Thank you for your reviews for chapter IV! Eien-Kisaki, lexc-angel, ah gal, Echizen WingS, DarkAngelOfTheMoonlight, RuByMoOn17, dimonyo-anghel, insance fan, ennov, thuyhy-thuyhy, Ahotep
Well, I was thinking about update this story after Valentine's Day, but I couldn't stop the urge to write it… So, here it is chapter V!
Disclaimer – 'Prince of Tennis' is not mine.
Kimi ga iru
As the referee announced the final match of Tokyo District Preliminaries tennis between Seishun Gakuen and Fudomine, the crowd raised their voice cheer the Seigaku out loud. Fudomine was no name school in junior high tennis competition. No one thought that they would make it to the final round. Even Inui Sadaharu's note didn't have the information about them more than their name.
Kaidoh Kaoru glanced his former double partner. Feeling lost in his own thought, he missed grabbing his racket and doing the snake shot on the court. Inui-senpai had helped him develop his personal skill and gave him many advices to become a better player, but when he was dropped from the regular, the senpai just kept quiet and never said anything.
He was just a tool for Inui-senpai? The boy didn't want to think of it that way.
"What are you thinking right now?" Momoshiro Takeshi asked, cutting what Kaidoh thought into half. One hand pressed on the bandana boy's shoulder.
"Just some pointless things…" He answered.
"Don't think too much." The other boy suggested.
"Yeah,"
He should stop thinking about this.
When the double 2 match was about to begin, Ryusaki Sumire-sensei turned to her students. "We don't know much about Fudomine team, but one thing we could be certain is that they are determine to win this game. Many schools drop their will to win when they know that they have to play against us, but not this school."
"Hai!" All boys said in the same time.
In Tezuka's lecture, Echizen-buchou was on top of the list. The boy saw the captain play a few times. As a captain, Echizen spent more time observe his club members to help them than to practice his own skills. It was hard to write down that he was the real greatest player when the bespectacled boy can't bottom his potential.
The other person that he couldn't seem to get the information was Fuji Syusuke, the second person on the top lists. The third year boy was always smiling with his eyes closed. A little did people know that he was hiding those beautiful deep blue eyes behind the thin eyelids.
"Fuji, they look scary…" Kawamura always felt uneasy and uncomfortable before his game begins.
"Here, Taka-san." Fuji handed the other boy the racket.
As soon as the taller boy grabbed the racket, the flame of the heart burned to his skin. "BURNING! GREATO!"
The game between Kawamura & Fuji V.S. Ishida & Sakurai started as wildly as the burning mode of Taka-san did. But even though Fudomine had to play with the famous Seishun, they didn't show their weakness or tension at all.
The tensai could see that their opponents had full energy to beat them. This made Seigaku having too much tension in their side. He won't allow that to continue. When Sakurai return the ball to his side, Fuji got into his famous position and hit the ball.
"Tsubame gaeshi!"
The ball he returned didn't bounce when it hit the ground of the court. The tension was put back to Fudomine double 2. It was the magic of the triple counter. One ball could change the flow of the game.
"Fuji-senpai is the number 2 in our tennis club." Horio said to Tezuka who was owed by the wonderful skill. "Second to our buchou."
This was the first time Tezuka had saw the most famous counter of the triple counter. The bespectacled boy knew that every time when the regular was practicing, Fuji never played his best as if he was afraid of something… or maybe he just lost the reason to win.
Tezuka wasn't sure if Seigaku could trust Fuji Syusuke.
Ishida looked at his captain, asking for a permission to use his secret skill. Tachibana waved his finger in return, allowing his team to use it. Then he set into the position and hit the ball forcefully.
"Hadoukyu!"
It was a flat shot with all his strength. The ball flied with the incredible speed and power to the Seigaku side. Fuji knew he couldn't let this ball get away. He had to return it, but before he and his racket get to the ball… Kawamura got to his way.
