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

...

...

Ryoga knew that he really shouldn't be here. He knew that, but he just had to make sure that this guy was good enough for his little sister. It didn't matter to him that he had only known Hari for a few weeks. She was his little sister just as Ryoma was his little brother. That meant that he had to look out for her.

Hari was too used to having boys as friends and Ryoga worried that she didn't really see the difference in having a boyfriend and a friend who happened to be a boy. What if he was only out for… no, Ryoga couldn't even think that word in regards to his sister. He shook his head grimacing.

Stupid mind that ran away with him.

Anyway, he wasn't going to interfere in Hari's relationship. He was just checking this Yukimura Seiichi out and find out what kind of boy he was. But he wasn't going to scare him away or anything like that.

At least he wasn't going to do that if he really was the kind of boy Hari seemed to think he was.

But Ryoga did think that Hari could take care of herself like he had told her yesterday. He was not going to be another overprotective person around her but he did want to reassure his own worries despite his support of Hari.

It sounded like he was going to contradicting himself a little but he didn't really care. If he could be reassured that this boy was good for Hari, that he cared for her as he should, then he would be more at ease supporting Hari when she told their father. Nanjiro was sure to go crazy when he found out.

So that took him to where he was currently standing just outside the wired fences around the tennis courts at Rikkai Dai Middle School. It was a wealthy looking school and the sports arena seemed to carry a lot of status at this school if the well-equipped courts and equipment were to be taken into account.

He looked over the team with critical eyes and noted that they all seemed to be very good and strong players. He noticed a tall boy with dark hair barely visible underneath his cap and a stern look on his face as he hit ball after ball back over the net. He was clearly the strongest of those out on the courts.

Interesting, Ryoga thought. He would be interested in playing him once, but that was not why he was there.

He looked around again and finally found the one he was looking for seated on a bench with a notepad in his lap as he watched the courts. He had not been able to get a clear look at him last time because of the dark, but it was no doubt in Ryoga's mind that this was Yukimura Seiichi. Hari's boyfriend.

He took a moment to observe him. His eyes quickly took in the wavy chin-length navy blue hair, and violet-blue eyes that were scanning the courts, and the fair complexion. He seemed…frail. Surprisingly so, Ryoga frowned slightly because even from the distance he could tell that there was something else to this boy as well. Something that didn't fit with the frail image he presented.

"Oi!" A loud voice yelled and suddenly someone grabbed his arm. "What are you doing here? Are you spying on us?!"

Ryoga looked calmly to his side and the first thing he saw was hair resembling seaweed. He looked down and noticed the glaring green eyes and scowl on his face. His grip on Ryoga's arm wasn't too hard but Ryoga didn't try to break free.

"What's it to you if I am?" Ryoga asked pleasantly.

"I don't like people spying on us," the boy growled and pushed him forward without letting go of the arm. "Let's see what Captain-san has to say to this!"

Ryoga mentally shrugged as he was dragged slash pushed toward the team who had now stopped their practice and was looking at them with curious looks on their faces. Ryoga noticed that Seiichi hadn't gotten to his feet as he stared straight at him with a sharp look on his face.

...

"You're a little old to be spying on us, aren't you?" Yanagi observed more than asked.

"I'm spying," Ryoga grinned cheekily.

"Blunt," Bunta snorted as he blew a bubble with his gum until it popped.

"Kimo i, Piyo!" Nio grimaces as he watched Bunta pick the gum off his face.

Ryoga just watched them with a curious look before he looked over at Seiichi who hadn't said anything. He was silently watching him and Ryoga couldn't help but stare back with a searching look of his own.

"What do you think you're doing looking at our Captain like that?" Sanada snapped and stepped forward to block Ryoga's view of Seiichi.

"Protective, aren't we?" Ryoga smirked tilting his head to the side as he looked at Sanada.

"Who are you?" Seiichi's soft voice interrupted. "Just why are you spying on us?"

Ryoga smirked again as his eyes found Seiichi again.

"I'm not spying on your team," Ryoga said as he pulled an orange out of his pocket and started to toss it lightly with one hand.

"You just said…!" Kirihara growled.

"Oh, I know what I said," Ryoga said pleasantly. "I was just correcting your Captain. I'm not spying on your team."

They looked at him oddly.

"The data would suggest that you would be spying on our team because you are a tennis player," Yanagi said. "But the data would also suggest that you are too old to be in Middle School so you would have no interest in our team."

