Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the Prince of Tennis!

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"Parsletongue"

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...

They were silent after Hari had stopped talking and she resisted the need to shift in her seat or fidget with the hem of her shirt. She could tell they were trying to process what she had told them and she wondered if she had made a mistake telling them. What if they didn't want her anymore?

"They knew your parents?" Rinko asked looking a little stunned. Hari realised that she probably knew who the Atobe's were because of her own job as a lawyer.

"Yeah," Hari nodded, "Atobe Yukiko was mum's best friend."

"And you met them?"

"Yes."

"Today?"

"Yes."

Hari felt uncomfortable under the stares from Rinko, Nanjiro and Nanako while Ryoma sat slouched back with his arms crossed over his chest and glowered at the floor.

"Oh, sweetie, you should have told us and we would have helped you through it," Rinko suddenly exclaimed and pulled a stunned Hari into a hug.

Hari leaned into Rinko letting the older woman's warmth comfort her and in comparison to the hug she had received from Yukiko earlier that night this felt easier and more natural to Hari. She savoured the feeling she got in Rinko's arms and for the first time allowed herself to breathe more freely.

"Why didn't you come to us, Hari-chan?" Rinko eventually asked.

"I didn't want to bother you," Hari mumbled not looking up at them. She tried not to let her embarrassment show, but Rinko seemed to have seen it anyway as she reached out and popped Hari's chin up.

"Hari-chan," she said seriously. "We have adopted you. That means that we are your guardians and we want to know these things. We want to be here to help you."

Hari blinked and Rinko sighed.

"I know you're not used to it," Rinko said before muttering something that sounded very much like "idiotic Dursley's" before she continued, "but I want you to remember that when you have problems or need to talk then you can come to any of us, ok?"

Hari could only nod because her throat suddenly felt really thick and there seemed to be something in her eyes.

"What do they want from you?" Nanjiro suddenly asked. His tone was abrupt and harsher than Rinko's making Hari's head snap up to look at him. He was scowling and looked rather similar to Ryoma who was still glowering at the floor.

"Nanjiro," Rinko frowned at her husband.

"No," he stopped her, "I want to know what they want from you."

"I…I don't know," Hari said. "They said they just want to get to know me…because of mum and dad… I think…I think I was meant to live with them if…if something happened to mum and dad…"

And Sirius, Hari added in her mind.

"So they'll try to take you from us?" Nanjiro asked with narrowed eyes.

Hari flinched back. She hadn't thought about that. The silence that spread around the room indicated that they hadn't thought about that either.

"No," Ryoma snapped. "They can't come and take Hari-chan from us…can they?"

Hari glanced up at Rinko who looked pensive but she shook her head.

"No, the adoption has gone through," she said, "Hari-chan is ours now."

"They better know that!" Nanjiro snapped before he turned abruptly and marched out of the room and they could hear the door slamming closed behind him.

Hari was shocked by the actions from Nanjiro. The normally carefree and happy-go-lucky man was not the one Hari had expected to be angry. Not like this. She looked down and felt guilty and worry filled her.

"He'll calm down," Rinko said after a few tense seconds and patted Hari's shoulder. "Just give him some time."

Hari nodded but didn't speak. She got up and walked to her room.

...

Hari was still worried the next morning and felt her stomach sink when she didn't see Nanjiro in the kitchen when she got down for breakfast. Nanako smiled at her and put her food in front of her with a comforting pat on the shoulder.

Ryoma soon dragged himself into the kitchen and dumped down at the chair looking half-awake. Hari noticed that he didn't seem concerned by the lack of any of his parents in the kitchen.

"Oi!" A voice outside suddenly called. "Echizen! Hari-chan!"

"Momo-sempai," Ryoma muttered and shoved the rest of his toast in his mouth and stood up.

Hari had already finished and had grabbed her bag and was now waiting for her little brother by the door.

"Good morning!" Momoshiro grinned at them as he stood with one foot on the bike-pedal and the other on the ground.

"Morning," Hari and Ryoma murmured.

"What have you in such a bad mood?" Momoshiro asked.

Hari just shrugged and glanced toward the temple wondering if Nanjiro was over there. She looked away and started to walk to school with the two boys. Momoshiro was like always chatting cheerfully and managed to bring them out of their bad mood. Hari really liked that about Momoshiro.

...

"Pretty ugly duckling," Kaido hissed and Hari had to work hard not to burst out laughing in the classroom. The class was still there and she couldn't keep bursting out in laughter every time Kaido hissed.

