Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Prince of Tennis!
...
...
Nanjiro watched Hari seated at the kitchen table picking at her breakfast and not really paying attention to anyone. He did notice that she cast long glances toward the doorway to the hallway and the stairs but she didn't make any sign of moving out of the chair.
He frowned slightly as he turned the page of his magazine and let his eyes stray over the blond model in a swimming suit and for show let out a giggle. He glanced up but there was no sign of annoyance or anything from Hari. He pouted inwardly.
He knew that something had happened between Hari and Ryoma and he was not inclined to just sit back and wait for the two to fix things themselves like his wife had said to do. She said something about having to learn to talk together and something about understanding, but Nanjiro hadn't paid attention.
He knew that, but that didn't mean that he had to just sit there and wait for them to talk. Did it? He glanced over at Hari again and saw that she once more cast a glance toward the doorway before letting out a sigh.
He thought about the call he'd had with Ryuzaki the night before. She had called to ask if Hari had arrived home alright and told him about the fight. She hadn't known the details but enough to know that it was some misunderstanding and that they both thought they knew what the other one was thinking and wanted.
Complicated.
He sighed. He could understand his son to a degree. He was unsure about his role in Hari's life now because she had started to get friends outside of him and had spent time outside the house without Ryoma. Ryoma was used to Hari spending all her time with him and follow him around while he practised his tennis.
At least that was what his wife said when he told her about it. She said that Ryoma had to learn that Hari also had friends and that it didn't mean that she didn't care about Ryoma.
While Hari had to learn that she could open up more to Ryoma and to them all in general. Rinko seemed to understand Hari the best and Nanjiro was frustrated to know that Hari had trouble trusting them. Rinko said that it would take time for Hari to learn that and that they had to give her the time to do so.
He understood that but… did it have to be this difficult to wait? He sighed quietly to himself as he realised that his thoughts had drifted away from what he was thinking about.
The call from his old coach. The old lady had suggested having Ryoma and Hari helping her granddaughter with her tennis and he liked the idea. It would force them together and maybe get them to talk in an innocent situation.
That could work. He looked back over at Hari and frowned when he realised that she hadn't really eaten anything.
"Aren't you going to eat?" he asked in a carefree voice and his eyes still on his magazine.
"I'm not that hungry;" she muttered.
"Ah," Nanjiro frowned slightly as he looked up. "You do need to eat, Hari-chan."
She sighed and nodded without looking up at him and he watched as he took a bite. He nodded to himself as he got up. He had to do something because he couldn't watch Hari mope around all day and his son didn't seem willing to do anything.
"We're going out after you've eaten, Hari-chan," Nanjiro said as he closed his magazine and got up to his feet. Hari glanced over at him and frowned but then she just shrugged.
,,,
Nanjiro opened the door to Ryoma's room and saw his son looking at the door from the bed and it was clear that he had just woken up but he still looked tired.
"We're going out, so get up, Ryoma," Nanjiro said after a moment.
"Nani?" Ryoma glared at him. "I don't want to."
"Well, you don't have a choice," Nanjiro said. "So, if you want anything to eat before we leave, get up now."
Ryoma grumbled something and Nanjiro smiled at his son and laughed as he stumbled out of the bed with Karupin meowing after him.
Nanjiro walked back downstairs as he thought back at the night before. Hari had arrived home quiet and subdued. She had asked if Ryoma was back yet and when told that he wasn't her shoulders had hunched more and only with a nod told them she was going to bed.
Nanjiro had been worried enough to call Ryoma and found that he had been out looking for Hari, and had hurried home when Nanjiro told him that she had just arrived home. Ryoma had looked worried and slightly torn when he entered the house and rushed up the stairs.
Nanjiro had been worried so he had followed and seen his son standing outside the closed door that led into Hari's room. Nanjiro had waited and expected to see Ryoma enter the room like he usually did but he hesitated with a hand on the doorknob. Then, much to the observer's surprise, he turned around and marched into his own room. Just as his door closed the other opened and Nanjiro saw Hari standing there looking at Ryoma's door before she closed the door again.
...
