Hi! I am back once again. Thank you for sharing your thoughts to me… minna. This is the next 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 29: Trust and Betrayal
Chapter summary: They were so close at finding the last magical stone. What would happen next after that? Find that out in this chapter.
"Ochibi says that he could sense that stone near here." Eiji said after a series of silence.
Still sitting on a large table, each face had been looking at each other not really speaking at all. Fuji and Natsume were sensing it too now that Ryoma confirmed that he did. All they had to do was to find it within the area.
"We should look for it now." Momo said catching everyone's attention.
"We can look for it later," Eiji commented, leaning on the back of his chair raising his hands to his head, "I am hungry. We woke up early for this, remember?"
Hearing this, Momo looked at his senpai and grinned like chesshire's, "I remembered I was hungry," He shifted his stare to his senpai, "We should eat a lot before we look for the final stone."
Nobara looked at him curiously. She never said anything but she was looking speechlessly. Momo was being teased by his senpais including Ryoma. The former just kept ignoring them and kept whining about his hunger. She closed her eyes as she sighed satisfactorily.
"You seemed to be at ease with us now." Fuji surprisingly said.
The ice princess looked at her side and couldn't believe that the tensai would say that to her. She looked around her and tried to observe what he had just said. It was true that the others were not really approachable yet. The Seigaku regulars including Mikan, Sakuno and Momoshiro were the only ones talking to her at their own free will.
At the first days of their journey, she was visibly unwelcomed to the others. She could understand that for she was the Ice Princess.
They didn't like her.
"Not entirely," She voiced out honestly and loud enough for him to hear, "They are scared of me and my powers."
"Saa… is that so?" He said staring at their friends who started eating when their food arrived.
"Who wouldn't?" She replied sounded cold this time, "I am a member of the dangerous ability type."
"You are not the only one, right?" Fuji said staring at Momo and Ryoma who were competing at their own food before he shifted to Natsume and Mikan. The former was silently eating while the latter kept talking to him, "You can understand him the most."
"We don't get along and you know it."
Fuji chuckled at that remark, "Fire and Ice. I get it. Those elements would never go the same way."
Out of curiosity, she looked at the tensai whose eyes were completely opened.
"But they are equally balanced," His cerulean eyes stared back right at her and smiled, "Am I right?"
Her eyes widened when he said those words. Fire and ice? Balanced? They had the same property. They were equal. They were both powerful… and dangerous. No wonder that they wouldn't get along to each other because they wanted to outsmart the other.
That was the truth about it but then they ended up traveling together. Closing her eyes in the process, she leaned her back to the chair and unbelievingly, a smile was crept to her lips;
"Maybe you are right."
Fuji just smiled before he looked back at the crowd. The team was loud at that moment. It was lucky of them that they were the only costumers inside the inn or else the bartender would shout at them because of their noises.
The bartender let them do what they wanted for he knew that his costumers would come a little later.
Sakuno was silently eating despite the mess her friends were making at that moment. The food tasted good that she couldn't leave it unfinished. The food in this world was amazingly delicious and tasty that she ended up staring at her spoon.
I think I could make something like this if I ask their chef how. Will he tell me? I mean a chef never reveals his secret, right? But this is so delicious. Her food was filled with vegetables and it was mixed with chopped fruits. There was some grilled meat as well. There was one thing that she couldn't name and she thought that it was the chef's biggest secret.
"Why are you staring at your food?"
She almost jumped when Ryoma talked from her side. She almost forgot that he was sitting beside her. She looked down and tried to reason out;
"The food tastes good," She started as she stabbed one piece of chopped fruit with her fork from her plate and stared at it, "I wonder if… I could make them myself."
"You can cook?" Tsubasa said who was looking across her. He heard her despite that she said it low.
"H-hai…" She blushed a little as she nodded, "but I am not that good though."
"You should make us some," Kokoroyomi said suggesting it to her, "We never had the chance to taste your food."
"E-eh?" that was surprising for her. She looked around and realized that everyone was looking at her. Momo and Eiji were ogling at her when they heard the food.
"I don't like that stare, senpai-tachi," Ryoma suddenly warned them, "You look like perverts."
"Hey watch your mouth, Echizen," Momo said glaring at him but he was not looking at him anymore, "We only want her food, not her."
"Yeah, he's right," Eiji agreed as he nodded, "Just give us the food and she's all yours."
