The Misplaced Foreigner (Prince of Tennis)

Watch Your Back

Yuri was fast.

She was smart.

But most of all she was sharp.

This made all the difference as she rode a taxi after departing from the airport.

Japan had not been Yuri's first stop.

But she was determined to make it her last.

As she struggled to remember the address of her destination; she noticed another taxi following closely behind in the rearview mirror. She instructed the cabbie to make a few left turns, effectively making them turn a full circle. The same taxi was still following.

"Crap," she muttered in English. She quickly scouted the neighborhood and noticed a park filled with lots of trees. Yuri knew she was still a ways off from where she was going, but this would have to be good enough.

"Stop here, this is good," she told the cabbie in hurried Japanese. The language still felt strange in her mouth; it had been a while since she had occasion to speak it.

She hauled her suitcase and duffel out of the taxi throwing a random amount of American bills at him that she knew was probably too much. "Keep the change!" she yelled as the cabbie started to shout back at her for giving him the wrong currency before abruptly cutting himself off.  He probably realized she had given him quite a good amount extra.

She walked quickly towards the park, knowing whoever was following her would notice her leaving the taxi soon enough. As soon as she made it a little deeper into the park she threw her suitcase and duffel bag into the bushes and took off running. She would have to come back for them later.

It was late. The sky was dark and the trees blocked out any moonlight that could have helped light her way. The darkness, however, did make it easier for her to hear the pair of heavy footsteps following rapidly behind her. That's fine, she thought, because it didn't matter how quickly he ran.  She was faster.

~~~~~~~~~~

Not for the first time, Ryoma Echizen was walking home late from a match he had at one of the street courts nearby.  He'd noticed one of the arrogant players there had an interesting serve, so he provoked him into having a match with him.  However, unsurprisingly, Ryoma was able to quickly figure the serve out and return it with ease.  He was a bit disappointed with how fast he was able to defeat his opponent but that feeling was soon overshadowed by the satisfaction of victory.  

He wondered idly as he decided to cut through the park on his way home, what his mother was preparing for dinner.  I really hope it's Japanese food.  All we've had lately is Western food.  Maybe she'll make-

SNAP

His train of thought was cut off as he heard someone break through the tree line behind him.  He whirled around and spotted a person running full speed towards him.  It was difficult to make out any distinctions in the dark other than the fact that this person was small, around the same height as him.  All he could think was, fast!

Then he spotted a large figure following--no, chasing-- the shorter person.  Ryoma made a split-second decision, and snatched the girl's arm as she nearly passed him and pulled her towards a large tree beside him.  Because that's what she was, he saw. A girl.  His eyes had gotten used to the dark  almost immediately and had seen the long, dark brown hair flying behind her as she sprinted.  The girl made a surprised noise and he hastily put a finger to his lips to signal her to be quiet.

Yuri got a shock when she felt someone yank her arm and prepared herself to fight whoever grabbed her.  But he made no other movements and pulled her against the tree trunk shushing her.  

As stated previously, Yuri was smart.  So she was able to judge instantly that this boy posed her no threat.  In fact, he seemed to be trying to help her.  She couldn't believe her luck at finding someone willing to actually help her.  The big oaf following her ran by and was soon out of sight, but neither she nor the boy moved for several more moments.  

Yuri hadn't gotten a good look at the boy yet and was just about to turn towards him when she noticed the world tilting.  She braced her hand against the tree but then everything started to spin as well and she lost the will to support herself any longer.

Ryoma heard the girl shuffle next to him and turned, ready to tell her that she shouldn't be walking out so late at night alone when she fell to her knees.

"Hey!" he yelled, "are you alright?" He dropped next to her and the clouds must have parted overhead because a shred of moonlight finally made it easier to see her.  The first thing he took notice of was her face, she was incredibly beautiful, but that's not what he was focused on.  Her face was red, she was perspiring heavily, and her breath was ragged.  Placing his hand on her forehead told him what he had already worked out on his own; she was sick.  She probably has a fever.

Yuri tried, she really did, but for some reason her body felt really heavy and she couldn't pick herself up.  She opened her eyes and realized the boy's face was right in front of hers.  He had dark hair that nearly looked green and brown eyes--almost hazel-- that were so startlingly familiar that she called out the first thought that came to her head even as the world started to darken.

"Nanjiro?"

"Huh?!" Ryoma flinched at his father's name and was about to say something to her when he realized she had gone limp in his arms.

Now what was he supposed to do?