Me: Hi! Thanks for reviewing my story so far! Queen of the Suits is basically the longest fanfic I have ever written! Hopefully, I'll be able to continue the excitement and suspense in the story in order to keep you guys reading. If you guys want to see how some of the players from Hyotei look like, you check the links on my profile page. I don't own Prince of Tennis! I only own the OCs and the plotline of this fanfiction!
Chapter 58 - Scarlet Duet
"Game, Kurenai: three games to one!"
Fuuka chuckled lightly as she could feel her heart pounding hard against her chest. The points were neck to neck and the cheering slowly deafened into a silence along with the surroundings becoming nothing but a jet black. The only thing she could see was the bright red eyes of her opponent that stared beadily into her own lavender ones. The red head smirked in delight while tightening the grip on her racquet, feeling the excitement rush through her veins. Her stomach sank into nothingness as Fuuka exploded a shot from her racquet, forcing the red eyed captain to move forward upon noticing the spin. The ball crashed on the ground but not before bouncing away from her, forcing Fuuka to jump for the ball and send it towards the far end of the court. Shizuru immediately flashed towards the corner before backhanding it right down the line but not before Fuuka managed to run down the shot and blast the shot right past Shizuru.
"Fifteen - love!"
Fuuka bristled slightly at the results, looking at how Shizuru easily set her up. However, the red haired female couldn't help but have a smile curve up her lips. Seeing the aggressiveness in Shizuru's play sent her blood boiling as her body trembled in excitement. The last time she had gotten that kind of high - Fuuka distinctly remembered the howling and the cheering echoing in her ears during that last match. The day she could easily tower over Shizuru - Fuuka snorted at the growth spurt of the thirteen year old as the brunette was taller than her now by an inch. She clenched her hand into a fist as she backhanded the next shot with an explosive boom.
"Damn, that's almost as fast as Ayane's Kotsubushi no Katana!"
"But this is Kurenai we're talking about! She's not gonna let some measly copy cat bring her down!"
Fuuka growled at the term "copy cat" as Shizuru forehanded the shot easily with a phoenix suddenly rising behind her, chuckling lightly at the spread of bright red wings. Seeing the speed double as the ball vanished, Fuuka suddenly started revealing a bright gold dragon dancing behind her. She immediately caught the shot as the ball started to drill through her racquet until the Seishun Gakuen buchou repelled the shot straight towards Shizuru who sliced the ball for a fast spin. The ball zoomed faster than the last as Fuuka exploded the shot towards Shizuru however; the ball mysteriously disappeared from the speed and slammed right behind Fuuka against the wall.
"Fifteen - all!"
Tch, she's getting stronger. Is there any limit to her capability?
Fuuka attacked with a no return serve which Shizuru easily caught up to with the Flash Step. The red head felt the beads of sweat trickling down her forehead as the brunette managed to catch up with the shot with a slight drop over the net. Growling in annoyance, Fuuka forcefully pushed herself towards the net to drop it back at Shizuru only to have the girl send a spinning shot as the ball mysteriously curl jump towards the net.
One of the voices cried out from the Hyotei bleachers. "There it is, the Subera Kagerou!"
"Kurenai's got this one in the bag now!"
"Go Kurenai-sama~!"
Fuuka twitched slightly at the loud cheering from the males standing at the bleachers. Some even had forehead bands expressing their fandom for the brunette, causing the red head to snort darkly. How did Shizuru easily put up with the fan boys? Her eyes darted back towards the sophomore who forehanded the shot with almost the same ferocity as her only to have it repelled easily. Shizuru continued her play along with her flash step dancing around the court, forcing Fuuka to constantly move around. Fuuka sighed deeply to herself at the speed of her junior, biting her lower lip while trying to maintain her speed. The red haired girl cast a sideward glance towards Tezuka with a smirk; his eyes were clearly stuck on the match. She watched Shizuru's knee slightly become red as Shizuru continued using the Flash Step without stopping before finally smashing the shot right in between her legs.
You're getting desperate, Kurenai.
"Fifteen - thirty!"
Fuuka chuckled lightly at the girl whose expression remained completely normal and curt as if to try and push her opponent to insanity. The red head looked at where the shot had landed before watching Shizuru walking away. She smiled lightly at the change of strategy and also the quick response to her challenge. However, Fuuka had not completely expected that Shizuru would strike with that kind of ferocity.
"The last time we fought like that was when we had that mission in Chiba," Fuuka smirked darkly at the brunette, averting her gaze in reminiscence. "We probably scared the people shitless with the way we used up bullets."
Shizuru smiled lightly, shrugging her shoulders. "We were a bit careless back then. I was pretty shocked with what happened after considering how much property you wrecked..."
Flashback
Two girls remained hidden in the darkness as they started creeping around behind a gang. Nobody had noticed the slight splashes from the puddles as both girls did their best to stay away from the light, ignoring the squishy substances beneath their feet. A huge smirk glinted in the dark, revealing a pair of lavender eyes. Fuuka giggled in delight as she dragged along a cello case with much ease while the other girl tucked a pair of hand guns
"Ya ready, brownie," a nine year old Fuuka pulled out her machine gun from the cello case and reloaded it, chuckling darkly at the younger girl. "I never thought I'd get to use these babies again! We get to do big mondo damage and actually do our job properly!"
Shizuru reloaded both her handguns before inhaling deeply, smiling at her senior. "But Souma-senpai, didn't Sagara-sama say that..."
"Screw him and the organization, we do things our way," Fuuka snorted in annoyance before looking slightly over the trash bin they had borrowed as a barricade, seeing few people standing there. "You ready? You better remember the damn script or I'm gonna kick your ass!"
Shizuru swallowed hard, looking around. "What about Hoshimura-senpai, Amakusa-senpai and...?"
"Screw that, we better get in some damage before L.X.A releases their new attack dog," Fuuka smirked with a battle hungry grin, throwing her cello case aside. "Time to dance, chickadee!"
Without any warning, Fuuka kicked the trash bin towards the people before revealing her shot gun with a huge grin. "Okay you scientific lab rejects, time to get some shit from me!"
The humans glared until their bodies started morphing into gruesome creatures with claws and glowing yellow eyes. Their former fair skin darkened into a dark brown while some suddenly developed insect like pincers and legs. In their hands, scythes and swords materialized before them as they prepared to charge towards her. Fuuka grinned maniacally before pulling the trigger and letting the gun rip through her opponents with bullets flying all over the place. She maniacally laughed while swinging the gun around with bullets hitting everything, including the walls of the other buildings and structures. One by one, the creatures fell until she stood above them with a triumphant grin.
"Wahahaha," Fuuka beat her chest before letting out a loud guffaw, raising her machine gun for better balance. "Sucks to be you bastards, doesn't it?"
