Me: Must've been that horrible huh? I probably should kick up the rating with all the swearing that little Ms. Souma Fuuka's going to spout off. Poor sophomores, she's such a bad influence. XD [Fuuka: Grr, I heard that, bitch!] Then again, there may be times that there will be awkward moments but it doesn't mean that IT happened but instances that one may be tempted. Ah yes, I'm referring to you Oishi.
Oishi: The floor was slippery! Oh no what if the whole school gets the wind of this? Argh, Tezuka's going to be demanding an explanation! (Rants on incoherently)
Me: That man's going to be the death of me... Anyhow, I started noticing that the chapter titles no longer have any relation to the content so I'll try my best to think of better stuff. XD
Fuuka: That's because you're so freakin' scatterbrained.
Me: At least I don't have a garbage mouth.
Shizuru: Guys, please stop fighting! We have to start the story!
Me: Right! You should be more pacifist, war freak! Anyway, anyone want to do the disclaimer?
Hitomi: Scarlette Shizuru does not own Prince of Tennis except the OCs and some concepts such as L.X.A and ZODIAC.
Me: Thank you, Yamaguchi-san! Now, on with the story...
Chapter 44 – Fatal Response
Fuuka groaned while watching the clouds float past her whereas Yukimura Ai had a whole luggage full of candy and wondered if the bluenette ever had cavities. Florence on the other hand a novel in hand whereas Shizuru started watching combat videos of possible competitors. Natsuki decided to play paddle ball but then got annoyed and contorted for her yoga training which freaked out the red haired female. Glancing at the small octagonal device in her duffel, the Seishun Gakuen captain let out a disgusted snort before checking out the window again.
"Fuuka," the brunette tapped her shoulder gently. "How long do you think we can make this?"
"At the most three months," Fuuka grunted in irritation. "Unless most of our players are ninnies, we might have to miss the Kantou Tournament."
"Well, that's gonna put Hyotei, Seishun and Rikkai on equal groun's then," Natsuki slung her bag over her shoulder while roaming their private jet [courtesy of the Amakusa family], earning quizzical expressions from the three teams' captains. "Without their captains, everyone's playin' their handicap without their crazily train' cap'ns. So, anybody up fer roundin' up the rest of the Royalty in case they decide to turn Kantou into a buffet table?"
Fuuka balled her hand into a fist, spitting venomously. "Those things won't make it... not as long as the Bel of Touhoku exists. Besides, I'd zoom there by myself if needed."
"Necessity often gives us strength to speed things up," Shizuru kindly reassured the others. "We will get home on time before anything else happens."
"If there's something unwanted," Florence closed the book calmly, leaning against the backrest comfortably. "That would be one of our teammates getting hurt due to carelessness. Hopefully, the paranoia doesn't drive them insane."
Ai opened the TV while surfing through channels, finding nothing but cartoons. However, the moment she passed the news – everyone crowded at her seat in horror. Fire and smoke wafted into the sky as screams echoed throughout the cabin with the all-surround speakers. Natsuki averted her eyes from the flat HDV screen while Florence covered her mouth in shock. Ai whimpered as Shizuru shook her head, completely in denial that things were getting worse. Fuuka indifferently folded her legs before hissing in disgust.
"This will be the final curtain call," Fuuka crushed a soda can in her hand, ignoring the warm ooze of liquid seeping out from her palm. "Their resistance... is futile..."
Ai giggled while pointing at Fuuka, breaking down the serious atmosphere. "Fuuka-chan, you've been watching Star Trek: Voyager!"
"Ah shut up," Fuuka snarled before lunging after the younger Yukimura who giggled childishly while running around in the plane.
Shizuru analysed her opponents before clicking a few buttons on Natsuki's iPhone, revealing a whole selection of fighters and their winning streaks. "Natsuki, your database of fighters here is incredible. How were you able to get all this?"
"Doncha remember what mah family's known fer," Natsuki plopped on one of the bouncy sofas while popping open a bottle of sparkling grape juice. "Anyone wan'some?"
Earning a 'no' from the others, Natsuki shrugged nonchalantly while chugging it down whereas Ai started taking track of their global positioning.
"We'll be there in the next thirty minutes," Ai grinned childishly while slumping to the floor. "You guys are so anti-social! Let's do what we used to when we were kids."
"We're anti-social because we're busy concentrating on the matches," Fuuka popped open another can of Coke. "Damn it, Florence hand me another one."
Florence sighed in defeat while handing the red haired girl another can. "Drowning yourself in Coke will not erase your misery that easily."
"All I remember is that we used to brawl with one another and increase the amount of property damage for every mission we had," Fuuka halted for a moment before brushing off the British's advice, throwing back her dishevelled red hair. "Screw that, you're not my nutritionist."
"Most of the destruction was yer fault," Natsuki pointed out flatly, stretching out her elongated body. "We dun rampage like buckin' broncos like ya."
Fuuka pounced on Natsuki, grabbing the other female's collar. "You wanna say that again, Amakusa?"
"Wow, staying in school does lock up a lot of your pent-up aggression," Florence chuckled humourlessly before sitting down on the carpet. "So Ai, what do you have in mind?"
Ai seemingly stole the empty bottle of sparkling juice from Natsuki, singing with an impish smile. "Let's play "Truth or Dare"!"
Colour from the all four girls' faces drained completely upon hearing the game as well as remembering how destructive Ai could be with her dares. Then again, they remembered that she was the clone of Yukimura Seiichi and that his sadism had transferred to her as well. Guillain-Barré Syndrome apparently didn't blend well with Ai's genetic encoding. Natsuki and Fuuka huddled next to each other while Shizuru and Florence inched away from the devilish girl.
"Play with me~," she sang like a small child, bouncing up and down.
Damn, who gave her that kind of sugary arsenal, their glances all shouted in unison as they found the Rikkai's angel's suitcases loaded with more sweets and goodies. Their faces rivalled the colour of winter before turning back to the smiling bluenette who tightly gripped the empty bottle in her hand. With a defeated sigh, the four settled down on the floor warily watching Ai spin the bottle cheerfully.
"Which one of you morons gave her permission to bring candies," Fuuka glared hard as venom dripped from her every word.
Natsuki chucked a piece of chocolate into her mouth while eyeing the bottle's spin rate. "Ya said bring every necessity. Do ya really think she's gonna leave her sugar packs behind? She ain't gonna last and people who decide ta pick a fight with her are gonna be like gnats in a hailstorm. Didn't yer residen' smarty pants tell ya?"
"If she were my opponent then yeah," Fuuka coldly scoffed as the bottle landed on her.
Ai clapped her hands gleefully. "Yay, Fuuka – truth or dare?"
"If I were Mishima Kazuya," Fuuka curled her hands into a fist before glaring daggers at the perpetually childishly smiling girl. "Fine, dare."
Ai innocently tilted her head to one side, thinking deep about the dare until her eyes brightened up. "Fuuka-chan, you have to call up Tezuka-san and tell him you're dating another guy!"
"Over my dead body," Fuuka spat icily at the bluenette who comically started to well up with tears. "Oh no, don't think I'm gonna give in because of you're freakin' face!"
Florence chuckled while folding her body, bemused at the colour of Fuuka's face. "My goodness, Tezuka-san would be wondering how much champagne went down your throat."
