Chapter Five: Turning Point
Inner Taro: After what she's done to me, she needs a change! -.-U
"Kkkiiiiinnnn," the teacher's voice cut through her consciousness immediately, "Let me see your homework."
"Ah, ah, you see, okay, first, I forgot my backpack coming home... But then I got seriously injured and I couldn't retrieve it, and when I found it somebody had stolen it and everything was smeared and ojii-chan threw it into the washing machine-"
"KIN!" the teacher shouted.
"H-hai!" she mumbled. The shadows on her face etched out the devilish glare. 'Sensei is really, really scary.'
"You could have just borrowed Taro's copy or somebody else's. By the way, where is he?" the teacher scratched her head. Kin breathed a sigh of relief. 'If I was sent to the principal's office twice in a week, otou-san would rip my head off...'
"I heard he came back late, got stuck in the thunderstorm and caught pneumonia," her classmate said. 'Chikusho, it's my entire fault. Poor, poor Taro.'
---After School---
'Taro still hasn't shown up yet,' she sighed, 'I really hope he's all right. Yosh! I'll visit him after-school then. Maybe I'll be nice and drop off some medicine or something. I just hope I won't catch his cold too.'
"Oi, girl, that's like the 20th time you've missed the serve," Kiyoshi called.
"Can you teach me how then, Kiyoshi-senpai? Onegai?" she asked half-heartedly.
"Here. Watch me carefully." He threw the ball perfectly and he smashed it into the sweet spot and above the net.
"Sugoi, sugoi. The problem is that I don't seem to have enough power to make it over the net," she sighed, defeated.
"Don't give up yet. I'll show you." He came behind her and grabbed her wrists. He moved them in the proper position: her left arm parallel to the net and her right arm perpendicular to it.
"Throw the ball." She did, and he guided her wrists so they met full impact. The ball flew over the net... and out.
"Aw, well, good try. You'll get it next time," he smirked, releasing her.
"Ah. Arigatou."
"Hmm," he said, placing his hand on her shoulder. She felt his hot breath on her ear and his other hand creep above her neck. Her body sweated in nervousness and she was paralyzed, not knowing how to react.
"Kin!" Tezuka's voice shouted, cutting through everything. Kiyoshi immediately released her, pretending like nothing happened.
"Kin, come with me," Tezuka commanded, his glare hard.
"M-matte," she stuttered, falling in step beside him after grabbing the cover to her racket.
"Look! No way, he's Tezuka Kunimitsu!" a student pointed at Seigaku jersey.
"Sugoi! Has he come to spy on us?"
"Tezuka Kunimitsu, eh? Kin-chan, you never told us you had such an interesting sibling," Kiyoshi mumbled under his breath.
Hiroshi glanced at his friend and back at the siblings. "I see."
---Meanwhile---
The silence was getting embarrassing. Ever since they came on the bus, Tezuka hadn't moved an inch. Kin looked down at her hands guiltily, darting occasionally at the Tezuka's racket she swiped earlier this week.
"O-onii-chan, why are you picking me up today?" she asked.
"Okaa-san got worried about you coming home late yesterday, so she sent me to pick you up when she realized you were coming home late again today," he explained, still not budging an inch.
"Geez, she could have just told me to come home earlier and I'd do so," Kin scratched her head guiltily.
"True, but then I wouldn't have learned that my little sister's been practicing tennis all this time," he said nonchalantly, not looking at all surprised.
"Hehe," she chuckled nervously.
"Keep the racket if you like it so much, but I think it's a bit too heavy for you, right?" he added. 'How can he say that with a straight face?'
"Ah."
"How about after this we go to the tennis shop and we find a racket that fits you?" he offered. Kin gaped at the prodigy. 'Since when had he been so nice to me? He was really irritated yesterday.'
"I-I'd love to, demo, there's this friend who's sick and I wanted to go by and see him," she smiled nervously.
"I understand. We'll do it tomorrow then. Here's our stop," he rose and walked down the aisle.
'Onii-chan... is finally paying attention to me?' Before she got a chance to explore this question, Tezuka was already off the bus.
