Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis? Not mine. Got that? Great.
A/N: I dedicate this chapter to Artic-Fox and KiTtEn18sMiLe. :D
Warning: There will be OOCness due to circumstances invented by my imagination. Shounen-ai, people!
Here it is, the twenty-fifth chapter!
Chapter 25: Talking about the matter at hand, I don't want to talk about it.
Training once again resumed, and had developed into something more intense and serious. Depending on what they needed to improve in, they were either inside at the gym or outside by the pool. Their breaks were, more often than not, spent hanging in a random meeting room. The entertainment room was pretty cool, that they had to admit, but even that room was now being used as part of training.
During those times, Sachiko and Izumi would always bring them tea and snacks, one always being different from the other. One time though, a nice change in routine came. A slow melody reached their ears. The sound, for some reason, had entered through the open window which let the cool breeze in.
They peeked outside to see another open window nearby. That was when they remembered that it was the music room they had been told about. None of them had actually gone there, except for Kirihara but they didn't know that. Thinking that as a good chance to check out the room, and find the source of the soft melody.
They walked cautiously towards the room. They didn't know what to expect, and, as Tezuka told them, they didn't let their guard down. When they opened the door slowly though, as to not disturb whatever or whoever was inside, they were shocked. In the middle of the massive room was a dark cherry grand piano, parallel to the open window. The majestic piano was not what surprised them, but the person playing on it. It was no other than Echizen Ryoma.
The usually arrogant and bratty freshman looked so peaceful and relaxed as he played, much like the surprisingly beautiful music he was making. They had shuffled into the room without a sound and had taken seats near the door, being careful with the instruments by the walls. When Ryoma had stopped playing, they all clapped softly.
Their sudden applause shook the freshman out of his trance and opened his eyes as he faced his unexpected audience. "What are you doing here, sempai-tachi?" He asked with his voice barely above a whisper. Due to the uncommon silence of his guests, he was heard by most of them.
"When did you learn to play so beautifully, Echizen?" Yukimura asked, being an appreciator of classical music himself. "My mother had me take lessons after I showed some interest when I was still young." Ryoma answered softly, his face a little flushed at the compliment. It wasn't that he wasn't used to such compliments, it just felt different, coming from someone who was not from his family.
"Can you play another piece, Echizen?" Yagyuu asked. He, too, was an appreciator like Yukimura, and was often talking about it with the ever-smiling captain. "Hai, Yagyuu-sempai." He said before he positioned himself and his fingers, thinking of a piece to play already. As he shut his eyes, he began to play, to imagine, and to feel the piece.
His fingers moved swiftly but precisely from key to key, not pressing too soft or too hard. The piece blew the breath away from its audience. It gave such a depressed but calm feeling, mirroring his current emotions. Slowly, it died down as it drew to a close.
Silence reigned for a few moments before the applause came. When he looked at the faces of his guests, he saw some of them have calm expressions while the others have blank ones. He guessed that those who were calm are those who actually understood what the strange melody meant, and how his emotions had affected it.
Not wanting to dwell on his thoughts, he stood and went to the wall were the string instruments were kept. He carried his second favorite instrument to the center once more, planning to play another piece to them. He placed the violin under his chin then began to play. The melody was very different from the one before. It was slow, sad and deep, like the farther ends of the ocean.
When he was finished, he felt drained, but it was also like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He didn't- couldn't talk to them about it. Not that they wouldn't understand, no, but he was afraid. These people in front of him are his friends, the only ones he made throughout the years he stayed in the human world, and they meant everything to him.
He opened his eyes as he removed the violin from under his chin. He looked at their faces, their reactions. The calm ones from before looked somewhat depressed while the blank ones from before were still the same. At that time, he finally knew they were the ones who could understand his music – his actual emotions – without a single word.
It made a somewhat weird feeling rise up in him, but it felt familiar. 'Is this relief?' He asked himself, but it felt different from what he felt when he confronted Izumi. 'Could it be happiness?' He had an inkling feeling that this might be the truth. He did just find people who can finally understand him that are normal humans. Two bright faces instantly came to mind, the faces of two girls from a distant memory. He remembered the older one's words from long ago.
"There is no real happiness that can be attained by the human soul through material things. Real happiness is contentment on what you have, or finding that certain something you have been missing in your life."
The words were still fresh in his mind, as like the memory. It brought him a sense of closure, the memory that is. It proves that they weren't just a dream, but something that actually happened. He never could- never wanted to forget them. That made all the difference.
"Are you happy, Koshimae?" Kintarou's voice rang in the air. His voice was as lively as his facial expression. "Yes, Tooyama-kun." He replied in a light tone, but his face was blank. A few gasps were heard after his reply. 'They probably didn't know we're close now.' He assumed.
He didn't know how right he was. Most the shocked ones were from Seigaku, and some others were just the more expressive ones. The more quiet ones raised a brow at the change of formalities they just witnessed. They were getting more surprised by the sudden revelations about the black-haired freshman.
Ever since training started, he had been surprising them with new things about him, and changing the things they thought they already knew. That fact made them wonder and confusion had settled in their minds. Is the person who they met before was part of the real Echizen Ryoma, or was he only a mask?
