To A Mother
To A Mother
Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis. End of story.
Set in High School. Takashi is at the courts because he wanted to see how everyone was doing, not because he is on the team. Just wanted to clear that up.
Eighteen is the legal driving age in Japan. I looked it up.
When the alarm went off that morning, the same as it always did, Ryoma had that feeling in his stomach that today was special. He dragged himself out of his bed, got dressed for tennis practice and went downstairs. He looked at the table. Western breakfast again. His golden eyes had narrowed and glared at the food, as if hoping it would change.
“Hey, mom! Is it too much to ask for a Japanese breakfast once in a while?” He yelled out to no one. When no response was given to him, he sat down at his chair in a huff and picked at the bread in front of him. Rinko walked into the kitchen a moment later.
“Oh, you’re awake. Good morning sweetie.” She said. She received a tired look back from her son.
“Mom, why do you always make a western breakfast?” He asked.
“Because I’m your mother.” She shot back, turning to the stove, beginning to clean it up.
“That’s not an answer!” Ryoma said irritably, poking his fork into the eggs in front of him.
“I shouldn’t have to answer you on what I decide to make for breakfast.” Rinko said, her patience with her son thinning.
“You should because I never seem to have a decent breakfast when I leave.”
“Ryoma, you’re starting to grate my nerves.”
“And what?” Ryoma said disinterested.
“If you don’t like what I make, then you should get up earlier and make your own breakfast, maybe then you wouldn’t be so ungrateful!” Rinko said, throwing down the dish towel and storming out.
“Well, fine then. I don’t really need you to do it anyway!” Ryoma said storming to the front door to start his walk to Seigaku’s tennis courts.
Ryoma walked onto the courts after changing into his uniform and stretched. All of the other team members were chatting about what they were doing after practice. Ryoma tried not to care; he knew he’d have to face his mother when he came home. It was only until Eiji came onto the court did the importance of the day come into perspective to Ryoma.
“And I’m going to get her flowers and candy and a big bear, balloons and…” Eiji chirped happily, bouncing with every step. Oishi placed his hand on Eiji’s shoulder and stopped him.
“Where are you going to get all the money for that Eiji?” Oishi asked playfully, knowing that without money, Eiji’s plan would go to scraps.
“Oh… I didn’t think about that.” Eiji said his smile dropping. He then perked up again. “It could be a collective present from all of us. I’ll get it and my siblings can pay for it. Ha ha, I am so smart!” Eiji laughed. Momo came up from behind him.
“I’m going to make a card.” Momo said proudly.
“Fshhhh. Why would your mother take something that looks like a four-year-old make it?” Kaidoh hissed.
“What was that Viper?” Momo turned and glared at him.
“Oh, that’s right; a four-year-old could color better than you.” Kaidoh retorted back.
“What are you giving you mom, a hissing snake? Oh, wait she already has one.” Momo said smirking. Kaidoh’s fist flew out at Momo who ducked it.
“What are you doing?” Tezuka said coming out of the clubroom. “Go warm-up with 20 laps you two.” He ordered.
“Yes, buchou.” They said running off. Fuji came out with a smile ever present on his face.
“Fujiko! What are you getting your mom?” Eiji asked him.
“Yuta, Yumiko and I are getting separate presents.” He answered.
“Yuta’s coming home?” Takashi asked.
“Yes. He wanted to come home too. What a surprise.” Fuji chuckled. “What did you get for your mom, Tezuka?” He asked the captain.
“I don’t think that’s any of your business, Fuji.” Tezuka responded.
“Oh, just tell us, you didn’t get anything for her.” Eiji teased.
“I did.” Tezuka said.
“Then tell us.” Fuji said.
Tezuka stared at them then sighed. “I got her a silver bracelet.” He said.
They in turn stared at him. “Really?” They chorused.
“Yes.”
“He got her the bracelet from the magazine he was looking at, the one that you could put a child’s birthstone on it and the child’s name and date of birth.” Inui responded for him
“Aww, that is so ah-de-or-able!” Eiji cooed and Tezuka blushed slightly. Fuji was about to comment on the light color on Tezuka’s cheeks until Ryoma spared Tezuka the embarrassment.
