The Island

Epic I – Arrival

The salty breeze from the ocean gently caressed her face and made her unbound, soft brown locks dance in the air. Sunlight bathed her body with just the right amount of intensity – not too hot, not too mild. Just right.

She was literally surrounded by white sand beach and sparkling blue water. Barefooted, she stood at the edge of the sea where the land meets the ocean. The gentle whiplash of the coming waves cooled her legs while the air coming from the water made the frilly skirt of her white summer dress imitate the waves' actions against her thighs.

She was in paradise.

Her chocolate brown eyes were half-closed. She was enjoying the intoxicating serenity brought about by nature. As she continued to stare at the endless spread of the sea before her, she could not help but think how wonderful her life would be if she is able to stop time right there and then. She wanted to preserve the moment of peace in her life in that paradise island.

Yes.

If given the choice, she would choose to spend the rest of her life in that place, together with her friends and the people she loves.

Forever.

With all of them.

Of course, it was nothing but a selfish wish made by a little girl.

3 Days Ago.

"Kunimitsu-nii?" she called as she quietly approached the slightly opened door of his room.

His mother had let her into the house a few minutes ago and told her that her son was waiting for the brunette in his room. Tezuka had invited her today for a quick game of Shougi. Always eager to spend some quality time with her nii-san, Sakuno had gladly agreed at the expense of missing a shopping trip with her best friend, Tomoka. She decided that she'll just make it up to her friend some other time.

She waited five seconds outside of his room for the sake of propriety. But when no answer came, she finally grabbed the handle of his sliding door and slowly pushed it off to the side.

"Nii-san?"

The girl was astounded by the sight she saw inside. Boxes upon boxes crowded the captain's usually neat room. Looking around, she realized that his room was almost bare except for a few papers that were neatly stacked on his study table. Gone were his personal things that were usually seen all over the bedroom.

What is going on? Is her nii-san moving somewhere? If he is, why hasn't he mentioned anything to her?

A frown marred her angelic face as she took four hesitant steps toward one of the piles of boxes that were stacked in the corner of his room. There was a small piece of paper taped on top of the uppermost box. Tezuka's neat hand-writing glared at her from the paper and she bent her head slightly to read the vertical words.

To Germany, the paper said.

Sakuno stumbled backwards as soon as she read the words.

Germany?

Her nii-san is going to Germany?

Of course, she had heard about Tezuka's plan to go to Germany in order to work on his goal to become a professional tennis player. But she never thought that it would come so soon. She expected Tezuka to at least finish his college schooling in Japan before embarking on his journey overseas.

Why does he have to leave so soon?

"Sakuno."

His deep baritone broke through her like a punch to the gut and her head instinctively jolted towards the source of the voice. She saw Tezuka staring at her with his probing eyes. There was no emotion expressed on his face, as usual.

She wanted to mouth something in response to his call, but so perturbed was she by the heart-breaking news that she was unable to summon words to her lips at the moment. Her eyes shook in confusion before she looked away from him.

Nothing was said between them for a while.

"We'll play downstairs," Tezuka finally said. "I have the board set up in the kitchen." He then turned and left the brunette inside his room.

When she finally came down to play with him, she tried to act as normally as she can. They acted as if nothing out of the usual happened. Tezuka never explained the presence of the boxes to her and she never brought it up. She did not want to hear the truth. In fact, she tried to forget it as much as she can.

She learned later on that most of the Seigaku regulars already knew about Tezuka's plan to go to Germany. Apparently, she was among the last to find out.

That hurt her even more.

After all they went through together, she would think that she and the stoic buchou had grown close enough for him to tell her about important changes in his life. But no, even after her discovery of the boxes, he never alluded to it nor mentioned it to her.

Her Fuji-senpai had reasoned out that, perhaps, Tezuka was also having some difficulty discussing the matter to her. After all, the captain's fondness for the girl is no longer a secret. Tezuka might have not wanted her to know the truth until it became absolutely necessary.

