The Rumour
Chapter 10: The Golden Match
At last, the last three matches between challenger and regular was about to take place. Fuji's match against Atobe will take place concurrently with Inui's match with Niou, leaving Echizen time to rest before his match with Tachibana. The regulars who had already finished their own matches began to gather in front of the courts, Echizen among them.
"Ah! What's happening? Seigaku having matches with the best tennis players around?" A loud male voice hailed them from behind.
"Inoue-san! What are you doing here!?"
"Ah, that. I got a call this morning, asking me to come to Seigaku," explained the reporter. "Something about a last minute invitation from the Gratuitous Exposition Provider/Character Association to take Inui-kun's place while he's busy with his own match. I didn't really understand anything from that phone conversation, but I thought it wouldn't do any harm to just drop by, since I was in the area anyway… And look, there is certainly a great deal happening here." He smiled.
In the court before them, Fuji and Atobe were preparing to face off. Atobe tried to co-ordinate Hyotei's cheers again, but was defeated by the sheer amount of boos from the audience.
Fuji smiled. "You should have brought more people. You're outnumbered, not just by Seigaku members, who all hate you for hurting Tezuka by the way, but also by the rest of the schools."
Atobe shrugged. "I'll get the cheers later, when I win."
Fuji smiled. "Really?" A single leave floated on the wind, passing in front of Fuji, who plucked it out of the air. "Ah," he sighed. "Just leaves? I guess I'll have to try harder then."
Atobe frowned.
"Leaves?" Horio-kun turned to Inoue-san. "What is Fuji-senpai talking about?"
Inoue pondered for a moment. "I think he's just taunting Atobe-kun," he said, after some consideration.
"Taunting?"
"Mm, yes. Quite a lot of players use it as a form of psychological attack, even before the match starts. By taunting their opponent, they are sometimes able to provoke them into anger, making it easier for them to make mistakes that can be exploited. Of course, you may not have seen it often here in Seigaku, since Tezuka is too much of a sportsman to indulge in antics like this. I must say I'm a little surprised that Fuji is doing it too."
"Ah, so…"
Momoshiro nudged Oishi in the side and said, sotto voice. "I think I understand why the Gratuitious Exposition people invited him here now."
Oishi nodded and neglected to mention that he's also a card-carrying member of said organisation. "Hm, now that Inui is playing, we need an expert to help explain things to people like Horio-kun in a simple, easy-to-understand manner. Shush now, they're starting."
Fuji served and took the game in straight aces with his Magical Disappearing Ball Slice Shot. Atobe regrouped with hard-hitting smashes and took the second game.
Meanwhile, in the next court, the match between Inui and Niou was also raging on. Niou ripped off a hard smash, only to find Inui already waiting to counter with a drop shot of his own.
"What--?! How do you know where I'm going to hit?!" Niou panted, dashing for the ball and countering with a volley.
Inui came back with a power return with pin-point precision to the left corner of the court and smirked. "Data is data. And even in your unpredictable movements, there is some pattern, Niou the trickster – or, should I say, Yagyuu the Gentleman?"
Niou – no, Yagyuu gasped. The ball bounced off into the back of the court, unheeded. "How could you tell? Even Sanada didn't know we swopped places!"
Inui grinned and adjusted his glasses. "I already told you, data is data. No matter how well you manage to impersonate Niou, you still can't hide the fact that your chest size is 8.3mm larger, and that your ass is 7% tighter than Niou's." He smirked and his eyes dropped down to Yagyuu's crotch. "Should I go on?"
Yagyuu fought the compulsion to curl into a fetal position and hide somewhere. Like in a hole twenty feet deep.
"EEHH?!"
"Inui-senpai is great! Wow! I can't believe how detailed his data collection gets!"
"Go, Inui-senpai! Go, Data Tennis!"
Behind the excited, cheering freshmen, the second year students were also marvelling at Inui's methods.
"I wonder how he grades people's ass?" one mused.
"I wonder how he gets his data on all those proportions?"
There was a moment's silence. The two second year students exchanged looks and shifted uncomfortably.
"Never mind."
"Uh, yeah. Never mind."
Fuji won handily, 6 games to Atobe's four, with a number of well-timed remarks on the fact that he was prettier than Atobe and even better-placed volleys while Atobe was busy spluttering for air.
Yagyuu forfeited after the sixth time he caught Inui eyeing his crotch. He pleaded emotional distress to Sanada, who forgave him for losing the match but not for swopping places with Niou without permission.
And then, finally, it was Echizen's match with Tachibana.
The trees rustled. The sun shone. A ball bounced off the court and descended outside the line.
