Impenetrable Encounter
By darkwings09
Disclaimer: I do not, and will never, own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters. If I did, Fuji Syuusuke will be more sadistic then ever, there will be more of KiriAn interaction and Ryoma and Sakuno would be a couple by now! Maa… And I only own the plot…so, there.
Author's twaddle chatters before proceeding:
Kami-sama, every fic with Sakuno in it is so…KAKKOI!!! Way to go, Saku-chan! YATTA!!! Er…(ehem…) Sumimasen for my hyper behavior…my apologies. I hope you do enjoy reading this.
This one-shot is dedicated to all Saku-chan fans out there! And particularly dedicated to hitzuryo, neko11lover and rookie-chan…to all of you, minna-san!
Oh, and one more thing, there are OC's from the flashbacks…and one on the Normal PoV. Enjoy!
All right, so on with the story!
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The night was young and was absolutely enchanting as its moonlight shone through the whole city of Tokyo. Only a handful of people managed to appreciate such beautiful scenery, judging from the approximately emptiness of the main park.
The auburn-haired lass strolled down the park as she gazed hopefully up in the dark skies. Another Thursday evening, and all seems to go by and large today. Even though her strict grandmother told her not to go alone and leisurely walk there at the park, her natural imaginations never obeyed those words. Somehow, she felt unusual today.
She would drop by at Tomoka's dwelling at present, nevertheless. She had forgotten to return her English notebook during lunch, and more importantly, the dreadful English unit test will be taken tomorrow.
Never really checking her steps-
THUD!
Typical, she bumped on somebody once again. This is for the second time today, such a klutz. No, that's not only it, earlier she had bumped on their Arai-senpai on her way to the tennis courts. And now, well, she'll swear to Kami-sama not to bump on anybody else all over again.
Luckily, though, this time is a bit different from what she had recalled. She felt two arms catch her, which made her face flush all of a sudden. This time it was someone awfully familiar, nonetheless. Oh, scratch the last thought…why on earth is that déjà vu feeling coming to her mind?
"Oi …"
The stern voice called her name as she clutched more tightly on his shirt and dared to open her eyes. She felt as if her sentient heart skipped a beat. At first her vision wobbled, but then again, it became apparent. Taking note of her surroundings once more, she took a glance at the figure she was clutching on.
It took her a minute before realized that their gazes locked.
"S-Sumimasen…eto…" her voice faltered once more as she parted away from the person in front of her. It was familiar, dating way back when she and her best friend volunteered to help during the Junior Senbatsu camp.
The azure-haired tensai of Hyoutei Gakuen hastily nodded and pushed his eyeglasses resolutely unto the bridge of his nose. Finally becoming aware of the schoolgirl in front of him, he gazed at her from head to toe.
"Seishun Gakuen, right?" Oshitari said in an unyielding accent. Still lost in her train of thoughts and undeniable daze, she nodded nervously, along with her infamous 'H-Hai' trademark. The corners of his lips began to curve to a sly smirk.
Bowing for the hundredth time for apology, she stuttered 'I'm really sorry' once again and ran off in an indisputable pace.
He blinked prior to staring at the nearly fading figure of her.
Wait- this seems oddly familiar. Those auburn twin-braided hair, enticing eyes and elfin body… everything seems to make sense now. Is she someone important from his past? If she is, then why is it during the Junior Senbatsu camp months ago did he not notice her?
Out of the blue, an arcane question popped in his head.
'Have I met her before?'
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"Saku-chan! Earth to Sakuno, please respond!" Tomoka bellowed at her best friend as she held the English notebook beside Sakuno's ear and shouted near it.
Shocked, Sakuno managed to massage her aching ear and pouted at her.
"Your spacing out a bit, today. Something the matter?" Tomoka notified her as she drank the last drop of her tea and took a minute to scan her notebook.
Before answering her friend's previous question, Sakuno tore her gaze from her acquaintance to the window. A frown then tugged her lips.
"Iie, Betsu ni. I'm fine, Tomo-chan" she denied with a bit assurance on her voice. Tomoka really doubted if what she said was actually true, because if you are acquainted to a certain Ryuuzaki Sakuno, then you would recognize obviously if she's certainly lying or not.
Sakuno bit her lower lip to prevent herself from further claptrap conversation with Tomoka. Every so often, she would wonder where in the world did her best friend inherited such voice and even the wildest imaginations…
Although skeptical, Tomoka shrugged Sakuno's respond off and continued flipping through the pages of her notebook. Yes, she was positive that there would be no way on how to convince Sakuno to tell the truth. Well, almost always, anyway.
