Me: Thank you for the reviews so far! I really love the fact that you send me reviews! I know a lot of people are like 'WTH is this writer thinking?' To tell you the truth, I wanted to put a little more spice and so – I decided to mix it up. Crossovers are a little lame on that part but that's why I made a mix. If you want to know the first experiment on that, read 'Hearts Entwined'. It's a Beyblade story but I mixed so much stuff I have no idea either how one or the other got in. There were hints of Persona Series, Claymore and if you squint I got a little /Hack G.U. mixed in and the old show 'End of Days' thrown into the mess. Even my Bleach story 'Waterfall of Spirits' had a mix of Prince of Tennis if you look closely like Shougetsu Miko having the "Hamustu e no Enbu" – which was derived from Atobe Keigo, Fukurou Diva having the "Fukurou Phantom" from Tezuka Kunimitsu. Anybody also want oneshots? Let me know too okay?
Kyouei_shurei: Actually, I expected a lot of people to be like 'WTF' but then again – it's something new so maybe they're slightly more open to it. Each of them has their special thing and Shizuru's not the only one who has been recruited into L.X.A. I asked people to guess but no one's giving me any answers.
Ayane2996: I read the manga again and no problem – I can balance this. I just need a little help from the readers so I at least have an idea. And yes, I should have done that – maybe Marui should make Atobe run like a headless chicken. [Atobe: Ore-sama shall not run around like that! Me: Too bad it's my story, jerk. Now shaddup and sit down!] Yes, maybe I should leave it on standby to get the opinion of readers on who should win. After all, they both have their pros and cons: Atobe's good in one-on-one match but he doesn't have the kind of control that Marui has but then again, candy boy over there don't got no stamina which Atobe has because he's a complete dobe. [Atobe: Ore-sama is not a dobe! Me: What did I say? *bringing out a pair of Arnis sticks* Atobe: *sits down and shuts up* Me: Very good.] So, yeah – there it is.
*Takoyaki – roasted octopus balls, the best place to get it is in Osaka
*Kikiam – some Chinese meat roll that vendors usually sell along the holes in the wall. Very tasty.
Chapter 40 – Revealing the Shadows
No one knew what to say. The revelation smacked them straight in the face and realized the similarity in the eyes of their captain and in the eyes of the Kazama.
Kiyone stopped chewing on her melon bun that Momo had previously shoved into her mouth until Ayane started moving her jaw for her.
Isane shook her head and replayed the words over and over.
Mai had a face that spelled out "YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING RIGHT?"
Haruka and Rin exchanged glances before pulling each others' hair and both saying 'ow' to make sure they're not dreaming.
Hitomi punched numbers into the calculator, muttering something about the chances of that being completely impossible.
Momo on the other hand didn't seem to have an expression but her eyes did widen a few centimetres bigger.
"You have to be pulling my leg right," Ayane screeched at Kane Michaelides who didn't even bat an eyelash at the volume of Ayane's voice.
The Greek turned away from the Hyotei team. "Put it this way, if the Sanada ruled the area of Kanagawa, Mishima's own Tokyo. This place you guys are on – is their territory without including Honmaru and other bases they may have. The brunette doesn't know this because we know what Agito can do to us if she finds out..."
Ayane gulped, thinking what Shizuru can do despite having a kind face. "I don't think I wanna know."
Momo tapped her chin, taking it calmly despite the news. "Hold on, that doesn't explain how she suddenly got drafted here."
Haruka sat on the floor, trying to figure it out. "The only reason I can think is that because she's an orphan and that she's easier to fool especially when she was young."
"You got that part right," Kane snorted as he popped open a soda from her fridge. "The stupid part about the kid is that she always saw things 'black and white'. No gray area – anyone who opposes anyone she deems precious, rest assured – you're screwed. Besides, this whole thing of hers was planned from the very beginning."
"By who," Mai raised an eyebrow as she thought through it. "Wait, Mishima Heihachi?"
Hitomi shook her head as she showed Mai her notes. "He's been living in the recesses of Mt. Fuji. It's impossible for him to suddenly jump and make commotion."
"Many people believe that but only Agito knows," Kane went for the door. "You guys have to ask him but, he won't give you answers."
Isane suddenly got hit by a bolt of lightning. "Wait a minute, you once said that there were others – are there any who...?"
"Let me tell you this," Kane cut her off smoothly. "There are twelve princesses right?"
They all exchanged glances as the Greek smirked at them.
"Seven got screwed and only five remain," he continued while punching the can against forehead. "One who fights for her life, one without an identity, one with no family, another who has the darkness at her command and the last – the one who seeks nothing but victory."
Rin tapped her chin as she looked at the others who didn't seem to have an idea. "Oh well, we know that Shizuru's one of them. But who are the other people?"
"I can name the fifth but I'm not sure," Momo leaned against the table before turning to Isane. "Let's just keep it to ourselves and look for clues. Isane, if it's one thing I know your family is good at – it's compiling history. The Uchiha have always been part of the police and I'm sure they have records."
The silver haired regular shrugged while nodding weakly. "Let's hope my brother has something."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Atobe, entering the car, let out a sigh as he dumped the towel on his face. His blue eyes gleamed with relief as he looked up at the slowly clearing sky from his limo. Rainy days weren't his best but at least it soothed his nerves a bit. The king of Hyotei winced as he flicked his wrist, noting the red sore spot and mentally reminding himself to thank Kabaji for bringing the liniment. Groaning this time out of boredom, he popped open the fridge and found a small cup of Panna Cotta that Ayane had made. He remembered the redness of her face when she gave it to him.
[Flashback]
"Here," a begrudging growl caused Atobe to snap his head up and find Ayane blushing with embarrassment.
Atobe looked at the simple desert, decorated with a slice of strawberry and whipped cream. "It's about time."
"I had to perfect the damn thing," Ayane snapped moodily as she turned away with a huff. "And if you don't mind – I'll be going now."
"Wait," he called out to Ayane.
The vice captain did not move but Atobe let out a smirk.
"Ore-sama wants you to meet him on the rooftop later," Atobe noted as the vice captain let out a sigh.
"I'm not your maid," Ayane rolled her eyes as if rebuking his thoughts. "Go feed yourself."
"But you are my girlfriend," Atobe countered his blue eyes gleaming with amusement as Ayane blushed even more furiously than before.
"Fine," Ayane averted her gaze away from him, fighting down the blush. "I'll do it... just this once..."
