Me: Thank you for the many reviews! I'm so happy that Queen of the Suits has been EXTREMELY successful. To be honest, when I first wrote this out – I was expecting a lot of flames and hate mail that would completely demoralize me but thank goodness there are truly good people who know how to critique properly. So, kudos to you my dear readers! *throws confetti in the air* Anyhow, I'm sorry for the late update. I've been trying to fix my Fairy Tail fanfiction that no one seems to be reviewing and school work is not being kind either. :( So I hope this chapter satisfies you all! I don't own Prince of Tennis – I only own the OCs and the plotline of this fanfiction!
Chapter 69 – Shattered Diamonds
After Ayane had been pelted, Shizuru immediately brought her to the clinic (much to the behest of Atobe Keigo). She didn't care; anything to get her out of the awkwardness of the situation! The brunette had immediately saw Tezuka's eyes roll towards her as she darted towards Ayane and dragged her off to the clinic. She thought her Flash Step was simply to up her offense in tennis and in combat but never did she realize she would use it for escaping! Worst part was: it was from Tezuka to boot! She sat down quietly on one of the waiting chairs while the nurse continued checking the tangerine haired girl's eye. The vice captain smiled kindly after the nurse gently placed on the eye-patch on her eye. The tangerine haired girl bowed with a "thank you" before walking out with Shizuru down the hallway.
"Wow, you were that desperate to get away huh," Ayane smiled all-knowingly, leaning over to Shizuru with a sly grin. "Care to tell me why?"
Shizuru blushed bright red while fighting to maintain her composure, shaking her head. "I-I just didn't want Seigaku and Hyotei to have an all-out fist fight is all. We still have a reputation to maintain!"
Ayane rolled her eyes sarcastically, folding her arms with as-a-matter-of-factly tone. "Sure you were; I'm pretty sure it had something to do with Tezuka."
Chuckling lightly and mentally cursing her inability to act, Shizuru brushed her hair aside and sighed deeply. "Oh really? What evidence do you have?"
"Buchou, I'm not stupid as to who has been writing those love letters to you. You actually left a few in your locker," Ayane grinned cheerfully, wagging her finger. "But I'm not gonna tell you. Secondly, you're probably conflicted because you think that Tezuka and the guy in the letter is not the same guy."
Shizuru rolled her eyes darkly, twitching slightly. "For God's sake Ayane, really? Is that your only reasoning?"
"You couldn't look him in the eye," Ayane pointed out with a fiendish grin.
"I never could look him in the eye, Ayane. Even with other people," Shizuru stopped dead in her tracks, pointing at her eyes and to Ayane's. "I'm hopeless with eye-contact. That's why I have you as my vice captain since I'm not good with people."
The tangerine haired girl shrugged it off nonchalantly. "You talk pretty fine to us."
"Uh has it ever occurred to you that I simply don't know how to talk to the opposite sex," Shizuru raised her eyebrow and stepped forward, wondering where Ayane was going with her argument.
The Queen of Hearts suddenly stopped in her tracks, sternly focusing her emerald green eyes into the ruby ones of Shizuru. "Shizuru-senpai, I'm not talking to you now as your vice captain but as your friend. What happened?"
The Queen of Diamonds, contemplating for a moment, bit her lower lip anxiously while averting her eyes away. She couldn't believe her body reacted that way! Of all things, it was one of her dreams to be confessed to by Tezuka! To be seen as his equal – as is; she just wanted to be acknowledged as his equal but for it to move on to a romantic level was a totally different story. She could only imagine the many fan girls out to kill her at that moment but she felt something in her chest tightening in some strange way. She bit her lower lip anxiously; that weird feeling her stomach literally wanted to make her puke.
"I don't know," Shizuru's voice reduced itself into a whisper as she sadly looked at the floor. "Something in me just panicked and when he told me that… he loves me… I… I don't know what happened."
Ayane sighed deeply, knowing where this was coming from. Her captain was assertive in tennis but when it came to people, she was certain her buchou wouldn't even hit the person even if it was Vera rubbing her ass on her face and flirting with Tezuka right in front of her. She knew her captain lacked balls in that department. Then again, Ayane mused lightly, that's why Mai had always been her right hand lady in all of these things. Mai had the fiery temper and determination and her capacity as an actress even made Sakaki-kantoku believe that a robber robbed her house even with 3 Doberman dogs inside.
"Ayane, what should I do," Shizuru bit her lower lip, sitting down. "I always thought figuring stuff out like this was easy…"
"In a third person point of view no kidding," Ayane chuckled lightly, patting her shoulder. "That's because you're not affected by the emotions but don't try to find Love. Love already found you and it's up to you what you want to do with him. I don't think Tezuka's the type to just be the arrogant asshole who throws out girls like used tissue paper."
Shizuru could only remain silent as they continued walking on towards the rooms.
Flashback
"Eh," Shizuru stared at him in complete and utter shock, shaking her head. "What…?"
"Shizuru-chan, the truth is," Tezuka could feel the words being ripped out of his throat as discipline was the only thing keeping his composure. "I've fallen in love with you for a long time. I remember you playing against me in an unofficial match. From there, I realized I wanted to know you more…"
Shizuru couldn't believe what was happening. She could feel her whole body trembling from the astonishment but she couldn't do anything. Her body was not responding to what her mind was telling it to do. She wanted to drop her jaw, do all sorts of crazy things – ANYTHING TO BREAK THE AWKWARDNESS! It wasn't that she did not love Tezuka but she wasn't really prepared for something like this! Her mind started whirling really quickly but the problem was...
Everything was blank.
Everything was swirling.
Nothing.
Nada.
Zilch.
The brunette wanted to pull out her hair, run or do anything that could possibly be an appropriate response. She had been used to dealing with more hostile situations in which it involved "fight now, ask questions later". She had been specifically trained to take out huge amounts of opponents but never did she deal with someone who could take her down "psychologically". Assassinations, coup d'etats and everything else were easy pickings! Psychological warfare was more her specialty; she swallowed hard while trying to process the information.
"... After that, I realized I couldn't look at you without wondering what it would be like to hear your voice, see your smile," Tezuka chuckled sheepishly and bit his lower lip, suppressing most of his panic after seeing her shocked expression and trying to maintain his composure. "I..."
Shizuru swallowed hard and tried to sort herself out. Okay, boys have confessed to her and it was easy to turn them down. Why? Mai had easily driven them away and she didn't have to do anything. It should be as easy as talking to Sanada right?
Right?
...
Goddamn it, she was so wrong.
She desperately tried to rip the words from her throat but nothing came out. Shizuru swallowed hard while trying to make sure her mind was working well but nothing seemed to click. She mentally cursed her inability to say anything as Tezuka stood a few inches away from her. Her eyes widened as she tried to fight back her nervousness. She had dreamed many times of talking to Tezuka face to face but now, Shizuru could barely tell him anything she wanted to say. Tch, she mentally cursed her luck. Why now?
