Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Prince of Tennis!
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"Parseltongue"
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"Ah, sorry!" Yoshida exclaimed as she came to a stop beside Hari. Hari looked at her and saw that she was breathless from running and was leaning forward to rest her hands on her knees trying to catch her breath.
"Yoshida-san," Hari greeted. "I was wondering where you were."
"I had to watch my little brother until mum came home and she was late," Yoshida complained. "I was running the entire way here!"
"Ah," Hari nodded. "Well, I'm sure it's fine."
She groaned and sank down on the ground still breathing harder.
"How are we doing?" Yoshida asked and glanced at the court. "We're playing St. Rudolph now?"
"Hai. Ma, Momoshiro and Kaido won their doubles match by default," Hari said and saw the raised brow. "I know, but they actually played rather well together. Even if they were bickering the entire time. You missed an amusing match."
Yoshida smiled.
"And, well, Kikumaru and Oishi lost their match," Hari continued.
"Eh? Really?" Yoshida asked surprised.
"They fought very well," Hari said, "they fought their way back into the match after getting behind and Kikumaru-sempai used up his stamina and Oishi-sempai had to fight alone using his moon-volley until Kikumaru-sempai came back. They managed to get the game to a tie-break and almost won but, unfortunately, it wasn't enough."
"Ah, that's too bad," Yoshida said and grabbed Hari's hand when she offered it to get back on her feet. "So, it's Echizen's game now?"
"Yeah," Hari nodded. "He's playing Yuta-kun."
"Fuji-sempai's little brother," Kachiro said from behind them and Hari sighed and her jaw tightened.
"I see," Yoshida said looking between Hari and the first years with a questioning look. Hari ignored it and turned back to the court and glanced at Fuji who just smiled at them.
"You okay, Shu-chan?" Hari asked him.
"Of course," Fuji smiled and Hari sighed. She would have believed him if not for the tension she detected in his smile but she doubted that anyone other than her and Tezuka noticed this and she saw Tezuka also give Fuji a concerned look.
...
"Yuta-kun is good," Hari commented.
"He has become stronger," Fuji said not looking away from his little brother.
Hari just smiled and watched them hit the ball back and forth for a while.
"Ah, the Rising Shot," Inoue commented his eyes watching Yuta.
"Rising Shot?" Kachiro asked.
"It's a shot that returns the ball as soon as it bounces," Inoue explained to the first years.
Hari tuned out Inui explaining and Yoshida adding something to his explanation as she focused on the match.
...
Game for St. Rudolph Fuji! 1 – 0
...
"I can't believe that Ryoma-kun lost the first game!" Tomoka cried.
"This is bad!" Horio exclaimed. "It was bad enough that the opponent was a southpaw!"
"This is a complicated situation for you, Fuji," Tezuka said stepping up next to Fuji and Hari.
"Why's that?" Fuji asked smiling with his eyes closed before they opened and Hari was struck by the sadness they now betrayed. "I'm fine with it if Yuta's okay with it."
Both Hari and Tezuka looked at him but he didn't say anything else. Hari was concerned but knew better than to push him right then and looked back at the court where they were ready to start again and now it was Ryoma's service game.
"Hm," Hari said and smiled slightly. "Looks like Ryo-chan is showing his best serve right off the bat."
She felt Fuji looking at her and when she glanced at him she saw the considering look he was giving her.
"What?" She asked.
"Nothing," he smiled and looked back at the court.
Stunned silence spread as they all stared at the court where Yuta just had returned Ryoma's twist-serve.
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0-15
...
Hari pursed her lips considering as she looked at Yuta and noticed how angry he looked even though he returned a serve most people struggled against. She furrowed her brows as she watched him and felt a stab of worry for the boy who let his anger rule him.
"I can't believe that he has come this far," Fuji spoke up quietly next to her.
"Why not?" Hari asked glancing at him. "He is strong."
"I know that," Fuji said, "but he wasn't that strong the last time I saw him play."
Hari looked at him and then back at Yuta.
"He looks angry," she commented.
"…yeah," Fuji sighed.
"And what are you going to do about it?" Hari asked him.
Fuji frowned at her but didn't seem to have an answer for her and she bit back a sigh as her eyes went to Ryoma who was…smiling? She blinked.
"Huh," she said.
"What?" Fuji asked.
"Ryo-chan is smiling," Hari said.
"Why?" Horio asked having heard her.
