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~The Splits
Chapter Six
A Play for Doubles
"Hurry up Alice or we're going to be late." Riku said as he ran through the front gates of Yamabuki Chuu towards the tennis courts. Behind him Alice glared at his back. It was half his fault that they were late, not just hers. Rounding the corner, the two dashed towards the tennis courts that had come into view.
This being their first practice, they weren't sure how strict Banji would be about being on time, and they didn't want to learn that he had a bad side on their first morning of practice. Slowing down slightly, Riku waved at Sengoku who was standing by the tennis court gates waving at them.
"Hey Sengoku-san." Riku panted lightly as Alice came up behind him. "We're not late are we?"
"Nah, you're right on time, Banji's not too super strict about being right on time. If you're a minute or two late he won't kill you." Sengoku said in his carefree way. "Hey there Alice-chan." He said, smiling widely at her.
"Morning Lucky-san." Alice said as she walked passed him into the courts leaving Riku to deal with Sengoku's confused look.
"Lucky-san? She had mentioned that the other day, but I-"
"Alice is bad at remembering names," Riku interrupted, "so she gives people easy to remember nicknames. Since you say lucky all the time you're Lucky-san." Riku said with a shrug as he too walked passed Sengoku. "So where's Banji? Practice is supposed to start right about now isn't it?"
"I'm right here Ikuma-kun." A kind voice said from behind the two. "It's a good thing you're here on time. Contrary to the belief of some," he said nudging Sengoku, "I don't appreciate people being late. You've been here for a while now; you should know that by now Sengoku-kun."
"Ah, you heard that Banji? Unlucky." Sengoku complained as Riku joined Alice and set his bag down next to the fence were they were joined by The Jimmies, Minami Kentarou and Higashitaka Masami.
"Is Lucky-san always like that?" Alice asked as she pulled out her racket.
"Lucky-san?" the two said in confusion.
"She means Sengoku-san." Riku clarified, pulling out his own racket and adjusting the strings. Understanding appeared on the captain and vice captain's faces as they glanced over at the orange haired boy.
"Yeah, that's typical Sengoku for you." Minami-buchou said turning back to the twins. "You'll get used to it. So, are you two ready for your first day of regular practice?"
"We'll know the answer to that soon enough, won't we?" Alice said as she slipped on her purple wristbands. The captain stared at her for a moment before smirking. This girl was interesting for sure.
"I suppose you're right." He replied.
"Looks like Banji's done dealing with Sengoku. Let's go gather up so we can find out what the plan for practice today is." Higashitaka-fukubuchou cut in.
"You guys go ahead; I'll go grab the others." Minami-buchou said as he walked off to tell the others to gather up. Shrugging, Alice and Riku followed after their fukubuchou toward Banji.
"So, you two are new around here." It wasn't a question. "How long have you been in the area?"
"We arrived about two weeks ago from Italy." Alice replied.
"Really? Italy? What caused you to move all the way here to Japan?" Higashitaka-fukubuchou asked with sincere curiosity.
"Our dad's job, among other things." Riku replied with a slight annoyance in his voice which he tried to keep to a minimum. He was finally starting to adjust, and didn't want to put himself back into a bad mood by dwelling on the negative. Higashitaka was about to ask another question, but was cut off as the rest of the regulars had gathered around and Banji began speaking.
"I'm glad the seven of you all made it here without problems. Today is a shorter practice with us meeting here at ten, but starting tomorrow I want to see you here at seven in the morning, and don't be late." He said glancing at Sengoku.
"Ah come on Banji. It's not like I was late today." Sengoku complained, but Banji went on talking like he hadn't heard him. He was used to dealing with Sengoku and his ways by now.
"Now, for practice today we need to decide on positions. I assume that Minami-kun and Higashitaka-kun wish to play doubles, and I guess that Sengoku-kun and Touji-kun want to stick to singles. Am I right?" Four heads nodded an affirmative to Banji's words. Smiling and nodding to them, Banji turned to his three remaining players Alice, Riku, and Nishikiori-kun.
"Now, there's one singles spot left and a doubles spot. Do any of the three of you want to try teaming up to play doubles or do I need to experiment around?"
"We play doubles." Alice and Riku responded swiftly and in sync before Nishikiori could even open his mouth. They didn't want their chance at doubles to be blown just because they didn't speak up fast enough.
"Really? I was wondering about that," Banji said smiling and nodding, "since you two are twins and all. I guess that leaves you to fill the last singles spot if you're alright with that Nishikiori-kun."
"Uh, yeah." He responded tearing his eyes away from Alice and Riku to look at Banji. He'd known the two were related, but he hadn't heard they were twins. It made sense; though, with how close in age they looked. "Singles is fine with me."
"Good, that solves several problems for me then. Now we just need to decide your positions within singles and doubles. Nishikiori-kun, Touji-kun I want you two to play a match. Sengoku-kun you'll be the referee for them."
"Got it Banji." Sengoku said as he threw his arms around the two. "I play winner right?"
"Exactly. Then, while that's going on I'll be the judge for the match between Ikuma-taichi and The Jimmies."
"Banji! Don't call us The Jimmies!" Minami and Higashitaka shouted indignantly. They weren't sure where that nickname had come from, but they absolutely hated it.
"Oh, my bad, my bad." Banji said complacently, holding up his arms in defense.
"Unlucky." Sengoku complained. "I won't get to see Alice-chan play." Rubbing the back of his head with his hand Sengoku sighed. Patting him on the back, Banji smiled.
"There's a reason I asked you to referee the match between Nishikiori-kun and Touji-kun." At this Sengoku tensed slightly before grinning sheepishly down at his coach.
"Banji." Ignoring Sengoku, Banji turned to the rest of the regulars.
"Let's get started then. We don't know how long the matches will take, and I'd like to get some practice in afterwards if possible."
*%%*
"So, are we still going to hold back or is it okay to play full out now?" Riku asked as he and Alice stood talking for a minute to come up with a plan for the match since they'd just finished their warm-up. Glancing over at The Jimmies who were doing the same thing, Alice shifted a string on the gut of her racket.
"Why in the world would we hold back now Riku? What a preposterous idea." Alice said sarcastically as she flipped back a lock of hair from her face. Riku threw his sister a look before smirking. This was going to be fun.
"So, if we win the spin you'll be serving first?" he asked.
"Actually, let's have you serve first. That way by the time the game is really going it'll be you up at the net when I serve, and not the other way around."
"Excellent." Riku said with a grin as the two walked towards the net where The Jimmies were now waiting.
"Are you two ready?" Minami-buchou asked after giving the two a quick look. Higashitaka had told him that the twins were from Italy, but actually catching the end of their conversation, in what he could only logically guess was Italian, really sent the fact home.
"Ready as we'll ever be." Alice responded, and Riku nodded in agreement.
