FD: Disclaimer: I don't own prince of tennis.I do own Kumara Hikari though.

Rival and Friend

Chapter 1

"Ryoma-kun is hurt. He needs to go to the hospital." Sakuno Ryusaki took the hand of the injured tennis prodigy and begins to drag him away from the court. Her eyes were full of worry as they regarded the blood that was slowly seeping through the dark haired boy's hand.

Ryoma Echizen, the freshman regular from Seigaku, had lost the grip over his racket in the match. The said item flew out of his hand and smashed itself against one of the tennis pole. The broken end hurled straight toward Ryoma's left eye; spilled blood marred the clean tennis court.

It's the Tokyo final. If Ryoma wins this match, Seigaku would be the champion of the Tokyo tournament. The team members were all extremely prideful and hated to lose. None of them would ever want to forfeit. However, Ryoma's condition would be the only thing that would force them to admit defeat.

"Don't come to the court in a match." A quiet but firm voice issued the command to the petite girl kneeling beside the young player. Echizen, still covering his left eye with his hand, slowly stood up.

The Seigaku gasped lightly, understanding the implication his words. Indeed, Echizen's next words confirmed their suspicion. "Momo-Sempai, could you take out a spare racket from my bag, please?" the young player directed his request to his spiky haired teammate; his tone was expectant.

"No! Ryoma-kun!" The braided girl clutched Ryoma's left arm as he moves toward the bench. "You are injured! You must go to the hospital. You can't play tennis like this."

"Yes. He can." A soft, feminine voice said confidently, startling the Seigaku students inside the court. The owner of the voice stepped up from the shadow and into the view of the surprised student.

"Hikari." Ryoma whispered softly, his voice unheard by everyone except the one closest to him, Sakuno Ryusaki. Her bright magenta eyes darkened slightly in hurt, then her hand dropped away from Ryoma's arm. She turned slowly toward the mysterious stranger.

She has a stature similar to Sakuno, slender and tiny in comparison to most of the Seigaku regulars. However, differed from Sakuno's dainty supple arms, hers was well toned and hinted of muscle that held impressive power. In fact, her body bore great semblance to Ryoma's own body, which had hardened under the intensive tennis training and contained the power that gained him a reputation among the tennis players.

Silky bluish hair cascade down to her shoulder; under the light, her hair gives off a violet tone. Messy bangs casually framed her elfish countenance and set off her most striking feature. The young girl has a pair of luminous emerald eyes that seem to be pool of lake water. Long dark lashes and creamy skin further emphasized that aspect. Her visage was a picture of gentleness and sweetness. But the determined set of her chin and mouth hinted a personality that differed from her appearance. Combined with her sporty white sweatshirt and dark green sweatpants, she gives off a mischievous and impish appearance.

The stranger slowly walks up to Ryoma, who is looking at her with astonishment in his face.

"Ne, Ryoma?" she questioned him, an expectant smile on her face.

To the surprise of the Seigaku regulars, Ryoma's normally expressionless face melted into a conspiratorial grin that would have the girls in Seishun Jr. High screaming in delight. In fact, the granddaughter of the coach is currently blushing bright red at the heart-stopping expression on the prodigy's face, handsome even if tarnished slightly by the blood. "Ryoma-kun." Her bashful murmur was unheard by the two youngsters who now regarded each other comfortably.

Hikari smiled then turned to Sakuno, whose face still hasn't lost that crimson streak. "Ryoma needs to finish this match. He's too prideful to simply forfeit a match simply because of that." Hikari inclined her head toward the direction of Ryoma's head, then turned back and grinned. "Besides, Ryoma is way too much like a mule to take your good-for-him advice."

"Urusei!" a loud grumble immediately followed Hikari's accusation. Ryoma glared at Hikari's teasing face, well, as well as he can with one hand covering his left eye.

"Hai, hai!" Hikari sighed dramatically, then took Ryoma's dangling right arm and pulled him toward the bench.

After pushing Ryoma on to the seat, Hikari took hold of the first aid box that is handed to her by Oishi-sempai. She gingerly dabbed the white cloth onto Ryoma's bloody left eyelid, attempting to stop the bleeding.

