Cha-purrr 3

Japan was just like California. Well to him. The Temple was large and it gave him lots of space to wander and play, just like the house in California. But the one big difference was that there was now a fence surrounding them and they weren't near the water. He liked it though. He never got to travel and now he's been in three different countries!

Also, they now lived with Nanako, Ryoma's cousin who was in University. Rinko's sister lived in town a little too far from Tokyo for Nanako to travel, and she never liked having her daughter live alone in the big city. When Rinko announced she was returning, her big sister asked her to take Nanako in. Rinko had been thrilled and Harry got another admirer. Of course, Ryoma would always be his favourite, but Nanako had these delicious little fish snacks that only she knew the location of. She was Harry approved.

Ryoma wasn't doing well though. The move had been long and hard on the boy. While he didn't have friend friends back in Florida, he did have some people he tolerated and liked to play against. There was a blonde boy that came by to play with Ryoma sometimes. Now he was in a whole new country where he only knew his parents.

He tried to show a strong indifferent front to his parents, but at night he would stroke Harry's fur and tell him the little things that he didn't like. For example, Rinko insisted on making a western style breakfast now that they were back in her home country. She liked to be reminded of America and thought the key to transitioning from one country to the next was through food. Ryoma didn't like change and he didn't like having his first meal of the day being changed. Another thing, was back home Ryoma was respected. He pretended that he didn't care what others thought of him but he worked hard to earn respect and here in Japan everyone looked down on him because of his age, size, and that he was technically a foreigner.

Harry hated that his boy was being bullied. Before he even started school, Ryoma entered a tennis tournament to check out the local talent. He admitted he was hoping to find someone decent to play and to let out some of his frustration about the move. He even entered the 16-year-old division for a challenge. Instead he had been bullied by an older boy.

He had come home that night agitated.

The boy had cheated several times and had started calling balls out when they were in. Since it was a self-judged game, he couldn't say anything. Instead he out massive top spin on the ball so when it landed, just in side the line, it wouldn't bounce but rotate in place. After that, the arrogant cheater tried to physically assault Ryoma! If he could only have two minutes with the cheater's hands, he would claw them all up. But most importantly, the one thing that annoyed Ryoma the most, the older boy disrespected the game of tennis.

Ryoma would claim he didn't love tennis. That he only played to prove he was better than his father, but that was a lie. Ryoma loved tennis more than anyone in the world. He just didn't want to be picked on for failing. So he hid it. He played a fair game, but never put his all into it.

"Che. Some people. If a ball is out, it's out. Cheating is a weak man's game," he muttered as he ate dinner.

"What was that?" Nanjirou spoke up? "Couldn't hear you seishounen!"

Ryoma glared at his father and stuffed more food into his mouth.

"How was the tournament? Did you win?" Nanjirou seemed a little too giddy. He probably dipped into the sake. Or the man loved being back in Japan and torturing his son. Harry would need to get revenge for that.

"I defaulted. I was late." Ryoma admitted.

"Ha!? You were lost before you even played?" A loud laugh followed the loud statement. "Hahaha! Should I have escorted you there? I didn't know you needed a babysitter!"

Harry heard enough. It wasn't Ryoma's fault that someone gave him bad directions. Harry narrowed his eyes and slowly crawled under the table. Nanjirou was still talking, making dumb statement after dumb statement implying that Ryoma was a baby and needed someone to hold his hand. Well, he wouldn't be able to for much longer!

Harry crouched down, wiggling a little as he pinpointed his target. Counting to three, Harry jumped right into Nanjirou's lap, his claws sinking deep. His target screamed and Harry quickly clawed up his chest. Getting over the edge of the table Harry jumped off the man and snatched his fish as he ran away. Nanjirou yelled and tried to chase him, but Harry was too fast. He backtracked and ran through the old man's legs, making him stumble and fall. As he landed on his butt, Harry ran back to Ryoma and settled in his lap.

"Baka Oyagi…" Ryoma muttered with a smirk. "Good job Karupin. Enjoy the fish."

He had been silent the rest of dinner but at the end he stood up and announced he was going to practice.

Nanjirou had followed him out still nursing his wounds.

That night as Ryoma was getting ready for bed he looked better. He had let go of the frustration from being bullied and his heart seemed to settle a little. It wouldn't last for long.

Ryoma started school.

Harry wished he could follow his boy to school to shut some of the older kids up. His first day a teacher tried to call him out and embarrass him in English class. Of course, he was made to look a fool as Ryoma was fluent in English and a good student! Then when he went to sign up for the Tennis club, some older boys tried to scam him and steal his money. He was starting to notice a trend in Japan. Every one liked to bully or be a bully.

