August 14th: Overcoming Challenges & Obstacles

Sigh. Yes, I know this isn't the next prompt. I've decided to leave the AU prompt until the end (or possibly post it separately depending on how it turns out). I've thrown away two nearly-complete 4000 word one-shots because I wasn't satisfied with either and I'm slowly writing a new idea that I'm (presently) happy with, so eventually something will be posted. Apologies to anyone who was looking forward it.

I wasn't all that satisfied with this story either, but considering I also haven't finished the next prompt, I couldn't afford to re-write it as well. Consequently, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter.

Summary: Whatever first impression Sora wanted to make on the high school girls' tennis captain, this was not what she had in mind.

Rating: K+

Words: 2000+

Tennis Trials

Sora's first practice with the high school girls' tennis team wasn't going well. She was already late due to a scare in the Digital World (Daisuke and the others had gone and told the high schoolers not to worry), which was not the kind of first impression Sora was interested in making. Tightening the laces to her shoes, Sora quickly tied a double knot and rushed outside with her bag thrown haphazardly over her shoulder.

"Sorry I'm late," she apologised while still trying to regain her breath.

The captain looked over at her with a smile. "Just don't let it happen again. It's Takenouchi, correct?"

Sora cringed a little, hoping this wasn't going to be her lasting impression on the captain. She walked over to one of her classmates from middle school, whose expressions appeared to be strained.

"Takenouchi, Hyuuga, you two are up!"

The girls looked at each other and Sora decided to walk to the opposite end so she could use the time to finish the stretches she had started when getting ready. At least being late meant she had warmed up a little trying to get here on time.

Sora looked down at her rackets and finally decided on her older one. She had bought a new racket for the upcoming season, but figured it was better to start with something familiar. After all, the upperclassmen were looking for new talent.

"Takenouchi serves."

It was just a practice game. One set or a twenty-minute match, whichever limit was reached first. Sora tossed the ball up and, knowing it was a good throw, brought her racket forward with a crash.

"Wow, look at her legs!"

"Too bad her boobs are so small."

The comments came at just the wrong time, forcing the angle of her serve off just enough to send it outside the serving area. Sora's head whipped around to see three older high schoolers standing at the fence jeering at her.

"Guess she wasn't picked because of her talent!" one laughed.

"Second serve."

Sora turned to face the umpire, second year Ruki Tachibana, unable to keep the incredulous look from her face. She wasn't one to question an umpire and Sora had played in noisy tournaments before, but she'd never been subjected to such vulgar comments. Tachibana sighed.

"Just get used to it Takenouchi," she said in a low voice that sounded resigned.

The boys continued to heckle and Sora gripped the tennis ball in her hand tightly. Noting the angle and seeing that no one was in her way, Sora casually tossed the ball low and slammed her racket into it with the most powerful backhand she could manage. For a moment, the boys jumped back in fear, staring at the ball that was now wedged into the fence. The girls around her gawked.

"Next time there won't be a fence to save you!"

The boys were silent for one glorious second before their comments started back up again. Sora gripped her racket until her knuckles turned white, tempted to throw it at them and see what happened. The captain jogged over to her side.

"It's not worth it, Takenouchi. Just think of it as good practice against any distractions."

Sora turned to face her senior, now angry. "How long have they been doing this?"

"Since early last year," one of the other second years piped up. "Problem is, they only harass us when none of the faculty staff are around, so we can't prove anything."

Sora looked around, realising there was no teacher present.

"Who's supposed to be supervising us?"

"Mr. Furuya, but he often has more important things to do than supervise the girls' team."

Glancing at the boys again to size them up, Sora walked over to her bag and placed the racket in it. She wasn't one to start fights (that was normally Taichi or Yamato's specialty), however Sora was not going to let this kind of behaviour stand. She would talk with the captain about getting a new faculty supervisor, but for the meantime these boys had to find out who they were dealing with.

Sora stepped outside the tennis court alone. The three boys were certainly older than she was and normally Sora was one to respect her elders, but there was a limit to her goodwill.

