A/N: Okay, I've had this chapter done for a few days, but I never uploaded it because was down for a while and then I forgot over the weekend...Anyhoo, here's the next chapter. I think it will be two more chapters...maybe one, it all depends on how the next chapter goes. Well, hope you enjoy!

I don't own Prince of Tennis

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"Of course he wouldn't be here…That would be too easy for Jiroh…"

Atobe muttered to himself as he paused to look around. He arrived at the bus stop and found nobody there. He had hoped he would find Jiroh sleeping on the bench nearby, but he was nowhere in sight. Looking around a little longer, Atobe gave up and sat down on the bench with his tennis bag leaning against the side.

"If I were Jiroh, where would I go…"

He looked up at the sky and began staring at the stars. It was not until he heard his tennis bag fall on its side that he refocused his attention. He stared at the bag for a few moments and shook his head.

"Of course. Where do all us tennis freaks go to think?…"

Atobe stood up, grabbed his bag and began walking down the street. After a short distance, he heard a dull thud in the distance. As he got closer, the noise became louder and clearer. He recognized it as the echo from a wall being slammed against a wall. Within a few minutes he was at some street tennis courts. Quickly glancing around for the source of the sound, Atobe finally spotted Jiroh on the far side of the courts.

"Jiroh."

The other boy paused for only a second at the sound of his name, but immediately focused on the rapidly moving ball again. Atobe stood off to the side watching. It was obvious Jiroh was upset with something. He had a feeling what it might be.

"You should at least tell your parents you're going to be out late."

The ball ricocheted off the wall and into Jiroh's waiting hand. He turned to face Atobe who was still patiently waiting off to the side.

"I forgot."

"You were upset."

"Who says I'm upset?"

Atobe raised an eyebrow at Jiroh who was currently trying his hardest not to look upset. He was clearly having difficulty and he knew it. Jiroh quickly turned his head away in an attempt to hide it.

"You're too obvious."

"Well…You're…You're not obvious enough!"

Jiroh huffed at Atobe who just stared at the other boy blankly. As much as he was confused at the statement, he was also amused at the sorry sounding come-back. Then again, Jiroh was not all that clever when he was trying. It worked better when he was clueless and oblivious to it.

"What do you mean ore-sama is not obvious enough? Ore-sama can think of many people who would say I'm too obvious."

He lightly shrugged his shoulders and walked a short distance towards a bench. Atobe sat down and stretched. He might as well as he knew this conversation would not be a short one. Jiroh practically stomped over to Atobe and sat beside him in a huff.

"Well they're stupid and don't know anything."

"Harsh. A grumpy Jiroh is not a normal Jiroh. What's your problem?"

"You!"

To say the least, Atobe was faintly surprised. He knew he had the ability to make people upset with him and generally hate him, but he had never heard Jiroh ever say he was the problem. Then again, this whole atmosphere was unlike what he was used to from Jiroh.

"What did ore-sama do and please don't tell me I'm not being obvious enough."

"But you aren't! There's never any way of telling what you're thinking!"

Atobe tilted his head questioningly at Jiroh.

"What is so problematic with that? It is more advantageous to not have everybody know what you're thinking. This applies even more so ore-sama. How am I supposed to get the job done?"

"Fine, I can see that, but why does that have to be the same off the courts? Regardless of how you live and what you own, you still have to be a normal kid in some way!"

He shrugged his shoulders readjusted his position. The night just got longer.

"You don't have to be so calculating all the time. See, that's you're problem, everything in life is just a situation that needs to be planned out to ensure the most advantageous outcome. Tennis matches, okay, but in your social life I see no indication that you just sit and enjoy yourself without thinking about something."

That was impressive. Atobe was impressed that the other boy was that insightful. He agreed fully with Jiroh. Atobe did plan everything so as to secure the best results in tennis and outside as well.

"That's how life is for ore-sama. To stay on the top requires constant vigilance. As a leader, it is important to not only secure my own position, but those I'm leading as well."

