Disclaimer: I own all the OC characters in this fic (obviously), but I don't own Prince of Tennis. All those cool characters belong to Konomi-san.

Um…. This chapter doesn't have that much action. I scraped a lot of my previous writing, because it's REALLY hard to write a tennis match in DETAIL. Unlike the anime, you have no cool effects, no awesome music… etc etc. Oh well. I'll have it in the next, next chapter. Yup.

All my characters make an appearance in this one, and the most detailed match I have in here is Sakuno's! Yay! The rest are just comments about a match. A little RyoSaku in here, if you squint your eyes. I'm trying not to go OOC, so RyoSaku progress might be a little slow.

To Catch A Falling Star—Chapter Three: Girl Power!


Tezuka gathered all the Seigaku regulars before him, with the exception of Inui, who was already busy taking notes about the matches. "Since the courts are being used today—"

"—and we have nothing to do—" Momoshiro muttered.

"—I have volunteered us to help pick out the future regulars."

"Eeh?" Several voices cried.

"This will be interesting." Fuji commented.

Tezuka pushed his glasses up. "Make note of the players that you believe have the most potential. At the end of the tryouts, please report these names to Inui." He glanced down at a piece of paper. "I shall now assign you to watch specific courts. Oishi, Kawamura, court A."

"COUNT ON ME, BABY!" Kawamura hollered, brandishing his racket.

"We'll do our best, Tezuka." Oishi said, ducking slightly to avoid Kawamura's swings.

"Fuji, Momoshiro, court B."

Momoshiro whined, "But I want to watch Sayaka's match! She's in court C!"

Fuji smiled. "I'm sure the whole point was to make sure the selections were unbiased, Momo."

"It's not fair, it's not."

Tezuka eyed him for a moment, enough to silence him. Then he continued down the list. "Kikumaru, Kaidoh, court C."

"Let's scout out the best, Kaoru-chan!" Kikumaru said, jumping up and down and patting Kaidoh's head.

"Fsssh…."

"And finally," Tezuka paused for a moment. "Echizen, court D."

Ryoma lifted his head. "Eh? By myself?"

"Yes." Tezuka replied. "Court D will be mostly freshmen. Besides, it's also the court closest to Inui, so he'll be able to take a look when he's not writing."

Pulling his cap back down, Ryoma nodded slightly, accepting the arrangements.

"That's all," Tezuka said. "Yu Dan Sezu ni Ikou! (Don't let your guard down)"


Court A

There was a thud of a ball being smashed. Then…

"Game and match, Marui, 6 games to love."

Kimiko let out a yawn. "What? It's over already?" she said in surprise. "I was just getting warmed up…"

Her opponent couldn't even stand up.

She smiled sweetly. "Let's have another go, just for fun, ne?"

Oishi blinked to see if he was dreaming. That Marui was only about a decimeter taller than Echizen, and at least ten inches shorter than her opponent. (Her opponent was abnormally tall for a girl.) "Dynamite in a small package…"

After much persuasion from his vice-captain, Kawamura had finally set down his racket and was back to his calm self. "She has an incredible amount of stamina!"

"Iie," Oishi said, disagreeing. "Did you notice her play style? Her net play was much different than Kikumaru's… She hit a lot of drop shots and cord balls, so she didn't need to use up much energy. All the time she was tricking her opponent, making them think that her shots wouldn't go over the net." 'I've seen this play style somewhere…'

"Marui Kimiko. Age: 16. Dominant Hand: Right." Kawamura read aloud, consulting the application form all players handed in before they began their tryouts. He glanced at Oishi. "It says here that she used to be part of the girl's tennis club. They didn't have regulars before, but Ito-buchou noted her as one of the best players."

"Taka-san, may I…?" Oishi took the profile from his hands and skimmed it. There was a question asking the former buchou to rate the athlete's tennis skills, and Akane had checked the box that said: Among the top ten.

"I think we could recommend her."

"Ah…" Oishi nodded, still looking at the profile. 'But she's a lot stronger than she lets on. I'd like to see her against a more proficient opponent.' He frowned. 'I'm sure I've seen her play style somewhere before… Nope, Eiji's was way different… Hyotei's Jirou-kun, maybe?'

