36 Drabbles

27: Night Sky

The crowd was deafening, so much Sakuno almost couldn't hear herself think. People were going crazy, stamping their feet and cheering at the top of their lungs. Those who had made signs had ripped them in excitement, swooning over the lone figure standing in the middle of the arena with a smirk on his face, the open-dome stadium glaringly bright because of the sun. Ryoma had his Fila cap on, so his eyes were thankfully shielded from the sun as he looked up at all his fans. He was a shining beacon standing in the middle of a glorious blue sky.

Sakuno just smiled bitterly, hidden in the entrance to the tennis court. She bathed in the shadows, darkness flickering across her skin with every little movement she made. As she looked out to Ryoma's glistening figure, Sakuno could only think to herself that this was where she would remain; in the shadows. She supposed that was all right, as Sakuno was never really comfortable with the spotlight in general. But sometimes she wondered if it would be better, because dating Ryoma was like walking beside the sun. He just commanded attention everywhere he went.

Ryoma looked up, straight at the clear blue sky above him and smirked, letting his hat flop to the floor as he closed his amber eyes. He almost glowed in the sunlight, the wind playing with his hair and letting it dance around him. Sakuno watched him, her heart panging. She mimicked the tennis prodigy, looking up to see nothing but black. A sad smile touched her lips, and she looked back down to see Ryoma making his way towards her. There was a light smile playing at his lips as he swept her up in his arms and kissed her gently. Sakuno returned his kiss with fervour, trying to ignore the voice in her head that told her,

'He belongs in the sun.'

The breeze was cool, blowing under her loose pink shirt and white skirt. It was a little cold, she thought, bringing her hands up to rub her arms. The stadium was completely empty, shrouded in shadows that flickered across the entire dome. The roof was open, letting the moonlight shine its dim light on her. The whitish glow spread across spontaneous parts of her body, and Sakuno traced them with the tips of her fingers. She supposed this was the only light she was getting, for she was born to remain in the shadows.

Taking a deep breath, Sakuno looked up and closed her eyes, the ends of her hair tickling the back of her knees. A few hours ago, after everyone had left the stadium, Sakuno was a bit disgruntled to find both of her braids smeared with vanilla ice cream. Ryoma had laughed at her for a bit, until he finally took pity on her red face and embarrassed pout and pointed her in the direction of the women's shower rooms. There, Sakuno had unravelled her hair and washed out the semi-dry ice cream stains. After finding there was no hand dryer in the room, it soon led to Sakuno standing on the arena, letting the cool breeze of the night air dry her auburn tresses.

"Sakuno."

She turned, seeing Ryoma standing at the entrance of the arena, softly glowing because of the little light on the ceiling of the tunnel-like entrance. Sakuno's lip quirked up a bit, finding it so ironic that even when she stood where he once shone so brilliantly, and he stood where she was once shadowed so lifelessly, he still glowed with the luminance of a twinkling star and she was still surrounded in bleak darkness.

"Ryoma." Sakuno replied, tilting her head in greeting, a soft smile touching her lips. The tennis player made his way over to her, shoes scuffing the tennis court with little sounds. Ryoma reached her, putting his arms around her and holding her to him, giving her a light kiss on the lips. "What are you doing here?" What are you doing in the darkness, when you belong in the light? Those were the words that ran through her head, but she dared not speak them aloud for fear of his retribution. Ryoma hated it when she undermined herself so casually.

Ryoma reached down, nuzzling his nose in her freshly washed hair with a deep sigh. "They're going to close the stadium soon, so we need to go." He told her, and Sakuno nodded. His arms slid out from their hold on her waist, and he looked at her strangely. Sakuno blinked, touching his face lightly with her fingers.

"Ryoma?" She questioned, a little confused when he started to run his fingers through her hair and trace the contours of her face with light, fleeting brushes of his lips. Sakuno shivered, settling her forehead against his, partially to make him stop and partially to be able to see his golden eyes reflected in the light of the moon. "Ryoma should go inside now. I'll come back in a bit." She told him, a little surprised when his hands – that had migrated back down to her hips, gripped her so tightly she could feel the pressure of his hands digging into her skin (especially his fingers).

"Why can't I stay out here with you?" Ryoma asked, a little bitingly. Sakuno blinked in astonishment, not really expecting a question like that to be hurled at her. Her caramel-coloured eyes flashed to the side, mouth pursing a little as if to tell him she didn't want to talk about it. "Sakuno…" He growled, almost a little warningly. She flinched, closing her eyes and breaking from his hold almost too easily. Sakuno walked a little ways from him, her hands coming up to hug her arms, as if to shield herself from her own boyfriend. She looked up to the sky, past the luminous moon and the glittering stars to the dark, endless universe beyond it. Then Sakuno closed her eyes, imagining the bluest of blue skies, the radiant sun blinding her caramel orbs and forcing her back into the darkness. A tear slipped quietly and gently down her cheek, dropping invisibly to the ground.

