Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis? Not mine. Got that? Great.
A/N: I dedicate this chapter to KiTtEn18sMiLe and ArticFox-14.
KiTtEn18sMiLe: I know right. :)) Ryo-chan's so lucky, neh? hehehehe...
Warning: There will be OOCness due to circumstances invented by my imagination.
We've come along a long way so here it goes, the thirteenth chapter!
Chapter 13: This is the big move. The main training ground awaits us!
It was a hectic day for everyone. After yesterday's commotion and the "Wasabi Torture" a few teens endured earlier in the morning, they had spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning up and fixing their stuff. Izumi had not returned the stuff she had kept from them, but they saw it on one corner of the leaving room. Sachiko, Ryoma's personal maid, had been a huge help to them. She could do any chore that was assigned to her, which wasn't a surprising fact due to the line of work she had chosen to do.
At that moment, all of them were standing outside Izumi's house, but was still within her property. They were waiting for her to finish her daily prayer at the temple next to her house. It was brand new to them, seeing Izumi clad in her miko kimono, saying unfamiliar words in a form of prayer.
"It's like she's a whole other person." Chitose had muttered in awe under his breath. Shiraishi, who was right next to him, had sent a questioning look at his friend. "Don't tell me you're starting to have a crush on her now, Chitose." Shiraishi warned. "Though she acts harsh to Yukimura, that doesn't mean she might not have feelings for him." He continued as he watched the miko continued her daily prayer.
"It's rare to see someone tightly bonded to their religion nowadays." Oshitari noted. "I agree, Oshiari-sempai. I admire that trait of hers." Choutarou said. "She's cool." Shishido muttered in addition. "Do you think she does this day prayer thingy even before going to school? It looks hard." Mukahi asked. The question lingered in their minds.
"She's very dedicated, neh?" Marui said to his friends. "Ah. Even back then, before she goes to school, she did that every day." Yanagi, who was her neighbor back in Kanagawa, replied. "It's kind of cool actually." Kirihara commented. A series of nods came from his sempais, who had understood her level of dedication on being a miko.
"Hanabi-sempai is so cool." Momo softly commented as he watched her do her daily prayer at the temple. He was still tending to the effects of the "Wasabi Torture" at breakfast like a few males. "The amount of time she spends on her daily prayer in the morning is approximately forty minutes and twenty-six seconds. Judging from her praying position for the last thirty-eight minutes, she had retained that particular position for many years." Inui informed them. Nods of acknowledgement were done by the rest of his teammates.
Ryoma stared at his self-proclaimed sister as she did her daily prayer, Sachiko by his side. "Why did you put wasabi in their food, Young Master?" She asked. "Some things are better left unsaid, Sachiko." He monotonously replied. He couldn't let the pink-haired female know what those perverts had been talking about when she was cosplaying.
After a couple of minutes of undisturbed silence, Izumi had cleaned up her stuff, closed the temple then changed out of her kimono. She walked out of her house in more casual clothing. "Shall we get going, everyone?" she asked with a smile on her face. Nods came from everyone.
"Everyone, I have an announcement!" She shouted, catching all the males' attentions. "Our guide would be arriving in a few seconds, so please divide yourselves by your assigned room." She ordered. They did as they were told, and when they were finished, a man who had looked so much like Niou had walked beside her.
"Hello to everyone. I am your guide to the main training grounds." He said in a smooth and deep voice. "Everyone, this is Kijou-san. He is an acquaintance of mine back in Kanagawa and an old friend of otouto's. He would be the one to take us to the main training grounds as well. He is a skilled driver of any machine used for transport be it bus, car, plane or boat." Izumi informed them with a grin on her face, her black eyes shining with glee.
The path to their destination was both narrow and dim. They were surrounded by a lush forest with thick branches and high three tops. There was only enough sunlight that could pass through the thick veil of leafage to illuminate their path, and it was still early in the afternoon.
The various flowers along their path caught the attention of the teens. There were colorful flowers of many kinds: different colored anemones, yellow tulips, tree marigolds (Nitobe Chrysanthemum), yellow pheasant's eyes, and many more. These flowers formed a kind of barrier or guide to the teens and lone adult as they walked to their destination.
Because of such circumstances, they were forced to walk towards their destination. Bikes were suggested, but they were just not enough for forty-two teens and an adult, even if they shared. The walk was long and tiring, but the place was neither too hot nor too cold, even with the thick foliage of the trees.
"Welcome to our main training center, Seibutsu Mansion!"
The sight that greeted them was a huge three-story building painted white and brown with an occasional blue. One side of the building was covered by a kind of crawling plant, Japanese ivy (also known as Japanese creeper, Grape ivy, and Boston ivy). In exception of the windows, the walls were partially covered in green.
"Is Young Master pleased with Seibutsu Mansion?" Sachiko asked when she noticed Ryoma breathing deeply. "Yes, I am." He replied with a smile. She could sense the positive aura enveloping from her master as he took in the scent of the forest into his lungs. She did the same and felt a wave of calmness enter her.
"Is something the matter, Sachiko-san?" Kajimoto asked when he noticed a tear run down her face. He was right next to her after all. "This forest is just so pure, untainted by the city's pollutions. It strongly reminds me of our world, the world of the Creatures." Sachiko replied in a whispery voice as she wiped away another stray tear. Ryoma unknowingly nodded in agreement to her statement.
After a quick tour of the area, they were sent to their rooms, which were all on the third floor, to unpack. Their coaches would be there soon, Kijou told them. In the meantime, they were allowed to walk around and explore the area, but are forbidden to go into the forest. With the amenities of the mansion, the forest was the last thing on their minds. 'Mada mada dane, sempai-tachi.' Ryoma had thought when he noticed that.
In the first floor, the meeting rooms, kitchen, dining room, main lobby, storage room and laundry room were to be found. In the second floor, this is where the library, audio-visual room, entertainment room, gym and music room are found. Lastly, the third floor mostly consisted of bedrooms, enough for all the tennis players, the two female teens and the coaches. Every bedroom had its own attached bathroom. There are also bathrooms in both the first and second floors.
From top to bottom, the furniture in the building was mostly made of hard but smooth light brown wood, much like the flooring and doors. The bathrooms and kitchen had musty white tiles for the floor. The walls and ceiling of the halls were painted a deep cream color. All of the rooms had a mute gray as their wallpaper and ceiling color. The library and music room had a more rich brown color on its walls and ceiling though.
The cloths used were soft to touch but had a certain roughness. The huge windows were covered by thick and heavy curtains that matched the rooms or halls. Random, unfamiliar paintings adorned the walls of every floor. High-tech equipment can be found in the gym, kitchen, entertainment room and audio-visual room, much to their delight. The library had a huge array of various books too.
Outside was a lot different. On one side, there was a massive rectangular pool, complete with diving boards on two ends. A few feet away from it was a small building, which was actually a shower room. On the other side, there were six tennis courts. The forest had formed a huge semi-circle around it, marking its territory. This was further outlined by the flowers beside the trunks.
All in all, the teens had agreed that Seibutsu Mansion was both luxurious and simple in its own glory. Even Atobe, knowing the pompous rich heir he is, had acknowledged and complimented it. The surprising fact that they only found out about later that evening was that Ryoma, himself, was owner of the place. "Mada mada dane, sempai-tachi." He simply said, though it was hardly an answer for most of their questions.
"I have tried to research about this place but I could not find much information. Could you inform us of this place of yours, Echizen?"
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.