#rse2016

Ryoma and Sakuno are a famous idols coming from a different entertainment company. Fans are shipping them because of their undeniable chemistry. They have been in numerous rumors and articles clamining that they are definetly dating. They have been "caught" often because of their instagram posts.

Fans Dating Receipts:

1. Vans “Couple shoes”

Fans have been pointing out that Sakuno and Ryoma’s old skool shoes are definitely their couple shoes.

2. PINKS

Fan accounts have been sharp on observing that in the past few months Ryoma is often seen wearing pink and his latest instagram post made a buzz as he upload of his comeback photo sporting a pink hair and attire. Fans are quick to point out about the Sakuno’s 1 day old post about loving pink and stated that the post is really for Ryoma. On a recent interview on Ryoma he was asked about his instagram post and wearing pink he just simply said: “Trying new things. Pink is aint bad.”

2. Its pretty

Sakuno, cutting her hair short instantly made into headline, shortly Ryoma posted on instagram with a caption “Its pretty. pretty. pretty”. Right after few hours a hashtag #RyoSakuIsReallyDatingParty trends worldwide.

3. Instagram profile bio

And as if he could hear the conversation turning towards him Kintarou waves his racket in their direction from the court. “You promised, remember!”

Sakuno fists at the hem of the hoodie he loaned her. Tomoka elbows her in the side. Ryoma steps in to stand next to her at the fence and Sakuno can’t quite figure out if she’s uncomfortable because he’s too close or not close enough. Especially considering what it is she promised in exchange for the hoodie.

She takes a breath to compose herself. “Good luck Kin-kun!” She calls out, voice only wavering a little to betray the embarrassment she feels as people start turning in her direction. There are barely twenty people watching this spur of the moment pick-up game, but Sakuno feels like she’s under a spotlight when they all look her way. Four more well wishes to go.

She hopes Ryoma doesn’t get the wrong idea.

“How come you aren’t down there?” Tomoka cuts in front of Sakuno to talk to Ryoma, pointing down at the courts where a few other people are sitting around with rackets sitting between their knees. Sakuno wonders why she didn’t think the same thing when Ryoma first showed up. They’re only here because Tomoka heard about the pick-up games through someone in her Echizen Ryoma Fan Club group chat. Watching Ryoma play tennis was the only thing that got them out of their heated homes to brave to cold.

Tomoka promising to help Sakuno with the promise to herself to be assertive and brave is the entire reason Sakuno accepted Kintarou’s hoodie when he offered it to her because apparently, ‘just looking at you is making me cold’.

“I’m not allowed.”

Sakuno chuckles at Ryoma’s answer, the childishness in his tone enough to push her nerves to the side. She really needs to stop being nervous. She risks a peek because she can picture Ryoma’s face in her head but she wants to know if she’s right.

She is.

Sakuno has to cover a new bout of giggles with her hand. Ryoma frowns, his eyes seem to roam from where the sleeve of Kintarou’s hoodie drapes over the tips of her fingers then back up to her eyes, frown still in place. “I have a meeting next week and dad doesn’t want me injured before I go to it.”

Sakuno’s giddiness dims, her chuckles cease. “Good luck!” She calls out to Kintarou again, she doesn’t even know how he’s doing. She should care but she doesn’t. Meeting is what Ryoma called it, but Sakuno is fairly sure this is what her grandmother has been talking around for a few weeks now: Ryoma being offered a scholarship to an overseas university to play tennis. His needing to be uninjured for a meeting/, his actually following the advice… it has Sakuno thinking it’s the same thing.

This is why she needs to be brave, why she needs to be assertive. If she’s complacent in what she feels for too much longer Ryoma will be gone. Gone from her every day, gone from this city, gone from the very country in which she lives.

Sakuno shakes the thoughts away, the future is the future, now is now.

“Shame, Kin-kun would have liked to play you while he’s in town.” And it really is a shame, if Ryoma was on the court playing against Kintarou the game would be much better to watch. More entertaining. Some people enjoy a grossly one-sided match but Sakuno prefers the heart-stopping moments present only in a close game. Even when she’s the one playing she prefers it. Although, if Ryoma was down there playing Sakuno would feel a lot more conflicted about cheering for Kintarou.

