Me: Hi guys! Thanks for your reviews! I highly appreciate it especially with those with recommendations! It's what moulds the story. :D No seriously, that's what it does! XD Please keep on reviewing! Guys, if you want to see the drawings of the characters – check my profile and look at the end, the link should be there. Time to end this vicious arc and head towards the romantic parts! This is practically the longest fanfic I've ever made. I thought I'd stop at forty. :)) By the way, I don't own Prince of Tennis!

Chapter 49 – Return Home

Blades clashed as sparks flew into the air as the whole crowd found themselves unable to peel their eyes off the intense match between both speed demons. Florence somersaulted over as she brought down her claw against Miria's blade as the woman left a phantasm behind her before landing a kick at the British-Japanese girl's abdomen. Flying back, the Jyosei Shounan female captain spun around in the air before sailing through it again to graze Miria's forehead with an 'x' shaped wound forming at her face. The platinum blonde woman showed no hint of agony as she launched herself again at Florence. Slightly flinching from the impact of Miria's kick, the Eurasian teenager spun around on her hands for a spinning kick as the older woman staggered back.

"Why is it you seem familiar," Miria coughed out, leaning against her claymore for support. "How is it you were able to replicate all my moves?"

Florence shook herself away from the daze as her body started to pulse with energy, controlling the flow. "I thought replicating your moves would help you remember who you are, former Aquarian representative Phantom Miria. You were the fastest princess alive and I was honoured to be your protégé. You made everything so simple as if the CHroME was simply a part of you. I respected your ability and we always worked together but I never foresaw the day I would be your executioner."

Miria narrowed her eyes as she lunged with her sword, coming in for a fatal impale. "Don't speak as if you know me!"

Florence sprung from her position with her claws positioned, watching Miria's attacking pattern. "Trust me, I know you more than you know yourself now!"

An immediate silence ensued as both attackers crossed with one another, landing on the other side. Florence winced from the impact as she felt a deep gash directly beneath her rib but not before the Eurasian adolescent discovered blood all over her claws as Miria collapsed on the ground. The honey blonde girl's cerulean blue eyes glimmered sadly at her mentor's state before she walked over to close her eyes.

"Rest in peace, my dear mentor," Florence performed the sign of the cross, slowly shutting her mentor's eyes before casting a withering glare at a sniggering Ueda Shigure.

Fuuka, angrily pulling out her octagonal-shaped device, transformed into flame draped version before preparing to launch herself at the man. "That's it! I've had enough of your bestial stupidity! You're going down, Ueda! I don't care if I have to spray your blood all over this stadium but as long as you stop taking lives for your own sick games!"

The beefy man chuckled darkly, entwining his multiple ringed thick fingers together. "As if you can bring me down – as long as your covers as middle school students stand, you cannot destroy me!"

Shizuru narrowed her eyes with a bitter smile, holding a phone behind her. "We don't need to destroy you. We just need someone to find you."

Debris suddenly rained from the roof as helicopters hovered over the stadium with dangling ropes. Operatives dropped down from the sky as the audience started creating a stampede in a mass of panic, causing the soldiers to gather them in one side. Gun shots echoed throughout the air as Ueda started scampering away with a terrified expression, shoving past his bodyguards.

"Natsuki, Shizuru, Ai and Florence, target's heading to the lobby," Fuuka immediately swam through the crowd, watching Ueda's movements. "Corner him!"

Without any word exchange, the four immediately disappeared into the crowd.

Ai jumped on people's shoulders, looking all around. Jumping onto one of the fluorescent light hangers, she swung herself over to the northern exit. Her lavender eyes glimmered sadly at the people running around and screaming in horror as the police kicked them over to one side. The blue haired girl hung her head melancholically before focusing on the mission at hand. Searching around the whole perimeter, the female Yukimura continued to jump around while springing off some people's heads.

"Maa, how can a chubby man like him get lost in this mess," Ai pouted impishly while landing at the northern exit, singing to herself. "Better start cornering him~!"

Shizuru however wished she could easily move around like Ai.

Swimming through the stampeding crowd, the brunette evaded any person who may have the potential to either crush her or she may accidentally hit. Closing her eyes, she focused most of her physical strength into her legs before leaping into the air and landing on one of the higher edges of the stadium. She swung her body over, wincing at the strain of her knee. However, Shizuru located the trail of unconscious bodyguards while following them into another escape route. Analysing the area for any potential attackers, Shizuru drew out her CHroME before cautiously proceeding on to the next room.

Florence on the other hand nearly found herself suffocated by the amount of people, screaming in terror for their lives.

The Eurasian girl breathed haggardly while searching for the nearest exit or any place with breathing space. Pulling out her inhaler, she fuelled herself up for another strenuous run as people stared slamming against her while shoving one another for the exit. Florence darted towards the stadium centre while working out the fastest escape detour. Snorting inwardly in annoyance, she pulled out the CHroME before slashing it across. The device glowed brightly with a bright blue colour as it gave her an extreme wind-powered launch, allowing her to surpass the crazy traffic.

Fuuka decided to do the unorthodox way of getting through traffic.

With one solid punch, Fuuka burned down the wall as it crumbled into dust on her feet. Walking through calmly and ignoring the hordes of people squeezing through the other exits, the red haired Seishun Gakuen captain sauntered into the other rooms while tracing the crimson walls. Ornate paintings and candelabra stood by at the hallway, lighting it dimly. She lightly tapped the walls while continuing her walk forward before hearing a hollow thump. A smirk graced her lips as her CHroME charged up her punch again, allowing her to destroy another heavily reinforced wall. Fuuka walked in leisurely when she found her way to the lobby with Ueda Shigure scampering for his helicopter.

"You rotten son of a bitch," Fuuka quickened her pace as she chased after him, pushing past the other people. "Where the hell are the other four?"

As the helicopter hovered into the air, the other four girls reappeared with them breathing heavily.

"God, that crowd was horrible," Florence inhaled sharply, watching the helicopter awkwardly stabilize itself on the air. "Oh, I'm guessing he's in there?"

"What do you think, Captain Obvious?"

Shizuru squinted her eyes a bit as she drew out her extendable halberd, looking for a place she could easily hook her blade. "Anybody up for an extreme thrill ride hanging from the chopper's legs?"

Florence stared at her incredulously, glancing back at her and then at the helicopter. "Are you crazy? You of all people can barely swim!"

"I'm not doing this whole thing alone," Shizuru pointed out immediately, disguising her quaking voice as she recalled her inability to swim. "I was hoping if Natsuki can help me."

Natsuki shrugged it off nonchalantly, cracking her knuckles. "Who said ah was gonna say no anyway?"

Shizuru re-summoned her chained halberd, extending it far enough to hook onto one of the legs of the helicopter. Natsuki leapt up onto one of the legs as Shizuru started pulling herself up whereas Fuuka, Florence and Ai ran towards the plane they took in order to chase down their culprit. Fuuka immediately jumped into the pilot's chair, twisting the key.

