Yo, minna-san! Rookie-chan desu! I'm really sorry to update so late again. Blame it all on schoolwork! And I had just finished PoT series a day ago. And OMG I was crying when I watched the final episode! Gah! I'm having a hangover again. Good thing it is POT anime or else, hmm. I might not have updated again! Hahaha just joking! Now I am scheduling some to watch POT Nationals OVA. Yay yay! Kin-chan on the way! Hey, hey! RyoSakuKin madness is here!
About PoT anime, waaa! It really had a very nice ending, ne? And Ryoma having a time to beat Lleyton Hewitt means he had surpassed Maria Sharapova? Or is she at the other tennis tournament, I mean is it in Australian Open? Hehehe. Demo demo! I'm really happy at heart when they featured episode one as their ending song! Waaa RyoSaku in full speed!
Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis. Waa! The DVD that I borrowed from my friend had a one-hour special about the making of POT movie, meaning that there's so much of Ryoga-ness!!!! Waa! And I love Kevin Smith too! Oh well, goodluck on reading.
"I'll start." Tezuka informed. He started picking 5 papers. "The players who should be evicted are: Osakada,"
"Yatta! I'm free from consequences!"
"Oishi, Fuji, Ryuzaki-san, and Yume." Tezuka announced. The persons who were called stood up and, the remaining sat still. "The persons who remained are…"
"Echizen and Kintarou." Tezuka said directly. Ryoma and Kintarou stared at each other for a few seconds, and everybody could feel the building tension between them.
Sakuno's hand trailed its way towards her chest. "I'm nervous. But, I wonder why…" she whispered to herself. Fuji saw how Sakuno reacted, and a ghostly smile covered his playful lips.
"Are you ready?" Kintarou asked with a great smile of excitement graced upon his lips.
Ryoma smirked and adjusted his cap. "I always am." He said and looked at Kintarou. "Now, who's going to give the first consequence?" Kintarou asked.
"You first." Ryoma said and smiled a cocky grin. "If that's what you want, Koshimae." He responded.
Sakuno stared at the two boys in front of her. She had a very hesitating feeling inside her; what are the meaning of Echizen-kun and Kin-chan's stares at each other? Is there something wrong between them? Or is it just… something that she doesn't even need to know?
Kintarou opened his mouth and inhaled air. "I want you to…"
"AH!" the bedroom's door opened widely, showing an old woman's figure. "I had such a nice sleep!" Sumire stretched her arms after yawning.
Everyone stared at her for almost a minute.
"What's wrong with all of you?" Sumire blinked several times.
"The battle was having an overdue…" Eiji sighed with a sign of disappointment on his face. Yume strongly agreed and nodded. "Waa, I want more…"
Ah! I could almost feel my heart bursting! Sakuno thought of and sighed deeply. Fuji looked at her and smiled.
She was nervous. The smiling and scary tensai thought of.
"Che. Mada mada dane…" Ryoma cursed under his breath. At the other side was Kintarou, who sat an Indian sit with a childish annoyed expression on his face. "That was close."
Sumire looked at the wall clock and noticed that she had already slept long. "It's already 6:30 in the evening?" she wondered and looked at the kitchen if the food is already cooked.
"What are you guys doing while I was asleep?"
"Ah, that was really a close one. Ne, Yume-chan?" Tomoka sighed deeply while handing the room's key to Sakuno. Yume exhaled a puff of smoke and muttered. "Eh, I think we should have gone longer to prove something…"
"Prove something like what?" Sakuno asked and blinked several times. She unlocked the room's doorknob and opened the room's door when…
"KRAAAW!" a Himalayan cat jumped over Sakuno after she opened the door. "Eh, Riku-chan?"
The cat looked at Sakuno confusedly when she called her Riku. "Meow?"
Sakuno lifted the cat with a confused expression featured on her face. "Is there something bothering you, Riku-chan?" she asked. The cat jumped off from Sakuno's hands and looked at Sakuno.
"Meow." The cat purred and looked at Sakuno. Her name is Karupin, isn't it? So why should she be called as Riku, which was not her true name?
