Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis and its characters.
"speaking", 'thoughts' and Telephone Conversation (other end of the line)/ Sound Effects/ Read
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Transferred My Heart
by: OrangeAce
Chapter 9: Shop to Shop till They Drop!
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The four boys, who were joining the so-called "contest", stepped on their proper places on the DDR machine. Since one machine can consist of two pads, the teens occupied two machines for the contest. Echizen and Fuji were sharing one DDR machine while Marui and Kirihara on the other.
As the boys positioned themselves, Rikku and Tomoka couldn't help but giggle with what was presently happening. Sakuno, who was still in a state of surprise, didn't utter any sound at all… though she gazed at her two best friends who were murmuring and looking at her, plus at the four boys on the DDR machines.
"Is this coincidence or what?" Tomoka whispered to Rikku excitedly.
Sharing the same feeling as the pigtailed girl, Rikku shook her head vigorously. "Nope, I don't think so…" She started. Tomoka looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to say more. Rikku leaned in closer. "I think this is a contest between Sakuno's four admirers and her…." She whispered. Tomoka nodded in agreement… and so, the both of them looked at the braided girl who was queerly looking back at them.
'Nani… what are Tomoka and Rikku staring at?' Sakuno wondered.
Suddenly, getting everyone's attention including the three girls', the DDR machine came to life, and on the screen, it asked the players to pick a level. Kikumaru and Momoshiro immediately dashed forward to do the picking for Ryoma, Fuji, Marui and Kirihara. They stepped on the pads of each player and picked 'Expert'.
"N-Nani? Momo-senpai, why did you pick 'Expert'?" Ryoma asked annoyed and sent a deadly glare to the chuckling year two student. Ryoma could feel his heartbeat increase in speed… He was nervous. 'Can I do this?' He asked. 'No… I don't think I can…' He replied to himself. Out of the blue, Ryoma had the sudden urge to look at a certain braided girl. As he looked at Sakuno, the girl was busy having a light conversation with Fuji. Ryoma could feel his blood pressure go up; however, his determination and perseverance weren't at all left behind. 'I can do this…'
Fuji, who was at that time engaging himself in conversation with Sakuno, was getting his strength by talking with the girl. "This is actually the first time I'm playing this…" Fuji told the girl silently and chuckled.
Sakuno smiled at her senpai. "Ah Fuji-senpai… I know you can do it!" Sakuno encouraged the older teen who was considering her as his inspiration.
Marui and Kirihara on the other hand weren't as nervous as the two Seigaku representatives. They definitely had more experience compared to the two. Marui was the type of guy who would be into these things… and Kirihara was unexpectedly good at these things too since he sometimes was seen around these parts of the mall… playing. So that earns the two, advantages in this contest.
"Expert…?" Kirihara whispered to himself, but Marui heard it.
The glucose-lover smiled at him. "Ah… don't worry Kirihara; I know you can do it…" Marui reassured his kohai. "You've played this before so no worries!" Then he leaned in closer to the messy-haired boy, "We both need to do this… because we finally have the opportunity to impress Rikkai Dai in Sakuno's eyes…" Marui smiled and glanced at Sakuno quickly. Kirihara followed Marui's gaze on Sakuno too.
Pick your song! The DDR Machine boomed. The sound got everyone's attention. Spontaneously, Kikumaru and Momoshiro once again dashed towards the machine and picked the song. It was a song which was super fast in beat. The two immediately dispersed the competition area when the drums had started playing. All eyes were glued on the four players who some was feeling a whole lot nervous, and some excited (make a guess, who was a whole lot nervous? Hehe)
'It's starting...' The Samurai Junior said to himself. He gulped inaudibly. He could feel his stomach flipping. Wait. Hold on. Since when was the Seigaku pillar of support acting like this? He was so unlike himself, 'What's happening to me?' He asked himself. He sighed then smiled. 'Sakuno's affecting me so much…' He smirked. 'She even has the ability to swerve my personality-' suddenly he was cut from his thoughts.
"Ryoma-kun! It's starting!" A certain auburn-haired girl cried.
Now that sent jolts to Ryoma's body like a bolt of electricity. He glanced shortly at Sakuno then turned his attention towards the screen. Simultaneously, he started stepping on the arrows of the pad, following suit the ones appearing on the screen.
Sakuno sighed in relief. Tomoka and Rikku approached the girl and started giving her 'happy-pokes'. Sakuno sighed once more. 'This will be a long day…'
"YEAH!!!" Momoshiro shouted. "Go Echizen!" He wolf-whistled. Both Kaidoh and the player himself glared at him. Momoshiro nodded his head towards Echizen who missed an arrow, cursed silently, and then returned his gaze towards the screen after a few moments. Momoshiro, not forgetting about the boomerang-specialist, glared back at him. So the two started a contest of their own, 'the glaring at each other marathon'.
Kikumaru clapped his hands wildly. "Go ochibi! Go Fuji!!!" The red-head said at the top of his lungs. Oishi was trying his best to calm his 'gone-wild' doubles partner who was emitting loud shouts and cheers. On the other hand, Kawamura was humming to the tune of the song. And Inui… Inui was writing down all the data he could gather:
… Echizen swings his hand to his back when stepping on the top arrow. Neophyte. Flexibility and agility: 60 percent. Gracefulness: 15 percent. Accuracy: 29 percent.
… Fuji bends forward when stepping on the top arrow. Neophyte. Flexibility and agility: 63.5 percent. Gracefulness: 30 percent. Accuracy: 35 percent.
… Marui adds dance moves when stepping on all arrows. Old Hand. Flexibility and agility: 85 percent. Gracefulness: 97.5 percent. Accuracy: 100 percent.
… Kirihara isn't as energetic as the latter, but noticeable that he suppresses what he really can do. Old Hand. Flexibility and agility: 95 percent. Gracefulness (shown): 88 percent. Accuracy: 100 percent.
Tezuka was watching everything quietly. Truth to be told, he was actually enjoying what was in front of him. Everyone was happy, and so no harm done… It's just that the teens were quite making a scene in the mall… a larger group of watchers came forth, surrounding the Seigaku and Rikkai Dai students.
Niou was imitating the moves of Marui like a veteran himself; Yagyuu was smiling at his doubles partner. Jackal on the other hand, was feeling pride for having Marui as a doubles partner. While watching, everyone can easily pinpoint that Marui was really a connoisseur in these things. The rest of the team wasn't only watching the team's glucose-lover of course; their eyes were also set on their junior ace player, Kirihara Akaya who was showing exemplary performance himself.
Kirihara's face and attention were glued to the machine's screen. He was skillfully stepping on the arrows with pinpoint precision. His movements were fluent, but it was tainted in his gestures that he was still holding back what he can do.
