then again, he no longer knew what was going on around him after Ryoma was hit.
His mind kept replaying the accident, and guilt ate at him mercilessly. It was supposed to be him lying there, but Ryoma had taken his place.
For days, he no longer kept track of how many, he had done a repeated routine. He would come over to the hospital, sit and hope and pray for Ryoma to open his eyes, return home once visiting hours were over and do the same thing the following day.
Occasionally, there would be a lot of conversations around him. Noise, no more than that. He never quite listened to what everyone around him was saying. With his state of mind at that time, he probably didn't even understand a single word they were saying even if he listened.
That day was just like the rest; There were people speaking around him, though this time he could vaguely feel someone shaking him slightly.
'That hurt!'
Slowly, the room came back into focus as he pulled himself away from his thoughts. Before him, he could see his team members blocking Atobe from lashing out at him.
"Hoi! Tezuka! You've won the position of captain from ore-sama, so you had better start acting like one, Tezuka! Or have you forgotten your responsibilities?"
Tezuka had kept quiet. Atobe's angry words had somehow pulled him back to reality. True. He had completely forgotten that he was K-High's captain, ever since he had been swallowed by a terrible bout of self-hate.
It was Atobe's next words that woke him fully.
"Tezuka! What do you think he would say if he suddenly opened his eyes to find you sitting there when the District competitions are going on? Do you think he will be happy?"
After Atobe and the others had left, Tezuka had gotten slowly to his feet, his mind clearer than it was in days. The pain on his cheek helped to prevent him from going back into depression again, at least.
For the first time in days, Tezuka sorted through his thoughts, locked back painful memories and tried to regain some control over himself. He had really been unfair to his teammates this round. How many days had he been here? They mentioned something about the finals, didn't they? And Rikkai Dai?
He stared down at Ryoma's pale face, remembering what the boy had told him a long time ago.
"Kunimitsu, let's make a promise! A promise between captains. No matter how tough it would be in the future, we will lead our teams to the Nationals."
Remembering the promise, Tezuka put on his stoic mask once more as he leaned down to plant a soft kiss on Ryoma's lips.
"We will win this match. Wait for me, Ryoma." With that, the Kanto High captain left the room.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Two days later-Finals
"Let's see…we have no reserve player for this match so we cannot afford to lose. Doubles 2-Asakawa and Fuji. Doubles 1- Golden Pair. Singles 3- Kira. Singles 2-Yamato. Singles 1-Ore-sama." Atobe read off the list.
He was not giving his usual smirk, knowing that it was very difficult for them to win against Rikkai Dai this round. 'That baka captain Tezuka…' he thought savagely. "No objections are allowed." He spoke in a tone to indicate that his decision was final, rolling up the list.
"Tezuka." Kikumaru said suddenly.
At that, Atobe's frown became even worse. "That idiot is still too busy pining for his boyfriend. He's not in the list…"
Kikumaru shook his head violently. "Tezuka!" he pointed at a figure standing at the gates.
When the limousine got near enough, they saw that it was indeed the Kanto High captain standing there. Trust Kikumaru and his eyesight to spot him first. Tezuka looked to be back to his old self (he had arrived earlier than any of his players after all).
Once the rest had gotten out of the limo, Tezuka gave them a bow. "I apologize for my behaviour these past few days."
Oishi looked relieved to see his best friend there. "Tezuka! You came after all."
"Aa." He glanced at all his team members. His gaze met Atobe's. The vice-captain didn't look like he had quite forgiven Tezuka yet. Then again, he didn't look like he was going to hold on to that grudge for long either. "You came after all. Ore-sama thought you would have chickened out."
"I will lead the team now. Sorry for all the trouble, Atobe." Tezuka said as his way of apologizing.
"About time. Well, I suppose ore-sama could do something about this list." Atobe replied with the indirect message of "apology accepted".
"Welcome back, Tezuka." Fuji smiled.
"Aa."
With the newly amended list, the K-High tennis club then checked in at the booth, under the renewed leadership of their captain.
"Saa. Yudan sezu ni ikkou."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Oh? Tezuka has returned? I thought the Golden Pair mentioned that he was injured and had to rest?" Gakuto asked.
