Beta: Fayah

A/N: For some odd reason, I have the impression that my sarcasm is not appreciated by a certain someone. Well, such is life. Comments, opinions, critique and yes, even condescending reviews are welcomed and loved. But please, refrain from sending similar PMs, when you know I can't reply.

When Ryoma woke up the next day, he was feeling a little better. From what Ryoga had told him last night, his father hadn't been any different than the way Ryoma knew. It helped, knowing that even if his father was no longer there, he would've still been the same immature pervert Ryoma knew.

And Ryoga… wasn't really all that bad once you got to know him. He acted like a strange mix of Momo-sempai and Kikumaru-sempai, but maybe that was just the way big brothers acted? It almost made him wish Ryoga had always been a part of his life.

And then he saw there was no toast left. Che, siblings! A pain in the ass.

He went to school hungry and got even more irritated when Horio was the first person he saw that morning. It didn't matter what universe it was, Horio continued to be annoying in any reality. All he had to do was grin and yell, "Echizen!" in that screeching voice.

"You going to come and watch the practice again today?" Horio asked, and Ryoma frowned at what the question implied. Was it really that obvious, his interest in the Rikkai tennis team and their captain that even Horio commented on it?

Well what he'd read from his own diary and heard from others, he hadn't shown any interest in tennis for years, and for him to go now and follow the tennis practice everyday, must draw attention from those who had known him for years.

"Ryoma-kun has art club today," a soft voice spoke from behind them, and when Ryoma turned he saw Ryuzaki Sakuno, with a bright smile on her face.

"Oh yeah, I forgot you have club today Sakuno-chan," Horio grinned at her, and Sakuno's smile wavered a little at Horio's obviously love stricken expression. Ryoma couldn't have explained why he did it, but he smacked Horio's head, when he saw the grin.

"Oi, Echizen, why do you always hit me when I try to talk to Sakuno-chan?" Horio whined.

"Because you look like a lecher," Ryoma answered, and nearly jumped when Sakuno hooked their arms.

"Let's go to class Ryoma-kun," she said. "I can take care of myself, Ryoma-kun," Sakuno blushed when she said that, and Ryoma was relieved that there was something familiar about this Sakuno after all. "You don't always have to protect me."

"I don't do it to protect you, he just annoys me," Ryoma told her the truth.

"You always say that Ryoma-kun," she smiled and turned in to an even deeper shade of red.

Ryoma sighed. He'd been telling the truth, but somehow he got the impression Sakuno didn't believe him. Just what were they to each other?

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At the end of the day when he left class, Sakuno was waiting for him outside the classroom. When Ryoma raised a questioning eyebrow, she said, "We have art club, Ryoma-kun."

"You go ahead, I'll catch up," Ryoma said.

"Where are you going?" Sakuno asked.

"To the bathroom. Wanna follow me?" he shouted while walking away.

"The bathrooms are this way, Ryoma-kun," Sakuno spoke with a subdued voice, when Ryoma had disappeared behind a corner. She sighed and went to art club. On her way she came up with an excuse as to why Ryoma was going to miss art-club. Again.

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He stood next to the courts, looked through the links on the fence and watched practice. There was nothing of interest for him to watch, the club members were just warming up. He'd just decided on leaving, already had one foot in the air, his body turned sideways, when two figures he recognized approached a court. Both were opponents he'd faced and won. Rivals against he wanted to play again.

Kirihara and Sanada faced each other, the younger boy's face in an eager grin, licking his lips and snickering like a demon who'd caught a scent of blood. Sanada faced his kouhai with a stern and overconfident face, the same he'd shown to Ryoma when they'd played. 'You shall not beat me. It is futile for you to even consider the possibility.' How Ryoma had wanted to smash that confidence. And he had succeeded. Now he needed to see if Kirihara could do the same.

