Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters but I did create Alice!
On her fourth morning Alice woke up and actually felt like a human being again. Her parents were happy to see she was feeling better and she decided that she was going to go to the stables for a ride. Her dogs at home ran in circles around her as she was ready to leave.
"I'm sorry, you guys can't come, but I'll take you for a walk later at the park," she told the two canines who stared up at her with sad eyes.
Alice followed her mother to their car and they both left the house.
"I'll drop you off at the barn and then I'm going to the grocery, do you need anything?" Mary asked her.
"If you could get me some snacks for my flights back to Japan that would be great."
Mary nodded, "I will, and after I'm done I'll pick you up and we will go to lunch since you're feeling better."
"That sounds great!" Alice smiled.
…
Before Alice knew it the days had rolled by and she was in bed staring at the ceiling unable to sleep because her flight was the next day. She rolled over to see it was midnight and grabbed her phone off of the charger, staring at it in the dark.
"It is 1pm for him…" she mumbled as she pulled up a text message screen.
*Are you busy?* she texted him quickly.
She waited a few minutes and soon after the phone beeped as it received a message.
*I'm having tea at the moment with Kabaji.*
Alice started typing again, *I can't sleep, you know I'm flying back tomorrow, right?*
Atobe's response came quickly again, *I'm very aware, and you should be sleeping since I know you won't do it on the plane.*
Alice huffed, if only he knew. She would give anything to be able to sleep now and on the plane.
*Fine, I'll talk to you when I get back… it will be around 4:30pm your time when I return, the day after tomorrow.*
*When are your flights?*
Alice smiled, he had to know everything.
*I leave from Ohio at 11am and will get to Georgia a little after noon. Then I leave from Georgia at 1:45 in the afternoon. It's an almost 14 hour flight, and I'll get to Tokyo at 4:30pm.*
*You'll be losing an entire day, that time change is rough.*
Alice laughed, he had no idea. The only positive about getting back to Japan at 4:30 was that she could go to bed and sleep all night. Coming back to the states was tough because she hadn't had any sleep and it was morning when she arrived so she had to suffer through the entire day before getting any sleep.
*I'm going to get some rest, I'll let you know when I'm in Georgia.*
*You better.*
Alice placed the phone back on its charger and rolled over; closing her eyes.
….
On the day Alice was due to arrive back in Tokyo Atobe decided that he would meet her at the airport and take her home so she didn't have to take a taxi. He stood near the baggage claims and stared down at his fancy watch with an upraised eyebrow. The captain tapped the toe of his elegant dress shoe on the tile floor with impatience. He was wearing a button up with a sport jacket and dress slacks. Atobe's driver stood loyally at his side waiting for instructions.
"It's 4:45, where is she?" Atobe asked out loud.
At the moment he spoke the baggage claim started rolling and suitcases started moving around to be picked up. Atobe stared down at the bags as they rolled by and he looked up at the screen telling him it was the flight from Atlanta. He glanced over to a hall near security where he noticed that a group of people were starting to walk out. Atobe cleared his throat and adjusted his jacket.
"There she is," he spoke with a small grin.
Alice looked positively disgraceful. She was dragging her feet and she looked as though she couldn't keep her eyes open. Her body sagged under the weight of her carry-on back pack and she didn't even look up. Atobe frowned and walked quickly toward her; his grin growing wider. He reached out to her and she side stepped him without looking up.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled.
Atobe's jaw dropped slightly as he watched her walk by him without a glance. He couldn't believe she didn't notice him! He dressed up and arrived at the airport to surprise her and she wasn't even acknowledging him?!
Atobe stared at her back with narrowed onyx eyes and then spoke in an arrogant voice, "After all Ore-sama has done for you you're going to ignore me?"
Alice froze and her eyes popped open. She swung around to see Atobe standing proudly with his chest puffed out.
"Atobe?"
"Who else would it be? Goodness, your appearance is disheveled," he commented as he eyed her messy hair and sweatpants.
Alice couldn't help but let out a laugh, "I'm sorry, I didn't know it would be a beauty contest when I got off of my 14 hour flight."
"You should always take pride in your appearance…" Atobe mumbled to himself and Alice's eyebrow rose in suspicion.
"Now…" Atobe changed the subject, "Let's get your bag and we will be off."
Alice nodded, "Sounds good, I still have to do all of my homework for school on Monday, it's going to suck."
"Ore-sama did all of it the first night of our break. It's been kind of boring."
"There's my bag," Alice pointed, walking forward to grab it.