Marui's performance was highly proficient. His movements were like a professional's that one can really tell that he was into these things.
Fuji on the other hand was doing his best in keeping up with the other two… and it was kind of working since he accurately steps on a number of correct arrows. Despite his so-so performance, Fuji was still on the roll, giving full effort on his dance moves.
Now Echizen… Echizen wasn't exactly having the time of his life. He was struggling to keep up with the super fast beat. 'What did I get myself into?' He asked himself slightly annoyed. "Damn" He cursed under his breath as he missed a number of arrows. He glanced at the person to his side, Fuji. His eyes widened. The tennis tensai was actually not doing so badly! He could feel the intensity of the battle... 'I was just warming up…' He smirked to himself then started being so focused on the game that he was actually catching up.
Tomoka and Rikku were watching everything astonished and amazed. They were both giggling non-stop with what was presently happening. It was obvious that Seigaku's pair was nothing compared to Rikkai Dai at this point, but it was also obvious that the pair was trying the best they can. All four boys were so into the game! "Hey Tomoka, can you feel the competition?" Rikku asked the girl beside her.
Tomoka grinned and nodded. "Look at them…" She pointed, "They're all so focused on the game…" She stated which Rikku nodded to. "It seems like nothing can hinder them from trying to overrun each other, ne?" Tomoka and Rikku smiled at each other after which glanced at Sakuno too… And then at that moment, they caught the girl actually giving her own cheers.
"Go Bunta-kun, Fuji-senpai, Kirihara-senpai, and Ryoma-kun!" Sakuno cheered.
Now that seemed to have stopped time for the four boys. They all looked back at Sakuno for a moment. (A/N: Luckily it was instrumental !!) When seeing where the four boys' attention was diverted to, everyone looked at Sakuno too… Sakuno looked at the site in front of her. Then, it hit her hard. Sakuno was a smart girl, not an oblivious kind for the matter. She was blushing. It was only then she realized that all the players were people who were admiring her. Sakuno touched her cheeks and felt the warmth of it. 'Ah… this is embarrassing…'
Feeling the awkwardness of the moment, Sakuno decided to cease it. "Ano… aren't you going to continue?" She told them shyly. The four boys stiffened when they remembered. The four immediately went back into the 'game world' stepping on arrows and all that as soon as they snapped back to reality. Sakuno sighed in relief.
Everyone, except the usually stoic people, chuckled in delight. They all glanced quickly at the still tomato looking Sakuno who was silently talking to her girlfriends. Inui, who was still taking notes at that time, wrote down the necessary adjustments:
… All players' determination rises by 3 percent due to Ryuzaki-san's cheer serving as a booster.
… In this contest, Ryuzaki-san had served as a distraction and an inspiration to Echizen, Fuji, Marui and Kirihara.
The song was nearing its end but the four boys' energy weren't at all drained. Sakuno's cheer triggered something inside them to do the best they can.
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As soon as the four boys emitted their last move and stepped on the last arrow, the whole arcade erupted in cheers and applause. All four boys sighed in relief as they finished the game. The teens coming from Seigaku and Rikkai Dai approached the four; messing their hair, slapping their backs, complimenting them, teasing them, and all that! It was then the audience the boys had attracted started to disperse, enjoying the performance until the end. But it wasn't over for the Seigaku and Rikkai Dai group yet… they had yet to announce the winner.
On the screen, the scores of the boys flashed. Echizen ended with a D-; Fuji with a C-; Marui with an A; and Kirihara with an A too. The Rikkai Dai pair did a high-five. Ryoma sighed and pulled the brim of his cap downwards. Fuji clapped and congratulated the winners.
Momoshiro and Kikumaru sneaked on the quiet Samurai Junior. "Hey don't be sad…!" Momoshiro said to his kohai.
Echizen looked at him annoyed. "Who said I was sad?" He murmured.
Kikumaru chuckled. "Nyah… it's seen on your face…" The red-head said. "You know for beginners, what you did was not so bad!"
Momoshiro nodded in agreement. "Wipe that frown off your face… It's still a long day, and you will have more opportunities to impress Ryuzaki-san…" Momoshiro jerked his head towards Sakuno's direction. Kikumaru winked at his ochibi and gave him a thumbs-up. Then the two patted Ryoma once more before heading off elsewhere.
Ryoma looked at Sakuno secretly under the lowered brim of his cap…
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Sakuno turned to her fiancé in the huge teen crowd consisting of Seigaku and Rikkai Dai students. "Ah Bunta-kun, congrats!!!" Sakuno said cheerfully.
Marui grinned ever so wide with Sakuno's congratulations to him. He winked at her. "Ah… I won because of you…" He said dramatically which caused Sakuno to turn red. He patted Sakuno's head. "Heh heh… sorry for being mushy, but it is true…" He confirmed.
Sakuno smiled sweetly. Then, she went off to congratulate Kirihara next. He found him talking with his sister. "Ah aniki… you looked funny dancing! Haha!" Rikku teased her older brother.
Sakuno butt in the conversation. "I don't think that Kirihara-senpai danced awfully. He actually has potential… And he won." Sakuno said shyly. Kirihara looked at Sakuno surprised. Rikku was grinning at Sakuno and her brother. He pushed the messy-haired boy towards Sakuno's direction, and then left off for Tomoka who was busy talking to Kaidoh at the moment.
Sakuno looked up to the junior ace player. "Ah Kirihara-senpai, you were awesome…!" Sakuno gave him a thumbs-up. Kirihara had a tinge of pink on his face and was scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
"Arigatou…" He replied. "So…" He started. "Did you learn something from the contest?" He asked.
Sakuno nodded. "Yep… arigatou for joining…" She smiled. Looking at Sakuno's angelic face, Kirihara blushed once more. "I'll be congratulating Fuji-senpai now…" She said and headed off to where Fuji was.
Kirihara watched Sakuno until she had disappeared in the crowd. He smiled, and then punched the air happily. 'Yes!'
Sakuno found Fuji watching Kikumaru and Momoshiro play some hoops. She approached him. "Hey Fuji-senpai…." Sakuno called for the tennis tensai.
Fuji diverted his attention to his kohai. He brightened up when he saw her. "Hey Sakuno-chan…"
Sakuno smiled. "You were awesome! For someone who's playing for the first time, that's really good!" Sakuno complimented.
"Arigatou…" He said. "I enjoyed playing. Maybe you should try it next time." Fuji suggested.
Sakuno shook her head. "I'd definitely get an F."
Fuji smiled. "Yah." He said teasingly.
Sakuno looked at him. "Ah Fuji-senpai… you didn't have to be so honest…" Sakuno muttered.