Ryoga gave him a curious look before he nodded.

"Sono tori," he said. "I don't have any interest in your team, though I do find your talent intriguing and I would love to play the stoic one over there once." He nodded toward Sanada.

Sanada arched a brow but didn't react otherwise.

"But, that was not why I came here," Ryoga said.

"Then why did you come?" Jackal frowned. "And who are you spying on if it's not the team?"

Ryoga grinned and tossed the orange to him making him catch it automatically.

"I'm here to spy on Yukimura Seiichi," Ryoga said watching their reactions with amusement but also curiously.

They blinked and then frowned and he didn't fail to notice how they all seemed to step close to their captain like they wanted to shield him from his view. Interesting.

"Who are you?" Sanada glared looking ready to grab Ryoga.

"Echizen Ryoga," Ryoga said.

He watched as Seiichi blinked then frowned but did look at him with more interest.

"Echizen?" Seiichi asked.

"That's right," Ryoga said.

The rest of the team looked confused yet curious.

"Hari-chan is my little sister," Ryoga said and smiled as he saw the widening of eyes and glances that was shot at Seiichi from his team.

...

"Hari-chan is your sister?" Seiichi asked breaking the silence that had fallen over them and ignoring the curious looks from his friends.

"That's what I said," Ryoga confirmed.

Seiichi felt like laughing or hitting himself over the head. How jealous he had been when Minoru had said that an older boy named Ryoga had been with Hari once they met. That they seemed close and looked like they had spent the day together. Then again when Hari so casually mentioned him without an explanation.

"Naruhodo," Seiichi said getting a handle of his thoughts as he looked closer at the older teen in front of him. Seiichi didn't miss the calculating look in those hazel eyes or the confident air around him. "And what brings you here?"

Oh, Seiichi had a very good idea on the reason for the visit and to be honest… he was a little worried about it all. He must know about his relationship with Hari and him being here… well, Seiichi wasn't sure it would be a good thing.

"Oh, I thought I would get to know you," Ryoga said with an easy smile that Seiichi almost believed to be sincere but he caught the shrewd glint underneath it. "You being Hari-chan's friend and all."

Seiichi caught the way he said 'friend' but didn't betray anything as he got up.

"Then, perhaps we should go and talk?" Seiichi suggested. "My team could get back to their practice if we went somewhere else."

"Oi! Don't go!" Bunta whined. "This is just getting interesting!"

Seiichi arched a brow at him and he deflated with a pout and turned away muttering something. Seiichi looked around to see if there were anyone else who would protest and even if they all looked curious they didn't say anything.

Well…almost no one.

"Seiichi," Sanada frowned and glanced at Ryoga. "I don't…"

"Don't worry, Genichiro," Seiichi said as he took a step closer to Ryoga. "I'll leave the practice to you. Thirty minutes more, I think should be enough."

"Fine," Sanada said but frowned unhappily.

...

They ended up in a coffee shop and Ryoga bought them both a hot chocolate since Seiichi didn't like coffee that much. Both of them sat in silence for a while just observing the other.

"I'm not going to threaten you or anything," Ryoga suddenly said.

Seiichi arched a brow.

"That's good, then," he said.

Ryoga smirked as he leaned back in his seat.

"I don't need to," he said. "Oyaji will do that."

Seiichi just stared at Ryoga without saying anything.

"Maa, you're no fun," Ryoga said. "No reactions at all. Don't you care about what Hari-chan's family will think about your relationship?"

"Of course I do," Seiichi said calmly. "But I already told her that I would face it. She's worth it."

Ryoga stared at him with an unreadable look on his face for a moment before a slow smile started to spread on his lips.

"Well said," Ryoga nodded. "I must admit… I am curious about you. Hari-chan told me a little, but she was not very talkative. But, she seems to like you."

Seiichi allowed himself to smile a little.

"I'm lucky," Seiichi said simply.

Ryoga tilted his head as he pulled out another orange and Seiichi briefly wondered how many of those he carried in his pockets and how he concealed them before he pushed it away and focused on the teen in front of him.

"Yet another good answer," Ryoga said as he started to fiddle with the orange. "Are you really just a 14-year-old boy? You seem more mature than most boys your age."

Seiichi shrugged.

"I was just raised this way," he said. "I don't really know any other way to behave."