"Shut your trap, Brit," Fuuka snarled before letting some flame appear in her palm which Ai remained perpetually cheerfully. WHAT THE HELL, DOESN'T ANYTHING SCARE THIS WOMAN?
Ai bounced up happily, hyperactive with all the candy ingested. "Go~, call him!"
"Wait, she can't," Shizuru firmly locked down the bouncing hyperactive bluenette who blew up another bubble. "Calling overseas takes too much money and Tezuka-san is in Germany. I'm sure Souma-san's only on prepaid load for her cellphone. Also, we need that load in case of emergencies. No wasting in silly matters like this."
Fuuka mentally thanked the brunette despite the stony expression on her face. Damn it Kurenai, you sure know how to handle imps and gremlins.
Ai pouted, thinking up another one. "I know: show us how you would confess to Tezuka-san~!"
Fuuka realized her sanity was taking a drastic drop and also, an aneurysm began to form. Her jaw furiously twitched at the preposterous idea of the female Yukimura while assessing for any escape routes. Shizuru blushed furiously also at the disastrous idea while the other two elder ones snickered at her. Florence crunched on another potato chip while watching Fuuka in amusement with a sardonic grin whereas Natsuki chugged down another bottle of soda.
Bitches, I'm going to murder you, Fuuka glared holes at them but her intimidation lost its effect. "Fine..."
Shizuru sighed while Ai hung herself in front of the brunette's face, cheerfully giggling and applauding. "How about you, Shizuru-chan? Why don't you show me how you're going to confess to Sanada-san? Fuuka-chan is with Tezuka-san and you're with Sanada-senpai... so entertain me!"
"We're not for your entertainment," Fuuka hissed venomously at the youngest.
"Ai-chan, please," Shizuru revealed her bewitching smile, causing Amakusa and Hoshimura to shiver.
The elder ones of the five realized that angel from Rikkai Dai demanded a death wish from the two rivals and proceeded to intervene and force her down. "Ai, don't do that!"
"Have ya lost yer marbles, girl," Natsuki whispered harshly at the youngest of the captains, bonking her on the head.
Upon sensing the deathly intentions from the two, Florence chided the bluenette sharply. "Ai, you understand how intense their rivalry is..."
"But I wanted to see them fight," Ai whined before pouting like a small child. "Fuuka-chan and Shizuru-chan never fight~!"
"That's because they are well-aware on how dangerous the other is," the two coaxed the younger Yukimura in unison.
Florence reminded the demigod's clone politely, remembering how angry the youngest could get. "How many times do we need to remind you that their rivalry and powers are insane?"
"Didn't we engrave those facts deep enough," Natsuki cracked her knuckles, annoyed by the girl's tactic. "How 'bout a weldin' torch ta finish the job?"
However, a heavy tension slammed against them when they found the temperature of the cabin rising gradually with Fuuka baring her teeth at an equally murderous Shizuru who beadily glared back at her. Dark intentions dripped venomously and excessively from every part of their body as they stood up to full height.
"This match isn't over," Fuuka hardened her glare at the brunette, biting her lip hard.
Shizuru ignored the warm oozing liquid dripping out of her hand from her nails cutting into her hand. "You're such a simple-minded fool."
Ai, seeing how touchy the subject became, inserted herself in between the two princesses while grinning childishly. "Come on, let's play another game~!"
Silence settled horribly amongst the five until a loud beeping interrupted their trail of thought, causing Florence to run towards the cockpit. The five girls quickly jumped into the captain's cabin while checking all the altitudes and graphs, seeing nothing until several triangles started tailing their airplane. Natsuki muttered a string of curses before leaping over into the chair and switched off the auto-pilot.
"It looks like we have an air raid coming after us," Natsuki grinned as she gripped the wheel. "Hang onto the handles; topsy turvy's the only thing that's going to happen around here."
The plane hurtled through the sky as missiles relentlessly pursued after them. Despite the aerial acrobatics, the missiles flawlessly flagged them down and soared through the sky with a screaming whistle. Smoke trailed along the sky as the jet spun around to disorient the trackers to no avail. Some managed to crash into each other and a few more continued their merciless pursuit towards the five females.
"Crap, heat seekers," Fuuka hissed under her breath before checking the weapons panel. "Why doesn't this thing have any weapons?"
"Because ah knew ya would try start hammerin' every button," Natsuki shot back as she swerved the airplane out of the way and sent it spiralling down into the sea.
Florence's eyes widened with terror, clinging on to her seat. "Did your common sense abandon you? Why are you attempting to plummet us into a watery grave?"
"Ai, start shaking those maracas," Natsuki banked on a hard left which sent everyone tumbling to the right side.
The demigoddess quickly grabbed the pair of musical instruments from her bag while noticing the missiles now running alongside them. "N-Natsuki, what's going on?"
"What the hell are you gambling on," Fuuka gripped Natsuki's shoulder hard, earning her an annoyed glare from the Shitenhouji captain. "Yukimura can't make any freakin' force fields!"
Ignoring the red haired girl's protests, Natsuki glanced at Florence and Shizuru. "You two – get on the wings! We're going to need some firepower to bring down those hostilities!"
Albeit reluctant, the two quickly ran back inside the cabin and flung themselves out the window to land safely on both wings. Shizuru drew out her naginata whereas Florence readied herself with a pair of claws, having both girls stare beadily and analytically at their targets. Sweat slowly trickled down their faces as they awaited the sudden lunge of the strikers.
Ah sure hope this gamble of mine is accurate, Natsuki, biting her lip, tightly gripped the steering wheel before watching the missiles come after them.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Along the streets of Berlin, Tezuka strolled around while glancing at the stores since many of his friends demanded that he bring back souvenirs. He shook his head distastefully; what possessed him to even go shopping anyway? The street bazaar lit up the misty streets as he observed many children splashing on the puddles that formed in between the rocky sidewalks. Bargains flew back and forth as he shoved his hands into his pocket, quietly berating himself for underestimating the cold.
Japan never froze over like this...
Tezuka brushed the snow away from his shoulders, examining the people around him until he found another man confessing to a girl. In the man's hands, there was a bouquet of small white flowers instead of what the bespectacled teen expected to be red roses in full bloom. In most cases, girls would wonder what those are but Tezuka was taken aback when the girl threw herself into the arms of her new boyfriend, hugging him tightly. In the Seigaku male's current vision, he instead imagined Shizuru embracing him which caused a smile to creep up his lips. Suddenly, his phone vibrated and as he popped it open – his coach had texted him.
Stop mulling in the rain and snow, boy. I have an idea how to settle your romance problems.
Tezuka's lips thinned into a line as he slightly twitched at the thought of his coach of coming up with something bedazzling. If there was anything he didn't want anyone to know, it would be the affection he held for the Hyotei sophomore. All the times he spent with Fuuka sounded more like obsession as if she followed after him like a Scottish Terrier begging for food but Shizuru befriended him not for the tennis captain that he was but as a mere little boy back then. She met him, played against him and Sanada and threw the world into complete discourse. Fuuka harped on everyday to beat her and the male did remember Shizuru somehow commenting on Atobe's eccentricity to beat him as well.
Then again, two of them make the world go insane.
