Yo, minna-san! Wee! We already reached our first year! Thanks for poring over this fanfic of mine for a year. Ahahaha. As you can see, I already updated. Do you think that it's unusual for me to update this early? Ahehe. School starts within a few weeks, so I decided to update as fast as I can. Plus, I've been focusing on my fanarts (which were mostly RyoSaku), so maybe that's why I was really motivated to do this. Ahehe.
I haven't watched any animes right now, but I'm currently craving for yaoi. Yesh, you read that right. YAOI. All thanks to Kyo Kara Maoh! Ahahaha XD But I swore never to like PoT yaoi. I just can't imagine those bishounens in yaoi form. Never. And I never would! Ahahaha XD But other animes are subject to yaoiness! Ahohoho XD Plus, do you guys watch Puchi Puri Yuushi? Ahahaha XD The story is really cute (especially Aruko and Yucie's relationship). LOL. I said I haven't watched any, but why am I ranting for those animes? I've been poring over a lot of ideas for a lot of days, and it bothers me. He-he.
Disclaimer: I do not own 'Prince of Tennis'. I could have married Ryoga Echizen if I did.
"Ryuzaki!" Ryoma shouted out while tapping her cheeks. He knelt down, carried her unconscious body and called out once more. "Ryuzaki… just wake up!" he cried out as he stared at her motionless figure.
Sakuno's eyes slowly lit up, with her lips involuntarily uttering something. "Ryoma-kun… save me…" she muttered as tears started to flow out from her eyes. "Ryoma-kun…"
"We should do something!" Kintarou exclaimed as he faced Tezuka with a determined look on his face. "Sakuno-chan and Yume-chan are in danger! Aren't we supposed to help them out?!" he shouted.
Tezuka's eyeglasses gleamed, took a few steps before him and faced the red-haired lad. "All of us know the situation! That's why everyone is striving so hard just to help!" he hollered while trying to control his temper, his index finger pointing towards a direction not so far from the burning stock room.
Kintarou's eyes widened when he saw his companions lifting buckets of water together. "E-Everyone…"
Tezuka withdrew his hand as he stared at the stock room. He then closed his eyes, thinking of something that kept on bothering him.
Echizen, please help the little girl. It's not yet the end of her time…
"ONII-CHAN!" a tiny voice called out. Everyone were stunned as they gazed at the owner of the voice, feeling relieved that she was saved.
"YUME-CHAN!" they yelled out happily.
"Onii-chan," she hastily said as she reached Tezuka with tears gushing out from her mahogany eyes. "Ryoma nii-chan and Sakuno nee-chan were-"
Tezuka knelt down and placed his hands over Yume's shoulders. "I know. Let's trust them." He assuredly responded with a meek smile.
Yume sniffed and wept out her tears. "H-Hai, onii-chan-"
The little girl's words were suddenly cut off when she felt something enveloping her petite body. She blinked several times and, "Onii-chan?"
"It's a good thing that you're safe," Tezuka kindly said as he hugged the little girl beneath his arms. His eyes were dramatically closed with his thoughts kept on streaming in his mind.
Yume's little hands trailed behind him. "Onii-chan, I know that she will forgive you, since it was my fault that I get myself in this accident…" she murmured as she cried.
Tezuka brushed the girl's auburn hair and whispered, "I'm sorry, Yume-chan…"
And I also wanted to ask for your forgiveness, Yuki-san.
"Ryoma-kun…" Sakuno called out with her gentle voice. Even though her tears were closed, tears steadfastly escape from it.
Ryoma looked at her anxiously, held her hand with his right hand and tapped her face with his left hand. "Ryuzaki… don't worry, I'm here…" he hastily responded as tears started to form in the corners of his eyes. "I promise to get you out of here…" he tremblingly said.
Sakuno's hands involuntarily surfaced her chest. She slowly opened her eyes as her hand that surfaced her chest reached Ryoma's face. "Ryoma-kun.. y-you're… here…" she muttered as she cried.
Ryoma's eyes were shot open while gazing at her. The tears that were once cornered in his eyes came running through his cheeks as he held her hand. "You…" he murmured as he pulled her in an embrace. "Ryuzaki, you're alive…" he sobbed while hugging her tightly. He freed her from his embrace and looked at her. "I thought you were-"
"Ryoma-kun…" she wailed. "I-I'm… sorry…" she sobbed continuously while staring at the ground. Her tears dropped on the wooden floor as her hands fidgeted the hem of her skirt. "I'm always… useless... useless in front of others… useless in front of you…"
The lad's eyes widened upon hearing her speak in that manner. He placed his hands above her shoulders and pulled out a smile. "The most important thing is that… you're safe…" he muttered. Ryoma stood up and lent a hand to her. "Let's get out of here," he said. "Sakuno…"
Sakuno gasped when he heard him call her name. She raised her head and looked up to him. "H-hai…" she nodded as she took his hand.
Ryoma faced her with a gentle smile. He reached Sakuno's cheeks and wept out her tears. "Don't cry…" he said calmly.
The brunette gave out a nod and smiled. "Hai!"
"Now, the only thing we should do is to get out of here safely…" he said as he held her hand. "Just hold on," he said and grabbed her hand.
The two of them observed the blazing fire that surrounded the two of them.
"Ryuzaki, see that hole?" Ryoma asked while pointing out the hole of the block of wood that he used a while ago.
The situation was too hard for Sakuno to cope. Everything around her was blurred, and the smoke was too thick for her to see. She shook her head and murmured, "No, I'm sorry but I can't- ah!" Her words were suddenly cut off when she felt that her feet are not reaching the floor. "R-Ryoma-kun!"
"We have no other choice," he said firmly. "I'm going to carry you until we reach the hole, and then grope for it. After you do, pass through the hole and then run outside, okay?" Ryoma exclaimed in a low voice while carrying her towards the wood's aperture.
Sakuno looked at Ryoma anxiously. "B-But, how about you?" she asked.
Ryoma faced her with a gentle smile and said, "I promise never to screw up."
"But Ryoma-kun…" was her meek response. "I can't see it… and most importantly…" she halted, hung her head low and cried once more.