[End of Flashback]
Ore-sama's surprised she even came, Atobe chuckled lightly to himself as he ate some of the leftover Panna Cotta he had been saving for rainy days. As the pudding melted in his mouth, the king couldn't help but smile at how well it came out. Atobe shook his head as he sliced the strawberry and savoured the taste of it.
Strong and sweet in taste...
Just the way Ayane was...
Unlike most Panna Cotta that would often have a combination of only berries, Ayane's had a wild clash in taste but not in a disgusting way. A way that actually made it even more flavourful and sent his taste buds on a wild roller coaster ride – the same way Ayane's actions sent his mind and heart reeling in excitement and attraction. What made him accept that doubles match? He looked at his hand at how sore it was from making sure that his racquet didn't slip from his hand and he could maintain a consistency. He leaned back against the chair as he dried his hair from the sweat and rain before answering his phone that had been vibrating for the past few minutes.
"Ore-sama speaking," Atobe maintained his holier-than-thou voice despite being buried under a towel.
A small pause came in until a monotonous voice replied through the speaker. "Satisfied?"
Atobe didn't say anything as a small smirk appeared on his lips. "Ore-sama never expected that good a challenge, Sanada."
"Marui isn't an idiot," the voice let out a snort. "He'll do what it takes to win. It's the law of Rikkai but..."
Atobe raised an eyebrow at the end of the statement. "Arn~, is there something ore-sama forgot to cover?"
"Marui may have already beaten you from the very beginning," the Rikkai Dai vice captain noted seriously to the Hyotei king, earning him a disgruntled snort. "He has something that you're too blind to notice and sooner or later, the results will show."
Atobe scoffed at Sanada. "What makes you think he can beat me?"
"What makes you think he will lose," Sanada countered, earning him cold silence. "I suggest you rethink what you're doing."
"You're not doing too well with Kurenai either," Atobe shot back finally, feeling a good about his retort. "I don't see her taking a liking to you."
"At least I don't do things without thinking things through, Atobe," Sanada fired back at the Hyotei captain. "Kurenai and whoever you're going after are not alike; they're mindsets are too different."
The Hyotei king rolled his eyes while letting out a cold hum. "Ore-sama doesn't need your help, Sanada."
"That's exactly what's going to get you killed," Sanada sighed on the phone. "I hate to say this but my cousin was right: you're too pompous to even notice small details."
Atobe groaned in annoyance; the last thing he wanted was Sanada lecturing him on the phone. "You speak as if you can understand emotions when you yourself can't even express it."
"I'm capable," Sanada crossly retorted. "I only reveal it if it is to someone special."
Atobe sneered at the capped vice captain of Rikkai Dai. "Well if ore-sama were your teacher, he would've kicked you out of class."
"Just think about it," Sanada sighed in defeat as he hung up.
Slamming his phone shut, Atobe let out another groan as he shoved another spoon of Panna Cotta into his mouth.
As if Sanada can tell me what to do! Ore-sama will win her – one way or another!
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Seeing that the rain slightly lightened, Hitomi took this chance to go home while being escorted by Roger Alexanderson and Kenneth Luivouiskov. The blonde sighed as she got to her front door and turned to the two, seeing that their eyes bore hard into her soul. Kenneth most definitely looked a lot scarier than any of the members especially after she did a lot of research and finding out that he once participated in the Russian Secret Forces. His fighting style reminded her of someone she saw in the tournament on TV before. What was his name?
"Do you know a Sergei Dragunov," Hitomi raised a question and only got an 'hn' in reply as he turned away. "I guess not..."
"Don't mind him," a reassuring smile made its way to Roger's face as he turned to Hitomi. "He doesn't talk much but he's got a big heart."
Hitomi nodded stiffly as she slid the key on the lock to open the gates. "Ah, I see."
As Roger turned away to return back with Kenneth, Hitomi stopped him.
"I want to ask you a question..."
Roger halted in his tracks, waiting for the question. "What would that be?"
"You look too familiar," Hitomi stated as she stared at Roger straight in the eye. "In fact, I think I've seen you in the news..."
Roger folded his arms while raising an eyebrow at her. "Alright – if you're going to play little detective, get your facts straight."
Hitomi smirked as she opened her notebook. "A trait among the Mishima is that they have sharp eyes that seem devil-like similar to Mishima Kazuya, Kazama Jin and etc. The only one who does not possess this is Lee Chaolan since he is the adoptive son of Mishima Heihachi. Another would be their build – making them more of martial artists and the fact that, their minds react faster than a normal human's. For someone like you to easily cloak his identity, you're definitely part of the Mishima family, Roger no I mean – former Tekken Force Commander, Lars Alexanderson."
The male smirked as he lightly clapped his hands. "Well done, Inspector Yamaguchi. Guilty as charged."
"I have to live up to my grandfather's name," Hitomi narrowed her eyes at Lars. "Lars Alexanderson, former leader of the Tekken Force army, highly charismatic amongst his troops and is the one who staged a coup d'état against the Mishima Zaibatsu. An explosion caused you to lose your memory and ally yourself with Alisa Bosconovitch who you did not know then was created to protect Jin Kazama, your nephew and Shizuru's father. You knew about Shizuru ever since before and it seems it's not only Kazama Agito who knows about what happened those years ago."
Kenneth glared holes but Hitomi didn't budge an inch. Lars on the other hand, calmly retaliated in return.
"Everything you said before is correct except one little detail," Lars faced her with a small smirk. "If I knew everything from the start, wouldn't I have been able to prevent the mess she's in? But not just her, there are more victims if I overheard Kane telling you right. Then again, your argument would be that what if I was part of the conspirators? However, that would be not the case because if I was one of the conspirators and found out she was still alive – wouldn't I keep her away from the rest of the world so she remains as a dog of the government?"
Hitomi opened her mouth to speak but realized that he had cornered her with her own facts. She racked her brains for another statement but nothing came out.
"Your next statement would be I presume is that the perpetrator is someone who has been isolated yet it is impossible," Lars turned away as he headed out the gate. "Well, you're definitely right – it is impossible because the man you assume to be the mastermind is already six feet underground."
Hitomi froze as her eyes widened; how did he know what she was thinking?
Lars let out a slight smirk. "You're close but you need more data. The problem is – the only place you can get data and the proper equipment is across the globe."
Hitomi's expression brightened up right away. "You're talking about Violet Technologies aren't you – headed by Lee Chaolan?"
"Good, you catch on pretty quickly," Lars chuckled darkly as walked out the gate. "Although, I don't know how you're going to contact him. He's on vacation half the time."
