Arigatou, Sakuno
Tezuka and Aya arrived at Ryoma's house. Aya rings the bell and Nanako comes out and opens the door for them.
Nanako: Yes, do you need anything?
Aya: I'm Aya and he is Ryoma's Bucou, Tezuka. Ryoma asked us to take some things for him as he needs to stay at the hospital, to accompany Sakuno-chan.
Nanako: Please come in. Is Sakuno-chan alright? I heard from Ryoma that she had a car accident.
Aya: She was in a coma now. Can you show me where is Ryoma's room?
Nanako: Ah, koko des. Please follow me.
Aya: Ku...ah...Tezuka, you stay here while I get his things.
Nanako brings Aya into Ryoma's room; Karupin was sleeping on his bed. Aya smiles at it as she went to search the things Ryoma asked her to bring. She found it which was already been put in a small plastic bag, it was placed on the table. When Aya takes the plastic bag, a few pieces of paper fell to the floor. She picks it up and looks at it.
Aya: This is...!
Chapter 7: The Song for Sakuno
Tezuka was looking around Ryoma's living room when he heard Aya and Nanako coming down from the stairs. Aya was carrying the plastic bag; on her shoulder were her tennis bag and a guitar. She hands the guitar to Tezuka.
Tezuka: Why are you bringing a guitar?
Aya: You will know it later.
Tezuka and Aya bid farewell to Nanako and take a taxi back to the hospital. When they reached the hospital, they notice that the regulars were not at the café anymore. They went up to Sakuno's room; Aya knocks the door before they went in. Ryoma gets up from his chair quietly and walks towards them.
Aya: Here are your things.
Ryoma: Arigatou. These are...
He said as he holds the few pieces of paper, which Aya had just found in his house. Aya takes the guitar from Tezuka and she hands it to Ryoma. He takes it and look from it to Aya, who smiles at her.
Aya: You wrote that for Sakuno-chan right? It was a great song, Ryoma. Sing it to her, I'm sure that she will heard it.
Ryoma: Hm!
Tezuka: We will go and find the others. Call us when anything happened.
Ryoma: Arigatou...
The both of them went out and Ryoma went back to his seat. He places the guitar against the wall besides him and looks at the papers in his hand. Yes, it was true. Ryoma wrote a song to describe his feelings towards Sakuno, but he did not get the chance to sing it to her when she came to visit his house. He looks from Sakuno to the clock: 1pm. 9 hours left.
At a nearby tennis court
Eiji: But I think we will buy him some tennis equipment?
Momoshiro: That's good!
Fuji: It's a good idea but...
Kawamura: If Ryuusaki-san did not wake up, he won't be happy too...Don't you guys think so?
Everyone: ......
Aya: There you are! Both of us have been looking all over for all of you!
Tezuka: How was it? Do any of you have an idea?
Inui: We do...but...
Aya: Because of Sakuno-chan, right?
Everyone: Eh?! How did you...?
Aya: It's very obvious. Right, Ku...er...Tezuka?
Tezuka: ......
Aya: Guys...Sigh, never mind. Why are all of you thinking so negatively?! Do all of you really want Sakuno-chan to wake up in the first place?
Everyone: Of course!
Momoshiro: None of us wants to see Echizen behaving like that!
Eiji: How can we be so cruel to separate the two of them?!
Kaidou: We are not that kind of people.
Aya: Then that's it! Even though if Ryoma will be sad, at least he knows that actually his senpai remember his birthday.
Momoshiro: That's right! We will be there to cheer him up.
Kawamura: But...will it really be alright......
Aya takes out a racket from her bag.
Aya: Hai, Kawamura-kun, racketo!
Kawamura: YOSHA!!! BURNING!!! LET'S HAVE PARTY TIME!!!
Eiji: Let's go and buy present for Ochibi-chan!!
Everyona: OH!!
