(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)
Me: Thank you for all your reviews! You've all been very supportive! Though I appreciate alerts and favourites, I prefer if you send me a written review. It's much more encouraging Yes, Isane's brothers have the same names as the ones from Naruto but I do not use the exact characters – I'm simply borrowing their names since I thought it would be much more of a surprise that her brothers are named Sasuke and Itachi but if you want me to change it, that's fine too. Sorry for the very late update.
LivesforTennis001: Yes, they're from another anime but they're not the same people. I'm still trying to deliberate who's better for Isane. None of my fans are telling me who so, she's gonna stay hanging until I get a votation. I can always change the name but I chose Sasuke and Itachi to give it a little spark but I do not own the ones that was created in Naruto. These are my versions of Sasuke and Itachi – they are entirely different people.
Chapter 32 – Invisible Tennis and the Dragon's Howl
"Game, Shou-Osakada: two games to love!"
Haruka clucked her tongue in annoyance while watching Yuri swing left and right for a sprint. Unohana waited up front while Rin narrowed her eyes at the bubblegum blowing blonde. Watching the fog-like aura emit from both players, Yuri glanced at Unohana who nodded stiffly at her. Haruka fired a fast one causing Yuri to forehand it down the line. Unohana stared at Rin as the black haired acrobat bounced away with Haruka running up front. Cursing under her breath, Unohana volleyed it towards Haruka who sliced the ball under to create a whiplash.
"Fifteen – love," Yuri clucked her tongue as Naomi narrowed her eyes at Haruka's former doubles partner.
Unohana tapped Yuri on the shoulder. "Odd – you never told me Haruka had achieved Synchro with that monkey."
"That's because she didn't the last time I saw her," Yuri bit her thumb nail while analysing the two. "They're moving as if they're one person now so it would be hard to maintain our natural rhythm. We better up our rhythm if we want to keep up, dahling. After all, their Synchro is still immature."
"You've gotta be joking right," Unohana raised an eyebrow to Yuri.
The red haired female pointed out to her doubles partner. "Haruka is the one doing all the thinking therefore – they're only playing by Haruka's strategy. Rin's not the type to think after all."
"Hey, I do think," the black haired acrobat fumed but clamped her mouth shut, staring in horror. "Oops..."
Yuri smiled slowly. "Normally, these dahlings wouldn't even react to a single taunt but there you have it – Rin just did."
Unohana nodded, shuddering a bit. "Geez, Yuri – that's scary."
"I know," Yuri snickered with a devilish smile. "But we have to do that if we want to win."
That was fast, Hitomi stared in awe. She knew it by simply seeing it once. Did she...?
"After all," Yuri brushed her hair back. "You're playing on my Stadium, dahling."
Momo let her jaw hang. "You mean – she's been playing them...?"
"She wanted them to use the Synchro," Mai glanced at Yuri's smirk. "No wonder they weren't panicking. They just wanted them to crash and burn with their own Synchro."
Ayane and Kiyone held on to each other for dear life. "I can't believe this," the tangerine vice captain's lips began quivering.
Kiyone whimpered behind her doubles partner. "Shizuru-buchou, they're... that merciless?"
"Osakada-senpai and Shou-senpai are much kinder than the others in tennis," Shizuru sadly noted. "When you get out there, you have to abandon every connection you have with yourself."
Hitomi closed the book quietly. "That's why lying under our titles as queens – they've already dubbed us as demons."
Momo leaned against the fence. "Rikkai Dai is known for their innocence hence the angels despite having a monster like Inuzuka with them. Seigaku is more like ghouls – Souma Fuuka is in a class all by herself. Hyotei's known to be a mixture of whack job monsters. Joy, we have so much in common."
"You don't have to be so blunt about it," Mai face palmed. "Besides, we are not a mixture of whack job monsters!"
Momo shrugged nonchalantly. "Tell that to the Atobe-fan girls, also to very boyish girls and also to the very prima donna ones too."
The rally sped up as Rin sailed into the air for a hard smash which allowed Haruka to set up the Dragon's Retaliation. Yuri signalled Unohana to run to the left as Haruka sliced down for the Dragon's Retaliation. Seeing the ball spin on the right side, it bounced towards the left right towards Unohana.
"She knew which direction it was going," Rin gaped as Unohana smirked.
Her fishbone braid bounced around as she sliced it even lower. "Tsk, you're going to have a heyday."
Rin jumped for the ball which forced her to lob straight up and Yuri smash right down in between.
"Fifteen – all," Haruka and Rin stared at the mark the ball made.
Rin gulped while jumping behind Haruka. "Mou~, I never knew they could counter the Dragon's Retaliation so easily!"
"It's obvious that it's plausible," Haruka noted while watching Yuri and Unohana go for a high five. "Yuri-senpai knows all my moves because she was my partner long time ago."
Unohana shrugged. "Well, I didn't expect Rin to conquer her lack of stamina in due time."
Yuri tousled her hair. "Well dahling, you girls certainly showed me a thing or two. But, Haruka – you were my first younger partner. I've partnered up with a lot of people long time ago. My real first partner was Unohana-chan over here. Besides, who was the one who taught you how to double up with ALMOST anyone, Haruka dahling?"
Haruka gripped her racquet tightly. "Well, I learned most of it on my own."
"My, my," Yuri wagged her finger. "Tut, tut, you shouldn't be so defensive, dahling. It's going to add more wrinkles on your face."
Rin gulped at Haruka's burning face. "Haru-chan, what are we going to do now?"
"We're going to bring them down," Haruka faced away from Yuri's taunting face. "She's not the only doubles expert around here."
Unohana whistled as she blew up her bubblegum. "Well, what now – brown cow?"
Yuri shrugged while twirling her hair on her finger. "Hmm, I wanted to play around a little longer but Haru-chan's not going to let me do that."
Naomi smirked as she watched Haruka take her place on the baseline. So, what will you do now, Shizuru-chan? You were never good with people.
Shizuru glanced at the two girls who were discussing a new set of plans as Mai took a seat next to her. Isane nervously watched Haruka give instructions to the black haired acrobat while Momo folded her arms in disgust. Hitomi watched the match while scribbling down a new set of notes in her book as Rin nodded after hearing Haruka's plan.
"Are you sure you can do this," Haruka glanced warily at Rin. "I mean – why did you only tell me this now!"
Rin twiddled with her thumbs. "I wasn't sure if I could do it right. I only managed to do it because he helped me."
Haruka raised an eyebrow. "Alright – who is this he if I may ask?"
Rin flushed into a bright red colour. "I... um... let's just play shall we?"
"Rin," Haruka's tone remained firm and stern. "Tell me who...!"
Rin waved it off. "Ah ha-ha, it's nothing! I'll tell you who he is after this game ends~!"
Yuri whistled. "Oooh, our baby's found a prince!"
"More like a knight," Unohana popped her lemon flavoured bubblegum. "He's the knight that will cost her this match. Dragons and knights can never match up anyway."
Rin narrowed her eyes. "That's so not true, kuwee~!"
"Well, she's still such a callow child after all," Yuri tapped the bottom of her chin. "She wouldn't understand such sophisticated matters after all, dahling."
Haruka glared. "Quit the accent, it makes your lips look fat."
Rin kept quiet as Yuri waited at the other. "So, what are you waiting for? Start serving already, dahling."
