Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Prince of Tennis!
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flashback
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...
How had he ended up here? That was what went through his mind as he stood in the middle of the living room of the Echizen's house. His father was staring wide-eyed at him and his mouth opened in a small 'o' like he didn't believe what he was seeing. Ryoma was blinking owlishly as he stared at him and Ryoga swallowed.
"Hey…" he said awkwardly.
They blinked and he felt the nerves swirl around in his stomach when silence was all that met him. Why had he ended up here again?
Oh…that's right… he glanced over at Hari. It was her fault, he thought and as if sensing him looking at her she glanced at him and smiled. Amused. She was amused and he felt like narrowing his eyes as he remembered just how he had ended up standing in the middle of the living room in front of his father, stepmother and little brother…
...
"Nande?" She asked.
Ryoga frowned at her. Why not she asked… like it was just to waltz back in there and say hey and then what? It wasn't as if they actually wanted him there.
"It's not that easy," he said.
"Easy?" She tilted her head as she looked at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"
He sighed and glanced away from her. He didn't want to explain it, not to her because she wouldn't understand. She was a part of them and he…he wasn't.
"You wouldn't know," he said and tossed the orange up in the air and caught it as he distracted himself and put on a smile. "It's complicated."
She nodded as she looked at him.
"Daijobu," she said, "but that doesn't mean that you can't come home to say hello to your family, right? They would love to see you."
He stared at her and opened his mouth to say something when a loud voice interrupted them.
"Hey! Hari-chan!"
Both Ryoga and Hari turned toward the voice and saw a boy coming toward them on a bike and with spiky dark hair.
"Hey, Momo-chan," Hari smiled and waved. "You're out rather late."
"So are you," Momoshiro said giving her a look before glancing over at Ryoga curiously. "Oh, who's your friend?"
Ryoga opened his mouth to make his excuses and leave because if she was preoccupied with her friend then he could get away before she asked any more of his reasoning of not coming back with her.
"Oh, he's Ryo-chan's Aniki," Hari said making Ryoga's head snapped toward her. "Ryoga-san."
"Echizen's brother?" Momoshiro repeated surprised. "Oh, I didn't know he had a brother. Nice to meet you! I'm Momoshiro Takeshi; I'm in the same class as Hari-chan and plays tennis with her and Echizen."
"Nice to meet you," Ryoga said a little stunned and at loss for words.
She had so easily introduced him as Ryoma's brother, so easily claimed him as a part of Ryoma's life, and it warmed something inside of him. Was this what it felt like to be claimed as a part of a family?
"Are you lost again, Hari-chan?" Momoshiro's voice interrupted his thoughts and Ryoga looked over at Hari again when she let out a groan.
"Ie," she said giving her friend the evil eye. "I'm not lost! I know perfectly well where I and how to get home!"
"…if you say so," Momoshiro said in a voice that said clearly that he didn't believe her and she knew it too if the glare was anything to go by. "But you have to admit that the word of a girl who regularly gets lost isn't that convincing."
"I don't get lost," she protested. "It's everyone else who keeps moving around!"
Ryoga felt a smile cross his lips as he took in her indignation and then she suddenly pouted.
"At least most of the time," she added reluctantly.
"Right," Momoshiro snorted.
"Whatever," Hari scowled. Then she grabbed Ryoga's arm and started to drag him with her. "We have to go home now, Momo-chan. See you at school!"
"Alright," Momoshiro said with an easy smile. "See you!"
Ryoga was then dragged up the stairs from where they were and down the streets. He glanced at the girl who dragged him curiously as he tried to figure out what she was thinking.
"They always nag about me getting lost," she grumbled.
"Oh? And why's that?" Ryoga asked curiously not really thinking over the fact that she was dragging him with her.
"Just because I sometimes end up in places I'm not supposed to," she scoffed. "It's not my fault. Really! It isn't"
She gave him such a look that he felt like he should agree so he nodded and she smiled at him.
Suddenly they were in front of a house and he blinked. It was… she had dragged him with her back to her home and he hadn't stopped her. He opened his mouth to say something but she had already opened the door.
