Ryoma's Way of Compensation: The Return of the Ant
by: RoyaleDeuce
Disclaimer: TeniPuri is not mine.
Warning: Crack-ish. Fluff.
The cool breeze slowly lulled a certain boy to sleep, who was currently positioned lying on the hard floor with his two arms tucked behind his head as a pillow. Ryoma had been on the rooftop for a good ten minutes now as he patiently continued to wait for his expected company.
And to him, it had been an awful and god-forsaken ten minutes.
Oh, it wasn't because he was nervous with Sakuno's appearance, or because he was going to have his first ever official 'date', too. No, of course not. He could surely handle the auburn-head. What really ticked him off was the simple fact that he was alone… alone with 'Ryoma-kun the ant' that is.
Ryoma had refrained from looking at the stuff toy at all costs, not wanting certain memories of what Sakuno's weird habit had done to him. The girl drove him crazy with that stupid habit of hers that he had to use all his willpower to not just throw away the toy right there and then. 'Ryoma-kun the ant' was part of his side of the deal so he really had to keep the toy from any harm as to prove to Sakuno that he kept his word.
After more pondering over everything, it was only then he realized how silly everything really was. It all started from Sumire's 'supposed-to-be-jobs' which were passed on to him that he had to be entwined with Sakuno's slight insanity. He became jealous over a toy rabbit? A centipede? An ant?
Ryoma heaved a sigh.
He could never understand how Sakuno managed to work her magic on him… Or maybe, it was just because of how naturally she acts that made him like her. Truth to be told, if it wasn't Sakuno whom he had spent with all those times wherein he was embarrassed, stupidly evoked, ordered around by her grandmother, he would have never spoken word to that person again. Honestly, who would like to be seen with a person who stupidly names objects?
It was pure embarrassment and a test to your remaining sanity.
If you look at it closely, he wasn't far from being 'insane' too. Who in the world would be jealous of things named because of a habit that drove everyone crazy? Yup. Only him… But he always had to assure himself that he was only keeping up with all these things because of Sakuno.
Ryoma suddenly snapped his eyes open to glance at the door of the rooftop, as if expecting a certain auburn-head to appear any moment now.
Echizen Ryoma admits that he likes Sakuno… But he still wasn't going to let the girl know about this. He still wanted to savor the feeling of having the girl act her normal self and be silly with her object-naming because if he did get Sakuno as his girl, he would make sure that the girl removes that habit of hers.
Inwardly, he found it somewhat amusing and entertaining; having his senpai-tachi be named after random objects is hilarious! If it weren't because of his overwhelming jealousy, he wouldn't be so cranky with why an object wasn't named after him, or why it was named 'Fuji'.
But then again, there was 'Ryoma-kun the ant'.
The boy diverted his attention towards the stuff toy just inches away from his face.
'Ryoma-kun the ant' had been the highlight of all this fiasco. He noticed that it was this thing that Sakuno had shed most of her tears on. Not Fuji the rabbit, not Fuji the centipede, not his senpai vegetables, but the ant. The great loss… and now it had returned.
Ryoma couldn't help but feel smug.
With this, then he can safely infer that Sakuno values this 'ant' above the rest. And it was an advantage to his side that he used this knowledge to grab a 'date' from Sakuno. Since now he knew how important the toy was to their 'relationship', he can bear having its presence now. This ant was going to be an important part if he wanted to keep being with the girl during lunch.
To many, it would just appear as a deal wherein in order Sakuno could see her precious 'ant', she had to go to the rooftop every lunch with the toy's 'caretaker', Ryoma. But to him, he was using the toy as a tool to be with Sakuno without having to have to act so mushy with asking a date from the girl.
Despite everything, he would never find himself resorting to that kind of thing: being romantic and all. Echizen Ryoma asking a girl out? Nah... It was not like him. It would be more like him though if he did something in his character that had a hidden agenda with it… And that's why such deal exists.
Continuing to stare at 'Ryoma-kun the ant', he seemed to like it better as he thought more about the situation. This 'ant' was what the key into knowing more about Sakuno.
As soon as he admitted that to himself, he heard the slight creaking of the rooftop door.
Sakuno couldn't help but blush at the sight that greeted her as soon as she opened the rooftop door.
'Ryoma-kun the ant' was safely beside the real Ryoma who was lying on the floor. She approached the tennis prince cautiously, not wanting to wake him up if ever he was asleep.
