Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis and its characters belong to Takeshi Konomi-sensei.

4:30 AM

Breathe in, breathe out…

Sanada felt at home with the stillness of the early morning. After three days, he has finally recovered from his sickness, although it did frustrate him that something as simple as flu was able to take him down. He was able to catch up with the school lessons, thanks to Yukimura and Yanagi's daily visit.

Then there was also Azume, who helped him gain back his strength through her constant care. It was a good thing that she didn't have problems dealing with Yukimura and Yanagi, as they taught her everything from basic tennis equipment maintenance to dealing with his temper. The latter would earn a shout from Sanada himself when he would hear them talk about it.

Sanada frowned. It felt odd that she was becoming more and more involved in his life. It didn't feel intrusive, but it was still a change he didn't fully welcome.

Breathe in, breathe out…

Maybe he can still coax his grandfather out of this marriage. Once Rikkaidai wins the Nationals, he can prove his independence. It would end things once and for all, and Azume will be out of the picture.

Thinking about the possible scenario, Sanada was surprised to feel a tinge of hurt. What? What would it matter to me?

The days that followed their first meeting made him know her more. He didn't exactly want her out of his life, but it's just that…

... Inseparable… Dependence… Affection…

Sanada shook those words his head. He knew he was overthinking their situation, and he need not worry about his personal life for now - the Nationals should be his priority. He continued meditating once more, focusing his mind on tennis this time around.

6:30 AM

"Ah! This smells so nice!" Azume exclaimed while taking a sip of her miso soup. The young woman can only smile at the results of the breakfast she cooked. Sanada's recovery has motivated her today to give her best. I'll also be giving all I can, just like Sanada-kun!

As she was pouring rice onto the plate, Azume heard the door slide. She looked up to see Sanada in front of her, wearing his kendo uniform. "Good morning, Sanada-kun! Coming from an early morning practice, I see?" Azume stepped aside to give way for Sanada, bowing down in his presence.

"Good morning." Sanada greeted back and sat on the table. He beckoned Azume to sit down so they could have their breakfast. When they began eating, Sanada noticed two bento boxes beside Azume. Two bento boxes? Is she that hungry? He raised a brow at Azume, who seem to have noticed that he questioned the presence of the bento boxes.

Azume jolted under his stare. She reminded herself that she needs to learn how to calm down in front of Sanada. "H-hai?"

"Nothing." Sanada wiped his mouth after eating his breakfast. "Thank you for the breakfast." With that, Sanada got up and decided to leave for the bathroom when Azume called his name. "Sanada-kun! Ano," Azume clumsily took one of the boxes and handed it over to Sanada.

"I prepared lunch for you… uhm, I hope you accept it! I made sure it will make you feel full but not too heavy, so you can continue your tennis practice in the afternoon with ease."

Sanada noticed that Azume's hands were shaking. Oh, it was for me. Somehow, the thought that she didn't prepare it for someone else made him feel secure a bit. "Thank you," Sanada replied as he took the box from her, unable to look into Azume's eyes. He then rushed to the other room to prepare.

Sanada-kun! Thank you! Azume felt fulfilled, but her eyes widened when she a warm and fuzzy feeling surfaced within her. "W-why is my heart throbbing fast?" She gently patted her cheeks, feeling the heat emanating from her face. AH NOOO! Azume shook her head. I should not get distracted and prepare for school!

12:30 PM

The bell rang. The rest of the Rikkai regulars proceeded to room 3A to invite Yagyuu and Sanada for lunch.

"Lunch time, daroi!" Marui announced, opening the door.

Kirihara rushed to Sanada, who was alarmed by the kouhai's enthusiasm. "Fukubuchou! Your singing today was legendary. I almost teared up." Sanada then smacked Kirihara's head. "MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!" Sanada screamed right into Kirihara's face.

Kirihira, whose eyes were glowing with awe, stepped back and rubbed the small lump that formed on his head. "B-but how can I not mind it when everyone can hear-" Marui quickly covered Kirihara's mouth to avoid a slap from the irate fukubuchou.

