Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis, just the OCs in the story.

Hey guys, I haven't quite disappeared from the face of the earth yet. Just too much school, M.U.N, and ping pong, and more. XDD For all you people that haven't heard, KONOMI-SAN IS CONTINUING PRINCE OF TENNIS INTO AN ALL NEW SERIES, DEBUTING IN MARCH/APRIL! Apparently everything in the series so far was "prologue". You know, that's one hell long of a prologue; if he makes an epilogue I'm not watching it.

This chapter was written for me… mostly. I was trying to get IN the character of my OCs, and practicing and experimenting with their personalities. But enjoy. XD

To Catch a Falling Star—Chapter Five: One Team

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Saaayaka-chaaan!"

"Hmm? Ah!" She yelped as she was jumped on again. "Kikumaru-senpai, that hurts!" Just her luck, she had to meet him on the way to school. His weight added to the several tons of textbooks in her bag; she could already feel her shoulders bruising from the schoolbag's pressure on them.

"Hee hee," He ran in front of her and stuck his tongue out with one eye closed. "We're going to be late!"

"Eh? No way!" She glanced at her watch in panic. Sure enough, they had about two minutes to get to school. Her legs increased her running pace frantically. "Crap! I knew I should've made Mom give the bike to me!"

He winked. "Just make sure you aren't EVER late for tennis practice. It's worse than being late for school."

"Really?" she asked curiously, panting from the sprinting speed they were running at. "How so?"

"Curiosity killed the cat, nya," he chided. "Believe me, you don't want to know."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

She carefully combed her red hair so half of it covered the left side of her face. She made sure there was more hair there; that way the weight of the hair would make sure it would secure it over her face. Having her hair fly up during intense practice was a risk she didn't want to take; she didn't want the left side of her face revealed.

"Suzume!" She heard Kai call her. "Breakfast!"

Yawning, she staggered down the stairs and sat in her usual spot. Her brother smiled at her as he flipped an omelet up to nearly the ceiling, before letting it land perfectly onto the plate before her.

"You could be in the circus," she commented, half-sarcastically. "Why waste your time being a chef?" She took a few bites, her eyes widening at the delightful sensation her taste buds experienced. "Scratch that."

"If I'm lucky, the restaurant will promote me to head chef within the next month," her brother told her as he scrubbed the pan. "Then I'd be able to upgrade the kitchen to at least four stars…"

"Kai! Where's my breakfast?" Ren said as he walked in the door, still in his karate robes. His black hair was messy.

"On the table," Kai said without looking up.

"I can't believe this whole getting up at five a.m to train all those students," Ren said as he gobbled down his food with lightning speed. "All those goody pupils arrive at the dojo at four thirty. It's a pain."

"It's tradition," Kai said, turning on the faucet to rinse the soapsuds away.

"Traditions like these should be renewed," Ren grumbled.

Kai turned off the faucet, even though he didn't finish rinsing the pan yet. "It's the least you can do…" he said quietly. "In memory of Father…"

There was a long silence.

"I know," Ren said at last. They both looked at Suzume in concern.

Suzume ignored them and swallowed the last of her omelet, picking up her bag from the floor. "I'm off. Oh, by the way, I'm going to be coming home late today. Tennis practice."

"I'll pick you up?" Kai offered.

"No need." she said over her shoulder and shut the door behind her.

Silence followed her departure.

"Kai, you worry too much." Ren slapped him on the back.

"Shut up. Don't even try telling me you weren't worried sick yesterday."

"I wasn't really!"

"So much that you attacked her senpai, and Chiharu's crush, without thinking."

"Okay, fine," He stared at the circle of blue sky showing through the window. "But it was nearly 1 a.m., she still wasn't home and neither was Chiharu, what were we supposed to think?" He sighed. "I think it's the age difference that does it. We're eight years older than her. It's natural that we feel the need to take the place of Father."

"Yeah…"

The twins stared into space as they thought about it.

"I think I'll go pick her up anyways." Kai decided. "I have a few things to say to Tezuka Kunimitsu…"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

'The last thing Mom told me was that my hair looked cute in pigtails.'

Chiharu finished arranging her hair into her usual style. Akane had asked her when she would outgrow wearing her hair like that, and she had said "never", although after seeing that first year ('What was her name? Tomo-something?') have a similar style, she began wondering if it was too childish for her. Yet she knew she would be unable to change it.

She adjusted the blue-gray curls that made up her bangs before the small mirror on her desk, next to a picture of her mother. It had been thirteen years since cancer had taken her life.

The house was quiet. Her father was probably outside. He always got up early to watch the clouds. 'Maybe it connects him to Mom…' she thought as she heated some porridge over the stove and ate it quickly. She left a bowl for her father as well. Then she slung her bag over her shoulder and opened the door.