The Seigaku regulars, Coach Ryusaki and Sakuno watched in fascination as Hikari repeated the process. All were trying to access the relationship between the girl and their baby boy. The stranger is undoubtedly very familiar with the freshmen regular. From the way Ryoma had accepted her closeness and ministration without hesitation, their relationship was a very comfortable one.

"Do you think she is Ochibi's girlfriend?" Eiji whispered to Oishi, all the while, not taking his eyes off the couple.

"I don't know, but they seem to lack the certain intimate atmosphere that one would expect of a couple." Oishi whispered back.

Eiji tilted his head slightly and observed the two. he frowned and looked at Oishi in confusion. "What do you mean? How could you know if the atmosphere is there or not? nya."

Oishi sweatdropped at the confusion on the acrobatic tennis player's face. "Never mind." he said quickly.

As Hikari continued her process, the other Seigaku regulars watched on curiously. Each of them held their own speculation in mind. However they are not the only one who is looking at the pair intently, the Fudomine team also regarded the Seigaku freshman and his companion with curiosity and apprehension.

………

"Ne, ni-san, will that boy be okay?" Ann Tachibana frowned in worry and glanced at the injured boy. The young captain of the Fudomine team held an unreadable expression; his eyes refused to betray any emotion.

"Who knows." He replied after a pause then looked toward Shinji, Echizen's opponent, "but Shinji won't be happy about this."

The dark haired tensai (genius) of Fudomine team is currently leaning against the fence. His face hidden by his bangs, protecting him from prying eyes.

………

"There." Hikari smiled and finished bandaging Ryoma's left eye. Her gentle look turned stern as they regarded the injured boy. "This will only last for fifteen minutes though."

Ryoma nodded slightly, his hand lightly caressing the soft white fabric. "Domo." He said quietly to his 'nurse' after realizing with pleasure that the bleeding has stopped. He stood up and begins to walk toward the court.

"Echizen." Oishi, the vice president of the tennis club blocked Ryoma's path; his eyes worried. He is no fool. He had seen the way that racket struck Echizen's left eye. The injury is too severe for him to continue!

Ryoma frowned slightly. He recognized the look on Oishi-sempai's face; he wanted him to forfeit. His lips pursed in determination and his chin stuck out in stubbornness. Well, he won't forfeit!

However the vice president was not given a chance to state his protest. "Echizen." Tezuka's calm voice halted any word that's lodged in Oishi's throat. He took the racket from Momoshiro's hand and handed it to Ryoma, "If you don't finish this match in ten minutes. You are forfeiting." He stated; his tone serious and held no room for possible arguments.

Ryoma looked up with a smirk on his lips. "That's more than enough time." He turned to leave when a rough voice halted his step.

"Here."

Ryoma caught his white cap with one hand and looked at the boy with orange bandana in surprise.

The viper in Seigaku grunted noncharlantly, "You forgot this. Hsss." He answered the question in the boy's eyes and ended with his trademark snake hiss.

Ryoma turned and looked at his teammates. Fuji-sempai smiled encouragingly. Kikumaru-sempai held both thumbs up. Kawamura-sempai gives him a light pat on his shoulder. All the rest of Seigaku regulars looked at him with support in their eyes and posture. He could distinctly hear Horio, Kachiro and Katsuo cheering enthusiastically behind him.

His eyes fell and lingered on the petite girl sitting on the bench. She smiled at him, anticipation and understanding fused together. Then she raised her hands and signaled a V sign and mouthed, "Gambatte."

Ryoma nodded lightly, feeling the support from them. He felt his blood heated up as his anticipation for the match rose. With that, he walked off and took his position on the court.

…….

Seigaku bench

Hikari watched Ryoma as he walked off the court. He truly has become stronger, not only in skill, but also in heart. Hikari sighed inwardly. Her wait has not been in vain; he is truly worthy of being her rival. Well, rival and friend. Hikari quickly added when she caught the sight of the while bandage over Ryoma's left eye.

"You go, Echizen!" Momo-sempai's loud cheer broke Hikari way from her deep thoughts.

She turned and surveyed the tennis player around her, no, not just tennis players, coach and, she grinned lightly as she watched Sakuno, girlfriend. Hikari resisted her urge to giggle. She can feel their concern and devotion for her rival. Ryoma is incredible lucky to meet and be surround by these people who truly likes him.

