26Sparks
by: RoyaleDeuce
Disclaimer: TeniPuri is not mine.
Note: Sequel to 'Picturesque'.
December 31st
08:17 pm
Sakuno felt his gaze the moment he stepped foot inside the house.
She was doing some last-minute arrangements in the living room when the doorbell rung. Sumire, being the nearest to the door that time, hurriedly opened it, only to reveal the Echizen family standing on their porch. Despite the arrival of their expected visitors, Sakuno remained preoccupied with the cushions and patted them repeatedly even if they were already fluffed.
She didn't know why but for some unexplainable reasons, she just couldn't bring herself to face Ryoma's parents after the things they have done under the temple bell last Christmas.
"Thanks for the invite, Sumire."
Fluff.
"Where's the sake? Bring out the sake!"
Fluff.
"It's my pleasure to have you here, Rinko," she heard her grandmother say, completely ignoring Nanjiroh. "Ryoma! Should I be surprised to find you here?"
Sakuno paused for a moment, waiting for a response.
"Hn."
Typical Ryoma response. Sakuno couldn't help but smile.
Fluff.
"Ah, there's Sakuno-chan!" Rinko cried. "How are you, dear?"
Sakuno stiffened, blushing fiercely. It took her another moment to turn around and smile at Ryoma's mother. From the corner of her eye, she saw Ryoma smirking, appearing as if he knew why she was so uncomfortable.
"N-Nice to see you, Rinko-san, Nanjiroh-san," Sakuno bowed, hiding her red face from her present company.
"Isn't she so cute, seishounen?" Nanjiroh gushed which earned him a slap from Rinko and a killer glare from Ryoma.
"That's enough chitchat for now because it's not good to keep the food waiting," Sumire interjected, sensing that there was going to be an ensuing spat between father and son.
As everyone was ushered towards the dining room, Sakuno purposely lagged behind where she intended to give her late greeting to a certain someone. She felt the warmth on her face and her heart beating rapidly as she fell in stride with Ryoma.
"It's good to see you again, Ryoma-kun," she whispered softly, still avoiding Ryoma's eyes.
Ryoma's mouth twitched. "Heh. You missed me already?" he whispered back, noting how Sakuno's face turned a darker shade of red.
"I-It's not like you didn't miss me too," Sakuno retorted half-heartedly, turning to Ryoma who looked blank all of a sudden, "R-Right?"
There was silence.
Ryoma tried his best not to laugh after seeing Sakuno's aghast and doubtful expression. "Mada mada dane," he gave in and smiled at her direction.
Sakuno's eyebrows furrowed, but her cheeks were still a brilliant red, "Ryoma-kun... that's not very nice," she scowled. "…I don't think I believe that you missed me at all."
Ryoma smirked, amused at Sakuno's irritated look. Just when they were about to enter the dining area, he firmly clutched her arm, leaned in, and whispered, "I'll prove it later."
December 31st
09:22 pm
Sakuno was restless even after dinner.
With Nanjiroh at the head of the table, Rinko and Ryoma sat on one side while her grandmother and she took the other. The meal was beyond satisfactory, the conversations were good, and the overall atmosphere was enjoyable. Although the three adults would once in a while attempt to engage both Ryoma and Sakuno in conversation and receive one-word responses in return, dinner had been generally quiet for the two. There was an exchange of occasional discrete glances and nudges under the table, but other than that, dinner had been uneventful.
Essentially, dinner passed like a blur to Sakuno since she had been preoccupied with thoughts about a particular someone the entire time.
"That was a splendid dinner, Sakuno-chan!" Rinko exclaimed all of a sudden, causing Sakuno to jump in her seat.
Ryoma resisted the urge to smirk as he watched Sakuno flush from his peripheral vision.
"I'm glad you liked it," she replied, smiling shyly. Gathering the used plates on the table, Rinko was about to stand up and head towards the kitchen when, "R-Rinko-san! You don't have to… I'll do it!" Sakuno quickly stood up from her chair and attempted to collect the plates from Rinko – attempt as the operative word.
