Disclaimer: The Prince of Tennis and its characters are property of Takeshi Konomi. However, this plot and any original characters belong to McGrady. This story is rated T for language and minor sexual content.
Author's notes: Thanks to Red jello, Hanako, Otakugal, Train, Songstress, Lilmiss, Indistinguishable, and Yuki for reviewing! Regarding why I chose to write this story in a modified epistolary format, I knew that my story would be very dialogue-heavy, and telephone conversations just felt appropriate. I'm also including heavy financial incentives for the characters because I feel that most readers on FF(dot)net are too idealistic, and that this is actually the way the real world works.
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"Ninety-nine percent of everything done in the world, good or bad, is done to pay a mortgage." -Nick Naylor
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Karma: How the Tables Have Turned
by McGrady
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Arrogance Aids Innocence
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People Magazine Exclusive Interview with Ryoma Echizen
By Lucy Lopez
Japanese tennis star Ryoma Echizen (20) won last Sunday the ESPY Award for Best Male Athlete. Echizen is the first international athlete among this award's recipients, who previously were all Americans. Wearing a sleek suit and tie, he was arguably the best-dressed male present. We were lucky enough to sit down with him and talk briefly.
People Magazine: Ryoma Echizen, world-renowned tennis star, and now the Best Male Athlete of the year. How does it feel to receive this award?
Ryoma Echizen: It feels good, obviously, but it's really something special to win this award when there are plenty of other equally deserving athletes. Tiger Woods always contends for the award, LaDainian Tomlinson and Alex Rodriguez both had MVP seasons just recently, and to be mentioned in the same breath as all those guys and the past winners is just unbelievable.
People: Of course, the big news in the tennis world now is your retirement. Wimbledon recently came to a close, and most of us expected you to be the winner had you continued playing. Why the sudden retirement?
RE: I was picked to win it all at Wimbledon, but truth be told, I'm not so sure. The competition of course is always impossible to discount, but my health was also questionable. The doctor said I have bone spurs in my ankle, but luckily I won't need surgery for it.
People: Whew, that's always good to hear! But is there anything more? You've said that you intend on retiring from tennis, or at least taking a few years off before making a comeback. Is there more to it than your ankle?
RE: I've been playing professional tennis since I was 15, right out of middle school. So I've been on the road for five years now. The only family I see regularly is my dad, who is my coach. I'm taking time off to be with the rest of my family more. I also want to take some time for myself.
People: I see. Now, you are credited with bringing more life to tennis in the past few years. Tennis was shortly ago considered a dying sport. It's been said that you are the David Beckham of tennis. You were also recently selected as one of People's 50 Most Beautiful People. How do you feel being one of the world's most eligible bachelors?
RE: (laughs) It's kind of strange. I try not to think about it.
People: By reputation, you were a taciturn, vicious tennis player with a mean serve and smirk. As the world's no. 1 player, you were frequently seen in Nike commercials, and you were labeled a sex symbol. Recently, though, you've been appearing in commercials for anything ranging from cologne to clothing. What happened for you to suddenly have these ads which emphasize your sex appeal?
RE: I'm really not too sure myself.
People: How do you feel about being an underwear model for Hanes? I heard that they have you on billboards back in Japan wearing only boxer briefs.
RE: (laughs) Again, I try not to think about it. Luckily, I haven't seen any of those billboards yet in person. I imagine that if I do, I'll be a little embarrassed.
People: Okay, this is my last question. Rumor has it that you have never dated anyone. At least, if you were dating, you were especially good at keeping the relationship private. How about now? Are you seeing anybody?
RE: At the moment, no, I'm not seeing anybody. But that doesn't mean that can't change.
People: Alright, so I still have a chance! Right?
RE: (laughs)
People: Thanks for sitting down with us, Ryoma.
RE: The pleasure's all mine.
ooooo
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Ryoma Echizen: "Echizen speaking."
Agent: "Ryoma, baby! The king! The undisputed heavyweight champion!"
Ryoma: "What the – I told you never to call me again!"
Agent: "Whoa, hang on there, baby, don't hang up just yet!"
Ryoma: "…"
Agent: "Alright, baby! So I recently read your ESPY Award interview with People Magazine. Nice job! A damned good job! You really nailed that interview! You remember when this Lucy Lopez chick interviewed you a few years ago? You were a complete bastar… well, I don't wanna say exactly what you were, but I'll say that you weren't too nice. Well, just a few years with me, and you suddenly turned into a media master! She even decided to drop that old 'do I still have a chance with you' interviewer line! This interview, you frickin' killed it!"
