Pure Essence: New fic, new inspirations thanks to watching the New P.O.T.! My love for P.O.T never wavered through these years and I can't seem to write any fanfics besides Ryosaku for now. Boo hooo! But that's okay, because I love RyoSaku now and for always. My daydreams always end up coming back to them. It's been a while since I've posted again so forgive me. As always, I'm not that great with grammar so if you'll forgive me for that. Other than that, read, review, and enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own P.O.T and I'm glad I don't because of its shounen-ness, it inspires me to make more fics that are more shoujo!

Remember: Reviews are always appreciated and loved, 7 days a week, 365 days, all year round. Whenever, wherever! It always motivates me to write more when people show that they enjoy reading my fics. Critiques are also welcome!

Now then, to the story!

Friction

by Pure Essence

Never in a thousand years did Echizen Ryoma foresee a situation like this. Stripped from top to bottom with the exception of his boxers, he stood facing the wall of a shabby old cabin as he waited for Sakuno Ryuzaki to undress.

How did they end up in this situation you ask? Well it all started with a battle between father and son on a cool cloudy day. As usual, Ryoma and Nanjirou were fighting it out with tennis. Ryoma thought for sure that today was going to be the day he would win against his father. But once again, his father beat him out of the last point with this half-serious tennis. A sweaty and seething Ryoma threw his father a dirty look.

"Ne, Seishounen." Nanjirou peered at his son with one eye. "If you think you can be at the top of the world with that type of tennis, you'll never make it."

"Shut up baka oyaji" an irritated Ryoma growled. "Play me again!"

"Mada mada dane," Said Nanjirou as he shook his head. "The result will still be the same Ryoma. You are still lacking too much in stamina and endurance. Your shots are too slow and too predictable. I can beat you even with my eyes closed."

Although Ryoma hated to hear this father's criticism, he begrudgingly memorized every word of it. It was the only way he could come back stronger and better, which means another step closer to his goal of being number one and defeating his father.

For the next few days, with his father's words ringing in his mind, he trained in the wooded area that his father used to take him to when he was young. Surrounding him were trees and rocks. It was a relatively secluded "park" far from where he lived yet reachable by transportation. It was a place where barely anyone went to anymore which made it a perfect spot to practice tennis and other skills without interruption.

On one particular humid and cloudy day, as Ryoma was leaving his house to train, a certain redhead by the name of Sakuno Ryuzaki approached him.

"Ryoma-kun!" the now bolder girl greeted him. Ryoma simply nodded to acknowledge her presence. They were both already in their second year of high school yet their relationship still remained rather platonic. She was still the same girl who would show up to his every match and cheer for him and he was still the cool and cocky tennis prince. The only thing that changed between them was probably familiarity. They've seen each other enough times to not be considered acquaintances yet they weren't in any special relationship. Simply put, she was probably his one and only friend of the opposite sex (he considers her best friend only an acquaintance if not stalker).

"Ne, Ryoma-kun." Said Sakuno as she lifted up a bag she was holding on her right hand. "I was making some rice balls for Obaa-chan but I think I made too much so I thought of giving you some."

Ryoma stared blankly at her for a moment. "I already had breakfast." Ryoma pulled his hat lower as if to signal a goodbye and walked past her to continue to his trip to the training area.

"Eh? B-But!" she was about to protest when she realized Ryoma was already heading onto a bus that just arrived. "W-Wait, Ryoma-kun!" she called as she bounced after him.

The next thing she knew, she was standing in front of the moving bus not knowing what to do. She initially had not plan on following him but her old habit of going wherever he went somehow kicked in and now she's standing awkwardly in front of the bus with no fare money.

"Aren't you going to pay the fare?" the bus driver asked.

"A-Ano, G-Gom-" an embarrassed Sakuno was about to apologize and ask the bus driver to let her off when a few clinks of change interrupted her. Standing in front of her was Ryoma with his tennis bag slung across his shoulder. He had just paid the bus fare for her and is now staring at her with a questionable look.

"Mada mada dane Ryuzaki." Ryoma said before moving to the back of the bus. Sakuno shyly followed Ryoma to the back and took a seat next to him.

"Arigatou Ryoma-kun... I'll pay you back later. I promise."

Ryoma simply nodded and looked out the window with a hand propped up against his chin. The rest of the trip was silent as the bus made its way to their destination.

When the bus finally stopped at the park that Ryoma trained at, Sakuno quietly got off right after him. Neither of them said anything until Ryoma reached a tennis court.

