Since reviewers have asked for a second part to this, I decided to make this one-shot not a one-shot! Thanks to all who reviewed:
InsaneFuzieBunny: This is for you! You asked for another chapter, here it is! Thanks for reviewing!
beriath: thanks for you support! This is also for you, as you also asked for it! you sure IÕm not making it OOC??
ILLK: I know Seigaku is an elevator school, but I was thinking it would be interesting if it wasnÕt and they all went to different schools... and yes, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM is going to different schools. One is going abroad (ten guesses on who that is *rolls eyes*). Anyway, thanks for reviewing!
Cheeseburger of Doom: wah~! I cry for you. I know what it is to move... I had to leave family and friends I loved when I came to America from Japan! Then lots of my friends went to different schools... *cries* I hate it! thanks, though! And I love your stories!
Also, this fic has no relationships -- yaoi, yuri, or straight. Some may be implied, but that's about it. Now on with the fic!
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Chapter 2: Leaving Everything, Everyone Behind, Behind in the Past
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ÒCongratulations!Ó ÒWeÕve graduated!Ó ÒHigh School, here we come!Ó Cheers were heard around the room where the party was being held. This party was only for the third years that had finally graduated. Every third year of Seigaku was there, everyone except for six. They were all at the tennis courts, the tennis courts they would be leaving. No one was there but the six of them. Not one sound was heard except the rustling of the leaves.
"One last game." Suddenly, a voice, no, three voices entered the tennis courts. The startled six turned towards the gate to see Echizen, Momo, and Kaido, still dressed in their Seigaku Tennis Team clothes. "One last game on these courts. Eiji-senpai verses Oishi-senpai, Fuji-senpai verses Tezuka-buchou, Kawamura-senpai verses Inui-senpai. One last game."
"Buchou, you're leaving. Leaving Japan for Germany. This could be the last time. Just one game. Senpai, saigoni ikkai. Once more, just one last time. You all deserve and need this. Play one last game," Echizen continued.
"Even if you all visit, it won't be the same. You all probably won't come back at the same time, if you ever do. One last game as a team. As this team. We'll have another Seigaku team, but this team is gone forever. If you want to, play one last time to savor our time together. One last game, one last memory," Momo continued.
"If you don't, you may regret this for the rest of your lives. If that happens, you can't turn back time and retry. This is the last chance. One game," Kaido finished.
The six (FYI, when I say the six or something of that sort, it means the third years that were on the Seigaku team: Tezuka, Oishi, Fuji, Kikumaru, Kawamura, and Inui!) turned to look at each other. They nodded in unison. They turned back to the trio (Echizen, Momo, and Kaido, but that's a given, right?). "We'll play. You're right. This is our last chance. It couldn't hurt," Oishi answered.
The six who were going to play went to the clubroom. They changed in silence. They were all savoring the last few moments they had together. They all took our their tennis rackets and grabbed some balls. The trio was waiting outside, on the courts A, B, and C, one on each court. They sat in the chairs that the referee sat in. This is their last match here. This is the least we can do, went through their heads.
Oishi and Eiji stepped onto court A (where Momo was), Tezuka and Fuji went to court B (where Echizen was), while Inui and Taka-san prepared themselves on court C (where Kaido was). After the spin, it was determined that Oishi, Tezuka, and Inui were to serve first. Echizen, Momo, and Kaido said in unison, "One Set Match. Oishi/Tezuka/Inui to serve!"
(STARTING...NOW Anything on happening on court A will be in italics, court B will be in bold, and court C will be underlined so I don't have to keep switching with like ~~**~~ or something. Okay? Anything else will be in normal font)
Oishi served an easy serve to Kikumaru. Kikumaru, understanding what Oishi was stating, returned the ball lightly. Oishi did the same. Soon, a rally was going on. Momo watched in wonder as he carefully watched the ball and his senpais.
Tezuka served, not his no-touch ace, but a simple slow serve. Fuji also returned it with a topspin -- not a hard to catch topspin, but an easy, light one so Tezuka would have no trouble returning it. Echizen watched, fully understanding that they wanted to prolong this match as long as possible.
Inui served a serve that even a first year (inexperienced) would be able to return it with easy. Taka-san returned it, not going into his usual 'Burning Mode'. They started to rally simply like they were practicing groundstrokes. Kaido intently watched his senpais playing their last game at Seigaku.
All at once, it seemed as if all the players realized that if they played like this, it wouldn't be fair. It would last forever and it would defeat the purpose of this last match. They started playing their tennis. However, they all couldn't play their best or this match, this moment, this memory will end all too soon. The underclassmen looked on.
"Love-Fifteen!" Kikumaru had finally scored a point against Oishi using Kikumaru Beam. It had been fifteen minutes since they started and this was still the first game. The Golden Pair smiled at each other. Oishi then served. They rallied for a few minutes, then Oishi used his best technique, Moon Volley. "Fifteen all!" "OISHI~! You know I can't get that!" "Just like I can't get your Kikumaru Beam!"
