Me: Woo, thanks for the reviews once again! It really gets me working! I know I've been depriving you guys of some pairings but I will give them their chance to shine. I know Chapter 54 wasn't one of my best works but I'll definitely make this more exciting. Sorry for taking so long, someone asked me to do a beta of their story and I've been doing it as fast as I can so I can return to this. I guess it got kind of boring due to Haruka and Rin being a bit too awesome for Mouri and Tashiko to handle. XD Anyway, I hope you continue reviewing my chapters. It truly makes me work harder and make better chapters. I don't own Prince of Tennis! I only own the OCs and their abilities along with this fanfiction's plotline.

easilyaddicted1994: Don't worry I'll definitely post a list since I myself am getting confused. XDDD Thank you for your reviews!

Chapter 55 - Breaking Hearts

Mai inhaled deeply as she glanced at the scoreboard as Seigaku started taking a heavy beating. Haruka leaned back against the back rest before slapping a wet towel on her face. The whole Hyotei team smiled in admiration for their women's tennis team as they started ploughing their way towards the Nationals. Isane clapped happily as Hitomi nodded in affirmation, gazing happily at the wondrous amount of data she managed to gather from the past matches. Momo breathed out easily as Sanada made his way towards both her and Sengoku. The male Sanada found himself uneasy as he approached the two, knowing what Sengoku did to women. But, Momo looked more happy and expressive unlike before. She still maintained her regal aura but Momo comfortably laid her head on Sengoku's lap as they started playing around with their fingers although the female Shinigami would constantly make Sengoku crash and burn.

"Momo," Sanada cleared his throat loudly, causing the female Shinigami to redirect her attention towards him. "A word, if I may."

Momo narrowed her eyes for a moment when Sengoku nodded and gently nudged her forward. The Shinigami cautiously stepped forward while watching Sanada's movements carefully, lifting her foot slowly. The male Sanada watched her eyes analyse him carefully as if she were waiting for him to attack while judging her stance. A smirk appeared on his lips as Momo barely showed any signs of dropping her guard. Although he had half the mind to kick Sengoku off the bench, Sanada restrained himself while calmly looking Momo straight in the eye.

She's prepared to defend him...

Sanada folded his arms with a deepened frown. "Momo, I'm not going to..."

"I know you're not going to attack him," Momo interrupted smoothly, maintaining a stolid expression. "I'm simply going to say this: whatever you say will not change my mind. I am not going back to the Main House and grovelling like I did the last time. It was already bad enough that Sengoku nearly got clobbered by the bokken."

Sanada frowned deeper, noticing the lack of suffix. "Momo, Sengoku's not even your-."

"He's not even my boyfriend? Yes, I do realize that," Momo interjected once again with a darker and more cynical tone, glaring hard at her cousin. "But he has been closer to me and more accepting than my own relatives ever have been, Sanada-sama."

Watching the two argue from afar, Sengoku sighed dejectedly as he watched Momo curl her hands into fists. Her body language alone told him everything about her anger and all the hatred and disgust she held for the traditions of the Sanada clan. Although she respected some of them, Sengoku found their perspectives completely extremist. Momo struggled long and hard and he had seen many of her rises and her falls.

Like that moment in the rain...

Sengoku glanced at his folded umbrella inside his bag. Despite it being an old rickety umbrella, the orange haired boy grinned in nostalgia. The Shinigami may stand strong but she's going to need much luck. He may not be as strong-willed as his Shinigami but he felt the urge to stand by her; even if it meant coming in contact with a sharp katana prepared to slice him in half. He sighed fondly at the memory while casting a sheepish grin towards his racquet which had a deep gash on it coming from Momo's relative.

The cheers slowly died down as Ayane walked in along with Kiyone, Shiraishi and Atobe. The tension heightened considerably as Jerrard flashed a haughty sneer with Sakuno timidly twirling her racquet. Kiyone swallowed hard as Ayane glared holes into Vera before snorting angrily. She watched the blonde girl laugh mockingly at her as they both proceeded towards the court. Everyone quieted down instantly as Ayane and Kiyone faced one another at the net.

"I'm surprised that you and your puny Pomeranian managed to make it this far," Vera sneered darkly while tousling her long wavy blonde hair, yawning a bit. "This match is ours. Your brain's probably more in your boobs. Maybe that's how you got in anyway."

Ayane hissed darkly, rolling up her sleeves and preparing to brawl with her. "You're so dead! You're lucky Keigo didn't allow me to bring my 30-inch skillet to pound you in! I'm gonna rearrange your face until Souma-san can't recognize you!"

"Go go Yane~, you squish her like a lemon while I go after the other," Kiyone grinned before pondering for a few moments, pointing at the smaller girl. "Wait - Yane-chan, what's her name again?"

Ayane sighed into her palm, laughing sheepishly. "Her name is Ryuuzaki Sakuno."

Kiyone glanced up at the air for a moment before shrugging nonchalantly with a sing-song voice. "Me no remember~."

Vera raised an eyebrow snootily while whipping her hair back confidently. "My my, the little puppy's biting more than she can chew. Too bad I'm going to crush her little heart in front of the whole world!"

Ayane hissed demonically while tightly gripping her racquet. "Not until I make my Magnolia Blade hack you violently into pieces!"

Vera grinned darkly before looking towards the crowd, proclaiming to the audience. "So, is this how Hyotei trains its regulars? What a bunch of fools! They're just all talk and no bite! Who's gonna win today?"

Seigaku supporters worked up into frenzy, raising banners and flags into the air. "SEIGAKU!"

"Who's gonna crush them today," Vera raised her racquet high into the air.

"THE HEARTBREAKER," The audience chanted louder as Hyotei supporters stared in shock.

Ayane narrowed her eyes while watching Vera's arm drop to her side. The audience chanted her name louder and louder before it thundered throughout the court.

"So," Vera gave her a sultry smile, tossing her hair back. "Are you ready?"

In response, Ayane sniggered humourlessly. "You know, Keigo knows what happens to him when he tries something explosive like that. Lemme show you how it's done!"

Vera froze as Ayane turned to the crowd with an evil grin. "Hey guys, you guys gonna let this second rate wanker talk you down like that!"

"NO," Hyotei, obviously furious, howled in response.

"You want me to beat this bitch into a bloody pulp," Ayane nodded with conviction at Atobe who stared in astonishment.

"YEAH! Hyotei will win!"

Kiyone climbed onto Ayane's shoulder before cupping her hands around her mouth. "So lemme hear you yell and make this astronomical wanker pay~!"

Hyotei's cheers immediately overpowered Seigaku into submission as Ayane declared to the world.

"I never thought I would say this but - ORE-SAMA NO BIGI NI YOINA!"

Shishido twitched violently, shaking his head vehemently. "She used the wrong pronoun..."

Atobe smirked with his usual holier-than-thou smirk, folding his arms. "It does not matter. Ore-sama is perfectly content using it that way. Ayane, show that woman her place!"

