A long mushy chapter just for you guys. Hope you all enjoy it to your hearts content.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Prince of Tennis.

Has she been healed?

After the party the guys decided to walk with Sakuno to her home, with wobbliness and sheer tension between Kirihara and Marui altogether. They arrived at her house's doorstep and Sanada pressed the doorbell. He felt like running and hiding somewhere to do a doorbell prank. Sannen na, nobody is in the mood.

The door opened and Kirihara squawked. 'It's her again! The old hag!' he thought with grimace on his face. A few months back he was welcomed by her misdirected rage. He was lucky enough that Sakuno was there to protect him.

"Am I late, Baa-chan?" she asked. Her granny couldn't answer; the boys in front of her silenced her in surprise.

She bowed low and the captain of the team smiled at her. "Thank you for taking care of my granddaughter." She said and straightened up. Then she looked at Sakuno, who sheepishly smiled at her. She knew she did something wrong.

"Why didn't you tell me that you're new friends were the Rikkai regulars, Sakuno?" she was a bit angry that her grandchild actually did keep secrets from her and she thought she knew her too well. She put her hands on her hips and waited for an answer.

"Anou…" she blushed. It was just a simple matter and she didn't have to hide it from her grandmother. Sumire sighed and a feisty Kirihara piped up and butted in.

"You know, old lady, it doesn't matter whom she chooses as her friends." He said with utter insolence. A vein popped on Sumire's head and she walked towards Kirihara and grabbed him on the shirt, willing to give him some thrashing.

"Of course it matters to me!" she paused to take a deep breath and let go of the punk. Getting angry is bad for her. "Especially when it's the likes of you that she's being friends with!" she continued. She walked back to Sakuno and bowed still thanking them, except Kirihara.

"This old witch just doesn't know anything!" he mumbled, only the words witch and anything were clear. Sakuno just smiled and they left as the door was shut.

That following Monday, Sakuno was quite early in the rooftop, on her own while reading a book. Her legs lie straight on the floor close to each other. She was waiting for the bell to ring the signal of lunch break as she took the leisure of reading her book. And so it rung and after a few minutes, a boy with ruffled dark hair came out of the door and to where she was.

He blushed as the girl parted her attention from the book and to him .She smiled as the soft winds played with her bangs over her chocolate eyes. He suddenly remembered his cool attitude when he's with her and said, "Eh? You're quite early today, ne?" he asked as he sat a little far beside her. He rubbed his stomach while fantasizing what she had made him today for his lunch. Yeah, he's a free-loader alright.

"My teacher was absent, so my class before lunch break was cancelled." She said.

"Hey, where's my lunch?" he demanded from her the only thing he has been waiting for the entire day.

"Mou… Akaya-kun! You could at l-least be p-polite." She said as she held out the bento. He tried to grab it but she pulled it too fast. She put out her tongue, teasing her playmate. Kirihara pouted and pleaded with puppy dog eyes.

'Ha! Beat that, Marui-senpai!' He thought what he had just showed her was an achievement. Those sexy green eyes and lips will make anyone bend to his cuteness.

She giggled and gave him the bento. He merrily ate and commented on how good she was.

He was half-way through his food when his Marui-senpai sprouted out of nowhere like a mushroom and demanded sweets from Sakuno.

"Oh c'mon! I know you have some! Pretty please!" he begged for those sweet treasures that Sakuno was keeping from him. He pleaded like a five year old pre-schooler and his plea was granted and he happily chomped on brownies. He glared at Kirihara and conveyed a telepathic message 'Beat that brattling!'

Kirihara took one for his desert and quickly got into a fight with his senpai. Marui has claimed it all for himself and the other snapped and said "You don't own all of them! Sakuno just gave you some." then he stuffed the brownie into his mouth. His senpai just released a gruff "Fine!"

Sakuno looked at the two, who both had small plastic bandages on the edge of their lips that reminded her of their fight. She placed her hands over their cheeks and the two faces flared up.

