Part four: The Date

Ryoma smirked, Sakuno's new look was a surprise but it wasn't a disappointment at all. After they'd finally noticed each other and Sakuno stopped apologizing they'd gotten onto the train station to head off to the stringers. Ryoma had left his two spare rackets there three days before and he'd asked to pick them up by the weekend, so he'd have time to go and pick them up. Once they'd boarded the train though the silence between them lengthened; neither had any idea on what to do on a date. They'd been on a 'date' similar to this one, back in their first year of middle school, when Sakuno's grandmother and his coach had asked him to take her and get her racket restrung. It'd been more than two years ago, and they were already in their freshman year in high school. (I don't think I ever mentioned that, sorry)

Ryoma kept glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, but Sakuno was looking down at the train's floor, clutching her tennis racket to her chest. This kind of irritated Ryoma. He was used to her starting a conversation so he didn't have to. But Sakuno, who'd learned her lesson the last time she thought to ask him personal question or talk too much as Ryoma had put it, had decided not to say anything to make Ryoma angry. Ryoma waited a couple more minutes before his irritation got the better of him. Leaning forward from his relaxed position, Ryoma placed his face into Sakuno's line of vision and frowned.

"Aren't you going to say something?" Sakuno's face flushed at Ryoma's proximity. That was twice in one day, after being around him for two years, Sakuno knew that Ryoma liked his personal space, and she always tried to give it to him, but now he seemed to be placing his usual like for silence and space on the back burner and all on one date!

"Why did you ask me out on a date?" Spilt out of her mouth, it had been on her mind since he'd asked her, and well it just slipped out. Sakuno's face flushed in embarrassment. Ryoma on the other hand was surprised, he hadn't expected that. Sitting back Ryoma thought if he should answer truthfully or not, when Sakuno spoke up again. "I'm sorry Ryoma-kun that wasn't what I meant to say. You don't have to answer." Sakuno felt disappointed in herself, their date had just started and she'd already ruined it. 'Well at least he asked me on date.'

"Truthfully, I didn't want to go shopping with my mom today, I wanted to pick up my rackets. When I saw you I remembered we have the same stringer, and so I asked you as an excuse not to go." Ryoma turned to look at her. Her eyes were wide in shock, and he could see the disappointment appearing on her face. Now he felt really, really guilty. 'I should say something else.' "But you know I'm glad I did, because we've known each other for a while now, I've even given you tennis lessons before, but I realize I don't really know much beside that you have wobbly hips, your form sucks, and you have abnormally long hair." Sakuno's face cleared as she thought about what he said. And he was completely right, besides tennis, and tennis related activities she didn't really know much about him, either.

"You're right, Ryoma-kun." For some reason this made Sakuno feel a lot better, like in something they were finally equal in something. She knew just as much about him as he probably knew about her. Smiling Sakuno turned to him. "It's because I'm so shy and Ryoma-kun can be very intimidating to try and get to know."

"You think so?" Ryoma asked. Sakuno nodded warming up to the conversation.

"Ryoma-kun gives off a sense of confidence that a lot of people don't have and that makes them feel intimidated when their around you," Sakuno giggled, "and it doesn't help that you're always scowling at people when they get too close to you." Sakuno continued to laugh a little. Ryoma smiled, he'd never seen her so light hearted around him, and she was always so timid. While she laughed Ryoma turned towards her, their knees almost touching.

"What else?"

"Hmm?" Sakuno asked confused.

"What else about me that makes' it 'so' hard to approach me?" Sakuno thought about it. Then she began counting on her fingers.

"Well Ryoma-kun is really smart. You're good at English, and you never get bad grades in any of your classes. You're a world renowned tennis player since you won the U.S. Open when you were 12, and not only helped the tennis team make it to nationals, but you also won against the 'Child of God' Yukimura-san. You're the only tennis player in the history of Seigaku to become a regular while you were still a freshman. You're popular because of all this and because you're good looking." Sakuno looked at Ryoma holding up seven fingers. "These are all reasons why people are intimidated around you and that does not include your arrogant attitude."

Ryoma was looking at her, had she really just called him 'good-looking' and she didn't even blush? But the way she described him just now made him feel uncomfortable. It was like he was some idol or something that didn't like to mix with commoners. 'I sound like that Monkey-King.' "Does that mean that you don't like me? I'm really not that bad, am I?"

"Of course not!! Ryoma-kun is the best. I mean you were always helping me with my tennis lessons, and you're always sticking up for people. I think if you'd just open up a little, people would realize just how approachable you really are. Even I thought that of you, but..."

"But?" Ryoma wondered what she'd say. Sakuno turned towards him, fully facing him. A big smile on her face.

"But now I think Ryoma-kun is really a nice person, and I like you." Ryoma's face blushed. She liked him. He didn't know how to answer that. "I think Ryoma-kun's a really good friend, and I want to learn more about you." That dampened it for Ryoma 'So she only thinks of me as a friend.' Ryoma looked at her smiling face and smirked/smiled. 'Well it's not too bad having her as a friend.'

"Me too." Sakuno blinked. "I want to learn more about you," Sakuno's face was surprised. "I mean you can't be friends with people you don't know, right?"

"Right." Sakuno smiled, she was happy, she was finally making progress.

"Well as a friend, I feel its safe enough to admit, I have no idea what to do on a date. So if you have any suggestions, feel free to give them." Ryoma leaned an arm against the back of the train seat.

Sakuno laughed, she felt some much more relaxed. 'Why couldn't we have been like this before now?' "How would I know, this is technically only my second date ever." Sakuno added the air quotes to the date part.

"Your second? Who did you go out with on your first date?" At this Sakuno burst out laughing.