Fuji chuckled. "Just kidding."
She smiled. "See yah…" She bowed and headed off somewhere else.
Fuji watched Sakuno's leaving figure until it had disappeared in the crowd.
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'Sakuno approached Marui, Kirihara, and Fuji-senpai…' Echizen thought as he was standing by a wall, waiting for a certain auburn-haired girl to pass by. 'Now it's my turn' He thought happily and raised the lowered brim of his cap. He smirked as he saw Sakuno coming his way.
"Sa-chan was so cute a while ago, ne?! Heh heh!" Tomoka giggled along with Rikku as they continued to chatter and watch Sakuno from a distance who was talking with Fuji.
"It was so cool when all four of them got distracted because of Sakuno's cheer!" Rikku chattered back to the still giggling Tomoka.
"And after that, the cheer seemed to be a booster that made them even more energized!" Tomoka responded excitedly.
Little do they know, there was a young woman behind them who was about to interrupt their conversation and giggling marathon. "Excuse me, misses…" A smooth and calming voice emerged. Both Tomoka and Rikku looked back and saw a tall slender woman who was wearing a uniform of some sort. She had black hair which was tied in a stylish bun, grey orbs, and a light complexion; the lady was pretty.
Tomoka and Rikku looked at each other. "Can we help you?" Tomoka asked politely. Both were expectant of her reply.
The woman smiled a beautiful smile. "Hi, I am the manager of 'Fabulous Salon'."
"Wait, hold on… theFabulous Salon?" Tomoka said excitedly. Rikku wasn't far from excited too.
The girl nodded and extended her hand in greeting which both younger girls gladly accepted. "Today is the salon's anniversary, and I'm roaming around the mall to look for random but lucky teenagers who will be given free services in the salon." The woman started. Rikku and Tomoka were listening intently, but it was obvious they were excited. "And I'm also looking for one girl with perfect hair who will be the first to use our brand new hair machine with no expense!"
"Oh I gladly accept!!!" Both Rikku and Tomoka replied with twinkles in their eyes.
The woman sweatdropped. "Ano… actually, I was wondering if you can introduce me to your friend…" She said and pointed at Sakuno who at that time, was already looking for Ryoma.
Rikku's and Tomoka's head dropped in disappointment. But after a few moments, burst into giggles filled with excitement and enthusiasm. "Sure!" They both said. The woman sweatdropped once more with the sudden change of mood of the girls.
Rikku and Tomoka led the way towards Sakuno who was already a few feet away from the waiting prince. The young manager looked at Sakuno with a big smile plastered on her face. 'She is perfect!' The woman thought happily.
"Hey Sa-chan!" Tomoka called.
Sakuno looked her way. When she saw the young woman behind her best friends, a curious look appeared on her face. 'Who is she?' Sakuno wondered. 'Well, only one way to find out!' She approached the newcomers with awaiting curiosity, not knowing that this will be the start of something new for her… and disregarding the about-to-be-disappointed Ryoma.
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Nani?!' "Dammit…" Ryoma muttered under his breath. Sakuno was actually approaching him when suddenly her attention was diverted to Rikku, Tomoka, and this young woman. There, poof! No more moment between the both of them! He sighed, and then decided to have a can of soda to ease his mood.
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"Sa-chan, come on! Accept it! It's a wonderful opportunity!" Tomoka convinced the still confused Sakuno.
"Oh, I don't know, you guys…" Sakuno said, still having a dilemma. 'My hair…' Sakuno thought sadly.
"Come on! I'm sure your hair will become even more beautiful! Plus, it will be fun hanging out in the salon given free services!!!" Rikku said excitedly. Sakuno just smiled at her, still having no answer for the offer. Then something came across Rikku's mind. She faced the young woman. "There's no catch right?" She said nervously. "Is there?"
The young woman shook her head. "None. I told you, it is the salon's anniversary! We're just giving away free treats!" She replied enthusiastically.
Both Rikku and Tomoka jumped in excitement, and then turned to the still quiet Sakuno. "Come on Sa-chan! See, you've got nothing to lose!" Tomoka told her best friend happily. Rikku and Tomoka both had their hands clasped together, and the puppy dog eyes on to add to the pleading. Sakuno was about to surrender when she was overtook by the manager.
"Though…"
All three of them spontaneously looked at the young woman with them, and waited for her to say more. "Though?" Rikku crunched her eyebrows. On the other hand, Tomoka had one eyebrow raised.
"Ryuzaki-san has to pose for the salon to help us feature our brand new hair machine" The woman explained simply, going straight to the point.
Rikku and Tomoka grinned at each other and started whispering. "Just imagine if the boys saw her picture" Tomoka giggled.
"It will be awesome" Rikku grinned and did a hi-five with the pigtailed girl.
Sakuno looked at her best friends queerly then turned to the manager. "Nani?" Sakuno was surprised. "I change my mind..." She said quietly.
Rikku and Tomoka immediately reacted. "What? Why?" They both asked at the same time. The manager waited for the girl's reply.
"Ano… cause it feels awkward having your face posted for everyone to see" Sakuno blushed. Rikku and Tomoka giggled, remembering what they whispered about a while ago.
"Why will it be awkward, dear?" The manager asked kindly. "You are beautiful and you've got nothing to be ashamed of" She smiled her beautiful smile.
Sakuno sighed. She looked at both her best friends who still had their pleading faces on. 'What have I got to lose anyway?' She asked herself. 'I'm going to give it a shot'. "Okay…" She finally surrendered.
Rikku and Tomoka jumped happily. The manager was grinning. "To the salon then!" She said excitedly. Rikku and Tomoka had already started following the girl when they noticed Sakuno wasn't coming along.
"Ano… how bout the others?" She asked her best friends.
"Ah, don't worry, I think it will be great if we left them sometime alone to do boy stuff or whatever" Rikku said.
"Yah, it's a great bonding time for them!" Tomoka assured her best friend who trusted their words.
"Okay" Sakuno smiled. And off went the three girls to the "Fabulous Salon"
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"Hey guys, has anyone seen Sakuno?" Marui asked.
Some shook their head. "The last time I saw her was when she congratulated me right after the DDR contest" Kirihara replied.
Fuji nodded. "Same here…"
"Me too actually" Marui scratched an invisible itch on the back of his head.
Then they all turned their head towards the tennis prince who was busy drinking his soda. "Echizen, do you know where Sakuno-chan is?" Fuji asked his younger teammate calmly. Everyone waited for his reply.
"Say, where is Rikku?" Kirihara suddenly inquired out loud.
"And Osakada-san too!" Kikumaru looked around. "Where are they?"
