A/N: So here's a small drabble. Mostly because I've hit a major roadblock with all of my other stories. Sorry! But this just had to be written - I promise to work on the others soon - because it's been on my mind for a while now. In part, it's dedicated to all of the high school graduates out there because I myself, have also recently graduated. Yeah, I'm so not ready for the real world either. Just a couple of warnings: 1) I have not read/watched The Prince of Tennis for quite some time so my assessment of the characters may be incorrect. 2) Sorry Sakuno. *hugs* I'm sure some of us, including myself, have felt the way Sakuno does. 3) Erk. This is probably really bad but enjoy anyways. Please review! I love feedback.
Only You
The warm spring sun filtered through the classroom's large windows, enveloping the room in a soft, warm glow.
Ryuuzaki Sakuno sat in her desk, fumbling with the "Future Career Expectations"sheet she held in her hands. Her fingers had traced over the flimsy paper a countless number of times, the ink beginning to show signs of fading. She folded the paper in half and sighed. But then she unfolded the small half sheet, only to fold it again – this time in fourths. Sakuno decided it was against her better judgment to ruin the paper and unfolded it, again. Her eyes danced across the paper, rereading every word. Her eyes hovered above the empty spaces and the blank boxes.
The young woman let out an exasperated sigh.
She only had two more years left. And they weren't even a full two years.
"Two years," She whispered under her breath.
The brunette hadn't exactly found her field of interest yet. Through the first year of her high school career, she experimented with a few clubs, including tennis, but nothing ignited a passion from deep within her soul.
There was a pause in her thoughts.
Tennis always led back to him.
With a bemused smile upon her lips, she wondered how he was doing.
At twelve, she met him. A young Sakuno sat on a train heading for a junior tennis tournament, fearful of a reckless Sasabe, whom swung his racket wildly and inches from her face. At the time, Sakuno did not say a word because of her shy demeanor. She was grateful when a young Echizen interjected and the now older Sakuno chuckled at the sassy youth's witty repartee.
Those memories flashed through her mind. She recounted how flustered she felt misleading the boy around the tennis grounds and was hotly embarrassed when her lacking sense of direction caused him to be disqualified. But then she remembered being amazed at his inhuman talent in tennis against a boy much older and larger than himself. He always had left her in a state of awe because of his abilities.
At thirteen, she joined the girl's tennis team partly because the sport itself interested her – her grandmother was a tennis coach after all – and partly because he fascinated her. The now older Sakuno thought to herself how naïve she was then, especially in her childish infatuation. Driven by those feelings, she made an attempt to attend every single Seigaku match she could. Just to catch a glimpse of him playing. And even if he wasn't playing, she stood on the sidelines with Tomoko on one side and the Ichinen Trio on the other, screaming in support for their team.
Sakuno basked in the memories of the small moments they spent together. A particular memory floated into her thoughts. He had caught her trying to practice her swing and was mildly disappointed at her poor attempts. She recollected being profusely embarrassed as he coached her but a sense of gratitude lingered in her mind.
During Seigaku's game against Hyotei, she cheered at the top of her lungs. She cheered until her voice grew hoarse. She cheered all through their victories in the Kanto prefectural tournament.
At the national tournament, her hands sweated with anxiety, her ears rang with excitement and she cheered, yelled, and screamed her heart out.
Sakuno never quite grew out of her naïve girlishness.
At fourteen, she was disappointed. The upperclassmen – from Captain Tezuka to Kawamura Takashi – had all moved onto their high school careers, graduating and leaving the club in the able hands of their juniors.
With Kaidou as the new captain, she grew closer to the club. But she never quite grew closer to him.
They'd pass by one another in the hallways and greet each other with a shy hello. Yet, they never had any real interaction since the day he coached her on her swing.
They'd have classes together but there was never a chance for them to speak. She grew embarrassed and slightly ecstatic when they were paired together or in groups with one another.
Halfway through their second year, she learned he had a girlfriend. Sakuno did not know much about her except that she had a personable character and was on the rhythmic gymnastics team. The brunette had grown dismayed. On Valentine's Day, throughout every single class, she debated with herself, fumbling with the small bag of homemade chocolate she held in her hands. In the end, she gave them to Tomoko as gratitude chocolate.
