And the next chapter is out! The longest one I have ever written~

It's the first appearance of one of the Rikkai regulars, one of my favorite teams~ Guess who!

I also want to thank you for reading this story and for all the alerts, favorites and reviews! Especially the reviews are giving me new ideas

To mewmewlover23: Thanks for cheering Rin on! I think she'll really need it. ;)

To FallenSlayer17: Thanks for your review! I'm glad you like Yumi, she's just like my younger sibling though: Cute, but annoying. I think you'll know what Inui wants from her after reading this chapter. ;)

R&R please!

Disclaimer: I don't own PoT, but the OCs are mine. :D

Chapter 11: How to prepare for a date

Momo and Ryoma were early today. They had decided to practice before school in order to prepare for the upcoming Kantou finals.
Momo was riding his bike with Ryoma standing on the carrier behind him, enjoying a can of Ponta. Suddenly the bike abruptly stopped. Ryoma managed to land on the ground without being hurt, but his Ponta wasn't that lucky. The remaining juice spilled, not drinkable anymore.
"Momo-senpai..." His voice was low, but you could hear the anger. Completely ignoring him, Momo just grabbed his arm and yanked him behind some bushes.

"Stay still. Mamushi and Rin-senpai are there up ahead."

"Kaidoh-senpai is? What would they be doing together?"

"Perhaps they're dating, why else would they meet up this early? And they're keeping it a secret from us! I nearly believed Eiji's talk about Oishi and her being together..."

Ryoma stuck his head out and observed them for a while.
"I think you're overreacting, Momo-senpai. They're only jogging, it's a coincidence that they've met, probably."

"Anyway, we have to tell Inui about this, he surely knows something. But I have to collect evidence too."

Ryoma shrugged. "Do what you want, senpai. I'm heading for the courts now."

"Oi, wait! Don't take my bike, Echizen. Is that what I get for picking you up! Wait up dammit!"
His shouting was useless, Ryoma ignored him and he had to run after him.

"I think I just heard Momo's voice." Rin told Kaidoh.
"Probably just your imagination, senpai."
She turned. "Well, I don't see him. You must be right."
And they continued jogging.

Before class started, Rin headed to Inui's class room. She had a favor to ask him and hoped he was there. Luckily for her he sat in there scribbling something in his notebook as usual. She approached him while thinking of a way to tell him about the favor.
"Inui?"

"Yes?"

"I wanted to ask if you could make some of your ...juice for me."

"What do you want with it? There is a 100% probability that you're not going to drink it yourself."

She had already considered lying about her real motive, but Inui definitely would have seen through it, so she told him the truth, well, part of it.
"Well, I need this for a guy with whom I have to go on a date, even though I don't like him."

"I'll give you the juice if you tell me who this guy is."
Rin considered this deal for awhile. She really didn't want Inui to know, but she needed his help to get rid of him.

"Only if you don't tell anyone else."

"That's alright with me if I get interesting data. I'll tell you exactly what I want tomorrow. But you have to answer one question: What's the name of this guy?"

Reluctantly Rin said his name. "Perhaps you know him, he's a tennis player. His name is... Atobe Keigo." Inui seemed surprised for a moment, but then quickly opened his notebook and started writing at a fast pace.
"I hope you don't mind if I test something new on him." He said with a smirk.

School went by too fast for Rin today. After a few hours which only seemed like minutes to her, she found herselfsitting on the school's rooftop. She didn't even remember if she had any homework or if she had talked to Fuji and Eiji today and how she got there.

"Rin-chan, are you listening?" A voice called

"Sorry, what was it?"

"Are you feeling alright? You've been spacing out." Shizuka asked concerned.

"It's nothing."

"So, how was the first rehearsal for the play?" Rina asked, smiling curiously.

"First, everyone had to ask me about every little thing. Second, Nohara-sensei came late and when he was here, he started hitting on me. Not only me, but all the other girls too. Though he is a good actor, I have to admit."

"Haha, I heard that he loves to flirt, it's like his hobby, so bear with it."
Shizuka nodded in agreement.

"Now, can I have a bit of your lunch?" Rina asked mischievously.

"No, or I won't have anything to eat. Seriously, how do you stay so slim,
If you're eating double what I eat?"

