Me: Wow, now that I've been re-reading Queen of the Suits and also thanks to a very faithful reviewer (shout out to magicdemi-god223!), I now have more inspiration to write. Don't worry, the boys will also get their coverage but I wanted to expand a little more what was happening in Shizuru's head. But now that, that part is out of the way – time to show what happens when you tick off Tezuka Kunimitsu! Also, Florence and Mai have been doing well but it seems a little too good to be true. What exactly is going on? I don't own Prince of Tennis! I only own the OCs!

Chapter 77 – I am the Morning Star, my ass

"Game: Awi! Four games to three!"

Tezuka scowled deeply when he had seen Awi Jahi use Shizuru's signature move. He also couldn't believe that Awi Jahi had been toying with him all this time. Then again, he remembered that it was one of her secondary moves. The Subera Kagerou was more her signature rather than the Ayame Gaeshi that Awi Jahi had just performed a few moments ago. But nonetheless, he could still feel his blood boiling. He closed his eyes to try and calm down, feeling out his breathing. He knew that getting angry would get him nowhere. But the man is simply infuriating, his conscience argued. No use trying to win with anger, Tezuka reasoned with himself. Using anger would make him blind.

"Of course, the Iris Return has another name. Its true name is the Nefertiti's Whiplash," Jahi smirked at him before brushing his palm against the head of his racquet. "Do not fret, Tezuka. The little ruby would learn to love me eventually and forget you. After all, I am the Morning Star."

I am the Morning Star, my ass.

Tezuka couldn't wait to shove the tennis ball into Awi Jahi's mouth but he quickly cancelled that rash and violent plan. He wasn't the type to be rash; after all, that was the reason why he was elected captain of Seigaku. The bespectacled male looked up to Awi Jahi before feeling his blood boil again. He shook it off before lowering his stance to receive Awi Jahi's serve again. He inhaled deeply while feeling the movement in his legs, the firing speed of everything in his mind. His eyes focused deeply on Awi Jahi as only one thought entered his mind.

This ends now.

Soon, Awi Jahi's ball cracked off his racquet. Tezuka darted for it in full speed and volleyed right at Awi Jahi. The ball flew to the deep end of the corner as Awi Jahi jumped for the shot and returned it effortlessly. Tezuka skidded across the court and backhanded it as it smacked the net, slowly dropping to the ground. Despite that, the Egyptian male immediately caught up with him and flicked the ball upward and stuck it onto the net as it rolled down. Tezuka however didn't care and easily closed the distance and dropped it a wee bit higher. Much to his annoyance, Tezuka could see the smash coming in from Awi Jahi. He quickly stepped back as Awi Jahi was up in the air. He could see the mismatched eyes staring down at him arrogantly as he smashed the ball.

"Retribution of Horus," Awi Jahi gleefully grinned before smashing the shot.

The shot cracked right past Tezuka before curving away in a 90 degree angle.

"15-love!"

Up on the bleachers, the Japanese team now clearly saw the intent in Awi Jahi's eyes. From his usual mocking demeanour, he had suddenly gone on the offensive to push Tezuka back. Atobe scowled; Awi Jahi had been baiting Tezuka the whole time! Did he know that it would tick Tezuka off? Whatever it was, he wasn't sure. But now Awi Jahi had been showing what made him known as The Pharoah of Tennis. He quickly caught up with Tezuka despite the latter being emotionally fuelled to protect what was his. Soon, they saw the ball flying back all the way to the deep point of the court as Tezuka easily caught up with it.

"I haven't seen a match this good in ages," Gakuto exclaimed in surprise, looking at the two tennis players fight to the fullest. "The last time I saw a match this good was between buchou and Tezuka."

Momoshiro nodded. "This guy's really pushing it. But who's he talking about? He's been mentioning someone as "his gem". And every time he does, buchou seems to flare up."

Kikumaru nodded before exclaiming. "Yeah but what does that guy keep referring to?"

Fuji on the other hand could do nothing but snicker to himself. Kikumaru and Momoshiro were never the brightest crayons in the box. Anyone who wasn't them could most likely figure out who he was talking about. There was only girl they knew with bright red eyes and who uses a technique that almost has the same mechanics as his. But Fuji knew; he knew from watching the matches alone. Then again, Inui must have known as well. Considering all the information he had, Fuji knew that Inui would most likely have suspicions but he couldn't possibly connect all the dots – it didn't take a genius to figure out. Then again, he was a genius so Fuji simply just shrugged.

Tezuka, just how exactly are you going to take him down now?

Tezuka could feel his heart pumping and then looked at Awi Jahi. He had caught up so fast and it was only then he had let himself get carried away by his emotions. She didn't even respond to him. She just ran off But she heard Ayane scream, he rationalized with himself. He knew that Shizuru wasn't the type to leave someone hanging. However, the idea of Awi Jahi taking her from him still hurt. He couldn't understand the whirling emotions inside him but he could feel the adrenaline rushing wildly. He fired another serve as Awi Jahi returned it quickly. But Tezuka also kept an eye on his shoulder.

There is no shame for calling for a timeout to recuperate your shoulder.

Tezuka smiled inwardly when he remembered Shizuru's words. But now, she had changed his style. It was a good way to balance the tension between his shoulder and his legs. He quickly zoomed towards Awi Jahi's shots why calmly returning them. Awi Jahi found himself amazed by the sudden burst of energy from Tezuka. He looked down to notice that he was relying on his legs more. He raised an eyebrow for a few moments before giving him a fast drive volley. Tezuka watched the drive volley as everything around him began to swirl and fall into darkness. He felt his body moving but everything else faded into the background.

If you want to volley, make sure your wrist is so flexible it can bend in ways that you can never imagine.

He quickly twisted his wrist to flick the shot back while Awi ran for it. He watched his shoulder carefully, easing it out and making sure he didn't bring himself down. He fired another shot again with a smash and pushed Awi Jahi back. The Egyptian player glared when the ball smashed right in between his legs before colliding with the wall behind him. People howled and cheered; some cheered for Awi and the Japanese cheered loudly for Tezuka. From the stands, Atobe looked through the match and he could see Awi Jahi heavily breathing.

"Awi Jahi should never have challenged the lion," Atobe smirked and rolled his eyes. "Even with him trying to catch up, the game already falls into Tezuka's favour."

Oshitari looked upon quietly. "It's amazing how he managed he managed to play despite the damage you did to his shoulder."

"No kidding," Shishido looked on intently. "You'd have to be out of your brains and extraordinary to do that."

Atobe chuckled; that was exactly what Tezuka was at the moment. He saw what was also happening in the girls' matches but he also saw how determined Tezuka was to crush him. Does this mean his feelings for her didn't fade? He wasn't stupid; he knew it was Tezuka who had been watching over her. She and he had become close as of late but he did not know to what extent but, whatever it was – it was what drove Tezuka forward. And nobody seemed to complain; concern, maybe but nobody seemed to mind that he had anger flashing in his eyes.

"Well, thin's ahr turnin' well here," a voice suddenly snapped Atobe out of his thoughts.

He looked up and much to his surprise, there stood Natsuki and Shizuru. They looked upon the match to see Tezuka pushing hard as Natsuki dropped her hand on Shizuru's shoulder with an all-knowing smirk.

"Well, ahm just gonna leave the lil' sugarcube over here," she patted Shizuru's shoulder with a smile, pointing to Tezuka. "The man over there would be delighted ta know that the lil' sugarcube won. He'd better win too since she's here ta watch him. Besides, I think it's time ya came up with an answer no?"

Atobe raised an eyebrow. "An answer to what?"

"He kinda told her that he liked her," Natsuki just dropped the bomb just like that. "Now this gurl decided ta be as dumb as rock and ran. She couldn' even tell 'im that she like him ever since freshman year."

