Me: Hi again! Thank you for the reviews! I can't believe I hit 200 reviews! I'm so happy! Finally, Sanada grows a pair of balls. And Tezuka's only starting now to make his move! God, both of them are so slow but Sanada does have Yukimura to annoy him and constantly remind him. Don't worry; there will be more scenes of KiyoneXShiraishi and most of all RinXKajimoto! I feel like I've been neglecting that pair. Oh by the way, I don't own any of the characters except the OCs or basically the girls' teams from the different schools. I never expected this story to go so far! :D
Rin136: Actually, I'm Chinese myself but I'm not very well versed in the grammar so – I'm not quite good in formulating sentences. But thank you for pointing it out, I'm gonna run through it again to make sure it makes better sense.
Kosaji: Yeah, it's actually my sad attempt of making it comical and ironic that a fighter like Shizuru could barely handle balancing on heels. XD She may be able to take down big men, climb up helicopters but she can't do the simplest thing of balancing on heels. XD
Chapter – I Knew
Isane blinked several times before staring incredulously at Niou who moved away from the stage in his usual mischievous yet suave fashion. As the silver blue haired Petenshi sat next to her, Isane could not ignore the glares going towards their table. One thing she noticed though, all the Rikkai Dai regulars except Yukimura had brought someone who did not come from the same school as they did. Marui chatted happily away with Tokiko who started playing around with the ice cream before making a huge cupcake much to the red head's desire. Jackal and Haruka started exchanging doubles tactics as sometimes, the Pearl Dragon would happily laugh. Sanada and Shizuru had not returned ever since Niou's crazy debut and she started to worry while looking at the other girls.
Most of them are so much prettier than me; don't guys like girls who are shorter than them?
"Hi Niou-kun," a sweet voice purred, causing the Trickster to swivel his head towards the girl.
Niou chuckled mischievously, relaxing into the chair. "Oh, it's Kujikawa-chan. Where's your date?"
"Kou's over there getting me drinks," she smiled voluptuously at him, batting her eyes in a flirty way that somewhat irked Isane. "You wanna dance?"
Isane nodded weakly as Niou cast a glance towards her. "I guess it's okay – it will be awhile before I finish eating..."
"It's just as friends," Niou reassured her with a smile before joining Kujikawa-chan on the dance floor.
Isane sighed before looking at her food as Kirihara gave her an incredulous look. "What?"
"You could've stopped him," Kirihara dropped his fork on the plate, slamming the table. "Senpai's supposed to be your date tonight! Who cares of what Kujikawa thinks?"
Isane smiled weakly, watching Niou and her dance together. "Well, I'm only his partner as of tonight. Once this whole thing's over, it will be back to normal again."
"But, the question is – would you like it that way," Yukimura raised an eyebrow at the towering silver haired girl. "Niou may be smart and innovative but, there are some things that he lacks. One of them happens to knowing that the girl he has is truly the one who is best for him."
Isane stared at the demi-god curiously, blinking several times. "Huh?"
As she watched her date and another girl dance on the dance floor, Isane sighed to herself wondering what would happen now. Niou continued to dance as Kujikawa started circling around him. Now, Isane clearly knew what her eyes spelled out. After staying with Shizuru and Momo, Isane learned how to watch people's eyes to depict their next movement. In doing so, she could tell where her opponent would spring towards to. Although her analysis was not as deep as Shizuru's and Momo's, she didn't need to have that kind of ability to notice that Kujikawa started sliding her hands on Niou's body. She winced at the sight before turning towards her food once again.
"Isane-chan, would you like me to get Niou-kun," Yagyuu obviously expressed annoyance with his doubles partner's behaviour. "It's not very hard to convince him."
"I-It's alright," Isane swallowed her tears as the slow music slowly came into play, watching them dance with one another. "It's fine... I can't dance very well anyway."
However, Isane found her heart sinking deeper and lower into her stomach. She tried to look away but found herself cemented on the scene as Niou and Kujikawa ended up in something more heated. The people whooped and cheered for more as she tried to hold in her whirling emotions. Sure he had kissed her temple once in awhile but never did they get something as heated as a kiss on the lips. If she had to be brutally honest, he barely even held her hand for crying out loud! Sure, he'd proclaim to the world her insane ability as a rifle-specialist but that's it. She looked at the girl who looked like her cup size could rival that of her freshman vice captain and the body that could make Mai green with envy.
And damn straight, she knew how to use it!
Haruka tapped Isane's hand, gesturing her with a comforting smile. "I can get my driver to pick you up..."
"It's okay, I don't want to spoil your fun," Isane stood up quietly, heading towards the gardens. "I'll be back..."
Watching Isane walk away, Kirihara shook his head with disgust. "Niou-senpai will never know when he has the best sitting right under his nose."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Shizuru remained frozen to the ground as Sanada stared back at her with his dark eyes. The intensity of his gaze would have easily swayed any fan girl but Shizuru bit her lower lip, fighting back the guilty feeling of what she was about to do. The night sky glittered with its starless light as the moon continued to beam down on them. The Hyotei captain found it much easier to turn down fan boys in Hyotei since she had Ohtori to distract her and Shishido and Oshitari to usher them away. But now, she was alone. Nobody could cut through their conversation and save her from the stress of emotions. He definitely had higher credibility than most but leading him on false hope was the last thing she wanted to do. She shook her head before averting her eyes from him.
"Sanada-san, the truth is – I can't reciprocate what you feel," Shizuru bitterly smiled, shaking her head to rid herself of the whirling headache from the tension. "It's not that I don't like you. I mean – you're indeed a very amazing person – it's just..."
The whole world started to swirl around him as well. The Rikkai Dai vice captain worked up enough courage to finally tell her and now, came the agonizing part. Somehow, a part of his mind started kicking his legs to move forward and snatch a kiss but another part of him cemented his feet to the ground. He lifted his hand to run his fingers through her long brown hair but Sanada immediately forced it back down. With an accepting sigh, Sanada inhaled deeply, smiling bitterly.
"I know... It's just too bad that I can't be him."
Shizuru blinked several times, staring at him. "Wait, you knew?"
"I just wanted to let you know before I mess up things for both of us," Sanada heard the slow music echo from inside the ballroom, extending his hand. "May at least have this one dance with you?"
Shizuru stiffly nodded as Sanada gently took her hands into his as they both began to move with the music. As the moon shined down brightly on them, the Hyotei captain immediately swivelled her head the moment the grass began to rustle. She noticed a blurry silver flash appear before her eyes, feeling a slight bit of saltiness splatter on her face. Shizuru blinked several times as Sanada managed to catch a whiff of the person's face.
