Two for One

Redemption

Fuji didn't know where he went wrong. Obviously, there was more to this whole situation than he realized. Were his feelings for Ryoma really that strong to where it clouded his judgment on what was truly right? Did he really mess up that badly?

According to Momo, he did. Speaking of, where did Momo suddenly get all his knowledge from. It confused fuji because he never took Momo to be a smart person. No insult to Momo but he just seems like the all brawns and no brains type of athlete. But that does not matter at the moment.

Fuji knew he needed to start getting his act together. He needs to stop acting based on his feelings for Ryoma and start acting on what's best for Ryoko and Ryoma as a whole. Because just as Momo said the two are separate but the same all in one. He hated the fact that it took a conversation with Momo to realize this, even if he didn't completely understand at the moment. Fuji knew for a fact though that he did not want to lose either of them in his life.

He needs to expand his knowledge, see the world, and learn all he can. That's his goal. Sure he was still very young, in middle school no less, but he already knew the path he will take. Fuji wants to fix his mistakes, he wants to be a better person. If that meant distancing himself until he understands better then so be it.

~241~

Ryoga knew he messed up big and he hated himself for it. A middle schooler had to point it out to him, and that made him feel worse. His own sister trusted and looked up to him and he betrayed that trust by ignoring and refusing to acknowledge another side to her. What kind of family member was he? She already got enough of that from her father and Ryoga never expected to be on the same level as that man. Maybe he was exaggerating, Ryoko would never compare him to their father. But that didn't change the fact that he screwed up.

This was his field of expertise, he shouldn't have made a mistake. He should have known what to do. Momo was right, his judgment was clouded because of the family bond. This is why they say its never a good idea to treat those you know personally, especially family.

The only thing he could do now is back off on trying to treat his own sister and try to get to know her other side. He needed to try and bond with Ryoma. No, this won't be because he feels the need to but rather because he wants to. That brat Momo was right. Ryoma was his own person and its about time Ryoga treated him as such. He was not only Ryoko's brother but Ryoma's too.

~241~

Momo didn't know what to say. It shouldn't be right to fear one's own father. To think that Ryoko fears he will kill her is insane. Why would a parent ever want to harm their own child? Also, why was her father so obsessed with having a boy in the first place.

"I'm sorry but I don't understand" Momo said after a really long moment of silence.

Ryoko sighed. "I know, neither do I. As far as I remember my father was always a kind man. When I was young he would teach me tennis and we would play outside on the street courts. He would also make fun of my height and tease me for not being able to get any points against him. It was a normal parent-child relationship. Occasionally Ryoga-nii would visit and join us playing tennis. Tennis was our life, it was how we bonded, and it was what broke my father."

"Right you said at the age of 6 Ryoma was created."

Ryoko nodded. "I guess you could say the reason why everything was going on so well was that in my father's eyes I was a boy. Even though the doctors informed him of my real gender he chose to ignore it and continue thinking of me as his son. Child me never realized this until much much later but by then the damage was already done. Like I already said before I have no memory of the moment Ryoma was created, or to what lead up to that point. I think I'm psychologically blocking it. Or most likely that memory is associated with Ryoma because that's the moment he was born so only he remembers what happened. I don't know, and I never bothered Ryoga to find out, because I don't care."