Sakuno came to a pause. It was as if she was gaining all of her courage to say all the words she really needs to say, or else, she won't be able to utter it anymore. She madly wanted to say that she had already recovered her lost memories about him, and say how much he is important to her.
With those thoughts streaming in her mind, Sakuno raised her head, faced him while pressurizing her doubts and exclaimed, "I'll never leave you here, in a place and time like this! Ryoma-kun…" she paused once more.
After listening to her sudden statement and hearing his name, Ryoma turned to her and wondered. Ryuzaki…
Sakuno clenched her fists while trying to say the words she wanted to say. "It's because, Ryoma-kun, I… I don't know what to do if ever I lose you again!"
"Ryuzaki…" Ryoma mumbled with a smile. He eyed her worrying guise, raised his hand and touched her soft cheeks. "I will never forgive myself if something bad happens to you…" he said compassionately as he looked at her sad eyes.
Sakuno gasped as she recalled his last sentence. Did I hear that right?
He turned his back to her, walked nearer towards the wood's aperture and scrutinized the surroundings. The fire was almost diminishing at the entrance, but it sure gets worse here. Ryoma thought, pertaining to the fact that their current location was near the gas tanks. "I'll go in first so I'll be able to guide you out. Get it?" he said clearly.
Noticing that the person in front of her was waiting for response, Sakuno temporarily stopped her recalling and gave him a nod. "Hai!"
Ryoma immediately took action as soon as he received her reply. His trembling hands reached the opposite sides of the wood's not-so-large aperture, but quickly withdrew back when he felt the wood's hot surface. "I-Itai…" he groaned while enduring the pain.
The both of them were like birds caged in a fire—the atmosphere was really hot, and they've been inside the room for almost a few minutes. Heat stroke or suffocation might occur if he's not going to hurry and take some. Bearing in mind the current situation, Ryoma thought that enduring the fire should not be a problem, since he's going to do this for their safety. He is going to do this for her sake.
I can… do this! Ryoma mentally exclaimed as he attempted to handle the opposite sides of the aperture once more. His scorching hands endured the heat as he passed through the wood's opening, his other eye already closed. Ryoma reached the other side, outstretched his hand in the aperture and hollered, "Ryuzaki, your hand!"
Sakuno gawked at his brave action, yet managed to response as fast as she could. "H-hai!" she shouted and reached Ryoma's singeing hand. She raised his foot, stepped on the wood's opening cautiously and passed through it with the help of his guiding hand. Sakuno hastily let go of her hand as she checked out Ryoma's condition. "R-Ryoma-kun… y-your eye i-is…" she stuttered when she knew that Ryoma's eye was bleeding.
Ryoma's eyebrows furrowed when she knew his condition and quickly wept the blood. "It's nothi-"
"G-Gomen…" Sakuno apologized sadly, reached for Ryoma's injured hands and cried. "You were hurt… all because of me…" she whined. The brunette sobbed as her tears dropped on his injured hands. She meekly reached for her red and ruffled ribbon, wept away the blood from his hand, and used it as a bandage.
Her heart was like being panged by guilt a number of times. Remembering her memories was sure a good thing, but why should this bad event occur? Regaining her memories in exchange for his safety—or even his life—was absurd. She was sure that Ryoma should not have did something great for her, especially after considering herself as just a 'random' girl who did nothing except of giving ruckus. She was just a random girl who secretly whole-heartedly loved him, who temporarily lost her sacred and sentimental feelings for him after an accident.
Tears flowed out fast from her eyes as she pondered on her negative thoughts. "I-I'm really useless… I'm so sorry, R-Ryoma-kun… Sorry-"
"You don't have anything to apologize about," Ryoma said straightforwardly. "The most important thing is that… you're safe." He assured while trying to not let his heavy and sore eyes to close in front of her.
Sakuno looked up to him with her frown almost fading away. Maybe I should tell him about my memories. She thought, fairly enthusiastically. "R-Ryoma-kun… ano… I had… I had…" she tremblingly spoke, as if her tongue was taken aback.
The lad before her spoke once more. "You had?"
-KRAK
Hn? He wondered and eyed the ceiling when he noticed that some ashes showered them after he heard the mysterious, creaking sound.
Sakuno focused her eyes on the wooden floor. "R-Ryoma-kun… I had already…"
-KRAAK
Ryoma scrutinized the ceiling once more. His eyebrows furrowed as an upcoming thought entered his mind.
The brunette gulped, faced him with a blushing face and spoke, "I had already remembered-"
-KRAAAK!
"Ryuzaki!" Ryoma cried out and quickly pushed her away from him.
Sakuno was startled—she doesn't know what to do, especially after Ryoma forcedly shoved her away. She was taken backwards, with her hair almost covering her stunned face. Then, her weak body slammed against the pitch-black, wooden wall. Sakuno was unconscious for a few milliseconds until…
-BANG!
"Gah!" she gasped as she was snapped back to the reality after hearing the sharp banging noise. Sakuno closed her eyes when thick, smothering clouds filled the ceiling once more. She covered her mouth and coughed. "R-Ryoma-kun, where are you?!" she called on as she tried to open her right eye.
Her eyes were shot open as she slowly raised her head, only to see something that made her hands shake and tremble vehemently in fear.
Sakuno gaped before Ryoma's image with her tears pouring out from her widening eyes. Her paling lips moved, as if it were uttering something.
"R-Ryoma-kun…"
-PLAAAK!
"Use this!" Tezuka loudly directed after wrecking a case of a fire extinguisher. He hastily handed it to Kintarou, who had been standing in front of the half-burned stock room doing nothing.
The red-haired lad ran towards Tezuka and quickly took the fire extinguisher. "Arigato!" he nodded with a determined look on his face.
"Don't let your guard down," he stated with a serious mien.
At the other side was Yume, who had been helping her 'elders' in extinguishing the fire. "Porcupine nii-chan! The fire here is already ceasing! Let's target another spot!" she shouted while pointing at the front-right corner of the stock room.
Momoshiro nodded with a broad smile plastered on his face as he carried a bucket of water in his hands. "Your wish is my command!" he exclaimed as he poured the water at the front-right corner of the stock room.