"I am the night sky, and Ryoma is the sun." Sakuno said quietly, not realizing Ryoma had slinked closer for coherency, as acute as his hearing was. She went on, clutching herself tighter as her shoulders shook with building tears. "Ryoma is the day sky, and I am the moon." Unknown to her, Ryoma began to touch her hair, letting the semi-dry strands run through his fingers to rejoin the rest of her auburn locks. "I am dark, you are light; we can never stand beside each other." Sakuno whispered finally, so softly under her breath that even at Ryoma's proximity he needed to strain his ears to hear her. When he did, however, fury slammed through him like the adrenaline rushing through his body when he faced a particularly strong opponent.

Though she spoke in riddles, Ryoma could understand her perfectly.

"I'm not good enough for you",

"You deserve someone who will share your fame",

"People will scorn you for being with such a nobody",

"Our relationship would never work",

"Let's break up."

"I refuse." He said, shocking her when he suddenly spun her around to meet his fierce, determined amber eyes. She was a little frightened of the intensity of his golden orbs, almost burning into her soul as he punctuated his every point with a passionate kiss. Sakuno soon found her body crushed by his larger one, Ryoma's rough and calloused hands gripping her wavy brown hair and her petite, trembling body to further solidify his point. "I don't know why you're saying weird things," oh yes he did know, but he wasn't going to hint to Sakuno that he had more brains in the romantic department than people thought he did, "but I. Can't. Live. Without you."

Sakuno gasped for breath when he finally stopped suffocating her with his kisses, burying his nose in the crook of her neck. This time, Sakuno knew for a fact she wasn't trembling anymore, so she came to the conclusion it was Ryoma who quivered violently as he held her, his cheek pressed against her cheek.

"Sakuno," he whispered breathily, and a little shakily too. "I don't care about anyone else. I don't care if you suck at tennis," here, she let out a choked laugh more in bitterness than joy. "I don't care about what other people will think, I don't even care if we are the most dysfunctional pair in the universe. Sakuno, why can't you understand that I… I…" Here, he paused as Sakuno waited anxiously for his reply. Both of them were tensed, but Ryoma was still shaking. He pulled back a little, cupping her face up to look straight into the caramel-coloured orbs of his girlfriend. His eyes slowly trailed over her face, delicate and innocent, so gently feminine, and then to what was shown of her auburn locks, long and wavy, and soft to every touch. Ryoma's eyes softened.

God she was beautiful.

"I love you."

He said it; Echizen Ryoma finally said it. Sakuno couldn't of been happier. If the fact that she hugged him so closely and given him the most soulful kiss she had ever given him before was any indication, Ryoma was sure Sakuno was the happiest she'd ever been in their many months together.

At this point, the janitor who was locking up had wandered around looking for the last two people in the stadium, and finally found them kissing under the moonlight. As much as he would've liked to leave them alone, the old man was on a tight schedule (it was his thirtieth anniversary tonight) and he needed to go. When he called out to them, a pleased "hello there!" they both jumped like they had been caught red-handed with their hands down the cookie jar. The old man just chuckled softly under his breath, motioning for them to get out of the arena. Embarrassed at being caught during such an intimate moment, the two of them ran to the janitor with blushing cheeks (some brighter than others) and apologetic bows. The pleasant old man waved it off, and sent them on their way so he could lock up for the night.

As he left to the hallway on the right, Ryoma discreetly tucked Sakuno's hand in his and pulled her along to get out of the stadium. It was pretty late, and he was sure Sumire (Sakuno's grandmother) was going to chew him out again for keeping her away from home. Sakuno just let Ryoma lead her along, although she turned her head back to gaze at what was left of the arena from the opening (or what doubled as the entrance). The roof of the dome was being closed up, and the light of the moon was steadily being blocked out. Sakuno smiled a little, turning her head back to glance over at the side of Ryoma's face. The artificial lights above them made him glow like a star, or the sun. Sakuno looked down to herself, seeing shadows flickering across her skin. Another light smile touched her lips.

'As light and dark we can never stand beside each other, we can only coexist. Well… Ryoma was always good at breaking the impossible.'

A/N Twenty-seventh out! Gosh, this was such a hassle to write, but I'm very, very proud of this particular drabble! I think its the best I've written in a long time. I find it funny that some drabbles I think will turn out horribly end up being one of my best. Lol.

My inspiration was based on a quote I thought up. "I am the night sky, and Ryoma is the sun" which is what Sakuno says to herself, but when I thought about how to start it, I imagined Sakuno looking at Ryoma after he won a tennis match, people adoring him and Sakuno just left in the background. Then it just sort of veered in another direction and wrote itself. I really love when that happens, because it usually ends up being some of my best work.

Review for any desert/food or drink that you want! And please, please tell me what you think of the writing. Thanks!

Snowflake Flower