Author's Note:

Specially for alishoane

She noted:

Why can't Rei be Kevin? It's not fair that he's also a Smith...
Can't be helped, I'm always so fussy on names. But your story is really good, I'm always wanting a RyoSakuSomeRandomGuy pairing and they're not so common...

-Me-

Hahaha, Oh yeah, I forgot he's a Smith (or is it?). Well the truth is that I have made the story even before I saw that Kevin guy appear in the series, so I guess it was just a coincidence that I've used the surname Smith. And besides even if I wanted another surname, Smith just pops up automatically and I can't concentrate. But thanks for noting it anyways!

Rei: -laughs- She actually noticed. You know? I thought no one would even ask especially now that the story is going to finish. You see, Kevin's actually my…
Author: -coughs- Hope you don't forget that I'm still here Rei… -coughs-
Rei: -flashed a grin-You better do something about that cough. It's getting a bit chilly now. –He said as he offered a handkerchief-
Author: -looks at him and got it and sarcastically made a bow of thanks- so, where were we?
Rei: Oh, the part where you say, "RCS please"
Author: ...

Chapter 9

"Persistence"

A Month Ago…

"Japan?" Rei looked at her mother, a bit puzzled on her proposition. He was working on his assignment that time while listening to some classical-pop music before her mother entered the room and took off the earphones out of his ears to get his attention which she has been trying to get for a while.

"Yes dear… Do you want to go to Japan?" she asked again, now holding something that resembled like a letter on her right hand. She was smiling as if she wanted him to notice and ask what that smile was for, and though he wanted to know himself, he tried to suppress that urge for a while and wait.

"Isn't this too sudden? I have studies after all…" he said, setting down a pen beside his notebook with a half written word on it and focused himself on the topic. "Besides, I have plans for next month..." he lied so as to get away with another one of her mother's inclinations of putting him on the spot.

"But you see…" she started playfully. "My friend asked me if I wanted to go and visit her there to help her coach her team for the nationals, but I can't go because of our business... so can you go instead of me?" she started as she flashed the letter and showed him the address of her Japanese friend as proof.

Being used to his mother, he raised a brow and beckoned her to tell him something he feels he needs to know. "Are you sure that's all you want to tell me mother?" he sarcastically implied as she saw her mother fidgeting and playing with her fingers. The woman was delighted and her once innocent smile turned into a triumphant grin.

"And I thought you're never going to ask… Well, you see…" she started, making the boy smile as she listened to her mother with soft eyes. 'I knew it...' he said to himself.

"Ta-da!" she squeaked happily as she showed him a picture of a certain auburn colored girl wearing a yukata, with her slightly curled hair loosen down to her hips. She was holding a water balloon on her right hand and was smiling gorgeously, enticing people for a second good look.

Even Rei was not an exception and even held the photograph on his right hand while he tried to make features of the girl, no, the woman on it. "She's beautiful," he said truthfully while returning the picture back to her mother, confused.

"So she's… what in this conversation?" her mother frowned and tapped his son's back, trying to massage his shoulder blades as she let him focus on the whole deal.

"Well, that's my friend's granddaughter, Sakuno Ryuzaki and from what I've heard, she's taken an interest on you" she sang joyfully while her hands did something like, 'Way to go son!'

Rei was surprised and flushed an apple-colored face before answering back. "You mean, the me in Tennis?" he confirmed and the mother just nodded a yes. Rei was flattered but felt that the championship issue or anything related to tennis at that moment was still sensitive.

He didn't want to talk about it.

He didn't want to hear about it.

And just thinking about it made a wound inside his heart ache

He just flashed a smile and held her mother's hand on his own. "I told you mother, I'm not comfortable in that topic yet…" he saw her mother frowned and she's got every reason to do it as well. She was a former Tennis Champion who taught him about the same sport.

Knowing that this was what they both work hard for, he knew that she was disappointed for not holding the racket for several months already- not that he didn't really touch his racket and all. He just never played it on the courts now. "But…" her mother countered.

