Chapter Four – Extended Play
"You're acting a little different, Tezuka." Fuji noted.
Tezuka looked up from his lunch. "What do you mean?"
"You're acting a little different." Fuji repeated. "Ever since yesterday. Did she say something to you?" He pressed.
"No. Nothing." Tezuka denied.
"You'll have to do more practice with the club – Coach is starting to get anxious that you're not practicing enough for the tournament in two months time. You're the Captain, Tezuka." Fuji explained.
"I know. He's spoken to me. I'm putting in the extra time lost with Miyako-san after Regular practice times and over the weekends."
"Miyako-san? You're on first name basis?" Fuji asked, keen to find out more.
"She requested it – she said it was something that only teachers here did." Tezuka replied. "She gets stubborn and hard to instruct when I call her by her surname so I have little choice but to obey."
"If you don't make a move soon you're not going to get anything going." Fuji said flatly.
"What are you talking about?"
Fuji sighed, his eyes opening. "Do you think I'm blind because I close my eyes a lot? Even the Coach knows that you're very interested in this girl. But you'd better make a move soon or she's going to find another guy and you're not going to like that much."
"You've jumped to conclusions, Syusuke." Tezuka said. "I have no intentions what so ever."
Fuji sighed. "You're a little dense when it comes to this kind of thing, aren't you, Tezuka? Even Ryoma-kun's discovered his hormones and is dating Ryuzaki-sensei's granddaughter."
"Syusuke, I can't believe that you – okay, perhaps I can. But, really, I am her instructor – and she is improving under my guidance. She even agreed to a match with me this afternoon."
Fuji's eyes opened yet again. "A match? Are you going to go easy on her?"
"I won't use the Drop Shot if that's what you mean."
"Why not?" Both turned to see that Eiji had joined them. His blue eyes observed them curiously. "Is this about that girl Tezuka's been hanging out with?"
Tezuka frowned and looked back to his food as the red-head sat down at the table.
"She's kawaii ne~?" Eiji asked.
Tezuka glanced at him, willing that a dagger would snap his mouth shut. He cursed the staff for putting him in the same class as Kikumaru – his mouth was too loud and anything said to him would be out and spread around the classroom like wildfire.
"Not now, Eiji." Fuji said calmly.
"Aww~." Eiji whined. "Why can't I know the gossip?"
"Because there isn't anything you need to know." Tezuka stated.
"You should know by now, Kunimitsu." Eiji said, waving a fork towards Tezuka. "Your glare doesn't work on me anymore, nya~."
Tezuka grumbled quietly to himself before standing up to head to lunch practice.
. : . : . : .
"Do you think he really noticed?" Kara asked.
"Without a doubt. He's a smart guy, Kara. I don't think he'd miss something like that."
"Don't be so paranoid about it." Kara suggested. "Be worried about it if he mentions it in a bad way. Then I'd apologise like mad and run fifty laps to make him happy."
"Any kind of laps seem to make him happy." Miyako muttered. "Well, chances are, if he noticed he'll make me pay by royally kicking my ass in our game this afternoon."
"I have the day off today, so I'll be able to come and see it." Kara informed her.
"Really?"
"Yeah, I asked my parents if I could take a day off so that I could support you." Kara replied.
Miyako smiled brightly. "That's so nice of them. Thanks, Kara."
"Hey, no worries. You're my friend; I should be there for you."
"This isn't a match to decide whether I live or die."
"Close enough."
Miyako sighed as she walked out of the bathroom stall, her sneakers in place and a tank top replacing her school shirt. She looked in the mirror for a moment, brushed a piece of hair behind her ear, flicked her long plait back and sighed. "This will either humiliate me or do the opposite."
"What's the opposite?" Kara asked, following Miyako out of the bathroom and towards the building's exit.
"I'm not sure." Miyako replied, tightening the hold she had on her racquet bag and school bag. "I hope it's not bad either."