"Do you want smooth or rough?" Higashitaka-fukubuchou asked as he set the head of his racket against the court.
"We'll call smooth." Riku said as Higashitaka nodded and set his racket spinning. After spinning for several seconds the racket finally fell over. Bending over Higashitaka picked it up.
"It's smooth." He said.
"We'll serve." Alice said taking the balls from Minami-buchou, who indicated they'd stay on the side they were on.
"Good luck you two." He said before they left the net. "You're new around here so you probably don't know, but we're a nationally ranked pair, so don't feel too bad if you lose to us."
Riku and Alice's eyes widened slightly, they already knew this, but Alice had figured it would be better to pretend that they didn't because if they combined it with the fact that no one figured that they could beat The Jimmies, it might just get them to start off easy on Riku and Alice- which they would take full advantage of if they did.
"That's pretty amazing isn't it? I guess we'll just have to keep that in mind." Alice said somewhat calmly as she reigned in her fake surprise. The looks on The Jimmies faces showed that the looks of shock and surprise on her's and Riku's faces hadn't gone unnoticed. So far so good. Turning, Alice handed the balls to Riku who pocketed two of the three before following Alice away from the net.
"Hold back and I'll kill you. This is a good chance. It's not every day we get to play such a good doubles pair." Alice said quietly, but she made sure her voice was actually loud enough for The Jimmies to hear as she made it sound both cautious and nervous. They couldn't understand what she was saying, but they'd understand the tone for sure, so why not have a little fun and make them think that their status as nationally ranked players had gotten to them.
"As if I'd hold back now, and I'm guessing by the tone you've set that I should act a little uncertain right?" Riku responded quietly, mimicking Alice's tone as he walked passed her and took his spot behind the baseline. Not hearing anything back from her, he figured that he'd guessed right on what he was supposed to do. Checking the opposing court, Riku saw that The Jimmies had set up with Minami-buchou receiving and Higashitaka-fukubuchou at the net. From the warm-ups Riku knew that both of them were very solid players with good strokes and form, similar to Alice.
Sitting in the umpire's seat, Banji called for the start of the game. Bouncing the ball up and down several times, Riku threw an uncertain look at The Jimmies before gritting his teeth and tossing the ball up into the air, tracing it with his left hand. As the ball began its decent Riku's right arm came up with his racket and slammed into the ball, brushing down the right side to load the ball with topspin.
Flying past Alice, the ball dropped into the service box and bounced away to the side from its spin forcing Minami to run out past the alley to return it with a topspin forehand that headed straight towards Alice. Volleying the ball Alice hoped to end the point, but was disappointed as Higashitaka caught the ball with his racket before it could hit the ground and volleyed it back out of Alice's reach.
"Riku." She called, faking nervousness, but he was already on it, like she'd known he would be. Setting his feet, Riku waited as the ball bounced back towards him. As his racket connected with the ball, Riku brought his racket almost straight up, sending the ball back as a lob over Higashitaka's head.
Looking up at the ball Higashitaka shouted "Switch" and ran to the left side of the court as Minami ran to the right to return Riku's lob with a backhand aimed down the center of the court, but Alice was waiting for it and took the ball in the air with a sharp volley. Flicking her wrist as she came in contact, Alice sent the ball careening sharply to the side where it hit in the doubles alley close to the net on The Jimmies' side of the court.
The Jimmies could only watch as the ball bounced twice. Neither of them had had even a chance of reaching it in time. Glancing at Alice who looked surprised that she'd pulled off such a good shot even though she really wasn't, The Jimmies looked at each other and nodded. The twins were nothing but a bundle of nerves since hearing they were nationally ranked players, and a lucky shot like that was unlikely to happen again.
"Nice shot Alice." Riku said, fake awe coating his voice as he moved to the other side to serve. Taking note of Higashitaka's position behind the baseline, closer to the doubles alley, and Minami's position at the net, Riku tossed the ball up and slightly farther in front of him than the last serve. Alice's 'lucky' shot would allow him to show a moment of confidence while he served. Stretching his arm up to its full reach, Riku brought his racket straight down on the ball, stepping through with his right foot as the ball whizzed down the center line and struck the box near the inside corner.
Frowning, Higashitaka caught the ball with a solid, two-handed backhand that sent the ball to the right. Taking the ball in the air, Alice volleyed it to the left where it sped past Minami-buchou, but Higashitaka came up from the baseline to backhand the ball down the left sideline.
Running two steps to the left, Riku hit a sharply angled, crosscourt backhand. Minami stepped over to poach the ball, but as it reached the net, the ball nicked it, changing its course slightly so it missed the sweet spot on Minami's racket and popped back over onto Riku and Alice's side.
Taking several steps back, Alice traced the ball's decent with her left hand, bringing her racket up to prepare for a smash which she sent down the right side alley. Higashitaka caught up with the ball, but was disappointed as his forehand smacked into the net inches below the tape.
"Hmm…you two aren't half bad." He said as he straightened up and fixed his strings. "That was a good smash just now Ikuma-san."
"Really? Thank you so much for the compliment Higashitaka-fukubuchou. And, you know you can call me Alice-san right? That way it's less confusing for Riku and me." Alice replied as she smiled sweetly yet uncertainly at him. From behind her, Riku had to use all his restraint to not laugh or pull a face. Alice really would kill him if he messed up her psych play, although Higashitaka-fukubuchou didn't seem too affected by her manner, but… Glancing at Minmai-buchou, Riku had to bite the inside of his lip to keep from smirking. Looking down, he pretended to be interested in his racket as he walked to the service position. On the captain's face was a light blush.
Having set up for the next point, Alice had to keep the interested look out of her eyes. So, the captain has a soft spot for sweet smiles? Not what she would have guessed, but that didn't matter. If she could, she'd definitely find a way to use it against him before this match was over. She'd have to think fast though; because once The Jimmies got serious she doubted a smile would affect the captain much at all. Behind her, Riku took a few deep breaths to refocus himself before looking up at the court. Everyone was in position and ready for the next point.
"Thirty-love." Riku called before tossing the ball up and serving. Another rally ensued with Riku and Minami exchanging shots from the baseline before Higashitaka poached on one of Riku's shots and took the point with a well-placed volley. Alice allowed a small pout to adorn her face for a split second, but it was enough to make Minami-buchou shift slightly. Some reaction, but no permanent effect…she'd have to try a different route then. She didn't really expect this low level of psych play to have much effect in the first place though.
On his next serve, Riku missed with the first ball, which The Jimmies took as a sign that Higashitaka's volley had gotten to him, but Riku's second serve landed solidly in the box. Higashitaka returned the shot with a forehand that Alice caught with a volley, but her volley in turn was caught by Minami.
