The Devil Plays Tennis

In which Kintarou tells a story, much to Ryoma and Sakuno's dismay.

The song is not the same,

And we're all played out,

All played out.

Doncamatic (Gorillaz ft. Daley)

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FIVE.

"Another chapter? Isn't the story done already?"

"Ryoma kun!"

"What?"

"Don't be so rude…"

"Tch. stupid Ryuuzaki."

"HEY! DON'T TALK TO MY PRINCESS THAT WAY!"

"Shut up!"

"Sigh."

Kintarou crossed his arms and reclined in his chair. A self-glorified grin shone from his boyish face. Across the dining table sat Ryoma and Sakuno, the former looked un-amused, taking a sip from his can of Ponta every now and then. He shot a glare at the red head in front of him.

"So what are we here for?" Ryoma asked. Kintarou had called both him and his girlfriend from their, ahem, time together, for some important speech that just had to be announced.

"Well, you know the story is done and over with and all…" Kintarou explained. He held his nose high, making Ryoma's eye twitch.

"Yes, and thank you for 200 reviews!" Sakuno said, as she turned to a phantom camera in the distance.

"Stop that," Ryoma chastised.

"Well, it would be a shame to end the story with how it is," Kintarou shook his head and sighed, "The author even had my whole backstory planned out! You should've heard what was supposed to be the climatic chapter! It includes me, Shiraishi senpai, you, and all of us facing off in an—"

"Wait, wait! Shouldn't we keep it a secret in case the author decides to continue?" Sakuno interjected.

Kintarou titled his head in confusion, "Continue? That's doubtful, she's a lazy piece of—"

"So what are we here for then?" Ryoma asked. He was clearly irritated by Kintarou's behavior.

"Well in honor for giving the story so much love and support, despite all the grammar mistakes, out of character scenes, misspellings…" Kintarou continued to count the flaws on his fingers before continuing on, "She decided to write an extra chapter, and if the response is good, she might continue with what was originally planned for my story!"

"Are there people still interested in this fandom?" Ryoma sighed and rolled his eyes.

"I'm not even in the new series," Sakuno muttered. Ryoma and Kintarou shared guilty looks before coughing and looking away.

"Can't say the same for me and Koshimae!," Kintarou laughed before getting hit by Ryoma, "W-Well anyways, let's continue on with the extra side story thing!"

Ryoma stared at Kintarou, "Which is…"

"The super amazing, delicious, and outstanding "what if" story!" Kintarou declared and pointed to the sky, "Written, directed, and narrated by me!"

"Oh boy."

"Ah…"

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So, once upon a time in a world where everything was cool and nothing sucked…

("…Kintarou, God Dammit.")

Hey! This is my narration. Anyways, okay let's get started for real.

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ONE (edited by Kintarou)

Let's get fucked up and die...

I'm only speaking figuratively of course.

-Motion City Soundtrack

The Sun streamed through the clouds like golden rain on this particular day. Ryuzaki Sakuno remembers it well since it was her first day of her lastyear in high school. The third year breathed in, filling her young lungs with fresh oxygen as she stepped out into the wild.

Unfortunately, her first steps didn't go smoothly as a banshee prince slammed into her side head on.

("Wait, what?")

Sakuno gasped and fell down, promptly bruising her romp. Having the wind literally knocked out of her, it took a few moments for her vision to focus on the boy sprawled on her body. Dazed vision honed in on sharp looking eyes, leaving Sakuno with only one thought,

'His eyes are so gold…'

A dry voice invaded her fan-girlish thoughts, "You can stop staring any moment now."

As Sakuno squeaked and began profusely apologizing, the golden-eyed boy shook his hair before putting his hoodie back on. He checked his tennis gear, shoes, and even brushed off his outfit before extending a hand to the fallen girl.

"Ano… gomen," Sakuno apologized.

"Whatever," The boy shrugged and threw his tennis bag over his shoulder. It was then Sakuno noticed the boy's school uniform.

