Hi, this is Jade back with another story. I know I kinda disappeared for like months – last time I updated was like back in… May? Well, I'm still kicking and breathing. I was just really busy – okay, maybe not that busy, but still! – and stuff. I just started high school anyways and my science teacher and my English teacher seem to be competing to see who can give more essays than the other. And then my history teacher had us read The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli which was interesting but not that entertaining. So I'm now trying to juggle all my honors classes with my outside school stuff and my counselors being stubborn and not letting me skip ahead in math. So now I'm stuck in my Honors Algebra II despite having a 5 in my AP Calculus BC test that I took in May. Gah~! I haven't abandoned my other fics. It's just that my head is right now a swirling tornado with this story and an Infernal Devices story and another Naruto story and all that. I'll get back to The Birdcatcher and those stuff when I get my head in right order (or get a somewhat semblance of it, at least).
And my life's been getting even crazier with me trying to find the happy medium while being squished between my impending Physics Olympiad and Math Olympiad. I swear, I'm going to celebrate three days straight at the beach when my school year's all done and over with, if I survive, that is. The fact that boys' heads are denser than my lacrosse ball doesn't help either. I mean, seriously, if a girl seem to lose her voice after waving at you and started getting all red, that kinda indicates she has crush on you. Okay, maybe I'm not that kind of girl, but I mean seriously, guys don't notice any of the hints! Anyways, is it weird to have a crush on your best friend's older brother? My friends seem to think so…
Anyways, I feel like just randomly spouting out some stuff so I'm going to keep talking. So my best friend is nationally ranked top 20 in tennis and has been since she was like six, and despite being the only freshman in our girls' varsity tennis, she's been kicking butts in her Singles 1 position. Nationally ranked sixteen year olds? No problem. Man, I love that girl. And her brother's like really amazing too (and the fact that his body's pretty hot helps too) and so I was just talking with them when I got this idea. Well, I at least based some characters off them, anyways. The fact that they are Japanese Americans do help too. Hahaha. I love my best friend (and her brother in extension… or maybe separately). I know about tennis injury and stuff because my best friend had tennis elbow couple years ago and so she wasn't allowed to play tennis for months or something. After she kicked butts in this international tournament in Japan, of course. So that's kinda the basis for this story and so one of the characters is based off her and another is off her brother. Anyways… yeah.
Also, I get a lot of my story ideas from songs and but since if I post the songs now, then it might become a spoiler or be too confusing (this is only a prologue anyways) and so I'll tell you guys like in the next chapter or something.
Oh, and by the way, there is some OCs but they won't be central to the plot. I mean, I just created them so that I can use them later on to drive the plot home. So there will be three OCs in this chapter but you won't see them again until like far far into the story so don't fret too much. This is a Ryoma-centric story and I intend to have it stay that way. There will be no pairings and any future OCs will be probably limited to a few with not very many spotlights if not none. Ryoma is not going to be a super Ryoma but he will be an extremely talented boy who is still learning. Anyways, enjoy.
Prologue: The Life in the States
Tennis had always ruled his life for as long as he could remember. Sure he attended school and went on field trips and all that, but Ryoma wasn't all that interested in his classes. He brought home decent grades, and as long as he managed A's, his mom didn't fret. As for his dad, he didn't give a damn whether Ryoma had an A or a B as long as he played tennis.
When he became a middle schooler, a sixth grader, he would have been lying if he said he was sorry to go home early. He had his PE off, of course, what with him being nationally ranked number one, so for him, the school ended a period early, which was why he was currently lying on the grass and looking up at the sky, waiting for his mom to pick him up, having been done with his first day of middle school, not that he hadn't been attending same school since kindergarten.
His school was a charter school, but that just worked with his schedule more. That meant less missing classes when he had extended tournaments for many fell during his vacations, and while he didn't care so much about his classes, his mom did, and it made her happy to know that her son wasn't missing too much of school. He loved the feeling of Southern Californian sun warming his body and for a while indulged himself to the nice sunbathing before he decided that maybe he should move into shade for a while at least. Getting sun burnt would just make her mom fret over him and his possibility of developing a skin cancer.
