A/N: This chapter is a little intermission. We've been hearing a lot about Momo-senpai and I thought it would be nice to see Ryoma's side for a change. Oh, and sorry for the long wait. sweat drops I've been busy with job hunting and other things. Hehehe. Things are a little slow now as things settled so here's chapter for you. I hope you like it. give me a holler. Lots of love to you patient readers.

Chapter 6

I've planned everything. I planned every single, little detail to this plan. I've worked this inside my head so many times that I've come to each outcome a certain action can pertain to. I had thought, believed even, that this plan is absolutely foolproof.

But then the moment I came back to Japan, a certain big, goof ball of a sophomore breaks my plan into tiny million pieces with just one welcome hug.

I sigh. I just can't believe that after all this time, I'd still have feelings for Momo-senpai. I had, so long ago resigned myself to the fact that I'll always just be his best friend - and that I can never be more than that.

Then there came a time that I was feeling depressed about it. All that was running through my head was that this love would always be an unrequited one. I don't know if I could have handled that a bit more.

It was indeed a blessing that around the time I was starting to wallow in despair, that the news of my wild card entry to the US Open had arrived. I had made my mind up immediately. I would go.

It was a chance of a lifetime - for my tennis career and for a time to distance myself from Momo-senpai. I did, however, hoped that Momo-senpai would stop me from going. By then, I had developed the plan. So I told myself, if by a miracle, Momo-senpai stopped me - I wouldn't follow through with the plan. He didn't.

So I went to the US. Immersed myself in tennis. I've lost myself in the midst of practice and matches that for me, at that time, I only live and breathe just for the sake of tennis. But then, I never stopped thinking about Momo-senpai, either.

The plan was a big, gaping mistake. I had thought that if lose myself in tennis, I could forget about him. Forget about how he makes me happy, how me makes my day complete and how he utterly breaks my heart by treating me as just a friend. It was also heart breaking that he never did once contact me while I'm in the US.

I was a forlorn figure then. Passive and aloof like always. The eyes having a blank stare only to have a shade of its former fierceness when in the middle of a great tennis match.

And then, suddenly there was Kevin. Everywhere I go, he was there. Every time I had a practice or a game, he was there to cheer and encourage. And every time I start feeling depressed, he's there to cheer me up and pick the pieces of my sorrow.

He was walking me home. I had just won a match and he had just treated me out to pizza. Even in my deplorable state, I could tell that something was amiss with Kevin. He was usually his bubbly but snippy self but just that night, he was but a shade of his usual self.

I was just about to bid him goodnight at our front door, when he grabbed my hand. He looked scared but hopeful. And then in a barely audible voice he said;

"I like you."

I was shocked to say the least. I have never seen this coming. But then I looked at Kevin's scared stance and I noticed the way he looked so vulnerable that something squeezed at my heart. If I had his courage, I'm sure that I would be his spitting image.

At that moment, I just felt that Kevin was me and I was Momo-senpai. If I was Kevin, and I rejected me - my world would be torn apart. I must've gone out to space and back because when I came to, Kevin had a resigned look on his face and was looking somewhere in the distance.

"You better get in then. You'd catch a cold." And with a little, sad smile on his face, he turned to leave.

Without thinking about it, my hand reached out to take his wrist to keep him from leaving.

"If you're willing to wait..." I whispered. He looked at me and I can see it in his eyes, a glimmer of hope.

"I like someone else. But I want to forget about him. So, if you're willing to wait until I could give my everything to you..." At that time, I don't know half the things I was saying. I paused and when I digested what I said, I felt an incredible feeling of hopelessness. At that particular moment, I had given up. And I just can't help feeling despaired. So I bawled. I cried and I cried. I was letting go.

Kevin had wrapped his arms around me. He held me as I cried. And when I was about to pass out from crying, I heard him say;

"I can wait."

The moment I heard him say that he can wait, I felt that this was the chance I've been waiting for. If I had someone I could be thankful for, if I had someone who could make me forget and make me feel loved - then slowly but surely I would forget the feelings I have for Momo-senpai. That was the new, foolproof plan. And for a time, I thought it had worked.