Kintarou wins a point. It’s the first one Sakuno has really seen of this game, although it’s less Kintarou winning a point and more his opponent losing it. “This is easy Kin-kun, you’ve got this!” She almost feels bad for cheering, simply because it seems unnecessary. It takes a rare person to beat Kintarou in a match, and one of those rare people is standing next to her. “How come you came if you aren’t allowed to play?”

Ryoma looks at her, frowns at her— frowns down at the hoodie she’s wearing. Sakuno turns away, tugs at its hem, tries to pull it down although it doesn’t seem to want to stretch any further than halfway down her bare thighs. Her eyes track the wires of the wires of the fence but at the continued silence she casts her eyes back to Ryoma. Catches his eyes moving back up to her own. “Toyama wanted me to come. He said he had something for me.” Ryoma frowns again, this time at the embroidery across her left breast, then he turns away, seemingly lost in thoughts while following the ball down on the court. “I thought it was…” Ryoma trails off.

Sakuno chalks it up to him talking to himself but turns to Tomoka instead — her awkward, not quite wingman for the day — hoping for insight. Tomoka is usually her go-to when miracle of miracles she ends up messaging Ryoma. It’s harder to do the same thing in person and she might not have insight into Ryoma specifically but Tomoka’s far greater experience, with people in general, is what Sakuno is counting on to help.

Tomoka hunches her shoulders at Sakuno’s questioning look. Not much help at all in the end.

Sakuno wants to turn away, to give up for the day, to try something again on another day. Tomoka’s attempt to dress her to impress him have fallen to the wayside given the blustery cold and the subsequent wearing of Kintarou’s hoodie before she froze on the spot. Sakuno feels far more comfortable with the hoodie on than she felt earlier with half her body bared ‘to catch his attention’ with ‘something different’, but she also feels a little bad about how much time Tomoka spent planning the outfit for her — although Sakuno has to admit to herself that Tomoka’s clothing suggestions seemed a far better fit for a summer outing than one mid-January — and planning today for her.

Sakuno doesn’t think anything is going to come of it. It’s probably her fault. Her and Tomoka had been here first. Ryoma had approached them, approached her, chosen to watch the game by their side but then Sakuno is the one with no idea how to carry a conversation when nobody is aiding her and she hasn’t had adequate time to prepare herself in advance. Nothing of what they’ve barely talked about today has been a conversation she’s practiced in the dead of the night with Tomoka.

“He’s looking at you,” Sakuno looks to Ryoma who said it, who’s looking back but nods his head towards the court.

“Oh,” she says, “you’re amazing Kin-kun!” Kintarou stares a moment longer before serving. Yeah, even Sakuno can admit that one was weak. There’s nothing amazing about the way he’s playing in this match. If they were playing with different rules his opponent would have been chased from the court a while ago. As it is, it turns out this is the last point and Sakuno fell behind on cheering, fell through on her promise, Kintarou shakes his opponent’s hand and leaves the court stopping on the other side of the fence.

“Sorry,” Sakuno says when he stops in front of them.

Kintarou smiles, “I didn’t actually expect you to do it!” He laughs and Ryoma tenses beside her and Sakuno prepares for something to happen. Nothing does. “I’ll go get dressed and then we should get some food. If Koshimae’s not playing there’s not much point hanging around here longer.”

Kintarou runs back to the court side and Ryoma races around the fence to jump in and follow him. This is where something is going to happen, Sakuno is sure of it this time. She doesn’t get time to worry too much because Tomoka links their arms and walks them both to the court entrance as well. “We need to get a picture!” Tomoka says, “not everyone gets to hang out with Japan’s next best thing at the weekend. We could be famous, we’ll be in their biographies one day!” Sakuno ignores the words. Sure, a photo would be nice, but not necessarily for the reasons Tomoka is suggesting. Being president of Ryoma’s fan club for years on end with no end in sight is much more of a reason for Tomoka to be interviewed for his biography; if one were to even come.