Ayane gave him her fist with a determined grin. "You don't have to tell me twice!"

Soon, Hyotei cheered loudly with a triumphant roar with the Seigaku members staring in shock.

"Doubles One will now begin! Hyotei Gakuen's Kobayagi-Getsugan pair versus Seigaku's Jerrard-Ryuuzaki! Game start - Jerrard to serve!"

Vera, fuming angrily, stormed off towards the baseline to take her position. "Ryuuzaki, we will break them. Permanently - and we'll make sure they stay broken."

Sakuno exchanged glances at the two before bowing in apology and humbly. "I'm sorry; thank you for the match! I hope we have a good one."

Kiyone grinned cheekily, clapping her hands jovially. "We're fine with you but we're gonna break Blondie-chan!"

Vera scoffed haughtily, tossing her hair back to begin her service. "Very well then. I will break you Fakers first!"

As her service cracked off, Vera watched Ayane's movements as the tangerine haired female exploded the ball with a single fisted backhand. Vera's eyes widened as Sakuno froze in the line of fire as the ball deflected limply off her racquet as Kiyone attacked the lob with a spinning smash. The ball travelled on the ground as Vera scooped it off to repel the attack. Ayane attacked the net as the ball crashed towards Sakuno while the little girl deflected it again fearfully.

"Sakuno, change position," Vera switched positions with Sakuno.

That should render Getsugan useless.

Vera winced at the impact from Ayane's shots before struggling to return them each time. The ball feebly flew back towards Ayane until Kiyone suddenly appeared with a drive volley. The ball hissed onto the court while Vera began chasing it with renewed vigour. Her cerulean blue eyes glittered icily at Ayane's hardened emerald ones as they crossed each other at the net.

"Ayane's doing amazingly well despite the pressure," Isane smiled cheerily before glancing at a frowning Mai. "Mai, what's up?"

Hitomi narrowed her eyes at Vera, biting her lower lip. "Jerrard is not doing her usual mannerisms and numbers. In comparison to her when she uses Heartbreaker, Vera appears to be... Struggling..."

Mai sighed deeply before standing up, glancing at her captain. "Hey Shizuru, you want a drink or anything?"

The brunette smiled cheerfully before nodding. "Milk tea?"

Mai sighed hopelessly but with snicker nonetheless; if there's anything that could elicit a reaction like that from her, it would be tennis or milk tea. The genius patted her captain on the head before walking off to get a drink and her captain's milk tea.

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

Walking along the stony path, Mai flipped around her wallet and cellphone before casting her eyes towards the sun. The Nationals were right around the corner - a smile curved up her lips as she continued treading slowly on the path. However, her expression fell the moment when she heard a sly snicker.

"Maa, you're really pushing me to the limit, Rena."

Mai literally froze in her tracks as she stood behind a brick wall. Her body tensed up at the voice, prompting her to swallow really hard. Did she hear right? Fuji and Yukimura were the only two who sounded like women with a similar voice. She cautiously turned the corner as Mai's eyes widened.

Rena had her hands against the tree.

Yukimura pulling her body against his.

What else did Mai want to know?

Nothing, Mai bit back her tongue bitterly as she retreated back behind the wall. Her emotions threatened to surge out of her as tears slowly began to leak out from her eyes. Mai winced at her body throbbing as her sight slowly became blurry. She gripped the brick wall tightly as the tensai struggled to keep her stance up. The sun continued to beam down brightly at her as her amber eyes were filled with tears.

"Wait, aren't you Hyotei Gakuen's tensai -Nagisaki Mai," a voice calmly inquired as the red haired girl swivelled her head up.

Oh God, it's Yukimura...

Mai immediately wiped her face before smiling cheerfully. "Last time I checked, yeah that's me," -she attempted to laugh.

Rena suddenly emerged from behind Yukimura. "What happened? Why are you all alone here?"

The crimson haired tensai wearily cast her eyes towards the brunette with pigtails. She immediately got up and shook Yukimura silly before spouting off the truth. Rena looked increasingly horrified as Yukimura blinked before staring incredulously at her. Rena slapped Mai with the tensai angrily while the crimson haired girl grinned in triumph that now Yukimura knew the truth.

Well, that's how she would have wanted things to happen.

Mai snapped herself out of the daze as she smiled sweetly. "Ah, I'm just dealing with the pressure of the match."

God Nagisaki, your performing arts classes and practices are really paying off.

The tensai silently thanked her stars for her cousins and she being a family of performers. Her tears dried up instantly as she managed to maintain a sweet disposition towards the two people. Her body threatened to tremble in front of them. Her amber eyes gleamed normally as of nothing was wrong while her smile remained completely plastered on her face.

"I know you can do it, Nagisaki-chan," Yukimura smiled encouragingly while slinging his arm around Rena. "It should just be like every other match you've played in. Rena also dealt with it when she visited me in the hospital everyday. She was even there on the day of my surgery."

Mai darkly stared but immediately disguised her slip-up with her smile. "Oh? That's nice."

Ayane, I really wish I had your guts and uncontrolled volume right now.

The tensai remained completely silent as she looked at the couple standing in front of her. The truth tore itself from her throat before sinking into the pit of her stomach. No, her prey may be right in front of her but the tensai decided against it. Yukimura would definitely notice his girlfriend's discomfort and right now - Mai didn't need to be a rocket genius to figure out that Rena clearly shivered under her gaze. But her eyes narrowed more at the character that lay seething under that exterior.

It takes one to know one.

"Seiichi," Rena whined a little while clinging on to his arm, hiding behind Yukimura. "Why's everyone so scary here?"

Yukimura lovingly brushed her hair before smiling serenely at Mai. "Oh, it's the tension that comes with these tennis matches. Everyone wants to win after all."

Mai winced at his serene smile as she relaxed her shoulders a bit. Her amber eyes met the lavender orbs of Yukimura as she averted her eyes painfully from the Rikkai Dai captain. Rena continued to tightly latch herself onto Yukimura's arm while hiding meekly. Mai, averting her eyes, slowly striding past Yukimura with a small smile.

"Ignorance I guess is truly bliss," Mai smiled mournfully before drifting past Yukimura.

Yukimura's eyes widened as he saw Mai go a noticeably long distance away as her figure faded from far away. The blue haired male wanted to go after her and ask what she really meant. Her smile seemed so sad to him. What did she know about him? After his surgery, he just found himself staring at a white ceiling until Rena came in. He blinked several times as a flash of red appeared in his eyes. He shook his head; where in the world did that come from? What was that red flash for? He had been seeing that in his mind ever since after the operation. A recurring image perhaps?

"Seiichi," Rena gently tapped his shoulder before looking at him lovingly. "Are you okay?"

Yukimura nodded stiffly as he glanced back towards path that Mai had taken. He blinked several times before walking back towards the tennis courts.