As she focused her gaze on the boy, she found his eyes closed. Then he must be asleep. She noted how calm and innocent-looking the boy was when in slumber. His cap was placed lopsidedly on his head as it covered half of his face. There were a few strands of his hair sticking out from under the cap and the girl had to resist the urge to put them back in place.
A smile graced Sakuno's face.
It seems that this lunch 'date' needs to be postponed… she thought as she placed the home-made meal she made for the boy beside him.
Sakuno quite had a dilemma of whether leaving the boy in peace and have her usual lunch with Tomoka, or just remain on the rooftop and eat her lunch there. The auburn-head was reminded of the deal as soon as her eyes landed on the ant stuff toy just beside Ryoma. She then decided to choose the latter.
After sitting down with her legs supporting her weight, she reached out for her lunch. Holding the container packed with some rice cakes, she was about to open the lid when something startled her.
"You're late."
Ryoma sat up from his previous sleeping position with ease. He fixed his cap in place with his golden orbs staring back blankly at the suddenly nervous-looking Sakuno. He noticed that several rice cakes were sprawled on the floor.
"G-Gomen, Ryoma-kun," Sakuno managed to say after gaining a bit of composure from the mild shock. Breaking away from Ryoma's still intent but blank gaze on her, she started picking up the food on the floor.
"You're still going to eat those?" Ryoma asked with hints of curiosity.
Sakuno shook her head. "A-Ano… No. But if we leave them be, several ants might come crawling here," she reasoned out while continuing to diligently pick up the cakes one by one.
With what Sakuno said, Ryoma suddenly shifted uncomfortably from where he was. Ants. He thought as he secretly glanced at the stuff toy beside him. He was interrupted from his momentary trance when something hit his legs.
Sakuno had pushed a small paper bag towards his direction with a tinge of pink on her face. "A-Ano… I-I figured you didn't have lunch with you so…" her voice trailed off as she continued pushing the bag until it was completely against Ryoma's leg.
After that, silence enveloped the two.
Ryoma gazed at Sakuno under the lowered brim of his cap as the girl opened another container of food to have her lunch. She smiled as she grabbed one rice cake and ate it heartily.
How many rice cakes did she make? Ryoma thought inwardly. But at least she didn't bring her stupid habit today… He smirked and tugged on the brim of his cap even lower. So far, so good. Everything was perfectly normal.
He muttered his small 'thanks' while reaching for the bag to unpack his lunch. His eyes slightly widened when he saw that the containers he was holding in his hands had a label: Sakuno rice cakes.
Bewildered with what he saw, he immediately opened the lid only to have a huge sweatdrop dangling above his head. Ryoma found himself looking at several pieces of rice cakes with a face used with food coloring. The cake even had brown coating for the 'hair', and a simple happy face on the rest of the surface.
He sighed inaudibly. I knew it was too good to be true…
His stomach grumbling, he surrendered to the notion of having to eat the 'Sakuno rice cakes' for lunch. He grabbed one of the cakes and gingerly bit it, quite uncomfortable with having anything to deal with the auburn's weird habit. Again.
He was interrupted from his thoughts when Sakuno suddenly spoke up and broke the uncomfortable silence. "H-How is it, Ryoma-kun?" she asked shyly with a faint blush on her cheeks.
He didn't reply immediately as he continued munching on the rice cake. "Tastes like Ryuzaki," he said with dry humor, still a bit bothered that he was eating a 'Sakuno'.
Sakuno blushed. "A-Ano… I also made Karupin rice cakes for you. I-It's inside the paper bag," she said softly while grabbing another of her rice cakes and ate it, not really expecting Ryoma to reply. And he didn't disappoint her.
There was another silence as the two continued eating their lunch.
Admittedly, Sakuno felt down. After reading the boy's letter, she thought that things would change between them. She thought that the boy would start being more open and comfortable around her. But she was wrong.
She sighed and nibbled on another of her rice cakes.
Noticing the auburn-head's sudden distress, he had to hit himself mentally for screwing up again. He was making repairs here! Damn it. He thought annoyed as he realized that compensation would be a lot harder with Sakuno's weird habit around. Deciding to make things better, he decided to start conversation.
"Who are you eating?"
"W-What?" Sakuno's head snapped up as she was on the verge of eating another cake.
Ryoma looked back at her impassively, waiting for her to reply. He obviously didn't care how stupid his question sounded, but he was sure Sakuno got his point.
