DISCLAIMER: DON'T. OWN.
Hey, it's Thorn Wheel! Since I got more reviews than I expected for 'White Christmas Eve' I decided to do a sequel to it! The pairing is once again RyoSaku, but this time it's for Sakuno's b-day! Sakuno's b-day is on January 14 for all of you who don't know.
The title is a translated line from the song 'Arigato'. Junko Minagawa on the SR Samurai CD sings it. The translation will be provided at the bottom. Lyrics and translations provided by
WARNING: If you didn't read 'White Christmas Eve' you should before you read this fic. Oh, and also the characters may get a little OOC so beware of that.
I Want to Say to YouRyoma walked back to school in the cold weather. It was January now and the winter break was over. Underneath his jumpsuit was the snowflake charm Sakuno gave him for his birthday. Ryoma would have been more than happy to wear it clearly in the open, but knowing his senpais they'd be bugging him like mad even if he didn't! Oishi and Taka would be apologizing constantly for forgetting. Inui would write down the new data. Kaidoh would simply shrug it off. Fuji would simply smile and apologize. As for Momo and Kikumaru, they'd drive him bonkers! All that would make Tezuka make everyone run laps.
Shaking off all the predictions that were in his head Ryoma continued to walk to class. He turned a corner and stuffed some books in his locker. He hurried to the snow-covered tennis courts where the rest of the regulars were.
"Unya! O'chibi! You didn't tell me that your birthday was on Christmas Eve, nya!" Hyperactive Kikumaru bounced up to the freshmen. "Menggo-menggo!"
"Oh gomen, gomen!" said Oishi while trying to restrain his doubles partner from glomping Ryoma.
"If I had known I would have planned a party at the sushi shop, gomen!" apologized Taka. Fuji walked up to the freshman his usual smile on his face and his face closed.
"Heh, gomen Echizen, but I didn't expect your birthday on Christmas Eve," said Fuji. In a corner Inui wrote down the data in his infamous notebook. Kaidoh simply hissed and shrugged it off.
"Oi! Echizen! You never told me when your birthday was!" Ryoma groaned. It was Momo.
"Mada mada dane," muttered Ryoma. The constant apologizing and questioning to the freshmen started getting out of hand. Tezuka hadn't said a word the whole time, but now his temper had reached his limits.
"TWENTY LAPS AROUND THE COURTS NOW!!!" yelled the captain. Everything froze, including the wind. Slowly as if ice was melting the whole team got on their jackets and started running their laps. Sound familiar?
Hm, I wonder when Sakuno's birthday is, thought Ryoma as he ran his twenty laps. Come to think of it, I never knew when it was. I'd better ask her after practice.
After running twenty laps the regulars were once again playing against each other. The order was given out as followed: Momo vs. Ryoma, Kaidoh vs. Oishi, Tezuka vs. Taka, and Fuji vs. Kikumaru. After being dismissed the golden-eyed boy headed over to the court with his senpai.
Throughout the match the freshman had his mind on asking Sakuno when her birthday was. He planned that once he found out then he could figure out what to give her. Sakuno was the only one who remembered when his birthday was.
"Oi! Echizen! You're spacing out! Dajoubu ka?" asked Momo as he hit the ball to the left. Ryoma hit the ball back with his tennis racket.
"Mada mada dane," replied Ryoma.
"Don't you 'mada mada dane' me!" scolded Momo. Ryoma crossed left and hit the ball to the right.
"30-love!" called Fuji who was the referee. Ryoma served the ball. Momo hit to the right; Ryoma hit to the left.
Damn, he's being even more aggressive, thought Momo. Something must really be bugging him.
"Oi! Did your girlfriend dump you!" called Momo.
"I don't have a girlfriend!" yelled the freshman hitting the ball to the left.
"40-love!" called Fuji. Ryoma served again and hit the ball to the left.
"Oh really? Then how do you explain you giving Sakuno a kiss on Christmas, ne?" Ryoma got so pissed he hit the ball with all his might. The ball hit Momo's foot and then hurled upward and hit Momo square below the jaw.
"Itai! That hurt Echizen!" yelled Momo clutching his lower jaw.