"Well, he does like it when he's challenged," Hari said thoughtfully. "I guess that could be why…or…"
"Or?" Mizuno asked.
"Or he was testing Yuta's skills," Fuji said. "How well he could use his Super Rising."
"Eh?!" The first year trio exclaimed.
"I guess that could be it," Hari nodded.
...
15-15
...
"Mada mada dane," Ryoma's voice travelled to where Hari was standing and she felt her lips twitch in a small smile. "I've faced much stronger lefties than you."
Hari glanced over at Tezuka who was stoically watching the game. She almost snorted but refrained. Yeah, she would say that Ryoma had faced stronger left-handed players than Yuta. She wondered what Tezuka was thinking as he watched them, did he think back on the time he had played Ryoma? Comparing him to this Ryoma? Too bad that he was so good at keeping his face straight.
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Game for Seigaku Echizen! 1-1
...
"Ryo-chan is having fun," Hari smiled pleased. "I knew he would love playing against Yuta-kun."
"You don't seem worried," Yoshida said coming up to her. "Yuta-san has shown that he can cause trouble for Echizen."
Hari glanced at her.
"Ryo-chan loves a good challenge," she said.
"You think Fuji's little brother will challenge him more?" Horio asked.
Hari felt a twitch settle in her brow as she gave Horio a stern look.
"What did I say about calling him that?" She asked and Horio took a small step back. "And of course Yuta-kun will challenge Ryo-chan more. Yuta-kun hasn't shown us all he can do yet."
Fuji nodded beside her and she wasn't the only one who noticed the worried look he suddenly got.
"This is the time for Yuta to shine," Fuji suddenly said.
"Hm?" Tezuka glanced at him.
"Yuta always hated to lose," Fuji remembered. "Even as a child."
Hari saw the smile that crossed Fuji's lips as he clearly remembered something, probably about Yuta. She almost asked but stopped herself. She wasn't going to pry into it and was just glad that Fuji seemed to remember something good about his little brother.
...
0-15
...
Hari frowned and leaned forward slightly as she noticed the almost unnoticeable flinch in Yuta. What had made him flinch? He had just missed one ball and Ryoma was only in the lead by that one ball. So, why did it look like he got scared for a moment?
He had just looked pensive and then glanced toward his manager and… her eyes snapped to the back of the manager seated on the bench. He was one of their players as well, Mizuki or something like that. She knew he was responsible for their data and Inui had said he was the one who had provided St. Rudolph with data on them making their matches that much harder.
Her frown deepened. Just giving data to the players on their team wasn't against the rules and she thought it was a smart move, but… something didn't feel right. She wished she could get a look at the dark haired teen's expression from where she was standing, but the only thing she could see was the back of his head.
She felt her eyes widen when she saw the new stance Yuta was standing in and she heard the small gasp coming from Fuji in a rare moment of laps of control over his reactions to the match.
Ryoma moved to return the ball but stopped when the ball hit the ground before twisting up straight at him and zoomed past his face and spun against the metallic fence behind and above him.
"Nani datte?"
"Twist Spin shot…"
Hari looked at Yuta and saw how his right hand supported the wrist of his left hand still in the stance that he was in after following through on the shot.
Impressive, but… something nagged at her as she looked between Ryoma and Yuta. Ryoma looked slightly impressed as he was looking over at Yuta while Yuta looked determined and angry. Like normal, she guessed.
"I don't know what to think," she murmured quietly and didn't notice that Yoshida glanced at her questioningly.
...
Game for St. Rudolph Fuji! 3-1
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It was clear that Yuta had the advantage now with the Twist-Spin Shot and the Super Rising Shot, but Ryoma kept returning balls and didn't seem to become desperate even if he didn't get the points. Hari recognised this from when he was playing against Nanjiro and was just looking for something that worked against him.
"Eh!"
"The Rising Shot!"
Ryoma returned one of Yuta's shots by using the Rising Shot but it went high and out, but instead of looking depressed Ryoma only looked at his racket with a calculating look while swinging it lightly back and forth.
...
40-0
...
"Super Rising seems to be beyond Echizen," Kawamura commented worriedly.
"You think so?" Hari asked.
"You don't, nya?" Kikumaru asked.
She shrugged, "who knows?"