"Eh, Riku-chan…" Sakuno lifted Karupin once more and brought her to the girl's room. Yume and Tomoka followed her as well, and started chatting about the event that passed a few minutes ago. Sakuno dropped Karupin and was about to close the door when she saw a familiar image of a boy chasing something ahead from him at the hallway.
"Oi, Karupin…" Ryoma called on. "Meow…" the cat purred and then looked at the half-closed door of the girl's room. Riku blinked several times before walking towards the said room. "Eh, Karupin?!"
"Meow…" Riku purred and bewildered Sakuno. "Why?" Sakuno blinked several times.
"Ryuzaki?" Echizen wondered and called on.
"Echizen-kun?"
Fuji peeked out from the room's window and smiled. "I think it already started…" he mumbled. Momoshiro wondered and looked at his former sempai. "Are you saying something, Fuji-sempai?"
Fuji showed another set of creepy features when he looked at Momoshiro. "Take a look, but please do it silently." He said and hushed. Momoshiro, in return, also took a peek at the said window, his eyes blinking several times.
"EH?! Echizen and Ryuzaki-sa-" Momoshiro's loud voice was cut off by Fuji, who had recently cupped his loud mouth. "Sshh…" he hushed once more.
"Hoi hoi? Nya Fuji, what's happening here?" Kikumaru leapt and then grabbed Momoshiro by his neck. He formed his hands like looking for something, and then saw two figures from the tree in front of their room. "Hoi?" Kikumaru wondered.
Momoshiro and Fuji looked at Eiji. Kikumaru blinked several times.
"NYAAAA!!!! Ryuzaki-san and Ochibi-!" Kikumaru's loud voice was cut off by Momoshiro and Fuji. "Sshh, just watch silently, Eiji." Fuji hushed. Eiji nodded. "Gah!" he exclaimed when Fuji released him. "Let me see! Let me see!" he said quickly and took a peek. "Hoi! What a nice timing, ochibi!" Kikumaru blinked several times while having this big cheshire.
"There's a 100 percent probability that all of you are spying on Echizen and Ryuzaki-san once more." Inui spoke from behind, his eyeglasses gleaming from the reflection of light.
"GAH!" Kikumaru and Momoshiro reacted when they heard Inui's voice. "Eh, Inui?" Kikumaru exclaimed once more. "Yo." Inui greeted. He looked at his former tennis teammates and smiled. "I think my decision of bringing my antidote was a great idea." Inui said while adjusting his eyeglasses. He took out a notebook entitled 'Spying Kouhais (lower classmen)'. Fuji, Momoshiro and Eiji were sweat dropped. "Until now. Ne, Inui?" they asked.
"I just can't keep things going on without knowing." Inui said as his eyeglasses gleamed.
"Here it is." Fuji said, and the four of them continued on peeking at the windows.
"Eto, I wonder why Echizen-kun asked me here?" Sakuno asked while looking at Ryoma with such an innocent face and a sweet gentle smile. Ryoma, in return, who doesn't have his cap at the current time, turned his back to her and answered, "I just want to ask you something."
Sakuno tilted her head and wondered. "What is it, Echizen-kun?" she asked in a low, calm voice.
"I want to ask, if you…" Ryoma paused, thinking if the following question won't affect her so much.
"If I…" Sakuno's eyes looked at the ground with such disappointment, her mind having a clear clue on what he is going to ask her.
Ryoma looked at the velvet sky and took a deep breath. "I want to ask if you had already-"
"I have regained some of them, but the guy's face was still blurred to me…" she said and looked at the dark sky with gloomy eyes. "… I even feel like, I'm not going to regain them at all." She said, her eyes weakening in despair. Ryoma peeked at her with the corner of his cat-like eyes, and felt like pain within him when he heard her say the lines he didn't even expected to hear. "Are you going to lose hope?" he asked.
Sakuno's eyes widened when she heard him. "Am I… going to lose hope?" she mumbled. Ryoma looked back to the skies, laid his back at the plum tree that was covering both of them and said, "Ah. People never fail. They just give up." He responded with a meek smile. A smile that doesn't show any hints of his greatness. A smile that doesn't show his strength. A smile that never became the reason of his popularity.
That smile… It's different… It seems like it's not him- No. It was the real and true image of Echizen-kun… Sakuno thought of when she saw Ryoma's pleasant reaction.
