hi! I'm back from Las Vegas, as hot as they say (I got attacked by a hair dryer – that's my new name for the wind in Las Vegas.)! Relaxed when I came back for way too long, then spent some time on this chapter and chapter 11.

FYI, in my fanfic, Ryoma didn't go to America after Nationals. Well, he did...he just didn't stay there. I know some people may not like that, but...I didn't see a reason to Ryoma moving away after Nationals, and…this is a fanfic XD

I do have a reason for why he was late to the camp, however. Explanations later~

DISCLAIMER: Don't own p.o.t., never will

This chapter's full of cheese XP cheesy warning~

Chapter ten: Because bonds can never be broken

Right after Ryoma left Kabuto at the clearing:

"Uwah, I can't believe it..."

Kabuto sat down against the door of the shed, head in his knees, exhausted. He was slowly learning that talking to Ryoma would be much harder than he expected. Every conversation with him was turning out to be a new adventure. One day he was friendly enough (well, as friendly as the cocky first year could be), the other a word would barely come out of his mouth. Not that he had ever expected it to be easy, but...

"Geh…" Kabuto muttered. "This is difficult…"

"You are too."

"Yugito..." Kabuto looked up as the red headed high schooler approached him and sat down, plucking a leaf off a branch and twirling it around listlessly. They were close friends, and could be counted on to always choose each other as partners during practice.

"It's time for practice, the coach is back." Yugito started, tossing up the leaf. "Not that he really noticed you were gone. He told me to round up all the high schoolers that weren't there and to scale another waterfall. This one's real big!" he said cheerfully. "Like a 20 story building!" He paused, waiting for a reaction.

"Yeah..."

"So moody!" Yugito groaned, slapping Kabuto on the back. "You won't get stronger at this rate." he pointed out, shooting Kabuto a meaningful look. "You're like everyone else right…? Crazy for tennis?" Yugito rolled his eyes as Kabuto ignored him. "Heh, you're unpredictable as always."

"Leave me alone, for god's sake." Kabuto sighed, leaning back against the tree. "Don't you have better things to do, like scale a 20 story building? Er, waterfall?"

"…Hm," Yugito replied, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I'll be frank here, I don't get what you're so bothered about."

"You know," Kabuto started, fingering his hair abesntmindedly, "He looked annoyed. I think he doesn't like me."

"Who? Echizen Ryoma?"

"Who else?"

"He keeps his feelings in check, you know that." Yugito replied. "I don't think he's the type to get mad over someone who asks him if he's ok. Maybe you'd do that, but not him."

As Yugito continued to massage a fresh bump on his head, Kabuto took the time to get up and peer into the locked shed curiously. He had seen Ryoma trying to peek in there too. It was the mystery shed.

"The middle schoolers combined are stronger than the high schoolers combined…I think." Yugito continued, laughing. "What's happening in this world? The high schoolers are getting their butts kicked by middle schoolers! I don't see the middle school conspiracy anywhere else!"

"Speaking of middle schoolers, Yugito…Do I try too hard?" Kabuto murmured, not looking up. "Er, I mean…"

"Obviously."

"Love you too!" Kabuto wailed, punching him right on the spot with the bump. "This is the part where you say, 'No, you're just trying to do what you think is best! Go onto the path you choose, both for your happiness and the happiness of the person most precious to you!' Something like that, maybe with a little more cheese so I can laugh at you!" he huffed, plopping back down with his arms crossed.

Yugito rolled his eyes. "I didn't say trying too hard was a bad thing you maniac." he scoffed. "That pathetic wailing...Now that's the Kabuto I know and love." His face softened and he gently walked up to the shed and patted Kabuto on the back. "There's nothing wrong with trying your hardest, though."

"…Thanks. That was better. Needs some improvements though."

"Now that's the Kabuto I know and hate!" Yugito sighed, tick throbbing steadily on his head. "But…" he started, growing serious. "I think…slowly but surely, things are changing."

"...Alright then, I'm going to the coach." Kabuto replied, walking away from the shed and making his way out. "Coming?"

