Chapter 15: Serenade

Ryoma wondered if he was dreaming.

He felt movement on his foot, and then it stopped. He felt someone lying down beside him, and then he felt a finger touching his eyebrows, nose, and then his lips. He remained half asleep, the heaviness that he felt from exhaustion weighed him down. It felt so good to lie down on his soft mattress.

"I love you…" a small voice whispered.

He opened his eyes and instantly met the girl's own eyes staring back at him.

Ryuzaki?

He wondered what she was doing in his room, lying down, with the bluish light seeping through his curtains. It was still dark, but he could see her immaculate face clearly. She had that morning glow about her, eyes still a bit red from sleep, her cheeks too were fairly red, and her lips looked irresistible.

Ryoma has been known for his tactical tennis play. Even though he doesn't say much, everyone who played against him had concluded that all of his moves were well thought out. He was a genius, a prodigy, an expert.

But that was tennis. Tactical and expert was never associated with his personal life.

That is when he wondered why, as he leaned closer to Sakuno, his lips pressed against hers, he wondered why when it came to her, it felt like his brain shuts down and his body takes control of him.

Call it instinct, call it impulse. He had never kissed another human being before. It felt… surreal.

Sakuno was surprised. Mainly because Ryoma, the love of his life, was kissing her in his room, at four in the morning. Second, she knew that he heard what she said. It was probably the reason why he went in for a kiss.

She hadn't got the time to ponder over such things as she relished the feeling of his lips. It was just a peck, a bump, even. It was an inexperienced, virgin kiss. But it was full of undiscovered feelings, full of flavor that she had never known before. Her hands unconsciously clutched onto his shirt, she could feel heat rushing through her body up to her face and was suddenly aware that they were indeed kissing, but it wasn't the time to freak out. She just couldn't find the strength to push him away.

Her eyes flew open for a bit, curious to see how Ryoma looked. She saw how his bed head looked, the streetlights illuminating his greenish locks, she saw that he had his eyes closed, and his cheeks developed a reddish tint.

Sakuno knew that Ryoma always looked handsome. That was why he had many fanbases. But she never realized that he looked even better in the morning. She was losing herself with every electricity his lips sent to her.

Sakuno realized how she couldn't resist Ryoma. She was beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, she has a chance for his heart.

Eventually realizing what he had done, Ryoma's lips slowly parted from hers, making a faint smack sound. He raised his head, just enough to let him stare at her. Her eyes were a bit watery, he guessed from the bold move he pulled on her. It made him feel bad, taking advantage of her like that. But he couldn't stop himself when he heard her voice say those three little words, words that he had never learned before.

"Ryuzaki…" he whispered. At the mention of her name, Sakuno's cheeks blushed. She didn't know what to say. It was awkward, and she could feel his thundering heartbeat on top of her chest.

"Sorry for kissing you," his voice sounded hoarse, and his eyes showed shame and regret. She knew that he didn't mean to do it, it was a spur of the moment. She, too, was guilty for she responded to him and let herself enjoy the sensation.

"It's okay…" she whispered. They stared at each other for more than a minute. The only sound that they heard was the ticking of the clock. Ryoma gently brushed her bangs away with his fingers and let himself revel in her beauty.

He never realized how stunning the girl looked from up close.

He resisted himself from leaning in for another kiss. He feared he might do something more if they didn't stop.

"I should go," he stood up from his bed and made his way out. Sakuno was dumbfounded. Shouldn't it be her who was supposed to get out? It's his room, after all.

Sakuno sighed as she remained lying down on his bed. She touched her lips as she stared at the blue window.

At that moment, both of them knew that nothing will be the same from now on.

"Ryoma? Why are you up early?" Nanjirou called out to him when he descended the stairs. His father was currently sitting in the dining room with only the kitchen lights on. It was almost five in the morning and the sun rays began to seep through the living room windows.