And with the quick approach of his departure, he finally found a way to tell her – though in an indirect way as he had orchestrated when he invited her to his room so she can see the boxes he had addressed to Germany.

Indeed, he was leaving very soon – right after the vacation trip that they had planned for their Christmas break.

"Thinking about that again?"

Sakuno's head whipped back when she heard his voice. Her eyes instantly softened at the sight of him. He was just the person she needed at the moment.

Shaking her head delicately, she lifted one foot after another, and got out of the water in order to approach him.

Ryoma waited for her on the sandy beach. He was clad in a simple white shirt and black shorts. His white Fila cap was covering his head, as usual. An opened grape Ponta was also in one of his hands. Where he got the carbonated beverage, she had no idea. She suspected that he had brought his own stash, knowing that there probably won't be any Ponta vending machines available in the tropical island they were currently at.

"Liar."

She frowned at his comment, a little offended.

"My bad," he mumbled in response to her frown. "I meant horrible liar."

As her frown deepened further, the infamous sexy smirk appeared on his face. Oh, how she wanted to huggle him every time he showed that seductive smirk of his.

"Mou, you won't even give me the benefit of the doubt?"

He shrugged carelessly. "I would've considered it if you weren't so obvious."

Finally admitting defeat with a soft sigh, she settled to stand right beside him and looked back at the vast empty ocean she was staring at moments ago. Ryoma followed her gaze.

"Gomen, I couldn't help it."

She paused and he waited for her to continue.

"I can't help but think about the future. After this vacation, Kunimitsu-nii would move to Germany. Our third year senpais would also be leaving for college. It would be so lonely without them."

Ryoma glanced at her from the sides of his eyes before he took a sip from his soda can. A minute passed before he finally replied.

"Mada mada da ne."

Of course, he would say that.

"You can't expect anything to be permanent. We all have our own lives to live," he continued. "Besides, it's not like he's going to disappear. You can still contact him."

Sakuno looked at his handsome face, surprised that he's actually exerting effort to comfort her. Normally, he would've just ignored her complains and steered the conversation somewhere else.

After all, he had told her that he wasn't good with these kinds of things – giving comfort.

"R-Ryoma-kun's right," she eventually said with a smile. She berated herself in her head for being so gloomy this early in their vacation. After all, she was the one who requested for this trip. She should allow herself to have fun with the others and enjoy their last few moments together. Who knows when an opportunity like this would come again?

The brunette closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the fresh air. She clasped her hands together on her back and continued staring at the scenery before her and the tennis prodigy.

"Demo ne," she whispered, "If I am given the choice to have only one person with me all the time, I would choose Ryoma-kun." Her smile turned fond as her brown eyes shone brightly under the sunlight. "As long as Ryoma-kun's by my side, I would be okay."

Ryoma's eyes widened a fraction. Her bold words of affection took him by surprise and he momentarily forgot that he was in the middle of taking a gulp of his Ponta. A horrible coughing fit resulted from his faux pas.

"Ah, Ryoma-kun!" Sakuno exclaimed in worry as she placed a hand on his back and gently patted the boy to help stop the coughing.

"B-baka!" he scolded her amidst violent coughs. He still hasn't cleared a few drops of the sugary liquid from his windpipe. "Don't say such things while I'm drinking!" he hissed, a faint blush covering his cheeks.

Sakuno let out a melodic giggle. "G-gomen," she apologized noncommittally.

Ryoma glared at her for her noncommittal apology and seized her chin with his free hand. "You-"

"Oi, oi, what's this? Already so lovey-dovey this early in the morning?" a voice interrupted the lovers' moment. "Get a room, you two!"

They both turned their heads only to be greeted by the sight of a grinning Momo. Beside him was Fuji, who had his usual sadistic smile on, while standing on his other side was Eiji, who had a hand on Momo's shoulder. The acrobat was also giving the two a beaming smile.