"It shouldn't be too bad. I don't think he would suggest a match that would be seen by everyone that would end up hurting you."
"It might not have been his intentions. But what happens will happen. I just hope I'll be able to live it down."
"I'm sure that once you leave school no one will know or remember." Kara reassured her.
Miyako looked over at her, frowning slightly. "So for the next two years I'll have to be reminded of it every day?"
"Okay, that didn't help, sorry."
Miyako rolled her eyes with a forgiving smile as they turned the corner of the school building. "Oh hell…" She whispered, stopping in her tracks.
"Word spread huh?" Kara asked quietly.
Miyako sighed. "Can you take my school bag for me?" She asked, holding the bag across herself to her friend.
"Sure." Kara replied, taking the bag.
Miyako took a deep breath and marched onwards and into the fray.
The crowds had gathered from – it appeared – different schools as well as students from Seimaku. The nerves were crashing down on her heart and she suddenly decided that agreeing to a match was a horrible idea and that she should simply protect her pride for the most part and just take the flight option her mind was tugging towards. As she approached the court that the crowd was surrounded around a path was made for her and her friend as she sought the gate. On one side of the court Tezuka was doing basic warm-ups.
She took in a steadying breath as Momo stood forward to open the gate for her. "Good luck, Miyako-san."
"Thanks, Momo-san." Miyako said. She turned to Kara before entering – she unzipped her racquet bag, slipped her racquet out and handed it to Kara, she took her school bag and pulled out her full drink bottle and then handed the bag back. "I hope you don't mind holding them for me."
"No worries, I'm here to support you right?" Kara replied. "Have fun, Miyako. That's why you play right?"
Miyako smiled, nodding. "Hai." She replied and turned, entering the court. The gate slammed shut behind her and she squeaked, turning towards it sharply – this responded in a string of laughter from the crowd that had Miyako flushing in embarrassment. Hiding her face the best she could she walked to the free end of the court and began her own warm-ups.
She stretched her arms out to her back and linked her fingers together to further tighten the muscles. She then alternated she swung them out in front of herself to repeat the action. She then sat on the ground and pulled her left knee up to her chest and straightened the right leg right out in front of herself and pulled her foot towards herself – and once again she alternated to the other leg.
"Are you done?" Tezuka called from the other side of the court.
Miyako looked up from forcing her crossed legs to touch the ground. "Depends."
Tezuka allowed a small smile. "Whenever you are ready to play." He informed and began to swing his racquet back and forth from his fingertips.
In one swift movement, Miyako stood up, racquet in hand. "I'm ready now."
Tezuka met her at the net and he offered her a hand. "I'll try not to humiliate you – I didn't intend for this to become a showcase." He informed her.
"I'll try not to humiliate you either – it would damage your reputation if you lost, right?" Miyako teased, winking cheekily and taking his hand to shake it. "It's all a joke, Tezuka-senpai – I would never dream of doing such a thing." She added in all seriousness.
In a quick movement, Tezuka tugged her forwards and whispered. "No need for the honorific, Miyako."
Miyako shivered as he released her hand.
"Rough or smooth?" He asked, placing the end of his racquet on the ground and prepared to spin it.
"Smooth."
He spun the racquet on its tip and as it fell and the 'T' on the end of the handle was upside down, Tezuka looked up. "I serve. Regular tennis rules apply." He said, picking up the racquet swiftly and walking to the corner on his side of the court.
Miyako walked to the back of the court, standing directly in the middle, waiting for that first shot. She shifted from side to side, preparing for which ever direction he'd serve in. She watched him carefully as he threw the ball high above his head, leaning back, racquet at the ready and as the ball came back towards him he served, the ball firing towards her court. She ran to the right, racquet held in front of herself, waited for it to bounce, and returned it with an easy backhand.
He waited patiently for the ball to come to him and he returned it quickly but softly. He decided that for the moment he would take it easy on her and slowly increase the power of his shots. He'd promised that he had no intention of humiliating her.
