Thank you so much folks for the support so far! I love reading your feedbacks~
But it's just that school has been so devilishly hectic that if you—my lovely readers— are not there…, I honestly would've entered hiatus for a whole year.
So… special HUUUUUUUUUUUUGS!
WARNING: As hinted, they have 3 days before Ryoma goes to Tokyo. And a day corresponds to at least a day each… so yeah. xD
DISCLAIMER: I WISH I Own Prince of Tennis
…
CHAPTER XXI: Prelude
Thursday, the first out of the three days. Seichi and Ryoma went to school earlier than usual that day, to get themselves 'in the mood' to tell the team about rather difficult things. It was as usual, until they reached the point where they usually parted to dress.
"Where are you going?" Seichi asked and she tilted her head.
"To my dressing room…?"
"You can use mine now." He said nonchalantly pointing to the direction of the room especially furnished for him. It was in the administrator's floor. She shrugged and followed him there.
They arrived there before they knew it and Ryoma saw Seichi flinch and he looked at his pocket. He raised his phone and he looked at Ryoma. "You go ahead and change." She nodded.
"Hello?"
"Seichi-sama." A mature female voice said in a business-like and yet enthusiastic manner. Yukimura smiled. It must be good news.
"Yes, Maria?"
"We found his tracks."
And then his eyes winded up on the door by reflex, before smiling widely at the news. But then the moment his eyes landed on the wooden door—his mind showed him things and he immediately looked away to stare at the ceiling, this time trying to maintain blank thoughts.
It was no use though… knowing one's fiancée is changing clothing a few meters away was bound to release a few hormones.
"Seichi-sama?"The woman called once again in fluent English. He blinked as he was forced out of reverie and nodded.
"Good. Where are you now?"
"I have just arrived in Japan. The rest are following the trail."
"Very good." He said approvingly.
"I'll present the details later, is it alright Seichi-sama?"
He paused and looked at the door again with hint of disappointment in his eyes. A few hours with his Reina sacrificed? He wasn't so sure if he could do that. He paused to think and his eyes ended up back on the phone.
Unfortunately, he needed to know all the details about this… so he didn't have much of a choice. And so, he only heaved a silent sigh.
"Very well. Let's meet later."
"Hai."
And Yukimura seemed to have forgotten that Echizen Ryoma had an inhuman sense of hearing.
…
Later that day, the team (as usual) met at the center of the courts for the instructions. But contrary to what they were expecting, something else was announced. The serious faces of the buchou and his bodyguard certainly helped building up the tension.
Seichi slowly, but surely, started speaking… keeping in mind to minimize the glares sent to two certain teammates. "Ryoma-kun… will be sent as a transfer student to Seigaku. But only for a month."
"Ryoma-kun will be sent as a transfer student to Seigaku." (echo)
"Ryoma-kun will be sent as a transfer student to Seigaku." (echo)
.
.
"What?"
"I can tell they missed the 'one month'."
"It will only be for a month." Seichi repeated.
"A month's a long time! We're already done with the district tournaments by then!"
"Yeah."
But despite everything, internally Ryoma was surprised. She didn't think they'd mind so much. After all, the District tournament was a piece of cake even with just one or two regulars on the line-up…
But more than anything? She was touched. And it temporarily masked the annoyed feeling she had since earlier that morning because of what she overheard.
"It will be a good opportunity to keep track of the opponent." Was all she could say. "Of course, they'll send someone here in my place as well."
"I still don't see the point of this exchange." Sanada said and Yanagi followed.
"I agree. What are we supposed to get from this?"
Seichi and Ryoma desperately tried to keep up their cool facades. To most, it worked. But the regular team was composed of very observant people. That blood rushing up their cheeks, after all, when one looked very closely, was definitely visible. Fortunately, none of those people spoke.
"It was an arrangement done a few days ago. We…" He paused and looked at Ryoma. "…do not want to lie to you so all we could say right now is that this arrangement was mostly personal. It is simply our duties, as players for the best team in Japan, make the most of our opportunities. After all, we should never underestimate the opponent." He paused. "Seigaku is our number one competitor."
"When you put it that way…"
Niou raised his hand, somewhat earning himself a mini-glare. "When'll Echizen leave?"
"In three days."
"Already?"
"Hai." Seichi answered dismissively before looking at everyone else. The atmosphere was heavy, but thankfully the tension was lowered before it could reach a new height. "Well, if there are no more questions. We'll have free in-bracket play until the after-school practice."
