AN: Hola! I am on to Chapter 4! And a big Thanks to all who reviewed the last chappie! All 2 of you… You know who you are, but hopefully there's more ppl reading and their just not reviewing…yea…Well, 2 ppl are still important so I will update for u guys. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Konomi Takeshi owns Prince of Tennis, not me.

Chapter 4: Le Big Game Continues and Sanada's Jealousy

At first, Sanada could hardly say he was impressed. Sure Atobe was quick enough to get to his shots and was good at judging where they'd go, but all he could do was hit it over the net. Sanada had him on complete defense, which didn't surprise him considering the frail physique of the other boy.

After a period of a very long rally in which neither had scored a single point, Sanada realized his first impression was slightly off. Apparently Atobe had been holding back entirely, he thought as he hopelessly watched the ball sore past him.

It would appear that the other boy was a very good actor. Sanada had truly believed that Atobe was doing all he could just to hit the ball, when in reality he had been waiting for the perfect shot. How could he have been so gullible!

He looked across the court at his opponent and saw that he wasn't even sweating yet.

Well, neither was he. It wasn't as if he had been giving his all in that first rally. Besides, it was only one point. And now that Sanada knew exactly what he was dealing with, Atobe's next few points weren't going to come so easily.

Sanada's service game continued for longer than it probably should have. They were both scoring one after the other, just testing each other. And still, neither of them was using their full strength. Only 70 percentto be exact, according to Seigaku's data specialist anyway.

At the end it was Atobe who won the first game.

Sanada felt Atobe's eyes on him, but he just ignored it and focused on straightening out his racket strings. He knew the sadistic egomaniac was just trying to get a rise out of him, but it wasn't going to work on Sanada Genichirou. He saw Atobe go to serve and got into position.

But, for some reason, Atobe had stopped mid-serve. Sanada traced the direction of his eyes, and his own narrowed at what he seeing. Apparently, it was the presence of Tezuka Kunimitsu that had interrupted their game. Imagine his joy…

He watched as the two stared at each other. They seemed to be having some sort of conversation with only their eyes. Now, this was probably aggravating him way more than it needed to, but when had those two gotten so close? How was it that Atobe could be seeing anything in those emotionless brown eyes?

Sanada found himself thinking of the night before. He had seen Atobe and Tezuka standing next to each other on the wall. It had made him angry then. Atobe was the type of person who was always the center of everything; so, it made no sense that he would lower himself to being a wallflower! Why was it that Tezuka seemed to have so much of a pull on Atobe Keigo? And why, why for the love of all the kami to ever exist, was he so bothered by this!

It was true that Sanada didn't like Tezuka, but this seemed to go even beyond that. It was almost as if he was…

No. He was not going to go there. There was no way that he could be jealous. The idea was completely ridiculous. Why had it even popped into his head? What, was he suppose to be jealous of Tezuka because Atobe admired him?

What was he thinking! Tennis. That's what all of this is about. He wanted the spoiled, narcissistic, brat to see him as a better rival than Tezuka. It was a matter of pride.

But then, why was it that as Sanada looked over at his opponent, at his perfectly groomed purple/grey hair, his delicate features, and that God-awful, ever present, tantalizing smirk; why was tennis the farthest thing from his mind?

Luckily for Sanada, he was spared the pain of having to find an answer to that as Atobe sent his first serve.

Sanada just managed to catch that serve, as well as the next few hits. He was positive that he was hitting with a lot less than 70 now, but for obvious reasons, his mind wasn't all the way on the game. Needless to say, Atobe won that game too.

'Get a hold of yourself Sanada! You're forgetting the whole reason you agreed to this match in the first place!' The whole point had of course been to show Atobe that Tezuka wasn't so fucking perfect, but it would appear that he wasn't doing too good a job at that. He couldn't have that! Atobe had to notice him for how good he really was because…because Atobe was a good opponent, and it was always good to have a rival.

It was time to start playing at 100 percent. He was going to bring out everything he had. He was going to make sure that after this, Atobe only looked at him.

And he was NOT going to think of the wrongness of that last statement.

After that, the game became a lot more interesting. They both seemed to be of equal strength, and every time one would get a point, the other would quickly catch up. Twice already they had gone into deuce, and still, both had yet to use their special techniques.

Around the forth game, Sanada decided that it was time to stop holding back entirely. He wanted to see best Atobe had. His legendary "Hametsue no Rondo".

Sanada tilted his racket back slightly and lobbed the ball into the air. He watched as Atobe jumped up, arching his back and positioning himself perfectly as he moved to smash the ball.

He saw the ball heading toward him, and, faster than one can blink, brought his racket down to catch the ball.

He was slightly disappointed. He had heard plenty horror stories about that shot, but in reality it was easier to return than a normal smash because it was always aimed at the wrist. Well, easier for him anyway. He reminded himself that not too many people were as fast as he was.

Sanada won that point. The ball had gone right past Atobe, but he didn't even seem to notice it. He landed on the ground with his usual smirk a little bigger than normal, but it quickly faded as he saw that the ball was on the wrong side of the court. So, Sanada decided to grace him with a smirk of his own.

The tide of the game changed drastically from that point on. He'd broken Atobe's best move and now, Sanada thought that since Atobe showed his special technique, it was only fair that he show his. Sanada waited for the next ball to come his way, then he brought his arms up. When he brought them back down it was so fast that they actually blurred, causing the allusion of him having grown a few more.

