Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction ❯ Translate This ❯ Remember? ( Chapter 6 )

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

The time finally comes for Tenaya to go to Ryoma's tennis practice. No matter what she does, Tenaya's feelings can't help but drift back to the day when she last played, and being in such familiar surroundings is definitely not helping that.

Anime/Manga: Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Comedy | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 06.04.2005 | Pages: 14 | Words: 10.1K | Visits: 563 | Status: Completed

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis characters or plot line.

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Translate This

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Remember?

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I sighed in relief as the bell rang. We had been doing wall-sits in P.E., which I hated. Even though I held it for longer than anyone else in my class, my butt and thighs still hurt like hell. I ran to the locker rooms and changed quickly, and was about to head out, when I remembered yesterday's encounter with Daisuki and Genma. So I decided to just wait in the locker room for a while. When I heard the bell ring, I ran out into the gym, and spotted Ryoma standing by himself in the corner.

“Where were you?” He asked as I approached.

“Hiding from them.” I said, looking over at Daisuki and Genma, who were glaring in our direction, for some reason. Ryoma's gaze followed mine, and he smirked when he saw the object of my “fear”.

“Why?” He said teasingly. “Don't you like them?”

I shuddered. “Heck no. They're creepy.”

“…Creepy?” He raised an eyebrow at my choice of words.

“Well,” I tried to think of a way to explain. “They just freak me out `cause they don't remind me of real people. One look and you can just tell that they're totally fake.” I looked over at Ryoma, who, surprisingly, looked like he understood what I was blabbering about. “They kinda remind me of the mannequins that you see in the mall, pretty to look at, but probably couldn't carry a conversation for crap.

“Hmm.” Ryoma looked over at the objects of our debate. “You're right.” He looked back at me. “So, you're coming to watch the tennis practice today, aren't you?”

I nodded. “Yeah, when does it start?”

“4:00.”

I looked down at my watch. 3:46. “How about I meet you there in 5 minutes? I'm gonna go get something from my lockers.”

“Okay.”

I frowned. “How many people are practicing today?”

“Well, on Thursdays, it's just the Regulars. 9 of us, including Inui, our manager.”

“Will you introduce me to your team members?”

He shrugged. “If you want me to.”

I smiled. “It'd be nice.”

“Okay then. See you in 5 minutes. You know where to go, right?”

I nodded. “Yeah, the tennis courts out back.” I turned around and started walking the other way when I stopped. I turned around. “Hey Ryoma?”

He looked back. “What?”

I smirked. “What was my locker combination again?”

He sighed and rolled his eyes. “19 - 21 - 28.”

“Okay thanks!” I called out as I headed down the hall to the lockers. When I got there, I entered in my combination and pulled it open. I got my skateboard out and slammed the door shut, then turned around and started heading towards the back of the school, or what I thought was the back of the school. But when I opened the door, I found myself in the school parking lot, which was definitely not in the back. I sighed and turned around, and started heading back the way I came from. But all the hallways looked the same! “Aw crap…”

*Ryoma's POV*

“Where the hell is she?!” I thought. It was 3:55, and still, no sign of her. After she had run off to her locker, I went and changed into my tennis clothes. After changing, I bumped into Momo and told him to change fast because there was someone that I wanted to introduce to everybody. But here I am, 4 minutes before practice is supposed to start, and Tenaya was nowhere to be found! God, I sighed, that girl is so unpredictable.

“Hey Ryoma!” Momo called. “Weren't you gonna introduce someone to us?”

Kikumaru paused in the middle of his stretches. “You're introducing someone?! Why didn't you say so earlier?”

I shrugged.

Kikumaru continued. “Is it a boy or a girl?”

“Girl.” I replied.

Kikumaru looked puzzled. “Well, where is she?”

“I don't know, but she was supposed to be here about ten minutes ago.”

Fuji looked up from his practice swings. “Is she a relative or something?”

“No.” I replied. “She's my mom's best friend's daughter. But she's only staying in Japan for a couple of months.” I picked at my racket strings. “But she doesn't speak much Japanese.”

“Oh well, that's okay.” Fuji said. “We've all taken English for at least four years now.”

"Hey Ryoma," Momo smirked. "Is she cute?"

At that question, I could feel my face heating up a little. What kind of a question was that?! I tilted my head until my hat was covering my face, so that no one would see me blush, but Kikumaru's sharp eyes still caught it. He gasped. "Aah! Ochibi's blusing!! You know what that means!!"

