Ponta: Gasp! Gasp! GASP!
QueenofEngland: WHAT?! WHAT IS IT?!
Ponta: Sniff, I have never felt so so so...
QueenofEngland: So?
Ponta: HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I GOT TEN REVIEWS!
QueenofEngland: ..................HOW RUDE!
Ponta: What?
QueenofEngland: You're more popular than me! Sniff I have never been so insulted my whole entire life.
Ponta: .....................umm I always insulted you.
To my reviewers of Ch.14
frozen
Ponta: Why thank you so very much! I'm glad you love the storyline! I'm trying to add more angst for my favorite characters.
Momo: ...DIDN'T YOU ALREADY ADD TOO MUCH ANGST!?
Ponta: .....hmm...nope.
Ryoma: Mada mada dane.
Ponta: What he said!
Momo became shocked: WHAT?!
lil'mi1
Ponta: Yes I know poor poor Momo.
Momo: You don't really care do you?
Ponta: Hmm, I enjoyed the fun of torturing my favorite characters!
Momo: ..........you are so evil.
Ponta: Kick Sakuno out of the way?
Ryoma: Please do! She's annoying!
Ponta: Isn't Momo annoying too?
Ryoma blushed: Well...he's DIFFERENT!
Ponta: RIGHT.
Posterior Praiser
Ponta: You think this chapter is really cute? Hmm I guess it is! A SAD MOMO IS KAWAII AFTER ALL!
Momo: HEY!
Ponta: Well at least the reviewers are feeling sympathy for you.
Momo: WHY DON'T YOU FEEL SYMPATHY!?
Ponta: It's so fun to tease. MUWHAHAHAHA! Thanks for the offer but I found someone. Sorry if I offended you in anyway. (bow) But I have found someone to beta read. Arigatou and I will continue to read your fics!
Momo: You felt sorry for that person and YOU DON'T EVEN FEEL SORRY FOR ME!?
Ponta: Yep.
Shirohikari
Ponta: I want to thank you with my sincere appreciation for being my beta reader!
Ryoma: Wow, she actually got a beta-reader.
Momo grumbled: But I still get tortured!
Ponta: I apologized again for my terrible grammar! Sorry I have such sucky memory.
Darkspider
Ponta: .......umm okay. You can go ahead and kill her!
Ryoma: Be my guest.
Momo: Please do so.
Ponta: At least until the story is over!
Momo and Ryoma: ............................ARE YOU SAYING SHE IS GOING TO STAY!
Ponta: ...heh. Heh. Well I still need her for the plot! Plus you got another reviewer who felt sorry for you!
Momo: Well that's great but THAT WON'T CHANGE THE FACT YOU WILL STILL TORTURE ME!
Ponta: True.
Sonic16
Ponta: Ahh. Another reviewer who felt sorry for you, Momo-chan.
Momo: ..............
Ponta: Sniff, I know that pain. The pain of heart breaking is really hard to bear.
Momo: Wow.
Ryoma: What?
Momo: I never expect that she would get a boyfriend in the first place.
Ponta: ..............................WHAT ARE YOU IMPLYING!
QueenofEngland: HO! HO! HO! He means you're too tomboyish! You need to be more elegant like me!
Ponta: ...................................YOU'RE A MAN! Hmm, are we getting close?
Momo: Let me guess, no?
Ponta: YEP!
Momo: You're killing me!
Really Bad Eggs
Ponta: Thanks! I'm glad that you think my story is interesting despite all the angst and my horrible grammar mistakes. I glad that you enjoy reading it despite the terrible grammar but now I have a beta-reader so I hope you will enjoy this story more with LESS grammar mistakes. About the reviews conditions, hmm, I seen many other stories I read has reviews conditions. But I guess that is selfish but it is nice to read people's comments plus they are inspirational to me. So just for this once, I will remove the review conditions and see how this turns out.
Momo: Maybe you will get few reviews this time.
Ponta: ......well....PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!
Momo: .....
hellen
Ponta: I'm very happy that you like my long fic. I'm trying to make a very long fic of Momoryo. I'm glad that you read it even though you're not a big fan of Momoryo. Yes, it is OCC that Momo is sad all the time but do not worry. Ryoma will have his share. Hee. Hee. Hee. MUWAHAHAHAHA!
Ryoma: ....I hate that look.
Ponta: Hoi, this person said HI TO YOU!
QueenofEngland: GASP! I FELT SO HONORED! I gave you my royal welcome to my beloved palace.
Ponta smack him: THIS IS NOT A PALACE! IT'S MY STORY!
QueenofEngland: Sniff, how rude. I have never been so insulted my whole entire life.
Ponta: ....didn't I insult few reviews ago?
AznElementTiger
Ponta: Wow, another Sakuno hater! Well you can kill her after I'm done with her! I will say it again, THIS IS NOT A RYOSAKO FIC! Thanks for the compliment!
