I'm back with a new chapter! Though, it's mostly following the plot of the manga during the Kantou finals starting chapter 195, if you want to read it. ^^

And thanks for all reviews/alerts/favorites, I really appreciate them! Enjoy this chapter!

To FallenSlayer17:
Thanks for reviewing again! ^^ Of course lying to someone isn't a good thing to do, but well, I couldn't think anything else up to get them on a date. Also, sorry, you'll have to wait for the date with Atobe until next week.

Chapter 13: How to hide from someone

Today were the finals of the Kantou tournament Seigaku participated in. It was held at the same place as last week and Rin was in the park again, but this time she wasn't lost. She was wearing casual clothes instead of the uniform, she didn't like wearing skirts that always came with a female uniform, simply staring at a signboard where you could see a map of the park and trying to remember the way to the tennis courts. Suddenly she heard voices drawing nearer, and one of them she recognized. It was Atobe.

"Oi, Kabaji, get me something to drink."
No doubt it was him, his voice was melodic as always with that arrogant undertone.

"Usu." She heard someone answer, presumably the aforementioned Kabaji.

Alarmed and a little tensed because she didn't want to meet him now, this narcissistic guy would probably think that she had been stalking him, she did what came first to her mind: hide. Though the hedges were too far away to hide in time, there was only a dustbin tight beside the board and a big tree behind it. Without thinking anything through, Rin climbed the tree, slowly grabbing one of the bigger branches, pulled herself up and stayed on it. The tree's plenty leaves were quite big and she was also wearing brownish pants which blended in with the surroundings. Holding her breath she waited for them to pass and caught sight of Atobe's purplish hair. Following behind him like a loyal dog was Kabaji, holding a now empty can of what had seemed to be iced coffee. Another five guys in the same uniform as Atobe were talking and discussing, mostly about tennis, while slowly following them. One was wearing a cap, the other had magenta colored hair, which really stood out, next to him was a guy wearing glasses with dark blue hair. Beside the cap guy was a very tall one with silver hair and a gentle expression. The last one had brown hair in a weird bowl cut and wasn't participating in any conversation. Then she noticed that Kabaji was carrying someone on his shoulder, a guy with light orange hair and who seemed to be sleeping. She could hear light snores coming from him.

They didn't notice Rin in the tree watching them as they passed. After she wasn't able to see nor hear them, Rin decided to get off the tree. She climbed down to the lowest branch that could still hold her weight, let go and landed on the ground graciously right in front of a shocked black haired seaweed head.

"Rin-san? What were you doing on that tree? Why're you here?" He was surprised, but glad to see her. "Did you come to watch me play?" He asked hopefully.

"Oh. Hi, Akaya-kun." She flashed a smile which made him blush. "Well, I was looking for the tennis courts and ummm...thought that perhaps I could find them from up there, but yeah, I still don't know where they are..."

"So you did come to watch me play! Our team's playing in the finals and we're going to win!" He exclaimed excitedly. "But perhaps you won't be able to see me play because I'm singles two." He added with a little disappointment.

"Oi, Akaya, who's that cute girlfriend of yours?" A guy with long silver hair bound to a ponytail and a small redhead chewing bubblegum appeared next to Kirihara. They were wearing the same yellow tennis uniform as him.

"She's not my girlfriend, Niou-senpai!" Kirihara protested.

"Oh, that so. Then you don't mind if I flirt a bit with her, puri." The senpai answered with a mischievous smirk and Kirihara looked at him horrified.

"Don't tease Akaya-kun so much." Now a glasses wearing guy appeared and reprimanded Niou. He turned to Rin. "I'm very sorry about my friend's behavior. My name is Yagyuu Hiroshi, and you would be?"

"Ummm, Moriyama Rin, nice to meet you."

"So, how do you know little Akaya here?" The guy names Niou asked and patted Kirihara's head.

"Don't call me little, senpai!" Kirihara protested angry and embarrassed.

"But you are my little and cute underclassman." Niou couldn't stop with the teasing.

"Stop that!" Now his face was completely red.

"Tarundoru! What are you doing, Niou? We need to get to the courts now!" A big guy wearing a cap shouted at them.

"Yes, fukubuchou."

"Are you coming with us, Rin-san? You're looking for the courts, right?"
Rin nodded and followed.

"Now back to my question: How do you know him?" Niou repeated his question.

"Well, we both fell asleep on the same bus and had to find our way home together." Was Rin's honest reply.

"That's a good explanation. I would have never thought that Akaya could know such a pretty girl." He grinned at her, while Kirihara let out a huff.

"But I think he's rather cute." Rin protected him and once again he blushed.

"Just try looking after him for a whole day and say that he's cute." A bald, tanned guy sighed.

