Author's Notes

Almost a year later I return to this forgotten story. I woke up one morning to find Ryoma leaning over me, arms crossed, his gaze demanding me I start working on this again. I apologize to those who have left me the kindest and most encouraging reviews. So here, my friends, is chapter 2.

Lost Within Myself

Standing in the blinding spotlight of a rising tennis professional, Echizen Keira realized something drastically missing from her life. And she was willing to sacrifice everything to find out what it was.

" ' …' " indicates spoken English (or any foreign language that may come up)

Chapter 2

Echoes and Rumors

" 'This is a pen,' " Iwamoto-sensei (1) repeated for the third time that day. He was the English teacher of the first year students at Seishun Gakuen Middle School (2). He was in his forties, with a short full-beard and dark brown hair. The teacher pointed at a pencil of a student that sat in the front. " 'That is a penshaaru (3).' "

The 1st year students of class 2 repeated the phrases uttered by Iwamoto-sensei faithfully.

"Does anyone know how to spell penshaaru in English?" Iwamoto-sensei asked the class.

Several students raised their hands and Ryoma wasn't one of them. Of course, he knew how to spell penshaaru in English. He had read the entire English textbook assigned to his class from cover-to-cover over the last weekend. Resting his head on a propped hand, his honey-colored eyes wandered to the window.

A bit hot to play tennis, he noted to himself. Hardly a breeze shuffled through the green foliage of trees that stood nearby the building. "I wonder how hot it is in Miami?" Ryoma wondered softly to himself.

"Echizen-kun, did you want to say something?"

Ryoma didn't hear the English teacher. He continued to contemplate the weather conditions elsewhere in the world. A soft elbow nudged his side and Ryoma was forced to grant Horio Satoshi a slightly peeved but inquiring look.

Horio pointed at Iwamoto-sensei.

Ryoma stood up slowly. He dipped his head slightly in apology. "Ah, gomenasai (4), Sensei. Hai?"

The English teacher leaned his folded arms on the podium he stood behind. "You were talking while Kanada-kun was spelling penshaaru. What was so important that you had to interrupt the class?" A speculative look cross the teacher's face. "And answer in English."

Everyone's eyes locked onto Echizen Ryoma. Several of them exchanged glances that clearly stated, that's so wrong. He has to speak in English! We're just first years.

Horio was terrified for Ryoma and when his classmate didn't respond right away, he reached for his English dictionary determined to help his classmate out. However, when Horio opened his dictionary, he didn't understand any of the words either, much less how to form a coherent sentence.

"Oh, did I say that out loud?" Ryoma asked, surprise clearly on his face. "In English… eeto…(5)" The first year smirked.

Horio knew that smirk.

" 'I was just wondering if the weather in Miami, Florida was good tennis weather.' " Ryoma's English was perfectly unaccented and cohesive.

The classroom became silent and still. Shocked expressions covered the faces of Ryoma's classmates. Iwamoto-sensei's elbow's slipped off the podium as he was leaning forward with bizarre surprise. He caught himself from falling and leveled a serious gaze at the carefully blasé gaze of the first year who just spoke.

"Are you fluent in English?" Ryoma found it ironic the teacher didn't phrase his question in English.

" 'My mother is fluent in English and taught me when I was younger,' " he replied.

Iwamoto-sensei stared at Ryoma a few more seconds before allowing him to sit down. When Ryoma didn't take his seat, the teacher asked him what he wanted.

"May I use the restroom?" he asked politely.

The teacher waved him out of the room as he opened the English text again. As Ryoma stepped out, " 'This is a pen' " echoed behind him.

Ryoma really didn't need to use the restroom. He was just tired of listening to a chant about a particular pen. Instead, he decided to walk idly around the 2nd floor that his homeroom was on.

