Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except for Yukimura Miyu.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: At the Beach (Part Eight)

Atobe gathered everyone around him, including Auel and Mayu.

They had found this group of people to be very amusing and were reluctant to leave. Niou would not have cared either way because they were not longer tagging him.

They had taken to tagging Sakuno, not that she minded because she rather liked children.

Although Auel did not say how old he was, he looked to be around her age and Mayu, when asked, had said that she was fourteen years old. They were very lively and made Sakuno laugh a lot.

Atobe's sharp eyes swept across the group and noticed Sengoku missing. He knew that he was here from talking to Tachibana and Yukimura and he ordered, "Kabaji, get Sengoku over here!"

Kabaji willingly obliged and carried a squalling Sengoku away from his new friends and into the midst of the group gathered around Atobe. He dropped Sengoku down onto the sand.

Sengoku exclaimed, "Mou, Atobe! Next time, you could have just called me! This hurts, not to mention is very embarrassing!" They all smothered smiles at Sengoku's indignant tone.

Atobe waved his hand dismissively, "Yeah, well, whatever. Anyway, I have decided that since this is a rare day that I come to the public beach, I will hold special tournament that will be open to everyone at the beach."

Sanada, who was standing next to Akaya to make sure he did not get into trouble again, thought, "Atobe never changes…"

Yukimura smiled, "This sounds like fun."

Oshitari thought, "Oh, well, I should have expected something like this to happen."

Miyu was extremely amused because this was the first time she had met Atobe in person. She enjoyed activities and wondered what it was going to be.

With their various thoughts, they all awaited Atobe's next words, which he was holding back just for the sake of making them wait. He smiled, held his hand up into the air and snapped his fingers dramatically.

The Hyotei regulars were used to his ways and most of the other tennis players here had also had contact with him through matches regularly enough not to be too surprised.

No matter how many times she saw it, Sakuno was still amazed at Atobe's ability to command a crowd. Of course he had a lot of practice but the over-abundant amount of confidence he had never failed to impress her.

Beside her, Mayu was gaping at this strange onii-chan with his dramatics ways.

It should seem unnatural but when he did it, it seemed to be so much a part of him that it was actually natural. She thought that she would try it when she was home to see if she could do it. It seemed very grand.

Atobe announced, "This will be called Atobe's Special Beach Volley Tournament. Teams of two will compete against each other and the winner will receive a special prize presented by me, of course!"

Everyone looked at him in silence.

He ignored their lack of response and continued, "Everyone of you are automatically in the tournament, en? I will prepare everything, so you will just have to pair up. I will also enter with Kabaji, en?" Kabaji nodded and he turned away, satisfied.

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As he walked off, he whipped out a mobile from somewhere and started making calls and orders. When he finished talking on the phone, he smiled with satisfaction.

He had called his butler to inform the authorities concerned that he, Atobe Keigo, would be holding a tournament at the beach as of that afternoon.

If the authorities received any inquiries and complaints, they would know to say that it was authorized and if there were complaints, there was nothing they could do.

He had then called a team of people out to clear space and set up six beach volley courts. Of course he had made sure there was a prize prepared.

His people had also brought all the equipment needed and the posters that they put up immediately. They had very quickly set up a table for people to sign-up and had set an area for people who wanted to watch.

He had nothing to worry about because he only employed the best.

Very soon, everything was ready and an announcement was made over the loudspeakers about the tournament.

It emphasized the special prize together with monetary prizes, which was the true incentive for most people to enter.

It also mentioned that they had one hour to sign up and after the one hour, the tournament would start soon. They were required to be teams of two and it could be of any sex and age.

Because of Atobe's Special Beach Volley Tournament, the beach was all in a hustle and everyone got very excited.

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While Atobe was preparing all that, the tennis people were talking among themselves about the tournament.

Some were very excited about it because they enjoyed a good competition. Others were somewhat annoyed that they were forced to enter.

The Hyotei regulars had given up early on and were trying to convince the others that it would be quicker to just enter and lose if they did not want to do it. Atobe could be very long-winded sometimes, especially if he did not get his own way.

