Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis by Konomi Takeshi.
A/N: Hey everyone! As you can see, I've decided that there are things about From Sky High that I was becoming quite frustrated with, but rather than scrapping everything entirely, I wanted to start fresh and give it a rewrite, but under a different title.
There are going to be several major changes in this rewrite, and some of the characters may have experienced significant personality changes as well. I even adjusted a few names, too, but all the main characters will still have the same names. Hopefully, you'll find this to be a more refined and maturely written read compared to From Sky High.
As of now, I'm quite happy with my two one-shots and All Your What Ifs, so those will all stay up. I promise that AYWI will be updated one of these days, but not until I've gotten to a certain point in this rewrite.
So, all I have left to say is; enjoy!
~xXx~
"Loose ends, they tangle down
And then take flight
But never tie me down
But never tie me down."
—Greg Laswell, Off I Go
~xXx~
"No," Atobe stated flatly, slamming his book shut with more force than necessary. "You asked me this question two months ago, and I said no. Today, I say no again. If you ask me in a year's time, I'm still going to say no. So quit this incessant persistence already, or else you'll be stripped of your title as head of the newspaper committee."
The school newspaper girl—was her name Iseki or something?—narrowed her eyes in annoyance at the first part of Atobe's statement, but by his last sentence she turned as pale as a sheet. With a small jump, she muttered a hasty apology before making a beeline for the door.
At the exact moment Iseki dashed out, Oshitari smoothly entered, a single brow raised in mild interest. "Newspaper committee again?" The blue-haired boy guessed, seating himself in the chair before Atobe's desk. "Is that Iseki still trying to get the dirt on you and Akechi-san?"
Atobe rolled his eyes. "That better have been the last time," he muttered darkly. "Don't those people know when something's not their goddamn business? Honestly, the nosiness of the common folk these days absolutely astounds me," Atobe pinched the bridge of his nose in weariness, breathing in deeply and letting out a loud sigh.
"Watch it, oh King," Oshitari shot back. "I'm one of those common folk, in case you don't remember."
"Yes, well you just so happen to be rather exceptional for a commoner, Oshitari. You don't forget your position and are somewhat of a decent human being."
"I'm so honored to hear your praise," Oshitari said just as the bell rang, signaling the start of school. With a disgruntled sigh, he stood up and offered Atobe a tired smile. "Well, on the bright side, we're officially third years now. Last year of high school."
Last year of tennis, were the words that both boys heard. Atobe wasn't stupid. He knew that for the majority of the boys' tennis team, this would be their last year. Perhaps it would be Atobe's last year as well.
"Last year of high school, indeed," Atobe echoed, reluctantly getting up from his comfy swivel chair. "Such a shame we're not in the same class this year, though."
Oshitari glanced at his friend darkly. "Atobe…you saw the updated class lists, right? So you know that she switched out of Class A?"
An icy fist curled around Atobe's heart as he struggled not to strangle the other boy. Of course he'd seen the rosters, and of course he'd immediately picked up on the fact that she had switched out of his class. The class that they were supposed to have been in together, but now they just weren't. He'd known that she'd do that long before he'd even checked the updates, because she always, always ran away.
"So what?" Atobe replied with fake breeziness. He waved a hand nonchalantly, said, "Yuuka can do whatever she wants. Neither she nor her actions concern me."
Except they do, he added privately to himself as he strode out of his private office.
~xXx~
Click!
Startled, Shun jerked up from her book so violently that she straight up fell out of her chair. With a muffled groan, she looked up to find the lens of a camera peeking at her.
"Seriously, Fukumitsu? It's been six years and I'm still not used to that," Shun shook her head while secretly smiling on the inside, knowing very well that it was impossible to escape Fukumitsu Erena and her camera.
"My apologies," Erena dipped her head respectfully, a hint of her trademark close-mouthed smile on her face. "But it's tradition, you see. I've already gotten one of Tsukiko, and I plan on getting Yuuka at lunch. She's an elusive one, that Yuuka, but I always find a way to catch her."