"Tadaima!" She called.
"Welcome home, Hari-chan!" a familiar male voice called and Ryoga stiffened but was too surprised and stunned to protest as Hari pulled him into the living room.
...
That was how he found himself in front of his father, stepmother and little brother.
"You know you're going to make him believe you don't want him here," Hari commented when the silence had stretched long enough.
"How…" Nanjiro asked hoarsely. "Ryoga…You're…What… How?"
Had he ever heard his father sound so at a loss for words? Then the man was over at his side and Ryoga's eyes widened a second before he was pulled into a tight hug. He tensed as he felt his father's arms around himself in the first time in years… and it felt good.
"Ryoga," he heard the man whisper.
"…Oyaji," he said quietly.
"You're home," Nanjiro pulled back and grinned at Ryoga who blinked.
"Nii-san," Ryoma said and Ryoga looked over at his little brother.
"Hey, Ryoma," he smiled. "How are you?"
"I'm fine," Ryoma shrugged. "When did you get here?"
"A couple of days ago," Ryoga said awkwardly.
They fell into a silence until Ryoma looked at Hari and then back at Ryoga.
"How come you two came together?" Ryoma frowned.
Ryoga scoffed and looked at Hari who smiled innocently at him. She barely noticed Nanjiro and Rinko look at her with relief in their eyes as well as curiosity.
"She dragged me here;" Ryoga said.
"Saa?" Hari blinked. "I just took you back home. What's wrong with that?"
He fiddled with the orange in his hands as he glanced around the room.
"But…how did you know each other?" Ryoma asked confused.
Hari just shrugged before she replied.
"He got me to go home yesterday after our…fight," Hari admitted. "I didn't know who he was yesterday, though. I just figured it out today and when he came to talk to me again…well, I thought it would be good to bring him home."
Ryoga was scratching the back of his head as they turned to look at him again.
"Very good," Nanjiro smiled and with that, he pulled Ryoga to the seating area and sat him down and Hari smiled as she watched the father and son start to catch up.
"Thank you, Hari-chan," Rinko said before Hari was pulled into a hug.
"Eh?" Hari blinked at her confused when she was released.
"Nanjiro has been really worried about Ryoga," Rinko said. "It's good to see him back home again."
...
Hari cast another curious look at her shadow of the day. Ryoga was walking beside her and was looking rather relaxed as he followed her through the streets of wealthy looking buildings. He had decided to follow her as she left the house for the day.
"So why have you decided to play shadow to me today, Ryoga-san?" she asked casually.
"Do I need a reason?" he asked.
Hari glanced at him again. He looked calm and casual but there was an underlying tension in the way he glanced at her and then looked away. His shoulders seemed a little too tense. He had a reason for following her and she had a suspicion about why.
"You have a reason," she said calmly, "but I won't ask you for it."
He looked at her again and this time she noticed the searching look in his hazel eyes but she just turned her attention back to where she was going and frowned slightly as she realised that they had been at this street before. She sighed.
"So, are you going to tell me why we are wandering through the same streets for the last 30 minutes?" Ryoga asked curiously.
Hari ignored him.
"I thought Ryoma and that friend of yours exaggerated your ability to get lost," Ryoga continued. "But I think they might actually have a point."
Hari shot him a glare.
"I didn't ask you to come," she said sullenly. "So, don't complain."
He laughed and she realised that she hadn't really heard him laugh until now. She felt some of her annoyance fade away as she noticed some of his tension give away.
"I'm actually starting to think that you are a stalker," she said making him blink at her and smirk at her.
"Oh? I must be a very poor one then," he quipped.
"Or a brilliant one," she shot back easily. "You hide in plain view."
"You're strange," he said and chuckled.
"Thank you," she smirked before turning forward again as they rounded a corner and she let out a small sigh of relief. "We're here."
"Hyotei Academy?" he asked as he read the sign above the large gate. "Why are we here?"
He looked at her and she just shrugged as she continued through the gate.
...
