Me: Once again, I thank you for all the reviews, alerts and favourites! :D It gives me a great sense of achievement but the reviews play a bigger part. It allows me to communicate with you guys as readers and give me tips or any suggestions you may have for the stories. If you guys want some drama, "The Queens' Lives" is there for a reason! XD Hopefully, I can finish this part of the Regionals and move on to the Goodwill Games or the International games! By the way, I do not own any of the "Prince of Tennis" characters except the OCs!

easily1994addicted: Thank you for the review! I truly appreciate it. I'm currently working on your request of Sengoku and Momo. Like you said, they are just too cute!

Chapter 53 - Shinigami Shot

Momo staggered back onto the court while trying clear her hazy vision. She blinked several times before recalling the speed of the ball zooming straight at her within a split second. Without a second to react, the Shinigami found herself plastered against the wall with small bits of rubble clattering on the ground next to her. Everything flashed before her mind as she continued walking back to the baseline. Her ribs screamed in agonizing pain; where did a freshman gain that kind of power? She could understand Ayane's power since her build was perfect for that kind of bulldozing.

It makes no sense...

Momo's knees suddenly gave in as she collapsed on the ground, kneeling in complete paralysis. Rangiku continued to remain standing tall before her, smirking as she did so. The Shinigami struggled to stand up only to have her knees give out under her. She stared at the ground, bewildered. How did Rangiku manage to shock her legs into numbness? She slapped her legs only to realize in horror that she could not feel anything. Her upper torso trembled as her legs refused to respond to any of her commands. Much to her shock, instead of seeing the freshman - the male Sanada stood in front of her mocking and taunting her for her weakness. She slammed her fist on the ground, averting her eyes.

"Momo," Isane gripped the railing tightly, watching her friend trying to cope with her non-responsive body. "Come on, you have to get up!"

Haruka bit her lower lip anxiously, clenching her hands into fists. "There's something familiar about this style of play..."

Hitomi's eyes widened. "The numbers she's doing... It's not the same one for the three sets of data I gathered from the last matches. I double checked my data through the videos..."

Mai narrowed her eyes. "That's because the Wraith originated from the corpse. Not just any corpse however..."

Ayane swallowed hard at the intense gaze coming from the tensai. "You mean-?"

"Man can never win against himself," Mai justified while folding her arms.

Shizuru shook her head. "Man can only acknowledge himself and use that power to become better but not eliminate it completely. She may be copying my numbers but how far can she go?"

Rin jumped onto the railing, cheering loudly for the Shinigami. "Momo-chan, don't give up!"

The Shinigami struggled against her paralysis but every time she stood up, her legs immediately gave way beneath her. The purple haired senior bit her lower lip shamefacedly; Momo narrowed her eyes angrily at her legs and even tried slapping it to life. No pain reached her nerves even as she struggled to crawl. Momo hung her head embarrassedly; never in her life had she been so helpless. She shut her eyes with tears threatening to spill out of them - although it would injure her pride, Momo could feel her mouth running dry. What good could she do with a pair of dead legs?

"Time out for a moment," a voice snapped through the tension of the match.

Momo's eyes snapped open until she felt someone carrying her bridal style. She shook her head in admonishment until an orange mob of hair came into view. Sengoku grinned goofily at her before bringing her to the bench. The Shinigami wasn't quite sure what to believe at the moment. It was either Sengoku did it on purpose to buy her some time or he's just inexplicably stupid. As he set Momo down, her grip on her racquet loosened as it clattered on the ground.

"What was that for," Momo twitched darkly at the bubbly orange haired vice captain of Yamabuki.

Sengoku's expression became serious. "Momo-chan, aren't you over-thinking this match a bit? Trying to counter every one of her personality is impossible unless you're an empath."

Momo bit her lower lip while glancing at her trembling legs, tasting salty liquid at the top of her mouth. "I... I can't figure out what her weakness is... her physical aspect is all perfect - I can barely find anything as a signal to tell me whether or not she's using one personality or the other. It's as if she's the improved version of Shizuru. For Shizuru, it was easy for me to predict because she would always try to stop putting too much weight on her left leg as a subconscious act to prevent herself from wearing out her body. Rangiku's..."

"You always told me that every opponent has a weakness," Shizuru gently picked up her racquet from the ground, placing it once again in Momo's hands with an encouraging smile. "See it and exploit it. The mind is a very powerful object - it can be your greatest obstacle or your greatest weapon."

Momo smiled bitterly at her junior. "How can you exploit the weakness when it does not exist?"

"Then you're just going to have to make one," Mai folded her arms with a note of finality. "She's only human - what kind of human claims they're perfect?"

Kiyone prepared to open her mouth before the red haired tensai rolled her eyes at the freshman volleyist. "Shiraishi's tennis is the one that's perfect, not his personality."

The sandy haired volleyist then snapped her mouth shut.

"I know you can do it, Momo-chan," Sengoku held both her hands before staring her straight into the eyes, smiling with extreme optimism. "Win or lose, it's the experience that counts right? If you win, that's a bonus. If you lose, that's a bonus for you too since you learn from it right~? I have faith in you, Shinigami-chan!"

Momo stared at Sengoku for a moment, completely astonished. Her body somewhat trembled as Sengoku clasped her hands even tighter as if to prevent her from feeling any fear. Her heart continued to wildly pump but slowly calmed itself when Sengoku continued to smile at her with much encouragement. Tears spilled freely from her eyes as she collapsed onto her knees and threw her arms for an embrace. Among any of her opponents, Shibuya certainly struck the most fear in her. Inuzuka pounded at her with extreme brute force but Rangiku threw her mind into complete turmoil. All her thoughts rushed out wildly and screamed at her body to turn away.

No, I will not let my fear destroy me.

"S-Sengoku, thank you," she swallowed hard, realizing how much of her pride just went down the drain. "Why is it you know how to say the darnest of things?"

Sengoku however noticed the fact that she dropped the suffix. "Y-you dropped the suffix - Lucky~!"

Momo, upon realizing his words, blushed intensely before slapping his cheek lightly. "Agh, you just had to ruin the moment."

Sengoku pouted impishly but grinned cheekily right after. "Aww, I just wanted to make you feel better. But I still got you to smile, right Shinigami-chan?"

The Shinigami chuckled lightly before tightly gripping her racquet with newfound determination. Her body slowly stopped trembling despite Rangiku's dead on calculating stare. She smirked before walking forward towards the court once again. Despite the power coming from the freshman, the Shinigami bit her lower lip while watching the girl's movement. She glanced at the captain of Seigaku for a moment, wondering how she managed to replicate Shizuru's power. However, a smirk curved up the Shinigami's lips as she steeled her grip on her racquet.

