All the players crowded around and court where Sakura and Echizen were
playing. Sakura and Echizen came up to the net, Echizen glaring at her for
her earlier remark. She put the head of her racket on the floor and looked
at Echizen.
"Smooth or rough."
His eyes twitched. So, she thinks she better than me. She thinks I'm weak. We will see about that.
"I don't care." He said coldly.
"Then you can go first Echizen-kun." She said resting her racket on her shoulder and started walking away.
"Pish." And he took the ball that was given to him by Eiji.
"Be gentle, alright chibi-san." Eiji smiled and patted him on the head.
Echizen scolded and stalked to the baseline. He bounced the ball a few times and served as lightly as he could without looking like he was. The girl was fast; she returned the serve with ease.
"C'mon Echizen-kun! Is that all you've got?!" she yelled.
Echizen's eyes narrowed to slits and he rushed at the ball. The regulars sweat dropped.
"She shouldn't have said that." Momoshiro shook his head and the others nodded their head in agreement.
Echizen smacked the ball to the far corner but Sakura was there right after the ball bounced. Echizen started to run to the front when all of a sudden he felt the ball pass his right shoulder. He stopped in his tracks; his eyes wide open in disbelief.
Rising shot?! He thought but... did I underestimate her?
The spectators gasped in shock. Fuji's eyes opened in bewilderment and looked at Tezuka. Fuji's mouth dropped open along with this eyes popping out when he saw Tezuka. The usual serious captain, the captain that makes people run a 100 laps if they are late to practices, was smiling. Fuji walked up to Tezuka.
"Tezuka"
The captain's smile dropped from his face and his cold mask went back up.
"Yes Fuji, wha-"he was interrupted by Sakura's yelling.
"Well, umpire, are you going to call out the score or sit there like an idiot?" Sakura barked at the person sitting in the high chair.
"H-hai, love-15!"
"Heh, Echizen-kun, don't treat me like a baby. Play for real."
She wants me to play, does she!? I'll make her wish she never entered the gates of this school. He served and ran to the front and the dangerously fast volley started.
"You want to know who she is Fuji?" Tezuka said still looking at the match. All heads turned to Tezuka, some even nodding their heads.
"You read my mind." Fuji smiled.
"She is very much like Echizen. Echizen and Sakura are almost like twins by how they look and their personality."
Tezuka was still looking at the match. Momoshiro smirked and looked at Echizen. Inui was scribbling like crazy in his notebook. Tezuka continued.
"She was born in Japan but moved to France due to her father's business and she is now back in Japan."
"Demo, Tezuka" Inui said from the back, "How is it that you know so much about her and why did you make her play Echizen?"
Tezuka sighed; he opened his mouth to say something but hesitated. He turned to face all of them.
"She's my cousin."
"EH!?!" their eyes popped open staring intently at Tezuka, trying to see in his face if he was lying or telling the truth.
"30-45! Change court"
"EH!?" Their eyes averted from Tezuka to the two who where kneeling on the floor breathing hard.
"Niisan" Sakura said leaning on her racket looking at the group around Tezuka. She started getting red from everyone staring at her. With a sudden burst of energy she started raining them down with tennis balls.
"What the hell are you staring at!" she yelled serving more tennis balls at them. They yelp in surprise trying to dodge tennis balls and ducking behind benches. But none would hit Tezuka. She was in the middle of serving another ball when her eyes met with Tezuka's. She let the ball drop beside her and bowed her head.
"Hai, Niisan." She grumbled.
She put her racket back into her bag and started jogging to the entrance.
"Oi!" Echizen said with his racket tucked under his arm. "We still haven't finished the match. Where do you think your going?"
She turned her head smiling sweetly.
"I think I'm going to run around the court 30 times, Echizen-kun. Oh, and remember Echizen-kun, I was winning!"
And she started on her first lap.
"She is very good at reading people, isn't she Tezuka, that's how she knew you wanted her to run laps."
