Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction ❯ When Tezuka Had Fallen For Her ❯ Act viii ( Chapter 9 )

Author's Notes: Yay…here's chapter eight…sorry for the delay everyone! I had some trouble with my computer…anyways, I'm also the type who ignores introductory author's notes, so maybe I should stop now. Oh well, have fun!! Please review…please?

 

 

Disclaimer: I do not own PoT…(hmm…no one's currently available to do the job for me)

 

 

 

 

 

~>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+> +<+>+<~

 

 

Act viii

(Chapter Eight)

 

 

~>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+> +<+>+<~

 

 

 

 

 

“Yosh! Ohayo, Japan!” Ringo exclaimed happily, as she opened the sliding glass door in her bedroom and stepped on the small balcony, which overlooked the roofs of the nearby houses. She breathed in the early morning scent, before finally grinning to herself and stepping back to her bedroom, pulling the sliding door shut behind her.

 

“Now, for normal body circulation and prevention of muscle cramps,” she said under her breath, sitting on the bedroom floor to begin some warm-up exercises (she didn't mind even if she's in her school uniform already; she's alone anyway). It was a long moment before she paused, a feeling of dread washing over her.

 

But you don't play tennis anymore, a lonely voice resounded in her mind. Why are you still doing this? I guess you should overcome this habit.

 

Ringo shook her head wildly, hitching back her smile. At that time, a soft, ringing sound drifted from the kitchen, and she got onto her feet and went out of her bedroom. “Time for breakfast!”

 

 

 

 

~>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+> +<+>+<~

 

 

 

 

 

“Ohayo!”

 

Ringo, who was busy locking the door to her apartment, looked over her shoulder to the speaker.

 

The person was a girl who looked like she was around senior middle school. She was wearing a dark-blue-and-white uniform with a scarlet bow like in Ringo's uniform, held murky brown, shaggy hair that fell just above her shoulders, and bright black eyes. She was a foot taller than Ringo, and was smiling widely.

 

“Ohayo,” Ringo replied, smiling back as she pulled her key from the lock and tucked it in her skirt's pocket.

 

“You're my new neighbor, eh?” the girl said happily. She then stood straighter so that Ringo could have a better look at her. “The name's Hayate Aiko. I live in room 244.” She pointed the nearest door on the younger girl's left side.

 

“Sou ka! Harinozuka Ringo here. Nice meeting you, Hayate-san,” said Ringo. “What school do you go to?”

 

“I'm a senior student at Fudomine Junior High,” said Aiko. “And please just call me Aiko.”

 

“Same goes to me, Aiko-san.” Ringo smiled more widely. “Ringo's fine.”

 

But she suddenly found Aiko's face an inch from her own, her starry eyes peering at her compassionately.

 

“You're so…KAWAII!” the senior squealed, giving the stunned-looking Ringo a bone-crushing hug. “You're the cutest girl I've seen this year!” After a few moments, she finally let go of her.

 

“Aahh…I didn't know about that…” was all Ringo could say, as she dangerously swayed on the spot. All the air was knocked out from her.

 

“Hmm…that green uniform…could you be from Seigaku?” Aiko further inquired, swiftly walking around Ringo's form to look at her more closely, failing to notice the huge sweatdrop hanging on the shorter girl's head.

 

“H-Hai,” said Ringo awkwardly, watching as the senior, seemingly now convinced about her stature, stood back to her original position in front of her. “How do you know?”

 

“Fudomine and Seigaku are schools in good terms,” explained Ayako. “Mainly because of the sports competitions. Can't expect to have conflicts between the two best Tokyo prefecture representatives, no?”

 

Ringo nodded. “I heard Seigaku had good records in sports.”

 

Aiko chuckled. “Well, maybe credits should be given to Seigaku for now, since currently they are the leading school in Tokyo, but surely you don't expect Fudomine to let that last long? We'll sure have our C-O-M-E-B-A-C-K!” She pointed a finger at Ringo's face fiercely, her eyes blazing with determination.

 

This fellow, Ringo thought, as her eye twitched and a sweatdrop lingered on her head, she sure had lots of energy.