Jiroh was now standing up and directly across from Atobe who remained completely neutral in his seat on the bench.

"But what about times when you're not leading somebody or something? Like when you're with your family, don't you just relax and like…smile or something?"

"No."

"Eh…"

That was not the response he was expecting. Atobe's simple, direct answer made Jiroh suddenly lost track of where his thought process was going to go.

"Ore-sama should clarify. Not very often."

"Why not?"

"They're not there very often. Therefore, those times are not very often."

The matter-of-fact way he answered was shocking. Jiroh could not imagine anybody so casually saying that as though it were nothing. It made him angry.

"How can you even say that as if it were nothing! Doesn't it bother you?"

"No. Business is business and needs to be taken care of. Business just happens to be out of country most of the time."

"Again, everything is just business with you. Sometimes I think other people are right and you don't have a soul."

"Relax already. It's not like I never see them or anything."

Jiroh sighed and plopped onto the ground tiredly. Trying to understand Atobe was beginning to take its toll on him. He took a deep breath and decided that he would understand his buchou by the end of the conversation. He sat and thought about how he would go about this. Suddenly, he got an idea. Jiroh hoped this direction would work.

"Don't you get lonely?"

He cheered silently to himself. Jiroh got the response he was hoping for. Atobe just stared at him blankly with a loss of words. That question did not catch him off guard per se, but it was the question he hated the most.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Unfortunately for Atobe, Jiroh anticipated it and already had his reason ready to go.

"Everything. I'm just thinking that it must be lonely if nobody else ever knows what you're thinking or feeling."

"What you're saying is that I need a shrink to share my woes and burdens?"

"Not a shrink, but like, another person, like…from the team or something."

Atobe sat silently for a moment while he imagined all the situations that would occur if he started confiding in his teammates.

"Well now…I don't think Hiyoshi would be a good person. He's already trying to usurp me, ore-sama is sure of it. It wouldn't be good to share such things with grumpy people like that. He's the one that probably needs a shrink."

Jiroh giggled a little despite himself. He watched and listened as Atobe continued to examine each of the other team members.

"Shishido would not be wise choice. He's not the emotional type either…unless he's with Otori. So if ore-sama tired to share my inner most thoughts with him, ore-sama would inevitable have to share them with Otori since he would be the only one who can soften Shishido up."

The tennis diva thoughtfully crossed his arms as he continued.

"Ore-sama couldn't tell Otori such things. He'd probably start crying or worse, hug me, which will result in Shishido showing up like a huffy wife and giving me a hard time. SO those two are out of the question."

Jiroh was laughing by now. He was having too much fun caricaturizing his fellow teammates.

"Gakuto or Yuushi wouldn't be good choices either. They would find some way to make whatever ore-sama says into some kind of course or risqué double meaning. They would do that even if they didn't know what was going on. Well, at least Gakuto might not know what's going on."

Atobe paused as he stopped to gather his thoughts. The only person left was Kabaji.

"Hm, I suppose Kabaji would work. At least if I didn't want anybody to ever respond back to me. With Kabaji, though, that silence is what defines him and words aren't necessary for me to know what he is thinking."

"But Kabaji is kind of a special case, I suppose…You know what though? I really enjoyed that little conversation. It was nice to see you act like a regular person. During your talk, you were actually enjoying yourself."

"Did I now?…Jiroh, why do you want to always know what I'm thinking?"

The other boy stared at Atobe. He did not plan on having Atobe ask him that. He did not want Atobe asking him that because he was not entirely sure why. Jiroh watched Atobe who was staring off into space calmly waiting for an answer.

"Because…Because I…uh…"

"Does it frustrate you that much? Is that what you can't get over in tennis as well?"

"…Yeah…I guess…I…You always seem to know what I'm thinking and then I can only guess with you. I don't know how to describe it. There's something about you…Something that tells me that there's always more, but you try to push it away…Why? I suppose that's what bothers me so much. How come you do that? Don't you trust other people enough to at least be able to speak your mind? I would think it's frustrating…always concealing your emotions and thoughts as though they were something bad…there's more to you than you let on and it's impossible to get there…And I…never mind…I'm probably not making any sense, huh?"