"Matte!" she called and ran behind after him. "Seishun Gakuen Academy Middle School," she read the sign, "Sei-Gaku. I get it."
"Are you coming or not?" Tezuka called.
"Coming!" Walking around, she was immediately discouraged. 'So this is the famous private school onii-chan goes to.'
"Onii-chan?"
"Nani?"
"Gomenasai about stealing your racket," she mumbled.
"Don't worry. I've always got a spare." 'Stiff and formal as usual.'
"Well, then, if that's the way it's going to be," she smiled and took her racket out. "You don't mind if I join for a day, do you?"
"Oh, did I forget? Fuji's going to be escorting you home today," Tezuka said, "Okaa-san said that you had to be escorted home, but not by whom."
"N-n-nani? That's not fair!"
---After Dinner---
Kin pressed the door bell. Ding.
Silence.
She pressed again. Ding.
Still no reply.
A vein bulged on her forehead. 'I was nice enough to come and no one's going to open the door for me? How insulting!' She pressed like a madman.
Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.
No response.
"TARO, IF YOU DON'T OPEN THE DOOR THIS MOMENT, I'M GOING TO RIP YOUR HEAD OFF!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.
The wind whistled across the street and the bushes and trees rustled, giving her a surprisingly idyllic feeling.
"They're probably not home. How disappointing," she sighed, sulking, and then looked at her bag, "I even brought his homework and some medicine with me." Her plan thwarted, she gave up and started walking back home.
"K-Kin-chan? Is that you?" a soft voice replied from behind. She turned around, elated by her friend's call.
She dropped her bag and the pills fell out immediately.
"AAAHHH! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FACE?!"
---Five Minutes Later---
"Whew, Taro-chan, you nearly gave me a heart attack," she exhaled sharply, brushing off her relief, "I swear my blood pressure rose by thousands."
"Gomenasai," he muttered hoarsely, "A-A-ATCHOO!" He rubbed his poor nose with a soaked tissue, and Kin promptly handed him another.
"Well, looks like you won't be finishing your homework anytime soon," she sighed, sweatdropping.
"Homework?" he repeated.
"Forget I said anything," she closed her eyes, not daring to look at the disturbing sight. Taro's eyes were bulging, crimson and tearing. His nose was constantly running, and it was disgusting because it was dripping everywhere unless he stuffed his nose with something, but he would suffocate in seconds. And that wasn't even the worst. His ankle was twice the size it was yesterday, completely swollen and red.
"Poor Taro-chan," she sighed and looked at her ankle brace. 'Maybe he needs this more than I do.' But then she glanced at his ankle again and cringed. 'Actually, I don't think it'll fit. It'll probably just make it worse.'
"Gomen, Kin, but I think you should leave before you catch his cold too," his mother smiled nervously, "Arigatou for coming here to visit him, as well as the homework and medicine."
"No problem. Well, Taro-chan, see you at school sometime, neh? Get better soon so we can start running again!"
"A-A-ATCHOO!"
Inner Taro: I really don't think he's thrilled by the prospect of running right now. -.-U
---Friday Afternoon---
"Oi, Kin-san, I think you need a little help on the serve," Kiyoshi sweatdropped when the ball fell on the net for the 50th time. She mumbled something under her breath and continued her onslaught of pathetic serves.
"Did you hear me?" he called, growing irritated. Who was this freshman to ignore him?
"Stupid net... whoever invented that stupid net I'm going to rip their skin off of their bloody bones, burn it slowly over a furnace, feed to ravenous boars and send his polished bones back to his family..."
"Kin-san, I don't think violence is good for a pretty girl like you," Kiyoshi interrupted.
"Did you say something?" She turned around slowly. A vein bulged in his head.
"Kin-san, how about you have a match with me?" Kiyoshi challenged.
"Ano, Kiyoshi-senpai, sure, why not?" she replied flatly. Her have a match with a regular? He was out of her league, but she could only improve by playing against him, right?
"Don't worry. I'll go easy," he smirked, licking his lips. He tasted humiliation already.