The first serve. It flew by Kirihara. So did the second one, but he caught the third and got a point from Sanada. The ball flew so quickly Ryoma knew he was one of the few who could follow it. He felt his heart pounding, knew a smile was on his face. He was gripping the wire of the fence so hard it numbed his fingers, but he didn't even remember lifting his hand to it. He felt cold sweat trickling down his spine, shivers through out his body. It was like watching two monsters at war, and he felt his own heart roar a call for battle.

"You have a good look in your eyes," a voice whispered next to his ear, and Ryoma felt a warm breath brush against his cheek. The words made his heart skip a beat, they were the same Yukimura had told him once before. He turned and saw the smile on Yukimura's face. That too was the same as before.

He turned back to look at the game but couldn't focus on it anymore, because his face was burning. Damnit, I bet my face is as red as Sakuno's, he pursed his lips together and refused to look at Yukimura who was by the way standing creepily close! "What do you want?" he asked.

"Hmm, nothing. I'm just taking a break," Yukimura told him and turned his eyes on the game as well. "This is an important game. Not just for Akaya and the juniors who'll be staying, but for us seniors too. So we can see if Akaya is ready to lead you once we're gone."

"Why're you telling me-" Wait, you?, "Why're you including me in there? I don't play tennis." Ryoma turned to look at Yukimura, his forehead creased.

"Oh," Yukimura looked surprised. "You aren't going to join? I remember you played once, Ryoma-kun."

"Who said you could call me that?" Ryoma snapped.

"I'm sorry, maybe you'd prefer Echi-kun?"

Ryoma twitched. Yukimura was… weird… Somehow Ryoma knew that if he didn't consent to 'Ryoma-kun', he'd be called 'Echi-kun' by half the school, come tomorrow morning. "No, its fine," he mumbled.

"You really aren't going to join, are you?" Yukimura asked after a stretched silence. Both had their eyes on the game and neither took their eyes off it as Yukimura continued to speak. "Why? I remember the first time I saw you play. You had such determination, so much hunger for victory. Why would anyone abandon something like that? You were more alive on the tennis court than I've ever seen anyone else."

"I…" Ryoma hesitated. Why was he even considering telling Yukimura anything? And it wasn't like it'd be the truth. Ryoma was answering a question about the actions of someone else. Sure it was him, but it wasn't like it was really him.

Ryoma pressed his hand over his eyes. All this was getting too confusing. He had to stop thinking that it was someone other than him that had been living this life. It was him. He might never again see his father; he might finish his junior high in Rikkai, never play tennis again. He couldn't play tennis, knowing what it would do to his mother. And as different as she may have been, she was still his mother and Ryoga his brother. He needed to accept that what he had now was his life.

"It'd break mum's heart," Ryoma finally said. "Yukimura-sempai."

Ryoma couldn't see it, but Yukimura's eyes widened at his words, or perhaps it was the resigned tone in which the boy spoke that moved Yukimura's heart. He lifted his hand and would have laid it on Ryoma's shoulder had the boy not suddenly gasped, "Rai."

Yukimura stared at the boy in astonishment. Hardly anyone knew of that technique. How could this boy that had no connection to any of them know of its name? Rai was a technique Sanada had sealed off in order to defeat Tezuka Kunimitsu, a rival he had yet to face. It was a shock that he would use it against Akaya, but even more shocking was the fact that this boy, Echizen Ryoma knew of its name.

"How do you know that?" Yukimura asked, his voice now full of suspicion based, not on facts, or even his feelings, but years of chasing off spies from other schools wanting to learn their techniques. It was futile of course. Even with the knowledge they could not match up to their skill level, but still some fools tried.

The boy did not seem fazed by the question, or his suddenly cold demeanour. He simply gave Yukimura a sideway glance, lips turned upwards into a sly smirk. "That's a secret," the boy answered, but his eyes flashed in Horio's direction. The glance was quick, but enough for Yukimura to notice and make the connection. He sighed in relief, and wondered in passing why he felt so relieved that there was an easy answer.

