Chapter 01 - Familiar Face

"That damn Kaidoh mamushi pulling stupid stunts during practice, pisses me off with his attitude!! Argh! He hasn't changed even though we're in highschool!!" Momo-senpai was raving on and on about Kaidoh senpai. "Teh..mada mada dane." I muttered. Same thing happens everyday while we walk home from club. High school seems to be the same as Junior High. All the senpais are here, and we're all in the Tennis Club. Horio and the rest are still as noisy, but at least they've been able to play rather than being ball boys. Everything is the same, but I was never prepared for what was to come.

'Nice weather today', I thought. Cherry blossom season. Cherry blossoms flying everywhere. They can get terribly annoying, but they're not that bad for tennis practice. Should have a game with Oyaji.

"Te-me Mamushi, I'll teach him a lesso-oi Echizen." Momo-senpai lowered his voice to a whisper. "Nanda." "Look at that girl. The one by the Holy Tree. Kawaii don't you think." "uhhnn..mada mada da-", I stopped in my tracks. She was from our school.hmm she carried a tennis bag.long brown hair flowed down her back.who was she? She suddenly turned and looked at us, which I'm pretty sure we looked like idiots, standing there staring stupidly at her. Those deep brown eyes...seems familiar. She looked at us.seeming a little startled at first. She turned so that she fully faced us, her hair was blowing gently around her.and her eyes never left mine. "eh..Ryoma-kun, Momoshiro senpai. Konnichi wa." She said smiling. "Momo-chan de ii yo," (Just call me momo-chan). Momo senpai said laughing stupidly. Her smile deepened briefly, then her eyes flashed up. "ahh I forgot about practice! Ja-ne Ryoma kun, Momo-senpai!" she hurried off past us.

"Momo senpai..DEH!! OI!" Momo senpai had gone in a daze. I poked him but he didn't respond, I smiled "KAIDOH SENPAI!!!" I yelled.

"Ung where where?" he snapped out of his trance. "no where, you're back." "BAKA YAROU!... Do you know who that was?" he asked.

"Saa." We started walking again and then suddenly it hit us.

"Ryuzaki Sakuno!" we cried in unison. "Echizen, you idiot! She's in the same grade as you, possibly in the same class too, how can you miss such a pretty girl? Come to think of it, she doesn't come around to watch us practice anymore huh..what did you do to your girlfriend?!!" momo-senpai asked. "Saa..." I kept walking with my hands behind my head. "She left Seigaku junior high after you graduated, senpai. Basically she's been away .... until we just saw her again. Come to think of it, I might have seen her around school and in class..DEH..girlfriend?" Momo-senpai bopped me on the head. "Baka. Alright see you tomorrow! Looks like it's going to rain. Hurry home!" he called.

"Tadaima"

"Okaeri nasai Ryoma kun", my cousin called. "Dinner will be done in a short while." "Ah." I muttered and went up to my room and flopped on my bed. 'Ryuzaki.Sakuno' Images of her from this afternoon flashed through my mind. How she's changed.from what I can remember of her that is. I rolled over and fell asleep quickly.