"…" - Talking

'…' - Thinking

The Search

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Sakuno woke up, and luckily she didn't have school on that day. She looked down and saw that Rika's futon was exactly at the same place as it was yesterday night. She became extremely worried.

'And if something bad happened?' thought Sakuno.

Sakuno quickly changed into new clothes and headed down stairs, Rika wasn't there either. She quickly grabbed the phone and tried calling the first person which came to her mind. She had made a mistake that her grandma was working late, her grandma had gone to visit her friend in another prefecture.

"Hello?" the voice from the other side said.

"Ryoma! You need to help me!" Sakuno said desperately.

"What happened?" Ryoma's voice was now filled with worry.

"Where did you take Rika yesterday? She hasn't come back!" Sakuno told him.

"What? She didn't go back?" Ryoma nearly yelled. "I'm coming, wait for me" and then he hung up.

Sakuno sat down on the living room with her hands pressed together firmly.

'Where would Rika go?' thought Sakuno.

The doorbell rang and Sakuno stood up to go open the door. She saw Ryoma standing in front of her "Come in" she said.

He walked through the door, and Sakuno sat down on the living room coach again. Ryoma sat down across from her quietly.

"Ryoma, did something happen yesterday?" Sakuno finally asked.

Ryoma looked at her and then replied "I only told her that I didn't love her, and then she started yelling at me and then she cried. When I told her that I was going to take her home, she told me to get away from her, I didn't want to make her feel worst, so I just left her alone. But now I see that I shouldn't have done that" his tone was firm but yet very serious and he seemed really sorry for trusting Rika to go home alone.

"Ryoma, I'm sure it's not your fault." SAkuno told him sadly.

"Did you contact Coach Sumire?" Ryoma asked.

"She's in another prefecture, she only comes back on Monday, tomorrow." Sakuno told Ryoma.

"Then we should start looking for her. Do you have any idea where she went?" Ryoma asked Sakuno.

"I don't know… She has only been in Japan for a few weeks, I have no idea where she would go if she felt upset." Sakuno replied feeling a little embarrassed for not knowing her cousin enough to tell where she would go if she felt upset.

"I'm going to call the Regulars" Ryoma said while standing up.

"No!" Sakuno warned.

Ryoma looked at her surprised.

"Sorry, but um….let's just say that I don't really want to meet them right now…" Sakuno replied quietly.

Ryoma sat down again, but this time closer to SAkuno.

"What did you and Kaido do yesterday?" Ryoma asked suspicious.

"Um…I told him that he is my best friend…"

Ryoma's face twisted a little when he heard the word "best friend" but tried his best to hide it from Sakuno. After a while she continued "I told him that he is my best friend and nothing more"

Ryoma felt hot, was he just jealous some seconds ago?

"Sakuno," Ryoma started saying but then the phone rang.

Sakuno stood up and ran to the phone.

"Hello?" she said.

"Sakuno chan, is Ryoma there?" the voice in the other side asked.

Sakuno couldn't be wrong, because of the voice and how the boy spoke, he was very direct to the point, Sakuno knew that it was Momo senpai at the other side of the line.

"Hello Momo sempai! Yup, Ryoma is here." Sakuno told her senpai.

"Can I come over, too?" Momo asked happily.

"Well, we are now in a difficult situation and…"

"Sakuno chan why can Ryoma go to your house and I can't?" Momo complained with a cry baby voice.

"Ok, ok. You can come!" Sakuno said while rolling her eyes.

Sakuno then hang up the phone and sat on the sofa again.

"Momo sempai is coming over." Sakuno told Ryoma.

Ryoma looked at her and then said "I thought you didn't want any of the Regulars to come…"

"I don't mind the Regulars except for Kaido… I'm afraid of hurting him again, after all the things he has done for me."

Ryoma looked at Sakuno again.

"Are you and him that close?" Ryoma asked looking down.

Sakuno pressed both of her hands together.

"I guess we are…I mean were" Sakuno answered quietly while staring at the floor.

"Why were?" Ryoma asked looking at her.