Ryoma was shifting his body to rest in the shade when he noticed two girls – two brunettes – not too far from him chatting. He knew the two – how could he not when he had practically every single grade class with them? Besides, one of them, the Asian girl, played tennis and was fairly highly ranked, third or something in the nation. Her older brother was really talented as well, also ranking in top three in the nation in his age group. She and her brother both were in his tennis team and they had same coach, Coach Keith. Her backhand was powerful and she had nice footwork, but she still didn't have enough strength to counter the bigger opponents. On the other hand, her brother was a killer on the courts. Ryoma was hoping that he would play her brother in the upcoming Nike Junior Tour International Masters.
Even though he was only ten, his coach decided to let him play in U14. The team was already chosen, of course, and his coach was proud to have three of the four come from his direct tutelage. It was Ryoma, Reo, Yuki, and this girl named Miquela who was said to be ruling the east coast tennis, which Ryoma found funny because all three that hails from Southern California were all Japanese. Ryoma had known Yuki Shizumi for nearly five years now, ever since he joined the Woodbridge Tennis Club when he was five. She was five too, and they were only allowed in because the coach saw that despite their age, they could still hit better than the six- and seven-year-olds. But despite all that, they still didn't talk to each other at school, only during the team practice. Reo was several years their senior, being a tall and lean thirteen-year-old, and it was his third time in Nike Tour, reaching the finals last year. He was determined to win the championship, and Ryoma, despite being first in the tournament, was determined to not let Reo beat him.
A silver Mercedes-Benz sedan pulled up that Ryoma recognized to be Yuki's mom's car. Yuki stood up, grabbing her backpack, and hugged her best friend before leaving.
"Bye, Yuki. See ya tomorrow," the other brunette shouted.
"See ya, Katie," Yuki shouted back as she got into her mom's car.
After waving goodbye at Yuki, Katie plopped down on the grass and lied on the grass for a minute or so before getting up again, obviously restless. Ryoma watched her restlessly pace the grace and then plop down with a sigh. The girl had been Yuki's best friend since kindergarten, but he didn't know whole lot about her other than that her name was Katie Nishimura-Striedter and she didn't play tennis. Oh, and that she was Yuki's best friend. Ryoma preferred quiet and aloofness, and Katie and Yuki were always so loud and giggly and all that girl things, thus why the three never really hung out. In fact, Ryoma didn't recall talking to Katie a whole lot at all. She was just someone who seemed to have constant need for company and Ryoma was just someone who didn't have such need.
Ryoma watched her as she stood up with another sigh and turned toward him, her eyebrows tilting as though she had just realized he was there. As she walked toward him, Ryoma sighed mentally before closing his eyes and acting like he was napping.
"Hey, you're Ryoma, right?" Katie asked.
Ryoma didn't answer.
"Come on. I know you're awake. It's rude to ignore people," she told him.
"And it's rude to disturb people's rests," Ryoma replied, his eyes still closed.
"Whatever. I'm bored, so… yeah. So hi, I'm Katie Striedter, in case you don't already know. As you might already have figured out from my name, my mom's Japanese and my dad's American," Katie started making a conversation and Ryoma decided to amuse her a bit.
"I'm Ryoma Echizen," Ryoma answered, his eyes still closed.
"Well, Ryoma, what sports do you play? I mean, you play sports right? That's why you don't have sixth period, right?" she asked as she plopped down next to him and leaned back into her arms.
"Tennis."
"Tennis? That's cool. My best friend plays tennis, too. You've probably heard of her, you know, Yuki Shizumi? She's ranked number one in the nation," Katie chattered on.
"Yeah, she's in my tennis team." So Yuki's ranking went up. She was ranked third couple months ago, but she did win some important championships, after all.
