[Prince of Tennis] Until Time Begins Again [Ryoma Echizen]

"GAME! Winner: the Pirates!"

Cool grass caresses my skin as I fall to the ground while grinning, Annie dancing around me with our co-captain. I let the sun soak into my skin and my sweat drip off me as I absorb the well-deserved victory our team gained.

"The Tennis Championship will be starting soon! Let's go watch this Echizen guy who's apparently a pro or something," Annie jokes above my head, her shadow depriving me of my sun bathing. Sighing, I struggle to open my eyes and reach my hands out so she can pull me up. A few seconds later I'm flying through the air and we're skipping, jogging, and tripping to the stadium tennis court. We stand at the end of one of the concrete stands on either side of the court, looking out at the boy on the sidelines preparing.

"Hey Evelyn, Annie, nice game." Glancing around, I see one of the Varsity Soccer boys leaning against the rail across the front of the concrete walk only a few feet off the ground. His random smile pops onto his face before disappearing into a small grin, his eyes watching me intensely. Annie's arm nudges mine subtly and I smiling nervously at the beautiful guy.

"Thanks Jeremy, but I'm going to head into the stands to get a good seat. I've got to see this. I'm sure Evelyn can spare some time though," Annie says sweetly, nodding at me as she ascends the few stairs that keep Jeremy and me apart.

"I'll be there sooner or later," I respond as I continue to watch Jeremy as he passes Annie, jumping down all of the stairs in one swift movement. Mesmerized as he passes me to lean against the wall, I follow him with my eyes and I catch sight of the famous tennis player stretching only a couple of yards from us. He really does have a soft face and... sharp... eyes...

Oh snap, he's watching us.

"I'm glad you enjoyed the game," I say to Jeremy as I lean against part of the rail, trying to focus my attention on Jeremy. It isn't hard. He demands my attention with his lustrous eyes.

"Well, you were playing in it, so how could I not," Jeremy replies back softly, his eyelashes lowering over his eyes so low that my stomach jumps repeatedly up into my throat.

"Yeah, I guess I am pretty amazing," I whisper back while trying to maintain my composure, smiling as sweetly as I can to this perfect guy in front of me. Annie has been saying for weeks he's been wanting to ask me out, but somehow we never get the chance to be together. Today just seems to be that perfect day.

"You are and I think that you should--"

Smack.

"Gomen," Ryoma calls while shrugging, backing towards the receiving box. Picking up the ball, I watch the boy with sharp eyes as he pops his shoulder and flips his tennis racket around in his right hand.

"I didn't even realize the game had started," I mutter; watching Ryoma swiftly beat his opponent with powerful, deliberate swings and volleys.

"I can't believe he almost hit us. The jerk," Jeremy seethes, clearly mad that Ryoma had ruined our moment of perfection. Rolling my eyes, I jump lightly onto the concrete edge and sit there with interest coursing through me as I watch this tennis star in front of my eyes.

Ryoma was in America once before this and he had won many tournaments and things. At least, this is what some magazine said that Annie bought. Others have known about him for a while and were ecstatic when they heard of his return to his American "hometown". Once word got out about his adorable face, it was all over for him. He officially had his own American fan club where girls will stalk him until the world blows up into a million tiny pieces. Even then, they will still hunt down his little piece with their little pieces to make super little baby pieces.

"Winner: Ryoma Echizen," the referee calls, raising one of his hands. Ryoma's shoulders move up and down steadily as he smirks, shaking hands with his pouting opponent. Girls are suddenly trying to get out of their seats to bombard him, but- feeling like the hero I am today- I run towards him first, forgetting about Jeremy for the moment.

