A/N: I know I'm just throwing out random stories, instead of simply continuing with one and completing it, but I just can't help myself! XD This fanfic will be of my forever-favorite anime and manga Prince Of Tennis (Tenisu no Oujisama)! 3 I'll be trying to make the characters seem more human in this story, seeing as the anime has lots of fantasy in it ^^U I hope you enjoy this story as well~! =D
Disclaimer: Prince Of Tennis rightfully belongs to Takeshi Konomi, I by no means own anything of the original plot or characters. What I do own, however, are the small plot twists and any OC that may appear.
-xox-Prologue: The Lonely Prelude-xox-
"Absolutely not! She can't!" Different voices exclaimed at the same time, their tone varying depending on their emotions: anger, fear, worry…None of those are good things to feel, at least to me.
If some stranger came and saw this picture, he would think we are a broken family. In the living room, my siblings and mother were discussing with two cell phones. My father was on one line. He is currently living in England because of his work, and I haven't seen him since our last vacations. The other line was being used by an old family friend, Ryuzaki Sumire. She is a tennis coach, and right now, one of the causes for this commotion.
I am the other cause.
I am Fuji Kikyo, the younger sibling of the Fuji family, and I'm not supposed to be here. Hiding in the upper part of the wooden stairs, I am trying to catch a glimpse of the conversation taking place in the room to my right, in the first floor. It's a bit past 7:00 am here in Tokyo, meaning that it is about 11:00 pm where my dad is. Apparently, Ryuzaki-sensei had everything calculated…
This had all started when she called a few minutes ago, saying that she had registered me in the Kakinokizaka Tennis Tournament. I know she did so with the intention of helping me, seeing as this was the first time I was entering a tennis tournament after almost a year. I was excited, but my family did not think the same.
Last year, I sprained my left foot while playing basketball in school. The injury had been so bad that the doctor told me not to do any sport until it was completely healed, otherwise I would have to stop playing tennis forever. I stopped using the crutches a long time ago, but my family is still worried about me. They allowed me to keep a light practice schedule, but they don't want me playing a whole set with anyone. Imagine how this announcement of a tournament made them feel.
My big brother, Fuji Syusuke, was the first one to disagree. He has always been overprotective of me, and he would not dare risk my condition like that. My older sister, Yumiko, defended me instead. She knew that my foot had healed enough for me to start playing again and said that I would end up getting into a strong depression if they tried to keep me away from tennis any longer. Unfortunately, my mother Yoshiko sided up with Syusuke. She was as worried as any mother would be for their daughter and, not being able to decide without help, she had dialed my father and told him the situation. He totally agreed with Syusuke and my mother, leaving the teams divided 3 versus 3.
The discussion had then started, the phones being changed to speaker mode for better communication. I was sent upstairs to my room, probably to give more privacy to the adults. Obviously curious, I had sneaked out and sat on the stairs, hidden by the living room's wall, to hear their decision for my future…my dreams.
"We're sorry Sumire-san, but that's our final word," my father said sternly, making Ryuzaki-sensei sigh in the other phone.
"Hideaki-san, you can't claim victory this soon. We can't even put this matter into voting!" Ryuzaki-sensei joked, remembering him that we had an even number in our so called 'teams'.
"MY DAUTHER'S HEALTH WILL NOT BE PUT INTO VOTING!" My father's voice resounded through the house, making me to flinch in fear. He could be pretty scary when he was angry.
"And you know why's that, right Fuji-kun?" She asked calmly, this time talking to my brother.
He had been quiet for a long time now, probably thinking about something, and she had clearly noticed it too. Silence followed for quite some time, and I could imagine everyone staring at my brother as he kept his gaze solely on the cell phones. "I'm going to call Yuuta," he finally said, leaving the rest of the family frozen.
In all their bickering, they had forgotten to ask my other brother's opinion on the matter; the deciding vote. He was currently living in St. Rudolph's boarding school, after a few misunderstandings with the rest of the family. See what I meant about looking like a broken family?
I hugged my knees up to my chest in an attempt to make me smaller once my brother walked out of the living room, heading to the phone resting on a small table in the hallway. Fortunately, he didn't notice me as he pressed some numbers and waited for Yuuta to answer his call, turning so that his back faced the stairs. I watched him quietly as he started to talk, explaining the whole situation to our brother. However, in almost no time at all, Yuuta started yelling at my brother through the phone, clearly mad.
"YOU CAN'T GO AROUND TELLING PEOPLE WHAT THEY CAN AND CANNOT DO! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO DENY TENNIS TO HER!" I heard part of Yuuta's rant through the phone. I was surprised that he was siding up with me now after being so cold towards everyone. But his differences with Syusuke seemed to be bigger than with me.