"Oh, I heard she's going to Bahamas this year for this international tournament or something. Her brother's going, too. I'm thinking of going there, ya know, to watch her and stuff. Besides, her brother's pretty nice looking. So what's your ranking?"
"1st."
"State?"
"National."
"Dang, that's nice. Hey, are you in the USA team for the Nike thing?"
"Yeah."
"That must be nice, traveling around with your team and all that."
Ryoma opened his eyes and turned to look at the chattering girl. She was what his dad would call a 'typical Southern Californian blond,' and he mentally smirked. Oh, only if his dad knew that he was talking to a 'typical Southern Californian blond.'
"So what sports do you do?" Ryoma asked, making a slight effort to make a conversation. Social etiquette was important here in USA and pretty much all places over the world as his mom had repeated told him.
"Swimming."
"Rank?"
"1st in all butterfly, 1st in all backstroke except for 2nd in 100 yd, 2nd in all breaststroke except for 50m and 100m where I'm 1st, and mix of 2nd and 3rd for freestyle. Strangely, freestyle had always been my worst stroke," Katie answered.
"State?"
"National."
"I see."
"Yeah, I'm going with my team to the Junior Nationals this winter. It's going to be held in Ohio this year, so I'll be going to Ohio State University with my team. I'm really excited because this is my first time around. Well, actually, I'll have to get the times during November again, but I've done it before and I can do it again."
"Times?" Ryoma was genuinely interested. Tennis never had to bother with times or those things that swimmers and runners had.
"Yeah. You know how we swimmers are timed in each event? Well, in order to qualify for higher meets, then you have to be faster than a certain time. I'm afraid I'm only just barely faster than all of the times, but it'll be a good experience. Since Junior Nationals is for anyone 18 or under, so obviously people there are a lot faster than me, with the advantage of age and all that. Their qualifying time for 50 free for long course meters is 27.09, for short course meters is 26.29, and short course yard is 23.59. I'm barely in by less than a second for long course meters, but I think I'll be fine for the short courses. Really, free's the one that's most concerning me. For fly and back, I'm definitely in, and I'll be fine for breast as well. I don't know if I'm doing IM or not, but I think I'd rather not. I'm more interested in doing 100 and 200 fly, really. Butterfly is after all my favorite stroke, though I have to say I really enjoy backstroke a lot though," Katie explained.
"Interesting." And it was interesting. Ryoma was always a tennis guy and he never really paid any attention to other sports. Swimming did sound fun, but he still though tennis was the best sport ever.
Then a black BMW pulled over and Katie stood up.
"There's my mom. I gotta go. Swim practice, ya know?" Katie told him as she grabbed her backpack and walked toward her mom's car. "Bye. See ya tomorrow!"
"See ya," Ryoma replied.
Ryoma watched the BMW pull away and wondered why his mom was so late. Katie was nicer than he thought. He had thought her to be one of those popular girls who always put on make-up and wear ridiculous clothes, but she didn't seem like such at all. Maybe he had just assumed that because she seemed to be on a friendly term with those kids.
He didn't have to wait much longer before his mom's black Mercedes-Benz pulled over and picked him up.
"Sorry I'm late. I had some documents that I had to take care of in my office and so left late. I hope you didn't wait too long," his mom told him as Ryoma clicked his safety belt in its place in the passenger seat.
"Neh, it was okay," Ryoma told her.
"Okay then. How was your first day? Fun? Make some new friends?"
"Just like usual. Met this girl who swims, usual stuff," he replied nonchalantly.
"That's good. Why don't we hurry home, get you all ready, and drive over to your tennis practice. Ryoma sweetie, you really need to put on more sunscreen. You're almost as dark as an Indian. You're going to end up with a skin cancer like that, sweetie."
"Okay, mom."
"By the way, I bought the Nike tennis elbow band. Your coach wants you to use it so you don't injure it too much. I heard about your last practice and it won't do you and USA any good if you get injured before your Nike Tour. Ryoma, how many times do I have to tell you to be careful?"
"Sorry, mom."