"I see you managed to gain some confidence," Rangiku smiled slowly while watching Momo take her stand on the court. "I wonder - that orange seems a bit important to you."

Momo watched Rangiku's movements carefully and calculatingly. "Important is a subjective word. Everyone holds importance on different degrees."

Rangiku matched Momo's calm and stoic gaze with her own. "Ah, so it seems."

Their eyes clearly levelled with one another as prepared for another round. Momo unleashed a speeding serve as Rangiku lunged forward with a screaming forehand. The Shinigami narrowed her eyes carefully at her opponent as she watched the Wraith Child pivot and zoom towards the other end. She curled her racquet around the ball, delaying the ball for a few moments before smirking at the freshman. Admonished, Rangiku forcibly jumped towards the other side as the ball slid past her.

"Just as I expected," Momo twirled her racquet around before resting it against her shoulder. "That is the one thing that separates my captain from you. Her reaction time is beyond yours."

Rangiku smirks lightly before regaining her composure. "Well, Souma-buchou cannot completely clone Shizuru-nee-san. But she is ranked first in my list. You're ranked five. But I guess dealing with you right now past sixth to ninth is not too bad."

Momo bristled a bit at her rank. "Sixth rank huh? I'm guessing that the four queens are at rank one to four."

She chuckled humourlessly before retaliating with another forehand. "That depends on how you amuse me, Sanada-san."

"So, she wants amusement," Momo smirked inwardly before serving quickly once again. "If so then, I shall amuse her. Crushing her will soon follow..."

The ball zoomed towards the Shinigami as she continued attacking with a strong forehand. Rangiku immediately retaliated with a light backhand which Momo sliced right under, causing the ball to slap right over the net. The freshman madly dashed for it as she forcibly lobbed the ball with Momo throwing all her weight forward for a screaming Sui to snatch another point.

"Fifteen - love," Momo inhaled deeply, struggling to calm herself down.

"Interesting thought," Rangiku glanced at the very burn mark on the court from Momo's smash. "It's quite the muscle control you have. If I remember Amane-senpai telling me right, your vice captain is the strongest woman in Hyotei. I wanted to fight her more than you actually. It would have been fun to break her piece by piece. Too bad she only plays doubles though..."

The Shinigami bit her lower lip disgustedly. "Since when did you become so vindictive and ruthless? It's as if everyone here to you is prey."

"Isn't that what a Wraith does," Rangiku shrugged nonchalantly before sauntering towards her end of the court. "But what got me excited was to fight the Shikabanehime. The one who crushed my captain... I wanted to see her scared witless that her own style had been used against her... That's gonna be something. I'm the new and improved version of her after all."

Haruka gripped the railings tightly, shaking her head. "Souma's replaying the past all over again except Shibuya's definitely hungrier for victory more than Shizuru ever was. Shizuru basically just wanted the fun in it. It's sad that - people had to turn out this way..."

"Most of the people have an issue with us considering how powerful Hyotei Gakuen is with us as its core team," Hitomi reasoned before sitting down next to Rin, watching the match. "If this is Souma's way of unlocking the Teni Mu'hou no Kiwami, why do I have a feeling that it's gonna become the complete anti-thesis of that? Data and information alone cannot even quantify the power of the Teni Mu'hou no Kiwami. That was the fatal flaw in Kotetsu-san's plan; she wanted Shizuru to maintain the same ability but ended up completely erasing it instead."

Momo narrowed her eyes a bit as she released another speeding serve. Rangiku returned the shot effortlessly while the Shinigami darted towards the net for a quick drive volley. Momo shook away the beads of sweat pouring down her face profusely as she continued her attack. Rangiku performed a cartwheel easily before unleashing a strong weighted backhand towards Momo once more. The Hyotei team pensively watched their Shinigami fight Seigaku's Wraith as she continued releasing her attacks relentlessly.

"Fifteen - all," Rangiku forehanded the shot straight all the way to the left corner of the baseline.

Momo bristled a bit at the predicament, looking at the mark left on the baseline. She shook her head and remembered the speed of the ball that zoomed by her. The Shinigami shook her head defiantly; the ball did not disappear - more like her eyes could not catch the speed of the ball. The purple haired female recalled the whizzing sound of the ball before it cracked behind her. As far as she was concerned, Sanada performed that technique with ease but as she glanced at Rangiku when a small smile curved up her lips. Momo readied another serve and sent it zooming towards Rangiku. Unable to deflect on time, Rangiku forcibly lobbed it up into the air and darted backwards to receive the smash. Momo twisted her body in the air a full 360 degree as Rangiku, sensing a feint, immediately darted forward. As soon as Momo found her running forward, she immediately curled her racquet around the ball before adding a top spin to her full body-weighted smash. The ball awkwardly zoomed around before crashing right behind Rangiku.

"The water takes shape of any container it is placed in," Momo smiled slyly to the freshman. "That is something only experience could ever teach you about me. You may have Shizuru's capabilities, you may have the ability to replicate like Seigaku's Echizen Ryoma but here's your problem - you can only physically replicate it but not conceptually. You could have finished me off with return aces with the Fuu but you chose not to. Sanada's body is definitely used to the strain placed on his arm when releasing the Fuu at the same time - he knows the follow-through. The difference between him and you is that you rely more on power to release that kind of speed, his is more on follow-through. That is the difference between you and him and perhaps, you and I..."

On the bleachers, Sanada watched his cousin from afar as she caught wind of the technique. "You wouldn't be a Sanada if you didn't figure that out, Momo..."

Sengoku punched the air with enthusiasm. "Go Momo-chan!"

Momo chuckled triumphantly but narrowed her gaze at Rangiku once again. The little girl continued to stand before her with a haughty expression on her face without batting an eyelash. The Shinigami, analysing her carefully, bounced the ball once again to prepare for another service. She noticed Rangiku's body however trembling. The violet haired Hyotei regular inwardly smirked to herself while processing whatever had occurred a few moments ago.

If anything, Rangiku is terrified by herself. Her body is trembling and sweat is pouring down profusely. Who wouldn't feel afraid when Death is staring them straight in the face? Not only that, this is basically like slow rejection of oneself.

Momo flipped her racquet around a bit as she carefully watched Rangiku's mannerisms. The small girl shivered despite there being no wind as Momo redirected her ebony orbs at the freshman. Although the freshman's expression remained completely stolid, Rangiku visibly flinched every time the female Sanada cast her gaze at her.

"Your body's betraying you," Momo stated flatly. "Your eyes are flickering in fear; you followed the training of Shizuru-buchou down to the letter but what your trainer failed to realize is the emotional damage it inflicts also on oneself. You are now doubting yourself; your emotions are swirling around you. I'm guessing that your vision is swirling around and your body is currently refusing to respond. Your current style is conflicting with your ideals and real playing style."