"Oh dear, here it goes," Hiroki sighed, watching intently. They moved to a court on the corner with a considerable audience.
"Just one game, okay? I'll serve," he smiled.
"0-0."
Kiyoshi served underhand, slowly but steadily. As the ball approached, she remembered all of the drills and the practice. 'Can't mess up now, especially with this audience.' She connected and followed through successfully, returning with a fastball.
"Nice, but you shot it directly at the middle of the court. Predictable for a newbie," he smirked and aimed for the very corner. 'Chikusho!' She ran hurriedly, but she missed just barely.
"15-0."
"Not bad. With experience, you'll have quicker reflexes," he said.
"H-hai, senpai," she replied, getting back into the ready stance. Kiyoshi was slightly alarmed. Given the fact that the girl had not lied, this was her first real match against someone with more than a week's experience. For a first-timer, she had natural instincts. Not only that, but she's hitting with her right hand. 'Is it because she's learned the form that way or is she trying to mock me?' Annoyed, he served underhand again, and she returned with a two-handed backhand.
"Think before you aim," he reminded.
"Right. I forgot," she smirked slyly, prepared to return the next ball. He hit it back easily to her left where a two-handed backhand was difficult. Still, she managed to connect. Unfortunately, the pre-occupation of arriving at that shot distracted her from completing the follow-through and the ball hit the net.
"30-0."
"I see. Shots at that angle are hard to get. Sugoi, Kiyoshi-senpai," she masqueraded a smile.
"It's nothing." 'It really is nothing coming from a newbie who learned what a topspin is yesterday.'
"Here it comes." He served again, but this shot had more speed and strength to it. Kin attacked it with difficulty, reciprocating with a burst of her own strength. 'He's slightly to the left, so I'll aim for the right corner.' She followed through, careful to finish the stroke in the intended direction.
"Uh-" Kiyoshi blinked in surprise, running towards the corner ball. He barely made it, collapsing as he hit it lightly and towards the sky.
'A lob! Here's my chance!' She ran towards it, gaining momentum. She jumped from her left foot and this point was already in her lap- almost, but not quite. Her grip was loose and when she hit the ball, her racket tilted slightly, giving the ball an angle. It flew down towards the net...
"Gomen, girl. Seems like the ball didn't make it over," he grinned, moving back for the serve. 'Nani?' The ball was spinning on the net -just like one of her previous serves- and then it fell over and onto Kiyoshi's side.
"Impossible! How could that kid-"
"Wow. Lucky," she smiled.
"Enough play," he murmured, clutching the ball tightly.
"30-15."
Kiyoshi was humiliated to let a first-timer score a point on him. 'Have you really only started your first year? You're going to pay.'
"Overhand shot!" 'It's fast...' Before Kin could even take a step, it zoomed past her ear.
"40-15. Match point."
"Hmm," he smirked and served again. It hit the net and rolled back.
"Fault." He glanced at the ball, annoyed that he had missed such an easy shot, especially with everyone watching. They had drawn quite a crowd.
"What's wrong? Intimidated? Hurry up and serve," she taunted. 'Hit it to the right and catch him off-guard.'
"What arrogance. Don't use that tone on your senpai," he grunted. He served quickly and it landed on the centerline, but Kin was ready. Her feet seemed to move by themselves as she approached and hit it to the opposite side. 'So strong,' she grimaced. She absorbed the impact of the stroke, holding the ball there for a split second. Retaining the spin, she returned the ball to the other side.
"Too slow," he muttered and hit it with a double-handed backhand. 'This is a piece of cake. To think that I was actually worried for a moment there. Who am I kidding?'
'Chikusho. I won't make it in time,' she thought, running to her left. Unconsciously, both her sweating hands grabbed the racket. 'The ball's so close.' She reached out with her left hand, her body soaring from the momentum, adrenaline kicking into her system.
Use the power in your shoulders, not your wrist or arm.
'Well, can't do that here, eh?'
She snapped her wrist back before the ball collided with the very edge of her racket. Her arm nearly gave way at the collision, but she gripped hard and flicked.
