FROM RYUZAKI TO ECHIZEN Author Janna Rating
Pairing Ryuzaki Sakuno X Echizen Ryoma
Genre Romance / Drama
One- shot
Status Complete
Dedication
Summary
Just what the title says. How Sakuno becomes an Echizen by my crazy ideas. Complete. Just read and enjoy.
This one shot comprises of popular ideas. I edited it a lot, adding my own masala. (and believe me - it ain't easy). Just read and enjoy.
Disclaimer
I love The Prince Of Tennis. But that does not mean I own it. All property rights go to Konomi Takeshi as the creator. I repeat. I do not under any circumstance own the cast or story of The Prince Of Tennis. I do not own TeniPuri.
I've always wanted to write such stuff, but was afraid of the reactions I would get. This has been gathering dust in my hardware and then I realized – Hey why would I let someone's opinion get to me?
From Ryuzaki To Echizen
To say that Echizen Ryoma was mad would be the understatement of the year. It would never be enough to even remotely describe just how furious he was with absolutely everything around him. With himself and the people in the vicinity of him.
To name one person in particular, his so called best friend – Ryuzaki Sakuno.
Over the course of the years, she was the only person close enough to him to even call a friend. After spending a lot of close time together and due the circumstances that fate threw them in, they had developed a deep standing relationship with each other which seemed fragile at best. It seemed so at least to the people who saw the two together. They were comfortable with each other, shared silent conversations and he felt that he was being himself – the real him - around her.
They had helped each other in ways that he had never imagined. She had stopped stuttering and apologized only when need called for it. Her confidence and the air of being calm, cool and collected always intimidated her comdrades. Her blushes were almost non- existent. Her sense of direction developed to become remarkably accurate. Due to his and her Obaa-san's intensive training, her tennis had improved drastically and she was the best that the Yokohama University Girls Tennis Regulars had to offer. She was the Captain of the reputed team, as Ryoma was for the Guys team.
She was comfortable with him, enough to reprimand him if he stepped out of line and if he retreated back into his shell. She made him smile – more like make him twitch his lips – with amusement with her sense of unusual benign humor.
She was the only one girl who could talk to him normally without swooning in hysteria. She was the only person to talk to him about things other than tennis. Only she spoke to Echizen Ryoma, the twenty one year old guy, not Echizen Ryoma - Teen Tennis prodigy.
And all of that carefully constructed connection was severed. And he had no one to blame but himself and his stupid pride.
- Flash Back to two and a half weeks ago-
"Ryoma, Can you please accompany Sakuno to the tennis store to get her racquet restrung? I don't want her to go alone to those areas. I'm going off to Hokkaido for three days to take care of something and so I won't be able to take her. So will you?" his high school coach Ryuzaki Sumire called him out of the blue, while he was warming down with his team after the evening practice.
Though the statement was worded as a request, it was toned as a command and even though he wanted to disobey her immensely, he didn't want Sakuno wandering those streets alone either.
He accompanied her to the store after quickly dismissing his team. When the racquet was being restrung, they saw a street court empty and borrowed racquets and balls from the shop and played a match. Ryoma emerged victorious with an amazing 6-2 win over her. Now that didn't matter. The fact that he was sweating, he had to play with his left hand and that his dominant kick serve was returned by her quite easily with just an ounce of energy was what should be duly noted. He also observed that she didn't rely on strength, but skill to return his shots. Quite a remarkable feat, right?
They collected her racquet and walked towards to her house.
They had reached at her door- step, when she smiled, thanking him and turned to go inside saying she had something to do, bidding him goodbye if he wanted to leave.
Curiosity reigned and he let himself into the house which was almost his second home, seeing as he spent most of his time here giving company to his doe eyed best friend. He was hanging on to the excuse that her grandmother had asked him to take care of Sakuno in her three day absence.
It turned out that she was making chocolate and cakes for the fund raiser fete taking place at the city grounds. He watched as she diligently worked her way in the kitchen with practiced ease, measuring and stirring ingredients. He had never seen this homely side of her. It was amazing, the way she moved, sub- consciously brushing her hair away, adjusting the strap of the apron, the way the tip of her tongue jutted out of her full lips. He had an insane urge to grab her and kiss her senseles-… He shook his head in alarm to clear his thoughts. 'Oh my God! What am I thinking? This is Sakuno. Dammit Oyaji! Its all your fault!"
