The Heart of a Tensai

Chapter One

The airport was busy, as is normal of all airports on the weekend - crowded with people trying to get around as quickly as possible to meet their loved ones, or to make a connecting flight. was in neither group. In fact, she still wasn’t really sure what she was doing here, or why her father had sent her to live in Japan with an old friend of his. She had told him of her ambitions to study abroad, but she hadn’t expected him to send her away when she was still in high school. But she had been accepted at Hyoutei Gakuen, one of the most prestigious private schools in Japan, and her father had called it a golden opportunity.

She rode the escalator down, looking at all the kanji signs being held up below her. She had no idea what they said, but she assumed that they were names of the people these drivers were sent to pick up. Unfortunately she could only really speak Japanese, not read it. Finally she found the one she was looking for. Her name, thankfully written in English, was displayed on a sign in the hands of a very tall man. She approached him and without a word he turned and led her toward the car. A stretch limousine waited for her. Without hesitation, she climbed into the back, leaving the driver to handle her baggage.

The drive was brief but refreshing. It felt good to be on solid ground after the 14-hour flight from Los Angeles. And even though the family was almost as rich as the people she was going to be staying with, she wasn’t entirely prepared for the extravagant mansion. Millions of dollars didn’t buy quite as much in L.A. as it did in Tokyo.

The car pulled up to the door and could see a small group of people outside waiting for her. She dusted off her skirt and stepped out of the car. When her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she could see that the small group of people was composed of mostly servants, and one boy who appeared to be around her age. That must be Keigo. Atobe Keigo. The son of her father’s oldest friend. She hadn’t seen him since they were both in elementary school. He approached her and they shook hands warmly. He was tall and handsome, and carried the arrogant air that was typical of the upper-upper class. had always enjoyed studying people, and she found Atobe to be a great specimen for study. The way he walked and carried himself told her that he was used to having women fall dead at his feet, which she found somewhat funny since she had never been the type to do that.

“Good to see you again after so long, -san,” he said with a small smile forming on his face. He could recall the girl he had met in his childhood, but the young woman who had climbed out of that car was not the shy and reserved girl he remembered from back then.

nodded slightly. “Indeed it is, Atobe-san.”

Atobe turned and offered his arm to her, which she took gratefully as he led her into the house. They made small talk as they ambled down to the wing of the manor that his mother had decided would be ’s for as long as she decided to stay with them.

“So where did you learn to speak Japanese?” Atobe asked curiously. had been born and raised in America, only half-Japanese from what he understood. But her Japanese mother had died when she was very young. In fact, Atobe remembered that the first time he met was at her mother’s funeral. “Your command of it is quite impressive,” he added. Since she was going to be staying with him and his family, he was expected to be civil and make her feel welcome. Normally it felt like much more of a chore than it did now, perhaps because the guest was about his age, giving them a common ground from which they could relate.

“You think so? I’m flattered,” she said earnestly, not expecting a compliment from someone like Atobe Keigo. He was really going out of his way to be polite to her. “I began to learn Japanese from my mother when I was young. When I turned twelve, my father hired a tutor so I could finish learning. He thought it would be useful since most of his business partners are from Japan, and he wanted me to learn about that half of my heritage as well.” She refused to add that at first she had been very resistant to the idea. Everything about Japan had reminded her about her dead mother back then. But in a way, it had been therapeutic for her.

As she spoke, Atobe glanced at the girl out of the corner of his eye. The way her left eye twitched just slightly when she mentioned her Japanese blood. Her mother. That topic of conversation was still a painful one for her, despite efforts to overcome it. She had obviously made great progress, but there was still a ways to go. Maybe it would never fully heal for her. Many people never got over a loss that great. It spoke well of her constitution that she had come this far.

They finally approached the room which was to be hers. Atobe opened the double doors and strolled in, admiring all the fine furniture and decoration. His mother had insisted on giving a room in the west wing, which provided a breathtaking view at sunset over the koi pond. His gaze returned to the girl standing next to him. She had a look of satisfaction on her face that told him she was content with the set up.

“Well, it’s late and I’m sure you’re tired. Is there anything you need?”

“No, I’ll be fine,” she said after observing that her bags were already in the room. “Thank you though.”

“It’s the least I could do since my parents are out of town for a few days. Oh, and by the way, we’re hosting a tennis tournament starting tomorrow. Hyoutei’s team is competing and I’m the captain. So if you are interested in tagging along…”

’s ears perked up. She didn’t remember her father mentioning anything about Atobe playing tennis. It definitely would have been something she remembered, since she was an avid tennis fan and used to play a little herself.

“Sure. That would be great.”

“Great. See you tomorrow then.” Atobe said with a smile before giving her a slight bow and walking off toward another part of the house.

closed the doors behind him and began to explore her new room. In many ways, it actually reminded her of her room back home. She changed into a pair of pajamas and began to unpack her things. Atobe had been right. It had been a long trip, and she was tired. She had never been able to sleep well on planes. Even so, she wanted to do at least this much. She was sure that the servants would have done it, but for her it was a small step toward making this place feel like home.

