Author's notes: Sorry for the late update! I was in Japan for 3 weeks and I was sort of procratinating so this came out pretty late. Heehee...

This idea had been in my head for some time. I never thought I could come up with this pairing but...things just happen...

However for this fic, Sakuno only makes a brief appearance when she is mentioned! She does not say a word at all! The ones that make an appearance in this fic are the Hyotei regulars! So should I put this as a separate fanfic instead of putting it here in Sakura Matsuri? Please review to advise me!

Anyway enjoy this fic and please do not forget to review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters.

Pairing / Characters: Kabaji Munehiro x Ryuuzaki Sakuno

Genre: General / Humour

Kabaji's Love

"Kabaji! Kabaji!"

No one answered.

"Kabaji!"

It was at the third call that the said male finally responded. His small eyes shot open from their trance and betrayed the shock in them, a rare occurrence.

"Usu." Kabaji replied.

Atobe, the owner of the first voice sighed. "Kabaji, this is not the first time today you have spaced out. Care to tell Ore-sama what is wrong with you ahn?"

"……Usu…" Kabaji answered with his usual monosyllable phrase, but did not continue. A normal sane person would never have understood him and would press the huge-sized second year Hyotei student for a more definite answer. But as Atobe has proclaimed to the world, he is the great Atobe Keigo and there was nothing in the world which he couldn't do. He is the only person who could understand the meaning behind Kabaji's "Usu." And probably the only one who is able to communicate successfully with him.

"It's that girl isn't it? That Seigaku girl." Atobe casually remarked.

Kabaji appeared blank, but was not totally expressionless when it came to Atobe's eyes. He possessed amazingly deep insight. Plus, the target was his friend ever since kindergarten and therefore was not a tedious task for him to catch the tiniest bit of fluctuation in his expressions or mannerisms.

"………" Was all Kabaji managed to say (?).

"The coach's granddaughter?" Atobe continued while looking at Kabaji from the corner of his eye. It took Kabaji a very, very long time. But he finally answered.

"…Usu…"

"Haha!" Atobe laughed out loud. "I knew Ore-sama was not wrong. No, Ore-sama is never wrong! Hahaha!"

As Atobe continued to indulge in his self-importance, Kabaji watched him silently as he always did. This time however, his thoughts were on the girl who had made him feel a tad different.

Kabaji remembered her long flowing hair which smelt delicately of strawberries. She usually does them up in two long braids but they happened to come loose that fateful day and he was treated to a sight of silky, brown hair flying gently in the cool autumn wind. Her smile was shy and sweet and her chocolate-brown eyes twinkled with purity of her soul. He was enraptured at that moment and could not turn away. She resembled his dearest sister so much. They were not blood related, but he shared a special bond with her ever since childhood. She might be the next closest friend he had with Atobe clinching the first spot. She had moved away from Tokyo after getting married three years ago. She visited Kabaji whenever she had the time but he still missed her so much. Seeing Sakuno, the granddaughter of the coach of the Seigaku Middle School tennis team, might have reminded him of her that he began to feel differently about her.

"So Kabaji," Atobe said after he was done singing his own praises. "How are you going to tell her that?"

Kabaji didn't answer explicitly as usual and pointed to something in the room. Atobe peered at what he had pointed at: A men's magazine featuring Bae Young Jun on the cover.

A frown appeared on Atobe's face and the arrogant smirk was wiped from his features. "Tezuka!" He boomed. "How can Tezuka help you in this? He may be my eternal rival but there is no way he will ever defeat me in this area ahn?"

"…Usu…" Kabaji answered. "But he knows her." He added after a pause.

"Ore-sama can do anything! Nothing is too difficult for Ore-sama!" Atobe proclaimed proudly as his servants clapped and cheered in the background.

"Just follow what Ore-sama says Kabaji." Atobe flicked his hair stylishly to the back. "I guarantee you everything will be just fine! Hahaha!" His ego had been inflated tremendously and he was it was not going to deflate anytime soon. Not that it ever was anyway.

"………Usu………" Kabaji said.

"Why am I hiding here like some stalker or pervert?" Shishido grumbled from his position.

