Hey guys, the story is starting out ok, but I am worried that I may be jumping around scene to scene too often. Tell me if there is something bothering you. I might not fix all the problems, but I am new to writing so I know I don't have the perfect writing technique.

Also, this is the third chapter and still no one has sent me a nickname! This is probably because no one has invested in me and my stories yet, but still! I am waiting ladies and gents. I also just like comments in general so if you leave one I will be very much encouraged to get off my butt and get to work.

One more thing, I am not an expert on tennis and only have half of a year of experience playing it, at most, so even Horio beats me in that area. I will try really hard to get the terms and rules right, but if you see something that is bothering you, I will fix it immediately.

Disclaimer: it would flatter me if you thought I was the man behind the manga, but nope. I am just the lady behind the oc. Soooo, back to the story.

"Hey, Ryoma!" A little boy, about four years old, tenses up to the owner of the voice who is calling his name.

"What are you doing?" Nanjirō asks his son. He has just left the pro tennis world last week and has been looking forward to spending time with his wayward son. So far his son has been aloof towards his father, who he only saw once a month or less before this week. Rinko said that Ryoma would become closer to him after he got used to having a man in the house. She said that Nanjirō just has to keep trying until the ice breaks between the two of them. It hasn't happened yet and Nanjirō is losing hope that it will ever happen. He has been looking all morning for his son and cannot find him. It is about lunch time now so the brat can't stay hiding for much longer. Walking outside he finds Ryoma, it seems, to be just staying there. Has he been out here all morning?

Nanjirō is about to call his son out when he heard a familiar sound. The sound of a neon yellow felt ball hitting the asphalt. As he takes a closer look at his son, Nanjirō finds his son hitting one of his old tennis balls against their brick house. Trying to at least. He seems to be struggling with the racket meant for grown men.

Watching his son attempting to hit the ball fills Nanjirō with fatherly pride and adoration.

"Nothing" replies the disgruntled four year old. He has been sneaking out to play the game his father seems to be so interested in. He can't seem to get the appeal though. The racket is awkward to hold, and he just can't get the ball to bounce toward him. No, this game is not appealing at all, more of a frustration to Ryoma.

He growls as the ball once again bounces away from the direction of Ryoma's tennis racket; Nanjirō struggles to hold in a disturbing giggle that can only come from watching his adorable son. "Ryoma, calm down. You are doing it wrong." That got him a glare that belongs more to his scary wife instead of his adorable toddler son. In retrospect, you probably shouldn't be telling a irrate toddler, who has already shown he doesn't like you, that he is doing it wrong, especially a Ryoma Echizen. He hurried to explain in hopes of savaging any possibility of a father-son relationship between them.

"The way you're standing is wrong. You are supposed to stand like this, no, no, Yes! Yes just like that. And then you use your… hey kid are you right handed or left handed?" Queue an 'are you an idiot' glare there, "oh right, your four. Umm Think fast!" Again, maybe you shouldn't throw things at a kid you are supposed to be trying to get to like you. Ryoma catches the ball with his left hand. "Huh, left handed. Well let's see, you put the racket in your left hand… um this hand… and then you start with your shoulders like this and then you…" Thump…

"Perfect! Ryoma, just like that…" The matching grin on both the father and son's face made it undeniably of their relation.

Ryoma missed the second ball coming toward him, but didn't hesitate to try it again. "Good try, Ryoma." Nanjirō cheered but it soon was clear that Ryoma wasn't even listening to him. He is in his own world at that moment and it all revolved around that little yellow ball and the racket that is supposed to hit it. Ryoma kept becoming more and more consistent in hitting the ball back and forth. There is a feeling in his chest that is like nothing he felt before. Like the world has been boring until this very moment. Tennis is not bad, it is actually really…

Beep… Beep…

Ryoma reluctantly opens his eyes to look towards the clock, 7:00. He internally groans as he feels around and finds the soft, fluffy fur of his cat, Karupin. Wait feels…

His eyes snap open as lifts his left arm only to wince at the sharp ache coming from the scratch he received the night before. This means his left arm and hand is back to normal. The pressure is lifted off Ryoma's chest as he breathes out a big gust of air out of relief. He can feel again. He can move again. He feels as though he can take on the world at this moment.