Haruka tossed the ball in the air. Rin, I hope what you told me was true.
Flashback
"What do you mean the 'third dragon'," Haruka stared at her doubles partner incredulously.
Rin jumped up and down. "Remember, the one you told me you wouldn't perform it as long as I'm your doubles partner when we were second year?"
Haruka shook her head as she placed her water jug into her locker. "That technique requires full Synchronization, Rin. That's something only Yuri-senpai and I managed to accomplish. Nobody else..."
Rin stayed silent for awhile as she puffed up her cheeks. "I'll show you...!"
Haruka stared at Rin who was turning purple from holding her breath in her cheeks. "I'll show you that I can do the same! I'll show you that Osakada-senpai is not the only one who can set up properly!"
Flashback End
That's why I couldn't get anywhere, Haruka returned with a sharp forehand, glancing at Rin who started volleying. I always believed that only Yuri-senpai could work with me but...
You know, to be the best doubles player – you have to know how to work with ANYONE, dahling. Human or animal, you have to know how to work with them. That's what it means to be a doubles expert.
Haruka chuckled bitterly to herself as that sentence echoed in her head. She remembered the time Yuri had been replaced by Rin and all the times that when the black dragon failed to meet her expectations – the comparisons flew left and right. Haruka glanced at the ball as she saw Rin sail into the air.
Wait isn't that, Haruka stared in shock as the ball reflected off Unohana's racquet hard that it flew off with a spin. "How did she...?"
Rin watched Haruka stare at the shot as Yuri and Unohana found her landing on her feet while going for the front. "Haru-chan, take the shot out already!"
Haruka steeled herself as she made contact with the ball. With one flick of her wrist, she circled the racquet around the ball causing the ball to spin faster. The ball zoomed over the net and started spinning on the top of the net but exploded with enough spinning force to propel itself right past Unohana's ear.
"That was," Unohana turned to Yuri who nodded stiffly.
Haruka lowered her racquet after watching the ball fly. "Legend of the Dragons: the Dragon's Howl."
Isane gaped at Rin who cheerfully grinned. "I don't believe it; I thought only Osakada-senpai could set up something like that!"
"A lot of people thought the same thing," Momo watched Rin give Haruka a high five. "That was what gave Haruka a problem. The first two legends are very easy to do since it doesn't require a set up but the third is supposedly the finishing move since it requires heavy set up."
Haruka stared at Rin. "How did you do that? That kind of spin is almost impossible to do unless..."
"You place a good enough force and weight on it," Rin gave her thumbs up. "Also, the force of the racquet must be hard enough to make the opponent create a spin to return it."
Haruka bit her lip as she smiled while the black acrobat gave her a cheeky grin. However, Haruka's face fell as she heard applause from the other side.
"Brava dahling," Yuri continued to clap. "You finally got to read the third part of the legend. I thought you were all jump and no think."
Rin twitched her nose. "I do use my brain!"
"Yeah, only during the last three minutes," Unohana waved her hand dismissively, throwing in another piece of gum into her mouth. "Honestly, if you figured the Dragon's Howl three weeks ago – you guys would've noticed that the three can be used in a consecutive timing in order to throw off the opponent and you could've scored with a driving backhand smash."
The Twin Dragons stared at her as Yuri twirled her hair a bit. "What? You never thought of that?"
Naomi chuckled lightly while running her hand through her hair. "It's not that they didn't think of that, Yuri. They were probably saving it for later which is most likely... never."
Haruka fumed at Naomi. "Damn it, will you shut up and just sit there!"
"Tsk, tsk," Yuri wagged her finger. "That's no way to address your senior, dahling."
Haruka shut herself up before anything else rolled out of her mouth while Rin could only cast a glare at Naomi who kept a patented smile. Rin on the other hand waved her first at Naomi.
"Just you wait," Rin snorted while facing the formers. "We're gonna break out our special move in no time!"
Haruka stared at the black dragon as if she had lost her mind. We have a special move!
Momo stared at the two of them before face palming. "Buchou, who started to tutor Rin in order to help her play doubles?"
"She has a warm feeling inside," Shizuru glanced at her eyes. "Rin-senpai is actually – ready to show how serious she is about that 'special move' she mentioned."
Hitomi nodded as she showed Momo the numbers. "As you can see, one of the factors is named..."
Momo shoved the notebook down. "I want sentences not some freaky numbers and radicals!"
"Kajimoto Takahisa," Hitomi frowned a bit. "Stop interrupting and listen for once."
Isane glanced at the court. "Guys, I don't think Rin's fooling around anymore."
Rin's eyes glinted evilly as she grinned like a Cheshire cat in front of Unohana. "You know – you're doing pretty well despite hating Osakada-senpai for I don't know... stealing your boyfriend?"
Unohana froze as Yuri gaped at the dark strawberry blonde girl. "Yunoki Kazuya was your boyfriend?!"
"Yeah," Unohana whirled around and jabbed her finger at the dark strawberry blonde haired doubles expert. "Yeah, he broke up with me for you – you Benedict Arnold...!"
Rin snickered while Haruka face palmed. "Rin, what was that?"
She grinned cheekily at Haruka. "If all else fails, the truth always makes a great comeback, kuwee~."
Haruka watched the glint in Rin's eyes. "You used... your Insight? But – I thought that was only prediction!"
"Nope," Rin wagged her finger while puffing her cheeks. "I tried my best to find another way to win. I mean – you know how Hoshimura Florence tells by looking at the colours your body emits?"
Haruka nodded slowly. "Yeah, what did you do?"
"Well," Rin tapped her chin lightly. "Shou-senpai's style says a lot."
Haruka gaped at her. "You're finally using your head!"
"I always have," she puffed her cheeks up impishly again.
Naomi cast a sweet smile at the two. "Why are you two letting the underdogs talk you down?"
"She stole my boyfriend," Unohana seethed through her teeth. "You stupid man-eater...!"
Yuri tried to calm Unohana down. "Look, we'll talk about this later alright?"
As Haruka started her serve, the ball zoomed towards Unohana who returned it with much ease and Rin found an open spot between the two girls.
"Thirty – fifteen," Haruka and Rin gave each other a high five before getting ready for the next rally.
Ayane watched Unohana and Yuri get in each others' way. "Rin-senpai used her Insight to wake up the doubts inside Unohana-san."
"In other words, psychic warfare," Momo chuckled as she watched Rin sail into the air. "I didn't know she had that in her."
"That was her last resort actually," Shizuru glanced at Rin's eyes. "She didn't want to play mental games. Rin's often the all-out attacker."
Yuri snickered as the next shot came in. "That's a bit too low for you, Rin. I didn't know you were cruel."
"You left me with no choice," Rin's spoke in a low tone.
Haruka felt her body shiver with Rin in front. I never saw her so serious before; let alone use her Insight so early in the match.
"It's okay," a cheerful voice responded to Haruka's thoughts as a black haired acrobat faced her with a huge smile. "There's nothing to be afraid of, Haru-chan. Trust me okay?"
Yuri whistled as she watched Rin and Haruka take another position. It seems like the roles have been switched. Although, what does this black dragon have that we don't?
Rin watched Unohana dash for the front while watching Yuri bolt towards the left side. Haruka's serve flew back at her as she volleyed it towards Unohana who slammed the shot towards Haruka's right side. Naomi on the other hand, calmly placed her hands on her lap as she watched the two doubles pairs fight it out. Normally, she would be smiling but somehow – the former captain felt unease; her eyes darted after the ball as Haruka sliced it down with an astounding spin-off.
