Hi! I am back with the new chapter. Hope you like this… domo… ^^
DISCLAIMER: The Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi-sensei and Gakuen Alice belongs to Higuchi Tachibana-san. All rights reserved to the both of them.
sweetangel - tee hee hee... I am glad... ^^
Well, he is stubborn indeed. We will know that in the future... tee hee hee...
and you will know that in this chapter as well... the meeting I mean...
well, there is some reason why the other alice users can control their powers. Natsume can but not for long... tee hee hee... and you are right, untamed power is more dangerous than tamed one..
I'll see you soon... Next chappie is up now by the way... ^^
Chapter 14: Borderline
Chapter Summary: Opposite sides could never be put together but somehow, she could do something about it. Find that out.
Seigaku, tennis court:
The training was over that afternoon and everyone went home already. Well, except for the tensai. He told Tezuka that he would stay in the locker room for a short while as he had something to do.
He sighed as he closed the door of his locker. Actually, he just told him that but he just wanted to be alone for a while. It had been four days since his kouhais left Seigaku… more on they left their world. He still could not believe that such world existed.
Ryoma told him that he would follow the girl there and that made the two of them travel to Alice Academy. He was worried about their whereabouts and if he could do something, he wanted to help his juniors.
"Senpai?"
Upon hearing the voice, he looked at the entrance of the room and smiled, "Momoshiro, why are you still here?"
Momo entered the room and sat on the bench, "I am probably thinking the same thing, senpai," He sighed as he looked on the ground, "Can't we do something for our kouhais?"
Fuji stared at him for a few seconds before he walked on the bench and sat beside him, "I want to do something too but how? We don't even know how to get there."
"Echizen has an Alice," Momo looked at Fuji, "We should've asked the same thing to Sakura-chan."
"It's not that easy," He said being serious all over, "…now that they are not here."
Momo sighed as he concededly nodded, "You are right." They stayed silent after that. No one knew what to say next until Momo grabbed his own hair and stood up frustratingly;
"AHHH! Senpai, this is really frustrating!" He retorted, "Why can't we do anything for them?"
He followed him with his eyes and replied, "Because we don't have powers unlike them."
"Still, I just can't wait and do nothing!" He said facing the tensai completely and spread his hands to his side, "Echizen should have contacted us… to update us," He looked down as he continued, "so that we're not that worried about them."
"I know how you feel," Fuji said opening his eyes in the process, "I don't like this either."
"Arrrgh! We don't know if Echizen and Ryuzaki-chan are in danger if they would not contact us!"
"Danger?"
Both of them flinched when they heard someone talk aside from them.
"Tezuka, Eiji," Fuji was shocked to see them entering the room, "I thought you went home already."
Eiji walked closer to Momo and asked once again, "Momo-chii, what do you mean about danger?" He then looked at Fuji, "Aren't Ochibi and Ryuzaki-chan on a holiday trip?"
"A-anou… Eiji-senpai," He scratched his head as he tried to think of something, "You see…"
"What's going on, Fuji?" Tezuka said walking closer to them.
Fuji just stared at his Captain. He secretly cursed the dunk smasher for not shutting his mouth up. Tezuka didn't say anything but he was just looking at him. He did the same.
Silence welcomed the room but the atmosphere was tensed at that moment.
Gakuen Alice:
The place was quiet around them. She was staring at the fire alice user at that very moment. Natsume was just glaring at her. Sighing, she activated her own alice as well. She raised a hand and created an ice crystal and glared back at him;
"You're going to regret this."
"That's supposed to be my line." He retorted back.
She let the wind fly around her making her hair get along with it and without a minute to pass. She threw the crystal to his direction.
Natsume threw his fire ball at her colliding with her own crystal. They made an impact between them. Both of them ran at the opposite sides and threw each other their alices.
Fire and Ice were a total contrast to each other but having a fourth shape type of alice made them at disadvantages. For Nobara it was, she used some of her alices a while ago. She had just calmed down before Natsume spotted her there. She hoped that she could keep up before she ran out of strength. With that last thought, she abruptly stop and faced Natsume who was chasing her. She immediately raised both of her hands and created several ice crystals around her. She screamed as she gathered enough strength before she released them and aimed for the upcoming fire alice user.
Natsume was taken by surprise and made an immediate stop. Not having the time to evade it, he covered his face with his hands as he welcomed the alice towards him.
xxx
She gasped as she opened her eyes. She was breathing really hard that time. Looking at the ceiling, she knew that something bad was happening. It was weak but she could sense it.