"You're already leaving?" Her father came in through the back door.

"Ah…En…" She nodded.

He walked over and hugged her to his chest, planting a kiss on her forehead. "Come home safe, okay?"

"I will," she promised when he let go. "Don't work too hard, Daddy."

She waved at him as she walked towards the elevators. Suzume was waiting for her there, as usual. "Morning, Chiharu-senpai." Chiharu wrinkled her nose and located the source of the smell; the cigarette between her fingers was giving of smoke.

"Suzume-chan…" Chiharu snatched the cigarette and snuffed it between her fingers before tossing it into the trashcan. "Really, you should quit."

Suzume just tossed her head in an irritated manner.

Chiharu watched her. She, of all people, had managed to connect to Suzume. She had shared Suzume's pain of losing a parent. She had been taken in as an honorary family member by Suzume's brothers' out of gratitude. She was one of the very few that had gained the respect of Suzume. Yet she had never managed to get Suzume to quit smoking.

'People seem to think it's weird that we're friends…' she thought with a smile. 'People don't know what we've been through…'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Izumi was up early. She was always up early.

She opened the window and let the morning breeze caress her face. The crisp morning air was something she loved. Somehow, it always seemed to give her the promise that she could start anew.

There was a bird nest on the tree next to her window. She watched the two sparrows chirp at each other and imagined them arguing about who's turn it was to sit on the eggs. That made her smile.

Kaidoh always passed under her window at around this time, doing his morning jog (or in his case, marathon) around the city. She never called out to him, but usually he would look up and she would give him a tiny wave, which he responded with a nod. It had become part of their daily routine.

She looked forward to this. Perhaps it indicated to her, that even in the times she felt like everything was over, that life had to move on.

They never spoke at school before, not even when she was part of the girls' tennis club. Before, the tennis clubs of the boys and girls were separated clearly, since the boys' club actually had a team that competed, whereas the girls' club existed for recreational purposes only. Although she had been at the same school for many of the people in the team, for some of them it was their first meeting, especially second years. She wasn't even aware that Momoshiro existed until a few days ago.

Kaidoh was different, though. Maybe it was this simple gesture that bonded them somehow, and she felt she understood him, even if they had never spoken. She had often seen him running in the morning, usually whenever she went to open her window. His determination was something she admired… and something she feared she lacked.

'Tennis practice today…' she thought to herself. 'Who would've thought… I'd take up tennis again?' She stared at the pile of test papers on her desk. Her own was covered in notes and corrections she'd written on solving the problems. For an instant she wondered if the extra tennis practices would affect her grades. She had tried so hard to reach the top, only to fail over and over, and inch from her goal. There couldn't be that many more midterms and finals before graduation. Perhaps she wasn't meant to stand at the top of the academic rankings. Maybe tennis wasn't such a good idea.

'Forget it. It's about time I started pouring my heart and soul into something.' She looked into her mirror. Her reflection stared back, and it frightened her. The girl in the mirror was posing a question:

'…Again?'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Ito-san!"

Akane closed her locker and turned to the sound of the voice. "Ah, Oishi-kun," she said. "Ohayo." Her bangs were starting to bother her; they were tickling her eyes, so she put a pink elastic headband on her forehead as she spoke, maneuvering some of the ginger hair out of her blue eyes.

"How are you feeling?" he asked immediately, concerned.

"I'm at school, aren't I?" She smiled wryly. "Doesn't that speak for itself?"

"Ah… well… don't push yourself…"

"Do you see any swellings or hear any rasp in my voice?"

He tilted his head. "No… you look and sound fine…"

"Then," She smiled again. "What are you worrying about?"

"Eh…?" That caught him. His cheeks turned slightly red. "Uh, that is…"

Just then, the bell rang. "Oh! I have to get to chemistry! See you during lunch, Oishi-kun!" she said, half running down the hall. She disappeared around the corner, leaving him and his thoughts.

'Wow… she's almost… manipulative… in her way of words…' he thought. 'Wonder if that's related to her tennis style in any way.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(Later that afternoon…)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Now we will begin training!" Tezuka commanded. Everyone stopped talking and gathered around him. "As usual, we will start with 30 laps for warm up." He turned to Akane, who was standing beside him along with Oishi. "Girl regulars, 22 laps."

"I guess they altered it so it would be fairer."Sayaka said.

Suzume rested her racket on her own shoulder. "I don't mind 30 laps, actually." she said in a bored tone.

"With the relative calculation of the ratio, both male and female regulars should finish at the same time," Inui stated. "Which means…"

All the male regulars froze, expressions of dread adorning their faces.

Inui magically pulled out a pitcher of green juice from behind his back. "This will be waiting for the loser…"

"GAAAAH!" The male regulars took off immediately, leaving a cloud of dust behind them. The girls just stared after them in confusion, before running after them.

