Paralleled

by kawaii-witch181

Episode III: We Found Two

Wiping her wet eyes with her free hand, she tried to get her other hand back. It's useless. The tennis prince got it in a firm yet surprisingly gentle grip. She shook her head and tried to occupy her mind with other thoughts she can think of.

It took a while for Sakuno to finally get his pace.

Ryoma-kun's hand is so warm.

She cracked a smile and thanked him mentally.

He slowly tightened his grip, as if passing a 'You're Welcome' gesture.

…

Meanwhile…Somewhere similar to Tokyo…

Looking around, a certain dunk smasher still grasped his surroundings as the seconds passed by. He, unlike Kawamura, fell face first at the concrete pavement, and is now rubbing his still sore nose. Geez, that nose of his could have been flattened if the impact was more forceful.

"Where the hell am I?" He complained, finally sitting up. "Oh, wait. This place looks familiar."

A pause.

He snapped his fingers. "This is the neighborhood near Taka-san's!"

Momoshiro dashed to the nearby front door. "Alright, I'm sure everyone here knows senpai."

Knock. Knock.

A cold wind blew.

"What's with the eerie silence?" He mumbled.

Knock. Knock.

"Huh? Maybe nobody's home?"

Later on, Momoshiro abandoned the idea of asking. This pretty looks like Tokyo, so he's sure he'll eventually meet up with his teammates. He still pondered at the strange event. They disappeared, right? One by one? Then, how come they are still here in Tokyo? Well, it's him who is here….the others…perhaps, they are here too?

Not very far away from him, he didn't fail to recognize the familiar figure and silhouette.

"Taka-san!" He called out.

The said guy whipped his head at his direction. "Momo?" He asked in a careful tone.

The dunk smasher got to his senpai's side in record-breaking time. "I'm so glad I found you, senpai! Man, I thought I'll be lonely here forever!" He breathed a sigh of relief and happiness.

Kawamura's face was scrunched up in thought. "The others aren't here?"

Momoshiro gave a shrug. "I really don't know. You were the first person I found. But I hope senpai-tachi are fine."

"I hope so too," Kawamura said thoughtfully.

…

"The sun is setting, Ryoma-kun. What should we do?" Sakuno inquired in an exhausted tone as she sat herself on the green grass.

"I don't know,"

She looked at him. The boy is really deep in thought, gazing at the far away horizon like that.

I'm sure he's worried too.

"We should get back, Ryuzaki. It's almost evening." Ryoma said.

"…Where should we sleep?" She asked.

"The clubroom has towels. We can use that as a make-shift bed…but I think they aren't enough. You can sleep on the bench."

"Eh? Then what about you?"

"I'll sleep sitting up."

"Eeeeeehhh?! NO—"

"It's fine. Now, c'mon."

"B-But…"

"I told you, it's fine."

"B-But.." Sakuno still protested.

"…."

"Mou!"

Her cheeks flushed of mixed shyness and embarrassment. The auburn-haired girl didn't expect such kindness from the tennis prince. He's well-known for his lack of emotions and being cold to others, so it's really a surprise that he'd given up the bench for her. Her chest feels all warm and fluffy inside. She's glad to know that Ryoma also cared for her.

…

"Hey, doesn't that girl look like Ryuzaki-chan?" Momoshiro inquired in a confused tone.

Kawamura looked at the said direction. Sure, the girl has braids too…but what is the coach's granddaughter doing here? Seven of his teammates were the only people who vanished.

"Oi! Ryuzaki-chan!" The spiky-haired lad called, waving his arm.

The called girl turned her head.

Momo is right. That is the coach's granddaughter.

The young girl widened her eyes in recognition. She is just as surprised as them. But, despite that, she flashed them a smile; one that is bordering to pure relief and joy. They saw her tugged a sleeve beside her. Moments later, Ryuzaki Sakuno is finally standing in front of them with a young lad who they knew so well.

"ECHIZEN?!"

Both senpais shouted in astonishment.

First, it was Ryuzaki. Then, their youngest teammate. What are they doing here?! And, most importantly, why are they here?!

A/N: Ummm...hi. *waves awkwardly* This is the last chapter in my draft...lol. So, uuuuh, see you soon? *runs away hurriedly*