"Ka-chan," Hari grinned at him and felt in a better mood again seeing the boy who had become one of her friends at this school.

"Hari-chan," he nodded.

Hari couldn't help but notice some of the girls that were closer to them send Kaido a curious look like they hadn't believed he would address anyone with –chan. Hari rolled her eyes and just smiled when he frowned at her making the same girls hurry away from him.

"Do you want to go for a run with me, Ka-chan?" Hari asked him.

Hari saw the surprised look that crossed his face before he scowled.

"Ok," he said.

"After practice today?" Hari asked.

He nodded and Hari smiled. That's was when the teacher for the next class arrived and Hari walked over to her seat and noticed Momoshiro who was leaned forward on his desk with his eyes closed and she smiled a little before she reached for a sticker from her bag and quickly scribbled something on it and placed it on his back before getting into her own seat.

"Okay, settle down," the teacher called and Momoshiro woke with a small snort and cringed when the teacher levelled a stern look at him.

...

Hari had changed and done her warm up when she noticed that Ryoma was playing against Kaido. She paused beside Sakuno and Tomoka to watch. She wondered how the game would go this time.

"Ryoma-sama!" Tomoka cheered loudly.

Hari winced slightly and rubbed her ear as she glanced at the loud girl.

"Huh," Hari said when she saw the move Ryoma used against Kaido. It was his own snake move and Hari could only guess what Kaido was thinking right now as he stared at Ryoma.

"Snake?" Sakuno and Tomoka said together.

"Snake…" Kikumaru said.

"How did he…" Kawamura wondered.

Hari tuned them out as she watched. Ryoma always proved to take new steps and evolve as he played, it was with such a speed that she found it difficult to even try to hang on and catch up to him.

"Poor Ka-chan," Hari murmured.

"Eh?" Sakuno asked and Hari realised that she had said it out loud and both girls plus the journalists were watching her now.

"Why did you say that, Hari-chan?" Tomoka asked curiously.

"He must be thrown by having his own move used against him like that," Hari explained. "It can't be easy to have someone do it and get it right on his first try…"

"That's a good point," Inoue said.

Hari just shrugged and watched Kaido who was watching Ryoma with a focused look on his face. She could only imagine what he was thinking.

Hari turned to go back to her own training. If she was going to get better then she couldn't just drop her own practice to watch Ryoma even if it was tempting. She caught sight of Tezuka standing by himself and she stilled. It wasn't really the sight of him by himself that had her pausing to watch him, but the look on his face. He looked…determined and he was staring at Ryoma.

She frowned. Why did he look at Ryoma like that?

...

Hari looked for Ryoma when she had finished her practice and before she was going to go running with Kaido. She wanted to tell him that she would be late. She rounded a corner and stopped abruptly when she saw Tezuka and Ryoma a few feet in front of her. She saw Tezuka toss a tennis ball at Ryoma, but she couldn't hear what they were saying. Soon Tezuka walked away leaving Ryoma standing there still staring at the tennis ball in his hand.

What was that about? Why the secret meeting? She wanted to go and ask Ryoma, but before she could make up her mind to do so he walked away and she didn't follow. Instead, she turned and walked to the front and saw Kaido standing there waiting for her.

"You look serious, Kaido," Fuji spoke up as he reached Kaido just before Hari made her way to them.

"The stupid voice writes the loss," he hissed.

Fuji just smiled and looked at Hari who reached them.

"Oh…are you going to join Kaido's training?" Fuji asked.

"Hai," Hari nodded. "I asked him to join me."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, is that's a problem?" Hari asked him.

"Saa," he smiled.

Hari rolled her eyes at him.

"You know," Fuji said looking amused. "Not many people roll their eyes at me."

"Stupid people, then," Hari said.

Fuji laughed.

"Interesting girl," he commented before started to walk toward the locker room again but he stopped when Momoshiro rushed out and looked around wildly before spotting Hari and start toward her. His face was angry and he was clutching something in his hand.

Hari noticed that Kikumaru and Kawamura along with Inui followed behind at a slower pace but still looking curious. She also noticed that Ryoma rounded the corner and seemed confused at the seeing almost the entire team still there.

"Uh-oh," Hari mumbled.

Fuji looked at her but she ignored him.

"Hari-chan!" Momoshiro yelled effectively getting the attention of everyone close by.

"Yeah, Momo-chan?" Hari asked as innocently as she could manage.

