Hm…. Yup… this chapter SUCKS!!!!! Yup. But Enjoy

"One set match. Echizen to serve," the referee shouted.

Ryoma bounced the ball about three times then shout it up in the air.

"Nya! Wow… Ochibi is serious at the start," Eiji said.

"Why wouldn't he be? Because the prize of the game is…" Momoshiro turning towards the direction where Sakuno was standing.

Sakuno had a worried look on her face. 'Ryoma-kun… Hazue-kun… be careful' she prayed.

Ryoma hit the ball with his tennis racket. 'Twist Serve'

Hazue raced to the ball. "Aa. This is the famous twist serve. It's not good enough!" Hazue said returning the ball.

"Nya! He returned it!" Eiji said shocked.

"Mamushi's brother is really good," Momoshiro said.

"Yeah…" Sakuno answered.

"Hm? Ryuzaki?" Momoshiro acknowledged.

"Nya Ryuzaki-chan does know this match is for her right?" Eiji asked Momo quietly.

Sakuno turned to Eiji with a surprised reaction. Was this really for her?

"Eiji-senpai!" Momo hissed. Eiji jumped realizing he has said to much.

"Oh look at the time," Eiji said looking down at his imaginary watch on his wrist. "Sis is gonna mean if I'm late. Nya! Ja Ne!" yelled Eiji leaving in a hurry.

"Eiji-senpai…" Momoshiro said disappointingly.

"Momo-senpai…" Sakuno started.

Momoshiro looked at Sakuno who was looking at the ground. Her bangs covering her face.

"Was what Kikumaru-senpai said true? Is this match really for me?" she asked quietly.

Momo looked down at her and then stare back at the tennis courts. "Yeah," he answered.

Sakuno looked up at Momoshiro surprised. There was no mistake. This match was for her.

"I guess you could say… Echizen… doesn't like you hanging out with people you just met. He's very protective over… um… 'special' friends," he told her trying not to say the Ryoma liked her.

"Special?" she asked. "Like… special… like stupid girls who can't stick up for themselves special?!" Sakuno said starting to sound pissed off. We all knew how Ryoma could be right?

"No!" Momo said defending Echizen. "Nothing like that!"

"Then what do you mean special?" Sakuno asked him.

Momo sighed and stood quiet for a minute trying to think of how to say what he wants to say without actually giving the largest hint away.

"I guess you could say… Echizen likes to protect or is more protective of 'certain' friends," he explained.

Okay did he just change special to certain? What? Sakuno had to get to the bottom of this.

"What do you mean by certain friends…" Sakuno asked again.

Momoshiro flinched. 'Damn this girl asks a lot of questions!'

"Um… I mean you're the coach's granddaughter and I mean… if all of us don't protect you we'll be hearing bad things from her and um… I guess… you're all the Regulars' responsibility you know…" Momo lied.

Sakuno looked down again in disappointment. 'Coach's granddaughter' she hates that title.

"Arigato Momo-senpai… I'm going home," Sakuno thanked and headed her way home.

"Oi Ryuzaki!" Momo chased after her. "Don't go!"

Sakuno kept on walking.

"Ryuzaki!" Momoshiro screamed a little louder.

Ryoma lost his focus on the match and turned to see Momoshiro chasing after Sakuno who seemed to look depressed and upset.

'Ryuzaki…' Ryoma thought.

"Echizen look out!" a voice called out.

Ryoma turned to see the ball coming speeding towards his face.

Ryoma stood there like a deer in head lights as the ball game towards him.

"Echizen!" another voice cried out.

This time Sakuno turned around to see…

BAM!

"Ryoma-kun!" Sakuno cried out.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::BLACKOUT:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

A Eiji cat comes walking across the pitch black screen.

"Hi-nyeow!" the little pink cat waves.

A kissing sound a finger tells Eiji to walk towards them.

The Kikumaru Cat walks towards the finger smiling happily.

"Bye-nyeow!" the cat waves as it exits the screen

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Back to Story::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Dude… how long has that freshman been out?" a junior student asked.

"For about 2 weeks now…" he said. "That head shot was pretty hard."

"I heard that some person keeps visiting after school! Sometimes even sleeps over…" he added.

"Probably his mom or something," another senior replied.

They each walked away as Sakuno stood silently in a corner holding on to a flower she has just brought.

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"Aa! Ryuzaki-san glad to see you again," the nurse said happily.

"You too Kagura-san!" Sakuno smiled happily.

The nurse smiled back. "Hmm?" she said looking down at the rose. "Is this one for him as well?" he asked.

Sakuno shrugged. "I figured the last one probably died so I'll just go place this one in his room," she said.

"Well go ahead you know where it is!"

"Arigato!" Sakuno chanted running off to hospital room 309.

The nurse smiled as she watched the young girl run. "Geez Sakuno… what are we ever gonna do with you?" The nured sighed as she went back to work at her desk.

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Sakuno slowly opened the door. The room was dark so she decided to open a window.

After that she walked past the bed. To her surprise that other 5 roses she brought were still alive and well.

She looked happily at them and picked up the vase to add another rose in it.

Before she placed the rose in the vase she sniffed it with the pleasure of its sweet scent.

"Ryoma-kun…" she muttered quietly, with a small smile on her face.

"Nani?" a voice answered.

Sakuno jumped out of being surprised. She dropped the vase and all the flowers on the floor.

"Uh-oh!" she said looking at the roses on the floor sadly.

"Looks like Ryuzaki made a mess," a voice said smugly.

Sakuno turned with her eyes narrowed to where the voice was coming from. She looked to see two golden eyes staring at her.

"Why did you scare me like that?! Look what you made me do!" Sakuno said angrily pointing at the puddle of flowers on the floor that she made with scattered glass.

"You called my name… so I answered," Ryoma said innocently. "I did nothing wrong."

"You always think that way," Sakuno answered annoyed.

"I know that way," Ryoma answered.

Sakuno rolled her eyes and crouched down and began to pick up flowers.

Ryoma watched her. 'Her hairs too long… when she picks up that last flower… she's gonna…'

Thud. "Ouch!" Sakuno winced landing on her butt.

Ryoma smirked. "Fall…" he whispered to himself.

Sakuno picked up her the flower and turned to see the smirking Ryoma.

"Ha ha very funny…" Sakuno laughed sarcastically. "Don't you have anything better to do than laugh at my accidents?"

"I'm stuck in a hospital room. What else am I suppose to do?" Ryoma asked.

Sakuno groaned. "Look at the wall or something!" she scowled.

Ryoma shrugged.

Sakuno grimaced. "One day I will teach you that lesson," she grunted.

"Then teach it," Ryoma said.

Sakuno stared at him confused. "Teach what?"

"The lesson you want to teach me so much… teach it," he said.

Sakuno began giggling a little bit as she headed towards the door.

"I'll teach it… just not now," she said.

Ryoma sighed and sat up in his bed and placed his hands behind his head. "I'll be waiting here then," he said yawning.

Sakuno had a tiny smile on her face. "Mada Mada Dane… Ryoma-kun," she said and with that she closed the door and left.

Ryoma stared at the door. He than layed back in his bed and turned facing the window.

"Don't use my phrase until I learn my lesson," Ryoma said aloud to himself.

He yawned and closed his eyes eventually falling into a slumber.