A/N: …..IT'S SOOO LATE! IM SORRY! GOMEN NASAI GOMEN NASAI! But please, don't let that stop you from reading. It took long because I wanted to make sure it was perfect for you (and because I'm a procrastinator, but…yeeaah) Please! Read & Review!

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

Le Chapter 5: Tezuka's Bitchiness and Atobe's Feelings

"That will be enough!"

The statement, however quietly spoken, was heard throughout the whole court. The curious students standing behind the fence were immediately silenced, as everyone turned their attention to Sakaki-sensei.

For a few seconds, the only sound heard was the bouncing of the ball, which Atobe Keigo had been two away from slamming over the net for his 2nd ace. He turned his head toward his coach, waiting for an explanation. There had to be a reason he'd stopped them. Atobe knew Sakaki-sensei always had a good reason for everything, but that didn't stop him from being quite annoyed.

The game was just getting to the good part! Atobe had known, of course, that Sanada was an excellent player, but never to that extent. He'd been beyond irritated that his special move had been handed back to him so easily, yet he couldn't find a single weakness in Sanada. Atobe glowered as he realized that this was the 2nd time he had seriously underestimated an opponent. First it was Tezuka and now Sanada.

Atobe decided to add this to the mental list he had made of all the ways Sanada reminded him of Tezuka. And the more he thought about it, the more alike it seemed they actually were.

The same burning passion.

The same skill and cleverness.

The same determination and stubbornness.

Hell, they even had the same stoic thing going on.

However, there was one very big difference. After this astounding and remarkable game, Atobe realized that he had no intentions of being Sanada's number one rival. Instead, he was beginning to see him as a sort of wall blocking his path, a wall he would have to climb using everything he had. He was going to get over that wall, and as he looked at Sanada out of the corner of his eye, he thought of how much he was looking forward to the climb.

"The two of you have been chosen for the Invitational Tournament. Congratulations."

Atobe had been so deep in thought that he had nearly missed those words. He blinked as they eventually set in. It was so like Sakaki to announce something like this to the world. 'Of course,' he thought, as everyone started cheering, 'It suits me just as well.'

He sent a smirk to Sanada, which only got wider as he saw the other boy's discomfort. Apparently, this guy was not suited to the spotlight. Both boys turned and bowed a thanks to Sakaki, then the next thing Atobe knew, he was in what felt like the longest staring mach of his life.

Sanada was glaring into him as if trying to gauge the very essence of his soul. Yeah, it sounded deep, but that was really the best way to describe it. His eyes seemed to contradict themselves. They were at once Confident and self-assured, yet, they also looked disappointed, confused. Disappointment he could understand, but why did he look so confused?

Ah well, he'd worry about the intricacies of the other boy's mind at another time. For now, the game was over, and it was time to confront his opponent.

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

Atobe had to force his smirk to look as taunting as possible to hide the fact that this was the hardest thing he's ever had to say to anyone. But it was the truth, as much as he hated to admit it. He could not deny that Sanada's power was great. He had pushed him to his limit, backed him into a corner, and even forced him to bring out his new serve. He'd wanted to save that move as a surprise for the next time he played Tezuka, but Sanada had made it necessary.

"The more rivals the better."

Atobe couldn't help smiling at the characteristic bluntness of that statement as he stuck out his hand for the customary handshake.

He found himself oddly surprised by Sanada's grip. The other was holding his hand almost gently, but not like his handshake was normally weak. It felt more like he was afraid of inflicting pain. Atobe was about to figure out why by making a jibe about his weak grip when he realized that Sanada was staring at him again.

That piercing gaze was once again drawing him in. Those eyes were staring right through him, inspecting and judging his entire being. Eyes that reminded him so much of the person he most wanted to defeat. Yet, this was not Tezuka. The person he was looking at right now was Sanada Genichirou.

And he would surpass him.

"Waaaaaah! Great job Atobe, figures you'd be the first one chosen. Take that Seigaku!"

"Now, now Gakuto. You forget, Sanada was also chosen."

"Who cares Yuushi? As long as it wasn't that stupid Kikumaru!"

"Mukahi-senpai… he is sitting right across from us, you know…"

It was lunch break and the 3 teams were all intermixed throughout the cafeteria, choosing to sit with their own schools. Both Sanada and Atobe had sat through many compliments and explanations from practically everyone at the camp. Apparently there hadn't been much practice done that morning.

