Let's go back...
An Autumn leaf started the opening sequence of the anime Winter Moon -the anime series Misaki Sakura loves so much. This is also the same leaf that fell in front of Misaki right after she met the Seigaku tennis club.
Could this be the start of her fantasy? Could this be the start of her story? Could this be the signal of her fantasy in reality?
Here comes the 2nd chapter! Hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 2
Fight!
"Hurry up, Misaki! I don't want to miss any match between the regulars."
"I'm coming, I'm coming! Just wait a little bit longer," Misaki yelled back to Rie from the middle of their classroom. Liara and Rie are waiting for her at their classroom door for almost five minutes.
"What's taking you so long anyway?" Liara grumpily asked in vexation.
"Found it!" Misaki raised a piece of paper in her hands.
"What's that?" Rie questioned.
Misaki gave a very bright smile. "The article that contains some spoilers on Winter Moon: Tales of the Two Samurai Movie!"
"Really? Wow, may I read it!" Rie tried to take the two-page article off Misaki's hand but Misaki distanced it from her. "Later, when we reached the tennis courts; I haven't read this article myself either," She decreed.
Liara raised her eyebrow. "Nonsense! Whatever that is written in that paper, there's still no guarantee that it would really be in the Winter Moon Movie. You'll only know what really is inside the Winter Moon Movie once it's DVD has been released in the market."
Misaki let out her tongue. "So what? Still, if there's some hint that my Tsubasa Konomi's going to have a partner and if it's going to be someone like Siony in my story-
"-which is you-"
"Not that right Rie. Of course, it's not just me. It could be anyone. Any girl who dreams that someday the man of their dreams would come and show up to their lives. So anyway, as I was saying, if there's some hint that my Tsubasa Konomi's going to have a partner and it's someone like Siony…well it's going to be the happiest moment of my life!" Misaki dreamily hugged the piece of paper in her hand.
"Yeah sure whatever. Let's go now! They might've been starting their afternoon practice already." Liara demanded.
"Fine," Misaki snorted.
"Hi Tomo! Hi Sakuno!" Misaki cheerfully greeted when they reached the tennis court. "Wow! Everyone's training really hard for tomorrow's game. Look! They're running laps around the court once again!" She added after seeing the situation.
"Oh Misaki! How are you three? What took you all so long?" Tomoka inquired after hearing Misaki's loud, energetic voice.
"All Misaki's fault, -shut up Misaki it is your fault –anyway what did we missed?" Liara snootily said back to Misaki's complaint before questioning Tomoka and Sakuno.
"Talk about what we luckily missed. What happened to Horio, Katsuo and Kachiro?" Misaki talks about her three batchmates who are also tennis members, lying unconsciously on the grass.
"Inui juice attack." Tomoka answered and both Liara and Rie shuddered in fear.
Misaki looked from the three unconscious boys to her four friends. "Inui juice?"
"Aaaarrrrgghhh!" Soon the rest of the tennis club members shouted in agony as they run towards the sink located near the locker room. But as they run sorrowfully, each of them starts to wither one by one, thoroughly fainting down to the ground even before reaching that fated sink.
Liara and Rie iced up in fear. "It's worse!"
Misaki's eyes we're wide in surprise. "W-WHY? WHAT'S WORSE? W-WHAT IS HAPPENNING?"
"Regulars! -By senpai-Inui's rule, the last to run the last lap shall drink 1 pitcher of Inui juice." After Momoshiro shouts that information from the Inui juice stand located at the front center of the whole tennis club's area, (the place where the boards are located) the running regulars shivered and motivated to run much faster than the usual.
"The Inui juice…it really is the ultimate weapon for mass destruction…I really want to have that kind of formula…hehehe" With an evil laugh, Rie took up pictures every now and then.
"Yeah, but it brings out good motivation. Look!" Misaki pointed the heated regulars as they run pass them. Everyone followed her finger.
"It's a good thing Momo-senpai finally feels okay about Inui-senpai taking his spot at the regulars." Tomoka stated.
"Yeah, now the nine we're back to the usual friendship they had. It's much fun when Momo-senpai's around." Sakuno added.
"I really don't want to drink that. Whatever you say, you could never have me drink that kind of stuff -unless of course for 1 million dollars, I'll gladly but sorrowfully would." Liara stated to others but more to herself.
