Hi guys! As promised, here is the next chapter of 'The Empress'.
I'm really happy that the first chapter is well received and all.
Warning (s): This is an SemiAU fic, so I'm not going to follow the cannon in the following chapters.
OOC Characters; Genderbend Fic; Fem!ryoma
Un-betaed so it's not perfect.
Disclaimer: I don't own PoT
R&R Enjoy reading minna~
"I'm glad that we finally arrive to an agreement Seiichi" Reika smiled at the two Rikkai players and started to walk back to her team with a slight smile lingering on her pretty face.
Sanada followed Reika with his gaze as she walked leisurely back to her still cheering team. Eyeing a certain brunette captain who is looking right back at him with his more stoic and calculating eyes. Sanada sighed, and he finally retreated back to his team alongside Yukimura.
The blunette suddenly stopped and turned head towards the victors. "Something's off with Seigaku." He muttered. "I've noticed it ever since the start of the Nationals. I wander what are they hiding."
Sanada only nodded and continued to follow his captain back to their team.
…
"Buchou. I was so touched by your match. It was amazing!" Kirihara cried wiping the tears flowing his his eyes. Yukimura smiled sadly at the baby of the team. He knew Kirihara was upset, well they are all upset.
"We lost. I'm very sorry." Yukimura muttered under his breath as he patted Kirihara's messy hair.
"Don't worry about it Yukimura. We did our best." Yanagi spoke up approachineg the blunette patting the latter reassuringly.
"Don't fuss about it Yukimura. It's not like it's the end right?" Marui chirped still finidng in himelf to put a mouthful of cake in his mouth.
"I agree with Marui, Yukimura. It's not the end." Yagyuu added.
"Puri~"
Yukimura looked up to his team shocked by their reaction to their loss. He was actually waiting for an incoming slap to touch his face but it never came.
"Don't give us that look Captain; we won't do it you know." Jackal said crossing his arms around his chest.
Yukimura bowed his head, his face being shadowed by his hair. "Thank you everyone." He muttered looking up to them and flashed a smile.
Sanada placed his hand over Yukimura's shoulder. "We lost this one. But it does not mean it's the end for us. We still have years ahead of us."
…
"Echizen, you know what? Why don't you head home first? You should get some rest." The mother-hen; Oishi said to Reika.
"Huh? But isn't there supposed to be a victory party at Taka-san's place after this?" Reika inquired raising an eyebrow at her sempai.
"Ah.. er.. yeah. But we figured that we can just move the party to another day." Oishi replied nervously slightly scratching the back of his head.
"You don't need to that Oishi-sempai. I'm fine." Reika replied.
"But Echizen"
"Listen to Oishi, Echizen. You need to rest, we'll just move t party to another day. Just go home for today." Tezuka said, suddenly appearing behind Reika.
Reika turned her head to her captain and looked at him with her famous bored stare. She the shrugged and went to get her things. "Well then, I guess I 'll be you guys later." The latter bid her team goodbye and headed straight to the exit of the stadium.
"Finally! I thought he'll never leave!" Momoshiro yelled flopping down to the nearby bleachers.
"I don't think I can go on pretending to be nice to that brat."
"Fushuu~ Keep your voice down Momoshiro. He might still be around." Kaidoh butted in his head turning to and fro to check whether Echizen is still around.
"There's an 87% possibility that Echizen already left for home. 8% that he went to the nearby vending machine to get himself one of his sodas, a 5% chance that he'll return here because he forgot something." Inui said pushing his opaque glasses up to his nose.
"If Inui-sempai says so. So I guess it safe now huh?" Momoshiro said.
"So what now Tezuka?" Oishio asked as he looked at the smirking faces of his team members sans Eiji and Kawamura who is looking rather grim.
"Echizen has successfully fulfille his purpose, bringing Seigaku the National championship. SO we don't have anymore use for him." Fuji said revealing his cerulean colored eyes.
"So what do we do to get rid of him?" Kaidoh asked.
Eiji didn't like what's happening and so was Kawamura. They both knew about the plan beforehand, even before the start of the year after they found out that the son of the legendary Samurai Nanjirouh is studying at Seigaku. They will use Echizen as a tool to get the title for themselves, seeing the unending potential the boy has.
