Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Prince of Tennis!

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parseltongue
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The decision about the pairing in author note at the bottom :) Hope you'll like the final decision.

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...

Hari tilted her head as she watched Tachibana Kippei talk with Mori Tatsunori and Uchimura Kyosuke after they had lost for Oishi and Kikumaru. She couldn't hear what was said as she was too far away, but the fact that Tachibana got up and placed a hand on each of their shoulders and the fact that the two stood straighter without the slump they had just sported told Hari more than words ever could.

He was a good Captain.

She could tell that Tachibana hadn't just gotten her attention, but the journalist called Inoue's as well. She had noticed that he had watched Tachibana a lot throughout the games and also right now was he observing the Fudomine Captain closely with a pensive look on his face.

"He's good," Hari smiled.

"Hari-sempai?" Sakuno blinked up at her making Hari realise that the other girl was standing close by her. "Who are you talking about?"

"Tachibana-san," Hari gave her a smile, "he's good."

"You haven't watched him play yet," Horio exclaimed loudly, "how can you tell he's good? And why are you complimenting another team!"

"I'm not talking about his skills in tennis, though I'm sure he's very skilled, I was talking about his leadership. It's clear he has complete trust from his team and they're close," Hari said calmly.

"He's still not on our team so why are you watching him?" Horio asked with a frown.

"Why not?" Hari challenged back before smirking.

Horio blinked and looked kind of confused, but Hari looked away from him as she waited for the rain to give in. She sighed as she glanced up at the sky and wished for the clouds to disappear so that the games could continue. She got bored. She noticed that both Ryoma and Kaido were back again as well.

Hari smirked when she picked up on Ryoma's comments to Kaido and saw the annoyed look from the older boy. She ignored the wary looks from the first-years around her as she skipped over the low wall and made her way over to the bench that was right there. She leaned over Ryoma's shoulder almost hugging him from behind.

"I think you're going to get attacked by a snake if you're not more careful, Ryo-chan," Hari smirked.

"Hmph," Ryoma huffed but smirked slightly.

"The authority intervenes the thunder," she heard Kaido hiss and had to ignore the laughter that built up as she recognised the hiss for what it was. It had become easier now that she was expecting to hear it.

"Ka-chan!" Hari pulled away from Ryoma and turned toward Kaido who was blushing.

The rest of the team was gaping or laughing (Momoshiro), but Hari skipped over to Kaido.

"Don't kill Ryo-chan, ok?" Hari smiled.

"The unit witness the brave sense," Kaido looked away from her determinedly.

"Ah, don't be like that," Hari smiled. "Are you ready for the match?"

"Of course," he huffed glancing at her from the corner of his eyes.

"I know," Hari smiled tilting her head slightly.

"Wait!" Kikumaru waved his hands energetically as he stared at her. "You call him Ka-chan?"

Kaido hissed again and hid his face from the others, Hari was fairly sure he was blushing. Her smile widened.

"Hai," Hari looked at Kikumaru innocently, "so?"

They all stared at her, but she ignored them.

Ryoma shook his head as he watched them, his surprise subsided before the others, and he turned back to looking bored.

...

Kaido walked off without a word making the first years asked where he was going. Hari looked after him for a moment before she decided to follow him. She ignored the rain or the fact that she was getting wet as she followed him.

"Hi," Hari called as he had run back and forth the path a few times without seemingly noticing her, but he didn't startle as she called out so she thought he must have seen her where she was standing underneath a tree.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Nothing," Hari shrugged before smiling slightly, "can I ask you something, Ka-chan?"

He scowled but he didn't start to run nor did he hiss so she took it as acceptance.

"Why do you play tennis?" Hari asked.

He stared at her without answering for a moment before he let out a low hiss and Hari didn't catch it to translate what he was saying.

"I like tennis," he eventually said before scowling but she could see he was sincere. "I don't need more reasons."

He got back to running and Hari watched him until the sky suddenly cleared and the rain stopped. Kaido paused and stared up at the sky before he turned back toward the courts. It was time for his match. Hari followed close behind him more contemplative than before.

...

She was a strange one, Kaido thought as he jogged back to the court occasionally glancing to Hari who was easily keeping up with him. He scowled when she met his eyes trying to hide his embarrassment from being caught looking at her.

He wasn't sure why she sought him out like she did, or why she had even started to call him by that ridiculous nickname! Normally other people, the girls especially, shied away from him because of his scary looks. Hari didn't and he wasn't really sure how to handle that or how he felt about it. He ignored the small voice in his mind that said he liked it.

She was smiling and seemed playful a lot of the time, something told him that given enough time she would be showing more of her mischievousness. He dreaded the day. He really did. He had seen how she liked to tease Ryoma, and even him. Yet… there was something else there too. He glanced over at her again and saw the pensive frown on her face like she was trying to figure something out. He wondered if it had anything with her last question. There was something more to that question than just curiosity, Kaido was sure of it. Sadness lurked underneath her smile and it bothered him more than it should. She was just Ryoma's crazy friend (he wouldn't admit that she was his friend now too).

