Prince of Tennis 1. Chapter 1

**This is my firs fan fic :) I hope you guys like it! Please leave some feedback on my story, it would be greatly appreciated. **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the POT characters nor am I affiliated with the franchise. **

**Chapter 1- The Beginning**

My name is Hana Ryuzaki, the eldest child Emily and Kenji Ryuzaki. I have light brown hair and a pair of ocean blue eyes unlike my sister with Sakuno chocolate brown hair and golden eyes. If you look at the both of us, no one could ever guess that we were sisters. I guess my mom's British ancestry dominated my genes and no trace of Japanese characteristic got passed on to me.

* * *

I can still remember the days when I spent my childhood in Japan. I was 5 about years old, when we headed off to London due to the the nature of my parents' jobs. When I first arrived in there, I fell into deep sorrow. To get over my sadness, my parents decided to sign me up for various sports activities. However, none of them worked except for one...Tennis. When I played tennis all my frustrations and stress were released. It felt like I was in a whole new dimension, no one ever understood that feeling. Soon after that, elementary school began and teachers gave me a test and declared that I was a genius.

Every aspect of my life was going great. Somehow I felt that something was missing, something or someone very close to me but I just can't remember. I found this strange because at random times, flashes of memories would replay into my head and I would get extremely painful headaches. Oddly enough, my mom would just say that I just study too hard.

Nine years have passed since then and I'm finally 14. I accomplished being the captain of my tennis team and achieving stellar grades. Several universities offered me various scholarships but I declined all of them. I know I am still far too young to attend these prestigious schools. If anything I would love to go back to Japan and finish the rest of my studies there. My younger sister Sakuno and my dad travelled back to Tokyo to visit my grandmother. I was actually quite jealous because I've always wanted to go back, however, my team had a tough tournament to compete in and this is one of those times when they need their captain the most.

"Hana, would you come down here for a second?" my mom yelled.

"Yea mom, I'm coming," I replied back.

I hurried down stairs and there she was sitting down the couch ready to talk.

"So honey, your dad and I are a job transfer again and this time it's in Germany. It's in one of your grandfather's rehab centers and since he's retiring soon, he needs an heir to his company. I need to fill in his shoes and since he has quite a few branches, it would involve a lot travelling so we decided to give you guys some options," I was shocked by the news and it was sudden.

"So what are the options?" I asked curiously.

"Well. It's either you can come with us or stay with your grandmother in Japan. Your dad is arranging your papers right now just in case you change your mind. I know you've always wanted to go back and now you finally can. I don't want to force you into anything ," my mom always had that kind and soothing voice that always comforted me.

Later that night, I checked my email and it had a new message from Sakuno. It said:

_By the time you read this, mom probably explained what was going to happen. I just want to let you know that I'm choosing to stay in Japan. I'll be going to a school called Seishun Gauken as a freshman soon. I really wish that you could be here too sis. _

_Love, _

_Sakuno_

After I read that message, there was no doubt on my choice. I'm going back to Japan. I told my mom my decision and she smiled with support.

-FAST FORWARD-

Before I left London, my team and I conquered the obstacles in our National Tournament. There I gained the nickname "Princess Hana" from my style of play. It was a rough road but we became victors and fruits of labour finally paid off. I can finally leave with a clean conscience and go back to Japan and start fresh. Who knows what adventures await me at Seishun Gauken Middle School.


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the POT characters nor am I affiliated with the franchise.**

**Chapter 2: Dream or Reality?**

There I was at the airport waving to my mom, tears rolled down my cheeks in our farewell but at the same time my heart was set in Japan. I took a deep breath and moved on.

During my flight, I began to feel sleepy and that's where it began. I entered into a dream. I transformed into my 5 year old self, and I was in a park with kids around the same age. I saw this one boy alone on the swing. He had messy brown hair and sharp brown eyes. He seemed so lonely so I decided to approach him.

"H-h-hi," the boy seemed nervous.

"You know I'm not going to bite right," I gave him a smile.

He seemed to gravitate towards the familiar sounds of tennis balls from a court nearby. The boy looked so fascinated by it. He left the swings and headed for an empty court where a couple of rackets and balls were lying on the ground.

"So...do you play tennis?" I asked.

His eyes lit up and he picked up a racket started to serve. I was amazed by his form and natural ability. I picked up a racket as well and returned his serve. It continued into a long rally until we were both exhausted.

"So you do play tennis after all," I laughed.

" What's your name?" The boy was finally gave me a smile.

" Oh I'm Hana Ryuzaki," I replied to him.