"You know what, I knew a person who knows how to fight and how to quit." Ryoma continued and hung his head low.
"Echizen-kun…" Sakuno muttered and looked at the prince in front of her.
"He is a very strong person who had his will of fighting, and attained so many goals in his life. But unbeknownst to him is that he forgot something…" Ryoma added with a sad expression on his face while twirling the grass with his index finger. Sakuno felt her hand clutching her dress' ribbon when she heard his low tone, her eyebrows narrowing for the unexplainable feeling that visits her. She sat down next to him without any doubt just to hear his little story.
"When he knew that he forgot something, he was full of hesitations which caused his frustrations and his will of fighting. Until now, he doesn't even know if he will still fight, now that he knew that the one he is fighting for is full of sadness only because of him." He said with his gloomy eyes.
"E-Echizen-kun…" Sakuno muttered his name once more, driving her to a sadder sensation more than before. "I don't know how to help that friend of yours… was the one he was fighting for already left him?" she asked.
She struck a chord there. Why? Did Sakuno already left him?
Ryoma faced her with a desperate look. "I don't know, but do you think she will leave him for something?" he asked in front of her face, his eyes were full of anxiety and were like resided with tears he wanted to hide.
Sakuno wondered when he saw Ryoma's sudden reaction. She just smiled and said, "She won't leave him if the guy continues on fighting for her."
"Sakuno…" Ryoma was taken a back with what she had said.
"Echizen-kun?" Sakuno wondered and looked at Ryoma. "Echizen-kun, is there something bothering you?" she asked anxiously. Ryoma shook his head and smiled. "No, it was nothing." He said and looked at the skies once more.
"You know what, Echizen-kun, I think the girl will never leave the guy for something." Sakuno added and looked at the skies too.
"Why did you say so?" Ryoma asked once more.
A mild smile crept out of her features. "I just know."
"Oi Fuji! I can't get through!" Eiji's shrieking voice came shouting. "Eh, Momoshiro, please give me way. I can't hear them." Inui explained to Momoshiro. Momoshiro looked at Inui and apologized. "Gomen ne, Inui-sempai…" Fuji placed his index finger in front of his mouth and hushed. "Sshh, don't be so noisy." He said.
"S-Sempai-tachi?" Sakuno wondered when she heard her sempai-tachi from behind. She blinked several times and…
"That kid is a first year Osaka representative from Shitenhouji Chuu, named Kintarou Tooyama." Inui spoke from behind, along with the other Seigaku regular tennis members who came out from a bush nearby. "You saw that power on the straight attack ball you avoided."
"Sempai-tachi!" was my reaction after seeing them come out from the bush.
"If you are the East's rookie… he's the west's super rookie." Inui added while reading his notebook.
"Then sempai-tachi are the east's spying devils. Let's go, Ryuzaki." A man with a white cap spoke beside me and called on. "Eh, are you sure?" I asked. And then another guy who looked like Kin-chan appeared behind us. "Oi, Koshima-"
"Hoi hoi ochibi!" Kikumaru called on and clung his arm at Ryoma's neck.
Sakuno was snapped back to reality when she heard Kikumaru's voice.
"Eh, Kikumaru-sempai…" Ryoma protested in a low voice. Kikumaru started blabbing about different things just to make him forget that the four of them disturbed his and her serious conversation. Ryoma looked around to see Sakuno, but…
Where is she? He wondered. Ryoma observed around him and saw her enter the rest house.
"Oi Echizen, what happened? What did you talked about?" Momoshiro asked enthusiastically. Ryoma shrugged and smiled.
"Just a little conversation." He said and walked out.
It was declared as a new day when the sun rose from the east, shining the whole world the best way it can. The birds from the tree sang a new song and the leaves from the trees swayed with the breeze, scattered green leaves covered the garden. Everything outside was full of harmony, as well as the persons inside the rest house.
As time goes by, there comes a lost wanderer at the hallways, trying to catch up with the schedule assigned to her. "Ah, I said to myself that I am going to wake up earlier to do my morning chores!" Sakuno Ryuzaki chanted along the way while running at the hallways, her light stomps shaking the woody ground. She ran with a graceful smile covering her thin lips while trying to remember what happened last night.
