The Photo Album's Memories

"Ah Ryoma is that you?!!" Sakuno was sitting on one of the benches near the Seigaku tennis courts. She was holding a very old looking photo album. Ryoma was standing in front of her looking off to the side and drinking a ponta. Ryoma glanced at the photo album and spewed the ponta everywhere at that picture she was pointing at. Ryoma went to take a grab for it, but Sakuno just laughed and took it out of his reach.

"Sakuno give it back, I didn't even know that was in there." Ryoma was leaning over her, with his hand outstretched trying to grab at it. Sakuno was on a higher step so the album stayed safely out of Ryoma's reach. This was how the other regulars found them.

"Woohoo, look at Ryoma go, don't get so frisky with your girlfriend there Echizen. We are still on school grounds." Momo shouted. The others started in on the cat calling as well.

"GO OCHIBI!!" called Kikimaru. Ryoma stopped what he was doing abruptly and pulled down his cap to hide the blush forming. Sakuno looked between the still cat calling regulars and back to Ryoma; she continued to laugh.

"Hey Ryoma what do you mean you didn't know that this picture was in here. Didn't you make it?" Sakuno asked. Ryoma looked sheepish as he pulled his hat down again.

"Not exactly." Ryoma turned and began sipping his ponta again. Sakuno's face blew out as she fumed a little. She then got right up to him and started semi-yelling.

"Ryoma that's not fair, you were supposed to do the assignment yourself." Ryoma used his quick reflexes and grabbed the album from her loosened grip. Tapping her nose with the edge, Ryoma smirked.

"Mada mada Dane, Ryuusaki. The assignment said to bring in a homemade album. It never said anything about bringing an already made album and it is homemade, my mom made it for me." Ryoma looked at her deflated looked and smiled.

"That's still not fair. You took it so literally, it's sneaky. And I stayed up late to do mine, too."

"Maybe you should have thought of it yourself." Ryoma went to walk away when he felt the photo being taken from his grip. Turing he saw his senpias looking through the album Inui had taken from Ryoma. They were flipping through the pictures and laughing over them. Sakuno went over to them, as Ryoma stood kind of stunned at what had happened.

"Senpai's, look at this picture, I was jut looking at it before Ryoma stole it from me." Sakuno pointed at a certain picture; the senpais all got excited about it, and they gave Ryoma the look that says, I'm never letting you live this one down.

"Is that really you, Ochibi?" Kikimaru asked. Ryoma's answer was to pull his cap down.

"Oh don't get so up tight Echizen, why don't you come and give us some details?" Fuji asked. Ryoma looked at them all; even Tezuka was interested in it. None of them knew much about his past though they were all good friends. Ryoma knew he wasn't going to get away now so he did as he was asked. Sitting down in the middle of them he grabbed the album from them. He was going to start from the second to last page were they were at now, but was stopped.

"From the beginning Echizen." Tezuka ordered. (Was that a sadistic look in is eyes?) Oh he was having fun with this.

"Hai, captain." Turing to the very first page, Ryoma started his hopefully quick story. The first picture was a baby picture of Ryoma. He was about a month old and had a patch of dark hair on his head. "This is me as a baby, this is at New Years." Turning to the next page there was a picture of Ryoma with a pacifier in his mouth with a little racket on it. "I'm a year old; I was already talking though not a lot and walking by the time this picture was taken." A picture below that one was one with Ryoma dragging a racket taller than him behind him. "This is my first racket. You know how most kids have a blanket or toy that they carried around with them. Well mine was a racket." The group laughed.

"Ha ha, so Echizen you've always been a tennis fanatic." Sakuno said laughing. Ryoma had his eyes closed in that so what look.

"I told you once before Sakuno that I was playing everyday before I realized it. I really didn't have a choice." With that said Ryoma turned to the page, and there was him and Nanjiroh. They were on the old tennis courts at Ryoma's first home in California. Nanjiroh was giving a 'v' sign and smiling. Ryoma was smirking and you could see his little baby teeth. Ryoma was in a blue shirt with the same red racket in his hands, and pants with rackets all over them.

"Hey ochibi when did you start really playing tennis?"

"By the time I could walk and run around, my father has trained me. He hit balls and had be chase after them to pick them up. He tried to show me how to old a racket but I was too small so I held it in my arms like in this photo. By the time was two I could return a ball passed to me. About 1 of 20 actually hit the rackets surface. Besides that I feel a lot, had lots of scraps."

"Man that's rough; you really didn't have a choice did you?" Kikimaru sounded sad, and the others sad sympatric looks starting on their faces.

"Che, don't get me wrong. I remember how much I liked playing tennis, it was way better than playing with Ryoga. Tennis is fun, and I don't get bored with it." The next couple of pages were of Ryoma's 3rd, and 4th birthday parties. Only one of them had Ryoga in it, and that was a family portrait. About halfway there was a picture of a 5 year old Ryoma with a small backpack and a white cap on his head.

"Ryoma-kun, it that your first day of school?" Sakuno asked.

"Yes, I was so bored. Kindergarten was so dull; I already knew my alphabet, my numbers and how to spell." There was a picture on the bottom corner of Ryoma and a lot of little girls around him. "That was later that day, when mom came to pick me up; I had to have an escort. There were so many girls." Ryoma shuddered. "I stayed away from them the rest of time I was in elementary." The rest of the pictures were a few of Ryoma and Karupin. The second to last picture was of Ryoma carrying a cardboard box. "That was the day we moved out of the house in the U.S." The picture to the side of that was a picture of Ryoma's room full of packed boxes. "And that is the day I moved here to Japan. I met Sakuno a few days after that. Then I came here to Seigaku." The last page had a group photo of Ryoma and the Seigaku regulars after they climbed the mountain to watch the sun rise. Unlike the other pages there where four on this one; the group photo, then one of Ryoma and the Freshman Trio, a picture of Nanako with Ryoma at the dinning table, then one of just Ryoma and Sakuno. Sakuno had come over from tennis practice and had lunch with them. This particular picture was of her and Ryoma on the temple's court bench. Ryoma had a towel around his neck and Sakuno was drinking a ponta.

"Ah Echizen, that's so kawaii." Fuji said. Ryoma shut the album and put it in his bag.

"Well that's all. So I guess you're all satisfied?"

"Hai!" Came the overall answer. Sakuno got up and brushed off her skirt.

"Well I'm off, I'll see you later." Sakuno went to run off before she stopped and turned to Ryoma. "Oh and Ryoma don't forget our date Sunday, ok? I'm really looking forward to it." Sakuno waved and ran towards the front of the school.

"Ehh!!" They turned to look at Ryoma, whose face was turning a deep red. "What DATE!!!"

"Mada mada Dane senpais." Ryoma looked towards them and saw their fighting auras had ignited.

"ECHIZEN!!!!!" The group started to chase Ryoma, Ryoma stumbled and started to run away from them.

"Mada Mada daannneee!!" Ryoma ran as fast as he could.

Sounds of running feet and incoherent yelling sounded out across Seigaku.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Well that's all, please review. Thanks for reading

BlackDoveof Blessings