Crimson Roses

Chapter 20: Practice, Practice, Practice

"I'm really sorry Ryoma-kun!"

The Prince of Tennis growled, watching helplessly as his new girlfriend dashed off, away from him, to go to basketball practice with her teammates. Now don't get me wrong! Ryoma respected anyone with determination, who was willing to follow through with what they started, but this was just too much!

Practice in the morning, after school, and on weekends! He only got to see her during class, and even then they're always interrupted some way or another! Now, Ryoma wasn't exactly a PDA (1) type of guy, and he hated clingy girls, but this was ridiculous! He didn't get to spend quality time with her AT ALL!

And knowing Ryoma, not to mention Sakuno's practice schedule, he never got any chances to kiss her again.

Oh the cruel, cruel, irony.

How he hated God.

"Echizen. Run 10 laps to cool off."

Ryoma grunted, tipping his hat down and beginning his jog around the tennis courts, everyone staring at him strangely. He had been spacing out quite a few times, and when he was finally focused, put too much power into his swings. Tezuka supposed he was channelling his anger into his shots, and gave him a penalty of 10 laps to run so he could cool his head.

But of course, Sakuno had to drop by at the exact moment he finished all 10 laps.

"R-Ryoma-kun? Gomen, I have to go to practice." Sakuno said, shouldering the strap of her duffel bag. Droplets of sweat ran down Ryoma's face, and his eyes darkened in anger.

"'Kay. I'll see you tomorrow." He replied indifferently, and Sakuno nodded.

"Good luck with practice."

"You too."

She turned to leave, but stopped for a moment and turning back, fishing in her bag.

"Ah, I know you already have a towel. Demo… I felt bad about leaving you all the time to go to practice, especially after we… um… just got together." She blushed furiously at that. "S-so, please accept this as compensation." Sakuno shoved a blue towel into his hands, the very corner of the towel stitched in yellow 'Echizen Ryoma'. It looked to be done by an amateur, and Ryoma smirked.

"Doumo." He said, taking it from her and wiping his face off, then draping it over his shoulder. Sakuno, looking at the ground, began to turn around.

"I-I'll be leaving now." She replied, until Ryoma's hand shot out and spun her around. Flushing a deep red, Sakuno realized Ryoma had given her a peck on the forehead, and smirked.

"These," he stroked her pink lips with his thumb. "… will be reserved for your victory on Valentine's Day."

"H-hai!"

Straightening, Ryoma turned back to make his way to the rest of his teammates, waving his hand over his shoulder in parting.

Maybe God wasn't so bad after all.

"Ryoma! You sly dog!!"

"Ochibi's growing up!"

Or not.

"Pass, pass!"

"Hoshi-chan, over here!"

"Kin! Intercept!"

"Hai, Natsu-buchou!"

"And don't call me that!"

"Kin-chan! I'm open!"

"Wakarimasu! Ike, Yuuki-fukubuchou!"

Swish, swish.

"Score!!"

Sakuno laughed heartily, clapping hands with her friend Yuuki as their team won the exercise. Hoshiko, Moriko, Tsubame, Rin, and Nanami breathed heavily on the other side of the court. All of them were smiling though, congratulating each other on the good game. Everyone was exchanging advice, pointing out flaws in the others playing style. Sakuno smiled as she watched everyone chatting. It was good to be back.

"What? You guys are still practicing?"

Everyone froze, and turned to see a slightly older girl standing there carrying a plastic bag of goodies and blinking at them all. She was dressed casually, in a pair of heels, jeans, and a flattering top. A plum-coloured purse dangled off the crook of her elbow, and her hair was tied in a low ponytail, some of the strands getting loose. Sakuno brightened as she saw her.

"Narasumi-sensei!"

Narasumi smiled.

"Okaeri nasai, Saku-chan."

The two embraced tightly, Sakuno crying tears of relief.

"I… I heard you were banned from teaching in Nakamura after… after…" Narasumi stopped Sakuno's next words, shaking her head.

"You are not to blame, Sakuno. It was my decision, and my decision alone. You did the right thing; don't beat yourself up about it. It's all over Sakuno; you can rest now. You don't have to worry anymore, because everything turned out better than I expected it would." Narasumi reassured, patting the girls head. Sakuno looked up with hopeful eyes.

"Y-you… you mean…" Narasumi nodded. Sakuno broke out into a wide smile. "Narasumi-sensei! Omedetou!" She laughed, hugging her again. Narasumi laughed with her.

"Arigatou, Saku-chan. Hontou ni arigatou."

By the time they stopped hugging, the rest of the basketball team was already staring at Narasumi, each with smirks adorning their faces.

"Ne, Narasumi-sensei?" Tsubame broke up. "How do you feel about coaching the winners of the National Female Basketball Team for a couple weeks?" Narasumi blinked surprise, raising an eyebrow before smirking. She realized those determined expressions on their faces, having been with them for so long.

"Elaborate, and we might be able to work something out."

A/N Whee!! One more chapter out! And the plot thickens... ish. For those who have read the original version of Crimson Roses (which has been deleted from the site), they will recognize Narasumi! I'm taking a different turn with Crimson Rose Petals though, so I hope you still like it!

1 - For those who don't know, PDA is short for Public Displays of Affection.

Japanese Glossary

(Name)-kun: affectionate term usually used for boys
Gomen: Sorry (informal)
Demo: But
Doumo: Thanks (informal)
Hai: Yes
Ochibi: Little kid/boy. Nickname used by Eiji to address Ryoma
(Name)-chan: suffix used to show a close relationship between people (usually girls). Also used to address someone younger then you.
Buchou: Captain
Wakarimasu: Understood
Ike: Go
Fukubuchou: Vice-captain
Sensei: Teacher. Can also be used to addres a doctor
Okaeri nasai: Welcome back (polite)
Omedetou: Congratulations
Arigatou: Thank you (informal)
Hontou ni arigatou: Thank you very much (informal)
Ne: Hey