A/N: I would like to apologize for my lack of... well, to put it quite frankly, commitment. Thank you though, for keeping me on your Story Favorites/Alerts, or even for clicking on the title in passing! I hope, after reading the previous chapters and this next one as well, that you can enjoy my story. I would just like to say that, and I don't say this as an excuse, 2013 has not been too kind of a year, 2012 hasn't either. But I've grown from it and after being scared for so long I'm glad to say that I have gathered enough courage to continue to publish this story.

Please enjoy!

"Ah, there you are, Hyotei-chan!" Kamiko ran out the front of a huge warehouse building when she noticed a limousine pulling to a stop, "You're just in time!"

"Echizen-chan, what the hell is this?" Gakuto asked when she led the team inside.

Was it a high school party? It certainly looked like it. High schoolers and college students alike walked in and out of the warehouse doors, with it's second floor overflowing with people and crowding around the center of the building. Concrete and dust both framed and covered the two floors, kicking up as the people crowded around.

"Gladiator Tennis." The regulars of Hyotei Gakuen turned to the somewhat familiar voice, and recognized the school uniform immediately.

Ootori's head quirked to Kamiko, "St. Rudolph comes to this as well?"

"No, just me." Yuuta crossed his arms, "Did Kami-chan drag you here?"

"We came here to see Hitomi." Oshitari walked forward with Yuuta, leading his team to where most people were watching, "They know nothing of it."

"Of what?" Shishido asked, clearly annoyed at being kept in the dark about all of this. First, Hitomi has a double life, then Oshitari is friends with this cheery girl that gave them the directions to this shady warehouse! He felt like he deserved a clear and straight forward answer, for once.

"Gladiator Tennis is basically street tennis, with a few tweaks added in for dramatic effect." Oshitari glanced back as Kamiko cleared the way for them. He paused in his step long enough to elbow out the disinterest in Atobe's eyes.

"Hm~n?" Atobe looked over at Oshitari, and noticed Kamiko's expectant look, "Ah, well it's certainly interesting, little peasant."

Kamiko giggled happily, and continued on her way to lead them to the center of attention. "I like that! Little peasant... It fits well, King-chan!"

Gakuto shrugged away from a boy that was walking the opposite direction of them, and noticed that high schooler's nose was bloody and his knees were scraped, "Dramatic effect..."

"One net, one court, one ball, no rules." Yuuta summarized quickly, "It gets bloody violent. Everyone here is a high schooler or older, we're the youngest and that's only because Kami-chan's friend is the youngest player to be leading the whole damn thing."

"Leading?"

As they progressed into the crowd, it was harder to hear, the crowd was getting restless.

Yuuta yelled back to them as he almost lost Oshitari and Kamiko, when he turned back he noticed how Kabaji was clearing the path for Atobe, 'What a freaking pompous dude.' He thought before replying. "Gladiator Tennis is different from street tennis because the ones who play do it for the money and the territory. The one who's leading the empire now is the youngest. Not to mention the only girl ever to be a leader."

"Oi! Clear the way, it's Kamiko!"

A gruff, cheery voice yelled in their direction. The older kids all parted like the Red Sea, leaving Kamiko grinning in the middle as she led her friends to the front. A black-haired boy greeted them with a friendly wave and a cocky grin, despite his black eye.

"Oshitari, good to see you haven't lost interest, eh?" The boy grinned.

Oshitari nodded, "Sai."

"Come on," Sai laughed, "So cold even after all these years. Now, who're the kids?"

"I invited them, Sai-chan! They're Mi-chan's friends!"

"Ah... Hyotei kids. Nice to meet you." Sai greeted them.

"What's up with this place?" Jirou blinked around, he had fully awoken (he was only able to walk and follow his friends because they had tied a rope around his waist, with the other end tied to Kabaji) when the crowd roared for a match between two boys. The crowd was circled around an arena, that had no lines of any kind. The net was so long that it ran from one end of the wall to the other.

"Well, Gladiator Tennis is a lot like running a kingdom. The war is the tennis, the palace is the warehouse; no rules on warfare, just etiquette. Kids from all over Japan compete for a slice of that kingdom, and if you win enough you end up running the whole damn thing. Tokyo's the biggest, has been for a couple years, and we've only got one major enemy- Hokkaido. The territory is divided in half right now."

