Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Prince of Tennis!
...
...
Seiichi fisted his hands and worked to keep his emotions from showing on his face. He felt a stab of guilt as he took in the pain that flickered on Hari's face before she pushed it away and get back up. He felt relief that she got up, but he almost wished that she wouldn't.
That way she wouldn't have to play against Kirihara anymore.
Looking at Kirihara, he knew he was pushed over into his bloodshot mode, and that was bad.
How was he supposed to just sit here and watch this?
Could he really do that?
Was it right?
There wasn't a rule that said that you couldn't aim at your opponent, so Seiichi knew he couldn't really say that Kirihara was forbidden from doing so. He had just hoped…
He was naïve… he sighed. He had hoped that since Kirihara knew Hari, since he liked her, that he would be able to control himself…
Stupid, he was too naïve… and Hari was paying for it.
...
Ryoma frowned as he watched Hari walk back to the baseline.
"Will Hari-chan be all right?" Kawamura worried.
"She's walking, so it's not a major injury, but…" Inui said.
"She might be pushing herself," Oishi said, concerned.
"And we all know she's more than likely to do that," Kikumaru frowned. "That Kirihara…!"
Ryoma hated to see her hurt, and he wished he could tell her to stop playing, but he knew better. She wouldn't listen.
...
"Ouch," Ryoga frowned. "That had to hurt…"
Sirius let out a low whine that turned into a growl as he looked down at Hari. How hurt was she? He wanted to go and bite the idiot who hurt her…
"Is she okay?" Minoru asked.
"Looks like she's fine for now," Ryoga said, his voice worried.
...
Saeki felt his eye twitch as he took in the hit Hari took to her knee. She must be feeling that. There was no way that she was completely fine after being hit close-range like that.
"That was not fair-play!" Aoi exclaimed.
"No, it wasn't," Kurobane agreed.
"He's a scary one," Saeki said looking over at Kirihara. "I can see why he's feared by so many."
...
He was forcing her to run from side to side. Hari knew that, but what choice did she have?
She had lost some power to her serves, and he returned it more easily now. She gritted her teeth as she felt her knee throb as she was forced to run on it. Suddenly the ball was closer to the net, and she reacted without thinking and returned the ball only to suddenly feel the same pain as another ball hit the same knee and she crumbled to the ground.
She couldn't stop the pained groan from escaping as she reached out to grab her knee. She gritted her teeth to stop the next pained groan from escaping. It felt like electric waves shooting up from her knee and through her entire body.
Gritting her teeth, she pushed up into a sitting position, careful not to move her knee too much, just yet. She wondered if anything was torn. She bit back the grimace she felt near to slipping out as she poked at her knee. It was kind of red looking, but that was probably to be expected at this point. Some skin was broken too, and a small drop of blood smeared out against the skin.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Kirihara said insincerely, "I hit the same knee."
She looked up at him and saw the red eyes and cold look on his face. Just how could he change that much? Was it really the same person she had met earlier? The same boy who joked and looked so cheerful with Seiichi and his team?
"Are you all right, Echizen?" the referee asked, concerned.
"Sure," Hari said with a forced smile. She ignored the worried look he had as he watched her getting to her knee and she waved off Ryuzaki who looked ready to enter the court. She blanked her face as she looked at Kirihara before she smiled, visibly startling the other boy. "I'm fine. Let's continue."
She would show him! She wasn't going to let him stop her!
...
Keigo gritted his teeth as he watched Hari. She kept playing, though. He knew she would, but also wished that she wouldn't. He ignored the shocked and horrified murmurs from his team as they discussed what had happened.
Keigo knew that no matter what Kirihara said, that this wasn't an accident. Kirihara had deliberately gone for her knee.
Keigo felt… a sense of guilt, remembering his match against Tezuka. Was this like this one? Was he like Kirihara? No… he didn't want to think so, but… He frowned.
...
"That bastard," Ryoma muttered with a glare and Momoshiro glanced down at Ryoma and saw the dark look on his face. He almost blinked because he had not seen that look on Ryoma's face before. It was beyond anger.
"She's planning on continuing," Momoshiro said concerned knowing that they probably should stop her, but how? She would not back down, and they would lose if she did. So, he was sure that she would keep playing just because of that.
"Hari-chan…" Sakuno looked worried and was clutching her hands together so hard that her knuckles turned white.
...
Nanjiro had snuck out of the house in order to come and watch Hari and Ryoma play. He wanted to see how they fared in the final of the Kanto Tournament. Disguised with a pair of sunglasses and a facemask, he pretended to be selling sodas as he reached the stands around the court the matches would take place.
He was late, so he blinked when he noticed the sombre atmosphere as the spectators stared down at the court.
"Eh? What's happening?" he murmured to himself as he reached the top step and looked down. He frowned when he saw Hari sitting on the court with a hand clutching her knee. She looked like she was hiding pain.
His girl was in pain? What had happened?
"To think he hit her knee again," a boy close by said.
"Do you think it was on purpose?" another one asked.
