Eternal.Angel
December 9, 2007 to July 25, 2008

Disclaimers: I do not own any part whatsoever of Prince of Tennis.
Summary: Unrequited love. Passionate hearts. Secret affairs. A runaway bride. The obstacles of love. Enjoy! And don't forget to review please!

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One
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"Will you please marry me?"

Those five words replayed in her head over and over again, a pleasant and elated feeling bubbling and gurgling within her chest. She was so happy in just remembering those words, the feeling back then, and everything else in between. And her big day was nearing too, for the day of the marriage was to come in two days. She was really excited, and just couldn't wait for it to happen. She, Ryuzaki Sakuno, soon to become Echizen Sakuno, the wife of the famous tennis star, the Echizen Ryoma – a profound prodigy since his childhood. It was certainly too much to ask for, and she hadn't even had the courage to request that of him, but it seemed as if Echizen had seized the opportunity into asking her, and she gladly and willingly obliged, never backing down from his offer. She couldn't let something like this pass, after all.

"Yes…"

It just seemed too good to be true.

One more day and it was finally her wedding day. Sakuno had been counting all this time though – from the day her soon-to-be-husband had announced the day of the marriage. She had even marked it in all her calendars and kept count in her head, going as far as to the minutes before time was up. She was so jubilated and just could not wait for the day to come. As if it were a dream come true (which it really was, to her at the least).

OK, make that thirteen hours and fifty-eight minutes before the big day.

Sakuno entered the convenient store, the automatic doors sliding open as they sensed her presence of arrival. She quickly grabbed a green basket from the sides and held onto it with her left arm. Humming to herself a soft tune in which her grandmother, Ryuzaki Sumire, had once taught her when she was a child, Sakuno made her way into the store, gathering all the foods and supplies she needed to store into her home. And it was almost time to make dinner as well, and she had thought to maybe buy a few more groceries wouldn't hurt at all, since it was one day away from the wedding day. It was to take place in the afternoon and at a lovely setting which Ryoma had reserved for – a beautiful, grassy bank that was away from the city and near the suburbs. Unfortunately, the media had found out about this and were madly preparing for the day, refreshing and replacing their camera films, bringing lots of supplies, and much more, as Sakuno assumed and mused to herself.

So the paparazzi were to follow; that did not matter though. All that matter was her marriage and unity with the Echizen Ryoma. He had declared his love for her, and she had, in return, confessed her own feelings to him. The story might have been cliché, but at least it was actually reality. Picking out a few fresh vegetables and bringing it to her nose to smell, she inhaled deeply, the scent of the crops enthralling her. She had always loved to cook, especially it was for him. She could still remember in her younger days, when she was in middle school, how she would always offer her extra obento to him. He, of course, accepted solemnly and ate it as if it were everyday food, while she stood beside him, waiting patiently for his comments.

"Ano…Ryoma-kun, is it good?"

"Hmm…mada mada dane."

He hadn't meant it, of course, after revealing it to her some years later after that incident. She had already forgiven him, but she sometimes wondered still the reason why he had said 'Mada Mada Dane' to her when it wasn't meant for her obento. But that didn't matter now, really; all the memories in which she had made with him before his proposal to her were yes, precious, but right now, she wanted to focus in the present and the future, thinking of the many ways to be the perfect someone just for him, his perfect wife that he would come to love even more.

Paying for the groceries and supplies that she had placed in the green basket with a handful of yen, she walked out of the store with two white bags, one in each hand. She casually walked down the sidewalk as she looked up to the evening sky, a mixture of red, orange, and yellow painting the ceiling of the Earth. It almost dusk, and nearly time to make dinner for when he would return home, which would probably be very late again, as usual.

Mentioning of his late arrivals every night since the past week and a half, Sakuno entered her world of deep thought as she pondered on this very important matter to herself. Ryoma had been coming home rather later than usual, as she suspected over the past few days, and he always returned by the time dinner was served, about an hour late. She continued strolling along the sidewalk, stopping abruptly in front of a crosswalk where the traffic light was green, the cars whirring by quickly.

Just what exactly was he doing so late at night, anyways?

