A.N. well I am writing this chapter before I have received the 6 reviews… let's just say that I am optimistic… and board. I have just finished painting my bedroom and in a couple of hours I am putting down floorboards, so until then I am killing time by watching Dexter and writing fiction… oh the joys of a public holiday. Oh and my headache is now completely gone thanks to a wonderful little thing called panadol, thanks to all that cared!
Well in this note I would like to thank the good people who reviewed, and for this chapter I would like… 7 reviews…mmm… yes 7 would be good! Ok, I don't know if I will put an A.N. on the end of the chapter… ok well talk to you later.
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Chapter 10 – Discovery of a Brother
Dragging his tired and sore feet into Seishun Gakuen's male locker room to change, ready for the afternoon's tennis practice, only one thought ran through Ryoma Echizen's mind… Shopping sucks.
It had taken twice as long as it should have to trail around the few shops that they visited in Tokyo. It was kind of un-avoidable though, with Masaru on crutches and his father taking an exclusionary long time to examine the latest tennis merchandise in EVERY sport store they went in to.
And then there was the added fact that all, well almost all, men hated shopping. When it came time to try on the clothing that they had picked out, both he and his father had hated every second Masaru was in the change rooms (the male change room to keep up appearances) so they stood outside, board stiff, counting he tiles on the roof, which of coarse made the time go twice as slow.
Slowly pulling his shirt over his head, Ryoma heard the door of the change rooms open and close and footsteps come up behind him, "Hay Echizen"
Turning and looking the older boy in the face and smirked his trademark smirk "Momo-sempai"
Turning back to his bag and pulling out his shorts Ryoma heard his sempai take a spot next to him and zip open his bag "where were you yesterday? I thought you wanted a ride home after tennis practice, but you disappeared straight after practice" said Momo, changing his shirt as he did so.
Glancing over at Momo as he sat down to tie the laces on his tennis shoes, "had a thing". No Ryoma would not let Momo know about Masaru, not until he told Tezuka anyway, knowing Momo and his big mouth the news about Masaru, well about Masaru being his BROTHER, would be all over the tennis team by the end of practice and all over the school by the end of the weekend. People can't help themselves but talk, that much he knew.
Hearing a hearty laugh escape from Momos' mouth, Ryoma felt a genuine smile pull at the corners of his mouth. "A thing?" Momo chuckled, "so like you Echizen, a thing. Your never going to tell me anything more than that are you?"
Shaking his head as he stood back up and picked up his bag and his tennis racket, Ryoma walked over and walked out of the door "nope"
Giggling to himself lightly as he headed toward the tennis court, Ryoma adjusted his cap and banged his tennis racket on the side of his leg slightly. Practice was going to be good. Now days he needed practice. He needed to get out of the house and do something active, to take his mind of the person that his sister had turned in to.
Nodding at Inui as he passed him as he walked through the gate and on to the courts, Ryoma heaved a sigh and started to wriggle his arms and jump up and down to start to loosen his joints. Chucking his stuff down on the benches that were strategically placed around the edge of the courts, next to the fence, Ryoma straightened up and started to stretch, readying his muscles for the intense workout that he just knew Inui had planed for this 'oh so special' training session.
Looking back over to the gates that were the only entry war on to the courts, Ryoma noticed that Tezuka had yet to arrive, he was probably busy sorting out some sort of formal mumbo jumbo that Ryoma and really the rest of the team could care less about. He would just have to talk to him after practice then, hopefully his game would pick up in this practice, he really didn't want to have another conversation with Inui about his sorry excuse for tennis over the past three weeks.
Shaking out his now nicely stretched out limbs, Ryoma walked over to the white board, where the rest of the team members, minus Tezuka and Oishi, were gathering. As he joined the group Inui started to speak, "Tezuka and Oishi are currently being held up with some formalities to do with the next competition, the Kanto Regional Tournament, so I will be solely responsible for your training session today" Momo and Ryoma groaned at this, "both Tezuka and Oishi will be joining us later on. Right now I want every one to add two more weights to their power ankles", another groan, "and I want 40 laps around the courts, and the last one to finish will have to drink my newest, and healthiest, Juice… Chika Juice"
Feeling a growing sense of dread in the pit of his stomach at the thought of having to down the bubbling and smoking beige concoction that was currently being held out towards him but Inui himself, Ryoma turned and took off towards the box that was sitting over at the gate for the tennis court and grabbed the weights and shoved them in to his power ankles, the rest of the team right behind him. Standing up as soon as he was sure that they were secure, Ryoma took off at a run. There was no way in hell that he was going to drink that juice.
- After practice -
As it turned out, Ryoma was not the one that had to drink the foul looking juice as punishment for finishing last in the 40 laps, that honor went instead to Momo who, the moment the Chika juice touched his lips, turned green and passed out cold, cementing the rest of the teams (except for Fuji, that boy would never be deterred to drink any of Inui's juices) that they never wanted to have to drink that stuff… ever.
