Prince of Tennis

Injury

"Good Morning, Yuki-Senpai!" „Hoi Hoi!"

Yuki turned around and greeted Momoshiro and Kikumaru with a smile.

"Did you train again at the weekend? Cant you do something else?"

Kikumaru pouted and Momoshiro answered angry:"We have to become better, otherwise we don't have a chance and YOU, Yuki-Senpai, are the one that trains the most!"

Yuki smiled and nodded. "But its my own way and I can handle the school along the way quite good."

Silence.

…

"I want to play against you, Yuki-Senpai!", summoned Kikumaru and took a bow.

Yuki and Momoshiro looked surprised at Kikumaru. He looked up to Yuki and waited for an answer.

"No, no sé. You're a double-player, stay with that."

You could see, that Kikumaru was really angry and Yuki's smile disappeared. He turned around and ran away.

"You're cruel… Yuki-Senpai! Why aren't we allowed to play against you? In doing so we could learn a lot."

…

Yuki kept silent and looked still in the direction, in which Kikumaru disappeared a moment ago. Momoshiro turned away and went on.

Yuki let it off and caught up to him.

"It meant no harm… but maybe you'll take over my style and then…"

"You're scared, that we steal your style of playing?! I cant believe…", shouted Momoshiro, who stopped walking.

Yuki interrupted. "No! Keep quiet and let me explain!" Momoshiro became silent and Yuki rose to spoke again.

"Very well… maybe you'll start to inherit my style and then its no longer your own style to play… then you're no longer yourself. And your style is unique and I like it… you can bring out a lot and that's up to you all, I want to see what you all can do on your own."

Momoshiro's look first was nerved, then surprised and now smiling.

"Gome, Yuki-Senpai. But…" "Its okay… maybe next time I'll play against you."

"Really?"

Yuki nodded.

"I have to tell that Eiji-Senpai… he was really angry."

"That's okay. He didn't want to go alone to school."

Momoshiro looked uncomprehending at Yuki and she pointed at the corner of the street, at which Kikumaru was standing.

Yuki stuck her tongue out boldly and winked with one eye.

"Let's go, otherwise we'll be late."

"Hai!", summoned Kikumaru and caught up to them.

Then they ran to school because of the morning training and arrived just in time.

After school on the schoolyard [attendees: Fuji, Kikumaru, Oishi and Yuki cames from the other side of the yard. All wanted to go to the gate.]

"Oi, Yuki-Senpai! Do you want to come with us? We're going to eat something… Momo and O-Chibi aren't coming along, so I can save a lot.", the latter Kikumaru whispered.

Yuki stopped 5 meters next to them.

"Sorry, but Im not hungry. … No tengo hambre."

"Mh… its a pity."

Yuki smiled and a light gust blew.

Fuji's eyes opened shocked.

"What is that, Yuki-Senpai?"

Yuki got frightened and put her hand on her shoulder.

"Nothing, everything's fine.", tried Yuki with a bad managed smile.

"What is it, Fuji?", asked Oishi and Kikumaru looked just as puzzled as him.

Fuji didn't say something and just looked at Yuki. Which looked stranded.

"She has some effusions of blood on her shoulder."

"Nani?!", shouted Oishi and Kikumaru at the same time. When they wanted to say something to her, they noticed, that she was looking to the gate.

They followed her look.

…

"Yuuta?", said Fuji surprised.

But Yuuta didn't seem interested in his brother and made a beeline for Yuki.

Both stepped some meters away from the others, so that the other three couldn't hear something. Suddenly Yuuta took a bow and Yuki smiled.

"I told you, that it is okay. It wasn't with intent to injure me, was it? And…"

"But even so, Im got away uninjured and you… you have this injury now.", while he said it, he pointed at her shoulder. Fuji caught an idea and went there.

"Yuuta? Are those effusions of blood your fault?"

Yuuta looked shocked at his brother and then to the ground. Yuki faced Fuji.

"Its not his fault. … Pasa, pasa."

"Is that right, Yuuta?"

But Yuuta didn't answer.

"Yuuta?!", Fuji seemed angry.

But not only he.

[Oishi and Kikumaru went there as well.]

Yuki looked at Fuji a little bit angry. "It was an accident, he didn't do anything on purpose. So stop speaking tartly already!" Yuki and Fuji "spit" at each other.

