Bildungsroman

Chapter two:

Disclaimer: I don't own PoT.
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"I can't do it." The bald refusal in Sakura's tone caused the assembled students to pause, and Ryuzaki-sensei and Tezuka to raise their eyebrows.

She quailed a little at the look in their eyes, but continued to speak to Nomura. "I mean, I don't think I'll be able to, buchou. I have debate club, and schoolwork, and everything… I don't think I can manage these extra practices and tournaments along with everything else."

The captains looked at each other. "I'm sure you could, Kagawa, with a little organisation. After all, Oishi's the Student Council Vice-President, the team Vice-Captain, and an editor in the school magazine, in addition to having excellent grades. I'm also in the Student Council, and my own grades aren't shabby either."

Sakura bit her lip. "With all due respect, buchou, you know that debate and school come before tennis for me."

"And if you club events and tennis matches clash, we'll let you choose. But I'd like you to try managing this. It's an honour to have been handpicked, and you only a second year."

Momoshiro stood up a little straighter than that.

"And I've had a look at your grades. You clearly have nothing to worry about in that department."

Damn. Nomura-buchou really wanted her in this.

Still, she hesitated. If her grades or debate club attendance took a hit, she would have to quit halfway. Better to not commit fully rather than back out later, right?

"Kagawa." That deep voice certainly didn't belong to her captain.

"Yes, Tezuka-senpai?"

His eyes were hard hazel behind his glasses. She tensed, visibly, and was conscious of Momoshiro's tiny smirk.

The matter of the cafeteria argument/detention remained unresolved between them.

"The tennis club is willing to grant you a little extra latitude to make sure that you fulfil all your responsibilities. Surely you may commit to this programme without reservations."

Well. There it was, in black and white. And Nomura-buchou thought she was up to it, so what the hell, really?

Not trusting herself to speak to him (without squeaking or doing something equally embarrassing that Momoshiro would never let her live down), she gave him and Nomura her most formal nod.

"Good. Now that that's sorted," Here Ryuzaki-sensei shot her a look (hag, Sakura thought resentfully), "Perhaps we can move forward?"

"The mixed doubles tournament will be small in terms of scale- some of the smaller schools aren't sending teams, from Tokyo at least. But that doesn't mean you can take it easy!" Ryuzaki-sensei barked, glaring at them something fierce. "The best teams are sending their players- and Hyotei and Rikkai are nothing to sneeze at! So don't even think about slacking off!"

"Yes ma'am." Takada muttered. Next to her, Sakura bit back a grin.

"All of you will undergo a special training programme for this tournament. I want each and every one of you to give your all, and do you very best! You get that?"

"Yes sensei!"

"Good. Tezuka, Nomura, they're all yours."

Sakura thought that sounded rather ominous.

"If I hear one more thing about letting our guard down, I will cut off his testicles." Takada said flatly. Flatly because voice inflections used more energy.

Sakura debated on whether or not to point out that she'd need to get her target to let his guard down to get anywhere near his testicles... then gave up, because thinking used too much energy.

"Kagawa, Takada, really. Get your asses up, the pair of you."

Nomura-buchou and her wretched endurance. Well, technically, the two second years could keep up, it was just an off day for Takada, what with her period and all. And I'm just lazy, Sakura thought ruefully. Shame on me.

"Yes buchou." They muttered, getting up from where they'd been collapsed against the fence.

"Kagawa, rally with me. Takada, with Momoshiro."

"Okay." Sakura took her stance at the baseline.

"I want you to work on your backhand. Alright?" Nomura called from across the net.

"Roger that." Sakura nodded once, sharply.

Nomura started off slow, a quick but easy serve immediately to her left, which Sakura returned low, hard and flat. The next few were all to her backhand, equally easy.

The next was a forehand.

"Run around it!" Nomura called out.

If that wasn't a useless manoeuver she didn't know what was. "Yes ma'am!"

Captain was in command-mode. Pissing off in this mode equals stupidity. At the very least, Sakura had self-preservation instincts.

