(You know who this is for.)
She's Not the Only One
Sakuno looked outside the window for the seventh time that hour, still waiting for that elusive tennis prodigy to show up at her doorsteps and whisk her away.
"Ano… d-do you think he's not going to show up?" Sakuno's voice quivered, as she continued to keep her eyes glued on the pebbled front walk of her house.
"Of course he's going to show up!" Tomoka answered, her voice indignant. "What kind of question is that? How could he not show up after all that time we spent getting you ready!"
"Tomo-chan-" Sakura murmured, a bit intimidated by the manic laughter that emitted from her friend's throat. "I still think maybe this is too much for a day at the amusement park," tiny fingers fumbled nervously with the hem of her skirt.
Tomoka looked at her, trying to find a flaw with the ensemble she personally hand picked. "There's nothing wrong with what you're wearing." Her eyes gleamed, "You look so KAWAII!!!"
"Ano-"
"No excuses!" Tomoka shook her head. Giving Sakuno a wide grin, she lifted up her hand, two fingers extended upwards in a triumphant V. "That is the outfit to VICTORY!"
A sweat drop trickled down Sakuno's forehead. "A-ano, it's just the-"
"Ah! He's here!" Tomoka squealed when she heard the door bell, racing towards the front door before Sakuno could finish her sentence.
"Amusement park…" Sakuno trailed off. Her eyes widened when she realized that Tomoka was going to reach him first and Sakuno quickly dashed after her errant friend.
Racing down the stairs to the hallway, she barely had time to make out a mop of brown hair before she tripped from the heels she had been trying on with Tomoka and flew through the air.
"Ahhh!" Shutting her eyes tight and bracing her arms up for impact, she slammed against the door with an oomph.
Strange, she thought to herself, her eyes still shut. Normally when she fell down the stairs and landed into the door it hurt a hell of a lot more then this. Peeking through one eye, she grew a nice ketchup red when she realized she was sprawled on top of one smiling genius.
Somehow, with his eyes shut and lips curved into that smile, he was able to look genuinely concerned at the small girl sitting on his lap. "Are you alright?"
Through the extreme embarrassment Sakuno was able to understand that Fuji had been in the path of her ill-fated hurtle and the momentum from her fall must have thrown him off balance and against the door when she collided with him. She'd turned him into a human cushion. "I'm so, so, so, sorry," she gasped, jumping up to get off of Fuji before yelping, and jerking back into his chest. Glancing down, her face began to glow when she saw one of his arms wrapped securely around her waist, his free hand resting on her arm.
Smiling cheerfully, Fuji somehow managed to stand up and pull her up with him. Letting go of her, he peered down at her through the slits of his eyes, "You look a little unwell, Sakuno-chan?"
A high pitched squeal answered his question. "Gyaaaah! Are you okay, Sakuno-chan?" Tomoka quickly rushed to her friend, dramatically flailing around while checking for any external damage.
"She seems to be uninjured," Fuji intervened.
Tomoka glanced up at him, her eyes open wide. "If you hadn't been so quick to move between Sakuno-chan and the door she might have gotten really hurt."
"Ah!"
Fuji and Tomoka turned their heads towards the source of that gasp.
Sakuno's looked directly at Fuji, concern over his welfare overriding her embarrassment. "Are you okay, Fuji-san?" she asked, her voice pitiful as she stared up at him with earnest eyes, "Thank you for breaking my fall."
He opened his eyes, "Anytime."
Sakuno remembered to blush and Tomoka could be heard in the background screaming, "ROWR! VICTORY! GO GET HIM TIGER!"
"Tomo-chan," Sakuno protested, cheeks flaming red.
"Sorry, sorry. It just seemed like you guys were having a moment," she grinned.
"That wasn't a moment, Tomo-chan." Fuji's voice was deceptively mild. Stepping in closer to a frozen Sakuno, he tilted her chin up with his right hand and innocently smiled into her steadily widening eyes. "This is a moment." With the same god given swiftness that enabled him to reach Sakuno before she hit the door, he swooped in and kissed her.
This time Sakuno didn't even hear the exuberant cheers of her best friend. She was otherwise occupied with things, important things, like remembering how to stand, or think, or breathe, as Fuji deepened their kiss.
Chuckling to herself, Tomoka left without either of the lovebirds giving her nary a glance. "That girl," shaking her head in amusement, Tomoka walked outside and greeted her ride.
"Woman, what took so long? I've been waiting out here for nearly three minutes," he demanded. "How dare you keep me out here like some kind of servant?" he spat out the last word in distaste.
Tomoka rolled her eyes at her companion, giving an exasperated huff before getting into his car. "God, Sakuno's boyfriend is soooo sweet to her," she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Unlike someone I know," she muttered under her breath.
"Are you implying that squinty eyed freak is better then me?" Atobe sounded extremely offended.
Tomoka sighed. "Obviously. I don't even know why I'm dating you."
"Don't take words out of my mouth! I'm the one who should be saying that, you inferior, loud mouthed wench."
"That's it! Stop the car," she yelled. "I'll find myself a boyfriend 100 times better then you!"
"A hundred?" Atobe's voice was outraged. "Hah! Good luck finding one half as good. Do you hear me, woman! HALF AS GOOD!"
"I'D RATHER DATE KABAJI," she hollered back. "AT LEAST HE WOULDN'T SPEND MORE TIME PRIMPING IN FRONT OF THE MIRROR THEN I DO!"
Atobe slammed on the breaks, stopping on the side of the road. "IT'S NOT EASY BEING THIS BEAUTIFUL!"
Arms crossed, they sat there glaring at each other before lunging into each other's arms.
"I'll be back home before ten, grandmother," Sakuno called out before closing the door and locking behind her. Her hand clasped securely in Fuji's, she looked confused for a moment when he held her back. "Wha-?"
Fuji's eyes were crinkled up in amusement at the car parked twenty feet away from the house. Following his line of sight, Sakuno blushed when she recognized the two lip-locked figures in the car.
"I-in broad daylight," she stuttered.
Fuji lifted a finger to his lips to quiet her. "Listen."
Straining her ears towards the ostentatiously shiny sports car, her eyes widened when she caught a few of the words the couple were harping at each other while making out.
"STUCK UP PRICK!"
"STOP YELLING IN MY EAR!"
"HEY, WHO ASKED YOU TO GET THIS CLOSE?"
"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO ATTACKED ME!"
"WHAT? IT WAS YOU!"
"THAT'S IT, WE'RE THROUH!"
"HAH, I'M BREAKING UP WITH YOU FIRST!"
Her response was muffled and there was silence once more as mouths became too busy to talk.
Sakuno hid her face in her hands, "That girl," she muttered. "That girl's in love."
"PIG!"
"COMMONER!"
Fuji smiled. "Or something like it anyway."