"Now, now, Sakuno-chan. There's no need to worry. Leave it to me. You've done enough for tonight," Rinko assured, keeping the plates away from Sakuno.
"I-I possibly can't let you do the work, Rinko-san. Please." Sakuno was equally adamant and had another go in getting the plates.
While such conversation persisted, Sumire and Nanjiroh were discussing the succeeding activities planned for the night.
"If you don't mind old hag, I was wondering if we could let out some sparks tonight. I brought several fireworks with me," Nanjiroh drawled, taking a sip from his cup of sake.
"I do mind," Sumire said curtly. "No fireworks."
Nanjiroh spewed his drink, clearly surprised, "Tsk, you killjoy! Just because you're constantly attacked by rheumatism and other body pains, doesn't mean you have the right to deprive people of enjoyment! It's new year, for Kami's sake!"
Sumire took offence at what was just directed to her, "Don't make it sound like you're not aging as well, you idiot. I don't want anyone getting hurt, so no fireworks."
"And who gave you the right to decide things?"
"If you're forgetting, Nanjiroh. This is my house."
"Sakuno-chan, stop being so stubborn."
"B-But Rinko-san… you're a guest—"
The sound of a chair being dragged ceased all arguments. "I'll do it," Ryoma muttered, grabbing the plates from his mother and wordlessly headed for the kitchen.
There was silence; four pairs of eyes glues to where Ryoma disappeared to.
"Well, that's simplifies matters," Rinko broke the silence. "Do you have a karaoke, Sumire?"
"Yeah, we do," Sumire grinned, and then turned to the man at the end of the table, "Seems like no one else will be there to assist you in the fireworks, Nanjiroh."
"What are you talking about, old hag? I'll be with someone!" Nanjiroh cried confidently.
"Nanjiroh, I doubt Ryoma'll want to accompany you for the rest of the night," Rinko scowled. "And I think it is dangerous." Sumire patted her contentedly.
Nanjiroh darkened. But his expression changed not long after, "What are you guys talking about? Cute, little Sakuno-chan will be with me!"
The resulting reaction – from the said girl's grandmother, concerned 'auntie', and a supposedly busy dishwashing boy — to that one statement caused Nanjiroh to grudgingly raise the white flag.
"Fine, fine! No fireworks!"
Sakuno was highly amused at the current happenings, now acknowledging that celebrating with the Echizens was in some way better than how she usually spent her holidays. Just as she was smiling her head off at her realizations, she caught a glimpse of Ryoma before he headed back to the kitchens.
Although it was microscopic, an actual smile was on his face. Not a smirk. Not a sneer. An expectant smile to be precise; as if he was waiting for her to follow him.
Sakuno's heart thumped wildly against her chest, remembering Ryoma's statement before they ate dinner. I'll prove it later… She had taken her first step towards the kitchen when someone gripped her arm and hauled her back.
It was her grandmother. "Sa-chan, please two more bottles of sake from the top cabinet in my bedroom."
It seems that Ryoma's 'proof' would have to wait a bit longer.
December 31st
10:34 pm
Sakuno was convinced her klutziness would not desert her now, the following year, or even the succeeding years. The case was black and white: It was inborn.
It wasn't the least surprising that she'd get into an accident while carrying two bottles of sake. After all, it was somewhat heavy and her lack of coordination was a given. But what irked her was the result of her anomaly after she rolled down the stairs – it wasn't difficult to imagine the resulting disarray. An hour and a half later, she was being treated like an invalid just because there was a gash on her leg, scrapes on her elbow and forehead, and she smelled strongly of sake.
"The gash on your leg's the size of a spatula, Sakuno!"
"I can change my clothes by myself, baa-chan," Sakuno whispered, all the while trying to hide her continuously reddening face from the rest of the company.
"Do you plan on wounding yourself more?!"
