Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN PRINCE OF TENNIS... If I did I must have been a millionaire by now...
======= FAIRYTALE =======
"Once upon a time..."
They all started with that line. Princes and pricesses, fairies and witches. Product of your imagination. But do all fairytales end with "And they lived happily ever after?" - NOT!
Sakuno stared at her PC monitor. It certainly did not fit her...fairytales were never true. It was just a product of someone else's lunacy that end up in children's books to have them fall asleep or scare them. But for her? Nah, it will never ever be the true. A memory filled her mind when she once believed in fairytales. And her prince? A real life Prince, a tennis royalty. But it all ended in a single line :
"Mada mada dane."
And it all ended there for her Prince has left and has found her new Princess after 10 years...
It started when the rain was falling on the day he arrived. He looked toward the sky as tiny droplets of water started to pour. Japan sometimes has a very unpredictable weather.
"Nothing really changed that much, huh?" he whispered to himself.
He found himself at the back of a taxi towards a hotel. He cannot go back to their old house because no one's there for quite sometime now. His cousin Nanako had married one of his sempais, Takahasi Kawamura, for a year and a half now. He was not able to attend their wedding because he was in the Australian Open. He had heard from his mom that she had given birth to a baby boy.
"I'll visit her later."
He doesn't really know why he's back except for the fact that a certain ball he saw from his old stuff reminded him of someone he can barely remember. For several years he had conquered the entire world of tennis. Grand slam after grand slam,he won it all. But he felt empty. He doesn't want this feeling. He was not his brother who seemed to love the good life. He's not perverted like his dad. He was still the old Ryoma. The tennis prdigy, the silent and mysterious Prince of Tennis.
Fans all over the world swoon over him but he didn't know why they don't have any appeal on him. He had his share of women but they were nothing but leeches. If they don't want money from him they wanted to feed off his fame. And he was just too tired for mom wanted him to marry but he thinks he can't. He was too stubborn and emotionless, for some, for him to be married.
The moment he arrived at his hotel he wanted to rest and start his quest and visit his old friends. But sleep was far too evasive and he found himself sleeping at the crack of dawn.
He'll soon see her... he knows. Comfortable with the thought sleep soon took over his tired mind and body.
Sumire slightly opened the door to check on her grand daughter. Today is a Sunday and the cafe usually opens late. She knew that her grand daughter was working her butt off for the two of them but she never was able to hear any complains about it. She had been long retired from work and now she had decided that she needs to help her grand daughter to live her life the way she wanted it. Sakuno is a young and kind girl. She was shy and was thoughtful. A clumsy girl which endears her to the former Seigaku regulars and the young Echizen. But one day she completely changed. She had grown up into a gorgeous young woman. Men are running after her but neither of them got the chance to even touch the tip of her hair. She had become stiff and she knew why.
"Poor Sakuno," the old woman sighed.
She didn't bother to wake her up knew how tired she was. The cafe she and her friends own was doing pretty good. They have three branches and she was hands on on every bit of it. She had taken a work load that was more than what she can handle. Especially now that both of her friends are having their babies. Tomoka's on leave now since she is about to give birth in two weeks time. An is now on her first trimester that even her husband, Momoshiro was as cranky as her.
Oh how fast the time pass. And she was about to leave her grand daughter too. She doesn't want to burden her anymore so she had talked to Sakuno and they agreed for her to stay in Hokkaido for her 's both good for her health and for Sakuno's peace of mind. She doesn't want to leave her but she knew that she was stressing her grand daugther more if she will stay.
Another sigh escaped the old woman's lips. She does not want to leave her but she have no choice. She just need to look for someone to look after her while she's not around.
She prepared a lunch for her because she knows that she wouldn't have the time to fix one for herself. Ironic, right? She has all the time in the world to feed her customers but she doesn't have the time to feed herself. She prepared the table for her as well and left a note for her.
Sakuno woke up at the sound of her clock. She pressed the snooze button with closed eyes.
'What a drag!' she thought. 'Can I just stay like this?'
Then she sighed. She knows she can't or she'll lose her sanity. She can't forever stay in her dreamland and dreamed for her Prince. She have no right.
She slowly sat up and opened her eyes. Her room was still as dark as night because of the dark drapes on her window. She slowly crawled at the side of her bed and checked to see if her grandmother is awake. She had searched the house but she was nowhere to be found. When she had reached the kitchen she found the note.
"Dear,
I went to Kawamura's. Today's the Seigaku regulars' can follow if you like but I know you will be too busy. Please don't forget to eat.
Love You, Grandma"
She smiled at her grandmother's thoughtfulness. She knew how worried she was. She had keep on telling her grandmother that she was happy with work. She was never a good liar but her grandmother understands. She doesn't want to dwell on it too much so she decided to start eating and prepare for work.
Ryoma unconciously walking towards a familiar place. It has been 10 years now since he last seen this place. He stopped at the door and stared at the "Sorry We're Close" sign on the door but his superior hearing could catch a familiar noise inside. He slowly opened the door without even looking inside. He decided to hide behind his cap.
"Hello," he said to no one in particular.
He was greeted by silence. When he looked up he saw everyone was in shock. They were not expecting him and he was not expecting them either. He automatically roam his eyes around. He was looking for a familiar bulk but failed to see flooded his heart.
"Echizen!" the former regulars exclaimed in shock and delight.