"Why? It looks kinda tasty." Misaki innocently said and Tomoka almost hurled up at her statement.
"What are you Misaki, an alien? Didn't you just saw what that Inui juice did to Horio, Katsuo and Kachiro? Didn't you just saw what that juice did to the other tennis members? MISAKI, we don't know what is in that drink -That drink has a very horrifying taste! I tell you, don't plan to drink that DRINK! You know why? Because whoever drinks the juice that senpai Inui made will find rest in peace! I repeat, REST IN PEACE!" She madly explained.
Misaki looked from the fast running regulars, to the fainted tennis members, to Horio, Katsuo and Kachiro, and to the mad face of Tomoka, then concluded, "Oh so Inui senpai made the juice" and with that sentence everyone stumbled in witnessing Misaki's stupidity.
"Duh. That's why it's called Inui juice." Liara said back to her posture.
"Did they really drink it? Wow, I wanna try it!" Misaki suddenly became energized.
"Um, are you serious Misaki? Do you really want to drink senpai Inui's juice? It's better if you try to think it over." Sakuno warned softly.
"Didn't you just hear me Misaki? I said if you drink that juice, you'll find REST IN PEACE!" Tomoka loudly added.
"Well, half of me wanted to try it, half of me don't want to. But I'm so curious about the taste! Maybe one sip may do. Uh wait a minute-" Misaki's attention soon got caught by the piece of paper lying beyond the paved road just meters away to where Momoshiro and the juices are. She moved her feet, and gave a few steps away from Tomoka whose causing commotion with her other friends which is probably about her weird idea of drinking that Inui juice.
"Uh- wait! Misaki don't!" Sakuno loudly halted as got sight of Misaki approaching near the Inui juice stand; the three heads followed her sight.
"Sakuno, you'll just waste your effort on stopping her. She really is stu – WATCH OUT!" Rie shouted from the corner but it was too late. After Misaki grab hold of her piece of article, she leaned back just enough to bang on one of the regular's forehead, whose force, drive her backwards just enough to bump the stand of all the Inui juices, making it all fall down to the ground soaking both Misaki and the regular she just bumped, wet.
"Ryoma, Misaki, are you two alright?" the childish worried voice of Eiji echoed from above.
"Aw-ouch!" Misaki moved her arm a little to touch her hurt forehead, she opened her eyes a little bit and found dark shadows surrounding them. She moved but before she realizes what has happened, there was Ryoma's body fully placed above her skinny one.
Ryoma tried to rise a little and as he looks beyond, it was Misaki's face and soaked hair that was facing him.
"Ah-AHHHHHHH!" Misaki, surprised by Ryoma's face, abruptly pushed Ryoma away from her, hitting his face flat with her hand that has the piece of paper she just picked up.
"Ah-no! Sorry Ryoma!" Misaki apologized after realizing what she has done. She tries to rise but falls down after.
"Misaki, Ryoma, are you okay?" Sakuno asked from Misaki's side.
"Ye-yeah, I think so," Misaki answered.
Ryoma stood up. "What are you doing anyway? Why aren't you looking to where you're heading?" Ryoma addressed to Misaki as he seized his fallen cap on the ground. He shook off its dirt, wore it, then finally gave a hand to Misaki.
Misaki looked from his hand to his face, but it was too bright, all she could see are its features, "Now I'm sure that he really is that brat from before," she thought.
"Look who's talking! You we're the one who's running fast and not looking at your way." Misaki retorted as she rejects Ryoma's hand and stand on her own.
"No. You stupidly stopped there even though you knew I was going to bump you so it's all you're fault," Ryoma coolly answered back.
"B-but- but…Well, atleast I said sorry unlike you, you're the one who almost hit me with a raging tennis ball but you didn't even try to apologize." Misaki stutters, loosing her cool.
Ryoma grumped up. "I- I was going to but senpai Eiji called me at that time."
"No! It's because you're really a brat with a high level of pride and thinks so high of himself! If you really are that sincere on apologizing, you should've apologized at me when we met once again that day." Misaki answered.
"Hey, how could I be certain that it's you? I mean, why would I expect someone that I owed to an apology, help me retrieve my cat? That's just stupid." Ryoma answered back.
"What's so stupid about it? You should be thankful that I retrieved your cat even if I hate you?" Misaki snootily said.
