Disclaimer: I will own Prince of tennis!...in my next life

I'm so sorry I haven't updated in awhile!! (Bows continuously) I didn't really have any good idea and applying for financial aid is troublesome!!

I'm going to do some review reply here!

lychee4ever: hehe you are sharp reader aren't you?

Lileth Azmaria: It's been updated! Sorry to have kept you waiting!

Lady Seiryu: lol awwws (takes Fuji but gives him back to Lady Seiryu) okay I forfeit.

DaydreamerMagby: heheh you'll see

Thanks to other reviewers!!! Please continue to support my story and don't forget to review!!

Chapter 15: Believe in yourself

"So what's the big plan, girly-girl?" the boy asked carelessly as he easily lifted me up.

"We'll take her to my house and when she regains consciousness, we (points to herself and the two other girls) will say that we helped her out from a rapist, ok?" she grinned like a cat that swallowed a fish whole.

"Rapist? Excuse me?! Then what's my chance of getting with her?" the boy said troubled, holding me closer toward his hairy chest.

"Err….absolute Zero…" the dark eyes shifted away uncomfortably.

"But I don't think she remembers you, Yukito." must give him hope so he can help us carry her into my house.

"Oh yeah that's true!" he answered easily convinced, as Kikumaru when he was offered ice cream.

"But why kidnap her if you're just going to return her?" for the first time the blonde opened her mouth. She was waiting for something vicious, something more action packed…but this?

"Heehe…that my friend, is because Tezuka-Kun lives right next to her!" she tossed her hair back conceitedly, "We have to act out how concerned we are when we call him. I have he's number." She hugged her cell phone as though Tezuka's number represented Tezuka himself. "I've been dying to dying to hear to hear his voice," Ever since she got the glasses eyed boy's number by eavesdropping on his and oishi's conversation, she has been calling his cell phone time to time using pay phones just to hear his voice.

"I thought it was some big plan…but this?" the red head declared, "Oh well, I guess it is simple enough even for that idiot," she pointed at the drooling boy "to understand. So our purpose is to have Tezuka-Kun notice us?"

The raven head nodded, "Oh and to keep us entertained, I thought of some misdeeds we can do to keep her away from out precious prince." She said taking out a long scroll-like paper.

Meanwhile…

"Thanks for coming with me," Kawamura gave a shy smile toward the bookworm.

"No problem. It's a good source for my data," Inui's eyes glinted behind his glasses.

"I sort of have a problem with flavoring the rice. Shaping the sushi is not bad for me."

The two boys paced themselves toward Kawamura Sushi with giant duffel bags over their shoulders. The shy boy was suppose to inherit the sushi shop after he graduates from trade school of culinary arts but it doesn't hurt to start early training, nope, doesn't hurt at all. After all, he's already in his freshman year right?

"Eh?" Inui turned his head in a precise 90 degrees angle.

"I think that's Aizawa." Kawamura followed his companion's gaze toward a small group of loud girls and a boy. One of them seemed to be reading from a long list. It was slightly dark so faces were not seen clearly but for sure, the girl being securely held was unconscious Mina. Her Seigaku duffel bag was being carried by a certain red head.

"Hey what happened?" Kawamura rushed over but not before Inui slipped a racket in his hand.

"Probability of Kawamura going insane 98" he smiled robotically. Then he added, "Good thing I brought extra notebook with me, I think I can fill them all up today…"

The data man stood on the side to let "The insane" Kawamura handle the way it's supposed to be.

"Hey you!" Kawamura shouted as his eyebrows quirked up and his muscles tensed.

"Eep!" the girls let out a small yell as their conscious were being tested.

"Burning! You dare to pick on my teammate? Show me your face and look me in the eye baby!" if he said this to a girl, they would have probably thought he was hitting on them. Fortunately, he pointed his racket at the brainless boy.

"Ii data…" Inui analyzed at the side, "Kawamura flings his racket 25 radians per minute, 30 revolutions per minute." "Err…um I dug her out of the trashcan." The boy stammered, afraid where the racket is heading towards.

"Baka…" the raven haired covered his mouth in a hurry.

Okay plan B she prepared herself, "Some guy was trying to cling to her so we helped her get rid of him" Sound concerned she told herself. "And when we finally fought him off, she was unconscious, shock probably. We were hurrying towards my house to take care of her."