Atobe snatched the back of her shirt and gave his driver a curt nod. The driver stepped forward and grabbed the suitcase quickly.
"We will be off now," Atobe proclaimed.
…
"Thanks for picking me up so I didn't have to take a cab. I was really surprised to see you," Alice told Atobe as they came to a halt in front of her apartment complex.
"That's the second time in a week you've ignored Ore-sama," Atobe reminded her with a hurt tone.
"I'm sorry, it's not all about you, don't you know?" Alice said sarcastically.
Atobe gave her a bizarre look, "No, I don't know that, it's always about Ore-sama," he gave her a wink.
The door opened and they got out of the vehicle. Alice walked over to the driver and grabbed the handle to her suitcase.
"I'll see you on Monday," she told Atobe who stared at her with a blank expression.
It was Friday and classes resumed the following Monday. Atobe frowned crossed his arms over his chest.
Alice could see the way he was looking at her and she let out a huff, "I'll be sleeping all weekend to get my inner time zone back in check. I have to be back to normal by the time school starts, so I really need to rest."
"Fine, but you'd better get back into the swing of things quickly, I'm scheduling the party for next Friday evening."
Alice paused and turned to look at Atobe who was flashing her a charming smile.
"Why are you throwing a party anyway?"
Atobe smirked, "Because I can."
"You make it sound like it's going to be a huge deal."
Atobe chuckled, "That's because it will be. I'm inviting a wide variety of people."
"Like who?" Alice asked cautiously.
"Oh, the Hyotei tennis regulars of course, and several other schools that Ore-sama has… relationships with," he gave her a small wink.
Alice stared at him in shock and the tennis captain let out a laugh.
"It will be a grand time, there's never a dull moment when all of the teams get together," he reassured her.
"Is only the Hyotei tennis team invited?"
"Well no, all of the clubs at Hyotei are invited."
Alice gave him a smile, "Great, it sounds like it will be a lot of fun! My teammates will be really excited to hear about that!"
Atobe watched as she waved over her shoulder and entered her apartment. He frowned and tapped his foot a couple of times.
"She's not supposed to be excited about spending time with her friends, the entire point of such a large party was so that Ore-sama could impress her."
…..
Alice's jaw dropped when she opened her locker and a fancy envelope fell out onto the floor. She knelt down and picked it up with a curious expression. She opened it and pulled out a thick sheet of paper.
You are cordially invited to a party by Keigo Atobe at his residence on Friday evening beginning at 7:00pm. There is no need to bring food or drinks as everything will be provided. On an end note, this is not a casual affair, dress accordingly.
Alice couldn't help but roll her eyes. Nothing was ever casual for Atobe. She put the invitation into her backpack and headed to her morning classes.
…..
"So how was your trip home?" Keiko asked at lunch time.
"It was good, but I'm glad to be back. We need to get back to practice!" Alice answered.
Keiko nodded, "I agree, you need to tell that Atobe to quit stealing you away. You used to have a lot of free time, now he wants to do something with you all of the time."
Alice let out a small laugh, "That's true, he's very demanding."
"And egotistic, and full of himself," Keiko added with a serious expression, "Don't tell me you like him, because you've been spending an awful lot of time with him."
Alice's jaw fell slightly in shock at her friend's blatant statement.
"You do!" Keiko pointed at her accusingly.
"I don't think I like him like him, but I like him as a friend."
"Do you get nervous around him? Does your heart pound and you feel all funny?" Keiko questioned.
Alice's stomach dropped, those were all of those strange feelings that she had been having. She had never experienced them before when she was around someone so she was pretty clueless.
"What does that mean?" Alice asked her best friend quietly.
A large grin spread across Keiko's face, "Oh Alice! Is this your first crush?!"
"Hush!" Alice shushed her friend, looking around warily, "I don't want people to hear."
Keiko put her hand over her mouth and gave her a small nod, "Tell me what's going on."
Alice explained how she had been feeling and Keiko listened intently.
"I've never felt this way around another person before, it's weird and uncomfortable."
Keiko nodded, "You definitely like him, no doubt about it."
Alice's face fell, "So now what?"
"You find out if he likes you back, obviously!"
"And how do I do that?" Alice asked suspiciously.
"Well, you can be blunt and straight up ask, or you can play detective and look for clues."
"Clues?"
Keiko nodded again, "Yes, you can take note of how he acts around you and the type of things he says to you. I guess you could always talk to his friends and see what they have to say about it too."
"I'm not friends with any of his friends…" Alice trailed off, "This seems really complicated."