Ryoma: "Get to the point."
Agent: "Whoa ho ho! Hang on there, Ryoma, baby! Just hang on! What I wanna say is that I'm sorry that we had some, uh, miscommunication errors. I think we should just put it past us. We've had some great years together, and this interview is proof of how much you benefitted from my diligence and loyalty. We've hit a snag in our relationship, but what we had was beautiful. After all, we were the dynamic duo! The unbeatable team! You showed everything I taught you during this interview: laugh a little bit, don't pretend that you know too much, act like it's not a big deal. This interview, it's with fucking People! Fucking People interviewed you, and they'll help out your publicity so damned much! This interview revealed what I like to call 'the sweet, humorous side of the mysterious, sexy Ryoma Echizen.' You feelin' what I'm sayin'?"
Ryoma: "I told you to get to the point."
Agent: "Whoa! Whoa ho ho! I'm getting there, my friend! What I wanna say is, let's start working together again. We are the killer one-two punch, and we've got some frickin' sponsors who we need to knock out!"
Ryoma: "…"
Agent: "... Well, Ryoma? What do you say?"
Ryoma: "You opportunist ass hole. I say fuck you. You just see me in a few more advertisements, think 'I should have stolen my ten percent commission of all that from Echizen!' and you honestly think I will trust you?"
Agent: "Um… yeah?"
Ryoma: "I've just now given you five minutes of my time. Five minutes too many."
Agent: "Oh, come on! Ryoma, baby! The master! The chief!"
Slam!
Dial tone…
Agent: "Oh, fuck!"
Dial tone…
ooooo
August 25
Dear Diary,
I'm going to return to America very soon. The semester starts in about two weeks. That means that in about one week, I'll move in with Ryoma. I have to be honest: I'm extremely nervous about this. For one thing, I don't like Ryoma Echizen. For another thing, I don't want to live in the same room as Ryoma Echizen. For yet another thing, all his lame commercials that I see all over the place remind me that he's no longer a cutie, but a hottie. Sakuno Ryuzaki does not approve of this!
I just need to remember about the money. After all, he's living with me for the money, and I'm living with him for the money. It's all business. Nothing personal, and that's the way I will keep it.
I've done some reflecting over how I used to like Ryoma so much when I was in middle school. I thought about him all the time, so much that I'm embarrassed. He influenced all of my actions. I studied extra hard in English to try to impress him. I tried extra hard in tennis to impress him. I always made two lunches, just in case I had the chance to offer him one, and I always put forth a one hundred percent effort into the food, even though there was a zero percent chance that he would acknowledge it in any way. I would dream of Ryoma winning championship tennis matches and running to me to give me a victory kiss. As I got older and puberty hit me, I started dreaming of other stuff involving Ryoma and kisses. Sure, liking Ryoma so much ended up in heartbreak, but to be optimistic, he indirectly and involuntarily motivated me to work on my English. If it weren't for that, my English may not be good enough for me to study in America.
But I'll disregard that last bit about Ryoma helping me. I refuse to give him credit for anything.
Bah! I don't want to live with Ryoma! Help me, Diary!
When I really think about it, though, it really shouldn't be too bad. I obviously no longer like him. Correction: I hate him. And on his half of the agreement, he obviously doesn't like me. Correction: he never liked me. So everything that happens in our room will be impersonal and emotionless. That sounds dreadful and boring, but whatever. I just want my quarter million dollars.
Love,
Sakuno
ooooo
Ryoma Echizen stood on the main corner of Walnut Street. He basked in the sun, enjoying the warm morning and waiting for his roommate to arrive and move into their apartment at any moment. Walnut Street was a crowded, noisy avenue with joggers, students, and workers flooding the sidewalks. Several restaurants and stores squashed themselves into the gaps left by the larger buildings. A pair of teenage girls lugging tennis equipment on their shoulders passed him, and Ryoma caught some of their exchange.
"Did you see the Wimbledon championship?"
"I did! Echizen would have been there if he didn't retire, I know it... but did you see his new Gatorade commercial?"
"Tee hee! I did..."
Chuckling, Ryoma thanked his disguise for concealing him from the public. He wore simple slacks and a plain buttoned shirt, his old white hat, and a pair of glasses with thick rims fit for a high school nerd. The idea for the disguise belonged to his former agent. The disguise was formulated to address Ryoma's rudely aloof nature towards his fans. Ryoma, baby, you need a disguise, he had said. I don't know why the hell you're such a dick to these people, but you're shooting yourself in the foot. You wear a disguise, then you won't be recognized in public, and consequently you won't hurt your marketability!