"Kuwahara-senpai!" Kirihara exclaimed indignantly.

"Stop harassing Akaya and Akaya, stop shouting so loud!" The fukubuchou ordered and they shut up. Rin was impressed by the respect he received from his teammates.

Soon they reached the courts: It was surrounded by a small fence and on two sides were stairs where the audience and waiting players could sit. For the coach or the captain of a team was a bench right next to the court, so that they were able to watch the match closely. Even though the game hasn't started yet, a few people were already lingering around, talking.

"Ah, Genichirou. Here you are. I've predicted that you would arrive exactly ten minutes before the start of the march." Another brown haired guy with closed eyes walked over to them and talked in the same fashion as Inui. When he noticed Rin he opened one of his eyes in surprise. "If I am correct, you are Moriyama Rin."

"Ehhh, Yanagi-senpai, how do you know her?" Kirihara asked curiously.
"First, she is from a rich family. Her father is famous in the sports business and her mother is also very well known as doctor and therapist. Second she has won several youth tournaments, although she doesn't play right now. Third and most important: She is the club manager of the Seigaku tennis club."
At the last announcement the guys seemed a little bit shocked, only the fukubuchou maintained his stoic and serious face.

"What! Rin-san, you're from Seigaku?" Kirihara exclaimed.

"Ah, Rin-senpai!" As if on cue Momo came running, Kaidoh following him. "Seems like you haven't gotten lost this time." Then he took notice of the Rikkaidai tennis regulars. "Why're you with them? That's the team we're playing against today!"

"Ahaha, they showed me the way to the courts." Rin laughed awkwardly, trying to break the arising tension between the two teams which stared at each other.

"So, Rin-san is that weak team's manager? I pity her for having to stay with such losers." Kirihara remarked, his eyes having become slightly bloodshot, and grinned at Momoshiro who was burning with rage. Kaidoh hissed dangerously like a snake, watching Kirihara cautiously.

"You shouldn't be so rude, Akaya-kun." Rin scolded him.

"You should show your opponents some respect, after all they did make it to the finals." Sanada too reprimanded him.

"Listen to your vice-captain."

Kirihara pouted. "But our team is surely going to win, so I'm only stating a fact."

"Little Akaya has a point there." Niou sided with him, a smug grin on his face."Isn't that right, Yagyuu?"

The addressed person adjusted his glasses before responding. "As I am the gentleman, I have to agree with Moriyama-san that you are being rude, and however I do think our school is going to win."

"Seigaku's team is strong, so don't underestimate us." Rin defended her school.

"Rin-san, why don't you join our team as a manager? You don't want to stay with Seigaku and their bunch of weak players, do you?" Kirihara asked her with puppy eyes.

"Huh?" Was all Rin could say in her bewilderment.

"Changing schools won't be a problem, right Sanada-fukubuchou?"

Even he couldn't withstand Kirihara's puppy eyes. He only nodded as an answer and left for the courts, together with the other players except Kirihara and Kuwahara, whose duty was to look after their second year ace.

"Oi, don't go stealing our team's manager and spouting all that nonsense about being stronger. We'll defeat you for sure!" Momo snapped.

"That so? How about a bet: If we win, Rin-san becomes our manager; if you win, well, she stays with you and you get to be this year's champion. Of course you're going to lose." Kirihara cocky speech only angered Momoshiro and Kaidoh more.

"Rin-senpai isn't just a trophy you can win!"

"Fssshhuuuu!" Kaidoh agreed.

"So you're afraid you're gonna lose. Pathetic." Kirihara snickered deviously.

"Who are you calling pathetic? We accept! We're going to win the finals!" Kaidoh had to hold Momos back or else he would have probably attacked the fellow second year standing before him.

"Great! Then I'll see you as our manager after this game, Rin-san." Kirihara's personality changed back to his cheerful self and he waved at Rin before turning and heading to his senpais with Kuwahara.

"This bastard, deciding things like this on his own..." Momo spat out through gritted teeth when Kaidoh released him."Let's get to the others."

Kaidoh seemed calm, but if one looked closer, you could see that he was trembling slightly because of his anger.

"Rin-chan, you're here! You didn't get lost this time, nya." Eiji greeted her as he saw them approaching. Then he noticed Momo's expression. "Did something happen, Momo? You look furious." He asked him concerned.

"We met the Rikkaidai players and they're full if themselves, saying we don't stand a chance against them and this Kirihara guy, you know, he was once at our school and caused a lot of trouble, asked Rin-senpai to become their manager!" Momo's rant stopped when he realized something important. "Urgh, and I agreed to the bet!"

"What kind of bet, Momoshiro?" Oishi appeared and Rin couldn't help but blush when she saw him, seeing memories of yesterday in her mind.

