Kiyo sat there watching the matches with Ryoma who was watching with his usual intense expression "Kiyo be-careful of him."He warned as Kiyo watched a large boy break his opponents racket with the ball, Kiyo's eyes widened as she felt her stomach twist. "The winner for the last match is Viper!"Called the referee, Kiyo watched as her photo slid into place beside Vipers. She stared at it amazed that she had even gotten this far "Last game of this years Tennis Scholarship! This is a unique game, between two very different opponents, Bridget William's, A first timer and the daughter of the famous tennis star Erick Williams and a well known player at the Windgate Falls Academy Viper!" The announcer pronounced.
Kiyo flushed and stood as everyone watched her, She gave Ryoma a fleeting look before moving down to the court, "Bridget Willams"She said to the gate man, He let her in and she frowned. She liked Ryoma's nickname for her better than her birth name. She picked up her racket in her right hand and she tested the swing and the strings, She didn't need the racket breaking on her. She looked at Viper who was at least a good foot taller than her "Are you ready Little girl?"He asked his face twisted into a gruesome smirk . "Only if you are Viper."Kiyo said with a grin.
Looking at the ball bringing it to her mouth in a kiss, before throwing it into the air and hitting it with a delicate arc and then she started her dance around the court. Moving like a ballerina doing twirls and jumps, Ryoma sat foreword his eyes watching Kiyo who stumbled as Viper did a dirty move and hit Kiyo in the leg. "Can't handle playing a man?"Viper jeered as he placed his racket behind his head with another gruesome smirk. Kiyo held onto her leg that was already turning purple ball shaped, She knew that she was pretty much weak compared to Viper but she was more skilled.
Ryoma's eyes widened as Kiyo's violet eye's hardened and she stood up, Her right hand that held the racket tightened. Her usual smile was gone and she stood there, "No more games."Kiyo stated Viper looked shooken up at Kiyo's sudden change, His body jerked as he served, Kiyo's foot stepped back and she switched hands, knowing that Viper was trying to break her racket. She spun around and hit the ball with the back of the racket and with a sharp smack it shot back at Viper and struck the ground with a smack and flew past Viper before he could even raise his racket. "Black lash." Kiyo said with a wink as her smile flew just as quickly onto her face as the ball did into her hand.
"The winner of this years Scholarship and the game is Bridget Williams!"Yelled the announcer, "I did it!"Screamed Kiyo as she bounced around and Viper glared at her and in his anger broke he racket. Kiyo smiled at the cheers and congrats from the other players and she looked for one person "Ryoma! I did it!"She cried as she saw him in the crowd. She danced over to him a threw her arms around his neck, He chuckled and nodded in agreement with her.
Ryoma watched Kiyo carefully, the woman who played the last few minutes of the game was gone replaced by the bubbly carefree girl. "Hey Ryo?"She asked her hands clasped behind her head as she seemed to skip beside Ryoma "Yeah?"He asked as they neared the court and Kiyo sat down on one of the benches "I am scared about going to Japan on my own.."She said fear curling around in her stomach uncomfortably. "Its not that bad."Ryoma said cooly, Kiyo's face fell "He's dying Ryo...My father"She said thinking about this morning when she had watched him cough up blood after telling her his opinion on her tennis ambitions.
Ryoma's eyes widened as he looked down at the ground "I am... Sorry, I didn't know."He said placing a hand on hers that was tightly griping the bench. Kiyo let a stray tear fall as she looked up and smiled at Ryoma, Her only close friend "He wants me to have the same choices as him, He is happy that I picked up his old game. I still don't know if I should go.."She mumbled Her father was Erick Williams the second place Champion next to Ryomas own father. He was so proud of Kiyo who he had tried to get to play when she was younger but then before the cancer, She wanted to hang out with friends and was always to busy to learn how to play. When she met Ryoma, She didn't even want to look at a racket much less have to play until Ryoma challenged her.
"Does he want you to go?"Asked Ryoma as he pulled his hand back to fix his hat, Kiyo nodded "It's simple, Honnor his wishes."He said standing up and dusting his pants off and grabbing his bag "See you in Japan, Kiyo."He added walking away leaving Kiyo again, She huffed crossing her arms "Why is Ryoma always so..." Her eyes squinted "SMART! He can't never just be stupid but noooooo!"Kiyo yelled as she walked to her home. Everyone who passed by her looked at her like she was crazy because she kept on muttering and yelling about Ryoma and how he need to be more stupider.
Kiyo walked into the house and saw her mother, her long brown hair had streaks of grey, Her face drawn taught in a grim frown "How was your game, Hunny?"Asked her mother as she pulled out a vial of morphine, Her hands where wrapped around the vail as she pulled out a syringe. Kiyo's face lightened up as she saw a small smile on her mothers face as she said "I won Mom, I got the scholarship."Her smile was an awkward half-smile. "Honey."He mother said softly "Your father is getting worse... He wants to talk to you."Her heart stopped and restarted as her mother handed her a full syringe "Give this to him afterwards, Go to him Bridget."She said pressing the almost full syringe into her daughters hand.
Kiyo moved to the door and her hand shook as she opened the door, Not knowing what to expect "D..Daddy?"She called out. Her father laid in the bed and he black hair was all but lifeless, His body was so eaten away from the cancer that he looked like bones and skin. His blue eyes where dull but still held a spark, that was slowly wilting away "Bunny, Come here."He said his voice was so low, Kiyo strained to hear him.
"I am here Daddy."She said softly as she knelt beside his bed, "What happen...in the game, Tell me."He rasped and his lips pulled up into a small barely noticeable smile. Kiyo grinned "I beat every opponent and I had to beat a guy who relied so much on strength, That he was breaking rackets. I used the Back lash."She said, Her father laughed a little, The spark in his eyes glowed brighter "I wish you could have seen it Daddy, I won too."She said meekly a small blush finding her cheeks. He grinned and it looked almost identical to Kiyo's. "That's great Hunny, I want you.."He paused drawing in a breath "To go to Japan with Ryoma. Nanjirou will let you stay with them, I have already spoken with him. "He said weakly coughing.
"I don't want to leave you."Kiyo said sadly her hand finding her fathers hand, He sighed and squeezed her hand "Leave Bunny, Go kick everyones butts and prove to everyone that you are a Williams."He said with the most enthusiasm that she heard from him in a long time. Kiyo's hand moved from her dad and took the lid from the syringe and made sure the liquid had no air in it before pushing it into the tube that led to her father. "I will go to make you proud, Daddy, I promise."She said kissing his forehead and leaving him to drive into a painless sleep.
"Did you give him the meds?"Her mom asked She nodded "I am going mom."She said knowing that Ryoma was right, She needed to honor her father.