Christmas of that year, she gave him sugar cookies. But they were the same cookies she gave to everyone else, including Horio and Momoshiro Takeshi.
At fifteen, they entered their last year of junior high. He had become captain of the boy's tennis team and they saw even less of each other. She had one class with him, but he sat at the opposite corner of the room.
At the beginning of their third and last year, she learned that he was single. And during Christmas, she gathered her courage and presented him with a gift – a hand-knit scarf. She spent days filled with frustration and disappointment as she tried to knit the perfect pattern. And when she finally finished, she was relieved.
The notion of even giving him the gift made her extremely anxious and uneasy. But when he received it, he gave her a hug. That day, she thought, was the greatest day of her life.
She had countless fantasies about meeting, meetings between him and herself. But that's what they were – girlish fantasies.
She dreamt of him, too. She dreamt that he took her hand, that the feelings were mutual. And when she awoke, she was saddened. But she cherished those dreams because even though they were just dreams, they included him.
As the end of the year crept around the corner, she learned he had a new girlfriend. Sakuno did not know her either but knew that she was from that same rhythmic gymnastics team. The brunette smiled for him. But in the solitude of her room, she cried. Those tears once rocked her to sleep and a countless time she cried in the shower, letting the water wash away her tears.
At their graduation, they parted ways.
At sixteen, she entered high school. She joined the girl's tennis team but never could forget the enormous influence he had on her.
True, she had other infatuations, infatuations which included her old, upperclassmen friends. But nothing sprouted from those admirations because everything drew her back to him. Sakuno never had a real relationship and chuckled at her own behavior. Maybe she really hadn't grown out of her past self yet.
That year, she learned he was single once again. She didn't do a thing. Sure, Sakuno had grown out of her shy demeanor but wasn't as completely confident as she had hoped to become. She was still afraid. Afraid of what others would think and afraid of what he would think.
One day as she was leaving after the long drills in tennis practice, she spotted him at the end of the stairway talking animatedly to Tomoko and a girl from their junior high days. He caught her eye and slowed down.
"Sakuno.", He called out.
"Sakuno!" Tomoko had greeted.
The other girl gave her a small smile and Sakuno smiled back.
"Hey," he started, when Sakuno reached the group, "We haven't talked to each other in awhile."
Sakuno was about to nod when Tomoko hugged her, "What are you still doing here? It's late."
Sakuno patted her duffel bag she had upon her shoulder, "Tennis practice."
Tomoko linked her arms with the brunette and Sakuno smiled as they walked towards the entrance of the school.
"What about you guys?" Sakuno asked.
"Hrmh," Tomoko sighed, "Studying."
The other girl motioned towards the hallway to the left, opposite of the direction Sakuno needed to go.
"Sorry Sakuno." Came Tomoko's voice, "We gotta go now."
She gave her friend a small hug and slowly withdrew her arm from Sakuno's.
"Bye, Sakuno! Be safe!" Tomoko cheerily waved goodbye.
The other girl gave a small smile and Sakuno waved.
"See you Sakuno." Came his voice.
Sakuno waved goodbye as the trio headed left; she walked in the opposite direction. toward the school's entrance.
And she rarely saw him after that.
The rest of her first year went by as a blur.
And then at seventeen, she entered her second year of high school. She'd sometimes see him around but whenever they passed by one another, they never greeted each other. She saw him, often with a girl from the journalism club. He had become good friends with her and Sakuno vaguely knew who she was. She shared a class with her in their junior high days and a few classes in their first year of high school. Sakuno regarded her as a somewhat direct person; the brunette rarely talked to her but whenever they did, she had a very steadfast gaze and an almost haughty way of speaking.
Now Sakuno was here, halfway through her second year of high school. She gripped the half-sheet tightly in her hands.
Sometime during the end of the annual class trip, he had started dating her, the girl from the journalism club. Sakuno didn't know what to feel but a mix of confusion, anxiety and regret flowed within her body.
Soon, they would leave the sanctity of their high school careers and be thrown into the harsh reality of the real world. And that meant that she would never see him again. He would never know how he made her feel. And that anxiety made the memories flash rapidly through her mind once again, reminding her of the endless regret.
She clutched the blank sheet of paper and the tears were threatening to fall.
Sakuno took a deep breath.
Those feelings were always so bittersweet.