Fuuka continued laughing until a snarl resounded behind her and above her. She immediately froze as yellow eyes suddenly peered out of the darkness before yellowish toothy grins started appearing, one by one. Her body trembled fearfully as sweat started pouring down her cheeks with tears slowly mixing with it. The nine year old never found herself facing something bigger than her with claws large enough to shred her apart in one slice. As the claw rose up, Fuuka snapped her eyes shut and waited for the impact only to hear a loud explosion along with a splotch of blood splashing itself on her face. When she slowly opened her eyes, the creature gaped and began hacking and choking while Shizuru's handgun remained firmly planted on its head with her crimson eyes gleaming angrily.
"Jackpot," Shizuru hissed darkly before pulling the trigger several times, causing the blood to splatter against her face.
Upon seeing one of its brethren being shot at, the rest launched themselves at Shizuru until the said girl pulled out a silver coloured handgun and began releasing a barrage of bullets. Fuuka stared in shock and amazement how Shizuru didn't even flinch at least a bit despite knowing the creature stood much taller than she did. Bullet shots echoed throughout the night along with explosive sounds as bullet shells littered the ground from Shizuru's and Fuuka's gun. Seeing that her partner gained some guts, a maniacal grin appeared on her lips as she reloaded her machine gun.
"TIME TO DIE, BITCHES!"
End of Flashback
"Come to think of it, you were the scary one back then," Fuuka chuckled humourlessly before watching Shizuru bounce the ball, lowering her stance once more to receive. "Your face always seemed to be the same. The way you threw out your emotions for the sake of a goal - that is something more experienced fighters do when they get involved in a mission."
Shizuru remained completely impassive and silent as a small smile curved up her lips. "At least I wasn't pointlessly destructive..."
Fuuka chuckled lightly before giving her thumbs down, smirking darkly. "You've become such a wuss..."
"Again, who was the one who garnered her handler the most debts?"
Haruka watched the match continue on, blinking several times. "You know these two talk like they actually lived with each other during those L.X.A times. I mean - they banter and argue at each other like how Rin and I argue most of the time except we don't resort to name calling. They fight like siblings."
Florence giggled softly before spread her fan, fanning herself lightly. "All of us were placed in one big barrack. At that time, Natsuki would complain and hit our handler for loading up our room with too many people but we managed to all get along. Usually, it would be Natsuki and Fuuka who would be fighting but then again - they never got physical. Shizuru before used to be more hot tempered but in a silent way. They never really could go through their day without provoking the other. Fire and water never did mix after all."
"Sure they do, they make a whole lot of smoke up the chimney's what and hot water for a cup of good 'ol Hot Coco," Natsuki chuckled with her Kansai drawl, raking her fingers through her charcoal gray hair. "Then again, what are these two girls fightin' fer anyways? It can't just be some rivalry. There's more ta that when ya look at these girls."
Florence shook her head with a small smile. "Indeed, one's aura is saying "look at me as your equal"; the other one is saying "please acknowledge me". Almost the same thing in terms of wording but in context, they may sound a little different no?"
Ai bounced up and down on the railing, smiling happily and childishly. "Wow, they're rivals in love~!"
Sarah shook her head dejectedly with a sigh, leaning against the railing. "You've been reading too much Fairytail."
The Seishun Gakuen sighed dejectedly to herself before trying to control her breathing, repelling all Shizuru's attempts to break through her defences. The brunette began speeding back and forth, slowly leaving an after-image of herself behind every time she did so. She chuckled lightly, recalling Kikumaru's doppelganger technique. The acrobat had the speed definitely but in strategy – he still needed more work. She glanced at Shizuru's knee with a darkened stare; if the whole match continued as is, Fuuka knew exactly where she would end up.
In one hour, you will be limping and unable to play. I'll just have to buy myself enough time for that.
Fuuka continued attacking with explosive forehands whereas Shizuru remained at the net to constantly deflect them. The red head snorted to herself as she stared back at the flashing auburn eyes of the other captain. A huge smirk curved up her lips as her whole body suddenly started moving faster with Shizuru barely showing any shift in expression. Suddenly, from the overwhelming strength - Shizuru forcibly lobbed the ball and let out a slight wince as Fuuka suddenly jumped into the air with a huge smirk.
"Remember what we used to say," Fuuka grinned as her racquet raised high into the air.
Shizuru smirked lightly, running backwards to repel the shot. "Of course. But what makes you think I'll let you have that shot?"
"Jackpot*!"
The moment Fuuka cracked the smash; Shizuru caught the smash straight onto her racquet before flicking it over the net. Everyone could no longer peel their eyes off the match as both girls continued trying to provoke one another with the ball flashing back and forth. Tezuka, despite being expressionless, found himself completely bedazzled by the match. Shizuru despite being forced into a defensive play took it easy and responded to the challenge whereas Fuuka continued attacking without any hesitance. Tezuka however couldn't remove his eyes from the wildly dancing phoenix behind Shizuru as the brunette continued fighting back. A small smile curved up his lips as he could see how she saw tennis. Not as a game, not as an art but something that gave life to her and the others; it was the very thing that pulled her whole team together. The bespectacled captain of Seigaku stared in surprise as Fuuka managed to plough through Shizuru's defences once more.
"Thirty all!"
Echizen on the other hand blinked several times with a cocky smirk curving up his lips. He had never seen girls fight with that kind of ferocity let alone that kind of provocation. Most of the girls he had seen played tennis was basically Sakuno and she didn't do too badly considering Ayane could have easily broken her arm in a single blow. He remembered wincing at the explosive impact of each and every shot from the tangerine haired buxom vice captain. Sakuno on the other hand sat next to him, bringing her hand closer to mouth before slightly trembling. Echizen smirked lightly before looking at Fuuka exploded the next shot to Shizuru who seemingly responded without much difficulty. Fuuka was a monster; he remembered what happened to Momoshiro after the man had accidentally peeped on her when Kaidoh and him got into a fight. The two sophomores had fallen through the door of the girl's clubroom and that was where Fuuka had been changing. Vera had been laughing her head off while Fuuka cracked her knuckles and grinned psychotically.
"I remember running for my life after that day," Momoshiro shuddered at the mention of that 'day', hugging his body. "Fuuka-senpai looked like she could raise hell and kill me."
Kaidoh scoffed with a dark snort and folded his arms. "It's your fault; you're the one who pushed me. I only got included because you shoved me, you stupid peach."
"Urusei, Mamushi," Momoshiro bumped his forehead against Kaidoh's before visibly snarling. "If you hadn't started it, we wouldn't have to end up running away from a mad red haired lady!"
"It's your fault, you stupid porcupine!"
Tezuka could only sigh while trying to block out the quarrelling before finally turning to the two, glaring at them slightly. "Momoshiro, Kaidoh."
"Sorry buchou."
