This is the fic I said I was going to upload when I wrote "I Missed You" I wanted to only upload this when I had it completed, but Uni is killing me right now, and I dont have almost any time to write, so i decided to upload this chapter now. I will try to update this till the end of next month, no promises tho.

This is not beta-ed, and english is not my 1st language so please forgive the grammar errors and point them out so I can correct them :)

Enjoy~.

Summary:"After Seigaku won the Nationals, Echizen Ryoma left for US. Now three years later, the former regulars, minus Ryoma, are shocked to find out that Ryoma returned to Japan without informing them, nor joining the tennis club. Why did Echizen return? Why didnt he join the tennis club? When they find out, will the regulars be able to rekindle his love for tennis?"

Characters/Pairings: Echizen Ryoma, Seigaku, Pillar Pair (Not much tho since this will be mostly Family!Seigaku focused)

"Ryoma is back?"

On the begining of Tezuka's 2nd year of high school Ryuuzaki Sumire, his former coach, called him to convince him that he and the others former Seigaku regulars, minus Echizen (Kawamura included, even if he wasn't playing tennis anymore), could benefit from learning sign language, or at the very least understand it.

When he asked why she only said that it could be useful in the long run and that in her opinion sign language was something that should be taught on schools, besides if they were to use sign language during a match against other schools in doubles it could be a way to communicate without alerting their opponents to what they were doing.

Kind of seeing her point Tezuka agreeded and in the following day he called his former team and they all agreed to meet at Kawamura Sushi.

After being told Oishi, Kikumaru and Kawamura accepted without problems nor further questioning, Inui and Fuji nodded once, the former writing something down on his notebook (probably the probability of using sign language on a conversation) while the later had a toughtful look on his face, meanwhile Momoshiro and Kaido where throwing insults at each other, Momo saying that there was no need to learn a language they would never use anyway and Kaido saying that since it was coach orders they should do it and shut up.

In the end they all accepted and started their lessons with, surprisingly, Ryuuzaki Sumire as their teacher. When asked where she had learned it she only said that it was a useful skill to have, specially for a teacher.

Now, a year later, all of them could, on some level, use sign language. Tezuka, Fuji, Oishi and Inui where capable of understanding and communicating via signs, Eiji and Kawamura understood the language, but had not the same capability of using the hand signs, while Momoshiro and Kaido understood most of the hand signs, and knew only how to do the more basic ones.

(During one of the practice matches Fuji organized last year - in which they played against one of their former opponents on Nationals - against Hyotei, Eiji had the idea of testing their new language skill by communicating the entire time using hand signs. Tezuka had to admit all of the former Hyotei player's face was priceless when, instead of talking, all of them used signs. Momoshiro and Kaido had the time of their life confusing both Gakuto and Hyoshi.)

No one had thought that it would be necessary to use that skill to anything other than communicating on the courts and confusing their opponents, at least not until a year later, on Tezuka, Fuji, Inui, Oishi, Kikumaru and Kawamura's 3rd year and Momoshiro and Kaido's 2nd year on high school.

The first one to see Echizen on school was Kawamura and only three weeks after the beginning of the school year.

Kawamura was in front of the school gates waiting for Fuji, who was going to help him do his math homework, when he saw his former coach aproaching him.

"Ryuusaki-sensei, its rare to see you here" Kawamura said once she was next to him.

"I came to pick up someone" she told him while leaning on the gate.

"Who?" the former player asked and then, realizing how impolite he sounded talking to a teacher, added "If I may ask."

"There is no need to be so polite, I'm no longer your teacher." she informed him with a smile "I came to pick up Ryoma"

That surprised Kawamura, the old woman had said it as if it was someone he knew, and the only Ryoma he knew of was in America not in Japan and certainly not frequenting the same high school as him. Besides if Echizen was there the others would have told him already and they would have had a welcome back party at his father's shop. He either heard wrong or Ryuusaki was talking about a different Ryoma and it was not a very uncommon name.

"Oh, here he is!" His former coach said while waving at someone behind him.

He turned around to see who it was and there, standing in front of him, was none other that Seigaku's former cocky freshman and pillar of support, Echizen Ryoma.

After the initial shock of seeing the boy had passed, a big smile formed on his face "Echizen, I didn't knew you came back! How was it in America?"

Instead of answering however, Echizen only nodded once at him before turning to look expectantly at their coach, Kawamura heard her sigh behind him before a hand was on his shoulder and he turned to see Ryuusaki frowning at the 1st year before she talked to him.

"I'm sorry Kawamura but we have to leave now, I will call Tezuka later."

(Behind Kawamura, Echizen's eyes widened after hearing Tezuka's name and he began shaking his head frantically, however Ryuusaki only gave him a stern glance, and the boy looked at the floor obviously displeased.)

"Sensei, whats going on?" Kawamura asked worriedly, his mind already coming up with possible reasons to why Echizen was acting so strange.

"You don't have to worry to much, Kawamura. See you later" She gave him a reassuring smile and then seeing that Echizen was already leaving, went after him.

Only after Echizen and Ryuusaki had left did Kawamura notice that the freshman didn't seem glad to have met him after 3 years in America.