Shun's spirits immediately sank at the mention of Yuuka. "I'm assuming Akechi's going about her morning like nothing happened, like she's just oh so used to screwing with other peoples' lives?" She muttered darkly.
"Careful," Erena warned, her green eyes flickering up to the classroom door. "Atobe-san's in our class, you know. Maybe you two can bond this year over your qualms about Yuuka, but she's still one of my best friends."
She doesn't deserve friends like you and Sorano. Shun wanted to shout, but as always, she couldn't bring herself to say it. Erena was a drifter at heart, because she'd only go to wherever her camera led her. But for as long as Shun had known her, she still didn't quite know if they were friends, or if Erena even cared about her outside of her tennis.
(But really, Shun hoped that Erena and Tsukiko considered her as a friend.)
"Anyway," Erena shrugged, gracefully floating down into her chair. Her desk was right in front of Shun's, and Erena's tall stature would surely block the board during class. "Sign ups are today, and Tsukiko's expecting you to be there. We can't start without our vice captain, after all."
Shun stifled a groan. "I still don't get why Miura-sensei would appoint me, then just leave like that." Actually, I do.
"It's because you're a highly esteemed individual whose antisocial behavior masks a truly beautiful soul deep inside," Erena deadpanned, smiling her close-mouthed smile again. "Cheer up, though. Only one more year, and then you won't have to deal with us anymore, Himura."
The mention of their last year sank Shun's spirits even more. Of course she couldn't wait to leave behind everything. If she'd had her way, she would have taken the next plane out of the country like three of her siblings had, but she'd stayed for her youngest brother, Taiki. God knew that their father would do to him if only Taiki remained in Japan, and Shun was determined to keep Taiki happy for as long as possible.
If only there were a way to make everyone happy, though. Shun had been searching for that answer since she was twelve, and now, at seventeen-closely-nearing-eighteen, she wasn't any closer to finding it.
~xXx~
Oh, hell.
Of course this had to be the day Anna happened to leave late, and of course this also happened to be the exact moment the homeroom teacher was assigning the seating. Once the teacher rested her eyes on Anna, she pointed to a double desk by the window and said, "Hayashi, you go sit over there."
And that was how Hayashi Anna became seat partners with Oshitari Yuushi.
If she were any other girl, Anna probably should have been happy. Yes, Oshitari was damn attractive, and it could have been much worse, but it could have been much better, too. Anna had been in same class as Oshitari since their third year of middle school, but her initial thoughts of him hadn't changed much since then. From the moment she saw him give her an once-over, Anna had known that he was too suave, too naturally flirtatious for her tastes. Maybe he was actually a nice person after all, and maybe he really wasn't all that bad, but Anna was stubborn and not swayed very easily.
It didn't help that she'd stumbled upon him making out with some random girl on the staircase last year. Literally stumbled over him, because Oshitari and the girl had been so entangled that they may as well have been having sex right there and then. Anna had been so immersed in conversation with her friend that she'd tripped over Oshitari, and that fall down the stairs had given her a concussion. And he never even apologized for it, nor even tried to check up on her in the slightest. So screw Oshitari. She should have sent him the medical bill.
She must have been glaring at him while she recounted the story in her head, because Oshitari was giving her a funny look as he sat down. "Is there something wrong, Hayashi-chan?" He asked, a small smirk developing on his lips.
Anna really wanted to clock him in the face at the -chan. Instead, she shook her long golden hair out of its braid so it created a curtain between her and Oshitari. "Oh, I'm fine. But, I mean, you gave me a concussion last year and didn't apologize, so I think there must be something wrong with you," she drawled sarcastically, pleased at the venom in her tone.
Suddenly, she felt something brush her hair out of the way, something that felt calloused but gentle. "Haven't you ever heard of making eye contact with someone during conversation?" Oshitari remarked, coolly lifting a brow at her.