Shizuru looked at Tezuka before shyly twiddling with her thumbs. She looked shyly at the court before slowly dropping to hide. Natsuki blinked until a small smile curved up her lips, at least Shizuru was somewhat turning back to normal. Even with the whole agent training, the unholy mess-up in her brain, Shizuru at least seemed to return back to her normal self. However, she knew that only Shizuru would break the stalemate. It was a dirty trick but she knew the psychological damage. She bent down to Shizuru, slightly looking over before crouching in front of Shizuru.

"Ya gotta say somethin'," she chided Shizuru. "Quit actin' like a little school girl…!"

"But I am a school girl," Shizuru protested back.

"Yer Kurenai Shizuru, captain of the Hyotei team. The one who's been messin' and aggervatin' everybody when she's got a chance and yer tellin' me ya can't even talk to Tezuka!?"

"I don't mess with them on purpose…"

Natsuki sighed deeply before looking over to see the match. "Why don' ya just cheer on fer Tezuka? I mean, he is yer teammate right?"

"Won't that mess them both," Shizuru raised an eyebrow.

"Does it look like it matters?! Just think of sumthin'!"

Shizuru sighed and looked at Tezuka and Awi. She didn't quite understand what they were fighting for. Heck, she wasn't much. Plain and mousy, that was all she was compared to the other three girls. They all stood out and she was the one who sunk into the background. Ayane had her breasts to make her point, Kiyone was small with liquid blue eyes and Mai was just everything that she was not – confident and very charismatic. She looked at the match again before exhaling sharply and standing up tall. She cupped her hands to make her holler louder and breathed deeply only to managed a tiny "yay". Natsuki face-palmed at the sight of the girl; was she that frozen that even her cheering skills were horrible?

"Ahm sorry sugarcube but that wuz the worst cheer ah've ever heard," Natsuki shook her head with a sheepish laughter. "Ya hafta try harder than that. Oh wait… Ya'r not serious…"

It was only then that Natsuki remembered Shizuru having: a shit load of stage fright.

"Ah thought you got rid of that stuff," Natsuki slapped her own forehead and shook her head at Shizuru.

"N-No, of course not," Shizuru whimpered before slowly ducking behind the railing. "I-I c-can't!"

"Of course you can! If you can play a fantastic tennis match, you can cheer for a person!"

Shizuru let out a whimper before looking at the people watching, slowly shuddering. Natsuki blinked several times in disbelief; what happened to the calm, collected and, tomboyish Shizuru? That one seemingly just jumped out the window and now replaced her with something similar to My Little Pony's Fluttershy! She then realized and remembered the mood-swings that Shizuru had been suffering prior; it could be possible that her emotions were starting to get mixed up. She never seen Shizuru blush as red as her eyes and the sudden erupting of cheers suddenly made her yelp and hide.

Man, ah didn' know her amnesia would mess her up this badly. Guess this is what happens when somethin' big's about ta happen to an amnesia patient.

"C'mon Shizuru," Natsuki yanked her up to cheer. "CHEER, WOMAN!"

Shizuru swallowed hard and inhaled deeply, only to whisper a "yay" again. Natsuki wanted to face palm but found it better that she don't. She could only stare at the Hyotei captain but ended up giggling instead. Natsuki knew Shizuru ever since she was young since they were raised in the same organization hence their weird sisterly friendship. And somehow, she could only be happy that some of Shizuru's original personality began to resurface and retain itself.

"Arn~, Kurenai," Atobe massaged his temples with a cold hum. "You really are pathetic. You're the captain when you have the self-confidence size of a pea."

Shizuru impishly stuck out her tongue only to freeze on what she said. "And you're the one who's too full of it."

"Well, it seems Nagisaki taught you a thing or two how to talk back."

"I learned it from Ayane who said you needed to be knocked down a peg or two."

Atobe chuckled and glanced at Natsuki with a smug look. "You're playing a very dangerous card here, Amakusa."

Natsuki beamed. "Ah've always been known ta play dangerously. Ah always like ta play big. Just kinda like Babe Ruth, ya know."

"Glad to see a baseball star became your inspiration," Atobe smirked. "Well, what are you waiting for? Play the card."

Natsuki dragged Shizuru all the way to the bleachers where all the people saw her. Fuji gasped in surprise when Natsuki just happily planted Shizuru there. Oshitari, Shishido and the rest of the Japanese team stared at her as Natsuki patted the brunette's shoulder affectionately. The brunette whimpered when she heard the roaring crowds. Natsuki slapped her forehead and shook her head with a sigh. She leaned over the railing to see Tezuka playing.

"Howdy, Tezuka," she hollered.

The bespectacled male turned his head to see Shizuru shyly peeking from behind the Kansai female. If she was here, that meant she won her match! He couldn't help but beam in pride. Then again, even he could – he just wanted to toy with his opponent first before crushing the said idiot. Whoa, he stopped his thoughts. When had he become sadistic? Perhaps he had begun to hang out with Fuji too much. But then, he could feel his heart soaring at the sight of her. Shizuru leaned over to watch as he could feel the fire burning in his veins to win. To look good in her eyes.

This man must go down.

Tezuka faced Awi Jahi who was also looking at her.

Awi Jahi on the other hand saw the bright red eyes that were looking upon him in the match. He smirked at Shizuru who just blinked at him and stared blankly into his face. Awi glanced at Tezuka who seemed to be fuelled up more by her presence but this time, he was wondering how much power he still had left? He remembered the reports of Tezuka having an injured shoulder but he wasn't sure how exactly to make Tezuka use up his stamina for his shoulder. But whatever it was, he glanced at Tezuka with a grin.

"I'm all fired up," he chuckled.

Tezuka didn't grace him with anything as Awi Jahi served the shot. He chased after the ball and blasted it towards the other side of the court, forcing Awi Jahi to dart for the ball. He couldn't afford to lose; not with her watching! He hit the ball with full power and prepared to use the Tezuka Zone as it began to fly out of his reach. However, something stopped him as he remembered her telling him:

When your shoulder cannot do it, you have your legs to run it for you.

It was the first time he had put so much effort into running. And before he knew it, he suddenly appeared right at the proper place to hit the ball. Everyone gawked in surprise as Shizuru smiled in approval. Upon seeing her beaming smile, Tezuka smirked and smashed the ball using his momentum and weight. The ball screamed across the court and over the net with Awi Jahi running towards the ball to volley it. However, the ball had generated so much force that it actually began drilling his racquet. Awi winced at the blow before looking at Tezuka who suddenly reappeared at the middle of the court.

"Wow, when could Tezuka-buchou ever move that fast," Kikumaru gawked. "I've seen buchou move but not at the speed of light!"

Atobe glanced at Shizuru. "You taught him something, didn't you?"

Shizuru shook her head and shrugged. "I just told him to stop putting so much emphasis on his shoulder and helped his reaction time is all."

"You've turned him into a speed demon."

"I didn't know he would make that his main component!"

Fuji saw Tezuka prepare to do the Zero Shiki Drop Shot. "Of course for a finisher, he uses that…"

Awi Jahi ran up to the net, seeing Tezuka preparing to do the shot. "I have to get it before it drops…!"

Much to Awi Jahi's surprise, a mischievous smirk curved up Tezuka's lips instead. Everyone knew Tezuka to be a serious player and not someone who would play around. But seeing him smirk like that was a whole new dimension to everybody. The whole Japanese Team gasped in surprise when he suddenly flipped his racquet and lobbed it all the way back. It landed right at the corner of the single's line on the right side at the far back. Oishi couldn't believe it; when did Tezuka learn how to do Moon Volley?

"The best way to mess around with your opponent is to change style," Oshitari chuckled. "Well, I think this game is in the bag don't you think?"

