Disclaimer: I do not own PoT. Answers to why I am so slow lately is after this chapter.

Chapter 39 I won't let go

Tezuka had finally arrived to see Ryoma ready and waiting, the instant Ryoma saw Tezuka, he threw his ponta into the rubbish bin and took out his own raquet. After that talk with Fuji... he understood only one thing. He will not give up being a father to Kennichi, but surely asking Ryoma to look after Sakuno... was something he did right. Sakuno liked Ryoma for ages, so what was so wrong and disappointing in allowing Ryoma to take the place beside Sakuno?

Ryoma saw the frown on his buchou's face, he was sure Fuji heard the conversation... naturally Fuji might have something to do with the bruise on Tezuka's cheek right? He hoped that perhaps there is really not a need to bring up the fact that he had recently been rejected. He was still very much in need of his dignity, so he flipped his tennis raquet and said

"Buchou, you better be ready."

Tezuka snapped up from thought, his eyes focused on the ball. He then asked, without removing his eyes from the tennis ball.

"We are playing for?"

Ryom swore he may as well fall backwards and hit his head in the process. Maybe Fuji punched his face a tad too hard, because he seemed to be confused now. Ryoma replied

"For Sakuno."

Tezuka looked like he was crestfallen, Ryoma lifted his eyebrows as he took his shot, which Tezuka was quick to defend and returned the shot. Tezuka cursed to himself, why was his body reacting to fight back even when he had decided he would let Ryoma win? If this was for Sakuno, he should just lose and let him take her wasn't that right?

Ryoma responded to the ball as he moved quickly and managed a return which Tezuka once again reacted to send the ball back to Ryoma's court. Ryoma was now officially confused by Tezuka's confused and shocked look and his tennis skills. Ryoma wasn't going easy on him, he was sure, but Tezuka responded to every shot as if he didn't want to give her to Ryoma. But the look on his face was a one of defeat and his confusion, well it was the same as Ryoma's. What did this man have in mind?

Tezuka wondered, why in the world did he return the ball? No matter what was happening, he wasn't losing. Was it because he was not ready to give up on Sakuno? He was not willing to hand her over to anyone? No, it was just because he had played many tennis matches and it had become a second nature to win. Just as he thought, he yanked himself to miss the ball slightly but even then Ryoma saw it.

Ryoma saw what he knew he saw, Tezuka trying to lose. Ryoma didn't think Fuji hit hard enough, at first he thought he had managed to hit too hard and now he hit too lightly. This was all he needed to know, he wanted to know... but he dreaded of hearing about it. Tezuka planned on losing to him. He wasn't going to give this a chance.

"Buchou, why did you ask me to look after Sakuno?"

Tezuka returned the ball, he couldn't come up with a reason. If he said his reason, Ryoma would... he wouldn't know what Ryoma would do. But, Ryoma seemed to know, from the look of his eyes.

"Because, I have feelings for her."

"And I don't?"

Tezuka returned the ball as he replied

"I am aware you do."

Ryoma did a Twist Smash, to which Tezuka was barely able to return, but thankfully, being with Ryoma means you had seen the full capacity of Ryoma. Tezuka had to return it because if he didn't it would have smashed his face. He had enough of getting hit on the face today.

"Then why are you giving her to me unless you mean you are giving up?"

Tezuka didn't like Ryoma's way of questioning him, Tezuka set up his Tezuka Zone. Ryoma saw it as he smirked

"Mada mada dane buchou, so your hiding within your zone just like you are denying me an answer."

Ryoma changed his stance and once the ball came back, he made a Drive D return, which Tezuka was ready for.

"...Sakuno doesn't feel the same way for me the way she feels for you."

Tezuka trying to show him, he used a drop-shot to signal to Ryoma to stop asking questions. Tezuka didn't want to admit it, now that he admitted it, his heart sunk. Something rang within him screaming it can't be true. All those memories of her, didn't ring true of Sakuno and Ryoma.

Ryoma was hoping he didn't need to say so, he was truly wishing he did not need to talk about it. At Tezuka's rate, Ryoma had to start taking this game seriously while letting him know that Sakuno has been waiting for this idiot... there is no other person she truly cares about.

"Buchou, I confessed to her... a few days ago. I thought you heard about it."

Tezuka allowed the tennis ball to fly past him, because he was distracted with the information that he was getting from Ryoma. What did that mean? Sakuno was confessed to? Then why... there was just something that didn't sit right with this. If Sakuno had been confessed to, why was it that she wasn't with Ryoma?

Tezuka was sure he had not heard any of the rumors because he was very occupied on making sure the situation doesn't get out of hand. She hasn't been around Ryoma, so did that mean... what he thinks it means? He started the shot as Ryoma went to receive it from the other end.

"...Sakuno rejected me, buchou. She rejected me and I think it is because of a stupid guy."

Tezuka's heart stopped, he allowed his body to react... Can he truly believe what Ryoma just said to him? Sakuno rejected Ryoma, the one man who she had been madly in love with more months before everything... before Kennichi. His heart raced as his mind started to clear and he could see things better.

His body had refused to allow him to back out without a fight right? His mind had finally just decided what his body decided long ago. He would not let go... he flipped his tennis raquet as his eyes looked sharper than before. Ryoma saw the stance Tezuka was in, he smirked as he leaped up and served. Buchou has finally realized what he needed although it was a shame that Ryoma had to say it out loud but what choice did he have? It was Sakuno's heart he was trying to protect, to Ryoma... it no longer mattered who she loved... he would still protect her.

"I am not letting my guard down Ryoma, I changed my mind."

Ryoma smirked once more as he watched his Twist serve hurricane swirled towards buchou, he landed on his feet and replied

"Mada mada dane buchou, mada mada dane."

To BE cont.

Let me say one thing, HE FINALLY REALIZED! *did a happy dance,* Honestly I wondered how my brain works, but words come out without me realizing, SnowRider14 signing out.

Ok, I am answering questions now. I know many of you are pretty tired of waiting and this whole drag, I would love to give a short summary of what I had in mind. However, that ruins the story doesn't it? I am almost beliving in 4 more chapters. = D I am sorry guys that I take this long just to get a chapter up. See I am on vacation overseas, so it is pretty hard to get typing when you are on a holiday. Also the access to a computer is a problem.