"Our ochibi is growing up so fast! Pretty soon, we might have a mini ochibi to make fun of!"

Ryoma and Sakuno both reddened at Eiji's comment and suddenly distanced themselves from each other. The prince tipped his hat downwards to hide his embarrassment.

"I don't think Echizen has that kind of skill. He's kind of slow when it comes to the romance department," Fuji mumbled, joining his teammates in their teasing.

Ryoma's brow twitched at the tensai's comment. He made a mental note to make Fuji pay for those words later.

"What do you guys want?" Ryoma asked in an irritated tone, wanting to end their jesting session.

"Calm down, Echizen. We just came to inform you two that the tennis courts are ready. The others are already playing practice games," Fuji uttered with a pleasant smile.

That's right. There were tennis courts in the private island resort where Atobe had invited them to. It was only expected. Tennis, for most of them, is like oxygen. They couldn't live without it, even when they are on vacation.

The Seigaku regulars and Sakuno had arrived on the island yesterday. They were accompanied by the Hyoutei regulars. Apparently, the Rikkai and Shitenhouji teams aren't able to make it to the island until tomorrow morning. Fudomine wouldn't be arriving until the day after tomorrow. On the other hand, St. Rudolph and Yamabuki aren't able to come to the vacation at all. It was mostly due to the conflicting schedules that some of them have.

"Let's go, Echizen. It wouldn't hurt to play a match or two. Unless… you're scared to lose," Momo taunted to encourage the boy to play.

Ryoma glanced at Sakuno, who gave him an understanding smile. She knew all too well how much these boys love tennis.

"Of course, Sakuno-chan is coming too!" Eiji proclaimed as he engulfed Sakuno in one of his affectionate bear hugs. "Ochibi wouldn't be able to show off if his girl is not watching, nya! So let's go! Let's go!" the acrobat excitedly shouted as he started to drag Sakuno towards the direction of the tennis courts. Sakuno couldn't help but let out a joyful laugh as she was playfully dragged away. Fuji soon followed the two, the content smile never leaving from his face.

Left a few feet behind, Momo noticed the serious look that suddenly took over his kouhai's face as the prince watched Eiji drag Sakuno away. His catlike eyes were darkened, as if the boy was preoccupied.

Knowing what the boy was thinking about, Momo let out a deep melancholy sigh.

"Have you told her yet?" he asked Ryoma quietly.

The boy simply tipped his cap downwards once again. He started following the trio without giving his Momo-senpai an answer.

Has he told her yet?

Of course, not.

How can he?

Ryoma narrowed his yellow eyes in misery.

How can he ever tell her, especially when she always looks at him with that hopeful and trusting expression in her eyes?

The sounds of tennis balls being hit with varying strengths resounded all over the courts. Most of the Hyoutei and Seigaku regulars were playing matches against each other under the heat of the tropical sun.

Much to Sakuno's embarrassment, some of them had already taken off their shirts since they were sweating so heavily. One would think that she would've gotten used to it by now since she's been the manager of a boy's tennis team for almost a year. However, her naturally modest character still brought out the pretty flush on her cheeks every now and then.

She concentrated on watching Ryoma's match against Momo as she sat on one of the bleachers. Of course, the prince was winning against the second year. Though Momo was an exceptionally skilled player, he was simply no match against the tennis prodigy.

Sakuno noticed the labored breaths that most of the regulars were taking and suddenly got inspired with an idea. She might as well make herself useful to them by bringing them some water to drink. She stood up from her sitting position and waved to get Ryoma's attention. The brunette quickly signaled that she'll be back right away.

Satisfied to receive a quick nod from him, she exited the courts and went off to get water for the tennis players.

The Western-style mansion wherein the Hyoutei and Seigaku regulars were allowed to stay in was as luxurious as it can be. Owned by the prestigious Atobe family, the structure boasted five floors with five spacious rooms located on each floor. The first floor of the building was intended for cooking, dining, socializing, and entertainment purposes. The back door of its kitchen area leads to another wing of the mansion wherein the servants' quarters are located.

