"This is in normal dialogue."
"This is in English."
"This is her thoughts."
...
So close. She was so close to achieving her Dad's dream and getting a grand slam. Echizen Ryoma had finished conquering the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon. All that is left is to win the US Open. But why? Why did her body chose to collapse at a crucial time like this landing her in the hospital? The US Open was fast approaching and she had to practice. As she switched through the numerous channels available, she found herself slowly getting irritated. Most of them were mostly "Is Echizen Ryoma the Prince Of Tennis?", "Truly a prodigy Echizen Ryoma","A young 15 year old boy achieving the grand slam, is it possible?"
Yes that was right. She was posing as a boy in the tennis world. It was much easier to avoid craze fans when you are walking down the street and people wouldn't look down on you if you're a guy. It was easy really. She just had to tuck in her long hair tied in a hat and disguise her eyes with spectacles, though they tend to get in the way, and since she was still young, it was easy to disguise herself as a boy.
"Echizen Ryoma?"
"Yes?"
"It seems that right now your body condition isn't very good. I would advise you to get a few months rest before playing tennis again. After all, you are still a young girl in puberty and it wouldn't be good to overexert your muscles. From your previous medical reports, your body was originally weak in the beginning, you might critically injure yourself if you continue on in this manner.
"…"
"Your Mother is here to see you, I have already told her what she needs to know. You might want to discuss with her your future plans."
Great. Just great.
"Ryoma dear?"
"Mum, I am totally fine."
"Ryoma…your Dad and I have been discussing..and we want to move back to Japan. After all, your twin brother and cousin are there and it would be good for you to start schooling again instead of being home-schooled."
"But, what about the tournament?"
"Dear, your health is more important! The tournament comes every year and after all, you got number one in three major tournaments already, isn't that enough?"
It's true, Ryoma was getting tired of tennis. If she was going to stop now, she might as well retire from the tennis world already. But about her Dad's dream?
"Enough, I don't care already…."
"Mum…can I retire from the pros?"
...
It had been a few days since she announced her retirement. The media went nuts, her mum was happy for her and she still wasn't able to face her dad properly though he said it was okay.
"Well, we have to go to Japan first to make sure our new house would be ready. See you when you get there brat!"
"Dear! Ryoma are you sure you can take care of yourself for the next couple of days? I can call Ryoga if you want?"
"No Mum, I'll be fine. See you."
The next few days were spent in silence. She didn't bother inviting anyone over and haven't picked up her racket since. The only thing she did was working out at the gym, eating, bathing and sleeping.
"Maybe, just today I'll play…"
After hitting a few balls, she eventually decided to stop. She was just about to close her eyes and take a nap under the tree when suddenly.
"Oi chibisuke! Nice to see you are still alive!"
"Aniki!"
"Yo! Mum asked me to check up on you, heard you are attending school?"
"Hn.."
"No need to be so gloomy.. I got you something as a good luck charm. A necklace with a tennis ball charm, cherish it! Here let me put it on for you."
"Thank you…really."
"No need…maybe I'll drop by in Japan! See you!"
Her encounter with Ryoga cheered her up a little at least. She can only hope her life in Japan would be a better one.
AN: So was it okay? Hope it isn't too bad ^^