Me: Hey thanks for all the reviews so far! I hope I managed to satisfy your need for epic tennis matches! But now is the moment you have all been waiting for - the Clash of the Titans: Souma Fuuka versus Kurenai Shizuru! Will Hyotei turn the tables and avenge their doubles pair or will Seigaku crush them with their brutality? By the way, I don't own Prince of Tennis. I only own the OCs! Warning: suggestive themes!

Chapter 57 – We're Hyotei and We're Unstoppable

As Shizuru quietly made her way to the court, her Regulars jacket floated behind her while she continued to watch Fuuka's movement. The brunette inhaled deeply; this moment should be like no other. Hyotei Gakuen only had one more hurdle to jump over in order to go to the Nationals. Shizuru shook her head away from all her fears as her body tensed up with excitement and determination to battle the woman who had constantly tailed her for their rivalry. The strongest rivalry did not occur between Atobe and Tezuka since the latter had been incredibly indifferent about it. Fuuka and Shizuru although showed curt and cordial appearances and interaction - when on the court, Fuuka became the Blood-Soaked Fuuka and Shizuru returned to her Corpse Princess demeanour. Their eyes stared sharply with unbreakable eye contact as both started watching each others' movements calculatingly with a deathly silent gaze. Winds blew hard with the trees dancing quickly and the leaves rustling wildly. The crowds remained silent as only the girls' footsteps echoed throughout the court.

"Wow, everyone really nailed their mouths shut," Kirihara whistled loudly while watching Shizuru and Fuuka approach one another, leaning lazily against the railings. "Are these guys really that epic or is it just because I've seen better players?"

Sanada frowned darkly at the younger boy's words, promptly whacking the devil's head. "It is because you have not seen better that's why everyone is silent. They know how strong these two girls really are. Yukimura's sister has nothing on them in terms of skill and sheer brute power. Souma Fuuka, known as Seigaku's Bishamonten, clearly has an upper hand in power play and complete destruction. However, Kurenai Shizuru attacks in another way in making opponents become extremely frustrated with themselves. This battle is more than just a simple tennis match to them now..."

"Considering what's riding at this point," Fuji smiled slyly, leaning against the railing before nodding in amusement, glancing towards an expressionless Tezuka with a smooth chuckle bubbling out of his throat. "I think both girls know what they're fighting for."

As Fuuka and Shizuru faced one another in the court, the silence settled in heavily with both their eyes glimmering in determination. Red and lavender flashed between the two girls as their grips on their racquets tightened considerably before both girls raised their arms for the cursory shake of hands. The two teams shivered and stiffened at the sight of the seriousness flashing between the two captains, watching the two keep their hands in contact. Fuuka's shaggy red hair tossed around violently against the wind with Shizuru's wavy dark brown hair drifting gently along the wind. Seigaku and Hyotei found themselves completely silent and unable to let out any cheers whereas the other scouters and members of the audience stared in amazement.

"Truly, this is the match between two titans," Shiba whistled softly while pulling out his camera and zooming in to watch the two girls play against one another. "While Tezuka and Atobe are known to have impeccable skills, Souma and Kurenai are no small fry in the tennis and talent department either. Souma Fuuka is known for her physical strength but Kurenai Shizuru is known for her tactical planning - which one will win however?"

Fuuka smugly folded her arms. "I'm expecting a good match from you today. Players from the other schools don't really amuse me unless they have some whacked up history with me. Make sure you play to impress, Kurenai."

Shizuru nodded stiffly as the cheers from Seigaku suddenly thundered throughout the courts upon hearing Fuuka's goading and challenge, responding with a small smile. "Of course unless you're the one who's going to completely back down. I suggest you start dragging your butt a bit more. It's quite boring to attack a target that's not moving."

Hyotei's supporters whistled and loudly began cheering at Shizuru's exceptionally calm retort as Oshitari leaned against the railings with a confident smirk. "Go get her, Ru-hime."

"Singles Two will now begin: Seishun Gakuen's Souma Fuuka versus Hyotei Gakuen's Kurenai Shizuru! Game start, Souma to serve!"

The shaggy red haired female tossed the ball up to the air before letting her lavender eyes sharply gaze at the structure of the court and at Shizuru's behaviour and habits, bouncing it on the ground a few times before biting her lower lip determinedly. Images of the last Nationals match flashed through her mind as she found the freshman version of Shizuru standing at the other end much to her annoyance. Tossing it high into the air, Fuuka slammed the shot with a speeding service while Shizuru returned it with a backhand. She increased the power of her play instantly to the point that her shots sounded more akin to that of a cannon ball explosion whereas Shizuru played on a deflective style, sending the ball back with a drive volley. With sweat pouring down her face, Fuuka backhanded the ball once more towards the deep end of the court whereas Shizuru sliced the ball for a spinning shot. Cursing silently at her rotten luck, Fuuka rushed forward before lightly lobbing it into the air with Shizuru preparing to smash the shot.

"Chance shot," Kiyone jumped up and down from her chair with an expectant grin. "Go go go, Shizuru-senpai!"

Seeing Fuuka watching her own movements, the Hyotei Gakuen captain preferred a drive volleyed and slammed it way past Fuuka's face as the red head immediately darted for the back to catch the ball. As the Seishun Gakuen female closed the distance between her and the ball, Fuuka shot the ball from in between her legs as Shizuru darted with the Flash Step and returned the shot with the same abominable speed that Fuuka had sent it the first time. Clucking her tongue, Fuuka slammed the ball with a startling forehand towards the Flash Step specialist once again as Shizuru challenged her home ground with quick draw backhand. People watched the ball zoom back and forth with insane speed almost to the point of squinting due to it vanishing. Fuuka continued to explode the ball similarly to that off a shot gun as Shizuru strained herself to return it but managed to adapt to it after three exchanges.

"Kurenai's gotten better hasn't she," Yukimura Ai smiled at her fellow members, folding her legs. "It's been awhile since I've seen her so... dedicated."

Florence on the other hand held onto her inhaler before folding her arms in approval. "Nothing has ever occupied me this much to make me forget about my inhaler before..."

Shitenhouji's female captain whistled with her usual Kansai drawl passing her lips. "Here we go."

Everyone refused to move their eyes from the fascinating match that began unfolding before them. Shizuru and Fuuka closed in towards one another as they began volleying at one another before pushing each other back. Both girls found themselves retracting all the way back to the baseline as they both started sliding back and forth on the court, watching the ball leave their racquet each time. Shizuru, ignoring the beads of sweat falling down her face, continued to watch Fuuka's eye movement and footwork as she sprinted towards the middle of the court. Fuuka slammed the ball with a devastating crack as Shizuru struggled to return it. An electrifying pain shot up her leg as she forced herself to dig her heels into the ground in order to compensate for her lack of bodily strength, flinching slightly.

