Sayonara

Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis belongs to Takeshi Konomi

Author's Note: The first thing I want to say is that I'm not against Sakuno and Ryoma fiction, nor do I hate Sakuno Ryuzaki in any way. Even though most of her dialogues in Prince of Tennis consists of "Ryoma-kun..." and lest not forget the painstaking, high-pitched mewing she did in one of the episodes that will forever numb my soul, I don't dislike her enough to bruise her head with an eager frying pan.

Glossary:

Mada Mada Dane: Ryoma Echizen's favourite quote.

Ochibi: Little Kid

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"Ry-Ryoma-kun?" she unknowingly stuttered under her breath. The young girl was nervous and it showed, to her dismay. She wanted to look strong and independent when she faced him, but to no avail. All her emotions were churning inside her, threatening to explode at any second if she didn't get an answer now. She tightened her grip on the cherry ribbon, tied to a bow at the middle of the Seigaku uniform as she waited with a sudden quench of vulnerability inside her. Sadly, even all the ribbons in the world would not have sweetened the bitter words of rejection coming out of her prince's mouth.

Ryoma reached up with his left hand and pulled his white cap down, hiding a little more of his facial features. Simply shrugging his right shoulder to adjust the weight of his tennis bag, he opened those soft lips and replied.

"Mada Mada Dane."

There was more that he said because Sakuno could see that his lips were still moving, but all was lost when those three words escaped. She suddenly felt deaf to the world and could see it crashing into the ground before her very own eyes. Reality had slapped her in the face, and it hurt. It hurt a lot, and the pain was too much for her to bear as her legs quickly directed her to the other direction of her cold-hearted prince and she ran home, disappearing into the horizon as the tears fled down her cheeks.

~*~*~

It was funny how much she had depended on that 11-year old boy. She hadn't even known him for a year yet, but her feeling for him was strong since the very beginning. It seemed like there was a sort of charm that drew her towards him, and she liked how it felt. When she's around him, all her feelings seem to be at ease and nothing in the world matters except for his happiness.

How pathetic.

"Ryoma-kun," she whispered in a nostalgic tone. Sitting by the windowsill, she watched the stars dance along the sky in scattered patterns. Already in her pink nightgown, she huddled her knees closer towards her chest while she looked up into the dark night in awe.

For the past few hours after she returned home with tears in her eyes, Sakuno had locked herself in the solitude of her own room, trying to convince herself that there was more to life than her prince. The past few hours seemed a waste, because her feelings for him were still the same.

"I'm so pathetic." she murmured under her breath, resting her head under her arms as she lay under them, sniffling. "I should have know that he didn't love me."

Raising her hands, those chocolate eyes peaked through her arms as her head lifted. She reached one-hand outwards towards the tennis ball lying on the floor and gently picked it up. Turning it slowly, she stopped and gazed at the adorably drawn picture of Ryoma-kun that she made.

Her heart hurts.

She wants to die.

Sakuno gripped onto the tennis ball a little tighter, her once peachy coloured skin now turned pale from the amount of intensity she held it with. It was a miracle that the ball didn't crack with the amount of force. Without thinking, a cry escaped her lungs and she threw the ball against her door, creating a large bam.

She had lost it.

There was a knock on the door.

"Sakuno?" her grandmother knocked again. "Sakuno, are you okay?"

There was nothing but quiet sobs coming from the other side of the room. Worried, Sumire Ryuzaki opened the door to find her young granddaughter crying with bloodied hands and a jagged piece of a tennis racket in her grip. She calmly walked over to the crying form, careful not to do anything that might result in either of them getting hurt.

She knelt beside Sakuno, careful not to seem angry or frustrated, she gently said, "Sakuno, that piece," she used her left hand to cradle Sakuno's while they lifted the jagged piece up. "It was from Ryoma's old racket, wasn't it? He's been looking for it. "

Slowly, the small hand opened up and dropped the jagged piece onto Sumire's open palm. The elder woman sighed in relief, but such a thing was too soon for Sakuno as she ran to her small desk at the opposite side of her bed and took out a pair of scissors, aiming it at her right risk.

