Chapter Three: Doubts

The day seemed to walk past Hiroki quiet fast as she began walking towards the tennis courts for after school tennis practice, of course she went there alone since she always practiced back after school. To her surprised she saw Hyotei's regulars talking and practicing with each other. She ignored them as she figured that it was best to let them be fore now.

'Took up the whole courts…Great.' she thought to herself as she walked towards the half tennis court and the wall. "Well this'll do then." she said aloud.

"Ara? Isn't that Hiroki-san?" Chotaro stated as he glanced over his shoulder. "I wonder why she's here."

"Isn't it obvious Chotaro? She's practicing." Ryou stated as he served the ball and continued to play. "Chotaro, pay attention here!"

"Oh, right." he snapped out at his question and ran towards the ball.

Everyone expect Atobe played, he didn't feel like playing today. Besides the coach was gone so he was looking at everyone's mistakes or successes when they played. As he watched Ryou and the others play in their doubles he noticed Hiroki in the background, playing by herself.

'Ah, so she's the one Coach often talks about.' he realized as he walked around the court games and towards Hiroki, who had no idea who was coming. "Practicing are we?"

"Huh?" she stated as she caught the ball and glanced back. "Keigo-san. Yea, I am. Should I…leave?" she questioned as she raised her brow and wondered.

"No, that's not necessary. Say are you good in Singles?" he asked, she assumed that he wanted to play against her.

"No…I don't play singles…Well that much.. So no." she answered before turning her head back to playing against the wall. "Why do you ask?"

"I just wanted another game against you that's all." he remarked before she heard his footsteps fade away.

She thought that he left and continued her practice, alone. However when she rushed towards the other side to get the ball, it was hit. Finding Atobe, flicking his hair with grace, and smiled as he continued to hit the ball.

"You're quiet slow." he said as he continued to steal the hits she's been aiming for.

"Wha-! Well why don't we, speed the tempo up." she suggested as she ran in for the ball first and spiked the ball hard against the wall.

"What are you talking about, this isn't fast at all." he began to pick up his tempo as well. "This is nothing compared to my usual speed!"

"Hah, you're such a jokester!" she remarked, causing him to stop which shock.

'She's quite different from those other girls.' he thought as he rose a brow and continued to play against her.

The team members of Hyotei's regulars sighed and shook their heads as they watched him play against her. That was quiet unlike Atobe, leaving his duties to play with a girl, yet it was somewhat like him in a way. They continued to play, however since Atobe's vision wasn't there, they relaxed for a while before going back to play more matches.

'This guy's so persistent! Why won't he back out!' she growled lowly and made another impact with the ball.

While it looked like they were having fun, Atobe's constant smile, they weren't having fun in Hiroki's opinion. So the whole after noon she tried to "squash" Atobe's prowess in tennis as she struggled slightly.

As for Rika she was stuck with the team for the day, sadly for her. The coach had announced that they have a little event for the new comers so she had to stay. However with the given situation she sighed as she thought of a plan to go home today, her grandmother asked to take care of her grandfather.

"Eto, Watanabe-sensei…I have to go home today." she stated, frowning she wanted to join the event. "My grandpa's going to be home and well…My grandma wants me to take care of him, he's in a horrible condition."

"What? Ah…Well…I'm sorry. That you couldn't go…" he replied while he ruffled her chocolate locks when she stood back up from bowing.

"I really am….I wanted to go but- I'm sorry." she sighed, actually meaning it, as she bowed once again.

"Well if you wanted to go that badly how about going there for thirty minutes or so?" he suggested, he wanted the whole team to go. "How about it?"

"Sure, I don't mind. Besides that should be enough." she stated, happy she could reduce some of the time.

The team came back from changing, so the girls went on in after them, and walked back onto the court. They noticed Rika bowing again, about three times already, and wondered what's going on.

"Osamu-chan, is something wrong?" Chitose asked, as well as wondering why Rika kept on bowing,

"Huh? No, Rika just told me something about her grandparents so she'll be going home earlier." he replied as Kintaro frown and began to question Rika. "So we'll be going pretty soon. Well until the girls get out."

Kintaro liked Rika, not as a girl friend, as much as he liked Kenya and the others. But he liked her more because she was like an older sister to him, which he's never had. So the team often saw him hugging her a lot and talking to her more then Shiraishi.

"Do you have too?" he as with his secret technique, puppy dog eyes. "Nee, Ri-chan."

"Sorry Kintaro. I have to help out with my grandma. My grandpa is in serious condition so it can't be helped." she crouched to his eye-level and patted his cheeks softly. "Have fun with the others while I'm gone. Right? Besides you and Zaizen could probably eat a lot of takoyaki over there." she remarked, remembering where the coach was taking them.

The girls came out as soon as they finished talking, making Kintaro excited to get going. He regained his usual up-beat personality and ran ahead towards the coach while jumping on almost everyone along the way. Rika walked behind the Baka couple as they cuddled, giving an awkward situation, so she moved further back.

'Taking care of grandpa huh? I hope nothing's wrong with him….' she thought as she stared off into the distance without emotion. "I wonder…" she accidentally spoke out loud, yet in a soft voice.

"Wonder what?" Zaizen's voice her attention next. "You okay?"

"H-Huh? Oh, yea of course I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be?" she stated, while frantically speaking fast.

"….Slow down…I'm not that fast like Kenya." he stated as he raised a brow. "So, from the beginning. Okay Rika?"

"Okay…" she sighed in annoyance.

"What's with sigh?" he furrowed his brows as he asked, giving her a glance.

"Nothing, nothing at all." she stated while whistling and walking ahead of Zaizen, who seemed to tense up a bit and sighed loudly. "What's with the sigh?"

