Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction ❯ When Tezuka Had Fallen For Her ❯ Act iv ( Chapter 4 )

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Author's note: Yay! Chapter 4! Hey, I'm so sorry for the late update; I had just been SOOOO busy with schoolwork! I never had time until lately. Again, I'm so sorry!!!! Thank you for reading!!!

Diclaimer: I don't own PoT.

 

And don't just read.

Please post a review, too!

Have a good time.

 

 

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~>>>Act iv<<<~

 

 

 

“Who is she?” inquired Oishi to the freshmen curiously. “I'm not familiar with her in any way, and she doesn't look like Japanese to me.”

 

“Oh, that's Harinozuka Ringo-senpai,” replied Tomoka happily. “She's from Europe. Today's her first day here in Seigaku, and she's in the same class as Momo-chan-senpai's.”

 

“She's a junior?” Oishi can't help but gape at Harinozuka Ringo in slight amusement. “I thought she was a freshman, and definitely her body frame is much smaller than that of western people.”

 

“Whose body frame?” interrupted a serene voice from behind, and all of them (except Tezuka, of course) turned to see Fuji Syuusuke approaching with his ever-closed eyes and wan smile. “And Tezuka, what's with the odd look?”

 

Everyone's head turned curiously to the stoic Buchou, who in turn looked impassively over his shoulder at Fuji.

 

“Nothing's odd in Buchou's look,” said Horio thoughtfully, observing Tezuka's face. “He always look like he's mad a—” but the rest of his words were hushed when Kachiro and Katsuo hastily covered his mouth to stop him from saying anything more that might make their captain against him.

 

But Fuji knew Tezuka too well that he can still tell what's running on his mind despite the never changing stern mask he wears, though he decided to save his questions for later. The tennis tensai gaze then turned to the on-going match on the court, and mused when he spotted Ringo.

 

“Is she the one you were talking about?” he asked without looking away from her. “I think I hadn't seen her around here before.”

 

“She's a new junior student, Fuji-senpai,” introduced Tomoka, yet again. “She is Hairnozuka Ringo-senpai, Momo-chan-senpai's new classmate.”

 

“Ah…” said Fuji smilingly. “I have a funny feeling that somewhere I heard her name before, though.”

 

“Really?” said Oishi.

 

There was a short pause where everyone watched the particularly long tennis rally, which ended half-a-minute later with Momoshiro's fantastic Dunk Smash.

 

“Fifteen all!” declared Ringo, after the tennis ball bounced past Ryoma's racket onto the clay flooring.

 

“Don!” said Momo triumphantly, looking over at the other side of the court at Ryoma, who adjusted his white cap as he prepared to serve again.

 

“Mada Mada Dane,” said Ryoma confidently, shifting into his service stance.

 

As he was about to hit the ball with what as unmistakably another Twist Serve a loud voice rang out and startled them all.

 

“What are you still doing there?! It's only fifteen minutes before lunchtime ends!”

 

“Oba-chan!” exclaimed Sakuno, as everyone else watched Ryuzaki Sumire trot toward them, including the three people on the court.

 

“What's going on here?” the Seigaku coach asked, then noticed the presences on the court behind the wire fence.

 

“Ryoma, Momo…and…” Her eyes widened in shock as they rested on the equally stunned-looking girl seated on the umpire's seat. “There you are!”

 

“Sumire-san?” said Ringo ucertainly. Then, once confirmed that she wasn't mistaken, she hopped off from the high metal chair and landed smoothly on the ground to run towards the old woman. “Sumire-san!”

 

That was some agility and speed, Tezuka noted mentally. Any other girl with that body frame of hers would feel joint aches for jumping off suddenly from a height like that of the umpire's seat.

 

“Ringo! I had been looking for you since this morning!” Sumire chuckled as the girl hugged her in greeting.

 

“Sorry, Sumire-san. There was no time left for me to see you,” said Ringo apologetically, letting go of Sumire and beaming up at her.

 

“Eh?” was all the others can make as they watched the two people. That was when Ringo noticed the other people watching the scenario.

 

“Oh, there are people now—” she stopped in mid-sentence as her eyes fell (or rather, rose up) on the most quiet but noticeable person among the group.

 

“Tezuka…senpai!” she exclaimed, bemused, blinking at the captain's tall form. “It's Tezuka-senpai!”

 

“Eh?!” chorused the rest in bewilderment, yet again. Only Fuji doesn't have his mouth slightly open. Tezuka, on the other hand, merely turned his unfathomable gaze to Ringo and said nothing.

 

“Ringo-senpai knows Ryuzaki-sensei and Buchou?” said Horio loudly in his annoying naturally-loud voice.