There was another mansion on the west side of the island that was similar to the one rented out to the Seigaku and Hyoutei tennis players. However, since the west mansion was bigger (it has seven floors, instead of five), they decided to let the Rikkai, Shitenhouji, and Fudomine regulars occupy that one once they arrive on the island.

The first half of the island was composed of the two mansions, located on its farthest right and farthest left side, with the tennis courts, gyms, spas, and other facilities in between. On the last half of the island was an out-of-bounds thick jungle reminiscent of the Safari jungle in Africa. There was a rope with rectangular white strips of paper attached to it that marks the perimeter and separates the jungle from the island resort. It indicated to visitors that they were prohibited to cross that boundary line.

Sakuno was almost to the east mansion when she saw that there were three regulars who stood talking in front of the structure's entrance. She soon recognized them to be Hyoutei's Keigo Atobe and her own Kunimitsu-nii. Behind the Hyoutei buchou was his ever faithful follower, Kabaji, who stood waiting for the King to finish his conversation with Tezuka.

Though she tried to make herself invisible, Atobe, who was facing her direction, soon recognized her presence and alerted Tezuka about her.

"Ah-n. If it isn't our hime-sama," his regal voice called to her before she can hide. Not wanting to act disrespectful towards the wealthy tennis player, she had no choice but to approach their location and bow before them.

"G-gomen if I disturbed you. I was just going to pass by."

By that time, Tezuka had already turned his head in order to face her. She sent the Seigaku buchou a shaky smile, which he only acknowledged with a slight nod.

"Do you find ore-sama's magnificent island resort facilities to your liking?" Atobe asked the girl, using his typical self-important tone. "Make sure not to forget to indulge yourself in the indoor pools and the Jacuzzis."

"H-hai," Sakuno replied with a nervous smile. "Thank you so much for inviting us."

"No need to shower ore-sama with your gratitude. It is naturally in his generous character to do charity work such as this one," he brushed off her thanks, though not unkindly. "Naa, Kabaji?"

"Ossu," was the ever present reply.

The brunette couldn't help but sweatdrop at the familiar scene.

"Though you'll have to excuse ore-sama for he has other businesses to take care of, at the moment. Ore-sama's afraid that he would have to leave you in Tezuka's less-satisfying company."

The Hyoutei buchou was about to reach for the young maiden's hand, in his usual manner of kissing it to charm the opposite sex. However, he changed his mind at the last minute when he noticed Tezuka's threat-loaded stern stare.

Atobe merely "keh'd" haughtily and closed his eyes. "Iku zo, Kabaji," he ordered before leaving the Seigaku captain and the girl.

"Ossu."

Once they were left alone, Sakuno finally had the chance to freely talk to her nii-san.

"Are you busy today, Kunimitsu-nii?" she asked, hoping for a negative answer. Knowing that his departure to Germany was quickly approaching, she planned to spend as much time with him as she can. She wanted to make a lot of memories with him.

To her dismay, the stoic buchou nodded.

"I have to finish filling out applications and looking over the terms of my college enrollment," he informed her.

"S-sou," she mumbled, disheartened.

Though if she thought more about it, it was already nice of the captain to still agree to come to the vacation, despite of the number of tasks he had to accomplish before he flies to Germany. She already owed him that much for granting her request.

Forcing a cheerful smile on her face to hide her disappointment, she said, "Maybe tomorrow then? We can spend some time fishing. I have been wanting to try the tactics you taught me a long time ago."

Tezuka just nodded, before he looked away from her. "We'll see," was his noncommittal response.
"I'll be spending most of my time over at the west mansion. I want to concentrate in finishing my tasks before the others arrive."

Sakuno was surprised to hear that he planned to spend his first day in the island in isolation, but nodded anyway. "I'll- I'll try not to disturb you then." She gave him a warm smile, even though he wasn't looking at her.