Atobe snorted. "Ore-sama did say that he'd be back, didn't I? By the way, what's with that glum face, Shishido?"
The cap-wearing boy frowned even worse and crossed his arms. "Mind your own business, Atobe."
"Hyotei's playing against Seigaku today, around this time too." Oshitari explained, ignoring the glare Shishido threw him.
Atobe gave a snort. "Baka. There's no reason for you to be here then. Go on. Ore-sama have more than enough people here to cheer for me anyway. I'll send you to watch the Hyotei match on my behalf then. Give ore-sama a report on how Hiyoshi is performing."
Shishido narrowed his eyes. Did Atobe take him to be some kind of servant?
"Go on, Shishido. If you waste your time here you might miss his match." Oshitari told him.
"Fine!" Shishido gave in and sped off. It wouldn't take long for him to reach the junior high competition grounds, considering his speed.
"Well then. Keep your eyes open. You should not miss ore-sama's match." Atobe gave a snap of his fingers, and the crowd began to cheer even as the game began.
"We will now have the match between Kanto High and Rikkai Dai. Doubles 2: Kanto High's Kira-Yamato pair vs Rikkai Dai's Hiro-Taki pair."
The two Kanto High third years stared at the two Rikkai Dai sophomores.
"Yoroshiku! Hiro Kaminari and Taki Isu at your service! Let's have a good match!" Hiro, the shorter sophomore with strawberry blond hair and a feminine face that could rival Fuji's in a beauty contest, chirped good-naturedly.
Both Kira and Yamato blinked at him, wondering if this was really a boy.
Next to him, Taki Isu merely shook their hands wordlessly. He too had strawberry blond hair, though he had masculine features. "Please take your eyes off my cousin, and if you're wondering, yes, he's a boy." He sounded so fed-up that the two Kanto High players had a feeling this had happened often.
"Best of one set match. Kira to serve."
"Kira-senpai! Yamato-senpai! Ganbatte!" Kikumaru cheered from the stands, and Oishi had to keep one hand on him to prevent him from bouncing about.
Tezuka had his arms crossed before him, as usual. Next to him, Atobe was frowning slightly.
"Game, Rikkai Dai. 1 game to 0." The referee announced.
"That was fast…" Oishi looked worriedly at K-High's third years. Apparently, Hiro Kaminari was as fast as his name, and had returned all of Kira and Yamato's shots easily.
(A/N: Kaminari-lightning)
"Get serious already, Kira-senpai. Yamato-senpai." Atobe frowned.
"Maybe they're too drawn by Hiro's appearance?" Kikumaru grinned.
Asakawa snorted. "Nonsense. They've had lots of practice just by seeing Fuji."
Game, Rikkai Dai. 2 games to 0" Once more the Rikkai Doubles had scored a game.
"Yamato. I would like to have a word with you." Kira beckoned the other third year to him. For a while, both of them spoke in low voices. "I understand." Yamato grinned before getting ready to serve.
This round, Yamato served, then both of them moved to stand before the net.
"Hoi? The both of them moved to the front nya!" Kikumaru pointed out the obvious.
"Well, this way they can use faster returns against that speedy girl…I mean, guy." Oishi corrected himself hurriedly.
"Game, K-High. 2 games all."
Yamato scored yet another game after 20 minutes, bringing the score to 3-2.
"They're good. Ne, Taki?" Hiro asked as he returned yet another shot.
"Aa. Don't worry. We'll catch up." His cousin said, covering for the feminine looking player.
Taki was a counter-puncher type, like Oishi. Once Hiro had returned the shot, he moved to the front and countered both Kira and Yamato's shots so fast that the score eventually moved to 3-3.
Every time Hiro moved away from one spot, the next moment Taki was already there, covering for him.
"3-4."
"Yamato. Back me up." Kira suddenly said.
When the next rally between the two began again, Hiro had once again used a speedy shot, then moved away and let Taki take over the counter attacks.
To Taki's surprise, Kira had come to the front and aimed a shot directly at his chest, forcing him to return with a lob. Kira then scored with a smash.
"Eh? Kira actually had a skill like that?" Kikumaru wondered.
