AN: Yeah...this is my first story ever. So, yeah, it might suck, I don't know. But anyway, enjoy

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of Takeshi Konomi's characters or any of his ideas.

Chapter 1: Doubt

A young boy holding an orange stood upon the edge of a cliff. He pulled off his shirt and dove into the sea below, looking back as he resurfaced. "Mada mada daze, Chi-bi-su-ke!" he yelled as he threw the orange at a small boy watching from the cliff. The boy on the cliff watched as the small citrus orb eclipsed the sun.

The world went black, the words "Mada mada daze," echoing in the abyss.

"….chizen," a faint voice called out. "…Echizen," it called again. "Echizen! Wake up!" He woke with a jolt and looked around, trying to get his bearings. His classmates tittered with laughter.

For the third time that day, Echizen Ryoma, tennis prodigy and Seishun Gakuen's freshman ace, had been caught sleeping in class; this time in English.

"Echizen," repeated his teacher in an angry voice, "pay attention! Go to the restroom and wash your face if that will help you stay awake."

"Gomenasai sensei," Ryoma mumbled as he started toward the door. He solemnly walked through the halls of Seigaku, his mind a chaotic blur. He sleepily stumbled into the restroom and over to a sink. Ryoma stared into the mirror, losing focus as his thoughts tumbled around in his head.

"Why do I keep hearing those words?" he asked himself aloud, "and why is it even bothering me?" As he thought through everything that had happened since the cruise three months before, his answer became clear. Ryoma, while not usually vulnerable to bouts of self-doubt, was beginning to second-guess himself.

"Maybe I'm not good enough," he muttered. He looked back at his match history since enrolling at Seigaku. Sure, most of the matches had been cakewalks, but he'd had more trouble than he'd expected. I lost to both Tezuka-buchou and Sanada, he thought. I was able to beat them later, but they hadn't been at 100%. Tezuka-buchou's shoulder wasn't fully healed and he wasn't even able to activate Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami. Sanada, on the other hand, didn't even use "In" and "Rai" from his FuuRinKaaInZanRai, and I'd had to activate Muga no Kyouchi to win. The same goes for my match with Monkey King, he realized. If I hadn't used the power of Muga, I would have lost. Then, against Yukimura, I had to activate Teni'muhou no Kiwami just to stay ahead of him.

His thoughts kept following that downward spiral as the day wore on. At afternoon practice, his focus was so far gone that he almost lost to Arai, and then faltered in his match with Horio. Unbeknownst to Ryoma, his senpai-tachi had noticed this and had formed their infamous gossip circle. As usual, Kaidoh and Tezuka were the only two missing from the group.

"Ne, Inui," resident tensai Fuji Syuusuke asked, "what do you think's wrong with Echizen-kun?"

"According to my data," Inui Sadaharu, the data man of Seigaku, replied, "he's either ill or a student has been bothering him. However, considering the fact that Echizen's appetite hasn't been affected, I'd say there is a 75% chance that someone has been bullying him, a 20% chance that he is suffering from some sort of illness, a 4.5% chance that he's just having an off day, and a 0.5% chance that something is occurring that I have yet to gather data on."

"Nani?!? Someone's bullying Ochibi?" Kikumaru Eiji, the hyperactive acrobat, cried.

"E-eiji," Oishi Shuichiro, Seigaku's "mother hen," admonished. "We don't even know whether he really is being bullied. Besides, you may have overlooked it Inui but Echizen doesn't have any bruises or other injuries usually associated with bullying."

"…I never said it had to be a physical bully," Inui countered. "Emotional bullies are potentially much more dangerous than your average one. They can effectively destroy their victim from the inside out, creating invisible wounds that cause much more pain than a simple bruise."

"But," Momoshiro Takeshi, the knuckleheaded junior, urged, "if someone is doing that, you'd think someone, maybe Horio, would have said something about it. Also, if someone's messing with my best bud, I can't just let that slide, I can't."

"Guys," Kawamura Takashi, Seishun's power player, nervously interjected, "maybe we should just wait and see if Echizen isn't just having an off day. I personally think that has a much higher probability than bullying, no offense Inui."

"Saa…I agree with Taka-san," Fuji said. Although, no one was sure whether he himself would just let the situation continue; the tensai's piercing blue eyes had snapped open, and they were glittering maliciously. The others mentally shuddered; everyone knew that you didn't want to be on the receiving end of Fuji's wrath.

"I am in agreement," the data man stated, breaking the silence. However, he thought, I will conduct some research in attempts to gather more information on the situation. Something must be wrong with my data, Oishi and Taka are right; Echizen is probably just having an off day. Inui, ever prideful of his data-gathering abilities, was rather upset that, for once, the others were contradicting him.

"Practice is over!" came the booming voice of Seigaku's captain, Tezuka Kunimitsu. "Freshmen, pick up the balls and put the nets away. Juniors, be prepared for intense training tomorrow; today was a bit of a break. Seniors, your final chance to become a regular is coming up, be ready to play without regrets. Regulars, continue individual training. However, please stay behind for a quick meeting in the clubhouse. Let's not get careless. Dismissed!"

As the club members went about their tasks, the gossiping regulars shared a glance. "Crud, Buchou caught us talking again," Eiji whined.

Throughout practice, Ryoma's mind had been focused on his musings. He was becoming more and more convinced that he just wasn't good enough. This idea also applied to his appointment as Seigaku's pillar of support. How could he be relied upon when he still had so much to work on?

