Idek, I've like fallen in love with this story. So I write it more. teehee.
Reviews make me smile and just keep writing.
The Prince of Tennis wikia is where I get a lot of my character development.
I wish I was going to Anime Expo T^T
Disclaimer- I don't own Prince of Tennis.
xXx
Sayuri blinked. She sat up, from where she had been lying on the grass. What the... I didn't fall asleep, did I? Crap! I'm gonna miss Sanachi's game.
Sayuri grabbed her bag and ran back to the tennis courts. People probably thought she was strange, a girl with grass sticking to her dress and running as if her life depended on it. Once she got to the courts, she looked around curiously. Sanada was talking to the Seigaku coach. She walked over to him.
"That's our situation, I apologize." Sanada bowed slightly. "The rest of the team will take their leave now."
Sayuri looked around and noticed that the rest of the tennis team preparing to leave. Mimi and Maki waved at her before following them.
"I'm praying that Yukimura-kun's surgery goes well too." Heh.. So they're going to go see Yukimura. I guess I'll stay with Sanachi, he needs someone to cheer him on.
Sanada put his cap back on, "Thank you very much." He tossed his regular's jersey to Jackal, saying, "Give that to Yukimura."
Jackal nodded and the team left, with Mimi and Maki trailing after.
He began walking; Sayuri grabbed his elbow, "Sanachi."
He turned. "Listen up." Sayuri placed her hands on his shoulders. "I'm giving you a pep talk because nobody else is going to. You are going to go onto that court and crush that Seigaku ochibi. Then, you will accept the first place medal on behalf of Rikkaidai. After all the awards are all over, you and I will run to the hospital. And when we get there, Yukimura's surgery will be successful. And then we will have a happy ending with food and sparkles and healthy people, got it?"
Sanada very nearly looked amused. It was funny, getting a pep talk from someone way shorter than you. "Ah," He rested his hand on Sayuri's head for the briefest of seconds, and then went to get his tennis racket. Sayuri followed him.
He was about to get onto the court, then he stopped. "Muramoto."
Sayuri looked up, "Hai?"
"Get on the bench." It was an order, but spoken like a request.
Sayuri smiled briefly. "Hai, Sanachi~"
She hopped over the wall separating the bleachers and the court and sat on the coach's bench. There were murmurs around the court, as to why a teenage girl was sitting on the coach's bench. The fangirls were outraged. Sayuri ignored them. She wasn't there as a romantic object or as a cheerleader.
Muramoto Sayuri was there to give the wake-up call if Sanada even dared to get the slightest bit pessimistic.
Sanada Genichirou didn't need sentiments. He didn't need cheerleaders or fangirls. He certainly didn't need romance in the tennis court. He just needed people that understood him. Or that's what Sayuri thought. She never claimed to be a genius or anything. But if there was one thing she was good at, it was observing.
So she sat there, and she observed.
xXx
-over at the hospital...-
The tennis team sprinted to the hospital. Mimi and Maki followed.
"Yukimura!" They'd caught him just as he was being wheeled into the operating room. Yukimura sat up.
"Where's Sanada?" He asked.
Jackal held up the jersey, "Right here."
Yukimura nodded, showing he understood. They watched him go into the operating room. The doors slammed shut. The red light flashed on. All the regulars could do was wait. Wait and pray.
Pray that Sanada won his match. Pray that Yukimura would be okay.
Marui sat down on a bench with Mimi next to him. Niou sank to the floor, Maki and Yagyuu standing next to his crouched form. Yanagi was for once not in his notebook and simply stood. Jackal listened to the match through a radio. Kirihara just stared at nothing, like a lost child.
They had doubts. They had worries. Yet, they needed no words.
They were Rikkaidai.
Rikkaidai would not lose.
xXx
"Always win, Rikkaidai! Let's go, let's go, Rikkaidai! Give them one!" It was repeated by the Rikkaidai supporters. A chant, a mantra.
Sayuri was annoyed by it. Geez, could they shut up? For the sake of Kami-sama's sakura tree, don't you think the players concentrate better if it's quiet?!
