A/N: This is my first try at a TeniPuri fic…my favorite pairing is actually FujiRyo, but I've recently developed a fetish for RyoSaku fics. Thus, I find myself sitting in front of the computer screen typing up a RyoSaku fic while running back and forth from the TV because The Mask Of Zorro is on and I 3 Antonio Banderas. O.o On with the fic!

Disclaimer: Phaerie doesn't own TnO. She believes Konomi Takeshi does, but she is not sure. Though she wishes she owned Ryoma-kun so that she could make him her slave. :3

-=- Getting His Attention: Chapter One -=-

Sakuno sat at the small vanity in her room, staring at her reflection as her long, wet hair made a small puddle beneath her. She traced the path of a drop of water with her eyes as it slid down a dark brown strand and landed with an almost inaudible 'plop' on the hardwood floor of her bedroom. She reached out a delicate hand and grabbed her brush, pulling it through the slick, brown mass roughly as she reviewed the day's activities.

She headed over to the street tennis courts straight after school and went to the wall. Pulling out the can of tennis balls from her bag, Sakuno popped off the top and began hitting them with her racket – first just bouncing them on the strings and then switching to blasting them at the wall.

She'd failed her English test. Again. It was her worst class; everything the teacher said just went in one ear and out the other. She thought it best to take out her pent up aggression at her steadily declining grades on the innocent neon tennis balls. Her eyes could pick out the worn lines of her drawing of Ryoma, spinning with the rotation of the ball. He'd aced his test. As usual.

She snapped out of angry trance as the ball she'd just hit ricocheted off the wall sharply and flew back at her much faster than she'd intended. She ducked out of the way with a squeak, dropping her racket and suddenly feeling grateful that no one else was around to witness her clumsiness as the regulars at the courts were at tennis practice for their respective schools still.

Giggling behind her informed Sakuno that she wasn't quite as alone as she had thought. She whirled around, twin plaited braids whipping around as well, to come face to face with Tachibana Ann.

"A-ano…hello…" she muttered, bowing her head to hide her crimson face.

"You're one of the Seigaku cheerleaders, ne? Ah, Ryuzaki-san, ne, ne? Ryuzaki-sensei's granddaughter?" Ann asked eagerly.

"H-hai…" she whispered, "And you're Tachibana-san's younger sister, Ann-san."

"Nn. Demo, you can call me Ann-chan! Is it alright if I call you Sakuno-chan?" Sakuno nodded her head, still looking at her shoes. A sudden outburst of laughter from Ann brought her eyes up to look at the other girl, watching her confusedly.

Back in her room, Sakuno had finished brushing her hair and had moved on to re-braiding it. She smiled at her mirror image as she recalled what Ann had said next.

Pointing at the rogue tennis ball she'd picked up, Ann exclaimed, "Kawaii! Did you draw this, Sakuno-chan?" she indicated the smirking chibi Ryoma with a wide grin. When Sakuno nodded again, she squealed, "Sakuno-chan likes Echizen-kun, ne?"

Sakuno's red-tinged cheeks grew warmer instantly, "Anoooo…"

"Don't worry! Your secret's safe with me!" Ann said reassuringly, suddenly appearing right in front of Sakuno who stumbled back a few steps. "So, do you know if he likes you too?" At Sakuno's dejected expression, Ann instantly become sympathetic, "Ah! Gomen, Sakuno-chan! I know rejection can be hard to deal with at first but - "

"It's not that…" Sakuno cut in timidly, "It's just that, well, he doesn't really know I exist." Ann was floored by the statement, and seeing this, Sakuno explained, "I mean, he knows I exist, but he just sees me as another one his fan girls…"

"Another one - ? But you're not just some fan girl! Sakuno-chan is at all his matches, cheering him on with Tomo-chan!" Ann said indignantly. Giving a huff, she muttered scathingly, "Echizen can be so dense sometimes. He can't even notice such a cute girl right in front of him!"

Sakuno's blushed deepened once again as she chewed her bottom lip worriedly. "Ano, Ann-chan…"

"Yosh! You'll just have to make him notice you!"

"Nani!?"

"You know, grab his attention! Make some drastic change in your appearance or something that even baka Echizen couldn't miss!"

"Drastic…change?"

"Hai!"

Half way through with her second braid, Sakuno froze and stared wide-eyed at her reflection, Ann's words were stuck on repeat in her head, "Drastic change, drastic change, drastic change…"

Her fingers wove swiftly as she undid the two braids she'd worn for as long as she could remember, letting her hair fall limply down against her back. She hesitantly reached forward to open the top drawer on her vanity and pulled out a pair of scissors. Running her hand through her brown locks, she drew them away from her face as she snipped away a bit here and a bit there. Minutes later, she yawned and stood from her stool, flopping into bed. A pile of brown hair covered the puddle of water in the space around her vanity seat.

A/N: So, what d'ya think? REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW! Er…I'm not sure about some of the Japanese phrases I used, and I'm too tired to go and check them, so if you spot a mistake, please point it out to me! Arigato! :D

-Phaerie