A/N: Yes, Sakuno was in braids :) Silly me, I didn't even think about her hair because it's always that way, I'll make sure to be more clear in the future!

Sakuno arrived back at her house; feeling extremely rattled by the evening's earlier occurrences. She reached into her pocket and felt a piece of paper which reassured her that Hyotei's captain actually had given her his number. What did he see in her? She was so shy and soft spoken; they had never even talked before! Everything was so sudden but deep inside she was secretly happy, hoping to make Ryoma jealous. Still, something wasn't right because when Atobe had spoken to her the second time it had given her butterflies. She glanced down at her other hand which was holding her cell phone. Was it weird to call this quickly?

Sakuno shook her head and yanked the piece of paper out of her pocket, reading Atobe's neat handwriting. She entered the number and held the phone up to her ear shakily as a nervous ball swirled in her belly. The phone rang a few times before Sakuno thought about quickly hanging up.

"Keigo Atobe speaking," a handsome voice suddenly said on the other line.

Sakuno's cheeks lit up bright red and she let out a surprised gasp. She could tell he was smirking through the phone.

"He-Hello?" Sakuno stumbled over her words.

"Why do you sound so surprised, I believe it's you who called me," Atobe replied and then added, "Right Sakuno?"

Sakuno grew frantic, "I'm sorry!"

"Can I pick you up tomorrow?" he asked, ignoring her outburst.

"Pick me up?" Sakuno questioned.

"Of course, unless you somehow know where I live you'll be wandering aimlessly."

"You live in a mansion," Sakuno blurted, immediately smacking her forehead.

Atobe chuckled, "I do…"

Sakuno opened her mouth to speak but was unable to say anything.

"I'll be by to pick you up around six, is that alright?" he asked.

"Do you know where I live?" Sakuno asked.

"I will when you tell me," he replied with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Sakuno told him her address and they exchanged a few short words before he announced he had to go. She hung up and stared down at her cell phone with disbelief. Was this really happening?

…..

Sakuno waited anxiously and paced around her living room.

"What's got you so wound up?" her grandmother asked.

"I have a date…" Sakuno trailed off.

"I knew Echizen would eventually ask you out! You two obviously like each other," Ryuzaki said.

Sakuno gave her a solemn expression.

"What is it?"

"I'm not going with Ryoma."

"Oh, which team member then? Momo? Eiji? Kaidoh?" Ryuzaki started to rattle off.

"He doesn't exactly go to Seigaku…" Sakuno trailed off nervously.

Ryuzaki opened her mouth but stopped as there was a beep from outside. She approached the front window and peeked outside. Ryuzaki swung to face her granddaughter, her jaw hanging open.

"Keigo Atobe from Hyotei?!" she exclaimed, "How do you know him?"

Sakuno shrugged, "I don't, which is why we're going out this evening."

"This is extremely odd Sakuno, you need to be careful," Ryuzaki warned.

There was a light knock on the door and Ryuzaki pulled it open. Sakuno's eyes grew wide as they saw the person standing on the other side. Her mouth went dry and she felt like her legs went numb. Atobe stood with his head held high in a navy blue suit with a lavender tie and white undershirt. Sakuno turned scarlet, she didn't know that this evening was going to be so… formal. She stared down at her pink V-neck shirt and white skirt. She grabbed one of her braids and fumbled with the end of it nervously.

"Coach Ryuzaki," Atobe nodded at her with a small smile.

"You'll have her back at a reasonable hour?" Ryuzaki questioned.

Atobe nodded confidently, "Of course."

Ryuzaki eyed her granddaughter, "In that case, have fun."

Atobe walked up to Sakuno and held out his hand, "Shall we go?"

She took his hand with trembling fingers and followed him out the door. Sakuno gasped when she saw the limo in front of her house. Atobe opened the door for her and held her hand as she slid inside. He followed after her and closed the door.

"I'm sorry I didn't wear something more appropriate, I didn't know I needed to dress up," Sakuno mumbled shyly.

Atobe rolled his eyes, "I was at a meeting before I came to pick you up… I am the class president at Hyotei. Your attire if perfectly fine for what I have in mind, I plan on changing when I get back."

Sakuno watched him loosen his tie and she marveled at his perfect complexion. His skin practically glowed and the mole under his right eye made his face even more unique. Atobe's eyes shot to Sakuno and he raised his eyebrows as he caught her staring. She turned away quickly, a small blush forming on her cheeks. Atobe chuckled lightly to himself at her shyness as they pulled up to a gigantic gate. Sakuno glanced out the window and was in awe at the enormous mansion that towered in the distance. The gate opened and the limo driver pulled the vehicle through. He parked and proceeded to open the door for the two passengers. Atobe got out first and turned to Sakuno, holding out his hand to help her out.

She took it hesitantly with a small smile, "It's beautiful here," she told him.

Atobe nodded, "I'm glad you approve, make yourself comfortable."

They entered the mansion and Atobe walked up to a large staircase. He turned to face Sakuno whose eyes were darting about; trying to take everything in.

"Come upstairs, I need to change out of this… I don't want you wandering off and getting lost in here," he said to her as he started to climb the staircase.

