Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis? Not mine. Got that? Great.

A/N: Another chapter for today. I want to make up for the nearly month-or-two-long no-update period I did.

Warning: There will be OOCness due to circumstances invented by my imagination. Very little shounen-ai, just mentioned.

Here it is, the twenty-ninth chapter!

Chapter 29: They doubted his sanity.

As all of them walked the dirt path on their way home, they were silent as they pondered upon what the three teens had told them earlier. Instead of feeling inferior of their maturity, they felt that they were equals. They had told them not in a way like they were scolding them, or telling them off. They didn't resort to easier to understand words or metaphors to make their point across.

They felt appreciated. It was like their efforts were not for naught. They were all noticed, evaluated and accepted. There were no statements like 'you could have done better' or 'you did not give your best.' They were handled upon by four adults that training them fairly, and made them focus upon what they can do to overcome their weaknesses.

They were thankful. None of them were ignored for the other who was better. They were not treated like they completely know what to do. They were not made to do stuff just so they were distracted while others got trained. Their time was well-spent. Even Izumi and Sachiko did their parts to help them.

Ryoma, on the other hand, even if he did not help them in the training themselves, he was willing to take them there, his mansion. He made sacrifices for them (the mansion and his cooking). He ignored previous ill will and welcomed them to his second home, like the perfect host. Even the new-bred ill will from some, he did not ignore those who were disgusted or did not approve of his relationship with Kirihara. He took them as they are, and lived with it.

Inside, they (the ones who did not approve or was disgusted at the two male's relationship) were a little angry at his reaction. He should have fought them that there was nothing wrong with two guys being in a relationship. He should have ignored them for the snide remarks they said. He should have gotten mad or upset at them for avoiding him like he was a walking plague. He could have done any of that, but he didn't.

He fucking accepted them and let them be.

He still cooked them meals, helped them with English schoolwork (for some) and did not tell them to stop acting like he was a contagious deadly disease. He ignored them at some times, but for most, he looked hurt. That's what they hated about him the most. He let himself get hurt, not making a comeback even once.

'Why would he do that?'

The Ryoma they knew wouldn't let himself get blown away so easily, wouldn't go down without a fight. So what happened to the Ryoma they knew? Somewhere in the dark recesses of their mind, they knew the answer. No matter what he had said or done, they knew nothing would change. Ryoma simply didn't want to waste an effort.

They (the teens sans Kirihara) even doubted Ryoma's sanity.

He made their minds flop and twist with the things he showed them. He told them about his relationship with Kirihara (as was proved by the kiss) with no hesitation. He openly let Izumi tell them what sadistic (and downright evil) things he did, and could possibly do, to his older brother, Ryoga.

He scared them for simple and not so simple things. (One time, a group accidentally knocked over his coffee and ended up with neon yellow hair for a few days. Another time, a group took his dango while he was relaxing. That earned them extremely spicy food, puke-green hair and an 'I love unicorns' tattoo – written in clear Japanese somewhere on their bodies – that is still present but is trying to hide.) He loves to make them do weird faces caused by his pranks, but does not use it for blackmail. (Izumi showed them his album.)

He was an enigma.

He was like a complex maze made of thorns, or a house full of booby traps. You never know what could secretly set him off (A few instances were mentioning his short height, spilling his coffee, stealing his dango, bullying Karupin.) or what would calm him down (other than his cat and dango, which aren't always present when they are needed).

Then there was his unknown past shrouded with mystery. They knew nothing beyond the time he set foot on Japanese soil, which was thanks to Inui (who still claims he is not a stalker). The Seigaku regulars only knew of Ryoga during the cruise trip, the rest met him at camp. Most of them did not know of his parents (except his teammates).

They had very minimal amount of information about him even if they knew each other for three years. That spoke volumes to them, but even then, they still wanted to be friends with the cocky freshman. To them, even if he was heir to a company or had connections to the underworld, they couldn't care. He was their friend, and they were his.

Izumi flopped down on her bed once she got home. The walk from the mansion to the nearest station had tired all of them, and the trip back to Tokyo had been a long one, but uneventful. She was thankful to all the gods that her friends were too tired and sleepy to make too much noise.

After a few minutes of lying down, she took out her camera, which she had kept hidden for most of training. She shuffled through the photos, most of them being her friends training. There were random pictures of the forest and the flowers in between some, but most pictures were used for training purposes. The camera captured some information she couldn't pick up with her own eyes, information she gave to the coaches to help them train the teens properly.

Soon, she reached the photos which she took earlier that morning. They were group pictures, and one of every school. She even had one with Sachiko in it. Lastly, it was a picture of her and her sleepy proclaimed brother at the bus. She smiled at the memory. Ryoma had fallen asleep as soon as he had gotten to his seat.

She studied the subtle features of the freshman carefully. He had long lashes, more noticed by the droopy eyelids that partially covered golden amber eyes. He has a small nose and pale pink lips. 'He looks too much like a girl.' She thought fondly as she traced his jaw on the photo. He had grown out his hair for a bit, and it reached a little over his collarbone.

Being in such a sleepy state, he looked so peaceful and true to his age. When he was fully awake, he always acted beyond his age, either too formal or too aloof. There was almost no in between for him. Even when he was playing tennis, she rarely saw him actually had fun anymore.

'Why do you always look like a damsel in distress, otouto?' She worriedly thought before she kept away her camera. She fixed her stuff then lied down on her bed again, ready to take a nap. Just before she surrendered to a few minutes of sleep, her eyes slid to the photo in the frame on her bedside table.

It was a photo of her and Ryoma on his graduation day in middle school.

A/N: Okay. I was still being a little reflective on this chapter. I had fun writing the others' thoughts on Ryoma though. hehehehehe...

Anyway, I hope I didn't make the characters too OOC. 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.