Hello, all. This is my first RyoSaku fanfic, so I hope it turns out to be to your liking. I've been planning it out since last November. Really.

Notes:
Pairs: RyoSaku, MomoAnn, KaiTomo, RegularsXOC, OCXOC. (No shounen-ai—it is kinda hot, but I can't write it to save Narnia.)
Universe: Future-fic, what-if-ish.
Warnings: Some swearing here and there, but not enough to qualify for Level Eminem. Hormonal teens. OOC-ness, because people have to change at least a little over the years. Sometimes tense situations.
Extras: I'll be leaving translations down at the bottom for convenience's sake.

Disclaimer: When Prince of Tennis entered the world, I was three. Don't expect me to own it anytime soon.

Echizen Ryoma couldn't believe his luck. He couldn't help but think back on all the events that landed him in this miraculous place. Of course, he had to thank his sempai-tachi later for 'helping' him.

Because that's what you're supposed to do when you're a sixteen-year-old freshman driven to near insanity by 'raging' hormones.

Oh, and it usually doesn't help, hovering over the girl you've liked for three years while she's sleeping.

It all started on a day that seemed like any other day; but of course, it always starts out like that, doesn't it? It was nearly six-thirty, almost too early for students to be out and about, most especially at school. But, as always, the ever-dedicated Regulars of both the boys' and girls' tennis clubs began showing up for early morning practice. Soon after, teachers and other early arrivers came, and by seven o'clock, there were quite a few people at Seishun Gakuen's high school division.

The Regulars of the guys' tennis club were all present and practicing, save for Tezuka-buchou, observing as usual, and Echizen, who'd probably overslept. Again. Loud voices interrupted the concentration of those on the court—no one should've been near there but them, not even Ryuuzaki-sensei or those freaking fangirls. Naturally, Tezuka stood at an angle glancing slightly in the general direction of the noise, looking awesome as the others gathered 'round. A black blur ran towards the Regulars, snatches of its conversation reaching out.

"Ann, he better not—"

"—I'll punch lights out, Ann-chan—"

"—no, nii-chan, Kamio, don't! My boyfriend—"

"—attention? I'm important, too..."

"—can't wait for my Hadoukyuu—"

Eventually, the mob came to a stop in front of the curious, but not surprised Seigaku Regulars. Tachibana Kippei and Ann led the rest of the Fudomine players to greet them. Tachibana stretched out his hand. Tezuka shook it, face still stoic.

"Hello, Tezuka, Seigaku. Before you ask, take the spotlight, Ann."

"Wh-wait, why me? Argh, never mind. Our school's getting renovated because of Inui, so they had to distribute us throughout the district. It's only temporary, though, so don't worry. Sorry for the intrusion," she smiled apologetically.

"What's Inui-sempai got to do with this, Ann?" Momoshiro inquired, slinking his arm over her shoulders. Tachibana pretended not to notice and tried to keep Kamio from killing Momoshiro.

"Ah," the Data Man remarked, adjusting his glasses. "It seems to have been my Inui Elixir version 3.9... it's still in the testing process. It's amazing how many teenagers will drink anything after a short five kilometer jog..." He wandered away, scribbling in his never-ending notebook, mumbling incoherent pieces of information.

"Hoi, hoi, it's a good thing he didn't test his Eliminator-watchamacallit on us!"

"I guess, but it's still unpleasant to think of..."

"Saa, Taka-san, I'm sure it would have tasted just fine."

"Uh, I don't think that's what Taka-san meant..."

"Oishi-sempai's right! The side effects wouldn't be good, not good at all."

"Fssshhhhh... don't talk about it, Fudomine's still in shock."

"From what?" Everyone turned their attention to the person arriving behind Fudomine. He pulled his cap lower and headed for the club room.

"Echizen," Tezuka deadpanned.

"Uissu."

"Twenty laps for being late."

"Uissu."

"Erm, actually, I was wondering if we could practice here for however long the renovation will take," Tachibana put in.

Oishi stepped up. "No problem! I'll show you guys where you can put your equipment in the club room. Um, Ann, er, the girls' club room is on the other side of the courts. I'm not of much help, but if you run into trouble, just say Ryuuzaki-sensei said do. They shouldn't be too mean, after all, their buchou will handle things..."

"Oh, so now you're going to steal my thunder, too? Rambling and mumbling to oneself used to be just my running gag, and now everyone's going around and doing it as if I didn't exist..." They all stared as Shinji strolled off towards the boys' club room. He passed Echizen, who looked at him, then at the group before tugging his cap lower and began jogging his punishment laps. The silence over the group was hostile, yet awkward.

"Aaawkward tuuurtle..." Kikumaru whispered, placing one hand on top of the other and wiggling his thumbs.

Ryuuzaki Sumire watched, amused, from her window in the staff room as the Seigaku and Fudomine kids broke out laughing from Kikumaru's input. They began to clutch at their stomachs and drop to their knees as Momoshiro pointed out that Tezuka stood unmoving, like a statue. Shortly after, both buchous led the players to the courts, having settled club room issues earlier. They began having makeshift, yet well-planned matches against members from the other team, if not having a match against their doubles partner. Ryuuzaki-sensei sighed deeply; they didn't really need her there, they just needed her to represent the club among the school officials. Those brats were improving every day, even without her training them. "They're all so independent," she said to herself.