"Are we supposed to be scared?" Suzume said scornfully as they caught up. "It's a drink."

"Hmph. Why don't you try it then? You'll get your chance when you lose!" Momoshiro called, taunting her.

"In your dreams, idiot!" Suzume yelled as she increased her speed so it matched his. She was never one to ignore the bait.

"Actually, it tastes pretty good," Fuji commented. "I recommend it."

"Really?" Sayaka asked. "Then you guys are running like hell because…"

"NO! That's just mean, Fuji! So deceptive!" Kikumaru whined. "Sayaka-chan, don't listen to Fuji! He's not normal! He's immune to Inui Juice! Trust me…" His expression was a queasy one as he remembered the taste. "One taste and you're taste buds will be launched into hell…"

"He's right." Oishi confirmed.

"Ah, Oishi-senpai…"

Oishi's eyes were wide and full of fear. "I didn't know hell until I tried Inui Juice…"

"I believe you, I believe you!" Sayaka felt a newborn fear toward the drink she had never tasted. Their expressions were what convinced her.

"Ne, Fuji-senpai?" Kimiko asked. "Why are you running so hard then, if you actually enjoy drinking it?"

Fuji kept his smiling face on. "I enjoy watching people suffer even more…"

Kimiko shivered and ran a few paces away. "That's a more sadistic smile than Reina-senpai's ever had!"

Reina ignored her and pulled a notepad from her pocket, flipping through it before stopping at a page marked with a scribbled drawing of Inui. "If everyone were to personally experience the piquancy of the liquid, proliferation of the efficaciousness of actuating the Juice as a motivator would be 99%." She proclaimed.

Nearly all the regulars sweatdropped.

"Translation, please?"

"Hmm…" Inui murmured thoughtfully. "So using the Juice as motivation would be 99% more effective if everyone tried it at least once," His glasses glinted evilly. "That can be arranged…"

"EHH?" Kimiko cried. "WHY DID YOU HAVE TO TELL HIM THAT? WHY, REINA-SENPAI? WHY?"

"Why not?" Chiharu asked, completely innocent. "It would be a new experience."

"If you manage to survive it." Akane said through gritted teeth. "Only those with a death wish would try Inui Juice willingly."

"Fshhhhhhhh….." Kaidoh hissed in agreement.

"So you tried it then, Akane?" Izumi finally asked after staying silent for the beginning of the run.

"No." Akane answered bluntly.

Several people fell to the ground, anime-style.

"THEN WHY ARE YOU SAYING SO MUCH?"

"Reina was an unfortunate victim of the Juice." Akane stated, as if this explained it all. When all she got were blank stares, she elaborated, "She wouldn't stop analyzing its taste and effects for at least a week. And being one of the few people that understand her, I was forced to learn the danger of it."

Kawamura translated and explained everything to Aiko, and she made gave him a questioning look. "But, it's still made from vegetables right? How bad can food taste, if it's still food?"

"That's what I thought at first," Kawamura confessed. "Being a chef-in-training, I was sure food could only taste so bad… But," He stared at the pitcher waiting on the table next to where Coach Ryuzaki was standing and gulped. "Inui has changed my beliefs."

"Okaay…" Aiko said uneasily. "I'm not losing this race, then."

"Your pace is dropping!" Tezuka's voice came from the front. "We have 8 more laps than the girls! If you match your pace with theirs you will not be able to finish!"

As he said those words, everyone, even the girls, felt the need to increase their speed. That was just like him, no commands, no orders; simply stating the facts and implying what they should do. It was the power of his voice that instituted the command.

Sakuno was panting hard. 'Compared to everyone else… I'm weak. I can't keep up for much longer. I feel so tired.' She wiped the sweat from her brow, feeling herself fall behind, bit by bit. 'I won't give up! But… it would be embarrassing for me to come in last…'

"You move your arms too much," a voice came from next to her.

She swiveled her head. "Ryoma-kun!" A blush crept over her cheeks immediately.

He wasn't looking at her; his gaze was set firmly forward. "You're running as if you were playing tennis," he pointed out. "In tennis you put your arms out for balance. But this is a simple warm-up, and extending your arms out when you don't need to is draining your stamina."

She suddenly became conscious of this and extracted her arms back to her sides. "Ah… thank you, Ryoma-kun."

"Ja." His speed accelerated as he attempted to catch up with the others.

'Did he slow down just to give me some advice?' A smile spread across her face (as did the blush) as she watched him take off. 'This isn't the first time he's done that... Ryoma-kun…'

Chiharu observed this with amusement. Gradually, she slowed her pace so she was side-by-side with the girl freshman. "Hi."

"A-ah, good afternoon, Oshiro-senpai!" she replied politely.