Right, he had a match and he had to focus. Kaido let out a small hiss and immediately noticed the twitch of lips from Hari making him frown even more. What was with that?

...

"Game and match! Seigaku, Kaido!"

Hari had stayed with the first years and Inoue and Shiba as she had watched the match between Kaido and Kamio. It had been an intense match and Hari couldn't help but stare at Kaido who had won by sheer determination and stamina. He looked muddy and sweaty, but happy in his own way making her really believe his words about playing tennis because he liked it.

Just watching them had Hari see tennis in a new light, had her see the meaning of the word team in a new light; this entire day had proven to be an eye-opener for her. She had seen Ryoma play tennis before, she had seen Nanjiro play. She had even seen most of Seigaku play during practice, but it hadn't been anything like this. She could now really see the intensity and love they had for the game. She wanted it. She wanted to be part of it and she felt her hands itch to grab a racket and start training.

She had never felt like that when she played Quidditch.

Not to get it wrong because Hari loved Quidditch. She did, but she wasn't sure if she actually loved the sport or being able to fly the most. Not to mention that she had been pushed into it. She hadn't actively gone out for a spot on the school team and decided for herself that she had wanted to play. She loved the game, but she had always felt that something was…off. The way she had gotten her spot left a bitter taste in her mouth, the whispers of favouritism and taunts followed her down the hallways.

She remembered Hermione showing her the badge with her dad's name written on it showing her that he had been on the house teams as well. She had thought it was a way to connect with him. Something that made him more real in her eyes, but she soon realised that everyone knew that James Potter had been a Quidditch player and that he had been good.

She had given her best and worked hard to prove that she had earned the spot on the team, but she heard the whispers, she saw the looks. She knew the rest of the school thought it was unfair and thought she got special treatment because of her name and some even whispered that it was because professor McGonagall was so desperate for the Quidditch Cup that she had taken a bet on Hari and hoped that she was as good as her dad.

But Seigaku… They really loved tennis that was what Hari thought as she stared at Kaido. But it wasn't only him. It was all of them. Fuji, Kawamura, Oishi, Kikumaru…they all really loved tennis and they gave their all. Kawamura had even gotten injured taken a ball that was meant for Fuji and would for sure have injured the other boy.

Hari glanced over at Fuji who was sitting beside Kikumaru looking like he normally did, smiling and eyes closed. Yet… he had been really different earlier. She hadn't seen him like that before (not that she had known him for long). He had been serious; his clear blue eyes open and sharp as he had looked at Kawamura. She was unsure if anyone else saw the guilty look in those eyes or if she was the only one. Just by watching Fuji and Kawamura had Hari thinking that they really loved the game, and yet Fuji stopped it when he realised his friend, his partner, was hurt.

There were no hard feelings from the others, only supporting smiles and comforting words.

Hari couldn't help but wonder… wonder about her old Quidditch team. She couldn't really see them acting like that with her. Her mind flashed to the first game back in her second year, when Wood told her to 'get the snitch or die trying'. She wasn't entirely certain he hadn't been serious when saying it. Only the twins had acted like it was a stupid thing to say.

Then there was the instance back in her first year when no one talked to her, and only referred to her as 'the seeker', because of some lost points and a detention that almost got them killed (not that they knew that, but still…) It hurt that they so easily just turned their back on her, just when she had started to trust them and enjoy playing with them.

The next year Hari had worked harder, even refusing to let a rough bludger stop her and ending up with no bones in her left arm (well, that was thanks to Lockhart and she was so not going into him right now).

And this year she had lost a match for the first time and she had seen the disappointed looks, the dejected faces as they mumbled it was okay and Wood refusing to get out of the shower for a long time. The fact that she had faced Dementors and heard her mum die in her mind was not something they cared about. Then there was the fact that Wood (the others hadn't protested) told her that she had to get her reaction to the Dementors under control or she couldn't be on the team anymore. She was thirteen. Thirteen and they wanted her to learn a charm so difficult even adult wizards and witches had trouble learning it. She had, though. She'd learned. She had pushed herself through the torture of listening to her parents' death over and over again, and for what? For someone who threatened to turn their backs on her if she didn't.

Hari glanced over at Oishi and Kikumaru who had played well and proven too strong for their opponents from Fudomine, and Hari could only think that Fred and George could be the closest she'd seen as synchronized as Oishi and Kikumaru was. Yet, Fred and George were different from the golden pair.

And now finally Kaido, who even had somehow managed to hit a new kind of ball that had been quickly named a Boomerang Snake. Fitting, Hari thought. It had been a tough match for him but he had won.

"-ri-sempai? Hari-sempai?" a voice far away seemed to interfere with her thoughts and she realised that she had been spacing out.

"Eh?" Hari blinked and saw the freshmen trio staring at her with worried looks on their faces.

"Are you ok?" Kachiro asked.

