A/N: What can I say but enjoy… : (
Disclaimer: So, I called up Takeshi Konomi and asked him how he came up with the idea for Prince of Tennis. He told me that he hopped on one leg, spun in a circle, touched his nose and blow a kiss to a blank sheet of paper with a pen held in his left hand… I get the feeling he was telling a fib. (Not true/Randomness.)
Chapter Thirty Four
Yokoishi zipped up her bag in silence. She could feel Ryuzaki-sensei's disappointing glare on her back and didn't wish to face it. No doubt her team would also want to know the true reason behind her loss. It was simple. She was up against a guardian. There wasn't nothing she could have done any better prior to not knowing, yet how would she explain that to her team who could only see deranged shots?
The game for Yokoishi was more insightful then it was fun. She would definitely learn from it. She calmly walked off the court without exchanging words with Ryuzaki-sensei and faced her team and captain.
"That's the first time I've seen her lose in singles." Ryuzaki-chan said quietly among friends.
Arai wasn't so kind. "Thanks a lot Yokoishi-san." She said while shaking her head.
"I agree with Arai-chan. Sometimes you have to get serious to win Yokoishi-chan." Jinhana glanced up.
Yokoishi expected comments from those two so easily ignored them. She presented herself in front of Fuji and stared at her with patient eyes. She wanted Fuji to speak first, maybe say what that doubt she was harbouring earlier came from. When Fuji didn't say anything Yokoishi spoke up.
"Gomen, Fuji-senpai. Guess I underestimated my opponent."
What could Fuji do but accept it as that? She knew Yokoishi is a great players and would never doubt her game. For her to lose it had to be against something serious. "What went wrong Yokoishi-chan?"
Yokoishi thought about it then broke into a wide smile. "She was better than me."
"Bull crap!" Arai spat her words. "The way Aihara-san was playing, the first years could bet her in half the time!"
Those around wanted for Yokoishi to explain herself but she had no desire to say a word. They wouldn't understand. "She was better than me."
Arai jumped down off the bench, ready to grab Yokoishi's arm and shake some sense into her when Shikawara walked calmly between them. All eyes were now on Shikawara. She pushed up her glasses and glanced between Yokoishi and Arai.
"Guess that means I can't have fun, huh senpais?"
She managed to defuse the two before an inner-fight broke out. The next match really was the deciding match. If she won Fuji would get to play, and their captain definitely would assure them a win.
"Shikawara-chan, make it quick. Don't draw out the game." Fuji told her before Yokoishi hugged her for support and some TLC.
"Please be careful Shikawara-chan." Nariko came down from the benches to give a word of warning. Shikawara didn't catch her gaze. Whatever was on Nariko's mind worried her greatly.
"Hmm? Don't worry, I'll be okay."
"No, that's not what I mean. You're going to play Uki Ito-san next. We saw her before the preliminaries and Fuji-senpai said she uses a technique that's scented."
Shikawara heard her but didn't show any signs of interest. "It's okay. It'll be a quick match."
Nariko tired to tell her more but a loud cheer from Miura made Seishun look across the courts to see the girl in question walk onto the court. Ito was confident that she would win as she waited for Shikawara to come before her. Shikawara went on ahead. She had heard the rumours regarding Ito's technique. Something along the lines of using a moved that depressed her opponent. Other then that Shikawara didn't know what to expect. She placed her belongings by Ryuzaki-sensei and went up to shake hands with Ito.
"Sorry, I can't make this a fun match." She said first.
Ito cut a look to her. "Like I care." Shikawara didn't reply.
"Seishun's, Takara Shikawara-san to serve. One set match."
At least she had the first serve. Shikawara waited for Ito to finished receiving praise from her school. She tossed the ball in the air and delivered a smashing serve. The ball landed directly in front of Ito. Ito swung her racket back to return it when the force of the ball pushed her arm behind her that she had to release her racket to not have her shoulder pulled out of it's socket. The racket clacked down on the ground and slid towards the fence where the ball finally stopped.
"Works every time." Shikawara said quietly.
This brought a new level of excitement to Seishun. They didn't so much as doubt Shikawara's playability but they had two loses already and where a little unsure, but after seeing a serve like that they might still have a chance.
