Short Fanfic Chitose, Shiraishi, and Miyuki. (set before the nationals)
Just Three
Disclaimer: All characters mentioned from The Prince of Tennis belong to Takeshi Konomi
It had been another hot summer day when practice was over. On the side of Court 'B' a few scattered tennis balls remained unpicked, lazily left by the players from before. Across the court, two figures appeared to rally endlessly as if the setting sun was unnoticeable.
"Do you think that's enough for today?" asked one of the boys. Quickly, he swung a forehand precisely at his opponent's left corner. The latter eyed the ball, but instantly regained his composure while letting go of his racquet.
"I suppose this is good for today", he replied hesitatingly. A slightly noticeable scowl was visible on his face. His gaze seemed focused on the ball that he had regrettably decided not to return. "Anyways, Shintenhouji is sure to make it to the nationals this year."
The other nodded. "I heard that Seigaku won the Kantou tournament. It seems that the prestigious Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku is no longer undefeated."
The boy turned his head to face the other. "So what do you think, Shiraishi?"
"Think about what?"
"Rikkai and Seigaku," the boy answered with a sly grin.
"I wouldn't get your hopes too high, Chitose," replied the boy, picking up the ball. "For now, I'm not concerned about any other team except Shintenhouji."
"You just said that you were sure that'd we make it to the Nationals this year." The grin on Chitose seemed to widen even larger. "Worried, now?"
The boy returned what seemed to be a semi-glare for a moment and turned away walking, leaving Chitose alone on the court. The silent reply left the remaining boy chuckling quietly.
"Perhaps we should have Miyuki replace you on our team then," Shiraishi responded. He cracked a small smile. "Maybe then, we can still defeat Rikkai and Seigaku."
"Heh? Shiraishi, you seem to be –"
"Onii-chan!"
On cue, a small girl with pigtails rushed to the boys waving a sheet if paper.
"Onii-chan! Hurry! We don't have all day!"
"Speak of the devil," muttered Chitose. The eyebrows of the small girl furrowed.
"Hurry up Senri! I have something big to tell everyone at home!" The paper in her hand fluttered as she waved it violently. Chitose snatched the white sheet, lifting it away from the girl's reach.
"Hey!"
He scrutinized the sheet for a minute and peered at his side. There, the girl stood impatiently with a small pout and arms crossed.
"Hmm," he answered. Thoughtfully while scratching his chin with his left hand. "Looks like shorty here will be participating in the upcoming junior tennis tournament."
Her pout instantly changed to a grin.
"Yeah! That's right…!"
Shiraishi smiled at the girl watching her ramble about her upcoming tournament to her slightly amused brother.
"Guess I'll be leaving for now –"
The boy took up his tennis gear and made his way towards the gate.
"Ah – Chitose!"
"What?" asked the tan skinned boy as he looked up.
"You're the last one – so don't forget." Immediately, the gate was shut and a light 'thud' was heard.
"What–?"
"Haha! Onii-chan just got ordered to clean the court! Heh!" snickered the pigtailed hair girl. The boy stared until he was hit by realization.
"Great…just great..." Chitose grumbled.
Behind the closed gate, Shiraishi continued to walk silently, smiling from his accomplishment.
'Knowing you, you should had known that was coming'
He chuckled hearing a faint "Shiraishi!" and a giggle from Miyuki. At the outside of the tennis clubroom, he entered the clubroom door before taking a few steps back to look at the entrance. Carefully, he moved and aligned the potted plants until they were in an organized position.
'That's better. More sunlight too.'
He took a few more steps while gazing at the clubroom. With a silent nod of approval, he went inside to prepare to leave.
'Perfect.'
--
By then, the sky had become dark and a light breeze could be felt on the streets of downtown Osaka. The jingle from a doorbell could be heard, as a boy emerged from a small grocery shop.
' Eggs – Yes.'
' Flour – check.'
' Fresh vegetables – check.'
' Onions – '
"Hey, hey! Where's my candy!?"
Behind Chitose, Miyuki grabbed a bag of groceries. "I'm sure I put them here in this bag!" she piped. After a few minutes of shuffling, a frustrated groan was heard.
"It's here, silly."
Chitose reached into a bag on his left and took out a red and white carton.
"Oh – I see. Thanks, Onii-chan!"