"Um, I…yeah," Hari said smiling up at him and pushing the thoughts away the best she could. "Just got lost in thoughts."

She wasn't sure why she had started to think about Quidditch, or why the memories involving Quidditch had dragged her away from the reality. She looked around quickly and was pleased to see that no one else seemed to have noticed her spacing out.

She looked back at the trio who was still staring at her with a worried look on their face and she gave them another smile and tilted her head slightly as she looked at them.

"I'm fine," Hari said

"If you're sure," Mizuno said turning away from her and she let her smile slip off her face as she looked back at the tennis courts where Kaido was getting off the court.

Sighing, Hari barely noticed that the team talking around her. Why had she thought about Quidditch again? Right…she had thought that she loved it, but she didn't think it was anything to the way Ryoma and his friends loved tennis. If asked what they wanted they would say play tennis. Hari knew it, and while she had been practising tennis by herself lately she missed that feeling. She missed the commitment she saw in the others. Would it be possible for her to find it?

...

"Hari?" This time it was Ryoma who was looking at her with a worried frown on his face.

"Ryo-chan," Hari smiled at him. "You're playing next?"

"Yeah," he nodded, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she assured him. "Don't worry about me, Ryo-chan. I just got lost in thoughts, I'll tell you later."

He still looked slightly worried but he nodded accepting it. She reached out and patted his shoulder.

"I can't wait to see you play," Hari grinned happily at him. "Show them what you got."

"Of course," he smirked back letting his excitement for the game show making her smile more warmly at him. She pushed her earlier thoughts away, she was here and she was watching Ryoma play tennis and that was enough for her. She could figure the rest out later because she wasn't going to miss out on the chance to watch her (new) brother play tennis.

She saw the one she had collided with earlier that day getting ready from Fudomine and tilted her head as she watched him. He was strong, she was sure about that. Yet, she was not entirely sure just how strong or how much of a challenge he would give Ryoma.

...

"All we have to do is win 3 matches," Hari heard Oishi say. "Win this one and we're champions! Go get them, Echizen!"

"Go, Ryoma-kun!"

"Go, Echizen!"

Hari smiled as she heard the team cheer for Ryoma who looked calm and not nervous at all as he was lined up and ready for his first official singles game for Seigaku. Though she smiled to herself, it wasn't like it was his first singles match ever. He had probably played more than most of the others on this team.

"It's finally Ryoma-kun's official singles debut," Shiba gushed.

"Don't just stand there;" Inoue said glancing at her, "make sure you take his pictures."

"I know," Shiba said as she started to take pictures.

Hari turned her attention back to the court and to Ibu, the one she had collided with, who was standing looking calm yet moody. She couldn't help it, but he really did look moody. She was curious about how good he was, the murmurs from the crowd could suggest that he was a strong player.

Hari laughed delighted as she saw and heard the stunned crowd as they took in the twist serve Ryoma just had performed. She felt herself lighten up slightly as she watched Ryoma who was cockily bouncing a ball as he looked up at the referee like the crowd or Fudomine bench wasn't staring at him shocked.

"Hi! I'm still waiting for the call," Ryoma called out.

The referee shook himself out of his stupor and called out, "15-0."

30-0 – another twist serve.

"Go, Echizen!"

"What just happened?"

"That's freshman's this strong?"

"Who said that Seigaku's second singles match was a mercy match!"

Hari heard the crowd but she didn't turn away from the match as she smiled pleased.

"You look pleased," a calm voice interrupted her thoughts and she saw Inui stopping beside her. His glasses glinting in the sub, and she briefly wondered what kind of glasses he used to hide his eyes so well, her own didn't hide her green eyes at all.

"Oh?" Hari looked back at the match.

"My data tells me that you know more about tennis than we are led to think," Inui stated.

Hari smirked before she blanked her face and glanced over at Inui who was looking at her with a curious look on his face.

"I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about," Hari answered smiling innocently.

"My data never lies," he said.

"Hm," Hari shrugged.

40-0.

Hari blinked when she saw the way Ibu moved like he was actually going to try to counter the serve, she leaned forward slightly as she watched almost unconsciously.

"He's really going to do it…" Hari muttered.

He did it and he countered the twist serve, and Hari started to smile as she realised that this match really wasn't going to be easy for Ryoma. She always enjoyed watching him play when he had to work for it, and she knew he liked to be challenged as well.

Of course, Ryoma managed to counter again and got the last point that won him the game.

...

"Seeing his eyes takes me back," Ryuzaki commented making Hari look over at her where she was sitting on the bench watching the match. She had a small smile on her face as she watched Ryoma and looked like she was seeing something no one else saw.

"Good start, Ryoma," Ryuzaki said. "The opponent is probably having a nightmare. But you can wake up. That's when things turn critical."

"It's good that he can be calm like that," Fuji said.

"It's good to feel nervous sometimes as well, though," Kikumaru said.