 

“Anyway,” the senior continued, back to her normal state, “can we walk to the station together? Fudomine's not that far from Seigaku, so we'll have the same bus.”

 

Ringo looked at her for a while, before smiling. “Sure.”

 

And that was how Harinozuka Ringo met her best friend.

 

 

 

 

 

~>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+> +<+>+<~

 

 

 

 

 

Tezuka came into a halt before the entrance to Seishun Gakuen Middle School, looking up at the school building thoughtfully. He's now in the current school year's last semester, and after that, his junior high years will be over. He with most of the Seigaku regulars would leave this school, and will have their own lives from then on. This would be the last year of his captainship, and the last chance for him, together with the other seniors, to bring the team to the top of the country.

 

National championship, he thought. It will be ours. He was confident that his arm is now healed, though there is still this tiny part of him that doubts about it. Would he be able to play without handicap throughout the championship?

 

He was distracted in his thoughts when he felt a hand rest on his right shoulder. Looking back, he saw Inui, his eyes hidden behind his glasses as usual.

 

“Standing here, with that faraway look,” he said, withdrawing his hand and digging it in his pocket, “probability of contemplating stressful thoughts, 100 percent.”

 

“Inui,” said Tezuka. Inui took a step forward so that he stood by his side, and in comfortable silence they watched the school they spent three years studying at.

 

“It's going to end soon, isn't it?” Inui finally said, sighing. “Our identities as Seigaku senior regulars.”

 

“Aa,” the buchou replied silently.

 

“We'll be high school students soon, so maybe we should enjoy what time's left with us as middle school students.”

 

The data-man already had his prediction about what Tezuka would say, and he was right again.

 

“Let us not get careless. We still had the Nationals this summer.”

 

Inui grinned. “I guess so. But that doesn't change the fact that we're not middle school students anymore.”

 

“Thinking about it would just bring even more stress,” Tezuka said. “What's important is what happening now.”

 

The data-man's smile even widened. “Stressful indeed. Especially for you, Tezuka, who is the top senior student, the team captain, and the soon-to-be high school student. So don't you think you should relieve yourself from all these pressure?”

 

“I already have tennis.”

 

“But it doesn't really relieve you, does it? The pressure the National Championship brings…even the non-regulars are tensed.” Inui pushed his glasses further up his nose in a professional way. “There are other more effective ways.”

 

“What can you suggest?” Tezuka asked nonchalantly.

 

“Hmm…” Inui paused to think, but the captain knew he was doing it on purpose. “Like…getting yourself a girlfriend?” With that, he walked towards the school grounds, saying in his mind, Possibility of raised eyebrows, 100 percent. You should expect that from Tezuka.

 

And he was right.

 

 

 

 

~>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+> +<+>+<~

 

 

 

 

Ringo thought that there would be no dull moment when you're with Hayate Aiko. In a matter of a short walk and a bus ride, she was bombarded with endless questions, and in a matter of time she already knew what seemed to be half of everything about the Fudomine student.

 

“…and did you know what the punk said?” Aiko said angrily, as they hopped off the bus. “`This is none of your business, brat!' Mattaku…I was trying to help!”

 

Ringo strained a smile. “But Aiko-san, it looked more like you humiliated him.”

 

Aiko paused. “Did it?”

 

The younger girl sweatdropped and said nothing more. Despite her loudness and tendency to become reckless, Aiko is a good-natured and fun person to be with. She's charming to start with, so Ringo wouldn't be surprised if she had many admirers.

 

“Aiko-nechan!” a female voice called out from overhead, making both girls look up to its source.

 

A girl with short, burgundy hair adorned with pink barrettes on either side of her face was waving at them from the front of the train station entrance. Ringo noted that she wore the Fudomine girl's uniform, so she assumed this was someone Aiko knew. She also noticed a tall guy next to the brown-haired girl, with his back to them. Her eyes widened in interest when she recognized a tennis gear clinging on his shoulder.

 

“An-chan!” Aiko called back, waving her hand. She held Ringo's wrist and pulled her into a run towards the girl. “I've got a new friend here!”

 

The brown-head girl observed Ringo with interest. Ringo realized they had the same height, and that the girl was also carrying a tennis gear on her shoulder. She smiled at her.

