Disclaimer: Don't own PoT, only wish I did.
A/N: HOLY MOTHER**** I updated! Anyways, I have to tell you guys something. I was really stressed these few weeks about my Poli Sci class. I haven't been doing so well in the class and I was seriously considering dropping it. And then I reread all your reviews, and they gave me courage to continue.
So this chapter is my way of saying thank you.
Unfortunately, not much romance here. Mostly character development and plot. I will fill other chapters with romance soon. This chapter is all about Akane. And a little bit about Sakuno.
To Catch A Falling Star Chapter 21: Captain Akane
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
"That's enough!" Tezuka commanded as the regulars finished their 18th lap. The regulars stopped, leaning over and panting heavily.
They were warming up for the St Rudolph matches that would take place in around an hour. Due to the much colder temperatures, Inui had suggested that warm up take place earlier in order to avoid injury. They had already arrived at the tennis park courts and were waiting. The girls were watching, as their matches would take place in the afternoon. They were all bundled up in their scarves and mittens. Their breath caused little wisps of steam to appear in front of their mouths.
Tezuka surveyed the regulars in front of him. "What's the matter with you?"
All of them looked up in surprise.
"Tezuka's right," Coach Ryuzaki confirmed. "You shouldn't be this tired right now. You run 30 laps every day for practice. Is something going on?"
"Yeah, they're all menstruating…" Suzume said sarcastically, but everyone ignored her.
"Wait," Akane said, her eyes narrowed. "How many of you ate breakfast?"
Only Kikumaru raised his hand.
"That's why." Akane said with a nod. She turned to Horio. "Could you lead the freshmen and go get some sandwiches?" She beckoned to some of the freshmen on the girl's tennis team. "Could you go with them? And try to be quick."
The freshmen trio and four girls including Tomoka took off for the convenience store.
"Guys, I know we had to meet earlier today, but you guys have to eat. You can't crush anyone on an empty stomach." Akane sighed.
"I overslept…" Both Momoshiro and Echizen said at the same time. Several of the other regulars nodded or looked down guiltily.
"Guess I should've bought you guys proper alarm clocks for Christmas."
The freshmen soon came running back, their arms weighed down by all the sandwiches they had to carry. Horio's bags were dragging the ground as he stumbled to the regulars. "H-here…" he managed to wheeze out, gasping for air.
Eager hands grabbed for the contents in the bags. Horio and the other freshmen rubbed their arms, which were aching from the weight.
"It's good training…" Inui said. "Especially if you want to become a regular in the future. You're going to have to increase your muscle training." He indicated toward the regulars, who were now having a chow session on the sandwiches. "A lot of them have wrist weights and ankle weights on right now." Especially Ryuzaki, he thought to himself. 'Ryuzaki has the same weights as everyone else right now. She's really challenging herself.' He would've recommended starting the brown haired freshman off with some lighter weights, but she insisted herself that she wear the same ones as everyone else.
"Are they going to keep wearing them while they're playing?" Horio asked, his mouth half full of a sandwich he had stolen for himself.
"That depends…" Inui's gaze was elsewhere.
"On what?" Tomoka asked. Her gaze followed his to the crowd of brown and white decked students that just walked into their view.
"On how good they are."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Tezuka, we meet again." Akazawa said, extending his hand. "St. Rudolph is going to repay Seigaku for last time."
"We look forward to it." Tezuka replied coolly to combat the scoffing tone in Akazawa's voice.
The guys greeted each other with friendly threats and conversation. Yuuta promised Fuji that he was in for a tough match, and Fuji smiled as always. Yanagisawa loudly announced his aspiration to play Momoshiro again and that "this time he wouldn't get blow away".
"Tezuka, I need to talk to you for a moment." Coach Ryuzaki pulled him to the side.
The girls seemed to be locked in a staring match, each team trying to stare down the other. Was it their previous encounter with Hina that gave them a sour impression of St. Rudolph, or perhaps something else? Had Hina relayed twisted information about Seigaku to her team? Whatever it was, there was a definite hostility between the two teams that had not met.
"Le-let's have a good game." Oishi stammered, unnerved at the animosity in the air.
"Hmph. We'll see about that." Suzume said, flicking her eyes towards Hina.
She was unfazed. "We win at whatever we do."
Suzume scoffed. "I'm sure you do. Good attempt with your data scheme, by the way."
Hina flushed puce. "Better than your suicide attempt, right?"
Several people swiveled their heads around in shock. Suzume turned pale. She thought she could sneer off any insult, but she certainly wasn't expecting that one.
"Kimura?" Sayaka asked, eyes wide and concerned.
"I'm sure Daddy would be happy to hear that his little girl was such a coward," Hina continued, her face twisted into a sick smile. "After all—"
"You SHUT UP!" Sayaka had no idea what happened, but the next thing she knew she had launched toward that insufferable girl, white hot rage boiling through her veins.
"Oi!" Momoshiro locked his arms around his sister, restraining her with difficulty. He could understand Sayaka's anger, however. That was a low blow. Momoshiro almost wanted to lunge at Hina himself, but it was against his moral code to hit a girl. (Although he was thinking that his moral code needed revising at this point.) He glanced around for their captain and coach. He knew they would help intervene, but they were nowhere to be seen.
"Not. Okay." Sayaka ground out, still trying to move towards the girl. They all knew Suzume's father was a sensitive subject.
"You might've erased my data, but I've got what I remember," Hina said with a smirk. "How else would I know about the little mistletoe incident? It must've been really hard for you to be rejected then," she said to Chiharu, whose face was bright red with embarrassment. "He didn't even want to honor a silly little tradition. Maybe he just finds you distasteful."
BAM!
No one reacted that quickly.
Before any one of them had realized what happened, Suzume had tackled Hina to the floor and was lifting her fist for a second punch.
"Kimura!" Oishi frantically tried to stop her.
"Hey!" Some of the St. Rudolph girls were reaching for their captain in attempt to pull her out from under the furious Suzume.
"What are you doing!" Tezuka's voice boomed across the area, startling all of them. Except Suzume, who had now landed her second punch on Hina's face and was going for a third. He wrenched the girls apart almost entirely by himself. Hina was cowering, hands over her face.
Even as he pulled her away, Suzume still had her eye locked onto Hina's. "Bitch." she spat. "You mess with us, I'll kill you. I swear I will."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Suzume, what were you thinking!"
Suzume glared at her. "No one talks to Chiharu-senpai like that. No one talks to anyone I care about like that and gets away with it. Not on my watch."
"This is a tennis tournament." Akane said, frustrated. "Not a boxing match. What you did was unacceptable."
