Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.

A/N: Hi there again! I kinda ran out of ideas so yea T-T Here's another chappie!

Chapter 3: Aftermath of a Chaotic Day

In America:

In the Echizen Household:

Ryoma couldn't sleep at all.

Now, she knew she was pretty tired but she just couldn't sleep a wink.

Considering what happened earlier:

Nanjirou was reading his usual 'entertainment'.

Karupin was asking Nanjirou to play with her.

Nanjirou ignoring Karupin.

Karupin getting annoyed and swiped the magazine out of Nanjirou's hands.

Nanjirou chasing Karupin to get his 'beloved' back.

Karupin running to Rinko.

Rinko seeing what was on Karupin's mouth with Nanjirou chasing the cat.

Which made Rinko shout at Nanjirou and twist his ear.

In the end: Rinko scolding Nanjirou, Nanjirou withering in pain, Karupin happily licking her paws, and Ryoma wide awake because of the commotion.

Ryoma sighed at the events that happened earlier. She couldn't believe her father was still childish after all those years. Makes her wonder how is he the legendary 'Samurai Nanjirou' that once (almost) conquered the tennis world.

Ryoma took out her phone and looked at the time. It's already this late and I still can't sleep?! Bunta's gonna kill me... Oh right! Bunta! It should be around afternoon at Japan. A phone call wouldn't hurt right?

With that in mind, she speed dialed Marui's number.

After some few rings, Marui picked up the call.

"Moshi moshi?"

"Hi Bunta, I called to tell you that we'll be going there around next week Thursday." Ryoma said while mentally thanking herself for the excuse she made.

"Really? Next week Thursday? So you'll arrive here around Friday?"

"Yea, Okaa-san and Oyaji wanted me to attend school as fast as possible but the documents will take quite a while which made them quite annoyed."

"Ahahaha... I can imagine Rinko-san and Nanjirou-san doing that."

"Is your tennis practice done for today?"

"Un. By the way, what school will you attend here?"

"Rikkaidai."

"EH?! REALLY?! YOU'LL BE ATTENDING RIKKAIDAI?!"

At this, Ryoma distanced herself from the phone and rubbed her ear that was still ringing from the outburst.

"Urusai. You should hear yourself when you shout like that and you over-react too much."

"Gomen gomen, I guess I did over-react. But really? Will you join the tennis club then? Probably the boys' team since the girls' team doesn't look promising for you."

"Hmmm... We'll see when I get there."

"Anyways...You're up pretty early, you can't sleep?"

Ryoma flinched at this but mentally thanked God he didn't throw another outburst at her that she's still a growing child. As if he isn't.

"Yea... Baka Oyaji caused another ruckus and now I can't sleep because of it. Don't worry too much about me, you should be worried about yourself. Take care of yourself, I don't want to see you in a bad state when I get there."

"Ah. I get it, I get it... Just take care of yourself 'kay?"

"I can say the same to you."

"Ahahaha... I love you, Ryo. Jaa. Sleep well."

Ryoma blushed at this, he hasn't dropped his nickname for her yet and she's not used to hear intimate words directly from him.

"A-aa. I love you too, Bunta. Jaa. Oyasumi."

"Bye."

Ryoma snapped her phone shut and snuggled into her bed. After that phone call, she felt much more at ease and slept peacefully, unaware of the chaos happening in Japan.

In Japan:

With Marui, Niou, and Kirihara:

Kirihara was dense for most of the time but wasn't stupid to notice that he's in big trouble... well, that only happens rarely...

And one of those rare times would be this time too.

"So? Care to explain yourselves?" Marui glared at them.

"E-etto..." Kirihara started, nervously glancing back and forth between Niou and Marui, hopefully thinking that the Trickster would save them both from the redhead's incoming wrath.

"We went to the restroom and saw you, puri." Niou mentally patted himself on the back for his smooth lie while Kirihara found new respect for his Trickster-senpai.

"Oh? The restroom? Isn't that right next where 'Mura and the others are?" Marui glared more harder. So much for his new respect.

"Erm..."

Marui sighed and rubbed his forehead as it seems he will never get a break from his teammates' nosiness.

"How much did you hear?" Marui asked-demanded.

"Uhm... From the start?" Kirihara nervously answered.