They made their way across the empty schoolyard. It was a very large school by the looks of it and Hari imagined that if it hadn't been a Sunday they would have seen a lot of student walking around. But since it was a day off they could walk around by themselves.
Hari found the tennis courts without getting lost and noticed that it was much larger than the ones at Seigaku. She also noticed that a group of people were at the middle court and a game was going on while others were seated at a stand to the right.
"What are we doing here, Hari-chan?" Ryoga asked.
"I'm here to talk to Keigo," Hari said.
"Nande?"
"Because he has to realise somethings," Hari said before she sped up.
She had texted Keigo and asked to meet him. He had told her to come here and even if she didn't really want to go to his school to meet him she decided that it was best to just get it done. She couldn't allow it to go on like this much longer.
She noticed that it was the same group of people she had met before that was gathered at the courts. Mukahi Gakuto and Oshitari Yushi were the two playing if she remembered their names correctly.
She noticed a boy with messy orange hair sleeping slightly behind the others on the stands and she cast him a curious look. He looked so at peace and you'd think he was in his own bed at sleep by the looks of him. Just who could sleep that well out in the open like this?
"Oh! Echizen-san," Otori was the first to notice her and by his voice, the others looked over and noticed her as well. "How are you?"
"I'm fine, thank you, Otori-san," Hari nodded politely to him.
He smiled kindly at her and glanced over at Keigo who was watching her with a pensive look on his face.
"It's you!" Mukahi exclaimed and seemed to have abandoned the game as he came over to them and glared at her. "What are you doing here?"
"You're being rude, Mukahi," Oshitari sighed as he came over as well. "Hello, Echizen-san."
Hari nodded at him and ignored the other she didn't like him and didn't feel like dealing with him.
"Who's with you, Hari-chan?" Keigo asked and Hari noticed him looking at Ryoga who was watching them with a calm look but had found an orange (where had that come from?) and was tossing it lightly up in the air as he watched them.
"Echizen Ryoga," Hari said and Keigo narrowed his eyes slightly. "He's Ryoma's brother."
"Ryoga-san, this is Atobe Keigo," Hari glanced at Ryoga and then at Keigo. They seemed to be observing each other.
"Nice to meet you," Ryoga finally said politely.
"You too," Keigo said back in the same tone. "So, why did you want to meet me, Hari-chan?"
Keigo turned his attention back to her and seemed to dismiss Ryoga.
"You already know that," Hari said eyeing him. "Don't pretend that you don't."
Keigo was silent for a moment and the team watched them nervously and slightly curious.
"Fine," Keigo sighed. "Come on. We'll talk over there."
...
Hari followed him so they were a little bit away from the others and could talk in private even if they were still seen by the others.
"So what happened to your face?" Hari asked eying the bruise on his cheek curiously.
"Your little brother doesn't like me very much," Keigo shrugged and Hari's brows went up. Ryoma had hit him? She hadn't known that…
"Naruhodo," was all she said out loud.
"You don't seem sorry," Keigo observed.
"Well, you probably said something stupid," Hari said and he huffed.
"Whatever," he said. "So what do you want?"
"I just thought we should talk," she said and frowned slightly at the coldness she sensed in him.
"I can't imagine what about," he said. "You made your feelings about me clear. You pick them."
Hari sighed softly as she watched him.
"What did you expect?" she asked him.
"I expected you to realise that this is what best for you!" Keigo snapped at her. "You belong with us, Hari-chan! You were supposed to be with us and I'm only trying to do what is right. Attending Hyotei is what's best for you because it can offer you the right education and I will be here to watch out for you just like Aunt Lily and Uncle James would have wanted me to do. Mum and dad have missed you and looked for you since you went missing. They want you to come home as well."
Hari listened and felt both annoyed and sad by his words.
"What about what I want?" She challenged as her annoyance won over. "What about my choice in all this?"
"It's for the best," Keigo said stubbornly. "We're your family, not the Echizen's!"
Hari scowled at him.