Of course, Ryoma couldn't answer him honestly. He can't say that he was completely awakened by the girl upstairs, in his room. He wouldn't dare tell him the truth or he would tease him for the rest of his life.

"What about you?" The young boy could only wonder why his father was unusually awake too early.

"I can't sleep," he sipped his tea. Ryoma prepared his own cup of tea and sat in the dining room as well. There was only silence between them.

"Ryoma, I want to ask you…" Nanjirou cleared his throat. "Are you happy with tennis?"

"Hmm… why are you asking me? Didn't we plan this from the start?" Ryoma smirked. His father would not go soft on him now, is he?

"You didn't answer my question," the father sighed. Getting a straight answer from his son was never possible. "I know we planned this, but do you still want it? You know you could do something else, if you want…" Nanjirou felt guilty for feeding Ryoma such big dreams, dreams that he couldn't reach, he felt selfish.

Ryoma blinked. He found his father weird for asking such absurd questions. When did his father doubt his resolve? Did he show any kind of reaction to make them think that he wasn't happy anymore? Ryoma thought hard about what he could have done to make them worry like this.

Now that he thought about it, is he happy? He tried to recall all of the trials he has gone through to get to where he is. The countless injuries, failures, scrapes, and mental stress that only he knew about. He recalled how he would control his emotions and project a worry-free boy and avoid anyone to worry about him. It was all for the dream.

Now that he thought about it, he couldn't count the times that he felt miserable, that his body felt painful. Yet, he never faltered, he faced all the challenges head on.

If that is what he meant by happy, then he figured he is.

"I guess," he muttered before sipping on his tea.

Nanjirou was not convinced. He knew it's futile to fuss over Ryoma. He has always been independent.

"You really want to do this? You will leave soon, and you probably won't come back, ever. There's still time to think about it," Nanjirou pressed on. He wanted to hear what Ryoma really thinks of it because if he goes through it and makes his own life miserable, will there be a place for him to rise again?

"Of course," Ryoma smirked at him. Nanjirou saw his son's eyes were practically sparkling, full of hope. He realized how a waste of time worrying about him was when he knew that ever since he was able to hold a racket, Ryoma has been decisive with his future. He has been in love with tennis.

Nanjirou couldn't believe that he forgot. He forgot because of his parental instinct.

A smile crept on his face as he understood. He doesn't have to stop Ryoma from doing his best. What they could do was support him, to help him when he's too exhausted and when he falls, they'll be right there to catch him.

"That's the spirit, brat!" he exclaimed. Ryoma jolted a bit at the sound of his voice, but he only smiled back. He knew that he could count on his father. After all, it was tennis that brought them together and understood each other without words.

"Honey…" the two males heard Rinko's voice from the stairs. She was finally awake and ready to start making breakfast. Nanjirou and Ryoma sighed in relief. Their empty stomachs were growling from the tasteless and bitter tea that Nanjirou made.

The boy was suddenly reminded of the tea he made for Sakuno and it tasted terrible.

Ryoma never realized how similar he actually is to his father.

Sakuno's eyes fluttered open. She stared at the clock, and it read eight o'clock. She fell asleep when Ryoma went out of his room and now, she realized how late she is to her and Tomoka's visit at the shrine. It was New Year's Day and she wanted to pray for good luck.

She sat up from his bed and was surprised to see the boy sitting by his desk, writing on his notebook. Sakuno remembered that he still had schoolwork to do. She felt sorry for him, he must be wanting to relax on his day off but instead, he was stuck with Calculus.

Ryoma turned around and met her eyes.

"You're awake," he spoke.

Sakuno couldn't help but stare at his lips. Events from four in the morning returned to her head, and she blushed furiously in embarrassment.

"Y-yes…" her voice came out as a tiny squeak.

"Breakfast…" he muttered, turning his head back to his work to hide his face. "Breakfast downstairs."