Someone was using their alices to the fullest.
They had been told that it was natural for them to feel the other alices since they were in the academy but she felt different in this one. She didn't know how she could sense the odd feeling but she knew that she could. She got out of the bed and was about to walk to the door;
"You don't think of going out there alone, do you?"
She stopped from holding the doorknob as she looked behind, "R-Ryoma-kun."
Ryoma sat up and looked at her, "You're doing it again."
"Gomen," She looked down after that but after a few seconds, she looked up at him again, "but I just can't leave this uneasy feeling that I have now. I have to do something."
He sighed as he stood up, "You're clumsy as ever."
"W-what?" She didn't expect that from him.
"Iko," He said as he walked closer to her and opened the door himself, "I also felt it."
She followed him with his eyes and when he thought that she was not following him; he turned around and frowned;
"What?"
"Ah!" She blinked twice before she decided to follow him.
Meanwhile:
They were currently at the deeper part of the Northern woods and their place were pretty messed up because of their alices. Both of them were panting due to the power that they used up to that time.
"Why aren't you giving up?" Nobara said as she started to feel pain in her chest.
"You should be the one doing that." He glared at her panting in the process.
Nobara glared back at him, "I'll… never give up," She created ice crystals around her as she gripped her hands beside her, "Not to the likes of you!"
Natsume countered her ice with his fire. The alices collided once again and made a big impact. Good thing that they were far from the school or else they would make a big commotion. It was already a problem that they made a mess in that part of that area. It would take a few hours before the committee discovered about the scene.
Nobara gripped her chest after that. Tsk! Not now. Calm down. She thought as she was having a hard time to control her powers. She needed something to stop her power from going berserk or it would be the end of her. She looked at her opponent and noticed that he was not that different from her.
Natsume was panting really hard. His eyes' color was starting to fade. He was close at his own limit as well. As possible as he could, he didn't want that to happen. He didn't want his best friend to worry about him.
He didn't want her to worry about him.
"I told you to stop worrying her." He said despite the tiredness that he was feeling at that moment.
"Then tell her to stay away from me!" She shouted as she gathered enough strength and created two big ice crystals beside her.
Natsume was shocked when she did that. He was also aware of her condition but the girl was using too much of her alice than his.
"She'll be okay, if she would not come near me again." With that she threw the crystals towards him.
And just like the first one, he wasn't ready to escape it. He was able to endure the first one but what about this one? He didn't know. Even though there wasn't enough time, he tried to create fire balls and threw it back to her ice crystals.
Only to be blocked by a barrier.
They were both shocked when they witnessed that. They looked at the direction where the alice came from. Natsume's eyes widened when he saw the braided pigtailed girl together with the tennis boy not far from them. The girl's hands were extended to their direction indicating that she had just used her alice to stop the commotion.
"W-what are you two… doing?"
"Stay out of this!" Natsume retorted as he looked at her.
"Why are you two fighting?" She asked looking at them ruefully.
Nobara threw some ice crystals at her but she just blocked it with her barrier.
"Stop it!" She shouted as possible as she could, "Why are you using your alices that way?"
"Ryuzaki…" Ryoma called out to her tapping her shoulder.
"N-Natsume-kun, please stop it," She said as she started walking closer to their location. Walking away from Ryoma, "Don't use your alice that way."
"What do you know?!" He retorted glaring at her, "You're not originally an alice user!"
"B-but I am now…" She said making them shock in the process, "and I understand how dangerous it is for us… for you."
"…"
"M-Mikan-chan will worry more about you," She said earning a flinch from the fire alice boy, "Y-you keep doing things that she doesn't like."
Natsume's eyes widened as he looked away. He had calmed down a little after that.
"N-Nobara-san, right?" She said looking at the Ice princess, "Mikan-chan… Mikan-chan believes you."
The ice princess was shocked at her words. She too was stunned at her location. Sakuno walked closer to the girl and tried to talk to her.
"She still wants you to be her friend," She said trying to convince her, "Nobara-san."
Nobara was speechless when she said that. She didn't even notice that Sakuno managed to approach her there. Her eyes widened when the girl suddenly grabbed her hands.
"I…" She started blushing in the process and smiled, "I want to be your friend too."
Silence was erupted between them. Natsume and Ryoma were just staring at them. The latter felt relieved when he sensed Nobara's alice had calmed down. The Ice princess was still speechless.
