Deafening Silence ( prince of tennis) (#wattys2016)

59

Super long chapter, longest I've ever written.

Enjoy (possible hate coming my way in the near future, Roko's back story revealed kind of!)

Streets of Tokyo

Ryoma watched his brother critically as they walked together in an absence of conversation, the silence between them familiar and not at all awkward. Nothing seemed out of the norm today, Roko had woken up this morning, silencing the alarm clock like he usually did and then dragged Ryoma out of bed. The two went downstairs, ate breakfast with Nanako, got showered and ready, put on their tennis gear and left, but Ryoma had been at Roko's side his entire life, and whilst most people only saw a passive expression, Ryoma could see right through his mask, and he knew Roko was tired. He couldn't understand why, considering Roko had gotten the same amount of sleep they had, since the two could pretty much fall asleep on command, but Roko was just so tired, and he had eaten little of his breakfast this morning, and it was bothering Ryoma.

Not that he would say anything. He knew Roko far too well to think that he would admit that he was tired, and so Ryoma left it. Not that Roko would hear his question anyway, considering he could hear Roko's music from his earphones.

The two turned the corner, the gates to the Tokyo Tennis Gardens in sight, and Ryoma frowned as he noticed the large group of people standing around the gates. From what he could see, they were all girls, squealing and whispering to one another, and Ryoma simply ignored it, walking on with Roko at his side.

A bus drove by next to them, pulling up by the gates, and the squeals of the girls intensified, and the bus came to a halt, and the door opened, and out stepped a tall woman with long red hair, a sharp nose, a pair of expensive glasses and soft brown eyes. The woman was closely followed by a steady stream of people of various heights wearing turquoise and black jerseys, and the girls immediately swarmed to one guy, surrounding him.

"Wakato-kunnn!" they screamed. Ryoma frowned but ignored it, and if Roko even noticed he didn't show it.

Ryoma and Roko both reached the gates, and Ryoma frowned again at the loud volume of the shouting girls.

"Mada mada dane" he muttered.

"Hey you, hang on" a voice said suddenly, and Ryoma stopped but did not turn to the person.

"You're Echizen Ryoma-kun, right?" the voice asked, and Ryoma half-turned to the voice to see the tall red-haired woman standing there looking at him expectantly. She was surrounded by the other guys who were on the bus, all dressed in their turquoise and black jerseys.

"Echizen Ryoma..." one of them muttered, but Ryoma ignored him.

"Let's do our best today" the woman said, standing straight, "I'm Hanamura, Jousei Shounan's Tennis Club Coach" she introduced, completely ignoring Roko standing right behind him, "I'm glad to have met you". Ryoma cocked his head by a fraction, remembering that today Seigaku was playing Jousei Shounan of Kanagawa.

"Thanks" Ryoma muttered absent-mindedly, and the woman before him smiled widely.

"You're great material..." she began, and Ryoma raised an eyebrow, "I've been watching you for a long time".

This woman was creepy, he decided. She'd been watching him all along?

"You would be even better if you came to us..." she continued, and Ryoma just stared at her flatly, uninterested in what she was saying.

"I'd be able to complete you as the best masterpiece ever" she declared with a genuine smile, "It doesn't matter if you come after the Kantou Regionals. Please consider it" she offered.

"No way" Ryoma replied automatically, and the woman before him frowned. Like he would leave Seigaku to be trained by such a creepy woman.

"To complete..." Ryoma said, looking at her bluntly, "That would mean that's the end, right?" he asked, and as expected the woman frowned deeper, and Ryoma decided to walk away in the silence.

"Let's go, Roko" he said simply, and his brother nodded and followed after him.

"And who might you be?" the woman asked, and Ryoma frowned and turned back to her, Roko doing the same.

"Hanamura-sensei!" the tallest guy declared suddenly, "He's wearing a Rikkaidai jersey!". As expected there was an immediate chorus of 'Rikkaidai', all of them staring at Roko with wide eyes in awe, and Ryoma just rolled his eyes.

"I remember you" the woman declared "You were there when we played in the Districts finals" she leaned forward in interest, and Roko just stared back at her passively, not bothering to remove his earphones.

"He didn't play though" one of the Jousei regulars commented.

"That's right" the woman agreed, "Who are you?". Roko didn't respond, and just looked at her bluntly, and the woman frowned again.

"Oi, answer Hanamura-sensei!" one of them shouted, taking a step forward, but neither Ryoma nor Roko glanced at him. Roko instead turned to Ryoma and made signs with his hands, and Ryoma heard the expected slight gasps from the people before them as he did.

"Do I know her?" his hands asked, and Ryoma smirked.

"He said he has no idea who you are" Ryoma stated to the woman, and he could see her eyebrow twitch.

"We played in the District finals" she stated evenly, "Are you sure you don't remember us?" she asked, and Roko simply nodded his head, causing the woman to twitch again, and Ryoma lost interest in the conversation.

"Roko, we need to get going" he said simply, ignoring the awed stares at Roko, and Roko nodded diligently and they both walked away.