"I'm so sorry Shishido-san." Ohtori had an apologetic look on his face. "I am the one who pulled you here…" He looked down, feeling slightly guilty.

"No…no Choutarou!" Shishido quickly quipped, feeling at a loss at making his doubles partner feel bad. "I mean you were worried about Kabaji aren't you? I think that it is perfectly all right! Yeah! Perfectly all right…"

"I knew you were kind too, Shishido-san!" Ohtori looked up at Shishido, his eyes shining.

"I guess its normal for you Choutarou," Shishido began. "Save for Atobe and Kabaji, why are the rest of the regulars here!" he demanded.

The Hyotei tennis team regulars, with the absence of Atobe and Kabaji, were all hidden behind bushes and trees. It was quite a strange scene to see six handsome young men all crouched together behind shrubs. Actually strictly speaking it was only five young men, for there was one happily asleep on the grass.

"This seems like a love story doesn't it?" Oshitari replied in his thick Kansai accent as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "Of course I would be interested!"

"That Kabaji actually likes a girl! And he is actually asking her out!" Mukahi followed up on the argument. "That Kabaji who could be mistaken for a robot! I'm so not gonna miss this for the world! Right Yuushi?" he turned to his doubles partner for approval.

"I heard buchou was in this too. It may be a chance to gekokujou!" Hiyoshi sniggered evilly.

Jirou merely snored.

Shishido slapped his forehead. "Why am I here with these morons…excluding Choutarou…"

"Hey isn't that Atobe's limo?" Mukahi let out, pointing to the luxurious vehicle pulling to stop a few metres from the house in front of them.

As the black limousine stopped, the chauffeur hastened out of the car to the back seat. He opened the door of the limousine and bowed as he did so. Out stepped Atobe Keigo, regal air surrounding him, in his opinion. He stepped out in such a way that it was like it was the honour of the residents in the area and the road he was stepping on for him to grace them with his presence. After his elongated entrance, the tall Kabaji got out of the limousine, dressed in a light purple tuxedo adorned with purple roses on the shirt underneath the jacket. He was also holding a bouquet of red roses in his hand and his hair was done up somehow! The eyes of the regulars hiding behind the bushes (except Jirou) almost popped out of their sockets! They were left gaping as a rather nervous-looking Kabaji adjusted his tie and touched his hair absent-mindedly.

"Kabaji, do as Ore-sama tells you and everything will be fine!" Atobe proclaimed as he patted Kabaji on his shoulder. "Hahaha! The great Ore-sama is never wrong! Hahaha!"

"…Usu…" Kabaji answered.

"Go on now Kabaji!" Atobe said. "Just do as what Ore-sama had said!"

"…Usu…" Kabaji replied and walked towards the door of the Ryuuzaki's residence and rang the bell. Soon, a petite girl answered the door and let him into the house.

"So that's the girl…" Mukahi whispered. "Ne, ne! Why don't we have a bet on whether or not Kabaji will be successful? I'll bet no!"

"I'll bet no." Oshitari said.

"But Yuushi!" Mukahi protested. "If everyone votes the same thing, it would be of no fun!"

"Kansai-jin will never bet on a losing match. Money is important you know." Oshitari replied.

"I'll bet no too." Shishido said. As he did, he caught Ohtori's disappointed face. "I'm sorry Choutarou, but it's the truth." He shrugged.

"I know…" Ohtori looked down. "I want to believe and hope for the best for Kabaji-san too…but…I guess it is really impossible."

"Definitely no. Why ask?" Hiyoshi answered.

"Then who's going to pay us for the winning bets!" Mukahi let out exasperatedly. At this moment, their eyes turned towards the sleeping Jirou who was totally oblivious of his surroundings.

"Jirou votes for yes. Too bad, he is the one going to have to lose!" Mukahi said gleefully.

Atobe watched as Kabaji entered the Ryuuzaki's house. With a pleased grin on his face, he called out from his position:

"You guys can come out now!"

Rustling sounds filled the air as five young men emerged from the shadows of the bushes. Some had guilty looks on their faces; some had an "I was forced to come here" look on their faces, while others just looked perfectly normal.

"I guess you guys are worried about Kabaji too ahn?" Atobe said as he turned back to face them. "But your actions tell me otherwise. Hiding in such a place is such a…dirty thing to do."

