Disclaimer: I do not own PoT.

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Chapter 10

"Punch and Slap"

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The six girls huffed and puffed, as liters (figuratively speaking, then again, they did run 100 laps…) of sweat escaped through the pores of their seemingly thin bodies.

"Oi! You finished?" a teasing voice called out. Mariko gave the source of the voice a deathly glare. Along with Ayashi were Seigaku and Sakuno, since Sumire had told them that she will be doing something at Seishun Gakuen.

"BITCH!" shouted Mariko, giving her the finger.

Ayashi jokingly shouted back, giving her a peace sign, "SAME TO YOU!"

Mariko laughed, shaking her head.

It was surprising though, because from the last time they heard someone called Ayashi a "bitch", that person was "attacked" by kendo members. But maybe there were exceptions.

When Seigaku drew nearer to the girls, they saw that they were clad with loose white shirts and identical black jogging pants. Their shirts were already sticking and their hair was ruffled, some of the strands were sticking to their faces.

"Oi, you're looking worse for the wear, have you done something more than running?" Kikumaru joked.

"E-Eiji, stop that!" scolded Oishi.

"Ehehehe, sorry, Oishi!"

Mariko lifted her hand, "Kikumaru-san is right, we are looking really worn out."

"100 laps is too much, Aya-chan! You're mean!" pouted Emiko, and as if remembered something, she worriedly turned to the young blonde with them, "Oi, Jun-kun, are you feeling OK?"

Jun was breathing heavily, but was able to give a faint smile, "Don't worry. I'm fine."

Emiko frowned at Ayashi, "You should've given consideration about that."

"Eh, all of you attacked an unarmed person, even Jun-kun. I see no reason why I shouldn't punish her too." Ayashi stuck her tongue out, "Well, you really should go and change clothes. I don't want any of you catching pneumonia because of me. You go back here, ok?"

The girls saluted and left for the changing rooms. Mariko and Emiko sort of helped Jun walk, while Atsuyo, Mai and Tatsue walked behind them.

"Natsume-san," Fuji asked, "is Sanyu-san alright?"

Ayashi twisted her head, looking at Fuji's direction, and then returned to where she was staring earlier, "Saa, who knows?"

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After ten minutes…

Ayashi and the students from Seigaku sat on a very long bench along the grassed area of the school. The female kendo captain looked at her wristwatch.

"What the heck?" Ayashi threw her head back, "What's taking them so long?"

A bag was shoved heavily on Ayashi's stomach; she immediately clutched the area hit.

"Bitch, you almost killed us with those laps!" Mariko's eyes were lit with blazing fire. The girls had finally arrived from the changing room, each of them in their school uniform.

Ayashi looked up at the fuming girl, pain still evident from her face, "Ehehehe, serves you well." Then she ran from the other girl's reach, so naturally Mariko tried to catch her.

"This is so shameful." Muttered Tatsue, headphones still connected to her ears. She waved at Sakuno.

"Totally." Her senpai, Mai shook her head, her hands on her small hips.

The timid Atsuyo suddenly said, "Our buchou and fukubuchou are so screwing this up."

The three girls shook their heads in unison.

Kikumaru called the girls to come closer to them.

"What is it, Kikumaru-senpai?" asked Mai.

"Are they always like this?" asked Inui, his glasses flashed in the light.

'Ack, just like Hide-senpai!' Mai and Atsuyo thought.

Mai looked at Atsuyo, who nodded, "Well, yeah. Sort of."

Seigaku watched as the two leaders fight comically, with Emiko and Jun trying to keep them from "fighting".

Oishi pointed at them, "Are you really sure?"

The three girls nodded.

"So it's sort of like this," Tatsue said, becoming more talkative to them, "Even though our two senpai look like they're trying to keep them from fighting, actually…"

"They're adding salt to injury." Said Atsuyo.

Mai nodded.

"What?"

"So, who do you think will win?" asked Mai, a smile curling on her lips.

Atsuyo said, "Well, I dunno about that."

"One hundred yen for buchou," Tatsue took out a bill from her pocket, "because she has beautiful hair."

Atsuyo took out another, "Two hundred for fukubuchou cause she wore pants during her first year here."

Sakuno piped, "So that's really true?"