"What's this?" he demanded and waved his hand that was clutching a piece of paper.

Hari knew what it must be but she wasn't going to tell him that.

"It looks like a piece of paper," Hari said managing to get her voice to sound curious.

"You know perfectly well that it is a piece of paper!" Momoshiro said.

"Oh?" Hari asked and took a small step back and closer to Kaido who glanced at her.

"Do you know where I found it?" Momoshiro asked.

"Should I?" Hari managed to look puzzled.

"You should! You were the one to put it on my back!" Momoshiro said. "Who else would think a note that says: Just call me Sleeping Beauty!"

Hari smiled and noticed that Fuji looked amused but she kept her eye on Momoshiro who was scowling at her.

"Well…" Hari said with a small laugh.

"Do you know how confused I've been when people have called me sleeping beauty all day?" Momoshiro asked.

"You probably should have known there was a note on your back," Kaido spoke up.

"You knew, Viper?!" Momoshiro yelled.

"Well, I couldn't resist when you slept away both the class and the break," Hari said and Momoshiro looked at her. "You do look cute when you sleep."

Hari couldn't keep the teasing note out of her voice when she said it and laughed when she saw him turn red and then scowl, but she saw a note of amusement in his eyes as well even as he tried to hide it.

"Run," he said.

"Eep," Hari squeaked and grabbed Kaido's arm. "Come on, Ka-chan. I think it's time for our run now!"

...

Fuji shook his head as he watched Hari run away with Kaido close behind her and with Momoshiro following. He knew Momoshiro would soon give up because he didn't want to go out running once more, but it was an amusing sight.

"She seems lively," Fuji commented.

Ryoma glanced at him before looking away again.

"You think so?" Ryoma asked.

Fuji frowned and Ryoma knew he was watching him, but he didn't elaborate and Fuji didn't press it.

"Why does she always prank Momo-chan?" Kikumaru asked joining them. "I thought she liked him."

"Saa," Fuji shrugged and glanced at Ryoma.

"She does," Ryoma said when he got tired of them looking at him.

"Then why?" Kawamura who also looked curious.

Ryoma sighed.

"You'd have to ask her," he said.

"But you have an idea?" Fuji said.

"Well, he is an easy target," Ryoma said, "and Hari knows he can take her pranks well and isn't offended by it."

Fuji arched a brow.

"So, you mean she does it because he won't think she's bullying him?" he asked.

"That's my guess," Ryoma said before shrugging and walked away without saying anything else.

No one said anything for a moment before Kikumaru laughed.

"An interesting girl," Fuji smiled slightly.

...

Hari sank down on a bench along the river and tried to catch her breath. She glanced to the side to see Kaido jogging in place watching her.

"How can you still be going?" she asked wheezing.

He stared at her for a moment before he shrugged.

"You're not human," Hari whined when he grabbed her arm and dragged her back to her feet. She ignored the glare he sent her.

She followed him as he started to run again and she tried to pretend that her breath didn't come out in harsh pants or that her chest felt like it was burning along with the muscles in her legs. Gargoyle's, she was sure she felt pain in places she wasn't even aware that she had!

They ran through the park again and she sent a tired glare at the sun that burning in the sky and not caring that she was becoming overly hot, but she pushed on. She was not going to give up because she was going to get better. She was going to become the best she could be.

She had to. She had to prove to Nanjiro that she would belong with them and that she wasn't going to go anywhere else.

"Enough," Kaido said when they reached the school again. It was almost abandoned now, only a stray student was seen making their exits from the school.

Hari collapsed on the ground in front of the locker room and decided that it was a good place to sleep, really. It wasn't like she really needed to go anywhere.

Kaido was drinking from the water taps close by and Hari could hear him move but she didn't open her eyes.

"Here," he grunted and she forced her eyes open and saw a bottle filled with water hanging above her.

With a force of effort, she reached up and grabbed it. She fumbled with the cork before she got it opened and poured it over her face enjoying in the freshness it gave her.

"You're weird," Kaido commented.

"So are you," Hari said.

Kaido gave a small laugh and Hari smirked at him and wondered if anyone really saw the humour that was hidden in him.

...

"Where is Hari-chan?" Nanjiro asked as he glanced over at Ryoma who was sitting quietly and was staring unseeingly in front of himself. He had done that since he had gotten home from school. "Didn't you walk home together?"

He flipped through the channels on the television not really paying attention to anything on it.