Oishi watched Tezuka change his style in surprise. He hadn't expected his friend to be that type of person; that type of person who would let personal vendetta get in the way. However, Tezuka's explosive shots sounded off in the stadium and scared a lot of people. A lot of people looked at him, terrified. Some were more of astonishment. But that didn't matter him; he just wanted to win. He fired another shot towards the deep end of the corner with Awi stumbling around.

"Game, Tezuka: four games to four!"

Awi chuckled in amusement and mussed his hair. "Well, well, I should not have expected less. My butterfly really knows who to choose."

Before Tezuka could say anything, Coach Amunet suddenly called out. "Time out!"

The arbiter nodded. "Time out, 3 minutes."

Tezuka and Awi walked off the field and headed to their respective coaches. Ryuuzaki stared deeply into Tezuka's eyes and saw the swirl of emotions. It wasn't just an exploding volcano but a boiling magma ready to erupt. He kept his grip tight on his racquet as the old woman stepped up to tap his shoulder. Tezuka snapped out of his daze and looked at her.

"Painful? Any sharp pain," she asked, glancing worriedly at his shoulder.

The bespectacled male shook his head. "None, coach."

"You sure? You just played a killer game out there."

"Yes, coach."

Coach Ryuuzaki sighed and sat down when Shizuru beckoned Tezuka. Seeing her, the bespectacled male felt his heart jump to his throat but he chose to keep his expression stoic. He walked up to her and gently placed her hand on his left shoulder. He could feel something twist in his stomach; perhaps, that's what they called butterflies. He looked up and she smiled at him, causing all the blood to rush up his face. He fought down the blush as she nodded.

"Just don't forget to have fun okay," Shizuru quietly added. "I know winning is fun. But it won't be any fun if that's all you're thinking about."

Tezuka chuckled with a small smile. "Thank you for the advice, I'll try to remember that."

The two captains smiled at each other as Shizuru found herself in a position of opportunity. Should she tell him now or should she tell him later? But she couldn't help but look into his deep hazel eyes and see the soulful look that she had grown accustomed to pining for. Any woman would pine for a man who would look at her that way. She wasn't dumb; she was his muse and he was hers. But she didn't know how to act in a relationship let alone did she know anything about him asides from him being the captain of Seigaku? No, Shizuru shook her head. She wanted things done right.

"Tezuka," she finally gathered wits and exhaled sharply. "There's something I have to tell you."

Seigaku glanced at the exchange between the two tennis captains. Although they could barely hear anything, they could clearly see the small smile that curved up his lips. They could see how Shizuru relaxed in his company even though she would rather hide under a bench. What their eyes widened at however is when Shizuru gently placed her hand on his hand that was holding the rail. They could see the astonished look on his face which suddenly began to glow with a newfound determination. Tezuka gently slipped his hand out and all in one moment, he gently tugged her down which had Shizuru bend low enough for him to kiss her right temple. The moment they saw that, all of them twitched and gawked as if the world had begun to end.

"Holy," Momoshiro gawked.

Atobe chuckled with an amused hum. "Well…"

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

T-Tezuka-san, I'm sorry for my late response. But... the truth is, I've never been in a relationship before. Although I'm not gonna say no but, I won't just say yes either... I want to know you first... I want to learn about you and I am very sure you want to learn about me... So... can we try?

Even though the crowds were howling and cheering, Tezuka heard her soft whispers loud and clear. He couldn't believe what he heard. Tezuka looked at Shizuru and revealed a small smile. He hesitated to let go of her hand and he looked at her again. Shizuru meekly smiled before giving an annoyed snort. He couldn't help but let a chuckle bubble from his throat when he saw Shizuru blushing out of embarrassment.

"J-Just go already and stop giving me that l-look," Shizuru twitched and tried to keep her composure. "Go kick his butt."

Tezuka chuckled and nodded. "Don't worry, I don't like to lose."

"Nobody likes losing."

"Point taken."

He let go of her hand and walked past his teammates, keeping a stoic expression once again. Awi Jahi already stood in his position in the court whereas Tezuka still had to make his way there. He stood there to face Awi Jahi with some new power flowing inside him. He remembered the softness of her hand as he somewhat saw her image holding his hand. He looked back and saw Shizuru smiling. He could feel his blood boiling but not out of anger but more of sheer delight. Shizuru, finally saying her piece, cheered with the loudest voice she could muster.

"Go get him!"

Natsuki was shocked by Shizuru's sudden cheering. Soon, Japan seemed to cheer louder as she could hear the name "Tezuka" being chanted over and over again. Atobe snapped his fingers and Hyotei began cheering and chanting for the one man he had considered his rival. Rikkai Dai swung the Japanese flag and Seigaku had their cheers roaring loudly. When Tezuka looked over at his opponent, he could see the sheer bewilderment in his eyes. But he also saw something else.

Sadness.

Rejection.

The very things he himself feared when he had first confessed to Shizuru.

Now that he had some answer, although not complete – he felt a heavy burden get thrown off his shoulders. Although it was not yes, it was not a no either. It was better than nothing! She just wanted to be careful and so did he. If it was anything he prided himself on, it was being careful. But now he was holding her heart in his hands and so was she. He could feel something bubbling inside him but he wasn't sure what it was. It was not the Hyakuren or any weird tennis technique. It was just swelling up inside him and he couldn't help but smile.

"She's truly something else," Awi chuckled. "For you to smile like that, have you crowned her as your lady of love and beauty?"

Tezuka raised an eyebrow at the Egyptian. "You refer to her as if she were Lyanna Stark."

"And I, Rhaegar Targaryen," Awi chuckled and observed Tezuka, jabbing his finger at him condescendingly. "You are nothing more than a knight that stands in my way to crown her as my lady of love and beauty."

Tezuka narrowed his eyes at him. "And perhaps, do you remember what happened that day Rhaegar did that?"

"It was when all smiles died. I am not an idiot. I know the series, Tezuka."

Tezuka chose to barb him even further. "You only know of her beauty. You know nothing of the iron beneath."

"Said like a true Eddard Stark," Awi snickered. "She cannot be your Catelyn or Wylla for that matter. We all know what happened to Eddard Stark…"

For those who were watching, they could see auras rising up from behind. Whether or not it was comical, it didn't matter. Sanada could see a howling wolf behind Tezuka and a roaring dragon from behind Awi. He shook his head as Tezuka gave him a predatory glare, something that he had never seen in the Seigaku captain before. Atobe smirked and folded his legs and arms; seeing an awakened Tezuka was entirely new for him. Fuji had been watching the match with his eyes open the whole time. Inui had been scribbling down information faster than he could type it and everyone in the Japanese team could feel the auras dripping off Tezuka. That meant something for people especially for those who normally didn't care, now awed and astonished by Tezuka's newfound power.

Tezuka smirked as Awi Jahi served the shot. Tezuka graced him with no response before hitting the shot towards the corner. Awi darted for the ball and sent it back only to stumble and fall, giving Tezuka an opening to smash the shot. The shot exploded and Awi gawked as Tezuka smirked.

"Eddard died but Rhaegar died first," Tezuka pointed out before walking back to his position.

The Egyptian team could do nothing but stare at Awi's pending defeat. Tezuka had been trashing him out as if he had been mowing the lawn! They looked at the brunette and then at Awi. It was then they saw the anguish reflecting in his eyes and the longing stare on Awi's face for the girl. Apophis scoffed while Set and Osiris didn't even bother saying anything. Amunet sighed deeply; she thought Awi didn't have feelings for this girl. She thought that he was just looking at Shizuru as just a prize, nothing more. Yet here he was, pinning and whining like some lovesick fool.

"This match," Amunet shook her head. "It's already been lost…"

Awi struggled and began fighting back although; people could see how Shizuru easily affected the other male. Natsuki smirked; this was exactly the effect she was going for and it exceeded all her expectations! She had never expected Shizuru to confess nor finally gain the balls to touch another man's hand in a romantic manner. She could see the auras gleaming from behind Tezuka; she didn't need to be Florence to see how Tezuka felt. She could feel auras of happiness and sheer determination.

