Wonderful Beginnings Part 2

Chapter 1

"Oh man," whined Kiyoko while batting her racket back and forth. It was two weeks after she had visited Ryoma and Yuki had been gone since then. It was only a few more days before the next tournament. The other team members had been worried and had come to Rei and Kiyoko each day to see if she was back yet. Rei and Kiyoko only said that they had also not seen her since Rei beat her in the last match. The Seigaku members were clueless as to why she had gone but the girls had a vague idea. Kiyoko presumed that she was training just like she was now with Rei.

"Kiyoko! Stop wandering and get your head back in the game," ordered Rei after hearing Kiyoko complain for the third time.

"But aren't you worried about where Yuki went?" asked Kiyoko, "I mean, she could be anywhere and she might have forgotten about the tournament!"

"That's something you would do," said Rei dryly before tossing the ball up, "Now get ready cause I'm serving."

"Fine," said Kiyoko while grumbling. Fuji and Eiji were also worried having been the closest male regulars to the girl. Though even Eiji was doing a better job of hiding their feelings. Rei served her Demon Serve and Kiyoko jumped up and returned it. Kiyoko grinned smugly at Rei.

"Don't get too cocky," said Rei. Now Tezuka called Rei and the regulars over.

"Ryoma, Kiyoko," said Tezuka looking at the two, "Both of you play a match against Rei and Momo."

"Eh? Why?" asked Kiyoko. Inui walked forward.

"You have to start training with Ryoma since you'll be the next Mixed Doubles Pair," said Inui, "You'll have to train harder. The girls in this tournament will be good and they are now putting Mixed Doubles first before the men compete."

"Really?" asked Kiyoko looking very happy. She had not expected to play much since Mixed Doubles was a last resort but now things were getting interesting.

"What about Yuki?" asked Rei, "Who will she be playing with?" Now everyone was silent before Ryuzaki went forward.

"She's been gone for two weeks already. The tournament is in four days and if she isn't here tomorrow," the woman began, "he will be kicked off the regular's team and you will take her place, Rei. You've been practicing with the regulars and can handle the schedule unlike the girls on the Seigaku girls' team."

"What?!" exclaimed the members, "But what if something happened to Yuki and that's why she couldn't make it?"

"That's not the point," said Ryuzaki, "She must be here tomorrow or else she'll be out. And when she does get back, Tezuka will think of a fitting punishment for her." Everyone shivered. They knew what it meant if Tezuka was giving out the punishment. It seemed like Yuki would be doing rounds from now to when she turns thirty.

"Damn it," cursed Rei after practice, "That girl is always causing trouble. We should probably start looking for her, Kiyoko."

"Right," agreed Kiyoko relieved that Rei finally relented. At first the two did not care since they knew Yuki would be back but she was probably too caught up in whatever she was doing and forgot. Suddenly, Fuji walked up to Rei and Kiyoko.

"Fuji," said Rei, "What is it?"

"Have you heard news of Yuki?" asked Fuji. The two girls shook their heads but then Kiyoko realized something.

"Fuji-senpai," began Kiyoko slyly, "Why are you so worried about Yuki?" Fuji just gave her his regular smile.

"It's nothing," said Fuji before walking off. Kiyoko muttered something about how she would someday penetrate Fuji's expression. She looked up and saw Ryoma walking with Momo.

"Come on Rei!" said Kiyoko eagerly, "I want to walk with Ryoma." The two ran to the boys.

"Oh, Kiyoko," said Momo, "Rei."

"Where are you two going?" asked Rei.

"We wanted to get a bite," said Momo cheerfully.

"Do you want to come?" asked Ryoma. Kiyoko grinned and latched her arm onto his.

"I thought you'd never ask," said Kiyoko before the four made their way to a McDonald's. "I can't wait for the next match! Do you think there'll be any strong players?"

"Hm," said Momo thoughtfully, "Well, there is St. Rudolph, Yamabuki, Hyotei, and of course, Fudoumine."

"Do you know anything else about the schools?" asked Rei. Momo shook his head before suddenly remembering something.