Fuji smiled before looking back at Yuta. Hari hadn't missed that he seemed unable to take his eyes off his little brother for most of the match. She smiled slightly and looked back at her own little brother. She wasn't worried. Not yet, at least. Ryoma was having fun and he would figure it out. She had faith in him.
As soon as Ryoma returned one of Yuta's shot the other one was waiting. Hari watched as Yuta again got into the stance for the Twist Spin Shot. Ryoma was again going to the net and this time when he hit the ball it landed just outside the line of the court and even if it was out it still shocked Yuta.
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Game for St. Rudolph Fuji! 4-1
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"It's pretty hard," Ryoma said. "If I don't hold the face down a bit more, it goes out. Still, I think I got the move down."
"Naruhodo," Kikumaru said. "Our boy's adjusting his racket angels while losing points."
Hari smiled slightly and shook her head.
"Typical," she huffed and smiled proudly.
"Ne!" Ryoma called again and Hari looked at him to see a small worried look on his face before it blanked out in that arrogant smile of his. "You shouldn't use that Twist-something that much."
Hari frowned again and looked at Yuta who was looking rather stunned as he stared at Ryoma. She heard Horio ask why but didn't pay him any attention as he went over Ryoma's words and what they could mean. She noticed that Mizuki had turned his head slightly and was staring at Ryoma and she couldn't miss how unsettled he seemed. Was he worried? But why….
Argh, this was getting frustrating. She hated not knowing what was going on and why Ryoma thought Yuta shouldn't use it. She knew that if Ryoma actually said something about it during a match he was serious and Yuta probably shouldn't use it.
Her eyes widened as she realised and her hands clenched into tight fists as she stared at Yuta in realisation. She gritted her teeth when she saw him get into that stance once more and performed the Twist Spin Shot and this time she really noticed the way he used his shoulder and the strain it put on it.
Why hadn't she realised that before? She paused her thought as she saw Ryoma running toward the net…and he wasn't slowing down. She tilted her head as she watched him. What was he planning? She heard the concerned warnings from the others but she didn't say anything because she knew that if Ryoma was running like this he had a plan and she wanted to know what.
She blinked as Ryoma suddenly was on the ground sliding forward before jumping up and meeting the ball before it bounced against the ground and hit it.
The ball seemed to fly high and she could almost see the relief in St. Rudolph but when she heard the familiar words:
"Mada mada dane!"
She smirked. There was no way that this shot was a miss. True enough the ball suddenly dropped and bounced right next to where Yuta was sitting slash standing in a perfect B before bouncing off the court.
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15-0
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"What?"
"What was that shot?"
"What just happened?"
The questions filled the court as they all stared.
"Drive B," Ryoma said.
Hari grinned proudly as she stared at her little brother. She knew he could do it. She glanced at Fuji and saw the surprised look on his face and laughed quietly to herself as she spotted it on the others faces as well.
Though, this just proved the fact that she had to perfect her own move as well. She was going to show that she could keep up.
"I just sealed your Twist Spin Shot," Ryoma said. "What will you do now?"
He pointed his racket at Yuta who just stared back at him.
"Your big brother isn't the only strong one here," Ryoma said, hands in his pocket and cap shadowing his face. "Your goal might be to beat your brother, but…I'm aiming much higher."
"You must beat me before you can go higher," Yuta said and his voice didn't contain any anger.
"Mochiron," Ryoma said.
Hari smiled and shook her head slightly in wonder. Looks like Ryoma was reaching Yuta with his words and play.
...
Game for Seigaku Echizen! 5-4
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Hari had moved away from the others seemingly unconsciously but she was curious and worried so she moved closer to the bench where Mizuki was seated and was talking to Yuta. She could see that Yuta looked shocked by whatever the dark haired teen was saying.
"…If you lose here you will never surpass your brother!"
Hari only heard the last part of what Mizuki was saying but she could see the wide eyes on Yuta's face and almost stricken look as he stared at Mizuki. She frowned as she watched Yuta closely. Just why did he seem afraid? Again?
The angry look was back now and Hari almost stalked straight into the court and over to that manager who had removed the look Yuta had on for the last game that clearly said he was having fun playing against Ryoma. Because who was he to take that away? Who was he to purposely push Yuta's own demons on him to push him to win the match?
She was so angry that she didn't notice the fact that she was bleeding as she moved back to the others.
"Eh! Hari-chan!"
Hari glared and Sakuno and Tomoka shrank back as they paled and she blinked.