"Speakin' of which, what happen'd to the two," Natsuki looked back, wondering what had happened to Florence and Mai.

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

Lyra and Jade on the other hand were very surprised. While Florence was already wheezing, Mai had been pushing out everything she had. Sweat poured down Mai's face as she handed in a strong forehand towards the other side. Lyra pursued the shot and volleyed it over while Florence managed to engage her in a net exchange. The two girls began to volley while Jade began tagging Mai. She watched the red head follow her movements as well. She smirked; a genius trait. She had noticed it in many players who were considered "genius" in the field of tennis; their habit of observation. They play around for awhile before unleashing their full arsenal.

"Well, well, someone's holding back," Jade giggled softly. "I did not expect you to be one to hold back, Mai."

Mai smirked back at her. "Well, I'm not the type to just waste all my energy."

"It's a shame you won't have time to remedy that," Jade slammed the shot towards the back, the moment the shot went past Lyra. "I was looking forward to playing against you at your full potential."

Mai narrowed her eyes and leapt forward. She sliced the ball upward, causing both Jade and Lyra to step backward. However, much to their surprise – the ball vanished into thin air!

"Oh my God, where did it go," the audience gasped.

Even her teammates gawked in surprise. "Mai…?"

Florence looked back at Mai with a bewildered expression. "Nagisaki..?"

Mai remained silent as a sultry smirk curved up her lips. "Shirozakuraso…" (White Primrose)

Jade and Lyra froze and looked at right in front of them as the ball had already stopped bouncing. It was right there at the middle of the net; nobody had noticed it drop or anything.

"Game Nagisaki-Hoshimura: three games to one!"

Jade smirked and glanced at Lyra. "Have you analyzed them well enough, Lyra?"

The black haired girl nodded with her lavender eyes gleaming with mischief. "Yes, most certainly."

Florence blinked in confusion until realization hit her; they weren't targeting her. "You were forcing out all of Mai's skills."

"And she took the bait," Jade shrugged nonchalantly. "Impressive isn't it?"

"Admittingly yes, I did not understand what in blue blazes you were doing until now."

"Yes, I did not expect that until Lyra showed me her skills as well. She does have this crazy level of observational skills…"

Florence nodded before walking over to Mai. "Mai, did you…?"

"Yeah I did, she was just playing me," Mai cut her off smoothly. "Honestly, she was trying to do that with you too."

Florence stared at Mai, puzzled. "Really?"

"Yeap," Mai nodded before twirling her racquet in her hand. "Now, it's going to be our service now. I think Lyra copied some of our skills. She most certainly copied mine though."

Florence couldn't believe the assumptions Mai was making. "Mai, I don't think someone could copy things on first sight."

"Not unless they have eidetic memory. Lyra gives us the same gaze Isane-senpai does when she's observing someone."

"Uchiha has eidetic memory?"

"How do you think she can copy people easily?"

Florence nodded; that did answer a lot of things about the Hyotei Sniper. "So how do you defeat someone like that…?"

"Someone like who?"

"Someone like Uchiha. How do you beat someone with eidetic memory?"

Mai pondered for a bit with a nonchalant shrug. "Well, there's scaring them witless. The problem with that though is we don't know what she's scared of."

Florence chuckled and patted Mai on the shoulder. "Ah but you seem to forget. I have Prism Sight."

Mai gawked in realization, beaming. "Of course! You can see if she's terrified or not!"

"Indeed. Now, the question is – how do we make something that could somehow terrify her…"

The two Japanese girls were stumped as the British players stood for a moment to watch them discuss strategies. Jade sighed deeply; it looks like Mai figured out that she had been buying time for Lyra to copy her movements. She probably knew that Lyra had eidetic memory which helped her hold onto the moves even more. She glanced at the red head before smiling at Florence. She remembered the terror she felt when Florence suddenly just collapsed on the floor, spitting blood. That wasn't normal. Blood had begun to leak through her nose and she seemed to have been choking on her own blood and mucus.

"At least Florence looks okay now," Lyra remarked off-handedly, standing next to Jade.

Jade nodded and laughed. "Yeah, at least she isn't all over the floor anymore. That was most terrifying…"

Florence turned back to Jade. "Hey, you ready for another round?"

Jade nodded with a grin. "Of course I am, what do you take me for?"

"Yeah, I thought so. I wouldn't expect anything less from my best friend!"

"You bet!"

Mai served the shot with Jade returning it straight to Florence with a backhand. She slammed it back with a forehand as Lyra chased after it. The ball suddenly stopped spinning and sped towards them like a speeding javelin through water. Mai gawked but shook it off, chasing after the ball. Lyra had just copied her attack! Mai staggered back as the ball zoomed right past her, knocking her off her feet. Mai fell flat on her butt while Lyra lowered her racquet. The people stared in amazement as Lyra bowed. Florence nodded and glanced at Jade who shrugged.

"Not bad, what hole did she crawl out from," Florence asked with a satisfactory nod.

"A little town in Wales," Jade explained. "She was the district champion there."

"Coach Thomas must've really found her cute."

"Yeap, you know him and his aesthetic standards. Gotta be pretty and strong, sometimes even I myself don't get his standards."

Lyra smiled at Mai. "Speeding Spear Flower – it's quite a fancy name for such a simple attack."

"Well, I've always been into dramatics," the red haired tensai shrugged nonchalantly. "A piercing attack like that should have a name that penetrates and strikes fear when used."

"Spear Flower doesn't sound fearsome though. It simply sounds… well… like that," Lyra was unsure of how to describe it.

"Apparently, not impressive enough for you?"

"Meh, I am quite a hard person to please so… you may as well not mind me. I have high standards."

Jade glanced at Mai who had been talking to Lyra. "Despite being talked down and criticized, she still has her confidence. I like that."

Florence shrugged. "She's been broken too many times."

"Usually from broken pieces of glass you can form a more colorful painting."

"That's… probably what she is."

Florence glanced back at Mai who kept a serious expression on her face. She didn't look angry but rather determined; she could see Mai's fingers curling tightly over her racquet and also her feet bouncing a bit. Florence figured she didn't mind the crowds and the audience because of constantly performing.

But how would she feel when her own attack is used against her?

Mai shrugged nonchalantly. "You know, being a genius doesn't always necessarily pertain to technique."

Lyra chuckled. "Quite a diplomatic answer."

"Well it's the truth," Mai said as-a-matter-of-factly. "Like, there's the bookish kind and the application kind. And then, there's a blend of both."

While watching the doubles pair play, Hitomi took down notes. She began to scribble away and took down Mai's behaviour. She smiled at the progress Mai made but couldn't help but worry about what Mai was hiding. She remembered the song she sang during the party and how she got slushied by Sumeragi Rena. What had happened prior? Why didn't Mai say anything?

"She probably didn't want us to worry," Hitomi mumbled. "That was the time we were in the Good Will Games training camp..."

The real question however was for how long?

Rin saw the worried expression on Mai's face. What could possibly get the data master so worried? It was rare that Hyotei's mastermind got trifled or got worried over things. So many things were happening, Shizuru was having mood swings, Kiyone and Ayane got sent to the clinic after one match and, they had some sort of psychotic killer on the loose. She pouted; a lot of these things she found out through people talking.

"Nobody tells me anything," she pouted and folded her arms until someone kissed her cheek. "Hey!"

When she looked up, there stood Kajimoto with soft-serve ice cream. She beamed as he sat down next to her and gave her the cone. She licked her mocha iced cream while Kajimoto enjoyed his mango flavoured one. He saw her staring at the iced cream for a moment with a sad sigh.

"Anything wrong, Rin," Kajimoto asked, worried.

She sighed deeply before shaking her head. "I don't know..."

Kajimoto gave her a bewildered look. "Huh?"

