A/N: I'm on a roll! Here's the next update, I wrote it quicker than I expected. I hope all of you like this.


Chapter 12

The crowd has finally dispersed, gathered around in another section of the property, being taken care of by Takahiro. It was agonizing sitting there, trying to act strong, trying to hold it in while everyone slowly went up to both of their caskets and paid their mutual respects. The tennis courts were littered with flowers and the smell incense overwhelmed me, despite it being outdoors. Now it's finally my time. Everyone is being attended to in the reception area and the only ones left here now other than me, Nanako and our parents are the closest people to my father and mother, the Atobe's, the Ootori's, the Haninozuka's, the Morinozuka's, and Ryuuzaki-sensei. I can also see the regulars there by the bell Oyaji used to ring. Thankfully they have all stepped back to give my space.

I kneel down on the pedestal in front of their caskets and for the first time in a long time, I pray to whatever deity may exist in the afterlife. Whoever is up there, may it be Christ, Buddha, or whatever other god, please watch over my parents. Whether there is hell or not, watch over their souls, and if they are reincarnated, please let me meet them once more, in whichever body they may inhabit. Oyaji, I finished your dream. I went to the U.S. open and I became the number one tennis player in the ATP race. I'll continue tennis and continue to be at a standard that could defeat you time and again. Okaa-san, I'll try my best to not to isolate myself so much from the world, from everyone. I know it's what you would've wanted. I'll continue playing music at my leisure but please understand that I do not want to participate in music competitions any longer. I'll make you proud. I'll take care of the company of your family, our family's legacy. I promise it will always be in the hands of a Takeuchi. Good bye Okaa-san, good bye Oyaji. I'll miss you both, but I promise I'll make you proud.

As I stood up from kneeling, I hear someone softly call me out. I turn around to see the regulars approaching me.

"What do you want? Need me to help you win another national for you? Is that it? Or now that you've found out about everything you want some of my money? My fame? Well guess what. You can find another mule for all I care, I certainly won't be it. Go away." I say to all of them without even looking back.

"Echizen!" Tezuka, of course, always ready to reprimand me, whenever I don't do as he wants me to. Che.

A hand on my shoulder distracts me however, as I turn my head to look into the worried eyes of Atobe Keigo.

"Ryoma."

And within an instant I am pulled into his comforting embrace as I cry my eyes out like never before. Everything is flowing out of me now. Everything I've ever felt since all of this has happened and all of the fears I've had since long before have come out for the world to bear and I can't stand being this open to everyone. The hurt I felt at their betrayal, and the betrayal of others is all coming out in this instance.

When I'm finally able to calm myself down, Keigo whispers to me softly, "talk to them Ryoma, they may be idiots, but they mean well. I would never have let them befriend you if I thought they were the kind of people that would ever use you. Remember, I will never let another living soul use you for your assets. I made that promise long ago and I intend to keep it. Hear them out. Besides, Kyouya had the entire team all thoroughly checked through before you entered Seigaku junior high."

"Yes Ryo-chan" said Hunny-sempai with his little pink bunny, usa-chan. "Ryo-chan's friends are good people. Kyo-chan would never put Ryo-chan with people that might hurt him. We all love Ryo-chan and we want to see him happy again. And Kyo-chan, Takeshi, Kei-chan, and me are all good at reading people, especially Kyo-chan, he always knows when someone has bad intentions. So don't worry, just listen to what Ryo-chan's friends have to say, Usa-chan says they all look very sorry. I'm sure they want to apologize don't they" finished Hunny-sempai as all eyes then turned to said group. (A/N: Sorry, just wanted to have Hunny say something since they were all there anyways and I've always wanted to see a POT/Ouran crossover where Ryoma and Kyouya were friends. If I ever can come up with a decent storyline, maybe I'll do one one day.)

"Echizen," spoke up Tezuka. "We're sorry for making you think that we don't care about you as a person, as Ryoma. We don't care about your money, your fame, or your tennis skills. You're important to all of us, as a friend."

"Yea Ochibi. We all love you" said Kikumaru as he glomped me.

" – despite your rudeness, cockiness, and newly acquired sadistic tendenc – OW" said momo while rubbing the back of his head. "Gomen. I just mean, even though you're all of those things, you're still special to us. You're still an important member of our team, we wouldn't be complete without you. You could be poor as dirt and suck at tennis, you're still a part of our group. Hell, we even keep Horio around even though he's annoying and is still as bad at tennis."