About two hours later he heard a chuckle from the girl before him who was layering the cakes, patterning it with icing beautifully. How she managed to make seven cakes and six boxes of chocolate with made your mouth water just by looking at its divine embodiment of startling perfection and its aroma teasingly intoxicating your olfactory system to the extreme, in just two measly hours was something he would never comprehend.
She laughed out right this time, watching his brow furrow further deeper. Disturbed from his reverie, he raised a brow, "What may I ask, is so funny, Princess?"
"What, you ask Your Highness? Your look, that is what my Lord. So thoughtful, so immersed, so deep… I was about to offer a penny for your thoughts but I kinda realized it would cost me a lot more…Sire" she explained stifling her smile, mocking at his title as the 'Prince' of tennis, utilizing the rare golden opportunity.
It was almost a tradition. One of them would tease the other, mocking them and the other would retaliate similarly.
"Oh yeah pretty Princess? You wanna whats' really funny? Here… Let me show you."
Saying so, he grabbed the bowl of flour and grasped a handful and flung it at her. She gasped and grabbed a packet of flour and chased him out into the hall and the full-fledged food ingredient fight started. Fortunately they were interrupted midway by the bell. Ryoma collapsed to the floor exhausted leaving Sakuno to answer the door. Sakuno straightened herself hastily and rushed to the door to see her ex- sempais Momoshiro, Eiji and Inui.
"Hey there Sakuno-chan! Are we interrupting something? You look... floured?" Eiji snickered with Momo.
"Hello. Hnnn…data data data." was Inui's response.
"Ummm…Hey sempais! What brings you here?" Sakuno asked, embarrassed by the mess they had made in their fun.
"There is a 90.9% that a boy is here, a 99.9% chance that its Echizen and there is a 95.5% saying that Ryuzaki- sensei is out of town." Inui remarked pushing his square glasses up his nose.
Momo walked into the living room and found Echizen lying on the floor.
"Yes Inui. Data cent percent affirmative." Momo said chuckling.
"Yup. There is absolutely no way that you created this mess on your own. Though I'm surprised that two cleanliness freakos like you and ochibi would do this." winked Eiji, looking around the hall.
Sakuno just nodded warily, while Ryoma seemed to have slept and was being woken up rudely by an insistent Eiji prodding him with a finger.
Sakuno shook her head at the scene and told the guys to wait in the portico while she cleared up the house. But they instead helped her clean up and the hall and kitchen was sparkling by the time they finished.
"So who wants some cake as treat?" Sakuno called out rhetorically from the kitchen.
"You have said the magic words Sakuno- chan!" Eiji jumped up and down in expectation.
"Hn. No one would believe me if I said that you are actually a twenty two year old man. From where you get the energy is a real mystery" remarked Ryoma, commented as stoic as ever, though a corner of his lips twitched giving him away.
Eiji frowned. "Nya ochibi. Live a little will you?"
"Hn." Was the only reply he got.
Sakuno laid the cake on the table and sweat dropped as the guys literally dove for it. Some things never seem to change was her thought as she watched Momo and Eiji fight for the last piece of cake.
-The next day evening-
Momo and Ryoma were playing street tennis when Horio approached them.
"Hey guys." Called out Horio.
"Hn."
"Hey Horio. What brings you here?" replied Momo
"I was just passing by and saw the two of you. I actually wanted to interrogate Echizen on his date with Sakuno- chan yesterday. I saw the two of you play at the street courts."
"Oh yeah Ryoma, what did the two of you do yesterday on your date?" Momo quizzically asked. " Ahhh… Young love…"
"Date? What date? We didn't go on a date. Her obaa wanted me to take her to the sports shop. W-Who would want to date her anyway?" Ryoma said as a faint blush tainted his face. His pride would never let him accept the fact that he had fallen head over heels for Ryuzaki Sakuno.
Suddenly, the sound of running foot steps was heard behind them. They spun around to see a pale Sakuno running away from them, dropping a box to the ground.
They raced after her in a hurry, but they lost her at the train station signal among the sea of people.
Horio had picked up the box she had dropped and gave it to Ryoma. The card on top read 'Thanks Ryoma-kun for an amazing evening yesreday. Love Sakuno.' The box contained some home made chocolate.
He felt like crap.
-Present day-
It had been seven days so far.