On the other hand, the Hyotei side found themselves wondering whether or not Shizuru would push herself beyond her limits again like before. Her play against Naomi proved that; Shizuru had changed in a way that nobody could understand. Shizuru had outgrown the past but did she have enough foundation to face the future? Standing against Seishun Gakuen proved to be something else considering that their team had become very prominent in the districts. Shishido bit his lower lip while watching Shizuru flash back and forth but alternating with simply sliding over to one side and from using the flash step. Suddenly, the gate creaked open with Atobe emerging with an ice pack on his temple before the purple haired captain sat down on the bench.
"I take it Ayane clobbered you with something," Oshitari chuckled with his usual Kansai drawl, leaning on the wall next to Atobe. "I'm guessing a tree or some sort?"
Atobe slightly let out a groan but clamped his mouth shut before haughtily snorting. "Ore-sama was not clobbered by Kobayagi! Something just fell on him! Ore-sama just got hit by a falling fruit."
Shishido shook his head while rolling his eyes sarcastically, looking at the swelling. "Yeah, being hit by a mango merits a bruise almost the size of a tennis ball. Face it, Kobayagi hit you with something. Something equivalent to a freakin' skillet. The girl pretty much pulls out club-like objects out of nowhere and nobody has an idea how she does it."
Although ore-sama doesn't mind being clobbered by Kobayagi, being bitten by Getsugan is actually a lot worse. The way Jerrard reacted was like being bitten by a rabid raccoon.
Atobe inhaled deeply while trying to focus on the match. However, he found himself completely bored out of his mind after two minutes and started glancing around. His chest sank heavily after seeing Ayane's distraught expression. At least she had not forfeited but the sadness and the betrayal in her eyes burned into his memory. He could remember her howling and how much she tried to hold back her sobs. Any woman would be heartbroken to see their man submitting to their rival when they were already together. He glanced towards the sky, wondering what he could do now. Vera had basically played Ayane like a piano and used him as one of her instruments. It sickened him; no one uses Atobe like an instrument.
Little did he know that, someone was also gazing at the very same sky that he was.
Ayane stood by the other tennis court as she glanced at the emptiness while the wind tossed around her tangerine strands. Her emerald green eyes flickered slightly with a bit of depression as she glanced at her palm. She inhaled deeply while remembering how the folding chair actually knocked Atobe down. The tangerine vice captain bit her lower lip guiltily; she never meant to give Atobe a concussion. She was only targeting for a bruise and if not for Rin and Haruka's fast thinking - Ayane shivered at the thought of turning him into a vegetable. Not that he was one already...
You didn't have to hit him so hard. He was probably just cornered by Vera...
Could Atobe be possibly that fickle?
Ayane wondered deeply to herself before walking down to the empty tennis court, glaring at the other side. Instead of it being empty, Vera stood before her with her haughty sneer.
"You don't deserve to be a doubles pair!"
Those words continued to echo in Ayane's mind as she continued walking around before stopping right in volley line. The blue sky continued to soar above her with the trees mutely dancing along with the wind. Her body shivered slightly from the spring wind licking against her skin as she glanced at her racquet. A bitter smile curved up her lips as her body began to tremble. She couldn't understand how everything suddenly fell apart despite having the foundation to bring her down. Ayane slowly fell to her knees before slamming her fist into the tennis court grounds. Tears started forming wet circles on the ground as Ayane curled up into a ball, beating the ground with her fist.
"WHAT THE HELL DID I DO WRONG," Ayane wanted to yank her hair out of frustration but resorted to yelling instead; last time she did, Kiyone began laughing at her for having a bald spot.
"Ayane-chan?"
Ayane immediately swivelled around with her senses fully alert only to find Marui standing behind her before blowing up a bubblegum. She could feel how swollen her eyes were from constantly rubbing and how badly her body began to throb from the stress. Rikkai Dai's Magician frowned darkly at how she looked; Atobe better not have screwed up this time because to the red head volleyist – it looked like he did. He didn't need to be a genius to figure out that Atobe had done something and seeing Vera yowling every time her friend tried to disinfect some bite marks proved something went wrong involving her. Ayane on the other hand immediately stood up before dusting her skirt, smiling weakly.
"H-Hi, M-Marui-san," Ayane desperately tried fight down her sobs, ignoring the nerve-wracking agony in her body. "Wh-what are you doing here?"
Marui remained silent before walking over to Ayane. The red head volleyist saw how crushed she was despite the smile. He didn't know about the details but after seeing Atobe come back with a bruise the size of a tennis ball on his head, Marui knew that she was the only one who had that kind of power. Marui wanted to rush over and punch Atobe but he chose better to see the tangerine haired girl. Ayane had been aimlessly walking around for minutes and perhaps two hours with him silently tailing her. He had seen everything; the way Vera stepped on her despite already having had won made his blood boil. He knew Rikkai Dai to be cruel but not that cruel. They respected their opponents but crushed them in battle. It was their way also but with some forgiveness involved. Marui walked over to her only to envelope her in an embrace.
"I don't give a damn what Atobe says in that deal," Marui held her tightly, further shocking the vice captain. "I'm not gonna let you fall down like this. It's stupid!"
Ayane blinked several times while staring at the sky, feeling the warmth of Marui's words. She wanted her heart fix itself but only had it breaking down even further when the image of Atobe being leaned on by Vera crossed her mind. Tears further continued spilling out of her eyes as her arms went around Marui as well, trying to calm down only to end up sobbing. Her loss against Seigaku had been bad enough but losing Atobe to the same woman ripped her ego to pieces.
No matter what happens, you'll always be ore-sama's queen.
"To think he even told me that," Ayane whimpered slightly while holding onto Marui tightly with more tears spilling out of her eyes. "I'm sorry that your jersey's gonna get wet."
"Better to have it wet with a girl's tears than anything else," Marui chuckled lightly, running his fingers through her messy tangerine hair. "At least I know that my shirt has a better end use rather than be pyjamas or a dish towel rag. I can happily say that this shirt will never get thrown out because I got to comfort you with this shirt even if it's just being used as a hanky."
The two players remained silence as Ayane's knees slowly gave way and she slumped to the ground. Marui knew how defeat was like; it had been her first major loss and to have it consecutively in both matters that concerned her passion - he knew the agony. If he had been told to give up both sugary sweets and tennis, he'd probably jump off a cliff first. But Ayane had been a totally different matter, he knew how hard she would train to get this far. The fact that she was the prodigious first year with overwhelming monster strength pressured her the same way he was Rikkai Dai's Magician.
"Ayane, I don't know but maybe you would want to train in Rikkai with us every weekend," Marui offered hopefully; anything to fix up her broken soul. He hated seeing Ayane being broken into pieces. "Buchou always runs us to the ground and trains us. Maybe I can help you with your doubles play. You can bring Kiyone also! Wah, wait don't cry!"
Ayane hiccupped slightly while trying to smile, laughing and wiping her tears. "T-Thanks, Marui."
"Anytime," Marui grinned happily before looking at her smiling face again.
Anything to make you smile again.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Game, Souma: three all!"
