Summary: EDITED/RE-UPLOADED. When Sakuno goes to the hospital to do a favor for her grandmother, she meets Yukimura Seiichi but due to some events she mistakes him for someone else. Find out how this case of mistaken identity brings the two closer together.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Prince of Tennis.

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A Fated Case of Mistaken Identity

By: hikao-chan

Chapter 1: Their Meeting

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On a particular train station in Kanagawa prefecture, the small frame of Ryuzaki Sakuno can be seen emerging from the train that had just arrived. She was wearing a yellow summer dress and her long auburn hair was tied into her signature braids with a hairclip on the side of her head. Her attention was focused mainly on her hands because of the small potted flowering plant that she was holding. She took a seat on a nearby bench and carefully placed it beside her. She didn't want to risk anything because of her clumsiness. She then took out a handkerchief from her messenger bag and wiped the beads of sweat that were forming on her neck and forehead. It was a hot afternoon in June and she could see people trying their best to find ways on how to counter the heat. She was too busy observing the people around her that she forgot she was supposed to call her grandmother. She was startled when her phone began to ring just when she was about to dial her obaa-chan's number. She looked at the caller's name and immediately answered it.

A few days ago, her grandmother had asked her to visit one of her close friends in Kanagawa who was in the hospital since she was too busy to go herself with the Kantou Tournament coming up next month. Sakuno did her best to be of help but now it seemed that her grandmother was regretting the fact that she was alone to do this favor.

"Don't worry obaa-chan. I'll be sure to deliver this," Sakuno said trying to ease her grandmother's worry. She was fumbling with the hem of her dress while listening to Sumire's instructions. The only thing that relieved her grandmother was that the hospital wasn't very far away from the train station and it would lessen the chances of her getting lost. After saying goodbye, she continued on with her task forgetting the potted flowering plant behind. It was a good thing that a young man with a bandaged left hand had managed to catch up to her and return it. She thanked the kind person and mentally berated herself for being such an airhead.

Luckily, after a few minutes of walking and asking for directions she finally reached her destination. She went straight to the hospital's reception desk and asked for the room number of the person she was going to visit. Room 504. She rode the elevator glad that there weren't a lot of people riding with her. It would've been bad if she had to squeeze into the crowd just to get a ride since taking the stairs would be too dangerous. She might accidentally break the pot because of her accident-prone nature. After heaving a soft sigh, she closed her eyes and waited for the elevator doors to open.

"Hey nii-chan, are you really strong?" a young boy asked Yukimura Seiichi.

"Of course he is! He's Japan's number one!" another boy answered for him.

"Yeah! My father said that Yukimura-san's a really great tennis player," a little girl commented. Yukimura chuckled lightly at how this conversation was going. During his stay in the hospital he was able to make friends with different people, whether young or old. They were currently inside his hospital room playing board games when one of the nurses knocked on the door.

"Those kids really like sticking with you," the nurse said.

"I think it's because I have a little sister who's about the same age as them," Yukimura grinned.

"Oh right. Before I forget your friend is here to visit you," she gestured towards her right and from the doorway emerged his fukubuchou, Sanada Genichirou.

Sanada wasn't even a bit surprised by the scene because he already knew Yukimura's the friendly type. He waited until Yukimura was finished saying goodbye to the little children, promising them to play again tomorrow. He closed the door when the last child had exited the room.

"Where are the others?" Yukimura asked.

"I told them to wait in the lobby at the first floor. It gets a little rowdy here each time we visit," Sanada replied probably remembering the ruckus some of their teammates caused last time they came here.

"I guess I'll have to ask you to take them to the rooftop garden then?" Yukimura requested the corners of his lips forming into a small smile. Sanada nodded at the request and left to fetch the team while Yukimura on the other hand moved out of bed and began threading towards rooftop of the hospital. He headed towards the flight of stairs near the elevator. He was a few meters from the stairs when the elevator door opened and a small girl with long twin braids carrying a potted plant stepped out from it. There wasn't really anything wrong with this picture except for the fact that after just walking three steps she seemed to trip on something invisible and almost fell face first on the floor.

Bless his good reflexes that he developed while playing tennis because he was able to catch her before anything bad happened. If he was just a normal person he wouldn't have been able to prevent her from that nasty fall. Holding onto her arm and the potted plant she was carrying, he tried to steady her petite frame.

"Are you alright?" he asked while looking down at her. He was captivated when a pair of big brown doe-like eyes surrounded by long thick eyelashes stared right back at him. She had the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. It wasn't everyday that someone could manage to catch his attention in this manner. He continued gazing at her for a few more seconds until he was finally awaken from this kind of trance when the girl began apologizing to him profusely.

"I-I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!" she repeated over and over while doing multiple 90 degree bows. Yukimura held her shoulders to stop her from doing more. How could this girl bow for so many times and not get a sore back?

"It's okay. You don't have to apologize that much," he chuckled earning him a deep blush from the girl.