Dressed and ready for the world, he goes down stairs to see his breakfast out and ready for him. As he eats, he feels a pair of eyes on him and looks up to meet his father's calculating stares. At first he is confused to see his fool of a father in one of his rare serious moods and about to ask about it only to realize the time.

"Ah, bye Mom, Nanako, stupid dad!" he runs out of the door as he hears his family telling him to keep safe and his father yell out, indignant of his son. He rolls his eyes and walks to school.

"Can someone volunteer to take these papers to the front office?" Ryoma's head is, again, on his desk waiting for class to end so he can go to tennis club and practice. He has been itching to get a tennis racket into his hands all day.

"Ah Masune-san" at the name Ryoma's eye look toward the raised hand, "Anyone want to go with Masune-san?" without much thought Ryoma raises his hand, surprising the teacher and all the students in the class. Ryoma Echizen does not participate in class and he certainly does not volunteer himself for tedious things such as delivering papers to the front office.

"A-alright, Echizen and Masune-san, take these papers to the front office. Don't take too long." By the way he treats both students; it is obvious he favors Masune leagues higher than he likes Ryoma. It is understandable, though; seeing how even though they are next to each other in the class rank, Masune shows a world more respect towards his elders than Ryoma.

They walk through the halls in silence. They were both comfortable with the quiet, but Ryoma knew that he had to take this chance to talk to Masune. "Jujiro Masune, rigiht?" at the stiff nod from the other boy, Ryoma decides to skip any small talk and get straight to the point, "You play tennis." It wasn't a question.

Masune froze and looked to Ryoma for the first time. He may not pay much attention to his classmates, but it would be impossible to not of at least heard of the amazing rookie tennis player of Seigaku. Hearing about him and his personality, it made no sense that they made the lazy boy the captain. He didn't look that tough with his stature being only 157cm against his 162cm. He didn't look that scary either, with his Japanese tan skin and black hair that looked green in the light, along with American brown eyes that looked like they could be described as amber. In all, Echizen looks more like an exotic bishounen that he would see in his mother's fashion magazines than a tough captain that is supposedly leading the strongest middle school tennis team in Japan. Who was he to judge, though?

After a moment of silence, Masune walks forward like he never heard the statement. Ryoma feels his eye twitch at being ignored, but he is going to stay persistent. This is for the Seigaku's success.

"I heard you play." Masune keeps walking. "The other day during lunch. This is yours, right?" Here Ryoma held up the tennis ball that had Juji written on it. The other looks to the ball and immediately replies that it is not his.

"No, I saw you. You were there hitting the ball against the wall." Ryoma is flat out lying, but how would the other know. There is a more stiff silence in the halls now; Ryoma is just standing there with the ball in his hand seeing if Masune would take the bluff.

"So what if you saw me?" Ryoma lets out his breath, he has the right guy. Horio would be doing more than just laps if he steered Ryoma to the wrong guy. The punishment would be enough for people to think Inoue juice as merciful. Looking up, he meets the cold eyes of Jujiro Masune.

"So what are you going to do? You want me to join your tennis team? You can't make me. I have more important things to do than just play a silly tennis match." Ryoma's eyes flash at that.

"What more important things?" Ryoma's voice was low, and if Masune knew Ryoma better, he would know it is the voice that Ryoma uses when he finds an opponent he is determined to defeat.

"Studying, obviously. You do not become a doctor by swinging a tennis racket." He scoffs. "So no, I will not be joining your tennis club. You can have all the fun you want in trying the get the trophy and glory now, but I promise you later, no one will care who won the trophy this year, and no one will care what happened to those tennis players who won it." Masune finishes the conversation with that and starts walking.

Ryoma relents for now, but this is not over. The rest of the trip to the front desk and back is filled with tense silence.

"Are you sure about this?" Even after Ryoma explained his reasoning for his decision, Kaidoh can't help but be reluctant to go along with Ryoma's plan. He knows that Ryoma is the captain of the team, and to go against his decisions would be contradicting what he has told the tennis club about respecting the captain. Even so, he still has that nagging doubt in his mind about Ryoma's first decision as captain.

Instead of responding, Ryoma walks onto the courts, signaling Kaidoh to call the club members together. Said vice-captain drags out a long sigh before picking up his whistle and blowing out a loud high pitched scream. "Drop what you are doing! Our captain has something to say!"