The silence in the car was stilted. Nanjiro glanced in his rear-view mirror and saw Hari looking out of the window with a bored look on her face. He picked up on the tension in her shoulders, though. A glance toward Ryoma in the seat next to him showed him equally tense even as he yawned and stared resolutely out of the mirror.
"Where are we going, Oyaji?" Ryoma finally asked.
"You're going to help the granddaughter of a friend of mine who's just started to learn tennis," Nanjiro said cheerfully and smiled when he noticed Hari glance at him with a frown.
"I don't want to!" Ryoma declared right away with an annoyed scowl on his face.
"Well, you don't have a choice," Nanjiro said. "I was going to do it, but something came up. You two can help her in my stead."
He was lying but it was necessary. Hari was still looking at him from behind him and he could tell that she was not convinced of his story, but when he met her eyes in the rear-view mirror she huffed and looked back out of the window.
"That's not my problem," Ryoma said not giving in that easily and took a fruit that was lying beside them and missed the satisfied look on Nanjiro's face as he took a bite.
Nanjiro suddenly stopped the car making Ryoma jolt forward slightly. Nanjiro managed to get him out of the car while Hari had gone out without any prompt from him. She wasn't really looking at Ryoma as she stood there waiting.
"Here!" Nanjiro threw their tennis rackets out of the car and they both caught their own.
"Oyaji!" Ryoma yelled. "Chotto!"
"You can't refuse now, Ryoma," Nanjiro smirked. "That fruit that was a gift from my friend. You ate it too, right?"
"Eh?" Ryoma's eyes widened while Hari just rolled her eyes.
"That's the situation," Nanjiro called out of the window of the car as he started to drive off. "I'm depending on you two! Be good coaches for the granddaughter of my friend!"
"Wait! Oyaji!" Ryoma called but he was already out of the parking lot and they were left standing there by themselves.
Nanjiro grinned. He could see them standing there staring after him until he made the turn and disappeared from view.
Now he just had to find something to do for the day until he would come back to pick them up.
...
Hari sighed as she pulled her bag with her racket over her left shoulder and wondered what Nanjiro was thinking. Well, she kind of knew what he was thinking. He wasn't that subtle, really. He did this to force the two of them to talk and Hari glanced at Ryoma seeing the scowl on his face and felt her chest tighten. He was obviously still angry at her and the idea of spending the day with her was not what he had in mind.
"He tricked me. That stupid old man," Ryoma said glaring at the now empty street.
Hari opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by a loud call of;
"Ryoma-sama!"
Hari glanced to the side while Ryoma seemed to freeze in place as the overly excited girl with the two pigtails came bouncing up and down as she beamed at him.
"You really came!" Tomoka said excitedly.
Sakuno was standing slightly behind her friend and was blushing as she gave them both a shy smile.
"H-hello," she greeted.
Hari felt like laughing when she caught sight of Ryoma's face and the horror slash fear that seemed etched into his expression. But the unease she felt and worry along with the guilt had her just sigh and start to walk over to the two girls.
"Hari-chan," Sakuno smiled and Hari gave a short smile back.
"Come on," Hari sighed and glanced over her shoulder at Ryoma. "Ryo-chan, let's go."
He blinked at her startled out of whatever horror like thing he was imagining and his face settled into his usual scowl as he followed them.
...
They reached an open space by a wall that was perfect to practice by shooting the ball at and they stopped there just by some stairs leading further up the park. Hari didn't really care what was up there, though.
"What now?" Sakuno asked unsurely.
"Yeah! Tell us what to do," Tomoka grinned.
Ryoma sighed before he told them to start hitting the ball against the wall. He went to sit down on a low wall and Hari moved to show Sakuno and Tomoka how they should hold their racket for the exercise.
"It will be easier for you if you hold the racket like this," Hari said and showed them. "Try it."
Sakuno nodded and copied the way Hari held the racket before Tomoka did the same and grinned when she swung the racket back and forth.
"Oh!" Sakuno blinked. "I think this is better."
"Yeah!" Tomoka agreed.
Hari nodded and stepped back.
"Come on," she said nodding toward the wall. "Try to hit the ball."
