Me: Hi guys! Sorry for the late update! College really crammed up the semester and I wasn't able to work on any of my stories. The only ones I have been able to work on were really my thesis paper and other academic related things. Also another thing to blame – I managed to download an emulator and I began playing Final Fantasy VII on it so… so sorry for that. OTL
Anyway, I do not own Prince of Tennis! I only own the OCs!
Chapter 75 – You Give Love a Bad Name
Shot through the heart, and you're to blame
You give love a bad name
I play my part and you play your game
You give love a bad name
You give love a bad name
"You Give Love a Bad Name", Bon Jovi
Momo gasped for air as a sharp pain shot through her body. She collapsed onto the ground and hearing began to fade away. People began running around and scampering with fear while she could barely pick herself up from the ground. Some gathered around here and began gasping fearfully at the sight of her. She managed to look at her hand only to see blood on her fingers. The Shinigami struggled to look around and lift herself only to find herself being scooped up into someone's arms. She shivered slightly when the smell of cinnamon hit her nose. Her eyes widened when she saw a pair of concerned green eyes looking at her.
"Momo! STAY WITH ME! MOMO!"
Momo could barely produce any sound. Sengoku?
Sengoku screamed again. "Momo, come on! Don't die on me like this! We still have a lot to talk about!"
I have nothing to say to you.
She remembered what she had told Sanada prior to walking over to the courts. Momo remembered how he had accused her of cheating on him and how they could not look at each other for the next few days. However, she felt her heart sing when the Yamabuki vice captain voiced out his concern. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes when she felt the warmth of his body against hers.
This isn't some soap opera! This is reality! Come on, Momo – pull yourself together!
"Momo-chan! Oh my God, I should have seen that coming," Ai yelped in fear. "We're gonna get you a doctor okay!"
God, why did you gift Yukimura Ai such a pitchy voice?
Momo had no choice but to let Sengoku lift her limp body. The air around her thickened until everything around her suddenly went black.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Ai, watching Sengoku carry off her former schoolmate, looked around for where the shot had come from. Obviously it would have come from behind, Ai mused to herself when she looked at the bleachers. People screamed frantically as the security desperately tried to calm down the screaming and horrified audience. People made a mad dash for the exits whereas some of the teams had been forced to evacuate. Ai looked around carefully while looking at the place where Momo had dropped and bled. She looked up front but remembered that the blood splatter came from behind. But there was another question that had been bugging her for sometime…
Why now?
And why in front of everybody?
Rikkai's Angel looked around and bit her lip anxiously. She looked up until she saw a flash of orange vanish from her line of sight, holding a sniper rifle. Ai's blood ran cold; she immediately broke into a sprint towards Sengoku's direction while fumbling around for her phone. The moment she got a hold of her phone, she immediately pressed the speed dial and began calling her teammates from her L.X.A days. She could only wish that Shizuru's match hadn't started yet.
"Hello?"
Ai screamed frantically. "Fuuka! Fuuka, Momo got shot!"
"WHAT!?"
"Momo got shot by a sniper," Ai began to explain quickly. "We have to assemble the team! PRONTO!"
"Tch," Fuuka snapped moodily on the phone. "Isn't that why we sent you with her!? You dumbass, why'd you let her get hit!?"
"I didn't know that Sengoku Tohru knew where to get sniper rifles!"
"Goddamn it, Ai! We have a demented bastard on our hands!"
Ai really didn't want Fuuka to answer the phone but Natsuki was least likely to answer her phone and Florence probably forgot to charge her phone. Shizuru was the next best thing although she noticed that the brunette had begun acting strange. Shizuru had fainting spells and would be stumbling all over the place ever since she got into the stadium.
"Shizuru-chan never had those fainting spells before," Ai pondered deeply before breaking out into a faster sprint. "No, I can't think about that now! I gotta go help Momo-chan!"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"SHIT," Fuuka scowled and cut the phone line. "Kurenai, why the fuck does your team attract all sorts of trouble!?"
Shizuru stared, puzzled. "W-what?"
"Momo's been shot."
The whole team suddenly stared at Fuuka as if she had grown a second head.
"What," Shizuru's yell came out more as a startled whisper.
Natsuki growled and slammed her fist against the rail. "Ahm purdy sure dat this thin's got Tohru's name all over it!"
"You got that right," Fuuka nodded and pondered. "But I sent the little demon with her! Ai should have been able to detect it!"
Florence sighed deeply. "You know that girl has an attention span of a goldfish."
"Even then, she should have at least felt a weird tingling feeling that shit was gonna get serious!"
"Um, Fuuka? That's more Shizuru's ability."
The brunette however remained silent before looking back at the doubles pair. She couldn't afford to leave Kiyone and Ayane when they were fighting their match. She knew the psychological effects when a captain would suddenly stop watching the match. However, Momo was a completely different matter. She knew Tohru had a bolt loose but she didn't expect the woman to take a shot at her just like that.
Shizuru glanced at Isane. "Isane, do you mind checking on her? I have to stay here…"
The sniper nodded. "No problem, buchou."
As Isane left, Shizuru felt a horrible feeling sink to the bottom of her stomach. Despite the crowd howling and cheering, their screams and cheers faded into the background. Shizuru stared at the court and remained deep in thought while trying to understand why Tohru had shot Momo. Jealousy was a powerful motivator, she mused darkly to herself. She knew many girls who had bullied Ayane for her relationship with Atobe but she didn't expect things to get that fatal especially for Sengoku and Momo. Her hands clenched tightly into a fist until a loud shot cracked and snapped her out of her daze.
"40-15!"
Kiyone and Ayane could only gawk at the little girl standing in front of them. There was a clear sheen of madness in the little girl's eyes while she tightly gripped her racquet. Azola's head tilted to the side innocently whereas Irene only stepped back to see the sheer power from the little girl. The whole Japanese team themselves had been astonished by Azola's sudden increase in power.
"Aww, what's the matter," Azola chuckled while plucking the strings of her racquet. "You seem a little tired…"
Ayane clenched her fists tightly. "Even though we knew Azola has a brain of a 4 year old, that doesn't disregard her talent at all…"
The tangerine haired vice captain glanced to see the volleyist trying to pick herself up. She saw the bruises and welts that formed from Azola's brutal attacks and she shuddered from the sheer coldness in Azola's eyes. She knew that there were geniuses in different parts of the world but she didn't expect some of them to become increasingly brutal.
"Well, I am a people person so," Azola purred in amusement. "It's easy to figure out that your little friend was lying."
Ayane snorted. "Well, you must be one talented actress then."
Azola giggled before placing a finger on her lips with a mischievous smirk.