At that announcement, every person on the court gathers around the leaders of the tennis club, curious as to what they have to say.

Ryoma looks at each of them to make sure they are listening. "I am your captain, Ryoma Echizen, Good afternoon." This causes some to look at him weirdly, they all knew who he was.

"Seeing as to how we lost all but two regulars last year, this year's Ranking Tournament should be interesting this year, ne?" This causes many of the third years to perk up and smirk confidently. "But even so, don't think that just because we lost last year's regulars, it will be easy to become a regular. We expect you to do your best to come out on top. We don't accept any slackers." His voice took on a serious and threatening tone, telling them just how he felt about people who did not take this seriously.

"On that note, we also need to talk about the team management." That got Ryoma a another curious look from everyone. "Now that we lost our Data Master and Coach Ryūzaki is unable to help us in this area, we are now in need of club managers who are able to take care of the team, scout the other teams, and keep track of our team's progress." He pauses. "I personally picked out two people who would best be fit for this position. Sakuno Ryūzaki, Satoshi Horio! Come up here!" There is silence as the two called people shuffle through the crowd to stand beside the captain. "These two are now going to be our club managers. Treat them well." There are many emotions going through the team members, but there is one that is showing plainly on all their faces; pure, unadulterated shock.

"WHAT?!"

After the members were dismissed to go back to their exercises, Tomoka ran to her best friend at the same time that Kachirō and Katsuo ran to Horio.

"Sakuno-chan! Since when did you want to be Seigaku's manager!?"

"h-Horio-kun, why are you the club manager? We thought you wanted to be a regular?"

It's not like I was given much of a choice?! They both think at the same time, while chuckling nervously to their friends.

It was the beginning of lunch break and Horio and Sakuno have the same class during this time. "Oi, Horio! Ryūzaki! Echizen is outside asking for you guys." This caused both called students to freeze in alarm.

Ryoma is asking for them?! It was practically unheard of for Echizen to ask for people because for one, he doesn't socialize with anyone but tennis members and that is only when he has to and also there is fact that Ryoma is always seem taking naps during lunch always and him skipping his naps means that there is a emergency such as the building is on fire, or there is something important to the tennis club he needs to talk about.

They both stumble out of the class to see Ryoma standing them motioning them to following him. They silently walk until they get to behind the stairs and Ryoma leans back against the wall. No one speaks for the first three minutes until Horio gets the guts to do it himself.

"w-What do you need, Echizen?! I haven't been able to eat my sandwich yet and I wasn't able to eat breakfast this morning." Sakuno is silently agreeing with him even though she would never be able to say that to him or anyone else for that matter.

Everyone thinks that she has liked Ryoma since the first day she saw him. It was not true. It started out that she was grateful for him stopping that high-schooler from hitting her with the tennis racket, and then it turned into admiration when she saw how he beat the older kid in tennis even after behind hit in the eye with the tennis racket. It was getting a little frustrating when Tomoka says that she likes him, and the other tennis regulars thought the same. So what if she blushed when he talked to her? He always found her making a fool of herself and she's a naturally shy person. She blushes around everyone!

"Ryūzaki, you quitted the girl's tennis club?" At her nod he continued, "Why?"

Sakuno was startled at the question. Ryoma never asked her talked to her about anything than how well she was doing in her practicing in tennis forms. She was suprised he even knew she was in the tennis club. She didn't want to answer but... Those eyes! They feel as though they are reading and analyzing her every thought. "W-well I don't think I liked the game as much as the girls that deserved the regulars position more than I did. It's a fun game, b-but just to play every now and then. I think watching is more exciting." At his nod, she gained enough confidence to add, "I really just joined to spend more time with my grandma, but it turned out we were spending less time together."

"Horio." Said boy straightened up, "W-what?" The analyzing stare was now on him, "Why do you play tennis?" This causes the boy to freeze. Why did he play tennis? No one ever asked him that.

"My dad once won free tickets to a pros tennis tournament and took me along with him. I liked to watch how they were so excited over trying to return the ball. I never had a passion like that, and I wanted it. So the week after that, I was starting my first tennis lesson with a trainer that my dad hired." Horio's eyes were positioned straight, but not seeing anything, as if he were still at that pro tennis match all those years ago. The analyzing eyes did not move nor show any expression to this.