Kawamura smiled slightly as he compared her profile picture to the actual girl. "The team could use someone like her. A volley expert, huh?"

It hit him then.

"Wait!" Oishi cried as Kimiko began to leave the courts.

"Hmm?" She turned, a towel slung over her neck even though she was hardly sweating.

"Are you, by any chance, the sister of Rikkaidai Fuzoku's Marui Bunta?"

She let out an exasperated sigh. "WHY does everyone keep asking me that?" she yelled in frustration. "I'm NOT his sister! Bunta doesn't even HAVE a sister!"

Everyone looked their way, locating the source of the noise.

Oishi sweatdropped. "Ano… I'm sorry I asked…"

"We're distant cousins! REALLY distant! We don't even look alike—"

'You look exactly the same, magenta hair and all.' Oishi thought.

"And if you dare say that my style of tennis is the same as his—"

"Umm... Excuse me, miss?" The referee interrupted politely. "Could you please leave the courts? The next set is about to begin."

Oishi half expected her to start arguing with the referee, but it turned out to be the opposite. Kimiko bowed over and over, rather enthusiastically. "Gomen ne, Gomen ne!" The whole crowd sweatdropped at her sudden change of attitude. She then bounded to where Oishi was standing.

"You're Oishi Shuchirou, right?" she questioned sweetly.

'Was this the girl that was yelling at me a moment ago?' "Ah…Yeah…"

"I'm Marui Kimiko!" She made another victory sign next to her face. "Nice to meet you!" She turned to Kawamura and did the same pose. "Kawamura Takashi-senpai, nice to meet you too!"

Oishi and Kawamura exchanged glances. "Ah… same here."

"Well, I hope the next match won't be half as boring as mine was," She twirled a lock of her short pink hair. "I better report my score to Inui-senpai. Ja ne!" She blew them a kiss and bounced happily away.

The courts suddenly seemed a lot quieter. Kawamura turned to Oishi: "She's rather, uh... flighty, isn't she?"

Oishi was starting to have second thoughts about recommending her. He massaged his temples. Already her excitement seemed to be wearing him out, and he had known her for no more than a couple minutes. 'Still, she's a great tennis player…' he thought, a smile making its way onto his face. 'I guess I don't have a choice.'


"Inui-san," Reina tapped on the desk to get his attention. "Akane-buchou asked me to hand this list to you."

"Hmm?" He raised his head from his notebook and took the list from her hands, scanning the title. "Players that voluntarily withdrew from the tryouts?"

"It should be accurate."

The list not only contained the names of the tennis players, but also their year and class, neatly printed in the smallest handwriting possible. The list was long, and she had barely managed to squeeze all the names on three sheets of notebook paper. He noticed that most of the names were those of freshmen.

"Probability that they only signed up to see Seigaku club members up close…" Inui paused to calculate.

"Ninety-three percent." they said at the same time.

"Probability that there are going to be withdrawals later on…"

Reina reacted a split second faster than him. "Ninety-six point three percent."

"Hmmm…." he murmured in amusement. "I was going to say ninety-two point five percent."

A wry smile crept across her face. "I have taken into my calculations the small percentage of second years that will withdraw when they observe Kimura Suzume's tennis," she said. "Her type of tennis will trigger great agitation, trepidation, and consternation caused by the expectation of danger, among those designated to be her opponents."

Inui smiled as well. "So I see…"

"You still can't speak normally, can you, Reina?" Akane said as she walked over to them. "Might as well save your breath and just say: "Suzume's tennis can scare the living daylights out of anyone.""

Reina pushed her rounded rectangular lenses up her nose, looking slightly hurt. Her glasses weren't quite as thick as Inui's; her visible beautifully tilted eyes were strangely alluring. Along with her shoulder length black hair that curved naturally outwards and pale golden skin, she was a typical Asian beauty, and might've been the most popular girl in the school. 'But the way she talks frightens off everyone.' Akane thought.

She suddenly turned to Inui. "I almost forgot. Ito Akane, court B, 6 games to love."


Court B

"Osaka forfeits. Game and match to Kimura, 3 games to love."

