"For two people in a marriage to live together day after day is unquestionably the one miracle the Vatican has overlooked."
-Bill Cosby
X. A Happy Ever After (Or not!)
The wedded couple exited the hall after the celebrant's benediction and the final hymn, much to Ryoma's relief. He actually thought the wedding's tediousness could practically bury him alive. But just as he supposed that he could finally have some rest, larger nuisances seemed to await the two of them.
"Echizen Sakuno…" Tomoka uttered repeatedly. "Kya! I just love it, Sakuno!" The ever-loud woman continued showing off her extremely shrill voice, much to his annoyance.
"A-ah, Tomo-chan…" 'Some things didn't seem to change, do they?'Sakuno smiled at the thought. You couldn't blame Tomoka. As Sakuno's friend, she had been always worried about the maiden's future. And after, it was her time, as others thought, to be happy and settled.
'Oh please, God. Why? Why does it have to reach this far? …'She silently prayed. Sakuno honestly thought it was about time to stop. She was damn tired and groggy. She didn't expect that weddings could be thatexhausting. From the preparations, and to the program itself, everything was set all throughout. Yet all they did was to stand, in front of all those people (and media, of course) for about thirty minutes or so, exchange cheesy lines, and do a kissin public. Well, those had to be a challenge for her, since she disliked crowds or the overflowing attention ever since.
She glanced to her side, only to notice her husband extremely bored, with sluggish eyes that begged for it to meet its end and rest.
'Hah, typical Ryoma-kun…'She thought. And it made her smile a little, as she watched the tennis prince yawn with utter tedium.
The reception hall had been crowded for a while now. And for their families and invited friends, plus the inevitable press, it was sufficient to say that the venue had grown incredibly small.
"Greet your guests." Ryuuzaki-sensei ordered, that made the two of them flinch a little. She was observing the pair all along. And, after all, she wasn't that foolish to not see the discomfort between the two. In which, she had guessed that this had to be their common point: sucking in social life.
"O-Of course." Sakuno couldn't possibly believe she was stammering at the moment. She actually thought she grew out of it. "I'll go meet Tomo-chan and the others." She kissed her grandma's right cheek then went on her way to join her girlfriend's table. And all what's left were Ryoma and the old woman.
"Ryoma," she said, then cleared her throat. "You know very well how vulnerable my granddaughter is, right?"
He then replied with a "Hn" and a curt nod.
"Well, make sure you really do." Ryuuzaki-sensei did look serious that moment. It was as if she was trying to lecture him or something. "It's not to lecture you, but to warn you of things. Sakuno could be in lots of trouble in the future. And I would trust you enough…to protect her." The sensation was just right. After all, he was indeed her knight in shining armor ever since, way back in junior high.
"I will." He simply said, not wanting to add more of the sentence he uttered.
"Oh, and yeah, play nice eh?" Wait, did he just see Ryuuzaki-sensei wink? For a moment, he thought that the old woman also was beginning to act like his own father.
On the other hand, Sakuno somehow managed to find her peers without getting lost. Yet, she unexpectedly thought that going there was a bad idea after all.
"So, Sakuno," Tomoka, having her yeah-I'm-so-nosy-but-so-what smirk, approached her newly-wedded best friend. "When are you guys going to do 'it'?"
The one questioned just eyed her with confusion, which decided to remain silent during the whole exchange.
"Lemme guess then… at the honeymoon maybe." An interrupted, chuckling evily.
Sakuno sighed. Of course, she did grasp exactly what Tomoka and An were talking about and what they were pointing out. She wasn't that dumb to think of what couples do with their…time together. She was, after all, a teacher.
"I don't even want to know what that 'it' you're talking about means." She stated, acting foolish. But she was an awful actress, and the two lasses knew that very well.
"Hah, don't make me laugh, Sakuno." Tomoka retorted with bits of discontent.
"My, my, how tempting." Both Tomoka and An knew that Sakuno's playing them.
But before the two could retort, Sakuno said in a flash. "But sadly, there's no way I'm going to do that, sorry to disappoint." Moreover, she was positive it would be the same way that her husband would treat the topic at hand.
"But you're married! Unfertile couples are the one's insecure about that matter, just so you know. So, stop acting like a child, Sakuno. Sexual relationship between couples! It does matter and the secret key ingredient to your intimacy." Tomoka smiled from ear to ear but did try to sound as educational and as civilized as possible; for she was well aware her friend was just fighting the urge to raise both of her brows.
"Now that was unexpected." An commented, making sure that her senses didn't fail her of what she just heard. "Since when did you learn that kind of stuffs eh?"
