Greetings chibi fans!! Firstly: BIG THANK YOU's to all who reviewed!!! It's a truly WONDERFUL and REWARDING feeling to know people are enjoying my work. In this next chapter, the usual chaos reign's!!! My friend DSM came up with a great idea for a kid's "Shinji" type rant, while we played tennis. I roughed out the scene, she advised how it should go, and here it comes!! Thanks Atobe Sama!!!

Very mild yaoi reference. Trust me, I've really heard kids speak this way.. And, we may be departing slightly from the PG rating at this point - ed.

Disclaimer: I don't own prince of tennis, waaaa!!!! But one may dream......

Kid's can be sooo troublesome!! Part 3

Tora Macaw

As if frozen to the spot, Kabaji began to rapidly disappear as more kid's piled on top of him. Jiro and his passenger snored peacefully. The Seigaku regulars stood enjoying the spectacle in a wide-eyed ring, while Tezuka looked almost ready to kill something. Feeling an insistent tugging on his tennis jacket, the stern youth glared down his nose for all he was worth. Most kids he had encountered, had previously had the sense to flee in terror when he gave them THAT look; but, to his extreme annoyance, this particular bundle of irritating child seemed to lack it. Craning her neck back to gaze up at him; she pointed at her friend and the narcoleptic wonder boy, with her free hand.

"Mister!!" she wined in a high voice that made Tezuka's head buzz painfully. "Mister, that girl is lying there on top of that guy who looks kinda like a sheep; but not really, 'cause sheep don't wear clothes; .... but we couldn't take his clothes, 'cause mum says people can't be naked; and that girl wouldn't want to lie on a naked guy, or maybe she would. Hmmm, my oldest sister likes to lie on naked guys; but she's usually naked too. ... . Do you like naked guys mister Tezuka? What will we do? Huh? Huh?"

Leaning in close to Eiji, Fuji whispered in his ear, "Oh dear!! From out of the mouths of babes!!!"

Two ice-cold orbs of hazel-gold glittered with malicious intent, within a face rapidly darkening. Seeing the time had come to rescue his Captain; Fuji strolled over to gently pry the girls fingers loose, then direct her attention else where, but Tezuka was quick to notice the somewhat dirty smirk on the smiling youth's face. Silently plotting the gruesome demise of kids everywhere, the young man glared meaning fully at Atobe (who was still watching the whole scene unfold, from beyond the safety of the high wire fence). Smirking in his normally superior way; the Hyotei captain strode regally onto the court, his grey eyes fixed onto Jiroh's sleeping form. "KABAJI!!" he snapped before bending at the hips to view the situation. A very muffled sounding "usu" drifted from beneath his coating of climbing kids, and Atobe decided to remove sleeping beauty himself. Pausing to look up at someone bumping into him; he found himself nose to nose with a cute little girl, with curly hair and innocent smile, which made him straighten up - to smirk down his nose at her.

"You are pretty" she purred while prancing nimbly around him. For a moment; she hung onto his arm, then let go to dance in graceful ballet style under his mildly surprised gaze. Overcome with an overwhelming desire to escape; the wealthy youth raised his right hand, then loudly clicked his fingers. "NA ... KABAJI!!!!" Suddenly; the walking kid-pile vibrated, then the youngsters rained down onto the court, revealing the solemn face of Atobe's primary lackey.

Cocking her head to one side; the smiling girl seized Atobe's arm with one hand, then lifted her other. With a firm snap of her fingers, she growled "Na Kabaji."

So conditioned to respond, the huge teenager rapped out an instant "USU!!"

Atobe smirked in open amusement; Fuji chuckled in his quiet, sinister way while grinning sadistically, and Tezuka turned away with a disgusted "My god, it's breeding."

Fixing a now VERY meaningful gaze on his rival, Tezuka indicated this farce had gone on long enough. Taking the hint, Atobe brushed aside his hair, tossed his proud head, then smirked as his tall minion plucked the sleeping child from Jiroh's back. As the wavy-haired youth was carried away, the little girl sat up, rubbed very sleepy eyes, and wined crankily "that angel is stealing my pony!!" Chuckling about vivid imaginations, Oishi moved in to escort her over to rejoin the class; now more or less assembled on the far side of the area.