Sumire slowly lifted herself up; again trying not to seem imposing. "Sakuno, put the scissors down."

The young girl with brown pigtails only shook her head and began to cry. "He rejected me, grandma! He thought my feelings are the same as all the other fangirls! But it's not! It's not!"

"Sakuno, what happened? Who--Ryoma? Is it Ryoma?"

"Don't say his name! It hurts, grandma! It really hurts!"

Sumire took a step forward, but the young one caught her movement and quickly jabbed her left arm a little closer towards her right risk with the scissors.

"Don't move! Don't betray me! Don't lie to me and act like you care about me when you really don't! Don't trick me!" Sakuno cried.

"Sakuno, just calm down. You know I won't do anything to hurt you. I'll help you--we can both figure out a way to resolve this. Sakuno, please," Sumire took a few steps closer. This time, her granddaughter's arms didn't move any closer towards each other, and she was glad.

"I hate them. All those girls in Seigaku plotted against me! They wanted Ryoma like this! They wanted him to reject me! They wanted him...to...hate me. But I love him, grandma!" Sumire carefully pried the delicate fingers off of the weapon and threw it away, holding Sakuno tightly.

"I LOVE HIM!"

~*~*~

Tomo-chan wept as she held her best friend tightly, not wanting to let go. "You'll write, right, Sakuno? We'll keep in touch?"

"Of course!" the young voice laughed. "I promise!"

She made her friend let go and there stood the Seigaku members, including the infamous freshman at the end of the line, and furthest away from her. Each one had something to say except for the one in the end, too preoccupied by the clouds moving across the sky.

"Eh, Ochibi? Don't you have anything to say?" the acrobatic player asked, nudging the younger player in the arm.

Amber eyes turned and fixated onto the lone girl with chestnut brown hair and a luggage that was too heavy for her small hands to carry.

"Eh...Ja." the young prince simply said.

Sakuno smiled. "Ja," and walked up to the bus which would carry her to the other side of Japan.

She had switched schools. Both Sumire and Sakuno thought it was for the best. These strong emotions aren't healthy for a young fragile girl like her, especially when the feelings were one-sided. The very next day, after the supposed 'breakdown', Sumire filed her granddaughter and sent her to another school quickly, thanks to her links with the coaches and principals.

Sitting on the bus filled with many other transferring students, she looked out at the black tinted window. Tomo-chan was still crying, but waving her arms and forcing herself to be happy for her best friend. The three freshman boys she had known since the beginning of the school year waved as well. As for the last one, and future captain of the Seigaku team, all he did was hide under that white cap of his.

It was for the best. She couldn't make flashy signs to cheer Ryoma-kun on; that was Tomo-Chan's job and she was exceptional at it. She couldn't help him train, unlike the Seigaku members, and she was sure that many other girls will make lunch for her prince when she's too far gone in this bus. The crowd wouldn't miss one person. There simply wasn't a reason for her to stay. No, she'd have to cheer for her new tennis team now, in the new school her grandmother has enrolled her in. Hopefully, one day she'll be able to see the prince play again, but this time, it wouldn't be Seigaku she'll be cheering for, but Kiroujyuu.

The bus started and began to make a chug chug sound. Ryoma thought that sound was annoying, but kept it to himself. He watched the bus depart, like the rest of the people. It was a shame though, to see Sakuno leave, he thought. He wasn't ready for her right now, but had there been just a little more time, he might have grown into that long pig-tailed girl.

Sadly...

"Mada Mada Dane" he said and went back inside to practice tennis.

Author: I rushed it a little bit, but that's what happens when an amateur writer tries to make something beautiful. At least, this is what happens when it comes to my fanfiction. I'm not sure if I should end it like this or put a sequal. I have some ideas, but they're still in the processing stage. Hope everyone enjoyed it.

PS: The Flower Girl (This Girl) is being worked on, but I'm just too lazy and my brain is turning to mush. I'll try to finish it before my head turns into brain pudding.