Then she smirked slightly as her gaze fell on Sakuno; some more than others.

"Echizen, go!" a loud squeaky voice startled Hikari. Three young boys, who look to be around Ryoma's age, shouted enthusiastically and waved their arms. Hikari raise one of her eyebrow and smiled in amusement. Well, apparently there are others who like her rival too.

At the clapping of the audience, Hikari quickly turned her attention back to the match. She cannot be distracted now. All these can be put off later. Ryoma's match is her top priority right now, and she intended to find out exactly how much the boy has grown since the last time they met.

……….

"Ryoma-kun." Sakuno looked worriedly at the young tennis player. Her hand clasped tightly at the front of her chest. She is not a skilled player and she cannot understand why Ryoma-kun would choose to continue with the match even with his injuries. She clutched the ribbon that he had refused. Why can't he understand she is worried about him? Why can't he see that he needs to go the hospital? In fact, Sakuno looked at the people surrounding her, why can't any of them see that?

"That's because to Ryoma, this match is more important than his injuries." A gentle voice broke through her musing. Sakuno turned abruptly and stared at the other girl in surprise.

Hikari turned toward her and smiled. "It's written all over your face." She answered her unvoiced question, then turned back to the match. "This is an important match for Ryoma. This match will force him to surpass himself and he will become stronger because of it. Ryoma recognized that and so did we. That's why we are unwilling to persuade him to give up the match. Not only will he not listen to us, but to even try it would be inconsiderate to him."

Hikari then turned and looked at Sakuno seriously, "If he forfeit now, it will be hard for him to come up again." Then she turned and smiled at the match, then muttered so softly that Sakuno has to strain to hear her, "He's so determined and energized. He will become a lot stronger because of this."

Sakuno turned back and nodded lightly, even though she cannot comprehend such concept, she recognized the underlined passion in the girl's voice. She had heard it many times before. It's in her grandma's voice every time she talks about tennis. An uncomfortable feeling pass through her, call it woman's intuition, but she find herself wary of the mysterious girl who seem to know so much about her secret crush.

"You are very knowledgeable about Echizen's thoughts." A clear masculine voice stated Sakuno's own thoughts, yanking her attention back to the reality.

Momoshiro stared at the emerald-eyed girl, curiosity written all over his face. He is a straightforward person and doesn't have the patience to wait for the answer to reveal itself. The rest of his sempais tensed slightly. You can almost see their ears grew to catch the slightest sound the girl makes.

Hikari smiled secretively, and then turned to the spiky haired boy. "Of course!" she replied, a smirk on her lips, "We are rivals after all." Before the Seigaku regulars can interrogate the girl on her strange statement. She suddenly leaped up, a delight smile spread over her face. "Sugoi! Ryoma!" she shouted, effectively drawing the attention of the Seigaku regulars back to the match.

The match was a vicious one. Both players refused to give in an inch. The Seigaku had grown worried when they learned 'spot' but it turned out well afterwards. Ryoma had discovered its weak points and won the game and tournament for them with a smash shot that resembled a twist serve.

Hikari leaped up and ran into the court. Casually, she slung one of her arm over Ryoma's shoulder. "You really has gotten stronger!" she smiled in delight and smugness, "Aren't I so wise?" she boasted, clearing waiting for the agreement from her companion.

"Baka!" unfortunately, Hikari had forgot to account the fact that Ryoma is as contrary as a cat. The tennis prodigy snorted in mock disdain, before breaking into a grin at the enraged look of the emerald-eyed girl. His eyes took on a golden hue as they danced at the pouting teenage girl.

The rest of the Seigaku regulars looked on in astonishment when Echizen, who hated to be touched, casually accepted the girl's closeness. Not only that, but his face, which normally expressionless or mocking, held a grin that is genuine and open. Something is definitely up! They are all bursting with questions, but there is a more important matter at hand.

Quickly the Seigaku students gathered around Echizen and cheered. Congratulation and good jobs were distributed generously, accompanied by the occasion "that hurts" by the freshmen regular. It was a joyous occasion as the Seigaku celebrated their new title. They are now champion of the Tokyo Tournament!

