Hey everyone what's going on? I've found that I write best in the dark with no internet and therefore no distractions. So like two days without internet I hope I'll be able to write a lot for this.
Uuh I don't own Prince of Tennis… I feel like I should have more to say but-
Well here's chapter four. Enjoy!
"I know this is farfetched but couldn't you just stay here with some of the security people while they move back?"
"Baka. You know how important he is." Kaidou taunted. "He would be an even bigger target if he were living alone."
"I know but it's best if someone put it out there." Momo pouted. "What if you weren't alone? What if someone lived with you?"
"Someone like whom?" Echizen asked with an eyebrow raise.
"How about us?"
"What do you mean 'us'?" Echizen and Kaidou asked in unison.
"You know; the team!" Momo said in excitement. "Wouldn't that be cool? I mean Echizen you get to stay and we'll be with you so you won't have to worry about being alone. It's the perfect plan!"
Kaidou and Echizen sweat dropped at his enthusiasm. Echizen thought about it; he did think it was a good idea. He would get to stay while his father can take his mother and Nanako with him to Sapporo.
"Baka!" Kaidou's yell snapped Echizen out of his thoughts. "You know how important he is and if you add in eight other people that are equally important, not to mention the lives we alone lead, he'll be in way more danger than he originally was. He'll get not only his enemies but also our enemies." Kaidou also posed a good point. Besides him getting their enemies, they would also get his enemies.
"Just think about the amount of protection he would have though. I mean I know it'll be dangerous but we have all of them-" He gestured to the people that were following them. "-and many, many more. And just think about Fuji-sempai. There's no way anything will happen if he's with us."
The two of them went into arguing if the idea was a good one or not. Echizen knew he was being extremely selfish but he agreed with Momo, he wanted to stay. He knew they would all be in danger but he wanted to stay. He groaned as Momo and Kaidou's yelling got louder. "Will you two shut up? You're making my head hurt more than it already does. Besides we don't really have time to discuss this. They're set to leave tomorrow."
"Echizen!" Momo slapped him on the back. "I'll stay with you even if no one else will!"
"I never said I wouldn't stay with him." Kaidou quickly responded. "I'm just saying the others might not agree."
"We'll just have to convince them then. Oishi-sempai's house isn't far now."
The three of them kept walking with members occasionally checking in and telling them of the surroundings. The two of them kept asking if he felt alright or if he needed a rest seeing that for all they could know he could have a concussion. He kept insisting he was fine and he just wanted to get to Oishi's house so he could sit and think.
The walked for a few more minutes and arrived at Oishi's house to which he wasn't too pleasantly surprised to see them but invited them in nonetheless. They explained what happened and Oishi checked to make sure Echizen was alright. Other than having a headache for a few days he should be fine.
"You said all of this happened in the last hour or two?" The three of them nodded at Oishi's question. "Echizen don't you think your family is looking for you right now?"
"What does it matter?" Echizen held his head in his hands. "The longer I'm away the longer I get to think of a way to stay here."
"But don't you think they're worried about you? What makes you sure that you have to leave? Have you even talked to them about this?"
"Oishi-sempai the mere fact that they're even thinking of moving after one day proves that they don't care. We had a deal that I would be able to go to a school of my choice and nothing would interfere with it, even job deals." He sighed. "I need some time to think about what to do. So far Momo-sempai's idea seems the best but-"
"You don't want to put anyone in danger." Oishi put his hand on his chin. "I understand where you're coming from and it's not like I want you to leave or anything but I think you should talk to your family about it."
"Sempai they're supposed to leave first thing in the morning. He doesn't have time to talk about it." Momo said.
"Well what about right now? You three can go talk and I can make some calls to the others and see what they think." Echizen's face lit up a bit. "Believe me the last thing I want to see is you leave right after you got here. Go back home and talk to your family. I'll take care of everyone else."
"Arigato Oishi-sempai." Echizen felt a massive weight lift from his shoulders.
They finished up and left Oishi's house. Kaidou broke off on the way back, telling them he was going to inform their groups about what they were going and to call him if anything happened. The two of them continued to walk back to Echizen's house with some of Momo's members still looking out for everything. Momo kept trying to get Echizen's mind off of everything.
"You know you're really not very good at this." Echizen grinned as they turned down his street. "Stick to tennis and when you get a job, make sure it's not in consulting."
"Nani?" Momo frowned at his snide comment. "I'll show you consulting!" Momo quickly pulled him into a headlock. "How's this for consulting? If you didn't have a concussion then you sure will when I'm done with you."
"Itai Momo-sempai." Echizen's cry of pain was genuine but so was the laughing coming from his and Momo's mouths. It was things like that which made him want to stay even more. Being able to laugh genuinely with someone around his age instead of forced laughter with people older than his father. The laughs were cut short as his name was echoed through the streets.
"Ryoma-sama!" Before either of them knew it, people ran at them from the shadows. Momo was slammed to the ground while Echizen was pulled behind several people. "Ryoma-sama are you alright?"