Then the ball surpassed him, hitting the fence behind him, causing it to rattle and the ball bounced to the ground and rolled towards him slightly.
"Love – fifteen." The referee announced.
He looked up in her direction in surprise. She held her racquet over her shoulder casually, a satisfied smirk on her face. "Are you going easy on me, Tezuka?"
Tezuka tapped his racquet softly against his leg. "Not at all."
"Good, because this game is showing each other our different styles, I'd hate it if you didn't even show me how you truly play." Miyako said, righting her stance and waiting for his next serve.
"I don't think you want to see how I truly play." Tezuka assured her as he prepared a serve.
"I actually do." Miyako said. "Otherwise we may as well stop this game now."
Tezuka looked at her from the corner of his eye. He dared not use the Drop Shot on her, or Tezuka Zone. He'd play as she wished though, at his best. But she certainly hadn't changed since the practice lessons on the half courts. She was smiling brightly at the idea of playing tennis. She truly loved the game.
He'd honour that by giving her a worthwhile match.
With ease, he served, once again going a little softer than he would a usual opponent, but he was intending to lure her into a false sense of security – then he would increase the power of his shots and surprise her. But in the end, she surprised him. As his shots became more powerful she managed to match them equally enough to hit them all back with surprising ease and accuracy.
. : . : . : .
"Forty – fifteen."
"Are you sure that you're not going easy on me, Tezuka?" Miyako asked accusingly. "Because I've got two match points so far, and I'm about to make it three."
"I wouldn't think so, Miyako." Tezuka replied deeply, a trail of sweat running from his temple and off the tip of his chin.
Miyako gulped. He'd been saying things like that and in that voice since the previous match. It freaked her out and she didn't know how to respond to that kind of comment. To recover she prepared the serve, observing his place on the court before she shot towards the far right.
Of course he was able to return it and she run to the other side of the court to return that shot. All she needed was one more point and with that match point she would be in the lead.
She returned his shot again and when he caught her shot he produced a deep grunt. Usually when she watched tennis games on the television, the grunting sounds the guys made annoyed her – they were too noisy. But when the sound he'd made met her ears her body tensed and her cheeks flushed.
She missed the return.
"Forty – thirty."
Miyako gaped at the ball and then back at Tezuka, who was resisting the urge to grin in her direction in satisfaction - his suspicions correct. She glowered at him. "You're playing dirty, I see."
"It's your serve." Tezuka responded.
He was playing dirty, she could do that too.
. : . : . : .
She grumbled angrily. He'd kept up with her, even after she'd played her own style of 'dirty'. But she had more up her sleeve than he would believe.
He had six match points now and she was creeping up to her own sixth point. That meant they would meet a tie breaker. She was becoming worn; she'd never played such a game before. It had been nearly two hours and they'd only had one proper break since then. He truly was playing his style of game.
But the whole time he hadn't so much as smiled and that bothered her.
"You should smile more, Tezuka." She suggested, serving a ball to his right.
"And what purpose would that bring?" Tezuka asked, returning the shot with an easy backhand.
"You might look like you're actually enjoying the game for one." Miyako replied, grunting unconsciously as she returned the shot.
Tezuka almost smiled at the tiny sound she produced. In the words of Kikumaru or Momo: kawaii. But he would never say that. Not aloud. With any witnesses around. He returned the shot easily, but he could see the change in her stance – she was tiring out and her legs were becoming weak with fatigue. Just as he had planned.
Then, to his surprise she ran right up to the net before his shot would bounce and returned it just over the net.
The forgotten – and slowly dissipating – crowd gasped as Tezuka ran for the ball, but consequently missed and it bounced a second time beside his racquet on the ground.
"Game set: Arakaki Miyako, six all! Tie break!"
A shadow loomed over him and Tezuka looked up. Her chocolate eyes stared down at him, her chest heaving with her pants and sweat gleamed on every surface of visible skin. "What do you say to five minutes time out before we finish this?" She asked, hardly able to speak through her pants.