"Well, I do know that we'll be going against Fuji-senpai's younger brother when we go against St. Rudolph," said Momo.

"His younger brother?!" exclaimed Kiyoko in surprise, "Why doesn't he go to Seigaku?"

"He did," said Momo, "I sort of remember him. He was there for about a week before he left."

"Wow," said Rei impressed before the group had reached the hamburger shop. Again Momo and Ryoma engaged in an eating contest while Rei shrugged and Kiyoko sweatdropped. Afterwards Rei and Kiyoko headed home still worried. They had only forgotten their problem for a few minutes but now it came back to them.

"I guess all we can do is wait and pray," said Kiyoko as she opened the door to their house. To the girls' surprise there was a body sprawled on the floor.

"Huh?" asked Rei aloud before walking to the body and turning it to see who it was. Kiyoko was ready to fight off the person if he or she attacked.

"Yuki?!" exclaimed Kiyoko in surprise putting her fists down. Yuki did not move and Rei checked to see if she was still alive.

"She's all right," said Rei relieved, "Just wiped out." Kiyoko breathed a sigh before looking at the girl surprise.

"Oh my god," said Kiyoko, "She cut her hair." The girl's hair now went to her shoulder in a cute outfit that went out. It shaped her face perfectly and made her look more mature rather than the innocent look she achieved with her long hair.

"It's a shame you can't play with it anymore," said Rei remembering all the times Kiyoko was determined to make Yuki's straight hair curl (she could never do it). Yuki wore baggy sweatpants and a jacket. Now the girls carried the sleeping girl to her room and walked back out.

"She came back at just the right time," said Kiyoko.

"But where do you think she went?" mused Rei, "I mean she could have just trained here. Assuming she did train."

"Yeah," agreed Kiyoko, "And after all the hell you've put me through in the last two weeks."

"That was not hell," said Rei in her own defense.

"Oh really?" asked Kiyoko, "Do you think waking me up at four in the morning to go jogging and then do millions of exercises isn't hell? Not to mention the fact that I only got five hours of sleep since you made me train and do homework!"

"Look at the bright side," said Rei, "At least you're a lot stronger. And this training is only because you haven't been training as hard ever since you came here."

"Fine," relented Kiyoko, "But I refuse to train tonight. I'm going to sleep." Rei looked visibly displeased but she sighed and nodded. The two woke up the next day and found Yuki still asleep.

"How the hell do we wake her up?" asked Rei in her school uniform along with Kiyoko. They stood in front of Yuki's bed where they had put the girl the night before.

"I know," said Kiyoko before pulling out the covers. Yuki unconsciously looked for the covers but groaned before getting up and rubbing her eyes. She opened them to see two very displeased cousins.

"Where have you been?" asked Rei, "You've been gone for two weeks without a single note to where you went."

"If you hadn't come yesterday, then you would've lost your place," said Kiyoko.

"How did I get in bed?" asked Yuki not having heard the girls, "I thought I landed on the floor."

"We carried you here," said Kiyoko, "Get dressed. We'll be late for school if we don't leave in a few minutes."

"School?" asked Yuki.

"You have a lot of catching up to do," said Rei before she and Kiyoko walked out. Yuki wondered if she should just go back to sleep but then decided against it. Kiyoko had said something about losing her spot. She put on the school uniform but then looked at her hands. She had kept them hidden and knew Kiyoko and Rei had not seen them or else that would've been the first thing out of their mouths. They were both wrapped in white bandages going to her elbows and Yuki flexed them to test and make sure they could move. She then looked down at her legs and noticed the multiple scratches on them.

"Better wear stockings today," thought Yuki to herself, "I'll talk to Ryuzaki-sensei later." Yuki put on her uniform and the jacket that came with it for the winter. She could always say it was a little chilly. Yuki put her hands in them and then put on her stockings. She walked out and Kiyoko and Rei raised an eyebrow. They were only wearing extra layers but Yuki looked way too bundled.

"Don't you think you're overdressing?" asked Kiyoko.

