DISCLAIMER: I don't own Prince of Tennis

A.N.: WAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH~ After 5 years and a day, I finally updated!

Chapter 6

The day of the tennis tournament came, and as expected Seigaku's Men's Tennis team was able to get through the eliminations smoothly; however their counterpart, the Women's Tennis team was struggling.

"The Women's Tennis team is having their do-or-die match right now," Inui reported when he came back from his data gathering while the rest of the team was packing up.

"Le…Let's cheer for them!" Eiji requested with a blush on his face.

"You're just going to cheer for Marika-chan!" Oishi teased.

"N... N… No I'm not! They cheered for us when we were in a tight spot… We… We belong to the same school… Camaraderie you know! Camaraderie!" Eiji blushed with stronger shades of red.

"Hai! Hai! Eiji-senpai~" the group laughed, seeing their noisy senpai get tongue-tied.

While the group cheered for the Women's Tennis team, Ryoma searched for a vending machine, craving for his favorite juice, when he saw a familiar figure, none other than his former girlfriend, Sakuno Ryuuzaki. She was lying on grass, adoring the clear skies above her. He knew that every time she does this, she must be thinking of something deep and serious. Without knowing it, he stopped walking and just admired her from where he was. He wondered what could she be thinking about. Then he remembered those moments, how he would sometimes catch her on the same situation, and how she would fake a smile, convincing him that it's nothing and she's fine. Even though that he knew that she was far from being fine, he just accepted her answer and didn't push the subject further. If he was more sensitive and caring back then, would things change, would they still be together? But before he could formulate any answer, he heard a loud cheer from the people around the court, making him remember that he has two cans of juice to buy.

Sakuno sighed for the nth time. Maybe if she didn't give in to the team's insistence for her to play in this tournament and someone else took her place, the team might have been in a better position. After all, she wasn't a stellar player like and she was also missing some of their practices because of her grandmother's hospitalization. Though, deep inside she really felt happy that the team insisted her to play with them today.

"Why do the senpais wanted me to play in today's tournament? If someone else played in my stead, they won't be having a do-or-die match right now…" Sakuno told herself.

"Why do you always have to be pessimistic and timid?" Ryoma countered. Sakuno immediately sat up, surprised to see the least person she wanted to see went she's like this.

Ryoma sat down beside her. "Ho…How… How long have you been here?" she asked clumsily.

"Long enough to admire how beautiful you've become," somewhere in Ryoma's brain thought for him, but instead of answering Sakuno, he just offered her an apple juice that she really liked.

"Waaaahhhh~ Thank you, Ryoma!" Sakuno gladly accepted. She was like a happy kid in a body of a very charming lady. Watching her at such a close distance, Ryoma noticed his heart just felt more than 50 shades of emotions for her.

She was about to drink the apple juice but instead of feeling the cold can on her lips, she felt something else, a warm and hungry sensation. Ryoma's lips were on hers. She was astounded beyond her limits, not just the fact that Ryoma was kissing her, but the way he kissed her was like first time in forever.

Though a lot of people thought that they were such a frigid couple, on the contrary, they're not. Kissing each other wasn't foreign to them as what people perceived. But this kiss, it wasn't his usual one – a caring and loving one, something that made sure her sure how much he loved her no matter how cold or aloof he was. This one made her feel so much emotion – love, longing, hunger, eagerness, wanting. Before she knew it, she was trying to return respond to him at the same intensity, letting the apple juice roll far from them while spilling its contents.

But before they started doing something else, they heard something or someone wrestled in the bushes. As if breaking up the spell that they were currently in, they broke of the kiss and let go of each other. Upon seeing what happened to the apple juice, Ryoma gave his Ponta to Sakuno.

"Give some credit to yourself and those around you. You're a lot better than you think you are," Ryoma immediately left, leaving a tomato-red Sakuno.

By the time that Sakuno returned to the court where their team was playing, the game has already ended. On one corner she can see some of her teammates crying.

"Could it be that we lost?" Sakuno thought as she walked towards her teammates.

Upon seeing her approach the team, Marika, their captain, ran towards her. "We won Sakuno-chan! We won!" Marika cheered as she embraced Sakuno. Knowing that, made Sakuno proud of them than ever.

"Thank you for being playing with us today. We won't make it here without you," Marika confessed while crying. Admiring her beloved senpai, and encouragement she from the original owner of the Ponta she's holding, expressed herself too.

"I should be the one thanking you Marika-senpai and the team. Ever since grandma was hospitalized I already thought of giving up my place in the tournament I'll be missing some of our trainings and I don't want to be a burden to the team. But after you guys, encouraged playing in this tournament I felt really happy, and I felt that I should do my best in this tournament. Even though I did my best, it wasn't enough for the team to make it safely to the next round…" Sakuno revealed. At first she was scared but later on, she felt relief and confidence flow through her, hoping that the team would accept her feelings.

The next thing she knew was that her teammates already surrounded her and enclosed her in a group hug, as each member responded to Sakuno's confession and the feelings they had in today's tournament.

Some distance from them, were the Men's Tennis team, taking their leave as the ladies have their own moment together. They were proud that the Women's team won and made it to the next round of the tournament. Though, some of their members have other things to be proud of like Ryoma Echizen, who just witnessed a very rare chance of Sakuno Ryuzaki overcoming her shyness and expressed herself.

The following weekend was a long weekend. Both teams decided to take a rest as some sort of reward for making it to the next round of the tournament, which will be happening two weeks from now. As soon as she heard the news, Nina set up a date with Ryoma to celebrate the team's success and to check out her boyfriend since his thoughts seems to be somewhere else ever since the eliminations were over.

Just like he was in the past few days, he seems to be engrossed in his own thoughts and didn't pay much her. Nina wondered what happened at the eliminations. It only took her moment of fate and a few seconds to have a clue on the reason why Ryoma was acting like this. The moment she knew, she regretted it.

She was trying to catch up from his fast walking pace until he finally stopped, and gazed at someone across the street. When she saw what he was gazing at, it was the first time she knew that a gaze can break her heart into a million pieces.

Ryoma was gazing at Sakuno with an expression in his face like how poets describe a man who is very much in love.

A.N: Thank you to those who still looked forward to my updates. Thank you so much! I hope that you liked my 'comeback' update! RyomaXSakuno forever! Kindly share your thoughts about it!

P.S.: I know, it's been a long time, so please give a comment on my present writing style. Muah~