Befriending My First Love

A/N: Heya guys! Lemme explain some things about this fic. This isn't a long story, it consists of seven scenes whereby the chapters are not continuous, so you can say this fic contains drabbles set during Ryoma's high school years. I repeat, the chapters are not continuous. This fic is also a story that I've chosen to submit in a contest on ryosakufandom(dot)webs. Please read and review. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this note. Luv ya!

#1

"Ne, what d'ya say?"

Sakuno gulped as her back collided with the wall. Her nervous brown orbs looked around the empty street, her shiny brown hair reflecting a sliver of light from a nearby streetlamp. A gust of cool air breezed past her head, reminding her that spring was almost at its end, and summer would be coming very soon. Seeing no one to help her, she thought about tightening the dark blue coat she wore and to push past the big male looking down at her. But then, her plan faltered away as she looked up into a pair of dark menacing eyes. Not again...

She fought the urge to bite the arm of the tall guy whom had his palms rested on either side of her head. She would've even kneed the guy in his family jewels using a move Tomoka taught her known as the 'Ball Crusher'. However, her hopes died as soon as it had flashed, when she also realized that the guy had two other companions waiting behind him, hands in their pockets, a cigarette stuck out from their dark lips.

"A-Ano… I-I need to get home now. It-It's kind of late…" It was late. It was nine and it was dark.

Sakuno mentally berated herself. She regretted that she stayed back at school to finish helping Akira-sensei collecting snails for the freshmen's science experiment. She could've just followed Taichi when he had offered to walk her home; but no, being the responsible sophomore she was, she insisted that she stayed for a while to help Akira-sensei search for snails. And she could've taken up the sensei's offer to drive her home. But being the sweet and polite selfless Sakuno she was, she declined the offer so as to not disturb the 58-year old teacher. That, and the fact that Akira-sensei drove with a license that had expired thirty years before she was even born.

And here she was, being cornered by a third year student whom reeked of stale beer and cigarettes, asking her out even though she had declined him politely three months ago. It was a wonder to her that the third year had been asking her out after every three months since the day she'd started high school. Was it tradition for him to pursue her every three months or was he a delusional stubborn nut? Taichi had advised her to take the latter as the only plausible reason.

"Yo, onna! Make up your mind! I'm waitin' ya know!" Clearly, the undergraduate was drunk.

His friends sniggered as their friend tried to yank her skirt up which she clutched with her hands. One of them spit out his cigarette and raked a hand through his messy brown hair as he said, "You really know how to pick 'em, eh? I say, she's freakin' hot man!"

The other friend coughed a little, a result from chain smoking, and smirked. "Oi, Shin! I'll bet ten bucks if she's wearing pink!" And the trio laughed, as if it was really funny.

It was definitely not funny and it was going too far. She couldn't let these rude guys get to her. It was time she taught them a lesson. Being so mad at the guy's dirty joke, she grabbed a hold of Shin's right arm, and sank her teeth into his flesh.

"What the- Oi! Lemme go!" He roared as Sakuno's canines dug into his awful-tasting flesh, and managed to retrieve his arm, before a tennis ball hit him squarely in the face.

The other two buddies were about to get to a red-faced Sakuno, when one of them joined Shin writhing on the floor clutching his stomach seconds after said guy's face was attacked.

"Ne, don't you guys have anything better to do? If I were you, I'd be studying for the finals desu."

The lad left unharmed gulped before he ran away, leaving his two companions yelling 'TRAITOR!' after his fleeing body. Sakuno sighed relieved as she tightened her coat around her.

"You okay, Sakuno-chan?" Brown eyes turned to her, full of concern.

Sakuno nodded and smiled to him, her eyes telling him she was tired and she wanted to go home already. Her savior turned his gaze towards the two still wincing senpais. He rested his racket on his shoulder and smiled sweetly, the sweetness of the smile contrasting the killing gaze in his dark brown orbs.

"You okay, senpai?" His voice was kind, soothing, if it wasn't ruined by the dangerous eyes staring at them.

Said third year students staggered to their feet and beat a hasty escape.

Sakuno smiled sweetly as Dan Taichi turned to her, his smile still in place. "Thank you, Taichi-kun."

