A/N: I am going to apologize to everyone for a crappy chapter in the previous one. I wrote it at night and my body aches from P.E. Besides that, I do not have any excuse for it. So please, may I remind you, guys, that I changed something from the previous chapter, a little details here and there.
I want to thanks the following: VeryCoolPerson, Libiky, BloodyME, and NaLuNaruHinaluvr23 for favoring and following Amnesia and Hitsugaya Karin. My sister and I appreciated it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis. If I do, Kaidoh will show his abs more often. (perverted-ness to the max) An inside joke between me and Under A Cloud-sama. Her fanfic: Cheating on Her has been updated. Please check it out.
"President," Atobe Daisuke, the president and chief executive officer of Atobe Enterprise, raised his head when her heard his assistant's voice from the intercom that had been attached near his desk in his office at the main building. "I want to remind you of your meeting at 4 this afternoon at Rose Garden. Please do not forget."
"Thank you," he said. He look through the papers in his desk. The piles of papers that he needed to sign and look through is not that big, but it is still many compared to before, when he doesn't go home early and stay at the building to finish work very late at night.
He was starting his business when he met Keigo's mom. She's an heiress, and although his parent-in-law, may their soul rest in peace, were not cold to him, they were certainly indifferent to him. But he learned, and learned well. He built Atobe enterprise, and with the support of his wife, the company grew bigger and he was glad with that. The bigger down fall is his wife's passing, and that he was a complete stranger to his son.
Yes, Keigo knew about him, they have moments as a family, however, he focused his full attention to his building of company that he neglected his son and almost lose him emotionally. He tried to change, and he was learning things that he doesn't know about his son before. Like his love in playing tennis, his dedication to it. His teammates, which he considered as his sons as well. He also learned that his son is doing great in his classes even though it appears that he focused on tennis too much.
He regretted not knowing tiny things of his son's life. His mannerisms, his attitudes, his.. his everything. He was not present when he say his first word, learned to walk, his first laugh, he didn't even change his diapers even once.
If only Keigo knew what his father is thinking right now...
Then, his beloved Emiri died of hypothermia, he doesn't even know about her sickness until it was too late already. The only word she repeated before she took her last breath was their son's name, and Daisuke understood what she's trying to say. He need to get close to his son, to fill up the years that he's not present at his life. And his son is already eighteen. He missed so much of his life growing up, and it dawned to Daisuke that if he's not going to act sooner, he may lose his son completely.
Trying to be at home early helped, but not that much. Even though he and Keigo eat breakfast and dinner together (courtesy to his assistant, it was his idea), there's still an awkward tension filling the air. However, as the days passed, almost a year after his wife's wake, the tension gets lighter and lighter, and the suffocating feeling that has surrounded the two of them is gone completely.
They talked about small things, he let his son's friends come by at their mansion to party or just have fun. He open conversations with the members of the tennis club every time he catch up to them while they are in his house.
He and his son joke around each other, and although he is not commanding his son to overlook his documents and business, Keigo study the business seriously. Keigo told him that he will going to take over when the time comes, he said that while he, his father, will going to relax and enjoy at his retirement, he will reach the top on his own and make him proud.
He remembered what he told his son, "Do not do it alone, son. If you were going to be on top, you need someone with you there. Someone you can trust, respect, love, understand. Someone who will going to support you no matter what. You need to share your achievement with someone, because when you do it alone, you will stay at the top alone... lonely. Alone, son, alone."
Daisuke never learned what his son thinks about that. But whatever Keigo will going to do, he will going to support him. Nevertheless, when Daisuke said someone, he hope that it is a girl. His son's wife, mother of his grandchildren. He smiled at that.
That's where Kinomichi Hotaru came in. He met Hotaru's father in a business trip in Karuizawa when their daughter and son were still small. He was not the same as now, like Hotaru-chan's father, he only have on his mind is business, how to grow it, let it spread.
Then he saw little Hotaru, no more than three years old, with frilly clothes, wide smile, shining black hair, he was captivated. He knew that the little girl is a match for his son, five-year old at that time. Her father was trying to make her behave without success. He saw Kinomichi Takuya glared at his daughter, the piercing glance startled Daisuke, what father would look daggers on her beautiful daughter? So readying for everything, he gave a proposal that Kinomichi Takuya will never going to decline: let his daughter marry into Atobe family, and he will get half a share in the company.
Of course he didn't refuse. Who's in the right mind would refuse something like that? So, in exchange of better future for his company, Kinomichi Takuya agreed at his proposal.
Over the past three years after that agreement, Daisuke brought his son to the Kinomichi mansion in Karuizawa. He thought that the two will never get along, his son hot-headed and Hotaru-chan is prideful. Be that as it may, when Hotaru-chan was sent to the hospital because of a brawl his son caught up with, the two became close over the two weeks of their stay.
