RAINDROPS
A Prince of Tennis Fanfic
By: weirdcoffeeholic
Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.
Author's Note: I just noticed that the titles of chapter one and twelve are the same. That's why I got my documents all mixed up. Darn. Ouch, I get like an average of four reviews per chapter. (shrugs) That's okay, I guess. I'm not doing this for reviews anyway. I'm here to write. :D This chapter shows how Ryoma had a change of heart, I mean, mind. P.S. I made up the directions here. P.P.S. I decided to add one last chapter before I whoosh off back to college. :D This is a really long chapter. Please take your time with it. :D
With paper and pen, reborn again;
Till twilight I do remain.
Inks dance on parchment, thoughts ascent
As they fall grain by grain.
- weirdcoffeeholic
(dancing naked in her dorm)
-o0o-
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Left
Sakuno noticed that Tomoka used an extra amount of effort just to keep her eyes on the road. Her grip on the steering wheel was tighter than was necessary as her brows looked like they were one brown line across her forehead instead of two. She had been biting her lower lip for the past thirty-something minutes and Sakuno was glancing every now and then to see if there was any blood.
It had been over three hours since she had regained some of her memories, around three in the morning. All throughout the trip, she was playing everything in her head like a DVD on repeat mode. Some felt like her heart was ripped out, but some made her weak in the knees even though she was seated comfortably at the passenger's side. Everything was like a dream though she knew very well that they weren't.
His yellow-gold eyes, his black hair, the way his deep voice made her want to just drop dead...
Ryoma Echizen.
So that was his real name. Sakuno thought that Prince was such a strange name for a guy who robbed innocent women just to get what he wanted. It was too ironic to fit in—
Her brain paused for a second. A notion came from deep within her subconscious and smacked her hard on the inside of her skull. It hurt. Sakuno's eyes widened. She gripped the edge of her seat as her stomach lurched with overwhelming realization. She wanted to throw up, not because she was disgusted, but simply because of the fact that—
I'm not a virgin anymore
Oh. My. God.
Quite honestly, Sakuno didn't care if he was a filthy peasant boy or the son of the President of the Unites States. To her, he would always be Prince, the man who didn't want to live the life he lived, the man who did what he had to do to survive, the man she...
What?
Loves?
Damn it.
Sakuno pushed her bangs away from her eyes.
I had sex with a man who I just met two days before, and who, judging from Tomoka's personal profile, had enough money to actually buy any woman he wanted.
A million questions raced through her mind.
Why did we do it? Was everything that we ever felt real? Now that he probably knows who he is, would he still accept me? Or was it just a one-night stand?
She didn't hope for the last one.
Who would've known that the petty crook who was priority number one in the Los Angeles County was the heir to a prestigious tennis company? No one with an IQ higher than Detective Inui's would've guessed that—
Tomoka heaved a sigh, snapping Sakuno out of the languor she was currently drowning herself in. It was the only movement inside the Honda Civic within the past hour except for Eiji's occasional jerking in his sleep and Tomoka's hands twirling the wheel to avoid people who felt like they owned every feet of pavement they were driving on.
"Tell me again why we're doing this," she said stiffly, her eyes focused on the sea of red break lights ahead.
Sakuno gave it a thought. "Because..." she said with uncertainty. Her lack of sleep made her thinking ability slower than it usual was. "It's your idea?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Actually it's mine. She felt the need to get to the bottom of this whole thing. Despite the impossibility of their situation, she wasn't about to give up.
"Darn it." Tomoka shifted gears as she passed two cars that were driving in slow-motion. She checked the rearview mirror. "For someone who works in a shop where all they serve is caffeine, Eiji sure knows how to doze off pretty well."
Grinning, Sakuno took at peek at the waiter curled up in the back seat. Eiji was the first one to take the wheel but eventually couldn't handle it as his eyes drooped on its own. They had switched a couple of hours ago.
"Where the hell are we anyway?" Tomoka asked with a tired yawn. "Feels like I've been driving for ages..."