Oshitari and Gakuto had already decided to enter as a pair as well as Ohtori and Shishido.

Jiroh wanted to enter with Bunta but Bunta had refused on the grounds he was best with Jackal. Jackal had thought that it might be fun and had no objection to it.

Sengoku had wanted to enter with either Miyu, An or Sakuno. However, when he tried approaching them, various people had came up and pulled him away with smiles on their faces and glints in their eyes.

Yukimura might like Sengoku as a people but it did not mean he wanted him near Miyu or Sakuno. Sanada and Niou thought the same.

As for An, it was not Tachibana who pulled Sengoku away but Kamio who wanted to enter with An himself. Without these guys knowing, Miyu and An had already decided to enter as a team.

Sakuno did not particularly want to join and thought that she could cheer for them all.

Auel had thought about it and had decided if all these interesting people were going to join, then he would too. Therefore he ran off to find Sting, Mayu after him. They had told Sakuno they would come back later and she had waved them off cheerfully.

Yagyuu had finished his novel and thought that he could do with some exercise. Thus, he and Niou were another team prepared to enter the tournament.

Kamio was very disappointed when he found out An had paired up with Miyu but he wanted to join in just the same, so he asked if Ibu would team up with him. Ibu had no objections and so another team was ready.

Sanada said to Akaya, "Akaya, you will be my partner in this tournament." Then he had turned to talk to Yanagi and Yukimura, leaving Akaya rubbing his nose, thinking as least, he was not playing against Sanada.

Sanada found out that Yanagi and Yukimura were entering as a team. Mizuki had decided to join with Yuta because he was very familiar with Yuta's ways and he thought this would be the surest way to win.

The only ones left without a partner yet were Tachibana, Sengoku and Jiroh. Tachibana did really mind if he entered or not because he was not terribly interested in beach volley.

Sengoku was devastated when he could not partner with one of the girls. He had sneaked behind Sanada and Yukimura to ask Sakuno but was dumbfounded to find that Jiroh had beaten him to it.

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It turned out that Jiroh was pretty upset and looking very down when Bunta had refused to team up with him.

Sakuno had asked him what the matter was and when he told her, she had said, "Well, this time you can still play against Bunta-senpai, right?"

Jiroh had brightened for about a second and was in tears again, saying he did not have a partner because he could not find anyone.

Sakuno was so moved by his sad eyes that she had offered tentatively, "A-ano, Akutagawa-san, if you don't mind… that is… I am not at all sporty… uh… I might give you a lot of trouble… if you… ano… that is… I mean, I can be your partner!"

The last bit came out in a bit of a rush because Sakuno was now very embarrassed and sorry that she had said anything at all.

She would only give Jiroh trouble, she was sure and she said, "Uh… forget it… I shouldn't have said anything… gomen nasai, Akutagawa-san!"

She turned to go when she was suddenly enveloped by a very excited Jiroh. He was exclaiming, "Really? You'd enter with me? Then I can play! Yeah! Thanks! Thank you so much… eh?"

He dug into his very little used memory for her name. He did not remember if he had heard it before and did not remember her name if he had.

His loud exclaims had everyone turning their direction and when some people saw him still hugging Sakuno close, these some people were most unhappy indeed.

The two of them did not notice and Sakuno said, "Eh, my name is Sakuno, Ryuzaki Sakuno, Akutagawa-san."

Before she could request him to release her, Yukimura had already reached them and he clapped a hand on Jiroh's shoulder.

He smiled, "I believe you should release the lady now, Akutagawa-kun."

Jiroh blinked sheepishly and let go of Sakuno, "Hehe, gomen, Ryuzaki. By the way, just call me Jiroh. It sounds friendlier, don't you think?"

Niou thought, "Hell it's friendly!" Yukimura's smile flickered before becoming a smile again.

Oshitari was shaking his head at Jiroh's easiness. Sengoku was staring at them with ridiculous envy. Without being aware of all that, Sakuno smiled at him and answered, "Hai, Jiroh-san!"

At that moment, Atobe came back with Kabaji behind him. His butler had also come along.