"Sakuno, ganbette for tomorrow, ne?!" she shrieked as she shook poor Sakuno's shoulders to cheer her up a bit. Sakuno merely forced a smile.
"I understand…" she said as she grabbed her shoulder bag on the table beside the sofa. Bidding her goodbye and flashing a reassuring smile once again, she exited the Osakada's residence.
Tomoka stared at the door dumbfounded and puzzled as she watched her best friend's image slowly fading away in the oblivion beyond the streets.
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'Why did it felt like it was only yesterday?'
Sakuno pondered on the question as she walked past several people along the dark footpaths and streets. Yup, the Hyoutei regular she came across to, as she presumed, is someone from her times of yore.
But the genuine question is; who is he?
Searching from years back, as if many flashbacks began to register in her seemingly vacant mind, she tried to reminisce anything about him. Yes, even everything, if she can. It was during the Junior Senbatsu camp did she caught a sight of him.
She ceased her steps as her hands roamed freely inside her shoulder bag for her keys. After finding it, she unlocked their front door.
"Tadaima…" came the soft and perceptibly weary voice as she removed her shoes and proceeded inside the living room.
"Sakuno! Have you forgotten your time restriction during weekdays?" Sumire immediately confronted her granddaughter with her brows twitching. Indeed, she was well known for her strict regulations and regimen, but when it comes to her family and close relatives, she was way too firm by then.
"A-Ano…I dropped by Tomo-chan's house to return her notebook…I forgot to do it during our lunch break…Ah…" Sakuno managed to explain as she uneasily fidgeted with the hem of her skirt.
"Alright. You're excused this time. Just don't forget to do it earlier, is that clear?" Sumire told her as a heavy sigh escaped her lips.
"H-Hai!" Sakuno assured once again as she hurriedly went back to her bedroom and kept the door shut.
Sumire heaved out a sigh at her granddaughter's rather dissimilar behavior today.
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FLASHBACK"Oi, you little girl, come back here!" shouted a nine-year old student as he and his companions chased the poor lass around the park. They were running in circles over and over again, but still couldn't catch the seven-year old girl.
"Iie! Somebody…please…help!" she broke into pants as she ran as fast as her small legs can carry her. Why is it hard to plead for help? Is Kami-sama punishing me for my misbehavior? Doushite? Doushite?
She was nearly into tears as she ran the fastest as she could.
Fortunately for her, someone did perceive how hard she's going through.
She couldn't bear the intense heat and the consideration of the bullies catching her anymore. It was quite overwhelming, as the thought of her protective walls toppling and completely collapsing around her began to materialize.
Unexpectedly-
She tripped over a rock and stumbled down.
"ITTAI!" she screamed in pain as she saw blood rushing down to her legs uncontrollably. No, she couldn't take it anymore. She wanted to surrender, now. She mumbled a prayer over and over again, begging of Kami-sama's mercy.
"Oi, Ren, Akira, Naru. Picking on a seven-year old girl, eh? Shame of you all…" someone from behind her muttered under his breath as the bunch of nine-year olds stopped and checked their steps. They stared at the kid, which was coincidentally a nine-year old too, in aggravation.
"What do you want, punk?" Akira, the tallest guy of the three, asked the boy behind little Sakuno prior to completely identifying whom he's referring to.
"A-Ano…Akira-kun…its Yuushi-san! You know…the rich guy from Ren's class!?" Naru, who appears to be the smallest and the most coward among them, informed his companions.
"Yuushi-san? That can't be!" Ren immediately reacted as he revealed his piercing onyx eyes and stared at the lad behind Sakuno for a brief period of time.
"Unfortunately, yes, I am Oshitari Yuushi from class A. My, have you forgotten about that, Ren-kun?" The boy finally revealed himself as he threw his hands into his pockets. Sakuno hid behind him and clutched on the sleeves of his polo shirt like a feeble child.
"We'll continue this next time, punk!" Akira swore as he and his fellow students ran away from them, "…I'll remember this day, nobody can possibly deal with me!"
Sakuno stuck out her tongue as she glared at their vanishing figures, which made Oshitari smirk at her cute behavior.
He slowly walked up to her position and noticed the blood frenziedly gushing out of her knee. He then took his insubstantial handkerchief and gently wrapped it around her wound.
A friendly smile graced her features as she glanced at the person beside her.
"D-Domou Arigatou…Oshitari-san…" she stuttered, a blush beginning to form over her features as she flinched a little.
"Don't mention it…there…" he murmured as he finished the final knot and stared at the younger girl with a sly smirk tugging his lips, "…What really happened?"
