Right outside the Window
Summary: She saw everything from her window. How the two brothers had grown up, how they had grown apart, and she'd even witnessed them going their own ways. All she wanted now, was to bring them back together...but how? She was only one person...
Anime/Manga: InuYasha/Prince of Tennis
Genre: Romance/Drama
Pairing: Yuuta/Kagome/Shuusuke
Rated: M
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YEAR: 2001
(Five Months Later)
Kagome smiled as she watched Shuusuke bounce a tennis ball on the concrete with his Racquet as he walked down the street with her. A few weeks ago, she and Yuuta had seen Shuusuke participate in a junior's tennis competition, annihilating the rest of the boys in his division. He was pulling off these amazing moves, slicing the balls in a manner that had the entirety of the watching crowd staring on in shock. After which he took home a gold medal and returned to his daily practices with Yuuta and herself. However, she and Yuuta were ten times more determined to improve their own skill.
Even now, walking along side Shuusuke, Kagome was bouncing her own tennis ball on her own racquet. Bouncing the ball on one side of the racquet, then the other, going back and forth all the while.
"Shuusuke, where are we going?" She asked, turning her attention back to the ball she was playing with. Careful with her steps as she followed Shuusuke around a corner. "I mean, you pulled me out of the house and said...whoa..." Kagome dropped her arm, her ball fell from the grace of her racquet and rolled out of her reach as she looked ahead of her.
Shuusuke smiled, "this is where I sneak off sometimes to practice. Don't tell anyone, not even Yuuta knows that I come here."
"...so cool. But...why bring me here?"
Shuusuke picked up the ball that now lay next to his foot and placed it next to the ball on his own racquet before taking Kagome's hand in his and pulling her off towards the court. "I thought you and I could work a little bit on your form. I'm hoping that with some extra attention, you will be able to join me in practice."
"Why not Yuuta?" Kagome asked curiously.
Shuusuke shrugged, "why not you?"
A soft pink rose to her cheeks, and for once, she was glad his eyes weren't open, and assumedly he couldn't actually see her blush. Six years old and crushing on her neighbor already.
Taking a step towards the courts, she was run down by a group of boys racing around the corner and knocked into the road. "Ahh~!" her eyes shut as she had expected pain of some kind to rush through her, but when it never came, she opened her eyes, she saw a warm smile, and bright blue eyes staring down at her. "...thank you..."
"...heh heh..." the boy helped her up, his arms having caught her from where he'd been standing behind her at the time she'd been pushed. "Are you okay, Nya~?"
"Ah...yeah..." she took in the boys' appearance as she brushed off her skirt. He had maroon red hair that curved up at his shoulders, and cat like eyes that were wide open, his whole character seemed to be the exact opposite of Shuusuke's.
"Nai, Kagome, are you okay."
Speaking of her neighbor, Kagome turned and smiled in his direction, "I'm okay, I was saved!" She turned back and bowed, "thank you! My name is Kagome, and this is my neighbor and friend, Shuusuke."
"Hi, hi...! My name is Eiji...Nya~! Were you on your way to the tennis courts?" His eyes traveled over the racquets held in their hands.
"As a matter of fact. Do you play?"
"Yep!" He lifted his tennis bag and grinned, eyes closing as he started off in the direction of the tennis courts. He glanced over his shoulder and stared at the two before smiling again, "aren't you coming, Nya~?"
Kagome felt Shuusuke's hand take hers once more before pulling her in the direction of the red headed boy. Smiling as she realized, she just might make a new friend today.
"Ah...an empty court! Luck-eey, Nya~!"
"I'm teaching Kagome how to play at the moment, she's got a couple of the basics down, but still needs practice, do you mind if she plays on your side, and the two of you can play against me?"
"Ehh?! Are you sure that won't be too hard?" Eiji asked curiously, "even if she is still learning, it won't be easy to predict me, much less me and someone else."
Shuusuke smiled, "saa~"
A laugh filtered the air and both boys turned their attention to Kagome, "Shuusuke will be just fine, you need to worry more about yourself..."
Eiji looked curiously at Shuusuke, circling him a little before dropping his bag beside him and retrieving his racquet. "Two on one, Nya~?"
"Hai."
"Then let's get started," he smiled.
Kagome grabbed her own racquet as Shuusuke held it out for her. She watched Shuusuke pocket one of the two balls before tossing the second into the air to serve it directly across the court. As soon as his racquet touched the ball, Kagome ran forward, stopping a foot back from where the ball would touch the court, she let it bounce once as it came up towards her before delivering her own slice on the ball. She wouldn't deny that after having watched Shuusuke in the junior's tennis tournament, she'd upped her own practicing, and had been working on the very slice's he was pulling off at the tournament. However, they were never quite like his.
"Nice Kagome," Shuusuke smiled, retrieving the ball she'd returned his way. "Next time, tilt your racquet up to give your ball more topspin."
Kagome nodded as she adjusted her grip, Eiji was already moving in for the retrieve and catching the ball on a backhand lob.
"How long have you been playing, Eiji?" Kagome asked as the ball made its way towards her side of the court.
Eiji smiled, "Only about nine months actually. My dad signed me up to get me out of the house and moving around." He laughed before adding; "He said that I was causing mayhem while left to my own devices, Nya~!"
Kagome frowned, "were you getting in trouble?" hitting the ball back to Shuusuke.
"No, nothing like that," Eiji pivoted carefully, his eyes taking on a playful glint as the ball made its way to the inner edge of the court, out of the reach of both Kagome and himself. With a carefully constructed one handed back hand spring, Eiji caught the ball with his racquet and sliced it back across the net, catching both Shuusuke and Kagome by surprise as the first point was called. "Wahoo~! Fifteen to Love!"
Kagome stared at the boy for a moment, her eyes wide still from what had just transpired. "A red, acrobatic Neko..." her voice carried on the wind and Eiji turned to face her.
A slight tilt to his head, his eyes took on a curious glint as he stared over at Kagome. "Nani?"
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Me: Here is chapter three of "Right outside the Window". I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I'll update as soon as I can, Nya~!