"But… I'll think about it," he finally answered since he knew her mother wouldn't let him go until he said something that will make her calm about it.

"Rei, it's been 5 months after that incident. I hope you try and hold your racket again. That's what you do best…" she said with a soft smile as she planted a kiss on his forehead.

"I'll put this here then." She said as she placed the letter and the picture of the girl on top of his desk. The man watched closely as she saw her mother close the door behind her. "Sleep early," she said before totally closing the door. Rei just smiled and waved a goodnight before she totally disappeared from his sight.

He sighed and was thankful it was over. He saw the picture again and got it, looking at the woman reflecting both shyness and beauty in front of him. "So, it's been five months…" he grinned looking at another picture in the far end corner of his room. "I never noticed," he said with a grin.

--

"I love you," his words behind that soft smile were still echoing over and over again.

She froze. She tried to move but can't. Even her mouth was dry from all the thinking as she tried to figure out if the man was lying or not. Here they were, in the empty corridors, under the light of the crescent above and lowly beautiful things floating about. In all honesty, she could feel that this is what love experts say as 'The Perfect time to Confess'. Even her heart was telling her the same.

But did he mean it? Come to think of it, he has made her laugh countless times before but was this a part of another one of his joke? Besides, she just met him a week ago..

"Sakuno?" he called. She swallowed hard and was snapped out from her trance.

"I…" she bit her lips and didn't know what to say or even have the guts to say it if she has one. Rei couldn't help but smile as she saw her all flustered from his confession. She was shy and strong at the same time and her, being shy at a time like this made him want to embrace her and spend the night affirming that he loves her.

"Shocked?" he said with a grin. He left her eyes and placed them on the floating fireflies that were emitting a soft green light as they played around, above the pond. Sakuno swallowed and nodded poorly that even Rei had a hard time if it was a nod or was just a slight movement her head made as she slightly shivered from anxiety.

"Well, so was I…" he said, forcing a laugh. There was a long period of silence that existed in between them that Sakuno wondered if he still remembered that he had just confessed to her or even remembered what he was saying. She wanted to change the topic but before she could address the topic of her choice, which was about the tennis competition tomorrow, he spoke again.

"I never wanted to confess abruptly like that, it's just that… I feel I should do it now." He followed as he placed a hand on top of the girl's, that was, at that moment, clenching on her skirt. He slightly grabbed it and placed it on his slightly exposed chest, which made Sakuno look down even further as if she wanted to bore herself down the ground if possible.

But when her palm felt the bounding rhythm of his heart, the same fast paced rhythm and the same melody it was playing, she looked up blankly and saw his face that told her that he was nervous as well. "I'm really not doing a good job huh?" he said as he sighed to relieve him from the stress.

"Why me?" she thought but unfortunately she mumbled it loud enough for him to hear. He raised a brow as if he wondered why she didn't know what was in her that attracted him to her. He laughed lightly, making her blush and withdrew her hand. "What?" she countered shyly.

"I'm sorry," he started but Sakuno refused to look back again. The man sighed and tried to suppress his laughter that seems to be pretty much a hard deal. "Well," he said as he tried to get the girl's attention, which did not fail since she looked back at him, or more specifically, look at his hands that were high up on his head. "Because there's not reason why I shouldn't choose you." he said confidently. Sakuno wanted to retreat and hide under her covers now but he couldn't move an inch of her muscle as the other revealed more and more of him to her.

"I guess let's leave it at that… princess." He said as he stood up and bowed with dignity, holding the girl's braids on his palms. He then offered his other hand, in which she graciously accepted, lifting her up into a stand. "Oh before I forget," Rei pulled her again towards him, close enough to whisper in her now reddened ear. "Wh-what?" she said as she backed away, holding her hands up in front of her chest.

Rei found some satisfaction in her cute reaction and tried to smile to make her more comfortable. "Well, tomorrow, at the tennis competition…" he started, eliciting some surprise looks from the girl. "What about it?" she followed.

