Disclaimer: I make no profit from making and posting this up. The characters are not mine (except maybe Rial) and I do not wish to be sued for this. Thank you.
Warning: Seeing as it is an M rated story, it should be understandable that there will be sex and other mature scenes (bad language, maybe violence). My spelling has not improved much during this time, so be ready for some pretty idiotic mistakes.
Italics – thoughts, twin telepathy thingy
Bold – for other languages. English in this case, since they are technically speaking Japanese. But I can't. :D
Chapter 2
Ryoma ran down the stairway and into the kitchen, his tennis bag and a pair of socks in one hand, while the other tried to close his white shirt, the strands of his hair were standing up and pointing to different directions, just like they had been the moment he had opened his eyes to greet the new day.
"You overslept again? I thought I woke you up." Rial drank his orange juice and watched in amusement as his little brother ate and got dressed at the same time. "Your fault Ryoma."
The younger Echizen twin only glared. "Shut it Rial. It's not my fault I can't get up at mornings."
"But it is." Rial pointed out to his twin, pointing at the said boy with his fork, the yellow of the egg dripping off of it and on the table, "It's because you go to bed at such late hours. Take a look at me, I go to bed at normal time and have no problems waking up. Learn from me little brother, learn." He smiled and returned to his eggs.
Ryoma scowled and something strangely reminding of a pout started to form on his lips. "You sound like Ryoga."
"Who sounds like Ryoga?" Rinko's cheerful voice made the two boys look away from their plates and in the direction of the living room, where their mother stood with some clean clothes in her hands. Even she sometimes couldn't tell her boys apart.
"Rial." Was all that Ryoma said and returned to his breakfast. "I hate American food."
Rinko smiled that motherly smile of hers and said: "You both do get along so well. Mother is happy, oh so happy. Now, if only you would be able to meet them… " she sighed.
"I have been wondering mother," Rial turned in his chair to fully face Rinko, his face and voice now serious, "But what have you been talking about ever since yesterday? I mean, none of our relatives live around here, so there is no one else that we could possibly know. I demand answers." He rested his hands on the back of the chair.
Rinko merely smiled. "I wonder."
"Mom!" Rial stood up and tried to follow his mother around the house in order to gain some answers.
Ryoma, who had been occupying himself with eating his breakfast, threw a quick glance at the black, round clock that was hanging on the wall, unprofessionally put there by his old man, and silently cursed under his breath. He couldn't afford to be late for the tennis practice when it is only his first time.
He quickly grabbed the tennis bag and bit in the piece of toast that was only half-eaten. He then slid his feet in the slightly worn-out tennis shoes and after yelling a quick 'I'm going' over his shoulder was out of the house and already running down the street to his school.
I wanted to go with you! Rial's annoyed and slightly offended voice rang in Ryoma's head.
Ryoma tch'ed and grumpily thought back to his brother: Your problem, not mine. I can't be late. He turned right at the next crossing and almost sighed in relief, seeing as other members of the tennis team were still lazily walking to school.
"Now then, new kids." Ando-sensei clapped his hands together, his eyes shut and the annoyingly bright and shiny smile on his face blinded the ones that stood the closest to him, "Starting today you will all be the new members of our small club. You will all be doing the minor tasks, like picking up balls, cleaning the courts and things like that at first." He started to explain.
Ryoma ignored the weird teacher, who had changed his orange sweat suit to a neon green one today, and looked around. The second and third years were running laps and talking with each other, some even trying to play pranks with each other while doing the warm-ups. It was the perfect picture of a perfect tennis club.
Yeah, as if…
"… So you have no chance whatsoever to become a regular right now. When you will be in your second year, that would be next year, we will consider you as possible regulars. Clear?" Andou-sensei asked the dumbly blinking first years. "Good then." He announced after few seconds of relative silence. "In that case you can all…"
"Sensei." Ryoma called out to the man dressed in neon green and waited for the man to turn to look at him. "What if, my or someone else's abilities in tennis are on the same level as the regulars, what then?" he asked, wondering what kind of face will the teacher make.
Andou-sensei blinked once, twice, his smile gone and a slightly surprised look flashed in his eyes for a second there. He, however, quickly got himself together and answered the boy: "Then, I would have to test those skills that you are talking about and have a talk with the team captain, cute first year boy."
"Hmmm…." Ryoma hummed and looked away again. Stupid.
He ignored the cute comment too. Nothing good comes from responding to it. Nothing.
