AN: hey, guess what…today is the 1 year anniversary of me becoming an author here on FanFiction, and to celebrate I am updating all of my stories today! Therefore, without further adieu, here is the next installment of 'What Hinders a Princess'
(Okay, I know that today is not June 1, but I got impatient and decided to upload this chapter today. So, please remember that June 1 is the anniversary of my joining FanFiction and becoming an author, and keep an eye out for updates to my two other stories, okay? Also, PLEASE check out my YouTube account, and my DeviantArt page, both of which I have links to on my profile page.)
sorry, but i found out that not everything transferred like it was supposed to, so hopefully with these corrections (most of which are more towards the end of the chapter) help make things clearer for you :)
"Talking"
Thoughts
(author's note)
Disclaimer: I own NOTHING! Cheers, and enjoy!
Recap
(Normal POV)
Unbeknownst to them, there was a pair of hazel cat-like eyes watching them. When everyone was thoroughly distracted, the owner of these eyes ran out, snatched the unsuspecting Sakuno, and ran from the room with her in tow.
Chapter 5
(Sakuno's POV)
"Thank you Ryoga-sempai." I say cheerfully as he takes me down a few hallways, leading me somewhere. Strangely enough, I feel that I can trust him. I seem to get the same feeling that I get when I am around Tezuka-kun, the feeling that I am safe when I am with them.
"It was nothing, besides you looked as if you needed saving back there anyway." As he says this, we walk outside onto one of the courtyards not that far from where the others are practicing and having a few matches against each other.
"Hey, you wanna watch me practice?" Ryoga asks as he turns to look at me. I smile even more before answering.
"Sure."
o0o0o
It is not long after Ryoga starts to practice that Shiraishi and the others, including Zaizen, who were fighting in the cafeteria, finally show up outside. Shiraishi and Yukimura called all the other captains over to the side, far enough away to be out of earshot of everybody, to talk about something. I watch them for a few more moments, before asking Ryoga,
"I wonder if they are talking about the haunted house?"
Ryoga stopped what he was doing and looked at the group of captains in confusion.
"You mean the haunted house that the monkey king baka was yelling about as he ran down the hall earlier? I thought he had just lost his mind…well, what seems to be left of it that is. So, what exactly is this haunted house about?" Ryoga asks as he wipes the sweat off his face, and I hand him a water bottle.
"Huh…Oh! Well, that's…" but before I can say much more, the captains have returned and were now in the center of the practice area and were calling for everyone's attention.
"Everyone, may I please have your attention?" Yukimura-sempai called out as everyone stopped what he or she was doing and gathered around the captains. "We would like to inform you that the staff of the ryokan will be holding an end-of-the-summer festival, which anyone can join."
"Therefore, we have signed up to have a *o tema ni shita kafe, which Yukimura, Fuji, Atobe, Sengoku, Shinji, Kenya, Kite, and myself will be running. However…we have also signed up to do a haunted house. Now, the people who will be in charge of the haunted house will be decided by a singles tournament that we will be having for the next three to four days." Shiraishi-sempai explained.
"Although, instead of having the top 18 players doing the haunted house it will be the first 18 losers who will be in charge of the haunted house." Tachibana-sempai further explained as several groans were heard. Once the noise had died down, Tachibana-sempai continued. "Now, there are still some spots left for food vendors/stalls, so if you are interested in something like that then you are welcome to sign up."
"However, we do have one exception." Kite-sempai said as the cheers of approval had quieted down. "The one exception is that Sadaharu Inui is NOT allowed to participate in ANY of the food stalls/vendors."
The whole group became dead quiet as one of Inui-sempai's eyebrows began to twitch. Most everyone in the group was looking from the captains to Inui-sempai and back again.
"Now, Inui, it's not that we don't appreciate all your hard work put into your drinks. It's just that the festival will be messy enough, what with all the people celebrating, without someone having to clean up vomit and unconscious bodies." Yukimura-sempai tried to ease the tension.