"So have you found that passion you wanted through playing tennis?" Horio hesitantly shook his head sadely. "When have you been closest to feeling that excitement you wanted?" That was an easy one.

"When I was helping out my friends and sempais in learning and training in tennis." His eyes brightened up then. "The different ways each player has to train is essential and it is fun to figure out each player out." His eyes were sparkling.

"Fun, huh?" He then smirked making the two students shiver. They knew that Ryoma wasn't the malicious type, but those eyes and that smirk made them feel that what he was about to say was going to change their lives completely.

"How would you like to become the club's managers?" They were not expecting that.

"What?" They questioned simultaneously, they looked to each other then back to Ryoma.

"Become the tennis club's managers. You two are perfect for the job. Ryūzaki, you said you wish to spend more time with your grandma? Well she is our coach, so what would be a better idea to get closer to a coach than to become the assistant to the coach. You will be able to work with her while the club members are training, you have to come to all games with her, and you have to report all happenings going on in the tennis club to her that she doesn't know about."

"Horio, you said that you want that passion you see in every doing what they love? Well playing tennis may not be that passion. To get that passion, you need to do what is fun for you. Fun, like gathering information on our club members, like helping the club reach its full potential by knowing and fixing its greatest weaknesses, like getting to nationals together, knowing that everyone had a part in getting there."

Stunned silence was Ryoma's response. They were shell shocked at the moment. They have never heard Ryoma say so much in one meeting, or even in all their meetings put together if they really thought about it. Both didn't know what to say. Club manager? That was something that has never even crossed their minds when they think of their position in the tennis club. Not that the offer didn't sound appealing.

They both shared a look with each other. Can they really do this? They look to the tennis captain's bone chilling gaze. How can they say no to those eyes!?

They cleared their through throats with little certainty and bowed. "Please take care of us!"

"Did you go to get your arm checked out?" Ryoma jumps in surprise as he looks behind him to see Kaidoh looking down at him. After practices ended that day, Ryoma felt the need to play tennis to make sure his arm was really okay, so he went home to change to go to the street courts. when he arrives he is greeted by the calculating glare of his vice-captain.

"Ah Kaidoh, it turns out that my arm is fine. It was normal again this morning so a visit to the hospital is unnecessary." He avoids eye contact with his sempai, knowing that if he were to look, he would see the doubtful look on Kaidoh's face.

Kaidoh doesn't say anything as he narrows his eyes to look at his kohai. He knew his new captain is stubborn but that doesn't mean he should also be stupid. Did he want to end up like their last Captain, leaving his team behind for rehabilitation after working his arm too hard!? He will not let this be a repeat of last year. The second Echizen shows any abnormal behavior, he is to be dragged off to the nearest doctor.

They see a large group of people gather around one court, and walk over to see what is going on.

Struggling through the sea of people, they finally get past most of the crowd to be able to see the match. On one side there is a teenager, a high schooler if going by his looks and height. He is on the ground struggling to get back up, as he pants in exhaustion over the weariness of his body. The teen looks to Ryoma like a regular punk, but by the cheering of some other teens who look similar to the tired teen, the guy is their leader. Looking to the other side, there is a relaxed figure who looks to be a middle schooler. It is hard to tell, because along with the white and gold hoodie there is also a golden cap covering the mysterious figures face. The player body language implied he wasn't even trying against the other opponent in the match.

The losing player, Cho the other teens are shouting, yells out obscenities into the ground. "Who are you?! Just playing around with us like that."

"Ho Ho. What an unpleasant sight you make. Laying there on the ground like a worm, how fitting. Might as well stay down there." The pompous voice came from the mystery player. The way he spoke grates on Ryoma's nerves, forcing him to think about a certain monkey king.

"How boring~. And here I thought I would find something interesting here in Japan. Where is the beauty? How hideous, everyone here is so low into the dirt, that they have yet to have see the beauty of true tennis."

Kaidoh feels the blood in his body rush to his face as he hisses under his breath. How dare this stranger, this foreigner, say such things about them and their country. He is about to step forward and challenge this disrespectful brat but he is beaten to the punch.

"Hey, play me." The crowd spread apart to see a shorter boy with a white cap and a red jersey. If anyone else said these words, it would have sounded like a petulant child begging to play; but when Ryoma said it, everyone could easily hear the challenge in the tone in his words that came out more as an order than a request.

