Realization

Disclaimer: I do not own The Prince of Tennis

Chapter 6: The Date.

Sakuno looked at herself in the mirror. She wore a white sundress with little dark blue flowers on it and a pair of black flats. Her hair was down, with a single burette pinning her bangs back.

This should do. She thought.

Then, the doorbell rang. Sakuno grabbed her purse, then ran downstairs. She opened the door to see her date. Hiroshi stood there, looking as handsome as every, with a small smile on his lips.

"You look very beautiful."

"Uhh, thanks."

They began walking toward's their destination, side by side, casually holding each other's hands. During the walk, the two hand light conversations about schoolwork and current events.

Sakuno was very nervous. After all, she was shy when it came to boys. But somehow, she managed to smile and answer in the right places. She didn't have to do much though. Hiroshi was obviously very proud of his swimming abilities and bragged very often. After awhile, Sakuno became a little annoyed, but did not show it. After all, in her opinion, she had to be polite and modest.

She sighed in relief when she realized that Hiroshi was taking her to the burger joint. After all, it was the perfect location for their first date. It was private, but not too private because there were many people around them. Hiroshi led her to a table and politely went up to order for the both of them. He was being a perfect gentleman, which made Sakuno momentarily forget about his previous act of arrogance. She smiled.

Maybe this date won't be so bad after all.

~xoxoxox~

Ryoma clenched his fist. At this point, to say that he was fuming would be an understatement. He was ready to strangle Hiroshi to death if it weren't for the fact that the glass wall was in between the two. Next to him were Momo and Kikumaru.

"Oh no, ochibi's jealous. Nya, Momo-chan, what should we do?" Kikumaru asked?

"I dunno, I've never seen Echizen jealous before." Momo answered.

"Interesting," Inui said, popping out of nowhere, " it seems though that Ryuzaki-chan's date is turning out well so far. Echizen must be furious. This'll make good data"

"Inui! Where did you come from?!" Kikumaru exclaimed.

"Hmm, I'm not so sure about that, Inui," Fuji implied, appearing just as Inui had, "Ryuzaki-chan seems a little uncomfortable."

"Fujiko! Why are you two here?" Kikumaru demanded.

"Why do you say that, Fuji?" Inui asked, ignoring Kikumaru's request.

"Just look at her. She seems so proper and formal. Usually, on a date, you should act a bit carefree so that your date can see a bit of you true colors. I don't think these two will work out." Fuji answered.

"I kinda agree with Fuji-sempai." Momo said. "She does look a little tense."

Tense?! Of course she's tense! I've seen how that Yoshida guys acts. He's too full of himself and purposely seeks attention. He's probably making Ryuzaki miserable right now after all his talk about his accomplishments. Ryoma thought bitterly to himself.

The five of them all watched curiously as the date went on. Ryoma would glare at Hiroshi every time she saw him make Sakuno laugh, put his arm around her, or leaned towards her.

He also noticed how pretty Sakuno looked that particular moment. She looked stunning in her dress. Every time she smiled, Ryoma felt his heart skip a beat. He was glad that his back was faced towards the others because he was pretty sure that he was blushing bright red.

After Ryoma had had as much as he could bear, he walked away from the scene. He didn't know if it was her new attitude, her new look, or the fact that she was there with someone else instead of him, one thing was for certain. He was no longer confused about his feelings.

I am in love with Ryuzaki Sakuno.

~xoxoxo~

The date ended as any date would've. Hiroshi walked Sakuno home, occasionally linking his arm around her or rubbing her soft hands. Then, when they reached Sakuno's house, Hiroshi casually leaned down and pecked her on her cheek. Again, he smiled, a smile that was as confident as it was charming, and bid her goodnight.

That wasn't too bad. Sakuno thought. But something isn't right. I didn't feel that romantic bond between us. Does that mean that he's not right for me?

Maybe it's just because it was the first date. I'm sure it'll appear once we get to know each other better.