"Oyaji will have a fit when he finds out that Hari-chan has a boyfriend," Ryoga said changing the subject slightly.

"Hari-chan said so," Seiichi said.

Ryoga nodded.

"Well, you should know that Oyaji is very protective over Hari-chan," Ryoga said. "You could say he has his reasons for being so, but he is quite unreasonable when it comes to her."

Seiichi frowned slightly because he felt there was something Ryoga wasn't saying. He was insinuating something more but Seiichi could tell that he would not say anything more about it.

...

The second day of the interschool ranking tournament was upon them and Hari was sure she had never been so excited and nervous at the same time. She knew that her upcoming match against Kikumaru would not be easy.

Finally, the time came to enter the courts and she saw the others walk toward their own courts and she nodded to Ryoma who glanced over at her. She kind of wished she could watch his match, but knew it was impossible given her own match. Well, she would get Ryoma to tell her about it later. Her mind focused back on her own match and just as she thought it Kikumaru came up next to her and grinned.

She felt a rush of excitement go through her as she answered the grin and wondered if it was normal to feel like this before a match? It was like the nervousness she had felt was washed away and all she felt was excitement and anticipation before her match against Kikumaru. It was similar to how she felt before playing Saeki or even Ryoma, but those matches were for fun. So shouldn't she feel more nervous now?

Anyway, she didn't and she stepped onto the court gripping her purple racket tight in her hand bursting to get started. She could see that Kikumaru felt the same as he practically bounced in place on the other side of the court. It was rather strange seeing him on a court by himself; she felt he was missing something when Oishi wasn't there next to him.

She was lost to the fact that their match seemed to gain a lot of onlookers. Those who didn't have a match yet or those who weren't in the ranking tournament normally gathered around watching some of the matches, but Hari was lost to the fact that they picked hers.

"Are you ready, Hari-chan?" Kikumaru asked cheerfully as he bounced up and down.

"I should be asking you that, Kikumaru-sempai," Hari grinned back.

He laughed loudly making her smile a little wider. His good mood was very catchy.

"I'm looking forward to playing you, sempai," Hari added.

He nodded and his smile softened slightly.

"Me too," Kikumaru said.

Hari got to her position as she waited for the second year who was going to be the referee to take his place. She closed her eyes and allowed her mind to drift as she waited. The excitement burned inside of her but also nerves but they were not a problem. Hari really believed that if she didn't feel the nerves then she shouldn't be playing. They were proof that she cared about the game.

"Alright!" A voice brought her out of her thoughts and she opened her eyes.

...

Hari watched as the ball she had hit over the net went higher than she had planned and Kikumaru jumped up and her eyes focused on his right hand and how he moved it forward, he would be hitting a backhand. And when he was in the air like that it meant that he was preparing to use his own move and his shot would be returned to behind her.

"KIKUMARU BEAM!"

Hari was already running backwards as her eyes were watching the ball not caring to watch where she was going, and when she saw the ball closer she threw herself to the side and stretched her racket out.

Come on…come on… come on… she chanted in her mind just as she crashed to the ground and her racket hit the ball and with an effort managed to hit the ball with just enough force to make it go over the net again. This time it was out of Kikumaru's reach.

Game for Hari: 3-3

She gasped for air as she lied on the ground. She had made it. She had even the score. They both had 3 games now. She pushed herself up and looked over at Kikumaru who was looking at her with a curious yet considering look on his face.

...

Hari used her slice serve and watched as it just went out of Kikumaru's reach. He frowned at her but she didn't pay him any attention as she prepared another ball.

0-15

She tossed the ball up and used twisted her upper-body in time with her racket hitting the ball and watched as the ball sliced to the left with more power. But this time Kikumaru caught it and sent it back but she followed up with her own and was closer to the net again and jumped up in time to hit the ball and once more it was like wings attached themselves to her back and flames surrounded her as she used a forehand volley to steer the ball behind Kikumaru.

0-30

Hari landed gracefully and wiped her forehead as she breathed a little heavier.

...

"Sugoi," Tomoka gasped as she stared at Hari.

"I know," Sakuno nodded. "She's amazing."

Tomoka nodded looking a little dazed.

"Who knew she could do that," Tomoka said.

"Hari-chan is good," Horio said coming up next to them. "I can tell from my own tennis experience!"