Rina pouted and hugged Shizuka.
"Rin is mean to me again, Shizu-chan!" She whined. As the brunette tried to comfort her, the small blond girl snatched her lunch box.

"Wow~ This looks good!"

Before Shizuka had the chance to get her food back, the other girl had finished without leaving a single piece. Depressed she moved away from, but Rina followed her and patted her on the head.
"Don't worry, it was just a lunch."

The door to the changing rooms for the tennis members was slammed open.

"Inui-senpai!"

"What is it, Momoshiro?"

An out of breath Momo appeared, behind him Ryoma walked in casually.

"Do you know something about Rin-senpai and Kaidoh dating?"

Inui touched his glasses, moving them into a more comfortable position.

"Well, I have seen them together in a café, furthermore-"

"See, Echizen! I told ya!"

"-furthermore they are jogging together daily in the mornings."

"That can't be, nya! Rin-chan likes Oishi!"
Eiji and Fuji had also arrived now, wasn't anywhere to be seen because he still had to talk with the coach.

"You think she's two-timing?"

"Rin-chan isn't that kind of girl, nya!"

"Perhaps she isn't sure whom she likes."

"There is a higher probability that she likes Oishi."

The door opened and Kaidoh stepped in.
"Is something the matter?" He asked confused by the stares he was receiving.

"Do you like Rin-chan, Kaidoh?"

Taken aback by the question, his first reaction was bewilderment. After comprehending the meaning of those words he blushed, but remained silent.

"So, do you?" Eiji repeated his question.

Kaidoh slightly shook his head.

"Then let's get Oishi and Rin-chan together!"

The rehearsal had finished after a lot of sexual harassing from the teacher's side and Rin was actually glad that it was over. She stopped by the tennis courts and watched the regulars play. They were fired up and played with more energy than normal. Fuji noticed her and waved at her. Then he went over to her place.

"Rehearsal has ended already?"

"Yeah we're making good progress and, well, without three of the main characters you can't do that much."

"Starting next week Oishi, Eiji and I will participate too."

"Hope so."

"Are you staying until the end of practice?"

"No, I promised my mum to go shopping with her. She wants me to buy new clothes for my date on Sund-" Rin immediately stopped talking. She hadn't planned on telling Fuji, but somehow she forgot about that and just talked.

"A date?" He opened one of his eyes in mild interest.

"Not really a date, rather a..." She tried to talk herself out of this, but failed at thinking of something.
"Then, I have to hurry, see you tomorrow!"
Rin left as fast as she could. Fuji chuckled.

"Seems like I got an interesting piece of information."

Inui felt someone tap his shoulder. As he turned he was surprised to see Fuji smiling at him.

"Do you know something about Rin's date on Sunday?" he whispered.

Inui raised his eyebrows. How did Fuji find out about this?

"She let it slip while talking to me." He answered his unspoken question.

If he already knew about it, Inui could just tell him everything. "She has a date with Atobe from Hyotei. Apparently their parents are friends, as I found out through research, though she isn't very fond of him. She asked me to make sone juice for him." Inui grinned.

"You aren't going to let her have it for free, are you?"

"Of course not, I already have a nice idea, where I'll be able to get interesting data too."

"Are you thinking of the same thing as me?"

"Oishi and Rin having a...?"

"Oh yes." Fuji chuckled. "That would be so much fun."

Oishi was talking to the coach when a shiver ran down his spine. He somehow had a bad feeling in his gut.

A few minutes later Rin arrived at the school gate where two persons were already waiting for her. The first one she recognized as her mum, but there was another woman right beside her. As she got nearer she identified the person as Atobe's mother, which shocked her. It was bad enough for her to have to go on a date with the son, but going shopping with his mother for the above mentioned date was even worse. To top it of her mother was also part of it. Spending time shopping with two women who wanted to pair you off with a boy you did not find likable nor were interested in wasn't the best situation to be in. Inhaling deeply Rin decided to suck it up and just get it over with. After mustering all her courage she went over to the two women waiting excitedly for her.

"Rin," her mother called, „hurry up! Why are you walking so slowly? We do not have this much time!"

She picked up her pace a little while her mother frantically waved at her as if that could speed her up. After a lot of waving on her mother's side she came to a halt in front of them.

"Rin, surely you remember Natsumi-san, Keigo's mother?"

