Disclaimer : Do I really have to do this every chapter? Gosh! I do not own Prince of Tennis nor Gakuen Alice!

Chapter X : His Resolve

Mikan, despite of the lack of sleep, went to the kitchen in her pajamas the next morning. She was thinking of ways to aggravate Natsume so he'll live She wouldn't dare trust her feelings right now. It was all over the place. She was pissed knowing that he was just a wall away yet a sense of security envelops her knowing he was around. She hated the fact that even before he says anything her anger was slowly fading. it was replaced by a feeling that was new to her. She had been feeling the tingling ache in her heart every time she looks at his crimson eyes. The feeling was too foreign yet so familiar. She was not the type of person who bears a grudge but the sadness of his departure has planted anger to cover what she truly felt.

Curiosity fell upon her when she was not able to see Sakuno in the kitchen. She checked the clock twice to make sure that it was really six a.m. She even checked the clock in the living room and it was really at six a.m. She checked the garage and found her car was still there.

"Maybe she slept in?" Mikan thought.

For the past months after their parents died, Sakuno never failed to wake up earlier than Mikan. Mikan was not really an early riser, as we know, yet she was never late. Every time she wakes up the table was set with their breakfast and a steaming cup of hot cocoa. But today was different. There's no Sakuno anywhere in the kitchen and no steaming hot choco.

Mikan decided to make breakfast instead and let Sakuno sleep. She knows that her sister needs the rest. She knew that Ryoma, being around her sister, was good.

She was flipping the omelet when she heard him.

"Good morning, Polka," Natsume greeted her from the kitchen door.

The omelet almost went out of the pan when she was startled with his voice. She turned to glare at him. But all the words died in her lips for there she saw Natsume in his board shorts and white shirt. He looks well rested and as handsome as sin.

"Nobody should look this good in the morning," she thought as she gave his appearance a run down. "He looked so..delicious," she gave herself a mental slap. She should not think of him this way. And she decided to kill him with kindness today.

"Like what you see, Polka?" he smirked when he realized that she was staring at him. "I definitely like what I'm seeing."

Mikan blushed at his compliment. She was wearing a sleeveless top and cotton pj's with little sakura petals in them. The top was tight which curved through her upper body and the pj's were too thin that the silhouette of her long legs is seen.

Mikan just pouted. She was counting in her head and reminding herself not to get pissed. She sighed when she successfully calmed herself down. She let his comment pass and gave him a wide smile.

"Good morning, Natsume," she greeted.

He stiffened in shock. He didn't expect that.

"No woman would want to see her in the morning, but if she looks like Mikan I'd want to wake up seeing her like this everyday," Natsume thought.

Her smile warmed his insides. He would guess that he was blushing now. He decided to not so much dwell on it for he knew he might not be able to think straight with her look so delicious on her pj's.

"What are you doing?" he asked as he sat down on one of the stools in the kitchen island as he watched her move in the kitchen.

"Breakfast," she gave him another innocent smile. The blush on Natsume's face was getting deeper."Have you seen, Ryoma-nii?"

Natsume arched a brow.

Mikan was now making the hot cocoa for both of them.

"I haven't seen, Saku-nee. She usually prepares the breakfast every morning. When I check her car, it was still in the garage," Mikan explained.

"She must have slept in.'

"I thought so too. Would you mind calling them for breakfast please?" she asked.

"Hn."

He stood up and went to his brother's room first. He didn't know on why he followed her without protest. When he heard the plea in her voice he was in trance.

"Mikan," he whispered as a smirk curved his lips.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Natsume knocked on his brother's door but he didn't respond.

"Niichan!" he called out but he didn't hear a single movement.

He tried to twist the knob and was a little awed that it was opened. He entered the room and searched for his brother. But when his eyes landed on the bed, he realized that it was fully made as if no one slept in it. He knocked on the bathroom door even if he knew his brother wasn't there. He thought he might be out for a warm up but his tennis bag was still on the floor.

"Where the hell could he be?"

He went to knock on the small adjacent door to check if Sakuno was awake. He was not shocked that the door was unlocked but what he saw made his face warm with a blush.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Mikan was getting curious on why it was too long for the other three to come down for breakfast. She was getting bored. She went up to see on where Natsume was and found him standing still in the adjacent door of her sister and Ryoma.

"Natsume-"

She saw him shook his head with a finger on his lips. Clearly he was telling her to stay quiet. The thrust his thumb toward her sister's bedroom as if telling her to see and watch.

