The Bet, a prince of tennis fanfic

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: This story has been sitting around my computer for about six years now, it's incomplete and I decided to finish it on a whim today. I have finished this at 3 in the morning and I'm very tired right now, peace!

* the Ryuu in Ryuuzaki can also mean dragon, but I'm not sure if the kanji for ryuu is the same as the kanji in Sakuno's last name

'Ghosts are not real. Ghosts are not real.'

Kaidoh Kaoru kept on mentally telling that to himself as he walked inside the haunted house. Why is he inside one when he's deathly afraid of ghosts? One word: Momo.

It was just like any ordinary day at Seishun Gakuen and the regulars are just doing their practice as usual. Tezuka's giving laps to anyone slacking off (Eiji and Momo), Kawamura shouting random English words while swinging his racket, Inui trying to make everyone drink his new (and upgraded) juice and was trying to record data about it, Echizen being Echizen, Oishi trying to stop Inui from giving his juice and also trying to stop Eiji from being all hyper (in short, being Seigaku's resident Mama), Momo and Kaidoh trying to outdo one another. Ah yes, typical day for Seigaku.

That is, until Momo made a bet to Kaidoh.

"Heh Mamushi, I bet you can't get a date!"

As per usual response of Kaidoh, he hissed and glared at him. The latter just ignored him and continued to annoy him.

"Fssshh….. Like you're the one to talk! You can't even ask Tachibana's sister to go out with you!"

Momo twitched and then shouted back.

"Ha! I have you know that I just asked her out yesterday! And she said yes! I have a girlfriend and you don't! Who's miserable now huh?!"

Kaidoh twitched in irritation, he really wants to punch the daylights out of the idiot in front of him but he restrained himself. If he did that, his captain will be disappointed in him, and make him run a lot of laps.

"You…."

"I bet you're gay."

*Twitch*

"I'll show you that I'm not you asshole! I'll definitely get a date!"

"Hoi, hoi! What're you two fighting about nya?"

He mentally face-palmed while the idiot had the nerve to look smug, his senpai-tachi just had to appear at this time, what a perfect timing. And yes, he's being sarcastic here.

"Kikumaru-sempai! Nice timing! We need a witness to our bet!"

Is punching him worth the laps he'll be running?

"What is it nya?"

He wondered if his captain will make him run laps around school if he tries to kill the idiot. Or get arrested for that matter.

"80% you're thinking on the possibilities if you ever punch Momo"

Kaidoh jolted a bit in surprise when he heard the voice of his Inui-senpai from his back. Seriously, the guy has some serious issues not that he didn't have one of those too…. or any of his team-mates for that matter, now that he thought about it. How everyone managed to look normal, he had no idea.

"And you're also thinking the oddities of everyone in general"

He grimaced in disbelief, how on earth did he…?

"Ii data"

"Is that so nya? That's a great idea!"

He then saw the two looked at him with two identical creepy grins, he had seen those a lot when his Inui-senpai wants them to drink his incredibly scary (not to mention horrible) "juices". He involuntarily shuddered at the thought. 'If I did punch the idiot, there's a chance that Buchou will force me to drink that rather than run laps. Wait, that's what Fuji-sempai would do.'

On the other side of the school

"…and then my cousin just kept on walking without noticing a thing! It's so weird!"

Osakada Tomoka exclaimed, putting her hands in the air for emphasis as she recounts the events of her cousin's disastrous omiai to her best friend, Ryuuzaki Sakuno. The latter on the other hand, listened and nodded emphatically during the entire story-telling.

The two of them are currently at their favorite hang-out, the old maple tree at the back of their school, which only a few really bothered to go there. Mainly due to the rumors that it's haunted, but the two knew that it's not, they've been going to that same spot since the first day of school after all. The reason for the rumors had actually started during a certain cocky tennis player's father's time: involving a stupid dare (Wow, the recent generation aren't really any better), a dress and a sledgehammer. It's a very interesting story for another time.

"So, what happened to your cousin Tomo-chan?"

Sakuno asked her friend, said friend just sighs in exasperation, shoulders sagging and rolls her eyes dramatically. Sakuno giggled at the sight, Tomoka always has the most interesting expressions when she's telling her stories, just like when they were kids.

"Believe it or not, it had actually gone through, they liked each other. They're actually planning on the wedding right now, by the way, Yuri-nee asked me to invite you on her wedding. You and Sumire-obaa should be getting your invitation by next week."