He saw Atobe's eyes widen in shock at what just happened. Sanada knew that there was no way Atobe even saw the ball; forget having a change to run to it. This process was repeated a few more times, and Sanada could feel the frustration pouring out of the other boy. It had to be horrible to have your best move broken so easily, and then not be able to return the favor. He almost felt sorry him. Almost being the key word there. He himself was feeling oddly happy.

The score was now 6-5. If this game went the same as the last, then he would win. He was going to prove his point, right there with Tezuka watching. And Atobe would have no choice but to admit that Sanada Genichirou was in fact his rival.

It was Atobe's serve now. Surprisingly, he saw the boy's smirk take over his face once again, his eyes piercing into Sanada's like he had a secret he really wanted to share. There was no way that could be a good sign.

The ball was thrown into the air, and the racket came down after it. Sanada saw the ball bounce in front of his, and moved to the side with his racket outstretched, intending to hit a simple cross-court shot. Only,

The ball never bounced.

Sanada blinked several times. He wasn't seeing things. The ball had hit the ground and then proceeded to roll right past him. When had Atobe learned such a powerful move?

The crowd had gone completely silent at this point. Everyone was equally shocked and amazed at what Atobe had just done. Sanada himself was staring. He couldn't help it, and believe me, he tried. Every fiber of his being was telling him that he was being undignified, but his body didn't seem to be listening.

He always knew that Atobe Keigo considered himself a "God amongst men," but it was at that moment he truly realized just how majestic the other boy actually was. There he was standing among all of his adoring fans. People were cheering now, and he was loving it. Better yet, he deserved it.

There was no more doubts or questions as to Atobe's ability anymore. After that last move, he had a feeling that there was never a time when Atobe didn't have everything planned out to the fullest. He was impressed. More impressed than he had ever been. He couldn't even recall feeling this much respect for Yukimura, he thought with a bit of guilt.

There was something about Atobe that filled him with respect as well as something even stronger. Something he was pretty sure he didn't even want to comprehend.

He shook all of these thoughts out of his head. The game wasn't over yet, and after this he knew that he wanted to prove himself. He had to let Atobe see that his pride was just as strong. If Atobe Keigo was some kind of Emperor, than Sanada Genichirou was a Samurai. And what was a Samurai without pride?

He got into position and readied himself for the next serve. He was going to return it, and he was going to win.

However, just as Atobe was about to toss the ball in the air, their game was interrupted again. This time by Sakaki-sensei.

"That will be enough."

Atobe let the ball drop to he ground, and both boys turned to stare incredulously at Hyoutei's coach. 'What the hell is he talking about! There's no way that this is enough. It isn't over yet! —

Anymore silent ranting that Sanada had in store was immediately forgotten when Sakaki decided to clarify his statement. "The two of you have been chosen for the Invitational Tournament. Congratulations."

Well, that was certainly an unexpected turn of events. Sure he knew he'd be chosen, but he hadn't expected it to be such a thing of grandeur. Some of the crowd was even cheering. But of course, seeing as this was the coach of Hyoutei, it shouldn't have been so surprising.

Sanada and Atobe both turned to Sakaki-sensei, said a thank you, and bowed simultaneously. As they came back up, their eyes met, and Sanada once again found himself staring for a lot longer than needed. He was completely mesmerized by the intensity of that gaze, he could see the same things he was feeling; disappointment at not being able to finish, excitement at the thrill of that amazing game, and was that respect he saw there?

All of a sudden, he was overwhelmed with all of the thoughts that had plagued him during the match. He found the same questions running through his mind over and over again.

Why was he trying so hard to impress Atobe? Why had he become so angry when the other had been looking at Tezuka? And why did it seem that he wanted so desperately to have those eyes looking only at him?

Sanada Genichirou had never been one to feel these things. He had no emotions. It was what everyone told him and what he had come to firmly believe.

So, why was it that this one person; this one frail, strong, egotistical, perfect person had him feeling so completely confused?

And, as he looked into those deep, steel-grey eyes that were so determined and…beautiful, why was his heart forgetting to beat?

"It would appear that there is still one person I must defeat before I beat Tezuka."

Sanada's heart skipped a beat, why he wasn't sure, but he did know that he had won. Not the match of course, but that didn't even seem to matter now. He was feeling very content all of a sudden; maybe even happy. He'd finally accomplished his goal. Atobe was looking at him now. Atobe had recognized him as (or considered him worthy enough to be) a rival.

Sanada tried his best to force a look of indifference on his face as he replied, "The more rivals the better."

Then, Atobe stuck out his hand and Sanada grasped it in a firm handshake. As skin connected with skin, Sanada felt a spark go through his entire body, causing his heart to beat even faster. Then, finally, he understood.

All the emotions he had been experiencing since the start of the camp; all of the anger, the jealousy, the longing.

None of it had ever had anything to do with tennis.

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

All done! And yes, Sanada is slightly OOC…but…if I wrote him completely in character he would have no thoughts whatsoever. Po lil' stoical fuku-buchou.

The next chap will prolly take a little longer than these because of school and swim practice and whatnot, but only 2 weeks at most. I promise. OH, yea. And sorry for it being 2 days late. I'll try to get better at that. I'm a slow typer. Mah!

Well, to make it up to you, I offer a

TEASER FOR CHAPTERS TO COME!

1) "Maybe you were right Sanada. Maybe Tezuka doesn't feel the same way."

2) "You're chasing after someone who won't look your way. I can understand that much more than you know, Atobe."

3) "What's wrong with you! How could you do that! Are you blind? Can you not see that he is completely obsessed with you! What the hell is it that makes you so damn high-and-mighty Tezuka?"

Please keep reading, and REVIEWNESNESS IS GOOD!