She looked at Sanada's opponent, Ryoma Echizen. For a cocky brat, the kid had determination pouring out of him. Then again, so did Sanada. Sanada's was more of a quiet determination. The kind that generally went unnoticed and unappreciated.
But this match was about tennis. It came down to who could hit the ball over the net last.
Sayuri grinned despite the grim circumstances. Go get 'em, Sanachi~
Sanada earned the first point. Sayuri expected that. What she hadn't expected was that the swing was freaking invisible.
A gasp escaped her lips. "What the hell..?" A quick glance around the court told her that she wasn't the only one confused.
He soon took the first game, all with that ridiculous swing. "Game to Rikkaidai Fuzoku's Sanada! 1-0."
It got even more ridiculous when the Seigaku kid returned the damn shot. Even Sanada had a face of surprise. He still won the game though, even with the kid returning his Invisible shots.
The score was 3-0, in Rikkaidai's favor.
The players changed court. Sanada came to the bench. He picked up his water bottle and drank from it.
"Oi, Sanachi." Sanada continued drinking, but raised an eyebrow. "That kid, even though he lost 3 games, looks pretty unfazed, in fact he's smiling. Don't let your guard drop, he has some sort of plan."
Sanada grunted, and placed his water bottle back onto the bench. Sayuri winked and gave him a victory sign. He snorted and walked back onto the court.
The Echizen kid won his first point with a smash. Sayuri heard shocked murmurs around the court. She didn't know much about tennis, but apparently this smash was new.
"Mada mada dane." Sayuri couldn't help it. She burst out laughing. Cocky brat. Look at Sanachi's face!
The score was 3-2.
Things really started getting crazy when the Echizen kid closed his eyes. Sayuri's own bugged out, and even his own teammates looked stunned.
He hit his smash and Sanada's racket got blown out of his hands.
"Game to Seigaku's Echizen! 3-3!"
After failing to return that last smash, Sanada looked a bit defeated. Sayuri took a deep breath.
"GET THE HELL OUT OF YOUR DEPRESSING SHIT AND GET IT TOGETHER!" She shouted. Sanada looked at her. The spectators looked at her. Seigaku looked at her. Sayuri's hands were in fists. She winked at Sanada. He stared at her and then looked away.
"Don't shout that loud on the court, Muramoto. And I'm just fine." He closed his eyes and concentrated.
Seconds later, the ball bounced on the opposite court. Sayuri whistled, "Damn... I was worried for nothing, baka Sanachi."
Echizen snapped his eyes open and looked around. He seemed shocked when he found the ball on his side. The crowd murmured.
"Game to Rikkaidai Fuzoku's Sanada! 4-3!"
Sanada walked to the bench. Sayuri stood up and lightly punched him in the shoulder. "Sanachi... I was worried for nothing."
He stared at her as if to say, Of course...
Sayuri handed him his water bottle. Sanada rested on the bench with a towel around his neck.
"I doubt it needs to be said, but..." Sayuri hesitated for a brief moment and placed her hand lightly on his back. "Yukimura is waiting."
Sanada grunted. He stood up and got back onto the court.
xXx
...over at the hospital...
The team was still feeling pressure. Mimi and Maki felt useless. They had come to be support for the tennis team, but the tension was so thick. Talking in a situation like this would be useless. Mimi couldn't take it, she stood up.
"Come with me, Maki." Mimi grabbed her hand and dragged her off.
"Where are we going?"
"I'm going to do the only thing I'm good at," Mimi grinned. "Make some food!"
Maki stared at her, then smiled. "Only you would think of that. Okay, let's go!"
They ran to the Tetsuo bakery. Mimi practically dived into the kitchen and began pulling out sandwich ingredients. She washed her hands and then began washing the vegetables.
Maki washed her hands. "What do you need me to do?"
"Uh... You're good with a knife, right? Cut open 7 sandwich rolls." Mimi directed. Maki nodded grabbed a serrated knife.
Mimi grinned unconsciously as she worked. Eventually she made 7 sandwiches and even had enough time to make a quick custard. Maki tasted the custard. Her eyes lit up. "Dude... Mimi this stuff is heaven."
"I know," Mimi said, with a wink. "Let's bring it to the team."
