Author's Note: Hello, everyone~ I feel like I just came back from the grave since it's been literally years since I've written something. That being said, please go easy on me since I am obviously rusty after such a long break. For some of you who are curious about my other two unfinished tales, for now, The Island is going to be officially on hiatus and I am unsure if I'm ever going to continue it. However, I will finish Caged at some point since that one is almost done.

I feel like I need some practice first though, and so here comes this new story for now. It's loosely based on Criminale!, a drama CD series by Rejet, but of course, with PoT characters.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters featured here, except for a few OCs. Prince of Tennis and its wonderful characters all belong to the genius, Konomi Takeshi.

Renegades

[Alternate Universe]

Chapter I: The Hot Guy Next Door

"A couple of times in your life, it happens like that. You meet a stranger and all you know is you need to know everything about him."

—Lisa Kleypas, Sugar Daddy

He simply exuded this immense aura of mystery. She couldn't stop thinking about him. It was driving her nuts.

How can you blame her though? Here she is, plain old Sakuno Ryuzaki, a 20-year-old college student studying Culinary Arts in Paris. She can count in one hand the number of close friends she associates with. Her daily schedule mostly consists of attending classes in the morning, working at her part-time job at a nearby sushi restaurant, coming home to study and finish homework, insert eating and sleeping somewhere in there, then repeat. Everything about her life is boringly normal.

Orphaned at the age of 5, she was brought up by her late grandmother, Sumire Ryuzaki, who unfortunately passed away two years ago due to a heart disease. She was since then left under the care of a mysterious guardian living in Germany, who only communicated with her through e-mails and text messages. If not for the monthly allowance that religiously came every month at her doorstep, she would've suspected that this guardian was one of those computer-generated bots that only gave one-to-two sentence replies based on a trigger word in your inquiries.

I found a perfectly safe apartment near your campus. See attached for the address and the lease terms.

A colleague of mine owns a sushi restaurant and they are looking for an extra pair of hands to help. Contact them at this number.

Those were pretty much the only type of correspondence she received from her benevolent guardian. He never asked anything about her current situation, but somehow magically knows general things that are happening in her life. It puzzled her at times. She also often wondered what this guardian's actual relationship with Sumire was, since she only found his name under Sumire's will with no other information included aside from his e-mail, a phone number, and an address in Germany.

From what her grandmother told her, her parents were runaways who have been disowned by their families, with the exception of Sumire, and that is why no other family member has inquired about her whereabouts or visited them even after her parents died. Forming lasting relationships while growing up had been difficult for her as well, as she and Sumire often moved from one place to another. If she were to mark all the places they've lived in on a map of Europe and drew lines to connect them, she can swear that she would've been able to find constellations from the numerous intersecting lines that will result from it.

That has been her life until now. Loneliness and isolation were two things she's become very familiar with. She never did feel like she belonged anywhere. Everything was always only temporary with the exception of her grandmother. She was the only constant thing in her life and when she was taken away as well, Sakuno was absolutely devastated. It took her about a year before she was able to function normally again.

That was when this mysterious man moved into Apartment #504, the room directly next to hers.

She just came home from her part-time job when she first saw him. As luck would have it, she was completely disheveled from the strong wind that was blowing through Paris that night. Her auburn hair was sticking out in different angles, a couple of strands undone from her twin braids. Her eyes were red, having been completely exhausted from a busy day at the restaurant. So imagine her genuine surprise when she suddenly noticed that there was someone standing next to her as she was busy trying to shove her key into her door.

Sakuno almost jumped back in fright upon her late discovery. As far as she knew, she was the only resident in that apartment complex who occupies the fifth floor. The latest residents had moved out during the summer after graduating from college.

The maiden was staring wide-eyed at the stranger, frozen with one hand still holding up the key to the door's keyhole.

In contrast to her, the man just stood calmly. His hair, his white dress shirt, and his black suit pants were impeccably flawless, not a wrinkle in place, as if he never stepped outdoors at all. As if paying her no mind, he unlocked his door with efficiency and was about to push his door open to go inside his apartment when he noticed her prying eyes that were almost boring a hole through his skull.

He turned his head toward her and for the first time, their eyes met.

Golden hazel clashed against chocolate brown.

She shivered and suddenly forgot how to breath. His features, though only illuminated partially by a dim wall light, were literally breath-taking. He stood a good two or three feet taller than her. Silky green-tinted black hair, pale skin, well-defined jaws, perfect nose, and his eyes...his cold, cat-like eyes were what captivated her the most. They seemed like they could hypnotize a person if they stared at him for too long, which is what is basically happening to her at the moment.

