Chapter: THE CONFRONTATION!

The rumour about a super rookie spread like wildfire around the tennis club and the tennis network. Of course including the name of the super rookie, the brother of Echizen Ryoga the tennis king, Echizen Ryoma. Well, rumors being rumors, the story got rather twisted along way to become Ringa the son of Ryoga beat up a bunch of delinquents with a tennis racket and a tennis ball. The rumour got as far as the kouko tennis club section and the high school tennis club buchou also paid a visit to Tezuka to get the truth of this rumour.

"Hitoshi-senpai, cheers!" the chuugaku tennis club greeted as the well-respected tennis "Kunimitsu, can I have a word with you?" Hitoshi-buchou called. Tezuka nodded and walked towards him. "I have heard the rumour about a super rookie." He asked expectedly. "Follow me. I'll show you." Tezuka replied in keigo.

The two buchous walked towards the court which Tezuka had just left. They walked past Court A where the regulars were training with the 3rd years, Court B where the 2nd year and 3rd years were having practice matches, Hitoshi spotted his younger brother Kenji on the sidelines watching, and even past Court C where Ryuzaki-sensei was briefing the incoming new batch of selected freshmen numbering 20-some. Honestly, Hitoshi buchou was surprised. He had expected the super rookie to be in the incoming batch of 1st years but he kept his questions to himself.

Tezuka walked on, until they came to the very far end of the tennis courts area, the furthest bench from the courts, on it lay a very short male, eyes closed in a peaceful nap. "Echizen." Tezuka called. The young boy gave a small frown and forced himself awake. He sat up. "Buchou." He acknowledged dipping his hat a tad lower and covering his eyes.

"Echizen, this is Hitoshi-senpai from kouko tennis club." Tezuka introduced the taller man behind him. He had a firm build, well-trained muscles and a friendly smile on his face. Ryoma recognized the guy as the one Ryoga was talking to in the morning.

"Domo." He greeted groggily.

"So you are the super rookie?" Hitoshi-buchou asked.

'Ah…" Ryoma said, eyes stilled half closed. "hardly super rookie. I just stopped a fight that's all. It's all over exaggeration." He said casually, completely uninterested and waving the matter off like it was just another irritating summer mosquito. Hitoshi eyes the body build of the younger boy still seated on the bench. He definitely did sports, competitive sports.

"I heard Fuji recommended you in. Why?" Hitoshi asked.

"I don't know. Why not you ask him instead?" Ryoma said in a couldn't-be-bothered tone.

'Echizen." Tezuka said firmly, disapproval in his tone. "Sorry." Ryoma apologized, bowing his head slightly in apology.

"So… do you play tennis?" Hitoshi-buchou asked.

"no. I don't play tennis." Ryoma said very firmly.

"So did you play tennis before?" Hitoshi-buchou asked suddenly. This question caught Ryoma off-guard. Everyone had asked him whether he plays tennis, which the answer is truthfully no. But no one had ever bothered to ask if he had played tennis before.

"So I take it that you had." Hitoshi-buchou said, smiling seeing Ryoma's distinct lack of response. That short exchange told Ryoma one thing. Hitoshi-senpai is not someone to mess with. He mentally add him to the list of people to avoid, after Fuji and Tezuka-buchou as well as Ryuzaki-sensei for a different reason.

"Say Kunimitisu, can I get a court and play him now?" Hitoshi-senpai asked. Ryoma stood up in surprise and shock.

"Ehh.. I don't play tennis. I…" he was at lost for words.

"but you played tennis before right?" Hitoshi said, a small victorious smile on his face. His eyes narrowed and his voice serious.

"I… I…" Ryoma had nothing to say to that. He was never a natural liar.

"So is it possible?" Hitoshi-buchou asked, ignoring the stuttering younger boy to face Tezuka again who still had his stoic face on.

"No problem." Tezuka said in return, still expressionless.

The three of them walked back towards the courts. Hitoshi and Tezuka were in the front talking while Ryoma was tagging behind. He wanted to run away. He had a feeling that this match was going to lead to something big, something that he didn't want to happen. But for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to disobey the two buchou, just as somehow he couldn't disobey Tezuka. He sighed inwardly and just walked.

Tezuka got back into the courts. Oishi was now doing warming up exercises with the freshman, running and swing practice in the empty area beside the courts. Court C was empty and available. The three of them stepped through the metal gate.

"Buchou, I don't have a racket." Ryoma said, probably the lamest excuse ever to get out of a match.

"I'll get you one." Tezuka said.

"Kunimitsu, get me one too. I didn't bring mine over." Tezuka nodded once and left towards the clubhouse near Court A where Kawamura and Momoshiro were having a power showdown with Kikumaru as the referee. Fuji and Kaidoh were by the courts watching.

"kaidoh!" Tezuka called. 'Fetch me two spare rackets from the clubhouse and some spare balls." Kaidoh nodded and started into a jog.

"Fuji." Tezuka called. Fuji looked up, his eyes closed with a smile. But somehow his smile said i-know-exactly-what-is-going-on.

"what is it Tezuka?" Fuji asked.

"Come with me."

Ryoma and Hitoshi-senpai waited awkwardly in the courts for Tezuka to return. Ryoma stood at one end of the court, pointedly looking away from Hitoshi-buchou. On the other hand, Hitoshi was staring and looking intently at the younger boy.

"Why did you stop tennis?" Hitoshi asked. A familiar jolt of pain hit Ryoma…..

"I just stopped." Ryoma said firmly after a some moments of awkward silence.

"and now you don't want to play or you can't play?" Hitoshi-buchou continued.