"Oh! You're going to Seigaku?" Sakuno smiled, "That's where I attend."

"Oh?" A smirk played on the boy's lips as he sized Sakuno up, "You wouldn't happen to know where the tennis courts are, do you?"

"My boyfriend is the captain there!" Sakuno grinned, "I can take you to him if you want to try out."

The smirk seemed to spread even wider, giving the boy a cocky kind of charm to him, "Lead the way."

The two started to walk to school. It was here that Sakuno noticed that the boy was almost as tall as her boyfriend, and just as lean too. Curious, Sakuno decided to ask for the boy's name.

"So what's your name?" Sakuno asked, a faint blush played on her cheeks.

Gold eyes playfully regarded her and an all-knowing grin played on the boy's lips.

"My name is Echizen Ryoga."

("KINTAROUUU!")

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Kintarou gave out a high pitched cry as Ryoma started to attack the boy with his tennis racket. Meanwhile, Sakuno was holding her heated cheeks, trying to calm her heartbeat.

"What is wrong with you?" Kintarou cried, "This is my story!"

"What is wrong with you?" Ryoma growled as he grabbed Kintarou's collar and brought the red head face to face with him, "What's the point of bringing my brother into this?"

"Oh, come on," Kintarou whined and shook Ryoma's hands off him, "If I put you in my position then Sakuno chan is clearly going to fall for you and leave me!"

To this, Ryoma simply raised an eyebrow.

Kintarou groaned, "And what's bad for my story!"

"This isn't about you!"

"Wow, Koshimae, did you not read the chapter summary?" Kintarou screamed.

Seeing the situation worsen, Sakuno held a hand to calm Ryoma's shaking shoulders. The prince looked at her and then sighed. He reluctantly let go of Kintarou and sat back down.

Crossing his arms, Ryoma looked at Kintarou and grunted, "Well you can't have Ryoga in your story."

"Fine! You big baby," Kintarou said and stuck his tongue out, "Well no point in retelling the beginning… Let's just continue on with the story."

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TWO (Edited by Kintarou)

Gotta get'cha,

Get'cha head in the game.

- High School Musical

Ryoma dove into the lockeroom- a very strange sight for any new freshman to see. This was the boy horror stories were about. Legends about fifty laps per practice and the dreaded penal-tea that haunted the school's vending machines were very well known even to the junior high children. So when the cold badass of Seigaku slammed the door with eyes nervously darting side to side, the freshman just knew something bad was going to happen.

"You have to hide me!" Ryoma grabbed the boy's collar and shook him, "They're coming! The end is near!"

("Oh, great…")

"What's coming?" The freshman squeaked, "Who are you running from?"

Suddenly, the ground shook, which made all the lockers shake open, shoes and clothes littered the locker room's floor. Ryoma and the freshman stared in horror at the door. A huge force was pounding on the door, thundering an echo in the boys' ears. Finally, the door broke down, revealing Kintarou and Sakuno.

Both the red head and mahogany haired girl looked worse for wear. Their clothes were tattered and dirt was smudged in both their cheeks and hair. Sakuno gave out a relieved gasp and ran into Ryoma's arms. Meanwhile, Kintarou did his best to close and lock the doors, hoping to keep the monsters outside.

"Ryoma kun, I'm so glad you are safe," Sakuno said and rubbed her face in her boyfriend's chest.

Ryoma have Sakuno a peck on her head before digging his nose in her sweet scent, "Glad to see you too, Ryuuzaki."

"Enough chatter!" Kintarou announced as he pushed a bench in front of the door, "We gotta get ready! This door isn't going to hold them off for long…"

"What's out there?" The freshman asked.

Kintarou shook his head and sighed. He sunk to the floor in despair. A distant, vacant look replaced Kintarou's usual, cheerful nature.