"Here we go," she powered it up as the plane lurched forward, throwing the rest of the team back. "Sorry, I'm not as good as Natsuki when it comes to piloting jumbo jets!"

The jumbo plane lurched instantaneously as it hounded the helicopter across the sea. Fuuka tightly gripped the controls as the gun on the helicopter swivelled around to suddenly face them.

"Holy God," Fuuka jerked the controls, completely paling with horror. "That thing's armed with a Tommy Gun!"

Florence latched herself onto one of the chairs, struggling against the air turbulence. "Ai, start powering up a barrier!"

Drawing out her maracas, Ai flashed them left and right as the bullets sailed above the jumbo plane. The red haired Seigaku captain warily watched two of her teammates clamber up onto the helicopter while clinging onto anything for dear life. Maintaining a certain speed, Fuuka hovered right behind the helicopter at a safe distance while trying to make sure that the two wouldn't be thrown off.

"Kurenai's crazy, she can't swim to save her life," Fuuka snorted disgustedly, swerving to avoid the missiles. "Isn't it ironic? Her emblem is Pisces too!"

Florence shrugged while watching the missiles from outside the windows, watching them align with the plane. "Fuuka, you better know how to use the slipstream! We've got heat seekers on our tail!"

Clucking her tongue in annoyance, Fuuka threw the airplane into a wild spin as the missiles started flying around awry. Trails of smoke crossed the sunset sky with the planes roaring in their own jetstream. Natsuki and Shizuru on the other hand swung themselves over into the helicopter the moment it started flying around awkwardly.

"Get away from me," Ueda shrieked in horror as he started swinging the joy stick around, nearly throwing Shizuru out of the helicopter.

Natsuki immediately placed her gun to his head, glaring. "Yer gonna 'ave ta do everythin' I say, Sugarcube. Yer gonna land this baby in Tokyo Airport."

Beads of sweat profusely poured down Ueda's face as he shuddered fearfully at the charcoal gray haired female. Shizuru swung herself up with slight difficulty but managed to place her halberd by Ueda's neck. The beefy old man shivered violently until he noticed a red button right beneath his elbow, smirking in delight. He started with a low chuckle before hammering it down, throwing the helicopter on a complete crazy wild ride. As the helicopter bucked a few times, Natsuki found herself flung against the wall while Shizuru shoved Ueda out of the pilot's chair in order to regain control over the helicopter. As the small aircraft slowly stabilized, Ueda pointed a gun to Natsuki's head but not before the charcoal gray haired girl pulled out two of her guns.

"Ah can pull this trigger faster than you can cry for Ma," Natsuki smirked, cocking the gun. "This ain't the first time ahm gonna double tap ta a person's noggin'."

As more airplanes began surrounding the helicopter, Ueda surrendered miserably as Natsuki and Shizuru began tying him up. Fuuka and the others guarded the helicopter as it landed in Tokyo Airport, letting everyone shakily leave the plane after a wild missile evasion. Ai shivered slightly, watching the trail of smoke in the air.

"I'm glad this is over," Florence wiped the sweat from her brow, noticing two men standing at a distance. "What are Mr. Decker and Mr. Sagara doing here?"

The five girls exchanged glances with one another before walking towards them. A tall bulky man folded his arms, raising his eyebrow before examining the situation. Sagara, on the other hand, smiled in approval while nodding at the outcome of their strategy.

"Good work," Sagara ruffled Shizuru's hair, sighing dejectedly. "I hope this didn't really interfere with your schedules."

Roarke scoffed darkly at the Japanese man's sense of worry, rolling his eyes sarcastically. "It doesn't matter. They already managed to bring him down. He was a global threat and all potential dangers must be brought down."

Sighing at his tactlessness, Sagara affectionately pat Shizuru's shoulder. "Well, I think you and Ai still have some responsibilities to deal with."

Shizuru and Ai exchanged glances with one another until a realization hit them. "We took that long!"

"Not necessarily," Sagara chuckled cheerfully, pressing a button on his car keys to beckon a Toyota Land Cruiser. "If you kids don't mind travelling off-road then, I think my car can get you there."

Fuuka grinned excitedly, cracking her knuckles. "Alright, let's get a move on!"

Natsuki shrugged nonchalantly, wondering about her schedule. "Ah've got nothing after this so; ah guess ah can go watch the fight."

"Oh by the way," Sagara suddenly remembered, glancing at Roarke and getting an approving look. "The council discussed this and apparently, the vote was unanimous."

The five girls stared at him queerly as Roarke opened a box, gesturing to all of them. "Due to all your beyond standard work, you are highly respected members of L.X.A. However, seeing that you are still kids – it's time you put that world behind you. You're to retire from your lives as L.X.A agents and resume back to your normal lives. We have more than enough recruits to deal with the problems at hand. Also," the burly man showed them letters. "These are for each of you. Souma Fuuka, your father..."

"I'm not living with that old man ever again," Fuuka hissed venomously, tearing the envelope to examine the contents only to stare in surprise and completely admonished. "N-No way..."

"He never sold you to us," Sagara admitted sadly, folding his arms. "It was the only way to prevent people from attacking you and your mother. He never wanted to sell you to the scientists but what choice did he have? He may have been highly business oriented but that doesn't mean that he never cared for his only child. I knew your mother, Fuuka. She's much closer to you than you think."

Roarke's eyes widened with horror; he narrowed his eyes angrily at the Asian. "Sagara...!"

"It's time we tell them," Sagara shook his head in deep regret, holding Shizuru's hands with much loving care. "Shizuru, you were never an orphan and people have always been taking care of you. I was a friend of your father's back in High School and I knew your mother as well. By God, I can perfectly say that you inherited the way she looks. It was as if she transferred everything she had to you in order to protect you. Your mother's name is... Shuzen Naoto."

Florence gaped in astonishment, blinking her eyes several times along with picking her ears. "Do you mean the Smiling Virgin?"

Sagara nodded weakly, unable to give direct eye contact to his adoptive daughter. "Shizuru, your memories of before you came to L.X.A were suppressed by your mother before she passed away. She wanted you to live a blood-free life. Both she and your father wished the same thing for you and your siblings."

Shizuru blinked several times. "I have siblings?"

Sagara wryly smiled at the other girls, kneading his knuckles against one another. "Fuuka, did you ever wonder as to where the CHroMEs come from?"

The red haired girl frowned albeit slightly, folding her arms in response. "Aren't they engineered from metals and meteors?"

"So they say," Natsuki narrowed her eyes at the Japanese man, tapping her foot on the ground. "Yer implying that our CHroMEs are made from failed agents?"

Everyone's eyes widened with horror as they re-directed all their attentions to the two men. Roarke raked his fingers roughly, sighing to himself in complete frustration. The five girls were the best of L.X.A and hence forth the reason for the government's high security and low crime rate but bringing up this issue now would begin a revolution. However, he knew they couldn't avoid those facts forever. The five were raised to adapt to any environment regardless of the circumstance but one way or another, the emotional stability was bound to crumble.