Momo smiled. "She's really pretty!"

Thankfully, Fuji intervened. "Is that her, over there?" He asked, pointing.

I looked over, and sure enough, there she was, skateboard in hand, running this way. She came to a halt in front of me, gasping a little. "So sorry!" She breathed.

I crossed my arms. "Where were you? You were supposed to be here 15 minutes ago!"

"Well," she thought for a second. "The complex format of the inner pathways of your school were clouding my sense of judgment and direction, therefore, forcing me to spend the last quarter hour, searching far and wide for the one route that would lead me to my desired destination."

We all started at her for a minute. "So,” I raised my eyebrow at her incredulously. "Basically, you got lost."

She smirked. "Yeah, but I liked my version of it better."

"How the hell did you manage to get lost anyway?!" I asked.

"Well, it's not my fault your school is so damn big! And no freakin' maps either!"

I sighed. This girl was beyond insane.

*Narrator's POV*

By the time Tenaya had finished ranting about how somebody should write to the school board about this, to nobody in particular, Tezuka Kuminitsu and Coach Ryuuzaki were walking towards the tennis courts from the main building. Tezuka let out a frustrated sigh. Why wasn't anybody practicing?! They were all just standing there.

"Practice started 10 minutes ago!" He barked. "Regulars, twenty laps around the court, now!"

Moans and groans were heard as rackets were dropped and people started running. As the crowd thinned out, Tezuka spotted one person remaining. A girl he had never seen before stood there. Tezuka became curious as he and Coach Ryuuzaki approached her.

"And who are you, may I ask?" Tezuka said/

Tenaya smiled, gray eyes twinkling. "I'm Tenaya. And by the way, I'm really sorry about this. I'm a family friend of Ryoma's, and I just got here yesterday. Ryoma promised to introduce me to all of his teammates, but I came late and so we never got a chance to. So, sorry for disrupting your practice." Apologizing profusely usually wasn't her thing, but this time, it really was her fault. By this time, the Regulars had finished their laps and were laying on the ground, panting, and listening to the ongoing conversation between Tenaya and Tezuka.

"It's...alright, I guess." Tezuka replied. "You can get your introductions over with, then we'll start practice." All the team members stared. Tezuka has never, ever uttered the words "and then we'll start practice" before.

"I guess he really can't refuse pretty girls after all." Coach Ryuuzaki thought with a smirk. While the Regulars took a water break, Tenaya continued talking with Tezuka.

"So what was your name?" Tenaya asked.

"I'm Tezuka Kuminitsu, captain of the Seigaku tennis team." He replied.

"Wow," she muttered under her breath. "That's important sounding..."

"What was that?"

"Oh!" She snapped her head up and smiled. "Nothing."

He shrugged it off. "So do you play tennis?" Tezuka asked.

Tenaya hesitated before answering. "Not anymore, but I used to."

"Well, we need a coach for the girls' team."

She shrugged. "Why can't you do it?"

"It has to be a girl."

"Why?" She raised her eyebrow, and dropped her skateboard, and started playing with it with her foot. "As if a guy like you, or any guy for that matter, wouldn't want to spend hours a week watching teenage girls play tennis in miniskirts and tank tops."

"Exactly why it has to be a girl." He answered, showing just the slightest hint of a blush. "If we let a guy coach, they'll be too busy flirting to offer any advice."

"Aah. So you want me to do it."

He nodded. "But I won't just give you the job. I need to test you to see if you qualify."

"Hmm." She thought for a second. It couldn't hurt, right? "Okay, I guess."

"Good." He nodded solemnly. "I'll test you right after practice tod-"

"Oh no, not today! I didn't even bring a racket."

"Don't worry, we have spares."

"But...uh...I like my racket. And I didn't bring a change of clothes either." She added.

"Okay, then, tomorrow?"

"Um, sorry, got plans. But I'll tell you when I'm free."

He glanced warily at her. He didn't really trust her on that, but he always had time, it didn't have to be done today.

By this time, the Regulars had finished resting up, and Ryoma was motioning Tenaya over. "Do you want to meet my teammates or not?" He asked irritably.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming. Stop nagging."

"Well, you two get along." Said a tall boy with spiked hair.

"Yeah, I know!" She wrapped an arm around Ryoma's shoulders and squeezed tightly. "We're, like, best buddies!”

He laughed. "I'm Momoshiro Takeshi." He winked at her. "But a pretty girl like you can call me Momo."

