(I can't stop saying this) Thank you for reading this far guys! Special hugs to those who let me know their thoughts by reviewing, fav'ing, subscribing, and/or adding this to their respective C2s. You guys are awesome!
Enjoy the chapter and please don't hesitate to leave some feedback. ; )
Please Read! [Summer vacation's coming in a few weeks now. Banzaiiiiii~! And sorry for the late update. School killed me..., and it still does. xD The queue has to be followed as well so I'd have to update my other fics. Hopefully readers of them will never get tired of giving some support so I wouldn't take so long on other fandoms. Haha. Yeah, as a warning until April I will most probably be unable to update weekly. :)]
DISCLAIMER: I WISH I Own Prince of Tennis
…
CHAPTER XVI: The Truth
"I'll convert you into one, then."
After that, Ryoma went blank, especially as he kissed her again. It was so unexpectedly and yet utterly gentle, and it felt like this could go on forever. She couldn't think anymore—or rather, she didn't want to.
She unconsciously knew that thinking too much might reveal something that would make this moment stop.
She couldn't let that go on for long, though. Eventually, a part of her started demanding an explanation. Mentally, she heaved a sigh, and put some mind on her hands resting on top of his broad and strong shoulders. It seemed she reflexively put them there to keep a little distance from them as they embraced, and he soon pushed him softly.
"This is hard to absorb, Seichi." She said weakly as he stared at her. He was not appalled. On the contrary, he seemed to be expecting it. And for the first time she saw fear.
She gulped.
Seichi, he... really had let go, hadn't he? That mask he wore since as far as she could remember, overlayed by an ever guarded and more hostile mask a few years back, was showing again... to the point it didn't feel like he was wearing any of his facades anymore.
But she told herself not to lose her footing too quickly. If this turned out to be like the previous night; she doubted she would overcome her depression quickly. And with that line of thought memories.., too many for her liking, sneaked inside her brain.
She looked at him as firmly as she could, and he did the same. "What did those kisses mean?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
She stared at him. After what happened the previous night—or any other days, nights, and midnights for that matter, wherein he did some ambiguous things? Her answer, without a doubt, was: "No."
They stared at each other for a while, trying to get as much reason and logical abilities back to their heads. And soon, to her surprise (and utter delight) he flushed. He looked away and eyes soon registered panic.
"I panicked. The instinctive reaction was to lie... and say the rudest things. I apologize."
Her eyes widened.
"Ryoma?" He called and she shook her head.
Fear and lies. It had been eating both of them. Her throat dried and she looked at him worriedly. Obviously, this was time to clear everything up… right? She took all her courage to speak.
She looked at him serenely, apologetically, and everything that would make anyone insecure. "I'm sorry." She said weakly and he only stared. She sucked it up and gestured to tell him everything now.
"I'm sorry, but I—" But she was (again) cut off by him locking his lips with her. She frowned and gestured to continue speaking when she gently pushed him away.
"Sei—" Again.
"Pleas—" And Again…
Her eyes twitched. He wasn't allowing her to speak at all!
Then again, she probably wouldn't be able to utter anything coherent. She succumbed in the end and soon, he finally seemed to calm and he looked at her. "Tell me you are converted now."
Huh? Did he misunderstand her apology?
"I—"
"Please Ryoma-kun." He pleaded, out-of-nowhere, surprising her to no end. And he placed his head on her shoulder, and embraced her. Once again, by reflex, she let her arms separate the two of them. Mostly she was embarrassed to be too close; the fact that it was actually hiding her chest area was a corollary she unconsciously created.
"I don't want to marry a random woman my parents chose for me. Not only am I a quirk, but I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
She couldn't speak. Not that he'd let her do otherwise.
"What about… your parents?" was all she could inquire about. She was suddenly too tired to open anything else up. She wanted to make sure, first, that Seichi was fully up to this. She knew how important they, his parents, were to him. They were his life, especially his father. Disappointing them was his biggest fear.
She knew that… didn't she?
And then she realized, she was so stupid not to even consider that he really did have feelings for her—stopped by those very fears. All this time, she had been wondering what his feelings for her was and completely forgetting what were the other things that could be dominating his mind. And once again, by thoughtless reflex so shook her head. "I'm sorry…"
"No." He said immediately parting from her. He looked so stern and yet so gentle, and frankly Ryoma could only stare. "I'll convince them. Don't worry." He grabbed her hand. "I'll tell them the truth. So long as you're with me on this."