"I've talked to Echizen about it, I plan to do my best Sakuno. I'm not going to lose to Ryoma." He said as he waved a goodnight, leaving one astounded girl, trying to figure out what he meant about doing his best. 'Talked to Ryoma-kun?' she asked herself.

--

She couldn't sleep at all, even with all the tossing and the turning or even counting of sheep. She was really worried about the deal with Ryoma, the deal with the confession and the deal about the matches. There were so many things that kept her awake.

What was top of her concerns right now is the thing that happened between her and Rei. "He wasn't lying about it being the perfect recipe," she told herself reflecting what he said a while ago. Because at that point, she has been forced to think about the confession that was echoing in her head all night long. Some recipe...

She stood up and opened her window, revealing the light of the crescent moon above her head. There were some stars yes, but they were dominated by dark clouds and had failed to show their shine effectively.

"Oh," she mumbled, her eyes widened with curiousness as she saw the tennis prince of Seigaku, hanging around the small cliff that overlooked a part of the hillside. It wasn't that far from the training house she supposed and she felt that it was a part of the view Rei wanted to show her.

Instantly, she felt her feet moved towards the table to get a jacket that was just lying down on the table near the door. She silently and gently closed the door behind her and walked out while trying her best not to make any noise.

She didn't know why she wanted to see Ryoma when she didn't even have the courage to face him but soon after she realized that what she said might have hurt him, her body was doing the rest. "I want to apologize," she said to herself.

Her fast paced walk soon became light jugs as she sped up to the place where she saw the tennis prince. She could hear her footsteps echoing in the night and she even realized that she was afraid of the dark, much more being alone in it, but she couldn't stop her feet and turn around. She was keen to see him tonight.

As soon as she arrived in the place though, she was surprised to see no one lying in that same spot she saw on her window.

She was surprised when she saw the empty space beside the tree. 'Did I just imagine things?' she wondered as she looked down at the training house and saw the window she had left open. She sighed as she breathed her last panting and before trying to relax at the comfortable atmosphere.

It was a bit chilly but the wind feels nice and soft as it damped on her skin. She also took notice of the fresh damped grass below her that smelled incredibly invigorating. She smiled as she walked towards the other edge of the cliff and tried to look for the tennis prince but she soon accepted the fact that it might be just an illusion brought about her, stressing on several things.

"And I even rushed—" At that moment, Sakuno took a wrong step on the floor and heard herself cry a deep shriek as confirmation. She fell down but it was a short fall but the silence after that was deafening. She could still hear the echoes of her cry as she fell down. She felt her sweat as cold as ice and she could not stop shaking. She could even feel her heart pounding against her chest. But aside from that, the echoes eventually subsided and all she could hear now was the rustling of the wind and the small wincing sound of the man underneath her.

Surprised, she slowly tried to stand up and finally saw someone underneath her, breaking her fall.

"Ryo…ma," she said in slow, confirming movements, parting the hair that went to the man's face. She felt her heart jumped when she saw the same man whom she called out.

"You're quite heavy," he said with a forced grin. Sakuno felt a tear form out from the corner of her eyes.

"I thought… you were," she said, shifting her weight from him to the grassy floor where they both fell while trying to check if the man was all right. Ryoma seeing her worried face for him made him want to tightly embrace the girl and whisper that he was fine but he suddenly felt the pain that was itching to be recognized. Ryoma tried to suppress it but Sakuno was used to see his placid face that she couldn't possibly help but see the small twitch in his brow.

"Ryoma-kun? Are you…?" Sakuno's eyes were wide and suspecting as she tried to reach out a hand in the foot closest to her, but the man caught it first and tried to pull her lightly towards him. He in turn was surprise as well. He didn't know why he had reached her like that.

He sighed and gave up, lifting his face to meet up with hers. "A-are you all right?" he asked. The girl, finally realizing the feel of the man's skin on her soft crystal ones made her conscious and embarrass about it but nevertheless, she didn't fight his hold and just allowed herself to be immersed in his round, golden eyes.