Ryoma shuddered. Hitoshi-senpai had a way to get on his nerves. He was asking all the 'right questions', the very questions that Ryoma didn't want to confront himself. He had also know that he wanted to play, it wasn't that he didn't want to but he couldn't. whenever he picks up the tennis racket, although he would be excited about a challenge but within that feeling of tension, excitement and adrenaline, there would always be pain. Bad acute pain, almost to the point of paralyzing.

"are you running away from something?" Hitoshi's question penetrated Ryoma's thoughts.

Running away? Was he running away? No it couldn't be, he had always been the competitive, spirited boy… was he running away?

Just then the metal gate of Court C opened, Fuji and Tezuka stepped in. Upon seeing Fuji, Ryoma's heart sank. Why him of all people? Fuji was smiling his usual poisoned smile.

"Oh Fuji-kun, long time no see." Hitoshi called. Fuji smiled gracefully. Tezuka passed Ryoma and Hitoshi-senpai their rackets. Fuji headed up the umpire chair. So Fuji was here to umpire. Ryoma sighed. The two of them tested their rackets. It wasn't spectacular but in a good-enough condition.

"You serve." Hitoshi- senpai said, tossing the ball towards Ryoma which he caught with his left hand.

"I should just play like any average player. Get it over and done with… then move on." Ryoma muttered to himself. Gripping the racket with his right hand, he served an easy straight serve. Hitoshi-senpai returned with ease to a difficult corner of the court.

"That bastard." Ryoma muttered to himself as he sprinted after the ball, managing to catch it somehow and returned with a shallow cross to the left. Hitoshi had no problem catching up with it. He had good footwork and coordination, noted by Ryoma.

Hitoshi hit a deep straight in on the right court. Ryoma saw through that and were in position for the return. He hit a fast deep cross aiming to the extreme corner of the court.

Hitoshi saw through that and side-stepped in one graceful movement and headed to receiving position.

The ball flew exactly on course to the receiving racket of Hitoshi who returned with a drop volley.

'che' Ryoma said, sprinting forward with all his might and his racket outstretched towards the net. The ball was falling. REACH IT! Ryoma willed, with one final leap, he lounged for the ball, barely catching it and hitting it upwards with all the momentum he could muster from that position. Hitoshi returned the lob with a smash before the fallen Ryoma, scoring the point.

Despite all the previous intention to be a casual, dumb, talentless player to fool the buchou. Ryoma was angry and all reason just flew out of the window. Hitoshi senpai was toying with him, purposely just hitting that one inch beyond his reach. No, Ryoma furiously corrected himself. It wasn't actually out of his reach just that his body, dulled from long periods of rest, couldn't reach it. If he had been in top condition, he would have caught that kind of easy balls with an eye closed!

Ryoma was on fire. His old-self kicked in. the competition that he didn't want to give up even one point, the opponent that he didn't want to lose to – the samurai spirit.

Ryoma picked up the ball and went to the service line again. With one swift movement he served a straight high-speed slice serve, completely different in standard from the previous serve. Hitoshi was mildly surprised but was able to return it with ease.

After the serve, Ryoma ran up towards the net. Hitoshi saw this and smiled, returning the slice with a high lob.

"che." Ryoma turned back and jumped for a smash. But his short stature made him miss the sweet spot in his smash, causing him to lose control and the ball to go out. Fuji called, 20-love.

Ryoma landed near the net, breathing a little stood there in the middle of his side of the court coolly. "like I said, it seems like you want to play but you are running away from something." Ryoma looked up from his crouch. Hitoshi was back-facing him.

"I can see it in your tennis. You are strong or rather were strong but there's a certain hesitation in your tennis and somehow I sense pain." Hitoshi looked up, shielding his eyes from the sun's glare. "Stop running away Ryoma." He said.

Ryoma's eyes widened. He thought back to the past. He suddenly remembered a long forgotten scene from years ago when the incident was still recent. "You should stop running away already." Ryoga had said while munching on his orange. "Don't be a coward. You know, all the fuss about not playing tennis anymore…" Then Ryoma had snapped, yelling something back at him and running off with tears in his eyes.

Blinking, Ryoma returned to the court. The sun was furiously hot. Ryoma stood up slowly, fire blazing in his eyes. He walked back silently to the service line and bounced the ball. After 3-4 times, he stopped suddenly, gripping the ball with force and served hard. SMACK! The clear crisp sound as the racket strings collided with the ball. A warm sense of satisfaction and competitive spirit reawakened. There was still the bitter aftertaste of the pain, but the pain itself was gone. Hitoshi was surprised and impressed with the serve. As he returned the serve, he could feel it; the pressure from his opponent, the clear, focused and unmuddled serve and returns from Ryoma, the determination in his eyes and the excitement of the match. Ryoma's tennis had lost is bluntness and had a refocused kind of energy. Echizen Ryoma was back.

Sidestory.

Tennis practice had ended for the day and the sun was low. Only two figures remained on the tennis courts. One was Fuji and the other was Hitoshi. They were sitting on a bench in one of the courts

"Thank you Hitoshi-senpai for helping me out." Fuji said with a cool smile.

"No problem. I wasn't so convinced about the rumors until you came. But wow Fuji, your plan really worked out!" hitoshi said with warmth and friendliness.

"have you every known me to fail in my one of plans?" Fuji said with a slight tease.

Hitoshi laughed heartily. "Well no Fuji. I'm a living evidence of that isn't it?"

The two males laughed together as they recalled the common memories. "Well what's step 2 of the break Ryoma cocoon plan?" Hitoshi asked, handing Fuji a drink he just got from the vending machine.

"Soon to come." Fuji said mysteriously as he took a gulp from the drink and stood up. "well I think I'll take over from now. Behind the scenes manipulation is more my thing isn't it?"

"Right. Right' Hitoshi nodded as he too stood up.

"Ja see you around the school next time Fuji-kun."

"You too Hitoshi."