Painting Your Colors

Pairing: Tezuka X Sakuno

Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own Prince of Tennis

"…" speaking/conversation

'…' thoughts

Author's Note:Sorry for the long wait. It was extremely hectic after vacation. Plus, this past week, I had four wisdom teeth taken out and was bed-ridden. It was excruciating!!! Well, here is the third chapter. Enjoy

Chapter Three

The rain that started out malevolent became somewhat benign into a drizzle. But the darkened clouds were still weighing down into a concave void, corroding all the colors into almost a cool monochromatic tone. And corresponding to the night sky deprived of animate stars, the street was abandoned and desolate. Everything was at rest; even the winds and the few cars that occupied the road were speaking in whispers.

Among this empty path, two pairs of feet, one a lot smaller than the other, were walking in a cadence under a single grey umbrella. The larger pair was ahead of the other by couple of steps since its strides were longer. There was nothing spoken between the two owners of these shoes, but the silence wasn't awkward. Rather, it was quite pleasant as each person admired the aesthetic view in their own, individual perspective.

Suddenly, the smaller pair of feet halted on the track, and soon the other mimicked the action.

"anou, Tezuka Senpai, I think we're here" Sakuno voiced out, smiling shyly.

"hn," said Tezuka as he observed the humble house in front of him.

"anou, Senpai, would you like to..umm.. come in for some tea?" she asked politely as she fidgeted with her lean fingers. She was quite nervous; her voice carried out with unique vibrations.

Tezuka faintly arched one of his eyebrows at this offer. When Sakuno saw this, she hurriedly tried to explain herself, making sure that he wasn't misunderstanding what she was saying. Tezuka did get flocks of confessions each day, so it was only natural for him to take her suggestion the wrong way.

"I mean…my obaa-san's inside and she would probably want to see you. She always asks about you and the rest of the senpais. And, umm you should warm yourself up before going back again, I mean...since I made you go through the extra trouble and umm…"

"hn," Tezuka grunted with a small nod as a sign of consent.

Sakuno sighed with relief. She was starting to ramble like an idiot and she couldn't think of any other reasons invite him inside. She didn't know why but she wanted her senpai to stay for a little bit. She averted her attention to the murky sky. The clouds were accumulating and getting more saturated. It was highly probable that the drenching rain would go for another round. She would feel horrible if he caught a cold because of her. She'll try convincing her grandmother to drive him home.

"Hontou ni?" Sakuno asked just to make sure. His answers were ambiguous and she always had a hard time to decipher his clear cut answer.

"Ah." Again, Tezuka gave a laconic answer to confirm.

"Hai!" She beamed a sincere smile at Tezuka and led him to the house. She rang the doorbell because, like almost always, she forgot her keys. Instantly, the door burst opened. It was obvious that her grandmother was hanging around the front entrance, frantically waiting for her arrival. Albeit Sakuno came late constantly since she entered high school due the same reason as today, her grandmother always became concerned when her granddaughter wasn't home by seven.

"Sakun..Tezuka!! What are you doing here?!" Ryuzaki Sumire heaved out in a gasp.

Sakuno giggled at her grandmother's reaction. She knew it was the right choice to invite Tezuka Senpai; it brought light to the old woman's eyes. Though her diehard obaa-san would never say, Sakuno knew that the woman missed the old Seigaku's days. It wasn't that the teams now under her care were disrespectful or mischievous, but they didn't seem to have the same invigorating energy or the talent as the former members. It always brought a tint of bliss in her grandmother's voice when she was talking about them.

"Ryuzaki Sensei," Tezuka nodded politely, letting his former coach acknowledge him.

"Hai, Hai! Not talkative as ever, eh Tezuka? Anyways, what are you doing here? My little Sakuno isn't in trouble, is she? Hahaha." The exuberant woman winked and gave a hearty laugh.

"Obaa-san!" Sakuno said with a whine marring her voice. She tugged at her grandmother's sleeve to hint her to stop teasing her.

"hahaha! Okay okay! Wait! You two are not…dating, are you?"

"Obaa-san!!!!" Sakuno's face instantly flushed red. She absolutely abhorred when her grandmother taunted her and she was doing it now in front of her senpai. She shot a quick glance to the taller man and her face stained a deeper shade of red at the apathetic aura that surrounded the stoic buchou. She was now humiliated at the thought that she was just overreacting- that she couldn't take a mere silly joke.

"Just kidding, just kidding. But Sakuno, why is Tezuka with you?"

At this, Sakuno's face molded into a smile as she began to explicate what had happened. After Ryuzaki Sumire intently listened to the story, she gave a small nod of approval and turned to Tezuka, who had his arms crossed and was listening to the small girl talk as well.

"Ah, ne Tezuka. Arigato for taking care of my clumsy granddaughter. She is always like this, just like her mother. Why don't you come in? It was so hectic that I forgot to invite you inside the house. It is getting chilly, ne? Have some tea and I'll drive you home. Come in, Come in"

Ryuzaki made a welcoming gesture, exhorting her previous student to enter. He gave a quick jerk of his head as an agreement. He slipped off his shoes with much grace and he quietly entered the warm indoors.

"Sakuno, why don't you prepare some tea while I get you two some towel. And Tezuka, call your parents to inform them that you are safe. They must be worried."

