IN YOUR SHADOW


Ch: One


"Hey, Ann." Kamio greeted his friend with a warm smile, softening his usually arrogant and intense expression. Brown bangs flopped over one of his eyes, which stood out against his pale skin.

"Hi, Kamio!" The delighted Ann smiled back. Her short, chin length brown hair was clipped back out of the way, revealing a small, pointed face. "How was practice?"

"The usual," Kamio replied, his racket resting casually on his shoulder. "How was yours?"

"We have a new member," she said, nodding at a spot behind Kamio.

He turned around to see a girl about his age standing a few feet behind him, inspecting her racket.
"Matsuno!" He waved to her.

She turned her fierce grey eyes on him, and a smile twitched at the ends of her lips. "Kamio."

"You know her?" Ann asked curiously.

"She came to Fudomine last week. She's in my class," he explained. "Here, let me introduce you." He beckoned Ann to Matsuno's side.

"Matsuno Hikara," she said to Ann, without waiting for Kamio. She gave a slight smile that bore all the friendliness of a huge grin.

"And this is Tachibana Ann," Kamio gestured towards Ann.

"Hi! It's really nice to meet you!" she greeted her brightly.

"Hey Kamio, want to go get a hamburger?" One guy standing outside the court yelled.

"Yeah, coming. See you, Ann, Matsuno." He waved goodbye to the girls.

Ann and Hikara packed their rackets silently. Ann looked at her new friend with interest. She was small and on the thin side, with black hair in a style like Ann's except for a shock of white in her bangs. At first glance her grey eyes were cold and formidable like a hawk's, but like her smile, they showed unlimited warmth once you looked closer.

"Have you been learning tennis for a long time? Your game seems to have about three years' experience," Hikara said to her.

"Oh no," Ann answered, quite flattered. "I've only been learning for two years, ever since I came to Fudomine."

"I'm sure I'll learn a lot from you," Hikara said in her quiet voice.

Ann beamed at her. "You're pretty good too," she returned the compliment, even more perky than her usual self. "Have you played long?"

"As long as you have, but my skills reflect my actual experience," Hikara admitted ruefully.

"I don't think so! Your basic skills are really well tuned. Who was your coach? Which school did you go to before Fudomine?"

To Ann's puzzlement, Hikara's voice changed at once to a hard tone which matched her eyes. "If you don't mind, I'd rather not say."

The other girl grew even more curious. "I've probably heard of it, if that's what you're worried about. I'm very familiar with schools that play tennis," she assured Hikara.

"All the more reason not to tell you," Hikara said, walking away. "Goodbye, Ann, I'll see you tomorrow. It was nice meeting you."

Ann stared at her retreating form as she disappeared into the setting sun. Could there be something about her former school that made her not want to talk about it?