Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis, or anything similar to it. ^.^ ; The personalities of the characters are my friends', and the personalities of the original Prince of Tennis characters are theirs.

Chapter Twenty Six: Making Sense

"Heeeeey!" Sachi said, walking up to Tezuka and Sadaharu.

Tezuka groaned. "Would you just leave me alone for like ten minutes?"

"No can do, bestie," Sachi said with a grin. "So, Oishi wants to know what the 'secret' is. Is there a secret, and if so can I tell?"

"No. We don't need that right now," Tezuka said.

"Okay! Toodaloo best bud!" she said, skipping off.

Sadaharu watched as she went away, and then turned to Tezuka. "She gave in surprisingly quickly…"

"That's because there isn't something she really wanted to know…we said there's nothing to know, so she didn't bug us."

As he was talking, Sadaharu was nodding his head, and taking notes in his notebook.

"There is no secret," Sachi announced as she rejoined the group. "And about the thing I know…I cannot tell."

She smiled at the now suspicious group.

"Is there a reason why?" Oishi pressed.

Sachi coughed and put on her best bored face. " 'We don't need that right now.' "

"So…it would mess up the team in some way," Oishi said, thoughtfully rubbing his chin.

Eiji pointed at Sachi. "You're Tezuka!" he said with a laugh. "That was a good impression…hold on, I can beat you…"

Eiji ran off, leaving the rest of the group to momentarily ponder what he was up to.

"What do you think he's…" Ryoma started.

He was cut off by Eiji returning, wearing Sadaharu's glasses and holding his notebook. "According to my notebook…" he said, opening the notebook. "Momo is a hippo!!"

"Why you…" Momo said, chasing after him.

"I guess we don't need the secret to mess up the team…I still want to know, though…" Oishi said, sadly.

"Hey…wait a second…MOMO WAIT!" Eiji exclaimed.

"No!" Momo protested.

"NO, NO WAIT! I think I found the secret!"

Sachi grabbed the notebook from him. "We're not supposed to tell, Eiji!"

"But…but…but I waaaaaaaaant to!"

"No, it's over and done with anyway," Sachi said, shutting the notebook. "See how I did that? I will staple your lips together if you can't keep them as shut as this notebook is right now."

"She probably would do it, too…" Ryoma warned Eiji.

"Aww…" Eiji crossed his arms and glared at the ground.

"Come oooon, Eiji-sempai! You know you want to tell uuuuus!" Momo pressured.

"Who do you love more: me or the Hippo boy?" Sachi asked.

Eiji gave her a disgusted look. "You, duh! Who'd love a hippo?"

"Well, I suppose, if it'd hurt the team, it's best we don't know," Oishi said, crestfallen.

Kyoko snapped in defeat. "Darn…well, like Oishi said, at least it won't become a problem…"

"Eiji will eventually crack if they don't tell us first, though," Ryoma pointed out.

"I will not!" Eiji protested, to which Ryoma smirked at him.

"Are Sadaharu and Tezuka coming back?" Kyoko asked Sachi.

"I dunno. I think they're still talking. Kun-Kun seems upset…he wasn't pleased to see me at all. And Eiji won't tell, because if he does, I'll never speak to him again and…since I practically live there, I'll move out!"

"Then where will you live?" Oishi asked.

"With Momo!"

"NO WAY!" Momo protested.

"You can't move out, Sachi! We're siblings! Siblings don't ditch each other!" Eiji whined.

"When they break promises, I guess they do…" Oishi said.

Eiji glared at Oishi.

"I don't care where she lives, as long as it's NOT AT MY HOUSE!" Momo shouted.

"Yeah! It'd be great!" Sachi said.

"No! Evil doesn't get to live in my house!"

"But hippo boy! You need to have some friends, even if they're fake," Sachi said, hugging him.

"It burns! It burns!" Momo exclaimed, trying to push her away.

"That'd be a very entertaining thing to see…" Kyoko commented.