Fuji said from behind Tezuka, who was giving orders to people to start practicing.
"Hai, she is."
"Then I should be careful around her. She might give information to Inui, ne Tezuka."
Fuji said jokingly, but Tezuka knew the full meaning behind his words.
"Ano, Tezuka-sempai, why did you make me play her?"
Echizen was sitting on the bench drinking from a bottle of water.
"Did you know she is Tezuka's cousin, Chibi-san." Eiji slinked an arm around his shoulders.
Echizen choked on his drink and Eiji thumped his back.
"She is my half-cousin"
"Demo. Tezuka why is she here? Shouldn't she be on the girls' tennis team?"
"She doesn't want to be on the girls' tennis team."
"Nani? Datte, isn't it against the rules that a girl could join a boys' tennis club?"
Oishi said from behind the benches. "She is stubborn beyond reason and she always gets what she wants if she sets her mind to it, but she is usually very lazy. She was also on the boys' tennis team in France, but I don't now how she convinced them to let her play."
Inui was murmuring things while writing in his notebook. He suddenly closed his book with a snap.
"Yosh!"
Everyone sweat dropped.
"Ok mina-san! Practice ended. Sakura-Chan, get ready to leave!" Tezuka yelled across the court.
"HAI!"
Sakura came trotting back into the tennis courts to gather her things. When she passed the big group of regulars, Eiji gave her a funny look. Momoshiro and Echizen looked at each other and raised an eyebrow at her. Kaidoh glared at her and Fuji was smiling and looking up at the sky telling Takashi how nice the weather was today. Oishi was kind of feeling bad at how the team was treating her. He stepped out of the group to talk to her but she zoomed passed him grabbing her bag and cousin and literally ran out of the school with the 'captain' stuttering "Matte!". They stood shocked, but as quickly she left she came back and grabbed Tezuka's tennis bag then finally left leaving the Seigaku team dumbfounded. Inui's pencil scratching on paper broke the odd atmosphere. His glasses flashed in the sunlight, he grinned.
"Interesting, very interesting."
The team fell down anime style except for Fuji who was still commenting on the weather.
"Smooth or rough."
His eyes twitched. So, she thinks she better than me. She thinks I'm weak. We will see about that.
"I don't care." He said coldly.
"Then you can go first Echizen-kun." She said resting her racket on her shoulder and started walking away.
"Pish." And he took the ball that was given to him by Eiji.
"Be gentle, alright chibi-san." Eiji smiled and patted him on the head.
Echizen scolded and stalked to the baseline. He bounced the ball a few times and served as lightly as he could without looking like he was. The girl was fast; she returned the serve with ease.
"C'mon Echizen-kun! Is that all you've got?!" she yelled.
Echizen's eyes narrowed to slits and he rushed at the ball. The regulars sweat dropped.
"She shouldn't have said that." Momoshiro shook his head and the others nodded their head in agreement.
Echizen smacked the ball to the far corner but Sakura was there right after the ball bounced. Echizen started to run to the front when all of a sudden he felt the ball pass his right shoulder. He stopped in his tracks; his eyes wide open in disbelief.
Rising shot?! He thought but... did I underestimate her?
The spectators gasped in shock. Fuji's eyes opened in bewilderment and looked at Tezuka. Fuji's mouth dropped open along with this eyes popping out when he saw Tezuka. The usual serious captain, the captain that makes people run a 100 laps if they are late to practices, was smiling. Fuji walked up to Tezuka.
"Tezuka"
The captain's smile dropped from his face and his cold mask went back up.
"Yes Fuji, wha-"he was interrupted by Sakura's yelling.
"Well, umpire, are you going to call out the score or sit there like an idiot?" Sakura barked at the person sitting in the high chair.
"H-hai, love-15!"
"Heh, Echizen-kun, don't treat me like a baby. Play for real."
She wants me to play, does she!? I'll make her wish she never entered the gates of this school. He served and ran to the front and the dangerously fast volley started.