Atobe snapped his fingers and his butler walked to the front and held up a clipboard. He said in a clear voice, "If everyone is ready with your teams, please come forward so I may take your names down."

Jiroh very excitedly pulled Sakuno forward so they could be the first ones to put down their names. Actually at the top of the list, there were already Atobe's and Kabaji's names but since he did not know that, it did not matter.

When he gave their names, Atobe raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

He was somewhat surprised that Jiroh had found a girl and a weak-looking one at that to be his partner. On second thought, Jiroh had always cared more about the thrill of the game more than practicalities.

Then, Miyu and An came forward. They would be a formidable pair.

Oshitari and Gakuto also gave their names and Ohtori and Shishido after them.

Atobe had more or less expected them to stick to their partners because it would be so much easier for them to adjust. It was the strategic decision to make and he had expected nothing less.

After the Hyotei regulars had given their names, Yukimura and Yanagi said that they would be entering as a pair. Sanada and Akaya were another team.

Atobe nodded, "I guess your normal doubles are sticking together as well, en?"

Sanada said, "Yes, Niou and Yagyuu will be entering. Then Bunta and Jackal will be entering."

Mizuki said, "Yuta-kun and I will be pairing up as a team as well. Put down our names please."

Atobe looked around, "That leaves… Tachibana, Sengoku, Kamio and Ibu, en?"

Kamio spoke up, "Shinji and I are entering."

Atobe nodded and then he looked at Tachibana and Sengoku, "You will be entering together, en?"

Tachibana said, "It depends on Sengoku. Look at him." Atobe looked at Sengoku and saw that he was spaced out.

Tachibana explained dryly, "Apparently he really wanted to enter with one of the girls but failed and now he's trying to get out of that truth."

Atobe raised an eyebrow, "Well, it will be your job to get him out of it. You two will be the last team, en?"

Tachibana sighed. He thought it would come to this.

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In another spot at the beach, near the stands, quite a number of people were queuing up to put down their names for the tournament. They were mostly young teenagers who were enjoying their summer holidays at the beach.

Some of them had heard of Atobe's name before and knew that when he meant monetary rewards, he meant monetary rewards because Atobe was never one to do things by half.

Some of them just wanted to have a chance to show off in front of all the hot chicks.

Some were purer-minded and wanted simply to have a bit of fun. Of course they would not mind the prizes if they won.

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Auel was trying to get Sting to enter with him.

Auel said, "Come on, Sting! It will be fun! There are all these fun people entering!"

Sting said lazily, "So? I'm not interested in beach volley anyway."

Mayu said, "Sting, Mayu wants to see you play as well, ne, Auel?"

Auel nodded, "Come on, Sting! There will be prizes for the winners!"

Sting replied, "So? What are the prizes? If they are good, then I'll come. If they're not, then I won't."

Auel said, "Eh, they said something about mon… mon… something rewards."

Sting said, "Huh? What the hell is that?"

Neo answered, "Monetary rewards, it said. It means money prizes, Auel. You really have to study more."

Auel stuck his tongue out at him and turned his attention back to Sting, "Come on Sting, it's money prizes, let's go!"

Sting got up and brushed the sand off his swimming trunks, "Oh, alright! Come on, Auel, we have to sign up, don't we?"

Auel and Mayu both jumped up for joy and the three of them went to sign up for the tournament.

Murrue came back with two ices and sat down next to Neo, "Where's everyone? I thought Sting, Auel and Mayu were here?"

Neo got his ice and hugged her close, "They've gone off to sign up for that beach volley tournament that we heard about."

Murrue looked surprise, "Really, I thought Sting didn't want to join."

Neo answered, "I told him there were money rewards and besides, Auel was very persistent. It seems he knows some of the people who will be joining the tournament."

Murrue exclaimed, "How did he know them? We are only in Japan for the holidays!"

Neo shrugged, "Don't know, we can always ask him later. Besides, it's good he's making friends on his own, don't you think?"

Murrue nodded and started to eat her ice. They were quiet for a while, both content in each other's company and then Murrue said, "When the tournament starts, let's go and watch!"

