Blood Tennis
Summery: Back in America Ryoma gets caught up in a dangerous type of street tennis called "Blood Tennis". When his parents find out they decide to move the family to Japan to split Ryoma from that scene entirely and give him a "fresh start". Will the Seigaku tennis regulars be able to save him? Does he even want to be saved? And how can they when they don't even know Echizen Ryoma exists?
Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis
Chapter one: The First Day
"Third door ope..." A voice, Chip's he believed, fades out as he allows the Pinicle of Perfection to wrap around him and push him farther away from reality. Sending him spiraling towards that scary cliff that both frightened and enticed him. His eyes starting to get a red gleam to them as he allows the ball to fly by him, mear centimeters away from his face...
...The sound of racket hitting ball behind him and the ball whisteling back past his ear is all he needs to know that Kevin is still able to stand.
The edge of the cliff is closer now, to close for his liking really, and he starts to struggle against the chains that seem to be dragging him towards his death, his eyes taking on more and more of a red color until there is nothing left but a golden hue in the two simmering pools of bright crimson. Chains that disapear with a single sentence from the player sharing his side of their cage.
"Don't worry Rye, I'll catch you..."
Twelve year old Echizen Ryoma shoots straight up in his bed, the alarm clock next to his head blairing out that it had been about time for him to wake up anyway right after he had just managed to calm himself down. Rubing sleep and tears from his eyes he yawns and turns off the cursed contraption. Feeling an overwhelming sense of dread as his eyes register seeing the neatly pressed and folded Seigaku uniform that someone had put on his desk chair for him over night.
He couldn't do it.
He couldn't stand to go to some new school where everything was different and tennis was the major sport instead of football. He couldn't "Start fresh", as the woman who looked like his Ka-san but wasn't had put it. Not today. Or tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the day after that...
... Not on a day he is without Kevin...
Soft footsteps alert him to the fact that Nanako-san, the only one he is currently somewhat talking to as she really has nothing to do with any of this, is approaching his door before the timid knock even finds it's way from the door.
"Ryoma-kun, I put your uniform on your chair last night. You need to get up now for school, Aunt Rinko said that you like American breakfasts so I made you eggs and toast." comes her innocent voice through the door and Ryoma's eyebrow twitches at the last part of her words...
... He LOATHEDAmerican breakfasts...
... Shouldn't Rinko KNOW that?
"Ryoma-kun? Your going to be late if you sleep any longer." That innocent voice calls again, slightly louder this time, and he decides to answer her if only so that she would leave him in peace.
"I'm up." He replies simply and receives a relieved sigh for his effort.
"That's good Ryoma-kun, please come downstairs soon."
"OK Nanako-san, Good morning." Footsteps recede back down the hallway and he climbs out of bed sighing in frustration...
... It was going to be a LONG day, he could already tell...
_ LINE? _
"Kiritsu" One of the students, a taller-looking girl with brown eyes and shoulder length black hair, says after the bell rings promptly causing all of the students to stand from their seats as the Sensei walks in with me trailing behind him head down. Once everyone is standing the girl calls out, "Rei" and the children all bow, saying "onegaishimasu" as one before promptly returning to their seats. The man, Matsurou-sensei who looked to be in his late thirties early fourties with graying short black hair and tired green eyes, smiles at them and returns their ritual with a "Good morning" before going on to address the next topic...
... Me...
"Class, This is Echizen Ryoma who has transferred here from America." He says, looking at me expectantly. A flash of disappointment crosses his face when all I do is say "Please take care of me." and turn my head back to him after giving the class a bow. Obviously he had wanted, or at least expected, me to talk about themself.
"Well then, why don't you go sit down by the window next to Horio-kun? Horio-kun please raise your hand." Matsurou-sensei recovers and a monkey-like boy with a unibrow raises his hand.
I would soon learn that I already knew most of the things being taught, "Fluent" english (At Seigaku at least) was deffinately far (Like the distance between the sun and Satern far) from perfect, the music program here was both the smallest and second worst run program in this part of Japan (Why am I stuck here then?), and Horio was apparently amazing at tennis with his two years of tennis experiance (Funny really, from my observations of simply his hand-eye cordination I had pinned him as a level 2 while being kind. Kevin would probably be torn between showing the poor idiot just enough true tennis skills that he would shut up and laughing himself to death right now. I however, just wanted to serve a tennis ball at his face but chose the friendlier option and ignored him all together in favor of a nap. Maybe Oyoji was wrong and Japanese level tennis isn't even worth my time to watch...). Overall, my day was spent sleeping, ignoring the kids in my class, being bored, and humiliating the Senseis...
... by the time the bell rang for the end of school I was beyond unimpressed already and my time at Seigaku was just about to get a whole lot worse...
...Who knew that simply knocking down a can full of rocks would cause me so much trouble?
_ POV Momoshiro _
I was just about to go tell Arai to quit picking on the freshman. That kind of behavior wasn't OK, No it wasn't Yo! When Fuji put his hand on my arm to stop me and pointed at yet another freshman who was carying an instrament case (Why does he have an instrument with him? I don't even think we have a music program...) and standing there simply watching what was happening to his classmates with a bored expression on his face. There was a tennis racket nearby him, proubably belonging to one of the freshman from the group that was picking up balls not far from there trying to completely ignore what was going on around them. I look at Fuji questioningly, wanting to do something but to afraid of what the tensai could do to me for ruining his "fun".
"Saaa, let's watch for a bit. This looks like it could get interesting." He says and I shiver. Yah, Sorry freshies...
A tennis ball whizes into the court over the fence and swings just right to knock the can over, exposing the trick and sending rocks all over the court. Standing there stunned I blink a few times before swinging my head to see the white capped freshman putting a racket on the ground and turning away...
... No way...
... Absolutely NO WAY ...
... Given the distance, fence, and need for precise accuracy it was questionable if even Buchou could make a shot like that...
... There was NO WAY a FRESHMAN could do that!
"Saaa... interesting... Do you think he'll be joining the tennis club?"
Hey Everyone! I hope you like the story so far. Are the characters to OOC? I tries to keep them somewhat the same... and I probably spelled Buchou wrong again... Anyway! Comments, suggestions, and questions welcome as always. I'm currently in the process of rough drafting the forth chapter of From the Mind of Ryoma Echizen (Which I have now officially nicknamed FtMoRE because that title is WAY to long.) and I'll be posting either the last chapter of Unnoticed or a Hetalia drabble some time in the next few weeks, definitely before the month is over. Until next time...
BYE!