Dancing on his toes at the baseline, Riku was ready to dash at a moment's notice. The net was his specialty, not Alice's, and he had a feeling that Minami-buchou would get the ball passed her, which sure enough, he did. Racing to the right, Riku went to lob the ball over Minami's head, but he screwed up and the lob wasn't high enough. Minami smirked before jumping up to smash the ball.
"Thanks for the easy point." He said, but as he brought his arm down, he glimpsed Alice out of the corner of his eye, and the look on her face- one that seemed quite sinister- made him falter ever so slightly, so that what should have been an easy smash, smacked into the court just passed the baseline.
"Out." Riku called as he watched the ball bounce into the fence before going to retrieve it. He'd seen Minami's body tense ever so slightly, and knew that it had to be Alice's doing somehow.
"Sorry Higashitaka." Minami said as he walked up to his partner. "I guess I got ahead of myself there."
"It's alright, but you seem kinda tense. You okay?" Higashitaka asked with some concern. It wasn't like Minami to miss such an easy smash.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It was just a small slip-up. I won't let it happen again." Minami said with assurance. "Let's go get that point back."
"Sounds good to me." Higashitaka replied, relieved to know his partner was fine, but from his seat up in the umpire chair, Banji had seen everything, and a small furrow appeared on his brow as he looked closely at Alice. Something was up, and he for some reason had the feeling that she was behind it.
From where she stood sharing a few words with Riku between points while The Jimmies exchanged a few words themselves, Alice had the feeling of someone watching her. Resisting the temptation to turn around, she finished talking to Riku. "Let's wrap this game up right here. The Jimmies haven't become fully serious yet, and it would be a good idea to get a game or two ahead while we can. Also," Alice said pointing to the spot where Minami's smash had hit, "look where the last ball hit with a relieved look on your face."
"Got it." Riku replied in a relieved tone as he nodded to the spot. He even bothered to wipe his brow with the back of his hand to add to the act since he could tell The Jimmies kept glancing at them while they were talking. Alice threw him a smile before they moved off to their positions. Letting out a deep breath, Riku sighed. If Alice wanted the game over right now, he'd use that serve.
Bouncing the ball up and down, up and down, Riku caught it firmly in his left hand. "Forty-fifteen." He called as the ball flew up into the air. Bringing his racket up, Riku brushed it across the ball from right to left, bringing it down the left side. Zipping through the air, the ball bounced in the service box and off to the outside as Minami chased it down. Hitting the ball with a topspin forehand, a look of confusion crossed Minami's face as the ball left his racket.
Poaching expertly, Alice put the ball away before Minami could recover. Walking up to Riku, Alice high-fived him with a 'can you believe that shot just now' grin on her face before the two headed to the bench to grab a quick drink before switching sides.
Riku tried to talk to Alice, but she silenced him with a look. The Jimmies were walking over, and she wanted to hear what they were saying to judge how the first game had affected them. "Just talk to me in Italian about something unimportant so I can pay attention to their conversation." She instructed. Nodding his head, Riku began talking about their last tennis practice. He figured he should at least keep the talk somewhat relevant. Making sure she looked like she was engaged in what Riku was saying by facing him and nodding her head, Alice was really looking passed him to The Jimmies.
"What happened with that last return?" Higashitaka asked as reached their bench.
"I don't know. There was something weird about it, but I can't put my finger on it." Minami admitted as he accepted his water bottle from his partner.
"If you haven't noticed, everything about Ikuma, er, Riku-san's game is weird. One look at his form when he hits and you can tell that much." Higashitaka retorted. Really, how any of Riku's shots made it over the net was a mystery to him.
"That's not what I meant. Ugh, I don't know how to explain it, but if he does it to you the next time he serves, you'll know what I'm talking about." Minami said in slight frustration. "It's strange though, for looking so nervous, they're doing pretty well. They had some lucky shots I suppose, but still…" he trailed off, glancing at the twins who were engaged in a one-sided conversation by Riku. He really wished he could tell what they were saying, but it looked like the twins mainly spoke Italian while on the courts.
"I have to agree with you there." Higashitaka said with a nod of his head after he put his water down. "I'm not sure what's up, but something is definitely up, and I think we need to start getting a bit more serious. We wouldn't want to start looking bad just because we were careless."
Thinking over what she was hearing Alice took a final mouthful of water before speaking to Riku, cutting of his monologue. "Looks like this method won't hold much longer. They're onto us already. Be ready to go full out when I give the signal. Let's go get the next game started before they have time to talk anything else over." Nodding, Riku set his water down then picked up his racket and the balls. Walking over, he held out his hand to give the balls to Minami who took them.
"Here are the balls." Riku said, walking off to join Alice again before they could say anything. He, too, had heard them talking and would rather not have them ask questions about his last serve right now. After all, the match was far from over, and he might just need to use it again.
"Do you want to receive forehand or backhand today?" Alice asked as they stopped in the center of their side of the court.
"I'm feeling good either way. What about you?" Riku asked back as he watched The Jimmies stand up and move onto the court. It looked like Higashitaka-fukubochou would be serving first for the two of them.
"I'll take forehand." Alice replied as she walked back towards the baseline. Nodding, Riku took his position on the left half of the service line. Standing just behind the line, Riku leaned forward onto his toes, and turned his head to the side so he could watch the line and call any serves that landed out. Across the court, Higashitaka bounced the ball several times before gripping it tightly. He glanced around, looking at Minami last before nodding slightly.
"Game count love-one, love-all points." He called before tossing the ball up into the air. He served the ball deep into the service box with a slight topspin to it. Taking a half-step to the left to adjust, Alice returned it with a shallower crosscourt shot just out of Minami's reach. Running up, Higashitaka caught the ball with a short-swing forehand sending it back over the net where Riku intercepted it with a backhand volley that headed down the centerline. Turning, Minami ran back and caught the ball with an awkward forehand shot that sped past Riku.
"Alice." Riku called, but it was no good. The ball took its second bounce long before Alice could get to it.
"Sorry Riku." Alice said as she walked up from the baseline.
"Don't worry about it. I know you've got my back." He replied, clapping his hand on her shoulder momentarily. "Your return was a bit too shallow there. Is Higashitaka-fukubucho's serve too difficult to deal with?" Riku whispered. Even though he was talking in Italian, he didn't want The Jimmies to catch on that something might be up on their side.
"It's not a difficult serve, but he was holding back quite a bit when we warmed them up. The spin was good too." Alice whispered back as Riku took his hand off her shoulder and walked back to the baseline to get ready to receive while she set up on the right side of the service line.
Shifting her weight from foot-to-foot, Alice kept a close eye on The Jimmies as Higashitaka got ready to serve. Before serving, Alice noticed that Higashitaka glanced at Minami. He'd done that on the last point too. Narrowing her eyes slightly in suspicion, her attention was drawn back to the game as the ball flew over the net. Right after serving, Higashitaka rushed the net to join Minami, forming a wall. Unable to adjust his shot in time, Riku hit the ball straight at Higashitaka who ended the point with a swift volley.