And so the matches in US open continued. And so did the time I spent with Kevin. Little by little, day by day, I am starting to see the good in Kevin. I'm starting to liking him around. And then one day, the day I won the tournament, I felt I was ready. I haven't felt gloomy since I had him by my side. He had been my pillar of support, my own cheerleader and everything more. I felt like I could finally let go of Momo-senpai.

As the last of the confetti fell and when my mother finally let go after congratulating me for so long, I felt my resolve strengthen up. I felt like it was the time that I return Kevin's feelings. I pulled him aside and whispered in his ear;

"Let's be together."

And from then on, he had been my boyfriend. I was really happy with him. We shared every moment there was to spend while I was in the US. I had never once thought of Momo-senpai since then. I was in bliss.

And then my father, the harbinger of everything bad news, told me that I had to go back to Japan to finish my studies. I had a sudden anxiety attack. What if I saw Momo-senpai??? What if my feelings for him hadn't really vanished??? What will I do then???

I noticed Kevin from the corner of my eye looking defeated. I felt my heart go out to him. I squeezed his hand to assure him and to assure myself as well. I meet his eyes and tell him;

"We'll still be together. You'd go to Japan with me, right?" He had nodded and I felt that his presence was enough to keep other emotions at bay. I was confident that the love I had for Kevin was enough. Enough to let me face Momo-senpai without feeling anything other than friendship.

And then we came. The Seigaku tennis team welcomed my return. Everyone was there. HE was there. I got hugs from everyone. He was the last to approach me.

Momo-senpai was the same as I had left him before. Still the same one who could make my heart beat fast. We looked at each other for a long time, before he finally gave a huge grin and enveloped me with a hug. And I felt the world stand still.

A rather loud 'hem-hem', caught my attention and Momo-senpai's attention. KEVIN. I nearly forgot all about him. feeling rather guilty, I reached out for his hand, pulled him forward and gave a sly smile to the rest of my team.

"Everyone, meet Kevin Smith. My boyfriend." After I said that, I felt grounded. I felt attached to Kevin once more. Momo-senpai was nothing more than a friend to Echizen Ryoma now.

I looked around. Everyone on the team seemed happy for me. All except one. Momo-senpai was looking at our clasped hands like it was the only thing that mattered at the moment. His smile was frozen one his face, looking really awkward.

And then without saying anything he turned his back to us and left.

When we got home, Kevin was looking at me like I cheated on him. I sigh.

"Kevin, what's the matter?" I asked tiredly.

"That big one. The one who hugged you last. He was the one, wasn't he?" Kevin asked in such a way that it sounded like it was a statement. I heaved back a great sigh.

"He is."

"I don't want you getting near him." He asked childishly as his lips extended into a pout. He looked like a brat at that moment that I can't help but snicker.

"What's so funny?" Kevin asked rather irritably. I gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"You are. Please stop worrying about it. He'll never see me as more than a friend. It was just a welcome hug." Kevin looked imploringly at me.

"Even if that is... what about you? What do you feel about him?" I paused. It's true that at the sight of Momo-senpai, my heart did little jumps and crunches. But then I see Kevin and he brings me back on earth. He's the one I'm with and he's the one who deserves my everything.

"I'm with you and that's all that matters." I said in a whisper as he enveloped me in a hug. And he says yet again in my ear.

"I can wait." And when I heard that same sentence once more, I felt my heart thunder. Here was a boy so devoted to me, and there I was - resolve weakening at just the sight of him. I felt so guilty and angry at myself that I vowed to myself that I would squash the last of my feelings against Momo-senpai.

I had been doing very well. I was not the same as I once was. I didn't quiver with excitement at the sight of him. I didn't get green with envy every time Momo-senpai hugs Eiji-senpai or even when Kaidoh-senpai commands his sole attention. I didn't even mind that he'd been ignoring me since I last saw him in the airport. Fine, I concede. I'm irritated as hell. Why would he ignore me? We weren't what I want us to be. But to ignore me, his supposed best friend? Hmp. And for the first time since forever, this was my pride speaking not my heart.

