Too Close,yet too Far
by Sessrin Koshimae (Shunrei Ryuzaki)
Disclaimer: The characters of Prince of Tennis isn't mine.
Chapter 8: Sakura's Tale
I looked up at the sky and sees the clouds start to form heavier. The warm wind blew slightly and I felt my sweats fall on my soaked wet sport shirt. I wiped them with my right arm and decided to retreat. After our afternoon practice, I went back to Student Council Room to gather the forms needed for the incoming school festival. It is our duty as Class Representatives to make plans and coordinate with our classmates. I wonder if Seiran would actively participate with us. Of course, he's also one of the Class Representative and our class president so he must deal with us with regards to our class activities.
I slid the door open and surprised to see him sitting at one of the table facing the window. He seems on his deep thoughts and I wonder what could have bother him. I decided to take a loud step when I entered the room. He heard me coming and turns his head towards me. I smiled sweetly at him and he gave me the same stoic face of him. It was really annoying. I'm much prefer to see him smirking back at me or sending one of his mischievous chuckles.
"Something's wrong?" I asked as I put down my bag at the table near me. He gave me a cold look and shifted his eyes back outside the window. I frowned in disappointment but well, I'm expecting him not to confide his troubles to me. If that would happen, that's really out of his character, isn't?
I stared at him. I wonder how could he maintain himself calm. I never saw him angry or sad before. His cool facade is always there but somehow I knew there's more than he is than that.
There's a new feeling that blossomed inside of her. She didn't know why did she start felt conscious every time she could feel his presence near her. Her heart pounds wildly in her chest and she could feel butterflies settling on her stomach. Sometimes, she's aware of the sudden flush of her face whenever she talks to him. She's aware of her growing attraction to him but decided to keep it to herself.
"What do you think? Is it alright to them that we'll perform a stage play?" I asked.
That's strange. At America, when we have a school activity, our class always ends up with doing dancing numbers and sometimes the combination of singing and dancing. Japanese traditions are really different from the western. I'm surprised when I found out that at their school festival, they can sell different food and products, also cafes. Oh that's really nice! But our class ended up performing a stage play. It's the first time I'll be a part of a theatrical group. I haven't any acting and performing like an actress before so I'm really excited. This is something new to me and I like it.
I saw his shoulder shuddered in response to my question.
"I dunno and I don't even care." I heard Seiran said to me. Oh, yeah. That's really Seiran, isn't it?
The next day, during our class' free time, we discussed about the play we'll perform for the incoming school festival.
"Any suggestion for the story we'll perform?" Seiran asked stoically while we both stood at the front of the class.
"Why don't we perform a fairy tale? That would be nice." One of our girl classmate said.
"Let's do Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty." the other one said.
"Ne, that's too childish. Why don't we do Romeo and Juliet or Hamlet?"
"Tch. You want to perform some western stories. Why don't we stick to our native tales." We heard Ai-chan said. Seiran and I gave her an inquiring look.
"Good idea, Ai-chan!" someone blurted out.
"Yeah, but what would be the tale then?" the other asked.
"Let's performed the 'Kaguya-hime'." Ai-chan suggested with a big grin.
"Kawaii! That's excellent!" they exclaimed.
Seiran looked at me with inquiring eyes. I knew what he's thinking. He didn't know what's 'Kaguya-hime' is.
"Don't look at me like that, Seiran-kun. I didn't know anything about Japanese mythology and Legends." I told him.
"Ehh? Ryuuzaki-kun and Echizen-chan didn't know anything about 'Kaguya-hime'?" one of my seatmate asked.
Seiran raised a brow as if saying 'do I seems to care, if I didn't know'. I nodded at response.
"'Kaguya-hime' means "The Moonlight Princess". It is about a beautiful maiden that came from the moon and raised in earth by a childless bamboo cutter man and his wife. She fell in love with the emperor but departed the earth because she was summoned to go back to the moon." Ai-chan explained.
'Wow.' i thought. 'That is a nice story.'
"I assume that due to Momoshiro-san's insistent, our class will perform this 'Kaguya-hime' you're talking about." Seiran said.