"It wasn't," she said obstinately. "That bitch had it coming."
Akane's face was white with fury. She took a breath to calm herself. This was probably the angriest Suzume had ever seen her. "Kimura. People are going to give you attitude at tournaments. It's all psychological trickery."
"They can give me all the attitude they want. But if they give it to anyone else, they better not mind me giving a little something back." She cracked her knuckles.
"You could've gotten us disqualified from the tournament!"
"Then it would've been worth it."
Akane slapped her.
A collective gasp ran through the people that happened to be around them. Suzume was struck silent from the impact. She never thought that her first wound of the day would be from her own captain.
"You need to stop being so selfish and start thinking about the team more." Akane told her harshly. "We worked too hard to get here, and I'm not going to let you jeopardize that."
Suzume glared at the ground instead, not quite daring to meet Akane's brilliant turquoise eyes. 'How am I being selfish!'
"I don't care what kind of crap the other team is giving you, you deal with it. I won't let you be a disgrace for the team. And if you can't respect that," Her eyes met Suzume's with ferocity. "Consider yourself suspended."
Hot tears of anger sprung into her eyes, and she kept her gaze down so Akane would not notice. She only stood up after the footsteps faded. Without warning, she slammed her fist into the green wire fence, causing the fence to rattle vigorously. "Damn it." she cursed underneath her breath, tears threatening to fall. Her cheek was now a mottled pink.
She only wanted to protect them all. How was she being selfish? Suzume never thought those few words would've hurt her so much. 'Maybe they hurt… because they ring true.' It felt like a small part of her heart had been rubbed raw. Was she only trying to defend her friends? Or was there some kind of… image that she had to uphold that caused her to act in rebellious ways? She didn't want to know the answer.
"Hey." A voice said behind her. She whirled around. It was Aiko.
"Hey." Had it been anyone else, Suzume probably would've lashed out towards them. Even Chiharu. She would've told Chiharu it was about time she started standing up for herself. But Aiko was different. Suzume felt like she didn't know the senpai enough to even carry on a normal conversation with her, much less pick a fight.
"I like you," Aiko said, surprising her. "That girl deserved it. I just thought I'd let you know."
Suzume felt her anger dissipate a little. "Thank you."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Akane, was that really necessary?"
The former captain looked up at Chiharu. "Yes, I think it was."
"You really hurt Suzume-chan…"
"Suzume-chan will be fine." She resumed to adjusting her racket strings.
"How can you say that? Akane, how could you do that to her?" Chiharu's voice cracked in the middle.
Akane didn't reply, and Chiharu knew that she didn't need to. Akane may be a great friend and was always there for her when she needed advice, but she ruled her team with an iron fist and crushed any challenge to her authority.
But she had never seen Akane strike anyone before, and it scared her. Would Akane strike her, if she also disrespected her? She felt like her best friend was now somewhat of a stranger.
"You're judging me." Akane suddenly said, her turquoise eyes analyzing Chiharu's face.
It was Chiharu's turn to be silent.
Akane put down her racket. "I know it's hard for you, especially since you are protective of Suzume. But put yourself in my shoes for a moment. Can you honestly tell me that you would've done anything differently?
Suzume was a reckless person, with the attitude of a delinquent and the temper of one too. Even with Chiharu reprimanding her all the time, she disrespected her senpais and peers constantly. Who was Chiharu to judge whether Akane had the right or not to discipline her teammate? "I don't think I'd make a good captain…" Chiharu finally said. "I don't know how I would punish my friends."
"You're wrong," Akane told her, letting her face settle into a smile. "You'd make a great captain. At least for right now, I'm glad to have you as a teammate."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Hey, are you all right?" Momoshiro said as Suzume returned to them. He was finishing up his stretches; the game was starting soon. The rest of the team had pulled their jerseys back on to keep warm.
"Yeah, I'm fine," She jerked her head towards Akane, who was standing a few meters away talking to Oishi. "To be honest, I deserved it."
He eyed her up and down. She frowned. "What? I already told you I'm fine. Stop staring. Don't make me give you a taste of what I gave that St Rudolph bitch."
"All right, you're back to normal." he grumbled. "Athough Ito-senpai really freaked me out. She's scary. I never thought…"
"You wait until you see her play tennis," Suzume said darkly. "Then you'll know who's scary."
Momoshiro's brow was wrinkled thoughtfully. "Wait, didn't you beat her in tennis?"
"Doesn't mean it was easy."
He was quiet, thinking it over. Suzume pulled out a cigarette and put it between her lips. She felt for the lighter in her pocket, the metal cool against her skin. However, instead of lighting it, she just tossed the lighter up gently and caught it again and again in the palm of her hand.
"So, if Oshiro-senpai and Reina-senpai both beat you, but you beat Akane-senpai, and Sayaka tied with you… does that mean Oshiro-senpai's ranked number one, Reina-senpai number two, you and Sayaka number three and Akane number four?"
"It doesn't work like that." Suzume said, clicking her lighter on and staring at the flame. She looked over at the other players on the ground, all talking with one another. Mentally, she drew strings in her head, connecting the dots. "Ryuzaki is obviously at the bottom right now. Next is Kimiko, but only because she's exclusively a doubles partner."
Her eyes skipped from the pink haired second year to a dark haired third year. "Morioka-senpai has always beaten Kimiko but has always lost to Akane. I feel like she and Komboi-senpai are probably tied in skill." Her eyes landed on the dark skinned senpai. I haven't played either of them, but I think Namazu-chan is around their level. Then there's Akane, me, Reina-senpai and Chiharu-senpai."
"Oh, so you're better than Sayaka now, are you." But he shut up when she fixed a glare at him that said, 'Don't question it.'
"Only thing is, Reina-senpai can't beat Akane. And I can't beat Reina-senpai. Not that I haven't tried. Chiharu-senpai destroys us all, however." She took the cigarette out of her mouth, pondering. "I think Reina-senpai can beat Akane-senpai, but she just needs to get rid of some issues."
Momoshiro watched her in interest. He'd never seen Suzume look so… animated. The unspoken tennis rankings between regulars really excited her, despite what she might say otherwise.
Suzume, as if catching herself, suddenly changed her tone. "But whatever. It doesn't matter. I'll get on top, no matter what." She proceeded to light her cigarette.
He blew out her flame. She tried again. "Stop that." He blew it out again.
"Che." She gave up and pocketed her lighter.
He smiled.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sakuno was just at the vending machine buying herself a drink when a shadow loomed over her.
"You're the freshmen on the team, right?"
