… Okay. So this is what I like to think my best work so far. I'm trying to keep everybody IC and stuff, some personalities I used according to the many great fanfics I read. FemRyo, pairings undecided.
I think Silver Pair is CUTE.
Disclaimers: Kizuna is not mine. It is Kazuya Kamenashi/Kat_Tun's. Prince of Tennis is strictly UN-MINE AS WELL.
Heads were turning as a girl walked by them, hair flying gracefully behind her back.
She had large, cat like eyes with an unusual color – golden, to be exact. She had elfish ears and her lips were set in a straight line. There were specks of light green in her eyes if you looked closely enough. Her hair was at her waist and it was a natural forest green. Blue and light green streaks ran through them.
She had a slender figure, though it was obvious she was an athletic one. Her slim arms hid the muscle underneath, and her calloused fingers moved to brush the hair out of her face.
She was carrying a large tennis bag, and it was obvious her clothing was not to her preference. The light dress was white and there was a black rose near her chest. There was a red and green tint to it, skillfully blending in with the white. It was long sleeved and there were ruffles at the cuffs. Her shoes were blue high heels that lightly hit the ground and left every time she took a step.
On her left wrist, she had three watches; one to tell the time in Japan, the other America, and the last Korea. An arrogant, cocky aura wildly danced around her form, signaling the awakening of a sleeping lion.
This girl's name was Echizen Ryoma. She honestly didn't like all this attention.
When she was a boy, she had females stalking her, paparazzi and news reporters barricading her house.
When she was back to female, she had men lining up for her hand in marriage and the paparazzi and news reporters were still barricading her house, asking while all her male family members quit tennis. Samurai Nanjiroh, the Demigod of the courts, and now the Prince of Tennis, they all retired.
They got the facts all wrong. The Prince of Tennis was actually the Princess of Tennis, although it has not yet been revealed. The conference, held in America, brought shock to the entire world.
Nanjiroh and Ryoga had then decided she needed to have a real life as a regular school girl. ["You don't have to join the tennis club, you know. There are many other things you're good at – for example, baking or cooking. GOD I love your cookies!" Ryoga had squealed.]
That's what they had wanted to do – until she went to a party and they played the wrong game and the wrong dare was made. So now Ryoma had to cross dress yet again. She actually didn't mind, though, since the boy's uniform is a LOT more comfortable. Unfortunately, they could only submit her to either Hyoutei or Rikkaidai, much to Nanjiroh's dismay. He wanted his 'baby girl' to go to the school he went to.
So here she was, going to Hyoutei.
Originally, Ryoma had wanted to wear more comfortable clothes – her cap, a random shirt, and khaki pants. Rinko and Nanako freaked out when she came downstairs – and forced her into this. They didn't even think it through when they both pushed her out of the house and slammed the door.
She shook her head, reaching the tennis courts, and noted the equipment was of the most advanced technology, the most modern one, and some things that had not even been published to the world yet. Some tennis players were practicing tennis, but the regulars weren't there.
Ryoma rolled her eyes. "Gotta work into the innocent, shy girl, now, huh?" She 'shyly' shuffled over to an unoccupied boy and tapped his shoulder. He turned around and blushed at her beauty, falling right into the trap.
This boy was Ichita Tarou. He was one of the very few shy students of Hyoutei, and was not able to gather the courage to cheer for the team, so he had instead went to the courts to practice. When this beautiful girl asked him where the regulars were, his heart sank. 'Of course… All the girls want to talk to regulars so much they don't pay attention to the non-regulars…' But his timid manner forced him to smile weakly. "Oh, you're looking for the regulars? They're at a tournament, sorry…" Tarou said. He expected her downcast look.
Ryoma sighed. So they weren't here, huh? Now she couldn't see what the Hyoutei regulars were made of. Well, this was obviously a rich school. Lucky for her, she chose the correct player to ask. He was not bold and arrogant, nor stuck-up.
"Do you want me to tell them your message?" Tarou asked through his teeth. He secretly prayed she would decline, though that was not very likely. "Daijobu desu. [It's okay; I'm okay, something like that.] I can come here later on, when they're back." Her answer surprised him – the fangirls would usually shove something at him for him to give to their worshipped person, usually Atobe. 'Well. She's different, at least.'
Now she was bored. Ryoma didn't want to go all the way to Kanagawa to see Rikkaidai – what if they're busy, too? She scrunched up her face in displeasure. Today was not a good day. "You. What's your name?" She asked, using a cold tone. There was no need to continue on being a shy fangirl – the act is useless since she doubted the non-regulars would be sharp enough to detect the similarities if she decides to go to Hyoutei.
Tarou was quite surprised but her sudden sharp tone. "E-eh? My name? Ichita Tarou…" "Mm. Mine's Echizen Ryoma. Remember it well, remember who you've helped, and that person will help you when you are in need." She murmured quietly, though loudly enough for only him to hear. His eyes widened and he covered his mouth, staggering back. There was a lot of Echizen Ryoma's in the world. Few had golden eyes and natural green hair. "You… you're… You're…!" Ryoma grinned, using her deep boyish voice. Her eyes danced around with mischief. "Good, you've recognized me. Now that you have, I trust you to keep my secret until the day I reveal it personally to the world."And it was then and only then when Tarou felt as if he had a reason to be here after all.
