Me: Oh my gosh, thank you for all the reviews! I am truly grateful for all the responses you've given me towards Queen of the Suits. I know I'm a bit slow in updating but thank you for bearing with me. I didn't expect reviews to suddenly flood in the moment I updated actually. I'm sorry for not updating fast enough – I'm still in the middle of pre-med and I've been asked to beta read someone's story. Thank you once again for your patience! By the way, I don't own Prince of Tennis. I only own the OCs and their techniques along with this fanfiction's plotline.

Chapter 56 - Rise of the Clovers

Ayane stared at her sweaty palms for a moment, shivering considerably. She stared at the scoreboard while recalling all the exchanges between them. Kiyone contentedly sat down while putting a coffee bun into her mouth, glancing around the court. The loud chatters of the team and audience echoed throughout the court as she continued looking at the court that stayed empty in front of her.

What if you're fighting something that isn't there?

Ayane exhaled deeply while trying to maintain her composure. She bit her lower lip anxiously while watching Vera give instructions to the smaller girl. Ayane remembered the speed of the pigtailed haired girl as she managed to keep up with Kiyone despite her slight stumbling and falling. As her emerald green eyes cast themselves towards the sky, Ayane found herself staring at the bright blue skies while the whole team started chatting away. The vice captain on the other hand stared anxiously at the racquet at her feet until Atobe twirled around her long tangerine hair, prompting her to jump.

"Hey what was that for," Ayane pouted childishly at the purple haired male captain.

Atobe chuckled in amusement before continuing to rake his long slender fingers through her hair. "Ore-sama just wanted to play with your hair. It's almost as silky as ore-sama's. Besides, ore-sama loves the scent of strawberries."

Ayane flushed embarrassedly before jumping to her feet, flouncing away. "What - Keigo!"

Kiyone grinned happily while poking Ayane's cheek, jumping onto her lap. "Yeah yeah, Yane-Yane loves strawberries! Her Shampoo is Victoria Secret with some strawberry thingy!"

Ayane blushed even more before shoving Kiyone off her lap. "Kiki!"

Atobe smirked at Ayane's expression before continuing to run his fingers through Ayane's hair, even bringing a few strands to his nose to smell. "Arn~, is that so? Ore-sama at least knows now that Ayane has some hidden vanities like ore-sama."

Ayane, blushing madly, shoved Atobe's hands away before stomping on the ground in embarrassment. "Hidden vanities?! Your vanities are anything but hidden!"

Atobe however leaned back against the backrest before shrugging nonchalantly. "How do you think ore-sama became this beautiful?"

"Gah you're hopeless," Ayane rolled up her sleeves and prepared to maul him, twitching and blushing furiously. "I'm gonna pound your skull so hard until you wake up into next century's Tuesday!"

Haruka snickered in amusement before folding her arms. "Well, there go Ayane's frustrations. I'm surprised she hasn't throttled him and chased him with an axe."

Kiyone stared in mock astonishment and surprise, gasping loudly. "Axe murderer...!"

Unfortunately for the smaller girl, the axe murderer swivelled around with a sickeningly sweet smile on her face. "What did you say?"

"Eep buchou," Kiyone immediately leapt towards her captain and hiding in fear. "Save me!"

Shizuru sighed dejectedly at the doubles pair, offering a helpless smile. "I'm starting to wonder how I'll be able to do that really. You know that Ayane is a master at anything that can be swung as a club."

"He he," Ayane started crackling her knuckles with an evil smile, scaring the smaller girl into oblivion. "Time for the ultimate punishment~!"

Kiyone's face immediately paled as she hid behind Momo this time, clearly noticing the sky with the clouds becoming dark and black with lightning revealing a darkened silhouette. "Yane-Yane, I'm sorry! I didn't know mole diva didn't know about your obsession with strawberries! I'm soweeeeeeee!"

Without any warning, Ayane pounced onto Kiyone and began tickling the sandy blonde volleyist into oblivion. "YOU WILL PAY!"

Shiraishi stared in amazement as Kiyone started hooting in laughter with her body trembling and shivering violently. While the sandy blonde volleyist already had tears spilling out of her eyes, Ayane continued tickling her and the two began wrestling on the ground. The sandy brown haired Shitenhouji captain sighed as he watched Ayane tickle her constantly until Haruka managed to pry the two girls apart.

"You guys can be such a handful sometimes," Haruka plopped Kiyone back onto the bench whereas the tangerine haired vice captain retreated to her seat. "I guess we should be glad for one thing though..."

Everyone stared quizzically back at her as the pale pink haired female nodded stiffly.

"Ayane and Kiyone withstood the first and the third effect of the Heartbreaker."

Soon, everyone fell silent as they glanced back at the court. Vera definitely managed to repel them both and soon had Kiyone completely sealed off against Sakuno. Ayane shivered at the last few exchanges as she cast her eyes towards her racquet. Kiyone on the other hand remained relatively silent while glancing out towards the bleachers as the audience managed to calm themselves down. Ayane's expression slightly fell as Atobe stood up and walked up to her, slinging his arm over her shoulder.

"Ore-sama never knew that you were so easily discouraged," Atobe smirked as he continued running his fingers through her long tangerine orange hair. "However, ore-sama knows one thing..."

Ayane found her face being gently redirected to him as he pressed his lips against her neck.

"He knows that whether win or lose - Ayane will always be ore-sama's queen."

Ayane shivered as his breath brushed against her neck. She felt her body freeze as everything around her suddenly stormed into a deep silence. The tangerine haired vice captain smiled weakly before turning towards the sandy blonde volleyist with a determined smirk. Despite being slightly terrified of the vice captain for a few moments, Kiyone jumped out from behind Momo before giving her a firm salute with a courageous grin.

"Let's do this Kiyone," Ayane determinedly picked up her racquet as they both headed towards the court once again.

Sakuno stood by the baseline as she shivered fearfully at the sight of the tangerine haired female, preparing to receive the service. The pigtailed haired girl swallowed hard before weakly throwing the ball into the air, releasing an awkward service that began swirling in front of Kiyone. Ayane immediately darted towards the ball whereas Kiyone threw herself to the baseline before sprinting forward once again.

"Oh my gawd what are they doing," Vera stared incredulously and sent a forehand while watching Kiyone launch herself forward again whereas Ayane shoved herself back.

Ayane narrowed her eyes before launching herself to the middle of the court and Kiyone followed suit. Sakuno sent a short volley towards Kiyone who managed to retaliate with a blinding volley. Letting out a small "eep", Sakuno weakly slapped it towards the small volleyist as the speed zoomed in a different direction. Vera clicked her tongue while lunging for the other shot that headed straight towards the end of the court. Ayane on the other hand showed no movement as her emerald green eyes surveyed the play tactics. Kiyone easily kept them at bay with her Obana Volley flying back and forth.

"You biatch," Vera snorted in annoyance before smashing at Kiyone's face.

Upon seeing this, a huge impish grin appeared on the sandy blonde haired girl's face as she threw herself back with a thumb up. "Go squish her like a lemon, Yane-Yane!"

Vera's confident expression immediately turned into horror as Ayane's cocky smirk met her gaze.

"You bet I will!"

