Chapter Nine: The Heart of Ginka

Inner Taro: It's finally here, isn't it?

Inner Kin: Ah, the long-awaited Prefectural Tournament, then Kantou, and finally Nationals. It all begins here.

Inner Taro: Do you think we stand a chance?

Inner Kin: (smacks him) Be optimistic, won't you? Who do you think you're talking to? Just cheer me on!

Inner Taro: -.-U

"Now that I've won the intra-school ranking matches, I'm getting really worried," Kin voiced her concerns to Taro.

"Why? You looked like you were having a lot of fun over there," Taro inquired, trying to cheer her up.

"I've been playing tennis for a month and I've beat them all. That kind of speaks for itself, doesn't it? Michiro Fukushi is still the captain, but he most certainly doesn't act like one," she sighed, "We've got no coach and no manager. Did you now that a few years ago, Ginka was actually well-respected for their tennis team? Now we've just dropped to nothing more than mediocrsy. Well, I suppose, as top-notch potential like Seigaku rise, others have to fall, right?"

"But Kin-chan, you can change that. They have you after all," Taro pointed out.

"I'm already pushing my luck as it is. Although the regulars have accepted me, the other freshmen and juniors throw death glares every time I pass. If I took control, they would murder me," she sighed again. Taro was alarmed. He had never seen Kin so depressed since she failed her semester math exam.

"What was I thinking, going to Ginka? Why didn't I choose a school like Rikkaidai or Hyotei?"

"Cheer up, Kin-chan. I'll help you."

"That's easy for you to say. It's a bother pretending to be you and changing all the time, but I suppose I shouldn't be complaining," she looked down at her homework, biting the tip of her eraser.

"No, Kin-chan, I can't bear to see you like this!" Taro clenched his fists and waved them up and down. "If no one is willing to take control, then you do it. If you don't have their respect, earn their respect. If your older brother was here, what would he do?"

"He'd probably take control of the club, no matter what it takes," she answered grudgingly.

"That's right, and you have to surpass him! Kin, it's time for you to take charge!" Although what Taro was saying was far easier said than done, Kin knew that he was right. For Tezuka, leadership was an off-hand deal by being the best; for Kin, it was nothing more than a reason for headaches. Given the chance, she would just stay home, sleep, eat, relax and watch television all day. However, her jealousy of her brother pushed her to extremes, creating the Kin she is today. If there was something she was passionate about, it would be tennis.

"I'll try, Taro-chan, I'll try my hardest," she smiled, her decision made.

"Don't try, Kin-chan, do," Taro encouraged.

Inner Taro: And NEVER give up.

Inner Kin: I know that, baka. You don't have to remind me. Who do you think you're talking to?

"I suppose it's past time Fukushi and I have a long discussion."

---The Next Day---

"Listen up, everybody! There's something important Taro and I want to tell you," Fukushi called.

"What is it, buchou? We've got to get to practice," Kiyoshi interrupted, nonchalant.

"We need to elect a vice captain as well as a manager," Kin explained. Ears perked as people stopped in their tracks. 'That got their attention.' "The Prefecturals are coming up and we need someone to keep track. So who's up for manager?"

Blank stares.

"Anyone?" A vein popped out on her forehead.

More blinking.

"No one is willing to make just a little effort?"

Sighing. Walking away.

"Fine then, be that way! I'll be the manager, and Kin-chan here will help," she alleged, putting an arm around his neck.

"Itai, Taro-chan," he said, blushing.

"Now, as for the vice-captain, I think Fukushi-buchou should decide that," she encouraged, nudging the skinny guy who just choked on his water.

"R-right, about that... how about a vote?" he suggested.

"Yosh! Everyone in favor of Kiyoshi, raise their hand," Kiyoshi said, raising his hand enthusiastically. People just rolled their eyes at him.

"Why you all," he clenched his fist, eyebrows twitching.

"Those in favor of Aoki Taro, raise their hand," Fukushi said. "7, 8, 9. Nine votes for you, chibi." Kin smiled full-heartedly, sweatdropping when she realized that even Hiroki was raising his hand. 'If he actually knew I was Kin, I don't think he would have made the same choice.' "Those in favor of Hiroki, raise their hand. Huh, nine votes also. How about we settle this with a match then?"