"GODDAMN IT, YOU BITCH!"
Shizuru's ears immediately picked up the loud yelling, causing her to snap her head towards the direction of the yelling. "That doesn't sound good...!"
Before she knew it, Shizuru had bolted away from Tezuka and left the bespectacled male behind.
End of Flashback
"YOU WHAT," Ayane gawked in admonishment at her captain, grabbing her captain by her Regulars' jacket and shaking the said girl violently. "You gotta be kidding me!"
Shizuru yelped before flailing her hands in the air, equally freaking out. "It's not my fault; I panicked!"
"Buchou, you're not supposed to ditch a man like that!"
"How the heck was I supposed to know he was gonna confess NOW!?"
Ayane groaned inwardly to herself; her captain may be one of the best on the circuit but apparently – her brain's not wired for human interaction! She wanted to give herself a face-palm but now she was stuck trying to get Shizuru to calm down and face Tezuka personally without her running away like a headless chicken! She knew her captain was hopeless in fashion; who paired rubber shoes with a dress? Second, her captain managed to poke her eye out what she claimed was an "eyelash knife" when it was an eyebrow pencil! What was worse was that she had used her as an excuse! She scratched the back of her neck as both she and her captain quietly began walking through the hallway. Ever since Atobe and her had somewhat repaired their bridges, she couldn't believe what was going on. New romances sprouted here and there and now, Tezuka was making his move and her buchou was incredibly chicken!
"Can I kick your ass now," Ayane swat the back of her buchou's head, rolling her eyes. "I can't believe you! You left him hanging!"
"I don't know what to tell him," Shizuru hung her head shamefacedly, biting her lower lip. "I...I still can't believe it..."
"Buchou, you've had tens and hundreds of boys from Hyotei Gakuen approach you and confess yet you can't face this one," Ayane groaned in annoyance, leaning against the wall. "Damn, how is he any different?"
"Be-because," Shizuru stammered as her face became bright red until a loud scream echoed throughout the forest. "That scream...!"
Ayane's eyes widened in horror before she bristled darkly and broke out into a fast sprint. "KIYONE...!"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
The moment the two got there, Ayane shoved past the crowd as she found Kiyone on the floor with her eyes at the size of dinner plates. "Kiyone what happened... Holy...!"
On the wired fences, Rin, Sakuno and Miho were pinned to the fence with bruises and their jersey's torn and ripped. Even Akutsu didn't like what he was seeing. How in the world did Isane get that badly damaged? She could fairly hold her own against a couple of tennis balls but she looked like she went through a meat grinder and got spat out again. Shizuru's eyes widened with horror as she examined the blow marks all over her teammate; those weren't fist bruises but more like tennis ball bruises. She could tell the difference after all the times that Fuuka had fought with her. Rin barely showed any signs of consciousness but tattooed onto her stomach was a huge mark of a huge star in the shape of a ball. Sakuno dangled limply from the top with her braids all in a tangled mess.
Fuuka climbed up and ripped off the metal wires with her bare hands, setting Sakuno onto her back. "Who the hell would attack them?"
"I noticed one thing though," Fuuka handed an unconscious Sakuno to Echizen before cracking her knuckles. "All of them are the main attack forces of the doubles pairs. Shimohi is the Twin Dragon's main attack force; you take her out – the pair is simply a defensive wall. Jerrard's only got her mouth to save her ass because Ryuuzaki's got the skill if she weren't such a wimp and Tachiwara is the main conduit for the Soul Link. Juushinhi may be mute and the two are almost physically equal except that Tachiwara has the ability to fight back even without Juushinhi. Juushinhi's useless without her. Their Soul Link only works one-way with these two."
Mai's eyes narrowed into deadly gold feline slits as she curled her hand into fists. "How could they do this to Rin-senpai?"
Kajimoto's eyes widened with horror as he gently pried off Rin from the wired fence. "R-Rin...? How could they do this to her...?"
"That's the same question everyone is asking," Momo glanced around, checking for anything weird. "I know Rin could be a nut sometimes but it doesn't merit brutality."
Jyosei Shounan's captain brushed Rin's black hair aside and saw a huge welt on her forehead and one right beneath her jaw. The bruises spread out disgustingly all over her white complexion as he lightly ran his fingers on the swelled parts before adjusting her body in his arms to make it less painful. He knew people had anger management issues but attacking other people was just downright out of the question. Fuuka despite her anger issues and Ayane's brash actions, he had never heard of them attacking people randomly.
"What's going on here!?"
All the students swivelled their heads and found Ryuuzaki-sensei and the other coaches suddenly ran towards them.
The old woman stared in horror. "How in the world did this happen?"
"I don't know," Shizuru admitted darkly as she helped Isane down with Ohtori and Shishido, lowering her voice to a low whisper. "But whoever it is..."
Fuuka and Shizuru exchanged glances before both captains narrowed their eyes.
"We will find out."
"But how can the Soul Link pair play and who can Silent-san play with," Rangiku pursed her lips with sadness glimmering.
Banji hung his head for a moment before smiling in amusement before pointing at Mai. "You."
The red head tensai raised an eyebrow. "Me? How does that help? I don't have much idea what the Soul Link does. The closest Shizuru and I have attained was Synchronization."
Banji chuckled in amusement, taking a look at her arms and legs. "Your body is somewhat similar to Miho Tachiwara. It's lithe and not bulky, used more for dancing. Something that Ms. Tachiwara is good at from what I remember seeing is – she is a fantastic tap dancer. As Hyotei Gakuen's dancer, I believe that you have that capacity."
Juushinhi walked up to her before stepping next to her, tapping her foot in a certain rhythm before making certain gestures. Do you understand?
"Wait a minute," Mai recalled the rhythm and began tapping her feet before slowly swaying, dancing along as René followed after. "Heel, step, step, step, twirl-step – Heh, so this was all it was."
Ryuuzaki-sensei nodded as she smiled enthusiastically. "It looks like we have a doubles pair but who will take Singles Two?"
Fuuka chuckled in amusement with a maniacal grin on her face, flipping open her cellphone. "I know exactly who to dial up."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
All the team members of the Hyotei Gakuen female team gathered in the infirmary for the next few days. Training had progressed with the others but Hyotei couldn't help but wonder sadly at who could have attacked Rin. The black haired acrobat had been knocked clear out of her lights and Kajimoto had refused to leave her side. He glanced at her sadly and thankfully, he was in the morning batch otherwise their coaches would have had their heads. Haruka began applying the ointment on the huge bruises while placing on some ice on the other bruises whereas the other seven sat down looking at each other wondering who could've attacked their teammate. Ayane bit her lower lip as she saw a small drop of blood trickling from Rin's forehead as Haruka immediately dabbed it up. She never liked the sight of blood but...