"Not bad, not bad at all," Fuuka sniggered while slamming the return with double the given force, rushing towards the net. "Hope your body can keep up 'cause I hate it when you drop out early!"

Shizuru bit her lower lip and watched Fuuka bash through her defences, sliding her feet across gracefully in order to use her bodily weight to compensate for Fuuka's monstrous strength. "It definitely would be a shame if you could not keep that kind of monstrous power in check though..."

"Keep talking but how long can you keep your bravado," Fuuka slammed the ball towards Shizuru, watching the said sophomore glide easily to the other side.

Tsk, she's gotten faster... No, maybe it's because she's become more calm and resourceful?

The red haired female continued her frontal attack with multiple forehands forcing Shizuru to slide towards different edges and ends of the court. However, Shizuru showed no signs of relenting by responding with the same amount of power. Clucking her tongue in annoyance, the female Seishun Gakuen captain retaliated with a fast drive volley before moving right up to the front with Shizuru responding with the same attack.

"Whoa, you're getting aggressive," Fuuka exhaled sharply while twisting her body to get better power with her volley, smirking in delight. "It's been awhile since I last seen you play like this!"

Shizuru smiled lightly as she attacked the ball with the same unflinching and relentless force, hinting with a bit of slyness in her tone. "Well, I'm simply returning your attacks. I don't like leaving things unreturned."

Atobe frowned slightly before letting out an indignant huff, folding his arms in disappointment. "Kurenai's taking this too lightly. Souma's going to crush her if she keeps up her recklessness."

However, everyone's eyes widened when the ball suddenly curved towards the crimson eyed female's direction much to Fuuka's chagrin and disgust. Shizuru soon struck the ball with speed and a blurring spin similar to Fuuka's as the ball zoomed right past the opposing captain's leg. The Aries user blinked several times incredulously before recalling the speed of the ball that zoomed past her, eyeing the mark darkening behind her. She glanced at Shizuru who remained perfectly calm with her usual calm expression without flinching as Fuuka chuckled darkly, watching the crimson eyes remain completely still.

"Love - fifteen," -the crowd stared disbelievingly at the first rally.

"So, you're really banking on your tenacity to carry you far," Fuuka sighed dejectedly before shrugging nonchalantly. "I guess that's the similarity between both of you. You're both selflessly insane."

Shizuru stared quizzically at the elder captain, narrowing her eyes slightly. "I don't understand... What does that have to do with anything?"

The red haired captain of Seigaku shrugged uncaringly before preparing to serve once more, smirking at Shizuru's somewhat confused stare. "I want you to understand that it's no ordinary matter - with whatever you're trying to immerse yourself in. But, let's deal with that later - Queen of Diamonds. I'm tired of playing you with your normal tactics. Let's get a little hysterical shall we?"

Shizuru nodded stiffly before lowering her stance, preparing to receive Fuuka's service. "Very well but do not expect a good result once you end up hysterical."

Mai bit her lower lip while watching the exchange become intense once again with varied levels. Her body shivered at the sight of skill and power displayed by the two captains as Fuuka revealed enough power to distort a wire fence completely out of shape whereas Shizuru flashed at the speed of light and even switching feet instantly to deceive the Seishun Gakuen player. The red haired captain stumbled a few times before managing to return the shot with a slight lob which Shizuru smashed the ball away from Fuuka. Much to Shizuru's surprise, Fuuka immediately threw herself forward before hitting the ball over the net. Clucking her tongue, Shizuru rushed towards the weakly lobbed ball and drove the shot straight to the edge of the singles court.

"Love - Thirty," everyone howled in awe and astonishment.

Fuuka chuckled lightly before gathering herself, tossing her hair back. "Damn, you're playing pretty well. I guess you just needed to loosen up at the Urabutousatsujin..."

Shizuru smiled graciously, nodding curtly. "I guess... There are just some things that have to be really vented out huh?"

Tossing up the ball, Fuuka served the shot again. "Ha, you bet your ass there are! Like, how does it feel when you lose in front of your whole world?"

Much to Fuuka's surprise, the shot soared faster than normal and ripped past the Seishun Gakuen female. Seeing that she hit a nerve, Fuuka chuckled lightly as Shizuru maintained a smooth and calm expression. Fuuka attacked the shot with a wild forehand whereas Shizuru punched her hips to put more power. Both of their gazes constantly met as their volleys started popping towards one another. Fuuka's unrelenting gaze refused to tear away from Shizuru's determined one as the tennis ball flew back and forth.

"Arn~, ore-sama has never seen Kurenai so serious," Atobe shoved his hands into his pockets; his ice blue eyes following both players' movements. "They may be playing simply but the emotions emitting from each of their attacks is astounding."

Florence humourlessly chuckled while watching the colours clash against one another. As the black slowly faded around Shizuru, her aura blazed a bright red colour with gold whereas Fuuka clashed with flashing blue. Behind Fuuka, Florence noticed a shadow of a long blue reptile coiled around Fuuka whereas a pair of red wings engulfed Shizuru. Their auras took shapes before smashing and crashing towards one another. A giggle bubbled from her throat as Fuuka and Shizuru continued fighting it out.

Finally, a match that everyone has been waiting for appears.

Shizuru continued attacking the corners of the court with the ball spinning faster whereas Fuuka returned them, reinforcing each with power. The Hyotei female captain winced at the power straining against the strings of her racquet, watching Fuuka's movements carefully. As the red haired captain dashed forward to meet the brunette's volley, Shizuru darted towards her as well with both their eyes meeting each time they faced each other at the net. Fuuka moved towards the back in order to overpower Shizuru which she did so successfully as the ball zoomed right past the brunette's shoulder, leaving the junior no other choice but to dodge.

"Fifteen - thirty," - the crowd stared in astonishment, chanting loudly for more.

Fuuka chuckled lightly before mounting the racquet onto her shoulder, loosening her neck a little. "Not bad, not bad but you still have a long way to go if that's how you're going to play the whole time."

Shizuru twirled her racquet up, maintaining a calm composure with a slight smirk curving up her lips. "Oh trust me; I'm letting you have a few shots."

The two captains retreated back to their stations on each side as Fuuka prepared to serve once again. Shizuru, tightening her grip on her racquet, twirled her racquet around while watching Fuuka's movements. The Piscean Princess slashed the ball for a sudden top spin which forced Fuuka to move forward, causing her to drop it slightly. Despite being forced to move forward, the red haired Seishun Gakuen captain smirked determinedly before driving the ball with a volley. Shizuru tracked down the ball before smacking it once again with a drive volley and returning back to the middle. Fuuka shoved herself back for a ground stroke before unleashing a screaming forehand.

