Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction ❯ Bad Day ❯ Bad Day ( Chapter 1 )

Echizen wasn't one for physical touching. It's not as if he didn't like human interaction, seeing as how he loved having an opponent for tennis, but there was just something about being physically touched for an extended amount of time that bugged him. He didn't really care if someone clapped him on the back or put a hand on his shoulder. It was just the hugging or more personal touches he still couldn't stand. The memory of that day was still too vibrant and brought back too many painful memories to allow him to be comfortable with such contact.

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Ryoma was still in bed half asleep when his alarm clock went off and he knew he had no more time to stay in bed. He had to get up or he'd make Momo and himself late for school. He grudgingly got up and went through his morning routine and went down for breakfast. Ryoma didn't really feel like eating, so he had two glasses of milk and left just as Momo rolled up on his bike. Echizen got on, and Momo took off. Momo was talking as usual on the way to school, but Ryoma's thoughts were elsewhere. Once they arrived at school, he took his bag and started to walk off, but Momo stopped him.

"Hey, Echizen you all right? You're less talkative today, not that you really talked much before." Momo teased, but was a bit taken aback when Echizen replied icily- -

"It's none of you business" and he walked off to class.

Something was definitely wrong. Echizen rarely if ever talked to Momo that harshly when he was only joking. Something had already set him off, Momo thought.

As Ryoma walked into his classroom Horio and the others were approaching him, but he glared at them, and they shrank away from his look. He just didn't feel like dealing with them or anyone else for that matter. He took his seat and waited for the teacher to arrive. The morning slid by easily as usual, but Echizen's mood had yet to change when the bell for lunch rang out. Echizen stood up and walked out. He hadn't felt like eating, so he headed to the roof to take a secluded nap in the sun.

Echizen had been up there for a while when the door to the roof opened. Echizen didn't bother to get up or even look to see who had just joined him when a shadow fell across his face. Ryoma slowly opened his eyes to find Fuji smiling down at him. There was something about that smile that unsettled Ryoma, but he just couldn't quite place a finger on what it was. Ryoma wasn't going to say anything and was hoping Fuji would just turn around and walk away, but no such luck. Fuji sat down next to him with that ever-present smile on his face; it irritated Ryoma. What did he want?

Fuji still wasn't saying anything so Ryoma closed his eyes in an attempt to fall back into his catnap when not even five minutes had passed and Fuji stood up and left. What was that all about? Was he just up here to escape from other people as well? Ryoma dropped his procession of questions there because he knew it was a fruitless effort. There was no figuring out anything about Fuji. He was a walking enigma, and Echizen had no desire to try and figure him out at this point it time. He continued to lie there until the hour was over, and he was forced to go back to class.

The rest of Echizen's classes when by as usual, uneventful and extremely boring. When he was finally allowed to go to practice, his spirits barely rose at all, if any. As he was changing, he noticed that Momo had glanced at him a couple of times, but he paid no attention to it.

Echizen had been paired up with Momo for practice but he was not paying attention to the game. Half way through the match Echizen had been hit square in the chest with one of Momo's more powerful Dunk Smashes and was knocked back. His head connected with the ground with a loud thunk and his body slightly bounced back up and landed once more. Momo frantically called to Echizen as he jumped over the net. Upon realizing he was knocked out Momo stood up and yelled at Oishi to get help.

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Ryoma drifted to consciousness slowly as the pain in his head and chest became more prominent. He still hadn't opened his eyes not wanting to have to move or be disturbed, so he stayed that way for quite some time, until he heard someone off to his side shift in a seat. Ryoma slowly opened his eyes in a blaze of evergreen and looked to the person in the chair to find Fuji sitting motionless in the school chair, motionless, until he directed his attention to Echizen and opened his beautiful glistening glacier blue eyes to Echizen.

"I see you're awake now, how do feel?"

Echizen ignored the pain and replied, "Fine."

As Echizen sat up, he realized that his head and chest had been bandaged, there fore his shirt was not on at this time. Ryoma looked around a bit trying to locate his shirt but to no avail.

Fuji noticed this and stated, "Your shirt was taken to be washed since blood had gotten on it and was liable to stain if it was not washed out immediately."

Echizen merely looked at Fuji and lay back down. This bed was quite uncomfortable it reminded him of things he's rather forget. Memories came flooding back and Ryoma shivered. Fuji saw this and closed his eyes yet again still smiling.

Echizen, trying to distract himself asked, "Where's Momo-senpai?"

"He was making too much of a commotion, so the nurse made him leave and I took his place. Momo was very distraught and asked me to apologize to you for him when you awoke" Fuji replied calmly.

"When may I leave?" Echizen questioned.

"When the nurse has Okayed you to leave."

"Will you go get the nurse, please? I want to leave."

Fuji noticed an emotion in Echizen's voice that caught him off guard: fear. Fuji nodded and left to get the nurse. Fuji had never detected fear in the young tennis prince's voice before. This intrigued Fuji as well as concerned him. What could have the Tennis prince so shaken up about? It probably had something to do with what Momo had mentioned before, Ryoma not responding as much and being distracted. Something must have happened to him that put emotional scars on him. If it had been a physical scar, surly, they would have seen it because he changed with everyone else. What was it the Echizen was hiding?

