XXI. Burden

"Ne, Koshimae," Kintarou asked the boy who was standing opposite him. His gray eyes still shone brightly though the redhead prodigy was obviously distressed. "Chitose told me all about it. That you're in the same position as me. What would you do, huh?"

"About what?" Ryoma asked disinterestedly, absorbed in his own thoughts. Both prodigies were still in a secluded street—away from Sakuno and Zaizen. They had been quiet up until now.

"The bad guy! The killer!" Kintarou fisted his right hand and closed the distance between him and his rival. He looked at Ryoma with all seriousness in his face. "What if… If…" The first year's face suddenly crumbled in a heart-breaking manner.

"What if it's Shiraishi… No- Wait…" Kintarou shook his head in emphasis of his words. "In your case … What if it's your serious-faced buchou? What would you do, Koshimae?"

The prince gave him a blank look, not really expecting that question to come out of the childish player. So it seems that even the Shitenhouji regulars have caught up with recent developments. He's not really surprised, however, since news—no matter how secret you think it maybe—travel really fast within the tennis community. With Chitose in the Osaka team, of course Shitenhouji wouldn't let themselves be left behind.

Ryoma doesn't really mind. Perhaps it is better if more tennis players know about the situation. So maybe then they could all cooperate to catch the murderer. However, there is one big problem in that—could he really trust the others to be innocent? What if one of them is the actual murderer and not among the four they are suspecting? Heck, maybe the murderer even has accomplices and they are working in groups. Who knows, right?

"Koshimae! Did you hear my question? I'm asking you, Koshimae! Koshi-"

"Quit being so loud. I can hear you just fine," Ryoma cut off the redhead's deafening interrogation with a glare.

"Your own fault for not answering me!" Kintarou retaliated.

"Che."

"So? What is your answer?" the redhead asked again, not having any intention to give up.

Ryoma sighed and finally answered just to shut up the childish player. "I'll do the obvious, of course. Catch him and turn him in."

"Eh? Just like that?" Kintarou's large, innocent eyes blinked once before they focused on the prince. He stared at Ryoma as if the prince grew another head.

"Hn."

"You're heartless, Koshimae!" the redhead suddenly cried, grabbing the prince's shirt in the process. Kintarou gave him an incredulous look. "I didn't think that even you could be this heartless! You don't even care if the murderer is your buchou, huh?" the boy ranted, shaking the prince in unveiled anger.

The suspicions surrounding Shiraishi must have been seriously worrying the redhead a lot. After all, Shiraishi is like an older brother to him. He had always been the only person who can keep Kintarou in line. Now that his "older brother" can be potentially a murderer, the poor boy is unsure of how to handle the situation.

Ryoma soon got fed up with all the shaking and pushed the other first year away. "What do you propose to do then? Just let him kill more people?" he asked Kintarou calmly.

His question hit the boy hard—as if somebody had literally punched him in the face. The redhead's eyes displayed obvious signs of distress. "But I- It's-"

Ryoma closed his own eyes in slight frustration and suavely shoved a hand inside his shorts' pocket. "Never mind. You're too immature to understand anyway," the prince uttered, not really paying attention to his own words.

It was a mean thing to say, especially in their current situation—it was really uncalled for. It snapped something inside Kintarou.

"At least… At least I'm mature enough to admit my feelings to myself," Kintarou spat back, glaring at Ryoma seriously.

Ryoma doesn't know why, but he felt that the redhead wasn't referring to the murderer situation when he said his last sentence. It somehow pissed him off.

"What did you say?" Ryoma asked in a cold tone.

The atmosphere around the two thickened as the first year prodigies glared at each other.

"Burden."

Sakuno was startled when her silent companion suddenly said a word. She had been busy trying to figure out what Shiraishi's last text message meant when Zaizen interrupted her concentration.

Glancing at the black-haired second year, she softly uttered an unsure "eh?" to clarify what she heard.

Zaizen didn't spare her a glance. He continued to stare pointlessly across the street. He was leaning against a lamp post in a casual manner. Sakuno was starting to doubt if he really did say something.