 

“You're from Seigaku,” the girl said, smiling back at her. “I'm Tachibana An. I'm a junior at Fudomine.”

 

“Harinozuka Ringo,” said Ringo. “I'm a junior, too. It's nice to meet you, Tachibana-san.”

 

An smiled more widely. “We're in the same year! And by the way, do you know someone who goes by the name Momoshiro Takeshi?”

 

“Of course,” said Ringo. “He's my classmate and seatmate.”

 

An's eyes widened. “Honto? Momo-san is one of my friends in Seigaku.”

 

The man who was standing by An's side and was facing the other way cleared his throat loudly at this, and turned to face An sternly. “I hope you just had friendship and nothing more.”

 

“Oniichan!” An pouted angrily.

 

Ringo observed the man silently. He was tall, with sharp dark eyes and a mole on his forehead. He wore what she assumed as the Fudomine boy's uniform.

 

She was distracted, however, when Aiko suddenly jumped from beside her to the young man's side to wrap a hand around his arm.

 

“Ohayo, Kippei,” Aiko said in a sing-song way, resting her head on his shoulder.

 

“Ohayo,” the guy replied, looking down at her with a small smile on his face.

 

Ringo hadn't noticed that she had her mouth open, thunderstruck. An saw her expression and giggled.

 

“Aiko-nechan is oniichan's girlfriend,” she explained to the flabbergasted Ringo. “They're both seniors in Fudomine. Well, once they get together they seem to forget that other people are with them,” she added in an undertone.

 

“Ringo-san,” said Aiko, still not letting go of his boyfriend. “This is my classmate, lab partner, and boyfriend, Tachibana Kippei. Kippei-chan, this is my new friend, Harinozuka Ringo. She's a second year at Seigaku.”

 

“Don't introduce me like that,” Tachibana Kippei said seriously, deeply embarrassed, as he ran his free hand on his hair. He then turned to Ringo and smiled. “It's nice meeting you, Harinozuka-san.”

 

Ringo couldn't help but look at them weirdly as she said, “Me too…Tachibana-san…”

 

“Oh,” An suddenly said, looking down at her wristwatch. “Oniichan, you still have morning practice.”

 

“Aa,” Kippei said.

 

“You better go now,” Ringo said, making everyone turn to her.

 

“Ooww, we're riding a different train from you!” Aiko said sorely as she pouted in disappointment.

 

Ringo grinned. “Yeah…but we'll see each other again, won't we?”

 

“Definitely,” An said happily.

 

“Our train would leave after ten minutes,” said Kippei. “Let's go.”

 

“Ja ne, Ringo-san!” Aiko called out over her shoulder while waving her hand at Ringo, as the three of them began to walk away.

 

Ringo waved back, smiling at how childish she looked like, when she noticed An suddenly come to a halt and let the couple go ahead. She turned and walked to Ringo.

 

“Harinozuka-san,” she started, but Ringo cut in.

 

“Just Ringo.”

 

An smiled. “Okay…Ringo-san, do you play tennis?”

 

Ringo's insides did a double-take, and she really hoped her face didn't betray any of her emotion. But sadly, An noticed it.

 

“Ringo-san? Are you okay?”

 

Ringo mentally slapped her face and did the most convincing smile she could muster at the moment. “Yeah…”

 

An looked at her worriedly. “I was asking it because I usually hang out with oniichan and his friends at the public tennis courts near the bus stop next to Seigaku. Just in case, we could have a match or two.”

 

Ringo feinted a disappointing look while saying, “Sou ka…sorry, Tachibana-san, but I don't play tennis.”

 

“Oh…” An said. “Well, it's not too late to learn tennis. If you want, I can teach you the basics, that is, if you're interested. I'm just in the public tennis courts.”

 

“Sure…I'll think about it.” Ringo clenched her hands as her voice did the most unnoticeable waver.

 

An smiled, then distractedly looked down at Ringo's right hand, which was holding her bag. She was wearing a mildly astonished look.

 

Ringo curiously looked from her to her hand back and forth. “Is something wrong?”

 

An snapped her head back to her and shook her head vigorously. “Nothing…well, ja!”