She finished putting her clothes away and climbed into the large bed. It was soft and warm, and she couldn’t help but drift off to sleep quickly.

----------------------------

Before knew it, it was morning and a servant had come to inform her that “young master Keigo” was waiting for her in the dining room. She thanked the man and hopped out of bed and into the shower in the adjoining bathroom.

Once she was clean and dressed, she made her way downstairs and found Atobe waiting for her.

“Sorry about the early wakeup call, but I thought you might want some breakfast before we go.”

“It’s fine. I could use a good meal.” She sat down at the table across from him. The plates were piled high with fresh fruit, eggs and just about anything she could have possibly wanted.

The two of them talked a little as they ate, mostly about the upcoming tournament. was curious about his team and the others that would be competing. And Atobe was happy to give her all the information she requested - especially about his own team and… well… himself of course.

“So your club is so big that anyone who loses is kicked from the regulars? You guys must be really great.”

“Arn~ Of course we are. Ore-sama’s team is one of the best in Japan.” He smirked as he took a sip of his orange juice.

couldn’t help but smile at Atobe’s use of his favorite pronoun. They finished breakfast and climbed into the limo, which, as Atobe informed her, would be the mode of transportation for the entire team. One by one Atobe’s teammates were picked up and introduced to the girl. When Atobe informed her that the last person they were going to pick up was the “tensai of Hyoutei,” found herself full of anticipation.

Oshitari Yuushi didn’t disappoint. He was confident, talked well, and was also very good-looking. She watched him climb gracefully into the car and greet his fellow teammates. When he saw , his eyebrow arched just slightly and he looked at the boy sitting to her left.

“Is this your girlfriend, Atobe?”

“Che. Don’t be a fool Oshitari. She is the daughter of a friend of my father’s, and she is living with us for the time being. That is all.”

found herself amused. He had not been the first to ask that question, but Atobe’s reaction had been slightly different this time.

“I see…” He sat down on the other side of and smiled at her. “So what brings you to Japan, -san?”

“I’m transferring to Hyoutei this week,” she said simply, returning his smile.

“Really? You’re gonna go to our school? That’s so cool, -chan!” Akutagawa Jiroh said excitedly. The cute curly-haired boy was stretched out over one of the seats like he was readying himself for sleep, but had bounced up again at exciting news.

The rest of the team agreed that it was a good thing indeed. They had all taken a liking to the girl almost immediately. Oshitari was no exception. In fact, as they talked he found that he was very attracted to this girl. It was inexplicable, but there was just something different about her that held his interest.

Soon they reached the tennis courts where the tournament would be held. With Oshitari’s assistance, climbed out of the limo and took a better look around. She could see boys warming up in uniforms of many different colors. She made out a total of  about  six other teams. So there was still one missing, or it was just not in her line of sight at the moment.

walked down the sidewalk with the team. She was content to walk in the back, but Oshitari insisted that she walk between himself and Atobe in the front. She watched the reactions of the other teams as they passed. Only one team that she saw felt no sense of intimidation at all from their presence. A very serious-looking team in gold and white uniforms. Atobe even took the time to nod at one of the members; a tall stony-faced boy wearing a cap. The boy returned the nod and Hyoutei once again moved forward.

“That’s Rikkaidai,” Oshitari stated, noting her interest in the team. immediately recognized the name as one of the two teams that was actually competition for Hyoutei according to Atobe. Rikkaidai and Seigaku. She wondered which was the other team. It couldn’t be one of those she had seen before.

After checking in, the team traveled to the tennis court where they would have their first match against a team called St. Rudolph. As they were getting warmed up and situated, stood up and grabbed her purse.

“Going somewhere, -san?” Oshitari asked, immediately noticing her movement.

sighed. “How many times do I have to tell you to call me ? -san is what everyone calls my father. It’s just weird.”

“Alright, alright. But you still haven’t answered my question.” He smirked at her.

smirked right back at him. He had been using her surname on purpose, knowing her preferences. Well, two could play the teasing game. “I’m going to check out the competition. Some of those Rikkaidai boys are kinda cute.” She turned around and took a few steps away before she felt a hand on her arm.

“Come on, you know I was just messing with you. Seriously though, where are you going?” he said quietly in her ear.

She turned around to look at him, attempting to hide the fact that her heart was pounding. “What if I was serious?”

Oshitari simply raised an eyebrow in response. He knew that she wasn’t really going to do anything like that. She was just playing with him. What he wasn’t going to tell her about was the effect those two sentences had on him for that split second before he realized she was fibbing.

giggled at the disbelieving look Oshitari was giving her. “Okay fine, you caught me. I’m going to search out a vending machine so I can get something to drink. Are you gonna come with me or just stand there?” she asked playfully before shrugging off his hand and heading off.

Oshitari smirked as she began to walk away. She was definitely different. And she was heading the wrong way if she wanted to find the closest drink dispenser. He caught up to her and locked his arm with hers, spinning her around and leading her in the right direction.