"Not necessarily failed Princesses but those who have gone through their coronation," Sagara beckoned the girls to follow him to the alley behind the airports and away from the paparazzi. "Their bodies contain elements that are required to create the CHroME. Fuuka, your mother was the very first princess..."

Fuuka's eyes widened. "She used...?"

"Ophiucus," Roarke snorted in disgust as he folded his arms, admitting darkly. "Ophiucus the Magnificent is the 13th CHroME but due to your mother's coronation – it became the very first Void CHroME. Although, you shouldn't be talking to us about this – there's someone more informed about this project than we are."

Fuuka narrowed her eyes, shaking her head. "Save it, right now we better get Ai and Shizuru back to the Regionals. There's something I want them to decide."

Everyone directed their attention towards Fuuka as she grinned.

"Who's going to be the one to meet Seigaku in the finals?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Sanada stared in horror and defeat, watching the tennis ball roll with extreme friction onto the ground before climbing up the fence. Rikkai Dai remained completely silent as Seigaku found themselves, staring disbelievingly at the scoreboard and the outcome. The ball quietly rolled near Sanada as the capped vice captain found himself paralysed with denial and fear. The world spun around him as he slowly fell to his knees, attempting to accept it.

I'm sorry, Yukimura...

"Game, Echizen: seven games to six! Winner is Seigaku!"

All the Seigaku supporters jumped around and whooped for joy, hugging each other. Some even burst out crying a fountain of tears as they began dancing around. Rikkai Dai sadly looked at their Regulars, seeing how much they wanted to win for their captain's sake. However, the cheers of the Seigaku students echoed throughout the stadium and even earning a few applauses from the other team. Atobe smirked, leaning against the wall as he wondered how the man managed to inspire his team despite him not being physically present. Ayane clapped enthusiastically along with Rin whistling and cheering for her friend, Kikumaru. Gakuto let out an indignant snort while watching Rin whoop louder. Kajimoto nodded in acknowledgement, clapping as well.

However, the Rikkai Dai female tennis regulars found themselves even more determined to win as they eagerly waited for Ai to arrive. Sanada huddled the whole team together, gripping their shirts tightly. The whole team remained silent at first with a disappointed Kirihara. Marui and Jackal hung their heads lightly, knowing the disappointment coming from Yukimura. Niou remained completely silent but his gaze often went towards Isane. However, Sanada steeled himself before facing his teammates.

"We may have lost now but the Nationals will be ours," Sanada declared with a determined glint in his eyes. "We will not lose again!"

Kirihara grinned smugly, patting his senpai on the shoulders. "You betcha we're gonna floor Seigaku in the Nationals!"

With a loud chorus in agreement, the Rikkai Dai regulars left the courts to watch the next set. Silence engulfed the court once again as the girls' team entered quietly, steeling themselves for their matches. Mai tested the tension on her racquet, inhaling deeply before looking at the scoreboard. A blonde female immediately entered the court as she began stretching and warming up. The red haired tensai remained completely silent but she knew the deciding point of this match. Although Momo, Haruka and Rin swiped victory by a bare margin, one mistake could send the tables tipping in Rikkai Dai's favour.

"Singles Two will now begin! Hyotei Gakuen's Nagisaki Mai versus Rikkai Dai's Sarah Jaëger! Game start, Nagisaki to serve!"

Niou slid over to Isane, leaning against the railing. "So, your kohai's going to play now?"

"Most of them are my kohai, Niou-kun," Isane responded albeit coldly, remembering what he had purposely done to Kikumaru.

"Babe, why the cold tone," Niou drawled lightly while deciding to sit on the railing, facing her. "You don't normally sound that cold."

"I just remembered what my captain had told me long ago when she was to assume her position," Isane averted her eyes away from the Trickster's devious blue eyes. "Tennis is not a tool used to hurt people. You could have killed Kikumaru out there or even rendered him blind!"

Niou frowned a bit before letting out a nonchalant shrug, wondering why she would even care about someone like Kikumaru. "To be honest, it's his fault for getting in the way."

"Niou-kun, it's obvious you set it up," Isane sighed dejectedly, looking away. "I just want to watch this match. Hopefully, my captain comes and she'll be able to face off with Yukimura Ai in case things go bad. Mai's probably going to fool around for awhile; something seemingly I don't know – shattered her back there."

Rin hung her head, swinging her legs on the railing. "It's about Yukimura."

Everyone swivelled their heads towards the black haired acrobat, recalling then that Heilongjiang had Insight.

"I don't know exactly what happened between them but it's just something to do with him," Rin sighed sadly, watching Mai steel herself for the match. "She's just trying to psych herself into Muga no Kyouchi in order to forget everything that happened back there in the hospital."

Ayane nodded in affirmation, glancing to check Mai's face again. "Come to think of it, her face was a bit too red to be from the heat. Her face looked like they were tear-streaked or something."

As they got onto the court to shake hands, Sarah gripped Mai's hand in the handshake. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just thought of something sad is all," Mai shook away the emotions threatening to surge out of her, darkly smiling at her.

No, those emotions shouldn't mess up my match. Put that aside for now.

Sarah flinched slightly from the sardonic grin Mai gave her before walking to her end of the baseline. She lowered her centre of gravity, watching Mai bounce the ball carefully. The court overwhelmed itself with a deafening silence as Mai tossed the ball into the air, watching her opponent carefully.

Here I come!

Mai fired a fast serve to which Sarah immediately responded with a fast forehand. Dancing on her tiptoes, the red haired tensai sprinted to the left side for a cross court backhand. Sarah narrowed her eyes at the speed of the ball as it created a hairpin on the net. She rushed forward only to meet Mai's stony gaze when she brought down a smash.

"Fifteen-love," Mai landed gracefully on her feet, staring at her beadily with her cat-like amber eyes.

Sarah inhaled and exhaled rhythmically, watching Mai continue to stare down at her. "Not a bad run but how long can you keep that up?"

Mai shrugged uncaringly, averting her eyes from Sarah. "I don't know. Just as long as it can keep me focused."

Watching her walk away, Sarah furrowed her eyebrows a bit as she remembered everything Amane Kira told her.

Nagisaki Mai, the "Dancing Genius", has never lost a match in terms of speed and counterattack. The only way to bring her down is to whittle her stamina.

Sarah bit back her fear, feeling the horror and tension the red haired tensai emitted from her presence alone. She inhaled sharply while recollecting her wit as another serve cracked off Mai's racquet. Sarah leapt forward in order to forcibly lob the shot as Mai jumped high for another intense smash. The German female launched herself in order to deflect the shot as Mai continued with a high speed volley. The ball immediately vanished as she slashed it with a top spin, sending the ball into the air. The sun beamed down, nearly blinding Sarah as Mai sniggered at her.

"Kurosakuraso," –the ball immediately descended with a hard drop as it spun away from her opponent. [Black Primrose]

Hiyoshi raised an eyebrow at his red haired classmate as she danced around Sarah. "She's making short work of her."