Atobe decided that while his team was still busy arguing over the Mukahi/Kikumaru feud, it would be a good time to escape it all. He had been quite curious as to Tezuka's point of view of the game and seeing as the other was sitting at the moment, now seemed to be as good a time as any to irritate him question him.

Picking of his tray of what he considered to be gruel trying to pass as something edible, Atobe made his way to Tezuka's table and gracefully invited himself to sit down. For a few moments he just sat there eating, astutely aware of the fact that Tezuka was staring at him. Then Tezuka chose to break the silence.

"What is it?"

"You hurt me Tezuka. You make it seem like you don't ore-sama to eat with you."

He was positive that Tezuka was using much self control to keep from commenting on that, and couldn't help but chuckle at the slight glare that escaped his otherwise expressionless face.

" I just wanted to know, Tezuka-kun. What did you think of the match?"

Tezuka stared at him a few more seconds before answering. "What do you need my opinion for?"

'What did he…' What kind of a question was that? Surely the stoical boy wasn't blind! Couldn't he see that the game had been purely for his sake? When he had seen the other standing behind the fence during the game, when their eyes had locked, he was sure Tezuka had understood.

'Wait a minute. What am I saying? Of course he understood. Tezuka is anything but stupid. He must be trying to bait me, and I was falling for it. Well, not anymore.'

"Tezuka, Tezuka, Tezuka. It was just a friendly inquiry. I'm curious is all. So, tell me, what did you think?

He heard the younger boy sigh, and knew that he would be getting his answer. He just wondered if he would like the answer.

"…I though that the—"

"Buchou!"

Atobe glanced up to see who it was that dared to interrupt his conversation. He didn't have to look up very far to see the petite form of Echizen Ryoma standing above him.

"Echizen-kun, your 'buchou' and I are in the middle of a discu—"

"What do you need Echizen?"

Fortunately for his pride's sake, no one seemed to hear the gasp of indignation at this. That was twice in a row now that his sentence had been cut short, and this time it was by Tezuka! No one treated Atobe Keigo with that kind of disrespect! And he was about to make that perfectly clear when the snarky brat spoke up again.

"Buchou, may I talk to you for a few minutes?" He glanced quickly at Atobe. "Alone?"

No. There was no way he could allow this. Tezuka couldn't just walk away without answering. It was…it was just plain rude!

"Tezuka, you still haven't answered my question, you know." He said it in the same casual tone, hoping to make him see reason. It would be impolite to walk away, and from everything he'd seen of Tezuka, impolite was something he definitely was not.

So then why now was he standing up?

"Sorry Atobe. We will have to finish this discussion later."

He watched disbelieving as Tezuka led Ryoma outside. Atobe felt his anger rising and tried counting back from 10 to calm him self, but it didn't work. So, giving into his frustration, he stood up and banged both fists hard onto the table.

"Kabaji!"

"Usu!"

"Pick up my tray."

"Usu!"

He started walking toward the door, paying no heed to the people who were staring at him. Not that any of them would have bothered him anyway. Even those who didn't know him all that well could tell by the obvious aura of fire surrounding him that he did NOT want to be messed with.

He headed straight for the weight room, read to burn off some tension and to be able to think. There were a few other people there, but he paid them no mind. He sat down on the nearest machine and started to work his upper arms.

'Damn that Tezuka, how could he be so callous!' Maybe other hadn't realized, but that conversation had been very important to him. And for Tezuka to just get up and walk away…

'Damnit, he needed to calm down. This was very uncharacteristic of him. He needed to stop ranting and start thinking logically. True, he had left in the middle of their conversation, but as rude as it may have been, he had also left to help his kohai(1). That was the duty of a senpai(2) after all, especially one who is also the team captain.

This thought would have made him feel better if the kohai in question hadn't have been Echizen Ryoma. And he could never get over how much space in Tezuka's brain the little freshman occupied. It seemed that every thought the guy had was about him!

Atobe had been quite excited when he'd received a call from Germany a few weeks back. It had been from Tezuka, calling to see if he'd be willing to let Seigaku play a practice match against Hyoutei. He accepted and was even given the opportunity to play the 'Prince of Tennis' himself. That night Tezuka called again wanting to know the results, and the first thing he asked about, of course, was Ryoma.