"Ah! Sakuno nee-chan! Ryoma nii-chan!" Yume clasped her hands together after seeing Ryoma's and Sakuno's visible bodies from the front door. The front door was already wrecked despite the fact that the fire was not too large.
Everybody's heads turned after they heard Yume's shouting. Smiles sprouted on their lips, excluding Tezuka who had been watching the whole scene, thinking that the two of them are already okay.
Kintarou quickly ran towards the stock room while carrying the fire extinguisher on his hands with a faint smile. "S-Sakuno-chan!" he called on as he twisted the knob of the fire extinguisher.
It seems like the busy atmosphere of Sakuno and Ryoma's companions were temporarily cut off when all of them started rushing towards the stock room, leaving the water line open and buckets scrambling behind. "Sakuno/Echizen!" they shouted with huge smiles.
-BANG!
Everyone halted after hearing the loud, banging sound that came from the stock room. The group coughed after inhaling some of the thick smokes that exited from the stock room with their eyes shut close to prevent the gray smoke from irritating their eyes.
"S-Sakuno-chan!" Kintarou called out for the second time. He rubbed his eyes in impatience, held the ends of the fire extinguisher tightly and then rushed towards the stock room.
Yume stared at the half-burning building in front of her with a shocked expression on her face. "S-Sakuno nee-chan… and R-Ryoma nii-chan… are s-still inside…" she stammered while the memories about her deceased sister she hardly tried to forget flooded her mind. She waveringly took little steps as tears formed in the corner of her eyes.
Upon seeing Yume's sudden actions, Tezuka hastily ran towards her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Y-Yume-chan, stop…" he asked in a low, calm voice.
"Sakuno nee-chan! NEE-CHAN!" Yume cried out desperately. Her eyes widened in horror, and tears came rolling through her dirty cheeks. She did her best just to free herself from Tezuka's grip.
Beads of tears flowed out fast from her mahogany eyes. "N-NO! Let me go!" Yume insisted. "Sakuno nee-chan! Nee-chan—AHH!"
Yume's reprimanding was led to a cut off when a swift gush of wind passed by, causing the smoke to repel. Everybody's eyes were closed once more as they resisted the said wind.
With the smoke out of sight, they finally saw the image before them clearly. Everything was a mess, especially the front part of the stock room. The door was wrecked, as well as the old wooden structure that served as the wall. The half of the stock room's roof was of no sight, with its other half almost swinging with the wind. With that, the group of persons scrutinizing the whole stock room already saw what's inside it.
There were two persons—no. There were three to be exact. The first person was standing at a platform while looking at the second person, who had been seen dumbfounded while staring at the third person in front of her. The said third person was lying flatly on the ground, with a block of darkening wood topped on him.
Momoshiro and Eiji hastily ran towards the threesome with anxious guises on their faces. They gasped upon identifying the lying person in front of them.
"N-no way…" Momoshiro uttered unbelievingly.
Not so long after that, the skies started to become gray, boding torrents of unstoppable rain.
Kintarou dropped the fire extinguisher, hurried towards the dumbfounded Sakuno with anxiety and then carried her unmoving body. "S-Sakuno-chan…" he mumbled as his teardrops fell at Sakuno's cheeks. Kintarou hurriedly came out from the stock room with a worried guise on his face.
And there it came—the rain.
"E-Eiji-sempai! Pull out the wood!" Momoshiro hastily asked as he knelt down.
Eiji quickly took action and pulled out the wood away from Ryoma's inactive body. "Hurry, Momoshiro!" he exclaimed after pulling out the wood.
Momoshiro gave out a nod and then carried Ryoma's body. "Echizen! Be strong!" he yelped while carrying him out of the burnt stock room.
At the other side was Yume, who had been staring blankly at space while uttering Sakuno's name. "S-Sakuno… nee-chan…"
"Stop, Yume-chan…" Tezuka said as he embraced Yume's petite body while having a tingly feeling inside him, thinking that he miserably failed in looking after her.
Oishi pointed his index finger at the main rest house. "Take them to my room, immediately!" he commanded, knowing that he could help out since he just graduated from a medicinal school.
Kintarou, Momoshiro and Eiji gave out a nod in response. "Hai!" they firmly agreed then carried Ryoma's and Sakuno's bodies inside the rest house.
Tezuka freed the flabbergasted girl, stood up and then looked at his companions. "Fuji!" he called out.
Fuji halted from running and then shifted his sight towards Tezuka with a serious look.
"Don't stop extinguishing the fire," Tezuka stated as he carried Yume's stationary body. Fuji immediately nodded and then started directing his former teammates on how to extinguish the fire.
The former team captain quickly brought Yume towards Oishi's room.
The rain poured calmly outside, causing the fire much easier to extinguish. Fuji's group finished the fire quickly, as Oishi did the first aid at Sakuno and Ryoma. Tezuka left Yume in his room and let her take a rest there after the mental stress that she received from the fire accident.
Not so long after Oishi gave the first aid at Sakuno and Ryoma, he asked Tezuka and Kintarou's help to bring the two patients in their appropriate rooms. Tezuka quickly responded and carried Ryoma's body inside his room as Kintarou brought Sakuno inside her room.
At Sakuno's room…
"She's okay now…" Oishi stated after fixing his handy stethoscope inside the case. He heaved a relieved sigh after putting his palm over Sakuno's forehead while checking her pale face. "She just needs enough rest. I think proper sleep is the best for her."
Sumire, who just arrived a few minutes after Sakuno and Ryoma's rescue, took a deep breath while gazing at Sakuno's sleeping figure. "Sakuno, you're being careless…" she said while brushing her granddaughter's bangs.
Kintarou sat at the foot of Sakuno's bed with a worried expression on his face. "Is it okay if I'll be the one to guard her?" he requested while gazing at her peaceful face. Tears wanted to creep out from his eyes, but to prevent dramatically scenes as he had seen at the manga, he pressurized his soft feelings and continued on gazing at her instead.
Oishi and Sumire looked at each other before agreeing to Kintarou's request.
