Syusuke-kun's Letter
By: Reinne141
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Chapter Two
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"F-Fuji-senpai!"
Eyes widened in surprise, her initial response was to step back due to the SUPER close promixity of his face from hers, she can even smell the lingering scent of soap he used this morning!- which by the way, pleasantly tingled her nose-,'E-EH?! Sakuno!'. But because of her being a.. well, natural-born clumsy klutz, she tripped on her own foot and almost fell to the ground.. If it weren't for a pair of strong, firm and warm arms that wrapped around her small waist and prevented her from hurting herself.
She closed her chocolate brown eyes, anticipating for the pain to come. But when it didn't, she slowly opened them.. only to find herself once again looking directly into her Senpai's cerulean blue ones.
Those eyes- have always intrigued her. They're quite a captivating sight to behold, you see. And it's not everyday that you'll be able to see him reveal those beautiful orbs. But what makes it all the more gorgeous.. is the mystery it holds. Whoever said that 'The eyes are the windows to the soul' must have never met a person like Fuji-senpai. Because his eyes.. though alluring and beautiful.. conceals the truth behind them.
As if hypnotized, she couldn't find it in herself to avert her eyes from his penetrating gaze. Sakuno stood frozen in his arms, her eyes held by his, her petite figure flushed against his body.. which has gained quite a number of muscles and has growned from being a boy into a full-grown man, making girls drool more over him. His brunette hair swayed gracefully with the wind and a serene smile appeared on his thin lips while they locked gazes. At age 18, Fuji Syusuke is the perfect example for the words: "Angelically handsome".
"Are you okay, Ryuzaki-san?", concern evident in his soft voice. Sakuno blinked and somehow managed to nod without breaking eye contact.
A light chuckle escaped his lips,"Good then." He sounded amused which puzzled her a little until comprehension dawned on her. Her cheeks flushed red in a flash as her mind screamed,'Baka Sakuno Baka! You've been staring at Senpai like an idiot!'
"G-G-GOMEN!", the auburn-haired girl suddenly jerked out of his arms and bowed.
"Gomen, Fuji-senpai!", her face still as red as a fully-riped tomato.
This earned her more chuckles from the Tensai who seemed to be amused by her cute actions.
"Iie, It's my fault for suddenly sneaking up on you like that. Gomen", then he gave her a kind smile. She noticed that his eyes are now back to normal, closed and smiling."Welcome to High school, Ryuzaki-san. Saa.. It's been a while. You should've come earlier or before the matches, they'll surely be happy to see you again."
Sakuno beamed at him,"A-Arigatou, senpai." She planned on going early to visit the Tennis club on her first day in High school but as soon as her class ended, Tomoka dragged her to the place where they were moments ago and asked her about her summer and such.
"Fuji-senpai! Manager-san is asking for you!", a boy, maybe around Sakuno's age, came to them panting and after a minute of catching his breath, continued,"He's at the Faculty room *huff* waiting for you! *huff huff*."
Fuji thanked the boy who started running off again then turned to Sakuno,
"Saa.. I gotta go, Ryuzaki-san."
"Hai..", muttered Sakuno as she watch her Senpai walk away. But then he stopped on his tracks and turned to look at her.
"By the way..", Fuji smiled warmly at the auburn-haired girl who stood just a few feet away from him," You got prettier, Ryuzaki-san."
Then he continued on his way, leaving a furiously blushing Sakuno behind.
'P-Prettier..?'
...
Fuji's smile didn't leave his face as he walk his way to the Faculty room. The earlier scene kept on replaying in his head and it made him feel.. a little different.
He unconsciously rubbed his arms and noticed it. A picture of a beautiful auburn-haired girl wrapped in his arms suddenly flashed in his mind, making him smile more. He actually liked holding her, it's as if she had this warmth in her that rubbed off on him in that certain moment, it felt homey.
'Saa.. Such a nice day..'
Ryuzaki Sakuno. His former coach's granddaughter. In a span of three years, one can say that she really changed a lot. Unlike before, she just now let's her long, wavy, auburn hair hang loosely behind her which really compliments her heart-shaped face. Her chocolate brown eyes seem to have some yellow specks in them whenever a ray of sunlight hits them and her pink lips.. they seem so soft.. he was tempted to touch them. Her body.. although petite, is filled in the right places. He'd be lying to himself if he say,'I didn't like what I saw' because he certainly couldn't take his eyes off of her. Yep, he'd been staring at her for quite a time while she was in deep thought .. She was like a Sakura tree in full-bloom.
But even though she changed a lot physically, Fuji found out through Momo who keeps on talking about Sakuno (which seemed to be a lot) that she's still the shy girl who has a habit of fiddling with the hem of her skirt and stuttering when nervous. She trips a lot and certainly is an accident-magnet. She easily blushes which makes her face more.. glowing. She's a great cook and likes to play Tennis. And by the way.. She also likes Echizen Ryoma.
He stopped walking. He didn't know why but he just did..