"We could make a movie out of that! We'll call it 'Sachi moves in'!" Eiji said.

"Or 'The Haunting of Momo's house'!" Momo countered.

"So you're okay with the arrangement, Momo-sempai?" Ryoma asked.

"Of course not!"

"Stop lying, Momo. We get you like your little Ann, but it's okay to like more than one person. Like me!" Sachi said.

"What do you mean…?" Fuji asked.

"I like people…" Sachi said.

"Yeah! She t-h-r-i-v-e-s on attention," Eiji added.

"Shut it, Eiji."

Eiji smiled and shrugged. "I just wanted to make that clear!"

"I. Do. Not. Like. Sachi," Momo said, glaring at everyone in the group.

"It's in Sadaharu's notebook, there's no arguing with that data," Sachi pointed out.

"Speaking of my notebook," Sadaharu said as him and Tezuka joined the group, coughing and holding out his hand for it.

"I had to lead him back here…" Tezuka told them. "Without his glasses, it was hard for him to walk correctly…"

"I know the secret! I know the secret!" Eiji exclaimed, jumping up and down.

Tezuka looked at Sadaharu.

"I couldn't chase him," Sadaharu said.

"Hey, don't look at me," Sachi said.

Tezuka turned to her. "No one was before…"

"Pish posh, someone is always looking at me, I'm fantastic!" she said with a big smile.

"Sure…now can Inui have his glasses and notebook back?"

"Don't give it up, Sachi! Do you realize what you're holding?!" Eiji exclaimed.

"She's holding Sadaharu's only way of seeing…" Fuji said.

"No! Look beyond that! She's holding Sadaharu's notebook! The thing with ALL of the answers!"

"You probably couldn't understand most of it, Eiji…"

"But maybe Sachi could!"

"There aren't any secrets in here I wouldn't already know, Eiji. Why would I keep it?" Sachi asked.

"Yeah, why would she…" Momo added.

Sachi glanced at Momo. "Well, apparently Momo has something to hide, so…" she said, starting to flip through the notebook.

"Ach! No! Stop her!"

Despite Momo's call to action, no one moved.

"Guys!! We have to stop her!" Momo protested.

"…why?" Ryoma asked, to which Momo gave him a look of disbelief.

Eiji walked over and read over Sachi's shoulder.

"Eiji-sempai! Stop it!" Momo exclaimed as Eiji started giggling into his palm.

Sachi looked up at Momo. "Pink underwear?"

"That's why you needed to stop her," Momo said with a sigh. "She wasn't in the limo with us…"

"You own PINK underwear? Not red, but PINK? Oh Momo…oh Momo, Momo, Momo…"

"Eiji-sempai, you already knew that, why are you giggling?!"

Eiji shrugged. "To make you nervous," he said with a smile.

Momo glared at him. "I think we should give Inui-Sempai back his notebook…"

"I concur," Sadaharu agreed.

Sachi handed it back to him. "Enjoy that Sadaharu."

"Thank you. I have lost this notebook quite often lately…" Sadaharu noticed.

"Aw…" Eiji said, snapping in defeat. "We had it and we lost it…"

"Actually, Sachi had it, and decided to give it up," Fuji clarified.

"Well, someone other than Sadaharu had the notebook, and then Sadaharu got it back! So it's the same thing!"

"I don't think so, Eiji…"

Eiji pouted and stuck his tongue out at Fuji.

Sadaharu adjusted his glasses. "That's better."

"Well, since we've gotten that taken care of, what's next?" Tezuka asked.

"I dunno, we've made fun of Momo a lot already…" Sachi said. "That's really the only thing we came here for…"

"Oh, well, I'm glad we got the only thing on our agenda done…" Kyoko said happily. "We have been to a lot of places in the zoo, too…"

"And we picked up the hippo boy!" Eiji exclaimed.

"He actually came here with us, Eiji," Fuji reminded him with a smile.

