Ryoma saw her outside.

With wide eyes and heart hammering loudly against his chest, he saw her silken brown hair in its usual twin braids. She was dragging her feet, her head turned depressingly low. He didn't know whether the girl was just passing through in front of the house or if she really did went out of her way in order to come.

"She's here." He wasn't sure if it was the gods playing with him or he was just plain lucky. After his lengthy brooding and final conclusion as to why he felt a certain way with her absence, she actually arrives. A knot in his stomach tightened, realizing that everything is real and she was just there.

"Ryuzaki." An almost inaudible gasp escaped his lips, calling for her. Both his hands unconsciously gripped the window frame as he leaned.

Meanwhile, the girl continued to move, not even giving his presence any recognition.

"Ryuzaki." This time, he called a bit louder. He can see the girl flinch, looking around specifically, back to what he assumed was the house's porch. He could see her posture straighten up, looking baffled as no one seemed to be around. Finally understanding her situation, he spoke again. This time, he instructed her to look up.

"Ryuzaki, up here."

She reluctantly looked up, her doe hazel eyes filled with wonder. The night lights accentuated her face, giving the right amount of glow that visibly shown the puffing and slight blush in her cheeks. His eyes met hers for what seemed like forever since the last time it did.

"R-Ryoma-kun?" he heard her surprised voice, before she almost yelped in surprise and briskly looked for her phone.

Feeling a bit ignored, he squinted his eyes while he waited for the girl to finish whatever she was checking.

"It's almost curfew." he commented.

She flinched at his question, sheepishly looking everywhere but up. Her braids bouncing with her erratic movements.

"H-Hai." the girl meekly nodded, face beet red at admitting her current obvious predicament.

For a few seconds, nobody spoke. The girl too flabbergasted and shy to talk, and the boy silently figuring out what would he have to say in that kind of situation. And as the thought struck him, he exhaled.

The tennis prince's lips curled in a small smile as he regained his usual composure.

"Say, Ryuzaki... Would you like to stay the night?"

"Uhm... Thank you for letting me in, Ryoma-kun."

The boy only nodded in recognition as Sakuno went inside through the brown mahogany door. With it's lights finally turned on, she could finally make out the appearance of the familiar living room that didn't really change at all. It was all pristine. Surprisingly, the place's state reminded her of the first time she arrived at this very house.

Ryoma disappeared into the kitchen while she let herself sit in the couch. She let out a sigh, thinking about how a simple plan of checking out whether the tennis prince was okay, escalated to her staying over for the night. At least, 17 year old Sakuno wasn't as fazed over that scenario when compared to the possible meltdown her 12 year old self would've suffered. Besides, it wasn't like it was the first time she would spend the night under the same roof as him. She did for almost half a year until last month when she finally moved out.

Still, it was a lie to proclaim that she's perfectly calm and collected as she sat there in the living room. She felt fidgety, utterly ashamed that he found her outside while she was in the middle of her indecisiveness. For sure, he would ask why she was there at that time of the night.

"I ran out of tea."

A can of cherry Ponta was placed on the small table in front of her. She looked at the perpetrator, seeing his slightly disheveled hair and the bandage that seemed to appear like a white headband in his forehead, under his bangs.

"Ano, Ryoma-kun... Are you okay?"

Seeing his state up close, the previous commotion in her head cleared. It was replaced by the worry that was the ultimate reason why she was there. Unconsciously, the girl was about to raise her hands and touch the white band. Though the moment she realized it, she paused. Instead, she grabbed the Ponta before her.

His golden eyes curiously looked at her before he finally sat beside her, a small distance apart. He took a swig of his second Ponta for the night before he replied.

"What do you mean?"

"Kevin-kun told me you had an accident." She turned sideways to look at him, her brown eyes glinted concern. "Does your forehead wound still hurt?"

"I'm okay... I guess." he murmured.

"Why did you get in an accident, Ryoma-kun?" she inquired, unaware of how she appeared to be too stern for her own character.

The prince of tennis shrugged, glancing at her sideways. Despite his initial thought of not divulging anything because he deemed the accident lame, he got a feeling that the girl wouldn't back down.

So all he did was sigh, before recounting everything that afternoon.

"I tripped on a tennis ball while practicing," he said, "And struck my head on one of the benches."