"When I first saw you at the hospital that day," Sakuno continued, "I saw you looking fondly at Mikan-chan. I knew then that you like her. She feels the same, Nobara-san. Please, don't lock yourself away from her."
Silence erupted the area. The place was still eerie and the girl was getting unreadable at that very moment. Nobara stayed silent for a few seconds before she decided to break it.
"Stay away from me."
Everyone blinked at her words especially Sakuno, "Nobara-san…"
"I said," She started glaring at her before she rudely pushed her on the ground, "Stay away from me!"
Sakuno was shocked at her action and she didn't expect that at all.
Nobara was panting. Even though her alice had calmed down, that didn't mean her life was okay. She used a lot of her own life source and she needed lots of rest and something that could control her alice. Without saying another word, she flew backwards and disappeared in the dark.
"Nobara-san!" She said as she witnessed that. Ryoma went closer to her and helped her stand up.
"She went back." Natsume suddenly said catching their attention.
Sakuno looked at him and asked, "W-where?"
"Somewhere she can recover."
She just stared at Natsume who was really tired at that very moment. She was really sad at the turn of events. How was she going to tell Mikan everything? The situation was involved with the two important people for Mikan and she knew that the incident would leak out tomorrow.
"You don't have to worry."
"Eh?"
"They will blame me for this but not the Ice princess."
"Natsume-kun…"
Natsume stared at her. His eyes were back to their normal color, "I am just like her." With that he started to walk away leaving the two behind.
Sakuno stared at him. She knew that the students at the dangerous type were having a hard time dealing with their alices. Somehow, she felt like one of them.
How was she going to survive all of this? She didn't know.
"Ryuzaki."
She looked beside her. Ryoma was just staring at her.
"Stop worrying too much for them," He said not tearing his gaze from her, "They'll be fine."
"But…"
"If you worry, they would worry back at you," He said looking away from her, "And that is troublesome."
She looked at Ryoma after that. He was right after all. If she wouldn't stop worrying about others, they would worry about her too. Then the cycle would not end, "Y-you are right… gomen ne."
He looked at her and closed her eyes, "Iko, it's late."
"Un."
They walked back together to their own room.
Meanwhile:
She was lying on her bed at that time. She did use a lot of energy today. Her breathing pattern was already normal and the pain to her chest had subsided.
She then remembered what the girl said to her.
Mikan believed her.
She believed her.
She still wanted to be her friends.
What the girl said to her shock her to the fullest. She never talked to the girl except today but she wanted to be her friend. She raised a hand that the girl touched before and remembered a very familiar feeling;
"Her hands were…" She started staring at her palm, "…warm"
"Of course it is. She's alive."
Upon hearing the word, she immediately bolted up and glared at the person who talked last, "You!"
The person smirked at her and walked closer to her, "Calm down. I didn't come here to fight you."
"What do you want?" She said glaring at the person. She was trying to hold her alice back as possible.
"You know what I want, you are slow," The person said and stood in front of her, "They are getting impatient, you know."
"I am trying to figure out things here, okay," She said looking away, "I just had a fight against Hyuuga today."
"I know. I've witnessed that," The person said and glared at her, "She didn't like the way you treated her today."
She glared back at the person once again, "Stop spying me!" She was shocked when the person's hand went to her chin and replied;
"You know, I can't do that. Your alice is dangerous but there is a limit to it," The person said, "If Ryuzaki-chan didn't stop you, I would have done it."
"Stay away from me!" She said not taking it anymore and threw some ice crystals at the person.
The person avoided it and went in front of her, "Control your cold temper, Ice princess. You are shortening your life even more."
She only glared at the person. The person was right. She was at a total disadvantage at that very moment.
"You must not fail," The person said, "…at all cost."
She looked away and retorted, "I know. You don't have to tell me."
"Remember, I'll be watching you." With that he disappeared in front of her. She didn't know how he appeared in front of her like that. Someone must have used a teleportation alice for him and good thing that he didn't use his alice to her. Once, he used it, she wasn't able to reject him anymore unless he would break it himself.
Then she remembered them. She was in an awkward situation. Why did she have to do the mission herself where Mikan was involved?
More on, why Mikan was involved in this?
The girl, Ryuzaki Sakuno was right after all.
That she too, wanted to be her friend but the situation was forbidding her.
The Next day:
Mikan toured Sakuno and Ryoma around the school the next day. Sakuno was beginning to get used at the alices that she was seeing at that moment.