Sakuno: Why am I hated so much?
Ponta: .................because you're annoying in the anime and much better in the manga where you're less annoying!
Sakuno: ...WAHHH! :: she runs away::
Hioki
Ponta: Just one word is enough to know about your opinion. I'm very happy that you think this story is nice.
Momo: ...NICE!? NICE!? I'm GETTING TORTURED HERE AND RYOMA JUST ACT NORMAL!
Ponta: Don't worry, he will get his chance.
Ryoma: ...I hope not.
QueenofEngland: My horrible terrible lowlife servant, Ponta, does not own this exotic, beautiful anime, Prince of Tennis, my son.
Ponta: ...............................................................................OH WHATEVER HERE'S CHAPTER 15!
Knowing Innocence
Chapter 15
Neutral's POV
Ryoma finally noticed that his idiotic friend was gone, leaving him alone in the amusement park with Sakuno. He was surprised when Momoshiro had disappeared because if he remembered correctly, Momoshiro loved to spend his time with his freshman roommate, talking endlessly about lots of things. However, strangely, during the entire time in the amusement park, Momoshiro had not talked a lot as he usually did.
Ryoma asked himself, "Where did Momo-senpai go?" He was annoyed with the situation and complained, "At least he should have told us where he was going."
Sakuno took notice of Momoshiro's disappearance and exclaimed, "Eh, Ryoma- kun, where's Momoshiro-senpai?
Ryoma just shrugged, "How am I supposed to know?"
"Shouldn't we look for him?" Sakuno asked, out of concern for Momoshiro's safety.
"There's no need." Ryoma replied coldly as he began to walk forward.
Sakuno was stunned by his indifferent behavior and went after him, "Huh? Why not?" She questioned.
"Why should I?" Ryoma countered her with another question.
"Isn't Momoshiro-senpai your friend?" Sakuno retorted with another question.
"I don't really need to look for that idiot." Ryoma answered coldly, "He could probably be anywhere, having fun or eating loads of food."
"But still...we should look for him." Sakuno was worried.
"We don't need to. He can take care of himself." Ryoma walked ahead of her.
Sakuno didn't move because she was stunned by Ryoma's cold attitude, but then, he was always like that. She looked down as she pondered. Finally, she asked, "Ryoma-kun, does Momoshiro-senpai make you happy?"
Ryoma froze as Sakuno asked him that question. He turned around and looked at Sakuno, "I don't need to answer that." He continued to move ahead.
Sakuno noticed that Ryoma was far ahead of her and he had not answered her question. She chased after him, "EHH!? Ryoma-kun! Wait for me!"
Meanwhile, somewhere else in the theme park, two regulars, unknown to the others, were in the park, hiding in the bushes.
"Inui-senpai?" Kaidoh called.
Inui was scribbling data in his notebook.
"Inui-senpai?" Kaidoh's eyes twitched. He was deeply angry with this.
Inui was still scribbling data on his notebook.
"INUI-SENPAI!?" Kaidoh roared.
Inui glanced at Kaidoh, "You do not need to yell. I already heard you the first time," he asked, "What is it?"
Kaidoh hissed and questioned, "What are we doing here at the theme park, hiding in this bush, while we are supposed to be training?"
Inui answered, "We are merely here for observation and data."
Kaidoh complained, "What about training, Inui-senpai!?" He loathed skipping a day of training.
"If you're bored, you can always go there." Inui pointed to a haunted house.
Kaidoh cringed, "....no thanks," he had always hated ghosts and scary things ever since he was little. "I still want to train."
"We can do it tonight, if it makes you happy." Inui suggested.
"Why not train now?" Kaidoh asked.
Inui pushed up his glasses, "I don't mean that kind of training."
Kaidoh was confused at first, then he realized what Inui meant. As soon as he realized it, his face went beet red with his intense blushing.
Inui pointed out, "See, it makes you happy."
"Shut up." Kaidoh hissed while blushing and wondered how he ended up with Inui.
Kaidoh continued, "If we are going to this theme park, then how come we didn't accept Eiji-senpai's free tickets in the first place instead of paying for this expensive crap?" He complained because he had to pay 5000 yen for a ticket. (I HAD TO PAY 50 DOLLARS AT DISENYLAND! WHAT A RIPOFF!)
"It will ruin our element of surprise." Inui explained as he continued to write data.
Kaidoh looked at his boyfriend suspiciously, "What kind of data are you looking for?"
"Data on relationships." Inui answered as he wrote notes, "Tezuka and Fuji are doing fine as usual. The Golden Pair are having fun as they usually do. But I have no data on Takashi's mysterious boyfriend, which I must find out today. There is also that interesting data of a triangular relationship concerning Momoshiro, Echizen, and Ryuzaki."
Kaidoh groaned to himself, "Does Inui-senpai ever stop collecting data?" then he noticed someone familiar. It was Momoshiro, who was running to a bathroom near the haunted house.