"Ummm, Oishi-fukubuchou. Well, I agreed that...if we lose, they'd get Rin-senpai as manager..."

"Momoshiro! How could you accept a stupid bet like this?" Now was the first time Rin had seen Oishi this angry. He shook his head to calm down.

"So that's what happened. Don't worry, Oishi, we'll definitely win, especially if our beloved manager is at stake." Fuji joined their conversation and patted Oishi's shoulder.

Everyone laughed at what Fuji had said, only Inui, who had been listening, was worried. No matter how often he had calculated their chance of winning, it was always very slim, though he didn't tell them. But then he smiled, remembering how the team managed to get over every obstacle even if everything was against them and set his worries aside. Someone tapped his shoulder and when he turned he saw a slightly nervous Rin.

"Inui, you didn't tell me that Atobe would be here." She whispered."I don't want to be seen by him, what should I do now?"

"Oh, I have planned things out." He gave a sign to Fuji who immediately came.

"Then I'll start with your hair." He smiled at her, leaving an ominous feeling in her.

"What are you going to do?" Rin asked a little panicky.

"Don't worry, braiding one's hair won't harm anyone." Fuji replied with a chuckle.
He finished fast and lastly Inui put a cap on her head, the brim hiding her face.

"Now we just spread the rumors that you're from Ryuuzaki-sensei's family. They'll believe it because she also has braids." Inui explained.

"And you think that works?" Rin doubted his plan.

"It will, I don't think Atobe will be too interested in a girl on Seigaku's team. And as precaution you can also have a pair of my glasses." Inui opened his tennis bag to reveal several glasses just like the one he was wearing.

"It should be alright." Rin sighed. "Who wants a little snack? I made cookies."

She opened her shoulder bag and took out a plastic box filled with different kinds of cookies to the brim. As soon as she opened it, everyone flocked around her, trying to grab a piece.

"Wait! One after another." She shouted and they hurriedly formed a row. But first she turned to the coach and offered her the biscuits before giving them to the boys, who ate everything in less than three minutes, especially Momoshiro, Eiji and Ryoma had gotten the most, leaving the empty box for Rin.

"Thanks, Rin-senpai. They were good!" Momoshiro complimented her. The others agreed, but then they felt a malicious aura coming from Fuji.

"Too bad I didn't get one, so I don't know how it tasted." He smiled sweetly, but a menacing aura surrounded him.

"S-Sorry, Fuji-senpai. We-"

Rin took another box out, smaller than the first one.

"I made wasabi cookies, my first try. I personally think they're delicious, but I want your opinion on it."

"Thank you, Rin." Fuji smiled and his dark aura vanished and the other regulars let out a relieved sigh.

He took one, eating it slowly. "Yes, they're delicious, but how about you add some pepper or ginger?" He suggested.

"Umm, good idea. I'll try it out."

Momoshiro snatched a cookie, but spit it out after tasting only a bit. "Spicy! Need water!"

Ryoma handed him his water bottle, which he hastily took, and gulped the water down.

"Thanks, Echizen. You're a life saver."

"Mada mada dane, Momo-senpai."

At this Kaidoh snickered.

"Are you laughing about me, viper? As if you could eat one of those cookies!"

"Fshhuuu, at least I would have prepared the water before eating it."

And another verbal brawl started between those two, but it stopped when the loudspeakers announced the beginning of the finals.

"Good luck everyone, give it your best!" Rin cheered and sat down beside the coach on the bench, earning murmurs from the audience.

"There's a girl with Seigaku's team!" "I heard they've gotten a manager." "Why's there a girl?"

From the other side of the court someone was waving enthusiastically to get the attention of Rin.

"Rin-san, nice to see you again!"

"It's Rokkaku's captain, Kintaro Aoi!" A freshman exclaimed.

Just then, on the other side of the courts, Atobe arrived with his school's regulars to watch. When he heard the name Rin, he turned around looking for a certain girl, but she was nowhere to be seen. There were only some girls cheering for the teams, a few of his fan girls following him and a girl wearing a cap and braided hair, but she was probably a relative of the coach, who became the manager of Seigaku's team. It must have been another person named Rin.

"Lucky, a cute girl right in front of me!" An orange head appeared behind Rin. He leaned on the fence and started hitting on her, asking for her number.

"It's Yamabuki's Sengoku!" One of the first years exclaimed.

"Oi, Sengoku, stop bothering Rin-senpai!" Momo protected her.

"It seems you're popular with the guys, Oishi has to watch out." Fuji commented, a smile plastered on his face. 'Especially for Atobe.' He added in his thoughts.

"Fuji! Stop implying things again!" Oishi shouted at him, his nervousness and worries making him a bit jumpy today.

