36 Drabbles
5: Cheering
"We're totally going to win the tournament!" Ryuzaki Sakuno heard someone from the tennis club exclaim as she walked past them to the flights of stairs leading to the rooftop where the tennis prince would undoubtedly be napping. A little smile curved the corners of her lips upwards as she began to ascend the stairs, thinking about the finals tomorrow. The public was watching Seigaku closely now, since Echizen Ryoma was the tennis captain. The matches tomorrow would be swarmed with paparazzi; that Sakuno knew for sure. Thankfully, they got a special section to themselves that wouldn't interfere with spectators.
Sakuno sighed, climbing up the stairs while she clutched the bento. The match started in the morning, broke for lunch, and then continued after about an hour to eat. Ryoma was probably expecting her to prepare a bento box for him again, and she was trying to think of things that wouldn't upset his stomach. He was going to be the last person to play (if they even got that far). In addition to that, Tomoka had already assembled her "Ryoma-sama Fanclub" to wear those ridiculously short cheerleader uniforms. Sakuno was a bit relieved she didn't have to wear them again (it was embarrassing the first time!).
"Ryoma-kun?" Sakuno spoke as she opened the roof door. She looked around, finally spotting him behind the door, napping as usual. One of his eyes opened as she said his name, and she smiled in greeting at him. Just as she did everyday, Sakuno unpacked their bento's and handed one to him, eating her own. But something was a little different today, because Ryoma paused in eating his bento and turned to look at her.
"Ryuzaki." He said, making her head jolt up.
"Y-yes?" Sakuno replied, a little worried something was wrong with his bento and he didn't like it.
"You're always at all my matches, right?" He asked, eyes blank as usual. Sakuno tilted her head a bit, nodding.
"Yes, I am. I always come with Tomo-chan." Sakuno was a little confused as his gaze twisted to look at his lunch. Ryoma didn't say anything for a while, so Sakuno thought that was it. She turned back to her lunch again.
"How come I don't hear you?" He said suddenly, making her blink and look up again.
"Huh?" His gaze turned to her, golden eyes more intense than usual and sending shivers up her spine.
"Cheering." He said. "How come I can't hear you cheering?"
A brilliant blush spread all over Sakuno's face, and she looked down to her bento in embarrassment. Sakuno did cheer for him, but unlike Tomoka's loud belts of "GANBATTE RYOMA-SAMA", Sakuno cheered for him silently, in her heart. She would clasp her hands together and pray he would win, as if he wasn't a tennis prodigy and didn't go to America to participate in an international tournament.
"W-well, I figured Ryoma-kun has so many people cheering for him that I don't need to." Sakuno said, trying to cover up the shameful truth. Ryoma would just look down on her for even thinking about doubting him when it came to tennis. "A-and Ryoma-kun is so good in tennis anyways, he doesn't need me to cheer him on! Ryoma-kun will always win!"
He was silent for a long time after that.
"Mou, Tomo-chan!!" Sakuno exclaimed, cheeks puffed out as the phone was pressed against the side of her face.
"Just because you aren't in the fanclub doesn't mean I won't make you wear something cheerleader-like!" Tomoka said from the other line, sounding mischievous.
When Sakuno had opened her closet that morning, all of her clothes were gone! In their place was a short, light blue jean skirt (a really short, light blue jean skirt), and a slinky pink tank top like the one Tomoka made her wear before, only tighter against her figure and showing all her right curves. What's worse? When she raised her arms, the top would ride higher! She had to be careful, or else she might end up showing a little too much skin.
"Did you have to take my bras too?!" Sakuno screamed into the phone, her blush spreading to her neck as she heard Tomoka guffaw from the other end. "This is really mean Tomo-chan!" The other girl had to finish laughing before she answered.
"Sakuno, why don't you just wear your night clothes or something?" Tomoka asked, knowing full well the answer to that.
"Because I sleep in my underwear! Mou, Tomo-chan!!" Flopping onto her bed, Sakuno really felt like sometimes Tomoka went a bit too far in her games. There was more snickering on the other end, until Tomoka's sincere voice reached her.
"Look, Sakuno-chan, I'm really sorry. But sometimes you need a shove in the right direction! If you want Ryoma-sama to fall for you, you need to appeal to him. Wearing all those modest clothes will get you nowhere. Ryoma-sama is a man now! He needs a woman to satisfy him!" Sakuno squeaked in mortification, sitting up with a blush.