"Yeah!" exclaimed Mai, "It's really true, they even have a picture of it! We didn't believe at first, but when we saw the pictures…"

"Told ya." Tatsue nodded at Sakuno.

"Oh…"

"Five hundred for buchou cause she dated Atobe Keigo when she was second year!" Mai took out a bill.

"SHE WHAT?!" Seigaku shouted in unison. Tezuka raised a brow.

"Hey! Don't shout!" Mai pouted, "I'm not deaf!"

"Is it really true? Your captain actually dated Atobe-san?" asked Oishi.

Atsuyo nodded, "She really did. He asked her to be his girlfriend."

"But she dumped him." Added Mai.

Tatsue added, "Right after he asked. She didn't even think about it."

"Really? Wow… and Atobe-senpai was really handsome too…" Sakuno suddenly blurt out. Tatsue looked at her incredulously. And so did Seigaku's regular players.

"You think so?" asked Mai, "Me too! He's so cool!"

Atsuyo poked Mai's face, "No. That's not true. She really likes Fudomine's Shinji."

"TSUCCHI! THAT'S NOT TRUE!!!" Mai frowned, flailing her arms on the air.

Tatsue laughed heartily, "Sachimi-senpai actually likes a lot of boys."

"YOU'RE PICKING ON ME!" Mai pouted at her two teammates, "MEANIES!"

Atsuyo giggled as Tatsue continued on laughing. The sight of a laughing Tatsue reminded Sakuno of the times that they were alone, where Tatsue was an energetic, talkative and still sarcastic as ever kind of girl. Her teammates might just be some of her real friends who she can be herself.

Momoshiro pointed at the laughing Tatsue, and asked Sakuno, "Don't tell me she's like that all the time?"

"Well, Tatsue-chan… is lively, loquacious, and still sarcastic when we're alone…" said Sakuno, remembering the time she spent with the sardonic girl, "she doesn't want people flocking her much. That's why she's being so snobbish."

Kaidoh hissed. Tezuka remained silent. Ryoma tugged his cap down.

"Are you going to continue the wager?" asked Fuji, smiling.

Mai crossed her arms, "Hmm… Nah. Never mind that one!"

"Our senpai might know about it and they will hunt for our heads afterwards." Atsuyo added.

Seigaku wondered of the true nature of the girls.

"How's Natsume-san," asked Inui, his hand holding a pen, "as your captain?"

The three girls stopped dead. Tatsue plopped on the bench, beside Sakuno, while the other girls turned their back on the inquirer.

"Is she that bad?" asked Oishi.

"Quite the contrary." Said Mai, who still had her back turned.

"Our buchou…" muttered Atsuyo as she turned around to the boys, smiling, "we're so happy we met her."

"She may act childish most of the times, especially when she's not wearing our kendo uniform," Tatsue rested her chin on her left hand, gazing at the already laughing kendo captain, "she may have her own quirks that I can never understand." She stretched her arms, "We're really lucky to have her as our buchou."

Atsuyo continued, "A lot of people think that she's not taking her job as a captain seriously because she acts like there's nothing wrong. But they're the ones who can't understand."

"She takes her job seriously. And I mean, really seriously." Mai turned, "She just… doesn't want other people to worry. That's all."

"Are you just covering up for her?" Ryoma suddenly asked. The timid Atsuyo turned at Ryoma with murderous eyes.

Tatsue's eyes widened, "SENPAI!"

"ATSUYO!" shouted Mai.

WHHOOOOSSSSSSSSHHHHHHH!

A whiz of air passed through Ryoma's hair as Mai and Tatsue stopped Atsuyo from doing anything rash. Her shaking fist was barely an inch away from Ryoma's face, and her eyes were determined to hit him. Really hard.

Her trembling lips moved, "I dare you to say that again, Echizen Ryoma."

The look on her face never wavered. It was scary.

"Atsuyo!" Mai glared at her friend, her hand grasping Atsuyo's fist, "Stop that!"

"Che." Ryoma said, annoyed, "You're pathetic."

"Oi, Echizen, stop that!" Momoshiro warned the first year.

Oishi too had called out Ryoma's name just for him to stop talking but he continued, "You're being defensive. That means I'm right."