"Of course, I'm a devilishly talented actress."
Nerissa swallowed nervously at the sight of the match. "Natasha, you have to be kidding. When did Azola get that manipulative?"
Natasha chuckled humourlessly. "She was always father's favourite."
"What does that have to do with anything!?"
The older sister shrugged. "He taught her everything she needed to know. She took to it like a fish in water and she was already born that way."
"Doesn't mean you should reinforce that kind of behaviour," Nerissa fired back.
Natasha looked away from Nerissa with a scoff. "Father said she was born lucky…"
Nerissa shook her head. "But that doesn't mean…"
"But I was lucky to be born."
Nerissa stopped talking when she saw the darkness in Natasha's eyes. She exhaled deeply while looking back at the match. Azola and Nerissa had a long time rivalry that ran to very blood of their family. But she had to give Natasha credit; Natasha worked her way up to the top and worked hard. She had seen work herself to the ground to prove that she wasn't just Azola's older sister.
"But there's someone else who deserves credit," Nerissa cast her eyes towards the two Japanese freshmen competing against Azola and Irene. "These two should have been afraid of Azola."
"If people knew better, she's like the real-life personification of Zuko's little sister," Jennifer chuckled in amusement. "Her name's even close to it. Drop the 'o' change it into 'u' and you find Azula instead of Azola."
Nerissa laughed a bit and looked towards the bleachers where the Japanese team was staying. The crowds howled wildly in anticipation and people were swinging banners of both the Japanese flag and the United Kingdom flag. Nerissa beamed in amazement as to how Natasha had been able to anticipate the line-up for the Japanese team but she was definitely sure that Natasha could not have expected the Japanese players to have a strong will-power.
"They're a bit of a handful aren't they?"
Nerissa glanced towards Jennifer. "What?"
"Amakusa Natsuki is not as easy as I believed," Jennifer mused sourly. "That's what probably cost me the match."
Jade shrugged. "Don't worry; Nerissa and Natasha can win the next rounds."
"Let's hope so. Or we can have Azola and Irene just nip it in the bud right here."
On the court, Ayane weakly managed to stand up as Irene took her position to serve. She glanced at Kiyone as the smaller girl clenched her hand tightly into a fist. The tangerine haired girl stared in amazement as Kiyone stood up tall despite the bruises. Despite Kiyone's small stature, she began to look more threatening than her physical appearance. Her liquid blue eyes began to glimmer determinedly as she rolled up her sleeves.
"You're really one heck of a liar."
Azola stiffened. "Whatever do you mean?"
Ayane gawked; when did Kiyone suddenly gain the guts to do that?
"Your eyes are shifting," Kiyone stated flatly.
Azola chuckled in amusement. "You cannot possibly base it off some physical aspect, little girl."
"Buchou and Momo-senpai told me that when a person does not look a person in the eyes or their eyes start looking in another direction –that means they're hiding something."
"Sure, I can tell you that I have 60 pixy sticks and you'd buy it."
Kiyone rolled her eyes while impishly sticking out her tongue. "Sure, that's if your captain's even willing to expose you to that much sugar."
Irene couldn't believe the psychological warfare happening. Kiyone appeared to be an elementary student and here she was challenging Azola without fear. Most of the members of the team had given into Azola's desires because of her vindictiveness and her cold calculating cruelty. But here was someone who was never her teammate and approximately Azola's height or even slightly smaller, challenging her as if she had not experienced any of her brutality for the last 20 minutes.
"Does this girl know no fear," Irene pondered. "Where did this little girl get that kind of deduction skills?"
"Besides," Kiyone continued. "The tougher the bravado and, the more their personality changes those mean that their mind cannot handle the truth so they make a mask to cover it up."
Azola snickered. "Nice try-."
"I'm not buying time," Kiyone interrupted her smoothly. "I'm making sure that if Yane-Yane can't squish you like a lemon; I'm gonna wipe the court with your face until your legs become spaghetti!"
Ayane giggled inwardly; Kiyone at least had not lost her innocent blunt side. She stood tall as well and readied herself at the back. People cheered loudly and she could hear the crowd screaming.
GETSUGAN! GETSUGAN! GETSUGAN! GETSUGAN!
RISE OF THE CLOVERS!
QUEEN OF HEARTS!
OFF WITH AZOLA'S HEAD!
Ayane giggled at the cheer they made up for her, letting the echoes resound with her pounding heart. She glanced once again at Kiyone before steeling her expression. She never expected Kiyone to grow up that quickly during the training and even then, what had she learned? She glanced at her hand before looking at the court, seeing Kiyone now taking control of the tide. Ayane clenched her hands tight as well before looking forward at the two British girls. She couldn't let Kiyone do all the talking and get the spotlight. That wouldn't be fair!
"Hey Irene?"
Irene swivelled her head at Ayane. "Hm?"
Ayane asked pointedly. "Aren't you tired taking orders from a pipsqueak?"
Irene raised an eyebrow, asking. "Whatever do you mean?"
"Your game has been revolving around Azola. And you're actually taking orders from someone who's half your size and probably 5…"
"3."
Ayane blinked. "Huh?"
"She's three years younger than me," Irene corrected.
"Whatever, it still don't change that she's your junior."
Irene narrowed her eyes. "What are you saying?"
Ayane shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm just saying that maybe it's time you stopped letting the little peewee take control of things for you."
Irene remained quiet for a moment before shaking it off. "Well, the time for talk is over. Action is required."
"Heh, I was wondering when you were gonna start moving," Ayane grinned.
I hope I bought you enough time, Kiyone.
Kiyone looked back at her partner with a cheeky grin. "You sure did!"
Irene blinked several times before shrugging it off. She tossed the ball into the air before serving the shot. Ayane saw the shot coming before blasting it with a backhand. The ball zoomed towards Azola who deflected it with a volley and sent it to Kiyone. Despite the speed and the bruises, the volleyist managed to flex her wrist to deflect the shot and sent it straight to Irene. The older British girl however managed to return the ball to Ayane who exploded the shot towards Azola.
"You can't possibly be serious," Azola chuckled amusedly. "Your power shouldn't… eh?"
The ball ripped through Azola's racquet and the ball imbedded itself into the wall. Irene gawked, Azola stared in astonishment and Kiyone could only slowly turn her head towards her doubles partner. Instead of finding her vice captain looking relatively normal, Ayane now began to glow with an aura shaped like some sort of dog standing behind her.
"40-30!"
"Wow, that's," Kiyone laughed sheepishly. "One cute pooch…?"
