Hi people! Neko here! Wazzup yo! I am back with the new installment of Enemy up Close! This might have hints of Momo X Ryo but it probably wont be a pairing.

Anyway, PoT does not belong to moi.

"Sensei…In my past life, I was born with royal blood… I don't think I would know what it was like to have such a risky job like a knight's…" a short boy of five years old looked at the balding old man, golden eyes sharp and serious. The other children stared at him, incredulous. Soon, they began to whisper.

"Echizen is weird isn't he?"

"He speaks like he is superior…But the way that he holds himself… Isn't it like he is acting like those snotty people from anime?"

"Ne…I think we shouldn't talk to him anymore… That guy… does he think he is in a game or something? Past life? That is just for crazy people…"

"Echizen is delusional…"

The whispers soon turned to full-out talking, which soon turned to laughing before it ended in jeering. Ryoma ignored the mocking, instead, he watched the silent teacher who did not do anything.

When he returned home that day, he ran up to his mom and hugged her as he told her what happened that day. It was the first time the boy shed tears…and it would be the last.

The next day, the Echizens left Japan for America. The five year old boy created a cold, uncaring persona. He didn't want to be hurt anymore… He wouldn't be able to handle it…Hiding his feelings, he immersed himself in tennis.

No one cared.

No one looked beyond the wall he built around himself.

He was…

"Echizen." Someone was shaking his shoulder. "Echizen! Wake up!" A golden eye cracked open as he stared at the speaker. "Ah. It's just you, senpai." He murmured out, ignoring Momo's twitching eyebrow and the popped vein at his forehead, as he settled himself back into a comfortable position, eyes closing slowly. 'That's strange…I never could remember my childhood before…except for when baka-oyaji actually taught me something useful…'

"Oi, wake up already. Practice is starting soon." The indigo-eyed teen poked his kohai's cheek, causing him to get a glare from the cat-eyed freshman. The golden gaze slowly moved to the clock. Sighing, he slowly stood up, slightly wincing from the ache of not moving for hours. He turned his sharp gaze to the upperclassman, arching an eyebrow at the red tinting tall male's cheeks. "Momo-senpai…Daijobu?" The taller teen flinched slightly at the sudden words. He looked away before giving the first-year a bright grin.

"Aa… I'm okay. Come on, we don't want Tezuka-buchou to give us a 100 laps." Slinging his arms over the freshman's shoulders, he dragged the boy to the courts. His face was hidden to the younger's gaze, so Echizen didn't see the bemusement flashing past his indigo orbs. 'Did…did I just think Echizen was cute?' Frowning slightly, he shook away the thought. 'Must be nothing… But…' The teen felt a rush of nostalgia. 'Why did…Why did I feel…like I knew Echizen? Like it was a long time ago…but before…before-'

"Senpai?" The slightly emotionless voice broke his train of thoughts. Looking down to meet the questioning gaze, Momo laughed nervously before apologizing. Momo swore he saw a ghost of a frown flit past the freshman's lips before he smirked and said his usual catchphrase. Shrugging away the arm still putting him in a loose headlock, he walked away in an arrogant manner, leaving his senpai behind. The taller teen looked on before laughing and easily catching up with the 12 going on 13 year old and calling him uncute. They stared bantering with each other, the tense moment far behind them.

It hurt. It hurt really badly. Where is he? Everything was so dark. Help… Someone…help…Who…Who am I…

Golden eyes blinked as he snapped out of his trance. Help? Dark? What was going on with him? He frowned and cursed under his breath. He could feel a migraine forming. Gripping the bridge of his nose he focused on running. His head spun as fatigue came over him.

Then he lost consciousness.

"Echiz-"

The man across her was taller than her. He had golden eyes and emerald hair. A starnge combination for anyone who isn't an Echizen. "Nice to meet you, Hime-chan." He had a baritone voice and a fake smile. "I am Kitsune, 13 years old. I am to be your advisor as you grow up and become the head of the Family." An advisor…one of the positions the Head would trust beyond anyone else.

How ironic…I don't trust him.

"Why do you smile if you have no intention to?" I ignored my caretaker's call of "Hime-sama!" as a rush of satisfaction rushed through me when I saw a flash of surprise appear in his molten gold eyes before it dissolved into amusement.

A smirk played upon his rosy lips as he watched me with curiosity that was similar to that of his namesake's…that is, a fox.

I didn't like that look… It made me feel silly…like he knew something I don't… That he knew, maybe I did too, that if we were to be in battle…

He would win.

Golden eyes stared at the ceiling in a slight trance as he opened his eyes with a gasp. Shaking himself out of his trance, he slowly sat up, wincing when a sharp pain spiked in his head. Caressing it with a palm, he looked around, half-lidded eyes darting around; noting down the visitors of what was obviously the school infirmary.

He observed as Momo-senpai and Tezuka-senpai listened to the school nurse, an aloof woman of 34, with a permanent frown on her face. Violet eyes evidently lit up as he walked over to patient, with the other 2 trailing behind him.

The second year poured a glass of water for the first year, smiling when the smaller nodded his thanks.

"You fainted and we brought you to the infirmary. Your parents are notified." The stoic captain informed the emerald haired first year. "Hn…" He nodded once more before he downed his glass of water. "Momo will bring you home. Your bags have been kept. According to Coach Ryuuzaki, you are to rest at home for the rest of the day." The words were clearly a demand and left no room for protest as the captain left; making sure the 2 regulars understood their orders.

Ryoma sighed before he resigned himself. He signed a form that the nurse gave him and left the room, almost tripping before Momo caught him. He almost groaned at how weak he was being.

Momo chuckled at the pout that appeared on the first year's lips as he supported him to the bicycle, cycling him home.

The first thing that Momo thought on Echizen's family was that they were strange. When he followed Echizen up to his house, ignoring the gripes the shorter muttered under his breath, the mother took one look at him and asked his name. He answered her honestly, raising an eyebrow when she gasped. From the look in her eyes, he would have thought that he somehow offended her before she ran in the house with Echizen following behind slowly.

After she ran out, his cousin and father popped up. The cousin was a beauty and the father looked familiar but before he could confirm anything else, they also darted in. Immediately after that, the mother came out, gripping a letter that looked overly extravagant. "Please pass this to your father."

He had found the request strange but he nodded his assurance and left.

He passed the letter immediately to his father as soon as he got home. Watching him with a sharp eye, he wondered what was going on. When he finished reading, his dad frowned before sending a look to his mom. Momo frowned at the shocked look in his mom's eyes before it dissolved

"Takeshi… I…We need to talk to you." Momo frowned even deeper at the grave tone in his father's voice.

Something strange was going to happen.

He probably won't like it.

Please review! Reviews are my energy to survive a school day!