"Wasn't that," Sanada glanced inside only to see Niou dancing with another girl, glaring daggers at the Trickster's back. "Doesn't that man have any sense of ethics?"
Shizuru sighed sadly as Sanada let go of her hands, preparing to walk towards Niou. "Niou sometimes needs a good slap to wake him up..."
Before he could walk away, Shizuru held his hand back while shaking her head. "Although I also believe that sometimes he requires drastic measures, I don't think the time as of now would call for it."
"How can you be so calm that your teammate had taken an emotional hit," Sanada stared at her incredulously until he noticed a momentary anger flicker in her eyes.
"I am a very forgiving person, Sanada-san," Shizuru clenched her hands into a fist. "But, attacking Niou in the open like this – would that be a good idea?"
Sanada remained silent, realizing Shizuru's point. He quietly backed down while watching sorrow reflect in the younger girl's crimson orbs. Sanada gently ran his fingers through her hair, fighting back his urge to forcefully kiss her. His heart pounded hard against his chest as he felt Shizuru's warm hands. But the jealousy wouldn't go away, knowing who would be the one to hold her hands. Shizuru continued to move with the music, despite her awkward balance on heels. Sanada shook his head at the atrocity of the heels. If they were a wee bit thicker, Shizuru wouldn't be stumbling around. He smiled sadly at her, wishing that the moment would last forever.
But then again, life was never fair now was it?
A bittersweet expression graced his face as he glanced at Shizuru who consistently began watching Isane stray far. While he continued to dance with her, Sanada began weighing his options and tried to fight the inner disgust. Despite deep down he knew there was no argument as to who would truly win her affection, Sanada somewhat felt a heavy burden lift off his shoulders. A ghostly smile appeared on his lips as he watched her slowly dance along with him. He encircled his arms around her, bringing her much closer than he usually preferred. He buried his nose a bit into her silky brown hair, inhaling the honey smell. He refused to let go but to change her mind would be selfish. The only thing he knew that would benefit them both would be to let her go.
However, the other male posed to be another problem.
Tezuka may have four eyes but Sanada gnashed his teeth at the thought if Tezuka were to reject her just because he was too emotionally retarded to see that the girl held feelings for him. If anything, their brains resonated similar brainwaves which clearly mentioned tennis along those lines. Sanada inwardly smirked at the idea at Tezuka getting ganged up by her two other friends and the whole team if he dared make her cry. Heck, he'd even help out! But, the bespectacled captain clearly had a better head on his shoulders. Tezuka clearly stated his intentions during the grand gala in the Nagisaki Estate and Sanada knew that if anything, Tezuka reminded him of a lion. They would fight and defy to the bitter end until they claim what they want.
"You go get her," Sanada loathed to let go of her hands but responsibilities always ruled over rationalities. "Niou severely needs to be reminded of who he's with."
Shizuru nodded as she tugged her hand only to realize that Sanada didn't want to let go. "Um, Sanada-san... can you please let go of my hand?"
Sanada shook himself out of the daze before he finally let go, kicking himself internally for bringing up the topic. However, he knew that one way or another he would have to let go. While watching her walk towards Isane, he could have sworn a taller shadow mount behind her as if gently leading her away. The moon gently tinged her black gown and porcelain white skin as the tension in the air heightened. Sanada bitterly bit back every ounce of his emotions to run after her but his feet refused to move.
You already know who she has chosen.
Sanada plucked the blue honeysuckle boutonniere on his suit, glancing at the glittering stars once again. He saw some water glisten on the petals when he looked down, feeling a bitter ghostly smile curve up his lips. His fingers curled around the fresh flower before crushing it in his hands, letting the petals slowly float away.
The moonlight fades for unrequited love as the stars darken yet the lights still continue to twinkle and shine.
Jackal however found himself in a position to now ask Haruka to dance. Sweat trickled down his temple as he looked at the carnation-haired female as she folded her legs and continued watching the other couples dance on the dance floor. He glanced at the door where Isane had left before shaking his head disapprovingly about Niou. However, he found the others dancing on the dance floor and even found his stone faced fukubuchou waltzing with Shizuru. Yukimura easily asked Rena to dance and Marui simply dragged Tokiko to the dance floor. Niou on the other hand, danced with any female who wanted to dance with him. Kirihara scratched his nose sheepishly as Torinaka Yui went to dance with him. Yanagi simply stayed behind while watching the other people dance on the dance floor.
"Hikifumi-san," Jackal warily cast his glance at the pale pink haired Hyotei female. "Would you like to...?"
Damn it spit it out already!
Jackal glanced at his clammy palms, concealing them under his tuxedo cuffs. However, the pearl dragon didn't bother glancing as she bobbed her head with the music. The Brazilian-Japanese male gathered his wits once more although the light tinged her face gently enough to make any man think she sparkled under the moonlight. He scratched his nose a bit, wondering how he was going to ask her again.
"Hikifumi-san, wouldyouliketodancewithme," Jackal inhaled deeply again as the pearl dragon stared at him.
"I'm sorry Jackal-kun, what did you say," she blinked several times, shaking her head. Did he ask what I think he just asked?
"Would you like to dance with me," Jackal managed to repeat it much slower than the last one, inwardly he was relieved that the lights made his blush look like some trick of the light.
Haruka smiled before extending her hand. "Sure, why not?"
Relieved that he got through, Jackal brought Haruka to the dance floor as they began swaying with the music. The Brazilian-Japanese male felt like he wanted to die there and then but Haruka's hands kept him standing up. He could not understand what made him feel that way. He started tousling his fingers through her curls, smiling inwardly. Haruka managed to maintain eye contact but felt every part of her trembling in excitement and electricity.
Oh my God, he's right in front of me.
Haruka shook her head immediately to get rid of such fan girl-like thoughts. However, who could not think that way considering that the man in front of you looked absolutely irresistible in a tuxedo? The pearl dragon nearly swooned if not for seeing Niou with another girl, causing her to glare at his back. Jackal sighed before gently leading Haruka away from Niou.
"Glaring at his back won't help," Jackal sighed deeply, glancing at his silver-blue haired teammate dance with yet another girl. "Niou's really like that."
Haruka shook her head disbelievingly. "I just can't believe he can be so dense."
"Niou sometimes forgets that all the good things were just right beneath his nose," Jackal swayed along with the music. "Hikifumi-san, there's something I need to ask you…"
Haruka blinked several times.