"Forty – fifteen," Naomi's eyes narrowed at the two as Haruka gave an uneasy high five to Rin.
Yuri gestured to Naomi for a time-out as the four players got off the court to wipe up. Haruka uneasily trailed behind Rin who walked with utmost confidence while snatching her bottle from her bag and downing a huge amount. Momo stared at her as the eerily yellow liquid went down her throat while Isane couldn't help but hold back whatever she ate for lunch.
"Rin," Haruka gaped at her. "What are you drinking?"
Kiyone managed to snatch it from Rin, resulting into a small catfight. "Eh, it smells like cough syrup..."
Rin tried to grab it back as Shizuru managed to get the drink from the smaller girl. "It's Bacchus..."
"Bacchus," Momo stared at Rin. "Is that why she's on overdrive?"
Haruka slapped the black haired acrobat's head. "So that's why you're serious today!"
"Owie," Rin whined while rubbing her head. "You didn't have to hit me so hard, kuwee~."
Haruka pinched the bridge of her nose. "Geez, you're always trying too hard in the weirdest directions!"
Shizuru glanced at the other side as Naomi began coaching them. "Guys, be prepared to pull out the real Synchronization. They have a Synchro of their own."
"Let's hope it's not as bad as it looks," Isane wistfully watched Unohana and Yuri exchange glances. "I mean – I haven't seen them tag team too much."
Haruka tapped her chin. "That's because Kotetsu-buchou always paired me up with Yuri-senpai."
Rin glanced at Unohana who tapped Yuri's racquet against her own. "Kuwee~, they remind me of that pair from Jyosei Shounan."
"At least they talk to one another," Momo sniggered as the two began nodding. "Say," –she pointed behind Ayane. "Someone tell me why a purple haired mole diva classmate of mine is here."
Ayane froze as she turned around. "A-Atobe, what are you doing here?"
Atobe raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't informed that the former regulars were coming here. Did your captain authorize this?"
"Yes," Shizuru nodded stiffly. "Is there something wrong, Atobe-senpai?"
Atobe smirked as he placed his arm around Ayane. "What? Ore-sama can't watch his queen kick another queen off her throne?"
Each girl had their own reaction as Ayane turned away with a flushed face.
Momo gaped at Ayane, dropping her racquet.
Kiyone rubbed her eyes but continued blinking.
Mai hung her jaw wide and slapped herself several times.
Isane closed Mai's mouth to avoid any random mosquito from flying in.
Hitomi dropped her notebook while frantically trying to catch the papers.
Rin promptly missed a volley but had Haruka make up for her.
After scoring, Haruka gaped at Ayane's predicament.
Shizuru blinked several times before sighing to her vice captain. "It's about time."
Ayane swat Atobe's hand away, whining at Shizuru. "But buchouuu, why is he here!"
"He probably wants to see your game, right Atobe-senpai," Shizuru cast a wary glance towards the icy eyed captain's direction.
Atobe froze at Shizuru's tone, snorting a bit. "Whatever Kurenai, ore-sama's here only for Ayane's game."
"Ooh, you're on a first name basis now," Momo raised an eyebrow earning a punch to her palm from Ayane. "What did he do to you anyway?"
"Shut up," Ayane glared as she turned away from the female Sanada.
Atobe shrugged at Momo's question. "Ore-sama simply had to win a game."
"You bet your pride," Kiyone choked on her laughter. "Kobayagi Ayane, you are definitely screwed."
Ayane kicked a random pebble on the ground. "You shut up, Getsugan Kiyone."
Overhearing some parts of the conversation, Haruka couldn't help but snicker as she returned Yuri's fast top spin with a counter spin of her own. Unohana volleyed towards her as Rin jumped for the ball to send it to Yuri's left side. The two started bumping into one another as Rin managed to score another shot while landing after an aerial backhand smash.
"Game, Shimohi-Hikifumi: one game to two!"
Atobe scoffed, turning to Shizuru. "When is Ayane's game?"
"Doubles Two," Shizuru kept her eyes focused on the other pair. They're hiding something – but what?
Unohana tossed the ball high as she watched it descend. "Time to show you something new..."
Her serve started pretty fast as Rin managed to volley it over. Yuri came up front with a fast volley causing Haruka to miss the shot.
"Fifteen – love," the Dragon pair couldn't even budge an inch.
Where did it go, Haruka frantically looked around as the ball bounced behind her. "How did it get there?"
Yuri and Unohana did a high five as Rin gulped at where the shot landed. "I couldn't even see it, kuwee~!"
Mai bit her lip. "It flew by so fast that it became invisible. This is Osakada-senpai's Singles Style: Invisible Tennis."
"Tch, Rin has motion sight and she didn't even catch it," Momo slammed her fist on the rail. "Wait a minute, how were you able to catch it?"
Mai glanced at Yuri. "I only managed to catch her swing but that's it. I only found it at the start but completely swung already."
Unohana tapped her chin. "I can't believe it; you caught them off guard with that shot."
"As long as I have my Invisible Tennis," Yuri smirked at the other two doubles players. "Haruka won't have any chance against me. Rin will get tired because her eyes will always try to follow the ball. As soon as the Black Dragon falls, so does the Pearl Dragon. You should've known that by now, dahling."
Rin glanced at Haruka who nodded at her. The pink haired Dragon stood up with her pupils dilating and her body emitting a fog-like aura. Rin soon had the same effect and they stood at their positions.
"Ohoho," Yuri rubbed her palms together. "It looks like our little dahlings are going to show us their Synchronization. Shall we use ours as well?"
Unohana's pupils dilated while Yuri started moving in sync with her. Unohana started with a fast serve as Rin lurched forward for a volley. Haruka sealed off Yuri while countering all of the girl's baseline shots. Rin sailed into the air for a backhand while Haruka prepared the Dragon's Tail to whiplash back at Unohana. Yuri, taking a few steps backwards, drove in a shot towards Rin's left side but the Black Dragon managed to slide over and return it. Both sides moved with complete unison as each of their shots were countered.
"Ore-sama thinks that Osakada and Shou aren't going to make it," Atobe folded his arms. "Honestly, what makes them think they can send a makeshift pair against the Twin Dragons?"
Ayane gaped at Atobe. "For once, what do you know about doubles and how do you know they're a makeshift?"
"If you were my batch, Ayane," Atobe smirked while using his Insight. "You would've known that these two have never played doubles with one another in an official match."
The vice captain quickly turned to Shizuru. "Is it true! I mean – if so, how did they activate Synchro?"
Mai watched Haruka take another point of Unohana. "All they need to do is to induce their body to think they're in a desperate situation. After that, the magic works itself and there you have it – Synchro."
"But I thought you need to have a high emotional connection to do it," Ayane began waving her arms high in the air. "How the hell did they do that!"
Kiyone tapped Mai's shoulder. "Hey, is it just me or are their movements getting choppy?"
"That's because they don't have that strong a bond compared to Haruka and Rin," Hitomi explained it to the smaller girl. "While Yuri does have an ability to connect on higher emotional levels, Unohana has a psychological blocker in her head that prevents her from complete synchronization. Because of this, Haruka and Rin are going to take the lead."