Sakuno and Tomoka both started and Hari fell back watching them. She felt Ryoma looking at her but stopped herself from turning to meet his eyes. She wasn't sure she wanted to or was ready to see the disapproval in his eyes.
She felt her lips twitch when both girls missed their balls and fell over because of the force they used. They got up again and continued to hit the balls and she was glad to see that they both managed to do it a couple of times in a row without missing the ball.
Of course, they did miss again and Sakuno fell back once more.
"You're using too much power," Ryoma commented bored.
"Hai," they both replied and then sighed.
Hari noticed Sakuno glance at her and then over at Ryoma before she frowned slightly. Probably by the distance between the two.
...
Sakuno was worried. She saw the distance between Ryoma and Hari and it seemed…wrong. They always seemed so close and at ease with each other but now it was like there was something between them and it was so thick she was sure she could cut it with a knife.
"You think they're still fighting?" Tomoka whispered to her also glancing toward the two siblings.
"Looks like it," Sakuno said worriedly. "I wish I knew how to help…"
Tomoka nodded.
"Oi, continue!" Ryoma called out.
"Hai!" They yelled.
Sakuno kept glancing at them, though. She saw the way Ryoma glanced at Hari who was standing to the side watching them but there was a distracted look in her eyes as well.
"I'm sorry for dumping this on both of you," Sakuno spoke up and the two siblings looked at her.
"Don't worry about it," Ryoma said looking away.
"It's no trouble," Hari said kindly.
Sakuno sighed and still felt worried as she glanced between the two. She wanted to say something, but what if she said something and it made it worse? What could she say that would help them?
"Sakuno-chan," Hari said stepping up to her. "You need to bend your knees a little more when you hit the ball."
"Hai," she said and frowned slightly.
"Calm down, Sakuno-chan," Hari smiled at her and she blushed and looked down. "We've practised together before, right? Ryo-chan isn't judging you even if he seems a little…odd. Just forget that he's there. I know you can do it, okay?"
Sakuno felt herself blush again but Hari's words calmed her down slightly as she focused on the ball and the racket. She made to hit the ball but missed.
"I'm hopeless," she said as she picked the ball up.
"No, you're not," Hari said and glanced down at the ball noticing the small drawing on it. She smiled slightly as she recognised Ryoma's face but she didn't say anything as she saw them dreamy smile on Sakuno's face as she watched the face. "You're just being self-conscious. Watch me for a second, ok?"
Sakuno nodded.
"Oi! Are you giving her private help?!" Tomoka asked frowning.
"You're free to watch me too, Tomoka-chan," Hari smiled at the girl. "You just seemed to be on a roll, so I didn't want to interrupt your progress."
"Oh," she said and smiled. "But I'll watch you too."
Hari nodded and grabbed her racket and tossed the ball up slightly and hit it when it was in front of her racket. She made a point on being extra deliberate in her movements and how she hit the ball.
She hit the ball that returned to her and so on and so on until she caught it with her left hand and turned to the watching girl.
"See? Be focused and don't rush it," she said.
They nodded.
"Try it," Hari said.
Sakuno nodded again and wished she could be as good as Hari, even Tomoka seemed to have a better handle of this than she and she hadn't been playing tennis for the last months… Dejected thoughts hit her again.
No, she could do it. She had to… She hit the ball and…it flew high over the wall and further into the park above them.
Oh no…
...
Hari blinked and grimaced slightly as she watched as Sakuno hit the ball over the wall. She seemed to blush furiously and was probably feeling embarrassed.
"I'll go and find the ball!" Sakuno called as she ran up the stairs.
Hari blinked and sighed.
"I'll go with her," Hari told Ryoma who nodded. "You continue with Tomoka-chan, alright?"
"Sure," he said and met her eyes.
She inhaled slightly as she realised that his eyes weren't as cold as she had expected maybe he wasn't as angry as she thought?
She pushed the thought away and ran after Sakuno catching up with her at the top of the stairs.
"Oh, so embarrassing," Sakuno moaned.
"It's alright," Hari smiled at her.