"I don't know, I just…" Kintarou cried in his arms, "They came out of nowhere! Just… Just clawing and eating up everyone they saw."

"They're not human," Sakuno said. She walked over and placed a hand on Kintarou's shoulders, "We only got away because they were too busy eating Horio's body."

"They say the ripest meat has played tennis for at least two years," Kintarou choked on a sob, "So I guess Horio was just right."

"I don't get it," The freshman said, "Who are you running from? What are they?"

Ryoma looked at the freshman in the eye and answered, "Tch, it's obvious… We are running away from flesh-eating zombies."

("OKAY, CUT, CUT!")

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"What's wrong this time?" Kintarou looked annoyed.

Even Sakuno looked a bit down, she was eager to hear the next part of the story. Ryoma, on the other hand, just looked down right angry.

"What kind of story are you trying to turn this into?" Ryoma snapped, "And why are you the one saving Ryuuzaki and I'm cowering in fear with a freshman?"

"Hey man, be lucky you're still together in my story. If I had it my away you would've been killed along with Horio—"

"HORIO'S CAMEO WAS ALSO UNCECESSARY!" Ryoma snapped.

"I hardly call it a cameo, I mean, he was mentioned as a corpse for Pete's sake…" Kintarou grumbled.

Both boys looked irritated and completely unsatisfied with each other. Sakuno sipped her own can of Ponta, unsurely, and eyed the two. With a sigh, she got in between them and put on her most pitiful smile.

"Now, Ryoma kun why don't we give Kintarou another chance? They say third time's the charm," Sakuno smiled, "And Kintarou kun? Perhaps you could tell a story that's more appropriate to this storyline?"

Ryoma sighed and shoved off Sakuno's hand before sitting down with a pout. Sakuno gave Kintarou and sympathetic smile. Kintarou sighed.

"Fine, last story, but I swear next fanfiction I better be the lead role in a multi-chapter fic, not a crummy one shot!"

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THREE (Edited by Kintarou)

Here,

In your arms.

-Hellogoodbye

"Come on," Kintarou whined. He tugged annoyingly on Ryoma's sleeves, "You're too cruel Koshimae..."

The Prince was only too tempted to shove the red head away. Fortunately for the oblivious Kintarou, there was a crowd of underclassmen watching their every move.

"You were three hours late," Ryoma bit out, "It doesn't matter to me if you make the team or not."

"But Koshimae…" Kintarou whined, "What do you think I was sent here to do? Be a ball boy?"

"Tch, what do you mean you were sent here?" Ryoma impatiently asked.

Kintarou gulped and for once, the red head didn't have anything to say.

"It's nothing," Kintarou whispered.

"Then, let's go already," Ryoma snapped, "And you're still not on the team."

With that Ryoma briskly walked ahead of Kintarou. The latter looked after Ryoma's retreating figure and sighed. He played with the strap of his tennis bag, a melancholic look danced on his face, before running after Ryoma.

("… Oh, there's an actual storyline in this one." )

A few hours later, Sakuno was looking at her boyfriend with look of sheer disapproval. Even Ryoma was beginning to feel uncomfortable under her gaze while Kintarou was still wiping away traces of tears.

"You can't make an exception for him?" Sakuno asked, "He's your best friend! Why can't he at least try out for the team?"

"He's not my best friend!" Ryoma snapped, "And it would be unfair to the others if I let him try out this late in the season. No, there's nothing I can do."

"You're being unfair."

"Technically no," Ryoma said and he sighed, "This is none of your business, anyways."

Insulted, Sakuno gasped before looking down in irritation. Kintarou also sighed and wiped his tears. Finally, he got up and stretched before patting Sakuno on the head and walking to Ryoma.

"Fine, you big meanie," Kintarou stuck his tongue out, "You're just scared because I'm better than you."

Ryoma scoffed, "Don't flatter yourself."

"It's not flattering, it's the truth!" Kintarou retorted, "And I'm going to show you what's up when I beat you butt down!"

