'Every Single Step'

disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis. I own the story and the characters, Mizuru and Rio.

Previously:

'P-please to meet you. I'm Sakuno Ryuzaki.'

'Hn.'

'I've never talked to a boy before.' Sakuno thought nervously.

Chapter II: First Step

'Ryuzaki-san, Echizen-san, our practice will be during lunch break and maybe there will be after classes. Echizen-san, Captain Tezuka has given you a permission. Will that be okay with you?' the leader asked.

'Hn.'

'What about you Ryuzaki-san?'

'H-hai!'

'Thanks a lot! See yah later!' the leader waved goodbye.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Sakuno entered their room and was welcomed by Tomoka's loud voice.

'Sa-chan! What happened to you? How come I got here first than you?'

'Anou… the d-dance club.' She said a little nervous.

'Sa-chan. Why are you nervous?' Tomoka asked with a funny grin.

'Eh?'

'You're stuttering again. Remember, you got rid of that habit cause you haven't been nervous for a while. Don't tell me you met a really cute guy?' Tomoka teased.

'Mou Tomo-chan!' Sakuno stood her face with a blush on them.

'I'm just kidding. So what really happened?'

'The dance club mistook me as a volunteer.' She mumbled.

'Eh?! Then why didn't you tell them?'

'I got sorry for them. They were so thankful that I joined them.'

'So you didn't tell them the truth.'

'Yeah.'

'So, why are you nervous? I mean, of course they expect that some volunteers aren't good at dancing. So they will teach them. Did you tell them that you're a good dancer?'

'No!' Sakuno said quite flustered about their topic.

'You know what Sa-chan, you're really weird after going to that meeting or something.'

'Y-yeah I think so too.' She sobbed.

'Ne, Tomo-chan… may I ask you something?' Sakuno asked.

'S-sure.' Tomoka stuttered a bit cause of Sakuno's sudden action.

'Do you know someone named Ryoma Echizen?'

'…' Silence came.

'Of course I know him!' Tomoka exclaimed for the whole class to hear.

'Haha I see.' Sakuno's sweat dropped.

'Why? Do you have a crush on Ryoma-sama!?'

'N-no. It's nothing.'

'Maybe I shouldn't tell Tomo-chan about it. She'll freak out.' Sakuno thought.

'Sure?'

'Yes. Anyway, why do you put –sama after his name?' Sakuno asked changing the topic.

'As the founder of Ryoma-sama's fan club, I have no right to call him by his first name only. He is too great for me. He's just first year like us but he's already a regular of the tennis team. They call him the Prince of Tennis. He's so dreamy!'

Sakuno's sweat dropped again.

'F-founder?' Sakuno couldn't believe that her bestfriend is the founder of her partner's fan club. What's even more surprising for her is that her partner is the most popular member of their school's tennis club where her grandmother is the current coach. There are a lot of connections between them for her to somehow know him or see him. But why hasn't she noticed him. He is the popular first year regular of Seigaku. As a student, he has done a lot. He is even quoted as the 'Prince of Tennis. Sakuno just realized how dense she is.

She sighed.

'Something wrong Sa-chan?'

'N-no it's nothing.' Sakuno said.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ryoma entered their room, his expression showing boredom.

'Oi Echizen! We heard a lot about you!' a certain big-mouthed boy welcomed him.

'…' he didn't reply and just kept on walking to his seat.

'We heard you're going to perform with the dance club. And you have a partner. So how was it? Is she already your girlfriend?'

'Stories come so fast…' he thought.

'Hn.' He said as he took his seat and stared outside the window.

As his friend continued to blabber and blabber and blabber, he didn't mind him and his thoughts wandered off.

Being Ryoma Echizen, that he is, life for him is all about getting stronger. All he thinks about is to get better at tennis and to be the best with it. Romance hasn't been part of his life… for now. But after meeting a certain girl, which is just a while ago. Something happened. He suddenly got interested in her. The way they met intrigued him. The way she talk intrigued him. In other words, all she did intrigued him. Maybe because the auburn-haired lass didn't turn into a fan girl mode or something unlike the other girls he met.

'Mada mada dane.' He said with a smirk on his face.

'Echizen, did you say something?'

He just continued to gaze outside.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The bell rang signing the start of lunch break.

'Sa-chan, let's go eat at the roof top.' Tomoka offered.

'Okay. But l-lets eat q-quickly. I have practice later.'

'She's stuttering again. Sa-chan doesn't know that I already know what she's hiding. Of course, as the founder, I know that Ryoma-sama is picked as the representative of the tennis club. And knowing her very well, he's her partner. She's easy to read.' Tomoka giggled at her thought.

'Eh?'

'Nandemonai. Let's go!'

At the rooftop, a certain green-haired boy lied below the clouds. Beside him is a can of Ponta.

'Darn oyaji.' He thought.

Flashback

'Oi shounen, you're gonna be late for school. Your girlfriend might get worried.'

'Che. Oyaji, go bother someone else. I'm waiting for my lunch.'

'Nanako already placed it on your bag.' The old man said with a weird smile all over his face.