"I'll call you Hana-chan then. You know you're the first person to be ever become friends with me. I don't really talk to a lot of people but you were different, you seemed to understand me," The boy said sincerely.

"What do you mean by that?" I was confused by his statement.

" You see...when we played to tennis, I felt something...something different. I felt so happy because I felt like I belong somewhere," now I finally understood.

"I know what you mean. Tennis is so different from any other sport. It's like you get pulled into another world. Even if I lose, I would still be happy," I said cheerfully.

"Exactly. I really wish we could be friends forever, you know?" He said.

"But wait...I don't even know your name"

He didn't even listen to me he just continued on. "I bet someday you're going to be my girlfriend,"

"In your dreams," I chuckled.

"By the way my name is Tezu-,"

My dream got interrupted by the intercom saying that we were about to land. Somehow I woke up with a big smile on my face like an idiot not knowing why. I looked out the window saw a beautiful sunrise. I knew that I was finally home. But what bothered most is that was my dream just a dream or has it really happened before?


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the POT characters nor am I affiliated with the franchise.**

**Chapter 3: Lost Memories**

I felt a wave of exhaustion as soon as I arrived at the airport. I was walking around like a dead zombie until someone caught my attention.

"Hana! Hana-chan!" A familiar voiced called me.

I quickly snapped out of my snapped out of my zombie state and hugged my obaa-chan (grandma). Her name is Sumire Ryuzaki, she's a teacher and the coach of the tennis team in the school that I'm going to be attending. She is also my grandma on my dad's side. She's aged quite a bit since the last time I've seen her. New wrinkles around her temples have formed and some underneath her eyes.

"Oba-chan, I've missed you so much," I almost broke into tears and hugged her tighter.

"You've grown into such a beautiful young lady, I bet you will be a catch at Seishun," she winked at me.

My cheeks turned rosy pink from the compliment. "Onee-san!" I turned to see that Sakuno greeted me as well.

"So you're learning more Japanese, eh?" I giggled. Since my dad was Japanese, he enjoyed teaching us the language and the culture of the country. Both Sakuno and I can speak fluent Japanese, however, Sakuno is a lot better than me at it since I still struggle with choosing suffixes such as "chan", "san", "kun" etc.

"By the way where's da-oh I mean outo-san?" I asked.

"He headed for a flight to Germany last night. Your Ojii-san had some important business things to discuss," Obaa-san replied.

"Oh I understand"

My grandfather or Ojii-san in my mother's side is a wealthy businessman who owned several first class rehabilitation centers around the world but mostly in Germany. My Okaa-san/mom is the next heir to these huge corporations. My Otou-san is one of my Ojii-san's most trusted personnel in his company. Someday, he is hoping that Sakuno and I would take over as well.

"I'm going to take both of you home now. Hana I know you're very exhausted so you should definitely rest up," said Oba-chan.

"Arigatou," Sakuno and I said unison.

Few hours later, we finally arrived home. Oba-chan's house was the one that we used live in when I was little. It brought back some really good memories. _I wish I never left_ I thought to myself. The house was traditional inside and out. A gorgeous Japanese garden was located outside which I admired.

"I never wanted to move out because I had a feeling you guys will always come back," Oba-chan smiled. I carried my luggage to my old room. I noticed that nothing changed at all. All my books were neatly arranged on a shelf and few of my old toys were still scattered on floor. On the bed, I noticed my neatly folded Seishun Gauken uniform. It consisted of a green plaid skirt and a light green jacket with a pink bow. I tried it on and it fit perfectly. I looked at myself in the mirror and noticed how cute the uniform looked.

I noticed a teddy bear on my bed that was holding a birthday card. I started reading that message that it contained.

_Happy Birthday Hana-chan! Thank you for being my best friend. I hope that you will have the best birthday ever. _

Inside the card, there was a picture of myself and a boy identical to the one that I saw in my dream. I started to ask myself who that can be. It's weird because I absolutely don't remember having him as a friend before. _What is going on?! This is getting weird _I thought to myself. The more I stare at the picture; flashes of memories start to return. My head started throbbing at the thought of it. I went up to Oba-chan to get more information.

"So you still don't remember? After all these years...hmmm," she looked at me with concern.

"What do you mean?" I was befuddled.

"Well, when you were little an incident happened. Someone accidentally pushed you down the bleachers from a park nearby. Your head suffered from quite a bit of damage causing you to have temporary amnesia. Most of your memories were recovered. I guess that part of your childhood was affected by the damage that the amnesia cost. We never told you about the incident because it might trigger even more trauma if you tried to remember it," Oba-chan explained everything.