Back at the hospital
Ryoma looks at the scores while getting his fingerings on his guitar. He glances at the clock: 2pm, 8 more hours. He puts down his guitar and checks his present inside the plastic bag. As he was checking, he found a bentou inside it, with a small note paste on the cover.
To Ryoma:
I know that you will stay with Sakuno-chan for the whole day. And you will get hungry, so I prepare a bentou for you. Hope that you will like it, I made it myself. Sakuno-chan will not want to see you suffer from hunger.
From: Aya
Ryoma smiles. Even though he only met Aya for just a few hours, she was already helping him so much.
Ryoma: Looks like Bucou had chosen the right person.
He opens up the bentou and eats while he reads the rest of the scores.
At the tennis shop
Momoshiro: Hmm...I'm not really good at buying present. What about you, Eiji-senpai?
Eiji: Buying present is quite easy but buying for Ochibi-chan...
Aya: Hm...it is really hard to buy sports gift to someone...Do you guys know what Ryoma likes the most?
Momoshiro: His cat!
Eiji: Tennis!
Kaidou: His cap...
Kawamura: Tennis.
Inui: My Inui Juice.
Everyone beat him up.
Oishi: Tennis.
Tezuka: Tennis.
Fuji: Ponta.
Aya: Eh? Ponta?
Fuji: That's right, Ponta is his favorite juice.
Aya: But are we going to give him a can of Ponta for his birthday? Hm...I got it! Guys, come over here.
All of them gather around her as she whispers to them her idea.
Oishi: That's great!
Inui (writing on his data book): Hm...Aya-san always has brilliant ideas.
Eiji: What are we waiting for?! Let's go and get it!
Back at the hospital
Ryoma stretches his arms as he had been practicing on the song. He looks at the clock: 4.15pm.
Ryoma: 5 hours and 45 minutes left. I wonder where the others are and they are doing?
Back to Aya and the regulars
After searching for the past 4 hours, they finally found the present they wanted to buy. All of them rest at a nearby park.
Eiji: Pant...Man, I'm so tired...
Momoshiro: We...We almost went around the whole Japan just to find one present...Man, I'm thirsty!
Tezuka: Cool down now, shouting will just waste more energy.
Fuji: By the way, where is Aya-san?
Tezuka: She say there is one more thing to buy, so she told us to rest over while she went to buy the stuff.
Kawamura: There are still things to buy?
Aya: Oi, minna!! I have bought you all some drinks!
Momoshiro: AH!! Mizu!!! Arigatou, Aya-chan (Tezuka glares at him) A..Aya-san! You are the best!
Fuji: Aya-san, what did you buy?
Aya: This!
She takes out a A4 size white card, in the front was written "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!". At it's surrounding, there are drawing of tennis ball, other tennis materials and even a small drawing of a can of Ponta. She takes out some colour pens too and handed each of them one of it.
Aya: I have already decorated the front page; I want all you to write your wishing for Ryoma inside the card. Of course, I have already written mine.
Eiji: AHH!!! Aya-chan!! I like you so much!!! Your ideas are so brilliant!!! BRAVO! BRAVO! BRAVI YASU!!!
Oishi: You are really good at this kind of things.
Aya: Not really, alright, write your wishing now!
One by one, the regulars writes their wishing to Ryoma. After it was done, Aya puts the card into an envelope. She then looks at her watch.
Aya: 8.15pm. 1 hour and 45 minutes left, guys, let's go back to the hospital.
Momoshiro: 15 more minutes rest...
Eiji: All of us are tired...
Tezuka: Those who want to rest will run 100 rounds per minutes around the court for me, and those who fail will drink Inui's Juice!
Everyone gets up quickly and went to call for taxis, leaving Tezuka and Aya behind. Aya giggles and looks at Tezuka.
Aya: Kuni, you really knows how to threat them.
Tezuka: Don't call me that, the others will hear it.
Aya: That's why I only call you by that when they went to call for taxis.
Tezuka: Let's go.
Aya: Hm. You are really a shy one, Kuni.
Tezuka: (Blush...)