----------------------------

When they returned to the court, they found the rest of the team in a somewhat agitated state as they glanced at the court next to theirs. and Oshitari followed their gaze and their eyes rested on a group of boys in blue and white uniforms.

“Who are they?” asked Oshitari quietly, referring to the group of boys on the other court who had no idea they were being watched.

“Seigaku...” was all Oshitari said in reply. It was all he needed to say.

Without a word, Atobe snapped his fingers and began to strut toward them. The snap seemed to be the command to follow, since everyone formed a group behind their captain. Oshitari did so as well, signaling for to follow. 

Seigaku was so focused on their warm-ups that they didn’t even notice the Hyoutei team until they were almost on top of them. They stopped stretching and stood up. examined each of them as well as she could with two tall boys standing in front of her. She could see seven boys warming up and two in the shade talking. There were nine regulars? That was odd.

’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Atobe’s voice. “So Seigaku has accepted our invitation. We’ve been waiting for a rematch, right, Kabaji?”

“Usu…” was all the tall silent boy said, adding a small nod.

The seven boys in the sun gathered to greet their rivals. examined each of them. They looked tough. She hoped that she would get to see them play against her team. More than any of the others, she thought that this match up would be a good one.

----------------------------

(The conversation in the shadows)

“Fuji, you know what I’m going to say,” Tezuka said to his longtime friend.

The brown-haired boy leaning against the fence sighed. “Of course I do, Tezuka.”

“You’ve been getting careless. We’re going to have some tough matches in this tournament, and you can’t let your guard down.”

Fuji knew exactly what his captain was talking about. Even though this was an unofficial tournament, the matches were important. Tezuka especially wanted to show the other schools that they weren’t slacking off, but Fuji’s performance in practice recently was, well, below par. At least for him. He hadn’t lost any of his recent matches, but he was losing his edge. It was a small change. Only Echizen and Tezuka had really noticed. But it might be enough to cause a fatal mistake on the court if he found himself against a tough adversary.

“Sumimasen, Tezuka. I’ll try to fix it.”

The captain only nodded before his attention was drawn to the approach of Hyoutei. He stepped out of the shade and joined the rest of the team. Fuji decided to stay back for now and consider what must be done. First he really had to figure out what was wrong with him. It wasn’t something he could really explain. There was just… something missing for him in tennis now. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Tezuka make his way to the front.

“Are you trying to start trouble, Atobe?” he asked in his usual calm manner, his eyes ever-so-slightly lowered.

Hyoutei’s captain gave a hearty laugh. “No, not at all Tezuka. Ore-sama only wishes to bid you welcome to our humble tournament.”

gave a silent sigh. It looked like Atobe wasn’t going to introduce her. Well, that just goes to show that sometimes when you want something done, you have to do it yourself. She very politely pushed herself to the front and once again stood between Oshitari and Atobe, giving the former a slight elbow in the ribs for leaving her in the back with that grumpy boy Shishido, then glancing up at the latter expectantly.

“Are these more friends of yours, Atobe?” asked sweetly.

The boy smirked slightly and put his arm around , making note of the uncomfortable look that passed over Oshitari’s face briefly before turning back to stone. Interesting. He turned back to the other team.

“Forgive me, . These are the members of the Seigaku tennis club. Tezuka and Oishi, the captain and vice captain. Kikumaru, Kaidoh, Momoshiro, Kawamura, and Inui. That one drinking soda is Echizen.” Atobe pointed out each boy as he named them. “This is . She is transferring to Hyoutei from America and will be staying with my family.”

bowed politely and greeted everyone warmly. No one noticed the unusually quiet boy in the shadows who had eyes only for the girl Atobe had just introduced.

In the middle of all this subtle tension and casual conversation, someone turned on a microphone and the screech was loud enough to make everyone in the group cover their ears.

“Attention everyone! All teams are now checked in, and the tournament will be starting in a few moments. Participants should make their way to their assigned courts and prepare to begin. Thank you.”

Atobe glanced briefly at his watch before giving the other captain a slight nod. “Hope to see you in the finals, Tezuka.” The Hyoutei team turned almost in unison and walked back to their place, lingering a little longer to say goodbye properly and bow before running to catch up.

Oshitari caught sight of Fuji coming out of the shadows just as was jogging to catch up to them at the next court. He raised his eyebrow, unhappy that Seigaku’s prodigy couldn’t take his eyes off the girl. He stopped and waited for her, placing his hand lightly on the small of her back and guiding her to a seat in the front row.

He moved his hand to her shoulder and smiled down at her. “I’m up first. Are you going to cheer for me?”

“Now why would I do something silly like that?” asked with a smirk. It really was an unnecessary question. Of course she was planning on cheering for him.

Oshitari winked at her and walked onto the court with his tennis racket where his doubles partner Mukahi Gakuto was waiting for him. It was almost disappointing that Hyoutei was playing such a simple team. He wanted to show off for . But he would just have to take whatever opportunities arose. That was assuming anything ever got past Gakuto and his acrobatics first. He sighed. This could be a very boring match.