Both of them jerked up, "We are not!" and talked at the same time.
Everyone looked at them and wondered. The whole table became silent for a minute before they started to tease them.
"You have some kind of synchronicity," Fuji commented bringing his signature smile on his face, "You look good together."
"S-senppai, stop it!" Sakuno wanted to sink in from her location at that very moment. Her heart was pounding really hard. Her blush was visible to them and she knew that they could see it.
"Che…" Ryoma tried to reach for his hat to pin it down but he forgot that he was not wearing it at that moment.
"Look at them, senpai," Momo said to Eiji and Fuji as he grinned, "They are both blushing."
"M-mou!" She had the urge to hide her face to her hands but she was refraining herself from doing it.
They looked at them and noticed their changes. Ryoma, at this point would start to retort at something but he never said anything to defend himself at all.
"Something happened between you two?" Fuji suddenly shared his thoughts to them, "Is it because you had the chance to get to know each other more?"
"N-no, that's not what you think," Sakuno said defending herself and Ryoma, "W-we are still… the same." The way she said her last sentence seemed to be odd to her own ears. Who was she lying to? She couldn't look at him at that moment.
She remembered what happened to them last night and she couldn't help but feel panicky all about it.
"I want to do it. I want to do it to her again, if she will allow me."
They looked at the last person who talked last. Kokoroyomi began saying things and kept the smile on his face.
"I shouldn't have stopped short. I want to do it."
"What are you talking about, Kokoroyomi?" Mikan looked at the mind reader.
Ryoma and Sakuno started to panic. They completely forgot about him who suddenly barged in when he first attempted to kiss her last night.
Kokoroyomi smiled at her and continued speaking, "I saw them last night. Well, almost," He started and continued speaking as he read his mind, "He really wanted to try it again and if you don't stop reading my mind, you'll be dead… eh?"
They looked at the youngest tennis prodigy regular member of Seigaku. Ryoma was glaring at him at that moment.
"Do you have a death wish? I'll give it to you, right now." Kokoroyomi continued saying his thoughts, sweat dropping in the process. He scratched the back of his head and continued smiling, "No, thank you. I still prefer to live."
"What happened between you two?" Tsubasa asked the two who were starting to calm down but the tense was back when he asked that.
"Nothing!" Both of them said at the same time.
"Ah, so young, so young." Momoshiro shook his head as he continued grinning.
"Urusai, senpai." Ryoma retorted at his signature catchphrase.
They kept teasing them. Ruka who was just listening to them, decided to brush his rabbit's fur. He never intended to listen but he couldn't help it. Even though they wouldn't tell them, he knew what the score between them… he had the idea of what really happened between them last night.
He could see it from their expression… especially to the girl's.
He sighed dejectedly and good thing no one noticed that he did… or so he thought. His best friend secretly tugged him to his side making him to look at him. Natsume was drinking his soda at that moment and was not even looking at him. He stared at him for a few seconds before he finally understood what he was trying to mean. He smiled a little after that short unvoiced conversation.
It was hard but he knew he could make it.
"Guys," Tsubasa called out trying to make everyone stop from their own activities, "You can pack things and prepare. We will start looking for the last sin within an hour. See you then."
They nodded in agreement. Youichi tugged Natsume's hand which the latter grabbed and walked upstairs. Ruka and Mikan followed. Hotaru stood up next which was followed by kokoroyomi who kept bugging her. Momo and Eiji went upstairs as well and Tsubasa followed suit. Ryoma and Sakuno were quietly walking side by side returning back to their own room. Fuji was about to stand up as well when he noticed Nobara was not standing up from her seat.
"Aren't you going to prepare yourself, Nobara-san?" He said looking at the ice princess.
She let out a sigh before she replied to the tensai, "I don't have any belongings in me."
"I see," Fuji replied as if trying to observe her. He slowly stood up giving her his signature smile, "Wait for us here then. We will come back soon."
The ice princess just nodded at him. Fuji continued walking on his way to his room. Their journey was about to end. Somehow, he felt that the end was still far beyond their reach. He couldn't explain it but it was what he was feeling at that moment. He hoped that he was just imagining things.
Meanwhile:
They were silently packing things in their room. Practically, there were no things to pack for her. Sakuno didn't know why Tsubasa had said that. They were back to their room once again trying to do something within an hour.
