Chapter Forty-Six:
Goodbye America

"Do you have everything packed?" Serenity, Ty, and Ryo were trying their hardest to help me with my things, shoving them into a stretch limo Ryo had called for us. Aylin, well she'd be another helper, but she was spending time with Inui right now.

The Japan-athans had to leave today. And so did the tennis team heading on tour.

"I'm not sure, but if I call you with something I forgot, you'll know," I chuckled, yawning. They had decided to fly us out at seven in the morning, meaning I had to wake up at five.

That, and I had not slept the entire night. The two hours I had tried to sleep were filled with tossing and turning. I was beyond ecstatic about this trip.

"We'll have it overnighted." Ryo slid in after me.

I smiled softly, yawning again; I was exhausted. My eyes gazed outside, seeing everyone else climbing into limousines to cart them off to the airport. Apparently Ryo was not the only one that thought about this little treat. Atobe was surely behind part of this.

"I'm surprised Syusuke didn't climb in too." Ty gave me a beaming grin.

I shook my head, disturbed after I had found out exactly how much time this blonde haired psycho had actually spent with the exchange students. He had made friends out of the majority of the foreigners.

"I'll see him later." I waved my hand, that smile creeping onto my face. Truth be told, I had woken up to a phone call from him this morning. On my new cell, no less.

Serenity laughed quietly. "I wouldn't be too worried on that. We both woke up to her phone ringing this morning."

My face heated up as I threw the nearest object at her, which just happened to be a detachable armrest.

"We might come visit you when you're in Europe," Ryo interjected smoothly as he effectively silenced that particular part of the conversation. "Ty has some family up there, as does Savannah."

"So I've heard." I graced Serenity with a huge show of pearly whites. My eyes had trailed to her engagement ring.

The ride was loud and the air was filled with talking the entire time we traveled to the airport. I knew the summer was about to truly begin and my heart was thundering with its recent adrenaline rush.

"We're here!" I exclaimed ecstatically.

"Someone's excited for their trip," Ty stated the obvious. Everyone laughed for a moment before beginning to pull my things out of the limo.

The others had pulled up at about the same time. I scurried inside with Ryo, Ty, and Serenity, going through the procedure of getting rid of my red and black zebra luggage and getting my ticket. It was reserved and already paid for by the people governing the tennis matches.

The last part was the worst, though. Saying goodbye was always the hardest thing for me to do. I was never any good at it and I never would be.

Our friends had gathered right outside the terminal. All of us were here together and it astounded me to see how many had woken up so early to see us off. Our huge immediate circle was there, and then some.

"When does this adventure end, eh?" Aidan asked as he hooked an arm around Trinity's shoulders. Was there something going on there? Who knows...

"Not until the summer is completely over," Paige jumped in to the conversation with Tezuka beside her. "Kimmy, are you excited?!"

"Beyond!" I noticed she had also worn her pajamas to the airport. It seems that most of us had. We were flying all day anyway, so why not be comfortable?

"Boarding for Private Flight, Terminal 35C in five minutes!" the intercom announces loudly. That was our plane…

Everyone broke off into smaller groups, hugging and saying their fond farewells respectively. I moved quickly, friend-to-friend, starting with Tiffany, Patrik, Harmony, Trinity, and Aidan. I headed from there to Kirihara and the group from Rikkaidai that was not going. The few that were not going from Seigaku were some of the last before Ty, Vance, Ryo, Serenity, Aylin, and Inui.

"An entire summer without you is going to suck pretty bad, no lie." Aylin wrapped her little arms around me. "I'm going to miss you, Mimi."

"You too, 'Lin." I chuckled at our old nicknames. "But hey, I've got a cell. You can keep in touch. Texting is pretty cool."

"But I have no phone," she said with a pout. I winked, giving her a secretive grin. She did not know it, but Atobe had gotten her one on my behalf and it was at home, sitting on her bed. I would find a way to pay him back for all this. They were supposed to pay us for being on this world team, after all, once it was over.

"I can't wait for this tour to begin completely, but I also cannot wait for it to end," I admitted while clutching my carry-on bag. "As soon as it ends, I'm back here again with you guys."

"We'll miss you, you realize?" Ryo wrapped an arm around my shoulder to accompany Aylin's around my waist.

"You better believe that the moment you come back, we're going to celebrate!" Vance placed a hand on my shoulder from behind.