"I don't know if he'll forgive me…" Sakuno replied sadly while the last night's flashback went through her head.

"If he doesn't forgive you, he will regret it later." Ryoma assured Sakuno.

Sakuno looked up and when she saw Ryoma looking at her, she smiled at him.

The doorbell rang and she went to get the door. When she opened it, she saw Momo standing in front of her.

"Itsureshimasu" Momo said before going in.

"Hai" Sakuno replied with a warm smile. When Momo entered and saw Ryoma sitting on the coach, he smiled.

"Yo, Ryoma!"Momo said while entering the living room.

Ryoma nodded once and Momo took a seat next to Ryoma.

"Ryoma, what are you doing here?"Momo finally asked while Sakuno entered the living room from the kitchen, where she had gotten some tea for the three of them.

"What are YOU doing here?" Ryoma asked back.

"I came because I knew you were here, and I worry about Sakuno chan" Momo replied.

"How did you know I was here?" Ryoma asked.

"I called your house and your cousin answered the telephone, she told me that you were not there and that you had left the house with hurry after receiving a phone call. The person that came to mind was Sakuno chan so I decided to call here, and Sakuno chan answered and told me that you were here" Momo explained happily.

Ryoma blushed.

'Shut up, Momo' Ryoma thought.

"Momo senpai, Rika, my cousin, disappeared and I was wondering if you could help me look for her…" Sakuno said in a sad tone.

"What? Rika disappeared? We HAVE to find her! I'm going to go look for her, Sakuno call the Regulars! I'm sure they will want to help." Momo said while panicking.

"Hai!" Sakuno said while standing up and heading towards the phone, but then stopped and called "Ryoma!"

Ryoma looked up, his eyes were wide with surprise and curiosity.

"Do you have the Regular's cell phone number in hand?" Sakuno asked.

Ryoma nodded and took out his cell phone. Sakuno and Ryoma were now standing next to the phone. Ryoma dialed Fuji's number and gave the cell phone to Sakuno. Ryoma kept his eyes on Sakuno who was now talking to his senpai.

"Fuji? Hey it's Sakuno."

She smiled and then turned serious again and spoke "Rika, my cousin disappeared…can you help us find her? Momo is already looking for her…"

There was another pause but this one was longer than the one before. Sakuno nodded once and then replied "Ok, see you there."

Then she hung up and looked at Ryoma.

"He said that he was going to call all the Regulars and tell them to meet with us at the park." Sakuno told Ryoma.

"Ok" Ryoma replied quietly.

"I'm just gonna go grab my phone upstairs so it will be easier to contact with the others" Sakuno said while rushing to the stairs. A hand had stopped her from going though, she looked back and saw Ryoma holding her wrist. She looked at his face again with wide eyes just waiting for his next action.

"You don't have to…we just have to stick together since I have my phone…" Ryoma said quietly looking at the floor.

Sakuno still had her wide eyes on, she nodded once and then Ryoma dropped her wrist.

"Shall we go?" he asked while heading to the door.

"Um" Sakuno said while following Ryoma.

Ryoma and Sakuno walked hurriedly and quietly to the park. When they arrived there, all the Regulars were already there, including Momo senpai, who had a worried expression on his face. Sakuno and Ryoma approached the group.

"Hey" Sakuno said while smiling weakly.

"Hey" the Regulars replied.

'Wow, their voices are so beautiful together, as a chorus…' thought Sakuno.

"So, what's the situation?" Eiji asked Sakuno.

Sakuno cleared her throat before telling the Regulars what had happened last night "Rika had been very upset yesterday because she confessed to this person who she had a crush on, but the person told her that he liked her as a friend, so she ran and didn't come home…" Sakuno explained.

The Regulars nodded, thinking hard.

"And, where did Rika confess to this "person"?" Inui senpai asked Sakuno.

"Ummm" Sakuno said while looking to the side as if she was thinking.

"I…" she tried but someone cut her off.

"It was in front of this park." Ryoma replied, his hat covered his face. All the Regulars immediately turned to look at him, they were all surprised by Ryoma. They didn't want to make the things worst so they held their selves not to ask any questions that would leave trouble to Ryoma, Sakuno or Rika.