A tall brunette was addressing her. From the jersey she wore, it was clear that she was on the St. Rudolph team. It wasn't the jersey that made her cautious though. It was the look in the girl's eyes, like a snake that just spotted a juicy mouse. Sakuno immediately felt threatened and took a small step back. "Y-yes…"
"Get your racket." The girl turned and began walking towards some empty courts.
"Ano…" Sakuno replied timidly. Quickly, she glanced left and right, but no one she knew was around. "Akane-buchou said that… she said that we weren't allowed to play matches outside of—"
She spun around.
"I said, get your racket."
Sakuno was startled by the brusque tone in the girl's voice. Fearful, she clutched her racket to her chest and followed the girl into the court.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Nya, Oishi! Did you hear?" The lively redhead pranced over to where his doubles partner was filling up his water bottle. The matches were due to start in less than half an hour and he wanted to make sure he had enough water to stay hydrated.
"What is it, Eiji?"
"Ito-chan slapped Kimura-chan just now!"
"What!" Oishi's eyes scanned where the other regulars were grouped, but was unable to discern any signs of commotion. "Just now?"
"A few minutes ago!" Kikumaru insisted. "It was really scary."
"Why?" Akane didn't seem like the type of girl to pick a fight meaninglessly. And knowing how much she cared for her team, Oishi didn't think that she would raise a hand against them.
"Kimura-chan was being disrespectful again."
"But still!"
Kikumaru shrugged. "Maybe that's just how she disciplines them."
Oishi didn't know what to say. The more he got to know Akane, the more he was seeing these different sides of her. And he wasn't sure he liked that. He'd never seen Tezuka raise a hand against anyone on the team before. "I know I could never do that…" The way she established her authority was almost militaristic. Oishi knew he didn't like the feeling of that team dynamic. He always felt like the Seigaku team was a family. How could one little disciplinary action change all that?
"Nya Oishi, why are you so upset?" Kikumaru asked, big eyes scanning his friend's face. "So she disciplined her team member. She has the full rights to, you know?"
"But… she's not even captain anymore…"
He knew why he was upset. He was upset because he was afraid that he'd never look at Akane the same way again.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ever since Kimiko had mentioned her sister, Reina had felt… strange.
Miyuki was someone easy to get close to. She was the one Reina always talked to and shared every secret with. She was the one that would motivate her to reach the top, to surpass her. She was Reina's support system and her competition, all in one. She was, in a sense, Reina's pillar.
Then one day she vanished without a trace.
And Reina collapsed.
"Reina?"
She snapped back to reality. "Yes?"
Akane took a seat next to her. The boys had already begun their game, but she was pretty sure they didn't need her support to win this one. "I have a bad feeling about this game. I think you're going to need to go all out today. Can you do that?"
Reina turned to Akane sharply. "Are you certain that I'll have to play?"
Akane stared straight ahead. "I don't know. We put Izumi in Singles 2 this time. If we lose one of the doubles matches—"
"You and Izumi will take care of the rest."
Akane let out a short laugh. "I hope so. But if one of us falls, you're going to have to go all out," She turned and fixed her stunning eyes on Reina. "All out. Understand?"
Reina hesistated.
There were only two times Reina had played to her true potential. One was when she crushed Suzume in a spectacular 6-1 victory. The other was when she was forced into a tiebreak with Akane.
"All out, you hear me? Don't play like your sister, and don't play like Inui." Akane put her hand on her shoulder in a reassuring manner. "You're strongest when you play like you."
Reina flinched. What was wrong with playing like someone you looked up to? What was wrong with playing like someone who was strong?
"And one more thing," Akane added, observing her. "Call your sister."
"What!" It was the most random thing at the most random time, and yet it conjured an immediate dread. Reina felt a cold sweat break out on her skin.
"Call her." Akane reached into the black-haired girl's bag and pulled out her cell phone. "Do it now."
"Akane, I—"
"You've been distracted ever since Christmas." Akane told her. "Don't think I haven't noticed. You haven't been on top of your game at practices, and we can't afford to have that right now. Here," she located Miyuki's number on Reina's phone and dialed it. Then she passed the phone back.
Reina took the phone and terminated the call. "I'll be more distracted if I talk to her! We haven't spoken in at least two years; what do you expect me to say?"
"You spent two years trying to suppress your thoughts. And now that they've resurfaced, are you still going to keep running?" Akane ran a hand through her hair. The look in her usually piercing gaze was gentle. "Reina. We both know that you're more skilled than me at tennis. The only reason you haven't been able to win is because you always have something else on your mind. And your lack of 'lexica' right now proves me right."
Reina only ever avoided 'lexica' when the situation was distressing.
They listened to the distant pok sound of a rally back and forth for a moment. The black-haired girl let her hands wander across her racket for a brief second, feeling the string and the frame. How many times had Akane broken her mindset in tennis? Countless times, surely. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine herself on the court, realizing that in her mind, all she saw was her sister standing across the net from her.
"There's this huge gap between you two. And that gap isn't going to bridge itself. You have to tell her how you feel," Akane told her. "Only then will you get this weight off your chest." She nodded towards the phone. "Call her."
If Akane was a lesser friend, she would've let it by. She would've let Reina cower away and hide and pretend that everything was okay. But Akane was a good friend, a great friend, and Reina knew this. She swallowed and held the phone up to her ear.
There was a brief dial tone. Then a familiar voice, "Hello?"
Words escaped her at that moment. Her heart pounded in her ears, and her lips were frozen.
"Hello?"
Akane reach over and gave her hand a squeeze. This helped her gather her courage.
"O…" Her voice cracked. She bit her trembling lip. "Onee-chan…"
"Reina?" her sister said in disbelief. "Reina, is that you?"
"Yes… yes, it's me."
"Two years. Two years, and not a single phone call. Not a single reply to a text, not a single email. Reina…"
"I'm sorry…" Reina said, taking a deep, shaky breath. "I was hurt, I was angry… and you just left."
"Reina…"
Her voice got stronger. "You just left me to fend on my own. How could I… how am I supposed to talk to you after that? I didn't know what to do."
"I'm so sorry…"
Reina wasn't done. "But you know what? I realized… I can stand on my own. I'm not your shadow anymore. I don't need you anymore."
She heard breaths on the other end of the line. Not dry, wet.
"I have a match today, and I'm going to play my own style. I won't let myself follow you anymore."
There was a long silence. And then her sister said,
"Good luck. I look forward to playing you when I return."
And for the first time in a long time, a smile appeared on Reina's face.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sayaka and Aiko were taking a walk around the perimeter. Aiko had been a little upset about being put into doubles 2 this time instead of doubles 1. Sayaka convinced her that they often switched it up based on information Inui gathered. Even the Golden Pair played in doubles 2 a few times.
