Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.

Note: This is definitely a fanservice piece. I'll gladly continue it if needed.

Note 2: The characters may be OOC, but... Oh, well. Happy New Years!

Stuttering Problem

"Sakuno! Are the cookies done? We need to go!"

"I—I'm checking right now, grandma!" The auburn girl hurriedly slipped on oven mitts and yanked the stainless steel door open, slamming it on its hinges. She squeaked and jumped away from the heat.

Sumire walked into the kitchen just then, and she shook her head, "Sakuno, dear, you've got to get rid of that stutter of yours… Guys don't like girls who stutter, you know, especially Ryoma."

Sakuno widened her eyes in fright and scrunched up her shoulders as she took out the cookies, and she hung her head as she put the tray on the stove. She just had to mention Ryoma-kun… Sumire then walked out of the kitchen with bags of drinks in her hands. Going to the door, she called, "Hurry and put them in foil! We'll be late!"

The little girl glanced at the clock they had in their kitchen, and the time was 3:00—they didn't need to be there until 4:00, and it was only ten minutes away. Sakuno sighed and thought aloud, "Ryoma… kun…" They were supposed to go to the big New Years' party at the Echizen residence, but more importantly, Ryoma came back from the states to spend it with his family. His parents were so excited to see him that they invited everyone over. Sumire, being the devious grandmother she was, didn't tell Sakuno that her long-time crush would be there. She just decided that it would be a "pleasant surprise."

"Ryoma! Come on inside, boy!"

"I'm busy, old man," Ryoma drawled before hitting another tennis ball with his racquet.

Nanjirou pursed his lips and walked back inside the house, muttering to himself, "Troublesome…" Then, he smiled cheekily at the thought of Sumire's granddaughter coming to the party to see him. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind, and he stuck his head back outside, "Oi, Ryoma?" His son hit one more ball before turning to him, a look of annoyance on his face. Nanjirou questioned him, "Do you have a girlfr—AGH!" Before he could finish, Ryoma slammed a ball in his mouth with a deadly serve. The elder Echizen toppled over and choked out, "I'm guessing that means 'no'…Ugh…"

Ryoma scoffed at him before returning to his game. There was something on his mind that he couldn't shake off, and he needed an answer to his thoughts.

Nanjirou took the ball out of his mouth and stood up, dusting himself off. He smirked at his son before going back inside. He's not going to have time to change…

Sakuno still needed to get ready, so she quickly took out a spatula and shoved the cookies onto a paper plate and covered it with foil. She then ran them out to Sumire before running back inside to get dressed. Quickly dashing up the stairs and into her room, Sakuno swiped the blue dress that she had on her desk chair and rushed to put it on. Putting one foot in the dress, she suddenly caught it on the fabric and fell forward. A big thump could be heard downstairs, and Sakuno heard her grandma call her from down below, "Sakuno? You okay?"

"Y—Yeah! I—I'll be down there soon!" Sakuno hit herself mentally and got up to put the dress on—very slowly this time. It was a simple dress; it wasn't too flashy, but it was still very nice. It was a sapphire blue dress that flowed down and reached Sakuno's mid-thigh. The bodice showed off her neck and upper chest but covered her intimate parts, and it had loose, short sleeves that just barely covered her shoulders. Since she was smart enough to shower the night before, she quickly turned the curling iron on and brushed her hair to get the knots out. When it was ready, she did her hair in loose curls. Looking at herself in the mirror, she decided that it was good enough for her to go without make-up, so she grabbed her silver heels off her bed and ran downstairs.

Sumire looked at her as she walked through the door, "Going on a date?"

Sakuno blushed and turned to her, "G—Grandma!"

Sumire smiled and locked the door, "Let's go."

"Oi! Ryoma! Get ready, everyone's coming now!"

"Fine!" Ryoma threw down his racquet and dashed into the house. He rushed upstairs and ran into his bathroom to shower, forgetting to lock it. Turning on the water, he muttered to himself, "…Who was she?"

After getting in the car, Sumire scolded Sakuno for the same thing she did before, "It needs to go, Sakuno. Guys don't like—"

"—Girls who stutter…"

"…Especially—"

"—Ryoma-kun… I know, I know…" Sakuno looked out the window at the passing houses, sulking at her own failures.

Little did she know, her grandma was only telling her these things so that she'd be extra happy to see Ryoma when they got to the house. Sumire had her methods. Smirking at an unsuspecting Sakuno beside her, she thought to herself, She won't know how to react…

It's been a long time since Ryoma had been gone. Three years, to be exact. Sakuno had not heard from him since he left, but she still hadn't shown interest in any other guy. Growing up in school, she kept up her grades and even tried out for the tennis team. Meeting new friends was also something she did a lot in the past three years, and now that it was her last year of school before college, Sakuno had grown to be a great woman. Her body stayed relatively skinny, and she got a little taller. It was interesting: Sakuno had the tendency to stutter a lot, but she also had a hidden spark in her. Whenever she wanted something, she would get it. Most of the time she stutters, but when she wanted to run for the student council position of vice-president, her speech was flawless.