Sakuno visibly winced, imagining it all.

"It must've hurt so bad."

"But it didn't turn out to be anything serious when the doctors conducted tests." he said it so casually.

"Mada mada dane, Ryoma-kun." Sakuno shook her head in disappointment.

Hearing her response, Ryoma faced her. His amber eyes widened in surprise at her usage of his signature phrase.

Eventually realizing the boy's expression as he looked at her. She finally processed what she just said. It was a slip of tongue, a thought that she didn't mean to verbalize.

Her mouth fell agape, as heat rose up on her face up to the tips of her ears.

"A-Ah! G-Gomen, R-Ryoma-kun!" she bowed profusely, eyes shut, "I-I d-didn't mean--"

And then she heard him chuckle instead. He looked the same as the middle school Echizen Ryoma who just won the last win needed in order to take home the Nationals trophy. Maybe it was a stretch, but she swore his cheeks were a bit tinted as he laughed.

Before his chuckles stopped, he stared at her before he flashed her one of his signature amused smirks.

"Mada mada dane, Ryuzaki."

She wasn't sure why his simple laugh could lead to her heart skipping a beat. How her lungs felt tight with the sound of his voice. How he never fails to tug on her heartstrings as if it was the easiest thing in the world.

Then, he just stood up and gestured for her to follow him. Still feeling flustered, Sakuno followed him. She caught a glimpse of the kitchen before they arrived by the foot of the staircase that led to the bedrooms. They went upstairs, and the girl noticed her previous bedroom opened. She halted a bit, remembering her days there.

"Ryuzaki, come here." he sounded nonchalant as he called for her attention. He went inside his own bedroom.

Sakuno followed him, unsure why he led her to his own room. Afraid that the boy would get annoyed with her lack of action, she stepped forward to peek inside his now open room.

It was the second time that she laid her eyes there-- the first time being when the tennis prince got sick and she took care of him. It didn't change much. The colors and set up of his room still being the same. Though maybe because he was inside, busily shuffling in his closet, perfectly awake, aware and not asleep that she felt uncomfortable now.

She watched him pull some sheets from his closet. Then, he asked her:

"I don't have spare pillows. Would you be okay with using mine?"

"H-hai." she stammered, not really having a choice.

Ryoma grabbed a pillow from his bed and along with the sheets, he carried them. He passed by the doe eyed girl who followed him along. The boy went inside Ryuzaki's old bedroom and set the sheets and pillow by the bed.

"Thank you, Ryoma-kun."

"Hn." he only replied as he went out of the room, looking at her from the outside.

"Ne, Ryuzaki... You still haven't answered my question."

"Eh?" she wondered, "What was it, Ryoma-kun?"

"What were you doing outside at this time of the night?"

He wasn't looking at her, his face turned a bit sideways. Still, she could make out his stern, yet seemingly nonchalant look. She wasn't sure what to make out of his expression. At first glance, Sakuno was sure that he was just the way he is. The look and sound of indifference he always sported. But strange enough, she could make out the faintest tones of concern in his voice.

"I..." She was caught off guard.

His abrupt question made her startled that the honest words coming out of her mouth became inevitable. "...I was worried when I heard about your accident."

By the time he glanced at her, she was already looking at the floor. He didn't reply anything and Sakuno took a deep breath before she continued, "Y-You know me, Ryoma-kun..." she downplayed, making it sound humorous, "I've been like this ever since the first time I met you..."

Referencing the first time they met and he got injured by a flying racket, Sakuno finished her answer with a small reminiscent smile. There was no point in hiding what she really meant. After all, despite their current circumstances, he was still made aware of what she truly felt for him for the last five years.

"I-I see." his uncharacteristic stutter caught her attention. But before she could comment on it, his bangs hid his eyes as he strode off.

"Oyasumi, Ryuzaki." he uttered loud enough so she could hear.

"Oyasuminasai, Ryoma-kun." she responded, watching his back as he slipped inside his own bedroom.

She took it as a cue for her to settle down too. The girl gently closed her door before she made herself fall on her back by the comfy mattress.

"What was that?" she mused, suddenly back to her habit of staring at the ceiling.

