Title: How it Began
Summary: Have you wondered how Shishido and Chotarou started practicing together in the first place? Well this is my interpretation of it. Shishido has lost his regular's spot and has been defeated by Atobe in trying to prove himself worthy. Now the only one that will help Shishido is Chotarou who keeps calling him sempai and agrees to everything Shishido says.
Rated: K
A/N: Wow I haven't written a fanfic since a long time so since I have nothing else to do over my vacation time I wrote a torishishi fanfic. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.

Again Shishido was humiliated by another defeat, this time it was against Atobe. Losing his regular's spot was really affecting him and he'd do anything to get it back. There was no way he had lost, but he did and the only way to get back on the regulars was to prove himself again even with that rule in Hyoutei that if you lose in a match you're off the regulars for good.

"Give it up. You'll never make it as a singles player." Atobe said basking in his triumph.

"Shut up!" Shishido shouted back. From behind Atobe, Shishido could see a gray haired second year regular watching them.

"Ah getting angered so easily. No, singles is not something you'd be able to achieve." Atobe didn't need to turn around to know that another player was there. "But maybe in doubles you still have a chance."

Shishido didn't know what Atobe was talking about, what else was there then playing singles. What did Atobe expect him to play, doubles like the two idiots Oshitari and Gakuto? There was no way he'd rely on a weaker player to back him up, he'd just end up losing more. Atobe didn't even bother to help Shishido up and started to walk away, leaving Shishido to lie on the court next to his racquet. Shishido growled but grabbed his racquet and stood up. He didn't care how long it would take; he'd get his regular's spot back no matter what.

Then he remembered someone else was there too. Shishido didn't want to admit it but maybe he did need just a little bit of help. "Oi, are you going to just stand there. Get over here." Shishido shouted at the second year. Otori Chotarou, even though he was also a regular they never really talked much. From Shishido's point of view, Chotarou was not what you'd expect to come from a school like Hyoutei. But then again Shishido was glad there wasn't another Atobe.

"Hai" Was the second year's only response as he proceeded his way down to the courts. It wasn't long before the second year was standing before Shishido.

"Otori, right?"

"Hai."

"You're the one with the scrud serve?"

"Hai."

"Show me it."

Chotarou nodded and went to the other side of the net, placed his bag that he had over his left shoulder down and took out his racquet. From the basket of tennis balls on the base line, he took one. Shishido got into position to face off Chotarou's serve. He'd only seen it a few times during practice matches but knew it was somewhat impressively fast. No one beside Kabaji had ever returned one of his serves but that would change.

"Ii" Chotarou tossed the tennis ball up into the air.

"Kyuu"

"Nyuu"

"KON!" Chotarou hit the ball with force and it sliced through the air into the other side of the court in outrageous speed. Shishido stood there, the serve was different when you're actually facing it. He didn't even have enough time to react before the ball passed by him. He turned to look to where the ball hit the fence and rolled off. If Shishido could hit tennis balls going at this speed back, then they'd have to give him his regular's spot back.

"Again!" Shishido shouted at Chotarou who had no choice but to obey. Shishido was still a year his senior and Chotarou couldn't disrespect him no matter if he wasn't a regular anymore.

"Ii Kyuu Nyuu Kon." Again with another scrud serve, it whizzed to the other side of the court, but Shishido was ready this time. However, his body still couldn't move fast enough to react to the ball.

"Again!" This practice continued for hours until Shishido was exhausted and breathing heavily. Chotarou had to admit he was just as tired but he stayed and kept serving until he saw Shishido collapse onto the court completely tired.

"Sempai." Chotarou said as he ran toward the net to see if Shishido was alright. Shishido got up into a sitting position still breathing heavily but he answered that he was fine.

"Go. Be here tomorrow at the same time." Shishido said finally getting up and making his way to the bench that had his racquet bag. Shishido didn't hear Chotarou's answer but he could tell Chotarou was walking away. 'Heh he probably wants to get away from me as fast as he could.' Shishido though turning to retrieve the balls that where all over the courts. When he turned around he saw Otori bending down to pick up the balls that were on the other side. Shishido did manage to barely return the last three balls over the net to the other side but he was far from really returning them properly.

"I thought I told you to leave." Shishido said watching Chotarou move to his side of the court to pick up the balls that didn't make it over the net.

"You did, but I wanted to help." Chotarou said looking at Shishido. In a way Shishido wanted to laugh at the way Chotarou was. Even though Chotarou towered over him in height and may have looked intimidating, he was still so innocent when you talked to him. It slightly surprised Shishido how he didn't take much notice into Chotarou before. But then again, Chotarou wasn't annoying like Gakuto, a prodigy like Oshitari, sleepy like Jiroh or even attention hungry like Atobe.

It wasn't long before the two of them finished picking up all of the balls and placing them back into the basket. When they were done, both of them picked up their bags and headed out of the courts.

The next couple of days were routine, after classes were over they would head back to there homes awaiting when they'd have to leave again to meet each other in the courts. Chotarou still had to stay after school for tennis club training though with the other regular so he would usually just stay in the courts and not bother going back home since it would make better sense to stay and wait then make the journey back and forth wasting so much time.

They would train for hours until the court's lights shut off on them and it was too dark to play anymore. Chotarou would stay and help Shishido pick up the scattered tennis balls then they would leave.

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It had already been a week and a half of training till late in the night and Shishido started to wonder why Chotarou kept staying helping him for so long. Shishido could tell that Chotarou was completely exhausted from both practices with him and the team then having to do homework given from his various classes. On top of that he was also practicing him violin and studying. Didn't it tiring him out so much to make him stop coming?

Shishido and Chotarou both sat on the bench taking a break after hours of practice. It was Saturday and they had been practicing since early in the morning before the sun rose till afternoon now.

"Chotarou." Shishido said this was his first time saying Otori's given name instead of just speaking. Shishido felt it was alright to call him this since they had been practicing together for some time now so it was only right to calling him something. Chotarou looked at Shishido, a little surprised that his sempai would be this informal by calling him not his family name. No one else in the school or even on the team had called him by given name before.

"Aren't you busy?" Shishido asked. Chotarou's surprised look changed to a confused one. He didn't know what Shishido meant by that.

"Don't you have other things more important to deal with then be here?" Shishido asked wiping the sweat that was trailing down the side of his forehead with the towel that was draped around his neck.

"But…sempai needs my help." Chotarou said looking back at the courts. He liked practicing with Shishido, well not when Shishido told him to use his scrud serve against him but the other parts like being able to play tennis. It didn't bother Chotarou; he could always study when he got back home.

"Idiot" Shishido said before gently bonking the back of Chotarou's head. Chotarou instinctually moved his right hand over the area that Shishido hit and looked at him. "If you're busy we can already reschedule."

"Sorry sempai."

"And another thing, stop calling me that. I have a name." Shishido said, even all this time Chotarou wouldn't call him anything but sempai.

"Hai, Shishido-san." Chotarou said smiling.