Me: Wow, I'm very surprised by the amount of reviews that just poured in. I never expected that I would get seven reviews for a single chapter. But then again, this is when things start getting juicy. Hopefully, I'll be able to clear things up with you guys especially with Sengoku's sister and the "coincidental" teaming. Thank you for all the beautiful reviews! 283 reviews, only 17 more to go for a 300! Go go, keep reviewing! So sorry that this has been taking EXTREMELY long! I had summer class and a whole lot Molecular Biology and stuff to deal with. :(
SapphireWitch13: Thank you for pointing out my error for me. I only realized I double mentioned him in the chapter after you pointed it out to me in a review and also my cousin told me. Oh yes, I am just going to clarify that Mai and Yukimura are not in the same team and neither is Hitomi and her pairing. I'll let you figure out who is Hitomi's pairing also. I hope I've cleared up the ambiguousness. :)
choconifflercat9: I know right? Saeki – he's boyish and hot at the same time. :)) Thank you for the review by the way!
aL: Don't worry; I'll explain why Sengoku's sister is a third year like him when she's supposed to be older. I'll explain it soon. ;)
Also, I kind of added a few things to Chapter 64 especially about the teaming. I guess I forgot to make it clear that there will be two shifts: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Again, I do not own Prince of Tennis!
Chapter 66 – The Twin Terrors of Sugar and Spice
Mai stretched her arms as she prepared to go training with her teammates. She caught a glance at Hitomi who had been assigned to Yukimura. The bluenette just had to choose a court nearby and Rena kept following him around with his bags and everything else. She even sometimes openly kissed him in front of everyone. Blech, Mai twisted her features into disgust. If Rena was gonna go make-out with Yukimura, do it somewhere else. She felt her heart snitch ever so slightly while noticing Rena hang onto Yukimura's every word and also dote and cling onto him like some Cocker Spaniel puppy and become extremely possessive like a cat but – they were together. What could she do? The red haired tensai bit her lower lip before trying to focus on the matter at hand. But Mai couldn't help but take notice also of Hitomi who had been volleying with Fuji. Lucky girl, Mai sighed dreamily. At least she has someone who will bluntly tell her if there is something wrong in her style. Although Osamu did have his quirkiness and also frankness as a coach, Mai could only wonder how Shitenhouji became so strong when they were playing...
"We're playing D-dodge Ball," Sakuno stammered as she shakily held the ball in hand, swallowing hard. "B-but everyone is bigger than m-me..."
Oishi smiled and pat Sakuno's shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry, Ryuuzaki-san. We'll do just fine!"
Juushinhi René stood on one side with Wakato Hiroshi as both of them held other Dodge Balls. The half of the Soul Link Pair tapped Wakato's shoulder and began making hand gestures, pointing at the other players. Wakato made hand gestures as well and took her hand to make more hand gestures before smiling at her. Mai found it amazing how someone like René despite her handicap had been ranked as a Nationals Calibre player. Her perception to vibrations and sights were completely impeccable when she remembered watching them play against their pair. René nodded and glanced back at Mai and the other players determinedly. On the other hand, the tensai grinned lightly as she glanced at the other people getting ready.
"I guess we're really gonna go head on," Mai tossed the ball up in the air while spinning it on her finger. "Better make sure you're fast enough, Kabaji."
Kabaji let out a grunt, taking a ball as well. "Usu."
Mai glanced at Team Seigaku with Oishi and Sakuno on one side. She had to admit; the girl was really small and even Kiyone stood a bit taller than her. Wakato and René at least knew well enough how to communicate via sign language. She also saw two members of Fudomine standing on one side, revealing Kamio Akira and Koizumi Yuma. She had seen Fudomine fight but always had been eliminated by Rikkai Dai or Jyosei Shounan since the Soul Link Pair really dominated through the Doubles and Florence always won her match. Hence, their usual opponents were always Jyosei Shounan, Rikkai Dai or Seigaku. Fudomine had once reached the quarter finals when she was still First Year. Hanabusa Jun had assumed captaincy but many of their most talented players had graduated hence forcing them to bunk back.
"Alright," Osamu clapped his hands in delight, directing people left and right. "We're going to have three rounds of Dodge Ball. First round is based on the same school. Hyotei with Hyotei, Fudomine students as one pair and so on. The second round is a boys-versus-girls competition and the third one – I'll be deciding the teams, alright?"
Mai nodded slowly as she glanced at the other competitors with a sly grin on her face. She never knew training in the Goodwill Camps was going to be fun but she had slight ideas. Tossing the ball up in the air, Mai sprinted forward the moment she heard the whistle blow. Sakuno, being the smallest among many of the members, found herself shocked when the ball went straight to her face. René on the other hand danced out of the way before throwing her first shot at Yuma who dodged out of the way before using Kabaji as a shield. The big man however managed to move despite the balls screaming towards him before giving Mai a boost. The red headed female leapt high into the air before throwing two spinning balls at Oishi and Wakato.
"Well then, let's kick things up a notch," Yuma hurled a fast ball towards Mai, smirking lightly.
With Yuma now targeting her, Mai immediately shifted her position in the air before sailing down towards another player before hurling a ball straight at Yuma. Kamio however intercepted her attack and sped towards her before throwing the ball with enough force to knock her out. Kabaji however managed to catch a ball and send it roaring towards Wakato who let out this weird squeak and ran for his life. She immediately bent back for a bridge before picking up another ball and hurling it towards Fudomine's speed demon, quickly recovering to push herself to attack the other members. Sakuno stumbled as she took another hit in the face as Oishi started throwing his shots against Kabaji who took the hits without really minding that it smacked straight into him. While Kabaji functioned as a shield, Mai immediately took advantage and threw the shot straight at Oishi with the ball clobbering him straight in the stomach.
"Heh, it's an honour to be facing off against Hyotei's Queen of Spades," Yuma smiled lightly as her ball flew straight towards Mai who managed to vault over it, dodging Sakuno's feeble attempt to hit her.
"Well, I'd like to see what Fudomine's capable of. I've barely seen you guys in the tournaments," Mai let out a cocky smirk before sliding right in between Kamio's legs as he took his stance before clobbering both Yuma and Kamio with a ball. "Hehehe, that's two points for Hyotei!"
Kabaji hurled the ball with enough force to knock down Wakato as the said boy tumbled on the ground while the deaf female managed to slide past Kabaji and hit him straight in the head with not much success. Mai could only gawk at how Kabaji could continue playing without feeling the agony. He must've had nerves of steel! Well, considering he was stuck with Atobe – Mai snickered lightly at the thought. Kabaji needed the patience of God if he was going to become Atobe's loyal friend.
"Alright, time's up," Osamu clapped his hands with a huge grin as he looked at his paper. "Now, you're probably wondering why you're stuck with a coach who asked me to do something as ridiculous as this."
Kamio rolled his eyes with an annoyed snort. "Yeah, why did you? It makes no sense! We're here to play tennis!"
"Well, you'll see after you start finishing up the next two rounds," Osamu grinned as the others sweatdropped at his over-enthusiastic self, watching the man clap his hands. "Alright, get ready for round two!"
Mai found herself glancing towards the other court where Yukimura had been coaching Hitomi and the other people under him. She saw Rena happily swinging her legs while ogling at whatever she was looking at, much to the annoyance of the red head. The dancer sighed deeply as she shook her head, wondering how Rena managed to manipulate someone like Yukimura when he was the master manipulator. She felt her chest tighten slightly at the sight of Yukimura then watching his team do rallies as he kissed Rena lovingly before sitting on the bench, supervising the other members. The Hyotei tensai bit her lower lip before looking away and moving towards her team of girls.
