Chapter 06:

Disclaimer: I don't own POT, because if I own it, it won't be the POT we have now ^_^

Author's Note: I'll be updating weekly, but, if I'm in a good writing mood, I'll update earlier. Classes started AGAIN, and it's sucking the creativity out of my brain. I need my Akaya dose. Thanks to everyone who reviewed in the earlier chapters. I love you ^_^

Oh yep, got the 16 bells from one piece, because Ace's Memorial is EPIC, just answering mycrimsonhazel's question

Read and Review? Subscribe if you have the chance, too? Ciao~

"So, how was your presentation in English Class?" Mitsu asked Cherrim as they went down the hallway to eat their lunch.

"Pretty okay." Cherrim casually replied.

"Why did you asked?" Cherrim added, asking back.

"Kirihara and English are pretty well-known." Mitsu said in amusement, as the two of them turn around the corner.

"Kirihara's English IS quite unique." Cherrim added in amusement.

"But, Cherrim-chan, you're good at English, too. Right?" Mitsu asked, intrigued.

"Pretty much, I guess." Cherrim said, as they walk near the door to the tennis courts.

"Don't you have any… any weaknesses?" Mitsu asked again, this time, without intrigue.

"Yep, cooking and home economics." Cherrim replied, tilting her head.

"So…" Cherrim started as they stop by the bleachers.

"Is there any problem?" Mitsu asked as she sat down.

"…Why are we eating in the bleachers?" Cherrim finished as she sat down herself.

"Well, I like the feel of tennis courts." Mitsu shrugs as she opens her lunch.

"Hmmm…" Cherrim only nodded and hummed in reply.

"I want to be in the regulars." Mitsu declared as she stops eating.

"I'm sure you can." Cherrim nods her head.

"That's nice of you, but…" Mitsu trailed off, unconsciously stabbing her lunch.

"Have some self-confidence, your serve was pretty awesome." Cherrim winks in Mitsu's direction.

"I guess. You might have a shot to be a regular, too." Mitsu said, smiling at Cherrim.

"Maybe, maybe not~" Cherrim answered back, picking on her food.

"I wish that both of us will get a spot in the regulars." Mitsu wished, her eyes closed, her hands placed together.

"We aren't in a shrine." Cherrim said with a slight laugh.

"Yeah." Mitsu smiled sheepishly.

"Right. I want your wish to be granted, too, though." Cherrim smiled, her eyes soft.

"Yup." Mitsu nodded her head in agreement.

"Well… I don't believe in wishes that much." Cherrim drawled as she places her lunch aside.

"Why?" Mitsu asked, her head cocked in curiosity.

"I think that people should work hard for their dreams. It was implanted in my head to do and finish my goals with my hard work." Cherrim winked at Mitsu.

After that conversation, the two went back to their lunch, only stopping to chat or comment. After 10 minutes of silence and eating, the two finished their lunch.

"Um… We finished fast." Cherrim informed as she arrange her lunch box.

"We still have half an hour." Mitsu looked at her watch.

"What do you want to do..?" Cherrim asked, standing up.

"…" Mitsu thought for awhile.

"I don't know." She finally replied.

"Well, I have an idea." Cherrim smiled a little sadistically, her eyes gleaming in slight mischief.

"What is it?" Mitsu asked, a little weakened by Cherrim's expression.

"Let's go." Cherrim smiled, and politely pulled Mitsu up.

Cherrim dragged Mitsu to the secret tennis courts, and pulled her to the forest-like area. The thing/place that welcomed them is a garden with a temple shrine… a shrine that is dedicated to the Tennis Regulars since a decade ago.

"…" A silence passed

"Cute, ne?" Cherrim smiled, her eyes shining brightly.

"…" Mitsu sweatdropped.

"Isn't it cute..?" Cherrim tilted her head.

"…Yeah." Mitsu agreed as soon as she saw the glint in Cherrim's black orbs.

"Why did we come here?" Mitsu asked as soon as she saw Cherrim smile genuinely.

"You wanted to make a wish, right..?" Cherrim asked back absent-mindedly.

"Oh… yeah." Mitsu muttered with a nod.

"Wish there, then?" Cherrim said invitingly.

"…" Mitsu nervously walked up to the shrine.

"I wish that…." Mitsu trailed off and rang the bell.

"You only rang the bell once?" Cherrim asked, smiling.

"How many times do you want me to?" Mitsu asked back as she walked back.

"…" Cherrim only replied with a mute shrug.

"Where did you learn of this?"Mitsu inquired.

"I just saw it today, when I was practicing in the courts." Cherrim drawled.

'I can't say that I saw the directions to this place when I looked at my diary from 5 years ago.' Cherrim thought.