And then, his wife's family decided for them to go to Europe, Atobe, who at that time, has his hands chained to his company which is getting bigger and bigger for the past years, stayed at Japan and visited his wife and son once or thrice a year.
He looked at his wristwatch, 15:46 pm, quarter before 4 o'clock pm. He stood and stretch a little, then something caught his eye from the computer, an email from the bank where the company's money go to. He opened it up and read the contents of the email. His heart stopped. No way. No way in hell did the company's money went missing. He straightened and walk out from his office room, without glancing at his assistant, who by that time, was already behind him, he said, "Contact the bank and the Financial Management. And also an investigator."
"Yes, sir," he answered.
Hotaru walked through her secret route towards the road. Her tennis bag is on her shoulders. Even though her friends know about her being a girl, she still need to be careful. He has her wig and in a boy's clothing.
"You are late again, Haruto-kun," Riku said. "We've been here for half an hour already!"
Hotaru raised her brows, "And is that my fault?"
"The percentage of you fault in this situation is-" Yuto started but Shiro interrupted him.
"Stop, stop, stop," he said as he glared at Yuto. "Data this, data that. Don't you have anything to do with your time?"
"Yes, I have. My hobbies are eating peanut-butter and jelly with wasabi spread in a meat bun as it's sauce, earning data and information-" he continued his monologue even though it's obvious that no one is listening to him.
"I shouldn't have asked," Shiro murmured.
Oda and Souta were on it already. Hotaru watched as the ball flies left, right, left, right. What a play! These two love to rally until someone can get a point.
"Play with me, Haruto-kun?" Riku asked Hotaru.
"Okay," she said. They trod in the other court. "Up or down?" she said, indicating which side he choose for racquet spin.
"Up," he answered. Hotaru twirled her racquet, the butt cup's logo went right-side up.
"Oh well," she whispered. They went to position, Riku served.
The game ended after about forty-five minutes, Hotaru win. Shiro and Yuto contemplating the game, are amazed at the way Hotaru maneuvered the game. It dawned to them that Hotaru is one hell of a prodigy. Her moves and techniques are not constant, always changing, her phase, foot work, speed. You never know her moves because they are unpredictable. SHE is unpredictable.
One thing stayed at the two boys' mind- never challenge Hotaru if you want you ego save. She doesn't play like this before, she's good, even better, when they first met her. But this is different. She's somewhat different. There's a glow, a bounce on her every step. She's like an activated B-29, ready to explode with happiness and excitement.
"What's wrong with you?" Shiro asked, his brows furrowed.
"Noooothing!" she sing-song.
"Crazy girl," he commented.
"What about you?" she teased. "How did it go between you and Murosaki-san?"
"Are you implying something? Because if you do, you better stop it," he said, irritated all of a sudden.
"Did something happened?" she asked, she begin to worry. If something horrible had happened, then there's no one else to be blamed but her. But Murosaki doesn't seem to have a problem last Friday when they met at school.
"No. Nothing's wrong," Shiro denied, not looking straight at her. Hotaru didn't want to push so she turned to the blond.
"You know that your bright hair may cause us trouble right?" she said. "You'll give our hideout if you don't color your hair back to its original form."
"But this is its original color," Souta answered. "And it isn't out hideout. It is used in broad daylight by other street players."
"I don't believe you," Riku pinched in. "You even have a blue eyes, it's not like you're half American like Mizuki-chan."
With the name mentioned, Souta's face cringed, "That girl? She's so ugly and so tall! Why even associate her with me?"
"He didn't associate you with her. He said that you are not half like her, it's comparison, not association," Yuto cleared. He obviously enjoyed torturing the sadist sometimes. (It makes him a sadist too, right?)
"Why don't you pour out your angry feelings on me, Shiro-kun," Riku said. "Play with me, beat the crap out of me. You will surely get better."
Everyone sweat-dropped. Then they laughed so hard, even Shiro who's sulking and glaring, chuckled.
"You are a complete masochist, Riku-kun," Oda said. First time to say anything that night.
"And you," Riku pointed at Oda, "don't swallow your saliva. You're not even talking for about an hour and a half, don't you think you need to talk more? Do you want to get poison by your own saliva?"
He only shake his head for an answer.
A/N: So short, so short. I started this about 7:56 or something, and it's already 10:04 at night. How does time fly so much when I do not pay attention to it?
Ne, minna-san. I uploaded a new story. Bleach: Hitsugaya Karin. If by any chance, you find the way this writing technique is different from this new story, I will tell you now. The story has been typed by my sister, so the story is originally hers. Me and my sister want to thank you for reading it, and for those who did not read the first chapter, please read and review.
I apologize for any mistakes. Please read and review. Thank you very much.