She hated the sight of her friends full of injuries more.
"How could do this to her? I know Rin could talk a lot like Pinkie Pie but it didn't need to go this far," Haruka hung her head shamefacedly and examined the bruises, biting her lip and restraining her rage. "Not only that, these hits had intent to kill. If it were just accidental shots from training, the impression and the bruises wouldn't be this horrible."
Momo narrowed her eyes. "Unless your opponent was someone who had the size of Kabaji then we know we have a problem."
"Touché but I honestly can't imagine a person beating the daylights out of Rin. You'd have to be extremely heartless to do that," Isane pursed her lips sadly, looking over at her classmate. "But, subjectivity aside – it would take someone really strong for her to fly all the way to the bleachers."
Shizuru on the other hand remained utterly silent but could feel the rage boiling inside. She couldn't believe that there was anyone out there to beat the daylights out of her senpai. As captain, they were her responsibility. But pushing that aside, she could only wonder what kind of heartless bastard needed a knife shoved up his ass then pulled through his spine and straight out his nose. Whoa, slow down, Shizuru shook her head in surprise. She thought she had gotten rid of those kinds of thoughts.
But seeing her friend injured and in a bed especially who didn't have the nerve to hurt a fly really made her blood boil.
"Our person could also be someone with anger management issues and the size of a football player," Hitomi narrowed her eyes as she pulled up a piece of thread from Isane's jersey, examining the marks on Rin's body. "I got us some clues."
The whole team stood up as Hitomi held the string in front of her. "There were no traces any human DNA but I did find a few things. I first found some strings of wool so we can safely say that she was attacked by a tennis ball. However, what caught me off guard was that the bruises on her body are too big to be caused by a tennis ball alone which leads me to my second conclusion about the profile: our attacker had to be someone tall and bulky in order to create that kind of damage and the second support would be how damaged the bleacher's fence was."
"You have to consider that there are people who could do that despite being small. Look at Ayane," Momo glanced at the tangerine haired girl with a nonchalant shrug, promptly earning a whack and a glare from the vice captain and rubbing the back of her head. "Ow, see?"
"The point is – we already have clues. I just need to go back to the scene of the crime and probably ask the other two what happened," Hitomi stuffed her notebook in her pocket. "With Rin out, we can't recognize the guy but I'm pretty sure it's gonna be ironic where we're gonna get our information from."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
As soon as the break ended, Momo immediately headed towards her court where the others were waiting. This time, her coach seemed more awake as she picked up her racquet and started playing. As much as she hated the glare that Tohru sent her way, Momo dismissed the thought while trying to figure out who could have possibly hurt Rin. She absent-mindedly began to hit the ball and chase it as her shot flew normally over the net, unlike her usual strong style. The Shinigami remembered the bruises that were plastered all over her friend's body.
No one gets away with hurting her friends!
"Momo-chan?"
Momo swivelled her head towards Sengoku who stared in concerned. "Are you okay? You've been spacing out and playing weirdly..."
The purple haired chuckled with a small smile. "Don't worry; I'm just worried about something."
"Oh Kiyo-kun, you shouldn't worry about her. She's not gonna last long anyway," Tohru smiled serenely as she hit another shot, sending it to the far end of the court.
Momo had stayed in Rikkai Dai long enough to recognize the difference in smiles. Especially gifted with her Physical Insight, she could see what part of the body was the weakness but she could also tell based on experience what Tohru was aiming at. Her shots had been forcing her to move around erratically but she wasn't going to complain. In fact, Momo found it more useful since Rin could send shots in all sorts of angles. The Shinigami quickly dashed across the court and sent a fast shot as Tohru suddenly got herself smacked in the face.
"Ow, you're mean!"
Momo's eyes widened with surprise. "Wha- oh, sorry!"
Wow, I'm really out of it. Since when did those accidents happen?
The purple haired Shinigami sighed deeply to herself, raking her fingers through her hair. She never made careless mistakes like that, never! Did Tohru even see that shot coming? She couldn't have just blindly run in front of the ball to get herself smacked in the head. That was downright retarded! But, she had to admit – something in her body felt weird, similar to the first time she had picked up a tennis racquet. Momo remembered the first time people were teaching her tennis and...
She would rather not remember it.
Nanako had taught her the basics and thankfully, she picked on really quickly. Whether or not tennis was truly in the Sanada genes or whatever, she didn't really care. However, the way Tohru played tennis somewhat pissed her off. It was as if, she was forcing her to make mistakes. She had played against Sengoku before and he was all bright and cheery about it. Although he may have seemed childish at times or very affectionate in public, Momo shook her head and quickly dismissed the mere thought of Sengoku stopping all that. A quiet and non-energetic Sengoku meant he was sick, something was bothering him or both.
However, Tohru was not making it any easier for her.
She could only thank her coach for not pairing Sengoku with his sister. She literally clung onto him and always looked out for him. Sibling love perhaps, the Shinigami mused. But even as relatives, she and Sanada never took it that far. In fact, they were more stares and straight to the point type of people. Any form of affection usually aroused suspicion from either of them. However, what started ticking her off more were those offhanded remarks that Tohru threw at her face every time she had the chance. In fact, ever since they had been grouped up together – Momo could sense animosity right off her!
You know, there is someone who can give more life than that hime-style haircut.
Yeah, like I wanted to look like a poodle, Momo darkly snorted.
Hey Kiyo-kun, do you remember that time we went to that resort in Hokkaido with Ryuna? I wonder what happened to her.
Who in the world is Ryuna? I'm not the jealous type, the Shinigami shook her head.
"Alright, let's play another round," Tohru chuckled lightly in amusement. "You're not going to make it to the team with the way you're going~. You can't be useless now can you?"
Momo narrowed her eyes before sending a fast serve. "Useless? You better know what you're talking about. At least I am not extremely dependent."
The orange haired female from Yamabuki quickly sent her a cross-court shot while Momo countered with a fast volley. The coach silently watched them both as their other teammates watched their vicious exchange. Momo narrowed her eyes before pivoting on her left foot and pushing herself quickly to counter Tohru's quick volley. Sengoku's eyes widened as he watched his sister play with a serene smile on her face while Momo kept a stern and solid expression. He had never seen his girlfriend push herself to such an extent until the ball zoomed straight towards her but causing her to suddenly tumble backwards.
"Oww," Tohru yelped and covered her eye after tumbling back against the wall. "That hurt!"
Momo's eyes widened. "Oh God, Sengoku-san – I'm sorry!"
"Ane-ue," Sengoku quickly darted towards his sister, helping her off the court with her left eye covering her other eye. "Are you okay?"
