During my break, one of my goals was to marathon PoT, one of my favorite shows as a child. I'm not one for action though and I don't really play tennis. What really got me about the show was the cast of characters, for some reason, I just grew to love them and before I knew it, I was watching everything from the hilarious fillers to the 3 episode long matches.
One character I grew up loving was the prodigy Fuji Shusuke. I guess I was just really awed by the fact that he was a genius in tennis, he never lost a match (other than Shiraishi's) and that still wasn't his true potential.
Watching it again though as my older self, I realized a lot of things have changed. Mainly was the fact that though I still loved Fuji, I started to get irked by his never losing, the fact that he can always pull crap out of his pocket and the fact that I rarely see him REALLY struggle and that's where this fic comes in.
With this fic, I just hope to add more depth to Fuji, by digging deeper into the recesses of the prodigy and find that part of him that makes him more vulnerable and more human, like every other character in this show. Well I'd like to say more but I think you should read the rest for yourself. I hope you enjoy this fic and if you have time, please leave a line in the review box?
A/N: This is basically an AU of the match between Kirihara and Fuji. This could be a one shot or I could stretch it out to longer chapters if I have time. I was thinking of at the most, ten chapters with 5000 words each? Who knows.
Anyway, enjoy!
"The traffic's pretty bad today, there must have been an accident…"
The taxi driver was once again trying to make conversation but being occupied as is, Kippei Tachibana could only reply with a noncommittal grunt. His thoughts were far away from any conversation and any of the questions the driver attempted to throw at him. At that moment the captain of Fudomine was replaying his phone call to his sister and the revelation about Kirihara's next target-Fuji's knee.
If Kirihara already started his attack on Fuji's knee, that means… Tachibana couldn't find any single word to end the sentence because as he thought out that single sentence, many scenarios suddenly swam through his brain. He started to clearly remember his own game with Kirihara, the sick feeling in his stomach when the junior's eyes suddenly turned red then the sharp pain that would rattle through his whole leg every time the ball landed on his ankle then the dull pain that followed. Before he knew it, he was imagining Fuji experiencing the same thing or at least trying to. Fuji never struck him as the type to get injured or to show his vulnerable side thus, even picturing Kirihara smashing a tennis ball at Fuji's knee repeatedly felt weird. All he knew then was whatever was happening in the court, he really had to see it to believe it.
Tachibana looked out the window and sighed hopelessly as he saw the unmoving traffic that surrounded him. It would be a miracle if he made it in time for Fuji's match.
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Is this the end?
"Oh my bad! I thought you'd be able to dodge that with your reflexes."
That was the only line Fuji was able to comprehend before he fell into this hell hole where all he could recognize was the pain. His stomach was hurting, his knee was hurting, his head was hurting. At that point he felt like he was going to die.
He heard the familiar voices of Seigaku, the muffled screams of mentioning a medic, mentioning a hospital. Some of the muffled voices though were saying something else.
"Stand up Fuji-senpai!"
Is this how it ends? The pain becomes too heavy and I decide to quit? Since when did I become this weak? This selfish? If I quit now, it's over. We lose all chances of getting a championship win. All because I couldn't fight through this. Is getting a good rest really worth losing? Letting my team down? Losing a chance at a championship win?
He pictured quitting then and there. They were still eligible for the nationals so the loss isn't supposed to bear too much weight but as he imagined going to nationals like that, he felt a phantom sensation twisting at his gut. Regret.
No, Shusuke, we're not yet in the nationals. You don't need to feel regret yet. Open your eyes! Stand up! We're not yet done. Not yet… Not yet…
Not yet! Fuji forced his eyes open and with it his other senses. The referee was the first one he saw.
"Let me finish this match" Fuji said so forcibly, he sounded more like he was giving an order than a request.
"This match is very dangerous. We recommend-"
"I can still stand. This match is not yet over." Fuji pressed as he stood up, willing himself to get over the dizziness that washed over him when he did.
The referee nodded hesitantly. He looked over at Seigaku's coach as if he expected her to intervene. All she did though was nod thus, giving them permission to continue the match.
"We now resume the match with a game count of 3-2, Kirihara leading."
Fuji could hear the encouraging cheers of his clubmates . It was uplifting but he knew he had to tune it out. If he wanted to win the game, he would have to focus.
Every shot is returnable. He told himself again and again as if memorizing it is enough to be able to return it. It probably was since that philosophy has been working for him since he decided to start playing tennis and that year alone, he was able to return many of his opponent's special moves.
He took a deep breath. He knew he had to simplify the match so he decided to eliminate all the other variables- the weight of the match, the pain in his knee and stomach, the cheers from the stands, his bloodthirsty opponent and the impending fatigue that was starting to wash through him. I am rallying with my brother Yuuta. As soon as the ball bounces, I can return it. The ball will bounce in front of me, I put my racket in front of the ball, and move my arm. The ball flies to the other side and I do it again. If I'm lucky they don't hit it and I score a point. Fuji told himself. This is tennis and that's all we need to know to play tennis.
That was probably all the prodigy because before he knew it he was leading 5-4 and Kirihara and the rest of the Rikkaidai team were rendered speechless. All he had to do was win one more game. How hard could it be? He probably won a million others already.
"It's your serve."
The referees voice rattled through Fuji's internal monologue then that's when he realized that he was exhausted.
Just one more game.
He did a normal serve, his body not allowing him to do any more than that. He watched as Kirihara returned it.
The return was strong but it wasn't anything Fuji was supposed to have trouble with and he was sure that if he were in top shape, he could have returned it without even batting an eye lash.
With the fatigue and the knee pain though, it ended up becoming a different story. The fatigue forced Fuji out of his nirvana-like state of focus whilst the knee pain demanded to be felt. A mix of the both of them is what caused Fuji to unconsciously rely on his human instincts.
When a person is traumatized, they unconsciously start to associate trivial things with their pain and when they are once again exposed to that stimuli, their defense mechanism goes on hyperdrive and that was what happened to Fuji at that moment. The yellow of the tennis ball mixed with the unnatural spin of the knuckle serve was enough to trigger the defense mechanism in his knee. As Fuji willed himself to go forward, his right knee decided to lock itself due to a mixture of self defense mechanisms and fatigue, rendering itself immovable.
Everything was moving too fast though. Fuji did not notice that he left his right foot behind until five seconds later but by then, it was too late.
In that five second gap, Fuji had gone through the tennis basics of returning where one would have to twist their body to return a strong shot with their backhand. It was when Fuji twist his body did he hear the resounding pop coming from his knee then did he feel an indescribable pain washing through his knee.
A few more seconds after the pop, he was sprawled on the ground unmoving.
Feedback is greatly appreciated! I'd be happy to know that I have readers