"We'll leave it to you, then…" Sumire said with a smile as she placed a hand on Kintarou's shoulder. "I trust you, Kintarou."
The red haired lad quickly responded, "Hai!"
"I'll be checking out Echizen once more, then." Oishi spoke and then exited together with Sakuno's grandmother. The door was shut close as the two elders got out of the room.
Kintarou looked back at Sakuno with his previous guise, touched her cheeks and spoke, "If I just have the power to save you from your sadness, Sakuno-chan…"
His childish attitude was now replaced by sadness, thus revealing his vulnerability towards the resting lady in front of him.
"I'm sorry because I failed to protect you, Sakuno-chan…" Kintarou apologized. He held her delicate hand, bent down and scrutinized Sakuno's face quietly with his tears dropping on her rosy cheeks. He gazed at her long eyelashes as his index finger traced her pink lips. "I'm really sorry…" he paused.
"…because, I can't become a person like the one you loved so deeply, Sakuno-chan…" he whispered, and then leaned forward as his lips touched her own in a soft declaration of adoration and love, and maybe, his declaration of giving up and farewell.
W-Where am I?
That line was the very first line that entered Yume's mind as soon as she woke up in an unfamiliar room. As curious as she was, she slowly opened up her mahogany eyes and then observed her surroundings.
The wall paintings are different from the ones that they had in the girl's room—it was blue, not pink. Moreover that is the bed that she's lying on is not a double-decked bed, but a single one instead. Just where in earth is she?
"How are you feeling, Yume-chan?" a calm voiced man asked from behind, and it startled her a bit.
Yume gasped, and then slowly looked behind her. "S-Sadist nii-chan?!"
Fuji let out a small chuckle as he patted the little girl's head. "Yume-chan, why don't you take more rest? It would be bad for you, you know…" he said serenely.
The little girl pushed a little smile. "Hai, Sadist nii-cha—AAH!" she suddenly winced when she felt that her head suddenly ached terribly.
Fuji's brows furrowed upon seeing Yume's abrupt actions. He stood up from his chair as he observed the little girl's face. "Y-your nose is bleeding!" he gasped.
"I-it… hurts… AAAH!!" she yelled out as tears flowed out from her eyes. She lied on the bed, her face beginning to become pale.
"T-Tezuka!" Fuji yelled out, knowing that Tezuka was just nearby. He ran outside, and fortunately saw Tezuka at the corridor. "Tezuka! Call Oishi!" he shouted.
Tezuka ran towards Fuji with an anxious face and asked, "What happened?"
"Yume-chan is starting to-"
"Stay here, I'll call Oishi!" Tezuka yelped as he quickly ran towards Ryoma's room.
A pair of brown eyes shot open after a few minutes of sleep. Sakuno Ryuzaki finally woke up after a not-so-long timeline, and immediately arched an eyebrow upon observing her surroundings.
"W-where am I?" was her first question. She scrutinized everything—from her bed, she wondered why there's this familiar wallpaper coating, the fragrant and sweet smell of the strawberry cologne that she just bought in a mall before joining the camping trip, and the double decked bed that she's lying on.
Sakuno knew it—she's inside the girls' room. She sat up from her bed, and noticed something beside her.
It was Kintarou, who had been found sleeping on a certain chair beside the bed.
By the way, how did she enter the room? Or, why was she in there?
The last thing she could ever remember was that she's running together with her Echizen-kun in order to escape two 'bears'. And then, she could remember the wrath of fire while being stuck together with Yume, and how it almost devoured the stock room in such a little time. But, how did she escape the burning room?
Echizen saved her precious life, thank goodness.
Talk about Echizen. Echizen? Oh yeah, Echizen! It was him who saved her life, right? Then where is he? Is he okay? What happened to him? A big block of wood fell on him, right?
And most importantly, it was him who was lost in her memories. If something bad happens to him, all of the blame will be put on her. Especially her OWN blaming to herself.
The first batch of questions streamed in her mind. Questions filled about Echizen, Echizen and only Echizen. She knew it—she must stand up and find him, or else she won't be able to tell anything about her recovered memories.
When she was about to stand up, some kind of force stopped her. She looked behind her, and saw Kintarou.
A smile crept on her features while observing the young lad in front of her: his red hair was partly messed up, with others cascading on his closed eyes. His chin was relaxing above his hand, which happened to be holding another. Sakuno wondered—Kintarou's skin was pure tan, but the other hand (which she thought that was his) was fair white.
By that, she knew it. Kintarou was holding her hand upon his deep and slumber sleep.
Sakuno's smile grew even wider as her eyebrows arched upon gazing at Kintarou's child-like position. She was really amused, for she was like watching an asleep young boy while holding his mother's soft hand. Moreover that, Kintarou was undeniably cute and indeed irresistible, especially whenever he madly wanted something like a new manga, or a new meal of his favourite fast-food chain. With the cute face he always shows, Sakuno had no other choice than to give up and give whatever that pleased him. She owed him many things.
Kintarou had not changed a bit, except for the fact that he had gotten even more mature and handsome as time passed by. His quite chubby face was now molded into a man-like feature.
The red-haired guy in front of her was a very precious and significant person, but she really couldn't understand why in earth she can't completely fell in love for him when he had done and granted so many things that every girl wished to have. She meant it—falling for him was never impossible, and she had admitted that she nearly fell for him, but never loved him as the way her heart wanted to love another. Maybe the possibility of loving him and hating him was out of hand?
Sakuno had to put two-by-two together. She was aware of his unique kindness, and she had been appreciating his funny antics since then. Oh how God knows how Sakuno marked in mind how she owed too many things from him. She knew that Kintarou's world revolves only around her (for he had told her twice), and with that, she knows that Kintarou was willing to take care of her and love her whole heartedly.
But she just doesn't understand why she can't love him whole-heartedly.
Firstly, she could always tell him how she really felt (about nearly loving him) and live happily ever after together with him, but by doing that doesn't it seems like she's jumping to conclusions? Secondly, Kintarou was the person who stayed beside her, in sickness and in health, rain or shine. Thirdly, wasn't he the one who helped her to make her dreams come true? How could she ever afford to break his heart after doing EVERYTHING just for her?!