After a few seconds, he was merciful enough to break his spell on her as his eyes shifted down to her outstretched hand.

"Your key is upside down."

His cool tone of voice barely registered in her mind before she saw him finally open his door and disappear within his apartment. She stood a few more seconds stupefied, staring at his shut door. And then, as if she received some kind of electric shock, she suddenly snapped back to life and realized with full-blown embarrassment what just happened.

So, she just met an incredibly hot guy, who most likely just moved in next door to her, and she just ruined his very first impression of her. Typical Sakuno...

She let out a frustrated sigh, which briefly blew her bangs away from her forehead, before she leaned against her own door.

"Stupid keys and keyholes."

Sakuno saw him quite frequently after that, same time, and same place. She deduced that he also worked a job and had a shift that ended roughly the same time as hers and that is the reason why they often got back to the apartment at the exact same time. The auburn-haired girl thought it odd that she never saw him along the way or met him in the streets, however. He always arrived at his door just a few seconds after her.

She was slightly offended that he neither attempted to acknowledge her presence on his own nor start a conversation with her. As their routine continued during the first month, she tried to push through her shyness and opened her mouth a few times to start something. However, she often times stuttered at the first word, and by the time she was able to get the first word out, his door was already shut on her face.

It wasn't until two and a half months later when she's finally able to say a stable and quick enough "good evening" that managed to catch his attention. Sakuno was unnerved again when she found the same pair of hazel eyes staring at her, as if reading her soul. Her torture didn't last long though, for after a quick nod, he once again disappeared behind a closed door.

She was left sighing again, but didn't let the pathetic result of her efforts get her down. At least, he nodded at her. That's some form of acknowledgement, right?

It's not like she wanted to flirt with him or anything. She just really wanted to be friends. If they were going to live next to each other for a while and are most likely going to see each other as frequently as they do now, it wouldn't hurt to establish some kind of friendly relationship.

Time passed and nothing changed between them. Sakuno realized one night how little she really knew about her new neighbor. She doesn't even know his name for pete's sake! Biting her lip, she vaguely wondered if he'll even introduce himself if she inquired about him. One thing she's almost sure about is the fact that he must be Japanese like her. His features were recognizable enough. But how old was he? He doesn't look much older than her, he seems to be around her age if anything. If so, does that mean he also attends college? Or does he have a full-time job already? Where are his family and friends? Ever since he moved into the apartment next to her, she has never once seen a visitor appear in front of his door—not even a postman, delivery man, or coworker.

Not that she was in any position to talk. She was pretty much in the same boat as him. Maybe that is one of the reasons why she finds herself drawn to her neighbor. Sakuno found some sort of comrade in him from their isolation together. She suddenly let out a light, self-deprecating laugh at how absurd she was being. It's most likely a product of loneliness. Yes, that must be it. She was so lonely that she was getting desperate enough to crave attention from a complete stranger.

At least one of her questions was partially answered when she saw the very same guy who has been plaguing her thoughts sitting at the back of her English Grammar class one day. As a Culinary Arts student, she didn't need much English credits fulfilled but since it's still a graduation requirement, she was forced to take it. Sakuno almost tripped on her way to her chair that morning. Her selected seat was unfortunately right next to his, and so she hesitated a bit as she was setting her things down on her desk.

To her relief and slight disappointment, her arrival didn't illicit any kind of response from him. He remained immobile, languidly resting his chin on one hand, as he stared at the window with his back partially turned toward her. The brunette found herself sighing again for the umpteenth time since she met him.

His class attendance was oddly irregular with him only coming to class about a third of the time. Sakuno deduced that he must be incredibly smart as he was still able to catch up in class and ace his exams even with such poor attendance. She was sure he should have noticed by now that the girl living next door to him also attends his morning Grammar class, but she suspected he either didn't care enough to notice it or is just plainly ignoring the fact for his own convenience.

Alas, for some time, she had no choice but to continue living next to a complete stranger, a man she knew nothing about.

"Ack," the brunette screamed as the flow of high-pressured water from a previously-clogged-but-now-burst pipe suddenly splashed her face and started to drench her and the area around her sink. Panicking, she exited her kitchen, wielding the wrench she tried to fix her plumbing with like a battle axe.

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and she was inspired enough—though more like foolishly brave enough—to attempt to fix her plumbing on her own. She thought she could at least try to fix the problem, before she decides to go to a professional and spend some much-needed money to pay a plumber. Now she deeply regretted being stingy enough not to do just that.