"Ow! What the heck was that?" Ito yelled while pressing down on her right shoulder and flexed her fingers.
"Why should I tell you if you don't care." Shikawara replied and readied another ball.
Ito had no choice but to snatch up her racket and get ready. She was hoping that the umpire would call that a foul move, seeing as it was aimed at her body but the challenge was over turned. Another powerful serve was delivered and the racket shot out of Ito's hand again.
Shikawara won the first game easily, to Ito annoyance. She tried to complain about the style of play but the umpire okayed it.
"I can't help it if you're weak, Ito-san." Shikawara taunted.
That hit a nerve. Ito paused before she took up the racket. The frame was horribly stretched within a few minutes of play.
"Trust me, you'll lose to me like everyone else." She seethed.
Shikawara rocked front left to right waiting for the serve. She wouldn't play into Ito taunts. She wasn't that foolish. If anything she just had to be ready for any strange smells that travelled around her. Ito took her serve and it wasn't anything impressive. In fact it was as average as Aihara's serve. How disappointing. Shikawara caught the ball and backhanded it so it skimmed the net diagonally, hitting down precisely before the double's line and off to the left. Even if Ito wanted to, there was no chance she could return that ball.
"15-0"
"Fuji-senpai" Nariko glanced over from the fence. "Aren't you worried?"
"About what?"
Nariko walked over and spoke quietly. "You know Shikawara is… is from that family line… Ito might unearth something."
Just as Fuji was about to tell her something, Sai wandered over uninvited and leant on Nariko's head. "Ah, such a shame. You girls aren't playing your best, are you Magpie-chan? Are we a beautiful distraction?"
"Sai-kun can you stop tormenting my team." Fuji said rigidly.
Nariko pushed Sai off of her head and stepped away from him irritated by his very being. She sat beside Kikumaru, who was also irritated by his reappearance.
"What do you want, Sai-kun?" Fuji soon asked.
"A closer look. This one's got some punch to her. Calm yet powerful… but, you don't look so confident Fujiko-chan. It's almost as if you know how this match will end?"
Fuji didn't aid his topic of conversation. She slid her open eyes off him and towards the court. The game was now 3-0 to Seishun. The few that sat to Fuji's right glanced at her. Wherever Fuji's reluctance to talk hid, the team made their judgements. Sai stayed with them and watched.
Shikawara promised a quick match and that's what she was giving Ito. With all her sharp returns Ito couldn't do anything against them. They were now into the fourth match and it was Ito's second serve. She held onto the ball for a while longer then usual, rotating it in her hands and thinking attentively. Shikawara didn't mind waiting.
Ito tested the ball on the floor and held it in her hands again. She stood up straight and smirked confidently.
"I think it's about time I end this game." She said.
"Uh, there it is." Suzu announced.
Ito brought the ball up to her lips and kissed it. It was a little late in the game but she didn't expected Shikawara to be this good. Ito liked long, drawn out games so that she had time to watch her opponent and search for their wavelength and tape into their thoughts. She finally found something good to draw out of Shikawara. When Mirua saw Ito kiss the ball they all sat back in their seats and smiled.
Shikawara noticed the change in Ito's attitude and Miura's distress disappeared. What was she up to? For now they got into the fourth game. There wasn't anything different about Ito's moves, they were still rubbish in comparison to her own so noticeably Shikawara won the fourth and fifth game as normal… it's only when they got into the sixth game didn't something being to irritate her.
"Geez, took you long enough. I can tell you buried that one deep within you." Ito said, she finally got what she was looking for.
Shikawara thought nothing of it and waited for the ball to come into play. She returned it and that was when she smelt something horrid. She covered her nose and breathed the smell away. It lingered in the air. It wasn't so heavy that she couldn't ignore it but it bothered her. Her body remembered something. This slight distraction gave Ito her first return in the whole game and that's when the smells got stronger and stronger. Shikawara hit the ball short so Ito didn't have time to run for it and scored the point. She ended it quickly so she could cover her nose. Whatever suddenly came down around her smelt bad and her breath grew heavy and rushed.
"I wonder what that smell could be, eh, Shikawara-san?" Ito sniggered.
Shikawara kept going, but she wondered how Ito got to that memory. Even more worrying then the smell, the emotions she felt at that time where unwillingly return to her.
