Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis.
Author's Note: Here's the revised/edited chapter 2. Thanks for the continued patronage!
A Love Game: Chapter 2 – Love 1, Ryoma 1
Ryoma slipped his shoes on and discretely stepped outside of Crazy Burger's Restaurant. It had been quite an embarrassing night for him as he was subjected to countless teasing and interrogation by his seniors. Things only got worse when he adamantly refused to reveal who his 'love' was. A majority of them however believed that it was Ryuzaki Sakuno.
Ryoma wished that were the case. If it were so, things would be so much simpler. He knew though that 'simple' wasn't meant to be in his life. Everything had to be complicated. The only simple thing he had in his life really was tennis. Tennis is tennis, he remembered saying one time.
Love, on the other hand, involved so much complexity. It especially didn't help that the object of his love was one of his sempais. Worse, he was someone Ryoma shouldn't be in love with in the first place.
He leaned back against the wall and looked up in star-studded sky. He wondered if there was anyone out there who could help him in his plight. This wasn't like tennis where he could afford to lose several points or games in order to break his opponent and make a comeback. Love's possibly a hundred times more complex than that.
The foremost difficulty was that you really couldn't control who you fall in love with.
Second, reciprocation isn't guaranteed.
Third, it's a hell of a distraction in tennis.
Fourth, he's too young to be thinking about it.
Fifth, his father is Echizen Nanjiroh, pervert to the max.
The door behind Ryoma suddenly slid open and out popped Momoshiro's head. "Oi! So this is where you went! Get back in here! They're all looking for you."
Ryoma knew what was waiting for him inside. "No thanks. I've had about enough of those stupid questions." He moved to walk away from the restaurant. "I'm going home."
He didn't get very far unfortunately. Momoshiro grabbed him and dragged him back inside the restaurant. "Like hell you aren't! You're coming back inside! The night's still early!"
"Momo-sempai!" Ryoma protested and struggled but it was to no avail.
"Hora! I found him! He tried to sneak away!" Momoshiro proudly proclaimed as he dragged the irritated freshman back to the tables.
"Good job, Momo! Maa, Echizen…You didn't think you'd get away did you?" Oishi laughed.
Ryoma growled his displeasure at being manhandled. "Momo-sempai, I'll remember this the next time I face you on the tennis court."
"Maa, bring it on then, you little punk!" Momoshiro laughed. "Oh…wait…what if we beat it out of you then?"
"Momoshiro!" Tezuka's sullen voice boomed.
"Ie, ie. Not that kind of beating! I mean…what if we each play a match against Echizen?" Momoshiro proposed. "Whoever wins gets to find out who she is!"
"She? I bet you it's Ryuzaki-sensei's granddaughter!" Kikumaru piped in.
"You do realize, Momo-chan sempai, in order for that to happen, I need to agree to play all of you," said Ryoma without acknowledging or refuting Kikumaru's claim.. "And I refuse to do that even though I know I can beat all of you."
"Ooooh? Aren't we a bit too confident, Ochibi-kun?"
Ryoma shrugged. "Doesn't matter." He silently hoped that the topic of tennis would steer the conversation away from his love life.
The night wore on and soon it was time for them to leave. Kikumaru was the first to leave as one of his older sisters came by and picked him up. Oishi followed as he hitched a ride back with him. Kaidoh left next, saying that he had to wake up early the next day for training. Inui left after him after rambling on about trying out a new recipe for the newest version of his juice and analyzing Echizen's data with regards to his love life.
Kawamura was starting to clear some tables when Tezuka, Fuji, Momoshiro, and Ryoma all decided that it was time for them to call it a night as well. Ryoma would have left earlier except Momoshiro forced him to stay longer, promising that he would give him a ride back to his home on the elder's bike. Also, part of him wanted to stay longer because of him. His foolish heart wanted to be near him just a minute more if possible. He sighed in annoyance.
Tezuka and Fuji exited the restaurant first as Momoshiro made Ryoma wait because he misplaced his bicycle key. After several minutes of looking under tables and chairs, they found the said key and bade Kawamura thanks and good night. As they exited the restaurant, Ryoma was surprised to find the captain and the prodigy not too far ahead of them, seemingly caught in a serious conversation. They didn't seem to realize that Ryoma and Momoshiro were nearby. Ryoma wondered at the topic of their conversation when Momoshiro suddenly grabbed him toward the sempais' direction.
"Hey, wait, I don—"
"Shh! Don't you want to know what they're talking about?" Momoshiro hushed him as he pulled the freshman. "It could be something interesting like the next tournament's lineup! Or maybe Fuji-sempai is plotting something! C'mon!"
"But, but…" Ryoma really wasn't interested in knowing. He was however curious about something else.
"Quit complaining, Echizen. I'm sure you want to know too."
Ryoma finally relented and followed Momoshiro behind a turn not too far away from the captain and the prodigy. It was an adequate hiding place as it was already dark. It was also close enough to the pair that Ryoma and Momoshiro can somewhat hear the conversation between two of Seigaku's aces.