"Time to crush you," Fuuka chuckled humourlessly with a darkened smirk. "Dodekathlon!"

Shizuru's eyes widened as the power suddenly increased and bashed her racquet straight out of her hand, causing her to wince and massage her arm. "Ack, it's pretty strong..."

"Shouldn't you be used to my strength by now," Fuuka twirled her racquet around, mounting it on her shoulder snarkily. "Unless, you really got soft which I hope you didn't. Otherwise, that'd be a big letdown. Besides, shouldn't you be more than that - Shikabanehime?"

Shizuru giggled softly before walking over to pick up her racquet, wincing slightly at the strain in her arm. "Oh don't worry; there will be a lot more for you to worry about."

Fuuka chuckled humourlessly, tossing her hair back. "Alright then, show me what you learned from these past few months."

Without any warning, Fuuka struck again with a no-return serve as Shizuru immediately darted forward to forehand the shot right over the net. A smirk curved up Fuuka's lips as she increased the power in her shots once again with Shizuru adding top spins each and every return she had. The Hyotei captain dashed to and fro with her speed kicking up past Fuuka's whereas the Seishun Gakuen captain started exploding shots all over the court. Shizuru winced at the strain being bashed against her arm and legs whereas Fuuka started inhaling deeply to keep herself in the game. The red haired women's team captain glanced at the bleachers and watched Tezuka's eyes carefully. She chuckled humourlessly to herself before glancing at Shizuru.

They have the same mentality. I shouldn't be surprised.

Fuuka slammed the ball towards the other edge of the court while finding Shizuru at the opposite end. The Hyotei captain however easily flashed towards that side and attacked the ball with the same speed the Seishun Gakuen captain shot it, forcing Fuuka to deflect the next shot. As the ball lobbed high into the air, Shizuru jumped up before smashing the shot down right between Fuuka's legs.

"Thirty - all," nobody could believe the time span of each rally as both girls went head to head.

"Hahaha," Fuuka inhaled deeply while smirking determinedly at the younger captain. "I haven't had this thrill in ages. You know - the last time I had a good match with you was the day you first arrived into the tennis circuit. But, I wouldn't push that leg if I were you after all Aikawa definitely makes me look bad in the Berserker Department."

"B-Berserker department," Rin stared agape before looking at the other captains. "Wait, he was the one who...?"

Florence bit her lower lip darkly, watching Fuuka and Shizuru return to their spots at the baselines. "Aikawa Onryou - one of the other members of L.X.A that you had met previously has a weird case of multiple personality disorder. It seemingly activates only to a single thing unlike other cases which seem to be either based on will or random appearance. I'm not quite sure whether or not he was born with it or he did it to himself but that one time challenged all of us."

Kiyone swallowed hard. "Did he throw buchou around like a chew toy?"

"Ya can say that but ya gotta know that yer cap'n's not that flimsy," Natsuki shook her head vehemently at the memory, not removing her gaze from the match. "When he decided ta lose his marbles, he decided ta take out 3/4 of one of those buildin'. It took us ages us fixin' our places ta the way it was and we even got a special place fer the 'ole cuss."

Hitomi bit her lower lip while continuing to take down notes from the match. "So tell me, what got you all involved in L.X.A? What exactly was the purpose?"

"You're not being helpful as a psychiatrist but," Florence inhaled sharply before sighing into the sky. "I remember being brought to a hospital in hopes of getting a lung transplant. After that, I just found myself there in the barracks with Natsuki. My parents couldn't find me for awhile and it was only when I was like graduating Elementary School that I managed to get home. Fuuka was brought in a few days later since they said she had anger management classes."

Natsuki shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "Ah kinda ran away from mah place. My Pa wasn't all attention givin' ya know what ahm sayin'?"

Florence chuckled bitterly, watching the two girls fight each other. "In terms of seniority, Natsuki and I were first before Fuuka and Shizuru. Obviously, Yukimura is youngest by default since well - she's basically cloned. However, in terms of power and skill - I'd say Fuuka and Shizuru had completely surpassed us."

"Souma and Kurenai managed to surpass us in terms of combat tactics," the charcoal gray haired female captain adjusted her wrist band while leaning against the back of the bench. "In fact, this match may look so simple but they're actually waiting for one to slip up. The first rule of combat: NEVER LET YOUR GUARD DOWN. EVER."

Shizuru and Fuuka continued to attack each other with the tennis ball flying back and forth, without tearing their gazes off one another. The brunette bit her lower lip before skidding across the court to counter Fuuka's next forehand as the red haired girl blasted it all the way to the back of the baseline. Fuuka barely forced down her chuckles; she found herself staring at her rival as a small smirk curved up her lips. She watched Shizuru's eyes follow the pathway of the ball each time as they continued attacking each other relentlessly until Fuuka found an opening on Shizuru's left side, prompting her to send in a sharp drive volley right past Shizuru.

"Forty - thirty!"

Tezuka found himself completely stupefied on how they were both onto each others' necks. Although his face didn't show it, his eyes widened slightly at the determination coming from the two and noticing Fuuka chuckling darkly while Shizuru maintained a straight face. The Seishun Gakuen male captain folded his arms with a slight frown; Fuuka's lavender eyes clearly reflected the obsession in victory. He couldn't blame her for that. As far as he was concerned, Tezuka found himself more irritated by her brashness and her superiority complex to the point of obsession. Fuuka had harped on and on how she would bring home the gold for Seigaku by crushing Shizuru under the weight of her own expectations, further motivating the girls. Although he did not know Shizuru too well, he could see how her teammates followed behind her but what he noticed also was how reckless she had become. Shizuru had challenged Fuuka's full-scale attack strategy head on. Normally, he would have considered it crazy but instead he found a small smile curving up his lips. Was it because he was amused by her sudden change in thought? He couldn't understand but whatever it was, he felt some swelling of admiration bubbling somewhere.

"Tezuka, you know girls would start flashing a camera in your face and you wouldn't even notice," Fuji chuckled all-knowingly, glancing at his bespectacled best friend.

Tezuka immediately returned back to his normal expression. "Fuji..."

"Saa~, don't worry," Fuji placed a finger on his lips with his usual angelic smile. "I'll keep your stalker tendencies a secret~."

Fuji, you're lucky we are in public.

Tezuka massaged his temples before looking towards the courts once again. Shizuru now started pushing back Fuuka with long ground strokes and spin shots whereas Fuuka started playing on a more defensive stance. Seigaku's and Hyotei's chanting and cheering thundered in the courts with both captains' respective titles being drowned out by their howling. He glanced at the banners flapping in the wind as the chants slowly tuned out with him only hearing the ball being sent over the net. He watched both Shizuru and Fuuka continue pushing each other back with very little success until someone decided to shove him. He snapped himself out of the daze as he found another shot zooming past Fuuka from Shizuru's end of the court.