Momoshiro was speechless for that instant. (This is a big deal, since he's always talking.) He moved his lips, but no sound came out, until finally he found his voice. "Oi… Fuji-senpai… that wasn't…"

"Ah." Fuji's blue eyes were wide open. "Second year, Kimura Suzume."

Momoshiro looked down at Suzume's application form. The paper was shaking. In fact, his whole body was trembling. "Her tennis…" He couldn't even finish his sentence properly. He tried again. "Her tennis…"

Fuji finished it for him. "…is frightening…" His eyes narrowed as he watched her walk off the courts, taking in the way she looked; the way she acted. Her red hair was parted so that the left side of her face was completely covered. Out of pure curiosity, he wondered if she was good enough to beat most players with just one eye.

Momoshiro shivered inwardly when she walked past them on her path to Inui. As expected, she stopped to talk. They weren't in the same class, but they did have English period together. It wasn't like they were strangers. "Yo, Momoshiro. Did you enjoy the show?"

"Ah…" He paused, trying to say something positive. "I didn't know you could play tennis like that…"

She hooked a spare strand of hair behind her ear, revealing that she had pierced her ears multiple times. "That was nothing. You wanna play? I'll show you some real tennis."

"Eh… I'll pass…"

She smirked. "Scared?"

"Of course not!" he said defensively. "I—"

"All right, I get it, I wouldn't want to play me either." She shrugged and continued walking.

Momoshiro turned back to Fuji. "Fuji-senpai, you're not going to select her, are you?"

"Actually, I am."

"What?" he burst out. "But… it's like selecting a female Kirihara! We don't want that!"

Fuji sharpened his gaze. "You and I both understand that she's far from that." The tone in his voice changed. The temperature seemed to have dropped ten degrees.

Momoshiro backed down. "Ah… I suppose so…

"We've already seen four matches. Besides the obvious Ito-buchou, she's the only other player that stands out enough."

"All right then." he gave in. But he couldn't let go of one chilling thought. 'What if her tennis takes another step forward? What if it truly becomes violent?' "No matter what, I hope Sayaka never has to play her."

Akane approached court B again. "Did I miss the action?" she called to the two Seigaku regulars.

"Ah…" Fuji replied. "Kimura Suzume's match just finished."

She sighed. "Well, there's nothing I can do about that."

"It's a shame. It was a very exciting match." Fuji told her.

"Exciting my foot," Momoshiro muttered under his breath. "It was downright scary."

Akane tied her fluffy ginger hair up into a practical ponytail. "Looks like Chiharu's up next."

"Who?"

She pointed to a girl with bluish-gray hair in pigtails, not unlike Tomoka's hair style. "Oshiro Chiharu. Third year, and one of the best players."

The girl made her way onto the court. About halfway there, she tripped over her own two feet and fell, scraping her knee.

Momoshiro glanced at Akane. "You sure she's one of the best?"

Akane nodded. "She's downright clumsy, but besides maybe Morioka Izumi, you'll never find a more graceful person on the courts."

Sure enough. The game began, and Chiharu creamed her opponent, 6-0.


Court C

"Game and match to Momoshiro, 6 games to 1."

Sayaka smiled as she wiped her brow and shook hands with her opponent. She felt a little down that her opponent had been able to take one game away from her, but she had needed to give up that one game to test out her new tennis style. Soon, as she adjusted her steps, her body began moving almost on its own. She didn't even need to think.

He legs ached slightly as she walked back to the bench. 'Maybe I should've stretched better.'

Kikumaru's eyes were wide with wonder. "Kaoru-chan!" He had his arm around Kaidoh's neck and was shaking him. "Did you see that? Did you see that?"

"Ah…" Kaidoh said. He too, was so captivated that he ignored the fact that he was being strangled half to death.

She took a long, well-deserved drink from her water bottle. Suddenly, someone jumped her from behind.

"Sayaka-chaaaaaaaan!" Kikumaru said happily, not caring about the water that sloshed over his arms from her water bottle.

Kaidoh was relieved that his senpai had found someone new to cling onto.

