Chapter 15 – Celebrations

Note:"Aa"Underlying messages in what they're saying. you'll see those in the middle to the end part.

"Aa"– Sakuno remembering something someone said to her

"Aa" – Thoughts

Thanks to: EvilFaerie17

Enjoy!

Chapter 15 – Celebrations

It was time.

Her several hours had passed by in an agonizingly fast pace, at least, that was her opinion.

The whole Seigaku team had already arrived, greeting her as they passed through the door and into the living room and kitchen to fix up the celebration they were throwing for her grandmother's homecoming.

She had offered her help, wanting to do anything to stop her ridiculous obsession with staring at the clock.

They had rejected her offer, as nicely as possible of course, saying that she should rest since she had already cooked the food needed.

Nodding her head, she just let them do what they needed to do, and headed over to the garden.

Sakuno bit her lip thoughtfully as she sat in one of the chairs by the koi pond; the teddy bear felt weirdly heavy in her pocket as if trying to constantly remind her of its presence.

She would have laughed at the thought, if this was a less depressing occasion for her.

The brunette sighed, shaking her head to get rid of her thoughts. "I should be happy, Grandmother's coming back already…" she strictly told herself.

It was supposed to be a happy occasion for her, but still, the happiness she did feel simply didn't outweigh the sadness she felt at leaving the Tezuka household…

Or rather, Tezuka himself.

Flushing deeply, the doe eyed teen buried her face in her hands.

Why was she feeling this way? A few weeks ago she wouldn't have felt more than a pang of sadness at leaving this place, and yet now it felt as if a part of her was being ripped away.

It sounded overly dramatic to her, and yet it was undeniably exactly what she felt.

It wasn't like she wouldn't be able to come back here again.

She could, but only on special occasions of course.

"You should visit him here even after you leave; I'm sure he'd appreciate it."

"Visit him?" Sakuno thought incredulously—she'd need a credible reason for that. She couldn't just show up here for absolutely no reason but the fact that she wanted to see Tezuka, and that in itself was a feeble reason. It could easily be said that she saw the upperclassman every day in school.

She bit her lip harder this time.

Why was this bothering her so much?

"Sakuno," the deep baritone she'd gotten used to called to her. Raising her head, she met his gaze. "We're going."

Slowly, she nodded her head and stood up.

"Don't frown, Sakuno." She reminded herself as she walked to the door. "This is a happy occasion."

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"Sakuno!!" an elderly woman called warmly, enveloping the said girl in her arms.

Tears seemed to appear in her eyes unexpectedly, Sakuno observed as she wrapped her arms around her grandmother as well. "Welcome back, Obaa-chan." She greeted, smiling happily.

It was the first time Sumire had seen her granddaughter in a month, and she could already see a change in her. True, she was still Sakuno. She still had her usual pigtails, large doe eyes and innocent smile, but there was something different…

The tennis coach waved her thoughts away, deciding that this wasn't the time to dwell on them.

Instead, she turned her attention to the Seigaku team captain, and the man she entrusted Sakuno to.

"Thank you for taking care of her," she told him gratefully, amusement shining in her eyes, "I hope she wasn't too much trouble?"

Sakuno flushed red, "Obaa-chan!"

Tezuka shook his head, "She wasn't."

Sumire chuckled, patting the pigtailed girl on the head.

"Obaa-chan," the young girl smiled at her, "we're going to take you to the—Tezuka-senpai's house to celebrate your homecoming alright?"

Sakuno inwardly berated herself, wanting to pinch herself for almost saying 'the house', meaning the place where she'd lived this past month, which wasn't really her real house and so it was inappropriate for her to say.

"You didn't have to." Sumire persuaded them, embarrassed but appreciative of the effort they put in.

The doe eyed teen laughed. "It's nothing, Obaa-chan! Let's go before the food gets cold!"

This party would help take her mind off her sadness.

Sakuno's grip tightened on her grandmother's bag.

It just needed to.

XXXXXXXXXX

The party was in full swing. The whole Seigaku team was eating and laughing and having fun. Every so often, questions were shot to her Obaa-chan, asking how her stay in the U.S. went, and what she did there.

Sakuno couldn't find it in herself to mingle with them, being caught in the sudden depression she was battling.

She would just ruin the fun if she joined.

So, instead, she sat back down on the chair she had sat on before she left, staring at the peaceful pond in front of her.

"Ryuzaki?"

Sakuno turned her head in surprise, watching as Fuji walked to her spot. "Fuji-senpai! What are you doing out here?"

The blue eyed tensai just smiled, "Saa, I think I should be the one asking that question."

The upperclassman stood beside her, putting his hands in his pockets.

Silence surrounded the two, peaceful in contrast to the rowdy shouts and cheers inside the house.

"I don't want to go inside." Sakuno said softly, as if afraid someone would overhear their conversation.

"Why not?"

"I don't want to ruin the party."

Fuji frowned, turning to kneel on the grass, facing her. "Why would you think that?"

Sakuno shrugged, not really knowing what to say. It was weird to say she was sad to leave this house. It was irrational, but other than that, there was another reason, a reason that scared her completely out of her wits.

"You shouldn't allow yourself not to be sad. It's alright for you to be sad about leaving. It's understandable."

The younger teen shook her head, her voice weak, almost choked, like she was trying not to cry. "It's not only that…"

"What is it then?" he asked her.

Slowly, Sakuno raised her teary gaze to meet his, "I think… I think I may be in love with him…"

It felt odd, saying those words out in the open, and yet, it felt liberating at the same time.

And then there was that fear. The same fear she had felt when she realized she had a crush on Ryoma, only much worse.

It explained why she couldn't give the bear away. It explained the sudden wave of happiness she felt when Tezuka smiled. It explained how miserable she felt now.

Fuji didn't speak.

And she didn't expect him to. It was a surprising revelation, especially since they all thought she was still pining over the youngest in the team.

"You should give it to him."

"You should tell him."

"But..."

"I don't want to… I'm scared."

"Sakuno."

"You shouldn't be."

"I can't."

"What if he rejects me?"

"Why not?"

"What if he doesn't?"

"He's in his room. You should go."

"Give him the bear, at least, if you won't say anything."

Sakuno nodded briefly, not meeting his gaze.

"Thank you."

Fuji smiled.

"You're welcome."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Take a deep breath."

Here she was. Standing in front of his door, her right hand poised over the dark mahogany to knock. Her left hand was holding a small bear wearing a Seigaku jacket.

Slowly, she inhaled deeply and then exhaled, trying to gather her courage as well as calm her raging panic.

Then, she knocked.

After a few moments, the door opened, revealing the tall form of Tezuka.

"Sakuno?" he tilted his head to the side as if in question.

Happiness swirled in her as she heard him call her by name, leaving no doubt in her…

She really was in love with him.

The pigtailed girl smiled at him, determination shining in her eyes, "Tezuka-senpai… I—"

XXXXXXXXXX

Am I evil for leaving it at that? " Oh well, please review!