That wasn't the end for Ryoma though, some really good tennis team member came to play and tried to bait Ryoma into using his twist serve. Harry was no Tennis expert but be considering his boy had many championships under his belt and how intensely he practiced, he knew that Ryoma was a strong player. It wasn't a surprise that people would challenge him but there had to be an unwritten rule somewhere that talked about a fair challenge.

Ryoma hadn't been happy that night since the good tennis guy had an injured ankle and was only making it worse by insisting, he play tennis. Ryoma had been able to pinpoint it right away and didn't want to worsen the injury but the other guy was so annoying, that made Ryoma irritated and he started to play for real. If the idiot was knowingly hurting himself worse then it was his own fault if he got so hurt that he had to sit out the whole season.

Of course, this is what Ryoma said had happened. But Harry had no reason not to believe him. Ryoma was always honest in his words- to Harry. Not his feelings, but even then, instead of lying he would deflect the question or ignore it.

Then something happened that made Harry want to change back into a boy and test how this magic thing worked. The mean boy from tennis had gone too far. How dare he steal his boy's rackets! Ryoma had come home one afternoon without his tennis bag and Rinko had noticed right away.

"Ryoma, where is your tennis bag?"

Ryoma had looked away and didn't say anything.

"Ryoma, what happened?" Rinko stepped forward and cupped Ryoma's face, forcing him to look her in the eye.

"Someone took it," Ryoma pouted.

It was like a switch had flipped. Rinko took a step back, removed her apron and was suddenly a Mama Bear willing to go to war for her cub. "Who took them?"

"An upperclassman," Ryoma sighed. "I don't remember his name." Which was true. Ryoma had trouble remembering faces and names and others he forgot intentionally.

"What did your Captain or coach do about this?" Rinko's hands were on her hips and her foot was tapping impatiently.

Ryoma shrugged. "Captain made me run laps. Coach wasn't there."

Rinko narrowed her eyes. "He made you run laps when you were the victim? What kind of school is this? I am going down there right now and talking to your coach! I will have you enrolled in a better school by tomorrow!"

"Kaa-san…" Ryoma whined quietly. "You can't do that." He said a little louder.

"And why not?" Rinko didn't look like she was going to listen.

"Then Oyagi will think I ran away. I can beat these people."

"Ryoma, you don't have to do things you don't want to just because your father. I will not allow my son to be bullied!" Rinko was not backing down. He could see who Ryoma took after more in terms of personality.

"But I can't run away. I will face them head on. They want me to feel weak but I will never let that happen." Ryoma was determined. He wasn't a push over. No one would ever make Ryoma feel like how Harry used to feel with his family.

Suddenly Rinko was back to her normal self. "Oh my baby boy is so strong! You learned that from me I know it." She said as she tried to pinch Ryoma's cheeks. "My brains, my looks, the only thing you got from that no-good husband of mine is your tennis talent. I am so proud of my baby boy!"

Ryoma remained quiet but he was blushing at her words.

"I will leave it alone but if things get bad for you, you better let me know." Rinko said in a serious tone. Harry also wanted to know if anyone hurt Ryoma. He would personally track them down and shred their tennis clothes! Kids were mean and cruel so he would start sharpening his claws.

Deciding to leave the loving mother and son alone, Harry walked away to find something to sharpen his nails with. He needed to be prepared at all times to defend his boy.

20 minutes later a scream rang throughout the house.

"That damn cat ruined my magazine!" Nanjirou screamed. The smirk on Ryoma's face was worth the noise complaint.

o.O.o

Over time Ryoma seemed to settled into school. He even made it on to his school Regular team, showing that he was the best at tennis. Harry was very proud of him. He loved that every night Ryoma would cuddle him and tell him about the interesting people he played. He seemed to really look up to his captain.

"Eiji-senpai hugs too hard. I can hardly breathe. Mada mada."

"Poison. He made that juice to kill someone so he can be a regular again."

"Doubles with Momo-senpai is hard. Che. This is why I don't work with others."

"They are loud. They call out every shot. And they keep walking on to the court. So annoying."

"Tezuka-buchou is strong. I can beat him."

One night, after a tournament, Ryoma had come home with an injured eye. While playing, an opponent had made him lose his grip and the racket flew out of his hand and broke. In the process, the handle bounced back and cut his eyelid. Harry had been so worried that he refused to leave Ryoma. He even walked in front of him and tried to make sure that nothing was in Ryoma's way. His boy wouldn't trip on his watch.