"You, silly, remember when Momo-senpai thought we went on a date that time to the stringers?" Ryoma smiled.

"How'd you know about Momo-senpai being there?"

"Because the day after, we met outside the gates and he asked me if your apology was good enough to make up for ruining our date."

"Well, what'd you say?"

"I told him that I had no idea what he was talking about. You should have seen his confused face it was so funny." Ryoma could imagine it very well. After all he'd left that look on Momo's face a lot, and it never got old. The train announced their stop and they gathered their things and got off heading for the stringers. After arriving and finding Ryoma's rackets already packed in his case and the stringer sitting watching T.V. Sakuno told him that she also needed her racket restrung. After he said he'd be awhile they decided to go walk around.

…

Once they were back on the main street, Sakuno began to look at all the window displays. They didn't go inside any of them though. Sakuno wasn't much of a shopper and considering Ryoma had asked her on a date to avoid shopping with his mom, she figured he wasn't much of a shopper either. But they did have fun watching the displays, and sometimes they stopped to comment on the outfits. They spent the morning just walking along the different shopping districts, and eating at a café for lunch. They laughed and talked about some of the foods and restaurants they liked and found they had similar tastes in food. Sakuno found out that after tennis, Ryoma's favorite things to do were spend time with his cat, Karupin, eating at the Burger Palace with Momo, and playing video games against Nanako and his dad.

"Nanako?" Sakuno asked.

"She's my cousin who leaves with us. She goes to college, but she plans on moving to an apartment once she graduates and gets a job as a journalist." Sakuno was curious to who else lived with Ryoma, she might not know about.

"Who else lives with you?"

"My parents of course, Nanako and Karupin, and when my older brother is around he stays with us."

"You have an older brother?" Sakuno was really shocked at this. She'd always figured that Ryoma was an only child.

"Yeah, he's actually my father's brother's son. Or my cousin, but after my uncle died my dad adopted him. He's almost five years older than me, and lives in the United States. So I don't see much of him, my mom takes care of him just like she does Nanako and me, but I've always felt that she still only thinks of him as a cousin and not a son. When we were little he lived with us for about a year, then he went to live in some kind of year long dormitory. So I pretty much forgot about him until I met him on a cruise ship in the summer after nationals. The regulars also got to meet him, we all thought he was a jerk, but he's actually okay. I see more of him now that he travels with a national tennis team." Ryoma shrugged. "How about you?"

"Well my parents are constantly on the road because of their jobs, so I don't see much of them. I moved in with my Grandmother when I was 10 because it was easier for my parents than having to constantly have a babysitter watch me." Ryoma thought Sakuno looked sad as she talked about it. "But I love my grandmother, she can be rough and scary at times but I know she loves me. And it's not like my parents ignore me or anything, they always made time to come to important school functions, open houses and birthdays. It's just they have busy lives that I can't always see them. But they love me, and they give me everything I need, and they help grandmother with the bills so we live comfortable and I've never gone without anything. It's just I wish…"

"That you could see them more often, when it wasn't an important occasion." Ryoma finished for her. Sakuno nodded. Ryoma never would have guessed. Sakuno had always seemed like a happy person, albeit a shy one. But he felt sad that she didn't see her parents as much as he did his own. He took for granted, and even wished at times that he didn't have to see his father ever day, when Sakuno didn't have the choice.

They passed a stand full of different trinkets. Stopping Ryoma's eye caught on a small gold bracelet with little gold shape hearts and little pink-gold roses. It reminded him of the girl next to him; it was small and unassuming, but beautiful and delicate and made of strong stuff. Sakuno had noticed the bracelet too, but also noticed the price, and decided she didn't need it. She moved onto the next stall that had hats, sunglasses and arm bands. Ryoma watched her move off before he went on his gut and picked the bracelet up; telling the seller he wanted it. After paying for it, Ryoma followed Sakuno to the next stall that held t-shirts with funny pictures and sayings.

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It was getting close to three in the afternoon when they headed back to the stringers' shop. After paying their bills for their rackets, Ryoma and Sakuno headed back towards the train station. They were still talking when the train stopped, and it was time they separated. Ryoma didn't really want the day to end. He'd had a lot of fun, just being with her. She was an interesting person, and he felt she was nice person to hang out with, and he'd like to do it again. So again he went with his gut.

"Hey Sakuno, do you want to do this again?" Ryoma tilted his hat up. "I mean, without the stringer, but just hanging out again?"

Sakuno smiled, she'd wanted to spend more time with Ryoma too. Nodded she answered yes. "When's a good time for you?" She asked. Ryoma thought about it. He had practice all week, then a game on Friday, but if the game didn't last to late, he was free after that.

"How about you come to my game on Friday, and we can hang out afterwards. If it doesn't run to late, but when we win, we'll probably have to stop at Kawamura's first. Is that okay?" Sakuno nodded. She'd planned on going to the game anyway, but now she had a 'date' to look forwards to after it.

"So it's a date." Ryoma said and Sakuno laughed. When Sakuno went to turn home after saying goodbye, Ryoma went on impulse and called her name.

"Hey Sakuno, I don't have your cell number. Can we trade?" Sakuno blushed, she hadn't expected for Ryoma to ask for her number but she was happy he did. Nodding, she pulled out her cell and handed it to Ryoma so he could put his number in, and she did the same as Ryoma gave her his.

"Done." Sakuno said, handing Ryoma his phone, and taking hers from his out stretched hand. Now waving and smiling Sakuno said, "I'll see you at school then. Bye Ryoma-kun. I had lots of fun, thanks for asking me out."

"Me too. Bye." Ryoma nodded, Sakuno smiled again before she headed home. Ryoma waited for her to leave the station's north exit and then left thru the south exit, thinking about his day. He reached home 10 minutes later.

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