 

“It's obvious,” came Echizen Ryoma's cold, slightly irate answer. He and Momoshiro decided to leave the game and approach the people.

 

“But, how come?” said Tomoka, her brows knitting in slight confusion.

 

“Well,” said Ringo, “it's a very long story.”

 

“If you guys really want to know,” said Sumire slowly, “then I'll tell you what my relation with this girl is. It was about three years ago when I was invited by a British friend to a one-week vacation at UK, and of course I was into it…”

 

 

 

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FLASHBACK

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I and my friend, Sarah Yamato were walking along a wide park of England during my third day of stay in Britain. Sarah is a writer in a sports magazine, and since tennis is a very popular sport in her country, she had learned to like it, too. We were discussing about that year's upcoming French Open, when she began to talk about the recent articles she had been assigned to work on.

 

“It's about a ten-year-old Japanese girl,” she was saying to me, “that was lately winning the three successive Junior Competitions held so far.”

 

“Really?” I said in amusement. It reminded me of someone I know, who had a son that was becoming a tennis prodigy in America (Author's Note: You know who he is!!! *wink*).

 

“And I think you ought to meet her, Sumire,” said Sarah, slightly surprising me.

 

“Why?” I asked curiously.

 

“Because she dreams of going to Japan one day,” said my friend. “I was thinking that you might take care of her when that happens, if ever you find her interesting enough. But I tell you, she's a bloody genius!”

 

“Oh, sure.”

 

“Actually, I plan to pass by Welden Tennis Garden, her training grounds, want to come with me?”

 

“OK.”

 

 

 

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END OF FLASHBACK

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“And when we arrived,” continued Sumire, “I immediately noticed a small girl whining about a broken racket, and I didn't realize it was the very prodigy I wanted to meet until Sarah introduced her to me.”

 

“I was young at that time,” said Ringo embarrassedly.

 

“Sugoi desu ne,” said Sakuno, awed. “Ringo-senpai won three Junior Competitions?”

 

“She's like Ryoma-sama!” said Tomoka, staring at Ringo with admiration.

 

“So you're a tennis prodigy, Harinozuka-san?” asked Fuji with interest.

 

“Err….” Ringo shifted from where she stood and didn't reply.

 

“We just heard it,” said Oishi cheerfully. “Anyway, welcome to Seishun Gakuen Middle School, Harinozuka-san.”

 

“Just call me Ringo,” said Ringo smilingly. “And thanks,….err….mister…?”

 

“Oh, yeah,” piped up Momoshiro, who was only listening in the conversation. “Ringo-chan still doesn't know the whole Seigaku team.”

 

“Oishi Syuuichiro,” said Oishi at once. “I'm a senior.”

 

“He's our Fukubuchou,” added Momoshiro.

 

“Wow, Oishi-senpai,” said Ringo, slightly bowing to him. “You must be really good.”

 

Oishi blushed at the remark and chuckled, putting a hand at the back of his head.

 

“I'm Fuji Syuusuke,” said Fuji serenely. “It's nice meeting you, Ringo-chan.”

 

“He's our own tennis prodigy,” said Horio proudly. “He has his special moves we call Triple Counters.”

 

“Triple?” said Ringo interestedly. “I look forward to see how you play, Fuji-senpai.”

 

“Same here,” said Fuji.

 

“Of course she already knows this cocky Echizen here,” said Momoshiro as he referred to Ryoma, who said something like “Tsch” and lowered his cap further. “And Buchou, too.”

 

“Ne, Ringo-senpai,” said Katsuo suddenly. Everybody turned to him abruptly; he rarely speaks out in conversations like this, often standing by Horio's side like a bodyguard. “How come you also know Buchou?”

 

By this, all attention was diverted to Ringo, who looked mildly embarrassed and glanced at Tezuka imploringly. The Seigaku captain remained silent and met no one's gaze.

 

“Well…” started Ringo, “we just met this morning.”

 

“Oh, is that the reason why you're late this morning, Tezuka?” asked Fuji, giving Tezuka a sly grin. “What happened?”

 

“Nothing important,” replied Tezuka nonchalantly.

 

“Is it really, Buchou?” said Momoshiro, with a wide grin plastered on his face. He gulped and sweat dropped as Tezuka shot him a 20-laps-around-the-grounds look.

 

“It must be something relevant,” said Sumire firmly. “We have the right to know it, as Tezuka as the captain of the team should have a valid excuse for being late.”

 

“I guess there's no choice, then,” said Ringo in defeat. So she told the rest what really happened that morning. As she narrated, the looks of awe and disbelief became clearer and clearer in the faces of most of them, and by the time she finished all of them are staring at the Seigaku captain oddly.

 

“Tezuka did that?” said Oishi tersely.