"She's running with a friend," Ryoma answered distractedly.

"Running?" Nanjiro frowned. "What friend?"

"Someone from the team;" Ryoma said impatiently as he got to his feet. He walked to the door.

"Wait! A boy?!" Nanjiro yelled but Ryoma ignored him.

Nanjiro sat up and glared after Ryoma, he could hear his footsteps up the stairs.

"I wonder what's up with him," Rinko commented as she looked after her son as well. Nanako nodded.

"He's been distracted since he came back from school," she said.

Nanjiro scowled.

"Oh, what now, dear?" Rinko asked seeing his expression.

"Hari-chan isn't home yet," he said.

"Didn't Ryoma said that she was out running with a friend from the team?" Nanako asked.

"A boy," Nanjiro scoffed.

Rinko sighed and shook her head, "she's on a boys' team, dear. That means that she will make friends with them. You know Ryoma trusts them, so I'm sure they're alright."

"Still not good enough for Hari-chan," Nanjiro muttered. "I'm going out."

"Don't go looking for her, Nanjiro!" Rinko called after him, but he ignored her.

...

Hari was walking or more like wobbling up to the house when she suddenly stopped and blinked because someone tall had just appeared in front of her.

"Nanjiro!" Hari gasped. "You scared me."

"Where is he?" Nanjiro demanded.

"Who?" Hari frowned.

"The friend you went running with?" Nanjiro said.

"Ka-chan?" Hari blinked more confused than she should be but she blamed exhaustion on that, "he went home…"

"He didn't even escort you home?" Nanjiro asked scowling.

"Why should he?" Hari frowned, "it wasn't a date and I can look out for myself."

She yawned and rubbed her eyes making Nanjiro's expression to soften slightly.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Sure," she yawned. "Just tired…"

Nanjiro nodded and held out his arm which Hari grabbed and they walked the last part of the way together. Hari smiled slightly because she had worried that Nanjiro would be upset with her, he hadn't really been around since she had told them about the Atobe's. So it was a relief to find him looking for her because he was clearly not upset with her like she thought.

...

The next day Hari was feeling more tired and her muscles were protesting the workout, but she ignored it as she made her way through the school.

"You still like to think you're part of them, don't you?" a sneering voice asked.

Hari looked to the side and saw Ueda and Yamamato from the girls' tennis team. She sighed and turned to walk past them without saying anything.

"You're nothing special, you know," Yamamato said.

Hari was forced to stop when they got in her way and blocked her way. She just arched a brow unimpressed as she stared at them. Still, she wasn't saying anything.

"You think you belong here when you come and break up our team," Ueda sneered and raised a hand to poke at Hari's shoulder, but Hari read what she was going to do so she caught the hand before she could and held it still.

"Let go of me!" Ueda snapped.

Hari squeezed slightly before she let go of the wrist. Ueda grabbed it with her other hand and rubbed it slightly.

"It's your fault Yoshida decided to quit," Yamamato said when Ueda kept quiet and was just glaring at Hari. "She loved tennis more than anyone and you made her quit!"

Hari rolled her eyes at their stupidity and refused to say anything. They both tried to look threatening, scary or whatever, but Hari couldn't help but think that this was nothing to the schoolyard confrontations she had gone through back at Hogwarts.

"Are you done?" Hari asked quietly when they had stood there glaring for a moment longer.

They looked rather startled at not being taken more seriously or getting a reaction from Hari. Hari sighed and stepped past them again and walked away, this time they didn't try to stop her. She wondered if they would continue to do this. It would be bothersome if they did…

...

"Ah," Hari blinked as she rounded a corner and was once more blocked. This time it wasn't on purpose though as Yoshida suddenly was in front of her.

"Lost again?" Yoshida asked after a moment.

"No," Hari said.

Yoshida didn't look like she believed her and Hari huffed and pulled the strap of her bag longer upon her shoulder. Yoshida looked like she wanted to say something, but nothing came out of her mouth as she opened and closed it.

Hari glanced at the time. She would be late if she didn't hurry up, but there was something that told her that she should stay for a moment longer.

"So…how are you, Yoshida-san?" Hari finally asked.

"Fine," Yoshida said quickly. "I'm fine."

"That's good," Hari said.

"I thought about what you said," Yoshida said.

"Eh?" Hari looked confused.

"About finding a new way to stay involved with tennis if…if I really liked tennis," Yoshida explained and Hari remembered the conversation they'd had a while ago.