Kirihara continued to chew for a moment with her hand on his face followed by lightly slapping Sakuno's hand away. (One of his denials again, poor kid.)

Sakuno just smiled but Marui hissed at his kohai for doing such a thing to Sakuno. "Oi, brattling, you shou-" Sakuno cut him off by announcing that she won't be able to come to their practice anymore because she had joined the girls' tennis club.

The two were surprised at her sudden decision. Both of them agreed that she should have just waited till she was a senior high student.

"They're considering on making me a regular." She smiled. Unknown to the two, she was a regular in Seigaku before she transferred to Rikkai.

That afeternoon, the regulars of the boys' team were watching a match played by a girl with auburn hair pulled into two braids.

As she emerged from the court, after being pitted against two good players consecutively, Marui approached her and told her how great her matches were. Everyone was giving her assuring nods but for her there was something lacking. Some guy who has se- I mean outstanding emerald eyes wasn't in the crowd that congratulated her.

She looked through the throng and found him far from them, he sporting a small smile on his lips and nodded to her performance as a sign of satisfaction. She smiled and her smile seemed to melt her target like chocolate under the warm sun.

The group went back to their practice and noted that it will be a lot different without her, or Marui thought. All of them were happy yet sad at the same time, even Sanada who's famous for the 'block of wood' personality.

******

She was walking home with her bag slung on her shoulders. She made sure that she went home early or else her senpai will be angry.

'Go straight home after your practice. I'm not Him to be there to save you from getting into trouble!' he bonked her head gently, his own unique way of patting. She remembered as he told her before they parted as lunch break was about to be finished.

"Yes, senpai! I won't get into trouble again!" she whispered to herself.

She then contemplated on the comments of the other members of the tennis club as to why she's that good in the sport. It reminded her of the boy she met in the train, yes, the prodigy who introduced her to the sport itself.

She felt herself wince at the thought and something welled in her- all the pain from their bad break up. She shook her head and tried to forget it and convinced herself that she was just tired.

She arrived home, ate supper and took a warm bath to relieve her from the stress. Tomo-chan had called and was somehow able to make her relax a bit.

After her rough day, she dumped herself on the bed and slept like a baby.

Earlier that day, somewhere on the other side of the globe

"Eh? Isn't it about time you faced the truth, Ryoma?" Kevin was angry at the so-called Prince of Tennis who is concentrating on his upcoming match which was just weeks away.

"Could you shut it Kevin?" annoyed at the blonde's ranting.

"Tennis isn't everything!" he looked at Ryoma who's merrily drinking his grape flavored Ponta. "Arrrgh! It's almost half a year Echizen! Isn't it about time-" the other cut him off with a serious you-shut-up-or-I-will-make-you glare with his cat-like eyes and said "You're ruining my peaceful time, so bug off!" he waved his hand at the livid boy's face which made the other red with anger.

"You're just a coward." He paused, waiting for a rebuttal but there wasn't. He continued, "One day you will have to face the truth that you had hurt her and she is not waiting for you to come back." Kevin punctuated his sentence with a turn to walk away from his so-called friend and out of the court where they practiced.

He knew well how bothered Ryoma was but he chose his dream but not the girl who makes him feel complete.

Ryoma sighed. It's true that it was a hard decision, on who or what to choose. Really, the fact that his dream could come true right now just made him think that she'll understand him and wait. Unluckily, things are turning the opposite way he predicted it.

Sakuno's not dumb and she's not a martyr either. Oh, if Ryoma could only see what's going on in her life, he'll regret that he chose to leave her.

Time Heals All Wounds

It's not just the boys' tennis team that gathers a large amount of spectators. The girls' team doesn't have a plan on being defeated, especially if in their team there's this girl, whose grace in the court appealed to all those who watched; though this girl has had some embarrassing moments because of her clumsiness.

