Chapter 10: They Danced

Disclaimer: Tennis no Oujisama/ Prince of Tennis/ TeniPuri is made possible by Konomi Takeshi-sensei.

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A/N: Updating yet again, and again, and again... I've just finished re-reading the other chapters of this fiction and looks like I was so inconsistent with my promises. And grammar. And, uh... everything else? Would someone care to be an exclusive beta-reader for this story? Send me a message if you are interested. :) I've browsed the Beta-Reader section of but I don't really get the process of how would I convince someone on the list to get absorbed in this story and correct all mistakes whenever it is needed (e.g. grammar, inconsistencies in the character's personality, settings, events from the series, etc.) but would not interfere with the original story that I've had in my mind. Are you up to it? But then I was just asking you readers if you want to or not. More or less, those who are interested in this would be willing to bear with me, right? Oh! I was blabbering too much that I've forgot the story, the story! Chapter 10, read on people! And hey, I was flabbergasted by the number of reviews that came last time, thank you thank you thank you thank you! If words are enough to show my appreciation, then I'd type a whole page of thanksgiving to you, my dear readers. Oh, yeah, right. The story! All happenings in the party will be included in here, including cheesy stuff (personally I detest cheesy stuff but, hey! I'm writing a romantic story, am I not?) and yes, RyoSaku tidbits as requested. Oh wait, scratch it. This fic is meant to be RyoSaku from the start up to the last. Just look at the title below and then next would be the story and you would see. Thanks readers! Kudos to you, I'm offering you this, chapter ten!

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His Eyes on Hers

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Tenth Chapter: They Danced

He was outside the auditorium and in front of a vending machine still inside the campus of his school, of course. Ryoma groped his pockets to find out if there were coins left in it for a can of Ponta. Finding none except a tiny fifty yen coin, he grumbled loud enough for himself to hear.

"Damn it, where's the money when you need it?"

He eyed the Ponta that was resting inside the peaceful vending machine.

"Damn it, why do you have to be inside that machine when I needed you most?"

He left the wending machine alone and went straight to the nearest bench situated beside the tall trees - the leaves were already showing signs of autumn. He did not care if there were persons around; all he wanted to be was to be away from everything that reminded him of the party.

It was the turn of the last class to perform for the freshman acquaintance party. As they made large smiles on their faces while waiting for the cue to start, the audience showered them with the sound of applause. It was a gleeful sound, but everyone who moved their hands to make that gay sound evidently still had the better portion of their thinking on the previous accident that happened right on the stage. It would be more frank to tell that the clapping was a fraud, but for the presenters it was fine for them. They perfectly understand what everyone was thinking at the moment. They too, witnessed it, not to mention at a closer view, and they too were having mixed emotions about it. Nonetheless, they went on with their presentation that they have spent time and effort in practicing. Only the Hiroshi fans who belonged to that class were the most disturbed. They even failed in some parts that they have to participate in.

Meanwhile, at the other half of the backstage, different sounds came and vibrated in it, courtesy of Section 1. The boys were surrounding Hiroshi, while the girls did the same to Sakuno. For the latter, no scene could be much worse than the one she was in. she hates getting attention that she did not want, not at all. But then, what happened earlier was far worse…

"So how was it, Ryuzaki-san?"

"Was it true that it felt dreamy and heavenly?"

"And it was Hiroshi-sama, the Hiroshi-sama!"

"He's your first kiss, right Ryuzaki-san?"

Sakuno thought that if she could shrink herself in to a tiny stone on the floor, she would gladly do so. She closed her eyes tight while her face burned. Tomoka looked at her best friend and decided that she had enough of it. There were too much bulging nerves in her forehead one would think that she was thoroughly mad at every single person in the world. She raised a fist and inhaled air as deep as possible.

"E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E O-F Y-O-U G-I-R-L-S S-T-O-P A-S-K-I-N-G S-A-K-U-N-O T-H-O-S-E S-T-U-P-I-D Q-U-E-S-T-I-O-N-S!"

The girls blinked and froze. Even the boys on the other side looked at Tomoka for a moment in amazement. When Tomoka proceeded with her sermon on the nosy gals, like saying things such as 'Sakuno is already feeling very anxious about what happened so please don't add more stress and shame for what she was feeling right now,' stuff, the "gentlemen" continued the mock interview on the other star of the so-called accident.

"Wooh… Nakayama sure is lucky."

"Yeah, getting a smack right there," the guy pointed at his lips he put out with effort, "from the granddaughter of the tennis club's coach!"

