Me: Thank you for all the reviews you guys have been sending! I can't believe its Chapter 50 already. XD I never expected my fic to be this long. Then again, Prince of Tennis did have a lot of episodes so; this might have a lot too. I'm not going to tell you when it's going to end – you're just going to have to read on. Guys, if you want romantic oneshots – read the Queen's Lives XD! By the way, I don't own Prince of Tennis only the OCs are mine.
Chapter 50 – Decide Now
Watching the phoenix shaped aura engulf Shizuru's body, the bluenette watched the sophomore's crimson orbs glitter with determination. Ai smirked as she inhaled deeply, allowing a deep fog to surround her. The spectators stared in awe as Ai's lavender eyes considerably dulled into stones while Shizuru's gentle smile curved more into a smirk. Mai gripped the railing, feeling the tension between the two players. Ayane and Kiyone huddled near one another as the wind blew harshly against the wind, causing the trees to nearly bend over. Atobe folded his arms while watching Shizuru glow brighter than ever, leaning against the wall.
"Tezuka, you truly know how to inspire players," the Hyotei captain ran his fingers through his hair, smirking confidently. "Kurenai and Yukimura are already at their limit yet only one manages to pull through with enough concentration. Having a strong mentality to choose which pinnacle to open instead of unleashing the Muga no Kyouchi shows that she's still calm. Yukimura however," his icy blue eyes deterred away before facing towards the heavily breathing bluenette, "is almost at the end of her ropes."
Tossing the ball into the air, Ai served a fast shot flying towards Shizuru who exploded the shot with the twice the force. Ai, wincing from the return, managed to deflect the shot for a lob to which Shizuru immediately dashed towards the net and brought it down for a driving volley. The ball zoomed past Ai until she sliced it fast to cause the ball to run on the net.
Marui's eyes widened, blinking several times in disbelief. "That's my Tsunawatari..." [Tightrope Runner]
Shizuru released her Shunpo to go for the Subera Kagerou [Gliding Dragonfly], darting backwards once again to counter Yukimura's Boomerang Snake. The Hyotei sophomore ignored the salty beads of sweat profusely pouring down her face while Ai unleashed Sanada's invisible strike to which Shizuru forcibly missed.
"Thirty – forty," the arbiter stared in shock at the intensity of the match, watching Shizuru and Ai struggle to preserve their stamina.
"I'm surprised you can still fight like that," Ai chuckled lightly with a serene expression, standing up straight as the Muga no Kyouchi faded away. "The mental and physical strain of our battles should have made you weary."
Shizuru brushed her hair away from her face, shaking herself out of the daze. "You were placed in a more mentally straining situation than I was. I simply pulled you back with whatever willpower I had. Although, I don't think you need help in that department – you are Yukimura Ai after all."
Ai smiled kindly, tossing her hair back. "You're the only one who saw me for me but not as a clone of Yukimura Seiichi. I hated the fact that I had his face and was his organ donor all my life."
"But this is your battle," Shizuru pointed her racquet at the blue haired girl. "I didn't come here to fight Yukimura Seiichi for the Nationals..."
Ai laughed mockingly despite maintaining her serene expression, responding by pointing her racquet back at Shizuru. "I hope I'm not fighting Kotetsu Naomi."
Both teams watched their captains push each other to the edge, biting their nails in anticipation and suspense. Ayane narrowed her eyes as she clutched her tennis racquet, feeling the intensity of the two captains. The winds tossed around her tangerine tresses as the leaves rustled with the trees swaying around. Kiyone clutched onto her regulars jersey while mounting herself onto the vice captain's shoulders, watching in sheer anticipation and excitement. Isane placed her hand to her lips as the ball zoomed back and forth between the two sweating captains, gulping in surprise.
"Shizuru clearly has the advantage of this battle despite the activation of the Muga no Kyouchi [State of Self Actualization]," Haruka folded her arms, watching Shizuru jump into the air before smashing it straight down. "The Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami [Pinnacle of Great Effort] really threw off Ai's rhythm."
"Haru-chan, I think it's Shizuru-chan who's on the defensive," Rin observed Ai's sudden stumbling, watching the ball fly straight up. "Ai's breezily analysing her. She's not throwing her stamina into one shot; she knows Shizuru-chan's a little impatient."
Atobe snickered while using his Insight, lowering his hands. "You're playing out of desperation, aren't you Kurenai? But be careful, you're going to be too reckless with the way you're fighting now."
Shizuru slammed another shot deep into the court, feeling slightly numb from her mission. Her Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami flickered around as she exploded the next shot towards Ai who managed to keep up with the speed of the shot as she nullified it using Sanada's Rin. The ball lightly dropped each and every time as Shizuru's knee swelled up considerably as she unleashed the Shunpo every time. Momo suddenly noticed a victorious smirk on Ai's face as Shizuru winced at the pain shooting up from her knee.
"Shizuru, forget the ball – just what the," Momo watched the ball suddenly swirl away from where it was supposed to land as it returned to Shizuru. "Where did that...?"
Shizuru's lips curved up into a small smirk as a bewildered expression appeared on Ai's face as to wherever she hit her shot, the ball swung over to Shizuru as if there were some magnet. Seigaku stared in awe and Rikkai Dai blinked several times in disbelief as Shizuru powered another shot flying towards the back end of the court, causing Ai to stumble over.
"Game, Kurenai: one game to love!"
Sanada shook his head stiffly, not noticing that his eyes were widening considerably. Despite it being a very rough version, Shizuru struggled to maintain the consistency as the ball continued zooming towards her. A slightly marked black ring surrounded her as she continued unleashing the ball with an extreme spin. Her red eyes would narrow in deep concentration as the ball streamed towards the blue haired Rikkai Dai female captain. Ai returned it with much ease, despite feeling the strain of the Muga no Kyouchi. Shizuru exhaled in relief as her knee managed to rest a bit, feeling a flood of relaxation rushing through her body.
"Where did that come from, nyah," Kikumaru jumped onto the railing in astonishment, watching the match between them. "It's as if... Tezuka-buchou is standing right behind her..."
Sanada curled his fingers around the railing upon hearing the red haired acrobat's words, crushing the metal in his palm. Since when did Tezuka become so influential? Didn't they have the same state of mind? Did they not equally find themselves unable to express their emotions properly? They were practically the same thing except Tezuka somehow had a stronger influence. Where did that come from?
That thought alone exhilarated him.
Sanada folded his arms in disgust of the sight of his rival's technique being used by his empress. He shook his head vehemently, watching Ai continue to unleash a wave of attacks with the Ka. Shizuru easily returned it with the combined force of the Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami, wincing slightly from the impact her stance was taking. The bluenette leapt high into the air to bring down an extremely burning Ka laced shot as flames screamed towards Shizuru until her phoenix-aura absorbed the impact and sent it straight back at her, causing Ai to stare in awe.
"Love – fifteen," Ai winced slightly from her landing, glancing back at the burn mark at the baseline.
"You're not doing too badly," Ai grinned cheerfully, wiping away the sweat from her brow. "At least, we now know the outcome."
Shizuru blinked in confusion, straightening her stance. "What are you talking about?"
"You'll see," Ai sang childishly with a devious grin, tossing the ball up for a quick service. "Now, show me what you have!"