"They went off with this lady" Echizen answered simply, also not knowing where they have gone. "But I don't know where they went." He ended.
The others looked at each other. Marui and Kirihara were agitated. "Where could Sakuno be? She may be helpless right now! Do you think she was kidnapped?!" Marui freaked-out, worried sick for his fiancée.
Some rolled their eyes with his over exaggeration. "You know… You can always contact them Marui…" Yukimura smiled at his magenta-haired teammate.
Marui turned a faint color of pink and rubbed his cheek. "Ano… I knew that, I was just acting." He said embarrassed. Echizen scoffed inaudibly. Marui grabbed his phone to contact Sakuno.
"Man, she's not answering" Marui said highly concerned. He tried Kirihara's sister next."Rikku's also not answering" He told the rest which earned him worried glances. Then he whined after finding out his phone went dead bat.
"How 'bout Osakada-san? Does anyone know her number?" Oishi asked. It was quiet for no one replied until…
"I have it." Kaidoh said meekly with a blush on his face. His teammates looked at him surprised. After a few moments, Momoshiro was snickering. Kaidoh sent him a 'you-better-stop-or-else-I-wont-call-her' look. So Momoshiro immediately stopped for the sake of them finding where the girls went. He dialed the number and waited… But no one was answering. "She isn't answering". Some sighed in utter disappointment.
"Ah, Rikku isn't an idiot to let herself be dragged by a stranger…" Kirihara muttered. "I'm sure she is safe…" He assured himself. But then, Sakuno crossed his mind and this bothered him. "What I'm worried about is Sakuno…" He sighed. "Were the three together?" Kirihara asked Echizen. The samurai junior nodded which made him a bit relieved.
"Seems like now we have to split up and find them." Fuji stated calmly which all of them agreed to.
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"Wow Sa-chan! You sure are lucky to get a hair make-over from such a prestigious salon!" Tomoka said as she continued to be in awe with the surroundings. "I bet the process will be extravagant and the result will be fabulous!" Rikku nodded in agreement as she too, looked around indulging herself with the salon's equipment and look.
The salon contained all the equipment and necessities a girl needs for her beauty enhancements. There were rows of chairs facing full-length mirrors that were bordered with starlight bulbs, fitting the salon's high-classed design. There were corners wherein you get the different treatments and services. There was also a nail art machine that sat proudly on a desk with an assistant attending to every customer.
"This is so cool!!!" Rikku giggled excitedly.
The manager smiled, and headed off to the head desk for the papers Sakuno needed to sign, and for the gift certificates giving the girls some free services. Sakuno on the other hand, was busy looking at the ceiling of the salon decorated with the light bulbs of all girly shapes. Ring Ring. Sakuno's phone rang.
"Hey Sakuno! Look at this machine!!!" Rikku ushered the girl.
"Is that the hair machine?" Sakuno inquired curiously, approaching her best friends. She wasn't able to hear her phone because of Rikku's shout.
Tomoka shook her head. "It designs your nails! It's so awesome!!!" Tomoka exclaimed. "Kyah! I want to design mine with butterflies!!!" She said dreamily.
"I want mine to be tennis rackets!" Rikku cried in the same delight. Tomoka sweatdropped with her design. Sakuno giggled with her friends' enthusiasm.
Ring Ring. Rikku's phone rang.
"Let's try it now!" Both the girls shouted at each other, overwhelming the ringing of Rikku's phone which caused her not to answer it. When the two looked at the designs with the price shown, they paled. Sakuno looked at them queerly for their sudden change of reaction.
"Nani? What's wrong?" She asked.
"Heh heh, I changed my mind." Rikku stated, rubbing the side of her cheek.
"It will cost me my entire baby-sitting salaries for one week!" Tomoka said sadly. "But it might be part of the free services we will receive!!!" She said excitedly, yet again, another immediate change of mood happened. She jumped up and down with Rikku while giggling loudly. Ring Ring. Tomoka's phone rang. The ringing was unheard because of the girls' giggling and jumping.
Sakuno smiled at her excited friends. Just then, the manager appeared behind Sakuno. "Here you go Ryuzaki-san, the papers regarding your privilege to be the salon's hair model" The woman said with a smile, and handed the papers to Sakuno for her to sign. Then she turned to Rikku and Tomoka. "And your gift certificates for free Hair Styling including Hair Spa and Hair Coloring" She handed the two gift certificates to the two excited girls.
But then, both girls were disappointed for not being able to use the nail machine; though the girls still tried their luck. "Ano… do we get free access on the nail machine at least for introducing you to Sakuno?" Both Tomoka and Rikku asked expectantly; the manager and Sakuno sweatdropped.
- - - - -
During the hunt for the three, the two schools split up amongst themselves as teammates this time. So it seemed like it was a Seigaku and Rikkai Dai face off in hunting for the girls. Ryoma, Fuji, Kikumaru, Momoshiro and Kaidoh were together; Tezuka, Oishi, Taka, and Inui were the other Seigaku group. Marui, Kirihara, Jackal, and Niou were together; Sanada, Yukimura, Yagyuu and Yanagi were the other Rikkai Dai group.
Tezuka and Sanada's group headed to the west part of the mall. Tezuka was on the upper floor and Sanada on the ground floor. The other half of searchers meaning Ryoma's and Marui's group were in the east part of the mall.
"My instincts tell me we should take the upper floor!" Kikumaru said excitedly. Fuji, without further ado, followed his acrobatics teammate's gut feeling. Kikumaru and Momoshiro followed suit happily leaving both Kaidoh and Ryoma behind them.
Seeing that the Seigaku group headed for the upper floor, Marui and the other Rikkai Dai fellows took the ground floor. "Seems like we're left with the ground floor then." Kirihara muttered and eyed the Seigaku people who already took flight in the escalator.
- - - - -
"Arigatou!!! Arigatou!!!" Sakuno, Rikku, Tomoka bowed at the manager for their free use of the nail machine. Tomoka had glittering blue butterflies on her nails with a purple base; Rikku had glittering red tennis rackets on her nails with a peach base; and Sakuno had glittering sakura flowers on her nails with a white base. The manager smiled.
"Arigatou!!! Arigatou!!!" The three bowed again for having their hair done wonderfully. Tomoka had her hair layered which she tied in a high ponytail; Rikku had an awesome haircut which was a cute black bob and bangs that was swiped onto one side; and Sakuno had her long wavy hair out which was cut into four inches below her shoulder. With this style, it had actually accentuated her thin face, giving more emphasis to the girl's beauty.
Now the thing that set Sakuno's hairstyle different was the glimmering flower clips on her hair that can only be removed when washed off. "It seems like the hair machine is a success, ne?" The manager asked the girls who nodded. "Now Ryuzaki-san, are you sure you don't want an exotic hairstyle? We could you use a punk to feature the machine" She sounded expectant.