"Oh, sorry," she said inhaling to calm her anger down. "Didn't mean to glare at you two. What's up?"
"Um…" Sakuno said timidly and Hari grimaced slightly. "You're bleeding."
"What?" Momoshiro exclaimed hurrying over just as Hari blinked confusedly again and looked down at her hands and sure enough, she was bleeding from where her nails had dug into her palms.
"Oh," she said.
"Maji de?," Momoshiro said. "What did you do?"
Hari shrugged.
"Forget it," she said. "I'm fine."
Fuji glanced at her but didn't say anything as she ignored the others and stopped next to Fuji again. She frowned as she looked back at the court.
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40-0
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Ryoma just performed yet another Drive B and the ball went past an outplayed Yuta. Hari calmed down some when she saw that Yuta continued like he had and even allowed a small smile on his lips as he looked over at Ryoma. She inhaled deeply as she forced the last remnants of her anger down and smiled slightly herself.
"You know, Echizen is a mysterious guy," Fuji commented.
"Eh? Really?" Hari asked.
"He has managed to reach Yuta despite all the anger Yuta is holding," Fuji said.
Hari smiled.
...
Game for Seigaku Echizen! 6-4
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They won the match. The cheering was loud and well, cheerful. Hari smiled and watched her little brother proudly but when she glanced over at Yuta she felt a little worried about him. She was not sure she trusted that Mizuki very much. Or at all.
"So, what are you going to do about him?" Hari asked as she glanced at Fuji.
"Hm?"
"Mizuki," Hari gritted out the name like it was distasteful.
Fuji glanced at her.
"He'll regret teaching Yuta that move without warning him about the consequences," Fuji said.
"Good," Hari said and a smirk crossed her lips. "If you hadn't planned on that I would have hit you."
Fuji laughed and held up a hand.
"Oi, oi," he said. "Seems like you've become protective over my little brother, Hari-chan."
Hari stared at him before she huffed.
"Guess so," she said. "He reminds me of my friend and me to a degree. Besides, no one deserves to be treated like that."
Fuji nodded and gave her a genuine smile before he reached out and ruffled her hair like she was a little kid. She scowled at him but smiled slightly as well.
"I'll deal with him." Fuji promised.
...
Hari yawned and stretched her hands up in the air.
"Eh? How can you be that relaxed?!" Horio exclaimed.
"Eh?" she blinked at him.
"You know we're losing!" Horio yelled and sounded angry. The other first years were nodding and looking anxiously at Fuji who lost another ball.
"I can't believe that Fuji-sempai is losing," Tomoka cried.
"Even he has trouble…" Mizuno said.
"I don't know why you're so worried," Hari said and yawned again. "I just wished he would get started soon. This is boring."
"What?" they stared at her.
Hari noticed that the others also looked at her some with more understanding than others.
"He's not serious yet," Hari shrugged. "He'll crush Mizuki."
With that she walked away from them and toward where Yuta was standing watching the game with a torn expression on his face.
"You worried?" She asked him.
He glanced at her and tried to make his face blank but she could still see the worry on his face.
"No," he denied stubbornly.
"I see," she said.
She didn't move away from him and remained standing beside him as she looked to see Fuji lose yet another ball making the score 5-0 in St. Rudolph's favour.
They were changing places and Fuji stopped by Ryuzaki to get another racket. She watched him walk with his eyes opened and a serious look on his face. She almost shuddered. Fuji was scary when he was serious.
"He really cares about you," Hari commented suddenly.
"What?" Yuta looked at her confused before he blushed slightly. "He doesn't…"
"You don't believe that," Hari said eying him. "Give me an example on when he has ever shown you that he doesn't care."
"He let me move to the dorms and transfer to St. Rudolph without a word," Yuta said. "He just asked if I was going."
Hari nodded.
"I'm fine with it if Yuta is okay with it," Hari quoted.
"Eh?"
"That was what Shu-chan said when you played Ryo-chan," Hari said as she stuck her hands into her pocket never taking her eyes off Fuji who just returned a shot that he had missed earlier in the match clearly stunning Mizuki.
Yuta stared at her and then looked over at Fuji.
"Perhaps you don't know your brother that well, Yuta-kun," Hari said gently. "That's alright. You still have time to fix it."