"Nagisaki-san?"
Mai looked up and found Sakuno looking concerned at her. "Nagisaki-san, would you like to rest?"
Before Mai could say anything, Kamio hooted with laughter and a condescending sneer. "Well yeah, maybe we should let the girls rest. I mean – we guys can take it but I dunno about them."
Well, well, well, it looks like we have another chauvinist who needs to have his ass kicked.
Now Mai knew she had her fair share of violence along with her captain but if there was one thing that irked her very badly it would be how men thought women couldn't do things properly. She remembered the last time Atobe had made some comment about the girls' team not being capable enough to bring home the gold for wrestling and other sports but ever since Ayane had shown up and clobbered him with anything she managed to swing as a bat - men had feared the Hyotei women's team. No man cannot just walk in and talk down a girl in Hyotei without being harshly "whipped" for it or being beaten for it. Momo beat any male who doubted her in kendo with her own capabilities and Haruka definitely outshined everybody as part of the debate team. Gakuto although in denial had to admit that even Rin had a whole shelf full of trophies be it gold or silver in gymnastics. Shizuru – well, Mai knew very well what her friend was capable of. Isane being a part of the National Shooting Team for Japan excelled as a rifle specialist and had gold medals hanging on her wall. Hitomi had her Chemistry set and her crazy math skills to break into any security system and Kiyone had her own fair share with yo-yos and other things. Well then, Mai smiled sardonically before turning to face Kamio. It's about time he gets his ass whooped by a girl.
"You really shouldn't say those things, Kamio-kun," Mai smiled sickeningly sweet with a hint of a sardonic tone in her voice as she tossed the ball up into the air, emphasizing heavily on the "kun" in his name. "Especially when you don't know how badly this girl can make you cry for your mother."
Shivers ran down the male's spines (all except Kabaji) as the women seeing that Mai had flared up a little decided to pick up the ball. The red head's amber gold feline eyes reflected pain that they were about to face as her nails started to cut into the material of the ball. Sakuno despite her sweet face held an apologetic look as she picked up a ball with Koizumi Yuma tossing one in the air with a huge smirk. René may have been deaf but the Jyosei Shounan player had become an expert in reading lips and seeing Mai's sardonic and devilish stare that promised the boy their funerals knew she had understood the tension and the emotion of the conversation right. No man talks down on them unless they want a full on beating.
"Prepare for Carina Brutalidad," Mai grinned demonically as the boys knew they were in for a whole lot of Hell to come, causing them to shrink and shrivel under the sardonic gaze of the nekojin tensai. "You boys are going to regret it since your stupid teammate didn't keep his mouth shut. All girls in favour of turning these boys into babies say aye!"
"Aye," all the girls (except René who simply raised the ball in the air) picked up the volleyballs lying around; all had evil grins on their faces as all the boys prepared for a battle for their lives.
"I-I'm sorry Oishi-senpai," Sakuno shivered fearfully as she felt the tension burning from the other girls all in favour of beating up the boys.
Juushinhi René had an evil grin on her face as she waved "bye-bye" at the boys.
"Whoa, whoa, wait, I don't think Kamio-kun meant anything," Wakato started waving his hands in terror as Mai grinned darkly, staggering back as the red head closed in on them.
"SILENCE, WE WILL EXECUTE YOU ALL! OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!"
And if people were to listen closely, they could hear loud girlish screams echoing in the air.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Shizuru bit her lower lip, looking at the letter she had just received. She couldn't believe how fast the reply came in and her heart simply wanted to jump to her throat. Calmly placing the letter into an envelope, Shizuru couldn't help but jump in joy while inwardly thanking God that nobody was in the room except her. The brunette glanced around before deciding to take a walk before her heart burst out in joy and she started rolling around in her bed in excitement and anxiety. Anxiety – who exactly was this man talking to her? She had been confiding in him ever since they had started writing to one another. However, as she started looking at the writing, Shizuru couldn't help but starting to imagine someone else. She imagined Tezuka speaking to her, gently pushing her and nudging her forward. However, she shook her head – he wouldn't dare do that. He didn't have time for some fairy tale fantasy like that. She glanced at the magazines that Fuuka had dumped on her bed and revealed pictures of the most phenomenal tennis players of the junior circuit. Her picture was there but on the front page well – Tezuka had become the cover boy in just a few months. To her, he had lifted tennis into something more than just a sport. Although people had praised her as well for her sense of capability, Shizuru couldn't help but feel insignificant next to the man. He led his team very well and they placed all his trust in him.
He's so amazing...
As she started to walk around, the trees rustled softly with the wind tossing her reddish brown tresses around. She closed her eyes and let the world fade into darkness while inhaling the wind deeply, letting the sense of ease and comfort overwhelm her. The Hyotei captain then looked at her leg before listening to the tennis ball sounds cracking from a distance as she continued walking in silence. Finally finding a spot under a tree, Shizuru sat down as she watched the flowers dance with the win and the grass leaves rustle.
Do I have any right to hope that he would look at me? Or at least hold something for me?
Shizuru shook her head with a defeated sigh; she realized how precocious she was. Assuming that Tezuka did like her – not a chance! The same chances rivalled the chances like a snowball in the Sahara! He had other things to worry about such as leading his own team to the Nationals. Rikkai was not going to take their defeat lying down and having Atobe beating him would keep him on his toes. However, the brunette held onto the letters, wondering and thinking who the man was. The young man who constantly showed his concern for her had always managed to respond to her letters. Then again, what stopped people from changing their gender in such an exchange?
"I must be crazy to hope that Tezuka-san would love me in return," Shizuru smiled bitterly as a cherry blossom petal floated onto her hand, gently blowing it away. "That dream, that kind of love will end in a painful wound... Great, I'm going nuts. I can't even think properly."
She bit her lower lip bitterly as her eyes slowly began to close, letting the warmth of the sun and the gentle winds soothe her.
What she didn't realize however was that someone had heard her.
Sanada had been walking by only to hear someone's footsteps far away. Curious, the male had walked in to see Shizuru smiling particularly at no one but at the small cherry blossom petal in her hand. His hand clenched into fists, very annoyed at the thought about how slow Tezuka really was. He was barely showing any signs he liked her despite making his intentions clear in the Nagisaki Gala! That kind of emotional torture – he knew the pain of running around with the uncertainty that the person one liked may not hold the same feelings as one does. If he had more "balls" as Niou had quoted, he would have forced his way and probably had been more persistent in showing Shizuru his affections. To make her see that Tezuka could not love her the same way he did – but no, Sanada shook his head. That would be depriving her of her freedom of choice! Besides, it could have also turned for the worse that she could have gotten irritated with him instead. However, what kind of man would he be if he left Shizuru there to be easily exploited? He prepared to walk towards her until he saw Tezuka jogging along the path with a red head following. He was never the manipulative type but if push came to shove – he'll just have to shove Tezuka off before the idiot made any more mistakes!
"Souma-san," Sanada mentally had a light bulb moment; Fuuka was his partner for the mixed doubles partner for the week! "Can you please come with me? I need your assistance in training."
