I was listening and watching Kpop music videos when I thought of this one shot. Then I realized that this one shot was too long to be a one shot and I still wasn't done… It might turn into a story with a few chapters, nothing super long like the other ones I have planned out.

Disclaimer: Don't own Prince of Tennis

"Sometimes monsters know what they are"

Akaya Kirihara had his tennis bag slung casually over one shoulder and his hands in his pockets as he walked through the grassy field scattered with wildflowers. He was on his way to an obscure tennis court hidden away on the outskirts of Tokyo. He always came here to calm his body. Whenever things became too stressful in Rikkai, he traveled here for a few days. This time, the pressure of winning in the National Tournament and the shame of losing to Echizen Ryoma spurred him to arrive.

His fists clenched as he thought of his defeat. He needed to train and retrain and train again. This time, with no one in his way to distract him. No one to scold him, or berate him, or annoy him. He needed time to focus. Akaya knew what people thought of him when he turned into his devil persona. Even he had flinched the first time he looked into a mirror as devil Akaya.

Akaya was halfway across field when he noticed a figure lying in the tall grass. As he walked closer, he saw that it was girl with long, wavy black hair down to her waist. She wore a simple white dress as she dozed on the grass. Her eyes were closed and her dark eyelashes swept across her pale check. She looked so utterly at peace that Akaya gave a sigh of jealously. He could hear his heart thump through his body.

Suddenly, as if she heard his approach in her sleep, she woke, opening her closed lids. Akaya found himself looking into the strangest eyes he had ever seen. They were a bright hazel color but flickered between green, blue, amber, and brown every few seconds.

She didn't appear shocked at his presence and bent at the waist, still sitting on the grass. Her face was inscrutable as she looked at Akaya. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, anything, her eyes widened and quickly rose to her feet. To Akaya's complete surprise, she gave him a soft, gentle smile, her eyes a warm, soft, blue, as if she understood everything about him, as if she gave him the forgiveness he never asked for. The girl turned, and ran gracefully towards the direction of the main road, barefoot. Akaya was in a daze as her long hair was tossed and blown in the sudden wind. In another moment, she was gone. Akaya continued to stand there with his mouth agape, long after she had disappeared from view. Why had she looked so familiar?

Cyrena ran a shaky hand over her face as she realized what she had just done. Why had she run away? No, she knew why, she was afraid. Afraid of being hated by someone who didn't even remember her, afraid of that stare people gave her when they only heard silence; afraid of what he would think when he realized she couldn't speak.

She buried her head in her hands. Tomorrow she would be moving and all she could do was pray that he wouldn't recognize her.

"Akaya! Are you ready yet?"

He got up groggily from his bed and scratched the back of his head, making his wild black hair even messier. "What!"

"I just reminded you yesterday! We're going to visit the grave of Yamamoto-san today! Hurry up and get ready." Akaya groaned at the screeching sound of his mother's voice. He dressed clumsily and walked downstairs. "Okaa-san…."

Akaya had inherited his looks from his father who had the same permanently tousled black hair and sharp green eyes. He had however, gotten his temper from his mother, who could easily erupt at any given time. Akaya had often though about why his father had even had the guts to marry his mother.

"Come on! Hurry up. It's already bad enough that we missed yesterday, her death anniversary, because your father had a meeting." Akaya was shooed into the car along with an equally sleepy father. The car was already filled with flowers and incense and food. As they headed to the local cemetery, Akaya thought of Yamamoto-san. Although she had died when he was young, he still remembered her kind eyes that had seemed to sparkle. He had even been friends with her daughter who was around his age. Akaya hadn't seen her since she moved.

By the time they were at the cemetery, Akaya was relatively awake. Commanded to bring the heavier things up the hill and to the grave, Akaya walked up first. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the grave.

Standing in front of the tombstone was the girl. She wore a different white lace dress with a black sash and embroidery around the middle. In her hand, she carried a bouquet of white lilies. She placed the flowers gently on the ground and sank to her knees. Her dark hair covered her face as she clasped her hands and started to pray.

