Summary: An upcoming fellowship demands she attend tennis practice from sunrise to sunset. It would've been loads of fun and a perfect opportunity to bond with her teammates; however, the practice she's used to involves killing Shadows and running around Tartarus. What happens when you take away her naginata and hand her a tennis racket for a whole day? Can she keep her fighting spirit tame?

Character(s): Hitomi Kotone (Female Protagonist) and Rio Iwasaki

Ch II: I Will Defeat You… Tennis Ball?

July 27

Her alarm went off at five o'clock sharp and she couldn't help but grumble as her hand swatted around, trying to locate the dreaded alarm clock. She fiddled with it until she hit the correct button, sighing contently under her breath. No more than five minutes later, her cellphone began to play a catchy pop song on full volume. She practically shrieked in panic when she rolled off the bed, hitting the floor with a heavy thwump. She scrambled towards her desk, still groggy so she tripped once or twice. She snatched up her cellphone and flipped it open, frantically pounding the keypad buttons until she got the music to stop playing. She then flipped her phone close and stumbled in the dark towards her door, running right smack into it.

"Ow..." She grumbled into the door before she felt along the wall, face still firmly pressed against the door.

Her fingers graced the switch before she flipped it on, groaning softly as light flooded her once dark room. She took a step back and rubbed the sleep from her eyes before she opened her closet. She swatted at her clothing until she retrieved her P. E. uniform, proceeding to throw it upon her bed. She then stumbled towards her bed while struggling to pull off her comfy pajamas. She folded her pajamas then tucked them under her pillow like usual. She yawned as she slipped on a bra and struggled for a good three minutes to hook it close. She tugged on her white t-shirt then tried to pull on her sweats hastily. She tripped and hit the floor again, exhaling a heavy sigh before she stood up and pulled up her pants. The shoes and socks came quite easy afterwards.

"Uniform...?" She gave herself a quick look over before she snapped her fingers. "Check."

She then brushed her hair out and put on her signature silver barrettes in their usual formation. She combed her hair into a high ponytail and smiled at her reflection before she tugged on her matching jacket. She grabbed her cellphone then her MP3 player, tucking the former into the pocket of her jacket before she adjusted her earphones to hang around her neck. She attached her MP3 to her neck strap before she switched off the light. She made her way out of the dorm in silence, not wishing to disturb her sleeping dorm-mates.

She was at the tennis courts at six thirty in the morning, stifling a yawn as she continued listening to her music. A nudge startled her and she squeaked out before she spun around. Her shoulders were tense and she seemed to be gripping an invisible weapon. Her left leg was bent back slightly and most of her weight was focused on her right foot. She had taken one of the many stances she took in battles against Shadows when she was jumped by one. Her arms were positioned as if they were gripping her trusty naginata but she didn't seem to realize she was unarmed.

Rio's lips moved as she waved her hands around frantically and Hitomi blinked rapidly, realizing she wasn't in Tartarus. She then pointed at her hands and then at her ears. It took a moment for Hitomi to realize the message, after which she proceeded to comply. She reached up to remove her earphones and let them hang around her neck like usual. She then slowly relaxed her stance and exhaled a soft sigh, shaking her head slightly.

"Ahaha... S-sorry about that, Hitomi. I didn't mean to scare you." Rio apologized as she nervously rubbed her upper arm and shifted uncomfortably.

Hitomi shook her head and laughed a little. "No, it's fine. Sorry. I forgot to lower my volume and I'm a bit jumpy. I haven't been up this early in what feels like decades so my mind isn't all together yet."

"Oh, hahaha... That makes sense. I mean, you always seem so focused." She stated and smiled a little.

"Oh, thanks. People think that because I've got my earphones on all the time that I'm unaware of the world but that's only true when I forget to do a volume check." She stated and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I'm so used to listening to my music that I don't really ever realize how loud I'm playing it." And I rather love that because it's the only way I can be at peace with my thoughts, she thought to herself.

Rio chuckled softly. "I get it. It's how I am about doing the basics. I'm so used to doing them all the time that I sometimes forget that our club is barely starting to get back into the swing of things."

Hitomi smiled brightly. "See? I told you they'd all come back eventually. Now all the girls come to practice and we're having practice sessions from sunrise to sunset until the fellowship trip."

"Yeah... It seems like just yesterday it was just the two of us practicing together..."

"Yup! But now we're on the fast track to victory!" Hitomi exclaimed enthusiastically, earning another chuckle from Rio.

"Hey, while we wait for the others to show up, why don't we get started on setting up?"

Hitomi saluted Rio with a grin on her face. "Yes, ma'am!"

They began to set up the nets and pulling out rackets. They worked together to carry out buckets filled with tennis balls. A little before seven, the other club members showed up. Everyone called out good morning to one another and began to help out with setting up the little machines that shot out tennis balls. By seven fifteen, the courts were ready and gear was laid out. Rio blew her whistle and they assembled for their stretches. They moved as one with every whistle blow, sighing contently as their bodies warmed up. After stretches, Rio blew her whistle again and announced that they'd be doing warm up laps. Hitomi led the charge with Rio, both girls smiling as they raced around the courts with their team members jogging a little ways behind them.