"I am NOT A HIPPO BOY!" Momo shouted, glaring at a few people who walked by, whispering.

"Maybe we should head back to school if no one can come up with anything else to do here…" Kyoko suggested.

Just then Keigo walked by the group.

Momo pointed at him. "What are you doing here?!"

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know you guys would still be standing here, I was trying to avoid you…" Keigo said, looking at Sachi apologetically.

"Oh well," Sachi said with a shrug. "It's okay, Keigo, I'm not upset. We were just leaving."

"Oh, why is he here?" Kyoko asked.

"Is it part of the secret plans we're not allowed to know?" Oishi asked, looking questioningly at Tezuka.

"Secret plans?" Tezuka repeated.

"You know what I'm talking about…"

Sadaharu started flipping through his notebook.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Tezuka said. "You're starting to sound like Eiji."

"Meaning he's making no sense," Sachi clarified.

"I didn't want to be the one to say it…" Tezuka said.

"I don't think it matters. Maybe he just came to the zoo and saw us and didn't want any trouble," Fuji said.

Tezuka snorted. "Yeah right, Atobe not wanting trouble?"

"I'm right here…" Keigo said.

"Hey! I ALWAYS make sense!" Eiji said, offended.

"Sure you do, Eiji. Sure you do," Sachi said, then turned to the direction of the exit. "Well, what are we doing? Leaving, correct?"

"Yep, let's go!" Kyoko said.

Eiji waved to the hippo area as they passed it. "Bye Momo's parent! He'll miss you!"

"It's not my parent!" Momo said, shoving Eiji out the exit.

"Come on, Yuuta," Fuji said, smiling and signalling Yuuta to go in front of him.

Kyoko looked over and noticed Sachi pull out her phone and work on a text while she was talking. "Well, that was nice. It's good that you got to see your parental again, Momo. You really should have stayed there with them…"

"You can't win them all," Fuji comforted, patting Sachi on the back.

Momo leaned to Ryoma. "Who do you think she texted?"

Ryoma shrugged. "Do you think it's important?"

Momo nodded and glared at Sachi.

Kyoko looked over and leaned to them. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Nothing," they both answered.

Kyoko looked at them confused, and then turned to Sachi who looked up at them at that moment.

"What? It's a cell phone, not my fault it's better than yours," Sachi said to Momo, putting it away.

"Is not better!" Momo protested.

"Oh really? Let me see yours."

"…no!"

"I remember a while back, Sachi gave you an iPhone, Momo…she had two and she didn't know what to do with it…" Kyoko recalled.

"Didn't it break?" Ryoma asked.

"I don't remember…but knowing, Momo, he probably broke it…"

"No I didn't…" Momo said.

"Yeah, some girl sent you a text, saying she'd never date you, so you threw it against a wall…" Ryoma said.

"Ha! I sent that!" Sachi said with a laugh. "It was an April Fool's joke from when we were gone!"

"You made me break my iPhone?" Momo asked.

"I didn't make you do anything."

"Yes you did! You made me break it! How could you?!"

"It's Sachi…" Ryoma pointed out.

"Oh, that makes sense…but still!" Momo said, pretending to cry.

"I just can't believe that he broke it because I sent him a text…or that you don't have my number!" Sachi said.

"I do, too!"

"Wait, so you broke it because I said I'd never go out with you?"

"Yep, so it's your fault…I mean NO!"

"All that work you put into trying to prove you didn't like her, Momo-sempai, and you blew it…nice work," Ryoma said.

"No! She tricked me!! I swear! I didn't know who it was!" Momo protested.

"I think Momo's going to have a breakdown," Kyoko noticed.

"Momo's life is one big breakdown," Tezuka pointed out.

"HEY!"

Sachi patted his head. "Where's his Ann?"

Ann waved at her. "I'm right here."

