Laughter
A/N: Hey everyone! Here's a little one shot I wrote when I was bored… character death. Please review!
Disclaimer: Not anything here is mine besides the plot and writing. Otherwise, I DO NOT CLAIM ANY CREDIT.
Summary: Ryuuzaki-sensei has passed away. Everyone is invited to her funeral service, but she doesn't want them to be sad. All it takes is a little bit of laughter.
A tiny seed is in the ground and it pokes gently above the surface. It is trampled relentlessly, but it does not fear. It continues to grow.
The clouds covered the sun.
The Seigaku regulars gathered at their home courts, dressed in black. No one was smiling or laughing anymore, only a depressing feeling hung in the air. As the gathered in a van that the team had rented, the world seemed to grow darker. For all of them, the world would no longer seem as bright as it ever would. After all, the passing of your coach is not something you can take easily. Not a tear was shed on the way there, but even Eiji was no longer smiling and Momo no longer making any jokes. There was no laughter in that car as they were driven to the funeral of their beloved coach.
Of course, the blow was hardest on Sakuno because they were relatives and very close. The freshman trio and Tomoka were gathered there already, being early to help feel the pain of another valued friend. They were at the funeral area, with chairs set up and beautiful white ribbons decorating the area. The grave was already there, ready for the casket. The sky was gloomy, dark and there was little sun. Sakuno shivered because of the light breeze and gave tiny sobs as Tomoka held her close and let Sakuno cry on Tomoka's shoulder. It was excruciatingly sad as it dawned upon the four others that nothing they could say could comfort Sakuno's torn heart. It is hardest to lose someone close to you, especially if you love them with all your heart.
Other teams slowly proceeded in their own cars, dressed in black. Atobe had a limo and the Hyoutei team sat sadly in the luxurious car. Even if Atobe was usually prideful, today he was more reserved like the rest of the team. Jirou sat quietly, not happy like he usually was, in fact, he was not even asleep. Jirou just stared out a window, dazed, as if he were in some horrible dream. Fudomine, being close to Seigaku, also was coming to the funeral. Although it was a rival coach, the loss was still deeply felt. Overall, tennis connects people in many ways, even if you are rivals. Shinji was not muttering and Kamio not listening to anything, most of the members were just sitting there, slack. Ann had tagged along with Tachibana, so the little crew was complete. Not excluding any of Seigaku's rival schools, even Rikkaidai and Rokkaku were invited. Yukimura let his group solemnly towards the grounds and a few onlookers stared at the people wearing all black walking down the street.
As each team finally gathered at the mourning grounds, each tennis player, coach, friend, or relative sat. Sakuno and Tomoka sat in front, with the other coaches and Seigaku. The rest of the teams sat captain first and then the rest of the team. For this moment would be forever preserved, they prayed or wished Ryuuzaki-sensei a peaceful life in heaven. Sakuno placed a white rose upon her grandmother's grave and walked away. Everyone else followed suit, not a single person laughing, smiling, or making a joke. Everyone was crying, either silently in their hearts or aloud. When everyone had made a blessing and placed a rose, Sakuno said a few good things before she broke down again and Tomoka had to lead her away. Each coach added something as well as the regulars, Tezuka especially. No one had doubted her health, but it was her time. Ryuuzaki-sensei had gone in her sleep, peacefully.
The sky began to cry, too, pounding upon the funeral guests. It shattered all thoughts of being reserved and everyone began to cry, sobbing, or just overall breaking down. The most stoic or strict people managed to keep their facial expressions, but even they had to sit down and stare at the ground gloomily. Hopes and dreams, wishes and happy thoughts were ripped away. All that lay there was endless gloom, an abyss of pure darkness. A maze of depression awaited the poor people who were to walk through it tirelessly, pushing on and on. All of the people present stayed until the rain let up and it became a light drizzle. They stood and moved oddly to the entrance. The regulars, coaches, friends, and relatives were in an almost unbreakable daze, an endless trance of pure sorrow.
Suddenly, Sakuno began to laugh a little when it turned into a fit of unstoppable giggling. All the people leaving looked at her in shock and next thing they knew, they were all laughing or giggling. A rainbow appeared overhead as the last few drops of rain fell. None of the laughter, pure innocent laughter, was hysterical. It was simply a blessing from Ryuuzaki-sensei, who was an angel always above them, watching at the funeral. She wanted them to be happy, that was all. It wouldn't hurt to laugh at her funeral; it would only made her glad, but a little sad inside. A last look at her elated friends, she took to the sky and departed the Earth forever.
The sun poked through, allowing a budding seed to grow more.
And it grew quickly, for it was fed by laughter.