She burst out of her apartment door, completely drenched from head to toe, and was planning to run to her landlady and plead for some assistance when she came face-to-face with none other than her handsome neighbor.

Naturally enough, what with her current appearance and the way she was holding up a wrench, the brunette wasn't surprised to find his hazel eyes staring at her as if questioning her sanity. He even raised a perfect brow to signify that she caught his attention enough to warrant an explanation.

"Ah—" Sakuno blushed all the way to the roots of her hair and immediately lowered the hand holding up a wrench. "I..." She stuttered and looked away from him, she couldn't stand seeing the way he was looking at her anymore. "I..."

She took a deep, shaky breath and continued, "The...the pipe under my sink just burst and now...now water's spilling everywhere and oh no! I really need some immediate help—"

She attempted to sidestep him, in an effort to dash away and find her landlady, but a firm tug on her arm stopped her.

"Wait here," were the simple words she heard from him before he disappeared into his own apartment. He came back seconds later holding a toolbox and a fluffy light blue towel. In the next instant, Sakuno blinked as she felt the soft fabric and the light weight of the towel on top of her head. She saw from her peripheral view that her neighbor had passed by her and gone into her apartment with his toolbox.

The brunette fidgeted outside her own door as she debated whether she should go in with him. After all, that was her mess inside there that he's most likely taking care of. What if he needed help trying to locate things in her apartment? As much as she wanted to assist him in trying to contain the monstrosity she's produced in there, her feet just wouldn't move. For some reason, she found it absolutely terrifying to be in the same room as her neighbor. And so, she remained rooted to her spot until the handsome stranger finally appeared at her door again.

Sakuno saw that his hair and his blue shirt got slightly wet from his labor. A few drops of water were trailing down his gorgeous face. She couldn't help but stare again.

"Just what exactly were you attempting to do with that?" he asked with some mild irritation, much to the brunette's surprise.

Wait a minute...he's actually talking to her? Like an actual normal conversation?

She almost let her heart sing out loud in joy until she realized that his hazel eyes were glaring at the wrench in her hand, before the heat of his attention focused on her own brown orbs.

"Oh...I..." The flush in her cheeks was starting to become an automatic reaction to him much to her frustration. "I'm sorry...I thought I could fix it, I just attempted to loosen some screws to see if I can take a look at the inside of my plumbing, since it's clogged—"

"Without shutting off your water supply first?" he interrupted her ramblings.

"I—" She was more or less like a deer caught in the headlights as she realized her stupidity.

"Che, never mind," he finally said and turned his gaze away from her. "It's fixed for the mean time." He was heading back to his own apartment when Sakuno suddenly called out to him.

"Um, wait just a second! You got wet because of me and I never got a chance to thank you, monsieur—"

"Ara, Ryoma-kun, Sakuno-chan...how nice to see the two of you out at the same time," an older voice suddenly interrupted their conversation. They saw the form of their Japanese landlady walking over to them with a kind smile on her wrinkled face. Whether she noticed their current drenched state or she just chose to ignore it out of politeness was beyond them.

"I heard some commotion while I was speaking to Tanaka-san downstairs. Is everything alright?" she inquired with the smile still on her face.

'Ryoma...kun? So his name is Ryoma. He is Japanese after all, like I suspected' Sakuno thought distractedly, unconsciously stealing a glance at the man next to her, who didn't seem too bothered by the revelation of his name.

"Sakuno-chan?" the landlady asked, now slightly concerned. "Is everything alright?"

She immediately turned her head to the lady and bowed in apology. "Oh y-yes! S-sorry, that was my fault. I had some plumbing problems and R-R" the name felt foreign on her lips, "Ryoma-san was nice enough to help me with it," she finished unsteadily.

Hearing that the problem was actually solved, the landlady focused a beaming smile at the young man before her. "That was very gentlemanly of you, Ryoma-kun. Let me thank you on behalf of Sakuno-chan. I am glad to see you looking after a damsel in distress like a real man. Sweet actions from a dazzling man like you remind me of my late husband. He used to be as kind as you." The old lady's voice got a little emotional toward the end and she made the motion of dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.

Sakuno noticed that Ryoma's eyes had shifted briefly upon hearing the landlady's words, but he turned his face away so the older lady wouldn't notice it.

"It's nothing. I just didn't want it to flood all the way to my apartment," he said in an apathetic tone before he turned away and finally retreated into the privacy of his apartment.

The brunette was left standing in the hallway with the landlady, staring at his closed door. She clutched the fluffy towel that he had forgotten to take back from her as she let her mind be flooded with thoughts of her neighbor.