Her eyes were wide in shock for in the middle of her sister's bed there lay her sister and Ryoma. Clearly both were getting cozy. She can see how her sister was clutching on Ryoma's shirt and on how possessive Ryoma's hand around Sakuno's lithe body. They saw that both stirred in their sleep yet they didn't wake up. Both snuggled closer at each other feeling each other's warmth.

Natsume made a sign towards the door and she nodded.

A wide grin was spread on her lips when they arrived at the kitchen for breakfast.

They never talked about it during breakfast but Mikan always caught Natsume staring at her and she can't stop but blush with the attention.

"Better get ready for the office," Mikan announce just to avoid further embarrassment. "Let's leave them alone for now, ne?"

"Hn."

They went on their separate rooms to prepare for work. Once Mikan was done, she made a quick note for her sister. When she went out to her car she saw Natsume waiting for her and she was mesmerized. Natsume was standing beside her black BMW. He was wearing a white button up shirt and black pants. Mikan caught her breath when he saw him smile. He was gorgeous.

Natsume, on the other hand, was as mesmerized as Mikan. She was wearing a simple tie dress in pink and some gold stilettos. Her hair was in a waterfall braid to make sure nothing will block her vision. There's nothing really fancy with what she was wearing yet she gives out a happy vibe that just simply identified her as Mikan. He was not able to stop from smiling. She was a sight to behold.

"Let's go? I'll tour you around Alice Fashions," Natsume opened the door for her and he took the driver seat right after.

While on their way to Alice Fashions Mikan called Tomoka who serves as her sister's personal assistant.

"Hey Tomo-nee. Saku-neechan, may not come to work today. Please send all necessary files to me or Ruka for approvals, okay?"

"Yes, Tomo-nee. She's still sleeping when we left."

"She's with Ryoma-niichan.'

xoxoxoxoxoxox

Sakuno smiled as she snuggled close to her pillow. Her pillow tightened its arms around her and she sighed in content.

WAIT!

Do pillows have arms that can possessively tighten around you?No. Do pillows smell like a grapes? Well probably. Do pillows have broad chest? Definitely not! And can pillows have lips and rain kisses on your face?

Sakuno's eyes abruptly opened and she was greeted by those beautiful golden cat-like eyes. The owner has a very tender smile in his face and his face seemed to be closer than necessary.

Sakuno was too stunned to react properly especially that her brain was still clouded by sleep and she was distracted as hell because of the man that was staring at her.

A few moments later she just found herself pinned back on the bed covered by her then pillow and was devoured by a very sweet morning kiss. Her body automatically reacted to his advances even if her mind tells her to stop. He tasted, lick and kissed her thoroughly and a soft moan escaped her when he finally stopped kissing her.

Ryoma's smile widen. He knew that she was not aware of what she was doing to him. A few more kisses and he might lose control and probably scare her off.

"Good morning, Princess," he greeted.

When she heard his voice she automatically sat up and moved father away from him. And as if the blanket will hold him off, she covered herself up until her neck.

"W-What are you doing, here?" she asked accusingly. She tried to peek under the blanket and she sighed in relief.

"You wouldn't let go of me last night," he said with a nonchalant shrug but his eyes were full of mischief.

When he woke up an hour before she did, he was greeted by a lovely sight that was Sakuno. Her cheeks were red with sleep and her body was pressed against his. He liked the feeling of her soft body and he can get used to waking up like this everyday of his life.

When she stirred she unconsciously brushed her lips on his neck it was too intimate for him that his shorts was starting to get uncomfortable.

"Oh man," he sighed. He knew once she figure out what was happening she might just cry fire.

But it seems she was dreaming because she started to tighten her arms around him and a smile crossed her lips. He heard a contented sigh and he can't stop himself from raining tiny kisses on her face that was when she decided to open her eyes and gaped at him. Lips were too inviting that he just went for the kill and kissed her senseless. She tasted so sweet that he knew he'll be addicted with. He had never kissed anybody like this. And he had never felt like this too. His deepened the kiss, he licked and tasted her sweet mouth. But his rational mind was telling him to stop. Even if it was too difficult to do so, he slowly remove his lips from hers when he heard her moan, a satisfied smile curved his lips.

Then the interrogation started. He knew what came up in her mind when she saw their current position and he decided to tease her.

"N-No way!" she exclaimed. "D-Did w-we...?" she was having trouble finishing her sentence but he did understand what she meant.

