Return Ace

Author: Ayane Selznick

Beta: fantasize.dream.

Author's Note: Please Read and Review!

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IV. His All

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Ryoma was utterly shocked.

The absence of sparkle in her eyes, sad smiles and edgy responses when he was around—

It was all because her parents died. How could I not notice? But… why did she hide it from me?

Ryoma's eyes became narrow as he stared hard at the ground. He tried to find reasons to why she didn't want him to know about it. She couldn't expect him to just appear out of nowhere and ask her questions like those. Still, he had his own way to know everything, just like now.

"Ryoma-kun? Ryoma-kun?"

Dan's oscillating hand brought back Ryoma's attention.

"Aah… Gomen (sorry). I got to go." His grip on his tennis bag tightened. "I've got something to do." He jogged ahead and before he left he thanked Dan for the stories he shared.

"Oh… Un!"

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The next day, Ryoma made a beeline for Momoshiro. His senpai immediately thought of digging the earth and burying himself because of Ryoma's rigid glare.

"Momo-senpai."

"O-oh… Echizen."

Ryoma didn't waste a second when he nonchalantly mentioned that particular issue to Momo.

"Ma-matte (wait)." He slung an arm around Ryoma's neck and lowered his volume. "Who told you?"

"It's not important." Ryoma snickered. "It's actually bad enough that I learnt it from other people."

When Momoshiro's clutch around his neck relaxed Ryoma took the chance to detach himself from his senpai so that he could fix the collar of his uniform. He detected uneasiness when Momoshiro stared hard at him as if trying to find someone who would be so bold to be insensitive.

"If I didn't know the reason, I wouldn't have understood why she acted that way."

Naturally, Momoshiro would come up an excuse as to why he didn't tell him about it when suddenly Fuji arrived with a calm expression on his face. Ryoma wouldn't be fooled by his senpai's facial expressions. Fuji had an innate ability to mask his true intentions.

"Sakuno-chan doesn't want you to know that she lost somebody close to her because if you knew, she would be afraid to look at you for she didn't want to see only pity in your eyes. She'll get hurt."

Ryoma looked briefly at the courts while the members were gathering for morning practice.

"I'm not the one who frequently shows pity for her." He glanced at his senpais. "You baby sit her too much."

Momo put up a defensive hand as he speaks. "It's not babysitting Echizen. It's not. We're trying to cheer her up."

Ryoma shook his head. "Her frequent display of depression is already proof that your methods are only a failure."

"Natural feelings cannot be easily masked by feigned happiness, Echizen."

Fuji was right.

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Tennis practice in the afternoon was almost done as Tezuka-buchou announced details regarding their match in Kanto tournament. More or less they have experienced playing against their opponents but with Ryoma, being an all-round player, needed no details for he usually used the same tactics regardless of the opponent's game play. The harder his opponents played, the stronger he got. It was quite terrifying for a young athlete like himself to develop such progress in short period of time. But, that's all the reason why, he was always brought out as an ace.

As soon as Tezuka announced dismissal, most of the regulars fled towards the clubhouse to get changed. Freshmen members were ordered to collect tennis balls and unfasten nets. Ryoma was relieved that he didn't have to do those tasks because he sure was lazy when it came to menial tasks. Simply put, he hated doing chores.

"This is getting exciting! We're all getting in all the matches! I can't wait for the tournament!" Eiji excitedly bounced.

"Saa…I wonder what kind of line-up Tezuka has in mind." Fuji's eyes twinkled.

Momo was still putting on his uniform. "Oi Echizen let's go get pizza today!"

Amazingly enough, the famous freshman ace had bid adieu.

Kaidoh stared at the door where Ryoma left. "He changed so quickly."

Oishi followed suit and even peeked out to watch Ryoma's retreating back. "I wonder why he's always in such a hurry."

Behind him, Momo and Eiji exchanged knowing glances.

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He planned to go home as soon as he can so he could challenge his perverted father in a match. It was already a tradition for father and son to naturally have matches before and after competitions. Ryoma felt that it was one substantial way to encourage himself to progress even more.