Ryoma... at least, now she knows his name.

Oh no, oh no. Please, please no.

She couldn't have possibly lost the only copy of her thesis paper that she has. That's just not acceptable. It's due the next day and she simply doesn't have the time and the energy to redo it from scratch. Not to mention, her grammar professor never accepts late work. She was sure to fail even if she managed to turn it in late.

Grabbing her purse, she scrambled out of her door, with one foot still trying to secure a flat shoe. The last time she saw her paper was when she was in the classroom. She had it laid out on her desk, since she was planning to have her professor look over it beforehand. As it turned out, the professor had to leave early so she never managed to go through with that plan. She was also in a rush to go to her part-time job since the proprietor had begged her to come in early that day. That's probably why she forgot to put it back in her bag when she left her class.

If anything, her paper should still be in the classroom. Maybe she can ask the night guard to open the door for her so she can grab it.

A distinct ding resounded on the floor and she was about to dash into the elevator when a rustle of papers stopped her in her tracks and her vision was soon filled with something white. A quick glance up from the white material made her aware of the emotionless hazel eyes staring at her.

She barely had time to properly process what just happened when the stack of papers was shoved into her hands.

"You still have lots more to work on."

The words were said quietly, with a hint of cockiness, as Ryoma walked by her and proceeded to the hallway.

"H-huh?" was all Sakuno could utter as her beautiful doe eyes blinked in confusion. She finally had half the mind to inspect the stack of papers he roughly handed to her. The first page was her title page, which bore her thesis title and her name and class at the bottom.

Oh god, thank goodness.

The brunette's amber eyes closed in relief upon realizing that it was the very same paper she was panicking about. Her brows knitted in confusion, however, as she turned to the next page.

It was the same essay she had written, but now there were plenty of corrections in red ink all over her paragraphs. Reading the markings, she then realized that someone had proofread the paper and had written all their input and grammatical corrections to her essay.

Sakuno suddenly turned to the direction Ryoma had gone to.

He couldn't have possibly done this, could he?

It was storming outside. The windows inside the old apartment were cluttering as they were mercilessly hit by the tempest wind.

The young lady was sitting on her couch in her pajamas, a warm blanket around her shoulders, as she clutched a mug of hot cocoa in one hand. Soft brunette hair was down and free to fall down her back. Her auburn eyes were glassy and staring absently at the comedy show she was barely watching in her modest living room.

It was the anniversary of her grandmother's death.

This day is always the hardest for her. For some reason, the pain of loneliness and isolation hits her the strongest during this day. It makes sense. It's a reminder of the day when her grandmother had left her on her own. She was the only family she had known her entire life–her only companion, her only real friend. Why in the world was she taken away from her when they had taken everything else? She never complained about the million things lacking in her life. The brunette girl had been happily grateful about the numbered blessings that she had received.

But when even that one most precious thing was cruelly ripped away from her, she can't help but feel like—

Knock, knock, knock.

The firm sound amidst the chaos of the storm outside snapped her out of her depressing thoughts. Only then did she realize that a tear had escaped from her eyes and had left a wet trail down her cheeks.

Oh no, I'm crying.

She hastily wiped the tears in her eyes with the sleeve of her pajama shirt when she heard the offending sound again.

Knock, knock, knock.

For crying out loud, it's almost midnight. Who in the world would visit her at this time? The only visitor she ever gets is the postman who delivers the envelope that contains the check with her monthly allowance and she highly doubted he's on duty at this time of the night.

Approaching her door, she asked with a slightly broken voice, "W-who's there?"

No answer. She tried to peek into the door's peephole but was unable to see who's on the other side. The person was most likely not standing directly across from the peephole.

"Who's there?" she repeated in a louder and clearer voice, just in case the person on the other side didn't hear her.

Knock, knock, knock.

That was the only reply that she received.

Maybe because she was in the worst mood possible or maybe because she simply didn't care what happened to her, she unlocked her door quickly and opened the door wide in frustration.

Her glassy eyes met the disapproving stare of her neighbor.

"You would open the door at this time of the night without knowing who's on the other side?" were his first words to her.

She was taken aback by his accusing tone and with her current mood, she couldn't help but answer back in her choked voice, "You would come to a girl's apartment at this time of the night, not reply when she asks for your identity, and castigate her when she still opens the door for you out of politeness?"

Her amber eyes shook as she tried to stare back at him. Something in her melancholy eyes made him break their staring contest and he turned his gaze to the interior of the apartment behind her.

"I wanted to check on that broken pipe."

"At this time?" she repeated softly, although her tone came out slightly incredulous.

