(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

Chapter 16 – Eating Takoyaki, Osaka style!

"The rain ruined everything," Kiyone muttered while walking around the small parks up in the mountains. "I'm hungry, isn't there any place to get some good food?"

"Hey, Yuushi's kohai," a kansai accented voice called from behind.

A vein popped from her head. "Don't call me 'Yuushi's kohai'! That man is a pervert!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, I know my cousin's a helpless romantic but not a pervert," Kiyone turned around only to see Oshitari Kenya and Shiraishi Kuranosuke standing in front of her. "Besides, I would have nailed his butt on the wall for it anyway! So, I thought Hyotei was in a training camp?"

"I'm allowed to walk around as long as I have a cellphone," Kiyone waved a silver coloured rectangle in front of Kenya. "Besides, I'm not too far from the camp anyway!"

"Uh," Kenya scratched his head and looked back. "Wasn't the camp back there?"

Kiyone clammed up immediately. "Well, uh, I'm sure I can find my way back! Hehe…"

Kenya shook his head. "A first year shouldn't be wondering out alone. You might fall off somewhere you know."

Shiraishi pat the sandy haired girl on the head. "Besides, I don't think it's a good idea for a girl to be wondering off alone."

Kiyone, pouting impishly, sighed in consent. "Fine but I'm only going with you guys since we're in the mountains."

Grinning sheepishly, Kenya and Shiraishi then began following her down towards the river. "Hey, what's your name by the way? I didn't quite catch it when I was with Yuushi."

"Getsugan Kiyone," the freshman absentmindedly responded while watching some fish float around. "You should have asked when I was with Kurenai-buchou!"

Kenya scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry about that, hey, I'm Oshitari Kenya."

"Yeah, heard about you," Kiyone watched the water splash around. "You're the Naniwa Speed Star while Shiraishi-san is the captain of Shitenhouji right? I know – Oshitari-senpai told me."

Smiling casually, Shiraishi pulled her away from the river before she fell in. "Well, that's good. Now that you know about us, do you mind telling us about you?"

Kiyone scratched her chin. "Well, I'm part of the Hyotei tennis club as you both know. Not only that – I'm going to be the next captain after two years!"

"The next captain sounds pretty ambitious," Shiraishi noted. "So, who's the current captain?"

"Kurenai Shizuru," Kenya remembered Oshitari telling him a thing or two about her. "Yuushi's been saying that she's a girl worth dying and waiting a lonely lifetime for."

Kiyone rolled her eyes. "He's dreaming again. Buchou's so dense that she wouldn't even understand a pick up line when a guy tries to kidnap her or something."

Shiraishi shook his head. "Maybe she's concentrated more on tennis and prefers to ignore all those approaches. I mean – from what I hear, she's one of the 'Angels of Kantou'."

"Angels of Kantou," Kiyone raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

Kenya pulled out a piece of paper. "In the several regions of Japan, the girls who are at the top are usually dubbed as 'angels'. In Kansai District, we have several: Captain Amakusa Natsuki and Tensai Fukuhara Erika from Shitenhouji, Captain DeLaine Maria and Data Master Shourin Izumi from Makinofuji Gakuen and Kanazaki Diana along with Kouranskonova Audrey from Maikozaka. All in all, Amakusa-san and DeLaine-san have the upper hand among the competitors. I don't know the others but I know only Kantou and Kansai. In your district, I know the angels are your captain and Nagisaki Mai from Hyotei Gakuen, Souma Fuuka from Seishun Gakuen, Yukimura Ai, Torinaka Yui and Hachishika XiaoLi from Rikkai Dai and last but not the least – Jyosei Shounan's Hoshimura Florence and Tousaka Umeyumi. Funny thing is – among the many names there are only several that are most prominent: Amakusa Natsuki, Souma Fuuka, Kurenai Shizuru, Yukimura Ai and Hoshimura Florence."

Kiyone shook her head. "I don't want to remember all those names. But, I wonder – those five play as if they were Nationals Ranking players!"

Shiraishi shrugged. "I guess that's what earned them the name of 'angels'. Though, shouldn't you be qualified as one?"

"Me? Someone like me is one of the angels of Kantou? No way," Kiyone laughed. "I'm nowhere close to buchou's calibre of playing. Not only that, Nagisaki-senpai's really good too! It will take me a long time before I can play like the both of them!"

Shiraishi pointed to a court. "Then, maybe we should start training you hm?"

Kenya shrugged. "Yeah, it's the best way to start. Not all players were born great. So, you play Singles or Doubles?"

"I do Doubles," Kiyone scratched her head sheepishly. "I suck at baseline so, yeah."

Shiraishi nodded while nudging Kenya. "Why don't you play Doubles? I need to train anyway."

Kenya shrugged while getting behind Kiyone. "Well, I'll start the service then."

Watching the ball fly fast, Shiraishi backhanded it towards Kiyone who volleyed it towards his left side. Every volley Kiyone sent returned much faster than before some even with more spin. Kiyone sliced it down with Shiraishi rushing to the front and volleying towards Kenya who sped towards the ball. Despite there being two players, Shiraishi didn't show the least bit of disturbance. In fact, he looked like that the match was getting very interesting and his shots became faster and faster. "Wow," Shiraishi returned with a forehand. "I didn't know this was one of the Kantou Angels successors. If so, she might actually have the potential to kick out DeLaine from Kansai."

Kenya noticed the way Kiyone was slicing the ball down. "For a first year, she's pretty good with control. Getsugan-san can actually put Marui to shame if she wanted. No, that was a bit exaggerated. Maybe she's actually better than Kouranskonova."

Kiyone, tossing back her sandy brown hair, jumped high into the air for a smash. "Here it comes – Getsugan Rocket!"

The smash exploded right next to Shiraishi, "Fifteen – love!"

Kiyone, clicking her feet together, cheerfully made a 'v' sign. "Yeah, we rock!"

Shiraishi watched Kiyone toss back her sandy brown hair while Kenya sheepishly scratched his head. "Yeah but, I wouldn't get cocky against Shiraishi though. There's a reason why he's our captain."

Kiyone shrugged while waiting at the net. "Wow, I really want to see what this Shiraishi guy is capable of. Besides, if Oshitari-san says he's good then, there should be at least a small amount of skill."

Shiraishi forehanded the shot towards her while Kiyone volleyed to his left side. Shiraishi sprinted left and right to keep up with the speed shots coming from the two and often times, he had to lob with Kiyone coming down with a smash. Shiraishi however backed up far enough to return the shot with a backhand. Kenya rallied from behind returning it back and forth between him and Shiraishi. The captain quickly volleyed it towards Kenya and then did a top spin to stop Kiyone in her tracks, "Fifteen – all!"

Kiyone twisted up in the air, smashing straight down with a backhand, "Thirty – fifteen!"

Shiraishi smashed right in between Kenya and Kiyone, "Thirty – all!"

Kenya dashed to one end of the court, forehanding towards Shiraishi. "She's cool, isn't she, Shiraishi?"

