AUTHOR'S NOTE: Just some amendments made.
Disclaimer: Nothing in POT belongs to me. All OoC-ness, OCs, events, situations, venues and tournaments are just figments of my imagination. For any portion that lacks description, please use your God-given imagination.
"xxxxx" Conversation
'xxxxx' Thoughts
xxxxxxx Flashback
BEAUTY AND HER BEAST
Summary: He was a professional tennis player renowned for his unbeatable stamina and frightfully fierce looks. She was a kindergarten teacher on a holiday and was known to be kind and gentle. They met and connected. Can their relationship flourish?
Chapter 1
LOS ANGELES
"This game at the Sydney Tennis Open has made history, Jerry. Echizen Ryoma who is also well-known as Samurai Junior or Samurai-E, has faced his fellow countryman, Kaidoh Kaoru many times since Kaidoh's debut as a professional. But today, Samurai-E had lost his first game ever."
"That's right, Tom. No one expected Samurai-E to lose the game since he has dominated the tennis world at a tender age of 13. However, even Samurai-E was overwhelmed by the unforeseen tenacity displayed by Kaidoh like never before."
"Well, Jerry, it looks like Kaidoh Kaoru is the new prince of the tennis world today in Sydney. It would be interesting to see what would happen in the upcoming US Open."
Ryoma switched off the TV and turned toward his silent friends.
"Kaidoh-sempai, you may have beaten me today but I will fight back."
"Fsssh." Kaido Kaoru gave his ex-kouhai a thumb-up and a smirk.
"O-chibi, you need to train more, nyah!" A grinning Kikumaru Eiji tried to give Echizen his usual squeeze but it's hard to do so when your ex-kouhai was a head taller than you.
"Eiji, don't antagonize him." Oishi warned his Doubles partner.
"Echizen, I have created a new training menu so you can start on it next week." Inui Sadaharu pushed up his glasses and handed a sheet of paper to Ryoma.
"Wiz."
"Inui, what about us, nyah?" Kikumaru pouted.
"Based on the data from the Sydney Open, the four of you need to level up your training." Tezuka Kunimitsu added as he walked into the living room. "Inui will re-adjust your training menus as soon as he can. We will start using it next week in preparation for the US Open."
"Hai!"
Kaidoh Kaoru went to door to put on his running shoes. It was time for his evening run.
"Kaidoh, be safe." Inui said while the others waved at him.
"Usu."
Kaidoh ran for almost 2 hours before taking a short water break. The park near the apartment was dark but the jogging path was sporadically lit with street lights. But it did not matter to Kaidoh since he was quite familiar with the jogging path and the park itself.
'Inui-sempai was right!' Kaidoh thought of the day when Inui had explained to him about Data tennis and secret training.
"In 7 years, Kaidoh Kaoru will be unbeatable."
"Kaidoh, you need to build your skills along with your body conditioning execises."
Kaidoh closed his eyes and thought about them, the former Seigaku regulars.
It was seven years ago when Echizen left Seishun Gakuen to conquer the tennis world. That happened even before the end of his first year in Junior High. The regulars had watched as their kouhai grew to be the real Prince of Tennis, conquering every tennis competition just like his father, Echizen Nanjiroh aka Samurai Nanjiroh had done before.
Kikumaru and Oishi had decided to make use of their Synchro to become professional tennis players after they graduated from high school. They had met up with Echizen when they entered their first professional international competition. Needless to say, they had conquered the Doubles in tennis ever since.
A year later, he, Kaidoh Kaoru had joined their group. By that time, they had decided to share a small 2-bedroom apartment. Since everyone was doing the same thing and going to the same places, it was more cost effective to share accommodation.
Tezuka and Inui had graduated with degrees in sport psychology and sport medicine respectively. Due to their intelligence and diligence, it took them 2 years to complete the normal 4-year courses. A year ago, the professional players had decided to hire their former Buchou and Trainer to be their Coach and Trainer. Their winnings and pay from product endorsement had helped them to accumulate some money to hire Tezuka and Inui and to move to a large 3-bedroom apartment.
Kaidoh opened his eyes and smiled. 'Life is getting more interesting after this.'
He stood up and got ready for his second 2-hour jogging session when ...
"AAAAAHHHHH!" A female scream broke the silence.
Kaido glanced around and quickly ran toward the direction of the scream. His eyes narrowed in anger when he arrived at the scene.
Two men were dragging a struggling woman toward some large bushes.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING, HUH?" Kaidoh shouted in English.
The men swirled around and turned pale.