 

“It was not as I had expected,” said Fuji thoughtfully. “I really though it is a pregnant woman, or the likes of it, where it is really necessary.”

 

“Is it not necessary?” said Tezuka suddenly. He still sounded indifferent, but now there was a trace of defensiveness in his voice.

 

“Well, the drowning part is,” replied the brown-haired tensai, “But—”

 

The distant bell rang throughout the campus, announcing the end of the lunch period and the beginning of the afternoon classes.

 

“Quick, you people!” said Sumire anxiously, “Go back to your classes! Echizen, Momoshiro, you still need to change! Oh, you children…”

 

“Aahh! You're right, Oba-chan!” panicked Momo, looking down at his clothes. Echizen heaved a sigh and calmly followed the older boy towards the clubhouse.

 

“Mada Mada Dane.”

 

“Tsk, tsk,” Sumire clicked her tongue in frustration. “These boys…now I need to excuse them to their teachers…”

 

Ringo on the other hand was watching the other boys run back to the building. I'll just wait for Momo and Ryoma—oh no! She just remembered something; she looked at the coach bench in Court D, and saw Tezuka's neatly folded blazer lying on it…

 

I forgot again to give it back to him….Darn Ringo!

 

 

 

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“Ne, Ringo-chan,” said Momoshiro to Ringo, as they and the rest of 2-D began preparing to leave. Classes are dismissed, and club practices are just about to begin. “Have you joined any club yet?”

 

Ringo looked up from her bag to think about her classmate's question. “Hmm…I can't decide which club yet.”

 

“Eh? I thought it's definitely the Girls' Tennis Club,” said Momo, hitching up his tennis gear and school bag. “Anyway, would you like to hang out with the Boys' Tennis Club while you still don't have a club yet? The other members would love to meet you.”

 

“Really, won't I be a bother to you?”

 

“Not at all.”

 

“Hey Momoshiro!” called out a male classmate from the door.

 

Both Ringo and Momo looked at the speaker. It was Arai Masashi, a Seigaku Tennis non-Regular.

 

“Hurry, Ryuzaki-sensei wants us there as soon as possible!”

 

“Alright, I'll be right there!” said Momoshiro, hurriedly stuffing his things in his messy bag.

 

“Fsshhh…Arai, you're blocking the corridor,” came a sultry, hissing voice from behind Arai, sending chills on the latter's spine.

 

“Oh, Kaidoh, it's you,” he said, trying, and failing, to sound offhanded.

 

“Who?” said Ringo curiously to Momo, who had suddenly dropped his good-natured act. “Kaidoh Kaoru, also a second year, and a Seigaku Regular.”

 

“Honto ni?”

 

As though on timing, Arai moved away, revealing what may have been the scariest-looking junior student around, but not for Ringo. For her, Kaidoh Kaoru's snake-like manner (and features), and his limbs toned for effective tennis were nothing, and his scowl was just a manifestation of “seriousness,” rather than “threat.”

 

“Konichiwa, Kaidoh Kaoru-kun,” Ringo greeted, waving a hand. “I'm Harinozuka Ringo. Just call me Ringo. I'm just new here.”

 

Kaidoh, from his menacing air, turned beet red for being noticed by a girl, not to scream and run away, but to greet him cheerfully.

 

“A-ah…n-nice to meet you, R-Ringo-san,” he said, stuttering violently. “My name is Kaidoh Kaoru.” He bowed at her.

 

Momoshiro broke into cruel laughter, making the other junior snap his head at him unpromisingly.

 

“Fsshhh….what are you laughing at, punk?” he said aggressively.

 

“You see that, Ringo-chan?” said Momo to Ringo in mock fear, “that's his true colors.”

 

“Why you…” Kaidoh gritted his teeth. “Stay away from that flirt, Ringo-san.”

 

“Who're you calling flirt?!” retorted Momo, advancing a step towards Kaidoh. “Watch your mouth, Viper.”

 

“Yare, yare…” started Arai feebly.

 

“WHAT?” chorused Momo and Kaidoh angrily, shooting him death glares for being interrupted in their favorite hobby—fighting.

 

Arai looked as though he's going melt under their glare and went away, probably seeking his friends' help to stop the fight before anything else happens. The two, however, didn't bother to look, as they resumed their disturbed business.

 

“Now, you want a fight?” fumed Kaidoh.

 

“It can't be helped,” said Momo provokingly, smirking evilly. “It can't b—”

 

WACK!

 

Both of them let out a loud cry of pain when they were hit hard by Ringo's bag on their heads.

 

“Oww!” said Momo painfully, flinging his hand on his head. “It hurts!”

 

Kaidoh was rubbing the spot on his head and was grunting.