Their competitiveness [Tezuka although believed more or less that being competitive was an understatement] reflected on how far they were willing to sacrifice for the team. Atobe threw away his pride of using his true style to bring him down, Fuuka dedicated all her time to bringing down the four queens of Hyotei and many captains sacrificed everything personal to them to accomplish their teams' dreams and ambitions. He remembered the pain that shot up his shoulder when Shizuru appeared by the bleachers with her lavender haired upperclassman, gripping his shoulder tightly to erase the memory.
What possessed me to become drastically reckless?
Finally, he reached the rehabilitation centre where he was recovering at and sauntered in quietly. The receptionist greeted him with her usual courteous smile as the bespectacled captain ushered himself to his coach's office in which had red velvet chairs and sofa along with a collection of lava lamps mounted on the top shelf.
"Coach," he lightly tapped the frame of the door. "You wanted to see me?"
His coach swivelled her chair while stroking a cat, smiling evilly. "I've been expecting you, boy."
Tezuka furrowed his brows a bit, folding his arms. "Coach, we're not in the mafia."
Rolling her eyes, she sighed before shooing her feline friend off her lap. "Is it bad to at least let in a little comedy? Geez, your maturity's that of a sixty year old! Get a grip, Tezuka-san! Anyway, I'm sure you had your trip out in the night market?"
"Ah," Tezuka monotonously nodded before taking a seat that his coach beckoned for him.
"This girl you like," –a 'turtle-turn-runner' smile appeared on her lips, reminding Tezuka on Fuji's insanities and causing him to slightly shudder. "She's a tennis player as well I presume?"
Tezuka's affections for the female Hyotei captain were a well-guarded secret and only a handful of individuals knew about his fancy. The training camp only intensified his feelings further especially when he found out Fuji's ridiculous plan to make him confess by spiking his drink with a whole bottle of vodka and margarita. Upon arriving back home, Fuji found himself running laps until Tezuka told him to stop but never found the ulterior motive as to why the tensai pulled it off. Did the sadist know anything about Sanada's pursuits? He definitely didn't have that information back then but that question continued to nag the senior captain until then. His eavesdropping also earned him a new discovery that he stole Shizuru's first kiss which somehow made pride and joy bubble deep inside. Despite his stoic expression, the Seishun Gakuen captain fought his urge to become tomato-faced and shook himself away from the shock that his coach had given him.
"Silence means affirmative," the coach continued, cutting Tezuka off from his trail of thought. "Anyway, how do you intend to swoon this girl if you have as much personality as that of a cardboard box?"
Definitely without any interference, Tezuka let out a disgruntled snort before letting the older woman continue.
"Experience dictates that being the way you are will just make you a senile old man," she wagged her finger, lecturing him as if he were that dense. "Do you intend to lose her to your rival in love?"
Tezuka never thought that Sanada would be his rival in anything else but tennis. Both of their families were quite close and they often get into a mess and rivalry. Although the bickering wouldn't be bitter, Tezuka and Sanada definitely took it to the next level much to the amusement of the patriarchs of the respective clans. The coffee blonde male leaned against the chair and imagined hard on what would happen and what was possibly happening back at Japan.
"You're a twit," Laura bluntly stated before flicking his forehead with her finger. "You let Sanada-san bring Shizuru-chan to the freakin' Rikkai Dai Autumn Ball? Do you know what this implies?"
Tezuka shook his head stiffly. "This conversation about the romantic aspect of my life is unimportant. We should..."
"He's going to confess to her," Laura shouted, nearly throwing Tezuka off the chair. "Are you that dense to not realize the affections that this girl may have for you? Are you telling me you're going to surrender? If so, what are you here for? Fix your arm – sure why not but don't you also have some inspiration as to why you play? Oh wait, I forgot – your heart's nothing but icy and frozen. You don't give a rat's ass whether or not some random jackass steals your..."
Before being able to continue insulting him, Laura jumped when she heard a loud bang on the table with Tezuka averting his eyes away from her. His fist curled hard and his knuckles were turning visibly white along with his eyes glimmering malevolently. Her eyes widened upon seeing Tezuka react in such a dark violent manner and upon staring back into his gaze; it looked heavily intent on tearing apart whoever the "random jackass" was. Nobody had ever seen the male lose control of his temper but this time, she knew that he finally got frustrated with the situation.
"The only thing I can do now is recover," Tezuka murmured mutely but icily. "That's why this conversation should not have begun in the first place."
I expected a bigger outburst than this but, Laura smiled before placing her feet on her desk. "You're only fourteen, Tezuka-san. It's normal to feel that anger boil inside of you. It's something people dub as 'jealousy' and 'desire'. I know I have you annoyed but if nothing happens now – what if her affections will go down the drain? What if she turns out to be a slut like most of the fan girls?"
"Shizuru-chan is not that fickle," Tezuka whispered a note of finality, glaring even more glacially than ever. "Secondly, you have no idea on what Shizuru-chan's character is."
"You only seem strong when temptation is weak," Laura quoted from the Maxims as she placed down her notepad. "Let's assume that Sanada is just as romantically as dense as you are. But... isn't there anyone who would manipulate Sanada to confess to Shizuru so they can use her to hurt you or force you to break her?"
His mind found itself amidst a turbulent storm of emotions at the mere imagination of him breaking her spirit. Silence seized Tezuka's mind as pieces and scenarios started to sink into place. Recalling all the members of the Rikkai Dai Team, Tezuka had concluded only two possible and capable culprits: Yukimura and Niou. Many witnessed on how Rikkai Dai suddenly became an amphibious school and how Yukimura easily manipulated the situation to cover up for Niou's sudden pranking. The mere imagination of what kind of disaster Yukimura could deliver caused the tennis player to shudder and knowing how supportive the captain was of his best friend, Tezuka for the first time found himself helpless. All possible actions would render him open for questioning.
What do I do now?
"Those white flowers you asked me about," Laura slid a book towards him, redirecting him to page. "It's called a Honeysuckle."
Honeysuckle, where have I heard that before, Tezuka ransacked his memory for any recall of Inui's mundane data ranting but only to remain in silence.
"Do you know what it means," –her cerulean blue eyes gazed hard into his dark orbs. "You better listen up carefully because I will repeat this information only once. This may be your chance to turn the tables against whoever this Yuki dude is."
Tezuka raised an eyebrow at Laura. "How do you know Yukimura?"
"I've heard rumours about the kid," she pulled out a lollipop from her drawer before hungrily sticking into her mouth. "They say he's the Demigod of Tennis. The kid's probably just that damn talented and then all of a sudden – he's a divinity of the tennis circuit. People are probably more intimidated by the fact that he smiles like some sadistic freak show. Rumours have it that his game of tennis is more psychological than it is physical. Nobody has ever lasted six games against the kid since the victims are robbed of their senses when competing against the girly-boy."
Tezuka nodded slowly as the woman passed him a hot mug of Green Tea.
"Alright, lesson entitled "Romance 101: Romance for Dummies" will now commence," Laura eased herself into her corporate chair before popping in a small piece of Mentos. "Tell me, how long have you known your object of affection?"
"She's not," Tezuka interjected until he nearly got suffocated by his buxom coach's assets.
"Answer the question damn straight," retreating back to her position, Laura popped open a bottle and chugged it down. "You want some?"
"I can't drink liquor," Tezuka declined politely, fearing for the worst case scenario such as him doing something beyond logic.