"What happened to him?" Kaidoh asked himself when he spotted Momoshiro's face filled with intense sorrow.
"Hmm, this is bad," Inui commented, "Momoshiro has entered the most secluded restroom in this theme park."
"What's wrong with that?" Kaidoh asked.
Inui explained, "It is secluded because there are no food stands nearby, so people wouldn't use this restroom many times. And there's also that." He pointed to the haunted house, where blood curling screams could be heard, "Momoshiro has entered the restroom, where there is a ninety-five percent chance that Tezuka and Fuji are doing stuff."
"Stuff?" Kaidoh was confused.
Momo's POV
I just want to run. I just want to run away from these feelings. These painful feelings that wounded my heart. I should have been happy for Echizen, who has gotten someone. I mean, it's a miracle that an arrogant brat like him would get someone. I'm just a friend to him, so I should have been happy for him, right?
But I'm not happy at all. I couldn't feel happy for Echizen at all.
I couldn't help but be upset over the fact that Echizen would leave me. But I knew that eventually we would all move on and take our own paths. I knew that the Regulars would go someplace else. I accepted that fact, but I couldn't accept that Echizen would leave me.
Why? I mean, I knew the regulars for years and I could deal with them leaving. I've only known Echizen for few months and I don't want him to leave me.
Why is that?
I turned the bathroom tap on and washed my sweaty face.
Why is it I felt such pain for Echizen to leave and such anger towards that girl? I felt so mad at her, as if I wanted to kill her. Why? Why can't I be happy for him? I just want to be a friend.
BECAUSE YOU WANT HIM!
What?
I looked at my reflection in the mirror, revealing my face of extreme jealously.
YOU WANT ECHIZEN AND YOU KNOW IT!
Who are you? Am I talking to myself? ...AM I GOING CRAZY?!
THIS IS YOUR INNER DESIRE.
My desire?
YOU HATE THAT GIRL BECAUSE SHE TOOK YOUR PRIZE AWAY!
I hate her?
YES, MAKE HER GONE! KEEP ECHIZEN ALL TO YOURSELF!
No...I shouldn't. I mean, they are a couple.
YOU CAN'T DENY IT! YOU HATE HER! YOU WANT HIM!
NO! He's just a friend, plus he's straight.
IS THAT THE BEST EXCUSE YOU CAME UP WITH? YOU'RE SCARED THAT HE WOULD LEAVE YOU!
Well...that is true.
PATHEIC! JUST TAKE HIM!
I ...can't.
WHY NOT?! YOU WANT TO BE HAPPY! YOU WANT PLEASURE FOR YOURSELF!
No ...that can't be true. I mean Echizen has someone. He's happy already. I should be happy for him.
EXCUSES! EXCUSES! EXCUSES! YOU KNOW THAT YOU WANT HIM!
No.
YOU WANT TO TOUCH HIM!
Stop it.
YOU WANT TO KISS HIM!
Stop it!
YOU WANT TO SLEEP...!
STOP IT!
I mustered all my strength and smashed the bathroom mirror, causing the shattered, broken shards of glass to scatter across the sinks. I'd destroyed my own reflection of jealously. I looked at my bloodied right fist, all wounded from the broken glass.
YOU WANT HIM!
But those words kept repeating in my brain.
I clenched my hands into fists and banged my head repeatedly, hoping to block those words out.
"ARGH!" I yelled as I kicked the door of the bathroom stall open in anger.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!
I was about to yelled but...
I immediately became as red as tomato when I saw what was inside the bathroom stall.
Buchou and Fuji ...were going at each other.
Buchou was sitting on the toilet seat while Fuji was sitting on his lap. Both of them were kissing each other passionately. They had their shirts off, but luckily, they still had their pants on.
...I just came at the very wrong moment.
They both noticed my presence and Buchou was glaring at me because I ruined his "private time."
Fuji smiled calmly, "Momoshiro, would you mind if you leave us alone?"
"HAI!" I yelled embarrassedly, still blushing and wanting to leave right away.
I was about to leave when Buchou called out.
"Momoshiro," Buchou called my surname, "100 laps around the court when you come to practices in the morning."
"HAI!" I really wanted to leave before Buchou released his temper on me.
I immediately dashed out of the bathroom, still blushing red at what I just seen.
Neutral's POV
Tezuka complained, "I told you this would happen."
Fuji just grinned, "I know. But isn't it more exciting to do it in a public place?" then he frowned, "But I'm worried about Momoshiro."
"Momoshiro is a strong man. He can take care of himself." Tezuka commented.
"Do you really mean that?" Fuji asked slyly, "Or you're just saying it, so that we can get back to this?"
"I just want to get back to this." Tezuka began to nibble on Fuji's neck.
"You're so naughty, Buchou." Fuji grinned, enjoying the attention.
