This story is a sequel to "Free Fall."
Please go back and read that before continuing with this one.
Author's notes: I decided to make this part a seperate story for... I dunno, some reason I just wasn't comfortable with coupling this story with the other one. Perhaps because that was originally intended as a one shot, hahaha...
Title: Landing.
Summary: The typical story, you're sorry and it's too little too late. What if I told you he was alive? What if I told you he never wanted to see any of you again? If you want to see him, prove to me you're worthy of him. Kaito's POV.
Pairings: ???
Warnings: Original characters, angst, OOCness, yaoi, character death.
Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis or I swear to God I'd have killed Atobe. ... or at least given him some redeeming qualities. You're lucky Kato plays you so well in the musical Atobe...
The atmosphere was so tense, even Nanjirou, moron of morons picked up on it and fled hastily. You kept looking at me, they were subtle looks, well as subtle as you can be, but I caught them anyway. I had to admit the bandages over my face were itchy but I was so in tune with you my doubles partner that I understood immediately. You looked so frustrated, all you know is tennis and now that I'm crippled, I can't play it anymore. You understand how agonizing that is for me, even if I don't show it.
What a crime that we're both younger than 12 and neither of us can express emotions properly.
So, Ryo? How will you act around me now? You want to apologize, but you don't know how. You think maybe playing a match with me would get your feelings across, everything is revealed in tennis.
But I can't play.
What now Ryo?
Idiot Ryo. I press the stop button on my cassette player and cut off your voice sharply. It's the fifth time I've listened to your last message and every cell in my body boils at the thought of meeting your so called "friends." How well I remember that time after the accident. We sat in your house at the table, you frustrated at being unable to say sorry properly, and me in pain both physical and mental. A simple smile on my part solved it all. There was nothing I could do, so I accepted it. It was never your fault, circumstances occured and you couldn't have predicted them, it was my choice to protect you.
Just like it was your choice to move to Japan and commit suicide.
Stupid Ryo. That's how I find myself in Japan right now. For your funeral, I'm so pissed I haven't talked to anyone aside from nee-chan and Aunt Rinko. I had a feeling if I met any of your so called friends, I might have killed them. Then what? I'd be stuck in jail, and you'd be stuck with them in the afterlife. No way I'd risk that. I've seen one of them on TV. This Keigo Atobe guy, he looks like a Queen.
Do you remember me, Ryo?
Kaito Meino, I'm your cousin Ryo. I've grown out my hair, its longer than nee-chan's now, and yeah I've still got that split in my hair that lets my bangs fall completely over the left side of my face, hiding my deformation. I've started tying it up in a ponytail and leaving it behind my back because if I don't your stupid dad says its too long for tennis. Then he remembers I can't play tennis and then he remembers you can't either and starts crying again.
I wonder if you were still the shorty you always were, I'm 5'11" now, I was looking forward to teasing you about that when you came back for this year's U.S. Open in the summer. I've met your friend Kevin and I'm not mad at him. He's so withdrawn right now and he feels horrible he couldn't do anything from the states. We met on the court before your death and I'm rooming with him right now, I don't think it's safe to leave him alone for too long.
For once I'm glad I don't have nee-chan's gentle eyes, I glare out of my good eye at everyone who tries to approach me with words of consolation or sympathy. I don't want their fucking bullshit lies. You were my cousin, from day one when you were born I wanted to protect you like nee-chan cared for me. When you moved away to Japan, I rarely ever heard from you, and by the time I found out you were participating in the U.S. Open in middle school, you'd already left again. I didn't hate you for that, it's how you were. Obsessed with your dreams of becoming number one of the tennis world, you didn't have time for your old doubles partner. Besides, it was elementary school, who the hell remembers that? You could barely remember my name everytime I came to visit, it always made me laugh.
I'm walking along the Kappa Beach now, looking out at the endless span of sea as the sun begins to rise. I should get back to the hotel soon before Kevin wakes up and finds himself alone. He needs someone right now, he might be more experienced than he deserves to be for his age, but he's still a kid. I guess that's when I see it.
I see you.
I walk up the driveway to that expensive looking manor. It looks like my directions were correct. As I stop at the front door, I jam my hand into the pocket of my faded jeans and curling my hand into a fist, slam it on the mahogany wood door. This is my version of knocking. The door opens a moment later with a composed butler at the door.
A butler, is this guy still in the 21st century?
I let a smirk curl my lips and let my hand fall to my side.
"I'm here to see Keigo Atobe. I called ahead to let him know-"
"... shitsureishimashita, ore kawanai wakaru-" ((Excuse me, I can't understand-))
"Ah, gomen." ((Sorry)) I interrupt and smile at his blink of surprise. "I'm here to see Keigo Atobe. Please tell him Ryoma Echizen's cousin is here." The butler stared at me a moment longer before inviting me into the foyer and went to do as I asked. Fourteen minutes later I'm invited into a parlor where there are a few more faces than I expected. Some I can put names to as they're so famous they've made it into some American tennis magazines. I immediately recognize Kunimitsu Tezuka and Syuusuke Fuji but I've kept my face so perfectly schooled blank, I don't think they'll know I want to take a gun out and shoot them in the face now. I might be wrong, Kunimitsu and Syuusuke look tense when they look at me.