Rin sailed into the air, taking another point from Yuri and Unohana.
"Game, Shimohi-Hikifumi: two games all!"
Naomi bit her lower lip, overhearing Atobe's words. I didn't know they could go this far with their Synchro. Although, you are right with one thing, Atobe – they've never played doubles together in an official match before. Then again, this could work to our advantage.
Haruka gave a high five to Rin as the black haired acrobat started her service. Yuri slammed the ball towards Haruka's left side as Rin moved to the front for another set up. With a fast shot, Rin forced Unohana to return back with a hard top spin which allowed Haruka to launch the Dragon's Howl again.
"Fifteen – love," Yuri whistled at where the ball landed.
"Not bad," Unohana tossed her braid aside. "It looks like we'll have to pull up our game a bit, right – Yuri?"
Yuri dangled her hand a bit. "Of course dahling, I don't want to lose to our juniors."
Rolling her eyes, Unohana readied herself while watching the two dragons emotionlessly saunter past each other. She spun her racquet while waiting for the Black Dragon's serve, feeling the beads of sweat trickle down her cheeks. The intense yet emotionless gaze from the other side caused her to dig into her lower lip, tasting a light metallic taste. Yuri's legs slightly wobbled from all the running but the older tennis player knew that she had to keep playing. However, Yuri glanced at her sweaty hands before returning the next shot. Unohana jumped for a backhand slice but didn't expect Haruka to leap forward for the ball.
"You didn't tell me that Haruka could do acrobatics," Unohana flicked her head towards Yuri's direction. "You said she's more control and stamina!"
Yuri then noticed Rin taking a position behind. Don't tell me; they've learned how to...?
Kiyone stared innocently at Hitomi. "You mean they can copy each other now?"
"Yes, because of their deep emotional connection," Hitomi began scribbling on the notebook before turning on her VGA camera. "Haruka and Rin have learned to communicate with their minds and see with their hearts. That's something only a doubles player can understand."
Kiyone hung her head, curling her hand into a fist. Why can't I do that yet then? I've been playing doubles for as long as I remember.
Shizuru couldn't help but maintain her gaze at Naomi who simply smiled from her position. The crimson eyed captain watched the gray eyed captain carefully analyse the two as they released everything from their Synchro. However, Shizuru noticed Naomi didn't seem the least bit unnerved with what Yuri and Unohana were doing. The captain she remembered often showed a competitive side but for some strange reason, Naomi let everything slide.
"I noticed it too," Mai placed a hand on Shizuru's shoulder. "Normally, she would be giving hand gestures but right now – she's doing nothing but warming up the referee's chair."
"Fifteen – all," the whole crowd gasped as the ball zoomed past Haruka.
Kiyone gulped while hiding behind Isane. "It's the Invisible Tennis."
"I think," Yuri smiled mischievously. "It's about time that we put an end to your precious Synchro style. Punishment of the Jade Emperor, was it, dahlings?"
Haruka, breathing heavily, shook her head in disbelief. How the heck did she stand up against our Synchro! Honestly, people wouldn't even withstand a few minutes against the Synchro!
Yuri twirled her racquet around. "Alright, I think we're done playing around with you dahlings. Unohana, I think we should stun them. Hmm, what do you think – dearie?"
"I'd say kick 'em hard and good," Unohana cracked her knuckles. "Ladies, it's show time!"
Haruka lowered her stance. "Get ready Rin, this might not turn out pretty!"
Rin nodded while taking out a fairly weak serve to throw them off. However, Yuri slammed the ball hard enough that it zipped in between the pairs' feet.
"Fifteen – thirty," Yuri pompously tousled her hair while Unohana stuck her tongue out.
Naomi folded her arms. This is where the terror begins...
Lulu whistled while lazily leaning on the rail. "Boy, Yuri-tan and Unohana-chan are going all out in this."
"Duh, their pride is on the line," Nanako rolled her eyes at the former vice captain. "Honestly, I just want their game done and over with so we can get ours done too."
Lulu wagged her finger at Nanako. "Tut, tut, you shouldn't be so impatient, Nana. After all, you might kill your dear peach a little too quickly."
Nanako curled her hand into a fist, watching Yuri and Unohana dominate over the Twin Dragons. The ball flew by so fast that they could only see the net ripple or hear the fence behind them tinkle a bit. Haruka missed a few times, seeing the ball fly straight towards Rin's racquet which made a lob and allowed Unohana to smash.
"Game, Shou-Osakada: three games to two!"
Naomi clucked her tongue, watching the game disbelievingly. To think I thought these two were the best of Hyotei's doubles team.
Dashing to one side, Haruka managed to barely scrape the ball while Rin fell over as the ball slammed into the hedges again.
"Fifteen – love," Haruka winced at the speed of the shot while the other pair simply smirked.
Yuri glanced at the marks on the court. "You girls are getting nowhere as long as we got the Invisible Tennis. Too bad for you dahlings – if only your eyes were fast enough."
If only your eyes are fast enough, the words echoed in Haruka's mind. "That's it!"
Yuri, startled by Haruka's sudden outburst, stared at her incredulously. "There's no way your little plan is going to work."
However, the pink haired dragon stuck her tongue. "Let's see that, Yuri-senpai."
Oooh, she's getting cheeky now, Unohana blew up her lemon flavoured bubblegum. "Alright, show me what you guys are going to do."
With Unohana starting the service, the rally started off fairly normal until Yuri couldn't attack the ball. Haruka and Rin targeted shots towards Unohana causing the dark strawberry blonde girl to stumble a few times. Yuri smirked while nodding at Unohana who then whipped the ball with a different speed. Instead of flying quickly, the ball limply dropped on their side.
"Thirty – love," Haruka watched the ball roll back at them.
Yuri wagged her finger. "Tut, tut, tut, dahlings – you should do more research. What makes you think I created the Invisible Tennis by myself?"
Unohana stretched her arms. "Boy hitting in timeout sucks. Honestly, how do you keep doing that?"
Rin gulped while biting her nails. "You mean – you two...?"
"That's right," Yuri smiled pompously at the both of them. "Rule number 1 in Doubles: Know your partner well enough to copy them!"
Ayane let out a small 'eep'. "So that means – they've been switching around all this time!"
"They couldn't have switched their identities," Atobe noted while watching the two girls lose another point. "So, the seniors had learned how to copy one another due to mutual rivalry. If you can't beat them, join them. That's how they did things while Kotetsu was still captain."
Shizuru curled her hand into a fist. "Unless Hikifumi-senpai and Shimohi-senpai can figure out a way how to mimic each other's styles then, there's no way they're going to get past these two."
Rin jumped up for a smash until Unohana repelled it with a backhand. Haruka sliced it down while Yuri slammed the ball hard enough for the ball to zoom past Rin however, the ball flew back at Unohana only to have it slow down for a point.
"Hey," Shishido appeared behind Kiyone. "Who let them in here?"
Mai scoffed at the dash specialist. "Why are you so concerned?"
"Hey, I have a right to be concerned for my friend," Shishido snapped moodily. "What bit you – a fly with the moody disease?"
Momo stood in between the two fuming speed demons. "Hey guys, easy on the insults! Unless you keep yakking, I'm gonna box your teeth in!"
Shishido grumbled while turning away from the dark eyed Sanada. "Hmph, prissy moody Sanada."