"Cruel…"
Nanjiro looked over at the boy who was standing by the net looking at Hari with a cold look on his face and narrowed his eyes. By one look he could tell that the boy had some talent in tennis, but he was rough. Too rough…
He looked back at Hari as she got back to her feet and he hummed thoughtfully as he took in her determination. He stopped himself from running down to check on her and folded his arms over his chest instead as he watched.
...
Sanada looked over at Seiichi and saw the unnatural stillness that had settled over him as he watched Hari. To Sanada, it looked like he was keeping himself in place so he wouldn't run out onto the court. Sanada wasn't sure if he would go after Kirihara for hurting Hari or go to Hari to help her.
He couldn't blame him, exactly. He knew that this must be very difficult for Seiichi. He was suddenly in a very tough position that had him questioning his loyalties. Loyalties to his team and to his girlfriend… a girlfriend who was touching her knee cautiously, and Sanada could tell even from a distance were turning red.
Kirihara really was pushing it… Sanada would admit that. He didn't particularly like it, but he would not say anything. Not yet.
...
An looked worriedly down at the court.
She didn't enjoy seeing Hari play like this… the worry she felt pushed away the anger she had felt toward the other girl. Just because she was angry didn't mean that she wanted Hari to get hurt like this. It was the last thing she wanted. She just wanted her to admit that Rikkai Dai wasn't such a great team like everyone thought they were.
Just then her phone rang, and she picked it up.
"Hello?"
"An," Tachibana said. "I was just wondering how the match went."
"Hari-chan is playing Kirihara now," An said.
"Hari-chan is?" Tachibana asked surprised. "I thought Fuji would be the one…"
"Mm," An said sadly and winced as she saw Hari stumble slightly as she failed to return another ball.
"An? What's wrong?" Tachibana asked.
"He hurt her knee," An said. "He hit two balls at her knee and she's struggling but refusing to give up."
"Her knee?!" Tachibana repeated worried before the phone went quiet.
"Nii-chan?" An blinked. "Eh? He hung up…"
Kamio glanced at her, "he's on his way here now, I'm sure."
An frowned.
...
2 – 1 : Game Rikkai Dai!
...
Kirihara glared over at Hari.
She had gotten farther than he had thought she would… she was a worthy challenger and strong. He felt his blood rush through him as excitement filled him. He could play… he would show real power.
He would defeat the one in front of him and prove that he was stronger! That he was the best! He would show her the best game he could offer. She deserved it.
He would end it.
She would see he was stronger.
He would defeat this new worthy opponent and he would feel his blood rush in excitement and thrill. He could already feel it building up inside of him. The feeling he got when he defeated someone strong. Someone worthy.
She was worthy!
He pressed the ball between his fingers and prepared the next serve.
...
Seiichi saw the serve Kirihara prepared and got to his feet with his hands fisted as he stared at Kirihara.
"Stop it!" He yelled.
"Knuckle Serve?" Nio exclaimed shocked.
"Stop that," Seiichi repeated. "That serve is dangerous! Do you plan on crushing her?!"
Seiichi could barely keep the anger out of his voice. Something snapped inside of him as he saw the serve Kirihara planned on using… how could he remain calm when his insides felt like they were being torn in two?
...
Ryoma looked over at Seiichi from the Seigaku side of the court and frowned slightly as he saw the worry on Seiichi's face and glare directed at his own teammate. What was going on?
"What's this?" Fuji murmured. "If Yukimura reacts like that…"
Ryoma couldn't help but feel fear. He hated it.
...
Kirihara either didn't hear Seiichi or ignored him as he performed the serve, giving the ball a more powerful twist or spin than his twist serve.
"No one knows how the ball will bounce other than me!" Kirihara yelled.
The ball came fast and Hari could barely pick it out as it wavered in the air close to her before bouncing at the ground and suddenly shot up toward her from an angle she would have declared impossible.
It was going to hit her…
She reacted by instinct and pulled back ever so slightly, but it was too late and the ball hit her, making her fall back again. She was getting really tired of falling over in this game…
...
Hari… Seiichi felt his legs threaten to give out from underneath him and he forced himself to remain standing where he was. She wasn't moving….
Move… please… just move… he pleaded in his mind.
...
Ryoma had gripped the fence half-wall in front of him and kept himself grounded on the spot and a hand was resting on his shoulder either in comfort or restraint he wasn't sure but didn't really care at the moment as he stared at his sister.
...
Ryoga was fisting his hands as he watched. He heard the growl from the dog and almost let go of him, but didn't. Move, Hari, Ryoga thought.
...
Nanjiro moved without conscious thought until he reached the bottom of the steps and the half-wall that separated the stands from the court as his eyes were on his girl lying on the court. He gripped the wall and forced himself to remain standing where he was as he looked at the girl who was his daughter.
Come on, Hari-chan, move… He pleaded in his mind.
...
An stared shocked and horrified on the court… this wasn't happening… not again… not Hari…
...