"Ryoma, what will I do with you," Ryoma's mom mock-sighed before smiling and poking Ryoma in the arm. "Look, my baby boy is finally getting some muscle."
"Mo-m!"
~ xXx ~
Before Ryoma knew it, weeks flew by and it was already October. The Nike Tour was just a week away and Coach Keith had upped the training. He, Yuki, and Reo practiced at the crack of the dawn until start of school and from right after school to eight o'clock. It was taxing and it made him feel just a little better knowing that Katie was training almost as much to dock her seconds.
It was a strange months of school. He had never really had many friends because he was always too busy to hang out with other kids, what with his tennis stuff going on. However, he had somehow made friends in Katie and Yuki. They hung out after school until their parents picked them up, and when Yuki, Reo, and Ryoma started their separate training, their moms started giving them rides. So Reo would sit in the passenger seat and Yuki, Ryoma, and Katie would sit in the back seat, Yuki in the middle as Katie was the first to be dropped off. The moms rotated and Ryoma found it amusing how the only friends he seemed to be able to make are hard core sports kids.
It was the time that he had been waiting for for months. He had spent hours in practice and crawled to the place of championship that got him into the team. He might have been beaten by Reo the first time around, but this time, he wasn't going to let that happen. This time, he was going to win.
~ xXx ~
It was the day of the Nike Tour. His teammates had arrived in Bahamas just the day before and got settled in their rooms. Ryoma was sharing his room with Reo and Yuki was sharing hers with Miquela whom she seemed to have befriended already. It was hot in Bahamas despite the fall already settling in and the four went sunbathing their first day, just hanging out by the beach and getting tanned.
They had received the match up already. Ryoma was paired up with a guy from China and Reo was with a guy from New Zealand. Ryoma noted with some interest that they were in two different rungs and if he wanted to play Reo, he and Reo would both have to meet in the finals. That was fine with him. He was planning doing that anyways. And win too. Ryoma noted with a slight interest that the last year's champion was not there. Ryoma hadn't watched the match, but Reo went against another Japanese guy in the finals last year and had lost. Admittedly, the guy was thirteen years old and Reo was twelve, and the guy had a distinct height advantage, but Reo had told him that the guy was a killer. His name was… Tezuka or something?
Anyways, that guy wasn't in this year and Ryoma offhandedly wondered why not. His age would still be okay yet he chose not to participate. It was strange, for sure, though it was entirely possible the Tezuka guy just didn't see the point of redoing a tournament that he already won.
It didn't matter anyways. Ryoma was going to win this tournament and he didn't have time to waste time thinking about such things. Besides, his first match was coming up and he'd better get ready for it.
~ xXx ~
It was on the first page in the weekly tennis magazine in Japan. The headline. The four players representing USA in Nike Junior Tour had raced through the first and second round without giving their opponent an inch. But more importantly, they would be going up against the Japanese players next, at least the boys. One of the Japanese girls had lost, and the other won't be up against USA until the round afterwards.
"Oi, Tezuka. Isn't this guy the guy that we were up against last year?" a tall second year middle schooler asked another second year who was leaning against the wall.
"Who?"
"This Reo guy. He was really good. I remember that match. It was fantastic."
"Oh, Shizumi Reo, I remember him. He was a difficult opponent. Very powerful strokes and immaculate footwork. It would have been nice if all of our members could have played him. We could learn quite some things from him, and I'm sure he got even better."
"Yeah, it really sucked how I lost to him just in the semi-finals," said Fuji, a corner of his mouth twisting.
"You did well, Fuji. It was just that he was just so incredibly powerful."
"I guess. Team USA has three Japanese this time. Apparently one of the girls is Reo's little sister. She's only eleven though."
"Eleven? That's rather young. She must be really talented," Tezuka raised an eyebrow, looking at Fuji.
"She's apparently ranked number one in USA for U14 Girls. That's impressive," Fuji smiled.
"Indeed."
"Wait, whoa. Looka here, Tezuka. There's a kiddo here that's only ten years old and in U14 with Reo," Fuji exclaimed in surprise as he continued reading the article.
