Chapter 6 :

"Can we start over?"

She was staring at the amber cat-like eyes in front of her. Never did she found it so amazingly warm and pleading. Yes. The Prince was asking for a chance. Though confusion was starting to cloud her thoughts, Sakuno slowly nodded. If she's being honest, she wants to know him more. She wants him to be near and she wants him to stay. She knows that it could led hear to another broken heart, but she'll gladly take it just to spend time with him.

All thoughts of hurt pushed back in her mind, she nodded in approval. Everything be damned but she loved and STILL love this man!

Well, today seemed to a day of new discoveries because the moment she nodded her approval, Ryoma smiled. Take note, it wasn't a smirk.

And without a word, things seemed to be more lighter for them both.

-*-*-

"Let's start?"

"Um... I don't have a racket..."

Ryoma turned towards the bench and took out another red tennis racket from his back.

"Here, use this."

Sakuno, blushed. She knew how important his tennis equipments are. Surely he was not sure to let her borrow it, right?

"Um... E-Echizen-san?"

Ryoma raised a brow. Not liking what he heard.

"What happened to 'Ryoma-kun'?"

"Huh?" completely lost to their conversation, she looked at him in confusion.

'She's really slow,' he mentally slapped his head. 'Didn't she know I hate it when she calls me Echizen-san?'

But he had to admit, she really is cute when confused.

'Oh shit! I'm getting sappier by the minute!Ugh!'

It took her awhile to process his question and realized she'd called him 'Echizen-san'.

"U-Um... I-I'm s-sorry, R-Ryoma-kun" she stuttered. Her face started to blush with a deeper red.

Upon hearing his name, he smirked. Definitely loving how she said it.

"What is it?" he inquired.

"W-Well, I'm not that good of a tennis player. I-I might ruin this," she said as she slightly held the racket forward.

"Would you rather play with your barehands?"

Sakuno shook her head no.

"Then let's start," he said as he turned his back on her.

-*-*-

The whole day has been fun for Sakuno. And she knew that Ryoma was enjoying too. He'd became his normal self. Emotionless and bored for most of the time yet he never stopped teaching her. Yes, their valley ended up to be a one on one coaching session. Being Ryoma, he always notice her wobbly hips, if not her long hair or her being clumsy. And everytime he sends back a volley, she doesn't know exactly how her butt ended up kissing the floor. And even her butt's a little sore, she had the most fun in years.

"Mada mada dane," that was the last thing he said after he decided to end the probably noticed that she was already short of breath and had decided to stop.

"You want some Ponta, Ryoma-kun?" she asked after he had finished fixing his things.

He nodded. But what had her eyes wide was when he took her right hand and entertwined their fingers together as he pulled her to the vendo machine. His hand was twice as big as hers yet it was warm and pretty comfortable. She was still staring at their hands when she noticed that Ryoma had stopped and was staring at their entwined hands while the Ponta in his free hand yet it was still unopened. A frown was starting on his brows.

"What is it, Ryoma-kun? Why haven't you opened the can yet?" she confusedly asked.

He stood silent. Then he looked at her with a bored face and then he looked down at their hands again.

"I don't wanna let go," he softly said.

Heat creep through her face as she realized what he meant. But then she knew she has to do something.

She shyly smiled at him.

"I can hold it for you while you open it, if you like?"

He nodded as he handed the can and opened it. He motioned for her to drink first which she did. When she handed him back the can, he automatically drank from it. Not really thinking that she had drank from it. It led her to blush even more.

Ryoma was peeking at her while he was drinking and he can't take his eyes off of her. She was cute then when they were in junior high. But she grew up to be very pretty. She remained simply and she was just too naive for her own sake. But as he stared more he became more aware of her. Her lips was still a little bit moist because of the Ponta and she has a little Ponta mustache on her upper lip.

'Would it taste as sweet as Ponta?' he thought.

He almost groaned when he saw her tongue touched her upper lip as if to wipe away the moist but it fell short.

'Oh shit' he cursed but then he was not able to stop himself.

He just realized that he had dropped the can of Ponta and was not hungrily wiping off the Ponta mustache off of Sakuno's lips using his own.

A/N

Sorry for the mistakes in grammar.