"It's just," Rin began only to sigh again. "All these things happening in the team..."

Kajimoto bit his lower lip anxiously. "You mean Momo...?"

"Not just Momo, Mai and Shizuru seem to have something too," Rin said sullenly and dropped her head onto her arms. "Shizuru has this thing happening in her mind and Mai is hiding something too. Why else would she get slushied by Sumeragi? Haruka has Jackal too. But... Why?"

Kajimoto stayed silent.

"Why am I always the last to know these things," Rin's dark eyes began to brim with tears.

Kajimoto looked at his iced cream for a moment before slinging his arm around Rin and pressed her face against his chest, making sure his iced cream didn't fall. He could hear her silently sob and ran his fingers through her head. He patted her head while watching the match unfold before him. He didn't know what to say, save for hugging. With guys, all it needed was box of tissues and some beer. For girls, the only thing he knew he needed was tissue, iced cream, some romantic comedies...

Wait a minute, Kajimoto stopped himself. That's heartbreaking depression not depression caused by deteriorating friendships.

"Rin, maybe you can go talk to your teammates about it," Kajimoto offered until he noticed something with her nail on her pointer finger. "Rin, what happened there?"

If there was anything he knew about Rin, the black haired acrobat loved painting her nails. She would have never missed bubbling and cracking on her nail polish let alone on one finger.

Rin glanced at her finger and pulled back with a nervous laughter. "Oh, uh - it's just a cracked paint job. I'll fix that later."

He found her laughter too nervous for his liking. He examined her body build and he always wondered why she seemed to lose more and more weight. She seemed skinnier than usual that even her jersey would hang like a curtain over her shoulders. Her smile seemed more tired and he could see dark rings under her eyes. How could he have not noticed it? He looked at the sweat pouring down her face as it started to erode away her make-up.

"When did you use that much make-up," Kajimoto stared aghast.

Rin shrugged. "Since forever?"

He glanced around and tapped Hitomi on the shoulder. "You don't happen to have baby oil on you?"

Hitomi blinked several times and fished through her purse to reveal baby oil. "60% chance it's for your hair or…"

"It's not for me. It's for Rin."

Hitomi blinked several times in surprise as Kajimoto hurried away with the baby oil. He put some on his hand before rubbing it together. Using his thumbs, he wiped away the concealer from both her eyes before noticing the darkened eye-bags underneath. He used his palms to wipe away the blush from her cheeks only to her a pale face. It was only then he noticed how stringy her hair was and how droopy her eyes looked. Rin flinched and drew back, trying to push him away.

"Kajimoto, what are you doing," Rin laughed nervously.

Kajimoto then held her wrist and only then did he notice that his fingers were able to curl around her wrist and touch his thumb. "Rin, what did you have for breakfast?"

Rin blinked and then looked away; what kind of question is that? "Um, toast with butter?"

However, the way she looked away and hesitated made him feel more uneasy. "Really? Are you sure?"

"Positive! Ask Haruka! She knows I only eat toast and butter for breakfast!"

Kajimoto remained silent before looking at Hitomi. "Hitomi, what is Rin's weight now?"

Rin stared aghast at him. "You could have just asked me!"

"She's currently," Hitomi began flipping through the pages before gawking in surprise. "110 lbs…"

Kajimoto glanced at Rin who seemed to shiver and shrink from his gaze. It wasn't a look of anger but rather a look of concern and disappointment. When had Rin start starving herself? It doesn't make sense! Or when had she started purging? He had relatives die because of too much purging! However, his interrogation was cut short when he heard the British fans scream when Lyra scored yet another point. This time, Mai had a stupefied look on her face. She saw Lyra twirling and dancing around before strking a pose with a smile.

"You got no rhythm, dear," Lyra winked suggestively before gesturing to the crowds. "Am I right?"

The crowds howled and cheered for more until they heard Mai clapping. Surprised, Lyra saw Mai give her an applause before bowing to her.

"Kudos to you," Mai smirked and nodded. "You copy cat. It takes crazy stuff for someone to copy all my moves."

Lyra gasped in surprise. "You're… You're not upset?"

"Why would I be? It just proves that I'm worth something emulating. Nothing really big."

Florence chuckled; she couldn't believe how easy it was for Mai to handle that kind of pressure. Most people would have cracked after facing their own skills being used against them. The premise would be that they would be fighting themselves. However, Mai brushed it off and dusted her skirt to check if there was any dust as if the attack meant nothing. Sure she slipped but probably because she had to stop herself from slamming into the net face first. She saw the friction marks on the ground and looked at Mai's worn out rubber shoes.

"Quite impressive," Florence mumbled to herself. "I just wonder how many pairs of shoes does she have in her closet."

On the other side, Natasha shook her head. "This kid's more impressive than the one you fought, Nerissa."

Nerissa shook her head. "In terms of character and personality maybe, but I would like to think in skill-wise that the one I fought was exceptionally formidable."

"At least they're not the stereotypical fan girls," Natasha chuckled while patting Jennifer's head as she leaned against her shoulder. "Dearheart, can you go check who won for the second tier for the girls? I want to see who we have to fight against should we win this match."

Jennifer opened her cellphone, scrolling down the results and the charts. "Scotland made it to the second round and so did Ireland. Would you believe Iran also made it?"

"Of course they would. They were trained in harsh environments especially with all the terrorists attacking them and using them as home base."

"That would most likely push their physical skills along with sense of vigilance."

While Natasha and Jennifer were talking to each other, the younger sister of Natasha watched sadly. She never understood why her sister hated her so much. It didn't make much sense to her. She remembered her papa saying how lovable she was and that people always found her adorable. But she never understood why Natasha had become so vindictive towards her. Natasha got all the good toys, she always had her papa's attention. So, why? The question rang constantly in her mind as she hugged her legs. She remembered the sandy blonde girl who she played against in the tournament and whether she knew it or not, she hit it right on the head.

Azola sadly looked at Natasha before looking up at Irene imploringly. "Irene, why doesn't Natasha like me?"

Irene glanced at the little girl, wondering what she could answer. Whether or not the sandy blonde girl from the Japanese team knew what she was doing, she knew that her comment had hit home. Azola had felt bad and often retreated to her side. She couldn't blame however Natasha's animosity towards her; anyone who believed that their father was their hero would have their heartbroken when they find out they have another princess. And, having that reminder live in the same house in the same room, forced to come to terms with that without any reprieve would definitely drive a hole. She gently patted the little girl on the head and smiled.

"I'm sure Natasha's just stressed," Irene lied, praying that the girl bought it. "This game is a big deal for her after all. We get sponsorships and we also get tennis gear plus prize money. This is a big deal for anyone who plays in these games."

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

After Shizuru's declaration, everyone could then see how much she could affect the two boys.

Tezuka had easily began overpowering Awi despite the techniques. Tezuka didn't show the slightest signs of being distracted but in fact, more determined. He dashed towards the side and slammed the ball straight towards the corner. Despite Awi Jahi being in range, he sprinted for it but not at the same ferocity he had prior to Shizuru showing up. Awi staggered around and hit back but Tezuka no longer felt the power in his shots. Tezuka darted forward and went for a drive volley to which Awi returned but no longer with the aggressiveness and just rallied with Tezuka as if he were just in practice. Apophis gawked and dropped his face onto the railing and shook his head.

"You gotta be kidding," Apophis groaned. "He actually had feelings for the brat!?"

Osiris and Set remained silent as Ramuh shrugged. "Well, she's okay. I mean, I've seen cuter. She looks too ordinary."

ValBijon looked at the match unfolding before noting quietly. "But the fact that Awi had distracted himself with her…"

"Is what's going to cause his down fall," Coach Amunet grimly concluded, causing all the Egyptian team members to face her.

Apophis groaned and rolled his eyes. "Please tell me we're going to kick his ass for this."

Sobek remained silent before picking up his flute to practice. "Hm."