Hari smiled again thinking that they were a good team and she felt a stab of longing and sadness for her own, but she pushed it away again as she turned to look at Ryoma. She had him and she was getting back into playing tennis.

"Eh," Hari blinked.

"What?" Inui said.

"Ibu-san is talking to himself again," Hari said tilting her head as she looked at him. He had done that when she had collided with him as well. She frowned. "He's more dangerous now…"

Inui looked down at his notebook and started to write, but Hari didn't pay him any attention as she kept looking at Ibu. She couldn't hear what he was saying, but the look in his eyes told her enough. He was not as shaken as many would like to think. Ryoma hadn't won the match yet.

...

"Huh," was all Hari said.

So he could do it too… she really shouldn't be as surprised as she felt. She glanced over at Tachibana who was seated on the bench and looked calm and confident. But, there was something different about his serve, Hari thought.

"Of course there are other players beside Ryo-chan who can do it," Hari said having heard Sakuno's question and glanced over at the younger girl. "Though, I must admit that I am surprised to find another one at this level…"

"You're still hiding something from me," Ibu said loud enough that Hari heard him.

"So he knows…" Hari smiled.

"Knows?" Sakuno asked timidly.

"That Ryoma's not playing with his best hand," Hari answered.

Ryoma smirked before he shifted his racket from his right hand and over to his left.

Hari laughed again seeing the shock and this time even Tachibana showed a reaction. It was so much fun to watch the others get surprised like this. She saw the excited looks from Seigaku who knew very well that Ryoma was normally a left-handed player, but the shock from Fudomine was the best part.

...

"That boy is identical to his dad," Ryuzaki commented as they watched Ryoma and Ibu rally.

"Oh, yeah," Hari suddenly said making the regulars look over at her as she leaned against the low wall staring at Ryuzaki. "You're Nanjiro's old coach, right?"

"Nanjiro…?" Oishi looked confused. "Echizen's dad?"

"Ah," Ryuzaki nodded looking over at Hari. "Has he been talking about me?"

Hari grinned, "he calls you 'the old hag'."

Ryuzaki huffed annoyed, "that lazy brat."

"But you were the one who got him to become a pro," Hari said. "He told me."

"Echizen's father was a pro?" Oishi looked shocked.

Hari looked at him and noticed that even Tezuka was paying attention now. She shared a look with Ryuzaki before she smiled.

"What kind of player was he? Was he an attack specialist like Echizen-san?" Oishi asked.

"He doesn't have the word 'endure' in his vocabulary," Ryuzaki said, "all he knew was how to attack. He is unbelievable. He had natural tennis sense along with speed and power. Above all, he had a unique way of absorbing knowledge."

"Eh?" Hari blinked at him as if she was confused. "You mean you haven't connected Ryo-chan's last name yet? Echizen Nanjiro is Ryo-chan's dad. Ryo-chan learned all he knows from ou-, Nanjiro."

She frowned as she almost slipped and said 'otousan', but she wasn't quite able to use the term for him. She wasn't sure he would welcome it nor if she felt comfortable addressing him as 'otousan', even if she caught herself almost doing so in her mind both for him and Rinko.

"He really exceeded all of my expectations," Ryuzaki added not noticing Hari spacing out.

Hari tuned out the rest of their conversation as she focused on Ryoma again, but her mind wouldn't quite let go of the almost slip of the tongue. Could it be that she really was starting to view Ryoma's parents as her own..? She fisted her hands.

She watched as Ryoma and Ibu continued to play and took once more comfort in Ryoma's play.

...

Hari glanced down at Sakuno who looked so happy and awed as she stared at Ryoma. Hari couldn't help but smile as she saw the look.

"Having fun, Sakuno-chan?" Hari asked.

"Mm!" Sakuno nodded not taking her eyes off Ryoma. "He looks like he's having fun!"

Hari looked back at Ryoma who looked determined.

"He does," Hari agreed. "You learn anything from watching him, Sakuno-chan?"

"Eh? What do you mean?" Sakuno asked.

"Well, you joined the tennis team, right?" Hari asked.

"Hai," Sakuno nodded confused.

"Watching Ryo-chan play should be a good opportunity to learn more about tennis," Hari told the younger girl. She always learned more by watching Ryoma play.

Sakuno looked thoughtful so Hari let her be as she focused back on Ryoma.

"4-1, Echizen lead!"

...

While Hari heard the others talk relaxed and all she was not so sure it was quite over yet, her eyes focused on Ibu who looked more determined and she wondered… her eyes shifted over to Tachibana and while he looked thoughtful and maybe a little worried he didn't look quite as worried as Hari would have thought he would. It was like he thought Ibu had something more…something else. But he did look at Ryoma with something in his eyes that had Hari believe he was surprised that he actually was this good.

Hari noticed the shift in Tachibana's expression and he suddenly looked…worried? No, that wasn't quite right, stunned or surprised was more like it. Hari looked back to the game and saw the smile on Ibu's lips making her frown. Just what was he doing? She heard Fuji say something about topspin and backhand, but she didn't pay him any attention as she stared at Ibu.

