Decisions

By: Bunny

Rated: T

Genre: Romance/Friendship

Summary: Sakuno had been ready to give it all away to make her aging grandmother happy until she found out who else was involved. Ryoma simply doesn't take rejection well. Or maybe there is more to it than that. RyoSaku.

Disclaimer: The Prince of Tennis / Tenisu no Ōjisama is copyright Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha.

Oh and I MUST give a big shout out to Cookie, my beta reader, who began beta reading for me with this fanfic! I hope you all enjoy the improvements to having her help!

Important Author's Notes: The most important thing to know going into this story is that it starts out in early December of Ryoma and Sakuno's third year (senior year) of high school. So at the start of this fic they're both 17, just about to turn 18. In case you don't know, Ryoma's birthday is Dec 24, Sakuno's is Jan 14, so they're both very, very close to being 18 in early December of their last year of high school.

The other thing you may want to know in advance is that I use the Japanese word miai in this fic. This is the Japanese equivalent to what most English speaking would refer to as an arranged marriage. The Japanese miai is not exactly a "forced" arranged marriage arrangement the way we would typically understand it though. It's more like matchmaking done by parents, grandparents or guardians. There's no particular obligation to get married, but there is a strong suggestion by the families for a marriage. Typically speaking either party may call a miai off at any time, but they do so at the expense of disappointing their families. The disapproval from the family at calling off a miai would have to do with each person's family ways and values, etc. Typically speaking young people being set up for a miai feel a strong obligation to please their parents/grandparents/guardians and at least meet with the suggested partner for them a few times and give it a real chance, so usually they don't shoot the idea down immediately. Since a miai is not exactly what most English speaking cultures would describe an arranged marriage as, I found it more appropriate to use the Japanese word since its description is simply more accurate. When I use the terms in this fic of either arranged marriage or miai I'm always going to be referring to the Japanese miai customs, not a forced arranged marriage situation.

I think that covers it! Now on with the fic...

Chapter One

It all started with an announcement.

"Your mother and I are making a request for you to have an arranged marriage meeting."

Echizen Ryoma looked up from his curry rice with a definitive grimace.

It was always something with them.

His parents that is. First had been moving him around his whole life from Tokyo, to Los Angeles, to New York, back to Tokyo, back to New York, and finally back to Tokyo. Next had been pushing him into professional tennis as quickly as possible, which included traveling four times a year for the Grand Slam championships ever since he was 14. At least they'd left it at only forcing the big tournaments on him, and at least he hadn't gotten too famous yet, so he still had some semblance of a normal lifestyle. Make no mistake, he loved tennis and it was his life, but while still in school he was pretty sure he would have been content to play with his school team, and the All Japan team. His plan had been to wait until after high school graduation before pursuing going professional. Instead he'd spent the last few years going overseas for tournaments four times a year.

So much for his somewhat normal high school experience.

Those were just the big things...there were the little things too that came on a daily basis. Food he didn't like, naughty magazines thrust in his face by his old man, interviews for sports magazines, modeling here and there for some brand looking for a young tennis professional that was on the up and up.

Sometimes, he felt like the things they wanted him to do were endless.

What about the things he wanted to do?

He'd been really looking forward to turning eighteen in a few weeks. In Japan, he wasn't legally an adult until he was 20, but where he grew up in the United States, he would be legal at 18. After graduation, he planned on moving back to the USA for at least a couple of years. His hope being that it would mean getting out from under the heavy influence of his parents and making his own way in the world. Of course, so close to his birthday, they had to go and stick their noses into his business yet again.

On a huge issue.

Moving and tennis were a big deal, but marriage?

That was more than a big deal. Marriage was forever and a day. Marriage was...

Ryoma shook his head, "Yada."

Echizen Nanjiro slapped his son on the back forcefully, "Who said we were giving you a choice?"

Ryoma wanted to bang his head into the table, on repeat, until it was all over. The only reason he didn't was out of respect to his mother who would absolutely not tolerate that at her dinner table. Especially not when they were having an important family discussion.