Outside the "lover's" bathroom, Momoshiro ran out, his face flushed. Kaidoh had seen all of it while hiding in the bush.
He asked, "Inui-senpai? Why is Momoshiro blushing? What happened in the bathroom?"
Inui answered, "Momoshiro must have seen Buchou and Fuji doing "stuff.""
"Stuff?" Kaidoh asked curiously.
"Training." Inui replied with a short answer.
Kaidoh was still confused until he realized what Inui meant. He became red as he thought about it. "Oh." He answered while blushing.
In another part of the huge theme park, Ryoma was walking at a speedy pace, leaving poor Sakuno out of breathe trying to catch up.
She gasped, "Ryoma-kun! Wait up! You're walking too fast!"
Ryoma stopped walking and looked at her annoyed, "You're walking too slowly."
Sakuno coughed as she swallowed a lungful of air, "No, I'm not! You're the one who's too fast. You seemed like you were in a hurry."
"I'm looking for something." Ryoma said flatly before continuing walking.
Sakuno groaned but noticed that Ryoma was glancing sideways. She gasped as she realized, "So that was what this is all about."
She called out, "Ryoma-kun?"
"What?" Ryoma answered, his tone blatantly annoyed.
"You're looking for Momoshiro's senpai, aren't you?" Sakuno asked.
That grabbed Ryoma's attention. He stuttered, "N-n-no, I'm not." He tugged his white cap further down, obviously hiding his embarrassment.
Sakuno knew she was right from the way Ryoma was acting. She was amused and started laughing. Holding her stomach, she laughed very hard until she couldn't breathe.
Ryoma became crimson with mortification. He yelled, "Shut up!"
She continued to laugh, "You're still the same as ever, Ryoma-kun! Underneath that cold arrogant exterior shell, there's always a good heart." She pointed out.
Ryoma just blushed with discomfiture. He scowled, "How long are you going to keep laughing like this? Help me look for that idiot." He walked off, wanting to stay off this conversation.
Sakuno stopped laughing and smiled.
"What?" Ryoma asked again.
"I'm glad that you're same as ever because I thought En..."
Ryoma interrupted Sakuno, "Don't ever mention that name again." He spoke in the coldest tone he could muster, sending chilling shivers through poor Sakuno's bones.
Sakuno quivered, "S-s-sorry," then she thought to herself, "Ryoma-kun is still upset over that incident."
Ryoma sighed, "Let's just go." He went off looking for his roommate.
Sakuno caught up to him until she saw something that grabbed her interest, "Ryoma-kun, let's go there!"
Momo's POV
Sigh. This doesn't taste any good at all.
I ate the last takoyaki ball.
Normally, I would have been happy after eating lots of food.
I looked at the stack of twenty empty takoyaki boxes that I had eaten from.
But the food had not tasted as delicious as it normally would.
It must have been the fact that I was still depressed about Echizen.
By and large, I would have been happy for Echizen since he had someone to make him happy. I mean, I'm his friend, I should have been happy.
But I couldn't be happy. Instead I'm jealous of that someone. I feel like I want to be the one to make Echizen happy.
Sigh, I must be a terrible friend for thinking such a selfish thing.
Beside, Echizen is just a crush. Stop thinking about such impossible things Takeshi!
Beside, I could find guys that are hotter than Echizen.
Speak of the devil. I saw some really hot guys that any girls or guys would drool over walking pass.
I whistled. SEE! I CAN FIND HOTTER GUYS THAN ECHIZEN! IF I DATE ONE, THEN I WOULD GET OVER ECHIZEN!
........................................................argh, who am I kidding?
Even if I do find some hot guys, it wouldn't be the same because I don't have that feeling with them. But when I was Echizen, I do have that feeling. That warm feeling.
I couldn't get over the fact that Echizen was with Ryuzaki.
In fact, I don't think I would get over him.
I can't think of him as a crush anymore.
I guess...I really like him. But Echizen is straight, he is dating a girl.
Being friends was good enough for me but today, Echizen ignored me completely.
I called his name numerous times but he didn't listened. I EVEN SAID HIS FIRST NAME AND HE DIDN'T LISTEN! THAT ASSHOLE!
It took a lot of guts to say someone's first name, especially the name of the person I like and yet he had absolutely disregarded me.
Sure, he's on a date with a girl, but that doesn't mean he could ignore me. The least he could do is to tell me to leave him alone with his date.
Ignoring others really hurts. Why couldn't Echizen understand that?
I picked up my empty snack trays and threw them in a trash can.
ARGH! THAT STUPID ARROGANT BRAT MADE ME SO MAD! I'M GLAD THAT I LEFT HIM!
I kicked the trash can so hard, it collapsed. I was very angry.
Some old worker came up to me and yelled, "Hey kid, you're not supposed to damage the property."