"Wait!" came the voice of the woman, but they both continued on.

Tokyo Tennis Gardens

Roko yawned, covering his mouth with his hand as he continued down the path to the court he would play in. His head felt like lead, even heavier than yesterday, and this morning he'd barely eaten anything, but he wasn't hungry either. It probably meant something bad, but Roko didn't want to attract attention to himself like he had when that woman started staring at him, so he ignored it in the hopes it would go away.

Rikkaidai were playing Yamabuki Gakuen today, who had lost to Seigaku in the Tokyo District finals. Roko remembered it well, considering he had been there to watch, and he knew that Rikkaidai couldn't underestimate them. But Rikkaidai were also the three-time National Champions, so it was very likely they would win in three games anyway, and Roko was thankful that Kirihara was playing in Singles 3 rather than him. He was too tired to even think about tennis right now.

He continued on, and in his tiredness he barely noted the sound of heavy breathing and quick footsteps behind him until he felt someone run into his back, and Roko stumbled but maintained his balance, glancing back at the person passively. The person in question was short, looking like a freshman, with medium length black hair, large brown eyes and soft features, wearing only a t-shirt and shorts with tennis shoes, though he wasn't wearing a regular's jersey, but he wore a green headband on his head.

"Ah, I'm sorry" he said, bowing quickly in respect, causing Roko to frown. What was he bowing for?

"I wasn't looking where I was going, but I'm in a rush" he said quickly, taking off again quickly.

"Sorry!" he said as he ran off, and Roko just watched his back, blinking in confusion.

Roko quickly decided to forget what had just happened, and walked on, noting that the guy who ran into him was running to the same destination as Roko. It wasn't overly important, so Roko ignored it.

At that moment his phone chimed in his pocket, and Roko fished it out and scanned the message.

We're five minutes from the tennis gardens

From: Yanagi Renji

Roko nodded to himself and replied bluntly.

I'll be waiting at the bleachers of Court B

From: Echizen Roko

Roko locked his phone and put it back in his pocket, continuing on to the courts. Maybe he could get some sleep before the match started.

Tokyo Tennis Gardens

Dan ran on, hoping that the rest of the team hadn't left him yet. He was late, so so late because he'd overslept, and now he would let down his team if he didn't turn up on time. He had all the data on Rikkaidai with him and without it there'd be no way they could win, since he knew Rikkaidai were the three-time National Champions and the main players in the tournament.

Run. He just had to keep running. His breath laboured but he continued on in fear of disappointing his senpai, and eventually he saw the familiar green and yellow jerseys of Yamabuki.

"Senpais!" he called out, still running, and the figures turned towards him, and Dan eventually stopped before him and almost collapsed, sweat pouring from his face as he breathed heavily on his knees.

"Ah, you're here at last, Dan" Minami-senpai stated, and Dan looked up.

"I'm so sorry! - desu" he apologized, "I overslept and completely forgot-"

"It's fine, Dan" Minami-senpai said calmly, "You're here, and that's what's important". Dan looked up and smiled softly at his kindness.

"Do you have the data on Rikkaidai?" Higashikata-senpai asked, and Dan looked up at him and nodded, producing the notebook from his pocket.

"This is everything I could collect on Rikkaidai - desu" Dan stated, handing the notebook to Higashikata-senpai, who took it gladly and flicked through it.

"Do you think we can win?" Muromachi-senpai asked curiously, pushing his sunglasses up his face.

"No idea" Minami-senpai replied truthfully, shrugging his shoulders, "Even with this data we may not win, we just have to play 100%"

"Where's Sengoku gone to anyway?" Higashikata-senpai asked, still flicking through the notebook.

"No idea" Muromachi-senpai replied, "He's probably flirting with some girls". The entire team minus Dan scoffed in unison.

"Typical..." Higashikata-senpai muttered.

Dan sighed and stood up straight, controlling his breathing and looking around in a dim hope of seeing Sengoku-senpai, but instead his eyes met with a large blur of yellow and black, and his eyes widened as he realised who he was looking at.

"What is it, Dan?" Minami-senpai asked curiously.

"Ri-Rikkaidai" Dan muttered, and the team turned and their eyes widened similarly at the sight of the group walking towards them, and Dan recognized all of them, since he collected their data. At the head of the group was the tall and stoic Sanada Genichiro, nicknamed the 'Emperor', next to him was Yanagi Renji, the Data Master. Behind them were Jackal Kuwahara, Marui Bunta, Niou Masaharu, Yagyuu Hiroshi and Kirihara Akaya. These were the regulars of Rikkaidai, the three-time National Champions, with the absence of their captain, whom Dan had heard was in hospital.

The group walked towards them and stopped, Sanada Genichiro's eyes scanning over them critically.

"You're our opponents, Yamabuki Gakuen, yes?" he asked sternly, and Minami-senpai took a step forward, keeping his usual calm expression.

"That's right, it's good to meet you" he said, holding his hand out, and Sanada took his hand and shook it.