A lot of admirers flock over her and other girls can't keep themselves from getting jealous. She had grown more beautiful and more womanly as days passed by. And those who like her, she had turned them down in the most polite manner that she could generate. She had managed to befriend a few for the others held grudges against her.

If she wasn't with her team, she would be with her friends and more often, she would be with her other team.

As she walked towards the tennis courts, she had caught a lot of attention. She hasn't got used to it yet, still eager to know as to why she was head turning.

She carried in her arms a bag, which by now we all know what it contains. She sat down on a patch of grass under the shade of a tree as she waited for her friends to finish their practice. The regulars would approach her, checking out what she's got this time.

"Muffins! I really love them!" said Marui, picking which one to start with. Just as he was able to choose, somebody swiped it from his grasp. "Grrrrr!! That's mine, you punk!" he scowled at his kohai who is taking his time enjoying his muffin.

The other said "I thought it was Sakuno that you loved. Why the sudden change of heart?" he sat down beside the auburn-head girl who has pink cheeks.

Nobody dared to tease him at his sudden move for if they did, it's as if they had messed with The Devil himself. Except for Niou, who always got away with it.

"You're quite bold today, ne?" he teased and took a muffin for himself.

"S-Shut up!" Kirihara managed to say something which was better than not saying anything. Sakuno just giggled at her senpai-tachi picking on each other. She knew well how much each of them adored her, particularly Marui and Kiriahara. She's not dense not to notice.

"Don't you have practice today, Sakuno-chan?" Yukimura asked, his oh-so-godly smile worn on his face.

"I do. But it's not that bad to skip once in a while, ne?" Everyone was horrifed as the words spilled out of her mouth.

"S-Sakuno!?" Jackal was worried. She ought to stay away from Niou and Kirihara who are laid back people. He wanted to grab her and shake her frantically but Sakuno then spoke.

"Silly! I was just kidding!" she giggled at the appalled faces of her senpais, all worried about her, ditching practice and stuff. She is hanging around Niou too much; she even got to pull their legs.

She stopped giggling like a little girl as Kirihara glared at her. She pouted her pout #13 as he sighed.

"Anou… Our practice was dismissed early today." She was back to her normal self but without the frequent stuttering. "Sensei said that we shouldn't over-practice." She took a muffin and chomped.

Marui caught Niou in a headlock as a punishment. "You're corrupting her gentle nature!" he said as he tightened his grip on the Trickster.

He clawed into the other's arm to let him go but to no avail.

"He's turning blue, Marui-senpai!" she pointed at Niou who is out of air in his grip. Then Marui let go, the other crawling on the grass and wheezing.

Then the bickering routine would start. Everyone was too occupied on making them stop and Kirihara would use the opportunity to his advantage. He leaned closer to her, his head propped on her shoulder while he munched on his treat. No one would see anyway.

Everyone knew that they have a special bond with each other, even Marui. But he hadn't given up just yet. He'd say, 'No! Not yet! I'll have my personal patisserie with her!' There's still hope of stealing her from his stupid kohai. So it was just for the sweet things that she made, but Sakuno loved him for who he is, a sugar-loving guy to whom she shared her cookies and cakes with, as a friend. Poor guy. He still hasn't given up even though Kirihara and Sakuno are in a relationship that's a secret from everyone (now you know! It's not a secret anymore!).

He still remembered Akaya's confession about a month ago like it was yesterday. Surely it made him angry, but it was fair play and he could still eat some of Sakuno's treats.

Flashback:

It was February fourteen and every fan girl in Rikkai was giving chocolates to her favorite player. And as usual, Marui and Kirihara were in the rooftop waiting for Sakuno.

The truth is, they were hiding here to avoid what Kirihara calls 'annoying fan girls'. Sakuno arrived with Kirihara's lunch in tow and some sweet stuff. She waited for them to finish so she could give them her gifts.

