A friend (Maileiko Tachibana) and I are creating an Role Play site based completely on Prince of Tennis! It isn't done yet, and will proabaly take another week of hard work, but I thought I'd tell everyone anyway. The address, for those who might be tempted to check it out, is http/timeofourlife. . No pressure though, look only if you want to, and I won't hold a grudge if you don't like it!
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"Well, goodbye Kiri," Cara said, standing up. Many others followed her motion, the silence from before had been so heavy, they were ready to get out of there. Soon, Raina was the only one left, with the exception of Kunimitsu, who still stood by the couch.
"I'm… Sorry, Kiri," she said, not looking her friend in the eyes, "I-I'll see you tomorrow at the tournament…" She turned to walk out, leaving Kiri and Kunimitsu in silence.
"Are you sure you haven't been careless?" Kunimitsu asked after a moment.
"Careless?" Kiri asked, "I know that I've been careless. Every instinct I have is screaming out against this, but I've already done the damage, and now I will have to deal with the clean up."
"Unless you leave," Kunimitsu said the thing on both of their minds. Kiri looked at him, her eyes soft, looking lost.
"What do I have if I stay?" She asked, "People that know what I am, and will think differently of me because of it. You've seen it, how they changed today." He couldn't stand the look in her eyes any longer. He stooped down to the couch and embraced her. She closed her eyes and let herself melt into him. How? How could he do this to her every time? How could he change her with a look or a touch, and make her do things she would normally avoid at all costs. How could he make her care?
"You have me," he said softly, "You'll always have me." She pushed away, her eyes looking hurt. How could he do this to her?
"No," she muttered, then spoke louder, "No. Don't lie to me. I know you're going to go to Germany for your arm!" He looked stunned. "I saw the papers in Ryuzaki's office!" His eyes softened and he tried to pull her close again. She pushed away. "No. I can't go through this with you again." Kunimitsu looked her straight in the eyes.
"What was it before, Kiri, what's so wrong?" he asked, a hand on each of her arms.
"I can't stand this," she said, "This feeling I get when I'm with you." Kunimitsu let his arms fall to his sides as he listened. "I.. change… and I can't act normally, all of my reasoning goes away and my survival skills diminish."
"Love changes people," Kunimitsu told her, "Don't you think I know that? I would never act like this normally, no more than you would." He sighed, he realized that she was used to relying on her survival skills everyday, and that feeling of them not being there must have been terrible for her, but didn't shesee that she was hurting him just as much?
"Love?" she asked, feeling like she was five years old again, watching Hiroyuki and Aiyoshi playing tennis through the fence again. "What's love?" Kunimitsu looked at her in despair, and then pulled her close, this time she didn't resist.
"You don't know what love is Kiri? How can you not know what love is?" he asked, "After all… You're the one that taught me all about it." he lifted her chin to look into her eyes, then lowered his face to hers for the kiss he had waited for for so long. She closed her eyes, a single tear falling down the side of her face, and returned the kiss with every bit of soul she had left.
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Shia was at the courts early the next day for the tournament. She hadn't waited for Ryoma to wake up, as she rarely did when she had something important going on. She hated having him think she didn't want him around, but she didn't feel that she could warm up if he was there with her. As she arrived she realized that she was deluding herself. She looked out at the open courts, noticing how they almost seemed alive without people, calling out for someone to play the ultimate match there. She felt the urge to chuckle at herself, and understood that these thoughts could only belong to a tennis player. That thought in her head, she ambled to the practice courts to warm up.
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"Shia's already warmed up," Cara murmured, and Raina couldn't tell if she was annoyed by this or if she was just relaying the message. Canti, of course, understood exactly what Shia was doing. She was using the time everyone else spent warming up to get a look at the competition. Canti noted, with some humor, that Kiri used to do something quite similar in her early days of playing. Kiri, however, didn't watch the tennis of the people warming up, she watched the people themselves. She didn't bother to find Shia and figure it out for sure, but she mused with the idea that she did the same thing.
'Funny,' she thought, 'How all thoughts eventually lead back to Kiri.' She looked up to the sky, wondering how things would go when they all had to face Kiri today. Kiri had, not surprisingly, warmed up by herself and was watching the others as they warmed up themselves. 'No doubt wondering the same things I am,' Canti said. She brought her attention down to the courts as Shia made her way closer.
When Shia came near, her face was set, and she walked strait up to Canti. Canti Hikaru smiled warmly, her data eyes soft, yet still analyzing. "What did you find out, Shia?"
"It doesn't matter," Shia dismissed the topic immediately. "I actually wanted to ask you a question."
"Oh?"
"If half the things I've heard are true, then you have the potential to be a starter, no problems," she informed her, knowing all the while that she was only telling Canti what she already knew. "Something I learned today made me wonder why you don't become one." Canti smiled softly, telling Shia wordlessly that she wouldn't really understand.
"I love this game," Canti said, looking down on her kopai carefully, "It is true that I have the talent to play, but I chose not to. You want to know why?"
Shia nodded.
"I have been the manager on this team since the very end of my fifth grade year," she said, "even then, I only got this position because the captain was a little bit… out there…" She sighed, "To tell you the truth, Shia, I am not a starter, and don't plan to become one too soon, because I could never even come close to the best."
"That's petty."