"My left eye – it hurts," Tohru whimpered as she staggered and fell on Sengoku for support. "My eye...!"
Sengoku shook his head before looking at Momo, staring in disbelief. "Momo-chan, what's going on? You were never like this!"
Momo staggered back and shook her head. "I'm pretty sure it didn't hit her eye! Maybe she twisted her ankle!"
When Tohru lowered her hand, her left eye had a huge ugly black mark around it with red sores. Momo staggered back in horror as the coach quickly stood up and examined Tohru's eye. Oshitari shook his head in shock; when did her eye become that black and how did a tennis ball make a mark that big? Kenya gawked before looking at his cousin for any confirmation but the kansai prodigy remained silent. The blue haired Oshitari knew that Momo was not the type to neither pick fights nor inflict damage but how did her shot make that much damage? It seemed accidental but ever since Momo's shots had become more vicious, people were starting to look at her.
"Momo, are you okay," Oshitari walked over to the Shinigami, noticing her trembling with horror and confusion. "Momo, I don't think you hit her... Accidents happen."
While Oshitari started trying to calm the Shinigami, all the other members crowded towards Tohru with the coachas the Shinigami retreated back, dropping her racquet. How could she let the issue about Rin getting hurt get to her head? Her captain was going to be furious! But point aside, Sengoku looked like he didn't want to believe her either. She couldn't have hit her! The ball was spun towards her ear but she never aimed for her eye!
"Kiyosumi, wait – let's think this through," Momo tried to reason with the orange haired male.
"Tohru-chan, come on – let's get you to the clinic," Momoshiro quickly helped the girl along. "Sheesh, I knew you were bloodthirsty but this is too much!"
Bloodthirsty? Me?
Momo didn't like the other girl but did her best to tolerate her. She never tried to do anything; Izanagi would have might as well hit her with a lightning bolt if she tried. Enma remained in once place for a moment with an expressionless look on her face while Momoshiro looked disdainfully at her. While Momoshiro, Kenya and Sengoku brought the girl away, Momo bit her lower lip guiltily and stood in silence without a word. Enma remained silent as well before walking towards Momo, tapping her shoulder.
"Here."
Momo blinked several times as Enma opened her palm and revealed a rag doll of Tohru in her hands.
"It's not voodoo but keeping your annoyance towards her inside is never a good thing," the Goth girl emotionlessly stood in front of Momo.
Momo remained silent as she quietly took the doll with an absent-minded look on her face. "Ah, thank you."
"Bless my soul, ah knew she wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. But ah didn't know she could make Grima Wormtongue look so plain."
Momo swivelled her head towards the female Shitenhouji captain who had returned from the bathroom. "A-Amakusa-san?"
"Ah saw her walking with Momoshiro-kun and the others. Bless my soul, she can make a crocodile look like it's cryin' for real," Natsuki drawled with her thick kansai accent, glancing at Oshitari who nodded. "Dun worry about it, Sugarcube. We know what happened. And, ah don' think that coach is gonna kick ya off just because that yandere sister of Sengoku is a talented actress."
"Y-Yandere," Momo blinked several times, shaking her head. "Wait, how do you know...?"
"Ahm guessin' Sengoku over there never told ya of his history with my cuz – Amakusa Ryuna," Natsuki kicked the door open with a grin, beckoning the Shinigami to follow her. "Why don't ya take a walk with me? Ahm purdy sure that the apple trees got some ripe fruit today. That includes ya, Four Eyes, Mouri-san. Besides, after this hulabaloo – ahm purty sure that yer gonna need all the help ya can get."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"The man should have been at least a six-footer although I would believe it wouldn't take that much power to toss Ryuuzaki-san aside," Miho slowly sat up from her bed, shaking her head as Hitomi and the other Hyotei girls stood in front of her. "Rin was the first one to get attacked among the many of us. I am not surprised though; most people would have taken her out first for the many reasons that she was probably the one with the biggest threat. She is Wu Shu trained is she not, Hikifumi-san?"
"But only for theatrics," Haruka bit her lower lip while taking a seat, clasping her hands together. "But if I were to put it simply, the only ones who can think calmly through a real-life combat situation are Shizuru, Momo and Isane due to their backgrounds."
Miho nodded weakly, easing herself on her bed. "The person who attacked us didn't necessarily know our weaknesses. He seemed to be one track minded when we took the blows. However, I am very sure of one thing: he is not Japanese. His accent was too thick... It was almost..."
"He seemed more Caucasian, perhaps?"
Everyone swivelled their heads and all the Hyotei members (sans Momo) and Miho could not believe who they were looking at.
Hoshimura Florence.
The captain of Jyosei Shounan.
Now standing in front of the red haired Seigaku captain with a confident look on her face.
"BUCHOU," the whole Jyosei Shounan Team jumped up with amazement and astonishment.
"It was a good thing I was able to book an early surgery," Florence noted with her thick British accent, sitting next to Miho. "So far I have lasted without my inhaler for a day and thankfully, it is doing me wonders! Now, I would like to know however – how one of my teammates suddenly was sent to the infirmary after me staying for a month in Newcastle."
All the players remained silent until Miho spoke up.
"We don't know why he attacked us," Miho hung her head abashedly, admitting mildly. "In fact, it seemed more like he was just looking for a good match until something about Rin must have ticked him off. With her capacity to contort and move around quickly, that could most likely tick off someone who's simply used to bashing through things."
Haruka chuckled darkly, shaking her head. "Well, Rin's hyperactivity does seem to tick people off sometimes. But I never knew it would get her physically hurt."
Suddenly, the door swung open and revealed Momo with a rather absent-minded look as she took her seat next to Hitomi. The data master could easily see past Momo that there was something wrong. After knowing her teammates for years and even with Momo as her classmate in advanced math, she could tell that something was bothering the Shinigami. After hearing Yamabuki's Sengoku Tohru walking into the infirmary and whining about her, she was definitely sure it had something to do with that.
"Momo-chan, we are going to need your help," Florence glanced at the Shinigami as the violet haired Shinigami nodded stiffly. "We need to find out who this person who attacked Rin and the others is. Your anatomical knowledge and your accurate ability to size-up opponents would come in handy."
"OW, THAT HURTS!"
People swivelled their heads towards the wall, hearing from the other side. Momo flinched slightly from the noise which didn't go unnoticed by Ayane and the others. Shizuru twitched at the electrifying shriek and the loud fight coming from the outside.
"Wow, I thought I screamed louder than that," Ayane scratched the back of her neck sheepishly.
"Ayane, let's not make this into a contest," Haruka shuddered slightly.
Florence nodded stiffly, looking at the others. "Getting back to the matter at hand?"