"Tomo-chan!" Sakuno exclaimed, hearing Tomoka giggle on the other end.
"Oh, gotta go now Sakuno-chan! The match starts in a half an hour." Without waiting for a response, Tomoka hung up on her shy best friend. Sakuno stared at the phone, wondering if she heard her friend right. A quick glance at the clock told her she was.
"Only thirty minutes!?" And without a second thought, she grabbed the only clothes in her closet and dashed to the bathroom.
"Sakuno-chan! You made it!" Tomoka exclaimed, dressed in a short skirt and top while her identically dressed fanclub members twittered excitedly behind her. There was a bright smile on her face, despite the fact Sakuno was pouting at her.
"I'm still mad at you Tomo-chan." Sakuno muttered loud enough for her friend to hear, tugging her jean skirt down in discomfort. The fact that she didn't think about what shoes to wear, slipping on a pair of ballet flats, didn't help. The shy girl couldn't help but notice all the stares she was getting, especially at her toned legs and the little cleavage revealed by her top. "Where's Ryoma-kun?" Sakuno asked, holding onto a bento box. She had missed the morning matches because she had just remembered to make lunch for Ryoma. 'He's probably really hungry…'
"Over there, with the senpai!" Tomoka said excitedly, twisting her body in the direction of a crowd of very tall people. Immediately, Sakuno could pick out Ryoma and his Fila cap. But surrounding him was Kikumaru, Momoshiro, Kaidoh, Kawamura, Tezuka, Inui, Fuji, and Oishi. None of them had changed in the slightest, all of them dressed casually for the tournament (it was a Saturday, after all).
"Oh…" Sakuno murmured, thinking she probably shouldn't disturb them. That theory crashed to the ground when Ryoma noticed her and waved her over. A little hesitant, Sakuno only did so when Tomoka pushed her, giggling manically.
"About time, Ryuzaki." Ryoma told her, catching the attention of his senpai as Sakuno neared the group. She was blushing brightly; clutching the bento box like it was going to help her get through this. Kikumaru was the first to notice her, and he immediately pounced the embarrassed girl.
"Nya~! Ryuzaki-chan, is it really you?" He asked, a cute smile forming on his face. "Uwaa, you look so pretty now!" He exclaimed, picking her up and swinging her around. Sakuno, her eyes being replaced with swirls to show she was dizzy, responded in a slightly less enthusiastic voice.
"H-hello Kikumaru-senpai. It's nice to see you too." She answered, finally being put down by the older redhead. She was then suddenly tugged away by Ryoma, her back hitting his chest as he glared at his senpai. She squeaked a little, not used to be jostled around so much. It was a lot more uncomfortable too, since she was wearing practically nothing.
"Ne, Ryuzaki, let's go." Ryoma said, ponta in hand as he walked over to the grassy area near the tennis courts. Still blushing a little, Sakuno followed him obediently, that is until the announcer cut her off in mid-step.
"All tennis players report back to their assigned court. Lunch is now over; thank you." The person on the megaphone said, and Sakuno's widened eyes swivelled to look at Ryoma, poker face still on. He looked uninterested, unaffected. Without another word, Ryoma crushed the ponta can in his hand and threw it in the garbage, walking off to the tennis court where his team was waiting for him. He was stopped when Sakuno grabbed his regular jacket.
"R-Ryoma-kun! You haven't eaten yet!" Sakuno said, panic growing in her chest. He turned to look at her from underneath his cap, golden eyes piercing into her frightened caramel ones. With gentleness surprising her, Ryoma pried her fingers off of his jacket, walking away to join his team.
"Sakuno-chan…" Tomoka said, coming up to touch her on the shoulder. She was promptly brushed off when Sakuno jogged to the green fence surrounding the tennis court, hooking her fingers in the diamond holes and watching as Ryoma grabbed his red tennis racket, making his way onto the court. Tomoka, lips pursed, threw her pompom-filled hands in the air and cheered. "GANBATTE RYOMA-SAMA!!"
"RYOMA-SAMA GANBATTE!!" Her fanclub members screamed, following behind their leader. Sakuno just stayed silent, gripping the wired fence tighter until they made red marks in her skin.