Sakuno checked the MapQuest print out she had brought with them. "It says merge onto 405-N, around 53.2 miles, then take the Coastline Avenue exit, exit 27 onto Pearl highway," she read off the paper.
Tomoka pouted. "Great," she said sarcastically. "I still can't believe the Echizen Estate is in MapQuest. You know, these things are usually hidden. I mean, how're we supposed to break into a place that's probably crawling with guards and security systems? I can't believe we're doing this." She shook her head in disbelief.
The woman in the passenger side exhaled slowly. She then crossed her fingers.
She couldn't believe it either.
-o0o-
Ryoma Echizen couldn't believe the words that came out of his cousin's lips. It sounded surreal, like a line taken out of a script that couldn't possibly happen in real life. It was a slap in the face. Actually, it felt more like one of Ryoga's tennis balls hitting him squarely in the face.
His jaws drop to the floor. He didn't expect to hear this from anyone. "What?"
Nanako smirked. She never smirked before. "Shocker, right?" she said as she gazed around the surroundings of Ryoma's elegantly adorned room where bits of clothes and décor were littered everywhere. "You see, Mr. Essenheimer is the largest contributor of Nitoryuu to date. He and your father were tight."
They were? Ryoma stared with skepticism. "So? What's that got to do with me?"
"The thing is, he—Mr. Essenheimer—and Uncle made a deal when you and Ryoga were little. You know how rich people are," said Nanako, her voice steady as though she practiced every line. "In order to preserve the wealth, you have to marry the wealthy."
Sakuno. Her name was popping in out of his head non stop. "What if I don't wanna get married to that bi—"
"Then that would be as good as throwing this company away," Nanako interjected, though not forcefully. "If you take off again like you did, or refuse to marry his daughter, Mr. Essenheimer is going to withdraw all the contributions he had given your father—"
"The hell with it," Ryoma cut her short, narrowing his eyes. "My father's filthy rich. He could pay someone to get Essenheimer's head on a plate for him."
Nanako smiled at his response, her lips sugar-coated. "That's the problem," she said slowly. "Remember when I told you that this company isn't running the way it used to?"
Ryoma simply stared back. All he could think of was the woman he wanted to be with for the rest of his life.
His cousin took that for a 'yes'. "Well, there are too many zeroes to even say it," she began, leaning back on the sofa. "But if I'm doing my math correctly, I should say that Mr. Essenheimer's past contributions are bigger, much bigger, than this company's latest annual income. You know what that means, right?"
Ryoma wasn't stupid. He had his share of economics as a kid. Upon realizing, he suddenly felt like all four walls were closing in on him and there was nowhere to escape to. "Bankruptcy." The word slipped out of his mouth unconsciously.
Fucking shit.
Sakuno.
He might never be able to see her again.
He remembered what he thought that morning when he woke up beside her.
His assumption was right.
Nanako chuckled, but it was meaningless. "Now, do you see where I'm getting to, Ryoma?" she asked him. Nanako suddenly looked tall, overpowering. "If the wedding bells don't start chiming, then prepare to say hasta la vista to everything." She waved a hand across his room.
There was silence after her last word.
And then followed a few seconds wherein he wasn't capable of thinking.
Shit.
Ryoma thought of what his mother once told him when she was reading those bedtime stories to him when he was little. There was a reason why the brain was placed above the heart. As a child, those words didn't mean anything to him. He still wasn't the emotional type. But now it had its full effect.
He was aware of the hard work his forefathers put into making this company the success it was now. He wasn't going to be selfish and cowardly like his older brother and run away just because he couldn't take it. Though his father may be a bastard, Ryoma could see that beyond the porn magazines and the grinning face was a man striving to bring this company back to its feet.
He felt cornered.
Ryoma knew it wasn't much of a choice than an option. It was mandatory.
Sakuno.
No.