Momo however found herself completely distracted. She and Sengoku had their fights true but it never escalated into involving a third person. But after hearing Natsuki's story about Ryuna, she couldn't help but tremble at the mere thought of facing her again. Who knew Sengoku had a crazy sister? Maybe that was why it was easy for him to blend in with girls? Or why he was girlfriend-less despite his affable and loving personality?
That could be just it.
"Momo, goodness Momo did anything I say register into your head?"
Momo snapped herself out of her daze. "Ah, I'm sorry. What were you saying?"
Shizuru glanced at Momo for a moment, sensing a huge fluctuation of her emotion. Regret? Confusion? Whatever it was, Shizuru could feel her hairs tingling and her mind picking up emotions from the Shinigami. Not only that, since when had Momo become inattentive? She glanced at the others who didn't seem to understand either but she had a feeling it had to do with some screaming from outside. She saw the violet haired female Sanada flinch slightly at the scream. If Shizuru had to be honest, Ayane had enough volume and treble to shatter glass if she put her heart into shattering windows. The scream they heard barely put a candle to Ayane's.
"Anyway, I'd like to know what else happened. Where is Natsuki," Florence resorted to a more grim and serious expression, folding her arms. "She is the one who normally shows up right after the scene of the crime."
As Tohru began walking around with her hand over her eye, she had a huge smug smirk on her face. Sanada Momo, she was never good enough for Kiyosumi to begin with! Her brother might as well be suffocating himself instead. She saw the way the girl played against other players – with stiffness and poise like some hoity toity princess! She scowled darkly before smiling deviously, looking at her stained hand. At least, she was now out of the way! Kiyosumi needed someone with a more affable personality! Someone who could understand him and someone...
"...Like ya, that is."
Tohru swivelled her head with a polite smile and found the charcoal gray haired captain of Shitenhouji, leaning against one of the walls. "Amakusa Natsuki-san... you're..."
"Save me the theatrics, Sugarcube. Ahm purdy sure Momo's shot barely touched yer eye," Natsuki narrowed her eyes darkly with her kansai drawl lowering into a dark deadly whisper. "She got the eyes of a hawk and bless yer soul, yer playing style don't make a buckin' bronco look graceful."
Tohru hung her head as she suddenly began to giggle. Natsuki never liked her; if anything, she was happy that she didn't have the capacity to be part of the Grand Five. Jyosei Shounan or Rokkaku's Yamamoto Priscilla would manage to bring her down without many problems. After seeing what had happened to Ryuna and running many investigations with the resources from her family and the L.X.A., the path undeniably led all the way to her.
"Yer quite lucky that aunt and uncle didn't press charges and took it as suicide," Natsuki narrowed her eyes angrily with her kansai accent lacing itself with venom, curling her hands into a fist. "Ahm not gonna let ya repeat the same incidents with Sanada-san. She's a well-respected tennis player and if ya lay a single finger on her, ahm purdy sure that Sanada Genichirou's probably gonna beat ya like a rented mule. And this time, yer not just gonna be messing with mah family. This ain't mah first rodeo with ya, Sugarcube."
Tohru's pupils narrowed into a fit of rage as a huge psychotic grin curved up her face. "Hahaha, you're not going to know what hit you."
"Oh yer challenge's purdy temptin', ah'll give ya that," Natsuki chuckled in amusement, folding her arms in acceptance.
"And I'm sure that you wouldn't be the type to make a big scene now would you?"
Tohru spun around and found Oshitari Yuushi standing in front of her all of a sudden.
"I know Momo's turned me down on many occasions but what kind of man would I be if I didn't come to a pretty girl's aid," he chuckled with a devious smirk on his face. "Never let it be said that I would not come to a pretty girl's aid."
Natsuki had grown up with the Oshitari cousins and seeing him with a devious smirk on his face, his knuckles turning white and his eyes glimmering differently – she knew that he meant business. It was very rare for the blue haired Oshitari to lose his cool especially over a romantic issue. She knew he was a hopeless romantic but after seeing Momo getting her whole team turned against her, Natsuki could only figure out what kind of plans the kansai prodigy had in his mind.
A whole lot of murderous intentions.
"She was going to hurt him! All Hyotei girls are the same," Tohru hissed darkly with her lavender eyes narrowing into dangerous slits before smiling sociopathically. "Besides, how can you prove it? Everything that you have is mere speculation. As far as everyone's concerned, Kenya-kun, Momoshiro-kun and Kiyosumi saw her attack me."
Natsuki clucked her tongue in annoyance; it's going to be hard to fight against eyewitness accounts. But she could perfectly tell that her eye didn't get smacked – she needed material proof. It was the same reason why her cousin's death was ruled to have been a suicide; it was as if this girl already knew what to do. She knew people were crazy like Fuuka trashing anything she didn't like, Shizuru having the capacity to be a polite princess and then suddenly a ruthless killer, Ai having sugar rush and sadistic tendencies and Florence's mild case of narcissism. Well, she couldn't put herself off as normal either – what kind of fourteen year old broke speed limits on a daily basis?
"Ahm not gonna repeat myself, vermin," Natsuki spat venomously, curling her hands into fists. "If ya do anything that's gonna aggervate Momo, come hell or high water - it's not just gonna be me who's gonna be makin' ya pissin yer pants. Some captain ya are, usin' that authority to hurt other players just so that yer team can make it in. That's a slate dirtier than the Aegean stables before good 'ol Herc picked up a couple of hoes and made a dam."
"I could care less about tennis," Tohru waved her hand dismissively before smiling slyly. "All I want is Kiyosumi to be safe."
As she walked past Oshitari and into the darkness, the bespectacled kansai prodigy stood next to Natsuki. "She makes a pretty good meme."
"Ya don't say, Sugarcube," Natsuki let out a hollow chuckle. "But ahm worried fer Momo and probably a bit of fer that crazy girl."
Oshitari raised an eyebrow at Natsuki as the Serpentine Princess smirked lightly.
"Bless their souls, even a buckin' bronco's got nothin' on Hyotei Gakuen."
Tezuka found himself completely abashed and well, confused.
After confessing to Shizuru, the brunette seemed more awkward and shy. He clucked his tongue in annoyance before narrowing his eyes at the pool. Perhaps he should have waited a bit longer? No, Tezuka shook his head. Any longer and that Egyptian guy could be flirting and probably doing all other unscrupulous things. He was done with "what-if's". He could only wish that Shizuru returned his affections instead of leaving him hanging. He sighed deeply and walked along the brick-stone pathway, watching the clouds drift by. At least he was done with his training regimen but he couldn't help but feel bothered by Shizuru's reaction. She just had to run and now she couldn't even give him eye contact.
"Well, it seems things didn't turn out well."
Tezuka swivelled his head towards the source of the voice, seeing Sanada standing against the tree. "Ah."