Hitomi immediately pulled out her notebook and began listing things down. "Ayane did it! She managed to unlock…"
"The Hyakuren," Fuuka chuckled while looking at Ayane face the British team. "Hehe, I didn't know she finally gained that capacity…"
Irene remained undaunted. "Well, it seems that one of them has decided to wake up…"
Azola however stared fearfully and her whole body began to tremble. "Wh-what…?"
"There's a slight problem though," Florence looked at the aura swirling around Ayane. "It seems rather…"
"It's as crooked as mah grandpappy's jalopy's bumper," Natsuki commented.
"In other words, it looks undefined," Haruka explained the kansai captain's metaphor. "But it's a pretty good start, when did Shizuru get her Hyakuren?"
"Defined in the middle of 1st year but lost its form during her second year," Hitomi recalled. "But her form now looks a whole lot better."
Shizuru laughed softly and looked at the match. "Her form is actually defined. People just do not know what the creature is."
"And you know," Fuuka raised an eyebrow.
Shizuru nodded. "In allusion to her as the queen of Hearts, what is the pet of the Queen of Hearts?"
Fuuka snapped moodily. "The fuck – stop speaking in riddles! YOU KNOW I HATE IT WHEN YOU DO THAT!"
"It can't be the Jabberwocky now, can it," Florence looked closely. "It seems to resemble more that of a dog…"
Natsuki looked closely. "Yeah although it looks like something mah Aun' Yumi would like ta adopt…"
Rin beamed, finally understanding Shizuru's question. "It's the Bandersnatch! But… why the Bandersnatch?"
"If you were to compare Ayane and Shizuru, it's more like the Hyakuren reflects their personalities," Mai explained it to the black haired acrobat. "Like if Shizuru's Hyakuren is based off calmness and an elegant strength, Ayane's purely… brutal and dynamic."
Haruka gulped nervously. "Brutal?"
"Yes but there's something else," Mai glanced at the creature and at Ayane's form. "Somehow this Hyakuren seems to be a whole lot more…"
Florence raised an eyebrow. "A whole lot more…?"
"Violent."
Florence glanced at the aura behind Ayane and found it interacting with the other players. Even Kiyone seemed to shiver in fear the moment the Bandersnatch started snarling angrily at the British players. Azola staggered back fearfully and as calm as Irene appeared, Florence could see her aura flickering and dancing around before changing into a hazy black, greyish colour. The British-Japanese girl exhaled sharply while elegantly sitting down and folding her legs.
"Well, Ayane may have gotten this far but," Florence pointed out with a more serious expression. "Let's hope that aura isn't all just for show…"
Irene however refused to give into her fear. "So what if you have a dog for an aura? It's nothing more than a mangy mutt."
Ayane grinned cockily and pointed her racquet at Irene. "Let's see you say that again after I rip a hole through your racquet, lady."
Irene narrowed her eyes as she fired a soft service. The service floated right on the t-portion of the court until Ayane rushed towards it and exploded the shot. However, much to her surprise – the ball flew as if it were a normal shot. Ayane gaped in surprise while Irene smirked triumphantly.
"ThePinnacle of Hard Work only works on returns and here's your problem," Irene shot the ball towards the far end of the court. "You're not going to be able to transfer all that energy fast enough, aren't you?"
Ayane yelped and tried to move but her legs refused to lift themselves. However, Kiyone suddenly ran across the court and deflected the shot by using her whole body weight to send it flying towards Azola. Watching the ball, Azola immediately countered it only to watch in surprise – Ayane was surrounded by a glowing white aura that connected to Kiyone. The Japanese pair remained silent as they moved in synchronization, zooming towards the pair.
"Hmph, so they had another ace card up their sleeve," Irene smirked in amusement. "Let's see how well Azola can fight now."
The moment Irene turned her head towards Azola, what she saw was not the usual fear that most people would have on their faces.
But it was a grin.
Not just any happy grin but a cruel and, manipulative grin on Azola's face.
The moment Kiyone got close enough, Azola timed her shot very carefully before blasting it straight into her head. The ball cracked off her racquet and Kiyone was unable to deflect the ball in time. The ball slammed with a loud kablam against her forehead, knocking the sandy brunette to the ground. The crowd stared in shock as Azola remained completely calm with an evil smirk on her face while Kiyone slowly stumbled and fell. The moment the ball slammed into Kiyone, the aura suddenly jumped from Kiyone to Ayane and slammed right into the tangerine haired girl. Ayane suddenly got hit by a hard migraine and her whole body seized up.
"Aaaah," Ayane yelped. "Ugh…"
And before everyone knew it, both Ayane and Kiyone fell to the ground.
The crowd stared in shock and murmurs emerged from the bleachers. The Japanese team stared in horror as Rin swallowed nervously.
"Ayane is going to get up right," Rin laughed sheepishly. "R-right?"
Nobody in the team answered her as they looked upon carefully. Mai glanced at Shizuru until she saw the fear reflected in the brunette's eyes.
"Th-they're," Shizuru gasped.
"They're not moving," Florence panicked and yelled to the other members of the Japanese team. "SOMEONE GET THEM OUT OF THERE!"
"Ayane, Kiyone," Haruka screamed in sheer panic.
Shizuru and Mai exchanged no glances with one another and simultaneously leapt off the railings, landing on the courts. Ayane and Kiyone remained completely still as the two sophomores ran up to the freshmen. Azola calmly dusted herself clean while Irene could only stare at how precise Azola's shot was. Right in the head, Irene thought. Nobody can make shots like that unless you're increasingly used to making small pinpoint targets.
"It's terrifying to believe that someone who is three years your junior could do that kind of damage," Irene shivered in realization, looking at Mai and Shizuru trying to wake up the two girls. "How did she figure out the weakness of Synchronization anyway?"
"It's because they're sharing mindsets, Irene."
Irene glanced towards Azola.
"Because they are in synchronization, it's only logical that their minds are travelling between one another," Azola shrugged her shoulders before smiling. "I was a pretty good actress, wasn't I?"
Irene nodded curtly. "Indeed. Making yourself look like you're solely dependent on Natasha's approval – quite a convincing act I'd say."
"Of course," Azola shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm a people person. Like I said."
Meanwhile, Shizuru and Mai were trying to wake the two up. Kiyone wasn't moving no matter how much Mai shook her and Shizuru already tried pinching Ayane. The two queens glanced at each other before looking at the referee. Although Mai knew that Ayane was going to be furious, both Hyotei sophomores knew they had no choice in the matter.
"I don't think we should though," Shizuru said quietly. "They're probably just rebooting."
Mai rolled her eyes with a sad sigh. "Shizuru, they're not computers and Azola gave them a good hit to the head. There's no way they're gonna be oriented enough to fight back properly."