Sakuno nodded and silently arranged Ryoma's bed. After that, she excused herself and hastily exited the room. She feared her heart wouldn't survive for another day if she stayed in the same room as him.

Ryoma continued on to his work, his fingers unconsciously touching his lips. Flashbacks of the events from that morning clouded his mind and he was sure to flunk Calculus because of her.

After an hour, he heard a soft knock on the door, and he was sure that it was Sakuno.

"R-Ryoma-kun?"

"Hm?"

Sakuno opened his door. She was dressed in a simple shirt and jeans, and she looked like she was about to leave.

"Are you busy?" she asked. He looked down on his barely answered booklet. He was about to tell her that indeed he was, when she suddenly spoke.

"I-I'm going to the shrine with Tomo-chan…" she fiddled on her pigtailed hair, and her cheeks turned red. Ryoma's brows arched. What would he say in response to her statement? He wasn't used to interacting with people and he thought hard of what to say.

"Be careful, then," he muttered, then turned his chair back to his desk. He momentarily thought that she was actually inviting him, well that wasn't the case–

"I-If…!" Sakuno clutched her hands together, trying to prolong the conversation. Ryoma glanced at her, surprised at her voice being louder than before.

"If you want to come," she sighed. How could she find it hard to say a simple invitation to him? Aren't they friends? And they're housemates, for God's sake. She should have been comfortable with him by now.

"Okay," he stood up and dropped his pen. He walked over to his closet and pulled out a shirt and pants. Ryoma pulled his shirt to his shoulders but stopped when he noticed the girl just standing on the door.

"Um… Ryuzaki,"

"Oh! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she stepped out and slammed the door behind her.

"Weirdo," he chuckled.

"Sakuno! Ryoma-sama!" Tomoka waved her hand when she caught sight of the two walking towards her direction. She wanted to get mad at Sakuno for being awfully late, but when she saw that Ryoma had tagged along, she forgot about her annoyance and instead, she was ready to tease her best friend.

However, emerging from Ryoma's back was Horio, the one person that Tomoka didn't need to see.

"Why is he here?!"

"Tomo-chan!" Sakuno hugged Tomoka. It felt like they hadn't seen each other for a long time, though. She was too tense around Ryoma that a female's company was all she needed the most right now.

"Sakuno, why is Horio here?" she growled.

"E-Eh… he dropped by the house a while ago, so he decided to come with us…"

"Ugh, now my good luck is spoiled so soon…" she frowned. It was awkward enough that he kind of jokingly confessed to her, but now she noticed Atsushi's strange behavior since they had talked. Tomoka didn't ask her boyfriend what it was about, but she knew that it may have something to do with Horio and her.

"Come on, it's still early, your day could be better," Sakuno smiled at her. Tomoka found it even stranger that her best friend was acting a little jollier than before.

"Hey, Sakuno. Did something happen between you and Ryoma-sama?"

Sakuno gasped and it was all Tomoka needed to know that something did happen, and she would squeeze it out of Sakuno. She was feeling excited before they even talked about it, because she had a feeling that her ship was finally sailing.

After visiting the shrine, Tomoka pulled Sakuno and told the boys that they're going shopping. Ryoma and Horio only blinked in confusion.

"What?!" Tomoka's loud voice echoed around the small coffee house that they were in. Sakuno waved her hands and apologized to the other customers. She had just told her best friend what happened to her and the prince that morning.

"I-I can't believe this, Sakuno. He kissed you? What kind of kiss was it?" she leaned closer to her, eager to know more.

"U-Um… it was only a light peck on the lips. But it was so…" Sakuno couldn't help but close her eyes and reimagine what his lips felt like.

"What? What?"

"So passionate…"

Tomoka squealed in excitement. Now she was sure that her ship was truly sailing! She has been the biggest fan of Ryoma since middle school and she knew that the guy is hopeless when it came to love, but now, he has made a move. It took him six years but now, it was a mission success. And to her best friend, no less!

"So, what else?" she inquired.