"Deuce!"

Shizuru bit her lower lip while trying to maintain a stolid expression. Her whole body started wincing at the strain especially her arm as she desperately tried to check whether or not she could lift it. Although there had been no injury there, the Hyotei female captain started to wonder whether or not Fuuka had been living on power and strength supplements or if she had been completely hooked on steroids. She giggled inwardly to herself; Fuuka definitely knew how to make bodybuilders look bad. The red haired Seishun Gakuen captain reminded her similarly to Ayane as both girls could render half the population deaf and both easily threw tantrums on certain things since Ayane would physically beat up Atobe while Fuuka would simply bulldoze anyone who opposed her. A sigh escaped the younger captain's lips while she walked back to the baseline.

"You should take it easy on that leg of yours, Kurenai," Fuuka raked back her short red hair, smirking at the slight limp. "I may be blind to tiny details but that doesn't mean I know that your leg is about to give. Remember the last match we had?"

Shizuru remained focused. "I know but that doesn't mean it will stop me from winning."

"Maa, maa, you know you should really loosen up a little," Fuuka tossed the ball up in the air with an arrogant smirk on her face. "Otherwise, your face is gonna become cemented that way."

Shizuru narrowed her eyes slightly while maintaining her calm composure, darting towards the ball to receive. "I prefer keeping a straight face. It pisses you off."

Fuuka snorted darkly before attacking Shizuru's return with a forehand. "Bitch, I'm gonna bloody beat the shit out of you!"

"See what I mean," Shizuru's lips curved up into a small smile as she continued blocking Fuuka's attempts to bring her down. "You're hilarious when it comes to frustration."

Florence shook her head with a sigh, noticing Shizuru's taunting attempts. "See what I mean? These two are meant to duke it out with another."

"Shizuru was all smiles befer she became a Regular fer L.X.A," Natsuki chuckled lightly, leaning against the railing. "She was as cute as button and as sweet as a butterflah. She could barely lay a fingah on anyone. Ah remember the good 'ol times..."

Flashback

A nine year old Fuuka tossed around a ball in the air with a grin whereas Natsuki started doing pull-ups from her bed. Florence on the other hand placed a harmonica near her mouth as she started playing a familiar tune. The room remained increasingly silent as Fuuka, finally frustrated, slammed the ball against the ceiling before letting it roll harmlessly on the ground.

"Gah, isn't there anything better to do," Fuuka rolled over on her bed with a disgruntled snort, kicking the air. "We haven't been given crap for weeks! We're just made to stay in this metal box until a huge mission or problem sprouts up!"

"Technically, our walls are made by the workings of the mind," Florence chuckled in amusement while turning the page of her book lightly. "It is our choice whether or not to leave the quarters or not."

The red haired little girl snorted in disgust. "Get rid of your damn British accent! It makes you sound like fucking pansy!"

"I dare say how uncouth you actually are," Florence sipped a small cup of Chamomile Tea. "Your mouth is not suitable to be that of a woman's let alone a human's. Normally, I would not be this insulting if you were not such a brute."

Fuuka twitched with all the words pouring out of Florence's mouth. "God, will you please make this woman shut up!?"

"Goodness Fuuka, I didn't know you were Catholic," Florence smiled all-knowingly, seeing how riled up the red haired girl was.

"Fuck you, I'm Buddhist!"

Natsuki shook her head with a sigh, rolling up onto the bed. "I always thought Buddhist wer all 'bout peace and anger causin' sufferin'. Yer a complete opposite of that, Sugarcube."

Before Fuuka could retaliate, a soft knocking came from the door as Kyouichi Sagara revealed himself to the three with a cheerful smile. "Hi girls, how are you doing?"

"We're crunched in like a can of sardines 'cause of ya," Natsuki hissed darkly, folding her arms with a pout. "Will ya stop tryin' to make us into a sardine can of paypol? It make no sense tah me!"

Florence sighed deeply, looking at the mess on Natsuki's bed and her side of the room. "Natsuki, I believe it is more your fault that this room is so cramped due to your unholy mess."

Natsuki pouted before climbing up the bed, glaring at Florence. "Hmph, it's what ah call a clean mess. Ah know where everythin' is. Ya guys just haven't gotten used ta the arrangement."

Fuuka rolled up her sleeves and pounced at the charcoal haired Kansai female. "Screwed up rock!"

"Why ya fleabitten vermin - I oughta give you a good whoopin' with my right!"

"Pebbles for brains!"

Sagara sighed deeply to himself and stepped aside while looking at the energetic bunch, revealing a shy brunette female hiding behind him. "It's alright, Shizuru. This will be your new room."

The three girls suddenly stopped as they found a very shy brunette staring past her long wavy brown bangs. Her auburn red eyes blinked several times while clutching on tightly to the pants leg of the older man, hiding behind Sagara. She whimpered a bit as Fuuka suddenly stormed towards her and grabbed Shizuru by her arm before dragging her into the middle of the room. Shizuru let out a slight yelp as Fuuka flung her aside, slamming the poor girl against the bed rail. Shizuru nearly fumbled over as her auburn eyes flickered slightly when Fuuka grabbed her by her collar.

"Fuuka, enough," Sagara prepared to separate the two apart until a huge flame emerged from behind the red haired girl, revealing a flaming gauntlet attached to the red haired girl's arm. "Where did you get that?"

Fuuka sneered darkly, tightening her grip on Shizuru's neck. "Haagasu gave me this. He said it would give me power to break out of this disgusting joint. So tell me, you little scum – which ditch did you crawl out from?"

Shizuru remained completely silent as she shrunk under Fuuka's darkening and threatening gaze, desperately trying to remove Fuuka's tight grip. "I…I…"

Groaning in disgust and annoyance, Fuuka flung the smaller girl against the wall. "Geez, you're useless."

End of Flashback

"Back then, Fuuka had a hair triggering temper," Florence giggled softly at the wave of nostalgia, watching the two girls play against each other. "If anyone new or someone she didn't like suddenly showed up, she'd immediately let loose. It's something nobody really understood about her."

Natsuki tousled around with her keychain hanging limply from her wallet. "On the other hand, Shizuru purdy much was scared of almost everythin'. Bless her soul, even a fly would look vicious next ta her. She purdy much just stuck herself on the wall and stayed outta people's way. In L.X.A., it's kill or be killed. Sagara was the only one who took us in like his children. He loved us like family but officially, he can only handle one ov'us agents."