"A while." was her simple yet intriguing response, with an obvious grin seen on her features.
It was difficult to persuade her friends, as Sakuno would've thought. All of them were expecting that she and Ryoma would end up together after all. Yet even though she seemed regretful about her situation, surprisingly enough, she didn't appear saddened or gloomy at all.
"But, admit it." An suddenly interrupted her trail of thoughts. "It was worth the wait, eh? For Echizen-kun?"
That was supposed to be an easy question to answer. All she needed was to say "shut up" and everything should be fine. But, to her disbelief, her mind went blank. Yet to clear her friend's frustration, she simply shrugged in response. It was hard for her to comment and or even speak a word about it.
The clattering of wine glasses and the guests in their chatters resounded the within the venue's four corners. The reception continued, and the rest was history.
"So, I guess that you're bride left you all alone." Ryoma scowled upon hearing that dreadful voice he knew so well.
Ryoma turned his head from his seat to throw a menacing glare towards the man huddled behind him. But, to his utter dismay, there were two other people with Momoshiro, all bundled up with wolf grins plastered on their faces.
"What do you want?" Ryoma's scowl deepened as they decided to grab a few chairs and keep him company.
"Well, since your lovely bride is having some girl talk," Fuji smiled wider as Ryoma averted his deadly gaze towards his direction. "We decided to take a stroll and spark up a conversation with the husband of the dazzling maiden on table number 5." He became satisfied when he saw Ryoma clench the cloth of his chair.
'Tch. Idiotic groomsmen.' Ryoma placed his hands on his chest, mentally picturing their faces once he decided to hammer it with Tomoka's present (It was a very huge vase).
"So," Momoshiro started. "When are you planning to have some real fun?" His grin turned into something different and his voice became hoarse, husky.
"Yeah! I want to see a dozen O'chibis holding your tennis rackets!" Eiji demanded. "So, are you going to do 'it' with her tonight?"
"Wha-?" Ryoma's expressionless façade crumbled into nothingness as he grasped the thought his friends were trying to bring forward. 'They wanted me to have sex with Sakuno?' The thought he had was out of shock and he didn't even realize that he used her first name.
"Well, you're married! And we wanted to know if she's your first one." Momoshiro leaned on, wanting to take some juicy information out of his best bud.
"I'm a virgin." His cool response earned gasps from Eiji and Momoshiro. "Happy?"
"Or, if you're her first." Fuji smiled mysteriously as Ryoma grasped what he was muttering about. "You'll never know until you try it." He smiled again, which led for the other two to smile with him.
"Yeah! Fujiko's right!" Eiji praised Fuji's witty comeback. "And it does feel good when you're having an intimate relationship. You can even try having se—"
Momoshiro flung his hand on the redhead's mouth, clearly embarrassed by the racket Eiji was making with his loud voice. Sensing Ryoma's discomfort as well, he then grinned again. "Well, we better get going."
"For once, you have decided on doing something I agree with." Ryoma ruffled his tousled hair and glanced impassively at his friends. With that, Momoshiro dragged Eiji outside and beckoned Fuji to just follow.
"Here." Fuji threw a purple box, which Ryoma effortlessly caught. "Just in case."
Ryoma eyed the tennis prodigy suspiciously. He then averted his gaze on the box Fuji had given him. Upon reading the caption, his eyes instantly grew wide and he hid the pack in such pace that would make Akira Kamio proud. After that, he lifted his gaze to meet Fuji's, only to find him smiling and totally amused.
"It's grape-flavored." He smiled deeper as Ryoma glared at him. "I really wanted to give you another one but they all said that there was no available at the moment." He turned around after that, leaving the golden-eyed lad blaze in anger.
"Tch. As if I'll use it." Ryoma tucked the package inside his deepest pocket, making sure that it won't fall and he won't end up explaining all this.
"By the way, Echizen." Ryoma jerked his head, facing the tensai yet again. "She likes it when you pay close attention at the right side of her collarbone. Your tongue will do the trick."
The little advice Fuji gave him struck like a hammer in his head. Unable to glare at the brown-haired man since he had fled away, Ryoma stood from his chair and thought of a dozen ways on how to kill Fuji Syuusuke.
Immediately after the strenuous soirée, the couple slumped slothfully once they got on the couches. But as soon as they regained their awareness, both noticed that all the guests were out and they were alone, on the room, which made them a bit awkward with each other's presence.
"A-ah…Ryoma-kun?" True to be told, Sakuno didn't want to think about anything…perverted. She was aware that she was married, but, some things were just inevitable. But the way how Ryoma looked that moment gave her lumps of sweat that she couldn't explain where could possibly come out. Was it because of…say, temptation?
