DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN PRINCE OF TENNIS NOR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. (SADLY)
A/N: First Ryosaku fic. Not sure about the reception but I hope you guys will enjoy it.
Students, new and old, grudgingly entered Seigaku Junior High. Their summer vacation seemed short lived as the start of the new school year began faster than it lasted, in everyone's chagrin. With heavy footsteps, they slowly entered the school gate. The air was gloomy. Sigh after sigh were heard from each student as they came inside the school building… until an angel with a cherry smile and sleek long auburn hair entered the premises. Male students gaped in appreciation as the evolving beauty of a once docile girl transformed into that of a modern day princess come to life. Long soft wavy hair. Sparkling brown eyes. Small kissable lips. A captivating smile. A slender body with a million dollar legs that seem to go on forever. She was, in plain words, ethereal.
As she passed them, they got a whiff of her sweet strawberry scent.
Ah, Hime-chan…
Feeling her schoolmates steady gazes, she glanced at them and smiled in silent greeting.
Furious beating hearts suddenly changed the atmosphere from gloominess to anticipation. Their minds locked on one thought - I will confess to Ryuzaki-chan. Their necks craned as they tried to catch a glimpse of her retreating back.
Momentarily trapped in lala land they failed to notice the gulf of students hurrying towards them as the school bell was about to ring. They were sent back to earth with spraining backs and dirty uniforms as they lay unmoving on the ground. Just then a pair of cat-like eyes entered the gate, oblivious of the male students lying on the ground.
'Sakuno-chan! We're still in the same class!' her bestfriend, Tomoka, gleefully hugged Sakuno.
Ryoma inwardly groaned, his ears already hurting this early in the morning when he just came back from America over the weekend. He was still adjusting from the time differential.
He glared mercilessly from where he heard that noise come from.
Tomoko feeling a bad omen turned around.
'Ryoma-sama!' she exclaimed, her voice rising several octaves more.
He rubbed his ears in annoyance while Tomoka's eyes roamed, noting the changes two years in America did to him. He looked hot enough to eat. His jet black hair remained as unruly as it was before but it was a little longer than it has been before. It gave him a cool sexy look like he had just come out of bed without a care what his hair looked like. Her hands itched to comb his hair into place. He was towering her now. He was probably as tall as Fuji-senpai but would still fall short of Momo-senpai's height. She could see the lines of his strong arms, just the right size for tennis. She could also see the faint sign of his chiselled chest as his uniform molded it with his every move. Oh how nice would it be to lay her head on Ryoma. Oh Ryoma-sama….
Ryoma, satisfied that the noise had died down, sat at the farthest seat from the front and was situated near the window where he could see the tennis court.
Sakuno pinched Tomoka out of her reverie.
'Owww…hmmmm.' Sakuno hurriedly stifled her bestfriend's scream before she annoyed him any further. From the corner of her eyes, she silently glanced at Ryoma as Tomoka babbled on how good it felt that their prince was back.
He opened his eyes feeling someone's gaze. He started scanning the room when their homeroom teacher entered the classroom. He shrugged and focused his eyes on their teacher.
Dismissal came like a whiff. Ryoma quickly gathered his things and took his leave with his tennis bag slung to his side.
'Echizen-san you forgot your notebook.' Sakuno swiftly handed him his forgotten notebook.
'Hn.' He expertly masked his confusion with a blank face. What was her name again? Ah. His couch's granddaughter. Ryuzaki. Was she in the same class? He failed to notice.
He took off.
Sakuno, unfazed by his usual cold attitude, went back to their classroom for her things.
Some things never change. He did not even recognize that she opted calling him by his last name instead of her usual Ryoma-kun. What's worst was he did not even know they were in the same room the whole day when she was just sitting right in front of him!
Ryoma will always be Ryoma.
Tennis would be his sole world for god knows how long.
'Ochibi!' Surprise turned to annoyance when he felt someone dangling at his side.
'My you've gotten taller but you're still our ochibi!' the tennis acrobat clung to him without care that his feet were hanging on air.
'Still ochibi to me!' the dunk smash king rang his bike's horn as he came towards them.
'Sssssss. Girly bike.'
'Cut your hair before you tell that to my face.'
'Take that back!'
'No you take it back!'
Momo's bike dropped helplessly to the ground as he prepared himself for a fight. Kaidoh, never backing down, motioned Momo to come closer which irritated the latter more.
'Should we stop… FIGHTING BOTH OF YOU ARE SISSIES!'
'Fuji, you shouldn't have handed him his racket.' The mother hen of the team worriedly looked at the scene unfolding.
The tennis prodigy just smiled as his eyes remained closed.
'100% chance that this would have happened.' His spectacles gleamed as he looked at his notebook.
'Senpai you're heavy.'
'Don't be disrespectful ochibi!'
'Eiji, let Echizen-san go. We don't want him injured even before the tournament starts.'
Kikumaru reluctantly let go.
'One more word from one of you and you'll be running laps!' the stern voice of their captain echoed from the court.
All of them shivered involuntarily.
Ryoma looked questioningly at them. They already graduated from Junior High so it was a bit of a shock that they were in the school grounds. Let alone in the Seigaku court.
Before he had his answers, Coach Ryuzaki called their attention.
The original Seigaku team gathered.
'As you must know this year would be a special year. This year's tennis tournaments would be invitational and only the best players of the school will join. New and old members alike. Thus that is why you are all here.' Her eyes roamed around as she looked at each one of them, 'I see that everyone is here including you Echizen.'
He nodded, excitement bubbling inside him. He did not know about this tournament but he just went to the tennis court to talk to the coach to ask her to let him play for the span of time he was here. It was a good thing he let his Oyaji pester him into coming back to Japan.
'If you want to play one of the best tennis of your life then go back to Japan.'
He associated his words to his much awaited tennis match with him. But this was better than nothing as his oyaji was always sprawled on their house looking at his dirty magazines.
He gripped the strap of his tennis bag tighter.
This was going to be an interesting year.
Sakuno passed alongside the tennis court and did not stop until she heard the familiar grunts of her senpais. The tennis club was never the same without them. The members that followed after them were also good but it wasn't the elite team that it was before when she was still in middle school. She automatically went near the fence and unconsciously surveyed the court searching for a player with a white cap. She did not have to search long as she came face to face with the said person himself as he entered the court after his water break.
Caught off guard, she flashed him her brightest smile, showing a perfect set of white teeth. But it might have been too bright for Ryoma as he adjusted his cap to shield his eyes a little.
Embarrassed, she abruptly took one step away from the fence when the rest of the team caught sight of them.
'Are you visiting Echizen, Ryuzaki? Young love!' Momo exclaimed, dramatically hugging his racket.
Blushing, she looked away from Ryoma while he remained stoic and continued walking inside the court.
'Sakuno-chan!' Eiji walked past Ryoma to muffle her with a hug. 'You have gotten prettier Sakuno-chan!'
Curious, Momo came forward to where they were and stared at her face in close proximity, too close. 'You sure are pretty Ryuzaki… Aww!'
He looked back, massaging his now swollen head, fresh from Ryoma's attack.
'Our practice match is about to start Senpai.'
He went ahead of them with a deadly glint on his eyes.
Momo gulped.
This'll be the death of me.
Fuji's eyes momentarily opened for a second before it closed and a smile of conspiracy marked his face.