A gust of wind went by and there were two seconds of silence before...

Marui cracked his knuckles, "Eh~ I heard that if a person hits his head too hard, they might forget their recent memories~" Marui said in a sing-song voice.

This effectively made Niou and Kirihara into panic mode.

"M-Marui-senpai, that's not the best way to deal with this! L-Let's talk about this peacefully... Ne?" Akaya tried to negotiate while waving his arms frantically and Niou was trying to nod like it wasn't affecting him but miserably failed because of his body that was shivering in fright (He had no idea that Marui would be this damn scary when angered since he's always happy-go-lucky).

"Peaceful? It would be peaceful if you guys didn't stick your nose in this mess in the first place," Marui murmured but they still heard it clearly and flinched.

"But you do know that buchou will be the one who will ask you, "Who was that on the phone?", since he even noted that you reacted quite differently from the usual calls you get and I bet he won't let you go without satisfying his curiousity," Niou stated.

"Your point?" Marui didnt fail to notice that knowing glint in the Trickster's eyes and that smirk on his face. It was unnerving him.

"We," Niou pointed to himself and Kirihara, "will tell buchou that we overheard your conversation and it was only your mom who you were talking to," at this, Niou's smirk was even noticed by Kirihara, who was seeing his senpai in a new light. You owe me big time, Bakaya.

"And what do you guys want in exchange?"

With Yukimura, Sanada, Yanagi, Jackal, and Yagyuu:

Yukimura read the article about Echizen Ryoma with amusement. A girl that participates on boys' tournaments. She even participated on older age brackets. She already won four consecutive titles in the American Junior Tennis tournaments. What's more amusing was that she won all four only in one year. Truly amusing.

That and the fact that a friend I know likes her. Yukimura's smile became a little smirk.

He continued reading, only to find out that Ryoma has been labeled as prodigy on the age of twelve (that's no wonder considering she won four consecutive titles) and the fact that she has shown no interest in men. At this, Yukimura became more interested. No interest in men? Marui might be a little bit in trouble here... or maybe it's because of Marui that she had shown no interest in other men. Interesting.

"Ne, you guys can read this," Yukimura gave Sanada the magazine while Jackal and Yagyuu went near Sanada to read along with him. They were also curious what was the girl like or what did she accomplish to be featured in the magazine.

Of course, after reading the whole article, they were left a little bit wide-eyed full of disbelief that such a young girl can win four consecutive titles in a span of one year.

"Hm, what do you guys think about her?" Yukimura asked.

"She has a lot of potential to become a pro tennis player," Sanada noted.

"She is quite good for her age. She would become a good addition in the team if she ever goes to Rikkaidai," Yanagi added.

"But aren't the chances of her going to Rikkaidai next to nothing? I mean she is IN America," Jackal said skeptically.

"Well, it's around 9.7% since she has connections to Marui," Yanagi recited his trustful data.

"Hmmm~ Looks like our two detectives got caught," Yukimura looked at the direction where Niou, Kirihara, and Marui emerged.

Marui had a pissed off expression while Niou and Kirihara looked sheepish.

"I can go back by myself while not getting lost. Seriously, you think I'm a toddler?" Marui glared at Kirihara and Niou.

Yukimura and the others had an idea what excuse Niou and Kirihara made and played along.

"But you were taking quite long to just answer a phone call," Yanagi said, "and there's 37.8% of you getting in trouble."

"But why send these two out of all people? You can make that 37.8% into 100% instead," Marui complained.

"Maa, calm down. You guys didn't run into any trouble anyways," Jackal chided gently.

Marui sighed and popped a piece of gum into his mouth. He chewed for a while before blowing a bubble.

"Come to think of it, who called you, Marui-kun?" Yukimura asked 'sweetly'.

"It was my mom," Marui answered dutifully. He knew what that sweet smile meant and was going to strangle Niou if he didn't go with the deal.

Yukimura sent a glance towards Niou and Kirihara, who both nodded a bit which meant Marui was telling the truth. Suspicious..

"It's getting quite late, we should go home now," Yagyuu intervened which was mentally thanked by Marui, Niou, and Kirihara.

They all looked at the time and agreed it was quite late. They soon said their good byes before going to their respective homes.