"Hey… isn't that Sa-ku-no?" Aiko asked, pronouncing the syllables in a truncated manner. She pointed.
Sakuno appeared to be having a match with a girl from St. Rudolph. "Yeah…" Sayaka said, suddenly concerned. "I wonder what's going on…"
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sakuno fell to the ground, panting hard. Her racket clattered onto the ground beside her. Sweat dripped down her chin as she desperately tried to gather herself together.
"6 games to love," the tall brunette sneered, taking special pleasure in saying the word "love". "And it lasted about…," she glanced at her watch. "Fifteen minutes? Looks like we don't even need to try to beat you guys."
It was all Sakuno could do not to cry right then and there.
"Destroying Seigaku will be easy." the girl said as she slung her racket bag over her shoulder and left the courts.
Sakuno throat constricted and the tears began to flow. Near the end of the game, she just wanted to get a single point, just to prove herself, and she wasn't even able to do that. A tear dropped to the ground. She had never felt so stupid, stupid to even think she was getting good at tennis.
There was a sort of numbness that came from losing. The emptiness in her eyes was like that of a dragonfly that had just had its wings torn off. She didn't know how she was going face St. Rudolph later in the afternoon. She didn't even know how she was ever going to pick up her racket again. She no longer had any desire to play tennis.
This was different from when she played Akane. That was when she was still inexperienced and naïve at tennis. She had improved at lot in both confidence and skill. But as it turned out, it still wasn't enough. 'I thought I could… I thought I might have a chance now that I've been practicing much more…' A hiccup rose in her throat. 'How could I have thought that I would catch up to the others someday? How could I have thought that I might have a chance to take four games away from Matsuyama-senpai, when she beat Suzume so easily!' She might as well quit the team and let Saki take her place. Clearly, she was no asset to the team.
A flashback occurred in her mind. She once again had that image of all the girls running practice laps, with her trailing farther and farther behind, until they disappeared into the distance.
They were all ahead of her. And ahead of her, they would remain. She was alone.
Her teardrops fell like rain onto the empty court.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sakuno's impromptu match had not gone unwatched.
Ryoma was alarmed. He was just getting more Ponta when this match caught his attention. Interested, he decided to watch and see what happened.
Sakuno had lost in fifteen minutes flat.
He was alarmed. Firstly, he didn't expect St. Rudolph to be so good. Secondly, he didn't expect Sakuno to be unable to score a single point, despite playing rather well. But what alarmed him the most was the look in Sakuno's eyes.
They were dull.
Lifeless.
As if the tears that streamed down her cheeks were leaking out her very life energy. The look in her eyes was of hollow acceptance, like what he'd imagine to see in the eyes of animals waiting in line at a slaughterhouse. Almost as if she accepted that she would never be good at tennis. That it was her fate.
He hated that look, and he was going to put her insufferable, happy, naïve smile back on her face right now.
Footsteps quickened beside him, and he realized he wasn't the only one that had that idea.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Suddenly, the fence swung open and footsteps entered the court. Sakuno yanked her head up, bewildered.
It was Akane; she must've seen the whole thing. A blush of shame crept into her cheeks as her eyes filled with new tears. 'She's the one who motivated me, who encouraged me that I could continue to be a regular. She must be so disappointed in me…'
The look in her senpai's eyes was fierce, yet her expression was unreadable. Abruptly, she pulled out her racket and tossed her racket bag to the side.
"On your feet, Sakuno."
Sakuno choked back a sob and stumbled to her feet, gripping her racket.
Akane served a rocket fast serve. It shot by Sakuno's arm before she even had a chance to react. She served another one, equally fast. The girl in braids made a half-hearted swing, tears still blurring her eyes.
"Return it!"
Sakuno felt another sob heave through her body as Akane's curt command reached her ear. She put a little more power into her swing but missed the ball entirely.
"What are you doing!"
She yelped as another shot whizzed by her, the ball slamming into the ground with enough force to knock her out.
Oishi and Eiji, who had just won their match, gathered around the fence with some others. "What's going on?"
Sayaka quickly explained.
"Should we stop them?" the vice-captain asked worriedly.
"No." Sayaka said firmly. "I've never seen Ryuzaki-chan look like that before," She hugged herself, as if experiencing a chill. "She looked so… devastated after she lost against that St. Rudolph girl. Like she never wanted to play tennis again."
They stared at her in shock. Sayaka looked up with determination.
"If Akane-buchou can bring back her love of tennis, then let her do whatever it takes."
Back on the courts, Akane was relentlessly hitting ball after ball past Sakuno. Her shots sped like bullets onto the opposite court.
"You aren't trying hard enough!"
"Hit the ball, Sakuno!"
"Return it!"
Her orders stung like a slap. Sakuno rubbed her arm against her eyes to rid them of tears, gripping her racket harder. A ball bounced low in front of her, and she dived for it, her arms getting scraped by the rough ground. She missed.
"Get up, Sakuno! Get UP!"
She pulled herself to her feet once more and ran after the next one. This time, she managed to return it, only to have Akane effortlessly hit it back in an even more powerful shot that sped past Sakuno.
"This isn't the Sakuno I had faith in!" Akane shouted as she served again. "This isn't the Sakuno that I know!"
Akane's commands were starting to merge with the voices in her head, voices that always yelled at her to push herself a little harder, to hit the ball. In the last game with the brunette from St. Rudolph, she could no longer hear those voices of encouragement. Now they were back, melting her doubt, dissolving her negative thoughts.
Her eyes suddenly focused on the next shot that came her way. With a cry, she smashed her racket into it the ball, vibrations shaking her very bones. The ball shot to the left corner and bounced into the fence, untouched.
"Nice." Ryoma said quietly.
Akane's eyes went to the fence when the ball was embedded. Then she turned back to Sakuno, smiling slightly. "That's more like it."
'Did I… did I just put a shot past Akane-buchou?'
Akane met her at the net. Sakuno looked up and saw nothing but sincerity in those fiery eyes. She reached out her hand. It didn't feel like a handshake. It was more like Akane was lending her a hand and pulling her out of an abyss.
"You belong on the Seigaku team. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise."
When Sakuno walked by him, Ryoma looked into her eyes and once again saw fire. Her passion had been rekindled. He didn't say anything, but nodded once approvingly towards her. And she smiled her insufferable smile once more.
For now, it was enough.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Meanwhile, Aiko had her own business to take care of. After the tall brunette had left Sakuno on the courts, she tracked her down. She was surrounded by her Japanese-speaking friends, but Aiko wasn't intimidated. She simply jerked her thumb back to another set of empty courts, challenging the brown-haired girl.