He had to forget about her. A pang in his chest refused but he brushed it aside. Ryoma had to lock away everything in his memories that reminded him of her. He was going to take this like a man, not an immature, little boy who would run away again. He had to accept this defeat gracefully, like the way of a Japanese warrior, like his father had taught him.
The pain in his chest grew stronger.
It was hard.
But his willpower was harder.
He looked up.
The air was still.
Black eyes met yellow.
"Fine," he spat.
-o0o-
"Are you a hundred percent sure you know where we're going?"
Eiji took his eyes off the road for a quick moment to glare at Tomoka who was raising a threatening eyebrow at him. "It says in the directions 'Take the ramp toward Blossom highway and merge into CA-14 North,'" he said, focusing his eyes back on the road.
"Makes me wonder why the directions and the freeway we're in don't match," Tomoka snapped back as she checked the printout again. "Where the hell are we?"
Sakuno peeked her head in between the two front seats and gazed at the unfamiliar surroundings ahead of them. The asphalt road was almost completely empty except for them and a couple of cars here and there. She frowned. "Eiji, you do know what you're up to, right?" she asked the driver.
Smiling, Eiji twisted the wheel and slipped into the far right lane, posing to enter a non-existent exit. "We're taking a shortcut, girls," he said as he turned again.
The car was dissolved into darkness when the freeway lights passed them. They rounded a very sharp turn that Sakuno hit her head painfully against the window. This lasted for about fifteen seconds before they emerged into a quiet intersection where Eiji hit the brakes, waiting for the signal. Sakuno rubbed her head where it hurt.
"What the hell are you doing?" Tomoka asked, slapping Eiji on the shoulder. The man yelped.
"We're taking a shortcut, like I said!" he said, edging away from the frantic woman beside him. "MapQuest said that we should go through Blossom highway but that takes up too much time since it's as good as driving around the California border—"
"And what makes you think that this is the right way?" demanded Tomoka, looking at Sakuno for support. "If we get lost we don't have the slightest idea how to get back home! I don't know this neighborhood!"
The light turned green and Eiji stepped on the gas again. He turned right and the car started revving down the dark street dotted with what looked like—
Tennis courts?
Sakuno stared. Eiji was right...
Eiji switched the front lights to high to get a better of view of where they were going. "You're probably gonna kill me for not saying this sooner, but..." He exhaled, getting himself ready of the pain he might get from Tomoka. "My father used to work for the Echizen's."
Sakuno looked away from the window. Really?
Tomoka's eyes widened. Her reaction was expected.
"What?!" She landed a punch on Eiji's bicep, almost making the car do a 360-degree turn as they made another right. "We've been on and off about this whole Echizen thing and you never told us that your father worked for them?!"
"Tomoka, stop it or you're gonna kill all of us—" Sakuno grabbed Tomoka by the wrist.
Eiji cringed from the pain. But he dismissed it being the gentleman that he was. "Used to work for them," he cleared it out. "He brought me with him to his meeting sometimes when my mom was too busy taking care of my brothers and sisters. That's why I know this shortcut."
Tomoka blinked twice.
"Now, can you stop being such a butch and keep quiet?" he told Tomoka as he slowed down to a curve. They were on an uphill road now. It was only for a few feet before it began running downhill.
Tomoka was silent.
Oh my God.
Eyes rounding for the second time, Sakuno noticed a wide building that was stretched out across from them just around ten yards away. Her nose was pressed against the tinted window as she marveled at the beautiful mansion that they were slowly closing into. Sakuno had seen the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, but nothing would ever compare to this.
The whole structure was patterned just like the White House in D.C., only it seemed to glow as the huge spotlights from the ornate, outstretched lawn beamed at him, making it sparkle. The building was framed in gold. Gold, for Heaven's sake. Even at a distance, Sakuno could tell that it was real. There was even a fountain that she estimated to be roughly about the size of her apartment.
It was the biggest mansion she had ever seen, if not the most extravagant.
"We're here," Eiji said finally as he switched off the engine and smiled at the looks on both women's faces.
"Wow," Sakuno and Tomoka said in unison.