The brunette nodded as the referee was forced to declare.
"Match by default goes to Dumont-Cumberpatch!"
Shizuru bit her lip at that declaration as Irene and Azola walked away with a victory. She could feel her blood boiling at the mere mention but what could she do? Ayane and Kiyone were completely knocked out, Momo was shot and now the British team had enough leverage to fight back. Mai hauled Kiyone onto her back while Shizuru slung Ayane's arm on her shoulder.
"Singles Two will now begin: Kurenai Shizuru of Japan versus Nerissa Beaufort of Britain!"
Shizuru bit her lower lip in annoyance while Haruka helped Ayane off from Shizuru's shoulder. "Haruka-senpai?"
The Pearl Dragon smiled to reassure her captain. "Don't worry. I'll help Mai with the two girls. Right now, you're gonna be the deciding factor along with Fuuka."
Marui nodded. "Yeah, the weight's on you for this one! Don't worry about them, I'll go with Haruka!"
Shizuru nodded. "I know."
As much as she didn't want to leave Ayane and Kiyone, Shizuru knew she had no choice. But she could feel her heart tugging from the guilt that she had left Momo completely unguarded when there was a deranged yandere sister on the loose. If anything, she wanted to just forfeit the match in order to attend to three of her teammates but as of now – it was unacceptable! Shizuru clenched her fist tightly; now was the time for payback! As Haruka began walking away with Ayane hanging limply from her shoulder, she hobbled along while saying.
"Make it good, buchou."
As she walked away from her captain, Haruka snickered to herself. Who was she kidding? This was Shizuru that she was talking about! If anything, Shizuru gave nothing less than her 200 percent! The pale pink haired senior looked back at the brunette but she saw something else in Shizuru's eyes. As much as her eyes were always crimson and already creepy by that colour, Haruka felt a shiver run up her spine. In Shizuru's eyes and from her body, Haruka shuddered.
"What is this," Haruka gasped with a hoarse whisper, staring at her captain's standing form. "It's like its sheer raw power…"
From the bleachers, Fuuka winced at the sudden knockback force from Shizuru's physical presence. The crowds fell quiet and the brunette quietly unsheathed her racquet with all the other people looking at her. But the brunette didn't seem to pay them any mind. Natsuki and Florence staggered back in surprise and even the British team could only stare in astonishment.
"Wh-what is this," Jade gasped fearfully. "N-Natasha…?"
Natasha stared in horror. She suddenly felt her body become mysteriously weighed down and her throat tightened considerably. She knew there were monsters among the Japanese team; one of them being Souma Fuuka who was known for her herculean strength. But this other one is different, she mused to herself. Natasha gripped her jersey and gasped for air, shivering and trying to control herself from breaking down.
"I always believed Azola was a monster. Even mother thought she was," Natasha said but then shook her head. "But no, this force – this kind of feeling, it's like…"
"…a demon has awoken…"
Natsuki looked at Florence. "Eh? What do you mean?"
Florence hugged herself and shook her head. "Can you not feel how cold it is? Can you not feel the sheer terror that strikes you? Normally, Shizuru doesn't emit this kind of rage let alone show it on her face…"
The sheer force had been so powerful that it had reached all the way up towards the spectators' seats. Jin suddenly rose after feeling the power slam into his body. As much as he was used to the Devil Gene eating away at him, the power that hit him was anything but sinister. He winced from the feeling before walking towards the window, looking closely at the girls' court.
"That's how raw her powers are."
Jin slowly looked up to see Lar's reflection on the window. "H-how…? It doesn't make any sense."
"Jin, you're forgetting that your wife was pretty gifted herself," Lars pointed out and folded his arms, smirking. "Even she made the Devil Gene submit to her."
Jin chuckled fondly at the memory and looked at his wedding ring with a nostalgic look in his eyes. "Yes…"
The two Mishima men remained silent for a moment.
"She really looks like Naoto," Lars remarked off-handedly. "Doesn't she?"
Jin remained silent and continued keeping his eyes on the court. He wanted to tell Shizuru so many things but there were too many dangers. As is, she seemed to live a good life. She already had school, she was part of the tennis team and she had a foster family taking care of her. So, what right did he have to interfere in her life?
"She still deserves to know who her real father is you know," Lars rebuked him.
Jin frowned. "Lars, you know I hate it when you start using your mind-reader abilities."
Lars raised his hands in protest. "Hey, I picked it up after watching Kazuya do it a couple of times. Besides, I don't need to be a telepath to know what you're thinking."
Jin let out a humourless chuckle and his lips curved up into a smirk. He folded his arms while listening to the other announcements and looking at the screens looking closely at the matches happening. He could hear the humming of the speakers and the air conditioning unit before he walked towards his office chair and sat down. He looked at the girls' team that had suffered a loss from their doubles two pair. He himself had been surprised by Azola Cumberpatch's manipulation skills and also Ayane's strength.
"But the most shocking one of them all was Getsugan and how she was able to break down her profile," Jin chuckled while looking at the database that held all the stats of the female Japanese team. "It's just that Azola was just an extremely talented liar."
Lars shrugged. "So, you're saying the kid was right about her?"
"Getsugan noted one thing. The girl does seek approval but she pinpointed the wrong person," Jin said while swiping to another screen. "It's the mother she seeks."
"That explains a lot. I heard that Natasha and Azola don't get along very well."
"It's very similar how Asuka and I cannot get along despite being cousins from my mother's side. She's from the angel family while I'm," Jin paused for a few moments.
"You're not a monster, Jin. A monster would not have been able to love a woman and have children with her," Lars folded his arms while leaning against the glass. "Agito's been watching over her at least."
Jin chuckled ruefully. "She doesn't even know that Agito is really her biological older brother. Nor does she know that her father is really out there watching over her…"
"That's your own fault and you know it," Lars said flatly.
At this, Jin's eyes flashed angrily. "What?"
Lars repeated. "You left her thinking that she would grow up better without you. You thought that she was better off not being known as your daughter."
"Which it is true," Jin snapped moodily. "You don't know what it's like to be a father, Lars!"
"Really? Because as far as I'm concerned, I'm the one who raised Shizuru."
Jin froze as he slowly turned to Lars. "What?"
Lars began enumerating. "You only saw Shizuru's three years of life. When the whole house burned down after Heihachi's attack, you didn't bother looking for her! I found her in L.X.A, traumatized and terrified. She had this strange fixation and traumatic reaction to fire. Call it madness; she loved it and loathed it at the same time. All she wanted was warmth from a family that was supposed to be there for her even after the burning on her third birthday."
Jin clenched his hands tightly until his knuckles became white and angrily spat. "Heihachi wasn't hunting you down. You had more leeway!"