"Do you have a boyfriend," Jackal slowly watched his words, watching her chocolate brown eyes widen.
"Uh, nope, Hyotei girls are currently single except Ayane, why," she raised an eyebrow at the tanned male.
Jackal scratched his head nose a bit, averting his gaze from the pearl dragon. "It's just that..."
"Whatever the rumours are, they aren't true."
Jackal swivelled his head towards the pearl dragon as she hung her head with a bitter smile. "We're not as cruel as people say we are. We're just very picky when it comes to guys. I mean – we're not the ones to come out cheap either. And no, whoever made up that we're dykes clearly doesn't know us."
Jackal shook his head, holding onto her hands. "I didn't mean that... it's just... I was wondering if we can go out again after this."
Haruka blinked several times. Holy God, he's asking me out?
"I never dated a girl from another school before," Jackal admitted mildly, watching the other people dance. "Niou on the other hand is the complete opposite."
"That explains why he's such a douche to Isane," Haruka snorted in disgust as Jackal snickered lightly. "But it still doesn't justify his actions towards her."
Jackal remained completely silent for a moment. "Before anything else, would you like to meet up again? I mean, it's okay if you don't want to but..."
Haruka shook her head with a pleasant smile. "No, I would love to meet up again."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Mai hummed contentedly while playing the music on her sound systems, watching Hitomi pop open another can of soda. The red haired tensai couldn't help but glance at the ceiling while lying sprawled out on her bed. She stared at the pale yellow ceiling before letting out a dejected sigh. Momo on the other hand reappeared from the bathroom as she combed her knotty hair. Kiyone and Ayane immediately began searching through her DVDs for some good movies to watch as Rin pulled out a disc case.
"I have the movie "Lake House"," Rin gleefully waved the disc in the air, frolicking towards the DVD player. "Who wants to watch?"
Hitomi chugged down the whole can before popping open another one. "Actually, there's something I'd like to discuss before anything else."
Everyone suddenly redirected their attention to Hitomi as the blonde woman folded her legs into a lotus position. The whole room suddenly became silent as the humming of the air conditioning unit echoed throughout the four walls of the Nagisaki heiress' room.
"Our performance has been screwing up lately," Hitomi tilted her glasses, opening her laptop and showing one of Mai's matches. "Mai, you clearly left holes in your match. Care to explain why?"
Mai bit her lower lip but slowly smiled once again, shrugging nonchalantly. "It would have been boring if I creamed her right there and then. Besides, we wouldn't have been able to see the epic battle between Shizuru and Ai now could we?"
"We could have spared Shizuru the worry and the fatigue," Hitomi folded her arms, raising an eyebrow. "You said so yourself, you wanted to let Shizuru sit out the battle between us and Rikkai Dai yet you somewhat intentionally screwed up your match with Jaëger-san. Those mistakes you committed – those aren't normal."
The tensai prepared for a retort but found it wiser to snap her mouth shut. She watched the gleam in Hitomi's blue eyes, sitting down her bed as everyone directed their gaze at her. Mai wanted to tell them about Yukimura and what she had heard back at the hospital ward but tears threatened to well up in her eyes. She shook her head immediately before taking a deep breath. Her heart pounded hard against her chest as she let out another sigh.
"It's about Yukimura isn't it?"
Mai swivelled her head towards the lavender haired Shinigami, staring incredulously at her. "Whatever do you mean?"
"It also explains why you didn't go with Haruka, Shizuru and Isane tonight to the Rikkai Dai ball," Momo folded her arms with her chocolate brown orbs staring deeply into the tensai's soul. "You would have been more thrilled but you've been quiet the whole night. Not only that, your calendar is marked with "x" marks yet nothing is happening. Care to explain why?"
Mai remained completely silent, taking in the interrogation of Momo as calmly as possible. However, her lower lip suddenly began to quiver as her heart continued to pound wildly in her chest. Watching the slow yet beady movement of the Shinigami's eyes, the red haired tensai immediately began pondering for any solution or way out of the mess. However, a small bitter smile made its way to her lips as she sat in between them all.
"Yukimura has a girlfriend now and he thinks that she was the one who confessed to him that day," Mai slowly started, curling her fingers into a fist. "He's going out with some girl from the Student Council. She even made it look like it was her. It's as if his memory completely screwed up... Something really must have gone wrong with the operation…"
Everyone remained silent as Ayane scooted over to her, opening a bag full of Hershey's kisses. "Chocolate will make you feel better."
Mai sorrowfully picked out a piece before carefully unwrapping it. "Thanks… But I think it's going to take a whole lot more than chocolate to fix this."
"Yane-Yane can squish his head like a lemon if you want," Kiyone gave her the puppy pout, lying down on Mai's lap.
Momo leaned against her elbows, pondering for a few moments. "Do you know who the girl was? Or at least, how did she look like?"
"Brunette, circular glasses and got high pigtails," Mai shifted uneasily in her seat, glancing at the Shinigami questioningly. "What's that supposed to do with anything?"
Hitomi flipped through her notebook while accessing a facebook page. "The description matches to a girl named Sumiyagi Rena. As the treasurer of the Student Council, she's one of the girls Yukimura has the most contact with asides from his younger sister, Yukimura Ai. Despite her innocent and geeky looks, I wouldn't underestimate her. She's actually..."
"She's highly bi-polar," Momo folded her arms, casting her glance towards Mai. "Let us make the scenario more concrete – if you think Shizuru has a multi-personality management problem then this girl makes her look like she's so sure of herself that she can be brutally honest with the world. Remember the time Shizuru cracked under the pressure in the match between her and Hoshimura? Think of the kind of damage Shizuru can do except ten times worse on your reputation. Upon first sight, she'd look even more scared and shy than Isane that you'd think Isane is always so happy, outspoken and giddy. If you think you're sadistic Mai then, perhaps – you have found your match."
They all blinked several times at the description with Ayane finally breaking the silence. "Momo-senpai, are you serious?"
"Why do you think I never dated while I was in Rikkai Dai," Momo shrugged carelessly before folding her arms in a more samurai-like manner. "She's practically claimed every guy without them even realizing it. It's her strategy; bait and collect then select. Rikkai Dai, sure, it was a great place but the girls could be one heck of a problem. Girls there have this superiority complex and if you think Atobe's fan girls are bad – wait until you see them fawn over Niou. Sure, Hyotei is full of egotistical brats but at least they never had their brains turned upside down and have been taught that one plus one is three."