"Ah… senpai..." Quickly, she dipped her flexible body and escaped his grasp. "Who said you could call me Sayaka-chan?" she said, punching his shoulder playfully. He had nice eyes, she noticed.

"Your tennis is really amazing! I thought as Momo's sister, you'd have the same style as him."

"Nah, I like to differ from that baka. Or else his stupidity might rub off on me," she replied. "And I didn't take gymnastics for nine years for nothing."

"But this is your first time playing acrobatic tennis, right?" he asked.

She blinked in surprise. "How did you know that?"

"Hee hee," He smiled knowingly. "Your flips didn't have that much fluidity. You'll get better at that, nya." He leaned over and mussed her hair.

"Hey!" She ducked. "Do I look like your pet dog?"

"Nya, more like a cat. Kind of like me!"

Kaidoh observed them. Kikumaru had only met Sayaka yesterday, yet they were already like the best of friends. Kaidoh, however, had been in the same class with her for two years, yet they rarely spoke. He couldn't help feeling just a little put out. 'That's just how Kikumaru-senpai is…'

Almost immediately, Sayaka turned to him, "So, how did I do, Kaidoh?"

He gave an approving nod. Sayaka may have been looking for more than just a nod, but coming from Kaidoh, it meant a lot to her.

"Maa, Kaidoh, what are you talking about!" Kikumaru protested. "She was incredible! I think you might even be more acrobatic than me…"

Unfortunately for them, Coach Ryuzaki had been patrolling the area nearby. "Kikumaru! Kaidoh!" she hollered, so loudly players from court A swiveled their heads around. "The next set is about to start! So stop flirting and get your butts over here!"

Both of them winced, their cheeks carrying a red tint. "Oh no!" Kikumaru said. "We got caught. Ja ne, Sayaka-chan!" He waved as they walked back to an angry coach.

Coach Ryuzaki pulled their cheeks, hard, almost distorting their facial features. "What were you guys thinking?"

"Ite!"


"Ah… Inui-senpai…" Sakuno said timidly.

"Hmm?" He finished noting another score before looking up and noticing the tiny girl before him. "Ah, Ryuzaki Sakuno-san," Flipping a page in his notebook, he said, "You're up next, court D."

"H-hai!"

She walked to the court and began doing her stretches. Suddenly, she felt a racket tap her shoulder.

"You bend your knees too much." said a voice she knew all too well.

"R-Ryoma-kun," She turned around to look at him. "Are you watching me play?" she asked, slightly hopefully. A shy smile crept onto her face.

He shrugged, a bored expression upon his face. "I have no choice. I'm assigned to scout this court."

The smile dropped. "Ah…" she murmured sadly "So that's how it is…"

"RYOMA-SAMA!" someone shrieked. Three guesses who. "L. O. V. E. RYOMA-SAMA!"

Ryoma looked dazed for a moment, then he saw Tomoka doing her cheerleading dance, he sighed.

This was going to be a long day.

"Sakuno!" Tomoka called. "Are you here to cheer for me?"

"Eh?" Sakuno looked bewildered. "Tomo-chan… you're playing? Court D?"

"Yeah! What about it?"

"Ano…" Sakuno didn't know how to tell her. The air she inhaled suddenly seemed icy cold.

It turned out she didn't need to. When their eyes met, Tomoka realized that she had been pitted against her best friend. All those times they had practiced tennis together, and when they had bugged Ryoma in coaching them… Her expression changed.

"Will both players please enter the court?"

They both walked to the net. "Tomo-chan…" Sakuno wanted to say something, but she didn't know what to say. She didn't know what the appropriate thing to say was. 'When Momo-chan-senpai and Ryoma-kun played it wasn't this awkward… why does it feel so different?' She shook hands with her friend, and noticed that Tomoka's hand was just as cold as hers.

"I never thought we'd have to play each other." Tomoka said quietly. "But it doesn't matter."

"One set match! Ryuzaki to serve!"

She bounced the ball on the ground a couple of times. Her hand was shaking slightly. 'Ryoma-kun's watching me… I can't lose…' Then she tossed the ball upwards. 'Focus… keep your eye on the ball...' Taking in a breath, she jumped up and swung her racket in an overhand serve.