"Is there something important we need to discuss at this moment?" Yagyuu said, adjusting his glasses.

"Nothing in particular." Yukimura smiled. "I just want us to have lunch together on the rooftop."

"YES! YES! BUCHOU IS EXTRA CHEERFUL! I GUESS THERE'LL BE FEWER LAPS TODAY!" Kirihara rejoiced as he jumped around the room. Niou scooped him up by the collar of his shirt before the second year student can break anything. "Nah. Yukimura was just happy about how his garden turned out to be, so here we are," the trickster said.

"A team that eats together will win together!" Sanada stood up. "Let us celebrate the growth of life and-

CRAP!

A streak of lightning pierced through Sanada's head. He just remembered about his lunch, which was prepared today by Azume. He usually eats the ones offered in the dining hall, so the difference today might intrigue his teammates. They might even ask me who made it…

"Genichirou," Yanagi called Sanada back to reality. "Is something wrong?"

"I.. Uh." Sanada hid his eyes under his cap.

It's not like Sanada to stutter. Yanagi sensed something was up.

"An order is an order." Yukimura declared with confidence. "Let's go!" Everyone else but Yanagi and Sanada followed the beaming buchou to the door. The sight caused a bloodbath on the hallway - only because the girls went crazy over a smiling Yukimura.

"Sanada." Yanagi can't help but smirk a bit as he saw what was inside the vice-captain's bag. "Don't worry about it. They'll probably talk about trivial stuff."

Sanada gulped and pulled his cap further down his head. He stealthily grabbed the bento box and walked together with Yanagi.

1:00 PM

"And that is why Jackal always keeps a tissue roll in his bag." Marui snickered as Jackal blushed. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO SHARE THAT, MARUI!"

The regulars were laughing, and everything seemed to go well except for Sanada, who won't budge. He managed to buy Rikkai buns along the way, but he couldn't even bring himself to eat one out of uneasiness.

Ever the perceptive one, Yukimura asked: "Sanada, why won't you eat?"

Sanada broke into a million pieces inside. I am definitely not safe. He has to thank his years of training to maintain a stoic face in the midst of the most difficult situations.

"I was thinking of something. Here I go, then," Sanada tried to keep still as he opened his bento box.

"Eh, Sanada. I always thought you buy from the dining hall." Niou said.

Sanada glared at the petenshi. "I just don't feel like it." But when he looked back to his lap, the bento was gone. He was shocked to find Marui and Kirihara fighting over it.

… or at least, the leftover of what was his lunch.

"OI, SENPAI! I still need food to grow!" Kirihara was trying to steal the box from Marui's hands, who effortlessly waves it in the air. "Oh, Sanada. I gotta say, why don't you start eating your mother's lunch? IT'S SOOOOO GOOD." Marui exclaimed.

Yukimura shared and Yanagi exchanged looks, and it was only Sanada who could understand the embarrassing meaning behind it. The volcano on the rooftop is about to erupt.

"MARUI! KIRIHARA! 2000 LAPS AND 1000 SIT-UPS LATER!" Sanada shouted loudly that it could be heard all over Kanagawa. "KIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Azume looked up from her book while she sat down on the school yard. Eh? What was that sound? Not knowing it was her future husband screaming at the top his lungs, Azume continued to engorge the book she was reading. However, the school ring soon ended the break. Azume got up, feeling a little unsatisfied and scared that she didn't review enough for her first quiz.

The Rikkai regulars were also returning to the main school building. Sanada was still able to eat his lunch - that is, the two buns he bought. His teammates just devoured Azume's lunch, but he couldn't tell if that was a bad or good thing for him. Nevertheless, he felt relieved that they assumed it was his mother who prepared his lunch.

"Azume-san!"

Sanada was shaken from his thoughts upon hearing her name. Who called her?

Azume turned around to see Yanagi coming her way. She could also see Sanada from the group that Yanagi was with. They must be the rest of the regulars, she thought.