"Eh?" Yugito started. "What..."

"I need to ask him something. We all do, don't we?"

Previously:

Ryoma's eyes widened as a figure walked up to him from behind, and held his breath. So he had been wrong, and someone had indeed followed him all the way. He narrowed his eyes and stood up, slowly turning to face the figure behind him. What he didn't expect was that the person had brown hair, glasses, and a Seigaku jersey.

"Tezuka-buchou?"

Present:

"Tezuka-buchou?"

Ryoma turned around to face Tezuka completely, not believing his eyes. "How did you know…"

"Yamato-buchou told me you were here. And...I could somehow sense your presence." Tezuka replied, smiling. There were still flecks of light around him from his teni'muhou aura, and Ryoma could feel the sense of peace and happiness within him. He practically radiated it. It was no surprise that he was still smiling too, and though it was small, it was his kindest smile yet. Ryoma knew it wasn't just from the teni'muhou.

"What happened to you during the elimination matches?" Tezuka continued. "You went missing all of a sudden. We all looked for you, but I'm sorry we…"

"I got lost."

"…" Tezuka knew it was anything but the truth, but he accepted it.

"So…congratulations." Ryoma continued, not knowing what else to say. "I…that was a great match, buchou." He stopped, looking away. Though he had wanted to see Tezuka at first, something in his mind told him it was time for him to leave. He had taken long enough as is, and he really didn't want to go past his time limit. Also...

"Thank you." Tezuka replied quietly, gazing at Ryoma intently. Ryoma shuffled his feet, slightly uneasy. Everyone had a way of intimidating people, and captain stares happened to be Tezuka's.

"I should get going now." Ryoma said, turning away to leave. "You need to go too, right? You wouldn't want to miss your flight. Oh, we're training on the mountains, everyone who lost." He smirked at the rare look of surprise on Tezuka's face. His teammates had been right next door the whole time and the captain hadn't even known it.

"See you, buchou! I'll tell the others if you want me to." Not waiting for a reply, he waved and started off.

"Echizen, wait."

Ryoma paused, surprised. Tezuka looked apologetic, and a little bit regretful.

"So you know about…" he trailed off, looking slightly pained. Although he had made his decision, it still hurt to tell his teammates that he wouldn't be on the court with them again the following year. Or any of the ones after.

"Yeah." Ryoma replied. He tried to look like he normally did – calm and composed. "That's why I said you shouldn't miss your flight. Germany, right? It's a good thing you speak German. Then again, I'm sure English would have been alright too, or maybe…" He stopped and sweat-dropped as Tezuka was giving him the soul-penetrating captain stare again.

Right, I'm talking too much. Why in the world am I acting like this? It's not the last time I'll see him. And it's a great thing for Tezuka-buchou. So why...?

Flashback:

"If you have something to say, say it while you have the chance to. Otherwise, you'll regret it forever, I promise you that."

Kabuto-san's right...

"…Tezuka-buchou." Ryoma started, looking him in the eye. "So you're really leaving.." Wow, what. That sounded lame. he thought, sweat dropping yet again.

"I would have had more time, but I just played a match against Fuji, to be honest…" Tezuka replied, missing the point.

"What…" Ryoma said, startled. He couldn't stop his eyebrows from rising in surprise. How long was that match, one minute? he thought, as Tezuka looked back at him modestly. Tezuka had somehow said goodbye to everyone at the courts, played Fuji, and caught up to Ryoma in about 15 minutes. Ryoma wasn't sure if this was the teni'muhou talking or not. It had been a long run!

Tezuka smiled. "The loss will do Fuji good…However, we didn't play a full match. Even I can't beat Fuji in four minutes. I worry though, he's always saying that he'll never lose to the same opponent twice..."

"….." Ok ok, so they played a four minute match. Ryoma thought wearily, feeling sorry for Fuji. Tezuka seemed to be the one opponent Fuji lost to more than once. What Tezuka forgot to mention, and what Ryoma found out later, was that it was simply a one point rally.

