DISCLAIMER: I WISH I own Prince of Tennis. The Seigaku idea was also inspired by Darkspider's review a while back. ;) Oh and Maria's mine, too. I actually conceptualized her a year ago, when I was writing Ryoma x Reina. So yeah, she'll probably appear there too… albeit way later in the story.
…
CHAPTER XXV: New Start
"I brought you some oranges."
Reina's eyes fixed on Ryoga. He got a lot taller, but his haughty aura was still there. He had a large bruise on his left eye, probably by Nanjiroh, but he acted like it wasn't there and he looked like a panda. In any case, her mind went in all sorts of direction. Every single sound, other than the dribbling tennis ball just… disappeared.
Yukimura watched Reina intently, having an idea what was currently going through her mind. Her eyes were wide and there was a slight change of color on her face. She was surprised alright, as he had desired. Yukimura almost thought he'd get to see a classic, yet beautiful, reunion scene between siblings.
However, as he watched Reina go to her brother, he was quickly proven wrong.
BAM!
And the next thing he knew, Ryoga's face was already on the dirt high-kicked by Reina. Even when he didn't exactly want him to get punched by Reina, he couldn't help but laugh.
And he wasn't alone. His laugh was followed by a louder, still feminine, but altogether more boisterous laugh. "HAHAAHAHAH. Classic! I like your sister already!"
Reina looked at the two sources and smiled at her fiancé. She wasn't sure about the silver-headed girl beside him though. She was pretty, and she was sitting casually on the verandah and was wearing semi-formal clothing and slacks.
"What are you laughing at, bocchama?!"Ryoga yelled in annoyance, and his voice soon turned into a whine. "NOT YOU TOO, MARIA-CHAN!"
Reina blinked and stared at the girl again. So that's her.
"But you look so stupid!" She chuckled. "You always did, but still…" The girl then met her stare and smiled congenially, before standing up and going to her. "Shiraishi Maria." She introduced and extended her hand. Reina passively met her greeting.
"Uhmmmn, Lovely~!" She said out-of-nowhere. Saying the 'lovely' part line like its' 'bonapettite'. "You're very pretty." She complimented. "Seichi-sama's very fortunate."
"Reina." Seichi-sama appeared behind her and patted Reina's shoulder. "Maria-san was the one who found your brother."
"Oh."
Reina finally understood what this was all about. She smiled. And just felt silly for worrying.
"Reeinaaa. Help me up~" She looked down at the pathetic-looking young man a meter away from the three of them, and her eyes twitched. How could he act (and laze around) as if he didn't do anything wrong?!
Baka-aniki.
She quickly manoeuvred her feet so she'd kick up the racket on the ground. With a simple push the racket was thrown up to the sky and spun to her hand. The next thing Ryoga knew, the head of his own racket was a mere inch away from his face.
And partnered with her sharp glare, Ryoga shivered by instict. Obviously, his baby sister was in no mood to joke around.
"OI." She said monotonously, but the killer aura oozing out of her was obvious. "Play a game with me."
…
Reina watched Ryoga as he nonchalantly dribbled the ball, readying to serve. He grew, a little too much muscles, so she expected strong shots. However, he didn't even use the twist serve.
"Are you underestimating me?" She said as she made a return ace. It didn't seem to affect Ryoga at all. She was mad at him, for everything, but she wasn't blind at that what she could see in his eyes. She knew he already knew about Karupin, and yet he wasn't saying anything.
She frowned; how annoying.
"No, baby sister." He said and dribbled again for his next shot. "We're warming up~"
"Che."
…
Yukimura watched the game with blunt interest, obviously rooting for his fiancé, but nevertheless never failing in noticing the greatness of Ryoga's play.
After watching three games, it was obvious that he was an all rounder like Reina, and a right-hander like everyone else. But another interesting difference was his serve.
It was his second service game, and Reina was leading 2-1. He gestured for a twist serve, and Reina was ready to return it.
However, this twist serve twisted away from the opponent.
And looking at Reina's surprise, this wasn't in his skill set before he left. "Ehhh…" She said with that usual apathetically (yet interested) tone of hers. She slightly changed her stance, and Ryoga smirked and served again.
But the millisecond before the ball landed, Yukimura saw Reina's eyes widen in surprise and he immediately saw why. It was a classic twist serve, and Reina barely avoided scratching herself from it.
But her stance only hardened. Partly, Yukimura thought she'd react like him—shocked because Ryoga'd have the nerve to play rough with the little sister he left as a child. But Yukimura almost chuckled at his own naivety.
They were, after all, Echizens.