"Huh? That's it. He pulled away and went out…" Sakuno sighed. "I ended up going back to sleep in his bed."

"Oh my god. You slept in his room, in his bed, beside him, and woke up at four in the morning and made out! Are you two dating now?"

"W-What? No, no, no…" Sakuno waved her hands to deny the possibility that Ryoma might like him.

"Why not? I'm sure he likes you, too," Tomoka sipped his coffee. Now that her excitement died down, she was now curious as to why the prince has not made it official yet.

"Is it supposed to be like that?" she wasn't entirely knowledgeable in the dating part of adulthood but now that she thought about it, that kiss has to mean something, right?

"Of course, otherwise what was that kiss for?"

"I guess you're right,"

"Man, when you said that you two slept together, I thought you two did the deed. Sakuno, you have got to learn a better phrasing than that,"

Tomoka and Sakuno laughed. It felt good to talk to her, like Sakuno had suddenly felt lighter the moment she saw Tomoka.

"But…" Sakuno sighed. She rested her chin on her palm as she swirled the spoon on her cup, "I guess I can't really stop myself, can I? Maybe I should just stop resisting and tell him."

Tomoka stared at her. Even though she had forced Sakuno to confess a number of times, she never expected to hear her say that.

"Sakuno, you've grown…" she almost cried at her best friend's character development. That kiss certainly made her more confident about herself, huh?

When they returned to the shrine after an hour, the boys were still where they had left them. Ryoma and Horio sipped Amazake idly by the bench.

"You're back," Horio said. He eyed their hands, seemingly thinking of something. "I thought you went shopping, but you're empty handed."

"E-Eh, well, um…" Sakuno stuttered.

"We ate it!" Tomoka exclaimed. Horio could only laugh at her awkward response. Soon, Tomoka broke out in laughter, too.

"You're too silly!"

"You're an idiot!"

Sakuno and Ryoma stared at each other, wondering how the two managed to find the situation funny, but they just shrugged and exchanged smiles.

"Ryoma-kun!" from a distance, they heard a familiar voice, it was Katsuo and Kachiro. They were messaged by Horio that the group will be meeting today and they were more than happy to come along.

The group was finally reunited after Winter Break. They decided to spend the day at a karaoke place, ordering food while some of them sang. Katsuo was the one who ordered one of everything, Kachiro punched some number combinations to the karaoke machine, Tomoka and Sakuno were browsing the Karaoke book, and Ryoma and Horio sat on the sofa. They were so hungry and exhausted from waiting for Tomoka and Sakuno earlier that they couldn't wait to wolf down some grub and sleep.

Tomoka started to sing, her voice was rather on pitch and sounded good. Sakuno clapped her hands as she enjoyed a full powered performance from her.

"Amazing, Osakada-san!" Kachiro cheered.

"She's full of energy," Katsuo commented as he ate.

Ryoma and Horio stayed silent as they were now sleepy from eating too much.

After she finished her song, Tomoka passed the microphone to Sakuno, signaling for her to sing, too.

"What? No. Tomo-chan, I can't sing!" She was genuinely scared. Sakuno has never tried singing with a microphone before. Sure, she would hum while doing laundry, but she can't imagine doing it in front of her friends.

"No, you can do this. Look, no one's even listening," she pointed to the four boys lazily sitting on the couch. Katsuo and Kachiro played with their phones, and Horio and Ryoma were already asleep.

Sakuno thought for a moment. Will it be alright? She wasn't sure if she could sing the right tune like Tomoka.

"Go on. We'll be graduating. You have to do it for me," Tomoka fluttered her eyelashes to plead on Sakuno, and she gave in eventually. Tomoka pressed on a few buttons, trying to find the perfect song for her and when she finished, she stood up and sat beside Horio.

The music was starting and soon she would have to sing. Sakuno glanced at Ryoma quickly, checking to see if he's really asleep, then she started.