"I see. A sudden shot to the chest would force the opponent to make an awkward counter before scoring with a smash, and Kira took advantage of the fact that the speedy player Hiro had moved away." Oishi observed.
"Hoi hoi! They were so careless with their formation. That's a terrible way to play doubles nya. Those two Rikkai players are really not up to our level yet." Kikumaru grinned. For a while, he was quiet. "Ne! Maybe we should give that skill a name as well. A direct hit to the chest, looks kind of like he's aiming for the opponent's heart."
"Heart Attack?" Asakawa suggested.
"…… on second thought I prefer that skill not having a name." Oishi muttered.
"It rather has the same basis as the Rondo to Destruction. Creating a chance to keep the opponent's guard down before firing a smash." Fuji said softly.
"Aa." Tezuka gave his usual reply.
"Hmph. Ore-sama's skills are much better than that." Atobe boasted.
"Taki. Aim for the other doubles player, the volley player. He's the weaker one!" Hiro yelled to his cousin.
"Alright!" So far, they had only seen Yamato play volley. To their surprise, Yamato had suddenly used a power shot so strong that their rackets were knocked out of their hands.
"Gomen ne. I'm not a volley player." He smiled good-naturedly at them.
"He's an all-rounder. Also, you made one more mistake. He's the stronger player." Kira added after Yamato scored again, ending the game at 6-4.
"They underestimated Yamato-buchou nya." Kikumaru chuckled.
"Aa. He's a very good player." Tezuka agreed, nodding to both Yamato and Kira when they returned to the team.
Kikumaru picked up his racket. "Let's go, Oishi!"
"Aa. We'll be going now, Tezuka. Atobe." Oishi said, making his way down to the courts.
"Aa." Tezuka gave the smallest nod, while Atobe folded his arms. "Make sure you win." The vice-captain said as his way of encouragement.
XXX
Meanwhile, Rikkai Dai's Doubles 1 pair were already standing in the courts.
"The time is ripe. I have all your data with me." Inui's glasses glinted as he stared at his two former teammates.
"Sadaharu. There is a 100 percent chance that you're very happy play against them again, and a 95 percent chance that you're itching to get your notebook. Don't even think about it, and don't make any miscalculations." Yanagi said softly.
"Aa. This time, I'll put all my data to use. By the way, Renji. Shouldn't you tie your shoelaces?"
"I was just about to." Yanagi replied as he bent over and did his shoelaces.
Oishi looked slightly intimidated, while Kikumaru was as cheerful as ever. "We're finally playing against you two nya! Be prepared to be punished by Kikumaru-sama. Don't expect us to go easy on you just because we were formerly teammates nya!"
"I wouldn't have it any other way. To finally be able to play against the Golden Pair in an official match. Ii data."
"Best of one set match, Kikumaru to serve."
The acrobatic player wasted no time in displaying his acrobatic skills. "Too bad! See you next week!" he chirped.
The next moment, Yanagi was already there. "Chances of returning the skill, 99 percent. Chances of Oishi going to the net, 83 percent."
Surely enough, Oishi was already prepared to return the shot. "Chances of Kikumaru moving to the front and Oishi moving to the back, 76 percent. Chances of scoring on the right. 100 percent!" Inui fired a shot to the right, scoring a point.
With the two data players in the courts, Rikkai had very quickly scored 2 games.
"It's bad enough fighting 1 data master. Fighting 2 data masters is overkill." Kikumaru complained.
"Don't mind, Eiji. There would be a chance for us eventually." Oishi coaxed, making a signal behind his back.
Kikumaru grinned. "You're right nya."
As the second match began, halfway through the game, Kikumaru and Oishi switched positions. Behind Oishi, Kikumaru had used his seal step, creating 2 more illusions of himself.
"Ah. I was afraid of this. I've not been able to get a full data on this." Inui muttered, adjusting his glasses.
"Give me a while, Sadaharu. I should be able to figure something out." Yanagi said as he returned the shot.
Unfortunately for them, it was not just Kikumaru they had to look out for.
"Eiji! The left!"
"Hoi!" Kikumaru scored at the chance, now bringing the game to 3-2.
"Game maker Oishi. A very formidable opponent. He's now using Oishi Territory to observe for chances." Inui read out the data stored in his brain.
