A/N: It's the TENTH chapter (well nine if we don't count the prologue, but that's okay. This is the tenth upload of the story!)! This is a milestone (ish) to me. Gods be good (...that was a Game of Thrones reference. I'll stop now) Now, with fall arriving and winter coming (okay I promise I'll stop!) I suppose I'll have to keep up on this great streak of updating. ^.^ I hope everyone is enjoying the story and I'm sorry to be throwing yet another OC character at you (and this one's not even the last!).

Uhm... if anyone would like to tell me, is it better for cuss words to be said with an asterisk (ie: sh*t) or should I just write out the whole word because we all technically know what it means? I don't want to offend anyone reading and if it's uncomfortable for anyone I'd be happy to just do this- s*** or some variation of it.

Up to anyone at all, at this point?

"Oi, oi, you ruined our practice, Jiko-chan."

"Jiko?" Kirihara Akaya turned around, and saw that the girl who had called him 'trouble-chan' was no more than his age, 'Hey, she looks like that kid I bumped into just now.'

"You caused a lot of trouble and now buchou-chan made everyone run 30 laps." She crossed her arms to add to her explanation.

Kirihara scoffed her accusations away, "Well I didn't mean it! That damn Tezuka just should've let me have a match with him."

"You would lose to buchou-chan, and it wouldn't be very pretty." The girl insisted, "I'm Echizen Kamiko! Call me Kami-chan!"

"Kamiko... heh, might as well. The name's Kirihara Akaya, Junior Ace of Rikkai Dai Fuzoku."

"Rikkai Dai Fuzoku?" Kamiko blinked blankly for a moment.

Kirihara smirked, closed his eyes and pshawed at the girl while standing to dust himself off. She must have heard about his school, his school where they were reigning champions, popular kids, well loved and just downright awesome at tennis. They were a rival school to Seigaku, after all. She must know.

"Oh! Emi-chan's school! I know that place!" Kamiko smiled in delight, she was happy she could remember.

Kirihara almost fell flat on his face once more. She didn't seem interested in the tennis of his school at all! Instead, she knew Emi. Wait a minute...

"You know Kobayashi-senpai?"

Kamiko nodded, "Yeah! Now let's go! I know exactly who to talk to about you."

"Nani?!"

The three demons stared after the first year who left the room in a huff.

"The boy has challenged you, Sanada." A second year Yukimura Seiichi laughed lightly.

Sanada Genichirou opened the challenge scroll, "His writing is full of mistakes! Taronduro!"

A feminine laugh stopped all activity in the second year classroom, and Yukimura smiled. He knew that laugh well, having grown familiar with it all his life. Everyone had been looking to the rather popular tennis players, but an equally popular non-athlete had stolen their attention. It was hard for Kobayashi Emi, as she wasn't an athlete, to relate to her neighbor-since-childhood friend, Yukimura Seiichi; but, bit by bit, she managed and made her own circle of friends in The Group. A group known for having the top, most popular students who had the most influence upon the rest of the school.

"His determination is to be admired," She laughed, "Especially when it reminds me of a certain tennis player..."

Growing up with Yukimura meant understanding the harsh, strict determination of Sanada Genichirou. Kobayashi was used to it, she'd admired it for the longest time, and it seemed only two people knew.

She frowned when Yanagi Renji replied. He had calculated rather easily who she thought was compatible for her.

"You would admire something such as that."

She turned her back on his closed eyes, towards her own group of friends, and, as if that were everyone's cue, the whole classroom returned to their own activities.

A year later, and Kobayashi's affections still remained in the dark, yet everyone else's affections to her were out in plain view.

"Oi, hands off my girl." A familiar voice threatened behind her, a playful tone had been added for the sake of civility.

"I-I wasn't bugging her, Niou-san!"

'Yes you were...' Koba thought, remembering just seconds ago how the boy in front of her refused to let go of her arm.

She blushed when Niou Masaharu's arm went over her shoulder.

"Let's go, Koba-chan."

She nodded quietly, and when they were out of reach Koba hit Niou on the shoulder and pushed him away.

"How could you tell him that?" She asked, "There'll be rumors tomorrow!"

"Puri~"

"Niou-kun!"

Niou smirked at Koba. That was as much of a scolding as she could possibly give, and both of them knew that. He shrugged, "You were late. Buchou and fuku-buchou are gonna be mad."

The two had gotten to the tennis courts in no time, and Yukimura and Sanada looked over to the two. Yukimura smiled. Sanada glared.

"Uh-oh..."

"Puri."

Koba stuck her tongue out at Niou's back as he continued to walk. She ran to catch up.

"Gomen'nasai!" She apologized. A hand went up to her lightened red-brown hair, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment, "There was a little misunderstanding in the halls."

"A misunderstanding of feelings is more like it."

"Niou-kun!" Koba glared behind her.

"That wasn't very nice, Niou-kun..." Yagyuu Hiroshi commented as he approached the conversation, "But it's also not nice to be keeping these kinds of things from us, Kobayashi-chan."

'You just have to be a gentleman to both sides, Yagyuu-kun.' Koba thought, 'How nice...'

"Back to practice!" Sanada ordered. He stepped away from the conversation to make sure the team was in order.