"The Echizen's are my family!" Hari shot back at him. "Don't you try to say they aren't! Ryoma is my brother and Nanjiro and Rinko is my parents!"
She barely noticed that she claimed them as her parents out loud for the first time. She pushed it back to think about later.
"I know that if things had gone like it was supposed to then I would have grown up with you and your parents," Hari continued trying to calm down. She would obtain nothing if she lost her temper and just yelled at him. "But that didn't happen, Keigo. I'm sorry it didn't because I'm sure it would have been a much better childhood if I had. I'm sure. As it is I grew up with an aunt and uncle who didn't really want me and I never felt home or accepted until I met Ryoma and his parents. They accepted me and have been great to me."
Keigo scowled and his hands were fisted at his side as he refused to look to look at her.
"So you pick them," he said coldly.
Suddenly he looked so defeated and lonely that Hari felt a stab of guilt and sadness for him. She knew that his parents must be busy with their jobs and he was probably left on his own a lot. So maybe this wasn't just about what her parents had wanted back when they were alive, but also a way for him to have someone in his life on a regular basis.
"It's not about picking anyone!" Hari said in a softer voice. "I'm not saying that I don't want to get to know you better or your parents! I do want that but I will continue at Seigaku and stay with Ryoma. But I want to be in your life as well."
He looked at her then and looked thoughtful.
"Also, you can't just go around ordering me around," Hari said as she inhaled deeply. "I hate being controlled and told what to do. Talk to me and ask me before you just go around deciding things."
He nodded slowly and she smiled slightly as she sensed that he had calmed down and the coldness she had sensed in him had faded back.
"What about we meet at least once a week?" she asked. "We could have dinner and talk or something like that?"
He couldn't hide the relief in his eyes quickly enough as he nodded.
"Alright," he said in a calm and collected voice. "That would be acceptable."
She just smiled and nodded.
...
They went back to Ryoga and the rest of Keigo's team who was chatting lightly but Hari wasn't lost to the searching look from Ryoga when they joined them again or the curious looks from Keigo's team.
"You okay?" Ryoga asked.
"I'm fine," she smiled at him. "You? Are you bored to death yet?"
"Nah," he shrugged. "They are an interesting bunch."
Hari smiled and nodded as she looked back at the others who didn't quite seem to know what to think about her as they looked at her. She just smiled at them.
"Does he always sleep like that?" She asked nodding toward the sleeping boy.
"Ah," Otori smiled. "He does."
"What's his name?" Hari asked.
"Akutagawa Jiro," Keigo answered. "He's a strong tennis player, but he's lazy."
"I see," Hari said amused.
Hari and Ryoga stayed and talked a little more with them before they left.
...
"Oh! It's you!" A voice said loudly making Hari and Ryoga pause and turn around to see a boy around 10 looking up at her with wide violet-blue eyes.
"Ah, Minoru-chan," Hari smiled.
"You remember me?" he asked with a wide smile.
"Mochiron," she said.
"I thought you might have forgotten me," he said with a shrug before he glanced to her side and frowned slightly as he looked at Ryoga. Hari followed his eyes as she wondered why he suddenly scowled.
"This is Echizen Ryoga," Hari introduced, "Ryoga-san, this is Yukimura Minoru."
"Nice to meet you," Ryoga said eying the boy curiously.
"Hm," Minoru huffed before he looked back at Hari much to Ryoga's amusement and Hari's confusion. "What are you doing?"
"We're on our way home," Hari said. "We've been to see a friend of mine. What about you? Are you here alone?"
She looked around and noticed that they were close to a park where some kids were playing tennis.
"I'm here with some friends, Hikaru and Sato," he said glancing over at the park. "We're playing tennis but we're not as good as Seiichi-nii-san yet."
"I don't think many people are as good as your Seiichi-nii-san," Hari said amused. "But I'm sure you're on your way to challenge him nicely."
"Mh-mm!" He nodded. "Can you help us?"
"Me?" Hari asked surprised.
"Yeah! Seiichi-nii-san said you are very good at tennis!" Minoru said excitedly.