"A match?" Kin was alarmed. 'Against the first guy I met at tennis club? This'll be interesting.'

"Feeling nervous, neh?" Hiroki tapped his racket on his shoulder.

"Pffth. You're only saying that because you're nervous. Let's have a good match."

"Ah, but you know I'm not going to lose to chibi," he smiled. They got onto court as the umpire started the game.

"One set match. Taro vs. Hiroki."

"You can serve," he offered.

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Here I go," Kin smiled, closing her eyes to calm her nerves. 'Smug today, aren't you? Well, I'll prove you wrong.'

'He's using her left hand,' Hiroki noticed, 'He's serious. There's no backing down now.' Hiroki's special ability was not power tennis like Doumoto or a defensive play like Fukushi. His strength lay in his reliability and hard work. Yet his opponent was something completely different: a newbie who had yet to learn all the grips, but won through sheer unpredictability and ambition.

"15-0."

"N-nani?" Hiroki blinked, glancing at the ball that had rolled by his ankle.

"Sugoi! What an amazingly fast cannonball serve. Who knew chibi was capable of such a thing?" Tashiro commented.

"Oi, Hiroki-senpai, if you don't get your head in the game, it's going to be over before you know it," Kin taunted, preparing for the next serve.

'Not only that, but she's growing alarmingly quickly, but I'm not going to go down without a fight.' After two more service aces, Hiroki finally caught up with her speed and predicted the ball's movement. 'It's heavy.'

Pok.

"Eh? Serve and volley." Before Hiroki could respond, the ball had already whizzed by the left corner, hitting the baseline exactly. 'What precision. To be able to react so quickly... this guy... Stop panicking, Hiroki, you can do this.'

"Game to Aoki. 1-0. Change courts."

"I'm going to keep my service game, Taro," he said, trying to heighten his concentration and hit a service ace.

---10 Minutes Later---

"Who would've thought we would see such an amazing match in Ginka, of all places," Kiyoshi mused, grinning sadistically.

"Those two are going all out. I wonder what's going on in their minds right now," Doumoto agreed.

"You're wondering, Doumoto-kun? Wow, that's a change," Suzuki teased.

"Teme..."

"Just kidding," Suzuki laughed, but his attention quickly turned to the match at hand.

"Game to Hiroki. 4-3. Change courts."

"What's wrong, chibi? You may as well forfeit now and save yourself the embarrassment," he taunted as they passed.

'This is bad,' Kin thought, 'I'm losing my concentration and my precision, enough to get a double fault and lose my service game. Perhaps it was wrong to go all-out in the beginning.'

"Chibi's lost four games straight," Suzuki pouted, "Come on, chibi! You weren't like this when you beat me!"

'He's right,' Kin thought, 'Somehow, I'm getting distracted.'

"Nani? He's changed to his right hand!" Doumoto gaped.

"Isn't chibi left-handed?" Suzuki frowned.

"No fluking, Taro-kun. It's my game now," Hiroki said as he did a perfect topspin serve.

"Hm." She returned with a two-handed backhand with a sidespin.

Caught off-guard, he ran towards the right corner. 'Yosh, I'll make it.' Suddenly, as the ball bounced, the ball flew towards his right and straight into the fence.

"0-15."

"Whoa! What just happened?"

"Nani? I've never seen anything like that before."

Hiroki was still in shock. "The direction of the ball changed... after it bounced? How is that even possible?"

His reply was a smug smirk and a challenging promise: "I will break you."

Recomposing, she returned to ready position as he recovered. 'Now this is more like the Taro I know... or should I say, Kin?' He smiled. Everything clicked into place. Kin and Taro had been cross dressing- he should have known. Ever since she first arrived on the court the first day, he knew there was something different about her. 'You're brave, kid and you're lucky that I'm not the type of person who blackmails and no one else has figured it out.'

He gulped though, when he realized that she was the same girl who had nearly killed him. Although she looked happy-go-lucky on the outside, there was a monster lurking inside her... with a bloodlust and temper that rivaled the Devil himself. Maybe he should just forfeit or lose quietly, after all, he did prize his life over being vice-captain...