"I knew why Tsubasa-san told us to pack our things here." Ryoma suddenly said as if reading her mind a few seconds ago.
Shifting her stare from the ground, she looked to his way. He was standing near the window. His hands were in his pocket and he was looking outside the sea. He was wearing his hat and the locks underneath it were swaying from the wind's direction which was coming from outside.
"You knew?" She decided to respond when he didn't continue speaking.
There was another pause before he decided to speak, "I knew. I wanted to do it anyway."
"Eh?" She blinked twice. Why was she feeling déjà vu when he said that? She gasped when he turned around and seriously looked at her.
"That mind reader was right," He said not tearing his gaze away from her, "I wanted to do it again."
"D-do what?" asking that made her heart pound even more. It looked like she had asked an inevitable question and there was no turning back now… especially the boy slowly walked closer to her and answered her anticipated question.
"…To kiss you again."
Her eyes dilated when he said that. She was just staring straight to his eyes but she knew she was blushing once again. Her lips were left agape and her breath was somehow held caught in the middle of her lungs.
Did she hear him right?
"W-what?" She asked almost audibly to hear.
"Kiss…"
That one word had brought her back to her senses. She stood up and stretched her hands in front of her, "T-there's no time for jokes, Ryoma-kun! We are so close of finding the last sin!" She looked everywhere but him. She couldn't believe him. Was kissing her that addictive? Even herself couldn't understand it. She remembered last night the feeling of being kissed. That was just a simple, chaste kiss.
They just had their lips pressed to each other… nothing more, nothing less but longer than expected.
"Do you think that I would joke about that?"
She looked at him speechless. Was he really serious? She was really confused at that moment. If he would joke on that, she would definitely feel disappointed about it. She needed some foundation or she would end up getting hurt by him.
"W-when this is all over…" She started closing her eyes in the process.
"…"
"I… I'll let you…"
Silence interrupted between them. Her heart was noisy and it couldn't calm down. She couldn't believe that she said that. She wondered what Ryoma's reaction to that.
"Why not now?"
She stared at him only to realize that he was just a few inches away from her. Her face was beet red as of the moment, "No! N-not until we finish our mission and none of you will get hurt!"
"Ryuzaki—"
"I'll be the one to kiss you if we succeed!" She closed her eyes tight… only to open them when she realized what she said. She abruptly covered her mouth as she eyed him surprisingly, "T-that's not what I mean—I—I—"
"It's a promise then." He said raising his hand and showed her his pinky finger… not missing the smirk on his face.
"R-Ryoma-kun—" She couldn't look at him especially when she saw his smirk being plastered to his lips.
"Promise me… that you'll live too." He said becoming serious afterwards.
Sensing the seriousness of his tone, she slowly turned her head to him. He was wearing a serious expression. His hand was still left hanging in the middle showing her his pinky finger making her oath to promise. She stared at him and to his hand alternatively. The morning was quiet for the both of them and the wind was welcoming them from the window. The sound that it was creating was easing the tension that they both had… and she was thankful of that. She raised her hand and pinky swore to him finally, giving her the best smile she could give to him.
Not until his smirk was back to his lips.
"After all of this is over," He said gripping their fingers firmly, "I'll be looking forward to it."
"M-mou!" She said as she looked away. She was blushing really hard. The happiness that she couldn't content from her heart was overwhelming her. She knew that Ryoma somehow was giving her the importance that she wasn't really expecting in the first place. For now, she was quite satisfied of what they had at that moment.
She was pretty certain, given the kiss that they shared; she knew that the feeling was mutual and she couldn't ask for more than that.
One hour later:
Everyone gathered in the front lobby after their packing up thingy. The search was about within the area so they would separate into three groups. Each group would have a detection alice user so when they spotted the sin, they would inform the other. Sakuno would get the sin in no time if they would search separately.
Natsume search along with Mikan, Hotaru, Ruka and Yoichi while Fuji was with Momo, Eiji and Kokoromi. Ryoma was with Sakuno, Tsubasa and Nobara.
And they started searching around the harbor.
xxx
Sakuno walked silently together with Nobara while Ryoma and Tsubasa were talking about the direction they were going to. Sakuno thought back what happened to them since the very beginning. The appearance of necklace from Ryoma's hands, Natsume and Mikan's arrival in Seigaku, Reo and Yuka's chasing galore, the secret of her alices, the revelation from their senpais and trainings, the travel to Alice Academy, and the mission.
