A/N: Sorry I haven't been on for over a year... I've been lazy but here's a birthday FF for Ryoma to make up for it - hbd to you!

School: Japanese yrs. Sorry for any OOC, this is set in a few years later in which the two are more comfortably acquainted with each other and actually good friends. So when you think about it, it's not really OOC – even the shyest person won't be shy around people they get along with well.

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own tenipuri.

Ride or Die (One-shot?)

Flighty touches. Beckoning glances. They were at a tennis court, just the two of them. Sitting beside each other were Ryoma and a girl whose face was somewhat blurred yet familiar. They both breathed heavily, tired from the match, when all of a sudden the girl turned towards him.

"Mada... mada dane," the girl's voice murmured in Ryoma's ear. He tingled at the proximity of her dainty mouth to his ear, and the sensation of her whispery breath left his throat feeling short of breath. Oh, he thought. It was Ryuzaki.

She continued whispering sweet yet sarcastic nothings to him and stroked her hand slowly up and down the side of his cheek. Ryoma jerked away from the sudden gentleness of her touch, and just as he did, he fell out of his bed.

"Tch," he grunted, meeting the unfriendly face of his floor. He yawned and propped himself up against the side of his bed he fell off from. Trying to remember his dream, he sat in idle lethargy until jolting up with a start. Oh. His face felt hot, and before he could allow a relative (but surely to be problematic) incident to occur, he ran out of his room right into his father.

"Heh, so I see someone is excited to celebrate their birthday. Oi, aren't you gonna say good morning to your dear Otou-san who helped in the making of your bratty existence?"

Ryoma grimaced at Nanjirou's low-key vulgarity and muttered a brief "morning." He tried to get away discreetly, but that situation was not in his fortune.

"This is the age you'll start getting wet dreams, Seishounen!"

December 24. Known as Christmas Eve to many. Better known to Ryuzaki Sakuno as Ryoma's birthday. She had woken up that morning excited, partly because it was the day before Christmas, and because she and Ryoma were going to hang out that day.

The two were more than acquaintances, less than a couple. Although Sakuno still feel occasional jitters when he sat just a little closer to her than usual, she was content to say that the two's friendship was platonic; nothing more, nothing less, just that in between. It was good enough for her, though. Now that she was in her second year of high school, she had already accepted for a while now that her puppy love was frivolous and just a notion of youthful fantasy. That aside, she was one of Ryoma's closest friends and that was all that mattered.

Ryoma had told her the week before not to plan anything for his birthday. Sakuno had [tried to] offhandedly mention his birthday in hopes of getting an idea of what he wanted. The most obvious answer was anything tennis-related but she wanted to do something beyond that. The majority of people who knew Ryoma assumed that his life revolved solely on tennis – there was some truth in that, but as Sakuno had slowly become closer to him, she realized there was more to him than that. That Ponta wasn't just his go-to drink for convenience; it was a reminder of his home in America. He also had an obsession with cat toys because of his dedication to Karupin. Sakuno enjoyed learning more and more about his quirks and likes/dislikes. But then again, any other girl would so, she thought, she probably wasn't much different from then.

"Shut up, stupid," she said to herself. Not about to be a downer on Ryoma's birthday, she pulled on a peach-colored cropped sweater and some periwinkle high-waisted jeans quickly. "I just hope he has fun today," Sakuno sighed. She glanced at the amusement park tickets on her vanity before picking them up and heading out the door.

"You're going on a date with Sakuno-chan today, right?" Rinko said as she took Ryoma's plate from the table. While she turned around, she noticed him coughing from his water with a smile.

"Okaa-san, it's not a date. Stop saying that," he near-shouted. His mom always teased him about how Ryuzaki was girlfriend-material. Which she was, of course, but Okaa-san didn't have to bring it up every time he mentioned her. It made him a target not only for her, but for his perverted father as well. Standing up from his seat, he walked out of the kitchen.

To him, Ryuzaki wasn't quite a candidate for someone as his girlfriend. Of course he'd thought about it before – he was seventeen for heavens' sake and a healthy young man. But she was his wobbly hips, the girl he could pick on, and relatively recently, she was probably his closest friend. She got him, not like those fake girls that pretended to be interested in his hobbies for two minutes just to get on his good side. She kept it real. Ryoma liked their friendship because there was an equal give-and-take bond on both sides. But sometimes, just sometimes, he found himself looking at her for just a second longer than typical. He did have to admit that he had a good-looking friend.

Ryoma leisurely made his way to his bedroom. When he got there, he nonchalantly changed into an army green tee and black jeans. He also put on a black and white knitted sweater that was made by yours truly. Remembering how bashful her face was when she gave it to him made him grin a little. He stretched his body as he made his way back down the stairs and out the door.

The two teens had set their meeting destination at the Tokyo Disneyland for 11:00. Sakuno was to bring the tickets for the two of them to go in. Of course, it was already 11:30 by the time she did arrive.