"What?" Hari mumbled before frowning.

That was a ball Ryoma normally would have caught. Then why hadn't he? She looked at Ryoma who was opening and closing his hand while he stared at it like he couldn't quite believe what he saw or what had just happened.

They continued like that for a little while and Hari could see Ryoma getting frustrated by his sudden inability to move making him unable to return the ball.

That's when it happened.

Her breath caught as she watched Ryoma twist his body to return the ball, which would have been a creative and brilliant way to counter the move from Ibu, only…his grip was loose and he lost his grip on the racket.

Hari froze, unable to move even as she watched the racket flew out of his hand and collide with the pole before breaking into pieces and the handle flew back toward Ryoma.

Do something! Her mind screamed at her as she watched horrified, her magic reached out on its own and she was barely aware that it happened.

But it was too late, her magic only managed to move the handle of the racket slightly higher avoiding the eye but still hit him just below his eyebrow.

Hari didn't hear the murmurs from the crowd or Sakuno sobbing next to her, she didn't see Ryuzaki stand from the bench or hear the others murmur Ryoma's name, she didn't hear or see any of it as she stared at Ryoma and the blood. All the blood… flashes of blood and a snake crossed her mind, as well as chess set and Ron's unconscious figure, but she pushed it out. She fisted her hands as she did her best to push the memories away.

Ryoma….Ryoma was fine, Hari told herself in her mind, he was conscious. He was fine. He was right there and she could see him move and breathe… her breath slowed some and she felt herself calm down slightly as she kept her eyes on her brother.

Ryoma was sitting down on his knees leaned forward slightly and he was holding a hand over his eyes and blood was running freely past his fingers and down his hand dripping to the ground creating puddles of blood.

A movement at her side had her shaken out of her horror and frozen state and she suddenly realised that Sakuno was jumping over the low wall running toward Ryoma. Hari didn't think as she jumped over the wall and easily caught Sakuno around the middle stopping her from entering the court.

"Let go of me!" Sakuno cried. "Ryoma-kun!"

Hari didn't let go even when the girl thrashed about in her arms, but Hari was stronger.

"Let go of me!" Sakuno cried again. "I have to help Ryoma-kun!"

Hari tensed even more and gritted her teeth as she pulled the girl farther away from Ryoma.

"Ryo-chan won't like it," Hari said.

"But…but he has to get to the hospital," Sakuno protested.

"…" Hari watched as Ryoma got to his feet again and picked up his cap from the ground and hit it against his leg to dust off the dirt from it. He glanced at Hari and she swallowed as she saw the blood still running.

"Look! He's really hurt!" Sakuno exclaimed and fought to break free from Hari. "Don't you even care?!"

Sakuno felt how Hari's arm around her waist tensed even more and looked to see her clenching her hand so hard that her knuckles were white. She managed to turn to look up at Hari's face and saw the tight look on her face and how pale she looked.

Why had she stopped her when Hari looked like she wanted to run over to Ryoma as well? Hari must want to rush over to him even more than what she would, Sakuno realised, but she didn't. She even kept Sakuno from doing it. But why? Just because Ryoma wouldn't like it?

"Calm down, Sakuno," Ryuzaki said having paused beside them. She frowned at her granddaughter and Sakuno opened her mouth to say something. "It's not that Hari-san doesn't care, but she understands that it's an insult to the player if the fans start to heckle you during a match."

"But…"

"No, if you're my granddaughter you should remember that;" Ryuzaki said giving her a stern look before looking over at Hari for a moment. "We'll take care of him."

She walked over to Ryoma and told him they would see if they could stop the bleeding.

Hari let go of Sakuno and followed Ryoma and Ryuzaki over to the bench without saying anything else to the younger girl who was left standing there staring after them.

"Here," Hari said taking the pads from Oishi who was about to try to stop the bleeding.

"You sure?" Oishi asked giving her a worried look.

"Yes," Hari nodded.

She started to clean the wound and luckily saw that there was nothing wrong with the eyeball, but the wound was deep and blood continued to run. She frowned slightly as she tossed another blood-soaked bandage away and grabbed a new one.

She wished she could heal like Madam Pomphrey, but then again she would have trouble hiding it from the muggles around them. She frowned slightly as she did the best she could with muggle means, at least she had learned some first aid over the years.

"The bleeding won't stop," Hari finally said. "The eyeball is not hurt at all, the damage is to the eyelid."

She held a bandage to the wound to give some pressure to it and hopefully stop the bleeding.

"How is it, Echizen-san?" Tezuka asked making Hari look up to see the Captain looking at her. He looked worried.

"Well…" Hari started.

"Oy! Echizen! I'm going to put your broken racket in your bag!" Momoshiro interrupted what Hari was about to say.

"Momo-sempai!" Ryoma called.

"Eh?"

"Take out the spare while you're at it," Ryoma said.