At first Eiji and Kawamura also agreed to the plan. But something changed after Eiji spent time with Echizen for a whole year. He felt genuine brotherly affection towards the boy. And he hated himself that he didn't bother to stop his team's plans about using his 'ochibi'.
Eiji gave his partner Oishi a glare behind his back. He hated Oishi for it, especially now. How could they do such a cruel thing to a person who helped them achieve their goal? He mean, Echizen was their teammate for pete's sake!
"What do you think we should do Tezuka?" Fuji asked the silent captain besides him.
The team fell silent for a moment waiting for Tezuka to give them a reply.
"Nothing has changed. We should just tell him to focus more on competing in international competition rather than here in Japan with us." Tezuka said in a cruel and cold voice.
…
For the first time since she could remember, she felt genuinely happy. Happy because she finally found true friends. Friends that accepted her as she is and not because of her title of being Echizen Nanjirouh's successor.
That was the sole reason why she put up an impenetrable wall around her all her life. But spending a whole year with Seigaku, Reika found her wall slowly breaking down into little pieces as she finally warms up to other people rather than herself and her family.
"Congratulations on the win, Brat." A very sossy voice greeted her.
Reika turned her head to her side and looked at the person with a very annoyed look on her face. "It's Reika for you Kei."
"Ore-sama can call you whatever he wants." Atobe scoffed walking gracefully towards the smaller teen. He then placed his hand over Reika's head and patted it gently.
"Shut up Monkey King!" the girl spat glaring dangerously at the grey haired teen.
Atobe returned the glare but quickly changed it into a smile. "ore-sama thought we're going to lose the lame nicknames after the Nationals?"
"Well you started it. I'll stop calling you 'Monkey king', if you stop calling me 'brat' Monkey King." Reika replied pouting at the taller male.
It was unbeknownst to the public that Atobe Keigo and Echizen Reika/Ryoma are cousins. Their family decided that it should be kept a secret to avoid unnecessary complication.
…
"So you're finally planning on telling them you're true gender ahn~?" Atobe asked handing the girl a fresh can of grape flavoured Ponta.
Reika nodded as she reached for the can of soda from her cousin's hand. "It pointless if I kept it from them any longer. Yukimura and Sanada already knows it." She replied bluntly pulling the lid off the can and chugged at the beverage.
She then ran her hand over her hair, grabbed something on its side and carefully removed her short trimmed wig. And immediately, soft raven coloured hair with shiny emerald streaks flowed freely down to her shoulders.
Atobe raised his eyebrow at his cousin; he eyes her carefully before narrowing his eyes. "Why did you cut you hair?" he asked
Reika then unconsciously ran her hand over her hair and shrugged. "It would be troublesome for me to put on the wig if my hair was that long."
Atobe sighed. He really loved Reika's once long hair that it reaches down to her back, but seeing her now with a shorter hair. He can't help but notice a slight change on the girl. Atobe smiled.
"So want to go home now? Ore-sama is sure that Uncle and Auntie would love to hear about your match." Atobe asked gesturing Reika to follow her to the parking where Reika assumed where the car sent to fetch them is parked.
Reika nodded and put her tennis bag over her shoulder, but then she stop. "I forgot my cap on the bleachers." She said. "I'll just go get it! I'll be right back." Reika said as she started to ran back to the stadium. Atobe sighed and just followed her cousin back inside.
…
"Saa… where should be head next? It's still early to go home." Yukimura asked his team as they walked across the corridors of the stadium.
"How about we grab something to eat? I'm rather famished." Yagyuu replied.
"Sounds great. I saw this restaurant in the next street. We should eat there!" Kirihara happily said punching the air above him.
"It's fine with me as long as I'm not paying. Puri~" Niou added
Sanada ignored the brewing bicker from his team after spending 3 years with these guys he's already used to their bickering. He sighed and scanned his surroundings. He then spotted a two figures standing on the entrance of the court. He recognized the first one as Atobe Keigo and the other one as-. Sanada stopped abruptly catching the attentions of his teammates.