Sakuno's smile was replaced by a frown upon thinking about these things. Was she starting to pity their situation?
She was really confused.
If ever she tries to forget about Echizen-kun, the real man of her dreams, will it make Kintarou happier? She knew that it would be unfair for the three of them, especially to her and Ryoma's part, since Ryoma also did everything just to keep his promise of helping her regain her memories. But, how in earth could she just repay his love and kindness?
Ryoma had put his life on the line just for her, right?
If she could just ask for another heart, she could have done so. But it's impossible to have two hearts, isn't it?
Thoughts that confused her continued on streaming in her mind while tears peeked in the corners of her eyes like drops of rain. Her hand fidgeted the plain white blanket as she tried to free her hand from Kintarou's grasp.
With her hand slipping out from Kintarou's, Sakuno had the reason to unleash her withheld tears - tears that flowed like the aimlessly rain outside.
The brunette slowly stood up, wore her slippers and left Kintarou together with the messed blanket on the bed.
Not so long after she left, Kintarou's eyes opened up, seeing no one before him except for the plain white blanket.
And with her leaving, Kintarou clearly knew it.
She'll never be able to love him back.
-BANG!
"Oishi…" Tezuka panted as he held the doorknob tightly.
Oishi looked at Tezuka who actually banged the door, and wondered why Tezuka came with an anxious face. He arched an eyebrow and then stood up from the foot of Ryoma's bed. "Why, Tezuka? Did something bad happen?" he hastily asked.
Tezuka looked directly at Oishi's eyes and said, "Follow me!"
After realizing how Tezuka really needs his help, Oishi hastily fixed his things and stuffed it inside the first aid kit. He ran towards Tezuka, slammed the door shut and then followed his trail, leaving a half-asleep Ryoma behind.
I'm already here.
Sakuno was standing in front of the basement with her right arm outstretched. She reached for the doorknob, opened it slowly and then peeked inside.
This is the place where I saw it, right? She thought of, recalling the event when she last went inside the basement room. She slunk into the room furtively, thinking that no one should see her. Her feet led her astray—yes, she really was. She was led astray inside the room while finding for a box that caught her attention a night ago.
Sakuno's eyes shot open upon seeing the box that she's yearning for, thinking that the objects inside that box were the keys in answering the questions that kept on bugging her mind. She walked towards it, reached the box's cover and opened it with her trembling hands.
Her hands stopped shaking upon seeing those objects. Tears flowed out as she reached a certain rectangular frame with her right hand and a yellowish round object with her lefty.
"T-This is it…" she mumbled while staring at the framed picture that she picked up. It was a picture of her and Ryoma, and as far as she could remember, it was taken inside Kawamura's Sushi Shop.
She shifted her sight to her lefty, where she held a tennis ball with a chibi face on it. Her heart raced upon reminiscing how she persevered hard in tennis together with that ball, and thought of how much she changed.
Back in her freshmen days, Ryoma always told her how she swung her racket in a wrong way together with her too straight knees, too bent elbows and how long her hair was. Those were the simple but happy days that she could remember, but now, everything's different. She never did that wrong form of hers anymore, and her hair was already cut short.
But then, her once forgotten, and now remembered feelings never changed. It never did.
Her lips curved to a smile while thinking of her constant love for him. Yes- feeling this sensation was really nice, but it's a different time now. Someone 'new' showed her a new shade of life, and that 'new person' was none other than Kintarou—the man who made her happy within those almost lonely days.
Then, who is more important to her? Was it the true person that she loves or the person who made her happy?
Sakuno looked at the ceiling with determined eyes.
Now I know. She assumed as she dropped her old things back inside the box and then walked out from the room, with her feet continuing on striding, using her heart and mind as the guide.
Beads of sweat rolled at Oishi's forehead as he continued on following Tezuka's trail.
"Tezuka! Where are we going?" he asked.
Tezuka looked back to face Oishi. "Yume-chan is in trouble! She needs your help!"
Oishi arched an eyebrow. "S-She needs my help?" he asked, wondering why Tezuka was in a rush all of a sudden.
Not so long after Tezuka called for Oishi's help, they finally reached their room. The two of them panted as they walked towards the resting girl, together with Fuji who stayed beside her.
"Thank goodness, you're here…" Fuji said as he stared after Tezuka.
Tezuka gave out a nod before facing Oishi. "Will you please check her status?"
Oishi took out his tools and started observing Yume's physical condition. He placed a hand over her forehead, and was quite shocked when he knew that she had a high fever. After that, he placed his hand over her lips and started feeling her breathing rate.
He took out his stethoscope, put it over Yume's chest and listened to her heartbeat. She has a very fast heartbeat. He thought as he fixed the stethoscope. He raised Yume's arm, and wondered when he saw some strange marks on it. He pressed the said marks, and it made her moan in pain.
"I-Itaii…" she whined.
Oishi's eyes widened. "T-These marks are bruises…" he mumbled and then looked at Fuji.
Fuji wondered. "What's the matter, Oishi?"
"Did she nosebleed?" Oishi asked.
"Yes," was Fuji's simple reply.
"It couldn't be…" Oishi murmured as he recorded his observations.
Fuji and Tezuka wondered. "'It couldn't be' what?" the two of them asked in unison.
Oishi stared at the sheet of paper in front of him. "Her sickness 'couldn't be'…"
Tezuka stood firmly in front of him. "Sickness? What sickness?"
Seconds of torturous silence passed by, until Oishi spoke up.
"Leukemia…"
"At last, I'm already here…" Sakuno mumbled as she looked on the ground while panting, her hands over her knees. She raised her hand, and then wondered when she saw Ryoma's door widely opened.
Sakuno peeked inside and observed the surroundings: the wallpaper was coated blue, and the floor's tiling was vivid brown. She was baffled, because there was no one visible inside the room except for Ryoma, who had been found lying on his soft, white bed.
With the sight of Ryoma's stationary body lying on the bed, Sakuno can't help it but cry. It was her fault.