Aww… what got you so sulky Ryoma? You got to your practice in time, so did something happen? Rial's voice once again sneaked inside Ryoma's head. Should nii-chan go and help you out? Rial teased.
Ryoma started to do the few laps that the show-off advisor of the tennis team made the first year boys do. The rest were starting to complain about the Spartan-like things they were already forced to do and stuff like that. Honestly, Ryoma wanted to hit them.
Instead, he pulled his white cap lowed and went a little bit faster than the rest. Shut up Rial.
The laugh that resonated in his head and outside of it only annoyed Ryoma more. He casted a glare at the fence that he was running past and the boy that was standing behind it. Now, he couldn't really be sure exactly when had Rial shown up, but the fact that he was here didn't do anything to brighten his mood.
And he already felt like bright morning sunshine (sarcasm people, sarcasm).
"Say anything and I will hit you. With stuff." Ryoma growled at his twin and ran past him, not looking back and seeing the amused smile playing on Rial's lips.
When the rest of the fifteen year olds ran past Rial they did a double look to make sure that they weren't just imagining things. But after the possibility of the two being twins crossed their minds they calmed down and went back to ignoring the two and started random talks between them.
And yet, the youngest members of the tennis team weren't the only ones that had noticed the Echizen twins. Two pairs of eyes were following either the one running the laps or looking at the smiling teen that was standing behind the fence. The owners of those two pairs of eyes sent silent, unnoticeable signs to each other and resumed their own practice, knowing full-well that one of the two twins was watching them too.
"Ne, R, did you feel someone watching you?" Rial asked after the first lesson that Ryoma had slept through because it was English. And we all know that these two knew English better than any other student in their class… And maybe even other classes. And some teachers.
Ryoma lifted his head from where it had been lying on the English book. He blinked away the sleep (tried to at least) and yawned. "Except you, fangirls and a few of the ones that joined the club like me?"
The youngest Echizen twin wasn't as dense and oblivious to the world as one might think, it seems. Ryoma just preferred to be taken that way, plus, it wasn't as bothersome then. He was still anti-social though.
"Yeah, someone that is not one of those." Rial sat on Ryoma's desk and leaned his weight on his hands. He then looked down at his cute little brother (in his eyes) and asked once more: "Well, did you?"
"I think so. But it wasn't like they were watching me all the time. Just… Now and then." Ryoma yawned again and got the books for the next lesson out of his bag. He didn't really seem to care, as long as it doesn't interfere with his tennis.
Rial frowned. "You should be more concerned about this. It could be a possible future stalker." He flicked Ryoma's forehead right after saying that. "Didn't we go through this already, huh?"
"This is not America. And besides," Ryoma poked the red spot on his forehead where Rial had flicked him, "even if I do get stalked I'll just have to let you or Ryoga know and one of you will take care of that poor soul." He sighed.
"That is not the point R." Rial raised his hand to flick his brother's forehead once again, "This att-" he got interrupted right after that.
"Echizen, one of you two, I didn't know that you played tennis!" Horio stopped right in front of the two brothers and looked at both of them. "You could have told me, I might have even taught you some tricks so that you could improve your skills in tennis. I do have five years of tennis experience!" he huffed in pride at the last words that left his mouth.
Rial looked at Ryoma, the other rising one fine eyebrow and then they both returned their golden eyes back at their still talking classmate, not really listening to whatever he was talking about. They didn't care too. Besides, Ryoma could easily beat the crap out of probably every single one of the club members if he really wanted to.
And Rial too knew some good moves in tennis; his passion went more towards swimming and painting. The Echizen family had more than enough of their share of tennis monsters, Rinko had told him when he was small and placed a paintbrush in his hand.
Good memories, good. Rial sighed as he still remembered his mother's words from that one day so long ago. He was thankful that she showed him the world of painting. He then quickly returned to the loudmouthed classmate of his.
"And why are you telling me this?" Rial tilted his head on the right a bit, deciding that he would pretend to be Ryoma, just this once. "I can play pretty good you know." He even added the irritation that usually colored Ryoma's voice when he spoke to someone that bothered him.
Horio stopped in half-word and looked strangely at Rial. "You do?" he sounded surprised, his voice and facial expression shoved a huge lack of belief to Rial's words.
"I do, want me to prove it?" Rial smirked.