The blue-gray haired girl smiled at her. "We're a lot alike, you and me, you know?"

"Ah…?"

She nodded and smiled so her eyes were closed, like Fuji's. "You should tell him how you feel."

"Ehhh?" Sakuno turned completely red. "It's not… I don't…"

"And you…," Akane said over her shoulder, "…should take your own advice, Chiharu!"

Now Chiharu was the one blushing. "I have no idea what you are talking about!"

Kimiko turned to Akane, her voice deliberately loud. "Hmm… I wonder who's denser, Tezuka or that freshmen kid."

She agreed. "I don't get it. It's so obvious to everyone else."

Sakuno and Chiharu were ever so glad that the boys had run far ahead.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After another few minutes of intense running, all regulars were on their last lap. Inui's calculations were correct, the boys had looped the girls exactly eight laps, and all were on the same pace now. This lap was definitely proving to be the hardest.

"BURNING! GREAT!" Kawamura swung his racket around, carving a clear path through all the runners. Echizen followed closely behind, a smug smile on his lips.

"Echizen, you did it again!" Momoshiro cried.

Kikumaru shook his fist at him. "So sly, ochibi!"

"Eh? What did that freshman do?" Kimiko asked, confused.

"Handed Kawamura his racket." Akane replied simply.

Kimiko made a face at Akane. "Clear as mud."

"The palpability of a racket to Kawamura… " Reina began, flipping through her notes. "Augments his—"

"Never mind, Reina-senpai, forget I asked!" Kimiko interrupted frantically, wincing. 'Palpability? That has FIVE syllables!'

"You know, sometimes being around you has its good traits too." Akane said to Reina.

"Thirty seconds left…" Inui said.

"EEH? ARE YOU SERIOUS?"

The male regulars increased their speed into a sprint.

"Well, we can't lose either!" Akane formed a fist with her hand and pointed it in their direction. "Let's get them!"

"Hai!"

Rounding the last corner, all the regulars formed one giant line, girls and guys alike. Coach Ryuzaki and the other team members had to move the table upon which the water (and the pitcher of Juice) was set back a few meters so there was enough room.

"So… tired…" Sakuno panted as she forced her legs to keep running. She could no longer feel them. They felt detached. Even as she kept her arms as close to her sides as possible, she never had as much stamina as the rest in the first place. It was a wonder she hadn't fallen behind. However, she knew she wasn't going to last to the end. 'I can't keep at a 100% sprint for more than 50 meters… I'm so tired…' "A-Ah!" Her legs suddenly gave way beneath her and she fell forward. 'I couldn't… keep up…'

Someone caught her by the hand and yanked her forward. "R-ryoma-kun!"

"Mada mada dane!" he said. The momentum from the grab allowed her to pass the finish line along with the rest. They collapsed onto the dirt in one giant heap.

"A… tie…" Momoshiro said between gasps of air.

Oishi wiped at the sweat that was pouring down. "Inui… please… stop it with the drinks…" he breathed.

"Hmm…" Inui murmured. "So it would seem…" He turned around to where Sakuno and Ryoma had fallen.

"Huh?" Everyone looked up at the data tennis player, trying to regain their breath. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Ryoma felt a shadow being cast over him as someone approached, blocking the sun. Inui was holding the pitcher of vegetable juice. "Echizen, you fail."

"Eh? Ochibi came last? That's impossible!"

"Helping someone else is cheating…" Inui explained. "And cheating results in a fail…" He held the pitcher out invitingly.

"I don't understand," Kawamura said, confused. "Echizen… cheated?"

"Oh, that's right!" Horio exclaimed, pointing. "We saw Echizen grab Ryuzaki's hand and pull her to the finish line in time!"

Kikumaru let out a whistle.

"Ah, being young is great…" Momoshiro sighed.

"Aww… that's sweet…" Kimiko murmured. She tugged on Chiharu's shirt. "I bet you wish that happened to you… except with someone else."

Chiharu hid her blushing face.

"I could trip you next time…" Sayaka teased.

Suzume sat up from the ground. "She's clumsy enough for it to happen on her own…"

"Maybe Tezuka is the densest after all…" Akane concluded.

"Saa, Echizen," Inui repeated, the pitcher of green juice bubbling with malice. His glasses flashed as the sadistic smile made its way onto his face. "Bon Appétit."

Ryoma cringed as he rose to accept the punishment. Suddenly Sakuno ran in front of him and put her arms out, facing Inui. "…ah…?"

"It's not fair to have Ryoma-kun take the punishment when it was my fault!" Sakuno proclaimed. "He was just trying to help! I wouldn't have made it anyways!"

Everyone stared at her, surprised at her sudden outburst.

"I'll drink it!" she declared, reaching a hand out.

"EH?"

