Summary: Ayroka a world class gymnast has lost her fire to win; her coaches think that Seigaku, and especially the tennis team has the power to instill that fire back into Ayroka. AU, and maybe a little romance.
Chapter 1: Def not my cup of Tea
"And she sticks the landing! The 2009 gymnastics world all-around champion is Japan's Ayroka Katsumi" At fifteen Ayroka was already the best gymnast in the world. Since the age of three she had been training to be a gymnast. She had been putting her body through absolute hell for ten years, so that she could make it to the 2012 Olympics and already by 2009 she could feel her body starting to give way. Gymnastics just was no longer fun it was all about learning the next big trick so that she could stay ahead of the other elites, and she just no longer had the drive to win. Standing on top of the medal podium she couldn't manage to even try to smile all she felt was a heavy tired feeling that was pulling her down.
"We need to give Ayroka a reason to a reason to keep on wanting to succeed in gymnastics, It is very apparent that she has stopped loving gymnastics and it has become a chore to her." Ayroka's coach Aito a former Japanese gymnast who was almost like a second father to Ayroka was talking to the assistant coach Koichi on the plane ride back to Japan. "We can't allow Ayroka to lose the will to fight because once she does she will stop being the champion that we know that she can become."
"It is all very well and good to say that now but how will you give Ayroka back her fighting spirit? Once you lose your fight it is very hard to get it back." Koichi replied while scratching his head a nervous habit that he had developed while coaching the 2000 Olympic team to a bronze medal.
"See I got this idea because I was reading an article about a school that has a tennis team that is trying to become number 1 in Kanto tournament and it seems like they are full of fighting spirit. This gave me the idea that maybe if we sent Ayroka there the fighting spirit would rub off on her." Aito said it so fast that it took Koichi a moment to catch on but when he did he began to smile and nod his head.
"Brilliant idea just brilliant…wait but when do we tell Ayroka, you know how she is she hates to lose any training time. If she had her way then she would train all day." Furrowing his brow they descended into a silence. "We won't tell her why she is going we will just tell her that the Government is requiring her to go to a private school and we picked out one that we thought that she would enjoy." With a satisfied nod and smile Koichi closed his eyes.
"Koichi you know how much she hates children, and we both know that when she finds out that we essentially set her up in an environment that she would have to deal with children all the time she will beat the shit out of us. With a small shiver Koichi nodded and then put a finger over his mouth "that means that we will have to keep this our little secret now won't we."
Oblivious to everything that was happening around her Ayroka slept on not knowing how much her life would soon be changing.
Double Twisting Yurchenko** Double Twisting Yurchenko** Double Twisting Yurchenko** Double Twisting Yurchenko** Double Twisting Yurchenko** Double Twisting Yurchenko**
The next day as Ayroka was finishing up her final rotation on the beam Koichi and Aito were mentally preparing their selves to break the news to her. As they were doing that Ayroka was staring down the length of the beam trying to prepare herself for her dismount, a daunting task especially when she was already very tired from a full day's work out and any misstep could have you end up in the hospital or even worse a morgue. Still she mentally prepared herself for the triple twisting layout and then propelled herself through the air. Spotting the ground she opened her arms just enough that she would be able to stop rotating just before she hit the ground. Landing just short she quickly took a small step forward but in general for a routine at the very end of the practice it was quite good.
After she had landed and began to put away her stuff stuff away Aito and Koichi walked up to her and whispered in her ear. There was a dead silence and then, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M GOING TO SCHOOL!" For most people a 4'10 girl would not be a very imposing figure but for the coaches Koichi and Aito they were scared out of their wits. An Irate Ayroka looked ready to strangle her two coaches. After a four hour practice the last thing that she needed was this kind of news. The reporters called her the little spit fire and this was exactly the reason why, with her black hair and light brown/ red highlights when angry she could scare the living daylights out of almost everything.
"Now calm down no need to shout, your drawing attention to yourself" Her coach Koichi tried to placate her while keeping a firm distance of at least two feet between them so that if she did decide to kick he could easily get out of harm's way.
"That's exactly why you told me in the gym so that I couldn't stick my foot up your ass! But mind you I will find a way so you better sleep with one eye open mister. You know how much I hate immature children, and to top it off how exactly do you expect me to train for Nationals when I will be at school from 8:30-3:30?" With a huff of frustration in the obvious lack of poor planning on her coaches' part, she shook her head and then decided to cut them some slack. "You know just this once" she held up a finger to emphasize her words "I will concede to your obviously stupid demands but if I don't have enough training time for Nationals it is on your heads. Oh on an afterthought I want it in writing that this was not my plan at all and that if this stupid plan of yours fails and I get out of shape that you will take all the blame." She stormed away to get a writing device to make a contract.
"You know I think we just got our way with one of the most stubborn gymnasts of all time, and she didn't try to take of our heads… OH MY GOD WHAT HAS THE WORLD COME TO THAT COACHES CAN CALMY SPEAK TO THEIR GYMN!..." Aito calmly smacked Koichi across the head. "Stop making a spectacle we can go and rejoice in the office with a bottle of champagne that neither of us had to be taken to the emergency room."