Disclaimer: I do not in any way own Prince of Tennis, though I do own the OCs. This is my first fanfic, so please bear with me. Arigato!

Chapter the First: A New Beginning

It was a clear, spring afternoon in Tokyo. The sun shined happily down upon the awakening earth, and a crisp, fresh breeze kissed my cheeks as if welcoming me back to my childhood home. I smiled to myself as I strolled slowly down the all but empty sidewalk, looking for a quiet place to pen the latest chapter of my story on paper. I gasped delightedly as I came upon a charming grassy area with a footpath weaving casually around the circumference of the park. Here and there were a few cherry trees in full bloom, and under these and elsewhere sat some elegant wire benches. The perfect azure sky overhead with its wispy cirrus clouds completed the picturesque scene.

I savored every moment of the outing because I was to start school tomorrow, and admittedly I was a bit nervous about it. I had never attended a Japanese school before. You see, my family and I had moved from Japan to Spain almost eight years ago, and this was the first time I had been in my native country since then.

The serenity of the afternoon was interrupted by the sound of two feet rapidly slapping the concrete. Before I could get out of the way, a large man of about twenty years of age rushed past me, knocking me over in the process. To my horror, the pages of my manuscript flew everywhere. Despite the harsh gesture, the man kept on sprinting, not once looking back. I bit back the anger I felt and told myself,

"Maybe he really has to go to the restroom, and if he stopped to help me, he would explode. Yeah, that's probably it. Don't let that incident ruin your day. Just forgive and forget."

To my surprise, a boy about my age knelt in front of me and began collecting the scattered papers. Surprised by his unexpected appearance, I stared at him for a few seconds before snapping back to my senses and picking up the few leafs that remained. The kind stranger neatly stacked them and handed them to me after he helped me stand back up. His dark green eyes inspecting me with concern, he inquired,

"Miss, are you all right?"

"Hai, I'm fine. Arigato gozaimasu for helping me," I thanked him, bowing. "If I had lost these, Kawasaki-san would've killed me!"

"Do itashimashite. It was nothing. I'm just glad that you're okay," he said, smiling. Glancing disapprovingly in the direction of the runner, he commented, "That guy was running really fast. He should have been more careful or at least helped you up."

I casually replied, "It's nothing, really. I'm sure he had a reason for rushing off like that."

Turning back to me, he sighed, "You're probably right, but it still was very rude." Concern returning to his features, he asked, "Are any of the papers missing?"

After carefully counting them, I shook my head. "Iie. They're all here." I smiled happily, and he smiled back just as warmly, though his cheeks did look a bit rosier than they did earlier.

I took the opportunity to study him a bit. He was at least 18 cm taller than I, and more muscular as well. He had black hair and fair skin, as most Japanese do. However, as for the style of that hair… well, let me just say that it was a bit… um, different. It appeared as if the boy was wearing a black swim cap with two little vampire fangs of hair to serve as bangs. Despite that oddity, he seemed to be a pleasant young man on the whole.

"So," the boy remarked, evidently trying to break the awkward silence, "if you don't mind me asking, what are you writing?"

"Nani? Oh, this? This is… um… well… just a little story I'm writing. It's nothing, really," I stuttered, the color rising in my cheeks. He looked as if he were about to ask if he could read it, but he must have seen how flustered I was because he switched the topic entirely.

"Do you like to play any sports?"

"Hai. I used to swim on a rec swim team until I moved here. I haven't made up my mind whether I want to join a different one or just swim on my own."

An understanding smile flashed across the teen's face. "I like swimming, too. The water is so relaxing after a busy day."

"Isn't it? Ooh, I just love the way the cool water feels when I first dive in. It makes me feel like I could swim forever. What's your favorite stroke?"

"Hmm… I think that it would have to be backstroke."

"Really? That's mine, too!" I shouted, ecstatic that we had something in common. "It's odd; despite meeting so many swimmers on my old team, you happen to be the first person I've met whose favorite stroke is backstroke. The funny thing is, I used to hate it. Now that I've gotten much better, I enjoy it more. I'm still terrible at the butterfly, though. Do you find it challenging?" I asked, cocking my head like a little puppy.

"A little. Practice makes perfect."

"That is very true," I agreed. "But my biggest problem is that I always get a cramp in my left foot after about 22 meters. Then I can't finish the race as fast as I like because I'm floundering all the way back."

A look of almost motherly worry crossed his face. "Have you checked that out? That sounds like something might be wrong with your ankle."

"Don't worry," I reassured him, shaking my head, "it's nothing, really. I think it's just the long-lasting after-effects of a badly sprained ankle. It probably won't go away, but worse things could've happened, so I don't really mind."

"What happened to your ankle?" he asked, curiosity evident in his features.

I chuckled, embarrassed. "'Twasn't really that exciting or dramatic; it was just plain stupid. It was my first week of a two-week vacation. My family and I were camping a few miles away from the nearest town. I was on one of those little merry-go-rounds at the park, the kind you have to push. Well, there were too many kids, and it went too fast. I kinda sorta lost my grip, flew off, and landed with my entire body weight on one ankle. My okaa-san told me to walk it off, so I did. That night, however, the pain hurt so much I couldn't sleep. The next morning, my ankle was beginning to swell and discolor, so I was sentenced to sit and do nothing all day long. Actually, I did get play Uno®." Smirking, I boasted, "Out of 22 games, I won 20. Now that was fun!"

The boy's eyebrows rose. "Twenty! Sugoi! You're really good! Do you play a lot?"

"Iie. Not anymore, really. I used to, though, along with Monopoly®."

"I have a friend whose favorite game is Monopoly®."

"I'd like to meet him sometime. I wonder who would win." Pointing to a nearby bench, I inquired, "I don't want to be rude, but do you mind if we go sit down? I've been walking around all day, and my feet ache."

"No, no, not at all. I'd like to sit down, too." No sooner had he sat down, however, his cell phone began to ring. "Sumimasen," he apologized, taking out the device.

"It's all right," I assured him, my voice low so that it wouldn't interrupt his conversation. After a short exchange of words, he shut his phone and regretfully informed me, "I have a meeting to go to. Gomen."

Trying not to show my disappointment at losing my first friend so quickly, I replied, "It's okay. You live around here?"

"Hai."

"That means we might see each other around town, then."

Smiling, he replied, "Maybe."

"It was nice meeting you. Have a great day!" I shouted and waved as he walked away.

"It was nice meeting you, too. Take care." He returned my wave and gave a warm smile.

After he had disappeared, I realized I had forgotten to ask him a very important question. Running after him, I yelled, "Matte! I forgot to ask you something! What's your name!"

«∞§∞»

Thank you for reading the first chapter! I've had to do a lot of editing on this, but I think that it was worth it. I hope you enjoyed this, and I hope that you will enjoy the next chapter! Oh, and a note to the reader: I do not always write this flowery. I think I was reading Little Women or something of the sort when I first started, so I picked up on Louisa May Alcott's style.

This used to be up on bleedingcrimson's account, but since I have account of my own, I'm posting it here. I think that I'll be doing even more editing so it might be a little while before I have all the chapters up. Thanks for your understudying!

Also, I LOVE reviews, so please review! Thanks! :D