After the third serve, Reina easily determined what type of twist serve he would do. He didn't know if it was the stance during shooting, or the visible twist in the ball, but Reina figured it out. She even got a return ace, earning her her 3rd game.
However, the next one felt a lot longer. Dragged, even. And he soon noticed a horribly familiar pattern that somewhat traumatized him as a child. Well, not exactly, but he never defeated the other person who could do it this horrendous technique.
The Samurai Zone.
Reina noticed it too and he could see she was sweating a lot more than she used to. But that flare in her eyes didn't die—it never would. That was just like her.
So Yukimura smiled in the end, and relaxed his back against the strong wooden column near him.
Win or lose, he knew, Reina would always be happy.
…
Meanwhile, climbing up the stairs were two women huffing because it consisted of much too many steps. Admittedly, one was already of age, while the other… was simply given a below-average physique.
"H-How…far…wha…" The younger one huffed and paused her steps to rest a bit. Her grandmother, a much older and chubbier woman wearing pink jacket, shook her head.
"C'mon Sakuno! How can you be even more tired than me?"
"Sorry… *Huff* Grandma… *Huff*"
The old woman only sighed and waited for her granddaughter to store enough energy for the rest of their travels, which was still about a dozen steps away. She too had been very tired, she admitted begrudgingly. She remembered just a few years ago she could climb up these stairs with half the sweat she was giving up now.
Eventually, Sakuno regained energy and even made her own cute 'Fight-O' gesture before walking up.
Her grandmother could only chuckle in amusement.
…
Upstairs, they didn't even have to knock.
The strong hitting noise that could only be from rackets was all too audible from the front door. The two women walked to where the sound emanated and gaped at what they saw.
The court felt like, literally, on fire. The players were on fire, and so were the shots.
Of course it wasn't happening like that. But the spirit the game had was certainly fiery to the point of making sensitive and experienced people feel as if the fire was real. And old woman thought she was sweating before.
"Amazing…" Sakuno couldn't help but mumble in awe, wiping sweat off her face. Ryuzaki Sumire, nodded proudly even when she was no less in awe, if not even more.
"They're the top." She said, and crossed her arms.
"And…" Sakuno gulped, almost disbelieving. "They'll be part of our team?"
Sumire nodded, and looked at her granddaughter. "Reina'll only be a part for a month, though. Don't let your hopes up."
Sakuno blinked. Reina? The girl? But the team, which she belonged in, wouldn't be able to handle a sudden new (and temporary) recruit. "But the girl's team—"
"…Won't be having her. She'll be joining the men's."
"EH?"
…
"GAME! Me~ 6 games to 4." Ryoga smirked. "Mada Mada... Daze."
"Tsk." She muttered and walked to her fiancé who had her towel. Ryoga looked at Maria who literally made a ball out of the towel and threw it to him like a canon.
"Oof!" He yelled as he got hit on the face, but nonchalantly using it anyway. He wrapped the textile around his neck and looked at his sister. "But you've grown well, Reina." He smiled. "I'm proud."
"Hell I care."
"Being all tsundere on me, sis?" He cackled, and a vein popped on Reina's head.
BAM!
"V-V-V-Violent lil' sister." He said, maintaining his coolness, somewhat, even with a swollen face. "Still cute though."
Twitch
Ryoga loved teasing his sister, he always did, and one of the things she disliked the most was being called 'cute'. Cute was, for her, used for weaklings.
He expected her to go tsundere and be cute and he'll hug her and apologize and she'll be his cute little sister again. But instead of saying anything, she glared at him, and coolly went to the dining room.
…
It didn't take long after that when everyone was called inside to eat. The family finally realized there were two new people in the vicinity.
"Hello." The old woman said, and the meek one followed quietly. Reina, who was then lazily sitting on the dining chair, only eyed them with the slightest interest, Ryoga was pretty much frozen in shock (after being completely ignored by Reina), and Yukimura didn't think he should be the one asking 'Who are they?' so he just stared.
Rinko sighed and just extended her arms to them for the introduction. "They are the Ryuzakis. A long time friend of our (the Echizen) family."
The old woman nodded. "I am Sumire, and this is my granddaughter Sakuno. She'll be in the same grade as you, Reina, but since you're accelerated, she's you lovely kouhai." And elbowed the girl.
"I…I…My name i-is Ryuzaki S-Sakuno desu!" And bowed. "I'm a member of the girl's tennis club, and I help around with the boy's."
"And I'm…" Sumire paused to look at Ryoga. "The former coach of Seigaku's tennis team."
"Former?"
"Ryoga'll be the new coach."
"What?!"