"Sure I did! I was wanted by Heihachi because I screwed his plans the last time," Lars snapped back. "But the difference is that you had the money and the resources to protect her. Let alone, you had the skills! Whereas, I didn't have much to work on that time because Ygdarasil was still young!"
"SO WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?! CONDEMN HER TO A LIFE OF RUNNING AWAY LIKE A FUGITIVE," Jin roared and grabbed Lars by the collar of his jacket. "OR DID YOU WANT ME TO WATCH HEIHACHI RIP HER AWAY FROM ME AND KILL HER IN FRONT OF ME!?"
Lars prepared to speak until he found the fury flashing in Jin's eyes.
"SHE IS MY DAUGHTER, LARS! OF COURSE I WANTED TO BE THERE FOR HER! OF COURSE I WANTED TO BE THE ONE TO HUG HER AND TELL HER EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OKAY," Jin continued angrily, unaware that his eyes were becoming glassy and that the electronics around him started to explode. "OF COURSE, I WANTED TO BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF THAT OLD FUCKER FOR RUINING THE LIFE THAT I'VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF! I WANTED TO BE THE ONE TO BE THERE FOR HER ON HER FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! I WANTED TO BE THERE FOR HER WHEN SHE WON HER FIRST NATIONALS MATCH! DO YOU THINK I DO NOT GIVE A LIVING FUCK!?"
It was the first time Lars had ever heard Jin explode. The lights and the electronics began short circuiting around them and he could feel the power surging from inside Jin. The black haired man's eyes flickered with agony and anger as he slowly let go of Ygdarasil's commander. Lars felt his feet slowly touch the floor as Jin crumbled down in front of him. This was the Jin Kazama that the world could never see. Would Heihachi have that same capacity?
"Nah, he's a shitty old fart," Lars dismissed the thought. "But then again… people can change…"
Lars remembered the time he had also told Kazuya what had happened. His older half-brother went on a vengeance spree but Heihachi had vanished from the face of the planet. He knew that he had appreciated what Naoto had done for him and Jin. She had been more potent than she believed she was and as much as they hated each other, she had always dragged them into celebrations together. Before they knew it, Jin and Kazuya were able to talk on civil terms.
"Kazuya was never really bad to begin with," Lars reasoned to himself. "You don't blame the son for the sins of the father."
"You're right."
Lars blinked. "Huh?"
"I said you were right, dumbass."
Lars sighed deeply; despite Jin being his nephew, he still had the rudeness to insult him. Lars however somewhat let it slide. With the family like the Mishima, who wouldn't be an obnoxious, cruel and manipulative bastard? Then again, there was the environment to take into consideration, Lars thought.
"I did have the resources and the skills to keep her safe," Jin slowly got up and began pacing around, admitting mildly. "I guess… I was just too afraid…"
Lars smiled mournfully while looking at a distance. "And I guess I cannot judge you for that. Any father would have feared for his daughter's safety when you're up against someone like Heihachi."
Jin nodded slowly before someone barged into the office.
"Sir, there's been a gunshot, sir! It wounded one of the women's team players!"
Jin snapped his head towards the guard. "Name?"
The guard swallowed hard. "Sanada Momo."
Jin froze and looked at the list of girls in the Japanese team. He brushed his finger against the list until he found the young woman's name on the list. Jin immediately left his chair and stormed out the door, brushing past the guard. The guard swallowed nervously and looked at Lars who shrugged.
"The girl happens to be a friend of his daughter."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Sengoku quietly sat in the infirmary with Momo lying down on the bed. She remained unconscious before he looked over towards the other people there. Each team had their own ward specifically for each country. He remembered how Shiraishi had also taken the blow to the head and he remembered how Kiyone had panicked. He remembered the rage that flashed in the younger girl's eyes and he knew each Hyotei girl was a demon by herself. He glanced at Momo and gently brushed the hair away from her face, seeing her breathing slowly become normal. All he could hear was the ECG beeping while keeping track of her vitals.
She had been shot in the kidney. She's quite the survivor.
Sengoku knew that in a boxing match, the best place to knock out a person would be boxing the kidney. What more a bullet? But why did Momo come to cheer him on? After the huge argument they had, he wouldn't be surprised if she laughed at him for throwing his match like that and falling to an illusion that simple. He clasped her hands gently while looking at her pale face. Despite the fight they had, the sheer fear of her dying scared him.
"I didn't expect you to be here."
Sengoku swivelled up to see Sanada and Isane standing before him. "S-Sanada-san? Uchiha-san?"
"After the fight, I expected you to stay away from her especially when you accused her of cheating on you."
As blunt as it sounded, Sengoku knew that Sanada was right. "Yeah…"
"But Sanada-san, just because they had a fight," Isane tried reasoning out with the emperor of Rikkai. "Doesn't mean that he doesn't care about her anymore."
Sanada darkly stared at the sniper. "I suppose this comes from experience, Uchiha?"
Isane, shivering at the intensity of the emperor's gaze, stood up more upright. "Yes and your glare does not persuade me to agree with you. Therefore, stop staring at me as if I will magically agree with you."
Sanada blinked several times, taken aback by Isane's sudden boldness. "I was not aware that I was staring at you that way."
"Well, you were and it is most certainly unnerving. So stop doing that," Isane shot back before regressing back to her normal self and twiddling with her fingers. "O-only if you're okay with it…"
Sanada chuckled at the work Akutsu did to improve Isane's confidence. This was the first time he had Isane ever stand up to him and there was a time she would shiver and get scared, hiding behind Momo whenever there was a conflict. She was the type to avoid it; not confront it. He may not have any relationship experience but he knew what it was like to at least be a male. He glanced towards Sengoku whose gaze had not left Momo's body for the past few minutes.
Sanada folded his arms with a questioning look. "So, it brings me to my question: why are you here?"
Sengoku raised an eyebrow and snapped albeit moodily. "What? Is there a restraining order I don't know about?"
"Isn't there some sort of process known as cooling off after," Sanada fired back.
Sengoku opened his mouth to rebut him but he chose to keep quiet instead. He glanced at the Shinigami and shook his head.
"These people," Sengoku exhaled sharply and murmured softly. "They're far more vicious than we've ever faced…"
Sanada shook his head. "Momo didn't get that injury from a match. She's on reserve."
"But who would have shot her? I don't know anyone who," Sengoku began until he stopped and hung his head shamefacedly. "Oh wait… I do…"
Sanada raised an eyebrow. "You do?"
"He does."
They all turned to the door where they found Niou standing by the door with some photos in hand.