"It's raining. It might be leaking."

She didn't say anything in reply to that and she can somewhat see the logic behind what he said, though it still sounded suspicious to her. Sakuno realized how unfair she was being. Maybe he was honestly just concerned about the broken pipe and that made him want to check on it, even at this time–though the thought of it was still ridiculous.

Just what exactly is going on inside this guy's head?

Ah, she didn't know anymore. If anything, she was grateful for the distraction, though it came in a weird way. After not saying anything to each other for a minute or two and just standing at her doorway like that, she finally stepped away to give him room to pass by and he took the invitation without a word. A waft of fresh cedar, sandalwood, and something masculine reached her nose as he passed by her and made his way inside.

Sakuno belatedly realized that he didn't carry his toolbox with him. He wasn't even dressed like he was planning to check on plumbing. He was wearing his usual white dress shirt, with a third of the buttons undone from the top, which granted her a partial view of his well-built chest. His sleeves were rolled up to expose his forearms. A hand was inside his black suit pants while the other was clutching a glass bottle.

His alert cat-like eyes made a sweeping round of her apartment before he placed the bottle he was carrying on top of her living room table.

"A gift from an acquaintance," he stated. "'Seems like you need it more than I do."

When he only received a curious blink from her and he saw her staring at the bottle filled with questionable white substance, he sighed and felt the need to explain further.

"It's milk."

She blinked again and softy replied, "Okay?"

Ryoma fixed his collar and turned his face away. "It helps with sleep, specially if you warm it up."

The whole idea finally penetrated her clouded head and the crude thoughtfulness of it brought a warm flush that immediately reached her cheeks.

"O-oh..." she uttered, looking down at her slippers. "Thank you," she finished sincerely.

"Hn."

"..."

"..."

The brunette found herself playing with the edge of her sleeve during the uncomfortable silence. That was when she noticed that he had moved and was making his way back to the door. He opened it but before he stepped out, he paused to glance back at her.

"Next time, don't open the door."

And then it was safely shut after him.

Sakuno slumped down to the ground, still not fully comprehending what just happened. He was always surprising her like that and always managing to find a way to turn her world upside down just with his mere presence. She doesn't know how much of it she could take before she loses it.

The brunette's chocolate orbs suddenly found the glass bottle he left on her living room table. She supposed it wouldn't hurt to give the warm milk suggestion a try. Maybe then she could escape her depressing thoughts and slip into a dream world that was devoid of any kind of pain and suffering.

That was when she realized that Ryoma never did check on her plumbing.

That familiar scent—the scent of cedar, sandalwood, and musk—surrounded her senses before anything. She was still partially in her dream world, full of a mysterious man with hypnotizing hazel eyes when she felt a slight weight added on top of her body. The warmth that came with the weight actually had the calming effect on her instead of alarming her.

It felt so warm and nice...and just right, as if it belonged right next to her body.

She almost wrapped her arms around that warm and nice thing, wanting to cuddle with it, when something suddenly clamped her mouth shut. Her eyes snapped wide open in alert. She was instantly awake, her instincts heightened in a sense of emergency.

"Mmmmphhhmmmmh!"

Her amber eyes were wide in panic as her scream got muffled by the hand that was securely covering her mouth.

In the darkness of her bedroom, she was able to make out intense cat-like eyes that were staring down at her.

"Mmpmphhh mmmphh," she continued to mumble and fruitlessly struggle out of his hold. His legs were straddling her body, keeping her pinned on the bed. His other arm was resting next to her head on the mattress to support part of his weight so he doesn't crush her.

"Shh," Ryoma hissed. "Listen closely," he whispered in a low voice that gave her shivers up and down her spine. She saw the glint of something metallic from her periphery and didn't need to turn her head to know that he was holding a gun in his free hand.

"If you don't want to die, you have to listen and do exactly as I say."

Needless to say, Sakuno felt her heart stop after hearing those words.

Vocabulary:

Monsieur - French title of respect, which corresponds to mister or sir in English

Author's Notes:

*Takes a deep breath* Soooo...how is it so far? Let me know about your thoughts and reactions. I have a clear idea of how I want this story to end so it's not as lost on me as The Island. Hopefully, it won't take as long to write as Danger in the Tennis Courts though, but I hope I will have fun writing it as well.

It's been a while since I played with characters from the Prince of Tennis world. I missed Ryoma and Sakuno and the other casts, so I'm glad to get the chance to write a story about them again.

Please read and review. They fuel my writing spirit, trust me. And I love hearing from you guys as well.

Until next time~