Chapter 40: Beginning

"Are you nervous?" Ryoga asked.

"Hn…" Ryoma adjusted his necktie, as if it had been strangling him all day. He wiped his sweat rolling down his neck, and he fanned himself with the cue card that his brother had so he had an idea how the program was going to run.

"Just imagine them as your enemies," The older man said. Ryoma rolled his eyes at him. If he were to do that, the kids would have been wacked in the head with a tennis ball, so that's not going to work.

"I used to not get nervous with these things. Ahh… why did I agree to do this again?" he stared at the conference room filled with seven thousand people. Most of them were kids, and some were parents accompanying their child.

"Because your beloved Ponta asked you to. Take a deep breath. I know you can do this," Ryoga smiled.

He was beyond proud of his little brother for trying to conquer his fears and was willing to take part in this convention for aspiring young athletes, and who better to speak inspirations to them than the Ryoma Echizen, who had skyrocketed his career at an early age and made a name for himself in the tennis world internationally.

"What am I even going to say?" He had been briefed earlier by the coordinator but all of that was thrown out the window when he saw how huge the audience was. He never expected that many youths would be listening to him today, and many were his fans at that.

"Talk about the beginning, how you started, what your advice is for the kids, and something else," Ryoga scratched his head and patted him on the shoulder. Having never taken part in any tennis related projects, Ryoga was just as clueless as him.

"Fine, fine. I'm going to the washroom," Ryoma turned around and walked away. The older man shook his head. He was only getting used to the new Ryoma ever since he took a hiatus and then came back as a different person. But nevertheless, he made a promise to their mother to support Ryoma at least until he was back to normal.

Ryoga crossed his arms and watched the host announce all of the sponsors for today's event.

Ryoma stared at himself in the mirror. He was visibly uneasy. It was a week ago when Ryoga called and told him that Ponta wanted to sponsor a convention for underprivileged young athletes, and they wanted Ryoma to be a speaker at the said event. Being a young and successful athlete as himself, of course it was logical for him to be spokesperson for the kids around the world. It would do good for his image and for the sports community as well.

"Let's welcome our first speaker. In his early age, he had already bagged countless trophies and won many tournaments not only in Japan, but around the world as well. Ladies, and gentlemen…"

Ryoma took out two pills from his bag and ate it, then he gulped a bottle of water. He inhaled deeply, listening to the host's words.

"Japanese professional tennis player, Ryoma Echizen."

He took one last look at himself before stepping out of the washroom. Ryoga was waiting for him outside. They both climbed onto the stage and bowed to the audience, and then to the host.

He was handed a microphone, then Ryoga and the host stepped off the stage, leaving him alone.

Ryoma scanned the audience. They were a mix of races. He could see Americans, Middle easterns, Europeans, and many more. They were kids of all ages, and it made him even more speechless. He shoved his other hand in his pocket and swallowed his saliva.

How should I start?

He saw Ryoga on the front row, holding a white board. Ryoma almost laughed when he read the words written on it. It was as if his brother already knew that his mind would be blank.

I'm going to record this on video and will be in the groupchat.

He flinched as the thought of Sakuno watching an embarrassing video of him occurred in his mind. He placed his fate on the God's hands and decided to go with the flow. Ryoma walked over in the middle of the stage, hand still in his pocket, then he raised the microphone on his other hand and began to speak.

"Hi,"

That one word earned screams and applause from the crowd. Ryoma was taken aback by the reaction of the teenagers seated at the back. Ryoga could only laugh, his brother has always been a celebrity.

"Ryoma!"

"I love you!"

"Ryoma-kun!"

The poor young man forced a pleasant smile as his ears were bombarded by screams of young girls. When the coordinator calmed the audience down, Ryoma cleared his throat.

"Uh... I guess all of you here want to be an athlete. Well… it's not easy. I remember the first time I held a tennis racket. It was very heavy, my little hands couldn't raise it properly," Ryoma was surprised that a picture of him as a baby flashed on the big screen behind him. He glanced at Ryoga because he knew that this was his idea. Another round of squeals was heard around the room.

"I always thought my father was punishing me for being a brat and he would toss tennis balls my way, then laugh at me whenever I try to swing the heavy racket."