"For someone who's supposed to be gifted with super-vision," Niou chuckled half-heartedly while placing the brown envelope on the bed. "You sure are an idiot."
Sengoku nodded. "I know."
"And the fact that you sided with your psychopathic sister over your girlfriend, that speaks volumes – Sengoku."
Sengoku nodded wordlessly at the Trickster.
"But it doesn't mean you're not capable of caring."
They all looked at Isane as she gently dropped her hand onto his shoulder. "Sengoku-kun, perhaps it would be nice if you told us the history of your sister. It will save Momo's life and perhaps yours…"
Niou shivered at the kindness of Isane's words but he could also sense the sharpness of it. He remembered that her family was a family of policemen well except her mother but that was beside the point. Niou watched her smile kindly and take a chair, sitting in front of Sengoku calmly and elegantly. He loved the shy and sweet Isane but the assertive kind really got him going for her. Niou smirked to himself as Sengoku began telling the story.
"My parents weren't exactly the greatest people. My father may be an accountant and all but he's a heavy drinker. My mom on the other hand well – she was a druggie and they did argue a lot."
Sanada remained silent.
"A lot of this happened right after my sister and I were born. Tohru and I are twins although I'm younger by 3 minutes," Sengoku laughed bitterly. "Mom became increasingly depressed and her mood swings were so bad that there were times she would just grab a syringe and stab herself with it. After that, she'd be all over the place and her moods would be a bit stable but she was always lounging around. When my dad found out, everything just crashed. Her mood swings were terrifying, the stress from work and everything just dropped onto his shoulders that he started drinking. Unfortunately, I didn't know that he was the violent drunkard."
The emperor folded his arms and asked coldly. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"It answers everything."
Sanada looked at the melancholy look in Sengoku's eyes as the vice captain continued to hold onto Momo's hand tightly.
"When my father would beat me, my sister would always do her best to pull me out of it. She would make herself his punching bag just so I could live happily. My mom though also took out her rage on her because dad always said that Tohru was his favourite little angel. This happened everyday all the way until mom died. When mom passed away from morphine overdose, dad changed. He didn't drink anymore and he was a lot happier. But it couldn't undo the damage he had done to my sister."
"Because you became the sole reason for her existence," Sanada pieced everything together. "And any girl who would try to take you away…"
"She'd lose her mind because she would think that she would be left alone again to deal with dad and his mood swings," Sengoku admitted sadly. "I guess that's why she's scared to let me go and that she'll go to extreme lengths. Let's not forget that my parents were insane so it probably messed up her personality too."
Sanada nodded slowly before asking. "Why tell me all this?"
"Because I've been trying to convince my sister for years that I'm a 14 year old boy," Sengoku smiled bitterly. "I was hoping you could tell me how to convince her…"
They all remained silent as Isane smiled and nodded.
"Thank you for telling us, Sengoku. I could at least identify the motive of the one who shot Momo and how your sister is a prime suspect. But it does not explain where she managed to get the weapon to shoot that far."
Sengoku blinked several times. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that despite your sister's psychopathy," Isane explained. "That there is some sort of intelligence. Most psychopathic patients would not be able to utilize logic in order to cover their tracks and procure weapons like a military sniper rifle. From what I'm guessing that rifle is one of those you get for jungle tactics."
Sengoku opened his mouth to speak but Niou shook his head.
"Trust me, Sengoku. Isane knows her guns better than any of us here."
Sengoku nodded and kept silent, letting Isane continue.
"Therefore, she seems to be working with someone else. I'd like to know if you do know where she gets her weapons."
Sengoku shook his head. "I-I don't know…"
"Sengoku, please tell me honestly because this can also drag you into it. You may be charged as an accomplice of attempted homicide or worse, accomplice to the homicide of Amakusa Ryuna and also as an accomplice to the attempt homicide of Sanada Momo," Isane placed her hand on his right wrist gently. "Please Sengoku-kun. I really need to know. Or rather, we."
Sengoku narrowed his eyes. "This is blackmailing."
"No, this is an interrogation for the sake of my friend," Isane pointed out firmly. "I am simply telling you what could possibly happen if you don't watch yourself."
Sengoku exhaled sharply and remained silent for that moment. He looked at Momo and then at his palm. Tohru was his sister and he knew she needed some form of psychiatric help but she seemed okay when she was around him. The only time she had some psychotic episodes is when some girl tried to approach him. He grabbed his orange curls out of frustration. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore!
"Now do you believe that she's psycho…?"
Sengoku snapped his head towards the bed and found Momo weakly smiling.
"MOMO-CHAN," Sengoku burst into tears, laughing and, hugging her.
Momo chuckled weakly, lifting her arms to hug him. "I just got shot. I'm not dying you know. It'll take more than that to take me down."
Sengoku couldn't stop the tears flowing from his eyes. He just continued to hug her tighter as if he didn't want to let her go. All the tension in the air just died and he could care less that Sanada started staring daggers into his back. But whatever it was, Momo was alive despite that fatal shot to her kidney. She was breathing and hugging him in return even though her grip seemed a little weaker than it should be. He ran his fingers through her violet hair before pulling away and pressing his face into her palms.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," Sengoku repeated while crying into her hands.
The Shinigami could only stare before gently pushing his chin up. As much as his face was snot-filled and tear-stained, Momo could only laugh softly and brush a hair from his face. She smiled kindly before falling into his embrace. She exhaled sharply before pushing herself up again and trying to sit up straight. A small smirk curved up her lips as she lightly slapped Sengoku on the cheek.
"Owie," Sengoku whimpered before pouting. "Eh?"
"I told you so."
Sengoku blinked several times again. "What?"
"I told you that your sister had a couple of bolts missing but you didn't want to believe me."
Sengoku hung his head and nodded. "I did everything I could to protect her. I always thought she was just a victim of the past and I should at least take care of her. But now that she started making a mess, I have to clean this up."
Before Momo could say anything else, the door swung open with Mai, Haruka and, Marui bringing Kiyone and Ayane in. Momo saw the bruises decorating Kiyone's arms and the red angry marks appearing on Ayane's arms and legs. Momo bit her lower lip; wasn't the fight between Irene Dumont and Azola Cumberpatch? She had expected some more decorum from the girls and she knew boys were supposed to be more violent. Haruka immediately got ice and began pressing it against the girl's arm.
"What the hell happened," Momo gawked.
Isane stared in admonishment. "Wh-what happened to the both of them?!"
"Apparently, the British team has a crazy demon named Azola Cumberpatch," Mai explained while placing a wet towel on Kiyone's head, trying to cool down her fever. "Apparently, she figured out how to break Synchronization."