"Looks like it's my turn to say sorry." Riku said as he passed Alice to take his place behind the service line while she went back to receive.
"I'm not positive, but I think they're using signs Riku. Be careful." Alice warned, ignoring the apology, as she set up to receive. She made sure her voice sounded neutral. The Jimmies may have started catching on, but that didn't mean they should stop what they'd been doing. That would be the worst mistake they could make. When the timing was right, she'd have the two of them switch things up a bit, but not quite yet.
"Really? That's annoying." Riku replied as a smirk played on his lips which he hid by glancing down momentarily. They'd played a match in Italy against a pair that liked to use signs, so he knew what to look for to see if Alice's suspicion was right. Sure enough, Minami's hand disappeared behind his back for a moment before Higashitaka served, and the vice-captain's head nodded almost imperceptibly. Yep, they were definitely using signs to dictate their play.
The second Riku could see the serve was landing in he turned his attention to The Jimmies. He knew Alice would return the serve, and by watching his opponents he'd be able to tell where the ball was going. When Minami didn't make a move, Riku knew the ball was headed back in a crosscourt to Higashitaka. Rushing the net, Riku took Higashitaka's return with a volley which he aimed at Minami's feet, taking the captain by surprise and winning the point.
"Heh, not bad Riku-san." Minami said as he pulled himself back together. There was obviously more to these two than they originally let on.
"Thanks."
"Riku, pretend I'm saying something important about the captain, and then nod at the places I'm looking to." Alice said as she came up behind Riku. Turning, she glanced at the captain while talking about something unimportant, and then she looked at several spots around the court at which Riku nodded. And the mind games continued as a confused look crossed the captain's face.
"So basically we're using the language barrier to confuse them now? Well, I never heard it before, but it sounds uncommon nonsense." Riku quoted with a smirk, catching onto his sister's new plan. Even he could tell their old façade was falling apart, so why bother pretending anymore in his opinion. "I'm guessing you planned this from the beginning then?"
"I'd worry your brain had stopped functioning if you couldn't at least figure out that much." Alice replied with a roll of her eyes. Throwing his sister a look, Riku shook his head and walked away. He wasn't about to waste his breath arguing over something pointless.
Once everyone was in position with Riku receiving, Higashitaka called out the score before looking at Minami and serving.
"Thirty-fifteen." The next point went to The Jimmies thanks to a down the line forehand from Higashitaka, but Alice stole the point back with a well-placed backhand making the score 40-30 for The Jimmies. On the following point, Minami put away a smash from a lob Riku was forced to hit, taking the game.
"Game count: one game all." Banji called. This match was turning out to be more than he'd expected and it was only the end of the second game. It would be interesting to see where the match went from here, he thought as he watched Higashitaka pass Alice the balls so she could serve.
"Love-all." Alice said as she tossed the ball up. Using her precision, she sent the ball into the outside corner. Minami sent the ball back with plenty of topspin. Riku didn't move from his spot as the shot went by. It was better for Alice to take that one because of the spin which would make it bounce off his racket awkwardly if he screwed up even just a little bit on his volley.
Watching as Higashitaka began to move, Riku smirked. It was time to see if their fukubuchou was any good at a volley battle. Catching Higashitaka's return with his racket, Riku sent it right back at him, a challenging gleam in his eye. Seeing Riku's eyes, Higashitaka's eyes hardened. So, they had been holding back all along. Well, that didn't change the fact that he wasn't about to lose a volley battle.
Volley returned volley as the two went back and forth while Minami and Alice watched from the baseline, ready to chase after any ball their partner might miss. After each side had hit several volleys, Alice called out to her brother. "I thought I told you I'd kill you if you held back. Do you want to die?"
Holding back the urge to roll his eyes, Riku threw a heavy slice onto his next volley. Higashitaka's eyes widened in surprise as the ball popped off his racket and up into the air. Falling back a step, Riku launched into the air, and smashed his racket into the ball.
"Getting a bit impatient are we?" He asked, turning around to raise an eyebrow at his twin.
"Sentence first—verdict afterwards." She retorted with one of her favorite quotes from Alice in Wonderland. Smirking at the familiar reference, Riku went and took his position, glancing at The Jimmies as he did so. Besides the fact that they now knew Alice and Riku had been holding back, it was pretty obvious they felt uneasy not knowing what he and Alice were saying, but they were about to feel a lot more insecure since The Queen of Hearts had just arrived in the form of Alice.
"Fifteen-love." Alice said coolly as she served, all pretenses long forgotten. The ball hit where the service line and midline intersected before zipping passed Higashitaka's racket and taking its second bounce. The Jimmies stared at the ball for a moment before whipping their heads around at the sound of a bouncing ball. Alice and Riku had already set up for the next point, and Alice was now bouncing the ball up and down impatiently. Glancing at Riku, the two had to suppress a shudder at the maddening smirk now adorning his face. They weren't sure what had happened, but it looked like things were about to get a whole lot harder for them.
Settling into the receiving position, Minami gripped his racket tightly. He wasn't going to let the twin's games get to him if he had anything to say about it.
"Thirty-love." Alice called before placing a serve deep into the corner. Backing up to return the serve, Minami hit a strong forehand down the line, figuring on getting a return ace, but his plan was foiled by a redhead flying in from the side. Riku, the moment Alice had served, had darted across the court while she traded sides in the back, so he was already in position to softly volley the ball right past Higashitaka where it quickly took its second bounce.
Turning around, Riku met Alice's eyes. Her chin inclined ever so slightly while Riku's earlier smirk returned. There was no such thing as holding back anymore. The next point went to the twins, but Minami hit a cord ball that won The Jimmies a point making the score 40-15 for Alice and Riku.
Using her accuracy to the fullest on the next point, Alice kept the balls just out of Minami's reach while Higashitaka was forced to run from side to side along the baseline to get the ball, and every time Riku intercepted the ball he placed a heavy spin on it, making it difficult to return. Tiring of the rally, Riku used a sharp slice to bounce the ball under Minami's racket where it barely rose at all before falling back down to hit the court again.
"Game to Ikuma-taichi. Two games to one." Banji called. Looking over at the other court, he could see that the first singles match was almost over with Touji winning 4-1. Either their match was progressing very quickly, or this doubles match was taking longer than Banji had realized even though they'd only played three games so far. Honestly, Banji had figured The Jimmies would easily take the match even though Alice and Riku might get a game or two, but this… In the last few points, something had changed drastically on the twin's side of the court, and with it the flow of the match. Watching as his players changed courts, Banji frowned in thought.
