A/N: My dear readers! I missed you!! *readers throw crap* I'm sorry for not updating sooner. I've been dealing with some...issues lately, and it's inhibited my posting of this chapter. But I am happy with this chapter. There's a lot of fluff between Ryoma and Sakuno since they've transitioned to the 'We're such good friends that we can be free as a bird around each other' stage. Although, Sakuno still doesn't trust Ryoma to the full extent, and Ryoma has some sorting out to do about where Sakuno stands as his friend. Okay, enough spoiling! Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 11- A Resonant Inquiry

"Saku-chan! Have you heard the news yet?" Tomo bounced on the balls of her feet, clearly excited.

"What news?" Sakuno asked, unaware of the huge matter at hand.

"Sakuno! The big dance that's coming up! It's for all the high-schoolers! And I know just the person you should go with…"Tomo sing-songed the last sentence.

Sakuno gave a sigh then said, "Tomo, you know Ryoma-kun isn't into that kind of thing."

"Well, I was actually thinking of Imori-kun, but Ryoma-sama is a much better choice! You should ask him Saku-chan."

"I don't know, it would be kind of embarrassing…" And Sakuno trailed off, thinking of what Ryoma's reaction would be if she dared ask. A) He would laugh in her face or B) he would coldly reject her. There was no way in the world that Ryoma would set foot at the dance, nevertheless have fun.

"Ugh, Sakuno!" Tomo whined. "Just give it a shot, okay? Besides, who else would he bother going with anyway?"

"Maybe you're right, Tomo-chan. I guess I'll just bring it up when I see him…" Sakuno replied, wanting to satisfy her friend.

"Good! I'll call you tonight to hear the news, okay?"

"Hai," Sakuno smiled and bid her bet friend goodbye, only to turn around and run into Ryoma.

"Oh, ohayou Ryoma-kun," she greeted.

"Hey, Sakuno-chan. Gonna be late for lunch," he mentioned offhandedly, running a hand through his uniquely-hued hair.

"Hai," she replied. "Should I give you your bento now, then?" she questioned. Sakuno didn't want him to go hungry.

"No, I won't be that late. Just a quick tennis meeting is all," he responded.

"Okay, see you then," and Sakuno walked away, feeling just a bit flustered. How could she ask Ryoma to the dance? He would probably just laugh and then no matter how hard she would try, her feelings would be hurt afterward. Flipping her braid over her shoulder, Sakuno decided asking Ryoma would be too much. Their friendship was coming along wonderfully, so why risk it on some silly dance?

'No,' she resolved. She would not ask Ryoma for she would only regret it later. Speaking of the tennis prodigy, if he wanted to go, then he should just ask her himself. Besides, she wouldn't want to go to the dance with anyone else except him. And he had the upper hand in this situation, especially since they were such good friends. Her mind made up, Sakuno turned into her first-hour class, her heart now light and carefree.

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Sakuno sat on the roof, eating her bento. She wanted to wait for Ryoma, but what could she say? She was a growing teenager and she was hungry. She actually wished she could go down to the Music Wing of the school and practice, but all the private rooms were occupied. Letting out a long, low sigh, Sakuno went to stand at the rail. Leaning on her elbows, she looked up and lost herself in the sea of clouds.

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Meanwhile, Ryoma was heading up to the roof. The tennis meeting had only been ten minutes long, so Ryoma left as soon as he could, being careful to avoid Eiji-senpai's glomps. In fact, he had someone and something on his mind. The dance was coming up, and ordinarily, he wouldn't bother with that sort of thing. However, after much calculating, he deduced that he wouldn't mind going if he could go with Sakuno. He figured he might even enjoy himself.

Because Sakuno was so wrapped up in her thoughts and Ryoma was so quiet, she never noticed him come through the roof entrance. 'Perfect,' Ryoma thought, closing in on his best friend. Her back was turned, and it was so convenient that his best friend was Captain Oblivious. Sakuno hadn't felt anything except the breeze until a pair of strong arms would their way around her waist.

"Ne, Sakuno-chan, I have a question to ask of you," Ryoma spoke quietly, his mouth close to her ear. Sakuno didn't really like where this was going. Ryoma had snuck up on her and he was in such close proximity…He, on the other hand, discovered that Sakuno had a nice, little derrière hidden away under that school uniform. Maybe he could try sneaking up on her more often, only to see what other surprises there were…and then he mentally slapped himself for being so perverted. While Ryoma was musing, Sakuno was also thinking. After finding her figurative brown bag to hyperventilate into, she deduced that this was probably just Ryoma playing around.

'Two can play that game,' she decided and turned in Ryoma's arms. In an instant, his hands were on the rail on either side of her, cutting off any possible escape route. Looking up into Ryoma's face, Sakuno was met with quite the smirk and a tennis prince who looked quite pleased with himself.

However, she swallowed her fear and boldly said, "You had a question Ryoma-kun?" Ryoma was surprised that Sakuno could even form a coherent sentence with him so close. After all, he was just inches away from her.

"You interested in hearing it?" he replied, and cocked his head to the side a bit. This Sakuno was enticing.

"I don't know. Should I be?" Her tone turned playful as she leaned in just a little more. She discovered that she liked this sort of interaction, though Ryoma was still making her a bit flustered. Heck, his chest was brushing hers and their heads were almost touching.

"You should be," he replied, and then laid his head in the crook of her neck and shoulder.

"Go to the dance with me," he said, his lips moving against the delicate skin of Sakuno's throat.

"That's a statement, Ryoma-kun," she responded with laughter in her voice. Her hands came up and, moving gently, Sakuno began running her fingers through his many strands of hair.

"That feels good," he confided absent-mindedly.

"Mmhm," Sakuno replied. Ryoma's breathing evened out against her neck, her arms still on either side of her.

"I'll go with you, ya know," Sakuno said, breaking the silence after a few minutes.

"Oh really now?" he replied, bringing his head up.

"Yes," she responded, her fingers trailing down the length of his arms. She really did like his arms…

"And what do I get for waiting so patiently for an answer?" he questioned.

"Umm…" Sakuno's mind drew a blank and she didn't like that victorious smirk that was once again plastered on her friend's handsome face.

"You have two seconds to run for that door before I catch you and tickle you to death," Ryoma managed to say all that, though it was juvenile, and still keep his voice low and sexy. Sakuno bolted to the door, but didn't even make it before she was caught and hauled away by Ryoma.

"You cheated!" she huffed when he deposited her gently on the concrete.

"I'll spare you anyway," he complied, reaching for his bento.

"Ryoma-kun?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for asking," Sakuno said. She actually wanted to show him some other gesture of appreciation, but didn't have anything on her at the moment.

"You're welcome. But I know how you can make it up to me," he responded.

"How?"

"Wear your hair down for the dance," he requested, staring at Sakuno at the while. Ryoma figured all that hair had to be special in some way, especially since Sakuno had never cut it.

"What does that have to do with anything?" she asked, fingering her braid.

"I wanna see," he merely answered, sounding a little like a child.

"Oh, alright. At least you're fairly easy to please," Sakuno replied. Lifting her head to the sky, she simply smiled at how her day had turned in her favor. And only after one simple question was asked.

Hope this chapter satisfies! Review and tell me what you think!