"Oh come on, Sobek! You gotta talk more than that!"

Ramuh watched Tezuka fire another strong forehand and blast down Awi's defences without much effort. He knew that Japan housed monsters of their own but he hadn't expected them to become this powerful. His opponent was pretty good himself; for someone rumoured to not even play doubles, he was able to play doubles with someone who also couldn't. Many of their players seem to be more on Singles, Ramuh mused and glanced at the other members with a shrug. Then again, he knew that doubles was either – you play with your person of choice or you change your style to fit that of your teammate. That's what had happened between him and ValBijon. Despite ValBijon being the more experienced player, it was he who taught him how to play doubles.

"Game, Tezuka 5 games to 4!"

Everyone whooped and cheered with Tezuka's comeback. Momoshiro could be heard howling and cheering while Kawamura swung the school flag. Fuji had a big smile, not his usual serene smile. Yukimura chuckled at Tezuka's sudden burst of will power and Atobe clapped his hands in amusement. The king of Hyotei could not believe that Tezuka finally let his emotions trickle down into his playing style. Not necessarily playing style but rather his strength, Atobe smirked. He was all too familiar with that sudden boost of power; the power of emotion surging through your veins – be it joy or despair, it could either fuel or destroy a person. Vengeance was a powerful motivator as well, Atobe added to himself while using his Insight to analyze the match. He didn't need to have fortune telling powers to tell what the outcome was however.

"Tezuka has this. All he needs is one more," Atobe began until Tezuka suddenly began making explosive serves, that vanished into thin air!

"Ace, 15-love," the arbiter declared."

Fuji chuckled with a fold of his arms. "Tezuka's not wasting any time anymore. He wants to finish this."

Oishi shook his head in astonishment. "Tezuka was known to always give his all but if this is his all, what has been using on us all this time?"

Kikumaru jumped onto the rail, whooping and cheering. "Go Tezuka-buchou! Finish him!"

Tezuka unfortunately, paid no heed to Kikumaru. However, he did hear Shizuru's cheering from behind.

"Finish him off," he heard her cheer.

With this, a small smirk curved up his lips as he prepared to serve. He looked straight into Awi Jahi's eyes and could see his trembling form. Tired and wasted from all the chasing and attacking, Awi Jahi looked like he was about to collapse. Let's not forget the psychological damage, Tezuka reminded himself. Was he really the type to crush a person who had been rejected? Was he really the type to stomp on a dejected and heartbroken person? Tezuka pondered for a moment before shrugging internally.

He tried to steal her first.

He slowly turned to Shizuru with a smirk; something rare for many people to see. Although the cheering was loud, the Seigaku team members could see the movements of his lips say one thing:

"Yes, milady."

With one explosive serve, Tezuka unleashed the shot with Awi Jahi trying to return it. Awi struggled against the impact of the shot only to hear a sickening crack. He gasped in pain as he forcibly let go of his racquet. The ball blasted a hole through his racquet before embedding itself in the wall. Awi Jahi hissed in pain before falling to his knees while people stared in astonishment at the smoke wafting into the air from the ball. Tezuka stood triumphant and the arbiter declared.

"Game and match. Tezuka! Six games to four! Japan moves on to the next round!"

The people howled and cheered for Tezuka and he could hear his name being chanted. Although this was something that he dreamed of, his mind slowly moved towards the girl who had finally given him the response. It wasn't the best but it was better than nothing. However, his joy was cut short when he heard Awi Jahi scream in pain. Everyone turned to Awi Jahi when everyone saw what had happened: there was a slight protrusion from his skin and a black and blue marking. Tezuka's eyes widened with horror; he had put that much force that he actually fractured Awi Jahi's wrist?! The Egyptian team had gathered towards him as the audience gasped in horror.

"You," Awi Jahi hissed and glared before keeping a cold stare. "Keep the bitch, she no longer means anything to me."

Seeing how quick Awi's emotions towards Shizuru changed, Tezuka knew then that Awi's feelings for her were highly superficial. "You would have never seen the diamond underneath…"

"Don't worry, Tezuka," he coldly hummed after being hauled off by Sobek and Osiris. "They're all the same."

The first aid team gathered around the Egyptian team as the audience remained silent. Tezuka quietly walked off the court as his teammates looked at him. He looked up before placing his racquet in his bag. Coach Ryuuzaki saw the hint of guilt in his eyes. He didn't mean to break his wrist. Awi just managed to catch the serve at the wrong time. Tezuka saw Shizuru run up towards him and he now found himself unable to look at her. He never had seriously injured a player but he had never meant to. Despite this, Shizuru extended her hand with a small smile.

"Walk with me," she asked.

He nodded weakly and followed after her without much of a fight. Suddenly, they heard a loud crisp sound as they found Coach Amunet with a backhand and Awi Jahi on the floor with a big red handprint on his left cheek.

"You do not blame your loss on someone who is more powerful than you," she darkly glared at the boy. "You blame your own weakness that you let your emotion rule your own judgement and because of that – you lost your wrist."

Ramuh offered to help but ValBijon put his hand in front of him. "Val!"

"Let them be," ValBijon quietly said. "This was his fault and his alone."

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

"Game: Henstridge-Bosworth pair! 5 games to 5," the arbiter declared.

Mai and Florence were huffing and puffing from running. Jade and Lyra didn't look like in any better shape either as both knees began to buckle. Florence heaved loudly while trying to push herself to get up. She could feel her lungs aching but she couldn't give up now. Not when Mai had been pushing her hardest.

"It would be unfair to her," Florence mumbled to herself. "This girl has come so far."

Mai smirked and looked at Lyra. "You could do it but... You didn't get everything completely. Just the raw move."

Lyra nodded. "So you knew?"

"More or less. You can copy as much as you want but your mind knows that it's doing an abnormal movement. That's why copycats tire out easily."

Florence chuckled; this was a display of Mai's genius. Her analytical skills are only secondary to Hitomi's.

Jade nodded and clapped her hands. "Well-played, Nagisaki. Well-played."

Mai curtised with a smirk. "I live to impress."

"Clearly. Nothing less expected from a broadway star."

Hitomi nodded and looked at the match exchange. She looked at Mai's previous matches and then she looked at Florence. She looked at her notes about Florence then she grabbed her notebook about Shizuru. She checked her notes and then looked at Florence.

"She copied Shizuru's style on purpose," the realization dawned upon the Mastermind. "I wonder if she knew..."

Fuuka raised an eyebrow at the blonde Hyotei Mastermind. "If who knew what?"

"If Florence knew that by emulating Shizuru's style she could bring out Mai's full potential," Hitomi said before looking at her notes again. "But that's just a theory."

The red haired Seigaku captain shrugged. "It's feasible. It could be the case. Florence has always been an accurate judge of character."

"Pairing that off with Mai's analytical skills," Hitomi shook her head before pondering. I wonder if Coach Banji knew that.

If he did, she now understood why Yamabuki if given enough time would have been a powerful force.

Florence bit her lower lip while analyzing Lyra and Jade. She had to hand it to the redhead; Mai had figured out their strategies and she told Florence that there was no need to scare the girl. Mai had second thought that she didn't want to torment the poor girl with horrifying images. The tensai had told Florence that it was the main reason why most people with powerful imaginations and eidetic memory avoided horror movies.

"You do have a caring heart," Florence laughed softly as Mai prepared her service. "Someone has to be Kurenai's voice of reason. I just hope you two become close friends again..."

Mai's service cracked off her racquet as they began rallying again. Although she could feel her chest tightening, Florence refused to back down. She could feel the exhilerating joy pulsing in her veins and powering her legs. Florence darted forward with flashing speed before volleying with Jade. All the gorls from the Japanese Team stared in admonishment whereas the British Team watched on with astonishment.