Rangiku laughed sheepishly, trying to maintain a haughty expression. "Wh-what makes you say that? You're in no position to tell me such things!"

Momo bitterly smiled. "You're right; I am not in the position to tell you that however I do have the experience to explain to you what your captain did to your training regimen. Unintentionally or not, your captain recreated my captain with Seigaku morals in order to cancel out her capability. Although your playing style and skill expanded exponentially, you are left with a deep conflict."

Rangiku narrowed her eyes, tightly gripping her racquet. "How...? But why would she...? Don't you dare confuse me! My style has always been like this and I will prove that to you!"

"Suit yourself," Momo closed her eyes in resignation before walking away.

Another rally ensued with Momo pushing Rangiku back towards the end of the baseline. Momo increased her speed little by little as she altered her stance into her kendo stance. Each and every shot exploded as she slashed the ball with a whip like fashion and cracking easily through Rangiku's defence. The smaller girl shivered slightly but pushed on forward with a backhand swinging towards Momo. The Shinigami backed up a bit before slashing it once more with a sidestep. Watching the match carefully, Fuuka shook her head dejectedly while glancing at the notebook in Karin's hands.

"What exactly did you want to accomplish by trying to have Rangiku learn the way of psychological warfare," Fuuka beadily narrowed her eyes at her data master. "I don't intend to copy Kotetsu and her pathetic attempts to create the ultimate tennis player. No offense to Rangiku but she doesn't have the brains and the sociological understanding. Although, I understand her intentions: She wanted to go down in history as the trainer of the greatest player. She wanted to ensure Hyotei's reign of championship."

Karin nodded weakly. "I wanted to reinforce Rangiku's style... She told me once that it was lacking something. I simply presented the opportunity. It was a ninety percent chance that she would subconsciously adopt Kurenai's personality. Forgive me, Souma-buchou."

Fuuka sighed dejectedly, watching Rangiku forcibly fight back. "Looks like it's back to square one for us..."

Sakuno however bit her thumb nail anxiously. "Will Rangiku-chan be okay?"

"She better be," Vera darkly scoffed. "Sanada may have the ability to quickly analyse human anatomy but she has never played against anyone like Rangiku-chan."

On the other hand, Fuji continued to watch the match progressing between them. "It's surprising though that Rangiku's style is actually a fusion of the two captains of Hyotei. She has Kurenai's speed and tenacity but also armed with Atobe's aggressiveness and quick thinking. The thing is her body cannot respond quickly enough to the signals that her brain is sending. But I don't think that's the real match here..."

Momo bit her lip while watching Rangiku tirelessly chase after the ball. The ball zoomed back and forth as their shots cracked from their racquets. The Shinigami glanced at Rangiku, noticing the swelling get worse.

One thing's for sure - she doesn't have dead pain receptors like my captain. She won't last long with the way she's going.

"Net, Forty-fifteen," Rangiku staggered backward a bit in shock, breathing heavily as the ball rolled towards her.

Her body's already showing signs...

The Sanada female recalled the match between Atobe and Tezuka, recalling the relentlessness of both players. Despite Tezuka's arm swelling up like a bubble, the Seigaku captain pressed on with his match. Although it was considered insanity, it was something that many tennis players would do subconsciously. She sighed deeply to herself while shaking her head dejectedly; was it worth using the same strategy? If anything, the longer she drags the match - the faster Rangiku would get worn out... it would be advantageous for her but would her morals started biting her back.

Unfortunately for you, your body cannot withstand the same burden my captain can. That is what separated her from you. That is what made her my captain. With the way you're going, you're only going to last for at the most the next forty five minutes. You'll have to be my sparring partner for the next two hours!

Momo increased the speed of her rally while Rangiku adapted almost instantly to the Shinigami's style. The elder player furrowed her eyebrows at the sight of the smaller player. Her shots exploded in all directions as she struggled to keep up with the kind of power and speed she was forcing herself to dish out. Her legs swelled in agony as her feet slowly began to drag itself on the court with her nearly tripping over a few times. Rangiku shook away the pain but it slowly started ebbing away at her, revealing a more pained expression on her face.

"If you're so restrained with the style you're currently using," Momo raised an eyebrow questioningly before sending back a forehand. "Why don't you go back to your original style?"

Rangiku momentarily froze but not before volleying back at Momo. "I... Because..."

"Don't tell me that your original style has no style."

Rangiku sharply snapped her head up as Momo prepared a drive volley. "You can't compare two different tennis styles because nobody is the same. It's like comparing an apple to an orange. Judging from your body structure, I'm guessing you're more the aggressive all-rounder. Just like a certain peacock from Hyotei..."

Atobe huffed indignantly, folding his arms with a snort. "Ore-sama is not a peacock."

Momo chuckled humourlessly as a small smirk curved up her lips. "Ah so you say but everyone knows you have an ego as big as Andromeda, drama king."

Ayane grinned cheekily, forcing back her loud chortle. "She's right about that part, Keigo."

Atobe merely huffed in response. "Arn~, it's not a crime to be proud of one's power no, Ayane?"

Ayane pursed her lips in annoyance. "Che, I guess we're both victims of that."

Sengoku watched the ball on straight into the air from Rangiku's side. "Another unforced error, Momo-chan! Take the shot!"

Momo saw the ball floating it high into the air. She initially thought of performing the Sui but hesitated on that shot. A realization caused her to smirk victoriously as she jumped high in the air for an astounding crack. The Hyotei team noticed the distance between her and the ground and Sengoku could not believe his eyes. He shook his head a few times to check if his eyes were deceiving him but she actually managed to soar into the air. The sun glinted off her expression making her more ethereal to him than she already was. Formerly with the eyes of Death, she maintained a strong control over her power and Sengoku stood up with encouragement.

"Go get her, Momo!"

"This is a little tribute for someone precious to me," Momo swung her racquet down for a startling smash. "Rage on, Kouhou!"

Sengoku's eyes widened with a proud smile spreading across his face. His heart soared with joy; he chuckled inwardly as to how his reactions were becoming more and more evident especially when she said that he was precious to her. He resisted the urge to grin and make a loud comment, remembering what could happen in the flow of the match. His eyes steadily observed the ball zoom towards Rangiku as the small girl staggered back fearfully with the explosive shot of the ball. The tiger shot curled around the court before rolling towards the wall with an extreme spin and burying itself into the wall. His eyes widened in shock - he couldn't produce something of that strength and had been wanting to do so.