His marketability, it was always about his marketability. Ryoma sometimes could not help but to shove off the claws of his officious fans. His hat and glasses, however, provided instant cover. After all, no tennis fan would expect the handsome, powerful Ryoma Echizen to wear a faded baseball cap and old-fashioned glasses.
Through the glasses' lenses, Ryoma saw a bright taxi approach him, swerve to the sidewalk, and pull to a stop. A backdoor opened. From the door, a pair of long, smooth legs extended, followed by a slender body and the elegant face of an elegant woman. The face turned to Ryoma, but before he could fully appreciate its beauty, it spoke.
"Echizen. What the hell is up with the goggles. You look like an idiot."
Ryoma blinked. Mentally slapping himself, he rubbed his eyes under his glasses, or as the woman called them, his "goggles." Though what she said to him was hardly offensive, and perhaps even true, he was still surprised to be slightly hurt by her comments. She's getting too cute for her own good, reasoned Ryoma, adjusting his glasses and taking a proper look at her.
Sakuno Ryuzaki stood before him, wearing a wrinkled summer dress and a mess of disheveled hair. She was hardly the picture-perfect woman whom Ryoma somehow originally saw stepping from the cap, but in a strange way, her imperfect appearance and her tired, deadpanned voice made her more beautiful. Her slim arms crossed themselves under her sizeable chest, causing it to bounce.
Boobs! said Nanjiro Echizen's voice in Ryoma's head as he continued to gape.
"Shut up, Echizen," said Sakuno, although Ryoma had yet to say anything. She was obviously irritated. "I just had a horrible flight, and I don't need you to stare at me like a dork."
Again, Ryoma blinked. Finally, he spoke.
"How did you recognize me? These glasses are supposed to be my fool-proof disguise. They were specifically designed by my agent."
Sakuno rolled her eyes. She turned to take her luggage from her trunk, speaking over her shoulder. "Your 'disguise' is only fool-proof, and I'm not a fool."
Ryoma only remotely registered her response. He was distracted by her rounded shifting backside underneath her dress.
"Come on, Echizen," called Sakuno, "help me with my luggage."
Wordlessly, Ryoma rushed to Sakuno's side to hoist her oversized bags from the taxi's trunk. He led her to the apartment's main door ("Uh, I shouldn't have packed so much," groaned Sakuno), up the stairs to the top floor ("What the hell! No elevator?"), and finally down the hall to their room ("My legs are so sore!"). They stopped at the last door. Sakuno dropped her bags and drooped herself against the wall. Ryoma handed her a key.
"Don't lose this," said Ryoma, "or else it's a fifty dollar fine."
Sakuno snorted and slipped the key into her bag. "Just open the damned door. I'm so tired."
He complied, and Sakuno instantly dragged her bags into the room. She found the bed and, before even glancing at the rest of the room, dove onto the mattress. "I'll get the bags out of the way after a nap," she said.
Ryoma followed into the room, placing the bags neatly by the couch. "You're just going to sleep like that?" said Ryoma, indicating the bare mattress and lack of pillows and sheets.
"Yes," said Sakuno curtly.
Ryoma strode across the room to the closet. He opened the closet door and found a light blanket. "Here, Ryuzaki," he said, "at least take this –"
But she was already asleep.
Mildly shocked, Ryoma closed the closet door and approached the sleeping girl on the bed. He would have imagined that Sakuno slept in a dignified, orderly manner. In actuality, she slept with her mouth wide open, saliva dripping from the corner of her mouth, and her arms and legs spread-eagled.
She should cross her legs when she wears a dress, thought Ryoma, gaping at her open legs. Again, Sakuno's state of imperfection drew Ryoma to her. From her legs, his gaze traveled north, to her slender waist, to her prominent breasts.
He shook his head; he forbade himself to stare. Ridding his mind of embarrassing thoughts, Ryoma tossed the blanket over Sakuno and left the room.
ooooo
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Author's notes: Feel free to tell me what you thought, what you liked, what you hated, or what you'd like to see in the future. Anything, really, I'm open to all suggestions. Also, I didn't get a lot of feedback for the last chapter, so anything you want to say for that chapter is good, too. Lastly, I want to address the agent. Even though Ryoma fired him, I still include the agent for a purpose. Does he bother you? Thanks for reading!