Large bulging menacing eyes! Nostrils flaring like an angry bull! Clenched jaws with cruelly curled lips revealing gritted teeth! Veins popped and strained around the thick neck! A muscled and toned body quivered in anger and disgust! An extremely angry Kaidoh Kaoru was a horrible sight indeed!
"RUN FOR IT!" The men ran off. The woman fell down on the dirt ground and started to sob quietly.
"Are you alright?" Kaidoh asked softly in English.
"Ha..Hai!" The woman stammered in Japanese.
Kaidoh was surprised and asked again in Japanese, "Daijobu?"
"Eh?" The woman looked up with teary eyes in surprise.
The street light nearby revealed their faces to each other. They stared at each other for another minute before…
"KAIDOH-SEMPAI?" Sakuno exclaimed.
"RYUZAKI SAKUNO?" Kaidoh gaped.
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AT THE APARTMENT
"Have some green tea, Sakuno-chan." Oishi gave Sakuno a soothing smile and placed a cup of tea in front of her.
"Take a few sips. It will help you to calm down a bit." Tezuka directed.
"Hai." Sakuno did as she was told while trying hard not to blush.
Sakuno could not believe that she had fainted right in front of Kaidoh. When she woke up, she saw her former sempais looking down at her. Her prone figure was laid out on their living room couch. Inui had explained to her that Kaidoh had carried her to their apartment since he did not know what to do.
She remembered to thank Kaidoh who had accepted her thanks with a solemn nod.
Now she's seated at the dining table with her former sempais and classmate occupying the other chairs. All of them looked at her intently with concern in their eyes.
"Do you feel better, Sakuno-chan?" Kikumaru asked worriedly.
"I feel much better after drinking the tea, Eiji-sempai."
"What were you doing in the park, Sakuno, at this time of the night?" Tezuka asked sternly.
"Heh! Heh!" Sakuno laughed sheepishly. "Eto…"
"She must have lost her way as usual." A smirking Ryoma piped in causing Sakuno to turn red.
"So kah! So kah! Sakuno-chan is still weak with directions, nyah?" Kikumaru said sympathetically. The rest of them sighed knowingly as Sakuno turned redder still. It seemed that her reputation preceded her.
"It is still not wise to walk in dark alone. At where are you staying, Sakuno?" Inui asked.
"A bed and breakfast place called Glenfairies."
"That's just 3 blocks away from our place." Oishi said.
"O-chibi, why don't you escort Sakuno-chan back to her place?" Kikumaru beamed with a sudden urge to be a matchmaker.
"Yadda." Ryoma snorted.
"But O-chibi.."
"Kaidoh!" Tezuka turned to the silent figure sitting at the end of the long table.
"Hai, Tezuka-san?"
"I want you to take Sakuno back to Glenfairies."
"Huh?" Kaidoh and the others except Inui were shocked by Tezuka's request. Even Sakuno gaped in surprise.
"Hai. I need to change first." Kaidoh walked off to his and Ryoma's room.
"Tezuka, why did you ask Kaidoh?" Kikumaru whined.
"I believe Tezuka picked Kaidoh because he will make an excellent bodyguard." Inui explained Tezuka's decision. After being friends, classmates and co-workers for so long, Inui was able to correctly read Tezuka's mind to a certain degree by now.
"Ano, .." Sakuno looked at the guys uneasily, "I can walk back myself."
"No!" Everyone almost shouted.
Kaidoh appeared again in fresh T-shirt and jeans and added, "Everyone will feel better if someone see you back safely."
"Demo.."
"Go with Kaidoh. It is getting late. We don't want Ryuzaki-sensei to scold us for not helping you when you needed help." Tezuka urged her.
Ryuzaki Sumire may have retired from teaching and coaching but she still kept in touch with her favourite students and tennis regulars. Everyone said their good byes and good nights and watched the door closed behind Sakuno and Kaidoh.
"Well that was quite unexpected of Kaidoh to act like a gentleman in escorting Sakuno back to the B&B." Oishi said with a perplexed face.
"Kaidoh had saved her from a terrible fate. He might feel responsible for her somehow." Ryoma said with a yawn.
"That's good of Kaidoh, nyah! Maybe Kai-doh likes Sa-ku-no-chan?" Kikumaru said with a huge grin.
Everyone stared at Kikumaru like he had lost his head.
"It's getting late. We have practises tomorrow morning." Tezuka reminded like the no-nonsence coach that he is.
"Hai!" "Oyasumi!" "Good-night!"
Soon the living room was empty and dark.