Two can play at this game. With a cloying smile, Anna clasped her hand over his and leaned in so close to Oshitari's face that she could see little flecks of brown in his blue eyes. "Is this what you had in mind, then?" She murmured in a sultry whisper, pleased by the slight widening of his pupils.
A light laugh broke Anna out of her reverie. "Since when did you two become such good friends?" a pretty girl with wavy dark red hair smiled teasingly. "Wasn't Oshitari-san the one who got you concussed, Anna?"
Oshitari tilted his head in confusion. "I did?" He mused, clearly having forgotten the story entirely.
Anna just rolled her eyes at him. "You're in our class, Sorano? Maybe you can save me from this torturous seating situation," she commented, ignoring Oshitari's indignant look he sent her way.
"No, sorry," Sorano Tsukiko, captain of the girls' tennis team, shook her head. "I'm in B, but Shishido-kun forgot his lunch this morning and his mom asked me to give it to him."
Shishido, who had just appeared next to Tsukiko, nodded to her with his usual serious, if not rather cross, expression. "Thanks, Sorano," he said in a slightly less gruff than usual tone. "I'm guessing my mom roped you into joining us for dinner again, huh?"
"Can't tonight," Tsukiko smiled regretfully. "Voice lessons. But I told her next time, so we'll see. And now," she checked her watch with a frown. "I'd better get going. Okazaki-sensei is probably in homeroom by now. I'll see you later, Shishido-kun. You too, Oshitari-kun and Anna—oh, and don't forget that signups are today!" Tsukiko called over her shoulder, waving as she darted gracefully out of the room.
Anna repressed the urge to snicker as she watched Shishido return to his seat.
As the teacher finished up seating arrangements, Oshitari suddenly turned to Anna with a hesitant expression on his face. "Did I actually get you concussed last year, Hayashi-chan?" He questioned, carefully selecting his words without his usual suaveness.
Again, there it is with the –chan. "Yeah, you did," Anna confirmed, tossing him a sarcastic smile. "What, were you so busy making out with your girlfriend that you didn't notice someone tripping over you and cracking her head against the floor? Because that's a memory that I don't think I'll ever forget."
Stunned, Oshitari could only dip his head and say, "Well, this is long overdue, but I'm sorry about that."
Anna blinked. Was it just she, or did he actually sound genuinely sincere? It was just a concussion, and it had happened a year ago. Maybe it had been a little too much to hold that grudge against him, and for a moment she wished she'd been nicer to him. After all, they were seat partners for the rest of the year now, were they not?
Still, Anna didn't like to admit defeat. "Hey, Oshitari?" She whispered softly, wondering what was the best way to word what she wanted to say next.
"Yes?" Damn it, his eyes were really blue. Anna wanted to see them up close again, but that didn't seem very smart at the moment
Instead, she said, "Is it too late to send you the medical bill?"
~xXx~
Second year Kataoka Chizuru was thoroughly exhausted. The effects of her morning coffee were already wearing off, of course she hadn't gotten enough sleep last night, and it was only lunchtime. And naturally, she'd forgotten to pack her lunch.
Just as she was considering going to the nurse and sleeping through lunch, Chizuru's friend, Etsu, slid into the seat next to her and offered Chizuru half her sandwich. "Here, you'd better eat this, Chizuru-san. You need to keep your strength up for the rest of the day," Etsu reminded, her clipped, matter-of-fact voice calm and relaxed.
Chizuru gratefully accepted the sandwich and took a bite out of it. "Thanks, Etsu-san. You can have my dessert tomorrow, when I actually remember to pack my lunch," she laughed shakily, wondering if the room looked so shaky because of her fatigue or if it really was shaking.
"Of course," Etsu nodded in satisfaction, like she'd just struck a lifelong contract with Chizuru. "And don't forget that you owe me a soda, too, since I bought one for you last week."