"Ryoma-kun?"

"Hn?" was his only reply.

"Are you training here?" asked Sakuno. From what she could see, the tennis court ahead of her was old beyond fashion. Since it was outdoors, the weather has done much damage to it. The net to the tennis court was half collapsed. The markings on the floor were almost all faded. There were also a lot of rocks and debris on the floor. She could tell that it's an abandoned tennis court.

"Of course." Said Ryoma matter of factly. "Why else would I be here?"

"B-But it's dangerous!" she said as she watched Ryoma make his way to the rocky plateau. To Ryoma this was the perfect practice court. The rocks and debris on the floor deflected his tennis balls and made it swerve unpredictably. Ryoma set his tennis bag on the floor and took out two rackets. He handed one to her.

"Here." He said as he handed her the red racket.

"E-EH?" squeaked a surprised Sakuno. She had not expected to play tennis with him at all. Her skills were still terrible (although much improved from her freshman year in middle school) and she definitely did not want to look like a fool in front of Ryoma today.

"You followed me here. You can at least do this much right?" he asked. Having no choice really, she nodded.

"All I need you to do is to just serve toward my court."

"That's it?" she replied. If that's all he needs her to do, she can definitely do this much without embarrassing herself.

Ryoma headed toward his side of the court and she headed to the other end. When they were both ready, she threw the ball up and served as hard as she could. Once the ball landed, it hit one of the debris on the floor and went in a completely unusual direction. However, that didn't stop Ryoma from getting to it and aiming it back. As the ball flew past her, Sakuno stared in awe at the speed of the ball.

"Keep it coming Ryuzaki."

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Nanjirou sighed as he flipped through the channels of the television looking for something good to watch – particularly anything that showed women in bikinis or some sort of lingerie commercial. Not being able to find anything of that sort, he flipped the channel again and ended up watching a sitcom. It wasn't long before a sudden breaking news screen disturbed his show. On the screen a beautiful weatherwoman stood in front of a map showing the regions of Japan, thick dark clouds seem to swirling above it. Nanjirou whistled at the site of the pretty woman on screen. Turning on the volume higher so he could hear her voice, she stared at her with drool leaking from his mouth. He half listened as he stared with a perverted gaze at the screen as red bold letters flashed across the bottom of the screen:

"A surprise storm has suddenly appeared across the skies of Japan. According to analysts, this storm could be the biggest storm seen in Japan in a while. There will be heavy rain, wind and thunder. It is recommended that houses should prepare for flooding and make sure to close windows tightly. It is also recommended that residents should stay in their houses until further notice…."

The thought of Ryoma leaving the house in the morning suddenly flashed across his mind. He thought for a little before dismissing the thought from his head. "I'm sure he can take care of himself."

Picking up the remote control again, he continued to flip through the channels.

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Sakuno jumped at the first rumble of thunder. She looked up at the ever darkening sky with a nervous expression. As far as she remembered, there was no mention of a storm the night before. Sure, it was reported to be cloudy with high humidity but she definitely did not predict the weather to turn out this way.

"A-Ano Ryoma-kun," she began as she turned to look at him. "I think we should go home. It looks like it will rain soon."

"Hn." He mumbled as he also looked at the darkening sky. The weather never stopped him from playing before. But even if that was the case, his coach's granddaughter is with him right now. If anything were to happen to her, he could not even imagine the consequences. "Fine." He agreed after a little thought and went to pack their bags.

Right when they were about to exit the courts, it started to drizzle.

'Just great' a tired Ryoma thought as he lifted his tennis bag over Sakuno's head to shield her from the rain. "Here, hold the other end." He commanded and she obliged.

Without wasting another moment, the two walked quickly to the bus stop hoping that the bus would come soon. With each passing minute of waiting, the rain seemed to come down harder. The wind got stronger as it blew the droplets in all directions soaking Sakuno and Ryoma in only a matter of a few seconds.

Still trying to find some sort of headlights within the haze of the downpour, Ryoma and Sakuno continued to wait for any signs of the bus. A few more minutes later, with no sign of any sort of transportation, Ryoma gave in. Dropping his hold on the tennis bag and slinging it across his shoulders, he allowed the rain to pour down on them. He grabbed a hold of the clumsy redhead next to him and began dragging her after him.

"E-Eh?" a startled Sakuno squeaked out among the loud downpour.

"We can't stay out here in this rain." He explained without looking at her. "The bus is probably not going to come in this type of weather."