"Oh come on, Sumire. There's no need to be angry," Rinko interrupted, trying to appease the currently raging Ryuuzaki. "If Sakuno-chan says that she can dress herself, then you should let her. She's a big girl now."
"Kami, this girl's going to give me a heart attack even before the year ends!" Sumire sighed, slumping herself on the nearest couch. The 'karaoke' fest was currently on hold. "I can smell the sake from here," Sumire scrunched her nose.
"I'll go now," Sakuno flushed even more and was already preparing to stand up.
"I'll escort you, Sakuno-chan ~!" Nanjiroh ejaculated in a sing song voice.
"Shut up, oyaji," Ryoma muttered.
For a millisecond, Sakuno almost stumbled again, this time, out of surprise. She glanced at Ryoma sitting not so far away from her, his golden gaze boring on Nanjiroh who was similarly shocked at Ryoma's sudden speaking.
But he recovered a few moments later. "Aha! Are you actually jealous, seishounen? By all means, you can take my place and escort her instead—"
"Stupid oyaji. You were too loud," Ryoma glared at his bemused father. But he still surprised Nanjiroh by standing up and heading towards Sakuno's direction.
Sumire suddenly stood up from her seat, too, totally oblivious to what's happening "I'll just help you get up then, Sakuno. You can dress and bathe on your own if you like."
Ryoma stopped in his tracks, just when he was only an arm's length away from Sakuno. He swore he could hear Nanjiroh trying to hold back his laughter - to be honest, it sounded like his father was dying. To avoid embarrassing himself, he quickly diverted his pace towards where his mother was (which, thank Kami, was on the exact direction he was headed) and pretended that that was his original destination from the start.
Sakuno could only fidget awkwardly in place as she misunderstood Ryoma's attempt to actually help her in her predicament.
"I told you your hair's too long," Ryoma muttered nonchalantly before sitting beside his mother as if nothing weird had happened whatsoever.
At Ryoma's visible nonchalance, she wasn't so sure whether the boy missed her at all.
December 31st
11:48 pm
Sakuno never expected to spend her new year's eve in bed.
Her past celebrations had either been spent watching the neighbours' fireworks or watching a movie with her grandmother. As she had constantly raved about before, a peaceful holiday with Sumire was already picturesque to her. But after spending Christmas with the Echizens, the variety of having a picturesque celebration broadened. Spending time with the amiable Rinko, entertaining Nanjiroh, pleasant Nanako (even if she wasn't present), and most of all, Ryoma, had been a new change for her. A good change, in fact, that she couldn't help but sulk as she lay in bed, aware that she was wasting an opportunity to enjoy her holidays with a new crowd.
My new year's dreadful… Sakuno whimpered, hugging one of her pillows as she muffled a long, frustrated scream.
The sudden knocking on her door made her stop. In the blink of an eye, she arranged her pillows, smoothed out her blanket, and properly lay in bed as she expected her grandmother to come inside any minute now.
"You can come inside, obaa-chan."
But it wasn't obaa-chan who opened her bedroom door.
Sakuno immediately turned crimson, "R-Ryoma-kun!"
Ryoma slipped inside the room as if it was an everyday thing he did. Without saying a word, he locked the door, took a seat in the far-end corner of the room, and stared at Sakuno.
Sakuno's stomach was doing back flips at the moment, "W-What are you doing here?" she stammered, her mind reeling to the possibilities as to why Ryoma entered her room and locked the door.
"I have a stomach ache," he replied, without even caring to explain.
Sakuno instantly became worried, "Then why don't you go to the restroom, Ryoma-kun. It's across my bedroom," she explained softly.
"Mada mada dane, Ryuuzaki. I lied," Ryoma said, now smirking at Sakuno's baffled expression. "They think I have a stomach ache."
Then it dawned on her. "O-Oh…" Sakuno knew her face was on fire.