Watching Lars walk away, Hitomi bit her lip as she rushed inside the house and straight for the study.
"You did that on purpose," Kenneth opened his mouth, shocking Lars albeit slightly. "You're more of a father to her than that megalomaniac."
Lars smirked as he continued walking. "Normally, I'd think that the world has begun to end because you're yapping more but thank you for the compliment."
"Does your older brother even know," Kenneth raised an eyebrow. "Wait a minute, he's heartless..."
Lars shook his head while walking forward with a dark glare cast towards Kenneth.
"You know nothing about Kazuya."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Isane found herself being followed by Henry Muñoz and Kane Michaelides, shivering in fear at the same time. Henry let out a snort as he played with the stick in his mouth whereas Kane Michaelides looked like one of those gangsters since had three ear cuffs on one ear. Gulping hard, the Uchiha female finally reached her house as she shakily went for the door.
"I'm surprised," a voice caused her to jump. "Most girls would be horrified of the revelation."
Isane turned to face Henry who checked on his lollipop before shoving it back in his mouth. "W-Well, I-I am quite shocked but..."
"Our term 'horrified' means more like swearing and trying to exorcise," Kane chuckled as he leaned against one of the pillars. "She talks a lot about you though."
Isane's eyes widened at the words of black haired Greek male. She does?
"She says that she envies you for your sweetness and shyness," Henry rolled his eyes before letting out a snort. "You're lucky that kids like you guys have the luxury to be wimps."
Isane resisted the urge to pout. I'm not a wimp!
Groaning in annoyance, Kane elbowed Henry. "Whoops, involuntary arm spasm."
Henry snapped while clutching his stomach. "Ow, what the hell is your problem?"
"You're the sister of Junior Lieutenant Uchiha Sasuke and Chief Uchiha Itachi am I right," Kane raised an eyebrow whereas Isane nodded slowly.
Henry scoffed with a cocky smirk plastered on his face. "Your brother's too much of a pacifist to even be a police officer! Where the hell did he come up with that idea?"
"Muñoz," Kane resisted the urge to punch the Spanish male right there and then.
Henry raised an eyebrow as Kane floored him for a moment. Isane, staring in shock, watched Kane mutter something about him being a 'son of a half-ogre, termite eating, toilet' and other strings of curses which Isane didn't even want to know what it meant with it being another language.
"Wait, she said something about L.X.A is a place for those who are special," Isane recalled Shizuru's words. "What did she mean?"
Henry shrugged with a snort. "None of your beeswax..."
"We're very bloodthirsty when it comes to that," Kane simply stated as he turned around to leave. "I'll take it that those are all the questions you have?"
Isane bit her lip, seeing this as her only chance. "Wait – one more..."
Kane held the gate open, waiting for her question as Isane's lips quivered in fear.
"There were five princesses left," Isane repeated what he said. "Is one of them...? H-Hoshimura Florence by any chance?"
Henry turned to Kane in surprise while gaping at her. "How the hell did you...?"
Kane chuckled while clapping his hands in a mocking tone. "Ding, we have a winner. That's two already."
The Sniper's eyes widened with shock as her mouth ran dry while dropping her tennis bag on the ground. "W-wait, how's that even possible...? She can't handle stress...!"
"Yet she fights pretty well herself, you notice how close the captains are to one another," Henry snorted at the silver haired girl. "You only have three more..."
The two walked away, leaving Isane to try and figure out everything else. With this, the Sniper quickly ran inside to check if her brothers had already left for work.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Haruka and Rin eyed the foxy smiling Chinese male following them as they made their way back. He even got on the same bus and blended in perfectly as it were the most effortless thing in the world. The Pearl Dragon resisted the urge to face palm while the black haired acrobat inched away from the male while clinging on to Haruka.
"Is he going to follow us until we get home," Rin shivered at the smile he gave them. "HE SMILES LIKE THAT GUY FROM SEIGAKU, KUWEE~!"
Haruka nodded stiffly while walking faster, whispering to the Black Dragon. "Yeah but now that we know some secrets, they're making sure that we don't open our mouths. So Rin – don't scream stuff like that first. When we get inside my house, we can do that when he's gone."
"你们是很嘈的人," XingLong grinned at them as he picked his ear, causing Haruka to spin around with a glare. [Nǐ shì hěn cào de rén – You're very noisy people]
Haruka shot back at him in Chinese, folding her arms while glaring. "如果你不辿我们, 我们不需要尝试吵吧!" [Rú guǒ nǐ bù chān wǒ mén, wǒ mén bù xū yào cháng shì chào bà! – If you didn't follow us around, we wouldn't need to try to make a commotion!]
"Oh you understand Chinese," XingLong scratched his head sheepishly. "Not bad, she didn't choose a bad set of friends."
Rin stuck out her tongue while hiding behind Haruka. "Ninyi ni mnaogopa!"
XingLong stared back at the Black Dragon with a quizzical look. "She speaks... Swahili?"
"Got it from one of her friends back then," Haruka sighed as she translated for the Chinese male. "She said you're scary. One thing Rin's good at is learning native languages. So yeah, she knows all sorts of language that even I don't know. I bet even Atobe doesn't have the slightest idea what the hell Swahili is. No one knows the languages like she does."
XingLong chuckled as he clapped his hands. "You both are multilingual huh? Interesting thought, to think I thought Agito and Roger were the ones who knew the most languages. I only guessed that she knew how to speak Swahili. I wasn't even sure."
Rin hissed as she gripped on to Haruka even tighter than before glaring holes at him. "Haru-chan, mimi ninataka kiki chake rasa!"
"What she say now," XingLong stared at her and then at Haruka.
"Something I'd like to agree with but we know that we can't," Haruka sighed and upon hearing this, Rin's shoulders slumped. "We can't just fight him in broad daylight, Rin. She really does this when she doesn't like the person. Not many people know Swahili the way she does."
XingLong chuckled as he followed them all the way to Haruka's house, bowing as they were by the door. "Well, I guess this is where I take my leave."
As Haruka watched him vanish from their sight, she turned to Rin. "Wow, you really had a lot of Tanzanian friends before."
The black haired acrobat shrugged while following after Haruka. "I wanted to get mad at him without making him shoot us, Kuwee."
"He couldn't have; he's has a duty to the government," Haruka turned the key in her door. "Besides, now that we have some info about the last five – maybe we should start finding out?"
Rin nodded but remembered something. "Wait, when's the match going to resume?"
