8A/N: For those who haven't read my Secret Exchange story through chapters 1-8, I think it's best to read that one FIRST before reading this. It's a little extra scene that I wanted to do.
The song is Haru no Ao: Created and Sung by Voice Actor of Ryuzaki Sakuno- Minako Takashi.
Please read! Thank you!
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TENNIS NO OHJI-SAMA/ PRINCE OF TENNIS. I ALSO DO NOT OWN MINAKO TAKASHI'S HARU NO AO.
Summary: [Alternative for Secret Exchange; CH 8 Sakuno went off on her own during the festival, silently thinking to herself what she wants most. Did Ryoma thought, too, as well?
(Songfic)
"Quote"- Dialogue
Italics- Song Lyrics
'Italics'- Deep Thoughts/ Thinking
My Beloved Prince
By: HaruCherry
Dedicated to animeandmangaaddict: 100th reviewer for Secret Exchange
Thank you so much for supporting the fic and everyone else too!
OOOOOOOOOO
Bright colored lanterns gleamed, hanging all around the buildings and wells of the night of the festival. The lake was peaceful, small drops and skinny leaves disturbing the stillness of the surface. The atmosphere in Hibiya Park was crowded with noisy people in wonderful attire, big or small. Aromas of ramen, rice, dango, and teriyaki chicken lifted the air and got plenty of attention from nearby food stands. Small balls being thrown in challenging games, young and old.
Overall, the night had just begun.
The Women Tennis Tournament would be starting tomorrow and every girl who would be attending was anxious to start. Children ran around with stuffed toys and fishes in bags full of water, carefully trying not to drop the poor sea creature. Adults laughed with ease from hard days of work and sighed, just wanting to relax and have fun the whole night.
But for some reason, one person was alone.
By a crimson wooden bridge, a young girl with chocolate-covered eyes gazed sadly at the vast dark sky full of stars. Wearing a pale pink kimono, she swished one of the sleeves so that it could pass through the wind. Her delicate hand touched the wood of the bridge, not caring for the world if shegot a blister or cut. Long dark hair streamed against her shoulders. Thoughts clouded inside her mind and she closed her eyes peacefully.
'Am I here...just because I want to be?'
Sakura saku hi ni omoi no hane wo todokete negai wo sora ni hanatsu /
Uta yo todoite shouri no hana wo sakasete itsu made mo inotteru
Ryuzaki Sakuno continued to walk slowly, eying the tiny warblers in tall trees on a branch. She walked with her head down, looking at her wooden slippers that clacked on the bridge. She had no idea why she was so down on such a fantastic night.
Leaning against the trees, she watched couples go by with smiles plastered on their faces. Her fist tightened into a little ball, letting her knuckles turn white. She envied them. She wasn't the kind of person to envy a whole lot of people if necessary. To calm herself down, she fanned herself with her gold fan, embroidered with gold trimmings.
'I feel like...I shouldn't be here...'
Kono akogare ga umareta basho e fence-goshi ni tatazumu
The girl had doubts about herself. She had been worried sick of her beloved tennis prince- Echizen Ryoma.
Kata wo narabete aa arukitai amaete wa irarenai
Her heart couldn't take it any longer. Why was her heart burning? Burning like blazing fire? She had parted from Ryoma not too long ago, when the boy had to speak to his step brother about the tournament and all that business. She had mostly spent the night with him at the festival, yet her heart wanted so much more. One thing escaped her mind...
Echizen Ryoma had insomnia. It wasn't that long ago when she found out. Ryoma had been keeping this secret from his senpai-tachi, to her grandmother, and everyone else from the school...except for her and his family.
Why her? She always wondered...
Ball wo oikaketa hibi
Why her- a timid, clumsy, middle-school girl all of a sudden? She didn't get it at all! Ryoma doesn't confess things like that every day in his life! He was silent, stoic, cocky, arrogant, and stubborn.
It bothered her so.
Muda ni wa dekinai tsuyoku
Here she was right now, at the gathering of the Women Tennis Tournament. She wanted to attend for her own free will, for her determination, that she could play tennis! Ryoma gave the tennis lessons for a reason...
Naritai...
...for the sake of his secret for not getting out.
Hanabira maite kokoro wo ao ni someage negai wo sora ni hanatsu
She always wished that someday everything would be all right. Ryoma's insomnia would fade away, she would no longer bein his case, and everyone would go on with their lives. Sadly, it wasn't what she wanted right now. Sakuno didn't mind the lessons. In fact, it was helping her a whole lot. She just couldn't believe that Ryoma was doing this. In her mind, she wanted to do this tournament, too, so both were fair.