"I bet you were expecting her to friend zone you," Sengoku swivelled his head towards the kansai prodigy. "Momo can't easily show that she cares but you should know by the way she talks alone that she cares. Momo's a bit of a rock also but not as bad as Sanada. Perhaps, this is also her way of helping you with her tennis."

The lucky vice captain of Yamabuki smiled at that thought as Rangiku reeled back from the last power shot. He glanced at his palm for a moment before tracing his cheek, the same place where the Shinigami had planted a kiss. He nearly swooned over at the thought but nodded vigorously. He can't have his Shinigami fighting for him all the time.

"Game: Sanada, three games to one!"

Rangiku fearfully trembled looking at the gap between them now. She stared in admonishment while trying to prevent herself from keeling over from the impact. Her grip tightened on her racquet, rethinking her strategy. Initially, the imitation of Sanada Genichirou sounded like a good plan but now - Momo had simply leapt over that hurdle without exerting as much effort.

Why? Why can't I do this right?

Her body throbbed with anxiety as she struggled to maintain a tight grip on her racquet but even her palms slowly became clammy. She remembered following the training down to the last letter but the freshman could not understand why her body continued to throb and writhe in agony. She glanced at Momo and despite her watering the court with her sweat - the girl stood with a confident aura without flinching or faltering. She prepared to serve for her game however her hand refused to maintain a firm grip on the ball.

"Dainimakume: Mikazuki no Nakete," Momo smiled triumphantly to herself while glancing at the girl falling onto the ground. "I guess your fear is striking through you now. I didn't make it noticeable back then but do you remember the shot that cracked through your defences?"

Watching the match from afar, Sanada folded his arms with approval as a small smile quirked up his lips. The female had barely used the Anti-FuuRinKaZan strategy and went straight to the three Kabuki theatre mash-up. The other Rikkai Dai members joined him in the stands, watching their former player progress faster.

"I guess it was good to suggest to her to transfer to Hyotei," Ai glanced at her brother's vice captain, shrugging nonchalantly. "Although, I don't think your family knows you hid those news articles about her on purpose to get her to progress farther and become a better person."

Sanada sighed deeply to himself, remembering the huge crate located deep into his cabinet. Other than the newspaper clippings of his achievements, he had kept Momo's hidden inside the box. No one particularly cared about her in the family other than her modernized parents. They became a bit more open-minded to the world and supported her transfer to Hyotei to get her away from all the politics of the Sanada clan. He glanced at one newspaper clipping he had hidden in his wallet as a small smile crept up his lips.

SANADA MOMO, EMPRESS OF RIKKAI DAI, RANKS NUMBER ONE IN JUNIOR TOURNAMENT!

The press had given her the nickname of "empress" but Sanada noticed how disgusted she was by it. She swore to become something else and Sanada could not help but applaud her. The Sanada clan although they had refused to admit it, Momo started exceeding their expectations. No way was she some stay-at-home wife, she practically made every cousin in the Sanada family look bad with her swordsmanship, her morals, ethics and everything else. Sanada found her more capable than he was in the ruling department. But tradition never liked matriarchs; Momo was despised for her strong will. He glanced one moment at Sengoku and smirked inwardly.

"You're something beyond an empress, Momo," Sanada chuckled deeply to himself while leaning against the railings comfortably. "You've truly become a Shinigami. But, don't forget that you're not alone. In life, you'll also need a little bit of luck."

Jackal took a seat next to Haruka watching the match progress. "Will you be playing today?"

"Yeah," Haruka nodded nervously, twiddling with her thumbs. "To be honest, I'm not quite sure if I'll win this time."

Jackal noticed her pursing her lips before he slowly slipped his hands over hers. "I'm sure you'll do fine. I mean - you win some you lose some. Although Rikkai Dai's not into the thought of losing or even the possibility of them losing, it's somewhat healthy to lose once and awhile. You end up learning a lot more."

Haruka smiled before giggling a bit, fighting her urge to blush. "Yeah, I guess you're right..."

OMG, OMG, HE'S HOLDING MY HAND!

Haruka suddenly felt the urge to faint right there and then but shook her head to resist the urge. The pink haired dragon glanced at Momo giving the match her all as the ball suddenly cracked away from Rangiku's racquet and pummelled the Shinigami into the wall again. Everyone stood up in shock as Momo actually tumbled onto the ground before slamming hard against the concrete. Surrounding the freshman's body however was a huge creature and her body glowing with a whitish glow, Rangiku inhaled deeply before pointing her racquet at the fallen Shinigami. The creature roared as Rangiku's formerly childish grin became more phantasmal and ghastly. She did not let out any maniacal laughter but her smile was good enough to send shivers down everyone's spines.

"I see you met my companion," Rangiku graced the Shinigami with a sultry smile. "I don't normally use my Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami unless you're really talented. You should be honoured."

Momo bit her lower lip, gazing directly at the creature. The image suddenly began to flicker as a Rangiku proceeded to play on. The creature alighted behind Rangiku as it revealed a pair of fangs, snarling and encasing the strawberry blonde freshman in a protective embrace.

"Sheesh, a rabid red eye white rabbit," Momo raised her eyebrow. "I guess I shouldn't expect too much from a freshman."

Rangiku scoffed darkly. "And who gave you the authority to judge what my Hyakuren aura should look like? You yourself can't even access the gates of the Muga no Kyouchi."

The Shinigami shrugged it off nonchalantly before gesturing towards Rangiku's trembling body. "I do not need an aura to play against you. As you can see, your body is still suffering the effects of the Death Theatre's first two events."

Rangiku bristled as she forced herself to recover from the last attack. "You lie."

"More like you're in a case self-denial. The more you do that the worse it will get."

Marui whistled in amazement, remembering the times in Rikkai Dai. "You know, she wasn't that scary before. I mean - she had gokiburiphobia back then and you would expect her to jump out of the third storey out the window. She was really crazy back then."

Sanada rolled his eyes sarcastically at the bubblegum chewing player. "That was because you constantly hung out with her along with Niou. All three of you were crazy."

Flashback

Summer - Rikkai Dai, two years ago

"At this rate, we're going to crash into some unlucky fool," a freshman male Sanada clung onto his black cap tightly, wincing every time the wind blasted his face. "Momo, why couldn't we take the cab or train like everyone else?"

Momo snickered while pedalling much faster. "You were the one who complained that we were going to be late; your fault for agreeing with me. This is normal - it's like that question you asked me before: who is crazier - the crazy one or the one following the crazy one?"

Sanada snorted with an indignant huff. "How dare you-!"

Momo smiled teasingly while grinding a rail with her bike. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding - geez, I'm starting to wonder whether or not the elders shoved a pole up your butt to make you so uptight. Besides, who's the one who constantly saves you from getting bullied? People are going to start calling you spineless one day."