"You don't," Kachiro muttered but Horio didn't seem to hear him.

"She's in the lead?" Mizuno asked looking over at Hari and Kikumaru who was now rallying and both seemed to be showing speed and flexibility as they did so.

"Yeah, for the moment," Tomoka nodded. "GO HARI-CHAN!"

Sakuno jumped as Tomoka suddenly yelled.

"GO, GO HARI-CHAN!"

"Tomo-chan," Sakuno said a little surprised.

"Come on, Sakuno!" Tomoka said. "We have to cheer on Hari-chan! She could end up being a regular on a boys' team! HARI-CHAN YOU CAN DO IT!"

...

Hari grimaced as she missed a ball and Kikumaru scored a point.

15-30

She inhaled deeply. She had to keep her focus. She could not afford to become slack or lose focus for even a moment. If she did then he would pull ahead and she would lose.

No, she was not going to think about that. Focus.

She bounced the ball again and tossed it up before she served a regular serve not wanting to use her slice serve too much because it would become too easy to read.

She was already moving when Kikumaru hit the ball back and she saw how the ball moved and correctly guess where it would land. It was like Saeki's voice was in her ear telling her to focus but also trust her own instincts, to trust that she saw enough and use it without overthinking it.

She hit the ball back with a backhand spin and watched as Kikumaru had to use one of his acrobatic moves to be able to return the ball.

"Got it!" Kikumaru yelled.

"Annoying," Hari called back but she smiled even as she reached out and hit the ball back over the net with a low volley.

Hari was vaguely aware of someone cheering as she continued to play and fight against Kikumaru, but it was only background noise that she blocked out.

...

"Oh, they're still playing," Fuji said as he looked over at Hari and Kikumaru.

He was soon joined by Oishi and Ryoma before Kawamura and Momoshiro came.

"How is it going?" Momoshiro asked curiously.

"They're in tiebreak," Sakuno said.

"Honto?" Kawamura asked.

"Interesting," Fuji said without looking away from the court where Hari just returned another of Kikumaru's beams.

"They sure are giving their all," Oishi said.

"Yeah," Kawamura nodded.

They watched as the 2nd year referee called out the scores.

2-1

2-2

2-3

3-3

3-4

Both fought hard as they kept on playing and more and more of the tennis club came to watch as their matches were finished.

Tezuka stood to the side and watched the game with his arms folded over his chest. He would admit that he was a little surprised that the match had gone into a tiebreak. But watching them he could see that they both were kind of similar in a way he hadn't really appreciated before. It raised some interesting ideas to his mind as he watched them rally back and forth both refusing to give the other the point.

They both were fast, and they both had a flexibility that no one else on this team matched, and while Kikumaru might be the stronger of the two in this area Hari's abilities weren't to be easily dismissed either. He had seen traces of it before if he were to think about it.

Tezuka was also surprised that Kikumaru's stamina was holding up because it was a common known fact that his stamina was the weak point. But it seemed like he had been doing some work on it since his and Oishi's loss against St. Rudolph.

The first one to make a mistake would be the one to lose. Tezuka knew that and he could honestly say that he had no idea who that would be because they both seemed to be on equal footing right now.

...

Hari saw Kikumaru jump high up into the air and spin before he hit the ball and she knew he would aim for the corner behind her to the right. She didn't have time to think or even curse herself in her mind for giving him such a ball when he was one point up and this one would give him the match if he got the ball in.

"KIKUMARU-BAZOOKA!"

She could tell that the ball was fast and hard. She didn't think as she threw herself forward in a desperate attempt to reach the ball. She stretched the racket in front of her as she twisted slightly and she barely even noticed the rough way she hit the court and slid forward against the rough surface that was the courts as she tried to reach the ball.

Thump.

It hit beside her racket and out of reach and Hari could do nothing but look after the ball as it rolled farther and farther away.

10-8

7-6 – Final score – Kikumaru won

...

"Aw…" Tomoka said sadly as she looked at Hari who was still lying on the court.

"She did really well, though," Sakuno said.

Fuji heard the two girls but his eyes, for once opened, and were locked on Hari who still hadn't moved as she lied stretched out on the court.

She turned around so she was on her back and they saw the dirt on her light blue t-shirt and white shorts, but she didn't attempt to get up as she stared up at the sky. Fuji could see her chest going up and down rapidly and the sweat on her forehead.