Seven days without her speaking, looking, or even acknowledging his existence. She had dodged not only him, but also all the ex-regulars except Fuji and Tezuka. The only time she ever did recognize the fact that he was even there was when she had to pass some sheets given out in class as ordered by the lecturer. Seven idiotic freaking wretched days.
He'd tried absolutely everything humanly possible. He'd tried apologizing to pleading to shouting to begging, but nothing seemed to appeal her into reverting back to her old self. He bought her a white lily – her favorite, stupidly assuming that she liked flowers. It was an unwritten universal law that all girls should love loved flowers. She threw it back at him, and mumbling incoherently that flowers were meant for relationships where 'dates' were involved. He had tried to push her off the edge, trying desperately to at least get a reaction out of her, even if it be a bout of irritation and anger. Though he exerted his best effort, and he had achieved nothing. Nothing. Nil. Nazit. Nada. Zilch.
Just what the hell had he done? He knew he had gone too far this time around. He'd said things to make her irritated at him before, but never like this. She usually forgave him for his qualms. Now she was ignoring him to the utmost degree. He had said that on a basic instinct of self- preservation – to protect himself from Momo, Eiji and Horio's constant teasing and because of his pride and something along the lines of saving it, but in the process lost something more valuble and price less. He leaned back in his desk chair as the English teacher droned on about participles and gerunds, shooting a glance over to the girl who securely held his heart, hard, fast and sure. The look of concentrated rapture on her mind, her unconscious actions and reactions, reminding him of exactly what he had lost, driving him insane.
He replayed the situation in his head for the infinite time. Maybe it would dawn on him this time as to how he could rectify his mistake, seeing as he had royally screwed things up. It was all plain as day. Beg. Plead. Grovel. And that is all there it is to it. All the mistakes he had made were finally reacting against him, stacked up over and over. And Ryoma wasn't happy with the situation at all.
Her admirers sensing the distance between the two who used to be joint at the hip, had put the golden opportunity to good use, swarming around her seeking her attention.
And that was the last straw. The evil green monster was raising its ugly head.
-Lunch time on the seventh day-
The bell had just gone off five minutes earlier, and he was on his way up to the roof. He and Sakuno had been eating lunch up there since for ever, where they could easily talk about anything without worrying as to who was around to eavesdrop. It was at all times empty, except for them during lunch.
He reached the terrace door, and his hand stretched for the doorknob, when he noticed that the door was slightly open, and he could hear a girl giggling. No, not just any girl. It was Sakuno. Sakuno was giggling somewhere on the other side, and he wasn't the one making her giggle. So who would be on the roof with her right now? He tensed a little, but tried to compose himself down. He was after all not her father, brother, boyfriend, fiancée or husband. He had absolutely no reason to act so possessive and blow a fuse every time she was alone with another of the male species, and he knew it. He trusted her, but not the guy she was with. Besides, she could giggle if she wanted to. Except she never did so easily.
Clutching to stray thoughts in mind, he pushed the door lightly and it swung open slowly. The view of the roof loomed up behind the sweeping door, and he stepped into the free space graced with air and light. Then he heard another bout of laughter to his right. His eyes instantly shot in the direction of the musical sound, his hands fisting automatically.
"Oh, Tooyama-san, you aren't supposed to say something like that!"
"...but Ryuzaki-san, you do have me under your spell."
Ryoma watched eyes wide. There was Sakuno, fidgeting against the railing of the roof, leaning close to Tooyama Kintaro, that jerk, a previous rival. He was a good looking guy, yes it was a given fact. His hair was long, his bangs hung in his eyes, something that most the girls in his class swooned after and found some mischievous attraction for. Dismal and pathetic was more like it. Ryoma's fists clenched tighter, his nails digging into his palms.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, honestly," Sakuno replied innocently. Her eyes darted to the asphalt flooring below, before looking back up at the eyes of the man in front of her, her arms were around her frame holding herself tightly, showing off her petite figure.
"You're so pretty, especially now in the wind, your hair flying around...," he whispered, his finger pushing her hair behind her ear. Yet despite the faintness of that whisper, Ryoma heard every word of it, and Sakuno's answering chuckle that followed. Dropping the bags he was carrying, he stormed toward the felonious man who was trying to touch her. The shadow of his now tall figure fell over the two, and Sakuno's eyes shot wide open when she had finally realized that he was here.