Hari arched a brow because she knew Seiichi hadn't really seen her play tennis before and she wasn't sure why she felt a sudden jolt of... what? Pleasure, happiness? Go through her at the younger boy's words.
"I suppose I could stay and help you for a little while," Hari said and glanced at Ryoga who had arched a brow as he looked at her. "Do you want to stay or go home, Ryoga-san?"
Ryoga looked at her searchingly before he looked at Minoru and found a scowling boy looking back at him. He felt his lips twitch and just to annoy the boy he stepped closer to Hari before he answered.
"I'll stay," he said. "I'm quite…curious about this."
Hari gave him a strange look before she shrugged and looked at Minoru who grabbed her hand and started to drag her away chatting avidly as he did so, leaving Ryoga behind.
...
It was rather fun to play tennis with Minoru and his friends, Hari thought as she hit a ball back over the net. Minoru hit the ball back again and smiled happily as he did so. She returned it easily and used a little more force to make the ball go faster.
"Oh," Minoru said as he missed the ball.
"You almost had it," Hari smiled at him, "you just have to work on your footwork so you can move a little faster. You read the direction of the ball correctly so it's only your speed that was a little lacking right now."
He nodded.
"I see," he said. "I will get you next time!"
She smiled and nodded.
"I'm sure," she said and glanced at the clock. "I'm sorry, Minoru-chan, but I have to go home now."
"Okay," Minoru sighed and looked over at Ryoga who was playing with another boy with long blond hair and blue eyes. He had been introduced as Hikaru and as Minoru's best friend. The other friend there, Sato, was sitting on the sideline watching this round having played against Hari the round before.
...
"You're awfully close to her," Minoru scowled up at Ryoga who glanced down at him curiously.
"Oh?" Ryoga arched a brow.
"You should know that she's not yours," Minoru said defiantly and folded his arms over his chest.
Ryoga blinked and glanced over at Hari who was talking to Hikaru and Sato about something and looked like she was enjoying it.
"Why would you say that?" Ryoga asked looking back at Minoru. "Do you like her perhaps?"
Minoru glared at him.
"I don't go after girls that are spoken for," he said.
"And she's spoken for?" Ryoga asked pensively.
"Yes," Minoru nodded. "So you should back off!"
Ryoga smiled amusedly.
"Just who has claimed her?" Ryoga asked tossing his orange back and forth between his hands as his eyes watched Minoru closely. "You seem to know."
Minoru bit down on his lips and looked away.
"I won't tell you," he said stubbornly before he ran over to Hari and claimed her attention and leaving Ryoga to his thoughts.
...
Hari was aware that Ryoga was watching her but she wasn't sure why so she tried to ignore it. Her mind was also a little distracted by the meeting with Minoru and the last thing he had said.
Seiichi-nii-san is coming to Tokyo in a couple of days.
She couldn't deny the happiness she felt when she heard that Seiichi was coming back to Tokyo. But why did she feel happy because he was coming to Tokyo? It really shouldn't matter much to her…right? So why had her thoughts mediately jumped to excuses she could make to meet him?
Just because he's coming doesn't mean that he wants to see her, she scolded herself. He hadn't told her that he was coming so maybe he didn't want to see her. He probably had enough to do without making time to see her.
She frowned to herself.
"What's on your mind?" Ryoga asked.
"Eh?" Hari blinked and looked at the older boy who was watching her.
"You suddenly looked depressed," Ryoga said.
"Oh," Hari said looking away from him and rubbed the back of her head self-consciously. "It's nothing. I was just thinking."
Ryoga didn't press the matter and she was grateful for that. She pushed the thoughts about Seiichi away and looked at Ryoga.
"So, are you ready to go home?" she asked.
He gave her a surprised look before he smiled slightly.
"You saw through me, huh?" he said.
She shrugged.
"I guessed you probably felt a little crowded back at the house," she said. "With me, you wouldn't face the same questions and effort to catch up."
He chuckled slightly and tossed the orange up into the air before catching it again.