Upon entering the courts, Aiko immediately slammed three winners past the girl, shocking her. Ten minutes later, she had the girl on her knees. And then she left.
Sometimes, you didn't need to speak the language to get your message through.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
They say that the best leaders do not lead, but inspire.
Right now, as Oishi looked at Akane, he realized that she was one of the best.
She may have walked on a twisted path, but her intentions were straight and true. The minute he saw the renewed light in Sakuno's eyes, Oishi knew. He knew that he would always look at Akane differently.
He knew he would always admire her.
It was like what Yamato-buchou said to Tezuka once. Once you become captain of Seigaku's tennis team, you never stop being captain. Wherever you go, wherever life takes you, you've always been a captain and always will be. In his mind, he saw the three of them merging together and vowed to achieve their level of leadership.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
"I can't believe the boys got beaten by Seigaku again. Seriously Mizuki, are you good for anything?"
"I can't believe Mizuki got owned by Fuji again! Man, that was funny!"
"Never mind that now. What do you know about the Seigaku girls?"
"A decent amount. Hey, didn't Shizuka go and have a little fun with the freshman girl?"
"Yeah she did, only to get destroyed by that black girl they have on their team. (snicker)"
"Shut up. That girl has the strongest friggin' swing I've ever seen. You try her. I bet she's Singles 1."
"No, Singles 1 is going to be played by the girl obsessed with Tezuka. Pigtails, blue-ish hair? That one. She always plays Singles 1. The black girl is a doubles player."
"I didn't think they'd have someone that strong on their team… and in doubles, too! Mizuki, we're going to need all the help we can get."
"Not to worry… I've got all the information right here."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
To say Sakuno rekindled her passion was an understatement. She and Sayaka brought their best game onto the court that afternoon. It might've been the pressure. Seeing the Komboi-Marui pair annihilate their opponents at a spectacular 6-1 game must've given them some sort of pressure.
Aiko have definitely proven herself capable of Doubles 1. She and Kimiko had an almost flawless partnership now. In fact, Kimiko was beginning to accommodate her style to assist Aiko, so that Aiko had the smashes, the winners, and the spotlight. At the same time, Aiko was controlling the pace and the spin for Kimiko's signature moves.
When Coach Ryuzaki suggested that Aiko play singles for the next game, she half-expected the African American girl to jump for joy. (In a figurative sense.) Instead, Aiko merely shrugged. "Maybe someday," she said to herself in English, eyes drifting over to her partner. Kimiko waved. "We'll see."
Doubles 1 was a bit harder to win, but the Ryuzaki-Momoshiro pair reigned in a nice, clean win at 6 games to 3. Sayaka's style dazzled the players, and Ryuzaki's new motivation accelerated her strength. While they both had openings and flaws, they made up for that in trust. After every point they lost, Sayaka would turn to Sakuno with a smile and say, "It doesn't matter! We can afford to give them a few points, right?" Sakuno was at her best condition in that relaxed atmosphere.
"Nice game, Ryuzaki." Ryoma said as she exited the courts.
She beamed. "Thank you, Ryoma-kun!"
"Eh? Did Ochibi just compliment Ryuzaki-chan?" Kikumaru bounced over and peered at Ryoma, grinning. "Heheh, Ochibi has a soft spot!"
Ryoma caught himself. His smile faded and he pulled his cap down.
Suddenly whispers circulated around the crowd. All of them turned around to see Akane walking into the court, her golden-red hair tied back and her racket ready.
"No way… isn't she the girl's team captain?"
"What's she doing in Singles 3?"
"She can't be that strong. She played in Doubles 2 during the district tournaments, right?"
"Ne, Inui-senpai, how come Akane-buchou is playing so early?" Kimiko asked.
Inui flipped through a few pages in his green notebook. "We wanted her to snare the third win as soon as possible. We don't want St. Rudolph to pull any tricks on us."
"Yeah, after what they pulled this morning…" Suzume said darkly.
During their Doubles 1 game, Mizuki tried to break Kikumaru's focus by saying something to him during a break. No one knew what he said, but the redhead looked extremely indignant. He proceeded to double fault during his serve. It was only when Oishi calmed down his partner that the regained the flow of the game. Both Momoshiro and Akane were needed to restrain Suzume from doing justice.
"I'm excited. I haven't seen Akane-buchou play yet." Sayaka said, practically trembling with anticipation.
"Most of us haven't." Inui said, pulling out his pen. "I too, am excited." It was funny how he said it in a monotone voice.
"Then get ready," Suzume warned them. "Because even though I won her, there's a reason why I never want to play her again."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
"One set match!"
Her opponent had won the first serve. It was the girl that had paid Sakuno a little "visit", Shizuka. Akane stepped to the receiving line and prepared herself. That girl beat Sakuno in fifteen minutes. Akane had beat Sakuno in around the same time, but that was back when Sakuno had just joined the team. This girl had played the new and improved Sakuno, and still took no effort into destroying her. She was not to be taken lightly.
"Ne, is it bad that Ito-senpai doesn't have the first serve?" Kachiro asked curiously.
"Nope, it doesn't really matter," Chiharu told him. "The end result is the same."
Horio scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I wonder what kind of style Ito-senpai has…" He put his hands on his hips and decided confidently, "I bet it's like Oishi-senpai's! She's probably the reliable type, being practical as she is…"
Chiharu chuckled. "Akane's style is nothing like Oishi-san's. Well, it's true that she's steady and a counter puncher, but she has one of the most frightening styles of us all."
Shizuka's serve suddenly sliced by Akane.
Ace.
Akane whipped her head around to wear the ball landed. A fast shot, aiming for the center of the left box. It was a good choice. The opponent had already guessed her less favorable side.
"Whoa, that was a good shot…" Katou commented.
"It's one that Akane-buchou should've been able to reach though." Sayaka said, frowning. 'I've seen her play before. She's fast. What's going on?'
Shizuka served again. Akane took a few steps to her right and returned it in a powerful forehand, causing a particularly loud –pok- to echo through the courts.
"There you go!" Sayaka proclaimed. That was more like the Akane she knew.
Suddenly the ball was smashed into the far side of her court, silencing everyone. Akane's eyes widened. She had been meters away. She bit her lip and let out a irritated sigh. In order to win this game, she was going to have to read her opponent's movements better. And she needed to win this one. There was a huge responsibility on her shoulders right now.
"That girl is really good at net play…" Aiko pointed out softly. They glanced at the opposite court. True enough, Shizuka was at the net. She had rushed there after her serve.