"Isn't that what most girls are?" he finally replied, dispelling Sakuno's doubt. "Just burdens."

"S-Sonna…" Sakuno said, a little offended by his words.

"It's true. I've also seen it in most of the movies in Shiraishi-buchou's house. Guys fight over girls. Guys fight for girls. A lot of them even die gruesome deaths trying to protect useless damsels in distress. Girls are nothing but mere burdens," Zaizen explained, seemingly not concerned about the impact of his words on the poor maiden.

Hearing his words, Sakuno frowned. She is not entirely sure of why he's saying such things, but it hit pretty close to home, what with her current situation.

"A-Ano. I probably don't understand, but that's not true. I'm sure-"

"Nara..." Zaizen cut off her speech with his cocky tone. The second year finally turned to look at the pretty brunette who was sitting on the bench beside him. "Why don't you prove me wrong?" He gave Sakuno a knowing look—his black eyes livelier than their usual aloof state. It was as if he was challenging her.

In more ways than one, he really is like Ryoma. Cocky, bratty, yet cool.

Sakuno stared back at the second year, a little confused about his words' true meaning. Zaizen is pretty much a stranger to her. In fact, this is the first time she has ever talked to him.

If that was the case, then why does she feel like the boy knows more about her situation than she does? No, it's more than that. It's as if he was giving her advice.

"Ikou, Ryuzaki."

A familiar voice suddenly said behind her, startling the brunette from her staring competition with Zaizen. The voice was shortly followed by the sight of its owner. Ryoma paused when he reached the bench Sakuno was sitting at. He gave Zaizen a short "Sankyuu" for staying with Sakuno.

"We're going now?" Sakuno uttered, standing up. Ryoma didn't waste time to give her an answer and just started to walk away.

"D-demo, Ryoma-kun…"

"Oi! Koshimae! How dare you run away in the middle of our match!" said another voice a few feet away. Sakuno looked at the path Ryoma just came from and found Kintarou running towards them. He was sweating heavily and waving a tennis racket in the air.

"Wait up, Koshimae! Matte!"

"Ryuzaki, let's go," Ryoma repeated, this time, a lot louder. When she still didn't move, Ryoma walked back to her and grabbed her hand. She was soon forcefully dragged away from the Shitenhouji players.

Kintarou continued to yell from behind them. Glancing behind, Sakuno saw Zaizen restraining Kin-chan from going after her and Ryoma. It was the last sight she saw of the Shitenhouji players before Ryoma led her to another street.

"You guys are not coming today?"

It's Saturday and Sakuno's working at the café. So far, this week had been one of the worst weeks in her life. There was the thing about her Kunimitsu-nii, Shiraishi's mysterious text messages, the fact that she almost got ran over by a huge truck yesterday, and just the pure stress of not knowing what really is going on.

She was unable to get answers from Ryoma yesterday. The prince seemed to be really pissed off after his "talk" with Kintarou. He was silent throughout their walk and didn't even bid her goodbye after he dropped her off at her house.

And now, she just found out from Kirihara over the phone that the Rikkai regulars are unable to make their usual Tokyo visit today. She was really looking forward to seeing them too.

"Warui. Sanada-fukubuchou just had to schedule a practice today. It pissed us off," the junior ace complained from the other end of the line. The Rikkai tennis team normally doesn't have practice during Saturdays. Saturday is their day off and that is why Bunta and his teammates can usually visit Sakuno on this day. However, like Kirihara said, Sanada scheduled a sudden mandatory tennis practice.

"S-sou," Sakuno uttered gloomily as she wiped one of the tables in the shop. It's been a pretty slow day in the café. There are hardly any customers in the shop except for a middle-aged couple and an old woman sitting at a far corner.

Sakuno placed her cellphone next to her left ear as she moved to another table. Her phone was in between her shoulder and the side of her face. She had to hold it like that since she was using both of her arms to clean around the shop.

"Well, don't worry! Next week, you're going to see me twice. Remember? We're going out next Sunday too."