"Mai's obviously nicked about something," Oshitari adjusted his glasses, checking his cellphone. Hmm, Kenya isn't here yet. That's odd...

"Hey cousin," a thick kansai accent caused Oshitari and Kiyone to turn around, revealing Kenya walking towards them. "So, what did I miss?"

The blue haired kansai prodigy snickered, folding his arms. "Only the greatest match in middle school history. Now, we're gonna watch another epic one as soon as the captains show up."

Kiyone grinned innocently at the tall sandy haired speed demon. "Hey, when did you get here?"

"Only a few minutes ago," Kenya scratched his head sheepishly, ignoring the fact that he ditched his team. "Anyway, who's attacking and who's getting squashed?"

Oshitari chuckled darkly at the flow of the match, watching Mai snatch another point. "Mai's already snatching points and Sarah's already sweating buckets. Need to say more?"

On the other hand, the Trickster found himself at a loss what to say about Isane's approach to his style. Sure, Kikumaru took a blow to his face but he didn't kill the guy. Although, he knew a blow to the eye could damage either any part of even visual perception with blindness being the worst case scenario. He shoved his hands into his pocket with a disgruntled snort until he heard some girls running, revealing Yukimura Ai and Kurenai Shizuru along with Fuuka, Florence and Natsuki trailing behind them. The whole Hyotei team swivelled their attention towards their newly arrived captain as Rin and Kiyone immediately jumped on her. Rikkai Dai rushed towards Ai; some even lifted her off the ground. Ayane however grabbed her captain by her jersey.

"Where have you been? We were waiting ages for you! You could have gotten killed! What is wrong with you," Ayane shook her violently, ignoring anything stammering out of the brunette's mouth. "No excuses! I'm going to nag you like anything until your ears bleed!"

Marui winced at the extreme lack of volume control the tangerine haired vice captain had. "Ouch, I would really hate to be in her shoes."

Atobe shrugged nonchalantly, sniggering at his fellow captain's predicament. "It's her way of showing that she cares."

Upon seeing the whole team back together, a huge smile appeared on Mai's face as she turned around to face Sarah once more. The blonde Aryan female tightly gripped her racquet, watching Mai's movements carefully. As the tensai launched another fast service, Sarah jumped forward to volley the shot across with Mai running towards the net. Their speed increased considerably as Ai and Shizuru took their places on the captains' benches.

"Captain, where have you been," Yui wailed as she hugged Ai tightly, ignoring the fact that she may be suffocating her. "We've been waiting for you all week!"

Ai struggled to release herself from Yui's grasp, praying she had no broken ribs. "Yui, we still have a match to win. Please don't suffocate me!"

Rin leapt onto Shizuru's shoulders, nearly causing the brunette to fall over. "Buchou, don't leave us again!"

Shizuru tapped Rin's arms and gasping for air, smiling kindly. "I won't but please don't deprive me of oxygen."

Mai scored with another smash, screaming down from her racquet. The whole Hyotei crowd chanted and cheered with much vigour, scaring many of nearby supporters. Spectators from all schools soon became attracted to the loud noise Hyotei Gakuen became directly responsible for.

"Game, Nagisaki: one game to love!"

Sarah, wiping the sweat from her face, stood straight and tall as she prepared for a service. Fighting Mai would often be determined as a suicide match between her and whoever but Sarah smirked inwardly to herself as she began to contort her body. Staring from the baseline, Mai raised an eyebrow quizzically at Sarah's new technique.

"What in the world is that," Haruka rubbed her eyes disbelievingly. "Who in the world bends like a piece of rubber?"

Hitomi narrowed her eyes as she brought out her notebook. "It's a highly warped technique in a sense that if she does not use it – she would already be struggling against Kiyone in a Singles match. However this technique completely alters her ranking in the middle school books. She contorts her body in a way that she swings over like a pendulum. This is the unpolished version of Amakusa Natsuki's Serpent's Punishment. People dub Sarah as..."

"Sarah the Dust Eater," Ai smirked as the blonde became incredibly serious as Mai started dashing all over the place. "With this, her shots become more unpredictable as the speed increases. Using the physics behind the pendulum, Sarah warps her body in a way that she can use the momentum to throw back her opponent."

Hiyoshi leaned against his elbows, pondering in surprise. "Why is it only now that Jaëger chooses to wield that technique?"

"Perhaps it's a technique she refuses to use in public due to its warped nature," Taki followed her movement with his camera recorder, watching intently. "We can already see that Mai's being forced on the defensive. But..."

"Mai-Mai does have a plan for this right," Jirou pouted childishly at Atobe, watching Mai return most of Sarah's shots.

"Don't worry so much about it, Jirou," Atobe smirked as he placed his hand over his eyes, using his Insight. "Right now, it's Mai who we shouldn't be worrying about."

Another shot cracked behind Mai as Sarah ceased bending around.

"Game, Jaëger: one game all!"

Fuuka sniggered, folding her arms as she stood behind Shizuru. "So, how is she going to get out of this one now, Kurenai?"

Shizuru glanced at Mai, noticing a more determined look on her face. "I need not to worry. She can handle herself just fine."

Seeing her captain nod with a confident look on her face, Mai found herself smirking as she returned her attention to Sarah. "Your body flexes itself in order to return the ball in an awkward angle. In doing so, you delay the shot henceforth – making a lot of people miss and use up their stamina too fast. But that all depends on what kind of rhythm your using."

Sarah narrowed her eyes at Mai as the red haired tensai grinned darkly. "I'll show you that your Dust Eater technique won't even earn you three games."

"Fine," she sniggered with a challenging glare, throwing the ball up for the serve. "Challenge accepted!"

Mai launched herself forward with a strong backhand, throwing back Sarah. As the blonde unleashed the Dust Eater, Mai immediately returned to the middle of the baseline as she watched Sarah's shot fly towards her. With a pirouette, Mai spun around and flung the ball straight back at her with extreme speed as it cracked at the very corner of the singles court. Sarah stared, completely admonished and horrified at the quick adaptation.

"Your contortion is just there to agitate people but once they understand the mechanics," Mai smirked, resting her racquet onto her shoulder. "It becomes much clearer to them. It's true that the technique is extremely warped but in reality it isn't. You create a mirage that you're bending over but you're not even flexing. It's just the lengthening of your swing time. You wait for the ball to drop low to the point you have to bend low hence giving the image of you lusting for dust."

Sarah stared in shock as Mai's expression became a huge grin from ear to ear. Ai narrowed her eyes at the outcome of the match, knowing Mai's quick pick-up of attacks. Shizuru smiled at Mai's sudden progress as the tensai continued her attack. However, Sarah didn't seem the least bit perturbed anymore now that she saw that Mai figured out the operation of the Dust Eater.

"Who said that was the only attack I knew?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Taking all his things, Tezuka walked over to the telephone booth. "Hello?"

"Tezuka, how are you doing there in Germany," a familiar voice asked, completely concerned.

