Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis!

Hello! Here's the newest addition of "My True Self." I was kind of worried that the last chapter was too…err…sappy and boring so I'm hoping this one is a little better. Bear with me! It's been a while!

Ah! Don't grab the pitchforks! I'm sorry for the long delay. Between my sister's wedding, school, and that long time enemy, procrastination, here is the latest chapter?

This is normal conversation.

These are thoughts

Signals a change in language being spoken

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Chapter 22:

And some time passed. All the students were gearing up for the Cultural Sports Festival to take place during the approaching weekend. Only two days were left and nearly all the student body was shaking with anticipation. There were a few excerptions…like the Tennis Club and one student in particular: Echizen Ryoma.

Speaking of which, the female protagonist could currently be found hiding out in the chemistry room. Donned in a white lab coat, swirly glasses, and her hair twirled into a bun and stuffed under an bald cap, the female hero was currently in disguise, if you couldn't tell already. Who could she be hiding from? Why none other than her own senpais from the Tennis Club!

Footsteps could be heard running past the door and with each approaching step, Ryoma dared not breath out loud. A shadow of a hand could be seen creeping towards the door handle and Ryoma quivered with fear. A shout outside the door could be heard.

"Momo-senpai! We've already checked here! It's a no go!" The familiar voice of Sakuno told the shadow, who turned out to be Momoshiro.

"Ah. Now where did chibi-chan go?" Momo said in an exasperated tone. "Buchou is definitely gonna make her run laps if she doesn't come to practice today!"

Momoshiro stomped off and Ryoma let loose a sigh of relief. The door slid open and Ryoma stood in view like a deer in the headlights. Two figures entered the classroom and closed the door. Sakuno and Tomoya looked at her sympathetically.

"Figured you be here since you weren't anywhere else." Sakuno murmured in a commiserating voice. "I can't imagine why they would think you would be willing to do it."

Ryoma sank to the ground and started to bemoan her fate. Nothing it seemed was going right for her. Tomoya grinned, "At least you don't have to be in the school play! I'm the Evil Queen!"

Sakuno smiled gently, "But you did so well during auditions, Tomoya-chan."

Tomoya perked up. Ryoma glared feebly at the two and muttered under her breath, "That's what you think."

Unfortunately, the two girls didn't hear her. Or perhaps they weren't meant to. Who knows? Anyway, Ryoma was currently bemoaning her fate and the evils of life that were named the Tennis Club and Drama Club of Phoenix Academy.

===================Flashback==================

"So if anyone have any ideas of what the Tennis Club can do for the Festival, please submit your ideas now," Oishi said in his usual calm voice. Although he was the vice-captain of the Seigaku team, the other two teams generally listened to the mother hen because he was usually fair to all.

Random shouts from the various club members raised the volume up in the auditorium by quite a bit. The Tennis Club was one of the more popular club associations of Phoenix Academy, and so, an auditorium was needed for all its members during important club events such as this. The loud symphony of male teenage voices and a few female ones (not including Ryoma because like always she was napping) were quickly getting out of hand.

Atobe quickly grabbed the mike and whistled into it. Several people jumped and even started to turn into the direction of the stage to glare. The sub-zero glares from Tezuka and Sanada froze them in place and the conversations died down until everyone settled down properly.

"Thank you, Atobe-san." Oishi said calmly before continuing. "Let's do this in a logical manner, minna-san. Now who's first?"

One by one, several people gave their opinions. The three captains and their vice-captains either quickly vetoed the ideas or the common members quickly voiced their lack of interest in it.

"What about a café?" Momoshiro suggested, always one to think with his stomach. "We could have the first years as the waiters, the second years cook, and third years promote and do decorations."

Kaidoh quickly disagreed, "Pssh…cafes are so overrated and overdone. Baka"

Momoshiro got into his rival's face and grabbed his collar. "What was that Mamushi?" Not one to be intimidated, Kaidoh grabbed his Momo's collar as well and started hissing at him.

Before a fight could break out, Inui popped between then and gave them some freaky calculations. "Interesting. It'll be an 89% chance that Momoshiro and Kaidoh will run 50 laps assigned by Tezuka-buchou. But it will be a 99.9% chance that they will be my newest test subjects for my new product, 'Uber Deluxe Veggie Juice!"

As soon as the words 'test subjects' came out of Inui's mouth, both Kaidoh and Momo broke apart. Momoshiro hid behind the napping Ryoma while Kaidoh tried to discreetly hide behind Kawamura-senpai.

"Oro-sama is not glad, but he does agree with the snake player." Atobe frowned. "Cafes are so common. We are the elite Tennis Club. Oro-sama thinks we should do something amazing!"

Light chuckles could be heard. Everyone turned to Fuji who smiled his freakishly scary, gentle smile.

"Why not do an obstacle course with human prizes?" He said before opening his eyes to reveal their chilling cerulean color. "We could incorporate both mental and physical tasks to overcome. I think that it's a good idea."

Nearly all the tennis members, including the more soft-hearted Regular members, rapidly shook their heads in agreement.

"Then it's settled." Yukimura said. "As for prizes, they will be…"

============End Flashback=============

Ryoma moaned again as she remembered that event. Even though everyone thought she had been sleeping, she hadn't really been doing so. Okay, so she had been sleeping, but had started to wake up just as Yukimura-buchou gave his addition to the plan. And the horror of it all…

"I thought we were a tennis club!" Ryoma wailed softly to her friends, "Aren't we supposed to be doing tennis-related things!"

Sakuno and Tomoya exchanged glances. They figured it was a rhetorical question since no one in their right minds willingly disagreed with combine forces of Fuji-senpai and Yukimura-senpai. They felt much pity for their friend, but couldn't help but feel glad that it wasn't them. After all, they weren't the one of the chosen people to act as prizes for the obstacle course.

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Alright that's the end of chapter 22….It's setting up for the upcoming chapter!

Sorry for the late update. I'll try to get the next chapter out before the new year!

Read and Review! Effective criticism, as always, is welcome. Flames can just flicker out and die during this winter.

Random Bit of Info: Just got new contacts in today and while my vision is so much better in the left eye, my right eye seems be taking a little bit longer to adjust. It's making my head a bit dizzy.

Updated 12/17/11