Hye! I am back again! Well, I will not say anything anymore. Here's the new chapter… Domo… ^^
DISCLAIMER: The Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi-sensei and Gakuen Alice belongs to Higuchi Tachibana-san. All rights reserved to the both of them.
Chapter 26: Early Separation
Chapter Summary: She never feared anything like that before. She was really scared now that they were separated.
She tried not to cry but she couldn't help it. Tears fell on her cheek as she looked at the cliff below. The place was so hard to stare at because of the trees that were blocking her vision. The lake beside it was useless. No matter where she looked she just couldn't find him.
"Ryoma-kun!" She shouted as she kneeled on the ground, "Ryoma-kun!"
"Sakuno, stop it," Mikan said who was holding her to her shoulder, "We will find him."
"But it's too deep," She looked at Mikan crying in the process, "I… I can't see him."
"He's probably dead by now."
Everyone looked at the last person who talked. Mikan and Sakuno's eyes widened when they saw the person standing in front of them.
"Shiki!" Ruka hissed walking in front of them, "Was it you who did that?"
"No," Another person talked behind him and showed himself to them, "It was me."
They remained speechless as they stared at the person who stood beside Shiki. Both of them were somewhat floating from the ground. How they did that, they didn't know. The person was with his usual get up and was facing sideways to them but they all knew him.
"Reo." Tsubasa said glaring at the singer.
"It's been so long," Reo said placing his hand to his ear, "How was the collection of stones going on?"
"You bastard!" Natsume created fireballs in his hands and readied himself to throw it at them.
Sakuno just stared at them. They were talking about something but she couldn't quite get what they were talking about. Her hearing sense was somewhat blocked by something. Her tears kept falling and worried over Ryoma instead. Remembering the tennis prodigy, she looked back to the cliff once again. It was too stiff. Ryoma fell down really fast and she could see his reaction before he disappeared from her sight.
"Accept it Ryuzaki-chan."
She flinched when she heard Reo speak to her but she didn't move nor turn around to face him.
"He didn't avoid my attack although, he considered to be faster than a normal person," Reo said smirking in the process, "He let his guard down."
"Stop talking!" Natsume threw his fire alice at him but he only blocked it.
"It's no use," Reo looked at him, "Give it up and surrender the special alice user."
"Special alice user?" Fuji repeated as he opened his eyes at him.
Reo looked at Sakuno who was still looking down the cliff, "Come with us now, Ryuzaki-chan and let's continue searching for the remaining stones with us."
"Not even in your second life." Tsubasa covered himself to them.
Reo smirked at Tsubasa, "You cannot complete the stones no matter what and you all know why."
Natsume tsked as he gripped his hands. He wanted to create fire balls once again but Mikan stopped him. She looked at his eyes telling him that it was not use fighting them.
Youichi gripped Hotaru's hand the boy was holding. Hotaru noticed him and looked at the boy, "What's the matter?"
Youichi didn't talk instead he looked at Sakuno who was still kneeling near the opening. Hotaru followed his line of vision and saw her.
"You better give her to us," Shiki said after being silent for a while, "If you don't want the same thing to happen to you like what happened to your friend."
"What did you say?" Momo said glaring at him this time. Eiji stopped his junior to avoid unnecessary commotion.
"He let his guard down and letting your guard for a second is bad enough for your enemy."
"Stop it…"
The whisper was too low but they could hear her. She knew that they were looking at her the moment she said something, "Don't say things like that to him."
"Sakuno." Mikan said moving closer to her.
She stood up and faced them, "You don't know Ryoma-kun, so back off!" She was crying when she uttered her thoughts.
Reo and Shiki were not the only one who were shocked but also the people around her. She gripped her hands really tight as she glared at them, an unexpected thing that she did at that very moment. She felt something odd about her body and she didn't know if it was going to help her. She was upset about Ryoma's disappearance and they didn't know if he was…
She shook her head. She shouldn't think of that. Sakuno believed that he was just down that cliff and all they had to do was to find him.
