Here We Go Again
Chapter Eleven: Additions to the Family
"Hell no."
"Come on, Chibisuke, it'll be fun."
"Yadda."
"Ryoma, give it up; it won't be that bad. I'm going to be here now, too, and you used to see him way more than you're going to with this arrangement."
"Yadda."
"Meh. It doesn't matter. I've got the principal's go-ahead, so I'm doing it anyways."
"I said, 'yadda!'"
"Now you're making me feel bad, and we haven't seen each other in so long."
"Che. What, like a month or two matters?"
"Of course it does, you're my little brother! Haven't you missed your aniki?"
"You already know what his answer to that will be, Ryoga."
"Not really."
"See?"
"So cold, so cold. Well, either way, you're stuck with me!"
"And me!"
"Yadda!"
"Mada mada daze, Chi-bi-su-ke."
"Baka aniki."
"Heeh? What was that? Can you repeat that, Chibisuke?"
"Ack! Lemme go!"
"Ryo-chan? Where are you, we're going in the onsen!"
"Huh? Who's that?"
"Fuji-senpai! In here; help!"
The brunet entered Ryoma's room to find a very strange scene. Ryoma was a few yards away from the door, being held in a headlock by… a larger version of Ryoma?
Watching the scene was a short teenager with oval sunglasses perched on chin length golden hair. Blue-gray eyes sparkled with amusement as he laughed at the room's other occupant's banter from Ryoma's beanbag chair.
"Oh, I remember you! You were one of the guys on Sakurafubuki's ship way back when!" It was only at those words that everything clicked.
"Echizen Ryoga?"
The man dropped his little brother, tossing a mock salute at Fuji. "At your service."
"What are you doing in our dorm?" A valid question when someone you'd met once, two years ago no less, suddenly appears in your home.
"Chibisuke's manager sent me and Kevin to keep an eye on him while he's in Japan. Can't have my charge wandering off to the other side of the world again," Ryoga stated coolly, smirking slightly.
"Your charge?"
"Che." The younger of the brothers spoke up. "Baka aniki's my personal trainer, since oyaji doesn't want to bother with more than a match now and then."
Had Fuji's eyes been open, he would've blinked. How had they managed to even find the elder Echizen brother, much less convince him to be Ryoma's trainer? As far as he knew, the man was a drifter who didn't like being tied down.
"Heeh? Did you already forget, Chibisuke? I'm not just your trainer anymore," teased Ryoga, snatching his little brother's hat off of his head and placing it sideways on his own green locks.
Slightly puzzled, (but no less amused at the brothers' antics) Fuji posed another question. Being out of the loop wasn't a particularly enjoyable experience… "Who else are you training, then, Ryoga-san?"
The man turned his playful gaze away from his short brother who was attempting to reclaim the hat he was holding. "All of you guys. Principal-san was all too happy to 'have the Echizen Ryoga train our wayward club,'" Ryoga replied, putting air quotes around the last phrase. "Although, the only reason I'm 'the Echizen Ryoga' is because the media doesn't know how anyone puts up with Chibisuke here." Apparently having an affinity for it, Ryoma's older brother put the unfortunate boy in another headlock.
Over the protests, complaints, and curses, Fuji thought about the implications of what he'd just learned. Ryoma's older brother was going to be their coach, their guide, supporter, and mentor, for their last (and possibly most important) year together. It wasn't such a scary thought, until he realized the most important fact. The bolder, crazier, and older version of Ryoma… was supposed to fill Ryuzaki-sensei's place.
Well, it would most certainly be interesting to watch. He'd just have to get more memory for his camera.
Strangely enough, it wasn't the noise that snapped the genius out of his contemplation, but the lack thereof. Apparently, Ryoga had said something to his little brother that had calmed him down and/or irritated him into submission.
"Che."
"Oi, Chibisuke, has anyone ever told you that you say 'che' far too much? They should; you sound very mean," chided Echizen the elder.
"Why does it even matter to-" The short teenager began to retaliate, the gleam in his eyes indicating willingness (and intention) to turn this into a full-blown argument. Or tantrum, if need be. Luckily for the building and all its inhabitants, the two quarreling tennis stars were split up by Fuji.
"Maa, maa. Let's all just calm down, ne? Ryo-chan-"
"You'd better be talking about Chibisuke," interrupted Ryoga.
The brunet laughed lightly. "Sorry, sorry. Forgot that there are two Ryo's here. I am, though. Why don't you come to the onsen with everyone, we can explain to them what's going on. Echizen-san-"
"Ryoga or Ryoga-kun's fine," the man interjected again, waving one hand.
Fuji smiled even wider. Apparently, something in the Echizen family genes made them unafraid of him. It was refreshing. "Ryoga-kun, you and Kevin-kun can stay here until dinner, I suppose."
The oldest among them shrugged noncommittally as Kevin glanced up from his magazine. "Fine by me," said the blond.
"Ryoma, let's go." As he spoke, Fuji opened the door, politely gesturing for the freshman to exit.
"Che. Stay here and don't touch my stuff," he said in an irritated voice, turning to his brother and friend as he walked out.
