I've been rather busy, big research project, trying to update my other PoT fic, and attempting to think up brilliant ideas for my crackfic... I hate multi-tasking, but I'm the biggest hypocrite alive. Nya. So this one is extra-long to make up for my lost time and updates.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Too lazy to think of a clever reason.

Ryuzaki Sakuno was in a dilemma.

What to pack?

Brown suitcase, three pairs of shorts, nine sets of socks and undergarments, five warm sweaters, five pairs of pants…all lay in front of her, neatly folded and ready to be packed in. Her tennis gear was already strapped on her back, rackets and wristbands tucked in securely.

She was going to America.

Sakuno had waited (though not very patiently) for five long years. Ever since Ryoma-kun had reluctantly "shared" (Tomo-chan had begged and pleaded for three consecutive hours) about his time there, she had wanted to go. Sakuno had wanted to see the Statue of Liberty and the Golden Gate Bridge for herself. She had wanted to know how to speak English without an accent.

She had worked so hard, practicing and perfecting her tennis style, studying days and days of English, slaving over all her academic subjects…finally getting accepted into Stanford University, on a tennis scholarship program.

It was the happiest – and the most miserable – day of her life.

Happy, because she had finally gotten her dream of living and studying in a foreign country.

Miserable, because she had to break up with Kikumaru Eiji, her boyfriend of four and a half years.

Sakuno was scared of long-distance relationships. When one went to America, one couldn't just bring their boyfriend along. Eiji had his own college tennis team to worry about. It was the depressing truth.

They had started going out in Seigaku. She hadn't particularly like Eiji-sempai then (their personality difference was, in Sakuno's mind, a huge factor), and had only gone with him for ice cream because she wanted to impress Tomo-chan, and make Ryoma-kun jealous.

She had, in turn, impressed Ryoma, and made Tomoka jealous. Echizen had, on one occasion (though under the influence of his oyaji) presented Sakuno with flowers. Tomo-chan started to hang out with the members of the Kikumaru Fan Club, in hopes of stealing Eiji from Sakuno.

Eiji had persisted even when she became tired of this relationship during high school, but, in the end, Sakuno had grown very fond of him. Whenever she was in need of something, he would pop up unexpectedly and offer it to her as if he was there, all along. Whenever she was hurt or melancholy, he would bring over a sweet little gift for her – a jar of candy, a tube of his beloved toothpaste, a cuddly plush bear – it cheered her.

It was difficult, but Sakuno had to do it.

It seemed so simple, at first. She would just tell him that they couldn't go out anymore.

But after she did, and upon seeing the stunned look on Eiji-kun's face, she'd ran home and cried, curled up in her bed.

Now she was stuck with the choice of either keeping all her sweaters, or throwing them out and packing the three teddy bears instead. Her suitcase could only hold so much.

Those bears…she had narrowed down Eiji's gifts until these were left. She remembered the time she had received each one. Every occasion had been one of those lovely highlights, of her days spent with Eiji.

The small, yellow-furred one, with a comic white ring of fur around its face. They had named him Walnut. He had won it for her at a beach carnival.

"Eiji-kun, look. What a cute bear!"

"Nya…Saku-chan, do you want it?"

"Oh, I don't know, the challenge looks so hard…I'm sure that I couldn't –"

In the next second, he had run off, skipping happily through the hot sand towards the volleyball-spike ("Hit it the farthest…and you get this wonderful bear!") contest.

She had first shouted for him to come back, but then joined him at the crowd around the stand, watching in awe as he hit the volleyball with a swift arm movement that had gotten the whole crowd gasping along.

Of course, he'd won the bear.

The large, pillowy-blue teddy. Sakuno liked to snuggle into it at night, the faint scent of Eiji's special toothpaste in her nose (she had never washed the bear, it being much too precious). It was their anniversary gift.

Sakuno had waited all day, sitting on her balcony rail and yearning for him to come, like he promised the day before for a "special surprise, nya".

She had gotten just that, when he jumped on her from behind, knocking the breath out of her and nearly causing both of them to tumble over the wooden post.

"Hoi, hoi, Saku-chan! Guess what day it is!" He gave her a huge hug, and handed her the giant bear.

She loved the bear, but cherished his hug even more.

As for the medium-sized, friendly-looking black bear, it was a present after the day Sakuno lost her virginity.

She was still very embarrassed to think about it; it had only happened a few days ago, and she was still scared to face obaa-san.

Sakuno sat on the bed, knees up to her chest, thinking about the last four years she had spent with her unbelievably cute, lovable, hugging, ex-boyfriend. She had finally realized how much she loved him, and longed for his presence with her.

The little girl Sakuno, such a shy being, had finally grown up to the Stanford-bound, slightly wiser and more mature girl.

In the end, she discarded the five sweaters and squeezed in all the bears.

You just couldn't leave Kikumaru Eiji behind.

A/N: This one was very awkward for me to write. A bit more heavy, and not as cute.

My next drabble mini-series, "Road of Destiny" (or something similar to that) will be cute (though dark-sounding), but also EXTREMELY AU. I repeat, EXTREME AUness, so if you do not like AU, consider yourself warned.

Thanks for reading, and please review!