Kikumaru had also fallen to the ground and was breathing hard as well, he looked drenched in sweat but he smiled happily for the win.

"Interesting match," Tezuka commented making Fuji look over at their Captain. He normally didn't comment much about the matches that were happening in this interschool ranking but Fuji wasn't too surprised that he had something to say about this one.

"That's true," Fuji agreed.

"She has taken more steps in her game than I thought," Tezuka admitted.

Fuji nodded but he wasn't as surprised as Tezuka, he had after all been practising with Hari on her new move and knew more about her skills than the rest. Well, probably beside Ryoma.

Fuji walked over to Hari and looked down at her with a smile on his face. She blinked up at him before she smiled tiredly back at him from where she was lying on her back.

"You plan on lying there all day?" Fuji asked.

"It's comfortable," Hari said.

Fuji rolled his eyes before he reached down and almost lifted her back up to her feet much to her annoyance if the glare she shot him was any indication. He just smiled making her shake her head.

"Arigatou," she smiled slightly. "I'm so tired."

"Hari-chan!" Kikumaru exclaimed and waved at her as he came toward her. "You played really well!"

"You too, Kikumaru-sempai," Hari smiled back and accepted the hand held out before she was yanked into a hug.

"Good game, Hari," Ryoma said and Hari smiled a small smile to her little brother.

"Thank you, Ryo-chan," she said. "How did your match go?"

"I won," Ryoma said.

"Good," Hari nodded and gave him a proud smile.

...

Dressed and back outside getting ready to go home with Ryoma and Momoshiro she heard her phone buzz signalling a new message. She pulled it out and opened the message while listening to the two boys talking.

Your boyfriend is an okay guy, Hari-chan. He sends his love. Also…he has a funny team. Ryoga.

Hari stopped abruptly almost making Momoshiro collide with her.

"Oy! Watch out, Hari-chan!" Momoshiro exclaimed.

Hari just stared at the text from Ryoga and felt…what? Horror and anger?

"That baka!" She growled.

"Who's an idiot?" Ryoma asked from beside her.

"Your brother!" Hari snapped.

"My brother?" Ryoma arched a brow. "He's your brother too, you know."

"Pfft," Hari scowled. "Whatever…"

Ryoma frowned slightly as he looked at Hari for a moment considering. He hadn't seen her upset or angry with Ryoga before and he wondered why she was now.

"Why are you upset with him?" Ryoma asked.

Hari just scowled and pushed the phone back into her pocket and started to walk faster.

Ryoma and Momoshiro exchanged curious looks but they were both equally lost on what Ryoga could have done to cause her to call him an idiot.

...

Ryoma sat by the kitchen table eating a late dinner because he had missed it because he had been out training. He saw his father lazing around in the living room while his mother was at the office finishing some work or something. Nanako was doing her homework for one of her college courses while Hari was upstairs in her room if Ryoma was to guess.

The door opened and soon Ryoga came into the kitchen whistling as he walked and tossed another orange but caught it when he spotted Ryoma sitting at the table.

"Ah, Ryoma," Ryoga nodded. "You're eating late."

"I forgot," Ryoma shrugged and gave Ryoga a curious look.

"You have a one-track mind," Ryoga smirked. "Didn't Hari-chan tell you to eat?"

Ryoma frowned slightly as he looked at Ryoga.

"She was in a bad mood," Ryoma said.

"Oh?" Ryoga arched a brow.

"You made her in a mad mood," Ryoma eyed Ryoga watching for a reaction.

"Me?" Ryoga asked before he chuckled. "Ah, I see."

"What did you do?" Ryoma asked suspiciously.

"Nothing much," Ryoga shrugged. "Just talked to someone."

Ryoma looked at his older brother with a disbelieving look which Ryoga just laughed and reached out and ruffled his hair.

"Stop it," Ryoma protested and swatted after the offending hand.

Ryoga only laughed as he turned and walked out of the kitchen again. Ryoma frowned because Ryoga hadn't answered what he had done to make Hari upset.

...

"I'm sorry, Sei-chan," Hari apologized over the phone. "I really had no idea he would go so far to actually go and see you."

"It's fine, Hari-chan," Seiichi reassured her. "He wasn't mean or anything. He said he just wanted to get to know me."

"He still should have told me," Hari huffed. "I could have introduced you as normal people would do."

