A/N: Hi! I have decided to edit all the chapters. Even so, there's not much change in this chapter.
Mostly, the grammar is the only thing changed. Still, feel free to read. (Which I suggest, so that you don't miss anything, if ever.)
Summary:After spending some time with his parents in America for 4 years and after winning the championships, Echizen Ryoma goes back to Japan, where he met his former sempais, and some of his other friends again. Wait! What is happening?…Ryoma doesn't remember who Ryuzaki Sakuno is! Ryosaku
Disclaimer:I don't own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters.
"Words spoken"
'Thoughts'
(Author's notes)
Friends or Lovers?
Chapter 1: The Return of the Prince
A boy with dark green hair, wearing a white cap on top, and a tennis bag slung on his shoulder, went out from the airport, looking frustrated. He's been waiting inside the airport, for someone who was going to pick him up, for hours already. Finally, he decided to go outside.
'Where in the world is--' His thoughts were cut when someone called him.
"Oi! Echizen Ryoma!!" A boy called from behind. Echizen Ryoma. It has been a long time since he was called 'Echizen Ryoma' again, since in America he was 'Ryoma Echizen'.
Ryoma turned towards the boy who had called him. It was Momoshiro Takeshi, his former sempai.
Ryoma went towards Momoshiro to greet him, or rather, scold him.
"Momo-sempai…." Ryoma started. "Where in the world have you been? I've been waiting for you for hours!"
"Sheesh! Chill Echizen! I'm still your sempai, ya know?"
"Whatever." Ryoma sighed, knowing it was hopeless.
"Anyway, come on! You still haven't found a place to stay, right?" Momo asked.
"Hn. So?"
"I know a place where you can stay. Ryuzaki – bachan said you can stay at their house, until you find another place to stay or until you go back to America." Momo replied.
"Mada Mada Da ne." Ryoma said as Momo grinned.
"I haven't heard those words for a while." his sempai said. "Oh yeah! You should see Ryuzaki – bachan's granddaughter. She's really cute, you know? You should have gone out with her before."
"Ryuzaki-bachan's granddaughter? Who's that?" Ryoma asked, not even interested. He was, in fact, just looking around.
"Oi oi….don't tell me you've forgotten about her! You know….our little cheerleader that had her long hair in braids?…The one who always watched our matches…especially yours?" Momo said trying to let Ryoma remember who the girl was.
"I have no idea. Anyway, can we just get a cab and go to wherever you're bringing me?" Ryoma answered not even trying to remember who the cheerleader was. Even at the age of 16, Ryoma had no interest in girls. He knew more about them, but there's not much that changed.
"Fine!" Momo sighed. 'I just hope you remember her when you meet her again, since you'll be living with her.' He mentally added as he called a cab.
"Where are we going?" Ryoma asked, a few minutes later.
"Kawamura sushi of course! The other sempais are there, waiting for us. Well, actually, Tezuka-buchou is not. He's in London."
"I see." Ryoma said, though he was thinking, 'What happened to going to Ryuzaki-coach's house?'
"Hey Echizen! Admit it…you missed us, didn't you?" Momo, once again, grinned.
"Betsuni." Ryoma replied, lowering the brim of his white cap.
"Come on! Just tell the truth!" Momo said, nudging the younger man.
"Yada." Ryoma said as the cab stopped in front of a sushi house. He immediately stepped out, ignoring Momo's call of, "Hey! Wait up!"
Once Momo got finished paying and was out of the cab, Ryoma opened the door to the sushi place. As soon as he did, all his sempais were on his face.
"Ochibi! Welcome back!" someone said as he gave Ryoma a bear hug.
"Kikumaru-sempai, ittai-su!" Ryoma said as he tried to get away from Kikumaru's death hug.
"Hoho!? Ochibi, you've grown taller!" Kikumaru said, hyper as usual.
"He is tall, isn't he?" Fuji said smiling.
"I agree." The Seigaku's mother, Oishi agreed, giving Ryoma a pat.
"Echizen Ryoma, grew very tall after 4 years in America." Inui said as he wrote it down in his green notebook. "The milk did help, didn't it?"
"Fshhhhh" Kaido hissed as his greeting for Ryoma.
Ryoma sighed, "Mada mada da ne."
"Echizen, welcome back." Kawamura greeted from behind the counter. "What kind of sushi would you like for today?"
"Anything is fine, thanks, Kawamura-sempai." Ryoma said as his sempais finally allowed him to sit down on a chair.
After a few minutes, they all settled down, eating noisily like before. Though they weren't in the same team called, "Seigaku" anymore, since they are all older and are in different school years, some things just don't change. After some eating and chatting, Horio, Kachiro, Katsuo, and Tomoka entered the shop.
"Oh! Tomoka! Omae no shinyu wa doushita?" (What happened to your bestfriend?) Momo asked, glancing at Ryoma, who was not listening at all.
"Sakuno? She's busy today so she's not coming." Tomoka replied, walking over the sempai. As she did, she caught a glance of the person they were all welcoming back. "Ah! Ryoma-sama!"
Ryoma looked up from his sushi, "...Anta dare?" (Who are you?)
"Eh!" Tomoka loudly exclaimed. "You don't remember me? I'm Osakada Tomoka! Your cheerleader before!"
"Is she the one you're talking about a while ago?" Ryoma asked Momo, pointing a finger at Tomoka.
"Nope. She's the best friend of the one I was talking about a while ago."
"I see." Ryoma answered, already back to his sushi. Tomoka made a move to try to remind Ryoma who she was again, but Momo pointed at Ryoma, shook his head, and formed an 'X' with his arms. Sweatdropping and slightly crestfallen, Tomoka understood his message: It's hopeless.
After a few more minutes of eating, chatting, and some taking of pictures, it was finally time to go home.
"Oi Echizen! Let's go! Ba-chan will get mad at us." Momo called, sliding the door open while waiting for Ryoma.
"Hn."
Since the coach's house wasn't that far from the sushi place, Momo and Ryoma only walked. As they made their way towards Ryoma's temporarily new home, a young girl also walked towards the same house.
TBC…
A/N: Just the start of the story. Perhaps it's bad, perhaps it's okay. Yours to decide. I hope you enjoyed it though...and I hope I get reviews. LOL.D
Love Lots,
Kaze no Shoujo