'Don't even think about it, Sakuno.'She said to herself.
"Hn?" His voice rang throughout her system urging her to do something...
"But you're married! Unfertile couples are the one's insecure about that matter, just so you know. So, stop acting like a child, Sakuno. Sexual—"
"AAAAHHH!" She wailed on top of her lungs to try releasing the foreign emotion she was feeling moments ago. 'Calm down, Sakuno!'She shouted to herself. She even slapped her face a number of times, yet still failed miserably.
"H-Huh-what?" Ryoma was alarmed from his wife's sudden screaming, yet was still obviously heavy-eyed.
"O-Oh." She abruptly realized that she just sounded like an upset stomach a while ago. And it was kind of… embarrassing, to say the least. She muttered bunch of apologies after that, though her companion really didn't mind. He was, all at once, stuck with the way his wife looked that moment.
Her flushed face, with tinge of faint pink on her cheeks, and the way she was dressed certainly did caught him off-guard. He didn't get enough chance to examine her during the ceremony, for he was too busy minding his boredom. And yes, he had to concede, that Sakuno did certainly look beautiful. For him, it was amusing she gained way to cure her acute clumsiness, but still remained her shy nature unharmed. He then unmannerly clutched the small package at his pocket, and instantly let go of it as well. Yet, much to his relief, his thoughts lasted for a matter of seconds before he completely got back his composure.
"Oi. Let's go. The car's ready." Nanjirou intruded the couple's privacy as he informed them that they should go. Both then changed their wardrobe and started to follow the old man to their Porsche.
Narita International Airport wasn't a little far from Kawamura's restaurant. Yet, the thirty-minute ride from there was a little…awkward. Not just for Sakuno, but for Ryoma as well. However, for the prince, keeping his cool would be necessary, since it was never on his mind to give a damn with such a balderdash reason: his true feelings and unwanted urges towards the maiden he married. Others—that would be his fans and all unrelated to him—might think that the words "love" or "care" didn't occur to him to begin with, not even in their wildest dreams or imagination. His fierce look toward his opponents on court was the absolute proof of it. But, was that enough?
The airport was still crowded, even if it was still six in the morning (1). Most people gazed, as others did not mind the appearance of the infamous couple. There were a few fans who asked for Ryoma's autograph, much to Sakuno's amusement. She took note of his irritated expression, in which he badly kept off as more people decided to move closer to him. On the contrary, there were guys as well who decided to take pictures of the tennis prince's wife instead. And that made Ryoma walk a little faster and farther away from the crowd.
Rinko uttered as she waved good bye to the couple. "Take care, Sakuno-chan!"
"A baby would be the—ow!" Nanjirou hollered but was halted by Ryuuzaki-sensei and her prepared newspaper, hitting him on the head as usual.
"Stop associating your son to yourself, okay?" Sumire shoved him away and bid her goodbyes to the departing couple.
"Hon, could you stop teasing your son?" Rinko chuckled lightly as she watched her husband rub his temple.
"I know both of you wanted that, too." It wasn't a question, but a statement. Besides, he knew exactly that he was right, for the two older women's desire for a grandchild was written all over their faces. 'Mada mada dana…'he thought.
"Oh, yeah." Then Rinko paused for a bit. "Where's Ryoga?"
The older Echizen immediately said, "Who knows? He might be thinking of getting married too, considering Ryoma was the first to get married." He then laughed hilariously at his own statement, after imagining what his older son might be doing. And there he thought he just couldn't be proud for his sons.
"We better go." Ryoma declared, not anymore wanting to ruin his day with his father's taunts. He was damn sick of it, for goodness' sake. First, with his senpais, then his father. He never did know that they werethat eager for a baby. "Let's go, Sakuno."
"Go for the gold, son! And make sure you'd bring home the bacon eh?" His father's metaphors were as lucid as how he said it. He even thought that he saw Sakuno's cheeks flame as he glanced at her.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Ryoma replied grumpily.
"Yaho! Now that's what I'm talking about." Nanjirou turned his back to his son happily as the "sign of reassurance" were uttered by Ryoma himself.
The goodbyes were all over. And they were all ready to go.
Sakuno's fingers remained intertwined with Ryoma's as they watched their families waved and congratulated them for what had just transpired. She had been used with holding hands with him that it was not the reason of her uncomfortable state. She then glanced at her husband, only to find his eyes on her.
Ryoma cocked his head, showing that he was curious about her current appearance. He then glanced at their hands, only to find Sakuno shaking her head afterwards.
"A-Are you really sure with your answer?" Sakuno hesitantly asked.