"You should've just made Echizen do it for you!"

"Ryuzaki… do you want to kill yourself?"

"Never mind that!" Tezuka commanded abruptly, and everyone turned back to look at him. "We've wasted enough time on the matter already. Proceed to stretching." He again caught the look of Akane. "Girl regulars, help the boys stretch first, then change places."

"Ehh?" (It seems they're saying that a lot)

"Does everyone not know how to do that?" Oishi asked. "You just place your hands on the other person's shoulder blades and push forwar—"

"No, we know," Sayaka said, scratching her head. "But…"

"It's just…" Momoshiro laughed uncomfortably. "...weird."

Sayaka tapped his cheek with her fist. "We haven't finished each others' sentences since 6th grade. Why the sudden change, bro?"

"Why does it have to be guy-girl paired?" Kimiko asked, her lavender eyes clouded with puzzlement.

"Inui arranged it, didn't he? He could be a closet pervert," Suzume said flatly. "You never know."

Inui twitched at her statement.

"Suzume!" Akane glared at her. "You can't talk to your senpai like that. Apologize."

The redhead ignored her and retied her shoelaces.

"Kimura!" Akane said, her anger flaring.

Kimiko jumped and hid behind Kikumaru, although tufts of magenta hair peeked out from his shoulder. "Gah… buchou is pissed again."

"Oh-nya?"

"When Akane-buchou calls someone by their surname… it means she's mad."

Izumi watched it happen. The scene was very familiar; it was as if nothing had changed since she quit. "It's still like that…" she said quietly.

The male regulars turned their heads toward her when they heard her comment. "Like what?" Kikumaru asked her curiously.

"That is… Akane-buchou hates it when someone disobeys a direct order," she explained. "Then again, Kimura-san hates obeying orders."

"Don't make me repeat myself…" Akane said. Her voice had become low and dangerous.

"Suzume-chan…" Chiharu said.

Suzume glanced at the blue-haired girl, then back to Inui, who was still holding the pitcher. "Gomenasai, Inui-senpai," she finally said. "I wasn't trying to be rude. I was a bit upset about the arrangements. That's all."

Inui smiled. "I'll accept your apology… if you care to finish this." He indicated the pitcher of Juice.

Suzume sweatdropped. "On the other hand, I'm not sorry at all."

"Inui, that's so harsh!" Kikumaru complained.

He held up a hand. "I'm joking. But let it be known to anyone who tries to quit the training menu today…" He set the pitcher down on the table. "This will be waiting…"

A shiver ran through all of them.

"The arrangements were made by me." Tezuka told them.

"WHAT?"

"No, there's no way Tezuka would be a closet pervert…"

Tezuka gave them a glare. "What are you talking about? Begin stretching!"

Sumire Ryuzaki smiled. 'Tezuka and Oishi are knowledgeable…' she thought. 'Before we improve their individual strengths, the girls must become a team. There is no way to win a tournament if the girls do not shoulder the responsibility of a team together. Tezuka and Oishi are trying to integrate the girls into all of the training so the team can truly be united. They understand that that's the most important thing right now…' She had a new respect for the captain and vice-captain now.

Sayaka walked over to her brother. 'Thank god he's in the team… It would be awkward if I had to help someone else stretch.'

"Yo, Momoshiro!" Suzume called. Both the twins looked at her. "I meant the girl."

"Yeah?" Sayaka felt her hands curl into fists on their own. She didn't know what to expect from Suzume. She hadn't forgotten all those taunts fired at her before.

Suzume got up and took a few steps so they were face to face. She couldn't help but smirk at how tense Sayaka was. "Relax," she said. "You mind if I have him as my partner?" She jerked her head in Momoshiro's direction. "I still have a debt to repay from yesterday…"

"Yesterday…? Hmm…" Sayaka tried hard to remember. Suddenly the image of Suzume calling him a pervert and punching him came to mind. "Oh, so sending him flying across the room wasn't enough for you?" She laughed. "By all means, go ahead."

Sayaka felt a little lost then. Her brother was her first choice, after all, since they were siblings… it seemed okay. Kaidoh was the only other guy in her year, but since they didn't talk much, it would be… awkward. That freshman kid—what was his name again? Oh right, Echizen—was out, that privilege belonged to that Ryuzaki girl. That only left her senpais as a choice. She felt embarrassed to walk up to any of them and offer to help with their stretches; not only was there an age difference but a gender difference as well.

"Sayaaaaka-chaaaan! Over here, over here!"

Ah, fate chose for her. She smiled. At least Kikumaru was someone she had talked to in the last few days.

'Eiji's taken now… what should I do?' Her heart told her to go one way, her mind the other. Izumi ignored the tugging at her heart and approached Oishi, lowering her head politely. "If you don't mind…"

"No, not at all." he replied, sitting so his legs were straight in front of him.