Taichi replied with a wide grin and a thumb up. However, the glorious grin instantly fell as he heard his forgotten companion clear his throat.

"Forgetting someone?"

The deep timbre of his voice sent shivers down Taichi's spine as if to remind him the actual person whom saved Sakuno.

"O-Oh! Yeah, Ryoma-kun! Thanks for saving our Sakuno-chan desu! Right, Sakuno-chan?" The dark blue-headed sixteen-year old nudged the girl blushing next to him with his elbow, encouraging the brunette to thank the real savior.

Ryoma growled as he heard Taichi call him 'Ryoma-kun'. He hated it when Taichi used that '-kun' suffix. It just sounded weird, and wrong. Especially if it came from someone who the girls at school deemed to be his 'secret boyfriend' or whatever. Just as he considered fifty ways to torture Taichi for calling him 'Ryoma-kun' – AGAIN-, Sakuno's voice cleared all the thoughts from his mind.

"Of-Of course… Thank you, Ryoma-kun." She smiled at her savior, the beautiful shade of pink still coloring her cheeks making her smile ever the more pretty.

That very smile also sped up Ryoma's heartbeat rate.

He looked away, mentally cursing for not having his cap to shadow his eyes. "Betsuni."

Taichi cleared his throat as he sensed that familiar tension air lingering between the two. Enthusiastically, he grabbed Sakuno's hand with his right hand and Ryoma's hand in the other, dragging them towards Sakuno's house.

"C'mon! We don't want Ryuzaki-sensei to be mad, right?"

Ryoma pulled back his hand as he let Taichi skip happily towards the Ryuzaki residence, Sakuno's hand in the possession of the blabbering data-boy. After a couple of minutes hearing Taichi's plans for the summer festivals, he suddenly stopped and turned to Sakuno.

"Speaking of which, Sakuno-chan, what are you doing during the festivals? I'll be going to the Koenji Awaodori with my cousins. Do you wanna come too? Ryoma? How about you?"

Sakuno shook her head. "It's okay, Taichi-kun. I think I'll stay at home. Obaa-chan will be out of town that day, and I have to take care of the house."

Well, that was her plan anyway. Not Ryuzaki-sensei. She'd wanted Sakuno to come to the summer festival with her, but the younger Ryuzaki preferred to stay home instead. Sakuno wanted to follow, but she had a lot of work to be taken care of. Being the Vice President of the Home Economics Club, she was forever busy with paperwork. They didn't have a secretary, she didn't know why, and most of the work was given to her. And like always, she was too kind to refuse.

"Not going. I'll be picking up Yuya from the airport." Ryoma answered, his deep voice waking up Sakuno from her paperwork headache.

"Yuya? A-Ah... Ryoma-kun's sister right?" She turned to the Tennis Prince, who nodded in reply.

Taichi's brows drew together in a frown. "Okay, then. What about we go to Sumidagawa River together then? Watch fireworks together desu? Please desu?"

Sakuno smiled and laughter spilled out when Taichi clasped his hands together in a praying manner as he begged his two best friends to watch the fireworks together. How could she say no? "Okay, Taichi-kun. Ryoma-kun?"

Sighing, Ryoma replied with a nod.

Taichi punched the air as they arrived in front of the Ryuzaki residence. "Yes, yes, yes! Arigatou desu! G'night, Sakuno-chan desu!"

"Thank you again, Taichi-kun. Um... Ryoma-kun too." She blushed as she mentioned the second name.

She bowed before she disappeared into her house, leaving Taichi grinning at Ryoma.

"What?" Ryoma asked, irritation laced the words as they started to walk away from Sakuno's house.

Taichi shook his head and slung his arm around Ryoma's shoulder.

"You really do like her, don't you? It's okay, I won't tell anyone desu!"

Ryoma made nothing to deny it, because it was true. And he was fine that Taichi knew too, because he knew the boy wouldn't tell anyone, including Sakuno.

The tennis prodigy silently thanked god because being secretive was one of Taichi's good points.

Gah! I feel really horrible for this chap. I don't know why, but I couldn't think of a better title for this fic. And the ending is horrible. Sigh.