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Reconciliation
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"When two people really care about each other, they always find a way to make it work. No matter how hard it is."
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'You may now read the tale.'
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Week 2
Thursday
"To be honest, we were actually very surprised Echizen is already married." A shy Kawamura said to Sakuno as they were stirring the vegetables of the hot pot.
"We really thought Ochibi does not swing that way," Kikumaru said while winking at her.
"Echizen's 0% love chances just skyrocketed to a full hundred," Inui said as he adjusted his glasses and wrote some new data about Ryoma on his green notebook.
"I can't believe he got married before all of us." Momoshiro was still hung up on the fact that his closest junior was already a married man.
"Echizen." It was their captain, former captain, Tezuka, who spoke and everybody turned their attention to him, hoping for some deep philosophical advice for the couple.
"Don't let your guard down."
Everybody immediately blanched.
"As expected of Tezuka," Fuji commented, an eternal smile on his face.
"He always says that," someone whispered not too subtly.
Tezuka cleared his throat.
"You mustn't let your guard down since you'll soon be making a family with Sakuno-san," he said.
With this, it opened a whole new slew of topics, and it was Kikumaru who asked the inevitable.
"Have you started making babies?" He asked with a lopsided grin.
The question hung in the air as the former members of the Seigaku Tennis Team looked at Ryoma and Sakuno expectantly.
Both Ryoma and Sakuno eyed each other and blushed.
Well, it was Sakuno who blushed fifty shades of red while Ryoma was only tinged pink at the ears.
"Eh?" Kikumaru looked in confusion.
"Eh?" Momoshiro asked in confusion as well. "You haven't—"
They opened their mouths to speak, but someone beat them to it.
"Oi, Momo! It's not our place to ask them such questions." It was the mother hen, Oishi.
"But, Oishi, aren't you excited to meet Ochibi's babies? Don't you want to be a godfather?!" Kikumaru retorted.
"Well—"
"You need not worry about it, Eiji-senpai," Sakuno said, recovering from the shock earlier. Everybody turned their heads to regard her.
"Yeah, you mustn't—" Ryoma agreed but was cut off.
"Because Ryoma doesn't seem to be interested that much in me," Sakuno finished. "Excuse me." She bowed at them before leaving.
Silence wrapped the group. They were wide-eyed and slack-jawed.
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After leaving the restaurant, Sakuno found a playground nearby. She decided to rest on one of the swing sets. The scene before her was peaceful and only the children's laughter was heard in the background as she slowly swung.
She also couldn't believe what she said back at the restaurant.
"Doesn't seem that much interested in me, huh?" she whispered to herself.
"Ah, Sakuno-san." Someone said from behind her.
Sakuno craned her neck to see who it was and was surprised to see Momo standing.
"I'm glad I found you," he said.
Her eyebrows cinched in confusion. "Is something wrong?"
Momo laughed good-naturedly. "No, nothing's wrong. Well, maybe a little." He took the swing next to her so that they were swinging side by side.
"I know Ryoma's a cocky brat and all, but he really does care for you," Momo began.
Sakuno stopped swinging. "He does?" She sounded doubtful and almost mocking, even to her own ears.
"He does. He followed you immediately, after you left. But Tezuka-buchou stopped him. They're giving him a lecture of sorts."
Sakuno sighed as she resumed swinging.
"So, what exactly happened between the two of you?" Momo asked. But he wasn't looking at her. He was admiring the sky.
Sakuno followed his line of vision, and soon found herself staring up at the sky as well. She remembered the events of yesterday, and with a red face, relayed them to Momo.
"Oh. So that's what happened," Momo said as his eyebrows knit together. "That bastard," he whispered though Sakuno could hear what he said.
"Ah, but senpai, please calm down," she appeased him.
"Sakuno-chan," Momo said as he stood up. Sakuno raised her head to meet him eye to eye. "You're my junior too so as a good senpai, whenever Echizen gives you trouble, just tell me, and I'll be sure to give him a good beating. Okay?" Momo gave her a thumbs up. "So, wipe your tears now."
She did not even know tears were falling out of her eyes as Momo gave his assurances. She wiped her cheeks. "Thank you, Momo-senpai."
"There, there." Momo sort of awkwardly patted her head.
A 'Momo-senpai' interrupted their moment. They knew who it was even before they turned their heads towards him.
"See ya around, Sakuno-chan," Momo said in farewell. He pocketed his hands and walked away from the couple to give them time to talk.
After that, Sakuno resumed swinging. Not acknowledging the fact that someone has taken a seat beside her. Not speaking a single word.
"Sakuno," Ryoma said in a low voice. However, she did not look up to meet his eyes.
"I'm sorry."
The magical words. Well, part of the three magical words or phrases or sentences or whatever they are called. The other two were I love you and Please.
These words weren't normally spoken by the Tennis Prince so were her ears deceiving her? Ryoma asking sorry?
The world must be ending. Or it just might be her exaggerating.
Sakuno lifted her head and to her surprise, he was staring at her. Yet his stare was different from the usual stares he threw at his opponents. Of course, she was no opponent of his. But given their situation, technically, she was.
His stare was different. Way different.
It was softer, gentler, kinder as if his eyes were begging for forgiveness for that stolen kiss.
Sakuno avoided his penetrating gaze, slightly blushing from the intensity. "…do it again."
"What?"
She met his eyes. Those golden eyes. "I said just don't do it again."
A small smile played on Ryoma's lips before he stood up and held out his hand in invitation.
In response, Sakuno took it in hers. He intertwined their fingers and squeezed. She squeezed back. Hand in hand, they went back to the restaurant where their senpais were waiting.
Sakuno looked at their hands and wondered how they fit so perfectly.
"Oh! The lovebirds are here!" Eiji announced and it snapped Sakuno out of her thoughts about their intertwined fingers.
"I'm so sorry for walking out," Sakuno said as she bowed deep before them.
"No, it's fine, Sakuno-chan," Oishi said as he smiled at her in assurance.
"It was really nice to see all of you, senpais." Sakuno smiled at all of them.
"It was nice to see you too," they replied in chorus.
"Let's do this again sometime," Momo said as he made eye contact with her.
"Yeah," Sakuno said as some of the former team agreed with her.
"Then, see ya around, senpais," Ryoma said in goodbye as he wrapped his arms around his waist and brought Sakuno closer to him. Sakuno blushed at the intimacy they were showing in front of their seniors.
His senpais catcalled and hooted at this public display of affair.
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Ryoma and Sakuno passed by a fruit stand. As per tradition, he bought an apple and tossed it at her.
Sakuno successfully caught it this time.
A smirk played on his lips.
The couple resumed their walk home as the sun slowly set on the horizon. As they were walking, Sakuno contemplated on the meaning of the apple tossing again. When none of particular importance came to her mind, she simply settled that maybe he wanted to remind her of their vows. Of their marriage perhaps?
Still holding hands, the couple continued their walk home.
Until Ryoma abruptly stopped.
"Sakuno," Ryoma said.
She turned to regard him. "Yes—"
It was then she understood the meaning of the apple. To them, it does not merely symbolize the saying of 'yes' to a marriage. They now have this sort of understanding that it is a 'yes' to almost anything they could think of. Well, mostly anything Ryoma could think of.
Sakuno was cut off when Ryoma placed a chaste kiss on her lips as her eyes closed.
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Notes from a Muddy Writer:
So updating because school's tomorrooow~ Anyway, I hope I wrapped this chapter nicely. Please look forward to next chapter. As always, thank you sooooo much for the continued support (reviews, favorites, and alerts!) They make me happy! :D