Fuuka blinked several times before noticing Shizuru sleeping at the corner of her eye, somehow getting the gist at what her partner was working towards. "Yeah, it's no problem. Hey Tezuka – your partner's knocked out by a tree. Can you remind her not to pass out anywhere that looks comfy to her? Stay with her while you're at it, yeah?"
Tezuka frowned slightly. "You make her sound like she's a narcoleptic."
"She's not but Shizuru has this insane ability to fall asleep anywhere," Fuuka grinned mischievously and when Tezuka saw that grin, he knew that she was up to something. "Besides, would you have any other guy do it?"
"No," – the words nearly burst out of his throat if not for his quick sense of control. "I- I'll do it."
Tch, I let my guard down.
Tezuka didn't mind the idea of watching over a sleeping Shizuru but the way Fuuka grinned started making him suspicious.
And it frustrated him to no end what she was up to.
As the two players walked away, Tezuka found himself looking at a sleeping Shizuru. While he was always able to get himself up at 5'o clock in the morning, Shizuru barely looked like the morning type. When he had seen her in the morning as they went out to get breakfast, she looked like she refused to get up out of bed. Unlike her usual graceful composure, Tezuka found her in a loose baggy white t-shirt hanging past her thighs and covering part of her shorts. Her usual neat wavy hair looked like a huge mess and she had been dragging an orange fox stuffed toy behind her. Tezuka chuckled inwardly to himself; she had never looked so dare he say it - adorable. Although, Shizuru was kind of mute and blind when she just got out of bed and only groaning in response. Even Atobe noted that Shizuru couldn't open the refrigerator even if she tried in her sleepy state that when she couldn't get her bottle of chilled orange juice, Atobe had stood up to swing it open for her and said he couldn't bear seeing his female counterpart looking so pathetic as to even being incapable of opening a refrigerator door. The camp made him see many things about the girls that had dominated the junior tournaments.
Getsugan Kiyone drank Tabasco Sauce like water. How she did that – he didn't know but he reckoned that she and Fuji would get along fine.
Ayane had the capacity to wrench off doors and break things without trying. When she fumed at her teammates one day, she slammed the door hard enough to have the hinges of the door simply fall off. The whole door just followed soon after.
Yamaguchi Hitomi and Oishi – he may have glasses but he was certain he caught Oishi staring at her a few times.
Souma Fuuka had to have coffee. If she didn't, she'd become increasingly cranky and many of the threats she gave were a hair's breadth thickness from becoming reality.
Nagisaki Mai could beat up boys. Yes, he thought only Shizuru was capable of taking down fighters.
Sanada Momo apparently was not as patient as he thought she was. He had distinctively heard Vera screaming down the hallway something about a "psychotic bitch chasing her with a sharpened katana".
And now, he had no idea how to deal with a sleeping Shizuru. He quietly made his way towards her before taking a seat right next to her, looking how her neck dangerously hung on one side. When his finger lightly brushed against her arm, Shizuru immediately flinched and began whimpering. Surprised slightly at her reaction, Tezuka gently tilted her head to the other sound only to have it completely lean on the other side. He poked her shoulder to check if she was feigning her sleep but she just curled up again like a small shrimp. Blinking several times, Tezuka couldn't help but chuckle at how different she was when she was asleep. Seeing that nothing was going to become of it, Tezuka instead shifted her body as lightly as he could to have her lie against his shoulder. Shizuru softly breathed in and out as a small smile crept up his face. She looked so peaceful.
"You stupid jerk..."
Tezuka blinked several times in confusion, looking at her more annoyed expression as she slept.
"How could you do that to him? Just because he beat you, you just had to break his arm!"
Tezuka again found himself completely stupefied by the brunette; why did this story seem familiar? He glanced at his shoulder upon remembering the story of how his senpai had attacked his left arm just because he played with his right side, saying that it no longer had any use for him. Tezuka winced at the thought of that day of him losing his dominant arm and he could have played with his right arm but no, he just wanted to play with his left side. Playing with his right was fine but it was a little uncomfortable for him.
"Mai, I'm not letting some Seigaku douche-bag like him break his arm like that. Tezuka-kun, I've played against him before and he's really amazing when he has fun playing! We're supposed to have fun when we play, right?"
She knew him from before?
Tezuka nodded absent-mindedly at what she was saying but he couldn't help but wonder. In comparison to her sweet and gentle expression, now she was talking like some badass in her sleep. Normally, a person's true persona would emerge when the person was asleep. Tezuka chuckled lightly at her excited and determined expression as he eased her position more to have her sleep more comfortably. Actually, he had never said it but he loved Shizuru's kickass side more than the usual gentle self. Most girls had been conscious of their movement to the point they themselves had become stiff. During the time he had helped them save Momo; he remembered how she willingly stepped up to the plate and protected them all despite the crazy arrows flying towards them. What was going on her mind?
"There's one thing you bastards need to know about me..."
One thing he knew about Shizuru was that she lessened her usage of bad words but now seeing her use it made her appear dare he say it – exhilaratingly attractive. Although he had fallen in love with the sweet and kind Shizuru, seeing the strong side of Shizuru made his own heart soar. Tezuka never prepared himself for the revelation to come as he heard a very familiar name emerge from her lips. Her expression more determined as her smile seemingly promised the funerals of whoever she was planning to beat up in her dreams. She cracked her knuckles before knitting her eyebrows together.
"Takesue or whatever your name is, remember the name Kurenai Shizuru because she's the one who's going to beat your bloody daylights out!"
He knew exactly who Takesue was and the situation she was dreaming about. Although he remembered more the horror of losing the functionality of his left arm, Tezuka definitely knew the horrific aftermath after that beating.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Atobe snorted in annoyance as he watched Ayane laughing at Marui while drinking a strawberry shake. He couldn't understand how Marui managed to get into Ayane's heart despite everything. He had already warned the male away and even defeated him in a tennis match to make Marui understand. He clenched his hand into a fist before glaring at the two people sitting there. He had never seen Ayane laugh heartily as she slapped Marui lightly on the shoulder who laughed and chuckled in response, over something he had may have said.
"You know, glaring at Marui won't make him go away," Oshitari mused lightly, raising an eyebrow at him. "Why don't you just explain things to Ayane instead of having some harebrained scheme to deal with Jerrard? We already know the conclusion to this kind of protracted game of pulling out the carpet from right under but, is sacrificing your relationship with Ayane worth the stress?"
Atobe hummed coldly while keeping his eye on Marui and Ayane. He couldn't believe that Ayane had defeated him and Vera in doubles. Although he knew that he was very hopeless in doubles play (not that he'd admit it openly), Atobe found himself astonished by Ayane's quick cooperation with Marui and how Rikkai's Magician managed to make short work of him. He clenched his hands into a fist before glaring daggers at his cup of coffee. If glaring were a super power then, the cup would have melted into nothing but a puddle of melted ceramic.
"Ore-sama would never let some blonde skank look down on him," Atobe hissed darkly, glaring at the small cup of coffee and took a small sip.
"Well, she is now – she thinks your some shallow low life who loves only those with power and Ayane wants to whack you with whatever she can pull out of nowhere," Oshitari sighed deeply, shaking his head with a defeated sigh. "Atobe, can you at least think out your plans instead of just jumping in with whatever macho hubris that you're running around with?"