When Fuji returned with the nurse, she looked him over and gave him instructions to rest and change the bandages frequently and released him. Practice had been well over with by now, and everyone was gone with the exception of Fuji and Tezuka. Tezuka questioned Echizen on what happened and whether he was all right. Echizen merely told him he was not paying attention and he was fine. Tezuka didn't look like he believed Echizen's story, but left it at that and told him to go home.

When Echizen arrived home he called out his usual greeting as he walked towards his room when Nanjiroh stepped in front of him blocking his way.

"You're late. What happened to you, and what about our game" Nanjiroh whined.

Echizen just looked up at his father and said, "I don't feel like playing to night."

Nanjiroh's jaw dropped, and he gaped at Echizen as he walked around him continuing the short journey to his room on the second floor. Echizen set his bag down and gently lowered himself onto his bed and lie there until the call for dinner came. He went down to dinner and assured his mother and cousin that he was all right. He ate a bit and excused himself and returned to his room to do his homework.

Ryoma woke up the next morning following the same routine only slightly differently now that he had to re-bandage his head and chest. Ryoma actually ate breakfast this morning so as to not worry his cousin and left being picked up by Momo as usual. The day seemed to be like every other day. That is until Fuji asked him to help him in the equipment building. Ryoma grudgingly acquiesced to his request and followed his senpai. As they were in the dark musty smelling equipment room, the door was blown shut and automatically locked the two of them in there. Fuji had `accidentally' left the keys in the lock. Fuji would have to question Echizen faster than he would have liked to, because their teammates would come looking for them in awhile. Fuji gave it twenty or thirty minutes at the most.

"I guess we're stuck in here."

"Ah." Echizen replied.

"What is it that you're afraid of Echizen" Fuji asked seemingly out of nowhere. Ryoma stared at Fuji out of surprise at the random question from his senpai.

"I'm not afraid Fuji-senpai" Ryoma stated a bit off balance from the question, but regaining his composure.

"When you were in the nurse's office, you were scared by something. What was it?" Fuji implored of him.

"I wasn't afraid . . ." Ryoma lied.

"Oh? Then why did your voice tremble ever so slightly when you asked me to get the nurse?"

Fuji questioned Echizen yet again. Ryoma now fell silent. How much did Fuji know and how could he have picked something that small and insignificant up? Fuji took a step towards Ryoma, and Ryoma stepped back.

Ryoma retreated with Fuji advancing until his back came in contact with some mats that were folded and stacked against one of the walls.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, I'm sure you do. Why else would you back away as if you're being threatened? Your breaths are getting shorter and faster signifying that you're getting panicked. I think you're very much so hiding something horrible that happened to you. Am I wrong" Fuji questioned the small boy.

"So what if you're right? What makes you think I want to tell any of you in the first place?"

"I don't doubt that you don't want to talk about it, but if it's really that bad, you need to whether you want to or not."

"No" Ryoma answered shortly.

"Yes, if you don't I could guess until I find the right answer, and I'm pretty sure I already have the correct answer to what happened to you."

Ryoma ducked his head hiding his face with his hat from Fuji's knowing stare.

"Very well, you were raped, were you not?"

Ryoma's head shot up at that eyes wide open filled with fear and astonishment that Fuji knew so much when he had said nothing.

"Ah, I thought that was it. Who did this to you?" Fuji's voice had turned very soft and tender as he asked his last question.

Echizen had started to silently cry still staring at his senpai. Echizen slowly sank to the floor shaking with silent sobs.

"Does your family know" Fuji asked as he took the small shaking body into his arms and held him tight.

Everything came back to Echizen in that moment. All of the memories and pain, all he could do was hold on to Fuji for comfort against the nightmares that came back with a vengeance.

Fuji questioned again, "Does anyone know?"

Echizen finally found his voice and simply answered, "No."

Fuji felt a wave of pity and sadness wash over him. Ryoma had kept something this painful to himself for that long, how is that at all possible, Fuji wondered. I must have slightly misunderstood just how strong Echizen is.

"Echizen . . . no, Ryoma please tell me, who did this to you?"

Echizen looked up to Fuji his beautiful evergreen eyes shimmering with more unshed tears, "I don't know. Please Fuji-senpai, PLEASE don't tell anyone. I didn't see a face. I was blindfolded and not a word was said to me, so I don't now the voice either. All I can do is hope he doesn't came back."

Ryoma started to shake again and all Fuji could do was to hold Echzen and tell him things were going to be all right now.

Echizen felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his chest and had finally stopped crying after a few minutes. Fuji still held Ryoma for a while until Echizen was ready to stand back up and return to practice. A few moments later the door opened and Momo walked in.

"What are you guys doing trying to get out of running laps? It won't work now c'mon."

Echizen stood up and pulled his hat down farther as he passed Momo and said, "Mada mada dane."

Fuji stood and watched as Echizen put his `shield' back up and acted as if nothing had happened then followed suit.

As Fuji passed, Momo stoped him and asked, "So did you find out what's wrong with Echizen?"

Fuji simply answered, "He had a bad day is all."

Fuji then followed Echizen and Momo followed Fuji a bit surprised there wasn't more to it, but assumed that, that was the truth and shrugged it off.