He realized then that the calls had never been about him in the first place. They had nothing to do with Tezuka respecting or admiring him. It was all about the little prince. Hell, he probably didn't even care about the rest of the team. As long as Echizen was okay, everything was perfect. There was even talk that the Seigaku captain had announced Ryoma to be the teams 'Pillar of Support.'

What did that mean anyway? Could it be he was training up Ryoma to take his place as captain? If that was the case then it meant that the two would eventually become equals, and Ryoma would be considered his number one rival.

But then…where did that leave him?

Atobe didn't like the direction his thoughts were taking right now, and he didn't like being left out in the dark. If he was ever going to clear things up with Tezuka it would have to be now or never.

He'd been in there for close to half an hour, so surely the other two were finished with their talk by now. He had to talk to Tezuka. He was tired of everything being so confusing between them. He needed to know if Tezuka felt the same burning passion to surpass him, as he had felt the first time they played. Were they rivals or not?

There was really only one way to find out, and that was to have a match.

Atobe was practically running through the hall. Lunch break was almost over and he had to find Tezuka before it ended. He didn't see any sign of him throughout the building, and it didn't look like he'd made it back to the cafeteria either. So, he decided that the best bet would be to actually check Tezuka's dorm.

He knew he wouldn't have to worry about anyone overhearing this since Tezuka was a coach, and was therefore allowed a room to himself. Atobe knocked on the door and a few seconds later was standing face to face with the one he was looking for.

"Atobe?"

The look of confusion on Tezuka's face was absolutely priceless, and at any other time he wouldn't have dreamed of missing such a great opportunity to tease him. But right now he didn't have time for that.

"Tezuka, I want us to have a rematch."

"…What?"

"Oh, don't 'what' me. I know you're not blind. You know good and well that I have been awaiting your return exactly for this reason. And don't act like you haven't wanted it just as much as I have. We are going to have this match!"

"Atobe," Tezuka glared at him pointedly. "My arm still isn't completely healed."

Ouch. That had been a low blow as far as Atobe was concerned. His chest was so constricted with guilt that it hurt. And he knew it was showing on his face as well.

"Look, Tezuka, I never meant to…"

Tezuka sighed. "I know Atobe, I know."

The next few moments were the most awkward Atobe had ever experienced until he decided enough was enough.

"Use your right arm then, and I'll use my left. I'm positive you will find my play just as exquisite with my left arm as it is with my right. Come on, it'll just be a simple game between friends, ne?"

Once again Tezuka sighed, but this time it was one of resignation. "Fine, when shall it be?"

Atobe smiled, not a phony, polite smile or a smirk, but a real smile. "How about early tomorrow morning? Just a quick one set match before the others wake up."

"Right, I'll be there."

He was happy. So happy that he was still smiling as he heading back to the cafeteria. The feeling hadn't left him even after practice started up again. He spent the whole rest of the day thinking of the prospect of the game the next day. He would finally get what he'd been waiting for. Well, not exactly. What he wanted was to play Tezuka with his arm fully healed and being able to go all out, but he supposed beggars couldn't be choosers. (Not that he would compare himself to a beggar of course.) He was finally going to have is rematch, and he was happy.

That night after practice and dinner were over, and he was back in his and Sanada's dorm, he was still feeling excited about the next day, which apparently hadn't escaped Sanada's notice.

"Why do you look so happy?"

"I'm sorry, Sanada. I had no idea that you were so against my happiness. I promise I'll try to look a little more serious for you." He still had the smile he'd been wearing for most of the day etched onto his face, but to his surprised the thing currently on Sanada's face was a blush.

"It's just odd to see you in a way that's neither narcissistic nor annoying." He pulled his hat down over his eyes, sufficiently covering the red hue still on his cheeks. Normally he'd have commented on that, but as the other had already pointed out, He hadn't exactly been acting like himself.

Atobe was never one to let him get worked up so much. He was always very skilled at hiding emotions, too. But this was Tezuka, the guy he'd been practically obsessed with since they first played.

He figured it would be a very good idea to go to sleep now, before he made Sanada even more uncomfortable. He was feeling absolutely giddy and he didn't want to start giggling while Sanada was there…or EVER for that matter. Besides, he was getting up early and he wanted to be well rested for his match.

He woke up at 5:00 am the next morning. Practice started at 7:00 so he figured if he got down there by 6:00 that would give them an hour to complete the set. Their last match had lasted almost three hours, but since they both agreed to take it easy, he thought that they should be able to finish it up before the others awoke.