----------------------------

The first two matches had gone exactly as planned for Hyoutei. Doubles 2 had won 6-2, and Doubles 1 had completely decimated their opposition, winning 6-0. According to the referee, the next match would be Kabaji vs. St. Rudolph’s Fuji in Singles 3.

As the large boy walked out onto the court, Atobe leaned over toward and Oshitari, who had of course taken a place beside her as soon as his match was over. “So, what do you think so far, ?” Atobe asked with a smirk, knowing that a large smile had been on her face for the last 45 minutes straight.

“This is… amazing. Your team is everything you said it was,” she said honestly. She had been floored by the level of skill displayed by the Hyoutei team.

Atobe and Oshitari shared a knowing glance. She hadn’t really seen anything yet. The true strength of Hyoutei’s tennis team only showed when playing against tough opponents. Atobe had just begun to open his mouth to say something else, when the referee interrupted him.

“We will now begin Singles 3. Kabaji to serve.”

Everything started out well. Kabaji’s awesome power was making this game a no contest. That is, until the Fuji boy performed some kind of incredible shot that made the ball bounce almost completely vertically. The Twist Spin Shot, according to Oshitari. was in awe and Kabaji could do nothing to prevent this. For the first time during any of the matches, found herself worried. This Fuji boy was much stronger than his other St. Rudolph teammates. What would Kabaji do if he continued to use this shot over and over again?

got her answer once the score was tied at 2 games all. They were in the middle of a long rally when suddenly Kabaji’s stance changed. He hit a powerful ball that bounced exactly the same way the other boy’s Twist Spin Shot had. What in the world was going on?

Oshitari, noticing her confusion, decided to fill her in. “Kabaji’s specialty is mimicry. He absorbs everything that he sees. Like a sponge.”

So this was the way the game continued until Fuji Yuuta got caught going the wrong way. He got hit in the face by Kabaji’s powerful shot and landed hard on his elbow as he fell to the ground. Pain shot through his entire arm, and he found that he was unable to grip his racket. Not to mention that he was seeing two of everything. He was unable to continue the match at all. So it was Hyoutei’s victory after 2 wins and a forfeit.

wished she could have been celebrating with the rest of the team, but her focus was on the boy on the other side of the fence. She stood up and looked at Oshitari.

“I’m sorry. Excuse me for a moment,” she said with a slight bow before running around to the St. Rudolph side of the court. She had to make sure he was being taken care of well. And if he wasn’t, then she was going to fix that quickly.

The girl was not happy with the situation which presented itself before her. People were just standing around, except for one boy with curly black hair who seemed to be throwing a tantrum of some sort. Everything was so disorganized. immediately began to take control, giving orders to anyone who looked like they were keeping their head on their shoulders.

The commotion in the area was enough to even attract the attention of the Seigaku team, who had just finished their match against Yamabuki. The whole team walked to the next court to find out for themselves what was going on.

“Yuuta!” Fuji Syuusuke ran immediately to his brother’s side, barely noticing the fact that the girl holding an ice pack to his chin was the same one he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off of for almost 15 minutes straight. He laid his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, aniki,” the younger boy said roughly, shrugging off his brother’s hand.

watched the two brothers interact. The elder brother didn’t seem disturbed by the younger’s attitude. Interesting. Her people-watching skills were kicking in now that she knew the boy Yuuta was out of danger. She also noticed that the elder was wearing the white and blue uniform of Seigaku. How strange that she hadn’t seen him before, when she met the team.

She moved the ice pack from the younger brother’s head to his elbow and the boy winced slightly.

“Are you feeling any better now?” she asked the boy softly.

“Yes, thank you, miss… I’m sorry. May I ask your name?”

“ .”

“Thank you -san. My name is Fuji Yuuta, and this is my... older brother... Fuji Syuusuke.”

For the first time, took a good look at Fuji Syuusuke. She had never seen a guy like him. He was, for lack of a better word, gorgeous. And he had probably the most amazing eyes had ever seen. She could feel her heartbeat begin to race as they locked eyes, but she could only hold his gaze for a moment before having to look away.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both. But I should really be getting back.” She handed Yuuta the ice pack and stood up. Her hands were freezing. The elder brother stood up after her.

“Well, thank you for all the help. I’m in your debt for helping my brother.”

“Not at all, Fuji-san. But you might want to get him to a doctor. There is a possibility that he could have a mild concussion.”

Fuji nodded slowly. That possibility hadn’t occurred to him. But obviously this girl had. She was really looking out for his brother, and that attracted Fuji to her even more.

“We’ll take him. Seigaku has another match after lunch,” said a tall dark boy wearing the same uniform as Yuuta.

Fuji Syuusuke nodded and Yuuta stood up obediently, letting his captain lead him off. watched them leave with a small but satisfied sigh.

“Well, that’s that. He’ll be okay now,” said quietly, more to herself than anyone else. Fuji was the only one to overhear.

“Yeah, he will. He is strong.” Fuji smiled to himself then turned to , who had snapped out of her own thoughts and looked up at him. “Thank you again. I feel like I should do something to show my gratitude.”

