A/N: Chapter 2 of Secret Exchange. Enjoy! And thanks to the reviewers:) Really happy.


Secret Exchange

Chapter 2: Visiting

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Fsssssh. We're just going to leave him alone like that?" Kaidoh watched as Ryoma left the corner of the school to get some rest.

"He'll be all right. Besides, someone will follow him anyway..." Momo whispered to Kaidoh as he pointed to a pigtailed girl, trailing behind him.

'Youth...so young...'

"80 percent of Echizen will be all right, 51 percent that he will have a more frustrated day today, and 94 percent that he is being followed." Inui quickly scribbled lots of data inside his notebook by the courts. He adjusted his glasses so that they would be in a good position.

"Interesting..."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The sounds of beeps and honks from various cars echoed throughout the street. Ryoma walked slowly through the sidewalk with his tennis bag slung on his shoulder. He couldn't believe that he fell like that, he couldn't believe it. So much for hiding his cover. He always disliked admitting that he wasn't feeling well.

Behind the alleys, Sakuno peeked through and continued to follow the tennis prince. Her home was nearby anyway and she might come home early. Watching the tennis player like this made her have a sinking feeling. The crosswalk turned a light green meaning that it was safe for everyone to walk to the other side. Sakuno went out of the alley and followed him more. While walking back home, Ryoma swished around because of the dizziness- yet he was strong enough to regain a good composure.

The young girl knew that Ryoma was near his house so she decided to take her leave. She hoped that Ryoma felt better soon. Sakuno couldn't help but like Ryoma very much. The first time she met him was at a train when she was being bullied by three tennis players. He was oblivious about saving her, but he just put that memory to the side. It was also the time when she accidently gave him the wrong direction to where the tennis club was, which she wasn't happy about. After all those things, she was glad that she could see him play. She walked away and turned to another path for home.

In the meantime, Ryoma leaned against the gates of his home and watched the small clouds above him; having to come home early and watching the light blue sky didn't feel the same when he came home during sunset.

"Tadaima..." Ryoma mumbled as he closed the wooden door to his house.

No response.

Ryoma had a pretty good guess as to where his family members were: Nanako was at the market, his mother busy with usual things to do outside of the house, and of course his father was probably looking through unusual magazines or picking up girls at the matter. He sighed and decided to change out of his uniform to more comfortable clothes. After he was done with that, he went to the kitchen to have a glass of cool water and added some ice from the freezer. He drank almost half of the water as he walked to the couch and settled himself down. He rest his head on a cerulean pillow and placed his glass on a table. His fever started to rise so he decided to have a small nap. A few hours later passed and out in the front door a monk with a straw hat was holding the latest magazine addition he had been waiting for a long time.

"Ha ha! Finally! All that waiting paid off!" He laughed with glee as he opened the front door. He closed it with a slam and when he took his slippers off he ended up tripping on something on the floor.

"Itai!" He cried as he landed on the hard tatami floor with a thump. He rubbed his head a few times before he could figure out what tripped him. Looking behind him was his son's tennis gear and white shoes.

'He's home early.' Nanjiroh went upstairs to see if his theory was true. He opened Ryoma's door to see nothing but his messy room. His uniform was neatly folded on the bed, but he was no where in sight. He closed the door, but heard coughing downstairs. He went down to find Ryoma sitting up from the couch drinking a glass of water. Nanjiroh placed his special magazine on the tabletop and went over to him.

'He's here...' Ryoma thought as he sensed a presence behind the couch.

"You're usually home around sunset. Practice end early?" His father asked. Ryoma took a sip of water to clear his throat.

"What do you want?" He groaned.

"Well, why not a game of tennis?" Nanjiroh asked with his idiotic grin. Ryoma shook his head no.

"Don't feel like it eh? Are you afraid you're going to lose as usual?" His father comented. Ryoma lowered his head and muttered.

"Baka oyaji."

"Eh? Learn to respect your elders kid!" With one swift second, Nanjiroh playfully hit Ryoma on the back of the head. Trying not to let out a shout of pain, all Ryoma did was lower his head even more and continued to rub his temples. He squint his eyes closed, showing a more painful expression on his face but kept it more stoic.

'I didn't hit him that hard...' Seeing that his son was acting stranger than usual, the father lifted the boy's chin to look at him. With many attempts to get out of his father's grip, it was hopeless in Ryoma's condition.

"Practice didn't end early did it?" Nanjiroh noted, feeling the intensity of heat. Ryoma stood up but the slight dizziness overtook him and he was back sitting on the couch. He felt his forehead one more time and it was burning.

/Itai.../

"Tadaima!" Nanako walked over to where Nanjiroh was and saw Ryoma's condition.

"Ryoma! Are you okay?" Nanako dropped her bags, pushed the father out of the way, and kneeled down to feel his forehead. Ryoma shrugged her off.

"I knew something happened in the morning."

"It's nothing." Ryoma said, trying to clear his vision to look at her.

"I'll treat you right away." Nanako rushed over to the kitchen but stopped when she found a disturbing magazine with a page open.