Sakuno was really embarrassed by her predicament especially now that she saw the person who helped her. This young man had a really beautiful face. She gazed at his delicate features which were framed by his midnight blue locks. His hair was a bit longer but he didn't look feminine at all despite her initial description of him. It was just that he held some sort of charm that goes beyond being just handsome. When she realized that she was rudely staring at the person in front of her, she immediately looked down. Her eyes cast upon the small plant in her hands that made her remember where she was supposed to go.

"A-ano.. Thank you so much for helping me," she said in a small voice.

"No problem at all," she heard him say and when she looked up she saw him smiling at her. She also smiled in return before bowing one more time and heading off into the direction she was taking a while ago.

Yukimura continued looking at her back until she disappeared into a corner. He wasn't the type of person to be easily captivated by looks but he couldn't help but think of how beautiful the young girl was upon seeing her smile. She wasn't like the really good-looking kind of girls that he had interacted with at school. She was different. He didn't know why he thought of her that way when he only met her just a few moments ago. After noticing that he was still standing alone in hall, he shook his head and proceeded to the flight of stairs.

When Sakuno reached room 504 the door was already open. She peeked and saw two people inside. Knowing that it was impolite to immediately barge in, she knocked at the door to get the attention of the people inside. The nurse turned to her direction and smiled.

"Uhm… Is this Kurokawa Minako-san's room?" she asked.

"Yes, it is," the nurse replied signaling her to come inside.

"You have a little visitor, Kurokawa-san," the nurse cheerfully informed the old woman who was lying in the bed before leaving the room.

"Oh. Why hello there, little one. May I know the reason why you're visiting me?" Kurokawa Minako said in a kind tone.

"Good afternoon, Kurokawa-san," she bowed respectfully.

"My grandmother, Ryuzaki Sumire, asked me to deliver these for you," she held out the potted plant towards the woman.

"She wanted to visit you today but she couldn't because of some matters. She also said that she'll come here when she finds the time."

"Oh so you're Sumire's granddaughter. It's so nice of you to visit this old lady. Thank you so much, Sakuno-chan," she heard her say before accepting the potted plant.

"You're welcome," she smiled brightly. Sakuno felt at ease while talking with the kind old woman. They talked for about half an hour about her grandmother and other related things until the nurse came back.

"Sorry to disturb you two but it's time for your medicine, Kurokawa-san," she informed them. Sakuno stepped aside to let the nurse pass through. She watched as the lady gave a few pills and a glass of water to the patient.

"What a lovely flower," she heard the nurse say while looking at the potted plant she brought.

"Do you like flowers, dear?" the nurse asked to which she nodded shyly.

"If you would like to see more flowers there's a really pretty garden on the rooftop."

Sakuno was a bit excited about hearing this piece of information that she didn't notice her face showing the anticipation. But not wanting to be rude she decided to keep it to herself.

"It's alright, Sakuno-chan. You can go there if you want. I can already feel the medicine making me sleepy," Kurokawa said stifling a yawn. Sakuno did not want to disturb her from taking a rest so she heeded her suggestion. She said goodbye to Kurokawa-san before following the nurse. She turned to look back and saw the old woman wave a hand at her. She smiled and bowed again before closing the door.

"Just go through here until you reach the top," the nurse said pointing at flight of stairs. Sakuno nodded and thanked her.

"Oh and before I forget when you see someone up there, that's probably Oshiro Shin-kun. He tends to garden when he's there," the nurse informed her before heading to the opposite direction.

When the nurse reached their desk in the lobby she was surprised to see Oshiro Shin, the employee who takes care of the garden.

"I thought you were still in the rooftop," she said tilting her head to the side.

"Oh. I was there a while ago but I had to take care of some things here," the old man replied.

"Really? I was actually expecting you to meet one of the patient's visitors. She's a little girl who is interested in the rooftop garden. I told her to go there thinking that she might see you."

"It's a pity I can't meet her this time though. I'm filing an indefinite leave since I have to go back to my hometown because my wife's sick," Oshiro replied scratching the back of his head.

"Well maybe next time, I hope your wife gets better soon," the nurse smiled kindly.

At the rooftop of the hospital stood the entire tennis regulars from Rikkai Dai Fuzoku namely: Yukimura Seiichi, Sanada Genichirou, Yanagi Renji, Kirihara Akaya, Niou Masaharu, Marui Bunta, Yagyuu Hiroshi and Jackal Kuwahara.

Their captain was seated at one of the benches overlooking the view of the city while the rest of them were all crowding either behind him or beside him. Kirihara and Marui were bickering about something while Jackal was trying to calm them down. Niou continued to watch them with a playful smirk on his face. Yagyuu and Yanagi were engaged in quiet conversation about a certain novel. On the other hand, Sanada was looking sternly at the ruckus seemingly determined to punish some of his teammates when they get back. Yukimura's voice suddenly caught all their attention.

"I'm so sorry about this but I have to drop out and leave you guys to fight in the Kantou Tournament without me," he apologized a forced smile gracing his lips.

"Don't worry about it, Yukimura. Just put all your energy into recovering from your illness," Sanada answered in his usual serious voice while the others only nodded in agreement. The youngest among them even stepped towards their buchou to voice out his thoughts.

"Just take it easy, Yukimura-buchou! Even without you, Rikkai will get its third straight win without any catches!" Kirihara confidently declared.

