Kunimitsu
Tezuka Kunimitsu looks across the court before raising his arm as he tosses the ball for his serve. He hits the ball with a loud thwack sending it flying to the other side of the court. He runs to his left as he anticipates his opponent's move.
"I have to get this score" Kunimitsu thought to himself as he raises his left arm ready to slice the ball adding a tremendous rotation to it starting the Tezuka zone. His opponent seemed a bit surprised but was quick to react recognizing Kunimitsu's signature move.
Playing at the Australian Open; one of the Grand Slam tournaments is every tennis player's dream.
It's the first time for 18 year old Tezuka to join the competition since he joined the international professional tennis scene by initially joining the juniors after he left Seigaku, and eventually earning himself a spot in the challenger series in his 16th year. By then the name Kunimitsu Tezuka is starting to get known in the different circuits. After successfully debuting in the Tennis Master's Cup and competing in Wimbledon the year before, Kunimitsu Tezuka is now ranked 7th in the world even after only 2 years of his officially professional career. By participating in all of this year's Grand Slams; Kunimitsu knows that his ranking could increase dramatically depending on the outcome of the games.
With this motivation in mind, he turned back his attention to the game at hand.
15-30! The umpire shouted.
It's been a while since Kunimitsu has played a game seriously. True, there are a lot of worthy opponents in the professional circuit. But only a handful of his opponents managed to excite him in a game; let alone make him play all out.
Looking at the man on the other side of court; he grudgingly thought to himself "I suppose he deserves to be ranked second after all." He breathed deeply as he swings his arm adding more power to his shot as he returned the heavy ball flying back to his opponent's court.
Playing like this brings back memories of playing for Seigaku.
Back when the ultimate goal was to become number 1 in the Nationals, and number 1 in Japan. There were a lot more note-worthy opponents back then than all the players in the 9 tennis masters tournament put together. He can't help but wonder what the international tennis scene would've been like if he's still playing with the likes of Atobe Keigo, Sanada Genichirou, Fuji Syusuke and Echizen Ryoma.
Ryoma…
The name left an inexplicably hollow yet bittersweet taste in his mouth.
His concentration broke and the opponent got a chance ball, hitting a shot right to the corner instead of going to Kunimitsu's zone
30-30!
He looked at the ball; nostalgia setting in.
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(4 years back)
"Buchou" the boy's eyes shone challenging him. "I'm going to start taking back the points now." Echizen Ryoma said switching to his right hand.
It baffled Tezuka a little what made Echizen do that, though he soon found out the intentions of his kohai.
Game, Set and Match Tezuka Kunimitsu 6 games to 4.
"That was a good game Echizen." He said, standing beside the young boy who at that moment was washing his face.
"Che…"Echizen said looking away. "Mada Mada…I can't win against you even when you're not playing your best."
The dark haired boy looked so upset, like a little kid who just discovered that Santa doesn't exist. Tezuka's face softened.
He reached out his hand settling it on the smaller boy's head.
Shock registered in Echizen's eyes at the touch since he's never seen the Buchou initiate any form of physical contact with any of the other team members — not even the regulars (not even with Fuji-senpai nor Oishi-senpai, he thought) — except to shake hands during the games.
"You have to become stronger. Remember what I told you before? You have to become Seigaku's Pillar of Support."
Echizen can only nod numbly, still not over the shock of the Buchou touching him so affectionately.
"Ne Buchou, will you play with me again after you get back from Germany?"
"There's nothing i'd like more."
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3 games all! Kunimitsu Tezuka, to serve!"
Kunimitsu still feels weird when his name is announced that way. Although he has accepted that except in Japan, not only is it considered normal to address a person in the order of their first name and last name, but that it's actually a common practice to simply call a person by their first name without having to attach honorifics.
Still he can't shake the odd feeling that he gets whenever anyone – especially strangers – would approach him so casually calling him Kunimitsu; when up until he left Japan, the only people who ever called him that are his family. And as the case with a lot of Westerners (Europeans, even) who probably find his name either too long or just hard to pronounce, shorten his name to Kuni or Mitsu. Nobody ever called him that. And only one person ever got away with calling him Mitsu.
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(4 years back)
"Ne, Mitsu…I asked you if we can find something to eat first. Onaka ga suita!"
The nickname sounded foreign; since not even his parents call him that. Yet it feels sweet and intimate sending a pleasurable shiver down his spine.
A pair of greenish-gold eyes looked directly into his own causing him to jump a little, in surprise, as he stops his reverie.
"Well Hannah is planning to treat us to a nice cafe, near Kristov avenue. Once they find Kaidoh, we'll be on our way." He said consolingly as he walked with his kohai to the rehab center to invite Ryuzaki-sensei to join them for dinner.
Somehow, between the e-mails and phone calls they've exchanged during Tezuka's absence as he recuperates in Germany, Echizen has gone from addressing him as Buchou to Tezuka-san, to Kunimitsu-san, to Kunimitsu and now to Mitsu.
Tezuka knows he should probably ask Echizen to refrain from calling him that when they're in public, lest it arouses the curiosity of others, but for some reason he doesn't feel as concerned or bothered as he thought he would be.
"Ryoma…" he said, testing the name on his tongue. Echizen looked surprised, but pleased that Tezuka has taken to calling him by his given name. "Ryoma" Tezuka repeated the name, and he decided he liked how it rolled off easily on his tongue.
Ryoma cocked an eyebrow and looked as if he's trying to hold back a snicker seeing how Kunimitsu was so absorbed in getting himself accustomed to addressing him by his given name rather than the usual "Echizen".
When Kunimitsu finally realized that he's been mumbling Ryoma's name repeatedly in the past 5 minutes like a mantra, he cleared his throat to regain his composure, but was unable to control the faint blush creeping up his cheeks.
Ryoma was floored when he saw the normally stoic Buchou's face flush in embarrassment. It's not something one would see everyday. Oh he'd seen him looking flushed alright, but under perfectly understandable circumstances, such as during practice and matches. Seeing this vulnerable side of Kunimitsu, Ryoma felt an odd flutter in his chest that he himself can't quite understand.
Ryoma pulled the visor over his eyes, as the tensed silence stretched between them. They continued to walk in silence, but they both knew that somehow, something changed. In a span of a few minutes, even without words, they had somehow crossed the line that they have been trying to avoid ever since that first time that they have played each other at the Haruno grounds.