The Price
by akiyume kye
Disclaimer: Not mine.
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Chapter 1: Bliss

She was coming back.

Back to the place where she had lost herself.
Back to face the person who had caused it all.

It was him.
Tezuka Kunimitsu.
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It had happened nearly 4 years ago, but the memory was still fresh in his mind.
The guilt never left him.
It haunted him.
Day and night, night and day, it would come back to him.
It would torment him. It would tear him apart.

He was responsible.
And even up till now, the buchou was paying the price.
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Prodigy, genius. A talent. There was no such thing as limitations for her.
At the age of 7, she was already well-known for her uncountable victories.

Tezuka Kamito was a person to fear.
A person to respect.
A person who was almost unbeatable at her age.

Kamito was brought up in a famous tennis girls' school, and Tezuka, in a local Japanese school. Her talent was uprooted and soon, she rose above all expectations, beating her peers and regulars, the team captain, and eventually, her coach. She morphed through each match. No one could predict her next move. She had her opponents sealed with her capabilities.

Tezuka was her companion in tennis, because only he was able to provide her with the competition she needed. She was good, but he was better. And Kamito looked up to him for that. Brother and younger sister were close, and their bond was strong. Then, Tezuka was often in smiles when with Kamito. Both were always seen laughing together, enjoying each other's siblinghood.

It was bliss.
It was perfect.

And perhaps, too perfect.
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A penpal?

Kamito raised her eyebrow. She wondered what purpose it served.

A school project, they had mentioned, though she hardly paid any attention in her classes at all. Even her teachers were amazed at the academic success she had achieved despite her negligence toward her studies. "Prodigy in tennis, prodigy in everything", her teachers had said.

She tore open the envelope to reveal a flimsy piece of paper. On it was written the name of her penpal, and the email address.

Kamito was intrigued. The change was a thrill, and she wondered how the penpal relationship would turn out.

Turning towards her computer screen, she started typing out a letter to her penpal.
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Tournaments came and went, with Kamito having won every single one of them.
But there was someone she still couldn't beat, and that was Tezuka.

The desire to one day rise above her brother burned deeply within her.
He knew it, and he accepted it.
She was competitive, after all, and losing wasn't something she would come to terms with.

Kamito was good. And she was getting better day by day, training after training.

Through it all, Tezuka was by her side, supporting her, cheering her on.
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"I won in the semifinals today! It lasted longer than I'd imagined but still, it was fun! The finals are next week. Are you coming to cheer me on? I sure would like to meet you."

The young blue eyed boy smiled.

Saa, so do I.
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The day of the female finals came quickly, and Kamito was ready. It was a big step that she would be taking in this match. After this, she could advance way beyond her region. And perhaps, in doing so, she could acquire the skills that she needed to beat Tezuka.

This tenacity kept her going.
And she wouldn't give up.

Not until she could beat her brother.
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The opponent wasn't any average player in that age group. She was gifted too, in her own special way.

Koshimizu Sasako- 7 years of age, was a prodigy that could probably match up to Kamito. No one could predict the result of the match, but both were confident in their own game.

Who would win? Who would lose?
Tezuka was anxious to know.

His hazel brown eyes laid on Kamito. She was stretching, ready to meet her opponent head on. She looked over and met Tezuka's eyes. A small smile sealed off all uncertainties. She glanced to his side and gave Fuji a wave. It was the first time he would be watching her match after months of communication through emails.
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Kamito marched confidently into the court.

After a brief handshake and a toss to decide the server, both girls made their way to their side of the court.

The atmosphere was tense.

It was Sasako's serve.
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Kamito gripped her racket tight.

At the instant of impact, she could tell the type and direction of the serve. Responding immediately to that sound, she returned the fast serve without much difficulty.

The game went on.

0-15

0-30

0-40

Game: Kamito.

Sasako's habits, footwork, handgrip and style were all in Kamito's hand in just one game.
Her analytical skills were superb, and she was quick to react.

3 games passed by and Kamito was leading in a love-game.

She could counter any attack thrown at her. Top spin, slice spin, smashes… Kamito was able to return them all. Her outstanding lead was worthy of praise, but it was hard work for the young girl. She could not afford to let her guard down for a second, because the prodigy facing her would exploit that loophole and win the point.

She had to admit.
Sasako wasn't someone to be trifled with.

They were panting hard. An hour had passed by since the game had begun. In the humid, oppressive heat of the scorching sun, both girls were quickly worn out, but each refused to give in to the other.

If there was a winner, there would be a loser, and neither wanted to be the latter.

And so, the game wore on.

15-0

15 ALL

15-30…

Finally, it was the last game.

One more game and Kamito would have the victory.

To be continued.
Do review. Don't think it's good. :p

Next chapter: Things go wrong and something bad happens to Kamito in the match. What happens? (Hopefully) you'll find out soon!