"No way, she returned it?" he commended, bewildered. He returned it easily, but there was an uneasy feeling churning in his stomach.
"Out."
"Nani? How could senpai miss a shot like that?"
'That spin... Whatever she did to the ball, it made it go out.'
"40-30."
"I can't believe this. It's ridiculous. Senpai can't even win against a kid?"
It didn't matter if Kin won or not. She had proven her reputation as a tennis player, and she got an extra bonus humiliating Kiyoshi as well. She would be grinning for the rest of the day.
---Friday Evening---
"Kin-chan, I really think you should go home now. Your family is probably really worried. You've been practicing for hours," Hiroki sweatdropped. 'And you aren't getting any better either.'
"Humph. Onii-chan is probably also practicing late today. I can't lose to that prodigy freak!" she shouted, concentrating all of her anger on that one shot.
"Kin, stop it."
"N-nani?"
"Do you really think that you can defeat Tezuka Kunimitsu, the captain of Seigaku, undefeated in tennis?"
"A-are you serious? I knew onii-chan was good, but I didn't know he was that good."
"Mark my words, Kin. You. Don't. Stand. A. Chance."
Hiroki's glare pierced right through her as she collapsed slowly. 'Hiroki-senpai has always been so nice to me, so how could he? How could he crush a little girl's dream?'
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she sobbed and screamed, pounding on the ground in frustration.
'Oops. That was not my intended reaction,' Hiroki's eyebrows twitched. 'Maybe I should apologize.' After all, even if this was necessary for her tennis development, he was uncomfortable- to say the least- to make a cute girl cry.
"YOU! YOU! YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU SAID!" Suddenly, to Hiroki, Kin became the scariest person in the universe. Her eyes were like chlorine ice, as threatening as the deepest of the deepest oceans, threatening to drown him. Her hair was a mess, like as if she had been scratching her head like a madman. A dark shadow seemed to cling to her clothes, face as the intensity of her bloodthirsty aura increased. Her hands were limp in front of her, and soon they were coiled like a leviathan around his neck.
---30 Minutes Later---
"Yosh! Officially done with warm-up! Come on, Hiroki, let's play a game," she smiled, brushing dirt off her skirt. "Hiroki-senpai?"
The remains of his torn limbs and muscles lay in a nasty heap behind her, his eyes gorged out and his insides overturned.
"B-bakemono," he croaked before dozing off.
"AAAAHHH! I totally forgot! Onii-chan and I were supposed to go get my racket at the store today! CHIKUSHO!" She screamed and ran off into the horizon like an Olympic track star, praying fervently that Tezuka would forgive her.
"That girl never ceases to amaze me. Where does she get all her energy from?" Kiyoshi frowned, stepping out from the locker room, "AAAHHH! THERE'S A CORPSE ON THE TENNIS COURT!" Suddenly he felt a tinge of nausea and passed out.
---Friday Evening---
Tezuka returned home from tennis practice. He dumped his racket on the table, his mind going over the tasks he needed to do. 'That Echizen Ryoma really is something else.'
He flicked on the switch to finish his biology homework, but the light didn't turn on.
Flick. Flick. Flick.
It was still pitch black. He turned on the lamp switch and re-plugged it. Still nothing. 'The bulb must be dead. Demo, it was fine before I left.' Irritated, he went to the bathroom and washed his face. 'Nani?'
---Meanwhile---
Kin sighed. She threw the paper into the trash and started over. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't solve the math problem. 'Where is that Taro when you need him?'
She sighed again. 'Maybe I should ask Onii-chan for help.'
Inner Kin: NO, NEVER! YOU CAN'T GIVE UP, KIN-CHAN! HE IS YOUR ENTERNAL RIVAL! LOOK AT HOW FAR YOU'VE GOTTEN! NOT NOW!"Mendokusu... Fine, but it'll be your fault when I fail algebra miserably," she sighed again.
Inner Kin: I'd rather die trying than lose like a loser!"Damare. You're distracting me," she furrowed her eyebrows.
Inner Kin: It's not like you're going to get anywhere anyway.