I roared, "SHUT UP OLD MAN!" I scared him off and I walked away, trying to find some way to vent my anger.
Neutral's POV
In the middle of the theme park, Ryoma and Sakuno were riding the Ferris wheel.
Sakuno gasped in awe as she viewed the entire amusement park, "This way, we can find Momoshiro-senpai in no time."
Ryoma groaned, "You're just saying it because you want to ride this."
"Well at least I killed two birds with one stone. I mean, this is the fastest way to search for Momoshiro-senpai."
"Can we really find him this way?" Ryoma questioned Sakuno's suggestion.
"You really care about him, don't you?" Sakuno countered with another question.
Ryoma replied dully, "I'm just worried about what the big idiot would do without me to watch him."
Sakuno giggled while Ryoma growled.
There was a comfortable silence between them as they enjoyed this ride and watched the entire view.
Ryoma broke the silence, "How's...him?"
"Him?" Sakuno asked and saw that Ryoma was struggling with his words. She realized what he meant, "Oh, him. He's doing fine in America."
"Oh." Ryoma answered, "He's fine."
Instead of a peaceful silence, there was a great tension in the atmosphere. Sakuno knew that Ryoma was upset. She suggested, "You know you could at least call him. I think he wants to hear from you."
"I don't want to talk to him." Ryoma responded coldly.
She continued, "You know, it wouldn't hurt to just to say hello to him!"
"I don't want to talk to him." Ryoma reiterated persistently.
Sakuno knew that Ryoma was very stubborn with his feelings but she knew that this had to stop. She yelled, "How long are you going to keep this up? When will you ever forgive him and be friends?" She wanted the three of them to be together again like old times.
Ryoma gave her an icy glare of pure hatred. Sakuno whimpered in fright as a response. Ryoma pointed to his light blue waistband, "As long I have this, I would never forgive that bastard." He said it out of frosty abhorrence.
Sakuno never heard Ryoma speak like that and looked down pensively as she was about to cry, "I'm...sorry."
He looked guilty because he didn't mean to say it to her. Ryoma looked at the view, not knowing what to do when a girl was like this.
Sakuno muttered, "He said...he was sorry."
Ryoma's eyes widened when she said it. His apology has changed every opinion of him, well mostly.
"Could you forgive him now?" Sakuno asked nervously.
"I need time." Ryoma answered, he couldn't forgive him that easily.
Sakuno just nodded and looked at the view again. She smiled, "Three years ago, we made lots of fond memories here at this park. It was just the three of us together."
"Those were good times." Ryoma commented.
"Yeah, we were great friends until this happened." Sakuno spoke sadly, "Do you think we would be friends again?"
"I'm not sure about that." Ryoma answered, "Right now, you're the only friend I can trust."
"What about Momoshiro-senpai? Isn't he your friend too?"
Ryoma was silent for a moment before answering, "I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"I just don't know. Momo-senpai makes me feel confused. These few months, when I hanged out with him, I received mixed feelings of pain and happiness. That idiot is full of paradox. There were times when I was annoyed with him because he kept talking to me about everything and bragged a lot. He ate too much food. But somehow I just felt happy with him. That's why I'm confused. I guess you say he is a friend because he's fun to be with."
Sakuno just smiled at his answer but her eyes were clearly expressing jealousy. She folded her hands, a sure sign that she was scared. She was in conflict with her own feelings. She gathered up courage and asked, "Ryoma- kun, is ...is there any chance we could be in a relationship?"
Ryoma was surprised when she asked him. He knew it must have taken a lot of courage to say it. He was silent but answered, "There is no chance. You should know that."
"Oh." She answered sadly. Her face expressed the pain of rejection.
Ryoma continued, "There's no chance for me to be in relationship with anyone else."
Momo's POV
They should die. THEY SHOULD DIE IN MY HANDS! I WILL KILL THEM!
I heard Eiji cried, "Oishi! Help me! Momo is chasing me!"
Oishi replied, "Don't worry I will save you."
That's right. Run, cowards and I will hunt you. I will make you die a slow and painful death.
Eiji yelled, "NOOOO! Momo is killing me! Oishi!"
DIE EIJI! YOU SHALL BE MY FIRST VICTIM!
Oishi cried, "EIJI! NOOOOOOOO!"
THAT'S RIGHT! CRY! CRY FOR HIS DEATH! SHOW ME YOUR SORROW!
Eiji groaned, "Oishi you must go on. Leave me, there's no way that both of us would survive. Let me sacrifice myself."
"No, I cannot do that. We are partners. We stay together and die together." Oishi cried passionately.
I yelled, "DIE!" I gave the Golden Pair the fatal deathblow, detonating their bodies into many bloody fractions.
PLAYER 1 WINS!
Those words kept flashing in the arcade screen, announcing that I had beaten the Golden Pair in the game.
Eiji whined, "ARGH! HOW CAN WE LOSE! OUR GOLDEN PAIR WAS UNBEATABLE!"