Yanagi turned towards him. "Well, there is a 65 percent chance that we will score the next round."
Kikumaru once again used his seal steps. To his surprise, Yanagi's gaze followed him. Inui too didn't look disturbed by his illusions. The two data masters scored when Kikumaru had left part of the court unguarded.
"What's wrong? You're moving rather slowly. I can only see one of you." Inui smiled.
"Kikumaru-kun observes his opponents carefully, and when the opponent isn't looking he moves from side to side at such a rapid pace that it creates an illusion. Well, that would be the data of the seal step." Yanagi gave his observations.
"Ceh! They've managed to overcome my seal steps." Kikumaru scowled.
"Aa. We'll have to do something about that." Oishi used his new skill.
"Cross shot! 100 percent!" Yanagi calculated. To his surprise, the ball dipped downwards, scoring quickly before bouncing out of the courts.
The next round, Oishi did the same thing. "It will hit the left, then bounce to the right." Inui calculated. Again that was wrong, as the ball bounced off to the net instead.
"5 games all"
"This is getting troublesome. By the way, I think it's a good idea to take off your power ankles and wrists. Don't you think so too, Golden Pair?" Yanagi asked.
"We will, if the both of you take off yours too." Oishi replied.
Inui chuckled. "Let's fight with 100 percent of our power then." The four discarded the weights and resumed their game. Yanagi used a high speed serve.
"Hoi hoi! You would not get past me nya!" Kikumaru grinned.
"Probability of scoring on the right side, 65 percent!" Inui calculated.
Oishi had moved there first. "I had a feeling you would be targeting this area, Inui." He used his 'Tracking' skill.
To his surprise, this round the data tennis player predicted where the shot would land accurately. "Too bad. I've already seen through this skill." He returned the shot.
"6 games all. Tie-break!"
"He has seen through 'Tracking'?" Oishi wondered aloud.
Kikumaru poked him in the face, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Don't mind, Oishi. Ochibi did mention before that your current 'tracking' skill has a weakness, remember? Inui and Yanagi must have spotted you throwing a glance at where you were about to hit."
"Now that you mention it, Echizen did say that before…" Oishi went silent as he thought about the junior high captain.
"We really owe him for helping to train us that time. Eiji. We must not lose."
"Hoi!" The next moment, Kikumaru had split himself into 5 instead of the usual 3.
"An upgraded seal step? Is this guy even human?" Yanagi looked shocked.
Inui adjusted his glasses. "This just shows how fast he's moving currently. Renji. Cover for me. I'm going to abandon my data."
Yanagi sighed. "There was a 69 percent chance that you were going to say that. Very well, Sadaharu."
"Nyuoooooo!!!!" When Inui abandoned his data, he played like a monster as he allowed his body to return the hits faster than his mind could even think. In a way speaking, the dataless Inui was actually more powerful than his usual self.
"Hoi!" Fortunately, Kikumaru was able to catch up to every shot with his current speed.
The tie-break went to an agonizing 39-40, with the two powerful doubles pairs pitting against each other. "Kikumaru Beam!" the acrobatic player brought the scores to 40 all.
"Kamaitachi!" Yanagi used his high speed slice, once more bringing Rikkai Dai in the lead.
"Moon Volley!" the scores were tied again.
Not too long later, Kikumaru stumbled while trying to return a shot, causing the ball to hit the net.
"Fault!"
"Eiji!" Oishi already knew that something was wrong. On the other side of the net, Inui frowned slightly.
"Ah! Gomen, gomen! I missed it a bit." Kikumaru apologized hastily, looking completely out of breath.
The game resumed, and Kikumaru missed again, hitting the net. "Doubles fault. 42-41. Rikkai Dai lead."
Kikumaru's four illusions disappeared as he collapsed to the ground. "Eiji!" Oishi was next to him in a moment.
"He is already at his limit, Oishi. That new seal step of his drained his stamina too rapidly." Inui stated.
"I can still play." Kikumaru struggled to get to his feet. Oishi helped him up as he slung one of Kikumaru's arms over his shoulders, supporting the acrobatic player.
"We forfeit this match, referee." Oishi declared, ignoring Kikumaru's weak protests.
