Chapter 8

Prefecturals and Family

Before we knew it the prefectural tournament was on the schedule for the tennis team, and miraculously my math grade was actually good. But, for the first time in a while, I found that I wasn't always hanging out with the team. I'd met a girl from another class, and we started hanging out; her name was Kamogawa Kaho. The thing about making a friend who is a girl is mostly the fact that I could finally have some conversations, that in all honesty, no guy would ever understand, no matter how hard they tried.

I waited for her that morning in front of the park where the prefectural games would be held. The other fun part about having a girl friend, is that you could tease her about liking a guy. Guys don't really handle teasing that well. Kaho in particular had a crush on Oishi. We got to the game with only a few seconds to spare, and although we saw Seigaku win all their matches, for some reason it seemed that they struggled a little with it. Akiyama just didn't seem strong enough to me, but for some reason, I saw most if not all of the Seigaku players frown at several points in the games. After the game was over, and the team had a small post game meeting, I heard why it just seemed that Akiyama had a chance.

"So they were really pressing?" Tezuka asked his players, as he hadn't player the match.

"Yes. It really wasn't strong, but they did know some of our weak spots, and they pushed around when we gave them the chance." Fuji answered, a little more seriously than what you'd actually expect from him.

"Not only that, but a St. Rudolph player was doing a little intel recollection." Inui commented a little dryly.

"That's nothing new. Most teams are checking out the competition" Oishi commented.

"We can only play our best" Tezuka said, and after a short pause. "Rest up well today, we have another match tomorrow"

"Yes Sir!" Eiji yelled.

"Sure thing Tezuka-buchou" Momo said smirking.

The rest of the guys just nodded. Tezuka started walking away with Coach Ryusaki and Inui at his side, while the rest of us, just sort of stood there, quietly, until of course Eiji noticed me.

"Alex-chan!" he said, and came over to hug me, but I sort of yelped and moved away. "Nya! Why are you running away?"

"Eiji, you guys are all sweaty and gross" I said, wrinkling my nose.

"I'm offended by that" Momo said, but he was still smiling.

"Ne, if we are so gross and sweaty, then why are you hiding behind Fujiko?" Eiji asked.

That was when I noticed the person I had taken cover behind. Syusuke was smiling sideways at me, as if he was waiting for my answer too. It was a little difficult really, cause I honestly did not know why I used Syusuke as my personal shield.

"Because at least he isn't smelly!" I said, smirking at Eiji.

"Hey!" the rest of the guys, except Taka said at the same time.

"Nya! You are mean Alex-chan!" Eiji said with a smile, and then looked at Kaho. "Ne, Kamogawa-chan, would you mind a hug?"

"Kikumaru-kun, do not hug me, until you've either showered or changed" Kaho said with a smile, but Eiji raised his hands in as if in surrendering defeat.

"Fine, fine." Eiji said, and then with his smile. "We should go to celebrate! How about hamburgers?"

"Yes! Eiji-senpai is treating his kouhais!" Momo yelled, and Ryoma snickered.

"Wait! No! You guys eat too much!" Eiji said complaining, but it fell on deaf ears.

I was smiling at the interaction, not noticing that I for one hadn't let go of Syusuke, and was still partially using him as a human shield. He did notice, and would have never missed an opportunity to see me blush scarlet.

"Saa, A-Lex-Chan… Are you ever letting me go?" Syusuke said, with his small teasing smile in place.

"What?" I asked, still not getting it, and then looked to my hands, to see them griping him by the shoulder. "Oh" I said, feeling the heat rise up in my face.

I noticed how Syusuke was just smiling, and Oishi and Taka seemed to be smiling as well, but Kaho was watching us with a smirk on her face, as if she was noticing something there.

It took a while, but we did manage to get something to eat, just not all together. Tezuka and Inui had left with Coach Ryusaki, and Kaidoh said he already had dinner plans (which was teased mercilessly by Momo and Eiji), and the freshmen trio, Sakuno and Tomoka had decided not to go with us (which I found weird since Ryoma was going, and they usually followed him wherever he went). In the end it was Oishi, Eiji, Taka, Momo, Ryoma, Kaho and me.