Shizuru slammed the ball towards the corner of the singles court as Ai rushed in for a volley. Seeing the ball zoom back towards her, the Hyotei brunette pushed herself back to send a strong forehand that zoomed all the way towards the other end of the court. The bluenette easily returned it with the Fuu flying back at Shizuru as the brunette watched the ball slow down before exploding it with the Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami. However, a white glow suddenly enveloped Ai as a tiger appeared behind her and unleashed a furious rage – doubling the power Shizuru used to send the shot across.
"Fifteen – all," Shizuru forced herself to dodge it, seeing that the shot overpowered her arm limit.
Rikkai Dai soon started cheering loudly once again as the girls' team jumped up and down for the marvellous comeback of the female Yukimura. A white tiger prowled behind her as the phoenix determinedly and lovingly dropped its wings on Shizuru. Both captains remained completely silent as Ai nodded approvingly.
"A phoenix – befitting for someone who just woke up," Ai whirled around her racquet with a serene smile, chuckling darkly. "After all, tennis is a battle that we captains must not lose no?"
Shizuru inhaled deeply, lowering her stance. "Indeed."
"Good, I wouldn't expect anything less from the third princess," Ai tossed the ball into the air and with an extreme smash, sent it flying towards Shizuru. "Let's go!"
Shizuru received it and with a slight delay, unleashed more power onto it as Ai nullified it with the Rin. Seeing the ball lightly float over the net, Shizuru responded with the same tactic and forced Ai to jump for it only to find the ball spinning away from her and going towards the net. Dusting herself from the ground, she smiled.
"Tezuka-san's been quite the inspiration for you now has he," Ai averted away to walk towards the baseline, smiling darkly. "But, you won't be able to fool me twice."
Shizuru admitted mildly, glancing at her racquet. "To be honest, I didn't think I could pull it off but you're right – I won't be able to fool you again."
Ai danced away before walking towards the baseline, bouncing the ball. "Well then, my turn."
Ai summoned enough strength to fire a cracking shot as it spun off in a whole new ninety degrees. Shizuru staggered back as she shook her head a few times to see what had just happened.
"That's a risky technique," Hitomi pushed up her glasses, calculating the physics behind it. "It's integrating the Rai into a serve. Technically, that attack is supposed to be a stun move."
Mai pursed her lips a bit, watching Yukimura Ai fire another serve like the last. "Serve is where anyone has the biggest advantage. They can fire the shot in any way they choose and the receiver has to be the one to adapt. But the thing is – how would someone be able to return a serve like that?"
"The Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami is only supposed to amplify returns but," Momo narrowed her eyes at Ai's last service for the game. "But, when did she learn how to do it without receiving a return?"
"You guys forget don't you?"
They all turned to Fuuka who folded her arms while watching the ball crack right next to Shizuru before springing away.
"She is a clone of Yukimura Seiichi. It was L.X.A's attempt of making the "perfect being" and also a beneficial for the older brother," Fuuka snorted in disgust, watching Shizuru and her change courts. "We all have flaws and Yukimura's the thing that was supposed to deem us obsolete. She has my strength, Florence's speed, Natsuki's flexibility and Shizuru's gracefulness. Yukimura's genes provided everything else including the sense of sadism. Technically, all four of us are mutants in a sense. However, we are not super beings – we are people who could've been normal but have been deprived of that privilege. To be honest, I know about Kurenai's real lineage but the truth is – it's not as dominant as those who have suffered extremely emotionally stressful situations. In a scientific way, it's the Mishima's way of coping with conflict by inducing a genetic mutation within themselves. But she doesn't have that sense of evil and hence it's practically dead in her; she's normal like everyone else except for the fact that she's an empath but that is scientifically explained. All the abilities we have right now are extremely induced. Florence and Natsuki have been drugged all their lives and so have I. There are just some born with the ticket called "talent" and "raw potential"."
Sakuno looked at her captain's stern face as she lowered her head, feebly murmuring. "So, there's no way to beat her?"
"If you mean Ai then, it's almost downright impossible to bring her down unless you really think hard and anticipate patterns," Fuuka bit her lower lip, watching Shizuru break in a service. "But there is never such thing as impossibility. If her game is thrown off then, there may be a chance that Kurenai can seize the advantage."
Vera rolled her eyes at the two, scoffing darkly. "You guys are monsters."
"Sure we are; I'll admit that much," Fuuka glared at her vice captain, causing her to slightly shrink away. "But, monster doesn't necessarily mean ruthlessness in nature, extreme power and supernatural magic and the shit. Sometimes, it may be in size. I'm supposed to be the ruthless one while Shizuru's my complete opposite. Why do you think I bitch at her almost every time I see her?"
"That's also Atobe's problem with her," Shishido chuckled lightly, watching Ai and Shizuru initiate a rally. "She doesn't argue with him. She just shrugs things off whenever he blows his top which is almost constantly. But, that doesn't change the fact that you guys are genetically engineered."
Fuuka mentally slapped herself, wondering how Shizuru made friends with such a retard. "You damn retard, we aren't genetically engineered. That's only Yukimura's department and we were trained this way. If we weren't in public, I would have thrown you over my shoulder and pull out your arm from its socket."
"No wonder you don't get along with her; you're senselessly violent," Oshitari chuckled while leaning on the railing before reverting back to his normal expressions. "So, just a quick and curious question: where did those octagonal devices come from?"
"I'm guessing Hyotei's peacock couldn't keep his mouth shut," Fuuka raised an eyebrow at the kansai prodigy, folding her arms while silently cursing the Hyotei mole diva.
"Yes, he couldn't keep his mouth shut about nearly getting attacked by a zombie and no, the whole fan boy club in Hyotei just started wondering where they were going to get their fan service," Oshitari shrugged nonchalantly. "Besides, it got extremely boring when I'm not making sure Shizuru doesn't get swamped by cameras for fan service."
Fuuka smirked lightly, watching the battle between Ai and Shizuru. "The CHroMEs are programmed to link with us on a low telepathic scale. However, there is something called a "Universal Brainwave". In doing so, the person who has such brainwave can access any CHroME of his choosing regardless of its assignment. Ai was supposed to have that but – they couldn't program it right."
"I believe ZODIAC attempted that when they started kidnapping girls out of nowhere," Oshitari raised his eyebrow, recalling watching the news. "I heard about what had happened to Oishi Haruhi and Kenya's been showing me the news lately."
Fuuka raked her fingers through her hair, spinning around her tennis bag. "To be honest, I'm glad this whole L.X.A thing is over. Without those things, we're as normal as you guys. We don't have any special powers and we don't have any responsibilities to maintain anymore. The thing is – I have this egging feeling that they're not going to let us off that easily. The ending seemed too anti-climatic for my liking. I'm sure if Amakusa were here, she would agree with me. Things were just too simple."
"Maybe you should be more optimistic about it, senpai," Momoshiro grinned before turning completely serious. "But the tide of this match, it's so hard to tell who's going to win."
Karin skimmed through her notes before analysing their psychological reactions, nodding in assurance. "The tables are dangerously tipping towards Yukimura's favour. As long as she knows how to control the Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami then, your rival barely has a chance of winning if we also factor the other things you mentioned."
