Title: Hidden Message
Summary: It was she who liked him first. But it was he who loved her first... It was she who offered to stay as friends. But it was he who offered to stay by her side... It was she who ignored the red rose. But it was he who had lost his life...
Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis

(A/N): This is my first Prince of Tennis fanfic.

She's always noticed him.
He's always noticed her.

She would always bring him homemade lunches when she thought it was good enough to share.
He would always give her weekly tennis lessons so she could improve (even though it was highly impossible)

She would always try to be bright and smile when he was around. He would always try to impress her by acting serious and superior.

In the morning, she would wait until he showed up at school, no matter how late he was.
In the afternoon, he would always walk her home from school, no matter how early she left; meaning he sometimes missed tennis practice.

When he finishes a match, the only one who offers him a drink is her. "Ryoma-kun, here's a Ponta, grape flavored, your favorite." She would always says in her high but mature voice.
When she's lost around town, the only one who would actually come to her, wherever the place was, and show her the way in person was him. "Ryuzaki, lost again? I showed you this route couple of weeks ago." He would say in an annoyed but teasing tone.

The two definitely had something special between them. And it wasn't unnoticed.

But feelings can move. As if fate played around, his excitement for tennis grew while his attraction for her seemed to declined.

But, she would still notice him. When he didn't.
She would still bring him lunches. Even though there were no more lessons.
She still had her bright aura surronding her. When his act to impress started to change into ignorance.
She still waited for him at the front gate, risking her perfect attendance. When he didn't even say good-bye when she left school.
She still offered him nice refreshing Ponta after a match, but the only reply she was got was, "ˇ"

No matter how he treated her, she was still happy that she was able to be around him.
"Love is a chapter in a man's life, when love is a whole book for a women." It was just as the quote states. She was in love with him and she was happy.

Each and everyday, her smile become brighter as his eyes started to wander off.
A normal person's feelings would slowly change from 'happiness' to 'content' then to 'disappointment' and finally to 'sadness'. But she was an exception, she chased those negativities with hope.
She was hoping that he would someday come back to her.
And so she promised herself to wait.

Until one day she snapped.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The school bell chimed, ringing the sound throughout the school. The student's excited talks and cheers indicated that the school day was over. The smiling faces of Seigaku High's students brighten the afternoon especially after a hard day of studies at school.

There was just one specific student who was not in a hurry or excited.

The sun was slowly setting, leaving a trail of pinks and oranges in the never-ending sky. There was only a single female student who noticed this miraculous view. Clenching the rooftop railings gently, she leaned forward to feel the warm breeze as the brilliant sky started to melt away from her sight. Her eyes were reflecting the bright colors along with mixed emotions of sadness and anxiousness.

She had now learned today that the wait she had held for him was a waste. The bottle of hope and love for him shattered just like that upon hearing the news. He was going to move to America.

Sakuno sighed as she reminded herself of this. Repeated questions of 'why' were running circles in her head, there was so much she wanted to ask him. Her feelings were all knotted and she was unable to untangle it.

Clink! Sakuno suddenly picked up a noise at the other side of the rooftop. It was the sound of the door. "Who could it be?" She thought. She slowly turned her head to the sound. Her large eyes widened when she found out who it was.
"Ryoma-kunˇ" She mumbled.

Echizen Ryoma: He still was the same Prince of Tennis with the same aura of cockiness and arrogance. He still irked even the most tempered adults with his attitude. His same golden orbs still saying 'I won't give up' to anyone who challenges him. He was still the same person Sakuno fell in love with in middle school.

"Ryoma-kun, what are you doing here?" Sakuno hesitated. She watched Ryoma walk over next to her as he leaned against the railing.

"No reason." He said bluntly.

The setting sun's vivid colors reflected a warm color off his exotic dark green hair. His usual harsh feline eyes looked calm and serene as he stared off into space. His arms were resting on the top railing as he supported his head with his hand. He looked so unreal.

Sakuno felt heat rush into her face, her eyes were closed with embarrassment. Of all the places she could've been, why this place? She occasionally glanced over at his direction with a blushing face to see what Ryoma was doing, but each time she did, she could feel her face get redder.

But, she was still upset at Ryoma; she wanted to know what went wrong between them and why was he leaving with no reasonˇ unlike last time.

"Ryoma-kun?" Sakuno suddenly said. Her long hair swayed as her head turned towards his direction. "Umˇ can I ask you something?" She asked, tilting her head slightly making her bangs follow her movements.

Ryoma didn't answer.

Sakuno took a single deep breath and looked at Ryoma with sad eyes but with a smile running across her face. "Ryoma-kun, you knowˇ for a long time, I've been waiting." Sakuno explained. "I've been waiting for you to come back to your usual self."

She looked down at her feat as she continued speaking. "But then I realized that, right now, this is your real self." Sakuno said in a soft but clear voice. "I just don't understand why I didn't realize any sooner."

"But I don't even care about that anymore. I don't care if you ignore me. I don't care if you don't talk to me, because, because you were right next to me." Sakuno continued to say. She took several uneven breathes to stop her tears from falling, she looked up at him with jeweled auburn eyes. "But now! You suddenly announce that you're moving back to America!" She yelled. Sakuno jerked as she took a step back. She held herself, realizing she had yelled. "You didn't even tell any of us ahead of time."

Hot tears slowly started to trickle down the side of her face."So why? Why are you going away again?" Sakuno said, lowering her head. "Why are you leaving my side?" She said, almost in a whisper.

Ryoma, who hasn't given any eye-contact to the girl gave her a single sigh of annoyance. He slowly turned his head and looked at Sakuno with his beautiful half-opened eyes.
"Does it matter?...It's not like we were ever dating or anything." He carelessly said with his monotone voice.