"Without being scolded too, because it was an accident," another guy said, "perhaps."

There was a round of laughter. Hiroshi stopped the weak urge in him to join the laughter, as it was his tendency to please others, but for this time it was different. Another question caught him in surprise while he was pondering.

"So… How did it go?"

"Was Ryuzaki sweet?"

"Or should I say… deli-"

Tomoka's ears perked like that of a cat, and also like that of a stalking feline, she managed to get behind the boys' backs and put an arm on the shoulders of the two who last asked Hiroshi without being spotted by the boys at least.

"What am I hearing here, hmm..?"

"O-osakada-san!" one guy, who nervously gulped, said while trying to recompose himself. The others followed and muttered Tomoka's name while stuttering.

Her arms that were a while ago just resting on the guys' shoulders found their way around the guys' necks. Both of them were struggling then. Note to the readers that it'd be helpful to know that Tomoka Osakada has superhuman strength that is activated when she's angered or when her patience reaches the limit.

"You heard me, now I need an answer!"

Unfortunately for the ones struggling free from Tomoka, no one answered. Instead, every "gentleman" looked at each other's face discreetly, as if urging each one to answer the question for the well-being of the majority. Tomoka released the two and decided to ask Hiroshi.

"So, Hiroshi..?"

Hiroshi's point-of-view panned from the left to the right, and examining the boys, Hiroshi couldn't help but smile.

"Well, they were discussing things about what happened earlier and, uh…"

Hiroshi looked at every respectable face of gentlemen present in there, and he could almost hear them pleading to him by just peering at their faces. Hiroshi sat straight and sighed.

"They were asking me about how I felt about Ryuzaki-san."

A chorus of contented sighs came afterwards. However, the lady who was not contented with the answer furrowed her eyebrows further.

"In what manner did they ask you, Hiroshi-san? Did they add words that are not appropriate for the general audience present?"

"H-hey, easy on that, O-osakada-san…" one commented from behind, "y-you sound like a lawyer!"

"And you're the ones on trial." Tomoka threw him a look of suspicion.

"Well, uh… They did ask if she was… sweet… and the next thing they was about to ask me was interrupted by you coming here."

"I see."

The rest of the girls turned to watch the so-called trial, while Sakuno went out of the scene. She did not want any more stress removing the last of her breath away.

"I heard that it was Ken'ichi-san who was about to speak, eh?" Tomoka continued, however, walking in front of the queue of men as if inspecting them.

"No, it was not me."

"How about Takeuchi-san?"

"That's not definitely me."

"Mizuhara-san?"

"Na-uh."

"Then, it's you Abe-san!"

"Libel is definitely on the air if you're referring to me as that criminal."

Tomoka finally burst. She looked down while one of her arms reached for a something behind her back. Everyone shrieked; they knew what was NEXT.

"If you wouldn't mind, would anyone of you SPEAK UP!"

A shiny, razor-sharp metal was revealed, complete with the background music. The next thing that happened was, yes, you got that right… the boys ran before Tomoka as fast as they could, and the girls ran after Tomoka, pleading her at the very least to spare their dates for the night. Hiroshi was left to watch the sight and ponder with a pounding heart. He sighed in satisfaction, and he searched for Sakuno to share his thoughts with, and patch any misunderstanding up.

He stood up and went to the other half of the backstage where Sakuno was supposed to be, but he found no one. Only her broken pair of sandals that she used for their performance was left. He felt confused and the pounding in his chest became an issue for him.

"Where's Sakuno-chan?"

Sakuno felt running anywhere because she was in her comfy fake fur sandals, the ones people typically use when they are in their bedroom. She smiled to herself, and she felt somewhat silly for bringing those cute little slippers with her to school. Personally, she disliked trying to dress up especially when the outfit includes high heels. And so, it became her habit to bring those sandals she was wearing at the very moment whenever she was feeling uncomfortable with those spiked footwear. But at the very least, it took her effort to walk out of the auditorium with her heavy gown.