"But where are we going then?"

"There should be an abandoned cabin a little further up that slope. We can stay there for a little while."

The both of them walked as quickly as they could toward the slope as the wind and rain relentlessly slapped hard against their skin. Ahead of them, Ryoma could tell that the road was extremely slippery. The soil was muddy and a river of water was running down the slope.

"Be careful." He warned and released her. "I'll go first."

Sakuno watched anxiously as Ryoma tested the slippery ground. Once he made his way up, he reached out his hand to her. "Hurry. The soil is getting softer by the minute."

Sakuno quickly grabbed onto his hand without losing a moment and climbed her way up the hill. The cabin could be seen once they reached the top. It didn't look as shabby as Sakuno expected. From the way it was made, it must've been used for campers in the past. The cabin was made of dark wood with a small overhead jutting out from one side right above the entrance. The cabin was shaped like a box probably only big enough to fit a maximum of four people.

"This is it." Ryoma said and the both of them quickly entered the cabin to avoid getting poured on anymore than they already were. The first thing Sakuno noticed when she entered the cabin was that it was pretty empty – only a trimming tools here and there with barely any sort of furniture. There were a few brooms and cloths probably left by someone who took care of the area once in a while. There was only one window in the cabin. The view however was obscured by the downpour of water making the cabin interior appear dark and gloomy.

The air was cold and musky as Sakuno tried to search for anything that could light up the small space. However, she could not find anything that would be useful in that aspect.

"Ne, Ryom—EEK!" squealed Sakuno in surprise as she turned and saw Ryoma pulling his shirt off and over his head. She quickly turned back to face the wall. "A-Ano, R-Ryoma-kun….What are y-you doing?" she asked with her hands covering her eyes, a deep blush adorning her cheeks. It wasn't that Sakuno never saw a half naked man before. She just never imagined she'll see her long time crush stripping in front of her.

Ryoma turned and smirked at her innocent behavior. "Mada mada dane Ryuzaki."

"Mou…" sighed Sakuno at his tease.

"Both of us will get sick at this rate if we stay in these wet clothing." Ryoma said obviously. Despite the situation they're in, Ryoma knew it was no time for modesty. If Ryuzaki Sakuno got sick, it'd be more troublesome for him. He'd have to take care of her all the way till she gets home after this storm with the addition of getting a mouthful from his ex-coach. He decided it was best to avoid that situation if possible.

In all honesty, Ryoma could not deny the awkwardness between them. They were not in any sort of relationship where they would take off their clothes for one another. However, in this given situation, he doesn't think there's actually a choice. Besides, she's only his ex-coach's granddaughter right? It's not like she had anything appealing that would attract him. He had always considered her a friend and nothing would change because of this experience. He was sure.

"Hurry up and change out of your clothes already." Ryoma muttered as he moved to remove his pants – leaving him in only his boxers (which he will definitely not be stripping, thankfully.) "I won't look."

Sakuno tensed at the sound of him unzipping his pants and pulling them down.

'I can't believe this is happening…' a mentally stressed Sakuno thought. Being stuck in the middle of a storm with the one she had a crush on since freshman year of middle school, having to strip down to their undergarments until the their clothes dry or at least until the storm stops was the last thing she'd ever thought would happen when she left the house this morning. If she knew, she'd at least have worn cuter underwear.

Exasperated at the turn of events, she slowly started to unzip the side of her shirt and skirt. 'Consider it an emergency Sakuno.' She told herself over and over again as she pulled her shirt over her head and dropped her soggy skirt to the floor. She shivered as the cool air touched her bare skin. Now she was only left in her bra and underwear.

"A-Ano… I'm done." She announced and Ryoma acknowledged her with a "hn". She tried not to look at Ryoma's direction as she found something to hang her clothes on.

"Take this." Ryoma said while still facing the cabin wall. He was looking through his tennis bag and found a dry towel.

"A-Arigatou Ryoma-kun." Said Sakuno as she carefully made her way to him. She tried very hard to not look anywhere below his waist.

She used the towel he gave her to wring out the excess water from her hair and wipe the parts of her body that was still damp from the rain water. When she was done, she hung up the towel along with her other clothes to dry. At that point, Ryoma was already sitting on the floor still turned away from her out of respect. The cabin was getting darker by the minute as the heaviest part of the storm hit and Sakuno could only see a slight silhouette of him. She tried to find a spot to comfortably sit down as they waited out the storm. Sakuno finally settled down in a corner almost diagonal to where Ryoma was sitting when she felt a breeze of cool air tickle her through the leaky cabin wood.