Fuuka smirked while folding her arms with an all-knowing expression glinting in her eyes. "Kurenai's not the type to accept loss that easily. After all..."
Shizuru launched a tripled power attack towards Ai as the ball cracked away, causing Fuuka to smirk wider than ever.
You were the one who refused to be promoted despite your skill. Ai only became number one due to her being the organization's attack dog.
"So show everyone," Fuuka gripped the railing tightly, smirking widely at the two girls. "Show everyone why you were one of the very few to survive!"
Ai slammed the ball straight at Shizuru as the Hyotei brunette punched her hips to lay more power with the Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami. She felt her head spin from throwing around her body but ran on vapours without stopping. Ai continued her relentless assault with a determined smirk on her face, unleashing Yanagi's Kamaitachi. Feeling the vicious tearing of the wind, Shizuru immediately stopped it midway before releasing back at the bluenette. Ai however snatched the point with a Knuckle Serve infused forehand, knocking Shizuru's racquet out of her hand.
"Tch," Shizuru winced slightly, gripping her wrist tightly to alleviate the strain a bit. "Where did that come from?"
"Game, Yukimura: one game all!"
"I can't believe they're right on each other's tails," Miaka shook her head with a disgruntled snort, folding her arms. "The last time I've seen a match like this was the Seigaku-Hyotei match last year."
Fuuka chuckled darkly as Shizuru now possessed the service control, watching the sophomore bounce the ball up and down carefully. As Shizuru released another serve, the tiger behind Ai growled angrily as the female Yukimura repelled it with double the force only to have a blazing stream of fire from the phoenix roll towards her. Ai bit her lower lip while looking at the extreme spin mark on the ground, flinching slightly from the heat.
"I still find it funny as to why guys cannot do this," Momo slightly smirked, leaning against the railing. "Their Hyakuren maintains no form but with the same explosive power. But, the problem is – they have no control over it. The Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami has one side effect that people are not entirely aware of and that is – it limits the range of player, due to focusing all the explosive power to one part of the body."
Everyone stared in awe as Shizuru and Ai continued the battle between both their Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami as the Rikkai Dai captain unleashed a stun shot cracking at ninety degrees once again.
"Love – fifteen," Ai snickered while Shizuru narrowed her eyes at the cracker shot.
I guess I'll have to make it too fast for her to return...
Shizuru inhaled deeply as she served the shot once more, adding a slight spin. As expected, Ai increased the top spin on it while Shizuru performed the Flash Step to reach it and unleash another powerful spin. Ai, snorting in annoyance, rushed forward to create a spinning drive volley to which Shizuru responded with the same tactic. The ball soon disappeared from their view as the net began to ruffle. The spectators pulled out cameras to follow the match but it revealed nothing as the ball zoomed too fast even for a modified lens to catch.
"So this is the Regionals battle between the girls," Atobe raked his fingers through his hair, watching Shizuru struggle against Ai's power. "So tell me Kurenai, will you let her topple you down here or will you push through? From here, it's seems a little obvious you're fighting like a cornered animal."
Sengoku leaned against his tennis bag, whistling in surprise. "I've never seen Kurenai-chan fight with this much power. Momo-chan, when was the last time you saw her fight like this?"
"Before her leg got seriously damaged," Momo murmured softly as an approving smile carved itself onto her lips, watching Shizuru becoming more calculating. "She's become more cautious at least instead of recklessly mowing down people with her own power. But now, it looks like her leg recovered a bit."
Teams from all over the region came to watch as even Fudomine's Hanabusa Jun made her appearance along the sidelines, standing next to Tachibana Kippei. Rokkaku students stared in awe as Aoi, their captain, jumped up and down with excitement with his vice captain Saeki trying to calm him down from making too much noise. Niou smirked as the match intensified with Shizuru leaping up into the air for a smash, throwing Ai to the back of the baseline.
"Fifteen – all," Ai shook herself away from the daze, trying to calm herself in front of the exploding power.
The Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami is like gathering molten magma from within one's self to any limb to bring power out.
She felt her body trembling from the power exploding from Shizuru's shot. Her lavender eyes glittered with annoyance as she watched the movement of the crimson orbs. Ai suckled the air sharply as she focused all her Hyakuren into her right arm, suddenly emitting a lightly shiny glow. Shizuru blinked a few times as Ai snickered, whirling her racquet around. The spectators watched the tiger suddenly grow a pair of fangs and its stripes become gold.
"Twenty one shots," Ai brushed her hair back casually, smirking darkly. "This game will only take twenty one shots."
Sanada folded his arms, watching Ai easily take the next set. Watching the match closely, the male Rikkai Dai vice captain watched Shizuru struggle in retaliation but staggered back when Ai sent a strong smash streaming down at her 21st shot. He glanced at Shizuru, wondering what else she could have in store. However, what concerned him more was that she began to drag her leg a bit and her speed did decrease considerably. He narrowed his eyes darkly, wondering how she would now compensate.
"The Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami [Pinnacle of Brilliant Insight]," Hitomi murmured as she started scribbling down the technicalities of the ability. "The only way to block this isto somewhat seal your heart away. The only one with experience to do that is..."
"Hey, kansai-senpai," Ayane threw a glance at the bespectacled blue haired kansai male, gesturing to the match. "If you were there, could you pull it off?"
"Probably," Oshitari watched Shizuru lose another set, stroking his chin. "But, it won't last very long. That's only a remedial measure."
Atobe seated himself on one of the benches while folding his arms. "Then, the best way to do it is to refine the technique. The question would be – does Kurenai have that kind of mentality?"
"Game, Yukimura: three games to one!"
Shizuru inhaled deeply while trying to figure out a way to defeat the Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami or at least render the Muga no Kyouchi completely useless. Her body continued to tremble from the impact of the shot but she shook her head in defiance. No, there had to be some way. She bit her lower lip while looking at Ai that stood in front of her with her usual innocent smile hence her title. However, Shizuru remained silent at Ai's smiling expression. She closed her eyes and deeply began to focus, feeling a strong feeling swamp over her. When she looked straight at Ai, her eyes dulled into red stones unlike their usual shiny garnet colour.
"That's," Isane held her breath as Shizuru mechanically changed back into her stance.
"Shikabanehime mode," Ai snickered as she tossed the ball into the air, exploding it in full force. "That won't change anything! This game will end in five shots!"
"No," Shizuru watched the ball come to her before doubling the return and spin. "It will be settled in two!"
Fair enough to Shizuru's prediction, the ball spun away from Ai before crashing into the fence behind her. The bluenette stared in awe as the phoenix now became dark red with the Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami cloaking it with a golden light. Ai stumbled back as the phoenix's size suddenly expanded while the tiger aura slowly shrank away.
"If this is the true amount of potential," Ai smiled enthusiastically as her tiger started standing up fierce and proud. "It's about time you showed it to the world!"
Fuuka remained completely silent throughout the entire time until Jun walked up next to her, folding her arms. The red haired Seigaku captain frowned albeit slightly, wondering how to people who were only a year her junior managed to bring out that kind of power. Staring at her hand in bewilderment, she shook her head defiantly before continuing to watch the match between Ai and Shizuru. Despite the whole tournament, she remained completely surprised by the amount of willpower and stamina the two had.