Atobe remained silent as he heard a loud thud from outside along with loud yelling. Everyone's head shot up before running outside. Before he knew it, Shishido and Niou stood outside in a full-out fist brawl with Shishido now sporting a black-eye and a bleeding lip. Niou had his hair all messed up, covered in dirt but had a bruised lip and his arms covered with scratches and dirt. He slightly slouched and gripped his rib area, glaring at Shishido. Everyone found themselves stunned by the two boys as Shishido prepared to launch himself to Niou again with a venomous glare. Niou had been known to piss off people but nobody had ever seen Niou so furious in their lives. The girls immediately darted outside to see Niou and Shishido preparing to clobber each other again.
"ENOUGH," Sanada grabbed Niou by the back of his shirt with Momo's blade pointed to his chin. "What is going on here!?"
Shishido on the other hand found Ohtori standing behind him and locked him in a full-Nelson and Shizuru blocking his way. "Shizuru!? Choutarou!?"
"Niou as your friend, I'm asking you to back down," Momo narrowed her eyes dangerously, sheathing her hidden blade into her racquet. "Otherwise, if you continue attacking – you'll be more than just backhanded by your vice captain later."
The silver blue haired Trickster scowled darkly as his blue eyes flared angrily at the Shinigami. Momo knew him as someone who could barely lose his cool in front of a crowd or over tiny things but for him to fly off the handle? That was relatively new for her. His version of causing trouble meant tricks, pranks, socially screwing someone over but for him to get physically really had her wondering what could have possibly ticked him off so badly. She knew Shishido would easily fly off the handle and probably deck Niou when he had the chance but for Niou to rise up to the bait and seeing the anger flash in his eyes – there was something amiss. She glanced at Isane who stared in astonishment at the sudden breakout before looking at the two boys. She was the only common denominator those two had other than Niou loving the idea of pissing people off.
However, Niou's eyes didn't show the usual amusement of ticking off his opponent. It flashed with something else.
Jealousy.
Anger.
And a whole lot of hell to pay.
Momo only realized the regret swimming in his own sea of turbulent emotions. A small smirk crossed on her lips; with all those bruises and cuts, he definitely deserved a pounding after what he did to Isane. The only thing that Shishido had forgotten to give him was a whooping psychological attack that could have left Yukimura applauding. Isane's break-up with him left scars and now, he wanted her back. Well, she knew it wasn't her choice but her friend's but he was going to have to work for it. Big time.
"Senpai," Shizuru lowered her voice into a very dangerous whisper. "Please behave yourself. Otherwise, I may resort to other methods in bringing back your common sense."
Shishido stared in the dark glint glimmering in Shizuru's crimson eyes before backing down. "Tch, he started it!"
"Heh, the little bastard just decked me! I swear," Niou raised his hands in a surrendering motion, glancing at the crowds. "I was just defending myself!"
"It's more likely you provoked it," Sanada glared darkly at his teammate before bowing apologetically to Atobe. "I am sorry for Niou's misbehaviour."
Atobe chuckled bitterly, raising an eyebrow at Shishido. "Well, ore-sama knows that Shishido isn't the type either to pull back his punches and settle things with his mind."
"Tch," Shishido scowled darkly as Ohtori let him down, allowing him to smooth out his clothes and dust himself. "You cheating son of a bitch, you don't even care how many people you hurt! You're just doing it for your sick kicks! Leave her out of your fucked up jokes!"
Instead of Niou's usual sarcastic or snarky retort, the Trickster managed to slip out of Sanada's grip and prepared to throw a punch. "YOU FUCKING...!"
Before Niou's punch could make contact, another boy suddenly moved in the middle and grabbed Niou's fist before flipping the said Trickster over to one side and kicking Shishido back. As the Trickster staggered back, Niou found himself staring at an annoyed Akutsu who had a cigarette in his mouth. Shishido bowled over and lay sprawled out on the ground and found himself staring at the very furious and irritated Yamabuki regular. He had known stories from Akutsu being the type to deal with things with his fists but he never found himself to be on the receiving end of it.
"You fucking retards, what are you doing making a ruckus when the rest of us are trying to combat the heat," Akutsu angrily clamping his hand on Niou's neck for a firm iron grip and grabbed Shishido by his pants' leg, effectively hanging the dash specialist upside down. "Save your fucking dramas after we win! You're so damn noisy that even Mt. Fuji would send a fucking avalanche on you pathetic sacks of crap!"
Now Isane was not sure what to feel: admonished by the two fighting over her or horrified at how Akutsu was hanging Shishido upside down and ignoring that he was turning bright red like a tomato and that Niou was desperately gasping for air.
"Akutsu-san, I think you should put them down," Shizuru moved in to at least get Shishido out of his predicament.
"If you were a guy, I'd clobber your fucking ass. This is a bitch fight between two morons," Akutsu scowled darkly, suddenly flipping Niou over to grab him by his pants' leg and hung him upside down as well. "Things never get pretty especially among us guys. So stay out of it, you red eyed weirdo."
Although the two incapacitated boys barely showed any animosities during the training, Isane had spotted Niou trying to piss off Shishido whenever they would speak to each other. When Niou would try to approach her, Shishido would just drag her away. She sighed deeply, looking at the two before hanging her head. How did things end up so complicated? Her head suddenly looked up when she heard a loud thud and skid when Niou and Shishido fell on the floor right by the trash cans.
"Tch, quit screwing around and actually use your fucking heads," Akutsu snorted in annoyance and strode past the crowd, shoving his hands in his pocket. "Uchiha, let's go. It smells like shit here."
Shishido gawked as he shook his head. "Uchiha?"
"Oi, Isane," Niou got up, staring in shock at the silver haired Sniper. "You're not..."
Isane blinked several times before looking at the two for a moment and shaking her head, following after her rough and tumble partner. She never expected her partner to suddenly intervene and bash the two boys. Akutsu was normally the type who wouldn't give a crap about things but staying as his partner did reveal a lot of things about him. Isane remembered how everyone gawked at Akutsu's sudden intervention and how easily and relentlessly manhandled the two boys.
"Um, thank you," Isane bowed lightly at the gray haired regular, glancing back slightly. "Shishido-kun and Niou-san could have gotten hurt back there though..."
"Don't get me wrong, Uchiha. I just wanted a quiet time to smoke," Akutsu scoffed darkly, lighting up a cigarette. "But damn it, how long have you been staring at those two idiots fight?"
Isane twiddled with her thumbs, looking away meekly. "A-About five minutes or so but I couldn't just step in..."
"You're a fucking idiot, you know that."
Isane looked up and Akutsu stopped right in front of her with an annoyed snort. "You don't walk behind me. What century are you from – the 16th!? Get your ass in gear! I don't talk to my back!"
"U-um, okay," Isane swallowed hard in fear before quickly moving her feet, fighting her fear down her throat and moving right next to Akutsu. "S-sorry...!"
"Stop apologizing," Akutsu scowled darkly as he ran his fingers through his hair, grunting in annoyance. "You have the height, use it your damn advantage!"
Isane blinked several times; where did that come from? "Eh?"
"Those two idiots can't hurt you and you've got the height to intimidate," Akutsu spun around to face her, glaring and making her let out a small "eep". "Where the hell is your spine!?"
Isane was about to gesture to her back until Akutsu flicked her forehead. "You're an idiot. Are most Hyotei students this stupid?"
"N-no," Isane swallowed hard as she felt herself being belittled by the gray haired male, being dragged around by Akutsu. "E-Eh, where are we going?"