Ryoma and Kintarou return. Arguing, as is usually the case. Sakuno doesn’t understand why when she thinks they have the potential to be actual good friends, but boys minds are not something she understands. She’s not sure anyone does.

“This one is mine!” Kintarou is saying, “see look at the size, it even has my name on the tag! That’s yours!” Kintarou points and in what seems to be slow motion Sakuno watches as both of them turn towards her. So slow is the motion, that she has time to see what they’re doing. Ryoma has Kintarou’s hoodie pulled down at the back collar, Kintarou’s hoodie, an exact replica it seems of the hoodie of Kintarou’s that she’s wearing now. In slow motion everything slides together: Ryoma frowning, the constant looks, of course they weren’t for her.

It had been so easy to believe the hoodie Kintarou had handed her was his own, the U-19 Japan stamped across her breast belonged only to him and a few others. What reasons would she have not to believe it was his own? He already has a boisterous personality, loud where Ryoma’s confidence is silent, she had thought his laughter at her sliding it over her head was because of the size, because he had convinced someone to cheer for him so he could look cool. No, no, no, all wrong. Kintarou had played her, had handed her Ryoma’s hoodie, to tease her, to annoy Ryoma, it doesn’t matter which.

Time speeds up and Sakuno’s face bursts into flame.

“It’s— I’m— Here!” She ends up on, none of her thoughts coming together into words. She can’t wear Ryoma’s hoodie. That’s too much, especially without his knowledge, without his permission. The thought of the warm embrace she’d been enjoying today coming from something of Ryoma’s is too much to handle without being prepared. She needs it gone.

Her hands pull up at the hem, her hair gets caught with it somewhere around her neck, the wind is catching at her skin and Sakuno wishes today had never happened. Why had she listened to Tomoka, why had she thought today might be different? At least at school, at tournaments, they have a set routine. This going out and dressing up — down? — specifically for Ryoma is where it had all gone bad. Pining is better than embarrassing herself in front of him by wearing his clothes.

“No!” Sakuno freezes, stops struggling to pull the hoodie from her tangled hair, stops contemplating ripping it out just to get this moment over with. “Keep it. It’s fine!” And in a turn of events completely unexpected, Ryoma pulls the hoodie back down slowly and even sets about trying to untangle her hair from the knot that’s formed. Tomoka probably has a brush on her, because she’s that type of person, but Sakuno would rather sit through Ryoma’s attempt to comb her hair back even if it’s still going to look like a mess afterwards.

Ryoma steps back, cheeks just a touch darker, from the cold or from her Sakuno will never know. She still feels like she’s on fire. Which is funny, now she has permission to wear the hoodie — Ryoma’s hoodie — she doesn’t even feel like she needs it.

“Keep it,” Ryoma says again. “For now, I’ll— I’ve been missing it for a few weeks now anyway,” he glares at Kintarou who only unleashes a smile warmer than the day, “a few more days is fine. I can pick it up some other time.”

Ryoma doesn’t glare this time, but he’s definitely looking at the hoodie again, his hoodie. He shakes his head and steps away, “I’m not going out to get food, though.”

“Koshimae!” Kintarou whines. “What’s the point of coming here if we don’t get to hang out and play!”

“You didn’t come here for me.” Ryoma answers. “I have things to do at home.” He continues walking.

Tomoka elbows Sakuno so hard in the ribs she winces and steps away from her. Sending a hurt look back at her friend Tomoka mouths an apology but points over her shoulder at Ryoma. “Follow him.” It’s said as whisper, but ends up harsh and loud and Kintarou laughs at it. Sakuno flushes even more because she didn’t need more people knowing about her hopeless crush and this is clearly more than enough for Kintarou to catch on.

“Yeah, go!” He laughs, “I think you wearing that had an effect!”

“Especially when it looks like you have nothing else on underneath!”

“That’s your fault!” Sakuno cries at her friend. “Who owns skirts this short? Who wears them in winter?” A silly question, because Tomoka, owner of skirts this short, is also a wearer of skirts this short in winter. “How are you not cold?”