"Oh. Yeah. Sure, I've got it," Chizuru nodded, secretly wishing that she had other friends. She liked Etsu enough, but sometimes, Chizuru got the impression that Etsu treated everything like a business deal, like it was all a give-and-take situation of who-owes-who. Even their friendship was like that, with Etsu always reminding her of how much money Chizuru owed, or by how many points Etsu scored higher on a test. But almost all of the time, Chizuru would be the one to score higher, and Etsu would ignore her for a solid day. She'd go off with her other friends, as if Chizuru deserved some kind of punishment for performing better.
But sometimes, Chizuru just wanted a friend by her side. And Etsu just happened to be good enough.
"So," Etsu commented, sipping at her tea with her pinky up. "Are you going to try out for the track team this year? Because we still haven't been able to find any good sprinters after losing Shishido-senpai and Himura-senpai, so we may as well have a strong enough distance crew to make up for it."
"Actually…" Chizuru trailed off, feeling immensely guilty when Etsu's brown eyes coldly turned to her. "I've decided to not double up on sports this year, and I think I'll just play tennis. I've got a real shot at making the team this year, and—"
"I see. You're choosing Ootori over your friend," Etsu interrupted, her gaze turning even colder. "When are you going to realize that he's never going to like you back? You've already gotten rejected once, and do you really want to go through that again?"
Chizuru jerked back, but it wasn't just because of the harshness of Etsu's words. The cafeteria was really starting to spin now, and she could feel the back of her neck starting to itch. "Etsu," she gripped her friend's arm desperately. "Why didn't you tell me you had tomatoes in your sandwich?"
The other girl merely shrugged as she took another slow sip of her tea. "Oh, I must have forgotten. You'd better rush off to the nurse then, if you don't want your allergies to react too strongly," she responded, sounding way too calm for the situation at hand.
Tearfully, Chizuru bolted out of her chair and ran out of the cafeteria. She knew that by now, her neck and face must have broken out in hives, and of course Etsu had remembered that she was allergic to tomatoes, but had chosen not to tell her on purpose. It was so typical Etsu, but the action still made Chizuru want to cry at the same time.
She was running so fast that she didn't happen to notice the petite frame right in front of her. "Whoa!" a girl's voice called out in surprise as thin arms reaching out to steady Chizuru. Through her tears, Chizuru could make out a pair of eyes so dark they were black. "Are you okay? Wait, that's a dumb question, since you're covered in hives. Come on, I'll get you to the nurse," the girl said, words coming out of her a mile a minute. "What's your name? Why are you crying? Oh God, please tell me this is just an allergic reaction, right? Because I really don't know what to do in a life or death situation, and I'm new here, so—"
"Airi," another, much deeper voice cut in. Chizuru recognized this voice to be Kabaji, her fellow classmate and sort-of friend from the tennis team. "Nurse first, then questions later."
"Ah, right. Sorry then. Come on, let's go," the girl apologized, leading Chizuru by the hand. Her voice sounded kind of strange, like although she was still speaking Japanese, the cadence and inflections were different than what Chizuru was used to. "Do you have your EpiPen with you?"
Chizuru could only jerk her head from side to side, meaning no, of course she'd forgotten her EpiPen back in her classroom all the way on the other side of the school. More tears sprang out of her eyes, and Chizuru just about wanted to die out of embarrassment. As if this day couldn't physically drain her any more.
"Oh, don't cry! You're going to be fine. See, we're already at the nurse's office!" the girl hastily consoled, directing Chizuru through the door. "Sensei? She's had an allergic reaction and needs an EpiPen."
Chizuru was about to thank Airi for her kindness, when suddenly another voice said, "Kataoka-san? Are you okay?"
Oh God, so this is how my day could have gotten so much worse. Furiously, she wiped away her tears and plastered what was supposed to be a smile on her face. "I'm fine, Ootori-kun, just an allergy," Chizuru laughed perhaps a bit too unconvincingly.
Ootori, all tall build and silvery hair and amber eyes, peered down at her with concern. "Are you sure?" He checked warily, appearing to be slightly taken aback and a whole lot confused.
Chizuru, meanwhile, wondered if it were more embarrassing that she was covered in hives in front of him, or that it was so obvious she'd just been crying. Where is sensei with that EpiPen already? Before she could reply, however, her new companion chimed in.