"Oh. I wonder who made this..? Our buchou isn't here, yet, but Yukimura-senpai and the buchou last year are here." Mitsu said under her breath as she look at the pictures adorning the shrine.

"They probably put it every end of school year." Cherrim lazily replied back.

"True." Mitsu nodded.

"Hmm…" Cherrim began to loudly hum.

"…?" Mitsu looked back, her head tilted in question.

"I wonder why they made a shrine. They make the people look like they're dead." Cherrim stated, as soon as she lie down in the grass.

"Hahahaha!" Mitsu burst out, laughing as she lie down, too.

"It's true~" Cherrim said with a wink.

"Yeah." Mitsu nodded in agreement.

~~~Bell Rings~~~

"Oh, let's go." Cherrim immediately stood up, Mitsu following suit.

"Yeah." Mitsu agreed, dusting her jacket.

"…Do you want to go back here again later..?" Cherrim asked as she places her jacket in her shoulders.

"Honestly?" Mitsu looked with a serious expression.

"Well, yeah." Cherrim shrugs, her expression serious as well.

"…I don't want to." Mitsu answered, a bit nervous in anticipation for Cherrim's answer.

"…Why?" Cherrim asked, her eyes darkening.

"This place, I don't know, it scares me." Mitsu replied, her expression pained and scared.

"You're scared of ghost?" Cherrim brightened up, a little.

"No. it's just, being here doesn't feel right." Mitsu disagreed, reddening a bit.

"Oh." Cherrim replied, her face calm.

"Well, maybe it doesn't feel right, but…" Cherrim trailed off, her eyes catching the flowers.

"I think its fine with you, because you find this place. But me, I feel uneasy, uneasily happy." Mitsu shakes her head.

"It's fine not to go back, if you don't want to." Cherrim smiled.

"..Sorry." Mitsu bowed thrice.

"It's fine, really." Cherrim said, smiling.

"Let's go. It's time for class." Cherrim helds out her hands.

Cherrrim went back to the secret tennis courts, thinking that she will visit the shrine again, and maybe for the last time. She slung her tennis bag in her left shoulder and went by herself, fully knowing that Mitsu won't agree and that the two can just meet in the tennis club later.

Cherrim clutched a paper in hands. It was a diary entry of one of her diaries from 5 years before, and the one that gave her instructions to the path to the shrine.

Dearest Diary,

Something weird happened today. Weirder than Keigo, even. You remember that I'm in Kanagawa for vacation, right? Well, the great Keigo lost me. We were having a contest to see who can get away from the butlers first, so, naturally, I dashed off. Well, stupid Keigo told me that we will meet up, but he didn't even arrive after an hour. He stood a girl up. That mean, mean, obnoxious idiot. (You noticed my words, Diary-chan, it was one of the vocabulary words we have in class, oh, my teacher will be so proud.)

So, me being me, I walked and walked and walked and walked and walked. I think I walked too much. I don't think my legs can take it T_T.

I managed to go to a building that is called Rikkidi- no, I meant Rikkaidai University. Naturally, I walked in (I didn't strut around, only Keigo the Obnoxious does that.) and heard some rhythmical beats. I thought someone was playing piano, seriously, it's that calming.

I saw a boy older than me, he saw me and said that he was playing tennis. He asked me if it looks fun, and I said that it sounds fun, but it doesn't really look one. I thought he was going to get angry, but no, he just smiled, and told me a secret path to a secret shrine.

It was super cool, he rang the bell sixteen times. Yep, sixteen. I asked him why he did that, he smiled again and told me:

"I'm going to go away. Sixteen times means eight for ending and leaving the past, and another eight for beginning and starting a new future."

I looked at him, he was seriously awesome. Before he went away, he ruffled my hair and told me

"I wish that you will also ring the bell sixteen times when the time comes." And he left, abrupt.

After that, I stayed for awhile and some curly hair boy, who was my age, went to play into the tennis courts. He looks kind of scary, so I stayed in a bush, and I didn't know that there were million of ants. Red ones, my most hated enemies!

I screamed, and ran, and tripped majestically in the courts, with curly's tennis ball. He looked at me, wide eye. I really thought that he was going to rant. But, instead, he handed me his handkerchief, and tied it to my knees, which were bleeding.

He smiles and introduces himself "I'm-"

Cherrim shook her head as she finishes abruptly. This was the only page that she managed to found, and this paper was stuffed in one of her bears.

Cherrim places the paper in her pocket, and immediately brought out her tennis racket.

"Hey?" A familiar voice rang on Cherrim's ears. She looked at the source of the voice, and her black orbs met green ones.

"Kirihara Akaya."

A/N: I had a million crack and funny ideas, but then, I remembered that there should be some romance too, right? So, I decided to put some romance. Prepare for crack in other chapters. It's quite contagious. And my dears, please review me your ideas..? I'll update faster if I receive some.