Immediately the crowd became quiet. Some of the middle schoolers recognize Ryoma, but most were high schoolers, who only saw an arrogant shorty.

The stranger studies Ryoma shortly before he laughs. "How interesting! Let's see if you can withstand the radiance that is within true tennis."

Ryoma sets up at the bench, only putting down his bag and taking out a racket. "Echizen, don't you dare let this guy win." Ryoma studies the extremely irate Kaidoh before nodding.

Both walking up to the tent, Ryoma still couldn't make out the player's appearance, what with the lights shining down making an even more defined shadow on the mysterious stranger's face from his cap and hoodie.

"Call it~."

"Rough."

"Flat. Oh well, I will let you go first this time." Insert condescending smile here. The mischievous under tone in his voice is carried throughout the audience.

Taking their places on their side of the court, Ryoma looks across the courts. "Oi! Why don't you take off that hood?"

"How about… Nope! Why don't you make me?"

At that, Ryoma throws the ball up to hit. Kaidoh notices two things in that split second. First is that Ryoma has his racket in his right hand. Second is how the opponent on the other side of the court is standing in a relaxed posture, one that implies that he is just relaxing on the side of the road and not in a tennis match. Kaidoh felt a head ache starting in his head. Arrogant brats.

Ryoma serves normally toward them opponent at a speed easy to catch up to. Immediately the other player returns the ball with equal mediocrity. This exchange of boring intermediate tennis continued for the next twenty minutes.

On the side lines, Kaidoh is past annoyed and slowly working toward livid. He told Echizen to beat this guy, yet all he is seeing is a game of tennis that is fitting for novice players; definitely not fitting for the Super Rookie of the East and this stranger that was apparently able to go against, who his friends said to be, Cho Yakamu, winner of 16 under tournament three years in a row, and wipe the floor of said champion without a sweat.

This is gone far past annoying and straight toward infuriating. Kaidoh watches them, trying to see what or why they are playing this seemingly pointless game; because there is no way that Ryoma would settle for such a bothersome game without the promise of something interesting and challenging.

Plock…

Wait. Kaidoh's eyes narrow as he notices a dark scuff mark the size of a tennis ball near his side of the court.

Plock…

He watches the ball's destination more closely.

Plock…

He is right. The ball is only hitting two exact spots on each side of the court. He is both surprised and confused with this turn of events. He knows that Echizen has good control, but to be able to hit the exact same spot each time, no matter where he is in the court is impressive, and to see the opponent to be also having that precision, it is easy to see that this is no ordinary tennis player. It is shocking to even come across a player of this level by coincidence.

What really is bothering him, is the why are they doing this. This match was by no means planned and there was no communication between the two other than when they were meeting at the net. Echizen isn't one for showing off… well showing off for shallow reasons… ok Echizen is one to show off, but only when people are underestimating him.

Suddenly the tennis ball is in the hands of the opponent. They both nod at each other before the said opponent start laughing hysterically. Everyone stares at the opponent wary, not knowing if the guy was insane or not.

"Interesting! How very interesting!" He shouts in between his bursts of laughter, "This should prove to have some amusement. Now that we are warmed up, why not get serious?" His voice could now be considered giddy as he walked back to his position.

So they made us watch this match for twenty five minutes, just so that they could warm up?! Kaidoh's eyes are tightly shut as he counts to thirty in his head. Brats these days! If there are to be more of them like these two on his team, he would go insane. Before anything though, the person on the other side of the court shouts to Echizen.

"Hey, You! What's your name?!" The curiosity could not be hidden in his words no matter how hard he tries.

"You shouldn't ask someone there name without giving your own first."

"I am called Demonte Lukas here is this back water sewage. Now tell me your name."

"What don't you make me?" Echizen smirks as he mimics what the stranger- now Lucas- told him.

Finally they get a negative response as Lucas makes an annoyed rumble in his throat and they readies himself.

Here we go. Echizen, again, throws the ball up in the air with his right hand and serves with his left.

Well thats it for chapter 3. Sorry it took so long. My english class gives out so much homework, you'ld think that the teacher had this impression that our lives revolve around his personal class. Love the class, but the work is a bit much. Anyways, sorry for that.