"We'll be harassing your phone with texts, calls, and all sorts of debauchery every single day as well, My Queen! Your throne will be memorialized until your safe return, dearest sister!" Ty hooked another arm around my neck with a sinister, overdramatically fake laugh.

I could easily imagine him running up to that damnable throne and decorating it with flowers and a sign. Knowing him, he might even get a mannequin dressed like me with a red wig to sit there until my return. Or, considering his newest addiction to Game of Thrones, I might find some sword contraption waiting… He was incorrigible.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't worry Ty, the moment I come back I'll warm it up again! I can't let my brother rule all alone for so long without bringing back my tastes. Besides, the school would be in chaos if it were just under your reign."

At last, Serenity confronted me. Her face was completely serious and set in stone. She had something important to say, and all my friends- their hands or arms still secured in their original places- watched her with wide eyes.

"Kimmy Castille..." Her voice was a thick monotone.

"Yes, Serenity Skylar?"

She lifted her head and stared me down. "Do you realize what you represent as you enter this team?"

I motioned to my Harrix pajama pants. "I represent Harrix and everything we stand for."

She kept that hard stare before a smirk broke her face. "No, you represent the fact that you and I are not complete equals on the court. You better not get yourself beat, Castille, or I'll have to destroy you. There's only three people I've lost to now, and two of which I cannot beat to this day. If you lose, I'll have to make sure everyone knows it doesn't reflect on my talent. You lose and the world will know your faults, and your faults alone."

I smirked just as wickedly. "It's a deal then, Skylar."

Her hand reached out and we gave a rough shake, the understanding brimming in our eyes. Only the two of us completely knew the relevance of that conversation and how important it was to either of us. She was wishing me luck in the best of ways, by threatening me. Just from that last sentence, I would prevail through this tournament.

"Anyone understand what just happened?" Aylin whispered, still attached to my waist.

"No earthly idea..."

"Now, hurry up and get on your plane." Serenity released my hand, finally hugging me as I slowly stepped out of their grip. I gave everyone else one last goodbye hug before picking up my bag and fumbling down the terminal.

I was the last to get on the plane, as I expected I would be. As soon as I boarded, Tiffany grinned and waved at me.

"Now for the summer of a lifetime. A trip around the world and an entire two and a half months of tennis," she shouted in content, relaxing on one of the couches. Atobe had pulled more strings and I figured this was in fact one of his family's smaller airliners. "I couldn't have asked for a more existent fantasy."

"Amen," Paige and Kikumaru agreed at the same time.

I smiled, shaking my head while looking for a seat. I saw the one I wanted, open and inviting.

Syusuke was more than happy to welcome me to sit beside him. I crawled into the seat, pulling the arm rest up and nestling into the crook of his arm. Before I could completely lean into him, his arm had shot around me and pulled me closer, letting my senses wrap around the lush and unique scent he alone carried.

"You ready for one memorable summer?" I whispered, gazing up at him.

He glanced down at me, smiling so softly and eyes just slightly open. I turned pink just with that gorgeous look, his brunette hair falling into his eyes.

"The best memories have just barely begun," with that, he pulled me closer to him, leaning my head against his. A light, sweet kiss is placed on my lips before being pulled away.

I gave the most sincere smile I have given the entire year, kissing him once again before leaning completely against him.

His hand snuck into mine and I feel something being carefully slipped into it. Opening my palm, a Hershey's Kiss rested delicately. I had learned from the last encounter who it was that had been treating me all year long, but now was at last the time to bring it to the light. "It was you, all along."

"The Kisses on the door was Eiji, since he did it while I was with you, but yes it was me." He was smiling childishly. "The large bunny left to you, the flowers, everything."

"And the video game?" I asked quietly, yearning to know. I had wanted to know this answer so badly for so long.

He nodded and his smile widened. "Protecting you in real life seems a little more difficult than in the virtual world with the people you surround yourself in."

A moment of stunned silence passed. "I'm going to love this summer more than any other, I can already tell," I mumbled to myself, eyes resting on every person on the plane.

Yukimura, Tezuka, Paige, Tiffany, Kikumaru, Oishi, Atobe, Ryoma... all would part of the best summer of my life. These eight people I would never forget after these next few months.

And one person I would not let go, let alone forget, was the boy sitting next to me.

The boy who had me in the palm of his hand.

And the boy whom I had hidden deep inside my heart.

Syusuke Fuji.