Tomoka finished her tale and took a big bite on her lunch. Sakuno on the other hand, has a big smile on her face, already thinking on what she'd give to the bride as a gift.

Years down the road, if someone asked Tomoka on when did she and her husband had their first date, she'd tell you that it was on her cousin's wedding, but if you really want to know the truth, you need to ask her best friend, Ryuuzaki Sakuno; because Tomoka will deny it until the day she die on what really happened during their real first date, her husband will insist that it was just a practice date and not a real one so it doesn't count so stop laughing like a hyena peach-head!

"Okay here's the deal asshole, if you managed to get a date this week, I'LL drink all your share of Inui Juice for a week. BUT, But. But. But .if you didn't get a date within this week, YOU get to drink my entire share for a week. Deal?"

Momo smugly said with a hand poised for a handshake and the other on his waist. Every regulars looked at them in shock (Oishi, Kawamura and, surprisingly, Echizen), maniacally gleeful interest (Fuji, Kikumaru and Inui) and exasperation and annoyance (Tezuka).

Without a second thought, Kaidoh shook his eternal rival's hand (for the first and only time that didn't really involved tennis), sealing the deal with the words that will haunt and make him curse every deity out there on what the hell was he thinking (but years later, he'll just shook his head in mild exasperation and fondness whenever he remembers this day along with the other crazy antics he and his team-mates had done during his teenage years.), along with an equally wild and smug look in his face.

"You're on, jackass!"

Which brings us to the present time, with Kaidoh clinging like a koala to his date's arm as they walk through the maze-like halls of the haunted house and cursing Momo under his breath, leaving his date with a dead-pan look in her eyes;

For-who-knows-how-many times-that-day, I-don't-give-a-damn-anymore Tomoka sighs in exasperation and resignation that this date sucked, really, really bad; she idly wondered if she has to cut her arm since she barely felt it anymore, with the way Kaidoh had clung to it and everything, she's actually surprised that it didn't wrenched off.

If he was thinking that she'll cling onto him when they had entered the damn haunted house, well, he's wrong. One, she came from a family of onmyoji (the only one who knew of course is her best friend, Sakuno. That's how they've become friends actually, but that's story for another time), two, she can see spirits and ghosts (yes, there's a difference, BIG difference) and third, did she mention that she's from a family of onmyouji already? Meaning they can cleanse and exorcise spirits (she can't cleanse nor exorcise any big-time spirits like a fox for example, but she can definitely make some run-of-a-mill lingering ghosts move on to the other side but again, hush, hush).

Also, if any boys tried anything, he'd get a righteous kick in the face courtesy of one Osakada Tomoka, and maybe a KO punch or two (Another good story of how Tomoka and Sakuno became friends, but it's for another time, sorry).

Osakada Tomoka, currently 15, is wondering why oh why she agreed to go on this stupid date and why oh why she didn't just up and go as soon as the first… casualty of this disastrous date happened. If she did then maybe she'll still have both her arms, wouldn't be wearing the tacky t-shirt that the amusement park is selling and she won't be missing the latest episode of her favorite drama (don't judge, don't judge) and gush over how handsome the lead actor was and how cute the main characters are together with Sakuno.

But nooooo…. She said yes, she looked into Kaidoh-sempai's surprisingly warm eyes and flushed cheeks and … and… and she's just being nice when she said yes, there's no meaning to it or anything!

Maybe Sakuno's romanticism is rubbing off of her just like she's rubbing off her sarcasm to her best friend. You wouldn't believe how the normally shy Sakuno had sarcastically (but politely, this is Sakuno we're talking about), told Atobe that he is a narcissistic idiot that has a stick up his ass but his head is as high as monkeys can climb to trees when Hyotei captain had once again, invaded their school to do whatever it is that Atobe wanted to do. Unfortunately, he came at the wrong place at the wrong time; he inadvertently destroyed the murals Sakuno's club was working on. Suffice to say that Sakuno was pissed off, and everyone in the tennis community has no doubt that she's the grand-daughter of Coach Ryuuzaki after she's done with Atobe, they'd also gotten a healthy dose of fear to the Ryuuzakis. They definitely put the dragon in Ryuuzaki*.

Ok, she said yes because he looked kinda (a lot) cute as he shyly asked her out.

But she'll only admit that little truth once they had actually gotten engaged years later, which will make her fiancé blush and this time, she has a camera ready as proof.

"Who to ask? Who to ask?"