"Well, they weren't part of the top twelve for nothing you know," Jun leaned against the railing, watching in amusement. "Despite us being demons for our own physical capability, what made things hard was that these two may not have our physical capabilities but it's their minds that we have to be afraid of. After all, the mind is the strongest weapon a human can have."
Fuuka responded with a disgruntled snort as she tossed back her shaggy red hair, watching the ball fly back and forth. Shizuru scored another shot with her single handed backhand as Ai tumbled down on the ground, watching Shizuru's astounding speed in horror. Florence could easily render Shizuru's speed to be that of a turtle but analysis wise – she probably could go head to head with Niou but with slight difficulty. Then again, they were trained for special tasks and regardless of how stupid it sounded – they were ordered to make it successful.
"So, you're actually reverting again," Ai sadly smiled until she noticed Shizuru shake her head in response.
"This is my improved version," Shizuru's formerly dull red stones became bright rubies once more as she smiled mildly. "The Shikabanehime was my shield to hide from the pressure but now – I don't need it. This is my version of the Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami. Although I cannot position myself in a state such as yours, I at least know how to nullify your Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami."
Ai narrowed her eyes a bit despite her perpetually serene face. "Well then, show me what your new phoenix can do."
Shizuru exploded more power into her shots as Ai continued to repel them and double the force each time. Sanada's eyes widened with the powerful exchange between the two players as he found the tiger and phoenix clawing out at each other while Shizuru continued to attack. While Ai managed to return it, Shizuru immediately shifted strategy as she septupled the power of the spin, causing the ball to immediately disappear from Ai's line of sight.
"Where did it go," Ai immediately began searching around, frantically swinging her racquet around until the ball smacked straight into the throat and sent the racquet flying into the air.
"Kurenai doesn't need to perform the whole Shichihenge techniqueanymore just to increase the spin power," a seam of cerulean peeked from underneath his lashes. "She spread out the ability of the Tsuuro no Shichihenge to shorten the time of preparation for the technique."
"The thing is – once Yukimura finds out she's going to try to neutralize it," Fuuka watched the ball zoom back and forth. "But the question is: can she manage to do that while at the same time keeping up with the pace of the game?"
Ai ignored the beads of sweat trickling down her face as she pressed on the attack. Shizuru increased the speed of her forehand, causing Ai to miss. As the spin on the ball increased, Ai found herself unable to attack the invisible shot. She narrowed her eyes in annoyance and tried firing the Fuu at Shizuru which the brunette easily deemed useless due to the Tsuuro no Shichihenge. The bluenette clucked her tongue in annoyance as she began chasing the ball before sliding and skidding on the floor. The brunette however showed no signs of fatigue anymore as even her leg soon ceased its trembling. The phoenix easily lashed its rainbow coloured tail at the tiger as Ai crashed on the ground with the ball flying way beyond her reach.
"Game, Kurenai: four games to three!"
Hyotei cheered loudly at the sudden turn of the match as Ai struggled to rise to her feet. The tiger aura slowly died down as Shizuru's faded away as well, with both players watching each others' movements intently. Rikkai Dai watched in suspense and in deep anticipation, wondering whether or not Ai could pull off a win despite her fatigue. The brunette began breathing heavily as she leaned on her racquet while struggling to keep her eyes open. Ai could barely lift herself off the ground as Tora immediately called in a time-out. Miaka and Sarah immediately hauled their captain onto their shoulders as the bluenette limped towards the bench while Mai slung Shizuru's arm over her shoulder with Ayane. The brunette immediately collapsed on the chair, exhausted as Isane handed her a bottle of water.
"Despite having a crazy spy mission," Hitomi checked her records and compared them to the last. "You've managed to maintain consistency."
"Don't call it consistent, let's say she's gotten more innovative," Haruka plucked out a towel out of her bag and began wiping Shizuru's face. "It's the same level of power only with a different application although your stamina's completely shot, buchou."
Rin nodded in agreement, folding her arms. "You look like me before Haru-chan and I enter the tiebreaker."
Ayane however grabbed a whole bottle of cold water and splashed it right on top of Shizuru, earning stares of aghast from the other teammates. "Cool off, buchou. You're face is as red as a tomato!"
Shizuru shivered at the cold water that licked against her skin before shaking herself dry, frowning in response. "Ayane, you didn't need to do that."
The tangerine haired vice captain grinned deviously, pushing her captain's forehead with her finger. "Well, you were being so stiff. Try to relax a bit. You're throwing around way too much energy if you keep that up."
"Ayane has a point," Mai glanced back at her captain before taking a rain check on Rikkai Dai. "Ai can feel you're struggling that's why she's goading you into eliminating her at every step of the way. She's already estimated the duration of your stamina. Try to be a little more graceful, buchou. Add some rhythm into it. For all you know, that's what's going to hold up your game. As long as you have rhythm, your body will move by itself with the appropriate amount of energy without throwing so much around."
Shizuru nodded while glancing at her racquet for a moment before checking out Rikkai Dai. Ai slowly rejuvenated with a whole water jug but her eyes narrowed while remembering the content. Biting her lower lip, the Hyotei captain inhaled deeply to regain some of her stamina but noticed her hand continued to shiver. She winced slightly from the wind biting against her back from the cold water before returning to the court.
"So, you ready to continue our little game," Ai started cloaking herself in a bright white fog as her eyes dulled into lavender stones once more.
Shizuru narrowed her eyes as the ball suddenly streamed past her with extreme speed. She blinked several times before noticing a deep impression in the court, recalling the speed of her attack. The Hyotei captain inhaled deeply as she prepared herself for the next move. As the serve cracked off once more, Shizuru immediately dashed forward with the Shunpo as the ball speeded towards her. Ai parried Shizuru's drive volley immediately with a long shot as the said girl immediately pushed herself back to receive the shot.
"They're practically neck to neck," Momo watched Shizuru take deep breaths while continuing to unleash the Shunpo. Hopefully, we can win this... It's been a hard week for all of us...
The ball suddenly cracked on the ground as Shizuru staggered back, seeing the shot leave a smoking mark.
"Game, Yukimura: four games all!"
Shizuru bit her lower lip as she watched Ai maintain complete control over the Muga no Kyouchi, pondering on what style she would use next. However, the crimson eyed female couldn't help but notice that Ai's body seriously looked like it took a severe beating. She recalled the speed of Ai's reaction time and noticed her sudden trembling.
That's it!
"It's a gamble but," Shizuru tossed the ball up into the air, watching Ai carefully. "It's worth the shot!"
Ai swung a hard forehand for a speeding shot while Shizuru ran towards it for a backhand. Much to everyone's surprise, the female Rikkai Dai captain suddenly reappeared at the other side before dropping a shot right over the net. Shizuru however smirked before reappearing right by the net before lightly lobbing it over. Before Ai could move, her feet suddenly tangled up as she crashed against the floor with a loud thud. The ball rolled towards her as the female bluenette began to hyperventilate.
"You've been copying my Shunpo the whole time," Shizuru watched Ai struggle to get up only to have her collapse on the ground again, folding her arms. "Using it in combination with volleyist tactics, your opponents would be highly flabbergasted on how to deal with the technique. Now, here is your problem – how well can your body sustain the consistency of the move and at the same time, how about your mental strength? Your stamina isn't going to last very long either if you're going to continue attempting to grow grass on the court."