"We will take care of her" Inui stepped out from the shadow, pushing his glasses up.

"But how do we know it's safe to leave her with you?!" the girl shot back Hell no! This took me forever to plan.

"Orah! You dare to accuse us? With justice and courage maybe you were the ones that harmed her!" Kawamura started to swing with his racket again.

"Eep!" the 4 clustered up defensively.

"Hehe….you can take her, we leave her completely in your hands." The boy said, with sweat dropping. He can sense his friends' intent to kill him. Then after that he scrammed as fast as he could, with the girls trailing behind him. The racket fell out of Kawamura's grip as he caught the unconscious girl.

"So… what happened? Oh well, we better hurry." The sushi bar inheritor started to run at full speed.

"Hm… her symptoms lead to…tranquilizer." The data man concluded, flipping through the pages furiously, "Hey Kawamura…" he looked up and his companion was no where in sight. "Eh?"

At the sushi shop…

"Takashi!" Come help me wash the dishes!" Mr. Kawamura called as he heard his son enter from the backdoor.

"Oi! In a minute!" He gently placed the unconscious tennis regular down on a mattress. At least her breathing is normal now.

"Probability of Aizawa being on sedative 75, probability of her waking up in 3 seconds 73" Inui appeared at the doorway, "3…2…1…" and right on cue, my eyes opened up slowly. The sight I saw as I came to was an extremely concerned, thick browed face and a mad scientist face with gigantic square framed glasses.

My brain connected what happened before I passed out and what is happening right now, registering the conclusion that Inui and Kawamura were enemies.

I gave a small gasp and accidentally bumped my head against Kawamura's forehead as I sat up.

"Probability that Kawamura gets hurt 65...Hm…I'm getting really good at this." Inui mumbled contentedly as he clutched his data filled notebook. Hearing that data mumbled made me realize that 2 boys looking down upon me were my teammates. I apologized continuously and sighed in relief.

"So what are you doing here Inui-Kun?" I questioned while rubbing Kawamura's forehead in guilt.

At this Kawamura proudly answered, "He's here to test-taste my sushi."

"Sushi?" I repeated but was cut off by Mr. Kawamura calling for his Takeshi.

"I'll be right back. Relax and rest, Aizawa-San."

I nodded appreciatively and turned my head toward the data analyzer. By the gaze that he set on me, I knew he wanted to ask me questions to fill up his new notebook.

"So what happened?" he questioned once the Sushi inheritor was out of the room.

"Some guy was trying to hit on me and I resisted, He seems to have powder sedative on his handkerchief and covered my mouth and nose with it."

While I was talking he was scribbling away furiously. I smiled at his diligence.

"Would you like me to expand a little so you can write a novel about me?" I questioned teasingly and saw an eager look on his face. However, he shook his head and fired his next set of questions.

"How did he look like? Was anyone else wit him? Do you know what school he was from?"

"He had curly black hair, no one else was with him, wasn't wearing school uniform so I don't know what school he is from. But I do know he had hairy chest and was wearing sky blue v-neck t-shirt, jeans and a dog tag and he has medium frame."

Not bad…Inui nodded approvingly me. Maybe I should make her my apprentice.

But something clicked in his mind. Inui flipped through the pages and repeated what I had said. I nodded to confirm.

"But when Kawamura and I saw you, he was carrying you with 3 other girls and he claimed he dug you out of the trashcan."

I fumed at this, "And the girls claimed that they helped you from a rapist. According to what we saw, the boy seemed to be one of the people that helped you."

Puzzled, I wondered aloud, "But he was the one that drugged me…"

"Unless there was a conspiracy?!" Inui and I shouted at the same time. "I really should make you an apprentice. " He added as he pointed to his notebooks. I smiled hesitantly. The images of me standing next to the data king, with square rimmed glasses over my eyes, laughing evilly with him as we stood over a huge stack of notebooks weren't exactly thrilling. I violently shivered.

"Hey! My dad closed the shop so now we can start working!' The shy boy ran up the stairs, "Oh and Aizawa-san, if you don't mind, will you stay? I think my sushi is edible." He added timidly.

"Thank you. That is if you don't mind me staying." Sushi…I hadn't had that in awhile. Even if I am Japanese, sushi was something I rarely ate. Since most of the cooking left to me, I usually made simple food such as: vegetable soup, tempuras, pasta and stir fried dishes. Slicing raw fish just wasn't my hobby.