She was actually glad when Nomura began to up the ante. More power, more speed. More spin. More strategy. Calculations. If she's going to hit there, I need so much time to get there before. Sakura liked calculations. So much power, spin this way, use centrifugal force to counter. She liked physics. Rotate body to counter spin. Twist elbow and flick wrist to add own spin. Sakura liked thinking in connected images. A leads to B leads to C and the cumulative end result is D where D equals A minus B plus C and outcome D is favourable, add elements E and F and the equation changes...

"She's a little scary when she plays." Takada commented to Momoshiro during a break. The two of them took little sips from their canteens as they watched the players in the neighbouring court.

"She's always scary." He scoffed. "What do you mean?"

Takada's brow furrowed. "She thinks her play out, you know? I remember this one match we had last year, towards the end. I could literally see her thinking throughout the game. It's a little scary, because you start wondering what she's thinking so hard about. What she's seeing that you aren't. I remember getting really jumpy and making a lot of stupid mistakes."

Momoshiro nodded. "She plays like Inui-senpai, then. Data and all. Is that what you mean?"

"No, not at all. Inui-senpai deals in numbers and percentages and probability and stuff. Kagawa's all about angles and logic and physics and... I really don't know how her brain works, though. She's a little distant."

"Distant? Aren't you friends?"

Takada shrugged. "Oh, we are, we are, but she's got this knack of somehow being really distant and really distant at once. I mean, I was doing this essay for homework once, and I realised that I don't know if she likes cats better than dogs, or what. You know, the kind of basic, inane trivia that you just get to know about your friends through random conversation, I don't know about her. And she knows all that about me. I just... it's a little unsettling, I don't even know." She was waving her hands around by this point in an effort to better express herself, and Momoshiro could only grin. This girl was pretty cute.

But on a tennis court, see, one's supposed to play. Not stand around discussing the mechanics of a maybe-friendship.

"Momoshiro, Takada! Ten laps!" Tezuka barked. The two of them jumped.

Sakura and Nomura paused and looked at the source of the disturbance. Then at the two objects of his ire.

Takada felt the hair on her arms rising. Nomura-buchou did not look happy.

"Better, much better, Kagawa."

"Thanks, captain." Sakura smiled. A compliment was sort of awesome, especially when theother captain and the rest of the training group were standing around.

"Your accuracy needs work."

Her smiled dimmed a bit. Not awesome.

"May I help, Nomura-san?"

That was Oishi-senpai. Great, make her problem everyone's problem, go ahead.

"Thank you for offering, Oishi, but Kagawa can work with Imako. Understood, Kagawa?"

"Yes, captain."

"Momoshiro, Takada, I'd like to see more work, less... whatever you were doing. Understood?" Nomura's glare pinned both of them to their places.

"Yes ma'am." Both answered as one. Sakura smirked at him, which made him bristle silently.

"We will now announce the first doubles pairs for the upcoming matches." Tezuka said, holding up a sheet.

Everyone tensed. All Sakura could think was: not Momoshiro. Just not Momoshiro.

It wasn't like she really disliked the guy. It was just... not the best idea right now. And that terrible English grade last term had opened her eyes as to justwhat could happen when she got carried away by the fun.

"Oishi and Sato (Kazumi looked disappointed); Kagawa and Fuji; Takada and Momoshiro."

"These pairings aren't permanent, remember that! We'll keep switching them around, so keep on your toes." Nomura warned them, grinning a little at Kazumi's look of resignation.

"That's all. The next practice session will be at six a.m on Wednesday. Don't be late. Dismissed!"

"So we're partners now, Kagawa-san. It's nice to meet you." Fuji approached her as she picked up her canteen on the way to the changing room.

"It's nice to meet you too, Fuji-senpai. I'm looking forward to training with you."

"So am I. I've heard a good deal about you." He laughed when she tensed, and waved a hand. "About your tennis. All good things, don't worry."

"Oh, thank god. This is going to sound creepy, but I followed your matches right from junior high, so I've certainlyseen good things from you." Sakura grimaced. "That really sounded creepy, didn't it? It wasn't meant to be, I swear."

He laughed again. "You've scared me, now."

"Ah, damn." She grinned. "Well, see you at practice, senpai."

"See you, Kagawa-san."

It wasn't until she had taken her seat on the bus home that she remembered that Fuji-senpai had a reputation for mindfuckery beyond belief.

Oh, stars. What was she in for?

Review!

Chilli.