"The announcement said when the rain stops," Haruka looked at the sky. "It's slowly clearing but..."
Soon, the trees whipped around as the winds blew harder. Rain splashed on the roads even harder thus shocking the other two regulars. Thunder and lightning flashed across the sky as the splattering of the rain became even louder than before. Rin and Haruka, exchanging glances, quickly ran inside as the rain pelted the door.
"Wow, we are really getting hit by a storm," Haruka opened the curtains revealing extremely wet windows. "I don't think we'll be able to play until next week."
Rin grabbed a cup of hot cocoa from Haruka's dispenser in her room. "Yeah but doesn't this...?"
"Give us more time to figure out the L.X.A and what they really are," Haruka opened her laptop while slumping on her chair with a sigh. "We need Hitomi for this. She's the only one who can get info."
Rin, picking up her cellphone, found Hitomi's name staring back at her. "Hey, speaking of which... Hello?"
"Hey, is Haruka with you?"
"Yep," Rin cheerfully squeaked as she drank down her hot cocoa. "What's up?"
"Think you can get her to access the Hikifumi Network system?"
Haruka smirked upon hearing Hitomi's voice. "Heard you loud and clear and already on it."
"Rin, we might need those polyglot skills of yours," Hitomi continued as Rin distinctly heard books being flipped in the background. "Do you guys know if Isane's home already?"
Haruka spoke up as she started accessing the Hikifumi Network. "Nope, haven't checked. Have you?"
Soon, Haruka's phone began to ring to which the Pearl Dragon answered it. "Hello, Hikifumi Haruka speaking."
"Hey Hikifumi-san," a familiar Brazilian voice caused Haruka to freeze and fumble whereas Rin suddenly tossed her phone in the air.
Haruka quickly grabbed her phone before sheepishly chuckling. "A-ah, hello Jackal-san - to what do I owe this phone call?"
"Well I wanted to ask if you were busy at the moment," Jackal noted, not even noticing that there were slight brush sounds by the speaker due to Haruka's shivering hands.
"N-No, not at all," Haruka jumped up going to the corner of her room and suppressing her urge to suddenly shock him. "Why, what's up?"
Jackal's tone suddenly became more sheepish. "Well, buchou told us that since Rikkai's Autumn Ball was coming up next month after the Regionals of the girls' teams he told all of us to find a date. Normally, I wouldn't mind going stag but seeing that this would be my last year as a middle school student – I was wondering if..."
"YES," Haruka jumped up, shocking Jackal on the phone. "I mean – sure, why not?"
Jackal could have sworn his face turned pink and his heart dropped out of relief. "Okay, thanks. I'll call you and give you all the details when buchou gives me the schedule."
"Sure," Haruka managed to calm herself down as they both shut the line.
Hitomi sighed on the phone Rin was using. "There's a 100 percent chance that Haruka was asked out by Jackal Kuwahara."
"Way to go, kuwee~," Rin jumped up and down with Haruka who soon started to panic.
"Oh no, what dress am I going to wear," Haruka ran towards her closet and started throwing everything out, continuing to go into a wild panic. "Do I have the right shoes? Oh no, do I have a driver? What if I end up clashing colours with him? What do I get for a boutonniere?"
Rin grabbed Haruka and shook her hard. "Haruka, stop! Calm down, wait a minute – we're getting switched, normally you tell me that."
Haruka smiled dreamily as she fell on the bed. "Ah, I can die in peace..."
"No, you can't," Rin grabbed her and started shaking her again, wailing and whining. "We still have the Nationals remember? If you die then, what about me? Who's going to be my doubles partner? No, don't say Momo because she's gonna execute me if I do something wrong, kuwee!"
Haruka shook her head out of the dream as she went back on to the computer. "Sorry, what were you saying Hitomi?"
"Check if Isane's home – I need to cross-reference my notes," Hitomi continued as another flip echoed through the speaker. "If Isane and I have at least one anomaly then, that proves one thing..."
Rin's eyes widened as Hitomi revealed her news.
"That one of the five princesses that were given... isn't exactly a female..."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Momo twitched as she found Shirokawa Rue silently following her but kept a calm composure before lashing out. Placing her hand on to her tennis bag, Momo prepared herself to pull out her racquet with her dagger unsheathed but in doing so; she would have to taint the Sanada name. Shaking her head, Momo sheathed it back before reaching her dorm.
"Normally, a female Sanada would be living in the main house," Rue cut through her thoughts but Momo responded with a mute nod.
"If you're here to be a bug," Momo glared back with her stoic gaze. "I suggest you leave."
Rue didn't say anything as he turned around to leave. Momo rolled her eyes and went through her bag to find her keys.
"Aren't the Sanada known also to be excellent weapon smiths," Rue's voice caused her to swivel her head towards him.
Momo shrugged before opening the door to her building. "Don't bother; you're probably going to get enough headaches in asking them."
Before she went in, Rue threw a small throwing knife to which Momo blocked as she drew out her dagger from her tennis racquet. Rue appeared in front of her and shoved the Shinigami against the wall, grabbing a hold on her neck. However, Momo pushed him with her feet as he landed a distance away from her as she charged him down with the butt end of her sword. Rue, smirking, quickly caught it and nearly flipped her over if not for her reflex to sweep him off. The two landed away from each other with Momo showing no effort and breathlessness as Rue recovered with a roll.
"For a Sanada woman," Rue stared at her silently. "You don't fight too badly."
Momo whirled away frigidly as she sheathed her sword. "I have to make sure I can deal with idiots like you."
"That sword," he smirked as he looked at her racquet. "It's alive isn't it?"
Momo stared at him, puzzled. "Swords don't talk. I simply use them as my shield and weapon."
"Close your eyes and listen," Rue smirked as he turned away to head back. "Some things that are important can only be heard if you close your eyes."
Watching the white crowned male leave, Momo glanced at her sword for a moment before walking into the garden. Her practice dummy suffered multiple slash marks from all sorts of swords she had stashed away in her duffel bag but this one small sword seemed to be the most comfortable to bring. In power, the blade could barely even cut but in stealth and speed and with the right usage – the Shinigami distinctly remembered taking out a few opponents when Hitomi's van had been ambushed. Taking a seat in front of the koi pond at the veranda, Momo closed her eyes as she took hold of her sword.
Soon, the car horns faded away into the darkness.
The pitter-patter of the rain echoed away but slowed down as the wind was reduced more into a hush.
Leaves rustled as they floated by her feet.