The brunette secretively entered the room without permission, walked towards the sleeping Ryoma and then sat at the chair beside the bed. She gazed at Ryoma's handsome face with her sad eyes, gently brushed away the bangs from his forehead with her dainty hand and called out. "Ryoma-kun…"
Just by uttering his name gently made her shiver with fear. If she just became attentive and careful, this thing should not have happened to him. Ryoma doesn't have to rest like that on his bed if she just became more considerate.
"R-Ryoma-kun," she called out once more. "Did you know that, I already regained my memories?" she meekly said while trying to hold back her tears. She pushed a smile, and then looked at him. "I already remembered everything, Ryoma-kun…" she murmured as she laid her hands at the top of his pillow. "And did you know that, my feelings never changed?"
Sakuno's withheld tears rolled through her cheeks while recalling her last line. "B-but then, in order to attain them first, you sacrificed…" she started sobbing. "Y-You're hurt, all because of my uselessness… R-Ryoma-kun…" she cried out and tried to lessen her sobs, thinking that she might wake him up.
Thinking that she can't take it anymore, Sakuno reached Ryoma's hand and then surfaced it on her cheeks. Her tears continued on flowing out, as if it were endless. "G-Gomen, Ryoma-kun. But I think, if we continue on doing this, you'll get even much more hurt…" she murmured with her tears wetting Ryoma's hand. "I know you did everything you can but…"
Sakuno paused as she closed her eyes, laid his hand over his chest and then bent down towards his right ear. "…it ends here…" she whispered with her teardrops making their ways down her cheeks, with some of them dropping on his pillow.
The brunette hastily stood up while thinking over her words. She quickly wept away the tears with her both hands that kept on escaping her closed eyes. Her tears dropped on the vivid tiled floor, with her chest heaving because of her non-stop sobbing. She wanted to get out of the room, but then her shaking feet won't move.
Sakuno shook her head and then took a few steps away from him. She pushed hard everything just to get away—trying to stop her tears from falling while striving so hard just to reject her own feelings.
She was about to run away when she finally overcame her shaking until something – or someone – made her stop.
"Ryuzaki…" was his weak calling.
Sakuno's eyes widened as his voice lingered in her ears. More tears made their way out due to her nervousness, and maybe, her sadness. She looked behind her, and was puzzled when she knew that Ryoma was still asleep.
"Please… stop…" Ryoma murmured as he turned his back to her, his hands gripping the border of his white blanket.
The brunette trembled once more. "I-I'm so sorry," she paused. "Ryo…E-Echizen-kun…" she murmured as she finally made her way out, with her feet leading her astray once more.
Unbeknownst to her was that Ryoma was really awake, thinking that it might be silly for her to think that he was sleeping.
Sensing that she had already left, Ryoma sat on his bed with his hand surfacing his forehead. He was grudging the feeling of regret, knowing that he should respect whatever decision she took.
Not so long after that, he finally accepted that she had already left him… alone.
Sakuno ran through the hallway with light footsteps, panting and tired and weary. She was panting because she was escaping from her true feelings for him. She was tired of her uselessness that led everything to a breakdown; she was weary for she had run out of strength, of hope, and of endurance.
She halted from running, sat waveringly on the floor and started breaking down once more—her tears kept on flowing out from her eyes. Her gloomy reactions were worsened by her rejection of her own feelings, which made everything around her a mess. She leaned against the wall as she sobbed—she was like a lost child, waiting for her mother to come, find and pick her up. She hugged her legs and scrunched up, thinking that she did another stupid step.
B-Baka no Sakuno… Baka… she kept on cursing until she saw something that made her stop.
The brunette wept away her tears when she saw a closed door in front of her.
"A-are you sure with your observations, Oishi?" a familiar stern voice spoke from inside.
"It's not yet confirmed since she's not yet checked inside a hospital so-"
"I'll go outside and call for a veteran doctor."
Upon hearing the familiar voices, Sakuno stood up, unhesitatingly walked towards the door and then reached for the doorknob. She was about to open it until—
"You guys just wait. The phone booth is not so far away from here so-"
Sakuno's eyes widened. "A-ah!" she exclaimed when the door suddenly opened, causing her petite body to be carried away by the pulling force that came from the inside. Her feet involuntarily moved and tripped over, causing her to lose her balance.
"R-Ryuzaki-san?!" Fuji wondered as he caught her in his arms.
The brunette was almost dumbfounded when she unexpectedly saw Fuji's face. "F-Fuji-sempai?" she asked with her eyes blinking several times.
Realizing that Fuji was a friend of hers, Sakuno's tears escaped from her eyes once more. "G-Gomen…" she apologized as she stood up and started weeping away her tears once more.
Oishi anxiously looked at Sakuno when he saw her crying. "What's the matter, Ryuzaki-san?"
Sakuno quickly shook her head and then pushed a smile. "It's nothing, Oishi-sempai…" she defensively lied.
"I-itai…"
Everyone's ears turned vigilant when they heard the whining voice. They quickly spun around and then turned to Yume.
"Y-Yume-chan!" Sakuno jolted and then immediately ran towards Yume, who had been seen lying on the bed. She sat beside her, and was even more dazzled when she saw Yume's bruises. "W-What happened to her?!" she loudly asked, and then looked at Fuji. "F-Fuji-sempai?"
Fuji averted her gaze, held the doorknob and then stepped out. "I'll be calling the veteran doctor." was his last statement.
Curious as she was, her eyebrow arched up, wondering why Fuji was going to call a veteran doctor. "What's the doctor for?" she asked once more as she stared at Yume.
Her eyes widened in surprise when Yume's nose started bleeding. "Y-Yume-chan's nose is bleeding-"
"We know…" Oishi spoke as he placed a wet towel on Yume's forehead.
Sakuno looked at Oishi questioningly. "What do you know, Oishi-sempai?" she asked with a perplexed guise on her face.
Oishi faced Sakuno and spoke, "There are hints about her physical condition. It may seem that I'm jumping to conclusions but-"
The brunette's heart raced. "B-But what?!"
"It seems like that she has Leukemia."
Sakuno gasped as beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. She looked at Yume incredulously and shook her head. "N-No way!" she exclaimed.