"Fuji move!"
"Taka-san!"
The burning mode player stepped between Fuji and the upcoming ball before it reach his friend and hit it with strong will and succeeded in returning it. Everyone, both Seigaku and Fudomine's side, was shocked by the sight.
"Game count, Seishun Gakuen 5-3." The referee announced.
Fuji wasn't feeling okay about this. "Taka-san," He grabbed his partner's right wrist.
The double personality player cried in pain.
"You blocked it to protect me…" His head fell down a little in guilty. "Because of me…"
"Don't think like that, Fujiko! I'm okay."
The triple counter player didn't listen, instead he turned to the referee. "Referee, we concede this match."
"Fuji! What are you doing? I can still play. You know this first match is very important to us!"
"You are too kind, Taka-san." Fuji said as he took the racket from the other boy.
When the racket was out of his hand, Kawamura's voice became softer. "I'm sorry."
The rain started to fall, the weather was getting cold. Tezuka felt the cold air piercing into his left arm. It was always the problem for him to deal with the change of weather. He tried to think of the other thing to stop feeling the deep pain in his left arm. His left shoulder wasn't doing any good either.
He turned his head to observe the golden pair's playing.
Kikumaru Eiji and Oishi Syuichiroh knew that they can not lose the double 1. It was not because they were being called 'Golden Pair', but it was because they had their pride to keep as per their determined to be the best double pair. Ever since they became double, they knew their double was 'special', not by word but by their feeling.
Many club members worried about the golden pair teamwork after many fight based on new manager, Tezuka Kunimitsu. But when they started their match in the cold rain, the club members decreased their worried. The golden pair's movements still as good as they were. Their teamwork also stilled there. But some of the regular members noticed that the two famous double had less body's contacts then usual.
"Game, Oishi-Kikumaru pair! 6-2!" The referee announced their name and score they had.
Now, it was Yuuta's turn to play in Single 3.
"You are playing single 3, right?" Kamio pointed his racket at Yuuta. "I wonder what your rhythm would be."
"Find out by yourself." Seigaku boy said.
The match between the left handed player and the red head speed ace began. Yuuta was the one who serve.
The data-man felt a bit annoy that Echizen didn't let Momoshiro play in this match. That kid used to play with the Fudomine's speed ace at the street court. It would be better to let the dunk smash boy play with his rival because they would aware of each other.
"Are you better than that Momo?"
"Talk as much as you want. No one can get me angry."
"I'm increasing my rhythm!" The red head increased his steps. "Rhythm ni Noruze!"
"It seems like that boy, Kamio Akira, likes to make his opponents angry, so they would lose their rhythm and then he will increase his own." Inui commented.
"But it's too bad for him that he has a match with our Yuuta." Fuji Syusuke said. His face still flashed a big smile.
"Nothing can make Yuuta-kun angry, except one thing." Kawamura said.
"Hm, me?" Fuji asked.
"Well… " The taller boy felt anxious to answer that Fuji was right.
The game continued and as Taka-san had expected, Kamio pull out that certain 'trick' against Yuuta. "You are Fuji's little brother, aren't you?"
There was no need to guess if the read head's question made the other boy angry or not because the answer was so clear… and probably too clear. "The chance of Yuuta's winning decrease rapidly. I should better get warm up." Inui said. "This match probably ends up with tie break."
"Inui,"
"What is it, Echizen?"
"Get Tezuka to play in the next game." The captain simply said.
All members, especially the manager himself, still were shocked by what Echizen-buchou had said before Yuuta's match ended. "Are you out of your mind!" Oishi said angrily. Part of him felt angry because his friend wanted 'that boy' to have a chance play.
Since all first year members was not allowed to play a proper game, the entire club only saw Tezuka practice the basic of tennis a couple times. The boy played teniis with right hand and quite had a good control over his play, judged by the form of his practicing.
"It could be fun." The buchou smirked.