“I can’t tell you,” Tomoka says, “that’s a part of the charm!” She winks and Kintarou laughs and Sakuno thinks only bad things can come from them being left alone together but she’s also been embarrassed enough for one day and staying with them is too much for her right now.

“I’ll bring your clothes to school tomorrow,” Sakuno says in farewell, rushing off immediately to chase after Ryoma before he gets too far away.

She does catch up, he offers her a silent greeting and they walk in silence. It could have been awkward, but compared to earlier, this is normal. Ryoma talks when he has something to say, and there’s not much for them to say now. In a couple of weeks there will be. Sakuno wants to know about his trial for university but she also knows it’s not meant to be public knowledge yet, she shouldn’t even know. 

Sakuno wants to know where it is he’s going, what he plans to do, she wants to know if there's anything she can do to follow him without it being just to follow him. She doesn’t want to be that type of girl but she does want to challenge herself and watching after Ryoma all these years, being inspired by him and falling a little bit more in love with him in every moment they spend together is a challenge. Taking up tennis, trying to be more confident, making a habit out of asking to walk home with him when their schedules allow…

Ryoma makes the turn for Sakuno’s house on his own and Sakuno steps into place alongside him. The walk is too short. It had taken longer to get to the courts from Tomoka’s house. Sakuno wishes she lived further so that the moment could last longer, but she doesn’t, it doesn’t.

Ryoma doesn’t step past the gate to her house, so Sakuno takes the plunge to reach out and drag him up at least to the door. “Just wait,” she says, “I’ll give this back now in case I forget.”

“You’ve never forgotten anything,” Ryoma says, and Sakuno flushes from the compliment, but that’s not what she means here. Owning something this warm, this nice, of Ryoma’s, it would be easy enough to convince herself to conveniently forget she’s meant to give it back. Taking it off now is easier. “Why are you…” Ryoma doesn’t finish, just waves his hand at Sakuno’s de-hoodied outfit.

“Ah,” she really should have changed in her room and then come back down rather than taking off the hoodie in the genkan. “I stayed at Tomoka’s last night and she let me borrow some clothes.” Clothes being an optimistic term for what she has on. A tiny cut off cardigan, a top that barely covers the roundness of her chest — she’s still convinced the lace of her bra is hanging out the bottom — a bare midriff and a scrap of material Sakuno definitely wouldn’t call a skirt but that’s what Tomoka had called it.

“Right,” Ryoma is definitely blushing now. Sakuno might have enjoyed it were it not for being so exposed; because this is something new, something she hasn’t seen before. Her own self, able to make Ryoma blush. It’s nice, could be nice, if she could achieve it without being undressed. She has never even rolled up the skirt of her uniform. Her parents would never have let her out of her own house wearing these clothes and Sakuno wouldn’t want them to. “I’m not at school next week, but I’ll see you around after that.”

He waves, awkwardly. This is the closest he’s ever been to coming into her home and it’s like they’ve both suddenly realised it. He steps back and he’s at the gate before Sakuno braces herself for one final cheer, she was meant to do it five times in exchange for the hoodie. The first four had apparently been to the wrong person but she can right that wrong here.

“Good luck next week, you’ll do great and I hope you get it.”

Ryoma stops in his tracks, looks back at her. “You know?” Sakuno nods, expecting to be told off but instead gets a smile. “Thanks,” he says, bowing his head, “that means a lot. I always do well when you’re the one cheering me on.”

It’s too much. Too honest with the way he won’t meet her eyes as he says it.

Sakuno Ryuzaki had always been fascinated by fairy tales. They were her bed time stories lulling her to sleep and had been there for her all step along the way. Back when she was a kid and attending Seishun Gakuen Elementary, she’d sit still in her chair when the teacher in English told the household tales. She’d listen intently and feel her heart flutter every time Happily Ever After was said and the book was closed. Despite not understanding what these English stories completely meant, she knew they were the same stories her grandmother retold.

On her eighth birthday, Sakuno’s parents had organized a princess-themed party. She was dressed in pink (like Princess Aurora) and a golden tiara stood amidst her chocolate brown hair. She didn’t remember much of it, only how happy she had felt then and probably the thought that it was the happiest point of her life.