"Wow... I never knew such thing even happened. I can't believe I just found out now. But that still doesn't answer who this boy in the picture is?" I asked frantically. "I need to know more,"

"That boy right there was your childhood best friend. You two used to be inseparable. Playing tennis till sunset used to be both of your habits. Both of you showed so much promise at such a young age. His name is Tezuka Kunimitsu, the current captain of Seishun tennis club," she said proudly.

I was left in shock, I guess he was the first person to help me unlock my potential in tennis. It also explains why tennis is the only sport that I gravitated towards. I wonder if he still remembers me too. Our paths are about to cross again. _Will we resume the friendship that we had before? I certainly hope so..._


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the POT characters nor am I affiliated with the franchise.**

**-This is a long chapter...hehe. Leave feedback please **

**Chapter 4: He changed...**

Today is the big day: IT'S THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! I know a lot of kids aren't excited for this kind of thing but this is different. It's a new beginning for me. New classmates, new future friends...and maybe a new Kunimitsu? Obaa-chan already gave Sakuno and me a tour around the school so we won't get lost and panic on the first day.

"Have you thought about any clubs that you're going to join? You know the girls' tennis club needs some improvement. I don't just mean their playing style but their attitude needs a makeover too" Obaa-chan seemed serious on the last part.

"Actually I was thinking of joining the boys tennis club instead. I don't mean playing for them but being an athletic trainer or an assistant coach," I smiled.

"Is this about Tezuka again?" she gave me a smirk.

"Obaa-chan, I'm serious...I have the skills for it...can you at least think about it? Besides you said it yourself, the girls tennis club has some issues. I don't intend on getting involved in that kind of drama. Even if I don't get to play tennis with the guys, just being around the sport itself makes me happy," I tried to convince her even more with sad eyes.

"Oh all right. You will get your answer later on in the day, I promise,"

Obaa-chan drove us to our new school, the famous Seishun Gauken. The cherry blossoms around the school made the surroundings come to life. It made it even more enticing to enter. Beside me, I saw Sakuno in her nervous state. She was slightly shaking and her face turned into a rosy colour. Sakuno was always like this, she hates new places. Ironically she already made a friend named Tomoka who is obnoxious and loud. She lives right across the street from us.A little bit annoying but she was sweet and I know she has good intentions.

"SAKUNO-CHAN!" Tomoka yelled at the top of her lungs. My sister's personality and hers contrast well.

"Konichiwa T-Tomo chan," Sakuno replied nervously. "This is my one-san, Hana"

Tomo stared at me in awe. "Is she really your sister Sakuno-chan? She looks like a princess! Is your hair this naturally curly, Hana-senpai? It looks like you got it done at a fancy salon!"

"Arigatou Tomo-chan," I returned a bright smile to her.

"Onee-san, we have to look for our class...I guess I'll see you later," Sakuno ran off with her new friend.

"I have to get going too Hana, let me know how your first day goes," Obaa-chan sent a goodbye wave.

I searched for a large board that contained all the classes and names. I found mine in class "3-1". Suddenly I heard whispers coming from some of the girls.

"There he is...it's Tezuka-san," a lot of the girls seem to be ready to faint as soon as he makes eye contact with them. I was caught off guard when I looked up at him as well. Tezuka was handsome, almost too handsome. He still had that same messy brown hair and those sharp brown eyes. Only now, he has glasses that match them. He was about 3 inches taller than me, which really isn't much but he seemed to tower over everyone.

"OMG! I'm in the same class as Tezuka-san Yay! Class 3-1!" the girl squealed. I think her head was a about to blow up from the excitement.

The girl's excitement was contagious since I felt ecstatic that I belong to the same class as him. I tried to think of some strategies on how I can greet Tezuka-san and not sound too stalker-ish. But I guess that won't be happening since he probably won't even remember me anyway. I want to save myself from the embarrassment. Besides, Kunimitsu had this intimidating aura around him that made him seem difficult to approach.

I walked to classroom 3-1 and tall man greeted me as soon as I walked in. He recognized immediately that I was a new student. "Can you please introduce yourself to the class?" Hashimoto-sensei asked kindly.

"H-hai. My name is Ryuzaki Hana. As you can tell I'm new here. I was born in Japan but I mostly grew up in London. Everyone can call me Hana-chan or Hana, I'm not used to being called by my last name. I'm excited to join you all," I gave a slight bow. At the corner of the room I saw a girl with jet black hair laughing. I can tell she was probably criticising my introduction. I decided to pretend to take no notice of it. After all, I don't want new enemies at the school.

"Excellent, Hana-san you may now take a seat by the window right in front of Tezuka-san," The sensei commanded.