Kaidoh muttered to himself as he walked home from practice, his legs still sore from the laps their captain had made them do. It actually made him rethink that doing laps is better than doing other things, like killing a certain peach-head for example. Nope, he's too young to go to jail and he won't achieve his dream of becoming a pro tennis player, or a lawyer, whichever comes first, but hopefully being a pro tennis player.

It's not like he doesn't have someone he likes, he does, but her personality's so different than him that, well, he's scared of being rejected. And besides, she had liked Echizen since they were in middle school, or rather, a rabid fan when they were in middle school (she still is, but she's now milder in her actions, only shouting twice during a match and not the whole match.).

She's loud to his quiet, she's expressive to his silence, she's all smiles to his scowls, yeah well, and she's really different from him, that's that.

While mulling over these thoughts and getting more and more dejected from one thought to another, he wasn't looking where he was going and thus bumped into the girl that was occupying both his mind and heart (as incredibly cheesy as it sounds).

Tomoka would look back and thank every deity she knows that she wasn't holding anything liquid at that moment, making her laugh out loud while both her husband and son look at her as if she's insane. Kaidoh on his part would blush really hard and won't look at his wife in the eye.

Like what Sir Isaac Newton had once said, 'damn you gravity, that apple hurt!' while nursing a forming bruise on his forehead where the apple fell on him. But mostly it's how gravity is a bitch and when you trip, you fell and you'll have an aching body part that you'll mostly needed i.e. face and hand and it'll hurt a lot. Suffice to say, Tomoka reciprocates Newton's sentiments when the apple first fell on him before discovering the scientific significance of that falling apple and he'd be very, very careful when he walks around trees (mainly apple trees). But instead of an apple, a person fell on her. That person also happens to be her sempai. Damn you gravity, indeed.

When Kaidoh had opened his eyes, the first thought he had was that there's this really soft (the softest he's ever laid his head on) pillow that's cushioning his head, second was that it smells vaguely of something citrus-y, third it was quite warm and breathing.

'Wait, breathing?'

He looked up to find the face one annoyed Osakada Tomoka, who looks like a second away from murdering someone (which she is, she admitted to him on their third date.), and… he landed on her boobs.

"It's… not what it… looks like…?"

He said nervously, as he quickly got off her and tried helping her up. But her eyes still has the look of someone who's about to commit a murder spree, which made his skin crawl and something cold run down his spine. Years later, he's grateful that she didn't sent him to the hospital; he wholeheartedly admits that if there's anything scarier than the Ryuuzakis, it's his wife when she's angry.

"Sempai, I respect you and all, but give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right here and now."

He'll look back and say that he's proud that he didn't wet his pants during this time. He still managed to keep his dignity, somewhat.

"I'm so sorry Osakada, I wasn't looking where I was going, I swear to you that it was an accident and I deeply apologize."

Kaidoh said while bowing deeply; wishing that the ground swallow him right now, just to avoid this embarrassment. Seriously how often does a guy manages to trip and fell on their crush and then landed on their boo- er chest area? Not many he assumes, but something tells him that he shouldn't voice those thoughts aloud. And he was grateful that he did because he didn't get to taste Tomoka's patented righteous kick in the face and KO punch in the gut. Like what she did to Sengoku the next year when the pervert had the gall to ask his girlfriend out on a date.

"So let me get this straight, you and Momo-sempai made a bet,"

Tomoka said with an eyebrow raised as she lazily swirl her straw around her drink, looking at Kaidoh straight in the eye. The latter squirms in his seat, uncomfortable at the scrutinizing gaze of his secret crush. He nodded with a blush on his face. Tomoka thinks he's cute and adorable right now, but only in her mind.

"That if you didn't get a date by the end of this week you'll drink his entire share of Inui Juice for a week? And if you do, he'll drink your share?"

She finished her sentence while looking at him incredulously, she's well aware of the rivalry between the two but this is just ridiculously childish and idiotic to boot. She knows how dangerous to a person's health Inui-sempai's juice is, she's seen first-hand and on several occasion the sheer devastation those damn juices does. Not to mention how a girl's heart will be broken because of some stupid bet that boys that has too much pride (read: stupidity) is at stake. The feminist in her is just itching to use her family's heirloom to knock some sense to her chauvinistic sempai-tachi.

Due to these thoughts, she had gripped her drink a little tighter than she should have and her eyes twitching every now and then. Kaidoh, sensing her ominous aura, wisely kept quiet and timidly drank his hot chocolate, eyes wide in apprehension.

