Hey everyone! Just to say, sorry for the SUPER late continuation. It's even MORE than a year since I stopped continuing…sorrys! (. Hehehe. Well, it's coz I guess I haven't been really inspired any more…and my interest towards tenipuri has somehow…faded. sob.! I guess it's probably true. But thanks for my friend Mel :) who made me re-read my fanfics, and guess what? I think I'm gonna continue 'Down The Road'! :)
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Now, that's a nice sweater! Sakuno gleamed, staring at her own handwork : a bright red knitted sweater. Well, she decided to hand this to Ryoma when returning his regular's jacket to him. It took her SO many weeks to finally make one, and also it took so much of her life's blood. Well, she wasn't an expert with handwork. Plus, not forgetting her own things to do in life, e.g. studying for exams, practicing tennis, and much more.
She folded the sweater and placed it in a canvas bag that she bought for 100 yen from a supermarket. Whenever she did her groceries, she would use that bag because it was ecological and more convenient to carry around. The regular's jacket was inside the bag already. She couldn't afford seeing her ouji-sama left cold and frozen when his jacket was happily safe in Sakuno's hands.
"SAKUNO! Time to make a move! You're bound to be late for school if you continue being so slow!" bellowed her grandmother from below. She slung her book bag on her shoulder and the canvas bag on the other.
"Hai, obaasan! I'm coming!" Sakuno replied. She reached for her jacket and took off.
"MATTE! (wait!) Your breakfast!" Sumire Ryuzaki shouted out at the door, only to see the shadow of her granddaughter running enthusiastically.
Kids these days, so enthusiastic to be at school so early. I was just exaggerating about the time. Who knew she never looks at the clock! Ryuzaki-sensei thought, glancing at the clock. It was only 7 AM, and by the rate Sakuno ran, she might reach there in just 15 minutes, with an hour and fifteen minutes to go before school started.
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At 7 AM, Ryoma was still fast asleep. Nanako tried almost everything to wake up that sleepyhead, including cooking his favourite Japanese dish : chawan mushi. Right in front of his face! And yet that boy never even opened his eyes.
Baka! He's going to be SO late to school! God. Please save me! Nanako thought, looking at her cousin. Finally, she took a bucket of cold waterA/N : you can probably guess what's gonna happen after this. and splashed it on Ryoma.
"RYOMA! I have been here for the past 20 minutes, trying to even PRY your eyes open, but you're off to slumberland, forgetting reality. PLEASE! Wake up, get dressed, you've GOT to go to school!" Nanako said, annoyed.
"What's the problem with her?" Ryoma muttered in his breath, checking the clock. 7 AM. He was supposed to do something at that time.
He checked his calendar, and yes. Tennis practice right in the morning.
"OH KUSO!" Ryoma cursed, looking at the time. He dressed up and quickly ran for school.
Finally that boy knows why I have been so drastic this morning. SIGH! Nanako thought, shaking her head.
When Sakuno arrived the school, it had been only 7.15 AM. She was panting, and sweat was dripping off her fair face.
Why didn't obaasan tell me the time! I thought I was so late…but I think there should people here.. at least someone who will be able to keep me entertained before school starts. Sakuno thought, heading to her locker to take out some books and put in some. What she didn't notice was a figure behind her. He was definitely late. And it was none other than the ouji-sama himself, Ryoma Echizen.
"Hey Ryuzaki."
"Oh. Ohayo!" she said, her face looking a bit surprised while looking in his eyes.
"You do run very fast. I was tailing you, and yet, I still couldn't catch up."
"Really? Umm… thanks! Because of the tennis training I think. Obaasan never fails to torture us girls as well."
"Hey, I'm running late for practice this morning so, see you soon okay?"
"Yup, bye!" Sakuno said shyly, glancing at Ryoma. Her face was more like a tomato now, especially after Ryoma's praise. She slammed the locker door shut, and picked up her belongings from the floor. She glanced at her own canvas bag.
"Oh NO! RYOMA-KUN RYOMAa!" No matter how loud Sakuno shouted, Ryoma was miles away, already playing tennis with his fellow juniors.
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Lunchtime approached, and Ryoma was the hungry one once again. He doesn't have his easy-to-bully senpais anymore.A/N : As you should recall, this story is three years ahead of time and all of Ryoma's senpais have gone to Seishun Gakuen High School(and not the junior high one) He didn't bring his pocket money too, because he was rushing out of the house.
He walked up to the rooftop again, sunning by himself. It wouldn't be nice to ask for food from Sakuno if she didn't even offer it to him. It would make him feel dependant on that girl, and that wouldn't be nice. He ignored his growling stomach and took a nice, long nap.
"Ano, sumimasen, did you see Ryoma-kun around?" Sakuno asked Horio, Kachiro and Katsuo. The three of them shook their head.
"You could always try the rooftop. He often spends his time there," replied Kachiro.
"Oh yeah! Why didn't I think of there? Arigato!" she squealed in excitement as she rushed off to the rooftop.
"Girls are SO like that!" Katsuo continued, staring at Sakuno's antics. The three of them shrugged and walked off to the canteen.
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The door creaked silently as she pushed it open. Within her canvas bag were Ryoma's regular jacket, the sweater she knitted for him and also a nice obento box she prepared for him the day before. She was positive she could make him slightly happy, because she heard from people that Ryoma was starving the whole morning. That silly boy probably forgot his lunch and also his pocket money that time.
Ryoma, startled, awoke at the sound of the creaking door.
I MUST somehow oil that door one day. I tell you, it has been creaking since the day I step foot in the school. Ryoma thought, a bit irritated about the fact that he was awoken by someone's presence. He yawned and turned back.
"Ano, konnichiwa Ryoma-kun!" she said shyly, as usual. She sat beside the grown boy, looking at him. He looked back and cocked his eyebrow.
"What brings you here?"
"Here's your regular jacket, and an obento box for you, and also a sweater I knitted for you," Sakuno replied, taking out the contents of that canvas bag of hers. When she mentioned the word 'obento', he started feeling his stomach screaming out at him, telling him to 'graciously' accept that blessing from the heavens. She took out his old regular's jacket that he had handed to her that day when it was cold. The other thing that caught his eye was the finely crafted bright red sweater that must have taken a lot of time to make. He smiled at the thought that Sakuno was really a very good girl. Although she was the ditzy and blur girl he always knew, deep down she was a very beautiful girl, and always strived to try something new. The last time he saw her with a needle was during class, and when she finally gave up sewing because the needles kept on poking her fingers, making them bleed.
Ryoma also noticed some band-aids on Sakuno's fingers. She has gone through that much trouble just to make a sweater for me.. Ryoma thought silently.
"Ano, Ryoma-kun! Why don't you try the sweater so that I know whether it fits you?" Sakuno said, breaking the silence.
"Un." Ryoma took the red sweater and wore it over his head. It fit perfectly, as if it was tailored. After all, Sakuno had kept hold of Ryoma's regular's jacket all the while.
"The sweater…it's really nice. Arigato, Sakuno," Ryoma said. For the first time, he used her first name. She was rather astonished, but smiled back anyway. Somehow, she felt that this was the beginning of something. Sakuno gleamed at the thought of it.
Ryoma, you baka! Sakuno said to herself. She felt that she was going to fall for Ryoma, and even deeper than before.
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okay, i probably screwed up the last part! Sorry sorry sorrry! oh well. Hahaha. I know i am THAT bad in writing nowadays :( havent been writing in ages, so yes. Sorry for the weird story! My writing is THAT horrible. :P . Ryoma seemed soooo OOC!! Aiyar.. Hehehe.