"It looks like Florence is trying to end this," Natasha chuckled. "I always knew her to release her power at the end. But it's too late," - she glanced at Jade. "Jade knows her moves inside out and her lungs can't accomodate that quick a distribution of air throughout her body."

Jennifer looked up at Natasha. "But didn't she have a surgery for her lungs already?"

"She left her rehabilitation too early," Natasha explained. "Lady herself had told me that she was in the operating room assisting with the surgery. Florence needed more than 3 montns. She cut it real close by cutting it into 2 and a half months."

Mai glanced at Florence. "You better watch your lungs. You might collapse."

Florence nodded with heavy breathing. "Don't... Worry... I'll be fine."

Mai didn't need to have Momo's Mind Eye talent to figure that Florence was at the end of her ropes. The night she found out that she was to be Florence's partner for the first round, she had quietly made her way to Juushinhi René's room.

Flashback

Mai stood in front of the room labelled "Juushinhi, Renkeikouji, Jaëger and, Saijou". She sighed deeply before knocking on the door. She knew Juushinhi wouldn't be able to talk but she was certain that she could read people's lips. The door opened and revealed René in her pink Hello Kitty pyjamas. In one hand, René had a nail polish brush and her pyjama pants were rolled up to her knees. She giggled sheepishly and scratched the back of her neck.

"Bad timing?"

René shook her head with a smile, making hand gestures.

"Oh, um," Mai waved her hands to tell René. "I can't understand sign language. I'm good at lip reading though."

René gave her a repugnant stare.

"Sorry about this, René," Mai smiled apologetically. "But I need your help regarding Florence."

René pondered for a moment before mouthing. What exactly do you need help with?

"First question: how long can Florence last in a match," Mai asked.

Renè pondered for a moment before shrugging. Usually 30 minutes as long as she has timeouts for her inhaler. But with her new lungs, I am not sure...

Mai bit her lower lip; that was a start at least. "Does she have any special moves that I need to know about?"

René pondered before raising an eyebrow at her. Why don't you ask her?

"You want me to enter a warzone that has all five captains in it?"

Fair point. Far as the team is concerned, she usually just outruns her opponents.

Mai nodded. "A speed demon like Shizuru...?"

René shrugged. Your captain is a snail compared to Florence.

"She has an injured knee," Mai quickly defended but then asked. "How do I tell if Florence is at the end of her ropes?"

René motioned to her chest and pretended to start coughing.

"She," Mai looked at René awkwardly. "She starts coughing out blood?"

René nodded and started pounding her chest and started heavily breathing.

"Her breathing becomes laboured, spits out blood," Mai ran a checklist. "How about anything on the face? I don't think I can hear her breathing from 3 feet away."

René pondered for a moment until an idea hit her. She started gesturing to her eyes and pretended to have tears falling out of them. Mai blinked several times before finally getting it.

"Her eyes get watery," Mai asked.

René nodded with a smile. Yup!

Mai nodded and smiled. "Thanks René. And sorry for waking you up..."

René shook her head and instead pointed to her toes that had cotton balls wedged in between the gaps between the gaps of her toes. Mai smiled when she saw Renè's toenails coloured with rainbows and a Nyan Cat at the end of the big toe. The tensai smiled; sometimes when they were too busy obsessing over them as opponents, they had a tendency to forget that they were young girls just like they were. Mai nodded and laughed.

"You and Ayane will get along famously. You have no idea how much nail polish she hides in her house."

Flashback End

Mai immediately began searching for the signs. She saw Florence's eyes were already slightly watery and her knees were about to buckle beneath her. But she knew the captain of Jyosei Shounan wasn't going to like her suggestion. All captains are like that, Mai pouted. Anything that suggests that there's a problem, they instantly consider it a weakness for it to be corrected. But the red head knew better; if Florence didn't take it easy, she could end up vomiting more than just blood and stomach acids. She began racking her brains for an idea before something hit her.

Duh, Mai wanted to face-palm herself as she tossed the ball up into the air.

She hit her service that descended faster than usual. The ball then crawled on the court and spun off straight in between Jade's legs.

"Ace, 15-love," the arbiter declared.

Hitomi chuckled. "There it is, the Sazanka Serve. I was wondering when she would use that."

Rin shrugged. "Maybe she just got lazy?"

While Rin and Hitomi were talking, Kajimoto couldn't help but feel uneasy about Rin's sudden loss of weight. He heard about weight loss but hers just had happened so fast. Rin had formerly been 120 lbs last week and now, she dropped to 110! What in the world is she doing, Kajimoto thought to himself. He didn't want to scold her in front of so many people but he knew he was going to have a stern talk with her later. He didn't like the fact that his fingers could now touch the other end of his hand when he held her wrist.

Florence blinked several times before walking over to Mai, dropping her hand on her shoulder. "When did you learn that…?"

Mai shrugged. "I've always had it. It's just that I use for it emergencies. Emergencies like your lungs giving out and you about to vomit more than just your guts."

Florence scowled. "I am not dying, Nagisaki."

"You will be if you don't take it easy."

Florence groaned and shook her head. "Mai, we cannot weaken our pace now. Jade and Lyra…"

"They know you're at your limit," Mai cut her off smoothly. "Didn't you notice that they were focusing the attack on you after and left me alone?"

Florence opened her mouth to protest but wisely found it better to think. She then realized what Jade and Lyra had been doing. Was she that obvious? She thought the lungs that were given to her were already worry-free. Apparently not, she snorted in annoyance. The British-Japanese girl sighed deeply before looking at Mai. The red head looked more determined than ever and she knew that Mai was very experienced dealing with stubborn people. Shizuru was the epitome of stubbornness. When the brunette wanted something, she would stop at nothing to have it.

"Well, I'm listening. Any plan," Florence sighed in submission.

No wonder Kurenai always has migraines. I have a feeling that fighting with Nagisaki is like locking horns with a bull.

"Well, we could go back to the scaring the daylights out of Lyra idea," Mai shrugged with a wistful smile. "Or…"

Damn, I'm out of ideas.

Mai hated it when she was out of ideas. She was the master of impromptu strategies! She scowled in annoyance at her lack of ideas before looking at Lyra and Jade. She didn't want to scar Lyra for the rest of her life. She remembered the first time the team had gone out to watch a horror movie, unaware that both Isane and Shizuru hated horror movies. Isane's eidetic memory permanently ingrained that into her mind and Shizuru's crazy imagination gave her nightmares. Mai face-palmed before realizing something.

"Wait a minute," Mai looked at the ball before looking at the court.

She looked at Florence again and then at the two girls. Suddenly, an idea hit her when she saw both Lyra and Jade also at the end of their ropes.

"I got it," Mai beamed before looking at Florence. "The best part is, you don't need to move too much!"

Florence frowned. "This better be good."

Mai waved her hand to dismiss the comment. "Geez, I'm always good with plans. Your Prism Sight – what else can it do asides from analyse emotions?"

"That's the basic component but if I put more effort, I can possibly see," Florence realized what she was getting at. "Blind spots…"

Mai nodded with a huge grin. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Mai, you can't handle both of them alone!"

"I won't be. You can catch the ones that fly past but I'm pretty sure that with instructions I'll know where to go."

Florence sighed before lowering her body at the net. "So, I'll just stay here?"

Mai nodded. "Yeap and you can return the volleys. Just don't move around too much. Let me do the running."

Florence nodded as Mai served again. The serve sent the ball rolling on the ground, going right past Lyra. The copycat looked up and saw Mai smirking.

"What do you see, Florence?"

Florence looked closely before seeing the colour black flash before her eyes mixed with grey. "Mai, she's… scared."

"Yeah," Mai nodded until she realized what she heard. "Come again? She's scared?"

Florence nodded. "Yes… and it's like the horror movie kind of scared. I've seen this colour combination so many times to know what it is. Nervousness would have been dark fuchsia… This is fear."