There was an awkward silence as Ryoma unflinchingly stared at Sakuno with his cat-eye gaze, and Sakuno struggled to keep the eye contact.
Ryoma was amused at the rate Sakuno was turning to a human-tomato. Just for kicks, he decided to tease her more. "Ne, are you sure you're not sick? You're starting to look like a tomato."
As expected, Sakuno blushed deeper. But it was unexpected of her to throw a pillow at him.
"Ryuuzaki!"
But Sakuno was far from finished. After managing to throw all her pillows at Ryoma, she got off the bed, scampered on her feet, and began an all-out smack attack at Ryoma with more pillows.
She just couldn't help it. Ryoma looked so cute when caught off guard. And smacking him was good way to vent her New Year's Eve frustrations. She won't be caught dead crying again this time.
"R-Ryuuzaki-mph!"
Sakuno giggled, muffling Ryoma's mouth with one of her elongated pillows. This was already making her feel better.
Just as the room was abruptly enveloped in silence, Sakuno halted, finally feeling quite guilty for assaulting a harmless boy. And currently, the said boy wasn't moving. "R-Ryoma-kun?" she breathed and dropped her pillow.
Wrong move.
The next moment, Sakuno found herself pinned on the floor, with Ryoma hovering above her, a triumphant grin on his face. The pain of Sakuno's body didn't equal the rapid beating of her heart that she wondered whether Ryoma could hear it thumping uncontrollably against her chest.
"Mada mada dane."
Sakuno turned red again, conscious of their very compromising position.
There was another air-gripping silence as Ryoma stared shamelessly at Sakuno, and the girl focused her gaze on her interesting bedstead, completely ignoring Ryoma's attempt to engage her in another of his staring contests.
But at the intensity of his gaze, Sakuno was quite certain she was going to explode any moment.
Out of the blue, there was a loud bang.
"What's that?" Sakuno mumbled.
"Stupid oyaji and his fireworks," Ryoma said without missing a beat.
And sure enough, there was a loud, "Nanjiroh! Didn't I tell you no fireworks?!"
"Obaa-chan!" Sakuno panicked after being reminded of her grandmother, which consequently made her remember the position she was in.
...5
Another bang.
"Nanjiroh!"
"The door's locked," Ryoma said simply, as if reading her mind.
…4
A loud whistle resounded in the silence.
"Stop it!"
"R-Ryoma-kun, you can get off me now," Sakuno's face was red.
…3
Recurring booms followed.
"AH! DAMN YOU, YOU MONK!"
"No," Ryoma's face was considerably closer to hers this time.
…2
Thunderclaps.
"I WISH YOU'D GET BURNED!"
Sakuno was frozen in place, her big, chocolate brown eyes doe-like.
…1
No loud booms or bangs ensued. No flare of any fireworks seemed to have reached the night sky.
BadumpBadumpBadumpBadump
She couldn't hear anything else but the pounding of her heart the moment Ryoma's lips crashed onto hers.
Sparks were everywhere.
She felt like she was being burnt... but she doubted burning had ever felt this good.
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
"A week has passed," Ryoma whispered in her ear after they ceased for air.
Sakuno blushed, but nevertheless, tightened her embrace.
With the resulting sparks of their kiss, Sakuno cannot deny that he had excellently proven his point.
"I missed you, too," she whispered, "Happy new year, Ryoma-kun," she shyly kissed Ryoma on the lips, all the while wishing that she'd get to spend the rest of the year with him.
Ryoma gladly responded and did not let go.
A/N: Holy crap. I feel like a zombie. I did not sleep for this fic, lol! This is my New Year's treat for everyone. Hope you liked the story. I know it was a bit OOC, but hey, they're already a step further in the relationship, so it can't be helped. (;)) Anyhow! Happy 2010! Constructive criticisms, rants, comments/ suggestions, confessions of undying love to the author (kidding!) are welcome! You'd be rewarded by the heavens if you press the review button at the bottom of this page… No kidding. (:)))
[Edited]