Served (Prince of Tennis)



Written for comment_fic on LJ.

Served (Prince of Tennis)

By Haruka (haruka@ymail.com)

--

"Come on, Echizen! Let's see your best serve!"

"I don't know, Horio .…"

"It's okay!" the seventh-grader with the unibrow said confidently as he shouldered his racket. "It's not like it'll get by me, anyway. After all, I have two years of tennis experience!"

"Fsshuu.” Walking by the public court, Kaidoh sneered as he heard the grating voice of the kid who never seemed to shut up. It was especially annoying as he was trying to hear Inui read the new training menu from his clipboard.

"Then we'll finish with a -- Kaidoh, are you listening?" Inui followed Kaidoh's gaze toward the court. He recognized Horio; at practice, he had been picking up balls with the other freshmen and liked to hear himself talk. But who was the other boy?

"Well," the little stranger was saying uncertainly, "if you're really sure …."

They watched as he bounced the ball a couple of times, then tossed it into the air. What happened next made Inui drop his clipboard and Kaidoh drop his jaw.

Horio just dropped.

"Oh my gosh, Horio, are you okay?!" the newcomer ran to the net, peering anxiously at his prone opponent. Little tennis balls danced a circle above Horio’s head.

"What … What WAS that, Inui-senpai?” Kaidoh murmured.

"A twist serve," Inui replied in awe. "I've never seen a freshman do that before. Come on!"

They approached the younger boy. "Excuse me," Inui said, "what’s your name?"

He ducked his head, shuffling his feet uneasily. "Echizen Ryoma." He looked up quickly. "I didn't mean for it to actually hit him! My serve just DOES that!"

Kaidoh prodded Horio with the toe of his sneaker while Inui patted Ryoma’s shoulder. "Don’t worry, Echizen,” the data expert said, smiling as light glinted off his glasses. "Come to practice tomorrow and show the rest of the team that serve. I think everyone will be pleasantly surprised."

--

(2009)

Prompt: Prince of Tennis, Ryoma, he tries not to stand out but one (or some) of the Regulars notices his talent anyway.

Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi.

This fic is not to be re-posted.




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Sorry for the long absence -- I was busy redecorating over vacation, then Hurricane Bill hit us, and now Tropical Storm Danny is coming ... what a month!
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Posted on Aug. 28th, 2009 at 10:33 pm | | Leave a comment | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

Comments


[info]geebaby757

Horio has a bad habit of attracting tennis balls. XD I'm glad to see you back.

You got hit by Hurricane Bill and now maybe Tropical Storm Danny?! That really sucks.
Posted on Aug. 29th, 2009 01:54 am (UTC) | | Thread | Reply

[info]haruka

Thanks. :) I haven't had much time or inclination to write, what with worrying about the storms, but I couldn't resist it when someone finally put up a prompt in a fandom I like. XD
Posted on Aug. 29th, 2009 01:59 am (UTC) | | Parent | Thread | Reply

[info]geebaby757

I've never written anything based on a prompt, so I think that it's amazing how you always manage to come up with something to fit it.

I hope that the storm doesn't hit you too hard, or better yet, I hope that it doesn't hit you at all!
Posted on Aug. 29th, 2009 04:28 am (UTC) | | Parent | Thread | Reply

[info]haruka

You should try it, it can be fun. :)

The storm is upon us now, but the worst is going to be tonight. The wind isn't a factor, but the heavy rain will be.
Posted on Aug. 29th, 2009 08:31 pm (UTC) | | Parent | Thread | Reply

[info]geebaby757

I'm actually kind of tempted to write a Shinkenger fic. Episode 26 gave me an idea for one, but I don't know if it'll turn out well since I've only written for Prince of Tennis. Not to mention that the idea involves Takeru having to discipline Ryuunosuke for insubordination, and I've never seriously tried to write that before.

