Disclaimer: All hail Takeshi Konomi sensei that created this wonderful manga and (sadly) owns all characters.

Chained.

The sun shone bright and cheery, the clouds floated peacefully in the wonderfully azure sky, which stretched endlessly, that one could not see where it began nor ended. A slight breeze ruffled the grass, flowers swayed rhythmically to the wind. The steady beat of tennis balls hit the ground, endless chatter among the members. The pitter-patter of foot steps in the midst of a game, the cheers of the freshmen that stopped (picking balls) to watch. The fresh air, the revitalizing whack of a racket that found its target, the panting players were scenes out of a perfectly ordinary day. It was a usual day at Seigaku's Tennis Club.

All regulars gathered in the locker room waiting for the news. A surprising announcement was made.

"Special training in the holidays? Nyaa... will it be tough?" questioned Eiji Kikumaru, his dark blue eyes shining with curiosity and anticipation. His excitement and him, simply being so alive, made the room full of his vibes, when Eiji is around, things never get boring.

Inui Sadaharu, Manager of Seigaku, (occasionally mad scientist) with his pair of glinting spectacles, coupled with a wicked smile answered, "Hai. All regulars will be paired up, and handcuffed together for a week."

"Why?" piped Echizen Ryoma, affectionately known as Ochibi, the only freshmen regular and Prince of Tennis, was looking bored, his cat eyes half closed.

" Other than the Golden Pair, the chances of our second doubles team losing to other doubles of national level are," he paused dramatically, "64%. The percentage of Yamabuki winning doubles again is 71%. My statistics show that Seigaku needs to increase importance on doubles by 37% as compared to singles. "

The spiky blue hairdo's grin grew wider as he continued, "If the handcuffs are removed before one week... I have a new Inui's Deluxe Ruby Power Juice to try out." In one hand he clutched his green notebook, but in the other, a pitcher of red substance with floating bits and bubbles, streaks of gray hidden between the depths of its murky surface. In fact the juice seemed to be glowing! Another problem of Inui was his tendency to create drinks that neither seem nor taste edible, yet he insists are absolutely 'beneficial' to the body.

Everyone sweat dropped, while Tezuka Kunimitsu the stoic captain and Pillar of Seigaku, remained stoic. Fuji Syuusuke, Prodigy of Seigaku, continued to smile serenely with both his beautiful sapphire eyes seemingly shut.

"Mada mada dane." commented Echizen, he hoped he ended up with a likeable senpai; he wouldn't like to be the first to try Inui's creations.

"Hai..." replied Kawamura Takeshi, wondering what special ingredients went in this time. An exceptionally strong tennis player, known for his Burning Serve's speed and power. However, without his racquet, he turns into a gentle, polite, even shy guy.

"How does this help us in doubles Inui?" asked the tensai, something everyone else was thinking about.

"Remember Eiji asking Oishi how the teddy bear falls in the match against Yamabuki to determine the direction of his shot? This took the opponents by surprise, as this data is difficult to obtain. Besides, it would help the regulars 'bond' as a team. Also-"

"I don't want to bond with Mamushi!" Momoshiro Takeshi, a sophomore, famous for his Dunk Smash and his impulsive behavior during certain situations. He added fervently, closing his violet orbs, shuddering at the thought.

"Ssssssh... Speak for yourself. Baka." was Kaidoh Kaoru's reply, his eyes locked now on Momoshiro. Also a sophomore, he was known for his unstoppable determination and his uncanny ability at snake shots. And for scaring wimps off with just his stare.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING-" Momoshiro shouted angrily before being interrupted by an even angrier buchou.

"20 laps around the courts. Now. No arguments."

" But-" Momo tried pleading.

" 25 laps."

" Ssssssssh. Ba-." Tezuka gave Kaidoh a look, which stopped him in mid- sentence. Both left, leaving the door wide open, conceding to defeat. Even as obstinate as both of them were, they would always listen to their buchou. They respected him for his strength and leadership. Without him, they would be like fallen grains of sand, not a team.

Oishi Syuchiroh closed the door gently so as not to interrupt Inui's ranting on decimals and percentages. Eiji caught his eye and winked. Oishi could easily tell by Eiji's body language that he was bored. He smiled back and seated himself next to Eiji. That was simply Oishi, vice captain and Mother of Seigaku. Warm, considerate and friendly. They were the golden pair, Syuchiroh and Kikumaru.

"-The biggest weakness of Seigaku." Inui finished.

Tezuka had heard of this from Ryuuzaki- Sensei sometime back, but then a question suddenly occurred to him. "How would the pairings be decided?"

"Ah... Oishi and Eiji would be paired together, obviously. Originally Fuji was with Kawamura, but since Kawamura's hand is not yet healed from the match with Fudomine- he would be exempted. Ne, so Fuji would be with Tezuka, as both of you can study together. (All regulars nodded at this statement, other than Inui, none of them were quite up to their standard) Momoshiro and Kaidoh are second years but it would be 99% insanity to pair them up, as there is a 78% chance that they would kill each other by 3.2 days. So Echizen goes with Momo, and I with Kaidoh. "

Tezuka could have sworn he saw the tensai's smile dim when he heard about Kawamura's hand and his brows crease, before his was back to his usual smiling self. Kawamura looked apologetic. Eiji smiled brightly at Oishi. Echizen groaned. Inui had a creepy smile plastered all over his face. This was going to be fun....

Holidays arrived, and soon enough they were once again gathered together, but this time in one of the tennis courts. Inui held out four suspicious metallic items. His glasses glinted in the sunlight along with the handcuffs. With the exception that they weren't like the usual handcuffs. The chain between the cuffs was extendable (up to 2.1372... meters he informed with a smirk), and there were sensors to alert Inui of whether they were kept locked. Locked all the time. He fingered a small green button on both cuffs.

"Pressing this thrice will unlock the handcuffs, but it requires both of the buttons to be pressed to activate. These will only be used in an emergency. If not-" Inui's grinned widened watching the rest of the regulars wince recalling his 'Inui's Delux Ruby Power Juice'. After installing the handcuffs on the four pairs, Tezuka made an announcement. "There would be a regulars doubles tournament this Sunday, the last day before removing these, and I expect everyone to try their best. "

"You're all dismissed." Tennis activity had ended for the day. Echizen and Momoshiro were arguing about whose house to sleep in. Oishi and Eiji were discussing about their strategy to beat everyone in the tournament. Inui started on how beneficial his juice was and asked for volunteers to try, while Kaidoh simply hissed in response. Fuji continued smiling while his partner remained a human ice block. In short it was a very weird scene at Seigaku's Tennis Club where only the regulars remaining sitting on the courts.

Fuji 's smile grew brighter; things were only going to get weirder around here... It was fun to see people suffer....

Constructive criticism and reviews are deeply appreciated.

Things WILL get more interesting

Lanrete.