Fuuka trudged along the tennis court, dragging her tennis racquet behind her. She couldn't believe the stamina the other girl had considering that Shizuru already had a permanently damaged leg. The Flash Step required full power devoted into giving her the speed of light but in doing so would damage her muscles and strain her to the very most limits. The red headed female sighed deeply in relief as the dragon started curling around her while the phoenix began shielding Shizuru with its wings.
"It's surprising only girls have this capability," Fuuka chuckled lightly, tossing back her shaggy red hair. "But then again, it wouldn't be this exciting if we couldn't see the beasts of sky dancing with one another. So, are you ready to fight for the Heavens?"
Shizuru smiled in acknowledgement, twirling her racquet around a bit. "To walk in the ways of Heaven and to denounce the ways of Hell - isn't that something you picked up from your mission in Germany? Something involving a couple of assassins?"
"It's the ways of a magus, Shizuru. You yourself should know these since you're such a mythology and mystic bug," Fuuka snickered lightly, preparing to serve before tossing the ball into the air. "Ich bin die Güte der ganzen Welt. Ich bin das Böse der ganzen Welt**."
As the ball cracked towards her, Shizuru released a fast spin on the ball which forced Fuuka to simply deflect the shot away from her. Fuuka staggered a little as another spin shot curled towards her before completely vanishing the moment it crossed the net. The Seishun Gakuen captain smirked lightly as she closed her eyes to listen to the ball, allowing her to move to one side and return it back to Shizuru despite its disappearance. On the other hand, the brunette managed to strike back with another spin shot as Fuuka exploded the shot.
"Wow, Souma-chan's really going all out," Kikumaru bounced up and down in delight, blinking in amazement. "Ne Oishi, do you think Ayane-chan will be okay, nyah?"
Oishi glanced over towards the other side and noticed that Ayane had not returned from the stands. However after seeing Atobe return with an ice pack - she definitely clobbered him. On the other hand, Vera started nursing her wounds and even applying everything from alcohol to Betadine***. Her eyes widened with fear as she whimpered at the sight of the teeth marks on her arm.
"AGH, THAT STUPID BITCH BIT ME! It's that bitch's fault that I'm going to get rabies! Wait until she hears from my father," Vera hissed in pain as the alcohol sank into her skin, earning a slap from Karin. "Ow, now you're hurting me too?"
Karin frowned in annoyance before cleaning up the poor job Vera did on her arm, sighing dejectedly. "Humans cannot transmit rabies unless they're infected with it and Getsugan-san shows no evidence of it whatsoever. Your premise is completely unfounded and quit squirming around! The reason why she bit you is because you decided to attack Kobayagi-san outside of tennis! We're only supposed to keep our rivalries until the court and not anywhere else!"
Vera snorted haughtily before folding her arms, wailing in disgust. "Someone ought to buy that bitch something like I don't know like a muzzle or something!"
"I don't think they'll allow that just because you provoked the little girl," Karin rolled her eyes before glancing at the freshman player. "Ne Sakuno, can you please hand me some bandages and maybe if you can find some duct tape in my bag?"
Sakuno understood the bandages but duct tape? "But senpai, why the duct tape?"
Karin grinned evilly before glancing at the blonde vice captain, peeling off a strip of duct tape. "Silence is golden yet in order to become gold; one has to go through the silver ranks hence the duct tape. At least this woman ought to shut up while I'm fixing her wounds."
Enma calmly pulled out a box of needles with her expressionless look. "I can do acupuncture."
"STAY AWAY FROM ME, YOU VOODOO FREAK!"
"Yeah, we can do that later, find a pressure point that will make her shut up," Karin giggled until she got a slapped at the back of the head by the blonde vice captain. "Yeah yeah, I'm already disinfecting the wound. What the hell did you do to make the little chibi bite you? I actually find her cute, the little sandy blonde girl. She reminds me of my younger cousins except less whiny and more considerate."
"Pshaw, it's none of your concern," Vera scowled in annoyance as she flinched at the alcohol. "OW, GIRL - WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?"
Karin snickered lightly, rolling her eyes. "Something a whole lot better than letting you getting messed up - if you know what I mean."
"KARIN!"
Fuuka sighed at the loud volume and commotion her vice captain and manager were making before sparing them a side glance. On the other hand, Hyotei seemed relatively quiet after the defeat of their doubles pair. The only ones making noise were the cheering squads and despite the distracting noise, Shizuru seemed to get better despite the wild whistles and wolf calls. Fuuka sighed deeply while continuing to press Shizuru back but with not much ease. The brunette continued sending spin shots until one refused to bounce and rolled on the ground away from Fuuka.
"Tsk, the Ayame Gaeshi," Fuuka forced herself to bend down and scoop the ball up into the air until Shizuru suddenly appeared and smashed the ball straight away from her.
Tch, she's even replicating his strategy.
"Love - Fifteen!"
Fuuka remembered how Tezuka would play against her, mercilessly bringing out the Zero Shiki Drop Shot to throw her off guard before following up with a smashing shot if ever the drop shot had been returned. The shaggy red haired captain found herself befuddled at how Tezuka could instantly react to his opponent and throw them off guard. She was amazed by his capabilities; was that the same thing Shizuru saw in Tezuka? Shizuru suddenly revealed another shot as the ball suddenly began increasing speed and spin power.
"Tsuuro no Shichihenge," Shizuru smiled lightly as the ball magically vanished from Fuuka's line of sight.
Fuuka clucked her tongue as she launched herself towards the ball once again only to fail miserably and fall onto the ground.
"Love - thirty!"
"Wow, this game is taking long," Gakuto stared incredulously at the two female captains. "I haven't seen a match like this since Atobe versus Tezuka and that cocky brat from Seigaku versus Sanada. Where do girls get that kind of intensity anyway?"
When they're fighting for the same man.
Oshitari watched his favourite kouhai push herself once again to repel Fuuka's shot. He knew about Shizuru's feelings towards Tezuka but he saw how shy she was. In the court, Shizuru definitely had the confidence to bring down an opponent but when it came to men, her personality altered completely into being a shy mousy girl. Considering her background, a lot of people would think of her as someone with more backbone but apparently - she failed in the confidence department. He remembered the chocolates she had wanted to give to him before only to give them to Ohtori, Oshitari and Shishido in the end. Of course, he had given her a bracelet in response whereas Shishido gave her a couple of books along with a butterfly knife. According to Shishido, she had been eyeing the knife ever since she had gone to a bazaar with him. Ohtori on the other hand gave her a pair of crystal earrings.
"She never liked entering unchartered waters, or anything she didn't prepare herself for that matter," Oshitari sighed dejectedly while watching Shizuru fight back. "I wonder though - perhaps a little push from the tensai might help."
However suddenly, the Kansai prodigy heard a loud thud on the ground along with a loud cry of panic and fear.
"BUCHOU!"