Keigo gritted his teeth as he stared at Hari, willing her to move. She would get up… he knew she would. She would get up, and then she would prove to that little imp that she was stronger! He fisted his hands as he willed her to move.
...
Yuta watched quietly and felt worried about the girl who had helped him so much. She was someone who saw him and he didn't want to see her hurt… and by someone on her boyfriend's team. That shouldn't happen. He felt anger fill him as he glared over at the bench and didn't really care that her boyfriend seemed worried… he still allowed Kirihara to play…
...
Saeki gritted his teeth. He had hoped that he wouldn't be right about what kind of match this turned out to be. He didn't like seeing this. Hari had been doing so well, and now she was struggling because of unfair play and roughness that was just barely within the rules. He didn't care that it could be defended and that it was technically within the rules because this wasn't okay. This was way past the line of fair play, and Saeki hated this kind of tennis…
...
Hari blinked as she felt someone shake her shoulder. She wanted to ask them to stop because it hurt her head. She groaned softly and registered that the referee was talking.
"… okay? Medics!" the tail words of his string of questions registered with her now.
"No…" she gritted out. "I'm fine."
She pushed herself up in a sitting position and reached up to touch her head. She had managed to move a little just in time and the ball hadn't hit her as hard as it was intended. She still felt a little groggy and her chin slash jaw hurt, but at least he hadn't hit her in the temple. That would have been bad.
It kind of hurt to talk, though, and she could feel the blood in her mouth. She leaned to the side and spat it out.
"You sure?" The referee asked.
"Yes," Hari said, getting to her feet again.
"Hari-chan?" Ryuzaki looked concerned. "Maybe we should…"
"No," Hari protested. "I'm fine, coach! This is nothing."
Ryuzaki frowned at her and Hari could see that she was trying to see if Hari was lying (she wasn't… not really) before she sighed.
"Please, let us continue," Ryuzaki said looking at the referee. It kind of looked like she was doing it despite her better judgement.
The referee looked between them and nodded slowly.
"If you're sure," he said.
"I am," Hari said, nodding. "I'm fine."
...
"Sorry," Kirihara said. "Actually, even I don't know where the ball will bounce…"
Hari looked over at him with a calculating look. She noticed Seiichi standing by the bench looking pale and she felt a spark of worry for him.
"Sure," she said calmly. "Just an accident, right?"
"Right," Kirihara agreed.
...
4 – 2 : Game Rikkai Dai!
...
Hari inhaled deeply, trying to calm down. She knew she would be in for a rough match. She had known that from the start. The pain was easily ignored, and her mind cleared.
She ran, knowing that he had again gone for a long rally. Her knee was protesting it but she ignored it. She wasn't going to let this end like this.
She would find a way to get out of it.
There had to be a way.
...
Hari breathed harder as she felt her knee give out under her and she fell forward with her knee hitting the ground while the other supported her. She closed her eyes as she remembered her friends and how much this match meant.
But she also had a feeling that this would mean a lot for Seiichi and his team… she had seen the panicked look on Seiichi's face earlier and she didn't like it. He wasn't meant to have that look on his face.
Kirihara was the reason. The way he played wasn't proper, and it only created pain.
Pain… she inhaled as she looked up and saw Kirihara looking back at her with those red eyes and she could tell that he was hurting too. Did anyone else see that?
But she also felt angry. Angry that he had created that look of panic on Seiichi's face, that he had caused Seiichi to doubt himself… doubt his tennis. She could see it. By just one look at her boyfriend's face.
And the pain Kirihara had caused Tachibana and An, and the rest of their team… it wasn't right. That kind of tennis was something she hated.
She would stop it.
...
"Oh," Ryoma said looking at her. "She seems to have made up her mind now."
"Eh?" Oishi asked.
"She's up to something," Ryoma said. "That's new determination in her eyes now."
"What do you mean, Ochibi?" Kikumaru asked.
Ryoma didn't answer, but he relaxed slightly as he smiled.
...
Seiichi had managed to blank his face back into a calm mask, but his insides felt like they were on fire. To sit back and watch this match was proving to be a bigger challenge than he had imagined. How could he have imagined something like this? His logical mind told him he had to sit by and watch how it turned out, that it was his duty as the Rikkai Dai's captain and coach… but what kind of captain was he to allow this?
He felt like the worst, and he hated it. He hated this helplessness he felt, and how he couldn't do anything for Hari.
I am not so naïve to think everyone plays the same or that to use certain things to your advantage in a match is wrong. I don't think that but… to deliberately injure someone… I don't like it. It's not fair play.
Hari's words echoed in his mind as he watched the game. He couldn't stop the words from their fight over Kirihara from coming back to him now. Almost mocking him.
"Akaya is a good guy. He's just… aggressive," Seiichi said.
"Aggressive? That was not just aggressive, Sei-chan," Hari had answered.
"You don't have to understand, but Akaya is my teammate and my friend. He has supported me through my sickness and really works hard. He does go too far at times and we try to keep him in line, but it's not easy. You don't know everything he struggles with," Seiichi said.