I did notice though that Momo-senpai had been keeping close attention to me and Kevin. I'd sometimes notice that he's looking longingly at my back and glaring at Kevin's direction. He was also short-tempered nowadays. He had almost demolished Kaidoh-senpai in their practice match. Momo-senpai looked like he was releasing a truck-load of anger and desperation. And I wasn't used to seeing him that way. Being his best friend, I reasoned that I had to find out why he had been this way. And I thought it was high time to find out if I did, indeed, squashed the last of my feelings towards him.

I cornered him at the clubroom, where Ryuzaki-sensei told him to cool off. Kevin was sidetracked with Eiji-senpai who had been commandeering his attention since the start of practice.

"Momo-senpai, do you have a tummy ache?" The question just slipped. This was what he always asked me if I was in a bad mood. I saw him freeze for an instant before his shoulders sagged and put his hands behind his head in show on nonchalance.

"Hahaha. funny." Senpai said nothing more than that, and I sigh. I'm not used to being the talkative one between the two of us and I could really feel the thick tension enveloping us. I'm not used to any of it. I still want to be Momo-senpai's best friend and it's tearing me up to think about the possibility of us falling apart. I sighed.

"Do we have a problem, Momo-senpai?" I asked timidly. The look of surprise was evident on his face yet again. And I'm dumbfounded with his reaction.

"Why do you say that?" He asked me with such confusion that I'm holding back the retort building up inside my head. Of course we have a problem! You'd been ignoring me for days. We haven't had our usual hamburger dates. We haven't visited Ann-chan at the street tennis courts. And you haven't... You haven't even mussed up my hair after I win my matches - even if its just a practice match. And I feel sad about all of it. Instead of answering in a diatribe, I simply said;

"I get the feeling that you've been ignoring me." Momo-senpai hung his head and for awhile he looked sorry. I looked sorry too at that moment.

"No. I'm just feeling awkward." He replied slowly as if trying to decide if he just said the right thing. I looked up at him confused.

"Awkward?"

"You know, because I thought, we couldn't hang out like before." His brows knit together as he said this, and he crossed his arms. I looked at him funny.

"Why? I'm still the same Echizen." I answered.

"Yeah... but you know..." So he knows I'm still his Echizen. So why? I'm still looking at him with curious eyes when he sighed.

"You know... you have... extra baggage now." He finished. I'm confused. Extra baggage? Oh.

"Kevin." I said in a whisper. I've not thought about this through and through but... at that moment, I thought it shouldn't matter right? Kevin's my boyfriend. Momo-senpai's my best friend. I could spend time with both of them. Although I admit that I have to spend more time with my boyfriend. After all, he's waiting for me to resolve all my demons away. And I'll do just that. By starting to treat Momo-senpai as nothing more than a best friend.

"Bingo." He said. Is it just me or did he sound so dejected? I shrugged the nagging thought away and decided that Momo-senpai was just jealous of the time that I would be spending with Kevin. After all, we were most inseparable before. I guess he just wasn't used to sharing me to someone else.

"He shouldn't make a difference. We're still best friends, right?" I asked. I saw him cringe at my statement.

"Yeah, of course." Momo-senpai said tightly as he gave me a small grin. I looked at him with knitted brows but smiled nonetheless. Feeling that I resolved the issue between us, I turned my back to him and start to walk away.

"That's good. I thought I'd lost a best friend." I said so suddenly that I even surprised myself. Its true though. I could never bear it, if I lost Momo-senpai's friendship. I was about to turn the knob on the door when I heard him;

"Wait." Momo-senpai yelled as he grabbed my wrist to keep me from going. He looked flushed and I thought to myself if he keeps looking at me intensely I would soon look flushed as him.