"Che, you pissed me off," said Ryoma walking off the courts. Fuji watches the freshman leave the courts before remembering that he was refereeing.
"Game set and match Echizen 6-3!"
Later…Ryoma walked down the hall toward his classroom. He was still pondering over when Sakuno's birthday was and what to get her. He turned a corner and saw Sakuno walking to her locker.
"Sakuno-chan!" Ryoma whipped around to see Tomoka come speeding past him her pigtails flying. She skidded to a stop when she saw her best friend.
"Oh, hi Tomo-chan," said Sakuno.
"By the way Sakuno," said Tomoka. She whipped out a pink neatly wrapped gift from behind her back. "Happy Birthday!" Ryoma nearly passed out. Today was Sakuno's birthday?
Oh kami-sama! Why did her birthday have to be today? Thought Ryoma. Moreover, how come he had to find out on the exact day it was?
Without a warning, the freshman turned and ran up the hall. Could his day get any worse? First his teammates bug him because they forgot about his birthday, then his senpai ticks him off, and now he goes looking for Sakuno to ask her about her birthday only to find out that her birthday was tomorrow. Perfect! Not!
The freshman was pondering over what to give Sakuno for her birthday. At first he thought of buying her something, but ditched that idea because by then she would have left school and he didn't know where she lived therefore that left him with the option of making her something.
What about a poem, thought Ryoma. Iie, it'll probably end up corny. Mada mada dane, what about a simple card? Iie, I don't have any construction paper or anything fancy. A song? Ryoma stopped his train of thought. A song? Perfect! A song didn't need music all the time so all Ryoma had to do was to think of the lyrics and melody.
Without a warning Ryoma began thinking of the lyrics. As he began to think he slowly started to sing, softly of course because morning classes were still going.
"Hikuku nagareteru
Amagumo wa tookunatte
Machi wa sukoshizutsu
Ochizuki wo tonimodoshiteku…"
At tennis practice…"Oi! Ochibi! What're you humming, nya?" Ryoma stopped humming his song and turned around. There was Kikumaru Eiji bouncing up to him.
"Mada mada dane," replied the shorter freshman.
"Come on! Tell me, nya!" said Kikumaru. Ryoma sighed. There was no way he could get away from his senpai until he gave a reply even if his senpai happened to be Kikumaru.
"Just a song I heard," replied Ryoma. Kikumaru raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Hontou ni? I don't recall hearing that song," said the redhead. At the moment Momo showed up carrying his tennis bag. Ryoma groaned. He didn't need more annoying senpais.
"Oi! Echizen! Kikumaru-senpai! What's going on?" asked Momo.
"Ochibi was humming a song," said Kikumaru. "I've never heard of it before." Momo thought it over for a second. If Kikumaru hadn't heard of it before than obviously Ryoma must have created it himself.
"Echizen, did you write the song you were humming?" asked Momo. Ryoma pulled his cap down lower. He didn't want to tell his senpais that yes he wrote it, but…
"Hai, so what?" replied Ryoma. Momo grinned.
"I knew it! You wrote a song for your girlfriend!" said Momo triumphantly.
"Unya! Ochibi! She'll understand how you feel, nya!" said Kikumaru. Ryoma wondered why in the world he got two annoying senpais who bugged him every day! At the moment Tezuka stepped.
"You three! Get changed or ten laps around the courts!" barked the buchou before walking out of the changing room. Ryoma sighed in relief. Tezuka to the rescue! As he got into his tennis uniform he thought about the song he made up.
I hope she'll appreciate this, especially after all the work I put into it, thought Ryoma. The lyrics don't match with the melody. Oh, well.
"Oi! Echizen! Come on or buchou's going to make us run laps!" called Momo. The freshman hurriedly slipped on his jacket and ran out of the changing room.
Later…Sakuno searched frantically for her jacket. She had somehow misplaced it and couldn't find it anywhere. She had to walk home and it was freezing outside!
Sakuno no baka! she mentally said to her self. You had to lose your jacket just now! Knowing there was no other choice. Sakuno wrapped her arms around herself and with a heave of her bag walked out into the snow. Instantly a freezing blast of air hit her face at full force.
"Sakuno-chan?" The girl turned around to see golden eyes. She blushed a deep crimson. "What're you doing running around in the cold like this?"
