Wintersalad │ Disclaimer: I do not own "Prince of Tennis" or any referenced translations. │ Written: 09/26/10 │ Posted: 09/26/10 │ Last Edited: 05/05/11
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Genius 008: Fangs
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Fuming, Echizen Ryoma stalked the grounds in search of fresh prey.
What was that?-!
That disgusting self-composed and self-righteous look on the captain's face! That unnerving stare that felt as he were dissecting her with his eyes and mind right in the middle of the tennis courts in broad daylight!
What was that?-!
That completely unsatisfying win she took from two of her designated opponents! That aggravating resentment the upperclassmen lavished upon her! That carefree expectation the freshmen heaped upon her so selfishly!
What was that?-!
Her brisk strides suddenly slowed to a stop.
What was that stubborn, silent glare…?
In her mind's eye, Ryoma saw immovable golden eyes overlapping with hard black. Her own golden gaze dulled as they became unfocused, searching for an image long lost to her. That boy… Kaido…? If she remembered correctly, he was the second-year who left in the middle of her public lesson (embarrassment) to the obnoxious, bullying second-year who stole her rackets. She recalled briefly glimpsing the back of his colorfully-covered head as he was the only one who left then, seeing the nonsense for what it was. The high-strung teenager closed her eyes as a warm wind danced over her, allowing the capricious fingers to tickle her hair across her face and the tension out of her body.
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But the sorrow was too soaked within the marrow of her bones to ever escape her.
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Ryoma refrained from the urge to hug herself. It was no use thinking about the past now. She needed to focus on the present. Her present is what will lead to her future, and if she played her cards correctly, that future will hopefully hold the key to unlocking her past.
And she will find it. Whatever it takes.
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Kaido or whatever-his-name-is will just have to learn to move for her.
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The second-year was apparently her next opponent. She bumped into him after reporting her most recent win, quite literally. She had been walking away from the vice-captain, confirming the 6-0 score on the board, when she was distracted by the comments made on her performance and chances. The two regulars by the D-block table were talking about her upcoming match with the second-year when she tripped over said person sitting at the foot of a tree.
As the breeze died out, the small girl swamped in an overly large t-shirt and a pair of long shorts opened her eyes. She looked out from beneath the shade of a school building as the memory of what just transpired transposed itself on the space before her. She watched as her cap fell off in the course of the tumble while she landed in the second-year's lap. Her arms were stretched before her, balancing her body atop his where her hands rested upon his raised knee. Leaning her weight away from his, she turned to apologize (she hadn't been paying attention after all), when her lips, her entire being, were frozen by his resolute glare. It felt as if a minute and an eternity passed as she remained in his lap, unable to tear her frightful eyes away from his descending gaze, the angry angles to his face projecting a ghostly reminder of her nightmares of rusty gold and green. He glared at her from behind her apparition before he ignored the first-year in his lap completely in favor of turning his head and remarking to the third-years looking their way, "Are you trying to get under my skin, sempai?"
He hadn't bothered to remove her from his person. He hadn't even bothered to remark about her disgraceful position and inappropriate lack of response.
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And so she had scurried away like the terrified girl she really was while the attention was diverted from her.
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They looked nothing alike, the first-year mused as she resumed walking at a leisurely pace. Yet for some reason, they appeared uncannily similar to her in that moment. Enough for her to lose her composure. But she had finally gathered her senses now and she will at least have him acknowledge her on the courts today.
One can not conquer the world in one day. She will take things one step at a time.
"…Ryoma's form was very clean."
"…"
Amber eyes blinked at a flailing form swinging a racket besides the women's tennis courts. The freshman didn't recall being familiar enough with anyone on campus to allow such a casual address of her person. She scrutinized the figure before her. What was with that ridiculous posture? And those ridiculous pigtails… Ryoma narrowed her eyes.
"Ryoma, I want you to take some time to get to know my granddaughter. Ryuzaki Sakuno, Class 1-1. I know you don't have anything besides improving your tennis skills on your mind right now, but your father and I believe you should improve on your relationship skills first before anything. You're going to need someone to support you during your time here, especially this first year, and it's better if that someone knew at least part of who you truly are."