I narrow my eye and smirk, oh my. Is that a tinge of guilt I smell?
"Welcome, Meino-san." Atobe greets me curiously and I turn to look at him, he looks even more frilly in person. I can't believe this guy has a beauty mark too, it makes me curious on how he managed to get Ryo to love him when his arrogant attitude would have made me want to wipe the floor with this guy.
"Kaito or Kai please." I interrupt him blankly and he stops, irritation flickering across his face as if he's unused to being interrupted. Probably is too, sod. "I'm American even if I have Japanese heritage. And if I have to base how well Japan's culture is by the example set by you guys, I'll happily stay American." I see it in their faces already, the stirrings of depression fueled rage. They've already set the "arrogant American" image on me and I want that. Let me fool them with a mask and stab them from behind because these guys are about to go through hell before I'm done with them.
"... Kaito it is." Atobe concedes gracefully without losing face and I have to applaud a little at that, he's smooth if nothing else. He must be a good tennis player too if he was with Ryo for three years. The carefully schooled smirk is placed on my lips as I place my free hand in my other pocket and stand there looking perfectly at ease under some now terribly hostile stares.
"So you're all Ryo's friends." I say simply, not even that dense looking guy in the corner can miss my sarcasm in that statement. He's big, black hair spiked up and he's standing way too close next to the guy with a bandanna. His purple eyes are dark when they stare at me and I smirk back at him. That has to be Takeshi Momoshiro. Ryo's first crush and heartbreak.
Okay, Kunimitsu and Syuusuke just got shoved down by bandanna boy and Takeshi.
"And you are Echizen-kun's cousin." Another male commented staring at me, a blue cap covering his head. He seemed tired and so did the silver haired youth beside him. I looked at them closely, then walked over to them and to the surprise of everyone in the room held my hand out.
"Ootori-san and Shishido-san yes?" I asked and they seemed surprised I bothered to address them politely as people in Japan would have. They shouldn't have been, they had been Ryo's friends in the end. For that they earned my sympathy, if not my trust. "Ryo spoke highly of you in his last message, thank you for being his friends until his end." There was a unanimous wince through the room at those words and my smirk was back, oh there was so much guilt to work with. These guys were going to be putty in my hand. As the two doubles partners shook my hand, there were some brief introductions and when I had the names of my primary targets with the faces, I smiled deceivingly at them in a gentle manner as I leaned against a wall.
"I'm glad I got to meet all of you. The people who drove Ryo to suicide." I informed them smiling as my eyes went dark and the room suddenly grew very tense.
"You sonova-!" Akaya snarled as he dove at me and before anyone could stop him, had the collar of my shirt bunched up in his fist as he dragged our faces together. "What the hell do you know!? You weren't here, you don't even know him or us! How dare you make accusations!?" He demanded as Oishi tried to drag him back and I laughed in his face.
"I know the red in your eyes isn't from your demon mode, Akaya Kirihara. I can also tell that by the paleness of Seiichi's face over there, he hasn't slept well in a week, Genichirou looks ready to topple over from exhaustion because he's pushing himself too hard in work and trying not to think about what has happened. Queen Keigo is also unhealthily thin, not good for a soon to be pro tennis player, and that guy who's sleeping over there? Nice try, he's not sleeping. He's trying to block it all out from his mind. Why are you all like this? Simple, you all feel guilty." I said in an even tone of voice.
Shock loosened Akaya's grip on my shirt and I jerked it out of his hands laughing as shock entered their faces as they stared at me. "I'm Kaito Meino, I was supposed to be coach and team manager for this year's Goodwill games and they've called me The Empath. Everything about you is written in your body and I can see it all. The guilt, the shame, the desperation to forget." I paused and straightened my shirt smiling. "I see everything."
"Then you can see the door." Momo snarled at me and I turned to him, unshaken as he pointed at it. "Get out!"
"An anger born of guilt is often the most violent. You're desperately trying to prove you're not to blame or at fault, is that where your anger comes from Takeshi?" I asked him and he froze, I knew I had hit the right buttons.
"It looks to Ore-sama that you came here to make us feel guilty. Are you satisfied?" Atobe demanded, face pleasantly blank but eyes dark with rage. I burst out laughing at that.
"Ore-sama?" I repeated snickering. "You're so full of yourself." I informed him sneering and that was when Yukimura stood abruptly knocking his chair over. Even I was a little surprised, I hadn't thought he would get riled up so quickly.
"Please leave, Kaito-kun." He asked me softly and I blinked at him, tilted my head to the side once and nodded lightly.
"Sure thing. Oh, if any of you want to talk to me, I'll be at those quaint street tennis courts Ryo used to talk about. I've also left my cell number with your butler, Queen Keigo." I told the room and turned for the door, opening it.
"Cheh, why the hell would any of us want to talk to you?" Kaidoh hissed at me and I peered over my shoulder to look at the room amused.
"Because Ryo's alive and I've got him." I slammed the door shut as surprise shot through the room.