He served again, this time as a slice serve. Reacting to it instinctively, she slammed it with a forehand with pinpoint precision onto the right alley line.

Hiroki suddenly realized what she was doing. 'Chikusho, she knows that I'm slow at reacting to backhands and I'm more of an aggressive baseliner than a volleyer to get that kind of shot. However, the question is this: are you doing this intuitively or consciously? Either way, she's a natural.'

"Look at them. Neither of them are backing down. I would never have thought that Taro would push Hiroki this far though. It looks like chibi can bring out the best in other players as well," Suzuki smiled.

"You just love sounding smart, that's all," Doumoto snickered at him.

"Did you say something?"

"Yada yada."

The match was probably the most interesting event that occurred at Ginka for years. Hiroki was getting worried about the ball that switched directions after the bounce, but it looked like Kin didn't need that technique to keep the onslaught going.

"Game to Aoki Taro. 6-4."

Sweat was rolling down both their faces and they were panting heavily. 'Looks like both of us still need to work on stamina, neh? She isn't getting too far ahead on that,' Hiroki smiled.

"Impressive, both of you," Fukushi commented.

"Chibi, you're really something," Suzuki agreed.

They shook their hands, but what came next surprised everyone.

"Your footwork needs help. You seem to have trouble getting shots aimed at your feet, which limits you to only being an aggressive baseliner. Of course, you and Kiyoshi do specialize in doubles, so it won't be so much of a problem..." Hiroki was amazed. She had figured out his weakness in a single match. 'Not bad for a kid.'

"It was an honor to play with you on even ground, vice-caption Aoki Taro," Hiroki said, bowing low. Kin couldn't help but blush like crazy. A junior was bowing to her? Now this was a scenario even Inui would never have predicted.

Having no idea how to react, she laughed maniacally and slapped him on the back, mumbling numerous times that she should be the one saying that.

Inner Taro: (eyebrows twitching) That girl really needs to get a hold on herself.

"Well, I can't disagree to that."

---

May 4

Dear Diary,

That was how Kin started to earn her place on Ginka's team- grudgingly at first, but gradually the not-so-talented non-regulars stopped seething in envy and started to accept her as a coach, manager, and vice-captain. However, it's not like the story ended there.

Taro tapped his pencil on the table, vacillating ideas about what he was going to write next.

At lunch yesterday, she was positively ebullient; I had never seen a happier Kin. She started babbling about being the 'heart of Ginka' or at least sounded like that, but I couldn't hear her clearly because her mouth was running at the speed of light while she was devouring our lunches like bears and honey. Anyways, so I thought that maybe this was kind of like Seigaku's 'pillar of support', right? The Heart of Ginka... it has a ring to it.

Then I got kind of worried. She was a girl for one thing- if they found out, they'd surely kick her out of the club, and even worse, they'd get disqualified from the tournaments. Not only that, but can she? Can she do it? Can she really defeat Tezuka Kunimitsu? To me, the thought was a distant, intangible dream, but to her, was there some hope in the possible existence? Or was it only a figment of desperation, an anchor to cling to, and a goal to direct her dissonant emotions? Was it wrong to encourage her? By supporting all her hopes and ambitions, was I only inevitably leading her to an impossible future when her dreams are shattered, deemed as nothing but a child's fairytale when reality slams into her face? Is Kin fated to be a queen or was she only led by that illusion, played by Fate as nothing more than a pawn destined to be sacrificed for greater needs? There were so many questions with no answers. Still, I'm constantly plagued by guilt. A part of me will do anything to stop her- it was better to have an indolent, mediocre Kin than to have a crushed, defeated shadow of a girl who was taught a harsh lesson.

I know that if Kin knew I was thinking these thoughts, she would slap me. She would tell wake up and get a hold of myself. She would tell me that of course she would surpass her brother; everything I said was nonsense. I would only smile blankly and nod, in admiration of her tenacity and strength. It was mostly my fault, really. I wasn't like Kin- I didn't have her courage or audacity. I was afraid of shattering her dreams as they start to bud, even if it was the right thing to do.

I also know that, deep down, (perhaps she doesn't know it herself) she's thinking these thoughts too.