“Why are you giving your mom’s presents?” The freshman prodigy asked.
“It’s Mother’s Day, Ochibi!” Eiji exclaimed.
“What? It is?” Ryoma’s eyes bugged out of his head, and he covered his face with his hat in embarrassment. Momo came around and gave him a headlock.
“What you didn’t get her anything? You probably forgot. That not good Echizen, that’s not good.” Momo teased giving him a few hard rubs on the head.
“That hurts Momo-sempai.” Ryoma said.
“Did you forget, Echizen?” Oishi asked. Ryoma just turned around and started to smack the ball.
“Chances that he forgot today was Mother’s Day, 85%.” Inui said.
“That’s so sad.” Oishi said.
“What is worst are the chances that he upset his mother this morning.” Inui continued.
“What are those Inui?” Fuji asked.
“100%.” Inui said.
“Poor Echizen.” Takashi said. They all looked dejectedly at the freshman in question as he was having a practice rally with Arai.
Practice ended a couple of minutes ago and Ryoma was the first one out, running down the street. He needed to get home before his mother did. He needed to do something. How could have he forgotten that today was Mother’s Day? And what’s worse, he upset his mother. What a good son, Ryoma thought dismally. A car honked its horn at Ryoma who looked up and saw Oishi sitting in the car waving at him.
“Do you need a ride?” He asked. Ryoma nodded and got in the car. Oishi drove off toward Ryoma’s house. Tezuka was sitting in the front seat and Ryoma was seated next to Eiji.
“Since when do you drive Oishi-sempai?” Ryoma asked.
“I turned 18 in April, I got my driver’s license soon after.” Oishi explained turning onto Ryoma’s street. They pulled up to Ryoma’s house and he was relieved when he saw his mother’s car was missing. Ryoma leapt out of the car and ran toward his front door, screaming a “thank you” toward the car. Oishi smiled and drove off.
Ryoma threw his shoes off as he heard his father ringing the bell in the distance. His father would be occupied with that for a while and wouldn’t bother Ryoma. Ryoma ran into the kitchen and pulled out some ingredients to cook for his mother. It would be perfect; he would make sure of it.
It was less than perfect. Actually, scratch that, it was even less than less than perfect. It was ruined. He burned the rice and the fish, the vegetables weren’t cooked right, half were burned and half were undercooked. There was tempura batter sticking to the sides of the oven and stove, oil had splattered onto the stove and the floor, flour was on his uniform and in his hair on the floor and outside in the garden. Ryoma didn’t know how it got there and didn’t care; all that mattered to him now was that dinner for his mom was ruined. Ryoma felt his eyes prickle up with tears, but waved it off at the smell of onion, not because he wanted to cry. He heard the door open and the sound of his mother’s heels hitting the floor. He wiped the flour off his face and stood up.
“Nanjiroh, have you been burning stuff in the kitchen again…” Rinko asked coming into the kitchen and seeing the mess all over the place and her son in the middle of it, almost close to tears.
“Ryoma, what happened?” She asked him.
“I wanted to cook you dinner for Mother’s Day, and to apologize for this morning. I didn’t mean to make you mad.” He said, some of the tears slipping out of his eyes. Rinko smiled gently at her son and walked over to him and wiped the flour and the tears off of his cheek.
“Thank you for the kind gesture, Ryoma. I didn’t mean to say that this morning. Now, why don’t you go outside and I’ll clean this up.”
“But I don’t want you to clean it. It’s Mother’s Day. You should be doing something you love.” Ryoma protested.
“Don’t worry about it Ryoma. Go play some tennis.” Rinko pushed her son up toward the stairs so he can change. Rinko smiled at his retreating form.
“Silly boy, cleaning up after you is something I love to do.” Rinko said. She turned back and started to clean.
Sorry about the abrupt ending.
I hope you like it.
KatrinaKaiba