The whole team sweat dropped at Momo as Rin sheepishly scratched her head, sporting a cheeky grin. "Oh come on, Momo-chan! I'm sure their Math isn't that bad."
"Rin, that's not my point. Sumiyagi of all people was and probably is still the most dangerous one," the plum haired female twirled her racquet around, glancing at the face. "She was part of the dramatics guild back at Rikkai Dai. Her time in the club hasn't been wasted after all. She even managed to fool me once into thinking that she was some lost puppy."
They all exchanged glances with one another. Momo sounded the same regarding Kotetsu Naomi and her instincts were right. However, the female Hyotei team found themselves unable to plan anything as the silent humming of the air conditioning unit echoed throughout the room. The cold air caused some to shiver as Ayane started observing her teammates' glances. Rin remained awfully quiet during the session as Hitomi continued examining her data. Mai however remained silent as she shook her head.
"Momo-senpai, it's best we lie and wait for now. Attacking them upfront is not going to do us any good if that's what you're recommending," Mai narrowed her amber gold eyes at the Shinigami, smiling bitterly to herself. "Although, thanks for the concern."
Momo shook her head, placing her racquet down. "I'm not saying we should take her down right there and then. But, if she continues to be the way she is – their relationship won't last long."
Mai blinked several times, sensing a small light of underlying hope within Momo's words. There were many times she wished bad upon others and some have even come to pass but wishing it on Yukimura certainly didn't agree with her palette. The red haired tensai sighed deeply to herself before glancing at all the posters of models and fashion runways all over her room.
"Making yourself anorexic isn't going to help," Hitomi shook her head distastefully, handing her a glass of mango juice. "I mean..."
"She wears short skirts, I wear T-shirts," Mai suddenly began singing softly, staring more at the ceiling. "She's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers..."
Ayane immediately yanked Mai up from her bed before slugging the said tennis genius in the jaw, causing her to crash back on the bed. "Come on, snap out of it!"
Mai immediately leapt up from her bed before rubbing her sore jaw, wincing slightly at the pain. "Was that really necessary?"
"You were moping," Ayane retorted heatedly, placing her hands on her hips. "God, you're almost as bad as buchou when she takes a loss in a tennis match!"
"She's pretty graceful about it if you ask me," Mai chuckled lightly, recalling the first time Shizuru lost.
Boy, it was a thriller and hell week for the team.
"Yane-Yane's free of charge you know," Kiyone mounted herself onto the wooden board at the foot of Mai's bed. "Just give her stuff to blackmail mole diva with!"
Mai giggled lightly at Kiyone's suggestion before pondering on her next move. Although she wasn't known to be a "home-wrecker", something didn't seem right. All she wanted was for Yukimura to know the truth on who was with him on all those days in the hospital. Then again, Sumiyagi Rena wouldn't let that happen if Momo's analysis pans out. However, if there was anyone who could read emotions better than physical anatomies then she would just have to wait for that person to get home from her date.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Tezuka on the other hand found himself pacing around the room, opening the TV every once in awhile, trying to feed the koi fish and even reading some of his grandfather's old martial arts books. The bespectacled captain of Seigaku never found himself so flustered by such a trivial thing. If it were Math homework, it would have been excusable for the moment until he figured out the answer. Art class didn't really help the fact that he was secretly very talented in charcoal and Chagall style drawing. Literature class worked out well, English class proved to be easy ever since he had gone to Germany. But, waiting for a response from his desired female counterpart did not really qualify as an academic thing. All his homework sat neatly in one corner along with his advanced readings quietly waiting in the opposite corner of his desk but something refused to rest.
"Kunimitsu, something came for you in the mail," his mother called from downstairs.
His heart immediately froze as he calmly maintained his composure as much as possible. The last thing he wanted was any commotion as to why he suddenly started freaking out or becoming slightly more jittery as of late. He found his mother sorting through the envelopes and immediately found his by the table, only to have it grabbed by his grandfather.
Damn.
Although he was a man of higher upbringing, Tezuka wondered if there would be a time he would finally snap. Apparently, that time was now. If there was any profanity Tezuka wanted to use now, it would be that.
"Hohoho, what would this be, Kunimitsu my boy," he started slicing the letter open, unfolding the paper. "Hmm… who is…?"
Before he could read anything, Tezuka immediately snatched the paper and mentally began kicking himself. Never in his life had he defied his grandfather in such a way. Now, he found himself in a complete deadlock as his grandfather gave him the "you're-hiding-something-from-me" look. The bespectacled male inhaled deeply, thinking on what to do next. If his grandfather got hold of the letter, he would never live it down and his grandfather will run an FBI check on the girl.
Oh well, curiosity did kill the cat.
"This is the first time I've seen you so panicky, squirt," Kuniharu chortled heartily at his twitching grandson. "Is it a guy?"
Tezuka felt a migraine coming on and resisted the urge to yank his hair out. "Grandfather…"
"Ah, of course – it's a female," he grinned, seemingly triumphantly. "She probably has Eurasian looks, no? She probably has brown hair and auburn eyes. I remember that girl you used to stalk..."
"Grandfather," he immediately sent out a small warning tone. He's trapping me again.
He would rather not have anyone hearing about that, most especially Inui or Fuji.
But going back to the point, where did his grandfather attain that kind of information?
Tezuka wanted to slap himself, wondering how his grandfather immediately figured it out. Normally, most grandfathers wouldn't know who the person was let alone even care. However, this was Tezuka Kuniharu they were talking about. The bespectacled senior swallowed hard and watched his grandfather's eyes shiftily to and fro as if observing his expression. He felt his throat start to strangle him as the air surrounding the whole Tezuka household dropped on his shoulders. He inhaled deeply again to calm himself only to realize later that his grandfather had a huge smirk on his face.
"It's her isn't it... the one you get pictures of from Fuji," he snickered triumphantly.
Tezuka remained perfectly stoic but his thoughts literally screamed.
Damn damn damn damn damn damn!
Tezuka shook his head calmly, clearing his throat. "It's just a friend I work with on one of the publication sites is all."
The words felt like however they were torn out of his throat since he found himself lying through his teeth.
Tezuka uneasily shifted his gaze away from his grandfather before fidgeting slightly with the letter. He glanced at his mother who seemed completely oblivious to the situation between the two Tezuka's as the grandson moved slightly away from the former chief of the crime scene investigation department. The coffee blonde male bowed slightly in apology before heading upstairs to his room. For the elder Tezuka male, the old man chuckled before casting a glance to a smiling Ayana.