Laura shrugged nonchalantly as she slammed the bottle on the table, exhaling her alcoholic breath. "Anyhow, describe her to me."
Tezuka, quizzical with his tipsy coach, resigned himself to his fate.
"She's a very dedicated tennis player," Tezuka calmly and monotonously explained with his face slightly cringing from the putrid smell of Vodka. "Hyotei Gakuen admires her highly for her kind heart but... I overheard other students saying she's a doormat. There are really some people who are born that way – to serve and keep on giving regardless of the consequence. My friend heard her purpose of doing those things and being people's doormat: it made her feel alive. It's the same way how tennis unleashes that adrenaline rush inside..."
"That damn metaphor made no frickin' sense," Laura snorted before throwing her arms into the air with a disgruntled groan. "Stop referring to tennis, damn it and start sketching her with your own words."
"That's exactly what I'm doing," Tezuka justified to the somewhat drunken coach. "Coach, the alcohol's controlling your statements."
"Shaddup gremlin," Laura slurred with her alcohol-smelling breath fanning itself in his face, nearly making him vomit if not for the hardened discipline. "Use another method!"
Tezuka resisted the urge to stand up and walk out of the room but realized that Coach Laura did point out a few notions. Tennis brought both of them together and they hit off famously and never once did he have to worry about her letting out a high pitched girly shriek regarding his games or how cool he is or even adding the "-sama" suffix to his name. His heart relaxed a little upon his mind conjuring an image of a smiling Shizuru who offered to walk with him. However, two things obstructed his way: one, he was in Germany and she was in Japan and two, Sanada got persuaded by Yukimura to gain enough courage to actually ask her out.
He found that realization simply exhilarating.
"I sense that you're seeing a better picture of your relationship's status," Laura drank down another bottle of Vodka, jabbing her finger in his direction. "There's someone I want you to meet though."
Tezuka, bewildered of his coach of actually making sense, stared at the small paper that his coach wrote down on.
"This website is kind of an advice column or a story writing section," she grinned goofily, swinging her bottle around. "A lot of kids go here to read the stories and even adapt some of the methods of confession here. Maybe you can learn a thing or two from the administrator of this website."
Tezuka nodded stiffly, before uttering a small 'thank you' and failing to notice the name of the website.
www. freewebs queen_of_diamonds/
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
The rain eventually weakened, allowing Seishun Gakuen and Rikkai Dai to start the semi-final matches. For the girls' side however, they needed to use the court right after the male tournament and soon – the whole area flooded with female tennis players, fan girls and female news reporters. Jyosei Shounan, Fudomine, Yamabuki, Seigaku, Rikkai Dai, Hyotei and almost every school was there to witness the match between the two captainless teams. Sanada sauntered towards the net with Momoshiro trying his best to remain confident for the team. Kaidoh gave him a big goofy grin with Momoshiro next to him while Kaidoh looked ready to rip through Rikkai Dai. Fuji maintained his smiling facade but Momoshiro trembled at the sight of the tensai; Fuji's murderous intentions dripped from every side the moment Kirihara Akaya came to view. Inui nodded curtly at Yanagi who maintained his usual meditating expression whereas Kawamura sheepishly scratched his head upon glancing back at Jackal.
"We're not just here to play but we're going to win," Oishi mustered enough courage for him to raise his voice at Sanada.
Oh God, am I insane?
Oishi yelped inwardly, hoping not to show anything discouraging to his teammates. Tezuka always did the handshakes and how he remained completely calm truly baffled the vice captain. Sanada's deathly glare sent shivers down his spine and as he weakly sauntered back, Kikumaru pat him reassuringly on the back with a gigantic grin. As the teams headed back to their benches, two doubles pair remained on the court with Mamushi with his scowling face and Marui with his usual arrogant smirk.
"Senpai," Echizen gulped a bit of more grape Ponta. "This is their Golden Pair?"
Inui shrugged dejectedly as he sat next to Kawamura, wiping off the perspiration trickling down his jaw line. "Jackal and Marui are known for their awestruck synchronicity and they are known for their strong sense of style and play. Often times, they are known to even take down professional players."
Kawamura gulped at the thought. "They're that good?"
"Precisely that."
Sengoku whistled in anticipation as he found Momo standing with her arms folded sternly at the match about to unfold. He inconspicuously slid over to her, creeping up behind to shock her.
"I know you're behind me," Momo calmly noted without batting an eyelash. "You're many things, Sengoku but a thief or a mugger isn't one of them."
Sengoku, pouting impishly, swung over in front of Momo giving her a cheeky grin. "Aww and I wanted to surprise you~!"
"Not today," Momo sternly chided, making Sengoku whine and complain about she being so cold. "This match is important to me."
The orange haired male pursed his lips for a puppy pout. "But your cousin isn't even playing against Echizen yet..."
He's playing against the rookie, Momo reflected on his words, slightly amused. If the 13th head lost to the Seigaku freshman, she shuddered at the uproar it would bring not only to the tennis world but also to the entire Sanada clan and everyone else. The Sanada family considered defeat almost as disastrous as shame or perhaps even worse, considering how the Seppuku became the punishment for those who have been defeated. Since hair no longer signified anything, disownment became most of the punishments among the clan members. Momo's fist tightened as she warily analysed the tension surrounding the whole court. Both playmakers took their positions by the baseline with Momoshiro warily eyeing Jackal.
"Finals match between Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku Chuu and Seishun Gakuen Chugakkou will now begin," the announcer declared as he took his place in the referee's chair. "Doubles Two will now begin: Rikkai Dai's Jackal-Marui pair versus Seishun Gakuen's Kaidoh-Momoshiro pair! Best one out of one set, game start – Momoshiro to serve!"
"How's your first year doing," Jackal eyed Echizen who sat calmly on the bench with a can of Ponta in one hand.
Momoshiro cocked his head a bit to the left. "Huh, what are you talking about? What do you know about...?"
"Shikuyoro," Marui cheerfully put up a 'v' sign before blowing up a huge green bubble. "Since you were able to make it this far, I'm gonna show you my miracle genius-like skills before we go home!"
As the Seishun pair retreated to the baseline, Momoshiro glanced at their wrists. "By the way, I just wanna ask..."
Marui and Jackal halted in their steps as Momoshiro pointed out. "Aren't you gonna ditch those weights?"
The red haired tensai snickered before pointing at the black porcupine haired sophomore. "Try and make us."
The black haired dunk smasher narrowed his eyes as he motioned to Kaidoh, watching the Brazilian's movements carefully. "Hey Kaidoh..."
"Ah," Kaidoh brushed him off as he moved towards the net.
With a loud "FIRE!", Jackal exploded the ball towards Momoshiro who narrowed his eyes before carefully placing his Jack Knife and shocked Marui. The tensai gaped in horror and had no other choice but dodge.
"Holy Kami-sama," Marui leapt out of the way. "Was that a freakin' Jack Knife!"
Jackal rolled his eyes as he chased after the ball, striking it back towards Momoshiro. "Geez, don't just dodge it!"
The Brazilian quickly returned the shot with a backhand, not expecting Kaidoh to set-up for the Boomerang Snake. The ball curled around the post as it flew towards Jackal, allowing Marui to try attack the shot. Despite Marui being occupied, Jackal managed to drive Momoshiro into a corner as sweat poured down the Jack Knife wielder's face. Kaidoh backtracked and deflected the ball while Marui easily squeezed in his tactic to return the volley. Momoshiro regrouped immediately while Jackal retreated to recover for the next attack.
