Echizen Ryoma kept a sharp eye on his team as he observed them from the edge of the tennis courts, keeping track mentally what needed to be improved on.
Suddenly, there was a ruckus at the courts on the far side. The only sign of Ryoma's annoyance was a lowering of his white cap as he headed out the gates. He stopped just behind the commotion as some of his players and other members of the tennis club surrounded something.
"What's going on?" he demanded coolly.
The sound of his icy voice made the tennis club stiffen instinctively. "Buchou!" They all looked over their shoulders at him guiltily.
He eyed them calmly. "Why aren't you practicing?"
"Sorry, Ryoma-kun," an all too familiar voice said through the mass of bodies.
Ryoma's eyes widened in surprise, but the cap shadowed his face, saving him from any embarrassment. "-senpai," he murmured.
Her short
frame squeezed past the crowd to appear in front of him, beautiful as always, in
her simple way. She smiled, and he realized he had gone too long without ever
seeing it. "I always knew you'd be captain."
Say the Words
He blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "What are you doing here?"
She smiled again, quietly. "Well, I just got back from America yesterday. The first thing I wanted to do was visit Seigaku."
Ryoma could feel his carefully crafted exterior cracking at the edges. It was then he noticed how quiet the tennis courts had become and gazed around to find the entire club staring at him and . "Everyone, twenty laps," he ordered sharply.
Amid the groans as the members began to line up, a loud voice protested. "Echizen, that's not-"
Ryoma shot Horio his patented no-nonsense glare, and the loud-mouthed regular shut his mouth wisely, joining his teammates as they started to run around the courts.
"Oh Ryoma-kun, it's not their fault," stated, eyebrows creasing guiltily. "I shouldn't have come during practice."
"You shouldn't have," Ryoma agreed, and immediately regretted his response as she flinched. He lowered his eyes. "Sorry, but we're facing St. Rudolph in two weeks. We can't allow for any distractions."
"I guess... I'll come back at another time," replied, unable to hide the disappointment visible in her words and expression. But then it was gone from her face seconds later and she smiled quietly. "You haven't changed at all." She turned around and walked away.
Ryoma didn't stop her.
---
"Ryoma-kun, would it kill you to smile once in awhile?"
He shrugged indifferently. "Probably."
As Seigaku's team manager for more than six months, knew she would never get used to the mystery that was Echizen Ryoma.
"Oi, -chan! Do you have the reports on Hyoutei's game with Yamabuki?" Momoshiro Takeshi asked as he walked up to them.
"Here you go, Momoshiro-kun."
The taller boy wrinkled his nose. "-chan, I hate it when you call me that. It's Momo-chan."
"Momo-senpai, don't you have to meet Kaidoh-senpai in Ryuzaki-sensei's office?"
"Ah, it's tough being captain!" Momo groaned, sighing as he thought of the paperwork.
"Would you rather Kaidoh-kun be captain?" asked softly, even though there was a teasing glint in her eye.
"Hell no! That viper should be fine with the vice-captain spot."
"How you two get any work done is beyond me."
Momo just shrugged, throwing the two a wink over his shoulder as he headed to the office.
went back to cleaning up the clubroom, trying to focus on something other than the tennis star, who was sitting on the bench and watching her. She tried not to show how tense she was especially now that it was just the two of them. She breathed in and out slowly and nearly jumped out of her skin when his rich voice began talking.
"Ne... -senpai?"
She turned to look at him and her heart pounded when she saw the faint smirk on his lips probably because he noticed how flustered she was. 'Why is he always around when I'm embarrassing myself?' "Hmm?"
His face suddenly turned expressionless as he lowered his cap over his eyes. "How long have you known Momo-senpai?"
"Not too long since I just transferred here this year because of my dad's job." She grinned slightly. "I just like to tease him with that 'Momoshiro-kun' stuff." She paused, raising an eyebrow inquisitively. "Why do you ask?"