She nodded.

"It's nice to see you again this soon, Rin. How have you been? Keigo said he was looking forward to the date and that it would be very...fun." She said in her melodic voice and then giggled.

"The pleasure is mine. I have been a little busy lately, what about you, Atobe-san?," Rin responded in a polite manner.

"No need to be so formal, please just call me Natsumi, or else it sounds so old. I have been great, thank you for asking." She winked at her.

Finally Rin's mother motioned them to the car where the chauffeur was waiting patiently in front of a limousine, one of the private cars of the Atobe family.
"Get in."

It was an even better car than the one that picked them up on Sunday for dinner. It had an integrated TV, also a stereo system and a small bar. Between the driver and the car passengers was a dividing wall. The car's windows were black so that someone outside wasn't able to see the inside while the persons in the car could make out the surroundings outside.
The two older women gossiped about other people, sometimes talking about their children. Rin stayed out of their conversation and instead looked outside, staring at the passing buildings. After a while the limousine stopped in a shopping street with expensive shops lining up on both sides. All of them were selling designs of famous fashion designers, from clothes to shoes and accessories.

First they went to search for clothes to buy. They entered a building ablaze with light: Everywhere were spotlights presenting the newest fashion with different designer labels on them. Mirrors on the walls reflected the light, making it even brighter. Racks were lined neatly in the shop and there were soft leather couches for people to lounge. On one side of the store was a row of changing rooms. Everything looked luxurious and expensive.

"This is my favorite store for shopping. Let us see if we will find something nice for this young lady here." Natsumi said, already heading in a certain direction. "I have never been to the teenage girls section before because I only have a son, but I am looking forward to it. We will make you really cute, Rin!"

Rin was still astonished by the number of clothes and her mother had to drag her to the girl's section. It was on the second floor, so they used the elevator. Upon arriving there a shop girl awaited them and asked them what kind of clothes they were looking for.

"Cute clothes for a date," the mothers answered simultaneously.

They followed the girl and were led to a corner of the floor.

"Here are the latest outfits especially designed for dates."

Rin was surprised to hear that they had an extra section like this. The two older women started going through the garments while Rin sat down on a couch and watched them. She didn't like shopping clothes that much, normally she only went shopping for ingredients she needed for cooking. Buying clothes was her mother's job, though most of them were too frilly for Rin to wear.

"Rin, you should also look for clothes, or else we will never find something suitable for you!"

Sighing, Rin stood up and headed to the rack nearest to her. Slowly she went through the wide variation of clothes until she found s black jean. She took it and showed it to the two women.

"No jeans or trousers, Rin! Only skirts and dresses." Her mother scolded her.

"But the color is right. Keigo's favorite colors are black and gold." Natsumi cut in.

"Then let's search for something in gold, black would be a little too dark."

The next hour Rin was shown all kinds of different shirts, skirts and dresses with something golden on it, but none of them were to their liking. When the mothers found an outfit, Rin didn't like it and vice versa.
In the end Rin was able to get her way. The mothers agreed to white Capri pants, a thin, white summer jacket with short sleeves and a simple, beige top with golden flower ornaments. The outfit was a little tomboyish, but still looked cute.

"Now we will buy shoes!" The women cried enthusiastically while an already exhausted Rin followed behind.

The shoes were on the fourth floor and again they used the elevator. Rin sat down on another couch and her mother and Natsumi brought shoes for her to try, most of them were shoes with heels, but Rin rejected them even before trying.
Finally they decided on beige sneakers because Rin wouldn't change her opinion. As they went to the checkpoint in order to pay, a white sunhat with a thin brim caught Rin's eyes. She took it and examined it. The hat was made from a thin fabric, it could protect one's eyes and it wouldn't turn too hot while wearing it. On the right side was a small gold white striped ribbon which looked sportive.

"You like it Rin? It's cute, let's buy it." Her mother offered. Rin nodded.

After waiting in the queue for awhile and paying for the clothes, they stood outside the shop thinking about what to do next.

"How about dinner now?" Rin's mother suggested.

"Yes, that would be nice, Hinako." Natsumi answered. "I know this really good French restaurant right near here. Let us go!"
Just as Natsumi said the restaurant had delicious food, but was expensive too. The mothers were conversing and Rin got bored being left out.