Shishido raised an eyebrow before waving his hands in the air. "Hold on, what's this L.X.A thing? I don't even know what the hell it is!"

"The very shadows of the SDF," Atobe folded his arms, watching the points being stolen one after the other. "Japan could never have an offensive military ever since World War II. But then, they created the SDF – the Self-Defence Force. But when it comes to bigger and more international issues that involve the assets and stocks of Japan, that's when the L.X.A will intervene."

Shishido gaped at the new information swimming through his mind, shaking his head vigorously. "What the fuck-? How long did you guys know this?"

"Ore-sama himself could not believe that Kurenai could easily point a gun and shoot at first until he saw her blow up someone's face right in front of him," Atobe shuddered upon remembering what had happened to the dead Oishi Haruhi, recalling how all her brains had been blown in his face. "Souma and Kurenai are leagues above the other captains. It's no surprise that no girl has been able to equal them. Their abilities would be hard to top."

Hitomi smiled lightly in amusement, writing down more data and compiling them in notebooks next to her. "Kurenai Shizuru and Souma Fuuka, also known as L.X.A's top princesses, numbers' 2 and 3 surpass normal capabilities of normal humans. They were taught how to fight, adapt and perhaps even become resourceful in times of apocalyptic events. In L.X.A's training regimen, our Regulars Training is barely 1/20 of the brutality and intensity."

Shizuru slammed the other ball towards Fuuka, watching her opponent's movements carefully. She felt her leg suddenly strain as she zoomed across the court to return Fuuka's other groundstroke. The brunette slightly winced in pain before unleashing another fast volley which zoomed right past Fuuka.

"Game, Kurenai: one game to love!"

The crowd howled and cheered as Tezuka remained completely silent, unsure whether or not he should be astonished or amazed. Shizuru and Fuuka held the longest rally in his own knowledge next to his and Yukimura's. He remembered playing against Rikkai's Child of God but never expected them to play for such a long time back then in the junior circuit. He watched closely at Fuuka's raging attacks towards the other captain. In a short description, he could see that Fuuka raged like a wild fire without any remorse. Mercilessly pounding through her opponents and blazing with a wild victory, Tezuka practically associated her more with fire. Her temper… Well, he could only wish that Momoshiro did not piss her off and had to go home with a fractured ankle and two black eyes along with a bleeding lip.

"Souma-chan is fire while Shizuru-chan is water no," Fuji smiled all-knowingly at Tezuka, immediately rebuking the bespectacled male's thoughts.

Tezuka immediately swivelled his head towards the smiling tensai.

"Fuuka constantly attacks without giving the opponent any room to fight back," Fuji leaned against the railing, watching the shots explode from Fuuka's racquet. "However, Shizuru calmly and simply redirects that anger and amplifies Fuuka's power with her own while using it against her. In a game of ability and willpower, Fuuka however has the upper hand. But in strategy – Shizuru definitely out-powers Fuuka."

Kikumaru gaped at his classmate in awe, glomping the feminine male. "Wow Fujiko-chan, I didn't know it could be seen that way!"

Fuji patted Kikumaru's head lightly before letting the red haired acrobat down. "But Tezuka, two things are for certain – fire and earth become diamonds while water and earth bring life. Which would you choose however if you were to weigh it?"

If there was anything Tezuka hated, it was all the riddles Fuji would throw in his face.

Although a fan of mystery novels, Tezuka found it extremely hard and annoying to decipher Fuji's statements. However, he understood what Fuji had been trying to tell him to a certain extent. Tezuka glanced at the court again when Fuuka suddenly smashed straight at Shizuru and forced the said girl to dodge.

"Thirty – Forty!"

Tezuka resisted the urge to face palm or twitch, considering how similar the plays were from the first game. What he could not understand however was where Fuuka and Shizuru suddenly gained so much gall and power to fight against one another without any remorse. Fuuka pummelled through Shizuru's defences but not before the brunette deflected it easily towards the red haired female, causing the Seishun Gakuen captain to stagger over.

"Deuce!"

Fuuka bristled slightly at the neck to neck pace of the other girl, wincing at the heavy pounding against her chest. She watched Shizuru regain her composure but saw her will slightly breaking after the fatigue and stress. She was amazed though by her consistency; no matter how long or how tired the younger girl was, Fuuka always found herself unnerved by her ability to maintain consistency with her performances. Shizuru's shots continued zooming back and forth as Fuuka finally found an opening on the younger girl's left side, taking the shot.

Do you remember how we were before, Kurenai? Before the accident that made a mess of you?

Flashback

A loud explosion echoed throughout the hallways as the alarms started ringing out. Fuuka immediately jumped out of bed whereas Natsuki suddenly shot up and hit her head against the ceiling. Florence immediately tumbled out of bed and Shizuru fell off the window sill. The red light flashed around in their room, prompting Fuuka to grab a ball and immediately shutting it down with a smash of a ball. As the noise died down in their room, the other alarms continued sounding off as Fuuka climbed into her bed.

"Shut those up will you," Fuuka pulled her blanket over her head. "I don't wanna hear those shitty things!"

Natsuki jumped down from her bed, dragging out the red head. "Come on Fuuka, for the whole L.X.A tah be on Code Red means that there's somethin' goin' on."

Florence zipped up her white latex suit and laced her black combat boots on, tightening her arm guards and claw-like weapons soon after. "I find this awfully rude if people intend to wake us up so harshly. Could they have not done things normally?"

Shizuru blinked several times before Natsuki grabbed Shizuru's arm. "Come on, don't just stand there and stare! We got a crisis on our hands!"

The four girls immediately jumped out of their rooms and saw soldiers running down the metal hallways, hearing loud commands echoing all over the place. The four girls crept into the hallway into a loud explosion threw them all back with the wall and metal debris falling all over the place. Fuuka and Natsuki stood in front whereas Florence stayed behind with Shizuru. Their eyes widened even further as a silver plated giant human suddenly emerged with flashing green eyes. Long blonde hair cascaded to the floor as several chains tinkled and crinkled with every thundering footstep the giant took. Fuuka immediately froze in fear until Natsuki suddenly drew out her gun and shot through a green metal octagon.

"Deceived bah the desires of man," Natsuki fired a shockwave towards the device. "Capricorn Deception!"

A sea goat emerged from the device as it rammed the other humanoid-looking thing before the latter flung it away. Natsuki started firing bullets as they harmlessly bounced off the creature's arm, much to her horror. Florence immediately darted past Fuuka and Shizuru before unleashing sharp threads from the tip of her claws, wrapping it around the huge creature. The giant howled and began kicking and struggling before swinging its open fist against Florence's body, knocking her against the metal walls.