"I never get it right," Sakuno said. "Not when…"
Ryoma was watching. Hari found it kind of adorable, but she didn't say it. She didn't think it was right to tease Sakuno about it right now and well, she wasn't really in the mood to tease her.
"Are you okay, Hari-chan?" Sakuno asked after a moment as they tried to find the ball. Just how far had she hit it?
"Mm?" Hari glanced at Sakuno.
"You seem…sad," Sakuno said, "and…you and Ryoma-kun haven't really spoken at all…"
Hari looked away from the other girl and sighed. She hadn't realised how obvious they were being. Her thoughts had been distracted all morning between her fight with Ryoma and how to fix it and the fear of seeing his cold hurt eyes directed at her and the stranger from the night before because he didn't really feel like a stranger to her.
It was like she should know who he was. It was strange because she knew she had never met him before. She was sure of that… and the way he had said… It was like the answer was just at the tip of her tongue but she was unable to get the answer out.
"Hari-chan?" Sakuno's worried voice reminded her that she hadn't responded to her at all.
"Ah, gomen, Sakuno-chan," Hari said. "I'm fine. I just don't really know how to make up for hurting Ryo-chan."
Sakuno frowned slightly.
"Have you said you were sorry?" She asked shyly. "He really cares about you and I'm sure he will accept your apology."
Hari blinked at her before she let out a small laugh.
"You're really smart, Sakuno-chan;" Hari said. "I should just say I'm sorry. I don't know why I didn't think about that… I was trying to find a way to fix it and make some gesture to show that I wasn't going to go with Keigo to Hyotei…"
Sakuno smiled pleased with a blush in her cheeks.
...
They arrived at a school and Hari noticed a tennis ball just inside a metal fence and Hari immediately felt like something was off. Just how had the ball landed all the way over there?
"Oh! There it is!" Sakuno exclaimed before trying to reach the ball with her racket but it was just out of reach.
Hari noticed the approaching boys all wearing the same green pants and shirts and Ginka was written on their t-shirts. She recognised the name as the name of the next team they were going to face. Her eyes narrowed as she took in their smirks and leering eyes as they watched her and Sakuno.
"What are you doing?" A boy with black hair asked.
"It seems like my ball went in there," Sakuno said.
"Why don't you come in and get it," the boy said in what would be a pleasant voice.
"Ha…" Sakuno started but Hari stepped up and placed herself in front of her friend.
"Why don't you just toss it out to us?" Hari interrupted Sakuno.
"It's not my job," the boy said and his eyes moved downwards looking her over before he looked back at her. "You can come and get it if you want it."
Hari narrowed her eyes at him and she wasn't lost to the snickers from his friends. He was smirking at her and clearly waiting for her to say something. Sakuno was biting her lower lip in worry and glanced between Hari and the boys.
"I can get it," Sakuno told Hari.
"No," Hari said not wanting Sakuno in there with them. They were up to something and there was no way she was going to let Sakuno inside there with them. She was sorely tempted to just abandon the ball but she saw the way Sakuno glanced at it and knew that she really wanted that ball.
Hari groaned inwardly as she made up her mind. She just couldn't stop herself from doing the opposite of what her inner voice (so alike Hermione) told her to do.
"I'll get it," she said. "You wait here, Sakuno-chan."
"Hari-chan…" Sakuno frowned but then she nodded.
...
Hari was so not surprised when the basket of tennis balls magically fell over and mixed all the tennis balls together making it harder for her to get the one that was Sakuno's and forcing her to bend over more. She fisted her hands as she really wanted to hit that smirk off the black haired boys face.
"What are you doing?" Hari demanded with a frown.
"I don't know what you mean," the boy smirked and stepped closer. "But…I'm sure I can help you if you ask nicely and then in a show of appreciation come with me to eat something."
Hari tensed slightly as his eyes looked her over again and she wasn't lost to his meaning.
"Back off," she glared at him coldly.
"That's not asking nicely," he hummed.
"I'm not asking you for anything," Hari said.
"Hari-chan!" Sakuno called worriedly.
Hari was considering her options. She hoped that Sakuno wasn't going to come inside and she was aware of the boys having closed off her path back out of the courts. Stupid.
...
