AN: Wow... What a popular fic. I had no idea people even liked my stuff. But, thanks to you guys, I've gotten this fic to be something I actually like. Not like my other stories, this one centers on the actual series and what takes place in it. Something very rare for me, you don't even know. I'm such an AU writer most of the time.
Oh well. Ranting's done. I'll leave you all to your thoughts on my fic (which is very strange). I feel weird writing for characters that I know hardly anything about... ((sweatdrop))
Warnings: Some OOC-ness, teenaged boy thinking and a little fluff.
Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me. If PoT did, I'd have Ryoma and Sakuno stuck in a broom closet for a while to see what happens. It's such a fun idea...
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Part 3
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Xx Previous chapter xX
Although she wasn't the most conserved person in the world, Sakuno never threw herself at him. She was shy and she said hello. He didn't mind having her around. At least she wasn't as bad as his other not-so-secret admirers. And there was also her best friend. What was her name? Toko, Coco… It's something like that. But he knew that she was scary. It was like he had his own private stalker with her, as well as a few others, following him.
He knew he'd always be one of the best tennis players around.
He knew he'd always have admirers because of it.
He knew he'd always have one girl or another trying to grab his attention.
He knew a lot of things.
But the one thing he thought he'd know forever, the one person he thought would be by his side, through thick and thin…
He didn't know she'd leave him.
And he didn't know she'd take something he didn't even know he had…
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Caught in spring's splendor, beneath a covered bench and table, sat two familiar faces. One, a handsome young man, radiating an aura that could break even the strongest of people. Next to him, a girl whose small frame made her look frail, but was quite the opposite due to some training, though she didn't look very strong.
Both were complete opposites.
One of them seeking an answer to a problem he didn't even knew he had.
Another holding that answer to herself.
And that's what Ryoma wanted at this very moment. An answer. The answer to a trvial question that he hadn't even heard. As soon as unimportant thoughts flittered across his mind, Ryoma quickly crushed it and never thought about it again. He never felt the need for any questions to be answered, so he let those inquisitive-causing statements graze past him without a second glance at what they might uncover, at what he might learn from answering them.
But he found a question he wanted an answer to. The person with that answer, though, was not willing to oblige him. A girl who was everything he wasn't.
Where he was cool with grace, she was clumsy, but happy.
Where he was nonchalant, she was nervous.
Where he was in the dark, she was the one with the light.
This wasn't how it used to be though. Before, Ryoma thought he had an answer for everything. He was content in his ignorantly blissful and simple-minded answers. There was nothing he hadn't already solved mentally. And, at the off chance that he had miscalculated, he would let it slide past him without a second thought.
However, there were times when even the simplest questions made him think the hardest.
Those questions were once in a blue moon to him.
Now, he just had to find the answer to the rogue question.
"Ryuzaki," he stated, staring at nothing imparticular. He was hunched in his seat, staring beneath his cap. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Sakuno turning to look at him. She just sat and watched, not completely sure what to expect.
"Is there any reason why you're ignoring me?" he asked, the words coming easier than he thought. Then again, tact was never really his forte, therefore it wasn't too surprising.
Her eyes widened, he noticed, and her mouth parted lightly. It was as if she wanted to say something but the words might come out wrong, so she stopped herself. Instead, she opted for chewing on her lip and tilting her eyes to the corner, her orbs glazing over again. That look of deep thought was on her again and it brought the same smirk to him. When she thought so hard it was difficult not to smile. She looked so innocent and clueless that the look of thinking seemed foreign on her features.
Pondering these thoughts, different ideas scattered through Sakuno'd head. She worried over what she should tell him.
Yes, she knew she was in love with him.
And yes, she knew that lying to him was impossible.
So, would that mean she would have to tell the truth?
Why is this so difficult! Sakuno couldn't help but ask herself. Ryoma was a tennis player, a captain, and he could read people so well, it was uncanny. There was no doubt in her mind that even questioned that he would know she was lying. He was that good at spotting detail.
His gift. Her curse.
So, it was either don't answer or fess up. She knew Ryoma was the curious type, much like a cat. He would wonder and wander until he figured out her answer. His brain would put together the pieces she was afraid to show and he would find out. Her crush, her promise and her heart. All would be his to know, if he wanted.
But he has every girl in the world already, Sakuno dwelled, and her spirits sunk. Two sides to such a sadistic coin. She could tell him her feelings, but at the chance he may not return them. A terrible fate she didn't want to experience, but a possibility nonetheless. Or, nothing might change. Not that there was anything between them that could change. A faint bond was forged through Ryuzaki-sensei/her Obaa-chan. There couldn't be anything from nothing, could there?
The little voice in her head, which she had found to be her conscience, was once again nagging and doing its job. It pushed towards telling him, despite the consequences. It was like jumping into a cold pool. When you first touch the surface, it's freezing and you're unwilling to go through with it. However, if you just dive in, then it's not as bad as you thought.
Sakuno was teetering on the edge of her diving board.
Do you take the cold feeling step-by-step as you wade in?
Or just jump and take everything with you, no regrets?
Sakuno squared her idea, and looked back a Ryoma, who was staring at the courts' direction. The tie-breaking match would be soon, he could feel it. But he wanted one thing before he went out there, just an answer. He would wait until he was satisfied before continuing on his way.
Noticing Sakuno's gaze, the buchou, though somewhat uncomfortably called, turned his attention back to her. His eyes were droopy, a little sleepy and covered with a nonchalant look. He stared, waiting for her answer, wondering if she was at all nervous. The figure before him wasn't at all trembling, but strong and determined. The only hint of reluctance was the way her hands fiddled with her camera she was saving for his match.
Her eyes met his, and he lost his train of thought. A mild shock passed through him as he noticed the usually watery eyes were hard with a stubbornness he had never seen before. Nor had he ever stared down into such enchanting chocolate orbs. He soon found how close she was to him, and his eyes began to wander.
Her dark eyes were covered by the wispy bangs that fell over her forehead and tickled her eyelids. Soon he noticed her light complexion, despite the hours he knew she spent practicing in the sun. He couldn't help but let the soft-looking skin taunt him, his fingers just wanting one smooth caress. His gaze drifted further until they met Sakuno's lips. Her strawberry tainted lips were slick with light lip glossthat shone faintly in the shade. He stared shamelessly, wondering if those lips were as sweet as he suspected.
The temptation was growing, somethng he had never experienced. He was a boy, with hormones he hid very well. These thoughts were usually far and few between, among different girls that had caught his attention (meaning him). His "attention" being on the girls that clamped themselves to him, and he noticed a feature he had never gotten a very good look at, until up close.
But such thoughts were tossed away, so he had never really had them like this. Ryoma had never never felt all theset hings, all at once, and he knew that control was slipping. The steady and mounting self-control he prided himself on was nearly gone, as he watched her take a deep breath to calm her nerves.
Her voice said lightly, but strongly:
"Ryoma, I-"
But her words were never finished, but instead stolen away.
Stolen away by Ryoma, and their first kiss.
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AN: Sweet huh? But not the end. This story won't be too long. I'm not a fan of really long work. I only have one like that, and I plan not to do it again. Too much stress. I hate stress... ((sigh)) Remember to reivew. Or, I won't update!
Well, till next time!
Much love,
Adobo-chan