Ryoma honestly had NO idea why she gave her secret away to a random stranger – perhaps it was because of pure curiosity of the reactions. Perhaps it was his eyes – they were stormy gray and had the teeniest bit of green in them, though most of his feelings will be expressed through them. She somehow knew he'd be a secret-keeper, even if he was tortured. Then she left.
The other tennis regulars were curious now. They ran up to him, asking who she was.
It wasn't like she was some everyday person – almost every non Hyoutei student went to the school for the regulars and she had left, content with a non regular.
Tarou, on the other hand, still could not absorb the information given. What? The Prince of Tennis, her? A girl? What had been going on? Sure, he had been extremely saddened and shocked by their sudden withdrawal – now all of the prodigy family had retired. Not a Samurai, Demigod, or Prince. They were his dream, and now the person he wanted to be the most had just appeared in front of him – as a girl?
It was just too much to bear, and all the noise was making his sudden headache get worse when he reached his limit. He passed out. "O-oi! Ichita!"
The girl smirked, now care freely strolling around Tokyo. Her meeting with Tarou had put her in a good mood, but that doesn't mean she wasn't hungry. Good thing Rinko had stuffed some money in her tennis bag. Ryoma stopped by a small booth selling food, and was pretty surprised when she saw a girl with extremely long braids and her friend who was persuading people to buy their cold desserts – it was, after all, summer.
Tomoka, the loud one, grinned when a pretty girl their age stopped by to buy something. "Our first customer, Sakuno-chan! Isn't this great? It hasn't even been 30 minutes since the booth was opened! That means our business will be a success!" She chattered excitedly.
Sakuno giggled at her friend's enthusiasm. "Ah, Tomo-chan, we mustn't forget about our customer!" She reminded her. Tomoka stopped mid-sentence and nodded. "Oh yeah! Welcome! What would you like?" She asked, her enthusiasm now aimed towards pleasuring the beautiful girl. Her eyes then noticed the tennis bag and her squealing exceeded the maximum amount. "You play tennis? Oh my gosh! That's great! Do you know of Seigaku? Our tennis regulars kick tennis butt, you know." She boasted.
Ryoma raised an eyebrow at the brags. Was Seigaku seriously that good? "Tezuka-senpai, our buchou, is the best! He's better than anybody else without a doubt. Fuji-senpai's next – kyaaaa! His eyes are sooo magical – you'd need to see them to believe me. Inui-senpai is the data collector – nothing can win against his data! Unless it's Fuji-senpai or Tezuka-senpai, of course." The pigtailed girl went on boasting about Seigaku's regulars. They actually seemed pretty interesting – especially Tezuka. She has heard of him in America. "Excuse me, this Tezuka-senpai of yours, do you think I could meet him sometime? He seems to be a really good player." She asked, not bothering with a sweet tone.
Sakuno's heart swelled with pride when her customer praised her dear Kunimitsu – nii. "He is, isn't he, Tomo-chan?" Tomoka squealed. "Of course! The absolute best! I bet even the Samurai Nanjiroh or the Demigod can't beat him! Oh, what if they retired because they heard of his great deeds and were afraid?"
Her good mood had dropped drastically. Sure, she had a perverted brother and father, and sure, they're always ignoring her. But it was also true she treasured them dearly and anybody who insults or talks bad about them will not be left alone. Ryoma narrowed her eyes, looking at Tomoka in the eye. "You. I don't care about this Tezuka-senpai or whatever if you're talking about Oyaji and Aniki this way. [Dad and brother, basically.] They most certainly did not retire because of him, and if they did, I'd be disgusted." She glared.
Sakuno felt the little bubble of pride burst and now she was a bit irritated. Sure, Tomoka did go a little overboard with the boasting, but that didn't give her a reason to say things like that about Kunimitsu-nii! She used all the courage she could muster and tried to keep her voice firm and steady. "A-ano… I apologize for Tomo-chan's rudeness, but that does not g-gives you a right to talk about him like that, a-and you shouldn't g-glare at her like that, e-either." Her voice gave way at the end when the icy gaze was now aimed at her.
"Oh? You want me to apologize now, huh, Ojou-chan [Little Miss… I think]? Fine. I apologize to your friend, and Tezuka-senpai. Happy now?" Ryoma said coolly, throwing the tennis bag over her shoulder. They heard rattles and Sakuno's keen ears allowed her to know that the things in there were more than just tennis rackets – there were weights, as well. Heavy ones.
She did not know how to reply to the straight-forward and blunt apology. It was simply not expected. She timidly tugged the edges of her skirt, biting her lip. What was she supposed to say now? "Y-yes… T-thank you for the a-apology…"
"Good. Now I expect your friend to apologize, too." She did not stop with the sharp tone.
"Eh? What for?" Sakuno asked, taken aback.
"For insulting the Samurai and the Demigod, people I cherish."