"You tell everybody to call you Momo." Ryoma muttered.

"Uh, thanks Momo." She thought for a second. "Hey, I used to have a hamster named Momo."

"Really?!" Momo's eyes widened. "It must be fate!"

Tenaya continued in a mock sad voice. "But then one day, he escaped, and apparently got a little too close to the lawn mower."

The whole team stared at her with uneasy looks on their faces.

"Next thing you know," she sighed heavily. "We were picking up parts of him and--"

"Okay! That's nice." Momo looked a little nauseous, and the rest of the team had paled.

She smiled at them and started laughing. "You guys know that I was kidding right?"

They all meekly nodded, but judging from their expressions, they still looked unconvinced.

She turned around to whisper into Ryoma's ear. "I swear, your friends have no sense of humor."

"No, yours is just a little...strange." He answered.

She shrugged. "Whatever."

"Um, welcome to Seigaku." Said another boy, probably trying to break the awkward silence. "My name is Oishi Syuichiroh, and I am the co-captain of the Seigaku tennis team, and student body council president."

"Wow." She blinked. "You must be popular."

"Um..." He blushed a little. "Kinda, I guess."

"Yeah, it's not fair! He gets all of the pretty girl's attention!" Pouted a boy with dark red hair and a bandage on his right cheek. "I'm Kikumaru Eiji!"

She smiled. "I'm Tenaya! Nice to meet you!"

Kikumaru's eyes brightened. "Wow! You're so kawaii! Especially when you smile!"

She smiled again. "Aww, thanks! But you have to know, I think you're cute too!"

Kikumaru gasped. "Did you hear that guys! She think's I'm cute!"

"Lucky." Momo whispered in his ear.

"Um, hello." Said a brown-haired boy nervously. "I'm Takashi Kawamura. It's really nice to meet you." He said.

"Nice to meet you too! You seem really nice."

He blushed. "Thank you."

Tenaya smiled and turned towards a boy with a green bandanna on his head. "Hi, I'm Tenaya."

"Kaido Kaoru." He grunted.

"Um," she bit her lip. "Nice to meet you? I think..." She said, adding the last part under her breath.

He just grunted in reply.

"Um, ok then. Moving on." She turned towards Ryoma. "And I thought you were moody."

He gave her a look.

Fuji walked over to where Tenaya and Ryoma were standing with a smile on his face (as usual). "My name is Fuji Syuusuke, but you can call me Fuji."

She smiled brightly. "Okay Fuji. I'm Tenaya, and you can call me...uh...Tenaya."

His smile grew a little wider. "How long are you staying in Japan, Tenaya?"

"2 months, I think."

"Ok, great. Because I would love to get to know you better."

She smiled and nodded. "Likewise."

"Are you guys done yet?" Came Tezuka's irritated voice.

"Oh, so sorry!" Tenaya exclaimed. "You guys should get on with practice." She turned to Ryoma. "How long will this take?"

"2 hours."

She groaned. "Okay then, see you in two."

"Are you sure you don't wanna just go home first?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure."

He sighed. "Ok, fine."

She watched as Ryoma joined the rest of his teammates and began practice. She sat down on her skateboard, and rested her chin on her forearms. "Well, this was going to be interesting..."

*Tenaya's POV*

I slid back and forth on my skateboard and sighed. The memories just kept rushing back. For the first 30 minutes, the team practiced their serves. I was surprised at how good they were. I watched as Ryoma's graceful figure jump and hit a speed serve to the opposite corner where Momo stumbled to return it, but failed. Ace. Ryoma was a lot better than I thought, and probably the best on the whole team, save for Fuji. I had been studying them both for a while, and they seemed equally good. Ryoma relied more on agility and strength, though, where Fuji seemed to like using strategies and tactics.

This was all so...familiar. The loud "ping" of a tennis ball hitting the sweet spot, the squeaking of tennis shoes on the court. I closed my eyes, and imagined me playing tennis again in my head. On one hand, I couldn't wait to grab my racket, and just go out there and have a blast, like I used to. But the bigger half of me was reluctant to bring back memories that were better left forgotten.

I sighed and stood up. There was about an hour left of practice until it was time to go home. I walked towards the courts, and spotted Sakuno and Tomo watching Ryoma and Momo's match intensely from the sides. I decided to go talk to them. They didn't seem to like me very much, although I didn't know why. But I was determined not to make any enemies during my stay here, no matter how much they annoyed me.