Hikaru's smile clearly said 'I knew you wouldn't get it.' "I would rather be an excellent manger and data collector then a decent starter. I took the manager position because I really respected a certain player. I will not catch up to that player's level for several years, if ever. I'm not some one to overstrain myself." 'There it is again, the thoughts lead back to her…'
"Then they were right," Shia sighed.
"About what?"
"You don't have what it takes." Shia said simply and walked away. Canti smiled to herself.
'That girl can make something of herself someday,' she thought, and then looked back down to her palm-pilot, writing a new strategy for number three singles.
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Cara knew how much relied on this match. With number two doubles having lost, her match was pressured, even if number one doubles had pulled through. Her hand was shaking halfway through the match, and she already knew that she was going to be in trouble if this didn't end soon.
Canti, analyzing as always, watched with growing horror at what she knew would be a problem. Cara's weak wrist was going to give.
"Canti, where are we going?" Cara asked, looking the other seventh grader in the eyes.
"You'll see," Canti said, whistling as she walked ahead of her friend. She was planning to show Cara a new music shop down the street, and she knew her teammate would be ecstatic. They crossed the street, and that was it happened.
Paying little attention to what was going on around her, Canti didn't hear the car because of her excitement. Cara did though, and yelled, breaking Canti out of her thoughts. Canti ran and Cara was close behind, but she wasn't quick enough.
Cara was tossed over the hood, and she fell down again to the hard asphalt. Canti rushed over to her, but it was a hit and run and she had trouble getting Cara to a doctor. When she did, they would be told by a fairly amazed doctor that Cara was actually in pretty good condition. She had hairline fracture in her leg, which would heal in a few weeks, and her right wrist was the worst of it, having been broken in three places. Still, the doctor had insisted, she would be fine with time and physical therapy. She was lucky to still be alive.
Watching now, Canti felt a bit guilty. It hadn't been entirely her fault, of course, but she did feel that she shared part of the blame.
'I should have thought farther ahead,' Canti insisted, 'I knew they had good doubles teams, I should have fielded Shia or Christine…' Of course, she knew that she couldn't have guessed that Cara's match would last long enough for her wrist to be effected. After all, she had been doing so well lately.
Cara knew right before it happened that her wrist was about to give out. She prepared herself, so she didn't scream, and the ball she had been returning spun out. She did, however, take a step backwards and drop her racket. That was enough to alert Raina and Canti, the only people who knew she was actually still in therapy (Though it was only from time to time now.) Canti jumped the small fence that separated her from the courts. She ran out onto the courts to Cara's side, not caring that most people didn't realize they were friends.
"Are you alright?" she asked, and Cara nodded, then shook her head.
"I blew it," she laughed, but the usual humor was gone from it.
"I'm sorry," Canti said, looking Cara in the eyes sadly. "This is all my fault."
"No," Cara insisted, "I should have done better, or perhaps I should have forfeited before I let this happen." She turned to the judge. "Seishun forfeits the match, I am unable to play." The judge nodded and Cara walked off the courts after picking up her racket with her left hand.
"Cara!" Raina met her immediately at the gate. "Are you alright? I knew that long match was going to be a problem!" Raina realized as she said the words that her stress wouldn't help and she calmed herself. "Canti, would you take her to the hospital?"
"Of course," Canti nodded, regaining her usual composure as well. Cara forced a smile at the data-girl and they headed off. Cara suddenly stopped and turned back to her teammates. Searching her out, she looked Shia straight in the eyes.
"Hey, Shia!" she hollered, easily getting her attention, "Make your next match one to remember!" She smiled, nodded, and then followed through, winning her match 6-0.
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The tension on the courts was easily noticed as Kiri went on with her match. The game was going well enough, Kiri not having much trouble, but everyone could feel that something was wrong.
Not a single starter was cheering on their captain. The crowd from Seishun could feel it, and their cheers didn't seem as hearty as usual. Actually, most of the girls sitting on the bench weren't really even watching the match too much. Raina was keeping herself busy with a small stain on the front of her jacket, Christine was absentmindedly muttering in English and watching the crowds, and even Sharr and Shira kept fidgeting, obviously having a private, mental conversation. Shia was watching the match, but her eyes were blank and her mind was obviously elsewhere. Aine watched the match as well, and her thoughts seemed to center on Kiri, but something was wrong with the expression she had on her face. The fact that she had an expression was odd enough. Cara and Canti's had returned, but both were whispering quietly to each other as Canti re-inspected Cara's wrist.
Kiri felt their thoughts bombarding her, and knew that she had been right; there was no chance they would ever treat her the same as before. The little bit of trouble she was having was caused by nerves, worrying about their reactions. She could feel the stress even more when she saw Ales arrive, standing not far from the starters, behind the fence.
"GO KIRI!" Aine suddenly yelled, and several surprised fans, and starters, were silent for a moment before joining in on the cheers.
"You can do it Kiri!" Raina hollered.
"Make it one for the books!" Cara roared.
"Down in history! Down in history!" the twins chanted together.
"Go Kiri!" Canti howled, watching her roll model happily.
"Give you're opponent a taste of real talent!" Christine bellowed.
"Show everyone what it means to be Kiri Yamatashi!" Shia finally yelled, "Show the world!" Rejuvenated, Kiri smiled at her teammates. At her friends.
After that, Kiri never lost a point.