Ayane deflected the attack before delaying the shot ever so slightly and sending it right in between Sakuno's legs. The pigtailed haired girl panicked at the explosive speed and sound as she completely froze in the middle of the court. Vera glanced back at the court before reimagining the whole fight in her head. She bit her lower lip anxiously; Ayane couldn't have achieved that kind of speed unless she had the dancer's, the black dragon's or the captain's build. Vera imagined her counterpart redirecting the power into her lower limbs but that would have compromised her strength. The shot just rocketed past her freshman partner, prompting her to gnash her teeth in annoyance.

"Love - fifteen!"

"That bitch is so going to get it from me," Vera tousled her long blonde hair with a condescending scoff before pulling out her haughty rich girl smirk. "I'm actually amazed that you managed to like get a shot past us despite Sakuno's service being so pathetic."

Ayane frowned darkly at Vera's insult for her partner. "You should really watch it. Being a doubles pair doesn't mean badgering one another."

Vera giggled haughtily with a condescending scoff."But wouldn't a doubles pair know whether or not the other is just pulling your arm and really angry? Oh well, you guys are just immature brats anyway. You like have no idea what's going on and then you like - I don't know, blow up when your favourite toys are ruined."

Ayane narrowed her eyes at Vera, cracking your knuckles. "If there's anyone here who's lacking a couple of bolts in the head, it's you!"

Kiyone spun her finger next to her head with a demented grin. "Cuckoo~."

On the benches, Mai's eyes narrowed into feline-like slits as she folded her arms. "Jerrard's more dangerous in terms of speech. If anything, even one of the subs can defeat her on a normal day in Singles."

Shizuru darkly cast her glance towards Seigaku, watching Fuuka's movement. "Ah."

The shaggy red haired female suddenly began exiting the bleachers before bringing along Renkeikouji Atoli with her. Shizuru glanced at Mai before picking up her racquet. She couldn't abandon Ayane and Kiyone in the midst of all the tension and pressure. However, a tap lightly dropped on her shoulder and revealed Momo standing behind her. The female Sanada gestured to the gates.

"There should be an open court right behind us," Momo quietly seated herself near the coach's chair. "You guys go on ahead."

Watching Kiyone receive Sakuno's flimsy service once again, Shizuru slowly turned around while nodding to Mai. The red haired tensai flipped back her long crimson locks before tucking her racquet under her arm. As the two girls headed out, Momo moved in closer while watching the two players fight. Sengoku leapt over the fence before sitting next to her.

"Hey Momo-chan," Sengoku grinned goofily until he noticed the serious expression on her face. "Momo-chan, I'm sure Hyotei Gakuen will win this. You guys definitely have an awesome line-up!"

Momo bit her lower lip anxiously before shaking her head. "I'm not worried about our chances of victory. I'm worried more for the aftermath of this match. Seigaku's level of brutality would make Inuzuka and Kotetsu look like they're warm and fuzzy all over."

"Um guys I hate to add more worries to the team but," Isane's eyes swivelled around the area before swallowing hard with a meek expression. "Has anyone seen Rin?"

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

The black dragon found herself completely stupefied on the other hand regarding Kajimoto's confession. Her reddish eyes widened in astonishment as her mouth immediately ran dry and her cheeks definitely flamed up to a bright crimson. Her hands became completely clammy as she found Kajimoto staring earnestly at her. The Hyotei female acrobat never knew that her simple skating partner would soon be someone she began to value dearly.

"K-Kajimoto-kun," Rin stammered with her face rivalling the colour of Mai's hair, slowly moving her hands towards his cheeks. "I... Um..."

Kajimoto averted his eyes away from her with a melancholic smile, turning away. "I understand. I guess I did kinda rush it a bit... We should get back to your team. Hikifumi-san might be looking for you..."

Rin's eyes widened as she felt his grip on her hand loosen. No no no no, Rin - do something!

Without any better idea in mind, Rin tackled him immediately without giving the Jyosei Shounan captain any time to react and sent them both to the floor with their faces near each other. As the brown haired acrobat looked up, he found his lips pressed against Rin's. The smell of her citrus shampoo wafted into his nose as he brushed away strands of jet black hair away from his girlfriend's face. He responded deeply with his own passion before sitting up and getting a hold of her shoulders. She slowly moved closer as he positioned her against his lap. A few moments after, they parted before their foreheads were pressed against one another. She crawled onto his lap while giggling softly, nuzzling his nose to which he responded to affectionately as well. Kajimoto on the other hand felt like he had been tackled by a large cat but didn't mind the fact that it was Rin who tackled him to the ground.

"So you really don't mind if the knight becomes your boyfriend," Kajimoto lowered his voice into a soft whisper as he nuzzled back. "Will you let me be that knight?"

"Nope," Rin grinned cheerfully as she rested her head on the crook of his neck. "Fairytales are so stereotyping. I don't mind. Sometimes, the dragon can be the princess too... And yes...you-."

"So this is where you were, senpai."

Rin immediately snapped her head up with a "cat-got-creamed" smirking Mai and all-knowingly smiling Shizuru. The black haired acrobat flushed immediately before standing up and clambering to her feet along with Kajimoto following suit. On the other hand though, Shizuru opened her palm at the crimson haired tensai.

"Pay up," she smiled triumphantly as the Queen of Spades begrudgingly gave her 25 yen.

"Maa, I still managed to discern that Kajimoto would tell her today though," Mai giggled good-naturedly at her captain, placing her hands into her pocket. "So what are you guys doing her in the shut-down acrobatic stadium, hmm?"

Rin waved her arms frantically in the air, giving them both a childish pout. "Kuwee~, you don't have to be so mean about it."

Shizuru giggled softly as she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "We weren't being mean about it. We were simply inquiring on what you were doing."

"Waaah buchou's been infected with Mai-chan's sadism!"

Kajimoto chuckled at his girlfriend trying to explain things to her captain and to the tensai. The brunette wondered about how Wakato would take the news considering that he was the one who pushed him to go get her. The captain smiled inwardly to himself before getting up and walking to the three girls. He stood behind her with a small smile.

"Kurenai-san, Nagisaki-san, I'm sorry for dragging Rin away like that," Kajimoto lowered his head politely. "But with your permission, I hope I am allowed to date Shimohi Rin."

Mai chuckled lightly, twirling her red hair with a sly smirk as if giving it a second thought. "Well..."

"As long as you prove to be more of an inspiration rather than a hindrance," Shizuru curtly smiled before turning away, gracing them with a ghostly smirk. "However, I believe Rin-senpai will be able to discern whether or not you are being destructive to her progress."

Mai rolled her eyes before shrugging her shoulders. "Geez, did you have to agree to him so easily?"

Shizuru smiled softly as her footsteps faded away without an echo before leaving the two alone again. Rin blinked several times before glancing at an awestruck Kajimoto. Both acrobats exchanged glances before smiling at one another. Kajimoto gently took her hand as they slowly walked out of the acrobatic stadium. Both acrobats headed out towards the tennis courts as they found Ayane and Kiyone being forced back.

"Game Jerrard-Ryuuzaki: four games to three!"

Kiyone winced at falling back as she stared back at the scoreboard. "Why... how can they keep up with us?"

Ayane sharply suckled the air as she struggled to keep her stance. Vera barely managed to keep her stance as well as blonde strands of hair dangled in front of her face. The two vice captains glared at one another as sweat dripped on the floor with both volleyists down. Sakuno lay flat on her butt while Kiyone managed to get herself to kneel. The sandy blonde female whimpered softly as she stared in shock at what had just occurred.