Her racket was met with air.

"Fault!"

She had missed the ball.

Her face turned tomato red from embarrassment. "I guess I really am nervous…" she whispered to herself, mortified. 'Maybe I should just quit…'

"Hey," the referee said. "Could you please serve?"

"Ah, gomenasai!" She gripped the ball tightly. 'No, I can't quit! It would be dishonorable to obaa-chan….' Again she tossed the ball upwards, jumped, and served.

Ryoma's eyes narrowed.

This time her racket connected with the ball. It flew on a diagonal line straight to the right corner of the service line.

"15-love."

"Hmm…" Ryoma murmured. "Not bad." 'Service ace? Looks like she got a little practice…' Last time he had seen her play, she still couldn't hit the ball properly. He was surprised to see her show a near-perfect serving form.

She served overhand again, this time to the left. Tomoka managed to return her shot, and they soon got a rally going.

Akane was talking with Reina at the time, but then noticed a small crowd gathering around the D-court, consisting mostly of freshmen. She walked over to take a look.

Just then, Tomoka ended the long rally with a drop shot.

"15-all."

"These two are pretty good, for freshmen." Akane commented as another rally got underway.

"Tomo-chan," Sakuno called as she returned another shot. "You're really good!"

Her friend smiled as she ran around the courts. "My parents got me a coach a few months ago," she replied, lobbing the ball up. Sakuno jumped up, braids flying like twin dragons, and smashed it to the right corner. "You're not bad yourself," Tomoka said, panting slightly. "When did you get so good?"

"30-15."

"My grandmother starting coaching me a while back," she said as she served again. 'This feeling…' They had finally walked past that awkward barrier. Now, they were just friends engaged in a friendly match. Sakuno began to remember the feeling of pure enjoyment she felt when she first held a racket. Maybe she started tennis so it would bring her closer to Ryoma, but now, she had developed quite a passion for the sport she was playing.

'Obaa-chan and Ryoma-kun have used their precious time to help coach me! I won't let that go to waste!'

"Hmm…" Akane watched with interest. "That girl with long braids is getting more aggressive."

"She's hitting to the corners of the court, and shots that have low bounces." Ryoma said. "Those are hard to reach."

Akane gave him a quick look, then turned her attention back to the game. "Right. And even if one does reach them, then they use up energy in running." 'But that other girl isn't bad… she's picking up most of the shots…'

Tomoka tightened her grip on her racket as she hit a ball to the right corner. 'What?' Sakuno seemed to move before her racket even touched the ball. By the time the shot had gotten there, she was already in receiving mode. She returned the diagonal shot to the very edge of the court.

'She almost seems magnetically drawn to the ball… there's only one other girl I know who can do that…' Akane thought.

Tezuka was watching the match from a distance. Silently, he took out a pen and made a note on his piece of paper.

Half an hour later

"Game, Ryuzaki. 6 games to 2."

They shook hands. "You're amazing, Tomo-chan," Sakuno said, catching her breath.

"You're the one that's amazing," Tomoka replied. "You must've trained extra hard. But I won't lose next time! "

Sakuno smiled slightly as she walked back to the bench. She put her racket away and zipped up her bag. A shadow fell over her and she looked up.

"Ryoma-kun!" She blushed slightly, reaching a hand up to shield her eyes from the sun.

He still had a bored expression (doesn't he always) and was drinking a can of Ponta.

'I thought by watching me, maybe he wouldn't be so bored…' she thought, a little sadly. "Ano… I know I didn't play that well…" she ventured. "So… do you have any advice?"

He took the can away from his lips. She prepared to take his answer, however harsh it was. "Your hair is too long."

There was a long pause.

"Th-that's it?"

"Hmm…" He smiled slightly. "Really? I thought you played pretty well."


"Akane!" Reina called. "We have a problem."

"Huh?" She stepped over to the desk. Inui and Reina were both seated at it, and both were writing furiously with their pencils. "What is it?"

"Tezuka-buchou did volunteer the male regulars to help pick out potential tennis players, right?"

Akane blinked her blue eyes. Something must be up. "Reina, what's wrong? I can actually understand you." If Reina started speaking standard, understandable Japanese, it must be a bad sign.