She let out a sigh when she was able to get out of the place. Looking for the nearest bench that she could find from her present spot, she smiled and sighed contentedly. Once more, she strode as fast as possible to that place. She pondered, and thought how fast things went that she didn't have the time to think about those. She took the loose part of her gown in her own hands and crumpled it. She remembered Ryoma all of a sudden. Did he watch her as she sang on the stage? Did he saw her as she looked at him? Did he accidentally saw her...with Hiroshi…? She smiled bitterly, although she was reluctant to admit to herself the truth… he wouldn't care the least. Sakuno shook her head. She ended everything about him tonight- how she supported him, how she was encouraged to play tennis, how she always tagged with the games of the Seigaku Tennis club just to watch him play and win, how her heart wrenched in pain whenever she saw him in pain, how she felt so helpless at times and he would always come to her rescue, how she liked him…

This time, she summoned all of her mind and will power to smile, and also this time, she meant it. She would grow out of her old self. She'd become a Ryuzaki Sakuno on her own. She would get herself free from her feelings of affection for him. But before that, her lips uttered her tiny wish in a form of a song…

Whenever I sing my song

On the stage on my own…

Ryoma accidentally felt awake. He didn't know if it was due to the chilly breeze, but he sneezed and felt cold. He scratched his head in annoyance. Nah, even the wind won't let me rest, eh?

He tried to sleep again, but he couldn't. Something made him want to stay awake by then. A soft melody started to play in the air out of nowhere. It enticed his senses, relaxed him, and at the same time, made him want to hear more. The next thing he knew, his head started to turn around, looking for the source of such serene melody.

I saw you smiling at me

Was it real or just my fantasy?

Hey, he knew those lyrics. They were so familiar. He stood up and started for a further search for the voice that makes those words sway gracefully.

You'd always be there in the corner

Of this tiny, little bar…

Sakuno once again smiled, and she couldn't help but feel so stupid. She thought back earlier when she was performing that she had a very strong feeling that Ryoma watched her, and one little evidence that she was right was the fact that she saw him looking at her when she threw him a quick glance. But she was not so sure now. Maybe she was just too absorbed in what she did on the stage. She laughed as carefree as possible, thinking that she was, indeed, alone.

"Stupid, stupid Sakuno. Even after three years, hope prevails? What's that for?" and she giggled some more.

Ryoma finally found where Sakuno was. He looked at her from a tree behind some paces away from her. Although she was not facing him, he was sure what she looked like.

She's getting crazy. He thought, but he was being sarcastic to no other than himself. He wanted to do something… He wanted to take a peek at her face again, hear her voice as she sing, and tease her as much as possible so that he could see her innocent, annoyed face that he came to like so much. He did not realize at all that the careless girl three years ago could actually sing a good tune! As he was starting to think of showing up to her, both of his feet refused to move a step. And to much of dismay, another shadow came and approached Sakuno.

"So there you are, Ryuzaki-chan!"

Sakuno looked up and saw Hiroshi. Ryoma, for the umpteenth time, just watched them from behind as the two conversed for a little bit. Not later, he saw hat Hiroshi pointing at Ryuzaki's feet, and they both laughed. Hiroshi brought out her sandals that she used a while ago, and she smiled at him. They exchanged a few more words before Hiroshi offered his hand. Although not a hundred percent sure, Ryoma saw a hint of unwelcome in her face, but he concluded that he was wrong when the couple finally started walking hand in hand, sort of, towards the auditorium.

The feline-eyed boy followed them, his cool still intact in his façade. However, for him to do this, he had to close his eyes as tight as possible. To compensate for this, he told himself that he would just stuff himself with lots of Japanese delicacies that he loved a lot. And if he was in it, then he could spy people from a far point-of-view… or something else.

When Sakuno and Hiroshi entered the auditorium, the whole place transformed from a hall where people watch and perform into a place where couples could sway and dance the night away. It was amazing. With just a few moving of chairs and tables, a change of the lights' shades to more comforting tones, and a relaxing music that played on air, one couldn't help but let his or her worries down and be jolly, even for just one night.

"Wonderful…" Sakuno uttered to herself. She couldn't hide the awe that began to form in her eyes. Hiroshi just smiled at her then looked at the object of appreciation of the girl beside him. He was still looking at the place and all the things in it when he offered Sakuno his hand once more.

"So, Ryuzaki-san…"

"Yes, Hiroshi-kun?"

He flashed his most sincere smile only for her.

"Shall we dance?"

The chocolate-haired lass felt flattered upon hearing it from him. This time, she wouldn't show him any more fakes or frauds in accepting. She took his hand and smiled at him in return.

"Yes."

He knew she would accept. Why wouldn't she? But he felt very happy. Very, very happy, indeed. He led her towards the ball and asked her if she knew how to dance. With a flushed face, she shook her head.

"In fact, I have never danced with a partner before…" she added, and now her face grew more crimson. Hiroshi chuckled, much to Sakuno's surprise and embarrassment.

"What's so funny with that, Hiroshi-kun?" she asked sarcastically then looked away from him. Hiroshi did not even bother to ask apologies from her. Instead, he held both of her shoulders to make her face him.