The captain nodded wordlessly while watching Kiyone dash left and right with top spins coming from all directions. Kenya wasn't even doing much because Kiyone had a faster reaction to volley the shot towards him right away. Shiraishi watched her sparkle under the sunlight while she flew straight up in the air for another drop shot feint. "Amakusa-san wasn't kidding about this kid. I've heard a lot of stuff from Kouranskonova that this kid can put some Rikkai Dai members to shame. The captain is someone I hear about a lot too."

Kenya had his own thoughts about the flying sandy haired volleyist.

"She has flexibility in the wrist and not only that – Getsugan-san can easily coordinate with anyone in doubles. Getsugan-san is pretty creative too, coming up with all those top spins and feints," Kenya watched her slice the ball again. "Hyotei sure has a lot of National Calibre players this year. The first years last year gave Shitenhouji a good run for their money and now, that same girl is the captain."

Kiyone dashed towards one side while Shiraishi continuously volleyed. "I can't believe that a first year is making her way against me easily. Not only that, she has a really flexible wrist and her reaction time isn't half bad. Getsugan-san seems to be evolving every time I send a shot at her."

But you can't deny that she's cute, no?

Shiraishi, shaking his head, couldn't believe he thought of something like that. Forehanding the ball towards Kenya, the Shitenhouji captain slid towards the left in order to return Kenya's speed shot. Kiyone volleyed towards him and the two engaged in an increasing speed volley. Shiraishi felt his wrist become numb with Kiyone's non-stop volleys and her smash was pretty strong for someone smaller than him. "Hey," Shiraishi snapped his head up while Kiyone sliced the ball down. "You shouldn't be staring into space like that, Shiraishi-san."

"Forty – thirty," Shiraishi noticed the ball roll towards him while he smiled. "Well, I'm surprised that you have a high skill in terms of controlling the ball. Most first years would choose to explode the shot before strategizing on where to hit."

Kiyone shrugged. "Well, that's because I have a brain and I'm not as stupid as some of those crazy first year fan girls of Atobe!"

Kenya raised an eyebrow at the smaller girl. "You're first year? I thought you were grade school!"

This earned Kenya a kick in the shins. "Ow, what was that for!?"

"I'm just a late bloomer," Kiyone pouted while returning to the side to volley again. "You're all just giants! I might even be taller than you guys one day!"

Kenya and Shiraishi broke into a loud laugh while Kiyone restrained herself from kicking them both. "Wait a minute, before we continue – what are you guys doing here?"

Shiraishi explained while pointing to the opposite direction of the camp. "Coach Osamu thought maybe going to Kantou for awhile wouldn't be so bad. By the way, shouldn't you be with your team?"

"Yeah but buchou gave me free time," Kiyone shrugged while readying herself for the next shot. "She's also busy dealing with the line-up for the Kantou tournament. We definitely won't lose! We're going to win the Nationals the second time!"

Shiraishi, laughing softly, went to the baseline again to receive the next serve. Kenya's shot sped faster than normal and Shiraishi forehanded it towards Kiyone who volleyed it towards him. Though it was unfair, Shiraishi thought it was a good way to get some training in him. However, he didn't expect that Kiyone would make him burn more calories than normal. Kiyone backhanded the next shot to him and Kenya now moved towards the net and Shiraishi began volleying with the both of them. "This is amazing though I have to admit, I'm starting to feel like my legs numbed."

Kiyone noticed that Shiraishi's moves started to get slower. "Hey, you wanna stop for awhile?"

"It's alright," Shiraishi inhaled deeply. "I can still keep going."

Shrugging, Kiyone continued volleying towards the Shitenhouji captain. To her, his movements were flawless and even more graceful than Mai who happened to be a dancer. Normally, Kiyone would see the opponent use too much energy for a simple shot but in this case, Shiraishi knew exactly how to time it. The only reason why Shiraishi was slowing down was because he was playing Singles against Doubles. What amazed her that was despite Kenya's speed play, Shiraishi showed no hesitance in returning.

"This guy is amazing," Kiyone noticed him jump for a smash while Kenya was ready to receive it on waist level. "I've never seen anyone play like him. It's as if he can return all your shots and make them seem like nothing. But, Shiraishi-san did miss one Obana Volley because he was already losing his footing."

Finally, Kenya sent a corner shot towards Shiraishi in which the latter missed. "Game, Oshitari-Getsugan pair: one game to love!"

Kenya shook his head. "Forget it, we've been rallying for an hour and I feel like my legs are going to fall off. We should get some food."

"No," Kiyone shook her head repeatedly. 'We're gonna finish the game now!"

Kenya ruffled her hair. "Come on, you're not exactly at tip top shape either. You're sweating more than a pig."

Kiyone remained adamant; Shiraishi served the next shot towards her and did a cord ball which could piss people off, "Love – fifteen!"

Shiraishi then noticed her weakness. "She can't baseline properly. I thought her shots would at least reach the service box but Getsugan-san's only reach the top of the net. It's either – she has that good amount of control or her power is really lacking."

Kenya received the next shot and got the rally going. Choosing to end it quickly, Shiraishi smashed it down right at the net, "Fifteen all!"

Kiyone stared at what just happened. "Okay, he just exaggerated his smash. The ball just spun in circles!"

Kenya shook his head, disgruntled. "Well, I guess you decided to bring out the Entaku Shot huh?"

"It would be boring if I didn't," Shiraishi smirked while returning to the baseline.

Kiyone gaped at what Shiraishi did. "How in the world did he do that?"

Kenya shrugged. "Well, it's hard for me to tell but Shiraishi somewhat clips it in the sweet spot when he smashes. In doing that, the ball is given a top spin and it spins on the floor the moment the shot lands. That's my theory but I'm not very sure on how to explain the shot really."

Shiraishi did another Entaku Shot, causing the two to be unable to predict, "Thirty – fifteen!"

Kiyone volleyed using the Obana Volley again, "Thirty – all!"

Kenya used his Speed Shot to score another point, "Thirty – forty!"

Shiraishi however used the Entaku Shot twice to score the next two consecutive points. "Advantage: Shiraishi!"

Kiyone and Kenya were already being pushed to their limit despite playing doubles. Shiraishi was initially the one to get tired but Kiyone and Kenya were drooping soon after when the next smash sounded off at one end. "Game, Shiraishi: one game all!"

Kenya shook his head. "We're already playing doubles and lost to someone playing Singles. Isn't that undermining?"

Kiyone fell back on her butt. "Yeesh, I can't believe we lost one game to Shiraishi! He's playing Singles and we should have been done with him by now!"

Shiraishi couldn't help but laugh at the two's predicament. Though deep back in his mind, Shiraishi was reassessing the game they played. In the first game, Shiraishi knew it was hard to adjust but at the second part Kiyone and Kenya nearly took the game from him. "Getsugan Kiyone, Amakusa-san was right about her. Their doubles pair might have a problem in dealing with her. Let alone that she isn't even with her real doubles partner yet. It would take more than what they have to stop the Getsugan-Kobayagi pair."