The crowd laughs softly, all eyes staring at him, eager to listen to his every word. Ryoma's heart was beating loudly as he thought of more fond memories from his early days.

"Then… as I got older, I got the hang of it and for a moment, I convinced myself that I was the best kid in town that knew tennis. But my brother came, and I was immediately proven wrong."

Ryoga snickered, and Ryoma smirked at him. He almost stuck out his tongue, but he stopped himself.

"Then my family urged me to participate in tournaments here in America, and yeah, I won four consecutive titles. After that, I participated in my school's tennis tournaments when I lived in Japan, and one after another, we won. Sounds nice, right?"

The audience nodded their heads. Ryoma smiled.

"Well, it's not. I had my fair share of hard times, and even someone like me even realized that I wasn't the best, I never was. However, I had the best support system in the world. I never told anyone this but I'm glad that my family and friends always supported me, that's why I got to be where I am now. That's why I was given the honor to offer my words to all of you to give hope."

Ryoga slowly raised his phone, recording the whole speech.

"Thanks to Ponta for letting me stand here today, and to say that even though I had a lot of hardships, and am still having some, I can tell you that winning feels so much more worth it when you work for it and give it your all. I know that you dream of becoming an athlete, and play the sport that you love so much, and we're here to help you through the way. If I can do it, you can, too. So, let's work together."

The audience gave him a round of applause. Everyone knows Ryoma wasn't the type of person to speak more than three words (mada mada dane), but when he finally did, every word was fruitful, everything was meaningful to all the children.

Being the youth ambassador for young aspiring athletes really does suit him.

After the talk, Ryoma walked down the stage and immediately –sort of– collapsed onto Ryoga's shoulder. He exhaled loudly, some of the teenagers heard it and giggled on the side. The brothers moved behind the curtain and settled down.

"That was good, Chibisuke."

"Are you kidding me? I just blabbed about my personal life because that's what you said, I did nothing to ignite some kind of flame in them. That was disastrous!" They sat down on the bench and a staff member handed them bottles of water.

"Would you stop? If you keep on saying that, then what you told them would have been contradicting, isn't it?"

"You don't understand, you weren't up there," Ryoma mumbled as he reached for the pill bottle in his bag and proceeded to take three pieces without thinking much. Ryoga noticed this and grabbed his arm.

"What's that and why're you taking three?" He raised his eyebrow.

"What? Miss Mao gave it to me, calms my nerves," He snatched his arm back and ate the medicine. Ryoga stared in disbelief at the amount of those unknown pills he had been intaking.

"Are you taking it as prescribed? I'll call your doctor just in case," He tried to grab Ryoma's bag and was hoping to find his phone there, but the younger man was quicker than him. He hid his bag behind him and stuck out his tongue. Ryoga looked at him, it was like seeing a toddler in front of him.

"You're stubborn, Ryoma."

"I know."

"By the way, I just bought a yacht. We can go on a vacation, you and me. What do you say?"

"First of all, not in a million years. Second, why do you always use your money for something useless?"

"Oh, at least I'm living my life. What about you? You've got thousands of bank accounts with a lot of money, but you never even use it! Not even buying a house, or a car!"

Ryoma scoffed at him. But it was true, he never thought of anything he wanted to buy.

"Look at you, a twenty-five-year-old pro, but you've got no plans in life. I mean, your loud friends have been married for two years now and you're still in a live-in situation with Sakuno-chan," Ryoga crossed his arms. When he looks at his brother, yeah, he wasn't a materialistic lad, no expensive watch, no rings, no jewelry. He takes good care of his things, so he probably never felt the need to buy new ones. Then, his girlfriend, Sakuno, was already doing well with her job and would not need any financial assistance from Ryoma. Also, he went to Tomoka and Horio's wedding two years ago, and one could not help but wonder when the great Echizen Ryoma would get married.

But so far, he and Sakuno seem to be more focused on their own thing rather than planning a family. Well, not that he's one to speak.

"You should get married, bro. So, you can stop meddling in my life," he heard the young Echizen comment on the side. This made Ryoga a little bit annoyed at him and felt the urge to punch him in the head.

The prince wondered. What could he do with all that money? Travel? But all of his trips abroad were sponsored. House? Car? Well, maybe. He had to talk about that with Sakuno.

What else?

