Author's note: Woohoo! First multi-chapter fic! I've been working on this since last November, and I'm finally far enough along to start posting. I plan to update every week to two weeks. This is not related to Unrequited Love for Dummies, but feel free to go read that too!
I'm writing the names the Japanese way: last name first. I'm also using some Japanese words in this one, so there are translations at the bottom. Cookies for reviewers!
Disclaimer: It's a bummer, but Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi, not me. Oh well.
Prologue: In Which Sakuno Has A Revelation
"Ryoma-kun?"
Fifteen-year-old Ryuuzaki Sakuno walked quickly through the halls, her head turning this way and that, anxiously clutching a package to her chest. Today was the day. Today she would finally give Ryoma the bento she had poured her heart and soul into. And this time he would love it. Sure, her earlier attempts had never been very successful, but this bento was sure to warrant approval.
He would take it, a little dubiously of course, with that cute blank look. And she would tell him, all the words she had been longing to say, but too frightened to form. She would be brave, no childish blushing or stuttering. Once she was finished, this—this Look would come into his eyes. And then, his eyes never leaving hers, he would—he would—
"Oof!" Sakuno fell backwards, hitting the ground hard. Her bento went flying. It burst open, covering her in rice and fish. The onigiri she had shaped so carefully, the tempura she had burned her fingers to make rolled and splutted on the ground. Her masterpiece, which had taken her over three hours, was ruined. Sakuno lifted her head and her eyes widened.
"Ittai," muttered Echizen Ryoma as he rubbed the arm she had unknowingly crashed in to. Sakuno scrambled to her feet.
"G-gomen nasai, Ryoma-kun. I didn't mean—I was hurrying and—ano…" she trailed off into silence. Ryoma glanced at her.
"It's fine," he said flatly. He turned to go, but Sakuno spoke.
"I—It was for you." she said, staring down at the ground, talking faster and faster. She wrung her hands together as her voice got progressively quieter. "I—I was g-going to give it to you, because," she whispered, barely audible, "because I—I really—"
"Echizen! What are you doing?" interrupted the irate voice of Momoshiro as he thudded down the hall. "We have practice, hurry u—" He stopped short when he caught sight of Sakuno. A grin began on his face. "Am I interrupting anything?"
"No, Ryuuzaki was just being clumsy again," replied the cat-eyed boy bluntly. He turned back to Sakuno.
"Ryuuzaki, do you need help?" Sakuno stared at him, an odd sort of rushing in her her ears, then spoke softly.
"No, it's fine, I'll clean it up myself," she said hollowly. Momoshiro frowned as he glanced back in forth between the two. He opened his mouth to speak, but Ryoma cut him off.
"Ja ne, Ryuuzaki" and then he was gone, walking casually towards the tennis courts, Momoshiro following in his wake.
For a long time Sakuno stood quietly in the hall. Her head bowed, and a few salty drops fell to mix with the grubby remnants of her bento. And then, a tiny sigh.
"Sayounara, Ryoma-kun."
Inui squinted at the slip of paper.
He inspected it closely, peered at it, examined it.
Well, sure, it said, Do Not, on Pain of Most Gruesome Death, Ever make this, but what did that mean exactly? Was it an actual death warning or more of an If-you-are-an-incompetent-moron-don't-attempt-this sort of warning?
Inui Sadaharu knew that he was definitely not a moron. Ergo, he wasn't going to be intimidated by silly messages that clearly weren't meant for him either.
Plus, he was dying to try it.
The directions looked impossibly finicky and the ingredients were…fascinating. The edge of the page was ragged, but all the instructions were legible, so Inui thought there was a good chance (73.7 to be exact) that whatever was missing wasn't really that important. He was far too excited to care much anyway.
It wasn't that he didn't enjoy brewing his juices, oh no. He still loved the team's reaction: Eiji's terrified giggle, the way that Momo's eyes bugged, the slight green pallor on Kaidoh's face, Tezuka's frown of stoic disapproval. It was great, but it was also becoming too familiar. He hadn't had a challenge, a real challenge, in a long time. But this recipe would be something else.
So what if he didn't know what it did?
A dark lot. Leaves rustling in a cold wind. Six shadows.
"Hayakawa Yumiko. Seishun Gakuen, second year. Five feet, four inches tall. 112 pounds. Leo, Blood type AB. Only child."
Eyes widening. Hands shaking. One of the shadows steps back.
"W-what do you want?"
"You are in violation of Codes I and II, Sections 12, 15, 48 and 51: Neglecting your duties for personal reasons not cleared with the organization."
Four shadows close in.
"I had a test that day!"
"Speaking to Him unaccompanied without express permission of an organization superior. Forcing your feelings upon Him without informing the organization in the correct procedure. Knowingly concealing said actions from the organization."
Fists clench.
"I never—!"
"The organization is not interested in your lies, Hayakawa-san. We know what you did. We always know."
Eyes full of tears. Voice cracking.
"It wasn't me, I swear! That—that new girl, Takada-san, she made me do it! Umi-san, please believe me, I would never willingly—"
"And yet, you did." A small sigh. "Hayakawa-san, your parents are doing well, are they not?"
Silence.
"Your father, Hayakawa Tobito, works at the publishing house, and your mother is a clerk for the bank. Recently however, due to the slight recession, both of their businesses have been having trouble. There has been talk of layoffs. Your parents are hard workers, but they do not have seniority. If the issue became pressing, they would be among the first to go. And the need could become pressing very easily."
"You can't do that!"
The echo of footsteps, growing louder. One shadow moves forward, another shrinks back.
"An empty gesture, Hayakama-san. Really, I expected better of you. You of all people should know I do not make idle threats."
Knees trembling. Slow steps continue, calm and measured.