"I have another thing to teach you." He pronounced carefully with the professional voice once more, the one he used back when they were busy practicing for the performance and all. Sakuno looked at him, still in surprise. She was left to wonder as to why she did not feel awkward anymore to his touch and looks.

"And looks like I'm a student once again."

"Yeah, more or so," Hiroshi took up his hand that was holding the girl's hand. "We're done with step one, I think."

"Oh. Then the next step would be..?"

"Here," Hiroshi took the other hand of hers and placed it on top of his left shoulder, "and here as well," and then he put his hand on Sakuno's thin waist. She shivered a bit with that, and the guy noticed it.

"Relax, it's gonna be fine." Hiroshi comforted her. Sakuno looked down but did not forget to nod her head.

"The truth is I feel so nervous." She confessed when she gained the guts to tell him. She looked down once again. "I only see people dance and they look so calm, so relaxed, so comfortable, yet so elegant…"

He pretended not to hear her but instead, he held her closer while faking a cough.

"This would be official first step and last step, Ryuzaki-san." Hiroshi declared. He caught her attention, and with that, he returned to his old self.

"Feel the rhythm, the beat, the harmony, the melody… You may need to close your eyes if you want…"

And she did as she was told, much to the delight of Hiroshi.

"And once you're one with the song, move with it."

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. They swayed with the music, as Hiroshi said. A step there, a step here. Once or twice Hiroshi's feet got stomped by Sakuno's stilettos, but as the song went on, they really became one with the song. Even the persons around-some were dancing, others were just watching- noticed it.

"Hey, isn't that the couple who…?"

"Yeah, it was them."

"It's Nakayama Hiroshi!"

"With the tennis coach's granddaughter."

"Oh, you mean, Ryuzaki-san."

"They look like they are twins."

"You bet it."

"Know what? I think they're so for each other!"

"How come you're saying that? Aren't you Hiroshi-kun's fan?"

"Yes, I am! But just by watching them tonight, I'm ready to let her have him. They're so cute together!"

"Are you sure with that?"

"Of course, I am!"

"Come to think of it, I do think so now too now that you've mentioned it. But Ryuzaki looks so easy to me."

Ryoma was finished with his first plate and was planning to get seconds when he overheard those comments. He lost his monstrous appetite that was comparable to Momoshiro's and headed back to his table that he was sharing with his other classmates. Feeling a lot lazier than usual, he leaned his head back on his seat and pretended to doze off. It's because he can hear the eerie noise that was bothering him a little since a while ago.

"Okay. I'm gonna ask Ryoma-sama now to dance with me."

"That's being selfish! You'd be his first dance!"

"Then it'd be better."

"You're wasting your time. I'll go ask him right away—"

"Noooo!"

All of the sudden, the noise subsided. Ryoma looked around and saw nothing – or no one—suspicious enough, to his relief. Finding the chance for him to let himself be true, he let his eyes get caught by the same person. He couldn't help but let his lips form into a thin curve as he gazed at her. She was simple, and refreshing - just like how her voice soothed his rather complex thoughts and feelings that he himself didn't understand. The smile of both her eyes and lips… he didn't knew that they looked good. Remembering back then, he seldom saw those qualities of her. What were always unveiled before him were her stuttering, her clumsiness, and her face looking down with a red hue, and it quite irritated him, to be frank. How can all those qualities that literally, well, bad qualities, fit in a petite girl of twelve? But maybe, things do change. Gazing at her now, she can be called a caterpillar that spent time in its cocoon, and soon will bloom into a butterfly. He moved his gaze from her face, down to her neck, then slowly, slowly… he was unaware that he was looking at her chest then, so he abruptly shifted his face away.

"I'm not imitating what that stupid, old man always does, never, never…"

He faced back to the center of most of his thoughts and there he caught sight of her hand... holding a foreign hand. A hand of another guy. Eyes swiftly went to look at her face, and he froze.

Ryuzaki was smiling warmly.

Not thinking anymore, he stood up without a care on the world and headed to nowhere. To the buffet, to the hall where people dance, outside the auditorium, he didn't know. What he was very aware of was his strong feeling which could only be conveyed by punching hard that guy right on the face. People who were on his way avoided him because he walked as if nothing was in his front of him. Unfortunately for someone who was carrying the plate of her food-

CRAAACCCCKKKKK!