"Ah..." He stood up from the bench and shouldered his bag without looking at her. "It's nothing."
It was definitely something. But before she could open her mouth, someone opened the door and a shy, familiar voice called out. "Ryoma-kun?"
gestured towards the exit. "Looks like your girlfriend is calling you."
The only indication that Ryoma heard her was a slight tilt of his head.
---
As the weeks crept closer and closer to the title match for the region, Seigaku struggled to stay in the race for the Nationals. While the school had three strong singles players, their doubles was a problem. It was a constant headache coming up with the team line-up. Should they move Kaidoh and Momo to Doubles 1 for an early advantage? But that would mean sacrificing Singles 1 and 2. The pressure would be on Kachiro and Katsuo to win Doubles 2 so Ryoma could close it with Singles 3. The second years were reaching the level of the renowned Golden Pair, but they had a way to go.
Still, it was the strategy they chose when coming up against Rokkaku. bit her lip and twisted the hem of her shirt with her hands as she heard the cheers come from the opposing side.
"If you want to watch so bad, then why don't you go over there?"
looked down at the figure laid back on the grass next to her. Even while under the shade of a tree, he had placed his well-known Fila cap over his face. He was always doing that, she thought in bewilderment. Hiding his face from her.
She shook her head. "I get too tense," she murmured, picking at blades of grass absentmindedly. "If I'm sitting in the stands... I'm too close. I have to have some distance or I might put too much into the game. If we lose..."
"Che." Ryoma lifted his cap slightly. "Sounds like you have a lot of faith in us," he commented dryly.
"Ah! It's not like that!" shook her head quickly. "I just... hate being disappointed."
He sat up and opened his can of Ponta. "You should take some risks "
Another cheer went up this time louder and wilder then before signaling the end of the Doubles 2 match. breathed a sigh of relief as she recognized Momo's shouts and whistles. Ryoma had the barest hint of a smirk on his face as if he had known the results all along.
" or you'll be forever stuck in the background."
There was a long stretch of silence as the noises from the courts filled up the space between them.
"Well, we can't all be in the spotlight," she commented after a moment, locking gazes with him, "now can we?"
"Echizen! Echizen! Where are you?!"
"Your match is going to start!"
Ryoma yawned, picking himself up from the grass. He shouldered his racket and looked down at her almost expectantly before his gaze turned blank. "I guess not."
She shouldn't feel this way, thought as the tennis star walked to the courts. She shouldn't feel so mysteriously frustrated and confused and warm after talking to such an arrogant, self-centered athlete. Then why...
Why couldn't she stop thinking about him?
---
In the twelfth game, Ryoma returned a shot by Aoi, surprised when he almost buckled under its weight. His startled gaze met the knowing eyes of the second-year Rokkaku captain. Ryoma ducked beneath his cap. It was a close match. Rokkaku needed to win so Aoi had been predictably fierce from the beginning. But Seigaku needed to win as well.
Ryoma readied himself for the next serve before his eyes unexpectedly darted to the stands. What he wanted to see he didn't know, but then he found sitting in the back of the crowd. Albeit it was in the very back, but she was still there. Putting all her faith in him. Trusting him.
His racket grip tightened.
---
"Ryoma, that was great!"
"Yeah, totally awesome!"
"Amazing, as usual!"
The Seigaku tennis club surrounded him after he had locked down the final set, making it seven games to six, and therefore winning everything overall. Ryoma almost smiled at everyone's enthusiasm. Momo gripped him in a tight hug and the tennis star squirmed uncomfortably.
"You did it, Echizen! You did it!"
Ryoma's eyes landed on the team manager as he struggled out of Momo's grasp. She stood to the back of the crowd, talking to Sakuno. Something in his stomach twisted.
He lowered his cap. "Mada mada dane."