"Oi- watch it!" Shishido barked as the crowd moved from front and center and shifted over to the right.

Sai scoffed and looked at the court, "You have to let that go. The crowd is the scoreboard. When you lose a point, you lose a part of the palace- or warehouse. If they shift to the right it means that Hokkaido won the point. If they shift to the left it means we won the point. When a team wins a game they keep that fourth of the palace, and continue till they have all four parts."

"How does one win a point without there being any rules?" Hiyoshi found the flaw in their game immediately.

"Same as a regular match- you get a point if your opponent can't return the ball, except there are no outs or faults. Since the net is so long it's street etiquette to face your opponent head on. It's more fun destroying an opponent that way anyway."

"It's literally like winning a tennis game except without lines, and more blood... And the people are scoreboards?" Gakuto asked for reassurance.

"Except tonight it's like literally losing a tennis game." Kamiko pointed out by pointing at the second floor, "Hokkaido's crowd overtook the second floor, and they just took the third game-"

Kamiko was interrupted when they shifted to the left, as a result of the match, "-Oh. Now we're tied. Never mind!"

"When a crowd overtakes the first and second floor then they've won that game. They play like a team, but there's one doubles and three singles to determine who keeps the palace overall." Oshitari explained, "We've come just in time for the last ones to play- the captain's match. Since the score is tied whoever wins takes the Tokyo palace, and if Tokyo loses you all move out to your other city palace in the Kanagawa prefecture."

"Thanks for the reminder." Sai rolled his eyes.

Kamiko pulled on Sai's t-shirt sleeve, ignoring the dirt that scuffed the hem, "Ne, ne, Sai-chan! Who's leading Hokkaido tonight?"

"Otagaki." Sai said, watching as a guy with spiked black and orange hair jumped over the concrete wall. The black and orange streaks were continuous in his theme as he snarled like a tiger at their side. Sai glared in response.

"Well, Mi-chan can win against this guy." Kamiko shrugged.

"Mi-chan?!" Gakuto and Jirou yelled.

Shishido angrily glared, "You mean Hitomi?!"

"Hai!" Kamiko looked surprised when they expressed their outrage, "Mi-chan is the leader of Tokyo's Gladiator Tennis."

"She'll be fine," Sai assured them, "She beat out all of us when she was just a first year, claiming that age and gender didn't matter when it came to skill, blah, blah, blah. She acted like it was the most offensive thing and won out of pure anger."

The third years glanced at each other, knowing exactly where that type of thinking came from. Atobe smirked.

"That was before you even attended Hyotei, Atobe. Don't think you influenced me."

"Mi-chan!" Kamiko waved joyously when she saw her friend, but stopped when she could see Hitomi's state better.

Hitomi's shirt was muddied in concrete dust and streaked with dirt, while her shorts revealed that her legs were in no better shape.

"I want them out." Hitomi crossed her arms.

"Mi-chan, they just want to see."

"No. Get out." Hitomi glared stubbornly.

"H-Hitomi-senpai..." Ootori frowned, "You can't kick us out! We were invited by Kami-"

"No way, you lame ass. We came already and we're staying. Thanks for the invite." Shishido snidely replied, interrupting Ootori.

Hitomi scoffed, "Excuse me? I don't want you involved in this! If any of you get hurt then I'm the one in trouble."

"Mi-chan!"

Hitomi looked behind her to where Kamiko pointed, and saw stones the size of her palm headed their way. Sai jumped atop the wall and to the other side, pushing everyone back as Hitomi stood in his place. The stones hit her left shoulder before continuing, and in one fell swoop Hitomi managed to move and backhand the stones back, then she swung with a forehand when she saw the ball that came a second after.

"If you try to win like a coward, I'll gladly help you lose like a coward as well." Hitomi's arrogant jeer of a remark garnered a reaction from both crowds: either boo's or cheers.

"Hitomi-senpai is never like this." Ootori observed, looking to his senpai.

Sai smirked, "Yeah, she lied about the influence thing."

"When Hitomi assumed the role of leadership she based it off of a certain leader she had the opportunity of seeing every day." Oshitari glanced at Atobe.

Atobe caught the look directed to him, "Ahn~? What are you looking at, Yuushi?"

"Nothing."

"So why was Mi-chan beat up before she started her match already?" Kamiko asked Sai.

