Chapter 5

Let it never be said Ryuuzaki Sumire didn't have a sense of humor - and a particularly sadistic one at that. But her reasons for pulling what she did that day were for the team's own good, really.

Inui had been the one to point out that Atobe and Tezuka's quarrel had to be ended this year, if the division wasn't to become permanent. There were signs that the two factions were strong enough to sustain the rivalry even without their leaders, and it looked like Momoshirou and Kaidou would be sliding into the diva and captain's role naturally enough, were that to happen. So it was time for drastic measures. Inui hinted that if there was some way to get the two to work together, rather than work against each other...

A plan began to take shape, one which had other benefits.

She knew other players desperately wanted to play in the Singles slots, but wouldn't have the chance to, not while her prized trio were around. She could, of course, bench them as subs, but benching Atobe and not Tezuka or visa versa would only fuel the controversy.

In the end, things came out to be amazingly simple - and the horrified look on Atobe's face and the way Tezuka's eyebrow started to twitch when she informed them of what they were going to do was more than worth it.

The team, which was circling around her as she read off the match order, went silent as they waited for the explosion - and they didn't have to wait long.

"You... you want me... to play... doubles?" Atobe asked in a strained voice, sounding like he had just tasted something particularly unpleasant. "With him? Second doubles with... Tezuka?"

Ryuuzaki knew it had been chancy to throw two of her aces into the second doubles slot, but Gyukurin really wasn't that strong a school. "Atobe, I want to try some different players in singles... I've never seen Oishi there, and if you and Tezuka start, think of the momentum you'll give the team," she said, trying to sooth his battered ego.

Tezuka stared at her, his fingers digging deeply into his fists. "Ryuuzaki-sensei, I think it might be wise to reconsider," he advised, the perfect monotone a contrast for Atobe's near-shriek.

"I already turned in the sign in sheet," she said, crossing her arms across her chest and preparing for a battle of wills. She had undermined his authority in doing so, but he probably would have protested earlier if he knew what she had planned.

Atobe and Tezuka seemed to be in rare agreement as they glared back at her. She was unswayed - hadn't been coaching thirty years worth of strong-willed boys for nothing.

"Doubles 2, Atobe and Tezuka! Set the pace! Doubles 1, Echizen and Momoshirou - you asked to play together, prove why I should let you! Singles 3 - Kaidou! Show your stuff! Singles 2 - Oishi! I want to see your own strength. Singles 1 - Fuji! Don't mess around!"

Kikumaru muttered something about being on reserve, while Atobe and Tezuka exchanged uneasy looks.

Later Ryuuzaki thought that maybe she had been asking for a little too much when she dumped two of her best singles players together on a team for doubles. After all, they were so very honest in their intense dislike for each other, and both had never bothered trying to work out the schematics of doubles before. It simply never occurred either that playing doubles would be pushed onto them one day. Not to mention that both were all rounder players and had serious problems letting his partner get to the tennis ball before he did.

The Gyukurin team and coach had a good laugh at how clumsy her two top boys looked on the court together, and for the briefest moment, she felt almost sorry for them. The keyword was 'almost'. It was about payback time for all those headaches they gave her and the amount of aspirins she downed since the moment they arrived in her life.

On reflection, even Echizen Nanjirou didn't give her that big a problem. Admittedly the man was a foul-mouthed kid in his youth, and he was still a foul-mouthed creature, except that he had probably improved by a little. His lecherous side never seemed to change, though.

She called for a break after their fifth game-- the boys managed to keep all their service games, but that was probably their only saving grace. "Come on, the both of you. I'm sure you can do better than this. How are you supposed to inspire the team if you lose the very first match of the season?"

Losing Doubles 2 wasn't a problem to her, apparently.

"Why I-it's not my fault if he-" at this, Atobe shot Tezuka a venom-filled look. "Can't coordinate for all he's worth."

"I fail to see you cooperating either."

The diva's eyes widened and he raised his voice, slightly. "I'm not the one who keeps diving for my partner's volleys!"

Tezuka's reply was calm. "You did the same thing as well."

"What're you two boys talking about?" Ryuuzaki frowned, giving both of her best 'watch your mouth before me' looks. "This isn't how you play doubles. The both of you have been playing tennis for years-- surely you can do something as simple as coordinating with a partner for doubles?"

"Ryuuzaki-sensei," Tezuka began, forehead slightly crinkled. "Neither of us is trained for doubles. It simply isn't-"

"I'm not going to give up now." Atobe suddenly spoke, frowning fiercely. "I won't let YOU stop me from winning this match."

The team captain would have raised an eyebrow if it was habitual for him to do so. "If that's the case, please refrain from messing up further on the courts."

Ryuuzaki had the feeling that Atobe was contemplating wrecking his tennis racket over the other's head for that insult. So much for her even-headed captain of the team.

The diva seethed. "You just wait and see, Tezuka! You're not any better!"

Over at the other side of the courts, faint murmurs were beginning to start up within the Gyukurin team members and their supporters. Ryuuzaki risked a glance at her own team, whose expressions varied from worried to outright embarrassed. Fuji was the only person who remained smiling as if he was incredibly amused by the turn of events.

Suddenly, she regretted not bringing her aspirin bottle along.

Izumi and Fukawa, Gyukourin's doubles pair, had originally been extremely nervous about being thrown in a game against such legendary players as Atobe Keigo and Tezuka Kunimitsu. But when they found out that despite being spectacular on the singles court, the two couldn't work together worth beans, their tune quickly changed.