Ryoma held in a sigh of relief. He couldn't believe he'd spoken out loud, and in front of Yukimura no less. Had it been anyone else Ryoma was sure he could've pretended like he'd said nothing, but when it was Yukimura… He couldn't risk it. He knew too little about the other boy.

They watched the rest of the game together, but Ryoma had long since lost interest in the match. Kirihara had improved, but he was still far from catching up to the three demons of Rikkai. A fact the youngest regular in Rikkai didn't take too well.

When the score had been announced, Kirihara, panting, covered in sweat; his eyes bloodshot, screamed out and threw his racket on the ground and stormed off the court. Sanada stood where he was, looking after Kirihara's retreating back.

Ryoma glanced at Yukimura whose smile still hadn't faltered. He frowned. Wasn't Yukimura at all worried about Kirihara's childish behaviour?

Suddenly Kirihara stopped and turned back. He marched up to Sanada and stood in front of him, still panting, looking like a demon from hell. Ryoma thought it possible Rikkai would either loose their vice-captain, or soon to be captain, yet Yukimura still kept on smiling.

"Thank you Sanada-san," Kirihara spoke and Ryoma choked on air.

The players clasped hands, and Yukimura looked at Ryoma as if expecting him to share his joy.

Ryoma frowned and turned back to look at Sanada and Kirihara. That wasn't the scene he should have been looking at. He shouldn't have been just an observer, either. It should have been a match between him and Tezuka, Ryoma should have been the one to smile at his captain. It should have been him and Tezuka shaking hands, Tezuka leaving the future to him.

But even if he'd been at home now, that wasn't what the future would have been like, because Ryoma wasn't staying. By now his mom would have already left for America to prepare for when Ryoma and his father would arrive at the end of the school-year. If his father had had his way, Ryoma wouldn't have even finished his first year in Seigaku, since he was going to start school right away when they got back to America, but his mom had insisted Ryoma stay till the end of the school year. She probably thought Ryoma wanted the extra time to say goodbye to his friends.

His mom had always been too emotional for Ryoma. He'd already said goodbye to his seniors in his own way. Winning the Nationals was a memory they would share forever, Ryoma didn't need sappy farewells. And he sure as hell wasn't going to miss Kikumaru-sempai's glomps, or Momo-sempai's head locks, handing Kawamura-sempai his racket, Oishi-sempai worrying over him, Inui-sempai's training schedules, Kaidoh-sempai's glares, Fuji-sempai's creepiness-

He missed them.

"What's wrong?" Yukimura asked, worried suddenly as Ryoma's face darkened and his shoulders drooped down.

Most of all Ryoma missed Tezuka's stern, approving presence. It gave him strength in a way nothing else, no one else's encouraging words could. He knew that without Tezuka he wouldn't be what he was today. "Buchou," Ryoma sighed longingly as he stared at the two players on the court, strengthening their bond of sempai and kouhai.

"Yes?" Yukimura asked.

"What?" Ryoma turned to frown at Yukimura.

"You called me."

"No I didn't." Ryoma argued.

"Yes you did. You said buchou. I'm the buchou," Yukimura argued back with a no nonsense tone.

"No you're not," Ryoma scoffed.

"But I am," Yukimura felt his smile twitch slightly. This kid had a knack for getting on his nerves.

"No you're not my-" Ryoma cut himself off and turned away. He huffed and started to leave but was stopped when Yukimura took hold of his arm.

"I could be," he said.

"You don't know what I was going to say," Ryoma glared at the older boy and when all he got as an answer was a cheerful smile, Ryoma didn't know how to react.

"Don't you think it would be nice, to be part of a team? Belong somewhere?" Yukimura asked, only making Ryoma's frown deepen.

He was already a part of a team, already belonged somewhere, to Seigaku. They'd needed him and he'd been there for them. To join Rikkai's tennis team, to call Yukimura Buchou would be like mocking the bonds he'd created with his sempais.

Ryoma watched as the team surrounded Kirihara, and his sempais patted him on the back, or ruffled his hair. He saw himself in Kirihara's place, replaced Niou with Momo-sempai and Marui with Kikumaru. It wasn't fair he was alone.