"Look, Oishi's blushing, nya!" Eiji pointed at him with a grin.

A few minutes before the begin of the matches; the players were called to assemble. The regulars, now serious, headed onto the courts, where the two teams greeted each other. Center of all attention was Ryoma, though Oishi's declaration of Seigaku's victory also caused an uproar. They left the courts again for the first match to play and stood outside the small fence to watch the game and cheer the players on, Kawamura was even holding a big flag with Seigaku's crest, a blue flower with the Japanese characters for Seigaku written on it.

The first match was between the doubles pair Momo and Kaidoh against a small guy with red hair named Marui Bunta, the one who had been constantly chewing bubble gum, and his bald partner Kuwahara Jackal, a half Brazilian as Inui told her, which explained his dark tanned skin. They were both formidable opponents, one of them concentrating on attacks while the other defended.

At first Rin was a little skeptical about the pairing since she had seen Momo and Kaidoh quarreling nearly every time they were near each other, so she doubted that their teamwork would be really good. To her surprise they played well together because they knew each other's strong points and weaknesses thanks to their rivalry.
Their surprise attack right off the start didn't work out and the momentum was on Rikkaidai's side; Marui's special volley techniques had shocked them and taken over the game. When Kaidoh hit his snake, it was returned and copied by the other player. Due to this Kaidoh was crushed, while Momo tried playing the game alone until he recovered. As Momo called out for him and hurt his knee, he snapped out of his stupefied state and lent his bandana for him to tie around the injury. They nearly started quarreling again, but then Momo told him about the plan for a counterattack. With a mischievous smirk they continued the match. Kaidoh directly challenged Kuwahara to an endurance battle, although the latter was known for his stamina. In the end they only got a game and lost 6-1. After this match both of them were totally exhausted and also disappointed. Rin prepared their drinks and towels to wipe the sweat off.

"Good match, guys." She smiled at them.

Kaidoh only grunted while Momo promised to win his next match.
Next up was the golden pair, Oishi and Eiji, against Rikkaidai's combination of the gentleman Yagyuu and the trickster Niou. As it was Oishi's comeback match because of a wrist injury, he felt more nervous than usual. He calmed down when he saw a woman with her husband and her newborn child. He had helped her when she was pregnant and had injured his wrist at that time.

Shortly after the start of the match Eiji was hit with the tennis ball. He passed out and fell to the ground.

"Eiji!" Oishi screamed and ran to him. Rin also stood up from the bench, grabbed the first aid kit and dashed onto the court. She immediately checked his pulse and to her relief it was stable. Still, the ambulance was called; in the meantime Rin looked after him. They didn't move him, scared that his head had been damaged, but soon the ambulance car arrived. The paramedics heaved him on a stretcher to get him into the car and do a check-up, but suddenly Eiji opened his eyes and got up, claiming he could continue playing.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Eiji. You should at least rest-"

"I'm fine, nya! You worry too much, Oishi!" He exclaimed, even jumping up and down energetically to prove his point.

"Just let me do a short check-up, then I'll let you play."

"Okay, Rin-chan!"

Atobe couldn't shake the feeling of having met the manager of Seigaku before, who was tending to this acrobatic player of Seigaku. It seemed that her name was Rin too and she also had black hair. But the Rin he knew was from a rich family, they wouldn't send their only daughter to a normal commoner school. Well, he just had to catch a glimpse of her face and he'd knew if it was the right girl.

The match resumed with a good start for Seigaku's side. Through their amazing combination play they managed to get the first lead. It was Rin's first time seeing them play together in a serious game. But immediately Rikkaidai counterattacked with Yagyuu's laser beam and they lost two games. Slowly Eiji got accustomed to the speed of this fast ball and returned it, as a result they tied yet again. For the crowd it was a captivating match to watch as neither pair gave in, they were cheering loudly when gasps and shouts were heard as Niou hit a laser beam, even faster than the other. It turned out that Niou and Yagyuu had been posing as the other to fool their opponents, a trick by Niou also known as the trickster of the courts. This had a shocking impact on the golden pair and soon they were behind by three games. Rin got more anxious while watching; if they lost that would mean two losses for Seigaku, surely a bad situation to be in.

Thanks to Ryuuzaki-sensei's speech they calmed down again and used a new formation. With this Oishi managed to seal the real laser beam of Yagyuu, while Eiji returned Niou's and they got two games. In an inattentive moment Yagyuu was able to hit his special technique and the match ended with Rikkaidai's second win.
Due to this the mood on Seigaku's side became slightly depressed, but the regulars still remained positive.

"It's your turn now, Inui."

Inui stood up, marched to the court where his opponent was waiting.