Kenya called out from the other side. "I think we now know what Amakusa-san meant, huh, Shiraishi?"

"Yeah," Shiraishi saw Kiyone dusting her skirt. "She's pretty too and not to mention that Getsugan-san can give third year regulars a run for their money."

Kiyone pointed her racquet at the captain. "Hey, what's going on? Why did you two just stop? We only had two games!"

Shiraishi shook his head at the junior. "You look like you took a bath with clothes on."

Kenya noticed her hair shaping her face. "Yeah, I would love to add to that but then again – Shiraishi said it all for me."

Pouting and sighing in defeat, Kiyone stopped and laid her racquet in the green and black tennis bag. "Fine, I'll stop. So, what do we do now after all that?"

Kenya tapped his chin for a moment. "Hey, why don't we all get Takoyaki? I mean, I bet you haven't tried it yet!"

"Takoyaki, what in poop's name is that?" Kiyone tilted her head to the side.

Shiraishi and Kenya stared at her as if she had grown a new head but then, they remembered that Kiyone was from Kantou region and never had real Takoyaki. "Maybe we should cook you some," Kenya offered cheerfully. "That way you'd be able to taste how Osaka cooks it."

"There are several different ways?" Kiyone again tilted her head to the other side.

Kenya shrugged while explaining to her. "Yeah, you have the normal Kantou way where in they don't really put in the octopus and Osaka is where in they give you the real stuff! Wanna try?"

Kiyone, being as adventurous as she was with food, followed the two Shitenhouji regulars. "Alright, lead the way you two!"

Shiraishi and Kenya led her towards their camp while Kiyone was trailing behind, taking a look at all the animals. "She's so pretty when she does that," Shiraishi mumbled a bit while watching Kiyone look into the very detail of the animal. "Not many girls are connected with nature – they usually find bugs gross."

Kenya nodded, hearing a bit of what Shiraishi had said. "Yeah, she's pretty unique. Then again – even her tennis skills are awesome for a first year."

"Most people tend to underestimate the first years," Shiraishi shrugged while remembering the first time he had met Tooyama. "All because they're younger and believe that they have more experience than the first years."

"There are a couple exceptions to that rule," Kenya pointed out. "There's Kintarou, there's that Echizen Ryoma I've been seeing all over the newspapers and maybe the girls' team have some like Shibuya Rangiku and Getsugan Kiyone. The year before them was the one that had most of the angels. I mean – Kurenai Shizuru's one, Nagisaki Mai and Kouranskonova Audrey are all at the peak of their careers as tennis players. Speaking of which, won't her captain wonder where she went?"

Shiraishi turned back to find Kiyone still looking at other animals. "Well, Kiyone did say that as long as she had her cellphone and doesn't wander too far off then, nothing will happen."

"If we do something wrong," Kenya shuddered at the thought. "I don't think we're going back to Osaka alive."

Kiyone noticed them shuddering. "Hey, you guys caught the flu or something?"

Kenya and Shiraishi shrugged. "Nah," Shiraishi inhaled sharply. "It's just something we were thinking of. By the way, are you sure it's okay for you to wander around like this?"

"Like I said," Kiyone stuck her tongue out. "As long as I have my cellphone, nothing can go wrong!"

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Meanwhile, back at camp, Ayane was busy fixing her hair until she spotted Hitomi's glasses lying on the dressing table. "Hm, I wonder how strong Hitomi-senpai's grades are on her glasses."

Picking them up, Ayane began walking around with them on. "Whoa, I'm so dizzy! These must be on grade eight hundred or something!"

Swaying uncontrollably, the tangerine haired vice captain leaned against the wall in order to make sure she didn't slam into anything. "Wheeee, I have to admit – I look good with glasses! I'm gonna show buchou!"

When she got to the door, Oishi happened to be there and because of her instability, Ayane ended up crashing on the poor vice captain. "Waaaah, I'm sorry! Wait; is that you Oishi-san?"

Oishi couldn't help but realize that she was now on top of him. For a first year, she was quite mature physically and her clothes were quite a mess. Oishi gulped while trying to stop the blush climbing up his face. "No, this is such a bad position. But I can't exactly move and why," Oishi couldn't help but stare at the "things" in front of him. "Why is that thing right in front of my face?"

Ayane scrambled up. "Ah, I'm sorry! I didn't know we were sitting that way for a long time! You okay?"

"Sitting is an understatement," Oishi noted to himself while smiling sheepishly at her. "Yeah, I don't remember hearing anything crack when I fell."

Ayane scratched her head sheepishly. "I'm really sorry, Oishi-san. I didn't know you were at the door."

"It's okay," Oishi noticed her wearing glasses. "I don't remember you wearing glasses awhile ago."

Ayane took them off. "Oh yeah, I wanted to show my captain that I was wearing glasses. You like it?"

She looks so cute.

That sentence was the only thing that echoed in Oishi's mind and not only that, her assets were staring right at him again. Resisting the urge to have a nosebleed, Oishi turned away while blushing madly. "I can't tell her that! It'll sound so wrong! Not only that, she's from a different school and a regulars vice captain too! I might risk a scandal between the both of us and then, both captains are going to kill us for it! I can't have that happening but then again, I want to be honest."

"You worry a lot," Ayane stifled her laughter. "I just need your honest opinion."

Oishi blushed madly while mumbling. "You look cute with glasses on."

Ayane, seeing his shy smile, blushed a bit too. "Ah, thanks. I just wanted an honest opinion. I think it's scrawled all over your face."

Oishi managed to fight back his blushing. "Yeah, anyway – I was looking for Eiji. Have you seen him?"

"Nope," Ayane looked around. "I've been looking for Kiyone too! She's been wandering off more and more lately!"

Oishi and Ayane ended up taking a walk through the club house, hoping to find their missing doubles partners and to make sure the team's there. "So Oishi-san, how did you manage to become partners with Kikumaru-san? You two seem really close and you're calling him by his first name, 'Eiji' was it?"

Laughing a bit, Oishi nodded. "Yeah, Eiji insisted that I call him by first name. Not only that – he thinks that being addressed as 'Kikumaru' makes him sound like an old man."

The glass statues lined the hallways with the mirrors reflecting the soft glow of the light making a more romantic feel. This wasn't just a tennis club but an entire community. Sports equipment was on one side and then there were five star restaurants in another. "Geez," Ayane scratched her head in annoyance. "Atobe sure knows how to blow everything out of proportion. Man, I wonder what's going to happen to him when he loses all that money."

"How come you always complain about Atobe?" Oishi couldn't help but feel curiosity tickle him. "I mean – every time you two come across each other it's like you want to kill him."

Ayane folded her arms, ranting. "That guy has no sense of respect! I mean – buchou already kicked his butt but he's still up and about using the term 'ore-sama'! Atobe likes being worshipped by his stupid fan girls and he expects me to act like that! No way in hell – Atobe may be king of Hyotei Gakuen but that doesn't make me his slave! He's already got everything so, would one girl make any difference?"