"What the- watch were you are going! Dam-"

Ryoma was shocked as well, not just because the plate fell on the ground and food splattered on the floor, but because the person he accidentally bumped to was his number one annoying fan, Osakada Tomoka, who started to sermon him actually, until she looked at him.

"RYOMA-sama! I didn't know it was YOU!" Tomoka's mood gradually changed from anger into a more pleasant one. "What's this, you wanna dance with me, and you've done this because you're too shy to ask me directly, is it, is it?"

"Quit dreaming," Ryoma finally replied when he's done recollecting his composure. "But I'm sorry for that." He pointed at the mess.

"That's okay, definitely is!" Tomoka smiled at him and shrieked. "I never thought Ryoma-sama would ask for apologies like that. SO COOL!"

He thought that he already received the acceptance for his apology, so he made himself away from her. Tomoka realized this so she ran towards him.

"Wait, Ryoma-sama! Where are you going?" she asked with a big grin.

"Sleeping."

"Sleeping? Sheez, it's a party, not a sleepover!" Tomoka retorted, putting her hand on her waist.

"Stop it."

"What, Ryoma-sama?"

"You're annoying me, so stop it."

"But Ryoma-sama!"

He walked away yet again. Tomoka eyed him suspiciously him. She was about to give up on pursuing him there when she saw what may be the cause of his "mood swings". There was the jealousy and sadness that pricked her for a second, but after seconds or so a sly grin crept up her face. She calmly followed him and successfully was behind him.

"You know what, Ryoma-sama? There's a rumor that whoever will be your last dance will be the person you'll end up with."

There was no answer, but there was no sentence telling her that she scram away from him. She continued talking, but this time, she was more straightforward, or so.

"Sakuno's dancing with Hiroshi-kun…" Tomoka tried to make her voice as dreamy as she could. "Let's dance too, Ryoma-sama!"

"NO is the answer."

"What the…" Tomoka shook her head but there was a grin in her face still. "I was dumped."

"Uhm, Ryuzaki-san..?"

"Yes?"

"Just checking if you're still there…"

"Hiroshi-kun!"

"No, but seriously…" Hiroshi looked at her face that was flushed as it always was. Not wanting to control himself any longer, he put her arms around her thin waist. He felt her jerk a little.

"I don't want this to end…"

Sakuno buried her face on his shoulders for she really felt warm and shy all of a sudden to him.

Finally, the song ended. Sakuno gently pushed him away from her, making Hiroshi 'wake up.'

"Thank you for being my first dance Hiroshi-kun." Sakuno bowed before him in an elegantly, ladylike manner. Hiroshi, for the first time, felt his face really hot all of a sudden. He bowed before her as well.

"T-the pleasure's all mine." He quickly supplied. But then, he quickly remembered as well.

"Would you mind dancing again with me for the next song?"

Sakuno's face was flushed, and she shook her head gently.

"Not really Hiroshi-kun, but…" she pointed at all those envious girls with her hand, "but won't you dance with all those beautiful ladies waiting? They look like they were all waiting for you."

'But you're pretty more outstanding than they are…'Hiroshi thought. But seeing a lonely face of a lady was a sight he could not bear to see. He waved her goodbye and whispered to her that she promise that he'd be her last dance. She nodded and went off towards the table her group of friends were designated to sit in. Hiroshi, on the other hand, faced the queue of ladies that had heart marks as their eyes.

Sakuno seated herself on the table that her friends and classmates were assigned. She sighed contentedly while the feeling of her fast heartbeat faded in her chest. She placed her face on both of her palms and watched the people around. So many people dancing, having fun... A smile was slowly formed in her face. While she was watching the event, another person was watching her from the back. Unwary as she was, that person stared at her staring at the other persons.

"Should I ask her now..? She's so cute in her gown with her long tresses flowing down!" Horio gulped while his face burned. His hands were shaking and so were his knees. He gulped three times in a row, before he stood straight and went straight towards the person he was pertaining to. When he was finally behind her back, he inhaled air, as if all his courage depended on the air around him.

"Horio-kun!" Sakuno half-surprisedly said as she faced him. Horio choked in his own breath in surprise that he started coughing non-stop and he ended on his two knees.

"Ah, Horio-kun! What's wrong?" Sakuno knelt beside him and looked at him worriedly. The action sent Horio almost fainting, but he got back to his senses when he felt her hand touch his arm. He automatically froze and stared at her face for seconds or so.

"Horio-kun...?"

Red tint showered the poor boy's face. He stood up as fast as he can, making him feel dizzy then.

"Horio-kun, get a hold of yourself..." Sakuno whispered rather to herself. She touched his back and that finally made him well, at the least. Mr. 5 years of experience asked her as if nothing was wrong with him.