Oishi patted his partner's back, "It was a good loss. We will become stronger."
Eiji pouted, "BUT MOMO BEAT US TWO TO ONE!"
I was still playing the arcade games. I continued to shoot dead zombies and virus-infected animals.
Hey, I needed to release some steam and what better way to do that than shooting people to bits and pieces.
I heard Eiji whispered, "Oishi, I know Momo likes to play video games passionately but doesn't he seem more passionate than before?"
Oishi came up to me, "Momoshiro, are you okay?"
I gritted, "Just fine! Senpai!" I began to shoot live humans I was supposed to save from the man-eating zombies.
Eiji sweat-dropped, "Umm, are you sure?" Noticing that I was shooting at a sweet innocent little girl that strangely seemed like Ryuzaki, making bunch of bloody holes all over her little body.
"I'M FINE! NOW LET ME FINISH THIS STAGE!" I kept shooting the plastic electronic gun at the arcade screen.
Oishi suggested to Eiji, "Maybe we should leave him alone for now. Let's go on more rides."
They left me alone, leaving me to shoot more people to bloody fragments.
I played other games to relieve my anger but it only helped a little. I was still furious at Echizen for ignoring me like that.
I ran out of tokens and earned a lot of worthless tickets.
Sigh, oh well, might as well exchange them for some prize.
I went up to the counter and asked them for what kind of prize I could exchange with the tickets.
The worker showed me lot of kid's toys and I waved, "Say, do you have any prize that is not "kid"-like?"
The worker answered, "Well, we do have a cap."
"A cap?" I asked.
The worker took out a white cap from the drawer. I gasped and realized it was the exact copy of Echizen's white cap he always wore except for one thing.
The white cap I was looking at had an "R" on it and the white cap that Echizen had had an "F" on it. (In the anime, Ryoma's cap has a R. In the manga, Ryoma's cap has a F.)
Echizen always wore that cap every time he went out. It was obvious that cap had gone through a lot. His cap looked beaten up, what with the worn- out material and palpable dark stains.
Why did Echizen wear that cap?
I began to wonder but I couldn't find any conclusion because I knew nothing about Echizen's past except that Ryuzaki girl was in it.
Then I noticed a picture behind the worker. On the wall behind the workers were numerous pictures of people who were in the hall of fame for getting high scores and stuff. One of the pictures, I quickly recognized, had Echizen in it with his Fila cap and the same blond guy that I had seen in Echizen's picture in his room. He was smiling as he patted Echizen's cap while Echizen was growling at him.
I asked the worker, "Excuse me, when was that picture taken?" I pointed to the picture of Echizen.
The worker looked at it and shrugged, "I don't really know. I think three years ago."
Three years ago, Echizen had been here with some blond guy I don't know. Maybe, he was here with Ryuzaki too.
I remembered that Echizen mentioned that he had good memories in this place but he also mentioned that the memories were painful.
Echizen, what happened in the past? Why wouldn't you tell me?
Sigh, it must have been good memories for Echizen to ignore me.
Heh. How pathetic, I convinced Echizen to come so that we coud make new memories but Echizen just wants to remember his good times.
The thought of not knowing Echizen's past made me sad because it felt like Echizen didn't trust me or that I'm not worthy enough for him to tell.
"Hoi, do you want this cap?" The worker interrupted my thoughts.
"Sure." I answered quietly as I exchanged the tickets for the cap.
Might as well take it. It was the only thing that is not a toy.
Neutral's POV
"In the end, we didn't find Momo-senpai." Ryoma complained.
Sakuno waved nervously, "Don't worry. I'm sure we will find him."
They were standing in a front of a large water fountain, located in the exact center of the amusement park.
"Are you that worried about him?" Sakuno asked.
"What? Of course not. I'm not worried about that oaf." Ryoma answered coldly but deep inside, he was worried. A LITTLE!
Suddenly streams of water shot off from the fountain, creating a water show with numerous displays.
Sakuno was amazed and pointed, "Look, Ryoma-kun. Isn't it beautiful?"
Ryoma just shrugged and looked bored.
She continued, "I will always remember this place because we have the best memory here. Remember?"
"I don't really remember." Ryoma answered bluntly.
"Eh? Why not? It was such good memory."
"Well I don't care." Ryoma replied coldly but inside, he really remembered.
He thought, "How could I forget this place? The place where all this things started."
The water show was over and Sakuno quickly noticed someone on the other side on the fountain. She yelled to Ryoma, "Ryoma-kun isn't that Momoshiro- senpai?"
Momo's POV
I walked to the center of the park, pondering what would happen now between Echizen and me since I left him.
I wonder if Echizen actually noticed that I was gone.
I sat down on the border of the water fountain, pulling out a white cap out of my pocket.
I wonder if I looked good with the cap like Echizen.