"Florence," Fuuka bit her lower lip darkly before activating the red device in her hand, covering her arm in a huge red gauntlet. "Shizuru, stay put! Don't do anything stupid!"

Fuuka hurled a huge metal plate towards it before rushing down the creature. However, what she didn't see was that the creature spat out a huge rod from its mouth and prepared to impale her. Frozen in fear, Fuuka found herself suddenly shoved onto the ground and found the mute brunette lying on the ground with the rod impaling straight through her left knee. Blood splattered on the ground with an unconscious Shizuru lying on the ground.

"SHIZURU!"

End of Flashback

"I wanted to beat you shitless for what you did back then," Fuuka bit her lower lip, attacking the ball with greater ferocity. "You were supposedly this stray bitch and you managed to stand in front of that thing without even flinching or giving a second thought!"

Shizuru forehanded the shot right back at Fuuka, shrugging simply. "You were about to get crushed. I simply did what I felt was right."

"Yeah by nearly sacrificing your ability to walk," Fuuka fired a frustrated backhanded the shot with a double fisted back hand, nearly distorting the strings on Shizuru's racquet. "Dumbass!"

Shizuru released her quick-draw backhand and forced Fuuka to move back in order to return the shot. Shredding the next shot, Shizuru winced slightly at the pain that her knee suddenly froze at but she forced herself to keep on moving. She remembered the fear that froze both of them back then; Fuuka stared back at the berserk Aikawa Onryou after he had lost himself to his form. Luckily, Florence and Natsuki managed to protect them both along with the timely arrival of the other two members: Kane Michaelides and GENESIS. However, she knew there was no time to ponder – if anything, Fuuka's brutality and strength had its ways in breaking through her defences. She rerouted Fuuka's strength constantly but noticed her strings whimpering from the blows. Shizuru sighed deeply; time for a trip to the Sports Store again.

"Waaah, her racquet's gonna break," Rin began biting her fingernails while wincing at the loud explosions coming from Fuuka's side. "It's either we're gonna have to buy her new strings or a whole new racquet! How did she get so strong anyway?"

Natsuki chuckled deeply before lying down on the bench, looking at the green octagon in her hand. "We never knew actually. Ah reckon she can make a Minotaur look like a cotton ball. It's as if we were all chosen for certain traits. Ah dun really git why Fuuka and Shizuru fight each other like a bunch of cats an' dogs. Fuuka always bullied Shizuru and since Shizuru always had some issues with herself – well, she always slept against the window sill. But after the day Shizuru got her leg forked through, Fuuka became a lot nicer towards her."

"It was never about a rivalry now was it," Oshitari chuckled humourlessly before sitting down on one of the benches, clasping his hands together. "Souma probably felt that there was a debt to be repaid and since Shizuru nearly lost a limb or perhaps her ability to walk."

Florence nodded lightly with a bitter smile on her lips. "Indeed, Fuuka's reasoning may be sound but the way she expresses it is somewhat weird considering her loud barbaric ways."

"I HEARD THAT," Fuuka promptly blasted the shot towards Shizuru which blasted the racquet right out of the younger captain's hand.

"Advantage: receiver!"

Shizuru whistled softly at the strain in her wrist, picking up her racquet again. She released another fast serve which Fuuka blasted it right back at her. Shizuru tailed down the shot before returning it with a forehand drive volley. Fuuka dashed for the net and went for a drop shot which Shizuru sliced down for another and forced Fuuka to lob the shot. Without any warning, Shizuru twisted her body and backhanded the shot towards the other corner. Fuuka leapt for the ball before dropping it right over the net.

Kirihara whistled, nodding in shock. "Wow, that's pretty intense for a girls' match."

"The two titans of Kantou," Yanagi opened his notebook and continued taking notes. "They're actually not playing at their normal numbers. They're holding back."

Niou smirked lightly, playing around with his silver blue hair. "My money's on Fuuka. Shizuru's going to break with that kind of strength. It's like putting Bakaya against a stick."

Yagyuu adjusted his glasses a bit, watching the match. "I wouldn't be so sure. Shizuru isn't showing any hint of fatigue. Perhaps, they're both planning to throw one game before blasting each other."

"Game, Souma: one all! Change court!"

Fuuka snorted in annoyance, looking at her racquet and approaching Ryuuzaki-sensei. The old woman frowned deeply at Fuuka's disposition, watching Shizuru also talk to Sakaki-kantoku.

"Fuuka, don't let your emotions rule your judgement," Ryuuzaki-sensei cast a wary glance at the brunette who simply nodded upon Sakaki-kantoku's instructions. "You said it yourself; between your four rivals – Shizuru had the amount of tenacity that can easily rival yours or perhaps even more. Not only that, her movements are more fluid if you haven't noticed. Take note of detail, Fuuka."

Fuuka scoffed darkly before grinning with a confident smirk. "Don't worry; I have this game all under control."

On the other hand, Oishi began to notice something.

The Seishun Gakuen male vice captain glanced at the scores and then at the two players. He noticed Shizuru's calm facade and her sore knee whereas Fuuka had beads of sweat pouring down her face. His eyes widened slightly as the image soon changed to that of Tezuka and Atobe walking past one another in the courts. He bit his lower lip and glanced at his best friend before pondering deeply on the outcome. Will Shizuru make the same decision as Tezuka or would she actually back down? His body shivered at the intensity of auras clashing. He didn't need to see it; the air alone weighed heavily against his shoulders.

He wasn't the only one feeling uneasy however.

Atobe glanced at his watch before checking the wired exit where his girlfriend had recently left. A frown marred his features before he stood up and handed his jacket to Kabaji. With an obedient "usu", the king of Hyotei promptly walked out the gate before snatching one last glance. Although the match had been increasingly exciting, leaving Ayane in a destroyed state was not the best idea. He thought of several ideas: Ayane could easily demolish a poor wall with sheer brute strength alone, Ayane stormed off and broke a car into pieces or she would have snapped a huge tree trunk into pieces. Whichever it was, Ayane probably had the same berserker rage that Fuuka had.

"Ayane," Atobe found someone standing by the water fountain, only to have Vera face him with haughty blue eyes. "Ore-sama has been looking everywhere...Oh, it's you."

Vera stood before him with a haughty smirk and due to the sunset, her hair had been tinged into a similar tangerine colour to that of Ayane. "Well, well, if it isn't the knave of the Queen of Hearts. I'm surprised she hasn't beat you black and blue yet."

Atobe narrowed his icy blue eyes at Vera's electric blue ones. "Ore-sama was never a knave and he will never be."

"Oh? Then why are you here," Vera giggled with a sultry smile, watching Atobe's icy blue eyes flicker. "Isn't it like the knave's job to like seek revenge for his queen?"

