Before I begin, I just want to point out that you may find the time-line confusing in this story. Well this chapter takes place before the prologue, and Ryoma and Sakuno are now attending Seigaku High, their high school after Seishun Gakuen, so they're both fifteen years old now.

Disclaimer: I wish I own this series

Chapter 1: Supernova

He breathed hard, hands trembling from fatigue. Never in his life had Ryoma played a single game for nearly 5 hours continuously with not much breaks in between. Each ball was played as if it was the last of the match, and both sides never gave up. Especially not the one fighting against him, probably, the tennis prodigy who challenged the US Open at the age of fifteen. A professional player has his pride, and he could not lose to some teenager just because he was somewhat a supernova of this time.

It was Ryoma's turn to serve, but he could not feel his strength,and he was losing. If he lost this game it would be over for his US journey. He remembered his buchou always said 'don't let your guard down', but his concentration and power were diminishing at a slow rate. All he had left was probably his willpower not to lose to this man.

'If Ochibi lost this one it'd be over,' Eiji had his eyes locked on the TV screen. Oishi, his double partner, and Kaidou just gulped. This was the longest match so far in this year's grand slam tournament. Kaidou admitted not even he might have the endurance to play that long. The other regulars continued staring at the screen, watching as Ryoma got a point after a drop shot was hit. There came the commentator's voice, ' it was deuce again! Now the score was 17-17 in tie break, last set of the last semi-final match we're watching.' They could hear Ryoma's trademark yell of 'Mada Mada!' loudly through the broadcast. 'But Echizen's motion had slowed down already,' said Inui, the data-man in the team, 'and the opponent was afterall a professional player, his pace had not changed as dramatically as Echizen's. Right now the probability Echizen will win is 23.6%.'

'Ryoma-kun…' Sakuno sighed, watching as the Seigaku High Tennis Team star removing the enormous amount of sweats on his forehead. The match had taken long enough and every one was also tired just by watching it, but she could not remember the last time the green-haired boy had lost a match. 'Please Ryoma-kun, keep going,' she clutched her hands tightly, focusing her attention on him.

'But he deserved all the applause, given that a fifteen-year-old could win against many top-ranked tennis players in the world and played at the semi-final of one of the most important tournaments in the tennis world.' Ryuzaki Sumire, their coach, stated, even after Ryoma lost another point. The regulars nodded. They were all watching this match in her place, which she consented after Momoshiro proposed. After all, it was not every day they could see these two players played against each other.

Rtoma ran around the court, feeling being fooled by his opponent. He was strong, so strong that he could not really figure how to defeat him. Just getting a point from him was already a difficult task that requried 200% of his normal strength. He hit another slice shot, trying to make his opponent run too, then he dashed forward to the net, hoping to get an advantage by doing a volley. The tall man he faced expected it, and lobbed the ball high in the sky. 'Damn,' the teenager cursed and caught the ball just in time to return it to the other side of the court, then he noticed the opponent's racket lowered just a nearly invisible distance. It was his trump card. 'Damn,' he cursed again. He should have known better.

Everyone gasped at the opponent's calmness as Ryoma ran desperately to the net, in the hope of returning it before the tiny object glued to the ground.

And he could only watch it happen.

He suddenly remembered the interview after quarter-final, where ex-Rikkai Dai captain, Yukimura Seiichi, who turned into a professional player, lost to this guy. The same comment that went along for years, 'this guy cannot be surpassed.'

'Game won by Tezuka Kunimitsu, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6'. The commentator pronounced, while cheers and applause echoed in the stadium. All the foreigners were astonished by the high standrad of this match by two Japanese. Echizen Ryoma adjusted his white cap and walked to the net, facing his former buchou.

'I still have not beaten you yet.' He smirked. Strange enough for him, he never smiled after losing a match, no matter to his annoying oyaji or any other people. Yet somehow he felt relieved in some sense. A wall so high that he could not climb through.

'It was a good game,' Tezuka said plainly, emotionless as usual.

The other members of the Seigaku High just watched as they shook hands, ending the match finally after 4 hours and 57 minutes. Both players waved at the spectators and received a round of standing applause for their effort and determination.

Ryoma sometimes wondered why whenever he went, there would be a lot of fangirls surrounding him, each proclaiming different statements like 'I love you Ryoma-sama!', 'Be my boyfriend!', 'I will sleep with you' and many more. He had this experience ever since he started to play tennis for Seigaku three years ago, and even when he's in high school now the same group of people (with new members everyday) still chased after him anytime.