A few days before the start of middle school, a twelve year old Sakuno boarded a train, on the way to meet her grandma and witness an official tennis match with her very own eyes. At this age, she was still half-stuck at her fairy tale fantasy—where a knight (or maybe a prince) would one day appear in front of her on a regal white horse, sweep her off her feet, bring her to a kingdom she would one day rule, and give her a lifetime of happiness and true love. Except, she thought as she closed her eyes, it was a fantasy and nothing else. There was no prince and happiness is merely subjective and well true love and happily ever afters were only legends because this was reality and reality did not bode well. Like right now. There was this guy, mightily swinging a tennis racket inches away from her face. She could only close her yes and pray these loud bullies would stop. Oh, how she wished her savior would come right now and whisk her away, but Sakuno was no fairy tale character, only a timid girl; so it came a surprise when someone spoke, “Hey, you are too loud.” And just like that she was saved and maybe partly whisked away too.

Ryoma Echizen was no prince, that fact Sakuno was aware. He was a brat, as what her grandmother and senapais would say, who’s good at tennis; but to Sakuno, he was not a prince but her knight in shining armor, no matter how cliché that might sound. She admired him from afar; sometimes going out of her shy way to cheer for him, cooking lunch for him, and occasionally being taught tennis by him. Even though he bullied her long braided hair a lot, she could admit she had a crush on him who actually wasn’t a knight in shining armor anymore but a real life tennis prince (he’s so good at the said sport that there was no other title for him).

At the end of their first year, Ryoma flew to US for, surprise surprise, tennis. Sakuno sent letters to him for an update about their senpais and sometimes a bit about her life too. She figured it wouldn’t hurt and he wouldn’t mind, considering they were friends now and maybe she got over her little puppy crush on him.

During N-17, that was the first time she met Ryoma after they parted ways, completely and utterly baffling, she might add. She was only walking after school, and bam, by the order of the tennis gods, she met him—a bandage on the bridge of his nose and that same tennis bag. She was happy to see him of course, and even happier when he pulled her by the wrist and dragged her along; similar to her fairy tale fantasies, they were off on a journey together, except it was not as lavish as it was. They only went to the arcade and—Sakuno sighed dreamily—it was like a dream come true. She got to spend time with Ryoma-kun and felt closer to him more than ever; all the while ignoring the tiny voice in her head that whispered, if it was someone else, he’d take them to the arcade too. And that traitorous puppy crush was back again, making her heart beat rapidly against her chest and sending giddy signals to her veins.

When they escaped the store clerk, Sakuno could see some traces of Ryoma-kun not there before—the way he was slightly out of breath, that familiar sweat at the back of his neck, and a tension on his back that reflected something was troubling him. She wondered briefly how she could tell such. He suddenly asked what she was doing after school, and against the soft glow of the afternoon sun, it struck her how this brat of a tennis prince had grown to a handsome man. Hmm, she could add that to the reasons why she liked him.

“What were you doing?”

“I was going to Miura shrine to pray for victory. So you’d be chosen for the Japanese team. A-And I drew your fortune for you.” She smiled at him, attempting to give what she’d drawn but it slipped off her fingers. When Ryoma reached for it, she immediately realized it was the wrong paper. “Wait, that’s—“

“So these really do exist.”

“N-No! Not that one! I drew a second one.” In the process of rummaging inside her bag, it came off her shoulder and fell.

Ryoma picked it up and apparently as well as the papers coming loose out of it. “Bad luck, bad luck, bad luck.” He read gloomily. That troubled tension became a bit more evident.

“No, no! Don’t be so depressed!” Sakuno was panicking, but thank the tennis gods, she found the exact paper she was looking for. “Here,” her cheeks dusting pink in embarrassment or maybe it was adrenaline, “It’s okay. I know something good will come of it in the end.”

Right then, Ryoma-kun smiled and the tension on his back lifted. Sakuno felt her heart flutter again. She made him feel better; she was so happy, her heart could burst. However, he didn’t miss asking how much she spent on those fortunes; mentally she added, if it would make you happy and give you an additional boost, it really doesn’t matter, Ryoma-kun.