Sakuno hastily followed after him until they arrived at a door near the end of the long hallway. Atobe pushed the door open and Sakuno's jaw dropped as she walking in after him.

"This is your room?" she asked in a voice just above a whisper.

Atobe smirked, "Yes, have a look around while I change."

She watched him open a large closet door and pull out a few articles of clothing. He exited the room which left her by herself.

"Wow…" she trailed off.

Sakuno started with his desk that was against the wall. She walked over and noticed the picture frame that contained a great team picture of Hyotei. All of his writing utensils were neatly organized and there was a closed notebook lying in the center. Sakuno flipped it open and saw it was a planner which had all of Atobe's activities written inside along with the times. She smiled as she saw how many of the events had to do with tennis. She turned her attention next to the shelves hanging on the wall where dozens of trophies and medals were displayed. There was a picture of Atobe as a young boy with a sweater vest on; holding a racquet and standing on a tennis court. He wore a large grin and Sakuno noticed that in the background there was a Union Jack flag flying.

"England?" she muttered in confusion, brushing her fingers over the top of the frame.

She continued her investigation until she heard the door behind her. She swung around quickly with an embarrassed look on her face. He wore a casual blue polo shirt with black dress pants and shoes.

"Atobe!" she cried out and put her hands behind her back.

He raised his eyebrows and gave her a charming smile, "Learning more about me yet?"

Sakuno puckered her lips in a pouting face and pointed at the frame she had been examining earlier, "Why were you in England when you were little?"

Atobe casually sat down on the edge of his bed and replied simply, "I grew up in England."

"What?!" Sakuno exclaimed and then said, "That must have been really cool."

Atobe shrugged, "Not exactly, I had my fair share of problems."

"Like what?" Sakuno asked quickly, and then covered her mouth at her outburst.

"I don't really like to talk about it, but for a cute girl like you… since you asked I might make an exception."

Sakuno gave him a small smile and took a step toward him. He stood up and approached her, holding out his hand.

"Let's do it over a cup of tea," he said softly.

…

The pair sat out next to the large in-ground pool under a big umbrella. A butler brought them a platter containing their tea and placed it lightly on the table in between them. Sakuno marveled at how beautiful his house and its surroundings were. Atobe poured them both tea into a pair of dainty tea cups. He picked his cup up by the small handle and sipped on it; a satisfied expression covering his face. Sakuno watched how he handled the small cup and tried to mimic him. The tea met her lips and her eyebrows shot up.

"It might be hot," Atobe suddenly stated.

Sakuno slowly set the cup back down and rubbed her lips, "Too late," she muttered.

Atobe leaned back in his chair, "I didn't come to Japan until junior high when I started at Hyotei."

Sakuno watched him as he looked out over the bright blue pool. His eyes seemed to have a sad look about them.

"I wasn't always number one, although I always had the most money," he winked at her.

Sakuno blushed slightly, "What do you mean? Aren't you still trying to be number one?"

Atobe's eye twitched and he smirked, "Perhaps…"

Sakuno noticed his expression, "Sorry! I mean, I was thinking about when you lost to Ryoma, and I thought of Captain Tezuka and Sanada."

Atobe ran his fingers through his hair, "Of course, but if you recall I beat Echizen yesterday."

"It wasn't official though…" Sakuno trailed off.

"You can be quite tenacious can't you?" he asked her.

"I guess," Sakuno blushed.

"Continuing from where I left off… When I was a child I lost most of the time, and the other children mocked me. It's true I was different since I was Japanese, but I was alone most of the time so it was difficult," Atobe explained, taking a long drink from his teacup.

"Why were they mean to you?" Sakuno asked with a sad expression.

"To this day I still don't know. Perhaps it was my good looks," he flashed her a smile, "or that they found me to be a threat as I got better at tennis, but it was most likely they were jealous of my money."

"I don't think your money is a big deal," Sakuno said.

"That's a refreshing point of view," he replied.

"So what happened when you came to Japan?"

Atobe leaned forward and put his chin in the palm of his hand, "When I came here, no one could match my skill on the tennis court. I spent my younger years working extremely hard on perfecting my tennis. I was the king of Hyotei the first day I attended school, and the second I walked onto the tennis court as a first year I was the king of the club."

"So do you like it here better than England?" Sakuno asked.

"Of course I do. Don't get me wrong, there are a few things I miss about Europe, but Japan is home to me," he replied.

Sakuno smiled thoughtfully.

"So have you learned more about me Sakuno?" Atobe questioned with sparkling eyes.

Sakuno nodded with a smile.

"I take it you approve, so will you accompany me to the ball?" he asked her, leaning forward eagerly.

Sakuno giggled, "Yes, I'll go with you."

Atobe leaned back with a proud expression, "Excellent, now… this date isn't over yet. I wish to know more about you now since you've heard about me."

Sakuno looked thoughtful, "Well… when I was younger…"

Atobe listened to her as she talked and was amazed at her innocence. She seemed so pure and he loved the fact that his money didn't faze her. He didn't care that she was younger than him, she was a normal girl with extraordinary traits and he definitely wanted to get to know her better.