Idyllic Dystopia
A chapter story! And I dedicate this fanfic to the lovely Chocolate Confection (or KatYouKai), who jinxed me. xD I had written this story a while back, but never really gotten around to posting it... But I decided to post it today since I had nothing better to do... except study for an exam.
I don't own any part of Prince of Tennis. No cute tennis boys, no crazy fangirls, no schools, nada. xD That all belongs to Konomi Takeshi.
Please read then. xD This is AU-ish.
x Prelude
Why had it become like this?
x
'That Echizen...He's going to make me late for school.'
Takeshi Momoshiro stood outside the Echizen residence, waiting by the door for his best friend to come out. Nobody had answered when he rang the doorbell... He decided to give Echizen five more minutes. But only five, or he really would be late.
x
'Momoshiro. Where's Echizen?' Tezuka Kunimitsu asked sternly, who could not spot the freshman regular anywhere on the Seigaku tennis courts.
Momo turned to face his buchou, and replied, 'There was no one at his home. At least, nobody answered the door.'
'...Ah.'
Momo turned back to his opponent, Kikumaru Eiji, who was pouting. 'I haven't hugged ochibi all day!'
Momo laughed heartily and served.
x
'Hey! Sakuno! Have you seen Ryoma-sama?' Osakada Tomoka asked her friend hopefully.
Ryuzaki Sakuno looked up from her bento and shook her head. 'Sorry, Tomo-chan...' She wondered to herself if he was sick. Ryoma probably wouldn't skip...right?
'He's probably skipping!' Horio Satoshi said matter-of-factly, in the voice that he used when he talked about his two years of tennis experience. 'There was an assignment due today, and he probably didn't finish it.'
'As if you would know! Ryoma-sama wouldn't skip!' Tomoka glared at Horio, who shivered. 'I bet you were the one who didn't finish it anyway!'
As Tomoka and Horio started bickering, Sakuno ate her bento silently, hoping that Ryoma would come back to school soon, and that there wasn't anything wrong.
x
But Ryoma didn't come back.
The regulars had gone to the Echizen residence later, after Ryoma hadn't shown up at school for three days.
It had been empty. All the furniture was gone. There was no evidence that anybody had even lived there.
The regulars were shocked. There had been nothing leading up to the leaving of the Echizens. Ryoma hadn't said anything.
They had simply left, leaving no trace.
x
Inui had searched everything he could get his hands on, but could only find one clue - an obituary for Echizen Nanjiroh, who had died from a car crash the week before, which stated that the Echizens had held a private funeral.
It didn't explain why the Echizens had left though.
x
The next week, the principal told the regulars that Echizen Ryoma wasn't coming back to Seishun Gakuen Junior High School, and might not even come back to Japan.
The principal also relayed a message from Ryoma to them: 'Win the Nationals, senpai-tachi.'
They fulfilled this request, in hopes that doing so would bring Ryoma back. They realized that they all missed their rude cocky brat.
But even after Seigaku Middle School won the nationals, Ryoma was still nowhere to be seen.
x
It had been over two years.
x
A short individual stared out into the storm. His blackish green hair stuck out from beneath his cap and covered his hazel eyes that were watching raindrops roll down the taxi window. His hand was unconsciously stroking the Himalayan cat in his lap, which was purring contentedly, unaware of his master's troubled thoughts.
The woman who sat beside him asked anxiously, 'Are you fine, Ryoma?'
Ryoma's only reply to his mother, Rinko, was a brief nod in her direction. Then, he turned back to face the window and pet Karupin, his cat, some more.
'I'm sure all of your friends will be happy to see you again. They must have missed you a lot. You'll have to contact them.' Rinko-san looked over at her son, who was still staring out the window.
She continued, 'I enrolled you in Seishun Gakuen High School, so you might be able to see your friends then.'
When her son still didn't respond, she sighed. 'Well, we're here. We're staying at Nanako's apartment for now, okay?'
Rinko opened the door and got out of the taxi. She went to the other side to help Ryoma out, holding the door wide open. She held out her hand for Ryoma to use as support.
'I'm fine, mom.' Ryoma pulled himself out of the taxi with one hand on the door, one hand holding Karupin, and went to the trunk to get his luggage.
'It's okay, Ryoma! I'll get these. You go on in first, and find out which floor Nanako lives on.'
Ryoma nodded and brought him and Karupin up to the apartment
x
Ryoma couldn't help but marvel at the magnificence of Nanako's apartment. It seemed extremely rich. He wondered at what Nanako was doing for a job. He went up to the man at the counter, who was looking at Karupin with distaste. Ryoma already felt himself disliking the man. Karupin was a very respectable, intelligent, Himalayan cat, and didn't deserve to be glared at.
Ryoma asked bluntly, 'Could you tell me what floor and what room Meino Nanako live in?'
The man's eyebrows raised. 'Are you related to Meino-san?'
'I'm her cousin.'
'She lives on the floor 22, in room 17.' The man stared at him for a moment, as if he wasn't the type of person to be related to Nanako, who was kind and polite to everyone.
'Thanks.' Ryoma went to the door, where his mother was waiting. 'Floor 22, room 17.'
'Ah, thank you, Ryoma. Go push the elevator button for me? My hands are kind of full.' Both of Ryoma's mother's hands had one large suitcase in them
Ryoma obliged and went to the elevator, pushing the circular button, making it glow slightly. Shortly, it opened to reveal -
'Echizen?' The young man's dark blue eyes widened, not sure of what he was seeing. He brushed a few light brown locks away from his eyes, and blinked, to make sure that the person in front of him was really there. He had to be imagining things.
'...Who are you?'
x
So did you like it? Please review xD Flames welcome, and criticism even more so. -awinchan