The Seigaku and the Fudomine teams lined up and offered compliments to their opposing team. Fudomine's hadokyou player was greatly surprised at Kawamura's personality change. After short conversations, the Fudomine team left the court.

Immediately after their departure, the Seigaku regulars, for a lack of better word, pounced on Ryoma. Well, the only two who were being obvious about the cornering are Momoshiro and Kikumaru.

"Oi, Ochibi, why don't you introduce us?" Eiji jumped over and asked the question the rest of them are dying to ask. The others instantly quieted down and waited for the answer to be revealed.

Ryoma rearranged his ruffled cap and opened his mouth.

"KUMARA HIKARI!" A deafening voice interrupted Ryoma's answer and startling the Seigaku students. Even Ryosaki-sensei looked toward the source with wide eyes.

It was a woman looked about the age of thirty or forty standing about 40 yards away. She was dressed in training shirts and pants. It's hard to believe such a monstrous shriek come from a small creature like her.

"Hikari?" Ryoma 's soft voice drew their attention back to the girl- now confirmed as Kumara Hikari- whose face is rapidly paling.

"Ma-manager!" she eeped in horror and shock.

Apparently, just as they saw her, the woman also saw them. Now she is stomping toward them in surprising speed. As she came closer, the Seigaku regulars took note of the flaming eyes that seemed to be burning in fury and the hands that is clutched so tight that it's pale for the lack of blood circulation.

"Ryoma!" Hikari clutched Ryoma's arm tightly, her eyes widened pitifully as she pleaded.

Ryoma Echizen rolled his eyes then sighed heavily in resignation. "Hai." With that, he began to jump lightly like he did when he is prepared to do the One-foot Spilt Step.

Hikari clasped her hand in ecstasy, "Thankyou! Thankyou! Thankyou!" she squealed happily, before also lightly tapped her shoes against the ground.

(FD: for those who knew Rurouni Kenshin, Hikari's steps are like Seta Soujirou's shukuchi.)

The Seigaku regulars watched the display silently. They recognized Ryoma's steps, but are confused over the reason for it. Also from the way Hikari is moving, she is also preparing for some unfamiliar step.

Then as if already planned, both of ran forward toward the fence. No, more like bursting forward! Their speed was so great that the Seigaku regulars physically felt the whiplash of their sprint.

Then Ryoma crouched down and jumped. At the same time, Hikari, who was behind him, took hold of his shoulder as they launched into the air. With perfect compatibility, she pushed Ryoma's shoulder slightly, giving her another momentum and jumped over the 5m fences. Ryoma dropped gracefully down and stood up.

"Thanks, Ryoma!" Hikari said quickly as she landed on one of the branch. She climbed down, bounded off and disappeared among the numerous trees.

"What?" Ryoma turned and frowned at the open-mouth astonishment on his sempais' and sensei's face.

"AHH! Echizen, that was a 5m fence!" Momoshiro shouted and pointed on the said item.

"So..." Echizen dragged out the word and paused, his expression unchanging.

Momoshiro stared at him for five second. His mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. Ryoma absently took note that Momo-sempai distinctly resembled a fish.

"ECHIZEN!" an angered woman pushed Momoshiro out of the way and glared at Ryoma. "WHY? WHY DID YOU HELP HER ESCAPE AGAIN!" flames seemed to surround her body as she glared at Ryoma, who nonchalantly propped his racket on his shoulder. "She asked."

The women narrowed her eyes, and bite back the cutting remark just at the tip of her tongue before stomping away. She is quite familiar with the young samurai junior and has no intention of making herself a victim of Echizen's sarcastic remarks.

The Seigaku students watched quietly as the woman disappeared from the view. Then they surrounded Ryoma, "What was that all about?" Eiji and Momoshiro shouted simultaneously into Ryoma's ears.

"That hurts." Ryoma frowned and gingerly rubbed his ears. He backed off from the two scary sempais who pushed themselves toward him. He looked up at the oak tree that just branched into the tennis court. "Get down. She's gone."

Then to the surprise of everyone except Ryoma, Hikari, who they thought had left, neatly dropped into Ryoma's waiting arms and grinned at them.

"Eh!" Momoshiro stumbled back at the surprised descent of the young girl. He lightly patted his chest; all these surprises are just not good for his heart.