“Thanks, Ryuzaki.” He was walking away from her again and going back to that tennis world of his. Sakuno couldn’t help but smile. He might not be her prince in real life but supporting him on the sidelines was just as good as that could be. She glanced up at the now pink afternoon sky—the same color painting her cheeks and also the same hue as her princess dress in her fairy tales.

At twenty-three, lots had changed for Sakuno. She graduated from University, landed a decent job, and occasionally catching up with her friends from middle school. Surprisingly, she remained friends with the tennis prince and still held tight to her feelings that wouldn’t disappear. After all this years, how could she? She herself did not know. Maybe, she was the real living flesh definition of ‘first love never dies’ or something similar to that; and she wondered, sitting here in the audience seat, watching Ryoma receive his gold trophy, would these feelings of her remain caged in her heart or someday she’d have her ever after at last?

“Sakuno-chan! Ochibi doesn’t change, huh. Look at that smirk!” Kikumaru-senpai said with a grin, grasping the railings and leaning forward to wave at his kouhai.

“Wins get to his head sometimes,” uttered Sakuno, not a bit surprised she could say this now. Being around Ryoma, hmmm for more or less a decade, could just melt away her shyness of the past and be more comfortable joking around. Even their upperclassmen weren’t fazed at all. Embarrassments still come and go though, right now for instance.

“You say that like you’re Ryoma’s wife.” Momoshiro piped up and instantly Sakuno could feel her cheeks going warm. The teases never go away, huh.

“Who is someone’s wife?”

And just like that, she could hear the snaps of several cameras all around.

“Ryoma,” Sakuno greeted with a nod and smile. Honorifics were a thing of the past now. “Momo-senpai was teasing again. You ought to get yourself a girl of your interest. Sooner or later, everyone would think we are secretly on a relationship.”

This was the 23-year old Sakuno, more comfortable with Ryoma, less stuttering, and could even get away with joking such. The bittersweet ache of love still did not go away though but she shrugged it off at the moment.

“But aren’t we?” The tennis prince responded, not a change of expression on his face, but oh, his eyes glittered with mischief alright. Sakuno inwardly groaned. This again. The media would suspect their supposedly romantic relationship again and believe her; clearing up things was difficult if she was the only one doing the clearing.

“Ryoma.” She narrowed her eyes at him, but the red on her cheeks betrayed her attempt of a menacing look. “He was kidding. We’re friends. Of course we are in a relationship.”

But her statement went to deaf ears; or rather it was muted by surprised gasps from the crowd.

“Ohhhh! Does this mean the prince of tennis found his princess?”

“You mean finally found. We’ve been waiting for years—“

“So it’s finally official? Wow, how many years did it took?”

“After this announcement, will Ryoma retire? I heard his father did exactly that.”

“IT’S CANON OMG CAN I SCREAM NOW?!”

“YES, PLEASE GET MARRIED!”

“So you are in a secret relationship!” This one came from Momoshiro, who was grinning widely.

Sakuno wanted to shrink. She was only an average girl who fantasized fairy tales in real life time and befriended the tennis prince out of sheer coincidence, how could the media, no, the whole world notice her in an instant and label her the rumored secret girlfriend to boot?!  And what, get married?! Who—

“We are,” repeated Ryoma, flashing a smirk to everyone and sitting beside the red-faced girl sporting twin braids. The vivid color of the world illuminated by the midday sun disappeared for a moment before Sakuno could make out the brim of the cap blocking her view. If it was possible, the camera sounds doubled and appeared a hundred snaps per second.

“We are not,” clarified Sakuno with a smile, setting her hands on her lap, away from the prince’s reach. She made sure to raise her head to get the point across, although the Fila cap on her said otherwise.

“I’m sorry. Sakuno’s not really good with all eyes on her. She’s in denial when nervous.”