"You do. But I believe it is more that you hang around with that rat-tailed boy too much," Sanada scowled at the thought in disbelief. "How did you two even agree? You two have contrary beliefs! What was his name - Niou Masaharu?"

"Niou definitely keeps my life in Rikkai Dai entertaining," Momo shrugged before skidding the bicycle right in front of the gates of Rikkai Dai. "We're here!"

The male Sanada shakily mounted off the bicycle. "Remind me to never ride with you ever again."

"Your fault for making me so jittery when it comes to time management," Momo parked her bike at the rack. "Anyhow, at least we have one hour of free time. We can check the kendo area or whichever. By the way, where's Yukimura-kun? Didn't he say he was going to study here with us?"

Sanada nodded stiffly. "He's my classmate for this year. Who are you with?"

"Niou, bubblegum kid and some guy with a bowl cut," Momo locked her bike onto the rack before casually throwing her school bag over her shoulder. "Bowl-cut over there can put a calculator shame and Niou definitely knows how to piss people off. He's pretty good with chemistry actually although more on anarchist chemistry and engineering. Bubblegum gets a good laugh out of it too when the teacher's the victim."

Sanada frowned in annoyance. "That explains why the toilets flooded yesterday. No wonder you visited the principal yesterday."

"What? I always get a good laugh from pissing you off. Besides, the elders need a good hoot once in awhile," Momo smirked triumphantly before taking a running head start off to the dojo. "Anyway, I'm going to check out the kendo club. See you around."

End of Flashback

Sanada chuckled deeply to himself as he remembered the days when Momo stayed in Rikkai Dai. Her kendo days started off with her winning the prefectural games but that all stopped all of a sudden; Momo caught wind of the thrill in tennis and started getting wind of the press. Anyone who were to deny her talent would have been either blind or just plain arrogant as he remembered the male tennis team going against her when he got bullied the first time. They practically scampered away from her. The female tennis and he remembered how Homura happily received Momo into the team. The seniors loved her like anything. They willingly offered her advice; Homura often mentioned to his senpai that Momo was a promising protégé. She constantly doted upon her but sometimes became antagonistic towards her if necessary. Perhaps, that is why Momo turned out that way and...

Maybe that's why she understands Shizuru better than anyone else.

He smiled bitterly upon remembering the night he had confessed to his cousin's captain. Shizuru definitely chose her words carefully but he couldn't help continuously stare at her. She still remained single unless Tezuka would make a move which he knew wasn't any time soon. The Rikkai Dai vice captain sighed into his palm as he bit back his urge to go grab Tezuka's arm and punch some sense into him. He could already trace Tezuka's line of vision from where he stood.

"I'm surprised you're not going to pursue her anymore," Niou raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Don't you love her?"

Sanada glared holes at the Trickster, remembering what had happened in the Rikkai Autumn Ball. "I throw the question back to you: do you love Isane?"

Niou whistled with a slight click of his tongue, mischievously grinning. "Ooh, touchy subject?"

"More like you're an idiot," Sanada stated flatly with a deadpan. "You can trick everyone but yourself."

Niou frowned a bit. Where did his vice captain learn how to retort wittily like that? However, he remembered the crest-fallen expression of Isane during that ball. Although they weren't dating, he bit his lower lip and shook his head. Dancing with Kujikawa was alright but somehow - he never had the chance to dance with the sniper. She got him with a perfect bull's eye; straight into his heart. The trickster sighed deeply to himself; didn't she hear the song that he sang? He clasped his hands together for a moment before glancing at the silver haired lanky female standing amongst the Hyotei players. He glanced at his female best friend as he remembered her words.

The moment you begin tricking the world, you're going to start tricking yourself too. Your own self is not only the hardest to beat but also the easiest to deceive.

"Damn, she had a point right there," Niou bitterly muttered to himself before playing with the strands of his own silver blue hair.

Yagyuu sat beside his partner, drinking a small can of soda. "Quite a dilemma you placed yourself in."

"Puri~, I guess so," Niou chuckled darkly to himself, staring straight into the bright blue sky.

"Momo!"

The mere yelling of Kobayagi Ayane sent everyone over the edge as they found Momo completely bruised and beaten on the ground with Rangiku staring haughtily back at her. From the former score of three-one, Rangiku immediately closed the gap to a five games to three. Rangiku flashed her racquet at Momo as a bright red light shone in her face, sending the ball straight into her stomach and the senior flying straight towards the wall. The Shinigami coughed a bit but managed to maintain some of her senses as she slumped onto the ground on her knees. Momo flinched from the pain as she struggled to stand up once more, feeling the agony screaming from her whole body. The violet haired female ignored the concerned glances of her teammates as she tried to concentrate and keep her view from breaking. However, she glanced at the rabid white rabbit growling at her as she stood up once again.

"I'm surprised, you took a heavy beating from the Iron Masque and Masque of the Red Death," Rangiku smiled approvingly, twirling her racquet around. "Most people surrender after that..."

Momo chuckled humourlessly, gaining some of her wit back. "Unfortunately for you, I'm not like most people..."

Rangiku chuckled before gesturing towards the scoreboard, twirling her racquet around. "So, how are you going to do this? Clearly, your body is in no condition to fight me."

"Then I won't fight you physically then," Momo coughed a bit, standing up proudly. "I guess there was a reason why Homura-senpai and Midoriyama-senpai taught me the basic tactics of psychological warfare. I may not be able to outrun you physically but I'm going to break you down bit by bit until I make you understand the difference between you and me..."

Marui stared incredulously at the match before glancing at Sanada. "Are you just going to stand there and let her take a beating?"

The heir to the Sanada clan found himself completely speechless as he watched Momo continue fighting on. Despite being pushed down over and over again, the Shinigami managed to push herself to the limit. He remembered Yukimura's words regarding her progress; it was astonishing - even for someone like him. Rikkai Dai watched in awe as the former student slowly began fighting back. Rangiku's aura gradually lost its form as Momo's attacks increased in ferocity and speed. The Shinigami calculatingly watched the freshman shiver with fear as she released another Mikazuki no Nakete before following it up with the speeding Oto. The clan may not stand with him in his decision but he crushed the small letter he had in his hand, shaking his head in conviction.

Momo's old enough to make her own decisions. Even if Sengoku is a brainless idiot, she may be the happiest and her best with him.

"Game, Sanada: four games to five!"

Ayane punched her fist into the air, cheering wildly. "Yeah, Momo-senpai's catching up!"

Kiyone jumped up and down while waving her racquet. "Go go, purple-senpai! Beat her black and blue!"