"Ootori-san, right? She just had an allergic reaction, she'll be fine," the girl explained. Now that Chizuru's vision was clearing up, she saw that the girl's hair was light brown and haphazardly braided with uneven loops and lopsided twists, something that Etsu would look down at with a curled lip.
At that moment, the nurse reappeared with the EpiPen and gestured for the girl, Ootori, and Kabaji to leave. Ootori glanced back at her once before leaving, but the girl remained for a few moments longer, lifting her chin in a non-contemptuous way and smiling. "Hey, cheer up. The day will get better," she said, her dark eyes crinkling with kindness.
Before Chizuru could reply, the girl was already gone, and the EpiPen was stabbing through her thigh.
~xXx~
"Well this is quite the turnout," Tsukiko remarked, grinning at the long line of girls waiting to sign up for the tennis club. "It looks like there's even more than when we were freshmen, right, Shun-san?"
"Yeah," Shun agreed absentmindedly, busy concentrating on the stacks of paper in front of her. "At this rate, we may need to hold two days of tryouts instead of just one."
Shun didn't mind Tsukiko that much—she actually quite liked her, and that was a rare statement for Shun. People in general really weren't her forte. Shun got along well with Tsukiko, but that was just because Tsukiko was Tsukiko and likable as hell. She also liked Erena, but she wasn't sure what Erena thought about her in return. And, well, those two were pretty much it. Shun didn't know many others on a personal level, and she also didn't care enough to want to know them that well.
Tsukiko tucked a strand of blood red hair behind her ear and smiled up at the next girl in line—a rather bedraggled looking second year with loosely curly auburn hair and dark shadows under her eyes. "Hi, Chizuru-chan. I heard from Ootori-kun and Shishido-kun about your visit to the nurse today, but I'm glad you're feeling better now," the captain greeted, reassuringly patting Chizuru on the hand. "You know the drill, of course. Just tell us your class number and we've got you."
"Class 2-A," Chizuru responded, her voice slightly more hoarse than usual. "Thanks, Sorano-buchou."
Shun peered at the second year over her reading glasses. The reddened eyes, slightly ruined eyeliner, and quiet hiccupping were direct pointers that let Shun know Chizuru had been crying earlier, but she chose not to comment. She hardly knew Chizuru, but she had heard plenty about her. The top scorer in academics, the best long-distance sprinter on the track team, and the Girl Who Never Slept were just a few titles that belonged to Kataoka Chizuru.
Sometimes, Shun looked at people like Chizuru and felt sorry for them. They worked their life away to the point where they became fatigued, pale ghosts of their true selves, when at some point their actions were no longer for them but for someone or something else.
Then again, Shun thought with a sigh as she scribbled down Chizuru's name. Wasn't she also inflicting that upon herself?
"Well, well, well," a drawling, cat-like voice purred. "Look who actually showed up like the good little vice captain she is. It appears I've severely underestimated you, Himura."
The back of Shun's neck went cold when she felt a slender arm being wrapped around her shoulders in a gesture that was much too close for comfort. She already knew who it was without having to look, but that didn't mean Shun particularly liked who was speaking to her.
"Hey, Yuuka," Tsukiko greeted with a smile that made Shun never want to look away. "Quite a big crowd this year, huh?"
How the hell does Tsukiko of all people deal with that devil? "Akechi," Shun said coldly, turning to face the pair of eden green eyes that could, quite possibly, turn someone to stone. "It's funny, you know, that you're not in my class anymore. I wonder why you would ever switch out," Shun remarked, vicious satisfaction coursing through her veins at the narrowing of those eden eyes.
If asked who was the most rebellious Hyotei student, most would automatically say Akechi Yuuka. With her purple-pink ombre hair, glinting eyes, and ever-present smirk, Yuuka looked like the poster child for every parent's deepest fear. But—fortunately or unfortunately—Shun knew Yuuka well enough to know that she wasn't so much rebellious as she was enigmatic. Everything she did was for a reason, but for what reason, Shun had no idea. Nor did she care enough to find out.