"It's true, Ryuzaki-san…" Tezuka suddenly said as he leaned against the wall.
"H-How did you say so?" she nervously asked.
Tezuka crossed his arms together as he heaved a sigh, his eyes focused at the little girl. "When Yume was still a 3 year old kid, her paediatrician diagnosed Leukemia in her when unexplainable bruises started to appear at her right arm," He explained as he recalled a past memory.
Sakuno stared unbelievingly at Tezuka. "H-How-"
"It all started after her real sister died from a fire accident," he continued with his eyes fixed at the tiled floor.
"S-Sister? But Yume-chan mentioned that she's just an only child…" Sakuno elaborated while reminiscing about Yume's recognition to herself at the Cat's Studio a few days after she first met her.
Tezuka shook his head calmly and then looked at Sakuno. "She had a sister before. But now, she doesn't have," he said. "Maybe she didn't tell you that she had because she doesn't want to remember about her deceased sibling."
Sakuno's and Oishi's eyes went gloomy. "Y-Yume-chan…" both of them mumbled while looking pitifully at the little girl.
The little brunette's closed eyes were cornered with tears as her lips moved, as if it were uttering something. "Y-Yuki… onee-chan…" she cried out.
"Yuki… onee-chan?" Sakuno murmured and wondered who it was.
Tezuka inhaled, trying to recall a little more about Yume's personal life, and his' own too. "Yuki-san is Yume's deceased elder sister…"
Sakuno reclined at the back of her seat upon pondering about Tezuka's statement. "By the way Tezuka-bucho, why does it seem like you know everything about Yume?" she randomly asked.
Tezuka remained silent for a couple of seconds.
Oishi prodded Sakuno's shoulder with the tip of his finger a number of times, seeking for attention. "Ryuzaki-san…"
Sakuno looked behind her and saw Oishi's anxious face and wondered. "What is it, Oishi-sempai?" she asked lowly.
"Actually… Yuki-san was…" Oishi paused and then bent down towards Sakuno's ears.
The brunette's eyes were shot open upon hearing Oishi's unexpected news. "A-are you sure, sempai?!" she asked.
Oishi gave out a simple nod.
Sakuno gulped as the new thought lingered in her mind. N-No way! Yume-chan's elder sister, Yuki-san, was Tezuka-bucho's first and serious girlfriend before?! She mentally ranted as she stared at Tezuka with widening eyes.
But then, her gaping lips and shocked reaction were soon replaced by a smile. So that's how it is—Tezuka-bucho was close with Yume not because of a sudden change of mind, but because she was Yuki-san's younger sister. She thought somewhat happily as she laid her eyes on her pitiful image.
Upon seeing Yume's current condition, Sakuno can't stop her lips from grimacing. She stood up from her seat, bent down and then rifted the little girl's bangs. "Yume-chan," she murmured with a sad look on her face. "You shouldn't have kept the problem all by yourself…" she gently said and then leaned forward to kiss the little girl's forehead.
"I'll be going…" Sakuno meekly stated with her head hung low, her bangs cascaded on her face. "Please take care of her…" she asked as she turned her back to them and trudged towards the door.
Tezuka arched an eyebrow, his eyes fixed on Sakuno's gloomy reaction. "Where are you going?"
Sakuno halted from her tracks as she touched the door's frame. "I'm going to…" she paused in her mid sentence while trying to control her mixed emotions. She took a step and then cleared her throat. "I'm just going to clear things myself outside…" she clarified as a tear made it way down her cheek. Her trembling hand reached for the silver doorknob, made her way outside then closed it upon her exit.
After doing so, Sakuno immediately sat on the floor weakly, with her withheld tears flowing out.
I-if I could just… help them… she sobbed as her tears started to blur her swelling eyes.
Sakuno kept on crying until she heard sounds of footsteps coming near her. She stopped crying as she focused her eyes on the ground, wondering who it was.
Her eyes shot open when she knew that a certain person was already standing in front of her. Due to her curiosity, Sakuno looked up to the person, with tears covering her reddening face. "F-Fuji… sempai?" she mumbled.
Fuji looked bafflingly at Sakuno and asked, "Ryuzaki-san, why are you sitting there?"
Torrents of rain kept on showering from the dark skies, causing almost all of the creatures underneath to get wet upon its endless downpour, especially a certain person who had been standing under a familiar plum tree for not so long.
"So, that's how it turned out…" Ryoma sadly murmured as he surfaced his hand at the trunk of the tree. "Ryuzaki…"
His sad emotions resulted to his unexpected tears, which immediately blended with the rain.
The saddened lad bent down, settled the last bouquet of flowers at the foot of the tree with a sly smirk forming on his lips. ""Mada mada dane, Ryuzaki…" he uttered with his tears making their ways down his face.
Ryoma raised his head with closed eyes and felt the raindrops surfacing his face. "If she could just caress my face like this…" he said with his smirk growing even wider.
But he knew that she never would, since she had told him that it's already the end. Was his role in her life was to just make memories with her, and then bring back those that had been lost? Was he really only supposed to do that?
Ryoma slowly trudged away from the tree, with his smirk fading away.
He made his way towards the rest house and then nonchalantly spoke, "I'll never give up, Ryuzaki…"
A red haired man walked towards the rest house's hallways waveringly, thinking that he was completely busted. Kintarou pranced outside, not even caring about the falling rain.
He circulated the rest house—from the entrance gate to the lobby, and from the lobby to the backyard, where a certain plum tree stood tall.
"A-re? Who's that?" he asked to himself when he saw a guy standing beside the tree, who happened to be setting a bouquet of flowers on its foot.
With those bouquet of flowers left on the tree's foot, he knew it!
K-Koshimae… he mentally uttered. Kintarou hid himself at a nearby bush, and as soon as Ryoma left the backyard, he finally made his move.
He carefully slunk towards the plum tree furtively.
"Ah. So Tezuka already told you…" Fuji spoke as he placed his hand on his chin while having a walk through the corridor together with Sakuno.
"H-Hai," was her simple response.