I suddenly felt how my eyes started to sting as involuntary tears started flooding them, and my throat started to move compulsively as I tried to stop myself from crying. My head pounded painfully each time someone's voice raised a bit; my two brothers in the phone right in front of where I was sitting, my father yelling at his childhood coach again, and my sister trying to convince my mom to understand my feelings. How can it be possible that something as wonderful as tennis can create so many negative feelings?
Feeling overwhelmed by the situation, I hugged my knees closer to me and hid my face in my arms, isolating me from everyone else in the house. I could feel how the fabric of my pajama pants trembled each time a new tear fell on them, my hands gripping my elbows strongly in an attempt to reduce the shaking of my shoulders. I sniffled from time to time, trying to get more air into my lungs. I didn't want this. The last thing I needed was the whole family fighting again; it brought back painful memories. The last time they fought like this was when Yuuta wanted to change schools. This was not fair.
Click
The sound of the phone being placed back down told me that my two brothers had stopped their conversation. I was so lost in thought that I had not been able to hear the resolution of it. However, it was strange that I hadn't heard my brother's steps heading back into the living room.
"Unless that…" I thought, slowly lifting my wet face just to lock gazes with my astonished brother. He had seen me the moment he turned around to go back into the living room; his amazing blue eyes wide open in shock.
~*~3rd Person's POV~*~
Fuji Kikyo was not the only person in Japan that had started the day with the wrong foot. Some kilometers away from the Fuji residence, airplanes landed and took off continuously at the Narita International Airport. People rushed to and fro through the waiting rooms, waiting for either a person or plane to arrive.
The flight coming from the United States had arrived at 7:00 am, the tired passengers quickly climbing down so that they could reach their homes and hotels in time for some sleep. After picking up their luggage, everyone had gone out of the terminal to search for some means of transportation that would help them reach their destinations. Echizen Ryoma was one of them.
Coming into a stop in the waiting room, the short twelve year old scanned the whole room with his gaze, carefully searching for his dad.
He was not there.
Sighing heavily, Ryoma walked to the nearest empty seat, resting all his bags beside him. It was incredible. Even after being reminded by his mother, his father had really forgotten to pick him up.
Lowering his white cap so that it would cover his eyes, he rested his back on the seat and waited while he heard a small group of kids playing not too far away from him.
"Honestly Oyaji…" He mumbled angrily, fishing in his short's pocket for his cell phone. Pressing the quick dial for his father's number, Ryoma waited for his call to be answered.
It would be annoying to hear all of his father's excuses, but at least he would remind him that he had arrived to Tokyo. But no one answered. His eyebrow twitched in anger as he closed the lid of his orange phone, ending the call. Great, just great…His father had forgotten his cell phone too! He doesn't forget his head just because it's attached to his body!
Placing his phone back into his pocket, he tilted his hat even further down and closed his eyes, trying to ignore the kids' shouts. He had more things to worry about at the moment.
Finding the timing perfect, his father had told him about a tennis tournament that was being held in the Kakinokizaka Tennis Garden the same day of his arrival. He had asked his former coach to register Ryoma in the Under-12 category, but the tennis prodigy had asked to be placed in the Under-16 category instead.
Ryoma had planned to head to his house first to drop off his bags, greet his mom and cousin, and sleep until it was time for him to head to the train station. However, his entire schedule was ruined by his father's lack of responsibility. In the end, he would probably just have to miss the tournament. Not liking that idea much, he pulled out his phone once more and called his father. Maybe he hadn't heard the ringtone the first time…
Another sigh. Nothing. He had really forgotten his cell phone.
Crossing his legs, Ryoma scanned the room he was in for second time that morning, this time in search of a soda machine, but obtained no results. Shifting his gaze to the laughing kids, he felt how an invisible force made pressure against his chest. It had been a long time since he had shared a real laugh with a friend, or had one to share it with for that matter.
Loneliness. That's a term he had ended up getting used to. Centering only in tennis drove the few friends he had back in the States away, seeing as it took most of his time. Winning continuously hadn't helped either. People had started to be on the defensive the whole time, looking at him coldly for being so talented. What else could they expect from someone who had dedicated solely on tennis since his childhood?
He no longer understood the purpose of having friends…how could he know when they were for real? Tennis was his passion, his only friend…No. It was not his friend; it was merely a medium to reach his ambitions. Echizen Ryoma was focused on reaching his goal and he needed no friends for that, right now he didn't need anything.
"Then I've got nothing to lose," he thought bitterly with a smirk.
He could be whoever he wanted and it wouldn't matter. He could do whatever he wanted and no one would care. Sure, he had his family, but everyone else does so too. It was right in that moment that Echizen Ryoma realized how lonely he really was.