"He's more like his father than he thinks he is."
Upon closing the door gently, Tezuka exhaled in relief as he took a look at the letter in the hand. He opened his desk light as he unfolded the bond paper with a small smile as his eyes were greeted by Shizuru's script handwriting. For someone who was entirely Japanese in origin, she certainly wrote well in English.
Dear Anonymous,
I'm quite surprised that there are some people who speak the way you do when it comes to letters. Most of the time, I usually get something such as "please go out with me" or something. I'm sorry, this is the first time I've received such a nice letter that's not as downright blunt as usual. For starters, I would like to say thank you for the kind words. Anyway, I'd like to know: how did you manage to get my address? Not many people know where I live…
Tezuka pondered to himself for a moment. Where exactly did she live? Inui had no idea either as to where she was from. Perhaps, a certain red haired female tensai may have a good idea.
You said something about wanting to hear stuff directly from me. I would like to ask you a few things myself actually. Although it would start with the typical "who are you", I will start it with something else. What school are you from? You seem to have seen me play tennis and have quite a good idea on how my playing style is. I admire your sincerity though that accompanies your words. Regarding the tennis, ask me anything you wish.
P.S. "I will wait for you…" –"Wait For You", Elliot Yamin
Sincerely yours,
Shizuru-chan
Tezuka felt a chuckle bubble from his throat, tracing his fingers along the slender handwriting. A helpless smile appeared on his lips before casting his eyes towards the screen. Apparently, Fuji and Inui managed to hack into the camera of the training camp they all attended and lo and behold – a picture of him and Shizuru walking at night before the whole bravery test began. A faint red climbed up to the apples of his cheeks before it changed into a different picture of the whole team. He pulled out a piece of paper before opening Microsoft Word on his desktop.
Dear Shizuru-chan,
To be honest, I thought you would be more terrified by the letter. Most women would consider this stalking. But, one thing I'd like to ask - as a tennis player, what do you usually prioritize_
Tezuka frowned a bit at what he had come up with before completely deleting the third sentence. A defeated sigh escaped his lips as he continued typing again.
Dear Shizuru-chan,
To be honest, I thought you would be more terrified by the letter. Most women would consider this stalking. When I watched you play tennis that day, I've been asking myself in what made you so dedicated. You always had that beautiful smile as if you were flying high into the sky. It spoke so much about you. When I saw you with your friends, I wondered how it was to be on the receiving end of your smile. They cheered you on, they supported you and that sense of unity and confidence was something I've never seen before. Individually, yes – that is possible but team-wise, it really made you bloom. Looking for you in the middle of the crowd would be easy… you are truly something else.
P.S. "Because I see sparks fly, whenever I see you smile…" – "Sparks Fly", Taylor Swift
Sincerely yours,
Anonymous
Tezuka smiled before thinking about the song. Every time he would around school, Tezuka would have heard it around the school campus while some girls would listen to her music. Males would drool over the picture of Taylor Swift in her newest album. The lines spoke true to what happens every time he cast a gaze towards her. Although he's seen a lot of girls smile and swoon over him, he would simply ignore them and walk past them as they continued to dream. Shizuru's smile probably would be the only thing that would put him down. Her very face knocked him off his feet. Imagining her with tears in her eyes made his blood boil and his heart sink to the ground. For the first time, Tezuka found himself unable to explain what was happening to him. He gripped a piece of fabric on his shirt before trying to reorganize his thoughts. Finally, he pulled out a sign pen and began writing the letter as neatly as he could before his cellphone decided to ring. Sighing in annoyance, Tezuka dropped the pen before begrudgingly picking up his phone.
"Hello," he responded with his usual calm voice, checking the caller ID. Fuji, this better be good.
"Ah, Tezuka – I have some good news and bad news, what would you like to hear first," Fuji serenely responded, sensing the murderous aura from Tezuka.
"I'll go for the bad news first."
Fuji sighed deeply, preparing himself for the worst. "Shizuru went on a date with Sanada."
Tezuka felt his heart plummet straight to his feet. Instead of the usual loud "what", it came out to be a soft reproach. "What?"
"Well, he finally gained the gall to ask Shizuru out to the Rikkai Dai ball," Fuji cleared his throat, making sure Tezuka was still on the line. "Now, here's the good news – she rejected him."
Tezuka suddenly felt himself feeling alive again. "Wait, how did you…?"
"Yanagi and Inui tend to talk loudly on the cellphone when communicating with one another," Fuji snickered triumphantly. "Yanagi said he was watching Sanada and Shizuru dance for one last time before he finally backs away. Although, I highly doubt that is part of Sanada's character."
If he were given a chance to describe Sanada, he would be a dragon.
Tezuka always envisioned Sanada to be strong and to break down even the strongest castles or spirits. Although he never felt that, he had witnessed a few strong players fall to Sanada and it was never easy accepting defeat gracefully. As a dragon, he would be more defensive as they were to be described as majestic creatures. Europeans regarded them as omen bringers but in Asian regions – they were regarded as gods. They had a strong sense of pride upon claiming a mate – they will fight to the bitter end even with every single scale on their body torn off.
But, how would he take it now that Shizuru rejected him?
He expected a bigger commotion from Yanagi, considering he and Sanada were best friends. Sanada would tell Yanagi many things but somehow, the emperor had decided to silently step aside. But there mere thought of her rejecting someone as credible as Sanada now scared him. What if she did not like him back? If she finds out who her pen-pal was, how would her reaction be? Clearly, Sanada could easily defend her, he can entertain her in a match but what exactly did Shizuru want in a guy?
"Although, I think the Hyotei Shinigami had a hand in it," Fuji started watering his cacti and tending to them. "Momo never really favoured her cousin in gaining her kohai's affections. In fact, she seemed more leaned towards you. But, Shizuru-chan in the end decided this for herself. Momo was nowhere around for her to pressure her."
Tezuka remained silent as the tensai sighed on the phone.
"Tezuka, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking she will reject you too."
Tezuka snapped himself out of the daze, twitching a bit. "Fuji…"
"Tezuka, you never know until you try. Besides, I've heard a certain capped regular and his doubles partner complaining about her falling in love with their rival school's statue," Fuji snickered on the other end of the line due to the insult the Silver Pair came up with. "They're very protective of their female member after all. She's what makes them the Silver Trio."
Tezuka didn't know what emotion to hold onto more: fear of being rejected, happiness for Sanada got rejected or hope that he still had a chance with her. The Seigaku captain smirked inwardly to himself as he returned his attention towards the piece of paper that lay on his study desk. He slowly moved towards it while keeping his cellphone on.