A lot of things had happened since day one. She couldn't help but smile at the memories and ended up chuckling.
"What's so funny?"
She looked to her side just to see Nobara looking wondrously at her. She looked ahead as she watched the pavement smiling in the process, "I… I am wondering about all the things that happened to us."
Nobara didn't say anything but she blinked at her as if she willed her to continue.
"I was scared all the time but with the friends around me, I was not that scared anymore," She said still looking on the pavement, "I feel like a burden to everyone and I simply don't want that."
"…"
"I don't want to be a burden to anyone anymore," Her eyes suddenly changed as she narrowed them. Peeking from them, Nobara saw the fierceness within them, "I'll do anything to be of help to them."
"You…"
"…And to you as well."
Sakuno's sudden turn to her made her flinch a little. Her eyes were full of determination.
"Why am I included?" She asked nonchalantly. She looked ahead as she continued walking, "You don't know me well."
"But you are here with us. That's enough for me."
The ice princess looked at her once again. She was really surprising her with her words.
"You saved us from the danger," She closed her eyes and smiled at her, "It's enough for me to trust you to be my friend."
Her eyes widened due to shock. She thought that her heart skipped a beat. Her words were somewhat drawn something unexplainable to her. She never felt something like that aside from Mikan.
It was exactly the same feeling when she first encountered the nullifying alice user. She never had a chance to reply to her words when Ryoma called her. Sakuno walked closer to the two and joined their conversation.
Nobara stared at her for a long time before she closed her eyes and followed them.
"R-really?"
She heard Sakuno ask the tennis boy with a surprised expression on her face.
"Let's go to Fuji-senpai's location." Ryoma said pulling to her wrist and started walking a bit faster.
Tsubasa stared at them for a while before he smirked, "These two are a pretty good match, aren't they?"
Nobara stood beside him and mimicked what he was doing. Before she could hold her thoughts back, she had already shared them, "Yes, they are."
Tsubasa looked at her making her blush as she looked away. The former chuckled before he followed the two. She sighed not loud enough to hear as she too followed them.
xxx
They could hear someone arguing in front of the harbor. Sakuno frowned as they were getting nearer. She spotted Fuji and the others gathered at the same spot. She could view something in the front… like a centaur?
"G-Gilbert-san?" She was able to murmur as she recognized the person—err—centaur there.
"Look here, Sakuno." Mikan said gesturing her to come closer which she did.
…Only to be shocked.
Gilbert was not alone in the area. Sitting from a rock, Flameshe was glaring furiously at the half-human, half-horse. She was crossing her arms to her chest as she was ranting endlessly to the poor creature.
"I will not turn to you so go away."
"But milady," Gilbert said walking a bit closer to the mermaid, "I've been courting you for long. Can't you see my effort? My eyes are only belong to you."
"Yeah right," She said sarcastically as she looked away, "As if you didn't look at Monique and Elle or any other women who pass by to your eyes."
"My eyes would only stare at you and only you."
"Will you shut it!" She looked at him with a glaring passion. Then she noticed her audience ahead of them, "And why are you all looking at us?" She said searching her eyes to them until they landed to Ryoma and Sakuno, "Have you two make out yet?"
Ryoma looked away while Sakuno blushed to the fullest. The rest gave suspicious look at them. They started teasing them after a few seconds of delayed reaction. Ryoma kept replying with his retorted remarks while Sakuno was trying to cover herself from embarrassment.
Flameshe watched them being teased together ignoring Gilbert to her side. She gripped her hands really tight until they became white from clenching. She didn't like what she was seeing.
"Show off." She muttered firmly but alas, they still heard it.
"What do you mean, Flameshe-san?" Fuji asked the mermaid this time.
"How can Ryoma-kun like a girl like her?" She said pointing at Sakuno, "She's not even a fine lady to begin with."
Sakuno looked at her and wondered about the words that the mermaid said, "I… I don't know what you mean, Flameshe-san?"
"You don't have to know," She flipped her hair to her side as she closed her eyes, "You don't pass enough to be one anyway."
She held her breath when she said that. The mermaid didn't like her from the start and she knew that but why was she saying something harsh to her like that?
"I think you are being rude here, Flameshe-san," Momo stepped forward and faced the mermaid, "She's not like what you think."