"Ryuzaki!"

She looked at him in disbelief.

"Dance with me!"

Blink.

He nervously showed his right hand to her. Sakuno giggled a little.

"I thought there's something wrong, Satoshi-kun.. Are you sure you are really fine now?" She shook her head a little before reaching out for his hand. He couldn't believe it- she actually called him by his first name, and with a suffix of "kun," nonetheless! The two went towards the hall with Horio's smile almost reaching both of his ears.

Horio and Sakuno were headed towards the same table they left about three minutes ago after they finished dancing. The guy wanted to ask the girl for another dance but looking at her now, he was satisfied that he got the chance to dance with her. As they settled for the table and started talking a little, a scene not so far from them was heard.

"Graah, Ryoma-sama! If you won't dance with me then I guess I have no choice but to drag you to the dance floor!"

"Try doing that."

Ryoma sent the most deadly glares to Tomoka and it affected the lass so much that she froze and did not do anything but started walking slowly away from him. She scolded herself for having the courage to even say that to Ryoma, that she felt weakened all of a sudden. However, as she moved her head to look away from Ryoma, she saw Horio, and then Sakuno. Tomoka suddenly felt the energy rush that she forgot about how afraid she was of Ryoma. That was only a few seconds ago.

"Hey, where do you think are you dragging me?" Ryoma irritatedly said as she grabbed his arm and started walking with him.

"To Sakuno." Tomoka murmured, but Ryoma was unable to hear because of the noise in the place.

"This is stup-"

Before he was aware of it, Tomoka had brought him in front of Horio and Sakuno. The latter two were surprised of Tomoka's feat that they just stared at Ryoma for a moment or so. Finally, Horio woke up and looked at Sakuno. Tomoka also became aware of Ryoma and Sakuno staring at each other for seconds that she smiled evilly. Horio, however looked annoyed.

"So, are you two just going to stare at each other the whole night?" Tomoka interjected.

Sakuno, who was blushing slightly, looked away, and Ryoma grinned like some person who had something else in his mind. Horio looked alternatively at the two and scowled.

"Hey, I was first to Ryuzaki!"

Tomoka and Ryoma looked at him suspiciously.

"What? I'm just saying the truth!"

Osakada Tomoka laughed sarcastically. She held Sakuno's hand and slightly grabbed Ryoma's elbow. The two eyed her, mixed emotions in their faces. They were headed yet again to the hall where the people dance.

"Tomo-chan! Wait, where are we going...?"

"Ryuzaki! Wait for me!" Horio shouted from behind them. Tomoka stomped towards him in her annoyance, leaving Ryoma and Sakuno by themselves, alone at their spot in the hall. Sakuno wanted to walk away from him because of her tomato-like red face, but before she could step away from the feline-eyed boy, she heard Ryoma say to her in his soft yet full of confidence voice.

"Let's dance."

Sakuno threw her full attention at him. She expected to see the cocky, usual Ryoma in front of her, and what she expected was what she saw. But in addition to that, there was one addition to the picture. She saw the arrogant smile of his that he gave to his opponents whenever he was winning the game. However, Ryoma was not looking at her when he smiled like that. Instead, he was looking at some place at the hall. If she looked a little closer, she would clearly that Ryoma was pertaining that grin to a guy that had the same features as her.

"U-uh... Y-ye..."

She looked down while trying to hide her tears and smile, but the nervousness was evident in her stammering.

"Y-yeah."

Ryoma looked at her and he smiled, happy that she wasn't looking at him at the exact moment that he was smiling. He was contented with this scene, she was blushing while he was asking for her to dance with him. Granted that she said yes, he automatically put his hands in her. He felt her shaking.

"What's wrong?"

Sakuno faced him yet again and she shook her head violently.

"N-nothing, R-Ryoma-k-kun!" she made herself say. He smirked, this time towards her. He waited for her to put her hand in his shoulder but after a second or so that she refused to do that, he looked at her with questioning eyes.

"Mada mada da ne, Ryuzaki. Don't you know how to dance?"

He pointed at the other people who were dancing and pertained at the position they were in. But for Sakuno, it had a different meaning. What she saw was that others were in an embrace while dancing. She froze in her spot, her face now burning red. She tried to answer him.

"O-of course, I kn-now how to dance! I've already danced with Hiroshi-kun and Horio-kun."

He was surprised, all right. She just had an outburst. And she was like, bragging? He looked at her yet again.