"Let's both play our best" Minami-senpai said calmly.

"Of course" Sanada replied with a nod of his head, and Dan could sense the tension between the two captains. It was at that moment an orange blur appeared out of nowhere in front of Minami-senpai, and Dan blinked as Sengoku-senpai was suddenly face-to-face with the Emperor of Rikkaidai.

"Heh?" he asked, cocking his head curiously, "So you're the Emperor" he stated, but Sanada's expression didn't change.

"Sengoku-senpai!" Dan exclaimed in horror. Did he even realise who he was talking to, and how rude he was being?

"Oh, you look like you're missing a player" Sengoku continued, ignoring Dan and putting his flat hand over his eyes to scan the horizon comically, and Dan frowned.

"Where is the Speed Demon?" Sengoku asked, "I want to play him". There was a collective frown from Rikkaidai, and Dan's mind clicked.

The Speed Demon of Rikkaidai, the illusive mystery player who helped take the Kanagawa Districts by storm. Dan gasped.

I completely forgot to gather data on him! His mind realised in horror. He hadn't even learnt what he looked like!

"Eh?" Marui Bunta asked, stepping forward, "Who are you talking about?". Sengoku turned to him curiously.

"The freshman on your team" he said slowly, "Don't tell me you don't know your own teammate's nickname?"

Dan could see Rikkaidai collectively frown, and it was clear they had no idea. Another person took a step forward, and Dan realised it was the junior ace Kirihara Akaya.

"Echizen?" he asked curiously, and Yamabuki collectively widened their eyes.

"Did you just say Echizen?" Dan asked quickly, and Kirihara turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"That's right. Since when was Echizen the 'Speed Demon'?" he asked curiously, and Dan just stared at him blankly.

"Since when was Echizen Ryoma on your team?" Sengoku returned, emphasising the name to get his point across, and Kirihara frowned.

"I believe you are mistaken" came a voice, and the team turned to Yanagi Renji, "Our kouhai's name is Echizen Roko" he stated evenly.

"Eh!?" Dan exclaimed before he could think, "Echizen Roko?"

"That's right" Yanagi replied with a nod of his head. The team just stared at him incredulously, and Sanada cleared his throat.

"If you'll excuse us" he said politely, and lead his team away, Yamabuki staring at their backs incredulously.

Dan was an idiot. Not only had he successfully forgotten to gather data on the Speed Demon, but he didn't know that he was an Echizen or what he even looked like. How had he even managed to do that?

"Dan" Migashikata-senpai said.

"Yes?" Dan replied.

"There is no mention of the Speed Demon in your notes" he stated evenly, and Dan mentally sweat dropped.

"Well, you see..." Dan began hesitantly.

"Don't tell me you forgot about him" Sengoku-senpai cut in, and Dan scratched the back of his head, looking at the ground in shame.

"Sorry - desu" he said simply, and the team sighed.

"It doesn't matter" Minami-senpai said, "We'll continue to play 100% with or without the Speed Demon". Dan looked at him apologetically, but Minami-senpai just smiled warmly at him, and Dan felt himself smile back at his forgiveness.

Tokyo Tennis Gardens Courts

Court B

"So cute~" Marui muttered, staring at their sleeping prodigy with cutesy eyes, and Sanada sighed.

This was the second time Echizen had fallen asleep, and it was becoming irritating. Not as irritating as the first time it happened, but it was still annoying and inconvenient. Echizen had fallen asleep lying across the bench of the bleachers, his head resting on his forearm and breathing evenly in a comfortable sleep, his earphones still in his ears, and Sanada could hear the music from here. His hair was hiding all of his face except his chin since it was styled across the left side, and his tennis bag was on the ground next to him.

"How can he sleep with his music so loud?" Kirihara wondered out loud.

"Not sure" Yanagi replied, "But we should probably leave him". The team turned to him curiously.

"Why's that?" Niou asked.

"Echizen isn't playing in Singles 3" Yanagi said simply, "So there is no reason for him to be awake". The team frowned at him but collectively nodded, and they moved to sit down on the benches, Sanada sitting next to the sleeping form of Echizen.

"Genichiro" Yanagi said, and Sanada glanced at him.

"Make sure Niou doesn't draw on his face" he advised, and Sanada frowned at the realisation and nodded.

"Ah" he replied simply.

Tokyo Tennis Gardens Courts

Court B

Kirihara was impressed. In fact, he was more than impressed, he was really surprised. Yamabuki Gakuen were everything Yanagi had described them to be, really tough and strong, and so Jackal and Marui had taken their match 6-4 against the captain and vice-captain - though they didn't take their ankle weights off the whole time - and Niou and Yagyuu had taken their game 6-2. It was clear how much stronger Yamabuki was, and Kirihara couldn't wait to play.

"Next match, Singles 3, Kirihara Akaya vs Sengoku Kiyosumi"

Kirihara stood up, smiling excitedly.

"Akaya" came Yanagi's voice, and Kirihara turned questioningly to him.