Meanwhile, the match prolonged as Rin fell short on one shot but Haruka retaliated back. Yuri continued hitting slow shots, forcing Rin to lunge forward each time. Haruka slid over to return the spin shots that slowed down the moment they crossed the net. Unohana smirked as Yuri continued hitting fast and slow shots causing Rin to increase her breathing each time.
Oh no, Haruka grabbed another shot. "Rin, don't go after the ball!"
This caused the black dragon to stare at her quizzically. "Wait, why?"
Yuri clucked her tongue. "It looks like she figured it out, dahling."
"Haruka-chan isn't that stupid, Yuri," Unohana furrowed her brows at the doubles expert. "She just has a few minor setbacks, that's all."
Rin noticed Haruka's face burning with annoyance. "Haru-chan, calm down! Yelling at them won't get you anywhere, kuwee~!"
"I'm not getting mad," Haruka breathed out finality, stopping her hands from trembling. "I'm just containing the excitement to beat them to a pulp."
Yuri whistled as Haruka got ready to return the point. "So, what are you going to...?"
"What makes you think a legend stops at three movements," Haruka's expression became more sinister. "A legend doesn't end – it lives on forever..."
Rin cheekily smiled while moving next to Haruka. "Dragons don't die either. They get stronger every time."
"A knight cannot always prevail over the dragon," Haruka's pupils slowly dilated while Rin lost her hyperactivity.
Soon, a misty white aura covered them while showing a link between the two players. The high school division of Hyotei stared as the middle school students started whispering excitedly to one another. Rin and Haruka gave each other a high five as they both retreated to their positions, revealing a different formation. Yuri blinked several times before checking the positions of the two players while Unohana stared for a very long time.
"Hey Yuri," Unohana glanced at the light blonde haired girl. "What makes you think we're gonna win now?"
Yuri snickered as she watched the two girls start breathing in synchronized motion. "Well, I can't say that we'll win easily but there is still a possibility."
"Suzumiya," Naomi glanced at Ruriko who inputted the data into her calculator. "What's our win rate?"
Ruriko tossed back her low pigtails. "The win rate is at 95.76 percent. They have no chance against us."
"Correct me if I'm wrong," a voice smoothly came from the middle school side. "But, your data currently obsolete due to that coming from last year's recording."
Ruriko swivelled her head towards Hitomi's direction, maintaining her eyes closed however. "What are you implying then?"
"My point is," Hitomi threw back her blonde curls. "Your data may prove to be completely useless. Rin and Haruka have achieved higher heights even after all of you left."
Unohana snorted while blowing up her bubblegum. "That flying monkey isn't going to get...!"
Without further ado, the ball exploded at Unohana's feet creating a heavy spin when it flew away.
"Forty – fifteen," Yuri exchanged glances with Unohana.
How did they do that?
Yuri looked at the marks that were created on the court while looking at the two girls. The two dragons were smiling and acting normally as if they weren't even on Synchro despite the white mist. Rin cheerfully began giggling while Haruka ruffled the black acrobat's hair only to get glomped by the same girl. The light blonde haired girl glanced at her racquet and then at Naomi. She felt a wry smile appear on her lips as Naomi's grip on the referee's chair tightened. The older doubles expert then glanced at Shizuru and the middle school girls laughing together while on the other end – they were simply lying around. With this, Yuri came down to one conclusion.
It's not that you weren't skilled enough – but it's because you weren't good enough.
Unohana noticed the wry smile. "Yuri, I guess our era's over."
"I'm glad to know," Yuri chuckled bitterly before facing the two girls. "I'm glad to know that my baby has finally overcome the last obstacle."
Haruka pointed her racquet at the both of them. "Hey, it's only been four games and you guys are backing down already? What's the matter – you guys getting old?"
Rin jumped behind Haruka. "Come on, what are you two waiting for?"
Yuri chuckled darkly while turning to Unohana. "It's time to use that."
"What," Haruka's face fell. "You mean...?"
Unohana lowered her body like Rin's while watching the black haired acrobat swing left and right. Yuri watched Haruka's movements carefully as Unohana started her service, causing the pink haired dragon to lunge for the ball. Rin spun for a somersault for a corner backhand which was returned by Unohana's jumping to that side. However, Rin only had a huge grin to respond to Unohana's challenge.
"Rin is the type who wouldn't back down when her forte is challenged," Hitomi smiled while writing it down. "By the way, Shizuru-buchou – you're not going to use the Flash Step are you?"
Shizuru glanced sadly at Hitomi. "I might have too. Considering how strong Kotetsu-buchou is then, there might be more than just my leg..."
"Shizuru," Mai noticed the flickering in Shizuru's eyes. Wow, even she's afraid – normally, it's c'est la vie.
The brunette captain faced the red haired tensai who pat her shoulder with a confident smile. "Listen; don't let her get to you. Just remember who you are."
Shizuru faintly smiled at Mai before laughing softly. "Thanks... for backing me up..."
"Do me a favour and just kick her butt," Mai waved it off. "I mean – show her that it wasn't her who made this team a crazy family."
Momo cracked a piece of Strepsils in her mouth, smirking sinisterly. "Beat that bitch to where she should be. Those swords shouldn't be anything to you."
"Don't let her get to you," Isane smiled reassuringly. "We're always behind you."
Ayane cheered from the bleachers. "Yeah, go Rin and Haruka-senpai!"
Kiyone jumped onto the rail. "Yay Yay Yay show 'em what you got, dragon-nee-chan!"
Haruka snickered at the smaller sandy blonde haired girl. "You got it!"
Rin somersaulted into the air giving them a cheeky grin. "Alright, one butt-kicking sandwich coming right up!"
Isane leaned against the fence while Shishido managed to sneak a glance. He hadn't noticed until now how bright her green eyes were whenever she saw something exciting. However, Shishido rubbed his hands together while assessing the difference between them.
Ah yes, he was not blessed with height.
Kiyone, the shortest of the regulars, stood evenly at his shoulders already while Ayane a first year student nearly caught up to him since she was only an inch away. Hitomi stood as Oshitari's height along with Momo who stood equally with Atobe and Shizuru. Kabaji towered over the rest and Isane and Ohtori were the same height leaving him somewhere in between Rin and Kiyone.
For the love of God, Shishido mentally slapped himself. "Why am I so short?"
Hiyoshi snickered at his senpai. "Maybe that's because you chug more soda than you do milk. Or you're probably stepped on all the time, your bones stopped growing."
Shishido glared at the Enbu ace. "Shut up, Hiyoshi."
Gakuto shrugged. "Well, I don't think Isa-chan's the one for height anyway."
"I think she's more for bad boys," Oshitari off-handedly remarked. "You saw her yourself."
Shishido gripped the fence hard until a shot exploded right past him. "What in the world-?"
Everyone directed their attention to the tennis court as Rin started shivering while dropping her racquet. Haruka walked over to Rin, trying to look over the black haired acrobat's shoulder. Unohana on the other hand remained unmoved while looking at her racquet. Yuri turned to Unohana who shrugged.
"Game, Osakada-Shou: four games to two!"
"Fatigue got to her," Unohana blew up another bubble. "Ewww, I have to change my gum now."
Shizuru glanced at Naomi and motioned for a timeout however, the former captain didn't grant it. "As long as we seniors start the game," –she smiled darkly and slowly. "Only we can motion for a timeout."