She sat down behind him and placed her hands on her shoulder, pushing so he was reaching for his toes. With every push, she increased the amount of power by just a little so his fingertips moved closer and closer. Oishi was a good person, she thought. 'He's someone who's reliable. This is the kind of person I can confide my feelings into… unlike… him.' Yet there seemed to be a knot forming in her gut as she continued to push his shoulders forward. When she closed her eyes to try and calm herself down, all she saw was someone's eyes. Blue eyes.

She couldn't help but quickly glance in Fuji's direction to see who was helping him stretch. A flash of ginger hair told her it was Akane.

Oishi's voice brought her back to the present. "…come back."

"I'm sorry?" She let go of his shoulders.

He turned and gave her a smile over his shoulder. "You should come back to student council. We've never had a better secretary than you. You were very reliable."

'Me? Reliable? No one can compare to you in terms of that, Oishi.' "Reliable people don't quit after just two months," she said as he faced forward again. "And I don't think I can. It would be just too much for me to juggle between tennis and my studies."

"That's a shame," Oishi said. "But you're right; the secretary probably does have the hardest job in the student council. Everyone expects you to take notes on everything, and if you miss something they blame you completely. Takaya-san has threatened to quit several times."

"Natsuko won't quit. She's not the kind of person to leave things unfinished." Izumi recalled the headstrong girl that had taken her place when she left the student council. 'She's not like me…'

"Hmm…you're probably right…" He then placed his legs so they were in a small 'V' shape and told the other regulars to do so. The girls then gently pushed their shoulders so their heads were reaching for the ground.

Or in Suzume's case, not so gently.

"OWW! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Momoshiro yelled when his head was shoved against the ground for the fifth time. There was already a bruise forming in the middle of his forehead, he could feel it. His legs felt like they were being stretched so hard that his ligaments would be snapped.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" she retorted, then added under her breath, "F*ckin' pervert…"

"Oi, I already said that it wasn't like that!" But he was answered with another huge push, bashing his head into the dirt. "Stop it, you Kamio-wannabe!"

"Kamio-wannabe?" she repeated, a confused look in her eyes—well, eye. "Who's Kamio?"

Kikumaru looked their way. "Hmm, come to think of it, Kimura-chan does have a similar hair style to Kamio, only longer."

"Kamio is a regular on Fudomine's tennis team," Momoshiro explained. "You guys have the same hairstyle and color, but yours is longer. And you can sometimes see his left eye but I can never see your—OW!" His head was reacquainted with the dirt.

"Suzume-chan…" Chiharu said, looking up from where she was stretching Kaidoh. "That's enough… okay?"

"Che." She scowled at the back of Momoshiro's head, smashing it against the ground one last time and grinding it in with extra force.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A while ago…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Ano… R-ryoma-kun…" Sakuno said timidly.

Ryoma looked up from where he was sitting. He had begun stretching on his own.

"Ah… that is… w-we are supposed to help each other stretch right?" she stammered, her face becoming redder and redder with each word. "So… do you… um, mind if I partner with you?"

He just stared at her for a moment. She blushed even harder, casting her eyes downward. "Never mind, forget I asked…"

"Sure," he replied, lowering his cap. "Why would I mind?"

"Eh!" Her eyes focused back on him, but he had already turned to the front. Shyly, she placed her hands against his shoulders and pushed him as he stretched his arms over his feet. Her hands were shaking, and she was afraid to apply force. She had no idea how much force would be necessary. What if she hurt him? 'What should I do…?'

"Ryuzaki…"

"Ah?" She stopped and let go of him.

"You can push a bit harder…"

"H-hai!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Change places!" Tezuka's voice commanded. The girls sat on the ground, and the guys walked behind them. A few minutes later Kikumaru let out a cry of astonishment.

"WHOA! LOOK, LOOK!" He pressed one finger into Sayaka's back, and gaped as her whole body bent straight over her legs so her chest was pressed against her thighs, not a gap remaining. "SHE'S SO FLEXIBLE!"

Momoshiro chuckled, hand on his head. "That's sis for you," He shook his head, muttering, "Show off."

"Sugoi, Sayaka-chan! No wonder you can play such good acrobatic tennis!" Kikumaru beamed happily.

"Ne, Kawamura-senpai…" Kimiko asked as she did her stretches. "Are you going to inherit the sushi shop?"

"Ah, someday," he replied with a smile. "But tennis is my top priority right now."

"That sushi was really good! I want to go back…" She giggled.

"Ah, you'll have a chance. My dad treats us every time we win a tournament…" He turned to the rest of the group. "And its straight wins from now on, right?"

"Yeah!"

"Don't forget us girls…" Akane reminded them. "We're going to take the Kanto Regionals and Nationals this year, as the first team to win in the new girl tournament."

