Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction ❯ Translate This ❯ Memories ( Chapter 4 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Tenaya and Ryoma part ways, and when off by themselves, they reflect on the day, and their impressions of each other. But for Tenaya, these thoughts lead to some painful memories that are better left forgotten.

Anime/Manga: Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Comedy | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 05.27.2005 | Pages: 4 | Words: 3.7K | Visits: 588 | Status: Completed

Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis does not belong to me, no matter how much I want it.

<> <> <>

Translate This

<> <> <>

Memories

<> <> <>

*Echizen's POV*

I collapsed onto my bed, Karupin purring next to me. What a strange day. My mind floated back to Tenaya and a smile escaped onto my lips. I had been wondering the whole day about that girl, and what it was about her that made me feel so comfortable in her presence. And now, I think I finally had it. It wasn't because she was pretty, I had met plenty of pretty girls, and although they weren't as drop-dead gorgeous as she was, I was sure it wasn't the sight of her that made me feel this way. It wasn't because she was nice either, partly because she wasn't nice, or at least not all of the time. Plus, a lot of nice girls still made me kind of uneasy around them. No, it was because she was real. Every single girl I had ever met would always try to be someone that they weren't, whether it was some famous actress or pop star or whatever. Wasn't anybody happy with themselves anymore? When I knew that the person I was trying to talk to was trying to be someone totally different, I just shut up, and didn't say anything.

I sighed as I ran my hand over Karupin's soft fur. Tenaya, though, was someone who didn't seem to care what others thought of her, and just acted like herself, and I welcomed this change.

* * * Tenaya's POV * * *

Instead of heading straight home, I decided to take Hikari for a stroll around the block. The weather was so nice, and the cool breeze every now and then felt so good that there was no way I was going back to my house to get cooped up inside. I always preferred being outdoors anyway, rain or shine, and no doubt, so did Hikari.

I drew a deep breath. Taking Hikari for walks were what I did almost everyday, and it was always a great time for me to think, especially after long days like this one. Today totally started out like shit, what with the plane ride that sapped my energy, and then the surprise math test that took quite a lot out of me. But it got better from there. Playing basketball helped me loosen up, and the walk home with Ryoma was pleasant enough.

Ryoma. At least he didn't turn out to be a wimpy geek or a total ass. And, I smiled, he sure was fun to tease. Although I made fun of his height quite a lot, I shouldn't have, because he actually was not much shorter than me, if not the same height. But compared to the other guys I'd seen today, he was a little vertically challenged. And speaking of other guys, meeting Daisuki and Genma was a total waste of 5 minutes of my life. Those two were creepy. Sure they were hot, but they were obviously total jerks. And plus, whose teeth were that white? What did they do, bleach them every night? I shuddered. It sucks that they were in my class. I'd probably be seeing a lot more of them.

I felt Hikari tugging on my leash. I looked up and saw a small park to my left. I smiled and lead her over. I searched until I found a stick, and threw it. I smiled as Hikari scrambled after it.

But something was still bothering me. It was that question that Ryoma had asked earlier. "Do you still play?"

Tennis. It's been so long since I had anything to do with that sport. But I used to love it. And maybe I still do, I don't know. I sighed as I threw the stick again for Hikari.

I used to play tennis all the time with my dad. It was just me and him. For some reason, Carter never took interest in it, and it was the only sport Joan wasn't good at, which was why she quit. But me, on the other hand, loved tennis, just like my father had. He was my partner, my opponent, my mentor, and my coach. He never had a chance to compete when he was young, so he encouraged me to do it. And I did. I won multiple district and county contests, and had even won the Regional tournament.

But during the summer when I was training for Nationals, my dad had gotten ill. Pretty soon, I had pushed tennis to the back of my mind, as my father got worse and worse every day. I paid no attention to practicing, even though the Nationals Competition drew closer and closer. Finally, the day came. On one hand, if the world was perfect, then it would be the day when I would stand, smiling on the Nationals stage, holding a gleaming 1st place trophy while cameras flashed. It would've been the day when I would stand there, feeling proud not for the prize in my hands, but for that smile that would shine through all of the flashing camera's. My dad's smile. The one that showed how proud he was to have me as a daughter. But that wasn't the case, because the world wasn't perfect, and reality always seemed to crash down on you at the hardest times. No, it was the day my dad died. They day when he had gathered up the last of his strength to whisper three last words to me. "Be a winner..."