"Eto…I was in a hurry to see my obaa-san…but got lost…and I run into them but accidentally spilled the milk the big guy's holding…and…" she took a lungful of air before proceeding "…and they chased after me…"
Oshitari led out a soft sigh as he patted her head and stood up vigilantly.
"Your name?"
"R-Ryuuzaki Sakuno, desu…"
He took one step forward, just the same distance end to end as were she stood. He then whispered in an almost inaudible manner:
"Next time, be careful…"
"Ano…Oshitari-san…how about your handkerchief…?" Little Sakuno inquired as she, too, stood up carefully and stared at her newfound friend with those innocent eyes of hers.
"Don't worry. I have loads of that in my house. Ja, Ms. Ryuuzaki-pyon" he told her as he waved his farewell to her, a smirk still plastered on his face.
"Mou…I'm not a rabbit! Oshitari-san!"
END OF FLASHBACK
THUD!
"Ittai…" she rubbed her aching head as her vision adjusted to her surroundings. Glancing from here to there, she might conclude that it's all a dream, because she's still present in her bedroom.
Right, it's only a dream…ka?"I fell…? Baka Sakuno…" she muttered to no one in particular as she straightened her posture and gradually got up and did a few stretches. Taking a second glance at her alarm clock, she gasped.
"Mou…! I'm late for school again!" she notified to herself as she hastily ran here and there, with any luck of finding her uniform and other school stuffs she had to worry about.
"Eh? What's this?" she muttered to herself as she pulled a rather dainty handkerchief inside her wardrobe.
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It was another one of those supposedly ideal days, Friday.
The sun was setting as Sakuno finished scribbling down notes from the notebook she had borrowed inside their classroom. She heaved out a sigh as she let go of the pen she was grasping and yawned a bit. Friday, she thought flamboyantly, I'm going to the lake today.
As she was about to pack her belongings, she noticed the hankie she found this morning. It was dainty and presentable, hardly used. She smiled gaudily as the situation she had dreamt of began to register afresh in her mind.
"Ryuuzaki-pyon, ka?" she murmured to no one in particular as she fingered the soft fabric, still lost in her own daze, "…it sure sounds familiar to me…"
"Saku-chan, we're back!" Tomoka suddenly burst the door open, making her put the handkerchief on her desk in surprise. A sigh once again escaped from her lips as she smiled and tore her gaze from her friend to the windows.
"Yup, honestly, our Aerobics teacher is certainly a pain in the butt!" Amane Riku, currently Sakuno's Biology partner, trailed behind Tomoka as she let out a girlish giggle.
"I do hope you have a pleasant practice, ne?" Sakuno chuckled as she continued stuffing her other school items within her shoulder bag.
"Nu uh…not a bit" Riku retorted with a wryly grin plastered on her face.
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The lake looks enthrallingly pleasant as tiny ripples of water seems to shine under the flawlessly settled moonlight. The place itself is somewhat puzzling, because not many people truly appreciate such eloquence coming from the waters.
Sakuno bent down a bit, seeing a clearer reflection of her in the water. It was getting colder and colder by every minute that soon passes. Nevertheless, she enjoyed how the gentle night breeze gusts through her whole body, creating that electrifying mood in the quiet atmosphere.
"Ms. Ryuuzaki-pyon, right?"
She gasped, as she was too stunned to move an inch. Through the lucid water did she manage to fully recognize the very person behind her. There he was, standing almost only a few feet behind her, his right hand freely touching the frame of his eyeglasses while the other tucked inside his pocket. She could almost feel the warmth enveloping her instead of the usual night breeze.
"O-Oshitari-san…?" she stammered as she managed to stand up cautiously and gaze at the said person.
"Is it me or the reflection of the water you're seeing, either way, it's still the same" he retorted, which made her pout a bit, as a furtive smirk tugged the corners of his lips.
"Ano…" she began as she clutched her shoulder bag tighter to her side and regained her proper posture. She bit her lower lip to prevent herself from heaving out a sigh. Why is she too edgy to speak? Heck, the person in front of her is not even Echizen Ryoma. So why in the world is she stuck and lost in her own train of thoughts?
"Dating back six years, three months, two weeks and six days ago…I remembered calling a helpless little child 'Ryuuzaki-pyon', am I right?" he cut her off as his words sank in her mentality. He tore his gaze from the skies to the person in front of him.
Albeit no longer feeling unease, she still nodded hesitantly.
"…From what I can recall, she has a pair of auburn innocent eyes and little body…ne?" he further stated, which made her blush a full ten beets of red. Somehow, she's getting that creepy feeling of having her being described by a mysterious person.