In the Marui Household:

"Tadaima!" Bunta said as he placed his shoes aside and pulled out a pair of slippers for himself.

"Okaeri! How was your day?" Shizuka greeted Bunta.

"It was okay.. I guess..." Bunta said doubtfully as he was thinking if the chaos earlier could be considered okay.

"Did something happen?" Shizuka asked after hearing her son's answer. She thought that Bunta would be more cheerful after hearing that the Echizen family would be coming soon in Japan.

"Yea... I'll talk about it later at dinner. I want lie down and rest for now. It's been a chaotic day.." Bunta told her as he walked upstairs towards his room to clear his mind and maybe talk with Ryoma.

"Sure. I'll call you down for dinner later."

"Hai."

Shizuka heard the door to her son's room shut close before sighing. She really hoped Bunta wouldn't push himself too much during tennis practice. But knowing his stubborn attitude... Where did he get that trait?

"Tadaima! Ah, Okaa-san!" The twins greeted their mother with enthusiasm in complete contrast to the oldest son's.

"Okaeri, Ryo and Ko! How was the day for you guys?"

"It was the same as usual. Just fine. Nothing really happened," Ryohei answered their Mother for them both. They were in the same class after all.

"Ah. Bunta-nii's already home?" Kohei asked as he noticed Bunta's shoes already at it's usual place.

"Un. He came home a little bit before you two came. He's taking a rest in his room now, so better not disturb him, okay?"

"Hai~"

Marui sighed for the nth time in the day.

Seriously, he thought it was going to be a peaceful and normal day today but nooo. His teammates just HAD to find out about his Ryoma. Yes, his. No way in hell would he let them be cozy with his Ryoma. Just thinking about that makes his blood boil. Friends? Sure. But over that? Hell no.

Another frustrated sigh was let out and he popped a gum into his mouth. Sugar always helped him calm down.

He looked at the clock and it was 7:30 pm. Ryo should be up by this time.

As he waited for his laptop to turn on, he remembered that Ryoma couldn't sleep until earlier which was only 3 hours ago. Even he doubted that Ryoma would be awake unless she forced herself awake and acts like a zombie.

Marui logged onto Skype and found out that Ryoma was online.

AmaiHime: Hi, Bunta. How was your day?

AmaiOuji: ...Chaotic.

AmaiHime: O.O How?

AmaiOuji: First of all, when I told mom the news that you and your parents are going here in Japan, during breakfast, the twins decided to ask about you by using "Is she Bunta-nii's wife?" which almost made me choke on my water.

AmaiHime: Oh...

From that reply, Marui could tell that Ryoma was blushing which made him grin.

AmaiOuji: Then next came tennis practice, the 100 laps I told you about. Also, most of the people sent me questioning glances for I don't know. As far as I know, I didn't do anything wrong at all.

AmaiHime: Knowing you, you're just too dense to know what you did wrong.

AmaiOuji: Oi! At least I am not dense enough to notice that people have been giving me the wolf's eye!

AmaiHime: Oh? People have been giving you the wolf's eye? Really? Give me the names and trust me, they'll be in the morning news tomorrow.

Apparently, Ryoma was also possessive of Marui.

Marui sweat dropped at her misunderstanding. But people have been giving him the wolf's eye (especially girls) and he pointedly ignored them most of the time.

AmaiOuji: It's just the usual fangirls, Ryo. Don't worry, I ignore them anyways. If it's a confession, they're automatically rejected. You know why ;)

AmaiHime: ...Ok. But do tell me if they do stuff that crosses the line.

AmaiOuji: Sure, though I doubt they have the guts to do that. Moving on, when my teammates and I were going home, we stopped by a sports store. I, along with 'Mura and Yanagi, went to the magazine aisle. I went there to find the Monthly Pro Tennis that features players in America so I could check if you were featured in an article. Surely enough, you were there and I kinda didn't pay attention...

AmaiHime: Let me guess, your buchou and Yanagi-san saw you reading the article I was featured on?

AmaiOuji: Un... And things went more chaotic after that.. 'Mura was saying how I probably love you and is the girl I like, then the rest of the team heard it and went rushing to our corner. 'Mura told us to be quiet while he bought the magazine. After that, we went to a park and Bakaya was shouting questions to me about you. Then I ignored him and played with my ring. Jackal then asked me if I really liked you then I saw no other option but to nod since 'Mura and Yanagi already saw.

