Eternal.Angel
August 1, 2007 to August 3, 2007

Disclaimers: I do not own any part whatsoever of Prince of Tennis.
Summary: Ryuzaki Sakuno now enters college, and is doing fairly well being independent. But what happens when two people she respects the most crash into her life? What will be her decision? Enjoy! And don't forget to review please!

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Back Again
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Nineteen-year-old Ryuzaki Sakuno was now attending college, and how she managed to pass English for the first two terms, she did not know at all. Of course, she was doing fairly well in her education, and she had decided to major in Home Economics in order to be the best chef she could be. But as the usual college stuff, there would always be a romantic atmosphere in the air in every place that she would attend to, even if it were as miniscule as…er, whatever was the tiniest thing in the world.

Sakuno was not the little, clumsy girl that used to trip on herself or on the sidewalk nearly everyday. She wasn't weak anymore, because now she stood firm on the tip of her toes. Her hair had been cut short down to the end of her shoulder blades, and she tied up the hair in a loose ponytail. Her eyes were still brown and innocent as ever, and her smile was certainly enchanting to all the guys in the campus.

Sensing this, she sighed heavily as she continued on walking, heading towards the library. She would need to borrow a history reference book for her Social Studies class, which were having a project currently. Sometimes she wondered how Social Studies had anything to do with Home Economics, but of course, it was what she chose as an extra class in order to fill the requirements for the college.

Checking out the book and walking out, she headed back to her dorm, hoping to get something accomplished at home. It was just then, that she exited the building, that the sky turned a dark, grey color, and clouds ganged up to one; a premonition of a storm. She hurriedly made her way through the garden and out of the campus, praying that the rain would not come pouring down on her before she made it home.

It was quite a stormy afternoon, as thunder boomed throughout the entire area of Japan, lightning flashing brightly from time to time. A heavy downpour washed down the suburbs, but it was a good thing that the city did not flood yet. But it would soon, for Sakuno resided in the outskirts of Japan, pretty much near the coastline.

She slammed the large textbook onto her desk after entering the dorm. She shared with a new friend she had made, who was often out for not only college, but also working reasons. Of course, Sakuno worked as well. She was a part-time baker in some popular bakery in the suburbs which people made their way to feast on the wonderful pastries. She was rumored as an honorary and wonderful baker for her skills, which was one of the reasons why she majored in Home Economics.

Flopping onto her spinning chair, she laid back and stared out the window. She urged herself to get started on the load of work she had for her history project, but inside, another part of her refused to do anything. Well, the project was due in a week, and she wanted to get it over with, but…she didn't feel like it. I mean, she had a week. So she could take a day off for today, since all her morning classes were done.

Staring out the window to see the large raindrops plop on the ground with a dangerous reaction, she sighed in boredom. She did not want to work on her history project, and yet she didn't want to do anything else. It was certainly boring.

That is, until her eyes wandered to the grounds of the large building. She noticed two figures entering inside the building, and from the aerial view, they seemed quite suspicious. This building was mostly made for girls, and it seemed that those two persons were…guys? Now this was awfully strange. Most males went to the building next door, because it was made up of guys. And this one for girls.

Never mind that, she was feeling hungry. She stood up from her chair and headed over to the mini refrigerator. Inside was empty, except for a large carton of milk. Sighing, she grabbed her keys and exited the room, locking the door before heading down to the main lobby.

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"Ah, Sakura-san, I'll be heading out to get some groceries," signed out Ryuzaki as she scribbled her name on the clipboard. The lady smiled and nodded her head, waving the college student good-bye.

Opening her umbrella and walking through the rain (now that the storm was over), she went to the closest supermarket and purchased vegetables, fish, and some eggs. Lifting three full bags of groceries, she heaved and pulled herself to take a step every minute, and it would seem that her walk home would take about…who knows how long it would take. At her rate, she probably wouldn't make it until the next day. Well, she had to buy this many goods; after all, her friend ate quite a lot after work, where she worked as a babysitter for a daycare, and she would be extra hungry when she came home.

"Mou, this is going to take a long time. And there are no buses around here…" spoke aloud Ryuzaki as she took another step, trying to keep the umbrella on her left hand steady whilst holding a bag and two bags on her right hand.

After what seemed an hour (in reality, ten minutes), she settled herself on a dry bench and sighed in exhaustion. She was halfway back to her dorm, but she felt as if the trip were going to take forever. She hung her head low in shame, reminiscing that she could not complete all the laps assigned when she was in the Girls' Tennis Club. Chuckling warmly to herself, memories of Seishun Gakuen Academy began flooding in her mind.

She remembered when she had first met the Echizen Ryoma in a train, where a bunch of high school guys were nearly chopping her head off with their racket. Of course, he did not realize that she was there, or that she had saved him. And accidentally, she gave him the wrong directions to the tennis competition and was disqualified.

She had developed a crush on him, and tried many times to look nice and proper in front of him, but she ended up tripping and falling like a klutz. She wished that he would notice her at least once, but that wish never came true. She remained unknown to him, and was never noticed at all by him. So she shook him off and moved on, remaining single and growing stronger and stronger each day, until she was finally able to be independent.