Hari looked at him and met his eye when he opened it to look at her, she ignored the reactions from the others as she kept her focus on Ryoma.

"Hari?" Ryoma said. "You can do something, right?"

She frowned, but he met her eyes with a pleading look on his own.

"It's absurd to play with such an injury!" Oishi exclaimed.

"Don't force yourself," Inui added, "it's too much of a handicap."

Hari ignored them as she looked at Ryoma who met her eyes with a determined look in the one he could open. She heard the referee say something about not letting him play if he couldn't stop the bleeding.

"I'll play!" Ryoma said wiping the wound after Hari let go of him.

"Honestly," Hari muttered making the others look at her. She turned to Ryuzaki."Ryuzaki-sensei," she said making the coach arch a brow at her. "If I can stop the bleeding will you allow him to play?"

"You can do it?" Ryuzaki asked.

"I've treated enough small injuries like this before, so yeah," Hari nodded. "I can stop the bleeding for a little while at least."

Ryuzaki gave her a look before she nodded.

Hari turned to Ryoma who smiled at her.

"You're being stubborn, Ryo-chan," Hari muttered.

"You're one to talk," Ryoma shot back making Hari smile slightly.

"Sit down, Ryo-chan," Hari sighed and when he did she got to work. "This will hurt, Ryo-chan."

He grimaced but nodded.

Five minutes later she pulled back and revealed Ryoma with a bandage covering his left eye.

"Well, that should work," Hari said. "But I still think you need to see a hea-, I mean a doctor, but the bandage should hold for about ten minutes."

Hari stood back and watched as Oishi stopped Momoshiro from giving Ryoma the racket, the Vice-Captain didn't say anything as he stared at Ryoma. Before he could say anything, though, Tezuka grabbed the racket from Momoshiro who blinked at him but the Captain ignored him and focused his eyes on Ryoma.

"Ten minutes," he said. "If you haven't finished it in ten minutes you will forfeit."

"Tezuka!" Oishi protested.

"Got it?" Tezuka stayed focused on Ryoma.

"More than enough time," Ryoma smirked as he grabbed the racket.

Even when they let him play they looked worried and it was clear to Hari that many of them would prefer if Ryoma didn't play, but they allowed it. She saw the worried looks and again thought they were a good team.

Hari smiled slightly as Kaido threw Ryoma his cap still looking angry, but the concern and support were clear in his action. She walked over to Ryoma and looked at him for a moment before she reached out and ruffled his hair.

"Hari!" Ryoma protested swatting at her hand with a glare.

"If you get injured again I will personally drag you off the court, Ryo-chan," she smiled at him but he swallowed and nodded. "Have fun, Ryo-chan."

...

"Are you ok, Hari-san?" Oishi asked when Ryoma entered the court again.

Hari glanced at the other boy and saw the worried look on his face as he watched her.

"Hai," she said.

"You're pale," Oishi fretted. "Perhaps you should sit down."

Hari shook her head, "I'm fine, Oishi-sempai. Sorry to worry you."

"But…" Oishi frowned.

"It was just a shock seeing Ryo-chan injured like that," Hari said quietly and clenched her hands. "I…"

She had felt helpless. She had wanted to do something to prevent her first friend, now brother, from getting injured. Yet, she hadn't been able to do anything other than watch and then help him get back out there. Perhaps she wasn't any better than her friends from her Quidditch team. Did she only care for Ryoma winning the game?

No, that wasn't why she had helped him. It was because it had been what Ryoma had wanted and she knew he was stubborn, more so than her. She hadn't been able to fight the determination she saw in his eyes when he looked at her. He wasn't only doing this for himself, Hari knew. He was doing it for his team and his friends. She hadn't been able to ignore it.

"He's fine," Momoshiro said nudging her shoulder, "didn't you patch him up, Hari-chan?"

Hari nodded but she still felt a little tense, but there was nothing more to do now.

...

Hari didn't really notice that she remained with the regulars as Ryoma continued his match, but Momoshiro and Kaido stood beside her seemed to give her support or something. She smiled slightly as she took in the awed looks as the crow realised that Ryoma was still strong and his speed had increased.

15-0.

Still, as cocky as ever, Hari thought fondly slowly coming out of her own thoughts as she heard Ryoma make a comment to Ibu who looked annoyed.

...

Ryoma was struggling. It was painful to watch and Hari bit down on her lip as she watched him miss yet another ball. She could clearly see that the mental stress was also getting to him, and she was not surprised. It would be too much for anyone, but she had faith that Ryoma would figure it out.

"Is this really okay, Tezuka?" Hari heard Oishi ask. "Wouldn't it be better to take him out of the game?"

"Don't worry," Tezuka said making Hari glance over at him to see him looking determinedly at Ryoma and she saw the belief he held in Ryoma in his eyes, yet there was also something like calculation there as well. He was testing something, Hari was sure of it.

"Tezuka!" Oishi exclaimed.