"Surprise!" Ryoga exclaimed like the idiot that he was. Yukimura was relieved since he was sure that someone would keep an eye out for Reina at the school. Reina begged to differ.
"Tsk."
"Oi,oi."
"I'll still come and check up on everyone." Sumire said, "But now that I found a decent person to replace me, then it should be fine."
Maria elbowed Ryoga. "Aren't you glad?"
"He-he."
While Reina scoffed at the word 'decent' but her habit of reacting stoically prevailed.
Ryuzaki Sakuno on the other hand had a hard time keeping down her stare. The beauty of Yukimura and the younger Echizen was overwhelming. Maria-san and Ryoga-san were beautiful, too. They were like angels sent to earth for everyone to marvel at.
"Oishi will be the one moving to Rikkai for fairness since you'd be thought of as a spy." The older Ryuzaki explained. "It's interesting as everyone loved the idea once we explained it to them. Something about pushing them further to come up with even better techniques. Some other big schools are doing it as well."
There was a few second of silence then, before Reina lazily placed her elbow on the table. "What about me?"
"You will join the men's team, of course since it would be weird to change genders especially when you're a transfer student… and was planning to return to Rikkai."
That meant she'd be cross-dressing.
"I approve." Seichi said and she sighed.
Ryoga shook his head. "She'd crossdressed long enough. And doesn't she have to wear bandages?" He paused for effect. "Her chest area would be—" Reina kicked him before he could say anything else.
Seichi however knew what he meant. He just realized this though and seriously started to ponder. Reina sweat-dropped.
"Oi, oi."
.
Reina was unfortunately assigned for dish duty. What was worse? It was with Ryoga.
Awkward silence ensued the duration of the whole task. Everyone left them alone, and they were far from an audible distance. She realized the deafening silence was disconcerting, especially with the sharp hearing that she had, all too used to some—any—disturbance in the background.
But she endured. She did not know what to say to her brother.
It lasted for a while, and Reina did her best to tune everything out and just did the task at hand. However, Ryoga soon broke the silence. The nerves were more obvious now that they were alone, but she didn't let it soften her up.
"How's everything… these past few years?"
"Fine."
"I heard you were the one to guard Yukimura."
"Because you ran away."
"…ah." A pause. "Sorry."
"As if that would fix anything."
It was then that Ryoga stopped doing his chore so the only noise that came out were from the plates she was holding. "Hey." He said tilting so he would face her. She did not bother doing the same.
"Karupin, he…"
"I wish he was here to scratch you in the face." She replied immediately.
Silence
"Yeah…, little sis." He smiled sadly. "I wish he was."
…
Reina needed her mind off Karupin—she'd cry if she stayed in the same place. So she quickly finished washing, giving Ryoga a lot of workload in an instant, and thus making him focus his attention on the task at hand. She left Ryoga to dry and arrange the dishes, and before he realized it—she was gone.
Reina quickly strode somewhere far from the kitchen. But instead, she found Sakuno staring at herself in the powder room, and to her surprise—the girl slapped both her cheek as if to keep her awake. Reina paused her steps and stared. "I didn't think you were a masochist."
"E-E-Echizen-chan!" She stuttered. "I…I wasn't! I… I…. mouuu…"
And Reina only chuckled.
…
They chatted about the school, primarily, and the team. Reina normally wouldn't care but truth be told—she needed the distraction. "I wonder how Oishi-san will fare… then again, they all knew each other for years now."
"Oishi?"
"He's our fukubuchou."
Just like Sanada.
"Echizen-chan?" She flinched at the unexpected pull to reality, but hid it well.
"You should start calling me Ryoma-kun." She said. "It'd be troublesome if you refer to me with my last name… and as a girl."
"O-Of course!"
"No need to be so tense."
"…sorry…"
Reina stared at the other girl lightly before letting out a small smile. "We better get going now." She said standing up. Sakuno did the same.
"And Sakuno?" She called out just before they turned their backs on each other. The brunette tilted her head.
"Thank you."
…
Yukimura found his fiancé on a veranda at the rear, meeting the younger Ryuzaki along the way. Reina was emitting a serious pondering aura her fiancé couldn't seem to stop disrupting. "Did you two get to speak?"
"Yeah."
"Properly." He added. "You know, with neither of you running away."
"I did not run away."
"Sure. Be defensive."
She frowned and looked away. "…shut up."
He sighed and sat beside her, trying to look as relaxed as he could in an attempt to make her feel the same way. "Hey." He said. "Look at me."
She did not.
Instead, he stood up to the soil beneath the house and stood in front of her. They were eye-to-eye, then, and he realized how high up the veranda was from the ground. She tried to look away, but he closed their proximity so that wherever she was looking at didn't matter.
