Whoa! My second story and I haven't been able to finish my first! Uwah!! Forgive me guys!! I had to get my mind to release this idea and that means longer time to update!! WaaH!! Forgive meee!!
Disclaimer: I do not own The Prince of Tennis and, sadly, never will.
Summary
People used to look down on her. People used to mock her. People used to push her around. People used to think and talk of her as someone who can never improve. But, they were wrong. Things changed on that day. The day she found those. The day new students transferred to her school. The day she proved people wrong. The day she improved. The day she changed.
Nighttime
A brunette whose hair reached her bottom was standing on her balcony, leaning on the railings. She was staring at the stars in the sky, her loose brown hair dancing in the evening breeze. Her eyes were looking at the stars interestedly. She sighed as memories from this afternoon flooded her mind.
Flashback
A girl with auburn locks was walking down the school corridor. Her head bowed down, her bangs' shadow hiding her depressed and disappointed face. She has just gotten a failing grade in English… again, ending up scolded by the teacher about her poor grades. She just sighed as she continued walking through the seemingly endless corridor towards the school's tennis courts.
Her first destination was the changing rooms to change from her green school uniform to her tennis clothes. She tied her long, usually let down hair into a high ponytail and wore a flower clip to keep her bangs away from her face. She also wore her headband and wristbands. She sat down to put on her tennis shoes when a couple of seniors came in. They saw her sitting on the bench and walked to stand in front of her.
There were three of them, all wearing smirks on their faces. They started insulting the brunette and counted of all of her flaws. The girl, clearly out-numbered, decided to just keep quiet and not retaliate, continuing to tie her tennis shoes' laces. Once finished, she grabbed her racket and went straight out of changing room, not sparing the seniors a glance.
The three girls, however, did not like how the brunette just ignored them. One of them, who was probably the leader, shouted something, which made the brunette stop in her tracks and stiffen. Something that struck her heart and left a deep wound. The senior girls snickered amongst themselves, satisfied for hitting a sensitive spot. The brunette continued walking as soon as the girls started snickering, bowing her head in the process.
Tennis practice seemed to fly by. It ended soon and the brunette was called by the club captain. The club captain told the girl that her form needs a lot more practice. She just nodded at her captain's words, letting all of it sink in, and then went to the changing rooms again to change back into her uniform.
She gathered all of her tennis equipment and got her school bag then headed towards the academy's gate where she saw a boy with a white cap. She walked towards the boy and both of them walked home together. When they reached the intersection where they would usually separate ways, she asked him a question.
She asked the boy what he thought of her tennis abilities. The boy just smirked at the girl and told her his favorite catch phrase that struck her heart. Making it the fourth time this day someone's words had cut deep. She bowed at the boy, bidding him farewell as she turned around and started running. She ran away from the boy, letting all of her tears spill down her flushed cheeks from her stinging eyes.
End of Flashback
The brunette breathed out another sigh as she propped her elbows on the balcony's railings, letting her head rest on her palms. She remembered the words that have struck a cord.
'You're a failure. No matter how hard you try, no matter how hard you practice, you can never improve in tennis. Everything you do is useless.'
She lifted her head from her palms and straightened her back. Her eyes stung. She fought the fresh batch of tears from spilling out of her eyes.
'Ryuzaki-san, your grades are way below average. If you don't raise your grades soon, I might have to give you a failing grade. And when you have a failing grade, you are not allowed to attend your club.'
She bowed her head. She shut her eyes tight, still holding back all of the tears threatening to come out.
'Your form needs more work, Sakuno. You have to practice harder. Your form hasn't improved that much at all since last meeting. Maybe you aren't for the tennis club.'
Her shoulders were shaking now. She clenched the railings, trying to stop her body from shaking as well.
'Mada Mada Dane, Ryuzaki.'
Her head snapped up and her eyes flew open. The tears, which she has been fighting to keep from falling, are now rolling down her cheeks. She bowed her head down again as she repeated what her tennis prince has said to her. "I still have… lots more… to work on… right?" her voice just above a whisper.
The brunette, now known as Ryuzaki Sakuno, wiped her face free of the salty liquid and retreated back to her bedroom. She crawled onto her bed and sat near the headboard. She pulled her knees to her chest, folded her arms over her knees and buried her face in her arms. Still feeling depressed, she recited a prayer in her head. 'Oh, Kami-sama, I pray to you to give me strength and courage. Please help me become who I want to be. Please help me improve and become better.' And with that, she crawled under the cover of her bed and went to slumber.
The Next Morning
Chocolate orbs were revealed from beneath sleepy eyelids. Sakuno stood up and began fixing her bed. As she smoothed out her blanket, she noticed that there was a bump on it indicating that something is beneath it. Curiosity got the best of her and what she saw made her scream at the top of her lungs, "W-w-what in the w-world?! W-w-where d-did these c-come from?!"
Whew! I finally finished it's prologue! Yipee for me! And I did it on my birthday!! Yay me!! hehehe... Anyways, hope you liked the story! Please review!
Over and out!
BlackRain105