He found himself on the open walkway that connected the main building with the building the 2nd years were in. The view was of benches, gardens and trees. Pretty, Ryoma thought. He could make out the cafeteria and idly wondered if it was open at the moment for a light snack. On the opposite end of the complex, along the pathway that lead to the tennis courts, Ryoma spotted three figures walking. The stout bald man with the thick black-rimmed glasses and the plaid brown suit could only be Seigaku's Headmaster, Ishikawa Hiroyuki. He was a strict man with a pleasant personality and seemed to genuinely care for his students. Ishikawa-sensei also taught World History. Two women walk on the Headmaster's opposite side. Ryoma couldn't make out their faces, even with his sharp vision. The taller woman wore a simple dress of modest hues. The other woman was wearing a cream colored suit.

Okaa-chan was wearing cream today. Ryoma smiled slightly the sudden thought he had. But he reasoned it couldn't be his mother. Echizen Rinko had no reason to be walking with the Headmaster and an unknown teacher. Didn't she have a client this morning?

Ryoma's mother was a gifted linguist (6). Her father, his grandfather, was a visionary man. He was one of the first businessmen to conduct equal trade relations with foreign countries after the end of World War II (7). Takeuchi-jiisan (8) chose to remain in America with his new wife. Ryoma still misses him. As a child Ryoma's mother was exposed to many Western cultures and languages and learned to speak conversational French, Spanish, and a little Russian. When Takeuchi-jiisan discovered Rinko's passion for languages, he encouraged his daughter to pursue her interest. Echizen Rinko was now fluent in five languages and can do a smattering in several others.

Her son didn't inherit her talent for language acquisition. Instead, he inherited his mother's delicate beauty and nearly porcelain skin. Despite the thousands amount of hours he spent under the heat of the sun, he managed to tan to a light cream, about two shades darker than his mother.

A breeze made it's way between buildings and softly tousled Ryoma's hair. He had been gone from class for almost ten minutes. He hoped that Iwamoto-sensei did not get the wrong idea.

It was two seconds after the lunch bell rang, Ryoma estimated, when he found himself surrounded by a legion of his classmates, at the forefront, Horio Satoshi.

"Since when have you been able to speak English?" the bushy uni-browed boy demanded.

It was the curious question on everyone's minds. Ryoma sat back down. The look he gave Horio didn't speak much of the boys intelligence.

"You should know. Why are you surprised?" Ryoma said to Horio, leaning back into his chair.

His classmate was baffled and the class shifted their gaze from Ryoma to Horio.

Ryoma added, "For two years of tennis experience, I would expect you to remember a thing or two about your teammates."

"Ryoma-sama!(9)" came an enthusiastic screech from the door.

Ryoma was a prudent boy. He looked at the throng surrounding his desk. "I'm hungry he muttered." While his classmates were questions Horio about his two years of tennis experience, Ryoma adroitly skulked around the crowd, using them as a shield and fled the room.

"Ryoma-sama!" Osakada Tomoka called out again in a singsong voice. She noticed the group of people that was dispersing from Ryoma's desk.

Ryuzaki Sakuno fidgeted behind her friend, clutching a ribbon-decorated bag of cookies that she baked. "He's not here," she said softly, disappointed.

"Oi, Ryuzaki-san, those are delicious looking cookies." Horio walked over to the tennis coach's granddaughter.

"They aren't for you," Tomoka told Horio in her characteristic haughtiness. "They're for my Prince Ryoma."

The boy snorted but a glare from the brash girl silenced any sneer remarks he might have made. Instead he asked, "Do you why Echizen is fluent in English?"

Tomoka frowned. "I didn't know he could speak English." Then her face lit up. "Ryoma-sama is so smart!" she gushed.

"Wasn't Ryoma-kun raised in America?" Sakuno interjected, looking at Ryoma's open tennis bag on the floor next to his desk.

Horio slapped his forehead. "Oh that's what he meant! I forgot! Echizen gives some vague answers sometimes." The boy had no idea that Ryoma had actually meant to question his intelligence. He pointed at the bag in Sakuno's arms. "Do you want me to give that to Echizen?"