"I know what you mean! My kids don't need me to conduct them through their pieces or help with fingerings..."

"—I swear, they can all make a basket from half court, easy—"

Ryuuzaki-sensei turned to face her peers. They were all chattering on how well their students' progress was. In all her quietness, an idea came to her.

"But the thing is, they're too independent," Ryuuzaki-sensei prompted. "When the third years have their math lessons with me and have trouble getting something, they always turn to someone who's in the same club as them. They're actually talking less and less between classes, which is pretty severe."

A low, ominous whisper spread throughout the room. They agreed with her, but an agreement was never always about somthing good. Everyone was abruptly cut off by the sliding door whipping open. The principal skipped in, smiling boundlessly. An obvious 'I-have-an-idea~' face was plastered on her head.

"Well, I've been watching and listening, like all of you, and I have to say, Ryuuzaki-sensei, you get props for being brave enough to say it first! I mean, come on, I'm not gonna bite if you pipe up."

Ryuuzaki-sensei raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're not just saying that because I'm your mother-in-law, Meimi?"

"Of course not, okaa-chan. I would've given anyone props, but you said it first."

"Oh, so you would've given me the same props as everyone else even though I'm your mother-in-law?"

"Mou, okaa-chan, I have to get to the point!"

Ah, yes, that's right. Ryuuzaki Sakuno is NOT an orphan. Both her parents are alive and well. Ryuuzaki Meimi had spent four years in Okinawa earning her Master's Degree. Ryuuzaki Kaito is an international pilot. That's all there is to it.

"Anyway," Meimi-kouchou continued, "I've been aware of this far longer than any of you, so I've had time to formulate a plan." She smiled angelically, and Ryuuzaki-sensei knew that whatever was in store for the students of Seigaku was neither easy nor short. "I've arranged for them to learn how to appreciate the efforts of everyone around them, the hard way. Flowery words will get us nowhere, so I'll tell you right now; we're going to have a half-year club switch.

"What this means is that for half a year, each club will take on the activities of another club, learning a new skill and how to interact with those they are unfamiliar with, all while keeping track of their abilities in their normal interests. At the end of half a year, we'll see how well students can communicate with others and we'll take it from there. It's not elaborate, but it's the only thing we've got. Do all of you think we should carry it out, or no?"

As the rest of the staff room cheered Meimi-kouchou's brilliance, Ryuuzaki-sensei wordlessly grinned to herself. Of course they all did agree with that course of action, but it also meant that the 'club supervisors' would finally be useful.

It wasn't everyday that Ryuuzaki Sakuno decided to have enough guts to talk to Tezuka Kunimitsu, and it was even less often that she talked to him first. Immediately after, Tezuka-buchou and Ryuuzaki-sensei headed towards the school building, but that didn't stop Echizen Ryoma from being jealous.

Surprised? Ah, you see, his arrogant brat attitude is something he'd inherited from his father. From his mother came his humble and modest, soft-spoken side. Of course, nobody had seen it because, let's face it. In American schools, pretty much nothing got deeper than best friends until middle school. Add that to the fact that Echizen kept moving school frequently to enter various tournaments. Multiply this by close friendships formed over four years (he hadn't moved since he came to Seigaku) and violà! There you have nothing more than an honest boy with exceptionally good tennis skills whose first love—in the form of an actual person, mind you—is a girl who had met him first and became a confident girl and a talented tennis player that doesn't know the extent of her loveliness.

And so, jealous-yet-still-dense Echizen asked his best friend what she had told his sempai.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure," Sakuno admitted, "but I've got a hunch about where it's leading. I just told him that he's wanted in the conference room. Did you need something from him, Ryoma-kun?"

"What's your hunch about?"

Sakuno tip-toed and whispered. "It's a secret until he comes back."

This alarmed Echizen greatly, and he was overly-curious about what she thought of the situation. Echizen frowned and followed her.

"Tell me."

"No."

"I can keep a secret."

"So?"

"Please, please, please tell me, Sa-chan?"

"Go."

"Why?" he whined. "Just tell me."

"Ah, mou, Ryoma-kun! Firstly, because okaa-chan made me keep quiet about it until it's officially announced. Secondly, I don't have to tell you because you can't follow me forever."

"Yes I can. Watch me."

"R-Ryoma-kun, you can't!" Sakuno pleaded, cheeks tinted the slightest pink. However, Echizen didn't give in.

"And why can't I follow you forever?"

"Because," Sakuno blushed, "I'm going to the girls' club room to change! Unless, of course, you want to come in and help me..." She trailed a finger off his cheek, hidden from the view of... those watching with interest. Seductively, she turned, swaying her hips as she strutted into the girls' club room. She shut the door slowly, winking at him, effectively flushing his cheeks a deep vermillion. Hastily, he pulled his cap over his flaming cheeks and tried to calm his damned teenage boy hormones. Why did she have to make it difficult for him to keep his cool, with that fair, porcelain skin, gorgeous toned figure, attractive long legs, and that beautiful auburn hair kept in high twin ponytails that seemed to tickle her thighs as she walked— shit! It was happening again! He shook his head, chanting 'I will not think of my best friend like that. I will not think of Sakuno like that. I will not think of Sa-chan like that. I will not—'

"Oi, Echizen! What was that all about?"

