Warnings: Possible OOC, inexperienced writing.
Sweet, demure and gentle – those were the attributes one would usually associate with Ryuzaki Sakuno. Not just in looks, but in personality as well. And, though Echizen Ryoma would never admit it, he found her bashful nature extremely endearing.
So it came as no surprise when she gave up on tennis – which, as Ryoma could very well testify, was a deceptively aggressive sport – upon crossing the threshold of Seigaku High. He had fully expected her to join maybe the cheerleading club, or cooking classes, perhaps even the curling club – a sport with virtually no physical activity whatsoever. Personally, Ryoma could not even figure out why it was categorised as a sport.
Anyway, he had envisaged her doing something feminine, something soft, something that had nothing to do with physique at all…
That was why Ryoma's fine eyebrows shot upwards at such an alarming rate until they disappeared beyond his aquamarine hairline – which was equivalent to a normal person jumping twenty feet into the air – when Sakuno proudly announced her admission into the karate club. Tomoka shrieked, Horio Satoshi chorused, and Kato Kachiro dropped dead on the floor.
"WHAT??!!" all of them had screamed – with the exception of Ryoma.
Sakuno shrugged nonchalantly. "What's wrong with karate?"
"There's nothing wrong with karate, it's the Sakuno part that's wrong!" Tomoka yelled. "Why on earth did you enter that club?"
Interestingly, a visible blush invaded Sakuno's cheeks as she stuttered out some incoherent answer. However, never one to ponder deeply on issues unrelated to tennis, Ryoma merely tossed out his trademark 'Mada mada dane.' before sauntering off with hands behind his head. After all, what harm could possibly come from Sakuno entering the karate club?
Much harm, as Ryoma eventually discovered.
Ryoma first encountered its downside during a tennis practice. Golden orbs kept riveting away from the tennis balls and towards a spot behind the court fences where a certain girl usually stood once upon a time before she had to attend karate lessons. Tried as he did, he couldn't focus on his practice match. There was something amiss, he speculated. Like the auburn eyes that habitually followed his every move. Or the delighted giggles when he won the match.
Ultimately, he did win, but it was a narrow success. Apparently his buchou, Tezuka Kunimitsu noticed his lack of attention, as he was promptly assigned twenty laps around the court. And much to his dismay, his coach, Ryuzaki Sumire realised it too, as proven by the nagging lecture he earned after finishing the twenty laps.
It was all Ryuzaki Sakuno's fault.
Then, the next day, they were supposed to go on a date, but all Ryoma got after waiting for thirty-three minutes and forty seconds – he swore his Inui-senpai was rubbing off him – was a call from Sakuno informing him that she had to go for extra karate lessons.
He spent the remainder of the day engaging in a monologue with his precious feline whining about the miserable rites of life.
When Sakuno finally managed to find time to go on a date with him, they had a fine time – until Ryoma attempted to kiss her. Sakuno swiftly bestowed on him a mind-blowing kick in the chin.
"I'm so sorry!" she apologised effusively, leaning down to examine the darkening bruise on Ryoma's jaw. Ryoma massaged his tormented jowl with a wince. "You startled me."
Humiliated and ego-deflated, Ryoma stood up, tugged the brim of his baseball cap down and shot out, "I'm fine, let's just go home."
If Sakuno had not shyly pecked his cheeks right there and then, kami-sama knows what he would have done to Sakuno's karate-sensei or whoever taught her that life-threatening kick – though he might not have achieved much considering his opponent was a karate master. Fortunately, she did, and Ryoma held back his ire, strained and abused though his patience was.
What ultimately made him snap was when he chanced a visit during one of Sakuno's practices. It was a fine day, his tennis practice had ended earlier, and he was rather curious about Sakuno's progress in her karate. And hence he serenely strode into the karate dojo, even smiling slightly as he gazed around.
His eyes landed on a mat where a man and a girl posed.
His blood boiled.
His heart thumped.
His irises glowed brilliant gold.
The man was supporting Sakuno, her head tilting into the crook of his neck, her hand in his as he corrected her stance, and an aggravating hand suggestively placed on her slender waist. Ryoma positively glowered. If glares could kill, the man would have diminished into a pile of bloody mess that instant. As it was, looks couldn't invoke the presence of the Shinigami, so Ryoma resorted to aiming a tennis ball right past the man's head, so close that his blond hair fluttered as the ball flew by.
"Ryoma-kun," Sakuno exclaimed, "what are you doing here?"
Ryoma did not answer; he stomped up to Sakuno and forcefully dragged her out of the dojo, oblivious to the stares from the entire room of pupils - in both senses of the words.
"Ryoma-kun, everyone's looking," Sakuno protested. Ryoma swung open the door, yanked her out, and slammed the door shut.
"What the heck are you doing?" Sakuno finally yelled.
"Quit karate," was all Ryoma said.
"Huh? Why?"
Ryoma shuffled his feet. "It's a stupid club. Quit it."
"Now that's being unreasonable, Ryoma-kun. I don't see any reason why I should quit," Sakuno said, pursing her lips.
Ryoma sighed. "Didn't you see how that pervert just now was groping you?"
Sakuno blinked. "You mean Kanagawa-sensei? He was teaching me the correct posture!"
"That's not how I see it," Ryoma huffed. "And karate's a colossal waste of time. You don't even have time for us anymore," Ryoma muttered.
Sakuno cocked her head and frowned. Then, suddenly, she grinned in such a way Ryoma felt his cheeks burning. He rapidly pulled his cap down.
"Ryoma-kun, you don't have to worry. Y-You'll al-always be the first o-of my priori-rities," Sakuno stammered out, a bright scarlet hue gradually spreading from her cheeks to the rest of her countenance.
"Whoever said I was worried?" Ryoma replied indignantly, a smirk curving his lips nonetheless. "Still, why are you so stubborn about learning karate?"
If it were possible, Sakuno seemed to grow a deeper shade of red.
"R-Ryoma-kun, do you even know why I joined the club?"
Ryoma shook his head.
"I-It w-w-was b-be-because…" Sakuno bowed her head, "I-I wanted to wa-ward off your fe-female fans w-with kara-rate."
"Hah?"
"I-I d-don't li-like how t-they faw-fawn o-over you a-all the t-time," Sakuno elucidated further, her head bent so low all Ryoma could see was the back of her russet head.
Ryoma's pupils widened. He still didn't exactly understand Sakuno's explanation, but somehow, a foreign warmth swelled up his chest. He felt like hugging her then, but being the person he was, he simply shrugged and turned around to hide the idiotic grin on his face.
"If that's so, you can continue your karate lessons then," he said, barely able to conceal the glee in his voice.
"Really?" Sakuno cried out in delight.
"Yeah, just… get a different person to teach you, okay?"
"Thank you so much, Ryoma-kun!" Then, surprising even herself, she pounced into Ryoma's arms and kissed him exactly on the lips. The next second, however, she was metres away from him, the now magenta colour on her face evident even from miles away.
Ryoma absolutely beamed.
"Ne, since you're so grateful, how about another kiss?"
Fans of Detective Conan should know where this came from. XD
All comments, except flames, are welcome. ^^