Sakuno rushed into the kitchen and opened the wooden cabinet dedicated to teas. She was daunted by the numbers of selection. She didn't know which one would suit her senpai the best. By his looks, he would probably drink anything with the same amount of gratitude, but he was human. He must have his likes and dislikes. After a moment of pondering, she deliberately chose jasmine tea. It was light and fragrant. It almost tasted neutral, but it gave enough of a taste for anyone to savor. Her mother always used to drink it on rainy days, just like today. Sakuno's auburn eyes began to soften as she recalled her times with her mom.

A thunder roared in the heavens and awoke Sakuno from her daze. She hurried to get the tea ready. Her grandmother would tease her with some ridiculous things if she came out late.

When she entered the living room, the two matured people were engaged in a serious conversation. Sakuno didn't want to interpose in their discussion so she gingerly placed the tea set on the table and began pouring the slightly yellow tinted liquid into three separate ceramic cups. The two people thanked her with a curt nod and continued on with their talk. Their conversation seemed to be about tennis. Not wanting to be included, she delicately sat herself next to Tezuka Senpai (since it was the only seat available) and began to sip her jasmine tea.

As she consumed the aromatic liquid alongside listening to the raindrops gently hitting the window, her eyelid became heavy. Slowly and surreptitiously, the thin layer of skins began to drop, covering her tired eyes while she let her mind meander outside of this room. And right before she was completely devoured by her dream world, the last picture that occupied her mind was someone with unruly brown hair, piercing eyes under sleek glasses and warm hands.

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Tezuka stopped in the middle of talking when he felt a small impact on his left shoulder accompanied by a warm, soft wind that tickled his ear. He turned his head to find Sakuno soundly asleep with her head delicately leaning on his broad shoulder. A surge of lilac fragrant wafted into his nose. He almost flinched at the close propinquity of their faces, but abruptly stopped when her smile came into his visage. Sakuno seemed as if she was thinking of something pleasant; her closed eyes slightly bent into an arch and half wrinkles formed at the bridge of her nose.

"Haha. Gomen ne Tezuka, Seems that granddaughter of mine has used you for a pillow," Ryuzaki Sumire said as her eyes focused on her watch. It was indicating 9:30 p.m.

"Oh! It's getting late. You should get going."

"Ah, Sensei" He agreed but didn't carry out his action of getting ready to leave. The petite girl was impeding him from doing anything. Sumire, seeing his struggle, briskly walked over to the sleeping girl and shook her shoulders.

"Sakuno, Wake up!"

"…" She didn't budge.

"Sakuno!"

"nn…" Sakuno squirmed at the loud volume but didn't get off Tezuka's shoulder. Instead, she wrapped her slender arms around Tezuka's muscular ones and attached herself to the bemused man even more.

"Ha. Gomen, but it seems she will not wake up. She really is nothing but a ball of trouble. Tezuka, can you carry her to her room? I would do it myself, but I'm too old. I might break my back!"

Tezuka was slightly taken aback with such favor. It wasn't in his policy to carry girls and put them to bed, but he guessed he would have to make and exception tonight. Ryuzaki Sakuno was Ryuzaki Sumire's granddaughter. It would be disrespectful to reject the favor.

He placed one of his arms under her small head to support it and the other under her knee joint; he was carrying her bridal style. It was the only way. It would be quite disturbing to haul her over his shoulder, though she would be small enough to carry in such manner. When he lifted her up, he was surprised at how lightweight she was. Compared to the pile of neon tennis balls he dragged everyday, she was petty.

Tezuka followed his former coach into the girl's room. When he entered, he was embraced by a smell of lilac. It was the same one that aroused his nose when she was on his shoulder. The room wasn't overly pink or ideally adorned, but was simple and comfortable. He gingerly leaned down to place her on the full size bed. She stirred, and dug deeper into his chest, trying to locate the comfortable heat that was taken away by the movement. He stopped for a second and when she relaxed, he hastily but carefully laid her on the bed while her grandmother pulled the blanket over her.

He turned around to leave, but a picture placed in a baroque frame caught his eyes. It was small and quite aged. It was a picture of a couple hugging a young girl. They seemed blissful and they epitomized the ideal happy family. It was a picture that wouldn't be found in his household. Like him, other than his sweet mother, his family members rarely smiled.

"It's Sakuno and her parents." Sumire explained from the back.

"Sakuno just turned nine at the time. They were in Sydney. It was the trip right before her parents' death." She shook her head sympathetically and walked out the door.

Tezuka pupils dilated. He didn't know that Sakuno's parents passed away, though a few times before, he questioned in his mind why Sakuno was living with her grandmother. He gazed at the sleeping girl. She was peaceful and surrounded by purity. He would have never guessed that she hid such a harsh background behind this serene façade. Tezuka suddenly felt something churn in his guts, though not in a revolting way. But, before it could grow any further, he turned around, shut the lights off, walked out the lilac smelling room, and closed the door behind him.

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Author's Note: Hey people!! How was it..I know it is a lot longer than the first two, but hopefully it wasn't sickening. Like, I said, this is my first fan fic, and it's actually a lot harder to write a fanfic than I thought. I tried to use more dialogues, but I'm not sure how that went. I think I failed T-T..and for those people who are asking for some SPICE, it will come out next chapter. Sorry for the wait, but like I warned, the story goes kinda slowly...really slowly. So you have to give me a break here. I'm really detail-oriented. Thanks for the advices people. I'll try to keep that in mind when I'm writing. I know I still kinda suck, but NO BASHING! Hope you guys are waiting for the fourth one. I'll try to upload soon.

A Favor: Guys, it's pretty obvious that I like Tezuka X Sakuno pairing. But I hardly see any of them. So if you guys have the time, write some PLEASE. Thanks .