---
wondered what it was about Echizen Ryoma that fascinated her. For one who didn't like the spotlight, she was surprisingly attracted to someone who was constantly in the center of it. Being team manager made her privy to all the quirks and shenanigans of the tennis players. She had seen practically all the sides of the tennis star. Before she knew it, she found herself believing in him as he fought through every game and came out still undefeated. Then she began to trust him as everyone else did. And to her dismay, she could tell it was turning into something more whenever she looked at him and her heart started pounding.
But it wasn't like she could act on her feelings. Ryoma had Sakuno his girlfriend. The sweet, shy girl whom couldn't bear to hurt.
'No,' thought as she glanced at Ryoma from the corner of her eye, her chest tightening. 'This is something better left unsaid.'
---
Seigaku was nearing the finals of the National Tournament. Could they win another year in a row? This was the question on all the fans' minds. But it was also the question that was putting tremendous pressure on the team. Momo and Kaidoh were bickering even more than usual, and the other Regulars were practicing even after practice was supposed to be long done. Tension was steadily rising as preparations were made.
"Ah, Ryoma," greeted the second year as he rounded a corner of the school. Vaguely, she thought she heard someone crying, but that was pushed to the back of her mind as the tennis regular stopped in front of her. She clutched the team's record books to her chest instinctively as she thought of the news she wanted to tell him. "Heading home now?"
He shook his head. "To the street courts to practice with Kachiro and the others."
"Right. The administration won't let you stay at school too late." looked at him in concern. "I hope you guys aren't overdoing it. You play Rikkaidai next week."
"Don't worry about us," he said briskly. He started to walk past her. "Ja ne."
looked down at the ground, now a little apprehensive about approaching him when he seemed to be in a frustrated mood. Perhaps now wasn't the right time to tell him. But they were friends, right? At least kinda... If she didn't tell him now, she wouldn't be able to later. Besides, he had told her to take risks.
She squeezed her eyes shut as he brushed her shoulder. "R-ryoma?"
She heard him stop just behind her. "What is it?" For some reason, his voice sounded so cold.
"I just wanted to tell you something-"
"Can it wait? I need to practice as much as possible before next week, especially if I'm facing Kirihara."
wondered if he could hear the hurt she was feeling in her voice. "... yeah, okay." She forced herself to smile even though he couldn't see it. "It's not important anyway."
"Che. Don't say unnecessary things then."
She heard him walk away and she clenched her fists tightly. "Baka," she muttered, tears gathering in her eyes, not knowing if she was talking to herself or to him.
---
Walking on the streets gave Ryoma enough time to reflect and see past his frustration before he met his teammates. He probably shouldn't have snapped like that. The pressure to win was even getting to him he who was especially cool under any type of stress. He supposed it didn't help that had caught him the moment right after he had broken up with Sakuno.
His hand tensed on his shoulder strap as he remembered her crushed face. But Ryoma had finally realized it some time after the game against Rokkaku. Sakuno could never be more than a good friend, a loyal supporter. Especially not when he felt...
Not when he felt...
---
"There it is! Cool Drive!"
smiled slightly as she heard the second year's enthusiasm over their teammate and friend. Even though they were the same year, Kachiro, Katsuo, and Horio were still Ryoma's loudest cheerleaders. She couldn't help but watch in both anxiety and anticipation as he faced Kirihara head-on. She and Ryoma had never addressed what had happened between them the week before. For , it had only confirmed that they could never be more than what they currently were. Friends... if that. But then again, it was only for him that she ever sat directly in the stands. Just to watch and support him gave her a kind of thrill that nothing else could.
"Mada mada dane."
's breath caught in her throat as Ryoma said his catch phrase, pointing his tennis racket at his opponent. The frustration he had revealed to her the week before was nowhere in sight. He looked so absolutely cool and calm and she knew by now his air of arrogance was rightly earned. He always appeared especially handsome when he was on the courts, though he looked equally gorgeous off them as well.
But his entire world was tennis. He wasn't interested in anything else beyond that. That she knew for sure.