It took Eiji a few moments to get their attention. He watched with amusement as both their faces dropped when they realized what they went here for. Quickly, they scrambled to get out of the vehicle and look at Eiji inquisitively.
"Where are all the guards?" Sakuno asked him quietly. "They should be mobbing us right now for trespassing or something."
Eiji put a finger to his chin and gazed up the sky. "Oddly, the Echizens' estate doesn't have very strict security measures if you try to break in from the back."
"This is just the backyard?" Tomoka asked, finding what she saw hard to believe. "No way. Sakuno, you bitch, you got it made!" She hooked an arm around the other woman and pulled her into a hug. More like strangled her.
I wonder if he's in there right now, Sakuno thought as she fought her way out of Tomoka's grasp and looked with awe at the mansion in front of them. She couldn't call it a house since it didn't look like a home to her. So this is where he really lived. That, for her, was implausible.
Eiji voice snapped her out her thoughts. "C'mon," he said, walking towards the high bushes which framed the well-kept Bermuda grass. "I even used to play tennis with that kid. I know this place like the back of my hand."
-o0o-
Sakuno wondered with amazement as to how Eiji had led them to sneak into the mansion without the alarms or security systems going off. She had always thought that Eiji had a bit of a cat instinct inside him. The way his ears tingled when he sensed something abnormal, the way his nose twitched when he smelled coffee, even the way pouted made him look like a member of the feline species.
This was one other trait she should add on her list.
From the way it looked, they were in the servant's kitchen now. It was still dark even though the nightlights from the walls gave off an eerie glow that made her skin look white. A shiver ran up her spine.
"I can't believe we're doing this just for your boyfriend," Tomoka whispered to Sakuno as they tiptoed in one line, hand-in-hand across the large, shiny countertop, careful not to touch or break anything that would cause a ruckus. Eiji was first, followed by Tomoka, and finally Sakuno.
The woman in the back of the line narrowed her eyes dangerously. "I never asked you to come in the first place," she hissed silently, narrowly avoiding a huge wok hanging from the ceiling. "This is my problem to begin with—"
"You'd think I'd let you sneak around alone? This is the biggest scoop the Times will ever get. No one from the press has been in here before—"
"You what, shut up," Eiji murmured to them. He let go of Tomoka's hand and began fiddling with the lock of the door they came across. It most probably led to the dining area. "You're gonna get us into trouble if you don't."
"Tomoka started it—!" Sakuno persisted, keeping her voice low.
"I did not!"
"Did to!"
"Did not!"
"Okay," Eiji said with slight irritation. "Do you want to do this or not?" he asked them, his voice husky.
"Of course we do!" both women said at the same time.
"Good, then, shut up and let me work in peace so we can get in, find the guy, and get out in one piece," he said in one breath. Both women did what they were told for once.
He turned his back on them as he resumed with the giant padlock that kept the door closed securely. A few minutes passed as Eiji busied himself with a piece of wire he picked up from somewhere before they heard a click. He let out a sigh of relief.
Slowly turning the lever, he held out his hand which Tomoka took reluctantly. "Keep quiet, stay close, don't touch anything," he whispered before tiptoeing through the open doorway.
When they entered, Sakuno tried her best to not let a gasp escape from her lips as she gawked at the Victorian style setting of the Echizens' dining room. The lights were still quite dim but it was enough for her to see the shelves and shelves full of exotic porcelain and the renaissance paintings that were hung across the walls. It was a breathtaking sight, like getting inside a museum for the first time. She could sense Tomoka getting the same feeling as they trudged silently across the room and towards another door at the end of the hall.
But the all froze instantly when they heard a female voice behind them. Sakuno felt her knees almost giving away as Tomoka's grip on her hand faltered.
"Stop right where you are."
-o0o-
The three of them let go of each others' hands and straightened up. Sakuno fought the urge to run for her life as the woman spoke again.
"I have a gun and I perfectly know how to use it," she said icily. "Now, put your hands up in the air and turn around, slowly."