How did we keep bumping into one another...?

Flashback

"Kiyone, I got it," Ayane rushed forward with her racquet, watching the ball come flying down towards the other service court.

Kiyone immediately leapt backwards as the smash flew towards them until she tripped over the tangerine haired vice captain's foot. Soon, Ayane stumbled forward with her racquet clattering into the ground as the ball smashed right in front of the pile of Hyotei players. The two players stared in astonishment as Vera managed to crack a shot right in front of them. While the two remained completely crumpled on the ground, Vera flicked back her long blonde hair while Sakuno shyly stood behind the upperclassman with her racquet swinging lightly in front of her.

"What in the world," Ayane stared at the predicament that the two of them were in. "How did we end up like this?"

Flashback End

"Everything just started running downhill right after," Kiyone weakly struggled to get up as Ayane managed to stagger forward. "Yane-Yane, wh-what's happening to us?"

Ayane coughed a little bit before brushing the dust away from her face, breathing lightly with a small smirk. "I figured it out. This so called Heartbreaker is nothing more but a child's play!"

Vera tossed her hair back haughtily, sniggering at the Hyotei freshmen. "Really - so you figured it out? I wonder... What was that small hint of inspiration you suddenly managed to gain?"

Ayane grinned devilishly, spinning around her purple coloured racquet. "Simple - haven't you figured out why I had Kiyone confront you both instead of splitting you guys for a divide and conquer strategy? Damn, you must be stupider than I thought you were."

Kiyone blinked several times before imagining it in her head. "Yane-Yane, so what did you do that for?"

Ayane pointed her racquet at Vera with an arrogant smirk whilst flipping her long tangerine hair back. "I needed to assess their playing skills before anything. Now, here's the problem - you noticed how Ryuuzaki-chan's only been taught to seal you just because both of you are technically the same height?"

The sandy blonde volleyist pouted childishly, sticking her tongue. "I know I'm short already!"

Ayane giggled a bit while ruffling the smaller girl's hair before gesturing to the two teams. "I didn't mean that, Kiki. I meant that the one with real skill here is Ryuuzaki-chan and not Jerrard. It's like the puppet and the puppeteer relationship. Their movements look similar don't they?"

Kiyone blinked several times at the vice captain before swivelling her head towards them, cocking her head to the side. She imagined the whole match once again in her mind as her mouth gaped open when everything started playing right in front of her. Sakuno's flimsy services, Vera's constant yapping and sharp remarks along with her mixing of styles - it finally occurred to the sandy blonde haired volleyist what the other blonde girl was doing. The smallest member of Hyotei nodded vigorously before glancing at Ayane.

"So, what do we do now," Kiyone grinned as she watched Ayane stare down at the Seigaku players with one of her battle-thirsty grins. "Yay, we're gonna squish them like lemons!"

Ayane grinned evilly, twirling her racquet around. "Of course we are, Kiki. I'm not gonna let them walk out of here with the thought that they've trampled all over us."

Vera sniggered haughtily before taking the other side of the service court. "Alright, let's see what other like pathetic attempt you have."

Kiyone picked up the ball while watching Vera preparing to receive her service. She inhaled deeply before tossing the ball into the air and clipping the shot at the tip, causing it to spin in multiple directions. The blonde vice captain literally jumped after the ball as she watched it spin in all sorts of directions. Sakuno tried her best to corner Ayane as the tangerine haired female soon switched places with the sandy blonde volleyist. The two Hyotei players danced in a circular pattern which forced Sakuno and Vera on the defensive on both sides.

"Alright, Waltz Formation," Gakuto punched the air with a sniggering grin, leaning once again against the rails. "That'll teach those Seigaku punks!"

Ayane started with a forward attack while Kiyone waited in the middle of the court, much to Vera's surprise. The blonde sniggered however, remembering how small and how different Kiyone's shots were, attacked the baseline and zipped it straight past the Hyotei vice captain who staggered back in a failed attempt to react. Vera grinned evilly as Ayane snickered in response as the blonde's expression became completely horrified that instead of Kiyone now stood Ayane at the back.

"H-How... How did she react that fast," Vera gaped as Ayane delayed the shot with the Kotsubushi no Katana.

"Welcome to the Castle of Hearts," Ayane grinned as the ball slammed past Vera and Sakuno, shooting right in between their legs.

"Fifteen - love!"

Oshitari smirked while remembering the dancing pattern the two girls used, noticing Kiyone send in another shot with her speedy volley. "Instead of using the waltz which requires precision and accuracy of rhythm, Kobayagi used the Heartbreaker to her advantage by forcing Vera's constant mixture of styles into a pattern. Sooner or later, Vera becomes predictable with multiple unforced errors, the Heartbreaker is nullified and there's no compromise for the two girls. Castle of Hearts - interesting name though..."

Atobe tossed his hair back flippantly, leaning against the bench. "Of course, ore-sama would not expect anything less from Ayane."

Kikumaru blinked several times before jumping up and down excitedly. "Wow nyah, it's kinda like your Oishi Territory but more epic sounding!"

Oishi chuckled nervously while watching Vera click her tongue in frustration. Going against Hyotei's Diamond Pair definitely required more than just preparation and he himself knew that from experience. However, he frowned a bit at the slow outcome of the game: why weren't Ayane and Kiyone using Synchronization? They could have bagged the two instantly without putting too much pressure or fatigue into their bodies. Instead of that however, the Seigaku male vice captain found himself completely astonished as to why the Diamond Pair had not utilized the Synchronization when they could access the power willingly.

"Unless," Oishi looked at the two girls before glancing back at their Seigaku counterparts.

Vera sniggered lightly while haughtily tossing her blonde hair back. "So, what happened to your famous Synchronization?"

Ayane remained silent as she remembered Atobe's words regarding the effects of the Heartbreaker.

The second effect of the Heartbreaker is verbal and physical distraction by hijacking into the doubles players' signals.

"Using Synchronization would definitely give us the advantage but," Ayane pondered deeply in her mind before glancing back at the other two players. "Once that's broken, we're not going to be able to again. Synchronization not only synchronizes us on an emotional plane but also on a mental and bodily plane. Once she shatters that, what would we be able to do?"

Kiyone tossed the ball again and sent another spinning serve which caused Sakuno to stagger around and actually fall over due to the short serve.

"Thirty - love!"

Vera sighed dejectedly before shaking her head disdainfully, rolling her eyes while doing so. "Sakuno, stop making such a big fool of yourself. I mean - isn't he watching?"

Sakuno blushed immediately, hiding her face. "B-but, I-I'm sorry senpai. I'll try better next time!"

Echizen on the other hand sighed for a moment while watching Sakuno switch places with Vera. The pigtailed haired girl definitely could sprint; he actually had to thank her loudmouthed friend for that for constantly dragging the poor girl off somewhere. He chuckled a bit to himself as the capped prodigy continued to watch Sakuno try and retaliate the fast attacks coming from the small Hyotei player. Vera on the other hand began struggling as Ayane started kicking the power up a bit as she punched her hips to release more power. Kiyone leapt forward to keep her eyes on Sakuno once again as another shot flew past Vera, causing both Seigaku players to retreat.

"Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan: four games all!"

Vera glared holes while cutting into her palms with her nails, glaring angrily at the tangerine haired girl. "You think you're so strong huh? Well, let's see you deal with this!"

Ayane's eyes widened as Vera's serve slashed past their formation, throwing Kiyone back and her as the ball slammed straight into the fence. The tangerine haired girl exchanged glances with the smaller girl as Vera smirked in amusement, tossing the ball up and down again. Kiyone glanced at the court to check for any markings or traces but nothing until they heard the ball softly bounce up and down on the other side.

"Aww, scared already," Vera giggled haughtily while pointing behind them. "Didn't you see me serve?"

Ayane blinked several times as the ball rolled to her feet, freaking her out. "Wh-What the heck? Wh-where did that come from?"

Kiyone swallowed hard but found herself completely bewildered as to what had occurred. The sandy blonde volleyist looked back and forth before trying to replay the match in her mind. They definitely heard a loud zipping sound but nothing appeared behind them other than fluttering leaves. Shivering slightly, Kiyone managed to gain back some of her wits when she heard something loudly thump onto the ground and noticed a huge black splotch on the ground with Ayane hissing very venomously.

"Oh that's it," Ayane twitched darkly with a murderous aura forming behind her, tightening her grip on her racquet. "THE DAY I LOSE TO YOU IS THE DAY PIGS FLY AND BUCHOU FALLS FOR A STATUE AND THINKS ITS REAL!"

Unfortunately for her, Shizuru had just arrived before twitching slightly at her words. "Does she really have to announce that?"

"You can still give her laps for punishment you know," Haruka chuckled leaning against the railing. "Besides, she does have a point. Isn't he classified as a statue?"

Shizuru, seeing a sly smirk on the Pearl Dragon's face, prompted her to look away and continue watching the match. "Haruka-senpai, there's nothing you need to know about."

"It's not that she needs, Shizuru. It's more like we know," Mai smirked sardonically with her feline-like amber eyes boring holes into her captain's soul, folding her arms. "Sanada apparently doesn't talk to you as much since Momo-senpai's not usually complaining about his sad attempts."

Shizuru sighed in defeat before continuing to drink her milk tea. "Mai, not now. We must remain focused."

The moment Kiyone eyed the black splotch on the ground; a huge childish and tattle-tale grin appeared on her face as she started jumping around. "Yane-Yane's gonna smash you~!"

Vera snickered lightly as she tossed the ball into the air once again, sending it towards Kiyone who launched a volley towards Sakuno. "Yeah as if!"

As Sakuno returned the shot however, Ayane rushed past Kiyone and slammed the ball straight towards Sakuno which to everyone's surprise - tore a hole straight through the racquet, prompting the pigtailed haired girl to squeak fearfully. Vera winced at the pain her arm suffered as her racquet came in contact with the ball, feeling the intense weight. Finally, the blonde vice captain managed to deflect the shot back before whining at the pain in her arm.

"OW, Fuuka - she's such a bitch," Vera whined as she gripped her arm, wincing and flinching at the strain. "She broke my nail!"

"That's your fault for catching the shot and making her angry - didn't anything that Karin tell you get through your thick head," Fuuka face palmed at the commotion her vice captain started to make, rolling her eyes sarcastically. "You know how to deal with physically empowered people anyway!"

Vera clucked her tongue before facing Ayane again only to notice another shot thunder past her with the ball making a deep black mark on the ground. The blonde haired vice captain blinked several times before casting a fearful gaze towards the hedges which now had a neatly thrashed circle of the tennis ball. She swivelled her attention back to Ayane who began breathing heavily despite the sweat pouring down her face and watering the courts.

"Fifteen - all!"

The arbiter gestured to both teams. "Time out - change racquets!"

Sakuno whimpered at the site of her newly strung racquet only to see the impact of the ball being strong enough to tear a hole through a 60 set tension string. As the pigtailed haired girl shuffled and rummaged through her bag, she felt something drop lightly on her shoulder as Sakuno found Echizen dropping his racquet on her shoulder.

"Yo," Echizen gave her his usual smirk.

Sakuno blinked several times as Echizen spun it around and handed her the handle. "It might not be adjusted to your style exactly.

Ayane balled her hands into a fist before glaring darkly at the snooty blonde vice captain standing on the other side. "You're going down, sister! Whether you like it or not, I'm gonna pummel your ass!"

Kiyone swallowed hard before tapping Ayane at her shoulder. "Yane-Yane, calm down! We're falling right into...!"

"We're going to trash them and I don't give a damn what people say about this bitch," Ayane darkly twitched at the Seigaku players, tightening her grip even further on her racquet. "I've had enough of their taunts and their stupid jeers! I'm gonna crush them!"

Kiyone whimpered slightly at the demonic aura that started spilling from the Hyotei vice captain's sides. "Y-Yane...!"

It's about time she succumbed to it.

Vera sighed deeply in relief as she finally found Ayane's emerald green orbs blazing with fury, regaining some feeling into her arms and legs. On the other hand, Sakuno shivered completely at the angry aura spilling from the sides of the Hyotei Gakuen female as she watched her senpai serve again with Kiyone as the receiver. The sandy blonde girl curled the shot against the net as it limply began to fly while Sakuno rushed for the ball. Kiyone immediately darted forward but noticed that Ayane started staying in the middle of the court. As Kiyone began her attack with speed drive volleys, Vera forced herself to move closer to which Ayane also responded immediately. The ball zoomed towards Ayane which the tangerine haired female unleashed a strong volley which practically deflected off Sakuno's racquet as she brought it up to shield her face. As the ball forcibly lobbed into the air, Kiyone forced herself to compensate by jumping for a smash but not noticing Ayane going for the shot.

Yane-Yane, what are you doing?

Kiyone immediately lowered her racquet down as Ayane curled around to slam the ball straight at Vera with frightening speed. The ball fair enough exploded with enough power to send any man running for the hills. Vera actually let out a small "eep" as she found herself facing the vice captain again. She glanced at the smaller girl as a sultry smirk curved up her lips. Kiyone on the other hand began shivering fearfully as she watched the ball leave Vera's racquet. Ayane rushed forward without any signal before slamming the ball straight at Sakuno without any restraint as the pigtailed haired girl stumbled back before falling flat on her butt.

"Fifteen - forty!"

Vera clucked her tongue slightly while watching Ayane grin evilly at her.

"You seriously gonna tell me that's all you've got," Ayane jabbed her racquet in the blonde woman's direction. "I don't get what's the big deal with you guys anyway!"

Atobe bit his lower lip while narrowing his eyes at the situation. "Ayane's falling deep. She's getting impatient...!"

"Kobayagi," -the tangerine haired female glanced at the deathly calm female captain sitting down at the bench, knowing when the brunette used her last name it meant serious business. "That's enough! Calm yourself down!"

Ayane darkly glared at her captain. "I'm not going to let her walk all over us! There's nothing to be afraid of buchou, she does nothing but talk anyway! The whole Heartbreaker's a fluke!"

Shizuru resisted the urge to drag Ayane off the court. "Ayane, think straight for once and analyse the situation!"

"I am analysing the situation," the tangerine haired Hyotei vice captain stamped hard on the ground before pointing her racquet angrily at her upperclassman. "I already know what her technique does! So shut it and let me do this!"