"Ryuzaki-chan, who is behind me?" Tooyama asked curiously, only to be answered by a rather intimidating low voice.
"Me."
Ryoma grabbed him by the arm and shoved him away from Sakuno. He turned his back to her and faced the confused and disconcerted college- mate.
"Hey, what the hell are you doing!"
"Don't you dare touch her," Ryoma shot a sweltering glare, his brows deeply furrowed. Tooyama glared daggers right back.
"I didn't hear her voicing any complaints, did you? Besides, she's not yours. Act a little mature." He defiantly replied.
"Get out of here before I smash your face into bloody unidentifiable mass of flesh," Ryoma spat, warning him. His eyes narrowed, and his body literally pulsed in anger. The guy must have gotten the hint and shot Sakuno a bright albeit sheepish smile of defeat. Muttering insults at Ryoma under his breath, he turned and walked to the door casually. Ryoma sighed, allowing his posture to ease at the sight of the other man's retreating form. Though he was clearly the winner, he couldn't stop the frustrated adrenaline from coursing through his veins at the mere thought of it all.
"What the hell was that for?" Sakuno asked, her words dripping with malice, completely shocking him. He spun to meet the very fuming and frosty glare of the woman he had just saved from molestation.
"Excuse me?" he spat back.
"I said, what the hell was that for, Ry- I mean, Echizen?"
"I think you know exactly what that was for. I just got that man off of you. You should be saying 'Thank You' not 'What the hell,' you ungrateful girl."
"Ryoma, you did me no favors by kicking him off of me and frightening him with his life."
"Like hell! I saw the look in his eyes. He wants you. I did you a huge favor!"
"He was flirting, not molesting me! As a matter of fact you have no reason to be as protective or possessive of me as you are right now. I rather enjoy a bit of attention every once in a while that isn't about tennis, but about 'romance' and 'dates'. It's nice, and you just ran off the first guy who had the guts to flirt with me."
"That's bullshit, Sakuno. You know it as well as I do. I damn well have the right to be protective of you, especially since I don't want some pervert with his hands all over you."
"But why not Ryoma?"
"What...kind of question is that?"
"Why don't you want someone to touch me, Ryoma? You don't own me, do you? I don't belong to you. I'm not your sister or your stupid girlfriend. I can protect myself. I could have kicked his ass if I wanted to. He was right. I'm not yours. Never have and I guess never will be. You didn't even want to date me remember? Let me quote 'Who would want to date her?' unquote. What gives you the damn right to be protective of me?"
Ryoma was stunned. Never once had she questioned his protective nature until now. Ever since graduating from middle school, guys had been after her and he was the one who protected her, scaring off the insistent ones and helping her along the way. He'd stepped in for her on so many occasions, and here she was questioning his nature over a guy in class? She stared up at him, waiting for an answer.
"I...I don't.. know."
"You don't know?"
"I don't know."
"Fine. That answers it." She shook her head in finality.
With that, she stormed off the roof.
It still made his blood boil to think of that guy with his hands so damn close to Sakuno. He felt like he had done the right thing. He'd backed the guy off of her. So, that couldn't be it. The attention thing… Hell, all the regulars had gone out on several occasions together with Tomoka who was with Kaido and Sakuno and Tomo usually shared gossip like there was no tomorrow, his friends enjoyed hanging out with her, and she seemed to like being with them too. He sighed. He was getting nowhere with this.
He glanced over at her again, his face sinking into a scowl as she sat under the sakura tree engrossed in her novel yet again.
Ryoma sighed. He could not take another week of this. This wasn't just making his days unbearable; his sleep was starting to suffer and so was his tennis. He had to figure out a solution for this. It was driving him insane. He needed his damn Sakuno back, even if she would talk, argue, and distract him from his tennis and studies. The woman wore him out emotion wise on a daily basis, but this silence was just oppressive. His stupid pride…okay it was impossible to rewind time. Now to think about it nice and deep. It seemed that she wanted something from him… but what was it?
Seeing that guy touch her was enough to make him seethe with fury. Nobody could protect her, make her laugh, piss her off, or understand her doubts and fears like he could. He needed her just as much as she needed him, but she would never look at him again if he didn't do something.