"The problem is, we can't possibly have a Round Two!" She flipped a couple pages back. "Too many people have withdrawn. My apologies, Inui-san," Her fingers reached up to adjust her glasses. "It seems that my calculations were incorrect. Kimura Suzume must've scared off more that what I have taken into account."

"Not just Suzume," Akane voiced her thoughts aloud. "Kimiko, Chiharu, you, me… All of us went all out today. We didn't hold anything back."

"And that is why… we are left with so little people willing to continue in the second round." Reina concluded.

"Well, if they are too scared to face up to us, than they wouldn't be good members anyway," Akane pointed out. "We'll just make use of the ones that are brave enough to stay."

"So that means… we pick the regulars today." Inui stated slowly, to make sure.

"Yes. Inui, why do you treat me as if I talk like Reina?"


The skies were just beginning to turn pink. Due to the number of people who forfeited, the matches ended early. Soon, Coach Ryuzaki gathered all male regulars before her. "All right, boys. We have about ten minutes before all the girls gather," she said. "Let's hear it. Did you discover anyone with enough skill? Oishi, Kawamura, we'll start with you."

Oishi spoke. "From court A… Second year, Marui Kimiko. Third year, Watanabe Reina, and third year, Morioka Izumi."

Kikumaru and Fuji exchanged smiles when Izumi's name was read.

Both Inui's and Reina's pens were flying at amazing speeds. Tezuka, Akane, and Coach Ryuzaki had walked from court to court freely, noting down the girls they thought were the most capable. Inui was writing down all the names spoken, and Reina was checking the names that appeared more than once.

Reina nodded to Tezuka once she was finished, allowing them to continue to court B.

Fuji stepped forward. "From court B… Second year, Kimura Suzume. Third year, Ito Akane, and third year, Oshiro Chiharu.

"Oshiro?" Kikumaru echoed. "She can't even walk down the hallway without tripping at least three times." He laughed.

"Eiji!" Oishi said in a scolding tone.

Inui gave Tezuka the nod, and they proceeded to the next court.

"From court C… Second year, Momoshiro Sayaka—" Kaidoh was cut off.

"All right!" Momoshiro exclaimed. "Sayaka made it! Awesome!"

"Urusei! Shut up!"

"What's that, Mamushi?"

Akane calmly walked up to both and dumped the contents of an icy cold water bottle on their heads.

"And…" Kikumaru continued, since Kaidoh was still in shock from the impact of freezing water on his sweltering skin. "Third year, Komboi Aiko! She's a foreign exchange student!" He jumped up and down excitedly.

Reina and Inui finished writing at the same time. They nodded simultaneously.

"Echizen." Tezuka pressed.

He lifted his head. "There wasn't anyone that stood out in particular." 'Half of them couldn't even hit the ball…'

"As expected of the freshmen," Akane touched her chin thoughtfully. "There was that one girl that was pretty good. The one with braids… what was her name again?"

"…Ryuzaki Sakuno…"

"She was all right. I think she may be a good doubles player."

"She's my granddaughter," Coach Ryuzaki said proudly. "And yes, she has shown good improvement lately, but I still don't believe she's ready to take on the responsibility of a regular."

Akane pondered for a moment. "She seems enthusiastic enough. I wish we could've had her against a more skilled opponent though. But since there's no one else…"

"She played better than some of the athletes on A and B courts," Tezuka reported. "I believe she would be a valuable member."

"It's settled," Inui declared. "All members recommended have appeared at least twice on these lists." Reina held them up, red circles drawn around the names that were just pronounced.

"Wait," Akane interjected. "I have a few objections as to choosing Morioka Izumi as a regular."

"Eeh?" Kikumaru cried. "Why?"

She silenced him with a glare. "She quit halfway through a match last time. How do we know she's not going to do that again?"

"That's true. The student council too… she left after only two months…" Oishi mentioned.

"Everyone deserves a second chance. Besides," Fuji turned to exchange another look with Kikumaru. "We have a reason to believe that she's not going to back down this time."