"It's a little too chilly," said Yuki her cheeks red before moving forward. The girls shrugged before getting on their way to school. Rei and Kiyoko filled Yuki in on the events happening. Kiyoko emphasized the extra training Rei had put her through. Yuki was sent to the principal to explain why she had been absent and the girls were confused as to why she wasn't punished but they would soon find out. Yuki had still kept her jacket and since it was allowed, no one objected. Very few regulars had seen her but the news had spread via Horio so they knew she would be there at practice. They couldn't wait to blow their tops when they found Yuki and then fill their curiosity after hearing about her haircut. They had only seen her with long hair. There was one thing she couldn't hide.

"Yuki," said Kiyoko on their way to change for practice, "What happened to your cheek? You sort of remind me of Eiji with that band-aid on your cheek."

"Just a scratch," said Yuki vaguely. She stayed back when they headed for the changing rooms.

"What's wrong?" asked Rei, "Aren't you changing for practice?" Yuki was about to say something when Tezuka had come to her to bring her to Ryuzaki-sensei. The two wanted to talk to Yuki together.

"I'll see you two in a sec," said Yuki relieved to not have to explain to Yuki but dreading what would happen next. Rei and Kiyoko shrugged before disappearing into the changing room.

"Ohayo Ryuzaki-sensei," said Yuki looking cheerful and pretending there was nothing wrong.

"Yuki," said Ryuzaki-sensei sternly, "Where have you been all this time? Do you know you nearly lost your position? It's still in danger even now!"

"Gomen," was all Yuki could say as she looked sincerely ashamed. Tezuka watched the girl and stayed silent while Coach Ryuzaki talked and lectured Yuki. Finally he spoke.

"Yuki," said Tezuka seriously, "Take your jacket off."

"Captain?" asked Yuki in surprise. She was growing increasingly uneasy when Rei and Kiyoko had come out and all the regulars were looking at her wanting to know how much trouble she'd get. They were now surprised that Tezuka had told Yuki to take off her jacket. It was then that they noticed her whole body mostly covered. Yuki was half way in deciding whether she should run but Tezuka's gaze convinced Yuki to take off her jacket.

"Yuki?!" exclaimed Kiyoko in surprise, "What happened to your arm?" Yuki kept her gaze to the floor pretending that her shoelaces had suddenly caught her attention. All eyes were on the girl who did not look up. After all the silence Yuki couldn't take it anymore.

"I was just doing a little training," said Yuki slowly in a clear voice knowing that everybody would know eventually.

"Like what?" asked Rei, "Is that why Kiyoko and I saw you unconscious on the floor last night?" Kiyoko had been thinking about what could have possibly possessed Yuki to go into extreme mode when her eyes went wide.

"Yuki," said Kiyoko walking to the girl, "Don't tell me. Is this about your mo-"Yuki looked shocked before running off. "Yuki!" She was about to go after her when Rei's voice stopped her. She had taken a notebook from Yuki's bag. She knew the girl well enough to know that whatever training schedule she had, she would have written it down.

"What the hell?!" exclaimed Rei scanning her eyes on the book before moving away when the regulars had come closer to see what had given her the surprise, "If she really did this, it was way way harder than what you did Kiyoko."

"Let me see that," said Kiyoko grabbing the book. She dropped it after a few minutes and dragged Rei with her to the direction Yuki had gone in. Inui picked it up and turned to the tennis members gathering around him.

"Training Schedule," he began as Inui read aloud, "Two hours under waterfall with weights on wrist and arms out. Running for an hour. 1200 racket swings. 1200 push ups. 1 hour on strength training. 1 hour on Random Exercise to strengthen Weakness. Repeat Set." The members were silent as Inui talked.

"She couldn't have possibly done all that," said Horio, "Not even Kaidoh-senpai would do that! And for two weeks of doing nothing but that? Why would she do all that?"

"Horio!" shouted Mizuno and Kachiro putting their hands over his big mouth.

"All that time under a waterfall explains the bandages," mused Inui, "And why she was hiding the stockings. Hm. Was the hair a part of the change?" He began scribbling on his notebook. Meanwhile, Kiyoko and Rei had found Yuki sitting behind a wall holding her arms and hugging herself. She had never felt so embarrassed. Fuji and Eiji must have been disgusted at seeing all the bandages. She didn't even want to think of what they would say if she took them off. Wait till they saw her multiple scratches on the legs.