He never would admit to anyone the amount of jealousy that spread through him there on the rooftop, but it was a feeling he just couldn't keep down, no matter how many times he squashed it. He wanted her…no needed her with every fiber of his being. He had never been so possessive of anything like this before.
Frowning, he left the room for school, feeling her expressive brown red eyes follow him until he walked out of her sight.
It was the ninth day of solitude. She seemed out of sorts somehow. It was like she was struggling with something. He knew her well enough to know when something was wrong. She ignored him all day, going out of her way to evade him. It didn't really surprise him, but class just wasn't the same without the usual surprises that she brought to the every day routine. Tooyama, being the pervert that he was, would try to catch Sakuno's eye with a ridiculous level of flirtation, and Ryoma would watch and smirk as she tried to escape him every time. Class was never boring with Sakuno… unless she planned on ignoring your very being like she was currently doing.
He'd gone so long without the drones of everyday monotony, that time in class barely crept by without her usual soft unexpected behavior. His hands twitched with anticipation. As soon as the bell finally rang, he bolted and eagerly escaped to the school canteen where he for once, finally bought lunch for himself feeling drained of energy and headed to the roof by himself. He didn't want the company of his friends, and he assumed since Sakuno had enamored all of them into the palm of her hand, she'd be leaving home with one them. He couldn't stand another second next to her, not if she was going to be like this.
Climbing the stairs skipping alternately, he reached to the roof once more, he quickly reached the top of the staircase and stared at the door. As he reached for the doorknob, he sighed. He hadn't come up here since Sakuno had stormed off, with every inch of her petite body seeking to hurt him as he hurt her. Yet somehow, he was drawn to the air of freedom, the height well above the school grounds and the way he could gaze out into the far off without feeling any nuance.
He pushed the door open, his eyes closed as he felt the breeze of the evening winds whip across his face. No more people, no more class, no more Sakuno even if just for a day. Ahh… Sweet freedom.
He breathed in deeply. He opened his eyes and twitched.
Sakuno was leaning against the railing in all her glory, her waist length hair fluttering in the wind, the picture of serene calmness. She seemed lost in thoughts as her fingers played with the hem of her skirt.
The way she stood looking so vulnerable to the world, made him so mad that he couldn't control what he felt any longer. The girl was the end of him and he knew it. God does like his little games and Ryoma hoped that He was enjoying his misery to the ultimate.
The previous scenes rushed past his mind and Ryoma saw red. No way in hell could he let this go on. His body tensed, rippling over his muscles, making him quiver. His eyes were deadly. He couldn't let her be touched by another guy. He'd be damned if she let some sick pervert touch her. They stuck together, needed each other like air. He was going to make Sakuno see that, no matter how much it took. She couldn't be blank, or innocent, or silent forever.
A forgotten bag fell from unclenched fingers, lunch flying everywhere as it connected with the concrete, clacking loudly as it bounced and settled on the hard floor. He didn't even see it fall.
He slowly walked towards her and stood behind her five feet away, for at least five minutes, before she turned around and saw him. He frowned as he wondered as to what she was thinking so deeply that she didn't feel his presence or hear the tray falling. Seeing him, her body immediately tensed.
"What the heck are you doing here Ryoma? I-I didn't expect you to…uh...come here" she said warily, expecting some sort of a biting retort.
Instead Ryoma stalked towards her and with each step he took forward, she took a step back blushing, seeing the predatory gleam in his eye and she was stopped when she hit the wall behind her. His eyes were glinting in amusement and if she didn't know better, love.
Why for heaven's sake could she not see that he wanted her to belong to him? He needed to protect her, to keep her to himself and relish every bit of her for himself. Shaken, exasperated, and unable to take it any longer, he walked quickly over to where she stood, and cupped her face in his hands. His feline eyes burned, resembling molten gold.
"Ryoma, what the hell are you doing?" Her voice was scathy and it seemed devoid of any will. She didn't want to meet his look, but his hands on her, forced her to stay still, his eyes locking her crimson orbs. She attempted to pull away albeit in vain. He held her fast. She had become pale and he didn't like it one little bit. His trademark sly gleam entered his eyes as his lips twitched into smirk, as he thought of a way to bring her colour back.
