Well Fuji's got his hands on Ryoma's little secret and he is GOING TO EXPLOIT it. What will Ryoma end up as?

CHAPTER: tennis... WHAT?

"Fine. Dammit. I'll do it kay?" Ryoma replied rudely, snapping at Fuji's demand.

Fuji smiled, seemingly unaffected by it.

"Ja see you tomorrow at 6:30."

Ryoma sulked his way home. He was insulted. His pride was hurt. He had swore never to go back to tennis but yet… that poison prince just have to make him. Ryoma dug his hands into his pockets. It was late. School let out at 3pm but now it was 5pm. He kicked a random stone that was in his way.

"Tadayimas" he called. As usual, there was no reply. Nanjiro was probably at the temple. His mother was probably somewhere in the kitchen preparing for dinner. Sometimes he wondered if they would accidentally forget his meal or something and cook only for 3 people. Ryoma sighed, trudging up the stairs to his room. He threw his backpack onto his bed where Karupin his cat has previously rested, giving it a start. Karupin meowed in protest. Ryoma smiled sadly at his cat. His closest family member would most probably be his cat.

Ryoma played with his cat for a while. It always helped to take his minds of things. Then Ryoga reached home together with Nanjiro, probably from the temple courts. They had dinner together in silence (on Ryoma's part) while Ryoga went on and on about the tennis tournament today.

Today's only homework was English, easy for Ryoma. In half an hour he finished his work, packed up and tried to get into bed, but he couldn't. "dammit. All his fault." Ryoma cursed under his breath. Then he sat up. The thick philosophy book caught his eye. Having nothing better to do, he opened the book at a random page and read. But whatever he was reading wasn't registering into his brain. Sighing with defeat, he gave up reading and flopped to bed, dozing into sleep.

Ryoma woke at 5:40 hoping that he didn't. but the household was awake for Ryoga's morning tennis practice and Ryoma couldn't help but wake up. He was a light sleeper. He washed up to the usual morning noise which didn't concerned him. Sitting down at the dining table became more of a habit then not. He ate his breakfast silently.

"Chibisuke!" Ryoga called from the top of the stairs. "Fetch my towel from the clothes dryer? I'm running late." then without waiting for Ryoma's response, he disappeared from Ryoma's view.

Ryoma sighed and headed to the clothes dryer. Ryoga's blue and white striped towel was folded neatly on the top of the pile. Ryoma took it. He didn't really feel that arguing with his brother this morning, just not this morning. He was already hating this day even before it started.

Since a long time, it was the first morning that the two brothers walked to school together. As 'together' as they would ever be. Ryoga was walking in front and Ryoma was behind him about 10 paces back. A random passerby would never have the thoughts that they were brothers.

"Ne Chibisuke, I saw you at the high schooler tennis yesterday." Ryoga said into the air in front of him, not bothering to turn back. Ryoma didn't know what to make of his brother statement. Was he teasing him? Praising him? Jeering him?

"Mah na." He said, just as emotionlessly, totally unreadable.

"What did Fuji-kun say to you?" Ryoga asked suddenly.

Ryoma sulked and pouted, but said nothing. He was never going to repeat to anyone whatever Fuji had said that day. No sane victim would repeat his perpetrator's threat to a third party who would just make fun of him more, not need to embarrass himself more.

Ryoga didn't talk anymore. He just walked on.

Ryoma didn't talk anymore either. He just walked on.

The two brothers, as unalike as two brothers can be, walked to school in silence.

"Ohayo Ryoga-kun." a senpai greeted Ryoga as they met up coincidentally nearing the gates of the school.

"Oh. Ohayo buchou-san!" Ryoga smiled, a playboyish smile. Ryoma used his special fading into the background skill. It made his presence undetectable. It was skill he picked up later on, a real convenient skill.

The high school tennis buchou and Ryoga walked together like they were friends from long ago, though Ryoma was convinced that they had only met now and then, but they kicked in together perfectly. Two of a kind.

"buchou-san, I hear you've got a brother in chuugaku (middle school) now?" Ryoga asked.

"Mah na." the buchou replied with a tinge of sorrow in his voice.