"That doesn't make it right," her voice almost pleading.
"It doesn't mean that others have the right to judge him either," he said.
He had defended him. Was this how everyone felt when they watched Kirihara play one of their friends? Was this how Fudomine had felt? Maybe he had been too dismissive of their pain... How could he defend Kirihara now? Did he even want to?
That was a question he wasn't sure how to answer because every time he saw Hari show a flicker of pain (even if she did remarkably well in hiding it) he felt a rush of anger toward Kirihara go through him.
Anger he knew was over his personal feelings and not because of his role as captain and coach.
It was all very confusing.
...
Hari returned one of Kirihara's knuckle serves as it came directed at her face again. She had figured it out a while ago and had started to return it. Since it was always directed at her face, it was easy to know where it was going.
She used more power as she returned the ball and when he tried to return it to the baseline again, she jumped up using her speed and power to get high enough and much like her Phoenix Rising smashed the ball down at the court next to Kirihara before the ball shot back up toward his face.
...
"Eh?"
"What was that?" Horio gasped.
"Was that… a twist shot?" Kikumaru blinked.
"Oh," Fuji smiled. "When did she learn that?"
Ryoma smirked. "Interesting."
...
15 – 0 : Seigaku
...
"I need something new," Hari said.
"Like what?" Fuji asked, looking at her.
"Something that can change the course of a game," Hari explained. "I only have the Phoenix Rising… I need something else."
Fuji was looking at her for a moment.
"I suppose I can teach you something…" he said, and she blinked at him.
"What?" she asked eagerly.
He smiled before he opened his eyes, revealing mischievous blue eyes.
...
Hari looked over at Fuji, who smiled at her. He nodded.
She had to try it.
She wasn't sure if she could do it, but she wanted to try. It was the best chance she had, and Fuji had given her the signal that he thought it was time.
She inhaled deeply.
...
Stunned silence fell over the Seigaku players as they stared at Hari. Who had just… did she just? What was that?
"Good girl," Fuji smiled.
"Eh? Fuji?" Momoshiro looked away from Hari and over at Fuji.
"Did Hari-chan just do your disappearing shot?" Oishi asked, surprised.
Fuji smiled. "I taught her."
...
Nanjiro hummed before he smiled.
"That's it," he murmured. "Good girl."
He had relaxed as he leaned against the wall to the side of the stands and watched. His heart beating at a more normal rhythm now as she was playing normally again.
...
Ryuzaki rolled her eyes as she spotted Nanjiro standing to the side of the stands watching Hari. He had tried to disguise himself again; she noticed. She wondered if he realised that a pair of sunglasses and a facemask wouldn't hide who he was.
Ryoma groaned as he spotted his dad. Seriously… why was he so embarrassing?
...
Seiichi blinked surprised when he saw the ball disappear just as it was on its way toward Kirihara making the other boy unable to return the ball because suddenly it was behind him.
When had Hari learned that?
It was normally a serve, and Seiichi thought it was only Fuji on Seigaku who knew how to use it. He glanced over at Fuji and saw the smile and he realised that Fuji must have taught it to her. But instead of using it as a serve she had taken it and made it a regular shot.
Just like she had turned her Phoenix Rising into a regular shot as well and not only to be used after her serve.
Something inside of him lightened slightly even as his heavier thoughts still lingered and refused to let go, but she looked to be all right for now and he needed to keep focused.
At least for now.
...
40 – 0 : Seigaku
...
Hari approached the net startling Kirihara who hadn't thought she would do that, and he was unable to return the ball when she used a passing shot to get the ball over him unable to reach it.
"Great shot," Inoue commented.
"What was it?" Sakuno asked.
"A passing shot," Inoue explained. "It's the kind of shot that puts a lot of pressure on you because if it can force the player to take out too much. She could be forced to run much more if he returns it and puts pressure back on her. Kirihara is now under pressure and also feeling demoralized by the net because she lured him to come to the net when the ball ended up going over him and to the baseline instead."
"I see," Sakuno said.
...
4 – 3 : Game Seigaku!
...
"She finally took a game again!" Horio, Kachiro and Mizuno cheered.
"She's back!" Tomoka cheered loudly. "Go, Hari-chan!"
Kawamura waved his flag as he cheered as well and inspired the rest of the club that was there to keep cheering. They started to believe again that this could go their way!
...
Hari continued to put pressure on Kirihara, who struggled more to keep up with her speed and fast reflexes. It was like suddenly she could turn and reach the balls he got past her before and she didn't flinch as he directed his balls toward her body.
Instead… he couldn't help but feel something new start to build inside of him as he took in the glaring green eyes, a lot like his own but even greener, and the squared shoulders as she played.
It felt like gravity. She was pulling at him… dragging him through the game and he felt lost.
What was going on?
...
30 – 15 : Seigaku
...
Hari was breathing harder, and she felt her knee throb and ache, but she ignored it just as she did the throbbing chin/jaw and resisted the urge to reach up to touch her chin to feel the damage done. She knew she would have and probably got a bruise on the side of her face.