Akutsu refused to respond as he continued dragging the tall girl across the pathway, dragging her to a tennis court. He couldn't believe that those two actually jumped into a fist fight although Shishido was more believable. He actually heard the fight himself and expected them to just trash talk one another. Not make a huge ruckus down below. Stupid rich brats, Akutsu snorted in annoyance as he glanced back at a confused Isane. He knew that Hyotei kids had problems in the head but he didn't expect himself to be paired up with one who had a problem with her spine! He kicked the wired gate before putting her at the volley-line and throwing a racquet at her.
"Tch, things I do for girls," Akutsu scowled darkly before picking up his own racquet. "Coach said you suck at volley right?"
Isane nodded vigorously and slightly fumbling with the racquet, twiddling with her thumbs. "Y-Yes, why?"
"For starters, quit fucking stammering! Talk straight," Akutsu picked up a tennis ball, squeezing it hard in his hand and serving it straight at her. "I can't stand bastards who don't do their shit right. And if you're going to be my partner, we're gonna have to do things – MY WAY."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
After Akutsu managed to toss him aside, Niou winced at the aching pain biting his back and shoulder. Luckily, nothing had been dislocated but the impact still made him wince. The Trickster mulled over as he kicked away some lonesome pebble. He couldn't understand though what could have driven him to lead on the silver haired Sniper like that. A force of habit, he didn't quite know but Kujikawa really had him wound around her finger. She tasted like cherries – he smirked lightly. He knew the girl would always put a bucket load of make-up to look great and cherry flavoured Chap Stick to make sure every man had a taste of her lips. Every girl he had seen in Rikkai did that. Almost every girl who wanted to get in his pants that is.
Suki Kujikawa, daughter of a high-rolling lawyer, managed to worm her way into Rikkai Dai and their debate team and frankly he had to admit – she had the brains to make him look bad. He had to be honest; she wasn't a failure in the looks department and with the rack she had, Niou would have thrown jokes on how she suffocated men by just hugging them. She had dated Kirihara for awhile and boy did she smash his heart right after. She dated Kirihara, allegedly tried to "molest" him (even he himself wondered if Kirihara knew what the word meant) and pretty much declared it to the world although the story came out that Kirihara had become an abusive boyfriend. Brat or not, Niou refused to have anyone tick off Kirihara except by yours truly. If anything, she reminded him of the Heartbreaker of Seigaku although he reckoned Vera was a bigger bitch.
Tch, stupid Hyotei bastard...!
Niou never found himself extremely cornered and frustrated in situations with women. Usually, he had the upper-hand before downright turning them down. Most girls recovered easily despite that but this was the first time for him to be on the opposite end. What he couldn't get was - how did Akutsu seemingly get along the silver haired Sniper when she looked extremely afraid of him? Heck, he had heard rumours of Akutsu being suspended several times for beating up people and he feared more for Isane's safety than he realized. If anything, Isane may be one of Akutsu's crazy casualties if ever his temper flew out of control. But the way they were talking awhile ago, she seemed to be in pretty good hands despite his rough, down-to-earth talking and crass-crude method of handling things.
Unfortunately, he found himself seeing Shishido also in the same light.
Shishido unlike him always shot straight to the point. He never gave cryptic words; it wasn't the dash specialist style. If Shishido found something disgusting and ugly, he'd say it straight out. Probably one thing that Isane liked about him, Niou mused. Even if he did lie, he probably couldn't pull it off. On the other hand, lying had become second nature to him. He easily smooth-talked anyone into doing whatever he needed done, including teachers. Straightforward and tactless – that was something Niou never found himself doing. He'd usually leave cryptic sentences for a while but when it came to tricks, well – he clearly trumped Shishido in out-thinking his opponent. However, the way he interacted with Isane – did he not get his point across? There were many dates that he had given her flowers and probably even played the piano a few times or sang to her (something he surprised himself by doing) but why?
"Why do I always chase the wrong ones? Why am I feeling this way," Niou raked his fingers threw his hair, looking at his wallet and cellphone. "Shit."
For once, he found himself in a ditch. Most girls chased after him and he didn't even need to lift a finger. Now Isane was an extremely different story. He flirted with her (to which she became very flustered, much to his amusement) but he found himself actually, exposing his own heart on his sleeve. In Rikkai Dai, he was the bad boy that every girl wanted. He had at least three fan clubs who stalked him early in the morning. At least Isane didn't know about those girls yet, her confidence would've taken a spiral down and a one-way trip to hell. He had heard the ruthlessness of the fan girls in Hyotei but because of her position – no one dared to mock her. Sure her height made her look lanky and intimidating but he remembered how adorable she looked when she embraced the grey bunny that he had earned for her in the carnival. While most dates ended in a platonic ending, he found himself feeling lighter after her happy smile with the bunny from the carnival.
"Oh God," Niou shook his head, gripping his hair. "God, I'm so deep... I... Tch!"
With a frustrated snort, Niou kicked the pebble as it tattered along the stone pathway. What made him kiss Suki Kujikawa that night? Sure she had a dress that invited rapists but even Isane looked like she could knock the girl off her throne that night. Questions flew back and forth as he tried figuring out what could have possibly sent him towards the buxom rich brat when he had someone like Isane whose merits clearly outclassed hers. He found himself walking down a stony path until he heard loud explosions. His eyes widened when he went into the field and found Ayane swinging a tennis racquet and smashing metal trash cans.
"Shit, she makes the brat look like he's Ken from the Barbie merchandise," Niou snickered as he continued walking on until suddenly, something nearly tackled him down to the ground in high speed. "What the hell was that?"
"SUUUGAR, SUGAR, SUGAR, SUGAAAAAR!"
Niou's eyes visibly widened as he turned around to see a familiar blue haired girl running around with a huge maniacal grin on her face. In her hands however is what got him horrified even more, it was a whole bucket load of sweets from every corner of the city. Pochi, gummy worms, gummy bears and everything else so sweet that would have made his teeth rot right out sat in a rainbow coloured bucket as Ai immediately dashed right past him. Marui would have had a hey-day with those sugary sweets in her bucket. The Trickster's eyes widened as he glanced back at where Ai had come from. Wasn't Yukimura aware or did he even know that his sister was eating enough sugar to bring down a muscle-bound wrestler and running around for a whole lot more? Soon, he found his captain, Marui, Haruka, Momo, Mai and Hitomi running after her with Fuuka and Natsuki.
"Did you see any blue haired retard running here with a rainbow bucket loaded with candy," Fuuka exhaled sharply and tried to catch her breath, looking around in desperation. "GODDAMN IT, WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU? AND WHO'S THE FUCKING IDIOT WHO LEFT A WHOLE BUCKET OF CANDY IN HER ROOM!?"
Natsuki shook her head darkly and began breathing heavily, brushing away her charcoal gray hair from her face. "Alright, 'fess up. Who was the aho who decided ta send Yukimura on a sugar spree?"
Seiichi smiled serenely to send shivers running down his spine. "Oh I'm very curious as to how my sister got a hold of that bucket."
"But someone tell me which insolent human decided to give Kiyone enough Habanero Chilli Pepper sauce to kill a horse," Momo scowled darkly, sending shivers running down his spine. "Niou, you better not have been the one!"
When Momo used his last name, he knew that meant she was bat-shit serious on killing him if he was the one who gave it to her. "Nope, that wasn't me."
Marui huffed and puffed in exhaustion, shaking his head. "Why was someone stupid enough to do that!? Don't they know Yukimura isn't supposed to have dose of candy by the bucket!?"