"Oh, you were so plain looking I didn't even notice you," Sachi said with a chuckle. "Well, you know how to fix him, don't you? We can't go anywhere with this huge lug sitting around."

Ann leaned down and helped Momo up, smiling. "Come on, Momo. We have to go back now."

Momo sighed and smiled at her. "Okay, Ann…"

Eiji laughed at Momo. "How embarrassing…"

Momo glared at Eiji as the group walked into the zoo parking lot.

"Now where to?" Kyoko asked.

Sachi shrugged.

Eiji leaned to Sadaharu. "Got any information on the Sachi-Ann hate thing?"

"I was not told to collect data on that, and since it doesn't have anything to do with the team members, I have not been paying attention," Sadaharu replied.

"Darn, I'll just get my information elsewhere," Eiji said, looking around. "CHIBI-CHAN!"

Ryoma took a step away from Eiji, looking at him warily.

Kyoko stood in front of Ryoma. "No, Eiji."

"But I need information!"

"Try…Oishi."

Oishi looked over and backed away. "Don't drag me into this!"

"FUJI!"

"What, Eiji?"

"I need information."

Fuji smiled. "I don't have any Eiji, I don't know what you're talking about."

"You do too have information! You're just not sharing!" Eiji glared at him.

"I really don't know, Eiji. Sorry."

"Hm…you know something. Maybe not about what I'm thinking of, but you know something."

"Wait, what? That makes no sense," Sachi said.

"Yes it does not, but sometimes!" Eiji said.

There was a slight pause as a few people tried to understand what Eiji had said.

"So, where are we going? No offense, but this parking lot is booooring!" Sachi said.

"Why would the parking lot take offense?" Ryoma asked.

"Who knows, maybe it's alive?"

"If the parking lot was alive, I don't think anything would make sense…"

"Apparently nothing does anymore…" Kyoko said, pointing at Sachi, Fuji and Eiji.

"Those three never make any sense…" Ryoma pointed out.

"Hey, I make sense. Fuji does, too. It's just this kid," Sachi said, pointing at Eiji.

"Why does everyone say that?!" Eiji asked.

"It's okay, Eiji. I understand how you feel," Momo said.

"It hurts, Momo. It hurts right here," Eiji said as he pointed to his heart and started crying.

"I understand," Momo said, patting his back.

"My sempais are a bunch of cry babies…" Ryoma said, shaking his head.

"What has happened to my team…?" Tezuka asked.

"I blame Sachi!" Momo exclaimed.

"Me, too!" Eiji agreed.

"EIJI! How could you?!" Sachi asked.

Eiji glared at her. "It was easy."

"Yeah! Welcome to the good side!" Momo congratulated.

"Kun-Kun! Do something!"

Tezuka turned to Sachi. "Like…?" he asked in a bored tone.

"Kick them off the team!"

"Just because they said they don't like you? …I don't think that's quite worth it…"

"I could play both of their sports!"

"But you're a girl. You can't play on our team."

"KUN-KUN!"

"Sorry?"

"Tezuka is on our side!" Eiji exclaimed happily.

Momo gasped. "For once I have other people on my side! And Eiji and Tezuka of all people!!"

"Maybe there's something wrong with them," Kyoko suggested.

"There's no other explanation," Ryoma agreed.

"KUN-KUN!" Sachi shouted again.

"WHAT?!" Tezuka shouted back.

The group went silent and stared at Tezuka.

"Did…did he just…?" Eiji started nervously.

"Tezuka-Sempai shouted…" Momo said.

Sachi sunk toward the back of the group. "Uhh…never mind…"

"Okay, now something's REALLY wrong!" Eiji exclaimed.

As the group was talking, Sadaharu was scribbling furiously in his notebook.

"Poor Tezuka…" Fuji said, smiling. "It looks like he's reached his breaking point."

Tezuka stared at Fuji, and Fuji stared back with a smile.

The group didn't make any movements or speak for a long moment, unsure of how to proceed.