"Oh, yeah," Hari nodded. "So?"

"I want to be a manager," Yoshida said. "That way I can get my love for tennis back. At least that's what I think…"

Hari looked at her and could see that Yoshida had thought about this and she looked a little unsure but that was more because she was worried about how Hari would react. Hari wasn't sure why her reaction meant anything to the other girl, but the look in her eyes and the way she bit down on her lip told Hari enough.

"That's a good idea," Hari nodded. "Have you talked to Ryuzaki-sensei about it yet?"

Yoshida shook her head.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Hari asked and grabbed Yoshida's hand and started to pull her in the direction she thought the court was in.

"Where are we going?" Yoshida asked.

"The courts, of course!" Hari said.

"Um…that's in the other direction, Echizen-san," Yoshida said exasperatedly.

Hari stopped abruptly and turned around before she started to walk again.

"Why are we going there?" Yoshida asked but Hari ignored her.

...

They found that the practice had already started when they reached the courts and Hari saw Tezuka standing with Ryuzaki, they were talking about something, but Hari ignored that and walked up to them either way still pulling Yoshida with her.

"Hari-san," Tezuka nodded sombrely and Hari wondered if he ever smiled.

"Hari-chan," Ryuzaki smiled. "You're late."

"Gomen," Hari let go of Yoshida's hand and looked from her to the coach and captain. "I just ran into Yoshida-san and I think you should make her the manager for the team."

The bluntness startled all of them but she saw the considering look on Tezuka's face.

"Echizen-san!" Yoshida gasped.

"What?" Hari looked at her. "You want to be a manager, and we need one. I know Inui-sempai is acting as a manager right now, but he still wants to be a regular again and I'm sure that he could use the help."

They stared at her and Hari just waited for them to say something.

"That's a good point," Ryuzaki finally said and looked at Yoshida. "Is this something you could consider doing, Yoshida-san?"

Yoshida blinked at her before looking over at Hari. Hari just smiled and waited for the other girl to say something.

"I…Yeah," Yoshida said.

"Then you're the manager for the boys' team;" Ryuzaki said.

...

Hari watched as Yoshida talked with Inui and smiled a little amused as she noticed how engrossed they got as they talked, hands waving and almost hitting a poor passing first year.

"Good call, Hari-san," Tezuka said.

Hari glanced at him and smiled slightly.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

He looked at her and she thought he might look a little surprised by her question.

"Yes," he said. "How are you settling in? I've noticed that you've taken several steps in your game, Hari-san."

"I like it here," Hari said, "and I do think I've gotten better."

He nodded.

"I want to have another test for you soon," he said.

"Test?" Hari asked pushing back her nerves.

"Nothing bad," he assured her, "it's not to kick you out or anything like that."

She let a small sigh of relief slip out and didn't really care that he seemed to have seen her worry.

"Then why?" she asked.

"Just to see how much you have grown," Tezuka said pushing up his glasses as he looked at her sharply.

"And who will I be playing?" Hari asked.

"That will be decided," Tezuka said.

Hari nodded and watched as Tezuka walked away and furrowed her brows as she thought. She believed he meant it when he said that she wouldn't be kicked off the team if she didn't win, but still… she felt nervous about the test he talked about. Just what was it he was looking for?

Okay, so yeah he said it was to see how much she had grown, but did he really need a special test for that? Couldn't he just watch her now? But, maybe he was looking for something specific.

...

Ryoma sighed as he watched his father catch his latest serve in his mouth and jump up and down waving with his arms and acting like a fool. He could hear his mumbled exclamations and Ryoma let out another deep sigh.

"This is stupid," he said and turned to walk away. He couldn't deal with this right now; he had to get ready to play Tezuka. He realised that he had never actually seen Tezuka play tennis and Ryuzaki's warning that he was like Nanjiro had him excited yet slightly apprehensive about it.

He had reached the gate when he turned around to give his father one last glance before he frowned slightly. So, yeah, Ryoma was the first to say that his father was an immature man who never seemed to grow up. He was more likely to joke and tease than to actually offer any wise advice, but now…he was not really acting like himself. It seemed forced.

Nanjiro had spat out the ball and turned toward the large bell and Ryoma could tell that he seemed to deflate; the taken carefree attitude disappeared when he believed he wasn't watched.

Had he really taken what Hari said that hard? Ryoma didn't like it any better, he worried she might decide to leave but he wasn't sure what to think that his dad also seemed to be that worried. Did that mean that the chance for her leaving was that much higher?

