This is my first sad attempt at a PoT fic. I hope you guys like it, even if I should be working on my Fruits Basket fic…
Disclaimer: Tennis no Oujisama © Konomi Takeshi-sensei; and the general inspiration for this fic is from loveling's "Beseech ye Divine One"
The slight woman with long, dark, and flowing hair leaned over the bassinet and cooed to her new twins. The brother-sister pair was already smiling, something the doctor assured her meant amazing early development in her children. The twins' father said it was because of their mother's kind and happy nature. Their mother insisted it was because of their father's intelligence and prowess at everything he tried. Suddenly, a pair of slender arms encircled the woman's waist and tugged, causing, as the owner of the arms knew would happen, the woman to lose her balance, only to be deftly caught.
"Happy Mother's Day."
"Anata! One of these days I'm going to make you fall!"
"Mou, 'Kaa-san! You know I'm too fast for you."
"Iie, anata! You can't call me 'kaa-san! It sounds so old, coming from you…"
"Maa, then shall I call you 'baka?' No? Ah, calm down, Sakuno-chan. I was just kidding."
"I know you were kidding. Otou-san"
"Sakuno…"
"I'm just kidding, Syuuske."
Three Years Later
"Nyaa! Okaa-chan! Okaa-chan!" Two three-year-olds were calling for their mother, who was still in bed. The girl, Yuzuyu, was older by a few minutes and had light brown hair, like her father, and the boy, Satsuki, had his mother's dark hair. Both of them had their father's smiling blue eyes and intelligence, and their mother's pale complexion and kindess.
"Doushita?" Sakuno asked, concern in her voice.
"Okaa-chan! Today is Mother's Day! My friend Marika-chan said so! She said on Mother's Day, we're supposed to give Okaa-chan a present!" Yuzuyu was excited, as usual.
"'Kaa-chan, I drew you a picture at the preschool. Sensei said it was good, so it is my Mother's Day present to you." Satsuki was always much calmer and quieter than Yuzuyu.
"Hai! Hai! Yuzu picked flowers for Okaa-chan! Kawaii, ne?" Yuzuyu presented her handful of wildflowers.
"Kawaii! Arigato, minna-san! You've made your Okaa-chan very happy. Go change clothes and get ready for breakfast." Sakuno shooed them, and was about to change herself and make breakfast, when Fuji walked into the bedroom with a tray.
"Iie, 'Kaa-san. Today breakfast is on me." He had long since gotten into the habit of calling her 'Kaa-san' whenever he was in a teasing mood.
"Eto…Syuuske…can you cook?" Sakuno was head chef at a restaurant, so she did the cooking at home, too. All she knew Fuji could make were cold things that did not require stove work.
"Of course I can." Imitating a certain tennis player, he said, "Ore-sama no bigi ni yoi na!"
"Oiishi!" Sakuno was already eating. "You. Come here and eat with me." She pointed to Fuji with her chopsticks in an jokingly authoritative manner.
"Well, I'm not one to defy authority." He climbed under the covers with her and grabbed her chopsticks. She was about to protest, but was silenced with a kiss.
Ten years later
"Tadaima!" Sakuno walked in the house, home from work.
"Okaeri nasai!" She was greeted by her children, who had also just come back, from tennis practice.
"How was practice?"
"Tezuka-jiichan, iie, Tezuka-sensei made us run laps, and Inui-jiichan came and made us juice, but other than that it was alright." Satsuki shrugged.
"Ahh? Inui-jiichan made juice for you, too? He made juice for the girls team, too! Demo…Kikumaru-buchou never makes us run laps." Yuzuyu was the vice-captain of her team; Satsuki was captain to the boys, and both of them could drink the Inui-juice. Fuji Yuzuyu and Kikumaru Isuzu were a "female Golden Pair," according to Tennis Pro Monthly, just like Kikumaru Hatsuharu and Oishi Kyou were as in sync as their parents.
"Is your father home?" Sakuno inquired.
"Eto…"
"Ano…"
Sakuno sighed. Fuji had been coming home later and later recently, saying that he was 'visiting some old friends.' He never gave any explanation other than that. Sakuno was trying to be a good wife to him, and she knew she shouldn't be distrusting, but…
"Tadaima!" Fuji walked in the door and took off his shoes. "It looks like rain. Bring an umbrella to school tomorrow, Yuzuyu, Satsuki."
"Hai!"
"Okaeri nasai." Sakuno greeted him.
Fuji was carrying a large, bulky object that was badly wrapped. "Ahh! Sakuno-chan! Happy Mother's Day." Sakuno unwrapped a large, leather-bound photo album. She suddenly remembered talking to Fuji about not having a lot of pictures from their younger years. "I've been going around, asking all the old regulars for pictures. Osakada-san gave a lot of them, too," Fuji explained, smiling as always.
There were pictures of Sakuno cheering with Tomoko, pictures of Fuji playing tennis, pictures of high school aged Sakuno and Fuji, holding hands while Sakuno blushed. These pictures made Sakuno remember how she and Fuji got together.