"Maybe," Seiichi laughed, "but I think he found it more fun to cause intrigue and curiosity among my team and probably try to intimidate me."

Hari sighed.

"Probably," Hari said.

"And you can't say that you don't see the fun in that, Hari-chan," Seiichi said. "You could have done something similar yourself, you know."

Hari wanted to protest but she knew he was right. Annoying as it was.

"Maybe," she allowed grudgingly.

"It's fine," he said again and she sighed. "But tell me about your match today?"

Hari grimaced as she leaned back in her office chair and stared up at the ceiling.

"I lost," she said simply. "We got into a tiebreak and I made a mistake on one of the returns I made and he got in a shot I couldn't return."

"Sounds like you were really close, though," Seiichi said.

"But it still wasn't enough," Hari said with a sigh before she smiled slightly. "It was a fun match, though. I was really excited when I played and I didn't focus on anything but the match but…I still couldn't do it."

"I wished I could have seen it, it sounds like an interesting match," Seiichi said before asking; "You still have a chance to become a regular, right?"

"Yeah, I have one win and one loss right not," Hari said. "And yeah, it would have been fun if you could have watched the match."

"Then that's good," Seiichi said.

They talked some more about the matches and Seiichi managed to cheer her up considerably before they hung up.

...

Hari had worked through her loss when she got up the next morning and got ready for another day of the ranking tournament. She chatted lightly with Nanako during breakfast ignoring Nanjiro's suspicious eyes on her while she did.

"Why are you ignoring me, Hari-chan?" Nanjiro whined.

"I'm not, Otou-chan," Hari sighed and glanced over at him. She saw the happy and stupid grin on his face making her smile slightly herself but then he shook his head and frowned.

"You're hiding something from me, Hari-chan," Nanjiro accused. "And I'll find out what! You're acting really suspicious!"

Hari rolled her eyes and got up to put her plate away before she turned toward the older man who was pouting at her. She smiled slightly as she walked over to him.

"I'm not really," she said. "You'll find out soon enough, Otou-chan. Just let me finish with this ranking tournament and then I'll let you know, okay?"

"Hari-chan…"

Hari leaned down and did something she had never done before; she pressed a light kiss to his cheek before she left the kitchen feeling really red in the face.

She didn't see the delirious happy face of Nanjiro or the fond look from Nanako as she hurried upstairs to get her things and tried to calm down. She had no idea why she had done that… but it was normal for daughters to show affection for their fathers, right?

...

"You're red," Ryoma commented bluntly when she met him outside of the house.

"Shut up," Hari muttered.

Ryoma looked at her curiously but shrugged and followed his sister out of the gates.

"Who are you playing today?" Hari asked trying to distract him and herself.

"Oishi-sempai," Ryoma said. "You?"

"Mikami Koji," Hari said.

"He's a third year, right?" Ryoma asked curiously.

"Yes," Hari said. "He is. I haven't really talked much with him, but he's kind and kind of shy."

Ryoma nodded.

"Oi! Echizen's!"

Both Ryoma and Hari turned to see Momoshiro coming up behind them on his bike.

"You're way too fast!" Momoshiro complained.

"You're late, Momo-chan," Hari replied dryly. "Besides, you're on a bike while we walk… shouldn't you have been faster than us?"

Ryoma laughed and shook his head.

"Haha," Momoshiro glared at her but she just smiled back.

They made the rest of the way to school together and with laughter and fun. Hari couldn't stop smiling as she walked beside them.

...

Hari thanked Mikami Koji for the match and smiled slightly when he congratulated her on her win. She could see the disappointment in his eyes but at the same time, he seemed to be genuinely pleased for her.

"Thank you," she said again.

"You played really well, Hari-san," Mikami said shyly.

"So did you," Hari said. "Your serve is really good. I really had trouble with it."

Mikami smiled shyly but looked happy.

"Thank you," he nodded. "But you're just being nice."

"No, I'm not," Hari protested. "I really mean it."

He eyed her for a moment before he smiled again.

"I know I'm not going to become a regular," he admitted quietly and shifted on his feet. "I have tried for three years, but the others are always so strong and I'm not good enough."

Hari looked at him a little surprised that he admitted that to her but she didn't allow it to show.

"That must have been tough," Hari said and he glanced at her before looking away again a faint blush in his cheeks. "But I can tell that you've worked really hard on your tennis."

He nodded and looked pleased.