“That’s really not necessary, Fuji-san. Anyone would have done the same thing.” A light blush painted ’s cheek and she smiled at him. She really hadn’t done much except put ice on Yuuta’s head and make sure he got enough space. Fuji was acting like she had saved his brother’s life.

“Alright, well will you at least have lunch with me and my team?” he asked her politely. He really wanted her to know how grateful he was that someone had taken care of his brother when everyone else had been pretty much running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Whether or not Yuuta felt the same way, Fuji cared deeply for his brother and was very protective over him.

But there was another reason he had invited her to lunch. She fascinated him. He had never known a girl who could make him react the way he had when he first laid eyes on her. This would be a chance to get to know her better.

“Oh, umm… alright then.” had planned to eat with Atobe and the rest of Hyoutei, but she couldn’t resist Fuji’s invitation.

Two people watched their interaction with particular interest. One was amused, and the other very much the opposite. couldn’t help but notice that she had two pairs of eyes on her, and she turned to look at them.

“Excuse me for a moment, Fuji-san.” ran over to where Atobe and Oshitari were standing. The look on Oshitari’s face was priceless. Was he jealous? The thought was flattering, but there was also the possibility that he just didn’t want her fraternizing with the enemy. “Hey guys.”

“Having fun, ?” Atobe said with a smirk.

She gave him a playful glare. “Oh yes. Tons. So much in fact that I decided to have lunch with Seigaku.”

Both boys raised an eyebrow almost simultaneously. giggled. It was obvious that Oshitari was trying to hide his feelings on the matter. But Atobe’s face still wore the mask of amusement.

“You’ll be back in time for my match, right, ?” Oshitari asked, finally regaining control of himself. It was so odd for him to be behaving this way. Totally out of character.

couldn’t help but smile when he finally decided to use her given name. She was very attracted to Oshitari, and the fact that he was jealous only made him more endearing in her mind. As long as he could keep his jealousy in check and not go overboard, which he was able to do so far. “Of course. I wouldn’t miss it. Are you playing Doubles 2 again?”

“No. We are switching the lineup for our match against Rikkaidai. He will be playing Singles 3,” Atobe said proudly. Coach Sakaki and he had decided that the normal lineup would not work against such a strong team as Rikkaidai, who had a strong balance of doubles and singles players. This would be one of the toughest matches Hyoutei had ever had.

was thoroughly impressed. She knew that Oshitari had to be good in singles as well as being exquisite in doubles, but for him to be put there against a team like Rikkaidai, he must be even better than she thought. “Ooooh, singles. I can’t wait. But I should get going. Fuji’s waiting for me.” She smiled at them both, gave Oshitari a quick wink, and then ran back to where Fuji was standing patiently.

The bespectacled boy’s eyes remained on until she was out of sight. He then gave a great sigh. “He’s had his eye on her since we met up with Seigaku before the tournament started,” he said grudgingly.

“And who could blame him? She is quite attractive.”

“Come on, Atobe. Not you too.”

Atobe laughed heartily. His friend sounded like a whiny schoolgirl at the moment. “Oh, don’t give me that, Oshitari. Ore-sama is not attracted to her in that way. She is more like a little sister to me. You’re just whining. The fact that she ‘can’t wait’ for your match indicates that she’s interested in you, so all you have to do is stop acting like a baby. You also might want to ask her to be your date for the party before he does.” Atobe smirked and patted Oshitari on the back, leading him to where the rest of the team was settling down for lunch.

Despite the fact that the speech had bordered on a lecture, it did help Oshitari return to his normal confident self. He smirked as well as he approached the rest of his team. They were going to need a good rest for their upcoming match, and none of them could afford distractions.

----------------------------

was having a blast with Seigaku. Once Fuji had explained the reason for her being invited to eat with them, the rest of the team had welcomed her wholeheartedly. A red-haired boy with a Band-Aid on his face named Kikumaru Eiji had taken a liking to her almost immediately, pouncing on her with a large grin. But that didn’t last long because she was almost immediately pulled away and into a conversation by a guy with dark spiky hair named Momoshiro.

“Mou, she’s so cute! Is she your girlfriend, Fuji?” Kikumaru asked teasingly. Fuji was one of his closest friends, so according to him teasing was part of his job, and his right.

The two people in question had been looking at each other despite the separate conversations they were having, but the question made Fuji immediately look away and blush.

Fuji scratched the back of his head, his eyes returning to their usual half-closed state. “Heh… no. I just met her, Eiji,” he replied.

Kikumaru pouted, but secretly was enjoying this situation thoroughly. It wasn’t every day one had the opportunity to see Fuji flustered.

“But Fuji… you’re just gonna let Hyoutei have her?” Kikumaru had noticed, as well as most of Seigaku, that Oshitari was quite taken with . It had been fairly obvious from the beginning.

“I didn’t say that. I just said she’s not my girlfriend.”

“Ahhh… okay. So just not yet.” Kikumaru grinned and winked at Fuji, and then hopped away toward the main group, who were mostly talking to .