"Yanagi Renji, whom Inui is going to play now, had been his doubles partner in Junior High. He also taught him how to use data tennis." Oishi explained.
That surprised a few persons who didn't know about it.

"Then they must know each other well. This should be an interesting match." Rin stated.

The match started. Inui's plays were flawless thanks to his data and soon he led the game with two sets. But at this point Yanagi started playing seriously, he had observed Inui and now attacked him, showing him that his calculations were wrong. The count went to 3-2 for Yanagi and Inui, as desperate as he was because his data wasn't working, abandoned his play style, solely relying on his instincts. With this he managed to catch up to his opponent and even take the lead. It was strange seeing the usually calm and observing Inui to run around the court energetically while returning the ball, but even without his data his tennis skills were amazing. He caught up to a ball on the opposite side of the court or reacted quick enough to return a fast slice.

This momentum didn't last long. Yanagi too increased the speed of his balls again and went all out. He gained back the lead, causing the cheers for Rikkaidai going louder and louder. One more game and Rikkaidai would win the Kantou tournament for the third time straight. Surprisingly Inui caught up yet again and Seigaku's hope grew. The match went into a tiebreak, none of the players losing more than two points and the rallies getting longer. Cheers for both sides were heard, but Seigaku's joyous shouts when Inui's win for Seigaku was announced drowned it out.

"Way to go, Inui-senpai!" "We knew you could pull it off!"

Now there was still a chance for them to win. They had two matches to go.

However Rikkaidai's side wasn't nearly as happy as on Seigaku's, even though they were leading with two wins. Their captain Yukimura was in the hospital, shortly undergoing surgery. They had promised him they would remain undefeated until his return, they also had wanted to inform him of their win at the finals before it began, but they had underestimated the opponents' strength which meant if they didn't finish the next match within thirteen minutes, they wouldn't be able to announce their victory.

"Don't worry, vice captain. I'll end this match fast." Kirihara's self-confident voice chimed.

"Kirihara-kun, was it?" Fuji stepped onto the court, removing his jacket. "If you're in a hurry, I'll be happy to oblige,...but you may not be the winner."
His last line was like from a hero out of a manga and Rin had to suppress her laughter because of the seriousness of this situation. (Seriously, when I read this I really had to laugh, it's just too cliché.)

"You're called a genius, right? Did you know that when you crush a genius they're actually very fragile?" Kirihara provoked him. "And don't worry about your manager, she'll be in good hands at our school." He added in a whisper, his smirk widening as he saw Fuji getting angrier.

"I heard that Kirihara-kun is the ace of Rikkaidai. How strong is he?" Rin asked with a concerned voice.

"He defeated Tachibana from Fudomine who is a player at national level. Though some say it was an accident." Oishi informed her. "He may even be at a higher level than Fuji."

His response only made her worries grow. Kirihara had been so confident when he claimed that he'd win this match in thirteen minutes. She hoped that Fuji was going to win, not only for Seigaku's sake, but also so she wouldn't have to change schools. Even though Rin didn't have many friends at Seigaku besides Rina, Shizuka and the tennis regulars, she had been content. People would ask her for help sometimes and she was known for being reliable and good at organizing. She hadn't had any enemies, except the fan girls if they counted, and she got along with everyone more or less. It was a comfortable school life and she really didn't want to leave it, especially since she had grown fond of the tennis club members as their manager.

The match began with Fuji dominating it. When Kirihara's eyes became bloodshot his speed and power increased, but using his triple counters Fuji took the lead. Angry, Kirihara kicked the net and earned a warning from the umpire. The match resumed, however, as soon as Kirihara found an opening he used it, knocking Fuji to the ground. The coach went to check on him and was shocked to find out that his eyes had been hurt and that his vision was temporarily impaired, but let him continue play. Rin noticed that something was off from the shocked expression of the coach, but when she asked she wouldn't get an answer, so Rin tried to find out what was wrong through observing the game.
Now Kirihara dominated the match. Fuji's timing seemed to be off and sometimes he wouldn't reach the ball to return it. Then Rin realized it: He wasn't able to see the ball! He was playing while only relying on feeling the ball, if that was possible. Slowly he got accustomed to being blind and his returns became more accurate. Kirihara tried confusing him with the sound of the racket scratching the ground, but that didn't prevent Fuji from getting the lead back. Still, Kirihara was persistent and tied the score, only to have Fuji leading again. Finally it was match point for Fuji. But because of his strong will to win Kirihara unconsciously awakened the state of self actualization. With this irregular playing style copying other styles, he managed to get back some points. As he used one of Sanada's techniques the gut of Fuji's racket was separated, but he returned the next ball by using the frame. In the end Kirihara's grip wasn't strong enough to handle Sanada's technique and Fuji won 7-5.