I better ask my doctor where those images are coming from. I never had those before.

On the other hand, Mai continued walking towards the milk tea store while tightly gripping the necklace that had shattered that day. Her whole body literally froze as her feet continued to walk robotically. A bitter smile curved up her lips as she cast her eyes back at the couple, wondering what it would be like to fall in love with her very own tutor.

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

"Love - forty!"

Vera heavily panted while glancing at the buxom tangerine haired girl. She winced at the pain in her wrist as she forced herself to stand properly. Her body trembled considerably as she faced Ayane. What made her so strong? She knew that the more Ayane countered her attacks - her wrist will be done in for the season. How could they easily force out a long game with her? Vera shook her head in denial; no, these guys just had a lot of energy is all.

"You hit like an ox," Vera darkly hissed while trying to maintain her haughty expression. "Your boyfriend must be scared shitless by you."

Ayane snapped angrily before pointing her racquet at her. "I may be strong but at least I don't abuse my strength and randomly insult people! I'm gonna put your racquet where it belongs - shoved up your ass!"

Atobe twitched at the blonde woman's insult. Although there was some truth to it, the Hyotei male captain soon learned how to shrug off the pain considering she's hit him once with a car license plate. How she managed to yank that off is a miracle. Souma may be known as the strongest woman in Kantou but that's probably because they've never seen Ayane effortlessly wrench off a license plate.

She definitely can enter the Women's Wrestling Association.

Ayane prepared herself to receive the service on the other hand as she watched Vera's movements. The blonde girl dusted her skirt with a haughty snort as Kiyone eyed Sakuno as the pigtailed haired girl clumsily stumbled around with a slight whimper. The Hyotei female vice captain tightened her grip on the racquet as the serve cracked off the racquet once again.

I will finish her here!

"Kotsubushi no Katana," Ayane slammed a strong backhand at Vera's left side.

The ball rocketed off her racquet before exploding against Vera's racquet. The blonde let out a cry in pain as the ball strained the strings of her racquet. Sakuno rushed towards her senpai as she attempted to help return the shot. The ball refused to bounce off the racquet as it drilled a hole into Vera's racquet. Sakuno flew back from the impact before she landed flat on her butt.

"Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan: one game to love!"

"What are you," Vera seethed venomously while gripping her wrist. "What kind of drugs are you ingesting? I wouldn't be surprised though that your own doubles partner is scared of you!"

Ayane resisted the urge to throttle her but bit her lower lip.

Seeing that she hit a nerve, Vera smirked widely. "You're more abusive than I am! At least I don't throttle my own doubles partner!"

"I don't throttle her," Ayane angrily hissed as she struggled to cement her feet to the ground.

"Then why are you so hot and bothered then?"

Ayane instantly shut her mouth as she stared at her hands but immediately shook off the feeling. She remembered how the Heartbreaker worked and if Atobe was right - she definitely would have to shock her into complete fear in order to intercept it. She bit her lower lip anxiously while glancing back at her doubles partner. Kiyone tilted her head innocently as she grinned in determination. A huge smirk appeared on her face.

"You can talk all you want," Ayane took her position at the baseline for reception, pointing her racquet venomously at the blonde senior. "But it will take more to break down the Queen of Hearts and Queen of Clovers!"

Vera let out a hollow chuckle while staring back at the determined Hyotei pair. "Bitch please - who do you think you are? What kind moron do you think you are?"

Shiraishi watched the match unfold before him solemnly as Ayane unleashed an explosive service. He winced slightly at the power that exploded from the tangerine haired girl's racquet before recalling the sensation with a shudder. The Shitenhouji captain wondered if his hand would actually tear off his arm but he redirected his attention to the net as Kiyone started sealing Ryuuzaki Sakuno's movement. The sandy blonde haired girl pivoted quickly with Sakuno desperately trying to escape. He knew that Hyotei was loaded with speed demons but never expected for Kiyone to be part of them.

"She's not just fast on the court," - Shiraishi swivelled his head to see the Shitenhouji team standing behind him and Kenya leaning against the rail.

Hitouji swooned while shaking his butt, dancing off. "Ooh buchou isdefinitely in love with Kiyone-chan~!"

Shiraishi wanted to dig a hole and hide himself in there, seeing Kenya's expression pale considerably. "Hitouji, now's one of those times I wished you were very distracted by Koharu."

The two Shitenhouji males remained silent as they continued watching the match. Shiraishi found Kenya leaning on the rails beside him; Kenya and he were always good friends and no matter what happened - they stuck by each other. His dark eyes followed the freshman's movements as she whirled around for a spinning smash. He chuckled inwardly; Kiyone could pull off the Entaku Shot a bit but still it needed some tweaking. However, he found that extremely amazing for a freshman especially when her feet would land inaudibly onto the ground. Most people drop like rocks into the ground but his eyes focused more on her cheerful and thrilled expression. Her blue eyes glimmered with the sun gently refracting off them and giving them an energetic gleam. Her messy sandy blonde hair floated in the wind as she attacked the net while trapping Sakuno at the same time.

"She sure is something, huh Shiraishi," Kenya mused lightly while fixing his stance against the railing. "I wouldn't be surprised if you would go after her though."

Shiraishi swivelled his head back towards his best friend; he wasn't mad? "You're not mad or anything?"

Kenya chuckled in good naturedly before gazing back seriously into his captain's eyes. "I wouldn't want a girl to get in the middle of our friendship but still, I won't lose."

Shiraishi smirked before extending his hand out to Kenya, nodding in acceptance. "May the best man win?"

"Challenge accepted."

"I hate to be a party pooper but," - Kenya and Shiraishi swivelled their heads towards Chitose who calmly placed his hands in his pocket. "But if you don't keep your voices down, your words will soon be: may we both live to meet again if Kobayagi-san manages to clobber us both."

Vera flimsily sent the ball towards the baseline as it curved awkwardly towards Kiyone who managed to volley it straight at Sakuno. The pigtailed haired girl panicked at the speed but forcibly deflected it while trying to keep up with Kiyone's wrist flexibility. Seeing the ball head towards the corner, the sandy blonde slid down onto the ground before slashing the ball with a strong top spin and sending it straight for Vera. The blonde vice captain soon pounded the ball straight towards Ayane who slammed the ball with a devastating backhand which ploughed straight through Sakuno's and Vera's defences and cracking on the baseline behind them.

"Fifteen - love!"

I don't get it!

Vera bristled in annoyance before looking at the black scratch mark on the court, glaring at the shot that had previously zoomed past her. Her body trembled violently from the impact thundering loudly in her mind as she watched Ayane stand tall despite everything. The Heartbreaker should have taken effect by now but Ayane and Kiyone immediately started resisting it. She shook her head before glancing at the male captain of Hyotei with a small smile curving up her lips. The Seigaku vice captain snickered in realization; where else could have the information have leaked out? Yamaguchi hadn't been there during their utilization of the Heartbreaker and with his Insight, of course he would have some idea.