As realization dawned upon her, Sakuno's confused look immediately turned into a smile. Ryoma couldn't help but feel better when he saw her smile. Better… he thought to himself.
"F-Fuji-senpai," was the girl's meek reply.
The slight happiness Ryoma felt a while bag diminished and immediately turned into frustration. "Again?" he asked, taints of anger present in his tone of voice.
Sakuno blushed as she remembered the last part of the boy's letter. So there really was something between them. The auburn-head really wasn't that dense to be oblivious of Ryoma's root of anger. She immediately defended her stand.
"A-Ano… A-Actually I was really p-planning to eat y-you— ah! I-I mean eat the 'Ryoma-kun rice cakes' but it fell on the floor when you surprised me a while ago so I had to eat the 'Fuji-senpai rice cakes' instead…" she managed to say in one breath looking all flustered.
Ryoma stared at the girl for a few moments, comprehending all the stuttering she said before looking away. "But why'd you have to make the extra, Fuji," he muttered, trying to sound indifferent.
Sakuno smiled at the boy's actions. "A-h you see… I didn't have any more food coloring left except the one I used for my hair," she replied kindly. "…and so I just made Fuji-senpai because he's the only one with same hair color with me." Sakuno flashed a smile, assuring Ryoma that he had nothing to worry about.
"How 'bout Tezuka-buchou?"
"Ah because—"
"Or Kawamura-senpai?"
"A-Ano-"
"Or Ryuzaki-sensei?"
"…"
"Osakada?"
Ryoma ended exasperated, feeling a bit of déjà vu for a moment… without the stone-hitting fortunately. He glanced at Sakuno who seemed to be remembering the reasons – thus answering everything he asked. He couldn't help but notice that the girl seemed to know something that she shouldn't. Interrupted from his thoughts, Sakuno was ready to answer.
"A-Ano… because if I used either Tezuka-senpai or obaa-chan, I would have to make the rice cakes frown," she replied shyly with pink on her cheeks.
Ryoma tried his best not to gape at her shallow reason. But then again, Echizen Ryoma doesn't gape and so he just tried his best to live this through. I like her… I like her… I like her… Ryoma thought to himself to remind himself of the reason why he didn't go insane yet.
As Sakuno continued her explanation, Ryoma couldn't help but have the familiar feeling he had felt when dealing with Sakuno's habit. Couldn't suppress any of it any longer, he grabbed the container with the 'Fuji rice cakes' and dumped them on the floor.
Sakuno was surprised with Ryoma's spontaneous action, and the boy took that as an opportunity to shove his food container in the girl's hands and grab the one inside the paper bag right after.
"You can eat those. I'll just eat Karupin— ah! Damn." He cursed for having to have said that and just gestured towards what he had in his hands, not intending to say more about the food if ever he let that awful slip again. Damn named-rice cakes. He thought.
Sakuno let out a sigh as she complied with what Ryoma wanted, but eyed the 'Fuji rice cakes' on the ground. She knew the reason why the boy had done that, but he didn't have to waste food… or show his affection through that way.
Another silence erupted between the two when suddenly, the lunch bell rang.
Sakuno immediately started fixing everything up silently with that blank look on her face.
Ryoma sighed as he had to hit himself mentally again for screwing up. Damn habit! He cursed once again, infuriated that he ruined things. Glancing at 'Ryoma-kun the ant' beside him, he suddenly realized that if he gave the toy back, he would have no assurance of the girl to appear before him tomorrow again… not after what he did.
As soon as Sakuno stood up, the tennis prince followed suit after grabbing the stuff toy.
I have to extend the deal to make up for what I did. He had to take precautions here. If he returned the ant now, he wouldn't be guaranteed that Sakuno would come to the rooftop every lunch time. And it was then he found great use to 'Ryoma-kun the ant'.
"Ryuzaki," he said before Sakuno could turn towards the direction of the rooftop door.
She looked back expectantly, waiting for him to reply and give back 'Ryoma-kun the ant' for his part of the deal.
He was a bit startled that the girl seemed to act differently now, not that affected with what he just did. Not that he was complaining; of course not! He just found it quite queer… but then again, he had the feeling that the girl knew something that she shouldn't….
"…I'll be returning the ant one week from now."
Throughout the week, the same thing happened every lunch. Sakuno brought the 'named-food' while Ryoma always thrashed whatever Sakuno brought that he didn't like. On Monday, Sakuno brought 'Kirihara sushi'. On Tuesday, she brought 'Atobe dumplings'. On Wednesday, she brought 'Tachibana muffins'.
