Chapter 4: False Strength
A/N: Sorry for the long wait been busy as usual. Thanks for the reviews BTW. Read and review onegai…
"Ryuuzaki-sensei?! Who would Sakuno call her grandmother that?" the Seigaku regular with brushed up hair whispered loudly to the one wearing a bandana. "How should I know? Ssshhh," Kaidou glared at Momoshiro. Because… I'm no longer her grandmother… the old coach silently replied as she led the way back to their hotel.
His amber cat-like eyes watched as how the girl and her coach walked side by side as if they don't know each other. What the hell is happening? Quietly, Ryoma followed the rest back to their hotel as he inwardly tried to figure out what was wrong with the picture.
Dinner that night was unusually silent. Probably because everyone could feel that their old coach is not in the mood to deal with their mischief. "Ryuuzaki-sensei…" everyone looked up to see an old woman wearing a plain light blue kimono. "May I have a word with you?" the old woman requested as their dinner ended. Their coach agreed and dismissed everyone.
"Where are you going Momo?" the semi-bald vice captain asked as he saw the said member sneak out of their room with his tennis racket. "Oops, hehe I'm going to practice in the nearby court sempai," without waiting for another word Momoshiro dashed out of the room. "Oi!" Oishi called out. "Let him practice. He probably wants to work out his stress… speaking of which… where's Kaidou?" the smiling genius looked around as did the others.
As the Seigaku regular with brushed up hair walked the lighted sidewalk he caught sight of someone wearing the same blue and white jacket as his. "AH! What the hell are you doing here following me?!" he rudely pointed the guy wearing a bandana. "If I was following you then why the hell am I walking ahead of you, idiot hissssss!!!" they began their usual routine of insulting and blaming each other as they walked to the nearby tennis court.
The sound of a tennis ball hitting the ground made the two stop arguing. "Are someone's still using the court," Momoshiro strained to see who it was. Kaidoh's eyes narrowed dangerously as he saw SIX players on one side of the court while there was only ONE player on the other. "Isn't that Ryuugan's Uniform… that's Sakuno…" the two Seigaku regulars watched as the six girls served their ball at their single opponent. "What the hell are they doing?!" Momoshiro was about to interrupt but someone held him back. "Let go Viper! They're hurting her!" the single player tried to return or block most of the balls but there were those that hit her head, knees and body.
"She's fighting… if we interrupt… she wouldn't appreciate our help," his grip on his teammate's arm tightened as he saw the girl fall upon being hit on the knee. Still the six girls kept on hitting her with their serves. "This'll teach you not to embarrass us again," the captain hit the last ball with all her strength. Sakuno groaned as her stomach received the full blow.
As soon as the six Ryuugan players left the scene, Kaidoh and Momoshiro rushed to her side. She was in terrible shape… bruises and cuts allover her body. "Sempai," she tried to get up but the she was too weak. "Come on we'll take you to the hospital," the one wearing a green bandana was about to carry her but then she refused. "I'm fine… I'm used to it anyway," she said in her meek tone as she grabbed her racket. "What do you mean used to it? Do they do this to you often?!" Momoshiro and Kaidoh helped her to sit on a nearby bench.
"Please… if you really care… don't tell anyone about what you saw this night," she finally had the strength to stand up and looked at the two seriously. Without saying anything, the two reluctantly nodded their head and watched her fix herself then limp away.
"Momo-sempai, Kaidoh-sempai, you two are back early," the youngest regular welcomed the two. Everyone in the room grew quiet for a while as they saw the look in their faces. It was as if they were forced to eat something they did not like. "Eh… someone's using the court," Momo tried to act usual. "I'll be turning in then," Kaidoh muttered then head for his bed.
The I-wonder-what-happened look was on everyone's faces as they observed the two… it was record breaking… they were put in the same room without fighting!!!
The next morning, "Pack-up everyone we're moving out!" everyone blinked cluelessly after their old coach announced something they thought of as a joke. "What?" the confused Momo tilted his head trying to understand her statement. Does she want them to get ready for practice and move out or does she really want them to get their luggage and really move out?
"What are you staring at me for? I found a better place for us to stay so pack you things and let's move out," the door slammed shut leaving the stunned tennis team unmoving. "What was that about Tezuka?" the acrobatic player jumped from his bed to his captain's. "I have no idea," the captain pushed his glasses back as he shook his head slowly.
"WOW!!!" Eiji and Momoshiro said in awe as they alight the bus and stood right in front of a big mansion. "COME ON BABY?!" Takashi waved his racket wildly while the others evade his strikes. "This is where we'll be staying?" Their captain humbly asked their coach. "Ah, the old woman who talked to me last night offered her place thinking it would be better for us to stay here. We're allowed to use the facilities here free of charge," Ryuuzaki led the way to the grand entrance.
"Welcome," the old maid opened the door for them. The inside was better than the outside. It was not that grand like houses with chandeliers or something but it is homey. "My mistress is out but she told me to show you around," she politely bowed and so did the Seigaku team.
"My mistress told me that you will be utilizing a room for each player. Your rooms are on the second floor. This is the receiving area…" it was like a tour inside a grand Japanese house. There were fish ponds and cherry blossom gardens, sliding doors and tatami mats but most of all they had facilities like several tennis courts, swimming pools and a huge public bath house they can use free of charge.
"Ano… may I ask why every room has a digital alarm clock?" the smiling genius recalled as they walked around the gym. "Ah, thank you for reminding me. You are not allowed to touch those. They belong to the mistress' partner… she does most of the managing herself but aside from managing the bath house she has four part time jobs to think of so her schedule is very organized.
"Do you like what you see?" the old woman from last night approach them wearing a plain yellow kimono. "It's paradise!" Eiji jumped on Momoshiro and Ryoma's back. "I'm glad you liked. My name is Tsubaki by the way," she bowed elegantly. The others did their introductions politely as well. "I'm sorry I can't introduce you to my partner. She rarely stays at home," Tsubaki apologized as they re-entered the main house.
"Are… it seems I can introduce you to her after all," the old woman smiled as she saw a pair of rollerblades stacked properly in the shoe cabinet. "Roller skates? What kind of old hag would wear those things?" Momoshiro, Takashi and Eiji tried to suppress their laughter.
"That's…" Fuji's statement made the others look at the direction he and Ryoma was looking.
His body froze as his amber cat-like eyes looked at the sleeping figure on the coach closely. She still has her baseball cap on but he immediately knew who she was. "Sa…" his trembling voice was drowned by the sound of the alarm on the coffee table.
The sleeping figure stirred then slowly opened her hazel eyes. Her cap dropped quietly on the carpeted floor as her long silky tresses flowed elegantly behind her back.
Her heart stopped for about a few beats as she held eye contact with a pair of amber eyes. Ryoma… this can't be true… why is he… "Let me introduce you to my partner… Sakuno," the old woman walked to her side and tapped her shoulder.
A/N: Whoa what a great turn don't you think? Read and review please…