"Huh?" Ryoma didn't seem to pick up the point of this conversation.
"W-With Nanjirou-san's s-statement. Y-You're willing to do… 'i-it'?" Sakuno bowed her head low, thinking about her stupidity.
Ryoma smirked, absorbed with his wife's internal hysteria. He eventually let go of her hand, earning her flushed and confused gaze. With one fling, his arm came round her slim waist and his face near her ear. He could tell that his parents, together with Sumire, were all watching (Nanjirou was shouting cheers).
"Do you want me to?" He was flirting with her. And he somewhat enjoyed it.
Sakuno stood there as rigid as his tennis racket, obviously not in the condition to voice out her internal thoughts. Ryoma enjoyed her shocked expression all throughout the scene. But when he thought that she was about to faint, he gently kissed her forehead and returned with holding her hand (Nanjirou pouted like a kid at this).
"Wait!" Tomoka and An pulled Sakuno aside, then handed to her a neatly-wrapped box with a ribbon on top of it. In bewilderment, the lass in return, crossed her brows suspiciously.
"T-Tomo-chan, An-chan…what's with the two of you?" Sakuno then impulsively got hold of the box, mused and turned her gaze back towards the two of them. "What's this?"
'Well obviously, a box.' She continued at the back of her mind, expecting this as an answer of the two maiden, knowing both of them.
"Don't worry about what's that. Just be thankful, Sakuno-chan." Tomoka winked that caused her best friend to trouble herself more. "And promise us to give it your best shot." Then, the two let out fits of giggles. Sakuno, on the other hand, didn't know if she was to run or what, though.
And as she was about to open it out of full curiosity, the two halted her at once.
"Na-a-ah, not until you got on the plane, of course." An's voice, for Sakuno, meant as if there's something that didn't seem to fit. There's something fishy,and she had a strong, sneaking suspicion about it.It was like something bad would happen.
But for whatever was inside it, she settled not to fire up an argument on the two and followed just as they said. She didn't want to ruin their elated moods, after all.
"Okay, see you later Sakuno-chan! Play nice!" Then the two went off.
Just then, when the two were about to go, a number of reporters cornered and bombarded them, asking stark questions about the sudden marriage.
Crap. Ryoma uttered on the back of his mind. He told his manager to keep his and Sakuno's departure a secret, for things such as these might happen. Unfortunately for them, there was no security protecting them by the moment, for he ordered any of them not to follow wherever they would go.
"Have you gone on an official date? How come the wedding's way too fast?" A fat, mouse-faced reporter asked.
"What's the truth behind this wedding, Echizen Ryoma-kun?" A nerdy, thin girl appeared before his eyes.
"Ryoma-sama, do you really want this girl? Why she if one of the Chocolates (2) could be yours?" A blonde bimbo shoved the thin girl away.
"Do the two of you really love each other?"
"Have you made love? Or conceived a son?"
"Who would have thought that a…commoner could marry someone such as you, Ryoma-sama. Was this a…shot gun marriage?"
Now that was foul and that was about it. Sakuno just lost her thinning patience. Yes, teachers like her couldn't simply put that off. But considering the below-the-belt questions the media was asking right that instant, she couldn't resist the urge to bury all of them once and for all.
"Well, actually, we—" she was about to explain herself, wanting to maintain her ever-loved privacy intact, however halted when her husband did an unexpected act.
Without warning or any of that sort, the tennis prodigy swiftly pulled her waist close to his, sealing the gap between them. He held her flaming cheeks with his hand, while placing his lips on hers in the process. Sakuno tried to let go, gripping tightly on the prince's arms, but of course, prodigies like him weren't called as such for nothing.
Then, letting go from the kiss, Ryoma confidently stated, "Need I say more?" while grabbing Sakuno's hand without caution. And that all the more shocked all of the media desiring for an exaggerated scoop. But as they say, you should expect the unexpected. And that applies for Ryoma, too.
"Now now, could you please excuse us?" Ryoma stated, never removing the grin he has on his features. He felt more dominant seeing all the astonished faces in front of him. He tightened his grip to his wife's hand, then decided to stride after feeling satisfied of the reaction they had all made.
With a confused state, mixed with a twinge of anger, Sakuno asked, attempting to release the butterflies on her stomach. "W-What the hell is up?" She tried sounding calm, but her voice seemed cracked.
"Hn?" Ryoma answered casually. Uh-oh.
"You do know very well what I'm talking about, don't you? So stop acting like it's nothing." Sakuno managed to say all that without stuttering. She was damn furious, for Pete's sake.
"Oh, you meant the kiss?" Twitch. Twitch.
