Chapter 002:

Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis/Tennis no Oujisama does not belong to me. Sadly.

Bold is English. Regular is Japanese.

"That was delicious~" Miyuu said in a sing-song voice. "Let's get dessert!"

I groaned. "C'mon, Miyuu. My wallet's crying right now."

"But… ice cream…"

Kuni giggled. "I'll buy you ice cream."

Miyuu dropped her head. The air was suddenly tense around her. I cleared my throat. She then raised her head quickly and put her hands up. "Ah, I'm not in the mood anymore. Let's just go home."

And at that moment, her stomach growled.

"How the heck are you still hungry?" Giselle asked pointedly, spoon in hand. She then exchanged a quick glance with me and I nodded. "I'll get you ice cream. Only because I owe you for the time that you bought me archery gloves."

Miyuu paused.

"Get up now, or I'll eat the ice cream in front of you." Giselle threatened.

Miyuu got out of the booth and followed Giselle towards the counter. I propped up my arm against the table and rested my face against it.

"Why doesn't Miyuu ever want to take money from me?"

I looked back at Kuni. I could tell she was clenching her fists underneath the table. She looked like she was about to cry. I sighed. "She doesn't like paying debts."

"But…"

"Ah, no buts." I grinned. Kuni looked up at me. Her glasses were fogging up. "You've already done a lot for her, and I know you feel obligated to pay her for all she's done for you. But hey, food can't replace a friend."

She sniffled.

"Let's get going, kiddo."

"WAKEY, WAKEY, EGGS AND BACON, MOTHAF—"

"YOU BETTER NOT FINISH THAT SENTENCE, KUNI!"

Ah, great.

I pulled my covers over my ears, but that didn't stop Kuni's trick of banging a wooden spoon against a pot from reaching my ears. "Leave me alone. 5 more minutes. I beg of you."

She leaped onto my bed and poked my back with the wooden spoon.

She's suicidal. I just know it.

I used the whole weight of my body to force her onto the floor.

"YOUCH."

My nose flared. "If you don't want to die, get out."

"See, that's the reason that Miyuu's Sleeping Beauty and you're the Beast." Kuni pointed out. "Both of you should really stop oversleeping."

A pillow to her face was my reply to that comment.

"GET OUT!"

She quickly scurried out the door.

I paused for a moment before realization.

"SLEEPING BEAUTY AND THE BEAST WERE FROM TWO TOTALLY DIFFERENT FAIRY TALES."

I saw Giselle's head pop in through the door frame. "No chiz, Sherlock. Why don't you get up and get ready? It's already 7am."

I groaned. "Doesn't school start at 8?"

"Don't you want to look pretty?"

We stared at each other for a moment. Then bursted out laughing.

Like I'd choose my appearance over sleep.

"Seriously, though. Get ready."

I rolled my eyes. "I hate you all."

She grinned. "Miyuu's up and at 'em. She's about to go the café to buy some crepes. So, if you want some, you better get ready. 'Cause you do know that she will eat them all if you're not there to claim it."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Not like I ever eat breakfast anyway."

Giselle shook her head. "C'mon. Today should be the one exception."

"Why?"

"Because you're starting a new life."

Within an hour, I managed to tame back my tousled hair. When I went to visit the mirror once I got out of bed, it was a nest of black. If I stuck my hand in it, I'd probably lose my hand. It was Narnia. That was what it is.

Luckily, after my shower, it was easier to comb back and to untangle. I squeezed the excess water out of my hair with a towel and decided to let it air dry. Too lazy to blow dry it.

"You know, if you don't dry it completely now, you're going to have a wet spot on your butt."

I looked to my left to see Kuni standing in the doorway with her hands behind her back.

"My hair's down to my hips. Not my butt," I stuck my tongue out at her.

She waved off my comment. "Same thing."

I scoffed. "Did Miyuu already eat my breakfast?"

She laughed. "Yeah, of course she did." She then threw me the object that she was holding behind her back. "Luckily, I saved this for you."

A shiny, red Fuji apple. My favorite kind.

I took a bite out of and heard that satisfying crunch. "Mm, it's juicier than normal. And a little bit sweeter. It's more delicious."

She smiled. "That's good."

"IT'S A SIGN THAT YOU WILL MEET THE MAN OF YOUR DREAMS SOON! AND HE WILL BE A SWEET GUY AND BE LOOKIN' JUICY."

I could hear Giselle's voice from the kitchen. "Shut up, Miyuu."

Of course, she wasn't heard over Kuni's and my booming laughter.