"Do you want wasabi or without?" he questioned both of us as we took a seat in front of him.

"Without" I answered, "Don't mind" was Inui's response. I was amazed as the thick browed boy professionally gathered up a handful of rice and molded it in a lightning speed. He already sliced the fishes (too bad) so he placed a slice on the pearl white rice ball and wrapped a small piece of seasoned around the sandwich.

"It's so pretty" I squealed as I cautiously poked the rice and the fish, confirming its shape and texture.

"Appearance passes as 95. Now for the texture..."

"Anything you find wrong?" the young chef questioned, his face scrunching up in anxiety.

"Um…it's really good but maybe there isn't enough rice vinegar, this doesn't bring out the taste of the fish." I commented hesitantly. I didn't want to criticize him but he was looking for advice right? He nodded thankfully and we glanced up at Inui.

He was gulping down the cup of water as fast as he can.

"Inui?" Kawamura questioned, pleading for his friend to be all right.

"…too (coughs) much… (Cough)…wasabi…" he managed to get out.

"Really?" the other boy said as he picked up a sushi from Inui's plate.

"Um…I think we should trust Inui Kun and…" I warned but too late…

"Ah!!! What is this?!"

After awhile…

"So…I guess you're going to inherit the sushi shop after you graduate?" I questioned as I walked by Kawamura's side. Inui and Kawamura refused to let me walk alone and Inui parted with us at the last corner.

"Yes, so I promised my father I'll concentrate on culinary arts after junior high school, which means I will quit tennis." He looked longingly at my duffel bag which he forced me to let him carry.

"Quit tennis?" I cried incredulously. "But your talent…you use your strength well in tennis."

"I love tennis of course, but I have to pursue my future career as sushi shop inheritor." I can feel the sadness in his eyes.

"But why not do both?" I insisted but received a shake of no.

"I don't want to do two important things halfheartedly." He began but I interrupted him.

"Why do you think you will do what is important to you half-heartedly?"

"You saw how my sushi was a failure, if I keep this up, I'll be a shame for my parents. An heir to the sushi shop must know how to make perfect sushi."

I smiled at his concern for his family pride and his dedication toward his goals. As strong as he was on the outside, he was very much squishy within.

"Kawamura kun, your sushi wasn't a failure. It's just not perfect. It takes time and experience. You still have ample amount of time for that. The best advice I can give you for now is to believe in yourself." He looked at me with his large puppy eyes, waiting for me to explain.

"You said that two important things to you are tennis and sushi-making. You have to eliminate one of them because you want to dedicate your life to the other."

He nodded, "I know you have talent in both, and I don't think there is a need for you to give one up. Giving up something important causes regret. That is something that stays with you for your lifetime, unless you can amend it of course. "I explained.

"My main point is, you're capable of handling both. You're doing that now. If you dedicate your whole life to the sushi shop…" I paused to catch my breath.

"… that's just too much to loose."

At this moment, we arrived at the front gate of my house. Kawamura seemed deep in thought. I didn't want to interrupt him but I was forced to since he kept walking.

"Um…Kawamura-kun, thanks for everything today." He came back to reality and gazed up at my house.

"Wow…" he stammered, "It's huge."

"Not the best house to live in when it's usually empty." I said as I opened up my gate. "Oh and when you have time, I hope you can come over so you can play tennis with Tezuka Kun and me..."

"Tezuka?" he questioned and followed my finger, which pointed at the house next to mine.

"Yup, he lives next to me. He doesn't live in mars you know…" I added, amused how Tezuka's name causes everyone's jaws to drop.

"Thanks for everything Kawamura-Kun and reconsider your future." With a small bow, I took my duffel bag back and disappeared behind my gate.

"Whew, what a long day!" I said, finally relieved to be at home sweet home. My parents weren't home yet, thank goodness. Today's adventure will be kept a secret, except maybe I'll tell my parents about Kawamura's ideal career. I headed toward the shower, but stopped at the sink. My throat was tightening up. I coughed to make sure nothing was obstructed in my airway but the cough became continuous and red fluid accompanied them. By the metallic, corroding taste, I detected it as blood. Stomach ulcer? I questioned but couldn't think anymore as I hacked up some more blood.

Meanwhile…

A lone figure was sitting in his room, perfectly still, in fact robotically still with an open history book on his desk. What was Kawamura doing here?