Mai chuckled lightly before nodding. "I guess it t took someone who dances the same rhythm and sings the same song to wake up Momo-senpai."

"Momo-senpai always pushed herself to the limit in order to exceed and surpass the Sanada clan's expectations," Shizuru leaned against the backrest of the bench, watching Momo push her body even further. "Ever since before, she has already exceeded their expectations and has made all their limitations pointless. She trained as hard as we all did even in private."

Sanada found himself smiling in admiration for his cousin. He nodded at her performance as she started attacking with the Kageyoshi, prompting Rangiku to hesitate a few moments before getting smacked in the face. The small freshman shook off the daze but did not expect the Nadare to crash past her with multiple flying shots. The Emperor slowly began clapping his hands as many of his teammates stood in awe and astonishment that he actually applauded her. Soon, Kirihara jumped onto the bench and began cheering loudly. Hyotei Gakuen's cheers echoed throughout the court.

Shinigami! Shinigami! Shinigami! The winner will be Sanada Momo!

The violet haired female could not believe what she was hearing. However, she could not stop the assault right there; Rangiku tried recovering from her last unforced error but Momo started targeting that part with strong forehands, sending the smaller girl into a horror trip. The Shinigami sent a spiralling backhand towards the other end, causing Rangiku to trip over and crash on the ground.

"Game, Sanada: five games all!"

The howls and the chants thundered throughout the courts as Momo finally managed to catch up and fight back with full power. Supporters of Seigaku could not believe the support that the Shinigami instantly gained from the mere support from the emperor. Fuuka snorted indignantly as she watched Momo finally push Rangiku back. Rangiku immediately began her attack once more with the Masque of the Red Death zooming straight at Momo with a flashing red glint but Momo finally sidestepped to avoid it and trusted her hearing to deflect it back deftly towards the opponent. The freshman narrowed her eyes as she started sending back another forehand towards the Shinigami. The Seishun Gakuen captain momentarily glanced at the scoreboard, wondering at what took Momo so long to retaliate against Rangiku's abilities.

"You don't look the least bit worried," Vera slid over to her captain's side, swinging her legs casually. "It's as if you were expecting her to lose..."

Fuuka bit her lower lip. "I wanted her to learn. Her head was getting too big so I wanted her to experience defeat in the hands of a more experienced player. That way it wouldn't be so agonizing. If I let her go against Kurenai, it's like asking her to jump off a cliff and commit suicide. She's not prepared for the warfare Kurenai's capable of. We're trained on a military scale; Rangiku's not going to survive one game. How do you think I scared the other girl during the Prefecture Games?"

Vera remained completely silent before casting her eyes towards the other team. She noticed Ayane talking to Kiyone as the small girl nodded before cocking her head to the side. The blonde girl twitched albeit slightly before casting her eyes towards Sakuno. The pigtailed haired twiddled with her thumbs as she continued watching the match. Sighing dejectedly to herself, Vera opened her notebook full of strategies before casting a few gazes at the smaller girl. She caught the pigtailed freshman glancing a few times at the male tennis prodigy of the team with a shy smile only to blush the moment he looked at her. Vera sighed once again while observing the match in front of her. Rangiku attacked with the Iron Masque zooming towards Momo's face but the female Sanada immediately deflected it away from her face with an instant raise of her racquet.

"Amazing how you could easily react to that shot," Rangiku interjected smoothly while attacking with a strong forehand. "Not many people can withstand the full blow of the Iron Masque at the same time with the reinforced power of the Hyakuren."

Momo feigned a chuckle while disguising her wince. "Indeed, it is a powerful shot."

That shot nearly rearranged my face.

Momo bit her lip to prevent herself from screaming in pain. She could feel her wrist trembling from the impact but she changed the focus back to game. Rangiku's body slowly submitted to the self-inflicted pain while Momo pushed her farther into a defensive stance. She unleashed a speeding forehand as the strawberry blonde freshman retaliated with a drop shot which Momo sliced it under for a net runner. Rangiku lobbed it forcibly again as Momo struck again with the Sui.

"Her strength is nowhere near Momo's," Atoli narrowed her eyes darkly, watching Rangiku slowly fall back. "Even their skill level is too far apart. If you were trying to make her grow," - Atoli directed her gaze towards Fuuka. "You really chose the wrong person to force her to grow."

She needed someone to forcibly push her to her limit. Kurenai's too soft for that kind of thing.

Fuuka played around with her shaggy red hair as her lavender orbs followed the pace of the match. Momo continued pummelling Rangiku with one serve after the other. Rangiku trembled with every shot flying across. Her shots flicked against the net as it rolled to her feet. The freshman breathed heavily as she slumped onto the ground with a slight whimper, staring at the ball that seemingly rolled near her. The Shinigami found herself completely exhausted as she staggered back only to be caught by a familiar pair of strong arms. Wondering what happened to the impact; she looked up and found Sengoku grinning at her impishly and approvingly as he helped her maintain some stance on the court.

"Game and match, Sanada: seven games to five!"

Hyotei howled and cheered for their Shinigami as she limped off the court with Sengoku helping her to the bench. The violet haired girl exhaled sharply as she glanced at the orange haired boy. She glanced at the scoreboard, remembering that Rangiku definitely put up a good fight against her. The Masque of the Red Death dazzled her for the first time, with Rangiku's red racquet glimmering under the sun along with the ball zooming with monstrous speed.

"I must be a magnet for crazy people huh?"

Sengoku grinned with a goofy shrug. "I don't know what your context of crazy is, Shinigami-chan. But yeah - I did become crazy; crazy for you."

Momo sighed before swatting Sengoku at the back of his head. "You're a fool."

"But at least I'm your fool, Shinigami-chan," Sengoku cheerfully grinned at her once more before pulling her over. "You wanna sleep for awhile?"

Momo blushed into thirty shades of red but resisted the urge to collapse right there and then. "Geez, not in front of everyone... People are going to be looking at us the whole time..."

Sengoku protested with a pout. "But you look like you're about to collapse!"

The blonde mastermind snickered while writing down some data. "This is definitely good information - her inspiration being something that is completely contradictory to her personality. Momo has now broken a new limit for her power and has defeated the Wraith Child of Seigaku. However, her endurance needs some work but that is to be expected from going against someone who has brutal power and strength. The chance of that happening - 98.7 percent."

Momo sighed deeply as she cast her eyes towards the bright blue sky and the scoreboard. A small smile crept up her face as she placed her hand over the sun, glancing at the shadow of her palm. However, she noticed another hand overlap hers as it became ten fingers instead of five. She blinked several times before casting a questioning gaze towards Sengoku.