Ryoma coolly fixed his hat. "Fine." He went near Misaki. "Thank you." He derisively retorted, turning his back to walk off.
"Because I'm kind, not like you" Misaki pompously answered, and Ryoma stopped walking at once. "That's the reason why, I retrieved your cat," she continued.
"Yeah. It's because you're stupid and not like me!" Ryoma coolly answered back.
"You…really…ARrrgh!" Misaki was about to attack Ryoma in madness but Rie and Liara grasped her uniform and elbows to hold back.
"MISAKI DON'T!" Rie halted, seizing Misaki's uniform.
"Yeah, Misaki. Be Patient. Patience is a virtue." Liara added as she helps Rie.
"A virtue alright. A virtue which I do not posses. So just LET ME HIT HIM OOONCE!" Misaki aggressively shouted in uncontrolled madness. She tried to free herself from her two best friends but Eiji soon went between her and Ryoma.
"Wait. Misaki, Ryoma may I just ask something. If you're not sure if each other's the one you saw the other day, how did you knew that each other's the one you saw that same day today? –wait did that come out right? Yeah isn't it you saw each other the day before yesterday, so how come today you realized that each other's the one you saw the other day when on the same day you already saw each other –oh headache!" Eiji slammed his head after talking in confusion.
"Yeah, how did you know that Misaki's really the one you saw the other day -well setting aside your meeting that day -that is. Arrghh! I hate formulating questions like these!" Momoshiro, slightly irritated in confusion of the question, asked Ryoma.
"Yeah, how did you know that Ryoma's the one you saw that 'meeting on that other day' you're saying Misaki? Setting aside your meeting at retrieving Karupin" Rie also asked.
"Simple…" both Ryoma and Misaki replied in the same form of sentence but with a slight difference in reason.
"Because the only person who I'd bump to is someone as stupid as her" was Ryoma's answer.
"Because the only person who would bump me is someone as airy as him" was Misaki's answer.
After both saying that sentence, they looked at each other and a flash of lightning emerges between the two.
"Regulars, what are you standing out there for? Why aren't you practicing?" soon the frightening voice of the Seigaku tennis club's captain, Kunimitsu Tezuka, echoed from afar and everyone stiffly looked at his voice's direction. But, before the regulars, Sakuno, Tomoka, Rie, Liara, and Misaki, could move a muscle, Captain Tezuka himself went his way to where the soaked Ryoma and Misaki are.
"Ryoma, what are you doing? Why are you wet?" Tezuka strictly asked to the staring Ryoma. For a minute there, Misaki thought that Ryoma would blame her on this mess. She started to get nervous. "This Tezuka guy, he seems so powerful, I even fear him more than my parents," she thought.
Ryoma pulled his cap down. "I was tripped by a small rock, stumbled, making all the Inui juices rain on me and her."
Misaki's eyes stared blank in disbelief. "What? Why didn't Ryoma pointed on me? It was, in someway, my fault why all these things happened," her thoughts jumbled.
"Very well then, 100 laps around the court." Tezuka commanded and Ryoma started to move out.
"No wait!" Misaki yelled to Captain Tezuka before Ryoma could move meters away from her.
Misaki closes her eyes then approached Tezuka the minute she opened it. "Tezuka-senpai, don't punish Ryoma. It's my fault why we're both soaked in Inui juice. I was the one who interrupted their smooth training. If you're going to punish someone, it should be me," Misaki courageously confessed surprising everyone around her, especially her friends.
"What are you saying out there? It's my fault why all these things happened." Ryoma calmly said back with his usual deep, tantalizing voice.
Misaki looked at Ryoma as if his nuts. "What are you stupid? If it weren't because of me stopping when I knew you're about to bump me, these things wouldn't have happened!" Misaki aggressively said.
"No, it's all because of me. If it weren't because of me not thoroughly looking where I as heading, then I wouldn't have bumped you," Ryoma answered back.
"No! It's because of me!" Misaki said loosing her cool.
"No! It's because of me!" Ryoma retorted back.
"My, my….just awhile ago they're arguing about who's fault it was." Momoshiro Takeshi, the power tennis player with spiky dark hair stated as he watch the two create bickering fights once again.