"Is it also not a king's job to get vengeance on the woman who upset his queen," Atobe challenged back with a fold of his arms, smirking equally haughty as his tone.

Vera laughed smoothly, tousling her blonde hair around. "Well played, king of Hyotei. I didn't expect you to like know how my Heartbreaker really worked."

Atobe bit back his urge to laugh at her mannerisms. "Ore-sama may not be a doubles player but ore-sama can definitely see through you. You are nothing more than a shallow tramp with an alpha bitch complex. You are threatened by Ayane's abilities and that she can overpower you. Among all the members of the Seishun Gakuen team, you are the one with the least potential."

Narrowing her eyes, Vera sauntered towards him before pressing her body against his and backing him up to a soda machine and trailing her finger up his shirt. "Oh~, so you do have some bit of nerve..."

"Ore-sama never backs down from a challenge," Atobe bit his lower lip, fighting the nasty feeling boiling in his stomach. Tch, ore-sama didn't know she was this shameless.

Vera slammed her hands against the soda machine, licking her lips delectably. "So, you might as well give up – king of Hyotei. Because like, I know I will win."

Atobe immediately began racking his brains for any possible method of pushing Vera away. If he shoved her to the ground, things could get ugly and the story could get distorted. Let it never be said that an Atobe was rude to a woman! Yelling out for help? No, not on his living dignity and pride he won't. Wait for Kabaji or any of his team members to pass by? He could only imagine if the person passing by was Oshitari and become the entire laughing stock.

"So you don't only mess up people's game but their lives too?"

Vera swivelled her head around and found Ayane standing right there, much to Atobe's horror. "Well, well, well, if isn't little miss watermelon boobs. I thought you were off crying yourself a river?"

Ayane curled her fingers into knuckles until they became visibly white with her emerald eyes flashing angrily. "Oh, you didn't just say that – bitch."

Atobe on the other hand already sensed the fires burning between the two; he tried to push her away but Vera pretty much trapped him against the soda machine. Great, now ore-sama is stuck between two crazy females. At least Ayane is violently affectionate and her type of punishment is physically beating ore-sama to death... Hopefully, she didn't buy a skillet or tear off a license plate...

"You know, it's nice how he suddenly showed up here," Vera began making her fingers walk up Atobe's sweaty jersey, smiling sweetly. "I was just telling him how..."

"I DON'T GIVE A BLOODY DAMN ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT WITH HIM," Ayane stomped forward before grabbing the two of them and easily flinging Atobe to one side and Vera onto the ground; emerald flames dancing in her eyes. "THE DAY I LET YOU MESS AROUND WITH MY LIFE IS THE DAY PIES DEVELOP WINGS AND FLY! IF YOU GUYS WANNA SUCK EACH OTHER'S FACES, GO DO IT IN THE MOUNTAINS!"

Vera snootily tossed her hair back with a haughty smile. "Well thanks – I'll take care of him!"

"I WASN'T GIVING HIM TO YOU, BITCH," Ayane seethed angrily with her volume pretty much rising, stomping towards Vera.

"Well it seemed like it," Vera scoffed lightly and folding her arms with an all-knowing stare. "Besides, why would he want a loser like you? Your anger, your supposed strength is nothing – you're just a whiny little girl with watermelons for boobs even the little Pomeranian has more power than you have!"

Atobe expected a slap from Ayane but he realized that this is Ayane he was talking about. Instead of a slap, Ayane gave her a mean right hook to her cheek and sent her sprawling on the floor.

"My buchou is highly against violence on the court," Ayane darkly cracked her knuckles, standing over a fallen Vera. "But what she doesn't know won't hurt her!"

"Ayane enough," Atobe grabbed her wrists as she prepared to floor Vera. "Attacking a rival team won't solve anything and you're letting your mind mess up the rest of your judgement!"

Ayane struggled hard against his grips, glaring. "You're trying to defend her!? You're actually interested in a bitch like her!?"

"Ore-sama is not trying to defend her," Atobe retorted back darkly, tightening his grip on Ayane. "Ore-sama is...!"

"LET GO OF ME," Ayane simply wrestled her wrists out of his grips before sending him also to the ground, fighting back the urge to cry. "You don't know anything! Do you know how hard I've worked to get into my ranks? Power is virtue in Hyotei! I worked my ass off and this bitch has no right to tell me that I have no right to be a doubles player or even a regular for that matter! You don't need to care about that – you're the oh-so-high-and-almighty king Atobe Keigo! You didn't need to worry about that! You were the all-so-blasted perfect; you had the looks, you had everything right in front of you! Well sorry for not being as perfect as you but I had to work my ass off to get here! DO YOU KNOW HOW IT FELT TO STAND TO SOMEONE WHO WAS GREATER THAN YOU AND REALIZE YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO CATCH UP TO THEM LET ALONE IMPRESS THEM NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY? Not only that... to think I began to actually really... love you..."

Atobe froze at Ayane's long set of words before trying to reach out for her until he heard footsteps running towards their direction.

"Yane-Yane/ AYANE!"

Haruka, Rin and Kiyone ran towards her as she stood in front of Atobe and Vera trembling violently from her lashing outburst. The silence pounded on all of them as Kiyone immediately ran towards Ayane along with Haruka and Rin. Ayane found herself able to say anything; her body continued to tremble and her mouth began to dry. She choked back her sobs as best as she could before turning her back at Atobe and the others.

"I'm going to take a walk," Ayane managed to choke back her sobs, shutting her glossy emerald green eyes. As if losing once wasn't enough...

Ayane slowly took her steps away but walked towards a folded chair before picking it up and decking Atobe with it. "That's for being a constant idiot!"

Soon, the other regulars saw her running off. Kiyone blinked several times before seeing Atobe and Vera around. Her liquid blue eyes widened instantly which prompted her to glance at Vera who shivered at the mere sight of her widening blue eyes. Vera although seemed fine looking at blue eyes but having Kiyone's widening at her along with this innocently sadistic grin curving up her lips did not make her day. With that, Kiyone decided to lock her jaws onto some unlucky blonde's arm while Haruka and Rin tried to tug her away without dislocating any of the smaller girl's bones.

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

"Game, Kurenai: two games to one!"

Shizuru inhaled deeply before sitting down on one of the benches for a short time out. Her body practically shuddered from the constant blasts from Fuuka. She glanced at her teammates, noticing that both her doubles pairs weren't there. Atobe had been missing also but she could have sworn that there was a loud scream coming from somewhere. She frowned slightly at her missing teammates only to be nodded at by Momo and Isane. Soon after, Shizuru stood up once more to return to the baseline while Fuuka prepared to receive her service. Mai remained completely motionless as her cat-like eyes rolled back and forth while following the ball. Shizuru leapt back to return Fuuka's shot as she continued attacking Fuuka's left side. The red head went straight for Shizuru's flank however, forcing the two to go cross-court battle.