"Wow," Horio gaped in awe. "They're keeping up with Kaidoh-senpai and Momoshiro-senpai so easily!"
"Jackal Kuwahara was known as the Iron Wall," Inui indicated as he flipped past his notes. "He was known for his insane defences and nobody has gotten a point of it. Eventually, their errors lead to their own destruction."
Oishi stumbled back as he took notice of Momoshiro and Kaidoh both had sweat pouring down their faces. Kawamura gulped at the intensity of the match coming from Seishun's players compared to the more lax Iron Wall and Magician. Marui yawned a bit as he slapped the ball passed Kaidoh who curled the shot around for the Boomerang Snake. Jackal quickly backhanded it in which Momoshiro found himself distancing from the bandana wearing Boomerang Snake specialist.
"Mamushi, switch positions," Momoshiro dashed forward towards the service box in attempt to regroup for the next shot.
Kaidoh darted back to the baseline to face-off with Jackal and started keeping up with his pounding once again. The Iron Wall nonchalantly brushed off Kaidoh's bravado and narrowed his eyes at him after taking note on how calm Kaidoh was still breathing. As the rally between Marui and Momoshiro began, Kaidoh continued pinning down Jackal until the ball flew nearby and had Marui sliced it over for a new net shot.
"Whoa," Momoshiro retraced the trajectory of the tennis ball while trying to resimulate the attack. "Holy cow, what was that?"
Marui chuckled before blowing up his bubble again. "Tsunawatari. How do you like my genius?" [Tightrope Runner]
Shaking off the daze received from the shot, Momoshiro retreated back to the baseline as he replayed the whole rally in his mind. Kaidoh snorted as he whacked his partner at the upside of his head, earning himself a glare from Momoshiro.
"Contemplating on it isn't going to get you anywhere," Kaidoh snapped. "Quit being amazed!"
"I'm not amazed, Mamushi," Momoshiro shot back as they bumped foreheads against one another again.
Everyone from the crowd stood in shock, including Hyotei's members. Jirou gaped in awe, now being able to witness Marui's skills finally. Kiyone couldn't help but gape her jaw at the level of control Marui Bunta had while Haruka stared speechless at Jackal's quick reaction time to cover up for Marui's lack of physical strength. Rin rubbed her eyes while trying to figure out everything what had just happened whereas Hitomi had pulled out her camcorder to record the entire match on a memory card.
Oshitari leaned against the rail. "Momoshiro acted as a decoy for Kaidoh to hit the boomerang snake but because of that miracle skill of Marui's, they've completely lost the initiative. Not only that, the psychological damage on them will be very huge. Furthermore, this will drive them to be more impatient."
Inui read out from his notes. "Jackal Kuwahara and Marui Bunta are known as one of the best pairs in the entire Japan. No one has scored a seven game set against them."
Upon seeing the set up and after overhearing it from some loudmouthed freshman, Marui chewed his bubblegum leisurely before shrugging.
"Eh is that so," he lowered his racquet with a snigger. "Then, I will let him hit it. But be warned – it's gonna be cleanly returned."
Momoshiro failed to disguise the shock and bewilderment on his face. Although he remembered about Inui saying that Rikkai Dai was like having seven Tezuka's in one team, the Dunk Smasher felt a lot more confident since the passing months ever since he had been hammering down training not only from Seigaku but from Fudomine's Tachibana An.
"By Jackal," Marui jabbed his finger at the tanned tennis player's direction.
"Hey, why me," Jackal sighed, remembering how Marui loved throwing him into random situations.
"What? You don't wanna," Marui relaxed his arms behind his head.
"It's not that," Jackal protested before letting out a defeated sigh. "Never mind."
Kaidoh grimaced at the thought but still put on a tough facade. What did he say!
"Game, 0 -3, Kaidoh to serve," –the bandana wearing boy tossed the ball high up into the air.
"ORA," Kaidoh exploded the tennis ball down the court, heading straight for Marui.
Marui shuddered slightly from the volume as he backhanded it. "Oi, oi, oi, don't need to be so angry~! Here, I'll let you hit it."
Momoshiro imagined his jaw literally crashing into the pavement. What! He actually aimed for the corner! It's true that the Boomerang Snake can be fired properly only from that angle!
However, Kaidoh darted towards the ball and proceeded to that very corner for the perfect angle. Don't underestimate me, Kaidoh Kaoru!
Momoshiro desperately racked his brains for a solution and explanation. How could they know how to hit it? How could they know where exactly it should originate? How did those two guys know he could only hit it from that position? They've never seen him hit it before right? Where the hell did they get that knowledge... unless...
Soon, horror stabbed Momoshiro through like a newly forged knife.
"STOP! KAIDOH, DON'T HIT IT," Momoshiro spun around to warn his partner only to find Kaidoh completely engrossed in releasing the technique.
Jackal found the Boomerang Snake flying towards him after screaming under the referee's chair as he started moving into another position. Indeed, it's exactly as Yanagi said. He hit a nice shot...
Kaidoh backtracked on Marui's words as he watched Jackal prepare a counterattack for his technique. Impossible, is he trying to-!
The Snake specialist remembered Echizen's taunt of technique not being perfected, scowling at the memory. He recalled Inui's training regimen that stretched his arm muscles beyond boundaries that he had never imagined. Every time he swung the wet towel in the river, the towel doubled its weight and Kaidoh soon found himself straining his whole arm and hips to punch more power into lifting the insanely soaked towel. His senpai had explained the theory and the secrets into performing the perfected Boomerang Snake.
In order to swing that towel, it's not just in the wrist; you must use your whole arm, starting from the shoulder without forcing out any unnecessary strength. You must use the natural power in your body and swing naturally!
Yanagi muttered while watching Jackal anticipate the shot. "The possibility of Jackal's around-the-pole shot going in is 100 percent."
With a mighty swing, Jackal effortlessly replicated Kaidoh's shot except it didn't slide under the arbiter's chair.
"Love-fifteen," –shock evidently displaying itself all over the Seishun Gakuen students' faces.
The chanting increased in volume, soon becoming a deafening howl. "We're invincible, Rikkai Dai!"
Marui chuckled good-naturedly, spinning his racquet on the ground. "So you saw through it right away – as expected of Seigaku's sneakiest bastard."
Momoshiro narrowed his eyes at Rikkai's Doubles Two pair. Just as I thought, they already processed our techniques and skills...
Marui gave a thumb up to his South American doubles partner. "You still have a long way to go before we ditch these," –he gestured to the black bands. "These little suckers."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"The matches are starting today," Mai smiled weakly while watching Yukimura prepping himself up for his operation. "How are you doing?"
Acknowledging the red haired tensai standing by the entrance, Yukimura greeted her with a determined expression. "While Sanada and the others are defending their title, I have a long overdue battle that's been postponed for awhile. Low risk or not, this surgery HAS to be successful. The competition is steadily growing and it will not be long before they crumble."
"You should have faith in them," the red haired tensai frowned a bit at Yukimura's lack of confidence. "They're all Zenkoku Taikai-level right?"