"Hello, Yanagi-san. What is it?" Azume stopped on her tracks and turned to Yanagi.

The other regulars already went inside the building, but Sanada stood still and watched over the two of them. He felt intrigued for some reason.

"Eh," Yukimura simpered ."Feeling worried, Sanada?"

"Hmp, ridiculous. She could leave the house the next day and I wouldn't give a damn about it." Sanada hid his eyes behind his cap and started to walk away. Yukimura just giggled at his friend's overt uneasiness.

7:15 PM

"Absorb everything, brain! Grrr…." Azume rolled on the bed, holding her notes on her left hand. "I can't fail this essay, I can't!" While Math and English were easy subjects for her, Azume admitted to herself that she sucks in the history department. She turned to her side and started reading her notes again, making sure she's got the names of Hitler's henchmen right. "Dietrich Eckart, a member of the Nationalist-Socialist German Workers' Party…"

BANG!

The force applied to opening her room's door made Azume fall down her bed. Her heart started throbbing fast. OH GOD! What was that!?

"Tarundoru!" It was Sanada, who just got back from his bath. He was wearing a white t-shirt and black pants. It looked like he just came home, Azume thought. He didn't have to shock me that way!

Azume grew all the more scared when she saw Sanada pull something behind his back. It was a weapon with a shiny tip. A… SWORD!? Azume felt her back against the wall as the vice-captain looked like he was ready for murder. He slowly walked towards her and she felt helplessly cornered. Azume could see that Sanada was saying something to her by the way his lips moved. The words he uttered didn't make sense because her heartbeat was booming so wildly that it was all she could hear.

"Wipe my sword." He glowered at her.

"E-eh.." Azume looked blank. At some point, she really felt sure that she was going to be killed on the spot.

Sanada put his sword and a piece of fine cloth on Azume's bed. "Didn't you hear me? Help me clean my sword!" He did notice her cower in the corner in fear, but he saw something else in the room that piqued his interest.

Sanada went to Azume's desk and flipped one of her notebooks open, reading the contents intently. Azume, on the other hand, grabbed the sword (as if she held to it for her life) while trying to stop her hand from shaking. She looked at him, who seem to have relaxed. His attention was completely fixed on her notes.

"Is this history you're studying?" Sanada asked, looking at Azume.

"Yes." Azume nodded mechanically that it reminded Sanada of a maneki-neko's paw.

"Hm, these questions are fairly easy." He sat down on the chair and grabbed a pen. Azume gaped at the sight of Sanada on her desk, but she was cautious enough not to lose sight of the sword she's wiping, or else it she will wave goodbye to her fingers.

The two silently went on with what they were doing - Azume was focused on wiping the sword clean until she can see her face reflected on it, while Sanada wrote everything he knew about the subject matter. He didn't make it to a point to spoon-feed her the answers, but he wants to make it a bit easier for her. Wait, Sanada thought. What am I here for again? Oh, right.

Without looking away from what he's writing, Sanada asked Azume: "What were you and Renji talking about?"

"Oooh…" Azume looked at Sanada's back, because well, it was all she could see from where she sat. "Yanagi-san said he needs assistance for making the tennis team's food and drink supplements more tasty." Azume sheathed the sword and continued, "He also said something about not wanting his creations to be likened to his bestfriend, who was notorious for his juice."

"Is that so?" Sanada didn't know why, but he felt lighter upon knowing what Azume and Yanagi actually talked about.

"Yes," Azume chirped. "By the way, Sanada-kun, I finished cleaning your sword. I hope this is okay?"

Sanada was also done with writing. He stood up and scowled at Azume. "We haven't talked about the punishment you deserve for breaking the house rules." He smiled, but this didn't do anything to take the fear away from Azume, who just shrinked again.

"YOU NEED TO PREPARE BENTO BOXES FOR EIGHT PEOPLE TOMORROW!"

Azume blinked. "E-eh…? Uh…" She sat firmly on the bed and raised her hand up to her brow to salute. "Yes, fukubuchou!"