Tomoka was fuming. Sure, this girl seemed so mature and adult, but that did not give her a reason to be so mean to her friend! She glared at her with all her might, and started shouting out a string of the worst words she knew, trying to break that cool attitude. Like heck she'd apologize! She was just stating the facts! Who did this girl think she was?
Sakuno, on the other hand, was quite puzzled. Cherish? Was she that big of a fan? But most wouldn't use cherish, they'd be going crazy by now and jumping at Tomoka for saying such a thing. She immediately stopped that thought. 'Don't be silly, Sakuno, not all girls would be like that! Baka, baka, baka! [Stupid, Idiot, Fool, etc.]'
An eyebrow rose. An amused smirk. Ryoma was now sure today was a great day. When Tomoka was out of breath, she looked at her, and was infuriated to see how calm she still was. "Done? Can I order now? I'd like an orange sundae."
"Orange sundae?" Sakuno repeated, and then it clicked. "Oh! Yes, coming right up!" She shuffled to the back, and her friend whined. "Sakuno-chan! Can't I add something poisonous or something?" "No, Tomo-chan, you may not. She's our first customer and she's still ordering despite the trouble we've caused her." She sulked, glaring once more at Ryoma, who, in turn, smirked.
"Mada mada dane," She muttered under her breath. When the sundae was done, she promptly paid for it and left, content with what she had just done.
'I didn't kill them or anything even when they insulted Oyaji and Aniki, so that means I must be in a super good mood. Hm. Should I go to Rikkaidai…? But still, I'd rather not since their regulars might be there and if so, then my secret would be given away and I'd have to treat Aniki to that sushi store I saw nearby. Come to think of it, this is Tokyo. Huh. I still have some money left, so should I check out their food? But wait – if I go to Rikkaidai right now and the regulars see me, and I attend Rikkai as a boy, wouldn't I be recognized as the Prince of Tennis already?' Ryoma's thoughts went off-topic constantly as she lightly sang the lyrics to Kizuna by Kazuya Kamenashi.
Since she was so absorbed in her thoughts, she did not notice the rowdy bunch of boys in the store when she opened the door.
"Mamushi, give me some of that!"
"Get it yourself, peach butt."
"What? I told you to give me it!"
"HEY! You wanna start?"
"Heck, why wouldn't I?"
"Momo! Kaidoh! Stop fighting!"
"…. Eh?" Ryoma looked up and saw a bandana-ed boy arguing and fighting with a broom head. An egg-head was frantically trying to calm them down while a brunette was chuckling, amused at the scene. Another brunette was desperately trying to get the two to stop fighting in his family's store – it drove away customers. Meanwhile, a Neko {Cat} was bouncing all over the place, stealing food from trays that weren't even his or his friends'. A tall boy wearing eerily opaque glasses was grinning rather eerily and scribbling quickly in a notebook. His glasses flashed in the sunlight eerily. The last, oldest looking male she noticed was standing in the corner, raising his glasses. He had an intimidating and commanding order – one of those people you just had to obey.
"Tezuka?" She asked, surprised. "What are you doing here?"
Suddenly, there was silence and everybody froze in place. Heads turned to look at her. The Neko was the first to speak. "EEEEHHHHH? YOU KNOW TEZUKA? Masaka – {Don't tell me, it can't be, etc.} you're his girlfriend?" Then broom head shouted as well. "WHAT? Tezuka-buchou has a girlfriend? That's can't happen, it just can't. He's too much of a rock!"
*Twitch*
*Mutter*
*Laugh*
*Scribble*
Tezuka stood still, waiting for his friends to quiet down. He sighed. Why was he even captain of this rowdy team, anyway? Then again, he wouldn't trade them for any other team, but they can at least have a bit of self-control.
Honestly, what were they, 8 year olds? They should know not to jump to conclusions by now! They were 17 for Lord's sake! {A/N: In my story, the previously seniors were 17, juniors 16, freshman 15. So Ryoma is 15.} Well, most of them were, anyway.
"Everybody, silence this moment!" He commanded. When they all ignored him, Tezuka raised an eyebrow. Ho? So they wanted to play misbehavior, huh? Well he'll just have to ruin their fun. That is, until the girl that called his name earlier tapped him on the shoulder lightly.
"So… Who're these people, Tezuka?" She asked him informally, as if they had known each other since childhood. He sighed. Seriously, people these days, even the ones he never knew, have become rather rude. Still, he'd be impolite if he just ignored her, and so he replied, "They are my team mates from Seishun High, immature though they are. Please excuse their rude behavior. You are?"
Ryoma looked at him in surprise. Then something clicked. "You don't know me, do you?" He shook his head and she scrunched her face in displeasure. "I don't think I should tell you yet, but Oyaji went to your school. Seigaku, I mean. And he was the Samurai of Tennis. Put two and two together to figure it out." With that as her closing, she walked over to order some food.
Tezuka twitched. "30 LAPS AROUND THE BLOCK, NOW!" He roared. Everybody had their limits, and he had his. Sure, sure, limits were there for you to surpass, but who cares? Right now, he was displeased and so they shall run for their rudeness.