"I didn't insist, Ryuuzaki-kun." Ai-chan glared at him.
"Let's do the casting then." I said.
After the voting part, the final casting has been set. Seiran's eyes narrowed as he looked at the written names in the blackboard. I looked at it then and I felt my jaw dropped in surprise. Written on the blackboard is my name as the actress for the title role and Seiran as the Emperor of Japan. Momoshiro Ai has been selected as the Main Director of the play.
I looked at Ai-chan and saw her wearing an evil grin. Was this in her plan? I heard Seiran frowned in dismay but never uttered a word about it.
The next day, both Seiran and I became very busy. Our whole day were packed with meetings, classes, tennis practices and some initial practices for our play. But since then I noticed something's wrong to Seiran. He became more silent and colder than before. His undirect teasing to me has been ceased. He's colder to me as if he didn't want to talk to me. I felt pain. I don't know why. Something inside me is hurting. Something's telling me to go to him and ask him why. Why does he hurting her?
...
It is true. She was my sister. She told me she's Ryoma-san's daughter. Don't ask me why I'm calling my father in his first name. I'm not used of calling someone as 'Otou-san', 'Daddy' or 'Father'. Well, yes. He is my father and I'm his son. But if isn't for okaa-san, I would tolerate him around me. It is hard for me to treat him as my father. He still goes to our house or to my mom's cafe just to visit her and spent some time with us. Sometimes, he's asking me about our tennis matches like a father asking about the day of his son. That's quite new and... surprising. I wonder what did he find interesting about my matches and events to my class. Maybe he wants to catch up.
I looked at him and to my mother and I could feel how much they adore and care about each other. When I looked at Ryoma-san, I wonder what okaa-san did to him that his cold and arrogant attitude were vanishing in her presence. I could see the love and adoration to his eyes whenever he gaze upon my mother. In return, my mother caresses his face and gives him a sweet smile. I never saw her before doing something like that with other man except me. Guess, she really loves my father. Maybe I'm quite lucky because I was born because of their love.
I looked at Sakura in the corner of my eyes and sees she's already exhausted with today's activities. We were loaded with different things we must do and it's really exhausting. Too bad for us, we still need to finalize the report we'll pass on the Student Council tomorrow morning. We were in the Student Council room and she's editing and revising the report. I sat across her table and waited patiently to her to finish. I was the one who'll finalize the report. She seems occupied. Was there's something's bothering her? Was i about her father and my mom? Did she already know I am her brother? I wonder.
I noticed her stopped writing and looked at me.
"Seiran-kun." she called.
I looked back at her.
"Yes, Echizen-chan?" I asked.
"Call me Sakura." she said.
Huh? Calling someone by his or her first name basis means intimate connection or close relationship in Japan, right?
"Why?" I asked monotonously.
"Because.. I... I.." she stuttered.
"Because you?" I said in a cold voice.
"I like you, Seiran-kun." she finally said.
My eyes widened at her unexpected confession.
...
She couldn't deny it anymore. Her growing admiration is constantly there. She's falling inlove with him.
"I like you, Seiran-kun." she finally said.
Seiran looked at her intently. 'What's this? A joke? She can't be serious, isn't she?' he thought.
"You're joking, right?" he asked.
"No." she said quietly much to his dismay.
"You shouldn't." he replied.
Sakura's eyes widened in surprise.
"Wh..why?" she asked with a broken voice.
Seiran closed his eyes, not wanting to see her reaction. "cause I'm your brother." he finally said.
"Ho..how could it be?" Sakura asked.
"I'm Echizen Ryoma and Ryuzaki Sakuno's illegitimate son. Your father impregnated my mother after they graduated in high school and before he left going to America." Seiran explained.
They both fell silent. Sakura didn't know what to think. She's confused and frustrated. She didn't know that he's her brother. Did she really love her or it was just a great admiration towards him? She didn't know.
"But we aren't blood connected." she murmured.
Seiran heard her and stares at her.
"What? What do you mean?" he asked.
"I'm his adopted daughter." she uttered.
...