When he heard the announcement regarding the meeting in the clubhouse, Ryoma assumed the other regulars had been gossiping again. It had happened before; the captain had a very low tolerance level for slackers. Sighing and rolling his eyes, he shuffled to the clubhouse—one of the last to get there—and steeled himself for whatever punishment Tezuka might give them.

The regulars awaited their fate as the other members quickly left the clubhouse. They didn't want to be around if their no-nonsense captain was about to deal out punishment.

"Why do we have to have a meeting today?" Momo complained. "Now I'm going to be late for my date with Ann-chan."

"Shut up," Kaidoh Kaoru, the viper and Momo's longtime rival, growled, "we're probably here because of some stupid action of yours."

"What did you say mamushi?" Momo replied, his voice rising to a dangerous level.

"You heard me," Kaidoh hissed, always ready for a confrontation, "this is your fault."

The argument quickly escalated into an all-out brawl. This was rather troublesome for the other regulars; the clubhouse was a rather confined space. Ryoma, who was, yet again, not paying attention to his surroundings, got caught up in the mayhem. As Momoshiro swung his fist, hoping to hit his bandana-wearing rival, Kaidoh ducked. In horror, Momo tried to stop his attack, but his efforts were futile. His clenched fist crashed into the freshman's face, knocking the boy back at least ten feet. Ryoma landed with a thud, his vision going black. He fought to maintain consciousness, but didn't have the energy.

"Echizen!" the regulars cried simultaneously. They rushed over to the sprawled figure, Oishi pulling out a first-aid kit as he ran. "Momo, find Tezuka and Ryuuzaki-sensei immediately!"

"No need," came the reply in a guilt-ridden voice. Oishi looked up to see Tezuka observing with a concerned expression. Coach Ryuuzaki was speaking with someone on her cell phone. As he listened, he realized she was requesting an ambulance for their unconscious rookie.

Oishi looked around to see how the others were fairing with the incident. Eiji was on the verge of tears, quietly muttering something that sounding surprisingly like a prayer. Kawamura was watching, waiting to see if he was needed. Kaidoh was glaring at Momoshiro, whose head was bowed in shame and guilt. Inui was scribbling furiously in his notebook, apparently gathering data on some unknown aspect of the whole ordeal. Tezuka was watching, his face as expressionless as ever, but Oishi could see the concern in his eyes. As he turned to look at the tensai, he felt an ominous force so powerful, it nearly bowled him over.

Fuji was frightening at the best of times; now he was downright scary. His electric-blue eyes were open, glistening dangerously. His ever-present smile was nowhere to be seen, a very bad sign. The tensai's fists were clenched so hard his knuckles were white. But, the thing that scared Oishi the most was Fuji's aura. It was an aura of pure evil and malice. Currently, it was directed at Momo, who was feeling too guilty to notice. Oishi was extremely glad he wasn't in Momo's shoes right now. Knowing that there was no way to placate the furious senior, he looked back at Ryoma, and was appalled at what he saw.

The freshman was barely breathing. His lips had a tinge of blue. Oishi checked for a pulse. Fear engulfed him when he didn't feel one. However, relief swept over him as he detected a faint beat. However weak Ryoma was at the moment, at least he was alive.

When the ambulance arrived, the regulars made room for the medical team. Seeing the state of the patient, the medical experts double-stepped as they worked. They gently placed Ryoma on a stretcher and carried him to the back of the ambulance. Coach Ryuuzaki offered to take four members of the team to the hospital; a support team of sorts, incase their friend needed it. There was no question as to who would go with the coach and who would take the bus.

"Fuji, Oishi, and Momoshiro," barked Tezuka, "you're coming with me in Ryuuzaki-sensei's car. The rest of you will join us as soon as possible. Take the bus or call a parent, I don't care, but you'd better be there when Echizen comes to. Let's not get careless."

Eiji, Inui, Kawamura, and Kaidoh watched as their coach's car sped off after the ambulance. There were few complaints as they ran to the closest bus stop. However, a car pulled up as they were waiting. The window rolled down and a familiar face appeared.

"Takashi! I got a call from Ryuuzaki-sensei. Hurry, get in you four!" Kawamura's father called. The four regulars didn't need being told twice; they piled into the car, and the car sped in the direction of the hospital.

Meanwhile, there was a very tense atmosphere in Coach Ryuuzaki's car. Fuji was attempting to kill Momo with one of his most piercing death glares. The junior was curled up in the feedle position. Luckily, Oishi was sitting between the two in the back seat. Tezuka, for his part, ordered the tensai to calm down.

"Momo, I'll only ask you this once: why did you hit Echizen-kun?" Fuji asked in a deceivingly calm voice.

"I'm so sorry!" the frightened junior cried. "I was just so frustrated at mamushi and my anger got the best of me. When he ducked, I tried to stop, but I couldn't."

"Fuji! Momoshiro is already suffering from enough guilt. Stop! Calm down, Echizen isn't the type to just give up, he'll be okay," Tezuka said, partly to keep himself calm.

"Saa…gomen Tezuka. I'll behave," Fuji replied, his signature smile returning. Oishi shivered, though, seeing that the smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

AN: Yay, chapter 1 is complete! So, yeah, review if you feel like it. If you don't that's fine, I know there are plenty of times I haven't.