"Come with me on an adventure," I scream as the voices of girls become louder as they begin their attack. Ryoma is given no time to think as I grab his arm and drag him away from the migrating mass of female no-lives. I hear Annie's own scream in the distance and my legs begin moving faster. Ryoma feels the tug of my hand and sprints along with me, his tennis bag slung over his shoulder. My impulse to save him becomes silly to me now as I sprint with him towards the other side of the campus, somehow ending up near the boardwalk to the beach. Gasping for breath, I let go of his hand and laugh giddily, spinning around as I keep my gaze on the fading sky above us.

A melodic sound joins my own and I stop spinning to see Ryoma laughing with me, our idiocy catching up with him as well.

"Oh man, I bet you don't even speak English do you?" I say, smacking my forehead. Ryoma looks at me funny and recognition suddenly flies across his face. He takes off his hat and fans himself with it, obviously thinking hard about something. Getting bored from waiting for him to do something interesting, I grab him by the arm. He protests something in Japanese while smirking at some hidden thought.

"Food," I say while pointing to a hot dog stand. His sharp eyes slide from me, to my finger, and then to the hot dog stand and he nods while walking towards it. He pulls out money from his pocket and hands the guy 5 dollars. He comes back with two corndogs and hands one to me. Tilting my head, I try to figure out how he managed to get two corndogs without saying anything to the vender.

"Thank you," I say while taking it from him, feeling an electric shock jump through my fingers as they brush against his to take the corndog. He nods in understanding with a blank expression and walks towards a wooden bench, flopping his bag down beside it.

"Arigato, ne?" he says with something that sounds like sarcasm. I raise my eyebrows and put two and two together, figuring he just said thank you in Japanese.

"Um, yeah. Ne?" I say, smiling a crooked grin as I lower myself onto the bench beside him, pulling my legs up to the side. He eats quickly, just like any other guy would do, but he also stays clean with no grease or drool dripping onto his shirt. He finishes before me, but he doesn't move as he waits for me to finish. He throws away my leftover stick with perfect manners and then we head off to find a place of adventure where we can both reach an understanding of each other. And, boy, do we ever find the place.

A local amusement park twinkles in the glowing air of twilight and we both just glance at each other, nodding with approval. We buy our tickets and head in to the wonderful world of extreme fun time.

After a the first roller coaster ride, my adrenaline is pumping through me and from the look on Ryoma's face, so is his. I was about to drag him onto the Viking Ship when suddenly my pants begin ringing.

"Ah, my pants are talking," I exclaim as I reach into my back pocket, pulling out my cell.

"Hola," I greet, waiting for a voice to greet me back.

"Jeremy is so pissed at that Ryoma kid." Anna's voice rings loud and clear through my head and Ryoma glances over at me when he hears his name in the sentence.

"Well, he's going to have to get over it because I'm spending time with Ryoma tonight. Tell him it's not my fault he never could find the balls to ask me out."

"You mean to say that that Ryoma kid asked you out!"

"Well no, because I don't think he can speak English, but if anyone saw us they would think we were dating. We're the same age, same height, we don't look like family--"

"So you're basically going on a 'date' with a foreign guy," Anna cuts in with her dramatic voice. I can feel her rolling her eyes through the phone.

"You're just jealous he's amazing and sexy," I retort back, thankful Ryoma can't understand English. Glancing over at him, I see his back's turned to me and he's looking at the Viking Ship in front of us.

"Well yeah, of course, but that's no excuse to blow off your little dream man for that Ryoma kid. You've spent ages trying to get him to notice you and date you and now you're just going to give up?" Annie demands with her lazy voice rising slightly to an agitated one.

"Look Annie, it's probably just a one time thing since we can't speak the same language. All I want is this one night of adventure with him okay? Plus, I'm pretty damn sure I'm old enough to care of myself, thank you," I snap back while a breeze picks up, blowing my hair wildly. Annie sighs with aggravation seeping into my ears and she mutters something inaudible.

"I'll talk with you later. Love ya," I say quickly, my patience flying away at a fast pace. Not even waiting for her simple response, I snap my phone shut and jam it into my pocket again. Turning towards Ryoma, I put on the best smile I can manage. He turns back towards me with a blank expression. Time freezes as we stand there with our minds connected, glimpses of our selves flying toward each other. Shivers creep up my spine as I look into his strange eyes, daring them to challenge me.