Imagine -- being known as the first players to defeat not just Tezuka, not just Atobe, but both of them! They scarcely dare dream of it, but somehow or another, the plum was about to fall into their lap.

Izumi was the first to notice it, and it struck him as amazingly similar as what had happened the night before, when they had played against Momoshirou and Echizen. The two players couldn't cooperate, and were actually tripping each other up. Tezuka was unable to keep the ball coming back to him when Atobe got in the way, and Atobe's famed perception seemed jolted by having someone on his side -- he seemed to be watching what Tezuka was doing with a wary eye, as though wishing he could turn his racket on him. And now they were ahead, 3-2. It was Tezuka's serve for Seigaku, and Izumi knew that this was their chance - they had to break his serve... and Seigaku would destroy themselves.

Glancing over at Fukawa, he saw that his partner had read his mind. A slight smile curved his lips, and he glanced over at where Tezuka was moving to the baseline, preparing to serve.

Seeing Atobe up close was a bit unnerving, since he was staring at him with a glare that said the diva considered him something he wasn't sure how to mush. All in all, it wasn't a good atmosphere.

Tennis was supposed to be fun, damnit.

Tezuka served.

Izumi blinked, watching the ball whiz by. It was pinpointed perfectly - for a singles court.

Fukawa, though, was positioned closer to the line than a singles player would have been, and smirked as he returned it... right down the center line.

And Tezuka and Atobe collided into each other, for the second time of the game.
Tezuka was left handed, and Atobe was right, and their arms tangled as they both went for the ball. Atobe gave an abbreviated yelp before the force of Tezuka's swing brought him down, but not before his presence tripped up Tezuka, who actually grunted as he hit the ground, burying Atobe underneath him.

Ryuuzaku just buried her face in her hands, unable to watch any longer. It hurt, really, to see two such beautiful athletes destroy each other.

The ball rolled between them, and the referee blinked, a bit amazed at the sheer clumsiness. "0-15!" he called after a moment.

Everyone else went dead silent. Usually such antics would have evoked a series of mocking comments, but the people who were watching couldn't believe what they were seeing -- Tezuka and Atobe, reduced to nothing on a tennis court.

"Made made dane," Ryoma said after a moment, his voice echoing across the court.

Atobe felt Tezuka's weight on top of him, and almost screamed at the sheer unfairness of it all. He was being made a fool of, and it was all the stupid icecube's fault. He was going to...

"That was my ball," Tezuka said softly, not moving.

"It was not!" Atobe short back. "Will you PLEASE get off of me? If I'm at all damaged due to your stupidity..."

"I'm sure you're not that fragile." And in an abrupt moment, the heavy weight pressing him into the ground was released.

Dumb icecube.

As Atobe watched the other boy straighten out his tennis jersey with narrowed eyes, he decided that Tezuka did all that out of spite. Yes. Just to make him look totally ungraceful and enrage lying on the ground underneath-

"Atobe." The captain's stare was sharp.

He straightened himself while resisting the urge to roll his eyes at his doubles partner. Over at the side of the courts, Ryuuzaki was just about ready to give up on the match. To make his point, Atobe turned and glared at the two smirking Gyukurin doubles players.

"If this is a singles game, I'll be wiping the courts with your asses." He dusted himself off almost regally. "But unfortunately, this isn't. So I guess the both of you'll have to live with the knowledge that you have met me on the courts, but are unable to beat me as a singles player. Any other person would die to have that chance, since singles is my specialty after all."

"Atobe."

"I know," the diva sighed, getting into position. "Stop acting like you have something undesirable in your shorts."

There was a soft, barely audible chortle from Fuji, which promptly turned the rest of the Seigaku regulars' attention to him. He only gave them his usual innocent smile in reply, shrugging helplessly. Ryoma glanced at Fuji out of the corner of his eyes, the feeling that the boy next to him wasn't simple rising once more.

"I think Sumire-chan did a good job." Fuji's casual comment made everyone stare at him in shock.

"Fuji! I told you not to call me-"

"Look at them." Fuji's ambiguous reply left everyone baffled.

The sharper ones, Ryoma and Inui included, took a few careful looks at the two top singles players moving on the courts.

And Fuji was right. The two of them might still be bickering and hating each others' guts to hell and back, but they were beginning to get used to the feeling of sharing a court with another. They weren't adapting fast enough though, and the fact that they didn't like each other much was a huge barricade in their path to becoming good doubles partners.

In the prodigy's opinion, a good example of a doubles team would be their Golden Pair, of course. Their coordination was not only flawless, both players were acutely aware of their partners and they trusted each other to cover for their open areas. This was what Atobe and Tezuka had to learn-- trust.

It looked as if Ryuuzaki had to set her boys on stricter doubles training lessons again, just to make everyone coordinate.

Fuji knew without doubt that Atobe would be beyond infuriated by the time his match ended. Not to mention that the Momoshirou-Echizen doubles would be after them and Fuji had already spied the two boys doing homework for doubles. Undoubtedly, they were definitely going to do better the two star players of their team.

Meanwhile, all Fuji had to do was stand there and watch the slow drama unfolding before his eyes.

This was one of the reasons why he chose to stay in Seigaku. It was just like Atobe said-- 'Never a dull moment.'

End: Chapter 5