He looked down sheepishly. He could feel that his cheeks were warm. Jiroh knew Atobe was not an emotional person and this little emotional rant probably made him look like a fool.

"Maybe there is more, Jiroh. However, ore-sama cannot change who ore-sama is. Can you accept that? Can you keep following and trusting me even though you cannot tell what I am thinking?"

Atobe stared straight at Jiroh who stared right back. At this moment, Jiroh knew the gravity of the situation. As he sat staring at Atobe, he finally began to realize something he had not before. It still was not completely there, but he was no longer running blindly through the dark.

"Yes…I'll leave it at that…I know I won't be able to understand you sometimes, but then again, I'm beginning to understand you more…Thanks, Atobe."

He gently nodded his head and then stood up. Stretching out for a few moments, Atobe began walking away.

"C'mon. You should call your parents and tell them where you are…Especially your mother. She was positive you had been kidnapped by yakuza and was caught up in some gang war or something."

Jiroh chuckled. He knew he would have to explain to his mother why he did not come right home again. He pulled out his cell phone and noticed Atobe was talking on his.

"Hey, Mom…Gah! Calm down! I'm fine, I'm fine…No…No I was not beaten up and I'm not…being forced to work as a hit man for the yakuza in exchange for my life! Where do you come up with these things? Anyways, I'm fine and I'm coming home soon. Atobe is here with me…Yes, I'll explain everything when I get home…Yeah…Bye."

He sighed when he finally was able to hang up. Atobe had overheard the conversation and was smirking off to the side.

"Heh…Sorry 'bout that…Who were you calling?"

"Chauffer. It's getting late and it will be much faster if we drive…Ah here it is."

Sure enough, a black limousine pulled up along the side of the street running parallel to the courts. Atobe shifted the weight of the bag on his shoulder and motioned for Jiroh to follow. As they were walking towards the vehicle, Atobe surprised Jiroh.

"Yes."

"Huh?"

"Sometimes it is lonely."

Jiroh was shocked. He never thought he would ever hear Atobe admit to anything like that. Atobe did not turn around, he kept facing forward and moving along. Jiroh suddenly smiled at having Atobe confide in him, even if it was something small.

"Well, you don't have to be lonely when I'm around!"

Atobe glanced over his shoulder to look at his teammate. The boy was smiling happily at him, just as he thought it should be. Instead of responding, Atobe merely smirked, gently shugged his shoulders and continued moving forward.

"Ore-sama knows that."

The now cheerful Jiroh thought he heard Atobe mutter something, but after staring intently at Atobe's back, he knew there was going to be no answer. This time, it did not bother him so much.

"So, Atobe, I was thinking about some things that we could totally use against Shishido and Gakuto."

They both turned their attention to the following day when they would finish their match with the odd doubles team. And soon enough, the next day came and it was time to finish what was started.

"You guys ready to lose?"

Gakuto taunted from across the net with Shishido who was smirking confidently. Atobe and Jiroh stood off to the side and finished planning.

"Well, let's start."

It was Atobe's turn to serve and he kicked things off with his Tannhaüser Serve. The ball flew across the net and never touched a racquet. There was no way for Shishido to return the ball if the ball never bounced.

"Are you so sure now?"

"Heh, it's not like you can keep it up."

Jiroh smiled at Shishido a bit more mischievously than what made him comfortable.

"But Atobe's been practicing and has gotten so much stronger now."

Atobe strutted to the other side and prepared to launch another ball across the net. Again, the ball raced to the other side and never bounced. Soon, the game was won and it was time to change courts. As they passed by each other, Atobe noted the odd look Gakuto and Shishido gave him and Jiroh.

"Still, that serve takes up way too much energy. You're just going to go downhill from here."