Oishi shrugged. "Maybe he's just like that because it gives him motivation?"

"Agh," Ayane yanked her hair. "Forget it, even if pigs do fly, I will never like that egotistical brat! I prefer guys who are kind and do have a sense of humility!"

Unknown to her, Atobe was at the other hall and Ayane's voice was loud enough to echo around. Atobe wouldn't care at first but now Ayane hating him? Since when did it start bugging him about it? Atobe recalled many times wherein he didn't care but now, Ayane's words were becoming sharper and more poisonous every time they met each other. At first it didn't hurt but after hearing her conversation with Oishi, the pain was simply excruciating. He never realized that her words could be that sharp.

"Ore-sama never knew that Kobayagi thought that way," Atobe turned away while listening to their conversation even further.

"I mean," Ayane was all flustered. "What kind of man throws a towel in your face? Let me ask you, does Kikumaru-san do that? Of course he doesn't! I don't think your buchou does it either now does he?"

Oishi shook his head. "Nah, Tezuka wouldn't do anything like that ever."

"See what I mean? Atobe is just beyond my understanding!"

Oishi shook his head but he somehow understood what Ayane was trying to say. There were times that Atobe could be unbearable but then, he had to admit that Atobe did have his redeeming qualities. "All I know about Atobe is that he is a talented tennis player. I mean – he did beat Yamato-buchou last year."

"Yeah," Ayane tossed her head back with a snort. "That's all that he is!"

Oishi began laughing a bit. "Well, people can't be perfect now can they?"

"I guess that's a good way of saying it," Ayane sighed while raking her hair. "Then again, this is Atobe that we're talking about. He has no sense of humility or whatsoever."

Oishi then found a vacant court. "Hey, did you ever play Singles before?"

"Sort of," Ayane recalled her elementary school days. "But I rarely did that because I always had Kiyone as my doubles partner! We're going to be number one in Japan!"

Oishi remembered the same promise he had made with Kikumaru when they made it into the regulars. Everyone thought that Kikumaru's style was beyond reckless and Oishi was a bit too conservative so, the two easily covered up for each other. Ayane and Kiyone had the same relationship except in terms of strength – Ayane's power exceeded beyond normal and Kiyone was the best control master among the Hyotei regulars.

"So, how do you guys usually deal with losing?" Oishi didn't know what to say really.

Ayane placed a finger on her chin. "Well, it's simple – we talk about it amongst ourselves and then we go to buchou to tell her that we need training against she and Nagisaki-senpai."

"You're really close to your buchou," Oishi noted when Ayane mentioned Shizuru again.

"Well," Ayane scratched her head sheepishly. "I can't say we're really close but that's because Mai-senpai and she were one of the best doubles pair in Japan until buchou was forced to play singles."

Oishi remembered Shizuru playing against Tezuka and it was quite hard to imagine that girl playing doubles with someone. Her skills nearly equalled Tezuka's and she was no small fry in the strategy department either. Although, he was left wondering: where did Hyotei find tennis players like them?

"I know what you're thinking – you're wondering how Hyotei managed to recruit people like us," Ayane winked at the third year vice captain. "Well, that's something I'm not sure of Mai-chan and buchou because Kiyone-chibi and I studied here Hyotei Gakuen ever since elementary school."

Oishi looked at his watch. "You know, I'm starting to get worried – Eiji and Tezuka are missing. I know that they're old enough to take care of themselves but, it's just that we're about to have lunch soon."

Ayane began dialling numbers. "Well, Kiyone better have charged her cellphone or else, she's going to miss lunch!"

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Shizuru, tossing a tennis ball into the air, served it towards the even court. The crashing sound echoed in the cement court thus making it more intimidating. Two machines stood in front of Shizuru and were ready to open fire. Though feeling a bit miffed that her game got cut, Shizuru walked to the other side to activate both machines on high speed. The people managing the area just watched Shizuru send the ball back with double the force or with a completely neutralized shot. When a shot was supposedly out of reach, Shizuru flashed right next to it and sent the shot back. Marks appeared on both sides of the court with some spinning and creating more marks.

"Your accuracy never fails to amaze me," a voice mumbled from behind. "Kurenai-buchou, I think you have enough to even put pros to shame."

Shizuru saw Hitomi taking down data from behind. "Shouldn't you be gathering the team and having them do their respected training menus?"

"Buchou," Hitomi smiled her usual business smile. "Isn't that more your job?"

Shizuru sighed while firing it towards the left. "After that game with Tezuka-san, it made me realize a lot of things, Yamaguchi-senpai. I need to deal with something but I can't have the team now. So – I'm asking one favour of you: please manage them until I'm done with my solo training."

Hitomi, nodding slowly, walked out before watching another shot fly over the net with abnormal speed. The data master couldn't help but scribble it down as she looked at the statistics. The speed of the ball was increasing higher and higher. The skill level, the time needed to defeat an opponent and reaction time had increased incredulously that to Hitomi, she was beginning to think that Shizuru might be Yukimura's counterpart when it came to the female division.

"Kurenai Shizuru, one of the angels of Kantou, the Queen of Hyotei Gakuen, once again has left me completely baffled." Hitomi began reassessing her data. "The team is progressing well but not as fast as before. Ferero-senpai and Isane-chan were good doubles partners and actually beat the top one. Midoriyama-Sanada would have been good too, if not what had happened."

Hitomi walked outside, contemplating what menu she should use to train the regulars. "You shouldn't be stalking me, Inui Sadaharu," Hitomi smiled evilly.

Inui rose from the bushed, smiling evilly. "It seems like you discovered me very easily, Yamaguchi."

"Of course," Hitomi adjusted her glasses while tossing back her blonde hair. "One thing stalkers end up using is a bush."

Inui's glasses glinted while glancing at the second year captain. He had heard a lot of rumours about her from Seishun Gakuen and often times – Souma Fuuka talked about how powerful she was as an opponent. No matter how many times he calculated through Shizuru's playing style; there were no blind spots. Souma Fuuka and Kurenai Shizuru were the two top contenders for the Nationals Title in Kantou and everyone knew about the intense rivalry between Seishun Gakuen and Hyotei.

"I was wondering – how much do you know about our team?" Inui began taking down notes. "After all – you are widely known as Hyotei's Mastermind."

Hitomi too began scribbling down some notes. "Yes, I happen to remember that you are known as Seigaku's Data Man."

Inui held up a notebook. "Perhaps, we could trade some notes on how the regulars react. After all – Kurenai-san is someone I don't have data on."

"Tezuka-san seems to be a harder catch," Hitomi's glasses glinted evilly. "So, what exactly do you have for the trade?"

Hitomi and Inui took a seat at one of the wooden tables, swapping notes. The inconsistency of Tezuka and Shizuru's data is what made things very complicated. The two captains' playing styles were the only things consistent but everything else was all out of place. Shizuru didn't even show any signs of abnormal behaviour and Tezuka was simply just being a rock. Then again, there was something Hitomi knew that even Shizuru didn't know.

Shizuru and Tezuka were dancing circles around one another.