She was already halfway home through the route in which she had taken. The darkness of the night was nearing now, nearly enveloping the entire capital city of Japan with its black and dark aura. She knew, that once she got home, that she would have to wrap his dinner in plastic wrap to make sure that it was warm by the time he arrived back home. Sighing to herself, barely audible to anyone else but only herself, she closed her eyes and continued to think deeply as she crossed the white crosswalk, gripping her hand carrying one of the shopping bags slightly. It was getting pretty late, anyways, so she might as well take the shortcut instead of the route that she always took just to make time pass by without him, since he was always up so late that who knows whatever time he would come back home.

She turned at a corner only to enter an alley. True, it was rather dark and shadowy, almost as if a ghost could appear anytime, but she didn't care. In this alley there was an underground bar, so that would give her some light in order for her vision to improve during the night, anyways. Even if it were noisy, she didn't mind. She was too focused on her own thoughts and her own intellectualness to realize what was going on around her.

Only to find something unexpected.

"Hnn…stop it…" weakly fended off the woman as her back scraped against the wall of the dim-lighted bar. The inside of the place was rather shabby and small, but it was really full of many drunken people, both male and female. However, the female was trapped in a rather small wall space with another man, who was doing erotic and sexual things to her which she actually found quite comfortable and wished to desire from a man.

"Why are you resisting for? You wanted it," he asked as he slipped his hand behind her back and unhooked the strap of her bra, allowing it to fall to the ground.

"But…wouldn't she…ahh…find out…?" she moaned loudly as he rubbed one of her breasts and placed butterfly kisses all over the column of her neck.

"…I don't have…one…" he replied, his voice quite shaky. He caressed his tongue against her skin, having her shiver. He smirked at the woman before doing many other things to her, causing her to let out even more moans and to the extent of sexual screams. He only smiled and smirked in enjoyment. He was about to make the next move on her when he heard a sudden noise coming from outside; a clutter of belongings crashing against the pavement of the wooden and dusty floor.

...someone's outside.

"Wait for me here…" he commanded the female as he left the small room and followed where the sound was made. He tried to follow the hasty footsteps that now resounded against the hollow and squeaky stairs less and less each time. Even with his quick speed he could not catch up to the sound, for he was too late. His eyes envisioned only scattered items lying innocently on the ground, dirtied and soaked from the ground and the light drizzle that was now starting to come down onto Tokyo.

"Is…something wrong?" the woman asked as she saw him entering the room, but he only shook his head. He didn't have much time to think about things like these anymore, not with the wedding two days away from now.

(horizontal line)

The day had come.

Too quickly, thought Sakuno as she sat in front of the parlor, where a large mirror reflected her current self.

"Ah, Sakuno-chan! You are just too pretty for your own good!" praised her best friend since childhood, Osakada Tomoka in a shrilly voice as she brushed her companion's long, auburn hair. "It's a good thing that Ryoma-sama finally noticed your feelings!"

"Thank you, Tomo-chan," she replied calmly as she closed her eyes in exasperation. Just discussing the wedding alone was hard enough; and now for it to be actually happening was way too much for her to handle. Luckily, with her friend and Ryoma to help her, along with their wedding planner, everything managed to come out smoothly and well done. And she was rather proud of herself for surviving the long trip.

"…your hair is so nice and silky, Sakuno-chan! I truly am jealous!"

And Tomoka continued to ramble on unnecessary things about her friend, and half of what she said Sakuno did not pay attention to at all. She was too busy staring at her own reflection, her own image of herself. Her eyes wandered up and down at every small and miniscule detailed that was framed onto herself. She noticed every frill of the white wedding dress, every bead that was embedded and sewed on to make a nice pattern along the clothing, every curve that hugged the line of her body, and so much more. She could never imagine herself wearing such a western style wedding dress, but thanks to her fiancée's, or rather, husband-to-be, salary because of his current career as a tennis professional player, he easily bought the one she chose, although she tried to keep things as minimal as possible – she didn't want to be that spoiled, after all.

Now her eyes glued onto the appearance and the look on her face. The make up was done perfectly, thanks to the person beside her who was still brushing her hair, making sure that every knot was gone. A light blush done on her face, a bit of eye shadow, some mascara done to the eyelashes, and a layer of red, cherry lipstick smacked on her lips. She looked like an angel, most people had said as they passed by the private room where the bride was sitting by herself, with the exception of her 'assistant'. However, the look and glare of her large, curious, and hazel-brown eyes told a completely different story. They seemed to appear quite distant. The scraping of the chair's legs woke up Sakuno from her daze as Tomoka stuck out her hand.