"Don't act stupid. I know you liked it." Okay, that should be enough.
"Yeah, I couldn't agree more." She sarcastically retorted, crossing her brows further.
"See?"
"Hah, enough confidence eh?" Bastard…That was the single word that popped through her mind, with the feeling of bursting veins on the process. She couldn't possibly believe that his pride grew over the years. More than it was used to, before. And that irritated her. Let alone his infamous smirks and mada mada dane's. But, she must admit that it was somehow a feeling from way back overly familiar.
"That's why I never lose."
"Ugh…forget it." Sakuno gave in, and make her mind up to simply dissolve her anger. It would be unhealthier for her if she continued with the mood than just neglecting the subject matter. And yeah, who would want to argue with someone destined to always win? 'Right, he'll always be him…'
Yet, her thoughts were cut short as Ryoma continued his statement frivolously. "I never did that for something I'm sure you're thinking now."
Silence. And a cumbersome one, to be precise. And then that hit her.
"I-I know, who am I to think that, right?" So, that was it. It was to drive the press away, and not for the reason she was expecting. She was certain of it, but why was there a nuance of something which made her mind blank?
"Let's go." Ryoma said, not even noticing that their hands were still intertwined. That confused her more, for she didn't know what to believe in.
Moments slipped away, as the couple finally arrived to the plane on one piece. Thank goodness the press wasn't able to follow them since then.
"Mr. and Mrs. Echizen, this way, please." It was kind of…tingling to Sakuno's ears when she heard the attendant called her that.
And, it was then they both noticed that they were still holding each other's hand. Abruptly, Sakuno detached hers from his grasp. Ryoma looked at her stoically, clearly not minding the lost of physical contact. 'Of course he wouldn't.'Yet, the lass failed to notice Ryoma's knuckles twisted rather tightly on the sides. Then they hesitantly followed the crew to their seats.
"Passengers, please fasten your seatbelts for take off. Thank you."They heard the announcement of the flight attendant. Sakuno, much to her dismay, could only feel panic. It wasn't her first on board, mind you. It was for she was seated next to Ryoma, and the feeling was unsettling. She was married to the said man, and to top all that, she just had an outburst in front of him. She knew it was idiotic to assume they wouldn't be seated together, for they were wedded, right? How she wished to twist and turn back time to exactly where she was caught up with her grandma telling her the news of her wedding, and answering the old woman that she strongly disagree.
But, that simply wouldn't work out.
And there, all of the people around her actually thought it was a happy ever after, which resembled that of fairy tales' endings…clichéd fairy tales. And for her, it was tiring to decipher what they were all thinking about any longer. But, one thing's for sure, as so she thought, they exactly all didn't know a thing. Not even a little of it.
To relieve herself of all the terrorizing pressures, she just let out a faint yawn, and permitted her thoughts to swoon her.
Ryoma, on the other hand, was preoccupied in reading the latest tennis magazine written by Inoue-san. He vaguely remembered that the aforementioned name was kind of related to him. Well, in his career, at least. He thought that was why he instinctively got the magazine from God knows where. Yet, he knew that recalling faces, especially matching them with their names, wasn't his forte. So, he let it slip through. He removed the magazine from his grasp, and then held his forehead, massaging it slightly.
Afterwards, just as he subtly slouched from where he was sitting and was about to call it a day, an old man, who was seated adjacent to them, asked with a faint voice out of the blue that caught Ryoma's attention. "Son, is she your girl?" Of course, he was referring to the woman beside the prince who, yet not much of his surprise, was fast asleep at the moment.
He clearly heard what the old man said. But responding with a 'Hn?' surely suited his character best.
Patiently, the man repeated. "Is she your girl?" Yet, instead of answering, Ryoma remained silent, half ignoring the elderly.
"Appreciate her now." That specific statement rang through his system. It was striking that it couldn't get away from him easily. And even if he wanted to object, he still couldn't grasp the whole ordeal of telling that to him. But even before he could retort, probably with his infamous Mada Mada Dane, the old man continued. "Love her, or lose her later."
Love her, or lose her later.It kept repeating on his head over and over again. What the hell did that meant? He was certain that the old man didn't utter those words for him to take all that literally. But, sure enough, it was never easy for him to tell these kinds of things, for besides tennis, Karupin and his ever-loved Ponta were the only things on his mind.
That's all. Or…was it?
"Who would have thought that a…commoner could marry someone such as yourself, Ryoma-sama. Was this a…shot gun marriage?"