"EH?" A new voice came. "IT'S REALLY AN ALL GIRL TEAM!" They heard various clicking noises.

"Shiba… calm down, save your film for the matches."

The girl regulars stared at the man and woman behind the fence with confusion. Coach Ryuzaki ran through the introductions quickly. "Inoue and Shiba from Tennis Monthly; they've been interviewing us for ages."

Inoue gave them a smile. "Well, I'm sure you'd be interested to hear… we just came from Hyotei Gakuen this morning."

"Hyotei?" Momoshiro repeated, his curiosity sparked.

"Ah," Inoue confirmed it. "And they too have begun vigorous training for their new girl team. The girls there…" His smile faded slightly. "Are really strong."

"Hmm…" Akane smiled, interested. "Well, I wouldn't call us weak, Inoue-san."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sakuno's legs hurt a bit as they were being stretched. She never really had the habit of stretching before she practiced tennis and knew it was a mistake now. "Ite…" She winced. 'Should I tell Ryoma-kun to push more lightly? What if he thinks I'm weak?' Another push, another sharp pain ran through her legs. "Ano… Ryoma-kun…"

"Hmm?" He caught sight of her expression, stopping his hands. "Does it hurt?"

"No… well, yes… a bit…" She lowered her head in shame. "Gomen…"

He continued stretching her, his force considerably lighter now. "You could've just told me."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"WHOA!" Eiji cried again, this time pointing in Oishi's direction. "Morioka-chan is so flexible too!" Izumi could easily touch her nose to her knees with a single push.

Kimiko smiled and ruffled her magenta hair as Kawamura paused in helping her stretch. "Looks like there's hope for us then."

"Oishi, Akane…" Tezuka stood up. "I'd like to speak with you both."

"Ah," Oishi scrambled to his feet. "Gomen, Morioka-san. You can finish the stretches on your own, right?"

She nodded and proceeded reaching for her toes. Her tennis racket lay at her feet. Briefly, she wondered what else they would have to do today. So far, they hadn't done anything with the rackets they had carried with them. Would they play matches against each other? And how would they decide the singles or doubles that would play? That was probably what Tezuka wanted to talk to Oishi and Akane about. 'Eiji and Oishi… how did they decide to play doubles and become Seigaku's golden pair?'

Suddenly, she felt hands on her shoulders again, assisting her stretching. They were different from Oishi's, who were firm and sure; these were light and gentle. She whirled around.

"Gomen, Izumi-san." Fuji's smiling face came into view. "Did I startle you?" His hands were still on her shoulders.

"No, it's okay…"She turned to the front again, and he gradually increased the pressure on her shoulders, applying it gently. Her forehead brushed against her knees. "Sugoi, Izumi-san. You are very flexible." His voice caused her cheeks to feel warm.

'I can't… do this…' she suddenly realized. She moved away and got to her feet, her motion surprising Fuji. "I was pretty much done, thank you." she said. Her face was expressionless, but Fuji noticed that she wouldn't look at him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Regulars gather around!" Oishi called out.

"Hai!"

He glanced at all the expectant faces before them, especially the girls. The wind blew softly as he recalled the conversation he had minutes before with Tezuka and Akane.

'"They're all so different and have different personalities, each more extreme than the next… how are we supposed to unite them?" he had asked.

"Isn't that the same with you guys?" Akane had answered. "You have Momoshiro, the passionate one; Kaidoh, the angry Viper; Echizen, the super rookie; Kawamura, the juggernaut; Inui, the Data Specialist, Fuji, the sadistic tensai; Kikumaru, the playful acrobat; Tezuka, the cold captain…"

Tezuka shifted slightly.

"…and you," Akane smiled. "Oishi, the one that worries too much."

"But how? How are we supposed to unite them into one team?"

The answer was so obvious. "Through tennis," Akane said simply. "That's why we're here. We're Seigaku's Tennis Team."'

'Through tennis…' he repeated in his head. "Now, practice will begin. We're going to have practice matches, starting with the girls."

"Matches, out of the blue?"

"This ought to be interesting…

He glanced down at a sheet of paper he was holding. "Oshiro and Komboi, Court A."

Chiharu picked up her racket, managing to walk to the court with minimal stumbling. Aiko pushed her braids over her shoulder, the beads clicking together. She then turned to Echizen and said in English, "Which one's Oshiro?"

"The blue-gray haired nee-chan." he replied, pointing with his thumb.

"Oh." Aiko, too, walked into the court and held out her hand to Chiharu. "Let's have a good match."

Chiharu clasped it, white skin against black. "You speak Japanese quite well," she said with a smile.

"Thank you. That's about the extent of it…"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Court B, Morioka and Marui."

