"Well I've been good, no I've been great

you say you're in a better place and honestly,

I'm happy for ya"

-- Madly, Tristan Prettymam

Sakuno was inside her bedroom, packing her belongings into a pink medium size traveling suitcase. She had been packing for several hours, deciding which clothing she should bring with her while she had to stay at a family's friends place for the next six months. Her grandmother had been transferred to another middle school that was a few distance away from Tokyo. She, however, had to stay in Tokyo and finish her first year of high school, while her grandmother was away in Hakone. If she were to fail two courses, she would immediately be back to live with her grandmother in Hakone. It was a fair deal that her grandmother had done.

Finally finished with packing her clothes, she looked around her empty room. Everything had been moved yesterday afternoon, when she graduated from middle school. Right now she was on her spring break and needed to study for the upcoming exams and tests that would be given on the third week of school. It felt unfair, but she guess that high school was a lot more tougher and less free time than in middle school. Picking up the suitcase and her backpack, Sakuno headed downstairs to be greeted by her grandmother.

"Ready to go Sakuno?" questioned Sumire, picking up a brown box that contained more of her stuff that was supposed to be in her old room.

"Yes!"

Helping her grandmother out the door, and closing the maroon door for the last time, she headed towards the car that her grandmother owned. She carefully placed her suitcase in the backseat, and soon headed to sit herself in to front seat of the car. Patiently waiting for her grandmother, she took out her cell phone. Punching the buttons of her cell phone, she began texting with her good friend Tomoka.

Sakuno heard the engine of the car start, and soon the gray car left the driveway. Sumire took a quick glance at her granddaughter who was probably talking to the girl, Tomoka. Her lips formed a soft smile as she noticed her granddaughter giggling at the phone. "Are you nervous Sakuno?" she questioned, carefully at the speed limit that a sign had said to drive at.

Sakuno was hesitant for a minute, but soon nodded. "Y-Yes."

She heard her grandmother chuckled. "You don't have to worry so much Sakuno. I'm sure that everything will go fine for you this year."

"I-I know, but it's still new to me."

Sumire raised an eyebrow as she turned the car to head left. "High school?"

Twiddling her fingers, Sakuno shook her head. "N-No, not that. Just … living with an unknown person I've never really met."

Sumire chuckled once again. "You don't have to worry about that dear!"

"I know, but still…"

"She's such a sweet person. She's currently getting another degree in college right now, she said she wouldn't mind having a guest in the house. Besides the house is to big for her to live alone."

"So we're both students?"

Nodding, Sumire stopped the car and let the pedestrians cross the street. "Her parents passed away a few years ago, so she had to live alone for a little while. I mean that's what I heard."

"She must be lonely…" muttered Sakuno, looking outside the car window. "That must be sad…"

"No, her relatives sometimes visit her. Not to mention she has friends."

There was a soft smile that Sakuno had. "That's good."

Fifteen minutes passed and they were finally in a peaceful neighborhood. Sakuno gave a bright smile as she noticed the friendly way the neighbors were talking to each other. Perhaps living with this family friend wouldn't be so bad after all. Women and children were talking among themselves, and it looked like they haad gone shopping for groceries together. There were a few grandpa's and grandma's cleaning their front yard or garden of flowers. Seeing the pretty houses pass by, she wondered what kind of house she would be living at for her first year of high school.

"Eh? So she won't be coming for our yearly end of the school year hang out?" Kato asked Tomoka as she started to drink her juice that she had ordered not long ago.

"Yep, she's going to live in that new house with the family friend person today," she said, flipping a page of a magazine.

"Well that sucks, I mean ever since our freshman year in middle school we've hung out with each other when the school year ends," said Horio eating some fries that Mizuno had bought.

"Hey! Those are mine!" cried out Mizuno.

"Oh shut up Horio! It's not her fault!" cried Tomoka, glaring at Horio as though he was an idiot. "At least she's not moving to Hakone with her grandmother!"

"Hey don't tell me to shut up!" he fought back.

Kato and Mizuno sighed together.

"They're not going to stop are they?" questioned Mizuno even though he already knew the answer.

"Nope…" replied Kato. "Well … guess we'll just see Sakuno in three days for our study group."

"Yeah, hopefully. She's the only one who can stop Tomoka and Horio in their fights."

The two new high school freshman sighed once again.

Sakuno stared at the place she was supposed to live at from now until her second year of high school. It was…

"Pretty big isn't it?" said her grandmother standing next to her.

Sakuno mutely nodded. "Very…spacious."

Sumire laughed and grabbed the luggage from her granddaughters hands. "Let's go."

Sakuno followed behind, and carefully stared at the stairs she had to walk up. She knew her grandmother wanted to keep it a surprise on where she would live in the next year, but this surprise was just too much for her to bare. How was she going to live in such a big place? It reminded her of those big temples in Kyoto she had seen in her school trip this year. Suddenly a questioned popped in her mind. "U-Um grandma?"

Sumire took a glance back to see her granddaughter. "Yes Sakuno?"

"How can a college student…own this place?"

"Her fathers' side of the family owns it. She's the last heir really."

"O-Oh."

They finally reached the top of the stairs, and once again Sakuno was amazed by the old fashioned Japanese house in front of her. The garden was beautiful and there was a small pond. She noticed another pair of stairs that would lead to another building. This place was technically a temple place. Her head was soon causing her headaches, there were so many questions she wanted to ask about this place. She was really going to live in a shrine! Well … kind of.

"Oh! You've finally arrived!"

Sakuno's attention was now on a dark blue haired woman. She blushed, and looked down at her shoes. The woman was very, very, pretty compared to her, Ryuzaki Sakuno.

"Ino, it's been quite some time hasn't it?" said her grandmother in a very grandmotherly voice. Sakuno was still staring at the ground.

"Indeed it has grandmother Sumire."

Sumire gave the twenty-six year old woman a smile. Her head turned to her granddaughter who was bashfully looking at the ground. Sumire chuckled. "Sakuno, why don't you greet your new roommate?"

Sakuno slowly raised her head. Her cheeks were pink because of embarrassment and her shyness. Chocolate brown eyes met violet ones. Soon, Sakuno gave fast and low bow. "P-Please to meet you! I'm R-Ryuzaki Sakuno! P-Please take care of me for this up-upcoming year!"

There was an awkward silence, but a soft giggle broke it.

"Please to meet you too Sakuno-chan. I'm Nanako Meino."

Good? Okay? Bad?

Please leave a comment. Oh right.

I can never be a mangaka, since I only draw professional stick figures! So I can't own Prince of Tennis. :D