"So, what will you do now?"
A small smile curved up Tezuka's lips as he didn't grace Fuji with a response.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Rin soon found herself walking around to get some groceries for the night's dinner at Isane's house. Hearing Isane cry that night didn't really soothe anyone's nerves and Mai's cracked up self made her resolve to make curry for the whole team. Hitomi offered to bring some drinks but everyone immediately said "no" considering what she may put in. She hummed contentedly to herself as she started singing the recipe in a way to remember what ingredients to buy. A satisfied smile appeared on her lips as the black dragon made her way to the grocery store. On her hand, Rin wrote more things as a reminder.
1. Bring home daddy's brass compass from the navigation shop
2. Practice dragon dancing solo before meeting up with Haru-chan to cross notes
3. Buy ingredients for Japanese Curry (Buy A LOT of Cayenne Pepper)
4. Go to Isane's house and make curry
The black haired dragon nodded to herself determinedly while walking towards the grocery shop. Before she stepped in however, she started shoving her hands into her pocket and paled considerably at the realization. She stepped out again and began sifting through all her things, ignoring the awkward stares people started giving her. Her auburn eyes widened in horror as she started throwing all her things out.
"My wallet," Rin nearly began to bawl before she started digging through her pockets, her bag until she saw someone running through the crowd. "Oh no you don't!"
She jumped up to the street lamp and started swinging herself around, watching the man gain distance. Before she could launch herself however, the man suddenly just collapsed causing her to blink several times. People stared at her for a moment until they noticed the guy lying on the ground. A crowd gathered as the black haired acrobat dismounted from the streetlamp. The black haired female stared quizzically as she began walking towards where the man fell only to have a familiar acrobat hand her the wallet she was looking for.
"Kajimoto-kun," she blinked several times, staring incredulously. "What... but how...?"
Kajimoto chuckled lightly, smirking at the fallen man. "It was a wild guess. Besides, he seemed to be in such a hurry on a nice day."
Rin grinned cheekily, gratefully accepting the wallet. "Thank you so much, kuwee~!"
Kajimoto, seeing her bright cheerful smile, averted his eyes immediately to mask his blush before scratching his cheek sheepishly. "It's no big deal really..."
"But you got my wallet back and here I was thinking that I wouldn't be able to make curry for Isa-chan," Rin immediately grabbed his wrist and began dragging him along, ignoring once again the other stares of people. "Come on, Kajimoto-kun! I need your help in something!"
Kajimoto found a helpless smile curving up his lips as he sighed in submission to the black dragon that dragged him along. He happened to be passing along the way to get into the same grocery store to get some food as well for dinner, considering his aunt and his mother will be out for the night. Rin immediately grabbed a cart as he started following after her. He saw her grab a bottle of Tonkatsu sauce, a pack of tomato sauce and a huge bottle of cayenne pepper. Before she started to run off, Kajimoto immediately extended his hand to hold her down.
"Rin, we still have a lot of time," Kajimoto managed to catch his breath before smiling at her. "Maybe we should slow things down a little?"
Rin felt her hair stand on ends as she felt Kajimoto's warm hand envelope over her wrist. A blush crept up her face as she remembered the kiss they shared in the bullet train. She relaxed a bit as Kajimoto placed his hands on the cart and began pushing it for her, checking around for some ingredients.
"What are you going to put in the curry," Kajimoto began surveying the items in the cart.
Rin pondered for a moment as she grinned. "I was planning to make fish curry since buchou is a strict Pescetarian. Haru -chan and I eat almost everything although Hitomi doesn't want me on sugar. Then again, Yane eats more meat than a whole football team put together. She'll survive in America that's for sure."
Kajimoto laughed at Rin's statement, watching her jump up for the higher ingredients. "Isn't your youngest a vegetarian or something?"
"She used to be until she started getting anaemic," Rin checked the prices and glanced at her wallet. "Yane-Yane would shove burgers into her mouth until Kiki-chibi stopped getting sick."
Kajimoto chuckled as he walked along with her, holding his own groceries as to not to get it mixed. He watched Rin start sorting out for stuff before throwing them all into the cart. He had only observed her behaviour during tennis matches but going with her on other miscellaneous things seemed to be a bit different. When they skated in the ice rink, he felt he could fly. Although he didn't want to tell her, that was the only time he ever went ice skating. Basically, it was more Wakato's idea but balancing on a thin piece of wood now became so much easier. If he didn't, Kajimoto felt a helpless smile curve up his lips; he would never have met her. The moment she swished by her during that time they went ice skating, her scent refused to leave his memory. It reminded him of the tangy smell of lemons.
Sweet and sour with an intoxicating aroma...
Kajimoto soon found himself smelling lemons once in awhile but that could not replace the warmth he felt. His vision immediately clouded and everything fell into silence. Her movements flowed gracefully, as if she were truly a dragon in the sky.
"Rin-chan," Kajimoto tore the words from his throat, ignoring everything else around him. "I know this is a little sudden but..."
Rin blinked several times before she turned to face him. Their bodies were merely inches apart and both of them stood face to face, alone in isolated aisles. The grocery music faded away in his ears as it was replaced by the loud pounding of his heart. Kajimoto immediately felt his mouth run dry as his hands suddenly became extremely clammy.
"Can I," Kajimoto immediately began mentally kicking himself. Argh, you idiot! Don't push the idea!
"Join the team for dinner at Isane's house," Rin cocked her head to the side with a wide grin. "Sure, why not?"
Kajimoto immediately froze on the spot. Although that didn't exactly seem to be the thing he wanted to tell her, the Jyosei Shounan captain now found himself in a more difficult situation. With the Hyotei girls surrounding him, Kajimoto heard of rumours as to why they didn't have boyfriends. Ayane on the other hand seemed to be the only one who had a boyfriend with it being Atobe Keigo, considering how crafty the man was and especially since he had all the money in the world. From what he heard, they bicker like a married couple and mentioning that to Ayane is not the best thing.
"I'll just tell Isa-chan that I'm bringing a friend over," Rin grinned happily, flipping open her cellphone.
Kajimoto stared at her instant acceptance as he began pondering on his next move. Sitting amongst the girls especially with people, who are very overprotective senpai or not, could instantly spell death for him. He immediately racked up his brains for any other excuse to change his first statement only to fail at coming up with anything.
Think, Kajimoto think! What would...?