Frankly? She flushed and her eyes dilated to the largest they could get. Seichi's eyes widened and gave her another, but longer, peck on the lips. He looked so happy...
And she went silent after that, completely forgetting that there were a few more things that they had to clear up.
YUKIMURA RESIDENCE
As soon as the car stopped, Seichi practically dragged-carried her towards their parents. They saw their car outside the house and another red one, presumably the girl's. Her heart stomped and Seichi's hand only held her tighter.
They paused in the front door. "You know, Ryoma-kun, you can always push me away. You know you don't have to allow me to drag you along like this." he said, finally, after composing himself by a bit.
"I would never let anyone do that if I wasn't fine with it, Seichi."
"…"
"…"
Seichi eventually chuckled and opened the door. Ryoma was still at a blank state, really, too happy that she forgot everything else. Literally. And it was not good since they needed reason when they finally confronted their parents.
The corridor seemed so much longer than usual, and their steps were slow—not of reluctance, but of the desire to get more time… alone with the other, and for themselves to compose.
Soon, they arrived wherever their parents were and upped their guards. The adults were having tea in the living room but, looking around, there was no sign of the 'girl'.
Seichi held her hand even tighter before clearing his throat to announce their presence. The four adults stared at them and smiled. Ryoma and Seichi didn't know if they could see their blatantly entwined hands but their heads couldn't register everything at the moment.
"Welcome home."
"T-Tadaima." He added, forgetting about such formalities as his mind was in a haze.
"Is there anything you want to say, Seichi?"
It was then Seichi sighed—as if taking in every inch of courage he could muster. Ryoma never saw a side of him before, and her insides were filled with happiness—more so than it already was, and she didn't think it was possible.
"Otou-sama, Okaa-sama, I love Ryoma-kun." He paused. "No matter what happens I will not marry the woman you choose."
After a moment of silence and perhaps ensuring they heard right, the four looked at each other and freaking smirked. They didn't know if it was due to the haze their minds were having at the moment, but it was definitely unanticipated.
But then, they heard a new voice that came after a boisterous laugh. "Yohoho! Kids nowadays." The all turned to where the voice emanated from.
Slowly, something protruded from the dining room door. They soon realized it was closed shoes with high heels. It was red, and soon long curvaceous (plump, actually) legs revealed itself.
It was then that they heard Nanjiroh let out a blurp and ran to the common rest room to puke. The women ignored her and stared at the two beffudled kids.
"Seichi, meet the girl we were talking about earlier." Yuko said and they went back stared at the owner of the legs.
Their eyes twitched.
She had long flowing pink hair, red form-fitting dress, and expansive legs—and a very curvaceous form, alright! But…
"Yohohoho~"
It was an old woman!
"This is Ryuzaki Sumire." Rinko said with a stifled chuckle. "We chose her to play this part since any other (younger) ones would fall for you for real."
The two kids stared.
"What we we're trying to say is, kids, Ryuzaki was never engaged to Seichi in the first place." Yuko smiled. "that would just be disturbing. No offense Ryuzaki-san."
"None Taken."
"…"
After a minute or so, Nanjiroh returned and he and the old woman glared at each other. One saying 'disgusting Old hag' and the other 'brat' and 'I could definitely bring it!'. At he looked at their idiotic arguments, Seichi finally caught enough cool to speak.
"I still do not understand."
"We needed to move, after Rinko called—saying it was time to intervene." Rinko nodded.
"Yes. You're stubbornness is beyond the limits kids." And then she smirked. "Besides, it looks like it worked—seeing that you're holding hands and all already."
The two blushed and almost let go of each other's hand in embarrassment, but simultaneously went against it. The other's hand felt much too… right to even try to let go. But realizing Ryoma was willing to hold his hand until the end, Seichi took yet another breath and maintained the little bit of composure left inside him.
"Please explain further."
"We… vote for Ryoma. You two were arranged to be married ages ago."
Seichi looked at them with incredulous, but utterly hopeful eyes. Ryoma on the other hand, gaped at them.
"You do not mind that I am gay?"
Silence
And several pairs of very anxious eyes met, including Ryoma's.
Had no one told him she was a girl yet?
Oh, right.
.
.