Then there was Momoshiro Takeshi, one of Echizen's closest friends and senpai. He and Echizen would go to WacDonalds, the burger joint, and eat lots and lots of burgers and other fast foods. It was a wonder how they would never get fat. But Momoshiro was strong, caring, and funny. He always sighed when he saw the two freshmen together, "Ah…young love…" She would just blush hearing that, and run away from Echizen immediately.

The next senpai she remembered was Kaidoh Kaoru, who always wore a bandana and hissed on a timely basis. Sakuno remembered how she always tried to improve himself, hitting himself when he failed. He trained everyday; she could see when she would take her daily walks in the park, seeing him do strengthening and stretching exercises, and running laps to improve his endurance. Although his face was quite scary, his love for animals covered all that up, and sometimes it was hard to hide that (a scary man liking animals…).

Kikumaru Eiji was the most hyperactive of all the regulars, showing off this tennis with acrobatic style. He always was so cheerful and bounced around happily nonstop. The only time he would be serious is in tennis, when playing doubles with his partner, Oishi, when they're ready to lose and break down. He sometimes joined Echizen and Momoshiro to the burger joint, but mostly spent his time with Fuji Syuusuke, his best friend. He always sided with Momo, teasing her and Echizen about their "young love".

Then there was Oishi Shuichiro, who was named as the "motherly hen of Seigaku". He always worried about others, but he was the fuku-buchou of the tennis club. Although his tennis wasn't flashy and all, he was a good player and was doubles partner to Kikumaru Eiji, the two named as the Golden Pair. He always looked out for his teammates and companions, and was really nice and easygoing.

Another regular Sakuno could remember was Kawamura Takashi. He was one of the strongest players, and he had two personalities. One was shy and interior; while another (when a tennis racket was supposed to be held) was wild and outgoing. His father owned a sushi restaurant, so he made a promise to himself that after high school, he would quit tennis and focus more on making sushi and inheriting the restaurant. Although he had stopped his tennis life after that year, he continued to come and visit the tennis club, checking up on his friends and former teammates.

The female did not forget the Data Man, since she saw him pretty frequently observing her during her tennis practices at times. Inui Sadaharu loved to torture the tennis team with his juices (which only Fuji could stand). He was always writing away in his notebooks, and who knows how many he has by now? Inui observed every little detail, be it important or not, and always looked over his notes to come up with theories, conclusions, and much more. He even offered her a drink once when she was tired after tennis practice, but she politely refused after seeing the male regulars and other members practically dying after drinking the toxic liquid…

There was also the tensai, Fuji Syuusuke. His azure eyes always came to a close, and he showed off his pleasant yet evil smile to nearly everyone. Whenever someone close to him was injured or hurt in a way, his eyes would flicker open, that smile of his would be washed away, and he would be really serious. And yet, somehow, he was able to digest mostly all of Inui's juices. And secretly, she thought to herself, I liked him, but never told him so.

Lastly, there was the stoic captain, Tezuka Kunimitsu. He wore spectacles and was really serious about tennis and his life; you could barely see him smile or having fun on the outside (the inside, lots of things go on). His entire life revolves around tennis, and he had already aimed as a professional tennis player in Germany. Now his tennis career is only on a monthly basis, while he spends the rest of his time studying hard in university.

Ryuzaki Sakuno gave out a long sigh as she checked the golden watch tied around her left wrist. Widening her eyes, she closed the umbrella (now the rain had become a light drizzle), gathered the grocery bags and ran back to the dorm.

"Mou, Maya-chan will be back soon and I have to cook dinner!"

She ran as fast as she could while her strap bag bounced against her petite body. She breathed heavily and stopped from time to time, but continued on running, not noticing where she was running to except towards the building. In a rush, she collided into a person and fell onto the ground, thankfully having her raincoat protecting her from the muddy water.

"Itai…" murmured Ryuzaki as she rubbed her hip joint. She opened her eyes to collect the bags but found them missing. They couldn't have flown that far, could they?

She stood up from her fallen position by herself and began looking at the ground. All she saw was the rocky surface of the ground. Blinking confusingly, she continued glancing downwards until a voice intervened her search and thoughts.

"Ah, gomen ne, but can you tell me where the tennis racket shop is?"

Turning her attention towards the voice, she widened her eyes again. Looking at the person's arms she saw the three grocery bags and her fallen umbrella. She continued trailing upwards, her eyes slowly scanning the man. At last, her eyes met the face of a smiling male, his eyes closed and a pleasant smile plastered on his face. She covered her mouth with her hands and gasped, "F-fuji-senp-pai?!"

"Ar-e?" said the man whom Ryuzaki identified as 'Fuji-senpai', "Do I know you? And here are your groceries. You look awfully familiar though. Can you tell me where the shop is now please?"

Still in shock, Sakuno shook her head and answered his questions, "One block down and take a right. Third store to your left." She pointed a finger, gesturing the directions to the place that he had requested.

"Arigatou," he thanked politely, and gave the groceries to her, "Here you go. Sorry about that."

"I-ie," she said, turning slightly red. The way he spoke and looked…took her breath away completely. She slapped herself mentally for noticing that.