Ai winced at the pain shooting up her leg, gathering enough strength to stand up. "I'm not going to fall here! If what Souma said is true then, I should be capable of doing it as well as you!"
"That's what you want to believe."
Ai's eyes widened as Shizuru remained completely calm before explaining the concept. "The Shunpo requires complete control of the electrical impulses in your body. A normal human reaction would be one to three seconds. However, there are some who can increase it drastically especially like race car drivers like Michelle Baumgardner [sp?]. With you running recklessly with the Muga no Kyouchi, it destroys your sense of control over your electrical impulses thus resulting to overexerting and reckless waste of energy. Although I have unlocked the State of Self-Actualization, I rarely use it since it doesn't really work with my style but instead... I use this..."
The Rikkai Dai captain's eyes widened as the phoenix once again reappeared behind Shizuru. "That's the Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami..."
"I don't get it, doesn't that also require a lot of stamina," Ayane glanced at Hitomi who shook her head.
"The Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami is a gate that unlocks explosive force. In a sense, it reflects and doubles the attack sent at it. Unlike the Muga no Kyouchi, this barely requires energy and this minimizes the strain required. For Shizuru to utilize the Shunpo, her upper body strength would have to lose its power. But with this, the Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami would eliminate that factor and give Shizuru the very consistency she needs."
Momo smirked, tossing back her hair. "If there is anyone who can control her movements and knows her own body well, it would be Shizuru."
"The victory is clear, although Kurenai does not have that upper strength or that sense of stamina – she does have something that we don't have: control," Fuuka snickered, shaking her head while watching the ball zoom past Ai once again. "It's over, Rikkai Dai has lost."
Haruka shook her head, sighing dejectedly to herself. "Buchou was known for her crazy gambles. But she's one lucky person, that's for sure."
"We can't exactly call it gambling," Mai chuckled darkly, watching Ai struggle with her service. "Let's say – Shizuru was expecting the worst to happen in Ai's playing style."
As the ball cracked onto the other side, Ai closed her eyes abashedly while silently berating her failure. "No..."
The whole audience remained completely silence as the teams found themselves speechless to the point even a pin dropping onto the ground could be heard. The ball bounced lightly before rolling towards Ai's feet as the female bluenette crashed onto her knees, bitterly hanging her head. Shizuru inhaled repeatedly, feeling her heart pound wildly against her chest as relaxed her stance.
"Game and match, Kurenai: six games to four!"
Hyotei students howled in victory and triumph as many of the students began swinging their flags and banners. The boys' teams began applauding in approval as Shizuru slumped to the ground, completely exhausted. The Rikkai Dai team members immediately ran to their captain's aid as she smiled in acknowledgment. Seeing the acceptance, Shizuru nodded in response as Ai found her arm slung over Miaka's shoulder as the Wild Dog dragged her off the court. Ayane and the others rushed towards their captain before tackling her to the ground, causing her to giggle but realize she was being deprived of oxygen.
"Guys... I'd appreciate it if you didn't deprive me of air," she coughed sheepishly, struggling to lift herself off the ground.
Ayane sheepishly grinned, scratching her head before helping her captain up. "Oops, I'm sorry about that."
Shizuru covered her ears to prevent the deafening sound of cheers to reduce her eardrums into nothing. Rikkai Dai silently exited as Hyotei continued their loud cheering as some of the fan boys started throwing up their banners and running to greet the tennis players. Shishido gave Shizuru a firm slap against her back as she giggled slightly. Ohtori nodded with a congratulatory smile before giving her a big hug. Hiyoshi chuckled at Mai who smirked at him, twisting her hair around. Isane smiled mildly at the other members as Gakuto gave the raven haired acrobat a high five. As she walked towards the gates, Atobe greeted her with a mocking snort.
"You managed to pull through."
"It definitely wasn't easy," Shizuru admittedly mildly with a small smile. "But I didn't do very much," –casting a glance to her loudly cheering teammates. "They did most of the work."
"But teammates do need a leader," Atobe glanced at the scores, shaking his head. "The lack of your physical presence also propelled them to bring home the gold for you. But there's one more team you should worry about..."
"Seigaku will not get past us that easy," Shizuru narrowed her eyes albeit slightly, watching Fuuka and her team walk away. "We were champions last year and we'll do the same thing again."
Before they began walking away, the Hyotei tensai pushed his light blonde cousin towards him.
"Hey, Kenya has something to give you, Getsugan-chan," Oshitari smirked, seeing her snort indignantly.
"I said don't call me that," Kiyone puffed up her cheeks impishly before swivelling her head as she found a certain Naniwa star player waving his hand at her. "Oh, Kenya-san, what are you doing here?"
Kenya scratched his head sheepishly, feeling the stares of all the female Hyotei tennis players centred on him. "Ah um, Yuushi said that there was a good game going on here. Also um..."
"Just spit it out already," Momo folded her arms with a stern stare, shocking Kenya.
Kenya pulled out a book from behind, awkwardly handing it to her. "Um, advanced. I know your birthday is still next month but I don't know when I'm going to meet you the next time so... yeah..."
Kiyone blinked several times as she grabbed the package, immediately ripping it open. "Whoa, it's the Harry Potter: The Half Blood Prince in the British Cover! You're awesome! Thank you!"
Kenya, fighting down his immediate urge to blush, averted his eyes away from her. "I'm glad you like it."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
After leaving the courts, night slowly descended upon them as Hitomi offered her uncle's bar as a place to hang out. The night sky sparkled with bright white stars as the summer breeze slowly escaped to be replaced by autumn winds. The tension lightened considerably as they entered the dimly lit bar. Despite it being a party joint, the bar decorated itself with navy blue walls with several black sofas accompanied by black glass coffee tables each roofed by a violet curtain canopy. A wooden bar stood at one side of the room whereas a white light dance floor stood at the middle with an empty stage with some unused band instruments. Small lamps hung high on the wall while illuminating the burgundy carpet. Renaissance fleur-de-lis marked itself on the wall paper while the wooden half had carvings of vintage design.
"I can't believe it," Ayane plopped onto one of the black sofas, popping open a can of yoghurt milk. "We won against Rikkai Dai. They were saying that they fight like demons and boy, they weren't kidding."
Mai seated herself on one of the bar chairs as Hitomi started mixing one of her drinks. "Well then again, it was technically a tie. If Shizuru didn't win against Yukimura Ai then, we're definitely screwed. Let's say we're extremely lucky to have them back as soon as Singles One began. Otherwise, someone would have to replace and we would be fighting one of their stronger players again. I definitely wouldn't want to face Inuzuka after seeing Momo-senpai struggle through that match."
Momo admitted darkly with a stiff nod, glancing at her tennis racquet. "To be honest, I thought I wouldn't win. Her style was too absurd."
"But it's then when we realize that some things that we may consider absurd may be the key to winning," Shizuru leaned against the soft cushion behind her until suddenly; she felt something in her pocket vibrate. "Hmm, what's this?"
As Shizuru opened her cellphone, a reminder appeared on her phone.
Ms. Kurenai, a letter has been sent to your home. Please pick it up as soon as possible. -Admin
Shizuru frowned a bit, glancing at her watch. "Don't people rely more on e-mails nowadays? Secondly, how did they find my home address? Nobody knows where I live except Shishido-senpai, Ohtori-kun and you guys. Who else would know where to send it?"