"How could he act so indifferent?"
"What? Do you expect your pompous older brother—who, by the way, ran because of his pompousness—to cry yells of apology the moment he saw you?"
"No. But—"
"You know you and your family have a thing for stoic facades." She didn't answer. It was true. Yukimura smiled and patted her head. "So… did you make friends with Sakuno-chan?"
"Hmn… she helped me get distracted from Ryoga." She whispered. "I'm grateful, I think." And she paused in ponder. "I certainly did get distracted."
"And now a new issue is bothering you." Seichi guessed and did not allow his gaze to leave her. "What is it?"
"…"
"Tell me."
Reina stared at his unwavering eyes and sighed in defeat. "Their fukubuchou… will be the one to replace me."
She almost expected him to say 'so?' but he knew what she was troubled about. "This is about Sanada isn't it?" And it took her by surprise. She could only nod slowly. "What about him?"
"He… well…"
"Did he…" Yukimura paused, his face starting to lose color. "…do anything?"
"No." She answered immediately. "But…"
Yukimura waited for her to continue but she only stared at him as if he was a parent that was glaring her down for something she did. Hence, instead of terrifying her, he breathed out and smiled. Soon enough, she relaxed as well, but she still hadn't said anything else. But she looked thoughtful.
So he mused that she was probably trying to think of the right words to say and say them in the right way. And being the blunt girl that she was, it was an insanely difficult task—especially with his presence pressuring her like this.
He was her fiancé. He shouldn't be making her tense like this. She should feel more at home with him, and it was something the two of them had been striving to do for a while. It would be a slow process, he knew, after all they have been through. It wouldn't be like her and Sanada's relationship—two compatible people with a fresh start. However…
She was his fiancé. They were the one who had the rest of their lives together.
He closed his eyes. Compose yourself, he said, and stared at his fiancé once more. "Is it about his feelings… for you?"
There was a silence then, as if Reina was absorbing his question, and when she caught up—she stared at him in disbelief. "You… knew?"
"What do you think of it?"
"I'm not sure…" She paused. "If I didn't know better, I'd say he's—" Her eyes widened and she closed her eyes immediately by instinct and shook her head of the thoughts. "N-Nevermind."
Yukimura sighed and held her cheek gently. She didn't want her afraid. No matter what. "Tell me." He said. "Sanada could be…?"
She gulped and tried her best to look at him, but failed miserable. She was looking at the horizon when she was uttering her words. "That Sanada could be… attracted to me… and not just as a friend." She gulped and worriedly looked at him. But whatever he looked like, it made her eyes squint. "You don't seem surprised."
Pause
"You knew?"
"I've been watching you, Reina, you know that. So I knew who were doing the same thing as I was." He said, smiling and keeping as calm as he could. "I have always known." He soon found himself looking at her a little more seriously. He allowed his hand to touch her cheek. It was warm. "Knowing his feelings… what does this mean for us?"
"…nothing." She said after a second of delay, but he knew she was not lying. "He's an important person to me," She stated, and albeit it stung, he managed to keep his own green-eyed monster at bay so he could listen. "I realize that, and I feel very comfortable with him. We suit each other." And then she paused. "However…
"People rarely fall for the people that suit them best."
He let out a soft smile and just patted her cheek. "You say that as if it's the unfortunate truth."
"I met you first." She said, smiling back. "And I don't think I'll fall for anyone else."
His eyes widened before calming down a bit, pulling her in for a soft kiss her cheek lasting little longer than usual. She could feel his heat travel all the way to the back of her neck. They parted and his lips moved east to meet hers.
"I'll make you happy." He stated. "Do you believe I can do that?"
She chuckled. "I'm pretty sure you already do."
He stared at her again, as if it was the only thing his brain could do. And it probably was the case at the moment. She was just looking back at him, pretty tints of red adorning her whole face.
He wondered if he was too lucky…, but it'd be idiotic to complain. Don't refuse blessings, after all, and he was planning to do just that.
In any case, Yukimura said to himself, to calm the wild butterflies in his stomachs down—even by just a little was time for him to help her even more. "That's why…" He said looking at her. "I will also convince you to speak with him properly." He said. "I'm pretty sure he wants to do the same…"
"We'll still think of decent punishment for him though."
"Of course." He smiled, upon an agreement. "I can tap on to my sadistic side for that." And in retrospect, it would probably be fun to think of ways to show Reina Ryoga regretted what he did. He almost laughed at a certain thought that passed by his head.