Ryoma only snorted in response, making Kintarou grin.

Sakuno sighed, "Well I have to get to class. Don't wait up for me after school, I'm going to help Marui Bunta san cook a cake."

"What, why?" Ryoma immediately asked.

"It's none of your business," Sakuno threw Ryoma's words back at him and haughtily walked out the door.

"She's been pretty moody lately," Ryoma grumbled. He was starting to miss the stuttering mouse he had met in middle school.

"I think it's sexy," Kintarou responded, making Ryoma snort out loud.

A peaceful silence enveloped the two as Ryoma silently observed Kintarou. Though he wouldn't admit it, since Momoshiro graduated it was the red head that was closet to Ryoma friend-wise. They got along pretty well, if they weren't busy competing in everything else. Kintarou brought out the best tennis in Ryoma and vice versa. In truth, Ryoma realized, he had actually wanted Kintarou on the tennis team.

Perhaps he could work something out, Ryoma played with the idea before Kintarou announced he was going to ditch class.

"I gotta be somewhere," Kintarou grinned, "I'll see you later?"

"Sure," Ryoma replied. He waited until Kintarou began to leave before asking, "So what did you mean by someone sending you?"

Kintarou's hand paused over the doorknob. He cocked his head over at Ryoma, an easy smile played on his lips.

"Don't worry about it, Koshimae."

With that, Kintarou left the room, leaving Ryoma with troubling thoughts. The red head was as open as a book, usually. Counting the facts about Kintarou, Ryoma could say that the boy loved Sakuno, tennis, and reading manga. He was as lazy and slow as a turtle, except when it came to tennis. Ryoma paused, unable to name anything about Kintarou prior to his coming to Seigaku.

What did he know about Tooyama Kintarou, anyways?

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"Dun, dun, dunnnn," Kintarou sang as he danced his fingers across the tabletop.

"Wait why are you even introducing your story," Ryoma asked with a raised eyebrow, "This fic isn't probably going to be updated for another year."

Kintatou gasped in disbelief, "WHY CAN'T YOU EVER BE SATISFIED BY WHAT I DO?"

"It's the damn truth!"

"It's pessimistic thinking!"

"Oh, that's a big word for you," Ryoma dryly congratulated, "Good for you."

"That's it!" Kintarou screamed and took out his racket, "Let's go, you and me! Duel to the death!"

"I've been waiting for you to say that," Ryoma sneered as he too, took out his own racket.

As tennis balls started magically flying across the screen, Sakuno simply sipped her drink and sighed. It seemed like everything going to end on a high note, too.

Suddenly, her phone rang. Picking it up, Sakuno realized she had gotten a text from her Fuji senpai. A smile lightened her face as she realized it was Fuji senpai asking Sakuno chan out on a date. Quickly and quietly, Sakuno closed her phone and packed her bags before heading out of the room and—

("WHAT CHA WRITING, FUJIKO CHAN?")

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Fuji's hands paused over the keyboard. He quickly shut the laptop and turned to smile at Eiji, who looked like he just came from tennis practice.

"Just a hobby that I take up now and then," Fuji explained.

"Oh, well that's cool, nya. So you wanna go eat? I'm starving!" Eiji grinned.

"I'll be right there," Fuji said. Eiji cheered his response before bouncing off to find the other regulars.

After a moment, Fuji reopened the laptop, typing a few more words before leaning back with satisfaction.

"To be continued…?"

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Wednesday, April 4, 2012.

Yay! I'm back, but not really. This is just an extra chapter, nothing more. The story still ends at Episode 4.

I did have an entire backstory to Kintarou, but honestly, I just don't feel like writing it out. I feel like I'm done with this storyline and I'm ready to tackle something completely different for my KinSakuRyo ship. Hehehehe

How sad that this fandom doesn't seem to be as active as it used to be

Well, anyways I hope you all enjoyed this.

Until next time~