I hope you missed me even the slightest bit...
Chapter 3: The meeting
"Mada mada dane…"
Sakuno was confused. She did not know whether they're already safe or not. Maybe this man could help or not. Ryota is already in the brink of crying while Ryoka looked at man who just arrived.
The man walked towards them and instantly grabbed Sakuno by the wrist and pulled her up. The children instantly clung to her as if she would be dragged away. She fidgeted with all her might to have the man lessen his grip on her. The cap he wore obscured his eyes from being seen but Sakuno could see that the man was smirking.
"Please…let me go…" she whispered so that the children won't feel threatened if she shouted it.
"I won't."
That was the last reply she got when the unknown man pulled them into a run to a waiting red Ferrari in the parking lot.
"Hey! Wait!" she grabbed his arm when he was loading the children into the back seat of his car. This man must be more dangerous than the once they just left. For God's sake, he's kidnapping them. "Who are you?"
"I'm taking you home," he said then pulled her to the seat beside him in the front of the car. He pulled up on the highway and started on the not so familiar direction to home for Sakuno. The children were at the back seat, enjoying the ride as the wind swept through them.
"Wait, this isn't the way home!" Sakuno said, quickly looking around for any sign she could recognizes on the way to the house.
He looked at her as she fidgeted around in her seat. Not much has changed in her features. Her hair reached a few inches below her shoulders. But something really made him angry. There was the cut in her cheek. The blood had already dried up it stained her cheeks. He pulled out tissue from the glove compartment and handed it to her.
He suddenly pulled to a stop then backed up when he realized he had way passed his desired destination. He stopped completely in front of Sakuno's house where Marieta hurriedly opened the door for them. She probably heard the car pull up because it made a screeching sound when it backed up. When she saw who Sakuno was with, she let out an inaudible gasped.
The children climbed out of the car and ran inside the house to tell their grandmother their most recent adventure, dragging Marieta with them. Sakuno and the stranger were in the front of the house, looking at each other.
"I..I thank you…may I know what your name is so I could thank you properly?" Sakuno said, looking at the ground and playing with the hem of her blouse, embarrassed yet thankful that the man wasn't trouble.
"Where's your grandmother?" the man asked, his eyes still obscured from view.
Sakuno looked up in astonishment, "You know Obaa-chan?"
"Sakuno, please accompany the children in their meal…" a voice from the door said, it belonged to her grandmother.
"Obaa-chan, he…" Sakuno said.
The older woman raised her hand and motioned Sakuno to follow her wish and go back inside. Seeing that her grandmother might get angry, she obeyed.
"Thank you…." She bowed her head to the stranger and rushed back inside.
When she had gone, Coach Ryuzaki closed the front door behind her which left her and the stranger out of the house.
"I never thought you'd come here this fast…"
The man pulled his cap down to reveal his golden orbs. The smirk plastered on his face seemed to grow every moment that passes.
"Echizen Ryoma…."
"Ryuzaki-san…"
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"I want more milk!" Ryota demanded and held his cup to Sakuno. They were eating breakfast by the garden at the present moment. Sakuno smiled and poured him some more, glad that the boy likes something that's good for the body.
Ryoka was silently drinking her fill of milk, in a lot cleaner way than how Ryota is doing. She finished her meal, pushed her plate away from her and waited for Ryota to finish.
"Ah…arigatou!" Ryota said as he put his glass back on the table.
Sakuno looked at the happy little boy beside her and bit back a laugh. He was so messy and dirty. There were food stains and mud blotches he got outside all over his front, his hair messy, and some bits of rice still stuck at the side of his mouth. "How about taking a bath, Ryota-chan?"
The boy frowned at her, "Why?"
"You're dirty…and icky…" Ryoka commented, trying her best to put in a lot of effort in her stare towards her twin so he would concede to her demands.
"A..ha...right…" Sakuno said, slowly guessing that the boy doesn't like taking a bath.
Ryota, sensing that Ryoka might use force if her resist, tried to reason to Sakuno with his cutest face, "But, nee-chaaannn…I don't want to…."
"Alrig-," Sakuno started but Ryoka cut her off.
"No…If you don't take a bath, you're sleeping alone tonight…"
"Wah-," Ryota's eyes widened, a 'no' was about to roll off his tongue.
"A big scary monster will eat you…" she said in a whisper, thinking that would scare him.
Tears burst from Ryota's eyes and Sakuno doesn't know what to do…
O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Ryoma and Sumire were passing by the dining room door when they heard a child's cry coming from inside which made them stop. Ryoma looked with longing at the door, thinking beyond it was his family, and his due comfort.
Sumire brought him back to his senses by clearing her throat. He snapped back to the matter at hand and followed the old woman into an empty room.
"Sit…" she motioned him to a white cushion on the floor. She sat on the cushion in front of him. She poured him some tea from a pot and gave it to him.
"I assume you heard this from Eiji…" Sumire started.
Ryoma turned his gaze from the cup back to her and replied with a nod.
Sumire sighed, "And I assume you're very upset with this?"
Again Ryoma nodded.
"You already know what you have to do so you showed up here, may I ask what is going on inside your head?"
"I am greatly upset by your actions…whatever your reason is, you should have known that I would always stand by her, I would never leave her…"
"She's on the brink of death, and you're half-crazy, I could tell it has done you good to know that she is gone…you easily regained your pace…doing it saved you from a whole deal of continued misery and false hope."