Sanada nodded, taking away his sword and leaving the room. When he closed the door, Azume slouched on the bed. "Aiya.. It's always full of tension with Sanada-kun." Her eyes fell over the notebook on the desk. "I wonder what he wrote, though?" She opened the notebook and looked at the page where Sanada wrote. Azume couldn't help but admire his handwriting. I guess this is because of his calligraphy training…

Azume sat straight and read Sanada's notes very carefully - she was amazed at how he effortlessly simplified the main points of the essay topic. He always gave her mixed feelings, but this time, it felt better. "Did Sanada-kun… just help me?" Azume continued reading through his notes, and she felt warmer inside when he read the last sentence:

"Don't give up! You can do this, Azume Yukari."

"Whoa… This isn't really Sanada-kun at all, but…" Azume laughed while holding the notebook close to her heart. "Who would have thought he'd do this? Hahahaha!" The girl rolled on the bed, feeling peaceful as she continued to hold on tight to her netbook. Changes are not always bad, after all… I will do my best to prepare a better lunch for Sanada-kun and his team tomorrow!

The next day [in the school]…

"Motoko-sensei could have carried this by himself. He's not exactly a weakling! Pfft!" Azume huffed as she carried a stack of books down the stairs. She was tilting her head sideways to watch out for any student that may come her way when she saw a familiar face.

"Oh! Hello, Yanagi-san!"

"Azume-san." The data master approached her. "Mind if I help you?"

"No, it's okay. Sorry for interrupting you on your walk back to the room."

"It's fine. Thanks for the lunch, by the way. I think Sanada knows by now how proud a husband feels when his colleagues cherish his wife's cooking."

"Eh!?" Azume blushed, hiding her face behind the books. She was surprised that Yanagi knew that she was the one who prepared the bento today. Then again, he was too smart of a person to not find it out quickly, so she just shrugged off the thought. "Ano.. Thanks again. Please let me know if you have prepared the Yanagi yogurt. Let's evaluate its taste and composition soon."

"I am surely looking forward to it," Yanagi nodded. "I'm off to class then, Azume-san. See you again!"

"Sure! Take care, Yanagi-san." Azume and Yanagi went on their separate ways.

Azume kept on walking to the faculty room, where Motoko-sensei requested the books to be stored. She heard weird noises behind her every now and then, but she didn't mind it. Ghosts in the afternoon… must be a pure joke.

But before Azume could take another step, she felt a strong arm pull her back. What the!?

Azume felt like panicking, but by that time, both her eyes were covered and her hands were held together. Who are these people!? She heard the books fall on the floor while she was getting dragged into a corner. She could sense that there's more than one person who attacked her.

She felt something sharp pressed on her belly. Azume tried to call for help, but her screams remained muffled.

"Quiet now," The assailant whispered in Azume's ear, which made her froze. "So tell us, why are you talking to Yanagi-sama..?"

A/N: Hahaha, yeah. Guess who just watched Deadpool…? :p

*Maneki-neko = Do you know one of these golden/porcelain cats displayed in stores to invite prosperity and fortune? It's the Chinese lucky cat :D

By the way, I tried to incorporate Sanada's daily routine into this chapter. You can check it on the Prince of Tennis wikia :D I might also be taking some information from the fanbook translations. I'd like to thank our translators for giving us non-Japanese speakers a glimpse into the lives of our beloved tennis players! ; ~ ; I'm also taking notes from Sanada's route in Gakuensai no Oujisama +_+ so many romance-related canon stuff about Sanada that I can get from that game.

I'm currently catching up with New Prince of Tennis material (both manga and anime) and reading Houkago no Oujisama (which I totally recommend!). I gotta say, it's not helping me write Sanada as a serious person XD.. Orz Kidding aside, I really like how Shinpuri showed that Sanada isn't a one-dimensional character - he's not emotionless; he's actually filled with passion! Too bad he only gets to show that when he's enraged. LOL. See you next chapter! Thanks in advance for the reviews.