Disclaimer: No, I don't own PoT, sob

Chapter 16

After the last bell, Sakuno saw Ryoma leave the classroom, without saying goodbye to her. In fact, they hadn't really talked at all that day. Feeling a little disappointed at that, Sakuno wondered if she should catch up with him and exchange a few words anyway.

She missed out on two years of his life and his tennis, so she really wanted to find out how he was. Her grandmother would have let her know easily enough, if Sakuno asked. But Sakuno wanted to talk to Ryoma herself, and have him tell her about the things which happened in those missing years.

Making up her mind to say more than "Ohayo" to him today, she got her things together and started after him. There was no hurry to follow him; she had a good idea where he was headed for.

True to form, by the time Sakuno reached the tennis courts, having to stop several times along the way because some schoolmates wanted to introduce themselves, Ryoma was already involved in a game with Kaidoh-senpai. She found a bench right outside their court and sat down to watch him.

Freshmen shouldn't have been involved in club activities for a while yet, but apparently the tennis club had already unofficially accepted Echizen Ryoma, the Prince of Tennis.

He was playing fast and furious that day. Each time the ball bounced on the court, it made a very loud, very solid sound. And the speed they were playing at made the sound become a very fast rhythm.

Sakuno studied her prince from her seat. He had grown up. He was taller now, a fact that she knew he would be pleased with. He wasn't wearing that white cap anymore. She remembered how he used it to hide his expressions. Did the absence of the cap mean that he was better at controlling his expressions or that he was more open with showing his emotions now? Whichever, she found that she liked seeing him without the cap, his dark hair flying in the wind as he moved around on the court.

She felt someone else approach the bench and turned to see Fuji smiling at her in the special way he had. Sakuno greeted her senpai and waited until he sat down beside her, then turned back to watch the game. As she watched, she quietly analyzed Fuji's aura the way her aunt taught her, a witch's way of sizing people up.

Fuji was an enigma, known to people as a tensai whom no one should cross if they valued their sanity. Underneath his cool exterior, Sakuno could feel a warmer personality. She decided that his aura was soft gold on the inside, then a narrow ring of sharp red for his penchant to shock people and a range of cheerful green and yellow on the outside. The green and yellow were worn like a shield, protecting the vulnerable center. Fuji had a mostly a gentle and calming aura.

Fuji chatted with her as they watched Ryoma and Kaidoh play. She had settled comfortably into his aura when it suddenly changed, taking her by surprise.

It was when Ryoma had won the match against Kaidoh, and the two players were leaving the courts. Just as Ryoma looked straight at them, Fuji covered Sakuno's closer hand with his own.

Caught unaware by the change in the atmosphere and by the sudden contact, Sakuno was hit hard by a sense of purpose from Fuji directed at Ryoma. The tensai's smile didn't slip at all. She glanced at Ryoma, who glowered at Fuji before turning away from them.

It wasn't hard to guess what was going on, and Sakuno was… she decided to be grateful for the time being … for her senpai's concern. Fuji had removed his hand once Ryoma's back was turned. He beamed his trademark smile at Sakuno as his aura returned to the original calming one.

Sakuno cut in before Fuji voiced his excuses for his actions, "Ano ne, Fuji-senpai, thank you for wanting to help Ryoma and I. But it is alright, lets let this run its natural course. Because, Fuji-senpai," Sakuno turned to look him in the eye, her long hair swept along her back and fell like silk beside her oval face," some things are worth waiting for, ne?" Sakuno gave him a gentle smile.

Fuji took a while to study her, then suddenly said, "Ne, Sakuno-chan, are you wearing special contact lenses? They do make your eyes very pretty."

Sakuno caught her breath. Fuji could remember her eyes from before? She had anticipated such a question from closer friends like Tomoka, but Fuji-senpai? Fuji whom she seldom talked to before her Change and whom she both feared and kept a respectful distance from?

To be honest, the gold specks in her eyes couldn't be seen unless a person stood close enough, so their current positions might be in Fuji's advantage. But to think tensai Fuji would question her and at the same time hand her a ready excuse, it spelt the works of someone with a really complex mind.

Then again, she recalled how Mayu had shot down the contact lens excuse, "Don't use that, it is very easy to tell if a person is wearing contact lenses. Anyway, it's more tedious to maintain that excuse, since you won't be doing all the maintenance or buying any solutions and stuff. Let's just stick to the basics, you were born with them, and no one noticed because you were so terribly shy and never looked at people directly."

She really shouldn't underestimate the tensai of Seigaku. Thankfully her excuses had all been thought out before hand, so she was able to reply her senpai as calmly as his aura. No, she wasn't wearing contact lenses. Her eyes were like that since she was born; no one noticed because she was so shy, she seldom looked directly at people. The gold only showed when light shone at a particular angle anyway.

"Souka," Fuji smiled at her explanation and looked away for a while before he answered philosophically," Tokorode, Sakuno-chan, things that run their natural courses can take very, very long. I will enjoy clearing the path now and then, to help nature find its way."

Having recovered from the surprise, Sakuno could feel that Fuji meant only goodwill towards her, and she wondered briefly if perhaps Fuji was meant to be a part of the "natural course". That could explain the extraordinarily gifted boy spending his time here instead of at some distinguished university, that he was playing tennis instead of other sports, and that he was beside her at that point in time.

Sakuno had her own ideas on tempering with fate, especially after Mayu told her how witches and their powers were aligned with nature, and with the general cosmic workings. She should let things be, instead of trying to change what fate intended.

She had not forgotten the pranks and games the tensai indulged in. "On one condition, senpai: I don't want to get anyone into trouble, not Ryoma or any innocent bystanders."

The tensai quirked his lips," And yourself?"

Sakuno's smile shone bright as she replied," I have learned to take care of myself, Fuji-senpai. I am not worried for me, so you shouldn't either."

"Ah. You have become stronger as well as prettier. Sure you want to waste your time on that boy? I am still available, you know." Fuji teased Sakuno, delighting in her slight blush, and her charming demure.

"Mou, Fuji-senpai! You are such a tease!"

Ryoma was watching his senpai and Sakuno from afar. His senpai was so meddlesome! He refused to rise to the obvious bait dangled by Fuji. But still, he didn't feel good seeing those two laughing and talking together.

He quickly turned his back when he saw them coming towards him, pretending to adjust his racket.

Fuji was still smiling his devious smile and started to give a long speech on how dangerous the roads were for a pretty young woman to travel alone, how the police haven't yet caught the culprit for the recent series of kidnapping, etc, etc. And how Sakuno-chan was about to brave those streets on her own. Perhaps, Fuji should walk her home in case anything bad happened, even though Fuji lived on the other side of town, unlike Ryoma who lived quite near Sakuno-chan, he didn't mind escorting her home …

Ryoma volunteered for the task once his subconscious violently objected to the idea of Fuji and Sakuno alone for any amount of time. Hadn't Fuji already spent too much time with Sakuno just earlier? By the time the logical half of his brain caught up with his tongue, it was too late; Ryoma was stuck with the responsibility of seeing Sakuno home safely.

Fuji retreated to the locker room after manipulating Ryoma successfully. Ryoma was in two minds about the issue: he was alright with walking Sakuno home, but being maneuvered into doing so was making him piqued. With an inner sigh, Ryoma asked Sakuno to wait at the school gates while he packed up.

He kept staring daggers at his nosy senpai while he collected his stuff. It didn't help that Fuji's smile seemed a little wider than usual.