"Yeah, and now they're fighting because they both claim it's their fault." Kaoru Kaidoh, the tennis player who always use snake shots, has a bandana on his hair, and is Momoshiro's rival, agreed with Momoshiro for the rarest time.
"Stop." Tezuka ordered and both Ryoma and Misaki followed at once.
Tezuka looked at Misaki. "I appreciate you're bravery for telling me the truth and so as to Ryoma. I appreciate that both of you are willing to sacrifice oneself for the sake of the others—"
"For the sake of Ryoma? You'd got to be-" Misaki interrupted Tezuka's sentence.
"Not gonna happen." Ryoma added.
"Yeah, because you just think of yourself and nothing else," Misaki scorned.
"No because helping a stupid person like you is not worth it at all." Ryoma answered back.
"Oh yeah? Bring it on young man." Misaki aggressively said, loosing her cool.
"—BUT!" Tezuka strained his voice to get both Misaki and Ryoma's attention back. "Ryoma, I wouldn't tolerate this situation. You let your guard down even in the easiest situation. Still, 100 laps around the court." He ordered.
Ryoma sets his cap in agreement. "If you say so," he coolly said then went off to run.
"What? But Captain Tezuka!" Misaki stomped her feet, placed her arms on her hips, then look on Tezuka in disappointment.
"Ryoma's at the club I'm heading at that's why I had him run laps nevertheless, I can't say the same thing to you," he explained.
Misaki's face gloomed up as Tezuka turned his back to move inside the tennis court just like what the rest are doing.
Tezuka stopped for a while. "But if you really want…" Misaki gazed upon Tezuka's back as he speaks. He turned around and faced her. "5 laps should be fine."
"5? How about 10?"
Tezuka sighed. "It's up to you."
Misaki's gloomy face reverted to a big smile. She rushed towards Tezuka Kunimitsu and gave him a huge hug which made him so surprise. "Thank you very much, Tezuka-senpai!" She said then went to run laps.
"Misaki's really exaggerated –and weird. I mean, hello! Is there a person who really wanted to get punished? She even added laps to her punishment! She's the only person I knew who'd love that." Liara spoke in bewilderment.
"Yeah. I can't believe she got upset because Tezuka-senpai didn't punish her." Tomoka agreed.
"Well, that's Misaki. Slowly, she's starting to inherit Tsubasa Konomi's competitive attitude, I sure hope she continues to be like that." Rie added as they all gaze upon Misaki.
"Hey Misaki! Are you nuts? Why are you running laps?" Tomoka yelled as Misaki passed them. Misaki sustained her run for a bit. "I don't know. It seems kind of fun! Besides Tezuka-senpai adhered to it, he said 10 laps should be fine so why not go for it? Well then see ya!" She waved then went for another lap.
"It does seem like she's having fun but in a mere second I'm starting to think that Misaki is becoming wilder and crazier by the day." Sakuno delicately stated.
"She's really in to it, right Tezuka?" Tezuka took a glance to his right and found Fuji's smiling face letting go of that sentence.
"Misaki Sakura." Fuji stated with no hesitation. His blue eyes woke up for a second in analyzing the oddity of Tezuka's action but managed to get back to his pleasant smile after. "Doesn't her name sounds familiar, huh Tezuka?"
Tezuka's eyes glanced at Fuji for a second then got back to watch over his team.
Fuji's eyes, on the other hand, were set unto the quirky girl running laps beyond their club area. "I don't know why, but she makes me think of someone from before… someone who left a very significant mark on us," he continued. Tezuka's face is still and serious as he silently observes the person Fuji's referring to.
From afar, Momoshiro Takeshi, the power player who uses Jack Knife and Dunk Smash special and has deep purple eyes gave a noticeable chuckle.
"What's happening to you Momo? Why are you smiling so bright? Are you mental?" Eiji asked his fellow naughty regular. He looked towards where Momoshiro's looking and smiled at the sight, "that girl Misaki, she really is extraordinary, she asked for punishment even if she doesn't have to, and look how happy she is. She even asked Capt. Tezuka to double the punishment. Weird, but she kinda makes me feel so energized on playing the game with Hyotei tomorrow." Eiji honestly advocated.
"Not just that Kikumaru-senpai, I figured… she's also a good match to Echizen." Momoshiro said with a very comic smile.