Mai raised an eyebrow; what could she possibly be scared of? She replayed the exchange in her mind and looked at Lyra. Nothing happened save for the ball that rolled right in between Lyra's legs. She pondered for a moment before taking her stance to serve again. What could possibly terrify the girl about a rolling serve? It's more of the "piss-off" kind of service, as quoted by the sandy blonde girl from Hyotei. But why would Lyra be afraid of a serve that doesn't bounce? Unless…

She can't see it. If she can't see it properly, she can't copy it.

The realization dawned on Mai when she smirked. "You can't copy it…"

Florence blinked when she heard Mai figured it out. "What do you mean she can't copy it?"

"She can't copy something that's too fast for her to catch," Mai smiled triumphantly before looking at Lyra in the eye. "Am I right?"

Frozen in fear, Lyra realized that Mai had figured it out.

"I thought so," Mai smirked. "Your memory only works if you see it properly. If it's too fast for your eyes to catch, you can't see it therefore cannot replicate it."

On the sidelines, Fuuka shook her head in astonishment. She knew Shizuru was a monster but Mai's analytical skills could terrify anyone. Hitomi had her own data collecting skills but that's data collection. Analysing things was a different spectrum altogether. Hyotei's full of monsters, Fuuka commented to herself. Then again, she had expected Mai's analysis skills to be good since she had training in the theatre to understand people. Understand characters, their behaviours and, environments in order to replicate them. In other words…

"She herself knows how to be a copy cat," Fuuka nodded with an impressed look. "Impressive, Nagisaki."

Kurenai's talents are latent. Nagisaki's are acquired, she's more terrifying than the captain.

Atoli sat beside her captain and shook her head. "She's a monster, isn't she, Souma-senpai?"

Fuuka nodded. "No shit she is, I just wonder why she didn't become captain if she's this good. She has better PR than Kurenai."

That's because I'm a tad bit… well, lazy.

While serving the ball, Mai happened to overhear Fuuka's comment. Several things had stopped her from being captain. Firstly, she was already leader of one department of the dance troupe of Hyotei. Second, she constantly had Broadway plays to put on and she couldn't handle all the paperwork. Third and most importantly, virtue of strength and skill – Shizuru trumped her easily. Besides, Mai shrugged to herself. She didn't like being a colleague of Atobe. She could imagine herself pulling out her hair and kicking him in the nuts. How Shizuru could put up with him, she could never understand.

"Come on, Mai!"

She looked up when she saw the other men's team members there. She saw Shishido, Gakuto and, almost everyone there save for Tezuka and Shizuru. She blinked several times; where in the world did Shizuru go? Even with the crowds cheering and telling her to finish off Lyra and Jade, she was more occupied with her captain. She was worried about her headaches and hallucinations. Heck, the static energy startled her. If Tezuka was with her, that only meant one thing in her mind. Suddenly, a devious grin curved up her lips. She laughed to herself with giddy and joy, causing Florence to stare at her strangely.

"Do I even want to know what sort of evil plan you have in mind," Florence swallowed nervously. Thank God none of my teammates are geniuses. Stereotypically, they have an evil streak in them for some strange reason.

Mai gave her a Cheshire grin as her amber gold feline eyes twinkled mischievously. "That depends if you're willing to confuse yourself."

"I'll pass then."

Mai sent the last serve, rolling it right between Jade and Lyra. "Game: Nagisaki-Hoshimura: 6 games to 5!"

Jade heaved and puffed. "Lyra, we can't get intimidated with that shot. We can end this."

Lyra shook her head. "N-No we can't. She's right, I…"

"You just have to get used to it," Jade pointed out and placed her hands on Lyra's shoulders. "I believe in you. If you could memorize pizza phone numbers and whole books, why can't you memorize the technique?"

Lyra bit her lip. "B-because…"

I don't have motion sight.

Lyra was well-aware of her lack of motion sight. She had some of it but her eyes had become too tired of catching Mai's techniques. Whether or not Jade knew, Lyra knew that Mai's techniques were far more complex than they appeared. The Shirozakuraso and the Kurosakuraso – same principle, different concept. She could copy the Kosoku Yaribana but that was because it was sheer power like a piercing arrow. The attack had no special spin or flipping to it. Or did it, Lyra mused to herself. From the other side, it was then Florence figured out what Mai did.

"You confused her on purpose," Florence beamed in realization. "Mai, how…?"

Mai shrugged nonchalantly. "You can't expect me to magically put on theatric make-up and make me look like Sadako now can you? Terrifying her wasn't feasible."

"Nope," Florence dryly laughed. "But that was quick thinking! How did you know she would get confused?"

Unfortunately, Florence didn't get the answer she was expecting from the genius. "You want me to be honest?"

"What is it?"

"I just guessed and prayed that she would get her brains scrambled."

Florence gawked at the red head; that's it? No impressive analysis skills, no nothing? Just praying and hoping? The British Japanese girl was speechless; she chuckled wistfully and glanced at Mai who prepared to receive Lyra's service. Confusion does lead to doubt then, leads to fear. Florence nodded and waited for the service as Lyra began her service. The ball flew to Mai who quickly suddenly clipped the ball right underneath and sliced it, causing it to limply drop over the net and disappear! Everyone gawked when they realized what attack that was.

Hitomi could say nothing. "Holy crap…"

Fuuka shook her head. "You gotta be fucking kidding me."

Mai smirked and shrugged. "You know, Henstridge, you wanna know why I understood your playing style?"

Lyra said nothing, waiting for Mai's explanation.

"Because I used to play like that too," Mai smirked. "And while I confused opponents by copying their movements, someone else would obliterate them from the face of the court."

Florence then realized who Mai was talking about. "Shizuru…"

"Copycat Mai," Mai chuckled and returned Lyra's shot. "That was what they used to call me for two reasons: one, because I had feline-looking eyes and two…"

Lyra gave her a forehand as Mai took her position to swing her racquet like a bat.

"Because it didn't take me long to analyze and mirror someone's exact movement. After all, I had to learn how to do that in Broadway."

With one swing and throw of her body, the ball exploded and Jade tried to catch it only for it to smack her fingers and knock her racquet out of her hand. Everyone in the stands stared in surprise as Mai bowed. Mai winced however as she began hopping on one foot and laughed sheepishly.

"Ugh, I can't copy their power though. I think Ayane gets the power from her boobs," Mai chuckled darkly and shook her wrist. "And Shizuru, always has to have some flashy movements."

From far away, both vice captain and captain sneezed when Mai had mentioned them both.

"Admittedly, Uchiha-senpai has a better grasp on illusions than I do," Mai smiled humbly. "In fact, I'm pretty much run-in-the-mill compared to her. But if it comes to at least understanding mechanics…"

Lyra fearfully served again and Florence didn't need her Prism Sight to know that Lyra and Jade knew their pending defeat. Mai rushed towards the ball and with a quick flex of her wrist, shot the ball right in between the two. Jade had attempted to return it but Mai was faster. Florence had tried to keep up but she noticed Mai had already been dancing the whole time. No wonder she wasn't sweating! She had rhythm, Florence smiled and shook her head.

Kurenai, your best friend is a monster.

"Nobody and I mean nobody," Mai smirked as she gave one final smashing volley. "Trumps me! Obana Volley!"

The ball after several exchanges had absorbed enough force between the three players before exploding on Jade and Lyra's side. Everyone stared in surprise as the arbiter raised the flag for Japan. Upon seeing that, the crowds for Japan cheered loudly. The Hyotei school flag billowed in the air and the male's team of Hyotei cheered loudly. The girls cheered and screamed in delight while Mai had a triumphant grin on her face.

"Game and match: Nagisaki-Hoshimura! 7 games to 5!"

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

Sorry this took so long! But I was analyzing how Queen of the Suits was written and I realized that Mai had delayed development! So sorry for the late submission! Please don't forget to review!