DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN PRINCE OF TENNIS NOR ITS CHARACTERS! Or else, Ryoma would be a girl and was happily dating Tezuka by now. ;D
What a crappy week! Dang! Sorry for the long delay in updating but it seems someone out there doesn't want me to update! After my laptop crashed, a typhoon came and knocked out the power, erasing all my files. DAMN. Thank goodness for my notes in my notebook, or else I would have NEVER posted again! But no worries! I managed! :D
MintLeafeon - haha! Yup, he definitely is! Though there wouldn't be any JirouxYuuta in this chapter, but I still hope you enjoy it! :D
Tokyo Tensai - haha! But, you have to admit, it really fits in with his personality, ne? :D I COMPLETELY AGREE! Haha! Though, I'm going to be evil with him and make him as straight as an arrow, ne? :) Oh! You don't have to worry about that, ne? I'm going to finish this all. Hope you're still reading this when I'm through! :D
Summer ice7 - haha! Sorry if it had that effect on you, but I just had to do it! Haha! I couldn't think of anybody else fitting in the "catalyst" of the two, so I just made it Akutsu. :)
March Rosenqueen - haha! Thank you for the compliment! Oh, it will. Trust me. :) Well, their first date will just be a few more chapters so stick with me okay? :D
emliy02, animelover4ever69, skidney, pinaygurl28, Kanberry - thank you guys so much for the reviews! Here's the next chapter! :D
Here it is! What you've all been waiting for! ;D
Chapter 11: Mission Success!
"Ryoma-chan! Hurry! Hurry! My friend is going to leave without us if we don't get to the meeting place in 10 minutes!" Sakuno said as she bounced a circle around Ryoma.
"Honestly, Sakuno. Where do you get energy this early in the morning? And it's SUNDAY, for Kami's sake. And another thing, I just won the game against the bastard sexist yesterday," Ryoma huffed sleepily, yawning as she finished her tirade.
"But Ryoma-chan~! That's why we're doing this! To celebrate your victory against Akutsu and your victory for all women out there!" Sakuno said as she calmed down slightly and gave her her special Sakuno Puppy Dog Pout.
Ryoma sighed as she took in her best friend's appearance.
"Alright. Alright. Jeez, Sakuno. One day, you're going to be the death of me," Ryoma grumbled. Sakuno just giggled and poked her in the cheek.
"You know you love me, Ryoma-chan!"
When they got to a local park, for that was their rendezvous point, they were greeted by a brown haired girl with pretty pink hairclips in her hair.
"Sakuno! Over here!" said girl waved them over.
"You look kind of familiar," Ryoma said, puzzled to where she saw the girl.
"Oh! Maybe because she's the sister of Fudomine's captain!" Sakuno said as she greeted the girl with a brief hug.
"Yeah. My name's Ann Tachibana. Yoroshiku," Ann smiled at Ryoma, who was looking at her with a lost expression.
"When did you two meet?" she asked, looking at her best friend and then back at Ann.
"The Fudomine game. She was really impressed that you got into the regulars and you're a girl so she really wanted to meet you. So, here we are! And we're all going to the karaoke bar to celebrate!" Sakuno said as she pumped her hand up in the air, taking a firm grip on Ryoma's arm at the same time seeing that the girl was already in her 'fight or flight' mode.
"ALL of us are going, Ryoma-chan! No escaping!"
"No, Sakuno! NO!"
"Why are you so afraid of going there, Ryoma-kun?" Ann asked as she looked at the two squabbling best friends in amusement.
"I HATE singing!" Ryoma said vehemently as she tried to pull away from Sakuno's death grip, to no avail.
"You're going with us, Ryoma-chan, whether you like it or not!"
"Yadda!"
"Ann-chan, help me here, would you?"
"Sure!"
"YADDAAA!"
"Fuji," a smooth baritone voice devoid of all emotions said.
"Yes, Tezuka?" Fuji asked, his voice laced with amusement.