With Atobe and co's departure, Tezuka decided it was high time to get things back on track. This however, proved much easier said then done. The oldest of the boys shoved rebellious hands deep into his short's pockets, then fixed the captain with challenging glare.

"If you are so-o-o good, why don't you show us how it's done?"

Total silence, broken only by the sighing wind, hung over the group for several heartbeats. Eiji, Oishi and Momo' exchanged worried glances, while the others grimly waited to see what their beloved captain would do in the face of such a challenge.

The kids all leaned forward, their eyes like dinner plates. Staring straight ahead, his racket gripped tightly in his left hand, Tezuka rapped out a single word, "Echizen."

When he reached his captains side; the pair walked in silence out onto the court, then faced each other across the net, prepared to do battle.

Standing at the base line; Tezuka bent at the shoulders, his eyes locked onto his opponent. Right arm held firmly out; he bounced the ball several times, then straightened. Lifting his arm, his back curving, the ball took flight. For a moment, it hung as though suspended on string; but it's bid for freedom was quickly foiled by gravity. Slowly, it fell, heading back to the safety of its servers hand; when it was brutally met with the force of the youth's hard swung racket slamming into it. The searing kiss of hard string, sent the little round object tearing through the air at breakneck speed. It shot over the central net, then bounced hard against unyielding ground. Lifting, the ball made a new escape attempt, only to be sent winging it's way back to Tezuka; curtesy of Ryoma's well-placed racket. The team captain gracefully moved his feet, his hand moving out for the tightly gripped racket to reconnect with the ball, then sent it back to Ryoma. Running hard, the younger boy wasted no time in returning it. A savage backhand; and the ball raced to Tezuka, who sent it packing once more.

Back and forth; the green and white object flew, flirting with its lover's to exchange brief kisses with the sound of a resounding crack. Ryoma allowed a pleased smile to form, as he closely followed his captain's movements. While his own legs pumped furiously as he raced about the court, Tezuka's steps grew progressively shorter. The captain's arm swung. The ball roared it's way over the net. Ryoma raced to meet it, his left arm snapping out for his weapon to return fire. It seemed to lift high, then start to curve away. Watching from the sidelines, "Mr rebellious" smirked, "He'll never get that!!"

Tezuka stood; a grim figure, whose stony eyes never left the ball. Incredibly; the ball suddenly curved in flight, then flew with the precision of a well-trained falcon, straight onto Tezuka's waiting racket!! With an explosive crack, the ball screamed its way over the net; to just barely miss the enthusiastic reach of Ryoma's racket, and slam down with the force of an impacting meteor; just centimetres inside the base line.

A stunned silence met that incredible display, then the group of kids erupted into a storm of wild clapping, cheering and enthusiastic cries.

"Did you SEE that?"

"I don't believe it!!"

"FREAKIN' AWESOME!!!"

"Oh man!! I would love to be able to play like that!!"

Striding regally from the court, Tezuka paused before a stunned "Mr rebellious." Without looking down, he said sternly "want to take me on?" Waving his hands before his face; the boy rapidly declined the offer to play, then hid behind his nearest classmate.

Glancing down at his watch; Tezuka noticed that the class time was almost up, and silently sighed with intense relief.

"Mister!!" A vein throbbed on Tezuka's head, as one eye gave a single twitch. "Mr Tezuka!! Can we play games now? We always get to play games before we go home; 'cause if we don't, then it gets all boring and we don't have any fun!! We HAVE to have fun, and the old lady ALWAYS lets us play!! Will you play too Mr Tezuka? My favourite game is Cats and Mice, and where are you going? Mr Tezuka? MISTER TEZUKA!!!!!"

Galloping forward with every intention of latching onto the retreating captain's coat and NEVER letting go; the girl was intercepted by a laughing Eiji, and asked what games she would like to play, earning the crimson-haired player's captain's eternal gratitude

To be continued...........

Authors note: the dancing girl who was determined to annoy Atobe for all eternity, was also an idea of DSM. Hmmmmmmmm ........ now who am I reminded of ........... Hee hee!!!!!!!

Next chapter will wind up this story. Lets just see how the boys are going to cope with ...... PLAY TIME!!!! "BWAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Be afraid, very afraid!!!!!!