"WHAT? AKANE, YOU DID THIS ON PURPOSE!" Kimiko cried, her racket pointed towards Akane accusingly. "WHY DO I HAVE TO GO AGAINST IZUMI-SENPAI AGAIN?

"I arranged it," Reina said, her glasses glinting. "But if you'd rather not, Inui-san has a treat waiting for you…"

Kimiko gulped and turned towards the pitcher of green liquid, which began to bubble on its own mysteriously. "No… no thanks," she said. She grumbled inaudible complaints to herself as she stepped onto the courts.

"Oi, why doesn't Marui want to play against Morioka-chan?" Kikumaru asked Akane.

"Izumi is a counter-puncher; and she has a style that is strong against Kimiko's net play," she explained. "Last time they played, the game went on for hours, and Kimiko was drained with no stamina left to even walk home."

Kimiko shook hands with Izumi. "I can't believe I have to play against you again…" she griped, her other hand tugging on the short stands of magenta hair. Then she suddenly brightened. "But don't worry, I'll end the match speedy quick this time!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Court C, Ito and Ryuzaki…"

"Eh?" Sakuno panicked. 'I'm playing against the captain! How is that… possible?'

"Don't worry," Akane assured her. "I'm not that good of a singles player."

"Eh? T-that's not true… you're captain, and I've seen you play hundreds of times!"

Akane shook her head. "I specialize in doubles. Actually…" She looked Sakuno up and down. "I recommended you in joining the team, because I think you would be a good doubles player."

"Really?" Sakuno felt warmth spread through her body. 'She thinks I have talent in playing doubles!'

"Maybe Seigaku will have three Golden Pairs in the near future." Akane said thoughtfully. "If I can work it out with my partner…"

"Ah… that's right, I've seen you play with—"

"—Me!" Kimiko called from the court next to them. She held up her victory sign. "The reason Akane-buzhou and I are undefeated is because I'm such a genius! Hee hee!"

"Oi, Mamushi..." Momoshiro said while watching Kimiko.

"What?" Kaidoh growled.

"Aren't those the words out of Rikkaidai's Marui Bunta's mouth?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Court D, Kimura and Momoshiro."

Sayaka felt herself tense up immediately. So she was playing that Suzume girl. Somehow the thought made her blood run cold.

"Hmm…" Suzume looked over at Sayaka and smirked. "This is going to be fun…"

"What?" Momoshiro hurried to where his sister was standing. "You're playing her?"

"Yeah." Sayaka tried to say it like it was no big deal, but her voice came out shaky. She was nervous. Nervous and… angry at the same time, somehow. She wanted to pay Suzume back for all those taunts and insults… 'But I'm afraid of not being able to…' She picked up her racket and began to walk towards the courts.

"Sis…" Momoshiro placed a hand on her shoulder. "Be careful… okay?" He looked at Suzume. "That girl… isn't going to be easy to win."

She shrugged it off. "You haven't seen me play yet, remember?"

"Listen, okay?" He began to feel frustrated. "When Fuji-senpai and I saw her play, the first thing that came to my mind was that I hoped you would never have to play her! Her play style… is something I probably wouldn't be able to handle!"

She turned around, a grin on her face. "My play style would probably be too much for you to handle."

He stood speechless for a second, then closed his eyes and shook his head, an exasperated smile forming on his face. "That's Sayaka for you. Confident as always."

'Still…' she thought, 'he hasn't really worried about me before… and he's starting to all of a sudden because of this Suzume girl? She must be pretty good…'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You aren't playing, Watanabe-san?" Inui questioned.

"Reina. I believe I have requested you address me by my given name," She nodded, pushing her glasses up her nose. "My role in the team is much like yours, Inui-san."

"I see… hmm…" Bending down to open his racket bag, he pulled out several green notebooks, blank ones. He then straightened up, his glasses flashing with the promise of a new challenge. "Well, time to begin data collection on our new team…"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"One set match!"

Chiharu's amber eyes met Aiko's brown ones in a look of rivalry. Kimiko's lavender eyes winked at Izumi's dark ones playfully. Akane let her cerulean orbs linger on the chocolate eyes of Sakuno's and never saw stronger determination. Suzume's dark green eye received a glare from Sayaka's purple ones in challenge mode.

"It's beginning!" Inoue warned.

"I got it!" Shiba held her camera up, ready.

"Hmm…." Ryoma murmured with a smile. "Interesting…"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

End Chapter Five

A/N: Well, it's going to be hard to write all the girls' matches out. It's not like anime; you have no awesome effects nor cool music… so yeah, I'll try my best! Review people! Haha.

More reviews, more motivation and then I write more chapters. At a faster speed too, I must add.

I'm so happy that Konomi-san is continuing Prince of Tennis!

Next chapter: Chiharu—Miracle on the Court