"I need some rest. I know I'm too old for this." The coach sighed. Ryoma was worst than his father, Nanjiroh. She should have known that she shouldn't follow Yamato's decision, but that was too late.
"Ryusaki-sensei, please make Echizen re-consider."
"If I could, I would have done it, Oishi."
"Nya, Original Ochibi."
"Hm, Eiji?"
"Why do you have to do this to Megane-kun?" The cat boy learned to know it was useless to protest when the Original Ochibi had announced his decision and this was not the first time that the boy with the white cap, Ryoma, forced the younger boy, Tezuka, into doing something.
The captain didn't answer the certain question, just left it simply unanswered.
Finally Inui said. "Alright Tezuka, play the single 2." Although the young Fuji wanted to protest having Tezuka play the single 2 instead of Inui, he just kept silent. Due to his lost in single 3, he knew better to just be quiet. His lost against Fudomine's Kamio was unforgivable. He knew that he shouldn't get angry when that boy attempted to insult him by compare him with his aniki, but he just couldn't make it.
Tezuka Kunimitsu didn't understand. He didn't understand Echizen Ryoma at all.
Ever since he joined the club, the captain always gave him a hard time. He still remembered the first time they had met. It would be even harder to forget what had happen between them. He was not impressed at all. And the captain seem to had fun of having the destiny of Seigaku junior high tennis club in his hand
"Why your buchou want you to play the single 2 instead of Inui Sadaharu person who is your co-vice captain? Are you better than him? Probably not, you are the freshman, right? I'm going to win this game for Tachibana-san and I will show him that I'm worth his truth. Akira had already showed Tachibana-san his rhythm. Now, I'm going to show mine, but it isn't a rhythm. It's a special technique that Tachibana-san teaches me and helps me develop it. You are just a first year boy, but don't you think that I would go easy on you."
"SHINJI!" Tachibana shouted. His kouhai was talking too much.
"Sunmason…"
Outside of the court, there was one boy from Kanagawa cheering for Seigaku to win the match. "Fight! Seigaku! Fight!"
The freshmen-trio looked at the elder boy who was cheering their team out loud before them.
"You are not Seigaku student, aren't you?" Horio asked with annoy. He didn't want the other to take the outstanding voice of cheering from him.
"I'm from Rikkai Dai!"
"You are from Rikkai Dai?" Katsuo asked. "Why would you come here to see our match with Fudomine and cheer for us?"
"My fukubuchou said that Seigaku is strong, so I have to see for myself! I can't wait to see your captain play." He said with a big smile. "I want to have a game with him in Kantou competition!
"Is this court a concert or something?" The voice rose from behind all freshmen.
"Ah! Echizen-buchou," Horio said the captain's name.
"You are the famous left handed captain?" The Rikkai's sophomore asked. "Sanada-san said that I have to be very ready if I'm going to have a serious match with you." The boy pointed his right index finger at Echizen.
"Who said I'm going to play with you." He smirked.
"Ah! You make me look stupid!" The younger boy cried angrily. "My name is Kirihara Akaya. Remember my name. I will ask Yanagi-senpai to get all of your personal information and I will get you! I will be a winner!"
"A match between Seigaku and Fudomine is far more interesting than a match with Rikkai Dai."
The first year trio winced. Their captain really knew how to make people piss off.
When the Kanagawa boy saw Echizen had no intention to play with him, he decided to turn to cheer the game. Then he noticed… "Hm? That boy… I think I remember seeing him somewhere… Ah! I know it! He used to be in Rikkai's tennis club." Kirihara said loudly.
"NANI!" The freshmen exclaimed in the same time.
"Did I say something wrong?"
On the green court, the referee announced.
"One set match, Tezuka to serve!"
End of chapter V
In the next chapter, more secrets to be reveal. How did Kirihara come to Tokyo? More couples? Oops! I can't say that until the next chapter come! See you in next chapter! BTW, please review. :D