Oshitari snapped his head up only to find Shizuru thrown completely against wall, slipping down slowly. His eyes widened in astonishment; did he just see flames? Where did Fuuka get that kind of power? The moment he looked up however - Fuuka now stood with a different glint in her eyes. Not the maniacal type but she had a very cocky and determined expression on her face. Flames danced in her lavender eyes as she cracked her knuckles before pointing her racquet at Shizuru.
"Fifteen - thirty!"
"Deus Ex Etoilé: Aries' Revenge," Fuuka sniggered with a slight twirl of her racquet, watching Shizuru slowly get up. "Now that's what I call 'jackpot'. I betcha you didn't see that coming!"
Shizuru slowly managed to stand up before preparing for the next shot. "You have seen nothing yet."
As Fuuka served the next shot, Sanada found himself amazed with the strength and power of the ball. There was a long streak of black burns on the ground before the ball curved up diagonally and punched Shizuru on impact, dropping onto the ground where Shizuru once stood. How could a woman make a shot curve at that kind of angle and force it to suspend in mid-air?
"It was as if the speed was good enough to create enough wind to keep it aloft," Yanagi drew out the projection onto his notebook. "The friction marks on the ground had been caused by the speed and the backlash was created by the inertia, throwing the ball back. But since the ball has a bouncing capability - the air impact forced the ball to bounce and the direction of the ball's spin is what threw it forward. It's a very complex technique and it requires a lot of controlled power. Something Souma has that Kurenai does not."
Inui on the other hand narrowed his eyes at Fuuka as he watched her prepare another service. "However, I am more intrigued as to why Kurenai showed no visible signs of fear or surprise. Perhaps, their past together - ii data..."
The moment Fuuka cracked her next serve, the red haired captain stared in admonishment as Shizuru suddenly fired another shot which Fuuka easily countered and it stopped spinning on her racquet, allowing her to drop it right over the net.
"What the hell Kurenai," Fuuka chuckled arrogantly, checking the ball on her racquet. "Is that it or are you actually getting tired?"
"Tch," Shizuru could feel her knees giving beneath her but she knew she couldn't drop down.
"Thirty - all!"
Fuuka bit her lower lip as another serve cracked harder than before. "I won't hold back!"
Again with enough strength, Fuuka had slammed Shizuru into the wall with her racquet clattering onto the ground. Her teammates could only stare in horror as Shizuru decided to wait at the back as the Aries' Revenge prepared to fly. However, Fuuka smirked in delight as she dropped the ball right over the net.
"Forty - thirty!"
"What's the problem," Fuuka snickered at the sweating Hyotei captain, resting her racquet on her shoulder. "You're actually leaving a lot of holes in your defences."
Shizuru kept a straight face but she could feel her legs caving beneath her. She had often seen people be on the receiving end of the Aries' Revenge whenever they were on missions but getting hit by it was a totally different story. Shizuru winced at the pain that shot up her ribs and stomach, recalling the impact of the shot. The flames flashed before her eyes as she tried to recover from the blow. Fuuka began her service again before crushing her once more with the Aries' Revenge.
"Game, Souma: four games to three!"
Fuuka sniggered slightly until her eyes widened with fear and surprise. Shizuru slowly stood up as the serve cracked off at the same speed as her usual serve, forcing Fuuka to repel with a volley. She snickered slightly; Shizuru had no baseline attacks and if any - Tsuuro no Shichihenge is based purely on speed and technique. Soon, the ball zoomed way past Fuuka as she sniggered.
"Hah, you're finished! All I need to do now is pummel you," Fuuka rolled up her sleeves triumphantly.
Shizuru however had a triumphant smirk on her face. "Jackpot."
Fuuka, blinking several times, looked at the ball as it suddenly started spinning towards her direction before whirling around and slipping past her racquet similar to river movement. Retracting herself a little, Fuuka immediately raised her racquet as the ball dug itself into her racquet. The ball spun off her racquet before falling onto the ground and spinning right past her feet, landing right on the baseline.
"Fifteen - love!"
Shizuru smiled lightly, holding her racquet sideways. "Sogyo no Mai: Eien." (Dance of Pisces: Eternity)
Hitomi could only stare in awe before flashing a business-like smile. "That's the first time I've seen her technique. It seems all the data I have gathered prior to this match is useless."
Momo snickered lightly, shaking her head. "How she can invent those on the spot - I have no idea..."
Florence smiled lightly, tousling her honey brown hair. "I haven't seen those moves in awhile. The Aries' Revenge and the Dance of Pisces - they practically were used more for battling each other with their respective weapons. I wonder why Shizuru waited so long though to reveal the technique. She should have countered the Aries' Revenge the moment it came out."
"Shizuru prefers to wait and see," Momo clasped her hands together with a confident smirk, leaning closer for a better look. "There's no way she's just going to let Souma steal those three games from her."
Seeing Shizuru suddenly yank the carpet right beneath her caused him to chuckle slightly. So that's why she was always so hell-bent in bringing her down. Shizuru made tennis look more like a flowing dance instead of the usual street style play of Mai. Tezuka could feel his heart pounding hard against chest for the first time; where did that come from? He immediately cancelled the thought from his mind as he watched the sweat trickle down her... No, he shook his head slightly. WHERE DID THOSE THOUGHTS COME FROM?
"Those are called hormones, Tezuka," Fuji smiled serenely, rebuking his friend's thoughts. "It's normal to feel that way. I'm sure you also have a darker side of your personality. Everyone has one. Look at Atobe - his is always out. He's actually less controlled. It's usually the more controlled ones who are susceptible to it."
Tezuka shook his head at his perpetually smiling friend before looking at Shizuru once more. No wonder men are always at the girls' games now; they're preying on any chance for Shizuru's or Fuuka's skirt to get ruffled by the wind. However, his eyes softened at the sight of her determination as Fuuka suddenly lost her momentum. Shizuru flashed across the field as she revealed the Sogyo no Mai: Eien once again. She had the bright smile on her face as if she had been truly enjoying herself.
"They're equally matched - who will win this round," Momoshiro watched in astonishment and amazement. "I haven't seen a match this intense in ages."
Fuji watched Shizuru snatch another game from Fuuka as they both tied out. He stared in amazement; despite her injury, Shizuru showed no signs of faltering just yet. Fuuka had been throwing all her strength at her and the Hyotei captain showed no submission to it at all. The tensai chuckled at the evident frustration on the red head's face; finding someone who would continuously fight despite the agony really frustrated her. Why couldn't people just drop dead after a few shots? Then again, things wouldn't be this exciting and Fuuka would have just pummelled through ages ago. He watched the determination glinted in the crimson eyes of the other before he passed a glance to his friend upon recalling the match against Hyotei.
Just like Tezuka. Fufu, it's more symmetrical than they realize.
However as Shizuru returned the next shot, she suddenly stumbled forward and fell to the ground. Shizuru clenched her knee in agony as everyone suddenly jumped off the bleachers.
"Game, Kurenai: four games all!"
"BUCHOU!"