"However, we would greatly appreciate it if you would be so kind as to keep those who will be in charge of the haunted house in-line and inspired. Then, in that case, you have permission to use any means that you see fit to use, as long as it helps them get the job done and on time." Shiraishi-sempai exclaimed, as an evil glint seemed to flash from Inui-sempai's glasses.
"As much as I would have liked to be one of the vendors, I will gladly help those who will be in charge of the haunted house." Inui-sempai said while re-adjusting his glasses. Then he turned to the rest of the group, and flashed everyone a Cheshire cat grin while saying in a creepy voice, "Now, shall we start the tournament so I can see who my next victims will be?"
"Inui-san, don't you mean who you will be helping?" Taka-sempai asked hesitantly.
"Nope," was all Inui-sempai said as everyone around him sweat-dropped and took several steps back away from him.
"Now, before we begin, seeing as how our numbers are a bit short, we were wondering if Ryoga-san would be so kind as to play in the last match of the third round so that we can have a fair tournament; instead of allowing a player to move on to the next round, due to a lack of opponents." Shiraishi-sempai asked.
"What are you talking about Shiraishi-*buchou*, Kin-kun asked as a confused look flashed across everyone's faces.
"Ishida Gin has volunteered to help the staff members set up and get ready for the festival, which will be held in eight days." Shiraishi-sempai explained. "Therefore, he will be too busy to participate in the tournament, so we need Ryoga-san to fill his spot."
At this, everyone turned to stare at Ryoga-sempai, who blinked a few times then shrugged as he replied.
"Eh…sure, why not? It's not like I really had anything better to do, besides it'll give me a chance to see how good some of you guys really are." Ryoga-sempai said with a smirk as he looked over the crowd and slowly settled his sights upon the captains.
"Good, but we won't need you until the third round which won't be until day four of the tournament so you should have plenty of time to study your potential opponents," Yukimura-sempai said with a smile on his face.
"Well, now that that is settled, let's get down to business," a boomingly familiar voice said behind me. I whirl around to find my grandmother standing behind me, along with all the other coaches.
"Oba," I say in surprise as my grandmother winks at me, with a smile on her face, before she walks over to the captains. Once she reached them, she turns to face the crowd, before addressing everyone.
"Now, as you all know, this will be a singles tournament instead of the usual team vs. team tournaments you're all used to. Therefore, there are some things you will need to know. First off, the rules will be the same as any singles match rules are. Second, we, your coaches, will referee your matches and thirdly, there will be three matches held at the same time. Once all three matches are over, we will call out the next six players who will be going up against each other. Now, each match has been decided by randomly drawing each player's name from a hat; so be warned, you may end up fighting against a player from another team, or you may end up going against a team-mate and friend. But, remember this is just for fun, so don't let the results of this tournament destroy, or put a damper on, any friendships." My grandmother explained cheerily. "Now that you understand, I should let you know that we will not be breaking for lunch until we've had thirty matches, so the sooner you finish your matches, the sooner you will get to have lunch. So, without further adieu, the first three matches will be….Kabaji Munehiro vs. Sengoku Kiyosumi, Yagyu Hiroshi vs. Akutagawa Jiro, and Zaizen Hikaru vs. Momoshiro Takeshi."
Once the players were announced, everyone cleared the area as three coaches and the six players set up to start their matches.
"Now before we begin, we've decided to make it more interesting by putting a fifteen minute time limit on each match. That way, we can really test how much your skills have improved by how much faster and stronger you've become." My grandmother said with a somewhat evil gleam in her eyes and a smirk on her face. "Now, let's get this tournament under way. Let the first matches begin!"
My grandmother said this last part in a booming voice as everyone started to cheer. I noticed that Zaizen and Momo-sempai were about to begin, so I walked over to wish them good luck, with Ryoga-sempai following silently behind me.
"Good luck, Momo-sempai, Zaizen-sempai!" I yelled at them. They both looked over at me and waved before starting their match.