"H-hai…"

"Sa-chan…" Kirihara started worriedly, sensing her depressed mood. "Aa! Sou'su yo!"

Sakuno had to blink at his sudden excited mood. "H-hai, Akaya-kun?" She heard him let out a proud "hehe" from the other end of the line. She can almost imagine the arrogant, yet cute smirk that she usually sees on his face when he teases her.

"Remember when you told me you wanted to see that American band's concert? Enn… Enn Singuuu, was it?"

Sakuno almost sweat dropped at his pronunciation. It's not exactly a secret from the world that Kirihara Akaya—as great as he is in tennis—happens to suck when it comes to English.

"It's En Sinku (N'SYNC), Akaya-kun."

"Yeah, same thing. Well, it's too bad I wasn't able to take you to their concert in Tokyo because Sanada-fukubuchou caught me when I was trying to sneak away from practice. Man, I still remember how much the hits from his wooden sword stung!"

"H-hits?" Sakuno inquired worriedly. She knew about his plan to surprise her by taking her to the concert but she didn't know the part about Sanada's punishment.

"A-ah, I mean…Forget it! Anyway, back to our current topic. Listen well, Sa-chan, okay? I've got something for you."

"Un," Sakuno replied, nodding her head though she knows he wouldn't see anyway.

"Are you listening, Sa-chan?" Akaya asked again.

"Hai."

"Alright." She heard Kirihara clear his throat from the other side before he broke into something really unexpected. He started singing out loud in a really out of tune and broken voice.

"Ooooooh, m-mai rabbbb~ My darling.

I han- hunger for your touchhh- W-what the heck's so funny, Niou-senpai?"

She heard a couple of laughs in the background followed by the sound of an object hitting the wall. She thought she also heard Niou say "loser" amidst laughs, though she couldn't be sure.

"N-nani? That wasn't a song by Enn Singu? But you gave me these lyrics and you said-! Niou-senpai!"

From the tone of his voice, Sakuno could already imagine what was happening on the other end of the line.

And she couldn't help it anymore. She laughed so hard that the few people in the café actually looked at her. She had to move to a more secluded section of the shop so she can control herself.

"Hahahahah. Mou, Akaya-kun. Really. Hahahah."

"S-Sa-chan! Not you too!" Kirihara exclaimed from the line, embarrassed that he failed to impress the brunette. As a matter of fact, his plan backfired in the worst way possible.

"G-gomen," she said in the middle of her giggles. "It's just too cute." She giggled more.

"And I practiced so many times too. 'Should've known never to take Niou-senpai's help." Kirihara sighed, though somehow, he felt a lot better. He actually made Sakuno laugh and that was what he was aiming for in the first place. Well, he actually wanted to cheer her up by singing one of her favorite band's songs, but of course, Niou just had to ruin his brilliant plan.

"Ah, I wish I could see Sa-chan's smiling face," Kirihara suddenly mumbled.

"Hm, did you say something, Akaya-kun?" Sakuno asked. Because she was too busy giggling, she really didn't understand what the junior ace mumbled.

"N-nothing. I said Niou-senpai is the worst senpai in the world."

Sakuno couldn't help but smile. Kirihara had always managed to cheer her up even during the worst times. She really owes the boy a lot. She just hopes that she can return the favor as well.

"By the way, Sa-chan? Has anything happened recently?"

Sakuno blinked cutely. "Anything?"

"Yeah. Like, anything bad?" Kirihara asked with a concerned tone.

"N-not really. I'm okay." Sakuno hated lying but she didn't want to worry Kirihara needlessly. She really is okay, after all.

Kirihara sighed in relief. "Good. Make sure to walk home with someone tonight, alright? If no one can, just tell me, and I'll come to Tokyo just for 'ya."

"Iie, iie. There's no need for that! Tachibana-san will walk me and An-chan tonight like he usually does," the brunette quickly explained to assuage the junior ace's worries.

"Sweet. And you still have the lucky charm on you, right?"

