Season of Love
by Sessrin Koshimae
Disclaimer: The Prince of Tennis isn't mine and it would never be mine.
Warning: Written without betareader. Subject for OOC.
Note: Season of Love is the seventh installment for Witchangel's Ryosaku Anthology.
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Chapter 1: Early Days
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I first met him when I rode a train to met my grandmother at one of the train station here in Tokyo. We are supposed to watched a tennis tournament back then. Some bunch of sixteen year old bragged about being one of the best. Three high school boys swung their racket, and I was about to hit by their constant actions. A guy whose the same aged with me seemed tired about their talk and interceded. He corrected them and told them how to hold the racquet in both eastern and western worlds.
"Gripping the racquet as if picking it up from the ground is the western grip. Holding a racquet like shaking hand is the eastern grip." I heard him say.
He also told them that many people seem to mixed up and they become quiet. We finally arrived at the station and exited.
I was surprised when he approached me and asked me about the directions to get to the tournament. But before I could finish my words, he assumed the south gate and left. I sighed to myself and thought he's so cool. I waited for my grandmother to arrived who turned out to be 30 minutes late. It was then that I realized that I gave wrong direction to the boy who saved me.
Later, we arrived at the Juniour Tennis Tournament. I saw him again and learned that he was forfeited and lost because I gave him the wrong directions. I felt humiliated and embarassed in front of him because of what I've done. I apologized and offered to buy him a can of juice, but he ended up paying for it because I had no change.
As we talk to each other, the same bunch of guys on the train station approached us. One of them told Ryoma that he would win the championship of the tournament.
"I'll teach you how to play real tennis if you." he Ryoma replied in a cocky tone.
As they go to the court and start play tennis, my grandmother arrived. She told me the boy's name is Echizen Ryoma and he's hailed as the prince of tennis.
I saw his opponent was very surprised and can't admit his defeat. Ryoma is really a great tennis player. He's an ambidextrous though he's a lefthanded person. He could also perform a so called "Twist Serve" that hitted the other boy on his face three times.
He play tennis in such an amazing way. He seems to enjoy playing it and I wonder if it is really enjoyable. Though my grandmother is a tennis coach, I never really tried to play tennis seriously. I knew I wasn't really good and not an athletic one but when I saw him play, it seemed to me that I could play tennis like him in the future if I would just work hard and train hard. Because of him, I was inspired to work hard and believe to myself. He unknowingly boosted my confidence which was I lacked before. Ryoma became a person I looked up to. I started to harbor new feelings for him that I'm not familiar with. In an instant, he became the most special person of my life and tennis became the bridge between the two of us.
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I first met this special girl several days after I arrived here in Japan. She was the one who gave me wrong direction when I asked her for directions to get to the tournamen I'm heading for. Because of it I was technically forfeited because I arrived too late before my match. I met her again at the same tournament and she apologized to me. She offered me to buy me a can of juice but I ended up paying for it because she didn't had a change for it. She apologized to me with a worried face and I secretly find her cute. She made me remind of my mother who is in America in those days. Somehow, they have something in common.
When I attended Seishun Gakuen, I met her again. At first, I didn't remember who she is and she seemed to be offended to what I've said. It was only when I got home I remembered her. I'm really horrible at remembering people, hence I actually forgot about her. When Oyaji wondered if I've got a girlfriend, and I remembered her too late. Since then, she became a notable person in my life that I could never forget.
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I watched his match against inui-senpai for the ranking eliminations and he actually won and made it to be a regular. I wanted to congratulate him so I waited at the school gate but Tomo-chan suddenly appeared and insisted that we should celebrate for Ryoma's victory. He declined and left. Maybe I could congratulate him tomorrow, I thought.
The Next day, I started to look for him everywhere but I couldn't find him. I thought that he's practising again tennis somewhere I didn't know. I sighed in defeat and reluctantly gave up. Maybe I wouldn't have any chance to congratulate him anyway.
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As I exited from the shop where the jerseys are made, I saw her walking on the sidewalk on her way to their home. She seemed sad and worried but after noticing my presence, her face slightly brightened up. She asked me if she could see me clad in my new jersey. I refused and told her that she was going to see me wearing it the next day. Her face fell and she apologized to me. I don't know how she did it but it is hard for me to say no to her. I looked at her and sighed. I would be so mean to her if I made her sad. I wore my new jersey with a smile in front of her and I saw her overjoyed which satisfied me. She smiled to me and congratulated me for making it on the regulars. Afterwards, we walked home together.