"Nya, ochibi's face is all red!"

Echizen paled as Momoshiro and Kikumaru glomped him. He hadn't realized they'd been watching.

"Saa, it seems our little kouhai has a crush on our coach's granddaughter. What's your take on the situation, Inui?"

"Echizen was curious about what Ryuuzaki-san told Tezuka. She wouldn't tell him, so he followed her until she pointed out that he can't follow her into the girls' club room. It seems that she may have also provoked and triggered his current state."

"What are you talking about? I didn't provoke or trigger anything," Sakuno replied, exiting the club room in her Regular's uniform. It differed a bit from the boys' uniform. It was a sleeveless collared sports dress with red and blue stripes running down the sides, the collar, and the hem of the skirt. It wasn't too short, but it still gave guys a reason to stare. The jersey was just slimmer for the girls. "Anyway, shouldn't you all get to practice? Kaidoh-sempai looks like he's going to murder someone if you don't start soon." Sakuno jogged off to join her team, which was doing accuracy exercises. Momoshiro waved off Sakuno's warning, but nonetheless trailed Fuji and Inui back to the courts with Echizen in tow.

"Hoi, ochibi, since when did you call Ryuuzaki-chan 'Sa-chan'?

"I've never heard him call her that before, sempai."

"There's something going on that Echizen's not telling us, but I'm sure Inui can shed some light on this."

"I can. In eighth grade, Echizen and Ryuuzaki-san had the exact same class. Ryuuzaki-san took the opportunity to get to know him as a friend. Eventually, Echizen grew a heart and began to communicate back. Over time, they became more comfortable around one another, nurtured their friendship, and became best friends. However, this past spring, Ryuuzaki-san's mother returned. Ryuuzaki-san invited Echizen and his family to the celebratory dinner. Echizen noticed that Ryuuzaki-san was all dressed up, but for the sake of his dignity, I'll leave the rest to your imaginations."

Echizen shuddered. I'd rather you didn't tell them that, Inui-sempai, now who knows what they could be thinki—

"Oi, Echizen, you didn't do anything to her, did you?"

"Saa, that's quite unbecoming, Echizen. I expected more from you."

To them, this was great fun. He knew they'd be thinking of the most, er, explicit fantasies (for lack of a better word), but they knew turn that saying these things out loud would have priceless results. And so they did. All the blood seemed to have drained out his face, then crashed back in with the force of a tsunami.

"Sempai-tachi are really stupid. I did nothing of that sort."

"Ne, ochibi's right—they were only, what? Fourteen, fifteen? The worst he could've done was check her out and think 'she's hot', nya. ...hoi, ochibi, did you? Did you?"

Echizen attempted to regain his composure as his sempai-tachi bothered him endlessly, wanting details. Did he think she was hot? Did he like her? Did they kiss yet?

"Hey, stop harrassing Echizen and get back to practicing!" Oishi ordered, taking notice of the commotion. However, he was curious now, too. As were Kawamura and, surprisingly, Kaidoh.

"Oishi-mama, how do you know that we're harrassing ochibi-chan here?"

"Well," Kawamura countered, "a normally almost Tezuka-level-stoic fifteen-year-old waddles into the courts making poor attempts to hide his blushing. Combined with the fact that you and Momo are practically strangling him and poking questions at him, anyone can tell you're harrassing him."

"Maa, we should give Echizen a break. He looks like he could be a firetruck."

"Demo, sempai-tachi! Echizen has to answer the question first, then we'll leave him alone. So, Echizen, do you like Ryuuzaki-chan?"

"..." Echizen stalked off to the courts and began challenging the Fudomine players, seemingly at random.

"The probability of Kaidoh having a comment is one-hundred percent..."

"Fsshhh... people do say that in cases like this, 'silence is denial'." He went to join Echizen in threatening people to a match, leaving the six remaining players in a state of shock. Five of them turned to stare at one person in particular.

"...though the result of that comment relating to Echizen's denial was... rikutsu janai."

Luckily, they all no longer had a reason to gawk, threaten, or refuse match demands. Tezuka-buchou had returned, but with a somewhat more disturbed expression than his usual blank rock face. Echizen's ears perked up as even the girls' tennis team gathered. He would finally get the answer to the question that had been perturbing him so much. But even Yanagi of Rikkaidai wouldn't have been able to predict Tezuka's next words.

"We're no longer playing tennis."

So, how was the first chapter? Too long? Too short? Too rushed? Tell me what you think by leaving a review!

I put Sakuno's parents in because I'm kinda tired of reading those stories where, "Oh, they died. Oh, they got murdered. Oh, they got attacked by a Beiber."

Translations:
-kouchou: The honorific for the Principal of a school.
kouhai: Underclassmen. The opposite of sempai.
Rikutsu janai: Sort of Inui's catchphrase. It means, "That's/It's illogical."