"Everyone did very well today," Coach Ryuzaki said to the crowd of girls before her. "Due to some changes, we shall be confirming the regulars today."

There were excited whispers among the crowd.

Tezuka stepped forward. "I shall now announce the name list or those chosen. Third year, Ito Akane…"

"Obviously!" Half the crowd exclaimed.

"Third year, Watanabe Reina…"

"Hmm…" She pushed her glasses up, looking satisfied.

"Third year, Oshiro Chiharu…"

"Eh? You're kidding!" Some people in the crowd laughed, obviously those who didn't see her play. "She can't even walk onto the court without falling down!" Chiharu tried to shrink down, hiding her face.

"Third year, Komboi Aiko…"

Several people in the crowd looked among themselves, but no one knew who she was.

"Third year, Morioka Izumi…"

A couple people glanced in her direction quickly. She bent her head, not wanting to meet any of their eyes. Her hair cast shadows over her eyes.

"Second year, Marui Kimiko…"

"Yay!" Kimiko squealed. "I made the team!" The people near her applauded, and she did a curtsy. Kimiko was popular among most people.

"Second year, Kimura Suzume…"

No one said anything. No one dared to look at her.

"Second year, Momoshiro Sayaka…"

She was delightedly surprised. "Didn't expect that!"

"And finally…" Tezuka paused. "First year, Ryuzaki Sakuno."

"Eeh?" The freshmen trio clutched the wire of the fence that separated them from the courts. "What?"

"Sugoi, Sakuno!" Tomoka applauded.

"A freshmen?"

"A female Echizen, maybe?"

"I bet I could crush her! This is unfair!"

"Those who had their name read, please stay for a moment. The rest are free to go." Coach Ryuzaki said. The crowd slowly filtered out the gates. Some people had disappointed faces on, and several asked for rematches, but she denied all requests.

"Echizen," Oishi was summoning him. "Could you come over here for a moment? When he did, Oishi introduced him to an African American girl. "This is Komboi Aiko. She's part Kenyan, part Japanese, but she doesn't speak a word of either. She only speaks English, and since my English isn't so good…" He laughed uncomfortably.

Sighing, Ryoma explained the current situation in fluent English. After conversing for a few moments, he learned that she was Kenyan by blood, American by citizen. And she did speak a little broken Japanese. After her mother divorced her American father, she brought her back to Japan, where she finally began to learn the language properly.

"She says she's really happy to be on the team," Ryoma translated for Oishi.

"Really? That's good."

"She also says her name is actually Ayikuo, not Aiko. But Japanese people have trouble pronouncing her name, so Aiko will do just fine."

"Aiko it is," Oishi said. "Happy to have you."


"Izumi?" Akane called. "Can I talk to you for a sec?" She walked briskly to a corner of the courts, where they wouldn't be heard, and Izumi followed her wordlessly.

"Just to let you know, I objected to accepting you on the team." she began.

"Wow, we're being blunt." Izumi muttered.

"Now that you're back on, I need you to tell me you won't quit like last time. You won't quit at all. You'll keep going."

Izumi thought briefly of her future. "I…" She stopped. "I'll try harder than last time. Really, I will. But I can't make you any promises, Akane-buchou." Why was she so afraid of the future?

"Izumi," Akane placed her hands on the black-haired girl's shoulders. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong." It was a lie. Even Akane knew that.

Akane nodded, knowing that to press her further, it would do more harm than good. "You've been hiding behind a black curtain…" she said. "No one can bring you out. You have to step into the light yourself."


Kawamura raised his racket up at the sky, like the Statue of Liberty. "COME ON, COME ON!" he yelled. "Wait 'til I tell you the news, BABY!"

Aiko was laughing. She said something to Ryoma, and Ryoma translated, "Kawamura-senpai, she said that she can understand some of the things you're saying!"

"My dad is inviting us to have all-you-can-eat SUSHI! It's going to be free, GREAT!"

"Thanks, Taka-san!" Momoshiro cried.

"Do I get a share in this?" Sayaka asked. "'Cause if not, can I go in place of my brother?"

"Hey! That's not fair!—"

"YES! The more the merrier! All the new girl regulars can come and have sushi! We got girl POWER, BABY!"

