Hye! I am back guys! This is the next chapter. Thank you very much. I hope you like it.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Prince of Tennis and never will.
Chapter 27: Risk it all
Chapter Summary: He never expected everything at all and now he would risk them all.
'Stand your ground
Win or lose I gotta see this out
Go ahead, I'll let you watch me drown
(It takes more) It takes more than this to keep me down
I'd give it in, I'd give it up
For you, I'd risk it all
I'd rather crash, I'd rather crawl
Than never have your love at all
With only bricks to break my fall
For you I'd risk it all...'
~ The Vamps – Risk It All ~
He screwed. Big. This time.
It was really big.
He never intended for her to see his final sin, that he could fix it without her even knowing it, that she would let the two of them meet and, like it was actually the first time she would introduce him and the other guy.
"Since... when?"
His thought was cut when her frail voice cut them. He could see the other guy, Kanata tried to approach her but she just raised her hand to stop him from approaching her.
"A-answer me!"
"Ryuzaki..." He called out to her snapping him from his daze, "This is not what you think."
"Then, fill me in."
He could sense how tense her voice was. He knew that he needed to explain what she was seeing right now but his tongue wasn't cooperating with him. Kanata was useless at that moment. How could a mute explain everything to the girl without writing his words on his digital board?
"Why... are you two together?"
Crap.
The girl started asking questions now. Sensing that he wouldn't find the right words, the girl couldn't take it and ask what came to her mind.
"D-do you know... each other?"
He looked at the other guy who was asking for his help as well. Kanata was frowning, more like he was in pain. Blinking, he looked back at his girlfriend whose expression was unreadable but he knew she could see him when he nodded at her.
"S-since when?"
His amber eyes observed her from where she was standing. He wanted to walk closer to her, to comfort her but he knew that was the least thing she wanted from him. She wanted an answer and he gave it to her;
"We've been childhood friends."
Her eyes suddenly looked at him, wide eyed and shocked. She was also blushing but he knew that kind of blush and it was positive that it wasn't because of fluttery.
"We barely see each other for he wishes for it." He suddenly felt to continue his reasoning.
"..."
And he knew that it wasn't enough, "He never wanted to be exposed so we decided keep himself hidden."
"W-why?" Her voice was becoming hoarse like she was trying not to cry in front of them.
"He never wanted to meet anyone and you know that."
"Why?" This time her voice was firm and he knew what she meant by that one word. He never wanted to tell her. He never did. Whatever he was going to tell her might affect their relationship. But being into a serious situation, he couldn't help to tell her the truth;
"Do you remember that night when you two first met?" He waited for her to nod but she didn't so he continued, "I told him to keep you company when we broke up. To keep you busy and for you to forget me."
Kanata was just standing between them, anticipating their exchange of words. He knew that he was panicking inside. He didn't want to do this but he didn't want to deceive his girlfriend anymore.
"If he does... he will be free to court you."
He dropped the bomb and he knew he made one big mess this time.
xxx
She was speechless. She stared at them. To her boyfriend and to her best friend.
That was right. She considered Kanata as her best friend. But she was never sure of that anymore. All she could think was they were at it again. They were never tired of doing it to her. They were looking at her like they wanted her to understand them.
...Like why did they do it to her.
She didn't know the answer either and she only came up with a realization that she couldn't help to voice it out;
"Y-you made a bet... once again."
"Ryuzaki—I"
"Enough..." She interrupted before he could even continue. She said that one tiredly like she had just the worst fight a while ago. Looking down, she found the ground the only source of her strength, "that's... enough."
She knew that she must leave the place when she discovered the truth. She didn't want to stay in the same place as those two. She must have run away at that moment...
But instead, she did a different action surprising the two. Looking up, she gave Ryoma a firm look and said;
"Ryoma-kun, let's have a match!" Her words shocked the two of them but she was not finished yet, "If I win, I'll go to London but if you lose, we'll break up."
Ryoma didn't say anything but Kanata attempted to walk closer to her once again but she raised her hand to stop him. Sakuno shook her head not looking at the mute boy, instead she walked to the bench where she could see his tennis racket. She placed her canvassing material and grabbed the racket there.
Her eyes found Ryoma who remained stationary on the ground but his expression seemed to change. Before he could say anything, she called his attention as she walked on one side of the court, "Is that fair enough?"
"Ryuzaki, listen—"
"Please, Ryoma-kun," She looked away as she pointed the spot where Ryoma was supposed to stand.
...The other side of the court.
"If you win, I will not go to London."
Without saying another word, the tennis prodigy walked to the other side of the court. Kanata watched them at the corner worriedly for the both of them. But right now, he was her least worry. She wanted to get on with the problem with her boyfriend.