 

“Now, it's settled then,” said Ringo happily, carrying her things. “You two should be downstairs now.”

 

Hurried footsteps reached their ears and a moment later Arai, together with his friends, was at the door, slightly panting from running.

 

“There—” Arai started, but blinked as he caught sight of the scene. His eyes traveled from the two boys, who were nursing a lump on their heads, to the sole girl in the room, who was holding her bag and was looking triumphant. Comprehension dawned on him.

 

“Oh…”

 

 

 

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“Okay, men, you know the usual,” said Sumire in a surprisingly loud voice. “You know what to do, so get to practice!”

 

“Hai!” answered the Boys' Tennis Club as a whole, then they scattered, going to their usual posts. The freshmen as usual practiced racket swings and proper stances, the non-regulars played basic tennis, and the nine Regulars underwent hard training in preparation for the Nationals.

 

Sumire as usual sat on the bench comfortably, watching the whole scene with a sharp eye. Normally, she would be sitting with a sports magazine writer or anybody from the media, asking her endless questions; but today—thank God—the place was void of such things. Today, though, a very fascinated girl was her companion.

 

“Sugoi,” said Ringo happily, watching Kikumaru Eiji and Oishi Syuuichiro's match. “The redhead-senpai uses acrobatic tennis!”

 

“He's Kikumaru Eiji, and players like him are rare to find,” said Sumire, somewhat proudly.

 

“Hmm…demo, isn't what he doing consumes a lot of stamina? For Kikumaru-senpai, continuous vigorous movements are seemingly disadvantageous.”

 

Indeed, as they observed the resident redhead, sweat already beaded his face and soaked his shirt even if the match had only begun ten minutes ago. Nevertheless, a wide smile still played on the acrobat's lips.

 

“Hoi, Hoi,” he said excitedly, twirling his racket as Oishi rummaged in his pocket for a spare tennis ball.

 

“Yes, Kikumaru's weakness is stamina, which opponents once had used against him,” said Sumire airily. “But don't worry, I had planned that boy to go through a special program to overcome his weak spot. And you're still as sharp as ever, Ringo, for immediately noticing that.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

The two women were distracted, however, by a loud voice drifting from Court C, where Kawamura Takashi and Fuji Syuusuke were having a practice match.

 

“GOD DAMN!” shouted Kawamura at the top of his lungs, swinging his racket wildly. “Come on, baby! I'M BUUURRRRNIIIIIIIIIING!”

 

“Here I come, Taka-san,” said his opponent calmly. The tensai did quite an ordinary serve.

 

“Ha!” said Takamura haughtily, receiving the ball with a heavy return.

 

“I-Is he really like that, Sumire-san?” said Ringo hesitantly, watching the power tennis player hit heavy balls and cast English remarks on his seemingly calm opponent.

 

“Hmm…just when he's holding a racket,” said the old woman casually. “You should get used with Kawamura's noisy playing style.”

 

“Oh…” said Ringo sheepishly. “And Kaidoh-kun is doing a great job!” She has now turned her attention on Court B, where Kaidoh Kaoru and Inui Sadaharu's match is taking place. Kaidoh just did his infamous Snake Shot.

 

“Good job, Kaidoh,” said Inui, his glasses gleaming under the afternoon sun.

 

“Is that a Buggy Whip Shot?” asked Ringo curiously.

 

“You're not mistaken.” Replied Sumire.

 

“That's already used by tennis pros!” said Ringo excitedly. “Kaidoh-kun must be training a lot to be able to do that.”

 

Sumire laughed softly. “Yes, he is. And that is able to one-up who he considers as his greatest rival.”

 

Ringo looked at Sumire inquiringly, then followed the coach's gaze. She ended up with the next court, which consisted of Momo and Ryoma.

 

“Oh, Momo and Kaidoh-kun are rivals?” she said.

 

“Yes.”

 

“That must be the reason why they are always fighting.”

 

Sumire looked at Ringo. “So you have witnessed one of their fights?”

 

Ringo smiled. “Well, yeah, but luckily I stopped them before they end up hurting each other.”

 

Sumire was amazed. “How did you do that by yourself?”

 

“Well,” said Ringo, her smile widening. “I hit them with my bag. That's what I always do when my…siblings…fight.”

 

The Seigaku coach stared at the girl, who was busy watching Momo and Ryoma's match. She clearly knew what she meant by “siblings.”

 

 

 

 

 

End of Act iv.

 

 

 

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Author's Note: Done! This is quite longer than the previous chapters; well, I had planned this to be more eventful than it ended up to be but it would make the chapter so much longer that you might lose interest….and that's what I'm afraid of. So, I cut it short with a little cliffy *smiles* Thanks for reading and please review.

 

 

Ja na!