On the way however, he saw Sakuno sitting at her usual spot. He knew that she was waiting for the Coach to pick her up. The man who attacked Coach the other day never returned but his senpais were almost tailing Sakuno wherever she went.

As he walked towards her, he recalled the day when he met Dan and ultimately found out the origin of Sakuno's change. While his senpais were babysitting her, in which Momo declined they weren't, he wanted to have his own way of helping her. He was not the type to cheer his friends on in very obvious ways but he would never abandon a friend. He had helped them so many times especially when his friends were in trouble. This time however, it was different. Nobody was trying to bully Sakuno, except for the suspicious man that all of them agreed to look out for. The main problem was in her heart.

"Waiting for Coach?"

Her shoulder jolted as he stopped beside her. Sakuno was even more surprised that Ryoma finally talked to her. She was really sad when he ignored her for the past days.

"R-Ryoma-kun."

Ryoma took the vacant spot next to Sakuno.

"U-uh… Mm (yeah)."

After placing his tennis bag on the ground, he nonchalantly sat back and placed his arms behind his head.

"You weren't at the courts like you always did."

Sakuno glanced at him before she relaxed on the bench.

"I'm helping in the library… so…"

"You probably didn't know that we'll be having our first match for the Kanto tournament."

Sakuno wrinkled her eyebrows, not understanding why Ryoma was giving her information regarding the tournament.

"When will it be?"

"Hmm… next week."

"Aah…" Sakuno smiled as she nodded.

Silence ensued. Both of them tried valiantly to start another discussion. Ryoma never thought that starting a conversation could be so difficult and that silence could be so awkward. Even so, he was quite hesitant to tell her about that particular issue especially when Fuji told him Sakuno's reason. So, he'd try to play along.

"Does the Coach have any tournaments this semester?"

Sakuno tried to sound casual. "In three weeks I think. She usually tells me three days before the scheduled tournament."

"Ah sou (I see). In that case, you can watch us play."

Sakuno looked at him incredulously. "…I will have to ask Obaa-chan (grandmother)."

Ryoma pursed his lips. "It's unusual that you won't be there during our matches though."

She blinked. "Why do you say so?"

He looked away, slightly vacillating. "…Because now that everybody's attending different schools, you're the only one who will be supporting the team."

Sakuno vaguely wondered why Ryoma was persuading her to come.

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Unbeknownst to them, four of their senpais were scouting behind the trees. One was eagerly jotting down on his notes, the other beaming slyly beside the other who had a cheeky grin on his face. The last one was curiously watching despite the scary look he was emitting solely from his eyes.

"You know he's been hitting on her since Seigaku." Momo cited, still bearing his known cheeky grin on his face.

Eiji brushed both his cheeks like a cat. "Ochibi (baby boy) is loyal to Sakuno-chan, don't you think nya?"

"There's an 87 percent chance that Ryuuzaki-san would relinquish being a supporter if Echizen stops persuading her. Seemingly, there's a 95 percent chance that Echizen would still persuade her to come. However a 10 percent chance that Ryuuzaki-san—"

"Why is Echizen persuading her anyway?" Kaidoh hissed, slightly displeased that he was dragged along for this little adventure.

Momo turned to look at Kaidoh. "Because somebody told him about Sakuno-chan's parents. Besides, he also ignored her lately."

Kaidoh's eyebrow rose. "So?"

It was Eiji who turned to his kouhai (lower classman). "So Ochibi's trying to find a way to cheer her up."

Kaidoh's expression turned sourly. "But aren't we already helping her cope with her feelings?"

Inui pushed his thick spectacles on the bridge of his nose as he explained. "Unfortunately, Kaidoh, she has given us a low response of 26.3 percent, which means that what we're doing, is not enough to make her return to her usual happy self. However, since Echizen has been the apple of Ryuuzaki-san's eyes, there's a 53.7 percent chance that she will be cheer up."