"Is it because of your father that you won't join?" Yukimura asked and Ryoma stiffened. He yanked his arm form Yukimura's grasp and would've walked away, if someone hadn't been standing right behind him. So instead Ryoma walked straight into their chest.

"Are you trying to scare this boy," Yanagi asked. "Seichii?"

"Renji," Yukimura beamed. "Did you watch Genichirou and Akaya-kun's match?" While he was talking to Yanagi, Yukimura wound his arm around Ryoma and drew the boy against him, so his back was pressed against Yukimura's chest.

"Get off," Ryoma scowled, but Yukimura decided to ignore him.

"I did, and-"

"Ouch!"

"Seichii?"

"I'm fine," Yukimura smiled while wincing. Ryoma had stepped on his foot. Hard.

Ryoma stepped away from between the two, declared, "You're creepy," and left without once looking back

"Interesting, isn't he?" Yukimura asked, smiling after the boy.

Yanagi didn't comment, and they returned to the courts where Yukimura limped to where Horio was practicing his swings.

The freshman twitched and glanced at his buchou who just stood there, smiling. Yukimura-buchou was almost always smiling and when he wasn't, Horio usually made sure he was very busy, somewhere else. Not that a smiling Yukimura-buchou standing next to you was much better.

Horio admired and respected his captain, but usually he preferred to do the admiring and respecting from a safe distance.

"Horio-kun," Yukimura said. "You are friends with Ryoma-kun, aren't you?"

"Ha, Ryoma-kun?" Horio asked, and had to think for a while before he realized who Yukimura was talking about. "Oh, you mean Echizen! Yeah, we've been friends forever! Best friends! Always do everything together! Except tennis of course! He doesn't play tennis anymore because his father died, and it's too bad since he was pretty good, almost as good as me!"

Yukimura stared at the boy and wondered if Ryoma was really that bad of a tennis player. He found it hard to believe the boy had lost so much of his talent from when Yukimura had last seen him play.

"But what is he like?" Yukimura asked.

"Echizen?" Horio shrugged. "Antisocial," was all Horio said.

"Aah…" Yukimura had been hoping for a little more information, like what was the boy's favourite food, what kind of books he read, did he read, listen to music, what colour his underwear was. The usual. That the boy was antisocial, that Yukimura had learned by himself. "But Horio-kun, even if Ryoma-kun is a good friend of yours, you shouldn't tell people that aren't part of the club about Sanada's Rai-shot."

"The what now?" Horio asked and then remembered to add, "Yukimura-buchou."

"Rai. You don't know of it?"

"Sorry Yukimura-buchou," Horio's shoulders slumped. "Should I? Is it important?"

"No, it's nothing, Horio-kun. Keep practicing," he smiled at Horio who hesitantly started swinging his racket again.

If Horio hadn't told the boy about Rai, how had he known about it? It was always a possibility that the boy had been there earlier, following their practice, but Yukimura did not believe that. He was sure he would have noticed the boy.

The other obvious possibility was that Sanada had told the boy of his shot, and that would indicate a relationship of deep trust between the two and Sanada wasn't likely to have an intimate, trusting relationship with a younger boy who didn't even play tennis.

Then again, the boy could be interested in Sanada and had made it a mission of his to gather all possible information about Sanada. Yukimura could certainly see the appeal, Sanada wasn't bad to look at, even if his conversation skills were lacking. And the fact that he never smiled. And had a tendency towards violence. And had really no sense of humour at all.

It just didn't make any sense. Why would the boy obsess over Sanada, when Yukimura knew he was a much more fascinating character?

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It was desperate, Ryoma knew, but he couldn't help it. He had to see them. They had to be the same, unchanged, even if he hadn't been there. Everything couldn't be affected.

He'd almost been at home when it struck him. The loneliness, an empty feeling inside him.