…
/several minutes later/
Knock
"Seichi…"
Knock
"Seichi…"
Knock Knock
Still there was no answer. Ryoma stared at the door prior to heaving a heavy sigh. They told him right after and was he shocked. It was understandable, and after he glared at all of them he walked out of the living room and locked himself up. Ryoma followed him as soon as she got over his heart-breaking glare.
"Seichi..." She called again, but when there was still no answer she shook her head. She wondered what could get him out that didn't involve breaking the door...
She then looked at the ground, and then to the doorknob. "Seichi. Don't lock yourself up in your room like a child."
And after a few seconds of waiting at the door, it opened.
"Like a child?" he scoffed. "Speak for yourself."
"I'm sorry I forgot to tell you on the way here." She heard a sardonic chuckle.
"I was too happy." Silence. And he looked away.
"Besides… I did try to tell you back at school you know. It was just that you never allowed me to finish." It was true and for the first time that argument, he looked at her.
"Seichi…" She whispered and walked closer. He upped his guard and slightly diminished the opening of the door.
"I'll do anything you want just let me talk to you face to face."
"I am looking at you." he said, doing just that to make his point. She shook her head.
"No, you're not. You're looking at my direction. You're forcing yourself."
"What's so bad about trying to be objective? For all you know I might be strangling you if I wasn't." She frowned.
"What's the big deal, anyway?" She said as if she didn't know. "You're not really gay are you?"
And with that, the door opened revealing a very angry bocchama. He frowned and grabbed her arm to drag her in.
BAM!
"Don't you get it, you idiot!?" he yelled right in front of her face as he caged her in, back resting on the wall adjacent the door. "You have no idea how confused I was trying to dismiss the desire I have for you. You had no idea how hard I tried and you just keep making it harder and harder for me—no matter how many times I push you away."
"I didn't realize—" She didn't realize before that morning behind school, but realizing that that same morning was not early enough. It was why she apologized, but then he went and assumed things and she wasn't able to explain herself.
"Of course you didn't, you're an idiotically dense idiot!" Ok, great, now he wouldn't let her speak again. "Was it fun to pretend to be a boy?"
"It wasn't. But you'd fire—"
"Oh, I woul—" She cut him off too, by doing the same thing he did. The kiss lasted for a while until Seichi finally remembered he wasn't supposed to succumb and he pushed her back to the wall.
"That's not fair."
"You were kissing me back though."
"Tsk."
"So are you firing me as your fiancée, too?"
"…"
"Well…?" They stared at each other for a while, trying hard to remain calm despite feeling the other's warm breaths. It wasn't easy, but Seichi was a Yukimura for a reason.
"I will not accept the bethrodal, not unless you tell me why you lied."
"I…" She looked away. "They said they'll explain everything downstairs. Shall we?"
"No." He said, pinning her down firmly. "I want to hear what you know from you."
She stared. It would only be fair to agree, right? Besides..., her reasons. They were not that deep and they were thoroughly selfish. Perhaps it was the main reason she was so scared in admitting it.
"I get why you had to cross dress to be my guard." Seichi initiated, finally walking back a step to give both of them some breathing space. "Why did you become my guard anyway?"
"I highly doubt it's because they wanted an unconventional way for fiancées to meet. Correct?"
"…"
"Tell me."
She could only look down, before finally looking straight to his eyes. "I'd like to apologize in advance for my selfishness and the suffering I brought upon you."
He nodded. "Indeed." He walked closer and held her chin. "I'll be expecting a good reward after this. Perhaps a minimum 10 kisses a day would suffice. Is that understood?" And he kissed her cheek.
"You bloody pervert." He laughed and stepped back again. She heaved a sigh, deciding to finally get it over with. She sat down the floor in Seiza and Yukimura followed.
"Seichi…" She said and looked at him. "One of the things I admired about you was that, even under the insane pressure on you, you never faltered." She paused, blushed, and looked away. "Not like I did."
"You?"
"Hai. Four years ago…"
Seichi stared. That was around the same time he was hospitalized, as well.
"We had an extended vacation here in Japan, at the request of my grandmother." She said scratching her cheek. "The family lived in America before that, but…"
"But?"
"My brother, Ryoga, was supposed to guard you." She said with evident sadness in her eyes that made Yukimura regret he ever asked. "But he ran away.
"It devastated everyone, including… me."
"Somehow tennis was the only connection I had with him. Karupin, too, of course. But I'd rather not share him."