Fuji certainly didn't miss the sadness in her eyes while staring at her, the longing in them..
Now he knows why.
...
"Nyaaaaa! Sakuno-chan!", Kikumaru Eiji, the ever-hyper Senpai, leaped and hugged the girl tightly, earning her murderous looks from the fan girls around them. Kaoru Kaidoh shooed them away with a glare.
"S-Senpai!", Sakuno's already red face turned even more redder, if that was even possible. The ranking matches are over and now almost all of the Senpai-tachi (except for Fuji who went to the Faculty room) are gathered outside the court for Tezuka's announcement. After that, Tomoka pulled her to greet them and now, here she is. Hoggled by her Senpai.
"Eiji! Ryuzaki-san can't-", before Oishi can even finish his sentence, the red-headed lad spoke again with excitement.
"Nya! I missed you and your Bento's, Sakuno-chan!", Eiji pulled his body away to get a good look at her, "Wow, you look really pretty!"
It's a wonder how someone's face can blush like that in a mere fraction of a second!
But Eiji didn't seem to notice her reaction to his bluntness and continued to fuss over her.
"Your hairstyle suits you! Wowww! You look taller too! You really-"
"Seems like Eiji wants to be my new guinea pig today.. would you like to start now?", Sadaharu Inui's glasses glinted as he showed a bottle containing some sort of.. er.. purple drink. A disgustingly purple liquid oozing with the words 'LETHAL. TOXIC. DEADLY.'
Eiji instantly hid behind Syuichiroh Oishi, the Fukubuchou.
"Oishiiiiii~! Help! I don't wanna- DON'T WANNA DIE!"
"Then be a good boy and behave", Oishi rubbed his temples. 'Eiji and his childlike manners..'
Eiji nodded obediently. Inui just shrugged and placed the bottle behind him. 'Shame..'.
The others just laughed at their display.
Takeshi Momoshiro went to pat Sakuno's head and smiled at her while Kaoru Kaidoh nodded at her, acknowledging her presence. She got closer to the two of them after the others graduated. Momo said it's because he promised to protect Echizen's girl at all times while Kaidoh.. well, he just likes the girl, she's so different from those fangirls who kept on screaming wildly whenever they're around. Her shy personality is one of the reasons why Kaidoh hangs around her- no, uhh- why he ALLOWS her to hang around him. Riiiiiight.
"How do you find your first day?", Momo asked the girl, grinning.
"It was great, Momo-senpai", she smiled at him. She's already got used to the two, that's why she doesn't stutter whenever they're talking to her,"Congratulations on making it to the Regulars line up!"
"Ah, thanks. It was nothing-"
"Fffffshuuu, airhead.."
Momo and Sakuno turned to look at the lad with the green-scarf,
"What d'you say, mamushi?!"
Before the two can get into another fight, Sakuno blurted,
"Congratulations to you too, Senpai!"
That certainly caught his attention.
"Ffffshuu, thanks."
Whoa, did she just stop the two from fighting?
"Congratulations, Senpai-tachi!", she turned to them and said it with a smile, which they returned.. well, except for Tezuka and Kaidoh who just nodded.
"How's Ryuzaki-sensei?", the stoic captain asked her all of a sudden.
'H-He's talking to me..?', her jaw wanted to drop but decided against it.
"S-she's fine. Ano, she's.. planning to v-visit here one of these days", here goes the stuttering blubbering ball of mess.
"That's good."
"Ne..", Eiji spoke while looking at her questioningly,
"Have you heard from Ochibi?"
As soon as he finished his sentence, Sakuno stiffened.
'Of course, they'll talk about him..'
Momo and Kaidoh gave Eiji a 'That's-a-wrong-question-you-dope-now-look-at-what-you've-done-and-it's-your-fault' look. During their last year in Junior high school, they learned not to talk about Ryoma whenever Sakuno's around. They'd always avoid topics about him, knowing that the girl hasn't moved on. There was nothing serious between the two but Ryoma was her first love, that's why his 'not answering to even a letter from her' affects her greatly. The others caught the looks they were giving him and quickly understood.
"Ryuzaki-san, you don't have to answer that", Oishi told her and gave her a comforting smile.
'Mou, Sakuno! Stop acting like a wimp.. Ryoma-kun is their friend, it's just normal for them to ask about him! And being like that whenever he's mentioned won't help you at all! Ryoma is.. He's.. Mou, I'm hopeless!', she chastised herself. After a while, the petite girl looked up at Oishi and answered, "Ano.. Umm, no. I haven't heard from him for a long time", trying to plaster a smile on her pretty face.
Then a moment of silence. But it didn't last for long.
"EEEEEEEH! SENPAI-TACHI DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE ME! I CAME HERE WITH SAKUNO!", Tomoka's LOUD AND SHRILL voice broke the awful silence and the regulars, shocked by her, erupted into laughters, except for- oh well, you know who they are. "WAAAA, NOW THEY'RE LAUGHING AT ME!"
