I hope there are still people reading this, it's been a long while since I've been on this site. I'm really sorry! Well... this is a horrible first impression, but my attitude towards updating will improve! I promise!
P.S.:This is a shorter chapter than the others, mostly because a new part of the story will be introducing itself soon. ^.^
Please enjoy, and thanks for reading!
Time seemed to pass quickly in Seishun Gakuen. Practice was almost over by the time Kamiko had tested out Inui's skill. The data man had gone in expecting a style similar to the younger Echizen's, and was blindsided when Ryoma muttered that Kamiko played better with her right hand than her left.
"It'll be a pleasure working alongside you." Inui panted. He was quick to make a mental note of the details and the score: 40-30, 40-15, 40-0, 40-30, 40-0, 40-0. Kamiko was right handed, and her tennis style was in no way similar to Ryoma's blow-out, come-back, dramatic tennis.
Kamiko smiled back whilst wiping the sweat off her face with a towel, "Let's do our best, Inu-chan!"
'Inu?' Inui stepped back in shock. Kamiko realized her mistake as well, and laughed.
"Oops! Gomen, gomen, I shouldn't be calling you that, senpai." Inui recovered and nodded. Kamiko seemed a bit too over-friendly for- "I'll just call you Sada-chan!"
Kikumaru and Momo laughed heartily at the perpetual shock on Inui's face. Kamiko took no notice of it as she waved at Tezuka. She approached him with a smaller bounce in her step than before. It was obvious that she was tired.
"May I work with your power player, buchou-chan?"
Buchou-chan...
Oishi frowned as Kikumaru's laughs exploded once more. Momo couldn't hold his own chortles down either, and Ryoma smirked. Inui's shock multiplied, and Kawamura nervously smiled as he noticed Fuji waiting complacently for Tezuka's reaction.
"Not today, Echizen-chan." Tezuka showed no difference in his manner, and Kamiko nodded.
Momo twirled Kamiko around and placed his arm on her shoulder, "Meet the senpai-tachi." Momo introduced rather vaguely, Kamiko followed his arm as he pointed to each senpai.
"Kikumaru Eiji, at your service, pretty lady!" Kikumaru stood up, saluting comically.
Kamiko giggled, making the red head smile wider, "Ne, Fujiko, introduce yourself, nya!"
"Saa, Fuji Syusuke." His smile was friendly, eyes closed, and Kamiko wondered idly what color his eyes could be.
She guessed brown.
"Hello again, Kami-chan." Kawamura waved.
Kamiko smiled at the familiar face, "Ah~! Kon'nichiwa, Taka-chan!"
-chan?
"You two have met before?"
Kamiko nodded to Momo's question, "Taka-chan's sushi restaurant! I always eat from there. I also know Inui-chan and Buchou-chan."
That prompted Kamiko to look to the boy standing beside Tezuka and Kikumaru.
The boy with two short strands of black hair nodded politely, "I'm Oishi Shuichiro, our training is in your hands, Kamiko-san."
"Shite kudasai, call me Kami-chan, Oishi-chan!"
"-ch-chan?" Oishi's eyes widened as he stammered.
Kamiko nodded with a huge smile, "Mhm!"
"Ne, ne, Kyu Echizen!" Kikumaru exclaimed, "Why are you calling Oishi Oishi-chan?"
"Because we're friends now, Kiku-chan! Right, Fuji-chan?"
"I guess so, Kami-chan." Fuji seemed to get along with her perfectly.
Momo decided to go with it, and shrugged as Kamiko sat on the coach's bench.
"Which team are we going up against next?" Kamiko asked.
"Yamabuki Middle School."
"Ya-ma-bu-ki." Kamiko repeated, she sat up straighter and seemed to be searching for something in her mind, "Ah! That's the school that hurt Ryo-chan a couple days ago!"
Kamiko smiled wide, "You took a beating, Ryo-chan, ne? Next time it won't be so easy for them. Sada-chan, let's go over the training regimen!"
"A-ah." Inui nodded.
His friends were enjoying the fact that Inui was caught off guard, he couldn't even write in his notebook before Kamiko had haphazardly listed off ways to improve stamina, strength, and technique.
"Oh! And if we added some of these ingredients to that juice I noticed you giving out at practice we could maximize the efficiency." Kamiko added lastly.
"Maximize... ano... you do mean the taste, right?" Kikumaru asked.
Fuji chuckled, "I quite like the taste."
"Nobody else does!" Chorused the other boys.
Kamiko giggled. She hadn't expected for the team to be so diverse, or memorable. When she glanced over at Ryoma being hassled by Momo and Kikumaru, she smiled.
'No wonder Ryo-chan loves this place. I hope I can love it as much too.'
"Sakuno," Kamiko waved over at the first year girl, "Your form is better than the last time!"
Sakuno blushed in embarrassment, and nodded meekly, "A-arigato, Kamiko-san."
"-chan. It's Kami-chan, remember?"
"Hai! Kami-sa...-chan."
"Echizen Kamiko, hmph," Hana shook her head, "I never thought I'd see the day that you actually stuck with a sport."
Kamiko smiled and nodded, "I've been helping the boys team for awhile now, actually. I came here to see if you needed any help!"
"Leaving the boys once your precious niichan got kicked out of the club? How dastardly." Sakura spat.
Kamiko frowned. She wasn't one to hide emotions like Hitomi, and even Lily was able to control herself at times.
"E...eto, but I was just trying to help you. Momo-nii will come back! I know so!"
"Hmph, hopefully soon then," Hana said, diffusing any oncoming conflict between the two girls, "We need to be getting back to our own practice now, Kami-chan, so if you would...?"
Kamiko nodded, and headed back to the boy's tennis courts. Girls could be so mean sometimes. After the incident between Kamiko and Sakura, most of the girls' team was forced to stop talking to Kamiko. Sakura had made sure of that multiple times. Girls weren't very strong in their opinions when an alpha-female took the lead.
Yet, one other girl in Momo's life was able to convince her to come back. And that had been An.
"Kami-chan," Inui noted, "With all the training underway, and with Momo back and running laps, I'm sure you have enough time to check up on Hitomi-san."
"Hontouni?!" Kamiko's eyes lit up in excitement after Inui nodded, "Arigato gozaimasu!"
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters/plot/etc., of the PoT manga/anime.