"Echizen isn't watching, so there would be no consequences if you went into Bloodshot Mode" he said simply, and Kirihara frowned at him but nodding in understanding. He didn't exactly want to go into Bloodshot Mode, but it kind of reassured him that if he did Echizen wouldn't be traumatized by it. Kirihara turned back to the court and moved to the net, where a third year who was slightly taller than himself was standing; he had thick orange hair, deep green eyes and a wide smile. So this was Yamabuki's ace player.

"Well" he began, "I was hoping to play the 'Speed Demon', but I guess the 'Devil' will do" he said with a carefree smile, and Kirihara twitched. He was underestimating him, and seriously, what was up with the 'Speed Demon'? When had that happened?

"The match between Kirihara Akaya and Sengoku Kiyosumi will now begin! Please shake hands!"

The two shook hands, and Sengoku continued to smile in a carefree way, much to Kirihara's annoyance.

"Don't hold back on me" he advised. Kirihara scowled at him, ignoring the comment and holding up his racket.

"Rough or smooth?"

"Rough" Sengoku replied. Kirihara nodded and spun his racket on the ground, landing on the rough side.

"Lucky~" Sengoku chirped, moving to the baseline, and Kirihara just watched him in confusion. He was so weird.

Focus, he told himself, you are not going to lose to this idiot. Kirihara nodded to himself and moved back to the baseline, preparing for Sengoku's serve as he produced a ball. Sengoku threw it up into the air immediately, jumping into the air after the ball and slamming it towards Kirihara, and he could see the path of the ball immediately, dimly impressed that it was so fast, and he immediately moved to counter it, returning it quickly to Sengoku's opposite corner, and he was there in an instant returning it to Kirihara, who smirked and swung his racket quickly, slamming the ball viciously towards the opposite corner and grazing the ground with the force of the shot.

"0-15!"

He heard Sengoku whistle in admiration, and he looked up to him with a frown, Sengoku simply smiling comically at him.

"Wow, you have a lot of power, don't you?" he asked, and Kirihara ignored him and moved back to the baseline.

Tokyo Tennis Gardens Courts

Court B

"So Echizen-kun, tell me about your day"

Roko looked at the psychologist blankly, not giving a single trace of the warring emotions beneath. He hated being here, he hated the fact that he had to talk about his problems to this stranger because of the fact he couldn't talk. He'd rather talk about his problems with Ryoma than this man. The man before him did not falter in his warm smile, and continued on.

"I heard you got into a fight" he said simply, and Roko continued to look at him blankly.

"Why did you fight those people, Echizen-kun?" the man asked, and Roko mentally frowned, but held up his hands and responded.

"You already know why" his hands stated, and the man frowned.

"I suppose that's true, but I don't know why you decided to get involved, which is why I am asking" he said evenly. Roko continued to look at him blankly, not wanting to talk about it at all, and the man sighed.

"Well, since you won't answer, how about I tell you what happened, and you fill in the blanks?" he offered, and Roko did not move a millimetre, looking with his passive mask, and the man decided that was a 'yes'.

"From what I know" he began, "You were waiting for Ryoma at a bench on the school grounds while he was helping a teacher. Some kids walked up to you and started taunting you for being mute, saying that you were too stupid to talk and that you were a freak. You ignored them, and the taunting continued. Ryoma eventually walked up and started shouting at them to leave you alone, in which one of the kids turned around and pushed him over, and the other kids started kicking him on the ground. That is when you attacked them, knocking over most of the kids and punching the leader repeatedly in the face. He had to be taken to the nurse's office to stem the bleeding from the tooth you knocked out". He paused for effect.

"Did I miss anything?" the man asked smoothly, and Roko continued to stare at him blankly. He hated to admit to himself, but Ryoma was a gap in his armour. He didn't care, he didn't care about a lot of things in the world, and so he simply embraced them and moved on like nothing had happened, but the moment those kids attacked Ryoma all self-control just vanished and Roko couldn't stop himself from punching the leader in the face.

Roko shook his head, and the man smiled softly at him, but Roko knew he was trying to appear friendly and the smile wasn't real.

"You attacked them because they hurt Ryoma, didn't you?" the man asked, and Roko simply nodded in response.

"Why do you care so much for Ryoma?" he asked curiously, and Roko looked at him blankly.

Because he is my brother. Because he is the only person in school that sees me as a human being.

"You know Ryoma is suffering too?" the man asked bluntly, and Roko kept his passive gaze.

"He suffers a lot, you know" the man continued, "His personality has become much more withdrawn since the accident last year, and he is losing friends because he is constantly with you. I am not saying you are a burden, but Ryoma is sacrificing a regular six-year old life for you" he said bluntly. Roko continued to stare at him as if he didn't exist, and the man sighed again.

"Why did you protect Ryoma like that?" the man asked, and for some reason Roko's temper flared suddenly, and he held up his hands to respond.

"Because I hate it when he's hurt" his hands replied, and the man softened his expression.

"Why is that?" he asked calmly, and Roko raised his hands to respond.