Akaya took another step towards her. "Cyrena-chan?" The girl froze and turned to look at him with a look of shock on her face. Akaya flushed when he realized that he had addressed her by her first name. "I uh…. I mean… are you?" He turned even redder as he stuttered incoherently. He had finally remembered who she was and his heart began to beat frantically.

"Akaya! Are you doing just standing there? Hurry up and get to the grave." Akaya's mother was standing behind him. Kirihara-san, Akaya's father, had realized that Cyrena was standing there and walked up to her hesitantly.

"Cyrena-san is it not? We haven't seen you for so long."

Cyrena bowed slowly and gave shaky smile. She took a slip of paper out from her pocket and handed it to Kirihara-san, looking down at her feet. Akaya's father adjusted his glasses as he read the worn note that had yellowed with use.

To Whom this May Concern,

I apologize for not responding, but I am unable to speak.

Akaya's mother had also read the note. "You can't speak? Oh dear, we must find you a paper and pen."

Cyrena was horrified. A simple visit to her mother's grave after her official anniversary had brought her in contact with the very people she was so afraid to meet. For that moment, she had stared into Akaya's green eyes and saw how tired he truly was. There was no sign of the cheerful child who had played with her and comforted her. She felt the pain in her chest increase. What did he think of her now what he knew she was mute? Did he think she was weak? Inadequate? He had changed. She had changed. She was delusional to think that they could still be friends. That was why she hadn't wanted him to recognize her right? If they were apart, it would hurt less?

She longed to have the same camaraderie and protective feeling that had surrounded her before whenever she was with him. But now, she felt the wall between them. She had heard about his tennis style. His will to physically hurt something. She had felt sick and heartbroken when rumors that the second-year ace of the Rikkai tennis team was a violent devil had spread. She hadn't wanted to believe but finally, she had seen a tape of a match where he had repeating struck his opponent's knee, over and over again.

Akaya stood there, unsure. That little girl who used to have the most exuberant face now stood with such sadness and emptiness in her expression. She had looked back at him with an almost desperate longing for a split second with her flickering eyes. Why couldn't she speak? Akaya remembered that, as a child, she had a beautiful voice that often calmed him whenever he threw his child tantrums. He found himself with an unfamiliar urge to hug her, touch her, and speak to her. Akaya took another couple of steps towards her.

Cyrena found a pen in her pocket and hastily scrawled a note.

I'm sorry but I really have to be going. I need to unpack. I'll make sure to visit tomorrow with Grandfather. I'll be going to school tomorrow. Good bye.

With a bow and a small wave, Cyrena quickly left before anyone could say anything. She half walked, half ran, down the gently sloping hill towards her house. Cyrena brushed a piece of hair out of her face. She had run. Again. It was too late. He already knew who she was. Even if he saw at school he would probably ignore her. Why wouldn't he? Although he was feared, he was handsome and had his fairly large fanbase at school. The only difference with his was that most girls were too scared to go near him.

Pushing Akaya from her mind, she smiled to her grandfather on the way inside her new home and walked upstairs to get ready for school tomorrow. The walls of her new room were a pleasant deep blue color, reminding her of the ocean.

She never enjoyed acclimating to a new school. She couldn't stand the stares and curiosity about the "new mute girl" as she was often dubbed.

"Get up!" A girl viciously pulled Cyrena's hair after pushing her roughly to the ground. "You dumb mute! What do you think you're doing in our school! Don't you understand? No one wants you here. Just get out of my sight." Tears streamed out of Cyrena's eyes. She wanted to scream and cry but nothing would come out. Nothing ever did.

She shook her head trying to dispel the images. She laid out her old uniform on the bed. The new one hadn't come in yet. She would stand out again with her sailor uniform but it couldn't be helped. Cyrena lay on her bed, staring up at the ceiling in her empty room, feeling helpless as the cycle started again.

Wheew, this chapter came out really fast. The next one should be done soon but I can't guarantee I'll have time to upload it. I love Akaya fics and wanted to write my own but for the longest time I had writers block but suddenly this story came to me. I'm pretty excited. Happy face Also, if anyone is wondering where the beginning quote came from, I actually can't remember… I'm pretty sure it's from a book? If anyone finds out feel free to tell me.

don't worry, i'm still working on my other fics. thanks for reading!