Prince of Tennis (RyoSaku) Non-yaoi

Notes: manga based, Ryoma is probably OOC (don't care), sequel will come later as well. This is the last chapter of this story, thanks for reading :)

Yay, thank you very much for the reviews! They make me happy :)

Experimenting With Butterflies

Part 3: Achieving the Desired Results

Everyone seemed in a hurry to leave today. Well, that was fine with Ryoma. The courts were even clean, minus the huge basket of tennis balls he still had out. He was a bit tired from the practice that day, but it was nothing out of the ordinary. Some quiet practice would do him some good.

Then he heard footsteps from outside the fence. He wasn't alone after all. Too bad.

He hoped with all his might that it wasn't another girl. Ever since he began his experiment earlier in the week it seemed as if for every girl he had touched, there were ten more following him hoping to share the same fate. But the experiment was over. He'd tried the whole week and nothing. Just giggly girls with skin so soft and painstakingly maintained that it ended up being clammy. Gross. But other than that, he didn't feel anything. So that one time must have been a fluke.

"Oh, you're still here too. Oh um… but I guess you would… be. H-hi, Ryoma-kun…"

Oh, that's right; the girls practice had gone as long as the guys today. It had been twice as noisy when they both let out.

"Yeah," was all he said to acknowledge her.

A moment of silence passed and she shifted her weight uncomfortably and started to leave.

"Hey, you want to come hit some balls around with me? By myself I can only practice my serve."

Sakuno didn't really want to, but she couldn't turn down the invitation either. She was glad she hadn't changed out of her tennis uniform to go home.

In silence Ryoma served and they played a couple of rounds. She didn't last very long against him, but at least she was returning the ball in a somewhat acceptable manner.

Ryoma looked up and surveyed her carefully. She was covered in sweat and her head was drooping to the side a little. And when she wasn't returning a ball, her arm flopped down to hang at her side.

'Oh that's right,' he thought, 'the girls aren't used to having practices that long or difficult.' She looked like she did on Monday. She was probably tired. And if she was, this wouldn't be a good match for much longer.

"I'm done," Ryoma said catching the ball as she returned it to him. He felt a little bit proud when he dropped the ball back in the basket and noticed that catching it had left his palm slightly pink.

"I'll help clean up," Sakuno muttered as she picked up some balls and headed over to the bin.

"Yeah."

He bent over the bin to drop some more balls in right as she accidentally knocked it over. Ryoma grunted.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I'll pick it up…"

"No, it's fine, I will…"

There were more balls to pick up now then there had been before. One there and over there… Ah- there's one!

Ryoma and Sakuno reached for it at the same time. Sakuno had a hold on it first, but then Ryoma did, and…

He felt… he felt nervous or something. His heart was beating faster and he felt kind of stiff and there was this urge to pull his hand away and say something… like maybe apologize… but he didn't. It was that same feeling again. The one that he hadn't been able to replicate. And her hands? They weren't clammy… but they were soft. Just not gross…

Ryoma had resisted the urge to pull away but Sakuno hadn't.

"S-sorry," she said covering her face as she blushed. He didn't say anything, just pulled his cap lower and picked up the remaining balls.

"I guess that's… that's been, uh, happening to you a lot. This week. Uh… I mean since Ryoma-kun doesn't like that kind of thing, so… I'm sorry."

"No, it's ok," Ryoma said hoisting the basket, "actually I've been doing it on purpose."

"Y-you have?" Sakuno said sounding a bit scandalized.

"Yeah. I was trying to experiment with having 'butterflies in my stomach.'"

Sakuno tilted her head a little and looked confused.

"What is 'butterflies' and 'stomach?' They aren't common vocabulary words so I don't remember them." No… she wasn't that good in English after all.

"Um, inside my stomach there are butterflies," he tried in Japanese.

"Ew!" she said. "You- you ate butterflies? And-"

"No, no, it's just an expression. It doesn't work well in Japanese I guess."

"Ah… I see. So what does it mean?"

"It's like… a feeling… inside."

"What, like sadness or happiness?"

"No, it's like… um…"

Ryoma tried to think of what is was most like.

"Going down a steep hill really fast? Any way, do you remember on…"

He stopped. He felt a little ashamed admitting to her out loud that he remembered something that had happened between them five days ago. But… why? About four years he'd known her, right? He was just being ridiculous. And it was just an experiment any way.

"Um, a few days ago?"

"Yeah, you grabbed my hand," he continued as if it were nothing, "and it felt strange. Just like the American expression 'I've got butterflies in my stomach.' I tried to get it to happen again all week but it didn't." Until now. He couldn't figure it out. Maybe it did only happen with Sakuno. But why?

Sakuno stood there looking confused, as if she were trying to take in the whole situation.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, "I guess I still don't get the stomach butterflies or… how does it feel like?"

"Here, try this, look at my eyes."

She did it haltingly but attempted to hold his gaze as her cheeks got redder and redder.

He couldn't help but smile- just a little- as he took her hands in his.

"It feels like this."