"Ok, so should we divide ourselves and go look for her?" "Oishi asked.

"I think that would be the best" Fuji said.

The Regulars divided into groups and headed to look for Rika. Ryoma and Sakuno stayed together while the others looked for Rika in other places.

Ryoma and Sakuno went to the part where the city was. They went in a department store and asked some of the people who worked there about Rika, but they said they hadn't seen her. Then, they went to various restaurants, but still they didn't find her. After two hours looking for Rika Sakuno suddenly stopped. When Ryoma noticed that Sakuno had stopped he turned back and saw Sakuno on the floor. He ran towards her. He now had him around his arms. She was crying, he could hear her sobbing.

"Sakuno, we are going to find her" Ryoma assured her.

Sakuno looked at Ryoma, he was so close to her. Her eyes full of tear.

"And if we do find her, and…and she's hurt or…" she stopped before going on "even worst?"

More tears ran down her cheeks when she finished. Ryoma wasn't very good with words. He embraced her as firmly as he could, he wanted to show her that she would have him on her side whenever she needed him. People walking on the streets were starring to stare at the small couple on the ground, but Ryoma didn't care. The only thing that he wanted at that moment was for Sakuno to stop crying.

"Ryoma" Sakuno whispered.

"Yes?" he replied softly.

"Thank you"

Ryoma smiled. He helped Sakuno up, she cleaned herself, her clothes were dirty since she was on the ground, and her face was red and wet. Ryoma didn't take his eyes off her, he needed to make sure she wouldn't fall again.

"Ryoma, stop looking at me. I'm certain I look terrible right now" Sakuno said embarrassed.

"I don't care. For me you will always be the same Sakuno." he replied not moving.

Suddenly they heard a ringtone. Ryoma took some seconds to react and realize that it was his cell phone. He took out from his pocket and answered it.

"Hello?" he answered.

Sakuno was staring at him immensely, she was curious to know who was.

"Ok, senpai"

'It's one of the Regulars…' thought Sakuno, becoming even more curious.

"I understand. Does she? Ok, I will pass it to her." Ryoma said and then putted the cell phone in front of Sakuno. Sakuno looked at the cell phone in front of her, not knowing what to do with it.

"Take it." Ryoma said softly.

Sakuno slowly took the cell phone from Ryoma's hand. She was scared that someone was going to tell her that they found Rika seriously hurt, or even worse.

"Hello?" Sakuno finally spoke.

"Sakuno? Hello, it's Rika." The voice in the other side said.

Tears started to gather in Sakuno's eyes.

"Rika? Are you ok? Where have you been?" Sakuno asked worried.

"I'm ok, sorry for making you worry. I was at my friend's house."

"Where are you right now?" Sakuno asked getting anxious.

"Momo senpai was the one who found me, he called Ryoma and I thought it would make you more relaxed if I talked to you and told you what was going on. Momo is taking me home right now. I'm so glad that oba-chan is not home for today." Rika explained.

"Rika, wait for me, ok? I'm heading home right now" Sakuno said.

"Sakuno, please have some fun with Ryoma…he's there, isn't he?" Rika asked with a soft voice.

"Hn" was all Sakuno could say.

"Can I speak to him?"

"Hn" Sakuno repeated and handed the phone to Ryoma. Ryoma took the phone and spoke to Rika. After some minutes he hung up.

"What did she say?" Sakuno asked as soon as Ryoma closed his phone.

"Do you sing? Because we are heading to a karaoke." Ryoma said.

"What? No! I mean I have to go home and see Rika!" "Sakuno complained.

"Sakuno, you HAVE to come. Rika said that the only way that she would forgive me was if I took you to have some fun tonight." Ryoma explained.

"Hn" Sakuno replied.

Liked it? Hope you did! Please read the next chapter, Ryoma and Sakuno are going to have some fun, and the key word: *together*! Please review, even if it's only a "I like it" or "I hate it" but please review it! There are more than a thousand visitors to this story, but only about 50 review! That's not fair!!! Thanks ^^