Hitomi shook her head sadly at her captain's predicament. The former captain, Kotetsu Naomi was also aware of Shizuru's feelings towards him but didn't understand on how the current captain could be so dense. Then again, the data master always found the captain in the tennis courts; it was no surprise on why Shizuru seemed so dumb in romance. Sighing in defeat, Hitomi glanced at one side towards her captain. "What about you, Inui-san? Have you found out anything about Tezuka's romantic life?"

"Tezuka doesn't have a love life at all," Inui set down his notebook. "However, Fuji seems to know a few things which could give me more data and pieces to complete the puzzle."

Shizuru was by no means, stupid. The captain smiled faintly when she heard Hitomi discuss things over with Inui. "I plan to make you run a lot of laps, Yamaguchi -senpai. Be prepared to run to the ground."

Shizuru believed that it was best that no one knew whom she had in mind. Ever since that day, Shizuru remembered being inspired by his playing style. Nothing had changed since then and often times, Shizuru often had to restrain herself from blushing in front of the man. Serving towards the odd court, Shizuru resumed to thinking about the Kantou tournament coming up soon. Seishun Gakuen was training with them and she was a bit worried about Rikkai Dai. Momo wasn't stable after last time and if she sees the person who supposedly "destroyed" Midoriyama-senpai then, Shizuru was sure she had to exclude Momo from the game against Rikkai Dai.

"Although Momo-senpai's flexibility as a Singles player and as a doubles player is an asset," Shizuru returned the ball while continuing to wall. "Momo-senpai's instability and vengeance spree is what's preventing her from growing. Among all of us, Isane-senpai is the only one who knows how to take losing gracefully. Yamaguchi-senpai was shocked when her own data cornered her and Momo-senpai blew a fuse when playing against Echizen and after hearing the name "Sanada". Not only that, Kiyone and Ayane are only first year but, they're progressing pretty well considering that they've already lost to the Shishido-Ohtori pair."

"Doesn't your team need you right now?" A voice interrupted from behind.

Shizuru found Fuuka standing behind her with folded arms. "You know – I don't think they want a crippled captain before they enter the Kantou tournament. After all, you're the one keeping them all together and once you fall, everything goes with it."

"My team members are not solely dependent on me," Shizuru continued walling. "They can stand on their own and so can I. We rely on each other not just on one person."

Fuuka smirked while watching the second year practice her footwork. "Kurenai, you better not go suicidal before I play against you."

"Same goes for you," Shizuru quietly whispered while watching Fuuka leave the court.

When Fuuka left, Shishido slung his racquet over his shoulder. "Hey, Shizuru, are you sure you're ready to do that despite your leg?"

"Yeah," Shizuru smiled kindly at Shishido despite the rude tone. "I can manage a game for an hour. Longer than that – I might feel double the pain."

Shishido, sighing in defeat, beckoned her. "Look, your team's looking for you and Yamaguchi is trading recipes with Inui Sadaharu. Good luck in dealing with stomach pains."

Shizuru laughed softly. "I think I know Yamaguchi-senpai well enough to know what she puts in those things."

"Speaking of which," Shishido went to the other side of the court. "Wanna rally with me before you go?"

Shizuru shrugged. "Is a one ball match fine with you?"

Shishido lowered his stance. "Yeah, we'll just have to keep the ball in play for a long time, right?"

Shizuru nodded while Shishido started his service. Between the dash and flash step, the two looked at par in terms of speed. Shizuru backhanded it towards Shishido who in turn dashed towards the shot and made sure she couldn't reach it in time. Shizuru however flashed towards it and sent it back to the baseline causing Shishido to keel back in order to return it. The rally intensified from baseline to volley and soon, Shizuru sliced the ball down towards the net causing it to spin and bounce back. "It looks like your reaction time still needs work, Shishido-senpai."

"Yeah," Shishido took off his cap to fan himself. "God is it hot today or is it just me?"

Shizuru, handing him a towel, smiled faintly. "Well, the weather's a bit unforgiving today so, I'm going to have to check on my teammates. Kiyone doesn't specialize in desert heat."

Shishido grabbed her arm before she could leave. "Wait, Shizuru…"

"Hm, is there something else?" Shizuru raised an eyebrow.

With a groan, Shishido scratched his head before ushering her to sit down next to him. "Are you okay?"

Shizuru blinked several times; where had that come from? "Excuse me?"

"You know after that guy from Seigaku kissed you," Shishido glanced at her with worry and concern before shaking his head. "Tsk, gekidasa daze. It's not that I don't trust you or anything...!"

Shizuru laughed softly, fixing her shoelaces. "Well, of course I am. I can't let one little kiss stop me now can I?"

"My sister threw a hysterical fit when her first kiss got stolen so," Shishido pulled off his cap before twirling it around his finger, chuckling darkly. "She was a complete mess. She even started rolling on the bed, groaning and eating at least 4 boxes of chocolate a day. Would you believe that she even tried washing her mouth with detergent?"

Shizuru laughed and wiped a tear from her eye. "It must be someone she really hated then."

"No kidding and that same man's gonna be her husband," the capped regular threw his hands in the air in surrender, smiling and ruffling her hair. "Well, I just wanted to make sure you know. I don't like my kohai getting her heart broken by some jerk who can't even feel as much as a cardboard box."

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Returning to the courts, Shizuru found Ayane and the others gasping for air. "Is this what happens when I leave you all alone?"

"But buchou," Rin sat up, childishly pouting. "The weather's unforgiving and we're about to pass out any minute now!"

Ayane stood up, stretching her arms. "Well, we can't slack otherwise Atobe's going to beat us! We don't want that do we?"

"I think you're the only one who cares, Ayane," Mai splashed water on her face. "Speaking of which, where is the smaller girl?"

Shizuru looked around and noticed that her protégé was missing. Sighing, Shizuru rubbed her temples while contemplating on her thoughts about the team a few minutes ago. She was more worried about their stability in the game because amongst all of them, the only ones with calm enough mind to deal with tricky situations were Mai, herself and Isane. Hitomi was learning and the Twin Dragon pair was winning their games without a problem. Ayane and Kiyone were handling things pretty well also so; it was just Momo and maybe Hitomi.

"I'll just have to make Getsugan run laps when she comes back. As of now, we're an even number so we're going to play a little game," Hitomi smiled while placing a few cones on the other court.

The team stared at her while Hitomi placed five cones on each court. "Each of these cones," the data master pointed to them, "symbolizes things that we need in tennis. Concentration, power, skill, agility and most of all – experience. Now, what we're going to do is this: since we're eight all in all right now, we could split into four. Group A would be composed of Kurenai-buchou, Momo-senpai, Uchiha-senpai and Ayane. The other team will be as follows. The object is to defend your side of the court and knock down your opponent's cone at the same time. If one cone is knocked down then – one player must be dropped out of the team. The team that depletes the other first wins."

The seven perked up immediately and took their place at the courts. Rin flipped into the air for a backhand while Momo returned it with the Oto. Bending down, Haruka curved her shot towards Ayane with the Dragon's Tail which nearly hit the cone if not for the vice captain's brute strength to send it back.