"Shizuru-chan probably had a hard time processing the whole thing that you said," Rikkai Dai's capped vice captain strode next to Tezuka, shoving his hands into his pocket. "When a person likes someone and they finally have their dreams become reality, it makes them rather... absent-minded and you did catch her off guard."
Okay, since when has Sanada offered advice let alone become talkative?
"Who are you and what have you done to Sanada," Tezuka flatly stated while slightly raising an eyebrow at his long time rival.
Sanada ignored his question. "She likes you."
"As a friend and as an idol."
"Tezuka, you already have four eyes. Use them."
For once, Tezuka didn't know what Sanada was up to. Did he just try to crack a joke at his face? Sanada has never been known to crack a joke at someone's expense let alone know any sense of humour. But suppose he did have the capacity to deadpan, Tezuka would just have to work with that. The bespectacled male sighed deeply to himself before quietly continuing to walk along the brick pathway. His eyes directed themselves towards the sky as he tried to figure out what he did wrong.
"Give her some time. That's probably the best," Sanada noticed the creases on Tezuka's forehead. "You are worrying over nothing."
Tezuka glanced at the sky, wondering what she would be doing now. If anything, her reply and now sudden hanging even made him more anxious. However, something in his mind started telling him not to worry. Whatever it was, he could only wish it were right.
"Well, I'm heading off now. I have some things to finish," Sanada began walking away before tipping down his cap, stopping in his tracks. "Tezuka?"
The bespectacled male glanced at the capped vice captain of Rikkai Dai.
"I know you're not stupid but please do not forget to use that sad excuse of a brain of yours."
Whether Sanada was goading him or not, he didn't know.
Tezuka remained silent as the trees began to dance with the wind brushing past him. Suddenly, he heard footsteps walking towards him. He steeled himself for anything to happen as his body stiffened considerably, continuing to focus on the footsteps. Normally, men would have heavier footsteps and he was certain even the stepping pattern seemed more feminine. He slowly began walking forward as the steps seemed to quicken. He increased his pace as well before breaking into a quick run. Why he was running, the male had no idea but something in his mind began telling him to run.
"So, you're Sanada-kun? Aren't you?"
Before he could say anything however, his whole world went black.
And all he could remember was a childish giggle.
Shizuru bit her lower lip as she started going around the training compound. She felt the wind brush past her hair as she started looking around for the bespectacled male. Shizuru never meant to leave him hanging; she wanted to respond but her body beat her to it. She cursed inwardly at herself as she continued walking along the brick pathway. Where could Tezuka be? It was one of those times she wished she had some mind-tracking ability...
Wait, her CHroME could do that for her.
Shizuru groaned inwardly to herself as she pulled out the octagon shaped device from her pocket. Despite being discharged from the service, Shizuru always kept her CHroME with her. It always made her feel safe and thankfully, L.X.A had not tried looking for it yet. Closing her eyes, she quickly activated her CHroME as it covered her entire body with her bright blue robes.
"Alright, since no one's looking – I don't think anybody is going to mind," Shizuru smiled faintly before focusing her energy into the device. "Alright, start tracking."
Soon, her mind began to show her many images as she stood silently on the ground. The winds howled fiercely as the leaves rustled loudly, leaving the brunette to struggle with her concentration. However, her eyes widened when she found an unconscious person lying on the ground.
"What in the world," Shizuru quickly deactivated her CHroME as ran towards the site of the fallen person.
Her eyes widened in disbelief as she found the person lying on the ground in a pool of blood.
"T-Tezuka," she quickly darted towards his body and placed a finger at his carotid artery. "Good he's still alive but who...?"
She glanced at the ground and found a bloodied blade lying next to him. Her eyes widened however when she saw a familiar crest carved on it.
"This is... the Sanada crest but why would," Shizuru narrowed her eyes for a moment before glancing around. "Momo-senpai doesn't have any reason to attack him. This doesn't make any sense."
"Tezuka-buchou! Tezuka!"
Shizuru's eyes widened as she could hear footsteps approaching her. She quickly looked around before grabbing the blade, stuffing it into her pocket. The brunette never knew the day she would look like a guilty criminal but now she was pretty sure did. She quickly slung Tezuka's arm over her shoulder before darting towards her dorm room. She clogged up the bleeding and made sure he didn't leave any trail of blood before activating her CHroME.
"Oh man, oh man, oh man," Shizuru bit her lower lip before planting enough power into her legs and the device, leaping straight up into the window sill.
As she dropped inside her room, she tumbled down on the ground and shut the window. Shizuru groaned to herself; how did she get caught up in the whole mess? She placed Tezuka on her bed before getting a bowl of water and wiping up his wounds. What kind of person would leave his victim out there? It made no sense! Tezuka at least remained unconscious otherwise things would have gotten a whole lot worse.
"Whut in tarnation is Tezuka-han doin' in our room!?"
Shizuru shot up from her place and found Natsuki gawking at her in admonishment. "Uh, I-I can explain...!"
"Sugarcube, ah know ya like 'im and why in tarnation is he bleeding out a river," Natsuki quickly began dabbing up the rest of the blood, helping Shizuru clean up. "Ya got some explainin' tah do."
The brunette sighed deeply as she pulled the blade out of her pocket, narrowing her eyes darkly at it. "Someone stabbed him with this. I don't know why but I just found him before he could bleed to death. I can't leave people just like that."
"Ah know what yer gettin' at, Sugarcube," Natsuki picked up the blade, tracing her thumb over the engraving at the bottom. "This is..."
"It doesn't make sense as to why Momo-senpai would attack him. But," Shizuru glanced at Natsuki, shaking her head. "Who would want to attack him?"
Natsuki bit her lower lip and gave the blade back to Shizuru, shaking her head. She could think of many people who didn't like Tezuka but that was more out of rivalry than anything else. She couldn't think of anyone who had some long-standing grudge that was more to the death. The Shitenhouji captain sighed deeply before scratching her head in annoyance. Florence updated her on what had happened to the other girls. Tachiwara, Ryuuzaki and Shimohi – all were found bruised and beaten while stuck against a wired fence. Tohru's fake act and now Tezuka just literally got stabbed in the back! What kind of sick world was she living in?
"We gotta talk ta the others. Fuuka, Florence and Ai are talkin' over things right now," Natsuki quickly stood up and helped Shizuru make things more comfortable for Tezuka. "Let's just hope we can find 'em before anyone starts playin' findin' a needle in a haystack! With him as the needle!"
"GODDAMN IT, WHAT IS WRONG WITH THOSE PEOPLE!?"
Shizuru and Natsuki swivelled their heads towards the door as Fuuka kicked the door open with an angry glare.
"F-Fuuka, what's going on," Shizuru blinked several times as the red head curled her hand into a fist.