Nothing familiar waited for him in that house. Ryoga, his brother, was a stranger to him. His mother was so different she might as well been a stranger. His father was… dead and there was no Karupin. Nothing that made him think of home was inside the house that was meant to be home.

He took a train as close to the place he could get and walked the rest of the way. Warmth filled him once he saw the familiar sign, 'Kawamura Sushi'. He couldn't help the smile of relief.

Hesitantly he slid open the door and stepped in. The man behind the counter was familiar, and Ryoma nearly greeted him by his name, but managed to stop himself just in time.

In a daze he sat by the counter and placed his order. The man made his food, gave it to him and yelled, "Takeshi, you done piling those boxes yet?"

"Soon dad!" Ryoma's heart skipped a beat when he recognized the voice and he hid his face by staring at his food. Taka-sempai.

"Hello Kawamura-san!" Momo-sempai!

"Momoshiro! And Kikumaru, Kaidoh, Fuji… Did you all come?" Kawamura's father asked.

"Everyone but Tezuka. He's in Kiyushuu now," Oishi answered.

"Oh, I heard about his arm from Takeshi. Any news?"

"The arm has already healed, but Tezuka is there visiting friends," Oishi came to stand next to Ryoma, and the boy was having trouble not to turn and look at his sempai and… hug him! "We went to watch their games at the Nationals, they made it to the finals and faced Rikkai. They lost, of course, but they're all great players! They had a first year on their team and he was as good as Tezuka!"

"And that's saying something then, isn't it?" Ryoma stole a glance and saw that the older Kawamura was amused by Oishi's enthusiasm. Ryoma thought it was wrong for Oishi to be so happy about another team's success in the Nationals, not about his own team winning it.

"But I wish we'd gotten in to the Nationals," Oishi sighed. "It would have been great to be there!"

"Hyoutei took our place and lost to Rikkai," Momo said from somewhere behind Ryoma. "You think we would've even stood a chance against Rikkai? You saw them! They're way above us in every way!"

Pathetic! Ryoma wanted scream and yell at them. It didn't sound like Momo-sempai at all, to admit someone was better than him so easily.

"Perhaps, but I would have liked to have a chance to play against Renji," Inui spoke out loud. "And I do not think we would have faired as badly as you seem to think, Momo."

"Eeeh, really?" Momo shouted.

"I have collected data," Ryoma turned to look behind him and saw Inui take out his notebook. "On Rikkai Dai's players and I have all of your," there was a cough from Fuji. "Well, most of your data, and I have concluded that we might have been able to win some of the games. But not necessarily the whole match."

"Nya, that's cool Inui!" Kikumaru yelled and apparently decided it was a reason to glomp Oishi. Ryoma almost wished Kikumaru-sempai would glomp him…

None of them seemed unhappy, they were content with the way things were. They weren't depressed that they'd missed the Nationals. Why should they, it was just a middle school competition, after all.

But then Ryoma's eyes locked with Kaidoh's. There was bitter disappointment on the older boys face as he watched Inui speak about the possibilities of their winning against Rikkai, hunger for victory.

Ryoma looked at his sempais again, more thoroughly this time. They were all disappointed, but all were hiding it for the sake of others. They'd wanted to win. With Ryoma, they would have.

He looked down to his right and saw Oishi's tennis bag on the floor, a tennis racket sticking out of it. He didn't miss just tennis, he missed his sempais too.

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"Wasn't that a Rikkai student?" Fuji asked when Ryoma had left.

"Huh?" Momo asked.

"The kid that just left. He had a Rikkai uniform," Kaidoh said.

"Why would someone from Rikkai come all the way here for sushi?" Momo snorted.

"Burning! Kawamura's sushi is the best sushi you'll ever eat! Ora, ora, oraaa!"

"Who gave Taka-san a racket?"

"Fu, fu, fu."

"Fujiko!"

"It wasn't me."

"No one else but you ever gives Taka-san a racket, Fuji!"

"Greato! Kawamura sushi burniiiing! "