"Some people are very good stalkers. Not only that, there are people who prefer writing for sincerity," Momo drank down a tall glass of milk tea Hitomi fashioned out. "Hey, for starters – Hitomi, this stuff tastes good. What is this?"
"Wintermelon Milk Tea," Hitomi cleaned the shaker, tossing it around a few times. "My uncle told me to lay off the alcohol poisoning on you guys."
"No kidding, we don't want a Kotetsu to happen again now do we," Momo placidly took a sip with a small twinkle in her eye, shaking the glass around for the pearls.
Kiyone blinked several times out of curiosity. "What happened back then?"
"When Yamaguchi got her drunk the first time," Momo snickered lightly before sipping her milk tea again. "She was so drunk – she tried to seduce Shizuru in thinking that she was a boy, nearly tried to run a strip tease and nearly got herself run over by a car. Need I say anything else?"
Ayane swallowed hard, tugging the collar of her jersey. "Geez, remind me to never drink what Hitomi makes."
"I think that's already a well-stated fact," Haruka chuckled lightly, scrolling through her calendar. "Hey, do we have anything on September 5?"
Isane brushed her short hair before undoing the tangles in it, sighing into the sofa. "Isn't that this Saturday? Not really, we only have our match with Seigaku next week. But that's around September 7, why?"
"Jackal asked me to Rikkai Dai's Autumn Ball," Haruka squealed in excitement before swooning onto the sofa. "Oh my God, that was the happiest moment in my life!"
Shizuru quietly fiddled with her fingers, glancing at her phone. "Sanada-san also asked me to the Autumn Ball..."
"Niou-kun told my father that he was going to kidnap me for that day," Isane controlled the blush climbing up her cheeks, twiddling with her thumbs.
Momo rolled her eyes while swivelling the bar chair around. "Now why am I not surprised? But then again, you already made your choice – didn't you?"
Shizuru remained silent for a moment, glancing at her cellphone. She recalled her moments at staring at the computer with notes appearing from an anonymous admirer. She bit her lower lip while recalling Florence's impish grin when she stole the laptop from her. The brunette stared at her cellphone for a few moments before nodding.
"Well, that's up to me to think about ne," Shizuru smiled kindly as she stood up. "I better go pick up that letter then. But still, I'm a bit bewildered as to how someone managed to find my home address."
Rin glanced at her watch, gasping in horror. "Oh no, I got to get home too! Mommy's making my favourite tuna casserole tonight!"
Bidding the two members goodbye, Hitomi continued concocting her latest drinks. "So, is anybody up for a shot tonight?"
"No thanks, it's bad for the liver," Momo waved her hand dismissively. "I have to get home soon. The dorm has a curfew of 9:30. The last thing I want to do before I get back is to go home as a drunkard."
Haruka remained silent for a moment as she glanced at the flickering lights, leaning against her elbows. She found the smallest member sleeping against Ayane's shoulder as the vice captain promptly passed out as well. A small smile appeared on her lips as she recalled the times when she and Rin would fall asleep next to one another. However, she and Rin had much more things to worry about as the memory of the match between them and Rikkai Dai flashed in her mind. If they didn't rely on the Synchronization, the defeat would definitely be most crushing. The pearl dragon sighed to herself as a cold glass pressed itself against her skin, causing her to look up at Hitomi.
"I thought you might need one," Hitomi smiled while washing the other glasses, hanging the towel back on its rack. "I better close up too. My uncle's going to be coming back for the midnight shift."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Shizuru lay on her bed while glancing at the pale white ceiling, pondering at what the letter had said. The letter received lay open on the table under a black and blue paper weight as the clock slowly ticked away. The brunette inhaled deeply as the shots from the tennis ball echoed in her ears, remembering her loss to one man. His stoic expression suddenly appeared in her mind with a small endearing smile curving up his lips. Upon feeling the blush creep up her face, Shizuru immediately shook her head while facing her pillow.
"That's impossible... is it," Shizuru whispered softly to herself while glancing at the ceiling once again.
Suddenly, a knock came from her door.
"Come in," Shizuru immediately fixed herself up, rearranging her pillows and bed covers.
The door swung lightly, revealing Roger Alexandersson with a small plate of Mango Torte. "Hungry?"
"Thanks," Shizuru accepted the plate graciously, forking small bits and pieces.
"I see you got your mail," Roger snickered lightly as his eyes strayed towards the letter on the table. "What did it say?"
Shizuru glanced at the letter as she slowly walked towards it, cautiously looking at it. The paper was folded neatly and placed in a crimson red envelope. The back only said her address without saying who is was from. She blinked several times while shakily holding the letter opener.
"Hey, it's not a Howler is it," Roger laughed lightly, ruffling the brunette's hair. "So, read it. What does it say?"
Shizuru inhaled deeply as she sliced the envelope open, unfolding a short bond paper.
Dear Shizuru-chan,
I've always wondered how it would be like to talk to you. It will be awhile however before I will be able to talk to you face to face. I went to many of your tennis matches and to be honest, nobody overwhelms me as much as you do. Most people would regard your style as reckless but what matters is that your personality is in it. Your style speaks so much about you but there are things that I would prefer hearing from you.
"I thought I'd seen everything until I saw you..." –Bryan Adams, "I Thought I'd Seen Everything"
-Anonymous
As Roger scanned his eyes over the letter, he rolled his eyes sarcastically. "God, that kid has a lot to learn. Then again, I think I'm expecting too much from the squirt."
"Hmmm, who are you talking about," Shizuru tilted her head to the side. "Do you know the person?"
"No, I'm just wondering and obviously – it wouldn't be someone that old now would it," Roger smirked until he found a small smile appearing on her lips. "What?"
"This is probably one of the most sincere writings I've received," Shizuru placed it on her table, pulling out her sign pen. "To be honest, most of the letters I get are the usual "Kurenai-sama please go out with me" or "Kurenai-sama please be my girlfriend". I find that irritating. Although it's subtle way of doing things but, it's a dumb way to get a girl. That line's been used almost all the time."
Roger smirked lightly, watching her pull out a piece of paper. "So, what are you going to write to your mysterious pen-pal?"
"To be honest," Shizuru smiled meekly, uncapping her sign pen. "I don't know..."
The coffee blonde Swedish soldier shrugged nonchalantly, leaning against the swivel chair. "Why don't you start with something like how he uses letters instead of e-mail and ask him about it?"
"That'd be downright blunt, Alexandersson-san," Shizuru leaned against her table, pondering. "I don't even know how to send it... The person who sent me this letter won't even tell me where he or she is. Besides, what if it just ended up in the wrong house?"
"Your name's written there so I don't think so," Roger smirked with a twinkle in his eye. "About the sending part, leave that to me. Just write that letter."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Saturday rolled by as Shizuru found herself literally gagged and bound and brought all the way to Haruka's house. The brunette blinked several times as Isane set her down with Momo while the other girls grinned evilly at her. Seeing their expressions, the Hyotei captain found herself doing something she thought she would never have done: crawling for her life. She would have made it out the door if Ayane didn't suddenly haul her over her shoulder and seat her on the chair.