"Ryoma..."
---
The celebration at Kawamura sushi was an event to remember. Even Ryoma couldn't help but grin as his teammates' excitement elevated his own feelings of triumph. He found he didn't even mind so much that Momo had him in yet another headlock and was ruffling his hair. He vaguely heard Katsuo and Kachiro through the din of the other loud cheers and conversations.
"Hey, did you hear about -senpai?"
"Yeah, I can't believe she's moving to America! And next month! She's not even going to her own graduation ceremony."
"What are we gonna do without her?"
And just like that, the thrill of victory was gone as dread took its place.
---
placed the last moving box in the rental car, waiting for her parents to get back from saying goodbye to the neighbors. The tennis club and her other school friends had thrown her a going-away party the night before. There was a cake and presents, but what she cherished most was the goodbyes her friends had said to her. She smiled fondly as she remembered some of them had even cried. Ryoma had been there too, but they only exchanged a sentence or two before she was whisked away by other friends.
'There's nothing left to say anyway.'
"... -senpai?"
Her eyes widened as she heard his voice behind her. 'Then again...' She composed herself before she put on a smile and turned around. "Ryoma-kun. It's nice to see you again before I leave."
"Ah." He nodded but said nothing else.
Her smile turned uncertain. "Is there something..." She saw his hesitation and she wanted so much not to hope.
"I wanted to wish you luck in America."
"Thank you." She tried not to let her disappointment show. That was all he wanted to say?
'Give me a reason to stay.'
"The others... and I..." There was a faint blush on his cheeks now. "... we're going to miss you."
This time her smile was genuine and touched, even though it wasn't what she really needed to hear. "That means a lot to me." Then before she could change her mind, she rushed forward and hugged him. She felt him stiffen but she just pulled him closer. "I'll miss you, too."
For a moment, she thought he held on a bit tighter but then he pushed her away. She bit her lip, trying to gauge his reaction, but he tilted his head so his bangs hid his eyes. "Goodbye, -senpai." He walked away.
couldn't say anything to stop him.
---
remembered watching him leave. She had wanted to call out to him scream, yell anything that would get him to stay a bit longer. Back then, she couldn't even admit it to herself. She was a coward someone who couldn't even put real faith into the people around her until she came to Seigaku.
Until she met him.
Now she knew what she was feeling and what she wished for so badly. But he was as unattainable as he was back then.
'Why am I doing this to myself?' sighed, staring out over the city from the one of the school buildings' rooftops.
"-senpai, it's really you!"
"Ah!" She smiled brightly as she turned around to confirm who it was. "Sakuno-chan! Long time no see!" The two friends hugged each other. "How are you?"
The braided teenager beamed. "I'm great! I just can't believe you're back~!"
"Let's just hope the move is more permanent this time around." patted Sakuno's shoulder affectionately. "So, how are things with you? What's been going on?"
"Well, yesterday was my fourth-month anniversary with Kentarou-kun," Sakuno stated thoughtfully. "So that was a lot of fun. But now exams are coming up "
"Wait! Kentarou-kun? As in Aoi Kentarou from Rokkaku?" looked at her in disbelief. "I thought you were going out with Ryoma-kun!"
Sakuno shook her head and gave her a small, somewhat sad lopsided smile. "Ryoma-kun broke up with me last year."
"What?!" exclaimed. "When was this?"
Sakuno gazed up at the sky in remembrance. "A week before the finals against Rikkaidai," she answered softly. "To be honest, I wasn't too surprised. We were never really close. He always kept part of himself from me. But it still hurt." She looked at in complete confidence. "He was my first love after all."
bit her lip, not really knowing what to say. "Are you okay?"
Sakuno blinked before laughing gently. "I hold no grudge against Ryoma-kun. I'm just not the one for him," she stated. "I realized that last year. I think he did too. That's why he broke up with me."
"What do you mean?" she asked quietly.