"Ryuzaki-san?" he called, as he tried to stop a grin that was slightly forming in the corner of his mouth. He has seen her blush a hundred times before but this is the first time he had seen it up close, and somehow, it felt breathtakingly good.

'Anyway, why do girls blush when they're touched?' he innocently asked himself. "I-I'm fine," she said in a soft squeak as if she spoke for the first time in this lifetime. "Are you?" she returned, her worried face resurfacing.

"Do you even need to ask?" he lied and he wanted her to believe it so he flashed a grin and tried to stand up, trying to show her what she needed as proof. He even brushed himself from the blades of grass that got stuck on his white and blue uniform and even bent to get his cap that was lifelessly seated on the floor beside the girl.

He could feel the pain now, concentrating and affecting his right leg but he still managed to extend a helping hand towards the girl who accepted it with a sigh of relief. A perfect act if he could say so himself, only if it was not that painful, he could have appreciated it more.

"Why are you here anyway? It's dark already…" he said, still trying to act tough.

"Well I saw you from the window and…" Sakuno covered her mouth as she carelessly told him the truth. Ryoma looked at her, curiously and tried to bother himself if what he heard was right. "You saw me here so you followed me?" he asked, his brows rose in question.

"Well… anyway… I thought something happened to you…" she said diverting her whole attention to look at the man in front of him from top to bottom, making the tennis prince back away a little as if to hide the pain that was painfully and scornfully radiating in the length of his leg.

"A-and what if something did?" Ryoma asked, his face darkly hidden with his cap. Sakuno was taken aback and felt her mouth dry from the question. 'What… if?' she thought feeling a little disappointed that he wasn't contented with getting away unscathed.

She heaved another sigh and felt the pressure of the wind from her back, pushing her towards the man. As she neared him, she gathered all of her wits to hold his hand, but shakily as she did. "Of course, I'll worry, the matches are tomorrow. You just can't get injured." She emphasized.

Ryoma delighted at the touch but the reality now occurred to him. He was fighting an important match tomorrow and he just can't lose. He tried to move his whole leg and felt that it became slightly numb now. The fact of the matter is, he can still move it.

"Ryoma-kun…" Sakuno started, getting his attention away from whatever was bothering him at that moment. "I wanted to apologize for earlier… I was being selfish." She said, bowing in apology, her hands still held his elbow, tugging it a little as she bowed down. Ryoma realizing what it was about blushed a little but saved by his cap that darkened his skin, he just couldn't ask for more than this.

"I can't remember anything," he lied as he placed a hand on top of her cold hands.

"Hey are you still surprised from the fall? You're so cold…" he said as he worriedly cupped her hands with his own, forgetting his limitations, though when he did, he couldn't imagine of letting it go.

"Ryoma-kun… Please win tomorrow…" Sakuno said as if she had an idea of what the consequence of him losing was.

She closed her eyes, feeling dizzy all of a sudden but feeling the warmth that radiated from the other man, she closened herself to that source of heat.

"Sakuno, I…" he mumbled. He couldn't believe it anymore. Sakuno was in his arms (even though he did not know the implications of it or even what to do) but he was just delighted in the sensation of her being close to him and not some particular other.

She had apologized, she told him to win, he felt that it'll just be a natural disaster that will keep him from loosing on the fight.

What more could he ask for? He had everything he needed. (Though he didn't know where that confidence came from inspite of his now itching injury), he'll be sure to win the game.

He will.

Slowly, he realized that he was now being pulled in towards her, towards those lips that he has previously touched with his own.

'Why the heck did she close her eyes anyway…' he questioned himself, being unable to resist the force of wanting to do it again, properly this time. But before he could even realize what was happening, Sakuno limply fell down the grassy floor.

"S-sakuno!" was the last thing he called and before long, he too sat down and felt the excruciating pain on his leg. "This is not good..." he said to himself.

---

Okay, I'm rushing I'm rushing… ha ha ha, the next one is the last chapter! Yeah! Whew, this chapter is long.