Sakuno bit down on her lip as she watched the boys surround Hari, not too close but still enough to be uncomfortable. She saw that Hari had tensed and felt guilty. She should have just given up the ball…
What to do now, though? Sakuno knew she wasn't going to be able to do anything to actually help.
Ryoma. She, they, needed Ryoma.
She pulled out her phone and was glad that she had gotten his phone number. She immediately called him.
"Yes?" Ryoma's impatient voice sounded.
"Ryoma-kun!" Sakuno's voices were breathless.
"Ryuzaki?" Ryoma asked.
"Yes, you have to come! Quick! Hari-chan needs you!" Sakuno said quickly.
"What? Is Hari in trouble?!" Ryoma asked.
"Yes, there are some boys and…" Sakuno said and heard Ryoma curse. She wasn't sure she had ever heard him curse before…
"Where are you?" he asked quickly and she could tell he was moving and heard Tomoka in the background asking what was going on.
Sakuno explained where they were before he ended the call.
...
Hari made a pointed move to look for the ball while deliberating if she could get away by hitting the boy before her or if she would get in trouble with the school. He really was asking for it. She also didn't like to feel cornered like this.
She gritted her teeth as the memories of Dudley cornering her with his cronies snickering behind him threatened to overtake her but she forced it back as she glared at the boy. She was not that weak little girl anymore. She was not someone who couldn't fight back.
"You have the ball," she said in a low voice. "It's not on the ground anymore. You just want to see me crawl around looking for it."
"Now, that's not a very nice thing to accuse me of," he said in mock hurt.
"It's the truth," Hari said. "Now, give me the ball before I am forced to take action."
He laughed loudly and the others did the same. He stepped closer and reached out to touch her but she dodged him and pulled her hand back preparing to hit him when a tennis ball suddenly hit him in his right eye making him stumbled away from Hari who dropped her hand and looked to the side.
She was not surprised to see Ryoma standing there with a fierce scowl on his face and his tennis racket in hand. She heard the gasps from the boys as they took in Ryoma and the hole in the fence that had been made by the tennis ball Ryoma had hit.
"Ryo-chan! I was going to hit him!" Hari complained.
"I couldn't stand by and watch him try to touch you," Ryoma glared at the dark haired boy who was staring at Ryoma. "Stay away from my sister, bastard!"
Hari couldn't help the happiness that filled her chest as he openly declared her to be his sister even in this situation but she hurriedly pushed it away as she looked back at the stunned boys.
"You're just a little kid," the black haired boy said trying to sound tough. "Go back home."
Ryoma glared and walked over to the court and entered it making his way over to Hari who watched him.
"You tried to touch my sister and I won't allow that to slide," Ryoma said.
"I can take care of myself," Hari grumbled at him.
"Yeah, I know," Ryoma said without pause and glanced at her. "But that doesn't mean that I won't step in when I see you in trouble, Hari."
She blinked and felt a little…stunned by the simple way he said that. It was like it was obvious and she wondered if maybe it was.
"Oooh, such a sweet moment," the boy interrupted them and Hari glared at him. "The little boy actually thinks he has a chance against us, boys!"
They all laughed.
"Oi! Watch how you're talking to my little brother!" Hari snapped at him.
"10 balls a person," Ryoma suddenly said.
Hari glanced at him and arched a brow wondering what he was on about.
"Nani?" one of the boys asked.
"A game," Ryoma said watching them. "I play half of you and Hari plays the other half. You have 10 balls each. If we lose we'll let you keep the ball and walk away."
"You plan on playing all of us?" another one asked incredulously. "And a girl?!"
Ryoma snorted and looked back at the black haired one.
"What do you say?" Ryoma smirked. "Or are you too scared? Worried that you'll lose to a girl and a little kid?"
Hari smirked as well as she looked over the group of boys who looked a little uncertain on what to think about this.
"Oh, interesting," the 'leader' said with a cold laugh, "but let's change the terms a little. If we win then she has to go on a date with me. And if you win then we'll forget about checking the balls and you can take them all."
Ryoma scowled and opened his mouth to say something but Hari put a hand on his arm and stopped him. He frowned at her but she just smirked and he relaxed.