The three sweatdropped and laughed nervously. Sakuno didn't oblige this time. "Ano, I think this is enough". She smiled kindly, not wanting to offend the manager for turning her down.
And once again… "Arigatou!!! Arigatou!!!" The three bowed in thanks as they just received another set of gift certificates to a shopping spree in care of 'Fabulous Salon' when they spun the wheel of fortune. Thanks to the perfume they bought that gave them privilege to spin the wheel.
The manager smiled. "Ah no problem girls, you tried your luck with our wheel of fortune for purchasing our perfume products and it worked! So your win…" The manager looked at the girls fondly. The girls giggled at each other, excited for what lies ahead of them to the remaining time of the 'day out'.
The manager gave the girls a nod. "I'm happy you girls had fun. Please come back again!" She waved as they headed out. "Oh and expect to see your picture outside the salon by next week!!!" She cried to Sakuno who rubbed the side of her cheek a little flushed.
Then the three headed off to shop till they drop, unbeknownst that the boys were looking for them from shop to shop till they drop.
- - - - -
"Kikumaru-senpai! Look at this pair of tennis shoes!" Momoshiro called out for his red head senpai who immediately approached him. "Aren't they so fine and sleek!" He chided happily and stroked the shoe lovingly.
Kikumaru's eyes glistened. "Yah! They're so nice!" Kikumaru commented.
Kaidoh noticed Momoshiro hugging the shoes. He also noticed that Momo was attracting attention. "Momoshiro no baka, you don't need to show how much of an idiot you already are in public… It's embarrassing" Kaidoh said annoyed to his teammate who in turn got angered by what he said.
"What did you say Mamushi?!" Momo roared. He lunged at Kaidoh who did the same, but Kikumaru interfered be staying in between the two, blocking them from their prepared punches.
"Nyah, stop it you two!!!" The red head cried.
Ryoma and Fuji looked at their bickering teammates. "I don't know them…" Ryoma muttered and exited the sports shop they were in.
Fuji smiled. "We're not here to fight, but to look for Sakuno-chan and the others. Come on." Fuji reminded the three who now stopped the show they were creating in the shop, and followed Fuji out.
- - - - -
"Don't you think that those guys who just exited looked like Kikumaru-senpai, Momo-senpai, Kaidoh-senpai, Fuji-senpai, and Ryoma-sama?" Tomoka asked her two companions.
Both Sakuno and Rikku looked at where Tomoka was pointing at. "Maybe" Rikku replied shortly for her attention was suddenly captured by a pair of shoes in the display rack. "Those tennis shoes are a must-have!" Rikku exclaimed and immediately entered the sport shop.
Tomoka followed, but Sakuno stayed outside a little longer, trying to figure out if the figures who just exited were her senpais and Echizen. "Sa-chan, you coming?" Tomoka asked and snapped Sakuno from her reverie.
"Coming." Sakuno replied and entered the store.
- - - - -
"Marui, control yourself!" Jackal told his frantic teammate.
"B-But, it's so hard to keep away from the cakes!" Marui exclaimed and struggled in Jackal's hold of being dragged away from the cake shop.
"Oh boy…" Niou said and ruffled his hair.
"Marui-senpai, remember we're looking for Ryuzaki-san and the others." Kirihara reminded the magenta-haired who half unwillingly forced himself not to approach the shop anymore. "Besides, we already checked out the cake shop and the girls aren't there."
"Right! Look for Sakuno we must!" He said, and then headed for another store. The others sighed and followed him.
- - - - -
"Ah where could they be? What if Niou's group found Ryuzaki-san already!" Kikumaru stated scared. "We can't lose to them!" The four looked at him.
"Since when was this competition…" Kaidoh muttered in wonder.
"Kaidoh is right Eiji, the important thing is we find Sakuno-chan" Fuji said. Echizen flinched when he heard his senpai say 'Sakuno-chan'.
"I was thinking," Momoshiro started but Kaidoh attacked him with an insult.
"Wow. The apocalypse is coming." Kaidoh said testily. Momoshiro heated up once more but thank goodness Kikumaru prevented them in sending black eyes to one another.
"Tsk. When will they act like grown-ups" Ryoma whispered to himself.
"Did you say something Echizen?" Both Momoshiro and Kaidoh snarled at him.
"Nothing" He replied coolly.
When settled down once more, Momoshiro continued what he was about to say. "I was just thinking, don't you think the girls aren't really something to worry about? Maybe, they're just enjoying themselves together as girls. I mean, they might be in a salon or just plain shopping." Momo stated.
Fuji and Echizen looked at each other. "Plausible" Fuji replied.
"Let's start looking again…" Ryoma said and starting walking elsewhere. Kikumaru and Momoshiro smirked at each other then followed Echizen. Kaidoh and Fuji tailed behind.
- - - - -
"If I were Ryuzaki-san, Rikku, and Osakada-san, where will I be?" Niou asked himself as they continued to roam around the lower ground of the mall.
"Probably they're shopping around and just hanging out…" Jackal said which caused Niou to nod in agreement.
Marui and Kirihara were diligently peering at every shop's window, trying to see if the girls were in it or not. Jackal and Niou looked at both of them. "They're both too worried" Niou commented. Jackal nodded.
- - - - -
"Ano, Tomo-chan, Rikku, I'm tired of walking around…" Sakuno told her other two companions who already had a huge number of paper bags to hold. She herself only had a new sling bag, skirt, and the perfume she bought in the salon.
Rikku and Tomoka looked at each other then at Sakuno. "You're tired already?" They asked. Sakuno nodded. "Let's go to the cake shop on the ground floor," Rikku said. "I'm kinda tired myself" She confessed. "And hungry" Sakuno smiled at her.
Tomoka sighed. "Okay then, I guess we need a break" She smiled. "We bought so much! And besides, I already used up the gift certificate and even used half of my pocket money." She stated. "Come on then, to the cake shop!"
The three headed to the escalator to go the cake shop on the lower ground. They entered with their many paper bags and settled in a far end table near a window. When sat down, "Why don't we ask the others to come here for snacks before we all head home?" Sakuno asked. "Maybe you should try calling the others too, so that we can be sure they're all here… Cause they might be separated."
"Okay" Both Rikku and Tomoka said. Rikku grabbed her phone to call Akaya. Tomoka grabbed her phone to call Kaidoh.
Sakuno grabbed her phone… 'Who will I call?' Sakuno asked herself. She scanned her phone's address book and decided to call Marui. But she couldn't reach him. She sighed and decided to settle for another choice… which was Fuji. She waited as the phone rang.