"Yay!" Almost all of them cheered.

Suzume gave them a contemptuous look. "I think I'll pass."

"Same here." Izumi said. "The offer is very generous, but I have to get home and study."

"Tomorrow we begin training," Akane informed them. "And as of tomorrow, I'm not your buchou anymore. This is a good way for you to get to know the rest of the team."

"I agree." Tezuka said in his deep voice.

"Sorry." Suzume said, not sounding sorry at all. "Getting to know people has never been my thing."

Kikumaru made a sad face at Izumi. "You can always study tomorrow."

"No, I can't because I promised Tezuka-san and Inui-san I'd return their tests tomo—"

"A day late wouldn't make much difference," Inui said. "I don't mind."

Tezuka nodded.

"And you can always bother Fujiko into tutoring you…" Kikumaru suggested. "I do it all the time."

Fuji smiled at her. "I wouldn't mind."

"Fine." she gave in.

They all turned to Suzume. "…if you insist…" she finally said with annoyance.

So, both male and female regulars set off for a decent dinner. Most of them wouldn't admit it, but each one of their stomachs was growling like crazy.

In the distance, the sun was setting. The rays of pale orange light stretched their shadows on the ground. And the nine shadows that used to walk together, became eighteen.


End Chapter Three

Don't expect more updates unless I get reviews! (Or something) XD

No, I'm not that mean. But I know a lot of you guys have me on story alert, yet you aren't reviewing. C'mon, it takes thirty seconds.

Thanks to all those people who did take the time to review. I think I'm going to have the next chapter purely for fluff. Just a little start on some of the romances that take place. But nothing big yet. Everyone is going to sit around eating sushi. WHAT COULD HAPPEN?

If anything can go wrong, it will.


Many people had trouble remembering the characters, and several suggested that I create biographies of my OCs. I don't want to reveal too much, so I only have some short pointers that you can refer to throughout the whole fanfic.

There are also pictures of them up on my profile, including fanart of my OCs! :D

Momoshiro Sayaka

Grade: 2nd Year

Appearance: Build is tall and slender, but she's a bit of a tomboy. Has short, black hair in a style that's similar to Ryoma's. Purple eyes…maybe? I think Momoshiro has purple eyes, but I'm not entirely sure.

Personality: She's outgoing and rowdy (Kind of like her twin)

Marui Kimiko

Grade: 2nd Year

Appearance: Female Marui Bunta. Short, magenta hair that is only slighter longer than Bunta's. As short as Ryoma.

Personality: Cute, or tries to be. Hyper, bouncy person.

Kimura Suzume

Grade: 2nd Year.

Appearance: Muscular build. Deep red hair (almost red-violet) Hair is split so the left side of her face is covered up entirely. Shoulder length. Ears are pierced (six on left, seven on right). Green eyes… eye.

Personality: Arrogant and rebellious. Smoker.

Morioka Izumi

Grade: 3rd Year

Appearance: Average height, slender. Long, long black hair (she can sit on it) that is slightly layered. Black eyes.

Personality: Quiet. Seemingly kind of dark, almost antisocial.

Ito Akane

Grade: 3rd Year

Appearance: Average height, slightly stockier build. Fluffy ginger hair with cerulean eyes.

Personality: Down-to-earth, open, blunt.

Watanabe Reina

Grade: 3rd Year

Appearance: Tall. Shoulder-length black hair. Glasses that you can see her eyes through. Very, very pretty.

Personality: Talks out of an SAT vocab book. (I mean literally. That's how I learn my SAT vocab.) Is hurt whenever anyone claims she can't speak proper English/Japanese.

Oshiro Chiharu

Grade: 3rd Year.

Appearance: Short. Blue-ish gray hair in pigtails. Large amber eyes.

Personality: Quiet and shy. Kind. A bit of a doormat.

Komboi Ayikuo (Aiko)

Grade: 3rd Year (Foreign Exchange student)

Appearance: Average height with a muscular build. Half African American. Brownish black hair that is braided with beads at the ends, commonly worn in a ponytail. Brown eyes.

Personality: Very tough and determined. But can't speak Japanese.