"One of the doubles players ran head first into the wall. She replaced him. It's a good thing you guys weren't here for that, we went overboard in that one cause she was pissed off. We managed to crack the beat up cement of the first and second floor." Sai motioned up to the second floor, where dust fell from the walls. Bits and pieces of concrete fell from a continuous line that connected the first to the second floor.

"Oi! Little girl aren't you in over your head?" Otagaki teased as he aimed a ball directly at Kamiko's face.

Yuuta moved forward to protect Kamiko, but was thankful anyway as Hitomi returned it, sending it flying straight at Otagaki's head.

He turned his sharply pointed nose upwards and laughed, dodging it so it hit the wall behind him.

"Don't get too angry, little chick, or are you crumbling under the pressure?"

Hitomi scoffed, having to hide her panting since she was already out of breath. It was no use though, it seemed like her previous match had worn her out already.

"If you're so tired I'll do you a favor and make sure you never pick up a racquet again!" Otagaki continued to tease when Hitomi served, sending a ball flying straight to him.

He returned it with ease, and continued playing around with her as he controlled the pace.

"Gotcha!" Otagaki cackled with glee when he was able to send cement stones flying at her face, the ball coming along with it.

Hitomi turned her shoulder to them instinctively, wincing when a particularly large one ripped her shirt apart, and with it some skin. She felt her shoulder jerk forward painfully when the ball turned out to be a rock, and she let go of her racquet to cover her shoulder.

"Augh!" She cringed.

"Hitomi!"

Shishido and Gakuto were willing to run and fight this lousy piece of scum, and were about to when Sai stopped them.

"Any interference means an automatic forfeit." He warned, "Besides, here that's not cheating."

"Hitomi-chan is already so exhausted from the other game, though. And she's losing this one..." Jirou frowned.

"It's troublesome... but, if we have to, those of us that don't have a home will go to Kanagawa to tell them we've lost... I'll go get things ready."

"Don't you dare."

Sai froze when he heard Hitomi's seething tone, and turned around, finding that she was still holding her shoulder, analyzing the way Otagaki's smirk became wider with glee.

"Hitomi, come on, we can't win them all. You said so yourself."

"Don't. You. Dare." She repeated more venomously, "I won't lose."

She glanced over her injured shoulder to Sai, narrowing her eyes till he resigned himself to watching alongside the rest.

"Fine. Show me what you got then, boss." Sai challenged, "Surprise us with your spectacular win."

"For a coward," Hitomi seemed to ignore Sai's sarcastic remarks and directed all her attention to Otagaki, "You like to play over petty things."

"This place isn't as petty as you think," Otagaki rolled his eyes, not falling for the obvious bait that Hitomi had set. He wasn't going to let her rile him up so he could make a mistake! "Tokyo's got a lot of opportunities that you can't see, which is understandable since a girl can't stomach them."

"There's one opportunity you're not aware of just yet."

The evil looking boy lowered his racquet to his side just as Hitomi picked hers up, "Really?" He asked, unimpressed, "And what opportunity is that?"

"I could lose today, pick up a racquet tomorrow once I've recovered, and then crush you. We could go back and forth for months, years even."

"Haven't we already?" Otagaki snorted in disbelief. What the hell was this chick getting at?

Hitomi held in her irritation and forced a smile, "Exactly. Except you barely ever win, and I don't see myself losing any time in the near future."

"I can see into the near future too; you'll lose tonight in five minutes!"

"Would you like to bet on that?" Hitomi challenged.

"I'm all for it if you are." Otagaki smirked. He had the upper-hand. She was the one who was at a disadvantage; she was hurt, and she was physically exhausted.

Hitomi mirrored his smirk, "If I can't take you down in five minutes I'll stop playing forever. You can take my racquet just to be sure, and everything that I've earned through this sport- right down to the people in them. If you lose, it's the same consequence."

"Deal."

This was just the opportunity that Otagaki would kill to have, and she practically served it to him on a silver platter.

"What!" "Hey!"

Sai and the 'followers' expressed their disdain at the idea, and Otagaki laughed- a long, loud, gleeful laugh because it was an open invitation for him to win. Sai didn't ask to be poker chips in this crazy bet, and he certainly didn't agree to it!

"What the hell are you doing?!" Sai yelled.