"You're optimistic," she replied flatly, "But I suppose you're right. Why am I even doing this anyway? I'm a procrastinator," she dumped the notebook in the trash.
"Kin!" Tezuka called from the bathroom.
"What is it?" she called.
"Where's my towel?"
"How would I know?"
"Where's my soap?"
"I threw it away because you were invading my half of the bathroom line!"
"You what?" A vein bulged in Tezuka's head.
"You heard me. Go check the trash," she yawned.
"Go get it out of the trash. I can't play-"
"Then don't put it on my side of the sink! You violated our truce, so I avenged it sevenfold!"
"Avenged sevenfold, eh?" Tezuka muttered and his lips curled slightly. "Yudan sezu ni ikou."
"Kin, where's my spare racket?"
'Chikusho,' Kin cringed visibly, her heart dropping in apprehension.
"The strings, uh, snapped when I was using it today," she gulped.
"You broke my racket?" he repeated, several veins bulging on his head.
"It's not my fault your racket is so fragile, gosh. Don't blame me," she argued. Tezuka couldn't stand it. Soap and towels he could understand; she was Kin, after all, and he was used to this after living with her his entire life, but his racket? Now that was going too far. She hadn't even bothered to apologize. After wringing his head of all the most deserving punishments for Kin, he dumped all of Kin's bathroom accessories –soap, towels, cleansers, hair ties, lotion, hair bands- into the trash can.
"Okaa-san, otou-san, ojii-san, I'm taking out the trash, okay?" With a straight face, he dumped the trash bin into the dumpster and wiped his hands.
---Five Hours Later---
"TEME, YOU'RE GOING TO BUY EVERYTHING BACK WITH YOUR OWN MONEY!" Kin shouted with amazing force from her small body.
"I will do no such thing. It's your fault for getting careless," Tezuka replied, his hair (gasp gasp) messy from containing such enragement.
"THAT'S IT!" Kin, bursting with an aura of blazing fury, grabbed Tezuka's racket and threw it out the window. Glass panes broke, people gasped and birds flew away.
"N-D-Why you..." Tezuka was at a loss for words.
Tezuka Ayana glanced at the clock from the adjacent room. It read 1:34.
"What are they arguing about now?" Kunihara sighed.
"Broken light bulbs," she muttered.
"They do realize that there are new ones in the storage, right?" their father turned over, shutting his ears.
"It's pointless to stop them now. However, five hours, I think, has been the longest record yet," Ayana stuffed two extra earmuffs onto her ears. Five minutes later, they were now trying to wrangle each other's necks.
"And now what are they arguing about?"
"Thanks to you, I don't even have a racket now!"
In unison, they sighed. This was going to be one very long night.
In the other room, however, a smile was etched on a snoring grandfather.
---The Next Day---
"Ah! I like this one," she picked up a smaller, more flexible racket and started swinging it wildly.
"The hilt is scratched, see?" Tezuka pointed.
"Oh, man, you're right," she frowned, "Do you have another one of these rackets?"
"Here. Try this one," Tezuka said as he grabbed a light gray one.
"Hmm? Ah, this one's nice too," she smiled, practicing her forehands.
"We still need to buy groceries before we go home," Tezuka reminded. Kin agreed, knowing this was Tezuka's closest version of 'Hurry up because I don't have all day.'
"Yosh, I choose this one," she placed the materials on the table.
The cashier checked the items and said, "12,390 yen."
"Ah? Chikusho, I'm 1,000 yen short," she sighed, flipping through her wallet. 'Oh man, I guess I'm just going to have to give up the book.' She glanced at the cover, which read Tennis for Beginners. 'Aw, well, I suppose I'll just borrow it from someone else.'
"Here," Tezuka said, paying the bills.
"Eh? Arigatou gozaimasu, onii-chan. You're the best," she cheered, punching his arm.
"Hm."
---At Night---
"There it is! There's the tennis court!" She nearly collapsed from exhaustion at running around aimlessly in circles for hours. "Why do people have to make such tortuous roads? Why couldn't every street just be a perfect square or something?" 'Oh my god, I just said 'perfect square'.'