"My shoulder seems to have worked out a few bugs, Ryuuzaki-sensei," Tezuka loosened his shoulder a bit, feeling relieved at the slightly alleviated burden. "I should be able to return home by later this evening. Is the team doing alright?"

Ryuuzaki-sensei chuckled, congratulating him. "I should be congratulating you, Tezuka. Your team won the Regionals. Rikkai Dai didn't know what hit them when Echizen entered Singles One."

"That's usually the case," Tezuka inwardly smirked to himself, glad that his team pulled through. "Are there any other matches?"

"Rikkai Dai and Hyotei are both battling it out to face us in the finals," –Tezuka suddenly heard a loud crash in the background, hearing Kikumaru wailing along with his other teammates asking about him. "Hold on for a minute..."

Tezuka waited on the line as Ryuuzaki-sensei's voice echoed through the phone, flinching slightly from the volume. "WILL YOU BOYS STOP JUMPING AROUND LIKE A BUNCH OF MONKEYS!"

A small chuckle bubbled from his throat, wondering what his teammates were doing. Spending time in Germany made him miss them as they were often a bunch of noise-makers. It seemed impossible for him to study now without something blaring through his ears but the mirth his teammates brought him despite being in Japan made him feel at ease again.

"Nagisaki Mai's bringing down Jaëger Sarah pretty easily but the girl's clearly holding back on her," Ryuuzaki-senseicontinued watching the match between Sarah and Mai. "It's a battle for the finals but I think Hyotei's going to have this one in the bag. Considering their best pair has been taken down by Hikifumi and Shimohi, I don't think the Kobayagi-Getsugan pair is going to have a problem. So, I'm guessing you and Fuuka will have to cross notes regarding them for the Nationals. Although Hyotei did not make it into the semi-finals, I'm sure they would be selected as the recommended team."

Tezuka nodded absentmindedly for a moment, pondering about the matches. He merely concerned himself with the girls' team since Fuuka and him were classmates. However, he found himself wondering about Shizuru whether or not she could take it. Recalling his last match with her in the training camp, Shizuru would be condemning herself to a life in a wheel chair. However, Tezuka quickly cancelled that thought as Ryuuzaki-sensei sighed on the phone.

"Anyway, the team called up to tell you to get better soon," Ryuuzaki-sensei chuckled, continuing to watch the match. "But I seem you're doing just that."

"Ah, I'll see you then, sensei."

As the phone line went dead, Tezuka hauled his bags over his shoulder as he finally felt some relief instead of a stabbing pain. He walked out towards the streets, heading towards the airports. The Seishun Gakuen captain peeked into his wallet, seeing what souvenir he could bring home for his parents. His friends were more the food type of people but after staying in Germany for weeks – the food would be expired by then. However, the joy of his team winning somewhat overwhelmed him as a smile appeared on his face.

"I see you're preparing to go home," a female voice caused him to turn around, seeing his coach standing behind him. "You've been recovering pretty fast. I guess you know the gravity of your situation now don't you?"

Tezuka furrowed his eyebrows slightly at his buxom coach, recalling the talk they had regarding Shizuru and Sanada. "Yes, I know."

"Good, so what are you going to do about it," his coach folded her arms, raising an eyebrow at him. "You can't let him get away."

"Tennis was never a weapon to breed jealousy," Tezuka countered, restraining his temper.

"I didn't say it needed to be in the form of tennis."

Tezuka remained completely silent as the woman patted his shoulder. "I know you have a lot on your mind but don't forget of what is precious to you. You care a lot for your team but don't forget to take care of yourself. You're a very selfless man, Tezuka. But sometimes, that selflessness will be the cause of your own misery."

Watching her walk away, Tezuka pondered on the older woman's words as he continued walking towards the airports. However, he made one stop to the post office. In his hand, Tezuka tightly gripped the letter as he wondered whether or not he should send it. Inui knew nothing of her address and the only place he knew she would often be would be in Hyotei Gakuen. Steeling himself, Tezuka hesitantly gave his message to the operator there while paying the fee and everything. His heart immediately stopped as he watched the mailman put it into a box heading for Japan, seeing the box sliding down the chute. Although he couldn't understand what possessed him to gain such confidence, Tezuka bit his lip hard; it was now or never. He opened his cellphone and began scrolling the numbers until he noticed an unnamed number. Quizzical, the Seishun Gakuen senior dialled it up.

"I see you found my number," Lars smirked at the other end on the phone, causing Tezuka to twitch. "By the way, Shizuru's currently about to enter her Singles One match after the Kobayagi and Getsugan pair finish off their opponents. Apparently, Singles Two got wrapped up pretty fast and Ayane and Kiyone are making short work of the other pair despite their National Calibre."

Tezuka continued to twitch a bit. "How do you know this?"

"Alisa has a built in camera that allows her to see through devices within the area," Lars continued driving around. "She's currently using the camera recorder of one of the regulars. I'm sure he doesn't even know that she's hacking into his signal."

Frowning a bit, Tezuka glanced at the sky before unknowingly walking into the city park. Couples were walking around, some were laughing and boys started taking their girls on boat rides. Some were simply walking their dogs and another was the girl had fallen asleep against the boy's chest with him wrapping his arms warmly yet protectively around her. Tezuka mentally kicked himself for his carelessness as he quickened his pace throughout the park.

"Anyway, what time's your flight," Lars questioned on the other end.

"In an hour," Tezuka began briskly walking once again, attempting to ignore all the romantic happenings around him. "Why?"

"I don't know – thinking maybe you could join me for some coffee or something," Lars suggested, watching the stoplight. "Maybe I can even drive you there?"

"No thank you I can walk there by myself," Tezuka exhaled in relief as he left the area only to find himself in front of a dance studio.

Curious, the bespectacled male walked in only to find them having ballroom classes. Another side had Street Dance classes and all other sorts of dance classes. However, he found himself primarily interested in the ballroom dancers as images started to change. He stared at one of the students dancing with her partner and instead of seeing them, Shizuru and him appeared. He spun her around as they continued with their waltz and imagining her in a gown made things even more appealing to his eyes. She looked amazing and if he recalled the last time, Shizuru barely wore any make-up. The teacher soon played the music as the song softly began to entrance him.

Mm-mm, mm-mm, mm-mm,

You by the light

Is the greatest find

In a world full of wrong

You're the thing that's right

Finally made it through

The lonely to the other side

Tezuka knitted his eyebrows together, watching the dancers flow gracefully with the music. He felt the warmth on his hands and the atmosphere around him started to change. Everything soothed his racked nerves and anything about Sanada went down the drain. He felt her hand tug him gently as Tezuka absentmindedly followed her to the dance floor as she graced him with her gentle smile. He could feel the slow sway as his stolid expression suddenly faded. His heart rapidly pounded against his chest as she continued to waltz with him.