*%%*
"Looks like it's time to use that strategy." Minami said as he glanced over at the twins. "I'm not sure what's going on here, but unless we get serious right now I think we'll be in trouble."
"I have to agree with you there. I didn't think they'd be this good, but it's time to show them why we're a nationally ranked doubles pair." Higashitaka replied as he got up from the bench. Before going to get the balls from Alice, he leaned in close and whispered something in Minami's ear, who smirked and nodded at him in agreement. After Minami took the balls from Alice, all four players stepped out onto the court and took up their positions with Riku and Higashitaka up at the net while Alice was back to receive with Minami serving.
Minami's serve zipped down the centerline, so that Alice had to use a backhand to return it. Intercepting the ball, Higashitaka volleyed it to the far right, out of Riku's reach, making Alice run along the baseline to get to the ball in time. Sending the ball down the line, Alice returned to the middle of the court while Minami and Higashitaka switched places as Minami chased the ball down, sending it right back down the line. Running back to the right Alice sent the ball back to Minami who in turn sent it back to her. Riku and Higashitaka could only watch as the two battled it out with straight shots that were so highly controlled, the ball never left the narrow doubles alley.
Eyes narrowing in annoyance, a light frown settled on Alice's face. She'd had enough of this. Sure she was stubborn, but she wasn't stupid. If she just kept hitting down the line like this, nothing was ever going to come of it. Did the captain really think she was just going to play along with his little game? It was obvious that they were trying to keep Riku out of this and focus on her. They probably thought she was the weaker link of their pair since she's a girl, but they were about to find out just how wrong they were.
"I'm bored. This game has gotten old." Alice said as she tightened the grip on her racket and set her feet. The Jimmies gave her a curious glance while ahead of her, Riku smirked. He knew where this was going, and he was ready for it. As Minami hit the ball back at her, a gleam came into Alice's eyes. "I believe an execution would serve to liven things up around here, so sorry to say, but off with your head!" Twisting her torso into the shot, Alice changed the direction of the ball, sending it straight towards the back of Riku's head.
The Jimmies couldn't help but smirk. They weren't sure what Alice had said, but it was obvious she'd cracked under the pressure of the one-on-one against Minami, and now Riku was going to pay for her mistake… Grinning at The Jimmies, Riku ducked at the last possible second, allowing the ball to whiz over his head and into the open part of their court where it bounced away into the fence. The Jimmies stared at Alice and Riku dumbstruck. That couldn't have been on purpose, could it? But the way the twins acted as they walked up to each other with smug grins and high-fived certainly didn't make it seem like a mistake…
Watching The Jimmies reactions, Alice and Riku felt a sense of satisfaction. "What do you think Riku? Should I send them a queen's decree?" Alice asked as she nonchalantly twirled a piece of hair around her fingers.
"I thought you'd never ask." Riku replied as a smirk crept onto his face again. Glancing at her brother, Alice shook her head lightly.
"Honestly, you're mad as a hatter sometimes. You do know that right?"
"What's it matter? We're all mad around here." Riku replied with a grin. Throwing Riku a look, Alice turned and took a step forward, calling out to The Jimmies.
"Hey Jimmies." She said coolly, her manner was that of a person who was uninterested in whatever lay before them.
"Don't call us that!" They shouted together. Acting as if they hadn't said anything, Alice continued speaking.
"I suggest you two start playing to the best of your abilities or we," she said as Riku walked up to stand next to her, "are going to run away with this match starting with that last point." Not waiting to see what they did, Alice turned and walked off to set up at her position on the service line while Riku gave them a dangerous smirk.
"I sure hope you have a good answer to that. If not…" he trailed off as he turned around to head back to the baseline to get ready to receive. Minami and Higashitaka glared at the twins before looking at each other. They shared a look before nodding. It was time to put these no names in their place. Going back, Minami served the ball hard and deep into the corner. The real match was only just beginning.
*%%*
"Four games all." Banji called as The Jimmies held their serve after having gone to deuce twice. This match really was beyond all expectations. The singles matches were all done with Touji beating Nishikiori 6-2 before then losing to Sengoku 1-6. The three had come over shortly after the sixth game of the doubles match had ended, tying the two pairs at three games apiece, and had been watching in amazement ever since. The last time they saw The Jimmies pushed this hard was last year at nationals.
"Whew." Sengoku whistled. "There's no telling who the winner's gonna be. Whadda you two think?" He asked as without taking his eyes of the court as Riku served.
"No clue." Touji responded as he watched Higashitaka scramble to reach a drop shot of Riku's that was loaded with slice. Even though he was the net player he couldn't make it in time. Watching, Touji was glad Riku had never pulled out that kind of spin against him.
"Who would have ever guessed Alice and Riku were this good?" Nishikiori said in awe as the next point was set up for and started. Riku's first serve landed out just barely, and Higashitaka wiped some sweat from his brow before falling back into the receiving position for Riku's second serve, which zipped down the center of the court. Chasing after it, Higashitaka returned it with an angled backhand towards the left which Alice caught with a short swing backhand, sending it straight across the net at Minami's body. Dodging just in time, the ball hit against the edge of his strings and popped up awkwardly.
Dropping back several steps, Alice smashed the ball at Minami's feet, satisfaction for the shot evident in her posture. The next several points were dragged into long rallies with each pair winning a point or two, making the score 40-30 for Alice and Riku.
Back at the baseline, Riku bounced the ball contemplatively. If things went well, this could be his last serve of the match, and he still hadn't bothered to try hitting Uncle's serve yet even though he'd been working on it for a while now. Throwing caution to the winds, Riku tossed the ball almost directly above his head. Bringing his racket up, he brushed it along the ball with a sweeping stroke that ended near his feet. Passing over the net, the ball hit the ground. Running to get it, Higashitaka was surprised as the ball took a strange bounce sending it passed him on the left side when he was set up for a forehand shot.
"Dang. I still can't get it to bounce the right way." Riku complained as he brought his racket up to rest on his shoulder, distaste on his face. Everyone glanced at him in surprise. It was the first time since he'd told The Jimmies they'd better have an answer for Alice's statement that he'd spoken in Japanese, and what was that about the bounce of the ball being wrong? Did he mean that crazy serve was a mistake? Taking in the strange looks around him, Riku raised an eyebrow.
"You spoke in Japanese." Alice explained with a sigh as she walked passed him towards their bench since they needed to change courts now and she wanted a drink.
"Huh, really? I did?" Riku said in confusion as he followed after his sister. "Well, whatever." He shrugged before plopping down onto the bench and grabbing his water bottle.
"You're still speaking in Japanese, you dork." Alice said with a roll of her eyes, ignoring the look Riku threw her. She really didn't care. Around the court, everyone was staring at Riku in disbelief except for Sengoku who was laughing and The Jimmies who were trying to recover a bit for the next game as they sat on their bench.