Her dark eyes stare back at the stormy grey skies as she gripped her sword even tighter. Standing up, Momo slashed the dummy and followed with another kick and few more hits.
I'm not letting some underclassmen beat me but why...
Why do I feel something more dangerous every time I stare into her eyes?
Her cellphone blaring loudly caused Momo to jump and grab her phone.
"Hello," –despite being shocked, Momo managed to take it calmly. "May I help you?"
"I heard you got attacked, are you alright," a stoic voice responded, causing Momo to slightly frown.
"It was no big deal," Momo went inside once again to change out of her clothes. "I took them down."
"So I hear with the help of Uchiha-san and Shizuru-chan," the voice said again.
Momo stopped in her tracks after hearing her cousin say her captain's name, her frown becoming deeper. "Since when did she allow you to address her by her first name and with a suffix no less?"
"She told me to do so," Sanada responded as he heard a towel being pulled off a rack. "Momo, you know you can always ask for help."
"If I ask for help," the Shinigami threw off her shirt and into the hamper. "They'll expect something ten times the value in return. In other words..."
Sanada finished her sentence. "Getting you married to another male, I know. Although I myself don't agree with the tradition, you are not going out with Sengoku Kiyosumi either."
"Who are you to say that you can decide who I can date," Momo resisted the urge to scream at him. "The moment I left the Sanada house, I separated myself from the traditions. You or the council cannot tell me what to do with my life."
"But I can stop you from making the biggest mistake in your life," Sanada shot back with his voice laced with concern. "Momo, he's known to be a flirt and a playboy. He will do anything that he can to make a woman fall for him and then go to another as the cycle goes on."
Momo rolled her eyes as she continued fixing her hair. "You often don't care about other people but rather at your own progress – what do you want?"
Sanada remained silent for awhile as Momo continued. "Give it up; Shizuru wouldn't dare touch you with a fifty foot pole."
"We walked home together after that karaoke thing," Sanada justified. "For your information, she didn't look repulsed. What makes you think she wouldn't like me?"
"Because she already has feelings for someone," Momo calmly retorted, seeing that she was getting a reaction. "You can't change that."
"And if he rejects her?"
"I know he won't," Momo then killed the line before going back to drying up. What a weirdo, thinking he can be her knight in shining armour.
However, the Shinigami couldn't help but think about how he described Sengoku. The orange haired vice captain from Yamabuki often greeted her with an extreme cheer and sometimes even passed by Hyotei to walk home with her. In Hitomi's words, only he could make her laugh and smile since she had such a serious outlook in life. A small smirk appeared on her face as she looked at herself in the mirror before turning around to face her small sword that lay on her bed.
"You have a name," Momo gently traced the lining of the sword. "If only I knew what it was... but for now, you're Mumiyo*..."
Her phone rang again and when Momo opened it, the message surprised her greatly.
To: Sanada Momo
From: Sengoku Kiyosumi
Hey, I saw what happened in the news! You okay, Shinigami-chan?
Momo let a small smile appear on her lips as she texted back.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Mai, Ayane and Kiyone decided to go home together, knowing that the Aikawa Twins followed them back. Onryou continued smoking whereas his brother Kaitou shoved his hands in his pocket and continued walking in the same pace as his twin brother. The red haired tensai glanced at the two before quickening her pace a bit, causing the other two to speed up as well.
"Senpai, when will they stop following us," Ayane whispered to Mai who turned back sharply at them.
"Just keep walking," Mai continued to quicken her pace. "That's the only thing we can do now."
"Ooooh, takoyaki and onigiri," Kiyone's eyes widened as she ran to some random stand.
Onryou quickly dashed after her until a truck came in between them. Mai widened her eyes, seeing that Kaitou and Onryou were distracted by Kiyone's stunt, grabbed Ayane and ran across the street.
"Senpai, we're jaywalking," Ayane wailed as Mai pulled them behind the takoyaki stand with Mai clamping her hand over the vice captain's mouth.
Mai watched the stalkers frantically start searching for them and with a sardonic grin; she threw a rock at the face of Kaitou who was standing in front of Onryou.
"You bastard, I thought we're on the same side," Kaitou hissed as he punched Onryou.
The elder growled, picking up his twin brother by the jacket. "We are on the same side, asshole!"
The two got into a large fight whereas Mai managed to grab Ayane and Kiyone for an escape. As the tensai watched the two attract a crowd, she took a sharp turn only to bump into Yukimura Seiichi of all people. Her face flushed pink as she realized what he was holding.
A black umbrella...
He was alone...
She was on the ground after bumping into him...
The umbrella was directly over their heads...
"Hey, senpai," a slap whacked her out of her thoughts revealing Yukimura who was holding his hand in front of her. "How long are you gonna stare at him?"
Mai quickly shook herself out as she took the hand of Yukimura while fighting the blush on her face. Oh no, he's going to notice.
"Why were you guys running," Yukimura looked behind them. "Is there something wrong?"
Mai brushed back her now drenched hair with a sheepish smile. "Well, nothing really – other than trying to beat the rain."
Yukimura handed her his blazer whereas he lent Kiyone and Ayane two of his extra Regulars jackets while chiding them. "You guys shouldn't be out in the rain like this. Where are you guys heading?"
"Mai-senpai's house since that's the closest thing," Ayane scratched her head while smiling sheepishly. "I can't have my driver pick me up from Shizuru-senpai's house."
Yukimura raised an eyebrow. "Oh, is that so? But it should have been a more practical idea since you're already in her house..."
Mai slapped her forehead, sighing to herself. Ayane, you're toying with the wrong man.
Yukimura continued to smile, causing Ayane to slightly shiver. "Well, that wasn't really smart now was it...?"
Ayane shivered while Kiyone suddenly perked up and found Mai's house. "Tap-tap, your house is here already!"
Darn it, Kiyone – why do you do this to me?
Mai glanced at the house, forcing a grin out at Kiyone who stuck out her tongue. "Ah, yeah..."
"Well then," Yukimura smiled kindly at the tensai making her face even redder than before. "Shall we escort you home, Nagisaki-san?"
Ayane snickered at the tensai whose face rivalled the colour of her hair while walking with Kiyone. "Yeah, we better get you dried off, Mai-senpai."
The tensai shook her head while casting a sardonic smile at Ayane which sent shivers down the freshman's spine.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
The next day had even harder rain than before thus, cancelling the game for the rest of the week. Isane slumped on her chair while looking through her brother's crime notes, finding almost nothing if one doesn't squint. She rubbed her green eyes while letting out a sigh as the rain continued to fall hard against the window. The Sniper placed them on her brother's whiteboard in the computer room as she tried to find any connection.