Unohana crunched her face in disgust. "Naomi, I need to change gum!"
Nanako glanced at Momo who could sense the anger coming from the Shinigami. I'm sorry, Momo-hana. Although I know what's going on, I can't help you.
Seeing that Naomi agreed to Unohana's request, Haruka managed to haul the shivering black haired acrobat to the chair. "Rin, Rin, snap out of it!"
"No," Rin trembled more violently than before. "I... I can't move... Haru-chan... Where are you?"
Momo shoved Haruka aside. "Move aside," –she prepared for a backhand. "My God, pull yourself together!"
Before Momo could backhand her, Shizuru caught her arm. "Momo-senpai, violence will not solve this. Back down please."
Scoffing with a snort, Momo reluctantly allowed Shizuru to push away her arm while the captain gently shook Rin. "Rin-senpai, please wake up. You have to snap out of it."
Rin slapped the captain's hand away. "Stay away from me!"
"God, she's traumatized," Momo grabbed Rin's collar and began shaking her. "Shimohi Rin, answer me: what do you hear right now?"
Rin started blabbering. "Wait, we're not even in the forest! Where are the crickets coming from?"
"What the hell," Momo shoved Rin back on her chair. "What crickets?"
Haruka bit her lip. "It's Shou-senpai's Funeral by a Thousand Crickets... I never knew that Unohana-senpai had this deep obsession with bugs..."
()()()()()0000()()()()
"You're really evil, Unohana," Nanako watched Momo try to shake Rin out of her daze. "You wouldn't use that technique unless you were pushed into a corner."
Unohana huffed indignantly as she threw a piece of lemon gum into her mouth. "I was pushed into a corner. That gives me every right to use the technique! No way am I going to let some brats outdo me!"
"Lemme guess," Lulu drawled lazily. "You did that because you do care for Rin-Rin."
Unohana shoved Lulu off the rail. "Shut up before the tennis ball breaks your teeth."
Yuri face palmed. "You're sounding like Momo."
"Ignorant lazy twit doesn't know when to shut up," Unohana snorted while Ichigetsu flashed a maniacal smile. "Stop giving me that smile, Konan. You look like so bitch who's high on drugs."
Konan looked at the line-up. "I can't wait to face Nagisaki. That lady's got me running high~!"
"Remind me again why we brought her," Unohana glared at Naomi who sat down calmly on the chair.
Naomi glanced at the Middle School team. "Now, now, Unohana – rest assured, it's all taken care of. It doesn't matter whether you two win or lose."
Quizzical, Yuri swivelled her head towards Naomi. "You're really going to crush her aren't you dearest?"
"She started being less useful the moment people started listening to her despite that though, she was quite the sweet thing," Naomi blew against her nails, looking at them. "After all, admiration is the farthest from understanding."
Yuri glanced at Unohana who huffed indignantly while turning away from Naomi. "You don't even know what you're doing here, don't you dahling?"
"I do," Unohana snapped moodily while facing away. "We're here to make them eat their socks and go home!"
Yuri, quizzical, stayed behind Unohana until the dark strawberry blonde girl let out a sad sigh. "Okay," –Unohana dropped her hands in resignation. "I really don't know what this is for."
Glancing at her racquet, Yuri believed in another way of tennis. She couldn't believe that Unohana would resort to the Funeral of a Thousand Crickets. Compared to most Doubles players, Yuri noted the mental play that both she and Unohana took pride in. While Unohana trashed them with mind-boggling techniques, Yuri could make the most complex strategies out of something very simple. However, the light blonde girl couldn't believe that destroying Haruka made her any better.
Misery loves company after all, Yuri sniggered while glancing at Naomi who discussed things with Lulu. She didn't want to be the bad guy alone, now did she?
"So," a smooth voice cut into her thoughts. "How will you tell Haruka now?"
Yuri spun around to find Nanako leaning against her crutches. "You're playing despite that?"
"I'll be hopping around," Nanako remarked cheerfully. "I mean – I'm not completely useless!"
Shaking her head in disbelief, Yuri managed to sneak a look at the other side as Haruka and Shizuru tried the 'gentler' way of waking up the black dragon. Momo on the other hand got ready to swat her with her tennis racquet while Hitomi tried figuring out a way how to break the hypnosis over Rin. Ayane and Kiyone on the other hand were preparing for their match while Isane tried to calm down the angry Shinigami. Mai however explained the effects of the hypnosis to Hitomi allowing the data girl to finally shake Rin out of her trauma.
"Wow, it took them five minutes," Unohana glanced at her watch. "Rin's gotten a lot stronger."
Naomi clucked her tongue. "I expected her to forfeit."
"Rin's stronger than that," Unohana nodded proudly. "She wouldn't let some low ranking hit take her out easy."
Lulu shrugged while looking at Nanako. "Say, what about you? You're gonna go full-out right?"
Nanako sighed while seeing Momo shake Rin silly. "I might have to... don't try to go against her. Seal off, Uchiha; Momo's mine."
()()()()()0000()()()()()
Rin hugged her body close. "I never knew that Shou-senpai would use her Funeral technique."
"There has to be some way to beat it," Momo punched the wall. "The question is: how do we prevent it?"
Mai snapped her fingers all of a sudden. "If you can't beat it then, prevent it! I get it now!"
They all stared at the red haired tensai who jumped up from her seat. "If I remember right, she performed this by using the same play style as Rin-senpai right?"
Hitomi pushed up her glasses a bit. "Yes, in fact – there was a lot of sliding."
"You noticed that all her shots forced Rin to either step back or jump away," Mai smiled victoriously.
Kiyone jumped in realization. "The ball makes a vacuum and because she keeps sealing off Rin-senpai..."
"Exactly," Mai nodded vigorously as she drew it out on the sand. "By creating squeaking sounds every time she slides, it makes the person believe that there are crickets. However, that's only part one because the next part would be making the person go blind by using the wind burst and also using the vacuum to temporarily knock them around. But, if it's used repeatedly – that means it could render a person completely senseless and agitated."
Rin popped up with a theory. "If she's making screeching sounds, doesn't that mean she's digging her feet into the ground, kuwee~?"
Mai grinned while Hitomi raised an eyebrow. "What do you think Rin?"
"That means she wears herself out faster," Rin brightened up immediately. "But how do we stop her then?"
Haruka clicked with an idea. "We make her run."
Everyone stared at Haruka as the doubles expert pointed out. "If she runs around, she won't have time to plant herself deep enough. Our shots have to be faster in order to make her lose her chance of digging her feet into the ground. Volleying can be another option; her Funeral technique only works if she's at the baseline. Other than that, it's nothing."
Isane pointed at the court. "Here they come, be careful out there okay?"
Ayane glanced at them with concern. "Are you sure you guys will be alright?"
Rin nodded giving the whole team a thumbs up. "Sure we will, it's no big problem, kuwee~!"
Haruka and Rin returned to the court, waiting for Yuri and Unohana to make their next move. As the Pearl Dragon prepared her service, Yuri and Unohana eyed Rin carefully as the mist-like aura began surrounding the two doubles players again. The dark strawberry blonde girl clucked her tongue while hitting it towards the corner. Rin jumped for the shot, forcing Yuri to move up front. Seeing the light blonde girl coming up front, Haruka fired a short shot far beyond Yuri's reach which dragged Unohana to the front.