"I guess being late is one of the things that hasn't changed about you," Ryoma smirked when he saw Sakuno running to him.

"How about," she huffed, "you shut… up for once…" Ryoma laughed in turn making Sakuno start laughing, too.

"I guess we should start heading in, considering how behind schedule we are," Sakuno said.

"And whose fault is that?" Ryoma challenged.

"Can you not? Thanks," she smiled bitter-sweetly. Ryoma made a cutesy face in return, prompting a giggly sigh as the two walked inside the amusement park.

"…and did you see her face when you said you weren't interested? I swear, the next time a random girl does something like that to you, I don't know if I'll be able to keep a straight face."

The two had finished riding the teacups, giant swing ride, Pirates of the Caribbean 4D ride, and a fun but long line of white water rafting in the park. Now they were chatting away by the side of a restaurant waiting for the Happiness is Here parade to pass through. Ryoma's most recent admirer had been a ride attendee who tried to "buckle him up" when it was obvious that she was trying to cop a feel. It revolted Ryoma but cracked Sakuno up.

"Like I was saying, it's hilarious how bold these people can- Oh, look, Ryoma-kun!"

Colorful floats and animated characters passed through the streets and paths. They drew a collective applaud among bystanders as music played and people sang along. Ryoma was enjoying the view; the one of Sakuno, that was. Her face was full of joy as she waved and cheered with the crowd. Her long, auburn hair flowed in the chilly wind, and her blushed cheeks only made her cuter. The sparkle in her eyes was undeniable, and the way her lips moved. Oh, how plump and delicate and kissable they looked-

Keep it cool, Ryoma reprimanded himself. He could feel himself getting carried away with his sort-of casual (?) scrutiny of Ryuzaki's features. He coughed twice, the winter wind getting his throat. Sakuno, somehow hearing him through the boisterous atmosphere, turned towards him quickly. She tried to tell him something but the noise level was overpowering. The two attempted a soundless conversation by moving their mouths into words, but as both were unskilled at silent interpretation, one of them started "saying" random words causing the other one to do the same and that was how the two found themselves having a meaningless conversation for two minutes. Shaking her head, Sakuno motioned for them to go somewhere quieter. The parade music slowly filtered away as they left.

Let your heart fly and we'll go
On and On and On and On and On and On…
Happiness is Here!

Ryoma and Sakuno made their way through a random side path that led away from the parade. They walked in silence, wherever their feet took them. Ryoma was busy trying to get out thoughts of everything Sakuno out of his head. Sakuno was trying to tell herself this was not a date, this was just two friends hanging out, in-the-end-let's-be-honest-you're-not-super-special. The two ended up in Animal Kingdom.

"Let's see… um, I think that there's a really good roller coaster Tomo-chan told me about. She said she almost peed her pants on it. What was it called again? Oh, here!" Sakuno excitedly tapped a location on the map she pulled out of her pocket.

"Expedition Everest? No offense Ryuzaki, but do you think you'll be able to even survive getting on the roller coaster?" Ryoma asked mockingly. He got a soft punch in the arm as response.

"Echizen Ryoma, I, for one, have an appreciation for thrill rides and waiting in long lines. If you're talking about survival, the thing we need to worry about is not getting killed while waiting in line," Sakuno retorted. He shrugged his shoulders which Sakuno took as a sign of compliance, thus beginning their walk to the roller coaster.

When they got there, they only had to wait for about 10 minutes because the lady at the front of the line just had to "let this ADORABLE couple enjoy the time of their lives" and "have fun with their young love" to which Ryoma muttered some sort of thanks. Sakuno waved her hands in disagreement with a stuttered "I-it's not what it looks like!" Regardless, they got first dibs on their spots which were the front two seats.

As they got on, Sakuno whispered, "Ne, Ryoma-kun?"

"Mmhm?" he replied indifferently, trying to make sure his seatbelt was tight enough (without asking the help of a ride assistant).

"Happy birthday," she said quietly, "and I hope we can spend many more to come."

Ryoma's head shot up suddenly from his buckle focus into Sakuno's slightly red face, her hands fidgeting nervously. Even though she was usually chill around him, right now was an exception. Ryoma, realizing the meaning behind her words, suddenly looked away. Taking a deep breath, he responded.

"I want to also. I want to celebrate so much more with you. Thanks."

"W-wait, what? Did you know what I meant? I just, I don't… but why? This is stupid I know, but why-"

"Because, Ryuzaki… you're my ride or die."

When Sakuno screamed, Ryoma wasn't sure whether it was from the ride starting or because of what he said.

Sorry it was sort of rushed but it's already past 12 AM where I am and I'm tired and out of practice. I put a ? beside one-shot b/c I am considering writing more stories in this set time/situation... idk. Thanks for reading!

You can keep up w/ me on tumblr izatrash hehe~ Thank you all! Please leave a review!