"A-Achoo!" sneezed Sakuno as goose bumps traveled up her arm.

"Don't sit too close to the wall." Said Ryoma across the room. "It leaks air."

Sakuno thanked him for the advice and moved further away from the wall. However, she was still shivering uncontrollably and was starting to get the sniffles.

"Come closer." She heard Ryoma say and she listened. She moved a few inches closer to him and stopped.

"Even closer." Ryoma said again.

"Eh?"

"There aren't any matches that I could find to light a fire nor are there any blankets." Explained Ryoma. "The only way we can make it through this storm is to use one another."

"Use o-one another?" stuttered Sakuno. She was beginning to understand his point. "Y-You mean share b-body heat?"

"Hn." Came his reply. At least she wasn't that clueless that he had to spell it out for her. "Lean your back on mine if you're uncomfortable. Even if it's not much. It'll help."

Sakuno debated for a while whether or not to do it. She wasn't sure if she could handle touching Ryoma's bare skin against her own. She was afraid that she might overheat from the contact instead. However she knew she really didn't have a choice. What Ryoma suggested was absolutely logical. Both of them are stuck in the middle of the storm with no way of warming themselves except using natural body heat.

Deciding to put aside her shyness and embarrassment, she got up and moved until she was right behind Ryoma. Sitting down, she slowly leaned her back against him.

The feeling was foreign to the both of them at first. Ryoma could feel the band of her bra against his back as well as her soft moist skin. It sent tingles up his back. Sakuno on the other hand was trying hard to slow down her fiercely pounding heart. She was afraid Ryoma could feel it against his back. At first, his back felt cool since his skin was still damp from the rain. A moment later, she felt warmth spreading from their point of contact. She wasn't sure if it's because she's blushing all over or if the whole "sharing body heat" theory is actually working. She pulled her legs up against her chest and curled up even more. This way she would stay even warmer.

The both of them stayed motionless leaning against each other in opposite directions as thunder and rain poured down like no tomorrow. Ryoma did not seem to mind the silence much since he was never the talkative type anyway. Sakuno however, felt like a cage of butterflies was attacking her stomach with each passing moment of silence.

"R-Ryoma-kun" she started as she tried to start a conversation to break the awkward tension. "Are you hungry?"

"Not really." He said but Sakuno felt the slight rumble of his stomach through the vibration on her back.

"I-I still have the rice balls from this morning if you want some." She offered. She raised her right hand and grabbed the soaking wet package from the side and brought it closer to her. Unpacking it, she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the rain water did not penetrate into her bento box. As she opened the bento box, the refreshing smell of rice and seaweed wafted into the air and Ryoma realized that he did want something to eat after all.

Inside the bento box were four neatly made rice balls wrapped in seaweed all around. Sakuno took one out and took a bite out of it to make sure they were edible. Then she put the bento box down next to her and pushed it backward to Ryoma. "Have some, Ryoma-kun."

Not being able to resist the aroma, he took it and placed one rice ball in his mouth. It wasn't his first time eating the food she made. She often gave him lunch when they were in school and when he was at tennis practice. But he found them to be especially delicious right now and wondered if it was because he was –secretly – hungry. Taking a second portion, he munched on it quietly. He could feel Sakuno's steady breathing on his back and found it somewhat comforting yet foreign. He realized it was his first time having skin to skin contact with a girl besides his mother or Nanako, his cousin. It was somewhat a different feeling. Of course he had to put the situation into perspective as well – it's not everyday that you get stuck in a room with the opposite sex, both being undressed, and surprisingly doing nothing but wait.

"Do you think it will stop raining?" asked Sakuno, suddenly breaking Ryoma out of his thoughts. The sky outside was only getting darker as the late afternoon drifted by. With the ominous clouds outside and the rain still washing the cabin window, the room was getting darker and darker until Sakuno could only make out the slight outline of the things in the room.

"Mada mada."

Sakuno sighed at his answer. Sakuno looked down and wondered if Ryoma was as unsettled as she was. 'Apparently not' she thought as she felt his deep even breathing with no hint of nervousness or shyness. He didn't see her as a woman she realized. That was why he was so comfortable with the situation. Sakuno frowned and wondered if she ought to be offended. Suddenly her best friend Tomoka's words floated into her mind.

"You know Sakuno, there's no such thing as a platonic relationship between a man and a woman" Tomoka had once said. "There's going to be something – you just need to wait for that moment when the match hits the matchbox and a spark forms and the fire is lit."