"Who do you think you are?" Sora shouted at the three intruders.

The boys looked at each other and laughed. The tallest one swaggered up to her and was about to put his hand on her shoulder in some condescending manner when Sora grabbed it and pulled it around his back, using his momentum to shove him back into his two friends. Unable to break his fall properly, the three fell to the ground in a heap. As if scripted, the girls all began laughing at the bullies' misfortune. Sora kept her calm, standing over them with her legs standing shoulder-width apart and one hand on her hip. She allowed herself a smirk of satisfaction while the girls' laughter continued.

"You bitch!" the smallest one shouted in rage as he shot up.

Sora braced herself, slipping into a fighting stance, but the boy stayed in place. No, he was going to attack her with words rather than fists.

"No self-respecting guy would date a girl like you who beats people up and acts like a boy!"

She'd heard worse. Sora kept her face neutral, waiting for them to say any more. Meanwhile, the girls had shouted their encouragement from the courts. She continued to watch them carefully as the three stood.

"Yeah," the middle one added, emboldened by his friend's comment, "An ugly girl like you is gonna be used by a guy much prettier than you and dumped the moment he's done with you."

The other two laughed. However, Sora kept her fighting stance, slipping into something a little more defensive when they started circling around her so that she was surrounded. At first, they looked to be keeping their distance, but when one moved, Sora lost track of the other two. She managed to block the first punch and instinct made her dodge the second. A shout from one of the girls was the only warning she had, but Sora couldn't move. She braced herself for the blow.

There was a thud behind her and the two boys on either side of her slowly began to back away. Sora relaxed, glancing down to confirm the third boy on the ground, who was crawling towards his friends slowly. Sora could hear several girls swooning and immediately knew who was behind her even before he spoke.

"Sorry about that. I know you could handle them, but I figured you'd rather not explain to your mother how you got a bruise on your face playing tennis."

Knowing that her back was covered, Sora continued to stare at the three boys, who suddenly didn't look as cocky as they did a minute ago. As if reading her mind, Yamato stepped up behind her so that he was as close as he could be without touching her.

"Who…who're you?" The tallest boy stuttered.

Sora smirked, reaching behind her so that her arm wrapped around the back of Yamato's head before pulling him into her. Yamato, playing along, wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin onto her shoulder, turning just enough that she could feel his breath on her neck.

"He's my boyfriend, of course."

"Want me to take care of them for you?" Yamato asked, his voice husky, but loud enough even the tennis team could hear.

Sora kept a straight face even as Yamato's breath tickled the hairs on the back of her neck. The jerk was doing that on purpose. Nevertheless, whatever expression Yamato was pulling seemed to be intimidating the three older boys.

The middle one seemed to gather some courage. "Hah! He's just using you! Why would a guy like that go out with you?"

Even as he said it, he sounded desperate. Sora felt, rather than saw, Yamato's smirk widen.

"You're right." Turning Sora to face him, Yamato's face became serious. "It's not like she's beautiful, talented and willing to stand up for what she believes in. What was I thinking dating her for over a year?"

Sora, unable to keep a straight face, found herself looking away in an attempt to hide her smile and regain her composure. However, the boys must have caught her change in expression because, almost simultaneously, their faces turned red with embarrassment. Sora pushed Yamato back with a scoff and he fell back, chuckling at her reaction good-naturedly.

"Want me to get Taichi?"

"No," she decided. "I think even idiots like these guys can take a hint."

The smallest one stepped forward in a final attempt to seem threatening. "You won't get away with this, bitch. We're telling the teachers."

"Go ahead," Sora challenged, "and when you do that, I'll tell them how you've been intimidating the girls' tennis team and threatened to beat up a member of said team. It'll be your word against ours. Why don't you save yourselves the trouble, admit you were doing something you shouldn't have been and go find a hobby that's not bullying women."

Red faced, the boys began to walk away with as much dignity as possible. Every member of the girls' tennis team strolled out from the courts and began clapping when the boys were out of earshot.

"That was amazing!"

"I can't believe they're gone!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, ladies," the captain cut through, halting any more chatter. "They might still come back."

