Prologue

Three boys stood in front of the charred foundation of a middle school they once attended together. They could still smell the remnants of smoke. A gloomy aura hung over the three as they relived their time here. They weren't sad for leaving the school; they were sad for the future ahead of them.

"L-Looks like I'll be going to a different school than you guys…" spoke one of the boys, finally breaking the silence. "I'm going to miss you guys…"

"We'll at least be in the same prefecture, Tatsuya." The taller of the two said while attempting to imagine how the building was before the fire. "You're going to Rikkaidai, and we'll be at Hyoutei."

He nodded his head to show he remembered. "I'll visit if I can." He glanced at the boy who hadn't spoken a word since they got here. "…Matt, aren't you sad?"

"Not really… you know I only bothered attending because you all made me." The shortest boy had shaken his head, his bangs falling over his eyes. "The only memory I'll get out of this place was meeting you two, but other than that, I'm glad we're out of here."

"Y-Yeah…" Tatsuya scratched at his cheek and slumped. He still couldn't help but feel pained that they would be departing. The fact that he would be attending another school alone meant he was back to the same lonely kid he was. He was terrified of meeting and opening up to people.

Matt again spoke, "At least you're not going with this asshole." He jabbed a thumb at the taller one. "I can't believe you chose that academy for a precious childhood friend, Tenka."

The referred to asshole rolled his eyes. Normally, he'd be fine handling Matt's comments, but today he wasn't in the mood. He didn't like having to move to another school either. It meant rebuilding his reputation and hiding his secrets from more people. "He's a decent friend… once you get passed the narcissism. Besides, you don't make any friends, so I got to make them for you."

"You don't even like some of the friends you make."

"Are you confusing them with the crazy fans I have?"

"With how you treat them, I can't tell who your friend is and who isn't."

"G-Guys…" Tatsuya got between them, forced to be the mediator. "I thought you two s-settled your differences… why… why are you both so tense as of now?"

His point had been made and absorbed by his two friends. They both muttered apologies and sighed heavily. Tatsuya was right about their tension. Standing in front of the school that gave them hell wasn't exactly a heart-warmer. They only came to give their farewells to Tatsuya.

"I'm going home. See you once we're all settled in, Tatsuya." declared Matt, who left before either could stop him. He hated being reminded of the past for that meant he had to start anew.

Author's Note: All right, I've had this account for a few years and haven't posted anything until today. Well… I technically posted a story but that was taken down because I just didn't know where I was going with it. And my writing at the time sucked in my opinion.

So, here's my new story, and I hope to keep it up although college is coming up. I have written more chapters, so I won't fall behind.

This is a Prince of Tennis fanfiction although it seems like there isn't much reference to the series except for the school names. I actually wasn't sure if I should make a prologue, but since there will be different settings, I felt the need to write one.

As a disclaimer, some of the characters mentioned are my OCs (so far, Tenka, Matt, and Tatsuya), but I do not own any of the characters that reside from Prince of Tennis.

Okay, enough words from me, I hope you all enjoy reading this. I don't mind reviews. They're not an obligation for anyone who simply wanted to read a story. Criticism is fine as long as it's constructive, but please tell me if I make any grammatical or spelling errors. I'd appreciate knowing what mistakes I may have made.