I gasped at the tears flowing down my face. I never even noticed. I squeezed my eyes shut as more tears escaped my eyes, flying down my cheeks, and dripping off my chin. I knelt down and wrapped my arms around Hikari, soundlessly sobbing into her white fur.

But I wasn't a winner. I didn't even try. I didn't even show up at Nationals that day. I remembered spending the next few days in a trance, not eating, not talking, not crying. Reporters would bombard us wherever we went, and ask us why I gave up the chance to become the youngest tennis player ever to win Nationals. They asked why I backed out, when I obviously had a good chance at winning. My mother told them that I was sick that day, but that wasn't true. I was a coward.

Blinded by my own pain, taking the easy way out instead of granting my father's last wish. And I hated myself for it.

I held Hikari tighter to me, and felt her warm tongue on my cheeks. But the tears that she licked away were quickly replaced.

Even since then, I had never even touched a tennis racket. Everything having to do with tennis hurt me too much. But I was tired. So tired of running away. I sighed and started heading home, Hikari following closely after me. And I decided that the first step to facing the facts, no matter how painful it was, was to start having tennis in my life again. And going to watch Ryoma's tennis practice tomorrow was going to do just that.

I walked around the block once more, the whole time with my hands in my pockets, and my gaze on the sidewalk. Usually, when we took walks, Hikari would trot ahead, sniffing and exploring everything. But today, she trotted at my side the whole time, constantly glancing up at me with a look that I could only describe as worried. I smiled and gave her ears a good scratch. I loved how Hikari always acted like it was her responsibility to take care of me, to make sure I was okay. After all, she was the only one who truly understood my feelings. She was the only one with me when my dad died. Just me, him, and Hikari. But I pushed that thought to the back of my head as I approached my house. I would have to save that story for some other day, because right now, I was all out of tears.

After giving Hikari some food, I decided to unpack my suitcases. And after I was done tidying up, I went and helped Carter with dinner. Usually, Carter made the meals, but I helped out whenever I could, and was the one who cooked when Carter wasn't there. Carter and I were the only ones who inherited my dad's culinary skills. Of course, neither of us were as good as our dad, but people still thought our food was really good. I did feel sorry for Joan, who got her cooking skills from my mom, which was none at all. I shuddered, just thinking about that one time when Carter and I had the flu, and mom and Joan had to cook. Joan got quite upset when I mistook the scrambled eggs she made for badly burnt toast.

I smiled as I handed the chopped onions to Carter and began peeling potatoes. And when my mom tried to make us some chicken soup, and heated it in the microwave without taking it out of the can first, and ended up blowing up half our kitchen. "Ah," I sighed. "Good times."

Carter called Mom and Joan, who just got back from volleyball practice, to dinner while I placed the macaroni and cheese and French fries on the table. We were Japanese, and in Japan, but seriously, how much more American could our dinner get?

After dinner, it was only about 8:00 PM, but I was so exhausted that I decided to just go to sleep. After all, the last time I had really slept was more than 20 hours ago. I collapsed onto my bed and just lay there for a while. After gathering enough strength to change into my PJ's,

I pulled my Zen micro mp3 player out of my backpack, and turned it on.

About 10 minutes later, when I was almost asleep, I felt Hikari hurl her 90 pound self right onto my legs, and I woke with a start. But I let her stay there, partly because I was too lazy to kick her off. Hikari usually slept with me, because Carter didn't have enough room on his twin bed, and Joan would thrash around so much in her sleep, that Hikari always wound up on the floor. I sighed and relaxed, and turned the volume down on my mp3 player, and set it to turn off in 10 minutes. At least Hikari kept my feet warm. I thought about what the next day would bring, but pretty soon I fell asleep, listening to "Boulevard of Broken Dreams".

<> <> <>

a/n: Yay, another chapter up! I'm on a roll here. Although I shouldn't be, and I should technically be practicing my piano right now… -.-

Sorry if this chapter was a little cheesy. I really had to express just how she felt about her dad's death.

Anyways, please read, review if you'd like. Flames welcome.