"Doubles 1 for K-High is unable to continue. Rikkai Dai wins the match."
"Gomenasai, minna." Kikumaru's head was bowed as he reached his fellow Kanto High regulars.
Fuji patted him lightly on the head. "We're not blaming you, Eiji. You already did your best.
"Aa. Just get back at them if we ever meet them again." Atobe agreed.
"Take your rest now, Eiji. I will win this match." Fuji smiled as a wind picked up.
XXX
Meanwhile, right after Inui and Yanagi had returned to their team, they found that they could no longer pick up their rackets once they've set them down, as they were too exhausted to do so.
"The last time I've played such a tiring match was against you, kyojyu." Inui chuckled.
"Aa. There was a 50-50 percent chance this round, hakase. The Golden Pair could have won. I was slightly disappointed though. I had wanted to get the data on 'synchro'."
(A/N: Kyojyu-Professor. Hakase-Doctor)
"That is something done subconsciously. They can't use that skill at will, as they're still too new at it. It's something like the state of self-actualization, and requires a lot of practice and talent." Inui turned to see their vice-captain Sano walking down to the courts.
Both of the data players exchanged mournful looks. So much data…and their hands were too tired to even write.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Fuji served first. He gave a smile, then used an under serve.
As Sano made to return the ball, Fuji's smile became slightly wider.
"That ball…will disappear."
Surely enough, it was the Disappearing Serve. Sano's racket met only air.
"Tensai Fuji Shuusuke. Inui did mention your name before." Rikkai Dai's vice-captain spoke up.
Using the serve, Fuji kept his service game.
The next round, however, Sano tied the game 1 all, as he had used the very same serve too.
"Another tensai! He's actually able to copy Fuji's moving just by observing." Oishi gasped.
"Ore-sama don't think that is all." Atobe frowned, putting his fingers before his eyes. When Fuji used the disappearing serve again, this time Sano countered it perfectly, breaking Fuji's service game.
"He has the ability to analyse your skills, then either use that observation to copy the skill, or to come up with a counter attack." Atobe finally said after using his insight.
When Sano used the Disappearing Serve again, Fuji countered. "I've created this skill, so of course I would know how to counter it." Fuji said with his ever-present smile. He used Hakugei next.
It took Sano a little longer to figure this one out, and by the time he did, the wind had died out already.
"Mou, that Fuji isn't playing seriously." Kikumaru frowned.
"This is Fuji we're talking about. He plays according to the opponent's strength, unless Sano does something to offend him." Oishi sighed.
Fuji won the next game with the Returning Swallow. Surely enough, Sano copied it, though Fuji returned it easily. "Gomen. That wasn't the real Tsubama Gaeshi I had just shown you, so you're using the wrong stance. The real Tsubame Geashi's shot glides along the ground at an even faster rate. Like this." Fuji hit his real counter, and Sano could not return it at all.
Obviously, Fuji's sadistic way of playing had angered the other boy. His next serve had such a powerful spin that it looked like it was twisting and gliding in mid-air as it evaded Fuji's reach.
"The way the ball moves…it's kind of like a snake…no…a dragon?" Kikumaru rubbed his eyes.
"Ryuu." Sano declared at a still smiling Fuji.
(A/N: Ryuu—Dragon)
There was no way to counter that skill either, as it kept snaking away from Fuji. The K-High's tensai finally opened his eyes as the scores were now 4-5, and Rikkai Dai was leading.
"Looks like I have no choice. Fourth counter-Kagerou Zutsumi (Dragonfly Illusion)." He nullified the spins on the ball before returning it.
Fuji successfully countered the skill, and when Sano tried to return the shot, he realized he couldn't judge the ball's actual position. By the time he swung his racket, the ball had already shot past his left ear.
"Kagerou Zutsumi. Fuji nullifies all spins from the opponent's shot before returning it, and as the ball is now devoid of spin, it gives of the illusion that the ball is further than it actually is." Oishi said.
Kikumaru turned to look at him, confused. "Since when do you start sounding like Inui?"
"Ah. I've asked Inui about this last year, after Fuji used this same counter against the Habu skill of Higa Chuu's Hirakoba Rin." Oishi explained, looking sheepish.
With the counter, Fuji secured his match against Sano, 7 games to 5.