"…and he's probably worse at thinking of the right things to say than you do."
She looked at him sympathetically and just gently bumped her forehead with his. She cracked a light smile. "And considering my talent to socialize—that's saying something." She said, and scoffed in amusement. "The only time he can say something charming is probably when he's probably picking up women."
And what happened on their way back?
They just had to see Ryoga and Maria kissing each other very deeply.
.
Reina gaped at the two and her head mechanically turned to Yukimura, who looked just as shocked.
"I told you so."
.
END OF CHAPTER XXV
Coming Soon:
CHAPTER XXVI: Catching Up
Will the Echizen siblings make-up?
Is Ryoga really that much of a playboy? Or was there more to what they saw?
What about Sanada?
REPLIES TO ANGELS
ChocoMickey- Haha. Yay! xD I looked forward to the chapter too. Glad you liked it and thx for the comment~! :D
JA. Yume28- First of all…, thank you for the review~! I am happy to know I made you laugh so much. xD (I'll try to keep doing it—yo!) And you had goosebumps? That is so cool! *giddy* haha. I love you too and your questions are answered in this chappy~ xD
Animelover4ever69- Yes~! Ryoga has returned! And yes. I wonder how he'll affect the story, too. *wink* Thank you for the comment, btw~
Olihime- Noted~! Thank you for pointing it out. I knew there was something wrong but I couldn't quite put a finger what it was. xD
BrokenBlackCat- Ohh~ I'm very glad I managed to shock you! Ahahaha. And thanks! I never actually met one who got deaf cuz' of love yet tho, but it'd be great if I do someday. xD Oh, and thank you for the review~! :D
Hitomi65- Thank you for the review~! I'm very glad you found the chapter nice~ ;)
xXichigoAngelXx- hahaha. I shall do my best to convert you! And loooolxD yeah! Ryoga, his oranges, and his oddness. He was always the unusual one, ne? XD Thanks for the review, by the way! :D
psychotic luv- lol.. Maybe maybe not? XD We still have a long way to go, so we have plenty of time to see them react differently. xD Thx for the comment~
PinkSugarDust- Very soon she'll get to Seigaku! xD Very soon. Hahaha. I'm glad you think the story's still great and thx for the review~ :D
Herondalefan- Ahaha. In retrospect, thinking of how she'll react was difficult. I hope I did fine, but you can be honest~ Thx for the comment! xD
Sachiel Angelo- Thank you for the review~! Thanks for pointing the nname out as well. Oh, I kept the name Reina cuz' it was what I used in previous stories. ;)
Kazumi Rin- Haha. I'm very glad you love my stories~ And I'm glad to finally hear from you, at least in this story, as well. xD I shall do my best to keep it up and thx for the review! :D
xDarkxKurokox- Yay! I bet by the time I read the Empress I'd have a lot of wonderful chappies stocked up. xD I'll review every chap of course. Not quite sure what you saw I did tho, since I did a lot of things. Lol. Anyway, I'm so happy you love me and my stories *hugs* and thx for the review~
PurpleScorpion- No worries~ Ryoma's pissed as well. xD Not sure what the best way to write that tho… And YES! I love Ryoga as well~ Thnk goodness they added him in the 2nd season. Thank you for the problem by the way~! And the stomach things are the butterfly. xD
Snowpoppy- Yay! Glad that you liked my coverimage too. Took me forever to do that. xD And darnit! I have to try harder in converting you to a sensual pair fan! Haha. Thx for the review, btw~!
Zwolftd- hehehe. Your pondering will be answered very soon! I actually created outlines for those chappies already. Just outlines tho. xD And Thank you for the comment! :D
MysticBlood- I'm so sorry! It's just that I really update much slowly if I do not end with cliffies. /shot. I just hope I write chappies worthy enough to wait for. xD thx for the comment, btw! xD
JuRy28- Thank you for the review~! xD And banzaiii for Ryoga! Considering how he was in RyomaxReina for the start, I seriously missed writing him from the start. xD
Alex2909- Ahaha. I'm glad you're liking the story! Your questions are answered in this chapter, btw, and thx for the review~! :D
Millenium Snow- *laughs with you* Yay! I missed writing that bastard. Hahahah. Thanks for the comment, by the way~! xD
Denizen of the night- Glad I got you excited my angel! xD Thanks for the review, and Seigaku will appear very soon! ;)
JelloBear- Awww. Let's both give him a hug! xD I'll try to do something for him, but he can't join in lol. Thx for the comment! :D
…
Thanks for reading everyone!
I hope you liked it, but whatever you thought,
please let me know!
Getting to hear from you angels is the biggest motivation.