"Shall we go, Miss Echizen?"

The church bells rang merrily, a resonating sound echoing throughout the entire hall. Chatters were amongst the crowd as they excitedly spoke of the two main members of the spotlight. Smiles were on everyone's faces, and many children ran around in circles, hoping to catch each other in their own little game of tag. The atmosphere of the room was peaceful and jolly, as each person's eyes lit brightly under the sunlight of the sky this afternoon. Just then, an announcement was made through the speakers planted in the corners of the church, and as the fuzziness of the speaker was being fixed, the people invited to the wedding began to quiet down, hushing one another to hear the important announcements.

"Thank you for coming to the wedding of Echizen Ryoma and Ryuzaki Sakuno," began the speaker, "We welcome you to the wedding, and hope that you may join us for the reception afterwards. Please take a seat on the benches and let us proceed with the wedding." Immediately, everyone scuttled to find a seat, fighting over the best ones that weren't reserved for the special guests. There was a moment of silence before the doors of the front entrance swung open loudly, and many heads turned around to see who had just entered. It was the chief priest, as well as his subordinates and of course, the host of the wedding that would instruct the procedures of today's special event. The host picked up a microphone from the table near the podium and cleared his throat before speaking, "I hope that all of you will warmly welcome our groom, Mr. Echizen Ryoma."

The doors slowly opened once more, sunlight bathing the red carpet that led to the front of the church, where everyone's eyes would be set upon. All heads turned around yet again as they stared at the striding groom, with his black, sleek tuxedo and tie knotted properly around the collar, and his strides and the steps that he took as he moved down the aisle, a steady pace that was to be noticed. There was at first, a slow round of applause, before it erupted into a loud unanimous clapping done by the seated audience members.

As Echizen continued to move forward, he reflected upon his past and the actions he had taken to reach to the point of today. He started out as a little, bratty and arrogant boy, playing tennis to his leisure. And somehow, the auburn head attached to him and stuck quite firmly, rubbing into his mind quite repetitively at times. And however way he had managed to propose his harbored love towards her, which of course led to the wedding, it was definitely embarrassing for him, and he gritted his teeth as he remembered the way he had done it so – very cheesy, to be exact. And now, stepping onto the podium and turning his head, he awaited for his bride-to-be, who would soon step onto the red carpet.

What seemed to him a very long time was actually very brief, for the speaker spoke into the microphone, announcing the arrival of the bride: "And now, please welcome our bride, Miss Ryuzaki Sakuno." A whole round of applause warmly welcomed the beautiful bride, and Echizen watched with widened eyes as she gracefully stepped down the aisle. To him, she was his angel and lover forever now, after this day, that is. She approached, closer and closer, as a little girl behind her merrily threw flower petals behind her, framing Sakuno's body figure to be even more beautiful. He was in perpetual awe.

It was not long before the priest began his long talk of morality and the preparation of engaging these two to be lovers forever.

"Will you, Echizen Ryoma, take Miss Ryuzaki Sakuno as your wife?"

"I do."

"And will you, Ryuzaki Sakuno, take Mr. Echizen Ryoma as your husband?"

Upon hearing that question from the chief priest, Sakuno began to shiver and tremble all over, nervously gripping her gloved hands tightly. She had never thought that this day would finally come, and the day before, she was all excited and happy. So why, on the day of the ceremony, was she feeling this way? The feeling of sadness, angst, and a bit of guilt – why was she feeling all of these negative things? Why was she thinking so negative and halfheartedly all of a sudden? She hesitated to answer the proposed question, taking quick and shortened breaths as if she were suffocating from something.

"…Miss Ryuzaki Sakuno? Will you take Mr. Echizen Ryoma as your husband?"

"…I…" The words couldn't come out of her mouth properly, and a long silence ensued after, the audience and everyone else holding their breaths. Sakuno only widened her eyes in shock as she continued breathing quickly and heavily, sweat dripping down from her forehead.

"Sakuno? Oi, Sakuno!" shouted Ryoma as he placed both of his hands on her bare shoulders and shook her, trying to wake her up from her reverie of sudden shock. "Oi, what's wrong?"