His brow arch in question.

"What do you think?"

He just wished something happened.

Sakuno blushed deeper.

If she only knew how beautiful she was. Her hair was all over the place. Her lips were a little swollen because of his kiss and she was just simply radiant. Radiance that was bought by sleep.

"Do you know how beautiful you are?" he said as if in a trance.

Sakuno's face grew even redder, if that was even possible.

He moved towards her in an attempt to give her another mind-blowing kiss but she turned her head away.

"Stop teasing me, Ryoma-kun."

But then she yelped when he nipped at her neck.

"No problem, Sakuno. As long as I get to kiss you."

He then turned her head toward him and gave her a chaste kiss.

Sakuno melted into his kiss. It was tender and the kiss was full of promise. A promise of pleasure and security. She was into the kiss that she didn't realize that she was now straddling on his lap. Then the phone rang.

Automatically she moved away yet Ryoma followed and caught her lips again.

"Don't answer it," he said in between kisses.

"Might be something important, "she answered in between pants.

"Don't care," he deepened the kiss further.

She had her forehead on his as she was trying to catch her breath.

"You're insufferable," she weakly said but a faint smile was seen in her lips.

"I ought to please."

He then grinned. She grinned back while she was reaching for her cell phone.

"Kyaaa!Sakuno!" Tomoka's booming voice greeted her that even Ryoma flinched.

She had the gadget in an arms length yet she can still hear her best friend's voice. She looked at Ryoma and blushed in embarrassment. He gave her a look as if saying I-told-you-so. She pouted at him.

She was just too cute for him that he gave her a peck on her lips.

"Is it true? Is it true?Sakuno!" Tomoka's incessant questions were heard.

Sakuno's brows furrowed in confusion.

Ryoma was just observing every minute details that she was doing. He bet she doesn't know.

"What's true?"

"That Ryoma-sama is here?"

"Uh, yes," she reluctantly answered as she looked at him.

"Kyaa!" Sakuno had to move the phone away from her ears again.

Ryoma though was in the verge of laughter. He was thoroughly enjoying Sakuno's discomfort because of her best friend's questions. And he was just too happy to let her talk to the loud-mouth because she has not realize still that she was straddling him. A cocky smirk curved his lips as he was staring at her brown eyes.

"When did he arrived?" Tomo wants to know every gory details.

"Yesterday. How did you know?"

"Mikan called saying you won't be coming in," Tomo informed her. "She instructed me to forward all important papers to her or Ruka."

"But I'll go to work today. I just sleep in." She protested. "Yeah right, Sakuno. You enjoyed the comfort and warmth of your human pillow," a part of her brain teased.

"No, Saku-chan. You take the rest of the week off and enjoy Ryoma-sama's company. You need the rest," Tomo's voice was thoughtful.

"But Tomo-chan!" she pouted at the phone as if her best friend could see it.

Ryoma couldn't help it but gave her a peck on the lips again. She was just way too cute.

"Ryoma-kun!" She pouted more and Ryoma couldn't hold it in. He just laughed.

He laughed like he had never laughed before. Her array of emotions are entertaining and she was beautiful without trying to be.

"Is that Ryoma-sama?" Tomo suspiciously asked.

"Uh, yes," Sakuno knew that she was a bad liar. Plus she was having trouble concentrating since Ryoma was nipping at her neck. She was feeling hot all over and she just wanted to end the phone call and start to kiss Ryoma back.

"Oh my!" Tomo exclaimed but before Sakuno would hear the rest of her blabbering Ryoma took the phone away from her.

"Osakada, right?" His voice was laced with kept passion that he needs to clear his throat. "I'll abduct Sakuno for today. She's not allowed to step in her office for the entire day."

"Kyaa! I'll take care of everything Ryoma-sama," Tomo couldn't hold off her giddiness. She had been a big fan of him yet she never had harbor any romantic feelings for him. She knew that Sakuno and Ryoma were meant for each other.

"Thank you, Ryoma-sama. Sakuno needs the rest," Tomo's voice was laced with worry. "Please take care of her."

"You don't have to tell me that," He replied.

"I know I will take care of her. She's my life now," he mentally added.

He was staring at her with eyes full emotions. A feat that no one ever had seen from the Prince of Tennis himself. But with her, he allowed himself to be vulnerable for he new that she had been a part of her life ever since he laid his eyes on her.

Now the problem is on how he should tell her.