Thank you all for the wonderful reviews!
Sitting, Waiting and Wishing: Chapter 3Breakfast for the day had taken a sour turn when Fuji calmly informed Sakuno that he was meeting with Eiji and Momoshiro later only to have his pancakes thrown at him.
"I'm not going! You can go for all I care!"
"Sakuno…"
"You bastard! You took me in so that you could return me to Ryoma later!" She cried out. The words stung as Fuji tried to calm her down.
"Listen, Sakuno, it's necessary…"
"What's necessary! I can't go back to him anymore….Because…" A fresh wave of sobs overtook her as she struggled to breathe. "I know I'll go back to him if I see him again." She knelt down, her frail form racking with tears. "I can't…I can't…"
Fuji's heart tore at the sight. Yes, how could he expect her to forget her love with Ryoma when it had been for a good 11 years? Feelings did not come and go easily. Wordlessly, he knelt down besides her and took her into his arms.
"Then why did you say you didn't love him anymore?" Fuji asked, his hands stroking her hair. Sakuno lifted her face towards him.
"Because I want to forget him."
Fuji had been inexplicably drawn to Sakuno when he first met her. There was just something about the way her large, chocolate brown eyes twinkled, how her shy smile was ever so lovely and the cute way she stuttered.
He was surprised to learn that she had gotten together with Ryoma, although that provided him with a constant stream of ways to tease Ryoma. Yet, he could hardly explain the faint pang of disappointment whenever he saw the couple together, smiling and talking in hushed tones.
He dismissed the feeling as he focused on his tennis, studies, and eventually, his career. But Fuji was too ignorant then that he had long fallen in love.
"How about Echizhen? We leave him here? What if he does something stupid?" Momoshiro asked Eiji worriedly. Eiji frowned and absent-mindedly touched the plaster on his face, a habit which he had developed since High School.
"I think he's too wasted. And I don't think Sakuno wants to see him now, anyway." Momoshiro nodded in agreement. "Let's go then."
As the two left the apartment quietly, they failed to notice that the Ryoma' bedroom door had opened a fraction of a crack and the cat-like golden eyes followed them, all the way out.
"Fuji-san, gomen nasi."
"Why are you apologizing?" Fuji asked, glancing at his passenger besides him.
"I was acting a bit out of character earlier. I shouldn't have thrown the pancakes at you anyway." Sakuno said apologetically, her eyes cast down.
"You always seem to be sorry for something." Fuji drew the car up to stop at a red light. "Tell me, Sakuno. Is there anything in your life where you can not say sorry for?" He asked her.
Sakuno looked at him in surprise and tried to open her mouth to say something, but found she could not. The light turned green and Fuji drove off, leaving her with the unanswered question.
"Fuji. Ryuuzaki-san." Eiji greeted them solemnly. It was a strange meeting indeed at the table. Eiji looked stern, which was hardly the case with the bouncy redhead. Momoshiro looked quizzically at Sakuno. Sakuno was looking increasingly uncomfortable. Fuji on the other hand, was looking through the menu, being the calm person he always was.
"One coffee please." He said airily as he handed the menu back to the waiter. "Sakuno, what would you like?" He asked kindly.
"Eh…" She hesitated. "Tea. Arigatou, Fuji-san." Eiji frowned at change in name usage.
"So, Sakuno will be staying with me for an indefinite period of time." Fuji said, breaking the silence that ensued.
"Is that really necessary, Fuji? I mean, Ryuuzaki-san can stay with Ryuuzaki-sensei." Eiji asked.
"Sakuno, are you really sure you want to do this?" Momoshiro asked, finally getting to the crux of the meeting. "It's been 11 years, after all. Why don't you just forgive and forget?"
Sakuno's fingers were clasped tightly around each other and she looked down, her face flushed. Fuji put his hand over hers and smiled encouragingly at her. She looked at him, cheering up a little at this small act.