Fuji smiled to himself as Kikumaru rejoined the larger group. Maybe Kikumaru was right. Maybe one day she would be his girlfriend. He couldn’t deny that the thought gave him a great deal of pleasure. It was definitely possible. The attraction was there. But there was one problem: Oshitari Yuushi. He would have more time with her than Fuji, since she would be going to Hyoutei and living in Atobe’s house. And that spark of attraction and possibility was there as well. Fuji really only had one choice if he wanted to pursue this girl; spend as much time with her as possible, show her the real Fuji, and see which of them she chose.

It was interesting to him that he was feeling this way. He had always preferred to put on a mask for people and didn’t like showing his true feelings or potential. But something about her made him want to change that. At least for her. But he wasn’t sure if he could. Lately the barriers he had erected between his true self and everyone else had been thicker than usual. He wasn’t really even sure why it was happening, but it was even beginning to affect the way he played tennis. And he didn’t know how to fix it either. It was possible that all he needed was one person that he didn’t feel the need to wear a mask around. So maybe was exactly what he needed right now. Well, there was only one way to find out.

felt a slight tug on her elbow and was relieved to see Fuji’s smiling face when she turned around. She followed him to an unoccupied bench and sat down.

“Sorry about that. I didn’t expect you to be bombarded,” he said sincerely. He had brought with him to try to get to know her better as a person, not to have her being pulled around in four different directions all at once by his teammates for over half the lunch break.

giggled. “It’s alright, Fuji-san. I’ve been getting that a lot over the last few hours.”

“Well, at least it means they like you. That’s a good thing, right?”

“Of course it is. They’re all great guys. But I probably won’t be seeing them much after the tournament since I’ll be at a different school,” said quietly. Her tone was almost sad. She found herself regretting that she wouldn’t be able to get to know this team better. Especially since that included the boy she was currently sitting next to. For all she knew, after the tournament ended she would never see him again.

Fuji looked at her seriously. “That’s only true if you want it to be, -chan.”

“Wh… What do you mean?”

His look softened and he smiled at her. “We’re not a hard team to find. And besides, we live in the age of cell phones and the Internet. I’m sure if you want to, you can get a hold of us.” He winked at her. “But you can’t leave it up to us, because I think if you did, Eiji would vote to have you transfer to Seigaku instead of Hyoutei and save us all this trouble.”

smiled and bit her lower lip. “I don’t think I could do that, even if I wanted to. Kikumaru-kun would break my back from jumping on me all the time.”

Fuji’s smile only grew bigger. “Heh… You’re probably right. He does have a tendency to do that.”

found that she couldn’t hold his gaze for long without feeling heat creep up her cheeks, so she averted her eyes. As she looked around, she saw that pretty much everyone else had settled down and begun to eat. There was only a short amount of time left before the semi-finals would start. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’ve kept you from eating and resting properly.”

“It’s no problem. I didn’t play in the last match at all so I’m still fresh. But you’re right. We should be eating.” He picked up his bag and pulled out a bento. “Would you like to share this with me?” he asked casually, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

She smiled at him coyly. “Sure, if it’s alright.”

“Of course it’s alright. Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Well, wouldn’t your girlfriend be jealous if she saw us sharing a lunch?”

Fuji couldn’t avoid the smile that was spreading across his face. He leaned back slightly and scratched the back of his head. “I suppose she would… if I had one,” he replied. The last part he had delayed for a while to see her reaction. She had been trying to hide her disappointment, but the relief that had washed over her face when he finished was not so well-concealed. He brought out a second pair of chopsticks and handed them to her. “Come on, let’s eat.”

smiled and nodded before taking the chopsticks and digging in.

In the bushes, rustling could be heard as well as the scribbling of a pen. This was an excellent chance for collecting useful information on Fuji. In the six years the seniors had known each other, no one had ever seen Fuji behave this way. And Inui Sadaharu would know if he had.

“Ii data…”

----------------------------

After lunch, Fuji and Kikumaru had convinced to at least stick around for their doubles matches against Fudomine, since she had made a promise to Oshitari that she wouldn’t miss him playing singles. She really didn’t mind at all. Since Hyoutei and Rikkaidai were both exceptional teams, their matches would take quite a while, she figured.

So now she found herself sitting with the Seigaku cheering squad, watching Fuji on the court. Well, Fuji and Kawamura playing doubles. But she couldn’t deny that the majority of her attention was on the one boy alone. His style of play astounded her. He was so quick, and so graceful. She had been blown away by his ability to improvise on the court. And when he had used the first of his triple counters, Tsubame Gaeshi according to those around her who were familiar with the technique, her jaw had just about fallen to the floor. The ball had simply hit the ground and rolled. She blinked several times, thinking that she was hallucinating. Was something like that even possible?

Seigaku’s side of the court erupted in cheers, and along with them. She thought that she had seen Fuji looking her way as Fudomine’s doubles pair recovered from the shock, but she couldn’t be sure. Just the thought made her smile to herself.

“He amplifies the spin on the ball as he hits it to make the ball roll instead of bounce. That’s why he’s called Seigaku’s prodigy,” Inui said, suddenly appearing next to . She jumped at the sound of his voice, but quickly regained her composure.