"What's so funny Sengoku-san?" Nishikiori asked as he looked over at his teammate.
"Riku-san told me before that he can't tell the difference between when he's speaking Japanese and Italian, but it's still just so funny." Sengoku replied as he tried to pull himself back together. "I mean, how can you not realize what language you're speaking?" Everyone who heard Sengoku had to agree. It was a bit…weird to not know what language you're speaking. While they were thinking on this, the tenth game started with Higashitaka serving.
"Four games to five, love-all points." He called as he tossed the ball up and served. Alice sent the ball back down the line, but Minami caught it with a backhand volley, sending it at Riku's feet. Bringing his racket around, Riku nicked the ball, but it hit into the net. He sent a quick look Minami's way before smirking. If that's how he's going to play…
Turning, Riku walked back to receive while Alice came up to the net. She watched as Minami's hand went behind his back again. It was starting to get on her nerves just how heavily those two relied on signs. For one, she couldn't see their signs so she had no way of determining what they were planning, and two, it was screwing up her psych play!
Eyes narrowing, Alice watched as the ball zipped passed her and hit into the service box. Hearing Riku make contact, she watched as Minami began to move. Stupid Riku. Was he trying to make things harder for her by purposely hitting to the other team's net player? Annoyed, Alice caught Minami's volley and returned it with a sharp short swing backhand that flew passed his head. Behind him, Higashitaka caught up with the ball and returned it deep towards the left side. Chasing down the ball, Riku lifted his racket and swiftly brought it down on the underside of the ball. He grinned as it barely cleared the net before dropping and taking a quick second bounce.
"Nice slice, but what was up with you returning the ball straight to buchou? Are you trying to make my life harder?" Alice asked sarcastically as she walked passed her brother.
"Heh, I thought you enjoyed a good challenge. Am I wrong?" Riku inquired with an eyebrow raised and a smirk toying on his lips. Glaring at Riku for a moment, Alice rolled her eyes before dropping into the receiving position as Riku did the same at the service line.
"I should have you beheaded for your insolence, but seeing as you're my partne,r I'll let you live for now. Later is a different matter though." Alice said as Higashitaka served. She returned the ball with a deep crosscourt, and yet another long rally ensued with shots being taken by all four of the players.
The same thing happened on the following points until the game was tied at deuce. Wiping some sweat from his eyes, Riku grinned. All they had to do was win this deuce and the match was over.
"Let's end this here. This match has gone on way too long. You're starting to slow down, and I'm getting pretty tired myself." Riku looked over at Alice and nodded. She was right of course. He couldn't run as fast as usual and even she was breathing hard. It really would be best to end things here.
Wiping more sweat from his forehead, Riku took his place at the service line. Normally he'd be alright even if they lost the deuce and had to keep playing, but this match really was turning into a beast. The last time he'd checked the time they'd been playing for an hour and a half, which for a one set match is ridiculous, but so many of their points had been drawn out that it made sense. If they couldn't take the match right here though, there could be trouble. The Jimmies title as nationally ranked players obviously wasn't for nothing, as Alice and Riku had learned firsthand. The Jimmies were good. Really good. It had been a long time since Riku had seen Alice so satisfied with a match.
"Deuce." Higashitaka called as he served. Alice went with a cross court return, but she didn't get enough angle on it, so Minami stepped over and poached the ball. Taking the ball in midair, Riku volleyed it right back at him. The two traded several shots before Riku finally got one past Minami. Higashitaka ran up and caught the ball on the edge of his racket, popping it up into the air. Alice and Riku both looked up at the ball and didn't move as they watched it bounce out of bounds. One more point.
"Ad out." Higashitaka's next serve was deep and hard to the outside corner, drawing Riku off the court. He tried to send it back down the line, but couldn't angle it enough, giving Minami the perfect shot to put the ball away with a volley.
"Sorry Alice." She merely shook her head lightly. That serve had been surprisingly hard and accurate for this late in the match. She just hoped it was a fluke.
"Deuce." The next point turned into another agonizingly long rally with Alice and Higashitaka exchanging shots from the baseline while Riku and Mianmi tried to intercept them at the net unsuccessfully. Eventually, the point went to The Jimmies as Alice's last shot hit grazed the top of the net, bounced off it, and landed just outside the doubles alley. "Ad in." Higashitaka called. Alice and Riku both gritted their teeth. If The Jimmies won this point they'd have to either win two games in a row or go to a tiebreak in order to win.
Shifting his weight from foot-to-foot, Riku waited for the serve which came right down the centerline. Riku sent the ball back loaded with topspin from his forehand shot so that the ball just barely cleared the center of the net. Minami tried to volley, but the ball missed the sweet spot on his racket, and popped up awkwardly. Falling back two steps, Alice smashed the ball deep, but Higashitaka was there and returned it with a sharp backhand down the line.
"Riku!" Alice shouted as she ran to the left while he went right to chase the ball down. Barely reaching the ball in time, Riku sent it back with an extremely off balance crosscourt forehand which Minami picked off and sent passed Alice down the left side of the court.
"Game to The Jimmies-"
"Banji!"
"Oops, I mean, game to Minami and Higashitaka, five games all." Banji corrected as The Jimmies high fived each other. They'd just dodged a bullet with that game. On the other side of the court, Alice walked over to Riku who was busy retying his shoe.
"I can't believe I'm saying this," she began, "but, I think we might be in trouble." Finishing tying his shoes, Riku wiped his forehead off on the sleeve of his shirt.
"It's not over yet, but I do agree with the troublesome part. At least we know The Jimmies are tired, just like us." Riku replied as he got back on his feet. "It's your serve now, so let's give them everything we've got. I might be tired, but don't count me down and out." Wiping the handle of his racket off on the bottom of his shirt, Riku threw Alice a lopsided grin.
"Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop. Is that it?" A glint was slowly coming back into Alice's eyes.
"Exactly. It doesn't make sense to stop before the end, now does it?"
"Not in the slightest." Alice replied to the rhetorical question as she flipped a stray piece of sweat dampened hair away from her face. So they lost that game. All they had to do was win two games in a row now, or take it to a tiebreaker and win there. This match was still far from being over.
"Here are the balls Alice-san." Higashitaka said as he hit them over the net. Alice called back her thanks as she caught two of the balls while the third one went Riku's way.
"Do you want this, or should I hold onto it for you?" He asked, holding out the ball in his hand. Alice glanced at the ball for a moment before motioning for him to keep it. She already had two, so she should be fine. Nodding, Riku slipped the ball into his pocket before heading up to the net.
"Five games all." Alice called out as she started her service game. Hitting the ball, she watched as it nicked the net and landed in the service box.
"Let." The Jimmies called out in unison as the ball bounced passed Minami. Nodding, Alice pulled out her second ball and bounced it a couple times.