"How sure are you that you know the true form of the Heartbreaker," Vera smiled slyly as Sakuno volleyed a vanishing shot towards Ayane and Kiyone as the two promptly froze on the spot. "Besides, you know it yourself - Atobe is an idiot in doubles. He won't know a thing! Same time, don't you two hate each other so why get so defensive? And you Getsugan-chan, don't you ever think for yourself instead of listening to an airhead? Don't you ever wonder why you should take orders from a big breasted bimbo?"

Ayane resisted the urge to throw her racquet and strangle Vera right there. "His Insight makes up for it and I'm gonna kick your ass if it's the last thing I do! Only I'm allowed to insult Keigo!"

Seeing some results, Vera continued smoothly while tousling her blonde hair. "Besides Kiyone, weren't you the rumoured soon-to-be Angel of Kantou? I'm sure you can do so much better than your captain. But then again - you're nothing more but a spineless little brat who knows nothing of tennis!"

Kiyone froze at her statement but not before noticing Sakuno's stance. Her body began to tremble fearfully as she struggled to keep her body moving. Everything completely froze around her as the sounds fell deaf on her ears. True Ayane may be the most oblivious and sometimes may have the shortest temper however; Kiyone could not disregard how the girl always stood by her. She learned some basic forms of tennis but found baseline to be a tad complicated. If anything, her whole body had to fly first before it got over the net. Rin despite being an acrobat and a volleyist definitely sent it over the net much better than she had.

"SHUT UP, YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT US," Ayane blasted the shot from her racquet as it slammed into the net. "What in the world...?"

"Fault," - the ball limply slapped against the net.

Ayane blinked several times before staring incredulously at the net before unleashing out another serve; what had just happened? "What the heck is happening to me? Damn it, I'm getting distracted!"

"Double Fault, fifteen - all!"

Ayane stared in disbelief as her hands suddenly started getting clammy and her throat mysteriously ran severely dry. Her whole body shut down instantly as she started spacing out in the middle of nowhere. Ayane shivered fearfully as she struggled to fight back but to no avail, her body nearly began crumbling under her. The tangerine haired vice captain shook her head vehemently; this was one of the effects of the Heartbreaker!

"I will not crumble no matter what she throws at me," Ayane hissed venomously before serving an explosive serve that just cracked past Vera.

The blonde girl stared in admonishment; Ayane started sweating and staggering but she didn't show any sign of breaking. Kiyone stared in amazement as her partner struggled against the effects of the Heartbreaker. The sandy blonde girl bit her lower lip anxiously while trying to keep her stance. She could feel everyone's eyes on her as she tried to shake away the nauseous feeling in her stomach. The Queen of Clovers lowered her stance as Ayane ripped out another serve with rocket-like speed. Sakuno trembled fearfully as the ball continued to crack past her once again.

"Damn, she hits a serve harder than my Bullet Serve," Momoshiro stared in disbelief and astonishment. "I'd hate to be on the receiving end of that serve."

Kaidoh let out an indignant hiss, grabbing a handful of Momoshiro's clothes as well. "That's because she works out more than you do."

This prompted Momoshiro to slam his forehead against the Boomerang Snake user's. "Oh yeah? I bet you she'll tear your arms right off!"

Kaidoh twitched furiously before grabbing Momoshiro by the shirt. "Say that again, porcupine head!"

"I said she'll tear your arms right off," Momoshiro pushed Kaidoh back with a voracious hiss. "With that kind of power, you've got nothing Mamushi!"

Echizen narrowed his eyes darkly before drinking up another can of Ponta. "Ryuuzaki better not try to return that shot. She doesn't have the power or the tenacity for that yet."

Tezuka watched the match carefully as Ayane's anger fuelled each of her services quite easily. He noticed the sudden change of expression on Vera's face as more sweat poured down the Hyotei freshman's face. Ayane slammed the shot with extreme force with a forehand as Vera countered with a weakened volley. Sakuno desperately tried to follow after Kiyone only to stumble back and forth. The smaller girl on the other hand zipped by and started attacking Vera with full speed volleys. He continued to wonder; how did Shizuru manage to find someone like her? If anything, perhaps Kobayagi had enough strength to even give Kawamura a good run for his money.

"Saa~, I'm more interested in the match after this though," Fuji chuckled all-knowingly before seating himself next to Kikumaru. "You don't know what kind of strength they have. They fight but with different forms of strength. Their eyes reflect much..."

Tezuka frowned a bit at the cryptic message given by the tensai. "Fuji, not now."

"Why not, Tezuka," a seam of cerulean peaked under the effeminate male's lashes. "I don't think you're the only one who is captivated."

Tezuka massaged his temples while turning away from Fuji before finding his eyes straying towards the Hyotei stands. Cheers from Hyotei thundered louder than ever as Ayane managed to grab the set from the Jerrard-Ryuuzaki pair. However, his eyes strayed more towards the bleachers as he watched the girls become tenser as the match progressed. He glanced at their captain only to notice that her usual calm gentle smile did not grace her face but the bespectacled male could not say for sure whether or not the bright determined gleam in her crimson eyes distracted him more.

"Kurenai falls hard once she realizes things," - Tezuka swivelled his head towards the red haired female captain as the girl darkly folded her legs with an annoyed snort. "She tends to deny details unless she's seen it in front of her. More or less however, she'll realize who she's dealing with after this match."

Tezuka frowned a bit at Fuuka's ruthless glare directed towards Shizuru, sighing inwardly a bit. Girls usually had been a trivial matter to him; he never understood how they could get so competitive over something so tiny. Although the male tennis teams also had their testosterone-fuelled fights, their wrath seemed to be nothing compared to what the girls supposedly dished out. Fuuka had her fair share of pounding a few senpai since they called her a butch a few times due to her masculine way of talking. It took more than Kawamura to hold her down and the female captain definitely looked like she was about to breathe fire. When he pondered deeply once again, Tezuka found himself realizing that he had never heard of an incident where Shizuru would violently lash out in anger.

"It's usually the quiet ones who are more terrifying when angered, no," Fuji smiled all-knowingly at his captain, chuckling lightly.

Tezuka sighed dejectedly; trust Fuji to be VERY experienced in that department. "Ah."

"Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan: two games to love!"

The cheers erupted loudly as Ayane managed to gather some of her wits back but found her body trembling more than ever. Sakuno sauntered towards the ball before giving a terrified look to Ayane as the taller Hyotei freshman walked towards the baseline to receive. The tangerine haired vice captain found herself worrying for the smaller girl whether or not she may or may not blow off the smaller girl's arm. She contemplated deeply; how could she return to Sakuno without worrying about inflicting any injury on the innocent girl standing on the other side? If it were Vera, by all means - she'd rather pull off the blonde girl's arms herself. Soon, Sakuno sent a wobbling serve as Ayane tapped it lightly to make it move towards the net like a normal shot. Vera attacked Kiyone instantly as the smaller girl immediately struck with her Obana Volley. Hissing in annoyance, Vera winced at the vanishing speed of the ball as she managed to return the shot a few times. However, the blonde female instantly sent it far enough within Kiyone's range and Ayane's range as the two collided into each other.