"Sempai,"

Tomoka pinched the bridge of her nose just to clear her head of any unpleasant thoughts (how she will wring a few of her sempai-tachi's neck for that matter), breathing in and out to calm her down.

"You do realize that it's the most stupid thing I have ever heard and not to mention chauvinistic too."

He doesn't have anything to counter that, because now that he thought about it, the bet is stupid but the punishment of is no joke. Damn pride.

Sensing his discomfort, she looked over to him once more and was actually surprised that he looked remorseful. Blinking once, twice, thrice, and then she rubs her eyes and blinks again. She can't believe that her sempai can actually make a face like that (besides scowling and frowning), she doesn't notice it but this is the moment that she's seeing him in a different light. When she's older, she'll admit to Sakuno that this is the moment that she started to like him, she didn't fell in love with him all at once, heavens no.

"Kaidoh-sempai,"

Still looking down their table, he was surprised at the tone of her voice, making him look up. To Tomoka, he looks like a lost puppy at that moment which she tells him so when they were telling their son on how they got together, he'll vehemently deny that he can make such expression, she'll giggle in response and he'll look away blushing.

"Do you have a girl you like?"

Kaidoh chokes and looks at Tomoka in surprise, and then the expression of her face takes his breath away. Kind, understanding eyes and a calm smile; most people will think that Osakada Tomoka isn't capable of having these expressions but Kaidoh knows that that's not true. Yes, more often than not it's Ryuuzaki that has that expression, but Tomoka, Tomoka can make those expressions too. Even though she rarely shows it, she's just as kind and caring as Ryuuzaki, as soft and gentle too.

He has seen it before when he happens to see her help an old lady cross a street holding the lady's hand while doing so, as she comforts Ryuuzaki when she got rejected by Echizen, while helping out the Drama Club which she happens to be a part of. These little things, these little things made him fall for one Osakada Tomoka. It doesn't happen overnight, god, what is this? A shoujo manga? This is real life people.

Letting out a deep breath he didn't know that he was holding, he saw that Tomoka was looking at him understanding eyes, telling him that he doesn't have to answer her if he doesn't want to, but he does wants to say that yes, yes there's a girl that I like. She's loud and can sometimes be annoying, she has Spartan-like tendencies when she leads a group (he should know because he's seen her lead her co-freshmen during in times of need), has strong beliefs but she's understanding enough not to push them on others, she's an incredibly good friend to have (just look on how she and Sakuno interact and you'll see why), she has a caring and soft side that nobody besides her family and few close friends (Sakuno, Sakuno and Sakuno) knows, protective and reliable when things get rough (have you seen what happened to the girls that once bullied Sakuno during their elementary days? Sakuno would still apologize to this day because it made Tomoka have a mark on her school records, but Tomoka will assure her that she's worth the trouble) and many more that he wishes to discover, if the girl in front of him would allow it.

During their wedding in the future, he'll say all these things to her in his vow and it will make her and the rest of the people invited to their wedding cry tears of happiness as well, Momo and Kikumaru being the loudest of the bunch.

"Yes, I do"

If anything, Tomoka's smile widens in response. She knows that it must've been hard on her sempai to admit it out in the open. But just to be sure, she looked around them to ensure that none of her other sempai-tachi are there with them as well. Just in case.

"Then you should ask her out and maybe, just maybe, she'd go out with you too. But you don't need to follow that stupid bet, sempai, do it at your own pace. There's no rush. Can you promise me that sempai?"

Kaidoh finally smiled and nodded, yes, he really does like (love) this girl.

Three days later

"Bye Sa-chan! Enjoy your date with Fuji-sempai!"

Tomoka shouted to her friend with a teasing grin, Fuji waved his free hand with laughing smile while Sakuno pouted at her friend while also waving good-bye. The two then continued walking home while holding hands. Tomoka is glad her friend had given the older boy a chance. She's glad that Sakuno is finally moving on from her first love. Said first love is currently looking at the couple with a blank face and then walked off the different direction, Tomoka scoffed and shook her head. No use crying on spilt milk y'know.

She had just taken off the brake off her bike when someone called her name. She turned to where the voice came from and was surprised it came from her Kaidoh-sempai.

"Kaidoh-sempai, what's wrong? Did you need anything?"

Tomoka asked him, a little bit in hurry because her favorite show starts in 30 minutes and it takes 20 minutes to come home with her bike.

"Yes, I…"

Sensing that this is important, she put back the brakes of her bike.

"Go on."

