Realization

Realization

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Disclaimer: I do not own The Prince of Tennis

Chapter 4: Improvement

It was right before school when Sakuno could be seen practicing tennis against a wall just outside her house. She was mostly practicing her form, especially her swing. Her aim has been getting better and better lately, almost good enough to keep returning shots without moving her feet.

"Sakuno, hurry up and get ready for school. You're going to be late."

"Hai, Kaa-san."

She quickly packed her books and headed out.

It was a nice day outside. The weather was perfect for a nice walk, but Sakuno did not have time to enjoy the weather. She was running very late. She barely made it to class on time.

"Sakuno, what took you so long to get here?"

"Gomen, Tomo-chan, I was practicing tennis outside and I lost track of time."

"Wow, Sakuno, you're really taking this tennis thing seriously."

"Well, why wouldn't I? I mean I love it."

"Really, I mean if it weren't for my brothers, I'd join the tennis club as well, but only for some fun, and maybe impress Ryoma-sama of course."

Sakuno sighed. There she goes again. Can't she talk about anything other than Ryoma once in a while? Sheesh.

Speaking of the devil, Sakuno did not notice it until now, but Ryoma was sitting right next to her, which he never did before. He was also looking right at her, which made Sakuno a little uncomfortable. I mean, who wouldn't, if you suddenly had the boy that you use to like staring at you for no reason. Sakuno decided to just ignore him.

Her classes have been starting to become a pleasure, especially with her grades going up through the roof. Her teacher smiled at her as she got her math test back, which had a 97 written on top of it. Math was her weakness, and it made her proud to see such a high grade. At the end of the class, the teacher pulled her over privately.

"Great improvement on your grades, Sakuno. I don't know what you did to change, but keep up the good work. A couple more of these high grades and you'll be able to get into the top 50s on your midterms and finals."

"Arigato, sensei. I'll try my best"

Wow, I just got a compliment from a teacher. That's never happened in my entire life before. Sakuno thought as she headed towards her tennis practice.

The routine went as usual. The first years practiced their swings for about 30 minutes. Then, they paired up to play practice double matches against each other. Sakuno dreaded this time because she was usually the one without a partner. However, today, someone actually came to her.

Her name was Miyagi Akemi. She was the best player out of the freshmen class. She had shoulder length dark brown hair, and large, kind, chocolate brown eyes. She smiled as she approached Sakuno.

"Ryuuzaki-chan. Do you have a partner?"

"Uh, no, Miyagi-san, would you like to be mine?"

"Yes, oh, and please, call me Akemi."

"Hai, Akemi-san. Please call me Sakuno."

Then, two other freshmen came up to us.

"Oi, do you two want to play a match against us."

"Sure," They both answered at the same time. They smiled at each other. The two were already in sync.

Akemi served first. As usual, the serve was perfect. It was fast, heavy, and well aimed at the far right corner. The other team had to lob to return it. Sakuno took this chance, jumped up high, and smashed it, earning a point.

"Great job, Saku-chan."

Sakuno smiled sheepishly. "Lucky shot, I guess."

They game went on. In the end, Sakuno and Akemi won, 6-4. They high-fived each other as the two exited the court. They headed for the locker rooms, since practice was over. Sakuno took the chance to ask her new friend the question that has been bugging her for a while now.

"Um, Akemi-san."

"Nani?"

"Why did you suddenly decide to ask me to be your partner? I mean, you're the best player in the freshmen class, and I'm just a nobody."

She smiled. "You have such a low self-esteem, Saku-chan." Then, her expression became serious. "You're good, you're really good. My Onee-chan, the bouchou, has been watching you throughout this entire week. You've been improving rapidly. She thinks that you have a good chance of becoming a regular in the summer."

"Really, me?"

"Hai," a voice behind me answered. Sakuno turned around and let out a small gasp. There, stood the bouchou, Miyagi Harumi. She bent down to her Sakuno's eye level, then took her wrist. Sakuno looked down at it. Surprisingly, it was red.

"You're defiantly improving rapidly, too rapidly. I saw you this morning practicing. You've been worrying too much on your form. If you continue at this rate, your wrist will break."

Sakuno stood there in shock. First, the bouchou was talking to her. Second, she complimented her. And third, she just told Sakuno that her wrist was in danger of breaking.

Harumi smiled at the girl. "Don't worry, just take it easy on your wrist for a few days. Instead of practicing your swing, work on your stamina and speed. Also, take it easy during practice for the next couple of days."

Harumi stood up, then patted Sakuno's head. "By the way, have you ever thought of letting your hair down? Cause you should. You'll look really pretty." After that, she walked away.

Sakuno was confused. After a couple seconds, Akemi bust into laughter. When she finally calmed down, she explained it to Sakuno. "That's my Onee-chan for you. One minute she's discussing a serious matter. The next thing you know, she'll blurt out the most random thing…But she's right though, you would look nice with your hair down."

"Really?"

"Hai, you've never tried it before?"

"No, it's so long, I'm afraid it'll get in the way."

Leaving my hair down, would that really be a good idea? Sakuno thought.

AN: I found this chapter really easy to type. I'm starting to get seriously into the story. By the way, if you want the definitions to the names of the new characters I created, check my profile. REVIEW!!