Fuuka stared in horror as her rival stayed on the ground as everyone darted towards her. She glanced at the score before shaking her head, biting her lower lip anxiously. Shizuru had lasted longer than she had imagined and despite the continuous use of the Flash Step – Shizuru continued playing as if it were normal. The knee had begun to swell along with her legs becoming really sore. The brunette visibly winced as she tried to push herself off the ground only to end up kissing the pavement again. The Seishun Gakuen captain looked at her watch and then looked at the sky. Had they really played that long? Shizuru would have collapsed minutes ago!
"Nobody come close!"
Everyone immediately stopped as Shizuru forced herself to stand up, watching everyone's astonished expressions. Haruka prepared to help her towards the bench but Momo stuck her hand out and shook her head. Shizuru glanced at the female Sanada who nodded in assurance, smiling in acceptance knowing what the captain had already chosen. Rin bit her lower lip and decided to smile; knowing that dragging her off the court would be pointless. When Shizuru nearly caved under the pain of her knee, she waited for the impact only to never get it and have a grinning Mai standing beneath her with her arm slung over her shoulder. The brunette smiled as the two passed a glance to one another with the red head tensai nodding in response. Soon, the Hyotei team slowly left the court with Mai and Momo leaving the area whereas Haruka, Rin, Isane and Hitomi remained standby along with the other Hyotei males. Even Tezuka found himself completely befuddled; the mere act of continuing on with an injury was insane. He watched Shizuru struggle in getting up but how come this scene seemed so familiar?
"It brings back memories," Fuji maintained his smiling features, folding his arms. "Saa~, Tezuka - It seems you're not the only one who thinks the way you do."
Tennis makes me feel alive... That's why I will do my very best at it.
Tezuka faintly recalled her words when he had spoken to her during their time in Atobe's camp. For the last three days, they didn't have much time to talk but they always found themselves crossing one another. He didn't know exactly what to expect from the brunette but now he found himself wanting to stop her as well before she rendered herself immobile for the rest of her life. The captain in him however cemented his feet to the floor but something started pounding hard inside his body. He wasn't sure what it was but a small smile curved up his lips out of admiration for the sophomore but worry started showing in his eyes. Fuuka definitely could break bones and she was going to fight her to the end. Most of the matches he had seen with Fuuka usually ended up with a forfeit due to fear or broken bones.
"Alive... would that be her only reason for living," Tezuka narrowed his eyes slightly at the female as she continued fighting Fuuka.
"She's very deep about her emotions," Fuji smiled lightly, watching the two girls continue playing. "She actually reminds me of you. She wants to become a support for her team. Her team I guess is what makes her strong. For their dreams to come true, it will make her happy as well. Fuuka is more on "I want to stand up on the top with everyone. I'll beat the shit out of anyone who disagrees." Doesn't it seem so familiar?"
"Fuji," Tezuka sent him a warning tone.
But he couldn't help but wonder why she had chosen to take the same path he did.
He could see how her leg started to pull her down and start distracting her. Despite her injury, Shizuru managed to maintain the consistency of her speed as she danced around the baseline to keep her stamina and to ignore the pain. The Flash Step had vanished but she continued to use it despite the damage it had begun to cause. The Tsuuro no Shichihenge also appeared as the ball started spinning back and forth between both captains. Fuuka had beads of sweat falling down her face with a clear expression of frustration, gnashing her teeth as she did so. Shizuru on the other hand had flinched slightly at every Flash Step unleashed in order to keep up with the pace of the match. Fuuka had stolen points off her as well as the games started becoming more one-sided than ever. With enough service power, Fuuka managed to throw Shizuru back onto the ground several times.
"You're really going to do it," Fuuka chuckled darkly as she watched the ball return to her, seeing Shizuru continue playing. "YOU'RE REALLY GOING TO DOOM YOURSELF FOR NOTHING!?"
Shizuru narrowed her crimson eyes as she attacked the ball with the same ferocity as she had done before. "My teams' and my dreams are anything but nothing. You will never understand what it took to bring us together and what made us strong. How many falls we had to take, I will not fall just because of this past injury."
Fuuka noticed the phoenix dancing around once again as her dragon launched forward and clamped its jaws against the bird's throat. With a wild beat of its wings, the phoenix threw the dragon off guard as it spiralled down to the ground along with her crashing onto the ground. The ball tripped over the net before spinning away from her, rolling towards the net once more.
"Game, Kurenai: five games all!"
"This match," Tezuka narrowed his eyes at the fallen sophomore, watching her continue the protracted game.
As Fuuka began her service, the ball screamed from her racquet with Shizuru forcibly trying to keep up with the pace of the match. Shizuru flashed back and forth once more without even letting down her guard even once. Fuuka returned Shizuru's forehand with a blazing forehand of her own only to have it spinning back towards her with Shizuru's quick draw backhand. Fuuka clasped her racquet with both her hands before unveiling a Jack Knife that started to rip through Shizuru's racquet. The brunette however delayed the return and punched the ball straight back at the red head as Fuuka continued raising the power of the ball. The Seishun male stared in shock as Shizuru continued to fight with her backhand and forehand returns. Finally, Fuuka fired another Jack Knife and threw Shizuru against the wall again with a loud kablam.
"Fifteen - love!"
"She knew that she would suffer throughout the match," Oshitari bit his lower lip on the other side of the bleachers, watching her continue the fight.
Gakuto groaned before pulling his hair out. "Why the heck is she doing that? She won't be able to play tennis anymore!"
"To her, dying is better than surrendering," Hiyoshi narrowed his eyes at the match, folding his arms. "That's one belief that will be hard to gekkokujou."
Shishido shook his head with an indignant snort, averting his eyes away from the court. "Damn, she's making everyone else look so uncool..."
Ohtori barely could rip out the words he wanted to say, clenching his hands into fists. "Shizuru-chan..."
Sanada on the other hand could only watch the girl he had grown to respect break herself into pieces. Was this something evident in all captains? Tezuka had exhibited the same behaviour when Atobe clearly wanted him to accept the protracted game. In fact, Shizuru's smirk clearly spelled out "challenge accepted" in his eyes. Sanada let an invisible smile curve up his lips before continuing to watch the match. Despite the pain, her face betrayed none of her agony as she continued attacking the shots with spinning volleys and drop shots which further annoyed Fuuka. Roaring in annoyance, Fuuka rushed towards the net and went for a drive volley which Shizuru fired another one straight past her.
"Fifteen - all!"
Florence watched the agonizing game continue as Fuuka despite seeing Shizuru had weakened showed no mercy whatsoever. A small bittersweet smile curved up her lips as she saw the enjoyment flicker in the red head's eyes, seeing that her rival had finally woken up from her trance. Shizuru attacked once again with the Subera Kagerou which Fuuka had pointless dived down for as the ball barely managed to leap over the net. Florence recalled the day Shizuru played against her in the quarter finals and how they fought each other with emotions and everything else. It was a psychological warfare whereas Fuuka simply chose to plough and blow up everything. She noted the aura's dancing around Shizuru - seeing bright red and gold flashing back and forth whereas Fuuka had a bloody darker red along with violet clashing against one another. The British-Japanese captain coughed slightly before smiling weakly at the two girls, looking at her watch.