"You will leave this school. Tell your parents whatever you like. You are sick, the classes are not challenging enough, you have no friends. Do not worry about your parents. They will keep their jobs, providing that you cooperate. You will cooperate, won't you, Hayakama-san?"
Shoulders shaking. Tears catch the light of a distant street lamp.
"Your travel expenses have already been paid for. The principal of Yoshikawa Gakuen is overjoyed to hear about the new transfer student."
The steps halt. A package changes hands.
"Here are your new student ID and your ticket. Your train leaves tomorrow at 5:30 am. Some of our members"—a nod towards the shadows—"will escort you, for your own safety. Do you understand?"
A dejected bow of the head. Then, a whisper, pure poison.
"If I ever hear that you have been within a fifty mile radius of the school, I will… attend to you personally."
Paralyzed. Numb, totally numb.
"The Ryoma-sama Fan Club thanks you for your cooperation."
The following morning
Sakuno put down her scrub brush. She wiped at her eyes with her free hand, determinedly not feeling sorry for herself.
Or thinking about the events of yesterday afternoon.
At least he hadn't rejected her. After all, it didn't really count as rejection if she didn't get the chance to confess beforehand, did it?
I'm so pathetic.
No! No, don't think, just work. That's why she had asked Inui-sempai anyway.
He had looked rather surprised at her question. She supposed that made sense. People probably didn't offer to clean his lab often. Well…normal people probably didn't.
But after what happened she just couldn't go home right away; try to pretend that everything was fine. So she had stayed after school and thrown herself heart and soul into cleaning. And today she was back. But no matter how much she scrubbed, worries and thoughts and emotions kept resurfacing.
She hadn't done as good a job as she should have last night. She had averted most of the questioning by telling Obaa-chan that she was just a little under the weather, but the formidable old lady hadn't seemed entirely convinced. Well, as long as she didn't figure it out, she could be as suspicious as she liked. Part of Sakuno had wanted to tell her grandmother, to curl up in her lap and cry and be comforted, but her more practical side knew better. If Obaa-chan were to find out, she'd get violent, and drag it out, and it would be even worse.
Tomo-chan would be just as bad. It was one of the reasons she hadn't told her friend about her plan. Just in case it didn't go well.
The tears were coming faster now. This time Sakuno used her sleeve.
Who was she kidding anyway? Ryoma-kun wouldn't have liked it. He never liked it. The truth of it was, Ryoma-kun just didn't care. It wasn't that he meant to be mean, or that he disliked her especially.
He Just. Didn't. Care.
She had always known really. But some part of her, some stupid, idealistic, naïve part of her had hoped…and just never stopped hoping. Hoped that he would grow to care for her, hoped that someday he would laugh with her, think of her.
Or even just look at her.
Sakuno bit her lip.
It just wasn't going to happen. She had to accept it. Three years of devotion was enough. Three years of waiting.
She was done.
Sakuno dried her eyes and stood up. She dusted the table, working her way around the delicate glass phials. She would have to start addressing him differently. Echizen-san? No, that was too formal. People would suspect something. Ryoma-san then? No, first name basis was definitely too close for comfort. Echizen-kun? She tasted the phrase. Echizen-kun. Yes, that was better. Polite but not familiar.
For the first few weeks she would avoid him as best she could, until she was confident that she could speak to him as a fellow schoolmate, an equal. Which might be a long time.
Sakuno sighed. She scanned the lab for anything she might have missed. Windows cleaned, bookshelves dusted, floor washed, table scrubbed, and…had she really polished the doorknob? In fact, the only part of the room that wasn't sparkling was the very back corner between the bookshelf and the supply cabinet. It wasn't for lack of trying either. Her arm was too short to reach.
Well, it looked like she was done. Now it was time for her payment. She eyed the bottles on the table nervously. "The small blue bottle," Inui-sempai had said. In reaction to her terrified glance, he assured her that it only contained lemonade.
It was really kind of him and she was thirsty. There was only one problem.
There were two small blue bottles.
Cautiously, she smelled the contents of the first.
Sakuno quickly grabbed on to the table, taking deep breaths as her stomach made a valiant attempt to expel her breakfast. Once her stomach had stopped churning, she—very cautiously—sniffed the second. It had a light, pleasant scent, with a lemony zest. She sighed in relief, and in a few minutes she had downed the contents. It was the best she had ever tasted, and she rinsed out the bottle as a thank you.
She placed it carefully back on the table, and then promptly plummeted to the floor in a dead faint.
Deep in the shadows of the hard-to-reach corner of the lab laid a scrap of paper. It was torn along the side, and dirty, but the writing scrawled on it was still legible.
Seven Days of Soulmates
First for the love of yesterday, closest to the heart,
Born of adoration, and doomed from the start.
Second for the feared, most frightening to behold,
With terrible exterior but heart of shining gold
Third for the one overlooked most often,
An annoyance, a pest, frequently forgotten.
Fourth for the friend of true and steady trust,
An unexpected ally who will do as needs must.
Fifth for the lesser known: acquaintance, colleague, stranger,
Those most likely to lead the drinker in to danger.
Sixth for the enemy, full of malice, hate, and bile,
A formidable test, the drinker's greatest trial
Seventh for the love of devotion most pure,
If one such can not be found, there shall be no cure.
--
Woohoo, Cliffhanger! Next up is Chapter One: In which Ryoma gets a little more than he bargined for.
Thanks for reading! Now, you see the blue button? :3
Japanese Words
Bento: lunch
Onigiri: rice ball
Tempura: deep fried vegetables and shrimp
Ittai: Ouch
Gomen nasai: I am very sorry
Ano: Um, well
Ja ne: See ya
Sayoonara: Good bye
Sempai: Upperclassman
Obaa-chan: Grandmother