Hikari smiled and stood up. "My name is Kumara Hikari. Please to meet you." She bowed lightly and grinned, looking suspiciously like a cat that got her paws in the whipped cream. In fact, Ryoma scrutinized his companion; she resembled Karupin somewhat.

Momoshiro opened his mouth, about to ask the two for an elaboration when a bland voice interrupted.

"Kumara Hikari, left-handed, tennis prodigy. From age of eight to age of ten, she has won six National Women's tennis championships in the category of under ten and under 12 in USA. Nickname: Hime-sama. However she disappeared from the tennis world when she was ten. She is unrivalled among her peers." Inui's calm voiced recited Hikari's data from the little green book that contained more data than it should.

Hikari looked slightly disappointed before shrugging it off lightly. "Well, that was unexpected." Then she grinned at Inui and shook her finger, "All correct except the unrivalled part." Then she slapped Ryoma hard on the back causing him to stumble a bit. "This is my rival!"

"Che." Ryoma grunted and pulled his cap lower, attempting to block all the curious looks from his teammates.

Then Hikari turned thoughtful, "Well, not really, after all he is still 'Mada mada dane'."

"Urusei! I'll catch up soon!" Ryoma looked at Hikari sourly, stinged by her use of his customary quote.

Hikari laughed at the irritated expression on Ryoma's face. "Well, true. In this match, you took a step toward your path." Then she took a step toward Ryoma, "But only the first step and it's this little." She narrowed her two fingers to emphasize her point.

Ryoma glared back, "No, it's not." He said somewhat childishly.

Hikari also glared back in retaliation, "Yes, it is." She said firmly and the two of them locked into a glaring match.

The rest of the Seigaku watched the two in astonishment, one minute they slung their arms over each other, and the next they are glaring furiously at each other. Geez, talk about dramatic change. However despite the glaring, the two give off an aura of close friends.

"Di, di, di." Hikari looked away Ryoma's eyes and took out a small cell phone from her pocket. Her eyes widened at the number displayed on the screen. "Eek, he is going to kill me!" she gasped softly.

Then Hikari turned to Ryoma, who looked at her phone curiously, and gave him a huge hug. This action startled Ryoma, but it ended as quickly as it came.

Hikari stared into Ryoma's golden-hued eyes and said in a serious tone, "I'm glad you has took a step toward your true path. This proved you are worthy of being my rival. Grew stronger, Ryoma!" she said and held up her pinky finger, "Yakusoku? Ne?"

Ryoma stared at the offered hand; the gesture was indescribably familiar. A wave of nostalgia took over him as he was reminded of the last time such gesture was offered to him.

Flashback

"Yakusoku? Ne?" a slightly younger Hikari said in a serious tone and offered him her pinky finger.

It was he night before he has to leave for Japan. Hikari had come to see him off. They had come to the tennis court as if it's planned and played until the sky showed streaks of gray.

Hikari leaned slightly over the net, "Ryoma, become stronger! Take a step toward your true path!" She urged supportively, then smiled in anticipation, "Become my true rival!"

Ryoma gazed at her vibrant elfish countenance and grinned back. His eyes became determined even as he felt a slight sting at the corner of his eyes. No, it's not tears, boys don't cry. He took a deep breath and hooked his pinky finger with her offered one. "Aaa, yakusoku."

Flashback ended

Ryoma's golden –hued eyes softened as the familiar sting at the corner of his yes returned. Then an even earlier memory took over his mind, one that's about the same gesture by the same person.

Flashback

"Yakusoku, ne?" an eight-year old girl said to the little boy beside her, holding out her pinky finger. "Let's become rivals! We'll push each other forward until one day we beat Nanjirou-san!" the little girl said in a determined voice.

The little boy pulled at his cap for a moment and looked up. He grinned before looking resolute. "We'll beat him and make him cry! Definitely!"

They turned to each other and hooked their pinky finger. "Yakusoku." The boy with golden-hued eyes replied to his companion's question.

Flashback ended

Ryoma resisted the urge to rub his sleeves against his eyes. He would not cry. He looked up into the familiar gentle face and pursed his lips in determination, "Yakusoku." He hooked his pinky finger against her own and ignored the flabbergast face of his sempais at his childish gesture. He only focused on the delight smile of her face.

