CHAPTER 26
Outside everyone was waiting for the captain. Ryoma had even made it before him. Fuji seeing the boy walked up since he looked lost. "Something up Ryo-Chan?" A nod from the boy he turned to look at the tensai.
"Yeah, I got caught." Syu looked the boy up and down noticing he was nervous. "Do you think he'll think I'm a monster?" Syu didn't know who the cat was talking about. He came to the conclusion that the boy meant someone saw his features but he couldn't guess who. Looking round the courts he saw that the captain was not there and assumed that he went to talk to who ever it was. It was then he noticed. The other regular that was missing.
10 minutes later and the captain made an appearance with a very pale Momoshiro walking not far behind him. "Right, everyone gather around." Sumire stood next to Tezuka and the members all stood in front of them waiting for someone to continue. "We have now chosen our eight regulars. We still have to get passed regionals. Don't let your guard down." Sumire then decided to speak up.
"I want second and third years in court C and first years will pick up balls. Regulars in court A and B. Before we get started." She announce to the regulars as the other students went off. "I've asked someone to prepare a special training course for you." As she said this, Inui walked up and stood beside her with a box in his hands.
"Hey," he said as he dropped the box on the floor. "I want all of you to put on these ankle weights. They have 250 grams in each. So both legs will weigh 1k heavier." With that they all started to put them on except Ryoma, who was just holding them and looked around.
"Ryoma, what's wrong?" Sumire called which gained the attention of all the others. The cat looked at them all and slowly backed away. The coach realizing her mistake. "Fuji, help Ryoma put them on." With that the tensai told the boy to sit on the floor as he bent down and strapped them to the boys ankles.
"What are they for anyway?" Ryoma had never seen these types of things. The only types of weights he had seen was when he was chained to the wall in the labs and even then they where just heavy because they where made out of metal to make sure he wouldn't escape. He didn't understand why people would want to put weights just to slow them down. All the others watched the interaction and where surprised that the boy had never seen this type of training before.
"They should help strengthen the muscles in your legs and make you faster." The cat nodded and looked at Momo's direction. Their eyes met for a split second before the trickster quickly looked somewhere else. Fuji frowned at that and thought it best not to comment at the moment. It was then the Inui decided to explain what they where going to do.
"It's simple, you need to match the blue, red and yellow cones with the same colour ball." He called Eiji's name first and hit the ball towards him. He hit the right cone and shouted out 'yellow' as he did. The trio freshmen who where meant to be picking up balls stopped to watch the regulars.
"Being able to distinguish objects like that, no one can match Eiji." Oishi commented from the side. Fuji smiled and looked down at the boy who had decided to sit at his feet and observe. He could tell the boy was mouthing each colour before Eiji did. What was amazing was that he was further away then the acrobatics player.
"I don't think that's true." Fuji stated and Oishi looked towards Syusuke's face only to see it looking down towards Ryoma.
Kikumaru soon started to feel the weights on his legs. His endurance was starting to hold him back and his judgment was becoming worse.
"Red!" The red head shout and was about to hit it when Inui clamed it was blue. Eiji shouted lair but was too distracted and ended up missing it. "Aww... Inui you're so mean!"
"Did I mention that those who made errors will drink Inui's special vegetable juice." Inui said as he then held up a glass of dark green liquid. The others heard and all there faces turned green at the thought. Ryoma sat there having no idea of the danger while Fuji was thinking what it was going to taste like.
"What's in that?" Eiji asked cautiously.
"Food. Don't worry about it." Inui said as he handed over the glass and with a smile on his face. "The taste has been thoroughly adjusted." Eiji took a second before downing it in one go. The others meanwhile watched in curiosity and pity. Once he finished it he froze for a couple of seconds before giving the glass back and running for his life out of the court to get to the water fountain. Ryoma was feeling slightly scared. He knew that if a normal human reacted like that it was going to be hell for him. He cursed at the fact that his taste buds where 3 times stronger than most.
One by one the regulars fell to the fearful drink. Fuji made a mistake on purpose and found the drink rather nice. He even recommended it. Tezuka had made sure not to fail and got 10 out of 10. It was finally Ryoma's turn. He had hit the first 5 balls back with ease. Everyone thought the weights would start to take effect but the boy didn't even seem to notice them. He was about to hit another ball when Inui called out. "Is that a ponta in the vending machine over there." The boy turned to see if it was true, only to totally forget that he was meant to be doing the exercise. He then saw a ball wiz by him. He turned back around only to see Inui holding up a glass for him.