She kept her hopes up that one day Ryoma would come back and finally accept her for who she was. It was a long stretch, but… Sakuno looked up at the clear blue sky, It'll be a new year… Maybe, just maybe… I can finally meet him again, and talk to him without stuttering…

"Sakuno, we're here."

"H—Huh? Oh…" The girl snapped out of her reverie, and they both got out of the car. Sakuno got the cookies and Sumire grabbed the drinks before they went up to the door. Nanjirou was the one to answer, and he beamed when he saw the two of them,

"Hello, ladies! Welcome!" He led them inside and to the kitchen so that they could put down their stuff. The other Seigaku players weren't going to come for some time, so the house was pretty quiet. Sakuno thought they were the only ones in the house, but boy, was she wrong…

Rinko was in the kitchen making the rest of the food, and Sakuno helped her set up the dinner room table with different plates of sushi, katsu, and even some bowls of udon. Sumire leaned over to Nanjirou,

"So, your son is here, right?"

Nanjirou smirked, "Hn."

The old lady just nodded her head, "Sakuno doesn't know a thing."

Nanjirou's eyes lit up, "Oh? That just makes things all the more better."

Sakuno then came up to Rinko, who was right beside the two elders, and asked her where the bathroom was. Rinko was about to tell her about the one that was downstairs, but Nanjirou interrupted her, "Uh, that one's not working right now. Use the one—"

"—Wait, what's wrong with the bathroom downstairs?" Rinko asked with a hint of irritation.

Nanjirou just put a finger to his lips to shush her before Sakuno could see him, and he said to her, "The downstairs restroom isn't working. You can use the upstairs one! Go up the stairs, turn left, and it's the last door on the left."

Sakuno bowed before leaving the kitchen, "Thank you!" She walked briskly towards the stairs, and Nanjirou smiled at her back. Sumire went to help Rinko with the food while the elder Echizen whistled his way to the couch, thinking to himself,

This will be good.

Sakuno was walking along the upstairs hallway, searching for the restroom. She didn't need to go; she just needed to check her face before the rest of the people got there. The auburn girl decided that she didn't need any make-up only because there was no one to impress. "Hmm, last door on the left… that's this one." She turned the knob, and opened the door. Her head was down as she turned around to lock it from the inside, then she turned back around.

She stopped on a dime.

Ryoma was in the bathroom.

With only a bath towel on around his waist.

He looked at her with his piercing eyes, "O—Oi…" He was holding the towel up with one hand on his waist while holding a cologne bottle in the other.

Sakuno could've sworn her face turned bright pink, then red, then white. She couldn't say a word; her face was as pale as the moon. All she could say was, "R—R—Ryoma…kun…" She backed up against the door and kept her eyes on him, partly savoring the moment and partly dying inside. It felt as if time had stopped at the right moment, and Sakuno was about ninety-nine percent sure she was dreaming. Ryoma wasn't supposed to be there. That can't be Ryoma. Why was he here? Isn't he supposed to be in America? Why didn't anyone tell her? All these questions drowned her mind and she couldn't think straight. The other thing was…

That boy was fine.

His toned stomach was still wet from the steam, and his hair was still jet black and a little damp from the shower. His eyes shined in the lights and his arms were still lean and toned, as well. Three years of even more rigorous training had paid off, and his skin was tanned just right.

Sakuno had to get out.

What if he thought she was some random girl walking into his bathroom? Sakuno highly doubted that he remembered her, so she finally got enough courage to apologize. Thoroughly.

"I'm so sorry I walked in on you—I didn't mean it—It was an accident—I'll just go now—"

Ryoma suddenly leaned forward and looked at her for a minute, "…Ryuzaki?"

Oh. My. Kami.

Sakuno's eyes went wide, and she blinked rapidly. He… remembered my name? After how many years? Two? Three? Too… many… Choking on her words more than ever, she replied, "Y—Y—You… Re—Remember m—me?"

Ryoma just nodded slightly and stood there, "You stutter a lot."

The girl's face warmed up like a forest fire. She looked away, "S—Sorry!" She clamped her mouth shut after said she that. So much for not stuttering…

"You're Coach's granddaughter."

Sakuno sighed inwardly and looked at the tiled floor, Oh, right… That's how he remembers me. He might know my last name, but he probably forgot my first name.