"What does any of that have to do with you?" Yuuka bared her teeth in an aggressive snarl. It took a lot to piss her off, but when someone—especially Shun—hit the sore spot, they may as well kiss life goodbye.
"Alright, that's enough," Tsukiko cut in, gazing sternly at the two. "Yuuka, why don't you and Erena organize the club house, and Shun and I will finish here. We'll work on blocks for the tryouts after the crowd has cleared up," she instructed in a you listen to me or else voice, which sounded strange on the normally quiet and kind third year.
Yuuka stared Shun down for a moment longer, before eventually flicking her purple and pink ponytail over her shoulder and sauntering away. "Whatever," she called over her shoulder. "At least I don't have a stick shoved up my ass like Himura here."
It took every ounce of self-control Shun didn't even know she possessed to prevent herself from running after Yuuka and backhanding her across the face. Hyotei's mastermind wasn't just intimidating; she could be downright fucking terrifying without even trying. And out of everyone, Yuuka had chosen Shun to be her rival, her enemy, her whatever the hell she was supposed to be.
To be selected by Akechi Yuuka generally wasn't a good thing, and Shun had been tossed a death sentence when most were only given a glare. And the most terrifying part was, she knew exactly why Yuuka targeted her so much.
~xXx~
Yachi's eyes brightened immediately upon seeing Chizuru. "Ah, Kataoka-san! You finally showed up," he chided lightly, slapping her maybe a little too hard on the back. "Hamaguchi-san mentioned that you wouldn't be signing up this year, but don't you worry, I never doubted you for a minute! We can't just lose our number one long distance runner, after all."
Weakly, Chizuru attempted to muster a smile back at her upperclassmen. Yachi, the track captain, was as talkative as he was excitable, and his energy was often too much for Chizuru to deal with. "I'm not too late, am I?" She mumbled, praying on the inside that he would make an exception for her.
"We'll always wait for you, Kataoka," Yachi grinned, thumping her on the back again. This time, a few of her books fell out of her arms, which he didn't even notice. "In fact, Hamaguchi-san will be happy to hear that, since we'll have enough distance runners for a relay team. I'm so happy you chose your track family over tennis!"
"Oh, um, uh, yeah. Yeah, so am I," Chizuru hastily agreed, not having the energy or willpower to tell her happy captain the truth. Well, it's nothing a little caffeine can't fix.
Yachi's gaze shifted over to something behind Chizuru's head. His face broke out into an even bigger smile, if that were even possible, and he called out, "Oi, Shishido! Thinking about rejoining your old family again?"
Shishido-senpai?
All of a sudden, Chizuru felt a large hand clap down on her shoulder, making her jump again and drop even more of her books. One of them even landed on her foot, but she was so shocked that she didn't even feel the pain.
"Sorry, Yachi, but that's not gonna happen," Shishido responded flatly, his brown eyes devoid of any sort of friendly emotion. "Come on, Kataoka. Let's go."
And with that, Chizuru found herself scrambling to pick up her books and running after the tall third year, making sure to call a quick apology out to Yachi over her shoulder. "What's going on, senpai?" She shouted, struggling to catch up with Shishido's brisk pace. Weren't Shishido and Yachi friends? They used to always be together on the track team back in middle school, and if she remembered correctly, there had been lots of talk about the two being co-captains together.
Shishido paused only long enough for her to catch up, and then continued walking at the same quick speed. "Are you actually stupid, Kataoka? How the hell do you think you're going to manage tennis and track and piano and all your academics?" He demanded, glaring at her from the corner of his eye.
Chizuru bit her lip to keep from crying out. Of course she knew that she was being stupid, because hadn't she already learned the hard way to not overdo it, to let herself breathe every once in a while? But Etsu wanted her to keep on doing track, and then Ootori was on the tennis team, and everything was just too much but at the same time it wasn't nearly enough. Chizuru didn't mind the all-nighters, the endless cups of coffee as long as they came out to mean something, and they did.
