Love is just a word

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"The love that lasts the longest is the love that is never returned."

–William Somerset Maugham

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"I do" he said happily, looking at her with all of the love in his heart.

"And do you, Sophia Marie, take Takeshi Momoshiro to be your husband; to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, till death do you part?" The reverend asked cheerfully, excited that the wedding was almost over; soon there would be food! Momo could easily sympathize with him.

--

They had decided to get married at a Baptist church; she, who was raised in the 'Bible-belt' part of America, had insisted. He had agreed on the basis that he and his family were never really religious; his mother and father had gotten married in a casino motel church and they were one of the happiest married couples he had ever met.

But really, it didn't matter to him. As long as they were together he didn't care how, or why, or where. He loved her. He had never wanted anything more than he did this wedding. It had taken a bit of persuasive arguing to get his parents on his side. They had told him that it was going too fast, that he should slow down and get to know her better. Well he knew everything about her that he needed to; he loved her and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Everything else was just water under the bridge. He supposed it was a bit quick, his parents were probably just a little shell shocked. But the moment he first laid eyes on her, from across the bleachers at Ryoma's tennis match, he knew she was the one.

He had gone to America to visit Ryoma, where he was greeted warmly and invited to one of his tennis matches. There he sat on the sidelines to get a front row seat to watch the tennis prince humiliate the competition and provide occasional fan service, such as winking at the spectators or taking off his shirt and throwing it at the screeching masses.

She had caught his eye at first simply because she, unlike the rest of the female population at the game, was not drooling after Ryoma. In fact, he saw her roll her eyes at him! A girl who could show any form of annoyance or distain toward Ryoma was a hero in his book. Then she, by chance, had turned her head so her eyes had met his… and the rest was history. He went over to introduce himself; they had talked, laughed, and exchanged numbers. She had spoken fluent Japanese as soon as she noticed his rather poor English skills. She had an American mother and she, like Ryoma, had grown up in Japan and then had moved to America where her father had found more and better opportunities awaiting him. They bonded instantly, in their first conversation he learned they both loved tennis, food, thought Ryoma was an arrogant brat (but loved him anyway), and they both were very competitive. It only escalated from there and he liked her more with each passing day.

He went back to Japan when his trip was over. That was a lonely time for Momo, but he got through it by calling her every week. Then she, loving and selfless as she was, decided to continue her studies in Japan. There they were free to truly be together. They dated a short but blissful time, and then when he found the perfect moment; he proposed, she said yes, and they were engaged.

Momo had invited Ryoma to the wedding. He asked him to be his best man; the prince had, after all, brought them together. But fate interfered and Ryoma had a big match at Wimbledon that he couldn't afford to miss just to fly to Japan. Ryoma played it coolly, claiming that it wasn't a big deal; he would just come to their next wedding. But Momo could tell that it bothered the tennis prodigy that he couldn't be there on his best friend's big day, and that moved him almost to tears, especially when Ryoma sent his wedding gift of airline tickets to America with a note 'Drop by later so I can kiss the bride.' He got all choked up just thinking about it.

So the service went on without Ryoma. His best man instead was Eiji, who was slightly miffed at being only his second choice for best man (But I've known you longer, nya!!), but got over it when he found out he would get to walk down the aisle with Sakuno Ryuzaki, the maid of honor.

His fiancé had gotten along so well with his family and friends, it pushed him to propose all the sooner. She and Sakuno had become fast friends and he knew that she loved Sakuno as much as he, who had known her for most of his life. But even he was shocked when she said that she wanted Sakuno as her maid of honor.

'Don't you want to give that title to a childhood friend?' he had asked after she first dropped the bomb on him.

'Sakuno-Chan cares more about me than any of my childhood friends did, and besides; I picked out my bridesmaids' dresses thinking of her.'

Momo had agreed slightly bewildered, but happy none-the-less. Sakuno sure was surprised; when she found out her part in the wedding she actually fainted from shock. Boy was that funny, even better was the fact that Fuji got it all on tape. He had taken it upon himself to document their entire wedding since the day it was announced. From then on, whether it was picking the flowers or choosing the band, Fuji followed them; silent, but sort of symbolic in a way. Capturing those moments leading up to the wedding…

…even now during the service, he saw Fuji on the side with his video camera on a tripod.

He gave a charming smile and winked right at the camera; got to preserve this wonderful moment in his life for future generations. He looked out at audience, at all of his friends and family members. He saw his mother and father; his sister Suki, and his brother Keichi; Eiji and the rest of his tennis team, minus Ryoma. He looked at Tomoka in one of the front-row pews; she was sitting next to Horio, who gave him a lazy grin. He threw him a last grin in return before he turned back to the reverend as he was asked the question that would determine his entire future.

"I do." Gods of course I do, how could I not? This woman is the light of my life, how could I live without her?

He turned to look into her eyes and was slightly surprised to see she wasn't smiling, she wasn't even looking up; she had her eyes on the ground and had an unreadable expression on her face.