His hand suddenly wraps around mine and he's dragging me through the crowded walkway, dodging the excitement of the people around us. Dumbfounded, I allow him to tug me along like a little boy would with his teddy bear and we end up in front of the Ferris wheel.

"Classic," I whisper while feeling little flips erupt inside my abdomen. Waiting in line for a few minutes in a comfortable silence, I can't help but notice his hand still gently grasping mine, his skin smooth and rough all at the same time. I'm still in my own dream world when I realize we're in a sparkling green bubble and the door's shut so we're enclosed in our own place, our own time, our own thoughts.

The moment my eyes fall into his faded green ones, I can't escape from his grasp. Both of us know that we can understand each other without the silly use of words. What are words, but wastes of breath? Those who can understand me for my emotions and personality are the only ones truly worth my time. These moments are the ones I treasure, because the connection will always remain as a golden thread forever connected to me. This boy, this amazing and sexy boy with the sharp eyes, has given me something Jeremy the Cocky Coward can never hope to give me.

"So, amazing and sexy?" Ryoma asks, his eyes closed as he leans against the wooden bench. The moment is ripped out from under me as I stare at him, processing what he just said in English. And he has such a cute Japanese accent with it...
"You... you... YOU'RE A LIAR!" I scream, feeling my cheeks burning with my idiocy.

"Pretty good, ne?" he says with a smirk, leaning forward on his knees to come face to face with me. All I can do is let my mouth hang open and hit myself on my head for not realizing it sooner. He is an amazing genius.

"I hate you. Go die. Burn in hell. I CAN'T BELIEVE I FELL FOR THAT," I shout at myself, dropping my head into my hands in shame. Ryoma grabs my hands and my head falls further. His fingers wrap around my chin and my eyes are suddenly drowning in his again.

"Jerk," I mutter stubbornly, my cheeks still flaming with embarrassment. He raises his eyebrows and lets go of my head, allowing it to tumble back down to my chest. Whimpering, I wring my fingers in front of my eyes and try to think of everything that has happened.

"I came with you on an adventure, so what's my prize?" Ryoma asks, yawning a bit. His seriousness shocks me and I give him my best are-you-an-imbecile look I can manage. He just continues to raise his eyebrows at me like I'm the imbecile.

"You got to torture me, isn't that enough?" I retort back, lifting my head just enough to see his eyes. He leans back against the wooden bench as our bubble comes to a stop at the top of the wheel, overlooking the sparkling ocean. I turn to watch the waves crash on the shore, smiling at the irony of the night.

"I don't think it was torturous," he replies after a few moments of observing the ocean also with his sharp, faded green eyes. Turning back to him, I narrow my eyes at him a bit as I study him. Feeling my gaze, he twists back to me to stare right back.

"Oh, the challenge again," I mutter as I push myself closer to him, daring him to take me on. He smirks with a bit of laziness, pushing himself forward as well. I push myself even closer and he does the same until our knees are touching and our noses are only a few inches apart.

"Back down loser," I whisper, glaring back at him with as much strength as I can muster.

"Oh, so now I'm an amazing, sexy loser?" Ryoma replies, his features blank, but his eyes alight with power. I flinch a little at the stab to my pride.

"Yes, you're an amazing, sexy loser," I mumble back, suddenly aware of how good he smells. It's rather strange since he had a match earlier, as did I. I secretly hope I don't smell bad.

"So what am I?" I question as I continue to build up power in my stare.

"A person."

"Oh, that's funny, keep going."

"Going where?"

"Ah, the short answers. I'm loving it."

"You love someone?"

"Yeah, I totally love the amazing, sexy loser in front of me."