Then Yuuta asked in between:"Want to go, Yuki-san?"

The other three guys looked surprised from Yuki to Yuuta. Yuki nodded and both went to the gate.

"Stop! …Yuuta? I want to know what happened!"

Yuuta stopped, but didn't say something. Yuki went back to him and looked in the direction of the others.

"Wait a minute.", mumbled Yuki and went back to the others.

"It happened yesterday evening. In the sharp turn on the Oshitaka-Bridge. Someone jostled Yuuta by accident when he passed by. Yuuta was jostled against the deal/plank/board and fell over it. I ran to him, he couldn't get my hand and hold onto my tennis bag. He wanted to let go right after that, because he noticed, that it hurted me, but I pulled him up before he could react. That's all. Got that? … Sayonara, see you tomorrow.", finished Yuki, turned around and went back to Yuuta.

Then they disappeared behind the corner.

"Olo... Yuki-Senpai saved the life of your brother or at least almost."

Fuji had his eyes opened again and his feelings were fighting a little bit. He went off and the golden pair watched him going away.

In the city:

Yuki and Yuuta stopped on a bridge. Yuuta was still a little bit feeling down.

"Oh come on, just forget it. It was an accident and not on purpose."

Yuuta didn't seem to calm that. "Mh, but…"

Yuki faced him and smiled annoyed.

"The law says, that you have to help others, as long as your life isn't in danger. … Well, maybe my life was in danger, but Im not paying attention to that. For me the only thing that counts in such situations is the life from others. There's nothing that make me happier than being able to help others and to see them smiling. … So, Yuuta-kun … will you show me a smile?"

Yuki smiled at him and waited.

Yuuta could no longer prefer his feelings of guilt. He smiled and just with that he looked a lot happier.

"Where do you want to go, Yuuta-kun?"

"How about… ice cream? … I know a good place that sells the best ice cream in the whole city."

Yuki's smile disappeared for a moment, because she looked surprised at the boy in front of her and then she smiled again.

"I follow you wherever."

Yuuta blushed and turned around really fast.

"Why have our Kohai's and Senpai's dates and we haven't? … Nyaaa, thats too cruel."

"Eiji! Keep quiet, otherwise they'll hear us. We shouldn't be here in the first place. I think when it comes to Yuki-Senpai its something else."

"If it comes to Yuuta, no. Though Im interested in what you two are doing here."

Fuji looked up. Above him was Oishi and above him Kikumaru, both looked around the corner.

"Ah, hurry! They walked off!", shouted Kikumaru and all three of them chased them.

After a hour they lost them.

"What a bummer. … Hah… it was getting interesting."

"You and your stamina, so annoying."

"You cant put the blame on me, you both don't know where they went either.", defended Kikumaru himself.

While they tried to blame one alone, we're switching to the 'pair':

"Certainly that's a good place.", Yuki radiated happiness from within and you could notice, that this was a hearty and freely smile and that the others weren't really true.

Yuuta blushed and looked to the ground.

They sat in a tree house on the strand.

Yuki stopped smiling and for some moments it was silent.

"Thank you a lot, Yuuta-kun. It was fun.", mumbled Yuki and looked at Yuuta without any expression, without expectation, without a mimic in her face.

Yuuta shook his head. "I have to thank you. You saved me, got an injury and defended me against my brother. …"

Yuki put a hand on his shoulder. "Everything is fine. … Doumo arigatou. Everything's fine, nothing else to thank for or to apologize for."

"But you cant dismiss it that easily!"

Yuki nodded smiling. "There was nothing to forgive, are we even now?"

Yuuta looked a long time at Yuki, then he nodded slowly.

How could he someone, who never shows the true smile and still is so kind, not forgive?

After that, they sit silent next to each other in the tree house for a long time, 'till Yuki took Yuuta home, when the sun disappeared completely.

[His home was on her way.]

"Thanks again, it was nice with you today.^^ We could repeat it, if you want to?"

Yuuta looked surprised at her and didn't agreed only because he like her, but as well, because he wanted to see her smile again.

"Very well, then good night. We will se us, give Fuji-kun my regards. He shall not be angry with you, if he will, then tell me."

Yuuta nodded and looked at Yuki, that walked away. Then he shouted:"Thank you. Til then, Yuki-san!"

Yuki waved and answered:"De nada, Yuuta-kun, de nada."