'Who I truly am?' the girl mused. Ha! Ryuzaki-sensei* probably only meant that her granddaughter was now privy to her gender, but it mattered not what the lady counselor told the overly feminine girl. She had no intentions of going out of her way to "get to know" anyone, especially not someone who selfishly decided the depth of their relationship when they've only exchanged a few words personally. She wondered just how much the cunning old woman really interfered that day their bet played out. But… that didn't mean she couldn't humor the lady, the girl grinned.
Stalking up behind the girl in full tennis gear, complete with the matching white headband and wristband to a short, pleated tennis skirt, Ryoma knocked her own racket behind the girl's knees as she passed by.
"Your knees are too relaxed."
Smiling softly beneath closed eyes when she heard Sakuno gasp from her sudden shift in balance, Ryoma continued on her way. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to have a side hobby to calm her nerves from tennis every now and then. And she was Ryuzaki-sensei's granddaughter. That made her family in some sort of twisted way and she supposed it could be considered normal to be presumptuous with one's own family. She smirked.
It didn't mean that she had to like her.
"Your elbows are too bent.
Your shoulders are too relaxed.
Your hair is too long and your posture is indecisive."
Ryoma waved back at the embarrassed girl without a pause in her stride. Let her take from that what she will.
Pushing the door open, the weary first-year walked into the club room. Echizen noted with disgust the particles of food spraying from Horio's mouth as he bragged about his chances at getting a spot in the regulars as Katsuo blandly shot down his unfounded hopes. Were they also taking part in the tournament…?
"…!" Katsuo noticed the silent figure by the door. "Echizen! Where were you? Your next match is about to start and you still haven't had your lunch yet!" The gangly teen rushed to grab the first-year's hand still resting on the door to pull the thin body to the floor where the rest of them were eating. Really! He just didn't understand how the kid managed to slip away so easily all the time!
"Hn… I think I'll take lunch after this," the solemn child replied. "I think I've lost my appetite…"
Katsuo eyed the spitted food strewn about the floor with distaste, unaware of the dazed look in Echizen's eyes looking out the window towards the D-courts. "Yea, I guess I can understand that," he agreed with a frown. "It's probably not a good idea to eat so soon before your match anyways."
"Is Ryoma-kun here?"
The gathered first-years turned at the slam of the reopened door.
"Kachiro! What happened to your eye?"
Katsuo let go of his hold on Echizen's wrist to go to his injured friend. They watched as the boy fussed over the swollen eye, wincing at the harsh color contrasting against Kachiro's pale skin.
"I was so absorbed in the game that…," the small boy started to explain. "Never mind that!" He brushed aside Katsuo's hand as he suddenly became aware of the camcorder still in his hands. "I've got a video on Ryoma-kun's next opponent!
Kaido-sempai is amazingly fierce!"
Perking at the mention of Kachiro's assailant, the golden-eyed teen glanced sharply at the painful injury on the boy's face before slanting golden eyes away. The dim embers, shaded by long bangs of dark green hair and a white cap carefully tilted to hide the growing embers, sparked at the possibility of the second-year targeting a fellow first-year.
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Honestly, today was just full of ghosts wasn't it?
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"Ya! You think you'll be forgiven? You think you can just leave when you want to?-!"
Ryoma cowered into the corner, curling into herself as all sorts of rubble kept pelting themselves against her malnourished young body. Tears pricked the corners of her cheeks. It hurt! Why? Why were they doing this?
"…"
There was a sudden silence as the projectiles stopped their course. Meekly, the frazzled girl peeked from behind her arms that were shielding her head and the pile of trash cluttered around her. Maybe they went away…?
Round, golden eyes widened in horror as they zoomed in on the chipped blocks of brick clutched firmly between grubby hands. Bricks weren't just any sort of rubble! They tightened their circle around her, grinning maliciously down at their cornered prey before raising their arms in preparation to strike.
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"Hey. What do you assholes think you're doing with my sister?"