"...Echizen, why don't we take a seat? I have a bit of time, so we can talk for a few minutes before I leave." Tezuka motioned to a patch of soft green grass underneath a tree with beautiful red and orange leaves. It looked tempting, but Ryoma had a bad feeling. The sky was slowly turning gray, and it looked like it would snow. For some reason, that made him want to leave as soon as possible.

"Come on, Echizen."

"…" Ryoma was still uncertain, so Tezuka threw out his bait.

"I have a Ponta."

"..."

"I also have a voucher for an all-you-can-eat at a steakhouse in Tokyo that you can have."

3 minutes and one Ponta later:

"Good?"

"Yeah, domo. Can I really have this?"

"Don't worry about it. I'm leaving Japan, anyways."

"You know," Ryoma started, putting down his near-finished can of Ponta with a content sigh and sticking the voucher in his pocket. "I wasn't supposed to stay in Japan for so long…I was surprised that I was even allowed to come to the camp." he finished, keeping a casual tone.

"What do you mean?" Tezuka asked.

"Well..."

Flashback:

"Good morning, kaa-san…"

Ryoma stood in the doorway wearing his Seigaku uniform, for once an uncertain expression on his face. It was three days after the National Finals, after Seigaku's victory against Rikkaidai, and after the lavish celebrations and festivities of their win (Atobe had contributed – that's how lavish the parties had become), all the teams had gone back to their respectives cities and things were back to normal…well, almost normal. His mother was in the middle of packing clothes into a bulging suitcase that was attempting to resist every effort to feed it, meant for his parents' move to America…and his own.

Rinko blinked, surprised, and let go of the suitcase she was fighting. This was one 'case' she was losing against. "Ryoma, why are you wearing your uniform?" she asked suspiciously. "I thought you weren't going to school today! You need to pack for America! Sure, we're not selling the house because of Nanako-chan, but you shouldn't leave too much here because you won't be coming back for a while."

"W-well…" Ryoma stammered, trying to remember the speech he had prepared. "I want to stay in Japan." he said bluntly.

Rinko blanched. "You've put off going back there ever since those District Preliminaries! 3 months, Ryoma, 3 months late! Why are you still putting it off?" she groaned, putting a hand to her head in exasperation.

"Yes…but…I want to finish the year now…" Ryoma muttered, looking down. "At least the year…I mean, it would be a wast-"

"Ryoma, you've given me the same kind of excuse for the past few months!" Rinko sighed. "You were only supposed to stay here for a few weeks, not a few months! And...you said very clearly when you first got here that you wouldn't get attached to anyone." she said pointedly.

"Did I really...?" Ryoma frowned, biting his lip. "I don't...well...nevermind. Can't I at least finish this year?" Ryoma asked. "I would leave right after-"

"This is impossible..."

"But why? You won't answer me that!"

"We were already quite generous with letting you stay for a few months. Like I said, you weren't supposed to stay long..." Rinko's face softened slightly as Ryoma fell silent, refusing to meet her eyes. She felt her heart melt as she gently pulled him towards her and hugged him, stroking her son's hair tenderly.

"Ryoma, please understand. We're not trying to make you leave… But I feel horrible for the friends you left behind in America…They were very close to you. You just left America like that, so abruptly…"

"Do I look like I care about them, whoever they are?!" Ryoma snapped, glaring. He instantly stopped and shook his head in desperation. "I...agh, this is just too much..." he paused.

"But..." he finally said firmly, eyes flashing. "First it was the move here... Then it was the US Open. I'm tired of people making decisions for me."

Flashback End

"...Echizen?"

"…I was supposed to go back to America after the Nationals. To live there, I mean." he started. "Not just visit."

"But you didn't…" Tezuka finished.

"I had wanted to at least finish the year here. Besides…nothing waited for me back in America." Ryoma said slowly, face clouding over. "Well, maybe Kevin, but anyways. I managed to convince kaa-san to let me stay and finish the year…it was hard though, she's a lawyer, so she's stubborn!" He almost laughed as he remembered the grueling process of convincing Takeuchi Rinko to do something other than what she felt was right. Simply put, it had been a long, long, night.