"You need to be serious about this," they heard the captain say.
"Saa, isn't it more fun this way?"
"For you maybe," replied Tezuka, unimpressed. "Leave him alone."
"Jealous, Tezuka?"
Ryoma's eyes shot up. 'Jealous? Who is?' Next to him, Momoshiro seemed to have the same confusion written all over his face. "Ne, Echizen…you don't suppose those two are…together…you know….like that—"
"You shouldn't have fun when it's something like this, Fuji," the captain responded. "Let him be."
Crystal-blue eyes opened for the first time that night. "I can't leave him alone if he has his eyes on you."
"Didn't you hear Eiji earlier? It's almost a given that it's Ryuzaki-sensei's granddaughter."
"I'm not convinced. And I think neither are you, Tezuka."
"Stop it, Fuji," warned Tezuka. "Don't do this…don't do anything to him."
By this time, Ryoma has heard enough. He cursed himself for being stupid enough to fall in love, most especially with someone he could never have. He realized then that there was no chance for him since Tezuka-buchou and Fuji-sempai were a couple. He wasn't even going to try to get in between them.
"Mou, this is interesting," Momoshiro whispered. "The captain and Fuji-sempai…I guess I can't say I'm surprised. Ne, Echizen do yo—Echizen?" The tall junior turned and was surprised to find his junior gone. He straightened up and looked around. He scratched his head and wondered why he suddenly left. "Echizen?" Momoshiro grabbed his bike and rode toward the direction he thought that the freshman might have disappeared to.
--
Tezuka's eyes flickered toward the dark corner turn not too far away from where he and Fuji stood, thinking he heard some noise. At that same moment, a mild gust of wind blew by, rustling some leaves about, and a cat came from the darkened area. He assumed it was the cat that caused the noise earlier and turned his attention back to Fuji.
"He's interesting," said the shorter senior.
"It's too early for him to be dealing with things like this," said Tezuka in return. "And, this is just all in passing for you. Only because he has your interest at the moment. What happens when he's no longer interesting, Fuji?"
"Would you believe me if I said I was serious about him?"
Tezuka blinked. "Fuji, you…"
"Maa, well I'll be leaving Seigaku soon," Fuji smiled, "It won't be so bad if I stake my claim now, would it?"
"…"
"Don't worry yourself too much, Tezuka," Fuji gently replied. "I'm starting to think that maybe you're interested in him too."
Tezuka regarded the prodigy's blue eyes and sighed. "Our interests in him greatly differ in nature."
A wry smile formed on the prodigy's lips. "Hm, I have no choice but to believe you, ne?"
"Hmh."
--
Ryoma cursed as he almost tripped again for the umpteenth time as he ran home. Tonight had to be one of the most miserable nights of his life. He cursed himself for being naïve in hoping that maybe, just maybe Fuji-sempai would be interested in him as well.
"What was I thinking?"
He finally reached home, thankful that Momo-sempai never caught up to him. He immediately took his shoes off and proceeded to go upstairs, all he while hoping that he won't run into his father. He felt so miserable and depressed at the moment that he needed to be alone to think things over. That and make a long list of reasons why falling in love is stupid.
He reached his room without encountering his idiot of a father and immediately locked the door behind him. He sighed and leaned back against the door, feeling weak all of a sudden. He slid down the door and sat down at the floor, only to be pounced on by Karupin.
Ryoma stroked his feline companion's head. "Ne, Karupin…Do cats fall in love too?"
The cat only mewed its pleasure at being stroked in response.
"I'm only twelve. Why should I have to worry about something like this? And with Fuji-sempai of all people too. He's a boy, he's sadistic, he's scary, and he eats the weirdest things."
The cat nudged its head against his warm hand.
"Who eats wasabi sushi? Really now?"
Ryoma stood up, picked up his cat and moved to sit on his bed. He glanced to his desk where a photo of the tennis team stood framed. It was the photo they took together after winning the National Championships. Fuji-sempai stood next to him and had his arm draped across Ryoma's shoulders, smiling as usual. Ryoma frowned as he grabbed the photo and looked at it more closely. He cursed as he realized that he had a slight blush on his face when the photo was taken.
Ryoma glanced the calendar on his desk. It won't be long before the seniors graduate from Seishun Gakuen. Tennis was all but over for them, which meant lesser time spent with the other Regulars, most especially with the graduating seniors.
Or at least he hoped so. He wondered how he'd be able to bear being around Tezuka-buchou and Fuji-sempai after finding out about them. Knowing Tezuka-buchou, he'd want several more matches with Ryoma just to test his progression. Then there's that unfinished match between him and Fuji-sempai as well.
He gritted his teeth and made up his mind. He would get over this foolish thing called love if that was the last thing he did. He would get over Fuji-sempai with the same attitude he used when his opponents on the tennis court seemed so impossible to beat.
Echizen Ryoma will break 'love' and any other notions as such just as he did to every singe one of his opponents.
"Even if it's the last thing I do."
- To Be Continued