"Game, 7 to 6 (9-7)!" The referee announced, fighting back emotions.
Before them, Tachibana looked up to the sky, arms outstretched, while Ryouma remained kneeling on the court, head lowered. A single sweat drop – or was it a tear? – slid down his face and splashed on the green court between his knees.
"Ochibi… lost…?" said Eiji incredulously.
"That – That's because he's tired from his first match with Sanada! We should never have put him up again!" Momoshiro shouted angrily, pounding his fist against the fence.
"No," Inui disagreed. "That isn't the only reason. Tachibana-kun is incredibly strong – he must have trained even harder ever since his defeat against Rikkai. His mental power and determination is invincible today."
"His will to win is incredible," said Atobe seriously.
"Yes," Sanada agreed. "Maybe… If we had met this Tachibana in the Kantou Tournament, things may be different. Maybe."
"Neh," whispered Katsou-kun softly. "Is Ryouma-kun… crying?"
A tall figure quietly detached himself from the group of observers and slowly walked towards the kneeling Ryouma. He stood before the boy, the focus of every eye around and said in a quiet voice. "Echizen?"
More tears splashed on the floor.
Tezuka sighed. His future pillar of Seigaku was only twelve after all. Tezuka crouched down in front of Ryouma, and said as gently as he could for the first time. "Ryouma-kun?" His voice made it almost like a verbal caress.
Ryouma looked up at Tezuka, his golden eyes brimming with tears. He bit his lip. "Buchou!" Ryouma finally burst, throwing himself at Tezuka, his cap knocked off in the process. The small thin boy hugged Tezuka fiercely as he sobbed against his buchou's comforting chest.
Tezuka was dumbfounded. He stared down at the boy shaking in his arms. He has never been asked to comfort anyone in his entire life and had no idea what to do. But Tezuka could feel the front of his shirt getting wet as Ryouma's tears soaked through.
Slowly, hesitantly, Tezuka's arms came up and around Ryouma. He hugged the younger boy lightly for a long moment. After a while, he began to pat Ryouma awkwardly on the back.
Ryouma could not stop crying.
(Behind them, unnoticed, Atobe was starting to froth at the mouth. "Tezuka… Is… Hugging… Gaki…." He gasped, spitting white frothy bubbles at everyone around him. "He's only comforting Echizen because he's crying," corrected Fuji sharply, all smiles gone. "Comforting…" Fuji glared at Ryouma, his blue eyes shooting daggers.)
Tezuka continued patting Ryouma on the back; he was starting to feel a little desperate. This comforting business was difficult. And the kid would not stop crying. He looked around and sent Oishi a non-verbal SOS, communicated through just a slight widening of his eyes.
Oishi, the dependable mother of the club, got the message and sprinted up. He knelt by his buchou and youngest charge. "Ryouma? It's okay… Don't cry," Oishi murmured comfortingly. "Come here…" He took the crying Ryouma from Tezuka (who heaved a sigh of relief at the release) and helped him up. "There, there… It's okay to lose as long as you've tried your best."
Ryouma sobbed, rubbing his fist against his eyes. "But I wanted to help buchou – be Seigaku's pillar for him—"
Tezuka sighed. He put one hand against Ryouma's cheek, wiping off his tears with a lightly callused thumb. "Ryouma…"
Ryouma looked up; he quieted down as he drowned in Tezuka's deep grey eyes looking at him.
"…good match." Tezuka said finally.
Ryouma fought back more tears, and nodded. "Arigato." He managed.
Oishi quietly helped Ryouma back to the sidelines.
Tezuka looked around to find Tachibana waiting quietly for him across the net.
"Is Echizen going to be all right?" Tachibana asked.
Tezuka nodded. "I think so." He returned Tachibana's gaze. "So, Tachibana-san. After everything that has happened, we finally get to play each other."
Tachibana looked down shyly. "You can call me Kippei."
"Nn. All right. I'm Kunimitsu,"
"I know…"
A flurry of cherry blossom petals swirled by in slow drifts between the two captains. Tachibana, tall, tanned and still breathing heavily after his exhausting match with Ryouma. Tezuka, pale, slender in contrast to his well built opposite, his skin glowing like ivory in the light. The delicate pink petals floated past, scenting the air with its sweet tender fragrance.
Ibu Shinji stared at his buchou and the Seigaku buchou from the side. He nudged Momoshiro, the only Seigaku student near him. "Is that sakura petals there?"
Momoshiro shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."
"I didn't know your school had a cherry blossom tree."
"Ah… Actually, I don't think we do…"
"Then where did those petals come from?"