"Since Isa-chan has brothers, they said it was okay as long as you didn't try anything sc-sca... I forgot the word," she playfully bonked herself on the head. "Her dad was the one who forced them to allow boys to come. We're gonna be eating in the garden anyway so – Jackal's gonna be there, Sengoku opted to come to much to Momo-chan's shock, you're coming... Hmm, should we invite Atobe?"
"Scandalous you mean," Kajimoto laughed sheepishly, racking his brains on whatever information he had regarding the Uchiha family. Apparently, a few of them also attended Jyosei Shounan as he remembered a few names.
Uchiha Itachi, current commander of the Japanese police force
Uchiha Sasuke, lieutenant and second-in-command of Uchiha Itachi
Uchiha Isane, gold medallist in rifle event
Kajimoto found himself unable to move for a moment. Although he loved Rin, the fear of being killed by simply taking one step into her house terrified him. Several scenarios appeared in his head: one, the eldest brother will shoot him, two, the younger brother will shoot him, three, Isane is highly capable of putting a bullet in between his eyes and fourth and the worst: all three will shoot him and the tennis team will probably try to murder him too. But Kajimoto instantly shook it off, determinedly thinking to himself.
One way or another, I would have needed to face this eventually.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Isane stared helplessly at the ceiling, waiting for the dinner that night. Her emerald green eyes scanned the ceiling before checking the multiple gold medals, silver medals, a few bronze medals and trophies on her shelves. Two of her rifles dutifully lay against the wall while one of her desks were full of metal polish and some bullets. Posters of her teammates in tennis and the national shooting team decorated her white coloured walls along with pictures of two certain tennis players. The Hyotei dash specialist made his way into the magazine as the "fastest male tennis player" and Niou made his way into a Candy magazine as a potential boyfriend. Her heart twinged horribly at the image as she glanced at the calendar; Halloween was almost nearby. She wanted to go with someone but both...
"Apparently don't have a pair of balls," the lanky Uchiha female glanced to find her younger brother completely clad in black.
"Sasuke, are you going to a heavy metal concert," she blinked disbelievingly several times, noticing the piercings. "Does dad even know you have a piercing?"
Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly, flicking back some of his black spikes. "Dad already knows. He's the one who suggested it. I'm going on one of those investigations. Apparently, there's a rocker band that may be involved in a murder case and nii-san needs little ole me to back him up. If I want to stay alive, dad says, I gotta blend with the crowd and make sure I don't die."
"Why didn't he ask me to come along," Isane sat up from her bed, preparing to dart for her rifle only to have Sasuke grab the collar of her shirt.
Sasuke facepalmed at his elder sister, shaking his head. "Sis, don't you have friends coming over and heartbreak to get over? Get a grip, besides – I thought you hate heavy metal music."
Isane ended up laughing at her younger brother, ruffling his hair. "I'm just making sure my baby brother doesn't come home with too many holes."
"I'm not a baby! Nee-chan, I'm a freakin' second year middle school student," Sasuke whined as he brushed his sister's hand away, snorting in annoyance. "Anyway, make sure you and your friends don't go into my room. I've got some things there!"
Isane gasped in mocking horror, barely able to hold in her laughter. "Oh my God, you're reading porn!"
"What the," Sasuke became beet red before rushing out the door. "Don't make stupid assumptions like that!"
Hearing the door slam in front of her, Isane felt all the laughter escape from her body as she stood in the deathly silence of her room. Pictures of the tennis players mocked her as her racquet gleamed under the halogen lights. The silver haired Sniper quietly walked towards it, checking the sheen of her best friend. A smile curved up her lips as she found pictures of her and Ferero playing together. However, her heart twitched in agonizing sorrow as she found pictures of Shishido taped right next to it. Tears threatened to spill out of her eyes as she turned away from it, clenching her hand into a fist.
"Now, why's my baby girl suddenly so heartbroken hmm," –Isane swivelled her head towards her black haired father as he sat down on her bed. "You mind telling your old man?"
Isane sighed deeply to herself before sitting next to her dad. "What would you do if you like this guy who helped you get over another guy but in the end he's a total ass?"
Her father pondered for a moment before chuckling. "Pull out a pistol and shoot his ass, that's what."
"Dad, killing's illegal," Isane frowned slightly although, considering the thought. "But, I don't know... He was so amazing but..."
"I think this is the time when your friend Getsu-chan says that "Yane-Yane's gonna squish his head like a lemon"," her father chortled, earning a giggle from his daughter. "Your samurai friend would've sliced him into two. Momo-chan, now was it? Your friends are quite a lethal force to reckon with when they're angry. I think Itachi can vouch for that."
Isane smiled fondly at the memory, recalling the first time all of them went to her house. Itachi began teasing her about her being flat-chested while Ayane's could put two watermelons to shame. Momo surprisingly started using her racquet as a blade as Mai tied him up with the blanket and set him down the stairs. Kiyone on the other had a fun time rolling him up again while Rin kicked him down again. Shizuru on the other hand remained relatively silent before smiling serenely that could easily send shivers down his spine. The brother could never live down the fact that he had been beaten up by his sister's friends. And the moment it reached the ears of his colleagues, Isane could have sworn she could have heard the roaring of laughter from the house.
"Well, if the two are flunkies then," he ruffled his daughter's short silver hair, snorting in laughter. "Guess they couldn't handle the Uchiha vibes!"
Isane laughed nervously before smiling bitterly once again. She hung her head a bit, glancing towards the other pictures attached to her cork board. Pictures of her and Shishido in first year as he had a huge scowl on his face while she had a big wide smile standing next to a short haired Shimohi Rin. She smiled weakly once again at the picture until her dad ruffled her hair.
"Trust me, he'll come to regret it one way or another," her dad stood up before leaving her alone in the room.
Once again, the sniper sighed to herself as she cast her eyes towards the ceiling. The silver haired Sniper glanced at her hands before staring straight into the halogen lights until a pillow slapped on her face, revealing a Kiyone sitting on her bed.
"Giant-senpai," Kiyone grinned childishly at a startled Sniper, jumping up and down on her bed. "Why you moping?"
Isane blinked several times as Kiyone stuck her tongue out at her. "Come on, Rin-senpai already started cooking!"
The tall silver haired blinked several times before glancing at the clock, realizing the time and what she was wearing. "Oh no, I'll be right down Kiyone!"
Kiyone grinned impishly before running straight down the stairs. "I brought some friends over, okay?"
"Which friends," Isane gulped, wondering if there were any screaming first years she should be aware about.