Another serve came her way, and Shizuka once again approached the net. Akane reacted quickly this time. Her blue-green eyes shifted left and right, looking for an opening. She hit a cross shot to the left side.
Her opponent leapt up and smashed the ball into the area behind her, making the movement look surprisingly effortless. The former girl's captain felt her lips part in shock. Determination flashed through her eyes, and she ran to try to get the ball anyways. She missed it by at least ten inches.
A point later, the game went to St. Rudolph.
"Damn…" Momoshiro remarked. "That St. Rudolph girl is pretty good…"
"It's bad for Ito-senpai!" Horio said.
"She should hold her opponent at the baseline…" Fuji suggested. "That's what you do with net players." 'Weird… she partnered with a net player for a long time,' he thought, thinking of Kimiko. 'She should be able to combat this…'
"It-it's okay!" Oishi reassured them. "We-we'll catch up."
The next game went by just as quickly. Akane was now down to 0-2.
"Ito-senpai's good…" Kachiro offered, trying to convince himself. "Her opponent is just a bit stronger." He didn't want to admit that he was disappointed. After all, Akane was the girl's team captain. He expected a much higher level of skill.
"Yeah," Oishi agreed, trying to make an excuse for Akane's mediocre skill. "I think she's being overwhelmed right now, so we can't see how well she actually plays. St. Rudolph is just a step up on this one."
Akane leapt up and smashed at a tricky lob. For a moment they thought she would win this point. Then her opponent caught her smash and volleyed it back, the ball hitting the court before Akane had even landed.
"40-0!"
Akane panted hard, glaring at her racket. She readjusted her grip a few times.
"Really? Is that the best you can do?" the St. Rudolph player scoffed, lifting her chin. She was hardly breaking a sweat. Shizuka returned to her side of the court and prepared to serve again. "Guess this will be an easy win." She threw up the ball and hit it, aiming for the left side where the lines intersected.
"That was a good serve!" Momoshiro exclaimed. Shizuka had a good eye for choosing where Akane's weaknesses were, and her serve was full of power. They couldn't depend on Akane to win this one.
Suzume smirked.
A flash of ginger streaked across the court as Akane suddenly appeared, slamming her racket into the yellow ball. It shot into the empty court, so fast it blurred into a yellow streak.
"40-15!"
Shizuka's jaw dropped.
Akane stood up straight; all signs of panting and fatigue had disappeared. "Excuse me?" she said, a casual hand on her hip and a relaxed smile on her lips. "What were you saying?"
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Yo-you played me!" Shizuka shrieked, pointing an accusing finger at Akane. The latter merely continued to smile. "You… you dirty, cheating—"
"That's coming from you, St. Rudolph-san?" Momoshiro countered, just as Suzume said to the girl icily, "You really don't want to finish that sentence."
"Serve and let's continue to play." Akane said, getting back into receiving position, a charming smile in place.
The brunette threw up the ball and served with all her might. "How about this!"
Akane swiped a backhand at the ball with as much effort as swatting a tiny fly away. The ball skimmed the line that marked the edge of the court, far from Shizuka's racket.
Frustrated, Shizuka began a new rally, and lobbed the ball upwards. The former girl's captain jumped up and smashed the ball with so much raw energy that it bounced right out of the fence, causing everyone's eyes to follow it in an arc. The crowd was silent. No one could've guessed that Akane was hiding this much skill. A point later, she won the game in a stunning recovery from 40-0.
"Game, Seigaku! 1 game to 2! Change court!"
"I can't believe it! All this time she was pretending to be weak!" Horio said. "Oshiro-senpai, why didn't you tell us? We were really worried that we were going to lose!"
"I couldn't," Chiharu responded. "Because if the opponent notices us looking too calm, she's suspect something's up."
"Besides, it was fun seeing you all so agitated," Suzume added with a grin.
"Stupid sparrow…" Sayaka muttered under her breath.
"It seems Akane-san's quite the actress…" Fuji murmured. "She had me fooled."
"It's her serve now! Quiet down and watch." Oishi told them.
Akane walked slowly to the baseline, pulling a ball from her pocket. She bounced it on the ground a couple times. Then a couple more. Then a couple more. Then she paused, holding the ball and giving her opponent a look. But instead of serving, she started to bounce the ball on the ground again.
"What is she doing?" Kaidoh questioned, annoyed.
Just as Shizuka shouted, "Will you serve already!", Akane threw the ball up and served.
It was such a simple serve, there almost seemed to be an internal groan among the regulars. Shizuka hit the ball in a sharp return…
…straight into the net.
"15-0!"
Momoshiro tilted his head, confused. Shizuka clearly showed before them that she had the skill to return such a serve. "What? That was such an easy serve. What's going on?"
"Haven't you guessed, idiot?" Suzume said. "Akane-buchou plays psychological tennis."
"Psychological… tennis?" they all echoed.
"That's right." Chiharu confirmed. "Like that," she pointed. They all watched as Akane went back to the baseline and began bouncing the ball again for a prolonged amount of time. "She's building up frustration inside her opponent."
Akane served again. Shizuka rammed her racket into the ball a little too harshly, and the ball went out.
"30-0!"
"So why did she pretend to be bad in the last two games?" Sayaka asked curiously.
"Her opponent thought she was weak and that built up her confidence," Chiharu told them. "Akane then suddenly rose to her real skill in order to crush that confidence. It's hard to recover from." She nodded towards the girl. "The whole point was to shatter her game."
Akane took her second game easily by causing the tall brunette to make errors. "Game, Seigaku! 2 games all!"
Izumi, who had been quietly observing her former captain, spoke up. "To break an opponent psychologically is to break their entire game," she quoted quietly. Everyone turned to look at her. "That was Akane's tennis philosophy."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
"So, how is she going to influence her opponent psychologically without the serve?" Sayaka asked.
"It's not as if it's anything special…" Kaidoh grunted. "Anyone can bounce the ball a few times."
"It's not just that," Inui told him. "It's her expressions… her tone… it's all catered to her opponent. She psychoanalyzes her opponent. She knows Shizuka is frustrated easily. She plays on her emotions. Rather than trying to win, she tries to make her opponent lose."
"Ryuzaki, she wasn't like that when she played against you the first time, right?" Ryoma asked, his voice low so only she and Inui could hear. He didn't want to alert more people then necessary.
"Ah…" Sakuno replied sadly, remembering. "She played at her full power from the start. Then she gave me some easy rallies only to end it with powerful smashes. I was… scared."
Shizuka served and charged the net once more. Akane stepped back and lobbed the ball upwards. Her opponent jumped up.
