Tennis no Ojou-sama: A Prince of Tennis Fan Fiction

CHAPTER 5: Osananajimi (Childhood Friends)

Third period. Soon, it will be lunchtime.

Ryouko purposefully dropped her eraser and bent down to pick it up.

She tugged at the hem of Ryoma's pants. Ryoma looked down in time to see Ryouko leave a note under his shoe.

Ryoma waited a few seconds to bend down and pick it up.

'See me on the rooftop at lunchtime,' it said.

Ryoma annoyed Ryouko by crumpling up the note in his fist. He was still quite irritated with Ryouko's first greeting. 'Pretend you don't know me or die by my hands,' she said. What does she want to meet me for? He thought bitterly.

Ryouko looked at him with her eyes narrowed. The moment the teacher turned his back on them; Ryouko simply extended her leg sideways and stepped on Ryoma's foot. Hard.

Ryoma was startled and said "Ouch." Several heads turned his way.

"Is something the matter, Echizen?" The teacher asked.

"Mondai ga arimasen. (There's no problem.)" He replied.

Ryouko looked at him with a triumphant grin.

~~~

Lunchtime

Ryoma went to the rooftop and found Ryouko leaning against the wall near the stairs.

"That was quite a show you made yesterday." He commented as he sat down next to her.

Ryouko split her melon bread in two and shoved half of it into Ryoma's mouth.

"Be quiet and eat," Ryouko said.

Ryoma chewed and swallowed. "What's the big idea?" He complained.

"Isashiburi. (Long time no see.)" Ryouko told him.

"Yeah," Ryoma said. "It's been a while."

Silence blanketed the two of them. A gust of cold wind passed as if to mock them.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Both said at the same time.

They looked at each other and laughed.

"How have you been?" Ryoma asked.

"Fine. A bit busy, but nevertheless, fine." She told him.

"How long have you been in Japan?" Ryoma asked again.

"Since the day I took the entrance exam. It's the day before I was introduced to the class." She replied. "How about you?"

"Since the start of classes. Uchi no baka oyaji (my stupid old man) enrolled me in the school without my permission. I had no idea where I was going. All of a sudden he said that we're moving to Japan." Ryoma explained.

"Taihen mitai da. (Seems like a lot of trouble.)" Ryouko commented.

"It is. Now he's even more ridiculous that he was before. He lost the long hair you know." Ryoma said.

"Really?" Ryouko asked with a laugh.

"Yep. He looks like a perverted monk. It's bad enough 'coz we live next to a temple." Ryoma said. "How're your cousins?"

"Still loud and ridiculous," Ryouko answered. "Well, some of them anyway. The others have gone to other countries. Mostly the older ones."

"How's Ichidou?" Ryoma asked.

"Fine, I think. He was somewhere in Australia before I came here." Ryouko replied.

"What the heck is he doing in Australia?" Ryoma asked with an eyebrow raised.

"You know how he is. The last thing that Gin-ojisan (Uncle) can do to him is to tie him up so he won't be able to travel again. It's for the best, I think. At least he's no longer making me the subject of his money-making schemes." Ryouko told him.

"How were you a subject of money-making schemes?" Ryoma asked, confused.

"You don't want to know," Ryouko told him with a sigh.

"It would be nice to meet them again..." Ryoma said.

Ryouko nodded.

"What about tennis? Have you made your own style?" She asked.

"I think I have," Ryoma replied.

"How's your first Grand Slam?" Ryouko asked simply.

"You knew that I entered a Grand Slam?" Ryoma asked back, bewildered.

She nodded. "US Open, right? I found out one way or another."

"I'm sure you'll be invited to one soon," Ryoma told her.

"Baka! Who do you think I am? I entered my first Grand Slam earlier than you, bouke (numbskull)." She said in annoyance.

"Come again?" Ryoma asked. The thought refused to register with him.

"You joined the US Open, which was from August to September. I entered the Australian Open in mid-January. Seems like I beat you, eh?" She said with a hint of arrogance in her voice.

"Tch" Ryoma said, annoyed.

The two became quiet once again. Ryouko inched a bit closer to Ryoma and extended her hand towards his.

All of a sudden, Ryoma felt Ryouko's hand close over his left hand. A bit startled, Ryoma looked at her.

"Let's stay like this for a while, just five minutes," Ryouko said, looking at the sky.

Ryoma turned his hand, intertwined his fingers with hers and gripped her hand gently. He looked at the horizon. A vast blue sky stretched above them, unending, boundless.

How long had it been since the last time they held hands like this?

The two of them savored the sensation of each other's hands. Hands that they weren't able to touch for nearly four years.

If permitted, Ryoma would grip her hand forever. But, they had to let go. They were only nine years old back then. He remembered the feeling of touching Ryouko's hand before was quite different compared to now.

"We've changed, haven't we?" Ryouko suddenly said.

She pulled Ryoma's hand closer to her, examining it.

"They're a lot bigger now. Omae no te. (Your hands.)" She commented.

"Tashikani, oretachi wa kawatta. (True enough, we changed.)" Ryoma said with a smile.

Ryouko let go of his hand and stood up.

"To what extent that change is, I'm sure we'll find out." She said. She started to walk away, then paused and turned around to face him.

"Just to clarify things..." She said. "I didn't come to Japan just to see you."

With that, she turned her back to him and went down the stairs from the rooftop back into the school building.

"I know that," Ryoma whispered, a bit annoyed.

"Heartless girl." He mumbled before standing up