WINTER HOLIDAY, WINTER TENNIS, WINTER LOVE

Disclaimer: Tennis no Oujisama belongs to Takeshi Konomi.

Written: 23/11/2003 – 1/12/2003

Rewritten: 20/1/2006 – 21/1/2006

Note: this one is only the rewritten version of the last story with the same title. No major difference actually... Just simply revising

Status: Still un beta-ed tho...

Chapter 1 – A Winter Holiday

Ryoma entered the tennis changing room and found the other Seigaku regular members there, gathering in a circle with Oishi who was likely to be the speaker in the center. Silently, Ryoma put his racket bag on the floor near the door and joined them at the back row.

Eiji was the first one who recognized him. He greeted the younger boy with his cheerful tone. "Yo, ochibi! I see you've been coming late so often recently," teased him.

"It's cleaning duty." Ryoma reasoned flatly.

Oishi turned to the new comer and greeted him with a smile. "Konnichiwa, Echizen. Since you came late, I think I need to inform you about what we were talking about before."

"Huh? Nani o? (What is it?)"

"It's nearing winter now and soon we'll be having our holiday. I am planning on something to be spent together. Of course if you don't have your own plan." The vice captain started and continued as Ryoma nodded at him. "There's a Tennis vacation dormitory I found at some hilly area near here. And I'm sure it will be a great place to spend our holiday without neglecting our practicing hours."

"How much it will cost?" Ryoma asked while moving closer to the bench under the window and joined Momo who had sit there first.

"This, you don't have to worry. It is actually my mother's friend's. And in this kind of weather, there won't be many customers. I belief it won't cost us much."

"Connection, eh?" Eiji teased again.

"Yeah," answered Oishi while smiling. "And I'm still trying to get us there free of charge."

This statement was greeted with excited exclaims from Eiji, and Momo.

"If we can really get there without paying, I definitely say I'm in." Eiji said enthusiastically.

"Well, you are in as long as Oishi in, right?" Momo teased then laughed himself. Eiji smacked him on his head as a payback.

"When will we go?" Fuji asked after discussing something with Kawamura who stood beside him, talking something about time schedule and all. "And any estimation about how long will we stay? I think I surely have to at least stay at home for a few days between the entire holidays."

"It won't be too long. Just for a full week I guess." Inui answered. He was examining the brochure of the dorm he got from Oishi together with Kaidoh. "I think I'm coming." Then he turned to Kaidoh.

The mamushi looked at him for a moment before speaking up. "I'm in too."

"Good then. I'm in." Fuji said with his usual smile on his lips. "What about you, Takashi-san?"

"I have nothing to do in particular, so I think I have no problem for coming." Kawamura answered.

"Yooooosh!" Eiji exclaimed, making the others jumped. "How about you, ochibi, Tezuka?"

Ryoma's eyes darted to the other side of the room where his captain stood against the locker. Their eyes unintentionally met and that short eye contact was enough to give Ryoma a silent rushing order to look at another way. "I'm coming." Ryoma answered slowly as he aimed his sight to the floor.

"And you, Tezuka?" now Fuji asked.

"Yes." The taller boy answered with his usual simplicity.

"GREAT! It will be very nice!" Eiji shouted again.

"WHUUAAAAHH... Oishi, this place is really great!" Eiji cried, stretching his hands up and inhaled the cool air as he got out from the bus that brought the members to where the Tennis Vacation Dormitory was. "And it's getting cold here..." he added.

"It's winter, Eiji." Oishi said while lightly laughing. "Winter is supposed to be cold." He pulled his backpack over his shoulder. "Let's get inside and inform them about our arrival. We also have to decide the roommates."

"Roommates?" Ryoma paced himself beside the vice captain and his double-partner, walking inside the entrance of the old building that was almost covered with snow which seemed to be the main building. "For what?"

"The rooms are available for the use of two people only. That's why we have to decide who will sleep with whom." Fuji who suddenly adjusted his steps with Ryoma said.

For something with unknown reason, Ryoma turned back and stared at the big bus parked not too far from them. He found Tezuka was calmly stepped out of the bus, holding his travel bad with his left hand. He looked up and once again their eyes met.

Just like before, a sudden urge to look away hit Ryoma. He didn't really had a reason to do that, but somehow, looking at the captain, simply confirming that he was at a close radius to him made his feeling somehow lighter.

"Where's the tennis court?" Momo asked, joining the group.

"It's at the back yard." Oishi answered then turned to Eiji, continued telling the smaller guy about the buildings behind the one they were heading on. It was clear that it wasn't Oishi's first time being here.

They went inside the entrance and Oishi checked them all in at the reception desk. He finally managed to get five VIP dorm for the team including all other services such as breakfast, lunch, dinner and all access to every facilities that were available free of charged. The receptionist gave him five different keys and explained him where they were located according to the number of the dorm. And as Kaidoh, Inui and Tezuka finally reached the lobby, they gathered around once again.

"Ne minna, let's decide the roommates now!" Eiji opened the conference eagerly. A grin was as usual spread across his face. "I can't wait to see the room."

"Let's just decide it in gambling." Momo suggested. Just like Eiji, he couldn't wait to take a look at the room and rest himself on a mattress.

"Hmm..." Inui opened his notebook, murmuring by himself before turning to the others. "Oishi with Eiji. Set. Let's move on to the next pairing."

"O-OI!" Oishi protested though his face was actually blossomed with pink.

"Agreed!" Momo nearly shouted and Oishi just blushed even deeper.

"That's a great idea." Fuji added with his innocent smiling face.

"Deciding with votes?" Ryoma suggested before the others turned to him. The same questioning looks were sent to him.

"Votes?" Kawamura asked.