There wasn't anything particular about the night that was any different from our usual celebrations, other than Kaho joining us. Yet, some things did change. Instead of walking home as I usually would, most of the times in silent company with Syusuke, I shared a cab with Kaho, who said she wanted to talk to me.

"Dinner was nice" she said to me, after a few seconds in the cab.

"Yeah, the guys are great" I said smiling.

"You seem very close to some of them" she commented.

"We share some classes, and they were the first group of friends I made here." I said, not noticing were this was going.

"You seem exceptionally close to Fuji" she said, her tone totally different.

"He is a good friend, the first one I met here" I said, looking directly at her now. "What did you mean by it?"

"You guys are really close. I just hadn't noticed until recently" she said.

"He is a great guy, and a great friend" I said looking out the window again.

"I see" she said, and then after a few minutes. "A good friend"

I didn't say anything to that, noting immediately what she was thinking. Yes, Syusuke and I have grown close, but that is only because we have gotten to know each other well, and have become really good friends; nothing more and nothing less. Whatever Kaho thought she saw was something she probably misread. I mean, I treat Syusuke the same way I treat all the other guys.

Not really… you don't call any of them by their first name alone – a voice inside my head nagged.

"I call Ryoma by his first name" I thought to myself.

Doesn't count… he is a freshmen, your kouhai.

"What about Eiji" I thought again.

He asked you to call him that.

"Well, so did Syusuke for that matter" I thought, a little triumphantly, and that voice stayed quiet. For now I assume.

The prefectural tournament was a shorter tournament in length, seeing as they played two games on one weekend, and then the final the week after that. The second game that weekend for Seigaku was against St. Rudolph. Kaho was supposed to come with me, but she told me that she needed to practice a piece on the piano she was having trouble with, so she wasn't coming.

I thought this game was just another game, that is, until while standing with the players, I saw the St. Rudolph guys walk by, and one of them gave Syusuke a death glare as he passed. It seemed that Syusuke was going to deal with it the same way he deals with anything, a smile. But the moment the other team was out of sight, his eyes were open, and his expression was serious. They were talking about the other team, but Syusuke was just looking at the guy who gave him the death glare. I was about to ask him about it, but then someone beat me to the punch.

"… Ryoma will be playing Singles 3 against Fuji Yuuta" Inui said, and I turned to notice that everyone was looking at Syusuke. "Fuji will play Singles 2 against Mizuki"

"Fuji-senpai, that is your little brother right?" Momo asked, looking at Yuuta who had his back turned to us now.

"Hai" Syusuke answered. His smile was back in place.

"Ne… He is the one that I heard about earlier this morning. His nickname is "The Lefty Killer" Eiji said, and with that everyone turned to look at Ryoma.

Ryoma noting this tried to take a sip of his beloved Ponta, but it was empty, his one commentary about all this. "Empty" he said, stood up, and made his way towards the soda machines.

Everyone went to do their own thing except Syusuke. He stood there, looking over at his brother, like he was waiting for something. I chose not to say anything then, but you have no idea how much it took not to walk over and ask him about it.

The first match was Kaidoh and Momo in doubles, which they won, when Momo hit the one of the opposing players on the cheek and they had to default. The second match was a staggering surprise. Eiji and Oishi lost. It was the first time I'd seen Eiji entirely out of energy, and the first time I'd seen Oishi take control of a match, but it was also the first time I'd seen the Golden Pair lose.

The Singles 3 match started out strong. Ryoma pushed forward and Yuuta Fuji pushed back. Around the court people were talking about it being "Fuji's Little Brother." Syusuke was standing next to me, and for the first time in a while, he spoke.

"He hates being called that" he said, a sad smile on his face. "One of the reasons he doesn't really speak to me anymore."

"You don't speak?" I asked, carefully wording what I said. Syusuke didn't need to get too upset.

"Not really. I feel as if he hates me. As if being my brother has taken away anything he could have ever been on his own."