I have to keep on going... No, this isn't just for me...!

Shizuru glanced to the side and found the others smiling at her in all confidence. Seeing their confidence, Shizuru quickened the speed of the ball with a faster spin and caused it to curve away in mid-air. Fuuka's eyes visibly widened as she forcibly pivoted to get the other shot flying towards her blind side. Lobbing the ball forcibly, Fuuka watched the ball spin awkwardly in the air whereas Shizuru smashed the ball straight down in between the latter's feet. The Arian Princess smirked lightly as she watched Shizuru land on the ground inaudibly.

"Not bad not bad at all," Fuuka flicked away the red strands falling all over her face, pointing at Shizuru. "Not a single strand out of place, you're really starting to calculate your movement..."

Shizuru smiled while glancing at her knee a few times. "Well, I have to make sure the gold belongs to Hyotei ne?"

Fuuka chuckled lightly before watching Shizuru's service fly towards her. "That's pretty cocky of you to immediately assume that."

"I only assume when it's something that can be changed," Shizuru sliced the ball once again and knocked it straight out of Fuuka's range.

"THIRTY – FIFTEEN!"

Everyone's eyes widened at the closeness of the match and Shizuru had suddenly begun overtaking Fuuka. The red head glanced at Shizuru's knee, noticing the soreness of it. She chuckled slightly while looking at the score and realizing that her arms were beginning to whine. She sighed deeply to herself; if anything, the only way to figure out who was stronger was through a protracted game. There was no way that Shizuru would just drop dead out of nowhere. Fuuka watched the ball bounce while watching Shizuru's intense gaze relentlessly maintain itself on her opponent. The red haired female could do nothing but chuckle at Shizuru's intensity; she remembered days before when Shizuru and she would fight.

"You definitely had your ways in pissing me off," Fuuka dashed towards the ball with a forehand, watching Shizuru's footsteps carefully. "I never understood how you did that but it really ticks me off!"

Shizuru deadpanned. "It's your fault for being ticked off."

"Damn it, there you go again," Fuuka exploded the shot towards Shizuru who managed to return it a bit. "You're doing it again!"

Shizuru stared at her quizzically, completely puzzled. "Huh?"

"You're giving me the "There-she-goes-again-she's-about-to-blow"," Fuuka exploded the shot with an angry snarl, nearly pummelling Shizuru in the process if not for the brunette's quick deflect.

The brunette on the other hand shrugged before returning the ball back to Fuuka, watching the other captain dash towards the other end. "I wasn't aware that I could do something like that. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Damn it, will you quit pissing me off," Fuuka attacked the ball again with extreme ferocity, blazing it towards Shizuru.

Shizuru slightly frowned at Fuuka before smiling. "Okay."

"Damn it, you're doing it again!"

Atoli, watching her captain blast Shizuru with all sorts of power shots, sighed into her palm before shrugging dejectedly. "Fuuka-senpai should really stop looking at Shizuru's face. She always gets pissed off with people who communicate with their faces."

Karin sat onto the railing, watching Shizuru fight against Fuuka. "To be honest, its Fuuka's predictability that makes her terrifying..."

Her front-on attacks make her unstoppable and with her physical prowess – who wouldn't be afraid? The mind can only be distressed so far...

Fuuka on the other hand found herself extremely frustrated as she continued trying to break Shizuru with the power of her shots. Apparently, the brunette remained completely calm and the pressure pretty much had been thrown over her shoulder. She watched the flames dancing in Shizuru's eyes, matching them with her own intensity. The Seishun Gakuen girl couldn't understand what made Shizuru want to sacrifice herself for her team. It had been something she had always done; everyone else before her – she saw it for herself on that day. Shizuru had taken so many hits for their sake and it was a miracle that it didn't leave keloids or scars on her skin. But the damage to her knee had almost been downright irreparable.

"Your devotion is downright insane," Fuuka slammed the ball straight towards Shizuru, smirking. "Don't tell me you're still hanging onto Kotetsu's promise!"

Shizuru remained silent for a few moments as she sliced the ball for the Subera Kagerou, pushing the ball away from Fuuka.

"Forty – Fifteen!"

Fuuka clucked her tongue as Shizuru smiled lightly at her,

"Kotetsu is the past," Shizuru mildly admitted, looking into the sky. "I realized that the one who put me in the cage was myself and never her. Maybe you're right; there's a part of me that still believes that she is a good person despite her methods. But I'm fighting you now not as her carbon copy but as the girl who you threw against the bed railings that day. This is my stand as the Hyotei Queen of Diamonds: I don't care about the trophy being there on the shelf. It's an empty cup. What I believe in is – the glory that comes with winning and the bonds that come along with it. Glory is part of the experience but the skill and talent you learned from it is what makes it a true trophy. But if they want proof," –she pointed her racquet towards Fuuka with a determined resolve. "We, Hyotei Gakuen, will take this victory in front of their very eyes and make them well aware who are the true champions! KATSU WA NO HYOTEI!"

With her declaration, the Hyotei students howled and cheered loudly and chanted louder than ever. Seigaku could not help but be in awe by her stance towards Fuuka, watching her smirk at their female captain. Normally, anyone who opposed Fuuka was crazy and pretty much earned an earful and bruises. The latter always dealt things with a brutal K.O. and Shizuru stood in front of her as if she was never afraid to begin with. Fuuka chuckled lightly at the scene, watching the new flames dance behind Shizuru. Fuuka cast a glance towards Florence who stared in astonishment as well; the progression of Hyotei that once stood nowhere now shook the whole world with their one declaration for war.

KATSU WA NO HYOTEI! (The winner will be Hyotei!)

KATSU WA NO HYOTEI!

KURENAI! KURENAI! KURENAI!

Oshitari chuckled lightly, looking around for Atobe. "If Atobe were here, he'd accuse her for stealing his chant."

Gakuto grinned while punching the air. "Go get her!"

Mai smiled at her best friend as the two exchanged glances. The red head understood her gaze and actions from her eyes alone as she stood up and gave her a fist.

"You won't be carrying it alone, Shizuru," Mai smiled in assurance before facing the crowd with her arms spread out. "Because we're Hyotei and we're unstoppable!"

Seeing that the chanting got louder, Shizuru gripped the neon yellow ball in her hand before smiling at Fuuka.

"Very well then, let's begin!"

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

That's chapter 57! Sorry it took so long! I had so much school work being done! Please don't forget to review!