Their senpais were snickering in the background. She’d admit, her name rolling off his tongue sent butterflies to her stomach. No, this wouldn’t do. She gripped the hem of his shirt, tightly, to get the message across. But he faced her, ignorant, “You like me, don’t you Sakuno?” He looked at her with no mischief reflected and let their fingers bump. Everything went silent in Sakuno’s ears. And then he took her hand, kissed it in front of the world. The media went on a frenzy and so does the beating of her heart.

Sakuno did not know what happened next, or exactly how the blur receded, because in a blink of an eye she and Ryoma were on a deserted hallway, his fingers latched on her wrist. He didn’t grip it tightly, but oh, Ryoma’s sweaty hand felt smooth against her skin. Their senpais must have expected (been planning) this and without fail smoothly waved them both off the media’s watchful eyes and incredible senses.

“You did not answer my question.”

At 23, blunt as ever, that is Ryoma Echizen.

“You’ve always liked me.” He said not as a question, but a statement of a mere fact.

Sakuno felt the blood filling her cheeks. “But you do not notice.” She mumbled, shy all of a sudden. Is this another reminder she ought to draw a line on their relationship again? Because it was always half percent leaning on friendship and remaining half to something more. It was pretty tiring doing the same thing again and again.

“I was a dense boy.” Ryoma admitted. “Tennis was everything to me.”

Sakuno smiled, matching her steps with his. “And it brought you here, with another gold trophy.”

“Tennis also brought you to me.” He said all of a sudden, pausing his steps, facing her. “Sakuno, do you like me?”

She inhaled a good amount of oxygen that she was sure, so why does she felt her chest constrict? Her mouth frozen in place?

Breathe, Sakuno. Breathe.

As her vision focused, she became aware that he was standing close to her, him who was brushing her hair gently.

“Ryoma,” she had to grip his arm for support. Why does Ryoma made her feel this way? She questioned herself the same time a sharp exhale escaped her throat.

“Sakuno?” The tennis prince appeared amused. “You forgot to breathe?”

“I do,” she said between tiny gasps.

He blinked. “You really forgot to breathe?”

Sakuno shook her head, flushed. “That’s not what I meant. I liked you. I always do. But it wasn’t easy and I wished every time to stop liking you because feelings don’t just work out with the tennis prince the way they do in fairy tales. I know.” Her lips trembled.  “Yet each passing day, I fall for you even more because it’s Ryoma-kun, the prince so amazing and the boy who make me feel special if he so much smiled at me. But you’re out of reach, and I am only a part of your audience. I’m not the girl fit to be your princess of tennis, Ryoma. I’m mada mada dane in so many ways. So why, why do you just ask that question all of a sudden now? At the point I’m okay with things as it is?” She gripped the sleeve of his shirt and hung her head low. “We’re friends. Weren’t we supposed to remain like that?”

A tear fell when the tennis prince himself drew her close and enveloped her in a comforting warmth. “You’ve always put up with me, Sakuno, even now. Being with you was peaceful. Times are fun with you in it. You aren’t loud like my fangirls; and when I’m surrounded by fans I cannot seem to avoid searching for you amongst that crowd. You always made me guilty if I so much cause a frown on your face. I didn’t know why. Seeing you smile makes me happy but I was a boy who did not know emotions well except my love for tennis. You were an important person to me, and still are. That time I met you out of pure coincidence and brought you to the arcade? I was kicked out of the U-17 camp for violating a dumb rule. You were always there for me, whether it is my brave princess in that Fudoumine match or you are just yourself who supports and cheer me up. Your encouragements always make me feel better, Sakuno. I wouldn’t be here, with another trophy as you say, without you constantly supporting me. You are a selfless woman, you know that? You loved me without expecting anything back. And I can’t believe you still do.”

Ryoma was now looking at her softly, eyes reflecting the love he held.

“Sakuno, my princess who thinks she’s only a part of the audience, you are the only spectator I want to impress with every match I play.” He smirked and kissed her hand again. All the doubts that poisoned Sakuno’s heart melted in an instant.