"He…" Yuta spoke up after a pause and Hari glanced at him and saw him watching Fuji with a small and sad smile on his lips. "He protected me from bullies when we were kids. I had provoked them and they were beating me, but then suddenly he was in front of me, shielding me from them and even if they beat him he didn't move. He got them to go away and he comforted me afterwards…he never said a word about it again."
She smiled slightly as she listened.
"He really said that?" Yuta looked at her and she nodded.
"He did," Hari smiled at him. "So, perhaps you should talk to him, Yuta-kun."
He looked back at the court and didn't say anything else but Hari didn't press and just stood there beside him in silence watching as Fuji completely turned everything around and crushed Mizuki by going against all of the data the other boy had gathered.
Hari smirked.
...
"Good game," Hari smiled at Fuji when he was free from Kikumaru's hug.
"Thank you," he said.
"You knew he was playing with Mizuki all the time, didn't you Hari-chan?" Kikumaru asked.
Hari just stared at him but a small smile had her lips twitch slightly.
"That was why you said it was boring!" Horio yelled and waved at her.
"Boring?" Fuji arched a brow.
"You did let it drag out a bit, Shu-chan," Hari rolled her eyes. "Though, I do say he deserved it. We should prank him too."
Fuji nodded.
"Eh, what would you do?" Kawamura asked.
Kawamura wasn't the only one who shuddered when both Fuji and Hari just smirked at them without replying.
"On the other side," Kawamura said, "I don't think I want to know."
...
Hari smiled amusedly as she watched Fuji trail after Yuta who looked a cross between uncomfortable and pleased as the older of the two was trying to get him to come home for dinner.
"Seems like they have worked things out," Ryoma commented.
"Yeah," Hari nodded. "That's good."
Ryoma nodded as well.
"So, will you tell me what's been bothering you since you came back from meeting Atobe's team?" Ryoma asked.
Hari stilled and looked at him.
"Who says…" She started.
"Hari," Ryoma frowned at her. "I know you, remember? I can see that you're still upset. What did he do?"
She sighed and looked away from him deliberating on what to say. Her eyes followed the Fuji brothers as she thought. She knew she would have to tell Ryoma. She didn't want to lie to him.
"He just thought he could order me to do something," Hari finally said.
"He wants you to transfer over to Hyotei," Ryoma stated.
Hari glanced at him and nodded. She saw the anger in her little brother and sighed. She hadn't wanted to upset him.
"I told him no, Ryo-chan," Hari said. "I just…I don't like being told what to do and the attitude of some of his team was…annoying."
"I'll…." Ryoma fumed and turned around to walk away and probably look for Keigo. Hari grabbed his arm and held Ryoma back. "Let go of me, Hari!"
"No," Hari said. "Calm down."
"No!" Ryoma said through gritted teeth.
"I already said no to him," Hari said. "You have nothing to worry about."
"He still thinks he can come here and take you away!" Ryoma spun around and glared at her.
She felt her eyes widen when she saw the anger in those hazel eyes as he glared at her now and she took a step back from him. She was confused as to why he suddenly seemed angry at her.
"And you! You just allow him to…to take you with him!" Ryoma accused. "Do you want to leave? Is that it? You don't see what it does to us when you go to see him. You don't see it! We're your family, Hari!"
Hari opened and closed her mouth as she stared at Ryoma.
"You don't like being told what to do," Ryoma continued and narrowed his eyes at her. "So, if he had asked you, would you have accepted? Would you have gone to Hyotei instead? Is that it? Is that what you want, Hari?!"
"What?! No! Of course not!" she said.
"Because that's what it sounds like, Hari," Ryoma snapped. "It's like you're pulling away from us, from me! You're always busy and won't tell me where you have been… and then he shows up and you just…leave!"
Hari was not sure what to say to that. She stared at him and noticed the anger (obviously he was practically shouting) but also the hurt and pain. She had seen glimpses of it before but never this prominent and she felt a stab of guilt and pain go through her, but also…confusion. She just couldn't grasp that he felt like this. And from the way he was using 'we' instead of 'me' made it seem like he was talking about more than just the way he felt. Did that mean that his parents felt the same?
She was not aware of the watching team who was looking concerned as she stared at Ryoma. He was breathing harder than normal and she could see the flush of red in his cheek. The cheer from winning had disappeared and she felt another stab of guilt.
"I…" She was lost for words and she frowned.
Ryoma turned and walked away and Hari stared after him. She took a small step forward as if to follow him but then she stopped. Her hands clenched at her side and she bowed her head feeling tears spring to her eyes as he walked away.