Greetings were exchanged. He was looking around and conluded that his sempais didn't change that much. Except for Tezuka. He seemed to be more loosen up. He was happy to see them. He continued to look around and found two women glaring at him. This really confused him. He can't think of anything he have done wrong with them. He remembered them now. They were Osakada and Tachibana. When they realize he was staring at them they frowned and turned thier gaze away from him.
"They're mad at you, y'know," Momo whispered.
Ryoma realized that both Momo and Kaidoh is sitting on either side of him.
"Hn. I figured."
"Fssh, they're blaming you because of what happened to her," Kaidoh added.
Ryoma's brows rose in confusion.
"We know you are looking for her. You can't seem to find her, can you?" Momo teased.
"Who?" he decided to play innocent.
"Oh c'mon Echizen. You can't lie to us, " Momo dabbed him with an elbow.
"Fssh, Tomo was pretty angry at you. And sometimes she was taking it out on me!" Kaidoh complained.
"An was pissed off too. But what can we do? We could not drag you just like a sack of potatoes from the pro circuit," Momo exhaled in frustration.
He was not feeling comfortable decided to go to the comfort room to get away from his rowdy sempais.
"You're distracted," a voice from the door said.
"Fuji- sempai."
"Why are you here, Echizen?" the now opened eyes of the tensai narrowed in on him.
"I'm here for a vacation, isn't it obvious?" he half-heartedly said.
"I heard from Mr. Inoue that The Great Ryoma Echizen went missing a few days ago. It seemed that your father contacted him to check if you're here."
Ryoma shrugged his shoulders.
"This could be a very good blackmail, you know," Fuji threatened.
Ryoma just looked at him with no interest.
"So, why are you here?"
"I just got tired of the lifestyle in New York, that's all," he lied.
"Is that all?" a new voice asked from somewhere.
When Ryoma turned to see who the speaker was he was a little bit taken aback. It was Tezuka.
"Captain."
"Is that really the reason why you are here, Ryoma?" the then emotionless captain asked.
"I can't hide from youi, can I?" Ryoma sighed defeatedly.
"What can you say? We know you," Fuji was then back to his old self. The creepy smile was curled in his face with his eyes closed.
"No."
His seniors looked at him in anticipation.
"I'm not here for that reason alone."
"What else then?" Fuji was just too curious for his sake.
"I'm looking for someone," it almost did not leave his lips.
"Are you looking for Sakuno?" Tezuka asked.
He nodded slowly.
What his seniors did shocked him to no end. Both seniors laughed. His jaws dropped seeing the emotionless captain laugh hard and the silent tensai just blurted out in a boisterous laugh.
'What the?'
When their laughter faded both seniors just smiled at him. It's not so Tezuka, right? But what could he do? This has been brought about the changes in his sempai's lives. Tezuka has been in the pro circuit but decided to stay in Japan. He was now married and has a son. While Fuji was a professional photographer now. He has been contributing at the Monthly Pro Tennis. He can get the best photos there is, having his friends in the pro.
"We have noticed that since you have arrived," Fuji said.
"Yeah. You are that obvious," Tezuka answering his silent question.
Ryoma exhaled in defeat.
"I came to see her."
"Then don't let your guard down!"
When the three of them went back to the party everybody seemed to be on their own conversations. Ryoma saw their former coach. When he looked around he found out that the girls were long gone with their husbands in tow. He approached the old woman and gave his respect.
"Coach, is it true that you'll be leaving?"
Sumire gave him her lopsided smile.
"Yes. I don't want to be a burden to Sakuno anymore. Why did you ask?"
"W-well," he stuttered. "C-can I see your grand daughter?"
Everybody was silent. Good thing that An and Tomo weren't around or he might get holes in his back because of those women's glares.
He saw the old woman smiled at him.
"She's usually at her cafe," Sumire said. " Please bring her back, Ryoma."
Confusion was written all over his face but the o;d lady just smiled.
"Dear, would you come in for a while?" Sumire called from her bedroom
Sakuno smiled at her grandmother who was about to sleep. She intentionally left the cafe early to be with her grandmother before she leaves for Hokkaido tomorrow.
She crawled towards her and laid her head on the old lady's lap.
"You take care, Grandma," she said. Tears starts to form at the side of her eyes.
Sumire was slowly smiled, tears forming in her eyes too.
"Of course, dear. And you should take of yourself too."
A sob escaped Sakuno's lips.
"I'm gonna miss you, Grandma."
"Me too."
"I love you, Grandma..."
Sakuno woke up the next day feeling empty. She ran towards her grandmother's room and discovered she was long gone. She found a note on her grandmother's bed.
"Dear,
By the time you are reading this I must have left. I didn't have the heart to wake you up. I know how tired you were. And I don't want you to see me leave for I might just change my mind. Please be careful, dear.
Love, Grandma
P.S.
I have sent someone to take care of you. Please take care of him too."
"Huh?" Sakuno was full of curiosity. "What does she mean by "him"?"
She was distracted by the doorbell. She ran to the door without actually thinking of what she was wearing. And the moment she opened it her jaws dropped. There stood none other than Ryoma Echizen himself with a cocky smirk.
"Good morning," he greeted as he roamed his eyes all over her. "Would you mind if I come in?"
To continued...
Yay! It's it's my off so I cannot continue the story...Cliffy isn't it? I have to review my story...Read and Review! :)
=sakura21cherrie=