"Was that a good thing?" Tezuka asked.

"I…don't regret staying at all." Ryoma replied nonchalantly, coaxing the last few drops out of his Ponta. "I had fun."

"Echizen…is there something else you want to tell me?" Tezuka probed gently.

"...Did I say something?" Ryoma looked at Tezuka curiously.

"Well, how do I say this…" Tezuka started. "There's something you've hidden from everyone for quite a long time…"

"Something I've hidden? What are you talking about? You're saying weird things, Tezuka-buchou." Ryoma replied, keeping a smirk on his face. "After effects of teni'muhou? That was great, while I'm saying it." Ryoma asked, pointing to the rapidly graying sky.

"Don't change the subject."

Ryoma's cocky demeanor faltered before falling completely as Tezuka gave him a stern look, one he had seen so many times in the past, but had never quite been related to anything other than tennis. Tezuka was usually more interested in helping Ryoma become the pillar of Seigaku, so he didn't get why Tezuka was interested in otherwise now.

"I could see it from the moment I first saw you, Echizen." he continued. "Even now, you still hide many of your feelings. I understand if you're not comfortable with saying anything, but…something must have happened in the past, am I right?"

Ryoma was momentarily confused before the realization dawned on him, though he hid it. He shook his head. "Heh, I acted perfectly normal. Are you sure about what you're saying?" he mused. "Say, it's too bad we couldn't play a match-"

"It was your eyes, Echizen. Your eyes were empty, they had no soul in them."

"…." Ryoma fell silent for a moment, giving Tezuka a look of disbelief. "For a guess, that's a lot you're accusing of me." he shot back. "How can you tell my eyes looked empty? From my point of view, eyes all look the same! I can't just see determination or sadness in them! They all look the same."

Tezuka sighed and patted Ryoma's head to calm him down. "Well, if not that, then there's the fact that you're speaking so much. You only do that when you're worked up…" he stopped, not wanting to anger Ryoma further.

"Can't anyone leave me alone?" Ryoma groaned, pushing himself away from Tezuka. He looked annoyed, but he also had a look of resignation on his face. It was a losing battle for him.

"Sorry, Echizen." Tezuka said, sighing. "I'm prying far too much. It's just that I'm your captain, and I can't leave you alone as long as we're on the same team." he said firmly. "I've... come to consider all of us as a family and such...and so..."

"Trust you to say something like that." Ryoma scoffed, but he couldn't help but smile.

"You didn't smile for a while. You always hid things from everyone, and you never wanted to participate in activities other than tennis. And when we laughed, you didn't laugh with us." Tezuka said quietly.

"You have absolutely no right to talk about laughing, buchou." Ryoma said, smirking as Tezuka was left without an answer.

"Echizen, please stop contradicting everything I say." Tezuka said, though he was smiling. "But...I couldn't figure out why you were so distant, even after some weeks passed. I mean, you had some moments, but..." Tezuka started, leaning against the tree and looking up at the leaves. "I simply decided it was just your personality, keeping to yourself with an arrogant outside. And soon, you became part of the team."

"…Did that change?" Ryoma asked quietly.

"You smile more…" Tezuka commented.

"I don't smile, I smirk. At least, that's what everyone says." Ryoma retorted, pulling down his cap out of habit. "Oh yeah, so do my eyes look different now? Have they changed color or something?"

Tezuka chuckled, a rare laugh that still amazed Ryoma. "We both know the answer to that…but you still haven't said anything about yourself. There's a lot we don't know about you, Echizen…We've been through a lot together, on this team, yet you never opened up about yourself."

"Eh...r-right..." Ryoma wanted nothing more than to leave, though Kabuto's words and the fact that his captain was leaving for Germany and wasn't exactly coming back for a while rooted him to the spot.

"If you have something to say, say it while you have the chance to."

"Ryoma, you can trust me. Tell me what happened." Tezuka urged gently. "Keeping yourself closed up will only hurt you. I...I know that for a fact now."