"Fine," Hari said. "Deal."
The 'leader' got a pensive look in his eyes before he laughed again.
...
Hari was the first one to go and she smirked at the boy on the other side who was looking confidently at her. He served the ball with more power than she had thought, but she had no problem returning it making it fly past the boy.
He got another ball and tried again. She returned it and he missed.
Again.
And again.
Hari yawned as he the boy was lying flat on the ground breathing heavily. She looked toward the watching boys who was staring at her stunned.
"Hehe…" another one laughed. "He must have underestimated her! She was just lucky!"
"Then prove it," Hari challenged and he took his place.
He served the ball and she used her speed to reach it and the ball was returned over the net landing behind him as he had run forward to meet it. He turned to watch where the ball had landed and stayed still in the same spot.
He frowned at her and she tilted her head in a curious manner and arched a brow.
"Well?" she said. "I'm waiting."
He growled.
He failed.
And so did the next and the one after that.
The last one was the black haired boy who Hari had named the 'leader' who was smirking at her but he seemed a little more worried now.
He served and she hit it back he managed to return it once but she caught it and played it back over at his side making him miss it.
"I'll take the next one!" he said.
"Try," she yawned.
He growled at her and served.
She returned it.
...
"Nice," Ryoma smiled at her and she grinned as she changed places with him not sparing the 'leader' a glance as he was lying flat out on his back at the sidelines.
"Go get them, Ryo-chan;" she smiled.
"You bet," he smirked back at her and she ruffled his hair under the cap making him scowl at her and smack her hand away but she caught the small pleased smile on his face as he did so. She was just feeling happy that they seemed to be back at where they were.
Hari watched as Ryoma got ready to take the first five boys and smiled amusedly as they all failed to get the ball past Ryoma who returned them all without any problem.
"I can't believe you did that!" Tomoka said in a voice crossed between awed and incredulous. "What if you had lost? You would have had to go on a date with that creep!"
"You really shouldn't have done that, Hari-chan," Sakuno still looked worried.
Hari smiled at them.
"There was no way I would lose to them;" she said confidently.
Hari just shrugged and watched Ryoma continued to play with the remaining boys and she knew he took way too much pleasure in humiliating them like this. She found that she really didn't mind.
"Mada mada dane!" Ryoma called out when the last one was defeated.
Hari, however, froze.
Mada mada dane…
Mada mada daze…
It was so similar. That was why she felt like she should have known that stranger. He wasn't a complete stranger after all. But…could it really be…? She frowned as the realisation hit her and she knew who it must be, but at the same time… could it? Was it possible? Then why hadn't he come to the house? Why hadn't he said who he was?
...
"I can't believe you two actually took all of the balls," Tomoka laughed as she watched Ryoma and Hari carrying the balls with them back toward the parking lot where they were going to meet Nanjiro again.
Hari broke out of her distracted thoughts and laughed.
"Why not?" she asked innocently. "That was the deal."
Sakuno giggled and was pleased to see the easier mood around both Hari and Ryoma.
"They deserved it," Ryoma nodded.
They sat down at a bench and Hari placed the bag of tennis balls beside her as she looked up at the blue sky. Her mind drifted back to her recent suspicion on who the teen from last night really was and she glanced at Ryoma.
"Something on your mind, Hari?" Ryoma asked noticing her watching him.
Hari was silent for a moment. Should she say something? She wasn't sure if it really was him or not, and if she was wrong then Ryoma would be disappointed.
"Just wanted to say I'm sorry," she said and smiled slightly but her eyes shadowed slightly. "I…I should have told you sooner about Keigo and I shouldn't have said it as I did. I really never even considered and never would have considered transferring over to Hyotei."
Ryoma was silent for a moment and Hari noticed Sakuno dragging Tomoka away and she was grateful that the two girls gave them some privacy to talk.
"I shouldn't have reacted like that either," Ryoma said. "I'm…sorry."
Hari saw that he was embarrassed and awkward but he was sincere.
"Hari…" Ryoma spoke up again and she glanced at him. "Fuji-sempai told me… about the move you have been working on."