Momo's blood ran cold. "W-wait, you have to be kidding me? Synchro has a weakness?"
"I never knew that," Isane shook her head. "But doesn't Synchronization involve just low level telepathy?"
Haruka shook her head. "That's the same question we asked ourselves the moment Azola Cumberpatch blasted Kiyone in the face."
Momo winced when she saw the bruises on Kiyone's body before turning to Ayane. "And Ayane?"
Marui quickly explained. "She unlocked the Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami but burned herself out because it also went with the Synchronization."
The Shinigami nodded stiffly before looking at the bed. "So, they had to forfeit?"
Haruka and Mai remained silent.
"Thought so."
Sanada asked. "So, who's playing now?"
"Shizuru's taking up the plate," Mai replied while cleaning up some of Kiyone's wounds. "But there's something off about Shizuru…"
Momo and Sanada looked at the red head tensai with shock. The two Sanada members exchanged glances with one another before looking at Mai.
"What do you mean?"
Mai exhaled sharply; she herself wasn't sure when she saw Shizuru suddenly silence the entire crowd by looking up and stepping onto the court. That usually happened only in the Japanese tournaments and that was when the mini-schools were fighting them. But for Shizuru to silence the international community by simply stepping on the court; she knew there was something dreadfully amiss. She remembered how her palms suddenly began sweating out and her body suddenly froze as if there was a heavy weight dropped onto her shoulders.
"It's like her demeanour changed and when she entered the court," Mai hugged herself and shivered. "Even the British team started getting scared."
Momo raised an eyebrow. "Is this like the Shikabane Hime?"
Mai shook her head. "No, the Shikabane Hime is cold and sinister. This one is just pure raw power. As in, the density of it speaks for itself."
"Heck, fukubuchou doesn't even have that kind of density no matter how angry he gets," Marui waved his hands in the air frantically.
"If Souma Fuuka started shivering also then we know it's something big," Haruka reasoned out with the Shinigami. "And you know Souma Fuuka; she's barely the type to be intimidated that easily."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Game and match by default: Aphias! Singles One players come to the court!"
Atobe chuckled before glancing at Tezuka. "You're finally getting your chance to blast the man now, ahn~."
Tezuka didn't say anything as he silently plucked out his tennis racquet from his bag.
"Tezuka, ore-sama understands how love and jealousy can be a powerful motivator," Atobe then dropped his hand on Tezuka's shoulder. "But do not let it rule your logic."
The bespectacled male looked at Atobe, raising an eyebrow. "Since when have you become the wise man?"
"Are you implying that ore-sama was not wise to begin with? Tezuka, how dare you doubt ore-sama's prowess!"
"There is a difference between intelligent, smart and wise – Atobe. I knew you were intelligent but wise is not exactly what I'd call you."
With that line, Tezuka walked down the stairs as he found Awi also taking his position. The pillar of Seigaku could feel his blood boiling at the mere idea of Shizuru being taken away by Awi. He could imagine her being sweet towards him, he could imagine her smiles - all directed to the wrong little shit. He shook his head; where were all these thoughts coming from?
"Calm down," Tezuka chanted mentally to himself. "Conceal, don't feel. Whatever Awi can't see, he can't use against you."
"How dare you keep me waiting!"
Tezuka snapped himself out of the daze while seeing Awi at the net. The pillar of Seigaku pinched the bridge of his nose while trying to calm himself down. He had half the urge to suddenly punch the guy's nose for whatever reason he could make up but he quickly cancelled the plan. That was a plan made from rash thinking which he wasn't known for. Most of his plans were taciturn and calculating.
And right now, that's exactly what he wanted to do to Awi.
"Sorry," Tezuka muttered darkly while extending his hand for the show of sportsmanship. "I was deep in thought."
Awi chuckled with a sly grin, shaking his hand extra hard. "You'll have more time to think the moment that I take my beloved queen back, peasant."
Tezuka grunted in annoyance before walking away. "A queen is not meant to be kept in a cage. And besides…"
Awi raised an eyebrow as Tezuka smirked.
"You're welcome to try and take her."
Upon hearing Tezuka's words, the whole audience screamed with excitement and frenzy. The whole Japanese team saw the challenging glint in Tezuka's eyes. Fuji didn't expect his best friend to do such a thing but now that Tezuka found someone competing for the girl's heart, he could only assume that the bespectacled captain just about had it. He knew that Shizuru liked him too but was rather really shy about her feelings despite her formerly being brash and rather reckless. The only problem was to get either one to say something to another before one of them goes crazy.
"Ore-sama is not sure if he likes this new Tezuka, ahn~," Atobe raked his fingers through his hair and hummed contemplatively. "But this is a rather interesting side to Tezuka…"
"Nyaaah, Fujiko-chan! Tezuka-buchou! Is that Tezuka-buchou," Kikumaru grabbed onto the honey haired tensai and shook him silly. "Someone switched Tezuka-buchou with an evil clone!"
Fuji laughed softly and pet Kikumaru on the head. "No no, there's nothing wrong with Tezuka. Awi simply just happened to awaken the sleeping lion."
"Mou~, you're talking in riddles again, Fujiko!"
Momoshiro raised an eyebrow. "Ne, Fuji-senpai – I don't get it. What's the history between these two?"
Kaidoh rolled his eyes sarcastically. "You're so inattentive, baka peach! This dick's trying to steal Tezuka-buchou's girl!"
"Urusei, mamushi! I know that Tezuka-buchou likes someone! Wait," Momoshiro yelled and then paused for a moment. "Who's his girl again?"
Echizen sighed deeply while watching the two sophomores bicker amongst themselves, pulling his cap over hisface. "Mada mada dane, senpai."
"SINGLES ONE: JAPAN'S TEZUKA KUNIMITSU VERSUS EGYPT'S AWI JAHI! GAME START, AWI TO SERVE!"
Awi chuckled and picked up the ball, bouncing it carefully. He eyed his opponent while watching Tezuka stare him down. Awi chuckled in amusement while brushing his shoe against the blue teraflex court while looking at the spectators, watching in anticipation. A smirk curved up his lips as he tightened his grip on his racquet. How dare this bespectacled peasant try to claim his treasure! He had seen Shizuru before on TV screens especially when Japan had been featuring their players. He also had seen her in the camp and he could never forget the day he had first seen her.
"Sparkling like a garnet with those beautiful red eyes of hers," Awi chuckled quietly while tossing up the ball. "Truly worthy to be called the king's treasure!"
The moment Awi's serve cracked, the ball disappeared. Tezuka however squinted carefully as he followed the sound of the ball. He fired an explosive forehand towards Awi's right side whereas the Egyptian player deflected the shot. Tezuka closed in on the ball before dropping the shot. Awi immediately ran for the shot and forcibly lobbed it, falling to the ground.