If it were him, it would be an instant "yes" that all he could think for an answer. It was all their parents' idea, anyway. And for all he cared, he would rather stay a bachelor than to marry and cause a commotion as such. Yet, he couldn't help but to do such spontaneous actions, seeing the maiden that upset and shamed in front of all those people. It pained him and triggered his consciousness and control. All that mattered to him was one thing, to protect the vulnerable Sakuno at all cost. Who knew if she would never regain her privacy ever again and accused her of horrible things? A gold digger, an attention getter, or even…a bitch,that might cause her sudden break down. And it was something he too couldn't handle, given the temper he also had.
"I never did that for something I'm sure you're thinking now."
"I-I know, who am I to think that, right?"
But of course, it was also something he would rather keep within himself. He wasn't the showy type of person, and that was a fact. So, instead of telling the truth, that he involved himself into a supposed shot gun marriage without further complaints, it would be helpful, even to himself, to just leave it on to themselves to think through, including Sakuno. And as they say, action speaks louder than words.
He just couldn't help but to let out a slight grin at the thought.
"Appreciate her now…"
"Love her, or lose her later…"
'Che.'And just like that, he instantaneously dropped the topic on his mind, sensing that he was way too uncomfortable of it. Sorting out his true feelings for Sakuno was way too much for him, to say the least. Yes, it hadn't been compared to gazillion Twist Serves or Cyclone Smashes. And he'd rather talk to a tree than taking time knowing the "emotional" abnormalities inside him.
'She's stupid and a klutz. How the heck would I fall for that?' He eyed his companion before closing his golden orbs. He'd just make sure he would have a nice cup of coffee later.
"Nanjirou, are you sure they'd be fine?"
"There's nothing to worry about."
"The Loire Valley, located about an hour's train ride from Paris, is home to many castles, including one 14th Century French Chateau featured on TV's 'Joe Millionaire,' and it doesn't cost more than an average hotel night stay. Walk hand-in-hand through the Chateau's gardens together, explore the countryside and wineries and feel the tension of the real world melt away. You want a fairy tale wedding, so extend your wedding into a fairy tale honeymoon."
"It does sound good, coming from the pamphlet." Rinko wrinkled her nose, not really sure if it was right for them to bring those two in a place like that.
"Don't worry!" Nanjirou draped his arm around Rinko's shoulder. "The manager told me that the rooms are soundproof even if their setting is a castle. So, if those two are busy, no one will hear a thing—OW!"
Rinko pinched him once again with a glare sent to his face, a glare matching that of Ryoma's. "I wasn't worrying about that, you slimy pervert."
"I was just kidding!" Nanjirou flapped his arms defensively, but eventually regained his goofy grin. "Well, the suite is big. And I heard that the bed is soft. They can do it anywhere-mmph!"
"Shut your mouth if you don't want to have that pillow in your head for too long." Rinko sat on his head while reading the pamphlet at hand.
"Wow." It was the only word that Sakuno could utter as she gasped silently when they entered the walls of Loire Valley. It was simply breathtaking, especially for someone who hadn't been to Paris yet. The ceiling was filled with beautiful murals of cherubim and angels; a grand chandelier was hanged by the lobby. There were a few Europeans by the reception desk, talking with the beautiful porcelain blondes behind it. Foreigners mostly composed the lobby. She saw Americans, a few Japanese, Chinese businessmen, and a lot more of whom she doesn't know of.
"Stay here." Ryoma let go of her hand and went to the reception desk.
Ryoma knew from the start that the woman with auburn hair behind the computer would be on flirt-mode as he reached the counter. He had not proven this by just his inflated ego or by his experience, but also because that the lass was already smearing thick, dark red lipstick on her lips. It really did make him disgusted, and he would prefer to kiss Sakuno anytime instead of sluttish French women like that.
"Can I help you sir?" The blonde's voice was seductive, though her English was a bit broken. Her eyes were trailing every crevice of his Adonis-like face. And yes, it did irritate him.
"A key to room 1734. The Honeymoon Suite," Ryoma replied flawlessly in the same manner and smirked seeing the bimbo's face turned downcast.
Ryoma turned around upon getting their key, only to spot his wife with a European man. A young European man. He didn't know why, but he felt the sudden urge to use his Twist Serve on that guy, with or with no racket at hand. He strode towards them, thinking that maybe Sakuno find it mortifying to talk with someone she doesn't know. But, as he neared enough to see her expression, he found it stunning to find Sakuno laughing and smiling with the European.
"Oh! Ryoma-kun!" He broke out of his trance, clearly not knowing that he was already staring.