"What are you- let me go!" Momo shouted at the people pinning him down. "Echizen do something!"
Before Echizen could say anything, some of Momo's group members appeared. "Momoshiro-dono! What are you doing to him?"
"Who are you and why was this man attacking Ryoma-sama?"
Shouts started filling the street and people from each group started fighting. Echizen's head hurt enough and this was making it any better. "Stop it! Enough!" He pushed though the people standing in front of his and went to Momo. He pulled his people off of him. "What do you think you're doing coming out of nowhere like that?"
"Ryoma-sama that man is dangerous. He took you away on a bike this morning and now he's bringing you back in a choke hold. He could be ready to kill you any second."
Echizen was silent for a second then burst out laughing. "'Ready to kill me'? He's too idiotic to plan something like that." He ignored Momo's yells. "This is one of my teammates from school. He gave me a ride this morning because I was going to be late and just now I asked him a good way to crack necks because mine was a little sore and he was helping me do it." The only reason he lied about Momo putting him in the choke hold was because he knew they wouldn't accept the truth.
All of the security people were silent for a second as they took in what Echizen said and how they realized their mistake. A man with glasses spoke up. "Either way Ryoma-sama, you shouldn't be hanging around shady characters." Glasses gestured to all of Momo's members.
"All of you make yourself scarce." Momo waved his hands at them and they slunk back into the shadows. "There, better?"
Glasses scoffed. "Ryoma-sama we've been looking for you since you left. We've been informed that rival companies are already here and are going to attempt to kidnap you."
"I know. They tried already and if these shady characters weren't here then I wouldn't be either." He crossed his arms. "You can thank them for making your job easier."
Glasses locked eyes with Momo for a second and Momo sent him one of his cheeky smiles. "I thank you for saving the young master but in the meantime," He turned to Echizen. "Ryoma-sama, please return to the house and pack for your journey tomorrow. Your plane is leaving at eight o'clock so you must be ready to leave earlier than that."
"He's not going anywhere." Echizen was surprised at the amount of sincerity and defensiveness in Momo's voice. "He's staying right here and if you think you can force him to go then you have another thing coming."
"You have no power to decide that." Glasses frowned.
"Neither do you! If he doesn't want to go then neither you nor anyone else can make him." Momo looked to Echizen. "I know I've only known you for one day but assure you I'll keep my promise to stay and while I'm with you I won't let anything happen."
Echizen sighed then smiled slightly. "If you're so sure of it then let's go tell Oyaji. Maybe you can talk some sense into him." The two of them started walking towards the house and Echizen called over his shoulder. "And for future reference, do not treat my friends so poorly otherwise there's going to be problems that I would hope you'd like to avoid." The security followed them back to the house knowing that there was nothing they could do to change his mind about things.
When Echizen walked into the house he was almost thrown to the ground as his mother ran and hugged him. "Ryoma where have you been? You know better than to leave the house without an escort, especially at night."
"Yeah Seishounen. Dun scare ya mother like that." Nanjiro was no less drunk than when he left. "Now go u'stairs an' pack."
"With all due respect sir I think it would be best if he stayed here." Momo cross his arms and spoke with a firm tone.
"Who're ya and whaddya think ya doin' in my house?" Nanjiro turned his nose up at him.
"I'm Momoshiro Takashi. I'm one of Echizen's teammates and we feel that-"
Nanjiro let out a huge laugh. "A tennis player huh? I betcha wanna here stories from the days I was on top. Well I can't deny ya tha' pleasure. It all started when I was in college." He went into a tangent about the start of his tennis career.
"He's drunk too much again." Nanako sighed. "Ryoma-san I wish you wouldn't storm out of the house. We were worried about you."
"Do you expect me not to be angry over this whole thing?" Echizen raised an eyebrow.
"You have the right to be angry but you should gather all the facts before you storm off again. In fact I think you'll be quite glad to hear it." Echizen's curiosity peaked. "Momoshiro-kun I think you'll also be happy to hear this. We found out just after you left for school that your father had closed the deal with the company in Sapporo. We were going to call but just figured we'd let you have some peace at school. He's been celebrating all day and pretty much jumped the gun when you came back. We are going to Sapporo-" Echizen was about to comment. "-but you won't be coming with us."
Echizen was stunned. "But I thought-"
"Your father's been insisting you come with but I know how important this is to you." His mother said. "We've already figured out most of the plan and have called someone to stay with you while we're gone. He should be here within the week. In the meantime, please watch over my son Momoshiro-kun."
"Yes! I will!" Momo smiled happily.
"We're leaving tomorrow morning and we'd like it if you came with to the airport Ryoma, though you will most likely be missing your practice and first classes. But if you don't want to that's understandable."
"No I'll go to the airport to say goodbye." Echizen still didn't know what to think about this. Up until a few minutes ago he was filled with anger but now it was all relief and a bit of confusion.
"That's perfect. Some of the security will stay here with you to hopefully prevent any incidents from happening and when he comes, he'll also bring some people." Echizen and Momo still had no idea who he was and was certain his mother and cousin weren't going to tell. "Well we still have things to pack. It's going to be a tiring journey tomorrow. Momoshiro-kun would you like an escort home?"