She concluded that her previous bedroom didn't really change much, except the obvious lack of her things. The same unreachable small stain at the corner of the ceiling, the same solor of the walls, and the unmoved furnitures that she left behind.

That night, as Ryuzaki Sakuno laid to sleep in her old bedroom, she can't help but feel like she was going backwards.

"Mou..."

The girl pulled his spare blanket closer to cover her face. She could smell its musky scent-- probably the smell of his fabric conditioner-- that filled her nostrils. It sent a strange warmth to her being and it made her wonder if the red on her cheeks have finally subsided. Despite being alone, she could still feel her erratic heartbeats as she started to reflect on everything that just happened for the last couple of hours.

Who would've thought that she'd get to spend the night in this very house again?

Almost a month ago, when she left, she swore that it would be the last time. The last time she'll let herself cry over an emotion she repeatedly convinced herself to forget.

As if it was all yesterday, she recalled how it was sort of lucky. The tennis prince wasn't there as she pulled her luggage bags out of the front door. On the day of her moving out, it was a good thing that he didn't get to see her. She could never forget how heavy her heart felt over the conclusion she made to protect herself from any more hurt. He didn't get to see how as she climbed inside the moving truck to deliver her things to her new home, tears wouldn't stop. She figured the truck driver must've felt awkward, seeing her cry and all. But for once, she didn't care. It dawned how actually moving out was more hurtful than just plainly saying it out loud.

The first week of her moving out didn't seem that bad. Since she found herself busy over studying for midterms, thoughts of him didn't really bother her that much. She still gets to see him inside the campus. Sakuno wouldn't really try and approach him. She escapes whenever it seems like he'll notice that she was there.

One time, she was studying near the third floor library window. It wasn't intentional at all, and she remembered how frustrated she felt over a passage in the book that she couldn't understand. So she stood up and took a breather by peering down the windows. The university tennis courts was there, and among the few athletes she saw, he recognized his white cap standing out from the rest. Quite surprised, Sakuno intended to not watch. But it was too late, because she can't seem to take her eyes off of him.

And it was then the first cracks in her resolve started to appear.

To hopefully ease it all, she took more precautions on herself. When she unintentionally sees him from afar, without any more thinking, she'd walk away. The girl made it so that they'll never cross paths. When they happen to have same classes, she would sit on the furthest seat from him. She also made sure that her seating arrangement wouldn't make her stand out too.

Sakuno needed that extra effort. She ignored all the nagging pangs in her chest, the silent pleas inside to let him in her life again. If she didn't, her moving out wouldn't have mattered at all.

It was an unpredictable situation that the brown-haired girl couldn't attend a certain professor's class on time. She planned on taking the professor's next class schedule. What she didn't realize was how it was the tennis prince's class, and no other seats were available except for that one chair beside him.

Convincing herself that it was just for that day, she sat beside him and even talked for a bit. It was a shame that she seemed to forget how being around him made her feel. From the corner of her eyes, she would stare at his sleepy face. Feeling more conscious of her actions, she's reminded of their relationship from five years ago. Mere classmates where one had a one-sided crush on the other.

When class ended, she would've talked with him more, the idea of her own resolve being forgotten every second. But when she catches a glimpse of the blond boy and the pink-haired girl behind him, she came to her senses.

She excused herself immediately, not even looking back. And now, on this night as she mulled over things, Sakuno realized how she it was all too easy that she dropped her guard down.

Then, one thing led to another. As of the recent events, she's lying on her previous bed with his pillow and sheets. The Ryuzaki Sakuno from a month ago would have nagged at her continuously for letting all of this happen. This wasn't supposed to happen.

She took a deep breath, inhaling as much of the air she needed and then exhaling it all.

Now that her resolve has crumbled, she began to wonder whether it was more effective to forget him this way. If moving out didn't clearly erase her feelings for him, what would?

A/N:

Hello everyone! This update is kinda short too, sorry. I felt like I had to show Sakuno's side too from the past chapters that were Ryoma-centric. I hope I didn't bore with this one.

And also, I'm thinking of having a two week to a month long break. I've been on a writing slump (again) lately. Though I would still be slowly writing the next chapters, I couldn't really promise weekly updates. Rest assured though, that I would come back with longer chapters and hopefully a good ending as soon as I can. Hehe.

I think that would be all. See you on the next chhapter!