"Hai," I replied. A sea of faces glared at me as I searched for my seat. For a second I locked my eyes on Tezuka's. I noticed how lonely they were. In an instant, I learned that he is to be isolated from everyone else. I wonder why...He wasn't the same cheerful yet shy boy that I dreamed of. Instead, I looked at an emotionless rock.

The first period consisted of world history. It's my favourite and best subject. The ancient past has always fascinated because of the way it impacted us today. Everyone else thought it was a subject they could take a nap in.

* * *

The morning classes went by like a breeze. It was finally lunchtime and I wanted to ask Obaa-chan about my proposal on being the team's athletic trainer. "Ah...you're as impatient as ever aren't you? I thought about it this morning and I know you were qualified for the team so welcome to the Seigaku tennis club,"

"Arigatou Oba— I mean Ryuzaki sensei, I will do my absolute best to help maintain the team's health ," I was so glad that sensei approved of my job.

Knock! Knock!

"Come in, it's open."

Tezuka came in and gave a bow to Obaa-chan. I almost forgot that he was Seigaku's captain. "Ryuzaki-sensei, I just wish to inform you that Seigaku is deeply motivated this year to take it all the way to Nationals." Tezuka said it in a mature manner and in a calm tone that almost caught me in a trance.

"I am pleased to hear that. Can you do me a favour? My granddaughter here is new to the school and as well as to the tennis club as our new athletic trainer. Would you mind introducing her to some of the people in the team so she can become familiarized with them?"

"Hai-sensei," Tezuka gave one final bow and escorted me out. In the hallway, silenced filled the gap between us as we walked together.


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the POT characters nor am I affiliated with the franchise. **

**Chapter 5: Start of Something**

Tezuka and I found ourselves in chaotic lunchroom. One table in particular had a swarm of girls surrounding them. As you would've already guessed it was the tennis jocks' table.

"Girls thank you very much for the lunches but we really need to eat alone now," A guy with closed eyes and a happy face said. His words seemed to effective as the girls started to walk away while squealing.

"Is it like this every day?" I asked Tezuka.

No answer.

"Ah. Tezuka is finally here and he...BROUGHT A GIRL!" the guy with red hair laughed.

"The probability of Tezuka talking to a girl is 0.01%, let alone bringing a girl to our table which should be 0%," A guy with the thick glasses started recording this information. It kind of creeped me out a little a bit.

"Everyone, this is Hana Ryuzaki. She's Ryuzaki-sensei's granddaughter and as well as the team's new assistant coach as well as our athletic trainer," Tezuka stated.

"Nice to meet you Hana-San," Everyone said in unison.

Eventually I learned everyone's names as they finished introducing themselves. I took a mental note of everyone.

_**Fuji **__**Syusuke**__**: **__3__rd__ year, always has his eyes closed. I have a feeling he's secretly sadistic._

_**Oishi **__**Shūichirō**__** :**__ 3__rd__ year. Guy with a weird haircut. He seems like a nice guy._

_**Kikumaru Eiji:**__ 3__rd__ year. Red hair and overly energetic. Gives lots of hugs. _

_**Inui Sadaharu:**__ 3__rd__ year. Always gathers data and kinda creepy._

_**Takashi Kawamura**__: 3__rd__ year. He seems nice but NEVER let him hold a racket in front of you._

_**Takeshi Momoshiro:**__ 2__nd__ year. Seems nice and he eats way TOO MUCH._

_**Kaidoh Karou:**__ 2__nd__ year. Breaths like a snake, acts tough but is actually soft on the inside._

"It's nice to have someone new at our team. How come you're not joining the girls club instead?" Oishi asked curiously.

"Let's just say that I've heard some things about their team. And I heard that they don't have a good reputation," I whispered.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"So uh-uh d-do you have a b-boyfriend?" Momo asked while blushing. At the same time I noticed Tezuka seemed to have choked a little bit on his drink.

"Why should she want to go out with you? Fshuuuuuu...you have an ugly face," Kaido mocked him.

"Are you picking a fight now Mamushi?" The two glared at each other intensely. Everyone else laughed, except for Tezuka of course.

* * *

After a long day of classes, it was finally time for tennis practice. Oba-chan introduced me to everyone once again. To be honest, I was quite impressed with the team. Everyone is so hardworking and are willing to give their best, which are the qualities that I admired the most about this club. It reminds of my old team back in London.

To get started I went into the equipment room to help everyone set up. Suddenly, I slipped backwards on a tennis ball. Just when I thought I was going to crash on the ground, somebody had caught me.