"You're very observant," he commented before he sighed and looked straight ahead before he spoke again. "I guess I do feel a little…uncomfortable in the house and with them. I don't really know why…"
She nodded.
"I can understand that;" she said quietly. "They really do want to get to know you again, though."
"I suppose so," he said. "I just need a little time to get used to it again. I thought…"
"You thought they didn't want you?" Hari completed his sentence.
"Yeah," he said and looked down at the ground. "My aunt… she never said anything about dad wanting to keep me. I thought he just gave up…"
She looked at him and didn't say anything for a moment considering what to say or if she should say anything at all.
"I met Ryo-chan and Nanjiro and Rinko not too long after you had left," Hari finally said and he glanced at her. "They were in Surrey for some tennis thing and I met Ryo-chan when he was practising tennis near where I was living at the time. He said he was playing so he could meet his brother again someday."
Ryoga stared at her for a moment before he smiled and his posture relaxed more.
"I see," was all he said but she knew he understood.
...
"Hari-chan!"
Hari looked up away from Hira and Sora to see Mizuno coming running toward her.
"Hai? Mizuno-chan?" Hari frowned slightly when she took in the panicked look on his face and the way he had obviously sprinted to find her. "What's wrong?"
"Ryoma….Ryoma…" Mizuno gasped for air but Hari tensed and her eyes sharpened.
"What?" she demanded. "What about Ryo-chan?"
"He…he…" Mizuno still couldn't get the words out.
"Mizuno!" Hari snapped impatiently stepping away from her two friends and toward the younger boy before making an effort to calm down and calm the boy down so he could tell her what was wrong. "Calm down and tell me."
He inhaled deeply and looked at her.
"He is hurt!" Mizuno said. "A boy from another school came and he caused trouble! He beat up Arai-sempai and was bullying Kachiro when Ryoma stepped in and…and the boy hit stones at Ryoma like they were tennis balls!"
Hari paled as she listened but her hands fisted into tight balls as anger quickly filled her.
"Where is Ryo-chan?" She asked.
"He went with the coach at the health room," Mizuno said.
Hari didn't listen to anything more and without saying goodbye to her friends she ran. She ran through the corridors ignoring the startled looks she got from the other students. Why had she lingered behind after class? Why hadn't she made her way directly to the courts for their practice as she should have? If only…
She mentally scolded herself the entire way to the health room. Finally, she was in front of the room and she threw open the door without caring about anything. She saw Ryoma and Ryuzaki inside the otherwise empty room.
"Itee…Itee…Iteee…" Ryoma chanted.
"Ryo-chan!" Hari exclaimed loudly feeling her pulse throb furiously and her eyes were wide and scared as she took in the seated form of her brother. He was already bandaged up, clearly, Ryuzaki had just finished with the bandages.
"Hari-chan," Ryuzaki scolded as she had a hand pressed to her chest. "You scared me! Don't burst into a room like that!"
Hari ignored her and rushed over to Ryoma and started to check him over to find out more about his injuries. She tilted his head and took in the bandage wrapped around his forehead and the bandage on his cheek.
"Are you okay? Does it hurt?" she asked rapidly. "Are you hurt anywhere else? Who did this?"
Ryoma pulled back and grabbed her hands that were reaching for him again in frantic movements.
"Calm down, Hari," he said and squeezed her hands slightly. "I'm fine."
"You don't look fine to me!" Hari protested. "Tell me who did this?"
"That's what I'm trying to find out," Ryuzaki interrupted and Hari glanced at her before looking back at Ryoma who looked stubbornly back at them. "This is pretty severe and I don't believe that you got hurt like this by falling down."
Falling down? That wasn't what Mizuno said… She narrowed her eyes at Ryoma who was now ignoring her (but still held her hands in his and gave them a squeeze) and looked at Ryuzaki.
"I fell," he insisted.
Hari gritted her teeth together to stop the protests she felt ready to burst out because it was clear that Ryoma wasn't going to say anything to the coach and for now she would respect that. At least for now and she would find out what had happened. That was for certain.