"Match? What type of match?" Eiji Kikumaru observed the two people Momoshiro's referring to, then gave a nice annoying chuckle after. "Nice one Momo!" He praised. "Hey-hey! Who do you think got the better approach?" He asked in between guffaws.
Momoshiro spent some minutes to think clearly about the answer.
"Misaki" both of them answered in chorus continuing their laughs after.
"But then…" Momoshiro loudly thought as their laughs faded. "It could be either of them…"
"Really? What makes you think that?"
Momoshiro's eyes set off to Ryoma for a second. "Well, because when it comes to life besides tennis… Ryoma's just dumb."
"Uh- I heard that!" Echizen gruffly addressed as he heard the two, the moment he passes by the court they are using. Eiji and Momoshiro secretly giggled after.
"I hate to say you're right, Momo." Eiji approved in between guffaws. "So, what do you think about it?" Eiji stands up firmly, acting like a detective and an interviewer at the same time. "Do you think they have a chance?" He asked.
"Maybe…" then they both turn up their heads to observe the two.
"Oi, stupid girl with a cat-like face. Go home already; you don't need to strain your stick-like skinny body."
Misaki looked back and found Ryoma running so fast that he caught then passed by unto her running. She rushed after him. "Hey, cocky-cockatoo... just because you're better at tennis you're already better at everything. Don't think so highly of yourself." She teased back. "How many laps have you done already?" She asked.
"I'd be reaching the 36th lap after passing the edge of the third tennis court." Ryoma answered.
"What? But I'm just about to finish my tenth? How come-?" Misaki asked stopping from a distance.
"I'd be reaching 100th soon as you come home from school -that is, if you can still come home." Ryoma teased.
"And what are you trying to imply by that?" Misaki snootily asked.
"Is there something I'm supposed to imply?" He gave a wave to Misaki then dashed off, finishing his 36th lap.
Misaki stops finally finishing her last lap. "COCKY AND INSENSITIVE! I HATE YOU! I HOPE YOU WOULDN'T PLAY A GAME WITH HYOTEI TOMORROW SO THAT YOUR FACE WOULD FALL DOWN FLAT ON THE GROUND!" She yelled out in suppressed anger then walked off.
"Aye! O'chibi, what have you done?" Eiji expressed in irritation, after watching Misaki walk away.
"Like I said. Ryoma's dumb in terms of life besides tennis." Momoshiro reconsidered in full dignity.
"But, still-it's already been a good chance for O'chibi but he blew it up-OI! O'chibi! Why do you even fancy to make Misaki angry?" Eiji yelled out to Ryoma in childish tantrums. Ryoma, then, after loudly hearing his name, paused his running to talk. "What is it, Eiji-senpai?" He innocently asked.
Eiji was already wailing in irritation. "I said! Why DO YOU FANCY MAKING MISAKI ANGRY?"
Ryoma's expression became stagnant. "And now I thought it's something so important." He said then went off to continue his punishment.
"But O'chibi! Oi! O'chibi! Oi!" Eiji keeps on calling but Ryoma didn't try to listen. "Jeez…" Eiji sighed as he finally gave up.
"Hai, he's really that snob" Momoshiro rationalized Ryoma's acts to Eiji. "But you know, Eiji-senpai, I just noticed another." Momoshiro seriously said looking down, his hand on his chin, thinking like a very observant detective.
Eiji looked to him, and from a normal one, his face transformed into a cat-like one as he purrs along Momoshiro for information. "Really? Really? What is it, Momo?" He childishly asked.
"I figured…" Momo deeply fades. Even, he himself was curious of what he just found out.
He looked at Ryoma. "Ryoma's…never been…this intimidating to a person. If it were other girls, he would just keep quiet and voice out his opinions only when necessary…but when it comes to Misaki…he's just so…different…"
"Why?" Misaki asked to herself as she walks home from school alone. Rie and Liara are still on the tennis area watching the Seigaku regulars play. She, on the other hand, needs to come home now. Among the three of them, she has the farthest home from Seishun Academy. Her school bus had left already. She's riding home alone, yet thinking…thinking way to deep from her usual self. "Why do I feel so…different…"
Saturday morning awakened Misaki with a familiar ringing tune.
Misaki slides off to her other side of the bed then lazily got up. "That's my cellphone," she casually said burying her head under the pillow. As she grabs it, she looks out at the screen of her phone and found that Rie was calling her almost a thousand times now.