"I see you've been doing some work," a smooth voice came from the doorway, revealing her elder brother. "You want pizza? There's some in the dining room."
Isane shook her head while giving him a smile. "It's okay, nii-sama. I'm fine. I had some oatmeal awhile ago."
"How can you eat that," Itachi grimaced at the thought. "That stuff tastes like... what old people eat."
Isane shook her head at Itachi before resuming her analysis. She ran her fingers through her short silver hair as Itachi stood next to her while looking at the pattern.
"I've been stumped at the same place ever since," Itachi followed the arrows drawn on the board. "We don't know who caused all this... I don't think engulfing Tokyo and Hokkaido in a huge fire was a freak accident. There's something there and although I don't want to consider it," –his face changed into a slight frown. "There may be something supernatural..."
Isane, quizzical, turned to her older brother as he showed her ancient texts that he had been researching.
"Although my colleagues don't want to consider it," Itachi added another situation to the equation. "There are things buried in the mountains which in ancient times were revered to as 'gods'. You should probably ask your friend as in the Sanada girl. Considering that her family is from a long line of Samurai from the past, she may have some things that we don't have. The Sanada family is known to have the most well-kept records of Japan's history."
Isane nodded while absentmindedly staring at the board until her phone rang. "Hello?"
"Hey babe," a familiar drawl caused Isane to blush red like a tomato. "You alright?"
Isane nervously giggled causing her brother to raise an eyebrow at her. "Y-yeah, I-I'm fine. I'm just a little busy is all."
"Oh," Niou chuckled at the other end . "Think you can meet me online today?"
Isane bit her lip as she responded cheerfully. "Yeah, I guess I can."
"Tell me when you're online," –Isane could imagine him giving her this wink and smirk that would have made her faint right there and then. "Or better yet, I should just tell you now..."
Isane now had a quizzical expression on her face whereas her brother knew exactly who that person was.
"Hey," the younger brother walked in with a juice box in one hand and his laptop in the other, noticing his sister's extremely red face. "What's with her? The rat tail dude on the other end?"
Isane scolded her younger brother. "Sasuke, don't say things like that!"
"It's not my fault that he has a rat-tail for a hair style," Sasuke shrugged as he brushed back his spiky hair. "Anyway, borrow comp, aniki."
Itachi nodded while brushing his brother off. "Yeah sure..."
"You're doing the Legendary Catastrophe case," Sasuke followed the arrows on the white board. "Aniki, that's been unsolvable for the last 10 years."
Isane blocked out the noise whispering sheepishly on her phone. "I'm sorry, both my brothers are in the room."
"Perfect," Niou drawled on the other end. "Put on the loudspeaker and ask your dad to come into the room."
Isane blinked several times. Is he crazy?
"I know what you're thinking but trust me," –she could imagine Niou smirking already.
Isane told her brothers as she activated her loudspeaker. "Guys, Niou-kun wants to talk to you guys."
"Babe, I'm hurt," Niou feigned injury causing Isane to flare up with an embarrassed blush. "I thought we got rid of the suffix already...?"
"Just get to the point," Itachi folded his arms with a low growl. "What do you want from my baby sister?"
Isane gulped as she yelped. "Nii-sama, I'm not a baby anymore!"
"What's going on in here," the dad showed up with a tray of food. "You three want anything?"
Itachi beckoned his dad. "You might want to hear this..."
Sasuke grunted at the other end. "You better not want me to shoot you."
"Sasuke, Nii-sama behave," Isane chided her brothers but they still glared at the phone. "I'm sorry Niou-kun, what was it you wanted to say?"
"Sasuke-san, Itachi-san, Uchiha-sama," –Isane could imagine Niou smirking mischievously in the other end. "Would you mind if I kidnapped your daughter for the Rikkai Autumn Ball?"
Silence wafted out into the room as Isane let out a small 'eep'. Niou, I told you how sensitive my siblings and my dad are to the word 'kidnap'!
"Sure, why not," her dad grinned cheekily causing the other two brothers to gape at their dad.
"DAD, ARE YOU SERIOUS!"
"While two of my sons are getting themselves killed," the dad feigned hurt and started crying comically. "At least there's someone who's sane."
The brothers pointed to him at the same time with an incredulous stare. "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S NOT SANE!"
Isane sighed while picking up the phone at the same time. "N-Ni-Niou-kun, are you serious?"
"Babe, why would you doubt me," Niou drawled on the other hand, being perfectly calm despite throwing the entire family into a comedic sitcom session. "I mean every word I said."
The silver haired girl remained speechless before gathering her senses. "B-but, why did you have to ask when my brothers and dad are around?"
"I did need to get their approval first," Niou shrugged off her concerned tone. "Don't worry, even if your brothers won't let you go – I already have a plan B."
Isane squeaked again. "Niou, are you serious?"
"That's the second time you asked me that," Niou chuckled on the phone, causing shivers to run down Isane's spine. "Yes, I am serious. Don't worry, you'll see Plan B on that day. But, I think your dad will take care of most of it anyway..."
Isane gulped as she found her dad yelling at the two boys how they were depriving their beloved sister of her social life.
This is going to be a long day...
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Hitomi grabbed a beer from her hidden stash as she downed it while reading a few files. Looking through the other things she managed to steal from the classified files, the Mastermind began making her deduction from each crime scene. Newspaper clippings lay on her bed with a half empty bottle of beer sat next to her computer as Hitomi began drawing lines. Names of families appeared on her wall along with a few algorithms that only Inui or Yanagi can ever make sense out of. However, she found the magazine with the top tennis players as she remembered Kane's words.
One who fights for her life, one without an identity, one with no family, another who has the darkness at her command and the last – the one who seeks nothing but victory
"One who fights for her life," Hitomi repeated until her phone started ringing, revealing Isane to be the caller. "Hello?"
"Hoshimura Florence is the one who fights for her life," Isane rambled on quickly. "She has the thing in her lungs remember? She has to fight against everything just to survive!"
A bolt of lightning struck the Mastermind; how could that be? But when she looked at the description and followed the rest of the reports – Hitomi's eyes widened.
"Mother sacrifices transplants own lungs into child" - May 18, 1995
"Car crash at Hiroshima, two dead; three missing!" – May 19, 1995
Hitomi snapped herself out of the daze as she looked at the dates. Kami-sama, this isn't just a coincidence is it...?
