Author: CrisscrossAnime

Story: Desires

Chapter 3

Ryoma gazed out of the window, eyes filled with naught but boredom, hands supporting his head as the teacher droned on about the mechanics of the refraction of light or something along those lines…

Even with his daydreaming, Ryoma wasn't completely oblivious to the annoyed looks his teacher was currently shooting at him. But honestly? He couldn't care less. The topic they were being taught now was one that he had learnt a long time ago. His time was better spent sleeping, or playing with Karupin.

Ryoma had the distinct feeling that the only reason the teacher hadn't singled him out was because he had already proven that he was sufficiently knowledgeable about this topic on his first day here.

Come to think of it, it has already been a week since he first came here… And just two nights ago his homeroom teacher had issued him a form to inform him about the choice he had to make about the extra-curricular activities he would have to participate in. That was the first time he had seen his father discourage him against choosing tennis. Apparently, Hyoutei was one of Seigaku's biggest rivals when it comes to tennis, and since he refused to go to Seigaku…well, let us just say that the decision he made certainly did no favors in improving his already tense relationship with his father…

In his opinion, his father was just being the biggest brat in the world, not that he was actually intending to join the tennis club. But, the problem he was currently facing was that today is the deadline that his teacher had given him for the submission and he still hasn't chosen an activity.

Ryoma sighed. 'Life can be so troublesome… Why can't I have a father who at least acts moderately normal?'

Ryoma's mind flashed back to when he last saw his father play in a state tournament in the United States… The way his eyes sharpened at every movement of the little yellow ball, the way he dominated the entire court and brought each and every single opponent of his to their knees. Watching that at the sidelines… Ryoma just couldn't help but admire and look up to his father.

Playing that sport seemed to be a dream he could never achieve…

"Maa… Yuushi, just what in the world are you planning?" Ryoma glanced sideways to his friend walking beside him.

"Why would you assume something like that?" He asked, curious to know what he had done to warrant such suspicion from Ryoma.

"I recognize that glint in your eyes…" Ryoma mumbled, "The last time I saw that, the whole Inter-State Science Fair was almost cancelled."

"Ahh…" Yuushi pushed up his glasses, before concentrating his attention on the book in front of him.

Ryoma glared from his position before waiting, not-so patiently, for his friends to spill the beans.

Finally, Yuushi put away his book before looking at Ryoma in the eye. His expression was unusually serious. "Join the tennis club."

"No." Came Ryoma's instant reply.

Yuushi frowned. "Why?"

"You know my answer already. So please, stop asking stupid questions…"

Yuushi just smirked, the glint in his eyes only magnified by those spectacles he wore. "It is my responsibility as a regular to recruit any student with potential into the team so that it can be properly nurtured."

"That's just bullshit. You have never done any 'nurturing' of any sort. And frankly, that thought just disturbs me. Just look at that Captain of yours… He looks to be more interested in the cheerleading section than the actual team itself." Ryoma snorted.

"But I'm sure that even he will agree that talent such as yours would truly be wasted away from the tennis club." Yuushi replied coolly.

"I am not interested."

Ryoma moved to walk in another direction but paused for just a second.

"I am not my father." 'Nor my brother…'

Ryoma was about to continue walking away when Yuushi cut in. "And yet you still continue to live in your father's shadow. Is that really what you want?"

Ryoma clenched his fist tightly, spinning around to glare Yuushi in the eye. "Of course not!"

Ryoma eyes widened as he realized what he had just shouted out for anyone to hear.

Yuushi stepped closer, knowing that he had the upper hand now, "Not playing the sport you wish to play because of a simple, foolish thing such as pride is just plain stupid! All you are doing is running away!"

Ryoma wished that Yuushi would just stop. Taking a step backwards, Ryoma tried to deny but Yuushi just continued, his voice only a little louder than a whisper.

"There will be hundreds of players in the tennis club for you to hide amongst." 'Not that it'll actually help.'

"And you'll be able to practice as much as you want, among all the other students in your year." 'Of course, that is with special attention from the coach as well. Never let it be said that he's not observant…'

Oshitari Yuushi smirked when he finally saw hesitation reflected in Ryoma's eyes.

"Will you ever stop asking?" Ryoma growled out, trying his best to hide the conflict embroiling within him.

"No." Yuushi just smiled that annoying smile, saying everything that was left unsaid.

'I'll never give up.'

Ryoma left school early that day as his club's activities didn't start till next week. With lots of free time to burn, he just allowed his legs to lead him, unaware of his destination.

'That ass just never gives up, does he?' Ryoma mumbled some curses under his breath as he recalled what Yuushi forced him to do that afternoon.

Ryoma mentally sighed, palms cradling his face as he imagined what his father would react. 'Why should I care about what Oyaji thinks anyway…? All he cares about is fulfilling his selfish needs.'

He gave himself a mental shake, pushing all those thoughts to the back of his mind. 'I have until next week before I really need to think about it.'

Looking around at his surroundings, Ryoma blinked. 'Where exactly am I anyway?'

Unfamiliar buildings and roads greeted him as he turned around trying to find some clue as to where he is. Then, his stomach decided to start growling.

'Great. Not only am I lost, I'm also starting to get hungry.' Giving his surrounding buildings a second look, Ryoma spotted at fast food joint right around the corner.