Ryoma-kun, thought Sakuno. Despite the snow and the cold winds the girl found her face heating up. Ryoma was bundled in warm clothing.
Damn, what's she doing running around in the cold without a jacket? Thought Ryoma. Without a warning Ryoma untied the scarf around his neck and placed it on Sakuno's shoulders. Sakuno's blush turned from crimson to a beet tomato red.
Well, it's now or never, thought Ryoma mustering up his courage. He took a deep breath and wrapping an arm around the shivering girl he began to sing:
"Hikuku nagareteru
Amagumo wa tookunatte
Machi wa sukoshizutsu
Ochizuki wo tonimodoshiteku
Toki ga sugite
Wakatte kita koto
Sukoshi wa arukeredo
Madamada itsudatte
Kotae wo sagashiteiru
Kitto umaku yareru kara shinpainaisa
(Kitto umaku yarerusa shinpainaisa)
Sonna koe ga kikoetekisoude
Soba ni iru to sunao ni narenaikedo
(Soba ni iru to sunao ni naranaikedo)
Itsuka kitto iitainda
Arigato
Kaze ga yuruyaka ni
Kisetsu wo hakondekite
Minna sukoshizutsu
Kokoro ga zawameki hajimeteru
Kyou ichi nichi
Aremo koremo shiyou!
Maiasa omottemo
Nakanaka kenjitsu wa
Yotei wa mitei no mama
Motto umakuyareru kara mondai naisa
Nanto daku wa konashiterukedo
Hanareteru mo sunao ninareru kigashita
Itsuka kitto iitainda
Arigato
Toki ga sugite
Wakatte kita koto
Sukoshi wa arukeredo
Madamada itsudatte
Kotae wo sagashiteiru
Kitto umaku yareru kara shinpainaisa
Sonna koe ga kikoetekisoude
Soba ni iru to sunao ni narenaikedo
Itsuka kitto iitainda
Arigato"
Ryoma sang the last note of his song. Sakuno stared at the boy in shock. The melody was so soft and soothing; something you don't see in this boy.
"Ryoma-kun, why did you write this song?" asked Sakuno. Ryoma smiled and kissed her gently on the cheek.
"There wasn't anything else I could give you for your birthday," replied Ryoma.
"Y-you mean…" stuttered the girl in utter shock. Ryoma's smile was gentle.
"Hai, Happy Birthday Sakuno-chan," said Ryoma. Sakuno couldn't take it anymore; she turned around and pressed her lips next to Ryoma's. Ryoma was shocked at first, but soon became calm. He wrapped his arms around her and she wrapped her arms around him. Soon they both pulled away.
"What I want to say to say to you is…arigato."
OwariSo what'cha think? This is the longest one shot I've ever had in my life! If you want a sequel then I suggest you R&R minus the flames. Oh, by the way, here's the translation. Ja ne!
The rain clouds that were passing by low
Become distant,
And the town gradually
Regains its tranquility.
Time has passed,
And there's a few things
I've come to understand but
I'm still always
Searching for a response.
Surely, I can do it well, so no worries.
(Surely, you can do it well. I'm not worried.)
It's like I can hear your voice.
When you're by my side, I can't remain unaffected but
(When you're by my side, I'm not unaffected, but)
Surely someday, I want to say to you
"Thank you."
The wind, carefree,
Carried in the season.
Gradually, everybody's
Hearts begin to stir up.
"Today,
Let's do that and this!"
I think that every morning but
The truth is really
Future plans aren't fixed in place.
I can do it better, so there's no problem.
(That's right, you can do it well, so there's no problem.)
Somehow I'm handling it easily but
When we were parted, I felt like I could be unaffected.
(Even if we're parted, I can't be unaffected, but)
Surely someday, I want to say to you
"Thank you."
Time has passed,
And there's a few things
I've come to understand but
I'm still always
Searching for a response.
Surely, I can do it well, so no worries.
(Surely, you can do it well. I'm not worried.)
It's like I can hear your voice.
When you're by my side, I can't remain unaffected but
(No matter when, I'm not unaffected, but)
Surely someday, I want to say to you
"Thank you."