"I brought along Shiraishi-san and Kenya-san," she grinned happily before trotting down the stairs and leaving Isane to stare at her.
"What?"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Isane blinked several times as several boys greeted her view. In Tennis jerseys, they'd be more threatening but in casual they looked like simple friends. Kiyone grinned happily before shoving a piece of carrot into her mouth, making Kenya and Shiraishi wonder how she could digest that kind of spice easily. Atobe smirked at Ayane which promptly caused the vice captain to explode at him. Mai snickered while placing hot chilli peppers into Haruka's food, sending the girl away for a good glass of water. Hitomi grinned evilly while making a batch of radioactive orange-coloured juice. Isane could only stare at them before letting a sweat drop fall as Momo had Sengoku tickling her. The samurai of course reacted revolted as she began to squirm away. Shizuru on the other hand shrugged sheepishly at her senpai while drinking some of the radioactive orange-coloured juice without complaint. Despite the noise, a small smile curved up Isane's lips.
It relieved her so much to have a noisier and more cheerful atmosphere.
Recalling the way Niou ditched her caused her to unconsciously move her hand to her chest, gripping her shirt. She shook her head in disregard, walking towards her friends as Rin placed a huge vat full of savoury smelling fish and vegetable curry on one side.
"Guys, thanks for all this really," Isane smiled graciously, bowing. "You guys didn't have to drag boys to make me feel better you know."
"Niou clearly is an imbecile and sometimes it takes a lot more than girls to lighten up the mood," Atobe folded his legs before easing himself into the couch.
"Sexist bastard, I just asked you to come here because maybe you could offer a bit from a male perspective," Ayane snorted in annoyance while gesturing for the door, folding her arms not noticing that Atobe had slung his arm and pulled her closer. "If you're gonna render yourself useless, the door's that way.
"Perhaps, you're trying to mention that ore-sama is the sexiest bastard alive," Atobe chuckled with his deep velvet voice as he breathed against her neck, causing the vice captain to blush. "Why thank you, Ayane. It's quite a compliment to come from you."
"I am not trying to mention that, you overgrown peacock!"
Isane shook her head with laughter as Jackal nodded. "As much as I hate to agree, Atobe has a point. But, technically – it's within Niou's nature. He just has this bone in him that wants to piss everyone off with every chance he gets. The only one he hasn't tried pissing off is Yukimura and we know for obvious reasons as to why he wouldn't dare."
Sengoku laid his head on Momo's lap, looking up at Isane. "Besides, if you want a good way to get back at him – why not try finding someone who can compete with him?"
Isane blinked several times, watching the glances exchange. "What do you mean?"
"Like what Oshitari says," Atobe scoffed darkly; a smirking quirking up his lips. "We don't need quantity; just quality. I think Shishido will be more than happy to fill the role."
"I think he's the last person to ask," Rin shook her head, spooning some curry into her mouth. "He can't even tell a pick-up line from a deadbeat rejection."
Momo rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Oshitari's the one who wouldn't care. As long as the girl has nice legs, he'll go after her."
Kenya chuckled while drinking down the radioactive orange-coloured juice, raising his hand. "I can vouch for that. We're cousins."
"Although Niou won't be threatened by the numbers but," Shiraishi downed some water, cringing at the sight of the glowing orange-coloured drink. "He would be more inclined to make a move if the person is someone has the capability. Oshitari may be a good idea but then again, the question would be: would he feel threatened?"
"Niou won't be threatened by Oshitari because they have the same mind," Jackal pointed out while taking a placid sip of water. "He actually wouldn't mind because he believes that Oshitari's the type to do that too. But Shishido, I think Atobe has a direction with that plan. Because he doesn't know how Shishido thinks or rather he didn't bother to observe him, Niou's going to have to whistle in the dark. Fighting him with his own anti-thesis isn't a bad idea."
Shizuru tasted some of the curry before casting a glance at them. "Then again, what makes you think Ryou-senpai will agree with the idea?"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Sure why not."
Rin and Shizuru blinked several times at the dash specialist as he nonchalantly shoved his books into his bag. The capped dash specialist seemed surprisingly calm as he accepted it while slinging on his bag. He noticed the incredulous stares of the two before whacking Shizuru on the top of her head, earning him a yelp.
"What's wrong with you two," Shishido began walking with them towards the covered courts. "I said I would help so, what's the problem?"
Rin shook herself out of the daze. "I thought you'd be more violent about it, kuwee."
"Well, considering this is a revenge plan to bring down Niou then of course I'd agree to it," Shishido nonchalantly shrugged once again before relaxing his hands behind his head. "Besides, no one hurts Isane and gets away with it."
But you do have ulterior motives, don't you Shishido?
Shishido ultimately blocked out the voice in his mind while remembering what he had heard from the other regulars. Isane remained completely fake in maintaining her cheer as she quietly walked through the hallway. She even left Rin behind and usually those two go to tennis practice together! Shishido curled his fingers into a fist as he found himself planning murder plans for Rikkai's Trickster. Saying that Isane was forgiving was a complete understatement; he'd rather deem her as naïve. Then again, it was what made her the cute thing that she was right?
God, he wished that he had listened to some of Oshitari's romantic advice.
As the capped regular bade goodbye to his classmate and kohai, he sullenly started walking towards the Hyotei courts only to find Ohtori coming out of the bathroom. The other members of the tennis team loudly chatted away as Gakuto started showing off some new moves once again while Oshitari rolled his eyes, nodding absentmindedly.
"Shishido-senpai, Atobe-senpai said," Ohtori watched Shishido storm past him, blinking several times. "Senpai, where are you...?"
Before Gakuto could finish his statement, Shishido grabbed Oshitari by the collar and dragged him to one corner.
"Okay, seems pretty important to be extra rude," Oshitari folded his arms with an expectant smirk, watching Shishido bite his lower lip.
"Shut up, Oshitari," Shishido hissed darkly, lowering his voice into a whisper while looking around. "You think you can teach me how to romance a heartbroken girl?"
Oshitari smirked, patting Shishido on the shoulder.
"You got yourself the right man."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
That's Chapter 51! Sanada took a pretty bad hit back there but he'll recover [I think...]. Anyway, now comes the IsanexShishido and boy was Niou a douchebag! Don't worry; it won't stay like that for long. I hope you liked this chapter! Sorry it kinda took long. Please don't forget to review! The more reviews – the more inspired I'd be to write. Also, if you guys want one-shots for the girls tell me now so I can update Queen's Lives. Thank you!