Tezuka stood upright, ignoring the ache in his arm. "Certainly, take longer if you need it." He replied, hinting an insult in his tone.
Her pupils narrowed dangerously, but she said nothing and turned, heading for the water bottle on the side of the court – freshly filled half an hour ago by Kara. She downed more than half of it and then, checking that he was looking in her direction, poured a heap of the water over her head. Shaking her head and hair as the cool water melted the sweat away.
Her body was becoming tense and there was a slight twinge to every muscle in her body. But she wouldn't allow that to show. This had become a game of endurance – mentally and physically.
"Are you okay, Miyako?" Kara asked, clinging to the fence.
Miyako met her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm nearly there. Imagine if I beat him?"
"He's not going all out, you know that?"
Miyako looked over as Fuji appeared. "What?"
"He's got moves not even I can achieve. If he used them you'd have lost long ago. The way he's playing he's giving you a chance to prove yourself."
"You don't mean that he's treating me as an amateur?"
"No, certainly not." Fuji reassured her. "This is about as good as he was when he was a first year in junior high – and believe me he was defeating seniors then as well. Don't feel discouraged – there are few who will provoke Tezuka to play his full and serious game against them."
"Then I'll just have to provoke him then." Miyako said and placed her racquet down.
"What are you going to do?" Kara asked. "You've already made all kinds of remarks and such at him and he's countered every one easily."
Miyako smiled at him. "My Mum told me once, about the day she met Dad. She was at the beach with a few of her friends, and she was trying to catch his attention. You know what did it?"
Kara shrugged, Fuji leaned closer, wishing to hear.
"She did this." Miyako said, grabbing the bottom of her shirt and shifting it up before grabbing bunches of the front and then proceeded to tie them into a knot. "The result, belly button and stomach in full view. The perfect attraction." She grinned a little wickedly. "And distraction."
"I like your style, Miyako-chan." Fuji said, his eyes opening as he grinned.
"Thanks, Fuji-senpai." Miyako replied, picking up her racquet and turning back to the court.
Tezuka had just turned his eyes back to the court when he noticed the change. "Miyako…why?"
She looked at him from the side, up through her lashes. "Because it's getting a little hot….isn't it, Kunimitsu-kun?" She replied in a gentle, smooth voice. She almost surprised herself at her guts. She almost lost her poker-face as she kept her gaze staring straight into his eyes, gauging his reaction. He'd stopped blinking and his grip tightened on his racquet.
. : . : . : .
"That was risky." Inui muttered, taking notes on the fresh page he had started on Miyako's playing style.
"What was?" Eiji asked as a steady rally between the opponents began.
"Not many would dare use his first name so early." Inui replied. "We could readily use it if we wanted to – but we don't because we know that he deserves the respect of being our Captain. She, however, has only known him for little more than a month."
"To think, the game turned to this?" Fuji asked. "I never imagined that Tezuka would resort to that kind of play."
"I think he wanted to see how far he could push her psychologically as well as physically – he drew the game out to a tie breaker on purpose." Inui explained. "He probably assumed that she wouldn't be able to last so long."
"And he certainly hadn't assumed that she would be so strong against his provocative comments." Fuji added.
"She's countered them all – and that last one was certainly the strongest." Eiji said. "Mou, why would she do that?..."
"She's meeting him challenge for challenge." Inui replied. "From what I can tell."
. : . : . : .
The twinge in her leg was becoming unbearable.
Everything she'd done to get this far and now her body was giving up on her. He'd tried to break her down by using remarks that tripped her up and distracted her – and she had won over each of them. But now she could hardly breathe and her muscles were beginning to tire to the point that she was afraid that if she took another step she would crumble to a heap on the court.
Then, as she had predicted, the inevitable occurred. She took a step and with a cry of pain she crumbled. Dropping her racquet and curled up, protecting her broken muscles, feeling the tears threaten as the lack of movement allowed the agony of her actions to set in.