"Guys, I think Shizuru needs a bit of a makeover," Mai rolled up her sleeves with a devious sparkle in her eye. "What do you think Ayane, Kiyone?"
Kiyone opened a whole tackle box. "I stole my mom's nail polish! We can paint her nails!"
Ayane clapped her hands jovially, pulling out a set of hair pins. "I'm doing her hair!"
Shizuru shook her head, kicking herself away from the crazy teammates. "Guys, I don't think I need this..."
"Come on, you didn't look bad at my party when we did your make-up," Mai grinned reassuringly, ripping open Shizuru's bag before blinking several times. "You're seriously wearing combat boots?"
Shizuru frowned slightly. "It's not combat boots – they're air-soft boots! Besides, there will be times that I may be called out for something... you never know."
"That doesn't make it any better now does it?"
Rin blinked several times, staring incredulously at her captain. "Seriously buchou, you were going in commando outfit?"
"I had a dress," Shizuru protested as she continued to wriggle her wrists out. "Guys, this is seriously torture you know."
Mai waved her hand dismissively, clicking the remote to her walk-in closet. "Nonsense, you're just exaggerating. It's time to give you a complete makeover!"
"What looks good on you won't necessarily look good on me," Shizuru managed to pull her wrist out of one of the bonds, forcefully trying to wriggle out the other one. "Guys, I can take care of myself!"
Isane opened her cellphone, swallowing hard in a panic. "Guys, Niou, Sanada and Jackal will be here in thirty minutes!"
Mai snapped her fingers. "Alright, we're going to do this quick and easy. So, Shizuru – it would really help if you don't struggle."
Shizuru bristled a bit, pursing her lips. "You're evil... By the way, aren't you going with Yukimura?"
"No, but I wish I was," Mai's expression fell before she pulled out a powder set, closing in on Shizuru. "Now close your eyes, I'm going to do the foundation."
The doorbell rang a few thirty minutes later with three boys standing out there. Sanada took off his usual black cap while Niou rolled up his tuxedo sleeves and opened his shirt a bit. Jackal scratched his cheek a bit, watching the door intently. Silence descended upon them as Jackal smoothed out his suit to make sure he looked presentable. What if her dad was the one who answered the door? He glanced at a completely relaxed Trickster and his perpetually stoic vice captain. Jackal inhaled deeply before letting out a dejected sigh. Niou glanced at the two before nudging his fukubuchou, mischievously grinning.
"So, aren't you answering the doorbell?"
Sanada raised an eyebrow at him, folding his arms. "You do it."
Niou shrugged nonchalantly before exclaiming dramatically. "Am I the only one with some balls here?"
"That's probably the only thing you have," Sanada deadpanned, earning a scoff from Niou. "Now, ring the doorbell."
Jackal glanced at his watch, looking at the moths gather at the lamp. "I'm glad they chose to meet up here. It's a good walking distance from the bus station headed straight for Rikkai Dai. By the way, how come you didn't fetch Isane straight from her house? You two technically live close by..."
"Jackal, I know I'm crazy but not that crazy," Niou chuckled lightly, recalling Itachi and Sasuke's threats. "Her brothers are both armed and ready. They're practically trained how to put a bullet in between my eyes. Which is why I now pass the question to Sanada-fukubuchou, why didn't you pick up Shizuru from her place?"
"She didn't want me to get lost or so she says," Sanada admitted darkly, glancing at his watch as well and ignoring the pounding his heart. "Besides, it's more convenient to meet up here."
"Pretty and practical, did I ever tell you that you're a good pair," Niou raised an eyebrow at Sanada.
"Shut up," Sanada fought his urge to blush, disguising it under the lamp light. "Aren't any of you going to ring the doorbell?"
Niou shrugged before letting out an indignant huff, pressing the button. "Fine but, it's your fault if we screw up."
As the bell rang, the three remained completely paralysed for a moment until the door swung open revealing Ino.
"Oh Kuwahara-kun, my older sister's just trying to restrain her captain," Ino shook her hand in a welcoming gesture. "Why don't you guys come in? I'm sure it's hot outside."
The three boys slowly walked in until they heard loud thumping in the house.
"What are they doing up there?"
"Their captain isn't the type to wear make-up and this is her first invite so," Ino shrugged nonchalantly, offering them some water. "They're trying to make her look pretty. To be honest though, I don't think she needs it. She needs a better fashion sense though. Let me go call my sister."
As Ino went away, the three found themselves sitting next to one another on the sofa. The grandfather clock ticked away slowly as Niou eased himself into the chair.
"And here I thought we were late," Niou flexed his wrist a bit, glancing at the stairs. "So, where are the ladies?"
"Sorry we took so long."
As the three swivelled their heads around, Haruka stood by the stairs with a meek Isane and a somewhat shy Shizuru. Instead of her usual ribbon ponytail, Haruka had her light pink hair all twirled up into a bun with a few curly tendrils hanging on the side. Her pins glittered with small flowers while her pearl dangling earrings shined under the light. Her dress flowed down elegantly with a glittery salmon coloured translucent cloth hanging over the pink coloured tube. Isane on the other hand, due to her height, sported a short but flowing dark blue dress with a crystal broach on the one sided strap and glittery ribbon for a sash. Her hair now had braids and decoration in it with beads hanging amongst it. Shizuru timidly peeked from behind Isane and unveiled flowing short uneven black dress with a cross design for the straps and instead of commando boots; she wore a pair of black heels.
Niou chuckled lightly, fanning himself. "Is it just me or did the place suddenly get hotter with three beautiful babes standing at the stairs?"
Isane blushed intensely, hiding her face behind her clutch bag. "N-Niou-kun...!"
"Hikifumi-san," Jackal inhaled a bit before blinking several times. "Wow..."
Sanada found himself completely speechless as Shizuru awkwardly balanced on the heels Mai lent her, extending his arms in preparation to catch her. "Would you like any help?"
Shizuru smiled sheepishly, wobbling a bit. "No, no, I'm fine. I think."
The Rikkai Dai vice captain allowed a helpless smile as Shizuru managed to get her stance right. Isane blushed even more as Niou began to poke her with what she was wearing. Haruka checked her purse before bidding the other teammates good bye and leaving some instructions to her sister. Closing the door behind them, Haruka blinked several times as she found a limo sitting in front of them.
"Where did this come from," she glanced at the three of them only to have Sanada and Jackal throw a questioning gaze at Niou.
"What," Niou shrugged nonchalantly, sliding the door open for them. "My family's got the money for it. Besides, you girls would be exhausted before the ball began."
The ride became extremely uneventful as the arrival in Rikkai Dai aroused a bit of conversation. The loud music managed to penetrate the glass windows as the lights shined brightly from within the ballroom. Shizuru stayed behind for a moment, watching the other girls dance and flirt. Haruka and Isane began looking around as they approached the table with all the tennis regulars in it.
"I see you have dates now," Yukimura smiled with his usual serene one. "My, my, my Sanada– I didn't know you suddenly gained the gall."
Sanada sighed while shaking his head at the bluenette. "Yukimura, not now."
Haruka blinked several times while watching the whole ball room light up with lights and bright flowers and plants decorating the walls. Students loudly chattered away as music loudly blared throughout the speakers. Isane began chatting with her friend who apparently became Marui's date. Although, she found herself a bit forced into the dress as Marui glanced at her from time to time.