"Have fu~un," yelled Kevin in a singsong voice as the door slammed shut.
~X~
"Why do we have to wear swimsuits? It's an onsen."
Ryoma was leaning on wall, waiting for Fuji to finish changing. After the briefest of pauses, the older teen's voice floated over from behind a small wall of lockers. "It isn't a school rule, it's one that Tezuka enforced once Eiji and Oishi came out of the closet."
The dark haired boy blinked once, then his eyes widened as he caught his senpai's meaning. "Oh."
"Yeah, 'oh.'" Fuji smiled as he rounded the corner, swim trunks on and towel slung over his shoulder. Ryoma appraised him discreetly. Last time he'd seen Fuji without his shirt on, he'd been too unsettled to see the faint lines tracing muscles on the brunet's pale, lithe frame. For someone so thin, Fuji sure was fit. 'Then again', he thought, glancing down at his own toned chest, 'I guess skinny doesn't always mean weak.'
"Ryo-chan, you coming?"
The boy blinked. During his out-of-the-blue (and extremely weird) contemplation on muscles, his companion had walked over to the entrance to the onsen. "Ah, yeah."
The duo stepped out into the slight evening chill, one of them looking around curiously. The team's onsen was traditional looking, lined with stones and screened from the outside world by a wooden fence (a fence that Ryoma blessed, Kami-sama knows what would happen if it wasn't there). A small artificial waterfall splashed quietly in a secluded corner of the pool, underneath which Tezuka was meditating. A few small cherry blossom trees dotted the interior, and the leaves of some maples could be seen behind the barrier of dark wood. The only thing unorthodox about the hot spring was the crowd of energetic teenage boys occupying it.
"Oi! Echizen!" shouted Momo from the far end of the steaming pool, waving one arm vigorously. "Get in or Eiji-senpai and I are coming to get you!"
"Give me a second!" Ryoma called back.
He slipped into the water, sighing quietly at the feel of hot water surrounding him. "Ne, buchou! I need to tell you something," the boy called over to where his captain meditated under the waterfall.
The brunet opened his eyes, nodded, and slipped into the pool proper. Walking over (as well as one could walk when in waist-high water) to where the youngest member of his team stood, he asked, "What is it?"
"My idiot brother showed up in my room, and so did Kevin. Apparently baka aniki is our new coach and peroxide head is thinking of becoming our manager."
Apparently managing to follow the boy's vague explanation, Tezuka nodded once. "I'll speak to the principal tomorrow; thank you."
"No problem," Ryoma replied absentmindedly, already turning warily to where his two energetic upperclassmen were waving impatiently. "I'm coming, I'm coming!"
He swam away, (walking was too troublesome in such high water) leaving the captain to return to his much-needed meditation.
"Nice of you to grace us with your presence, ou-ji-sa-ma," mocked Momo, drawing out the word.
The small teen blinked, looking up at his upperclassman. "You're noisy. Where'd Kikumaru-senpai go?"
"O-chi-bi!"
Well, that answered that. The redhead was waving spasmodically from his perch on Oishi's shoulders, and would surely have fallen into the water had someone less sturdy and balanced been supporting him.
"What are you doing, Oishi-senpai, Kikumaru-senpai?" he called over through the steam.
"Chicken fight!" came the cheery reply.
"Chicken… Ah!"
The surprised boy looked down to see his legs resting on Momo-senpai's shoulders, with the trickster's strong arms wrapped around his shins. "Let go of me, idiot!" he yelled, thumping Momo soundly upside the head.
"Come on, it's all in good fun, Echizen," said Momo, laughing it off.
"Yosh, enough talk!" yelled Kikumaru, putting on a (fake) serious face. "Oishi, charge!"
"Oh-! Here they come, Echizen!"
"What! Ah! Son of a-"
Splash.
~X~
Re-introductions over and done with, the eight regulars sat in the large kitchen with the newcomers, discussing the situation over dinner… Seigaku style.
There was general mayhem and pandemonium, barely contained by the occasional threat from Tezuka, even before Ryoga and Kevin made their… announcements.
"What? Are you serious?" yelled Momo through a mouthful of rice as he dropped his chopsticks.
Across the table, Ryoga smirked at the varying degrees of shock pointing his way. "Totally. I've got to watch out for my little brother, and if that means coaching you guys, fine."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Momo shouted, (again) his mouth noticeably less full of rice this time.
Completely ignoring the junior, Ryoga turned to the rest of the household with an offhand grin. "I plan on getting your team to National Finals, and I'll be damned if you don't win once you're there,"
"Unyah! Oishi, isn't that great? Ochibi's aniki is going to be our coach! Won't it be fun, nya?" asked Kikumaru as he bounced enthusiastically in his chair.
"Yeah, it sounds like we're in for one memorable year," the teen replied with a smile. He then turned to the elder Echizen, lowering his head and shoulders in a half-bow. "Please take care of us, Ryoga-san."
"Huh? Yeah, sure."
A deep voice from the head of the table ("the daddy's place," as Kikumaru dubbed it) interrupted their semi-formalities. "Excuse me, Echizen-san, but where will you be staying?"