Yukimura's smiling face somewhat faltered. "It's not their lack of ability that is the area of concern. It's their mentality."
Mai raised an eyebrow as Yukimura sat down quietly on the hospital bed, staring out the window. The melancholic gaze in the demigod's eyes killed the cheerful mood as the sun created a small pool straight through the window with small clouds swimming through the sky. The Hyotei tensai inched slowly towards him until only a small distance separated their hands.
"Yukimura-kun," Mai sighed before looking out the window, watching a small white dove fly into the air. "You're going down the same path my captain once did."
"Once," Yukimura repeated before raising an eyebrow at the red head. "What do you mean 'once'?"
"Shizuru believed that the weight of the world should become her responsibility," Mai gripped the sheet tightly, her knuckles turning white. "Our former senpai made her into this self-loathing marionette that sacrificed everything regardless of how the people who are concerned feel. The team hated that side of her; it took all our efforts to resurrect the same girl who brought down every rival team out there and gambled on chances even if they were dangerous. Shizuru retarded her own potential and her team's without realizing it all because everything in her view became black and white."
Yukimura chuckled before running his fingers through her hair. "There should be some gray areas in that vision of hers..."
"That's why," Mai smiled wistfully at him. "Trust your teammates; if Sanada says he can bring home victory then, believe in his stone-faced high blood-pressured self!"
A laugh passed from the captain's lips as he gently pressed his lips against the back of her hand. "Thank you Mai. But for now, there's an operation that needs to be done."
Flushing into a brighter red than her locks, Mai demurely backed away as the nurse came in to fetch Yukimura.
"Yukimura-san, it's time."
The serene smiling captain stood up before walking towards the stretcher waiting outside, bidding goodbye to the tensai. As he got wheeled away, Mai quickly ran outside – realizing the chances of this surgery were dangerously low. Yukimura had told her all sorts of stories regarding the success rate and worst case scenario would be he would be reduced to a catatonic blubbering vegetable with no memory of self.
Now or never, Nagisaki!
Mustering up enough courage, Mai stood her ground as she hollered with the loudest volume possible.
"YUKIMURA, I LOVE YOU!"
Her voice echoed off the white solemn walls as he disappeared behind the swinging doors. Silence engulfed the entire hallway while Mai stood there frozen as the humming of the aircon became the only thing audible. The cold white walls glared back at her as the tensai fell to her knees, feeling a wave of helplessness wash over her. Hot salty tears welled up in her eyes as her body trembled from the fear of this being the last time of her getting a good view of Yukimura. Their conversation shot through her with pain realizing how far her captain was now. Physical wise, Mai knew that Shizuru recklessly jumped into situations and managed to keep her body in one piece but mental wise and emotional stability seemed a little debatable. The pasts of the captains entwined themselves with one another without her even realizing that their destinies were actually woven in that manner.
Ewww, too much Naruto, Mai shuddered at her morbidity. "Yukimura can't die there; he's the demigod. He's... YUKIMURA!"
Her body trembled violently, weakly standing up while averting her attention from the surgery. Her molten gold eyes glimmered; hopeful for the Rikkai Dai male's successful operation.
He's keeping his promise to them, Mai curled her fingers into a fist; a new determined glimmer appeared in her molten gold orbs. It's my turn to keep mine!
With no hesitation, Mai sprinted off towards the tennis court to maintain her promise to the Kami no Ko. Nurses gaped incredulously at her flash past them with astounding speed. Only a crimson blur remained visible as the tensai made her way to the Kantou Regional matches. Fortunately, the courts remained nearby the hospital that Yukimura had booked in and the loud chants allowed the tensai to easily tracked down to where the matches were being held.
"So, what did I miss," Mai squeezed in among the crowd, finding a good watching spot amongst Hitomi and Isane.
Isane gulped at the score, shielding her eyes from the numbers. "They're getting slaughtered out there..."
Horrified, Mai snapped her head towards the scoreboard only to find out that Seigaku continued on with a score of 4-0 as Kaidoh started messing up. He stumbled a few times, easily earning Rikkai Dai another game as he collapsed onto the ground. His heartbeat pounded hard as everything seemed to fade away into the darkness and heard nothing but a deafening silence. The snake felt his confidence wither into nothing as the very foundation found itself rocked by someone who probably only saw the technique once. The image of his doubles match with Inui against the Yamaguchi-Uchiha pair flashed before his eyes as he remembered the towering girl's determination to cover up for her fallen blonde friend. Despite being fearful of him, Isane battled hard and even resorted to using her 'Illusion' technique to throw them off-balance.
"Hmm," Marui chuckled as he volleyed it over. "Well, at least you guys lasted this long."
Momoshiro darted forward for a shot as Jackal sent it far back. The Brazilian cautiously predicted the landing point while watching Momoshiro cover up for Kaidoh's mistakes, smirking at the scenario.
"Doubles is supposed to be played by two people you know," Jackal fired another backhand towards the baseline.
Momoshiro winced at the fatigue overcoming his body as sweat poured down his face. His lavender eyes sparkled with defiance as the Dunk Smasher continued defending their baseline while Kaidoh froze on the court. Looking deep into his rival's eyes, the sophomore sensed the horror and shock washing over Kaidoh after being defeated by his own attack. He recalled his match with Sengoku and even until this match; the psychological damage didn't ebb away. However, Momoshiro decided to pick himself up rather than just drop way down even if it earned him an earful from Tezuka-buchou.
I know that agony, Momoshiro spared a glance for his doubles partner. That agony of having your very own technique being returned to you... but you're not alone, Kaidoh! Just give me a minute, I'm gonna pull you out of that mess!
As Marui flung another volley towards him, Momoshiro darted for it only to crash and tumble on the floor.
"Crap, I'm seeing stars," Momoshiro shook himself from the daze after kissing the pavement.
Before he could clamber up to his feet, Momoshiro found a green bandana hanging in front of his face.
"Here, use this," Kaidoh stood in front of him.
Momoshiro snorted before raising an eyebrow. "Keh, a dirty bandana? Well, it's better than nothing."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY! ARE YOU TRYING TO PICK A FIGHT," Kaidoh snatched Momoshiro by his jacket, glaring daggers.
"OBVIOUSLY, CAPTAIN OBLIVIOUS," Momoshiro bumped his forehead against the Boomerang Snake specialist's.
Marui and Jackal stared at the two nitwits, puzzled by their sudden outbursts and yelling.
"Well it seems you've recovered earlier than expected, Kaidoh," Momoshiro smirked before grabbing the other male's jacket. "Lend me your ear for a moment will ya?"
After a few minutes and a few nods, Kaidoh sauntered sulkily to the front as Momoshiro took his position at the back. Marui readied himself at the baseline for receiving the serve, noticing a new glint in the snake's eyes. Momoshiro tossed the ball for a bullet serve, forcing Marui to only lightly volley it and found Kaidoh by the net. The snake narrowed his eyes and blasted it with a different shot: the Short Snake which zoomed past Marui and went straight for Jackal. The Brazilian lunged for the shot and found it coming at him repetitively, obviously irking him.
You must persevere, Kaidoh! If there's anyone who's got more willpower than this guy, it's you!
Kaidoh continued plastering Jackal with the Short Snake, watching Jackal pour buckets of sweat and hyperventilate. Revenge for crushing him fuelled his determination even more as Kaidoh kept on attacking with that very same shot.