"My brother investigated the case," Isane repeated to Hitomi. "He only found Hoshimura-san ten years later when..."
"When she enrolled into Jyosei Shounan," Hitomi began rapidly typing on the computer as she started searching through the algorithms. "Isane... that means..."
Before she could say anything, another line started ringing to which Hitomi split into a three-way call. "Hello?"
"I'm supposing you figured out Florence to be the first," a serious tone came from the other end. "I already know what Shizuru is among the five."
Hitomi raised an eyebrow as she folded her arms while taking a swig. "Continue."
"You're not drinking again, are you?"
Hitomi raised an eyebrow as she set down the bottle. "What makes you think I am?"
"I know you well enough to know that whenever you're stumped you drink," Momo calmly countered.
"Hitomi, stop drinking! It's bad for you," Isane chided her on the other end.
Rolling her eyes, the Mastermind shrugged at the two. "Isane, don't do that – you sound like Haruka when you do that. Anyway, getting back to the point – Momo?"
"Shizuru is the one with the darkness at her command," Momo explained as Hitomi started hearing distinct clicking in the background. "She can't be the one with no family at all because her brother is still alive. Hoshimura Florence has a bad set of lungs and the one who seeks victory... doesn't this sound like Souma Fuuka to you?"
Hitomi bit her pencil. "Keep talking."
"But how can that be, she didn't suffer from any catastrophe," Isane pointed out to the Shinigami.
Hitomi opened some of the files on her computer. "It may not be known nation-wide but there may be something that only their family knows."
"I hate to be a bubble popper but," Isane whimpered on the other end. "NIOU JUST ASKED ME TO THE RIKKAI AUTUMN BALL! To put in his words, he asked my dad if he could kidnap me for Rikkai Autumn Ball! Momo, Hitomi, what am I gonna do?"
Momo face palmed while shaking her head. "Are you kidding? That man's more on "stealing another guy's date"!"
"But, I said yes already," Isane whined a little, causing Hitomi to sigh.
"There's a 92 percent chance that in the end he's just going to stand you up," Hitomi began typing away. "By the way, I believe Sengoku texted you?"
Momo let out a low snort. "That's none of your concern."
"80 percent chance that you're blushing," Hitomi smirked while looking at the whiteboard. "You can't deceive me, Momo."
Momo shrugged it off with a cold hum. "We're getting off topic here."
"By the way, how's your driver," Isane asked from the other end. "How about your car?"
"Both of them are fine, I managed to freeze all their assets for now," Hitomi chuckled darkly as she went through more files. "We can't know for sure but I know one thing..."
Momo and Isane listened closely.
"The princess without the identity... it's Yukimura Ai."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
While taking a few pills, Fuuka went inside the bathroom as she opened a drawer full of medicine and weaponry. She let out a small sigh before returning to her room and flopping on her bed. Looking at the scar that ran across her abdomen, the Seigaku female captain glared at before looking at herself in the mirror.
You're so pitiful, Souma Fuuka.
Her violet eyes flashed angrily at the mirror as she punched a hole right through it, feeling the shards of the mirror cut through her hand. On the wall, she posted the pictures of the other eleven princesses as some already had an 'x' marked on them. On the other side, she found the pictures of the last five remaining girls.
A father always has a weakness for his daughter? That's bullshit.
Fuuka growled at the pictures as she kicked the cabinet of clothes she had in her room while letting out a snarl.
"Fuuka, are you okay up there," a kind voice from downstairs called her.
Fuuka, gulped hard, realizing her uncle was home. "Y-yes, I'm fine!"
"Did you kick your cabinet again," he called out from downstairs. "That's the tenth one you broke! You didn't just inflict seven years of bad luck on yourself did you?"
Fuuka let out an 'eep' and a nervous chuckle, only remembering now how humorously superstitious her uncle was. "N-no, it's fine!"
Her phone suddenly rang, revealing the name – Hanabusa Jun. With an annoyed snort, she picked it up. "Hello?"
"Hey, thanks for the good match," Jun chuckled lightly. "It's been awhile since we last met up, Fuuka."
The redhead let out a grunt while tossing a tennis ball into the air. "Tell me about it. The last time I remember seeing you was in there."
"Yeah you guys are lucky you managed to become the 12," Jun responded with a small sigh. "I see you're still taking your drugs."
Fuuka groaned as she threw the tennis ball against the wall. "It's either that or going loose."
Jun again let out a chuckle, causing Fuuka to raise an eyebrow. "Most of you were cloister raised right?"
"Yeah," Fuuka glared at the wall with pictures. "That bastard had no right to mess with my life."
Jun sighed on the phone. "That's not a nice way to mention your father."
"He can go fry himself for all I care," Fuuka cleaned up the broken shards of the mirror. "I gotta go. I have to put my mirror back together before my uncle freaks out."
Cutting the line, Fuuka started piecing her mirror up like a puzzle while trying to make sure it didn't look obviously broken. Her phone let out a specific ring tone, causing her to smile.
"Oh, Tezuka-kun," she jumped up with surprise. "What surprise – how are you in Germany?"
"I'm fine, Souma-san," his deep baritone voice nearly caused her knees to give in. "How are the tennis matches going?"
Fuuka chuckled nervously. "It's raining cats and dogs here. The storm right now beats a heavy metal rock band any day."
"Ah," Tezuka responded stoically. "Have you had your match with Hyotei yet?"
Fuuka let out a sigh. "No, by the way – what's up? You normally don't call..."
"I was just checking on the progress," Tezuka noted firmly. "We can't lose this year."
Fuuka nodded with determination while letting out a cheery voice. "Yeah, you bet we won't!"
Oh God, how that sounded so wrong.
"Alright then," Tezuka responded, obviously not shocked by the sudden cheeriness in her voice. "I have to return to training now."
"Bye," Fuuka heard the line click. I should have told him already...!
Turning to the wall, Fuuka grabbed the picture of Shizuru. "You may have taken the Nationals from me once..."
But I'm not going to let you take it away – along with my chances!
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
It had rained for two days straight without it stopping and thus cancelling classes for the mean time until the flood let up. Kiyone put on her rain boots and rain coat while bringing her umbrella to go to the market. In her hand, she had a grocery list and a bag. Her mom had to go to work and she left little Kiyone in charge of the grocery list.