She can see the conflicting emotions in his eyes, but she's not sure what to interpret with that, she doesn't want to know about them, kind of. But… is it her or is his eyes the warmest she had ever seen (beside Sakuno of course)?

"I.."

His blush is really, really cute. Kind of like the terapanda doll that Sakuno gave her as a gift last year on her birthday.

"Will you go out with me?"

She then blinks once, twice, thrice, and then with a frown, she rounded up to him and pointed a finger in his chest in a threatening manner that's reminiscent to those Yakuza movies he had seen his uncles watch when he was young. Or maybe that time when his Aunt Mikan got really angry at his Uncle Natsume, for who knows what.

"Is this a joke? Didn't you promise me that you won't do that stupid bet? How could you Kaidoh sempai? You promised me that you'll only ask the girl you lo-"

Eyes widening in comprehension she looks over to his face and sees him softly smiling down at her with a small blush in his face, suddenly she couldn't breathe. Her mind going blank, she did what Sakuno had done when they were told to dissect a frog.

She fainted.

"Man, Kaoru, when you had asked me advice on how to make a girl fall for you, I didn't know you meant literally."

Kaidoh scowled at his Uncle, which really isn't helping since the latter just laughed louder. Their currently at his Uncle's clinic (which is a dentist clinic), he thank whoever's up there that no one was around when he had brought Osakada here, surprising both his aunt and uncle at the state the two teens are in.

"Will she be alright though?"

Natsume smiled and ruffled the teen's hair, earning him another scowl. Seeing his nephew reminded him on how he was when he was younger.

"She'll be fine Kaoru, I promise."

When Tomoka woke up, the first thing she realized was that she's not in her room, nor is she in school for that matter. She then slowly looked over her body and sighs in relief when she finds that she's still fully clothed. The second thing she realized was that Kaidoh is right next to her sleeping, his arms used as a pillow, sitting in a chair.

She discovered that when he's asleep he looks as if he's relaxed and there's no worry now a slight frown in his face. Only serene calmness and his guard are down.

She leans back in her pillow and falls asleep soon after.

The next day, she pursues him and said yes. The smile on his face makes her think of fireworks on a summer day, beautiful and bright.

The date, if she calls it that, was a disaster. It wasn't well-planned, there's some sort of calamity that happens in every places they've gone to, she discovers that he's deathly afraid of ghost, they were forced to buy (and wear) some tacky amusement park t-shirts that they sold at the gift shop because for some reason the fountain in the middle of the park has some sort of grudge on them. And a lot of other things that she wished she'd just forget.

But if there's a few things that was good in that date, he is the most gentlemanly person ever (when they were soaked by the fountain, he immediately offered his jacket) bought the t-shirt to change from their wet clothes and wouldn't even let her pay for a thing; and despite his great fear of ghosts, he helped her make the spirit of a young girl move on; he has a soft spot for cats and animals in general (especially when they had rescued a stray kitten they both adopted and named 'Kokoro'), she discovers that he's actually insightful but never lets anyone know that (except her), he never really cared for appearances (even if her make-up makes her look like a sad at the moment, he didn't say anything about it, not even a peep), he genuinely cares for her, respects her and accepts who she truly is.

(He really loves her. And she thinks she can trust her heart with him, she somehow understands why her cousin is really happy with her fiancé and, well, she found love.)

But most importantly, he confessed that he loves her, loudness and bossiness and all that jazz.

(It actually made her gape and, for a moment, Kaidoh was afraid that she'd faint again.)

The week after, Kaidoh actually won the bet, but he couldn't care less. He found something more important. The girl that maybe one day, will be his wife, if she allows him to, that is.

(Years later, they did marry and have a kid. She's still loud and bossy but not all the time, while he's still silent and a bit rigid but he now knows how to open up to others.)

On their wedding day, Momo was, surprisingly, the best man at their wedding. Which is weird to some due to the groom's and his history of rivalry, but no, they became best friends, almost like brothers, in due time. If their younger selves (teens) sees them now, they might've vomited blood.

Sakuno, of course, is the maid of honor, and has a baby on the way that's due in about 3 months. Fuji's by her side, looking after her like every other first father does to their wife.

Almost everyone they've known throughout the years was there, though some couldn't make it, they sent their best wishes.

On his speech, Momo bragged that it was him that made the couple realize their feelings for each other.

(He was wrong there; Kaidoh had only liked Tomoka at the time, while she didn't really have any strong feelings for him. They knew it, they've said it to each other before they officially started dating, it's like a flower that they've nurtured throughout the years together. But they'll let Momo have his moment.)