When they heard the Coach's car honking for Sakuno, the four instantaneously went silent as they watched the scene unfold.

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Sakuno stood up from the bench when she heard her grandmother's car. Ryoma followed suit as he picked up his tennis bag and walked behind Sakuno.

"Ohh! Ryoma. Fancy seeing you're still here."

Ryoma only gave her a curt nod out of respect.

"He saw me waiting for you, Obaachan, so he…" Sakuno was hesitatin. Was it really okay to say that he accompanied her while she waited?

Ryoma saved her from being bashful. "I accompanied her until you came."

Sumire smiled at him and told her granddaughter to come in the car. After Sakuno got in, Sumire glanced at Ryoma and waved at him before she reversed the car and zoomed out onto the road. They weren't far from the school when Sumire pointed out the obvious.

"Ryoma finally approached a girl, eh? Did he ask you out already?"

Sakuno's eyes blinked twice before she began fidgeting on her seat.

"You're getting the wrong idea, Obaachan. Ryoma would never ask me out." Because the one who would ask for a date is… me…

Sumire glanced on her granddaughter as she drove.

"Nobody really knows what's going on inside that mind of his."

Sakuno bashfully lowered her head and agreed silently.

"But what do we know? It's okay to hope but don't expect too much."

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Ryoma stood blankly as he watched the Ryuuzaki's car disappear round the corner. It wasn't too long after the car vanished when Momoshiro, Kaidoh, Eiji and Inui surprised him from behind. Disguising his alarm with a glare, Ryoma wondered where the hell they came from.

"It's good to be so young. So young, ne, Echizen?" Momo gave him a knowing look.

Eiji delightfully slapped his shoulder blade. "If you want advice for dates, you can count on me nya!"

Inui continuously scribbled in his notebook as Kaidoh stared disbelievingly at it.

"Why are you writing stuff that is unrelated to tennis?" Kaidoh asked gruffly.

"It's related to Echizen, which makes it tennis-related." Inui replied, not skipping a beat.

Ryoma wondered why he was under the spotlight.

"I'm going home."

"No way Echizen!"

"Let's go get pizza to celebrate your first date nya!"

"There's a 70 percent chance that Echizen will be—"

"He's running away. Fushuuuu."

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Sakuno began observing Ryoma's behavior after he greeted her first when they first met at the school grounds in the morning. Initially, she thought that he was in a good mood but it became strange when he suddenly spoke to her during Physics class. She was having a hard time doing their science activity when he suddenly came to her side giving hints about what she should do. She thought she was hallucinating but after pinching her cheek, she started to speculate why Ryoma would do such a thing.

During lunch, he was at the rooftop again. She brought Ryoma's lunchbox as requested. She knew him better than anyone. Whenever he said 'it was nothing' it meant the opposite. Sakuno had made lunch because she promised him. Soon they began eating together until another strange occasion occurred.

"The food's good."

Ryoma complimented her meal. To Sakuno, it was very unusual to receive compliments from him. His mouth typically shoots out mocking words to provoke people; she was even a victim of his 'mada mada dane' when she made him lunch years ago.

Nonetheless, Sakuno was glad that he finally appreciated all her good deeds at the same time, she felt that their relationship as friends had started growing. She observed him for five days and still wondered about what had gotten in his mind to show such unbelievable courtesy to her.

On the afternoon of the day before the match, Sakuno visited the courts to witness the team's progress in tennis. She strongly believed that Seishun High would be victorious in the upcoming tournaments. They have grown so powerful and each time they were facing a difficult opponent, they would evolve and become stronger, just like Ryoma.

She watched the regulars line up after Tezuka called them. He gave then a short briefing before allowing them to start their training.

Don't let your guard down… that's what he usually says.

Satisfied that his members were concentrating on their training, Tezuka glanced behind the courts to see Sakuno smiling back at him. He gave her a curt nod and walked past the gate. The regulars followed his instructions, enthusiastically running towards the limited number of courts for practice.