"Alright, girls, now were going to practice our serves first." Rio announced when they were finished with their laps. "I want only one girl per court so that means only three of us are serving at a time. We'll start off easy with ten serves then rotate out for another member to go. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am!" They all shouted in unison.

Hitomi pulled her earphones back on and played her music as she watched her team mates practice their first drill of the day. Her mind drifted to her runs in Tartarus. Lately, Yukari and Junpei were becoming more agile during battles and they'd stopped hesitating when it came to summoning their Personas. They were more perceptive to their surroundings and sometimes even managed to strike a shadow before she could. She'd become more fierce as well, being able to handle a group of shadows alone and even kill them in a single blow at times. Her tennis practice made her faster with wielding her naginata. She was even more flexible for dodging and counterattacking, which meant she walked away from almost every fight unscathed. Fighting was practically second nature to her now and she felt as if she functioned automatically soon as she stepped into Tartarus. Rio's commanding voice pulled her from her thoughts and she quickly jogged over to grab her racket. She passed Rio but stopped when she felt her hand on her shoulder. She stopped and removed her earphones, glancing at her captain.

"Yes?"

Rio frowned a little. "Hitomi, I know you love your music but..."

Hitomi exhaled a soft sigh and looked at her pleadingly. "You think it's gonna distract me? You know it won't."

"Yes but..." She cast a glance at the other members who were standing by the fence. "It's nothing personal, Hitomi. It's just that... think about the others. They'll feel like you're getting special treatment if you listen to your MP3 during practice."

It was Hitomi's turn to frown a little now. "It's never been an issue before..."

Rio couldn't help but exhale a heavy sigh. "I know but... Do you think just for today you could go without music?"

Horses started eating each other. Babies stole candies from convenience stores from within the womb. The earth split apart and oceans rose to flood the land. At least, that's what Hitomi believed had happened to the world. She'd never gone a day without her music and she wasn't sure if she'd be able to do so. She already felt strange since she'd decided against going to Tartarus after hearing she'd have to practice tennis until the fellowship trip. She hadn't fought any Shadows in a few days or even held her naginata, which made her feel exposed. Now, Rio was asking her to give up her music. She felt as if her entire being was being ripped away but she knew she'd have to comply temporarily. She could handle this for today, right?

Hitomi inhaled a shaky breath before she responded. "Yeah, it's fine... I guess one day won't hurt." Every sliver of confidence she had simply vanished with her words.

Rio smiled and patted her shoulder. "Great. Now show me your ten serves."

Hitomi trudged to her court, almost dragging the racket on the ground behind herself. She took her position and grabbed the first tennis ball. She could clearly hear the chatter of her team mates and a strange sensation surfaced from her gut. She tossed the ball up into the air and swung. She completely missed and stood there dumbfounded. She had never missed a serve before. Concentration was not something she'd ever bad to work to achieve, it simply came to her naturally as she listened to her music.

She frowned and tried again, her racket barely touching the ball. It hit the ground at her feet and she looked at it. She kept trying with five other balls and missed every one of them. They were all strewn about her feet. She exhaled a heavy sigh and resisted the urge to throw her racket at the floor and give up altogether. Why the hell couldn't she hit a ball? Why was everyone so loud? Had they always been this loud?! Rio jogged up to her as Hitomi's cheeks burned out of frustration. She could clearly hear a few snickers and giggles from the girls. She wanted to stab her eardrums with sharpened pencils since she found everyone around her utterly irritating at the moment. Was this because she was used to drowning them out with her music? Was she truly this anxious in social environments? Is this why she plugged her ears to the world around herself?

"Hey, Hitomi, are you okay? You missed all the balls..." Rio began as she gazed at her worriedly then at the tennis balls that were forgotten at her feet.

Hitomi reached up and fiddled with her barrettes. "I don't know…" She whispered and couldn't help feeling utterly lost.

Rio placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a warm smile. "Hey, don't sweat it. Why don't you go again for another ten balls?"

"Are you sure...?" She asked as she met her gaze. "I'd hate to hold up drills because I can't hit the ball." And she'd really love an excuse to skip this humiliation.

"Nonsense! I refuse to advance on the drills until we all perform them together successfully. No woman left behind!" Rio cried out and pumped her fist up in the air before chuckling softly. "Isn't that sort of how you cheered me on before?"

Hitomi couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, that sounds like me." Though she wished that she hadn't seemed so sure of herself when she'd done it.

"Great! Now, take your time. You can do this." Rio cheered her on before she jogged back to the rest of the girls, blowing her whistle to silence them and inform Hitomi she could continue.

"Here goes..." Hitomi whispered under her breath as she picked up another ball.

She lightly dribbled it a few times on the ground before she tossed it up. She swung the racket and managed to hit the ball this time except it struck the net. Freaking ball! She exhaled a heavy sigh and stomped her foot down while Rio shouted that she'd done good. She grabbed another ball and clenched it tight in her hands. Just imagine the ball is your weapon against the Shadows... Picture that when you swing the racket, you're swinging your naginata. Come on, show them no mercy!