"Oh, not that's alright. I don't live far." Echizen walked him to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow. I'll call if I hear anything from anyone else."
With that Momo left. Echizen went back into the room and discussed and finalized everything that was going to happen in the next few days; where they would be staying, how long it would take to get there, the people that would be staying with Echizen, though he stilled was unnamed. They went over the procedures of what he should do if anything were to happen and who to call if it were an emergency.
The two women went to make dinner while Echizen was left to hear the reoccurring stories his father was spewing out about his glory days and what he thought it would be like if he kept going pro instead of retiring. Echizen was thoroughly uninterested until his father started talking about his work and how it affected him and he felt guilty that Echizen was usually the center of work related threats and attacks but just as quickly as he brought it up, it was gone and he started talking about how amazing he was.
Hearing that made Echizen feel guilty; his father gave up his dream from him and knew the attacks on him were mainly aimed at his father, not just for being extremely wealthy and successful but also for leaving the world of pro tennis. He didn't bother telling anyone about the attack in the park because that would certainly make them change their minds about leaving him to fend for himself for a few days and it would probably make his father feel even guiltier. In the end he just wound up listening to the repetitive stories until dinner was ready.
The four of them sat down to eat and when they were finished, Nanjiro conveniently passed out leaving Nanako and Rinko to finish packing up their things. Echizen offered to help but the two women told him to rest since today was probably a big thing for him and tomorrow would be since they wouldn't be seeing much of each other every often and he had to take care of himself.
He couldn't argue with that. Echizen lazily went up to his room and got ready for bed. He lay down with Karupin on his stomach, thinking how it would be with no one else in the house besides the security. Momo was supposed to stay with him so that would help, and he was sure the other regulars would help if needs be. He also was wondering who his mother had called to stay with him while they were gone but he couldn't do anything now and after a few minutes he fell asleep.
Morning peeked through Echizen's curtains and he awoke with a groan. Karupin was up and meowing in his face which made him groan even more. He looked at his clock; it was too early for him to be dealing with anything. He put his pillow over his face and tried to go back to sleep, only to have his father burst through his door yelling for him to get up. Nanjiro stomped through his room trying to make as much sound as possible while he went to throw open the curtains and tear the blankets from his son.
"Today's the day Seishounen. I'm leaving the house to you so you better not mess it up while we're gone." Nanjiro saw Echizen clutching the pillow on his face and pulled that away too. "Come on. We're gonna leave in a bit so hurry and get ready." He again stomped out of the room and slammed his door shut.
Echizen groaned but forced himself out of bed. Maybe he would just skip his classes and go to practice after, or just sleep like he normally did whenever he had tutors. He got himself dressed and went down stairs to find everyone was waiting outside. A wave of good mornings rang out as he passed some securities. His mother told him that they would be the ones staying with him while they were gone.
The air was crisp and filled with Nanjiro complaining that if they didn't leave now they would miss their flight so they piled in the car and headed off. Echizen would've fell back asleep if not for his father's ranting and annoying laughter. He honestly felt happy for him but also sad that they were leaving for who knows how long.
When they got to the airport, there was a sea of journalists from various sports magazines waiting for them to question about the deal made with the company in Sapporo and how long they thought it would last. The security that was there did their best job to make it more bearable but Nanjiro just kept laughing saying it was all part of his master plan to rule the world. Some journalists even asked Echizen what he thought but he gave them a tired glance and ignored them.
"Alright Ryoma, try not to get into trouble and make more work for the people staying with you." His mother pulled him in for a hug and kissed him on the forehead as they got ready to get on their plane.
"I'll message you as often as I can Ryoma-san." Nanako also gave him a hug. "Take good care of Karupin."
"Alright Seishounen. You're the man of the house now so you better live up to it. Make sure you're a regular on that tennis team of yours." His father ruffled his hair.
Echizen smiled at all of them as they began walking through the gate. "I will." He waved until they were out of sight.
"Shall we go Ryoma-sama?" A security asked. Echizen nodded and the two of them walked out of the terminal and back to the car but not without some whispers from the journalists and furious note taking.
The drive back felt serene. He would've fallen asleep again but the security that was driving him kept going over what the schedule was and what he should expect to happen now that it was just him in the house.
He knew he should've listened but he tuned it out and nodded every once in a while in response to nothing. He was thinking of what the day was going to be like, what he missed in his classes and for practice and if Momo had told the other regulars what had happened and how they would react but all of that was gone in an instant when the car he was in collided with another.
Mwahahaha cliffhanger.
I know it's been awhile but with school and everything I can't stay up too late and write like I did when I was in high school and to be perfectly honest I have no motivation during the day .
Welp there you have it. Made this longer than most because it's been a while and all you people are awesome so you deserve it.
Please forgive grammar and spelling and lateness and corniness and stupidness and confusion and I'm sorry.
Hope ya liked it. See ya later!