Screw you, Kaidoh glared as he hit the next Short Snake harder than before, forcing Jackal to lob it into the air.
"Here's a present for you, Momoshiro," Kaidoh muttered as his Doubles partner leapt high into the air and sent a Dunk Smash streaming straight down at them, echoing with a loud explosion.
The moment Momoshiro landed, a huge smirk appeared on Momoshiro's face. "Hey, aren't you guys going to remove those yet?"
Marui scoffed at the black haired Seigaku sophomore, dangling his weighted wrist in front of him. "Heh, I told ya: try and make us!"
Kaidoh continued with that very same strategy, striking the Snake again and again. Jackal found himself running around and Marui's attacks were rendered useless. Momoshiro grinned inwardly while analysing the situation again. As long as Marui had nothing coming at him, Jackal had to defend for Marui. He knew that they were specialists in only one place thus making a huge fatal flaw into what seemed flawless: "baldy" [as he referred to Jackal] would never leave his spot in the baseline; it was his pride and same applied to the red haired bubble gum guy [referring to Marui in his terms]. His lavender eyes sparkled mischievously as Marui continued to get frustrated down at front since Kaidoh's shot sped too far away from him to reach. Despite Jackal knowing the Boomerang Snake, Kaidoh knew the ingenuity behind it since he did start using this technique first.
"Game, Momoshiro-Kaidoh: five games to one!"
Seigaku, with renewed hope and vigour, chanted louder than ever. Echizen smirked while watching his two senpai duke it out with Rikkai Dai's pair, leaning back with his eyes glistening with amusement.
This ought to be fun.
Marui snorted as he watched the attacks zoom past him again. God, he really is Seigaku's sneakiest fellow. I bet he and Niou would get along well.
Soon, Jackal started faltering bit by bit – realizing the repetitiveness of the attack. However, Marui quickly found an opening and returned it with the Tetchuu Ate and sent the ball rolling right in front of Kaidoh. The snake refused to be intimidated by that one shot and continued attacking as soon as Momoshiro fired his service. However, Kaidoh smirked as he reinvented the Boomerang Snake from the Short Snake into...
"It's a Reverse Snake," one of the Ichinen exclaimed with amazement. "Its pathway is different!"
Due to shock and late reaction, Marui staggered backwards while Jackal forcibly lobbed the shot into the air. Momoshiro quickly seized the opportunity and smashed a cannonball straight towards them, knowing the impact of his own shot. The red haired self-proclaimed tensai however decided to shift roles as he darted for the other end of the court.
"Marui's going on defence," Haruka gaped at the turnout of events. "That shot's going to fracture his wrist if he does it wrong!"
Rin squeaked at the strength of the Dunk Smash, cowering behind the Pearl Dragon. "Ayane's the only one I know who can return that without straining!"
Fortunately for Rikkai's Magician, Marui lobbed the shot forcibly but not without skidding on his arm on the court.
"It's too high," Momo calmly analysed it with a bitter smile. "It's going to be an out."
Soon, the wind started blowing harshly against the ball and created a strong spin.
"Go in damn it," Marui desperately howled out as the ball slowly descended right at the edge of the baseline.
Hitomi, noticing a change in the wind's speed, shook her head to contradict. "No, it's in."
As the ball bounced at the very edge, Momoshiro and Kaidoh darted for the shot as they clashed their racquets together.
"Now," Momoshiro and Kaidoh swung their racquets for an extreme power shot.
The little neon green ball continued its journey until ultimately slamming into the net and rolling by the Seigaku pair's court.
"Game, Marui-Jackal pair: six games to one!"
"It's alright you guys," Oishi smiled comfortingly, ushering them back to their seats. "You guys gave it your best shot."
Ryuuzaki-sensei nodded with affirmation. "This is your first time coming in contact with Rikkai Dai's monsters. Remember it well."
Momoshiro and Kaidoh nodded before slumping on the benches. Sweat formed into puddles from where they sat as their hands trembled lightly after the match. Water splashed against their faces as the only source of comfort from the humid climate. The two rivals found themselves sitting right next to each other before drinking down their water in synchronized motions.
'Not bad doubles play, Mamushi," Momoshiro smirked as he doused himself with more cold water, sinking deeper into his seat. "You wanna have another go at it some time?"
"Fssh, maybe," Kaidoh grunted before facing upward to the sky. "But this time, we kick ass."
Momoshiro grinned cheekily, punching the air. "You bet your hissing ass we will!"
Ryuuzaki-sensei smiled at of the two rivals finally not trying to murder each other or trying to break their foreheads against one another. However, the score caused her to frown seeing the complete slaughter the two sophomores received. The imagination of the boys being crushed by their defeat seemed a little plausible especially with the kind of psychological damage that Rikkai Dai can inflict. Although Rikkai Dai proved their ruthlessness, Ryuuzaki-sensei knew what kind of explosion there would have been if Tezuka had not gone to Germany but she forgot to take note of the more dangerous lurking within the Seigaku Team.
Fuji Syuusuke maintained his perpetual smiling face before facing Kirihara Akaya.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Damn," Fuuka scratched her head before surveying the crowds. "Half the brutes here remind me how big that gorilla from Hyotei is."
"Kabaji-kun isn't a gorilla," Shizuru sternly chided before examining the other competitors.
Fuuka snorted with irritation. "I didn't mean him, douche."
Florence sent in their application forms and Natsuki slumped onto the bench before exhaling out a sigh of relief. Throwing off those heat seeking missiles probably would have embarrassed any Air Force pilot with the way she plunged the whole jet into an aerial acrobatics performance. Ai childishly swung her legs while hanging around the luggage whereas Shizuru and Fuuka stood next to one another, watching new competitors enter through the large doors.
"I'm glad you have all made it," a silky voice came from the projector TV. "It seems to me we have a lot of fighters."
No shit Sherlock, Fuuka cussed under her breath before glaring daggers at the announcer. It's about time you showed up, Ueda.
"Ueda Shigure," Natsuki hissed venomously while beadily staring at the screen. "Although he's one of those humanities paypol, he's the head honcho o' at least one of the big men."
Shigure, as if sensing their presence, grinned maliciously at the others. "Now, before you enter – we have to see if you're capable of taking down merciless fighters hence the elimination round! You guys have to beat them all, kill them if you want. Have fun girls~!"
Fuuka's temper boiled up instantly. This man's going down!
Shizuru pulled out her naginata while watching the approaching opponents, calmly anticipating their movement and showing her trademark smile. "Guys, we might have to apprehend these enemies first before we massacre Ueda-san."
"More like castrate the son of a bitch," Fuuka unleashed her huge mallet, grinning sardonically at the huge burly brutes. "Bring it on, jerkfaces!"
Natsuki chuckled before reloading her pistols. "Here we go."
Florence unsheathed her claws before licking it slowly. "Well, it seems we have to teach these imbeciles a lesson or two."
"Hooray, kick butt time," Ai whooped in joy before pulling out her maracas, dancing into a new rhythm. "Let's dance~!"