Haruka froze from Ayane's angry retort, watching Shizuru attempting to calm down Ayane. "Ayane, calm yourself down! You're letting your strength and anger rule your judgement!"

Vera giggled deeply with a cunning smile, watching Ayane take a different position with an extremely confused Kiyone. "It's time I crushed you both! Sakuno, change strategy!"

The pigtailed haired girl stood in front of Vera as the blonde sent in a fast serve towards Kiyone. The sandy blonde attempted to retaliate as it slapped against the net, floating up a bit while Sakuno jumped forward to return the shot only to crash onto the ground. On the other hand, Ayane immediately ran past Kiyone which forced the girl to stay in the back. However, Ayane slammed the shot towards the corner only to hit it as an out and nearly hit her own teammates.

"Ayane-chan," Isane blinked fearfully at the huge dent that appeared on the iron railings. "Maybe you should..."

Shishido slammed his head against the railing. "Damn, she's going nuts!"

"Ayane better calm herself down before she throws away the whole match," Momo narrowed her eyes vindictively at the situation, watching Ayane attack another volley. "While they were too busy trying to defend themselves, they had to weaken their offenses."

Ayane backhanded with the Kotsubushi no Katana. "It all ends here!"

Vera watched the ball zoom way past her as a smirk appeared on her lips. "That's an out."

"Game, Jerrard-Ryuuzaki: five games to four!"

Ayane froze at the announcement at she looked at the court with her eyes widening fearfully. The black marks showed her strikes out of the court and a huge hole in the hedge became undeniable evidence. The tangerine haired female blinked before staggering back.

N-No... No way...!

Atobe bit his lip anxiously, watching Ayane suddenly start to crumble. "Where did that all come from? How was Vera still able to perform the Heartbreaker despite Ayane's knowledge?"

Vera rebuked Atobe, as if hearing his thoughts with an evil sneer and wagging her finger. "Simple. You think the Heartbreaker I showed you the other time was the true potential of the Heartbreaker? You're so simple-minded. At least your gorilla of a girlfriend figured out some part of it."

Ayane twitched darkly before glaring holes. "Can it, skank. At least I can blow your arms off!"

Before the tangerine haired female retaliate, Kiyone suddenly leapt onto her shoulders and began yanking her hair. The vice captain staggered back as Kiyone began playing with her strands of hair until the tangerine haired vice captain threw her off. Kiyone, tumbling back, fell over to the ground before blinking several times.

"KIYONE, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR," Ayane grabbed the girl by her jersey, shaking the poor girl violently. "HOW DOES YANKING MY HAIR SOLVE ANYTHING?!"

Kiyone puffed up her cheeks before pouting angrily. "Yane, pull yourself together! Look around you!"

Ayane's gleaming emerald orbs blazed with annoyance and frustration whereas Kiyone's liquid blue eyes matched hers with irritation and anger. The silence wedged itself in between the doubles pair as Ayane and Kiyone remained completely locked in terms of gaze. The smallest member of the Hyotei tennis team pursed her lips before moving towards the baseline.

"Yane, cool down okay," Kiyone narrowed her eyes at the doubles pair of Seigaku. "I won't let them step all over us!"

Vera chuckled haughtily while throwing her blonde hair back. "Ha, that's what your partner said the last time! Look where she is now!"

"I know what to do," Kiyone tightened her grip on the racquet while narrowing her eyes. "A castle is never complete with just a wall. You're gonna go down, Blondie-chan! Sorry pigtail-chan, Yane-Yane and I are going to bring home the gold!"

Vera sneered while flipping around her racquet. "Oh yeah? Just try me! It's our serve now!"

Sakuno nodded in determination as the serve cracked off weakly as Kiyone went straight for a reception as she volleyed towards Vera. The blonde senior on the other hand quickly countered with a drive volley as Kiyone immediately retaliated with a drive volley of her own. Ayane remained completely stiff as she watched her partner take on the shots.

What happened back there?

Ayane found herself completely flustered as she continued to watch Kiyone. Her body refused to move and her feet cemented themselves to the ground. The tangerine haired female shivered slightly as she looked at the score, watching Kiyone keep up despite taking them on solo.

"Fifteen - love!"

Kiyone pouted slightly as she managed to send a volley towards Sakuno, right in between her legs.

"Fifteen all!"

Hissing venomously, Vera lunged forward before sending a fast baseline shot which zipped past a frozen Ayane.

"Thirty - fifteen!"

Sakuno sent in another wobbly serve, the sandy haired volleyist made sure she compensated for the lack of Ayane. The Queen of Clovers instantly pushed herself forward while retaliating the volleys without much ease. Vera and Sakuno continued to bombard her with more speedy volleys which she responded to the challenge. Kiyone moved back a little towards the middle of the court and went for a short ground smash.

"Thirty all!"

Vera yanked her hair out in frustration. "How does this shorty manage to keep up with us?"

"I-I don't know," Sakuno could only stare fearfully into the determined liquid blue eyes of the smallest member of Hyotei.

Shiraishi watched Kiyone retaliate to the best of her abilities as Hyotei could only stare in astonishment and amazement. He immediately moved towards the rail before yelling out, causing the other people to stare awkwardly at him.

"Show them who you really are, Queen of Clovers!"

Hyotei's eyes widened at the kansai male supporting Hyotei Gakuen's baby as the cheers suddenly became louder. The flags billowed in the wind with the cheers echoing throughout the forests surrounding them as the supporters of Seigaku found themselves overwhelmed by sheer volume of the Hyotei supporters. Soon, Marui started howling and chanting as well along with Kirihara for Kiyone as she continued her speed attacks against the two. Sanada on the other hand found himself smirking at the tiny girl's dexterity and determination whereas Yukimura clucked his tongue a bit before applauding the smaller girl.

Getsugan! Getsugan! Rise of the Clovers!

Kiyone ignored the loud cheering as her legs mechanically sprinted off from the ground as she volleyed towards Vera once again. The blonde hissed angrily as she attacked the left side once again. The smaller girl despite her shortened range jumped towards the left side before managing to return it. Kiyone skidded across before darting for the middle.

"Damn it, break already," Vera slammed the ball in frustration straight past Kiyone as the smaller girl stumbled onto the ground due to the speed.

"Forty - thirty!"

Seeing the service again, Kiyone sent a short curling volley as it suddenly multiplied into multiple shots.

"Scattering October Cherry Blossoms," Kiyone grinned impishly as the ball lightly dropped onto ground in front of Sakuno and Vera.

"Deuce!"

Hyotei howled in amazement and excitement and even Rikkai Dai and the other schools were astonished by Kiyone's solid determination. Soon, the people began clapping loudly as Kiyone started volleying faster with Sakuno stumbling over. The sandy blonde female flexed her wrist as she flicked the ball towards the other side. However, Vera suddenly sent it far from her reach as the sandy blonde volleyist tripped over and fell onto the ground. Her eyes widened in fear until a loud explosion echoed behind her, leaving Vera and Sakuno completely motionless.

"Advantage: receiver!"

Kiyone blinked several times in disbelief; where did that shot come from? Her eyes widened in surprise as she found Ayane grinning at her with her arm swung with a complete Kotsubushi no Katana as the poor hedge of plants started suffering again. The tangerine haired girl flipped around her racquet before extending her hand to the smaller girl who lay splat on the ground.