"Nothing, nothing at all." he repeated her statement, seemingly mocking her, and walked ahead of her.

"You're a moronic person…" she muttered as she quickly jolted her head to the left, mad at him.

"I'm smarter then you so that's rather ironic of you to say that to me." he snickered as she rolled her eyes before saying anything.

"Oh yea? In what subject?" she remarked while glaring at his triumphal smile plastered on her lips.

"Math." he stated as he smirked, again, and watched her boil with frustration. "Heh, beat me at that."

"Whatever…Just cause you're a genius…" she muttered and pinched his cheek, not knowing what to do. "You're no smarter then I am!"

"Why you!" he yelled as he watched her run towards Shiraishi and the others. "I swear…she's so-huh?"

The Baka couple began to giggle at Zaizen, making him stop his speech. He looked at them with a worried expression, about himself, and slipped in his pure white headphones. However it wasn't on just yet so heard the comments that they said.

"My my, seems like the other couple stopped fighting." Koharu spoke softly and enchanted Yuuji, as always.

"I think they're a cute couple though. Right Koharu~?" Yuuji asked as he wrapped his arms around Koharu's shoulder.

"Senpai-tachi…Please…just stop." Zaizen demanded in a soft voice, annoyed and confused.

"Eh~?" they both questioned Zaizen as they watched him walk past them and ahead of everyone.

While they continued to walk, they stopped at the malls and helped the girls' get used to the area. Rika was surprised to see that they more then she thought and wandered around for a while, with Kintaro. The others would commonly ask "how's everything going" to each other. Using this time to catch up on some of the things they couldn't talk about at school.

"G-Good game." Hiroki's voice was strained and was in need of water, "Huh? What's this for?"

"Isn't it obvious? It's a water bottle." he stated as he began to chug down the bottle.

'I guess he's not really a bad guy….Maybe…I just saw the ugly side to him.' she thought as she drank the water bottle with joy. "Thanks Keigo-san."

"I've noticed you don't call me by my first name or say '-sama' at the end…" he raised a brow, he's always heard either one of them. "This is the first, time a girl's formally calls me 'Keigo-san'…"

"What? Oh then….Keigo-sama…" she giggled slightly as she smiled, wiping away the stream of water that flowed down her chin. "Is that good enough for you?"

"You didn't have to-well I guess that's fine." he smiled back as he glanced over and saw that the team was practicing like usual, although they lacked a bit. 'Looks like they're doing pretty good.'

"Thanks for another fun game." she thanked while bowing down to him. "Let's have another one day. Is that okay with you Keigo-sama?"

"I'll be waiting then, I had fun too." he thanked as he nodded. "Well then, the school should be closing down right now. Everyone practice is over!"

"Right!" they replied right after he ordered for everyone to go home and rest.

Hiroki stared at Atobe for a while and admired his ability to have such skill and exemplary leadership with the team. She gave a nod as Atobe suggested that she go and change as well before going back home. He followed the team and went in to change before leaving.

'It's been a while since I've had that much fun~! He's pretty interesting, that Atobe Keigo.' she thought with a smile as she walked home, being followed by a car.

"Hiroki, would you like a ride home?" Atobe asked as he unrolled his unclear window, she shook her head. "Are you sure? It's quiet late out."

"Um….I'm not sure your fan girls will like it…" she laughed slightly, or at least tried too, as she pointed at the girls who came back from the fan club meeting. "Thanks for your offer though."

"If you say so. Take care then." he left those words before he rolled back his window, after seeing her nod.

Her arms flung towards the sky, as a stretch, as she walked towards her cozy little apartment. As she walked in, no one welcomed her, with a sad expression she slightly pinched her cheeks before cheering herself up. Her family often argued when she was around, they never got along that well. So they would always leave before Hiroki came back home, not to her surprise though.

"I'm home." she softly announced as she yawned and headed towards the shower. "Ah~! I can't wait to feel the warm water."

As for Rika, she said her good-byes before she left, however, she stopped and sighed. The coach must've forgotten that she's not that familiar with this part of town and asked someone to accompany or tell her how to get back to her place.

"Sensei…I should heading back home right now." she stated as she bowed to everyone before leaving. "But….Umm…"

"You don't know the way back, huh?" he stated as he played with his tooth pick and wondered what to do. "Well, let's head back half way and perhaps you can find out a way back."

"Erm, I think it's best if I just get a map…." she suggested as she shook her head and shrugged. "This is hopeless…"

Half of the team already left so it was quiet hopeless for her to go home. No one she knew really well was there so it would've been awkward for them to take her home. She turned around and closed her eyes, while secretly thinking of what to do.

"I'm going home, I'll just take her with me." Zaizen spoke as he plugged out an earphone and sighed. "Rika, where do you live. I'll take you back…"

Rika looked back at the helpful person but he seemed irritated that he'd had to take her back home. She frowned and sighed, she didn't know if he'd really want to do it.

'If he didn't want to help out then why bother? Zaizen…I swear, sometimes you're so…' her thought ended when she was pulled away by the wrist.

"Let's get going I gotta go to the restroom…" he stated, unembarrassed, as he hurried home. "Hurry up Rika."

"E-Eh?" she looked back and plead the coach to save her, while he waved happily.

"Take care Ri-chan!" everyone left on the team stated as they watched them walk away.

*shock* Yea so I came up with another chapter! Hurrah~! Well Like I've noted, I still don't know what to do with the remaining, well let's just say 20, chapters. I apologize for the over usage of the OCC-ness. *bows furiously* I do apologize for my fail-ness as well. *sigh* Well this is my first story so...I'll manage I hope...Read and Review! Yes please review! Review like crazy! It's for my personal benefit to hear criticism or anything good. REVIEW REVIEW! HIT THAT BUTTON! Please? QAQ?