A capped boy walked into the classroom, greeted by a chorus of "Ohayo, Echizen" and one "RYOMA-SAMA!"
"Ohayo, Ryoma-kun!" The normally shy girl greeted him, blushing.
"Ohayo."
"Eto…Ryoma-kun, can I ask you something? In private?"
"Betsuni."
Fuji happened to be strolling through the school grounds, and looked up on the roof to find two people there. One was Echizen, and the other was a girl with long braids whose face he couldn't see, but he recognized immediately. Sakuno was finally confessing her love? Probably. 'Now she will end up going out with him…' the tensai thought dolefully. But…wait a second. Echizen was shaking his head. Sakuno had sunk to her knees, sobbing loudly enough for Fuji to realize she was crying. Echizen, looking slightly uncomfortable, turned and left. Before Fuji realized what he was doing, he was on the roof.
"Eto…Sakuno-chan? Daijoubu ka?"
"Fuji-senpai…daijoubu…You don't have to worry about me."
"I won't leave until you stop crying. Echizen's not worth it."
"But…"
"Stop crying, Sakuno-chan. Even if Echizen doesn't, the rest of us still care about you."
"Wait…how did you—"
"I saw it from down there, Sakuno-chan." He didn't know why he had been using 'chan,' he just did. Then he realized it. Why he was upset at her confession, so protective of her for no reason, and using –chan. "Sakuno-chan, would you…that is…go—"
"Ano…Fuji-senpai, I wouldn't make a very good girlfriend at all. I just got rejected by a boy that I've liked for a very long time…I don't think I'm ready to be in a relationship…"
"Then I'll wait until you are. Until then, at least I will be your friend, Sakuno-chan."
"A-arigato…"
He was, as he always is, true to his word. He helped Sakuno get over Ryoma by distracting her with studying and tennis practice. He never once mentioned romance, respecting her wishes and waiting for her to make the first move. And eventually, she did.
"Syuuske-nii?"
"Nani?"
"Eto…do you remember what you were about to tell me that time?"
"Hai."
"I—I think I lo—"
She didn't finish her sentence. She couldn't. It's very difficult to talk once you find someone else's lips placed firmly on your own, as Sakuno discovered that day.
Eventually, people, mainly Horio, saw the two on dates, holding hands, and other 'couple things' and 'reported' it to Ryoma. He reacted with surprise and jealousy, not knowing that Sakuno had moved on, and not realizing that anyone other than himself could be the object of her affections.
"Fuji-senpai."
"Echizen."
"What are you doing with Ryuzaki?"
"Dating her."
"But, she's still mi—"
"She can't possibly be yours, Echizen. She got rejected by you on the rooftop. You know, you're lucky I wasn't actually up there. I probably would have pushed you." Fuji's eyes were open.
"Syuuske-nii!" Sakuno ran towards them, hair down (Fuji had persuaded her to ditch the braids) and streaming after her. They greeted each other warmly. "Eto…Syuuske-nii, will this take long? I thought we were going to go to your place to study?"
Ryoma was freaked out. Never before had he heard Sakuno's voice not stuttering. Never before had he seen her without her braids or blush. "Ryuzaki! You can't go out with Fuji-senpai!"Calming down, he whispered, "I won't let you."
"Echizen-san, doushita ka?" She cocked her head with concern.
"Betsuni, Sakuno-chan. Let's go hit the books." Fuji answered for Ryoma, and offered his arm to Sakuno.
That was the last conversation of that type that Ryoma and Sakuno had. Sakuno always suspected that Fuji had done something, with the aid of some Inui juice, but didn't look into it very far. She looked at the last page in the photo album. It had a picture of her wedding, of two babies, and of two tennis prodigies being taught by their father.
"Anata…It's so…" Sakuno again found herself unable to speak, but no one was kissing her this time. Tears were streaming down her face, and she was hiccupping a little. Fuji was concerned. The present was supposed to make her happy! Why was she crying? Did she not like the present? He took her in his arms, and attempted to comfort her. He strained to listen, and heard one whispered word, to which he responded with his own three words.
"Arigatou"
"Happy Mother's Day."
x.X.Owari.X.x
(pushes forward chibi-tezuka) This is Chibi-Tezuka. He lives on reviews. If you don't review, he will starve to death and die.
In the reviews that you will give to save the precious chibi-tezuka, you can request sakuno pairings, and I will try my best to do them! (unless its someone like Kabaji, who only says 'Usu')
PS: The names of all the kids in this fic are actually from other anime/mangas. Yuzuyu and Satsuki are from Aishiteruze Baby; Isuzu, Hatsuharu, and Kyou are from Furuba.
Edited: I fixed some basic Japanese and grammar awkwardness. But I still need someone to beta, if they want…email me if you're interested. And as a note: I know that Yuzu is more like Tomoka then Sakuno, but I was trying to get Sakuno's inner personality through her. (Like how Sakuno would be if she wasn't as timid).
Happy Mother's Day, minna-san!