Without any warning or reluctance, fists flew as the five girls dodged out of harm's way. Shizuru drew her naginata before extending it to strike within point-blank range. Slashes appeared all over their arms as yowls of agony echoed through the dome's metal framework. Fuuka's battle cry struck fear into many as she played "Whack-an-Idiot" with them with her extremely heavy mallet whereas Ai danced around, pissing off her opponent as Natsuki put bullets in between their eyes. Florence dug her claws deep, ripping through their stomachs and chests with a menacing glare from her bright blue eyes. Agonized cries of terror and mercy continued to reverberate along the hallway as a figure amusingly watched the five girls massacre their opponents.
"What a splendid show," a clap came from screen as the man chuckled sadistically before turning to his attendant. "They dance very well, don't they?"
"Yes they do, Ueda-sama," the woman mechanically responded while standing next to him.
Fuuka pounded another one with a glacial glare flickering from her violet orbs whereas Shizuru maintained her grace with her bewitching smile. Florence maintained her composure despite having a hard time containing Fuuka's destructive tendencies as the Seishun Gakuen captain hurled another combatant against the steel girder. Ai whirled around for a roundhouse kick as Natsuki performed a headstand to lock one of the men down and crack his neck. Florence flashed behind one of them, appearing as if she had phased through them before dealing a finishing blow to one of the attackers.
"Forty seconds," Fuuka inhaled sharply while glancing at her watch. "We beat a freakin' army in forty seconds."
Florence counted the number of injured. "More like we defeated a battalion in forty seconds. Army's like a hundred plus people and there were only like thirty fighters in here."
"Heh, that mean we got ahrselves a good fight nex' door," Natsuki mused before kicking over another man to see his bloodied and rearranged face. "Wow, Ai went all out with this one."
Ai giggled happily before latching onto Fuuka who scowled in annoyance whereas Shizuru nonchalantly walked past all the bodies, not even wanting to know the destruction Fuuka and Ai caused by themselves. Natsuki snorted before scornfully shoving the huge gates open to find a stadium with a whole audience waiting for them to die. Florence adjusted the length of her jersey before entering the ring with chants and insults exploding throughout the arena.
"What the hell is this? A bunch of kids?"
"This is a freakin' human derby! Go home, video game addicts!"
Fuuka cracked her knuckles before throwing nasty looks at them. "They should go wet their beds."
"Souma-san, maybe we should concentrate on the match first," Shizuru kindly pushed Fuuka away from the audience, restraining her rage in her throat. "After all, we're here to locate my missing vice captain no?"
To think you were Project Megara, Fuuka spat venomously in her mind. "Anyway, who are our opponents now?"
"That would be us," a velvety voice sent shivers up Fuuka's spine as the red haired captain froze in horror.
Holy Kami-sama, I hope it's not who I think it is...
The moment she swivelled around, Fuuka's jaw dropped the moment a tall slender lavender haired female strode in with a pale while kimono along with her hair decorated for a geisha. No make-up marred her features as a slothful smirk appeared on her lips. Behind the young woman stood three lean men and one huge muscular one.
"Oh it's Kotetsu's little marionette and Fuuka-chan," she mocked disappointment, yawning a bit. "I thought you would remember me better than that."
"Jesus Christ," Fuuka fumbled around with her words. "I thought Kotetsu lost her mind but you too – Sanhyoujin Ami-senpai?"
Ami mildly dismissed the insult before the smirk diminished from her face. "Well, the Sanhyoujin family has been shielding ZODIAC for years. Besides, after tennis ended – I grew a little bored."
"So you decided to prance in and imitate a prostitute," Fuuka twitched horribly at the sight. "God, do you want to get raped – senpai?"
Ami shook her head, sadly wagging her finger at the red haired female. "Your usage of language is so vulgar, Fuuka. Didn't we fix that last year? Besides, what would Kaori say if she heard such a masculine conversation coming from your trouty mouth?"
"Yeah until your mind took a whole 180 degree turn and you went insane," Fuuka spat venomously, pointing her finger angrily. "I thought you were kidnapped after the incident in the S.S. Sakura!"
Ami shook her head, sighing. "Tut, tut, it's the art of deception. Do you not remember what the Sanhyoujin family is known for?"
One of the most high and mighty peeps who dance in the dark, Natsuki remembering performing research about the ninja clans as possible opponents for their Urabutousatsujin. "Fancy meetin' someone of high status sittin' in a nes' full of hornets.'
"Like I said," she reiterated coldly at the kansai captain. "I'm just here for entertainment. I can't wait to see you die though, Souma. Think how Kaori would mourn for her favourite little chew toy."
Fuuka spat out viciously, preparing to lunge at the woman. "Screw you, bitch!"
Florence and Natsuki quickly barricaded the Seishun female from ripping out Ami's throat, struggling heavily against her amplified inhumane strength. "Fuuka-chan, save your violent reactions for later! We're going to fight her team anyway!"
Fuuka calmed down immediately but not before snapping her jaws at Ami. As they reached their position, the matches had already been decided.
"Welcome to the Urabutousatsujin! Today is the fortieth year and we have many new competitors today," the announcer proceeded with her introduction. "My name is Maya and I will be your host for this whole tournament!"
"She didn't have to wear such skimpy bathing suits," Shizuru winced visibly at the bright neon colours distracting her from the announcements.
"Disgusting isn't it," Florence ruffled the hair of the brunette teasingly. "Anyway, here's the order for the matches."
Maya giggled childishly before redirecting everybody's attention to the LED screen. "The match will be between the Constellation Chaos versus Team Ninja 5!"
"Senpo – Kurenai Shizuru," she gestured to the red eyed brunette. "Versus Takehashi Yusuf!"
"Hn," one of the lean men stepped forward, brushing back his long silver tresses.
"Ninpo – Amakusa Natsuki versus Inugami," she ushered both the slate gray haired female and the dark haired tanned male onto the stage.
Natsuki chuckled and cracked her knuckles with a smirk. "This ain't mah first rodeo, ladies and gents!"
Inugami dangled his long tongue. "Geez, what a weirdo..."
"Meanie," Ai sniffed before pouting impishly.
"Chuku will be Hoshimura Florence versus Hiiragi," the announcer found Natsuki warming up next to her along with the male brushing his hair daintily before beckoning Fuuka, Ami, Ai and another male. "Shacho – Yukimura Ai versus Kiritsuga Dante! Taisho – Souma Fuuka versus Sanhyoujin Ami!"
The other four members promptly stepped off the stage as Shizuru and Yusuf stood face to face. As the audience fell into a terrible silence, Yusuf drew out an extendable staff while Shizuru unsheathed her naginata along with an octagonal shaped device in her hand. Heartbeats echoed in both combatants' ears as sweat trickled down their skin, breathing in synchronization before lunging towards one another.
"Kurenai Shizuru versus Takehashi Yusuf – begin," she declared as the alarm set off.
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Hahaha, finally – epic tennis! I know it's a little out of order but heck, I'm reading the manga again to make sure! Hooray for YukimuraXMai! Now all we have to do is wait for the dude's response to her confession! Will he turn her down or will he reciprocate her affections? Ah yes, Tezuka is finally starting to get a bigger picture although – I wasn't sure how exactly to depict his frustration. Somehow, twitching seemed a little too normal so I tried something a little more effective. Sorry if it made him slightly OOC.
By the way, my dear original characters - please remind the readers what they're supposed to do.
Female Hyotei Regulars: Please send reviews! Onegaishimase!