"A ten-year-old? That's… surprising. What's his name?" asked Tezuka as he went by Fuji to take a look at the magazine.
"Echizen Ryoma. Another Japanese boy. He's ranked number two in U14 boys in USA, probably having lost to Reo in the ranking match. But that's still impressive. Ha, apparently he's been sweeping all the U12 championships all over USA the past year and couple U14 as well. Nice. It's too bad you couldn't play against them," Fuji told Tezuka.
"My physician told me that I'm banned from any such tournaments and I'd rather skip this and win the nationals next year. It won't do us any good if I got injured before the next nationals."
"Yeah, I guess. But it still would have been nice to play against those kids."
"Yes indeed. Yes indeed."
~ xXx ~
Ryoma had won all his matches so far and so had Reo. The kid from Japan was a bit difficult but it was too bad. He had managed and his fourth match had been finished yesterday. Now there was only one more match left and then he would play Reo. He had utmost confidence that Reo would be there in the finals and he intended to be there too, playing him. There was no way he was going to lose again to Reo. Defeating his dad might be his ultimate goal, but to do that, he first needed to defeat Reo.
It wasn't going to be easy for him – hell, he wouldn't want to play Reo if Reo was an easy person to beat – but he intended to make it a hard match for Reo as well. But to do that, he was going to have to win his next match with the guy from Russia. He was pleased to hear that Yuki had been doing just fine as well. She was in her semi-finals round as well and she was taking no breaks in her training. Thinking of which, he should probably get back to training as well.
~ xXx ~
"Hey, that ten-year-old finally got into the finals, ya know?" Fuji told Tezuka as they walked out of the clubhouse together. "He's up against Reo now. I wonder how's he's going to fare."
"It would be a good test of his skills. I'm thinking of watching that match. It should be on the channel. I wonder what the outcome will be."
"It'll be a great match for sure. Reo's little sister's in the finals too. She's obviously also got her brother's talent. Such youngsters, taking over big matches. Makes me a little sad that we're getting so old," Fuji laughed good-naturedly.
~ xXx ~
"Here's the moment we've all been waiting for, huh?" Reo nudged Ryoma.
"Yeah, I can't wait." The burning intensity was in Ryoma's eyes and it was not absent in Reo's either. The two might be friends off court, but on court, they were opponents waiting to be crushed. They both knew that and they didn't mind. Hell, they wouldn't like it any other way.
~ xXx ~
"Hey, good luck guys," Yuki told Ryoma and her brother, the tight corners of her lips showing how she was tense for her finals match. Miquela had lost in the semi-finals and now Yuki was going to face a fourteen-year-old girl from Sweden in the finals.
"Good luck to you too," the two told her. "You'll do just fine," Reo assured Yuki and she smirked. "I wonder who'll win this time around," and walked off.
"Let's have a good game," Reo told the younger boy.
"Let's."
~ xXx ~
Ryoma was just sitting on his bed, getting his head ready for the match, when his phone rang.
"Hello?" He was a bit irritated because his concentration was shattered by the call.
"Ryoma? This is Katie." Ryoma suddenly didn't feel too irritated. She was one of his best friends after all.
"Yeah, Katie?"
"I just wanted to say good luck and hey, kick Reo's high and majestic ass for me," Katie laughed on the phone and Ryoma couldn't help but to smile at her less than refined language.
"I'll do that."
"Okay."
"Thanks."
"You're welcome," and she hung up, leaving Ryoma grinning with vigor in his eyes.
~ xXx ~
It was a difficult match. Ryoma had just one game over Reo but Reo seemed to be winning this game. Ryoma could feel his left elbow flaring with pain and he regretted using it carelessly back in September. He could just feel the muscles searing and tearing and it hurt like hell. Sweat ran down the side of his face as his arm slightly shook.
