The umbrella which his cousin insisted him to take did little to protect him from the rain.

Ryoma was saturated from head to toe except for his Seigaku regulars jacket which was the only thing providing dryness and warmth and had allowed him to search continuously for two hours. Large beads of water mixed with sweat ran down his face, blurring his vision and forcing him to wipe it away every few seconds. Yet despite the freezing temperature, his mind was on fire with worry and anger. Worry for the safety of Sakuno, for she had been out in the cold for over six hours, and anger for the foolishness of her for making him so worried.

Water and mud splashed up his legs as he rushed through each tennis court in which he had seen her cheer for him, which was practically every single tennis court in Tokyo. His eyes were tired from darting side to side, desperate to catch sight of a glimpse of brown braids or green uniform, yet his legs never slowed and the thought to rest never occurred to him.

Where is that Goddamn girl? Ryoma muttered angrily under his breath as he raked through his mind for the thousandth time for any places Sakuno could possibly go. Five hours...she could almost go anywhere in that time...but what if she got lost...? She's never been good at directions...Suddenly, his mind cleared and he spun around to set off in a new direction. There is a place I havn't looked. A place important to both she and me.

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Sakuno leaned on the concrete pillar and cried silently. For five hours she has simply let tears flow down her cheek and force her mind to slowly edge away from any thoughts of Ryoma. Yet this wasn't easy as she was standing on the very spot where he had first spoken to her. She couldn't help but smile at this bitter memory that happened long ago, luckily the train station was quite deserted, therefore no one saw the pain which shone through her eyes as she reflected on the incident when she had given Ryoma the wrong directons to the tennis courts. She still remembered the exact details of their conversation - which was easy as they only exchanged a few words - and the first wave of admiration at his confidence and calmness. It's all over now...he has someone he likes and that person isn't me...it'll never be me. Sakuno closed her eyes as she felt the tears stinging them again and sighed.

"...You still owe me chocolate."

Sakuno's eyes flew open and met those of Echizen Ryoma, who was standing just inside the exit in front of her. He was leaning on the wall and was panting heavily as if he had run all the way around Tokyo to get here.

"...and I'm hungry."

Sakuno's eyebrows rose and replied cooly. "...would have thought you got enough already."

Ryoma threw down the unbrella angrily as he stepped forward.

"...Do you have any idea how long we have searched for you?"

He took another step.

"...Do you have any idea how worried everyone is?"

Another step.

"...Do you have any idea how worried I am?"

At that moment he was standing merely half a metre from her, his tall figure towering over her.

Sakuno's eyes widened when the meaning of the last sentence clicked and her head shot up.

"What did you-" But she never had to finish the question as Ryoma grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms. Sakuno trembled when her cheek touched his shirt and tried to struggle but was held still by Ryoma's arms as they locked around her body.

"...I...was scared..." Ryoma's voice turned into a whisper behind her back. She was shocked to hear a slight tremble in what was always a confident voice. "...I was scared I was going to lose you."

The impact of the words was shocking enough to make Sakuno freeze in Ryoma's arms, silent and speechless.

"...I was angry at first...to think that just a girl could make me so restless and worried...and also at your foolishness for running away." Ryoma continued in a low voice, his lips just inches by her ear.

"...But before I knew it... fear took over instead...because I thought you were going to be gone forever." Ryoma's arms tightened around her. "I know it sounds foolish...but that's what I thought."

Sakuno finally found the courage to push him away, but only minutes afterwards.

"...Liar." Her eyes flashed dangerously but tears welled up in them again. "You...you have someone you like already..."

Ryoma gazed at her pale face, her eyes filled with hopelessness and her lips trembling from the cold. He took off his jacket and put it gently around her shoulders.

"...I guess you mean the girl at lunchtime today? Your friend said you've been acting weirdly since lunchtime, so I presumed..." He paused and smirked when he saw her avoiding his eyes. "But what are you exactly jealous about?"

Sakuno flushed at the word "jealous" and lowered her eyes to the ground.

"Why did you... let her kiss you...?" Sakuno asked in a tiny voice.

Ryoma paused to reflect on the incident at lunchtime. "...Because she only kissed on my cheek, I guess. And anyway, Karupin always licks my face so it really makes no difference to me..."

Sakuno still looked at Ryoma suspiciously. "...and the present that didn't look like chocolate?"

Ryoma hesitated for a while, but finally gave in to Sakuno's questioning gaze. "It's in my jacket pocket, take it out yourself."

Sakuno reached into the pocket and took out the black box. Its shiny surface glowed under the light as she carefully lifted up the lid.

She gasped at the object which lay in the box, enfolded in layers of white silk as thick as cream. It was a sparkling necklace with a single lavender feather dangling off a twisting black string. The feather curved elegantly upwards and the breathtaking colour shimmered like a jewel. Ryoma smiled satisfactorily at the amazed look on Sakuno's face as she gaped at the marvellous piece of art.

"Wear it, it's for you." Ryoma said to her.

"W-what? What...what are you talking about? This is for the girl, isn't it?" Sakuno stammered, still not over the shock at seeing such a stunning present.

Ryoma sighed and took the box from her fingers, then unhooked the necklace from the box and clasped it around Sakuno's throat. The feather rested perfectly in the hollow between her collar bones.

"...I was going to save it for White Valentines Day...but perhaps now is a better time to give it to you, I reckon it will go well with your Rapunzel costume...Anyway, do you understand now? I only wanted the girl to buy this for me...because...because it's too embarrassing for a guy-" His explanation was cut off when Sakuno lifted up her hand to silence him, her face now as hot as coal.

"...Ryoma-kun...I-I'm so sorry." Sakuno felt ashamed of herself for misunderstanding him instead of trusting him. She was sure he was going to hate her now.

Ryoma grinned and touched her flushed cheek, then without warning, pulled her towards him again. As she fell into his arms once more, he whispered softly: "I forgive you."

This time, Sakuno returned his embrace and laid her cheek on his chest, feeling the warmth of the muscles which she had so often thought about. She smiled as she felt Ryoma's arms wrap around her back.

"If any girls from your fan club sees us now...will you fend them off tomorrow at school for me?" Sakuno murmured into his shirt.

"Sure, though they'll want to kiss me in return..." Ryoma laughed when he felt the girl in his arms flinch.

"...But I'll save my lips for you."