"I'm sure glad that Krauser-sempai's team decided not to come. I would not want to think of what damage they might do to not only the players they went up against, but also the area around them. I don't think people would appreciate it if we destroyed the ryokan." I say laughing nervously as I watch the match.
"Yeah, those Nagoya Seitoku guys sure make a mess of things." Ryoga-sempai agreed.
After a few moments, I finally shake myself from my reverie enough to realize what time it was.
"Oh no, I didn't realize what time it was, I'll be late if I don't hurry! Gomen, Ryoga-sempai but I have to go." I exclaim as I try to make my way through the crowd.
"Hey, what's the hurry?! Where do you have to be?" He asks as he easily catches up to me.
"I promised to help the cooking staff make our bento lunches, since they need to focus on the upcoming festival." I explain as I continue to work my way through the crowd.
"Oh, well can I help?" Ryoga asks curiously. At my sudden stop and confused, yet shocked, expression, he continues. "What, like I'm going to leave you alone to make our sixty plus bentos for all of us. Besides, it is not as if I have anything better to do. They won't need me until round three, which is two days from now." He says matter-of-factly, while shrugging his shoulders.
At his reasoning's, a vibrant and joyous smile spreads across my face as I nearly jump for joy.
"Hai, you can help, but we must hurry or else we might not have enough time to make them all." I say as I turn to leave. I catch Ryoga-sempai smirk/smile as we both work our way through the crowd and back towards the ryokan, and then towards the kitchens.
o0o0o
Several hours later, Ryoga-sempai and I were just putting the finishing touches on the bento lunches.
"Ah, there, now we can take one last break before we have to move everything to the training area and set it all up." I say with a relieved smile on my face, as I wipe some sweat off my face. Ryoga smiles at this.
"Yeah, I guess…but, I wonder if we could get someone to help us since we have all this food, not to mention the tables, drinks, cups, and utensils." He says in a somewhat exasperated voice.
"Hmm…well, maybe Gin-sempai can help us set up the tables, and then maybe we could have some of the other sempai-taichi help us with the food. What do you think, Ryoga-sempai?" I say as I turn to look at Ryoga with a questioning look.
"Sounds like a plan…and Sakuno-chan, you don't have to call me sempai, you can call me something else," he says a little hesitantly.
"Eh, what do you mean?" I ask with a confused look on my face.
"Well, I mean…you could call me nii-san," Ryoga-sempai says sheepishly, as he rubs the back of his neck. "Well, what I mean is that I've always wanted a little sister, and I kinda think of you as a little sister. So, I was wondering if you would rather call 'Ryo-niisan', instead of 'Ryoga-sempai'."
Oh, so that is what he meant. I think in relief, as I stare at a very flustered and embarrassed Ryoga-sempai.
"How about I call you Ryoga-niisan?" I ask shyly, yet happy to gain another aniki.
"Only if I get to call you *kichona imoto*?" Ryoga said with a relieved smirk on his face.
"Deal," I say as we shake hands, then we start laughing at each other.
"Hey, what are you guys laughing at?" Gin-sempai asks as he walks in.
"Gin-sempai, how are you!" I say walking over to him.
"I am fine *chisana ichi*. I just came to see if you needed any help making lunch for our group?" he asks with a smile on his face, as he pats me on the head.
"Oh, well we've already finished making the meals, but we do need help moving the food and tables out to the practice area." Ryoga-niisan said as he gestured to the food and folded-up tables leaning against a near-by wall.
"Well, that should be easy enough. Ryoga-san, I will get the tables so you and Sa-chan get the drinks. Once we get that set up outside, we can come back and get the food." Gin-sempai instructed as he picked up the three tables, one in one hand and two in the other.
Ryoga and I agreed then, after we grabbed all the drinks and cups we could carry, we all left the kitchen and started to head towards the training area on the other side of the hotel.
o0o0o
Just as we reached the halfway point, we ran into Momo-sempai and Zaizen-kun, who were heading towards the kitchens.