"Good morning…" her sissy voice answered. It was Liara who's on the line.
"Misaki where are you? Why aren't you answering your phone? The game between Hyotei and Seigaku has already started. Inui-senpai and Kaidoh-senpai have lost the doubles 2 match however Kikumaru-senpai and Momoshiro-senpai won the doubles 1…we're really nervous! It's already singles three! Takashi-senpai will play. Oh I hope he wins. We don't know how the result of this game will turn out! It maybe true that the Seigaku team is a seeded team, but they lost to Hyotei last year! History might just repeat itself! But we believe in Seigaku…we're just nervous that's all!"
"Misaki?" Liara checked for Misaki's voice but it seems like Misaki already dozed off leaving the phone on her hand.
"Hey are you still sleeping? Wake up! It's already 11 in the morning!" She yelled from the cellphone
"Let me." Rie grabbed her cellphone from Liara. "WAAAKEEE UUUPP!" She yelled. "WAAAKKEE UUPP!" both of them joined forces to wake Misaki up.
Misaki buried her head to the pillow uttering, "Later, 15 minutes more" to no one in particular.
"WWWAAAKE UUUPP!" Now it's not just Rie and Liara who's on the phone, Sakuno and Tomoka joined them too.
"You are noisy." Misaki said bringing the phone back to her ears. "I'm awake…" she slowly and uneasily said back,
"Atlast! Hey, aren't you planning to come here? The venue of the game is just near your place! Even nearer than Seishun. It's just one bus ride away from here! C'mon! Come here, let's support the Seigaku! They need it, especially your luck!" Rie invited.
"Why what's the event?" Misaki asked; her voice still uneasy.
"It's Hyotei versus Seigaku!" This time it was Liara who was talking to her.
"It's just Hyotei, they can take care of it themselves." Misaki said putting down her phone to sleep.
"NO! IT'S NOT OKAY! Mr. Inoe, the reporter from Pro Tennis Magazine, one of our friends, calculated that there's a 75% chance for Seigaku not to win! To make matters worse, Ryoma's not playing!" Liara shouted in worriness.
Misaki then snapped out from drowsiness. "WHAT? Ryoma's a reserved player? Serves him right! HAhaha" Misaki happily said in surprise followed by a strong evil laugh after.
"MISAKI!"
"What?" Misaki asked as she transfers her cell phone to her other ear. Liara and Rie are being so sensitive to Ryoma, she was just telling them her opinion, no need to get mad and yell at the cell phone right? These two probably has a crush on him.
"Misaki be sensitive! Hyotei's a big team. If Ryoma wouldn't play, their chance of winning is minimal!" Liara loudly said to her cell phone.
"Why? Is Ryoma really that good in tennis?" Misaki innocently asked.
Liara switched the cell phone to her right ear. "If you aren't going home early enough to not see them have practice matches against each other, you would know."
"But-"
Tomoka then grab hold of Liara's cell phone. "WHERE ARE YOU, MISAKI? WHY AREN'T YOU HERE? THE MATCH HAS ALREADY STARTED!"
Hearing Tomoka's loud voice, Misaki placed the cell phone away from her ear, "D-do I really have to go there?" She asked after.
"DO YOU REALLY HAVE TO ASK THAT QUESTION OF COURSE—"
"Misaki, the venue of the tennis match is just close to where you are! All you have to do is ride a bus through here! Why is that a problem? It's just one bus ride" This time it was Rie who's talking, she seized the phone from Tomoka.
"Fine. It might be fun watching them… I'll try." Misaki snorted.
"Hey Misaki! If you're not here by fifteen minutes we are going to pick you- No- DRAG you all the way down here!" Tomoka said back.
"Fifteen minutes? But I just woke up!" Misaki crammed.
"THEN DO IT NOW!" Tomoka madly yelled before hanging up.
"B-but Tomoka!" Misaki yelled back but the phone was already hung up. "Why do they keep on insisting for me to go there…it's not like I would play a match or anything, I'm just an audience to that boring sport." Misaki thought standing up from her bed. "Not to mention, I've got to watch Winter Moon series that will be aired at 12 noon. What am I supposed to do?"
"Jeez, that girl just woke up! She's fooling around at their house when there's a very important game happening over here." Tomoka placed her hands at her hips in frustration.