Niou stared in horror at the mere mention of Yukimura and candy in one sentence. If there was one thing that small girl was not supposed to have, it was candy. The last time someone gave her chocolates on White Day, she refused to sit down and went running in the hallways. Rikkai Dai had a screaming Blue Banshee as everyone had nicknamed her every time she popped in another chocolate in her mouth. Heck, even her brother could not stop her. Despite him being very fearsome, she herself was a devil with a whole bucket of sugar in her hands. Yukimura that day couldn't believe how his sister easily ignored him and she even downed a whole can of coffee granules from the teacher's lounge.
"Shit, we gotta get that bucket away from her! Now," Niou immediately began running after Ai as the others followed him from behind.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Sengoku practiced his boxing and began hitting the bag quickly, jumping back and practicing his footwork. After seeing Momo easily swing the sword, he felt sort of useless. She had more talent than him in the combat department and fighting Toyotomi looked so easy to her. When he had tried swinging that sword, Sengoku shook his head shamefacedly upon remembering how he wanted to shit his pants right there and then. However, he focused more deeply on the punching bag as he continued throwing jabs before throwing on a full-on right hook.
"Kiyo-kun, will you stop overworking yourself?"
Sengoku spun around to see his older sister, Tohru leaning against the wall. "Oh hi Tohru-chan! How did you know I was here?"
"Because you have such a one-track mind, that's why," Tohru chuckled mildly, pushing herself off the wall.
"Mou~, you don't have to be like that, ane-ue," Sengoku pouted impishly as the orange haired girl ruffled his curls with a grin.
"Well for starters, you're one of the very few who does boxing around here," Tohru sat down on one of the benches, watching her brother. "So tell me, this Sanada Momo – how is she like?"
Sengoku blinked several times; why was his sister suddenly so concerned? Then again, being his older sister – she always watched his back no matter what especially when he had a heartbreak or when any girl he flirted tried to take advantage of him. The orange haired vice captain however couldn't imagine Momo being the manipulative type. No way, her samurai code wouldn't dare make her do that. Sengoku smiled fondly at the thought of his Shinigami and him being in the same team. Momo jogging with him, Momo being his doubles partner – he jumped up and down, feeling all giddy about it.
"Wow, Kiyosumi – if she really can do that to you, she must be one heck of a flirt," Tohru chuckled bemusedly, raising an eyebrow.
Sengoku pouted impishly, shaking his head. "Ane-ue, she's anything but like that!"
"That's how most of them are at the beginning, Kiyo-kun," Tohru frowned while tousling away one of her orange tendrils. "Remember that other girl? What was her name – Amari, Ame...?"
Sengoku sighed deeply, continuing to keep up his punches. "It's Amakusa Ryuna. She well... you have a point there but Momo-chan is different!"
"Oh really? Then do tell why she needed you to save her from that crazed samurai? You could've gotten killed," Tohru massaged her temples pointedly, shaking her head. This girl got him good, that little whore.
"She can't take the whole world on her own, nee-chan," Sengoku stopped for a moment, fixing his gloves. "I've seen many sides of Momo-chan and she's nothing like Amakusa-san! Amakusa-san was clearly just playing with me but Momo really showed me she was serious! She even took on a fight that she knew she may lose just to prove how much I meant to her! She does kendo, she's from a samurai clan and she's really independent. She works in a coffee shop called Raindrop Avenue on weekends for spending cash for her groceries – I can make a whole list!"
Tohru groaned at the way her brother started harping about his current girlfriend. She knew many girls would flock to him and he was just very affable and entertaining. He basically became a girl's bitch; doing everything even down to the homework. Most girls took advantage of his happy-go-lucky nature and often used him as a cash cow. She remembered the many girls who had tried to flirt with him; a slow smile appeared on her lips as she remembered the aftermath after Sengoku's heartbreak. Although her brother got hurt, those girls in the end got what they deserved. Many of the girls had suddenly vanished from Yamabuki and none of them ever bothered Sengoku again. She could only feel so proud of herself; after all, she was protecting her dear sweet little brother from the many heartbreaks.
However, Hyotei was an entirely new ballgame.
She didn't know the girl personally but the name Sanada echoed around a few times. The Sanada family was a pretty big clan of samurai, no doubt about it. However, she knew their sense of tradition always surpassed their filial piety. Their values were constantly upheld in a cold and strict environment and nothing was above the dignity of oneself. She remembered how harsh their disciplinary methods were too since she had some friends who were from ancient families as well. She knew the power the Sanada family had as one of the ancient samurai clans originating from Kanagawa. Heck, the whole family had been housed in the same ancestral home – only with a few fixes and repairs of course. However, it was their sense of conservation that made her fear for her younger brother's safety. They may have been one year apart but they've spent many days together since she was forced to enroll late. Sengoku might as well be paving the path to his own suicide! Tohru shook her head; her little brother could barely tolerate silence but what more a harsh environment like that?
"SUGAAAAAAAAR!"
"SPIIIIICY!"
Sengoku and Tohru swivelled their heads towards the outside and found two blurs, one blue and one gold running right past them. "Wait, I know her...!"
Before Sengoku could say anything, Kiyone immediately tackled him down with a huge spicy-happy maniacal grin on her face. "More, I need more Tabasco!"
Sengoku blinked several times as liquid blue eyes stared beadily at him. He couldn't help but feel very unnerved by Kiyone's wide-eyed stare as he saw other people run over. Tohru stared in astonishment as he found the seniors of the Hyotei Regulars team show up. Momo stood behind her as Sengoku looked up at his Shinigami standing there. He did have a packet of chilli flakes for his pizza in his lunch box but was that a good idea? However, seeing Momo's exhausted face and her head shaking "no" – he'd rather not prolong the agony.
"S-sorry Getsugan-san, I don't have any," Sengoku shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head.
I hope she buys it.
Instead of letting him go, her eyes immediately started to water as she sat in front of him. If there was anything he couldn't take, it was a pair of puppy eyes from someone smaller than him. Her liquid blue eyes widened as they became more shiny and watery, prompting her to purse her lips in tears. Sengoku swallowed hard and looked over Momo, clearly with a huge expression of "HELP". The Shinigami couldn't help but find him adorable as Kiyone looked like she was really about to spring a leak. With a small chuckle, the Shinigami walked over to the Yamabuki vice captain.
"Kiyone, that's not gonna work," Momo plucked Kiyone from Sengoku, placing her on the ground. "I think that's enough spice for the day."
"B-B-but," Kiyone pouted impishly, preparing to cry in front of the Shinigami.
"As much as a terrific induce tear machine that you are, it's not going to work on me," Momo folded her arms firmly, shaking her head. "No more Tabasco. I'm starting to think that you might get haemorrhoids when you're older."
The sandy blonde volleyist pouted as Haruka patted her on the head. "It's okay, let's just wash all that down first, ne?"
"Yeah, we better catch Yukimura before she makes a bigger mess," Niou chuckled humourlessly as he shoved his hands into his pocket. "I think we'll have enough destruction for a week if she keeps it up."
Tohru glanced at how Momo and the younger girl interacted, narrowing her eyes lightly. So she has a good personality but how long could she hold it? Sengoku always had that exploitable trait of his where he would always bend his back for a girl no matter what. There were times he had woken up so early just to do something for a girl, to the point he had gotten a fever. After that, the girl just tossed him aside. He may have been a flirt himself but girls knew how to make his own plans backfire back at him. A slow smile curved up her lips as she eyed the Shinigami.