"I thought you were bringing Ayane," Haruka forked her fish, watching Marui shove more cake into his mouth.
At this, his expression fell slightly. "I can't. I lost."
Suddenly, the whole table became silent as Marui shook his head. "Ah, it's nothing to worry about! Why don't we go look around, Tokiko-chan?"
Yukimura smiled, waving his hand dismissively. "Why don't we all go around for awhile? This party seems pretty interesting especially since Yagyuu over here organized it."
Yagyuu's date clapped her hands proudly as Yagyuu abashedly lowered his head. "It's nothing really."
Haruka glanced at an empty chair where Yukimura's date supposedly sat. "So, where's your date Yukimura-san?"
"She went with her friends for awhile," Yukimura smiled at the pink haired girl, suddenly noticing the spare set of two empty seats. "It seems the emperor got a little impatient."
Haruka glanced around and found Sanada bringing Shizuru around, going as far as to carry her plate for her. She inwardly laughed at Shizuru's predicament as the brunette barely could balance on Mai's two inch heels. Sanada managed to catch her a few times as Shizuru repeatedly apologized for being so clumsy. Yukimura on the other hand noticed form a distance a ghostly smile on the vice captain's face. He pulled out his cellphone and began to text.
Sanada on the other hand couldn't help but find Shizuru dare he say it – cute when she would fumble around in her heels. He couldn't imagine her walking in heels, considering her nature. That would be more her best friend's nature to do so. As Shizuru managed to walk all the way to the table, Sanada placed their food before them as they continued watching the other students put on their performances. Some of the students even forgot about eating and went straight to the dance floor.
"Are you alright," Sanada glanced at Shizuru as she winced at the pain her legs were in.
"I'm fine, it's just that I think Mai should've let me wear my original shoes," Shizuru sighed dejectedly, glancing at the shoes with a bittersweet smile. "Oh well..."
Sanada found himself once again out of topics to talk about as he continued to keep his eyes glued onto his date. However, he shook his head in disbelief before turning his attention towards the stage to which he now found Niou on it. When he turned back to Isane, the silver haired Hyotei sniper stared in embarrassment as Niou grabbed the microphone.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he spoke with his usual drawl, causing a few girls to faint on the spot. "I see you guys are having a pretty good night but, there's something I'd like to dedicate to a few girls over there. Although some are just a bit too hesitant or shy to say what they feel so," –casting a glance to his teammates particularly Jackal and Sanada, "this should set the mood. By the way, this is also for my leading lady in the back. Yes, put the spotlight on her please."
As the spotlight shone upon her, Isane let out an "eep" before hiding her face behind her bag. "W-what's he doing?"
"He's being very expressive, that's what," Haruka chuckled at the red face Isane now sported as Niou flipped around a fedora hat.
"Yeah," Niou walked towards her before extending his hand, earning applause and a few cat calls. "Shall we dance?"
Marui shook his head before clapping his hands, whistling. "Go Niou!"
Kirihara chuckled while glancing at Isane. "Wow, senpai's really at it."
Isane hung her head abashedly. "I thought he would only do it once. Not only can he play the piano but now he sings and dances?"
"Trust me, Niou-kun can do many things," Yagyuu pat Isane's shoulder affectionately, watching his doubles partner set up. "He does this to make sure he can be better than that other copycat. Wait, he did this another time?"
Isane whimpered slightly from the daggers being thrown her way. "Um, he sang "Just the Way You Are" in a restaurant."
"So typical of Niou," Marui chuckled heartily, watching Niou glide across the dance floor with Isane. "To show that he loves a girl, he would do a lot. If he just gives flowers and stuff – that means he isn't serious. But the moment he starts embarrassing a girl and showing it through song that may indicate something else."
"About the copycat by the way," Haruka raised an eyebrow at Rikkai Dai's Gentleman, folding her arms. "You mean Wakato Hiroshi?"
"You can say that," Yagyuu slightly smirked while watching Niou play around with the microphone stand.
[Beautiful – Akon feat. Kardinal Offishall and Colby O'Donis]
When I see you
I run out of words to say (oh oh)
I wouldn't leave you
'Cause you're that type of girl to make me stay (oh oh)
I see the guys tryna' holla
Girl I don't wanna bother you
'Cause you're independent and you got my attention
Can I be your baby father
Girl I just wanna show you
That I love what you are doin' hun
I see you in the club
You gettin' down good
I wanna get with you, yeah
I see you in the club
You showin' thugs love
I wanna get with you
You're so beautiful
So damn beautiful
Said you're so beautiful
So damn beautiful
[Akon & Colby O'Donis]
You're so beautiful
beautiful
beautiful
beautiful
You're so beautiful
beautiful
beautiful
beautiful
You're so beautiful
[Colby O'Donis]
Like the clouds you
Drift me away, far away (yeah)
And like the sun you
Brighten my day, you brighten my day (yeah)
I never wanna see you cry cry cry
And I never wanna tell a lie lie lie
Said I never wanna see you cry cry cry
And I never wanna tell a lie lie lie
[Akon]
I see you in the club
You gettin' down good
I wanna get with you, yeah
I see you in the club
You showin' thugs love
I wanna get with you
You're so beautiful
So damn beautiful
Said you're so beautiful
So damn beautiful
Shizuru immediately covered her mouth to prevent herself from giggling and Isane could have sworn she wanted to die. She easily noticed the glares of some girls as Niou knew exactly how to move his feet. Haruka shook her head as Sanada sighed and immediately pulled Shizuru away from the table and scene, shaking his head disgustedly at Niou. He immediately found a small door leading to the outside towards the courts and the botanical gardens. As the music slowly became more faint to his ears, he noticed Shizuru slightly stumbling. Without any warning, she fell forward until Sanada caught her in his arms.
"Um," Shizuru blushed before helping herself up. "I'm sorry; I'm just not used to heels..."
Sanada raised an eyebrow, glancing at it. "I'm guessing Nagisaki insisted you wear these?"
Shizuru laughed sheepishly, glancing at the leaves rustling beneath the hem of her dress. "Wow, Niou-san really knows how to do crowd control..."
Sanada shrugged nonchalantly until he realized the situation. Nobody stood among them as the moon reflected off the swimming pool nearby. Red leaves fluttered around as it swirled around them like a small tornado, pushing Shizuru towards him again. Shizuru silently berated herself as she found herself in his arms again. But this time, he didn't let go. Sanada inhaled deeply before staring into her vermillion orbs. He felt his throat tighten considerably as Momo's words came into mind.
You just don't get it do you? You've already lost.
"Kurenai-san," he managed to say, despite the words feeling like they've been torn out of his throat. "There's something I need to tell you."
Shizuru blinked several times as silence overwhelmed them.
"I know I should have said this before but... I just wanted to tell you: I'm in love with you..."
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Hahaha, bet you didn't see this coming! Joke, anyway – thank goodness I was able to update before school started! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I never thought it would be so hard to make up a good confession line for Sanada. Him and Tezuka are probably the hardest. So, how's she going to take it? What is going to happen next? How about Niou and Isane? Anyway, please don't forget to review! The more reviews – the better! :D