You set it again, my heart's in motion

Every word feels like a shooting star

I'm at the edge of my emotions

Watching the shadows burning in the dark

And I-ei-ei-I'm in love and I-ei-ei-I'm terrified

For the first time and the last time

In my only life,

Tezuka closed his eyes, wondering if this were a dream or not. However, the movements, the music and her interactions with him seemed very realistic as he slowly led her. People's eyes slowly focused on them as they began dancing in the gazebo area. Fireflies suddenly began to surround them with their bright yellow lights as the Night Blooming Cereus added much needed beauty to the Victorian structure. Roses bloomed from the bushes beneath them along with some ivy crawling up the posts.

Mm-mm, (Mm-mm) And this could be good

It's already better than that

And nothing's worse than knowing

You're holding back

I could be all that you needed

If you let me try, hi,

Despite the music becoming increasingly faint, the whole world around him started playing an atmosphere of its own. As their dance became to a slow halt, he drew her closer as she gazed at him intently with her bright vermillion orbs. Tezuka, dare he say it, developed a weakness for her smiles and her eyes. They could speak multitudes of which her mouth could not. His whole body tensed upon contact as her body lightly leaned against his. The bespectacled boy gently brushed his hand against her left cheek as he dipped down a bit to kiss her.

"Excuse me," someone snapped him out of his thoughts when he saw Alisa Bosconovitch tapping his shoulder. "Ah, I thought you passed out!"

Tezuka narrowed his eyes at the female android, wondering how long he had been out. "How long..."

"For a few minutes," Alisa smiled cheerfully, tugging his arm along. "But the traffic going towards the airport is quite bad; you might want to get a good head start."

Tezuka nodded half-heartedly, remembering the moment created by the very figment of his imagination. He brushed his hand, feeling her fingers entwine with his own. The bespectacled coffee blonde boy then joined Lars in his car as the Tekkenshu commander drove towards the airport. The ride remained completely silent at first as Tezuka stared out the window. Nothing seemed to pique his interest and the reason as to why he walked into the dance studio truly irked him. Every fibre of his became hypnotized upon hearing the music but not in a horrific sense but rather when time seemed to stop altogether as the world redirected its attention at him.

"I see you were dreaming of her," Lars smirked with his "cat-got-creamed" expression, looking at the rear view mirror. "Instead of dreaming, go after her. Alisa mentioned to me that your hallucinations are getting worse. You're practically putting yourself through emotional torture."

Tezuka frowned as his lips thinned grimly. "It's not as easy as it looks."

"All it takes is the right timing and courage," Lars made a turn on one of the roads, taking a detour to the airport. "If you keep idling around, you'll lose everything. Shizuru may be sweet and kind but I don't think she has God's divine patience. We are but human after all."

Tezuka remained silent for a moment, wondering how his imagination was able to conjure something that realistic. His head throbbed lightly as he leaned back against the chair, glancing at the pink haired android who intently watched the cars pass by them. Exhaling deeply, Tezuka ran his fingers through his coffee blonde hair.

Alisa watched the fleeting scenes, seeing some couples kissing or making out. "Lars-kun, why are there some girls going into an alley with their guys?"

Lars blushed immediately, realizing he had forgotten to explain a few things to Alisa. "Ah, it's nothing. Just concentrate on other things, Alisa."

Seeing the Swedish man's face heat up considerably, Tezuka couldn't help but smirk at Lars' predicament. "Thank you for driving me over."

"Anything for my subordinate," Lars chuckled lightly, glancing at him. "I don't mean you."

Tezuka sighed as the airport came into view, feeling the car slightly lurch him forward. "Thank you again."

Lars chuckled, unlocking the doors. "Just do me a favour and don't hurt her unless you want the Tekkenshu hunting your butt all over the country-side."

Tezuka stiffly nodded as he walked towards the airport, carrying his luggage.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

However, Mai found herself wheezing and breathing heavily as she staggered back from the multiple moves Sarah easily pulled out. From the Dust Eater, Sarah easily brought her down with all sorts of attacks and even Shizuru's flash step appeared. The tensai stared in astonishment, watching how easily Sarah caught up with her within the last thirty minutes.

"Game, Jaëger: six games to five!"

"Shizuru's flash step may be fast but it lacks finesse and it needs a little more fine-tuning," Sarah loosened her neck joint, smugly staring at the tensai. "You didn't do too bad when your deciphered the Dust Eater but your mistake was to assume that it was the only technique in my arsenal. Did you think I'd be stumped and traumatized? We are Rikkai Dai; we're not easily stumped."

The red haired tensai suckled the air sharply, quietly berating herself for her slowness. Sarah remained completely calm and didn't even snap at her when her techniques were countered one by one. Her body shuddered violently as she felt sweat profusely pour down her face. Calming herself, Mai slowly began to immerse herself into the Muga no Kyouchi as a fog slowly engulfed her.

"My, my, you're getting desperate," Sarah sniggered, throwing the ball up into the air. "Your notion of unpredictability – I will crush it!"

Mai launched herself forward using the Hyotei volleyist's Obana Volley while Sarah easily kept up with the Dust Eater technique. Seeing her speed to return it, the red haired tensai sent the Hakugei into the air and forced Sarah to retreat. However, the blonde easily jumped into the air and smashed it down at Mai who countered using the Fuji's Higuma Otoshi.

Momoshiro stared in awe. "Whoa, she's doing all of Fuji-senpai's techniques?"

"That's what happens when one places oneself into the State of Self-Actualization," Fuji explained to his junior, watching Mai struggle against her attacks. "Mai's too confident in her own skills, thinking she can always outrun them. But in the end, something's bound to go wrong."

Sarah narrowly missed the speeding shot as she watched the Tsubame Gaeshi make its debut. The German female dribbled the ball with her racquet as she passed it to Mai, watching the female's eyes dilate. The red haired sophomore silently walked towards the net to receive the ball, smirking.

"If this was called desperation, I wonder what you're doing."

Sarah, puzzled by the red head's words, scoffed lightly. "Tch, don't talk as if you're on the winning end!"

Mai relied completely on the Muga no Kyouchi as Atobe's Jack Knife move appeared combined with Hiyoshi's Enbu Tennis. Clucking her tongue, Sarah pushed herself to the far end before sending the ball towards Mai's right side. The dancer immediately responded with a split-step as she pounded the tennis ball with Momo's Oto. Seeing the Oto fly towards her, Sarah chuckled lightly as she slammed it back at her and reciprocating the same speed and force.

"Using Momo's techniques against me are useless," Sarah chuckled lightly, watching Mai sprint towards the speeding ball. "After all, I developed those techniques with her."

Momo narrowed her eyes as Hyotei swivelled their heads towards her, causing her to clench her fist. "I told you guys I had a former doubles partner in Rikkai Dai before I left. She was actually the one who encouraged me to find my own tennis. Ever since Sanada became famous, she told me to go search and start from scratch. Sarah and I developed those techniques in order to make a name for ourselves but it never worked out because the boys' team always had the glory."

"It's funny how in Hyotei that the girls' have more publicity than the guys," Haruka chuckled, earning her a disgusted snort from Atobe. "You have to admit; Ayane and Kiyone are often hounded for interviews more than you ever will."