"He is your brother, he can't hate you"

"When we were growing up, I'd always protected him, but as I started winning in tennis, so did he, and before I knew it, he resented when people referred to him as my little brother"

I didn't say anything but he continued.

"Being referred to as an extension to someone else… that's something I don't I could handle either." He said. "Yuuta was a good player, but when he started at Seigaku to him it was as if I had cast a shadow, and it was always about me. I never wanted that for him."

"So he transferred to St. Rudolph"

"To be away from me"

"Syusuke stop" I said and he turned to look at me.

"What?"

"It's not your fault. You can't stop being good at something, just the same way you can't stop people from seeing this like they do"

"I should have protected him"

"From what? The fact that you two are related?" I asked incredulously. "No one can change the way things are. Yuuta shouldn't resent you… he should be trying to beat you"

"This is your pep talk?" Syusuke said, with a sincere smile. "You need to…"

We were distracted from the conversation, because right then, Yuuta did a shot, that wasn't like anything I had seen before.

"Rising Shot" Syusuke said, his face serious again.

"Yuuta's Twist Spin Shot" Mizuki, the team's Player/Manager said from his seat inside the court.

As the game continued so did Syusuke's eyes harden. He seemed to be upset about something, something I didn't see or even understand, all I knew was, that it pertained his brother. Moments after the Super Rising Shot had been used again, Ryoma said something that to me seemed out of place.

"You shouldn't be using that shot so much" his voice carried all the way to where we were standing.

I noted two things. One, Mizuki stiffened at those words. Two, Coach Ryusaki looked back for a brief second at Syusuke, to find him watching Yuuta intently.

I tried asking Syusuke what was wrong, but he didn't seem to hear me, or he could hear me, it was more like he couldn't acknowledge anything beyond this game.

Ryoma's new move Drive B is able to counter Yuuta's shots, and Yuuta seemingly grows during this game when he fights on against Ryoma using his tennis style. Ryoma wins the match, and as he is greeted by his teammates, I noticed Coach Ryusaki walking over to Yuuta who was being consoled by his friends.

"Fuji Yuuta. How is your arm?" she asked him a little sternly.

"It's fine ma'am" he responded very politely.

"You shouldn't be using that shot, or you might injure your arm." She continued with more precautions.

As Coach Ryusaki lectured Yuuta, I looked at Syusuke who was looking at the scene with a small smile in place, eyes open, and sincere emotion in them. Then he looked at Mizuki, and for the first time I was afraid of the expression that I saw. Anger.

I watched as Syusuke prepped himself for his match, and how Mizuki taunted him again and again, but Syusuke's hardened expression never changed, It was his usual smile, but the tenseness behind it screamed anger. The game turned an ugly shade as Syusuke was soon 5 to love, and receiving Mizuki's service game. But as they changed courts, and passed next to one another, I distinctly heard Syusuke ask.

"Did you teach my brother that shot knowing the consequences it could have on his arm?"

"Yes" was Mizuki's simplified answer (the man talks too much).

Now I understood the anger, the rage. The only thing I wondered was how badly would Syusuke beat him now.

I shouldn't have been surprised when Mizuki didn't even get another point in the entire match. In fact, after that small conversation between players, Syusuke beat him, destroying any prediction or data Mizuki could have ever collected about him. Inui made the most worthwhile comment about Syusuke's playing.

"There are only two players I haven't been able to get any accurate data on." He said as the game neared its end. "Tezuka, and Fuji"

Seigaku won this match and was headed to the Semifinals, against Ginka. I would have agreed to go with the rest of the team to celebrate, but watching Syusuke as he talked to his brother for a few seconds, and truly smiled… I thought that being with the guys was not something he needed. After Yuuta left with his teammates, I walked over to where Syusuke was standing.

"Ano… the team is going to the karaoke place." I said looking sideways at him. "I was thinking more of going to the café. Do you want to go with me?"

He turned his face to look at me. The same real smile still there in place. "I would love going to the café with you, that I would."