Standing across from him was Reo, equally sweaty and a bit winded, but he seemed to be in a slightly better shape than Ryoma. At this rate, Reo was going to win and Ryoma couldn't let that happen. But his arm was feeling horrible and he felt like he was ready to drop. Reo was good. No, he was more than good – he was a killer, and he was one for a good reason.
"Hey, kick Reo's high and majestic ass for me." Katie's phone call suddenly popped into his mind and Ryoma knew that he couldn't give out now. Okay, I'll do that.
Ryoma mustered all the energy he had into the one game. Reo was ahead by two points but he Ryoma started to catch up. One point to Ryoma, another point to Ryoma, one to Reo, one to Ryoma, one to Ryoma, one to Reo, one to Ryoma, one to Reo, one to Reo…
The match seemed to be taking forever, neither player giving an inch. Then Ryoma scored one over Reo and started leading again. One more point, one more point. Ryoma knew he needed to get that match point now or else he wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. His left arm felt like it was on fire but he kept on going. That one shot… he had one shot and none other.
He swung his racket like he had never swung it before, striking the ball right in the dead center and hitting it deep and low right into the corner. The ball sped to the corner and collided hard against the line in such an angle that it bounced low in a strange direction into the red zone. Reo got the ball but he didn't get it with his center and the ball crashed into the tip of the net before falling back into Reo's side.
"Game and Set to Echizen," the ref called and the crowd that was silent just moments before erupted into a loud cheer.
Ryoma didn't notice any of it. All he could think about was the white hot pain that was searing through his left arm. When he had hit the last shot, he could have sworn he heard his muscle tear, though it was entirely possible he was just feeing some acute pain. It hurt so much that he could feel tears unwillingly forcing its way out from his eyes as he cradled his injured arm. He fell to his knees clutching his arm and was oblivious to all else when his nerves finally noticed a gentle pressure in his upper arms.
"Ryoma, are you okay? What happened?" the voice was frantic and worried, and it wasn't until moments later that Ryoma realized that it was Reo.
"My arm… it hurts so much. It feels like… it's on… fire." As he spoke, another tear forced its way out of Ryoma's eyes and rolled down his dirty cheek.
The medics were called and Ryoma was taken instantly to hospital to get his arm checked with his worried parents trailing after him. Yuki was having her match at the moment and it was finished in just couple moments after boy's finals. Yuki had lost but she had fought valiantly that showed her immense skills. When she arrived in the boys' court, she saw that Ryoma had won but he was severely injured. She and Reo followed their coach to see how Ryoma was faring.
~ xXx ~
"Mr. and Mrs. Echizen, I'm afraid your son has received some severe injury to his left arm. He had a severe case of muscle tear and he had damaged the tendons of the flexor muscles. I understand that he is a tennis player and he probably loves tennis like he does nothing else, but I'm afraid he's going to have to temporarily stop while his arm heals. He is not to work his left arm at all for three month and even afterwards, he will have to wear a support band when he plays with that arm. He will also have to be extremely cautious with that arm or else he will permanently damage his arm," the doctor explained to Ryoma's parents.
"Wait, does that mean that Ryoma can't play at all during that three month?" Ryoma's dad asked, his eyes narrowing and his lips pursing.
"Well, that would be advisable but if he insists on playing, then he will just have to use right arm only and make sure not to overtax his shoulders. This is a serious issue, Mr. Echizen. If this doesn't heal right, Ryoma would never be able to play tennis again with his left arm."
"We understand," Ryoma's mom told her, her eyes troubled and sad at her son's condition.
"And while he's healing, I would recommend he see a physical therapist. There is couple here but I'm afraid we don't have any that has done sports medicine as well. There's a world-renowned therapist and muscle specialist who resides in Japan and if you have any plans there, I would like to recommend him. His named is Hiroshi Katayane and his office is in Tokyo."
"Thank you, doctor."
~ xXx ~
"So what should we do?" Ryoma's mom asked her husband who was frowning and pursing his lips. "Maybe we can just visit Doctor Katayane and see if he could help Ryoma."