"Just one game." She positioned herself and dribbled the ball. She got the ball on the ground luckily, she found some near her. They were probably playing a while ago, before she arrived and overheard their conversation.
There were times she looked at him and for the first time of watching him playing tennis, he was kind of distracted. He was so she used that chance. She tossed the ball and hit it to the other side. Ryoma just watched it through him.
"15-love!" Sakuno shouted. Ryoma watched her dribble the ball. His hand was just gripping his racket to his side as she observed him. With the firm expression, she served again. Ryoma moved but he didn't hit it back.
"30-love!"
"I don't want it to be this way."
Her countenance was firm and her vision was only focused on the ball that she was holding. She completely ignored Ryoma's words... as she had enough. Her grip tightened and tossed the ball in the air. She hit the ball and went through to his left side, making his eyes wide a little.
"40-love!" She shouted loud enough for the three of them to hear, "One point left!"
"Ryuzaki," Ryoma took a step forward trying to catch her attention, "Hear me out!"
Her ears were focused at the sound of the ball she was dribbling. She tossed it once again and for the last time she hit it near the boy's left cheek. The wind passed through his face and hair. His eyes dilated at the sudden movement. The ball landed a few meters away from him.
Time seemed to stop at the three of them. Ryoma looked down and his face was unreadable. Kanata remained still and was just biting his lower lip. Sakuno watched her boyfriend for a few seconds before her grip to the racket loosened and let it drop on the ground. She also, looked down, walking away from the court, away from them, away from the area, forgetting everything she left there. When she was at the exit area, she looked at her shoulder and whispered;
"Sayonara, Ryoma-kun..."
And then she was gone.
Later on:
She knew that she had forgotten her drawing materials in the court but she couldn't care less about that now. The plan of painting the court was no longer her priority now. She had lost interest of doing it. All she wanted to do was to go home. Locked herself in her room and talked to her grandmother of her final decision.
She would study arts in London.
"I am back!" She announced lowly hoping that her grandmother didn't hear her.
"You're back early than expected!" Sumire answered back much to her dismay.
"I changed my mind," She said removing her shoes and replaced them with the indoor ones, "I'll be in my room."
She knew that she her grandmother was telling her something but she didn't pay attention to it anymore. Her feet brought her to her room and went straight to her bed. She threw herself on the soft sheet, her lying on her stomach. Realizing that she was not ready to talk to grandmother about the issue, she decided to cry her heart out quietly that night.
xxx
Everything happened just like in a blink of an eye. The moment she was there and the next she was gone. What really happened was a total shock to him. He didn't expect that Sakuno would do such thing.
For the first time, Echizen Ryoma was totally shocked.
He was about to walk out, feeling helpless that he was not able to catch up with her that time when a hand grabbed him to his shoulder. His eyes found Kanata looking back at him. He almost forgot that he was with him there. Kanata was showing him a different kind of expression, one that he'd never seen to him before.
He was in despair.
He was hurt too but it felt like Kanata took the blame for everything. He was to blame as well and everything was confusing him. Sighing, he removed his hand to his shoulder and looked away;
"Not now," He said starting to walk away, "I need to be alone." He hadn't taken two steps when Kanata tugged him to his sleeve. It irritated him that he almost retorted some words to him when he saw how desperately serious he was.
Kanata wanted to fix the problem but how?
He was also confused at that moment and he wasn't thinking clear. Everything was his fault. He made a big mistake. The biggest mistake and he didn't think that it could be solve easily.
"I'll try," He walked away from him once again, shaking his hand that was still on his sleeve, "I will try." His hastened his pace so that Kanata would not catch up with him for the third time. He didn't wish for it but he now he was glad that his childhood friend was mute.
He would not hear a single thing about the whole thing from him.
Next morning:
Tomoka saw something irritating that morning. She knew that she was supposed to enter that court so that she could meet up with her sensei, Sakuno's grandmother to deliver some news to her. But the scene made her stop from doing so.
The unibrow was flirting with the what? The social climber girl. She did use the word 'flirting'. She could see from the line of her vision that Horio was laughing to whatever that girl was telling him.
They were impossible. She felt that her ears would create smoke. One thing that was for sure, she didn't like what she was seeing.
"You are not going to jump on them, are you?"
She almost jumped when she heard someone behind her. Her heart felt like leaving her chest when she spotted the viper just literally behind her, hissing in the process, "Kaidoh-senpai, don't startle me like that."
"Did I?" He asked her like it was the hardest thing to do.
She wanted to say 'Yeah, duh' to him but she knew that it would just offend the viper and she wouldn't think of what he could do next. Tomoka nodded instead, "What are you doing here anyway?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
This time, she looked at him and observed him making him look awkward.
"What?"
"Senpai, do you need to answer me with another question?"