Except for one who watched his Buchou (captain) walk towards their infrequent visitor.

Tezuka accompanied Sakuno by the bench outside the courts.

"How are you feeling?" He stared down at his female kouhai (lower classman). The flushing cheeks and timid smile was not unnoticed. "It's good that you've been smiling a lot lately."

Sakuno blinked at him in surprise. She didn't know that her reaction would be that visible.

"H-hai (yes). Thank you." She bit her lower lip. "Well, actually I came here because… I want to know if something happened to Ryoma-kun."

Tezuka raised a brow.

"He was… I think he's more open than before." Sakuno kept fidgeting as she explained.

"Hmm?"

"Ah… well… naturally, he has never spoken to me in class or greet me first in the morning. What I meant is—" She let out s small sigh. "Well I'm thinking that maybe he did all those things because… I'm the only one in our batch that he knew for years." Her smile faded. "But I'm glad that he's beginning to change…"

Tezuka waited for further reactions, but only silence was left. For one, he knew exactly why Ryoma was acting the way he did. Two, he knew why Sakuno approached him. She thought that he knew Ryoma best.

"Despite his known arrogance, Echizen is sensitive to people around him. He easily identifies a person's feelings." His eyes darted the courts as a succession of yells came from Kaidoh and Momo. "He shows concern but never wanted to show it."

Sakuno cocked her head sideways, not understanding what Tezuka meant. He had a habit of sharing words with deep meaning, but she felt like she was always an exception for any matter that was related to her. Sakuno was delighted that Ryoma was actually concerned about her welfare. She always thought that he would never keep an eye on her.

"… Honestly… I'm already happy when he's around." She looked up to Tezuka with a meaningful smile.

The captain gave her a curt nod and a pat on the head like a loving brother. After a while, she looked back on the courts and noticed that Ryoma was gone.

Sakuno remembered something. "Ryoma-kun told me about the upcoming matches. I would love to come."

"Do you want me to pick you up?"

Sakuno looked surprisingly at the captain. "Ah… well…"

"I'll ask Echizen to pick you up, then."

"H-huh? But… Tezuka-san…"

Tezuka smiled a little and patted her head once again. He knew that Ryoma was the only person who could make her happy, so he'd help her.

Unbeknownst the two, Ryoma had been listening for a while.

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Ryoma woke up early in the morning. It was the day of the tournament. He was aware of his morning task at hand so immediately got up from his bed, surprising even himself, to take a bath and change from night clothes. Yesterday, he had no choice but to comply whatever his captain told him to do, even though he was sure he'd do it even without being told. Right after he asked Sakuno to attend their game, he told himself to accompany her to-and-fro.

He was putting his sports shoes on when his father appeared at the hallway.

"Isn't it a bit early to leave?"

Ryoma ignored his father. After he tied his shoelaces, he dragged his tennis bag on to his shoulder.

"Ittekimasu (I'm going)…" The dull tone of his voice echoed in their entryway.

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The young man was debating with his conscience.

After the day he found out about her concerns, he had wanted to open it up with her. He thought that by facing the painful reality, she would subsequently move on.

And yet, Fuji's word engraved in his mind as well.

"Sakuno-chan doesn't want you to know that she lost somebody close to her because if you knew, she would be afraid to look at you only to see pity in your eyes. She'll only get hurt."

Ryoma arrived at the front entrance of the Ryuuzaki residence.

It'll come along…

He rang the doorbell. Seconds later, Sakuno appeared. She announced her departure to her grandmother and closed the door.

"Ohayou (good morning), Ryoma-kun."

Ryoma nodded.

"I'm sorry that you'll have to pick me up… I told Tezuka-san that I can—"

He smirked. "You'll only get lost. Let's go."

"H-hai!"

As the two freshmen walked towards the train station, a silver car slowed to a stop in front of the Ryuuzaki's house.

To be continued…

Author's Note: Echizen doesn't like sad girls, no? Also, visit fantasized.dream.'s page okay?