Edit 9/2/13: I am rewriting this, kinda...more like fixing all the shitty mistakes. Ugh, that was not okay. I can't believe I let something like that stay online for that long. But everything is pretty much the same, just a little fixing and adding here and there.

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own Prince of Tennis, obviously...

Chapter 4

"Ah! Starr-san! Hello!" Oishi, the vice-captain, greeted the scarf-wearing girl with a friendly smile. The red-head who used acrobatics (Kikumaru…was his name?) was with him.

"Hello, Starr-san! How are you today, nya?" His bright smile and bouncy attitude made Brenna feel awkward.

"Uh, I guess I'm okay." Brenna answered, trying not to let her discomfort show.

Oishi smiled kindly at her. "Would you like to begin training with us today, Starr-san?" More tennis players started arriving at the courts and Brenna felt as if she should get out of there.

"Uh, um…I-I dunno," she muttered, hiding her mouth in her scarf, her eyes shifted back and forth at the climbing number of people.

Oishi smiled, "Well let's ask Tezuka what he thinks." Brenna narrowed her eyes at the mention of the stoic captain of the Seigaku boy's tennis team. Something about the guy just made her feel uneasy, even more so than the forever smiling "genius".

She let none of her thoughts show on her face, though, and assumed a mask of blank expression. "Sure," she replied. Oishi and Kikumaru led her over to where said stoic captain was carefully watching the already practicing boys.

As Oishi, Kikumaru and Brenna approached him, he looked at Oishi and Kikumaru sternly, "Why aren't you warming up?"

Kikumaru smiled and said, "Sorry, Tezuka! Got distracted!" He laughed and scurried off to begin his warm-ups.

Oishi said, "I was inviting Brenna to practice with us. Is that alright Tezuka-san?" Brenna kept her eyes glued to the ground and tried even harder to hide behind her scarf.

"Very well, Starr-san, you can begin by running ten laps." Tezuka's sternness and unemotional state caused Brenna to want to be out of that place as soon as possible.

Oishi protested, "Tezuka-san, don't you think that's too much?" Tezuka looked at him. "I mean, she's only a beginner. Can't we take it easier on her?"

Tezuka remained as impassive as ever when he corrected his vice-captain. "She's not a beginner at tennis, Oishi-san. Bethany-san said she can't play anymore. Which means that she has played in the past; am I correct, Starr-san?" Tezuka addressed Brenna who still refused to look at him.

Brenna was mildly impressed that Tezuka had remembered what her sister had said. Then again she knew that there was something abnormal about the Captain. "Yeah, it's true. I used to play tennis, but I don't anymore."

Oishi looked at her in surprise. "Really? Were you good at it? Why'd you quit?"

Brenna sighed. "I don't play 'cause I can't play anymore. Simple as that." She spun around on her heel and started jogging around the tennis courts. Tezuka and Oishi looked after her with different expressions; Oishi's was one of shock and Tezuka had his normal unemotional mask on.

Brenna completed her laps with ease. So much so that her breathing wasn't even abnormal. Even though she hadn't been playing tennis, Brenna had been working at other sports, namely soccer, a little boxing and furthering her studies in karate. She was by no means out of shape. She stretched by herself next to the fence and wished that she had a soccer ball. She didn't want to participate in even a small tennis practice. It left a bad taste in her mouth.

"Oi! Starr-san! Whacha doing'?" Brenna looked up at the person who had called out to her. Her eyes narrowed when she saw that it was the loud, energetic second year, Takeshi Momoshiro. He approached and crouched down next to her as she stretched on the ground. He watched her with interest.

Brenna felt his eyes staring a hole into her side and asked, "What do you want? I'm busy." She kept her face down and hid her mouth in her scarf. She pulled her left leg in and stretched her right one out and leaned forward to grab her toes.

Momoshiro laughed awkwardly and said, "Well, just wanted to ask if we could play a match." Brenna could see that he had his racket with him.

Brenna sighed, stopped stretching and leapt with grace to her feet. "I don't play tennis." She started walking away after shaking out each leg.

But Momoshiro wasn't going to be shot down. He followed after her as she stalked across the courts. "Hey, what do mean? I thought you did?" He walked backward next to her and she silently hoped he's trip.

"I don't play tennis anymore, Momoshiro, so quit bugging me!" Brenna snapped angrily at the persistent second year and quickened her pace, trying to leave the second year in the dust.

Momoshiro stopped and looked after her in confusion. What's her problem? He thought. "Don't let her bother you," a bored voice to his right made him jump a little.

"Echizen! Don't scare me like that!" Momoshiro scolded his short friend. "And what do you mean by that?" he questioned.

Ryoma didn't answer, he only looked after the retreating teen's stiff back and Momoshiro saw what he suspected to be worry in his dark eyes. He kept his observation to himself, though. "Momoshiro, Echizen, run 15 laps now! Don't get distracted!" Tezuka's stern voice rang out over the courts and the two boys groaned, but obeyed. The matter of Brenna's new behavior didn't leave Ryoma, however, and he decided to call Bethany and ask for details after practice.

The sun was beginning to go down and shadows had gotten longer when the boy's tennis team finally ended their practice. Most of the club members had already left and the rest was changing in the club room. The courts were deserted and a cool breeze made the ends of Brenna's scarf flutter as she stood on the empty courts.

She looked around with sad eyes. Just like earlier that day, a feeling of crushing regret and nostalgia gripped her heart and dominated her mind. She could feel a headache coming on and she cursed her stupid emotions.

In the corner, she saw that the freshmen had forgotten to put away a single tennis ball. The small, fuzzy ball shifted in the breeze and Brenna walked over to stand above it. She stood there watching as it swayed back and forth. She bent her knees and rested her chin on them to get a closer look.

A timid hand crept away from her side and hovered over the ball, not touching it. The closer her hand got to the ball, the more it shook. She gulped and then narrowed her eyes; she was not going to be defeated by a mere tennis ball. She forced her hand to go closer. The tips of her fingers brushed the tennis ball's furry covering and she yanked her hand back and shot to her feet. Her breath coming in short pants; she held the hand that had touched the ball close to her chest. She stared at the ball in despair and anger and in a sudden fit of rage, kicked it. The ball smashed into the fence and became lodged in the hole that it had flown into. Brenna turned and walked off the courts and through the fence to go back to the hotel.

Ryoma and the rest of the regulars peeked at the girl through the windows of the club room. They watched as she kicked the ball and then stalked off the courts. They waited in silence even after she had disappeared.

Kikumaru's normally cheerful voice had lost its cheer and was serious when he asked, "Ochibi, what's wrong with Brenna-san?" The rest of the regulars also looked at the shorty.

Echizen just shrugged and turned to walked out of the club room. Even though he looked aloof, the regulars could see that he was worried about his childhood friend.