Did they?
"Shit," Shishido muttered, focusing his glare on his watch. "Shit, I'm already late. Sorry about that all that, Kataoka, but all I'm saying is that you need to do what you actually want to and not what you think you can. Got it?"
Before she could give him an answer, he was already gone, sprinting off like the wind.
~xXx~
By the time Shishido reached his neighborhood, the sky was already starting to darken as the sun sank down. It would probably be dark within another hour, which meant that yes, he was definitely way too late, but none of that mattered anymore once he reached his house.
Sorano Tsukiko stood waiting for him on their joint tennis court, right between the Shishido and Sorano houses.
Technically, the court belonged to the Soranos, but when he was younger, Shishido used to sneak out onto it when they were out so he could practice. It was right there, after all, so what point was there in going all the way to the street courts? Then, one day, a girl his age with hair the color of blood was already there with an expectant look on her face. Waiting. Waiting for him.
And ever since then, the court didn't belong to the Soranos. Maybe it still legally did, but as far as Shishido was concerned, it was his and Tsukiko's and no one else's. It was their own little place in the world, and he liked it just that way.
"About time," Tsukiko teased, grinning lightly when he jogged up to her. She held out a stack of papers to him, said, "I got tired of waiting, so I decided to fill out the tournament blocks myself. No thanks to you, of course."
"Mmhmm," Shishido nodded, skimming through the papers with a critical eye. Her handwriting was neat and precise, and each of the blocks was filled in with carefulness and strategy. "Looks pretty good," he said at last, handing the stack back to her. "Remind me to stop by and watch Himura and Katsura's match. That sounds like it's going to be interesting," he remarked.
Tsukiko nodded, carefully setting the papers back into her messenger bag. "Ikue-san wasn't in school today, but she texted me to say that she was still signing up, so I wrote her name down. But yes, I'm looking forward to that match, too," she agreed. Then, she picked up her blue racquet and glanced back up at him with her blue-black eyes, said, "Well then, aren't you going to compensate for lost time?"
You, Shishido wanted to say, but cut off the thought before it got too far. The way she stood before him now—her dark red hair shining in the fading light, her eyes and mouth smiling up at him with an expression that he wanted to keep all to himself, that he didn't want anyone else to ever see—made him want to speak the words he'd skirted around for so many years, but he didn't. Couldn't. Shouldn't. Wouldn't. Just one of those reasons why.
"Yeah," he said instead, digging through his bag for his own racquet. "I've just got to win faster than usual, right?"
She laughed as she scooped back all her long wavy hair into a silver hairclip. "If that's what you think."
As Shishido stood preparing to serve, he briefly locked eyes with her across the net, causing her to flash him a small smile. Didn't, couldn't, shouldn't, wouldn't. Did, could, should, would. He didn't know if that kind of change would ever happen, but for now, he could only continue thinking the words he wanted to say.
You are entirely too good to be true.
He looked away and served.
~xXx~
A/N: As you can tell, there are several changes. Everyone's a little different this time around, but I'd like to think that they're more realistic characters as a whole now.
Where's Ikue though? Where's Miura? Why don't Atobe and Airi ever interact? Why's Chizuru so downtrodden? What's up with Shishido and Tsukiko? And what secret does Yuuka know about Shun?
All those questions will be answered in due time. In fact, I'm still figuring out some of them myself.
I think one of my biggest problems with From Sky High was that all my main OCs were beginning to blend into the same character. I'd dissolved the hostility between Shun and Yuuka without any actual development, neither Erena nor Chizuru ever received enough of a unique personality, and Tsukiko was a bit inconsistent. And of course, there were too many romances being randomly thrown in at the weirdest times.
So again, I hope that you all will continue to enjoy and read this revamped version, and if you have any questions, just send them to my tumblr cara-s-kingdom.
Leave a comment with your feedback, too! I really enjoy reading what you think, be it positive or negative.
Love, Cara