You've given me the best matches in my life you two. Don't destroy yourselves before you get to the Nationals. I want you two to be there after I come back from my battle.
"Fifteen - thirty!"
It reminded her of the missions they had together.
Natsuki found herself baffled by the two who had constantly been reckless ever since their entry into L.X.A. Fuuka always had the tendency to pick up some random bazooka and fire at anything moving whereas Shizuru found the joy of being surrounded before taking out all her opponents. The charcoal gray haired girl shook her head disdainfully with a sigh; the two girls had always been crazy in their own right especially when they received their first field mission. Natsuki remembered how Fuuka set off all the alarms just because she wanted to see how many people were in the building and how much security she wanted to blow up. The rest, Shizuru, Florence and she had to clean up after her. With a disgruntled groan, Natsuki leaned against the wall while watching Fuuka release another Aries' Revenge and throw Shizuru against the wall.
"Thirty all!"
Ai found herself amazed by the two girls, barely unable to tear her eyes away from the match. Shizuru was her age yet she could stand her own against Fuuka who was rumoured to be able to out-power Ayane in terms of physical strength whereas Fuuka supposedly had no mobility whatsoever but could easily keep up with a technique demon like Shizuru. Ai wondered why people constantly looked down on the girls' team. Was it because it was usually associated with fan girls and not ability? Ai couldn't understand what made the two of them so strong other than the constant devil training regimens they had to put up with. Fuuka struck with the Aries' Revenge as Shizuru countered with the Subera Kagerou. Nodding in astonishment, Ai found Shizuru's strength increasing with mobility slightly slipping. Despite the swelling knee, the Flash Step reappeared once again with Fuuka falling over.
"Thirty - Forty!"
Tezuka however wasn't sure what to say as she continued her pathway of self-destruction.
Fuuka showed no mercy much as he expected. She ploughed through Shizuru's defences with devastating forehands which the other girl had forced herself to return and try to end the rally quickly or bring her down. He noticed the acceptance in her eyes as he winced at every step. Now he understood why his teammates were worried about him; when he watched her, he felt his body wanting to jump and telling her to stop. But his mind threw itself in a daze; while deep down, he wanted to tell her to stop. He wanted to show that he cared and that she didn't need to be that reckless. However, the captain in him told him that jumping there would murder her pride and dignity. Regardless of circumstance, Shizuru pressed on forward as the ball tripped over the net and curled around before completely disappearing and smacking the net on Fuuka's side. The spinning increased as Fuuka started running around, huffing and heaving.
"Game, Kurenai: six games to five!"
Haruka wanted it to stop.
Handling Kiyone after she bit Vera was much easier although she wasn't sure whether or not it was a good idea to let Kiyone wonder around but the sandy blonde insisted in looking for Ayane. The torture her captain put herself through replayed over and over again. She remembered her match against Florence, recalling what the senior had told her. Not only that, Naomi had buried many ideals into her that made her very self-sacrificing. She knew that although Shizuru had been made a little more aware - there were times that she was required to sacrifice. Haruka watched her captain pull of the Ayame Gaeshi which Fuuka caught before it even bounced. The ball soared straight into the air as Shizuru winced at her effort to jump. As she jumped up, Shizuru managed to slam the shot straight towards Fuuka's left side.
"Fifteen - love!"
Rin wanted to hide her eyes from the view but she found herself unable to do so.
Although she hadn't returned early enough to see the start, Rin found herself staring at every little detail. She wondered deeply to herself; did Shizuru know about being pushed to a corner? The black dragon whimpered slightly at the sight of her captain fighting. But she found herself feeling more inspired to train harder than ever. Shizuru shouldn't be the only one to look epic, Rin pondered deeply to herself. She may be the captain but she can't be the only one to carry the weight of the world. But she noticed how Shizuru and Mai began talking through gestures again; it made her smile and it reminded her how she and Haruka started out. Shizuru leapt for the ball whereas Fuuka decided to punch her hips for more power into the shot, launching the dragon shaped aura towards the phoenix. Shizuru however delayed the shot and launched the shot with double the speed and power and revealed the Phoenix screeching in its full glory. Despite that, Fuuka blasted her with the Aries' Revenge and sent Shizuru skidding towards the wall as her racquet clattered onto the ground.
"Fifteen - all!"
Hitomi wondered if she had taken down all the data or was she better off memorizing and recording the match.
The blonde Mastermind clucked her tongue before looking at all the volumes of data she had composed about Shizuru. She glanced at her captain before shaking her head. All the data she had taken down had become pointless and meaningless; Shizuru revealed a new technique and her numbers were rising. Fuuka also had completely surpassed her initial data but Shizuru fought her power with a surprising preparedness as to most people would have flew and created a crater in the wall. Hitomi sighed deeply at how quickly her teammates have progressed, wondering about herself. She noticed Momo and Mai hadn't returned yet but could see the look in both captain's eyes as they turned to their last players.
If I fall, take them down.
Hitomi smiled at how Shizuru developed trust and the dependence on them again as to contrast to before. The bespectacled blonde looked at the score; not even changing as the rally continued. It all boiled down to tenacity and willpower. The two girls barely even went on time-out as if ready to kill each other in the match. Hitomi sighed deeply before looking at her camera recorder: 2 hours and 25 minutes. Shizuru would have supposedly lost forty five minutes ago if she submitted to her knee and fatigue. A backhand exploded from Fuuka's side revealing the Jack Knife once again.
"Fifteen - thirty!"
Isane bit her lower lip anxiously before clasping her hands together. She couldn't believe the ferocity from both captains. The Doubles One match was already good enough to scare her after Vera had stepped on Ayane and Kiyone. She recalled every match she had, winning some and losing some but the Sniper couldn't believe how easily her juniors took in wins and losses. She shook her head disbelievingly at the maturity of their youngest player. Most people would have frozen from the frustration and annoyance of fighting someone stronger than them. However, the silver haired Sniper couldn't resist giggling at Vera being tended to after she howled at being bitten by the "tiny sandy haired bitch". She looked over her shoulder, wondering at where the Diamond Pair had disappeared to. Shizuru backhanded the tennis ball but only to have it exploded right back at her.
"Fifteen - forty!"
Shiraishi wondered whether or not he was the only one sane among the captains.