"Be calm, T-Tomo" Sakuno softly apprehended the raging Tomoka. "I'm pretty sure she's dashing off to bed now." She said negating her sentence with the uncertainty of her voice.
"There's nothing you could do. That girl never wakes up early except for School days. In fact the only thing that could get her out of bed is when her favorite anime Winter Moon is about to start which is at 12:00 p.m. so Good Luck!" Liara informed.
"L-Liara…now that you mentioned it, I'm starting to think that Misaki might just leave after her favorite anime had arrived…" by saying that everyone looked upon Sakuno and soon red covers up to her face.
"11 in the morning they woke me up to tell me that I should go to the match and cheer with them. Tell me, how am I supposed to watch Winter Moon now?" Misaki asked her cute little dog Sam as she combs her shoulder-length black hair.
She looked at the mirror and found a simple looking girl of black hair and green eyes. She smiled like those naughty smile of acrobatic tennis player Eiji Kikumaru, then gloomed up. "I don't want to go." She talked to herself. "I still feel sleepy," she rapidly laid down to her bed. "Saturday's the only day where I could find comfortable sleep… but it was still taken from me." She complained as she closes her eyes to rest. "Not to mention Tsubasa…."
"And this is where I end up." Misaki thought to herself as she finally get inside the said venue of the tournament. "To sacrifice my winter moon just for this –oh I do hope this would be worth it…"
"Why are you late?"
Misaki looked back and found Ryoma, drinking a can of Ponta, standing coolly behind her. "You slept late last night didn't you?" He speculated.
Misaki plainly looked at Ryoma for a second, examined his regular jersey then started to laugh scornfully. "You're a reserve player! You wouldn't play a game! Am I right? Yes I am! GO MISAKI!" She cheered in an annoying tune, pointing at Ryoma every now and then.
"You didn't answer my question." Ryoma murmured as Misaki keeps on cheering.
"You're a reserved player! You wouldn't play a game! Am I right? Yes I am! GO~
BAM!
A raging tennis ball soon went to Misaki's forehead. "Ouch-ouch! Hey that hurts!" Misaki complained.
"Are you okay nee-chan? I'm sorry!" the little boy apologized to Misaki after getting his tennis ball.
"Ah—it's okay…I thought well-" her eyes searched for the face of Ryoma. He was calm and at his usual, drinking ponta, as if nothing happened to Misaki.
"I'm so sorry." The little boy repeated.
"I'm fine! No worries about it!" Misaki said and the boy went back to his play. "J-just be careful next time okay!" She shouted.
"Tennis balls are really attracted to idiots." Ryoma coolly said after the little boy was gone.
"W-what? You-You're just annoyed, aren't you? HA! Ryoma's annoyed! Ryoma's annoyed!" Misaki continued being on insulting him in an annoying tune almost similar to her first cheer.
"Blab all you want, but the match is about to start now so if you don't want to go, then I'm going." He said walking his way to the tennis court.
Misaki stopped. As Ryoma noticed this, he leaned back and gazed upon her.
"U-um…where are Liara and Rie?" She asked innocently, accompanied by a big grin.
"Probably at the tennis court now, if not inside the canteen, eating." He answered.
"Where are the canteen and tennis court?" She asked smiling in stupidity.
"Just go to the tennis court, they'll probably be back there to support anyway." He said in his usual cool self then resumed his walk.
Misaki caught up. "That's where you're going right?" She asked trying to look at the peaceful face of Ryoma but Ryoma hesitated by closing his eyes and looking on a different direction.
Misaki moved away from him, walking rhythmically as her head look up to the trees and the skies above. "Well, going or not going, you have supplied me with enough information so Ryoma…" By that call Misaki faced herself in front of Ryoma. Closing her eyes and smiling brilliantly, she said, "THANK YOU!" In her sweetest voice.
Ryoma, a bit surprised by her smile, looked back to the direction where they're both heading. He turned his head down till his hat covered almost entirely his face, and when no one was looking or taking notice, secretly, he gave a small sweet smile.
"Who's playing now?" Misaki curiously implied minutes after.
"Fuji-senpai just finished singles 2. It's Captain Tezuka's turn after this 20 min. break." Ryoma answered formally. Misaki observed Ryoma's behavior as he mentions them and by the looks of him, there's no doubt that he has full respect and trust to his senpais especially to Captain Tezuka. "That's wonderful Ryoma," Misaki thought.