"ECHIZEN!" even Kikumaru shouted when usually, he was the one teasing people.

Somehow, he felt that the young prince had stepped on the line.

"This is the second time this day." Atsuyo muttered, her voice was rising, "You don't get it do you?!"

"Senpai!" Tatsue shouted. Sakuno grasped the hem of her skirt.

"You have no idea. You have no idea. And yet you talk big." She muttered, "I…" she flung her hand once more.

"ATSUYO!" Mai shouted again. Inui noted that it was the third time she's called Atsuyo by her first name, not by her nickname.

She hit the board behind Echizen, and glared at the uncaring boy.

Atsuyo stormed off, followed by Mai who bowed and apologized.

"I'm so sorry, Tsucchi's normally not like that." Mai was clenching her hand.

Tezuka replied and eyed the prince of tennis, "No, it wasn't your fault. No need to apologize."

"I'm really sorry!" she bowed again, and then whirled around, "TSUCCHI!"

Tatsue stood up quickly, and then muttered, "You know what, Echizen. You're not only the prince of tennis. You're the prince of denseness. The prince of arrogance. And also the prince of stupidity, I hope you enjoy the rest of your day. Now I feel stupid that I hadn't let my senpai punch that arrogant face of yours. You can die soon, you know that."

She followed her senpai.

The four third years had already come back from their "fighting". Surprised Ayashi asked, "Hey, where did our lower classmen go?"

"Maybe they got hungry from those laps!!" Jun said, touching her stomach with her palms, "I'm hungry too."

Mariko nodded, as the two girls had started going to the cafeteria, "Yeah, let's go eat. Hey, Seigaku, are you coming with us?"

"We'll pass." Tezuka said indifferently.

"Okay. If you say so, Tezuka-san." Mariko bowed a bit, "Oi, Emi-chan, c'mon." she then followed the two girls.

Her wide-rimmed glasses glistened, Emiko faced the tensed Seigaku.

"You know, our kohai won't leave that easily, knowing that Ayashi still hasn't come." She coldly said, "I don't even need to look at my notes. Seigaku… did you say something wrong about Ayashi in front of them?"

Inui looked surprised.

She sighed, "No use, I guess. Well… until next time. I hope you know your way out of Daidouji."

She walked away, without a glance back. She sensed something was wrong.

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Ryoma tugged his cap down; he knew there was a long sermon to go.

But he didn't expect this.

SLAP!

Ryuzaki Sakuno had just slapped Echizen Ryoma. Her tear stricken face still showed that she was upset with his cocky attitude earlier.

"Y-You're so insensitive, E-Echizen!" she shouted, dropped her hand and then ran away, towards the direction where Tatsue went. Seigaku stared, shocked, as she left.

"Oi, oi, ochibi, why did you do that?" asked Kikumaru, "Even Sakuno-chan was angry!"

Ryoma shifted his cap a bit, "It's true. So no reason why I shouldn't say that."

Kaidoh hissed angrily at the boy.

"But you still should've kept your mouth shut, Echizen, if you can't say anything right." Oishi reprimanded the boy.

"According to data, this was the first time Ryuzaki-san has called you by your last name, Echizen." Inui said, "Your act really did upset her."

"So what?" he said.

"Oi, you didn't have to say that to them!" Kawamura said, "You had made them upset!"

"It was really too insensitive of you, Echizen. I'm not impressed by your action." Fuji frowned.

"Fuji is right." Said Tezuka, watching Ryoma closely, "You're turning too insensitive. One hundred laps for you. Come to practice when you've understood what you've done."

Ryoma only walked away with his hands inside his pockets.

Momoshiro sighed, then scratched his hair, "I wonder… what's happened to Echizen."

"What do you mean by that, Momo?" asked Kikumaru.

"He is a bit of a cocky little brat sometimes… but… earlier… it was like it wasn't Echizen at all!" Momoshiro frowned, "He is arrogant, but he won't insult a person who isn't his direct opponent in tennis, right?"

"Good point." Inui said, and started scribbling on his notebook.

'Echizen…'

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A/N: Wow, I totally screwed up Ryoma's character here… I'm so sorry, Ryoma fans! SORRY! But I really have to make a bitch out of Ryoma's character!