When he had finished his shower and brushing his hear (primping), he left Sanada asleep and started heading to the same courts they had used the day before. When he stepped outside he took a deep breath of the morning air and couldn't help the feeling of contentment. It was a nice day, sun shining, birds chirping, and all that jazz. But what made it even better was the knowledge that he'd be sharing this morning on the court. With Tezuka.

The sandy-haired boy wasn't yet at the court when he arrived, but that was reasonable, as they had never really said an exact time to be there. Atobe decided that while waiting he should practice his new serve. He'd only tried it left-handed once or twice, but hadn't really gotten the hang of it. If he was going to impress Tezuka with it today, he'd have to learn.

Just because they were taking it easy, didn't mean it wasn't still going to be a good game. They were both using there opposite arms, so there was no reason to hold back. He still planned on showing Tezuka everything he'd learned in the past month.

After a few tries he finally thought he was starting to get the hang of it. He watched as his last ball sailed over the net with only a little less than perfect spin. It hit the ground and unfortunately bounced, but only slightly. He would have to stop now, though because the problem with that serve was that it took a lot out of you, and he needed that energy.

He went to go get some water from his bag, but as he was tilting the bottle toward his mouth, he realized that something was wrong. The watch on his arm said it was 6:30! He'd been practicing for half and hour already! Where the hell was Tezuka? Surely he didn't think they'd be able to finish in this little amount of time, but that could only mean that… That Atobe Keigo had been stood up.

And as he looked toward the camp building he realized why. For there was Tezuka walking around the track like he had no other engagements whatsoever, and right behind him was Echizen Ryoma.

His eyes narrowed and chest turned into fire. He was so angry he was shaking, and he just about to go over there and give them a piece of his mind, when just as quickly as it came, the anger disappeared. In its place was another feeling. Something even stronger. He was hurt. He felt betrayed, ashamed, and foolish all at once.

He was nothing to Tezuka. He knew that now. There was no way he could be Tezuka's rival. The other boy didn't even think him worthy enough to play a match against. Instead he would rather an obnoxious first year brat to be his equal.

Atobe had never felt like this before, had never had to. Of course, everybody loved him. He was perfect in everything he did, why shouldn't they? But then why? Why did Tezuka seem to have absolutely no respect for him? Why would he agree to this match, raising Atobe's hopes just to burn them later? Atobe would never had pegged the guy as being that cruel, but then again…he'd underestimated him before hadn't he?

He couldn't take it anymore. He had to get inside and cool down before anybody saw him like this. He was to hurt to form his perfect mask that he almost always wore for everyone. Tezuka had been the only one to ever see him without that mask, and look where that got him. Atobe started running toward the door. And because his head was bowed and his perfectly combed hair was hanging in his eyes, he failed to see the figure in front of him before he bumped into him.

"Sorry," he said quickly as he tried to hurry around the person to get inside. He was two steps from the door when he felt a large hand tighten around his arm, and turn him around.

"Atobe? What's wrong?"

"Sanada!"

Atobe quickly looked away from the taller boy. This was the last person he wanted to see right now. He didn't want Sanada to see him without his mask of perfection. He didn't need to lose another person whom he truly respected. He wanted to turn around and leave, but Sanada's grip held strong, completely different from the handshake he'd experienced the day before.

"Atobe! Tell me what it is. What the hell is it that has you so worked up?"

"I've seen you since Tezuka came back; the way you've been watching him. You want to play him. You want to get back at him for the defeat he handed you in the Kantou tournament last year ah? I recognized that look in your eye Sanada because I feel the same way. However, you won't be the one to defeat him. It will be me. I am his true rival, not you.

"…How do you know he feels the same way?"

Atobe laughed bitterly at the memory. To think that Sanada thought he could get Tezuka's attention, heh! How absurd. Tezuka only ever thought of his little freshman after all. Besides him, nobody was good enough.

"It looks like you were right Sanada. Tezuka doesn't feel the same way."

Phew! Is done! Well what do you think of my little 'drama'? hmm? Please R&R. And once again, I am sooooo sorry about how long this took, but I find it very difficult to stay in character with Atobe plus, I have all that other stuff…mah! I'll try to get better. Promise!

kohai younger classman

senpai upper classman.

You all prolly know that but just in case.

Next on Notice Me: Sanada takes it upon himself to protect his uke…I mean! Friend! Yeaaaah… that's it…