"Ah! There it is!" Misaki blissfully yelled out the moment she saw some tennis club members clustered in that one tennis court arena. The arena was wonderful. The tennis court itself is excavated from the ground where Misaki and Ryoma stand. It was surrounded by elevated bleachers whose ends where both stairs for going up or down.
"I didn't know there are such beautiful tennis courts around here." She uttered in awe.
"Well that's normal. You know nothing anyway."
"What?" Misaki's face cranked up. "And I thought you've changed. You're still an evil, cheeky brat that you are! Why did I even thought that you could be good sometimes?" Misaki thought as she angrily looks at Ryoma as she tails him towards the bleachers.
"Oi! Ryoma, where have you been? The match is about to start and you still have the guts to loiter? Woah! I am so nervous, Captain you cold do it! Defeat Hyotei's Captain, Atobe Keigo, –ah Yo! Misaki!" Momoshiro gave a big "Hi!" to Misaki right after crushing Ryoma's whole body. Misaki greeted him back cheerfully.
"Misaki!" Misaki looked and found all of her friends surround her.
"Late! Very Late! Didn't I tell you to call me when you get here? Good thing you didn't get lost." Rie informed in concern.
"I forgot to charge my cellphone I'm sorry. As for getting lost…well…it's thanks to him I guess." Misaki said as her eyes set forth to Ryoma who's walking straight to the bench's coach. "No kidding! Can I sit there too?" Misaki asked minutes after.
"Nope. Only the assigned player could sit there besides the coaches." Liara explained.
"Oh- so Ryoma got assigned."
"Well actually he gets to assign himself. Coach Ryuzaki allowed him though." Rie corrected.
"Such a cheeky person. Oh well, where is coach Ryuzaki?" Misaki asked in curiosity.
"At the hospital, helping Kawamura-senpai check his wrist up." She answered.
"WHAT? What happened to Kawamura-senpai?" Misaki almost shouts out in concern.
"Over-use of Hadokyou. But, I guess he would be fine. Right now, it's all about them." Rie answered her.
At that statement Misaki's eyes searched for the team Captain of Seigaku, Tezuka Kunimitsu. By looking at him alone, Misaki could tell that he's really strong and resilient, there's no wonder why Ryoma respects him a lot. She really fears him.
She tilted her head to the other side of the court and found Hyotei's captain, Atobe Keigo, standing up from his seat, making a lot of fans, or so called cheerers, dominate the whole area with their cheer.
"He looks just as strong as Tezuka-senpai." Misaki placed her left arm in front of her chest. She could feel it. The tension is all over the area but there's something more that she could feel…it's an indescribable feeling that only her heart knows of.
"One-set match, Hyotei -Atobe to serve!"
"Senpai Tezuka…" Misaki whispers his name in silent prayer as Atobe sets himself on his line and take his form to serve.
He releases the ball.
"Be careful…"
Atobe swung his right hand, and by the touch of his racket, the most awaited game has finally started.
"I DO NOT OWN PRINCE OF TENNIS!" :D
I'm afraid it might take awhile before I upload Chapter 3 for I have to prepare for my upcoming finals...but I promise I'll upload it as soon as my finals are over! :D
By the way here are some peeks taken from the upcoming chapters (mostly Chapter 3) of One in a Million: Winter Moon.
"Atobe! Atobe! Atobe! The Winner would be Hyotei! The Winner would be Hyotei! The Winner Would be Atobe! The Winner would be Atobe!..."
Atobe snapped and everybody from Hyotei stopped cheering at once.
"There's nothing else."
"Echizen, look…" Momoshiro said panting after minutes of running rapidly. In his side was Echizen Ryoma also gasping for breath but was stunned after looking at the Seigaku regular playing at the court.
"Ca-Captain…"
"Yeah, now that you've said it. He does resemble Tsubasa Konomi."
"No...it can't be..."
"You are stupid." Ryoma teased looking on the dark-haired girl in pretty pigtails beside him.
"It's not nice you know." Misaki glowered childishly.
- I promise I will really try my best to update as fast as I could. For the meantime, just stay tuned for the upcoming chapters and please wait patiently! Thank you guyz!