He hated her.
...
Fuji grinned as he followed his brother and chatted at him. He was amused by the reluctant smile Yuta showed and just enjoyed being able to talk to him like this again.
"Oh, fine!" Yuta snapped. "I'll come home!"
"Mum will be so happy!" Fuji smiled.
"Whatever," Yuta muttered embarrassedly.
"Fujiko-chan!"
Both of them turned to see Kikumaru coming running toward them with wide eyes and a panicked look on his face. Fuji arched a brow and Yuta glanced at his brother and then over at his teammate.
"What's wrong, Eiji?" Fuji asked confused.
"You…you have to come!" Kikumaru panted.
Fuji's eyes narrowed as he took in Kikumaru's appearance.
"Why? What's happened?" Fuji asked quickly.
"They're fighting and…and I don't know what to do," Kikumaru wailed. "Even Tezuka-Captain is at a loss!"
"Who's fighting?" Fuji asked.
"Hari-chan and Ochibi-chan!" Kikumaru said.
"Eh?" Fuji's eyes widened. That was not what he had expected to hear.
"I don't know how it started," Kikumaru said. "They were talking, but they do that all the time. Then…then suddenly Ochibi-chan was yelling and said something about Hyotei and Atobe…"
Fuji frowned but didn't say anything.
"Then…then Ochibi-chan said something about Hari wanting to leave them and that she would have gone if Atobe had asked her," Kikumaru frowned. "She denied it, but I don't think he heard it. Or cared. He walked away and she's…she cried."
Fuji groaned.
"Yuta," he glanced at his brother. "I'm sorry, but I will need to go and check on my team. I'll see you at home."
Yuta nodded looking worried.
"I hope they'll be okay," he said.
Fuji nodded.
...
"Tezuka?" Fuji asked as soon as he and Kikumaru joined the team who was standing still and no one was talking. That was not a good sign. Fuji looked around but saw no trace of Ryoma or Hari.
Despite his normal stoic mask Fuji could now see a trace of worry on Tezuka's face. He glanced at him.
"Where's Hari-chan and Echizen?" Fuji asked.
"Echizen walked off in that direction," Tezuka said nodding toward the centre of the courts. "Hari-chan…well, she ran off that way." He nodded toward the exit.
"No one followed her?"
"Kaido did," Tezuka said and that was when Fuji noticed that Kaido was missing from the group. "Momoshiro followed Echizen."
Fuji frowned.
"You know what this is all about?" Tezuka asked. "I've not seen them fight like that before."
"I know Atobe asked, no, ordered Hari-chan to transfer school," Fuji said.
"What?" Kikumaru exclaimed. "Hari-chan is our teammate! She's our friend! He can't just order her to transfer! Why would he even do that?!"
Tezuka frowned and Fuji could see that he didn't like it either.
"Yeah, and she refused," Fuji said. "She was really angry when she got back from meeting his team. She only hid it because she didn't want Echizen to notice and worry."
"I think that backfired," Inui commented.
Fuji just nodded. Who to follow? Hari could be anywhere right now and with her ability to get lost… it would be a miracle if they found her. Besides, Kaido had followed her and he was good at dealing with her. So, he would need to trust that Kaido had Hari covered.
He would follow Ryoma. Looks like they needed to have a little talk anyway.
I'll see if I can find Echizen," Fuji said. "The rest of you should go home."
"Eh? But…" Kikumaru protested.
"They will not like being stared at or being crowded right now," Fuji told Kikumaru. "Right now the best thing would be to give them space. This is something that is between them and we should respect that."
"But you will see him," Kikumaru complained. "I want to see Ochibi-chan too... Our boy is upset!"
"And you will be there for him when he needs you," Fuji said. "Right now he doesn't need all of us crowding him."
"Fuji is right," Ryuzaki spoke up and they realised that she had joined them now and from the worried look on her face had been caught up on what was happening from Sakuno. "This is a family matter, Kikumaru. Right now, it's enough that Fuji is looking for Ryoma."
"Then Hari-chan…" Kikumaru said.
"Kaido followed her," Fuji said. "And we won't find her if she ran to the exit. We need to trust Kaido to cover her."
"But…"
"Eiji," Oishi said gently. "This is what we can do. We'll see them at school and you can check on them then. I'm sure Fuji will send us a text to let us know that he found Echizen and if he's alright."