"Well, uh, no."
Her eyes studied him more before she nodded, "They are just so irritating." She muttered as she looked sideways, "How come they are friends now?"
"Why don't ask them?"
"Senpai?"
"At least that's better than jumping on them."
"Senpai!" She shouted this time but Kaidoh was already walking ahead of her, hissing in the process onc again.
"You'll never find the answer unless you do something."
She was speechless after he said that. Kaidoh's back was facing her now. His hands were inserted to his both pockets of his pants. Just when he was making his entrance to the court, his frenemy, Momoshiro approached and said something to him. The two started another brawl catching eveyone's attention, even Horio and Honoka. Tomoka couldn't take hiding a smile from her lips and started to chuckle.
Kaidoh and Momoshiro were just like her and Horio. Who would have thought that there was a pair of duos who could do that. She couldn't believe that a certain viper would remind her for that.
xxx
Sumire was walking on her way to the court that morning with lots of thoughts filled her mind. She kept thinking of the conversation they had with her granddaughter. The truth was, she knew that something was wrong with Sakuno when she went home last night and that event urge her to make that decision.
She was prepared for that but it wasn't kind of preparedness that she was expecting. It was already decided but she couldn't help but bring herself to the conversation she and her granddaughter had last night.
Flashback:
"I know that you are still up, Sakuno," Sumire said after knocking for several times from her door. When Sakuno didn't answer, she opened it and shared the first thing in her mind, "Do you need to talk?"
Her granddaughter shifted from her position but she never spoke. Sighing, she walked closer to her bed and sat there. The figure of Sakuno remained still as she looked at it. Sumire placed her hand to her shoulder and squeezed it;
"You can tell me everything, you know," She whispered as she continued comforting her, "I am not your grandmother for nothing. I knew that something is bothering you."
"..."
"Something happened, didn't it?"
"..."
"It took a few seconds before you came back and you didn't bring your materials with you."
"..."
Still not receiving an answer from her, she shared her ultimatum thought, "You met with your boyfriend."
And she got her. Sakuno moved and revealed her head. She was not surprised to see her face filled with tears when she looked at her, "G-gomenasai, Obaa-chan."
"Oh dear," Sumire helped her sat up and hugged her comfortably, "You keep doing this, don't you know?"
"Gomenasai," Sakuno muttered to her shirt as she felt her soak it with her tears now, "I-I tried. I did try everything."
Her words were followed with sobs. She didn't say anything so she kept tapping her back until she calmed down. No words were needed at that time. She knew even without explaining. That was how much she knew her granddaughter. When Sakuno finally calmed down, she pushed themselves away and let her wipe her tears from her eyes.
"O-Obaa-chan," She faltered. She was still in the process of wiping her tears so she waited for her to continue, which she did not really expecting her next words... at least not now, "I have a favor to ask..."
The view of the court made her go back to reality from her memories last night. She knew that she had to make a decision and fast. Her co-teachers would help her for that.
What Sakuno wished was what going to happen.
"Sensei!" Momoshiro called out to her when she saw her entering the court.
She looked around her team members and sighed, "Stop slacking around, Momoshiro, get back to practice," She said walking straight to the club, "Tezuka, Oishi, come with me inside."
The Captain and Vice Captain looked at each other before the former called everyone's attention, "50 laps in the oval, now." She could hear whining of her team when Tezuka ordered that.
Little did they know, Fuji was observing her ever since she entered the court. No one knew what he was thinking and only himself knew what. He followed the three with his line of vision before he decided to join the others for the laps.
She sat on her chair and stared at the two.
"What is it, sensei?" Tezuka asked straight to the point. Oishi just waited for her to speak.
Sumire sighed first before she stared at them, "I can see that Echizen's not around."
The captain's eyes narrowed but he didn't say anything.
"The situation is getting worse. We need to do something."
"Sensei," Oishi called, nervous at the same time, "Does this have something to do with Ryuzaki-chan?"
She clasped her hands in front of her and leaned them to her chin. Her eyes were staring forward but her sight wasn't really there, "I am afraid so."
They remained silent for a while before Tezuka broke it.
"What are you going to do?"
From nowhere, she shifted her eyes to the both of them and shared her thoughts, "I am sending her to London just like what she requested of me to do."
Done! This chapter was a bit short. Haha... I don't know what to write next. I just want to say that this fic is about to end. I hope you will be there until then. Domo.
Reviews please! I need more motivation. I hope you can help me until the end. Just a few more chapters. Please, help me on this one out. Domo
Next Chapter: Numb Days
I am sorry for not replying to your comments. I read them and I promise that I will reply to them as soon as possible. Thank you for understanding. Also thank you supporting my fics. :)
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, MINNA-SAN!
~ MitsukiJunko ~