"Why are we at a karaoke bar?" Tezuka asked, looking at the Tensai with a confused light in his eyes.
"To celebrate, of course," Fuji said as he smiled and went inside. Tezuka just sighed and shook his head.
'Honestly, I give up,' he thought, giving up all intentions of understanding what goes on in the head of the prodigy. He followed Fuji and ended up in a room that would fit all of the regulars and some others fairly well. Tezuka just sighed mentally and sat down on the nearest sofa.
"Hmm. The others are late," Fuji said quietly, frowning slightly.
Just then, a thudding sound was heard by the two and moments later, a disheveled Oishi was being dragged there by a bouncing Kikumaru. Kawamura followed the two, his face contorted to an uncomfortable expression as he listened to Inui spouting data beside him as they watched Kaidoh and Momoshiro duke it out in a staring contest.
"Minna, enough," Tezuka said sternly, breaking the fight between Momoshiro and Kaidoh and focusing the attention of the others on him.
"Eh? Where is Ochibi-chan?" Kikumaru asked, searching the whole room for the said girl.
"They're not here yet, Eiji," Fuji said, a smile replacing his frown, his eyes opening slightly to reveal cerulean eyes.
"They?" Kawamura asked, confused of the use of pronoun.
Just then, a loud crash was heard by the people inside the room and a very loud shout was heard throughout the entire building.
"SAKUNO, I DON'T WANT TO SING!"
The regulars all sweatdropped.
"Echizen sure has a set of pipes in her," Momoshiro whistled, impressed.
"She isn't Echizen if she wasn't like that, Momoshiro," Inui said as he adjusted his glasses.
Murmurs of agreement were heard in the room before the door burst open to reveal a grinning Sakuno dragging a heavily protesting (and struggling)Ryoma in with the help of a pretty brown haired girl with pink hairclips.
"We're here and accounted for, Fuji-sempai!" Sakuno bubbly said as Fuji chuckled.
"Inui, please do as I instructed please," Fuji said, looking at Inui with a dark smile.
Inui nodded and moved to the door. He went out for a moment and then came back, a creepy smile on his face. Just then, a loud click was heard throughout the silent room.
"Ano, Inui, was that the lock?" Kawamura asked tentatively, sweatdropping.
"Aa," the data master answered as he adjusted his glasses.
"Sakuno."
Everyone except for Tezuka, Inui and Fuji visibly shivered at the cold tone Ryoma used. The said girl was spouting such a dark aura that the bright room suddenly became darker.
"Ryoma-chan, it's for your own good," Sakuno said, her voice never wavering even though her body language was screaming 'Run for it!'
Ryoma just said nothing and sat down next to Tezuka, her eyes still bright with anger.
"Um, ano, what are you doing here, Ryuzaki-san?" Oishi asked the still shaking girl, wanting the mood to lighten. To his surprise, the girl immediately latched on the provided distraction and burst into a fit of forced giggles.
"I was invited by Fuji-sempai to celebrate sempai-tachi's victory against Yamabuki yesterday! He said that Hyoutei couldn't come because they were setting up Akutagawa-san with someone, so he asked me to come and bring a friend with me! And here she is!" Sakuno said as she gestured to Ann behind her.
"Konnichiwa, minna. My name's Ann Tachibana. Yoroshiku!" she said brightly, smiling at the group.
"Tachibana? Where have I heard that name before?" Momoshiro said, scratching his chin in thought.
"Baka. Tachibana's the name of Fudomine's captain," Kaidoh hissed back, but instead of the usual fight, Momoshiro just snapped his fingers and his eyes lit up in recognition.
"Oh! I thought I saw you in the street courts the other day!"
The regulars, sans Ryoma who was still in a bad mood, looked at Momoshiro in surprise. Even Tezuka's eyebrows lifted slightly. He just disregarded his eternal rival's bait for a fight for the new girl!