Neo grinned and said, "Sure, you want me to get Shinn and Stellar?"

Murrue nodded, "Okay, they might enjoy it."

They smiled at each other, love shining in their eyes.

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The announcement rang out at the noisy beach, "The hour is up! We will no longer accept signing up for Atobe's Special Beach Volley Tournament!

The tournament will start in thirty minutes! Will all teams please come to the car park area in fifteen minutes for a quick talk about the rules of the tournament and find out when your team will be playing! Repeat…"

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Atobe, who was sitting comfortably in the chair beach provided by his loyal and extremely competent butler, smiled when he heard the announcement.

He was most pleased with the way things were going. It would be an interesting tournament.

He was only a tad bit disappointed that his eternal rival, Tezuka, would not be here to participate. Ah, well, one could not predict everything, he supposed.

Suddenly, he noticed someone edging towards him slowly. He sipped his drink, watching out of the corner of his eyes.

It was a girl with very long braids. He seemed to have seen her somewhere but since he had so many fans, he could not be expected to remember all of them.

Then he thought that it did not seem right. He thought that he had seen her very recently.

He thought harder, she was not remarkably pretty, not like Yukimura's sister, so he would not notice her usually. Ah! That's it! Yukimura's sister's friend!

He knew he had seen her somewhere! He had seen her with Yukimura's sister! Oh, right! He had also seen her with Jiroh! She was Jiroh's partner!

He knew he was a genius. Feeling extremely pleased with his excellent memory, he looked up. She had been there for a little while but was still trying to work up the courage to speak to him.

Well, Atobe did not mind her being awed by his presence. He took another sip of his drink and then handed it to his butler. He crossed his long legs and laced his elegant fingers together.

He said, "You want to speak to me?" The girl gasped in surprise, "Ah! Atobe-san, a-ano… hai!" This was a new reaction that Atobe had not seen before.

He chuckled, "So speak, girl." The girl said, "A-ano… huh? Girl?"

Atobe smirked, "Well, you are a girl, aren't you, en?" The girl, still a bit shy but also a bit annoyed, though it was not apparent, said, "Yes but I-I also have a name, Atobe-san…"

Atobe merely raised an eyebrow. He waited to see if she would offer her name so she would make an impression. He did not care to ask for her name himself because it would seem as if he was the one who was interested.

She went, "I-I guess it doesn't matter…"

She bit her lip and then, looking more resolved, said, "Atobe-san, I would like to ask if you would help my friends enter the tournament!

He was with me when we heard you announced it and went off to look for his partner. They did not sign up in time though. Please can you help them, Atobe-san?"

Atobe was surprised that she did not give him her name and was even more surprised when he heard her asking a favor for her friends instead.

In his experience, girls who approached him only wanted him to notice them but she did not want him to notice her. Interesting…

Atobe thought and said, "Why not, en? Give me their names, girl."

The girl smiled with relief and he noticed that she was very different when she smiled.

Yes, she was rather pretty when she smiled. Maybe it would be worth it to ask what her name was after all.

The girl said, "Thank you so much, Atobe-san! Their names are Auel Neider and Sting Oakley."

Atobe gestured to his butler and his butler immediately noted down the names and walked off to enter them in the tournament.

The girl was about to walk off when Atobe said, "Wait, girl, you have not yet told me your name, en?"

The girl turned back and smiled sheepishly, "Ah… gomen nasai, my name is Ryuzaki Sakuno, from Rikkai Dai, thank you for helping my friends, Atobe-san. I'll go and tell them that they can enter the tournament now!"

Atobe smirked, "Sure, it was nothing, Ryuzaki Sakuno."

Sakuno smiled at him again, a sweet little smile and ran off, her braids bouncing behind her.

Atobe leaned back in his comfortable chair and smiled, "Well, that was interesting, en, Kabaji?"

Kabaji, who might have or might have not, noticed the whole exchange, answered, "Usu."

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A little earlier…

Auel and Sting had been too far back in the queue and when the hour was up, they were not in time to sign up. Sting did not care very much but Auel and Mayu had been very disappointed.