"Hey Aniki! Yeah, we're here in the cake shop in the ground floor…" Rikku told his brother who was still roaming around the same floor with the others. "Tell the others to come here too!"
"We're all kinda separated… I'm going to contact Sanada-senpai. Try calling someone from Seigaku… Be right there!" He replied. Rikku flipped her phone close. Then looked at Sakuno and Tomoka who she assumed must already be calling Seigaku.
"Come on, pick up. Pick up." Tomoka muttered impatiently. The phone was ringing for a long time… then suddenly, it became out of reach. "Darn! Kaidoh-senpai, why don't you pick up?" She cried.
Sakuno was still waiting for Fuji to answer. Ring Ring. "Moshi Moshi…"
'Yes!' Sakuno thought happily. "Ah, hello? Fuji-senpai…"
"Gomen, but I'm not aniki… Who is this?" Someone asked from the other end of the phone.
'Eh? Who is this? Did I contact the wrong number…?' "Ano… this is Ryuzaki-san, who's on the phone?" Sakuno had a curious face on which caught both Rikku and Tomoka's attention.
"Ah, Ryuzaki-san eh? Ryuzaki-sensei's granddaughter? This is Yuuta…"
"Ah, Fuji-san! Do you know Fuji-senpai's cellphone number?" Sakuno asked desperately.
"This is his phone…" Came Yuuta's reply. "It's just that aniki forgot to bring it I guess…"
Sakuno sighed. "Ah, thanks anyway Fuji-san! Bye" She flipped her phone close.
"Who was that?" Rikku asked Sakuno.
"Ah, Fuji-senpai's brother, Yuuta… It seems that Fuji-senpai forgot to bring his phone" Sakuno told the two.
"We should at least contact one from Seigaku…" Rikku said. "Cause the others separated for some reasons…"
"This calls for desperate measures…" Tomoka said randomly with an evil grin on her face. Rikku and Sakuno looked at each other then back at the girl. "We're going to call… Ryoma-sama!!!" She said excitedly.
"Eh?" Sakuno said surprised. "If you had had his number, then you could at least contacted him since a while ago…" Sakuno told Tomoka.
"Heh heh… I just wanted to add some drama" Tomoka scratched the side of her cheek somewhat sheepishly. "But anyways! At least we have a way to contact the others!" Tomoka reminded which both Sakuno and Rikku smiled at.
Tomoka pressed the call button to contact the tennis prince. When she pressed it, she immediately shoved it to Sakuno who was totally surprised. "You call…" Tomoka said and winked at Sakuno. The latter blushed and had second thoughts of giving in. Rikku smiled at her, and looked at Sakuno's way interested of what's about to happen.
Sakuno gulped inaudibly. Ring Ring. 'Pick up…' Ring Ring. 'Come on…' Ring Ring. The three waited silently. Ring Ring. No one was answering. Ring Ring. Sakuno sighed and turned to Tomoka. Ring Ring. "Nobody is answer-"
"Moshi moshi…" A low and impassive voice cut Sakuno with what she was about to say.
- - - - -
"Ah! I'm tired! Can we have a break?" Kikumaru whined as the group of boys lingered in the mall's department store.
Momoshiro backed up his senpai. "Yeah! I mean, we've been roaming the upper floor since a while ago! Can't we just try contacting them again?" Momoshiro asked the others.
Fuji obliged and searched his jeans pocket when he turned disappointed for he couldn't find it. "I forgot to bring my phone… I can't contact Sakuno-chan." He said sadly which added to the boys' disappointment.
Kaidoh was already grabbing his phone from his pocket when Momoshiro turned to him "How 'bout you! You have Osakada-san's number right?" He asked hotly. "Why don't you call her?!" He asked irritated.
Kaidoh hissed at him. "Yeah, I was going to… If only you shut your big trap I could have done it without interruption." He said with the same heat. He finally got the phone from his pocket when it rang. Ring Ring. Now that caught the boys' attention. Kaidoh stared at the phone first and checked who was calling; it was Tomoka.
"What the heck are you doing staring at the phone?! Pick it up already!" Momoshiro said annoyed. In his annoyance, he tried grabbing the phone from Kaidoh so he can answer the call himself. But Kaidoh won't loosen his grip on the phone.
"How dare you touch my phone! You have no right you porcupine-head!"
"Well, if you can't use it properly, then its best that someone shows you how to use it! Cell phones are not for staring!"
"I was about to answer it already! Give it!"
"No you give!"
The bickering continued for quite a while, and all Ryoma, Fuji and Kikumaru could do was stare. The ringing had ceased since a while ago for the phone had already been broken which also halted the boy's argument when realizing what had happened.
Kaidoh had his head down, his bangs covering his eyes. 'You broke my phone…" He hissed. Then he spontaneously glared at Momoshiro with furious eyes.
"Gee, it wasn't my fault. If only you gave the phone to me in the first place!" He reasoned out.
The two continued their fight and soon enough, the teens had attracted attention again. Kikumaru sighed. "I'll go stop them now." The red head wedged himself in between the two once more to stop them from sending punches to each other.
"They're really embarrassing…" Ryoma muttered. Fuji chuckled.
Then something rang. Ring Ring. Now that, stopped Kaidoh and Momoshiro from their fiasco for the ring had reached their eardrums. Fuji looked around, trying to figure where the ringing was coming from when his senses told him to look at a certain samurai junior. Ryoma can feel his phone vibrating. Ring Ring.
"Who owns that?" Kikumaru asked curiously. He checked his phone. "Not mine…"
Momoshiro checked his phone too. "Nope, not mine either." He said.
Ring Ring. Ryoma silently grabbed his phone from his pocket. All eyes were on him. 'He actually has a phone?' They all thought.
Before answering, he looked at the number. It was unfamiliar. Seeing what he was doing, Momoshiro heated up again. "What are you doing! Are you infected my Mamushi right here too! Phones are not for staring!" Momoshiro stated.
Echizen glared back at him. Ring Ring. "I don't want to answer because I don't know who's calling…"
Fuji approached the tennis prince seeing what's wrong. "The number isn't familiar to me either" He turned to Kaidoh and gave him a 'come-here-and-check-it-out' look. Ring Ring.
Kaidoh complied and approached the tennis prince who was still not answering the phone. He checked the number. Now it looked familiar to him. "… I think that's Osakada-san's number…" He replied.
"Then what are you waiting for! Answer it!" Momoshiro beckoned his teammate who was really annoyed with him now. Ring Ring.
"Moshi moshi…" He replied in a low and impassive voice.
"R-Ryoma-kun!" A girl cried from the other line. Her voice was sweet and gentle despite the volume that boomed from the other line of the phone call.