"Ow," Kiyone whined as she leapt away from Ayane to cover the other side. "Sorry!"

Ayane clucked her tongue before lobbying it towards the other end of the court, nearly stumbling over. "Never mind, concentrate on the match!"

"Ayane better figure out a new formation before that match progresses into anything worse," Haruka bit her thumbnail while watching the freshman go against the senior, watching the ball zoom back and forth. "That's never happened before."

Mai narrowed her eyes at Vera as the blonde woman continued attacking Kiyone. "It's a slow but sure mental attack that makes sure both players begin focusing more on their own progress rather than their progress as a unit. Since both girls are ideally new to this, they're more susceptible to the attack."

"You forget that Ayane's as stubborn as a mule, she won't go down that easy," Atobe smirked while leaning against the rail. "Ore-sama made sure she would have at least a small fighting chance."

"Fifteen - love!"

Atobe froze at the announcement as he found Kiyone crumpled on the ground with Ayane nearly forced down on her knees. The mark of the shot landed right in between them as the two girls stared in astonishment that Vera finally managed to break through their defences. Biting his lower lip in annoyance, Atobe ran a mental checklist in his mind making sure he did not forget to tell Ayane anything about the Heartbreaker technique. He understood the ruined concentration, the spirit breaking and then the self-destruction. What else could that technique do other than ruin the rhythm of two doubles players? He immediately began racking his brain to try and recall the newspaper clippings Taki and Kabaji managed to gather regarding Vera's special playing style. He had gone back to the schools who have come across her and the doubles players somewhat managed to recover. But the technique now seemed beyond ruthless, Atobe hissed mentally in frustration. What is that woman planning?

"No," Atobe's eyes widened in realization as Vera smirked all-knowingly at the Queen of Hearts and he. She's going for permanent damage!

"You're so slow," Vera yawned while tossing back her blonde hair with her blue eyes glimmering in mock amusement. "Even your idiotic lapdog figured it out."

Ayane slammed her racquet on the ground, preparing to lunge at her. "You say that again!"

Kiyone immediately grabbed Ayane by the fringe of her jacket. "Y-Yane-chan, wait...!"

However, Ayane's arm immediately and instinctively flew back and knocked Kiyone down with pure impact alone. The sandy blonde girl blinked several times in disbelief as Ayane found herself midway to punching the blonde girl. She staggered back before glancing at the astonished smaller girl. Her emerald orbs widened with horror; where did that come from? She glanced at Atobe before running a mental checklist of everything he had briefed her on prior to the game. The blocking out of concentration, the petty venomous jabs - everything! She had countered everything, hadn't she?

"K-Kiyone," Ayane weakly extended her hand before averting her eyes away. "I-I didn't mean to..."

Kiyone jumped up to her feet again before walking right in front of Ayane with her electric blue eyes staring back at the tangerine haired vice captain. Startled, Ayane continued to stare at her for a moment wondering what the smaller girl would do. Vera chuckled in amusement until Kiyone jumped onto her shoulders and grabbed her cheeks, stretching it far. Soon, the two began staggering around as the smallest member of the female Hyotei team managed to maintain her balance on Ayane's shoulders.

"Kiki," Ayane flailed her arms pointlessly while trying to stop Kiyone from yanking her cheeks, stumbling around. "Fuwah-!"

The sandy blonde volleyist did not stop there as she began singing at the top of her squeaky baby voice with a huge mischievous grin on her face, continuing to stretch her cheeks even further. "YANE-YANE LOVES ATOBE! YANE-YANE LOVES ATOBE!"

Ayane immediately began prying the smaller girl off her shoulders before preparing to maul her. "Why I oughta-!"

"Buchou~," Kiyone whined immediately before running away, realizing having a raging Ayane on her tail was the last thing she wanted. "She's gonna kill me! GROUND HER!"

Seeing Kiyone causing an uproar, Ayane suddenly began laughing to herself which prompted everyone to stare at her.

"What? Has the sudden break in your synchronicity made you insane," Vera sneered darkly until Ayane grinned sickeningly sweet while picking up her racquet.

"Nah, Kiyone just reminded me what I had to do," Ayane snickered darkly at the other vice captain as she cracked her knuckles. "I can steal her wasabi chips later. But for now - I'd like to rearrange your face and see what happens."

On the bleachers, the Hyotei male tennis team found themselves completely speechless as Oshitari became the first to break the silence. "Well, that was somewhat refreshing..."

"They throw more tantrums than us, Yuushi," Gakuto sweatdropped at the sight of the two girls as they continued to glare at each other.

Shishido scowled darkly before folding his arms. "Che, Seigaku got what they deserve."

Another serve flew lightly from Sakuno as Kiyone launched herself forward to send it over the net with Ayane moving far back to cover the baseline. Soon, the two began alternating roles back and forth with Kiyone jumping around and Ayane feinting attacks left and right. Vera bristled at the progress of the two members of Hyotei as she prepared for a slamming smash. Kiyone and Ayane immediately backed up as the smash bounced high off the floor while the smallest member of the Hyotei tennis team sprung off Ayane's hands before letting down a smash straight at Sakuno. Despite being terrified of the speed, Sakuno managed to retaliate with a forehand while Ayane unleashed another speeding Kotsubushi no Katana towards her, immediately frightening the freshman with sheer brute force.

"Don't be afraid of her, Ryuuzaki," Vera attacked the backhand with a volley. "That's all she is! Brawn and no brain!"

Ayane hissed venomously before exploding another forehand. "Hey, I resent that!"

"How can Ayane-chan keep that consistency despite being pushed to the back," Gakuto stared agape at the explosive sounds that echoed off her racquet.

Atobe somewhat smirked at Gakuto's spluttering and astonishment while watching Ayane push herself farther. He saw Ayane soar a bit in air before bringing out a heavy forehand. A small smile crept up his lips as his icy blue eyes followed towards Vera who showed extreme effort in returning the next shot. Somehow, the king of Hyotei couldn't help but ponder on the ghostly smirk on Vera's face. He bit his lower lip as the clouds above him slowly began to move in. Suddenly, Hyotei's chanting faded into the background as Seigaku's cheering increasingly became louder.

Break their hearts! Break their hearts! Seigaku FIGHT-O!