"I'll play with Echizen first." That was Kirihara and Marui and Niou simultaneously heaved a sigh and slumped back since they were about to say the same thing. But then they realized the activity could last until after school so they gestured to reserve the next games.
"I'm next!"
"I'm next!" Niou. He flinched a bit but grinned as if he didn't do anything weird.
"Let me be the fourth one."
Silence
It was Sanada. And before anyone could react, a small smile found its way on Ryoma's face—momentarily hiding the signs of bad mood.
"Okay."
…
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiingggg!
Then the court was silent.
Huff
Huff
Huff
And everyone stared at another person who was sweating very much. But not as much as he was supposed to.
"W-What the hell?" Marui exclaimed looking like a bucket of sweat was thrown at him. "No mercy!"
"She was seemed to have done some venting on the last two games."
"And wasn't she especially harsh though? They were all going all-out but Ryoma was in a bit of a foul mood."
"Who cares? She beat two regulars during morning practice alone."
"Sugoi…"
"…"
"We're late now, aren't we?"
"Oh well."
"You idiot! Remember what the teacher said after the couple's game? Since no one went to class that morning, lessons would be quick to catch up with the curriculum."
"EEHH?!"
"What?!"
"NO MERCY!"
So whatever amazement they were feeling at the moment, they all ran out of the courts and sadly went to class.
…
Echizen Ryoma cursed the human capability to catch gossip way too easily. By second period girls were already surrounding her and Seichi.
What made everything worse was that she was in a bad mood since morning.
Indeed, after revealing to the world their relationship. The girls, rabid or normal, seemed to have found her more approachable… for a reason she couldn't comprehend.
"I-Is it true Echizen-sama?"
"Hai." Ryoma's ears twitched when she heard some whispers about the loss of their favourite Yaoi couple. She sighed. But then some girls were pushed by the crowd and a girl ended up being very close to Seichi.
"D-Demo, Yukimura-sama~"
"It'll just be a month." She snapped. And everyone stared at her.
Seichi smiled brightly in front of the girls and made them blush 70 shades of red. "I'm sorry, ladies, but could you please leave us alone for a while?" he said, sparkling as he did so.
"H-HAI!"
Ryoma stared at him.
"What's the matter?"
"It's nothing. Just go back to your seat before sensei comes back."
Seichi only stared at her before sighing. He leaned down and they heard squeals.
"We will speak later."
…
That later never came though. By lunch, Ryoma was kidnapped by Niou for their game. Everyone came to watch. And Seichi wasn't very pleased.
During their handshake, Niou started whispering. "Looking at his glare, you already told him?"
"Yeah. He'll calm down if I crush you."
"Is that so?" He smirked. "It won't be easy though."
"But very doable."
And with that, they started to play.
…
Pak!
"Che." Ryoma uttered as she hit the nth ball that game. It was taking quite some time and she knew Lunch break would be over soon. It felt like the lunch she rush-ate was already digested to the bits.
Damn
Niou was being hard. He was playing her style.
And it was very, very, annoying.
She was then running across the court feeling the roughness of the ground, the screech of her shoes, and the cheers of everyone around. Really, she was barely feeling the beads of sweat in her body simply because she was almost soaked. Her thick shirt did not help with this heat, but it proved to be good at absorbing so she mused it was fine.
She caught up and used her whole weight to hit it.
Screeeecccchh
Ryoma blinked. Her eyes flickered at his jump and—BAM! A sharp breeze followed, and then loud bounces. She frowned as she looked at the ball now resting on her side of court.
Her drive B.
"Niou. Three games to Two!"
She tuned out the cheers and pondered. She avoided Seichi's stare as she knew he wanted to jump into the courts right then and there and beat Niou up. He wanted to, but he wouldn't, and her looking at him might just add some motivation for him to do so.
Besides, although Niou's actions lead to some good results (which she personally didn't mind), he still needed to be taught a lesson. Seichi definitely wouldn't rest until that happened.
So it was better she did it, otherwise this guy who may or may not have tried to help them would get destroyed.
But then? Out of nowhere… Niou became Yukimura.
She scoffed at his actions. Bad Move
How unfortunate for him that, at the moment, she was being very annoyed with Seichi.
And she knew Niou was going to lose… big time.
…
After the game, she managed to sneak away from the crowd and the eyes of the other players and drink some fountain water in peace. Don't ask her how she did it. It was already a miracle as it was.
"Congratulations on winning all three games." A voice from behind her said and she lifted her head up and wiped her mouth.
"Thanks."