He watched the kids happily listening to the current speaker who is a basketball player. He spotted a child in a wheelchair. He was wearing a jersey, but his feet were wrapped in bandages. Ryoma could immediately tell that he couldn't possibly play sports with that body. What could he do to make the impossible… possible for these kids?

Just then, he felt a sudden pang in his chest, something that made him want to cry his eyes out. He felt sad for those kids, knowing that they longed to move freely and normally, but their disability hinders their dreams.

That's right!

He finally thought of an idea of how to use all his hard-earned money.

"Ryoga-nii, listen," he nudged his brother's shoulder, and he whispered in his ear something that he knew would be helpful for the youth.

Sakuno walks alone on the dark streets towards the bus station at four in the morning. She has been working for Chef Rick's restaurant for three years, he was one of the judges in her college's cookoff. It has been her dream ever since Sumire taught her how to hold a ladle, and now that it was actually happening, she couldn't be more grateful.

But… it was far from how she imagined.

Three years. Sakuno was expecting to be at least an assistant cook or a waitress.

She entered the back door and went straight to the locker room. She changed into their staff uniform and started to wash the pans and pots left by the chef last night. Even though she was highly regarded by Chef Rick, the rest of the staff members didn't think she was any big of a deal.

She has never touched a single onion, nor a knife since she worked there for three years. Sakuno would cry, really. But she didn't want to quit and disappoint Chef Rick. Of course, no one knows what she was going through at work, not even Ryoma. But she was hopeful that her situation would get better and soon, she would be promoted to being an actual chef.

But as for now, Sakuno did her best to clean the entire kitchen before their shift starts.

"Sakuno-chan, you're too slow,"

"Move!"

"You're in the way,"

"Why did the Chef even let her work here? She's useless,"

Sakuno hears those words almost every day, and she had no choice but to ignore them. She knew that Chef Rick saw her potential that's why he took her to his restaurant, but she could not understand why she was stuck in a janitorial position when obviously, her resume was better than that.

"Hey! Stop staring at the wall and clean something," one of the chefs yelled at her, and Sakuno hurriedly ran to the nearest sink to scrub the pots. As she was doing so, they kept on talking about her.

"You'll never be promoted; no woman has ever been promoted here. Chef Rick might have liked you, but you're on a dead-end."

"Just quit,"

Then she heard laughter. Sakuno felt hot tears threaten to fall from her eyes, but she fought it. She wondered why she stuck around and still hopes for a promotion from Chef Rick. He hasn't been visiting the restaurant for a year, Sakuno feared that he must have forgotten about her now.

No, she must succeed. All of her friends and Ryoma supported her, they moved closer to her work for that. Sakuno could not imagine the disappointed look on Ryoma's face if he learns that she didn't make it.

She can't quit.

Sakuno wiped her tears, and a bit of soap got onto her cheek, but she ignored it. She continued to scrub all of the charcoal while she distracted her mind from the taunting they were doing.

Sakuno clocked out at eleven in the evening. She walks out from the back door and heads to the bus stop. Her heart jumped when she saw a familiar figure leaning on the wall. Even though he was dressed in a thick coat and a face mask, Sakuno knew it was him.

Ryoma had earphones on, and he was looking the other way, so he didn't immediately notice Sakuno tiptoeing towards him. When she finally stood behind him, she startled him with a strong nudge on his shoulder.

"Ryoma-kun!" She exclaimed.

"Gah!" The poor man stumbled on his feet and his phone fell on the floor. His heart throbbed in his chest as he stared at Sakuno in disbelief.

"Sorry!" She picked up his phone and giggled.

"Sakuno, I almost hit you, did you know that?!" Ryoma clutched his chest to calm his beating heart, but his eyes softened as he noticed Sakuno's radiant glow. Her eyes glimmered with the city lights the more she blinked.

"I'm sorry. Let's go home," She grabbed Ryoma's hand when she saw the bus about to arrive.

Sakuno was taking a shower while Ryoma washes the dishes. They had just finished dinner and he let Sakuno take a shower first.

A few hours later, Ryoma adjusted his glasses, and he sat on the bed, with his tablet on hand, as he studied the structure of the sports stadium he was building with the help of Ponta and his brother Ryoga. The project was started right after his talk in America and he's noticeably happier and more active in the industry than ever.