It flew above her outstretched racket. "It's going out." Mizuki said confidently.
The ball suddenly dropped sharply. It landed, well within the baseline. "0-15!"
"Damn it, Shizuka! You could've gotten that one if you jumped earlier!" One of the other St. Rudolph players said. "Watch your timing!"
"She put topspin on that lob." Inui commented.
The St. Rudolph girl didn't give up. She ran to the net again after her next serve. This time, Akane hit a well-placed passing shot, aiming at the opening that Shizuka created to the right. Shizuka, making use of her tall frame, managed to catch the ball with two strides to her right and volley it back. Akane smashed it to the baseline. Another point.
Shizuka stomped her foot angrily. The next time she served, she stayed at the baseline.
Kimiko pointed. "Look, her net play is sealed off!"
"Honestly, if she remained at the net she would've done better." Suzume said with a roll of her eye.
"Eh? Why do you say that?" Kawamura asked.
"Akane-buchou isn't trying to seal off her net play style, she's trying to corner her. Look," Suzume jerked her head towards the court. Akane ended their rally with a drop shot, forcing the St. Rudolph girl to stumble to the net once more, like a puppet on strings. "She makes the other player think that all their strategies are null, making them panic."
Fuji smiled. "If you can't play at the net, and you can't play at the baseline, where are you going to play?"
"It is even more effective when implemented against strategists." Reina said darkly.
"Right," Inui said, glancing her way. "For an opponent who bases their method on strategies, like data players, Akane-san's style will pressure them immensely."
"How do you know that?" Horio asked Reina.
"Individual perspicacity."
"What?"
"Firsthand experience."
"Oh."
Reina remembered how Akane brought the game to a new level by making her think all her data, all her insight was wrong. Even though it wasn't. She stripped away every strategy that Reina tried to use. Reina jumped from tactic to tactic, trying desperately to find something that would work. She began to fall into a frenzied state, making unforced errors, until Akane finally pushed her into her old style. Then, she managed to redeem herself and take the game into a tiebreak.
"Oh, it's a rally now!" Kachiro said.
The brunette tried to hit a passing shot, but Akane caught it easily and returned it. Her turquoise eyes locked onto Shizuka's. The tall girl tried for a cross shot. Again, it was returned, this time with more power. Turquoise eyes met her dark ones. Was Akane… challenging her? Shizuka put even more force into her return. It came back in an even stronger shot. Shizuka gritted her teeth and batted the ball with even more strength.
Suddenly it hit the net.
The game went to Akane.
"That wasn't just a rally…" Ryoma said quietly. Some of them looked at him in a confused manner, but he didn't explain. The game was heating up and he wanted to devote all his attention to it.
The ginger haired girl kept stringing her opponent along. She hit a straight shot straight to the baseline, and then a drop volley. Back and forth, causing Shizuka to tire out slowly. Then she swung her racket in a drive volley that looked like it would've broken her wrist had Shizuka managed to return it.
"Is there such thing as an aggressive counter puncher?" Kawamura asked, almost jokingly. "She looks more like an aggressive baseliner to me."
"Hmm… Buchou switches off, I guess!" Kimiko decided. "I mean, she usually waits for their game to fall apart and wins points based on errors, but while she's breaking them she'll attack relentlessly."
"Hey, why does everyone still call Akane-san 'buchou'?" Momoshiro suddenly asked, intrigued. "Sayaka, even you started doing it, and you joined after she was no longer captain."
"Heh," Sayaka scratched her head, looking sheepish. "Well everyone did it, and I guess it just sort of caught on. Besides, it feels right."
Oishi smiled. 'Once a captain, always a captain…'
The game was all in her favor now. Akane hit another drop shot, although this one went a little high. Shizuka saw her chance. She sprinted towards her opportunity, jumped, and smashed.
The ball went straight to the green wire fence, out by meters.
"Out!"
"See?" Kimiko giggled.
"What!" Everyone gasped in surprise.
"That was a chance ball! It looked so… easy!"
"That ball had a strange spin on it…" Kikumaru murmured.
"Eh?" Oishi turned to him. "Eiji, is that true?"
Kikumaru blinked his eyes a few times. "Nyaa… I think so…"
"It was irregular." Ryoma mentioned, staring at the ginger-headed girl.
" 'Devil's Lure…' " Suzume said with a smirk. "That's what we used to call it."
Akane hit the drop shot again. Shizuka had anticipated it. 'This time…' She jumped up and pinned the ball down with all her might.
The ball flew right over the fence. Ryoma reached a hand out and caught it within his fingers. The spin he felt as his fingers closed around it was neither a topspin nor a backspin.
"Out!"
"Shizuka, what's the matter with you!" Some of the St. Rudolph players were commenting.
"It's a good technique." Tezuka said approvingly.
"She hit it with the tip of her racket, right where the strings met the frame." Inui noted, scribbling in his notebook. "That's what caused the irregular spin. If the opponent were to smash that, it would spiral out of control on its spin, and thus go out of the court."
The ball bounced against Akane's racket with the hollow noise of a drop shot once more. Shizuka knew better. Instead, she ran forward and gently hit a drop shot back, tipping it just over the net.
"Thanks!" Akane grinned and slammed her racket into it with all her might. The ball exploded in a flat shot to the corner of the court, so powerful it hissed against the fence.
"That time it was a normal drop shot." Tezuka said.
"Game, Seigaku! 5 games to 2! Change court!"
Shizuka threw her racket across the court with a frustrated yell.
"Akane isn't the type to have flashy techniques. She hides them," Chiharu explained. "She makes the opponent feel like they're missing easy shots. It makes them frustrated."
"Her topspin lob… Shizuka jumped early because she was frustrated, right?" Inui asked, flipping a few pages back in his notebook.
"Duh. Akane-buchou can time her techniques perfectly to her opponents' emotions." Suzume said as if it was obvious.
"That rally earlier where Shizuka's shot hit the net… Why wasn't that normal, Echizen?" Momoshiro asked.
"Because the ball was getting lower and lower," Ryoma replied. "Shizuka didn't notice, but Akane led her into a trap. She led the ball into the net and disguised it as a power battle."
"Shizuka was trying too hard to out-do Akane in power that she didn't notice how close to the net the ball was getting." Chiharu confirmed.
"It's such a scary tennis style!" Kimiko said, jumping up and down. "Because you never know if it's just a normal drop shot or her Devil's Lure. You never know if the ball is going out or not. You could be missing a chance ball. It's too hard to tell."