"Momo! Are you ok, nya?" Kikumaru screeched, barreling his way to Momo to put his hand on his forehead to check his temperature.
"Huh? Of course I'm ok, Eiji-sempai! Why wouldn't I be?" Momo said as he swatted Kikumaru's hand away. Only to be replaced by Oishi's.
"No, you're not! You never let a chance to fight with Kaidoh go! What's happening to you?" Oishi fretted as his hand was knocked away too.
"I told you, Oishi-sempai, I'm fine!"
"Ano, did I do something wrong?" Ann asked Fuji, who was closest to her at that time.
Fuji just smiled at Ann.
"No. I think we have to thank you, Ann-chan. Will you visit Seigaku more often?" Fuji asked, smiling sweetly.
"A-Aa. Now that I know Ryoma-san, I think I will visit pretty often," Ann said with a sweatdrop.
"Arigatou, Ann-chan. Now, minna, shall we start?" Fuji said as he gestured for Inui to give the list of songs to Sakuno.
"Yeah!"
"Now, who wants to go first?" Inui said, immediately acting as the DJ.
"I will, Inui-sempai!" Sakuno said as she got the list from him. As she browsed the list, the others talked either to Ann or grilled Momo on his strange behavior. Except for the two anti-socials.
Tezuka looked sideways to his right. Ryoma was still scowling badly.
'I wonder why she's so adamant in singing,' he wondered silently, pondering the choice of asking her. When a tiny, almost invisible tear dropped from her eyes, he made up his mind.
"Echizen," he said quietly so that only she could hear.
Ryoma furiously rubbed her eyes to rid of the moisture there before addressing him back.
"Yeah, Buchou?"
"Why are you so against singing?" he asked straightforwardly.
'Knowing her, she'll just clam up if I beat around the bush,' he thought.
Ryoma stiffened slightly. She was so silent that he was afraid he'd undone all the friendship they had built. But then, she sighed.
"You really want to know, Buchou?" she said, looking at him with her beautiful golden eyes.
Tezuka nodded, relieved that she wasn't turning her back on him.
"My brother loved my singing," she said, lowering her head slightly.
At Tezuka's prompting look, she told him everything that had happened 5 years ago.
Flashback
"Ne, ne, Kei, let's go back to the house! Aniki said he had a surprise for us!" an 8 year old Ryoma said as she dragged a 10 year old Atobe Keigo towards the Echizen house in America.
They were currently in their backyard playing house when Ryoga, Ryoma's Aniki, called out to them to come inside the house because he has a surprise for them.
"Ok, Ryo-chan!" Keigo said as he followed his cousin towards the house. When they got to the house, they found Ryoga all dressed up like he was going somewhere.
"Aniki, where are you going?" Ryoma asked as she looked up at her brother that she treated like her whole world.
He stiffened for a second but then, smiled at Ryoma.
"I just got back from somewhere, Chibi-suke. Now, I hid something very special here in the house. Why don't you and Keigo have a contest to see who can find it first, ne?" he said as he pushed them towards the living room.
"You guys start here, okay? I'll be outside if you guys find it," he said as he left the two cousins searching for something that was out of place.
Moments passed but still the two children haven't found anything yet. They even expanded their search to the dining room and kitchen, but still, nothing suspicious was sighted.
"Ryo? Should we search the bedrooms?" Keigo asked as he stood up from his crouching position.
"Aa," she said as they went towards the master bedroom.
"Find anything, Ryo?" Keigo asked as he looked under the enormous bed.
"Iie. Let's look in my room next, Kei," she said. They went to Ryoma's bedroom and the first thing that they see is a large box that had holes at the top.
"We found it!" Ryoma said as she squealed loudly.
"What do you think it is, Ryo?" Keigo said excitedly as he quickly approached the box.
"There's a note here!" he said as he fingered the white piece of paper taped to the side.
"Can you read it, Kei?" Ryo said as she quickly bounded to her cousin's side.
