In Her Defense
Because really, you can't help but feel that Sakuno got the shaft when it came to the anime adaptation. (manga-based, obviously.) Not necessarily a 20Truths fic, but similar format. No pairings.
I do not own Prince of Tennis.
follower
It is Tomoka who drags Sakuno to watch all of "Ryoma-sama's" games. Sakuno admires him, yes, but she doesn't like him quite as much as everyone else thinks she does.
pudding
The most she has ever specially done for him is give Momoshiro-sempai a pudding to give to Ryoma-kun and later offer him tennis ball-shaped osmubi at the Nationals.
schoolgirl
Sakuno does have a crush on Ryoma and she knows this, which is why she offered him food. However, although he is her first serious crush, she is not so infatuated as to seek him out constantly.
embarrassment
One of the reasons she tries so hard to help him is because even now she still feels guilty about the wrong directions she gave him on that first day.
contrast
She notices that Tomo-chan and An-san don't let people walk over them. She can't help but be envious, and thinks that maybe this is due to the fact that they have brothers.
cautious
She has always lived with her grandmother. As such, she has learned that it is best to constantly be polite and know how to apologize, because no one ever knows for certain how Ryuuzaki Sumire will behave.
expectations
Ryuuzaki Sumire, though most people often forget, is a math teacher. As such, Sakuno tries her hardest in this subject-although she really doesn't like mathematics-and the one time she failed a test, she nearly died of shame. She's simply grateful her grandmother trusted her enough not to spend extra time tutoring her.
length
Sakuno likes her hair. She was bullied when she was younger about its abnormal length, but decided not to cut it and give others the satisfaction of knowing she would do what they wanted. It's her own form of rebellion.
misconception
Sakuno is not clumsy, nor does she constantly get lost. She is simply cripplingly shy, leading her to be awkward around others and too flustered to give proper directions.
results
That is why she enjoys working in the kitchen, cooking and baking cakes the way her grandmother taught her. That is her territory, and where she is not constantly watched; it's simply so much easier to give other people the results of her work than to physically perform in front of them.
similarity
Kawamura-sempai is like that too, when not in Burning Mode, and they have an odd, almost sibling-esque friendship.
variety
Although she will never admit it, Sakuno likes (almost) all the regulars in some way. Sometimes she imagines Momoshiro-sempai as the ideal brother, and she knows Kaidoh-sempai has a soft spot for small animals. Fuji-sempai is kind to the underclassmen, and Oishi-sempai is caring; the others also have their good points. She's still reserving judgement on Inui-sempai and his notebook though. (They turn up everywhere.)
defense
It surprises Sakuno that Tachibana An, the girl she met 10 minutes ago, came to her defense so easily against the bully who demanded 30,000 yen. She wishes she were capable of shouting more angrily and wonders if she would have allowed herself to be slapped across the face to defend a stranger.
encounter
It does amuse her, however, when Momoshiro-sempai turns up a moment later, saves them both, and immediately gets along with An-san. She thinks they would make a cute couple.
allies
She is also grateful that Seigaku and Fudomine later have such a friendly relationship. She and An-san are friends, and it's nice how both teams know them. It also provides plenty of excuses for those times when she (subtly) sets up Momoshiro-sempai and An-san.
motives
It was neither Ryoma-kun nor the sempai-tachi who inspired Sakuno to learn tennis in middle school. For years, she had felt guilty about disappointing her grandmother with her disinterest.
absolute
When Ryoma-kun's father explains that the so-called Ten'i Muhou is merely the original feeling one has that tennis is fun, she wonders if this is what she has been doing wrong all along; she started for the wrong reasons.
bold
When she first meets Tooyama Kintarou, she can't help but think about how much nicer and considerate he is than Ryoma-kun. Both are probably fools, but at least Tooyama-kun knows when a compliment is needed.
departure
When Ryoma-kun leaves (it wasn't too much of a shock. No one expected him to stay anyway.) they all miss him. But at the same time, they know he'll be back soon. So they wait.
constancy
Seasons change, Ryoma-kun is gone, the third years have graduated, and it is the ichinen trio who is now wearing the vaunted Regular's uniforms, commanded by Kaidoh-buchou. Tomo-chan has rapidly found a new obsession, and very few things have stayed the same. But it's all right, because Sakuno knows that it wouldn't have been right if everything had stayed the same.
This was originally going to be mainly a contrast between the anime-Sakuno and the manga-Sakuno (who is much more realistic), but I have no idea what it is now. I think it's twenty, and if it's not, then close enough. Very sorry that the ending is so random.