"…I…don't! I don't want to marry this man!" she shouted, pushing herself away from Echizen and everyone else.

Sakuno picked up the ends of her wedding dress and jumped off the podium before running as fast as she could, away from the center of the stage. She ran towards the front entrance of the church and burst through the doors, leaving everyone inside in surprise. All eyed and watched her exit the building as fast as she could before realizing what she had done just now – deserting them all.

"OI! Hurry and get her!"

"She ran away?! But why?"

"Nee-chan is running away, Mama!"

"Hush!"

"Sakuno! Hey, Sakuno!"

There was a sudden commotion amongst the people as they struggled to get up from their seats and find the runaway bride. Loud noises began to deafen the hall as everyone scrambled and headed towards the same entrance all at the same time, but those who were at the door prevented the people from doing so, only allowing a few to slip by accidentally. Those on the podium looked at each other for a moment and nodded their heads in unison before heading towards the back emergency exit, with Echizen with them.

Sakuno…just what are you thinking?

She ran and ran, the endless tears flowing down her cheeks. She didn't dare to look behind her – only looking forward, ignoring the environment around her. She only thought of things that saddened her, the things that brought her pain, the memories with him that had shattered her heart. Although she didn't want to think of such things at the moment, for some reason, her mind were only filled with such negative and dark thoughts as her feet carried her to a separate place, far, far away from him, as if the pair had a mind of its own.

It was long before she realized that she ended up in an unknown area. It had a menacing, enveloping atmosphere to it, as she was surrounded with trees with bare branches, withered, old bushes, and a chilly air. The ground was covered with dead and wet leaves, layering the dark brown and muddy dirt right under it. Her heels dug into the ground, sinking in as if quick sand. The hem and ends of her long, angelic wedding dress nearly touched the dirty floor, only bits of the lace that hung out of the fabric coating itself in the mess. Strange sounds echoed throughout what seemed to be a forest, resonating in her ears over and over, her mind wandering into other strange thoughts as she panicked in her head, her palms beginning to sweat profusely. She quickly took off her gloves and stuffed it in an inner pocket she found in her dress, scurrying along, hoping to find some shelter to stay in. True, her legs were tired, and the weather didn't seem too nice (as there were dark, gloomy clouds hovering over her), but she wanted to find a secluded spot where no one could find her. She needed to be alone for a while.

Several minutes later, she slowed down her pace. Sakuno, breathing heavily, hoped that they wouldn't be able to search for her now. She did seem quite far from the church, anyways. She lowered her pace to a walking normal speed, as she always had done many, many times her in life, carefully walking along the carved path of the forest as her wedding dress bobbled back and forth. She looked and peered around nervously, hoping for some sign of shelter or a person whom she didn't know of. At the same time, her mind's thoughts of all the bad things that had happened to her, and the painful feelings she had felt all washed away cleanly, resting in her subconscious. What she was really thinking now was not only of a place to rest in, but the restless feelings of what she had just done. Her attitude at the church…was it really right? Was it really alright for her to be so angry at Echizen for betraying her? Did she even have the power to do that? Perhaps, did she hurt his feelings instead? Her mind began to spin as she thought to herself, worrying and confused at the same time. She didn't even notice the rain that began to fall lightly, beginning with a light drizzle. It was until a raindrop fell on her face that she realized it. Not only realizing that it was beginning to rain heavier by the moment, but what inconvenience she had caused for rejecting him. She realized many things, and the more she realized, the heavier the rain fell.

She wasn't quite sure whether she was crying, or if the sky was crying, because of her.

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Owari
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A/N: WHEEEEEEEEEEE! I'M ALIVE! XD Well, now I am, or I could have been all this time. I was trying to release something new before working on my ongoing works, since I completely lost my train of thought and plots for them. I have to refresh my memory, you know? And I really want to thank all my readers who keep up with me, despite the fact that I'm so busy! So this is a new work, RyoSaku, and I hope those fans of mine who enjoy this will like it as well. This will be in three parts, I think. We'll see. For now though, I have to update my other works. If I remember, that is. Please review and give me any feedback! I am very happy to be criticized because there is always room for improvement. Arigatou!

Ja ne, and I do not own any part of Prince of Tennis!

Eternal.Angel