Ryoma knew that Nanjiro really loved Hari. Hari was impossible not to love, Ryoma knew that. She was kind, had the kind of humour Nanjiro loved, and not to mention that she could handle him better than anyone else. So, the idea of Hari being connected to someone else was scary. Someone who was connected to her parents.

Ryoma wasn't sure what Nanjiro was thinking, but he was sure that he like himself had been reminded that Hari hadn't always belonged to them despite it seemed like she had been in their family forever.

...

"What's up with you lately?" Hari asked as she dumped down on Ryoma's bed. He looked up at her before he looked back again.

"Who says something is up with me?" he answered.

"Because you just answered me with a question," Hari turned to him more fully now and frowned. "Does it have anything to do with Tezuka-captain?"

Ryoma's eyes widened a little and he looked up at her surprised.

"I'm right," Hari murmured.

"How do you know…"

"I saw you talking to Tezuka a couple of days ago," Hari said, "I don't know what he said, but you've been distracted ever since."

"I'm not distracted," Ryoma protested.

"Horio told me you didn't participate during gym and just sat there staring into space," Hari said. "Also, you've kept to yourself during practice doing repetitive exercises like you're preparing for something."

He scoffed.

"Fine," he said. "He told me to meet him tomorrow, actually, and play a match with him."

"You're going to play Tezuka-captain?" Hari asked.

Ryoma nodded.

"Ryuzaki-sensei told me he was similar to Oyaji," Ryoma said.

Hari nodded looking thoughtful. Ryoma would be a little apprehensive of that, but knowing him the way she did also let her see the anticipation he felt and she knew he really wanted to win.

"I've never seen Tezuka-captain play before," Hari commented.

"Me neither," Ryoma said.

"Why the secrecy?" Hari asked after a moment.

"I have no idea," Ryoma said. "All I know is that he told me to come alone."

Hari frowned, "so that means I can't come and watch you."

Ryoma shook his head and fell back on his bed again.

...

"We're missing some people," Mizuno commented as he looked around the courts where the tennis team was gathered.

"Ryoma-kun isn't here either," Kachiro said.

"Man, what's wrong with that guy?!" Horio complained loudly.

Hari ignored them as she passed them and tried to not think about what was going on right now. She wondered if Ryoma had started to play against Tezuka yet.

She was aware that the others also noticed the absence of Tezuka, Ryoma and surprisingly Oishi. Had Oishi gone to watch the match? She wished she could have done that, but Ryoma hadn't wanted to go against Tezuka's order. Hari had to respect that, so she had gone to practice like normal.

"Ochibi-chan is late as well," Kikumaru said. "What are they doing?"

"Echizen called in sick," Ryuzaki interrupted.

Hari hid her frown as she looked at the coach.

"He's sick?" Momoshiro asked glancing over at Hari before looking back at Ryuzaki.

"Captain?"

"Sick."

"Oishi?"

"…sick."

Hari almost snorted. She could have come up with better excuses, especially since they had all been seen earlier that day at school and none of them had looked sick.

"Seems like there's a conspiracy going on here," Inui commented stepping up behind them along with Yoshida who looked curiously around.

"What kind of conspiracy would involve tennis?" Fuji asked.

"Something like crushing the thorn in your eye?" Kaido asked.

"I don't think we can be calm about this," Fuji said. "Hari-chan? Do you know what's going on?"

Hari had waited for them to turn to her and she kept her face blank as she shrugged.

"I don't know why they would lie about being sick," Hari said glancing at Ryuzaki.

"Don't worry about other people!" Ryuzaki interrupted. "You have a lot of work to do."

They agreed and turned back to the practice.

"So, they're sick, eh?" Hari asked looking at Ryuzaki.

"I take it your brother told you what he was doing today," Ryuzaki asked.

"Hai," Hari nodded. "When I asked him. Do you know why Tezuka-captain wanted to play against him?"

Ryuzaki gave her a look before she looked away and over at the team practice.

"He's had some concerns about Ryoma's aspirations and the reason for why he plays tennis," Ryuzaki said.

"Eh?" Hari frowned. "Ryo-chan plays to beat Nanjiro."

Ryuzaki nodded and had a pensive look on her face.

"What's wrong with that?" Hari demanded, starting to feel annoyed. She didn't like the thought of anyone questioning Ryoma's reasons for playing tennis, not when he had been the one to bring her into the game.

