DISCLAIMER: I do not own PoT, blahblah, we all know the rules...

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Chapter 2

"Welcome, Daigaku!"

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The interview of doom lasted for an hour, and Tatsue seemed to have the habit of staring at Inui ever since the start of the tête-à-tête with the data tennis man. The data gathering started around one in the afternoon, and it was finished at exactly two, how Inui seemed to know when they would be finishing was extremely puzzling. Sakuno had no idea what they were talking about, but it seemed that Tatsue would give satisfactory answers to his questions since the look on his face was… like he's found a buried treasure or something., his glasses glistened with an unknown meaning for Tatsue, but spelled doom for the Seigaku regulars.

"Thank you for letting me take data, Kitami-san." Said Inui, his glasses flashed. (How, I have no idea)

"It's alright, Inui-senpai." She bowed and left the senior talking to his self. She walked to Sakuno, "You know, Inui-senpai strangely reminds me of a senpai of mine from Daigaku, her name's Hide Emiko… the glasses… the obsession with data that it's so… freaking… disturbing. The only difference I could think of is that Inui-senpai is a guy and my senpai is a girl!" Tatsue shook her head, as if she's gotten headache or something.

"Really?" asked Sakuno, rather puzzled with Tatsue's actions. Tatsue was always making strange comments when she talked about her senpai-tachi, it was weird that Sakuno hadn't met them yet despite the fact that they've been friends for almost one month.

Sakuno and Tatsue stayed outside the tennis court, under the shade of one of the trees, they sat on the bench wherein they could have a full view of what was happening in the practice. For some reason, Sakuno could not help but stare at Ryoma, and whenever they would talk Sakuno would always talk about Ryoma, and then told Tatsue that Ryoma would always tell her that she's still mada mada dane in tennis.

This made Sakuno a bit sad, ever since she's played tennis, Ryoma would always say that she's mada mada dane in tennis.

"Kya, yare, yare, Sakuno-chan." Mumbled Tatsue, "It just means you have to practice more, that's all."

"But still… it was Ryoma-kun who would always tell me that…"

"Yare, yare, don't make such buzz about stuff like that. I'm still mada mada dane in kendo too, but we don't have to feel bad about it, instead, we'll just have to work harder."

"Tatsue-chan…"

"Then, we'll no longer be mada mada dane, right, Sakuno-chan?"

Somehow, Sakuno felt a bit happy; maybe that was what Ryoma meant… practice, practice and more practice…

"Fsssshhhhh..." a hissing took Sakuno by surprise.

"Ano… good afternoon, Ka-Kaidoh-senpai." Greeted Sakuno, who looked a bit uncomfortable.

They did not notice that the regulars had stopped practicing; Tatsue noted and even pointed at Kaidoh, oblivious that she said it a little too loud, "Your senpai looks like a viper."

"Good one, kid, he is a mamushi!" shouted Momoshiro.

This of course, riled up the easily angered Kaidoh and hissed scornfully at her and at Momoshiro.

Then she stared.

And… just stared.

"Uhm… am I supposed to be scared?" she asked Sakuno, who even though she had seen her senpai like that was still perturbed by such actions, "I'll take that as a yes… oh my goodness, I'm scared." She rolled her eyes, "I don't like your nickname… mamushi…"

"Fssshhhh." He shot glares at her.

"Nice try, senpai, but if there's one person I'll be afraid of, it's definitely not you."

Momoshiro was surprised that a freshman, who for him, looked like she was a girly girl, didn't even budged her seat when Kaidoh hissed at her.

"Oi, Mamushi, looks like you've found your match." He grinned like Christmas had come early, pissing off the already angered Kaidoh.

It was around quarter until three when the sun seemed to be it's hottest, queer enough for Inui to record it in his notebook, Sakuno and Tatsue chatted their hearts out about what happened to them last Saturday, how Sakuno aced her Math exam, and how Tatsue miraculously passed her English exam.

And just when they thought that nothing bad will happen, someone just came rushing towards the girls.

"Nya! Look out!" Kikumaru shouted at the two girls, who were missed by some inches by the runner.

It was Sachimi Mai, and she looked like death has come early.

"Kitami-chan! Natsume-buchou… has arrived!" her almost uneven breaths worried Sakuno, but the terrified look on Tatsue's face shocked her even more.

It wasn't like Tatsue to look like hell had come on the face of the earth, since she would usually tell Sakuno that it's ok.

Tatsue stood up, and turned to Sakuno, "Saku-chan! I'm so sorry, but I have to go! I can explain later, but I really, really have to go… or my buchou will have my head!"

And in a split second, she and her senpai left without a word, as fast as lightning.

Momoshiro with his uncanny curiosity asked the puzzled Sakuno, "Hey, Sakuno-chan, what happened to your friend? She looked terrible."

The puzzled girl felt like it finally dawned to her.

"Buchou…" she muttered, "Kya!"

Momoshiro stared at the girl, apparently surprised by the girl's reaction, "Oi, Sakuno-chan, are you alright?"