People never fail. They just give up.
Sakuno reminisced every single word that Ryoma had told her. Every word brings her into the rhythm to do the chores with peace of mind. She closed her eyes without any doubt; her heart was full of glee and happiness.
I think I should thank him in every way I can. Um, in what way will I tha-
"Ah!" Sakuno's wandering thoughts disappeared like a puff of smoke when she bumped at something she doesn't even know.
"Sa-Sakuno-chan?" a sitting red haired guy in front of her scratched his hard head and wondered. Sakuno tilted her head and wondered too. "Kin-chan? Why this early?" she asked
"I was scheduled at this time. How about you, Sakuno-chan?" Kintarou blinked several times before asking. Sakuno smiled and said, "I am also scheduled at this time, Kin-chan…"
Once again, Kintarou blinked his eyes several times.
"Kin-chan?" Sakuno wondered when Kintarou paused for almost a minute.
"Yatta! Sakuno-chan and my schedule is the same! Yay! Yay!" Kintarou danced in joy. Sakuno smiled sheepishly and tried to calm her friend. "Etou, Kin-chan… you are going to wake them up…" she said. Kintarou stopped leaping for joy when Sakuno spoke. He smiled at her and showed his paper schedule to her. "Sa-chan, you can count on me!" Kintarou said childishly. Sakuno looked at her with determined eyes and punched her hand unto the air.
"We can do this, Kin-chan!" Sakuno yelled as well.
"Yeah! Yosh!" Kintarou added.
The door in front of them opened, showing a boy with blue round neck (messed) shirt who was currently rubbing his eyes, as if he was a crying little boy. "W-what is... the noise… about…"
"Meow…" a Himalayan cat purred from the foot of the said boy and cuddled Sakuno's foot.
Sakuno and Kintarou looked at the owner of the boy and wondered who it was.
"Ohayou, Echizen-kun… hehe…" Sakuno smiled sheepishly. She wish that Ryoma didn't saw her at that pose or else…
"R-Ryuzaki?" Ryoma's mood from no where was snapped back to reality when he heard Sakuno's voice. Kintarou looked at him with a sheepish smile too.
"Good morning, Koshimae!" Kintarou greeted energetically. "Oi oi Koshimae, tell me. Where have you been last night?" he asked.
"L-last night?" Ryoma and Sakuno were like in an electrical shock when Kintarou mentioned what happened last night. Ryoma shrugged and looked at Kintarou like nothing happened.
"Sakuno-chan was also missing last night…" Kintarou thought of and looked at Ryoma and Sakuno. "OI! Did something… did something happened-"
"I don't know what happened last night." Ryoma said and closed the room's door. Sakuno sighed mentally.
Ah. Echizen-kun is a good actor, ne? Sakuno thought of as a smile crept out from her lips. She faced Kintarou and smiled once more. "Etou, Kin-chan, I am going to the backyard to check out on something." She said with a glee of happiness. Ryoma heard her from the inside and blushed.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Kintarou asked.
Ryoma was disappointed when Kintarou asked Sakuno to go with her. He wanted her to go alone.
Sakuno shook her head. "No, it's okay. It's a secret place." She said and left. "See you, Kin-chan!" she said and waved goodbye.
"Just call on me if you needed something!" Kintarou added before she completely left. Sakuno faced him from afar and smiled. "I will!" she shouted.
Ryoma sighed from the inside. I am really a very great actor. He said to himself and dumped his self over the bed. "I don't have enough sleep…" he murmured as his eyes went heavy, sending him to a relaxing feeling called sleeping.
"Here I come!" Sakuno shouted while circulating the backyard. She looked around her and treasured Mother Nature. She looked at the plum tree at the backyard and smiled.
"I wish the girl will never leave the guy that Echizen-kun is referring to." She said and gave in a deep sigh. She opened her chocolaty eyes and realized that she had gone to far from her previous place and now she's already under the plum tree. She chuckled how disgraceful she might be when she's still young. Klutz, innocent and clumsy.
I think someone calls me a klutz. I wonder who it was… she continued on wandering within different thoughts and feelings.