Let the games begin.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Oishi sighed deeply while continuing to bring in a box full of tennis equipment. He found himself walking towards the sports equipment storage room since they were finally finished with training. He let out a deep sigh before continuing to walk on, wondering what the others could be doing. Being trained by Watanabe was awfully more different than that of being trained under Ryuuzaki-sensei. His methods were extremely unorthodox and getting a ball planted in his face from Hyotei's Queen of Spades. He glanced towards the other courts as he saw some people training. He chuckled lightly when he found Echizen walling as he remembered how Tezuka would also go find some wall and start walling especially after that day he had lost his left arm.
"They really are alike, huh," Oishi smiled lightly until he bumped into someone. "Oh, I'm sorry! Are you okay...Yamaguchi-san?"
Hitomi laughed softly, fixing her eyeglasses. "Oh don't worry, I'm fine. So, where are you headed?"
"I'm headed to the storage room. Apparently coach asked me to put away the tennis balls since most of the ball boys headed home already," Oishi adjusted the box a little, lessening the weight on his arms. "Where are you headed?"
Hitomi smiled lightly, tucking back a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "Nowhere in particular. Do you mind if I tag along?"
Oishi shook his head. "Oh, not at all!"
Wow, I wonder what colour her eyes really are.
Although Oishi had seen people with thick glasses, he had never seen a girl with such round glasses that had thick lenses. It reminded him of one of those girls that he had seen on those soap opera dramas as the shy pretty nerd. His head suddenly shot up; where did that thought come from? He shook his head before taking another look at the blonde Mastermind striding next to him. She definitely held nothing that showed shy character – in fact, she reminded him more of Inui. Confident in her data and able to manipulate people to fall into her data, she struck fear into her opponents before they could even realize that she had manipulated them into her plot.
She's terrifying... Her own ability to manipulate and she's a senior... Just like me...
However, during the time they had gone to save Momo – he could see that she truly did care for the people who accepted her as part of her team. He remembered the distress and the panic in her voice when Shizuru was going to confront the veteran fighters on her own. He remembered how she desperately hacked into the system to save her friends and make sure everyone came out okay. She had immediately called up the police and everything just went in fast motion. If he was going to be completely honest with himself, he could barely keep up with her.
"Oh, Oishi-san – is there something wrong," Hitomi glanced at the black haired Seigaku vice captain. He's been staring at me for awhile now.
Oishi suddenly shot up and shook his head, chuckling sheepishly. "Oh no, everything's fine. I was just thinking about something..."
Hitomi smiled her business smile, raising an eyebrow. "Perhaps about Ayane?"
Oishi raised an eyebrow, staring quizzically at her. "Huh?"
"She does have breasts that girls would kill for," Hitomi chuckled smoothly, adjusting her glasses. "And she does have an affable personality as long as you're not Atobe which you're not. Besides, you two seem to get along together no?"
Yeah a lot of guys would want Ayane. Many of the girls are pretty in the team after all.
Hitomi remembered how she among all the team members got the least chocolate on Valentines' Day. Not many people liked the fact that she could easily calculate five seven digits as if she were drinking a glass of water. The boys in Hyotei, the only ones who liked her were the ones who were relatively the Otaku type and tried putting her in a Cat suit much to her horror. Mai had done a photo-shoot of animal print bikini and every boy had it but no way – not her. Her asset was her mind not her body.
"Kobayagi-san is a good friend of mine but somehow," Oishi sheepishly scratched his head and admitted mildly, chuckling lightly. "I don't think I can handle her violent outbursts. Imagine the hell she could raise when she's genuinely angry."
Hitomi nodded curtly, chuckling also inwardly. "Well, she does have a temper. And to think Latina-blooded ones like Mai were supposedly the more feisty ones."
The bowl-cut haired vice captain chuckled lightly as he noticed a bag in Hitomi's hand. "So, what's that for?"
Hitomi blinked several times; where did that come from? "Eh?"
"I mean the bag you've been carrying around," Oishi pointed at the black suitcase that Hitomi had been holding for awhile. "I-It's okay if you don't want to tell me..."
Hitomi laughed softly, shaking her head. "No it's fine. Mai wanted us to perform since tonight is Song Night here in the Sports club. I have no idea what's going on in her mind sometimes."
"You're going to sing," Oishi slightly gaped before shutting his mouth, removing his surprised expression. "Wow, where are you guys going to do it?"
Hitomi shrugged lightly, shaking her head. "I'm not quite sure. Nagisaki's family is the one who owns this big sports club so I'm guessing it's going to be the bar. You guys are all invited to come. Why don't you bring your teammates or something?"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Night fell as many people started filling up the bar area in the sports club. Hitomi swallowed hard as she saw the huge sea of people, shaking her head. She looked at her clothes, noticing the leopard print on her off shouldered shirt and leather pants with high heeled dominatrix black boots. Whoever had designed her clothes or even assigned these to her, Hitomi shook her head. She was never letting them close to her clothes ever again! She had only agreed to do the rapping and now she was going to do it in leopard print!? The blonde girl swallowed hard for a moment before grinning at Momo who had a tight fit sparkling silver and dark green dress.
"God, I can't use this," Momo scowled deeply as she rang her fingers through her long violet hair. "This is too... tight and skimpy! Who the heck can wear this and walk," –gesturing to the black four inch heels. "Walk in these without killing anybody?"
Haruka shrugged lightly before flashing her dress with the United Kingdom flag design, smiling at her friends. "Well, at least you don't have a hard part to play. This was Mai's idea; I feel bad for Shizuru though. Which reminds me – where is she?"
Mai rushed in, checking everyone and looking at her clipboard. "Okay, everybody ready?"
"Sorry, sorry!"
Mai swivelled her head as her best friend came running into backstage. "Where the heck have you been? You have five minutes to change!"
"I'm on it, I'm on it," Shizuru immediately threw her hands in surrender the moment she saw the fury flash in the tensai's eyes darting towards the dressing room. "I'll be done in two!"
Nodding approvingly, Mai glanced at her seniors seeing Isane come in blue jogging pants and a light blue tube top along with a sleeveless zip up dark blue vest. Rin trotted in with a happy grin in a white summer dress and a pale pink cardigan. Nodding happily, Mai clapped her hands before adjusting her clothes.
"Okay guys, you guys are for the opening act. So, the host will introduce and then Hitomi – wait three seconds and then you start. Make them hear your black lady voice," Mai nodded and smiled serenely, causing a shiver to run up their spines. "Got it?"
All seniors nodded; Mai was a demon when it came to theatrics that even Shizuru had to surrender. "Yes ma'am!"
On the outside, people started piling in along with the coaches as each team took a seat. Oishi sat next to Kikumaru as his teammates took their places around the table. Atobe and the rest of the Hyotei team stayed next to them Rikkai Dai stayed on the left side to avoid any confrontation between Niou and Shishido. Yamabuki and the other teams took the other surrounding tables while most of the patrons of the sports club sat in front. The host strode towards the microphone, nodding to everyone as he tested the microphone.
"Good evening everyone! Tonight as you all know is Song Night! The day when the Nagisaki Enterprises' heiress and her family performs! However, tonight is rather a special night," the host glanced at his card, looking at the audience. "Miss Nagisaki is not singing with her brothers or her cousins but this time with her group of friends! Here they are – please welcome the Hyotei Female Tennis Team!"