"Our game will be held after classes." Sanada said. "But you can cancel if you're tired."
"I'll just sleep through class so I can give you a good game." She said and cut him off before he said something naggy. "Don't worry about my grades; they'll be fine."
"…ah." Sanada muttered and looked away. "I won't nag you. It will be our last game for a while after all."
Ryoma found a frown creeping up her face at that…, not to mention she felt a little guilty for not telling him as soon as she could've. "We'll see each other in school next month." She said reassuredly and she could swear he sent her a sad smile… along with his monotonous 'ah' of agreement.
He faced her but otherwise his eyes were focusing—or trying to—focus everywhere else.
"Will you tell me what really happened, if it is alright?"
She stopped her blush and looked away.
"No?" That tone of his made her wary. It seemed monotonous, but her sharp ears heard the disappointment. She did not want to see him disappointed.
"Well… it's embarrassing. But I… guess… I can tell you." That was what she said, but she couldn't find the right words for it. So, instead, she stared at him seriously and gave him a condition.
"That is… if you give me a good game later on."
And he smiled.
"Of course."
…
HISTORY CLASS, an hour later
A middle aged old man pushed up his eyeglasses right after he turned around to look at his student. He looked at the famous bocchama and sighed. "Seriously though, Yukimura." He said in exasperation. "Your team comes late into a lot of classes lately, and now Echizen's sleeping in my class?"
"Ah, gomen sensei." He smiled. "I can tell you Ryoma-kun tries his best to catch up with your lessons. Her games with friends, before he goes, are of more importance to him at the moment."
The professor only sighed once more before turning around passively. "Well, suit yourselves." He said, and simply proceeded to his lesson.
Yukimura, on the other hand, snuck one more glance to his fiancé.
He knew something was very wrong…, and he would find out what it was.
…
Echizen Ryoma slowly arrived back to reality feeling lethargic, telling her she needed to sleep more. But she felt something blocking her front winds so she decided to move a bit. She realized she was facing her table and using her arms as pillows and lifted her head up lazily pondering how long she slept.
The first thing she saw though, was Seichi's face. And he was hovering over her.
And as always, everyone else was bored. They had nothing better to do but watch her and Seichi. Heck, some girls looked so red with excitement that it was almost disturbing.
Seichi, seemingly oblivious to the stares, only leaned down closer. She did not move. "I did not know you were so tired."
"Hmn." She just said. "Considering I just played with 2 regulars today, I thought it was a given."
"Not necessarily." He said and stood up straight, subsequently crossing his arms.
"What's wrong with me sleeping in, anyway? Did a professor dare nag you?"
"No."
"…so?"
"I want to see you as much as I can before you go."
"You do still see me even when I sleep."
"That's fine if you're in a bed."
She could swear a few girls got nosebleeds, and she pushed down her own blush and glared at him. He smiled softly and let his hand rest on her table again to lean down.
"I wanted you awake as much as possible… so I can spend time with you." Normally she would squeak internally, like those classmates of her so shamelessly doing at that moment. But then, instead of smiling back…, she sent him a bitter smirk.
"Aren't we going to hang out later?"
He blinked at that and she knew why. He had an 'appointment' after all, with a woman named Maria.
She was not going to lie—she was disappointed (annoyed was a better fitting word) that Seichi would agree when she only had a few days left in Kanagawa. Of course, she didn't mind about that nor did the fact that he was meeting up with another woman as much as how…
What was truly noteworthy…was his interaction—his tone when he spoke with that woman. Seichi was using that genuinely warm tone of voice. She knew no Maria and it made everything that much disconcerting.
How troublesome. These feelings…
She unconsciously touched her stomach. There was a disconcerting feeling that she had no idea what the cause was. But then Seichi smiled warmly at her.
"Of course." He said and gave her a short peck. "We have an agreement now, yes?" he said, as if she couldn't tell he actually someplace else to be. But right on cue—the next professor came in, saving her from more questions from her currently oblivious fiance.
He smiled at her and turned around…, and now she could only stare at his back before resting her head on the table again.
A nap that was supposed to be her way of saving up energy for her game with Sanada… became a nap to help her shoo all the annoying feelings away. If only she understood why they were so disturbing…
She desperately wanted Sanada to kidnap her like Niou did so they could play.
.
END OF CHAPTER XXI
Coming Soon:
CHAPTER XXII: Loss
REPLIES TO ANGELS
Ichigosberrymix- lol don't apologize. xD I'll just shift your name in my head or something. I won't reply to the Ryoga comment *cackles* And yeah~ Sanada's black cat is not Karupin. Hehe. I'll try to give it more significance soon and thx for the review!