1 gallon of Pistachio ice cream
1 huge bag of dog food for Aidan
Shampoo
Collar for Aidan [he chewed up the other one]
Eggplant
Zucchini
Tomato
1 bag of croutons
1 pack of Basil
1 pack of Oregano
1 bottle of olive oil [extra virgin olive oil]
Kiyone, stuffing the list into her pocket, walked into the rain with her small umbrella popped up. While walking, a dog whimpered in the middle of the street causing her to run straight to the dog while giving it a shade.
"Aww, you're so cute – what are you," Kiyone stared cutely at the puppy, unaware that there was a truck coming for her.
All of a sudden, someone grabbed her out of the way and brought her and the dog to the other side.
"Eh," she looked up and found Kenya staring at her incredulously. "Kenya-san! What are you doing here?"
Kenya chuckled while ruffling the small girl's hair. "You know – it's weird that we meet every time something bad happens. Shiraishi and I found you lost in the mountains..."
"I wasn't lost," Kiyone puffed up her cheeks at the Naniwa Speed Star. "I was following my women's intuition."
"Sure you were," Kenya shook his head with a sigh. "Then, Shiraishi told me he saved you from a falling pet supplies shelf and here, I save you from being run over by a truck."
Ignoring Kenya's statements, Kiyone held the puppy in front of his face. "Isn't he adorable? Look at him, how can say no?"
Kenya scratched his head sheepishly. "Well, I can't deny those eyes really. Thing is – I can't keep him. My mom's allergic to anything furry including stuffed toys."
Kiyone stared at the dog who whined while giving her the puppy stare. The smallest Hyotei regular wanted to cry and keep him but she couldn't. Aidan, being the bigger dog, would only get into a fight with this little puppy who didn't even mean any harm.
"So, who can keep him?"
Kenya thought about it and put her down. "Hmmm, I have an idea."
After passing for the grocery store, Kenya brought her in front of the huge mansion. "I'm sure someone here can keep him."
Kiyone tilted her head as the Naniwa male rang the door bell, only to meet Oshitari Yuushi who looked like he just woke up from a nap.
"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Kenya teased with a cheeky grin.
Oshitari raised an eyebrow at his cousin. "Kenya, of all times, what now?"
Kenya picked the puppy from Kiyone. "Think you can keep a dog?"
Oshitari looked at the rain drenched puppy. "Kenya – why can't you... oh yeah... I guess I can..."
"Yeah it's your kohai's puppy," Kenya grinned. "Be a good senpai and keep it for her."
"Why can't she keep it," Oshitari turned to Kiyone who pouted.
"I have Aidan at home," Kiyone folded her arms with a pout.
Oshitari chuckled fondly at the memory on the first time he met the dog. "Ah yes, the brown Labrador Retriever who stole Atobe's tennis bag... interesting, did you teach him that?"
Kiyone shook her head with a cheeky grin. "He just doesn't like Atobe."
Kenya nearly choked with laughter. "He stole your captain's bag?"
"He even chased it around if I remember right," Oshitari smirked while shaking his head. "Why don't you guys come in? You guys don't want to stand there getting drenched do you?"
Kiyone left her grocery by the door while Kenya placed the dog in an area with no fine China or whatsoever as Oshitari brought in some cups. "Hot chocolate anyone?"
Kenya took a cup as Oshitari found the puppy nibbling on a small yellow green ball. "See? He already likes it here."
Oshitari smirked before taking a sip. "I didn't say I was not going to keep him."
"Well, you have a partner in giving Atobe more white hair," Kenya cheerfully added while Kiyone nodded at the kansai prodigy.
"Yeah," Oshitari gave it good ruffle on the head. "That's a good start."
Kiyone tilted her head to the left. "So, whatcha gonna name him?"
Oshitari shrugged before looking at the dog again. "Hmm, I'll think of something."
"Whatever you do," Kenya slumped into the couch. "Don't give it some disgusting romance name. I mean come on – he's probably a Shiba Inu and you're going to name him some horrid name."
Oshitari gave him a quizzical look. "I planned to name him Poe."
"Poe," Kenya thought about it. "Hey, where'd you get that?"
Oshitari chuckled before giving the newly named puppy a good pat on the head. "Edgar Allan Poe, the one who the Raven? That guy."
Kiyone nodded before looking at her watch. "Oh no, I have to get home! Mommy wants her grilled veggie sandwich!"
Kenya looked at the rain. "Yeah but, you're not going to be able to get home in this weather right now," –hearing thunder crack. "Geez, is it rainy season already?"
"Blame the people who don't know how to tune up cars to lessen greenhouse gas exhaust," Oshitari shrugged as he gave Poe a temporary collar. "This should do for now."
Kiyone sighed as she looked at the cute puppy that wagged its tail affectionately while sleeping peacefully on Oshitari's lap.
Senpai-tachi are so going to laugh at me...
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"You know," Ayane's older brother, Sai, walked in with a bowl of strawberry pudding before taking a seat on the couch. "You can't keep trying to kick his ass. You have to find out what made you want to do that. Heck, I have to agree with Soujirou – you're becoming too violent. Misaki and Hina are already blaming us for making you into a guy."
Ayane didn't say anything as she started strumming her guitar. "Honestly... he never said goodbye..."
"Goodbye? What," Sai stared at her incredulously. "We're not having a rerun of 'he-never-said-goodbye-that-son-of-a-bitch' are we?"
Ozuma chuckled while tossing something to Ayane. "I think we might. It's always been a Love at First Punch relationship now hasn't it?"
"I never punched him before," Ayane shrieked at Ozuma before grabbing something on the floor with a dent in it. "Isn't this a car plate?"
Ozuma nearly burst out into fits of laughter. "You don't remember that one? The first time you guys went swimming together and he commented on your swim suit looking too flowery – you literally tore this off dad's car and pitched it at him."
"We never knew how you got that kind of strength," Sai shrugged after shoving another spoon into his mouth. "We just knew that you were strong enough like the she-hulk," –earning him a punch on his shoulder. "Ow, that hurt!"
Ayane pouted while folding her arms. "You deserved it."
"You did so much to him before," Ozuma sat beside her with a cheeky grin. "I remember it like it was just yesterday..."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Me: That's Chapter 40! Sorry to keep you guys waiting. Actually, when I reread my Beyblade story – I realized how much better my story sounded before. Then again, I think I can do the same thing, it's just that Prince of Tennis may be a little harder to flex than Beyblade considering the characters. Also, I highly appreciate your reviews. So yeah, I'm still working on those one-shots. Tell me if you want them posted or not because my decision to place them will be based on your opinion. The rainy days are also there for a reason – you'll find out soon. :D Also, one last reminder: PLEASE REVIEW~! :D