 

“Ja…” Ringo said, as she watched An catch up with Kippei and Aiko, who were already waiting for her at the entrance.

 

“An, what happened?” Kippei asked the moment An stopped by their side and they proceeded to the card slots.

 

“I just asked Ringo-san if she plays tennis,” An said. “Well, she said no, but…”

 

“But…?” Aiko asked, as they sliced their cards in the card slots.

 

“Hmm…her right hand…”

 

“What about it?” Kippei inquired.

 

“She wears a wrist band,” An said seriously. “No…it was a power band…I saw the brand label.”

 

“Eh?” Aiko said blankly. “Power band?”

 

“It's a heavy band stuffed with weights,” Kippei explained. “It's mainly used in sports training, either wore on the wrists or the ankles. Tennis players usually train their power with wearing power bands on the wrist of the hand they use in holding the racket.”

 

“Oh?' Aiko said amusedly. “Maybe she just wears that for fashion.”

 

“If she does wear that for fashion, then it would be unreasonable,” An said dismissively. “Her uniform is long-sleeved, so the power band won't be noticed. If that's for fashion purposes, of course she should wear it in a place where everyone can see it.”

 

“There are other reasons to wear power bands on wrists other than tennis,” said Kippei reasonably. “Besides, why would she lie about it?”

 

“That's what I also thought,” said An. “But that's not the only thing I saw.”

 

“What else did you see?” Aiko asked eagerly.

 

The train slowly pulled itself into the station with a faint screeching noise and finally came into a stop. The doors automatically opened, and people began to enter the train, along with the three Fudomine students.

 

“The way she was holding her bag,” said An thoughtfully. “She's using the Western Grip.”

 

Aiko looked more baffled than ever. “Western Grip?”

 

“It's one way of gripping the tennis racket,” said Kippei. “Some players develop a habit of holding anything the way they held their racket. It's a result of excessive training.”

 

An nodded. “This will have no excuse to be coincidence, because you see, the Western Grip is like the way you pick up a fallen object on the floor, and it would be hard for you to maintain your hand in that form, wouldn't it?”

 

The train began to move, and they subconsciously reached their hands on the round handles above them, contemplating about what had just been talked about.

 

 

 

 

 

 

~>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+> +<+>+<~

 

 

 

 

“Harinozuka-san, can you please translate lines seventy-eight through eighty into Japanese?” the English teacher suddenly said, his beady eyes scanning the class in search for the newest student.

 

“Hai,” Ringo said, standing and looking down at her textbook. “`The skies finally turned coal-black, and Death roamed above the clashing clans. Cries of pain filled the air, blood marred the Holy Land. Mercy did not exist, bloodlust and glory written in their vengeful heart.'” She sat back in her seat and laid her book on her desk, and the class gaped at her with awe.

 

The teacher nodded at her smilingly and went back to discussing her answer. Momoshiro waved to catch Ringo's attention and gave her a double thumbs up. Ringo grinned and returned the favor. He then leaned closer on her.

 

“It's rare to see Fujiwara-sensei smile, you know,” he whispered at her behind his hand. “It totally doesn't fit him!”

 

Ringo snickered and fought hard to restrain herself from laughing, pressing her arms against her stomach. “By the way, Momo,” she whispered, the moment she settled down, “do you know someone named Tachibana An?”

 

Momo blinked at her before smiling and leaning back on the back of his chair, pretending to thumb through the pages of his textbook.

 

“An-chan, eh? She's the younger sister of the captain of Fudomine boys' tennis team. Great team, they are,” he said, looking as if he was reminiscing good memories. “How do you know her?”

 

“How do I know who, Momoshiro-san?”

 

“Who?” Momo said, confusedly. “An-chan, of course!” But it was a little too late when he realized it was not Ringo who had spoken, but somebody else behind him. He gulped and sweatdropped, then slowly turned his head to the speaker.

 

Standing behind him was Fujiwara-sensei, his arms crossed above his chest and foot tapping against the classroom tiling.