The Shitenhouji male glanced towards the other bleachers and found that the female Hyotei team had been reduced to almost only few of their members remained. The Twin Dragons were there, the Shinigami had left with the Queen of Spades and the Sniper remained alongside the Mastermind. The Diamond Pair hadn't returned and he found himself quite anxious as to where the small girl had gone off to. According to Haruka, Kiyone had gone off to find her doubles partner after hearing a loud scream and that involved her biting the other Seishun Gakuen player. Although he was also not the type to encourage violence, he couldn't help but smile at the thought of Kiyone actually clamping her jaws onto the blonde's arm. Sakuno had taken everything in stride but Vera simply had this aura that made him irritated with her. He then glanced at Fuuka striking with the Aries' Revenge and knocking Shizuru off her feet again.
"Game, Souma: six games all! Tie breaker will now begin!"
Shizuru bit her lower lip as Fuuka prepared to receive her service. The brunette could feel her hand trembling as she tried to toss the ball. Her body couldn't help but shudder from the impact of the Aries' Revenge. Her legs nearly crumbled beneath her as she continued keeping her stance high. Fighting against Fuuka had dragged out her limit; Shizuru hung her head a little but knew she had to finish this. One more chance - she had one more game to turn things around.
Fuuka on the other hand had never smiled and had so much fun in her life.
The Seishun Gakuen captain waited for Shizuru to toss the ball, watching the brunette trying to fight the throbbing of her knee. Fuuka knew she didn't have the Shinigami's analytical ability but she didn't need to have that kind of ability to know that Shizuru was at the end of her ropes. She could clearly see it in Shizuru that her personality and determination had taken a drastic change. As the ball cracked from her racquet, Fuuka pushed on forward with heavy forehands and backhands. She could feel the sweat pouring down her face and her body began to throb like anything after using the Aries' Revenge. She let out a hollow chuckle as her shot pummelled through Shizuru's defences for the first shot.
"1-0!"
Shizuru on the other hand smirked lightly before revealing the Subera Kagerou, causing it to spin away from the net.
"1 all!"
Fuuka had never seen her use the Subera Kagerou in so many ways before but now she could feel her blood boiling. Launching herself forward, Fuuka slammed the ball for a drive volley while Shizuru returned the favour with another drive volleying soaring right in between them. Both of them managed to have short eye-contact for a moment before Fuuka had to drop the ball on Shizuru's side. Her eyes widened when Shizuru actually dropped to the ground despite the aching and curved the ball right over her shoulder.
"2-1!"
Damn, this is how intense it can actually get?
Kirihara blinked several times before watching both girls taking points off each other with short but fast rallies. The Devil Ace of Rikkai Dai rubbed his eyes several times to make sure he wasn't going blind but the ball had vanished in between them. The only thing proving that the ball still existed was that Shizuru continued to flash back and forth whereas Fuuka continued attacking with ground strokes. He glanced at Niou who seemed more focused on the silver haired Sniper and the short dash specialist. Running his fingers through his curly black hair, he leaned against the railing while smiling excitedly.
Too bad, if they were guys I'd wanna play against them!
Niou on the other hand found himself annoyed with where the dash specialist was standing.
The trickster bit his lower lip while looking at how casually Shishido was talking to her. He knew how the dash specialist had initially broken her heart by throwing her chocolates away but now he was getting too close. He could feel his body wanting to get up and wrench her away but the Trickster maintained a lax position instead. Isane was cute but somehow he couldn't find her just cute anymore. Winning that lucky pack of cards for him made him want her in a different way. He wanted to kiss her, pull her away from whatever Hyotei influence there was and get her away from Shishido. Anything to get her away from the dash specialist.
But the fact that he also broke her heart somewhat infuriated him.
Normally, Niou found himself chuckling in amusement whenever he had a blind date to go on to the point it was easy to fake interest. He had brought many girls out but Niou remembered the time he had actually practiced the song "Just The Way You Are" by Bruno Mars in a restaurant. It had been his first time after three years to play the piano again and he himself was surprised by how accurate it was. His eyes narrowed once again when he heard Isane giggling at whatever the dash specialist may have said. His knuckles turned white for a few moments until he felt something tap his shoulder. With a whirl, Niou nearly socked his doubles partner if not for Yagyuu's reflexes.
"You should calm down and think more rationally, Niou-kun. Physically wrenching away someone won't help," Yagyuu sat beside the Trickster before looking at the match. "Perhaps, try to talk to her later after this whole match ends. I told you that you should be more careful with a woman's heart."
"Yeah yeah," Niou brushed him off with a snort, rolling his eyes before looking back at the pair.
Yagyuu knew it was rare to find his partner very moody about something let alone about women. The Gentleman let out a defeated sigh before looking at the fight once again. He had seen Yukimura Ai and Kurenai Shizuru play against each other but that was far as he got. He had never seen the two titans combat each other. The way they captured the attention of the crowd by simply trying to bring down each other quirked him a little as a small smirk curved up his lips. Their exchanges were getting faster and he could see that neither one wanted to back down. Fuuka managed to plough through Shizuru with a forehand that knocked the racquet straight out of the girl's hand.
"20 – all!"
I'm bloody fucking exhausted. Her tenacity's something else...
Fuuka could feel her eyelids dropping as the heat continued to beat down on her. The sun continued to blaze on her back as sweat started trickling down her forehead. She glanced at her opponent who seemed equally exhausted. She could feel her chest tightening severely from the exhaustion but resting now would allow Shizuru to nurse her leg back to normal. Fuuka bit her lower lip as the ball suddenly floated in the air.
Shit, a chance ball!
With one high jump, Fuuka managed to score a smash that lightly smacked the net before falling on the other side.
"Advantage: server!"
Shizuru could feel her body slowing down but as Fuuka cracked the next serve, she sprinted forward for a drive volley. The brunette could feel her mind shutting down but she continued to keep hitting even if it's no longer strong. As long as it could throw Fuuka off guard and give her an opening, Shizuru bit her lower lip before aiming for Fuuka's blind sight. The said red head staggered back but managed to return it only to fall backwards with her racquet clattering aside. Seeing her chance, Shizuru prepared to drive the shot as Fuuka fumbled for her racquet.
"Shit no," Fuuka fumbled for her racquet before clambering for her feet again.
However, what surprised her was the ball flew straight forward and smacked at the top of the net – balancing and refusing to move.
"MOVE NOW YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT," Fuuka slammed her racquet into the ground as the ball fell to Shizuru's side as everyone's eyes widened with astonishment.
With the ball bouncing on Shizuru's side, the arbiter declared.
"Game and match, Souma: seven games to six!"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Ouch, it looks like Hyotei's in a tie with Seigaku. I wonder who's gonna play though. It's up to you guys who you want playing! By the way, please don't forget to review~!
*Jackpot - Hahaha, I got into playing Devil May Cry again. There was a part in Devil May Cry 3 where Dante and Virgil shoot with Ebony and Ivory against Arkham. They are so awesome!
**Ich bin die Güte der ganzen Welt. Ich bin das Böse der ganzen Welt - this came from Fate/Stay Night. I thought it could do some allusion to the way they were fighting. Loosely translated: "I am the one who will walk in the ways of heaven and I am the one who denounces the way of Hades".