~*~Kikyo's POV~*~
I took in a shaky breath as a few more tears rolled down my face, not knowing what to do. I had been caught eavesdropping and crying, and now I was too caught up in fighting my brother mentally that I was unable to think of any excuses to safe my own skin.
"Please, let me go. Let me go…" I begged quietly in my mind, desperately wishing that he could read my mind just like he used to read my movements when playing tennis.
His widened eyes were slowly starting to close, making him to stare at me tenderly. An assuring smile found its way to his mouth as we kept on staring at each other, going into our own little siblings' world, away from the voices in the living room. Taking a few steps forward, he walked up the stairs and stood right in front of me, making me bring my head backwards in order to look at his face better. His expression had turned sad as he kept on looking at me, lowering a bit so that he could take my small hands in his.
"Gomen, Kikyo-chan. I forgot to see things from your point of view. Yuuta is right, I can't be manipulating your life according to my own beliefs," he whispered ashamed so that no one else heard our conversation, caressing my hands lovingly.
"N-Nii-san! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I cried happily once I realized what he was meaning, springing up to my feet and latching my arms around his neck. He chuckled softly and returned the hug, making his brown locks to tickle my left cheek.
"Now come! We need to tell the rest! Now it's only Otou-san and Okaa-san opposing!" He said happily, pulling away and sending me one of his normal close-eyed smiles.
I nodded excitedly and used the back of my hand to wipe away the wet paths my tears had left on my cheeks. He smiled at me once more and took my left hand, leading me down the stairs and into the living room, which was illuminated by the morning light. Our mom and sister turned to see us the moment we entered, and the other two on the phones seemed to be quiet too. Feeling the pressure of the moment, I squeezed my brother's hand for comfort, making him push me a bit from behind as if indicating me to talk.
"Anno…have you decided yet?" I asked nervously, my fear reducing my voice's volume a few lines.
"Yes/No!" Everyone said at the same time, making me smile nervously. I'll take that as a 'no'.
"I want to go," I pleaded them, only being able to lock gazes with my mom since my dad was almost at the other side of the world.
"Princess, we don't think it's safe," my dad tried to say calmly, making me to shift my gaze towards one of the cell phones. He liked to use that nickname for me ever since I was a kid. Only he called me that.
"That would only be you and Okaa-san," Syusuke contradicted him, making us turn towards him now. "Yuuta and I think that she should participate," he declared, gaining us some points.
"That's the only way she'll be able to mature in her game," my sister added in her two cents, nodding approvingly at my mom.
"I promise to forfeit if I don't feel well," I was quick to say before my dad said anything else. Judging by my mom's change of expression, I believe I had hit the winning spot.
"Alright, it looks like we can't do anything to change your mind…" My mom sighed, looking at us with a small smile decorating her rosy lips.
"However, Sumire-san will have to be with you at all times to make sure everything is alright," my dad finally surrendered, managing to place all responsibility on Ryuzaki-sensei in the end.
"Don't worry Hideaki, I won't take my eyes off of her," Ryuuzaki-sensei replied, and I could hear her smiling through the phone. My dad grumbled something incoherently at this, probably not liking the fact that she didn't use an honorific when naming him.
"Good luck then, Princess. Be very careful, and stay close to Sumire-san okay?" My dad said, already biding farewell. He must be very tired after the whole day of work, and it's almost 11:30 pm where he is.
"Hai! Thank you so much Otou-san!" I said happily, walking closer to the sofa where my mother and sister were sitting.
"I love you all…And I miss you! Yoshiko, can you get on the phone?" My mom got up and did as my dad had asked her to, stopping the speaker mode, before walking to the kitchen to have some privacy. My siblings smiled at me after our dad's goodbyes, but Ryuzaki-sensei cleared her throat to remind us that she was still there before they could say anything.
"Well, I'm glad everything came out as planned. I already sent my granddaughter to the train station, I don't know what she would have done if you hadn't accepted…She'll meet you there and keep you company until you arrive to where I am. I'll go pick you up at the train station and take you to the Kakinokizaka Tennis Garden so that you can check in," my dad's former coach said quickly, leaving us all in a daze. I blinked repeatedly, trying to register everything she had said.
"W-Wait…is Sakuno-chan already waiting for me at the station!" I panicked, suddenly feeling completely rude. I know I wouldn't like to wait for someone for a long time, so I've always tried to keep other people from waiting for me.
"She should be arriving in a few minutes. And you need to check in early," Ryuzaki-sensei reminded me and I nodded in understanding even though she couldn't see me. I wouldn't want to lose by default in my first tournament, not when I finally have the chance to prove myself.
"For the Under-12 category?" My brother asked his actual coach, placing his hand on my left shoulder to show me his support.