The lights went out as they heard the drumsticks clack a few times. There were applauses until it slowly died down when the stage lights flashed brightly. Soon the cheers went loud the moment they saw Hitomi step out in her dominatrix black boots, leopard print off-shoulder blouse and black leather pants.
(Wannabe - Spice Girls)
Hitomi:
Ha ha ha ha ha!
Yo, I'll tell you what I want
What I really really want
Oishi could only gawk in astonishment at the blonde Mastermind that had been walking with him a few hours ago, blushing bright red. "Y-Yamaguchi-san?"
Momo:
So tell me what you want
What you really really want
Sanada wasn't sure whether to have his eyes widen to the size of dinner plates or to stare in astonishment that his cousin was out there in a tight fitting dress that was sparkling with silver and green. Sengoku rubbed his eyes, blinking several times in disbelief. She had black mascara on her face and pink lipstick and the orange haired vice captain had himself whacked under the jaw by Akutsu.
"H-hey," Sengoku rubbed his sore jaw, pouting childishly. "What was that for?"
Akutsu rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Just shut up and watch. You were about to eat flies."
Hitomi:
I'll tell you what I want
What I really really want
Momo:
So tell me what you want
What you really really want
Hitomi (Momo with the other seniors):
I wanna (Huh!), I wanna (Huh!), I wanna (Huh!), I wanna (Huh!)
I wanna really, really, really wanna zigazig ah
Haruka:
If you want my future
Forget my past
Rin:
If you wanna get with me
Better make it fast
Jackal blinked several times at Haruka's dress, wondering how someone could actually wear something increasingly sparkly and shiny. Rin was twirling around in a white summer dress and Kajimoto couldn't help but continue and stare as she smiled while singing. Jackal bit his lower lip, trying to contain his shock and amazement. Shock - that Haruka actually wore something like that and amazement that she could carry it well. Rin winked cutely at Kajimoto, causing the brown haired acrobat to blush bright red.
Isane:
Now don't go wasting
My precious time
Niou was stupefied. Despite just wearing a pair of jog pants and light blue tube, she looked gorgeous. Although he had seen her in her tennis outfit, Isane looked amazing. He finally saw the curves that she had been hiding under her cardigan all this time. She looked very pretty and even with her short pixie cut silver hair and her gleaming green eyes, Niou found himself gaping. He couldn't keep his jaw shut; and the line, it sort of stung. He shook his head in disbelief; how could she easily hurt him without even intending to?
Shishido on the other hand watched Isane dancing around with the other girls and couldn't believe what he was seeing. She was usually the lanky shy girl of the team but now she was singing out there as if she were some pop diva. He blinked several times in shock; what did Mai put in her drink? What the hell did Akutsu do to her?
Momo:
Get your act together
We could be just fine
Hitomi:
I'll tell you what I want
What I really really want
Haruka:
So tell me what you want
What you really really want
Hitomi (Haruka with Other seniors):
I wanna (Huh!), I wanna (Huh!), I wanna (Huh!), I wanna (Huh!)
I wanna really, really, really wanna zigazig ah
All five seniors:
If you wanna be my lover
The whole audience jumped up and down. Niou wasn't too sure whether or not they were just jumping because they were really good or because the clothes were just sparkling. Well, whatever got the audience for a standing ovation – it had some ability to it. Niou himself had done a few performances. He watched Isane shed away her shy self as she started dancing around and thankfully, she was in rubber shoes unlike the other four who seemingly managed to move in high heels. But what he found himself more amazed by was how she was able to carry herself despite supposedly having a self-esteem issue.
Isane, Rin, Momo and Haruka:
You gotta get with my friends (Hitomi: Gotta get with my friends)
All five seniors:
Make it last forever
Friendship never ends
If you wanna be my lover
You have got to give
Taking is too easy
But that's the way it is
Haruka:
Oh, whatcha you think about that
All five seniors:
Now you know how I feel
Isane:
Say you can handle my love
Are you for real? (Other seniors: Are you for real?)
Upon seeing Isane flick her hair at that last statement, Niou blinked several times as he shook his head. Who was he kidding? He had been staring at her the whole night! He couldn't help notice how graceful she was as she glided across the stage with her microphone in hand. He glanced at the playing cards that stared at him from his pocket, the same one she had earned for him. He had two choices now: up his game and prove that she really did mean something to him or get stepped on. No way was he going to let Akutsu have the last laugh nor was he going to let Shishido have that victory!
Rin:
I won't be hasty
I'll give you a try
Momo:
If you really bug me
Then I'll say goodbye
Hitomi:
Yo, I'll tell you what I want
What I really really want
Momo:
So tell me what you want
What you really really want
Hitomi (Momo with Other seniors):
I wanna (Huh!), I wanna (Huh!), I wanna (Huh!), I wanna (Huh!)
I wanna really, really, really wanna zigazig ah
All five seniors:
If you wanna be my lover
Isane, Rin, Momo and Haruka:
You gotta get with my friends (Hitomi: Gotta get with my friends)
All five:
Make it last forever
Friendship never ends
If you wanna be my lover
You have got to give (Hitomi: You've got to give)
Taking is too easy
But that's the way it is
Hitomi:
So! Here's a story from A to Z
You wanna get with me
You gotta listen carefully
We got Em in the place who likes it in your face
You got G like MC who likes it on an
Easy V doesn't come for free
She's a real lady
Haruka:
And as for me, haha, you'll see
All five seniors:
Slam your body down and wind it all around
Slam your body down and wind it all around
All five seniors:
If you wanna be my lover
You gotta get with my friends (Hitomi: Gotta get with my friends)
Make it last forever
Friendship never ends
If you wanna be my lover
You have got to give (Hitomi: You've got to give)
Taking is too easy
But that's the way it is (Hitomi: Oooooh!)
If you wanna be my lover
Hitomi:
You gotta, you gotta,
You gotta, you gotta
You gotta slam!
Isane and Rin with Other seniors:
Make it last forever (Oh!)
Isane and Haruka:
Slam your body down and wind it all around
All five:
Slam your body down and wind it all around (Hitomi with Other seniors: Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh)
Slam your body down and wind it all around
Slam your body down and zigazig ah
All five:
Ah ah-ah ah-ah, ah-ah ah ah (Hitomi: Oh, woah, oh!)
Ah ah-ah ah-ah, ah-ah ah ah (Hitomi Oh, woah, oh!)
If you wanna be my lover!
As the song ended, the cheers were roaring and all the teams were clapping in astonishment and amazement. The five girls stepped down as Sengoku ran to Momo, embracing her really tightly. Kajimoto could barely move as Rin started swinging her hand in front of his face in hopes of getting his head out of the clothes. Jackal well – Haruka had him speechless but the one all four were concerned more with Isane. They found her walking down the stairs as Niou finally found the chance to approach her.
"You're one hard lady to catch you know that," Niou chuckled bittersweet, smiling at her. "You were amazing."
Isane however narrowed her eyes slightly as she bit her lower lip, inhaling deeply. "Thank you, you flatter me a bit too much. Now excuse me, I have to go."
Niou stared in shock as Isane's once shy and meek demeanour had become more similar to Momo's: cold and calm. His hand slowly lost its grip as she walked away and immersed herself into the crowds.
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That must've taken so long! I am so sorry! I promise to update faster! I had a horrible writer's block for this! Please don't forget to review!