"However," Hitomi noted while pointing at a pitcher. "The losing team has to drink the Penal Tea over there."

Mai's eyes widened at the sight of the bubbling neon yellow and green pitcher. "Eww, I am not drinking that!"

Rin and Haruka became more aggressive with their shots. "I'm not drinking that monstrosity!"

Momo laughed at Rin and Haruka's predicament. "Well, as long as we have buchou, we're never going to drink that thing!"

Shizuru remained serious throughout the entire training session even using the Ayame Gaeshi to slip in between their legs, knocking down one cone. "As expected of Kurenai-buchou, Rin's out of the game," Hitomi smiled devilishly at the acrobat.

"Wha," Rin jumped up in the air while sending a backhand towards Momo. "B-but that's a cheat shot! It rolled in between our legs!"

Hitomi's glasses glinted. "You have to drink it now, Rin."

Rin stared at the pitcher, sighing in defeat. "Here goes nothing, don't forget to fix my obituary…"

Drinking it down, Rin shuddered and leaned against the wired fence. "Rin," Haruka bit her lip while returning one of Isane's shots. "Don't drink everything!"

Rin collapsed a few moments after causing the others to become more aggressive. "Saa~, I didn't know the Penal Tea was that dangerous," Mai noted devilishly while firing the Kurosakuraso right on top of one of the cones.

Seeing the cone tip over, Isane fired another shot towards Haruka take out one of the other cones. "Oh man, I didn't see that coming."

Hitomi pointed straight at the pitcher. "You must drink it…"

Isane, shivering while holding the glass, downed it all in one gulp to lessen the yucky taste. Feeling a knot forming in her stomach, the Sniper turned away while trying to maintain her composure from vomiting all over the plants. "You know," Momo shook her head at the plants that decorated the sides. "I pity the plants if Isane-chan vomits."

Mai volleyed it towards Shizuru who sent it all the way to the back cone. Haruka deflected it but was taken down by Ayane who sent her Kotsubushi Katana all the way there again. One by one, the regulars succumbed to the Penal Tea and the last standing was Shizuru, Mai, Ayane, Momo and Hitomi. The five exchanged rallies with one another and soon, Ayane was the next to miss.

"Aww man," Ayane stared at the bubbling goo. "Do I really have to drink this radioactive stuff? I'm not planning to become the female Hulk you know."

Shizuru forehanded it towards Hitomi and knocked down one of the cones. "It looks like you're drinking it next."

Momo smashed it straight at Mai who uncoiled and sent the shot back at her. "Darn it, looks like Mai won't be going down quietly. You got any ideas, buchou?"

Slicing it, Shizuru forced Mai to move forward to return it. The moment Mai returned it allowed Shizuru to duck and deceive her opponent. "Momo-senpai, the cone's open!"

Bringing it down, Momo knocked the cone all the way to the side. "Yeah, we're not drinking the stuff!"

Shizuru, letting out a sigh of relief, leaned against the fence while watching Mai down the disgusting radioactive drink. "I'm glad that we didn't have to drink it."

"Kiyone would have freaked out at the sight of it," Momo breathed in heavily.

Most of the regulars were puking at one side while some were strewn all over the floor. "I wonder where she got the recipe from," Momo stared at the pitcher queerly. "Though, I'm curious – what does it taste like?"

"Are you sure you want to end up like them?" Shizuru pointed to the other regulars.

"It's worth the shot," Momo shrugged while taking a swig.

The whole team stared at the Sanada female while licked her lips. "Hey, this stuff isn't as bad as you think it is!"

Everyone sweat dropped at Momo who began drinking more of it. Hitomi was on the side while taking down notes, Ayane stared at her senpai incredulously while Isane snatched the bottle away from Momo. "I can't believe you can digest this stuff! Isn't it spicy, sour and salty all at the same time?"

"That's what makes it interesting," Momo shrugged while trying to take the bottle back.

Shizuru, shaking her head, began looking around for Kiyone. The protégé hadn't come back ever since she let the girl go wandering off around the club. Shizuru pulled out her cellphone and dialled up her number while wondering where on earth the smaller girl could have gone.

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"This is the real deal," Kiyone ate another Takoyaki ball. "I love Takoyaki! But the one I like the most – it's onigiri with natto! Isane-senpai always has that for snack so, she always makes me one!"

Shiraishi was surprised on how fast Kiyone could eat Takoyaki. She ate at least five in one sitting and after that, he kinda lost count. Kenya poked at the smaller girl. "So, how is it that you manage to take down more experienced doubles players?"

Kiyone shrugged while chomping down another Takoyaki. "Well, I'd say its raw talent. Yane-Yane and I are the best doubles pair there is! The only time we lost was against the Phantasm Pair and Shishido-Ohtori pair! Other than that, our record is squeaky clean!"

Hitouji and Koharu loomed over Shiraishi. "Really, do you two have Synchro like most doubles partners?"

Kiyone, shaking her head, poured more sweet and sour sauce. "Well, Yane-Yane and I don't focus on accomplishing techniques. What we focus on is how to have fun and win at the same time. When one concentrates so much on perfecting techniques, he tends to forget the spirit of the sport. The only thing ringing in the head would be: I have to win."

The whole Shitenhouji team was stunned with what the smaller girl said. She was only first year and Tooyama couldn't even make a statement like that. "Well," seeing that she stunned the regulars, Kiyone sheepishly scratched her head. "I just picked that up from Kurenai-buchou. She was the one who told us to treat tennis not as a battle for the top but a way on how to enjoy life."

Shiraishi nodded with agreement. "Actually, your captain does have a point. But, once you get into the tournaments – it's kinda hard to recall all that."

Kenya took a look at Kiyone's green and black racquet. "Hey, I haven't seen this kind of model. Where did you get it?"

Kiyone shoved another Takoyaki into her mouth. "That's the Prince EXO3 Graphite 100 I got from my uncle. He asked me one day what are my favourite colours and I told him green and black. The next day was Christmas and this happened to be his gift to me. It increases my spin by 25% according to Yamaguchi-senpai and boosts the stability and control over the ball. Each of us has our own designated racquet colour – funny, I noticed this only now! Yane-Yane has violet and black, Mai-neechan has black and blue while buchou has red and black. I forgot what they're called though."

"Question, why did you choose something with such a big head size?" Shiraishi noted on the slightly bigger frame of her racquet.

"I can't do power shots properly so – the bigger the head, the more power I can get in," Kiyone noted cheerfully while getting her racquet from Kenya.

Gin looked at the racquet while checking the grip. "You're a 4¼? That's pretty small…"

"I know," Kiyone placed it back in her bag. "The one with the biggest grip among us girls is buchou and Momo-senpai, they're both 4½. Yane-Yane's a 4 3/8 like Mai-neechan. By the way, Shiraishi-san what year are you guys anyway?"

Shiraishi pointed to Tooyama and Zaizen. "Those two are the youngest, Tooyama's first year and Zaizen's second year."