"Dunno. Maybe the wind blew them over? Anyway, who cares about some stupid flower? Your buchou's going to play my buchou!" Momoshiro said, irritated, before stalking off to stand beside Kaido, who at least had the advantage of being quiet.
Shinji muttered, "I'm only asking because I didn't see any Sakura trees the last time I was here. I can't help it if I am from the Fudoumine Gardening Society. And anyway, isn't it the wrong season for Sakura to be flowering? Is this some kind of freak flowering tree? And how come there are so many petals? And why is it that they're only falling on Tachibana buchou and Tezuka? I like Sakura too. Sakura petals should be non-discriminatory and fall on everyone, not just on handsome buchous. Someone's not being fair here. I hate it when that happens," Shinji continued to mutter softly about the unfair nature of cherry blossom petals beneath his breath.
Back at the court, unknown to Shinji, Tezuka was wondering much the same thing. Where the hell did all these petals come from? He wondered, eyeing the petals around him. Tachibana didn't much care. Instead, he was too engrossed in the beauty of Tezuka standing amidst falling cherry blossoms petals.
After a long awkward moment, Tezuka stepped up to the net, holding out his hand to Tachibana. "Let's play a good match." He cleared his throat. "Kippei."
"Eh, yes! Let's. Kunimitsu." Tachibana couldn't help lingering on those four little syllables and the feeling of Tezuka's hand in his.
Tezuka fought the urge to shudder and disengaged, stepping back hastily. He picked up Ryouma's abandoned racket. "All right. Let's play!"
He headed towards the back of the court.
Back at the sidelines, Oishi had deposited Ryouma on the bench and was about to look for some water for his young kouhai when he was stopped by Inoue.
"Is he all right?" asked the concerned reporter.
"Well, okay, I guess. He's still pretty upset, but more for disappointing Tezuka than the actual loss, I think."
"Well, you can't blame him," said Inoue sagely. "Tezuka-kun's probably more of a role model and better father figure than his own dad! No wonder Ryouma-kun cares more about disappointing Tezuka-kun."
"His dad…? You mean, Echizen Nanjiroh? But I thought he was your idol, Inoue-san."
"For tennis, yes. I think Samurai Echizen is the best player to come out of Japan. But as a father? A man?" Inoue shrugged. "Look at it from Ryouma's point of view. No doubt his father had taught him and groomed him into a great player, but that's for tennis only! If you had grown up with a loud-mouthed, irresponsible, lazy, perverted, girlie-magazine-reading, no-good account of a father, and was suddenly given an intelligent, upright, honest, quiet, responsible, good-looking young buchou as a mentor, who would you choose? If I am Ryouma-kun, I'd go for Tezuka-kun too instead of that old pervert."
"Is that right?" A new voice drawled.
"E—Echizen Nanjirou?! What are you doing here!"
"Apparently, being a bad role model for my son," snarked Nanjirou. He scratched his beard absently. "So, where is this wonderful Tezuka-kun? I'd like to meet this outstanding young man who's taught my son so much."
Oishi stepped out. "Er, I'm afraid Tezuka-buchou's in the middle of a match, right now, Echizen-san…"
Nanjirou looked out to the courts. "No he's not. They haven't started yet." He strode past Oishi and Inoue and went into the court, ignoring their and Ryouma's cries to stop.
Tachibana and Tezuka stared at this strange monk with unkempt hair and beard who'd just crashed their match. "Yo!" Nanjirou greeted Tachibana cordially. "Tezuka-buchou, is it? Thank you for taking care of my son." His eyes took in every detail. Huh, he's not as goodlooking as me! What is that stupid Inoue talking about? Being responsible's not that big a deal anyway.
Tachibana stared, "Er, I'm Tachibana. Tezuka's over there."
Nanjirou looked over. Shit.
"Well, I bet he's not that good at tennis as me, anyway," he said out loud. "Young man! Lend me your racket!"
"What?!" Tachibana asked in shock.
"Oi! Old man, what are you
doing?!" Ryouma shouted from the sidelines.
Nanjirou grinned, bearing his teeth. "Playing tennis, gaki! Watch and
learn, watch and learn!"
Tachibana's mouth set in a hard line, "Look, old man! I don't know who you are but this is my match! I've been waiting for this for too long, and no one is going to stop me today!"
Nanjirou pointed to the side and looked shocked. "Look over there!"
Tachibana turned. Nanjirou swooped down and lifted the racket from Tachibana's hand. "Hah! You can't even hold on to your racket. Why don't you be a good boy and watch your betters play instead?"