"…"
"That girl is being chased by a trio of browbeats, am I right or am I not?" he continued, his devious smirk never fading. It was without doubt, what she had dreamt the night before.
"Ano…If you don't mind me asking this…but…how did you found out about the lake?" she managed to cut off his conversation and stared at him with anxiousness in her eyes.
The alluring lake means so much to her. From the way she puts it in her perspective, in actual fact is. Since she was a little girl, the beautiful place holds many cherished memories. Including her first word, her first laugh…and maybe even more, if not to exaggerate it much. Almost everyday she had gone out to play in the lake and spend quality time with it, amused and maybe even sticking around for a bit. Those were good old days, as the scripture says so, and perhaps even better.
The cool and collected tensai looked down the lake and saw his reflection clearly. Of course, he broke into a laugh inwardly, How could I ever forget?
"…I've been constantly visiting this lake since years ago, for about six years time" he uttered as his eyes became perfectly hidden behind his spectacles.
An indifferent smile replaced the frown she had worn during the whole conversation with a completely unfamiliar person. On the other hand, her auburn eyes sparked with reminiscence.
His presence is very much desirable, after all.
She stared at the skies as the stars twinkled with pleasure. Everything seems so serene and tranquil, especially from where she stood. Now, she is definitely pleased upon finding out who really rescued her from the grimy hands and evil clutches of such bullies.
"I've been looking forward in seeing you again, Oshitari-onii-chan, right here," she mumbled under her breath as she flashed a smile. He merely stared at the skies and nodded thereafter, his hands still inside his pockets, still, a blush threatening to plaster over his features.
"Eto…I forgot to hand you this. Domou…Arigatou…" she stammered as she gave the handkerchief she had kept years ago, and valued at that. She tanned and shuddered fairly as their hands almost touched.
Pleased with her reaction, he said, "…Same old Ryuuzaki-pyon, ne?"
She pouted.
"Mou…Oshitari-san, for the last time, I'm not Ryuuzaki-pyon. I have a name…" she reasoned out as one by one, previous memories began to register her to her mind once again. He was unquestionably a dear childhood friend, a quite unusual one at that.
"Heh"
Their gazes locked and something began to flicker between them.
"Ano…Arigatou…"
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FLASHBACK
The modest pigtailed girl snuggled closer to the person beside her in attempt to warm herself up. She placed her light head on his shoulder and clutched on the hood she had brought along.
This night is totally different. There was that wild snow blizzard earlier ago, which created a great impact on the temperature.
Her parents left her under the care of their neighbor, who coincidentally turns out to be her acquaintance as well, Oshitari Yuushi's residence. It was because they rushed her obaa-san to the nearest hospital. In fact, she was more than happy to comply with, albeit really worried about her obaa-san's health status.
Her gaze returned once again to the person beside her, who in turn, glanced wearily at her. She flashed a weak smile and murmured, "Ne…Oshitari-nii-san…?"
"Ssshhh…" he hushed her as he gazed down at her and gave out a sigh.
"Gomen…" she muttered once more as a sole teardrop made its solitary way down to her flushed cheeks. She gently raised her free hand and brushed her tears away.
"Oi, you're crying…" he muttered under his breath as small puffs of air escaped from his lips as it parted. He looked down at her to clearly see her face.
"Mou…Will obaa-san…live…?" she murmured between soft sobs as more tears threaten to fall. His eyes grew wider upon the said question.
"Look, If she's gonna see you crying like that, do you think she'll be content?" he replied as he stared at her with reassurance in his eyes.
She quickly understood what he said. After all, he was always right, and there's nothing more to argue about. She nodded once more as her eyes squeezed to a shut.
"Hai…" she muttered as she slowly fell into a deep slumber with her head resting on his shoulder. He gazed down at her once more with his notorious sly smirk plastered on his face. He had to admit, even though he's not much into children younger than him, he felt as if she was an exception.
He cautiously stood up, careful not to wake his companion. He then slid the small pillow under her head as he laid her down the soft mattress carefully. He gently caressed her flushed cheek, maybe because of the cold atmosphere, and heaved out a sigh.
"Nnmmm…" she muttered in her sleep as she flinched a bit.
END OF FLASHBACK
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OWARI-------------------------------------------------------
Hmm…About the nickname Yuushi gave Saku-chan:
The '-pyon' in the nickname he had given her means something like 'bouncy' or 'like a rabbit'. Because, really, when Sakuno was little, she certainly acts like a bunny; meek, innocent, klutz…Urgh…as long as it sounds that way.
Darkwings09: Oh well, sighs better luck next time, see you guys!