"I'll go home earlier, I still have school tomorrow. Good bye, Natsumi-san, mum."

"Be careful on your way home, dear!"

"I hope I will see you again soon."

After saying good byes, Rin left. She took the bus instead of the limousine. It was quite late already, so there weren't many persons on it. A boy, whose hair looked like seaweed, sleeping in the back rows, a small group of girls probably heading for a party and an old couple in the front. Rin sat down in one of the back seats and hummed her favorite song. After awhile only she and the sleeping boy were left on the bus. It was quiet except the roaring of the bus and she soon fell asleep.
As she opened her eyes again the bus was stopping at the final station.

"Miss, could you wake the boy? You've got to get off the bus. It's the last station." The bus driver told her.

Now she was wide awake. She moved over to the boys' seat and tapped his shoulder.
No reaction.
Now she shook him. He stirred a little, but it didn't wake him up. As last resort she pinched his cheeks hard. One of his eyes fluttered open and upon seeing Rin he became fully awake.

"Did I fall asleep again? Fukubuchou would be so angry if he knew. What time is it?" He asked Rin when he noticed that it was already dark outside.

"You're not the only one who fell asleep. And it's ten o'clock." She answered. "We have to get out of the bus."

He nodded and followed her with a big tennis bag on his back. Rin noticed it.

"Do you play tennis?"

"Yeah, I'm the only second year on the team. I'm the second year ace Kirihara Akaya!" He exclaimed enthusiastically, his sleepiness from before completely gone. The name sounded strangely familiar to Rin, but she couldn't remember where she had heard it.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Moriyama Rin. So, where's the bus station? We have to change the bus, right?" She asked him.

"That's not the problem. Buses only drive 'til ten o'clock. We were on the last one."

"What! How about the subway?"

"I don't know where we are, so I have no clue, if there's a station nearby."

They looked around. It was dark, only a few street lights illuminating the small street. Rin was kind of glad that she wasn't alone right now, even though she just met this boy.

"I'll get us a taxi." She said and got her phone out. But as soon as she flipped it open, the display turned black and she wasn't able to turn the cell phone on again.

"Why now?," Rin cried, then turned to Akaya. "Do you have a cell?"

"Sorry, but I forgot to charge the battery." He answered contritely.

Rin thought about their situation: First there weren't any buses driving, second they didn't now where they were and third they weren't able to contact anybody they knew.

"Oh!" Akaya suddenly exclaimed. "I think I've been here before from another time where I fell asleep."

In her mind Rin asked herself how many times the boy had fallen asleep on the bus already.
"So, you know where we are?" She inquired.

"Ummm, there should be a public telephone box nearby. You have coins?"

"Yes." Now she was glad she had brought her billfold with her.

They found it very quickly and Rin called a taxi, which arrived after fifteen minutes. During that time she talked with Akaya a lot, exchanging stories and funny experiences. In the cab car he nearly fell asleep again, but the nice cab driver talked with them.

"What's a young couple like you fellows doing out there this late at night?" He asked, grinning.

"We're not a couple, we just happened to fall asleep on the same bus and miss our station." She immediately answered, but the driver just laughed.

"Best excuse I've ever heard!"

"It's not an excuse!" Rin protested, but the man didn't listen and laughed even harder. Akaya didn't take notice of the conversation at all because he was barely awake. Finally they arrived at his address. He got out of the car and smiled sheepishly at her, scratching his head. "Is it really alright with you to pay for the cab?"
He looked adorable and inwardly Rin squealed.

"Don't worry, it was on the way to my home, so the price would still be the same."

"Was nice to meet you, hope to see you again. Take care."

"Yeah, you too. And don't fall asleep again."

"Says you." He laughed. Then he waved a little and turned, walking to his house. Rin leaned back into the seat and sighed. Some more minutes and she'd be home too.

"No good night kiss for your boyfriend there? Well, I'd be a little angry too if I were to pay for something as the girl." The driver commented.

Rin huffed. "I told you we're not in that kind of relationship. But she felt happy: Even though the day had been tiring, she had met someone and became friends with him.

"Damn, I forgot to ask his phone number. Well, he's a tennis player; maybe I'll see him again soon."

She didn't know how right her thoughts were.