"Oh, you guys are done already?" Momo-sempai asked in surprise.
"Hai, we were just heading in that direction to start setting up." I say smiling at them. "Oh, but how did your match go?"
"Momo-san won, but only barely." Zaizen said a little annoyed.
"Yeah, this guy gave me a run for my money. I won with 4 games to 3." Momo-sempai said while patting Zaizen on the back, not wanting to get on his bad side and start a fight, thus earning him the wrath of my grandmother.
"Ah, well you can always whoop his butt once the tournaments roll around." Ryoga-niisan said while smirking at Momo-sempai, whose eyebrow started to twitch.
"Heh, yeah I guess I could." Zaizen said with a satisfied smile on his face. "Anyway, is there anything we can help with?"
"Yeah, we still need to get the rest of the drinks, cups and utensils, before we can start bringing the food out." I explain calmly.
"You can count on us," Momo-sempai says pointing at himself with his thumb. "We'll go get the rest, and then we'll help you bring out the food, okay?"
"Hai," I say as we part ways and wave back at them, before following Ryoga and Gin-sempai.
o0o0o
Once we reached the training area, we started to set up immediately. As we were setting up the drinks, Zaizen-kun and Momo-sempai showed up with the rest of the drinks and utensils.
"Arigato!" I say as Ryoga-niisan and Gin-sempai leave to help bring the food out.
While they are gone, some of the players that have already had their matches gather around to get drinks, while they waited on the food to get there. In the distance, I could hear the sounds of tennis matches still going on.
I guess not all the matches are finished as of yet. I wonder how many more matches are left.
As if hearing my thoughts, Fuji-sempai answered my unspoken question.
"The last three matches before lunch are just finishing up right now, Sa-chan." He says with a reassuring smile on his face.
Just then, the sounds of tennis matches stop, and are soon followed by the joyous sounds of the crowd cheering for the winners. I turn to tell Fuji-sempai that he was right, when I notice Ryoga and the others heading this way with the food.
I greet them as they reach me, and we start setting up the food and utensils just as the rest of the players join our group.
o0o0o
Lunch goes by quickly and before I know it, it is the end of the day, and the first round of the tournament is over. After cleaning up the training area and taking showers, we have all gathered in the cafeteria to eat supper.
I find myself sitting with my grandmother again, but with the additions of Ryoga-niisan and Zaizen-kun sitting on either side of me.
It seems that the group I eat supper with is getting larger, if this keeps up we will probably have to find a bigger table. I think with a smile on my face.
As I look around my growing group, I see that Yukimura-sempai has started an argument with Fuji-sempai on what spices would be better for the food we were eating, while Sanada-sempai was glaring at Atobe-sempai, who keeps trying to sneak over to our table for some reason. Shiraishi-sempai is talking with my grandmother on what the different medicinal properties were of the local vegetation, and Ryoga-kun is talking with Zaizen-kun about today's events.
As everyone goes on talking and eating, I think back on the results of the first round of the tournament.