"You want to know who she is Fuji?" Tezuka said still looking at the match. All heads turned to Tezuka, some even nodding their heads.
"You read my mind." Fuji smiled.
"She is very much like Echizen. Echizen and Sakura are almost like twins by how they look and their personality."
Tezuka was still looking at the match. Momoshiro smirked and looked at Echizen. Inui was scribbling like crazy in his notebook. Tezuka continued.
"She was born in Japan but moved to France due to her father's business and she is now back in Japan."
"Demo, Tezuka" Inui said from the back, "How is it that you know so much about her and why did you make her play Echizen?"
Tezuka sighed; he opened his mouth to say something but hesitated. He turned to face all of them.
"She's my cousin."
"EH!?!" their eyes popped open staring intently at Tezuka, trying to see in his face if he was lying or telling the truth.
"30-45! Change court"
"EH!?" Their eyes averted from Tezuka to the two who where kneeling on the floor breathing hard.
"Niisan" Sakura said leaning on her racket looking at the group around Tezuka. She started getting red from everyone staring at her. With a sudden burst of energy she started raining them down with tennis balls.
"What the hell are you staring at!" she yelled serving more tennis balls at them. They yelp in surprise trying to dodge tennis balls and ducking behind benches. But none would hit Tezuka. She was in the middle of serving another ball when her eyes met with Tezuka's. She let the ball drop beside her and bowed her head.
"Hai, Niisan." She grumbled.
She put her racket back into her bag and started jogging to the entrance.
"Oi!" Echizen said with his racket tucked under his arm. "We still haven't finished the match. Where do you think your going?"
She turned her head smiling sweetly.
"I think I'm going to run around the court 30 times, Echizen-kun. Oh, and remember Echizen-kun, I was winning!"
And she started on her first lap.
"She is very good at reading people, isn't she Tezuka, that's how she knew you wanted her to run laps."
Fuji said from behind Tezuka, who was giving orders to people to start practicing.
"Hai, she is."
"Then I should be careful around her. She might give information to Inui, ne Tezuka."
Fuji said jokingly, but Tezuka knew the full meaning behind his words.
"Ano, Tezuka-sempai, why did you make me play her?"
Echizen was sitting on the bench drinking from a bottle of water.
"Did you know she is Tezuka's cousin, Chibi-san." Eiji slinked an arm around his shoulders.
Echizen choked on his drink and Eiji thumped his back.
"She is my half-cousin"
"Demo. Tezuka why is she here? Shouldn't she be on the girls' tennis team?"
"She doesn't want to be on the girls' tennis team."
"Nani? Datte, isn't it against the rules that a girl could join a boys' tennis club?"
Oishi said from behind the benches. "She is stubborn beyond reason and she always gets what she wants if she sets her mind to it, but she is usually very lazy. She was also on the boys' tennis team in France, but I don't now how she convinced them to let her play."
Inui was murmuring things while writing in his notebook. He suddenly closed his book with a snap.
"Yosh!"
Everyone sweat dropped.
"Ok mina-san! Practice ended. Sakura-Chan, get ready to leave!" Tezuka yelled across the court.
"HAI!"
Sakura came trotting back into the tennis courts to gather her things. When she passed the big group of regulars, Eiji gave her a funny look. Momoshiro and Echizen looked at each other and raised an eyebrow at her. Kaidoh glared at her and Fuji was smiling and looking up at the sky telling Takashi how nice the weather was today. Oishi was kind of feeling bad at how the team was treating her. He stepped out of the group to talk to her but she zoomed passed him grabbing her bag and cousin and literally ran out of the school with the 'captain' stuttering "Matte!". They stood shocked, but as quickly she left she came back and grabbed Tezuka's tennis bag then finally left leaving the Seigaku team dumbfounded. Inui's pencil scratching on paper broke the odd atmosphere. His glasses flashed in the sunlight, he grinned.
"Interesting, very interesting."
The team fell down anime style except for Fuji who was still commenting on the weather.