"Then show me how you can dance." He grinned and challenged her. Sakuno stepped back in surprise but then, her inner self was determined to take the challenge. This would be the official third step to help forget her feelings for this cocky teenager in front of him.

"O-okay! L-let's dance!" She proudly said while putting her hand in his shoulder. Ryoma was getting more and more surprised with the change in this gal, but he was a hypocrite. He just plastered the same arrogant grin while placing his hand in her waist. Just in time, the next song played, but it was not an upbeat type of song that they were expecting. The song had a soft melody and a slow beat. He held her free hand and she shivered yet again.

"Then start."

Two sets of feet were so unsynchronized in their steps as they tried to follow the beat of the song. They were sort of annoyed that they cannot dance just as good as they have danced before in their lives. Sakuno just closed her eyes, trying to remember the things Hiroshi have thought her a while ago. But knowing that her hand was enclosed in the hand of the boy she liked for years, she was more than distracted to even hear the melody and get synchronized with it. Ryoma, on the other hand, looked at her with a soft gaze. He feasted his eyes on her pretty face in such a close distance. He noticed that she looked a little paler than usual. Before he could even stop himself from asking because of concern, he found himself querying.

"Are you nervous, Ryuzaki?"

She opened her eyes and stopped with her ugly steps. Ryoma's confident smile was gone. What replaced the expression was plain seriousness. Sakuno couldn't manage to utter words so she just shook her head. Is he... concerned?

"Then stop dancing like that. It's irritating."

And she was dumbfounded when she realized that he was hugging her. Not in a tight embrace, but in a soft, comforting hug one friend would give when the other one is in need of comfort. But the bottom line is that he was hugging her.

Echizen Ryoma, the now world-renowned young tennis prodigy, and her long-time crush, was hugging her.

Horio's jaw dropped upon seeing that, and so did Tomoka's. They were dancing a few meters away from the couple, plainly to spy at the two.

Ryoma let her free just as quick as he took her in his arms. He was cursing himself at first for doing that very "stupid" thing, then he started to blame the absence of his white cap. He could feel that he has a warm face at the moment, and he couldn't hide that now. Trying to relieve the "anxiety," he mentioned a line that he would be partly be sorry in the future for saying so.

"Be confident."

Sakuno wanted to laugh and at the same time, cry. She shook her head to stop tears from flowing out of her eyes.

"What are you doing Ryoma-kun? Can't you see I'm trying so hard to forget my feelings for you?"

The two paused without looking at each other. After exactly five seconds, they found themselves dancing yet again. They were not synchronized again, but that was at first. They have finally picked up the pace that they were supposed to be in. In addition to that, their faces were evidently in the bright side. They were not blushing anymore, but they were both wore contented smiles in their facades.

"Awww... My dream come true! I'm so happy for my best friend!" Tomoka "sobbed" while still dancing with Horio.

"What dream are you talking about!" the nosy boy asked. Tomoka just continued sobbing happy tears. On the other hand, there were heart-broken girls just behind them, crying waterfalls of tears, sobbing sadly while chanting the name "Ryoma-sama" over and over again.

As the song was about to end, Ryoma and Sakuno were dancing happily at the ball. Ryoma finally had the confidence, or should one say, the humility to initiate a conversation.

"So, are you still playing tennis?"

Sakuno looked at him but she did not felt like stuttering anymore. She answered him just as simple as she could.

"Anou... Honestly, I refrained from playing the sport nowadays."

"Why?"

"Well, uh..." Sakuno took care of not saying the real reason, "I was too busy right now. And besides, I don't have the right skills for tennis."

Ryoma's eyebrow perked. "You don't like playing it anymore?"

She bowed down her head. "Not really, Ryoma-kun. But tennis doesn't like me the way I like it." She sheepishly smiled.

Ryoma looked at her in confusion then shook his head slightly.

"If you don't practice hard enough, you will not get skilled. But if you have the right motivation, you will ask someone to train you."

Sakuno immediately remembered her grand mother. She shook her head.

"Grandma is too busy with her profession of coaching the tennis club. I can't be too selfish to demand her to train me, when in fact her health can become frail at any time and she might break down yet again..."

Ryoma looked far away from her. He felt the temperature rise in his face yet again.

"If you're grand mother can't do it, let other people do it for your sake."

"The senpai-tachi are busy too with their routine as well. Even Kachirou, Katsuo and Horio are busy." She answered.

"They are not the only ones who can coach you."

"Then who else could it be?" she asked in her usual, naïve self, her big brown eyes reflecting her innocence. Ryoma did not dare do anything stupid again so he did not answered readily. How naïve can she be?