"But I'm throwing this away first! I will think about mentioning this 'thing' to the wife too." Nanako held the magazine in her hands and went off to the kitchen.

"AH! NO! GIVE IT, IT'S MINE!" Nanjiroh stood up from where he was pushed and rushed over, but said one thing to his son.

"You, bed, now." Nanjiroh went back to confiscate the magazine from Nanako. Ryoma sighed as he took his glass of water and went upstairs, hearing the conversation of Nanako scolding his father. The last thing he heard was a trash bin closed shut and his father getting upset. Ryoma made a smirk.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

During the evening, Ryoma found out that his tempertature was at 103 degrees and he would not go to school the next day. Having arguements with his parents that he had to practice more, they overtook his reasons and he had to stay in bed. He had thoughts about escaping the window of his room, but risking himself falling down was not an option. Nanako treated him with some food and medicine and in the meantime, he rested. Being so bored in the room, he couldn't help but wonder how things would go tomorrow.

He thought back about what happened today- senpai-tachi were crowding around him when he fell and a certain girl was also with them. Hold it. Since when did he thought about the girl? The girl with braided pigtails and brown colored eyes. It seemed that she was concerned of him when he collasped at the tennis courts. He had trouble remembering the name, but he knew her since she was always around Horio and others. He eyed the night sky as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"All right." The homeroom teacher went inside the room with a black notebook. Today was a nice day outside, when the wind was gently blowing through the foliage and birds chirping happily while flying. Sakuno was sitting at her desk paying attention to her teacher. But with the corner of her eye, she eyed the empty desk where Ryoma sat.

'He's not here today...'

"Ryuzaki Sakuno? Sakuno!" The homeroom teacher called. Tomoka nudged her arm on the desk and Sakuno closed her thoughts.

"Ah! Here!" Sakuno called out. Her classmates stared at her when the homeroom teacher was calling her but with Tomoka's death glare, they quickly turned back to pay attention.

"Mou, Sakuno. Something wrong? What happened to Ryoma-sama yesterday?" Tomoka whispered. Sakuno looked away from her.

Flashback

"You okay?" Momo asked the young tennis player as they changed courts. Ryoma only nodded and lowered the bill of the cap. But as he was walking, he reached his point. He closed his eyes and fell to the ground with a thud; his face planted at the court. The regulars eyed the young tennis player on the ground and their eyes widened with shock.

'RYOMA-KUN!' Sakuno thought as she opened the tennis gates and went over to him.

"Echizen!" Momo rushed over first since he was one playing him. He sat him up on the ground and shook his shoulder.

"Wake up. Echizen!" Momo continued to try waking him up. The regulars dropped their rackets and went over to the court.

"What happened?" Fuji asked.

"He just dropped dead."

"Ah! Ochibi!"

End Flashback

'Looks like he won't be here...' Sakuno thought sadly. Tomoka sighed when Sakuno didn't answer her question.

"Now. I want to know who will be giving Echizen's assignment after school? His father called him in sick." The homeroom teacher announced to the whole class. Every girl in the room raised their hands high in the air, including Tomoka's. Some girls even rose up out of their seats. Boys didn't really bother except for Horio. Sakuno didn't bother to raise her hand. What was the point when no one really picked her to volunteer? Besides, she had a lot on her mind.

"Ah, Ryuzaki. How about you?" The sensei eyed Sakuno not paying attention.

"EH?! NANI?!" The girls screeched with horror. Tomoka twitched her brow and stared at her friend for an answer. Sakuno had a feeling that she was being looked at and she was surprised when everyone was really looking at her.

"Sumimasen. Nani?" She asked.

"Would you like to give Ryoma's assignment?" The sensei offered. Sakuno had a surprise look on her face.

'W-What should I say? If I say yes, I'll be trampled by other girls. But if I say no, then I won't know if Ryoma-kun's okay or not. Mou...'

"If you don't want to do it, then I'll hand it to-"

"Matte...I-I'll do it." Sakuno answered in a tiny voice, surprising everyone including herself. The homeroom teacher smiled as everything was settled. Sakuno crouched down from the desk and closed her eyes with worry.

'I hope Tomoka doesn't get mad...' Sakuno prayed deep inside her. She hid a blush as girls from the room glared at her. Tomoka glared back more and the girls turned back to the lesson a bit intimidated.

"Sakuno," Tomoka whispered. "You're so lucky!" Sakuno couldn't help but make another blush. Tomoka wasn't mad at her.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Give this to Ryoma okay? Do you know where he lives?" Sakuno remembered the place. She couldn't help but follow the boy around when they would sometimes walk home together. She grabbed the extra assignment and dashed out of the school, not getting pummeled by fan girls. She already notified her grandmother that she would not attend to watch the tennis club today, but to go straight home because she was busy. Her friend Tomoka wished to visit Ryoma-sama also, but with her brothers again, she ended up not going. Tomoka wanted Sakuno to promise that she would tell everything that happened in the house. Sakuno didn't really say anything, but only heard Tomoka's cries of Ryoma.

'Why did I agree on this?' Sakuno thought as her head was lowered down to the ground.