"This is Seishun Gakuen?" I raised an eyebrow.

"It looks…"

"Fancy."

We all nodded.

I pulled at my mint-green skirt and shifted uncomfortably. "This is disgusting. Why do we have to wear skirts? Can I just wear the boys' uniform?"

Giselle chuckled. "I think you look absolutely adorable."

"You think I always look adorable."

"Exactly."

"We're here early," Miyuu interjected.

She was right. Whole place looked nearly deserted.

"I'm going to get my schedule," Giselle stated, and once she noticed me reaching for my camera in my backpack, she added, "And Kayde's."

"Hey, uh, do you guys think that we should use honorifics while we're at school? I mean, I know we're close and all, but, it's still kinda weird." Kuni said.

We all looked at each other before nodding in agreement.

I pointed at myself. "Kayde-chan or Kayde-nee-chan."

"Giselle-chan or Stryker-senpai."

"Eh? That's so formal!"

"It'd be nice to get some respect here, Miyuu-chan."

"Fine, fine. Miyuu-chan, it is." She looked at me. "You're going to be Kayde-oka-san, you know that, right?"

I laughed sheepishly. "I expected nothing less."

"Kuni-chan!"

"Ah, hai, Giselle-chan?"

"Eh, you're okay with Kuni-chan, ne?"

She nodded slowly. "I think so."

Miyuu laughed. "Eh, Kawaii Kuni!" She pinched Kuni's cheek. "Let's go get our schedules then take a walk around. We'll leave Kayde-chan alone so she can capture everything with her amazing photography skills."

I sweatdropped. "Yeah, okay."

Miyuu skipped towards the main building.

"Eh? Chotto matte, Miyuu-chan!"

I had found a peaceful place of scattered trees. The sakura was a vibrant pink with touches of white. It was absolutely breathtaking. A gentle breeze was brewing up, a few stray petals flowing with it. I held my camera up to my face. I zoomed my lens out to 18mm. Let it focus, and then…

Click.

"Kayde-nee-chan?"

I looked down to my right to see none other than my cousin, lazing around. He looked like he had just woken up.

I smiled. "Hey, Ryoma-kun."

I sat down next to him and he grabbed my camera instinctively. If it was anyone other than him, I would've tackled them to the ground. "Why do you like taking photos? There's nothing special about it."

I huffed. "It's good for memories. Plus, do you see how the sunlight light just captures—?"

"No."

I hung my head in defeat.

"Are you busy after school?"

I shook my head.

"As a celebration of your arrival, we should go out and—"

"Eat?"

"If you insist."

I rolled my eyes. I fell right into that one. "Alright, fine. I'll pay. Only if you tell me how amazing photography is."

"I admit, it's a powerful tool."

"You're only saying that because you know I have embarrassing photos of you."

"Of course."

I laughed. "Some things never change, Chibisuke."

His yellow cat-like eyes bore into mine. "Your eyes are red."

"No duh."

"That's weird. Demon."

"Your hair's green."

"So?"

"Vegetable."

He fumed.

"I stand corrected. Steamed vegetable."

His elbow slammed into the side of my ribs, but that didn't stop me from laughing. We were comfortable together like this. But he usually isn't this open with me unless it's just the two of us.

More students started to pour in through the front gate.

Family time's over.

"Ah, I'll see you soon, Kayde-nee-chan."

"Peace out, Chibisuke."

I stood in the middle of the clearing of the trees. It was so nice and tranquil here. During lunch, I should probably bring the girls here and have a picnic or something.

At that moment, there was a burst of wind that circled around me, picking up any stray petals on the ground.

I grinned. Picture perfect.

But before I could even lift up my Nikon, I heard another shutter click. I immediately turned my head to the right, but I didn't see anyone there.

The freak?

I decided to dismiss it. But as soon as I lifted my camera…

The wind stopped and the petals fell to the ground.

I grumbled. "Of course it would."

"So, how was your photography session outside?"

I shrugged. "Okay, I guess."

"Catch anything amazing?"

"I was in the middle of clearing, and suddenly there was a flurry of gentle pinks and creamy whites around me. The petals were dancing. The trees were swaying along, and the emerald meadow was a nice contrast."

"Basically, everything was perfect."

I nodded.

"Can I see the photo?"

I shook my head. "I didn't take it."

"What?" Giselle's eyes widened. "Why not?"

"Something distracted me."

"I'm sorry. You're probably devastated."

I shrugged it off and placed my Nikon D3000 back into my bag. I looked down at my white watch. "Let's get going. Class'll start in 10 minutes."