"Sakuno Ryuzaki, you belong to me." he whispered huskily. As he bent, his breath fanned across her cheeks, and he could feel her hair stand on their end all over her skin. His lips inched closer to hers, teasingly, slowly, savoring every moment, giving her time to move away. He could feel her trembling in his arms, frozen in fear and expectation. As their lips finally met, he pressed firmly against her trembling lips, capturing them with his mouth in a dominant, frenzied kiss. Once he started, he couldn't stop for the love of life. His lips pressed harshly against hers, and as she parted her lips in shock, he took advantage of it deepening it as she gasped in shock at his boldness. He moved his lips from hers and trailed it over the side of her jaw, breathing deeply, fanning her jaw with butterfly kisses, waiting for her to catch her breath.
He could feel the surprise rippling through her as he pulled away and his lips hovered above her ear. His hands tightened around her torso as she lost her footing, her legs practically jelly, her eyes glazing over with pleasure and surprise. He continued in a throaty whisper,
"Nobody else can do this…" he possessively murmured.
He ran his fingers through her hair gripping it roughly, tipping her head to the side, skimming the fingertips of his free hand down to her shoulders, trailing over the sides of her body landing at her waist gripping it tightly. His mouth moved over her exposed neck, leaving a hot trail from her collarbone to her jaw line, her breathing slowly becoming erratic with the amount of attention her neck was getting.
"I-I...n-no t-this-s… " Her throat bobbed as she gulped hard. His lips curled into a sly grin.
"...Never this..."
Sakuno gasped as Ryoma his teeth nipped lightly into the tender brittle skin at the juncture between her neck and shoulder, his mouth sucking harshly, making sure that she was marked properly as his. She whimpered in his grasp, which tightened with each passing moment. Slowly, her rigidity wavered, and Ryoma chuckled as he felt the slow relaxing of her body. Her shoulders lost their tension, and her eyelashes fluttered close, her hands slowly inching up his rock hard chest and finally wound up around his neck, pulling him closer, involunarily. Her eyes only opened when she heard his words once more whispered with utter certainty.
"...and Sakuno, nobody else will ever do this."
His voice was deep and soft, warm and dripping with dominance and love. Ryoma's eyes smoldered, and Sakuno's burgundy orbs watered under his unwavering gaze. As he crashed his lips against her once more, his hands wrapped completely around her petite frame, engulfing her, bending her slightly backwards as he claimed her mouth as his again. His lips moved above hers in perfect synchrony, and Ryoma's ears heard the delicious sounds of moan from her throat. Her fingertips longingly trailed up his back, and eventually wound their way into his dark jade locks to deepen the kiss. He nibbled her bottom lip and slid his tongue across it, and she responded by granting him full access to her mouth. Their tongues danced against one another, fighting for dominance, exploring each other for a moment before they pulled their lips apart to gasp for air. Sakuno's breath was heavy as Ryoma pulled back.
Ryoma smirked.
"You belong to me. Even I wouldn't bet against myself."
Those words seemed to trigger something in her. Her hastily moved away from him and backed away to the terrace door shaking her head fiercely, whispering softly, "This can't be happening…", looking completely stricken and disgusted with her self.
Ryoma looked hurt and was about to say something, when she suddenly bolted from the terrace whispering, "I'm so sorry Ryoma-kun…"
Years of training his reflexes helped him as he chased after Sakuno wondering just why she was behaving like how she was. He was pretty sure that she liked him and wanted him as much as he wanted her, after reading and understanding her responses from the kiss they shared.
He saw her rush into the girls room and increased his speed. He ran into the room, knowing that it would be empty as it was way past school hours.
He saw Sakuno against the wall, crying, the sobs racking through her body, seeming as if she would shatter from the sheer force of it.
He walked towards her and knelt beside her. He brushed her hair back and waited patiently for the storm to run its course, as she flung her self at him, into his arms.
"W-We c-can't do that anymore R-Ryoma… I'll never be y-yours…"
"And just what do you mean by that Sakuno? Why? Just give me one good reason why?" he asked tightening his arms around her, not able to understand what she was saying but sensing that what she had to say was important.
She tried to move away from him but Ryoma would not let her go.
"I-I'm e-engaged." Was her throaty reply.
Time seemed to stop as she spoke the words. Ryoma stiffened. His bangs covered his eyes as his body started to radiate insurmountable fury. Sakuno trembled against him uneasily.
"When. To who. Why."