"Take two." Her second serve smacked into the tape at the top of the next. Grimacing, Alice asked Riku for the third ball which he pulled out of his pocket and lightly hit to her with his racket. Tossing it up after a few bounces, Alice hit the ball. This time it went over and Minami returned it with a backhand down the line.
Another long rally ensued between Alice and Minami before Riku managed to cut in with a volley that ended the point. The Jimmies took the next two points in a row- one from an error Riku made and the other from a sharp crosscourt backhand from Higashitaka.
"Fifteen-Thirty." Alice called as she served to Higashitaka. He returned it, but Riku caught it with a swift poach and started a volley battle with Minami at the net. Finally slicing it past him, Riku brought his racket up and tapped it against his shoulder in satisfaction at the now tied score.
On the next serve, Minami sent it back with a deep crosscourt which Alice sent right back at him. Gritting his teeth in annoyance, Minami launched a heavy down the line shot. Going after it, Riku suddenly pulled his racket away from the ball.
"Watch it Alice!" he called, turning his head to watch the ball. Chasing after it just to be safe, Alice saw as it hit, just missing the line.
"Out!" she called, pulling up short, panting. "Nice call Riku."
"Heh, right back at you." Panting a bit harder than Alice, Riku took up his position. From the baseline, Alice took a moment to look at The Jimmies. Buchou was obviously upset with the fact that his shot missed, but Fukubuchou was doing a good job of talking to him. They really needed to end this.
Serving, Alice winced as her serve slapped into the net. This wasn't good. She needed to focus right now. Taking a moment to inhale and exhale deeply, Alice stared intently at the spot she wanted to hit to before tossing up the second ball. The sound of it hitting the net a second time stung her ears. Was she really that tired?
"Alice-chan is looking pretty tired out there." Sengoku commented idly as he watched Riku gather up the balls from the net. "Riku-san's not looking too good either."
"True, but The Jimmies are in just as big a pinch." Touji pointed out as he looked at their number one doubles pair. This match was honestly ridiculous. To think that two no-names could cause them this much trouble- no one could have ever guessed the match would turn out like this. Just who were Alice and Riku, Touji couldn't help but wonder as he watched the two have another one of their exchanges in Italian.
"Riku-"
"Don't. If you have something to say, tell it to me with your tennis, not your mouth." Throwing his sister a smirk as he hit her the balls that had landed in the net, Riku couldn't help but worry. A double fault from Alice was never a good sign.
Sure enough, the next point went to The Jimmies making the score deuce. Trading off several shots in the following point, Higashitaka finally put the ball away with a smash.
"Ad out." Alice's next serve painted the line, leaving Higashitaka staring after it. Nodding, Alice moved to set up for the next serve. She and Riku couldn't afford to give The Jimmies this game. Taking another point from a sharp volley of Riku's racket, the twins shared a high-five.
"Let's take this point right here." Giving Alice a thumbs up at her words, Riku set up at the net. Unfortunately, Minami returned Alice's serve straight at Riku's face. Bringing up his racket in defense, the ball bounced off it awkwardly, landing a foot or two out of bounds. The next two points seemed to blur together for Riku and Alice, but all they knew as they watched the ball hit against the fence behind them was that they'd lost the game. They were now down 5-6 with hardly any energy left. The Jimmies shared a high-five before the two teams headed to their respective benches to get a drink before changing sides.
Collapsing onto the bench, Riku pulled out a spare water bottle and poured some of its contents over his head, allowing it coolness to wash over him. Glancing over at Alice, he extended the water bottle to her. Shaking her head, she pulled a towel from her bag and wiped off her face. The two were pretty silent. They knew each other well enough to know that talking now was pointless. They both knew what the situation was, and what needed to be done, so they might as well try and recover their breath instead of wasting it on useless words.
When their short break was over, Alice and Riku shared a look and nodded before standing up. Shouldering their rackets in sync, the two walked out onto the court.
"Ikuma-taichi sure do seem serious." Sengoku attempted to joke in order to lighten the oppressive feeling atmosphere. It didn't work.
"You could learn something from them Sengoku-kun." Banji said from the umpire's chair without taking his eyes off the court.
"Banji!"
*%%*
Dashing to the right, Riku caught the ball with a forehand, whipping his arm to send the ball sharply cross court where it was met by Minami. He backhanded it to the other side where Alice cut it off short, sending it towards Hiagshitaka's feet, who swiftly brought his racket around to catch the ball and return it, only for it to hit into the net.
"Deuce!" Minami called as he went to serve again, first stopping to wipe the sweat from his forehead onto the sleeve of his shirt.
"Just how many times are they going to go to deuce on this game?" Nishikiori wondered out loud. If he was keeping track right, this was their seventh deuce, and each point was only being won after a long and intense rally.
"Who knows?" Touji replied as he watched Higashitaka blast away at a shot. "All I know is even without Nitobe and Kita as regulars, we aren't going to have to worry about having a weak doubles two. Not with these two."
"Yeah…" Nishikiori trailed off. The Jimmies had just taken the point making it match point again.
*%%*
Panting heavily, Riku watched as Minami tossed the ball up to serve to him. As it came over the net, he ran up using a forehand to send it down the line. It zipped passed Higashitaka, but Minami called "switch" from the back as he ran over to cover while Higashitaka went to the other side of the court.
Up at the net, Alice stopped the shot with a volley, but it was returned by Higashitaka, and was sent speeding passed her. "Switch!" Riku yelled from behind as he ran to the right to get the ball while Alice went left. The ball crisscrossed over the net several times as shots were exchanged back and forth.
Running after a deep ball, Riku got his racket on it, popping up the ball. Time seemed to slow down as Alice and Riku could only watch numbly as Higashitaka jumped up and smashed the ball down in the open court. Hitting against the fence, the ball dropped and bounced several times before rolling and coming to a stop. The match was over.
The entire court seemed to freeze for a moment before the sound of clapping coming from the side of the court broke the silence. From the umpire seat, Banji was smiling down at the four exhausted players on the court. As if it broke them out of a trance, The Jimmies broke out into celebration with high-fives and shouting while on the other side of the court, Alice and Riku slowly walked towards each other.
"I guess that's the match huh?" Riku asked as he wiped his head on his sleeve.
"Looks like it." Alice replied with a soft sigh. Glancing at his twin, Riku raised an eyebrow.
"You don't seem too sad."
"What can I say? It was interesting." Alice threw her brother a smirk as he rolled his eyes at her answer. Typical Alice.
Tucking their rackets under their arms, the Ikuma twins met Higashitaka and Minami at the net and shook hands.
"That was an amazing game," Alice offered, smiling at the two.
Riku nodded his agreement. "You two really deserve your nationally ranked spot," he tacked on. The Jimmies, still smiling widely from the rush of winning such a hard game, chuckled and shrugged.