"I spent all my time for tennis, but I was never able to beat father. I felt it was because of my... biology." She reluctantly looked at him. "For a while, I didn't seem to improve. It soon got to me.
"My mother, too, who was a lawyer back then… was worried for my lack of social skills."
"And like you... their opinions are important to me. And you could say that even with my pompous attitude, my ego gets crushed when it came to the people that mattered."
"I met a friend... with a similar situation. Our ideals met and there was more reason to what I did appeared.
"I just wanted to run away.
"And I did."
There was a long, awkward, and domineering silence between them after that. Ryoma was too embarrassed to speak, and Seichi could see that. Frankly, Yukimura didn't think further. He just felt... guilty of making her speak.
Don't get him wrong. He was glad to finally know. And the fact that she was afraid to tell him because she didn't want to disappoint him and that she admired him from the beginning made him happy. But to see her relive those events, to recall the pain she caused her loved ones... was excruciating to some degree even for him.
He extended his hand and held her cheek up so he could see her beautiful golden eyes better. It quickly widened when he took her in his arms. He smiled. "You don't disappoint me."
"And the fact that you came into my life because of what you did was a blessing." He smiled and he felt her twitch. So please continue with your story." She twitched again, probably surprised that he knew there was more in the story. He wanted to hear it, and he was there to make sure that she, even under the pain she'd be reliving, would know he was there.
"Please." he repeated and held her tighter. For the first time, she wrapped her arms around him and they realized how well they fit. Ryoma shut her eyes and held him tighter.
"This was supposed to be punishment."
"And frankly? I didn't quite feel punished at all. First because of you... and second, because I deserved much worse."
He flinched. "No you do not. Having your freedom stripped away like that should be-"
"I'm not finished yet Seichi." She intervened softly.
"I ran away. It brought them even more pain. And...
"I even caused my grandmother's death."
.
.
END OF CHAPTER XVI
Coming Soon:
CHAPTER XVII: The Talk
REPLIES TO ANGELS
Again, thank you so much everyone~!
And for those who doesn't know. CTRL+F'll help you find my replies. XD
xDarkxKurox-Thank you for the review and yay~! I'm happy I made you happy. lolololol. And I know it's completed. Main reason why I fav'ed it on the first chap, xD Looking forward to reading everything this summer. Expect my comments every chap tho. Hahaha
o0violetphoenix0o- And she did! In this chapter. lol. It wasn't that dramatic but oh well. Hehehehe. Thank you for the comment, by the way~! xD
Darkspider- Hahahaha. Yes, he did confess! xD Now it's Ryoma's turn. *cackles* And lol-unclezoned. Pffttt- And about Atobe. That was the original plan. But as I write my other fem! Ryoma story, I eventually changed it up. Hehehe. And wai-what? You're a nomad in your own country!? Fear not, my friend! The internet is home for everyone. lool. Thanks for the review~! P.S. I think it's admirable you still returned after that happened. xD If I got hacked I'd probably lose interest. T_T
DT- Loool. Yay for Yuko! xDD But the reason of why Ryoma wasn't telling (don't read the rest of this reply if you haven't read this chapter yet) was simply because she was scared. It shows how much she admires Seichi tho. ;) And thanks for the comment~
Minteleafeon- It didn't take that long. loooool. With all the skinship, Yuki was bound to find out anyway. hahaha. And banzai Sanada! May you (eventually) have your own happy ending. xD Thanks for the comment~
Yuu- Thank you for the review~! Ahahahaha. Glad you thought it was cute! :D
Natasya Ivashkov- lol. Thank you for the comment~! Glad you liked the chapter and here's the next chap~ Hope ya' liked it as well. ;)
xXHalfPrinceXx- Lololol. Yeah! Took him long enough! *cackles* Thanks for the comment, btw~
DragonFire Princess- Thank you for the review~! It has been noted and I hope to make it even better~! \0/
kuragirl93- Ahahahah. Thank you for the review! lol. It's awesome that you thought it was epic. xD
xXRandomnessPrevailsXx- Ahaha. Happy to hear the feels attacked you, then! trolololol. And oh yeah, here's the update~! This chapter (16) somewhat reveals why Ryoma didn't want to say btw~ It's not that dramatic but...yeah. Gyahaha. Thank you for the review, by the way~! ;)
FranscoiseLaraLapis- Yeah. T_T Sanada's so awesome. Let us hug him together. lololololol. And oh yeah~! Thank you for the review, by the way~! xD
shanagi95- Yep~ This chap opened the bag lol. And gehehe. I won't say anything about Ryoma keeping up her cross-dressing gig tho. I'll show you my decision on that next chap. xD Thanks for the comment~
Yuki Masaharu- Eh? Gehehe~ Thank you for the review! I'm happy to hear it is mindblowing and unpredictable~ I hope to keep it up til' the end. xD Do tell me if I'm losing it tho. ;)
JuRy28- ahaha. Niou's such the charmer, isn't he? XD Thank you for the reviews and I'm glad to read you love this~! Fuji wouldn't be appearing soon though... perhaps a few chaps. XD
Clavemien Nigram Rosa- Gyahaha. Ridiculously cute promise? XDDD Glad you thought they were cute as well~! Especially that it made your day. *blushes* Thank you for the review, by the way~!