"Yuki," said Kiyoko sitting next to the girl with Rei taking the spot right next to her.

"Hey," said Yuki dully, "I guess you guys are pretty mad. I mean I skipped school, trained without you knowing, and then kept it all a secret. I'm pretty cruel getting more training in behind your backs." She kept ranting but Rei's one comment stopped her dead in her tracks.

"This was all for your mother wasn't it?" asked Rei not looking at the girl. Yuki halted and nodded slowly not looking at either Kiyoko or Rei for fear of what she'd do.

"She only wanted one thing for me," said Yuki, "It was to take after her and do what she couldn't. To stand among the best tennis players in the world. That one wish saved me. When Mom died, I was mute for weeks until Dad gave me her diary. It was right after she had me and Reika. She said that she wanted one of her daughters to be a pro tennis player, one of the best, too."

"What does this have to do with you and your mad training in the infernal regions?" asked Kiyoko before realizing, "Did you think that you weren't fulfilling your promise because Rei beat you so easily?" Yuki nodded.

"And I don't want to lose to anyone anymore," added Yuki, "I'm doing this for my mother and myself."

"We know exactly how you feel Yuki but that doesn't mean killing yourself training," said Rei, "I know that your mother doesn't want you visiting her so soon and neither would mine or Kiyoko's." Yuki brightened at the twos' words.

"Thanks you guys," said Yuki returning to her old self.

"No problem," said Kiyoko as the three got up, "Now why don't you change. Unless your training was too much of a drain?" Yuki shook her head.

"I slept while I was on the way here," said Yuki, "It was a long drive so I'm totally refreshed."

"What do you mean by a long drive?" asked Rei, "Where exactly did you go?"

"The mountains," said Yuki casually before running to the changing rooms. Kiyoko and Rei walked back and saw that the tennis members where exactly where the girls had left them.

"What's up with all of you?" asked Rei.

"Yuki-san has gone through intensive training," said Horio stating the obvious.

"And?" asked Rei coolly.

"If you guys are really ashamed that Yuki's been killing herself for the past two weeks for the Kanto tournament," began Kiyoko, "Then why don't you train yourselves? One win isn't going to take us to nationals. This is a team effort and we all have to work hard. Just do everyone a favor and act normal when she gets back. She gets embarrassed way too easily." The tennis members nodded and began practicing with much more enthusiasm.

"Not bad," commented Rei to Kiyoko, "You actually used a word over seven letters."

"Shut up," said Kiyoko going red before going to practice with Ryoma. Rei joined in and soon Yuki came out. The boys pretended not to notice some scratches and bandages on her legs. Tezuka wanted to be fair and ordered Yuki to do 100 rounds around the courts before joining the practice. She happily complied and was cheerful while she ran. It was only ten minutes before the practice was over so Yuki decided to go to Ryuzaki-sensei to discuss something with her.

"Sensei," began Yuki, "I was wondering if you had anyone in mind as my partner? I mean I won't be able to play much but I was still curious."

"I thought you could start practicing with Fuji," said Ryuzaki, "I wanted you with one of the Golden Pair but their match comes right after yours."

"Huh?" asked Yuki confused, "I thought that Mixed Doubles went last." Ryuzaki shook her head before explaining the change in rules and the continuing.

"Also," said the sensei, "Fuji would have more time to rest rather than Oishi or Eiji who might come in straight after." Yuki thanked the sensei before following Rei and Kiyoko out.

A/N: Well? This is Chapter 1 Part 2! Do you like it? I know it focuses on Yuki but I'm going to have one girl the main character in most chapters. The next chapter is an adventure the girls take before the tournament. The real tournament starts on Chapter 3 so stay tuned!

P.S. I know that the romance part of the story is taking forever to get started but it'll happen. The main reason there wasn't some more in Part 1 was because it took a really long time to get the whole getting settled part started.

P.P.S. Chapter 2 is coming soon.