"Nothing," Ryuzaki assured her kindly. "Hari-chan, no one is saying it is wrong. Tezuka is only concerned that Ryoma gets too similar to Nanjiro and will just be his copy. He wants to show Ryoma that there are other good players out there and that Ryoma should also focus on them and not just his dad."

Hari frowned in thought and she had to admit that it was a good point. She sighed and nodded.

...

Hari decided to go look for Ryoma as soon as the practice was over, she wanted to see how it had gone and maybe they would still be playing. It wouldn't hurt to just see the end of the match, would it? They didn't even have to know that she'd been there.

Only problem was…she was lost.

Not only that, but she wasn't even in Tokyo anymore. How could she have done this again? She had taken the train after school, thinking she could speed up the time spent getting to the court she knew Ryoma and Tezuka was using. That way she could catch the last part of the game.

A good plan, really. Hari had not seen any problems with it. So she got on a train and then she sat down and stared out of the window and…fallen asleep.

And now…she was in a place she had no idea where was. She had gotten off the train realising that she had stayed on for too long, but she hadn't realised that she had travelled out of the city.

Rinko and Nanjiro were going to kill her. This shouldn't have happened again! She had been told to pay attention when she used the trains. She should have learned her lesson when she ended up in Chiba last time, but now she wasn't even in Chiba.

So, where was she?

She looked around for a sign and walked past the crowded station, people were hurrying past her not paying her any attention. But that was just fine for her.

She eventually found a large sign reading:

Yokohama, Kanagawa

Hari sighed and pulled a hand through her hair exasperatedly. It was official. She was a lost cause. She was so going to be grounded forever and never be allowed outside again. Not that she could blame them.

She kicked at the nearby bench and let out a small curse.

"What's that bench done to you, miss uncomplicated girl?"

Hari jumped at the soft voice and realised with a stab of horror that someone had been sitting on the bench and she hadn't seen him. She recognised him as the boy she had met on the bus before she had met Yukiko and Jurou.

"Oh," she blushed. "Gomen. I didn't see you."

"I think I got that," he smiled lightly at her. "At least I hope you didn't mean to kick the bench I was sitting on."

He was amused and Hari relaxed a little seeing that. She smiled sheepishly at him and pushed a rebellious strand of hair back behind her ear as she looked at him. He got up and she noticed that he was fairly tall, but not as tall as Tezuka if she would guess. Some might make the mistake and think he looked frail and weak, but she knew he was anything but. The sharpness and intelligence that shone in his eyes was proof enough for her to know that he was stronger than most would guess.

"You got me, I was purposely kicking the bench because I knew you were sitting there," she said as serious she could manage.

He laughed and his violet-blue eyes seemed to shine in amusement but she could see some shadows hidden in them.

"Then I guess I should be offended," he said.

Hari shrugged.

"I was wondering if I would see you again," he said changing the subject and Hari blinked at him. "I was wondering if you had found a solution to your problem with complicated boys."

Hari snorted.

"No, boys' are still complicated," Hari said.

She hadn't really thought that much about Saeki lately and she guessed that the meeting with Keigo and his parents had pushed the thoughts out of her head, and then there had been a lot going on with practice and worry about Nanjiro… so, yeah thoughts about Saeki had been pushed out.

"I see," he said. "I guess I should apologize."

Hari snorted.

"Yukimura Seiichi, yoroshiku," the boy suddenly said and Hari looked at him again. He smiled gently at her and it was a kindness around him that had her immediately smile back, she could tell from his eyes that he was not unfamiliar with pain. Though, the kindness was genuine and warm.

"Echizen Hari," she said. "Yoroshiku."

They fell silent for a moment and Hari wondered if she should excuse herself and go and look for the train back to Tokyo because she knew she shouldn't try to leave the station. She didn't want to admit it, but she would probably get lost.

"You didn't tell me what the bench had done to you, Echizen-san," he spoke up.

Much to Hari's surprise he seemed inclined to continue talking to her.

"Well," Hari blushed again feeling silly and she met his eyes and suddenly her mouth felt a little dry. Before she could find the words that seemed to temporarily vacate her much to her confusion because all she had was look up and meet his eyes, a boy that was ridiculously tall with short dark hair and a dark cap that shadowed his face came up to them.

"Ah, Genichiro," Seiichi said. "You're back."

"Hai," he nodded.