"To make it up to you, would you like to the carnival this weekend with me?" He asked me a little breathlessly. I'm stunned. And I must've looked like it because next thing I know, Momo-senpai released my hand and added hastily,

"We could bring Kevin too." Kevin. Yeah. We must bring Kevin. I thought to myself. I was shocked. For a moment there, I thought he was asking me for a date. That's what I always wanted, right? But no. That's not what I want right now. I want Kevin as my boyfriend and Momo-senpai as my best friend. Yeah. That's what I want. And I guess its high time for them to be friends as well. Happy with my conclusion, I gave Senpai a snarky smile.

"Your treat?" Momo-senpai repressed a smile as he sighed melodramatically.

"Yes, even if it breaks my heart and pocket, it will be my treat." I smiled and proceeded to go out the clubroom.

"Fine. See you this weekend senpai." I said as I closed the doors on him.

I told Kevin about my meeting with Momo-senpai and I'm glad that he was cool with it. He agreed to go and even promised me that he'll try to be friendly with Momo-senpai. Kevin might be the sweetest thing to me but to others who doesn't catch his favor he's a real total brat.

The days passed by and I'm starting to look forward to that carnival date I had with Momo-senpai and Kevin. Momo-senpai had gone back to his usual joking self. He was reclaimed his spot as number one cheerer and best friend after that encounter in the clubroom. I was happy with the things were going on between senpai and me. But then Kevin started to get jealous. The day before we were slated to meet up with Momo-senpai, he pulled me aside to have a word with me.

"Do we really have to go with Momoshiro-senpai tomorrow?" Kevin asked me sulkily. I looked at him tiredly, pleading with my eyes that I do not want to have an argument. Not now.

"Yes." I replied in my cool, bored voice that usually indicated the end of the conversation. Kevin did not get the message. He looked at me imploringly.

"But why?" He asked. I sighed and tried to keep the irritation at bay.

"I already promised him so that's why."

"Can we not go? We can cancel it." I turned to him with wide eyes.

"I asked for your permission before and you said yes. What's the matter with you?" Kevin started to get irritated with me as well. He raised his hands up in the air in exasperation. He held my arms at my side and looked deep into my eyes. I could see that he had so many things going on his mind and I suddenly felt sorry for the way I handled this conversation.

"It's just that… I'm suddenly worried." Kevin whispered as he put his forehead on mine. I could tell he was holding back tears. I looked up at him, confused.

"Worried? We are just hanging out with Momo-senpai. What's there to worry?"

"Are you sure you're over him?" He asked me. I'm taken aback. Am I over Momo-senpai? Really over him? I haven't thought about this. I'm just focused with getting back Momo-senpai's friendship and trying to make the most of our time together that I haven't really thought about it. I don't want to confuse myself. I want Kevin! I do. But I do want Momo-senpai... as a friend. So frustrating.

"What are you talking about?" I tried to act indignant. I move away from his grasp and crossed my arms. I am over him, damn it!!! Momo-senpai... The things we've been doing, it's all just for the sake of friendship. Right?!

"Ryoma…" Kevin sounded broken as he said my name. I could tell he was having a hard time holding back those tears and hiccups.

"Don't play dumb. You still like him right?" Kevin accused as he looked straight at me. He sounded so sure, when here I was still confused about the whole thing.

"I, I… I don't know…" I stammered a reply as a million things went through my head. Had he noticed what I haven't myself? Was I really unconsciously enjoying Momo-senpai's attention towards me so much so to entertain thoughts that Senpai might like me back? Am I still harboring hope for the two of us? And more importantly, have I been cheating myself that I've grown to like Kevin much more so that Momo-senpai? Trains of thoughts were still running in mind when I suddenly feel Kevin shaking me up. His eyes were glistening with tears.

"Ryoma, I'm telling you now. I'm green with envy every time you get near Momoshiro-senpai. I feel insecure every time you're having a ball with him!! I feel like I'm losing you every time you're out of my sight!!" He was ranting. He was shaking with anger and envy. I was mad at myself for treating Kevin this way.

"Kevin. Please. I'm with you, aren't I?" I don't want to see Kevin this way. So I held him in my arms as I try to comfort him and assure him that I'll never leave him. ''

And as I hold a sobbing Kevin, I can't help but let loose a tear or two.

T.B.C