TPOK- What are you talking about? XD Of course I remember you! I'm familiar with everyone who reviews me. Hehe. One of the reasons I reply this way. ;) First of all, thank you for the review! Ahaha. Glad you liked the story so much and I'll do my best to keep it that way. Hehe. And btw, don't dislike the sciences! There's always brainwashing yourself to liking them. gahaha
BrokenBlackCat- but we already did join Niou! The only lacking bit is his pocorn. *hands you a box of popcorn* Thank you for the review, btw, and hope this chap answered your... questions? XD
Shii- Nyahaha. Have you read this chap (ch16) yet? The girl is revealed here and I'm sure you would LOVE her. hahahahha. Thank you for the review and I'm happy I madey ou laugh. ;D
deadlycute17- *makes Niou wipe your nosebleed for you* gehe. Thank you for the review and I'm relieved to read you liked the chapter~! xD Hopefully, the following chaps'll be good too~
PurpleScorpion- lol. It is? Hehehe. Well, I hinted (very subtly tho) that he was already considering that it was impossible to push her away in chapter 15. It is why he said so many mean things. ;) And loool- Hopefully this chap made you soften up to bipolar-yuki~!xD Thanks for the review, btw~
TunaForDesert- What? NO! Yuki make her go back down here! hahaha. And the line you mentioned just means he's saying he's a homosexual as well. ;) Thanks for the comment~
kikumarucat- hahaha. Perhaps Sanada will, perhaps he won't. xD love triangles are just so complicated~! I'm still thinking how to make Sanada move in this. ;) Thanks for the review, btw~
Guest [2/27/13]- Ahahha. Glad to read that, then! xD Hope thestory's interestingness will not decrease. xD Thx for the review~
DigimonLoveForever- D'aww~. xD Thank you for the review~! And Gehhehe. I'm sure Yuki would love to hear he melted your heart. xD
WhitewingsFlutter- Nyahahaha. Indeed. Fell in love with him at first sight. XD Anyway, yay for Yuki~! It's weird how similar their (Fuji and Yuki)'s characters are and yet so... different. xD Thanks for the comment, btw~
mysweetcat- Ahahha. I wonder if we want to see the conversion. Pffft- I dunno if what I showed here is near the process. hahaha. No idea. xD Just wanted to make their lives complicated. Thx for the comment~
JigokuTenshi834- Ahahha. Evilgeniusawesomecliffies. With that in line, I'm so sorry this chap took so long even with the evilgeniuscliffy! :( SOmetimes school can be unstoppable. Thanks for the comment~
ShikiKira- lol. Sakuno? haha. This chapter'll be a pleasant surprise for you then. xD And Hehe. I'll consider your suggestion regarding Ryoga's entrance. ;) Thank you for the review!
Guest [3/16/13]- Once again two reviews came in with the same title. XD
The reply to the first review that started with 'OH MY GOSH' (haha)]: I agree~! The jealousy thing is always, for a girl, entertaining when it's the guy who's jelly. Hahah. Thank you for the review, I'm glad you loved the story, and I love you too. xDDD
the second one started w/ 'OMG': AHhahaha. Oh no no. I don;t think you'd wanna kick the 'fiance' in the head after reading this chap. xDD I love you too and thanks for the review~!
...
I'll delve deeper into her past... soon. xD Not now tho. ;) Be sure to take in the 'hints'! haha
Anyway, thank you for reading and please leave some feedback! Every one of them makes me soooo happy!