"I think he found someone else. Someone better suited for him," Sakuno clarified.
tried to swallow the hollow feeling in her throat. "Do you know who it is?"
"I've had my suspicions." This time the pigtailed girl smiled at her as if she knew a secret.
Her eyes widened. "Sakuno-chan..."
"But that all doesn't really matter!" she interrupted cheerfully, before could say anything else. "It doesn't matter as long as he's happy. Besides, I have Kentarou-kun. I have a lot more fun with him and he makes me laugh. It's so much more comfortable." She slapped a hand over her mouth. "Not that Ryoma-kun isn't fun! Or that he's uncomfortable to be around!" she stated in a panic.
laughed, releasing her tension. "You really are okay."
Sakuno grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, I really am."
"That's good." then realized that the major obstacle from telling Ryoma her feelings was no longer there. "Oh."
"What is it?"
"Ah, it's nothing." She placed a hand over her heart and whispered, "Just a little terrified."
---
She hadn't visited in two weeks.
Ryoma didn't know whether he should be relieved or pissed off.
"Ryoma. Ryoma!" He blinked and looked up to find his vice-captain, Katsuo, giving him a concerned look. "It's your turn."
He tipped down his cap as he stood up. "Ah." He had zoned out for almost all the matches. He gripped his racket as he went to stand on his side of the court. His focus wasn't on tennis. A year ago, he wouldn't have let anything get in his way. Now he wasn't so sure.
"Come on, buchou! You can do it!"
"Echizen!"
"Seigaku! Seigaku!"
"Ryoma-kun!"
He looked to the stands and his heart started pounding a little louder when he spotted her in the back of the crowd, just like she used to... only for him. His anger melted away into relief. She was still here. She didn't leave. There was still time. His gaze was drawn to his opponent standing across the net. But first...
Ryoma threw a tennis ball into the air. He let his eyes dart to the stands one more time.
She smiled at him. The smile he had gone too long without.
Ryoma smirked. He was going to finish this game and tell her what he couldn't when she left. After all, too much time had past while the words he wanted to say had been silent.
---
Ryoma nodded at all the congratulations his teammates and fans sent his way, while seeking a familiar face in the crowd. He ducked behind a row of trees and bushes before a couple of fangirls spotted him. He peeked through the foliage on his knees as they passed by and almost jumped when a hand touched his shoulder. He whirled around to find a grinning crouching behind him.
"Hiding from your fans?"
He ignored what she said in favor of staring at her. "-senpai..."
The look he gave her made her smile falter nervously as she remembered what she had come to do. Her eyes darted to the ground and to the trees anywhere but at him. She chanted a mantra in her head, gathering courage.
'You can do this. You can do this.'
His voice broke through her thoughts. "-sen"
"Chan."
"Eh?"
"Call me -chan," she whispered, embarrassed.
Ryoma looked surprised before a red tint brushed his cheeks. "-chan."
She found his response encouraging and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She crawled forward till their faces were inches away from each other. Ryoma fell back to a sitting position because of their closeness and stared at her with wide eyes.
gave him a lopsided grin, trying to mask her nerves. She drew courage from his solid presence; though ironically, it was the same thing that was causing her tension. "Do you want me to tell you a secret?"
"Wh-?" He looked at her questioningly.
She leaned up close to him so her mouth was right next to his ear. "You've always been the one I want," she confessed. "When I used to live here, while I was away, and now that I'm back..."
Ryoma breathed in sharply.
leaned back slightly so she could look into his eyes. She smiled at the amazement on his face and she lifted the cap from his head. "But the question is... what do you want?" she asked hopefully.
"I..." Ryoma's eyes took in her sweet face. He whispered, "What I want... is..." He remembered his resolve from earlier and smirked as his usual confidence came back to him. His hand clasped hers as he moved into her. "... you."
Then suddenly they were even closer and words weren't needed at all.
fin.
Krys
25.June.2006