ON THE WAY TO GLENFAIRIES
"Fssh!"
Sakuno giggled, causing Kaidoh to look at her apprehensively.
"What?" Kaidoh gave her a fierce look which made her giggled even more.
"You are still the same as ever with your snake-like hissing, Kaidoh-sempai."
"I hissed less now than I did in Seishun." Kaidoh shrugged his shoulders.
"Kaidoh-sempai, you've changed in some ways. You speak more now."
"I had to. I am a professional tennis player after all."
"Kaidoh-sempai, I heard you talk in English at the park. Did you learn to speak in English as well?"
"We are now living in US. All of us except Echizen had to learn quickly to survive."
"So kah?"
The oddly-paired couple walked comfortably in silence. Kaidoh looked down at Sakuno from the corner of his eye. 'She had changed too. She looks even prettier than she was in High School.'
Kaidoh gulped uneasily. 'Did I just comment that Ryuzaki Sakuno is pretty?' He shook his head and decided to think of something else.
"Sakuno-san, what do you do in Japan?"
"Eh? Ano, please call me Sakuno-chan like Eiji-sempai. Actually, I teach at a kindergarten near our house."
"So kah? Then are you here on a holiday, Sakuno-sa….(Cough!)..Sakuno-chan?"
"Hai. I never took any holidays since I had that job. My school principal insisted that I take a long holiday to recharge my batteries."
"Is it alright to leave Ryuzaki-sensei home alone?"
"Daijobu, Kaidoh-sempai. Obasan took a trip to Osaka with some friends during this time of the year. In fact, this trip was a present from her."
"Hmn."
Kaidoh stayed silent for awhile before saying, "You have changed a lot too."
"Honto?"
"Especially your hair. It used to be in braids."
Sakuno giggled causing Kaidoh to blush a bit. 'I like her giggles too. Why is that?'
"I still wear my hair in braids, Kaidoh-sempai, at the kindergarten. I let my hair down on my time off or when I am on holiday like now."
They finally reached the front door of a quaint looking colonial house with a sign in front reading 'Glenfairies B&B'.
"Arigatou, Kaidoh-sempai, for walking me back here." Sakuno gave him a bow.
"Iie, it is our duty as sempais to make sure you get back safely. By the way?"
"Hai?"
"You can call me Kaidoh-kun. Kaidoh-sempai makes me feel like an old man or something."
"Hai, Kaidoh-kun." Sakuno gave him a pleased smile.
"Ja, oyasumi." Kaidoh nodded and turned to walk away.
"Kaidoh-kun!" Sakuno called him.
"Hai?"
"Will you and the other sempais be at home tomorrow?"
"Iie. We will be having training practises all day. Why do you ask?"
"I want to repay your kindness by making lunch for you and the sempai-tachi. What about dinner? What time will you guys be done with the practices?"
Kaidoh immediate salivated at the thought of home-cooked Japanese food. They had survived on Western food for some time now since none of the young men knew how to cook. Once in a blue moon, they would feast at a nearby Japanese restaurant but the pricey food prevented them from indulging their craving for Japanese food too often. But nothing can replace the home-cooked Japanese meals their mothers used to make for them back in Japan.
"6 pm. We will be finished by then. What time do you want to come over? I can get the landlady to let you in."
"So kah?" Sakuno clapped her hands excitedly. "I will be there at 4 pm with the food and ingredients. I found a store selling Asian food and ingredients a few blocks from here."
"Fine. I will inform Mrs. Samson, our landlady about your arrival. The guys would be very happy to know you are cooking for them."
"Arigatou, Kaidoh-kun!" Sakuno exclaimed.
Then Kaidoh Kaoru received the greatest shock of his life when Sakuno jumped toward him and wrapped her arms around him.
The squeeze Sakuno gave Kaidoh left no doubt in his mind that Ryuzaki Sakuno had indeed changed physically in many places including her ..ahem.. chest area. Kaidoh felt his face and ..ahem… his lower body heated up at the alien feelings Sakuno had aroused in him.
Sakuno let go as abruptly as she had hugged Kaidoh, unaware of the effect she had on him.
"Ja. See you tomorrow, Kaidoh-kun." Sakuno waved at the silent and still Kaidoh and ran into the house.
Kaido stood still for a moment until his face and lower body had cooled down. Silently and slowly, he walked back to his apartment. 'Oh no! I think I have feelings for her.'
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To Be Continued
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Note: This is my 4th. Fanfiction! And also my 1st. Kaidoh-Sakuno fanfiction. All constructive R&R are most welcomed.