Hitomi nodded, watching Mai pressing on her attempt to even out the score as she sweated buckets on the court. "Mai can't hold this up forever but now that Shizuru's here – I think the tension's been lifted off her shoulders."

Watching the ball zip past her, Mai stood firmly onto the ground as she released herself from the State of Self-Actualization. "Well, I guess that's it for me."

"Game and match: Jaëger, seven games to six!"

As Sarah approached Mai to give her a handshake, she glanced at the red haired tensai. "There were so many openings and yet, you didn't take them. Care to explain to me why?"

Mai shrugged uncaringly once again, waving her hand dismissively. "I don't know. Guess today just wasn't my day."

Sarah narrowed her eyes at the tensai, clenching her fists. She knew yet she didn't bring me down. This is no victory for me...

As Sarah returned to the bleachers, she sat next to her captain while hanging her head. "Captain, I'm sorry. She just toyed around with me..."

"Glad you noticed that," Ai shook her head disbelievingly at the tensai, acting as if nothing had happened. "I guess she has full faith in the doubles one pair that's about to play."

Yui, seeing their chance to turn the tables around, finalized her warm-ups as she propped her racquet on her shoulder. "Time to prove them wrong."

Mai on the other hand took a seat next to Shizuru as she snickered. "I hope you get your match. Honestly, I hate staining my record but you should have your match between you and Ai. I highly doubt Ayane has enough stamina to hold on especially if there's an extreme exchange."

Ayane stumbled down a bit, holding her racquet. "We're ready, buchou."

Shizuru eyed Ayane warily, examining her physical condition. Her match between her and Fuuka obviously drained her and nearly killed her. Eye bags hung under Ayane's eyes as she slowly made her way towards the court until Shizuru grabbed her arm, shocking the team.

"If you can't handle the tension," Shizuru whispered softly, glancing at their opponents. "Don't push it. Your body's still recovering from your shock."

Ayane huffed indignantly before smiling determinedly, giving her a thumb up. "I can handle it, buchou! Don't worry about me! Start warming up already!"

Shizuru sighed in relief, seeing the happy look on her vice captain's face. However, she could not ignore the pale complexion the freshman had including her unstable way of walking. The Hyotei female captain clasped her hands together as she watched Ayane and Kiyone get along with their competitors before resuming their formation.

"Doubles One will now begin: Hyotei Gakuen's Kobayagi-Getsugan pair versus Rikkai Dai's Torinaka-Amane pair! Game start, Kobayagi to serve!"

Ayane bounced the ball for a few moments, closing her eyes in deep concentration. She recalled the power flowing within her during that time in the Urabutousatsujin.She recalled the hard punches that created craters into the ground and also Fuuka's unrelenting fury. Her impulses thrashed angrily within her as she watched Amane Kira take the baseline for receiving the shot. Tossing the ball into the air, Ayane unleashed a strong serve which Kira managed to deflect but it only moved a few centimetres away from her. Rikkai Dai stared in shock as the amount of physical strength the freshman just displayed and even Miaka found herself completely astonished.

"How the heck," Miaka exchanged glances with the doubles pair and then her captain, shaking her head in disbelief. "Is it even possible for a female to do that?"

"Fuuka's a good exception to that rule," Ai explained to the Wild Dog member of Rikkai Dai, watching Ayane explode another shot from her racquet. "The thing is how long can she keep that consistency?"

Ayane continued attacking with a wild amount of strength as Kira planted her heels into the ground, wincing from the impact.

"Looks like the Void CHroME left some crap in her bloodstream," Fuuka snickered while folding her arms, chuckling at Kira's futile attempts to return the shot. "Deflecting the shot won't do sometimes. That's going to break both her racquet and her wrist."

Kira, ignoring the beads of sweat trickling down her face, flinched slightly every time her wrist was forced to bend beyond normal capability. Ayane easily returned her shots as Tora gripped her wrist tightly, hoping to alleviate the pain. Kiyone found herself standing there, wondering whether or not Ayane got hit by steroids.

"Yane, are you okay," Kiyone whimpered, watching Ayane's eyes widen with shock.

"I don't know but to be honest," Ayane clenched her hand into a fist, flexing a bit. "I feel great."

Kiyone blinked several times as Ayane loosened up, swinging her arm around. "For starters, I don't feel strained despite doing all those crazy shots. That's usually when I'm mad or something."

Atobe threw an all-knowing glance to Shizuru who remained completely silent along with the other captains as Ayane continued to bring them down. Game after game, Ayane easily out-powered them with a single return-ace each time.

"I'm guessing that's a side-effect of the Void CHroME," Florence raised an eyebrow at Natsuki who nodded.

"Her body's tryin' to work it out of her system so there are gonna be times that there'll be big explosions of power."

Ayane slammed another shot to the corner which the other two tried to chase only to fumble over and crash on the pavement as the shots made deep impressions on the ground. Both Rikkai Dai regulars found themselves wheezing badly for air, watching Kiyone now begin her service. Her shot barely slipped over the net, forcing Tora to dash forward for the return. It lobbed slightly for a volley as Kiyone gave it a deep drive towards the corner, allowing Kira to attack. However, Ayane pounded her once again with a exploding Magnolia Blade.

"Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan pair: four games to one!"

Ayane gave Kiyone a high five as the Torinaka-Amane pair stood before them, breathing heavily. The vice captain realized she had never felt so much power before, clenching her hand into a fist. Recalling everything that happened during the Urabutousatsujin, the Hyotei vice captain remembered the torturous training her captor put her through to see who would inherit the CHroME. Despite the raging power, Kiyone easily noticed that Ayane still remained completely haggard and messed up as her partner's movements started getting sloppy.

"Yane-Yane, we don't need to push through if you don't want to you know," Kiyone noticed Ayane, staggering back and forth. "Yane?"

Ayane nearly slumped to her knees if not for her sense of willpower. Her body only decided now to let the side effects of her Spartan training bring her down as the tangerine haired vice captain noticed her knees trembling and wobbling. The image of Yumika and Amane blurred considerably as she began stumbling backwards as Kiyone caught her from behind.

"Yane, forget it – I won't let you destroy yourself this way," Kiyone gave her the puppy pout before turning to the umpire. "I'm sorry but my partner can no longer play, Rikkai Dai can have this match."

Ayane's eyes widened as she began to protest only to have Kiyone kick her knees, causing her to buckle down. "Kiyone, what are you... ow!"

Kiyone grinned impishly as she dragged Ayane off the court, waving her hand at them childishly before coaxing her doubles partner. "Sorry about this! Yane, I don't know what happened there at the Urabutou-thingamajig but whatever it is, you need to work it out of your system."

Ayane stared, completely shocked for a moment as Kiyone let her sit down on the bench. "Th-thanks, Kiki. I just don't know..."

"It's okay, Yane-Yane," Kiyone grinned childishly, giving her a determined look. "We'll do better in any other game. Now's just not your day, okie-day, Yane?"