It had been a daily routine that the tennis prince became even more bothered with the fact that he had to continue keeping the ant so it was guaranteed that the girl will come every lunch. He felt bad that he just had to ruin everything everyday. He couldn't restrain himself. It was just too damn annoying.
What surprised him though, in which he was also pleased, was that Sakuno would always have food named 'Ryoma-kun'. She would eat the first batch happily. And when she would reach in for the food container in the paper bag with the other sets, she would already find it in 'Ryoma's care'. The boy wanted Sakuno's attention to be on him only. Yes. He was selfish.
The days passed by with Sakuno knowing more and more about the boy, and this of course greatly satisfied her. She may have to bear with Ryoma's routine of unexpectedly doing things to whatever object she named that that is not him, but she was glad that she was spending time with the boy.
There was a day when the two finished their lunch early. Ryoma decided to lie down on the floor as he tucked his two arms under his head, gazing at the sky. Not quite knowing what to do, Sakuno followed suit and lay on the floor too.
She slowly turned to look at Ryoma, who looked blank and just continued looking at the drifting clouds. He didn't utter any word as they continued to look at the sky, but that didn't really matter to her. The mere presence of the boy could quench all her desires to be with him. He radiated comfort and warmth to her. How she wished she would have a deeper friendship with Ryoma.
She found the boy's recent actions startling, confused with why he was doing such. He could always just tell her what was wrong. They grew to be friends anyway, so she would have at least gained even a bit of his trust by now. She was sad. Sad with the progress of their friendship, but the boy was worth the wait. An opportunity had already opened on her and she would take advantage.
She can patiently wait for the day when Ryoma would show his affections in a way that would be more comforting.
But for now, it would be alright if she was the only one who talked. She knew the boy listened to her anyway. After gazing at the boy for a few more moments, she turned her attention towards the skies. "A-Ano… T-That looks like you Ryoma-kun," she said shyly while pointing at a cloud drifting by. "…so I'll name it 'Ryoma-kun' the cloud."
One week had passed and today was the day he would have to return 'Ryoma-kun the ant'. It was a bit risky on his part since there was a possibility that the auburn wouldn't show up on the rooftop one day. He couldn't blame her. He had screwed up the whole week. He let his jealousy overwhelm him.
If Sakuno didn't show up one day after retrieving the ant, then that means that there was no chance the girl liked him. If only he had a better way of showing his affections, he would have resorted to that. But Nooo. He just had to ruin everything.
He approached the waiting Sakuno with an impassive look on. The girl was fidgeting with the hem of her skirt as she nervously watched the boy walk towards her. It was only now that he called her attention after lunch… excluding when he said he was going to keep the stuff toy longer.
Usually, right after lunch, the two would fix everything up and then part ways for their class silently. Only a soft goodbye would be heard from Sakuno before separating.
"Ryuzaki."
The auburn-head immediately snapped back to reality and found herself only an arm's width away from Ryoma. She blushed at the realization. Then after several more moments, she realized another thing: Ryoma was extending his arm with 'Ryoma-kun the ant' in his hand.
Grabbing the toy shyly, she bowed in gratitude. "Arigatou," Sakuno said with a smile.
Ryoma remained silent as he sat himself down on the floor and gazed at the sky again. Sakuno figured that there were still lots of time before lunch ends and so she positioned herself beside the boy again and looked at the sky too.
Silence enveloped the two, but the auburn was used to it by now. If only she could do much more than just lie a foot away from Ryoma. She shyly glanced at the boy and gazed how calm he look while continuing to look at the sky.
Sakuno knew that Ryoma wasn't oblivious of her gaze, but she was pleased when she didn't receive any signs of discouragement from the boy. And so she continued looking shyly at Ryoma, contented with his warmth… but she secretly hoped that she would have more.
She hugged 'Ryoma-kun the ant' near her chest and shut her eyes closed, enjoying the solitude.
"Will you come again tomorrow?
Sakuno snapped her eyes open with the sudden question and turned to Ryoma. He was now gazing back at her, poker-faced. She blushed and grew nervous upon the boy's gaze, but nevertheless still replied.
"A-Ano… W-What made you think I won't come, Ryoma-kun?" she replied softly.
"I returned your ant," came his simple reply.
Sakuno looked bewildered, quite not catching what he meant by that when Ryoma spoke once again.
"You only come here because of the ant…" It wasn't a question, but rather a statement.