Tachibana snapped at last. Launching himself at Nanjirou's throat, the beleaguered Fudoumine captain shouted, "IT'S NOT FAIR! WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS DAY?! I WON'T LET YOU STOP ME YOU STUPID OLD MAN!"
As the Fudoumine poured onto the court to pull their buchou off Nanjirou, Tachibana finally broke down, crying. "It's not fair. Some god up there must really hate me! I was so close… I was so close… KUNIMITSU!"
Kamio looked at Nanjirou and Tezuka and said apologetically. "Ah… Sorry. I think our buchou's under a lot of stress. We'll forfeit this match."
"Nn."
Nanjirou picked himself off the ground, brushing the cherry blossoms off his robe. "So, Tezuka-buchou. Let's play."
Tezuka shrugged indifferently. At this point, he didn't really much care what happens any more. After all, it could hardly get worse. "Fine," he said. "Let's just get this over and done with. Best 2 out of 3 games. I get to serve. If you've got problems with this… Well, tough. "
"Oooh, the buchou's got balls!"
Tezuka served. Nanjirou countered. Tezuka zone met Nanjirou zone and clashed. By the end of forty minutes, Tezuka had secured one game with his Zero shiki drop, while Nanjirou took the other game with a series of hard hitting smashes. It was the third game, and the players were at deuce. The next person to score the next two points would win.
Tezuka was perspiring. His shoulder and elbow ached, but the pain wasn't too bad. He gritted his teeth. Just two more points. Time for my ultimate, ultimate secret move. Tezuka took a deep breath… and began to glow.
The golden light started at his left, racket holding hand and spread rapidly across his body.
The crowd gasped.
"What is that light, Inoue-san?" Horio, Katsuo and Kachirou asked in unison as they gazed upon Tezuka
Inoue stared open-mouthed. "I, I don't know," he stuttered.
Oishi looked sombrely at the glowing Tezuka. "It's Tezuka's secret move. Tezuka's Ultimate Golden Glowing Technique. I've only seen it once, and that was when Tezuka played Echizen privately."
Ryouma lowered his cap and continued to stare aptly at Tezuka.
Fuji sighed and took up the explanation. He looked at Tezuka as he explained softly to the listening boys around him. "It's like the afterglow people get after sex, but powered up by about a million times. Tezuka is able to channel all his mental strength and considerable sexual urges into a sort of total body orgasm characterised by this golden light. As long as Tezuka is able to maintain the light, anyone watching would be completely attracted to him. At this point, Tezuka can hit any kind of ball anywhere and be able to score points, for no one is able to watch anything else but him.
"Eiji, you must have seen Ryouma do something like that before?"
Eiji nodded absently, eyes fixed to the glowing Tezuka. "Uh, yeah. I think I saw our ochibi glow for a split second during his match with Akutsu… but only for a very short time. I thought it was a trick of the light then."
Fuji smiled. "That's because Ryouma hasn't mastered the full technique. Also, he's still young, and doesn't have the same store of urges that Tezuka has…"
"Amazing…"
Eyes glued to Tezuka, everyone watched as Tezuka served. POW! The ball powered through the air, hitting the ground beside Nanjirou. Why, he's so… pretty, thought Nanjirou in shock.
"Ad… Advantage, Server."
Tezuka sighed and stretched his shoulder. Everyone watched him aptly. There was utter silence on the court.
He got into the pose, and his hand began to glow again.
"No way! He's doing twice in a row!" someone gasped.
"Man, my shorts are getting really tight!" someone else groaned.
Glowing, Tezuka delivered his second serve. Again, it flew past a stunned Nanjirou.
"Game! Two games to one! Tezuka WIN!"
The crowd erupted into total madness.
"TEZUKA!"
"BUCHOU!"
The Seigaku regulars descended like a horde onto Tezuka. "Group hug!" Someone shouted. And everyone piled onto Tezuka, most getting a grope in at the same time.
Finally, Tezuka managed to break free of his overly enthusiastic team mates. "That's why I hate using this technique," he muttered, pulling his shirt together.
"Tezuka! Well done!" A new female voice broke in.
"Ryuzaki-sensei!"
"Yes, I've been watching everything from my office. Well done, everybody." She then turned to Tezuka. "Congratulations, Tezuka. You have single-assedly raised the quality of junior high tennis to new heights," congratulated Ryuzaki sensei.
The entire Seigaku team turned and stared at the grey-haired coach. "Oh? Did I say single-assedly? My bad. I meant single-handedly, single-handedly of course!" laughed Ryuzaki sensei.
Everyone face faulted.
-fin-
I know. My bad too! giggles