Almost at the same time they raised their open palms and turned their bodies around to face the woman. Tomoka had her eyes closed. Eiji face looked like he had seen a ghost. Sakuno was praying in her head.
Grandma, I'm sorry for every stupid thing I ever did...
She dared to look up and gazed at the face of the woman emanating against the soft lights from the dimmed lamps. Her narrowed eyes were brown like Sakuno's, her hair the same color but it was twisted into a neat bun around her head. She was in a flowing nightgown and robe at hugged her slim body. There was a handgun pointed at their faces but Sakuno couldn't help but notice that the woman was stunningly beautiful.
Her voice, unlike before, shook. "What do you want?" she asked them, steadying her grip on the gun. "I'll call the cops if you don't leave right now."
Eiji had the guts to speak up. "We don't mean any harm, ma'am," he said as tried to give her a warm smile. He failed. "We just wanted to talk to Ryoma Echizen—"
Sakuno shivered again. Wrong answer!
"What do you want from my son?" she interrupted him sharply, focusing the gun at pointblank range on Eiji who cowered. "Are you the police? My husband already gave you people money so if you want to keep your job you'd leave my son alone..."
Her voice faltered as her gaze on Eiji's bandaged face deepened. The woman's eyes widened, loosing all traces of anger. Miraculously, she lowered the pistol. Sakuno and Tomoka were confused but let out a breath they'd been holding for the past minutes. It felt like an eternity.
"Eiji...?" the woman's voice was unsure. She lifted the end of her statement like a question.
Sakuno eyes shifted from her to the cat-like grin mixed with a frown playing on Eiji's face. Wait a minute, what's going on? All the fear she felt from having a gun pointed at her ebbed away.
A few moments passed them by before Eiji let out a short chuckle and smiled.
"Uhm... Hi, Mrs. Echizen," he said, scratching the back of his head, embarrassed. "It's been a while."
-o0o-
Sakuno considered Eiji Kikumaru their lucky star the rest of the early morning that they spent in the Echizens' mansion. It impressed her to the point that she wanted to kiss the guy even if she knew that he would call the cops to arrest her for sexual harassment. She stopped herself in time.
They would've been lying dead, sprawled in a cold pave somewhere by now if it weren't for him.
Turned out, Prince's — Ryoma's — mother was a very kind person once she hastily tucked the gun inside the holster that she kept around her right calf. Her reunion with her son's childhood best friend immediately commenced the moment she led the three of them into an unexpectedly humble visitor's lounge where she left them but returned soon, carrying a tray with cups and a hot pot of green tea.
Sakuno tried her best not to stare when Mrs. Echizen sat down on the couch across the very cozy sofa that she, Tomoka, and Eiji were on. She looked to be about her late forties but she still looked striking. She kind of looked like Prince — Ryoma — in some angles.
I guess good looks run in the family, she thought absentmindedly.
Tomoka elbowed her and grinned.
"You've gotten bigger," Mrs. Echizen said, looking at Eiji curiously as she began pouring tea. "The last time I saw you, you barely came to my shoulder," she added with a motherly smile as she handed them their cups.
Tomoka and Sakuno too it from her and muttered a soft 'Thank you.' She smiled at them too.
Eiji tried his best to look anything but self-conscious as he gave her his signature, cat-like grin. "That was more than ten years ago, Mrs. Echizen," he said, blushing slightly. "I'm amazed that you still remember me."
"How could I forget you," she said as she crossed her ankles and placed her entwined fingers on her lap. "Besides his brother, you're the only real friend Ryoma's ever had. It's just a pity your father had to retire so early," she added good-naturedly.
He kind of looks like his mother when he softens his face... Sakuno thought.
"Yeah, well, he was getting old anyway," Eiji replied, trying to laugh, but soon falling silent again as he twirled the tea in his cup uncomfortably.
"And who're your friends?" she said, shifting her warm gaze at the Sakuno and Tomoka, who both gave her a friendly smile.