Tezuka and Oishi had turned up at the courts with ten minuets left of practice, Momo was STILL pasted out, and Ryoma and the rest of the team could tell that there was something going on. Not by Tezuka's face, he doubted that anyone could tell anything from his face alone, but by Oishi's. His worried face was enough to make the entire team curious as to what the "formalities" were.
Practice finished without problem, in fact Ryoma felt that he had actually picked up his game, if only a little. Walking back over to his bag to dump his racket and grab a towel, the feeling of sweat running down between your shoulder blades is really not that great (trust me), out of the corner of his eye Ryoma saw Tezuka turn away Oishi and start over in his direction. Groaning lightly as he tugged the towel out of his bag and buried his face in it, Ryoma knew what was coming next… the inquisition.
It's not that Ryoma didn't want to tell Tezuka about Masaru, but rather that he didn't want the hundred questions that he just knew would be directed his way if he told Tezuka in front of everyone else. 'Why didn't you tell us before?' 'Are you two really identical?' 'Does he play tennis like you?' 'Are you two REALLY identical?' and so on, he had been through it all before.
Hearing Tezuka come to a stop beside him, Ryoma lifted his head out of his towel and looked up so. "Hai Bouchou"
"The week's up, and I and Inui agree, we don't think that you have dealt with whatever is affecting your game, would you rather talk here or in the sport office?"
Thanking whatever god was looking out for him; Ryoma sent a glance over at the rest of the team that were now gathering over at the side of the court, obviously trying to figure out a way to make Momo conscious again. "I think in the sport office would be best"
Seeing Tezuka nod at his decision, Ryoma started to shove his things back in to his tennis bag, and draped his towel over his shoulders as he slung his bag over his shoulders. Turning back to face his Captain, Ryoma nodded his head, signaling that he was ready to head off.
Tezuka turned on the spot and started off the court and towards the sport offices, with Ryoma following close behind. And once again, no one saw the concerned pair of half closed eyes following Ryoma as he left.
- In The Sport Office -
Dropping his bag, Ryoma sighed as he threw himself into the nearest chair. Lifting his head, Ryoma noticed that Tezuka had yet to take a seat. Instead Tezuka walked over to the water cooler and filled up one of the paper cups and handed it to Ryoma before walking over to the chair directly opposite Ryomas' and lowering himself on to it.
Downing the water in one gulp, Ryoma wiped his mouth off with the back of his hand, "Thanks"
"Don't mention it" Tezuka nodded, waving away the thanks, "but I assume that you want to get home and be well rested for morning practice on Monday, so I will get straight to the point. What's going on that is affecting your game?"
Slumping back in to the chair, Ryoma drew in a deep sigh. "It's a long story"
"I have time" replied Tezuka leaning back in to his own chair and crossed his arms, settling in for the story he was about to hear.
"Well I guess the first thing I should tell you, is that I have a brother" well that got his attention, thought Ryoma, seeing the slight look of surprise on his Bouchou's face. "And he is not just my brother; he is my identical twin brother"
This statement made a full blown look of shock spread across the face of Seigaku's Tennis Captain and Ryoma was almost disappointed to find that he did not fall off his chair in some comical way. That defiantly would have been something to be proud of, making the man made of stone, fall off his chair in shock.
"But that is not the reason I haven't been focused on tennis" Ryoma continued, not waiting for Tezuka to recover from his shock, "three weeks ago, right before I didn't turn up for school for a couple of days, he was attacked in Paris after he won one of his tennis matches, he has been living in Paris for the past five months. He was beaten so badly that he was taken to the hospital in a coma, and they didn't think that he would ever wake up, it was a miracle that he did, and that he didn't have any brain damage."
Taking off his cap, Ryoma ran his fingers through his hair, a habit that he had inherited from his father, and paused a second before continuing, turning his glance to the floor, "For the past few weeks he has been at home, recovering, but he's not the some person that I knew before, I guess I'm just worried about him. He's starting here on Monday. I hope it won't be a problem if I miss morning practice?"
Looking back up at Tezuka, Ryoma saw that the 'Tezuka Mask' as he and Momo called it, was back in place, although he thought he could detect some sort of emotion floating on the surface of Tezuka's eyes.
Clearing his throat, Tezuka spoke "I don't think that will be a problem, and I can understand now why you have not been concentrating, but I don't want your lack of concentration to continue for much longer, the Kanto Regional Tournament is coming up faster than all of us would have liked, and our goal this year is to get to and win the Nationals. We need to be strong, as individuals and as a team."
Nodding at Tezukas' words, Ryoma stood up, picked up his bag and started towards the door, "Ok, I'll see you on Monday afternoon for practice,"
Just as Ryoma reached the door and placed his hand on the door handle, Tezuka spoke up once again "Try to bring you r brother to the practice on Monday, I would like to meet him"
Nodding in understanding, Ryoma turned the door handle and walked out of the room closing the door behind him. All the while thinking to himself, How the HELL am I going to convince Masaru to come to a TENNIS practice!
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A.N. well there it is, officially the longest chapter in Anyone for Tennis history… I think it deserves 7 reviews for the shear size of it! Tell me what you think!
Ok well piece out!
Yukiru-4-eva!