One Nil to You (A Prince of Tennis Fanfiction)

Epilogue

November 19, 2012

Seven Shillings Beach — Point Piper, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Morning

Taking off her sandals, Juri stood ankle deep in the chilly water, soaking the lotus leaf edge design of her peacock printed off-shoulder chiffon maxi dress. Watching the waves receding and sinking to the sun behind her, Juri was in deep thoughts of the events in the weeks that had passed.

Three days after Seigaku won the Nationals, Ryoma had suddenly vanished without saying a word to anyone. But just as she suspected, he went back to the U.S. and they met in New York right after Mikhail was predictably found and declared guilty and was sentenced to life in prison with no parole in Rikers Island. The judge had made it clear that he did not wish Mikhail to ever regain his freedom. Yesfir, for being Mikhail's accomplice, was sentenced to life in prison as well, but she was allowed parole after ten years. So by 2022, she could probably regain her freedom. It's true that she could never forgive Yesfir just like with Mikhail, but Juri eventually went to Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women and visited her. They talked, and it wasn't pleasant nor was it harsh, but Juri had to conclude her unfinished business with Yesfir as she told her how her passiveness and foolish devotion and understanding to her husband lent a hand in changing not only her life but the other victims of Mikhail's machinations. She couldn't understand why, but in the end, she gave Yesfir some comforting words that if she and her family can never forgive her, she should hope that God will.

While her parents, her older half-brothers and their wives went back to Australia, at her mother's suggestion to prepare for her for the press conference, Juri went back to Japan with Yuki and Aki to celebrate Tezuka's fifteenth birthday. She gave him a photo book that contained pictures of famous mountains in the world as a birthday present. They made a promise to one day climb the Himalayas together, particularly in Ama Dablam.

Even though she wanted to stay a little longer with him, she had to head back to Australia for the press conference. The press conference brought her family together yet again and together they showed to the world how this grim chapter of their life made them stronger. Her father and Eduard saved Legacy from the threats of a stock market crash and losing their foreign investors and business partners, and told the media that although they want nothing to do with RGC, they would help those innocent jobless employees by finding jobs for them. Knowing how Eduard was extremely cautious in trusting like her, he would obviously conduct secret investigations should any of these former employees of RGC be spies or have dark intentions.

In order to take everyone completely off this chapter, Irina announced that she and Vincent postponed their engagement party to a week after the Australian Open since she wouldn't want to steal the spotlight from her niece. It would also be a good sequence of events that after Juri would become the Grand Slam title holder of the 2013 Australian Open, Irina and Vincent would hold a lavish party in Monaco to celebrate their engagement, then in the next month Yuki and Aki would celebrate their fifth birthday in Paris, and after that would be the wedding of the century. Everyone was invited, and by everyone, it would mean that Misuzu's family would fly all the way from Asia to Europe. And for Juri, it would mean seeing Tezuka again.

Kunimitsu... she thought with a long sigh.

Right now, he should be in Germany to begin training as a professional tennis player since he was scouted by a professional German tennis team, but he's still in Japan after all the Seigaku regulars received an invitation to the U-17 Japan. She had heard of the U-17 competition since Australia also had an all-star high school team formed by the U-17 Australia. It was the first time in the history of this worldwide competition of high school tennis players, pros and non-pros, that junior high students were included and trained in the same program. With his skills, there was no doubt he would be included in the top players to play for Japan in the upcoming U-17 World Cup. No matter what happened, she knew that both her and Tezuka's future lay in tennis.

From the right pocket of her dress, her iPhone suddenly began to vibrate. Reaching for it, she assumed it was her mother before glancing at the screen. Freezing, she stared at it as it vibrated a second time. Taking a deep breath, she opened it up and placed it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hi," a familiar voice said on the other line. "It's me."

She tried to imagine where he was calling from. There seemed to be a cavernous echo behind him as if he was in an airport.

"Did you just get off a plane or are you going to ride one?" she asked.

"Yeah, I just got off an hour ago."

"Are you in Germany right now?"

"No. But I'm on my way there, I'm making a stop for a couple of days first."

"What stop? Just where exactly are you now?"

It took him a moment to respond, and when she heard his voice again, she realized it wasn't coming from the phone. It was coming from behind her. Turning, she saw him standing next to her sandals, holding his cell phone.

"Sorry." Tezuka said. "I really had your guard down."

Even though he was here, she couldn't quite process it. She squeezed her eyes shut before opening them again.

Yes, he was still there. It was just amazing.

"Why didn't you call to let me know you were coming?"

"Because I wanted to surprise you like you keep doing to me."

He was indeed right about that. Dressed in Seigaku's gakuran, he was as stoic yet classically handsome as she always remembered him.

"Besides, there's something I have to tell you," he added.

"What's that?" she asked.

"I met Captain Yamato in the U-17 Training Camp back in Japan."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he hasn't changed at all and I played a match with him."

"How was it?"

He took off his shoes and socks and joined her by the waters. "It made me remember three things."

"What?"

"My job is done. I'm no longer the Pillar of Seigaku." He remembered Seigaku's victory in the Nationals as well as Ryoma who told him that he would take the position of Seigaku's Pillar of Support from him, then his game with Yamato in the shuffle match between Court 5 and Court 3. "I finally remembered how fun tennis really is."

"Kunimitsu, you..." She knew what he was talking about. He had achieved the final door of the Selfless State. The Pinnacle of Perfection.

His arms moved around her waist. "And because of that, I remembered the promise I made to you before the Kanto Tournament."

"Thank you for keeping your promise"

Leaning in, he kissed her gently, first on her cheek and then on her lips. When he met her eyes, she saw the young man she fell in love with again during a summer visit to Japan and the young man she still loved now.

"I will always keep my promises with you, Juri, just as I never stopped loving and thinking of you."

She smiled, knowing he was telling the truth.

"I love you, too, Tezuka Kunimitsu," she whispered, as she leaned in to kiss him again.