Results of the 1st Round
(player's name X player's name = winner/score)
Kabaji Munehiro X Sengoku Kiyosumi Sengoku Kiyosumi 4-3
Yagyu Hiroshi X Akutagawa Jiro Yagyu Hiroshi 4-2
Zaizen Hikaru X Momoshiro Takeshi Momoshiro Takeshi 4-3
Shishido Ryo X Tachibana Kippei Tachibana Kippei 5-1
Niou Masaharu X Shiraishi Kuranosuke Shiraishi Kuranosuke 4-2
Tomoya Shiranui X Sakurai Masaya Tomoya Shiranui 5-1
Kisarazu Atsushi X Oishi Shuichiro Oishi Shuichiro 4-2
Fuji Shusuke X Kawamura Takashi Fuji Shusuke 4-2
Kenjiro Koishikawa X Yukimura Seiichi Yukimura Seiichi 5-1
Oshitari Yushi X Kikumaru Eiji Kikumaru Eiji 4-2
Kaneda Ichiro X Akazawa Yoshiro Kaneda Ichiro 6-0
Chitose Senri X Kirihara Akaya Chitose Senri 4-3
Nitobe Inakichi X Mori Tatsunori Nitobe Inakichi 4-2
Ryoma Echizen X Hiyoshi Wakashi Ryoma Echizen 6-0
Kamio Akira X Nishikiori Tsubasa Nishikiori Tsubasa 4-3
Fuji Yuta X Jackal Kuwahara Jackal Kuwahara 4-2
Yanagi Renji X Uchimura Kyosuke Uchimura Kyosuke 4-2
Ibu Shinji X Konjiki Koharu Ibu Shinji 5-1
Mizuki Hajime X Marui Bunta Marui Bunta 5-1
Sanada Genichiro X Minami Kentaro Sanada Genichiro 6-0
Otori Chotaro X Kita Uchiuma Kita Uchiuma 4-3
Mukahi Gakuto X Muramochi Toji Muramochi Toji 4-2
Hitoji Yuji X Inui Sadaharu Hitoji Yuji 4-3
Yanagisawa Shinya X Kei Tanishi Yanagisawa Shinya 4-3
Higashikata Masami X Oshitari Kenya Higashikata Masami 4-3
Hiroshi Chinen X Aragaki Koichi Hiroshi Chinen 4-2
Toyama Kintaro X Nomura Takuya Toyama Kintaro 6-0
Eishiro Kite X Yujiro Kai Eishiro Kite 4-3
Atobe Keigo X Rin Hirakoba Atobe Keigo 5-1
Ishida Tetsu X Kaidou Kaoru Kaidou Kaoru 4-2
This means that, the ones in charge of the haunted house are:
Haunted House
Kabaji Munehiro
Akutagawa Jiro
Zaizen Hikaru
Shishido Ryo
Niou Masaharu
Sakurai Masaya
Kisarazu Atsushi
Kawamura Takashi
Kenjiro Koishikawa
Oshitari Yushi
Akazawa Yoshiro
Kirihara Akaya
Mori Tatsunori
Hiyoshi Wakashi
Kamio Akira
Fuji Yuta
Yanagi Renji
Konjiki Koharu
Inui Sadaharu
(I hope they survive Inui-sempai's 'help'.)
And, that just leaves the o tema ni shita kafe members.
O Tema Ni Shita Kafe
Sengoku Kiyosumi
Shiraishi Kuranosuke
Fuji Shusuke
Yukimura Seiichi
Ibu Shinji
Oshitari Kenya
Eishiro Kite
Atobe Keigo
I cannot wait to see how this festival turns out!
AN: hey, sorry for the long wait, anyway, hope this makes up for it :)
Anyway, if you have any ideas for the café, let me know. I plan to pick from my 3 favorite ideas and posting them in a poll for you guys to vote on, so don't be shy with you ideas (just no nuddie themes, got it ;P)
Also, if you do not like how the results turned out for the first round, though luck. Aside from Ryoma, Sanada, Yukimura, Shiraishi, Tachibana's matches, all the other matches were decided my flipping six coins (or a seventh in the case of a tie) and whoever has heads, their score is the # of heads that show up and it is the same with whoever has tails. Plus, the names were picked by writing every name down and folding the pieces of paper up and placing them into a closed container. After shaking the container, I closed my eyes and picked a name at random. So, if you do not like who played against whom, or you wanted to see a certain match, I do not know what to tell you. Because, the results of this tournament where sheer luck (except for the matches I tampered with, but I only did that so everything I had planned to happen would happen without any interferences.)
PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW, and let me know what you think! XD
*O Tema Ni Shita Kafe - Themed Café
*Buchou - Captain
*Kichona Imoto - Precious Little Sister
*Chisana Ichi - Little One