Hikari looked up, seeing the familiar smile and knowing he too, remembered the old days.

Unfortunately, this touching moment was interrupted by a sharp noise from Hikari's hand. The cell phone vibrated loudly and repeatedly announced its presence.

"Ja ne." Hikari said softly before one last hug to Ryoma, and to the surprise of Seigaku regulars, Ryoma returned the gesture lightly. Hikari grinned lightly, tapped her knuckle against Ryoma's forehead and bound off into the forest. No one noticed the slight lingering of Ryoma's arm against Hikari's waist, except maybe the girl with two long 'useless' braids.

Ryoma bit his lower lip and took a deep breath. He gazed at the direction she disappeared to for a moment then abruptly turned away.

"Echizen, where are you going?" Horio hollered at the retreating back of Ryoma.

"Ponta." Came the soft reply from the young freshmen regular.

Horio frowned and folded his arms, "Nanda? What's with Echizen?"

"Shut up, Horio-kun!" Kachiro balled his fist and shouted at his companion for his lack of sensitivity. "Can't you see Ryoma-kun is sad?"

Horio's eyes widen in confusion, "Really?"

"Hmph, Horio-kun is so slow!" Katsuo replied, agreeing with Kachiro.

"Ryoma-kun." A soft feminine voice whispered the tennis prodigy's name, her voice unheard by all except herself. Sakuno's candy-colored eyes misted by concern and hurt as she gazed at the direction her crush had disappeared to.

Ryoma sipped his juice; his cap lowered and shaded his face from any prying eyes. He has to get away from the questioning look of his sempais. They do not have the memory of her and the memory of her saying good-bye to him. They do not understand the fear in his chest when said 'Ja ne'. At times he often felt insecure about his position to her. Is he really her rival, even when he always loses to her? Is he her friend, even when she only stayed for such short time before waving good-bye to him again? He doesn't know, not really.

Ryoma closed his eyes, letting flashes of memory with her pass through his mind. Flashes of them playing tennis together. Flashes of them teasing each other. Flashes of them argue with each other. But the most prominent ones are the memories of their promises to each other and her good-byes.

He let the memory of her wash over him before thrusting them to the most inner corner of his mind. He will not muse about her anymore.

Ryoma shook his can lightly. The soft clink signal the end of the liquid. He stood up and dunks the rest in one gulp.

………

"Ryoma-kun!" Sakuno Ryusaki spied the approaching figure of the Seigaku freshmen regular and ran to meet him. She stopped slightly before him and peered at Ryoma anxiously.

The rest of the Seigaku heard Sakuno's exclaim and gathered around the pair.

"Oi! Echizen! We are getting ready sent out a search party for you!" Momoshiro crushed Ryoma in a bear hug and ruffled Ryoma's cap.

"Itai desu, Momo-sempai!" came Ryoma's squeak as he struggled to free himself from Momoshiro's grip.

The Seigakus looked at each other before sighing in relief. Well, some are more audible than others.

As the Seigaku slowly left for their destinations, Sakuno approached Ryoma.

"Ano, Ryoma-kun, " She fidgeted slightly as her hand found its way to the rim of her skirt. "Grandma says after you finished packing. "You should come with us." She ducked her head to hide the blush that she knew filled her face.

Ryoma nodded lightly and walked past her with an inscrutable expression on his face.

Ryusaki-sensei took Ryoma to a hospital for a proper bandaging of his left eye. Afterwards, they arrived at Kawamura's sushi restaurant and despite his protesting; Ryoma was dragged into the celebration for Seigaku's victory.

…….

Ryusaki-sensei opened the door of the sushi restaurant. She looked back and smiled contently the rowdy youngsters.

"Hoi! What are you eating, Fuji!" came Eiji's loud protest as he search for a cup of water.

Loud laughter followed Eiji's exclamation as the Seigaku regulars watched the acrobatic player's antics in amusement.

Ryusaki-sensei turned and frowned slightly at Ryoma. Through barely noticeable, his eyes held shadows that are not present in other Seigaku members. Ryusaki-sensei gave one last look of worry to Ryoma before leaving the sushi restaurants.