"He's pathetic if you don't know—"
"Don't call him that!" Sakuno almost shouted, feeling all pissed all of the sudden. The air around her seemed different than the usual, "He's strong. He's not pathetic, you are!"
Fuji and the others were really surprised at her words. Sakuno never said those words before, not to anyone even to the people who would bully her.
Reo watched her as well and he knew that something was not right. He walked closer to Shiki and whispered something to him. The latter nodded before he faced them;
"It seems like we cannot convince you to come with us," He said floating away from them, "Good luck on finding your previous friend, downstairs."
Sakuno was still staring at them until they disappeared. As long as they did, the air around her mysteriously vanished and she collapsed on the ground.
Mikan, Ruka and Hotaru walked closer to her. The others followed suit.
"Are you alright?" Mikan said placing her hand to her back.
Sakuno was still crying as she looked up at her, "R-Ryoma-kun… we have to find him."
"We will, Sakuno," She said looking at everyone before she looked back at her, "But you need to rest."
"I don't want to rest," Sakuno said shaking her head in the process, "We have to find him now."
"Ryuzaki-chan," Fuji said kneeling in front of him, "You said it yourself, Echizen is strong. He will survive. I promise."
"Fuji-senpai." She looked at the tensai with a hopeful expression. She wished that he was right that Ryoma was going to be fine when they found him.
"You need to rest first," He said placing a hand to her shoulder, "He will be disappointed if he sees you like that."
It took for a while before she finally nodded. Ruka assisted her to walk. They reached the deeper part of the area where they thought they could camp. No matter what she did, she was still worried about him. It wasn't her forte but she tried communicating with him through telepathy but it was no use.
She couldn't stop worrying about the tennis prodigy.
Later on:
"What's going to happen now?" Eiji asked to Tsubasa and Fuji, "We need to find Ochibi. I am worried too."
"You are not the only one here, Eiji," Fuji said as he looked at Sakuno who was sitting on a rock and fidgeting with her fingers, "I tried sensing him but it was no use." He didn't want to think the negative way or maybe Ryoma was just unconscious and his alice is weak at that moment. Up until that time, he wished that he was just unconscious.
"What force did Reo do to him?" Momo asked Tsubasa who was just looking down and probably thinking of something.
"He used the same alice the Shiki guy has," The shadow manipulator said, "I won't doubt how he got that alice."
"Everything was too fast that we couldn't sense the alice," Hotaru butted in trying to fix something for her inventions, "Echizen did let his guard down that time."
"That can happen to anyone," Tsubasa said looking at them this time, "It was Echizen's unlucky position that he got hit that time."
Everyone decided to remain silent after that. Natsume told them that he didn't like the place before Ryoma fell down the cliff. Tsubasa looked at Sakuno and noticed her depression. He also noticed her change of behavior when she was talking to Reo and Shiki a while ago. It was as if they were facing a different person. The girl who was sitting on the rock was fragile, distracted and visibly worried.
He understood her for he knew how much she cared about the young boy.
xxx
She couldn't help but panic all the time. She was really worried about him. What if he was still unconscious at that time? She wanted to look for him. She didn't know why she was acting like that. Something must have changed inside her when they went to that place. Of course, she had alices now but she couldn't use one of them.
What was the purpose of having alices if she couldn't use them?
She narrowed her eyes and started to glare on the ground. She didn't want to stay a burden to them. She must do something to become useful for them. Gripping her hands, she decided that she would do whatever she thought that she could.
"Scary."
Blinking twice, she looked up and saw the youngest member of the group, standing not far from her, "Y-Youichi-kun."
"You're making a scary face."
She touched her face as she blushed a little, "A-am I?"
Youichi walked closer to her, "Ugly." He even sat beside her ignoring her pout.
Sakuno looked at him after she reacted like that. The boy just closed his eyes after that. Her eyes widened as she realized something. Youichi reminded her of Ryoma in any way. She smiled a little despite the sadness in her eyes. She slowly hugged the little boy who didn't even budge to her surprise, "Arigatou, Youichi-kun."