Omoi todoite mirai mo yume mo kibou mo kono te ni tsukamitoreru
It seemed...bittersweet. She was gladly taking the lessons and keeping the secret at the same time. She sat down by a bench to fan herself, feelings of the boy she cherished spreading in her heart.
OOOOOOOOOO
'Chibisuke! Take the pills!'
'Insomnia?'
'Please take this journal...'
Mitsuami yurashi harukaze-tachi ga fence-goshi ni nagareru
Ryoma banged his fist in the middle of a tree. Scattered leaves fell from above, a crimson merged with orange one landing on his head. Mentally inside he was boiling. Out of all people, why was he the one that had the insomnia?
Deatta toki wo aa wasurenai matsuge ni yureru komorebi
He hadnever had problems sleeping! Having it was one thing; but telling it to someone else was a whole different story. Ryuzaki Sakuno...the only one he told that wasn't a family member. It was annoying sometimes when Ryoga tended to peek in his room without knocking, checking on him every night for the pill. Speaking of Ryoga, Ryoma snuck out of his clutches just to be alone.
He hated pills.
Kokoro ni yakitsuketa hibi
What made Sakuno so special to him?
Sayonara nante iwanai
He didn't get it at all. Memories of her flooded his mind.
Ii yo ne...
He continued to walk, looking at the crystal lake before him. He gazed into his own catlike eyes, eyes that could make a girl faint if looked at too long. He examined them. Did Sakuno...ever flooded her mind through his eyes as he did, too?
Sakura saku hi ni omoi no hane wo todokete negai wo sora ni hanatsu
His head was hurting from pure confusion.
Uta yo todoite shouri no hana wo sakasete itsu made mo inotteru
Was he starting to feel something?
'No!' He shouted in his mind, 'I'm not thinking about that right now!'
Was he starting to feel something he wasn't supposed to feel? His heart was bumping and his face was turning a bright shade of pink. He didn't know what was going on.
Journal...Dreams...Insomnia...Problems...Challenges...
Tennis was his life! That was all he wanted to think about and that only! Why were things starting to drift away from him? He didn't like it one bit! He once again downcast on himself, wishing that everything was the same. Not this! He hated this!
But...he didn't want his heart to change. His passion of tennis, his love of tennis...
His youth was still in his heart, even when his father said that he was still a child.
His heart suddenly felt another love...
SNAP
OOOOOOOOOO
Sakuno watched the fireflies dance in thin air. Random flashes of light would be right in front of her, or far away from a distance. A noise caused her to blink. A twig snapped nearby in the pathway of the bridge.
'Is someone there?' She thought cautiously. She stood up straight from the tree and silently walked down the pathway.
Hanabira maite kokoro wo ao ni someage negai wo sora ni hanatsu
A familiar figure was in front of her. She blushed intherather cute manner that she always did. She saw Ryoma in his yukata. She smiled gently just by the sight of him.
Omoi todoite mirai mo yume mo kibou mo kono te ni tsukamitoreru
"R-Ryoma-kun..." Ryoma turned his head away, but after hearing her voice, he wasn't aware of her presence. He was glaring down at the ground while walking anywhere he wanted.
Now, both of them were staring at each other, not sure of what to say. Sakuno coughed sheepishly to clear her voice.
"W-What are you doing here?" Sakuno squeaked out.
"Ano..." Ryoma stared at the falling leaves coming down at the two of them.
Sakura saku hi ni omoi no hane wo todokete negai wo sora ni hanatsu
"...I was looking for you."
"H-Hontou ni?" She was shocked.
"Hn." He confirmed strangely what he said.
"Well..." Sakuno thought about what to say, "is there something you need?"
Bu-Bump...Bu-Bump...Bu-bump...
Omoi todoke yo tsubasa hirogete tobitate koko kara mimamotteru
Ryoma turned his head away,
"How about...hanging around once more?"
Bu-Bump...Bu-Bump...B-Bump...
'So I won't lose sight of you...'
Flashbacks of the past, Flashbacks of the insomnia, flashbacks of the hard training, sneaking away from the people they love...
Sakuno quietly gulped.
"I'd love to."
Ryoma waited for Sakuno to take his hand that he stuck out. Sakuno tried her best to not squeal or say a word. She silently took his hand, feeling its soft, yet strong, skin pressed against her own.
'I promise myself...'
Both of them walked through the bridge, eyeing each other for a few seconds.
'someday for sure...'
Right now, Sakuno never thought about their surroundings or problems.
At that moment...
'...I'll tell him my true feelings...'
...she thought about the one person she cared about in her life:
Echizen Ryoma.
OOOOOOOOOO
END
OOOOOOOOOO
A/N: I hope you liked it!
-HaruCherry