“Ryoma-kun…” With tears glistening in her eyes, she hugged him—a move she always daydreamed to do. Ryoma held her tightly. Her prince might not had come in a white horse and swept her off her feet, but this, this was how real life fairy tales reach ever afters right? It came a long way, bittersweet and full of aches at times, but still a love which could make flowers bloom even in winter.

“Ryoma?” Sakuno asked when the boy let her go. He had a funny expression on his face.

“Ah, I forgot something.” He fished in his pocket a tiny black box, holding it out on his palm. When he opened it, a ring glistened, cushioned between a midnight blue foam. The look on Sakuno’s face changed from that of surprise to trying to hold in her laughter. She tried her best but a giggle still escaped her lips. She had to put a hand against her mouth as to not offend the royalty of tennis before her. Ryoma Echizen, indeed, was the only person on Earth who could give a ring designed as a tennis racket with his cat and Fila cap on it.

“Is that Karupin?” By now, Sakuno’s shoulder shook from muffled laughter.

Ryoma blushed. “I didn’t know what design to get and when I asked senpai-taichi, it’s just: do as your heart says.” He scowled. “Next time I’ll ask mom instead.” But then, his expression turned almost….shy.

How could her prince be this adorable?!

“You don’t like it?” He reached out and touched her hand, running his thumb across the back of her fingers.

Sakuno smiled, teary-eyed again, “It’s beautiful, Ryoma. It’s you.”

He easily slid it on her finger. She looked taken aback.

“The moment the media catch a glimpse of this, you’ll have the nosiest time of your life, Ryoma.” Sakuno joked, still admiring the glistening ring.

He suddenly caressed her cheek, making her look at him, and smirked.

“Don’t tell me you are sending engagement signals?!”

“Maybe,”

“Ryoma!”

“But hey, sooner or later, we will be engaged anyway.” He appeared to be thinking seriously. “And get married in a, let’s say, a year?”

For a moment, she felt faint. “You’re already thinking of getting married?! Oh by the tennis gods.”

But to this, Ryoma only said knowingly, “We’ve known each other and supported each other for ten years. I think marriage is already a given, Sakuno.”

“Just promise me one thing, Ryoma?” She looked at him and held both of his hands on her own, looking gravely serious. “We’ll decide on our wedding rings together. No more tennis rackets or even Karupin, or your hat.” She giggled lightly.

He laughed, euphoric, and suddenly felt he’d been transported way back when Seigaku won the Nationals; except right now, the owner of the voice he faintly heard then was in his arms, smiling and exultant just like himself.

End.

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A/N: HI HELLO! It’s been so long since I’ve written for this pair but oh, how I feel happy just by finishing this and I really hope it would fit the request of @internalmusings  I had constant struggles because one, I always suck at writing romance kind of things and maybe writing in general and two because of eternal distractions and crying over this pair. Waaaah, I try to watch AMVs to feel a romance vibe, but ah I end up spending time looking for fanarts instead. But hey, I’ve enjoyed this so much. It took me down the memory lane of how I grew fond of ponta pair (WHO’S FINALLY CANON @ 23 LEMME SCREAM). I wish they aren’t OOC here though. I tried what I can and stretched their characters as far as they could go *sobs*. And pls forgive my English. My writing skills are rusty af (not that they’re amazing to begin with, i cri)

PS. There is an omake scenario in my head but I can’t seem to write it right, so I’ll narrate it instead. I do not know how Fuji did it but he found them; he took a photo with Ryoma and Sakuno hugging each other. Eiji also took one but it was at the scene of Ryoma slipping the ring on Sakuno’s finger and another with him taking a selfie with the two as the background. Momo took a vid—from the beginning of Ryoma’s confession to the ring scene but it was too noisy with his sobs and shaky to be understood. The three uploaded it on their respective IG accounts, garnering a thousand likes and comments in just five minutes. Some of the fans were screaming at Momoshiro’s IG post because, to quote, this is exactly us right now!!!!! But surprisingly, a clear non-shaky video came from Tezuka Kunimitsu’s IG account, yes Seigaku’s former captain, the video all understandable and dramatic and full of freakin emotions that makes you wanna cry. By then instagram exploded.

Btw, I used Ryoma’s birthday ring as the design XD