"Koshimae?" Kintarou asked. "Yes, Tooyama-kun?" Ryoma replied in a bored voice. "You've been acting weird lately." Kintarou bluntly stated, but a look of curiosity was on his face. "What do you mean?" The younger freshman asked in confusion, raising a brow at the red-head as he did. He prepared himself for the barricade of questions he predicted that was most likely to come from the older freshman.
"Cooking skills?"
"My mother taught me a few years ago."
"Creature issues?"
"That is personal."
"Very formal table manners?"
"I grew up living with my grandfather when I was younger."
"You are more talkative."
"I just am."
"You are a pianist?"
"Yes."
"Can you play lots of instruments?"
"Yes."
"You kissed Kirihara-sempai."
"He's my boyfriend."
"For how long?"
"One-and-a-half years."
A lot of shocked gasps erupted from the older teens. They didn't expect that the two brattiest players were actually together, even with the kiss Ryoma had given to the junior. Kintarou laughed at their reactions, causing them to be more surprised. "Koshimae is very easy to read when you know him." The hyper red-haired freshman told them, earning him a glare from the black-haired one.
"So that's why you go to Tokyo twice a month!" Chitose exclaimed in recognition. "Give sempai a gold star." Ryoma remarked in an annoyed tone. He didn't like his hangouts with his best friend getting publicized so much. He was revealing too much already. "And it's Echizen, Tooyama-kun, not Koshimae." He told his best friend. "'Echizen' sounds so boring. 'Koshimae' is more fun!" Kintarou exclaimed as he bounced towards the annoyed teen. "Hn." Ryoma simply replied in annoyance.
"Why are you just telling us now?" Momo asked. He was supposed to be Ryoma's best friend, but now, he felt replaced by the red-head in front of him. "You never asked." Ryoma simply replied. To them, it did make a point, unlike earlier situations where he gave that reply. It wasn't a must for him to tell them his whole life story or current events of his love life.
"But we're your friends! You could've told us something at least!" He exclaimed. "Then what will you do?" The younger teen asked. Momo grew quiet like the rest of the teens. "You should've told them something, otouto, even if it was a small one. Momoshiro is right. They are your friends, but you kept most of your life from them as a lie." A female voice suddenly said. They all turned towards the door to see Izumi leaning against the door.
"Hai. Gomen, sempai-tachi." He said with a bow. "Just one thing, so we'll really forgive you." Fuji suddenly said. The black-green-haired freshman stood up straight and gave a look at his sadistic sempai. "What is it, Fuji-sempai?" He asked warily. "Who started the relationship?" The fair-haired sadist asked, giving a small glance at the blushing black-haired junior on the corner.
"I did." Ryoma replied with a smug smirk on his face. "You're the seme?" Izumi suddenly asked, confusing the other teens in the room. The questioned male did not reply but released himself from his best friend's clutches. He walked towards his boyfriend and made the older boy tilt his head up.
He gave the blushing junior a passionate kiss on the lips, which the junior gladly returned. They stayed that way for a few seconds before Ryoma pulled away, a small string of saliva shining in the light for a few seconds before it broke. The blush of the junior below him intensified, completely embarrassed.
"What do you think?" Ryoma asked with a smirk on his face as he faced his older sister. The males were surprised to see her covering her nose with her sleeve. She removed her sleeve to let them see her huge shark-like grin – completely pleased – and a small trail of blood coming from her nose. Her face had a blush that was more toned down than Kirihara's.
"Honestly, I thought you would've been the uke. I guess I was mistaken." Izumi replied before she squealed in delight. She felt all tingly and giddy. "Oh, Mitsu! Look at my brother, he's already grown up!" She cried as she pulled the sleeve of her cousin's shirt while in a crouching position. Tezuka, having no escape from her grip, simply let her do her thing.
"Hanabi-san, what's a seme and an uke?" Gakuto asked with an innocent look on his face. Hearing that question, Izumi stood up straight but had a devilish look on her smiling face. All of a sudden, a whiteboard came out from the ceiling and Izumi pulled out a whiteboard marker. She made a few drawings and wrote a few words before proceeding to her discussion.
"These are terms used by fans like me in referring to people in a homosexual relationship. I am not sure if it used in shoujo-ai or girl-to-girl love, but I see it all the time in shounen-ai or boy-to-boy love. Seme is technically the dominant one in the relationship, while the uke is the more submissive one. Uncommonly, the seme is referred to as the 'male' of the relationship while the uke is the 'female'." Izumi had a weird glint in her eye.
"Lastly, the seme is the one on top while the uke is the one on the bottom, if you know what I mean." Izumi finished in a very suggestive tone and small wink. The more innocent ones looked clueless at her final statement while the more mature ones understood her. The latter group mostly had blushes on their faces and looked at Kirihara, whose face was as red a tomato.
"You're cute when you blush, Aka-chan." Ryoma teased his boyfriend, making the older teen's blush grow more intense. This scene made almost everyone chuckle at the lovebirds' antics. Though it was surprising that Ryoma was the more dominant one, seeing the older brat blushing like a school girl was a rare sight. Seeing the distraction, Ryoma placed a peck on his boyfriend's cheek before leaning towards his ear.
"I love you, Akaya."
A/N: Anyway, 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.