"Someone decided to go snip-snip-snip with my racket," Fuuka revealed her racquet with multiple cuts and the strings all destroyed. "Whoever that fucking bastard is, I will nail his ass painfully on the wall!"
"Goodness, you don't need to act like such a brute," Florence glided in with her thick British accent becoming more serious. "But I would definitely like to know who hurt Miho. Nobody – absolutely nobody gets away with hurting my teammates!"
Ai nodded vigorously. "Yeah yeah, but who could it possibly be?"
"That's what we're trying to get at," Fuuka snapped moodily until she saw Tezuka on the bed. "Okay, what the fucking hell happened to him?!"
Shizuru exhaled sharply. "Someone attacked him in the courts today. Someone used Momo-senpai's blade – the one hidden in her racquet?"
"How sure are you that she didn't stab the guy herself," Fuuka stared at her questioningly, jabbing Shizuru's chest. "Your team has always been full of whack jobs!"
Shizuru immediately glared and stepped right in front of her, grabbing her by her jersey. "You can insult me. You can tell me that I'm a neurotic piece of shit but that does not give you any right to accuse my teammates of attacking another team out of sheer whim!"
Florence immediately stepped in between the two fuming captains, putting her hands in front of their faces. "Alright, settle down! I do not need to deal with any children at this point! We have to think this through! Fuuka, stop throwing any accusations and Shizuru – she didn't mean to do that."
"For all you know, Shizuru was even the one who attacked Tezuka just so her whacky male counterpart could get his ass in," Fuuka spat venomously at the Hyotei female, slapping Florence's arm aside.
Shizuru glared glacially. "I wouldn't even stoop that low! Atobe already had a secured position before this whole thing happened!"
"THAT'S WHAT THEY ALL SAY!"
The youngest captain couldn't bear to see her sisters fighting. They grew up together and although they've had quarrels which they've settled with their fists, things were getting ugly. Ai remembered all the times they used to laugh together but things were getting very creepy inside in the whole training camp. Why would people be attacking one another out of nowhere? Other than the fact that the selections were coming out tomorrow, what was the point of attacking someone when they were already picked to begin with? She always knew Shizuru would never even harm a fly, crying with a kitten who had lost its mother when the car ran it over. Fuuka may have had violent tendencies but she always made sure she picked her fights carefully but right now – they were just clashing very badly. Ai quickly grabbed her CHroME and forced her power into it.
"ENOUGH!"
After hearing the loud kaboom, everyone swivelled their heads towards Ai who was breathing heavily and tearing up.
"We," she pursed her lips with tears streaming down her face. "We shouldn't be fighting like this... Even if we are captains of rival schools, we're still a team right?"
The four girls remained silent for a moment as Natsuki nodded. "Alright, alright. Settle down. Ah know everyone right now is on the edge. But that don't mean we gotta start bitin' off each others' heads. Let's think this through – first off, the first event would involve the three girls gettin' plastered based on what Florence just told me."
"Miho told me it was a 6-foot man who attacked them," Florence folded her legs after she took a seat on one of the chairs. "Now what does not make any sense to me is what he would want with them."
"The coaches believe it was sabotage," Fuuka glanced at Florence with a stiff nod. "But when I see him, I'm gonna crush his rib cage and then rip his dick and feed it to the dogs!"
"And then we'll coat his body with myoglobin so more doggies and werewolves will chase after him," Ai sang cheerfully with a huge childish grin on her face, jumping up and down. "After that, we can eat candy coated apples and then shove the Popsicle sticks into his eyes!"
The other four girls stared at the younger Yukimura before shivering slightly, inching away very slowly. Jesus, she is the sister of Yukimura!
"Ooh ooh after that, we can go watch a movie and...!"
"Sugarcube, yer gettin' derailed again," Natsuki pat her head while shaking her own head with a sigh. "But dunn't anyone got some ahdea what this crusty's up ta?"
"Miho doesn't remember much other than he was a 6-footer and a football player," Florence pursed her lips, bringing her thumb to her lips. "That doesn't give us much lead."
Fuuka pieced together some of the information before picking up her laptop, going through the other teams. "Well, we could narrow it down. He was also a tennis player and someone who knew this camp. He could possibly show up in the Goodwill Games as one of the players. America sent in their team, Egypt, Britain, Russia and all sorts of other countries. I think even Madagascar and the Philippines has a team."
Shizuru nodded lightly before glancing at Tezuka, sighing sadly. "I'm just wondering why..."
"Ahm sure it's not yer fault, Sugarcube," Natsuki pat Shizuru reassuringly on the back. "We dun' know who's out there but ah do have one good gut feelin' that ah know who dunnit."
Florence blinked several times. "And who would that be?"
"Ahm basin' it on personality and how much of the eighteen pence went down the drain. Pass me that candy would ya, Sugarcube," Natsuki caught a caramel hard candy from Ai's little drawstring bag, popping one into her mouth. "Thanks a bunch! Now ahm gunna start wondering who else Momo told about that blade in her racquet grip. 'Cuz technically, that's purdy much like askin' someone ta tan yer hide."
Shizuru shook her head contemplatively. "As far as I know, only the team knows and most obviously Sanada-san."
"I don't think we should rule out Sengoku," Fuuka folded her legs into an Indian sit, narrowing her eyes at the floor. "I don't think Sanada is the type to keep secrets from her boyfriend."
"Yeah, yeah he could've told his dog or the tree and ooh ooh ooh, he could have told his crazy psycho yandere sister," Ai jumped up and down with a huge grin, rolling around in her bed. "And then...!"
Natsuki froze. "Wait, whut? Hold yer horses, run that by me ahgain, Sugarcube."
"He could've told his dog or the tree," Ai cocked her head to the side innocently.
"No you dumbass, the other one," Fuuka facepalmed in annoyance, shaking her head. "Natsuki might be getting on to something!"
Ai blinked several times before brightening up. "Oh that we're gonna go watch a movie and...!"
"AI, YOU DUMBASS! SOMETHING ABOUT HIS SISTER," Fuuka resisted the urge to strangle her. "God, will you listen and get it through your thick skull!?"
Ai paused for a moment before brightening up again. "Oh, why didn't you say so? I thought we were playing the rewind game!"
"GODDAMN IT, AI! JUST SAY IT ALREADY," Fuuka yanked her short red shaggy hair, groaning in annoyance and horror. "How the hell do we tolerate her!?"
"I said something about him telling his crazy psycho sister," Ai's face lit up like a light bulb with a huge grin on her face. "You know she's really nice except when you start talking to Sengoku then she's really going to put you through a doozy."
"And that doozy would be directed at Momo. Poor Momo, how are we going to tell her that the mean girl is trying to get her expelled," Florence shook her head in horror, curling her hands into a fist. "I for one know her as very honourable person and wouldn't ask for a fight if she could avoid it. This means war!"