"It's fine, Oishi-sempai," Hari spoke up making him look over at her. "Ryo-chan will figure it out soon."

"Hari-chan…" Oishi frowned.

Hari smiled at him, "look."

She looked back to Ryoma and knew Oishi did the same and they both saw that Ryoma had started to jump up and down as he waited for Ibu to serve.

"Ne, sorry to bother you while you talk," Ryoma called out making Hari smile hearing the arrogant tone in his voice, "but can you hurry up and serve? I have to beat you in a little over three minutes."

She saw the annoyed look that crossed Ibu's face before he served the ball, but this time Ryoma returned it. They hit the ball back and forth a few times.

"I don't like the balls that go up and down," Ryoma said, "but I've found two weak spots to your strategy."

"Nani?" Ibu exclaimed as he returned the ball.

"Have you ever used it against a Nitouryuu player before?" Ryoma asked before tossing the racket from his left hand to his right.

"There," Hari smiled and noticed that even Tezuka showed a moment of surprise even as he covered it up again soon. "That's it."

...

"This is crazy, how can anyone anticipate the direction of the ball and switch hands?" Ishida asked making Tachibana frown in thought before his eyes went wide as he saw the way the freshman's feet moved.

One-footed split step! Tachibana felt the shock hit him. Just who was this kid?! What reflexes he had. Tachibana couldn't help but admire the kid, even if he was on the other team, but that didn't mean that he didn't want Ibu to beat him.

He could see that Ibu was struggling, he couldn't hit his topspin and that was all down to the fact that Ryoma had managed to seal his move and effectively ruin his spot.

"Amazing," An gasped.

"He's sealed Shinji's spot? What a guy, despite the injury," Kamio said.

"Seigaku's Echizen Ryoma," Tachibana said.

Ryoma won the game and had only one more to win before he would win the match, Tachibana though, but that didn't mean it would be easy. Ibu was the kind who would fight with everything he got.

He noticed the worried calls for the freshman from the Seigaku's side of the crowd and quickly saw the reason why. He was bleeding again. Tachibana sighed sadly as he wondered what the other team would do, but he didn't think they would pull him out.

He glanced over at the other bench and noticed that the girl they had met earlier, the one who had collided with Ibu and An had called Hari, was standing up with a tense posture and her hands fisted together as she stared intently at Ryoma.

He also noticed that the one Kamio had played, Kaido, was awkwardly patting her shoulder making her shoot him a small smile before looking back at the match. He hadn't really been shocked to see her again, she had said she was with Seigaku, but he had been surprised when he realised she was somehow connected with Ryoma. It was clear from the way they interacted, and Tachibana had to admit that he was curious.

"Hari-chan looks worried," An commented.

"I wonder how she knows the kid," Kamio added a small frown on his face, "she did look rather pale when he got hurt, but she still stopped that other girl from rushing onto the court."

Tachibana didn't say anything, but he had also seen the fear and worry in her green eyes that were still enchanting even behind the glasses she wore. Her auburn hair was framing her face making it look even paler in comparison.

"…" Tachibana blinked. That last smash was just like a twist serve. He had never seen anything like it before. He let out a soft sigh.

"Game and match, Seigaku, Echizen!"

They had lost. It stung, but they had done their best and he was sure they had learned a lot from this game.

...

Tachibana watched his team feeling proud as they talked with Seigaku and didn't seem to be too down from their loss. Though, he was sure they were all disappointed.

"Ryo-chan!" Hari suddenly appeared and attached herself to Ryoma's neck making Tachibana pause as he looked at them.

"Hari…" Ryoma sighed but didn't move to shake her off.

"You made me worry, baka," she turned to look up at him her head resting on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Ryoma said and Tachibana arched a brow, he didn't seem like the type too actually apologize to anyone.

"Echizen-kun, I feel bad about the injury to your eye," Ibu spoke up making both Hari and Ryoma look up and stare at them. "Are you okay? But that wasn't even my fault. Ah, I see now, you did that to yourself, I'm absolutely sure. On purpose…I'm getting tired of this…"

Hari blinked as the last parts of the sentence was more like mumbles to himself but they could clearly hear what he was saying.

"Shinji!" Tachibana interrupted sharply.

"Sorry," Ibu said.

"Mada mada dane," Ryoma said as he lowered his head and pulled at his cap (or the best he could manage with Hari still attached around his neck).

"You did well today," Hari smiled at them, though, her eyes lingered a little longer on Ibu before she looked back at Tachibana. "I look forward to seeing you play again, Tachibana-san."

"Thank you," Tachibana said.

"Hari, let go of me already!" Ryoma finally sighed, "you're heavy."

"I can't believe you just called me heavy," Hari pouted at him but she let go and instead grabbed his cap and put it on her own head.

"Hari!" Ryoma snapped. "Give it back!"