"Ryoma-sama, why?" Tomoka whispered, her members all gasping and downhearted as another ball whizzed past the tennis pro. Some of the photographers and journalists were whispering among themselves, wondering the prodigy was having a bad day or if he wasn't really a genius and just pretending to have this astounding talent in tennis. A few got up and left, too frustrated as the score rapidly kept increasing in the other team's favour.
"Ryoma-kun…" Sakuno murmured to herself, her bento box lying forgotten beside her. "Is it because you didn't eat?" Guilt stabbed furiously at her, and Sakuno cursed herself for not remembering to make his lunch and getting there on time. She watched ball after ball pass by him quickly, and how easily he gave up trying to chase after one. It wasn't long until the score read four games to one.
"Echizen, what are you doing?" Momoshiro said from beside Sakuno, who looked sharply at his glaring face. A shiver went up her spine, and she turned back to watch Ryoma. The referee called for a court change, and Sakuno could see the other team captain smirking as he passed Ryoma. But Ryoma wasn't paying attention to him. Instead, Ryoma was looking directly at Sakuno, his golden eyes intense like they were on the roof.
'Ryoma-kun couldn't want me to-,' She blushed horribly.
Oh, but he did. After the court change and the match restarted, Ryoma kept missing shots because he was sending her glances from the corner of his eye. It got to the point where the score read five games to one, that Sakuno couldn't take anymore. She couldn't take the weeping of the fangirls behind her, nor the furious whispers of her senpai beside her. Eyes squeezing shut, fists clenching, Sakuno shouted at the top of her lungs.
"SEIGAKU!!!"
Frightening everyone around her, and getting the attention of the players on the court, not to mention the reporters, Sakuno spun around and grabbed the pompoms out of Tomoka's hands, waving them in the air exactly like she did two years ago, when Ryoma and herself were still first years in Seishun Gakuen.
"S. E. I. G. A. K. U can say! Yay Seigaku! Hey Seigaku, let's go!" Tomoka's face lit up, and she joined in without her pompoms during the last few lines, just like two years ago when her best friend had randomly cheered during one of Ryoma's tennis matches. Kikumaru's face lit up, and he jumped into the fray as other girls began to join in (the cheer was quite legendary in the Ryoma-sama Fanclub, Tomoka boasting about it since she started the official club last year).
"S. E. I. G. A. K. U can do! Yay Seigaku! Hey Seigaku, let's go! S. E. I. G. A. K. U can say! Yay Seigaku! Hey Seigaku, let's go!" They all chorused in unison, none of them noticing the discreet smile spreading over Ryoma's lips. "S. E. I. G. A. K. U can do, yay!" Kikumaru turned to Sakuno, who understood his wink at her.
"Are you ready?" Sakuno said in English, spinning around with her hands (or pompoms) on her hips and smiling widely at Ryoma in the tennis court. A tip of his hat told her he was, and she giggled to herself as they continued with the cheer.
"Hey Seigaku, let's go!" Simultaneous clapping ensued, all of the people without pompoms making more of a distinct sound. "Seigaku, oh! Seigaku, let's go! Seigaku, ooooh!" Sakuno's pompoms dropped to the ground, and her arms rose high in the air and a big smile on her face. Tomoka's face blanched and she pointed at her best friend.
"S-Sakuno-chan…"
Ryoma, who was obviously watching this amusing display, suddenly turned and stepped off the court. His eyes, most likely in a death glare, where hidden under his Fila cap. He quickly made his way out of the fenced-in court, grabbing his regular jacket and draping it over Sakuno. The shy girl finally understood what was wrong, and a squeak came from her lips, her face completely red. She grabbed the sides of the jacket, tugging it tightly around herself to shield her exposed skin.
"A-arigatou Ryoma-kun." Sakuno murmured, too afraid to look into his eyes. She just heard a simple "hn", before he left her side to go continue the game. But before he left completely, the tennis prince turned around.
"Ne, Ryuzaki." He said, making her look up with wide eyes. A cocky smirk was on his face.
"Cheer for me."
A/N And here's the fifth drabble!
My inspiration for this chapter was, as you can tell, from episode 82 of the anime. It was when Sakuno randomly broke out in a cheer, frightening a few people but inspiring everyone. I just loved when Kikumaru joined in, so I couldn't help but put him in this chapter, lol.
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