She dried the sweat off her brow with the back of her hand before she served the next ball.
He returned it and they rallied back and forth again. She broke free from the baseline and jumped up to meet the ball that came through the air. She noticed how the wind had picked up and with a lingering move she managed to twist the ball against her racket and add more spin to it before she hit it as hard as she could and it sped toward Kirihara or the ground close to him.
He backed away with wide eyes as he stared at the ball.
Hari felt her eyes widen when she realised that it would hit him .
Shit, she hadn't meant for him to…
He fell back as the ball hit his thigh before bouncing off the court.
...
Seiichi looked from Hari to Kirihara and saw the wide eyes on his player. He was staring over at Hari with fear? Did he really feel fear?
"It was an accident," Sanada commented from behind him.
"I know," Seiichi said quietly. "If he hadn't moved, the ball would have gone past him instead."
Sanada nodded, "but I don't think Kirihara will see it that way."
Seiichi nodded again. "I know."
He looked at Hari and saw the flash of worry on her face as she looked at Kirihara. How could she feel worried for him? Seiichi didn't know what to think… how was it possible for her to feel concerned for the one who had purposely hurt her like that? And the guilty look in her eyes threw him as well… did she really feel guilty for hitting him when it clearly was an accident?
...
"I'm sorry, Kirihara-kun," Hari said.
He blinked, coming back to himself, and got up as he brushed his shorts with a hand while eying her warily. She looked calm but her eyes still looked at him fiercely and he could feel her judging him. It was like she saw through him and he felt… vulnerable.
Was this how his opponents felt when he played them? This wary and scared feeling? He couldn't even say what he felt scared of… was it her? Or was it that look in her eyes that seemed to scream at him and told him it saw straight through him?
...
4 – 4 : Game Seigaku!
...
Ryoga smiled as he watched Hari continued to play and do what she did best. Refuse to give up. She pushed herself forward and approached the net again and hit the ball over Kirihara, who looked more and more flustered as the game continued.
If Hari kept this up, she would soon win this.
"Good," he said. He had hated seeing her hurt, he knew she must be in pain and was playing despite of it. He wanted to kick that little bugger's arse, but he knew he couldn't.
At least not yet… he shook his head to get rid of the images of him teaching the little brat a lesson; you did not mess with Ryoga's little sister!
...
"She's turning this around," Tachibana commented from behind An who spun around to look at her brother.
"Nii-chan!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see Hari-chan's match," Tachibana said.
"She's doing very well," Kamio nodded.
"Her knee?" Tachibana asked, concerned.
"I'm sure it hurts," Mori said. "But she's not really showing it."
"Maybe it's not as badly injured as it seemed," Ishida said hopefully.
Ibu nodded in agreement.
"I see," Tachibana said. "Well, looks like she's about to take the game."
...
5 – 4 : Game Seigaku!
...
An looked back at Hari and saw how she was breathing harder but refused to back down. She was taking a drink from the bottle Ryuzaki had handed her and seemed to be reassuring her coach about something. Probably that she was all right and could continue to play.
An wasn't sure what to feel…
"How can she keep doing this?" she whispered.
"An?" Tachibana looked at her.
"Hari-chan… why does she keep playing like this?" An asked. "You too… why did you push yourself like that against him? He's a monster! Just look at him!"
Tachibana looked back at the court and his eyes lingered first on Kirihara before he looked over at Hari.
"Because she loves the game," Tachibana said.
An blinked. "Loves the game?"
"Don't you see it?" Tachibana asked. "Look at her, An-chan. Don't you see how much she cares? How she is fighting to keep going? Do you think she would do that if she didn't love the game?"
"No…" An said dragging the word out. "But…"
"I would say that she's fighting for more than just herself," Tachibana said. "She's fighting for her team, for us… for Kirihara, even."
"What?" An blinked, shocked. "Why for him?"
Tachibana shrugged.
"I don't agree with his tennis style," he said. "I hate it, in fact. But, don't you think it's sad that someone who has the talent that he does uses it like this? Why would he feel the need to use his tennis only to breed hate and resentment? Don't you think that's a waste?"
An stared at her brother and then looked back at the court.
"You know… Hari-chan is a very compassionate person," Tachibana said. "Her understanding of someone can be really something. The way she is able to forgive… it's amazing."
"What are you talking about?" Kamio asked.
"Hari-chan came to see me," Tachibana said.
"Eh? Hari-chan did?" An asked.
Tachibana nodded.
...
"Hey, Tachi-kun," a voice said and Tachibana looked up from the book he was reading and saw Hari standing there leaning against the doorframe. A smile was playing on her lips even as her eyes were concerned. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm well, Hari-chan," Tachibana smiled, closing the book. "Come in."
She did and sat down on the edge of the bed, looking at him.
"Your knee?"
"It's doing better," he said.
"Good," she smiled. "I'm sure An-chan is relieved."
He nodded and saw her smile again. He knew that An was being unreasonable and was blaming Hari for something that wasn't her fault. He just didn't know what to say or do about it.