"I don't think you'll have to worry about them anymore," Yamato reassured them.

"Are you really Sora's boyfriend?"

Sora watched Yamato's face heat up, in complete contrast to the part he had been playing only moments before. Awkwardly, he searched for her hand and Sora grabbed him and gently pulled him closer so she could rest her forehead on his shoulder.

"Yeah," he all but whispered and Sora felt her own face heating up as well.

Yamato squeezed her hand and gave her a pointed look, the one that said 'find an excuse to leave, or I'm kidnapping you.' Slightly startled, but willing to trust him, Sora let go of Yamato's hand and walked over to her captain.

"I know I was late, but would I be able to skip the rest of practice? I don't think I can play well after that."

The captain seemed to consider Sora's offer for a moment. She looked from Yamato back to Sora and gave a nod of approval.

"Since you got rid of those menaces, I think the afternoon off is the least you deserve. Make sure you're not late for practice next time."

Sora bowed deeply, thanking her captain sincerely. She ran and grabbed her bag, bidding everyone farewell (and receiving a few congratulatory pats on the back for her earlier efforts) and walked over to where Yamato was waiting. Immediately, he slipped his hand into hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze, while remaining relaxed otherwise.

They waved goodbye and got as far as the local park before Sora felt her knees give way. Yamato caught her and placed her bag down carefully, then pulled her securely into his arms.

"You were amazing, today," he reassured her softly. "You could've handled them alone, if necessary."

Sora couldn't speak. Instead, she merely nodded into his chest. She squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to hold back tears.

"I feel so stupid," she finally choked out.

"Why, for putting a bunch of upperclassmen who should know better in their place?"

"If you hadn't turned up…"

Yamato hugged her tightly. "You would have handled it the way you've always done."

Brushing stray tears from her eyes, Sora looked up at Yamato with a watery smile. "Thanks for playing along."

"Was my sexy boyfriend act convincing?" he asked, grinning at her.

Sora shoved him back, laughing. "You're such a dork."

"Fortunately, only a few, trustworthy souls know my secret," Yamato replied dramatically.

Sora briefly glanced around to check they were the only ones in this clearing. Self-consciously, Sora stood up on tiptoes and kissed Yamato on the lips. She pulled back too soon, blushing furiously, but not wanting to be caught by any innocent passers-by.

Risking a glance up at Yamato, she noticed his cheeks were becoming progressively pinker.

"Mind if I come over to your house for a bit?" Yamato managed to choke out.

Sora felt like her smile couldn't widen any further. "I don't think my mother would mind."

"Good," he replied softly.

Sora took his hand into hers and the events of this afternoon slowly caught up with her. The fear she had felt standing up to those three and their horrible words was being replaced with the realisation of how much she had put them in her place.

"They're not going to bother us again, are they?"

"After that? They'd be stupid to try anything," Yamato agreed. "But if they do, give me a call. Taichi and I can help you solidify the message."

Sora briefly squeezed his hand tighter. "Thanks."

"You seem to have made a good first impression on your captain."

She laughed. "Hopefully, she won't hold it against me that I've skipped the first practice."

"Are you feeling better?"

Sora sometimes wondered how Yamato knew when she was at her limit, sometimes before she did. She questioned whether the captain had seen that Yamato had been desperate to get Sora somewhere quiet. Part of her hoped no one had noticed her hands shaking afterwards.

"I'll feel even better after a relaxing evening and a good night's rest."

"I hate to destroy your fantasy, but we've got Maths homework due for tomorrow."

"Yamato!"

"We can invite Taichi around and work on it together."

Sora glared. "I thought we were going to do something romantic tonight."

"Maths is the language of the Universe, what's more romantic than that?" Yamato replied innocently.

Sora pulled him close, wrapping her arms around his neck, her forehead touching his. "You're hopeless."

A big thank you to those who have been leaving reviews so far. I will try to get back to your messages sometime next week at the latest. Hopefully tomorrow's prompt will be up in good time, but unfortunately I can't make any promises.