Sakura Lain says,
"I don't own The Prince of Tennis, so there!"
…and Sakura Lain's done with the disclaimer.
A/N: Story title is a work in progress.
Chapter 1: Midnight Stroll
Thunder roared outside as Tomoka paced in the living room back and forth, wearing her dark bathrobe and slippers. She looked at the time again, 12:41 AM, and fumed. And worried. Then she heard the front door slam open and hurried to the genkan area, where she saw her friend soaked wet and breathing heavily.
"Sakuno, where have you been?" she cried, hurrying to her.
Sakuno took off her shoes and socks, sniffling a little. "Don't worry about me, Tomo-chan…" she replied softly, smiling faintly.
"But… but you're dripping! And it's so late! Wait here, I'll get you dry clothes so you can change. We'll talk about this in the kitchen," said Tomoka, hurrying away to get Sakuno's clothes for her.
Immediately after Tomoka disappeared around the hall, Sakuno's shoulders slumped and she sighed heavily. "I feel sick…" she mumbled to herself, wrapping her cold shoulders around herself, which only made her colder with her wet clothes. Before she could get the genkan area any wetter than it already was, she made her way to the hall bathroom and began to undress herself.
Tomoka found her in the bathroom. As Sakuno put on her dry clothes, Tomoka left to put the wet clothes to wash in the laundry. When she left the laundry, she found Sakuno already sitting at the dining table, her hands folded in front of her. "I'm sorry about getting here so late," she said quietly.
Tomoka shook her head and had a seat across Sakuno. "I'm just glad you're all right," she said. "You wouldn't answer your cell phone. What happened?"
"Nothing did," replied Sakuno, looking down at the table.
Tomoka raised an eyebrow.
"Well, not exactly nothing, really," said Sakuno, looking back at Tomoka. "I…went downtown. I felt depressed and I met this guy."
"Where?" asked Tomoka immediately.
"Some bar," replied Sakuno, her voice growing quieter, feeling the disapproval growing in Tomoka. "I decided to go to his place…but I couldn't bring myself to do it…"
"Sleep with him, you mean?" asked Tomoka, an angry edge growing in her voice.
"I left before he noticed," said Sakuno in defense. "I didn't know what I was thinking. It was only my second time and…"
"Your second time?" Tomoka's voice raised and her face was leaning toward Sakuno's. "You've been trying to sleep around with random guys because you're depressed?"
"I didn't know what I was thinking…" Sakuno mumbled again, her eyes dropping to the table once more. "I honestly don't." She was having a moment to herself, thinking things through in her head, trying to find some sort justified answer but couldn't come up with any. So she settled with trying to explain her emotions. "I just feel so… empty. Well, not empty, but there's this hollowness in me…that drives me insane…and I just get this perverted feeling like I want to hurt myself just because. Maybe it's to punish myself, I don't know…"
"Why would you punish yourself like that?" asked Tomoka, her voice still harsh.
"Because since Obaa-san died, I feel like I didn't appreciate her enough when she was there and it must have pained her having to take care of a nuisance like me and I feel like it's partly my fault that she died in the first place and…"
"Whoa, whoa, Sakuno, breathe!" interrupted Tomoka, reaching for Sakuno's hands. "Your grandmother's death was not your fault."
"But…" Sakuno's face scrunched up, trying to hold back tears, her grip tightening on Tomoka's hands. "But… I miss her…"
And Sakuno couldn't hold it in much longer. Her tears fell and she cried silently at the table, watching her tears splash on the hard surface of the table.
"Sakuno," Tomoka said gently, and waited for Sakuno to look up at her before she continued. "Your grandmother wouldn't have wanted this."
"I know," Sakuno said, hiccupping. "But…"
"And sleeping around isn't going to make you feel any better," said Tomoka, locking her eyes with Sakuno's to emphasize her point. "Please don't do that again. It pains me as a best friend to have to see you suffering like this…"
Sakuno didn't reply at first, as she let go of Tomoka's hands and looked to the wall. Or past the wall, in Tomoka's opinion. But then she looked back at Tomoka and smiled, this time for real and not forced. But there was still a small strain in it. "Thank you, Tomo-chan," she said. "For being there for me. I really appreciate this."
"Hey, I said I was going to take care of you when your grandmother passed away and that's exactly what I'm going to do," said Tomoka, smiling wider.
"I can take care of myself…" pouted Sakuno.
"Really?" Tomoka raised another eyebrow, looking at Sakuno mockingly.
Sakuno saw her point and didn't say anything else in the matter. She brought a hand to her warm forehead and sighed. "My head hurts…"
"You probably caught a cold," said Tomoka. "I'll get you some pills, you rest. We're going to a small reunion tomorrow evening."
"Reunion?" asked Sakuno curiously.
Tomoka grinned. "I forgot to mention… I received a small invitation from Momoshiro recently. He wants the old Seigaku gang to reunite at his house tomorrow evening, just to catch up. I thought it would be fun, so I replied and said that you and I were going."
Sakuno managed a smile.
"I just thought it'd cheer you up, with everything that's going on," said Tomoka. "Hope you don't mind."
"I don't mind," replied Sakuno. She stood up from the dining table. "I'm going to my bedroom to rest now. I'm feeling tired."
"I'll bring you some pills later. Good night," replied Tomoka from the kitchen.
Sakuno mumbled a 'good night' to her friend and hurried to her bedroom to be alone. She closed the door after her and laid on her bed, facing the ceiling. Going to a friend reunion wouldn't hurt at all, she thought. She would get to see some familiar faces again. But the last reunion Momoshiro held had been… slightly disappointing to her, to everyone who attended, but perhaps a bit more to Sakuno. Ryoma hadn't shown up.
Twenty-one-years-old and still Sakuno cared. But she didn't think it was the same as her old childhood crush. It was more like friendly concern. She hadn't seen her friend in more than five years, not after he left in the middle of high school to pursue his tennis career. He never even bothered to write to her, even though she asked him kindly to. He didn't exactly refuse to… he said he would, but Sakuno was sure he had easily forgotten the moment the conversation was over.
Sakuno smiled softly, remembering how he looked the last time she saw him. He still had his childish features and looked the same despite his broader shoulders and gained height, even in high school. Sakuno didn't know how she had managed to deal with Ryoma's leaving or how she could even afford to still think about him, five years later, seeing how it could only sadden her more that she couldn't see him.
In fact, now the thought of going to the reunion depressed her.
She turned on her side and stared out her window at the starless sky. It had stopped raining but there was still lightning flashing far away. Her eyes grew heavy. Her head throbbed even more. "I can't sleep… the medicine…" she muttered, but she fell asleep almost immediately.
A/N: Out of character? Definitely. Sakuno's a grown woman now and I wanted her to have grown out of her shy shell by now. I still try and keep her in tune with her 'younger' personality, though, hopefully I'm doing well there. And Tomoka also seems more serious… Ryoma will come in later.
Ja ne!