Ryoma took a deep breath, deciding to follow the voice in his heart rather than the voice in his mind.

"I...I don't know."

He internally groaned as Tezuka just stared. Did I really just...? Gah. Mada mada dane, Ryoma... he thought, wanting to punch himself in the face.

"Let me try that again." Ryoma muttered, face flushing. "Something happened, yes, but I don't remember what."

"You mean..."

"Remember when I lost my memory before Nationals? Well...I never remembered everything I forgot."

Tezuka continued to stare, unable to think of something to say. He felt a stab of shame that he hadn't realized it, that he had assumed Ryoma had remembered everything. He didn't know whether to apologize, whether to assure him that he would one day remember, or whether to change the subject. But as he looked at Ryoma's strong gaze, he realized that speaking to him about the seemingly painful subject wouldn't be a problem.

"All this time, you haven't remembered a thing other than your time at Seigaku?"

"Hmm, I've remembered a few things here and there, but they're all tiny fragments." Ryoma said thoughtfully. "It's mainly been things like what I like and dislike, hobbies of mine, a few relatives such as my cousin...It kind of sucks, because I don't even remember where I got Karupin from anymore."

"So, in other words..." Tezuka started.

"I only regained the memories from my time with Seigaku." Ryoma finished. "But...I don't even remember the first few days in Seigaku, to be honest. Like, when did I first meet Momo-sempai? Which starters did I beat in order to become a starter myself? When in the world did I meet Ryuzaki, Horio and those others? It feels like I just randomly knew them out of the blue. It's the weirdest feeling."

"Echizen..."

"I actually don't know...In reality, I may have lost my memories before, because I have the odd sense that I never really knew why I came here, or what I did before coming here. You... you say I was very distant when I first came here. I honestly don't know why I was that way, or why I'm arrogant and rude, which is hilarious, so don't tell anyone. But now…I'm starting to…almost remember things here."

"Almost?"

"I don't want to remember." Ryoma looked pained. Although he didn't say it, the subject was hurting him. "I don't know if I was always like this, I don't know if this is who I am." He paused, taking a breath. "So I try to block it all out. But that makes it hurt." He put his head on his knees, which had never stopped throbbing since the incident with the Sportsman Hunt. "I have headaches a lot."

Tezuka patted Ryoma on the back, rubbing it soothingly. "Echizen, I firmly believe that no matter what, everything will be alright."

"People die every day from things like accidents. I don't think things turn out 'all right' for them. Why would I be any different?" Ryoma replied skeptically. There was an awkward pause as Tezuka's glasses gleamed over so his eyes weren't visible, pondering on what to say next.

"Because you have so many people who care for you." Tezuka answered. "Everyone will always accept you for you who are, no matter what you're like, now, in the past, or even in the future."

"Are you saying if I become a criminal, they'll still accept me?"

"Echizen."

"J-joke!"

They stayed silent for a while, listening to the soft wind as it rustled playfully around the leaves, weaving between them without a care in the world. They were both thinking about their own thoughts, and how they had never had a chance to talk about much other than tennis to each other. Most things they had talked about were new tennis moves, strong opponents, and pillars. Was that all they were? Friends who were simply friends because they both felt the same thrill when they picked up a racket? Tennis buddies? They couldn't help but wonder.

Tezuka looked at his watch. "I need to get going soon."

"I know. So do I." Ryoma replied. He suddenly remembered something he had had on his mind for a long time. "While I'm using up all my talking time for the year, can I say one more thing?"

"Be my guest." Tezuka replied, smiling.

"Sometimes, I wish there was another National tournament for us to look forward to…and I mean all of us."

"I…I paid lots of attention to every passing day," Ryoma continued. "I thought about how it hurt that there wouldn't be a next year, a next year where we would play in a tournament together again. I..." he looked away as he blushed slightly. "loved how we all cheered when we won, how we gave each other advice and comfort when we lost. I loved how we all held the trophy together, how we all placed it on the showcase shelf together…It won't happen again."

"What do you mean?"