Now it stood two wins for each team, making the finals even more exciting. The tension rose when the players entered the court. On one side was Sanada Genichirou, also nicknamed 'the emperor', and on the other Ryoma who was much smaller than his opponent. Depending on who was going to win the outcome of this tournament final would be decided.
Right off the bat Ryoma activated the state of self actualization to keep up with Sanada and got the first set. But soon his opponent used his full strength, overpowered him with his special technique called Fuu Rin Ka Zan and gained four sets while Ryoma's movements got slower, even though he managed to seal the Fuu move.

"What has happened to Echizen? He suddenly looks so exhausted!" Horio, one of the first years exclaimed.

Immediately Inui started his explanation. "Because of activating the state of self-actualization, he used up more of his energy than normal, it also tires the body faster out, but if he hadn't done that he wouldn't have been able to play on even terms with Sanada."

The cheers for Rikkaidai got while Seigaku could only watch as Ryoma was dominated by Sanada, hardly keeping up with him, losing yet another set. But he didn't give up and after a few tries managed to return the Ka of Sanada's Fuu Rin Ka Zan. Immediately the cheers for Seigaku went loud as Rikkaidai's members were shocked. Continuing with his fast paced playing style he gained two more sets, the score now being 3-5.

"If Echizen continues playing like this, his body won't hold out any longer!" Horio screamed again.

Still, Ryoma's pace didn't drop, he even increased the speed of his hits and tied with Sanada, though even with his efforts he wasn't able to prevent the match point for Sanada. But luck was on his side and the ball went out. Taking this chance he caught up again and when he was only one point away from winning, Sanada entered the state of self-actualization to everyone's surprise. With both of them in this state the match became even more thrilling. Ryoma attacked with a smash, but it was lobbed by Sanada. In order to reach the ball, Ryoma climbed the umpire's seat, jumped and hit it with a new technique called Cool Drive. Instead of bouncing, the ball glided along the ground and didn't give Sanada the chance to hit it.

With this it was Seigaku's win. The more enthusiastic regulars stormed on the court and threw Ryoma in the air, screaming "Ochibi!", while Rin, Kaidoh, Fuji and Inui only watched them with a smile.

"Ahhh, Oishi's crying." Eiji shouted.

"Wha-? I'm not-" He tried to deny it, but the others just laughed.

"Shouldn't you go hug him, Rin?" Fuji asked her, a playful tone in his voice.

"Stop that, Fuji! Geez, always with your innuendos." She boxed his shoulder lightly.

He chuckled at her behavior, then turned to Eiji, who was also participating in throwing Ryoma up and down. "Eiji, Rin here needs a hug!"

"Everyone, group hug with Rin-chan!"
After Ryoma landed safely on the ground, they headed straight for Rin, who desperately hid behind Kaidoh, thinking his glare would stop them, but sadly for the two of them, they just continued dashing and tackled them in a hug. Squeezed and sandwiched between a lot of sweaty guys wasn't comfortable and Rin was happy when she managed to snake herself out of the hug. Kaidoh wasn't that lucky; he was hissing and glaring, but everyone, Momoshiro included, ignored it and squeezed him even harder.

"You're going to pay for that, Fuji!"

"I'm looking forward to it." He winked at her and left to talk with the coach.

"It's great, isn't it? Seigaku's going to be in the nationals as the champions of the Kantou tournament." Oishi approached her the first time this day. Both of them had been avoiding each other because of yesterday's 'date', but now such a small thing didn't matter.

"Yeah, you did a great job as the team captain."

"Don't flatter me, Tezuka's way above me. I hope he's back for the Nationals or else I'd worry myself to death." Oishi scratched his head, his expression falling a little.

"Not with me here, I'll help you out as much as I can." Rin patted his shoulder.

"We may have lost this time, but don't think you'll be able to win against us a second time at the Nationals." Sanada announced, the other members smirking confidently.

"And the bet's still going!" Kirihara turned to Momo.

Finally the finals were closed with handshakes of both teams.

"Aahhh, so tired, good thing we have a break before the award ceremony." Momoshiro yawned to emphasize his fatigue.

"You really have no stamina." Kaidoh grunted disapprovingly.

"What did you say? I'll never play doubles with you again!"

"That's good with me. Playing with you is troublesome."

"I'll show you how troublesome I am!"

"Please stop! We just won and you're quarreling again." Oishi cut in, trying to calm the both of them and keeping them at a safe distance. Eiji and Kawamura jumped in to help him, while

Fuji smiled. "Ah, young ones these days are so lively." He commented.

"You're only one year older than them, Fuji. So don't talk like an old man. It makes me feel old too, just because we're in the same year." Rin sweat dropped.