As I sit here with our knees touching, our faces inches apart, and our banter alive with wit, I realize how much I just told him and what exactly I just said. His eyes widen a bit as I watch him and I try with all my might to keep a straight face, but I feel heat rise to my cheeks.

"Funny, I swear I just met you today," Ryoma responds quietly, barely moving his lips. Swallowing hard, I just continue to gaze back at him, waiting for him to give me a real reaction. His faded green eyes just continue to stare at me.

Suddenly, our bubble comes to a hard halt and I'm sent flying forward into Ryoma, our bodies in a jumbled pile on his bench. I curse under my breath, almost having a heart attack from being this close- and rather comfortable- with a boy, and gradually climb off of him.

"Sorry," I mutter while ducking, trying not to hit my head on the ceiling. Looking at the window, I see someone waiting in line yelling at the conductor of the ride. Sighing, I flop back down onto my bench to feel my cheeks hot again.

"So..." I begin, trying to think of a topic that won't embarrass me.

"So, are you going to be here long?"

"..."

"Right... do you like cotton candy?"

"..."

"Ryoma... are you okay?"

I push myself up to kneel in front of Ryoma who has his head in his hands. I take his hands away form his face and squeal, flying onto my rear.

"D-did I do that? Oh God, please don't sue me or something," I ramble, still staring at Ryoma's eye. A blue-ish black bruise has appeared around his right eye and I'm supposing I'm that one who smacked him.

"I wasn't planning on it," Ryoma mutters, looking up at me with a strange look.

"Oh good, well... the ride should be over soon so I can get you some ice... or something."

"We haven't moved," Ryoma states emotionlessly. I drop my head and shake it from side to side. Tapping my fingers against my thigh, I try to think of something I can do.

"Calm down," Ryoma says and I snap my head up to look at him, surprised he said anything without my initiative.

"Okay."

"Stop tapping."

"Okay."

"Stop tilting your head."

"Okay."

"You're a nervous wreck."

"I feel bad for hurting you," I exclaim, rocking our bubble. He just continues to stare at me with no emotion.

"Apparently."

Wringing my fingers together, I suddenly realize how cold my fingers are. An idea pops into my head and I gently press the back of my hand onto Ryoma's cheekbone. He winces a bit and I pull away immediately. He shakes his head.

"It felt good," he says, grabbing my hand and placing it back on his face. Nerves raced through my body from my hand and I can't help but feel bold again.

"Hey Ryoma, about earlier... I don't love you, that's true, but I do... like you if you know what I mean. I figure since you basically know... I can just tell you flat out that I like you..."

Ryoma remains silent for a while as I move my hand to a new position on his face. He looks up from the ground to meet my gaze and then he suddenly does something strange.

He pouts.

That's right, Ryoma Echizen is pouting at me.

"You don't love me?"

He really looks heartbroken.

"Well, I--"

"I thought we had a connection," he continues, looking depressed.

"Well do you love me, then?" I retort back, thinking I had got him. He ponders this for a second and suddenly, he breaks out into a grin. He sure is strange. It makes me wonder if he's always like this or if I'm just special.

"Yes," he replies and then suddenly he grabs my hand from his face, pulling me into a soft, short kiss. I'm too stunned to do anything but let him kiss me. As soon as he pulls away, I feel my head go dizzy from his crazy train of thought. I can't keep up.

"I love you, if you love me," Ryoma says, nodding in approval of his own thought. He stares at me with expectance and all I can think to do is one thing, so I do it. I kiss him as sweet as he had just kissed me.

"Strange, I thought I would never see you again after this night," I mutter, opening my eyes to find his sharp ones looking back at me with jubilance.

"Things change all the time."

"So do people, I believe."

"Yeah, so they do."

"Sorry for the wait folks, but we're now restarting time now. Thank you and have a nice ride."

A/N: If Ryoma seemed OOC, I'm sorry, but I tried my best! He's a really hard character to work with. You guys should try it sometime. Thanks for reading!