"Damn," Awi immediately tried to gather himself when he saw Tezuka's shadow. "Eh?"
The moment he looked up, he saw Tezuka looming over him with his arm drawn back. Before Awi could gather himself completely, Tezuka brought down his racquet with an explosive kablam from the ball when it smashed into the court. The ball was half an inch away from Awi's face as it bounced away towards the back of the court. The spectators stared in amazement before howling in excitement.
"Love-15!"
Awi smirked and picked himself up. "Not bad, not bad. Let's see how long you can hold."
Tezuka remained silent while walking away.
Leave nothing left of him.
The thought echoed loudly in his mind when he made his way to the baseline. Tezuka slowly turned around while Awi prepared to serve again. As Awi served the shot again, Tezuka wasted no time in charging straight for the ball. He deflected the ball with a drive volley before kicking back to the baseline. Awi staggered back and backhanded the ball towards Tezuka, watching the Japanese male send a deep shot towards the corners. He ran for the ball again and sent a short shot that only reached the net. He gawked however when he suddenly saw Tezuka right at the net. With a gentle slice, the ball floated over and rolled back towards the net the moment it touched the court.
"It's the Zero Shiki Drop Shot," Momoshiro exclaimed enthusiastically.
"We know that, retard," Kaidoh hissed.
"What did you call me!?"
"Retard!"
"Why you little-!"
Before the 2 could have an all out brawl again, Fuji stopped them. "Wait, something's not right."
They both stopped and looked at the honey haired tensai. "Eh? What is it, Fuji-senpai?"
Fuji looked carefully, analysing the situation. He had never seen Tezuka pull off the Zero Shiki Drop Shot so early in the game nor had he seen Tezuka this aggressive. The only one he had seen with aggressive play would either be Taka-san or Atobe. From the many times Fuji played against him, Fuji remembered how Tezuka would slide around normally until he would get used to the momentum. He remembered how Tezuka's eyes lit up with pure determination to win but the light in Tezuka's eyes seemed much more different.
Possessiveness? Love? Jealousy?
"Fuji, you don't think," Oishi's voice cut through his thoughts.
"He's going to destroy any competition he has," Fuji remarked off-handedly. "That has always been his nature but this one seems to be more personal."
Echizen chuckled. "And to think he was the one who told me not to make things personal…"
"True but he can't conceal his emotions all the time now can he," Fuji said while looking at Tezuka.
Tezuka, is this match really worth all your abilities?
Tezuka however didn't seem to care about anything at the moment other than winning and obliterating the said annoying mutt into oblivion. Yes, he thought that Awi was being an annoying mutt. He didn't want to go beneath him and call him other names but mutt or mongrel seemed to suit the man more. Tezuka narrowed his eyes while tightening his grip on his racquet while feeling out his legs. A small smirk curved up his lips as he remembered the time he trained with Shizuru.
Flashback
"Um, Tezuka-san?"
Tezuka looked back and saw Shizuru shyly standing by the gate. A helpless smile curved up his lips as he saw her walking around in her jersey which seemed to be twice her size. Training had ended 2 hours ago but he insisted on working out due to sheer boredom. Besides, he had less noise to deal with and the sunset always seemed to relax him after training hours. But today, he found himself staring at how the sunset light gently reflected off Shizuru's brown hair and made her shy and warm expression look extremely adorable.
"Yes? What is it," he asked.
Shizuru sheepishly scratched the back of her neck and then began playing with her fingers. "Um, may I make a comment? I mean – that's if… you want to hear it. It's okay if you don't want to…"
Tezuka chuckled as he saw her looking away and smiling awkwardly. "What would that be?"
She nodded and cleared her throat a bit. "You seem to be… well… stuck."
Tezuka stared at her quizzically. "Stuck?"
Shizuru nodded. "Mm hm, you don't move your feet too often."
"When you're playing with a tennis ball feeder, it only fires in one direction," Tezuka pointed out.
Shizuru nodded. "True but even in the practice match against Ohtori-kun, there were some shots within your reach and you didn't run for it."
"It would have been a waste of energy."
"Would it? It could save you a point one day."
"There is the Tezuka Zone."
"For your information, your arm is currently busted and still recovering. Or are you trying to break it again?"
Tezuka pondered a bit before conceding. "Point but how do you suppose you could catch a shot that fast?"
Shizuru pondered deeply before beaming with an idea. "I may have one way to help you solve that."
Tezuka blinked as she stood next to him and picked up a tennis ball. She walked over to the tennis ball feeder and turned it off before looking over at the other side. Tezuka blinked several times as she tossed the ball up in the air with a small smile.
"We're gonna play catch."
Tezuka stared at her quizzically. "What?"
Shizuru didn't bother explaining to him anymore. "Think fast!"
Shizuru threw the ball towards the far end of the court to which he ran and caught before he threw it back at her. Shizuru flashed up front and caught the ball, faking it and throwing it lightly. Tezuka forced himself to run and caught the ball again. He skidded a bit before throwing the shot. The moment he threw it, he saw it flying high and far which forced him to run all the way back. He couldn't plant his feet well enough and spun the ball. However despite the spin, Shizuru easily neutralized it by catching it and throwing it back with a counter spin.
Tch, she sealed the Tezuka Zone just like this.
Tezuka found himself running around as Shizuru giggled along. Tezuka cracked a small smile before taking on her challenge, pushing himself to run faster.
End of Flashback
"So that's why she trained my footwork," Tezuka smirked and realized how light his body felt. "Well, it's time I end this…!"
Meanwhile, he wasn't the only one who wanted to end the fight quickly.
Nerissa stumbled and fell to the ground. She slowly pushed herself up the ground but the sheer power sent her falling again. She knew that the Japanese team had their own monsters but she didn't expect a monster to be hiding behind the eerily calm brunette. The brunette seemed a little shy as well when she first extended her hand to shake hands with her. However now, she saw Shizuru jumping high for the forced lob she made.
Shizuru on the other hand found herself moving faster than ever. She loved the wind tossing her hair around and the sheer rush of adrenaline and power. Her body seemed to pulse while she inhaled deeply, trying to calm her rushed pumping of her heart. After seeing Kiyone and Ayane fall, she tightened her grip on her racquet and remained firm on her resolve. She felt the power pulsing again and everything around her seemed to freeze around her as if she could detect every detail. Despite this, she remained eerily calm and collected. At this point in time, she didn't realize that she too thought the same thing that Tezuka was thinking.
"It's time I end this…"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
And that's Chapter 75! Please don't forget to review! :)