Tezuka sent a topspin to Fuji and immediately regretted it. Fuji used one of his Triple Counters, Tsubame Gaeshi, and took the point. "Love-Fifteen!" Echizen announced. Instead of serving, Tezuka asked, "You're using your Triple Counters?" Fuji just smiled at him and said, "Maybe." Shaking his head, Tezuka served a no-touch ace. "Fifteen all!" "You're using your no-touch aces?" Fuji questioned. Tezuka just nodded. Fuji smiled, got into position and readied himself.
Inui jumped and smashed the lob that Taka-san had sent. Taka-san failed to return it. "Fifteen-Love!" Taka-san just looked at Inui and grinned. Inui didn't notice this. He served the ball and Taka-san hit the ball back with his Hadoukyuu and took the point. "Fifteen all!" Inui just stared at Taka-san. "You still do that?" "Yeah, well, you still use your data."
The games went on and on, for over three hours. No one noticed or was getting tired, it seemed. Not even Kikumaru, whose concentration and energy usually went down rather quickly.
"Game, Oishi! Five games all!" Oishi smiled. He had evened out the score yet another time. Just two more games and he would win. Kikumaru scowled on the other side. Two more games to win. Oishi went to the baseline and served. Kikumaru returned it and ran up to the net. He used his Kikumaru Jirushi Step to confuse Oishi. Oishi hit it back cross-court, but Kikumaru returned it. The rally began.
"Game, Fuji! Four games to Five!" Fuji smiled. Tezuka was being his usual emotionless self. Fuji went to serve. He served, and Tezuka returned it with grace. Fuji, smiling again, sent a lob, a challenge, to Tezuka. Tezuka frowned and sliced it back. Again, Fuji lobbed it. Tezuka glared at Fuji before returning it with a lob. Fuji just lobbed the ball again. Tezuka grew tired of this 'lobbing game' and smashed it, using the technique Echizen had used before, after the Totaikai. Fuji used Higuma Otoshi. "Out! Love-Fifteen!" Fuji just smiled. So much for that.
"Game, Kawamura! Four games to Five!" Taka-san was losing to Inui, because he kept using data tennis, but had managed to win that last game. It had been a long game, the longest game so far. Kawamura served his Burning Serve. He could literally feel that the game was ending soon. Even Inui used his data to see that yes, it would end soon. He was too busy with his data that he missed the ball that Taka-san had sent. "Fifteen-Love!" "YES, YES! COME ON! BURNING!"
Within the next hour, Inui had won, as did Tezuka. Inui, Taka-san, Fuji, Tezuka, Echizen, and Kaido were now watching Kikumaru and Oishi doing the twelve-point tiebreaker. They all understood, as did Momo, that this was the hardest for the Golden Pair, as they were great friends and doubles team. Finally, twenty minutes later...
"Game! Won by Kikumaru, Seven games to Six!"
(Okay, the italics, bold, underline thing will end... NOW!)
Momo, Kikumaru, and Oishi walked off the court. The nine of them now stood all together, in silence. Suddenly, as if all were psychic, they put their arms around each otherÕs shoulders and bent down. All at once, they yelled "SEIGAKU FAI, OH~!" It was just like the scene at the Kantou Taikai, except Tezuka was there and they didnÕt have their headband things.
Momo, Echizen, and Kaido then said goodbye to all of their senpais and were just about to leave the courts when they heard Oishi yell "Hey, guys!" They turned around and saw the third years in a line. Tezuka, Fuji, Oishi, Kikumaru, Taka-san, and Inui, in that order. One by one, starting from Inui, bowed and said "Thank you."
Momo, Echizen, and Kaido were startled, but they went in a similar line and bowed. They said, "No, senpai. Thank YOU." Their voices were cracked. They bowed once more, waved, and left.
Back on the courts, the third years said their own goodbyes. They then left their own separate ways. They left behind their school, their past at Seigaku. Although it still would be in their memory...
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How did you like it?? beriath, are you sure it's not OOC? it sure seems like it. Well, I hoped you liked this. Interesting, isn't it? It was way longer than A New Beginning (Chapter 1), I'll tell you that much. Took me an hour to write this. I just love the end, when they do the cheer thing. I got that image and I just loved it. It was just the cutest thing! And the going into a line and bowing and thanking thing? That was so weird. I just thought Tezuka HAD to do something that wasn't Tezuka-like. And there it was. You know, I'm starting to like the idea of this not being an one-shot. I might make this into an actual story. Like the six lives at high school, then Momo and Kaido graduating, and Echizen graduating, and college, and after Echizen's senior year at college, a reunion of the whole group arranged by the oh-so-nice komon Ryuzaki Sumire. I smell a story! Thanks for reading! Bai2~!
~~**SanaKL**~~