Maki grabbed a pitcher full of water and cups and the girls set off. Mimi looked like a Little Red Riding Hood, with her basket full of food and her frilly dress. She giggled at the thought. They reached the hospital and went up to where the guys were waiting. Mimi opened her basket and handed out the sandwiches. A couple of muttered thanks followed, but there was generally no talking.
Mimi didn't take it personally, she understood.
Marui looked at her and said, "Thanks." She smiled back and handed him a cup of custard. Marui's eyes lit up and he devoured it it a matter of minutes.
The 'Surgery in Progress' sign glared at her like an evil eye.
xXx
The score was 5-3 in Rikkaidai's favor.
Sanada was about to serve his winning point.
And then the boy returned the ball as if he hadn't been playing at all. Echizen Ryoma said, "You still have lots more to work on."
It was English, Sayuri understood. She took a quick glance at Sanada. He looked surprised.
Suddenly, the Seigaku kid began a comeback. He hit back Sanada's serves. His strength had been revitalized.
Sayuri clucked her tongue, "You let your guard down, Sanachi."
"Deuce!"
"Nobody beats me in tennis." English again. Sayuri laughed in spite of it all. This kid was something. A look at Sanada told her that he understood.
"Game to Seigaku's Echizen! 5-4!"
"What the hell, Sanachi..." Sayuri was starting to worry.
"Game to Seigaku's Echizen! 5-5!"
Sanada was in shock. He just stood there, in receiving position, not even attempting to hit the ball.
Then he began returning, but after a short while. He froze, and the ball bounced past him.
The racket clattered onto the court.
And just like that, "Game and match! Seigaku's Echizen! 7-5!"
It took a moment for the shock to register. Gradually the Seigaku crowd began cheering. Sanada sank to the ground.
Rikkaidai, the invicible, undefeated Rikkaidai,
had lost.
xXx
Jackal pressed the stop button on his radio.
"What is it, Jackal?" Yanagi asked.
"Seigaku... won the championship." He said it like he was announcing the death of a dear friend.
"Rikkaidai... lost?" Akaya asked, to clarify. When he received silence as a reply, he began tearing up. "No..." He punched the wall, "No!"
Yanagi knelt behind Akaya, "Stop it, Akaya. Yukimura is still trying hard. The surgery is not over yet."
xXx
Sanada walked over to the Seigaku team. "It was a good game. I was totally defeated." He shook hands with the Seigaku captain.
"But it won't go this way at Nationals. We'll have Yukimura then."
The Seigaku captain nodded, "And we'll have Tezuka."
Who's Tezuka? Sayuri wondered.
Then he shook hands with Ryoma Echizen. He said, "Is it okay that you're not going?"
Sanada looked confused.
"Isn't your captain in surgery right now?"
"Echizen Ryoma, we'll meet again at Nationals." Sanada said, before running off.
Sayuri waved, "Bye, Seigaku! I'll call you, Eiji!" Then she ran off, following him.
They ran as fast as they could to the hospital. Sanada looked extremely stressed. Sayuri said nothing and just followed along.
"Sayuri..." Maki said, as the pair ran up to them.
The light was still on. The surgery was still in progress.
Sayuri panted slightly, they had run a bit more than she could handle. Mimi handed her a cup of water. She drained it in seconds.
The team had no words for Sanada. In light of the bigger issue, Yukimura, Sanada's defeat was of minor consequence.
The red light flickered off. Everyone stood up, the doors opened and a nurse came out. She smiled at them, "Yukimura-san's surgery was a success!" All the regulars looked relieved. Marui and Jackal looked at each other and smiled. Niou just closed his eyes for a moment and smirked. Yanagi smiled. Akaya grinned broadly and made a fist.
Sayuri looked at Sanada. His face was one of relief. He sighed and sat down. Mimi glomped Sayuri, "Yahoo~!"
Maki scoffed, "Of course he was gonna be okay. It's freaking Yukimura." Back when she had dated Niou, she had heard a lot about this Yukimura. It had made an impression on her. Someone that Niou respected was a rare occurence.