"You're not going to stay as a pancake are you," Ayane grinned goofily, resting her racquet on her shoulder.

Kiyone blinked several times once again as her body somewhat shivered in surprise. "Y-Yane...?"

Ayane stared at her with a puzzled expression until she paled at her astonished expression. "Eh? What is it? Do I have a bug on my face or something? No, are there pigs flying already?"

Kiyone, seeing her doubles partner talk and joke, prompted her to tackle Ayane to the ground. "Yane-Yane, welcome back!"

"Ah!"

Ayane fell backwards before falling on the ground with shock written all over her face with Kiyone lying flat on top of her with a huge childish grin on her face. Ayane sighed in defeat as she ruffled the smaller girl's hair with a reassuring grin.

"Sorry for all the trouble," Ayane sighed dejectedly, leaning against the ground contentedly. "Somehow, the ground seems a lot softer now."

Kiyone pouted before picking up her fallen teammate. "Yane-Yane's becoming delusional! Noooooo, Mole Diva - do something! She thinks the ground is soft!"

Atobe twitched furiously as he sighed darkly. "Getsugan - keep quiet. Ayane simply needed some rest."

The smaller player pouted impishly. "Aw, you're no fun."

Ayane giggled childishly before jumping up and cracking her knuckles and neck. "So, shall we begin?"

Vera darkly glared as the ball cracked off Sakuno's racquet. Much to everyone's surprise, the ball spun on the ground until it bounced up straight towards Ayane's face. With a huge grin, Ayane deflected the shot as the ball lightly tapped the net. Kiyone immediately moved forward with Vera preparing to strike up front. The smaller volleyist attacked Vera's drive volley with a long baseline shot. Sakuno leapt forward as Vera threw herself back for a counter whereas Ayane began striking back. Soon, Vera cracked a smash right in front of Ayane as the tangerine female forced herself to stagger back.

"Deuce!"

Vera breathed heavily as her blue eyes glistened angrily at the liquid blue eyed female.

I should have broken the smaller one.

Vera found herself admonished by Kiyone's sudden burst of fighting spirit as she continued volleying. The blonde female did not expect Kiyone to mature so quickly in the match and figure out how to counter and keep up with the Heartbreaker technique. She bit her lower lip in anxiety before casting a darkened gaze towards the sandy blonde haired girl who cheerfully volleyed towards Sakuno. Ayane unleashed a raging backhand until Sakuno managed to reinforce Vera's forehand with her own. The ball tripped over the net as Kiyone skidded on the ground as it smacked against the net.

"Advantage: server!"

Kiyone puffed up her cheeks in frustration before dusting her knees. "Aww, it didn't go in."

"We'll make sure it goes in next time," Ayane stood next to her with a smirk, ruffling the smaller girl's hair. "We may go down but we don't need to worry."

Kiyone blinked several times before casting her eyes towards the bench as she saw Shizuru and Mai on standby, grinning in confidence. "Yeah, you're right!"

The pigtailed haired girl tossed the ball up once again as it shot towards Ayane who repelled it with a strong backhand which Vera managed to deflect back via volley. Kiyone leapt in front to seal her off as Ayane proceeded to defend the back. Left with no other choice, Vera deflected the shot feebly as Kiyone drove the volley straight down the line.

"Deuce!"

Sakuno and Vera began heavily breathing as the blonde girl stared beadily at the other two players that managed to give her a run for her money. Kiyone managed to revitalize her partner back into the game and Ayane started breaking racquets at the first part of the game. She hissed darkly in annoyance as she retaliated with a striking groundstroke to which Ayane countered with an explosive shot.

"She's extremely powerful for someone so feminine," Gin approached Shiraishi with utmost silence, watching the match unfold before him. "I have never seen such power coming from someone so petite."

Shiraishi smiled lightly as Kiyone and Ayane continued fighting for the to balance out the match into their favour. "Kiyone and Ayane are completely reliant on each other's strengths and that's what makes them even more powerful than usual doubles pair. But now that they were exposed to something more mentally challenging match - their connections with one another have definitely increased."

As the ball lightly floated into the air, Kiyone jumped from Ayane's palms before twisting her body in the air.

"Thankies Rin-Rin-senpai," Kiyone slammed the shot with a speeding baseline shot, cracking past Sakuno.

"Deuce!"

Vera stomped her foot down on the ground in frustration, pointing accusingly at the arbiter. "What - that was seriously an out!"

Ayane pushed Kiyone back before glaring at Vera, narrowing her emerald pools at the blonde woman. "YOU'RE NOT THE BLOODY JUDGE!"

"Bitch please, who do you think you are," Vera rolled her eyes with a triumphant smirk. "Of course you'd be biased!"

The arbiter got off his chair before walking towards the area where the ball crashed. Kiyone swallowed hard with Ayane staring beadily at Vera and Sakuno. The volleyists looked fearfully at their partners as both playmakers stared down at each other angrily with a deep darkening gaze. Both emerald and blue orbs stared down angrily as the arbiter rose from his position after looking at the line judge in approval.

"Null point, start once again at advantage: service," the arbiter walked towards his chair once again as Vera snorted haughtily.

"Humph, guess you're given a second chance," Vera spun her racquet around before pointing it boldly at Ayane. "Better make it count, bitch."

Ayane darkly glared at the other girl, gripping her racquet tightly. "Oh I definitely will. I'll crush you before you have the chance to retaliate."

Watching Sakuno serve, Kiyone countered with a return ace much to the surprise of everyone.

"Deuce!"

Sakuno, shivering slightly, looking at the racquet doubtfully. In her hands, she held Echizen's racquet as she prepared to serve once again. She glanced at the bleachers for a moment to see Echizen sitting on the bench with his usual disinterested smirk. She could feel the heat rushing up to her cheeks before noticing the amber gold eyes suddenly become more into a frown?

"Ryuuzaki!"

The pigtailed haired girl suddenly snapped out of her gaze when she found the ball on the ground.

"Fault!"

Sakuno whimpered softly before mouthing a small apology to the ball. "I-I'm sorry. I will try better next time."

Picking up the ball, Sakuno weakly stared at the ball as she tossed it into the air. As the ball wobbled over, Ayane charged the ball down with a startling running backhand as it exploded past Vera and Sakuno without any intention of slowing down.

"Advantage: receiver!"

Sakuno suddenly froze at the speed of the ball as her body nearly crumbled under the explosive sound of the shot. She shivered slightly before glancing back at the two Hyotei players as they continued to press for an offensive. The vice captains waited for the next shot as Sakuno served the next shot. Ayane blazed past with a backhand as Vera countered it with a volley. Sakuno moved forward as she tried to seal off Kiyone with not much success. The sandy blonde girl intercepted Vera's shot as Ayane faded into the background before changing her target to the small Seigaku female player.

"Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan: five games all!"

Vera hissed angrily before shoving the ball at Kiyone. The small girl grinned innocently as she prepared to serve towards the other players. Ayane waited in front as Vera stood at the other side as the first to receive. Without any hesitation, the sandy blonde female sent a fast serve as Vera countered with a strong baseline shot to which she soon found Ayane on the receiving end. The tangerine haired girl countered with an extremely fast forehand zooming past them as Sakuno managed to block it from going in. However, Kiyone managed to score with a volley going in.