"Saying something like that. I feel a bit snubbed," Yukimura frowned and glanced at their junior ace who was now panicking at his reaction.

"Akaya! What the hell do you think you're saying?" Jackal reprimanded their kohai. Marui event went as far as to place his hand on the poor kid's head to force him to bow down.

"Apologize to the captain! Apologize now!"

"Ah! I'm terribly sorry bu-"

Someone's laughter caused Kirihara to stop midway. When they turned their heads, Yukimura was smiling widely at them.

"I'm joking," they heard him say.

"Don't scare me like that buchou!" Kirihara whined while the other members laughed at his predicament.

Yukimura continued looking at them before calling out to his fukubuchou standing beside him.

"Sanada."

"Hn?"

"I'm leaving this to you," he said his eyes still on Kirihara and Marui.

"Alright," Sanada replied.

It was then that Yukimura's amused smile was replaced by a proud look. He didn't have to worry about anything else because he knew just how powerful their team was. A few more minutes passed until Sanada announced that it was time for them to go. Yukimura just chuckled at his teammates when they immediately headed towards the door without a word of protest. He was already guessing what they were all thinking. They probably didn't want to take up all of his time because they think that he could spend it on resting instead. Yukimura decided not to join them in going down because he still wanted to spend more time here. His teammates didn't force him though and bid him goodbye and said that they'll visit him again soon.

When he was all alone, he stood up and leaned towards the railings. Various thoughts were racing through his mind. He followed all of the doctor's advice for almost a month now hoping to be cured and immediately get back on the court in time for the tournament but clearly not all things go according to plan. Although he was frustrated about his condition, he was levelheaded enough not to risk any chances of worsening his illness. He sighed deeply before running a hand through his hair in annoyance. It was a good thing his teammates had already left because he didn't want anyone to see him like this. He was too wrapped up in his musings that he didn't notice that he was already standing there for about twenty minutes now. He also didn't notice another figure entering the rooftop until he heard a small voice.

Sakuno opened the door to the rooftop her gaze instantly drifted to the right side where all the beautiful flowers and plants were placed. She skipped excitedly towards the small garden a smile never leaving her lips. She crouched down to look at a particular plant and couldn't help but admire its beauty. Her hands softly touched the flower's purple petals and long cleft leaves that were circular in shape. She slowly dipped her face towards it and smelled the fragrant aroma radiating from the flower.

"I wonder what kind of flower this is..," she quietly murmured.

"That's a Geranium."

Sakuno whipped her head towards the voice clearly not expecting someone to answer her inquiry. She abruptly stood up and bowed her head. A deep blush tainted her cheeks when she saw that it was the same person who helped her when she got out of the elevator.

"I'm s-sorry for intruding! A-ano! I'm r-really sorry for being r-rude! I didn't know anyone was up here," she blurted out her eyes never leaving her feet as if they were the most interesting sight in the world. The young man's delighted laugh caught her attention. She discretely peeked at him to know what made him laugh.

Yukimura was really amused by this girl. He had never met someone like her before thus he wasn't able to contain his laughter when instead of replying to his remark she suddenly started apologizing.

"Why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything wrong," he said amusement still evident in his tone.

Sakuno looked up to meet his gaze while biting her lower lip in embarrassment. She really didn't know what to say so she opted to fumble with the strap of her bag. The scene only made Yukimura's smile grow wider.

"Are you fond of flowers?" he asked trying to break the silence between them.

The girl nodded still not speaking to him.

"I see. Girls really like these kind of things, huh?" he commented.

A nod.

"Are you also knowledgeable about plants?" he queried.

Another nod. Yukimura inwardly sighed at his failed attempts of striking up a conversation with her. A thought suddenly popped in his mind and he decided to change his approach.

"Am I scaring you or anything?" he couldn't help but ask feigning a sad look. That statement was finally able to make her reply.

"N-no! I-it's not that! E-eto…" she explained frantically throwing her hands up in the air in panic. She didn't mean to offend him; she was just too tongue-tied and shy to say anything. He was trying his best not to smile at the cute outburst. He cleared his throat before talking.

"Really? Then I'm glad," he smiled earning him another blush from the girl. He was about to ask her name when their conversation was cut short by the ringing of Sakuno's phone. She excused herself before answering the call, while Yukimura took a few steps away to give her some privacy. After the call, she turned back to him and bowed again.

"I'm sorry but I have to go. It was nice meeting you!" she apologetically said then quickly dashed towards the door of the rooftop before he could even speak. It seemed that she was really in a hurry. Yukimura kept replaying her words in his head and couldn't help but chuckle at them.

"I haven't even gotten your name yet," he said to no one as his eyes continued to look at the door from where the girl had disappeared to. It was funny that she said it was nice meeting him when they didn't even know each other's name.

"Well, perhaps some other time," he decided before going back to his own room. A smile never left from his lips.

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つづく

To Be Continued

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A/N: I hope people are still interested in this story. Thank you for those who reviewed and added this to their lists before!

Oh! Did anybody guess who returned the potted plant to Sakuno at the train station? ;D