Echizen's New Rival

Chapter 1: The Royal Storm

"What's the matter Momo-sempai?" Ryoma asked with his usual cocky voice. His eyebrows met at the center after he recovered from being dragged out of his house. All he knew was that he was drinking his milk after a morning shower when an impatient fellow tried to press the door bell nonstop. He should have known it was Momoshiro.

He did expect the guy to come though but he expected him in the afternoon. He had that usual grin on his face and his excitement was bursting everywhere that it almost affected him. But aside from that, his face reflected apology. He started scratching his head. His mouth formed a slight apologetic smirk before
he spoke again.

"Well I just couldn't wait! I just can't..." Ryoma's eyes scanned his sempai for a while before reacting again. He liked what he wore- that white shirt with a Fila logo imprinted on the back. He wanted to match it with his white cap and shoes that he bought when he was still in the United States.

"I'd get one of those for sure..." he thought, his brows meeting up again. Momoshiro frowned and slowly backed away when he saw his kouhai observing his body for a while now.Ryoma sighed. His sempai was beggining to annoy him a little for being too lively in the morning. "W-well… I told you before right? Today's the sale of the new series of rubber shoes from the usual store..."

Echizen gave up and sighed. His sempai smiles were bright and his movements were large that it snapped the tennis prince back to his senses. "All right then. I'll just go and get ready..." he said, pursuing the trail back to his house. Momoshiro waved an ok sign and waited outside with a smile.

"Shoes... shoes... new tennis shoes..." he sang opera style that made him laugh for being silly.

-----

"I forgot what grandmother said..." Sakuno's voice reflected her worries. She needed a new grip tape for her racket but she forgot what her grandmother advised her to get.

"Maybe this one?" she asked herself not really expecting an answer. There were five different grip tapes in front of her and all of it ranged from dark to light. There were also some distinguishing numbers in it that were alien to her, making it seem like everything was the same.

She tried thinking of the difference but the only thing that she could make out was how it resembled to that of Ryoma's. She wanted to buy the darker one since it seems more professional and more, Ryoma-like, well, which shouldn't be the case. She sighed and looked around to seek for a spontaneous advice.

"If Ryoma was here, what would he say?" Sakuno flushed but then gave up almost immediately, frowning for being stupid.

"As if I had the courage to ask anyway," she added. She scanned the almost empty store. The manager was by the counter, immersed in reading the newspaper, which he has been doing for a while. She blushed, afraid to disturb and ask for his opinion. She looked at the tape that was on her right hand. She thought that it'll not really be a waste if she bought something that looked like Ryoma's. With another sigh, she walked towards the counter and as she did though, she caught a glimpse of a presence at the far end corner of the store. From the looks of it, he was a no doubt tennis player. He had a tennis bag that hung on his right shoulder, his extensor muscles on the feet were muscular and he had an aura of sharpness and a cap on just like Echizen. He was looking for wristbands that were on sale. Sakuno looked more closely and felt as if she had seen the man somewhere.

"Echizen?" she said lowly, her voice unsure. She did not really intend to grab the man's attention but unfortunately for her, failed. The man looked back and faced Sakuno. His hands were on the sides of his jacket and his eyes neatly fixed at her very soul. He looked a lot like Echizen but he wasn't the tennis prince from Seigaku. He looked more like a foreigner- yes, his eyes were emerald with a single streak of silver highlights accentuating his hair. Sakuno blushed at the sight. He looked like a prince dressed in commoner's clothes- royal jacket with white strips on the side and some dark knee length shorts, paired with ebony black rubber shoes.

"Excuse me?" the boy said in English. Sakuno was taken aback. She only knew a few lines of English and she couldn't even remember a single one when she needed it the most. Though she understood what he just said (since it was simple and all), she was embarrassed to reply in return, thinking how she failed her English last semester because of her stupid pronunciations. (Though she was now trying her best to study it
again)

Sakuno politely bowed and took courage to use one of the phrases she has been studying for some time now. "I'm sorry, I made a mistake..." She blindly blinked her eyes off his soft piercing gaze and tried to flash an innocent smile. Unbeknownst to her, a smile crept in the prince's face. He approached the girl and stopped close enough to place a hand on her shoulders.

"Daijobu, heki-desu..." he said in synch to the girl's comfort.

"You speak Japanese?" Sakuno's eyes widened in surprise and she couldn't help herself asking a straightforward question. The other didn't reply and just issued her that next-door smile as he walked past her and unto the other side of the room where she was in previously.

She just sighed in relief and scolded herself for getting in such an embarrassing mess. She pushed herself forward and rushed towards the counter, trying to search for her wallet from her bear pouch that was hanging down on her body. "Ex-" Sakuno stopped when she felt a hand lightly grabbing her elbow.

"Take this, it's much more comfortable for your delicate hands..." he said with a grin. Sakuno looked down at his offering hand and saw a lighter colored tape that was on the rack earlier. She got the tape out from his hand and she examined it carefully. Only when she got the tape did she realize the words her grandmother said before she came to the store to buy some tape.

"This is what grandma said... why didn't I think of it?" she asked with a happy smile. But of course, how can she think when all she thought about when choosing was the arrogant prince of Seigaku.

"Thank you very much..." she said, expecting him to introduce himself. The other, noticing the hint took seconds before he stated his name. "Oh, Rei Smith," he said with a cool look imprinted on his face. Sakuno blushed and looked away, swallowing hard.

"He's really cute," she thought as she bit her lip. If she'd count it, this was her first friendly encounter with a man in 6 months, and she was never that friendly with other guys except the Seigaku regulars and others from the different teams. "R-R-Ryuzaki Sakuno-desu..." she said after recovering from the shock. "Sakuno? Ryuzaki?" he echoed. His eyes were as big as that of a curious kid discovering something.

"I see..." He said with a sarcastic smile. He looked at her, surveyed her very form from top to bottom until she was uncomfortable enough to shift her attention to pay for the tape- after which, she bowed and said goodbye before walking away to exit the store. He didn't move an inch even after she was finished but after Sakuno went and tried to exit from the store, he followed her as fast as he could.

"Sakuno-chan..." he said, grabbing her lightly on her free hand. "Wha-what is it?" she asked, forcing a smile on her flushed face.

"I like you..." he said in english after planting a suave kiss on her virgin cheeks- the surge of blood towards her face were witnessed by two men she never imagined, wanted to see.

"Ryuzaki?" the voice called. Sakuno glanced sideways and saw Momoshiro and Echizen, looking somehow astounded.