"Fifteen – love!"

Vera glared darkly as she let Sakuno receive the next shot. The Seigaku freshman shivered fearfully as Kiyone served once again with a spinning shot as it curled around the ground and spun away from Sakuno. As she chased after the ball, the small brunette managed to lob the shot poorly but Ayane received with a strong backhand as it crashed towards the Seigaku pair.

"Thirty – love!"

Fuuka snickered lightly while watching the match unfold before her, folding her legs and arms in observation. She noticed the sweat pouring down the blonde's face as Sakuno tried desperately to help reinforce the upperclassman's shots. Her attention soon turned to the black splotch lying at the edge of the court before smirking in amusement. She never expected a female tennis player to utilize a similar playing style – a Hyotei female tennis player to boot! She expected most of them to be fan girls of Atobe; however, the tangerine haired vice captain had completely exceeded her expectations especially with strength. She glanced at the broken tennis racquet lying next to her before fingering the snapped nylon strings with an amused chuckle.

That girl definitely has my respect despite her brashness. I'm amazed though how Kurenai can easily reign her in.

Soon, another shot exploded when a large smile curved up her lips. Fuuka started imaging about Vera howling and screeching about the ball flying too fast for her to catch or too heavy to return.

"Forty – love!"

On the other side, Mai and Shizuru calmly watched the match while waiting for their turns as the red haired female started surveying around the area. Chants for the Diamond Pair echoed and thundered around the court as some started waving their banners and flags. A smirk curled up her lips until her amber eyes managed to gaze towards the bleachers where a certain bluenette stood with his girlfriend. Her expression slowly fell as her fingers curled up into a fist. The crimson haired tensai slowly settled herself in her seat before clasping her hands and focusing on the match.

"I believe that his memory is still in adjustment," a soft voice sliced through her thoughts as the red head snapped up to see her captain smiling at her.

"He already has a girlfriend and his memory's messed up."

Shizuru sighed softly before sitting next to her best friend, shrugging nonchalantly. "At a certain point in time, people can be subjected to a strong dose of hypnotism. When that happens, their cognitive thinking is for everyone's moulding. Isn't he in therapy?"

Mai giggled softly before pulling out her broken silver chain, tracing the remains. "Yeah, he's in physical therapy. Why?"

"Physical therapy does not only recondition physical memory," Shizuru continued to smile all-knowingly at the Queen of Spades. "A person's memory does not only pertain to physical aspects after all."

The Queen of Spades pondered for a moment before a huge smirk suddenly to curl up her lips. "Damn Shizuru, I'm glad you're interested in Psychology and you can pick up these things."

"I never understood however how you managed to fall in love with someone with him other than the similarity in sadism level," Shizuru shook her head disdainfully before looking back at the Rikkai Dai team. "He definitely would scare anyone who was within a thirty mile radius. I'm actually uncomfortable whenever he's around. His sister's more tolerable despite her sugar high tendencies."

Mai playfully nudged her shoulder with a sardonic grin. "That's because you like men who are more on the straight to the point. But there are some who are a bit slow, no?"

Shizuru blushed intensely before averting her eyes away from the amber gold eyes of her best friend. "M-Mai, don't even go there. But, matters aide – how did you get to like him?"

"Oho, you're learning how to deal with teases well, grasshopper~," Mai grinned in approval before ruffling the wavy long hair of her captain, leaning against the bench. "Call it love at first sight or call it whim. I'm not quite sure how to address it really."

The Queen of Diamonds frowned slightly at her companion, folding her arms. "Mai, don't tell me you're giving up already."

Mai stared at her friend incredulously, flicking Shizuru at the nose. "Are you an idiot or something? Of course not! I just," –her expression suddenly became crestfallen once again. "I just don't know how to tell him the truth without causing a major mental breakdown. People who get flashbacks – they usually say that gaining their memories back hurt as if they've been run through a meat grinder and out again."

"That's why people prefer gradual restoration rather than one big shebang," Haruka suddenly hung herself down in between the two with a huge grin. "You just have to give him things that cause associations. Besides, I'm curious – what do you see in him anyway?"

Mai glanced at the bluenette once again before watching Rena cling onto him, pointing excitedly at the other players going against each other for the win. She remained completely impassive at first until her eyes redirected themselves towards where the bespectacled brunette's hands started trailing. A slight frown caused her to purse her lips as she looked away and glanced at the shattered necklace sitting in her palm. Her amber eyes swivelled around to meet Rena's as they both stared down at each other for a moment as the sound dulled in the tensai's ears. Soon, the whole environment became pitch black as the only two figures within the realm were her and Rena. Both girls had an intense stare down as the brunette cockily smirked at her while the tensai returned the smirk with her own sardonic one.

"It all started in a Broadway play," Mai quietly fingered the broken chain and pendant, glancing back at the other female. I bet no one even knows how he managed to pull it off.

"Game, Jerrard-Ryuuzaki: six games all! Tie breaker will now begin!"

The announcement immediately sliced through the darkness as the tensai found herself staring into space. Mai's amber eyes slightly widened with astonishment; that was surprisingly quick for someone who was backed up into a corner a few moments ago. The tensai swivelled her head towards the court where she found Ayane taking the ball from Vera as the blonde woman haughtily flounced off. Kiyone on the other hand grinned all-knowingly at Sakuno who shyly returned the expression although not quite sure how to interpret it. The tangerine haired vice captain narrowed her eyes darkly at the blonde woman as she tossed the ball up in the air for a strong service. The ball zoomed from her racquet as Vera countered it easily with a forehand. Ayane flicked the ball slightly up for a delay before bashing it straight towards the volleying line where Sakuno could do nothing but deflect. As the ball loomed high into the air, Kiyone managed to slice it despite her small height.

"One – Love!"

Vera snorted in annoyance as she smashed towards Ayane's side, stealing the next point.

"One all – Jerrard to serve!"

The blonde girl soon began her service with Kiyone on the receiving end. However, the sandy blonde girl managed to retaliate with a strong forehand as it managed to at least clip the net. Sakuno ran for the shot to lightly lob the ball as the queen of clovers started attacking the other side, forcing Sakuno to run towards the other side. Vera darkly hissed to herself before cornering Ayane only to have the ball lightly drop against the net.

"One – two!"

Kiyone could feel her knees buckling down under the weight of her body along with her fatigue. Everything started swirling around her but the sandy blonde female knew she couldn't stop here. Ayane now had her back and the tangerine female started trying to make up for their lost points. The vice captain struck with the Kotsubushi no Katana as the ball pummelled in between the pair without any resistance or any attempt to be returned.

"Two all, Ryuuzaki to serve!"

Sakuno, shivering fearfully and out of fatigue, tossed the ball straight up into the air before finally managing to make a fairly average serve. However, Ayane immediately countered it with a strong forehand with Vera struggling with the strain of her wrist. Both Seigaku players found themselves completely exhausted with their limbs sore from deflecting the vice captain's insanely powerful shots. Ayane definitely had no physical evidence on her body but she could pack a punch with one heck of a swing.

"Two – three!"