"Hey, Mimi-chan, Maki-chan, let's get going." Sayuri said. They nodded. They weren't that close to Yukimura.
On the walk home, Mimi bounced in front of the other two and said, "Why don't you guys sleep over?"
Maki shrugged, "Sure, why not."
"Okay, let's drop by my house so that me and Maki can get clothes." Sayuri said. All three girls were relatively normal height, but Maki and Sayuri were less short and thus couldn't fit Mimi's clothes.
"I'll race you," Mimi had a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
"You're on," Maki said with a smirk.
Sayuri didn't waste her time on words and sped off. "Hey!" Mimi shouted and broke into a run.
Just like that, there were three teenage girls speeding off through the streets of the Kanagawa Prefecture. Dodging innocent bystanders and leaping over pets, giggling like crazed maniacs. People stared after them and smiled. Maki reached Sayuri's house first, despite her late start.
"Haha!" She posed, "I won, bitches!"
Mimi panted, "Mou~ Maki-chan is so fast."
Sayuri smiled, "That was fun, let's do it again!"
"Let's run to my house!" Mimi bounced up and down.
"We have to get clothes first, that's the whole reason we even came here." Maki pointed out.
Sayuri unlocked the gate, "Come on, then."
Mimi waited outside while Maki and Sayuri ran up to get clothes. They basically raided her closet then stuffed everything into duffel bags and ran out. Sayuri told her mom she was sleeping over and then they raced to Mimi's house. Sayuri won that one.
After they had done all the typical sleepover stuff, food, truth-or-dare, food, pillow fights, food, makeovers and food, they got down to real talk. The kind of talk that was done at midnight. The kind of talk where deepest secrets were spilled. And more food was eaten.
Sayuri walked into Mimi's bedroom with a gigantic bowl of popcorn. They each had 2 bottles of water and settled in for a nice talk session.
"Neh... I think I like Marui." Mimi said tentatively.
Maki scoffed. "Yeah, we know."
"Eh?!" Sayuri was surprised.
Maki sighed. Sayuri was intensely relationship dense.
Mimi stuffed a couple of kernels of popcorn in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully, "Wahh~ What should I do?"
"Ask him out," Maki said. "Simple."
"Eto... Maybe you should try and hang out with him more?" Sayuri scratched her head awkwardly. "I don't really know."
"He already comes to the bakery everyday. But Jackal's always there!" Mimi complained.
"Like I'm saying, ask him out." Maki said.
Sayuri thought, "Ano.. Maki's probably right. Ask him out to the amusement park. Isn't there that event next weekend?"
Mimi's eyes lit up, "Oh yeah! There's gonna be fireworks and stuff!"
"Okay, now that you got all your shit figured out. Let's move to Sayuri and Sanada." Maki raised an eyebrow, "What's happening over there, Sayuri?"
"Eh?! Nothing!"
Maki scoffed, "You expect us to believe that? Come on, you go to his house three times a week. Tell me that nothing's going on and I will cut you."
"Uh.. There's nothing... going.. on?"
Maki slapped her forehead, "Oh my god, you did not just say that."
Mimi giggled. "Seriously? You don't like him or anything?"
"I'm in love with one of his sweaters. And his backyard. I'm gonna marry it." Sayuri said with a straight face.
"Good, a sweater is a start." Mimi clapped. "Maybe if you start dating he'll let you wear it. And then you can seduce him even more, kay~?"
"What."
"Hehe~"
Maki grinned, "I agree."
"Well, let's bring up you and Niou." Sayuri retaliated.
Maki's grin turned into something like a dark glare.
"You guys should get back together." Mimi said, "You were the best girl he's ever been with."
The glare turned darker.
"Mimi, shut up." Sayuri said quietly. Mimi looked at her and complied.
"Let's go to bed, it's like, what 4?" Mimi said.
"Hmm..." Sayuri was already nodding off.
"Oyasumi~" Mimi said. She rolled over and fell asleep.
xXx
The next day, once they left Mimi's house. Maki took a detour on her way to go get groceries for her mother. It was a studio located at the top of a skyscraper. It was owned by Niou's family. Nobody used it though, so it had been Niou and Maki's hangout. After they broke up, Niou stopped going there. Last night's talks had reminded Maki of the place.