"About An-chan…" he started, but she waved him off.
"It's fine," she said. "You don't have to say anything, I know what she feels. If Ryo-chan had gotten hurt like that, I probably would have felt the same."
He blinked at her. "Okay."
"I just wanted to check in on you," she said. "I know we don't really know each other that well, but I wanted to see you before the match tomorrow."
"You're ready for the match?" he asked.
"Yes," she nodded. "Don't know who I'll play yet, or if I'm going to play, but we're ready."
"I hope you win," Tachibana admitted.
She smiled at him, "thanks."
"I know Momoshiro promised An-chan that you'll crush Rikkai Dai for us," Tachibana said looking at her curiously. "You won't have a problem with that?"
"Why would I?" Hari arched a brow at him. "Sei-chan being on the team doesn't change the fact that they're our opponents tomorrow, Tachi-kun. Besides, I kind of want to show Kirihara-kun that there's more to tennis than fear."
Tachibana frowned slightly, and she gave him a searching look.
"You blame him for your injury?" Hari asked.
He shrugged. But the answer was yes. She nodded like she knew what he was thinking.
"Well, I can understand that," she said. "He crossed a line when he played you. I don't like the way he plays tennis… I even had a fight with Sei-chan over it."
Tachibana looked at her, startled.
"What? You think I can't fight with my boyfriend?" she asked, a teasing note to her voice.
"No… I was just…" he wasn't sure what to say.
She laughed and nodded, "I know. I can understand you blaming him for your injury, and you're right. The way he played pushed your injury to get worse, but… don't you think that you had a choice in it too? You could have given up?"
"No," he said immediately. "That wasn't an option."
She nodded, "I know. I hate the way he plays, but I feel sorry for him too."
"Why?" he couldn't help but ask.
She pushed herself off the bed and pushed her hands into her pocket as she turned to look at him.
"Because he feels like tennis is the only thing that proves he's worthy," Hari said. "Bringing powerful players down is his way of feeling worthy and that's… that's just sad."
...
"Kippei-nii?" An's voice brought him out of his thoughts and he blinked.
"Sorry," he said.
"When did she come to see you?" An asked.
"Yesterday evening," he said. "After you had gone home."
"Oh," An said. "What did she want?"
"Just checking in, or so she said," he answered without going into detail. He had thought a lot about what she had said and found that he could agree with her. "You should talk to her, An-chan."
An looked away, "she won't want to."
"Of course she would," Tachibana said, smiling softly at her. "Apologize and she'll listen."
An frowned slightly but nodded. She knew that she had to and watching Hari play against Kirihara… it had made the last feelings of anger slip away and all she was left with was feelings of guilt. She really should have known better than to blame Hari… why had she even thought Hari was at fault?
And… it didn't look like her boyfriend was as unfeeling as she had thought either… he had looked rather upset earlier.
...
6 – 4 : Game Seigaku! – End!
...
Hari fell to the court with a relieved smile on her face.
She had done it! She had won! It was unbelievable… her breathing was harder than normal and she felt clammy with sweat… all in all, gross. But she didn't really care. She heard the cheering from her friends and the crowd.
"You okay?" Ryuzaki was looking down at her, but she was smiling.
"I'm fine," she said, grinning tiredly up at her. "Just… tired."
Ryuzaki nodded and reached out to help her back to her feet. Hari looked over at Kirihara, who was standing where he had been when she had gotten that last ball past him. He looked shocked.
"One moment," she told Ryuzaki, who paused and nodded.
Hari walked with a slight limp. She couldn't hide it now as the adrenaline was about to leave her body and she was starting to really feel the effects of this match.
"Kirihara-kun," Hari said, and he looked at her with almost fearful eyes.
"Hari-chan," he said.
"Thank you for the match," she said, holding out her hand.
He stared at it before looking up to meet her eyes again.
"You…"
"Look, you're not a bad person," Hari said. "You just… you shouldn't use tennis to spread hate and resentment, Kirihara-kun. You're talented and strong, and I know I will struggle to beat you again. You have a lot going for you, but the way you use tennis… I don't like it."
He looked away, and she noticed his hands clenched to his side.
"I look forward to seeing you play at your full strength because you truly love the game," Hari said. "I'm sure you'll find your limits soon."
She turned to walk away and glanced over at Seiichi who was still on the bench, but he wasn't looking at her… she frowned slightly. Why wasn't he looking at her? She frowned as she walked over to her team and was immediately hugged and congratulated on the win before being pushed down to sit on the bench and Oishi started to look at her knee.
She winced slightly as he poked at it and when Ryuzaki joined in as well.
"That looks painful," Sakuno worried as she looked at Hari's chin/jaw.
"It's fine," Hari said, glancing up at the younger girl. "Just a little bruised."
"You probably should have the knee looked at by a doctor," Oishi said, "but I don't think anything broken."
Hari nodded, "I will after Ryo-chan's match."
Fuji frowned at her but nodded, "I guess I wouldn't expect you not staying to watch him play."