"I don't want him to ever feel pain, I want him to live a happy life" his hands responded.

"And what about your life?" the man asked, and Roko looked at him blankly and responded with signs.

"I'm happy if Ryoma is happy" his hands stated, and the man blinked.

"I see" he said after a while, and Roko simply looked at him blankly.

"We are out of time" he declared suddenly, glancing at the clock on the wall, and Roko didn't hesitate to stand up and walk out of the room immediately, opening and closing the door behind him without waiting for the psychologist.

Roko watched with amusement - though he didn't show it - as Ryoma ran back and forth on the court, returning shots from their father who casually moved around the court and almost mockingly returned every one of Ryoma's shots. Roko knew that Ryoma was nowhere near on their father's level, but Ryoma was still determined to try and be the best player possible, and that meant challenging their father every day.

Another ball passed Ryoma, and he whined in annoyance and glared at his father, to which he simply laughed.

"That's enough for today, Ryoma" he said, and glanced at Roko.

"You wanna go?" he offered, and Roko shook his head, since the outcome was obvious. Their father simply smiled and walked back to the house, leaving the twins in silence.

"How was the psychologist's?" Ryoma asked, and Roko turned and looked at him flatly, and Ryoma frowned.

"Bad huh?" he asked, and Roko nodded.

"Well, it'll get better" Ryoma said, with enthusiasm that Roko knew was fake, but he simply allowed a small smile and nodded. The two quickly moved back to the house in unison, moving through the back door quickly and into the living room where their father was lounging around, and the two took their seats on the couch.

"Roko" their father said once, and the two glanced at him, and his sharp expression immediately said that he was serious.

"Why did you get into that fight this morning?" he asked seriously, and Roko simply looked at him blankly. Their father scowled deeper at him, sitting up straight and narrowing his eyes.

"I'm serious Roko" he said sharply, "The school are threatening to expel you for what you did. Six-year olds aren't supposed to knock out other six-year olds' teeth". Ryoma stood up immediately, much to Roko's surprise.

"It wasn't his fault, Dad!" he exclaimed, "I shouldn't have gotten involved".

"Enough Ryoma" their father snapped.

"No!" Ryoma shouted in response, and Roko and their father were stunned at his sudden outburst. Ryoma ground his teeth and clenched his fists in anger.

"It should have been me" he stated, "It should have been me who suffered from that crash, but Roko protected me!" he exclaimed, whirling on Roko, and Roko's passive mask dropped and he stared in a mix of surprise and despair. Ryoma's eyes were filled with tears.

No. Please don't cry Ryoma, I don't want you to cry anymore.

"Why?" Ryoma asked, and Roko blinked.

"Why did you ruin your entire life for me!?" he shouted, and for the first time in the longest time Roko couldn't respond. He could only stare, and he felt tears building up in his eye.

Ryoma stared at him for a moment longer in fury, and suddenly it broke down, replaced by sadness and tears, and he ran out of the room in an instant.

"Ryoma!" their father cried, running after him. Roko just stared at the door for a moment, tears in his eye.

He didn't follow; it would only make things worse.

Tokyo Tennis Gardens Courts

Court B

"Game Kirihara, 5-4!"

Sanada frowned at the display before him. Kirihara and Sengoku were both breathing heavily and sweating, and Kirihara was not wearing ankle weights, since he didn't know the meaning of holding back, so they were at almost equal level, Kirihara just above Sengoku. This was irritating for Sanada, because in his mind he'd planned to take the Regionals without problem, but they were having trouble at the quarter-finals, and it would be a pain in the semi-finals, and the finals would be a challenge at this rate. Rikkaidai were meant to be the National Champions, but the fact they were being resisted by such a low-rate school was embarrassing. True, in both doubles matches his players had not removed their own ankle weights, but the fact that points were scored against him annoyed him immensely. He would double their training regimens for this, the rest of the team included.

It was Kirihara's turn to serve now, and he walked back to the baseline, attempting to control his breathing as Sengoku did the same, and Kirihara produced a ball and served quickly, sending the ball towards Sengoku with an audible thwack. Sengoku took a step forward and returned the ball to Kirihara's opposite corner, who moved to it and returned the ball quickly toward Sengoku, who dashed toward the ball and returned it to Kirihara's opposite corner again, and Kirihara dashed to it in an instant. Sanada could see how his breath came out in gasps, and he dove for the ball in desperation, flying through the air only to miss it completely and land face-first into the ground, and Sanada audibly sighed.

"0-15"

Sanada watched Kirihara as his body stayed on the ground for a few moments, and he knew in that instant that Sengoku had lost. His thoughts were only confirmed when Kirihara stood up in that slow and menacing way he did when he was serious, and his blood-red eyes showed through, Kirihara grinding his teeth in anger.

Kirihara moved back to the baseline, producing a ball and squeezing it in his hand and throwing it into the air, slamming it hard towards Sengoku, who moved to return it, but the ball bounced randomly and launched into his left ankle, causing Sengoku to gasp in pain and trip, hitting the ground in an instant, and the regulars of Yamabuki gasped. Kirihara just laughed in his blood-drunk form.