"You do know that this job is for the freshmen right," that voice was so familiar. I opened my eyes only to see that it was Tezuka who had saved me from my fall. I started to blush. He locked his eyes on mine. It's as though he was hypnotizing me. My heart started pounding so fast that it could burst out of my chest in any second.

"Y-yea but I just wanted to help out. I want to set a good example for everyone," I quickly stood up and dusted myself off_. _

I then started supervising everyone and taking notes of some areas that they need improvement on. One freshman caught my attention. His serves were extraordinary and was at the pro level. His name was Ryoma Echizen. He definitely has a huge chance on taking the spots away from one of the regulars. Even right now I can already tell that he has limitless potential for growth. However Fuji and the rest of the regulars showed off their skills as well. Everyone idolized their greatness and proved why they were chosen to represent the team.

Halfway through practice I heard Tezuka's commanding voice, "Everyone 20 laps around the court," his authoritative presence quickly took its effect. All the Seigaku members obeyed their stern captain. His eyes followed my direction and raised his eyebrow. "Didn't I say everyone?"

"Umm...I didn't sign up to run laps," I replied back.

"You said you wanted to be a good example didn't you?,"

I sighed. I knew that he was right,. I started to catch up with the others. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tezuka smile. I thought it was just my but my imagination but of course his smile rapidly faded. _Was he toying with me? _I thought to myself. Everyone eventually finished running and to my surprise I was the first one to finish.

"Do you run marathons or something?" Kikamaru asked. He was breathing and panting hard and I noticed that everyone on the team was as well. I took a mental note of helping everyone to improve their stamina.

"Oh well you see back in London, our specialty was stamina training. My coach made sure to prepare us for long matches," I answered Kikamaru.

"Impressive. For someone to have your stamina level is pretty amazing. I'm guessing you were a top player on your team." Fuji said.

"I was the team captain and we just won Nationals a few months ago," Everyone was stunned.

"Now that you mention it, you do look familiar. There's a 25% chance that I have seen you before," Inui recorded this into his green notebook.

"With your help, our chances at winning could definitely increase," Oishi added.

Momo and Kaidoh nodded in unison. For the first time I ever saw them agree on something.

"Everyone, even though a great person is here to help us, we must still not let our guard down," said Tezuka. _Wait a minute did he just call me great? Weird._

* * *

The next day, we were starting a project in World History. According to the teacher this was supposed to equal 15% of our final mark and to ensure that will do their best, he was going to select our partners for us.

"First, I am going to pick my two best students in this class to cooperate on the project. Tezuka Kunimitsu and Hana Ryuzaki will be working together," Hashimoto- sensei said proudly.

A sea of death glares from Tezuka's fangirls was now directed at me. Out of all the people I could be partners, the chances of being with him was slim. But this might be one of those things that they call "destiny". After that, I barely paid any attention to the rest of the names that he was calling out.

Out of nowhere Tezuka tapped my shoulder "Would you like to go to the library after school today?"

"Hai," I said shyly. I'm surprised that he was the one who initiated working on it.

* * *

After school, we both took the train together to the library. Once again silence was among us.

I just couldn't take the stillness between the two of us. "Do you even remember me? I know it's been a long time but I just want to know. I saw some old pictures of the two of us and to be honest I just want to be friends again. We seemed so happy back then..."

Tezuka's face remained expressionless, "It's ironic when you're the one saying that," he finally said something.

"I'm assuming that's a yes?"

"Let's just work on the project," He said coldly.

Together, we searched for hundreds of books that we could use. "Ah there it is," I said as I finally found the right one. Without realizing it, our hands touched as we reached out for the same book. Sparks travelled all over my body. My face started to feel warm as it turned into various shades of red. _What is happening to me? I need to snap out of it._ I glanced at him and I saw that he was in a similar state.

"Soooo we're using this book right?" I tried to change the subject.

He nodded. As we collaborated, it turns out that we had similar ideas. To my surprise, World History was also his favourite subject. Because of this we were able to finish our reports quickly.

"Look, it's getting dark, I'm going to walk you home," Tezuka offered.

"Its fine, I'm used to it. Besides you're family will start to worry," I declined.

"Seriously I insist, a girl shouldn't be walking alone at this hour," he seemed concerned.

I gave in. The clouds began to fade as the sun drowned into the horizon. Dark shades of blue started to appear and stars started to shimmer. It was a perfect a sunset.

"By the way, I do remember us..." Tezuka answered my question.

"I guess my assumption was right," I teased. "Oh and um if you're free this weekend, maybe you would like to catch up," I nervously asked.

"Yea I think I'd like that and I know just the perfect place," for the first time he smiled for more than 4 seconds.


End file.

Prince of Tennis, Friendship, Romance