Fuji delved his hands inside his side pockets as he looked at the path before them. "Yume-chan's current state was really… unbelievable. She was a very cheerful child, and who would have thought that she had a disease?"
Sakuno hung her head low. "H-Hai…"
"A-Ah," Fuji hummed as he stopped in his tracks. "By the way, Ryuzaki-san…"
Sakuno halted as she faced Fuji. "What is it, Fuji-sempai?"
Fuji's eyes shot open in front of her, his lips uttering something. "How about your memories? Is there any improvement?"
The brunette's eyes went gloomy upon hearing his question. Her eyebrows furrowed as she shook her head several times. "A-anou, about that matter…"
"Hm?"
Sakuno urged a smile and said, "I think… I'll just forget about it!" she pretended to be cheerful.
Fuji noticed Sakuno's pushed smile. "By doing that, you'll hurt him…" he said gently.
Sakuno gasped after hearing Fuji's statement. Tears cornered her eyes, and went down through her cheeks. I know…
Noticing Sakuno's odd actions, Fuji felt guilt hitting him. "G-Gomen, Ryuzaki-san… I was just-"
"Meow…" a loud, purring voice suddenly came from behind.
Sakuno's crying was cut off when she heard the familiar sound. "R-Riku-chan?" she wondered.
"Meow…" the cat purred once more, and then started to run away from her. Sakuno raised an eyebrow and then quickly followed her cat's trail. "Riku-chan! Stop!"
Fuji's lips curved to a helpless smile.
"G-Goodbye, Ryuzaki?!" Kintarou exclaimed after reading the attached note from the flower bouquet. He stood up and then looked at his surroundings. It's a good thing that no one is here. He thought as he leaned against the trunk of the tree, not knowing of Sakuno's sudden arrival.
Sakuno finally caught Riku in her arms in a nearby bush and then complained. "Maah Riku-chan, why- "
Her eyes shot open when she saw someone at the tree while holding a bouquet of flowers. Is that, Saviour-kun? She thought.
-KRAAAM!
"Aah!" she screamed when the thunder roared, and then quickly looked back at the person, thinking if he's okay or what.
Kintarou turned around when he heard someone scream.
-KRAAAM!
The thunder roared once more and then cast light upon them, causing their silhouettes reveal each other.
Sakuno's eyes widened when she saw the person's face. "K-Kin-chan?!"
Kintarou dazzlingly looked at Sakuno with a shocked face. "Sakuno-chan?"
Sakuno gaped as an upcoming thought came across her mind. Is it true that… Kin-chan is my Saviour-kun?
…To Be Continued…
A/N: Finally! An update! Do you think that I've gotten faster in updating? -laughs proudly- HOHOHO XD Okay Okay. Anou, I have a request. Will you please tell me everything you wanted to tell about the story? Ahehe. It's SUREVY TIME! Hahaha. I thought of asking you to put your negative and positive comments about the story (if it has gotten really OOC or what, and some comments about the author too.) I thought that by doing this, I'll be able to get even more motivated -YAY!- so I'll get my itchy and twiddly fingers in front of the computer to type them all. And by doing that, OH GAWD. You just became a mentor of mine! Ahehehe. Rookie-chan madly wants paaaaancaaakkees- (trips on a stone) - techy (may be spelled as 'tecky') comments! Why? It's because I gather more information with those tecky comments! -PING! I mean, ahahaha about the grammar and such, the do's and dont's and etc.
Did I just say that I'm going to edit the 'whole chapter's grammar tomorrow'? Ahehe. I knew it! I wasn't able to keep my promise. TT.TT Ehehehe XD LAWLISH. Plus, I can't bear editing my own chapter, and I don't know why. That's why I need a proper beta, for my dear bestpwend Arah-chan ish not available.
About The Fanfiction Itself: (sadist mode) Ohohoho. It seems like I made some of you cry? Ahahaha to those who did, (laughs evilly) I have a stack of tissue papers here! Want some? Hohoho XD (rookie-chan mode) Erm erm. Gomen. My Fuji-ness/Sadist-ness ish trying to dominate meh once more. Ehehehe. About the fanfic? I was really... as in... bored while doing this. But then, I decided to keep as updated as possible, since I already knew that I'll be very busy within this year because of a certain reason. The reason is a big HI-MI-TSU! Ahehehe. Plus, about the chapter being sad. Thanks for noticing that. I appreciate it! -sob sob- I really intended it to make it sad... I dunno why but my sadist-ness kept on telling me to make people cry? Ahahaha Gomen. Hyperness was being activated by him (I mean, Fuji-chan).
Personal, as in PERSONAL notes: -Fangirls- aaaah I madly wanted to rant now! School ish really fun, (especially when you outwit others, PWNED!--tis is an actual joke, really! ahaha XD) plus having new classmates (that were actually people you already knew) was... HILARIOUS! The first day was UBER-AWESOME! Ahahaha XD People kept on glomping behind meh then they will scream at the top of their lungs at my ear. GAWD. Thanks for giving me healthy eardrums.
Credits, Special Mentions and Thanks to: First off, THE READERS AND REVIEWERS. Gawd! Your reviews are really awesome and some kinda pwn-age! ahaha. I was really shocked when I knew that I've got 256 reviews after posting this chapter (and I really wish that people will keep it highhher, and now I've got 263, YAY!) Hooo. I know. I won't be able to do this without all of you, guys! Especially to Miya-chan (FujixSaku0709) who kept on chatting with me while trying to tease her about the new chapter (as I check her fanarts too), Weller-kyou (Darkwings09) for some of the descriptions especially about the descriptions, translations and such (plus other terms about 'how to describe falling tears'), Seru-chan for the wonderful chit-chat on the phone, My Beloved Dearling, Iori-chan for telling me the differences of an uke and a seme, and others who kept me alive this vacation. I am really happy to meet you all, especially those I:U Forumers out there! HIII! Ahehehe XD
I think I will copy-paste some of these in my blog, since it seems like I've written something for an LJ entry, a Multiply Blog and such. Ahahaha XD
Ja'ne, my beloved Minna-san!
Rabu,
rookie-chan / ya-chan / ryogaechizen deshuuu!