"Hey guys." I said as I approached them. Tomo sneered at me, and Sakuno nodded a greeting. "Um, so..." I started. "Do you watch tennis practice often?" I said, hoping to start a conversation.

Sakuno nodded. "Everyday, if possible."

"Yeah." Tomo put her hands on her hips. "We are Ryoma's biggest fans."

"Well," I smiled. "You two sure are dedicated."

Sakuno shrugged. "I guess..."

Tomo suddenly glared at me. "And we don't need the likes of you haning around with Ryoma-sama, so stay away from him!"

"Tomo-chan!" Sakuno hissed.

I snapped. "What, do you think it was my idea for him to help me? I don't know much Japanese, only English, and Ryoma just happens to know both. Do you have a problem with him helping me out?!" I stared at the two of them, who remained silent. "Whatever..." I mumbled under my breath.

So much for no enemies…

I did not have enough patience to deal with those two. Instead, I walked over to the courts and watched Ryoma play. I stared at his moves intently, trying to find any problems with his game. It was a habit that I had. Anytime I was watching a tennis game, I just automatically looked for areas of weakness. But Ryoma's footwork and tactics were almost perfect, so I had to watch extra hard to catch anything. He was winning 4-2, but there had to be something that made him lose those two set points.

About 10 minutes later, I had figured it out. Being a left-handed player, Ryoma's left side was obviously the stronger side. Therefore, making him rely more on his forehand than his backhand. So everytime that Ryoma ran to hit a shot, when he recovered, he always ran to a point just left of the middle mark, leaving the right side of the court open. If Momo had noticed this, he would probably be winning, but the fault was so minute, that it was hard to notice. I smiled. Well, I had figured it out, and would keep it in mind if I ever had to play Ryoma.

Ryoma match ended about 20 minutes later, and so did practice. As Ryoma and I walked home together, I couldn't stop my mind from wandering to my dad. I thought about him, and what it would be like if he was here. He wouldn't have backed down from a challenge, and would have just grabbed his racket and ran out there at the first chance. I sighed. Well, I wasn't him.

I bid Ryoma farewell as we reached my house, and went in. After eating dinner, I was so tired that I just went straight to bed. Maybe I shouldn't have watched Ryoma's tennis practice today, because the conflicting emotions inside me were driving me crazy. To play or not to play. To risk painful scars re-surfacing just to try to have a little fun again. But maybe, it would be worth it...

*Ryoma's POV*

I knocked on Tenaya's door the next day, at 7:30 sharp, and was surprised to see Tenaya answer the door, backpack and skateboard in hand.

"Ready?" I asked. She only nodded. I was a little worried, to tell the truth. She hadn't said a word since practice yesterday, except when she said goodbye. It was strange for her to be this unusually quiet, and it was kind of offsetting me. I watched as she skated in front of me. She glided back and forth on the pavement, with sort of a liquid kind of grace. She did it almost effortlessly and had her hands in her pockets and was deep in thought. I decided not to pry into her business. She would tell me what was bothering her if she wanted to.

* * *

Ok, I was really worried now. I was stretching for tennis practice, and Tenaya was sitting off at the sidelines and had a regretful, almost sad look in her usually cheerful gray eyes.

She had been quiet the whole day. She even remembered her locker combination, and she never said more than a word in any of her classes.

And throughout the whole practice, she just sat there unmoving, and she walked home this time instead of riding her skateboard. I watched her as she walked.

"Um, are you okay?" I asked hesitantly. She didn't say anything for a while, and just when I decided that she wasn't going to answer, she replied softly. "I...don't know." She said, voice barely a whisper. She was looking at the ground, and her long hair hung down, covering her face.

"Well, you know that whatever it is, you can always tell me. I'm not really sure if I could help though…” I said.

She smiled at me. "Yeah, I know. But I'm okay. Really."

"Well, tomorrow's Saturday." I said after a while.

She looked up at the sky and smiled softly. "Yeah."

I walked the rest of the way in silence, glancing up every now and then at Tenaya. As we reached her house, Tenaya stopped and turned to face me, and we just stood there for a while.

"Thanks." I looked up to see her smiling softly at me, before she turned and walked up the stairs and into her house. I sighed and continued walking. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I was sure that I saw a tear, rolling silently down her face.

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a/n: Once again, I am updating as fast as I can, so please don't push. I will post a chapter as soon as I finish with it, so don't worry. Nothing much else to say…constructive criticism, comments, and flames all welcome! (God, I get tired of saying that everytime…)