'Ahh… okay.' Ryoma find his smile weird but just nodded then headed off.

Once he left…

'Ryoma, here's your lunch.' Nanako said.

Nanjiroh laughed and laughed.

End of flashback.

'I'll make you pay.'

For lunch, all the lad had for lunch is a can of Ponta and a bread which is the last stock the canteen had. He is pretty lucky to even have a bread. The canteen is crowded especially at lunch, and the breads are always sold out. Back to the prince…

He was lying watching the clouds, enjoying that gust of wind blowing on him.

The door opened revealing to auburn-heads.

'Kyaah! It's Ryoma-sama!' one with the pigtails shouted.

Ryoma's brow furrowed a bit.

He stood up.

'Too loud. It's that fan club founder. One of the fan girls again huh? Wait…' his thoughts were interrupted when his eyes fell on the other girl.

'Tomo-chan, not so loud. Didn't you see, he was sleeping I guess.'

'Ryoma-sama, can we stay here?' Tomoka said not minding Sakuno's words.

'Hn.'

'I'd take that as a yes. Come on Sa-chan' She said then pulled Sakuno near the prince.

'H-hai.'

'My my, Sa-chan is stammering again. I'm right!' Tomoka squealed in her thoughts.

They started eating.

'Ryoma-sama, here beside me is Ryuzaki Sakuno. She isn't a member of the club, but she's my friend.' Tomoka said.

'Hn. I know.'

'T-tomo-chan, i-it's complicated.' Sakuno said.

'Eh? How do you know?!' Tomoka asked the prince.

'She's my partner for the dance club.' He replied bored.

'Eh!? Sa-chan, why didn't you tell me!?' Tomoka said like she didn't know anything.

'A-anou… I-I'm going t-to tell you soon.'

'I knew it. Tomo-chan will freak out.' Sakuno thought.

'Sa-chan, I'm gonna play match-maker.' Tomoka smiled inside her mind. (A/N: if that's even possible. Hehe)

Ryoma's stomach grumbled but thanks to Tomoka's loud voice, no one heard it… in his point of view.

Well Sakuno heard it.

'A-anou. E-echizen-san, h-have you eaten a-anything? W-well, i-if you l-like ,y-you can h-have some.' Sakuno said, as she failed to control her stuttering.

Tomoka giggled a bit.

Ryoma opened his left eye, then looked at the girl handing him a box of rice balls.

He rose from his position then grabbed one.

'Hn.'

'I'd take that as a thank you. But is it such a pain to even say a simple thank you?' Sakuno wondered at her thoughts.

He started to munch at it. Well he is hungry after all.

They finished eating and Tomoka and Sakuno started to pack things up.

Ryoma managed to eat 2 rice balls. Of course, he never wished to have an image of a shameless man.

'Let's go.' He said as he head to the door.

Sakuno and Tomoka looked at him.

'Practice.'

'Ahhh… I-I forgot. T-tomo-chan, I have p-practice now. Let's d-do this fast!' Sakuno said; panick overcoming her.

'Ne, Sa-chan, leave this all to me.' Tomoka said.

'A-are you sure?'

'Yes. Of course I'm sure.'

Tomoka winked at her friend.

'I-if you say so. Jan e.' Sakuno didn't really get why Tomoka winked at her.

'I love to play match maker.' Tomoka said not loud enough for Sakuno to hear.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ryoma and Sakuno made their way to the gym.

Ryoma was leading the way and Sakuno followed.

He was walking so fast that Sakuno can't keep up with his pace.

Good thing that they already reached the gym.

'Ryuzaki-san, Echizen-san, glad that you're here already.' The leader smiled together with the whole club.

'The two of you will be practicing over there.' The leader said.

'Echizen-san, Ryuzaki-san, we'll do this step by step. Just follow us.' A member said with her partner.

'H-hai.'

'Oh yeah. I'm Mizuru and this is Rio.'

Sakuno smiled at them.

(A/N: Mizuru is a girl and Rio is a boy. Just like to remind you.)

Rio grabbed Mizuru's hand, their fingers entwined, Mizuru placed her other hand on Rio's shoulder, and he placed his other hand on Mizuru's waist.

In other words, Ryoma and Sakuno will be doing this.

So they started with the hands. Sakuno blushed. Then Sakuno placed her other hand on Ryoma's shoulder and then he placed his other hand on Sakuno's waist, which made Sakuno flinched a bit.

'This is so embarrassing for some reason.' Sakuno thought.

'Why is she blushing?'

Ryoma can sure be dense at times.

End of chapter II

Author's notes: this is chapter II of Every Single Step. thanks to the reviews you submitted. please review again ^^

My replies:

cutiesakuno18: thanks for the advice. well I'll be italicizing the sentence, if the characters are thinking of it.

skwon2: thanks a lot! ^^

nicklaus mak wei xuan: haha yeah. well he will be warm, some other time hehe.

-fUjI-lAwLiEt- : it's okay. at least you left a review. ^^

midnight blue08: haha yeah. well we do know her for that nature of hers. hehe ^^

For other people who have read the story, thank you very much! Hope to get more support from you ^^