“He’s amazing…” was all she could really say. She was in awe.

“Oh, that’s nothing. He has three more counters, as well as the evolved forms which he doesn’t use often. No one really knows how far his potential might go, since he almost never plays to his fullest.” Inui turned to leave, then opened his notebook and examined it. “He has glanced at you twenty-three times since the match began, not counting the one right after he used Tsubame Gaeshi,” he stated simply. It was fact. Data never lied. And with that, he walked away.

could only stand there in shock. Twenty-three was a large number, considering the match hadn’t been going on for very long. And she hadn’t even noticed it. That guy Inui had to be some kind of machine to catch every single glance. She wondered briefly what else he had noticed about the two of them, and that thought brought a blush to her cheeks almost immediately.

Her attention was brought back to the court by another loud cheer. Kawamura had been in a power battle with one of the boys from Fudomine, but had triumphed. Her excitement continued to build as she watched the match.

----------------------------

Oshitari had been on the lookout ever since the Doubles 2 match had begun. Ootori and Shishido currently had the lead against the doubles team from Rikkaidai, but all the bespectacled boy could think about was where that damned girl was. He had something he needed to ask her before he played his match.

Atobe nudged him and he nodded. He should know better than to let his mind wander. Especially during such a tough match. It would be a death sentence for himself. Especially since his match would be the definitive one. Atobe and Sakaki were hoping for the best, but they were expecting to lose Doubles 1 and Singles 2 was iffy. Doubles 2 was already up 3-1, and Atobe could take Sanada if it came to that. So Oshitari’s match would probably decide whether or not Hyoutei went to the finals. He, more than anyone else, needed to concentrate.

But dammit… where was ?

----------------------------

It had been a great match, Seigaku winning 6-3. congratulated Fuji as he stepped off the court with a towel around his neck. He smiled and was about to open his mouth to say something, when he suddenly found himself on the receiving end of a pounce from Kikumaru Eiji.

“Hoi hoi! We won! Fuji you were so great! Wasn’t he great, -chan?” the redhead exclaimed.

She smiled, despite the fact that the boy had interrupted whatever Fuji was going to say. “Yeah, he was amazing.”

“Mou, see Fuji! Even -chan says so! Wahhh!” Kikumaru cried out as Fuji shrugged him off his shoulders. But with his cat-like reflexes he was able to land on his feet without a problem.

“It’s your turn now, Eiji. Don’t keep everyone waiting,” the boy said in his calm, gentle voice. The mask had gone back over his face, and if hadn’t been watching him she wouldn’t have noticed the slight change in his smile and attitude. Something seemed... off. She didn’t know how or why, but she could feel it.

Kikumaru didn’t seem to notice though. His eyes widened. “I almost forgot! You’re gonna stay for my match too right, -chan?” he asked, turning to the girl. He wanted her to think that he was amazing too. Mostly because he loved being in the spotlight.

“Of course I am. I never break a promise.”

----------------------------

Doubles 2 seemed to have gone on forever for Hyoutei. But finally the Ootori-Shishido pair managed to gain the victory with a 7-5 score. The pair was exhausted, but exhilarated at the same time.

And now even Atobe was wondering where was. It wasn’t like her. But, at the same time, she had only promised to watch Singles 3 and Singles 1. So maybe she had decided to watch Seigaku’s matches. Maybe she was with Fuji right now… One glance at Oshitari told him that the boy’s thoughts weren’t too far from his own, although they didn’t amuse the tensai at all. Too bad. Atobe was thoroughly entertained by the possibility.

Even so, it wouldn’t do to have Oshitari distracted a like this for much longer. A lemon would envy the sour face he was making. Atobe continued to peer through the fence as Gakuto and Wakashi prepared to face off against the Nioh-Yagyuu pair of Rikkaidai.

“Stop making that face. She will be here.”

Oshitari’s face lightened slightly as his gaze turned to the boy standing next to him. “Well she better get here quickly. This match isn’t going to last long.”

And both boys knew that Oshitari had spoken the truth. Gakuto and Wakashi were a pretty good doubles pair, but Rikkaidai’s pair hadn’t lost a single match since they joined forces. Gakuto’s stamina still left much to be desired, so whether Hyoutei won or lost this match, it would be short.

----------------------------

Seigaku’s Golden Pair was on fire. Kikumaru’s acrobatics were as good as they had ever been, so the match didn’t last long even though Fudomine’s Ibu-Kamio pair were also highly skilled. The hyper boy bounced back over to and Fuji after he and his partner Oishi had won 6-2.

was very impressed by the high level of skill displayed by this school’s tennis club. They were a real threat to Hyoutei - could feel it. And as she gave Kikumaru a congratulatory hug, she realized that next up was… Singles 3. Oh no. Was she too late? She hoped Oshitari wouldn’t be angry with her.

“I’m really sorry guys, but I have to run. I can’t miss Oshitari’s match…” she said with a sigh before giving Kikumaru another hug. “You were awesome out there, Kikumaru-kun.” She then turned to Fuji and gave him a small smile. “See ya.”