"15-all!"

"I'll paint you red" he decalred viciously, and Sanada simply watched with a frowning expression as Sengoku stood up slowly, and he could see how Sengoku put his weight on his right foot. The other team protested loudly, saying he should withdraw, but Sengoku ignored them and limped back to the baseline. Kirihara smiled sadistically, squeezing the ball in his hand again before serving, slamming it toward Sengoku, and this time it hit him straight in the stomach, and all of the air whooshed out of his lungs and he clutched his gut and fell on his knees.

"30-15!"

"Sengoku-senpai!" he heard a childish voice yell, but Sanada ignored it. Sengoku again ignored the protests of his team and positioned himself on the baseline, Kirihara smirking devilishly. Kirihara served the Knuckle Serve again, and to Sanada's dim surprise Sengoku moved quickly, returning the ball before it could bounce, but he could see his fast twist in pain as he moved on his left foot, and Kirihara moved to the ball in an instant, he blood-red eyes gleaming as he sent the ball to Sengoku's opposite corner, forcing him to run on his bad ankle. Sengoku complied, dashing for the ball despite how obvious it was that he was in pain, and he reached and barely returned the ball over the net, to which Kirihara simply sent the ball to the opposite corner before he could react.

"40-15!"

Sengoku audibly growled in anger, moving back to the baseline, limping on his right foot as he did. Kirihara simply moved back to the baseline, his blood-red eyes lit with delight, and Sanada barely held back his disgust. Kirihara produced a ball and once again squeezed the ball in his hand before slamming it with his racket, sending it toward Sengoku and randomly bounced towards him.

It struck him straight on the forehead, and Sengoku was instantly knocked backwards, landing on his back by the force of the blow to his forehead, and even from here Sanada could see the blood that was already pooling.

"Game and match, Kirihara! 6-4!"

Kirihara laughed loudly and evilly, much to everyone's distaste, moving back to the bleachers where the regulars sat, his eyes still lit blood-red, and Sanada simply sighed and stood up, moving down the stairs of the bleachers and towards Kirihara. Kirihara smirked devilishly, his eyes filled with delight.

"I won, fukubuchou" he declared.

Sanada slapped him, hard, sending Kirihara reeling to the ground in an instant, and none of the regulars made a move to assist him.

"Tarundarou" he muttered, as Kirihara groaned and pulled himself up, the blood-red from his eyes gone, and Sanada nodded to himself, not concerned at all with Kirihara's well-being. They had won, and that was all that mattered.

"We're leaving" he declared. The regulars collectively nodded, and Yanagi turned and frowned at Echizen.

"We should probably wake Echizen up" he suggested, and the team and noticed the fact he hadn't moved at all.

"Has he been asleep this whole time?" Marui wondered out loud.

"Seems so" Jackal muttered, and Sanada frowned and moved towards Echizen, reaching him and shaking his shoulder roughly.

"Wake up" he ordered, but Echizen didn't even stir as Sanada shook him, and he frowned deeper, responding by shaking Echizen's shoulder harder, but still he didn't stir, and Sanada's annoyance turned into concern.

"Echizen" he stated, and still he did not stir.

"Is he alright?" Jackal asked, standing up from his seat and moving towards him.

"Not sure" Sanada answered, and Jackal frowned, looking at the sleeping freshman curiously and putting a hand on his forehead.

"His forehead's really warm" Jackal stated, and the team looked at Echizen's sleeping form sharply.

"He's sick" Yanagi stated flatly, and the team frowned.

"What do we do now? Should we take him home?" Marui asked.

"We don't know where he lives" Niou pointed out, and Sanada frowned deeper. This was a problem. If Echizen was sick, that meant he would miss tennis training, and it could affect his general health, which would affect his tennis performance. Yanagi had instantly produced his phone and was dialling a number, and the team frowned at him.

"What are you doing?" Sanada asked. Yanagi ignored him and called the number, putting the phone to his ear, and the team watched curiously.

"Sadaharu" Yanagi said, and Sanada raised an eyebrow. Inui Sadaharu of Seigaku?

"Yes, I was wondering if you could give me Echizen's address" he said simply and there was a pause before Yanagi responded.

"Our Echizen is tired and fell asleep, and so we wanted to take him home" he stated, and Sanada blinked. There was another pause, and Yanagi produced his trademark notebook and a pencil, resting his phone between his ear and shoulder, scribbling the address quickly on the paper before nodding to himself.

"Thank you, Sadaharu" he said simply, before he took the phone and hung up, and Sanada frowned at him.

"Why did you say he was simply sleeping?" he asked curiously.

"I did not want to alert the other Echizen" Yanagi returned coolly, and Sanada simply dismissed the conversation.

"How did you know Inui Sadaharu has Echizen's address, more importantly, why does he have it?" Niou asked bluntly, and Yanagi glanced at him.