Well, if only Tomoka was here, Sakuno would use this situation to explain why there is such a thing as a platonic relationship between a man and a woman – or that maybe Ryoma was just a special case all on its own.

Sakuno's eyes wandered in the dark and glanced at the shadow of her damp clothes still hanging at the corner of the room and realized that Ryoma's clothes were not there. Then she remembered seeing it lie on a pile on the floor when she went to get the towel from him.

"Your clothes won't dry if you don't hang them up." Sakuno said, suddenly breaking the long silence. "I'll hang them up for you."

She attempted to get up and realized she missed his warmth almost immediately. Ryoma on the other hand, felt slightly disturbed as she got up and moved away from him. He was just starting to get comfortable. He heard her get up behind him to make her way past him. It was so dark in the room that he mostly used his sense of hearing than his sense of sight to identify where she was.

The next thing he heard was a loud clattering, then the sound of a rice ball being stepped on and finally a surprised shriek as Sakuno Ryuzaki slipped. Ryoma quickly made an attempt to catch her before she falls hard and hits her head somewhere (worse case scenario). He felt the back of the clumsy girl push against his chest and knocked him backwards from the force. He tumbled backwards and tripped over her legs that were trying to regain balance. The two fell over with a loud thud – Ryoma on the bottom and Sakuno lying on her back on top of him.

"Ugh!" grunted Ryoma as his breath was knocked out of him. They were so close to each other that he could smell the rain water on her hair. He reached out one hand and pushed his hair back with a sigh. The other hand was still wrapped around her torso in an earlier attempt to catch her.

Sakuno Ryuzaki could not stop her heart from beating profusely. On top of being embarrassed at her clumsiness, she was even more embarrassed at the position they were in. She felt the vibration of his chest against her back as he groaned and a ticklish sensation traveled up her spine. For a quick second, she tried to pull her thoughts together but she felt conflicted. The angel in her was screaming for her to get up while the devil side told her to stay put and enjoy every bit of skin to skin contact that she so inwardly desired.

"Are you hurt?" his voice too close for comfort sounded next to her ear. Sakuno shivered as his warm breath swept across the crevice of her neck. Ryoma instinctively tightened his hold around her stomach. "Your skin feels cold."

'Really?' Sakuno thought to herself. She felt like she was burning up. Maybe it was just psychological.

She felt Ryoma shift under her and felt him slowly push her weight off of him. The first thing that Sakuno felt was disappointment – disappointment in that their contact only lasted this long before he pulled away. Her thoughts however, were interrupted when she felt Ryoma move her next to him and then pulled her in with the hand that was still wrapped around her lower torso. She held her breath as she was being crushed against Ryoma's chest. His free hands began moving up and down her arm as if trying to warm her through friction.

"R-Ryoma-kun?" she stuttered in surprise at the contact.

"Mada mada dane." He sighed tiredly. "If you were cold, you should've said so." The last thing he wanted was Sakuno Ryuzaki coming down with pneumonia. Ryoma wondered why he didn't do this earlier. Body heat was spread much easier this way and he was actually starting to warm up quickly.

Sakuno wanted to explain that she didn't feel cold but decided against it since she was getting so comfortable. It was a once in a lifetime chance…and she'll forgive herself just this one time for indulging in it secretly.

"A-Arigatou." She managed to squeak out after a few more moments of silence. Ryoma simply hummed a "Hn."

When Ryoma was done with her arm, he proceeded to other areas of her body. He rubbed her back and felt her pull in closer to him. He wondered if it was because she was ticklish. After a few moments however, she seemed to relax to his touch and he continued. She was warming up a lot more now he noted and praised himself for his survival instincts. When he was younger and went camping with his father, he was taught that if anything were to happen, preserving life comes first and modesty second. Who knew a situation like this would come up and he actually had to put it to good use.

Sakuno closed her eyes as she felt Ryoma's rough hand move up and down her back as if he were soothing a crying baby. Every part that he touched left a trail of fire and she was beginning to feel like she was having a fever. She closed her eyes and tried to think of something, anything that would distract her mind away from his touches. But Ryoma topped anything that she could think of. Eventually, she became mentally tired. His caresses continued but now slowing down to lazy pats as she snuggled closer to him unconsciously and closed her eyes. It had been a tiring day, she mentally noted as she slowly drifted off into the best sleep she's had in a while.