"…fine," Kikumaru mumbled.
...
Ryoma ignored Momoshiro who was talking or more like asking questions but he tuned him out. He felt the anger burn through him and he gritted his teeth, but then Hari's face flashed in his mind and the shocked and scared expression on her face hit him. He pushed it out. He wasn't going to allow himself to soften up. She was the one who…
Argh.
He hit the metal fence and heard the sound rattling around him but he didn't pay it any mind nor the worried exclamation from Momoshiro. Why was he still there? He should just go away!
Ryoma stalked off as his mind spun and his words and Hari's words tumbled around in his mind making him dizzy, confused and angry all at once.
She didn't even care that he was worried about her. She didn't even notice it! He didn't want her to leave but she would and then it would be like last time. He would be by himself again.
Just then he saw Keigo and his team up in front of him and he stopped short. It was his fault! If he had just stayed away from Hari then this wouldn't be happening. He wouldn't be fighting with the girl who was his big sister! He wouldn't be close to losing her! Again!
Without much thought Ryoma stalked over to Keigo who had stopped walking as he stared at Ryoma with a neutral expression on his face but it turned to shock when Ryoma actually hit him making him stagger back a couple of steps before a hand went to his mouth where a small trail of blood slipped out of the corner of his mouth.
"Echizen!" Momoshiro yelled and pulled Ryoma back.
"Stay away from Hari!" Ryoma snapped glaring at Keigo who rubbed the blood away and held up a hand to keep Kabaji back. The rest of the team was staring in shock.
"Why?" Keigo smirked.
"She's my sister!" Ryoma glared.
"No, she's not," Keigo narrowed his eyes. "She's not related to you at all."
"Oi!" Momoshiro said glaring at Keigo now. "Shut up!"
"It's the truth;" Keigo said. "Hari-chan is the daughter of my godmother and if things had gone the way it should then she would have grown up with my parents and me."
Ryoma was shaking with anger and Momoshiro shot him a concerned look. He had never seen Ryoma like this before, so angry and actually resulting in violence. He just hoped that the other boy didn't report this because this could be used against Ryoma.
"My parents looked for her for years," Keigo continued. "They mourned her. They deserve to have her with them now."
"That's not up to you to decide, though," a calm voice interrupted and Momoshiro glanced to the side to see Fuji stepping up to them and Momoshiro couldn't help but let out a small sigh of relief.
"Hari-chan is my sister," Ryoma repeated again. "She's been so since we met back in England and she came to my home. My parents' love her like their daughter. It doesn't matter that she's not their blood. She's theirs either way."
"I think that this discussion is pointless," Fuji said and levelled his opened blue eyes at Keigo. "The Echizen's have adopted Hari-chan. It's legal. And Hari-chan told you that she didn't want to transfer schools. You better back off or we will show you how we protect our own, Atobe. Hari is a part of Seigaku and has become one of us. She's our friend."
Keigo gave them a last glare before he walked away from them with his team following behind him.
...
"Oh man…" Momoshiro said as he let go of Ryoma. "I really thought he was going to fight you back!"
"Whatever," Ryoma muttered and scowled at the ground.
Fuji watched him without saying anything and Ryoma could feel those eyes on him making him uncomfortable and wondering what he was doing there. He would have thought that Fuji would have gone after Hari if he was going to get involved in this.
"What?" Ryoma finally snapped.
"Saa," Fuji shrugged. "I was just wondering what you were thinking."
Ryoma frowned at him and wondered what Fuji meant by that. Momoshiro also looked confused.
"He's a jerk," Ryoma said.
"Atobe?" Fuji asked unnecessarily and Ryoma nodded. "Well, yeah. He's a rich kid who feels entitled to what he sees as his."
"Hari's not his!" Ryoma snapped.
"No," Fuji nodded calmly. "She's not."
They were silent again and the courts around them were almost empty now with only a few stragglers left.
"She said she didn't like being ordered around," Ryoma suddenly said. "Like if he had asked she would have considered it."
Momoshiro frowned as he watched Ryoma while Fuji watched with a calm face and his eyes closed before he smiled.
"I don't think that's true," Fuji said and Ryoma looked up at him.
"But…"
"Do you know what Hari-chan has been working on these last few weeks?" Fuji asked opening his eyes as he looked at Ryoma.
"No," Ryoma muttered. "She's just been busy."
Fuji nodded.