"AAHH! Curse you, sensei, you screwed up my brain!" She waved her fists in the air wildly.
Inner Kin: You're talking to yourself again.
"Well, there's always you."
Inner Kin: I am you.
"Say, how come I've never heard you before? You just popped up into my mind today and started bothering me."
Inner Kin: I'm your conscience. The problem is that you never listen to me, but now that Taro's sick, you're not pre-occupied enough.
"Go away."
Inner Kin: No. You go away.
"The only way I'm going to go away is if you go away."
Inner Kin: T.T Why do you hate me so much?"It's not you who I hate, it's..." she sighed. Images of other familiar faces came to mind. Tezuka was first, then her parents, then Kiyoshi, and don't forget that baka Hiroki, and she only hated Taro because she missed him terribly.
"I hate tennis too." She kicked the ball, but it bounced off the wall and hit her shin. 'That's exactly what I'm talking about.'
She lay down on the ground, gazing at the night sky. Each glittered with their own singular beauty, their own uniqueness. No matter how dim or forceful a beam was, it was there to add to the myriad of lights.
"The stars are beautiful tonight."
Inner Kin: They've always been beautiful. This is just the first time you've noticed.
To Inner Kin's surprise and concern, Kin, for the first time in her life, shut up.
For some odd reason, the stars seemed to be talking to her somehow.
She pointed to the dim star on the left. "That's me."
To her right was a bright Tezuka-star, surrounded by thousands of tiny flickering dots. Although his star was bright, she knew that he would shine one day, above all the rest. He seemed to be leading the way for eight other stars, each with their own hidden potential. Beyond that tiny square, there were millions of other lights, each encapsulated with their own hopes, dreams, goals and potential.
"The world's big, isn't it?"
Sharing Kin's awe, Inner Kin, for the first time ever, shut up as well. Together, they shared this moment of rare serenity as something shifted inside Kin.
Inner Kin: I feel so small.
No reply.
After a few moments, there came a soft snoring.
Inner Kin: AAAHHHH! SHE'S FALLEN ASLEEP!---Meanwhile---
"Ayana, where did Kin go? It's nearly midnight," her father asked.
"How would I know? She was working on her math homework for once, instead of procrastinating to the last second. Maybe she's actually turning around for once," her mother replied.
"Working on homework where?" he asked.
"She isn't in her room?"
"Nope."
"Or her closet?"
"Nope."
"You didn't check the bathrooms, did you?"
"You go do that."
"KUNIMITSU!" she called.
"Nani?" he shouted from upstairs.
"WHERE'S YOUR SISTER?"
---Later---
"Do you really think that you can defeat Tezuka Kunimitsu, the captain of Seigaku, undefeated in tennis?"
The serve came. Kiyoshi was serious this time. Everything seemed to go in slow motion: her approaching steps that echoed in her ears, the flying ball that had a powerful spin and the anxious staring of all the spectators. Her lungs and legs were burning.
"Look! No way, it's Tezuka Kunimitsu!"
The ball came hard and she hit hard. Focusing all her concentration and strength, she connected.
'I can do this. I know I can. To onii-chan, this is positively nothing. Thus, it's less than nothing for me.'
The ball went over. Kiyoshi was startled. That arrogant kid had returned his powerful serve? Not bad. Still, it's not like it mattered.
"Out."
She dropped her racket.
"How pathetic. A kid like you doesn't deserve the name Tezuka."
"Out."
"Out."
"Out."
"Mark my words, Kin. You. Don't. Stand. A. Chance."
She couldn't believe it. What made her think that she even had any potential?
Collapsed and utterly spent, tears rolled down her cheeks, her vision blurred.
"What a cute girl. I heard she's Tezuka's little sister."
"She doesn't stand a chance against him. She'll probably just be on the sidelines cheering all her life."
"Look at her, she's practically his shadow."
'Onii-chan, will I always be in your shadow?'
Inner Kin couldn't stand it another second.