Sakuno looked from Ryoma's bag, to Horio, then to the spot previously occupied by her best friend. Tomoka had already left in search of the first year idol.

The disappointment in Sakuno's mouth was bitter. She wanted to give Ryoma the cookies in person. The chances of her seeing him before lunch ended were slim.

"Please give this to Ryoma-kun then, Horio-kun." Sakuno said, handing the bag to Horio's eager, hungry hands.

"You can count on me!" the boy exclaimed.

Sakuno bobbed her head in gratitude and hurried to her lunch in her homeroom.

"Hey, did you hear?" the red-headed Kikumaru Eiji was saying as Ryoma walked into the Seigaku boys tennis club changing room.

"Hear about what, Eiji-sempai?" Powerhouse 2nd year regular Momoshiro Takeshi asked as he unbuttoned his white uniform shirt.

"The school just accepted a late transfer student."

"Female. 3rd year assigned to Class 1. The same class as Tezuka-san. She starts next week." Inui Sadaharu's deep voice was smug as he walked in with his ever-present green data book.

Kikumaru and Momoshiro turned quickly to Seigaku's top data collector.

"You saw her?" Kikumaru asked Inui.

"Is she pretty?" Momoshiro wanted to know.

Inui snapped his notebook shut. "Unfortunately, that is secondhand information. I was in class when she came by."

Kikumaru frowned. "Mou (10) … even Inui couldn't get any good data."

Inui turned away from the ungrateful pair, adjusting he square spectacles. He chose not to reply.

"Hey Echizen, did you see the new student?" Momoshiro asked the 1st year.

Ryoma shrugged his regulars' jersey on. "From afar, I think," he said. "If the two women I saw with Headmaster Ishikawa was the new student and her mother."

"Is she pretty?" Kikumaru asked this time around.

"Couldn't tell. I was too far."

"Court A in five minutes." Tezuka Kunimitsu did not have to raise his voice for the authority in his voice to carry in the room. The captain of Seigaku's tennis club stood at the entrance already suited up in his tennis uniform. His gray eyes scanned the room making sure everyone heard him. Upon getting eager affirmative nods and several "Ossu, Buchou!" , he turned and left the room.

Kikumaru watched him leave. "Tezuka never changes," he said as he was tying his shoes. "Never one to say hello."

"Hello, Kikumaru." Tezuka's voice came from just outside the door. His voice was a deep baritone, already past the stages of awkward pubescent yodeling "Now suit up and get to the courts."

Everyone in the room paused for a moment.

"Did Tezuka-buchou just make a joke?" Momoshiro exclaimed in disbelief.

A rakish grin spread on Kikumaru's lips. "Hoi hoi! It's time to play some tennis!"

End Chapter 2

Footnotes:

(1) Iwamoto-sensei : I have no idea who's the man who teaches the Ryoma's class English. This name is completely fictional. Sensei means teacher/coach/professor. It can be used with almost anyone in a mentoring position

(2) Seishun Gakuen is Seigaku's full name

(3) Japanese pronunciation of the world "pencil".

(4) Gomenasai sorry

(5) Equivalent to English "um…" "uh…"

(6) I know that Echizen Rinko is an ex-attorney. I found out after I made her an interpreter. I was trying to explain why the Echizen's live in relative comfort since Nanjirou has not been competing (or endorsing) since quitting tennis 15 years prior to the story.

(7) Rinko's father should have been a young man during the WWII. Just adding some historical fictional fact to add background. I don't know Takeuchi-ojiisan's (grandfather) background. I don't know if its ever mentioned.

(8) Once again, just creating a bit more expansive family background

(9) –sama, in Ryoma-sama, is a Japanese honorific attached to names of highly respected individuals. In this case, in adding –sama to Ryoma's name, Tomoka is attempting to garner attention from Ryoma.

(10) "Mou..." A word filler/ expression in Japanese that express slight disappointment. Like English "Aww"