Back at the hospital
Ryoma finally memorized the whole song and the fingerings. He glances at the clock: 9pm. He puts down his guitar and takes the plastic bag which Aya had brought it earlier. From the plastic bag, he took out two wrist bands. It was white and blue, just like the normal type Ryoma wears. On one of the bands, there is a red letter "R" on it and the other with a red letter "S" on it, both letters were within a square. Ryoma puts on the wrist band with the letter "S" and puts the wrist with the letter "R" on Sakuno's wrist. He holds onto it tight.
Ryoma: Sakuno, I make this wrist for you and me. I wear the wrist band which has the first alphabet of your name, it is to remind me of you. And you wear the wrist band that has the first alphabet of my name, with it, you can think of me. It will remind us that we were always there by each other's sides.
Knock. Knock.
Ryoma: Come in.
Aya: How's her condition?
Ryoma: Still the same.
Aya (looks at her watch): 9.15, 45 minutes left. (Notices the wrist bands) You have put it on, it was well done.
Ryoma: I wanted to give it to her as a Christmas present and hope that she will awakes to see it. But...
Aya: Have you sung your song to her?
Ryoma: Not yet.
Aya: Sing it to her, Ryoma. This is your chance, you wrote this song because you wanted her to listen to it, wasn't that true?
Ryoma: Ah...
Aya walks towards him and places her hand against his cheek. She bends down and looks at him.
Aya: I know that you can do it; I know it when I met you for the first time. Your eyes are full of hope and determination.
Ryoma: Aya...
Aya: I will pray for Sakuno-chan, Ryoma. Not just me, Tezuka and the others will pray too. All of us want you to be happy.
Ryoma: Shiteru, I know that all the things all of you have done, was all for my own good.
Aya: Believe in yourself, Ryoma. There can be a miracle whenever there is hope.
Ryoma: Hm!
Aya: I go out and wait with the guys for the result.
Ryoma: Hai.
When Aya went out, the regulars come towards her.
Oishi: How's Ryuusaki-san doing?
Aya: Still the same...all we can do is just to pray and wait for the result...
Tezuka places his hand on her shoulder and pull her close to him. All of them went silent and wait nervously for the result.
Ryoma waits for the remaining time. Until it left with 5 minutes, he takes his guitar and starts to sing.
Tabun
kimi wa warau deshou
Kimochi
wo tsutaetara
Zawatsuiteru
kokoro yurete
Kotae wo sagashiteru
The
others who were standing outside heard the song.
Tada
issho ni waraitai yo
Tada
issho ni sugoshiteitai
Zutto
soba ni itai yo
Momoshiro: This song is...Echizen?
Aya: Ryoma creates it himself, he wanted Sakuno to listen to it.
Sekaichuu ga naitetaraAnata
no tame ni warau yo
Kanashii
namida wo nagashita toki ni wa
Dakishimete
ageru yo
Kotoba
ga tarinai kurai
Tada
anata wo omou hodo
Kokoro
no naka sotto hi damari no you na
Yasashii kaze ga fuita
Kawamura: Although the song is nice and smoothing...
Eiji:
It sounds kinda sad...
Ameagari
no machi no nioi
Kisetsu ga kawatteku
Oishi: Echizen...
Fuji:
.........
Tada
dou shiyou mo nakunatte
Tada
doushite mo aitakute
Zutto kimi wo matteta
Tezuka:
"Echizen..."
Aya looks at her watch while the others look at the clock hanging against the wall, 10 seconds left. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6......
Toki wo tomete kono uta woAnata
no tame ni utau yo
Negai
no kotoba wo MELODY ni nosete
Itsumademo
utau yo
Nani
mo iwanakute ii yo
Tada
koushiteiru dake de
Kokoro
no naka sotto hi damari no you na
Yasashii
kaze ga fuita
5, 4, 3, 2, 1...
Futari wo tsutsumu you niThe needle strikes 10...
Will Sakuno really wakes up, stay tuned for the next coming chapter!