AmaiHime: Talk about a day =-=||

AmaiOuji: That's not all. After that, they asked if you're related to my ring and gave it to me. I already surrendered and confirmed both of their questions. Then came your call.

AmaiHime: Now, don't tell me that some of them tried to listen. If they did, they probably heard what you said near the end.

AmaiOuji: They did... and it was Bakaya and Niou. Of course, I caught them but I didn't know how long so when they said that they heard everything that I said, I was ready to erase their memories. By hitting their head very hard.

AmaiHime: Just thinking about that makes me cringe already.

AmaiOuji: Hahaha, but then Niou made a deal that they will tell 'Mura that it was only my mother who called in exchange for them getting away with no injuries... And that I will truthfully answer 2 of their questions. Bakaya's question was "Is your girlfriend strong in tennis?" Of course, I said "Yes, she even beat me with a score of 6-0" and that left the two gaping. I took some pictures~

AmaiHime: Good job! Send it to me when you can? I want to prepare some blackmail material so I could be safe there.

AmaiOuji: Sure~ Being prepared around Niou isn't a bad idea. Anyways, Niou reserved his question for some other time and we went back to the others. Niou and Bakaya backed me up when I said it was only my mom who called. After that, Yagyuu told us the time was late and we went home. Man, it's only Wednesday and it's so chaotic already.

AmaiHime: Ahahaha... Don't worry, in 9 days I'll also experience that chaos with you.

AmaiOuji: 9 days Q-Q it feels like eternity...

AmaiHime: Before you know it, it will be Friday soon :)

Marui was going to reply until his mother's shout interrupted him from doing so.

"Bunta! Dinner's ready!"

"Hai! I'll be there soon!"

AmaiOuji: Oops.. Okaa-san is calling me down for dinner. Talk to you again tomorrow?

AmaiHime: Ok. Eat well and sleep well. Take care of yourself. Jaa. Oyasumi o/

AmaiOuji: You too. Jaa. Oyasumi o/

AmaiOuji has logged off.

Marui happily shut off his laptop and went to the dining room where everyone present noticed the grin he had.

As Bunta ate, Shizuka smiled fondly on how Ryoma (Shizuka was betting everything that it was probably Ryoma who talked with her son) was able to get her son into a good mood again. She didn't feel like pressing on what happened to her oldest son earlier so she didn't.

"Bunta, did you ask when will Ryoma-chan and her family come here?"

"Un. She said around next week Thursday. Though I think they will arrive around Friday morning because Ryo said that their family prefers to come to another country in the morning. They're probably going to take the flight around night time."

"Ah. Rin-chan did tell me that before...Hmm, Friday morning... Ah! Your father and I are going to attend a business trip from next week Friday to next next week Sunday... Gomen but could you pick them up for us? It's your school's foundation day and you have no tennis practice at that anyways," Shizuka asked her son.

"Sure," Bunta wondered at his mom and dad's timing for a business trip. But then work was work.

"Knowing Rin-chan, she probably bought a house here already. Just drop them off their house or you could spend time with Ryoma-chan if she isn't that affected by the jet lag."

"Hai."

Sai was just quiet but let out a smile as he listened to his wife's and son's conversation. Ryohei and Kohei were just excited to know that their soon to be sister-in-law will be coming soon in Japan. They wondered if she was fun to be with and kind.

Dinner passed by peacefully after that.

Marui took a quick shower before changing into his nightwear. He was just drying his hair before remembering that Ryoma asked for the pictures of a gaping Niou and Kirihara. He smirked devilishly at that. Payback time.

He turned on his laptop and sent the photos from his phone to his laptop via Bluetooth. He made numerous copies of the photos as he knew to be cautious around Niou if he grabs hold of his phone. Even though it had a security password, one could never be restless around the Trickster.

Marui sent the photos to Ryoma and turned his laptop off.

After he turned off the lights, he lied down on his bed wishing that a week would quickly pass by. He soon fell asleep dreaming about Ryoma and sweets.

Oh yes, a week would certainly flash by.

A/N: And that's mostly because the author can't write about that week lol. T-T Meh~ yes there would be time skip o3o~ Thanks for the favorites/follows/reviews. :D