"I have," he nodded.

"And you have fun with it?" Hari asked.

"Oh, yes!" Mikami nodded and looked more alive than he had since their match.

"Then that's what most important," Hari smiled at him. "I could tell as we played that you had fun and it made me have fun as well."

Mikami nodded and twisted his hands together a little as he glanced at her again and blushed. She smiled kindly once more and thought he was a kind boy if a little shy and awkward.

...

"Congratulations," Inoue smiled. "Another win."

"Thank you, Inoue-san," Hari smiled.

"I find it very interesting to follow your progress, Hari-chan," Inoue said. "Do you play a lot with Nanjiro?"

Hari looked at him for a moment before she answered.

"Not as much as he would like," Hari smiled wryly. "I get so busy and Otou-chan could play tennis with me and/or Ryoma for hours it seems."

Inoue blinked slightly as he caught the way she addressed Nanjiro, he did believe that it was a new development but he just nodded and laughed as he saw the mischievous look in those green eyes.

"I bet you have him wrapped around your fingers," Inoue observed.

Hari shrugged and looked away from Inoue.

"Who knows," she mumbled before she shook herself and smiled at Inoue. "You should challenge him to a game sometimes. He would love for another excuse to play."

Inoue laughed and shook his head.

"Oh, I did that once," he admitted. "And never again. He crushed me."

"He does that with everyone," Hari smiled. "He crushes me and Ryo-chan every time we play."

Inoue nodded.

"I sometimes wonder what the results would be if he played the others from your team," Inoue admitted.

"Like Tezuka-captain, you mean?" Hari asked.

"Or Fuji-san," Inoue nodded.

"Hmm…" Hari looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, they'll be crushed but I bet they would have fun playing him."

Inoue shot her a curious look before he nodded in agreement.

"Oi! Hari-chan-sempai," Horio came running up to them and both Hari and Inoue looked at him.

"Yes, Horio-kun?" Hari asked.

"That Atobe-guy is at the gates waiting for you," Horio scowled. "And he sent me as an errand boy! I'm not…"

"Ah, I see," Hari said and glanced at the clock. "I'm sorry about that, Horio-kun. Thank you for letting me know."

Horio muttered something as he turned and walked away again. Hari shook her head as she watched him go before she glanced at the clock.

"I forgot the time," she said.

"No, it's my fault for stopping you to talk," Inoue apologised.

"It's fine," she smiled. "But I should go or Keigo will complain and that's not pretty."

She grinned and waved at Inoue who was left standing watching the young girl that was such an enigma among the team that he couldn't help but find her intriguing.

...

"Keigo," Hari smiled when she reached him. "I'm sorry I'm late."

"You are," Keigo huffed but he smiled slightly back. "That boy I sent said something about tennis matches?"

"Horio-kun," Hari corrected pointedly before she nodded. "We're having a ranking tournament deciding on who's going to be the next regulars."

"I see," Keigo said and looked at her. "And you're in it?"

"Yes," Hari nodded. "So, I'm starving. Should we go and find something to eat?"

Keigo nodded.

"I told Kabaji to join us," Keigo said as they started to walk. "He'll meet us at the burger place."

"Alright," Hari shrugged.

"You don't mind, do you?" Keigo asked and Hari glanced at him. She didn't really think Keigo was one to mind if anyone minded anything he did if it was what he wanted.

"Of course not," Hari said. "I'll look forward to getting to know Kabaji better. He's your best friend, right?"

Keigo looked a little surprised but then his face turned pensive.

"I guess he is," Keigo finally said.

Kabaji was waiting for them when they reached the burger place and Hari greeted him politely. He gave a nod in return making her arch a brow at him but didn't say anything as she followed the two into the restaurant.

...

...

AN: What do you think? XD

I found that writing the tennis match between Hari and Kikumaru was worse than I imagined. I can't say how many times I rewrote it until I just decided to keep it and say it was good enough. So, yeah... hope you enjoyed it :)

I will try to finish the ranking tournament in the next chapter so that it won't drag on for too long. :)

Thank you for reading and supporting my story! ;)

Japanese words used:
Kimo i - Gross
Sono tori - That's right
Naruhodo - I see
Oyaji - Old man/dad
Maa - well, filler
Sugoi - Amazing
Honto - Really
Arigatou - Thank you
Baka - Idiot
Otou-chan - Dad