"Sanada?" Yukimura asked shifting his gaze towards the direction the latter is looking at.
"Echizen?" he muttered.
…
Reika could not believe what she just heard. She just stood there frozen at her spot stiff as stone. She clenched her fist into a tight ball and lowered her head slightly, covering her face with her hair.
Atobe was standing next to her and he looked pissed as hell. He glared at the team that is hurdling just below them with pure anger and disgust.
"Echizen are you al-" Yukimura asked walking briskly towards the slightly shaking girl. But he was cut when Reika suddenly march off and head towards Seigaku.
…
"If you wanted me gone that bad, you could have just told me sooner." Reika's voice boomed across the now empty court startling Seigaku.
"I can't believe you guys…" she muttered under her breath.
She then looked up to them with a cold and cruel expression on her face. "Well it's not like I liked you guys. You're all annoying." She lied desperate to keep her tears from escaping from her eyes she then turned to her heels and started to walk away from the shocked Seigaku.
Atobe along with the rest of the Rikkaidai was shocked by what they just saw and heard. After all this time, Seigaku was using Echizen for their selfish wants.
...
Atobe was seething in anger, no, he was beyond angry. He watched his cousin quickly exit the stadium before he walked straight towards Tezuka.
"I never knew Seigaku was this desperate to have a stupid title. I thought wrongly of you." Atobe growled before delivering a heavy punch on Tezuka's cheek making the brunette stumble back to the floor.
Atobe glared at Seigaku coldly. He swiped his hair to his side and quickly walked away to chase his cousin.
Sanada was also beyond furious. But he didn't resort to the same thing Atobe did. He just silently stood there on the sides glaring daggers at the team. The same could be said to the rest of Rikkaidai.
"That's just plain bull! I guess you guys really don't deserve the title!" Kirihara suddenly yelled.
"It was Echizen-kun's win that ensured Seigaku the title. And then you're just using him. I'm disappointed Sadaharu." Yanagi said in a cold tone his usually closed eyes now slightly opened and is also glaring at the frozen team.
Sanada sighed and started to walk away. The rest of the team followed.
Yukimura then stopped he didn't even bother to look at Seigaku and said. "You guys are the worst." He said, his voice were not near it's calm and gentle tone, instead it was more like a growl. A very angry growl.
Seigaku was at loss for wards, guilt suddenly overwhelmed them after what just happened. They didn't know that something like will happen
…
Reika was running aimlessly outside the stadium. Finally letting tears to flow freely from her amber colored eyes down to her now pale face. She continued running until her legs gave up and she collapsed on the floor sobbing.
Atobe was panicking, he quickly hasten his pace to catch up with Reika. And when he finally did, he found her slumped in a corner crying her eyes out. The older male quickly made his way to Reika and placed a hand over her head.
Reika flinched at the touch and briefly looked up making Atobe see the tear streaked and deathly pale face of Reika.
Reika after seeing the her cousin, quickly stood up and grabbed hold of Atobe's torso, burying her face against Atobe's broad chest. Atobe seeing his cousin in such distress quickly wrapped himself to her protectively.
"I thought they were my friends… I'm so stupid… I'm so stupid. I'd let play with my feelings after all this time…" Reika muttered between sobs.
Atobe could only soothe his cousin's back and tell her to stop crying. He slowly pulled away from Reika and tilted her face towards him. "Stop crying. They are not worth your tears…"
Reika pulled away from Atobe's hand and looked away, attempting to wipe away her tears. But then a sudden surge of familiar headache went through her and she found herself quickly losing her consciousness and engulfed by darkness.
Chapter is done! As promised an update! I'm really happy that this story is well received by you guys!
SO what do you think about this chapter? Good? Bad?
And yes, it's based on Looking Away Challenge by EmInArEvOl. But it not like I'm accepting the challenge. The plot is just perfect for my PoT muse. And this story is very well planned out. (already wrote 9 chapters for this story)
Anyways I hope you guys find this story acceptable! I'm very sorry for the grammar and spelling errors. i'm not going to apologize for the OCC characters. As i have said this is a AU fic, so characters are bound to be OOC. But I'm trying my best here!
please review!
~xdarkxkurokox