Today, the first day of school after he returned to Japan to continue his studies, there were numerous reporters waiting at the front gate, all hoping to have an exclusive interview with the fifteen-year-old that shocked the tennis world. It was just 3 days after he finished the match, and he was really tired.

Ryoma had wanted to ignore them all, but his idiotic father warned him about kicking him out if his face did not make any cover. So he just answered a few silly questions before finding his locker, again, ignoring other students' whispering about him. He got used to all of these already. Walking into the classroom was another story, as he faced Horio, his annoying 'experienced' tennis friend and some other faces that he did not recognize. Tomoko, the big-mouth, just kept screaming along with other girls while congratulating on his achievement. They all surrounded him in his seat when he just wanted to take a nap. It was a long flight after all.

Sakuno watched from a safe distance from all the fangirls and sighed. She knew that Ryoma would react like this, no matter after what kind of tournaments he had won or participated in. She wanted to talk to him, but she also realized the consequence of making a conversation with the almighty Ryoma-sama in the ever-passionate audience's presence. She had to wait. Maybe lunchtime would do. She looked again at Ryoma and sighed. It pained her heart to feel so close but so distant.

Ryoma sighed. He had always wanted peace and quiteness, and after receiving a warm welcome from the sempais in the tennis court this morning(after he left the paparazzi), namely Kikumaru and Momoshiro, he just wanted to sleep. He wouldn't mind if it was someone's else presence, with him now. But what echoed around him was only the high-pitched screaming of the Ryoma-Sama Fanclub.

Geez, give me a break, the young semi-finalist impatiently thought.

The rooftop was Ryoma's favourite place. He lunched here. He slept here. They met here.

Opening the door, he recognized a familiar figure standing on his left, hands occupied by two bentos. He paused to gaze at the pretty girl, observing amusingly how the wind played with her long, twin-braid. He always admired the way the school uniform clinged to her body. Her skirt just covered enough to show her long legs, stimulating his hormonal sensation. She looked so peaceful, with her eyes closed, as if sleeping while standing. Ryoma smirked.

'Hair is still too long.'

She opened her eyelids and turned to him, not flinching nor flushing upon his entry and his stare. She made a dirty face at him before opening her mouth to complain. 'Is this what you say after two weeks of not seeing each other?'

But she never got to finish that accusation. His hands embraced her cheeks and pulled her towards him, kissing her lips hungrily. She returned the favour, putting the bentos on the floor and wrapped her arms around his waist. That lovely feeling she had not tasted for weeks. Oh, how dearly.

They had been going out for…four months, he remembered exactly. But they tended to keep this a secret from others first. Apart from the fact that Ryoma did not enjoy all the rumours and stuff, Sakuno had once been confronted by some girls back in middle school about her being 'always too close to Ryoma-sama'. Officially declaring her as his girlfriend would only cause more harm than good, Ryoma reckoned. And thankfully she agreed. Although she was not quite fond of not having much intimate moments most of the time (as they were in school), she enjoyed the other side of Ryoma that others could not discover. They did a good job in hiding their relationship, that probably only Karupin, Ryoma's favourite, knew all along. Others just teased them for fun.

'I miss you,' she whispered into his ears. They finally broke off and he invited her to sit beside him on their usual spot where people could barely notice their presence here. 'Everyone's stalking about the match now,' Sakuno said. They were now having lunch and as usual, she had prepared the bento for Ryoma, who inaudibly appreciated it very much. 'And everyone believed that this year's Tennis Team can definitely win the Nationals again.'

'Hn,' was his reply. Sakuno just chuckled. This was so Ryoma-like. They continued their lunch in comfortable silence. When they finished, they leaned on each other, their back on a wall, and took a moment of rest.

'I long for this quietness for a long while today,' the green-haired teenager sighed. It was not that he hated playing under spotlight, but he did want some privacy. Some private moment, like the one he's enjoying now. Sakuno just smiled and rested her head on his shoulder, their hands locked. She also loved these moments that only the two of them existed, with no die hard fangirls chasing after the famous star, no loud classmates screaming over them, no playful sempais teasing after them (she didn't hate them though. She thought they were just showing kindness in their own way). Just themselves enjoying each other's company.

Right now, she had no idea what she would be facing soon.

-End of Chapter 1-

This turned out to be longer than I expect…but anyway hope you enjoy it and wait for more to come! I haven't really decided on quickening the pace of the story or gradually developed everything.

Pleas kindly review. I'll upload another one as soon as I can =]