INNER KIN: DAMN YOU ALL! GET AWAY FROM MY PRECIOUS KIN! STOP BRAINWASHING HER, YOU ALIENS!
Slowly but surely, Inner Kin turned around, positively livid, to face the ever-so-innocent Kin.
Inner Kin: Tezuka is Tezuka. Taro is Taro. Ojii-chan is retarded. But most importantly, we are Kin, Kin! What happened to the cheerful face Kin, the persistent Kin who never gives up, the Kin who fails at algebra, the Kin who loves to run, the Kin I've shared a body with my entire life?!
Kin looked away. "She never existed."
Inner Kin: You know what? I've had enough of this. You stubborn, selfish little bitch! If you insist on giving up without a fight, losing like a loser, I guess I can't stop you! Goodbye, FOREVER!
With that, Inner Kin dissipated into nothing.
"It's cold."
Slowly, tears swelled in her eyes and started to fall again. The black abyss shifted.
She was walking home by herself from after school help. She stayed late to re-take the science test, and then she missed all the buses. As she walked over the bridge, watching the cars pass beside her, she noticed a group of friends playing on tennis fields below.
Alone.
That's all she'll ever be.
A loser.
A nobody.
A dropout.
And there was Tezuka the prodigy, Tezuka the perfect, Tezuka the ever-so-talented-jerk-who-is-constantly-runover-by-rabid-fangirls.
"THAT'S IT! I CAN'T STAND THIS ANY LONGER!"
Kin crossed through the imaginary portal and slapped Tezuka straight across the face.
"You think I don't stand a chance? Well then, you are WRONG, onii-chan, WRONG! I swear that I, a nobody, will break you!"
Inner Kin: That's what I'm talking about! We'll crush you with our opposable thumbs and we'll show you all! Just you wait, Kiyoshi, Hiroki, WE'LL PROVE YOU WRONG!"
"Um, Inner Kin?"
Inner Kin: Ah?
"You just kinda ruined my moment there. There is no 'we' in the equation. No 'we' at all."
Inner Kin: Nani? No, don't kick me out! No, kkuudddaaassssiiiii!
---Midnight---
Kin blinked her eyes slowly, yawning ferociously. 'When did my bed get this hard?' She stopped in mid-turn.
She opened her eyes. 'Chikusho. I'm sleeping on the tennis court. Ah, well, it was refreshing.'
"Say, I had a really weird dream."
Inner Kin: Really?
"Really. Oh well, I must not have slept long. Hmm, so, let's play some tennis." She picked up her racket and her ball.
'I'll prove you all wrong.'
She tossed the ball in the air. With her left hand, she smacked the ball down onto the other side and hit the centerline for the first time.
"Yosh! I did it, Inner Kin, I did it!" she smiled happily.
Inner Kin: You mean we did it.
"No, I mean I did it."
Inner Kin: U-.- Here we go again.
---Later---
"Sugoi! Sugoi! With my left hand, I can get two out of three serves! With my right hand, I can only get half, but I'm not giving up! I'm never giving up!" Beads of sweat rolled down her face as she served again.
"There you are, Kin," a flat voice said from behind. 'Eh? A person at this hour? Maybe I can get him to play with me.'
She turned around. The ball dropped from her hand.
An enormous vein bulged in Tezuka's head. Kin thought that he would get a stroke any second now.
"Do you... have... any idea... how much trouble you are in?" he said slowly, crossing his arms.
Inner Kin: Onii-chan's really scary. Well, I'll be leaving now, hehe. Good luck.
Kin gulped.
---Translations---
Okaa-san- Mother.
Bakemono- Monster.
Yudan sezu ni ikou- Let's not get careless.
---Author's Note---
Anyways, so someone please tell me if you think Kin is a Sue (even if you're a flamer and you tell everybody that) and how I should change her, because I'm getting a little worried. Okay, screw little. Extremely worried, especially with all the flamers around these parts. (She got a freakin' 33 on the Litmus Test, well, the first time anyway. Unbelievable!) Well, excuse my rambling. The next chapter is going to be pretty long as well.
So tell me what you think and give me some concrit, neh?