"Sakuno!" Sakuno looked up to see Momo on the tennis courts.

"Konichiwa, Momo-senpai." Sakuno greeted the upperclassman. They were apart because of the tennis gates.

"Echizen isn't here today?" He questioned as he swung a forehand with his racket. Sakuno shook her head no.

"He wasn't in homeroom. I guess he stayed at home." Momo sighed with relief.

"I didn't pick him up this morning anyway. If that brat was here today sick, then I would end up dragging him back home." Sakuno chuckled.

"H-He won't be happy if you did that." Sakuno replied. Momo made a smile and heard his captain calling out orders.

"Momoshiro! 20 laps around the court for not participating!" Tezuka commanded.

"WHAT?!" Momo shouted. Sakuno stepped away from the fence.

"I'll be going now to not cause trouble. Ja ne!"

"Ja ne!" Momo bid her farewell when the freshman left.

"30 laps or a pitcher of Inui's juice!" Inui gladly held a pitcher of red, oozing, bubbling liquid with an evil grin on his face.

"OKAY, OKAY!" Momo replied as he had blue vertical lines on the side and ran his punishment laps.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Following the same path she always took, Sakuno remembered that she had a piece of cake left in her bag. It had white vanilla frosting with a strawberry on top. The cake was vanilla flavored also with sweet cream in the middle inside a small bento box. She should try giving it to him as a treat. Her pastries never failed her; unless criticized by a good baker.

As she crossed the street she continued through the path and found Ryoma's house. It was pretty big and it had a temple with a huge bell. She opened the gate and knocked on the door a few times. She could hear faint footsteps coming in the front door and it was open.

"Can I help you?" Nanako asked.

"Does Echizen Ryoma live here?" Sakuno asked in a quiet voice. Nanako made a smile.

"Hai. You must be one of his classmates, ne? Come in, I'm Nanako, his cousin." Nanako moved out of the way so Sakuno could get in. Sakuno took off her shoes and just realized that she shouldn't be doing this. She just had to give the assignment and go. But she didn't want to disrespect anyone in the house.

"He's upstairs and his room is the second door to the left. Don't be in there too long. I don't want anyone else to get sick." Nanako winked. Sakuno nodded her head and watched as Nanako closed the door to the house.

"What's your name?"

"Ryuzaki Sakuno."

"Oh. I've heard of you. Your grandmother is the coach of the tennis club right?" Nanako questioned. Sakuno nodded and continued to the stairs. She touched the stair railings and made her way up. The hallway was pretty dark, but Sakuno managed to find the room and made a knock on the door.

"Come in." The boy inside the room replied. Sakuno made a gulp and rattled the door open.

"K-Konichiwa..." Sakuno closed the door, seeing Ryoma lying down on the bed. Ryoma was surprised to see someone else here besides his family so he sat up and rested his hands on his sheets. Sakuno slowly walked over to him and tried to find the words she wanted to say. All she could really do was stare at him, noting that he was wearing a white long sleeve shirt and sweats. He looked better than yesterday and she had a pretty good thought that he might be better in no time. She sat down on a navy chair next to the bed. Her heart was beating at a fast rate, not knowing what to do.

"...D-Daijoubu?" Sakuno stuttered.

Ryoma sighed, "Hai."

"That's good." An awkward silence followed through after that. Sakuno did nothing but only thought about being in Ryoma's room.

"Is there a reason you're here?" Ryoma looked at his sheets. Sakuno rummaged in her bag and took out some papers.

"This is the assignment for today." Sakuno held out the assignment to Ryoma. Did this girl really volunteer herself to come here? He didn't bother asking but just thanked her. Sakuno fiddled with her dark green skirt and remembered one thing.

'I hope this is good...'

"I made this. Take it." Sakuno took out the small bento box and Ryoma saw a small piece of cake.

"You made it?" Ryoma gazed at Sakuno. Sakuno hid a flustered shade of pink.

"You don't have to eat it now if you don't want to. I...uh...better be going now. Your c-cousin said that I shouldn't be up here too long." Sakuno stood up from the navy chair that creaked when she pushed it back.

"...Ryuzaki." Sakuno turned around, "How's the team?" Ryoma was a bit curious. Sakuno made a soft smile.

"They're...doing fine. They're worried about you, especially Momo-senpai." Sakuno opened the door.

"Domo." Sakuno stopped and turned back.

"Hm?"

"Domo arigatou, for the assignment." Ryoma replied. Sakuno waved goodbye, while closing the door with a soft click and went on home.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Ryoma, your temperature lowered a bit. If you do go back to school tomorrow, take it easy on tennis."

Nanako took the thermometer out of the young boy's mouth, making a faint popping noise. Ryoma just gazed blankly down at his sheets. He took a small wet towel to cool down his warm face by the desk. His mom already gave him the medicine he needed so he should be better in no time.

"Rest now, okay?" Nanako took the half eaten soup and went back downstairs. She eyed the tray and noticed that a small, tiny piece of cake was left and a bitten strawberry. She made a smile.

"Ryuzaki Sakuno..."


-HaruCherry