As Sakuno returned her gaze towards the boy, Ryoma was already facing the other way. Still confused, the girl took the silence as time to analyze. Then, it dawned upon her. She immediately bolted upright in a sitting position.
"N-Nani? R-Ryoma-kun, you shouldn't think that I only come here because of 'Ryoma-kun the ant'," Sakuno stated a bit firmly which caused the tennis prince to look at her direction. "Ano… I-I come here because I want to," she added softly. But Ryoma still heard it.
He scrutinized her face, seeing if she was sincere with what she said. As soon as Sakuno saw what the boy was doing, she thought of a way to prove her statement to him. She threw the toy over the railing and let it drop 35 feet from the ground.
If Ryoma wasn't known for stoicism, the boy would have practically gaped.
Sakuno took in a deep breath as if preparing herself to say things she was struggling to tell him. "You know, Ryoma-kun... It's pretty silly that you get jealous of the objects I name," the girl said with a muster of courage as she managed to look at Ryoma in the eye. "…I-If you really c-care in a way, a-ano… you would have at least tried doing something about it than just destroying all my things," Sakuno said exasperated causing Ryoma's eyes to widen in surprise. "I-I like you Ryoma-kun, but I just d-don't get you at times…" The girl was now a tomato-head.
Did Sakuno just lecture him? Did she just say that she didn't get him at times? She was the one he didn't get with that habit of hers for crying out loud?! …and did she just confess to him?
Fuji's eyes suddenly opened from the impact he received above his head. Grabbing it, he figured that it was a toy ant. "Where did this come from?" he muttered as he looked at the sky.
Sakuno gingerly positioned her head on Ryoma's shoulder as the two continued to gaze at the sky, fascinated by the clouds passing by. It had been such a great relief to the girl that she finally let out the heavy burden she had carried around with her all this time. She confessed, and was even more relieved when she found Ryoma suddenly smirking and ushering her to approach him.
As soon as she reached him, and they were facing each other only an arm's length away, he lowered his face near hers and whispered, 'I like you, too.'
And now, she can safely scoot her way near the boy and finally acquire the intense warmth she had long sought for. When her head came in contact with Ryoma's shoulder, the boy slipped his arm around her waist. She liked how it felt. It was so warm… so comfortable.
Deciding to break the somewhat awkward silence, Sakuno started out with her habit once more. "Ano… I see the shape of an ant in the sky," she said quietly causing the tennis prince to look at her briefly and immediately returned his gaze at the sky.
"'Ant Ryoma-kun the cloud'?"
Sakuno giggled and leaned near the boy even more.
Ryoma noticed that Sakuno would glance at him every now and then, as if assuring herself that everything was not a dream, and that he was really finally with her. Suddenly, the pressure of Sakuno's body leaning towards his disappeared and he turned towards the girl's direction.
He realized that the auburn-head's face was near him. He grew startled. Was she…? It wasn't like he didn't want what was about to happen, but he was a bit baffled with the girl's sudden actions. She was suddenly so aggressive. So in the end, it was Sakuno who was going to initiate their first kiss eh?
That's fine with me… he thought as he too neared his face towards the girl. The auburn-head was continuing to near her face. Eyes widening, he felt one of Sakuno's palm on his neck. Aggressive… He smirked and loved the situation more and more.
Just as their lips were inches apart with his eyes already closed, he felt Sakuno's hand disappear. Maybe she changed her mind… he thought, but still wasn't discouraged with the fact they were about to kiss. Lowering his head even more, he realized that it was such a long time for his lips to be in contact with Sakuno's.
Bewildered, he opened his eyes only to find Sakuno looking queerly at him.
"Ano… Is everything alright Ryoma-kun?" she asked concerned.
What?! He immediately sat straight and avoided Sakuno's worried gaze. What the hell just happened. "What just happened?" he managed to mutter, not choking on the feeling of embarrassment he had at the moment.
Sakuno giggled and shyly pecked Ryoma on the cheek. He was surprised and immediately looked at the auburn's direction. Was she toying with him?
Sakuno lifted one of her hands and neared it towards Ryoma. The tennis prince couldn't suppress the creeping red color on his face as soon as he saw what was on the girl's palm, and realization dawned upon him.
"There was an ant on your neck Ryoma-kun."
Stupid ant.
The End.
A/N: IT'S DONE! How was the ending? Your comments will really help! Well, THANKS FOR READING UNTIL THE END! (:))
[Edited]