Atobe watched the body language between the two Seigaku players as the net player suddenly became very serious. From her formerly wobbly and clumsy stance, Sakuno soon started following Kiyone's pace with much ease as the smaller player began attacking the front net. Vera's sapphire blue eyes shimmered with cunning while Ayane continued to push hard with exploding forehands. The tangerine haired girl winced visibly at the strain her body started to feel as she nearly stumbled over. Kiyone immediately backed up and began taking the baseline shots as well before nearly falling over to forcibly exert more effort. Sweat beads trickled down Ayane's face and Kiyone staggered a bit while allowing Ayane to blow the ball straight towards Sakuno which prompted her to run away from the ball.

"Fifteen - all!"

"Ryuuzaki," Vera swivelled around to find the dumbfounded girl sitting on the ground with a horrified expression in her face. "Are you alright?"

Sakuno weakly nodded while trying to pick herself up only to fall again. "H-Hai, g-gomenasai Jerrard-senpai..."

Vera clucked her tongue in annoyance before sparing a glance at the strong woman standing on the other end. She clenched her fists tightly; where did Ayane get that kind of power? Her arms had definition but not the kind body builders had. The tangerine haired girl's arms showed no bulges of muscle but a thin stream line. Vera knew of one thing though: Kiyone basically did all the running although Ayane can cover a bigger distance than the smaller girl can.

"Souma, if only you could play doubles," Karin chuckled with a business-like smile. "Perhaps this buxom tangerine haired freshman would have given you a run for your money as the Strongest Woman in Kantou."

Fuuka scoffed haughtily while folding her arms. "Che, that girl doesn't have anything on me. What my father did to me cannot be equated to what she does and what she was born with. Kurenai can definitely attest to that."

Atoli shrugged nonchalantly before watching Fuuka suddenly stand up and walk away. "Where are you headed?"

"Warm ups," Fuuka responded simply before casting a withering glare at Hyotei. "I intend to crush Kurenai under the weight of her team's dreams and expectations."

Watching the red head walk away, the brown haired Seigaku female tensai blinked several times while shaking her head dejectedly. She never understood the rivalry between the two girls. Shizuru showed no reaction to it and as far as the tensai observed - Fuuka stood in a one-sided rivalry. Atoli tipped her cap a bit before falling asleep against the wall.

Kurenai better be prepared for war. As a fellow sophomore despite different schools, I respect her spirit.

On the other hand, Fuuka quietly sauntered through the pathways among the court before breaking into a slight jog. She breathed heavily while looking around at the greenery that past her. Children watching their elder siblings or simply playing tennis cheered them on as more kids began running around. Fuuka snorted in disgust; how did people get so oblivious anyway? To her, life was a battle she had to constantly survive and learn.

That's how L.X.A moulded us to be.

Fuuka frowned a bit at the thought of the CHroME before pulling it out of her pocket. She stopped in her tracks before staring solemnly at the bright red hexagonal shaped device with the symbol of Aries on it. She bit her lower lip before looking at her palm. Now that they had been de-commissioned, what was left for her to do?

"I'm surprised to see you here," a smooth British accented voice cut through her thoughts smoothly.

Fuuka narrowed her eyes at the honey haired female. "Shouldn't you be in the hospital?"

"Shouldn't you have buried the past," Florence raised her eyebrow at the red haired female captain. "Your father must have been extremely desperate to give up his only daughter."

Fuuka growled in annoyance before turning away in hatred. "I was never that bastard's daughter anyway."

"You were and still are," Florence advanced a bit closer towards Fuuka, watching the flickering aura emanating from the Seigaku captain. "He still asks about you. After all, he was my handler."

Fuuka curled her hands into a fist while glaring at Florence. "He could have bailed us both out of there! With all the money and blood we've spilled by their command, we could have been discharged! Instead, the asshole doesn't even talk to me or spare a glance at me at bloody fucking all!"

"I believe it is because of the attitude and character you have now is what makes him wary," Florence pointed out calmly to the flaming red head, watching the colour shine from white to rage and angry crimson. "Not many people can sift through emotions like Shizuru-chan and I. We are created and modified to be Savants, Fuuka. L.X.A had tried to engineer the perfect race. What better way than to create an orphanage-hospital to find suitable candidates?"

"That doesn't show any connection, bitch," Fuuka hissed venomously, resisting the urge to punch a hole into Florence.

Florence rolled her eyes sarcastically as if she were speaking to a dense student. "Your family - do you remember anything of your past? Other than L.X.A., of course."

Fuuka gave her a duh stare. "We had a normal boring life."

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe they struck a deal with the government in order to keep you alive," Florence smiled slowly, seeing Fuuka's aura slowly change into light blue. "Perhaps, your father and your mother couldn't have children."

Without any warning, Fuuka grabbed Florence by the collar before giving her a deathly glare. "Don't you dare patronise me! I don't need your damn pity!"

"At least both your parents are alive, Natsuki barely has anyone, Ai's origins are from a test tube, Shizuru has no memory of them whatsoever except a huge fire that engulfed her world and most of my parents' savings go to my medical expenses," Florence frowned before managing to pry of Fuuka's fingers with slight difficulty. "At least you still have a shot of normalcy. I'm going to reduce my parents to poverty unless I get this surgery done and even the doctor says I may be reduced into a catatonic vegetable. Our parents have reasons for their actions, Fuuka. What? Are you telling me that your dad gambled away your freedom? You should pay more attention to detail."

Fuuka remained silent before pushing Florence away with an indignant snort. "You don't know anything."

Florence let out a hollow chuckle while folding her arms. "Really? I still remember the day you appeared to us the first time."

Flashback

"Florence, Natsuki," a middle aged man shuffled in with an eight year old red head completely devoid of emotions walked in. "Meet your new roommate, Fuuka. Be nice to her."

Nine year old Natsuki walked towards her with an angry retort, kicking the man in the shins. "What the heck? This isn't some garrison you can all shove us in without telling us, you baka Sagara!"

Kyouichi Sagara chuckled while wincing in pain, sighing. "I know but they just gave the orders. I went with her so the place wouldn't be so scary for her. It is her first time here."

Florence spoke from behind her book with a soft gaze. "That is very admirable of you, Mr. Sagara. Forgive Natsuki for her sudden outburst; we will do our best to make Fuuka feel very much at home."

Kyouichi chuckled at the honey haired female. "Ah always the mature one, Florence. Thank you but I wish I could stay and chat but I have finally been assigned as a handler. You may be four in this room soon which means - Natsuki, start cleaning your mess."

The nine year old looked at the littered gymnastics clothes and papers on the ground before scratching her head with a dejected snort. "Yeah, yeah - I'll get to it."

Florence placed the book down with amusement flickering in her bright blue eyes. "Oh, and who may this new girl be?"

Kyouichi shrugged nonchalantly before patting the charcoal gray haired girl on the head. "I don't know but the only lead that I have is that her name is Shizuru. She seemed pretty traumatized though to the point she has no idea what her last name is."

End of Flashback

Fuuka smirked darkly to herself before continuing to walk down the pathway with a ghostly smile. She glanced at her racquet as a howl of amazement echoed throughout the courts, prompting her to swivel her head up. The red haired captain chuckled smoothly before tossing the crimson hexagonal device in her hand up into the air.

