Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters.

Once upon a time, there lived a happy family of four. Life progressed relatively well for them: debts were paid, the eldest child was successful in university and the parents recently won a cruise trip to the Caribbean.

This little story begins the day before the parents left for their unexpected trip, when the eldest child made a large wish...

"Sakuno! Have you seen my red shirt? I put it on the couch this morning but it's missing!"

Ryuzaki Ayame, a short and stocky lady with a birthmark on her cheek, called up the stairs. People often remarked that they couldn't believe such a loud voice came out of such a small lady. It was the result of living with an argumentative mother-in-law for six years, Sakuno would say. God bless her soul.

"Which one, mom? Maybe Haru saw it."

Ryuzaki Sakuno, a young adult who maintained braids from childhood, called out from her bed, hoping her quiet voice would reach her mother.

She rested on her bed, listening to her mother as she asked Haru, the accident child, the same question. Sakuno sighed happily; how she wished she would win a trip to the Caribbean. It would be most wonderful to travel on a ship with a lover!

"Wouldn't it be great to have a special somebody, Buckles-san?"

Sakuno picked her favourite teddy bear – the brown one with the pink silk bow tie – and raised it above her. She made it nod.

"I'm glad you agree, Buckles-san." She said with a smile. "Surely being without a boyfriend the entire course of high school and the first few years of university can be normal, right?"

She made the bear nod again. Sakuno sighed again as she shifted her attention to the window. It was a lucky night since she saw a rare sight: a shooting star. It was so clear! She took advantage of the opportunity and made a wish.

"I wish I could meet my special someone soon..."

Ryuzaki Haru, the youngest and chubbiest member of the Ryuzaki family, ran to the middle of the bridge and jumped to see over the concrete railing that prevented pedestrians from slipping and falling into the water.

Sakuno chuckled and lifted him so he could see the cargo ships below. There was a good feeling flowing through her throughout the entire morning. It was rare for them to have quality time – usually their mother would be trailing right behind.

"Saku-neechan! I want to be a captain of a ship when I grow up!"

"Oh really? Will you take your sister for a ride?"

Haru thought for an entire minute. "No, only boys allowed on my ship."

Sakuno raised an eyebrow and flicked the back of his head. As the two conversed, they didn't notice a young man watching them from afar and slowing the pace of his tread. Then again, it would be hard to notice a single person when there were hundreds of people walking across the bridge.

He then approached them quietly and gracefully, occasionally receiving stares from other women. When he was less than two metres away, he spoke to her with a smile. "You would make a great mother."

Startled, the young girl looked to her right to find one of the most well dressed men she had ever laid eyes on.

He wore a dark blue coat with a white scarf draped around his shoulders. A black fedora hid most of his face from the sun, creating a shadow but Sakuno could see he had the bluest, beautiful eyes. They were vibrant enough to match the folders tucked underneath his arm.

"Oh, um, thank you."

Haru looked over to the stranger but didn't say a word. He didn't like this man very much.

"Is he your little brother?"

The stranger asked as he turned to rest his elbows on the railing.

"Yes, he is."

Sakuno fought to keep her blush at bay. For her, it was hard to talk to a good looking man without stuttering and blushing. It was embarrassing because she could barely look at him!

"We have to go."

Haru said, looking up at Sakuno with the cutest look he could muster. They needed to be away from this man as soon as possible, the little one thought.

"Oh you're right, it's almost nine." Sakuno said with widened eyes. "Have a good day."

She said to the stranger while slightly bowing. She took Haru's hand and rushed across the overpass. She didn't want her darling little brother to be late for class but couldn't help but want to stay near the man…he seemed strangely familiar.

As she hurried away, Sakuno didn't notice the lingering gaze of the stranger.

The stars were bright again tonight and the sliver of the moon looked gorgeous against the dark sky. Despite such beauty, Haru was frightened.

He missed their parents and asked Sakuno to sleep in his room tonight. She talked about nonsense until he fell into a peaceful slumber. After ten minutes, the woman giggled when she discovered her brother had episodes of sleep mumbles.

Since finding a comfortable position on the bed was difficult for her – it was a single bed, after all - Sakuno decided to preoccupy herself with something until she became extremely tired. That way, it wouldn't matter if the bed was comfortable or not. It was a shame Haru disliked her room because if he hadn't they would both have a good night's rest.

Her eyes scanned the room slowly, looking for something to do. It would be best if she stayed in the room in case Haru woke up from a night terror. She sighed when she found nothing to play with or do since all of Haru's toys were not meant to be played with by a twenty-one year old woman.

