The Ultimate Stride | Prince of Stride Fanfiction |

1 | Anticipation

    | {Kyouko's P.O.V.} |

"I'm finally done," I sighed as I collapsed onto my bed, fatigue weighing down on my body.

    It was only two o'clock in the afternoon, but I was totally beat. The soft sunlight pooling in from the only window in my apartment had embraced my legs in a comfortable warmth, and I smiled gratefully at the sensation.

I can relax.

    It was my second week in Tokyo, and I had finally finished unpacking all of my belongings into my new apartment. It was more of a difficult task considering how I had to do it all by myself, but I was happy to be fully moved in.

The apartment was small, but all of the furniture from my old room back in America had fit perfectly into the space provided.

My reasoning for moving all the way from somewhere like the United States to Tokyo was because of a crazy dream I had always wanted to follow ever since I was a kid.

My dream of becoming a runner for the Hônan Stride club.

When I was younger, all the other children my age enjoyed playing normal sports like soccer or basketball, but I always had the urge to run anywhere I possibly could.

    So that's what I did all the time; I ran.

    I'd run to school, parties, the store, the beach, the park, and even into the woods if I was bored enough. I ran nearly everywhere.

My friends would tell me I was crazy for enjoying such a boring and labor-intensive activity, but I loved it dearly. Running made me feel light and free.

Then I discovered Stride.

When I was in middle school, I happened to stumble upon an article about Stride when I was searching the web, and I was instantly hooked.

The perfect mixture between parkour and running had fully captured my interest, and I became a huge fan of the sport.

When I learned that such a thing existed, I became obsessed with the concept of one day participating in it.

    But of course, there were some complications.

Having a girl as an actual Stride runner was unheard of in America, and my dreams were shot down by nearly everyone around me.

"A girl wouldn't be able to handle such an intense sport, give up."

"That sport is for boys. Forget about ever wanting to do something like that."

"A girl's body would never be able to withstand such festivities."

People would constantly tell me to give up on such a ridiculous dream, but I was determined to pursue it.

I had done my research, and Hônan was the only high school in Japan that didn't have some kind of rule against having female Stride runners, so that became my initial goal.

    I also wanted to leave America.

    My father was originally from Japan, and I was very fluent in Japanese from taking many language classes, so Hônan seemed like the perfect school for me.

    I begged my parents to let me go to Toyko, and after many months of convincing, they finally decided to let me go. They were reluctant to let me stay in another country all by myself, but they trusted I would be fine.

    I knew the path I had chosen would be difficult, so I put all of my effort into training. It became my one and only hobby.

I took part in many different sports so I could cross-train for my future as a Stride runner.