"Echizen, this is my friend, Sanada Genichiro," Seiichi introduced. "Genichiro, this is Echizen Hari."

Hari smiled and waved at him while he gave a polite nod but didn't smile.

"Can we help you with something, perhaps?" Seiichi asked looking away from his friend and over at Hari who blinked at him. "You seem to be lost."

Hari wasn't sure how he knew that, but then again it might not be that difficult to guess.

"Well," Hari grimaced, "I guess I am."

"I know it can be difficult to get to a new place when you're used to Tokyo," Seiichi said. "If you tell us where you meant to go we can maybe help you get there."

Hari pushed another rebellious strand of hair away from her face feeling her cheeks burning a soft red.

"I'm going back to Tokyo," she said.

"Didn't you just come from Tokyo?" Seiichi asked surprised. "I mean, you came from the platform where the train from Tokyo stops."

Hari sighed.

"I did," she said.

"Then…"

"I didn't mean to leave Tokyo, alright!" Hari snapped.

They stared at her.

"Gomen," she sighed. "I fell asleep on the train and I somehow ended up here… Rinko and Nanjiro are going to kill me for doing this again…"

"Again?" Seiichi asked curiously.

"Yeah, again," Hari muttered. "Last time I ended up in Chiba."

Seiichi looked amused now and Hari couldn't help but smile a little as well. She even believed she saw Sanada's lips twitch amused.

"Well, I'm going back to Tokyo," Seiichi said after a moment. "I can show you the way back so you don't end up in another city…"

"You look too amused," she said dryly.

Seiichi laughed and Hari thought she saw Sanada glance at him almost surprised. She made a note of it but didn't say anything.

...

They ended up finding a small place to eat on the station and Hari was surprised how easy it was to talk to Seiichi. She found out that he liked gardening and with her old classes in Herbology and the fact that Aunt Petunia had made her take care of the garden back at Privet Drive for as long as Hari could remember had her she knew a lot about the subject herself.

Sanada was quiet for the most part, but Hari could feel him watching her closely but when she looked at him he averted his eyes and pretended that he hadn't just watched her.

"You can go back now if you want, Genichiro," Seiichi eventually said. "The train is going to be here soon and I have company now."

Hari watched curiously as Sanada gave his friend what seemed like a worried look and Seiichi just smiled and there seemed to be a silent conversation between them. Hari suddenly felt nostalgic seeing that and she suddenly missed Ron and Hermione something fierce.

Sanada nodded and grabbed his bag and gave her a nod before leaving without looking back.

"He seems like a good friend," Hari commented after a moment.

"He is," Seiichi nodded. "He's my oldest friend."

Hari nodded and took a sip of her soda.

...

It was dark by the time they reached Tokyo and Hari wondered how much trouble she was in. She sighed and looked at Seiichi who was looking a little more grave than he had before and she wondered what he was thinking.

"Thank you for your help," Hari said.

"No trouble," he smiled.

"So, I should go," Hari sighed. "I might actually get home before it gets too late."

He nodded.

"Do you have plans tomorrow?"

...

...

AN: Thank you for reading and to everyone who has left a review, favourited and/or followed my story!

What do you think? I know Nanjiro might seem out of character, but I hope I've managed to show that he has this side of him too. He is protective of Hari and doesn't react well to the threat of her being taken away.

I know, it's not my best chapter, but this one took forever to get ready and I just had to say "enough" to myself. It is the best I could get it. It also turned out much longer than I planned as well (about 1000 words longer)... I just never seemed to reach a natural ending place, and I wanted to have a scene (which turned out to more and longer than I planned) with Yukimura before I ended the chapter. Well, you saw how that ended ;)

A sort of disclaimer: I have no idea exactly what city Rikkaidai is located, only that it's in the Kanagawa prefecture. I did a search on google and just decided that Yokohama would be the city where Rikkaidai would be located. Yokohama is the capital of Kanagawa. If this is wrong, please let me know and I'll change it. :)

Also, I plan for Hari to have a match again soon (in a chapter or two). Another test of her talents ;) She will also be showing a new move at that time :) Any thoughts on who she should be playing this time? I'm deliberating between Kikumaru, Momoshiro or Kaido. If you have a wish for who you want Hari to play against please let me know in the reviews:)

Japanese words used:
Saa -filler
Gomen - sorry
Oyaji - old man/dad
Ochibi-chan - from 'chibi' means small. An endearing nickname often used on children.
Hai - Yes
Yoroshiku - Nice to meet you