'What can I do...' Her brown eyes were suddenly fixated on the window. She could always stare at the sky and get lost in her thoughts as she usually did. Honestly, the things she did for this kid.

Sakuno had to be careful as she walked across the room. Haru's toys were scattered all over the floor , especially bits of lego.

"That was too difficult..." She commented after crossing the room. She shook her head and turned her attention to the black sky outside.

Why the darkness brought her mind to peace was a question she couldn't answer. Daylight was safer, yes, but there was something more to the night. Perhaps it was the silence or the feeling of being unsecure outside which calmed her. Though, it was odd for someone to welcome the unknown, wasn't it?

Sakuno chuckled dryly. There must have been something wrong with her mind. And apparently, the same was with her eyes. She caught a movement from down below with the corner of her eyes but when she looked down, there was nothing there.

All was still.

Since she kept her eyes on the one spot of grass outside the kitchen door, she didn't notice leaves falling off a branch of a bush.

Instead of entering a state of paranoia and double checking all the locks in the house, Sakuno decided it was time to sleep. Maybe welcoming the unknown wasn't a belief to keep.

"You're insane! You're a monster!"

A dishevelled, middle aged man cried as he ran down the hallway. Students stopped all activity to watch this man as he stumbled and fell. He was panicked and he looked a little...'crazy'.

"Sir? Do you need help?"

Sakuno, one of the bystanders, asked in a hesitant manner and approached the man slowly. She wasn't sure what this man was going on about but it sounded like he needed sedatives.

"K-keep him away! He's insane – insane!"

The man panted and supported himself on his hands and knees. When he looked up at the second year university student, she was startled to see how unfocused his eyes were. He crawled closer and closer to the woman, who took steps back.

"You- help, get him away...he's not normal, too many died..."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

The emotions in his eyes flickered so fast – from fear to agony to anger – that the student barely had any time to register in her mind that he was going to attack her. With a raging disposition, the man was about to pounce on the naïve woman.

Students around didn't want to get involved because this situation was perplexing and frightening. Most could only watch, some screamed, as the man bared his teeth and prepared to jump at her.

But his anger disappeared when a calm and authoritative voice called out to him.

"Kouji-san, please step away from the young lady."

About a minute away stood three men. Two of them were identifiable as the university's security guards and the other seemed to be a member of the staff. The white armband he wore was almost the same as the other professors in the university; there were a few minor differences.

Sakuno hadn't been able to take her eyes off of the deranged man. His anger disappeared so quickly and fear overtook him once again. The guards approached him in order to relieve the students of the sight of him.

Sakuno watched as he was dragged away and felt such pity for the mentally ill.

"Ah, my former peer."

The woman looked up towards the voice and found the most vibrant…rather, familiar blue eyes. Where did she see them before…?

Ah! It was her former senpai from middle and high school. She bowed and smiled when Fuji Syusuke chuckled.

"It's been a while, Ryuzaki-chan."

"It really has! Are…are you a nurse, Fuji-senpai?"

A sudden recognition passed through her mind – Fuji's eyes reminded her of the man she met in the morning. They had similar if not the same posture, the same haircut…His chuckle stopped her comparisons.

"I am actually a psychiatrist in training."

Sakuno could only gape. There was only a two year difference between them yet her former senpai had accomplished so much?

"I have one more year left to complete before I'm fully certified. What are you studying, Ryuzaki-chan?"

"I-I am majoring in Social Justice and was also thinking about a minor in…Psychology. M-maybe if Fuji-senpai doesn't mind, could you tell me about your experiences?"

Fuji smiled, "Anytime, Ryuzaki-chan. Only, this week is fairly busy as there's a patient who needs serious care. Perhaps early next week?"

It took quite a bit of courage to request a chat with him but Sakuno was quite relieved when he accepted. She thought she was being too straight forward!

"Of course!"

"Cheers Ryuzaki-chan, until next week."

She bowed then waved goodbye before continuing towards her class, which she was now late for. Suddenly, another strange feeling passed through her body, as if someone was staring at her…

After stopping and scanning the area, she observed nothing out of the normal. But it was such a strong feeling…

She shook her head then continued towards the last class of the day, completely missing Fuji watching her with great interest a few feet away. He waited until she entered class before entering his office. It was connected to the infirmary and this afternoon, he lucked out with co-workers as they were required to attend a faculty meeting. After the security officers witnessed him give Kouji a sedative, they left.

Fuji waited a full minute before reaching for the sharpened scalpel from his bag.

"N-no…y-you can't…" Kouji stammered from his assigned bed.

"Oh, but Kouji-san, I can." He said gently as he lowered the instrument towards Kouji's left ear.