"What do you take me for? For the Under-16 category of course!" Ryuzaki-sensei boasted. I felt how my jaw almost touched the floor as I stared at the communicating device, while my siblings sent me excited smiles. "Hurry up! The train may be parting soon!" She exclaimed before hanging up, leaving us in a trance for a bit.
"Go and change quickly. We'll be waiting for you here and drive you to the station," my brother told me after he had turned me around by the shoulders in order to face him.
"Wait! I'll choose your outfit! Your horoscope says that soft colors will attract good luck!" My sister said excitedly, jumping out of her seat and taking my hand, pulling me upstairs to my room.
My brother laughed at our antics until his eyes landed on the phone in the hallway. It had been thanks to Yuuta that he had opened his eyes. If it hadn't been for him, they might have had another terrible scene in that house…
~*~3rd Person's POV~*~
"Why are you sad?" A tiny voice brought Ryoma out of his thoughts.
Looking down in front of him, he saw a small girl of about seven years old. Her curly golden hair reached past her shoulders, and her big chocolate-colored eyes were looking at him intently. Ryoma stared strangely at her, not actually knowing why she was talking to him.
"Don't you know how to speak?" The girl asked again, tilting her head to the right as she looked at him with worry.
"I do," Ryoma said as he blinked, not really knowing how to treat kids.
Weren't they supposed to never talk with strangers? He had never taken care of a kid before and he practically ignored the younger members of his mother's family, so he had no practice or past experiences to improvise from.
"Why are you lonely?" The girl asked him again, seeming satisfied with his answer.
"My father hasn't come yet," he mumbled as he looked off to the side. Maybe if he ignored her she would grow bored and walk away…
"That's terrible!" She exclaimed, pressing her small hands to her cheeks as she stared at him in shock. Surprised by her reaction, Ryoma stared at the short girlm completely speechless. "Don't worry, I can keep you company until he comes!" She chirped excitedly, clapping her hands at the brilliance of her idea.
"Y-You don't have t-" Ryoma tried to stop her awkwardly, but the girl had already sat Indian-style on the floor, in front of him. They kept on staring at each other without blinking, almost as if having a staring contest, until the girl spoke again.
"Your eyes are pretty," she smiled, making Ryoma to become even more confused.
He knew that his eye color wasn't common, golden brown and olive depending on the light, but almost no one had told him so. Looking off to the side again, he remembered that his mother always returned every compliment the younger kids made her, so he decided to follow her example in this desperate situation.
"Yours too," he mumbled quietly, closing his eyes and resting his back on the chair once more.
"T-Thank you…" The girl blushed heavily, looking down as she made invisible circles with her finger on the dark blue rug decorating the waiting room's floor. Ryoma stared owlishly at this, finding it strange that she had suddenly turned so shy. "What's that for?" She asked quickly, trying to get out of the uncomfortable silence. Ryoma followed her small pointing finger until his eyes landed on his black racquet holder.
"Tenisu rakketo," he said in a monotone, unconsciously speaking in Japanese. The girl stared at him in confusion for a bit, until she finally understood the words he had spoken.
"You speak funny!" The girl giggled, making Ryoma's mouth to hang open a bit. He had finally noticed that they had been talking in English the whole time, meaning that the girl was probably a tourist. "Are you playing soon?" She asked curiously, her eyes never leaving Ryoma's.
"I have a tournament in a few hours…" He admitted, a bit uncomfortable at giving so much information to this stranger.
"Cool! I wish I was able to see you! It is hard to play? I'm too small to try…" She said excitedly, unaware of the light blush that had appeared on her cheeks once more. Ryoma inspected her form quickly, not being able to understand how someone could be 'too small' for tennis.
"Megan! There you are!" A young woman sighed in relief, bending down and picking up the small girl that looked to be her clone. "I apologize. Did she cause you much trouble?" The mom asked Ryoma nervously, sending him a small smile as she wondered if the green-haired boy could understand her.
"Not really…" He mumbled, feeling completely awkward in this situation. He was so going to kill his father for this once he saw him again.
"Look mommy! He plays tennis!" The girl, apparently named Megan, told her mother excitedly, pointing over at his racquet holder to prove her point.
"That's great honey!" The mother smiled. "Thank you very much for taking care of her!" She then turned to Ryoma before starting to walk away.
"Goodbye! And good luck in your game!" Megan waved goodbye at him, making him to finally realize something as he stared at her retreating form.
Looking down at the hour in his phone's screen, he stood up and gathered up his things. Who was he kidding? He wasn't going to miss that tournament just because of his lazy father!
Spotting the closest information module, he headed that way to ask for the trains he would have to take in order to get to the Kakinokizaka Tennis Garden. He even thought about sending his luggage to his house via mail. Who would have thought that a strange girl like Megan would have made him open his eyes like that? There was no backing up now, his father would have to wait for him back home, and he couldn't care less for how long.