"Is he pro like buchou in tennis?" Ryoga grinned, teasing. Ryoma called it sucking up to the boss.

"Mah. He's got abilities." Buchou said vaguely, like it was a deep matter.

Ryoga who finally sense the atmosphere, quietened down.

The two approached the sports gate of Seiyou Academy. Or wait, it was the trio. (Ryoma's fade into background technique is so good that even the author forgot him) at the gates, the buchou who had been quiet all the way there said, "I think you would know him. He joined tennis chuugaku as freshman last year. You recall a guy called Hitoshi Kenji?"

"Hitoshi Kenji?" Ryoga thought, his eyebrowed furrowed into deep thought. Suddenly his eyes blinked with recognition. "You meant that Kenji is your brother? He is…... nothing like you." He said.

"Yeah. I know"

"But… but… his skills…" Ryoga stuttered, embarrassed to say that his skills sucked real bad.

"He hates tennis. But our family line, you know since my father was in tennis pro arena and so were of 2 generations of grandparents and great grandparents, the pressure of him doing tennis is high, especially since I won't be able to continue the family name."

"EH?" Ryoga said in surprise. "You are not going pro?"

"I had a weak heart since birth. Something to do with my blood vessel and heart. It worsened recently so I get fatigued very easily. For now, I'm still somehow holding to my position as buchou but in the pro tennis arena I won't be able to survive." the buchou said. "that's why, otou-san (father) had been pressuring Kenji to go pro. He has talent, he has stamina but he just doesn't want to."

Ryoga remained thoughtfully silent. The gates of the school loomed up before them.

The pair made their way past the security post into the school compound. The tennis courts came into view. These courts were the middle schooler tennis courts, the high school tennis courts were a little further back.

"Keep that a secret kay?" the buchou suddenly spoke up, a brighter and more cheerful tone. "I'm telling you because if you become the next buchou-san, I hope you can look after my otouto." he gave a brief smile as he jogged over to the teacher's block.

"Ja I need to meet coach a while. So head to the courts first." He called back as he jogged. Ryoga nodded back while Ryoma turned and walked into the chuugaku tennis court compound.

"Ohayo Ryoma-kun." the first person who spotted him was, thankfully not Fuji. It was the male who Ryoma had tripped over in the library. He introduced himself as…. Oh yeah, Oishi., the fuku buchou.

"Ohayo." ryoma replied curtly, making sure he felt unwelcomed.

Oishi smiled awkwardly. He had been warned by Fuji that Ryoma was hard to deal with.

"Urm. Buchou is in that equipment room. They are waiting for you." Oishi said. Ryoma nodded and walked towards the room that oishi had pointed out to him.

Oishi had said, 'they' and if the fuku buchou is out here. The only 'they' would be….

Ryoma stepped through the open door. As he thought, there stood the buchou and of course, the poison prince, Fuji. Fuji smiled his angelic smile and greeted him.

"Ohayo." Ryoma muttered, nodding a greeting to the buchou.

There was a third person in the room, an old women. The baa-baa stood between the two males. There was winkles on her face. She struck Ryoma as the type that Ryoma had difficulties in handling.

"Oh so you are Echizen Ryoma, brother to Echizen Ryoga!" the women said, looking at him. "Hmm. You guys do look alike."

"but I don't do tennis." Ryoma interrupted her rudely.

Tezuka-buchou gave him a reprimanding stare which shut him up.

"Ryoma-kun, this is the tennis coach Ryuzaki-sensei." Tezuka introduced. Ryoma nodded a greeting to the teacher as well.

"So I guess, our club finally found a manager." Ryuzaki-sensei said, all beams.

Ryoma said nothing.

Fuji smiled his poison angel smile.

yep. MANAGER! :D laughs! The coach guess by one the reviewer was very very good but he's a freshmen so i felt putting him suddenly as coach is a bit of a stretch but well, truthfully i just wanted "bully" Ryoma a little. HAHA! :D Imagine him working with INUI to count tennis balls! O.O (opps slight spoiler for next chapter)

But Ryoma fans out there, including myself, doesn't worry. He's not gonna be stuck as a MANAGER forever. You'll see that soon :D

Shiroi MI

Thank you for reading! Do review if you feel like it! :DDDD