"Do you remember that time we were at Jackal's restaurant?" he asked, "Echizen received a message from his brother saying that the Seigaku regulars were sleeping over at their house, and knowing Inui he would have taken note of the address". Sanada simply stared at Yanagi for half a moment and then dismissed it, looking back to Echizen's sleeping form curiously.

"How are we going to get him there?" Marui asked curiously, also glancing at Echizen.

"Genichiro can carry him" Yanagi ordered more than suggested, and Sanada's gaze snapped to Yanagi, his stare defiant and deathly, but Yanagi did not so much as flinch.

"You're the strongest and tallest one, Genichiro, and Echizen is very light, so it makes sense" he said evenly, and Sanada simply sighed in defeat, since it was clear he would get out of this.

"Fine" he mumbled, stepping toward Ecihzen and hooking one arm under his leg, positioning himself in front of Echizen and hooking his other arm under Echizen's other leg, hoisting him up so Echizen's legs were being held up by Sanada and he was leaning on Sanada's back, still asleep, and Yanagi moved and positioned Echizen's unconscious arms around Sanada's neck so he would not fall of, and Sanada grunted in order to hide his embarrassment, the team looking at him rather amusedly as he carried their kouhai.

"I'll take Echizen's bag" Yanagi stated, taking Echizen's tennis bag and hooking it over his other shoulder, and Sanada grunted.

"Lead the way Yanagi" he said simply, and Yanagi nodded.

"I have familiarized myself with the streets of Tokyo, and if we follow the signs we should be able to find his street" he said simply, and Sanada did not bother questioning why Yanagi had done such a pointless thing, simply allowing him to lead and following after him with Echizen on his back, his teammates following behind him.

Streets of Tokyo

Marui glanced at their little kouhai and their captain's back and smiled goofily. For all Echizen was, he still looked really cute when he was sleeping, in a kind of I-want-to-take-you-home kind of way, and Marui couldn't help but smile at his sleeping form.

"Bunta, you're staring at him" Jackal said rather bluntly, and Marui smiled in a carefree way as he turned his head to Jackal as they continued down the path with the team.

"I can't help it" he admitted with a large smile, "He's just too cute to ignore". Marui could see Jackal frown and his lips twitched rather awkwardly.

"Don't call him cute, Bunta" he mumbled, and Marui smiled mockingly.

"Oh? Don't tell me you're getting jealous" he said with a knowing smile and as expected Jackal's eyes widened and his deeply tanned skin went even darker in embarrassment.

"Bunta!" he exclaimed, and Marui just laughed at him, holding his hands up to stop him.

"Sorry, sorry", he said quickly, "I know what you meant", and Jackal's face returned to its normal colour.

"Quiet down you two" Sanada ordered, and Marui turned to him with his usual carefree smile.

"But fukubuchou, he's just too cute!" he chirped happily, increasing his pace so he was striding next to Sanada and could smile at Echizen's sleeping form closer.

"Marui, you're just being creepy now" Niou muttered, and Marui ignored it and ruffled his sleeping kouhai's hair with a large smile.

"Echizen is not some pet you can take home, Marui" Sanada said lowly, in what sounded like a threat, but Marui ignored him and ruffled Echizen's hair some more. He cocked his head at Echizen's form for a moment and then smiled and reached for his hair to brush it to a side.

"Echizen would look so much cuter if-".

Marui froze as he brushed back the hair across Echizen's left eye, the hair that was always styled across his left eye, and his eyes widened and he gasped loudly. Immediately the team stopped and turned to him, and Marui felt his arm drop and Echizen's hair fell back into place.

"Bunta, what's wrong?" Jackal asked quickly, instantly at his side, but Marui simply stared at Echizen and took a step backwards in disbelief.

"His left eye..." he muttered.

"What?" he heard Jackal ask. The rest of the team were crowded around them, watching in concern and curiosity, and Sanada just stayed rooted to the spot, frowning at him.

"What about his left eye, Marui?" Yanagi asked quickly.

"It's not there. His left eye isn't there" Marui said in horror as he stared at his kouhai, and the team's necks snapped towards Echizen in an instant, their eyes filled with the same horror.

"Excuse me?" Sanada asked sharply, still looking at Echizen in concern, and in an instant Yanagi crossed the distance between them and reached for Echizen's hair, brushing it back, and the team leaned forward to get a clear view, all gasping at what Marui saw.

His left eye wasn't there. It was a scar, a pale but jagged scar across where his left eye should have been, small but clear and devastatingly existent.

Echizen only had one eye.

No one said a word, no one breathed, for what felt like a long time, until eventually Yanagi's hand moved away from Echizen and his hair fell back into place, covering his left eye, and the team just stared at their kouhai incredulously.

"What happened to him?" Jackal finally breathed, but no one answered, and the team shared a long and painful silence.

"We should take Echizen home" Yanagi said at last, his voice devoid of emotion, "Perhaps Echizen Nanjiroh can explain things"

No one said a word again, and so Yanagi simply continued on, his face perfectly passive, and the team followed him unconsciously like a group of hounds, Marui staring at the ground as he did. No one comforted him, all busy staring at the ground similarly or at their kouhai.