Ryuzaki sighed and looked at Hari before looking back at Ryoma.
"Fine," she said. "I can't make you tell me the truth."
She got up.
"You decide what you can do at practice today," she said before leaving the room leaving the two siblings alone.
...
"Ryo-chan," Hari said when they were on their own. "Tell me. What happened?"
"I fell," he said stubbornly.
"I know that's not the truth," Hari scolded him. "Don't lie to me. Mizuno-chan told me a boy from another school hurt you. You tell me what happened or I will find Arai and Kachiro and get them to tell me."
Ryoma was silent for a moment before he sat down and started to explain what had happened. How he had arrived early to practice and had changed and before going to the courts to warm up. How he had heard something and walked over to see what was going on and found Arai and Kachiro on the ground. Arai was beaten up and Kachiro was covered by tennis balls and metal racks.
Hari was scowling as she listened and her eyes flashed dangerously as Ryoma explained how he had stepped in and the boy had been there looking for him. He had first hit one stone at him with his tennis racket but Ryoma had stopped it, but he froze. Then the boy had hit five stones at once…
"And I still froze and couldn't stop them;" Ryoma finished.
"Who was he?" Hari asked in a dangerously low voice. So unlike herself that he glanced at her almost warily.
"It's fine," Ryoma said. "I'll deal with him myself."
"Ryoma," she said and stared at him.
His name. Not the nickname. That wasn't good, Ryoma thought as he wondered what to say. The truth was, he did know who the boy was but he had kept the name back on purpose because he didn't want Hari to do something stupid. But with the way she was looking at him and the tone of voice…
"Akutsu Jin," Ryoma finally said quietly.
"I see," Hari said and got up.
Her eyes softened as she looked at Ryoma and before he could say anything she hugged him and he could feel her tremble slightly against him and he put his arms around her. Hugging her back tightly knowing that she needed the comfort. Honestly, he needed it himself.
...
"Is it just me or have Inui-sempai gone crazy about our training ever since he came back from Ginka?" Horio panted as they ran laps around the courts.
"He and Yoshida-san are concerned about Ginka's training," Momoshiro answered glancing behind him to see the freshmen trio running and was mildly impressed that they still were keeping up.
"Are Ginka really that strong?" Horio asked.
Momoshiro wasn't that sure about that. But Inui and Yoshida had both been insistent that they had to step up their training before their match because when the two had gone to watch them they had found the entire team spread across the court completely worn out from what looked like a very hard practice.
Hence the torturous amount of laps they were ordered to run.
He glanced to the side to see Ryoma coming up beside him with a smile on his face like he wasn't even tired. The show-off, Momoshiro scoffed to himself before he looked to see Hari follow her brother like a shadow and a serious look on her face.
She hadn't smiled once since joining their practice. She had been silent even as Kikumaru had been cheerful in his greeting and clearly overjoyed in seeing the two siblings together again after their fight. Hari had just shrugged and pushed him away before going to start her warm-ups.
Momoshiro had noticed Tezuka watching Hari with a sharp look but she ignored him as well as she stayed close to Ryoma. Ryoma seemed resigned to this and didn't say anything or question it. It wasn't that hard to guess the reason why. He looked at the bandages on Ryoma's face. The boy was stubbornly keeping to his story that he fell, but they all knew it wasn't the truth and Momoshiro was ready to bet his favourite tennis racket and his bike that Hari knew this as well and was planning her revenge.
"Water time!" Inui called out and Momoshiro grabbed a cup of water that was placed on the table and drank it down greedily.
He paused when he heard the groans from behind him and looked to see several people lying on the ground clutching their throats as she dry-heaved and groaned. It looked like they were dying…
His eyes widened as he looked at Inui who had an evil smirk on his face holding up a cup. No… he couldn't mean… No….
"Anyone who doesn't finish a lap in 1 minute will have to drink this," Inui said.
"What is it?"
"I call it," he started and tilted the cup he was holding and something thick and red poured out…. Momoshiro didn't want to think about what it was… "Penal tea."