"I can't help but wonder though," Fuuka chuckled lightly before grabbing the CHroME floating in mid-air. "What would happen if Kurenai were to suddenly figure out her true lineage? You said yourself - as long as she's an amnesiac, she has no clue on who she is."

Florence continued to walk along with her. "Perhaps, you're wondering if her family is the reason why she is so powerful. She draws power from the happiness people have when she proves herself to be useful."

Fuuka shrugged her shoulders with a dark snort. "A pathetic ideal really for a person. The whole world can't be happy with that kind of ideal."

"Yes, a Marxist view," Florence laughed softly while holding her own CHroME in her hand. "We could never get rid of these now could we?"

Fuuka glanced towards the sky before walking back towards the courts. "L.X.A made us who we are and I don't think we can toss away our identities just like that."


"Game, Jerrard-Ryuuzaki: one game to two!"

Vera literally stopped dead in her tracks while trying to slow down her breathing considerably. Her eyes scanned the court as she found the other two doubles players holding themselves up despite the pressure. An annoyed scowl engraved itself on her face as she tightened her grip on her racquet, restraining whatever fury that started to boil. Why had they easily crushed the Heartbreaker? Could it be that the stupid Atobe actually managed to analyse her technique properly? According to Karin, Atobe basically knew nothing of doubles let alone hand signals or the techniques behind the formation. Vera grinded her teeth in annoyance as multiple theories appeared in her mind. None of them seemed to make sense.

"Jerrard-senpai," Sakuno shakily tapped the older girl's shoulder, swallowing hard.

"WHAT," Vera fumed angrily before stamping the floor angrily only to realize what was happening to her.

She herself had fallen victim to the Heartbreaker.

"To think you called me slow, you whiny little skank."

Vera swivelled her head towards a twitching Ayane as the tangerine haired girl cracked her knuckles with a huge grin. "Guess what? I guess you're not just playing against a two man team."

The blonde tousled her hair flippantly despite the frustration threatening to surge out of her. "You know if you're to be like so incompetent, I suggest you just fall over right now like I don't know a dead puppy?"

Kiyone pouted bitterly, pursing her lips with the puppy look. "B-But, puppies are cute!"

Vera rolled her eyes sarcastically with a haughty smirk. "Apparently, it takes one to know one."

Ooooh, I just hate her rich bitch smirk right now! Where's a good frying skillet when you need one!

Ayane restrained every urge to leap over the net and rearrange her face. However, she immediately held back before sighing dejectedly. The tangerine haired female glanced at Atobe for a moment before giving him this huge smile which she noticed him visibly shudder. Everything slowly began to fall into place as she glanced back at the scores. If anything, she never planned on using it against her. The vice captain shrugged off the idea and simply wondered what would happen to Vera if she got attacked by her own technique.

"Yane-Yane," Kiyone tugged her shirt before staring at the buxom vice captain with her bright liquid blue eyes. "Are we gonna squish her head like Swiss cheese yet?"

Ayane sighed with a wistful smile; trust Kiyone to always know how to make her feel better. "Don't worry too much about me, Kiki. I'm fine."

I just wanna kick her ass right now!

Ayane fumed slightly as she glanced back at the court, narrowing her eyes in annoyance as she did so. As of now, the score slowly began tipping into Vera's favour as Sakuno started cowering from Vera's vicious wrath. The Queen of Hearts pondered deeply at the frantic state of the other vice captain as she glanced at her palm once again and tightened her grip. She promised her captain the gold and as of now, Ayane steeled herself with much determination. Her emerald green eyes met Atobe's icy blue ones as a smirk appeared on the king's lips.

"It's time you show them what it means to be the Queen of Hearts," Atobe folded his arms with a smirk, nodding in approval.

Ayane snickered in confidence before watching Kiyone send out a serve towards them. Vera received it with a powerful forehand aiming towards the smaller Hyotei player but not before Ayane intercepted it with a volley which zoomed straight towards the blonde. Vera hissed darkly before rushing forward with a striking backhand which Kiyone and Ayane suddenly switched places, leaving the smaller volleyist to play in her favoured position with a quick drive volley. Sakuno stumbled over as she returned another one with a sliced shot while Kiyone responded with an even faster spin. Vera continued her attack at the net but Kiyone despite her small size managed to leap around and block the shots flying towards her. Kiyone even began jumping around which forced Vera to retract a bit slightly in order to get a stronger the baseline shot.

"You stupid bitch," Vera hissed darkly as she attacked the baseline only to find Ayane all set up.

"I'm the stupid bitch? Yeah right," Ayane threw all her weight with a pivot of her ankle into the Kotsubushi no Katana.

Vera staggered back to receive as she and Sakuno attacked the ball at the same time, causing the ball to awkwardly curve around towards Kiyone. The smaller girl instinctively flicked her wrist as the ball whipped itself towards Sakuno who managed to follow the speed a bit slightly. Vera quietly analysed Ayane as both their defiant gazes met one another.

"She's quite impressive," Vera snickered as the ball zoomed back towards her, only to counter with a shallow forehand. "It's too bad that she's only half a player though."

"She can serve pretty well and you saw her ground strokes," Ayane vehemently backhanded the ball once again towards Vera. "She's still growing!"

Vera raised an eyebrow before sliding over smoothly to the other side to let out a drop shot. "Really? Then why does your Waltz never end with her in the back?"

Ayane paused for a moment as her body continued to move mechanically. The sounded faded away into the background as her whole vision became black. The tangerine haired vice captain found herself completely in the middle of nowhere and unable to her partner's movements. Ayane shook her head to change her view but everything suddenly became hazy as the ball thundered in her eardrums. Her body started to slow down considerably as she tried to feel out the match. Her eyes widened in horror as her hands slowly became numb and her racquet falling inaudibly to the ground.

W-where am I?

"Ayane!"

The tangerine haired girl found herself back in the real world as she found herself stumbling into Kiyone who tripped over her. The ball zoomed towards the both of them until the smaller volleyist forcibly pushed the ball over the net with her body weight. Ayane scrambled up to her feet after grabbing her racquet as she attacked the baseline with Sakuno trying to make sure Kiyone stayed in one place. Shaking her head constantly, Ayane found her vision completely warped as she accidentally sent the ball zooming straight out of the court until it slammed against the pole of the net before falling right over.

"Fifteen - love!"

Ayane winced slightly at her performance before looking back at what had happened for a few moments back there. The ball managed to curve itself a little bit to smash into the metal pole but she shook her head dismissively. It was a fluke, if anything - curving and spinning shots definitely did not work out well for her. Kiyone attempted to teach her the last time only to have the ball explode straight through the net or not even leave Ayane's racquet at all. The tangerine haired girl sighed before trying to get back most of her senses. She could feel her body dragging itself like a heavy lead ball before completely stopping dead in its tracks.