"Yeah. Like this. Now is Oishi-sempai's turn and the others just vote for the one who will be his roommate. Every voice will be counted as one, even Oishi-sempai's own." Ryoma explained.

"Oh... it think that's a good idea." Kawamura responded.

"Sounds stupid." Kaidoh spoke up, of course, without real intention to be harsh.

"Well then, it's Oishi's turn now!" Eiji shouted excitedly. "Ma, ma... I choose Fuji!"

"Eiji." Fuji said calmly with a you're-digging-your-own-hole smile.

"Eiji-sempai." Momo said with a grin.

"Ma, I think you fit Oishi perfectly." Kawamura said gently, sending a blush to the monkey-like boy.

"Same here." Ryoma drawled.

"Eiji will be great." Inui said expressionlessly. "They're double partner after all."

"Eiji-sempai," said Kaidoh's husky voice.

Ryoma looked up to a certain brunette who was standing beside Fuji. Ryoma really thought that Tezuka wouldn't say anything and was quite surprised when he heard Tezuka said Eiji's name unhurriedly.

"Now, Eiji-sempai... how about you?" Momo teased.

"Well... I don't mind." He said slowly.

"That means Eiji wins, no matte you choose him or not, Oichi." Kawamura said to a tomato faced Oishi.

"Uhm... Eiji will be fine." The vice captain said very slowly.

"Decided then! Oishi-sempai to Eiji-sempai. Omedetou!" Momo cried out cheerfully.

"You really made them sounded like a newly wed couple, Momo." Fuji commented.

"Ma-ma... it's now..." Oishi quickly changed the topic, "Kaidoh!"

"Eh?" responded the mamushi.

"INUI!" Eiji cried lively.

"Inui?" Oishi questioned to Eiji, looking surprised by the idea of Kaidoh with Inui.

"Yeah! You guys often practiced together, right?" Eiji said, making the sophomore blushed.

"Agreed." Ryoma drawled again.

"Hmmm..." Oishi looked as if he was thinking. "What about Momo?" He suggested.

"Zettai yada!" Momo abruptly said. "Inui!" Kawamura and Tezuka chorused the same name as well.

"Same here. Now, Inui, Kaidoh, what will you say about this?" Fuji asked, teasing the new pairing.

"Whatever," answered the viper.

"Well, decided then." Inui said rather doubtfully while the others grinned naughtily.

"So... who will be next?" Oishi asked. He started to enjoy the game finally.

"Ochibi!" Eiji shrieked.

"Well... Momo-sempai will be great." Ryoma commented. After all, he gets along with Momo a lot. He looked up and his eyes met a pair of hazel eyes, staring at him intently. Those eyes suddenly made Ryoma regret for saying Momo before thinking like that.

"I think so too." Kawamura said.

"What about Tezuka?" Suddenly Fuji said, making all of them especially Ryoma jumped in start. It was clear that the staring Ryoma and Tezuka shared before wasn't something really private.

"Huh?" Eiji frowned. "I think Momo's the best."

Hey... Tezuka will be great too." Oishi said after Eiji. "They both get along quite well." He grinned at Ryoma who looked rather worried than surprised.

"Well, I don't mind sleeping with Echizen." Momo said. He actually didn't really mind sleeping with anybody.

"Tezuka-buchou." Kaidoh said. Absolutely, he wouldn't vote for what Momo wants.

"Tezuka wa ii yo." Inui commented. "I always think they both are quite alike in some ways." Then he looked up to the others. "And despite all of that, they may be cute together." He said with a grin.

"Waaa... same count here if I'm not mistaken." Eiji said.

"Now it's all up to you, Tezuka." Fuji said solemnly.

And they waited. All of them waited for Tezuka to speak. His voice, after all, was the one that would decide the pair. There was a few seconds of silence while the captain seemed to be considering something. And for that certain few seconds, Ryoma just couldn't tell how he actually feel.

Ryoma could fell again, Tezuka's eyes were looking at him, as if waiting for the shorter boy to give any clue about what he really wanted despite all this voting things. Ryoma only glanced at him once. For him, it was really up to Tezuka.

"Echizen." Tezuka finally said. And somehow, Ryoma felt it was something he actually expects to come from the older boy after looking at those eyes. He wasn't surprised by this. What he was surprised by was how this seemed to be... what supposed to be.

"Well, decided then." Momo said. As a matter of fact, he was a bit disappointed by the outcome. But he decided not to think about it too much. "Now let's move to the next pair."

At the end of the small conference, it was decided that Momo slept with Fuji and Kawamura had one room full for himself. They all separated to their own rooms to get some rest after their journey to that place.

And after all of the other members left, leaving only Ryoma and Tezuka alone at the lobby, Ryoma couldn't help to feel a bit nervous.

They stayed in silence. Silence seemed to be one of the kind of ways Tezuka and Ryoma communicate.

"Echizen. You may change..."

"No. It's fine." Ryoma abruptly cut Tezuka's word, knowing that he was about to ask Ryoma to switch partner. It was true that he was feeling a bit uncomfortable at the moment, but he definitely not wanting to switch with anyone. Not when he had to leave a chance to share a room with Tezuka. In general, he could say that, this was what he actually wanted, despite all of the feelings he felt.

As they stepped inside their room, and hearing the click voice of the door as Tezuka closed it, leaving both of them in a very private place, Ryoma felt his heart beat slightly faster that usual.

This is going to be a long holiday...

To be continued
Pewe's notes:

Hello there... Here goes the rewritten version of "Winter Holiday, Winter Tennis, Winter Love." I know it's a little bit different than the first version because, just like what I said before, I completely rewrote it. There's no change in the plot, but there will be a lot of change in the writing itself.

I do hope you enjoy this version as much as you enjoy the last.

Reviews are always expected...