The room had floor-to-ceiling windows. There were wooden floors and a dusty grand piano and music stands. A couple of couches. It hadn't changed.
Maki took something out of the cabinet. A black case. She opened it and took out a saxophone. It was Niou's. She knew how to play it from elementary. There were music sheets in the cabinet as well.
She set up a music stand and tuned the instrument. Then she began playing. Niou had once said that Maki's playing was his favorite. That she played with pure emotion, raw feelings just pouring out of her. Her specialty was jazz, with it's funky rhythms and soulful sound. Jazz was Niou's favorite. He would just loll around on the couches while Maki played the saxophone or occasionally the piano. Sometimes they had a duet. Their duets would always end up in failure, because Niou was horrible at music.
The sounds rang out of the saxophone freely, echoing around the abandoned room. Maki just played and played and remembered.
Maki remembered Niou's love of jazz.
How he secretly liked kittens.
How he hated the heat.
How he loved gun games at the arcade.
How he loved yakiniku.
How he loved the rooftop because it made him feel free.
She knew all these small details about him and it made her sick. He wasn't her boyfriend anymore. The actual girls he'd been with in the past didn't know any of this. Why did she know? She, who had a half fake and half real relationship with him.
The saxophone was put down. A sigh crept out of her lips. She stared at the saxophone in her hands, lost in thought.
Outside the door, Niou was leaning against the wall. He listened to the jazz with closed eyes. Then it stopped, and he was almost disappointed. He reached for the handle on the door and then retracted it. Thus he was launched into a mental battle of whether to open the door. Finally, right as he was about to open the door, the door opened.
Maki ran into a chest. Something warm, with a familiar feel. She looked up.
"Fuck.." She muttered.
"Fuck.." He repeated without a second thought.
"What are you doing here, asshole?" Maki asked.
Niou just stared at her. Then he grabbed her wrist and dragged her back into the room. He handed the saxophone to her.
"Play for me." Niou said.
Maki raised an eyebrow.
Niou stared back.
Maki sighed, it might have been a bit much to wish for a 'please'. She picked up the saxophone and played some more jazz. Why am I doing this? I definitely Niou sat next to her and closed his eyes. After she had finished the piece, Niou had fallen asleep, snoring quietly.
Maki just sat there and stared at him.
Eventually she nodded off, the warmth of the sunlight getting to her. Her head fell onto something warm, but she just went with it.
They sat there, with Maki's head in the crook of Niou's neck and his head resting on top of hers, just like a couple.
Except they weren't.
xXx
The next Friday after school, Maki had gone missing. So Sayuri had to give Mimi a pep talk on asking Marui out.
"Mkay, just take a deep breath and dive right into it. Don't speak too quickly though, or else he might ask for you to repeat it and that's embarrassing. I'll advise you on what to wear when we get there. Gambatte!"
Mimi took a deep breath, "Wahh~ I can't do it!"
Sayuri placed both her hands on Mimi's shoulders. "Listen up, Tetsuo Mimi, you will go and talk to Marui. Then you will ask him out and go on a date and you will be fabulously cute. Okay? Okay."
Mimi fiddled with her skirt. "But what if he says no?"
"He won't, have you seen yourself? You're adorable and he socializes with you."
"Well..."
"Argh, fine, but you better do it as soon as I get Jackal out of there."
Sayuri went out into the bakery where Marui and Jackal were eating. She went up to their table.
"Hey, Jackal, can you come with me outside for a moment?" Sayuri asked with an innocent smile.
"Uh, yeah sure." Jackal stood up and Sayuri led him outside the bakery.
"So what did you need?"
"Oh, nothing." Sayuri sat down on a bench. "I needed Marui to be alone so that Mimi wouldn't feel as awkward asking him out. Sorry."
"Uh, it's fine." Jackal sat down.
"So, give it like 10 minutes and then we can go back in."
Jackal nodded and put in some headphones. Sayuri turned around and peeped into the bakery.
Mimi took a deep breath, "Um, hey Marui-kun."
"Ah! Mimi-chan! What's up?" Marui grinned.