Echizen... what on Earth happened to you?

Echizen Household

Sanada's head was empty. It wasn't a lack of thinking that caused it to be so empty, but rather it was like thoughts and ideas had burst in all at once and caved in on themselves, leaving only a dead void in his mind.

Echizen only had one eye. That was why he always styled his hair across his left eye. How he they not seen this? How had he not seen this? How in all of the time he spent with Echizen had he never once noticed the overbearing fact that his kouhai - his teammate - only had one eye?

The answer was painfully obvious. It was because he never paid enough attention to notice, and despite Sanada's perfect mask of passiveness he felt his gut fold and scrunch in on itself like a ball of paper. He was a disgrace. He was the worst kind of captain, and he knew immediately he had let down Yukimura. He had failed to notice the facts and now once again it felt like he didn't even know Echizen anymore.

"Here it is" Yanagi said finally, and the team stopped, turning to the gate and their eyes widened in impressiveness. It was a large wooden gate with a simple sign of 'Echizen' on the gate, and it led into a large front garden, though Sanada would describe it as the front grounds of the house from how large it was, and Yanagi led the team through the gate and into the grounds, and Sanada's attention was immediately directed to the white lines on the ground to his left, and his eyes widened as he realised it was a tennis court.

"Echizen has a tennis court in his front garden?" Kirihara asked loudly to no one in particular.

"Impressive" Yagyuu said evenly. Sanada could only grunt in agreement.

"Oh? Who are you people?" came a deep voice, and the team turned in surprise to see a man in his early forties standing there folding his arms in curiosity. He had deep black hair, brown eyes, stubble on his face and a pointed nose, he also wore monk robes, and Sanada frowned.

"Are you Echizen Nanjiroh?" he asked evenly, and the monk before him nodded.

"I am, why are you carrying my son?" he asked pointedly, and Sanada half-glanced at Echizen's head on his shoulder for a moment before turning back to him. Kirihara immediately took a step forward before Sanada could respond.

"Eh!?" he cried, "You're the legendary tennis player?" The monk simply nodded.

"I am, but why are you carrying my son?" he asked again, completely ignoring Kirihara, and Sanada frowned.

"Echizen is sick, so we thought we should take him home" he said bluntly, and the monk before him sighed.

"I knew that" he mumbled, "But that idiot wouldn't miss this match for the world". Sanada blinked, and the monk simply gestured.

"You might as well come in" he said, leading them toward the house, which Sanada noted was surprisingly similar to his own in terms of appearance, furnished with wood walls and a walkway outside the house, though it was a short one. The monk led the team into the house, and Sanada blinked at how drastically the house changed, and they stepped into an American-themed living room with a coffee table and sofas on either side, a TV unit in the corner and tables adorning pictures of Echizen's family.

"Take a seat, I'll take Roko to his room" the monk said, and Sanada nodded, placing the somehow still sleeping Echizen down on the sofa, and the monk picked him up bridal style.

"Nanako, there are guests here!" the monk called before he left the room, and instantly another figure appeared at the doorway, and Sanada's eyes nearly popped out of his head. The woman looked about nineteen, average height with long black hair and big brown eyes. She wore a basic t-shirt that did a very poor job of hiding her - chest area - and basic jeans, and Sanada blushed.

"Oh, are you Roko-san's teammates? You're wearing the same jerseys" she commented, and Yanagi took a step forward.

"That's right, I am Yanagi Renji, it's nice to meet you" he said evenly, and the woman nodded.

"Echizen Nanako, please take a seat" she said, and the team nodded and sat down on the two sofas in the room, and Nanako looked at them expectantly.

"I watched uncle carry Roko-san to his room, is he OK?" she asked concernedly.

"Echizen is sick" Jackal said bluntly, and Nanako's eyes widened in concern before they settled again.

"I see" she said simply, "Thank you for taking him home", she smiled widely in a way that took Sanada's breath away, and the monk appeared in the doorway, and the woman turned to her.

"Uncle, I need to get on with my studies, so I'll leave you" she said simply.

"OK then" the monk replied equally simple, and the woman strode out of the room, leaving the regulars alone with the monk.

"Echizen-san" Yanagi said bluntly before the monk could speak, "We would like to ask some questions". The monk blinked at him.

"What is it?" the monk asked, and Yanagi visibly frowned.

"When we were taking Echizen home, Marui decided to brush his hair away and saw his left eye" he stated bluntly, and the team did not miss how the monk visibly twitched, his eyes widening for a second before they turned to their uncaring gaze.

"I see" was all he said.

"Echizen-san" Marui said, finally perking up, "What happened to our kouhai?"

The monk visibly sighed, looking at them in defeat.

"I suppose I should tell you" he said after a while, "But to explain what happened I have to tell you everything". The team straightened and collectively nodded.

"We have time, Echizen-san" Yanagi said, and the monk and former tennis pro frowned but nodded, opening his mouth to speak.