The girl gave a playful grin and carefully unwrapped the paper coating until she looked up and stopped at her tracks. The tan skinned boy noticed her abrupt halt and looked at her inquiringly.
"What's wrong Miyuki?"
"There." She pointed ahead. "Shiraishi."
Afar, Shiraishi walked in a steady pace with his hands placed in both of his pockets while slouching in a laid-back posture. He stopped to glance through a shop window before peering into it for a moment and then resuming back to his carefree stroll.
'Huh. That guy…'
Chitose placed a hand on his sister's shoulder and guided her to walk towards Shiraishi.
"Onii-chan…?" inquired the girl while facing her brother and munching on her snack. Her eyes were slightly widened and her head tilted to the side. Chitose did not seem to notice her call and continued to lead her down the street. Perhaps her munching had made her words barely audible to her brother, but nevertheless, she decided to obediently follow him while walking with a full mouth.
After a minute, the pair found the boy staring at a local herb shop.
"Searching for something to boost your health, eh, Shiraishi?"
The said boy turned, surprised, and stared at him and his sister.
"I don't think you can get any healthier than you are already," he laughed. "Or should I say any more perfect than you are now?"
Shiraishi gave an irritated look, one much like the ones he'd given to Kintaro, but soon changed it into a mischievous smirk. "You missed three."
"Three…?"
"Yeah, three," said Shiraishi teasingly. He reached into his side pocket and revealed three tennis balls. "Can't you do a better job the next time I ask you to clean up the court?"
He tossed all three balls lightly at the other boy as he chuckled inwardly at Chitose's attempts to catch all of them.
"I had expected one, but not three, especially when all of them were visibly out in front of the gate," he chided jokingly once again.
The tan skinned boy gave a nonchalant shrug and a quick "whatever".
The three continued to stroll down until they passed the crowd-packed street.
"By the way, Shiraishi, were you the one who moved the potted plants back to their original positions?" asked Chitose.
Chitose made a grab to Miyuki's box of sweets, but missed barely by an inch. His mouth half-filled with sweets from an earlier attempt had left Miyuki prudent to her brother's mischievous antics.
Shiraishi laughed as he watched a victorious Miyuki swallow the remaining bits of sweets into her mouth and hand the empty carton back to Chitose.
"Yeah – so what?" he replied after remembering Chitose's question.
"No, nothing. I just noticed and was wondering about it."
He smirked and immediately turned his head to face the other direction. "It was just a hunch."
Shiraishi turned to face him and gave him a look.
"Just as expected from Shintenhouji's perfect player, The Bible" smirked Chitose. "I suppose your perfection extends to you neatness as well."
Shiraishi tilted his eyebrows in response. "I wouldn't have expected a guy like you with such great wisdom to fall for a trick like this afternoon."
Chitose threw the empty carton at Shiraishi, but remained silent as they walked into their neighborhood. There, Miyuki spotted an empty public tennis court.
"Hey Onii-chan! Do you think I can practice for a bit? The court's empty and my tournament's only a week away!"
"Sure." Chitose shrugged and handed Miyuki a racquet. "Take one of mine, since you don't have one now."
"Thanks, Senri!"
Her smile was quickly replaced by a frown when she realized that she had forgotten about her brother and Shiraishi.
Shiraishi, noticing her concern, turned to face Chitose with a grin. "Hey, Chitose – perhaps we should play a game since we're here? We could also practice by ourselves while we're at it."
Chitose shrugged once again. "I don't see why not."
Chitose and Shiraishi had walked to a nearby bench to set their belongings down when they heard Miyuki's call.
"Hey, Onii-chan, do we have enough tennis balls to play?"
Chitose gave a smirk and looked at Shiraishi who smiled recalling the earlier events of the afternoon.
"Just three."
--
Onii-chan – brother. (I hope this is correct. I wanted to avoid using any Japanese, but I hoped using this term would put Miyuki in better character)
On a side note (though probably most know): Chitose is known for his ability to use the 'Pinnacle of Great Wisdom' and Shiraishi with his 'Perfect Tennis'.
Thanks for reading. - nervous first fanfic – Hopefully, there weren't too many errors. Reviews/ concrit are nice. No reviews or concrit would be okay too :) I'm sure people are busy (like I am ;p) - P.x.S.