"Yane-Yane, are you okay," -Ayane immediately snapped out of her trance with Kiyone waving her hand in front of the tangerine haired female.

She smiled reassuringly to her doubles partner, ruffling the smaller girl's hair. "Don't worry about me, Kiyone. I'm perfectly fine."

"I don't believe you," Kiyone pointed out flatly, eliciting an astonished expression from Ayane. "Blondie's pissing you off, isn't she?"

Ayane giggled half-heartedly, scratching her head sheepishly. "Who wouldn't be pissed off by her anyhow?"

"Don't worry too much," Kiyone grinned as she faced Vera with a huge grin. "If Yane-Yane cannot stand, I'll buy us enough time for you to figure it out. Okay?"

Ayane weakly smiled as she tried running a mental recap of the rally that had flashed before her mind. As the shots flew over, Ayane recalled the explosions that thundered off her racquet and Vera's attempts to counter-attack and also Sakuno's speed. She bit her lower lip anxiously as she watched Kiyone pull if the Obana Volley. The shots flew back and forth that Vera forced herself to move closer and began attacking the sandy blonde volleyist. Kiyone on the other hand had a huge smile of thrill on her face as she slammed another drive volley at Sakuno. However, the vice captain watched the sweat and breathing rate of her partner and Ayane knew that if there was one thing she wanted right now as much as she hated to admit it: it was Atobe's Insight.

If they're not trying to break her, who are they trying to break?

Ayane staggered back a bit before taking a closer look. She saw her partner somewhat wheezing before finally moving in for the attack. The ball managed to escape Kiyone a few times as the smaller girl forced herself to compensate and started twisting her body around to release more power on the shot. Ayane resisted the urge to attack while watching the strategy played out by the two Seigaku regulars. Vera attacked with another forehand to which she responded with a shallow shot before Sakuno volleyed towards Kiyone once again. Kiyone on the other hand felt her body completely giving out. Her shots flimsily fluttered over the net as Sakuno volleyed a few shots in. Vera on the other hand scored the final shot to end her services.

"Yane-Yane, did you figure out anything yet," Kiyone swallowed hard while forcing herself to keep on playing.

Vera giggled evilly at the smooth progress while watching beads of sweat pour down Kiyone's face. Soon, she cracked a smash straight down at the smaller girl which sent the sandy blonde girl staggering back. With the abnormal amount of sweat that the little girl began sweating, Vera made it positively sure that Kiyone will tire out by the sixth game. It didn't necessarily mean that she had to end them in six games. All it needed was a little breaking down of the smallest player.

"Game, Jerrard-Ryuuzaki: three games to two!"

Haruka bit her thumbnail, watching the tides turn against the freshmen. "Damn, to think we thought they were so close."

Rin bit her lower lip while watching Vera slowly change her style. "Wait a minute, somehow – this match, it seems as if..."

"Jerrard intentionally mixed her styles in order to break her opponent," Mai narrowed her eyes and folded her arms before folding her legs, not before handing Shizuru her Wintermelon Milk Tea. "It's like forcing the opponent to break via frustration."

Rin saw the tall glass of milk tea that Shizuru happily sipped, pouting childishly. "Kuwee~, you didn't buy me any!"

"You didn't ask for any, Rin-senpai. Besides, you're not supposed to take too much sugar. You eat more than an average person," Mai chuckled lightly as she watched Shizuru chew the pearls, glancing at Shizuru. "I'm guessing you're in a better mood now?"

Shizuru glanced at Mai for a few moments in silence before continuing to drink her milk tea, causing the whole team to sweatdrop.

"Geez, the next best thing that will distract her from tennis is Milk Tea," Haruka laughed while ruffling the brunette's hair, snatching it right under the girl's nose. "Gotcha!"

Mai immediately paled as the temperature around her dropped considerably. "Um, senpai – not the best move..."

Haruka prepared to sip it until Shizuru despite her calm façade immediately leapt at Haruka, tackling the Pearl Dragon to the ground and sitting on the said girl's back before wrestling her milk tea back from the thief. "Agh, what was that?"

Shizuru narrowed her eyes with a dark hiss. "Leave. my. milk. tea. alone."

The whole tennis team stared at her for a moment before she resumed her happy disposition when she started drinking her milk tea again.

"Well, at least we know how to keep her mood in check," Momo shrugged nonchalantly before drinking out of her water jug, chuckling a bit.

Atobe found himself completely stupefied; what was Ayane doing? He had given her the foundation to work against the Heartbreaker yet she didn't make a move. Kiyone started staggering around with sweat pouring down her cheeks. Ayane on the other hand simply cemented herself to the ground without batting an eyelash towards the beating of the smaller girl. The king shook his head before letting out a sigh while watching Vera talk to Sakuno. His icy blue eyes surveyed the area as he watched the two players of each school start conversing with one another for the next rally. He immediately sauntered down the stairs as the two girls went to report to their captains.

"Ore-sama wants to know one thing," Atobe leaned against the wall as he watched Ayane collapse on the bench. "Were you able to completely decipher it?"

Ayane bit her lower lip anxiously before casting a worrisome glance at Atobe. "You know, I... I don't know..."

Atobe froze as he watched tears of frustration slip out of the tangerine haired girl's eyes.

"I can't figure it out," Ayane yanked her hair in frustration, beating her legs. "I don't understand! How am I supposed to decipher something that's well... undecipherable?"

Atobe sat next to her before holding her hand, inhaling deeply. "Ayane, ore-sama had a slight realization..."

Ayane blinked several times as Atobe glanced back at the court before looking into her eyes.

"What if you are getting frustrated over something that was never there to begin with?"


And that is Chapter 55, folks! I'm sorry for the late update! I've been recently assigned as a beta reader to fix up some stories and they do take some time so yeah. I'll try my best to fix it up as early as I can so I can speedily update this story! Please don't forget to review! Also, below is the list so far of the regulars. I'd make a bigger version but that's for next time! :)

Seishun Gakuen

Souma Fuuka (captain)

Jerrard Vera

Ryuuzaki Sakuno

Mouri Enma

Tashiko Midori

Amagi Karin

Renkeikouji Atoli

Shibuya Rangiku

Hyotei Gakuen

Kurenai Shizuru (captain)

Kobayagi Ayane

Nagisaki Mai

Getsugan Kiyone

Shimohi Rin

Hikifumi Haruka

Uchiha Isane

Yamaguchi Hitomi

Sanada Momo

Rikkai Dai

Yukimura Ai (captain)

Inuzuka Miaka

Hachishika XiaoLi

Amane Kira

Torinaka Yui

Sarah Jaëger

Yumika Tora

Jyosei Shounan

Hoshimura Florence (captain)

Tachiwara Miho

Juushinhi Rena

Zanshoryuu Hikari

Nakayama Shikako

Kyouza Keika

Tousaka Umeyumi