"I'm not drinking that." He stated and turned to walk away.
"Ryoma, you don't have a choice, everyone else who failed had to drink it. I'm not making an exception." Sumire said from the side lines. The boy's eyes narrowed slightly. Slowly he grabbed the cup and sniffed it. Pulling his head back and he pinched his nose to stop the smell. He was trying not to gag at it. He took a very small sip. It was then he remembered something. It was a billion times worst then this situation but it had just crossed his mind.
(Flashback - Ryoma POV)
It was dark. It smelled so bad. I had no idea what room I was in at the moment. Master had put me in here and locked the door. It was pitch black. He had covered my eyes with a cloth so that I couldn't see. He knew I could see in the dark. I had a chain round my neck and it was attached to the wall. My arms also had a chain, but that one was connected to the floor. I couldn't move much and didn't want to. I did at first feel around but I kept feeling this horrible slimly substance. There where also things in here that where different shapes and sizes. But they where rock hard and smooth. I didn't like the feel of them it didn't fit right.
The smell was worse. It smelt like something was rotting and had been here for ages. I had at first been throwing up and now that just added to the smell. I had no idea how long I had been here for. It felt like days but knowing it might of only been hours, minutes or even seconds. I was terrified. I think at some point I must have fallen asleep, because not long after I was sitting myself up as I felt light hit my eyes though the cloth. "Beauty." The voice... I think it was master said. "Understand that you listen to no one but me. This is your punishment for disobeying me and trying to talk to the other scientists." I heard the foot steps getting closer. I felt him touching the back of my head and pulling off the black cloth covering my eyes.
When he did I really wished he didn't. I saw it. The bones. The flesh peeling off the corpses. I looked at my master who was showing no expression. I ended up croaking out. My throat still sore from being sick so much. Not only that but I still found it hard to separate my vocal cords and so it always had a type of sharpness to it. The sound of small growls could be heard as I spoke. "Master, I don't like it here. Please can I go?" He looked at me and smiled. But it wasn't one of those nice ones that I love but a cruel one.
"No." He then turned his back to me. "You have been here for two days already Beauty. I will give you sight and you will spend another day here." With that he was about to leave when he stopped at the door. "Oh, I advise you not to look to your left." With that the door slammed shut and the darkness filled the place. Sometimes I wished my eyes where as weak as anybody else's. I knew my master said those words hoping I would do just that and look in that direction. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths. Not really helping to be honest. I now know how long I have been here, but not just that I found out I'm breathing in the smell of human flesh which has rotted away. I couldn't help it any more my curiosity got the better of me and I looked. You know a small peak and what I saw made me roar to the heavens.
What I didn't know was that master had been waiting outside and when he heard me, he smiled to himself before walking off to find something to do.
I could no longer throw up. I have nothing in my stomach to do so. Instead I was trying to break the chain around my wrists so that I can scratch at my neck.
I want to die. I've had enough. But I'm to much of a coward to make it all stop.
I, Beauty, age 10, have been for the past few day's living with the dead and one of them was the corpse of my little brother, Sam. Who was all but bones with his flesh, having slowly rotted off, but if it wasn't for his chocolate brown eyes that where staring at me with no life, then I wouldn't have notice who this, now a stranger, sitting next to me was.
(End Flashback - Normal POV)
Ryoma had now found himself on his hands and knees panting. The palms of his hands where covered in blood and it was mixing with a green liquid. The boy felt someone holding his shoulder. He looked up to see Momo crouching down beside him and not far from them where Fuji and Tezuka. The other regulars where ordered by Sumire to stay back. The boy slowly sat up so he was sitting on his knees and looked the trickster in the eye. "I feel sick." Was all he said before he threw up all over the other.
Everyone watching cringed at the sight. He then not bothering about the sick leaned his head on Momo shoulder and groaned. Momo sat there covered in sick and not being able to move. He had no idea what to do. He acted on instinct when the boy crushed the glass in his hand and then fell to the floor.
The boy started to sob. "I'm sorry." He kept saying over and over again. Sumire had now told Fuji to get the boy inside to her office. She knew the boy would get angry if she touched him. With that Fuji lifted the boy and held him in his arms before heading inside.
"Momo go get cleaned up. Regulars you're dismissed." With that they all made their way to the changing rooms. None talking but all worried about the boy who seemed so broken.