"No, it's scary…" Izumi said softly. "…because it causes you to turn on yourself. You think that you're missing easy shots. You believe that your strategies are inadequate. You get frustrated because you don't understand how you could be losing to such 'simple' techniques. The lobs that should be chance balls, the passing shots that look like they have no power, the way she leads you into trap after trap… She can make you think that you're winning and then turn the tables in an instant. Then even when you are actually winning, you doubt yourself. It's enough to suffocate anyone's spirit." She took a breath, memories of her defeat clouding her eyes. "She makes you into your worst enemy."
"She's the real trickster on the team." Chiharu said.
"She's like an assassin!" Kimiko suddenly proclaimed. "She'll be really stealthy but normal on the outside, and then suddenly, BAM." She clapped her hands together for emphasis.
Some of the regulars didn't get it. "What?"
"…you're dead."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Great work!" Coach Ryuzaki complimented her. "One game left! Get it, and St. Rudolph is done."
"She's got it, no worries." Sayaka declared from behind the fence.
Akane smiled as she drank hungrily from her water bottle. The water tasted a little weird. 'Bleh, tap water. Japan really needs some more sanitary regulations.'
She suddenly dropped onto her hands and knees, choking and coughing.
"Oi!"
"Akane-san, are you—"
Everyone began to run into the court. "Call an ambulance!" Tezuka barked.
Chiharu was already dialing before she heard his order.
The situation escalated for worse. Her choking noises abruptly turned into to desperate gasps for air. "Akane-san!" Oishi was frantically going through everything that he learned in first aid. If she's choking, it meant her air passage was free. So it's either getting blocked that very moment, or—
Akane suddenly wasn't gasping anymore. She was struggling for air, absolutely silent. It was the worst noise in the world.
"Anaphylaxis!" Reina said.
"That doesn't help us if we can't understand you!"
"Move." Suzume shoved him aside and did the last thing they expected. She forced Akane to open her mouth and shoved two fingers down her throat. Akane gagged, leaned over and vomited the contents of her stomach onto the sidelines. Some of the onlookers cried in disgust. The Seigaku team was too worried to feel repulsed.
"Kimura-san!"
"It's her allergies!" Kimiko said. "I remember the symptoms now!"
"No shit." Suzume scoffed.
The distant sounds of a siren alerted them of the arrival of the ambulance. The paramedics rushed to the court and carried her away on a stretcher, with Oishi and Coach Ryuzaki following. Staff from the tennis committee arrived to clean up the mess.
"Seigaku forfeits! Game and Match to St. Rudolph!"
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
"But Akane is only allergic to crab. H-how did she have a reaction now?" Chiharu asked, her brow cinching with worry. "She hasn't eaten anything…"
"Isn't it obvious?" Suzume jerked her head over to the other side, where the St. Rudolph girls looked surprisingly calm. Even satisfied. "They poisoned her."
"You can't prove a thing!" Hina called.
Inui had his detective look on. He took a sip of the water. "This does taste… fishy…" He touched his glasses. "Ha. A pun."
"I can't believe you!" Sayaka shouted towards the other side. "You could've killed her!" She lunged towards the other side, but Momoshiro grabbed her around the waist. "Lemme go, Take-nii!"
"Sayaka-chan, calm down!" Kikumaru said. Then he glared at the other team. "Although… it really makes me mad!"
Several of the guys, including Fuji and Kawamura, stood around Suzume, lest she try and avenge Akane. But she remained eerily calm. Suzume recalled the sting of the slap earlier that afternoon. 'Akane-buchou wouldn't have wanted you to jeopardize the tournament for her sake.'
"So cruel…" Sakuno said, clutching her racket to her heart. She shuddered.
"That was cruel…" Kawamura nodded. "It was completely uncalled for. No tennis tournament is worth risking someone's safety for."
Fuji gave the girls on the other team an icy stare.
Reina had dropped her pencil and sketchbook and was clenching the wire fence so hard her knuckles were turning white. Inui looked over, startled. "Reina-san?"
"Unforgivable." she uttered.
"Ah…"
"Despicable. Malicious. Reprehensible. Censurable. Demeritorious. Opprobrious…" Inui secretly wondered if she would ever run out of negative adjectives.
Aiko, who was now being exposed to more Japanese swear words and curses than ever, spat out one word. "Teme. (Bastard).
"It was a cowardly bastard's move…" Kaidoh agreed vehemently. "Fshhhh…"
"How could anyone do that?" Chiharu asked, her eyes moistening. "I don't think they did it. No one could possibly—"
Suzume shook her head. "Those bitches didn't deny it. It must've been them. They have the data."
"Not everyone is as good-hearted as you, Oshiro-senpai." Echizen said.
She sniffled slightly, trying to maintain a brave front.
Tezuka glanced at her. "Go meet them at the hospital."
"Eh?" she turned to him in confusion. "B-but the game!" It was required for them to remain at the game in order to support their school.
"She's your best friend. Go."
Chiharu let out a sad smile. "Haven't you realized? Akane… is everyone's best friend." And she went.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Izumi-senpai, you can't just win this for Seigaku, but for Akane-buchou as well!" Kimiko encouraged her. "Teach those St. Rudolph… people a lesson!"
"Yeah!" Sayaka joined in. "Crush 'em!"
While Izumi enjoyed Kimiko's use of "people" as a euphemism for something else, she was not feeling very upbeat. She was anxious. Being put in singles 2 was already pressuring enough. On top of that, they expected her to avenge Akane. Plus, if St. Rudolph did trigger Akane's allergies on purpose, then surely they knew about her illness as well?
"Good luck." Fuji told her, but somehow this made her heart beat even faster.
Izumi did not play well when she was nervous. And there weren't many people that could inspire her to move forward, to conquer herself.
Where was Akane when you needed her?
Think, she told herself, and forced herself to conjure an image of Akane up in her brain. 'What would she say?' A memory flashed before her eyes.
"You can't let your opponent take the lead.
It's simple, Izumi. Don't let yourself lose."
"Don't let yourself lose." she repeated out loud. Her hand tightened around her racket. With resolve in her heart and ferocity in her eyes, she entered the court.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
End Chapter 21
THANKS FOR 900+ REVIEWS! Next marker? 1000.
Please review, and if you do, I may update very soon again. Who knows?
Next chapter: Izumi's resolve is not quite enough to take down her opponent. How will she face her loss? Will she consider dropping out of the team once more? Meanwhile, Reina is so pressured and angry that she reveals her original style, in order to secure the win for Seigaku.
From now on, only important matches will be written out in detail and the rest will be summarized. I think after St. Rudolph we are going to have a "rest" chapter, probably Prince of –insert random sport here-. WHAT SPORT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE? Review and tell me!