She placed her index finger in front of her mouth and looked at the swaying leaves of the tree. She stopped walking and spread her arms up to the sky, and noticed that the tiny gaps of the leaves let the rays of sunlight pass through, leaving a spot-like pattern at Sakuno's elongated arms.
Sakuno smiled while bearing such a kind of emotion inside her heart, as if her heart is going to explode in happiness. She doesn't know the real reason, but would be the event last night brought her extravagant smiles?
She spun around like a child dancing with the scattering of cherry blossom leaves. She turned around, until she bumped at the stem of the plum tree mentioned before.
"Ha-ha. I think I'm just over enjoying myself…" Sakuno chuckled to herself and sat under the tree. She placed her hands in front of her mouth and took a little yawn, crystal forms of liquids formed beside her eyes. She wiped them all away and looked up once more.
"I think it would be better if the guy who was lost in my memories is with me by now. But, I think I felt his presence just a while ago… I wonder why it keeps me from hesitating…" she murmured with a slight frown, her hands trailing at the sides of her jogging pants. She looked up once more and took a pleased expression on her face.
"As what Echizen-kun had told me, I am not going to lose hope. People don't fail. They just give up." She muttered and clutched her hands together as what she had done before. "Echizen-kun…"
I feel very different whenever I hear or speak his name… she said and heaved a sigh, relaxing her left arm on her left side.
Suddenly, she felt a linen-like cloth beside her. "What is this?" Sakuno wondered when she saw a bouquet of flowers beside her. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the laced yellow flowers beside her. Sakuno faced the said bouquet, carried it on her arms and smelled the fragrance of the flowers.
Her eyes rolled while her hands trailed around the linen-covered bouquet of flowers, and alas! She found it. The card that she has been looking for. She flipped open the lavender-scented card and…
Cheer up. No one can beat you in your determination. I know that you can encourage yourself as well as how you encourage other people.
-From: Savior
Sakuno's heart raced in triumph when she knew who sent the flowers. Her arms involuntarily hugged the pink linen bouquet, while her eyes closed with the pleasure she's been feeling right now. But…
Does it mean that… he is just around? Sakuno asked herself and stood up. Her heart was like in the verge of exploding from a marathon race as adrenalin infested her white cheeks. She became nervous, but why?
I don't feel him like a stalker… rather a very special person who is just around me, watching… but, why did he use the name Savior anyways? Her mind continued on flashing hypothesis while walking back to the rest house.
"I really wonder why…" Sakuno wondered in thoughts once more. "But the most important thing is that it made me happy… VERY happy." She said with a smile.
"Here's the schedule for the day." Sumire announce after everybody took breakfast, showing a whiteboard full of charts and schedules of activities. Today is Tuesday, and we are going to do sports activities. It's already 8:30 in the morning, and we are going to have the following schedule for this morning, afternoon and evening:
9:00- Run in laps around the basketball court near at the entrance of the south east forest,
9:45- Volleyball. Boys are going to put the nets at the basketball court; there are two poles with dual purpose: Volleyball and tennis."
Kikumaru leaped in joy when he heard tennis. "Yay! We are going to play tennis!"
"Not until we reached day 6. We are already in day 2. So, you should have more patience, Eiji." Sumire placed her hands at the sides of her hips. "I am going to continue:
10:45 – 11:00 AM- Break
11:00-12:00- Basketball group A and group B
12:00 – 3:00 PM- Free Time
3:00 – 5:00 PM- Cleaning Time
5:00 – 6:00 PM- Break
6:30 – Dinner time. All of you get ready for the laps!" Sumire shouted with the megaphone. Everyone stood firm and shouted, "HAI!"
Everybody where having their warm-ups and stretching when they noticed a certain spot where tension starts to build-up. They looked near the storage area which happened to be beside the basketball court, just a few trees further.
"Sugoiii! They have the guts of winning from each other!" Kikumaru's mouth gaped open when he saw Ryoma and Kintarou having their own warm up while exchanging glares with each other. He almost dropped the black sack that he is carrying.
Momoshiro, in return, had a big sweat drop when he saw both of the raging rivals. "Eh Kikumaru-sempai, they don't really want to lose from each other, ne?" he said. He continued on carrying the black sack inside the storage room. He opened the door and dropped the black sacks inside. Kikumaru and Momoshiro grinned widely at each other and…
"BUI!" they showed a victory sign to each other.