"Aa. It says, 'The white one is Ryoma's and yours is the black one, Keigo. Treat it and Ryoma well. Always protect her. And make sure that no one breaks her heart, ne? I'll come back soon. Ryoga.'" Keigo read, his face getting stonier and stonier with every word he read.
"Kei, what does Aniki mean?" Ryoma said as she tugged at Keigo's shirt to get his attention.
"Ryo! Quick! We have to tell Occhan about this letter!" he said as he quickly heaved Ryoma to her feet and, with her hand in his, quickly ran towards the front lawn of the house, where the adults were all talking about their cars.
"Occhan!" Keigo yelled, catching the attention of the adults.
"Keigo! That's not the proper way to address your uncle!" his mother, Atobe Emiko, scolded.
"But, Kaa-san-!"
"Maa, maa. Let it slide, Emiko-neechan. Now, Kei-chan, what did you want to tell Occhan here?" his aunt, Echizen RInko said as she smiled at him warmly as she jerked her thumb in Nanjirou's direction, making the latter scowl slightly.
"Please read this, Obasan!" Keigo said as he handed the paper to her, never once letting go of Ryoma's hand.
When Rinko read the contents of the paper, she looked at Nanjirou with a panicked expression.
"Nanjirou! Get inside the car, now! Nee-chan! Can you help us find Ryoga?" RInko said as she quickly pushed her husband towards their car.
Emiko, quickly getting the picture, hurriedly bossed her husband to go to the driver to order them to search for her nephew.
"Keigo, stay here for Ryoma-chan, ok?" Emiko quickly hugged Keigo and Ryoma before hopping into their limo and speeding away.
As the cars sped away, Ryoma looked at Keigo with a confused face.
"Kei, what's going on?"
"Nothing, Ryo. Let's just see what Ryoga-niisan left us, ne?" Keigo said as he gently tugged her hand towards her room. She looked dubious at first, but then her expression was replaced by excitement as she spotted the box again.
"Kei, can you open it?" Ryoma said, her eyes looking at Keigo hopefully.
"Aa. Let's see," Keigo said as he walked towards the box and carefully inspected it. When he saw that the box's top slid open, he smiled and beckoned Ryoma closer. There were scratching sounds coming from inside the box.
"I'll open it on the count of three, ok? One, two, three!" he said as he slid the box open.
Ryoma gasped as she surveyed the contents of the box. Inside were two adorable Himalayan kittens. One was white but had brown fur on its face, ears, four paws and tail. When it looked up at them, they saw that it eyes were as blue as the sky. The other kitten was a pure black cat. But its four paws had silver fur, making it look like it was wearing silver boots. The black kitten meowed and scratched the box, looking at them with imploring silver pools.
"Kei, they're so cute!" Ryoma squealed as she lifted the white one and cuddled it, making the kitten mewl and start rubbing her head against her chin.
"Aa, they are. They're female, Ryo. What should we call them?" Keigo asked as he picked up his cat and started to scratch behind the ears, reducing it to a small ball of purring fur.
"I'm going to call mine, Karupin! What will you call yours, Kei?" Ryoma said as she looked at the black cat.
"Haruka," he said quietly, looking at the cat with sad eyes.
"Why did you name her something so sad?" Ryoma said as she moved to pet the black cat.
"Nothing. Ah, I hear cars, Ryo. Let's go see if Kaa-san and Obasan are back, ne?" Keigo said as he carried the cat in his arms and led Ryoma outside, where the four adults were just coming from their cars. Rinko was quietly sobbing while Emiko comforted her. Keigo's father, Atobe Hiro, was silently talking to his cellphone. Nanjirou was looking at the sky with a resigned expression.
"Oyaji, where's Aniki?" Ryoma asked as she put down the Himalayan cat, which cuddled to her feet.
Nanjirou turned to look at her, a sad smile gracing his features.
"Hime-chan, Aniki's gone."
End Flashback
Tezuka looked at the petite girl beside her as she quietly finished her tale.