"I don't get it," Lulu glanced at Nanako. "Why did the two set them up for a double poach?"
Nanako watched the two attack until her eyes widened with horror. "They've sealed Unohana."
"What," Ichigetsu Konan twitched at Nanako. "Mind explaining to me how?"
Nanako rolled her eyes. "See that they're only attacking Unohana? As long as Unohana is forced to react to every shot, she won't have time to set up."
"She could have let Yuri take the shots," Lulu lazily drawled. "Why is it that she can't then?"
Ruriko shook her head. "It's not that she can't; it's that she doesn't want. Unohana's pride is the front line. She only started playing baseline recently in order to master the new formation but that's it. Other than that, Unohana has always been a frontline counterpuncher."
Sighing to herself, Ruriko found the other two seniors huffing and puffing by while they ran up to her. "Chihiro, Tsunami – where have you two been?"
Tsunami pouted impishly. "It's Chihiro's fault we're late! She got on the wrong bus and I had to get her off it!"
From the other side, Hitomi opened her notebook. "Aragaki Chihiro – she's one of the strongest members of the team in terms of physical strength. Chihiro-senpai however detests running thus has Tsunami-senpai doing it for her. Kirijo Tsunami on the other hand is the former captain of the track and field team and has broken the record for the fastest lap in the ladies' division here in Japan."
"In other words," Momo scoffed while face palming. "They're an older version of Ayane and Kiyone."
Shizuru softly laughed. "I guess our senpai are not as mature as we thought they were."
Mai giggled while casting a glance at them. "You can say that again."
Resisting the urge to throw a withering glare, Naomi maintained her smile throughout her time on the referee's chair. Yuri and Unohana had sweat falling all over their faces while Haruka and Rin looked like they were having fun despite watering the court enough for a garden. Rin's black ponytail fell all over her face while she tried to blow it away while repelling all of Unohana's shots. Haruka stayed at the back while watching the rally between Rin and Unohana. Taking a look at her watch, Haruka nearly gaped at how long they've been playing.
Rin hasn't dropped yet, Haruka exchanged glances until the ball flew towards her. Seeing an abrupt spin, the Pearl Dragon nullified it with the Dragon's Tail forcing Unohana to run after the ball again. Yuri on the other hand tried to seal Rin who continued jumping around. Soon, Haruka found a space in between the two players and took the shot.
"Fifteen – love," Haruka and Rin gave each other a high five as they passed one another.
Yuri missed another shot as Rin sent a top spin volley towards her, "Thirty – love!"
Unohana ran for another shot, being unable to plant herself properly thus making pretty weak shots. "Net, forty – love!"
Lulu let out a small 'tsk'. "I guess this is why Haruka and Rin replaced both Osakada Yuri and Shou Unohana."
"These two will become a very strong doubles pair," Nanako leaned against the fence. "They have something that most don't have..."
Chihiro glanced at Nanako. "Oh, what would that be?"
"It's right there," Nanako pointed at the laughing and smiling Dragon pair. "It's their ability to connect on a higher emotional plane. There's something there that maybe even I won't be able to understand. After all, the catalyst here is their desire to win, to have the past be left behind them..."
Chihiro gaped while yanking her long black dreadlocks. "Honestly, you always speak in weird riddles..."
"Yeah," Nanako chuckled lightly. It's also the best way to transmit a message after all...
Momo overheard Nanako's words and turned to Isane. "Isa-chan, can you come with me to the bathroom first? I think I left my face towel there."
Quizzical, Isane shrugged as she followed after the purple haired Shinigami. "Uh, okay..."
Before she left, Momo slipped past Oshitari. "Listen, I need a favour from you."
Oshitari raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Oh, what would that be?"
"Train Shizuru, warm her up a bit," Momo pointed at her captain who was watching intently. "You know how to seal your heart away right?"
Oshitari's poker face didn't change despite the remark. "How did you know that?"
"Shizuru told me all about your character," Momo snickered at him. "You can't expect me not to figure that out. Besides, your physique is too small for you to hit something like Kabaji. You're more the thinker type considering you're a bit stockier than Atobe. For being stockier, people tend to think more since they can't outrun their opponent."
Oshitari chuckled a bit. "If you keep doing that, people would think you're a stalker."
"Who said I would make it conspicuous," Momo glared. "God, you're so weird."
Oshitari watched her grumble and walk away while glancing back to see who took the point. So far, the Dragon Pair is recovering from the Funeral. They're taking quite a lead.
"Shizuru-chan," Oshitari tapped his kohai on the shoulder. "There's still an open court, would you like to warm up?"
Shizuru, quizzical, coughed out her reply as Mai shoved her.
"You better go," –the tensai motioned to look at Naomi. "The Espada is out for your blood."
Nodding, Shizuru went with Oshitari while Ohtori and Shishido were signalled by Atobe to go and help her prepare. The icy eyed captain however turned to Ayane who practiced her swings, sneaking a peek at Chihiro also. He looked at the skull tattoo on Chihiro's arm and the multiple rings on her ear while also noticing how big her arms were. If his estimations were right, Atobe thought her arm would probably be as big as Kiyone's thighs put together.
"Didn't Aragaki-senpai get involved with a gangster group before," Gakuto checked Taki's notes about the other seniors.
Taki nodded while showing Gakuto her records. "Aragaki-senpai was more rebellious than her older brother if I remember right. He was the straight-A plus student while she couldn't even get an A flat. Aragaki-senpai struggled more than anyone else – question is: how was she able to maintain her standing as a regular?"
"It was because she was just that strong," Mai folded her arms, sighing. "Due to Atobe's rule, she took out anybody who opposed her position. If you can't beat her then, you're hopeless against the others. However, there were a few who surpassed her."
Taki recalled Chihiro being sent to the principal's office for beating up a second year. "Wait, wasn't that...?"
"Yes, that day was also Momo's first debut as a Hyotei Regular," Hitomi checked through her data of Aragaki Chihiro. "Momo had already seen how to counter her movements and took her down with ease. She didn't even swing as hard as Aragaki-senpai."
"Obviously Sanada would win," Atobe snorted at the three of them. "It's already in her name."
Mai rolled her eyes at Atobe. "Just because she shares the other guy's name doesn't mean she's as good as him."
"You're saying Sanada is better than her," Atobe raised an eyebrow at her.
Mai twitched at Atobe. "What I'm trying to say is that she's not limited to Sanada's abilities. Momo-senpai is very different from Sanada-senpai."
()()()()0000()()()()
Shizuru and Oshitari stood at both sides of the court while practicing a rally. The kansai prodigy had her running all over the place but made sure that it wouldn't tire her out badly. Shizuru flashed only a few times and even sliced the ball, forcing him to move forward. Shizuru, noticing that he was close to the net, smashed the drop he sent her.
"Well, skill-wise you're fine," Oshitari wiped the sweat from face. "You're moving better despite you not using the Flash Step."
Shizuru smiled while massaging her knee a bit. "The doctor advised that if I can avoid using it then do so. I just want to play tennis, that's all."
"However," Oshitari changed back to his poker face. "You have to remember that skill-wise: you're better than Naomi. But what about when she attacks your emotions?"
Shizuru silently hung her head. "Oshitari-senpai," –she curled her hand into a fist. "Can you please keep a secret?"
Oshitari walked towards her while the girl warily looked around. "Shizuru, please tell me you're straight."