'I should get some food first, thinking of how to get home can come later.'

Walking out of McDonalds, with a bag of burgers in one arm and a large drink in the other, Ryoma started to go towards the direction he thought he came from.

After passing more buildings, the surroundings finally gave way to a little more greenery and walking in deeper brought the sounds of footsteps and soft murmuring to his ears.

Curious, as well as having nothing else better to do, Ryoma headed to the source of those sounds and found himself standing in front of rows of tennis courts, all of them being occupied with one game or the other.

Settling down on the nearby stands, Ryoma took out another burger and bit into it. His eyes honing onto a doubles match held in a court just a little off to his right.

"Chibisuke! What are you doing out here?" His adopted brother, Ryoga asked flippantly as he approached him.

Ryoga then knelt on the ground just before his brother, wielding a racquet in one hand, while the used the other to snatch away the book Ryoma was reading.

"Aniki! Give it back!" Ryoma shouted, wide eyed when a hand suddenly appeared in front of him before abruptly ripping the book away from his hands.

"Oh?" Ryoga lifted an eyebrow, curious at the book that dropped out from between the one he took away from Ryoma. "Been picking up Oyaji's habits haven't you?"

Ryoga shot his younger brother a grin before taking the second book as well and flipping through it, his tennis racquet left on the ground.

"Give it back! Let go–" Ryoma tried to retrieve the book from his brother only for it to be lifted beyond his reach.

"Oya? This isn't yours Chibisuke…" Ryoga lightly grabbed his brother's head before looking at him seriously in the eye. "You stole this from Oyaji, didn't you?"

Tears threatened to well up from his younger brother's eyes even as he glared at Ryoga. "It's none of your business!"

"Maa, maa… Calm down chibisuke. I won't tell Oyaji about this." To emphasize his point, Ryoga waved the stolen book in his arm just above Ryoma's reach.

"—On the condition that you explain to me your reasons for doing this."

Ryoma stared at his adopted brother in shock, before turning his head away to a side.

His younger brother was hesitating, that much he could tell. Ryoma's expressions have always been really easy to read. Now if could only turn his head so that his face is visible…

"…Why do you want to know?" His soft voice spoke up from below; face is turned away from him.

Raising an eyebrow, Ryoga asked, "So you want Oyaji to find out you've been stealing from him?"

"NO!" Came the immediate reply, tinged with a bit of desperation.

Sighing at how stubborn his younger brother could be, Ryoga was silently amazed about how many similarities he and his younger brother shared. Despite not being related in anything but name.

Arranging himself so that he sat just beside of the sulking, hesitant Ryoma, Ryoga asked once again.

"So will you tell me about your reasons for doing this?"

Not wanting to tell… And yet it seemed that Ryoma had no other choice. He slowly and quietly explained the reason for his action.

"I… I wanted to learn tennis."

Turning his head sharply to stare at Ryoma for the reply, Ryoga was shocked, and confused about why exactly would Chibisuke need to do that, just 'to learn tennis'.

"Fa— Oyaji… He, he doesn't want to teach me." Ryoma was explaining his situation in the way his child-like mind understood.

"He asks you to play with him all the time, aniki… Yet, he has never asked me that. Not even once!"

'Chibisuke actually wants to get his ass kicked all over the court by that devil that calls himself our father?' Ryoga thought to himself incredulously, of course, he didn't voice out what he thought.

"I just wanted to learn…" Ryoma curled up, his head resting on his knees, hiding his face from the rest of the world.

At a loss as to what to say, Ryoga could only awkwardly pick up his Chibisuke from the ground and rest him on his lap. 'Lucky he's still so small. If he had grown any bigger…'

"Oi, oi… Don't start crying on me Chibisuke." Ryoga growled even as he went and messed up Ryoma's already messy raven locks.

"... If you really wanted to learn…" There, Ryoga paused a little. Unsure if the offer he was about to give is the right thing to do.

But when he saw Ryoma's head finally lift from his knees with that darned—hopeful expression on his face, whatever hesitation he had was blown away.

"I could always teach you."

Golden eyes widening hopefully at the offer his brother dangled in front of him, he couldn't help but ask. "Really, aniki?"

Grinning back at that face with the perpetually arrogant grin that drove all of his opponents to rage, Ryoga replied, "Of course!"

It only elicited a scream of "Arigato!" and a tight hug from his younger brother.

'That happened around a year before Ryoga disappeared.' Ryoma recalled as he nibbled on the last burger, his appetite suddenly dying.

Standing up, Ryoma dusted away the crumbs that dropped onto his uniform and gathered all the paper wrappers and empty cup before walking to the trash can, tossing it in. Looking back at the doubles pair, Ryoma heart gave a painful lurch as his mind replaced one of them with him while he was still a child and the other with the image of Ryoga.

What Ryoga ignited within him that day so many years ago when he made that offer, never died even after he disappeared. That yearning to play tennis was merely pushed to a side to make way for other things in his life.

A/N: Well, as you can see, there will be some scenes that will remain the same while others will be completely rewritten. The pairing for this story will be yaoi, although what pairings it'll be has not been decided upon yet.

This fic will have a sequel, so this one will be focusing on the familial relationships, as well as the interactions between the Ryoma's potential boyfriend(s).

Constructive criticism is welcomed!

Please read and review =D