"My brother loved my singing. Singing reminds me of him. That's why I don't want to sing. I don't want to remember the day he left," Ryoma said quietly, as music blared around them.
Sakuno had finished with her song, I'd Lie by Taylor Swift. Now, everyone had harassed Ann to sing after Sakuno so she sang My Heart by Paramore. Now, Kikumaru had taken the stage and is singing Marry You by Bruno Mars.
Tezuka looked at Ryoma with an almost gentle smile grazing his features.
"Ryoma," he said, making Ryoma look at him in surprise and amazement.
"You have to sing. If you want to forget the pain, the hurt, you have to sing," he continued, as he looked at her with a tender expression in his face, even though he wasn't smiling.
"Yosh! I'm done, nya! Who's next!" Eiji shouted as he finished his song.
"Ryoma-chan should sing this one with us! Ne, Ann-chan?" Sakuno said as she bounded for one of the microphones.
"If she wants, Sakuno-chan," Ann amiably said as she too got a microphone and went towards the stage to wait for Sakuno.
Everyone turned to look at the female rookie, waiting for her reaction. To their surprise, the said rookie had a smile on her face while looking at Tezuka, whose back was turned from them.
"Ryoma-chan!" Sakuno shouted, breaking the moment between the two, making the three matchmakers groan silently.
"Yeah?" Ryoma said, looking at Sakuno questioningly, all traces of anger absent from her features.
"Come on! Sing with us!" Sakuno said as she held the last microphone aloft, inviting Ryoma to take it.
Ryoma looked at Tezuka to see his almost invisible smile. She smiled a little herself and took the microphone from Sakuno, eliciting gasps of surprise from everyone.
Sakuno just smiled at her best friend. She finally had the courage to move from her pain.
'Now, while she's vulnerable, we're going to attack,' Sakuno mentally said, rejoicing that Fuji's plan is working flawlessly.
So, she dragged Ryoma to the stage and set up the machine to play the song they think would finally push the girl to admit what she feels about a certain brunette captain.
"Minna! Ryoma-chan's going to sing the lead! She knows this song so it's ok! We're just going to be the back-up!" Sakuno said into the microphone as the music started to blare to life.
When Ryoma heard the music, she looked at Sakuno with wide eyes and a shocked expression. But when the first verse came, she snapped out of her trance and sang in an awe-inspiring voice.
(No chance. No way. I won't say it. No, no.)
If there's a prize for rotten judgment,
I guess I've already won that.
Tezuka's eyes widened a fraction. He hadn't been expecting that song.
No man is worth the aggravation
That's ancient history, been there done that
He cringed mentally. She really was still hurting from her brother's betrayal. That really is the reason why she's so anti-social. She's afraid of getting hurt again.
Who ya think ya kidding,
He's the Earth and heaven too
You try to keep it hidden,
Honey we can see right through you
Ryoma sighed inwardly as she listened to her best friend and new found friend sing the rest of the verse. Now she knew what Sakuno's hinting at her. And, yeah, she's right. He really is her everything now.
Girl you can't conceal it,
We know how ya feelin, who you thinkin' of
Tezuka looked at Ryoma when the girls sang the verse. She looked resigned and decided, like she worked out a big problem. When she sang the next verse, a light blush had started to creep in her features.
No chance, no way, I won't say it, no, no
(You swoon, you sigh, why deny it uh, oh.)
It's too cliche', I won't say I'm in love
Ryoma blushed slightly. She acknowledged that she liked Tezuka. Maybe even loved. BUT! She won't say she's in love with him NOW! WITH the REGULARS watching!
I thought my heart had learned its lesson
It feels so good when you start out
My head is screaming "get a grip girl."
Unless you're dying to cry your heart out (Oh no)
'What are you doing Sakuno!' Ryoma mentally screamed as Sakuno circled around her and winked at her as she mouthed, 'Tell him!' before launching into their part.