"I could have lived with a tinge of hope rather than have it vanish all together…" Ryoma half-shouted at the woman as he stood and began to pace the room.
Sumire closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath then opened them to see Ryoma staring out the window, observing Sakuno as she chased around the garden a fleeing Ryota.
"But you can't undo the damage that the incident has brought upon her…she's got no memories of everything since the day she met you…"
"Does she know she had children?" he asked, continuing to look at the window, Sakuno, obliviously that someone was watching her every move. "She seems to get along with them just fine."
"No, I told her that it's her cousin's children…the doctor said not to tell her complicated things, she might have a breakdown…" she sipped some tea.
Sakuno caught up with Ryota and carried him back to the house, flailing, of course. When they were out of his sight, Ryoma continued to pace the room.
"She seems to have forgotten who I am…and you didn't bother to tell her."
"Yes, but it's for the best…"
"How could that be for the best? She did not recognize ME for heaven's sake!"
"She's still healing Ryoma, don't bother her with confusing thoughts."
"You could have at least told her the truth...don't expect that I could break it to her gently,"
"Whatever you're thinking, don't do it, she might not take it…let her adjust to life first, she hasn't even grown in her body, she acts like a twelve year old and she's adjusting to a woman's body."
"She's my wife, how can you not understand that fact?"
"I raised her up, I know her more than you do…"
Sumire sipped her tea then looked at Ryoma who was still pacing the room. Then he stopped in front of her. "I want her back, and I want the children in it too."
"How do you plan to do that?" Sumire asked.
"I'll stay here until she trusts me then take her to Tokyo with me."
"No, that is not advisable, you'll just end up hurting her,"
Ryoma smirked, "Mada mada dane,"
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Sakuno was walking through the corridor carrying a soaking wet Ryota who was wrapped in a bath towel, he seemed to be sniffling as he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, Ryoka trailing after them, licking a lollipop.
Ryoma stopped in his tracks when he saw Sakuno approaching in the opposite direction. She seemed tired but she's got a smile on her face.
"Oh…" she said when she noticed him. She stopped a few meters from him. Ryoka peeked from behind her, clutching the hem of Sakuno's blouse. "Anou…sorry and thank you for saving us…" she hummed while she was thinking, "I think I did not catch your name?"
"I did not drop it, but I'm Echizen Ryoma…."
"Thank you, Echizen-san…" she bowed her head slightly. "You seem to know obaa-chan, how come?"
"I'm…a family friend…I'm currently staying here in Kyoto…"
"Ah…gomen…I did not know…" she said then bowed again then slid the door at her right open to reveal the twin's room. It was full of toys and other playthings, two small beds were situated in the middle, the left side was lined with shelves filled with toys and a few books while the other side is an open area with soft matting so the children could play in. Sakuno entered the room and put Ryota down on the bed to pick clothes for him from the drawers.
Ryoma peeked inside then entered, followed by Ryoka who silently sat beside her brother.
"What're your names?" he kneeled in front of the two so they could be eye-level.
Ryota, who by then had regained his cheerful attitude, beamed at him, " I'm Ryuzaki Ryota!"
Ryoma half smiled then turned to the girl. She had on the same look he makes when he's not interested, but still, she said, "Ryuzaki Ryoka…"
Ryoma wondered how the two are so…opposite in personality and yet they go along so well with each other. Ryota may look like him but he's got his mother's eyes and her cheerful attitude, unlike Ryoka who looks like her mother but she acts like him. He was almost proud of himself that he produced such fine children.
Sakuno came back with a set of clothes for Ryota. He took it from her and dressed himself up, but now without a few help from Sakuno.
Sakuno gazed at Ryoma who was busy talking to Ryota. The boy seemed to like his companionship as well as the softness in his voice as he spoke to them. Then Ryoma gazed up at her, that same gaze that she felt she had seen such a long time ago.
Mada mada dane, Sakuno…
I love you too, Ryoma-kun…
I bet the others thought we are gay…
That was your fault…
Sakuno clutched her head in pain but it went away as soon as it had come, Ryoma did not even notice even if he was looking at her. She was confused. It couldn't have been her imagination coz she certainly wasn't going to think about this man. Her voice sounded like when she was back to twelve years old, it was so clear in her head. She said she loved him, how come she could not even remember meeting him.
The last 8 years of her life had been a void of memories for her. Even if her grandma told her that she finished studies , had an accident then was in the hospital for two years. She could remember all the faces she had met before those grueling eight years she had missed had begun.
Ryoma can't help but notice a slight tinge of pain that had crossed her face a few seconds ago. It was gone in an instant so he thought it was just his imagination. His mind was full of things that he wanted to tell, share with her and make her remember who he was. That she was the most special person to him, something he had started to value more than tennis 8 years ago. And to ask her, how could you forget?
Their eyes were locked at each other, searching for something unknown to both of them.
Ryoka just observed them quietly, enjoying her lollipop.
Sorry for the late update…It's summer again! Wahoo! And I'm off to college! Yehey! Reviews are accepted of course, tell me if I've gone…off character on this one…I thought it can't be helped, sorry…
Next chapter: The love of a Tennis star
Ryoma asks Sakuno to play a tennis match with him. Playing in the public tennis courts, Sakuno learns that she's Echizen Ryoma's wife…