"The kendo club, Momo-sempai, they're… they're here!" she gasped, "I have to go… oh, grandmother!"

Sumire Ryuzaki, the Seishun Gakuen's tennis club coach, has finally come.

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"What's with that look, Sakuno?" Sumire asked her granddaughter.

Sakuno started to mumble stuff about Daigaku but it seemed like her grandmother knew of it.

An odd gleam in her eyes was seen by even the Seigaku regulars, "So they really came… it's been years."

"Years?" Sakuno looked questioningly at the coach.

In almost an instant, a number of twenty junior high girls in the same red and black uniform as Tatsue's lined up, split into two lines, with Sumire at the end of the aisle. Sakuno noticed the familiar face of Kitami Tatsue among the lined girls, but before she could even speak, from the other end of the aisle, four girls (or ladies, as the lowerclassmen used to call them) began to walk with such territoriality of a place that was not even theirs.

The girl on the most left hand side of her grandmother reminded Sakuno of Inui-senpai, though she seemed to be much more… relaxed than Inui-senpai. The glassed girl, had long black hair that was braided with an equally black ribbon tied for it to take its place. She must be the Hide Emiko that Tatsue told her about.

Next to her was a girl with a pony tailed dark brown hair, her gentle light blue eyes complemented her serious expression. Something about her having three earrings on each ear told Sakuno that she might not always be silent like that.

"Three… earrings…" she thought, then as fast as a bubble disappears, she did remember Tatsue tell her about their club's fukubuchou who used to wear pants when she was in her first year at Daigaku. Her name was Hanami Mariko, and if there was something that would tell it was her, it was a cross shaped earring in the middle of the other two earrings.

Sure enough, there was a cross shaped earring in each ear.

A beautiful blonde girl (with bobbed hair, ala Yumichika from Bleach), on the right most of her grandmother, smiled cheerfully amidst the rather tense atmosphere that the girl next to her gave off. The blonde had equally cheerful green eyes gave off an odd feeling that they were just having a picnic. Apparently, Tatsue wasn't able to tell much of things about her third senpai since according to her, she was usually out because of health problems, so she hasn't exactly met her yet.

The one that gave off the most of the tension in the atmosphere had long pony tailed black hair; her serious dark blue eyes gave off an aura of distinct strictness that at that moment would match their very own Tezuka-buchou. However, a smirk curled on her lips as they approached the tennis coach.

"Long time no see, Ryuzaki-gimi."

The coach smirked back and almost mockingly told the visitor, "You seem too serious today, Natsume, are you sick?"

Sakuno thought, "Oh… so she's Tatsue-chan's buchou…"

"Nope." 'Natsume' took her cool, "Just wondering if we could talk to you."

"Excuse me, Natsume. Tezuka," she called the Seigaku tennis club captain, "Dismiss them and go to the office with the regulars, and Momoshiro too." She turned to the girls, "You don't expect your juniors to wait there like statues, right? I have tea ready in my office; let's talk about it there after you've dismissed your lot."

"Of course, Ryuzaki-gimi. Excuse us." The kendo captain turned and clapped her hands thrice, the girls assembled.

The blonde girl waved at the coach happily and the coach waved back, she walked to Ryuzaki-sensei and greeted her a good day.

"Ayashi-chan seems a little tense today, isn't she?" said the blonde girl.

Sumire smiled a bit, "Maybe it's because it's about your school festival… I heard she's been skipping it since you were freshmen."

"Yeah, she did. She could be a lazy bum sometimes." She noticed the small Sakuno and waved at her.

"My granddaughter, Sakuno. She's also part of the tennis club." Said Sumire, "Sakuno, this is Sanyu Jun, she's a third year at Daidouji Gakuen."

"Ano… It's nice to meet you, Sanyu-senpai!" she bowed, making her twin braids whip a bit.

Jun smiled at her, "It's nice to meet you too, ano… Sakuno-gozen."

Sumire shook her head as if she was hearing the worst joke in the world, Sakuno, however, was taken aback by the address, "Go…zen?"

"Yes. Gozen." Her smile never faded, "You look like a little miss anyway."

"But… Sakuno-san or Sakuno-chan is… much better… I think…"

Jun grinned wider, as if she was waiting for Sakuno to say it, "So it's Sakuno-chan then!"

"Eh?"

"Ryuzaki-sensei, the club has been dismissed." The stoic expression from the captain of the tennis club never wavered.

"Ryuzaki-gimi, the girls has been dismissed." Another voice, from the kendo captain, reached the waiting coach.

"Let's get this joint meeting started then." Said Sumire, surprising Sakuno, Tezuka and the Seigaku regulars.

"Joint… meeting?" muttered Sakuno, unsure if she was coming with them.

"Oi, Sakuno-chan." Just then, somebody took her hand, "Don't tell me you're not going to come with us?"

"Eh?! Tatsue-chan?!"

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A/N: At last the second chapter has been finished!

PS, I really should thank the author of "Crimson Rose Petals" or I wouldn't have even thought of writing this fic.