 

“I guess this is the fifth time, Momoshiro-san,” the teacher said sternly, “that I caught you doing something else during my class. This means an extra meeting at the faculty room after dismissal…”

 

Momo chortled uncomfortably, running a hand behind his head. “Hai, sensei…”

 

Fujiwara-sensei sighed, then returned in front, facing the whole class. “I guess that's it for today. Don't forget the quiz tomorrow.”

 

The bell rang throughout the school, announcing the end of that day's classes, to be followed by screeching sounds as the students as one pushed back their chairs to stand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

~>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+> +<+>+<~

 

 

 

 

“Ringo-senpai!”

 

“RINGO-SENPAI!!!!!!”

 

Ringo turned around at that particular loud voice, and saw two of her kouhais, Ryuzaki Sakuno and Osakada Tomoka, running to catch up with her, making students along the way step aside hastily to avoid being hit. She assumed the second, much louder voice, belonged to Tomoka.

 

“Ryuzaki-san, Osakada-san,” she greeted, as the two freshmen stopped before her.

 

“Ne, ne, Ringo-senpai,” Tomoka started excitedly, “do you already belong to any club?”

 

Ringo rested a finger on her chin. “Since it's just my second day here, I still hadn't chosen my club.”

 

Sakuno and Tomoka looked at each other triumphantly, making their senpai look at them curiously.

 

“Ringo-senpai…eto…” mumbled Sakuno, becoming suddenly interested at the floor, “Could you…anou…”

 

Ringo blinked at her. “What is it?”

 

“Oh just say it!” said Tomoka. “Sakuno wanted to invite you to the girls' tennis club!”

 

Sakuno nodded and looked back at Ringo hopefully, but then frowned worriedly. “Ringo-senpai? Daijobu?”

 

Ringo stared at them for a while with an unreadable expression, before hitching up a smile that they noticed that didn't reach her eyes.

 

“Join the tennis club?” she repeated.

 

Tomoka nodded. “Since you're a European champion and all that, being in this school's tennis club is nothing!”

 

Ringo forced a chuckle. “Osakada-san…I was a European champion, but not anymore. Gomen, but I can't join the tennis club.”

 

The two freshmen's faces fell as though the destruction of the world had come. Tomoka was literally driven into a fountain of tears.

 

“Demo…demo….Ringo-senpai…!” she pleaded, pulling Ringo's sleeve.

 

“Ringo-senpai…” Sakuno said, her eyes shiny and all. “Doushite…? I mean…”

 

Ringo sighed and rested a hand on Tomoka's head to calm her down. “Sorry, but I can't grant your request…I…” she paused, thinking fast of a convincing excuse. “I…I just can't.”

 

Good excuse, Ringo, a voice said in Ringo's head, every hint of sarcasm present in her tone.

 

Luckily the two kouhais were too disappointed to hear her reason. They were looking at each other tearfully.

 

“What will happen to us now, Tomo-chan?” Sakuno sobbed.

 

Tomoka cried her waterfall of tears again. “I don't know…this is all my fault…”

 

“Don't blame yourself, Tomo-chan! You just did that to save me!”

 

“Wait,” Ringo said quickly, “what do you mean by that? Did something happen?”

 

Sakuno and Tomoka stiffened, and it looked like it had taken them a lot of strength to face her again. They were sweating nervously.

 

“Well…” they said in chorus.

 

“Well…?”

 

Tomoka gulped audibly, then bowed her head with her hands clenched into fists on either side of her. She spoke, getting the words out quickly as if scared of what her senpai's reaction would be. “Gomenasai, Ringo-senpai! It's all my fault! I…Sakuno was being bullied by senior regulars from the girls' tennis club…and…and I came to help her. I said that you will join the club this afternoon and that you will kick their asses for us! Then…then they said they would wait for you…and if you didn't show up…they…they…! They will make me stand on the cafeteria counter naked! And I confidently agreed…” she finished quietly, then burst out into bountiful tears again, hugging Ringo.

 

“Please, senpai! Help us!” Sakuno begged.

 

Ringo stood frozen in the spot, unable to believe what she just heard. She took a deep, shuddering breath.

 

“NANI?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

~>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+> +<+>+<~

 

 

 

 

 

End of Act viii

 

 

 

~>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+> +<+>+<~

 

 

 

 

Author's Note: Please leave a review. Ja!!!!!!