"Yeah, that's right, I don't know her," She said to Momo before she shifted her attention at the two, "…But I can see her. I feel sorry for Ryoma-kun choosing her over me."
"Ne," Ryoma looked up to Fuji as he pointed his finger at the Flameshe, "What is she talking about?"
Before Fuji could speak Flameshe beat him to it, "Don't play dumb. Just because you rejected me doesn't mean I let myself get beaten up with a simple girl!"
"!"
"…That girl who is plain as a white paper that will never pass being a lady."
"Pardon me, Flameshe-san. I don't know why you are so against me being plain but," Sakuno suddenly commented surprising everyone around her, "being plain is not so bad. It's just me being simple."
"Yes, you are—"
"It's not being about a lady who'll pass your taste," Sakuno interrupted, "it is something that you possess that a person accepts from you."
Flameshe was taken aback from her words. The rest was really surprised at her words as well. Sakuno had been remained quiet and would never defend herself like that. She did before but they never expected it that much from her. They also thought that she was done but they were all wrong especially when Sakuno continued speaking;
"I may not be a fine lady for now," Sakuno interrupted, "but I will be a girl who will grow up into someone that…" Ryoma-kun "that everyone may like."
Silence was welcomed after that. The mermaid just blinked her eyes twice but she never said anything. Sakuno realized what she was saying and ended up blushing in the end. The blush intensified when Mikan hugged her upon defending herself from being discriminated.
"Milady, I am afraid that the fair lady is right," Gilbert said walking closer to where she was sitting, "You had desired something which was not even there… or maybe it hadn't been there at all."
"Ryoma-kun is real, can't you see him standing right in front of us." She glared at Gilbert as she pointed out Ryoma.
"But he's not available anymore," Gilbert said reaching for her hand and placed it to his chest, "Desire me my fair and lovely mermaid. Why don't you give this half-human, half-horse a chance?"
Flameshe just looked at him but she never said anything nor pulled her hand from his chest.
"I am not asking for a full attention. Just a glance from you is enough for me," Gilbert said staring fondly at her, "When Gilbert gives his heart to a fine young lady, he will surrender everything to her."
The team was seeing the faint blush that appeared from the mermaid's face. It seemed that Gilbert's persuasion was working on her.
"I've been setting my eyes on you ever since. I hope you give this little creature the chance to love."
Flameshe closed her eyes and playfully pushed Gilbert, "Baka…"
Gilbert knew that gesture and he couldn't help but smiled. As long as he went back to his feet, he approached her once again and didn't hesitate to hug her, "Arigatou my fine lady."
The moment he did that, a sudden light appeared between them and went straight above them. Everyone followed the light and they knew what it was.
"Ryuzaki-chan!" Eiji looked at her with excitement.
Sakuno was staring at it as well. She didn't know what she was feeling at that moment. All that she was aware about, she was standing above the final sin. She stepped under it and waited to the last sin to enter her body.
But it wasn't the light that approached her. It was the wind and everyone blocked their vision of her because of it.
Time is up.
Sakuno covered her eyes as she felt something cold that covered her body. The rest couldn't see what was happening at that moment. The last that they heard was her scream.
"Ryuzaki!" Ryoma shouted firmly as he peeked through his arm and tried to vision what was in front of him.
When the mist disappeared, Sakuno was not standing there anymore.
"Where's Sakuno?" Mikan asked to Natsume who was gritting his teeth at that moment.
They looked in front. Gilbert was hugging Flameshe for security. They looked around and the only one who spotted where Sakuno was Momo.
The dunk smasher's eyes widened when she saw Sakuno above Gilbert and Flameshe but she was not alone. Ice was covering around and they were shining like crsytals, "N-Nobara-san…"
Everyone looked at Momo and followed his vision. Nobara was standing on a wall, carrying Sakuno to her waist with one arm wrapping it. The girl was unconscious. The ice princess was holding the last sin in her other hand.
Everyone was silent and probably shocked at the turn of events. Her face was unreadable not until she let out an evil grin towards them.
Done! Okay, cliff hanger once again. What will happen next? Find that out next chapter. Domo.
About Gilbert's love interest. It was really Monique that he liked and not Flameshe but I changed it here. Monique and Elle are both mermaids from the game The Legend of Mana. I do not own them. Zero-related.
Next Chapter: Intentions and Purposes