His father had made a big scene out of it and laughed until Rinko came and smacked him across the head.

That night, Harry witnessed something he hadn't before. Rinko and Nanjirou had a fight.

Normally he would be in bed with Ryoma, but he had to get up to do his business and when he passed the master bedroom, he could hear some loud talking.

"This never happened in the states! He is not like you Nanjirou. He's been bullied, he's had his possessions stolen, and now he is coming home after almost losing an eye!" Rinko was upset and Harry fully supported her.

"It was an accident! I spoke to Ryuuzaki, if he hadn't tried to spin and keep playing, then-"

"You will not put the blame for this on Ryoma! You taught him to win at all costs. You have humiliated him every time he has lost, and you think that he's not going to do everything in his in power to win a middle school tournament? How scared do you think he is at the thought of coming home after a loss like that. He defaulted once and you belittled him at dinner. I stay quiet because I know speaking up in front of him will only make him more embarrassed but you can't keep treating our son like this!"

"He needs to learn! He only knows loss when he plays me. He needs to lose to others in order to grow! He can't be the best without experiencing heartbreak." Nanjirou sounded so serious and aggressive. Harry didn't like it.

"Heartbreak? Loss? He is a 12-year-old boy, not a racehorse you need to break!"

"If he wants to be the best then-"

"He? He wants to be the best? Ryoma just wants to play tennis, YOU want him to be the best. Our son could have lost his eye today! Do you even care?"

Nanjirou hit something at Rinko's words. "Of course, I care! I love our son!"

"Then show it!" Rinko argues back. "Because I don't see it and our son doesn't see it!"

Harry retreated then. He used the loo and then went back to cuddle with his boy. It was good to know that Rinko was supporting her son from behind.

o.O.o

It was time. Harry was finally going to venture out of the temple and show those no-good tennis team players not to mess with his boy!

Ryoma had been doing so well. He was making friends, loving tennis, winning left and right. Then last night happened. Ryoma wouldn't even talk to him about it. His boy had come home late and depressed. He ate quietly, refused to practice, and went straight to bed. He had laid awake hugging Harry for hours before he finally passed out with a murmured "I lost". Then he got up and went to school, without talking any more.

They had done something to Ryoma and Harry was going to find out what! His boy wasn't so weak that one loss would do this to him. His team had said or did something that really hurt his boy.

He had to wait for Nanako to leave for school. She had a late morning class and liked to spend the time after Ryoma left for school gathering his laundry and playing with him. She would notice if Harry took off before then, so he needed to wait. Nanjirou wouldn't care where Ryoma went, and Rinko being the responsible parent was already at work.

When Nanako finally left, Harry darted out the front gate and took a left, the only direction he knew towards Ryoma's school.

It had been a lot simpler to get to the school than he thought. He was lucky that a student was running late and Harry easily followed the boy as he ran and stumbled his way along. His luck be like that sometimes!

Reaching Seigaku, Harry was lost. It did not look like his school back in England. His school was an old Victorian relic covered in Ivy and with a clock tower and lots of green lawn and gardens. Seigaku was… more modern in that it was a concrete block surrounded by asphalt and a fence with sparse patches of greenery. He really hoped the back of the school had some more trees. Walking slowly, Harry tried to find the tennis courts.

"Kawaii!" a series of high-pitched squeals broke into his thoughts. Turning his head, he was horrified to see a group of girls rushing towards him. They were moving so fast, their arms outstretched and a crazy look in their eyes.

Harry bolted.

He was not sticking around to be man-handled by those demons. Darting around to the side of the building, he was happy to see some trees and bushes. Diving inside, he crouched low to hide as the group of harpies ran past, still screaming for the cute cat they saw.

When the group had disappeared around the next corner, Harry snuck out and inched along the side of the building until he saw an open door. Taking his chances, he darted inside and came face to face with a long hallway full of lockers. Deciding to explore, Harry walked around. It was a nice school, very clean and organized looking. Peeking into a classroom he saw lots of students with their heads buried in books. The next room had a student at the chalkboard talking to the teacher about math. The third classroom looked like a science room where a boy with spiky hair was pouring neon coloured liquids into each other.

Growing bored, Harry decided to find the roof. From such a high vantage point he should be able to see the whole grounds and from there find the tennis courts. Climbing the stairs all the way to the top, Harry was glad to see that the door to the roof was open. Walking outside he purred at the feeling on the warm sun on his face. This would be a great spot to nap.