Ryoma absent mindedly rubbed the lower back of the girl still pressed against his chest. He felt her light breathing which signaled that she had fallen asleep. He felt a calm feeling settle over him. It had been a long time since he felt this comfortable being next to a girl besides his family. Everywhere he went, he was always being chased down by fan girls who tried every possible way to catch his attention. Never once however, did he ever look their way. He knew that they only wanted him because he can be a trophy for them to brag to others about. Although he was ignorant about girls (as his senpai's always told him), he wasn't that ignorant about their motives.

Sakuno mumbled something incoherently under her breath and slowly rolled away from his chest as she shifted. He instinctively pulled her back in. Every movement she made away from him felt as if warmth was slipping way. He found himself too comfortable to allow that to happen. He heard her sigh almost contently as she was pressed against his chest again. Although he could not see her in the now pitch black cabin, he could slightly make out her form with his sense of touch. He felt the need to continuously caress her even though the both of them were warm now.

He wondered what made the girl in his arms so different. He could care less if any other girl were freezing next to him. Perhaps it's because she's his ex-coach's granddaughter he reasoned but he knew inwardly it was beyond that. She was his one and only close female friend. Although he rarely had the time to pay attention to her, she always made her presence known in front of him or maybe he was just secretly seeking her out in the crowd. He mentally denied the latter.

It was all too complicated he concluded finally. He did not understand why he was thinking so much about the clumsy girl. He pushed the thought aside and decided he should sleep. All that tennis playing and hiking definitely took a toll on him. Closing his eyes and making sure that the girl in his arm is secure and warm, he fell into a deep sleep.

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Sakuno had no idea how long she slept for but when she woke up, she found her own arms wrapped around Ryoma's back with her face tucked underneath his chin. Their legs somehow tangled over one another in their sleep. The room was lit an orange yellow and she concluded that the storm had passed and it was probably around day break. She relinquished the feeling of waking up in his arms for a few more minutes before she slowly entangled herself out of his arms and legs. Now that there was light in the cabin, she did not want Ryoma to see her clad only in her bra and underwear.

Quietly, she stood up and checked if her clothes were dried. They were still a bit damp she noted but it will do for now. She changed as quickly and as silently as she could – afraid that any loud rustle of fabric could awaken the prince. However, Ryoma simply shifted a little with a frown adorning his face as if he felt something was missing.

When she was done getting dressed, she grabbed Ryoma's shirt and pants and draped it over him shyly. Then, she shook him to wake him up. He moaned sleepily when she nudged him a little but did not open his eyes. She then resorted to push him harder while calling out his name. He eventually gave in to her pushes and cracked open a cat-like eye.

The first thing Ryoma saw when he opened his eyes was a dressed Sakuno Ryuzaki bent over him. He could barely make out her face as the sun came up behind her through the window as it rose to the sky. She looked angelic against the orange sky and he felt something in him twitch – the sudden desire to hold her, touch her, have her.

He quietly mouthed her name and she leaned closer to hear what he wanted to say. Quickly, he pulled her down against him and she gasped in surprise. There was no more need for body heat so why was he doing this now? She thought. She laid sprawled out over him with his two arms pressed against her back as if he was holding a human sized teddy bear. She struggled in his grasp a little.

'It must be a mistake.' She thought to herself. There was no way Ryoma would do this if it wasn't out of necessity. He was probably still half asleep she convinced herself. She twisted her body and tried to pry Ryoma's arms off of her but they only wrapped around her tighter.

"Don't move." Ryoma suddenly said above her and she froze. He was awake and coherent? She panicked. She suddenly wasn't sure how to react at the fact that Ryoma was doing this not unconsciously, but well aware of what he was doing and who he was doing it to.

"Stay." He commanded quietly with his eyes closed. He didn't understand the desire that suddenly overtook him but for this moment, he wanted to act as he felt. It was probably the only chance they will get in a while. Sakuno relaxed in his grasp and pressed her ears to his chest. His heartbeat was beating quicker than she expected and she wondered if his matched her own at the moment.

Not knowing what to make of it, she decided it wasn't important anymore. Whatever happens later will be a new page in their lives.

For now, she will lay with him while listening to the confessions of his heart beats…

-The End—

[A/N: Phew, nearly 6000 words and 12 pages typed. I never seem to be able to write a short one-shot now can I? Too much scenes flashing through my head and I just want to put everything on paper! I hope you enjoyed reading and please continue to support me in the future!]

Thank you for reading. Please review. I've missed those a lot!