"Run 50 laps around the basketball court!" Tezuka commanded. Everyone stood up straight and shouted, "HAI!"
Ryoma and Kintarou get set for the starting position while exchanging glares with each other.
"Ready… Set…" Tezuka started the countdown and…
"Go!" he declared.
-ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!
"Waa, so fast!" the ichinen trio beamed out when they saw how fast Ryoma and Kintarou were running. Tomoka looked at Sakuno with an amazed expression on her face. "Aah! They are really into it. Ne, Sakuno?"
Sakuno nodded with a big sweat drop on her head. "Ah… yeah…" she said with a sheepish smile.
"Koshimae! I am not going to lose!" Kintarou yelled while running hastily together along with Ryoma. Ryoma, in return, smirked at him cockily and said, "I'll never will!" he said in a loud voice.
Kikumaru started running together with Inui, Fuji and Momoshiro. "I think Inui's juice won't affect them, either…" Momoshiro and Eiji spoke with a sheepish smile playing on their lips.
"Ii… data…" Inui said as his eyeglasses gleamed.
"The battle continues…" Fuji said and started speeding up his heels, catching up with Echizen and Kintarou. Momoshiro and Eiji wondered, their eyes widening. "WHOA! Is Fuji also trying to capture Sakuno-chan's heart?" Kikumaru beamed and awed.
Inui's eyeglasses gleamed once more.
"Fuji's sadistic attitude is coming once more…" the data man murmured.
"I'm not going to lose, KOSHIMAE!"
"As well to my part, KINTAROU!"
Who's going to win? And if the laps end, is the battle over? Hmm, Let's see.
… To be continued
A/N: Whew! I finally finished the 11th chapter! Is this a very late update? Please do tell me! I was just very busy with schoolwork and watching Prince of Tennis series too! Wahahaha! Off to the nationals!
To haiezel/freaky-chan, why no updates? Me want the updates! -squeals- ! To kawaiihannah-san, I lurrrve your long review! Hehe I know that review will keep me encouraged! To mei na-san, filipino? waa apir pareho tau! -oops-. To catseye-san, wahahaha I also like your review. -gasps- people really wanted to glomp at Tezuka, ne? -smiles- To matsukanishi-chan, yeah I already finished CCS with 2nd movie (haven't watch the first yet). And me? Being hyper? Waa I always am! Bwahahahaha! To animeandmangaaddict-chan, (waa what can i call you?) I am also cruel and I luuurrrvvee Fuji's sadist-ness. Wahahahaha. To CGOMN-chan, wahahaha another review from you! Thanks! To Madoka-chan, waaa your stomach hold on your breath! Hehehe. To bhaibyflame-san, thanks for reminding me the flower from savior-kun. You helped me! -WET GLOMP on bhaibyflame-san-. To darkheart, thanks for the review! I appreciated it so much. And thanks for reminding me to update! Wahahaha! To anangelwithnoname-san, can I call you tenshi-chan? Tenshi means angel in japanese. Well, will you allow me? -smiles-. To sakuno-chan/lu-chan, don't worry I will read and review on your story after schoolwork. Just wish that it will end soon, since I feel like we are not going to have our semestrial break -outbursts- but I always have the time to do that! And about OG, that's okay. Some kind of feeling bad to myself because I didn't proved the thing I wanted to know by myself. -smiles gently at lu-chan-. And, that's not just it. Kin-chan and Ryoma-kun will have more 'deeper' matches! Wahahaha! To summer-chan, waaa I am blasted! Hehehe. To seru-chan, haha I can imagine your face. -glomps- I miss you seru-chaaaan! To eiram-chan, thanks for encouraging me! To Jomai-san, hehe thanks for the review too. To Shenhui-san, OO if you want I am going to give you Syuusuke-kun's pictures. Haha. -evil cackle-
Minna who always read my story despite of my late updates, Thank you very much!
And minna, do you know Kanata Hongo? Waaa spread the love! -squeals-
Well, that's all for now, minna! I'm really sorry for the late updates! Please tell me if I'm getting on your nerves!
And please, visit my homepage and profile and then join at our forums! We will gladly wait for you!
Ja'ne!
rookie-chan