36 Drabbles

26: First~~

It was a harmless question, really. "Do you want to come watch a tennis match with me?" Sakuno just didn't know that it would end up with about fifty different reporters and fifty different paparazzi from fifty different tabloid magazine companies swarming her house.

"Mou…" Sakuno muttered, eyebrows furrowing as she peeked out her bedroom window from behind her pink curtains. She wondered how they knew where her house was, and how they were able to find out so quickly. They didn't know a single thing about her; they just knew she was sitting with Ryoma in the stands while they watched a local tennis tournament. Sure, their seats were in the VIP section, but did that really mean anything? And a little nagging thought in the back of her head told her this was because of Ryoma's father, Echizen Nanjiroh. He gave Ryoma the tennis tickets after all.

"Che. They aren't that great." Ryoma said sulkily as they sat in the little box that counted as the VIP section. Sakuno giggled, sitting beside him and noticing his hand twitching. Where tennis was concerned, Ryoma was always very adamant to have a hand in it, and she almost sure he would try to barge in after the winner was decided and challenge him to a match. No doubt it would spark up a lot of gossip, and she knew how much Ryoma hated gossip, so she reached over and grabbed his twitching left hand with her right hand, squeezing it gently to sate him. He glanced over at her, still pouting. Sakuno giggled again.

"Ryoma, just be patient. I promise we'll ring up Momo-chan-senpai and the rest of them and you can get rid of your urges." He still pouted, but it lessened somewhat when Sakuno leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder, eyes trained on the two tennis players below them. Certainly, they were good, but Sakuno knew her boyfriend would destroy both of them. She didn't want their pride to be crushed so completely after they just won a long and gruelling tennis tournament, so she vowed to keep Ryoma as a spectator at all costs.

And as Sakuno would soon find out, that required lots of touching (and being touched), witty banter about how the two players didn't even come close to good (in Ryoma's opinion), and a few chaste and teasing kisses. Unfortunately, their every action was documented in about five different paparazzi cameras.

Sakuno groaned, wondering how on earth she was going to avoid the crowd of reporters outside her house and get to school. This was definitely a first for her, seeing as she wasn't exactly the most famous person (she was only popular at school for being so naturally shy and cute). Aimi was probably more suited to these types of things, seeing as the girl was a teenage supermodel.

Her rescuer came in the version of a little car, with the prince of tennis himself stepping out of it. He saw her in the window, motioning with his eyes to come down. Sakuno, a little sceptical, did as he was told because he obviously had experience with these reporters shoving tape recorders or microphones in his face. Quickly, Sakuno snatched her school and rushed out the door, shrinking under the flashes and loud voices of all the commotion. They shoved around her gate, only backing away when some of them saw Ryoma's trademark scowl directed at them.

Meekly, Sakuno opened her gate and rushed over to Ryoma, who grabbed her arm and ushered her into the car his father drove while maintaining his intimidating scowl. After getting in the car himself, Nanjiroh (who was extremely pleased with himself) drove off to the direction of their high school, a goofy smile playing at his lips.

"Sorry about this Sakuno." Ryoma said, gripping her hand. Sakuno blushed, shaking her head as she thought about the morning hullabaloo. Reporters and paparazzi hording her house and taking pictures of her whenever she came into sight; that sounded like the day of a typical girlfriend of a tennis superstar.

"Its okay Ryoma." Sakuno said, smiling at him. "I have to get used to this sooner or later." Nanjiroh, listening in on their conversation, snickered from the drivers seat.

"Just imagine the hype once your first baby is born." Ryoma, vein popping from his forehead, kicked the back of his dad's seat as Sakuno blushed a cherry red.

"Oyaji!"

Nanjiroh just laughed. His eyes glanced in the little mirror above him at his son and his son's girlfriend, both blushing in carrying degrees of red. A little smirk played at his lips.

"Well, there's always a first time for everything, ne?"

A/N Twenty-sixth drabble out! This once was a lot of fun to write.

My inspiration for this chapter was mainly Sakuno and Ryoma's first appearance to the papparazzi. I mean, if you're the girlfriend of an international tennis player, obviously you're gonna get a little fame, right? And of course, where mischief is concerned, Nanjiroh is always present. He gave those tickets to Ryoma because he decided the two of them needed a little recognition, and he needed a few laughs. Silly samurai.

Review for some peach cobbler with ice cream!

Snowflake Flower