Eiji straightened up in his seat, suddenly remembering that the two women were there. He looked at the pointedly as though warning them not to refuse. "I'll let them introduce themselves," he said as he nudged Tomoka in the ribs, causing the other to slightly wince in pain.
"Hai," Tomoka piped up, putting her teacup down on the table and holding out her hand. "Tomoka Osakada, currently a columnist for the Los Angeles Times."
Mrs. Echizen took her hand smiled back. She then looked at Sakuno.
She blushed slightly but quickly regained herself. It felt kind of weird seeing Ryoma's mother especially after... "Sakuno Ryuuzaki," she introduced, shaking the other woman's hand. "Same thing, Los Angeles Times columnist."
Actually, I wrote an article about your son during my better days as a journalist. And actually, I had sex with him. And actually, I think I may be in love with him—
Stop it, Sakuno mentally slapped herself before she accidentally blurted the words out of her mouth.
Mrs. Echizen frowned as she slowly let go of Sakuno's hand. "Sakuno...?" she echoed softly as she looked with great intent at the woman sitting in front of her. Sakuno suddenly felt very conscious about everything.
Why is she looking at me like that? She fiddled with the hem of the sleeves of her jacket and tried to hold her gaze steady with hers. This is so not comfortable...
"Did you say your name is Sakuno?" she repeated, looking at Sakuno as though she was her long-lost child. That would be a worst-case scenario.
Sakuno blinked. She then nodded hesitantly. Why is she looking at me like that...?
Mrs. Echizen seemed to snap out of her trance after a few moments and turned to look at Eiji. "You said you wanted to talk to my son," she said to him, breaking the silence.
Eiji nodded as she settled his finished cup on the table. He didn't say anything, afraid that it might touch a gentle issue, but Mrs. Echizen didn't seem to mind.
"He's upstairs in his room, sleeping," she said, her face softening a bit. She paused before speaking again. "I'm sure you've heard about the news of his disappearance," she continued, her voice low but nonetheless comforting.
"Yes, we did," Tomoka said with a proud beam. "Sakuno and I wrote an article about it in the Times a few days ago." She looked at the frozen woman beside her. "Right, Sakuno?"
Forcing herself to smile, Sakuno gave a weak nod as she tightened her grip around the small cup. "Yes, we did."
Mrs. Echizen gave her a calculating look again. Sakuno wanted to melt like molten wax that instant as the older woman's eyes bore into hers. "I'm sure you found out beforehand that he did return quite recently, being people who worked for the newspaper," she said. "The news hasn't released anything about him yet."
And I'd like to add that, actually, I didn't have to be a paper columnist to figure that out because your son mugged me one night and I haven't been able to get him out of my mind ever since—
"I was wondering," Sakuno said, looking at her unfinished tea to avoid making eye contact with Mrs. Echizen. "How is he doing?" she asked her with the most nonchalant voice she could muster.
Everyone in the room looked surprised by her question. It was too late before Sakuno realized that it was too personal for someone who doesn't know that she and the supposed heir had something to do with each other.
Damn you, blabber mouth.
Mrs. Echizen looked even more suspicious. It was the first time in the past half-hour that she looked at Sakuno with inkling. But her tone of voice didn't betray it. She shrugged. "Since I know you people live on the latest news," she said, considering. "I'll let you in on a little secret."
Eiji's ears twitched as Tomoka listened to her heart's content. Sakuno just sat still, anxiously looking at the woman who spoke in the softest possible voice that it was almost impossible to hear.
But she did.
"Ryoma's getting married tomorrow."
The teacup fell from Sakuno's grasp and shattered on the floor.
-o0o-
Author's note: That was the longest chapter yet. WOW. I can't believe I finished that in six hours. Lol. Usually, it takes me about a day to finish something this long, but what the heck! My classes start in five hours and I haven't had a wink of sleep yet. :D So there. Please read and review, okay? See you guys on Friday when I get back from school. Take care. :D