"He's not disturbing you, is he?"
Another person was standing in front of her. She gave the person a smile before she released Youichi from her hug, "He's not, Ruka-kun. He's cheering me up."
"I am not." Youichi uttered very low but they could still hear him.
Ruka walked closer and sat on the other side ignoring the youngest boy's not so true words, "How do you feel?"
She looked at him before shifted her vision at a tall tree ahead of them, "I would be lying if I say I am okay."
"How long do you know him?" Ruka suddenly asked before he could even take his words back.
Sakuno didn't expect that question from him but she answered him still, "I've known him for more than a year… almost."
"He's not your childhood friend?" He looked at her with a curious expression on his eyes. Youichi was just listening to them.
"He just transferred in our school this last year," She said bringing a smile to her lips, "That's the time I first met him and joined the club the next day."
Ruka continued looking at her. Just like his first question, he wasn't able to stop himself and ask her in the end, "You must have liked him a lot."
Her eyes dilated as she held her breath. Her heart constricted oddly. She began fidgeting with her fingers once again and she knew that Youichi was looking down at them. She bit her lower lip when she realized that.
She liked Ryoma for long of course. She didn't have the guts to tell anyone or the boy himself her feelings. Even if she wouldn't tell them, she had the instinct that they knew about it.
She liked him and it was stronger than before. Just thinking about him would make her face flush to the fullest.
"I guess I wouldn't stand a chance against him." He whispered lowly.
"E?" She looked at him when she thought that he said something, "What did you say?"
Ruka stood up carrying his rabbit in his arms. If was stupid of her not to notice the white rabbit because of her problems. Her attention was shifted back when he spoke;
"Don't worry about him," He said looking to her side, "He will come back for you."
"R-Ruka-kun…" Staring at him, she knew that her heart wished for the same thing.
"Because if he doesn't, I'll be the one to beat him up." He said before he walked away from her.
She let out a small chuckle after that. She could see a faint blush around his cheek when he said that. Ruka didn't mean that of course for he was wishing for the same thing. She was thankful that there were friends who tried to cheer her up.
She mustn't sulk on that rock. For the sake of Ryoma, she would stay strong for the people who were also around her.
Meanwhile:
He created fireballs around him as he stood up the rock that he was sitting. He told Ruka that he would explore the place for a while. He was also thinking that maybe he could find him.
But alas, there was no sign of him.
There was one thing that he didn't want to see. Girls cried in front of him.
"Natsume."
He looked around when he saw the twin pigtailed girl walking towards him, "What are you doing here, polka dots?"
"Don't call me that!" She said as she reached him, "Ruka told me that you wonder around the area. You shouldn't be doing that you know."
He only tsked as he looked ahead.
"You are looking for him, aren't you?"
He didn't answer her as he was still looking ahead.
"You became good friends with him," Mikan continued as she walked to his side, "You too seem to be alike."
"We are not."
She chuckled, "And both deny the fact that you are."
"What are you talking about?" He looked at her to his side.
"He'll be fine, Natsume," She looked at him smiling in the process, "It's weak but I could sense him."
"You do?" He looked at her completely. He tried sensing the tennis prodigy but there was no response from him.
Mikan nodded, "It was awfully weak but I could sense him," She looked ahead, "He's strong just like Sakuno said."
"He's stubborn, that's all I know."
Mikan chuckled once again, "And so do you."
"I am not." He frowned at her this time.
"Yeah, yeah," She closed her eyes nodding in the process, "I believe you."
"Hey, polka dots."
"Stop calling me th—"
He didn't let her finish her words when he grabbed her and kissed her fully on the lips. She gasped when he did that but she didn't struggle. Instead she responded much to his surprise. He kissed her for a few seconds before he broke it himself.
"Nothing bad will happen to us, right?" Mikan said as she rested her head to his shoulder.
Natsume placed his hand at the back of her head, "I won't let anything happen to us, especially to you."
"Natsume…" She hugged him fully when he said that.