"Doesn't the sun look better when it has ten rays instead of five," Sengoku grinned childishly, beaming at her with his bright green eyes.

At this, Momo smiled warmly while shifting her hand over his. "Yeah, it does... It sure does..."

Watching her other doubles partner get along with Sengoku, Isane sighed deeply until someone plopped a cap on her head and saw Shishido looming above her. "Oh, Shishido-kun..."

The capped dash specialist jumped down to her seat before taking a seat next to the towering female. "Listen, Uchiha - there's this new shooting range I found. I know I'm a bit of an idiot at shooting so... I was wondering that after this match... Maybe, you can teach...me...?"

Damn it, Shishido! Pull yourself together!

Isane blinked several times at the sputtering and blushing dash specialist as she smiled. "Sure, where's the place?"

Damn, she's so cute when she smiles!

Shishido immediately brightened up upon hearing her response, fighting back his urge to sputter. "Uh, it's around Tokyo Strip Mall right next to the arcade. After that - maybe we can go grab a bite or something... Then maybe - I don't know, you choose. I just wanted to learn how to shoot better is all."

Damn you Oshitari, I can't even keep eye contact with her!

Flashback

"So, you're asking me how to romance Uchiha-san," Oshitari raised an eyebrow at the clueless Shishido, wondering how the dash specialist got himself into this predicament. "Didn't she like you before?"

Shishido scratched his head sheepishly. "Yeah she did but..."

"But you decided to be a douche and throw her chocolates out," Oshitari raised his eyebrows questioningly, folding his arms. "I thought Gakuto was stupid but that epically stupid - even for you, Shishido. I'm guessing you became jealous when she started going out with Niou. Henceforth - when Shizuru-chan and Shimohi-san informed you of the plan, you're more or less determined to get her back."

Shishido sighed dejectedly, face-palming. "Just get to the damn point, Oshitari!"

"Alright, alright," the bespectacled kansai prodigy chuckled humorously, waving his hand dismissively. "Uchiha-san's pretty much a tomboy like Momo-chan and Shizuru-chan. You just be yourself. She's used to being guy-zoned."

Shishido sighed into his hand. "Oshitari, don't use 9gag terms on me. As much as I do surf 9gag, don't. It really doesn't fit you."

The kansai male shrugged nonchalantly. "Anyway, I think you should start something within her interests. What exactly are we dealing with?"

Shishido pondered few moments. Most of her likes were not exactly in the fashion department. The shorter half of the Silver pair swallowed hard for a moment upon remembering exactly what he was dealing with. Isane did not bring home the gold for Hyotei in the shooting competition for nothing. Both her brothers could shoot an apple clean off his head and probably could do it with a crossbow...

Oh wait, that's Sanada and Shizuru-chan... Damn, we have combat specialists in the female tennis team! I'm surprised that Kobayagi hasn't tried to break Atobe's arms yet.

"Why don't you start for asking for help from her in something you suck at," Oshitari smirked triumphantly. "I mean - last time I checked, your target paper had nothing but 2's and 4's on it."

Flashback End

Damn you Oshitari! You want me to humiliate myself in front of her first?

Shishido sighed deeply at his predicament, wondering what to do. He knew about Niou ditching her in the middle of Rikkai Dai ball but he didn't expect the man to be extremely blunt by dancing with some other girl. He gnashed his teeth in annoyance before casting a glance at the Trickster. Despite the relaxed position, Shishido watched his bright blue eyes survey him carefully as if he started crossing the line.

"So after your match then?" Shishido could have sworn he smelled smoke behind him.

Isane nodded in agreement, smiling gently. "I guess; it would be a good chance to polish my accuracy as well. I can't have Momo taking all the glory."

"You betcha," Shishido chuckled along with her, leaning against the backrest in relaxation.

However, the capped dash specialist found himself feeling multiple daggers being stabbed into his back.

Niou bit back his urge to grab Shishido and tear him away from Isane. His body shuddered at the thought of the two ever getting together. He glared holes darkly into the dash specialist's back. He chuckled bitterly at the two before running his fingers through his silver blue hair.

"You may be able to sweep every woman off her feet but the moment your swept off your own you realize how much you lack."

Niou glowered at his doubles partner, smoothly brushing off his words with his usual mischievous chuckle. "Yagyuu, I know I can get her back. I'm more interested in how fast this guy will crash and burn."

"Niou-kun, I believe that he wouldn't crash and burn like you believe," Yagyuu pointed out quietly. "Shishido-kun will take this as an opportunity to outdo you. He may not be able to be debonair but Shishido-kun is very down-to-earth. Perhaps, Uchiha-san would prefer someone who is more open with her despite the bad-boy vibe. Both of you may have the vibe but fantasy always loses out to reality."

Well, there goes my attempt at denial.

Niou sighed deeply once more as he remembered the time he and Isane went to the arcade for a round of House of the Dead IV. They definitely had a connection; she watched his back and shot down whatever adversary with extreme accuracy. Niou remembered how they both shot out the stuffed toy from one of the arcade games.

Flashback

"So Isane," Niou picked up one of the rifles stationed for the arcade game. "Which are you aiming for?"

The sniper blinked before averting her eyes from his mischievous smirk. "E-eh, um... Ano... I don't know... Are you sure it's okay?"

Niou chuckled good-naturedly at her flustered expression, giving the tokens to the man managing the stand. "Of course, babe. Name it and I'll get it."

Isane swallowed hard before looking abashedly at the ground, choosing the multiple toys hanging on the wall. "Um... I... I want the grey bunny..."

Niou blinked before seeing the grey bunny hanging on the middle row. Unlike the other bigger toys, it had a furry pink nose and soft light blue eyes staring back at him. The grey fur glimmered under the LED lights as he took an aim. He blinked disbelievingly while wondering why Isane would want second prize when a big brown teddy bear hung at the very top, indicating its rank.

"Alright," Niou shrugged nonchalantly as he took a shot.

In two shots, the grey bunny made its way to the lanky female's arms.

Isane hugged the bunny tightly with a bright smile on her face. Niou couldn't help but smile instead of smirking at his achievement. Her smile definitely brightened her complexion as she continued hugging it. Isane even nuzzled it with her nose which he took a picture of discreetly. A chuckle bubbled from his throat as he watched her toss the bunny in the air. A warm fuzzy feeling bubbled inside him but the Petenshi shook it away immediately the moment Isane handed her tokens in.

"I believe you want the magic playing cards hanging at the top," she smiled determinedly, reloading the gun."My turn to get you something."

Raising his arms in surrender and gestured her to her position, Niou leaned against the counter as the manager snickered at him. "She possibly can't shoot that thing down in five shots. It's in a double string. That thing ain't gonna fall down unless you spend fifty yen worth of tokens."