"Eh? Is that Osakada-san? She doesn't sound like herself…" Kikumaru commented. Fuji had a curious face on trying to figure who might own the voice.
Kaidoh looked at Echizen who was looking at him bored. "I'm not Echizen" He replied.
"Nani?" For a moment, the girl didn't speak from the other end for she spoke to other people with her. He could hear bits of the conversation. "Are you sure this is Ryoma-kun's number?" And then another voice emerged… "Yah! It's from Inui-senpai!" Someone beckoned. "The boy knows who Echizen is, try talking to the person again…" Then the girl spoke to him again. "Who is this?"
"Who is this?" All the boys were looking at the boomerang-snake specialist. They were all growing bored for nothing seems to be happening in the conversation.
"Gee… And he said it was Osakada-san, now he's asking, 'who is this?'" Momoshiro said annoyed, being in a really bad mood at the moment.
"Shhh!" Kikumaru shushed his kohai to silence.
"This is Ryuzaki-san…" Came Sakuno's reply.
"R-Ryuzaki-san?!" Kaidoh said surprised.
With the mention of the name, Echizen and Fuji looked at Kaidoh with so much interest now. Though it was tainted on Echizen's face that he regretted not answering the phone himself. Fuji had a smug face on when he saw his kohai's face.
"We're here in the cake shop in the ground floor… Come join us in having a snack." She said kindly. Then she added. "Is this your phone number?"
"No… This is Echizen's…" He replied.
"I see… Is Ryoma-kun and everyone else from Seigaku in there?" She asked.
"No… not everyone"
"Well, can you please contact the others to come here too?"
"Okay"
"Arigatou… See you!" Then the conversation ended.
"So, where are they?" Fuji asked curiously. Everyone was expectant of Kaidoh's reply.
"In the cake bake shop in the ground floor…" He said.
"Okay then, let's go!" Momoshiro said excitedly.
"But Ryuzaki-san also said to contact Tezuka-senpai's group…" Kaidoh said.
"I've already got it covered!" Kikumaru stated as he just finished calling Oishi.
"Then what are we waiting for…" Momoshiro was about to usher the group when Echizen finished it for him.
"Let's go…" He muttered and started heading off to where Sakuno was. Momoshiro and Kikumaru smirked at each other as the four followed the tennis prince to their next destination.
- - - - -
"They're not inside!" Kirihara told the others as the four of them repeatedly opened the door of the shop and peered inside.
"Yah… I don't see them anywhere…" Jackal remarked as he continued to look inside.
"Gee, but why do I feel that Sakuno is inside?" Marui asked the others who looked at each other.
"You're just too excited to see her…" Niou commented then something caught his attention. "Hey look, there's Kikumaru's group going down the escalator!"
"I think they're headed here too…" Kirihara said and looked back into the shop.
In a few moments, the Seigaku troop of that were also assigned in the east part of the mall joined them. "Hey Niou!" Kikumaru and Momoshiro both greeted their newly found Rikkai Dai friend. Niou gave them a nod.
"Why are you all outside?" Fuji asked them.
"They're not inside" Kirihara answered. "We've entered and checked the shop a number of times already. They're not there…" He stated.
"Are you sure?" Fuji asked, and then a moving figure caught his attention. Echizen had already taken action, heading for the shop. "Only one way to find out…" He said to himself and followed Echizen.
- - - - -
Rikku was already tapping her foot impatiently. "Where is aniki?" The girls had been waiting for quite awhile already since the emitted calls. And a number of waitresses had already asked them what they wanted but they all refused to order still for the others weren't there yet.
"Where are they?" Sakuno asked rhetorically. "What if they don't know where the shop is?"
"Gosh! Who wouldn't see the massive sign outside 'Cake Shop'! I mean come on! And besides, there is only one cake shop in this mall… which is this one that can be found in the ground floor as you have told them…" Tomoka said.
Then the door of the cake shop opened. All girls turned around to the direction of the door and found themselves looking at Echizen. "Ryoma-kun/Ryoma-sama/Echizen!" All three girls said. Fuji was right behind the tennis prince. "Fuji-senpai!" Sakuno cried.
The two boy's attention was diverted to them. "There they are…" Fuji muttered. He didn't recognize the three when he entered. They all had brand new looks. Fuji approached the tennis prince in front of him. "Come on, let's go over to them…" He whispered to Ryoma… But no reply came. Fuji looked at Ryoma. His face was covered by his cap. He smirked, knowing that the boy was staring, left him in his own reverie and approached the girls.
"Hey Fuji-senpai!" Tomoka said enthusiastically. He nodded at the girl in response.
"Where are the others?" Rikku asked curiously.
"They're outside, waiting for us to clarify to them that you are indeed inside…" He smiled at the three girls.
Then Sakuno spoke. "What is Ryoma-kun doing just standing there?" Sakuno asked curiously, a bit worried for her schoolmate.
'Why does she have to be so concerned?' "I dunno…" He replied impassively. He turned to his younger teammate. "Echizen…" He said, snapping the boy from his 'own world'.
Ryoma silently approached. 'I've been worried about you…' Ryoma stated in his mind, pretending to talk to Sakuno. He just stared at her secretly as Fuji and the girls continued to chat.
"I've been worried about you, Sakuno-chan…" Fuji turned to the auburn-haired girl who was now blushing.
Ryoma's head snapped up and looked at Fuji awkwardly. 'That was what I wanted to say!' He sighed and just let it pass… At the moment, he was busy staring at Sakuno who was oblivious at the matter. 'You're haircut looks good on you… You're so beautiful…' He said in his mind.
"Ah, you all got new haircuts eh?" Fuji smiled. "You're haircut looks good on you Sakuno-chan, you're so beautiful…" Fuji said boldly.
Once again, Ryoma's head snapped up and looked at the tennis tensai. 'Is he reading my mind?'
Meanwhile, Sakuno was blushing fervently (the usual), and Rikku and Tomoka were giggling. Fuji had a smug face on. "Well, I guess we better tell the others that you're in here…" He said, more like directing his statement to Sakuno. 'Even if I don't want to share your company with the others…' Then Fuji headed outside to tell the others.
Ryoma was still standing there, not quite knowing what to do. Sakuno looked at Ryoma worried. 'Why does Ryoma-kun seem to be so absent-minded right now?' "Ah Ryoma-kun, would you like to sit down? Here, you can stay here…" Sakuno offered Ryoma a seat. She stood up facing the tennis prince, as to give way to the seat next to her. When fate had decided to play its game, Sakuno tripped on one of the paper bags under the table that she fell forward… and onto Ryoma.