"Of course I am," Shizuru nearly face palmed if not for the serious atmosphere. "Truthfully, I'm scared..."
Oshitari stared at her incredulously. "Shizuru, that doesn't have to be a secret."
"It does for me," Shizuru grabbed his regular's jacket tightly. "If I get scared, the whole team will crash along with me... I don't want that..."
Oshitari pat her lovingly on the head. "I don't think they'll crash and burn that easily."
"No," Shizuru shook her head. "Do you remember what Mark Anthony said in your book report during the funeral of Caesar?"
Oshitari breathed out in a sigh. "You are not stones, you are not wood but men. Hearing a word from the will of Caesar shall inflame you... If I remember right..."
"Exactly," Shizuru nearly slumped to the floor. "I can't show any weakness otherwise – they'll crumble too because if what Momo-senpai is saying is true, she would use any means necessary to break the team into smaller units. It will be so long before they finally snap."
Oshitari hugged her while giving her an affectionate ruffle. "That's if they're alone. They'll do just fine if they're together..."
Shizuru smiled weakly while giggling softly. "Thank you, senpai."
Oshitari smirked while looking at the marks created on the tennis court. "By the way, have you heard anything from Seigaku?"
"Huh," Shizuru stared quizzically at the kansai prodigy. "What do you mean?"
Oshitari glanced at her cellphone. "No call from any of the Seigaku members?"
"Why would they call me," Shizuru tilted her head to the side.
Oshitari placed some of the tennis balls into the box. "Well, you did kiss their captain."
Blushing furiously, Shizuru hung her head. "W-Well, th-that doesn't really..."
Chuckling, Oshitari ruffled her hair. "I'm sure it does. Tezuka did have a different look on his face when he started playing against Atobe the other day."
"Why would he," Shizuru laughed lightly. "He doesn't need to concern himself with someone like me."
Oshitari's expression became a little more serious. "You can't keep running away from the fight. There are two people left hanging. Keep them too long and you won't get any."
Shizuru sighed while running her hand through her hair. "It's just... he's really...unreachable."
"He's not as much as you think he is," Oshitari looked at his watch. "I wonder what happened to Haruka and Rin though."
"We better head back then," Shizuru packed her racquet and started running immediately along with Oshitari throwing his racquet in.
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"Game, Shimohi-Hikifumi: four games all!"
Rin and Haruka gave each other a high five while Yuri and Unohana were panting one after the other. Watching the two Dragons, Yuri smiled inwardly at herself as Rin and Haruka started planning things out but with different expressions. Haruka began pointing things out while Rin began flailing her arms with a cheeky grin causing Haruka to frown a bit and nearly whack the black haired acrobat's head upside down. However, the two continued laughing and smiling.
The true essence of being great, Yuri sighed to herself with a rueful smile. It's within one's self to know what one wants. If she desires it, it could be hers forever...
"You can actually see a doubles version of Teni Mu'hou no Kiwami," Unohana blew up another bubblegum. "You know – maybe that's why we couldn't beat them."
Yuri shrugged, keeping her façade. "It could be, dahling. But that doesn't really matter anymore, dearest. What matters is that we go home with the gold today."
"Naomi said we don't need to win," Unohana tapped the floor with her racquet. "So why do I feel this murderous intent glaring holes into my back?"
Yuri found Naomi's smile getting wider, brushing it off. "Stop smiling like that, dahling. You know your aging will backfire on you, dearest."
Naomi's smiling look however let out a steely response. You will not lose to these brats. Tennis is a battlefield, remember that.
Yuri sighed while fanning herself a bit. "It looks like we're going to have to kick this match into Accelerando."
Haruka's eyes slightly widened. "Here it comes, Rin! Get ready!"
Rin lowered her stance while watching the serve fly in her direction. With a long jump, the Black Dragon hit it towards the Maestro who then sped up the rally with a short return. Haruka attacked at the front lines while the both of them started moving in their rhythm. Yuri and Unohana soon started making their own rhythm causing the Dragons to force their way in.
The rhythm's getting faster, Haruka bit her lip while returning a backhand shot. "Rin, set up!"
Rin fired a fast shot causing Unohana to instinctively react to create a spinning shot. Seeing the shot, Haruka fired the Dragon's Howl causing the two seniors to fall back.
"Love – fifteen," Yuri clucked her tongue. So, they caught up after a short time. I'm glad...
"Fifteen – all," Unohana scored a lucky backhand towards Rin's right side.
Soon, another rally ensued as Yuri jumped for a smash while Haruka moved far enough to return the smash normally. Rin on the other hand focused on taking down Unohana's Funeral Technique, seeing that it would render both she and Haruka defenceless. Yuri dashed to one side as she forehanded towards Haruka's left side and had Unohana follow up her attack.
"They really want to kill each other out there," Lulu twirled her finger in her hair. "I can't believe they're getting so worked up."
Nanako sighed, face palming. "You would if Isane suddenly bested you."
"Fifteen – thirty," Rin sailed up into the air for an aerial smash.
Hiyoshi stared aimlessly at the two players. "Gekokujo..."
"You won't need to overthrow them, Hiyoshi," Atobe rolled his eyes at the Enbu ace.
Oshitari recalled Sakaki's words. "He might need lessons from them though if you remember what Sakaki-kantoku said."
"Game, Hikifumi-Shimohi: five games to four!"
Gakuto gripped the bleachers. "Hey, dragon girl – get your butt in gear! One more game's all you need!"
Rin glared at Gakuto, twitching. "I am, you stupid coconut raspberry sherbet, kuwee~!"
Haruka watched Yuri and Unohana take another breather for a moment as they got into the next round. However, a glance from Naomi caused Ichigetsu to leave for a warm-up.
"Mai," a soft voice caused the red haired tensai to turn around. "You warmed up?"
Mai cracked her neck while jumping a bit. "Yeah, I'm ready. You ready?"
Shizuru nodded as she watched Ichigetsu give Naomi a battle hungry smirk before leaving to warm-up. Atobe glanced at his watch before tapping Ayane's shoulder.
"What," Ayane glared at him.
Atobe smirked. "Ore-sama will train you."
Ayane felt a boulder hit her face. "Wait, what do you know about power training?"
"You'll see," Atobe grabbed her wrist. "Kurenai, I'm taking Kobayagi with me for awhile."
"Have her back before Doubles Two," Shizuru watched Atobe drag off a sputtering vice captain.
Soon, Haruka and Rin continued emitting the mist-like aura as they started moving in synchronized motion. Yuri slammed the ball to the right corner until Haruka covered Rin right away. Unohana lurched forward to block the next attack however, Rin volleyed it towards the corner thus throwing the two off guard.
"Fifteen – love," Rin and Haruka smirked at the seniors.
()()()()0000()()()()
Ayane and Atobe however were at the courts behind the schoolyard. The tangerine haired vice captain dragged her tennis bag with her while staring at the purple haired Hyotei captain who had not said a word ever since he had dragged her away from the team.
"Why are we even here," Ayane slammed her bag on the bench.
Atobe took out his racquet. "Can you beat them?"
Ayane raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? Of course I can, you pompous brat!"
In response however to the insult, Atobe turned around while pointing his racquet at her.
"Ore-sama will show you that even strength is not good enough to take down an opponent."
-That's chapter 32! Sorry for the late update! Please review! I really need the comments! :D