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From her dark corner, she watched as the shadowed black figures of her tormentors turn towards their uninvited guest. Standing about three feet away, a boy watched the proceedings with a lazy frown. When, after a moment of silent deliberation, the children all rushed the newest member of the alleyway, the boy tossed his perplexed frown in favor of a carefree grin.
His forever grin.
The single ray of sunlight that managed to push through into the darkness of their corner of the world wrapped lovingly around the lithe figure of a flying boy taking down one monster after the next.
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It was the figure of a guardian angel.
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"Echizen doesn't stand a chance."
Furious eyes rounded on the person who dared blasphemy. The three freshmen were gathered around the camcorder, pale and apprehensive of what they just witnessed on screen, ignorant of the mental state the subject of their thoughts was working into. Blinking frantically to clear away the memories and sudden tears, realizing just which Echizen was being referred to, the shaken youth grabbed the tennis bag resting on the floor and hurriedly left the room.
"Ryoma-kun?"
"I'm going to warm up."
There was a pregnant silence within the club room as the three were left behind. "You don't think he was bothered by what we said, right?" Horio nervously tittered. Katsuo shook his head. "I don't think so. Echizen's not the type to be discouraged in front of a strong opponent from what we've seen so far. He wasn't even interested in the video."
"No way…" Kachiro softly whined. "And I took the video for Ryoma-kun too…"
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For the second time that day, Ryoma found herself running away from the ghosts of her past.
And each time, the one to shake up those skeletons in her heart was that blasted second-year. Was it all just a coincidence? Maybe she was just too sensitive? They weren't the only flashbacks she's had since then, but they were among some of the strongest. Having two in one day was rare, being that she would usually be too absorbed the first to notice any possible seconds. Perhaps it was just the stress of the move getting to her…
Noticing the D-courts up ahead, the first-year slowed her run to a jog, pacing her breathing just as she was taught. She needed to calm herself before the match. The only place she could conquer her ghosts was on the courts. That is where she'll defeat him. That is where she'll win her answers.
"There it is! Momoshiro's strongest attack!
Dunk-smash!"
Ryoma walked along the fenced-in courts towards the entrance. Being near the courts helped focus her mind. She let her eyes wander until she found the loud and self-reassured second-year with the spiky hair. She calmly accessed the boy who was arrogant enough to underestimate her and play with an injured ankle.
It looks like it healed just fine.
Noticing the first-year, Momoshiro grinned and walked up to the freshman to give his greetings.
"Hey, you're playing Kaido next right?"
Fuji watched the exchange between his two underclassmen with intrigue from the sidelines. He had heard about their match from Momoshiro himself and was interested in seeing how the child responded to the brash sophomore's personality. Though he wasn't positive he approved of whatever schemes Tezuka had for the child, Fuji will monitor how things play out for now. He'll step in when he must, but for now, he'll allow things to follow its set course.
The first-year stared impassively at the tall regular blocking the entrance. Glancing at the small loophole towards the side, the tiny figure pulled the cap over dark green locks as if in acquiescence before slipping pass without a word.
Puzzled, but nevertheless slightly offended, Momoshiro pursed his lip as he watched the freshman walk towards his next match. Calling out, he warned (taunted) the laid-back kid, "You'd better watch out for Kaido!"
Across from the exchange, Eiji sent an irritated pout towards his friend as Fuji chuckled lightly. What was so funny about what he just said? Really, it wasn't as if he wasn't happy for Momo that he healed so well, but did he have to heal so well today? Fuji was so mean!
Out on the court, Kaido took position. Intense eyes took in the freshman who's been kicking up a fuss around the club. Honestly, he wasn't sure how he felt about Momoshiro being rebuffed by the first-year. On one hand, he's glad to see at least one person with enough sense to not fall for the boy's charms. On the other, he's just as aggravated by the teen's lack of respect for his seniors and arrogance. And hearing his name come from his rival's mouth, in either positive or negative context, made his hair stand up on end.
"Best of one set match!
Echizen service play!"
Pock
Focusing, Kaido's line of sight held onto the ball, dashing forward to receive the shot and return it to Echizen's court.