I hope the storm passes quickly, and that you don't take too much damage from it.
Posted on Aug. 29th, 2009 08:50 pm (UTC) | | Parent | Thread | Reply

[info]haruka

The episode had great opportunity for discipline fic, so I say go for it! What have you got to lose?
Posted on Aug. 29th, 2009 08:54 pm (UTC) | | Parent | Thread | Reply

[info]geebaby757

It really did. I think I just need to get out of my comfort zone and write for a different fandom that I really enjoy. My Prince of Tennis fics have gone over pretty well, so I might give Shinkenger a shot.
Posted on Aug. 29th, 2009 08:59 pm (UTC) | | Parent | Reply

[info]geebaby757

I broke down and actually wrote it. Here's the link if you feel like checking it out.

http://geebaby757.insanejournal.com/7217.html#cutid1
Posted on Aug. 31st, 2009 01:36 am (UTC) | | Parent | Reply

[info]milleniumrex

Another cool PoT character I was unaware of! This was a lot of fun. :)

Hope the tropical storm doesn't cause you guys too much trouble.
Posted on Aug. 29th, 2009 01:57 am (UTC) | | Thread | Reply

[info]haruka

You mean Horio? He's annoying as hell, but often serves as comedy relief. XD

Thanks, I hope not, too. This one's coming on land, unlike the last one, but also looks like it'll be weaker. *fingers crossed*
Posted on Aug. 29th, 2009 02:01 am (UTC) | | Parent | Reply

[info]fashi0n_mistake

Aw, this Ryoma is adorable! This was such a cute fic!

And wow, you aren't having a lot of luck with Mother Nature lately, are you? I hope you and your family will be safe!
Posted on Aug. 29th, 2009 03:20 am (UTC) | | Thread | Reply

[info]haruka

Thank you! It was hard to write him as a nice, humble kid. XD

No, I'm afraid we haven't, except that the storms could have been worse. We're experiencing Danny right now, and I'm kind of worried about how our basement will handle all the rain that's coming. @_@
Posted on Aug. 29th, 2009 08:35 pm (UTC) | | Parent | Reply

[info]gottis

D'aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw cute cute CUTE Ryoma! *_* ♥
Posted on Aug. 29th, 2009 04:08 am (UTC) | | Thread | Reply

[info]haruka

It was surprising hard to write Ryoma as anything but a snarky, egomaniac, smart-aleck. XD
Posted on Aug. 29th, 2009 08:32 pm (UTC) | | Parent | Thread | Reply

[info]gottis

XDDDDDDDDD I hear you. ♥
Posted on Aug. 31st, 2009 03:19 pm (UTC) | | Parent | Reply

[info]ravenstormfire

Cute Ryoma! Hope everything is going alright at home.
Posted on Aug. 29th, 2009 05:21 pm (UTC) | | Thread | Reply

[info]haruka

Thanks!

We're in the middle of the storm now; lots of rain with even more to come. I'm worried about the basement, but we won't know if it'll make it without leaking until the rain ends tomorrow morning.
Posted on Aug. 29th, 2009 08:29 pm (UTC) | | Parent | Reply

[info]akinari

Hahaha, that was quite amusing! I always found Horio to be a rather annoying but amusing character, so it was nice to see him get socked with a tennis ball. ;P And I liked the last part when Inui gets his calculating look as the light glints off his glasses, poor Ryoma, haha. Although, I can't imagine a Ryoma that tries to hide his talent, he always seemed a little too cocky for that in the series. In my mind, I think Ryoma would either shrug it off with a nonchalant attitude or give Horio a slightly exasperated "I-told-you-so" look. Other than that, it was an excellent read that brightened up my Sunday afternoon. :D

And dang, you've been getting it bad from the weather, huh? First a hurricane, and now a tropical storm?! Good luck with that. I hope it doesn't turn out too bad... :(
Posted on Aug. 30th, 2009 07:31 pm (UTC) | | Thread | Reply

[info]haruka

Well, yes, that's how the Ryoma we all know would really react, but I had to work within the prompt, so I did the best I could to make it AU.

The good news is that my basement didn't fill with water last night. The bad news is that we've got serious cracks where water was dribbling in and now I have to try and find someone to fix it who can work around my weekday schedule. *sigh*
Posted on Aug. 30th, 2009 08:15 pm (UTC) | | Parent | Reply