"Um... Do you want to go to the amusement park with me tomorrow?" Mimi fiddled with her skirt slightly.
Marui stared at her for a moment, "Sure!"
Mimi looked at him, "Really?"
"Yeah, it'll be fun!"
She beamed and said, "Okay! I'll meet you outside the amusement park at one o' clock."
"Sounds good."
Sayuri tapped Jackal on the shoulder, "I think we can go back in now."
xXx
Sayuri picked up her phone Saturday morning.
"AHHH! SAYURI WHAT DO I WEAR WHAT DO I WEAR OH CRAP!"
Sayuri waited for Mimi to calm down before answering.
"Here, wear your lighter jean shorts and that light purple tank top with the lace. I'll come over and do your hair."
"ARIGATO~!" Mimi wailed into the phone.
She changed quickly and ran over to Mimi's house. Sayuri just brushed out Mimi's curly hair and pinned some of it back with silver bobby pins.
"There, you're golden. Now go enjoy your date. I'm gonna go find Maki." Maki hadn't been at school all week.
Mimi grinned, "Arigato, Sayuri! I'll tell you guys everything."
Sayuri waved at Mimi as she set out. "Okay, now to find Mimi. She's probably at the Grotto." Sayuri didn't hang out at the Grotto regularly, but she knew where it was. Maki had told her in case of emergency. By emergency, she meant if the cops ever found it or if she was having intense emotional issues.
The walk to the Grotto was in a scary part of town. Sayuri glanced all around and kept her hands clenched in fists. She got to the building and knocked on the door. Purple eyes peeked out at her.
"Password?"
"There isn't one because who don't care who comes in." Sayuri said.
The girl opened the door, "You seem new. Do you need to know the rules?"
"Nope, I'm only here to find Maki."
"Ah, Arisa Maki-sama. She hasn't been right."
"Yeah, she ditched school all week. I'm here to make sure she doesn't destroy her liver."
The girl nodded and pointed to the bar. "She's over there."
Maki was sitting at the bar, swirling the straw in her drink. The drink itself didn't look too good, with it's golden amber color.
"Oi, Maki." Sayuri tapped her head with her knuckles. "You okay?"
"Sayuri..." Maki stared at her aimlessly.
"What's up?" Sayuri said it casually, like they were meeting for lunch.
"I ran into Niou last Sunday." Maki spoke in a low voice. "I played music for him and we fell asleep."
"By 'we' do you mean-"
"He fell asleep first and then I fell asleep. When I woke up, my head was in the crook of his fucking neck."
Sayuri stared at her. "And then you beat him up, right? I don't see the problem..."
"That's the thing. I wanted to beat him up. But then he woke up before I could escape that position and then he just stared at me. And then I don't know! I couldn't punch him because that would be like hitting a man when he's down and then I just got up and," Maki spread her hands helplessly. "I ran."
"Okay... Before I give you counseling, how many drinks have you taken?"
"Uh... I think I took a couple shots on Monday, nothing on Tuesday or Wednesday, maybe a beer yesterday. And this here, I don't even know what this is, but it feels good."
Sayuri slid the drink away from Maki cautiously, as if Maki might attack her. When she showed no resistance, Sayuri stood up. "Come on, Maki. Let's get you home."
Maki grabbed Sayuri's shirt sleeve, "Can we go to your house? I don't want Rin..."
"Okay, my house it is." Sayuri helped Maki up and they walked out.
Back at Sayuri's house, Maki lay down on the couch, groaning.
"Take a nap, I'll make a cure for your hangover." Sayuri put a pot of water on boil. Maki complied quietly.
Right before she drifted off, she whispered, "I hope I'm not falling for him again."
Sayuri made no sign that she had heard, but continued chopping up herbs.
xXx
A/N: Don't worry, I won't make Mimi and Marui's date all Mary-Sue and perfect. There hasn't been enough relationship development yet.
Ne, ne, have you heard? Chapter 128 of New Prince of Tennis is a RyoSaku date!
ITS BECOMING CANON! FUCKING OTP BECOMING CANON IS JUST ASDFJKL FABULOUS
Until next update!