He was a little tired from the journey….

Flopping down, Harry rolled onto his back to nap in the lovely sun for awhile.

He wasn't sure how much time passed, as a cat he didn't really need to worry about hours and minutes anymore, but soon he was waken up by the sound of giggling girls in the stairwell. Slowly opening his eyes, he walked to side and looked around. Lots of students were now on the grounds. Lunch had started. Running along the side, he quickly took everything in until he saw the tennis courts. Trying to memorize their location, Harry ran back to the door and bolted through it just as the giggling girls opened it.

He needed outside and to a safe space fast!

It took some time but finally and made it back outside. He needed to dodge a good number of kids but there was no major roadblock.

Things didn't really progress how he thought they would. He got to the tennis courts, and hid while the kids practising at lunch finished. He tried to sneak into the clubroom but they locked it too quickly. So he napped on the roof. When school ended, he waited until some fool left the door open and darted inside. Just when he was ready to unleash his claws on the whole room, he heard a hissing noise behind him. An older boy wearing a bandana was standing behind him looking confused. Cat in your locker room, that's fair.

Harry was going to ignore it and try to walk out like nothing malicious was going on… but the boy picked up a cat toy. Harry didn't even know where it came from, but it was bright and moving so fast… he needed to catch it! He pounced and tried to catch the toy. They played together for a long time, but with all the excitement and fun Harry soon grew drowsy and fell asleep.

Later he was woken up by a bunch of boys making noise that there was a raccoon in the room. Idiots. He was clearly a cute cat. How did they not walk into things all day when they clearly needed glasses? Yawning and stretching out, Harry was going to try and start mischief again, but he was picked up.

Squirming around, he was faced with the spiky haired boy that picked Ryoma up in the morning, some guy with no eyes, a boy with weird bangs, a cheery boy that smelled like fish, and a old man in a school uniform, presumably the Captain. What an odd bunch…

He meowed at them, honestly, just man handling him like he was a doll or something. He would like to be put down so he could go back to his original mission of chaos. He meowed again and tried ot wiggle out of the constricting arms.

"Come now kitty. We just want to help," the spiky haired one tried.

Pfft. Like he would believe that. They didn't know his purpose, they wouldn't trash their own locker room. He meowed even louder and tried to escape.

Then the no eyes boy opened his lids… it was like a cold chill ran down his entire body as deep blue eyes drilled into his own. They were heavy, forcing pressure on him, reading his mind and intentions and telling him to obey. Well he wasn't much of a rebel anyways. One of his greatest strengths and talents was the ability to listen to orders. Harry settled down and mewed quietly in compliance.

The spiky haired one gently wrapped him in his jacket, and gave him a few pats on the head. Harry just settled down and sent a few looks towards No Eyes-sama. The Eye Master was calmly smiling and following along with the rest, like he wasn't some Mind Wizard… but Harry knew the truth now. He would keep quiet, no reason to rock the boat here.

Soon they were back to Ryoma's house and Harry jumped into his boy's arms. Ryoma looked sad and stressed, but once they were hugging, he could feel the tension leaving his boy's body. "Karupin,"" Ryoma whispered before rubbing his face in Harrys fur.

"Ah. Senpai-tachi… thank you." Ryoma let out after awhile.

"Hahaha" Spiky laughed. "We knew you were worried about your cat so we made sure to bring him back as quickly as we could.

Harry's ears twitched. Ryoma was worried about him?

"Ryoma-kun!" Nanako called as she entered the hallway. "You found him!"

Oh… Things were starting to make sense, Harry got it now. They thought he was missing, Ryoma was worried… but now they were together again! Everything is fine.

Ryoma's teammates were very kind hearted to make sure that Harry got back to Ryoma safely. Maybe they weren't the reason his boy was upset… so it was probably good he didn't trash their locker room… Well he would wait for the real reason and use all his pent-up aggression on the rightful target.

Finally, Ryoma opened up. That night as they were in bed, Ryoma finally spoke about losing to his captain. How he tried everything, every move he knew, all the skills he learned over the years but none of them were enough to defeat his captain. Ryoma was confident, he was sure of his skills, but for the first time, he was utterly crushed by someone other than his father. It was a hard lesson, something Ryoma never thought he would experience.

He played plenty of people, his age or older, and even grown adults with more experience than Ryoma's age never matched him. Now suddenly, a boy only a couple years older than him, could defeat him so easily. This was the lesson that Oyagi wanted Ryoma to learn, the reason they moved to Japan…

He had some magazines to destroy.