You keep on denying who you are and how you're feeling
Baby we're not buyin', hun we saw you hit the ceiling.(Oh no)
Face it like a grown up, when you gonna own up
That you got, got, got it bad
Tezuka stared at Sakuno. She just mouthed 'Tell him!' to Ryoma!
'Tell who what?" he asked himself, looking at Ryoma, who was by now the color of a tomato.
No chance, no way, I won't say it, no, no
(Give up, give in. Check the grin, you're in love.)
You're in love, you're in love, you're in love
(You're doin' flips, read our lips, you're in love.)
You're way off base, I won't say it
Get off my case, I won't say I'm in love
(I won't say it. No, no)2x
'Dang it, Sakuno! Get off my case!' Ryoma screamed mentally as she sang the chorus. Out of curiosity, she looked at Tezuka, only to find him staring at her with the most intense expression she had ever seen him use.
No chance, no way, I won't say it, no, no
(Give up, give in, check the grin you're in love)
The scene won't play, I won't say you're in love
(You're doin flips, read our lips you're in love)
You're way off base, I won't say it
(So don't be proud, it's okay you're in love)
Tezuka looked at Ryoma staring at him. That did it. He made up his mind.
'I'll tell her later,' he promised himself.
No chance, no way, I won't say it, no, no
(Give up, give in, check the grin you're in love)
The scene won't play, I won't say you're in love, (you're in love)
Ryoma sighed. She looked at Tezuka, who was looking at her with a gentle smile on his face, which made her heart beat a thousand miles per hour.
'He's so handsome. Will he like someone like me back?' she thought, but then, she wants to tell him. Just, not now.
At least out loud, I won't say I'm in love.
She sang the final words while looking at him straight in the eyes. Tezuka nodded and smiled at her, unnoticed by the others.
A moment of silence ensued before Tezuka started to clap, bringing the others out of their stupor and to cheer as well.
"Ochibi-chan! You have a great voice!" Kikumaru cheered as he jumped up and down, while Momo, who was beside him, whistled appreciatively.
"That was great, Echizen-chan!" Oishi said as Kawamura nodded enthusiastically, agreeing with what Oishi said.
"Who would have thought that Ryoma-chan would have such a lovely singing voice, ne, Inui?" Fuji said as he looked at Inui scribbling madly in his notebook.
"By my estimates, if she decides to go into the music world, her album would become a top-seller in a matter of days," Inui mumbled, eliciting a hiss of approval from Kaidoh and a dark chuckle from Fuji.
"So, let's continue with the party, shall we?" Inui said loudly as he clapped his notebook shut.
"YEAH!"
After their party, the group decided to eat at Kawamura Sushi to celebrate. At first, Ryoma was reluctant to go but Kawamura promised her that he would make something else for her, thus hooking her in.
As they were walking, Ryoma's hand was suddenly enveloped by another. When she turned around, she found her Buchou looking at her like he has something important to say. Ryoma nodded and moved to the back of the group, where there would be more privacy.
"What is it, Buchou?" Ryoma asked, nervous at the tangible hesitation that was enveloping Tezuka's form.
'What is he going to tell me?' she thought furiously, hoping against all hope that he would say the thing that she would love more than anything else in the world.
"Echizen, was what you sang true?" his deep voice resonated deep within her soul. She looked at him to find him looking at her with eyes full of hope.
"Aa, it's true," she said honestly. She couldn't bring herself to lie to those eyes. Realizing what she said, she looked down, afraid of what she might see in those eyes she loved so much.
But she was so surprised when a hand tilted her chin upwards so that she could see his face. Instead of the revolt and the pitying look she expected, she was greeted by a warm smile and eyes full of love.
"Me too."
I UPDATED THIS SCENE! FINALLY! YEEHAW!
Now, they're an official couple! Wonder what will happen when the others figure it out as well, ne? (smirks)
Read and Review, people, so that I will have motivation to post! :D