"I'm not supposed to say anything to you about it," Fuji said after a pause.
"You know?" Ryoma asked quickly.
"I've been helping her," Fuji said and gave Ryoma a pensive look before he sighed. "Hari-chan will not be happy with me for telling you, but I think you need to know."
"What?"
"She's been working on a new tennis move," Fuji said and Ryoma's eyes widened. "She's been working really hard on it and it's turning out to be great."
"But why wouldn't she tell me?" Ryoma asked.
Again Fuji was quiet for a long moment as he watched Ryoma and Momoshiro was quietly watching them both.
"You seem to think that she wants to leave you," Fuji finally said. "While she seems to think she needs to prove to you that she belongs."
Ryoma startled and then frowned.
"Oh...shit."
...
Hari sat on the edge of the stone wall overlooking the river below. She stared at the vast blue water that swirled past her and further down the river in an effortless motion.
Ryoma's hurt look flashed through her mind over and over again and she felt her chest clench in pain.
"What have I done," she muttered. "I'm an idiot."
"Time is spacious and always new" Kaido hissed next to her
Hari ignored it and just continued to stare at the water. She wished she could just go back in time and fix it. She would have not gone off with Keigo and this would not have happened. She wouldn't have upset Ryoma so much and made him hate her.
Would he even want her to come home? Did he want her to leave now?
She bit down on her lip to stop herself from crying even if tears were defying her and running down her cheeks. She raised a hand and rubbed them away in stubborn defiance. She wasn't going to cry. She didn't have the right. It was her own stupid fault. She had hurt her little brother…
"Hari-chan," Kaido said his voice gruff. "He'll calm down and then he will realise that you didn't want to leave."
"I hurt him," she whispered.
"I think it's a misunderstanding," Kaido said glancing at her. "You both should have talked about what you were feeling."
Hari knew Kaido was right. She knew, but… she wasn't good at this. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know what they expected from her. She just wanted to belong and she was working so hard to prove to them that she did.
"He hates me," she couldn't stop the fresh tears from escaping and this time she didn't bother to wipe them away. "He hates me."
"Shh," a hand landed on her head and stroked her hair like she was a wounded animal but the action was oddly comforting. "He doesn't hate you, Hari-chan."
She turned slightly and let her head fall down to rest against his shoulder. She felt him tense for a moment but then he relaxed and just continued with the comforting strokes. She wasn't sure what made her turn to him like this.
Nor did she let herself think how odd it was to hear Kaido talk openly about this without being a stuttering or in his case hissing mess. She felt grateful for his support.
Neither of them noticed the older teenager watching them from behind a tree with a pensive look on his face that was partly shadowed by a cap and absentmindedly playing with an orange with one hand.
...
"Isn't it time to go home soon?" a voice asked and Hari and Kaido both glanced up to see an older teen with a cap that shadowed his face looking down at them.
"What's it to you?" Hari scowled at him.
"Raspberry and jam are great," Kaido hissed.
"Nothing," the teen shrugged and seemed to study her but she couldn't get a clear look of his face. "Though, I would think that your family is worried about you."
Hari frowned and tensed as she looked at him.
"How would you know that?" she asked suspiciously.
"I have my ways," he said and she could see a smirk on his face and she frowned. There was something familiar about him.
"Do I know you?" she asked.
"Nope," he said. "But I know you, so I suggest you go home before your parents and little brother goes crazy with worry for you, Hari-chan."
He turned and walked away from them.
"Oi! How do you know my name?!" Hari called after him.
He paused and tossed the orange up into the air as he glanced over his shoulder at her and caught the orange again before answering.
"Mada mada daze," he said with a smirk and then he left.
...
...
AN: What do you think? :)
I know some are frustrated by Atobe and I can understand that. He will get better soon, though! He just needs to realise that he can't have everything he wants the way he wants it. Hari will be dealing with him soon and hopefully, he'll get the wake-up call he needs ;)
And another character showed up! I won't name him but I'm sure some of you figured out who he is! I hadn't planned on having him enter the story yet but he just showed up and demanded to be put in, so here he is! :) hehe. Hope you liked it.
As always; thank you for reading and supporting the story! Hope to hear from you in the reviews! XD
Japanese words used:
Mada mada dane - Not good enough
Nani datte? - What was that?
Naruhodo - I see
Mochiron - Of course
Maji de? - Seriously?
Mada mada daze - Not good enough