"She picked the wrong girls to mess with! We might as well kick her ass," Fuuka punched her fist against her palm, narrowing her eyes dangerously. "Who's with me!?"
"Yer definitely not alone on that, Fuuka," Natsuki folded her arms in annoyance, staring darkly at the wall. "Here's the problem – she knows how ta hide even if she was a snake, she'd have jumped up and bit ya. She's that good. The police have nothin' on her and she can make the mafia look obvious."
Shizuru bit her lower lip. "...We'll just have to force it then. That's only possible idea I can think of."
"Oh oh we can bring her to a court where she can face Momo and then I'm pretty sure when she's alone she's gonna go all kablooey," Ai waved her arms in the air with a huge grin. "And then we're gonna have the Bing Bang Theory and that's how the world was created!"
They all stared at her for a moment before Florence blinked. "Sweetheart, try to speak a little slower. We can't pick up everything you're trying to say."
"...She's right," Shizuru's lips curved up into a determined smile as she nodded her head. "Obviously, this psychotic side of her doesn't come out when people are around because she's aware of it. So, we need to find a way how people can see and at the same time make her expose it."
Florence nodded and getting the thought Shizuru had in mind. "But the question is more how we're going to orchestrate that."
"We don't need to," Fuuka chuckled lightly, folding her legs and arms. "We're just gonna have to make use of the situation. But we don't have enough evidence to go on."
Natsuki bit her lower lip in annoyance. "This ain't her first rodeo. She knows what she's doin'. That's the scary part; we have to find her before she ends up like Ryuna."
Ai swallowed hard fearfully as the other three girls looked at the Kansai captain. "Wh-What do you mean before she ends up like Ryuna?"
Natsuki shook her head with tears in her eyes, biting her lower lip. "Ryuuna had everythin' set fer her. A salutatorian, scholar fer Osaka University fer med and now..."
The four girls stared in horror as Natsuki retold the whole story of what happened.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Momo walked along the courts with a sad sigh. She didn't mean to hit Tohru and that was the fifth time it happened! What was happening to her? She was never this off! The female Sanada glanced at her hand before continuing to walk around for her to calm down. Another thing was that Florence had asked her to locate the man who had supposedly attacked Ryuuzaki, Tachiwara and Rin. Normally, it would be easy pickings for her but now she couldn't even set her mind straight to play a proper game. If her captain found out about the instances of violence, she would definitely be off the team.
"Momo-chan?"
Momo turned around and found Sengoku standing behind her with a more saddened expression on his face. "Sengoku, what's wrong? Did someone hurt you?"
"Yeah, you did."
Momo blinked several times; when in the world did she ever hurt him? "What? Wait, when and what?"
Sengoku spitefully (Momo would call it "spitefully", she had no better way to explain it) threw something onto the ground as her eyes widened with bewilderment.
A racquet and pictures.
Pictures of her and supposedly Sengoku.
With some other guy?
And his racquet had been completely destroyed with the Sanada crest carved into the strings and the racquet.
The purple haired female blinked several times. "What the-? Sengoku, where did this come from and who is that guy?"
"Yeah right, Momo-chan. If you just told me that you didn't like me, why didn't you say so," Sengoku curled his hand into a fist with his eyes watering up. "Not only that you've been hurting my sister!"
"I didn't mean to do that! I swear! And those pictures are fake! I can see photoshop work from a mile away, I do that stuff for Niou when we used to be pranksters," Momo tried to sort it out, seeing his extremely emotional state. "Sengoku, pull yourself together...!"
"NO! YOU PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER!"
Momo immediately clamped her mouth shut upon hearing Sengoku raise his voice. Everything was all new to her; since when did he raise his voice like that and where in the world did those bloody pictures come from!? Momo immediately tried to rack her brains on ways on how to calm the orange haired male down but he literally looked like he was about to unleash whatever rage he had.
"...I always thought you were different, Momo-chan. The reason why I wanted to date you and have you for my girlfriend is because most of the girls I flirted with just used me as a rebound," Sengoku bit his lower lip, shaking his head. "You promised me no secrets and it turns out you're still looking for that samurai guy!"
Momo wanted to facepalm; she and Sengoku floored him together along with Kiyone's sugar happy ways! "Sengoku, we kicked his butt together! Hideyoshi had himself floored by Kiyone too remember!? Shizuru was there, the whole team was there! Ask them if you don't remember."
"No wonder Tohru told me she didn't like you. She was right," Sengoku lowered his voice into a whisper, turning away. "You Hyotei girls are all the same. Power and victory. It doesn't matter who you step on."
"What? Now you're bashing my team. Okay, your argument's making no sense to me," Momo went up to him with her eyes becoming more pleading, grabbing his wrist. "Please, just tell me what's wrong. Exploding is not going to help."
"...Good bye, Sanada-san," Sengoku wrenched his hand from her grip, walking away before breaking into a sprint with tears in his eyes.
The Shinigami found herself astounded into silence as the wind began to brush past her. Her eyes began to slowly water before she pushed it back, looking at the pictures. Any other girl would cry; crying is a weakness! Momo fiercely reminded herself as she shakily picked up the pictures. They weren't even real! It was obvious that the male was forcefully fit into the form of Sengoku! Niou would have called it a sad piece of shit that should be burned and redone! She's seen him do better pictures! She remembered the photo – they took it on one of the trips together in Kyoto.
Sengoku Tohru, huh...? Me...? Step on people...? I'm... Bloodthirsty?
...
...
...
I'LL SHOW YOU BLOODTHIRSTY!
Momo never felt the anger boil her blood so badly in her life. She could feel everything squishing down on her and slamming her down to the ground but now was not the time to grovel! The Shinigami pushed herself up from the ground, remembering all the times the Sanada family had constantly hated her for her liberal ideas. She remembered all the times they punished her, all the times she had lost in her tennis match – and what did she do? Grovelling was never part of a Sanada trait! She felt her chest tightening but immediately, she began wiping away her tears and standing firmly. After picking up the mess, she walked towards the tennis courts and pulled out her racquet to fire a few shots only to realize it felt a wee bit lighter.
"Strange, when did my blade vanish," Momo blinked several times before glancing at the pictures on the bench.
Where in the world did these come from and why...?
"Sanada-san?"
Momo looked up and found Kajimoto standing in front of her. "Eh? Kajimoto-san, what are you...?"
"I was hoping I could help you look for that guy who hurt Rin," Kajimoto curled his hands into a fist, shaking his head angrily. "I... couldn't..."
"It's alright, welcome to the whipped club," Momo pat his back with a bitter chuckle, narrowing her eyes in determination. "Kajimoto-san, don't worry. We will find him."
Sorry for the really really really late update! But I hope this has enough drama to make up for it! My acads took a whole lot out of me but please don't forget to review!