When she looked up again, Ryoma was a foot closer to her, studying her a bit more. Sakuno's cheeks flared as he looked at her face. He turned to his counter to put his cologne bottle down, and turned back to her. He looked down at her side and reached out to grab some of her long, luscious hair. "Hair too long..." was all he said as he looked back at her face.

Sakuno thought to herself, steadily getting used to his presence, Why is Ryoma-kun so… open? It was then that she convinced herself she was dreaming.

The boy then straightened up and looked at her, "You're the one."

Yup, she was dreaming.

Sakuno opened her mouth, "Wh—what do you m—mean, Ryoma-kun?"

The tennis prodigy then picked up a faded yellow tennis ball off his counter and showed it to her, "You gave me this. Right?"

Sakuno softly took it from him and studied it. It was the ball that she gave him as a parting gift. She couldn't believe he still had it, "Y—Yeah. I g—gave this to you after you left for America." She rolled it in her hands as she tried to make out what she wrote. It was faded in many places, but she could still see the small face of Ryoma that she drew. The real Ryoma was staring at her as she got lost in her nostalgia, and he raised his eyebrows after finally remembering her first name.

"Sakuno," was all he said, and he saw the girl drop the tennis ball on the floor.

Ryoma bent down to pick it up after it rolled toward him, and he started to throw it in the air, "I take this with me everywhere."

The girl blinked, "Y—You do?"

He nodded, "Yeah."

Sakuno could only nod. How in the world did she know she was going to be stuck in a bathroom that day with her crush that she hasn't seen in three years? And how in the world is he talking so much? Shouldn't she be the one doing all the talking? Sakuno just decided to leave it be. This moment was too perfect.

Unfortunately, that was the moment that Ryoma decided to stop. He turned back to the counter to get a comb, and he brushed his hair. The water droplets running down his chest and onto his abdomen kept Sakuno in a trance, and her knees got so weak that she almost collapsed onto the ground. Why didn't he tell her to leave already? All these questions piled on top of one another and her head started to ache. She needed some fresh air.

"R—Ryoma-kun…"

He turned to her, "Hmm?"

"D—Do you n—need me to leave…?"

Ryoma looked at her for some time, and she had a bad feeling for what his answer was going to be. "Not yet."

Sakuno gaped, "Eh—Ehh?"

Echizen turned to her, "Not until you get rid of that stuttering problem."

Sakuno gulped. How the heck was she going to get rid of it if he was there? Half naked, at that!

She shook her head, "I—It's okay, I can live with it!"

The boy shook his head, "Mada mada da ne." Then, in one swift motion, she had her against the door, one hand still holding his towel but the other against the door by her face. Her brown eyes looked up at him anxiously as his face got right up against hers. "Say my name, Sakuno," the boy said huskily into her ear. He added her name in there for the desired effect.

She couldn't keep it in, "R—Ryoma-kun!"

The prince looked at her sternly, "Nope. Say it again."

Sakuno backed as closely as she could into the door, "R…Ryoma… kun."

Ryoma eyed her, "Don't say it slowly."

Sakuno gulped and tried her hardest this time. The cologne invaded her nose and caused her to suddenly fall into ecstasy. His freshly bathed skin was enticing and his hair looked so rugged and smooth. She couldn't keep her mind straight as she tried saying his name. "Ry…Ryo…Ryoma…" Suddenly she couldn't take it anymore.

Sakuno wanted it.

She wanted him.

The young woman leaned forward in the blink of an eye and captured his lips in hers. Ryoma staggered back in surprise, but not too far that Sakuno lost hold of his mouth. She was now touching his skin with her dress, and her hands went straight in his hair. His locks felt velvety in her fingers, and she could feel his arms link around her lean body. His smell was deadly sweet, and his lips felt as smooth as silk. Sakuno would've kissed him forever if it hadn't been for the doorbell that just rang.

The two broke apart and had to catch their breath. Ryoma had one of his hands clenching the counter and one of them going back to his towel. He looked at Sakuno, who had her hands covering her mouth and blush adorning her cheeks.

"Oi! Ochibi!"

"Echizen! Where are you?"

Ryoma looked toward the door as the voices echoed from downstairs. He looked at Sakuno, "Y—You should p—probably…"

Sakuno just nodded rapidly, "Uh huh." She went to turn the door knob, and she gave Ryoma one last look before opening the door, "Ryoma-kun?"

"Huh?"

"You stutter a lot." She closed the door and walked briskly to the stairs, trying her hardest to calm the blush off her cheeks.

In the bathroom, Ryoma just looked down on his counter, and smirked to himself.

"Mada mada da ne."

Fin.

Note: I hope you enjoyed it, heehee. If you guys want, I can write more Prince of Tennis fics in the future! Thanks for reading! Reviews for the New Year? :D