Tachibana blinked as they both disappeared down the path, Hari running in front of Ryoma with his cap still on her head and he was sure he saw her sticking her tongue out at him as well. She was an odd one, he thought, but he couldn't help but feel intrigued. She was hiding something he was sure, he wondered if she played tennis at all.

"Sorry about them," a voice said and he looked to the side to see the rest of Seigaku's regulars standing there.

"It's fine," Tachibana said.

They stared at each other for a moment and Tachibana met Tezuka's eyes. He was strong and it was too bad they didn't have a chance to play, but there would be other opportunities. Tachibana was sure about that.

...

Hari smiled relieved when the doctor cleared Ryoma and said he was fine, she felt lighter as she followed Ryoma and Ryuzaki as well as Sakuno out of the hospital and to their next location. Neither she nor Ryoma talked much as they did.

"Eh? Sushi?" Ryoma asked when they stopped in front of a sushi place. A note saying it was sold out was hanging on the door.

"Hurry," Ryuzaki urged.

Ryoma gave a sigh before he slid the door open and the noise from the tennis team hit them and Hari could see the chaos going on inside, Momoshiro and Kikumaru standing for most of the noise (no surprise there).

Ryoma closed the door and turned to walk away making Hari's lips twitch amused. Before he could get more than one step away the door was slid open again and Momoshiro was there grabbing Ryoma's collar and yanking him inside.

Hari followed with a small laugh.

She looked around and saw that it was a nice Sushi restaurant and looked to be quite traditional, she saw one man standing behind the counter looking like the owner. He did look familiar, Hari thought.

"Where is this?" Hari asked.

"It's my family restaurant," Kawamura answered having appeared next to her.

"Oh," Hari blinked surprised. "It's very nice."

"Thank you," Kawamura smiled shyly but looked pleased, "that's my dad over there. I help him run it when I have time. I want to learn how to make Sushi like he does. Oh…I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" Hari asked confused she had enjoyed hearing him talk, she hadn't really talked much with him before.

"I didn't mean to go on about it," Kawamura said rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "You're probably not interested."

"Eh? I'm interested," Hari smiled at him. "I think it sounds really fun. I cooked for my relatives before, it was some of the only things I enjoyed doing at their place. Is it hard to make Sushi?"

Kawamura looked surprised for a moment before he smiled more warmly and started to talk about making Sushi making Hari lean forward slightly as she listened.

"Maybe you could teach me one day?" Hari asked hopefully. "It sounds really great."

"Sure," he said.

Hari found that she enjoyed herself as the party continued. She did keep close to Ryoma, but that was mostly because she was still worried about him even if she had relaxed some, but she did talk with the rest of the team and found that they were quite fun.

They could also create more chaos than the Gryffindor's after a win for the Quidditch game and that was saying something. In the centre of the chaos was mostly Kikumaru and Momoshiro, not that Hari was surprised by that.

...

...

AN: Ok... first of all, I'm sorry for the wait! I really didn't mean for it to be two weeks! I must admit that I struggled a little with this chapter. Wasn't sure how I wanted to do it or where to focus, and I'm not 100% happy with it, but it's good enough. I have decided to deviate from my original plan on only using Hari's point of view because I found that I wanted to show other POV as well, so as you noticed you got some insight from other characters as well in this chapter.

...

Now, about the pairing for this story. I have made my decision and I must say; it was unbelievably difficult to make up my mind and decide who I wanted to pair Hari with. I wanted them all, but unfortunately, I can't do that. I had to pick one. A reviewer asked in one of the reviews about what kind of pairing I believed I could write the best. I liked that, and I spent time thinking and trying to plan. It was also difficult because only Fuji has shown up so far in the story and I haven't actually gotten to write scenes where Hari interact with Sanada or Yukimura yet.

...

Before I tell you who the pairing will be I want to thank you all for letting me know who you wanted for Hari in a pairing. I can't thank you enough and I really wished I could make all of you happy and say that I picked your pairing. I really liked reading the reasons some of you gave and it was really helpful. So, THANK YOU! :)

...

The final pairing will be: Hari/Yukimura.
The reason for this is mostly because I really like his character and I can picture him with Hari really well. Also, I decided that I wanted to pair her with someone who wasn't on her team or her school. I believe he and Hari will fit together well. Not to mention that I can't help but think about Seigaku's reaction to Hari dating and join Ryoma in overprotective brother act.
(I might have Hari dating someone else before Yukimura, haven't decided that yet).

...

Ok, thank you so much for reading and hope you'll keep reading! I will try not to let it go two weeks before the next update. :) Also thank you for the reviews I've gotten! It means a lot! I do try to answer the reviews the best I can, at least those who allow PM. I'm sorry if I have forgotten someone. Also, thank you to guests who review. I don't have the ability to answer to you in a PM, but I appreciate your reviews all the same. If you have a question or something you'd like me to reply too please leave a nickname or something and I'll add the reply at the end of the next chapter :)

...

Japanese words used:
Otousan - dad
Hai - yes
Nani - what
Nitouryuu - a player who can use both hands
baka - fool