Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis? Not mine. Got that? Great.
A/N: I dedicate this chapter to KiTtEn18sMiLe and ArticFox-14 as well.
Like I promised, there will be a double update today. So, wait up for the other chapter!
Warning: There will be OOCness due to circumstances invented by my imagination. This is another short chapter.
We've come along a long way so here it goes, the eleventh chapter!
Chapter 11: It is time to depart.
The next morning, Kirihara woke up in a brighter mood and felt more energized than ever before. When he saw Ryoma alone, the first thing he did was corner him, but when a ringing sound reached his ears, he knew it would have to wait. He and Ryoma ran towards the source of the sound, which was outside. When they were there though, they saw a lone female clad in a pale-peach-colored kimono with bells by her feet.
"Who are you and what is your business here?" Izumi asked in a harsh tone as she positioned herself in a fighting stance. "My name is Sachiko and I am merely a messenger." The female replied as the bells stopped ringing. "Who sent you here?" Izumi asked, her eyes not wavering from the peculiar female in front of them. "My master is the one who sent me here." Sachiko replied.
The female bowed down to pick up the bells, which in turn gave Izumi a small peek of a pale peach-pink bushy tail, similar to the hair color of the peculiar female named Sachiko. "Leave this place for your kind are not welcome here." Izumi ordered as she pulled something out of her yukata.
When Sachiko did not make a move to leave or advance, Izumi threw a piece of paper which was weighed by the small rock tied to it. The paper had weird, unfamiliar writings which only some of the males were able to notice. When the paper was only a couple inches away, it was struck down by a rock, slightly bigger in size than the one tied to the paper.
"You shouldn't be such a presumptuous Fighter, Hanabi Izumi."
The shocked female and tennis players turned towards the source, which was surprisingly Echizen Ryoma. His eyes were shadowed by his bangs but his frown was completely visible. The other tennis players had moved back by a couple of steps to give the two teens some space.
"What are you talking about, otouto?" Izumi voice trembled as she tried to deny the truth of what was happening. Ryoma simply smirked at her as he walked forward. When he turned his gaze to Izumi, she gasped at what she saw. "Who are you and what did you do with Ryoma-kun?" She asked with a glare.
"What are you talking about, nee-san? I am Ryoma." He replied with an edge on his voice. "Liar!" Izumi cried out as she retained her fighting stance, but Ryoma did not mind her. He walked pass her and straight to where Sachiko was. Afterwards, he held on to Sachiko as she began ringing the bells in her hands.
"Humans shouldn't be too presumptuous. Mada mada dane."
That was the last thing Ryoma said before they disappeared in a whirlwind of leaves. The remaining teens were left staring at the place where Ryoma and the mysterious female had disappeared on. It was only by hearing Izumi cry when she slumped on the ground did they shake out of their stupor.
Yukimura was the first one who reached her. He had tried to comfort her but she slapped away any physical contact. In a few moments, Tezuka stepped forward and took his cousin into his arms, and the female instantly latched on to him.
He carried her inside and sat her down on the nearest couch. The rest of the teens followed suit and took their seats in the very spacey living room. "Izumi." Tezuka said, but the female kept on her silent crying as she sat with her legs against her chest. They remained like that with a few minutes of silence, the other teens giving curious and wondering looks at her and each other.
"What just happened to Echizen?" Saeki asked the question that was in the minds of every male in the room. "They must have teleported somewhere, probably another world." Izumi informed them blankly, her voice devoid of any emotion. Some of the teens looked at each other with wondering looks on their faces.
"Hanabi-chan, it is probably the right time for you to explain to them what is happening." Yukimura told her. Izumi sighed before nodding, no emotion in her face whatsoever. "Like otouto- I mean Ryoma-kun said earlier, I am a Fighter, a kind of gifted being. I was raised in a temple back in Kanagawa. I can create charms, dispel evil spirits and such." She told them carelessly.
"In this world, there are two kinds of beings. There are the normal ones and there are the gifted ones, which are divided into two kinds: Fighters and Creatures. Though everyone is human, Creatures see themselves as more advanced or developed than the human race." Izumi informed them, her voice growing serious by the second.
"Basing from what happened earlier, I think Ryoma-kun is one of the Creatures."
A/N: I hope I didn't make the characters too OOC. I might have been a little excited when I typed this so... Please tell me any typos and inconsistencies, even grammar mistakes (being the "Grammar Nazi" that I am).
Constructive criticism is appreciated in the form of private messages and/or reviews.