"Ah," the man said as he stopped in his tracks, "That blushing reminds me of a certain someone…someone like…"

"Ryuzaki?" finished the woman in a questioning tone.

"Saa, then you must be…Ryuzaki Sakuno, Sumire-chan's granddaughter, right?" he asked, smiling at her more than ever.

"Hai, Fuji-senpai!" confidently said Sakuno.

"It's a good thing I bumped into you," he said, chuckling, "Or I would have gotten lost. Or rather you, Ryuzaki-san." She blushed at his teasing, and stuttered to herself to a volume in which he couldn't hear her.

"If you're not busy then, would you mind walking me over to the tennis shop then, Ryuzaki-chan?" requested Fuji. She nodded, answering as a 'yes', and led the way to the shop.

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"Thank you for coming, Ryuzaki-chan," thanked Fuji while he carried a small bag of grip tapes while the other held the umbrella.

"Iie," said Sakuno, "But it is a surprise to see you hear, Fuji-senpai. What brings you here to the outskirts of Japan?"

"Oh that," chuckled Fuji, "Well you see, most of the regulars still decided to continue tennis during college and university until they finally get a career and their degree, and luckily we all made it onto the same team, and since we have a tennis competition here soon, we're going to take classes at your college as well." He smiled at his kohai, and she smiled back.

"Souka? So, where are you staying?" asked Sakuno, looking up at the tensai.

"Oh, at a building," he said, "It's a secret though."

She laughed again, covering her mouth in the process. She always found Fuji quite mysterious and funny, since he was always so secretive. And although she did once have a crush for him, it was long gone. She did not want to disturb the tensai, and she was too shy to admit her feelings for him anyway, so she kept it silent to herself. Soon she realized that he had better things than the time for romance, so she decided to move on and grow stronger, learning from the experiences of her earth-shattering crush Echizen Ryoma and the slightly small crush Fuji Syuusuke.

She couldn't even meet up to their standards, so why did she bother? It'd be better off if she just found someone else, or just didn't marry at all.

"Ano," started Sakuno, but was interrupted by the sound of her cell phone. "Gomenasai." Flipping the phone, she read the caller ID before answering it, "Moshi moshi?"

"Hey Sakuno-chan!" greeted her roommate, Nasane Maya.

"Maya-chan!" exclaimed Sakuno, "What's up?"

"Nothing much," replied Maya, "And don't cook dinner for me tonight. I have a meeting late at night and I'm going to stay over at my boyfriend's house."

"Hai."

"Oh, and leave some bento for me on the kitchen table. I'll pick it up tomorrow morning."

"Hai."

"Arigatou, Sakuno-chan! If only I could hug you now…"

"Maya-chan!" exclaimed Sakuno again. Her friend's hugs were suffocating and tightening, just like Eiji-senpai.

"Haha, see you then, Sakuno-chan," said Maya, and she closed the conversation.

"Hai," replied Sakuno, and she closed her phone and stuffed it back into her purse. Fuji looked at her with a curious stare. As if she read his mind, she answered the question he was about to ask.

"That was my roommate, Maya-chan. She's going to stay at her boyfriend's house today, so I'm staying home alone today."

"Hm," said Fuji as he gave his suspicious smile, "It's not safe for a girl like you to stay alone at night in bed."

"Fuji-senpai! I'm nineteen! I can take care of myself," she protested.

"Then at least invite us for dinner?" requested the tensai, leaning in closer to Sakuno. She took a step back before breathing heavily, sighing in defeat.

"Hai, Fuji-senpai," said Sakuno. Fuji smiled, and then she thought of something. "Fuji-senpai, what do you mean by 'us'?"

"Oh that…" he pondered aloud, "You'll see soon." Once again he smiled at her, and led her back to her building, "I'll bring you home and you can tell me the address."

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Sakuno was running around crazily in the kitchen. Thanks to the promise she made with Fuji-senpai, she was preparing endless number of dishes, and didn't realize yet the pantry would once again go empty. She cleaned the entire place right after she came home, and the rooms were spick and span, shining brightly as ever. The table was set for two so far, since she didn't know how many extra mouths she would be feeding. But she was pretty sure that ten dishes were enough to feed a crowd.

Slumping on a chair, she wiped her sweaty forehead and tried to relax herself. She was finally done with all the cooking, and her legs were aching from running around back and forth, making sure that everything was perfect. And just when she was about to take a short nap, the doorbell rang, and she complained to herself on the sudden disturbance.

"Hai! I'm coming!" she shouted from the kitchen, and Sakuno reluctantly lagged herself to the entrance and unlocked it, revealing a true crowd of people.

It was her senpai-tachi from the Seigaku Tennis Club…

…and Ryoma-kun.

This is going to be the greatest dinner yet…or worst…

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Owari
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A/N: My first RyoSakuFuji fic, so please, REVIEW AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE! I am stuck right here and don't know what should happen after their dinner. And I am running full of ideas, yet I can't strain myself… Please review and give me any feedback! I am very happy to be criticized because there is always room for improvement. Arigatou!

Ja ne, and I do not own any part of Prince of Tennis!

Eternal.Angel