"Of course not," Hari smiled.
...
Yoshida came with some ice for her and she held it up against her chin when the other girl gave her a look. Hari rolled her eyes but did as told and didn't protest when Oishi wrapped a bandage around her knee. She didn't think it was necessary but thought it best to not argue, knowing that they just showed that they cared through their fussing. It made her feel cared for.
"Thanks," she said shyly.
"Don't mention it," Oishi smiled at her.
Hari smiled back, still shy and unsure about the care they showed her. It wasn't the first time, but every time they did it threw her a little. To see the care was enough to make her feel like her throat was clogging up and eyes burning. She pushed it back again and smiled instead. Maybe she could start to believe that they would do this for her just like would for them… She noticed that even though the others stayed back, it was more because Oishi had taken the role as a mother-hen and fussed over her and Fuji had taken the other side and Ryoma was close by (but he was her brother) and the surrounding area was full. Otherwise, she had a feeling they all would be crowding her to fuss.
"Here, Hari-chan," Horio said, holding out a bottle of chilly water. "We got you something to drink!"
"Thank you," Hari said, feeling a loss for words.
"You're welcome! We got it from the man in the facemask over there!" Horio grinned as he pointed over his shoulder. "You played really well! It was awesome!"
"Yeah!" Kachiro and Mizuno agreed, nodding beside their friend.
"Thanks," she smiled as she looked over Horio's shoulder to look at the man who had given it to them before she blinked and then sighed. Of course… he would be here and dressed like that. She glanced at Ryoma and saw that he too was scowling at their dad, who was being overly loud as he sold sodas, pretending that he wasn't watching them.
"Great," Ryoma mumbled.
"There," Oishi said, stepping back and bringing her attention back from observing Nanjiro. "I think that will do until we get you to a doctor."
Hari smiled and nodded again. She bit back the thousand-thank-you that wanted to slip out, knowing that she had said it enough but still feeling the need to say it again. She felt warm. She felt at home.
She was happy.
...
Seiichi closed his eyes, trying to keep his breathing under control and his anger. He didn't look at Kirihara, who was being led back to the team by Sanada. Right now Seiichi couldn't look at him.
He couldn't bring himself to look over at Hari.
He didn't deserve to look at her. Not when he was the reason she was hurt… how could he have allowed this? He could hear the cheering from Seigaku and also picked up on some of the conversations and fussing that seemed to be going on around Hari. He picked up some questions, but her replies were too quiet for him to hear.
Unable to stop himself from looking, he glanced over and saw Oishi and their coach looking at her knee while Fuji was sitting beside her with his eyes open for once and looking at her sharply. Probably trying to decide if she was honest in her replies. Seiichi looked at Fuji for a moment and took in the way he was watching Hari… just what did Fuji really feel for Hari? He had never really questioned it before, but they seemed close. Another feeling settled in his stomach and he tried to push it away.
Seiichi felt his eyes drawn to the bruise forming on her cheek and winced. He could feel his nails digging into his palm as he forced himself from looking over at her again, or worse, walking over to see her. She wouldn't want to see him now… he was sure of it.
He shouldn't intrude on her.
...
Sanada was observing Seiichi quietly and while Seiichi looked calm and collected like he always did, Sanada wasn't his best friend for nothing. He had learned how to read him and knew that Seiichi was feeling depressed. It wasn't hard to guess why either, and Sanada withheld a sigh. Having Kirihara play against Hari had probably not been the best idea, but Sanada knew it had to be done and it hadn't entirely been their choice.
He was impressed, though. Hari had actually won. He hadn't expected that, and it looked like she even had managed to get Kirihara to think about some things. He had never seen Kirihara look that quiet and sombre before.
He had told Kirihara to stay away from Seiichi for the moment, though. Right now wouldn't be the best for Seiichi to snap, and knowing Seiichi as he did, he was close to doing so now. Especially when he worried about Hari like this.
He sighed.
Hari didn't look to be angry, though. He had seen her look over at Seiichi and she had looked confused and a little hurt when he hadn't looked at her.
Sanada sighed again. This was complicated, and he had a feeling that he would end up right in the middle of this. Great. Just… great.
But he couldn't focus on that now.
He had a match. He needed to prepare for it because he had a feeling that playing Ryoma would not be like last time. He had grown and Sanada was curious to see just how much.
...
Hari grinned as she watched her little brother standing on the court breathing deeply as he just won the last game and by that settled the match 7 to 5.
A stunned silence spread over the court making everyone there stared at the two players with wide unbelieving eyes. No one was sure what to believe after that match. It had been intense and thrilling.
"Seigaku won…."
"They won…."
"Seigaku….won…"
Stunned whispers went through the crowd as it sinks in.
"We won!" Arai yelled, breaking the spell that seemed to have made them all silent. Hari almost thought someone had put them all under a strong silencing charm.
"Yes!"
Hari laughed as Kikumaru and Momoshiro hugged her before Fuji was there too. She winced slightly as her knee protested the jostling, but she didn't really mind as happiness and elation filled her. Ryoma had won, meaning they had won the Kanto Tournament!