He grunted once and then said, "Don't let your guard down."

With those words, she was left alone watching his back as he walked away.

She wondered if it would always be like this with her nii-san from now on…

Always watching him from far away, all the while missing the closeness that they once shared.

"H-Hiyoshi-san?"

The brunette was somewhat surprised to find the second year Hyoutei regular when she entered the kitchen of the east mansion. He was wearing his Hyoutei tennis uniform with a matching light blue towel draped over one of his shoulders. Hiyoshi momentarily looked up from filling his glass of water from the dispenser of the fridge when he heard someone call his name.

"You're alone?" Sakuno followed up, attempting to make friendly conversation.

"Do you see two of me in this room?" he asked sarcastically, before looking away from her.

Sakuno was a little taken aback by the hostility in his tone. Though she had spent some time with him during their last adventure, she still hasn't gotten used to his brash attitude.

"S-sorry for asking such an obvious question," she mumbled guiltily. "It's just that the others are already playing in the tennis courts. And I guess…I just…expected you to be with them."

Hiyoshi didn't say anything in reply.

Sakuno took that time to grab an empty jug that was located on top of the far sink in the kitchen and started to fill it up with sterilized water. While she was waiting, she remembered something and attempted to make another conversation with the antisocial player.

"Sou da ne, I haven't gotten the chance to properly thank you for mentioning my wish to Atobe-san." She smiled as she faced him, bowing deeply. "Arigatou gozaimasu. If there's anything I can do to repay-"

"You have nothing I want," Hiyoshi cut her off. "Besides, whoever said I did it for you anyway?"

That dampened her cheerful spirit and the pleasant smile shook on her lips.

"E-even so. It was still thanks to you that we're able to spend some time in this nice island resort. It really is a beautiful island," she told him courteously before facing her jug of water. She realized that it's probably better if she left the Hyoutei player alone. He obviously didn't want to talk to her and she didn't want to irritate him any further.

To her surprise, he replied to her statement.

"Sou ka? It certainly is pretty nice here. Though I wouldn't advise you to wander around the area at night."

Sakuno turned her head back to Hiyoshi and blinked cutely. "Is it…dangerous outside at night?" She figured that there are probably some wild animals that may wander into the facility once darkness takes over the place. There weren't any fences that barred the facility from the jungle area except for the rope that marked the boundary lines.

"Dangerous?" Hiyoshi smirked darkly and paused before saying, "It's more than just dangerous."

The foreboding tone in his words had the effect of giving her goosebumps.

"Haven't you heard the rumors?" he continued, still using his creepy tone. Sakuno got the feeling that she isn't going to like whatever Hiyoshi is about to say next.

"This island is haunted."

And so it began.

Author's Notes:

I'm back! For a while? Hahah.

To tell you guys the truth, I debated for such a long time regarding whether or not I should write this sequel. Sequels never do well, since the original is always better. But oh well, we'll just see, I guess. If I don't like where the fic is going as I write, I might just discontinue it.

Anyway, I plan to tackle different themes in this sequel. I'm aiming for more mature themes, especially in the case of Sakuno's and Ryoma's relationship. They are around 16-17 years old in this fic, after all.

People who haven't read "Danger in the Tennis Courts" are not required to read the prequel in order to understand the general plot of this new story. However, there are certain aspects that might confuse you – especially when it comes to relationships between certain characters. I think most of them are pretty explanatory though, so I hope you still give this a try even if you don't want to read DITTC.

So yes, for now, I'm hoping for the best.

Please read and review. I'm curious to know your thoughts about this new story so far.

Until next time?

Japanese Vocab:

Shougi – Japanese chess

Nii-san – big brother

Demo ne – but

Baka – idiot; stupid

Hime-sama – princess

Iku zo – Let's go

Sou da ne – That's right

Sou ka – Is that so?