A/N: This is the edited version since a line from the first one apparently DID NOT make sense, even to me. Just one line though. Have fun!

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Chapter 22

Misunderstandings?

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"Kenichi-kun…"

Sakuno muttered as Kenichi ruffled her hair and said that he was hoping that Ryoma was a match, but was utterly disappointed.

"Don't be sad, Sakuno-chan." He muttered, "It's not like we're not going to be friends anymore when I had beaten him, right?" There was this hopeful tone in his voice that Sakuno just couldn't help but agree with. She wasn't exactly the person who would let a person down.

"MADA! MADA! MADA!" Ryoma shouted. Kenichi looked back at the beaten boy, a strange glint in his eyes; Sakuno looked worried like hell.

"Funny, I thought I had already beaten you, Echizen-san." Kenichi said without a hint of malice in his voice. Sakuno whipped her head to look at Kenichi.

Ryoma had stood up. He pointed a finger at Kenichi.

"I – will – defeat—you!" his cat eyes were flaring as he glared at the other boy beside Sakuno.

Kenichi sighed.

"Whatever you say, Echizen-san…" he smiled at him; it was odd of how he was still able to stay smiling like that. An idea struck him as he saw Sakuno.

With Ryoma still shooting glares at him, he touched Sakuno's braid.

"I like your long hair… it's really nice." He appraised the chocolate locks. "I hope you keep on letting that crown of yours grow longer."

Sakuno blushed at the comment. No one's told her that… it was always Ryoma telling her that it was too long…

Seeing Sakuno blush of another person's actions irked Ryoma for some reason.

Right.

Hormones.

Whatever he was feeling was just because of those stupid hormones that got the better of him at the moment… he was a growing boy, no wonder…

But is that really the reason?

The captain of the Kinigaku bowed to Sumire and left with the others; he had apologized for Kenichi's actions, and so was Sumire with Ryoma.

Speaking of Ryoma….

"Why were you talking to him?" he asked Sakuno, not facing her. He dreaded what she was going to say.

She was facing nothing but his back, Sakuno sighed, "Kenichi-kun is a friend—"

Ryoma whirled around, an unknown anger in his face. "Friend?! FRIEND?!" Sakuno was taken aback by his sudden change of tone (not to mention, he just lost his cool…), "No decent friend would do… do… would flirt with his friend!"

Sakuno bit her lip.

Kenichi wasn't flirting!!

"He was the guy who gave you that handkerchief, right?" he asked darkly. Sakuno nodded; she wondered what was wrong with her, why was she letting him talk to her like that…

"I don't like you talking to him... Don't talk to him anymore!" Ryoma said, glowering. Sakuno gasped, "W-What?! But Ryoma-kun… he's my friend!"

"Why do you need him? You've got the whole Seigaku regulars, Osakada, Horio, Kachiro, Katsuo and those girls from Daigaku! You don't have any more space in your heart for him!" Ryoma was letting his feelings get the better of him this time. He was raging with fury… fury that another person had just touched Sakuno… had just gotten that smile that was usually, and only, reserved for him.

Sakuno took a step back… she didn't like this feeling. It was like she was some kind of thing that he owned… she just wasn't a thing, an object that Ryoma owned.

She felt like she was an old toy that he got tired of, threw away and when he found that she was being held by another person, he will get all privy and take her just like that.

It was enough. She fancied him, yes, and she still does, but he had NO right to tell her who she would be friends with!

"URUSAI YO, RYOMA-KUN!" Sakuno shouted so hard, and so loud that even Sumire and the others thought they had heard her, "YOU'RE NOT MY MASTER! YOU'RE NOT MY FATHER! AND YOU'RE CERTAINLY NOT MY BOYFRIEND… SO PLEASE DON'T TELL ME WHO TO BEFRIEND!"

Ryoma looked stunned. Twice in his life, he had gotten some shouting from Sakuno. Twice.

Tears were already overflowing from her eyes when she stopped talking, and she was on the verge of really crying. She took some steps back and turned around, almost staggering.

Ryoma stood rooted on the spot. He spat angrily.

He had done it again.

He made her cry again.

"Oi, Echizen, what happened?" Momoshiro walked to him. Ryoma said it was nothing; he told his senpai that he'd be leaving without them and that he was meeting his dad so there was nothing to think about.

It was all a lie.

He needed some time to think. Alone.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

A/N: Ok, another short chapter… sorry, I'm a little out on ideas right now that I have no utter idea what I should write next… Author's block, obviously… oh well… I've just gotten a new review! YAY!! Thank you! Thank you for reading the fic!! Hearts and more kisses to all of you!!!

PS: With the confusion of what this phrase meant, "es una verdadera pena", it's meaning would be "That's really too bad." (shame)… JA!