"Rin, I've got the thing you wanted. I forgot to give it to you before the tournament." Inui handed her a small test glass filled with a liquid.

"Umm, thanks... So what effects does it have? I don't want him to lose consciousness out of the blue. A stomachache would be fine."

"Oh, you'll see." He showed a devious smirk. "It won't be that bad, only a little bit unpleasant for him. Take good care of it."

Rin shuddered and decided she didn't need too much information. She trusted Inui, even though he was weird, well, everyone from Seigaku was.

"Then I'll go to the restroom, I'll give you the cap and everything back later, I won't need it anymore."

"Sure, we'll be waiting."

Rin dashed away. During the match she had already felt the need to look for a toilet, but leaving it hadn't been an option. Now she couldn't hold it back any longer. After running for awhile she realized she didn't even know where the restroom was. Only through asking a passerby did she find one.

"Aahhn, isn't that Seigaku's rumored manager?"

Rin was glad that she was wearing the cap hiding her face when she heard the voice of Atobe.

"What are you doing out here alone? You're quite far away from the courts."

Rin pointed at the restroom, not daring to speak because he could recognize her voice.

"Then before you go in, let me see your face. I heard you are very cute, a real beauty."

She shook her head and headed for the door of the restroom, but was stopped by Atobe grabbing her wrist. Judging from the girl's reaction she could really be Rin, or just a very shy girl.

"Come now, what's the problem?"

"Oi, Atobe! Are you harassing girls again?" Someone Rin couldn't see shouted.

He let go of her and turned to the guy who had just appeared.

"None of your business. I'll be leaving, but we'll meet again." He added and turned back to smirk at Rin, who sighed of relief that he hadn't found out who she was.

"Are you alright?" This time it was a girl's voice. "Seriously, that Atobe always has to get what he wants, even if he hurts others."

"I'm fine, thank you..." Rin looked at her with a questioning stare. Under the brim of her cap she could make out a cute girl with rather short brown hair pinned by hair clips and in a school uniform she didn't recognize.

"I'm Tachibana An, just call me An. You're from Seigaku, right?"

"Yes, excuse me. I need to use the restroom for a bit..."

The girl named An laughed. "Sorry, so that's why you were trying to get away from him as quickly as possible. We'll wait here, someone should escort you."
Now Rin remembered the boy who had shouted at Atobe a few moments ago. He stood a little behind Ann and had hair of a darker brown shade.

"Thank you very much."

"No need to be so formal."

Rin entered the small restroom and after finishing the important thing, she removed the hair ties and shook her hair a little. Because of the braids it was a bit curly. Then she took off the cap and put it into her bag. Checking herself in the mirror a last time, she nodded and left the room.

Outside An squealed when she saw Rin. "Wow that was just like a transformation. A moment ago you looked a little bit like a nerd, now you look fantastic. Right, Kamio-kun?"

"She's not as cute as you, An-chan." The boy replied blushing obviously having a crush on her.

"Well, she looks more mature than me. So, I haven't asked your name yet!"

"I'm Moriyama Rin."

"Then I'll call you Rin-chan! How about you meet the other guys from my school's tennis team? I heard you're the manager of Seigaku's team. Isn't that tough? Or do you perhaps like one of them?" She bombarded Rin with questions.

"Of course it would be nice to meet you friends, being a manager isn't as tough as being the captain of the team and no, I am not in love with any of them." At least I don't think so now, Rin added in her thoughts. But she wasn't going to tell a girl she had just met about her problems with boys, especially not because she knew all of them.

"Then let's get going! Come, Kamio!" The boy followed her like a loyal puppy. "I'll introduce you to my brother, Rin-chan! I'm sure you'll like him, he's a very nice guy. How about you go on a date with him? I think you'd suit each other well. You seem like a polite and responsible girl, not too fancy or loud. Just the type my brother likes, or at least I think so. He hasn't dated a single girl yet, that's really a pity. That's because he's thinking only about tennis. He's the captain and the player coach of Fudomine's tennis club, you see. That's a lot of work. But you'd be alright with this, right? After all you are the manager of a tennis team. You probably even play yourself. My brother is really good at tennis, he is on national level. But since we're from Kyushuu you might not have heard of him, but that doesn't matter. It would be great if he got you as a girlfriend. Then I wouldn't be the only girl hanging out with those guys. You know, it's somewhat frustrating to not be able to talk to a girl when you need to. Some things you just can't discuss with a boy. Like shopping. Yeah, we should go shopping sometime! I like your clothes, you've got to show me the shop where you've bought them. And we're at the court. Kamio-kun, hurry up. The ceremony's already starting!" An's rant ended when they arrived at the courts just on time.
Rin had been listening to her and had started wondering how long a human could talk without catching a breath. An seemed like a really nice and kind girl who needed a female friend to talk to.