"H-hai." This time, Sakuno didn't have to lie. She really is wearing the necklace Kirihara lent to her. Yesterday, she forgot to put it on, but she doesn't need to tell Kirihara that.

"Good girl. Wear it all the time." She can sense pride in Kirihara's boyish voice. "A-ah! I have to go. Sanada-fukubuchou is calling us!"

The brunette had to smile once again. "Hai. Arigatou for calling today, Akaya-kun. You really made my day better."

"Heh, it was nothing. Oh, and one more thing! Teddy bears or Pandas?"

"E-eh?" Sakuno blinked at his random question.

"Hurry! I don't have much time, Sa-chan!"

"T-teddy bears, I guess."

"So I guessed right. Good thing. Well, gotta go now. I'll text you later!"

The brunette heard a click followed by a dial tone. She was still smiling when she pushed the "end call" button on her cellphone. Kirihara really has a way to cheer her up. She felt way happier than she did at any time this week.

Sakuno walked back to the counter to resume her duties. Looking at the tables in the cafe, she found that the couple had left and only the old woman remained inside the shop. The old woman appeared to be leaving in a moment too since she was gathering her things on the table.

When the old woman finally stood and headed towards the door, Sakuno gave a respectful bow and a soft "arigatou gozaimashita." She immediately went to the old woman's table to start cleaning up.

That was when she saw a pink purse on one of the chairs. Sakuno realized that it must belong to the old woman. Grabbing the purse, she was half-way towards the door when An came out of the kitchen.

"Sakuno, I need your help inside. I think I baked one of the cakes wrong. It's bloating abnormally," the girl with the shoulder-length brown hair explained, tucking a strand of loose hair behind one of her ears. She looked really stressed about her creation.

Sakuno frowned at her friend. "D-demo, a customer left her bag. I have to give it back to her before she disappears from the area."

"Daijobu," An said as she walked over to the braided girl and grabbed the purse from her hands. "I'll give it back to the customer and you take care of my mess inside. What was the customer like?"

"She's an old woman who's wearing a pink hat and a pink business suit. She went left."

"Got it!" An smiled at her before she went out the door. Sakuno watched her friend disappear before she went into the kitchen.

'An-chan did it properly, after all. The cake batter is supposed to rise like that so that it can be baked well.'

Sakuno took off her baking mittens and went to the sink to wash her hands. Imagine her surprise when a loud and frightening explosion suddenly shook the café building and made the brunette fall on the floor.

She shakily clutched one of the tables inside the kitchen to help her stand up.

'What was that?' she asked herself in confusion as she looked around the kitchen. Nothing seemed to have been really damaged except for a few pans that fell off the rack when the explosion happened. Not to mention, it sounded like it came from the outside.

Then the brunette clutched the front of her dress as she came to a horrible realization. 'Masaka!' Her brown eyes widened in horror. She clumsily ran out of the kitchen, then outside of the café.

That's where she saw it—a scene so horrible that she was frenzied by fear and shock when the image finally registered in her mind.

A few feet down the pavement laid the seemingly lifeless body of Tachibana An. A bright, crimson pool of blood was surrounding her body.

"An… An-chan!"

Author's Notes:

I know, I'm horrible. Not only did I kill(?) An but I also haven't updated in weeks. What happened? Finals. That's what. Not to mention, I also didn't feel like writing for a while. I didn't have the inspiration. But here is the newest chapter. I promise that the next one would be up before the week is over to make up for not updating for a while.

I swear the KiriSaku scene in here was only supposed to take up a short space but I got carried away. Lol. Forgive me, RyoSaku lovers.

Please read and review. Reviews really make me happy. Until next time!

Japanese Vocab:

Buchou – Captain

Che – Ryoma's expression of annoyance

Sonna – can be roughly translated to "Saying (horrible) things like that…"

Nara – If that is the case

Ikou – Let's go

Demo – but

Matte – wait

Warui – My bad; It's bad

Sou – really

Sou su yo – can be roughly translated to "talking about that" in bratty language

Nani – what

Daijobu – It's okay; That's okay

Masaka - It can't be