Kiyone spotted the black haired tensai of Shitenhouji and the red haired super rookie. "Oh," Kiyone placed all the toothpicks together. "That's like in our team too! Yane-Yane and I are the only first years, buchou and Mai-neechan are second year and everyone else is a senior! By the way, we also have a game to finish! I don't like leaving unfinished games!"

Shiraishi looked at his watch. "We might have to postpone it again. Check what time it is."

Kiyone looked at her watch, shrieking. "Waaaah, I missed out my tennis practice!"

Shiraishi pat her on the head. "Maybe we should walk you back, that way you don't get lost."

"You might want to check your cellphone too," Kenya pointed at her bag. "I heard ten vibrations."

Grabbing her phone out, Kiyone found her screen blinking with the words FIFTEEN MISSED CALLS AND TWENTY MESSAGES staring accusingly in her face. Opening it, most of the calls came from her captain and Ayane while the messages came from her seniors. However, there were two messages that caught her off guard.

Where are you? Dinner's almost ready and you're not here. – Hiyoshi Wakashi

There's chocolate Malakoff cake, you're gonna miss it! – Akutagawa Jirou

"They never texted me before," Kiyone clicked on reply while typing ok I'll be right there. "It's rare for Hiyoshi-senpai and Akutagawa-senpai to text me."

Shiraishi stood up while nodding. "So, shall we bring back the youngest to the queens?"

"Yeah," Kenya looked at the dark sky. "Come on, you better get going."

Kiyone bowed down politely. "Thanks for walking me home."

"Tell us that when you get there," Zaizen snorted while following after his senpai.

Kiyone, grunting at Zaizen, walked past him next to Shiraishi. "Someone woke up on the wrong edge of the bed today."

One of the taller players shook his head. "Zaizen's always been like that. The name's Chitose by the way. I see you got to know most of the Shitenhouji team."

Kiyone nodded vigorously. "Their names aren't hard to remember! I just hope that buchou doesn't get angry at me for being late."

"Well from the way you talk about her, she sounds pretty understanding," Chitose noted while seeing the sports club a few minutes away. "Well, here we are."

"GETSUGAN KIYONE, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN," A loud shriek came from the front door.

Kiyone cleaned her ears. "I could've sworn there was an avalanche somewhere."

The one to meet Kiyone was a very worried Ayane who grabbed the junior's collar. "Kiki, where have you been? We've called you fifteen times and sent you twenty messages and you never answered!"

Kiyone stammered while being shaken uncontrollably. "Oi, d-don't k-keep sh-shaking m-m-me!"

"You were gone and got us all worried and even buchou was freaking out," Ayane screamed even louder.

Kiyone rolled her eyes at the vice captain. "I'm surprised that there's no second wave avalanche coming this way now."

Ayane threw her hands up in the air. "Agh, you're impossible! Buchou, I found her!"

Shizuru stepped out while bowing politely to the Shitenhouji regulars. "Thank you for escorting Getsugan-san home. Tomorrow however, she won't have enough time to slack."

Kiyone gulped at Shizuru's serene voice. "Oh man, I'm gonna be dead tomorrow!"

"Your little escapade has earned you an extra hundred laps tomorrow," Shizuru noted with finality. "Also, for every missed call and message you get – it's an additional forehand and backhand swing for you. So, if I give you fifty forehands – you need to do sixty five."

Kiyone could have sworn that her jaw touched the floor. She knew that her buchou was forgiving but realized that even Shizuru had her limits. "I understand buchou. I won't run off again next time."

Shizuru shook her head. "It's okay to explore, just come back on time."

Nodding vigorously, Kiyone followed after her captain while Ayane stared aghast at Shizuru. "You're going to let her get away with that?"

"Who says I am?" Shizuru raised an eyebrow at her Vice Captain. "She will be making up for the time lost tomorrow."

Watching Shizuru leave them with Kiyone and Ayane, Shiraishi couldn't help but keep looking at the smallest one among the three. Despite her petite figure compared to her Vice Captain, Kiyone made most girls look extremely shameful be it in tennis or…

Looks, perhaps?

Shiraishi shook that out of his head as soon as he could when Kiyone was already gone from his line of sight. While heading back, Shiraishi couldn't help but reflect on the game he had with the soon to be angel of Kantou. He opened his cellphone and saw that there was a message from someone. Opening it, Shiraishi was surprised from whom it came from.

Ah hear ya met the protégé of Kurenai Shizuru. She's gonna be quite a handful, ne? –Amakusa Natsuki

Shiraishi smirked for a moment while texting back. "She's getting to her goal pretty fast. You better train the doubles team better if you want to knock her down. That's not counting the fact that she still has Kobayagi Ayane to back her up. I only tested her with Kenya and she made up for some points that he didn't have."

Chitose leaned over Shiraishi's shoulder. "It's from Amakusa?"

"Yeah," Shiraishi closed his cellphone. "But I wonder – will Hyotei win this round despite not having Espada Kotetsu Naomi on their team? Shitenhouji won third place last year and that's because Kotetsu floored the captain before Amakusa-san. Natsuki was considered the super rookie for the girls but she was taken down by Hyotei's Angel, Kurenai Shizuru. Though, I hear that the captain has an injury that never healed."

"It limits her play time," Chitose noted. "Not the consistency of her shots. All her techniques are still usable to her as long as her left side doesn't give."

Hitouji swayed towards the left. "Shiraishi-buchou, do you think that our doubles team would win against the freshmen of Hyotei?"

"I doubt it actually," Gin quietly admitted. "Kobayagi Ayane from what I hear is the sister of a body builder/wrestler. She deals a heavier punch despite her size."

Zaizen pulled out his video camera. "I remember taping one of those doubles matches of the Kobayagi-Getsugan pair and they really know how to make third years look bad."

Shiraishi watched Kiyone volley the ball to one side while the person forcibly lobbed it into the air. Ayane came from above and struck fast, hearing a bullet like sound on the court.

"Game and match: Kobayagi-Getsugan pair! Six games to love!"

Shiraishi looked at their opponents who looked like third year middle school players. The two were leaping up in joy and Shiraishi began to wonder: have the two ever lost before? Where did they get that kind of synchronization? The two looked like they were able to command it by will and activate Synchro at such a young age.

"This time," Shiraishi nodded inwardly to himself. "Shitenhouji will have to work harder than ever."

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Kiyone pouted while Ayane began scolding her again for walking off. Shizuru gently chided her, saying that it's alright to walk around as long as she comes back in time for practice. Kiyone in the end blocked off what her partner was saying and listened more to her captain. Kiyone though never held respect for Ayane because they were more like sisters; Shizuru was the only one who had the ability to pacify her. Mai didn't understand how Kiyone could only listen to Shizuru and Ayane had no idea how Kiyone could easily agree to whatever the captain said.

"You whine too much," Kiyone snorted at the vice captain. "I'm surprised that there isn't any avalanche yet!"

"Then – I wouldn't be whining if you didn't walk off like that," Ayane shot back at the smaller girl.