Mai watched the shots pass back and forth with either no resistance or a sad attempt for defence. Fatigue became evident in all four players as she watched Kiyone push her body to move faster with Ayane desperately trying to break through the defence and deflects of Vera. The blonde vice captain nearly fell over as another point fell in their favour. The tensai sighed deeply before looking at her captain who started bouncing her legs and loosening up her arms little by little. The scoreboard said it all and if anything – Seigaku definitely held their end of the match. The red haired tensai picked up her iPod and began listening to music as she started moving her body to the rhythm lightly.

"Three all, Getsugan to serve!"

The audience found themselves at the edge of their seats as they watched the four girls play their all. If any of the male matches were this interesting, they would have left long time ago. Their eyes widened with surprise as Kiyone and Sakuno continued to carry on without the help of their playmakers anymore. Ayane managed to keep herself conscious as her throat tightened considerably. Vera barely kept her eyes open as she watched the two forcibly try to gain the next point. The chants slowly became much louder as the cheering echoed louder than ever. Kiyone found her ears slightly twitching from the cheering as it echoed in her ears.

"Four – three!"

The howls and chants became much louder with Kiyone and Sakuno finding the new vigour to keep on going. Haruka gave her an approving smile as Rin started jumping and cheering on the railings. Jirou watched in pure excitement with Isane clutching her jersey in anticipation. Shiraishi found himself frozen by the spectacle of the match as the smallest member of Hyotei continued the offence against Seigaku. Ayane barely could keep herself standing as she watched her small partner with a smile.

I'm counting on you, Kiki.

Vera slammed her fist against the ground as Sakuno desperately played against the smaller girl who practically had exhausted herself to make up for her other partner. Both girls were on the verge of collapsing as Sakuno let out a slight yelp as she managed to send it past Kiyone. The blonde teenager smiled inwardly; there was no way Kiyone was going to run all the way back...

"YOU WISHED!"

Vera's and Sakuno's eyes widened in surprise as Kiyone threw all her weight into the shot with a twisting backhand. Ayane stared in astonishment as Kiyone landed clumsily on the ground whereas the ball smacked straight into Sakuno before both volleyists were rendered useless. Sakuno however glanced at Echizen's face and Vera's determined expression; she definitely could not lose here! Seigaku's forte laid in their doubles pair and they were the match that would turn things around!

"I have to try," Sakuno wheezed a bit before attempting to return it, only to manage deflecting it but a point nevertheless.

"Four all, Jerrard to serve!"

Vera struggled to get herself up as she found the neon yellow green ball lying in her palm. Her blue eyes blazed in fury as she saw the other two Hyotei players standing against them despite the multiple obstacles. She had to admit though; the two freshmen players definitely managed to avoid some effects of her Heartbreaker. Ayane definitely saw through parts of it – much more than a more experienced doubles player would. She glanced at the purple haired male that had been watching Ayane intently throughout the entire match. A sultry smile curved up her lips before releasing a serve.

His Insight would definitely be useful...

Her serve cracked in with Ayane finally getting up to fight back. Her backhand punched a hole through their defences with Vera staggering back in fatigue. Where did Ayane get that kind of consistency despite the fatigue her mind and body went through? Baffled and bewildered, Vera served again in hopes of evening out the score when Kiyone went in for the reception. Unfortunately, the smaller girl found herself completely blinded by the sweat pouring down her face.

"Five – all, Kobayagi to serve!"

Ayane exhaled sharply before throwing the ball straight up into the air, serving only to have it crash against the net.

"Fault!"

She inhaled deeply again, looking at the net before resisting the urge to crumble down to the ground. The Hyotei vice captain glanced at her superior as the brunette nodded with an accepting smile, exhaling in relief. She tossed the ball up again before serving right over the net as it zoomed towards Sakuno. The pigtailed haired girl threw herself forward before deflecting the shot towards Kiyone who rallied it to Vera and managed to steal a point off them.

"Five – six, Jerrard to serve!"

Vera inhaled sharply while looking at her opponents. Her body trembled with excitement and determination as she finally managed to serve the shot towards them, travelling low as it did so. As Kiyone prepared to receive it, the sandy blonde female felt her arm giving out until she heard a loud metal clang hit her racquet. She looked up in astonishment as Ayane nodded and helped her send the ball towards the net. Everyone looked in anticipation as the ball travelled in a curve-like pattern and finally smacked into the net. Ayane's breath hitched considerably as if waiting for the ball to spin upwards but the ball finally rolled down to the ground where everyone remained in a deep silence.

"GAME AND MATCH: JERRARD – RYUUZAKI: SEVEN GAMES TO SIX!"

Seigaku howled and cheered for their doubles pair as Vera whooped in joy with Sakuno falling down on her butt with a relieved smile. Kikumaru immediately began bouncing around in joy and Oishi clapped in approval. Momoshiro started letting out loud whoops with the rest of the Seigaku Tennis club members of both the girls and the boys. The blonde smirked at the two Hyotei freshmen as Ayane and Kiyone helped each other off the court with a haughty grin.

"You don't have what it takes to be a doubles pair."

The moment she heard that, Ayane felt her whole world freeze. How dare she come up with something like that? They managed to pressure them and that's all they got? Ayane found herself completely exhausted as tears started to slip out of her eyes. She remained utterly silent though without any energy to come up with a decent retort as Kiyone looked at her with an expectant grin. Wiping away her tears in front of the sandy blonde volleyist, Ayane glared at the blonde before tiredly dragging herself in deep silence towards the benches. Kiyone managed to support the tangerine haired girl under as they finally made their way up the stairs to face their upperclassmen. Atobe immediately moved towards her to help her over but the vice captain wordlessly shoved the king of Hyotei aside before shoving past the others.

"Yane-Yane," Kiyone hoarsely tried to follow her as Ayane strode out the wired gates. "W-wait..."

As the fence stood between the two, Kiyone nearly collapsed over if not for Shiraishi's quick reflexes to catch her. Shiraishi cast a withering gaze at the blonde female who had insinuated such a thought before placing Kiyone on the bench. The Queen of Clovers whimpered softly before hugging her knees against her body, shivering.

"Yane..."

On the other side, Vera tossed back her long blonde hair while smirking at Fuuka. "Well, there you have it. The table have been turned."

Fuuka scowled darkly at her vice captain, folding her arms in disapproval. "You don't hit a good man when he's down. That was completely fucked up, Jerrard."

"They're my opponents; all's fair in love and war," Vera shrugged nonchalantly before she sat down on the benches.

Sakuno sat down in relief but not before handing the racquet back to Echizen. "Um, Ryoma-kun... thank you so much..."

Echizen tipped down his cap with a small smirk, hiding his blush. "Ii betsuni..."

But for Hyotei, everyone found themselves astonished as soon as the next match was announced.

"PLAYERS FOR SINGLES TWO, PLEASE COME FORWARD!"

Kiyone's liquid blue eyes widened with astonishment.

Haruka practically had her jaw dropping.

Rin blinked several times before rubbing her eyes, making sure what she saw was true.

Isane shook her head in disbelief while Hitomi began calculating for the probability of anything happening.

Mai on the other hand had a smile on her lips as she watched the next player step forward.

"Go get 'em, Captain."

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

Whoa, a cliff hanger! Wahaha, I bet you guys didn't see that one coming! XD Anyhow, I'm sorry for the late update! Please don't forget to review!