They were walking back when Mayu said she wanted to see Sakuno. Auel had also wanted to see Sakuno and so Sting accompanied them to see this girl whom they had gotten to know a little.

He thought that her name rang a bell and said, "Haven't I heard that name before?"

Auel said, "Baka, you remember that day I went wandering by myself? Well, I met her then, she bought me ice-cream and food."

Sting snapped his fingers, "Ah! That girl who had never been to a game center before! I remember now! You said that she's really nice, didn't you?"

Mayu said, "Sakuno-neechan's really nice!" Auel mumbled, "She's alright."

They neared a spot marked by two large beach umbrellas and a crowd of tall teenagers.

Mayu pointed, "There it is!"

Sting noticed a little figure waving in their direction. He noticed Mayu waving back. Mayu and Auel picked up their steps and the little girl ran up to them.

When Mayu saw Sakuno, she started to wail, "Sakuno-neechan Sting and Auel can't enter the tournament"

Sting was about to tell her to stop that annoying wailing when her first words penetrated his brain. He looked closer at her.

So this was Sakuno, the girl had talked about. Sting thought that no wonder Auel did not mind her. She was even shorter than Auel.

Mayu caught hold of his arm and tugged him closer, "Sakuno-neechan, this is Sting! He was going to enter with Auel but he was too slow and they didn't manage to sign up. Do you think you can help them?"

Sakuno looked surprised, "Huh? What can I do, Mayu-chan?"

Mayu said, "I don't know… maybe you can ask that Atobe guy if he could help."

Auel went on, "Oh, yeah, he was the one who organized this tournament thing, wasn't he?"

Sakuno looked doubtful but she said, "I-I suppose I can try and ask him… no! I will try and ask him!"

She looked determined and then she smiled, "Mayu-chan, Auel-kun, ano… Sting-kun… wait here for me, ne?" Mayu and Auel nodded and she ran off.

Sting asked, "Ha! Auel, so that's the girl who spent the whole day with you without going crazy!"

He wondered how she kept up with Auel's unpredictable moods. Auel was as difficult as Stellar sometimes, just in different ways.

Auel looked at him, "Huh? What do you mean? Why would spending a whole day with me go crazy?"

Sting said, "You are so impulsive. Even I find it annoying sometimes and I'm used to it. Didn't she find you too impulsive?"

Auel said, "I'm not impulsive!"

Mayu chimed in, "Yes, you are!"

Auel exclaimed, "No, I'm not!"

Mayu raised her voice a little, "Yes, you are!"

Auel raised his voice also, "No, I'm not!"

Sting was starting to have a headache and he regretted saying anything at all.

They did this all the time! Do they not find this very childish and extremely boring?

He sighed and in a flash, had clapped his hands over their mouths at the time. It was the quickest way to shut them up, he had found.

They stopped and both pushed his hands away.

Auel growled at him, "Stop doing that, Sting!" Mayu said, "Gomen ne, Sting, it was Auel's fault because he wouldn't admit that he was impulsive."

Auel now glared at Mayu, "It wasn't my fault! You shouldn't have butted in anyway. Sting was talking to me!"

Mayu frowned at Auel, "Of course it was your fault! I did not butt in! Sting was right so I helped him!"

Auel exclaimed, "No, it wasn't my fault!"

Mayu shot back, "Yes, it was your fault!"

Auel yelled, "No, it wasn't!"

Mayu yelled back, "Yes, it was!"

Sting wanted to die. They were starting again.

He thought about just leaving but at that moment, he heard, "Mayu-chan! Auel-kun! Sting-kun!" It was Sakuno back and Sting was so relieved. Surely these two would stop now!

They did and they looked at Sakuno who was panting a little. She smiled at them, "You are now entered in the tournament! We should go along to the briefing now at the car park or we'll miss it."

Auel looked blank and Sting said, "Didn't you listen to the announcement? Come on, Auel."

Sakuno said, "I'm going to get my partner, ne? I'll see you later!"

The three of them waved at her as she went towards the people around the beach umbrellas.

Then they too, set off for the car park.