Disclaimer: PoT does not belong to me.

This happens somewhere when they are about eighteen/nineteen years old. Enjoy.

Italics refer to thoughts.

"Hey."

Ryoma turned around. Below the flashing neon lights strung across the trees, he saw a familiar figure. He remembered those shy eyes that first looked at him with admiration.

"Sakuno?"

"That's a first; you actually remembered my name at first sight," Sakuno smiled at him. "I thought you would need me to jog your memory."

Ryoma saw that her eyes were no longer shy; they were bright. She no longer looked at the floor as she stuttered to speak to him; she was looking straight into his eyes and her words came out fluent. Ryoma turned away from her and faced the streets in front of him, where vehicles were inching their way through the jam.

"How long has it been?" Ryoma spoke.

"Exactly two years since we last met," Sakuno replied almost immediately. "since we broke up. We left each other on this day two years ago, don't you remember?"

How could Ryoma forget that day where he had left Sakuno crying on the streets? And all that accusations and badgering of his seniors when they got wind of their breakup? Moreover, how could he forget that loud-mouthed girl that was constantly screaming at him whenever they passed each other in the corridors?

"I'm sorry." Ryoma tugged his cap lower to cover his guilt-ridden face. At that point of time, it had been under the pressure of his seniors and the expectation of everyone around him that he accepted her confession. In retrospect, he realized that he had been too young to know what love was. And his mistake had cost Sakuno dearly, he knew. She went overseas for her education. To be as far away from me as possible.

Sakuno laughed. It was bright and cheery, like how the birds sang every morning at his bedside window.

"You don't think I went overseas to avoid you do you?"

Ryoma was slightly affronted; he wasn't used to being wrong, even till now.

"You're not entirely wrong though," Sakuno played with the ends of her hair. "Going overseas helped me to see our relationship in a whole new light." Sakuno looked up at the lights on the trees flashing like little fireflies. She was young then, and had thought that feeling of admiration and attraction to be love. When Ryoma had accepted her confession, she was elated beyond words. But she slowly and painfully came to realize that Ryoma would never change his ways despite her always willingly giving in to his demands. Though it was a tiring relationship for Sakuno, she had never wanted it to end for she believed that one day, it would become better. When Ryoma decided to end it, she was unexpectedly filled with an overwhelming feeling of relief, and not sadness.

We didn't get together because we were madly in love with each other.

We got together because there was no reason not to.

"Are you happy now, Ryoma-kun (1)?"

"Hn." Ryoma nodded.

"Me too," Sakuno smiled. "I have to go, Obaa-chan's waiting for me."

"I have someone to go to as well," Ryoma started off in the opposite direction and waved a goodbye. "Ja. (2)"

It is no one's fault.

But I still wonder, what will become of that relationship if I had stayed on?

"Who was that girl you were talking to on the streets just now?"

"Why, you jealous?" Ryoma smirked at his boyfriend.

"She's the first girl Ore-sama has seen you exchange more than two sentences with."

"Well," Ryoma dropped himself unceremoniously onto his lap. "Would you like to hear me talk about her the entire night or shall we do something else?"

Ryoma was instantly silenced with a kiss on the lips.

I rule.

fin.

Notes:

1.Honorific

2.Ja – informal, meaning 'see you'

Reviews would be helpful.