"That's because it is! And I'll help you out Friday night since all the school clubs are invited," Keiko winked, "I'll be able to tell you then and there if he likes you."
Alice let out a sigh, "Okay."
"You can count on me!" Keiko exclaimed.
….
"Let's go shopping after practice today," Keiko said on Wednesday afternoon.
Alice smiled, "Alright, for what though?"
"For something to wear Friday of course!" Keiko exclaimed back.
"Right!" Alice nodded quickly in realization.
"Don't you do your little lessons with your boyfriend on Wednesdays though?" Keiko suddenly asked.
Alice paused, "First, he's not my boyfriend, second, actually we do."
"Tell him you're busy," Keiko shrugged.
Alice mentally groaned and said, "He's going to throw a fit."
…..
"You're inviting all of the other tennis teams?" Shishido asked Atobe as they walked down the hallway.
"Yes," Atobe answered, "Why wouldn't I?"
Shishido shook his head, "It's going to be absolutely wild with all of them there, it's going to terrify the other Hyotei clubs… and are you sure you have enough room for something this big?"
"Tch! Of course Ore-sama does! Are you doubting my party throwing abilities? Ahn?" Atobe questioned.
Shishido shook his head, "I'm not going to argue, but if this turns out to be lame…" he trailed off as he spotted someone walking toward them.
"Atobe, I'm going to have to cancel our lesson tonight."
The tennis captain froze and turned to see Alice standing with one of her friends.
"Why?" he asked with a look of disbelief.
"Well… Keiko and I," she pointed to the girl beside her, "Are going shopping."
"You're ditching Ore-sama to shop?" he questioned with wide eyes, "But I could buy you whatever you wanted, all you have to do is ask!"
Keiko's eyes looked as though they were going to pop out of her head and she looked at Alice who was trying to find words to speak.
"Let her go," Shishido shrugged, "Girls like to shop, didn't you know that?"
Atobe glared daggers at the capped boy next to him and he let out a huff.
"It's for your party you know," Keiko interjected, "Don't act so offended."
Shishido stared at the girl in shock. Had she really been so blunt with Atobe of all people? She didn't even know him!
Atobe crossed his arms over his chest and pouted, "Ore-sama wanted to help you pick out what you were going to wear… clothes are one of my specialties."
Keiko shook her head as she realized he was trying to suggest coming along, "No way, it's a girl thing, you can't come with us."
"Tch, fine, I need to hit the gym early this evening anyway."
Alice, Keiko, and Shishido watched Atobe stomp down the hall and around the corner.
"Way to go, now he's going to be a thorn in my side," Alice told her friend.
"He can get over it, there's no reason he needs to do everything with you… he should have plenty of 'guy' things he can go do," Keiko answered.
Shishido chuckled, "That was entertaining, it's not often I get to watch Atobe get frustrated over something so silly."
"You're on the tennis team, aren't you," Alice pointed at him.
Shishido frowned, "Yeah, I am."
"Great!" Keiko cut in, "We have a few questions for you then!"
"Keiko! What are you doing?!" Alice whispered harshly as Shishido stared at them in confusion.
"I'm playing detective, we're searching for clues, remember?"
Alice mentally slapped herself, why did she have to be friends with someone so fearless?
"So, your name is?" Keiko asked.
"Ryo Shishido," he answered automatically, "Why are you asking?"
Keiko ignored him, "Are you good friends with captain awesome?"
Shishido smirked at the comment, "I wouldn't say we're best friends, but I've known him since we were first years."
"Does he have anyone he likes?" Keiko continued.
Alice felt dizzy and her stomach twisted in knots. This was not what she wanted to have happen.
"He likes her, doesn't he?" Shishido pointed at Alice, "He's always on his phone and I assumed it was with her… it's really lame how he does it during practice."
Keiko grinned, "I see, so he does like her."
Shishido put his hands behind his head, "I haven't heard him say those exact words, but if I had to guess, it would be yes."
"See Alice? It's not that bad, Ryo here seems like a pretty cool guy," Keiko smiled.
"Shishido," he corrected, "I don't know you."
"You do now, my name is Keiko, and that's what you can call me."
Shishido shifted uncomfortably, "Yeah, whatever, I need to get going. Have fun… doing whatever you're going to do."
Shishido walked away and Keiko grinned at her success.
"Now he's going to go tell Atobe that I'm some kind of stalker freak!" Alice practically shouted.
"No he won't! Besides, if Atobe likes you, like I know he does, he'll take you asking about him as a compliment to inflate that already huge ego he has."