"Eh? Well, lucky for you, I'll be getting my own place, but Kevin's going to be shacking up here."
"Oi, Ryoga, what do you mean shacking up? I'm living here now, you were with me when I enrolled!"
At that moment, several teens found themselves marveling at the uncanny talent that the Echizen family had for pissing people off.
"Wait, Smith-san-"
"Kevin, I'm American," interjected the blond indifferently, lacing his fingers behind his head.
"Uh, Kevin," Oishi corrected himself, struggling slightly in pronouncing the foreign name. "You're staying here? I'm sorry, but we don't have any extra rooms."
"Peroxide head can just double up with someone, right?" asked Ryoma, sipping his Ponta lazily.
"I told you, it's my natural color!" yelled said peroxide head, looking extremely aggravated.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," drawled his friend, eyes sparkling in mischievous amusement.
"Since you two know each other, can't Kevin room with you, Ochibi?" Kikumaru jumped in, having finished his food.
"No!"
The two chorused, both sitting up from their lax positions. At the raised eyebrows that their vehement rejections won, each launched into their own explanations.
"I'll go nuts if I room with this-"
"I was stuck rooming with so many other kids-"
"-and he wakes up way too early-"
"-nothing makes him happy-"
"-don't want him messing with my stuff-"
"-I hate having to share a room-"
"-and I want my own room!"
The two glanced at each other in irritation as they both finished their respective tirades with the same words.
The room was completely silent, half of the occupants trying to find out what was just said and the other half were gaping at Ryoma, who was the absolute last person you'd expect on a tirade.
Suddenly, a bubble of soft laughter began pealing from one side of the table. The source was none other than resident genius/devil, Fuji Syuusuke. "I've got to say, that was impressive. Did you plan it?" Seeing no answer forthcoming, the brunet continued. "What I got from it was that Ryo-chan would get irritated if they room together, as will Kevin. However, it sounded like Kevin had another reason. Care to elaborate?"
"…I just had to stay in this foster home with five million kids while my dad was on trial for abuse," muttered Kevin, an angry expression on his face. "Mrs. Echizen put him away, and said I could stay with her family and eventually come to school here. I really didn't want to live in the dorms, but it's mandatory. Figured staying with you lot (1) was better than people I don't know." By the time his explanation was finished, the young teen's voice had regained its usual vigor.
Fuji's smile turned thoughtful for a moment before he spoke again. "Hm… If that's the case, I've got a solution."
~X~
Ryoma, usually skilled in the art of witty and/or irritating remarks, found his mind in a dumbstruck loop
How did it come to this?
How did it come to this?
How. Did. It. Come. To. This.
The freshman had first gone through an extremely interesting practice, with his older brother in charge…
Flashback
A quick, shrill whistle broke through the air, drawing the attention of the fifty or so teenage boys assembled on the tennis courts. "Alright, I'll make this quick," announced a tall, handsome man with dark hair and laughing eyes. "For those of you who don't already know, my name is Echizen Ryoga. To stop all stupid questions, yes, I'm Chibisuke's older brother."
The saddest part was that no one had to ask who "Chibisuke" was.
"I'm also your new coach, want to see you win the National Tournament, don't put up with any bullshit, and am not afraid to whip you into shape. Now, one last thing before we get this practice going. This is Kevin Smith, though it'd be Smith Kevin here, he's from America but speaks Japanese fluently- that means he'll understand every word you say about him. He's a new club member and will also be our manager."
Managing to look only slightly bored, the blond bowed his head in acknowledgement. "Just Kevin's fine. Nice to meet you."
A few of the members responded, and most smiled or nodded back.
"Now," continued Ryoga. "What's this Inui keeps telling me about juice?"
Flashback End
The boy sighed, remembering the chaos that followed those fateful words. He lay in bed, lights off and hair still slightly dampening the pillow beneath him. Across the room, the small chest with the pictures of him was absent, and he knew that it sat downstairs next to his desk where a small couch used to be. In its place was a neatly made bed with a plain wooden nightstand at the foot.
He glared at the unassuming additions to his room, knowing full well that they represented hell for him. What's more, it just so happened that the ruler of this hell had just slid the patio door open and stepped inside, bringing a cool breeze with him.
The silhouette moved towards the newly added bed and slipped in, making the covers rustle.
God have mercy on him.
God, please have mercy on him.
The teen rolled onto his stomach, knowing (but getting the strangest feeling to the contrary) that his new roommate couldn't see his twitching eye.
They were in for a memorable year, Oishi had said. Damn straight they were.
"Good night, Ryo-chan."
Hahahaha… Who saw that coming? Either way, this will be one hell of a year for poor little Ryoma and his new roommate.
Yea suckuhz, it's Ryoga! … Oh yeah, and Kevin… But RYOGA! I reaaally hope my personality for him is good, because now that we might actually get to know him in NPoT, I can't just make him however I want… Oh, right, he's not dating Kevin, or anyone for that matter. Come on, the one time we see him with girls, he looks straight as a board and you know it (even if you [no one] likes it).
(1) AH! He sounds British! Rest assured that I'm from the States, though. U-S-A! U-S-A! O~h say can you see!