Ryoma, who was at that moment still his absent-minded self, wasn't able to use his reflexes that Sakuno fell right on top of him. They were face to face. Nose touching, lips inches apart. Sakuno was tomato-red. Ryoma's hormones were wild at that time; Number one: because Sakuno looked fantastic! Number two: they were in that awkward position… He couldn't contain himself any longer that he lifted his head a little bit… what a sight that welcomed the others!
Rikku and Tomoka's mouths were slightly agape from what happened. Everything happened so fast! Kikumaru and Momoshiro were slapping each others backs while pointing at the two who were still on the floor. Kirihara had his fist closed so tight that it started to whiten. Fuji had his eyes covered by his bangs… Who knows what's going on inside his head… And Marui had a really shocked face on.
Ryoma was in a midst of being in cloud nine. It was a pleasure, having soft lips touch his again. But suddenly, it was cut when Sakuno broke away and stood up immediately. 'Oh no… she would hate me now' Ryoma told himself sadly. "G-Gomen…" Echizen said to Sakuno.
Sakuno shook her head vigorously.
'Oh no… she hates me…' "I'm really sor-"
"Gomen!" Sakuno bowed a number of times. "Gomen! Gomen! Gomen! Ah! Baka Sakuno baka! I'm so clumsy!" She hit her head with her fist. Rikku and Tomoka stood up to stop her from doing hurting herself. Ryoma was speechless and confused at the moment that he just chose to sit down to ease his mood.
After a few more moments, somehow putting two and two together, the others approached the table of the girls. They must have realized that it was Sakuno's clumsiness that caused the scenario to happen. The attention that the teens had attracted had slowly returned to their businesses. The newcomers picked their seats and sat down, not bringing up the topic… yet.
"So what happened?" Marui asked curiously to Sakuno who was beside him.
Sakuno was blushing so hard. "Ano… I tripped on a paper bag that I landed on Ryoma-kun…" She started. "I didn't mean that to happen…" She gulped as she struggled to say the next words she was about to say. "The… you know"
"Are you sure Echizen didn't do that on purpose?" Momoshiro teased which made Sakuno blush even more and the other three admirers to glare at him. He kept his mouth shut when that happened.
"No, it was completely my fault…" Sakuno reassured.
Ryoma was quiet all the while. 'She's defending me… She knew I was the one who kissed her' He stared at Sakuno from the lowered brim of his cap. He had a smug face on.
The others nodded in understanding. "Okay, we believe you."
"Ah, Echizen! You're so lucky! If it wasn't an accident I could have given you knocked you down here and then!" Marui said cheerfully though it was obvious that he was adding a threat in those words.
Sakuno laughed nervously. "Haha, well it was an accident so no biggie!" Sakuno said. Rikku and Tomoka nodded their heads in agreement.
"Say, where are the others?" Fuji asked when the door of the shop opened and Tezuka and Sanada's group entered.
"You're new hairstyle looks great Sakuno…" Marui whispered to the girl beside him who accepted his compliment.
"Arigatou…" She smiled.
"Man, you bought a lot of stuff Rikku!" Kirihara commented. "Oh and by the way, you're haircut brings out the monster-look in you…" Kirihara added teasingly. "And what's with your nails?! Tennis rackets! What the?!" He tried to exaggerate as much as possible but Rikku only stuck her tongue-out.
"You don't look so bad yourself Osakada-san" Niou remarked.
"Arigatou!" She said cheerfully.
"Gosh, I couldn't believe you were here all along…" Kirihara muttered. "We've been outside the whole time!" He said which caused the girls to giggle. "And in the first place! Why did you leave without permission! We've been worried and looked everywhere for you!" Kirihara was into 'big brother mode'.
"Gomen…" The girls replied abashed, realizing their mistake and the mess they had made.
When everyone was settled, they all ordered refreshments. Everyone had light conversation of the things that happened during the search for the girls when the conversation landed on what they will do next. Marui checked his watch. "It's getting late, we better head to our last destination already…"
"Which is where?" Niou asked. Everyone turned to Sakuno who was at that time drinking from her strawberry milkshake. After feeling everyone's stare on her, she ceased drinking and thought of what their next destination will be.
"Actually…" Sakuno started. "I want this day to be remembered… I want a keepsake to remind all of us of this day." She looked at everyone who was listening to her intently. "Let's go have our picture taken"
- - - - -
"Hey, look at all those boys… aren't they all so buff looking?" A girl whispered to her friend.
"The boys are nothing… Look at the girls… They all look so hot and cute. Especially the one with auburn-hair…" A boy suddenly butts in the girls' conversation.
The teens had headed to a photo shoot place in the mall right after they finished having a break in the cake shop.
"We sure are attracting a lot of attention…" Momoshiro whispered to Niou who nodded.
"Who wouldn't notice such a big group?" Kaidoh muttered to himself as he walked his way through the shop with his head down, a little flushed. Sakuno was facing the same predicament. The people in the area all had their gazes on them.
Rikku approached the counter. "2O pieces of two-shot wallet size photos please…" Rikku requested.
Not long after, they were all brought to a room where the photo shoot will take place. The girls fixed their hair, putting the stray strands of hair in their proper places. The boys also had their own fixing of themselves. Some swept their hair in another direction. Some flattened the t-shirts they were wearing. And some were already practicing their smiles. The photographer came in shortly to take their picture.
"Do your own pose…" He told the teens who complied. This was how the position looked like:
Taka Yukimura Sanada Tezuka Fuji Ryoma Marui Akaya Inui Yanagi Yagyuu Jackal
Tomoka Sakuno Rikku
Eiji Oishi Momo Niou
The people in the back row had normal stances; they all just stood up straight. Though the usually stoic people, of course had blank faces that were forced into smiles; and the rest were huge grins, if not, whacky faces. The three girls were in the center row having their own girly poses of tongues-out and peace signs. Momo and Niou had massive beams as they kneeled down. Eiji was poking Oishi in the front row as they too, kneeled down. One. Two. Three. CLICK.
"Fantastic photo!" The photographer commented. "Let's do another pose…" This time, it was the photographer himself who arranged the pose:
Yukimura Sanada Tezuka Oishi
Eiji Momo Niou Inui Taka Yagyuu Jackal Yanagi
Fuji Marui
Ryoma SakunoAkaya
RikkuTomoka
Was this coincidence or what? It seems that fate had used the photographer to position the teens like this. Narrowing it down to the center, Sakuno was surrounded by her four admirers. As soon as the timing was right, Ryoma held Sakuno's hand; Akaya held Sakuno's other hand; Marui's face was on Sakuno's shoulder; Fuji had kissed Sakuno on the temple… One. Two. Three. CLICK.
- - - - -
To be continued…