--

The reverend was now casting an awkward look around the hall; the bride's silence was throwing him off. Normally couples answered this question right away, this was the only easy part of the sermon; the only part where everyone knew just what to say and do. 'I do and kiss the bride' it's that simple- why was this girl making it so hard?

A foot away Momo had different things on his mind. Was she okay? Was she dizzy? It was awful hot in this room. Maybe he should tell someone to get her a glass of water; she didn't look too comfortable…

Finally; after it seemed like an eternity later to Momo, she spoke.

"I…I…don't…" She said sadly. The crowd gasped their eyes all wide with shock. Momo was really confused now, what was she talking about?

"What-" He started but was interrupted by her.

"I'm sorry; really I am, but… I can't marry you…when we were going out…I liked you and you liked me…I was happy with that…but then you told me you loved me and you wanted to marry me…I knew I should be happy…but…I don't love you…I like you, you're pretty fun…but I don't love you...and I definitely can't marry you…I'm sorry…"

He didn't understand…he couldn't comprehend…it was too painful…

…so he played dumb.

"What…What are you talking about? I-I love you and you love me. Remember?" he said shakily, a slight note of desperation in his voice.

She looked at him, a sad and pitying look in her eyes. "I don't remember…because I never loved you." With that she turned and ran back down the aisle; her white dress billowing behind her like cloud, and, like a cloud; she blew away, never to return to him the same again.

He just stood at the alter staring after her, he watched as chaos reigned in the hall; Most people started chattering excitedly, some inappropriately so; some people ran out after the fleeing woman in white, some tried to talk to him and give him consoling words; some just stared in shock, his parents were part of that category, the reverend was trying to talk to his parents; offering his condolences and promising to pray for their family and their loss at his next sermon. Sakuno's pet dog; a large black and white Great Dane named 'Moose' who had acted as ring barer, barked noisily and pulled at his leash; he had never liked Sophia. He watched Fuji pull out a second camera, leaving his camcorder on the tripod, and stalk out the door after his bride-to-be…or bride-that-was-to-be…

…he felt a single tear run down his cheek…

…then another…

…and another…

Soon the flood-gates were open and tears poured out his eyes; digging salty red channels down his cheeks, and his nose was running like a little kid's, but he just continued to stand and stare after his ex- fiancé, not saying anything, not moving, not even breathing. When he did finally breathe out of necessity, he felt hurt and sorrow wash over him and practically drown him in a tidal wave of pain.

He suddenly felt utterly disgusting and repulsive. He must be horrible, he must be ugly, and he must be sickening as the dirt beneath her feet. Why else would that wonderful, beautiful and lovely woman cruelly leave him? She couldn't stand to love him, so he must be hideous; definitely not good enough for an angel like her.

With those thoughts there came a nauseating sensation in the pit of his stomach. He gasped and flung himself at the nearest large vase of flowers, fell to his knees and retched in it. He vomited until his stomach was empty, then he just dry heaved; willing his ugliness to leave his body along with the bile.

Someone came up and kneeled quietly next to him, rubbing his back gently, silently waiting for his nausea to subside. He finally pulled his face out of the vase and turned his head toward the person stroking his back and peered at them through the ruined bouquet of flowers.

He saw Sakuno looking utterly ridiculous in her puffy pastel blue dress patting his back with hands clad in white-silk gloves that went all the way up to her elbows. She sat, her face covered with way more make up on than she needed, which was none, and her wavy auburn hair braided and twisted up in intricate curls and twists leading into a bun in the back. It looked like her hair was pinned into crop circles on top of her scalp. All things that he knew his ex-lover had picked out, just for this moment, the moment that they were supposed to be married.

He felt the repulsiveness wash over him again and had to duck his head back into the vase for another round of gasping, coughing, and dry-heaving. Sakuno just sat there and continued her ministrations.

Finally, when his whole body was sore, sweaty, and aching from the strain of throwing up and heartbreak, he found he didn't want to take his face out of the soiled plant. He didn't want to look into the eyes of his ex's maid of honor and see the pity in her face or hear her apologies. He didn't want her to see the ugliness that his fiancé obviously saw; surely it must be showing now that his face was red, puffy, covered in tears, snot, sweat, and bile. Surely she would see what his bride-to-be must have seen, now that he was kneeling on the grubby church floor covered in his own fluids.

As if she read his mind she reached her hand over and tenderly took his chin, pulled it gently from the flowers and vase. He still refused to look her in the eyes and instead chose to stare around the room at her lap, the floor, or the top of her head. She didn't say anything; she just pulled a handkerchief from a hidden pocket from her dress and cleaned the bile and saliva away from his chin and mouth. She then brought the handkerchief toward his nose and told him quietly to 'blow'. He obeyed and then she wiped his nose, he probably looked like a child the way she was babying him, but right now he was beyond caring. She placed the smooth cloth to the side and instead began to wipe the sweat from his brow with the palm of her hand, using her silky white gloves as towels, and then proceeded to mop tears from his cheeks. When his face was finally cleansed to her liking, she pulled off her gloves and put her hands on his shoulders and ducked her head to look in his face, which was still pointed toward the floor. Before she could, however, he stubbornly squashed his eyes closed and turned his face toward the ceiling, then shrugged her hands off hoping to deter her efforts. Nothing happened for a minute and he risked opening his eyes a little and glancing around, but he suddenly felt a small hand grab his spiky hair and jerk his head downward.