Oh god, who am I kidding? It was only tennis, a sport where you hit the ball where your opponent couldn't reach it. A source of entertainment and a way to burn off calories. It's not like a life-or-death crisis or anything. I'm just getting melodramatic and worried.

Now I remember something. Ginka's tennis team told her that she was their heart, right? They had faith in her too. Perhaps I should do the same thing and give her my full-hearted support... oh, I don't know. I don't know what to do, but I pray that it'll turn out all right.

He sighed. He tucked the diary away in the corner of his desk, safe from any pondering eyes that may come along. If Kin caught this diary, he was as good as dead.

---Next Day---

"What are you saying? Taro-chan, you worry too much," Kin smiled, putting her arm around his neck. "Things have a tendency to turn out all right. There's no use in stressing about it when you can only tackle the problem then and there when it hasn't happened yet."

"But Kin-chan, you can tackle your math homework right now," Taro chuckled nervously.

"Y-you didn't have to remind me," she growled.

"G-gomen?" he sweatdropped.

"Well, I suppose that's why there's you. If it wasn't for you, I'd be the world's greatest procrastinator," she sighed, her mind now machinating on a way to cheat off of Taro. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I created a training routine for each regular, including me. You want to look at it?"

"Sure," he blinked, surprised. A training routine? She was serious when she said she would be the new coach. "Everyone has to run 10 kilometers a day? Kin-chan, isn't that a little extreme?"

"What's extreme? Only extremes will help us improve, after all. Not only that, but on Wednesdays we're going to join the track team. Even Suzuki, who's the sprinter of Ginka, has to work on stamina."

"Everyone has to go to the weight room too..." Taro read.

"That's right. Fukushi's practically anorexic. I bet I could jab him and he'd fall," she mumbled.

"Perhaps you shouldn't talk about captain like that," Taro scratched his head.

"I'll talk about him any way I like."

"On Thursdays you work on their weaknesses. Hiroki- footwork, Suzuki- stamina, Kiyoshi- backhands, Tashiro- approaching the net, Doumoto- precision, Itsuki- speed and reflexes, Fukushi- attitude?"

"Ah, he's our captain. He needs to set the example," Kin nodded.

"Your name's not on here," Taro noticed.

"That's because I already know what I need to work on," Kin replied, sauntering off to get a drink of water.

Inner Taro: For some reason I already know her routine isn't going to be easily enforced, to say the least.

"Well, I agree with you there," Taro concurred.

---At Practice---

"Are you... trying to... kill us?" Kiyoshi asked between fervent gasps.

"Time: 1:49. Still not good enough. Fukushi-buchou, you can take a break. You made it to 1:29. The rest of you, keep running!" Kin shouted, handing Fukushi his water bottle. He drank deeply and threw the towel over his face, breathing deeply.

"It sure is hot out today, neh?" he commented through the towel.

"Since when did buchou become a weather analyst? Just wait until the summer," Kin replied. "One minute!"

"I never thought that you would be such a hard taskmaster," he mumbled.

"Runs in the family," she retorted, smiling as she thought of Tezuka's trademark phrase: '20 laps. Now.' They hadn't even run 10.

"Look at Doumoto. He's ready to drop. How about you give him a break?" Fukushi hinted.

"It's your call. You're captain," she shrugged, grimacing at the recorded times. Doumoto's best time was 2:45. Not good. Although he had strength, what use was that if he was ready to collapse from exhaustion after the third three games? Fukushi, probably the lightest one here, was doing rather well, but he was still as lazy as always. Unsurprisingly, Hiroki had made the best of the training, since he was probably the only one here with a work ethic. 'Including me,' Kin thought, 'I'm just merciless.'

Inner Kin: Merciless is an understatement. More like sadist.

'Well, how else can I compete with onii-chan?'

"Time! Hiroki: 1:32. You can take a break. Check if Suzuki-kun is back yet. Why are you two lounging there? There's still five more laps to run!" She shooed them away from the benches and they grudgingly started the next lap, simmering in irritation. Who was this freshman to order them around when she wasn't exercising herself? What a hypocrite.

"We should teach him a lesson," Tashiro mumbled in Kiyoshi's ear.

"Like how?"