He felt Sakuno sit on the other side of the bed, but he was too focused to look up. Ryoga needs his report as soon as possible.

"You look handsome with your glasses, Ryoma-kun," she said, scooting over until she was in front of the busy guy. Sakuno rested her cheek on Ryoma's knee and traced his arm with her finger. She admired his muscle, and the fine body hair on it.

"Hm? What is it?"

Ryoma momentarily looked up and saw that she was wearing a thin nightgown that barely reached her legs. Her hair was still a bit damp, but it made her look fresh and sultry. He raised an eyebrow at how odd Sakuno was behaving tonight. Maybe she needed something, she was just a bit shy to ask for it?

But she looked… sexy.

"Aren't you cold?" he blushed at the sight of Sakuno. Ryoma was not used to her wearing something like that. Usually, when she sleeps, she wears a long and thick pajama or a nightgown that covers her whole body except for her head.

"I-I'm not…" she whispers, trying to pull that confident facade, but Ryoma knew better. Her lips pouted as she continued stroking his arm. Her eyelashes fluttered whenever she blinked. He could practically see through her clothing, and it made his heartbeat fast.

Is she…?

He smirked. There were only a number of times Sakuno sought attention from him, and now is one of those times. He was amused, and utterly turned on.

"My Sakuno wants some action," He removed his glasses and placed it on top of the forgotten tablet on his nightstand, then he slowly pulled Sakuno onto his lap. She giggled as his nose tickled her neck.

"Wait, aren't you tired today?" he asked.

"I'm not tired of you," she whispered, her cheeks blushing. Ryoma chuckled at the sweet and naughty side of Sakuno. She was visibly shy of flirting with him even though it was only the two of them, but he would be lying if he said he didn't like it.

Sakuno cupped his cheeks and slightly squashed it before kissing his lips. Ryoma responded and gently held her waist. She was careful not to put too much of her weight on his lap as they continued to make out.

Ryoma struggled to unbutton his shirt without breaking from Sakuno's lips, so she helped him remove it. Sakuno traced his chest and well-toned biceps, sending goosebumps to his skin. He captured her lips again and this time, it was more passionate and hungrier.

"Mmm… I missed you," she mumbled under his lips. Hearing those words made Ryoma deepen the kiss, relishing the feel of her tongue.

Sakuno felt his hands under her clothes, then he started stroking her back upward to her shoulder, raising her nightgown, and she moaned a bit louder than she intended.

"Hmm… someone's excited," He mumbled.

"Shut up," she replied shyly, her hand covering his mouth. Sakuno giggled as he wrapped his arms on her waist to pull her closer and press her body on his. Their forehead leaned onto each other, and their eyes momentarily met. Sakuno stared lovingly at his sharp, golden eyes.

"I like it," He smirked. He was going to lean in to kiss her again when she suddenly spoke again.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Congratulations on your speech. You were incredible, Ryoma-kun," she caressed his cheek, and it made him smile. Sure enough, Ryoga sent the video in their family group chat. Of course, Sakuno was already included in the group, so she saw it.

"Thanks…" He wasn't sure if he should feel proud of that, but it made Sakuno happy so that's good enough for him.

Ryoma laid her down on the bed, taking off her nightgown in the process. He got on top of her and kissed her on the neck, her ear, and then her collarbone. Sakuno let out a louder moan, and Ryoma didn't mind it. He wanted to hear more, so he moved on to her chest region and proceeded to taste her breasts. He could smell the body wash she always uses when she takes a bath, and it was heaven for his nose.

Sakuno reached for the strings of his sweatpants, swiftly untying it without looking. Ryoma let her hands do the work for a while, satisfying him but not so much, she had to tease him a little.

It was only the beginning.

As he was getting hotter and harder, he focused on pleasuring her torso with kisses and licks. His tongue traveled to her belly button, her hips, and to her pelvis, tracing its curves.

When he finally reached below her waist, Sakuno gripped on the bed sheets and held her breath. She let him do whatever he wanted, he kissed her everywhere, and she obediently stayed still, biting her lip as the pleasure from Ryoma clouded her mind and body.

They shared a night of passion, merely forgetting tomorrow's hard times and decided to feel each other's solace even just for a few hours.

To be continued.