He knew what to do now that Mikan finally knew his feelings. He wouldn't let anything bad happen to her. Not really the romantic type, he couldn't stand being expressive like that. He comically touched her chest to surprise her.
"Let's go back to the others." He said walking ahead of her as if he didn't do something nasty towards her.
"NATSUME! ! !" She shouted after being stunned at her location.
Natsume smirked after he heard that. He was at least satisfied for the moment.
Meanwhile:
"Why aren't you sleeping?"
Even she didn't look back, she knew whose voice it belonged to. She didn't say anything until he sat beside her, "I should ask the same thing to you."
"I can't sleep," He said looking ahead, "I am worried about Echizen."
"I can see that." She looked ahead. She was sitting on a rock which was far away from the crowd. It was given that the others didn't like her. It wondered her why this tennis prodigy from the other world kept talking to her like that.
"Why are you always alone?"
As if he had read her thoughts, she abruptly looked at his way.
"I didn't mean to butt in," He said scratching his head as he looked away, "Since we are traveling together, I think it's best for us to trust each other."
"I am not forcing you to trust me."
"I trust you, Nobara-san."
She frowned despite the shock that she was wearing. "Why?"
"I know you're kind."
"How can you say that?" She said looking away this time, gripping her hands tight, "Never trust me, Momoshiro-san. I am not the person you think I am."
"Then tell me who you are."
"You don't understand," She said standing up in the process, "Look, you should worry about your friend, not me."
"Nobara-san," Momo stood up as well, "You don't have to lock yourself up from the others."
"I am what they called the 'Ice Princess'," She looked at his side, "That's what I am, cold as ice." She walked ahead and started to leave the place.
"You are not for me."
Only to be stopped when he contradicted what she said.
"That's what you do so that no one can hurt you," Momo said looking at her even though she didn't know about that, "Deep inside, your heart's not covered with ice."
"…"
"It's the other way around."
Her eyes widened after he said that. She was shocked and she didn't know what to say. Never in her life she expected that someone would say that to her, not even from a person from a different world. Closing her eyes in the process, she continued walking not missing to say a single word, which she knew that he heard;
"…Idiot."
Next Morning:
Sakuno woke up with the light that blinded her from sleeping. She slowly sat up and looked around. Something caught her eyes at the corner of the area. She stood up and walked closer to it.
"That is…" She said as she looked up. From where she was standing, it was the same light that she often seen these days, the light that they had been searching for and it was shining inside a plant… no, from a flower.
"The stone was tricky."
The person said behind her, "Fuji-senpai."
"I couldn't sense that it was there until this morning," Fuji said and looked at Natsume who was just behind him, "It seems like the stones have minds of their own."
"This is the sixth sin?" She said looking at the flower with the magical stone in it.
"That's the flower that doesn't do anything." Tsubasa said.
"What do you mean, Tsubasa-san?" Momo said facing him.
"It appears as that," He said staring at the flower, "The flower's petals are pointed down and they don't bloom much. They can't even produce nice smell and fragrance."
"There's a flower like that here?" Eiji said blinking at the flower, "But why is the stone there?"
"It's the nature," Ruka said tugging Youichi along with him, "That's the lazy flower."
"The lazy flower?" Sakuno asked and at the same time, the stone separated itself to it and went to her immediately. In an instant, the stone went inside her as fast as that.
"You got the sixth sin," Fuji looked at her. She was observing herself as she listened to him, "I bet that was 'sloth'."
Everyone nodded as they agreed about it.
She felt different but ignored it. Breathing really deep, she composed herself and talked, "Let's search for Ryoma-kun." She looked at them once again. Normally, she would sulk and blame herself for what happened to him but it was different. She knew that they would meet him again.
And that was what they about to do.
Done! How was this chapter? Haha… I hope this is still good. Well, tell me your thoughts guys. Domo…
I forgot to tell this from the last time. For Fuji's alice. It's Nature Binding Alice or you can simply call Binding Alice tee hee hee… That was the last name I could think of… :3 I hope it's okay.
Btw, I only made up the lazy flower… domo… :3
Next Chapter: Selfish Demands