Following the ball's trajectory, Echizen ran towards the right of the court, body twisted back to hold the racket in a left-handed grip.
Pock
The ball was returned with a clean back-hand. The two continued their heated exchange before Kaido shifted his balance and kneeled down, changing the pace by setting the ball high and towards the back of Echizen's court.
The first-year calmly responded despite this with a smash, pin-pointing it towards the net, and pulled through with the tricky net-play when the ball fell on Kaido's side of the court.
The courts were silent before the white cap, which fell off during Echizen's spring into the air, touched the ground with a small tap!, as if holding their breath in awe.
"A-Amazing!
This is such a high-level match!"
As the crowd went wild around them, Ryoma smiled wryly.
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Yes, this was where she will beat them all.
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Feeling as if the day's heavy fog had been lifted, the celebrated first year rolled her shoulders. This second-year wasn't too bad. Testing her grip, she gave her opponent a passing glance, but felt her gaze linger on his tense figure instead. Observing his fierce downward gaze towards his racket and the minute trembling of his arms, Ryoma held her breath as she pondered the implications of Kaido's reaction to the crowd's cheers.
He was directing his anger towards himself.
Normally, regardless if the fault lied with one's self or another, one's anger would be directed towards the opponent because one's emotions were not rational. In any case, a small part of that person would always feel resentment towards the other for arousing such feelings. It meant it was unlikely that Kachiro was targeted with underhanded means or intentions. A person who would do such a thing would most definitely direct his anger towards her, finding some fault or another with her person. Kaido-sempai was someone who drew within himself. He was a man who would seek to improve himself first before saying anything about someone else. As a second-year, many of her past actions would have indirectly affected him one way or another, but he never bothered to show an interest in her personally. When she tripped over him, it was an honest mistake, and he did not aim his attentions upon her. Kachiro's bruised eye may have been a result of a mistake from not seeing the first-year sneaking upon him, or it may have been a lesson to Kachiro for being sneaky in the first place.
Either way, Kaido-sempai was undeserving of her anger or resentment. Her ghosts were her own and perhaps the only reason she was frightened by him was because of the honesty he projects and demands from both himself and of others. Whereas the golden eyes of her nightmares follow her with accusation, his black eyes draw her in with confrontation. They may appear similar in that they both draw conflict, but they were fundamentally different in that the former was a single-sided clash whereas the latter searched for a mutual meeting of minds.
As she served the next ball, Ryoma gave the first heartfelt smile she felt since leaving New York.
Pock
Really, what an awkward man!
Pock
They continued their rally across the courts, ignoring the gallery's comments. She was enjoying a game with someone around her own age for the first time in a long while and she marveled at the sense of happiness that came from playing with someone who merely loved tennis. There was no need to prove herself to her opponent because her opponent was coming after her with all he had. He cared not for who she was and what she may have done, only that she returned the favor and played a game that brought out his best. He was playing to prove to himself that he can be better, that he will get better.
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Abruptly, Kaido shifted his weight and swung his racket at the ball at a sharp angle.
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Slam
"…!"
Ryoma stilled as the ball curved down on her side of the court.
"That's Kaido's snake-shot," Momoshiro smugly informed everyone. "Just as the body's weight shifts from the right foot to the left, he swings his racket with incredible strength, hitting a ball that spins extraordinarily fast.
"Only someone with arms and legs as long as Kaido can do the snake-shot!"
"Heh…"
Ryoma pulled her cap over her eyes. "Returning a ball at that angle…," she turned to stare at the older boy across the court from her and smirked.
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Just as the viper was baring his fangs down on her now, just as those who bared their fangs at her then, she grinned widely and bared her own fangs straight back.
She'll accept this challenge with thanks!
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End Genius 008
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Notes:
* "-sensei" translates to "teacher."
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A/N: So, this was a long chapter with a lot of information to take in. I'm not too sure if the messages I want to send across are carrying through smoothly. Would you please leave me feedback on how well the writing comes across and what you got from this chapter? I would appreciate that very much, thank you.