"Are you okay with that? You have a stable job here and all your friends nearby. You've never lived in Japan before so is that okay with you?" Ryoma's dad asked back. "For Ryoma, I would gladly move to Japan but it might be less pleasant for you."
"I'm fine. I can get a job there, too, and besides, I don't think I'll be able to rest in peace without knowing that Ryoma hadn't met the best of the best," Ryoma's mom replied. "For Ryoma, I'm willing to do anything, even giving up my position and my friends."
"And that's why I love you, Rinko," Ryoma's dad smiled tiredly.
~ xXx ~
"Hey guys," Ryoma walked towards the two girls with his left arm in a cast.
"Ryoma!" Yuki shouted.
"Hey, come join us," Katie told him.
"So I have something to tell you," Ryoma started.
"Okay?" Katie spoke.
"I'm moving to Japan."
There was a brief silence, and then Yuki erupted. "You, what?"
"I'm moving to Japan. There's apparently a world-renowned muscle therapist in Japan that could help me regain the use of my left arm faster. I don't really want to go, but I want to meet that guy and get my arm better. I'll be back as soon as I'm done. I promise."
"Oh, okay," Katie sighed. "I hope you'll get better soon. When are you leaving?"
"Next week. My mom's moving her job too and the contract ends in four days so we'll be leaving soon."
"So soon…" Yuki muttered. "You better be back fast, or else I'll enter US Open before you do."
"Hey! You can't do that! You promised we'll enter together!" Ryoma protested.
"Well, that's not gonna happen unless you get your butt back here by the time I get that good," Yuki pursed her lips and looked at Ryoma with huge eyes in a mock-serious posture.
"What about the Olympics? Weren't we going to see who gets most medals in Olympics? I will most definitely be unhappy if you come out and start representing Japan and Yuki and I are representing USA," Katie mock-pouted.
"Okay, okay, I give up. I'll come back as soon as possible before we go for those stuff, okay? Happy?" Ryoma raised his hands in surrender and gave the girls a grin.
"Good boy," Katie grinned widely as she ruffled Ryoma's hair.
"Hey!"
So how was it? Good? Bad? Please review.
Oh, and by the way, I do not play tennis. Well, I mean, I know how to play and all that, but I've never played competitively, just volleying and stuff. I'm a swimmer and a lacrosse player (actually more swimmer than a lacrosse player) and some swimming facts here are more or less true. I'll probably tell you anyways as this story goes on, but Ryoma lived in Newport Beach, California during his stay in USA. He attended Vista Verde School which is a charter school from k-8 and it's divided into k-5 which is elementary school and 6-8 which is middle school. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this leaving early concept, if you are state ranked in an individual sport, then you get to get out of your PE in middle school. For high school, I believe you have to be nationally ranked to do that. Ryoma is in Woodbridge Tennis Team and Woodbridge Tennis Team has some amazing, phenomenal players. There's like a dozen nationally ranked players in that team and many attend international championships.
Katie, Reo, and Yuki will appear again, but that'll be much much later when you guys probably would have forgotten all about them. There will be couple more OCs (like doctors and stuff) but there won't be a whole lot and none of them will be central to the plot nor would Katie, Reo, and Yuki be like that. I'm a swimmer, and thus why Katie is a swimmer. I love swimming and as much as I think tennis is cool, swimming is cooler and besides, we have hotter guys (okay, I admit I think those tennis guys are hot, but the swimmer guys have amazing bodies). XD The Junior Nationals qualifying times are accurate unless they have changed in the course of past year, which is… uh possible?
Also, Ryoma's injured elbow isn't going to be central to the plot. No. But it's going to get my story moving and I'm happy with that. Besides, I already have cooked up something more interesting than an injured elbow. Something much more interesting. You guys won't find out soon though… not until we're at least half a dozen chapters deep. Hehehe.
Thanks for reading and please review, and forgive my ridiculously long author's notes. I'm aware that I might be abusing this privilege to rant but I can't help myself and I had to write them. Sorry XD.
Until next time,
Jade Wylkyns