Gakuto and Shishido decided that Atobe must be bluffing. They stood by their decision and confidently got into their respective positions.

"Don't underestimate ore-sama just yet."

The game progressed and gradually, Shishido and Gakuto realized that Atobe was still up and running as fast as he normally would. If anything, he seemed far more energetic than before. Jiroh also became a larger threat. He was easy playing at the net and was showing no mercy. Before long, the score was no longer in Shishido and Gakuto's advantage.

"When did you get so much stronger? You could do two sets of you Tannhauser serve and still play the game out."

"You'd find we're full of surprises."

They both stared at Jiroh who stood by Atobe's side grinning. They had won the match. It was a close call though. The other two did put up a good fight, but in the end, the victors were Atobe and Jiroh much to Jiroh's delight. In his mind, this match determined whether or not he could follow Atobe. Loss would have meant that the differences would be too great to overcome whereas victory meant that he could stand by Atobe regardless of what he understood.

"Practice is over. Tell me your scores so that ore-sama might determine the fates of your little lives."

Jiroh giggled as the regulars started grumbling, sighing, rolling their eyes or any combination of the three as they walked over to Atobe. There really was no telling what went on in his head.

"Very well. You may leave ore-sama's magnificent presence."

Again, the regulars just accepted that their buchou lived in another world and went home. As per usual, Atobe made sure everything was taken care of before locking the door and heading for the coach's office.

"I see. It would seem that this will work. Do you agree?"

"Yes. There is going to have to be change eventually when the third years graduate. The second years have to grow out of their comfort zones as they will be the ones leading the team next year. This invitational is the perfect opportunity for them to get a feel for the changes they will face in the coming year."

"Very good. You may go."

Atobe left the office and was going to head home when he noticed Jiroh sitting outside the building under a tree. He walked over to the other boy and looked at him questioningly.

"Just thought I'd wait. So, is everything going to work out?"

"Of course. Ore-sama's plans always work out…Now what's wrong? We beat them, didn't we?"

He noticed that Jiroh was slightly downcast. As to what it could be about, he was unsure. He knew they settled the issues last night, but apparently, there were still a few things left.

"Even though we beat them…It was still such a close match…Really, they aren't any good as a doubles team, yet they still pushed us. What's it going to be like against the invitational team that will undoubtedly put out their best doubles pairs?"

"Don't you think we'll win?"

"I want to say we'll win, but…Can we?"

"Of course."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because, between the two of us, we're too strong."

"Why do believe that we'll win so much."

"Because I am confident in your skills and you."

That response was unexpected. Jiroh was glad he was already sitting down otherwise he would have collapsed from the shock. Atobe had just revealed something that would fall in the sentimental category and it bore even greater meaning since he had dropped the self honorific.

"You really think that?"

"The few times I do say what I think, it is always what I think."

He looked down at Jiroh. There was not any real trace of emotion on his face, but Jiroh could tell he was being sincere.

"To win this, you will have to be confident my skills…but most importantly,"

Atobe extended his hand to Jiroh and smiled.

"You have to have believe in me."

At that moment, Jiroh understood what it was he wanted to understand all along. He now understood that he would not be able to always understand Atobe. He would stay by him regardless. Atobe was not emotional, did not express himself, and rarely revealed his thoughts. But all that did not matter. Jiroh understood that he would not be able to understand Atobe, but could still have belief in him and that was how he knew they could win, and would win.

"Right! This is so exciting! We're totally going to crush them. I totally believe it!"

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A/N: So what did you all think? I had a hard time writing this chapter because it was serious and all...Was it even somewhat serious, or simply compost?...I have difficulty writing these kind of chapters...Besides, there were things I wanted to go on about, but thougth better of it and I was having difficulty deciding how to say it...So, this is what you get. I hope it isn't that bad...Well, if is was just a little serious, then I would be overjoyed...What kind of chapter does this count as? Fluff? Sap? Flusap? Things that shouldn't be written? Oh what the hey, I had fun nonetheless and I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!