I tried to put the cap on like Echizen would but found out it didn't clashed with spiked hair well.
Hmm, maybe I should wear it like Shishido from Hyotei School.
I suddenly cringed at the mention of Hyotei because it was the same school where Atobe came from.
I shivered. Atobe, I hate that asshole.
"Momo-senpai?" I heard a young voice calling me.
I twisted my head and saw Echizen standing right behind me.
What was he doing here?
I felt happy that I got to see him, but I remembered that I was supposed to be angry at him because he ignored me.
I quickly put the cap back in my pocket and spoke, annoyed, "Look who's here. It's Echizen. What happened? Bored with your girlfriend?"
Echizen looked at me strangely, "If you're talking about Sakuno, she went out to get a drink."
"Why aren't you with her then?" I asked angrily.
Echizen looked at me confusedly. He sat down next to me and responded flatly, "She said that it would be best if I talked to you alone."
I took notice of his tone and replied, "Well, sorry for interrupting your date!"
Echizen looked at me, bewildered and questioned, "A date? What are you talking about?"
"You know what I'm talking about! Why don't you go back and make out with your girlfriend!?"
"Make out? Momo-senpai, you're just being weird."
I became confused with all the questions he was asking me. I asked, "Isn't Ryuzaki your girlfriend?"
Echizen answered right away, "Yeah."
"Don't you want to make out with her?" I asked again.
"Why would I want to make out with my friend?" Echizen answered, clearly annoyed.
"Friend?" I asked again.
"Yeah, Sakuno is a girl and a friend. So she is a girlfriend."
A friend?
She was not his girlfriend?
She was just a friend?
..................................YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!
I felt a huge burden lifted from me. All this time, Ryuzaki was just a friend. They were never a couple in the first place.
I wanted to cheer and celebrate.
But...I couldn't help but be depressed because there was something else.
I sighed and Echizen looked at me, "Something is bothering you, isn't?"
I looked at Echizen and asked seriously, "Echizen, aren't we friends?"
Echizen took heed of my tone and was silent.
I continued, "All this time, I don't' know about your past, your family, and your friends except Ryuzaki. I can't help but wonder about your past because I don't know anything about you at all. I want to know more about you but you wouldn't tell me anything. I talk about my past and my family but you never talk about yours."
Echizen explained, "My past is my past. It is my choice to tell someone or not. The past is not something that I want to talk about."
I countered, "But don't friends tell each other about their pains and happiness and all that stuff?"
Echizen looked at me coldly, "You're just being selfish, Momo-senpai!"
My eyes immediately expressed deep sorrow. Echizen looked at me with a guilty look. I apologized, "I'm...sorry. It's just that I'm afraid."
I averted my eyes away from him, "I'm afraid that I'm not a good friend for you because you don't want to tell me anything about yourself. I thought that you don't trust me or that I'm not good enough. I felt like you only think of me as a roommate or as a stupid senpai. If I'm not a good friend, then I have a feeling that you will forget me when we move on."
Echizen cut in, "You're talking nonsense..."
I interrupted him, "Echizen, do you know that you completely ignored me? I tried to grab your attention so many times but you didn't hear and that really hurts, you know. I should have noticed because ever since Ryuzaki transferred, I've been seeing less of you each time. I thought you were just talking to her like old friends and you were catching up but I realized it was something else. I began to wonder who I am to you. I even said your first name."
"I..."
"You have good memories here, right? That's what I remember from what you told me. I bet that you're remembering the good old times with your friends. Three years ago, you were here with Ryuzaki and that blond guy I saw in your picture. I knew because at the arcade, I saw your picture with him. They must have been better people than me. I bet you're annoyed with me everyday and think that I'm just an idiot. I was happy when you said you miss me few weeks ago but then I bet you're only using me to keep you from being bored."
Suddenly, Echizen smacked me in the head.
I groaned, "Ouch! What did you do that for?!"
Echizen looked at me as if I was stupid. I hated that look, it made me feel inferior.
Echizen spoke, "You're such a complete idiot."
I glared, "Hey! You don't need to rub it in."
Echizen continued, "I just don't get you. One time, you're a cheery and carefree guy and now you're all depressed because of what I think. You keep changing your moods and that makes me confused."
"Well, I..."
"Look," Echizen swallowed his pride for a moment, "I do think of you as annoying and as a distraction but each day I hang out with you, I realize how much fun I had when I was you. I don't think I would forget an idiot like you."
"Echizen..."
"You want to know about me? It's true that I had good memories here but it is painful to remember them."
"Painful?" I asked.
"The blond guy you saw in the picture was Eniwa Ryoki."
Hey, wasn't that the same name he used during the Halloween party when he disguised as a girl?
"Eniwa, Sakuno, and I were best friends in America. We came to Japan three years ago and came to this park. I had lot of fun being with them but...Eniwa did something that I would never forgive him for."