She dribbled the ball a few times before she tossed it up in the air. She watched the ball spinning in mid air and descending slowly. Time slowed down and her heart beat in her chest in slow yet steady beats. She inhaled a slow and deep breath as she concentrated on the ball. She gripped her racket tightly and jumped up, swinging her right hand hard. Her racket smacked the ball and sent it crashing down on the opposite court, causing it to bounce and roll towards the back fence. Rio shouted enthusiastically and encouraged her to try again. Hitomi focused and repeated to herself her mantra from earlier every time she swung. She managed to hit all nine balls successfully and with great force, earning varies cries of admiration and squeals of delight.

"You were amazing!" A female with glasses cried out.

"You were so focused, Hitomi-chan!" A female with pigtails shouted while throwing her arms up in the air.

"That look of determination in your eyes... Oh! It was like you were a warrior on the battlefield!" One of the girls cried out before she jumped up and down excitedly while clapping her hands together.

Hitomi smiled sheepishly. "Thank you, everyone." She was glad that they couldn't read her mind otherwise they'd see that the only reason she'd performed well was because she was envisioning herself fighting Shadows.

"Alright, time for the next set of drills!"

Hitomi performed the drills with her team mates but the entire time she kept envisioning her fights with the Shadows. Every time she swung her racket, she pretended it was her naginata. She kept dashing around her side of the court and guarding fiercely. She considered every ball that was headed in her direction and enemy attack she had to deflect with her racket. She was ferocious with her serves, taking the opportunity to deliver powerful strikes. It was how she bested most members. She was fierce when striking the ball back towards her opponent, alternating almost effortlessly between her right and left hand amidst strikes. She rarely used two handed swings but when she did, the ball easily flew past her opponent and struck the fence. During the practice matches, she didn't allow any members to earn more than two points against her and only Rio was able to have a set over her; however, she still beat her. Once Hitomi had beat every member, Rio called for one of their fifteen minute breaks.

Hitomi sighed and fetched her water bottle, chugging down the cool liquid and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Rio jogged up to her and gazed at her for a moment before she spoke. "Hey... Can we talk?"

"Of course. What's on your mind?" Hitomi asked before she chugged more of her water.

"Um... Come with me." She motioned for her to follow her to a distance away from the other members and leaned against the fence. "I've never seen you like this before..."

Hitomi blinked and raised a curious brow. "Seen me like... what?"

Rio sighed and shook her head. "Maybe it's in my head..."

Hitomi frowned and crossed her arms over her chest after she set her water bottle on the ground. "Come on, just tell me."

"It's just..." Rio fidgeted with the whistle around her neck. "It seemed like... Well, you were so serious today, I mean more so than usual. It's like we were playing tennis but you were playing life and... winning." Rio met Hitomi's blank stare and laughed. "I'm not making any sense, huh?"

Hitomi laughed a little and shrugged her shoulders. "If I wasn't confused before, I definitely am now."

Rio laughed again before she continued. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that you seemed so serious, like if you let your focus slip, you'd be completely lost… or worse. The way you looked at the ball... At one point I was sure you'd strangle the ball or something." She laughed again and rubbed the back of her neck slowly. "Silly, huh?"

"Yeah, poor tennis ball." She whispered and wished she could disappear on the spot.

Rio smiled and moved away from the fence. "You're so weird sometimes."

"That's probably why you talk to me." She responded and smiled.

"Hahaha, probably." Rio clapped her hands together and glanced at the fading sun. "Well, guess we are done for today. Let's do some cool down stretches then pack up."

Hitomi couldn't help but feel like a burden had been lifted off her chest, thankful she'd gone through the day without accidentally killing anybody given how her thoughts had bordered on murderous. She helped clean up after their stretches and bid everyone a good evening. She was the first to leave, making a mad dash towards the station. She boarded the train and struggled the entire ride back to keep from screaming. She was losing her firm grip on her fighting spirit. She slipped her earphones on and began to blast her music to keep herself calm after she realized that sheer force of will wasn't enough. Music was the key to keeping a smile on her face and being bubbly. She could listen to songs with lyrics surrounding dark themes but she'd project a warm aura and her thoughts would be peaceful. She sometimes felt as if her sanity was shattered and her MP3 was the key to remaining sane.

She entered the door and she was positive that the members of SEES tried to make small talk with her. She heard something about Tartarus but refused to answer of acknowledge them. She jogged up the stairs and stumbled to her room. She grabbed her pajamas, panties and her towel after she kicked off her shoes. She slipped her feet into her bunny slippers and made her way to the showers on the fourth floor. She quickly showered and changed into her pajamas before hurrying to her room before anyone came to check up on her. She threw herself on to her bed and curled under the blankets.

"I hope I can do what I did today until it's time for the trip... I just got to work on not looking like a murderer..." She mumbled under her breath before she fell asleep.

That night her dreams of Shadows were replaced with tennis balls and rackets but she still defeated each and every one of them.