Sakuno can't help but giggle at her friend's antics. Her soft laughter lightened up the atmosphere. After some more laughs, talks and more laughs..
"Eto.. I.. made Bento for all of you.. I left it inside the clubhouse", she spoke shyly.
Momo's grin got wider, "Hontou?"
Sakuno nodded while smiling meekly. The regulars beamed at her and happily thanked the auburn-haired girl.
"Another heavenly encounter with Ryuzaki's bento!"
"Hontou ni arigatou!"
"I'm quite hungry myself. Ikou."
And with that, they all walked to the clubhouse. But before Sakuno can even take a step to keep up with her Senpai-tachi, she felt someone engulf her in a hug from behind.
"Ara!"
"Nya..", a sad voice spoke just above her head.
The girl suddenly realized who it was but didn't move from their position.
The sadness in her Senpai's voice kept her in place.
"K-Kikumaru-senpai..?"
"I'm sorry.. I was being insensitive.."
The red-headed lad held her by the shoulders and turned her so that he can see her face.
"I'm sorry, Sakuno-chan..", he said while pouting. Guilt and sadness clearly etched on his face.
"N-Nani? Senpai.. Iie! It's not your fault. It's nothing, Kikumaru-senpai. D-Don't worry about it!", Sakuno told him reassuringly. She didn't mean him to feel this way!
Eiji nodded and exhaled, trying to rid himself of those bad and nasty feelings that kept on creeping up on his conscience, "Daijobu, Sakuno-chan?"
"Hai!", she gave him a genuine smile, feeling happy because of the concern the Senpai is showing for her. But the moment was interrupted by a grumble coming from Eiji's tummy. "Ano.. You should follow them. You must be hungry, Senpai."
Eiji's eyes suddenly went to the half-opened door of the clubhouse. Apparently, the others are already inside. "Nyaa! My bento's in danger with Momo near it! Come on, Sakuno-chan!"
They walked to the clubhouse.. but Eiji's mind is going off like rockets thinking about his Kouhai's current situation. 'This is too much, Ochibi! But.. It's been two years since we lost contact with him. What to do.. what to do..? Must tell Momo-chin and the others, Nya!'
...
"Tadaima, Obaa-chan!", Sakuno happily greeted her grandma. She went to hug her then sat beside Sumire who's currently watching T.V. in the Living room.
The old woman seemed to notice her cheery mood and smiled at her fondly.
The younger Ryuzaki leaned on her then looked at the show her grandma is watching, which is a T.V. news program. Sakuno yawned a little and her eyes started to slowly close when suddenly..
"Ryoma Echizen, the young prodigy, has won his match against Fisher! Many did not expect this though, after the said prodigy and just recently titled as the Prince of Tennis's months of avoiding the Paparazzi and lying low! A lot said it was because of his loss to Djokovich..-"
Sakuno shot up from her position and sat straight, her eyes set on the TV. She didn't seem to hear the next words of the anchor, especially when the cameras were on her first love, none other than Ryoma Echizen.
Her heart pounded painfully against her chest.
"Why have you-"
Time seemed to stop. She DID want it to stop.
Her longing showed through the way she looked at him.. coupled with sadness.
Her eyes widened in anticipation and her hands felt so stiff!
"What are your comments-"
She noticed that his hair is now longer and his face matured, making him look a tad more handsome than before! His T-shirt fitted his well-built body perfectly and his pants made him look taller (although he really is now taller). His all-too-familiar smirk was on his face, but instead of making him look arrogant, it actually made him look more regal.
Ryoma looked at the camera directly, and she felt like he was looking at her.
He smirked again, then spoke in his deep and velvety voice..
"Mada Mada Dane."
Her chest felt like bursting! How she missed him!
"Ryoma-ku-"
The next scene suddenly cut her off and she seemed to have lost her voice. Shock and disappointment blasted their way into her very core.. followed by sadness, pain and pity for herself and her patheticness.
Out of nowhere, a blonde girl suddenly went to Ryoma, her arm around his then kissed him on the cheeks. The worse thing is.. Ryoma didn't seem to mind! He acted as if it was just normal..
Sumire was also taken aback by this, but as soon as she got over her initial shock, she turned to look at Sakuno and was pained by the different emotions that registered on her granddaughter's face. She wanted to comfort her but stopped herself half-way. What can she say? That it might not be what they think it is and give her false hope ? Or tell her that she should just forget about the nitwit and move on, which might actually be more painful?
Instead of speaking, she moved to hold the auburn-haired girl's delicate hands. Her granddaughter seemed so fragile right now.. she's afraid that one single careless move can break her.
She saw something shiny in her granddaughter's eyes.. Unshed tears.
Before she can even do anything, the younger Ryuzaki spoke,
"Ne.. Obaa-chan.. I'm pretty sleepy.. I- I think I'll just go upstairs now and.. sleep", her voice broke but she instantly muffled it by putting a hand over her mouth. After a while, she lowered it and tried to smile,"G-Good night, Obaa-chan."
And that night.. Sakuno cried herself to sleep.
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