This is everything I wanted to hear, but why . . .

"Yea right. You're just trying to get back into my good graces. You'll say anything to get me back helping YOUR team. If you were really my friends, you would have at least come and see me when you found out the news or at the very least call me." I say about to turn and leave as Keigo stops me and tells me to listen to their explanation.

"Don't give us that bullshit, we tried! We tried to call but it was always busy and we tried to visit but there were reporters always at the door. Don't go standing there saying that we weren't your friends because we never bothered to visit, we'll we tried to visit, many times, and YOU"D always turn us away. YOU wouldn't let us visit or talk to you but you let HIM (pointing to Atobe) waltz right in. If YOU were OUR friend, YOU would have trusted US and told US the truth. We've all known each other for what? 3 years? How could you keep something like this from us, from me? I'm supposed to be your best friend here, and I didn't even know something so important, something so much a part of your life? How could you not tell us all these things about you? Do you not know each and every one of us? All of our little quirks, likes, dislikes, and about our past, why hide this from us? From your friends?" said Momo, while everybody just stood in awkward silence.

Fuji-senpai was the first one to break the silence however. "Momo's right. I mean it did hurt that you kept something like this from us. You didn't even bother telling this to any of use. You've kept it a secret for so long. It's not like we care whether you're rich or not, it's just, we thought you trusted us. We tried visiting you but like Momo said, there were always reporters and we tried calling but we always got a busy signal or something. After your little press conference Momo went back and tried to visit you but some guy said that you didn't want to receive any visitors and just when he was about to leave, he saw Atobe's limo pulling in to your house. We all thought that since we're not rich like him, you didn't want to hang out with us anymore. We thought that you wouldn't want to be friends with us anymore since you're not a commoner like us. I mean, we can't compete with you in tennis, aside from Tezuka-bechou, and we're not rich, and we could never get in to speak with you, so we all thought that you were avoiding us."

"LIAR!." I shouted at the top of my lungs, not caring about all the guests just a few feet away

"Ochibi! We're telling the truth! How can you still not believe us? We're your friends!"

"NO! You're Liars! I won't be fooled again by people like you! I'm sick of everyone that thinks they can just use me however they like. That they can use for my money or my skills, without thinking about ME! I won't! I won't be fooled again! You're just like the people back in America; you're just like them, only after me because of my money and my smarts. Just go away." I won't be hurt again. I refuse to believe in people's kindness ever again. Everyone's the same, they all want the same thing and they'll all use me to get it. I refuse to be someone's stepping stone any longer. I was just about to leave and head to the limo, on my way to the crematorium when Takahiro walked up to us.

"Oh young master, are these acquaintances of yours, they came by several times when the reporters were at the door and a couple of times after wishing to speak with you. I simply thought they were mere fans, we got several of them who insisted on speaking directly with you claiming everything to being your girlfriend or boyfriend to even carrying your child, there were a couple people even claiming to be you're long lost relative. If I had known they were your friends, I would have let them in, please forgive me young master, you said you did not wish to be disturbed and made no mention of any friends that may stop by. Forgive my assumption."

"See Ryo-chan. everything's fine, it was all a misunderstanding. They're not meanies." Said Hunny-senpai

"Gomen." I mutter as momo puts me into a headlock. "About time, you realized we were telling the truth and we care about ya. If all we really wanted from you was your money and all that stuff, we would've sucked Atobe long time ago. I mean he's rich too and he's got about the same size ego you do, except you're not as annoying as he his –"Continued Momo only to be interrupted by Atobe.

"Momoshiro, do not forget it's because of ore-sama that you plebeians even had the chance for Ryoma to hear your petty excuses, really being jealous of me, while I quite understand since Ore-sama has so many things for people like you to be jealous of –"

"Urusai Keigo." I say interrupting his speech.

"Echizen! Don't think I'm going to forget all the times you made me pay for all the damn burgers. It's about time you pay me back!"

Stupid Momo! I screamed in my head as I pushed his arms off me and headed to the awaiting limo to cremate my parents, hearing the faint shout of "Baka Momo!" from a loud Kikumaru.


A/N: So what do all of you think? I don't know how I feel about this chapter. I think there's something missing in it, but I don't know what. But don't get disappointed, there's still more chapters coming up. The discussion isn't over, after all there are still a few more things he has yet to tell the regulars.

One week till christmas eve! Hope everyone's gotten their christmas shopping done. I'm almost done.