It had been a very intense match that could have gone both ways. Both Sanada and Ryoma had played their best, and Ryoma had grown and developed his play as Sanada pushed him. Sanada had pushed Ryoma hard, and Hari knew that Ryoma hadn't played anyone as strong as Sanada before, well other than Tezuka (not counting Nanjiro).
Who would have thought Ryoma would actually close his eyes during a match like he had when Sanada kept using his impossible serve? It had tired Ryoma's eyes so much that he had just closed them and still returned most of the balls. Just like Nanjiro… Hari smiled.
Or that Sanada would manage to return Ryoma's new move? The move that Kikumaru had named cyclone smash? It was the strongest move Ryoma had developed and worked hard on getting right in the little time from the end of the training camp and until now. It had gotten past Sanada many times and helped Ryoma turn the match around before Sanada came back and returned it.
"You did it!" Hari exclaimed as she hugged Ryoma.
Ryoma grumbled but didn't pull away from her (she knew he liked it) and patted her back.
"Yeah…" he breathed, and she heard the happiness and pride in the soft word.
"I'm so proud!" Hari ginned pulling back and ruffling his hair under his cap, making it almost fall off his head.
"Stop that," Ryoma grumbled, swatting her hand away.
"Nah," she grinned.
...
Seiichi sighed.
They had lost.
He wasn't sure how to feel about that… disappointed, of course, but he felt a lot of other things too and he wasn't sure how to name it. He looked at Sanada who was looking stoic hiding his true emotions but at the same time, Seiichi was sure that Sanada had enjoyed the challenge that Ryoma had presented.
It was unexpected.
He knew that Ryoma was good, of course, he did, but he had thought Sanada would be stronger. Seiichi knew he would look forward to playing against Ryoma himself one day when the doctors would finally give him the all-clear and tell him he could play tennis again.
He itched to play both Ryoma and Hari.
Hari… he swallowed as everything came rushing back again after being dragged into the match and forgetting what had happened in the previous match. He glanced over at her and saw her cheering with her team and now hugging her brother. And her dog was back and barking as he was jumping up and down around her and the team with his tongue sticking out of his mouth.
She looked happy.
He smiled slightly in relief mostly but when she winced and a hand went to her knee; he frowned and looked away again a heavy feeling settling in his chest that had nothing to do with their loss…
"We lost," Mauri said sadly.
"I can't believe it," Nio commented.
"No…" Kirihara cried and Seiichi glanced over at him and saw that he had tears running down his cheeks. He stood up and kicked the half-wall. "NO!"
"Calm down, Akaya," Jackal said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It happens."
"But…"
"Losing means that they are stronger," Sanada said stoically as he had come back to them. "Accept it."
Seiichi looked away from Kirihara without saying anything. He wasn't sure what to say to him or if he wanted to… He pushed the anger away the best he could, not knowing how to handle it.
...
Hari looked over at Seiichi and a frown glided over her face when he looked away the moment she met his eyes. Did he resent her now because they won? Why didn't he look at her? Why did he look away like that?
She wanted to go over and talk to him, but she didn't know how he would welcome her and the way he looked away… she swallowed. Maybe… maybe Ryuzaki had been right in her concern about the two of them being on the opposite teams?
Was he angry at her?
But why would he be? They hadn't done anything other than win?
She looked back at her team and smiled again as their happiness spread back to her and she felt giddy knowing that their hard work had been enough. That they had finally won! She would think about Seiichi later. Right now he was probably just disappointed over the loss. She could understand that, so she wouldn't pressure him right now. She should probably give him some time… yeah, that was what she would do. Give him time…
But not too much time.
...
...
AN: What do you think? XD
The results are in! XD Hehe, well... I hope you're happy with the match(es). It turned out to be quite emotional and will probably affect the next chapter(s) a bit.
It was time-consuming writing the last two chapters that covered the Seigaku vs Rikkai Dai matches. It felt like it took forever to write out and decided how much of the matches I wanted to show. It's always a challenge because I don't want it to be boring with too much match details and it's not always easy to describe the way they play tennis in the anime... but I also don't want it to be difficult to make out what's happening in the match. And then there are the reactions from the people watching and they can be fun and/or important to include as well. I hope the balances is right... I can't really tell. XD
I also decided to not show every single match, it would be too much. I know I have done the same earlier in the story as well, but I felt like commenting on it now. I try to pick out a couple of matches I want to show and focus on that and only give an overview of the other ones. I do try to make some reference to it in some way. Like in this match I decided to focus on Inui's match because his match was the one with the most emotional value because he played his childhood friend. And I felt like having some focus on Inui because he doesn't get to much focus in this story... sorry, but there's a lot of characters and so difficult to give them all the attention they deserve! XD And, of course, on Hari's match.
Next chapter will be more reactions after the win! XD
Thank you for reading and supporting the story! XD I appreciate you all! :) Stay safe and take care! :)