"But anyway, aren't you willing to practice, even on your own? You're part of the tennis club, aren't you?"

"I simply found... no reason to be there anymore. I'll quit it, too."

"Then?"

Sakuno looked at him in question again. She giggled to herself.

"What's so funny, Ryuzaki?"

"That's strange of you, Ryoma-kun." She answered, suppressing laughs from continuing to come out. He felt embarrassed that he glared at her. She did not seem to mind though, but then she continued talking.

"You're asking too many questions." She answered, making him more embarrassed and at the same time irritated.

"Don't change the topic. You haven't answered me. What will you do after you quit tennis?"

Sakuno stopped giggling and looked at Ryoma. The sad face replaced her smiling facade.

"Sorry..." She managed to say. "Maybe, I'll..."

He waited for her answer while feeling disappointed at what he did. She wasn't smiling at him anymore.

"I'll join the theater club."

The song finally ended. Silence floated between the two while they stayed in the same position. Ryoma could feel his teeth slightly gnashing at the thought that at the theater club, there was Nakayama, and a lot more of Sakuno's time would be spent practicing with that guy. And remembering what happened earlier in the stage, those moments of losing her "accidentally" to some guy might be repeated over and over again.

"Don't join that club." He demanded straightforwardly.

"Eh?"

"I said, don't join the theater club."

"But...why?" She was more than flabbergasted to hear that from Ryoma. What is he thinking?

He was at loss. Why, she asked? "Just don't ask."

She bowed down before him in respect to him and for the gratefulness for the time he spent dancing with her. He bowed down before her as well, and waited for her to answer.

"Thanks for the dance, Ryoma-kun. But I cannot heed the advice you are giving me." She said, her face still not visible from his point-view.This is better, he can't see my face flushed like this for the umpteenth time.

Ryoma was getting hot-headed, but he tried to mask that. "I'll be your coach in your tennis practices if you want."

The effort she made for him not to see her face was futile. She looked up at him. Now, she was getting more surprised.

"Ryoma-kun..." Her lips were quivering that she spilled words that she did not intend of saying to him, "Sorry... I am not your puppet anymore..."

She ran away from him, tears threatening to cascade down her eyes any moment. Tomoka and Horio saw what happened and they tried to follow her, but they lost sight of her in the thick crowd from which she mixed with.

"What did all of the sudden happened?" Horio and Tomoka chorused. Hiroshi quickly went towards them after he danced with the last girl who fell in line to dance with him.

"That was Ryuzaki-san, wasn't it?" he asked worriedly. The two nodded. The chocolate-eyed boy was about to follow and find Sakuno but Tomoka stopped him.

"What did that arrogant Echizen did to her now?" Horio gritted his teeth, his unibrow shaking in fury. Tomoka just sighed. She didn't know what happened exactly. She shook her head and decided that Sakuno needs a little time to herself. If only she knew what happened. She looked at Ryoma who was rather rooted to his spot as well. She did not bothered to ask him what happened anymore. Even she, the nosiest Osakada Tomoka, knew her limits and boundaries.

Ryuzaki Sakuno reached the comfort room and found a lot of girls retouching their make-up there. She knew that they were looking at her as soon as she entered the place so she hurriedly went to a cubicle and cried silently to herself. When she was relieved of the sudden agonizing feeling that overtook her consciousness, she waited for the others to leave the comfort room before going out of the cubicle she occupied. She faced the mirror while wiping her tears dry and the smudged make-up in her face. After that, Tomoka came in and found her.

"Sakuno! Are you okay?" Tomoka went towards her. Sakuno nodded as if nothing happened.

"Just felt a little emotional there... I feel so stupid right now." She smiled. "Thanks for making me dance with him tonight, Tomo-chan."

Tomoka smiled bitterly when Sakuno hugged her. She hugged her back as well as she closed her eyes, trying herself to hide her tears for the pity and pride she felt that time. She knew Sakuno had moved on.

~oOo~

A/N: So that's for the rest of the party. I'm so happy I finished this! Hurray! Although in the original plan, I wanted to add a little more scenes after the one above, I though it would spoil the angsty feeling and the RyoSaku-ness I wanted to establish so I removed those. Bu the way, more notes: By the time I'm finished with the whole story, I'll edit the chapters what still needs the necessary editing/proofreading. That proves how lazy I am. Haha! R&R please! Thanks for the encouraging reviews everyone! I didn't knew I was important in the least in this place. XoXo!