"Basically speaking, all the third years are leaving… I always thought that we would be able to repeat this perfect team in high school, three years later, but…I was wrong, wasn't I." He didn't need to look at Tezuka for an answer. They already knew it well.

"…Oishi-sempai's not going to the high school division of Seigaku because he wants to become a doctor, Kawamura-sempai's going to drop tennis for cooking, and you…you're going to Germany…and this time…" Ryoma didn't finish, but he could hear the unspoken words clearly in his mind that he couldn't bear to accept.

This time, you're not coming back.

"I'm sorry." Tezuka said, letting out a pained sigh. "I should have discussed this-"

"What are you talking about, buchou?" Ryoma retorted, making a face. "This is what Yamato-san talked about. Make your own decisions, don't think about the others. Fight and live for yourself." He sighed. "I'm not asking you to stay…I'm just saying goodbye."

"..."

Ryoma stretched out his arms, feeling happier because of their talk. "So," Ryoma continued, smiling as he turned towards Tezuka. "I guess what I'm saying is-"

Ryoma's eyes widened and he stopped as Tezuka gently pulled him into a hug.

"I'm going to miss you too, Echizen."

"I'm going to miss you, Tezuka-buchou…" Ryoma murmured, relaxing and returning the hug. This was one side of Tezuka that no one ever got to see, and he felt privileged and happy that he was getting to see it. He rested his head lightly on Tezuka's shoulder for a minute, but then knew Tezuka's time was up. They pulled away and stood up, blushing slightly. Ryoma pulled the cap over his face, willing it to not embarrass him by turning even redder.

"Although they won't be attending the school anymore, Oishi and the others will still visit." Tezuka reminded him, smiling. "They can come to afterschool practice, and morning practice too if they want. I'm sure they will come as often as they can. And don't forget, there are still some members that will remain at Seigaku."

"You mean Momo-sempai and Kaido-sempai?"

"Yes." Tezuka replied. "I'm counting on you to make sure they behave…I give you the right to assign them laps if they argue on the court." he said, gleam in his eyes. "100 max, though."

"Buchou, they can work pretty well together at times, but I'll definitely keep that in mind." Ryoma said, unable to resist grinning at the thought of giving his best friend laps. He hoped they would argue as often as possible now.

"That's true, but some things never change…" Tezuka whispered.

"Some things never change, huh…"

"Yes, some things will never change, Echizen. No matter what happens, we will always be Seigaku, and we will always be connected by tennis... and by our friendship."

With that, Tezuka Kunimitsu slowly turned and began walking down the path, in the opposite direction that Ryoma was going. He didn't say another word, he just kept walking.

He didn't turn around.

Not once.

Perhaps he was afraid.

Afraid of destroying his resolve.

As snowflakes began to fall from the graying sky, Ryoma could hear the Tezuka's words echoing through his mind. Ryoma smirked and pulled the rim of his hat off and let his emerald tinted hair catch the white dancing flakes as he said one last thing to Tezuka.

"Buchou! I can't believe I almost forgot to say this, but…I'm Seigaku's pillar of strength now, right? You can count on me! I'll be waiting for our next match!" Ryoma knew instinctively, that the two had just realized, after 3 months, that they were truly friends. He should never have doubted it.

Tezuka kept on walking.

But, he turned.

Once.

One last time.

Then he was gone.

Owari

So, summary:

(sorry, such a long conversation! Forgive meeee...*bows* also, forgive me for that random word pun with the suitcase XD couldn't resist.)

Basically, Kabuto's sulking, Yugito goes comforting him, and Tezuka and Ryoma talk. Then Tezuka's off to Germany! Ryoma also reveals that when he lost his memories before Nationals he never regained all of them.

Kabuto's an OC, but he's a nice guy, so I'm going to post his own little character profile on my profile (Kabuto: "YAY~!" *dances*)

Though I don't know if it's likely, who knows, maybe the perfect team will be reunited again one day in high school to play in the Nationals once more… who knows…

Everyone was so interested in the leaves this chapter XD I couldn't make them do anything else since all they could do was chat lol.

Thanks for reading!