TarundoruSlap- You knew it would happen?! Noooo! Hahahahha. Anyway, yes! I can tell you find Sanada one of the best characters in the show (by your name). xD And thx for the comment!
DragonFire Princess- Who knows…? Hehehe. But they have 3 chapters left before they part so all is well? LOL Thanks for the comment, btw~
MintLeafeon- Ahahaha~ Yes, neither can I! hahah. Now, now… I wonder who will hit on her? ;3 lololol. Glad you liked the separation time and thanks for the comment~
ChocoMickey- I am happy as well and thanks for waiting and for the review~! And btw, I couldn't think of how I would write a few years separation without making it like my other story. xD And I will try to update faster~
Shanagi95- She will… eventually… and not that much (yet) with her family and the Yukimuras. xD I'm still pondering what she'll wear in Seigaku tho! It depends on so many things. And thanks for the review!
SeraphelArchangelaClaudia- Ahahaha. Yes, yes they did! xD I wanted them to make up for the long years of romantic tension. Loool. Thx for the comment, btw~
PurpleScorpion- OMGOMGOMG. I finally succeeded?! xD You don't dislike Yuki here anymooore~ *banzai* And lawl, it's fine~ I'm just really happy to get to hear from you again. Thank you for the review and hope this chap was worth the wait~
Clavemien Nigram Rosa- Lololol. Right!? But at least we're somewhat free now! Just enough to do this. xD And yay! I'm glad you found it sweet and funny. Thanks for the review~
BrokenBlackCat- *cackles* Hai~ And who would want them to 'learn'? gaahahha. I'll just stop them before they go too…deep. xD Thanks for the comment!
xDarkxKurokox- Indeed~! It simply doesn't feel right if they don't have at least a few chappies of screen time, right?! And lol at that love triangle! o/ Thanks for the review btw~ xD
deadlycute17- Wahaha~ Yuki really needs that luck! It'll be veeeeeeeeery hard, after all, to keep his hands to himself. LOL. Thx for the comment, btw! Hahah
Snowpoppy- Awww~ Thank you for the review and I'm glad you found their love beautiful. xD Don't worry much about Sanada tho. *wink*
Estepha98- Yay! I did and I'm so happy. Hope I can see you until the end but feel free to tell me if you're leaving, I'll understand. I'll try my best to keep you around of course!
Yuu- Lololol. Sei is so good? At what? *Wiggles eyebrows* ahahahha. Anyway, I'm glad you still found Ryoma cute and thank you for the comment~ ;D
Natasya Ivashkov- Yes~ Reina will move to Seigaku for a month for various reasons. xD Hopefully, it'll turn out fine. Haha. Finally, thx for the comment!
Justgowithit5631- Right?! xD Poor guy. Being all conflicted and all that stuff we writers put him through. Hahahaha. I'm happy that I managed to do a great work and I'll try to update faster.
Yuki Masaharu- I-I'm sooorry! xD I needed some conflict~ xD And don't worry~ Romance is the genre of this story and will continue despite them being apart. Haha. Thx for the comment btw~
JuRy28- Aww. Gomen nasaaai for the effingly embarrassing slow update rate! xD Hopefully this chapter was worth the wait. xD Thx for the comment~
DigimonLoveForever- Hahaha. Too much love? That's a good thing right? Hahahah. And yes~ The cat will be quite important indeed. xD Thanks for the review, by the way~
DirectSomething- Thank you for the review and it's an honor to be one of your first non-OT6 (And a GB at that!) stories of them that you've enjoyed. xD I'll try my best to keep it up, but I won't spoil about Sanada tho. Hahah. Anyways, thank you for the review! :D
SecretFangirl- *cough* I… I…. Can I just leave it up to your imagination? xD I can't exactly write M-rated scenes yet. Lolol. I have an image! Hahahah
Lylia00- Gahahah. We would have loved to see them… continue, no? haha. And yes it is~ It was changed by Nanjiroh to an exchanged program of sorts. xD I hope you get to enjoy RxR as well, and thx for reading it~ Oh, nd thanks for the review of course~
PinkSugarDust- (ch10) closet pervert? Hahahahah. OMG. xD Hope you get here tho so you can read my reply. xD Thx for the comment~!
…
THANK YOU FOR READING~! And for keeping me out of hiatus. xD
I would love to hear your thoughts~!