Hari stilled and felt a flash of betrayal go through her but Ryoma spoke before she could say anything.
"He didn't want to," Ryoma hurried, "he just…thought I should know because I was being stupid and thought that you wanted to leave us. I thought you didn't want to be with us when you had someone there who knew your parents. They could offer you a stronger link to your parents and I thought you would want that."
Hari blinked a little surprised by what he was saying.
"So, Fuji-sempai told me about the move and why you were working on it," Ryoma explained. "Hari…you don't need to have a special move in tennis to belong with us. Even if you didn't play tennis you would belong with us, we all want you with us."
Hari forced tears back as she blinked rapidly.
"I…" Hari couldn't get a word out and she swallowed.
Ryoma glanced at her.
"You're my sister and my parents see you as their daughter, Hari," Ryoma said quietly. "They're waiting patiently for you to realise that."
Just then Nanjiro drove up and waved at them and when he saw Ryoma and Hari talking his smile widened and became more genuine and softer. Hari blinked again trying to force the tears back but she couldn't help the way her chest swelled and emotions took over.
...
Hari had excused herself and told Ryoma and Nanjiro that she wanted to go out for a walk and had declined their offers of accompanying her. She needed to think and a look at Ryoma seemed to make him understand because he nodded and gave her a small smile and told Nanjiro to let her go alone.
She was grateful that he did that because her mind felt like it was going to spill over with all that had happened the last two days. Her fight with Ryoma, the stranger who probably wasn't a proper stranger, her making up with Ryoma… It all was overwhelming.
Ryoma didn't hate her. That thought made her smile. She had really feared that he would hate her now and that she would be left alone like before. She thought back to her friends at Hogwarts, of Ron and Hermione. They were her best friends and while she loved them she wasn't sure if they really felt the same about her. Oh, they cared. But did they really care about her or about the Girl-Who-Lived?
She felt rather bad even thinking it, but the doubt was there.
But with Ryoma, that doubt was never there. She was just Hari with him and she was even more scared to lose that. So, the idea of him hating her was physically painful. That was why the relief was so great when he didn't hate her and that he told her that she belonged with them.
He had been honest when he said it and Hari wanted to believe him. It was so much promise in his words that even now she felt her chest constrict and emotions swell up in her chest. His hazel eyes had been steady and sincere.
Fuji had been right when he said she didn't need tennis to belong.
She just did.
That was a novel idea. She just belonged. She never really had belonged anywhere before. With the Dursley's she was the unwanted burden left on their doorstep. At Hogwarts, she was the hero or the scapegoat depending on the situation.
So could she really believe that she belonged here? With Ryoma and his parents who she was more and more thinking off as her own? Would they mind her calling them Otou-san and Okaa-san?
She sighed as she reached the river without getting lost. For once.
She sat down and stared down at the water like she had the day before only this time without Kaido at her side.
...
Ryoga was walking down the path by the river and had just arrived at the spot where he had been watching her and her friend the day before. He wasn't sure why he had gone back there now. Maybe he just wanted to be closer to the house where his family lived?
He sighed as he pulled a hand through his hear and adjusted the earphone in his left ear as music filtered through it. He looked toward the spot where he had seen her and paused when he noticed that she was back again. This time she was alone.
He swallowed slightly as he watched her from the shadows. What was she doing back there now? He couldn't help but wonder about that.
Echizen Hari.
He had been surprised and a little upset when he had heard that his father and stepmother had adopted a girl into their family. His aunt had mentioned it one day and he had been curious about this girl that had been taken in by the Echizen's.
He had tried to stay away and told himself that he didn't care but in the end… he had left the apartment he shared with his aunt in New York and boarded a plane and before he knew it he was on his way to Japan.
He frowned as he watched Hari sitting at the edge of the wall and looking down at the water below her. He was curious about what she was thinking about now. He wondered if she had gone home as he told her to the day before and if she had fixed the problems with Ryoma.