"Ahh, she's losing it." Sai said somewhat amusing.
"Be quiet!" Nariko snapped and rushed over to the net to tell her friend to stop playing, but Shikawara wouldn't, she only needed two more points.
Shikawara won the next point but she froze once the ball hit Ito's side of the court. Did she just see that room? She had to breathe through her mouth to calm herself down but after a while it stopped working and she couldn't get the smell out of her head. She remembered. The events in that room got clearer and clearer. Ito served the ball and Shikawara missed it. She couldn't move.
"40-15."
"Hmm, is that the smell of blood, Shikawara-san? Did you cut your little finger?" Ito laughed.
Ito held the ball to her nose and tried to see the memory that she draw out but even for herself, it was heavily clouded in darkness. Ito wanted to see what Shikawara had in that head of hers, and she had the ability to engulf the person and herself in the memory. After having such a humiliating match she would return the favour. One more shot should unearth it, Ito decided, just one more shot should bring it into light.
With her eyes open Shikawara could see that room and it made no difference when she closed them.
"What the hell?" She had to hold back sobs. Her body remembered. She didn't want to surrender to that moment again. She wanted to forget. "Don't, I don't want to see that!"
Ito glanced up. She saw her opponent standing with her racket by her side and one hand covering her eyes. Ito didn't care. She served the ball and, with that last shot, opened Shikawara's most painful memory. The clouds parted and Ito could now see it.
Shikawara tried her best to control herself but once she saw the door to that room opening she lost it. Common sense and logic no longer governed her. Blind fear took over. She dropped her racket and trembled where she stood as tears ran down her face.
Seishun rushed to the fence when they realised something wasn't right. Ryuzaki-sensei stood up and called to Shikawara but Shikawara didn't hear her sensei's voice. She heard someone else's voice choking in desperation and agony. Ito was somewhere in the memory and thought the whole sense was odd. Shikawara's behaviours weren't what she hoped for. Most people became deflated, not fearful. She too saw the door to that room and watched it slowly fall open.
"…M… mother?" Shikawara cried.
"Huh?" Ito lowered her hand with the racket and stepped back. Why could she see blood everywhere?
Shikawara no longer saw the tennis courts or her team around her. She was drawn into her most hate memory. She peered down to her hands and they were covered in thick, sticky blood that ran down her arm. She glanced up quickly and the door to that room fell open. Her mother was on the floor. Dead.
"Mother!" She screamed and couldn't stop. The multiply wounds on her mother's body, the broken limbs, the bullet wound on her left arm; she was suddenly reliving it.
Ryuzaki-sensei was about to run onto the courts when two people in dark suits ran out before her. They didn't care about the rules of the game. All they saw was Shikawara in great distress and out of love and duty they rushed to her aid. Takahashi caught her before she fell and hid her screams within his torso. Murai stayed near Ryuzaki-sensei.
"What happened? Why is she calling out for her mother?" Ryuzaki didn't understand it. She knew of Shikawara's past but didn't understand why she was in hysterics.
Everyone watched in silent as Takahashi brought Shikawara off the courts. He stood in front of Ryuzaki who was rigid with shock.
"You're going to have to continue the game without her." And with that he walked off not giving Ryuzaki a word in edge-ways. Murai picked up her racket and bag and they left.
Sai burst out laughing and was yelled at by every member of the team.
"She only needed one more point." He tried to explain but he didn't have to spell it out to them they could clearly see it. Truth be told, they didn't care. Shikawara came first.
"Sai-kun, leave. Now!" Fuji ordered and he respected her request.
"Okay, but, it's like Magpie-chan said, it's not as if you didn't see this coming." He walked back to the spectator's box.
The girls waited for the umpire to the end the match. It was painful to hear but they had to listen.
"Due to Takara Shikawara's departure before the end of the match, Miura win by default making Miura the winners of the City tournaments."
…tbc…
A/N2: (T_T) Wah, I'm sorry Shikawara-chan but it had to be done. I'll make it up to you as your creator… at least, I think I will…
That was hard to write, I hope I pulled it off well enough. Did it make sense?!?!
Chapter 35: The girls take in their loss and Atobe gives Fuji something unpleasent.