"Brother, I'm here!" She shouted and waved.

A guy with short black hair in a black tennis outfit waved back and smiled.

"That's my brother, what do you think, Rin-chan?"

"He looks nice..." Was all Rin managed to say, before the Seigaku regulars spotted her and waved at her.

"Doesn't he? I'll introduce you later." Ann giggled with anticipation.

The ceremony ended after ten minutes. Rin excused herself for a bit to talk with Ryuusaki-sensei who was watching the ceremony not far away. Then she ran back to An who was now talking to a group of boys all in the same tennis uniform.

"Look, brother! That's Rin-chan, the manager of Seigaku, isn't she pretty?"

At this Rin blushed, she hoped An hadn't told her brother any unnecessary things involving a date.

"Nice to meet you, Moriyama-san. I am Tachibana Kippei. I hope my little sister hasn't been too intrusive." He smiled at her charmingly.

"What are you implying? I'm a nice girl, right Rin-chan?" An huffed and glared at her brother.

"Sure, spirited and nice." Rin answered with a smile.

"See, she says I'm nice!"

"Don't forget about spirited."

"Well, that's a good trait!"

Kamio joined the conversation. "I think An-chan is perfect the way she is, Tachibana-san." He looked at her blushing furiously.

"Oh, so you've met Fudomine, Rin-senpai!" Momo appeared.

Immediately Kamio's personality changed from admiring to hostile.

"Why're you here, Momoshiro!" He snarled.

"Don't worry, Kamio. I'm not here to steal your precious An-chan~" Momo teased him.

"Wh-What are you talking about? An-chan would never-"

"So, Rin-senpai. What do you think of Fudomine? They're also a very strong team."

"Wait, Momo-chan," An interrupted him. "Rin-chan is your senpai? So she's a third year?"

Momo nodded.

"That's great! Then she's the same age as my brother." An exclaimed excitedly.

"Where's Echizen?" A blue haired boy asked Momoshiro, then he started mumbling. "We still didn't have a rematch and the last time we met he bought the last grip tape of the store that I saw first and up until now it's still sold out..."

"Oi, Momo-senpai. We're going to Taka-san's place now, are you coming with us? Rin-senpai too." Ryoma asked the two with a Ponta can in his hand, interrupting the boy's mumbling,
who just started another rant.

"So you were here, Echizen. Then we can have a rematch and if you lose you'll give me the grip tape, don't think that you're going to win again, I have trained hard and thanks to Tachibana-san I've improved my skills a lot so you won't be able to beat me as easily as before..."

He was ignored and Ryoma looked at Rin and Momoshiro with a questioning stare.

"Of course I'll come! As if I'd let you eat all the sushi!" Momoshiro replied.

An took Rin's arm. "Sorry, but Rin-chan is coming with me. You don't mind, do you brother?"

"I don't mind."

"Then see you on Monday, Rin-senpai." Ryoma left.

"Oi, wait Echizen! See you!" He hurried away after saying a quick good bye.

"Come, Rin-chan! We're going to my home now. Hurry up, brother!"

The team members disbanded, each heading home their own way. Rin was together in a group with the Tachibana siblings, Kamio and the blue haired boy named Ibu. An would talk, while Kamio agreed to everything she said and her brother remained silent except when she asked him a question. Ibu was mumbling to himself and Rin just listened to An and would sometimes make a comment.

Half an hour later Rin found herself in a comfortable living room sitting on a sofa next to Tachibana in a rather awkward silence. An had said she would prepare the tea, so the two of them could chat a little.

"So, Tachibana-san. I heard you're a national level player." Rin started a conversation.

"Yes, what about you, Moriyama-san. Do you play tennis?"

"I've played for awhile, but right now I'm only the manager of a tennis team."

They continued conversing casually with each other, not noticing An observing them from the kitchen. She was quite content with herself, perhaps her brother would soon have a girlfriend! Then he wouldn't be too hung up about her getting a boyfriend.

Rin stayed at Tachibana's place until after dinner. She was surprised to see that Kippei, they had taken to calling each other by first name, was the one cooking dinner. She helped him and the three of them then ate dinner together. After that they talked a little bit more and before Rin left, she exchanged cell phone numbers with An.

"Let's meet up soon!"

"Sure."

Rin waved and headed for the bus station.

In the Tachibana house, An turned to her brother.

"So, how's she? I know you like her! You've got to call her and ask her out for a date!"

Tachibana just chuckled, his sister loved using the word date even if she meant a normal meeting.

"Why don't you go on a 'date' with her?"

"This time I really mean a date! A meeting between a couple!" And she boxed her brother.

He thought for a bit. "I'll consider it."