I was speechless as Echizen was telling me all this.
He continued, "It was painful to come here because my memories involved him and I don't want to remember that bastard. It is true that I had fun in the past but three years ago, everything changed. I'm sorry that I ignored you. It's just that I felt confused because these happy memories involve the person I hate the most."
I looked at him with guilt. This was the first time he'd ever opened up to me. I felt bad because I felt like I forced him to do it.
I spoke, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring it up."
Echizen shrugged, "Nah, it's alright. It actually felt nice to talk about it with someone." He smiled.
I blushed when he smiled like that. That smile brought warm comfortable feelings that lifted all my pains from me.
He stood up and complained, "You have to take me to the rides. I haven't had a chance to go on them because I was busy searching for you since you left."
I was surprised, "You were searching for me?"
Echizen looked at me as if I was stupid again, "I wouldn't do it, if we were not friends."
I got up and hugged him. I yelled happily, "You really care for me!"
Echizen was annoyed, "Let me go, idiot!"
I quickly let him go and rubbed the back of my neck out of embarrassment. I grinned cheekily and rubbed the top of his cap, "You know I really care for you a lot."
Echizen brushed my hand aside and muttered, "I already know, Momo-senpai no baka."
I suddenly remembered something. I hastily took out a white cap from my pocket and presented it to Echizen, "Here, Echizen, I thought you might like a brand new cap since that cap looks really old."
Echizen was silent and I felt like I did something wrong, "You don't want it?"
"You know, this cap was from my father." Echizen explained.
I was surprised when he mentioned his father because I remembered that Echizen got angry all the times when I mentioned a word about his father.
I asked, "Is it really important?"
"Just some old memories." Echizen replied.
"Oh, I shouldn't give it to you." I was about to withdraw the cap away but Echizen took it from me.
He removed his old cap and put the cap I gave him on his head. He spoke, "I like this better."
"You do?"
"Yeah, since R is the initial of my first name."
Oh yeah, Echizen's first name was Ryoma.
"Say, Echizen?"
"What?"
"Could I call you Ryoma?"
He was surprised when I make such request. I quickly explained, "Uh, it's just that Ryuzaki calls you by your first name all the time and I felt like I wanted to say it too."
I want to say your name to say how much I really care for you.
Echizen just sighed, "Do whatever you want."
I grinned, "Arigatou, Ryoma."
"Can we go now?" Echizen sound bored as usual.
I was about to leave with him until I remembered something, "Hoi, what about Ryuzaki?"
"Um, you guys can go ahead without me." I heard a feminine voice behind me.
Ryoma greeted, "Sakuno, you're back. How come you didn't have a drink?"
Ryuzaki became embarrassed, "Umm...I fed it to the birds." She came up with a lie.
Somehow, I had a feeling that she was spying on us the entire time.
I asked, "You're sure, you don't want to come?" After hearing everything from Ryoma, I don't hate her anymore. Now I don't have the urge to kill her.
She quickly responded, "No thank you, Momoshiro-senpai. There are some shows I wanted to see, so you can go on without me."
"Alright." Ryoma replied as he was leaving.
I waved her bye and I was about to followed him but Ryuzaki called me.
"Momoshiro-senpai...please takes care of him."
I answered, "Of course, I would take care of him. I'm his friend."
She giggled, "Please do so in the future." Then she left.
I think that her words must have some deeper meaning.
Ryoma called out to me, "Momo-senpai, didn't you say we should have fun and make new memories?"
I smiled, "Yeah, let's make new memories."
TBC
Ponta: HERE YOU GO, A HAPPY ENDING OF THIS CHAPTER FOR THEM!
Momo: Ryoma was never with Sakuno in the first place?! YES!!!!!!!!!!
Ryoma: Thank God.
Ponta: I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION FOR ALL OF YOU! Does Japan have Thanksgiving? I NEED TO KNOW?
Momo: Why do you want Thanksgiving?
Ponta: For my next chapter!
Momo: Why Thanksgiving?
Ponta: Because, it's the holiday to spend time with your "family."
Momo: ...and?
Ponta: You'll see in the next chapter. Again, the usual apologies and please read and reviews. I deeply appreciated it. THANK YOU FOR READING!
OH YEAH I FORGOT!
Eniwa Ryoki! MY OWN ORIGINAL CHARACTER THAT WILL SOON HAVE AN IMPORTANT PART OF THIS STORY!
If you're wondering what he look like, um, imagine Seifer from Final Fantasy 8 except he's little shorter and has no scar. Instead of cold look, he has a nice, cheerful look. He does not wear Seifer's clothes. He only wore normal everyday clothes.
Momo: Why Seifer?
Ponta: Because he's the perfect example!
Ryoma: Hmm, he seemed interesting.
Momo: WHAT!?
Ryoma: He does look better than you.
Momo: ................ :: faints ::