Sakuno suddenly felt her heart drop.
That unexpected answer ached her heart so sudden. She felt a lump in her throat when she tried to reply. No words came out. Her whole body started to tremble as her pain increase.

Ryoma was still there, the same pose with uninterested eyes. She stared at those eyes with unease, how can he look at her so shallowly? It pierced her heart.
Sakuno finally regained her thoughts as she narrowed her eyes to stop crying. "I-I see." She said, forcing another smile. "I'm sorry for taking your time."

Sakuno bowed respectively as hot tears streamed down her face. She looked back at Ryoma and tilted her head slightly as she smiled at him. Smiled at him, genuinely.

It gave Ryoma chills run down his spine, looking at her lighted hearted smile.

Sakuno wiped her swollen eyes with the sleeves of her school uniform. Then she briskly walked passed him, not allowing herself to be embarrassed any more.

Ryoma turned his head and watched the still-crying Sakuno exit the rooftop. Even with exceptional vision like his, he will never be able to see the pain she will endure that night.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She was not like the other girls.
If any one else was treated like that, that day. They would've all hated him forever.
She was definitely not like that.

But the relationship between him and her became intense. Even though she continue to smile brightly, he could feel the anger admitted from her eyes when she greeted him. He didn't feel special in her eyes anymore.

Obviously she was still upset; she cried all night long that day.
She never realized how dense he was and how careless his words were.
But at dawn, she realized that it was no use to cry over him. She decided to get over him.
And to consider him as just a friend.

But she never realized how hard that was when one falls in love.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The night finally arrived.
The night for him to start packing for America.
The night for her to start crying because her 'friend' was leaving.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sakuno was sitting on her couch quietly, holding the cushion tightly around her arms.
The bright colors of red and blue were slowly being overpowered by the lonely color of gray. The only sound that can be heard the in the whole room was her sobs.

Ryoma-kun was leaving tomorrow, and the same wounds from that day reopened. She knew that she had to be strong but she also knew that she couldn't get over Ryoma-kun.

DING DONG!

Sakuno lifted her head, revealing her red swollen eyes from crying. She quickly wiped her tears and preened her bangs to greet whoever was at the door.
Sakuno walked over to the door and opened it. "Who is it?" She said in an annoyed tone, not looking up at the person in front of her. Sakuno was tired, and she was not in a mood to see someone.

"Hey." A familiar voice called out.

"That voice." Sakuno's eyes widen. Her head swiftly moved up as her hair whipped in the air. She straightened her back slowly when she realized who it was in front of her. "Ryoma-kun."

Ryoma was standing in front of Sakuno with his same marvelous golden eyes covered by his white cap. He was dressed in a casual attire as he always did, but something was hidden behind his back. He opened his mouth, to start talking

When he was interrupted by Sakuno. "Ryoma-kun, what are you doing here?" She said, smiling at him. "Sorry my appearance isn't that great." Sakuno said, embarrassed. "Would you like to come in?"

Ryoma lowered his cap to cover his face. "No." He answered. Ryoma turned his eyes behind him. "I just came to give you these." He said, revealing a bouquet of white roses from his back.

Sakuno widened her eyes as she saw those flowers. "Ryoma-kunˇ"

"Just think of these as a sorry gift." Ryoma said, slightly pushing the roses at Sakuno.

Sakuno received and smiled, blushing. "Not a good-bye gift?" She asked jokingly.

Ryoma smirked slightly. "It might be. Bye Ryuzaki." He said, starting to walk away.

"Bye Ryoma-kun." Sakuno said softly, but loud enough for him to hear.

Ryoma waved his hand over his head as he walked away, leaving Sakuno's view.

But no one would've guessed that Sakuno nor anyone else would ever see him again.
Echizen Ryoma had died in a plane crash.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sakuno nuzzled herself on her bed pillow as she cried her eyes out. She was dressed in black, coming home from Ryoma's funeral. She was wailing, pouring her feelings out. "Ryoma-kun! Ryoma-kun!"

Several hours later, Sakuno had finally stopped crying and sat up on her bed. She wiped her tears dry to regain her bision and looked over at her window sill, where the bouquet of roses Ryoma had given her were. Tears started to flow down her face again. She walked up to the roses and hugged them tightly, sniffing their aroma.

The roses were half-dead, seeing that they haven't had water since they were given to Sakuno. She felt the soft silky petals of the white roses. Most of the petals were gone and they continued to fall. In the bouquet of the almost dead but still beautiful flowers was a single red rose hidden in the bouquet.

Sakuno reached for the red rose with her long fingers and pulled it out from the rest of the others. As she pulled out the rose, she realized that their was a piece of paper wrapped around the end of the stem.

Pulling out the rubber band holding the paper and stem together, she unrolled the piece of small paper and started to read.

Sakuno started to trembled then she started crying loudly, letting tears run flow down her face endlessly. She fell to her knees, letting go of the bouquet of flowers along with the paper. She gripped the single red rose tightly, crushing the flower petals and the stem. Small drops of blood trickled down her hand because of the rose's sharp thorns. The pain of the thorns were nothing compared to the pain in her heart right then and there.

Ryuzaki,

The other day, I'm sorry for what I have said. Ever since that day, I couldn't stop thinking about you. I just couldn't stand the feeling, of the bright Ryuzaki not next to me.

I'm sorry for abruptly leaving for America. I'm sorry for not telling you ahead of time.

But if you tell me not to leave.

I won't leave for America.
And will stay by your side for the rest of my life.

Echizen Ryoma

(A/N): This is kind of a remake of my favorite love story.

The only part of the story I borrowed was the 'hidden note' (in the actual story, the note was hidden in a wedding dress)

So another disclaimer on that. Disclaimer: The hidden note idea