"That was a good match. I hope that we would be able to play against each other again someday." Sano said as they shook hands.
"Saa…" Fuji chuckled in reply.
XXX
Next up was Singles 2. Kanto High's Ice Emperor now made his way down to the courts in slow, deliberate steps. Already, Roshan High's students who were there to watch had already begun a chant.
"The winner is Kanto High. The loser is Rikkai Dai. The winner is Kanto High. The loser is Rikkai Dai."
Reaching the courts, and facing Rikkai Dai's Sanada Genichirou, Atobe lifted a hand, and the chant changed.
"The winner is Atobe, the loser is Sanada. The winner is Atobe, the loser is Sanada. The winner is…" Atobe snapped his fingers and threw his jersey in the air…
"AH-CHOO!"
Silence fell upon the courts. While the chants had been going on, Sanada had one hand extended, as he was waiting for Atobe to be done with his self-exaltation, shake his hand and they could start the match. Now, Sanada had leapt back looking disgusted, wiping his hand on his shorts.
'Yarou…someone is talking about ore-sama behind my back…if ore-sama find out who it is, that person is so dead.' Atobe thought savagely, upset that his chant was ruined.
He looked at a very livid Sanada. "Ah. Sorry about that. Ore-sama usually don't do such unrefined actions."
"You're dead, Atobe." Sanada did not go easy on him at all as he used his Invisible Serve, immediately scoring 1-0.
Atobe repaid the favour by using the Tannhauser Serve, causing a replay of his and Kajimoto's match as they kept their service games.
Once the scores were tied at 4, Sanada returned the Tannhauser Serve. "Too slow!" he gloated. Having once played doubles with Atobe, he roughly knew the weak point of Atobe's serve.
Atobe scowled, using the Tannhauser serve again. "Fault!" The side-effects of the serve were starting to kick in as Atobe's shot hit the net.
"Such a cunning guy, Sanada. The Tannhauser Serve glides on the ground without a bounce, and thus it is almost impossible to return it. However, it gives a tremendous strain on the user's shoulders and arms. Sanada must have lured Atobe into a battle of using only serves to tire him." Fuji frowned.
"Aa." Tezuka gave his usual single syllable reply.
"I believe in Atobe. His pride would not allow him to lose." Oishi said confidently.
All of them turned their attention back to the match.
Atobe gritted his teeth, giving Sanada an icy glare. So far, he had never won any of his matches against Rikkai Dai's Emperor. With a roar, he used the Tannhauser Serve again, but this time it bounced, and Sanada was able to return it.
"Your strength is failing you, Atobe. You had better give up now. There is no way you can win against me." Sanada warned, firing a smash.
"Higuma Otoshi!" Atobe countered perfectly, scoring a point.
Atobe ran a hand though his hair and held his head up high. "Ore-sama will never give up. Ore-sama have to defeat you first before I even think about doing that." He used another serve.
Once again, Sanada countered it. "Didn't I say before that your serve is now useless against me? You're too naïve, Atobe. With that level of tennis, don't even think about defeating me." He used the invisible swing to score yet another game.
The next round when he used the Invisible Serve, Atobe managed to return it. "Too bad. Your serve would not work on ore-sama either. My eyes are already used to the speed." With that, it became an all-out rally between the two Emperors.
Everyone watched as the match eventually went into tie-break. Sanada was using his strength to try and crush Atobe's shots. Atobe's pride saw to it that Sanada didn't gain a 2 point head start.
However, when the final score was announced, Rikkai Dai had won 7-6, as Atobe was already fatigued from using the Tannhauser Serve repeatedly.
XXX
"Don't mind, Atobe fukubuchou." Asakawa coaxed.
"You did your best, Atobe. None of us are blaming you." Yamato too tried to give words of encouragement.
There were storm clouds above Atobe's head. He hated losing more than anything else, and this match had left his pride severely wounded.
A hand landed on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Tezuka standing next to him.
"You did a fine job, Atobe. As captain, I am grateful." The brunette said solemnly. "Leave the rest to me." The Kanto High captain said before heading down for Singles 1.