He had watched them both the day before at the tournament. He had stayed in the shadows just watching them, watching how Ryoma played tennis and how he and Hari had interacted. He couldn't help the feeling of something heavy in his stomach as he watched Hari tease his little brother and the annoyed look Ryoma shot her. Nor could he help the longing that went over him as he watched Hari cheer for Ryoma when he won a game and saw the smile Ryoma shot her. How he wanted to be there…
When they had their fight Ryoga was watching and despite himself felt a stab of glee at the fight between them before he scolded himself and pushed it away. He shouldn't feel happy about that. He was upset, though, because Hari was pushing Ryoma away when she had him in her life and had the chance to be there with him. Like he couldn't.
He had followed Hari just because he was curious and angry and wanted to see how she reacted to the fight. He was prepared to go to her and scold her for pushing Ryoma away but then he had seen the, there were no other words for it, despair in her eyes even from the distance he had been watching her. He had seen her lean against her friend and it was clear even to Ryoga that she was torn up over the fight.
He hadn't scolded her or yelled, he had just pushed her back toward the home she now belonged to and where he didn't. It had hurt more than he thought it would, but if Ryoma would be happy with her next to him then Ryoga wouldn't regret it.
Without a conscious thought, he moved. He walked over to the girl who was Ryoma's big sister like a magnet was pulling him toward the girl and not his own legs carrying him.
"So, back again," he said as he tossed the orange into the air before catching it again.
Hari's head snapped up and wide green eyes stared up at him. He saw her mouth pop open in shock as she stared at him.
"Yo," he smirked.
...
Hari blinked.
He was still there. He was tall and muscled, she could tell even through his dark blue jacket, and this time she could see his face clearly. He was really very similar to Ryoma, she thought to herself. Much the same face structure and the same hazel eyes. He even had the same dark-greenish hair colour but his hair was slightly longer than Ryoma's but not long by any means.
"Ryoga-san?" Hari said almost questioningly but at the same time not.
"You know my name," he said as he tilted his head.
"I've seen pictures," Hari said quietly. "Why don't you sit down?"
Ryoga looked at her for a moment before he shrugged and sat down next to her. He kept playing with the orange in his hands but she didn't say anything about it.
The silence stretched between them slightly awkwardly.
"So," Hari swallowed glancing over at Ryoma's older brother. "Arigatou."
He arched a brow as he looked over at her.
"For what?" he asked.
"For yesterday," she said looking back at the water below them. "I needed the push."
"So, you fixed it?" Ryoga asked.
"We did today," she nodded.
They were quiet again and Hari wondered what to say. Should she ask why he hadn't come up to the house? Or should she mention that Ryoma missed him? Should she…
"Good," he said.
"You saw us fight?" Hari finally asked curiously despite herself.
"Yeah," he said and looked at her again. "I watched you both during the tournament yesterday."
Hari nodded.
"You don't think I'm a stalker?" he asked with a wry smile.
Hari blinked and glanced at him.
"I'm sure you have your reasons for doing it," Hari said.
He frowned at her for a moment before he looked away and they fell into a silence again. Both of them were lost in their thoughts and for now, neither seemed inclined to break the silence.
"If I said I wanted to see if you were good enough to be my baby brother's sister, what would you say?" he finally asked.
Hari stilled slightly and her eyes darkened slightly.
"I would say that I probably would have done the same," she admitted. "And…I know I'm not good enough to be Ryo-chan's sister, but I really want to be and I do my best to be the best sister he can have."
Ryoga was staring at her and she felt uncomfortable but she refused to look away from him. She was not sure but she really wanted to have his approval.
"I see," he finally said. "That's good."
He looked away again and she was left wondering what he was thinking.
...
"Are you coming home?" Hari asked as she stood back up a while later.
Ryoga looked at her surprised like he hadn't expected her to say that.
"I…shouldn't…" he said but she saw the longing in his eyes.
"Why not?" She challenged.
He opened his mouth to answer.
...
...
AN: What do you think? :) Ryoma and Hari had their talk and made up! Yay! :) Will Ryoga come back with Hari? ;)
Hope you liked it! It turned out to be much longer than I originally planned. XD
Japanese words used:
Nani - What
Chotto - Wait
Gomen - Sorry
Hai - Yes
Oyaji - Dad/Old man
Okaa-san - Mom
Otou-san - Dad
Arigatou - Thank you