Mai put a stop to this. "Guys, I'm surprised that you two have been arguing for thirty minutes straight but right now – Isane-senpai, Rin-senpai and Haruka-senpai have a headache from the Penal Tea so please, shut up."

Momo didn't seem affected by the juice and even took more than just one beer bottle full. Isane had puked out all her lunch and now couldn't even stand up. "Hey," the door opened with Shishido and Ohtori coming in. "Whoa, what did Yamaguchi feed them this time?"

"It's a long story, Shishido-senpai," Shizuru scratched her head sheepishly. "I don't know where that recipe came from but hopefully – we will never drink it again."

Ohtori poked Rin's leg. "Wow, she really did pass out bad."

Mai leaned against the wall, sighing. "Well, I thought I was going to die after drinking that abomination. I don't understand how you managed to survive all of Yamaguchi-senpai's poisons."

Shizuru shrugged. "I guess being used to eating crumbs is a good thing."

"You should eat more, you're even thinner than Gakuto," Shishido flicked her nose. "To think I thought Gakuto's skinny then – you're anorexic."

Shizuru tilted her head towards Shishido. "Oh yeah, you wanted to tell me something?"

All eyes went on Shishido and Ohtori nudged his doubles partner. "Well, it's kinda a private thing."

"Yeah, it's a Silver Trio thing only," Shishido looked away from Shizuru's curious eyes.

Kiyone leaned over Ayane's shoulder. "What does he want to say anyway?"

"Buchou is so dense," Mai slapped her forehead. "She can't even tell if a guy's going to confess to her or what not."

Shishido slapped his forehead, why were many people making them a couple? Too many people were now staring at him and if he didn't have strong nerves, Shishido was going to faint. The dash specialist walked closer to Shizuru and looked at her straight in the eyes. "Shizuru, Chouta, we better get going if we're going to discuss things. I mean, heck – her team might blow everything out of proportion if we say it here."

"Uh, okay," Ohtori followed after them while watching Shishido and Shizuru walk out the door.

In the hallway, Shishido heard his heartbeat echo loudly in his ears. Shizuru walked slowly next to him while smiling at the reddish sunset. Shishido shook his head, how could she not recognize that men could make funny ideas? Then again, that's why he was here; including Oshitari. Ohtori though chose her happiness above anything else.

God, you're both naive.

"Hey," Shishido felt the words being torn from his throat. "The sky's nice this afternoon isn't it?"

What a stupid thing to say, Shishido.

Shishido wanted to slap himself here and there. His heart didn't want to stop echoing in his ears either and a faint voice was questioning him in his head:

Maybe she didn't want to say anything to not worry anyone?

Shizuru could have any guy she wanted, Shishido knew that. To the guys, Shizuru was their dream girl but she was as dense as a rock. It took her almost thirty minutes to comprehend a pick-up line a boy just told her and thus, developed the friendship between her, Mai and Shishido. The two protected her from flirts and Shizuru often just stared at boys who flirted. Ohtori wasn't even sure how she couldn't understand it. Shizuru was not childish; she could command a team despite not understanding some things. Then another question appeared in Shishido's mind:

Maybe she's still confused and the kiss made her even more... crazy?

That was the only plausible question in the dash specialist's mind. Shizuru had tried opening her heart only to get stabbed in the end by her own family. Maybe that's what made her dense; Shizuru forced regression on herself perhaps? Shishido wasn't sure but he was determined to make sure that whoever hurt his kohai was going to pay ten times over for the damage. Though the female captain never had an intimate relationship, Shizuru didn't seem the least bit interested especially when he wanted to rant to her all about how he wanted to kill a certain someone for kissing her just like that.

"Shishido-senpai," Shizuru's voice was soft. "I understand what you're trying to tell me…"

Shishido's eyes widened; did he just hear what Shizuru just said? "Y-you do? Are you serious?"

Shizuru nodded while smiling ruefully. "Senpai, never in my life have I ever been able to hate someone. I…"

Shishido ruffled her hair, chuckling while throwing his cap on Shizuru. "I know it's just... heck, I'm worried. Considering some drunkard got your kiss, you do realize I can kill him if you want?"

"I know," Shizuru sheepishly smiled at Shishido. "You've always been family to me. You're the last person whom I want to see hurt… both you and Ohtori-kun," her voice gave away.

Shishido bit his lip while slinging his arm over Shizuru. "Same here it's just… well, if any other guy thinks they're going to get to you that way – God please forgive me, I WILL BE COMITTING MASS MURDER."

Shizuru laughed softly, nudging Shishido. "Senpai, you don't have to be that violent."

"I have every right to," Shishido scowled as Shizuru put the cap back on his head. "You think I'm going to let some second rate idiot go get you? Are you insane!?"

Shizuru saw the café up ahead. "You wanna get some food before we go back?"

Ohtori glanced at Shishido who simply shrugged. "I guess a cheesecake wouldn't hurt."

"Senpai," Shizuru shook her head. "A cheesecake won't kill you."

Shishido rolled his eyes. "Tell that to the crazy mole diva who expects us to not eat any junk food when it's sitting right in front of us."

Ohtori's shoulders slumped. "Shishido-san, Atobe-san is just worried..."

"Worried? You're telling me he cares," Shishido stifled his laughter only to end up choking on his own saliva. "Damn, that's a good one."

Shizuru raised an eyebrow. "Shishido-senpai, he does care. He's just... a little more unique in showing it."

"Why can't you tell me straight out he's an ass," Shishido grumbled a bit, folding his arms. "You have every right to. It's a free country!"

Shizuru scratched her head, smiling meekly. "Well, I can't insult him after all he's done."

"True," Ohtori remembered the first time Atobe came to Hyotei. "Hyotei wouldn't be the way it is if he weren't here."

Shishido threw his hands up in the air, resting them at the back of his head. "Agh, I give up."

Shizuru and Ohtori began laughing at Shishido's pout while the female captain flicked his nose. "You're silly, senpai."

"You always have that innocent streak," Shishido shrugged, flashing a smirk as he gave her a noogie. "Why I oughta drill it into your head...!"

"Hey," Ohtori tried to free Shizuru from Shishido's tight grip. "That's mean!"

Shizuru managed to wriggle herself free. "Well, that is Shishido-senpai after all."

"You can bet your leg on that," Shishido pat Shizuru on the head. "It's just that, I'm not comfortable with Seigaku hanging around us anymore."

Ohtori checked his watch. "Oh yeah, Atobe-senpai wanted us to train early."

"Damn," Shishido saw the clock, snorting. "Well, catch you later. If any guy tries anything, kick him the nuts."

"Senpai," Ohtori stood back aghast.

Shizuru giggled a bit. "Don't worry Ohtori; I think stepping on his foot is a good enough message."

"Like I said," Shishido rolled his eyes. "The nuts are the best place to kick a man in when they try something funny."

Watching them leave, Shizuru shook her head sighing. I wonder where Shishido-senpai gets his mean streak...

-That's chapter 16! Please review!