"This is Philippe." Sakuno smiled at Philippe's direction. "Philippe, this is Echizen Ryoma. He's my… ahh—"
"Husband." Ryoma uttered the word with emphasis yet remained impassive towards Sakuno's lack of introduction. He then pulled Sakuno's wrist, not even wanting the other lad to say a single word. "Let's go. Nice meeting you."
Sakuno staggered behind her husband, not knowing what she should say about his rude behavior. He continued to walk to the elevator, eager to be inside their room as fast as they could and not to sense the presence of that unlikeable creature named…Patrick? Or was it Pierre?
"What's wrong?" Sakuno faced Ryoma as they entered the elevator. "Why did you drag me away from Philippe?"
"I want to go to the suite." Ryoma impassively retorted, lowering his hold until it reached her hand.
"Well, you could go by—" Sakuno was cut short in the midst of her statement and chose not to lengthen their abrupt conversation, knowing that the lad was in no condition to respond honestly.
'Oh boy, this will be a long weekend...'
'And here I thought that the lobby was glamorous.'Sakuno paced around their suite, which was as big as the Ryuuzaki household without the second floor. Ryoma was currently on the shower, being there as soon as they got inside. Sakuno decided to roam around a little bit after dressing up, only to find things that can be of good use during their stay.
She had already opened Tomoka and An's gift. It was a silk nightgown. It was a spaghetti strap, above the knee and purple in color. It wasn't that revealing, so she thought that it might be a good idea to wear it tonight, since she doesn't want to rummage through her stuff underneath her suitcase. She loosened her tight bun and her auburn hair tumbled behind her back. At last, it was time to finally relax after an exhausting day.
The bed was humungous. A four-poster bed with the size of two queens fitted together. The mattress was soft and the pillowcases and blankets were made out of satin. She could really say that she was inside a castle. Slightly curious as to what might be inside the side drawers, Sakuno decided to open the nearest one to her, expecting to see some manual and a few magazines.
Yet as she unfastened the drawer, four copies of Kama Sutra were what she saw. The title was printed in bold, yellow Indian letters, together with English translation below. A Post-It note was stuck with the bundle, which was the only one she took before slamming the drawer back as it was. She began shifting her gaze to the note, only to catch her self in stupor. The note says:
Hey there, shounen! Thought that I might give you a few pointers on how to do it! Well, since I know that you would just slam the door into my face if I try to do it personally, I decided to ship 4 copies of my Kama Sutras there. There are a lot of vital information inside, so be careful. Oh! And is Sakuno-chan a virgin? If so, page 43 of book 1 will do the trick. If not, consult the other books then.
Have fun!
Nanjirou.
Ryoma stepped outside the shower as he heard the slamming noise of the drawer by the bed. And as he reached the four-poster bed, he saw his wife, wearing a very revealing nightgown, her chocolate tresses spilling behind her head and a dazed look on her eyes. He couldn't comprehend if it was just because of his train of thoughts inside the bathroom (which revolted on his conversation with his friends earlier) or because she triggered his intact hormones out of its cage. For once in his life, he felt ravenous towards a woman and not towards food of victory.
Shaking his improper thoughts aside, he focused on the piece of orange paper attached on Sakuno's limping index finger. He sat next to her, still focused with the fact that she was completely blown away.
"Oi." Then he called her name thrice, yet it seemed that she was still in her own little world. Thus, without further adieu, he began reading the contents of the Post-It, and then throwing it away right after.
"R-Ryoma-kun?" Her voice rang in his ears, and he was able to tell that she was done with the traumatic text she had just read on that devious paper.
"Hn." Ryoma reasoned to only look at her face and not look down, since he would be taking bait of what the devil had offered to him. Yet, as he stared at her concerned features, he couldn't deny that his vision was getting hazier by the minute. He could not take his gaze away from her blushing cheeks of her soft, pink yet chapped lips—and that wasn't good. He unmannerly clutched the small package on his pajama's pocket, apparently not yet disposing Fuji's 'gift'.
"Uhm… t-the books are, ah…e-etou…on the side table." Sakuno flushed like a tomato, thinking that he might have misinterpreted it into something else. "W-Well, I-I don't mean that we would—"
Ryoma halted her little speech by kissing her cheek, his lips cold and tingling. Ryoma then covered his head with the blanket, his back facing Sakuno. She then smiled as she watched the lad's breathing return to normal, knowing that he must be tired. Tucking herself in, she moved a little farther away, not really sure if he was okay with her sleeping with him like this. Yet, all thoughts were cut short as she heard his voice.
"Goodnight, Mrs. Echizen." Surely, he was playing it. But, to hear it from his throat sounded utterly delightful on her part.
"Goodnight…Mr. Echizen." Sakuno turned off the lamp, and drifted off to Dreamland.