Seeing that they were at a tie-breaker, Ai and Shizuru glanced at one another before nodding. Simultaneously, Shizuru and Ai plucked off their regulars' jacket as it floated onto the bench. The wind rushed past as the crowds chanted louder, watching the ace cards of both teams take their positions on the baseline. Shizuru and Ai shook hands, checking their audience.

"This is definitely better than the audience we got at the Urabutousatsujin," Shizuru glanced around, hearing her name being chanted by the Hyotei supporters. "May the best player win."

"Indeed," Ai smiled as she whipped around to walk towards the baseline.

"Singles One will now begin: Hyotei Gakuen's Kurenai Shizuru versus Rikkai Dai's Yukimura Ai," the umpire watched the two girls' stare intently at one another. "Game start, Kurenai to serve!"

Shizuru began with a sharp deep serve as Ai rushed towards the shot with a fast forehand. The two girls slid across the court, sending each other deep shots. Both their concentrations on each other intensified drastically as people suddenly became silent until the only thing audible became the echoing of the tennis ball. Shizuru slid over for a flash step, watching Ai's movements carefully. The bluenette easily responded with a slice while Shizuru returned the favour with a SuberaKagerou, forcing Ai to dive for the ball before it touched the ground. However, this left her open for a drive volley which Shizuru sent right in between her legs.

"Fifteen – love," the arbiter declared as Ai recovered her stance.

"Whoa, look at them go," one of the boys exclaimed, swinging his flag. "Go Shizuru-sama!"

Haruka's eyes widened. "That was only the first volley."

"God, they're scary," Rin whimpered slightly, shaking her head in disbelief.

Boys chanted louder as Rikkai Dai also followed with their own cheer for their beloved Yukimura Ai. Both girls began on the offensive once more as Shizuru fired a deep forehand, forcing Ai to run to the other end of the court. With a single footed split step, Ai launched herself to the other side while preparing herself for another deep shot. Shizuru on the other hand slashed the ball for a strong top spin as it clipped the net for a hairpin trick. Ai rushed forward for a forced lob, silently cursing at her rotten luck. Shizuru reappeared in front of her with the Shunpo as she set another top spin stronger than the first one.

Tch,Tsuuro no Shichihenge, Ai nullified each spin as it came to her, praying it wouldn't get any stronger. [Road of the Hydrangea]

Shizuru fired a faster spin as the ball suddenly disappeared from beyond the net, forcing Ai to gamble her chances. The spectators did not know which one to video or to write about as both girls exerted exceptional ability with Ai even going for an in between the legs shot in reverse. Shizuru relied solely on her innovativeness as her Tsuuro no Shichihenge went off and on, forcing Ai to incur errors quite an amount of times. Shishido clung onto the railing in complete anticipation, watching the match in suspense.

"As of now, they're equal in power," Fuuka noted as Shizuru fired a single handed backhand towards Ai who responded with a flat drop. "It depends on how creative they'll be or how exactly will they attack. Their patterns and consistency are the deciding factors of this match."

Natsuki folded her arms in affirmation, watching the ball fly back and forth. "Well then, time ta see who has more commitment. Will it be Yukimura or Kurenai? Nobody knows fer sure."

Ai continued to increase her offense as Shizuru defensively responded with a flowing attack, flying back and forth. Sweat poured down the younger Yukimura's face while Shizuru remained completely calm despite her knee starting to act up. Both players lashed out at each other with every amount of effort they had as Ai continued returning all the shots.

"Ai's pulling off a Yukimura-buchou isn't she," Marui blew up a huge green bubble, watching Ai struggle slightly. "But, how come she's having such a hard time?"

"She doesn't have Seiichi's build or ability," Sanada frankly admitted, watching Ai return most of Shizuru's shots. "She's desperately trying but it's not going to work for her in the long run."

Ai, breathing heavily, overheard Sanada as she began throwing top spins into the mix. Shizuru leapt forward and zoomed backwards with her Flash Step, trying to maintain her consistency. She could feel the fatigue and weariness from the matches overwhelming both of them as Ai disguised her stumbling a number of times. Her vision considerably swirled around but she shook off the haze. Soon, Ai scored another shot that zoomed past her right shoulder, cracking at the tip of the baseline.

"Fifteen all," the teams stared in shock before glancing at their watches, wondering how long the rally took.

"The first rally took ten minutes," Inui scribbled down on his notebook, watching Shizuru go for another serve. "The next one took eleven minutes and fifty nine seconds. Their stamina cannot keep long; their shots are already losing their consistency."

Fuuka narrowed her eyes at the match, rolling her eyes. "The fatigue they obtained from the Urabutousatsujin's turning this match into a battle of endurance which they both don't have."

"They're probably going to collapse before anyone of them reaches five games," Sengoku watched the ball flimsily slap the net, forcing Shizuru to zoom forward. "It's amazing how both have the willpower to play as if nothing's wrong. It takes an experienced person to know that they're exhausted."

Shizuru, breathing heavily, watched Ai slam the ball towards the corner. Instinctively, she let out a strong spin release on the ball which forced Ai to simply deflect it while Shizuru unleashed another top spin with higher speed. Ai blinked a few times as the ball slammed into the ground, spinning away from her.

"Thirty – fifteen," –Hitomi began scribbling down a set amount of time each, listing down how the rallies were decided.

Mai watched the sweat pour down Shizuru's face, watching her knees wobble slightly. "Shizuru knows that she can't last until tie-breaker."

"Shizuru probably has a thirty percent chance of winning," Hitomi tilted her glasses, watching Shizuru gain another point. "Yukimura's chances are steadily decreasing. If she keeps up her reckless play, Shizuru would definitely lose to Yukimura."

Atobe watched his fellow captain battle it out for the finals, folding his arms in anticipation and annoyance. For the girls' team, things seemed so easy for them and people soon started flashing their camera's straight away especially when Shizuru starts to pull of deciding movements and when Ai chooses to make a final strike as well in desperation to conserve her stamina. Ai found herself staggering backwards, leaning against her racquet for support.

"I hate the mental strain," Ai exhaled haphazardly, watching Shizuru controlling her breath. "Ever since the Urabutousatsujin, we've been having problems with physical maintenance and mental strength. How long do you think you can hold?"

Shizuru smiled before admitting mildly, standing up straight. "I'm not quite sure myself but I know that it's not very long. However, I know one thing…"

Ai suddenly noticed a bright white glow taking the form of a phoenix surrounding Shizuru.

"I know I can't lose…"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

That's chapter 49! Finally, all the gore's done and now we're back to the drama. I'm sorry if Tezuka became a little bit OOC but he is in the middle of the dilemma and it's hard making a rock like him become more romantically inclined. Guys please don't forget to review! I highly appreciate it more than the story alerts and stuff. It makes me happier to see that I'm doing a good job. The song by the way is "Terrified" by Katharine McPhee and Zachary Levi, written by Kara Dioguardi! XD