Ryoma punched him in the side and hissed out a low warning. "Stop it or I will go and get all buddy-buddy with the swimming team's regulars for you." And hell, Ryoma usually did the things he threatened to do. It was something he had gotten from his mother, unlike the other two Echizen children.
"Che, ruin my fun R." Rial stuck out his tongue and jumped off the desk. "Either way, my little brother doesn't need your help, Homer." He stretched and turned to face Ryoma again, "Help me with science later?"
He went back to his seat after receiving Ryoma's curt nod and inwardly smirked as the screeches of 'I am not HOMER!' that followed him. Maybe, just maybe, this school year won't be as boring as the ones he had lived through in America.
Once the science teacher came into the classroom and started with her lesson Rial threw a sideways glance at the window that allowed the people in the hallway to see inside of the classroom and glared. One of the tennis team's regulars, the same that was keeping a watch on him and Ryoma, stood there and after giving Rial a small smile started to walk away, pretending that nothing had happened.
Rial only narrowed his eyes and returned to listening to the lesson, writing down the notes that Ryoma was narrating in his head.
The rest of the day went by fast, just like yesterday. Once the lessons ended Rial and Ryoma had to go to their respective clubs, just like the rest of their classmates. Some of the boys walked in the same direction as the twins, all caught up in their own talks about the lessons and the way their clubs worked, Horio was the loudest of them all. As usual.
"Ok then R," Rial turned to his brother, leaning closer to Ryoma's face, so that their noses touched, "I'm gonna go to the pools `k? Send me a telepathic message once your club ends, so that we can meet up." He said in English, so that those not meant to hear couldn't understand.
Neither of the brothers cared about the glances they got from the other students that walked past them, they had done the same things at their old schools in America, so why should they stop doing it now? They even sort of liked to creep people out, Rial at least did.
"Fine, fine R. I'll let you know. Now go, the water is calling for you." Ryoma bumped their foreheads together and turned to walk away.
Ryoma headed straight to the tennis club grounds, not bothering to slow down and let Horio catch up, since after all, who would want the annoying boy for a company? His equally annoying girlfriend maybe? Well, she did put up with this and, no matter how creepy it sounded, they were currently going out.
Has this world come to an end? Ryoma bitterly thought to himself and sighed. And there was still the whole tennis practice ahead. How boring.
If people wondered why Echizen Ryoma, the boy that would kill for the sake of tennis, found tennis boring right now, then I would have to say this: tennis with no tennis is the mountaintop of boredom. Just like fun without the fun part sucks.
Ryoma threw a longing look at the courts and bright yellow balls before stepping in the slightly smelly clubroom to change in his sports clothes. He did it rather slowly, the rest of the boys, except some second years, were soon out of the room and doing their warm-up laps while Ryoma had barely gotten as far as tying his shoelaces. No, he wasn't doing it on purpose, no. He was just… tired from all that studying.
Yeah, tired.
"Oy, first year, don't you have to be running laps right now?" someone called out to Ryoma. The way he spoke meant that he was one of those types that liked to make themselves stronger and better than they were. But in reality, even a five year old could beat his ass.
Ryoma finished tying his sneakers and got up. "Hai, hai sempai. I'm going already." He didn't bother to at least fake some kind of respect, he wasn't raised that way. And in no way was he going to show respect to someone like that second year.
"I didn't like your tone shitty brat." The second year spat out and stomped in front of Ryoma, blocking his way out, "Apologize to me, first year. Now." The black eyes bore into Ryoma's golden, the owner of those black eyes looking like a crazy buffalo, ready to attack.
Ryoma kept his cool and uninterested look as he asked, "Why? I haven't done anything." No way was Ryoma about to stand down.
"Huuuh?" the second year bore his hands in fists, "I said, apologize to me. Didn't you hear? If you don't-"his voice raised for a pitch as he yelled at Ryoma.
"Or you will what?" someone else interrupted the second year whose name never came up. Even when his voice was slightly on the soft side the hidden messages it carried were pretty hard to miss.
A/N: I had patience and inspiration problems. Blame school and other shit for that. :|
Anyway, Ayingott here has a question for you. Is there something you don't/do like in my writing style and what? I have been getting all moody lately and thinking of maybe, maybe, changing (or trying at least) something in my writing style. Like, less detail (and shit) and more talking. Or more stuff going on in one chapter and things progressing faster.
Ayingott: SHAPE, SHAPE UP NOW!
Enter Gintoki: It's 'help me', got it?
P.S. I don't know why the last part. Because of too much Gintama? Yeah, probably..