The monitor flashed the title of the song "Enchanted" by Taylor Swift.

She didn't think about being conscious of her surroundings and just sang with the right control on her voice.

There I was again tonight

Forcing laughter, faking smiles

Same old tired, lonely place

Walls of insincerity

Shifting eyes and vacancy

Vanished when I saw your face

All I can say is it was enchanting to meet you

She slowly swayed side to side, in sync with the beat, as she continued to sing her heart out.

Your eyes whispered, "Have we met?"

Across the room, your silhouette

Starts to make its way to me

The playful conversation starts

Counter all your quick remarks

Like passing notes in secrecy

Ryoma's ears perked up from the voice that serenaded the whole room. It was relaxing, he thought. Who was singing?

And it was enchanting to meet you

All I can say is I was enchanted to meet you

He opened his eyes and saw Sakuno holding the microphone close to her mouth, as she sang beautifully. Ryoma leaned his head to the side and watched her intently, not missing a single one of her movements. She had a small but nice voice and the song was quite right for her.

This night is sparkling, don't you let it go

I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home

I'll spend forever wondering if you knew

I was enchanted to meet you

He was too entranced by her whole being. He felt like he had only known who Sakuno was at that moment. Ryoma felt goosebumps on his arms as he let his eyes lingered on her, and her alone. He saw from his peripheral vision that the boys were now awake and were watching the girl, but it felt like they were both the only ones in the room.

As she continued to sing, she could feel the shyness disappear from her. Halfway to the song and she realized what it meant. It projected her situation perfectly. Being in love with a person and hoping that he would know how she felt.

Sakuno felt a tear threaten to fall from her eye, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by her love for Ryoma that everything she does or says reminds her of him, that every little thing he does will always make her heart flutter. She wished that she could convey her feelings perfectly to him, to tell him over and over again that she loves him. She wished he could hear this song and understand what it meant.

Please, don't be in love with someone else

Please, don't have somebody waiting on you

When the song finished, she heard applause from behind. She spun around and shyly smiled at them. She looked at Ryoma, who was staring back at her. For some reason, Sakuno felt like they were the only ones in the room.

When the group got tired of partying, they went home one by one. They decided to part ways early since there will still be celebration in their own houses and they will be seeing each other soon anyway.

"Osakada, aren't you going to visit Atsushi?" Horio walked alongside Tomoka on the way to her neighborhood. He had offered to walk her home since it's already dark out. To his surprise, she didn't refuse. It was weird, but it worked out well for Horio.

"No, we haven't been seeing each other these days," she said. Horio noticed her face becoming glum at the mention of Atsushi.

"Why not? Did something happen?" he asked.

"You tell me. Since you two talked, he became aloof and distant,"

"Oh… I don't know," he looked away and pretended to whistle.

Tomoka glared at him. There he goes again, behaving strangely. He was not the same Horio anymore, and Tomoka isn't sure if she likes this version of him more.

Ryoma eyed the road as he and Sakuno walked home. The street was already dark, the only source of light was the moon above. His eyes glanced at Sakuno. She was completely red, and fidgety.

"Are you cold?"

"N-No… I'm fine,"

Still, he eyed her, trying to observe her. After she sang that song, she had not looked at him like usual. Ryoma was once again being paranoid of the things that he did to offend her. As usual, he couldn't think of anything. He never really thinks when it comes to Sakuno.

Strange, a couple of months ago, she was just his classmate, but now she's everywhere that he looks, and she's a constant image plastered in his mind whenever he wakes up and before he sleeps.

So, to sum it up, he never thinks, he just does what he wants. For example, this night, his hand automatically found its way to her right hand, intertwining his fingers on hers. Sakuno was startled for a moment, but then again, she had decided not to resist him.

Sakuno felt her cheeks blushed, she was too captivated by the surprising ways the boy does to let her know that he's there.

Ryoma tightened his hold on her small hand, and they continued their way home.

To be continued.