"You two gave us a run for our money, though," Minami said with Higashitaka murmuring his agreement. "I definitely didn't expect you two to be that good!" Alice and Riku glanced at each other and smirked.
"Thanks," The two said together. "We try," Alice added on at the end, winking at the two boys across from her.
The four players left the courts together and were immediately surrounded by Sengoku, Nishikiori, and Touji.
"Why didn't you tell me you could play this good?" Sengoku exclaimed, throwing his arms around Riku's and Alice's shoulders as the other two watchers congratulated The Jimmies on keeping their doubles one spot.
Riku shrugged his arm off, "It never came up."
"You still could have told me!"
Alice rolled her eyes and also shrugged Sengoku's arm off. "Why would we do that, Lucky-san?" Sengoku pouted, but conceded the argument. Besides mentioning that he was singles three and therefore the best singles player on the team, he hadn't really mentioned how good he was either, so really, he couldn't say anything.
"Anyway," Riku turned to the orange haired boy curiously, "how'd your games go?" Minami and Higashitaka heard the question and turned to hear the answer, throwing curious looks at the three singles players.
"Oh," Touji murmured in surprise, "we didn't tell you?" Sengoku sent him a 'duh' look while Riku and Alice shook their heads.
"Well," Touji continued, "Sengoku-san won overall, of course. He'll be playing singles three again."
"Congrats, Lucky-san." Alice offered, smiling at the orange haired boy. Sengoku blushed and rubbed the back of his head.
"Ah, thanks Alice-chan." Nodding, Alice turned back to Touji and Nishikiori, wanting to hear where they got ranked.
"Well, Touji beat me, so he'll be singles two, and I'll be singles one," Nishikiori continued. Alice congratulated them while remembering that Nishikiori had been something of a manager and a reserve player last year. She was sincerely glad that he had made the team, he seemed like he deserved the position.
The players all continued to congratulate each other as they moved to the side of the fence where everyone's tennis bags were and began putting their rackets away.
"Hey Alice, check it out." Riku offered his cell phone to his twin, his brow furrowed.
"What is it?" she asked, taking the proffered phone.
"Just look." Sparing her brother a worried look, Alice flipped open his phone. Her eyebrows immediately rose as she looked at what was there.
"Seven missed calls from home? What in the world?" Riku shrugged and accepted the phone back.
"I'll call them back and find out." Nodding her agreement, Alice stretched and swung her arms around, wandering over to where the other players had all stopped to talk by the side street that ran near the tennis courts.
"What's up?" she asked them, following their eyes to a black, long looking car that was quite a ways down the road.
"We're trying to decide if that's a limo, or just a trick of the light," Minami told her. Alice gave them a weird look, wondering what drew boys to stare at cars, before shrugging and looking back down at the car.
"Looks like a limo to me," she told them, squinting slightly.
"It can't be," Touji immediately argued, "limos are never in this part of town." Alice shook her head and turned to the other boys.
"No, it's definitely a limo. I'd recognize one with how often I'm around them." The boys all exchanged curious looks before turning back to her.
"What do you mean, with how often you're around them?"
Giving her team mates a bewildered look, Alice gestured to herself, "You mean, you haven't realized who I am yet?" Before they could say anything, Alice stuck her tongue out and twirled to look at the much closer limo again.
"You'll just have to pay more attention then," she told them. Catching a bit of color waving on the side of the limo, Alice squinted again to get a better look.
"Hey, that looks like-"
"Alice!" Riku jerked his sister around and gave her a panicked look. "I just called Dad back and he said that we're going straight to Sofu's after practice!"
Alice threw her brother's hand off her shoulder and rubbed it, glaring at him. "So? We'll have to shower quickly at home then, big deal." Riku shook his head and gave her a desperate look.
"No, you don't get it! Sofu told Dad that he was sending a car to pick us up! And that was like, fifteen minutes ago! It should almost be here by now!" Riku's words sunk in, and a ball of horror sunk into Alice's stomach. Slowly she turned away from her brother and took a look at the limo again.
"Riku?" she asked in a deceptively calm voice, "Would you say that that limo's flag looks rather like the Ikuma family flag?" Riku's eyes widened in horror and he too looked at the car.
"Most definitely," he murmured.
"Wait, you two are a part of the Ikuma family? What-" Alice cut Higashitaka off by jerking around and grabbing the front of his shirt in a fist, panic showing in her eyes.
"What girl's teams are practicing today?" she demanded, glaring up at him.
"Alice-chan, wha-"
"What teams?" she hissed, shaking him slightly. Higashitaka pointed a shaky finger at the distant soccer fields.
"The girls' soccer team should be-"
Alice was already sprinting off, shouting back to Riku, "I'm going to find some presentable clothes!"
Ignoring the limo for a second, which was now pulling up on the side of the road, Riku stared after his sister, half in awe and half disgusted. "I think she just beat my hundred meter dash time," he murmured to himself, determining that he would need to up his training after this. Shaking himself out, Riku took in a deep breath and turned around just in time to see his Sofu's butler open the back door to the limo and watch as his ever imposing Sofu stepped out of the car.
"Riku," Sofu greeted, completely ignoring the rest of the boys other than to give them an "I'm superior to you so don't bother me" look.
"Sofu," Riku bowed appropriately and took the time to send a soft prayer after his sister. They were royally screwed if she didn't show up, presentable and clean, in the next minute or so.
"I see that you've been working hard." Riku stood straight, and felt that he was standing at attention as his grandfather inspected him. "Good, good. Now," Sofu looked around and Riku tried to suppress his panic, "where is Suzume?"
Tennis Glossary
Poach- a poach is a move in doubles where the player at the net moves over and takes a shot that would normally go to the back player.
CHALLENGE QUESTION
So, asobi seksu was the winner for our last challenge, and she has already sent in what she wants for her prize, so look for that, coming soon. Like last time to compete this chapter's challenge, just send in your answers with a good review to this chapter. The winner will be notified with the posting of our next chapter.
Challenge: As I'm sure you all have somewhat figured out, we're making the Ikuma name a very big deal. Meaning: Alice and Riku are super rich. So, your challenge today is this: give us your best guess as to why Alice and Riku going to school at Yamabuki Chuu, when most rich kids go to Hyotei or Rikkaidai. The real explanation will be provided somewhere in ch7.
Prize: A one-shot or drabble with a prompt of your choice.
Prize conditions:
-It has to be a Prince of Tennis fanfic.
-The highest rating we will allow is T.
-Absolutely no slash.
If you win:
-We will notify you and tell you what you need to send us for the one-shot/drabble
Well, there's chapter six for ya. We hope you all enjoyed reading it. We want to know what you think about how we wrote the tennis match, so make sure to leave us review.
~The Splits