Fuji nodded and she ran off to find the court where the other match was being held. He had hoped she would decide not to leave. It was refreshing to have her around, since he felt like he didn’t need to have his guard up all the time.

“Bye, -cha~n!” Kikumaru called out and waved enthusiastically at her back. He was still riding high from his victory and calling him awesome when he turned to see Fuji’s wistful face. He wrapped an arm around his friend and gave him the typical V sign with his hand. “Don’t worry, Fuji. She definitely likes you.”

“I would have to agree with Kikumaru-san. There is an 82% probability that she is attracted to you,” Inui said, coming out of the shadows once again.

Poor Kikumaru was startled, but Fuji had kind of suspected that something like this would happen as soon as he began to show an interest in a girl. Inui never gave up a good chance to collect data, and Fuji was one of his favorite subjects. He never seemed to be able to get the correct data from the prodigy. Knowing that, Fuji knew that Inui would not pass on this opportunity. But instead of speaking more, the data man walked to the edge of the fencing and began to watch Tezuka as he prepared for his match against Tachibana, Fudomine’s captain. The two had wanted to play each other for years, and they had decided that the only way to guarantee that it would happen would be to put themselves in Singles 3.

After Inui left, Kikumaru jumped on Fuji in excitement. “See? I told you. Eighty-two percent is a lot!” he said, almost giddy. He was ecstatic for his friend. The first girl that he had ever shown interest in liked him back. But Fuji didn’t look so happy.

“But that still leaves an 18% chance that she doesn’t like me. That percentage is only going to grow as she spends more time with Oshitari.” Fuji sighed and turned back around so he was facing the courts, shrugging off Kikumaru’s grip.

“Awww… Fuji. Don’t think like that. We’ll just have to make sure that you get to see her a lot too. So perk up okay? I don’t like seeing my friends all down…” he complained, making the cutest pouty face possible.

Fuji’s eyes closed and he smiled. He had revealed a little of his actual feelings to his friend, but now the barriers had gone back up. “Alright, Eiji. Gomen.” They walked back to the rest of the team and prepared to watch what everyone hoped would be a truly amazing match.

----------------------------

Oshitari spotted running toward the court. He approached her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder as she caught her breath.

“Glad you made it, ohime-sama. I was afraid you’d forgotten,” he said to her, his deep voice rumbling in her ear.

bit her lower lip and looked up at him as he spoke, the butterflies in her stomach racing around wildly. His touch. His gaze. His voice in her ear. They all caused her heart to flutter.

“How could I forget? I never break a promise.”

Oshitari smiled and began to lead her back to the rest of the team as he told her about the incredible Doubles 2 match she had missed, and filled her in as to what had happened in Doubles 1 so far. She asked who he was going to be playing against, and he described the man and playing style as well as he could: Yanagi Renji. The third monster of Rikkaidai. The data tennis player.

“…So as you can see, I’ve got quite a difficult match ahead of me.” He watched as nodded. This was the opportunity he had been waiting for. “So after I beat him, you’ll be my date to Atobe’s party, right?”

raised an eyebrow. Atobe had told her about the party that was supposed to take place the next night, after the finals. All the teams who participated in the tournament would be invited. She had planned to go alone, mostly because dates weren’t going to be necessary, and she didn’t think anyone would ask her after only knowing her for a day.

She smirked at him as he waited patiently for an answer. “Alright, if you beat Yanagi I will be your date to the party.”

Oshitari returned her smirk with one of his own as the Rikkaidai stands erupted in cheers. The doubles match was over. Hyoutei had lost 2-6. It hadn’t lasted very long, as was expected. But poor Gakuto looked like he was about to pass out. Wakashi was leading him off the court, almost as exhausted as his partner.

The blue-haired tensai lifted ’s hand and gently kissed it. “Thank you.”

She blushed slightly. “You have to win first,” she said jokingly, trying to hide the fact that she was flustered.

Oshitari made no reply, only winking at her before picking up his racket and heading for the court.

The feeling growing inside was strange. She wanted Oshitari to win, so they could go to the party together. But at the same time, she was almost hoping that he would lose so that she wouldn’t have to. It took her a moment to realize that the reason for the latter feeling was a pair of deep blue eyes that she couldn’t get off her mind, and the face that went with those eyes. Fuji Syuusuke.

Her thoughts were disturbed by a sudden weight being dropped in her lap. Apparently Jiroh felt that she would make the perfect pillow. It amused her, so she allowed him to remain where he was as he drifted off to sleep.

’s eyes drifted from Oshitari to his opponent as the match started. She couldn’t help but notice that the boy Yanagi kept his eyes half-closed all the time. Just like Fuji. The thought of that boy brought a smile to her face. Seigaku’s prodigy.

Wait a minute... Oshitari was considered Hyoutei’s prodigy as well. Oh dear... Why did they both have to be so incredible? Without even realizing it, she had created a battle of the tensais.

----------------------------

Candiicane

Edited by elenniel