She woke up only to find out it was still seven thirty in the morning (France time). She rubbed her eyes, fixed her gaze on the clock situated on the side table near her, and checked if her vision didn't fail her.
'Woah. Unusually early eh?'She just couldn't believe that she didn't end up waking up on a hurried state again. For that was her routine in every single day of her life after graduation. Then, it suddenly came to her senses that she wasn't in Japan, and remembered that she was still on the midst of her honeymoon. Turning around, she was surprised to see that her husband was gone. Well, she knew she wouldn't need to worry. And after all, like…she cared.
'No. Of course I don't.'
A couple of minutes passed when she finally decided to get up. She stretched her arms, and went to the room's balcony to experience the morning dew.
She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes on the process. "Now this is what I call vacation."
"It sure is." She was halted and had her orbs widened as she caught sight of her husband yawning enormously. Great.He was still on his pajamas and had his hair unkempt.
"G-Good morning." And yes, she was back to her predictable habits.
"Hn."
It was safe to say they got off on a good start, seeing that conforming... and mutual atmosphere between them.
"How was it?" The question was random. And she knew it.
"How was what?" And it was immediately answered by another, together with his ever infamous smirk.
Sakuno suddenly thought that what she meant didn't reach the tennis prince's. And yeah, taking her words back sure was extremely late. "W-Well I meant your sleep…n-not anything—"
"Oh." Ryoma replied casually. "Well, it was nice, except for your incessant snoring." He continued, never letting his smirk dwindle.
"I-I wasn't!" She impulsively stomped her foot out of utter embarrassment. She's obviously aware that he's lying, given the smirk of his, yet getting pissed was the first to come to her.
"I-If I didn't know," as she was totally mortified, she tried to avenge herself. "Y-You're a b-bed wetter back then." Yet, she hauled a deflated sigh when she noticed that Ryoma wasn't provoked at all. Instead, he's laughing.
'Ryoma-kun? Laughing? Highly unlikely.'Well, for her seeing Ryoma laugh his heart out was certainly a first. And she couldn't help but to let her fury slip through. It was worth her ego to see him smile, even just for a matter of seconds.
RING!The phone's sudden noise both caught their attention.
"I'll get it." Then Sakuno rushed through the balcony's door to get the phone.
"Hello?" she began, yet still wondering who the caller was.
"Sakuno!"And the high-pitched voice possessed by its owner told who exactly the caller is. "It's me Tomoka!"
"Oh. Tomo-chan. What a sudden call. Something happened?"
"How rude. I was going to ask you how your first night together was."There was an obvious displeasure on her tone. "How was it?"
"Fascinating. Intense. Passionate." Sakuno then raised a brow for the words she just spitted were the least she could think of.
"Kya! I knew you'd come through! You must thank me and An-chan for the nightgown. I bet he drooled seeing you with that eh? Aww…I could imagine Ryoma-sama drooling and—"
"I got you." Sakuno admitted, not wanting to get her best friend caught up with her huge imagination. "I was playing, okay? He didn't even take a second glance on me. We only slept on the same bed that's all."
"Eh?" Sakuno thought she heard Tomoka mumble mental curses on the other line."Tch. Such a meanie. Bursting my bubble like that…"Tomoka replied in disbelief.
"Aww…I'm sorry." Sakuno tried to sound as sympathetic as she could. "Oh, and yeah, thanks for the…err, nightgown."
"Well, anyway, I was hoping I'd be the first to give you the good news."
"Good news?" Sakuno asked with absolute bewilderment. Did Tomoka just had herself a baby? Or…An's getting married? Or…
"Kya! You and Ryoma-sama we're on the newspapers' front pages just now! I got it this morning. Ryoma-sama's pretty fast eh? Doing something like that. But, hohoho… your kiss is, fantastic. And oh…"Sakuno didn't want to hear the news anymore, enough said.
She knew it. She just do. Well…shit.
'Great…just great.'She would be more than willing to be buried alive right then and there.
TBC.
(1) Time difference and Japan and France— Tokyo, Japan is 7 hours ahead Paris, France (Ryoma and Sakuno's Honey moon =P)
(2)The Chocolates— A popular J-pop idol group composed of girls in the PoT anime series; used to be idolized by Kikumaru Eiji during junior high days (Refer to Prince of Tennis- Episode 135: Kikumaru's Vacation-or something like that-). We just put them for easy identification, rather than inventing some weird group names. XD
Travel from Japan (Narita International Airport) to France (Air France) is 14:30 hours at most. –these pieces of information are for clarity and additional stats. Hope you wouldn't mind.