'Does Echizen not want us to know he is back? Did he even join the tennis club at all? Surely if he had joined the others would have told me, but what reason would he have not to join?'

"Taka-san!"

He was brought back from his thoughts when someone called him, and he turned to see Fuji, Tezuka, Oishi, Inui, Eiji, Momo and Kaido walking towards him. Momo, who was the one that called him, waving cheerfully at him.

They were all in good moods, Kikumaru had an arm over Momo's shoulder and was talking to Oishi, who was smiling at his doubles partner, Kaido and Momo were in one of their fights the former insulting the later for yelling. Fuji and Inui seemed to be talking about the new juice the later was creating, even Tezuka wasn't looking as stern.

Kawamura wondered how they will react to know that Echizen was on Japan, frequenting the same school as them, and none of them had any knowledge of that. And that thought made him question again why didn't Echizen tell anyone that he was back? And why didn't he talk with him not even to greet him?

"Taka-san is something wrong?" Fuji asked and he realized he was frowning at the floor, when he looked he saw Fuji staring at him with his eyes opened, and he knew that he wouldn't get away with not telling. Its not like he was going to hide the fact that Echizen was back from them, they missed him too.

"No, nothing is wrong its just that" he took a deep breath and said "Echizen is back in Japan."

Silence fell on the group as all of them processed the information.

"What?! Ochibi is back?!" Eiji yelled and then started firing questions "When did he came back? why didn't he tell us? was he trying to surprise us? Where is he? How come you know and we don't?"

"Eiji! Calm down! One question at a time" Oishi said as he tried to calm his doubles partner "let Taka-san answer first"

All their gazes became once again fixed on him. He wondered if perhaps he should wait to mention that Echizen has been back at least since they started the school year.

"I saw him a few minutes ago. He left with Ryuusaki-sensei"

Tezuka's eyes narrowed while Fuji and Inui had a thoughtful look on their faces, they had obviously noticed him avoiding the first question.

"Taka-san do you know when he came back?" surprisingly it was Momo who asked, then again he was the closest to Echizen, and possibly the one who missed him the most. Kawamura remembered when the freshman left to America right before the Nationals, it had taken a few days for Momo to go back to his cheerful self. He sighed.

"Echizen has been frequenting our school ever since the term began."

This caused them to, once again, look at him in shock.

"what?" this time the first one to break then silence was Kaido "That brat as been here for so long and didn't even deign himself to tell us? Fsshu, he probably thinks he is too good for us after going to America."

"What the fuck are you saying Mamushi? Echizen isn't like that!" Momo said glaring at his rival, and followed by Eiji who turned to Kawamura.

"That's right! Ochibi isn't like that I'm sure he has and excuse, right Taka-san? What did he say?"

Kawamura hesitated, now that Eiji asked did he notice that Echizen was silent the entire time not speaking a single word not even to greet him, he only gave him a nod when he left. Maybe because they where in a hurry to go someplace.

"Actually, they seemed to be in a hurry so I only talked to Ryuusaki-sensei." Kawamura turned to Tezuka "She said that she would call you later, I think to explain whats going on."

As if on cue Tezuka's phone started to ring and he picked it up.

"Ryuuusaki-sensei, good afternoon." a pause then "Yes, Kawamura told me. He also informed me that you would contact me to explain whats going on." another pause, this time longer "Very well, we will see you tomorrow."

"Ne what did Ryuusaki-sensei say?" Eiji asked once Tezuka (tinha guardado) his phone.

"She told me that we should meet her at Seishun middle school tomorrow afternoon for her to talk to us" he informed them "Since tomorrow we don't have afternoon practice, we will meet here. Momoshiro, Kaido do you have anything you need to do after classes?"

"Buchou, we are still in the first weeks of school!" at Tezuka's stare Momo added sheepishly "Well I do need to finish a essay but its only for next week."

"Tche, you are saying as if you have started it."

"What was that Mamushi!"

"You heard it Momoshiri!"

"Do you wanna fight!"

Oishi hurried to put himself in front of the two, before they could start a fight "Calm down both of you."

"i'm sorry senpai." Momo and Kaido said while still glaring at each other.

"Momo if you need to do that essay maybe you shouldn't go with us, we tell you whats going on later." Fuji said with a smile, clearly teasing him.

"No way senpai! Its not that difficult a essay that needs to be started now!" Momo ignored Kaido's scoff "Besides it's about Echizen, we need to know what is going on and it's more important then homework!"

"I agree with Momo!" Eiji said cheerfully remembering the essay he was supposed to deliver before the end of the week, Fuji seemed to remember as well because he looked at him in amusement.

After that, Tezuka said he needed to be home early so he left along with Oishi and Eiji, Inui and Kaido went to do their extra training (something they do almost every day together ever since winning the Nationals), Momo said he needed to go grocery shopping, and Kawamura and Fuji went to the laters house.

After doing their homework (in the end Fuji helped him on all of his homework) Kawamura asked "Nee Fujiko, what do you think is wrong with Echizen?"

Fuji frowned before answering "I'm not sure, but whatever it is we will find out tomorrow."

End of 1st chapter, what did you think? Good, bad? tell me your opinions on the reviews~

thanks for reading!

Kisses :3