---Later---

Kin was exhausted but smug for the day. They had finished three days' worth of training and it was already evident in its success... if they could only keep it up. Perserverance was definitely not of Ginka's strongest traits.

After she was done lauding them, she entered the locker room and her heart skipped a beat. It looked like her locker had been ravaged by a pack of wolves. Her clothes were torn, her water bottle missing, and her racket's strings slashed. This was her first personal racket that Tezuka had bought for her with his own money as a gift. She glanced at the ruined uniform, tears swelling in her eyes in frustration. Obviously there were people here who didn't appreciate her effort and leadership. She had been training and working her butt off for the past week. And for what? Inner Kin started to curse at them, but Kin didn't care.

'I'm not going to let them get the best of me. I'm not.'

"Kin-chan..." Taro entered the room, shocked at the torn fabric in her hands. "Suminasen. What happened?"

"Everyone here hates me, don't they? Even if they don't scream to my face, I know they're gossiping lies about me behind my back," she mumbled mordantly.

"Kin-chan, of course not. Everyone here respects you, especially Hiroki and Fukushi. How can you say that?" Taro rushed to comfort her, but the damage had already been done.

"Obviously not the people who did this," she dropped the uniform and picked up her bag. To her surprise, everything fell out and crashed onto her feet. She stared at her feet through an oval-cut hole. "Dirty, aren't they?"

"Kin-chan, you can't give up now. They're just jealous, that's all. You're the heart of Ginka, remember?" Taro rushed behind her.

"Don't give me that bull. If they don't want me here, be that way. I'm done here." She ran off with her stuff in her arms, blinking back tears, ignoring Taro's protesting shouts behind her.

---The Next Week---

"Kin, you haven't been at practice for a week," Hiroki caught her by her locker.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she muttered, slamming her locker and swiftly walking down the other end of the hall.

"I know who you are. Taro and you have been cross dressing. I'm not an idiot. So what made you quit? Did someone kill your brother? Did the rest of the tennis club beat you to a pulp?" Kin didn't reply. 'The guts of this guy... how dare he mock her like this?' He knew the answer to his question.

"Oh, I see, you're just giving up because someone gave you the welcoming ritual, didn't they?" he scoffed, tailing her unrelentingly.

"You know who did it?" She stopped in her tracks, her face impassive.

"Kiyoshi and Tashiro," he answered automatically.

"You know this how? Did you watch them and do nothing?"

"So what if I did?" he challenged, not backing down from her mordant stare of hatred, "What can I say? Ginka isn't exactly the school with the most sportmanship."

"I kinda figured that out by myself," she retorted caustically.

"We're just a bunch of lazy asses who just happens to stumble upon someone who's actually passionate around here. If you're going to drop and stoop to our level just because of something pathetic, you don't deserve to be on the tennis club anyway. I was wrong about you, Kin. You're no more than the heart of Ginka than Kiyoshi. Get lost, kid. I don't want to see your face ever again."

Kin was furious. Did he not tell her that she had potential just a week ago? Did he not bow in front of her and tell her that it was an honor to play her?

"How would you know how I feel? You weren't the one who was sabotaged. I mean, seriously, after everything I've done for you, is a little appreciation too much to ask for?"

"Who asked you to do anything for us? We're more than content to be mediocre," Hiroki fought back, and this argument started getting heated.

"Then you'll stay that way, no matter what I do. I can't bear to work with people who don't care about anything. You guys are hopeless."

"Like I said, we're just lazy asses. But you," he jabbed a finger on her forehead, "are even worse. You have the potential to change us, but the tiniest bit of conflict rose and you gave up without a second thought. How did you expect us to react? Kiss your feet and swoon like you're some kind of goddess?"

"You don't want to make me kill you again, do you?" Her voice was alarmingly low. She had trouble sleeping recently and her grades were slipping. Today was not a day to mess with her.

"It's not me you need to kill, Kin. It's the attitude of Ginka's tennis club."

"Easier said than done. If you have such a big mouth, why don't you try?" She walked away into her classroom just as the bell rang. Hiroki was already late for class, but he couldn't care less.

"Because I'm not Tezuka Kin," he responded just within her earshot. With that, he disappeared and Kin was left simmering in a very irascible and very perplexed mood.