Yukimura chuckled in amusement, "So, Emi, who was it this time?"

She shook her head as her brown eyes went wide. To Kobayashi, Yukimura's real question was, 'Who should I torture this time?'

"It's alright! He wasn't bugging me or anything! Maybe a little but he meant no harm!"

She was a horrible liar.

"Who's buggin' you this time, Kobayashi-senpai? I'll crush him!"

And then entered her favorite kouhai, Kirihara Akaya.

"It's nothing, Kirihara-kun." Koba shrugged, she looked at Yukimura and smiled, "How're you doing, Yukimura-kun?"

Yukimura nodded, "I'm feeling fine, thank you."

He hadn't been feeling well for the past few days, and it was unlike the Child of God to be in a less than healthy condition. Especially when he had fainted at the train station just two days ago (much to Koba's worry, as she wasn't present at the time). Koba and Sanada were cautious, and always checked on him when they could.

This wasn't any different, and Koba gave him a wary look that Yukimura just laughed at.

"Fine," She turned away to Kirihara, and smiled, "You better-"

"Buchou!" Kirihara yelled.

Koba's eyes widened as she felt Kirihara run past her, and she looked behind her immediately. The sight made her gasp, and she ran towards her friend immediately.

"Seiichi!" She yelled.

She had caught the attention of the rest of the team as soon as she yelled. It was an everyday occurrence for Kirihara to yell in shock at what his senpai-tachi said or did, but it was different with Kobayashi. In public, she refused to call anyone anything personal and informal, Yukimura Seiichi included. So when she yelled out his given name, with no honorifics (the tone of her voice suggested that it was urgent also), people began to worry.

"Seiichi!" She yelled desperately once more.

Her small body, compared to any other boy's, was surprisingly weaker than Yukimura's- as frail as his already was in his current condition. Yet she continued to try to push him up and refused to back down.

"Seiichi!" He wouldn't wake, and she looked at Kirihara, "Call for help!"

"Yukimura!" "Buchou!"

The team had yelled, running to her to help.

And of course, Marui Bunta's bubble gum popped, and the only appropriate time for him to cuss was now.

"Sh*t!"

It was all a blur to Koba afterwards. Rushing Yukimura into the ambulance, running to the hospital and outrunning all vehicles while at it, yelling at nurses that she wanted to see her friend, pacing in the waiting room because she thought she could have at least helped a little bit more. All the while Rikkaidai tagged along behind her, knowing that if they spoke even one word Koba could turn on them and be just as scary as Sanada, or worse, Yukimura.

Yet even the almighty demigod buchou couldn't evade the glare of his childhood friend.

"That's the third time this month!" She scolded, "When are you going to learn that-"

"It's the last time in a long while that this will happen." Yukimura gently replied, the underlying tone of indifference shocked Kobayashi more than his words.

That is, until she finally processed what he had said.

"Oh no..." She frowned, "Seiichi!"

The girl immediately rushed over to her best friend's side, forgoing all signs of anger and quickly crushing him in a bear hug to comfort him. Yukimura laughed somberly.

"I suppose it's a better arrangement- that way you don't have to worry about the next time I'll faint."

Koba laughed at his lame attempt to comfort her, "Yukimura Seiichi, if anything I'll be worried about how these nurses treat you. Not to mention, how Niou-kun would handle all of them."

Said trickster suddenly appeared back in the room, but not before leaving a lasting impression on a patient's now-blushing daughter.

"Piyo~"

"Arigato, minna. But if I'm to stay here I have to speak with Genichirou and Renji."

"Ok, ok. We'll leave you three to have a secret meeting." Koba teased, pushing out a pouting Kirihara.

"Aww, but buchou! That ain't fair! We all came to-"

Sanada's stern glare prompted Marui and Jackal to tackle Kirihara out of the room themselves.

"Come on, kid! Stop getting us in trouble!" "Akaya, be more careful with your words!"

Koba smiled at the Three Demons, "I'll see you tomorrow, Yukimura-kun. Don't give Sanada-kun and Yanagi-kun too much of a tough time. Ja ne."

She winked and closed the door behind her. Soon after, Yukimura's eyes relaxed just the slightest, and his smile faded to a thin line.

"Take care of her, you two," He requested somberly, "Take care of the team, at least until I'm back, ne?"

Sanada nodded, "Hai."

"Demo, Yukimura," Yanagi began to protest, "There are some preparations that need to be done since the outcome of this-"

"I'd rather not know anything until the tests come back, Renji. For now, let's play this event by ear."

"Hai." The two promptly left afterwards.

The automatic doors of the hospital closed behind them when Yanagi found it a decent time to speak to Sanada.

"Yukimura may not be able to play tennis for the rest of the year. The chance that he may have the disease I've researched on the internet is fairly high, I would-"

"Don't tell Em-... Do not tell Kobayashi-chan. Don't tell the team either; they'll find out when Yukimura wants them to find out."

"The consequences of that route would mean that Kobayashi-chan will-"

"Don't. Yanagi, we are now responsible for upkeeping Rikkaidai's prized tennis club, as well as Kobayashi-chan. Nothing more, and nothing less, is expected of us. And that is exactly how we will handle this situation."

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