"Yay! Sakuno's special chocolates!" they weren't just ordinary chocolates for Marui and he started devouring his. Kirihara took his time in inspecting his share of the chocolates which made hersad and stutter as she spoke.

"I-If you don't l-like them senpai, y-you could j-just say s-so." She meekly said as she bowed to hide her flushed face. She wanted to cry.

"Sakuno," he called and she jerked her head up. Her eyes were lined with tears threatening to fall.

"Pull yourself together! God damn it!' the last thing that he wanted was to see Sakuno cry. He sat beside her and put his hands on her shoulders. Marui was unaware of what his kohai was about to do for he was too busy with his chocolates.

"I really like you!" he shook his head, "NO! Ever since I first saw you I had loved you!" he raised a brow at the lines he said; cliché anyone?

Sakuno just stared, stared and stared some more. She was shocked and Kirihara wanted to slap her for that but he can't bring himself to do that. Instead, he hugged her and repeated what he just said.

At that very moment, Marui remembered that he was with somebody and turned to Sakuno only to see Kirihara's arms around his pastry angel. He stood up to pry him off of her but was stopped by his kohai's words.

"I really love you and I hope you feel the same." He said and Sakuno started to cry. He heard her sobs and pulled back to look at her. "I'm sorry, I-" Sakuno cried more. Kirihara didn't know what to do and his panicking. Marui walked off; he felt he wasn't needed there.

At the stairs to what Kirihara claimed to be his heaven, Marui sat on a step, his head between his hands. He took a fresh strip of bubblegum out of his pocket and put it into his mouth but he just can't get himself to chew. The sweet taste of the gum lingered on his tongue. He looked up to the door and murmured to himself then walked away.

"I've lost, huh?"

******

She wiped away her tears and mustered her voice. She was smiling and started giggling but there were still sobs. "Kirihara-senpai, I mean Akaya-kun," he blushed. She couldn't speak anymore, the sobs overcoming her ability to do so. He pulled her into another hug and she buried her face on his chest. She spoke with all her might her words muffled by his chest which made Akaya smile and tightened his firm but gentle hold of her.

******

He continued eating his muffin as he watched his senpai-tachi fight. "Well, what do ya' know? A snack and a show." He said while smirking.

Sakuno handed him his drinking bottle, just like a psychic who foresaw an event. He choked and to everyone's surprise, before he could release a cough or two, she had given him water. He chugged down the contents of the bottle into his throat to free his airway from whatever had disrupted it function.

"Whew!" he was relieved and placed his bottle down.

"That's what you get for taking pleasure from somebody's demise!" she said with a hint of teasing in her voice. He just made a current of air come out of his mouth which is what you call a burp. The others turned to them and a certain red-head saw how close they were to each other.

"You were doing something to Sakuno, weren't you!?" Marui got annoyed. He liked Sakuno and he didn't want anybody close to his 'little pastry angel'.

"Ummm…" Kirihara thought. "Yeah. We were about to play some tonsil hockey." Sakuno blushed. In other words, he meant French kiss. Bad Akaya!

Marui grabbed him on the shirt and started arguing with him.

"What? Don't tell me you want some too." Marui got disgusted. The last time he kissed him, accidentally, he wasn't just disgusted, more like sickened to death. Kissing a guy didn't ever occur in his mind. He suddenly let go of him and his kohai grinned for being able to repel his senpai.

Renji was writing a lot of things on his notebook about Marui disgusted at the very thought of kissing another guy. "Interesting matter..." He said.

Everybody laughed and the regulars were happy that little Sakuno has gotten over that brat in a few months. It was all thanks to The Devil who chose to Rise with the hurt angel that found its way to him.

It ain't over yet! Please don't think like that. Ryoma still hasn't appeared officially yet as the third contestant. Thanks for everyone who reads my fic! Thank you, thank you.

The story is coming to a close, how will it end? With a death of a person that will change her entire life?

Find out for yourselves.