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

CHAPTER 84: Cat's Out of the Bag

Ryouko carefully stepped down from a ledge. "It must be there somewhere." She shone her flashlight on the path, the beam hitting dried leaves and gnarled branches that fell onto the ground.

Ryouko's chest feels heavy. She wished to let out all of her frustration but she couldn't. She wanted to explain herself but she knew it was not her right. After all, what they said was true. She was indeed guilty of thinking that way. It was the right punishment that she deserved. But still...

She concentrated on finding the hair clip. All of the efforts she showed the freshmen were genuine, and she would prove it to them in her own way. She will try to win them back with sincerity.

"There!" She yelled when the light beam shone upon something red caught in the bushes. It was the hair clip! She finally found it!

In her hurry, Ryouko was not able to see the steep excavation on the path and she slipped. She gave a shriek of surprise when she fell and tumbled over all the way down the slanted ground. The base of a tree broke her fall and she hit her head on a giant root. Her eyelids fluttered as she tried to open her eyes but it was no use. Everything looked blurred and spinning. Her eyelids dropped and she lost all strength. Unconsciousness was immediate.

It was an hour and a half when Ryouko finally regained her senses. What woke her up was drops of water falling onto her face. The sound of the rain filled her ears. She realized where she was and immediately sat up. Her head throbbed. "Oh no." She said as she closed her hand onto the dried leaves where she laid. She should get back... as soon as she could possibly can.

She found the flashlight lying beside a dried twig when she navigated her way in the darkness. The rain became stronger and the leaves of the trees were the only things that are keeping her from being completely drenched.

Her head feels heavy and she felt a slight bump on the side. She shook her head to make herself more alert and shone the flashlight to the spot where she saw Senri's hair clip. She would not go back without it.

After ten minutes of searching, she finally found it. With the clip safely clenched inside her fist, she began to find her way out of the forest. She walked up, thinking that she would eventually reach the ledge. But the farther she got, the more lost she became. There was no light coming out of anywhere in the forest. One tree looked just like the other in that utter darkness.

Ryouko was getting out of breath. She must've been wandering aimlessly for almost an hour. Her legs ached and she sat down on a stone, beinding to massage her ankles. At that moment, another misfortune befell the poor girl. The light of the flashlight in her hand suddenly sputtered and died.

Ryouko gasped at the sudden darkness. "What the hell?" She exclaimed angrily and took the flashlight in both hands. She squinted at the bulb but her eyes had not adjusted to the darkness yet. In her frustration, she slammed the flashlight on the edge of the rock she was sitting on, thinking that a few shakes might make it light up to life again. It was a stupid stunt. The flashlight broke at her excessive use of strength. Groaning, Ryouko stood up and flung it aside.

She shivered in the cold. Her hair and her clothes were drenched in the rain. Only her underwear seemed to be spared. She had to find her way out immediately or she would be in big trouble.

"What time is it?" She asked herself and automatically slipped her phone out from her pocket. It read 7 o'clock. "7 o'clock?" She screeched, her eyes widening. It sure do not look like 7 o'clock! Where did the sun go? Oh sure, the clouds hid it but it should at least give a little light.

All of a sudden, a realization hit Ryouko. She had her phone with her! How can she be so stupid? She could've just called someone and asked for help!