The trickster glowered a bit but smirked triumphantly. "I guess you haven't been reading the sports news lately about one of the best and youngest female snipers in Japan. I bet you at the most of three shots - she'll get that thing done."

"If she does, you can have the tokens back," the manager grinned rather confidently, folding his arms.

"You're on."

Isane stepped back five paces while changing her stance. Niou blinked a few times incredulously as people started to gather around them. Isane's shy demeanour dropped as her green eyes focused beadily with unbreakable concentration. She inhaled deeply while narrowing her eyes calculatingly at the two strings holding the pack of cards. Isane took a hunter's stance and shot straight through both strings. The pack of cards promptly dropped onto the ground inaudibly, leaving the store owner completely slack-jawed and Niou completely astonished. Putting the gun down, Isane smiled politely.

"May I please have my cards?"

The owner still staring in disbelief, shakily handed the cards to her and handed their spent tokens back to Niou. People began to applaud her as Isane blushed bright red at all the attention. Despite her gesture to make them move away, they still continued cheering and applauding for her. Children began pointing at her while chattering excitedly about her feat. The Rikkai Dai Trickster watched his date get swarmed by admirers, clapping also for her. Niou smirked before walking towards her and slinging his arm around her.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Japan's youngest sniper - Uchiha Isane!"

Flashback End

Niou chuckled fondly at the memory as he glanced at the pack of cards in his hand. It had become a part of him now; using the cards to trick people and win bets. Everyday, Niou would keep the cards in his bag and hold onto them. Perhaps it had become more of a lucky charm for him during his exams or for his little pranks. Despite cutting class once in awhile, Niou found himself completely stupefied on how much luck the cards would bring him like getting a perfect score in his test when he clearly knew nothing about the topic. Yanagi pointed out that him getting that kind of score straight was impossible unless he cheated but Niou knew better than to cheat the system. If anything, academics were the only thing he did fair and square. He knew that the storeowner had rigged the game on purpose to force people to spend but he never expected Isane's skills to shine straight out. Did she know the game was rigged? That he didn't know for sure.

But you have to admit; that was one amazing shot and gamble she took. She was damn epic too!

Niou smirked inwardly with a bitter gaze towards the two Hyotei regulars together. He could feel his body screaming at him to sit in between them or separate them; whatever it would take to get her back in his life again. She rarely spoke to him after that, even refusing his calls. Her younger brother would usually answer it and slam the phone once or twice. Itachi at least had some finesse as to tell him that she was not home at the moment. Despite the immorality, the old Niou would slide in between them smoothly before pushing Shishido away with subtlety. But somehow, his body refused his commands and firmly cemented him to the bench above them.

But you broke her heart that night, remember? Dancing with that crazy girl and even kissing her!

Niou bit his lower lip before getting up, averting his eyes from the two Hyotei regulars. "I'm going to get a drink. Be right back."

Watching him walk away, Marui sighed deeply to himself before shaking his head in dismay. "Niou can trick everyone on the court but the last person he can trick is himself."

Kirihara stared in amazement. "Wow Marui-senpai, I didn't know you knew stuff that deep."

Marui snorted indignantly while ruffling the sophomore's hair with a grin. "Humph, of course I do! A genius can easily read through people no matter how many illusions they can put up!"

"Doubles Two will begin in fifteen minutes! Players, prepare!"

Atobe leaned against the wall, watching Fuuka give orders to her doubles pair. "Ayane, who do you think is more dangerous? Ryuuzaki or Jerrard?"

"That's a dumb question," Ayane huffed proudly, nodding with conviction. "It's definitely Jerrard! She has more experience than any of us on the court!"

As expected of Ayane.

Atobe watched Vera carefully give instructions to Sakuno while analysing everything with his Insight. Ryuuzaki Sakuno may be a tiny timid girl but with Vera's orders – she was capable of reducing the best doubles pair into nothing. The icy eyed King glanced at Ayane as she started explaining things to Kiyone; something about the Waltz Formation that needed fixing. He shook his head and walked over to Ayane, dragging her off with Kiyone.

"Kabaji, haul Getsugan over your shoulder," Atobe snapped his fingers as the sophomore responded with his usual "usu". "Ore-sama will drag Ayane. Shiraishi, come with ore-sama!"

Shiraishi blinked a few times until Atobe dragged him along by the collar of his shirt. "W-wait, what's going-!"

"Hey, what's the deal," Kiyone began kicking and thrashing wildly, whining. "Sorry, Kabaji-senpai. Put me down!"

Ayane found herself stuck in Atobe's iron grip. "Hey, what gives? Mole diva, what gives?"

Atobe refused to say a word as they continued heading away towards the other empty courts. He knew exactly what the sign language that Jerrard gave Sakuno meant. It meant complete Heartbreak; destroying the synchronicity of the pair. Although the king of Hyotei could not imagine the smaller girl being ruthless, he imagined what could happen if Ayane and Kiyone's synchronicity were to be destroyed. However, what scared him more was seeing Ayane being crushed in her own element and in her own playing field. The king of Hyotei snorted in annoyance and determination as he continued to drag a sputtering Ayane and a clearly bewildered Shiraishi. As the five reached an empty court, Atobe threw his jacket aside and picked up his tennis racquet.

"Shiraishi, you play doubles don't you," Atobe raised an eyebrow at the sandy brunette.

Shiraishi shrugged humbly before picking up his own racquet. "I know the basics. But I think Kobayagi-san and Getsugan-chan is going to pummel us before we know it."

"Ore-sama does not mind losing," Atobe darkly mentioned, wondering why he had just said that. "But ore-sama is more worried of what happens when Jerrard pulls out her ace card."

Rumours spread throughout the other schools that Vera could smash the synchronicity of a doubles pair in three games flat depending on the bond of the players. Not that he doubted Ayane's skill and power as a doubles player, Atobe knew exactly how she played. He constantly watched Seigaku's matches with Kabaji before in order to get a good idea who would be potential competition. He managed to sneak in a few views regarding the female tennis team and after Vera had entered the court – the opponents went for each other's throats. However after a little analysis, Atobe finally understood the mechanics of the Heartbreak technique. He smirked to himself – this had to work!

Ayane stared incredulously at the king, picking up her racquet from her bag. "Keigo, you overgrown idiot! What's going on? You could at least tell me what's going on instead of dragging me into the middle of nowhere!"

Atobe raked his fingers through his hair as he stared deeply into her eyes.

"Ore-sama will teach you the mechanics of the Heartbreaker."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

That's Chapter 53! Sorry for the late update! School took some inspiration away so it took me some time to regain it back! Please don't forget to review! I truly appreciate them!