"Great," Hari muttered sarcastically but otherwise didn't show any reaction in contrast to the horror-struck expressions on the others faces.
Inui was evil!
Momoshiro was sure. Inui was the evilest person in this school! Possibly in the entire world!
He wasn't going to drink it! No way!
...
They ran.
And they ran…
No one wanted to stop and have to drink the Penal tea.
Ryuzaki smirked as she watched the team run and her eyes took in Hari who was keeping pace with the regulars. She was the only non-regular left and she was in the lead with Ryoma beside her. Ryuzaki had a feeling that she could probably be further ahead but was purposely keeping pace with the younger boy.
She moved her eyes away from the girl that had been quiet since arriving at the practice and to the fallen members of the tennis club, most still groaning about the penal tea. She could understand that. She was just glad that she didn't have to drink it. She shuddered. How Inui actually liked that stuff was beyond her.
"It's their 30th lap!" Horio said stunned from the ground.
"Awesome…" Kachiro said.
"Even Hari-chan is keeping up with them…"Mizuno said.
Ryuzaki smiled and glanced at Inui.
"They really don't want to drink that tea," she commented.
"This is the last lap," he said and smirked making her feel worried for her regulars (and Hari). "So, I'm bringing out the secret weapon."
He held up a large pitcher of the penal tea before he called out:
"This is for the last one to cross the line!"
...
It turned out to be a close race and Hari watched them run. She didn't bother trying to keep pace with them as she looked at Ryoma. He looked happy as he competed with the others despite the bandages on his face. She felt guilty as she looked at them.
Though she could feel slight amusement as Ryoma gave Kawamura a racket and he bust with flames and yells of BURNING! Causing chaos in the group and Ryoma using the older boy to get past the others.
She watched from behind that they finished as one before she jogged over the line last. She stopped and leaned forward slightly to catch her breath.
"You were last," Inui was suddenly in front of her with the large pitcher with the red Penal tea.
"No! Not Hari-chan!" Kikumaru yelled.
"No!"
"Hari-chan!"
Hari ignored them as she stared at Inui with a blank look on her face. He smirked at her and she sighed as she grabbed the pitcher. She remembered how the regulars had reacted to the Juice Inui had given them last time and wondered if this was as bad as that…
"You meany!" Kikumaru yelled as he looked at Hari-chan with tears in his eyes. "Inui! To make Hari-chan drink it!"
Hari lifted the pitcher to her lips and started to drink. She decided to just take it in one go and poured it down her throat.
Everyone watched as she drank and drank before she finally lowered the pitcher and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
It wasn't exactly good. She wouldn't say that, but…she had tasted worse and this was far better than most potions she'd ever had during her time at Hogwarts. The Skele-Grow, for instance, …that was nasty. This was nothing to that.
"Hm," she said and looked at Inui. "I was expecting worse."
He gave her a curious look as he accepted the pitcher back while the others were silent for a long moment.
"WHAT?!"
Hari looked at them before looking around the ground to see several of the team still lying down and looking half-dead like it was the first time noticing them. She blinked and tilted her head.
"What?" she asked confused.
"You seriously can stand like you didn't just drink a whole pitcher of that stuff?" Kikumaru exclaimed shocked. "Only Fujiko does that!"
Hari glanced at Fuji who smiled and then she looked back at Kikumaru.
"Eh? It's not that bad," she insisted. "Sure, a little spicy and strange but overall I've had worse."
They stared at her like she was crazy and despite her worry and anger toward a certain someone, she felt a spark of amusement go through her as she took in their various expressions.
...
...
AN: What do you think? :)
Hope you liked it! XD Thank you for reading and supporting the story.
Do you want a look at the magical community back in Britain in the next chapter? ;) If so, I might add something ;)
Japanese words used:
Nande - Why
Daijobu - Alright
Aniki - Older brother
Ie - No
Tadaima - I'm home
Oyaji - Dad/old man
Nii-san - Brother
Saa - Filler
Naruhodo - I see
Mochiron - Of course
Hai - Yes
Itee - Ouch