"You're right, Momoshiro-sempai. It's been 11 years." She said softly. "I've been waiting for 11 years…for Ryoma to love me back. And I think I've waited enough. I want a commitment, something that is strange and foreign to Ryoma. Something which he can never give me."
"But Sakuno, Ryoma has his career…."
"He has to give it up then! He cannot have the best of both worlds!" She was sick and tired of hearing all the nonsense about Ryoma's illustrious career. She just wanted a man to love her back, a man to be there for her when she needed him, not the other way round. "I've waited long enough for him to give it up!"
"If that's what you want, then I'll do it." A familiar monotonous voice said from behind suddenly and Sakuno whirled behind to see Ryoma.
"Hello everyone, I'm sorry I'm late." He sat down nonchantly besides Sakuno, glaring at Eiji and Momoshiro. The deadliest glare however, seem to be reserved for Fuji, who smiled anyway.
"What?" Sakuno asked in disbelief.
"I'll give everything up, if that's what you want." Ryoma repeated again.
"It's not so simple as saying something like that! I want a break-up now! For good!" Sakuno's voice crescendoed. "I can't stand it when you make everything sound so simple when it isn't!"
"You're just making it complicated." Ryoma said, his voice a little louder.
"I'm not! Listen Ryoma, I'm sick and tired of having to wait for calls that never come, for you to come back home and for you to love me back. The world does not revolve around YOU!" She got up abruptly and turned to leave, only to have her arm gripped tightly by Ryoma.
"Why do you keep saying I don't love you when you know I do!"
"Let go of me!" She cried out, her tears threatening to spill. "You don't! You think it's love but it's not! Love is not wanting to have a maid around! It involves sacrifice! You don't know the meaning of sacrifice, Ryoma." His iron-grip on her loosened and she took the opportunity to break free.
"I think it's enough Ryoma. Let's go, Sakuno." Fuji said as he got up and turned to lead Sakuno out. Ryoma's eyes flashed dangerously as he put out a hand to stop him.
"This does not concern you, Fuji-sempai."
"Well, it does now." Fuji said simply. "At least I'm not some condescending brat who does not reprociate the feelings of his loved ones."
With that, all hell broke loose as Ryoma swung a fist at Fuji, landing squarely on his jaw. Sakuno let out a huge gasp while Eiji and Momoshiro watched in horror as Fuji massaged his bruised jaw gently, then took another punch and socked Ryoma's eye.
"Stop it! Stop it! Please! Stop it!" Sakuno pleaded frantically as the two got into a scuffle. It took Eiji and Momoshiro a bit of effort to separate the two.
"YOU BASTARD! YOU CAN'T TAKE SAKUNO AWAY!" Ryoma screamed at Fuji.
"Fuji, go! GO!" Eiji urged as Momoshiro tried to hold Ryoma back from lunging at Fuji again. Fuji took Sakuno's hand and swiftly led her away.
"BASTARDS! DAMN IT! WHY ARE YOU LETTING HIM GET AWAY! SAKUNO!" Ryoma yelled, struggling desperately to break free. Sakuno took a last glance at Ryoma through the glass panel of the café and left.
Ryoma had always dismissed Fuji as a sempai who loved to torture people. Little did he know that Fuji would be his rival in love.
The faintest inkling only came in junior high school. She had been sleeping under a tree while waiting for him and Fuji had happened to pass by. He caught Fuji patting Sakuno's head somewhat endearingly but Ryoma, being the wooden blockhead he was, dismissed that as an act of brotherly affection.
He had failed to see the look in Fuji's eyes, one of tenderness and gentleness. Something, which no one had ever been able to provoke in Fuji, not even his brother Yuuta.
"Let's not get too careless" Wise words from Tezuka which Ryoma had failed to heed.
A very hastily done chapter with a lot of unanswered questions which I will hopefully answer in the next few chapters to come. Reviews are appreciated!