Sakuno swallowed hard and tried to stop her silent tears as she replied, "T-That d-day on t-the terrace w-when you s-said t-that y-you didn't want m-me, d-during that T-Tooyama e-episode... O-Obaa-san on that evening told me that I was engaged to the s-son of my m-mother's best friend, and s-she gave me an option to decide whether or not I wanted to get married. I-I didn't expect you to harbor any feeling for me and I decided that I would go ahead with it. A-Also my obaa-san will be releaved from taking care of me….A-And I-I don't know who it is. My wedding is a week after graduation. Obaa-san and his family had expected me to say yes and had prepared everything in advance."
Ryoma slowly got up, pulling Sakuno with him. Graduation was five days from now. He with sudden force slammed her against the tiles and started kissing her roughly. He drew back and looked at her, taking in her swollen, bloody lips, tousled hair and was hit by a stab of betrayal. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear fiercely, "I'll be damned if I let you marry someone other than me… now escape before I do something which we'd both regret…"
Sakuno looked at him for one last time fearfully and scampered away from the room.
That day could not get worse for Ryoma.
It was dinner time at his house and his mom was cooking while he sat on the island, brooding over the occurrences of that day. His mother turned to him and said something with a serious face nervously, which he didn't bother listen to until he head the words 'Ryuzaki' and 'marriage'. He gave a sudden start and turned to her and said, "What did you say?"
His mother was confused at his uncharacteristic behavior and repeated what she said, expecting a fight. "You are getting married to my best friend's daughter a week after graduation. Her name is Ryuzaki Sakuno. She is a wonderful girl." She added defensively.
But to her immense surprise, he went still and then started laughing heartily. He shook his head and hugged his mom on a sudden impulse and ran out of the room with a silly smile on his face, as his mother watched shocked, seeing her son smile and laugh like there was no tomorrow, especially after hearing that he was getting married.
Okay… so changes were possible…..
-At the wedding, a week after graduation-
Sakuno looked at her self in the mirror. Even if she looked beautiful in her mother's vintage dress, her heart wasn't in the wedding. She was getting married to someone who wasn't Ryoma. The last time they had seen each other was on the day of graduation, when he stole a kiss from her and said, "I'll meet you at the wedding." She could feel her heart breaking as he said that with a passionate look on his face.
For all his words and talk, he was going to do absolutely nothing.
She had thought of running away, but when she saw her grandmother's face, she could not find it in her to betray her obaa-san like that.
She had been bundled into the dressing room in the church so she had seen no one other than her obaa-san and Tezuka, who was to give her away.
Speaking of them, they had just entered the room and asked her if she was ready. She nodded in reply.
The bridal suite started to play and she stood beside Tezuka and they walked down the aisle. She scanned the room for Ryoma but could see only her other ex- sempais. His mop of green hair was missing. She steeled her resolve when she reached the alter. She was going to do this come hell or high water.
She dazed out through the entire ceremony and it was when she heard the vows, that she was startled out of her reverie.
"Do you Echizen Ryoma take Ryuzaki Sakuno as your lawfully wedded wife under the holy name of God, through sickness and health, until death do you apart?" asked the priest.
"I do." Came his strong reply.
She was so shocked that she missed what the priest said to her and Ryoma had to nudge her to snap her out of her trance. She blushed when she realized the situation that she was in and could hear the murmurs and snickers by the people behind her, Eiji's and Momo's being the loudest.
The priest coughed, stifling his amusement. "Do you, Ryuzaki Sakuno take Echizen Ryoma as your lawfully wedded husband, under the name of God, through sickness and health, until death do you apart?"
"I – I do!" she said silently and she could hear Ryoma sigh in relief.
"With the power vested in me," the priest paused. "I pronounce you, husband and wife, you may kiss the bride."
Ryoma lifted her veil and pulled her closer and then kissed her on her lips softly and pulled away murmuring softly leaning his forehead on hers, "See Ryuzaki…You'll never escape from my clutches. Your mine for eternity". She chuckled and retorted, "Not Ryuzaki. Its Echizen mister and you better not forget that…And your gonna pay dearly for the stunt you pulled, husband dearest…Mada mada dane Ryoma"
He chuckled, "Can't wait Echizen Sakuno…" He smiled and looked at her adoringly as all the people present cheered happily.
They had finally gotten together and they would appreciate what they shared, never taking anything for granted and savor every passing moment.
The universe works in mysterious ways doesn't it?
OWARI