It was finally down to the battle between the two strongest senior high players. On the other side of the net, Yukimura gave Tezuka a gentle, sympathetic smile. "Tezuka, how are you doing now?" he asked, roughly guessing the real reason as to why the Kanto High captain had been absent from so many of the previous matches.
A look of pain flashed past Tezuka's face, though it disappeared almost immediately as Tezuka's mask remained intact.
"I'm fine. Arigatou." Tezuka said, shaking Yukimura's hand.
"Don't hold back, Yukimura." Tezuka said.
The match soon began, and the rally between the two was definitely not one of senior high level.
Both were playing offensive, and at the same time they were fiercely defending their sides of the court. Neither of the two used fanciful skills. There was no need to, as the match was now a matter of attacks and returns.
Tezuka seemed to be at a disadvantage though. His teammates could see that he was not up to his usual level, and the match became rather one-sided.
"He hasn't recovered after all…Tezuka-buchou." Asakawa groaned.
Oishi's expression became one of worry. "Tezuka…I don't think he had a decent rest in days, since he was at the hospital most of the time. For the sake of the club, he's forcing himself to play, even though he is physically tired. In fact, I believe the mental fatigue he's suffering now is far worse than the exhaustion his body feels. There is no way he can win, since he's too tired to use the state of self-actualization."
"Ore-sama would not say so. Yukimura is not at his best condition either. He had just recovered from a major operation late last year. I doubt he'd use the state of self-actualization." Atobe reassured his team.
Tezuka could feel his body protesting as he used the Tezuka Zone. Yukimura dissolved the Zone within moments, bringing the scores to 5-3.
Though after another fierce rally, Tezuka managed to bring the game to 5-4. However, after that, he felt too tired to continue on with the game.
'He's too powerful! There's no way I can defeat him at this rate! I'm too tired…' Tezuka struggled to keep his already fatigued mind focused. It wouldn't do for him to have such disheartening thoughts. He would not let them lose here. Not when he had already made a promise…
"Kunimitsu." A familiar voice rang in his memory.
Once more, Tezuka found himself standing before Ryoma, who was smiling slightly. "I believe in you, Kunimitsu. When you play seriously, I don't think anyone can stand against you."
Ryoma walked over and touched his face lightly. "Ganbatte."
With that, Tezuka's flashback ended as he was brought back to the game. Yukimura had just served, and this time, Tezuka returned it cleanly over the net.
"Saa…yudan sezu ni ikkou." He said, his eyes blazing with new determination and strength.
They fought all the way to tie break, and Tezuka drew upon what's left of his energy to finish the match. Even though his brain felt like it would shut down any moment from exhaustion, he stubbornly pressed on with pure determination to win.
"Tezuka…" Oishi squeaked at seeing how the captain played on. Atobe's eyes widened, while Fuji's eyes were open.
He scored again, bringing Kanto High in the lead, 51-50. "Kanto High will go to the Nationals!" He fired a smash, draining what was left of his energy.
The ball hit the ground, as did Tezuka, whose body could no longer take the strain. Opening his eyes weakly, he could see Yukimura standing before the net.
"Game and match! Won by…"
"Omedetou, Tezuka. You won…" Yukimura smiled. Tezuka vaguely registered that in his head before he blacked out.
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Meanwhile, in ward 13, all was silent except for the steady beep coming from the machine.
On the bed, a certain green-haired captain's fingers moved ever so slightly. "Mada mada dane…" he whispered, smiling faintly.
To be continued…
A/N: Finally finished this! (Burst out in relieved tears) I was so afraid that I might exceed my two-week time limit this round.
Warui. It is pretty long winded, this chapter. Was already trying to cut down on words like mad since it had exceeded 30 pages in Microsoft Word.
Really sorry about the late update. I had a hard time trying to be satisfied when I reread this thing. Writing the matches really killed off half my brain cells. Was so tempted to just write. "Kanto High VS Rikkai Dai. Kanto High won, and here are the scores. Doubles 2:6-4, Doubles 1:7-6…The End."
One of the OCs is gone for good now, so feel free to kidnap her or adopt her.
The next chapter would not be up so soon. Would be away for the Chinese New Year holidays. Wonder how many red packets would I get this round. Kekeke.
Please Read and Review. No flames please.
-Gwyn