Hitomi spun around, tossing Sai the tennis ball with a fierce look in her eye, "Surprise."

"You little b-"

"Throw the ball."

Sai expressed his anger by chucking the ball straight at Otagaki's head. Hitomi jumped and swung at the ball, doubling it's power and strength immediately.

"Four minutes and fifty five seconds." Otagaki tilted his head to the right, letting the ball pass him quickly, "Let me give you your retirement present now then!"

They were to play in a tie break style, and for Otagaki's serve Hitomi would rally, and ended up aiming for the same spot of his head like she did the serve. Otagaki dodged it the same way- with a tilt of his head, but he toyed with Hitomi, making his service last longer than hers.

Hitomi served; Otagaki dodged. Five seconds.

Otagaki served and rallied, tiring her out; Hitomi would aim again for his head. Fifteen seconds.

Hitomi served; Otagaki dodged. Five seconds.

Otagaki served; Hitomi rallied; Otagaki rallied; Hitomi took a shot at his head. Twenty seconds.

Overall, it was getting pretty repetitive.

"What the hell is she doing?!" Shishido asked Sai.

Yuuta scoffed when he recognized the strategy, "Hitomi-senpai is trying to win by knocking him out."

"The only way to win here is by winning the whole palace or being the last one standing," Kamiko explained further, "Mi-chan knows that scoring would take longer, so she's deliberately going to get him to give up by default."

"And it's not working!" Sai loudly replied, directing the statement more to Hitomi.

Hitomi glanced back after Otagaki dodged the ball, and tossed Sai a tennis ball, "Throw it."

Sai complied quickly. Even though he hated being used as a prize for a bet, he didn't want to hurt Hitomi's chances on a timed challenge. She doubled the power of the throw with her serve again, and it hit the wall with a larger than life thud.

Otagaki smirked, "One minute and a half left?"

"Serve the ball," She got down into a receiving stance, "It's about time you get taken down a notch."

"Ha! We'll see about that."

His rally took another fifteen seconds, and after Hitomi served (taking up another five seconds), he made sure that this rally lasted thirty. He couldn't believe how easy it was to win! Especially when it was so repetitively boring!

"You're a smart gal!" He yelled, "Giving up this way to try to save face!"

His side of the crowd was already counting down the last ten seconds, and Hitomi threw the ball up and swung, smirking when her side of the crowd noticed the difference in power immediately. Otagaki dodged it as he normally would, and winked when they got to seven.

"Nice knowin' ya, babe."

"Six! Five!"

Hitomi's posture straightened, and she no longer breathed heavily as she tossed her racquet to Sai, ignoring the noise of the crowd. The crowd was silenced when they heard the sound of breaking ground.

"Thr-" The last of the crowd watched in awe when the cracks of the cement branched out and connected again with that of the second level, and chaos erupted once the walls began to crumble.

Right on top of Otagaki.

"What did he say about crumbling under the pressure?" Hitomi asked Kamiko with a smug smirk, knocking fists with the shell shocked younger girl.

"Holy shit! What the hell were you thinking?!" Sai's eyes widened when people had to back away from the edge of the second floor, "Who's gonna clean this up?!"

"If you think he could actually beat me I should beat you. You're supposed to trust me."

"You're crazy!" He groaned, jumping over the wall to see if anyone else had gotten hurt under the debris.

"Sugoi~ Hitomi-chan!" Jirou jumped up, "That was awesome!"

Hitomi took a deep breath and shook her head, "It was nothing, really. That boy's got the ego the size of an ocean. All I needed to do was act like the weak little girl he thought I was."

"The acting was impressive," Gakuto commended, "It was like Yuushi when he uses his Shadow to close his heart up."

"Really, Gakuto, that description is unnecessary every time you say it." Oshitari adjusted his glasses to cover up his irked expression.

"It's not as impressive when one notices the blood on her shoulder." Atobe crossed his arms. Had he really been the only one to notice that Hitomi was still bleeding?

Ootori gaped when he saw what Atobe mentioned, "Hitomi-senpai!" Her ripped shirt was practically being dyed red at the back. Hitomi covered her shoulder with her arm, and glared at Atobe.

"Well, Atobe-sama," She sarcastically noted, "It was impressive enough for even you to notice."

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters/plot/etc., of the PoT manga/anime.