"What did you say Atobe!" Shishido jumped out angrily. "Do you think I really wanted to come?"

"Wouldn't Kabaji be more nervous if he saw all of us?" Oshitari added. "He may not look like it, but I think that the butterflies in his stomach would multiply if he saw us here." He may not show it on his features, but Oshitari didn't take Atobe's comments too lightly. Sure, he was used to his thoughtless comments, but he didn't fancy being called 'dirty'.

"So do you think Kabaji will make it?" Mukahi asked excitedly.

"With Ore-sama's help, everything will go perfectly!" Atobe lifted his nose up to the air.

Everyone just stared at Atobe and shook their heads. When it came to a lesson on humility, he would fail miserably every time. None of them believed Kabaji would actually succeed, no matter what magic he had poured on him. Hiyoshi merely sniggered. He was actually quite happy on the expected outcome.

"Buchou has failed. Gekokujou no chance!" Hiyoshi chuckled to himself.

At that juncture, Kabaji walked out of the Ryuuzaki's residence, his large shoulders slumped and the bouquet of roses in his hand was facing the floor, its red petals pitifully falling off bit by bit.

"Kabaji!" Atobe called out as Kabaji approached the group.

The rest of the regulars, save for Jirou who is still in slumber land somewhere, immediately knew what the result was. There was no need to see the conclusion anyway, for they had already foreseen the result.

"How did it go?" Atobe asked.

"…She…broke up with me…" Kabaji answered.

"What!" Shishido almost screamed in surprise. "But the both of you were never together in the first place! How could she break up with you!"

"The girl actually…rejected Ore-sama's plans?" Atobe said with a tone of disgust in his voice. His loyal servants wept while Hiyoshi gave an evil laugh. "That is impossible! What did she do!"

"……She……felt that I was boring……" Kabaji said.

Oshitari had been unusually quiet all this time. The eyes hidden behind stylish glasses held thought in them as he held his chin in between his thumb and index finger.

"Kabaji, how did you know that she felt you were boring?" Oshitari inquired.

"……She went to sleep……" Kabaji answered.

"SHE WHAT?" The rest of the regulars, apart from Atobe and Oshitari, yelled.

"Where did she go to sleep?" Oshitari asked again.

"……In the middle of the corridor……" Kabaji gave his answer.

Oshitari went back into his thinking stance and his eyes quickly widened. In a moment, he was running towards the direction of the house.

"Yuushi?" Mukahi called out after Oshitari. He was visibly surprised at the actions of the younger male.

"Wait Oshitari! What are you…" Shishido began but paused. His eyes widened as he too realised what Oshitari was thinking and sped away before he could complete his sentence.

"Shishido-san! What are you trying to do?" Choutarou shouted at the running figure before him.

"What is the matter Shishido!" Atobe asked.

"Don't you get it!" Shishido turned around slightly as his legs continued to move on towards their intended destination. "It's not that she fell asleep at the corridor because Kabaji was boring! She is not sleeping! She has fainted!"

Shocked stares and gasps was the trend on the faces of the Hyotei players as they quickly absorbed the truth. Eyelids stretched to their maximum and jaws barely hanging off their hinges were plastered on the features of the young men. After an agonising moment, all of them had regained composure and were rushing towards the Ryuuzaki's residence.

"…Kabaji…" Atobe said as he watched his team members enter through the door one by one. He too had somehow recovered from the shock and had instructed his servants to call for a doctor.

"……Usu…" Kabaji replied.

"Do not always think that a person will sleep anytime, anywhere. Only Jirou is able to do that." Atobe said.

"……Usu……"

Somewhere in the bushes, a sleep bubble that had formed on the sleeping Jirou's nose burst.

Author's notes: So should I put this as a separate fic on its own? Hmmm...

Anyway, Bae Young Jun made a little cameo here. For you guys who don't know who he is, he is a really famous Korean actor who is most well known for his glasses-wearing character in hit Korean soap Winter Sonata. Tezuka, imo resembles him a little...but he doesn't smile... So I do not own Bae Young Jun either. If anyone thinks he should be removed from this fic, please message me instead of causing this whole fic to be deleted!

Please read and review!