He looked at Sakuno's face in surprise at her out of character roughness and ended up gazing directly into her eyes.

But they didn't hold the pity or the disgust he feared. They showed only love and concern for him. He also saw a kind of protectiveness that he had seen in her only once before when she defended Tomoka Osakada against Horio's insults that had apparently touched an unseen nerve.

Sakuno cared for him, whereas his girlfriend did not.

New emotions accompanied his other pains and swiftly flooded him. He was suddenly overwhelmed by gratefulness for his friends like Sakuno and Eiji (who was currently ushering people away from Momo), and a fresh wave of sorrow filled him for the fact that Sakuno, his old tennis coach's granddaughter, cared more about him than his fiancé did. He tried to block all of his feelings and force the fresh wave of tears that blurred his eyes back into his tear ducts. Then Sakuno stared deep into his eyes, again overwhelming him with her care and affection, and said in her quiet comforting voice, "It's okay to cry, I'm right here; and I promise I won't tell anybody." and gave him a small ironic smile.

So he let the emotions and pain take control and wash over him. His vision blurred with tears; angry, frustrated and sorrow-filled tears, as well as grateful tears. He wrapped his arms around her small frame and buried his face between her shoulder and the crook of her neck and he wept, blubbered like a baby was more accurate, with great sobs shaking his and Sakuno's body for what seemed like hours. He felt small in Sakuno's warm and comforting arms, even though he was a foot-and-a-half taller and probably 100 lbs heavier, he felt safe from the world if only for a moment.

--

Moose, who had broken free from his leash, trotted over and stood next to Eiji. They both kept a respectful distance while watching his mistress and Momo's interlocked forms. His ears went back; he whimpered quietly and nudged Eiji's hand with his nose. Eiji patted him on the head and comforted the dog as best he could. "It's okay boy; they're both fine. Momo just needs some time, and Sakuno…needs a vacation." With that an idea came to him and he silently thought out a plan as chaos continued to reign in the house of God.

--

"Dammit!" Tomoka swore violently and tossed her now broken, red, leather, high-heeled shoes across the sidewalk in aggravation. She had been part of the party who had run after that stupid bitch as she took off.

As she was in heels she didn't get very far.

She composed herself and adjusted her hot-red dress as Horio trudged back to her panting and sweating like an animal.

"Man, that bastard Fuji can run like a bitch!" He spat while desperately loosening his tie. "The 'bitch in white' got in a cab and he's keeping up with her!"

"Naw baby;" Tomoka cooed sympathetically, "It's just you; I told you, you should jog with me in in the park. Maybe then you can lose your beer belly."

"Beer belly?! You kiddin' me this shit is all muscle!" He said and raised his arms in a flex.

Tomoka gave him a disgusted look at sight of his now sweat-stained suit. "Why the hell did you run in it!? That's a rental you know! Now look at it, I'm gonna have to pay to dry clean that piece of shit!"

"What'd you want me to run down the street naked?" he said with a smirk. Though he complied and started to unbutton his shirt.

"Yeah, and grind up a pole too while you're at it." She replied and looked back down the sidewalk anxiously. "I think we better get back to Momo. I don't think he'll be taking things well."

"...Didja see his face?" Horio said and pulled off his shirt, his tone matching her anxious one as they started to stomp back to the chapel. She was barefoot in a short, sleeveless, glittering, fiery red dress; while he was half-naked and draping his sweat soaked shirt and jacket over his shoulder. They both silently linked arms and prayed for their friend as they turned a corner toward the wedding gone wrong.

--

Fuji stalked back into the main church hall adjusting the camera blackly, his sour mood showing plainly on his face.

He had gone to give the bride a good talking to about timing and priorities; maybe even talk her out of her decision. But that horrible woman just seemed to be relieved that she wasn't going to be married to Momo. He would have to delete all of the footage he had of their conversation; the things she said made even Fuji feel sick. It seemed as if what she said in the church was just the edited version of her true feelings. What was wrong with this woman? She seemed to want to get this far in planning the wedding just so she could drop Momo like a ton of bricks.

It left a horrible taste in his mouth.

He had thought something was wrong while he was filming them; whenever she talked about the wedding it never quite reached her eyes. She always sounded as if it was just nonsensical drabble- like it they were talking about leprechauns and unicorns ruling the earth. He had never really trusted that woman. Now he understood why and he wished he had talked Momo out of the wedding before, when he had the chance.

But Momo always looked so happy when they were together…

It would have taken a betrayal as horrible as this to shake Momo awake and bring him to his senses.

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I do not own prince of tennis/tennis no oujisama.