A five year old girl with tangled raven hair and messy dress sobs silently at one of the dark alley at New York. Her arms and her limbs are full with bruises. Her hazel eyes were almost puffed in soreness. She'd just runaway from her abusive master because of fear. Her master has been always drunk lately and always beat her when he's annoyed. She sobs quietly while seating at the dark alley.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming towards her. Horror finds it way to her spine and she starts to tremble with fear. She saw a tall man with dark green hair and a pair of amber eyes staring down at her. He slowly reached his hand to her and she flinched in fear.
"Please don't hit me. Please." she cried.
"You're a japanese?" the man asked.
She slowly lifts her head to see the face of the man. She nodded in response. The man crouched in front of her and opened his two arms.
"Come. I'll not hit you. No one while hurt you again when I'm with you." the man said.
She slowly rises from her seat and reached to his arms before falling unconscious.
She woke up the next day in a different and unfamiliar room. She turned her gaze around and saw the man sitting at the side of the bed.
"Ohayou Gozaimasu." she said. "Ohayou." the man replied.
"What is your name?" he continued.
"Kana." the young girl said.
"Where are your parents? And why do you have bruises?" he asked.
She told him that her mother has died after giving birth at her and her father was shot to death by a criminal at the bank he's working at. She haven't any relative known to her. The Landowner of the apartment they're living before sold her to a government clerk to be his child servant. She told him he battered her since the day he purchased her.
The young girl sobs silently at his side.
"You're not going back to him. I'm taking you as my daughter. You don't have to cry anymore." the man said before picking her, placing in his lap and cradled her.
She smiled innocently to him and grasped his shirt with her little hands.
"Arigatou, Otou-san. Kana is really happy." she said.
"You aren't Kana anymore, my little girl. Starting from now on, you'll be known as Echizen Ryoma's daughter, Echizen Sakura." he told her.
She looked up to him and smiled.
"Hai, Otou-san. Sakura is really happy." she said.
...
"But that doesn't changed the fact that we're siblings. Look, Sakura-chan. You might be attracted to me because I some kinda look like our father. Please understand. It is just a great admiration of yours to me." Seiran said.
Sakura fell silent in a moment.
"Perhaps, you're right Seiran-kun. Maybe I'm looking unto you because you seems like Otou-san." she finally said.
...
The door of the manager's office at Dream Cafe flew open. Momoshiro An, the manager of the cafe went inside with some folders in her arms.
"Hey, Sakuno-chan. Here are the inventory list that you've requested." An said as she put down the folders at the office table.
"Arigatou, An-chan. I'm sorry for bothering you." Sakuno replied.
"Nah, don't say sorry. You're the owner of this cafe and I'm just only the manager. I just needed to give you want you want." An said smiling back at Sakuno.
"Anyway, Tezuka-san and Fuji-kun wants to talk to you. Guess, I should leave the three of you now." she continued.
She opened the door and let Tezuka and Fuji went inside before she went outside. Fuji locked the door after An went away.
"Dr. Terada called me yesterday." Sakuno said without looking at them.
"What did he say?" Fuji asked.
"Still the same." Sakuno smiled bitterly. "No compatible donors."
"Did Ryoma and Seiran already knew about this?" Tezuka asked stoically.
"No. They didn't. I couldn't tell them. Not now." Sakuno replied.
"When did you intended to informed them? You're time is running out, Sakuno." Tezuka said.
"I couldn't. When I came back here to Japan, I only thought to leave Seiran here to be with you guys. I know you'll take care of him when I am gone. God is really kind to me. He united me again to Ryoma and I'm very greatful. Now... i just want to spent my remaining days with the two of the most important person to me. I want to left good memories with them. Seiran is my life,but Ryoma is my essence. I'm very happy that I have them until my last breathe." Sakuno said while her eyes closed with a smile in her lips.
"Please stop it, Sakuno-chan." Fuji pleaded.
"Stop these non-sense. We'll going to find a way, Sakuno." Tezuka stated.
"My time is running out. Dr. Terada told me the longest will be six months and the shortest will be in four months." Sakuno said.
"I said stop it, Sakuno. You're not going to die." Tezuka said coldly.
"But Mitsu-nii, as of this moment... I'm slowly dying." she said.
