The characters mentioned in this story belong to Takeshi Konomi. I claim no ownership to them.

Psh I wish I had ownership.

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Momoshiro Takeshi, previously a hot shot slam dunk tennis player, now a recreational tennis playing college student majoring in forensic science, walked steadily down an empty street in modern day Tokyo. His gaze pierced the sidewalk below him and he lost himself in thought.

He had gotten a letter in the mail earlier that day.

Momo-senpai,

Heh. Bet you've forgotten about me by now. That's kind of too bad. I mean, I'm heading on my way to the same university as you, not that you'd probably care much. Ever since we won the Nationals with Tezuka-buchou you haven't gotten along with me. I guess it's because after I came back from America nothing was really as smooth. You had your problems, I had mine. Anyways, maybe we could meet up for a tennis match, if you're not too busy. I still have a score to settle with you. You do owe me, you know.

Echizen Ryoma

Momo stared at the letter's handwriting and then the name of the writer. For a moment his eyes looked as though they glistened. They then turned stone cold after a moment's notice.

The letter rest in his jacket pocket and moment placed his hand in there to make sure he had actually received it. Sure enough, he felt it there.

He let out a long sigh and looked up ahead of him. The street looked empty for a Sunday. Not many people were running errands, which was unusual for busy Tokyo.

"What was I thinking?" Momo let out a loud groan and flashed back to the memory he despised the most.

"Momo-Senpai..."

Momo looked up into a pair of golden cat like eyes. Sitting alone in the club room is where Momo had been spending the last hour of practice, unknowingly by the rest of the team. He nearly didn't recognize where he was. His eyes were sunken back deep into his skull and he carried his body as though it were dead weight. Ryoma knew something was wrong, but if Momo really wanted him to know he would have told the now second year. He thought it to be the stress of a new captain. It should have passed with time.

But it had been three months and it hadn't decreased in the least bit. He was worried about his elder, I mean, after all, they were best friends.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Fine." Ryoma gave Momo a glance of concern and sighed.

"Really...you can tell me, senpai."

"No. I really can't."

"Senpai just-"

"What? Are you going to comment on how horrible I look too, Echizen? How strange I'm acting?," Momo's insides flipped into themselves. He never yelled at Ryoma like that before...

"S-senpai...I'm just...what's wrong with you?" Ryoma was taken aback at first, now he had seemingly recovered.

"Just go." Momo's voice broke the awkward silence that had consumed them.

Ryoma stared at his senpai and rooted his feet firmly to the ground.

"I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong, Momo-senpai. You've been acting like this far too long. And I-"

"GO ECHIZEN," Momo was staring at the boy now with an intense stare. Ryoma stood glaring harshly at Momo for a few more moments before turning his back to his senpai

"...Fine Momoshiro. I wasn't even concerned about you anyway," Ryoma left the club room and headed back onto the courts.

And Momo let out the sobs he had been holding back for the past three months.


Momo hadn't spoken to Ryoma since that moment. He didn't know how to approach him and Ryoma figured Momo would talk when he was ready. Now they were in college and were going to meet for the first time. It wasn't that bad to many others...but Ryoma saw Momo in the lowest point he had ever been. Who would want to face their most hated memory?

Momo mentally beat himself up. He checked that his racket bag on his back was indeed still there. He still had the same on from Junior High. Oh, the memories...

Momo rounded the corner and walked up the steps to the campus courts. He felt a droplet of water on his face as he did so. He looked up- sure enough the rain had finally started coming down.

"Heh," Momo laughed, "Knowing Ryoma, he'll want to play anyway, despite the rain."

Momo had a small smile on his face until he reached the top of the steps and looked straight ahead.

The spitting image of Nanjiroh Echizen stood before him on the other side of the net. He was handsome, toned with muscles in the same places Pete Sampras and Roger Federer. Yet, he still had the boyish look of the same Junior High student Momo had known only a few years ago.

"You're late." Ryoma's first words to Momo since the day in the club room. Apparently a lot had changed since Junior high. Now Momo was the late one.

"Yeah, well...I had a lot to think about."

"Oh yeah?"

Momo stared at Ryoma. He seemed unaffected by their meeting. Momo marched onto the courts and took out his racket.

Ryoma was already standing on the serving side of the court. Momo readied himself and braced himself from Ryoma's famous kick serve.

Swish.

Clunk.

Momo barely returned it, and they battered back and forth until Ryoma got the first point.

This process repeated until the game was 5-1, Ryoma's lead. Ryoma's voice penetrated the air.

"Momo-senpai, you're not playing serious."

Momo stood silent and he picked up a ball and tossed it over the net with the force of his racket.

Ryoma returned it and Momo stood like a brick wall, allowing it to fly past.

"Momo sen-"

"Echizen....you know...about that day..."

Ryoma let out a laugh and tossed Momo a ball.

"I already know Momo-senpai. Just by showing up today...I knew you were sorry about it."

Momo grabbed the ball from the air and looked at the ground with a face of uncertainty.

"It was because of Ann-chan you know. She was threatening to kill herself and I just...I didn't know what to do..."

"I know. I got the entire story from her about a week ago."

"Then...why did you come here?" Momo looked at Ryoma with a questioning gaze.

"Simple." Ryoma said and waited for Momo's serve to fly over the net.

"...Well...?" Momo waited for Ryoma's response.

Ryoma sighed.

"I missed you, Senpai."

Momo looked at the man who was a year younger and saw him looking away with a faint blush on his cheeks.

Momo grinned.

"I missed you too, Echizen."

And he hit the serve with the most spirit he had since he quit the tennis club his Third Year at Seishun Gauken.

Which, of course, Ryoma happily returned.