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Ryoma had a match and won against the father of the highschool that he defeated during the Juniour Tennis Tournament. That day, I made him a special homemade lunch and gave it to him after his match. We were watching the game of the other people on the tennis club when I asked him shyly how the food tasted. Without leaving his gaze into the game, he replied "Mada mada dane." which surprised and made me upset. I took the bento box from his hand and runaway from him. I knew the food I prepared are quite satisfying and delicious, maybe he didn't really appreciate it or he didn't like the taste of it. A thought that maybe it's because he didn't like me made me cringed and saddened. What it too obvious that I love him? Or it was tennis who made our paths crossed that made him blind to see me from afar.
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I could still remember the time when I played against Fudomine's Ibu Shinji. Shinji successfully managed to freeze my movements with his constant use of topspins and slice shots. For that reason, he easily scored points in several minutes. When I tried my body to try to return the ball, my muscles refused to remain their grip to my racquet, which subsequently flew out from my hand and smashed to the net post. A piece of my racquet richocettes right back at me and injured my left eye. She instinctively run towards the court and tried to aid me. I could see her worried look and eagerness to pull me out the court even if it would make me forfeit. I scolded her and told her to leave the court because she wasn't suppose their while we're in the middle of the match. It irritates me that my eye injury might lead me to lose the game. Coach Ryuzaki patched my eye up enough to allow me to finish my game though Tezuka-buchou told me that I should finish the game within ten minutes or else they'll pull me out and forfeit the match.
I continued the playing against Shinji with a mental note in my head that I should win within the ten minutes span. I knew that her worried eyes were set upon me while she stood on the sidecourts silently praying that I would win my game. I won it and afterwards they took me to the doctor to check my eye injury. Her face lighten up after as the doctor explained that my injury wasn't that severe. I wonder why. Why did she run towards me when I got injured? She really do cares about me, ne?
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I'm so nervous. My Grandmother told me that Ryoma will accompany me to the shop where my racquet will be restrung. I knew it wasn't a date but it would be the first time that I would go out with him alone. I wished Tomoka will go with us but she can't, which left Ryoma and I alone with each other. I took a deep breath and prayed that I wouldn't mess up our day.
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I woke up that day too early and prepared myself so I won't be late for my appointment. I don't know how come I didn't refused Coach Ryuzaki's request to accompany her granddaughter. It wasn't that I am afraid of her. Maybe I thought boredom will kill me to death because I wouldn't have to do anything that day. Oh yes! That's it! I agreed to kill my long hours of boredom.
Oyaji teased me that I'm going out on a date with Ryuzaki. I sighed mentally. It isn't that people started to go on a date as early as twelve, right? It isn't a date. I'll just accompany her to restrung her racquet. I took my racquet with me so I could see how her tennis skills progress.
It'll took it some time so we decided to have a little walk. She tried to make a conversation with me asking me random questions. She seemed nervous and uneasy and I wonder if she's fine. I stopped walking and look at her confusely.
"Why is it that Ryuzaki is being so talkative today." I asked her though it sounded like a statement in my ears.
Her face fell and she seemed to about to cry. I was surprised when all of a sudden she runaway from me. I blinked.
'Did I said something wrong?'. I thought.
Momo-senpai suddenly popped out from nowhere and scolded me for making her cry.
'Wait. I made her cry?' I asked myself.
I frowned and left Momo-senpai. I didn't mean to hurt her when I said those words.
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He didn't seemed to care. Really. He wasn't. It seemed to me that he'd just reluctantly accompany me that day. I runaway from him because I felt I looked stupid asking him something just make a conversation between us. Maybe he didn't really care about me. Maybe, to him I'm just a freak fan girl that keeps on following him like a tail.
I was surprised when I saw him walking towards me. He looked after me? He gave me a can of cold ponta as a compensation. He didn't say sorry directly but I knew that he's sorry. I smiled to myself and felt relieved. Ryoma do cares though he wouldn't say it verbally.
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Next Chapter: Chapter 2- Young Love
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A/n: This was supposed to be a one shot ryosaku fic but I ended up cutting it up so this story would run up to 5 to seven chapters. The first two chapters are based on the ryosaku moments on the anime and manga of "The Prince of Tennis". I tried to write it with less OOC of Ryoma and Sakuno. This is my first attempt to write a canon fic for ryosaku. I just wished I could write it on a much better way.
These are the episodes I used to this chapter:
Episode 1: The Prince Appears
Episode 2: Samurai Juniour
Episode 9: The Hard Day
Episode 10: Counter Attack! Sasabe Once Again
Episode 19: Ryoma is Injured
Episode 24: Ryoma's Holiday
Thank You for reading 'Season of Love'. Please don't for get to leave review. :)
~Sessrin Koshimae