They had been introduced as transfer students at that time. Narumi explained that they should not lag behind from their studies since it was related to their powers.
"Let's practice later," Mikan said after minutes of walking, "Natsume and Tsubasa-senpai will be helping you today."
"O-okay."
"How do you find our school?" Mikan said looking at them.
"Fine." Ryoma shortly replied as he looked elsewhere.
"J-just like he says, I like your school." She answered but she felt awkward. The girls were looking at them, particularly looking at Ryoma. She knew why and she couldn't help but feel anxious about it.
"Permy! Over here!" Mikan shouted when she spotted the girl talking to the mind reader boy.
"Don't call me that, Sakura!" Sumire shouted back and spotted her with someone else and in an instant she was with them, "Hi, Ryoma. It's good to see you again!"
Ryoma raised his brow and but replied nonetheless, "Chissu…"
"O-ohayou gozaimasu, S-sumire-san…" She felt awkward with the way she said her name. First, she had the same name as her grandmother and second, the way Sumire called Ryoma with his name.
"Hmmm, so you'll be studying with us starting today, huh?" Sumire asked her.
"S-seems like it." She said as she sweat dropped. The way she was staring at her was somewhat intimidating.
Well, good luck to the both of you," Sumire said and then looked at Ryoma, "See you later, Ryoma!" She walked away from them afterwards.
Sakuno stared at the girl. Somehow, she couldn't understand the girl's attitude.
"Don't worry about Permy, Sakuno," Mikan whispered to her, "She's always like that."
"S-sou ka…" She replied.
"Well, let's go." Mikan said grabbing her hand in the process.
She nodded and let her pull her away. Ryoma silently followed them.
Seigaku, next day:
The locker was quiet. No one was saying a word when they learned the truth. Tezuka was sitting next to Fuji, clasping his hands in from of him. Eiji was just staring at them. They decided to meet as early as possible that day avoiding the others to arrive before them.
"They are in Alice Academy, aren't they?" Eiji asked after a few seconds of being quiet.
Fuji looked at him and nodded, "They are helping the real owner of Ryuzaki-chan's powers."
"Our kouhais have alices as well, right?" Eiji asked again.
Fuji nodded once again. Silence was erupted inside the room.
"Why did you hide all this from us?" Tezuka said breaking the silence.
"We can't tell anyone about this," Fuji said looking at his Captain, "It's to keep everyone from harm."
"What now then?" Eiji said asking them.
"I want to go there senpai," Momo said standing up, "I mean we can if there's a way, right?"
"…"
"We all have our own obligations and Echizen chooses his own," Tezuka said trying to give him a message, "You are a tennis player Momoshiro."
"And so as Echizen," He continued, "but he chose to go with her. Can't we help them too?"
"I want too, Momo-chii," Eiji said as he looked down, "but we don't know how. You said it yourself; you can't go to where they are."
Tezuka thought really hard. It was a serious situation to be exact and what he was worried about, his coach's granddaughter was involved. He couldn't let anything happen to the girl.
"Tezuka we cannot tell Ryuzaki-sensei about this." Fuji said as if reading his mind.
He looked at him but he didn't say anything.
"She would be worrying her the most if we do," Fuji said, "Let's keep this as a secret… for a while."
They kept quiet after that. What would happen now that they knew what was going between them? They couldn't think of a way.
"Perhaps I have a solution to your problems."
They looked at the last person who talked last. Tezuka and Eiji were shocked to the sudden appearance of the person that entered the room… with a portal. Fuji and Momo were also shocked but not because of the person's appearance, they knew where the unfamiliar person came from.
"Who are you?" Tezuka stood up and stared at the new comer.
"I can take you to them," The person said staring at them, "If you desire for it."
For the last time in that day, silence overcame them.
Done! How was this chapter? Who were the unnamed people here in this chapter? Can you guess? Haha… anyway… tell me your thoughts to this… domo…
A single word coming from you is enough for me… Thank you very much…
Just sharing: Sigh... I joined a POT group on Facebook and guess what I have discovered. Some members didn't like RyoSaku at all. I mean it was pretty normal that there were anti-RyoSaku fans out there but why did they have to say it like no one could see their posts there... I was pissed. I unliked that post but not the group... I'll show them... I just couldn't believe it... sigh.. 'Ipangalandakan ba naman' It hurts you know... I am a solid RyoSaku lover there... anyway... I just wanted to release my frustration, you get on with your activities... domo... ^^"
Next Chapter: A Possible Solution