So now it was a miai. What the hell.

How did this happen?

"Ryoma, we have concerns. You're almost eighteen and you've had the means to support your own family ever since you were fourteen."

"I'm still not old enough to get married," Ryoma quickly interjected.

She heaved a sigh that indicated he was trying her patience before she continued, "That's only a technicality this close to your 18th birthday. The point is that most young men that have money at your age already have a serious girlfriend with a view to marriage after high school, or at the very least are dating. You'll be old enough to get married in a few weeks and as far as we know, you've never even dated anybody."

Ryoma's eyes widened with realization.

Young he may be, but considering that he could get married as soon as he turned eighteen and that he still hadn't dated anybody was bothering his parents. Okay...he supposed that was kind-of valid...but...to the point they felt they had to set up a marriage meeting? Seriously? It still seemed extreme, even for his parents.

Not that he couldn't see the point they were making, (as loose of a point as it was) but he'd never in a million years have thought they would care so much, not while he was still so young. Maybe after he was 25 or 26, maybe...but...

He grabbed a potato out of his curry and shoved it in his mouth and chewed contemplatively for a minute. Something else was going on here. What was it?

Hmmmm.

This was his old man's fault. He just knew it somehow. His mother was probably worried that if he didn't get a serious girlfriend or get married now that he'd end up being a playboy like his old man had been before he'd met his mom. His old man wouldn't care about that, but seeing as how he'd been trying to force him to show more than a passive interest in pretty girls for half of his life, or maybe even longer than that, (thankfully he couldn't remember exactly) his old man must have thought that a miai would be hilarious and thusly put forth no resistance to the idea.

The good thing about arranged marriage meetings were that you could go to the meetings a few times and then bow out gracefully. The bad thing was he'd be forced to waste practice time on some stupid girl that he probably would have zero interest in.

In fact, she'd probably drive him crazy.

Almost all girls drove him crazy. He couldn't actually think of anybody besides Ryuzaki that didn't make him want earplugs and blinders after about 3 minutes in their company. Girls were so annoying. Even worse was that most of them were just downright silly. They were constantly primping themselves up with makeup, or brushing their hair, or looking in mirrors. They laughed way too much, or they were too forceful and overbearing. They never talked about anything interesting like tennis, or cats, or video games, it was always shopping, or movies, or gossip. They would also try way too hard to impress him with things that he considered to not be too difficult, such as cooking or some other mundane task that he figured any simpleton could accomplish.

Ugh. How could he get out of this as quickly as possible?

"We haven't even told you the best part," His father said with a tad bit too much glee in his tone.

Ryoma felt his stomach drop with dread and shoved a cooked carrot and some rice in his mouth.

It was just never a good thing when his old man sounded that happy about something to do with him.

His mother sent him a wide smile of approval as she said, "It's Ryuzaki Sakuno."

Well...

He wasn't expecting that.

Ryoma stopped chewing and gulped. He grabbed for his hot tea and took a swig of the warm liquid before he asked, "Sakuno's okay with this?"

At about the same time Ryuzaki Sakuno and her grandmother were similarly enjoying a nice meal as a family. Instead of being in their home though, the two of them were at a nice restaurant.

Sakuno knew that her dear grandmother had something important on her mind, since they only went out to eat on special occasions. She'd been racking her mind all evening on what it could be and still hadn't come up with anything. It wasn't anywhere near the anniversary of her parents' deaths. It wasn't anybody's birthday. It wasn't a holiday. Tennis season had been over for a couple of months. What could it be?

As the two of them began to eat their fruit tarts for dessert, Ryuzaki Sumire finally dropped the bomb on her granddaughter's head.

"I'm getting old, Sakuno."

Of all the things she could have said! Utterly shocked, Sakuno dropped her spoon as her heart started beating furiously with anxiety, "What?"

"Don't make me say it again."

"Grandma, I don't understand!? Are you sick?"

Woah, was that really her voice coming out so high and squeaky?

"Well, as you know my heart hasn't been good ever since you were in middle school," Her grandmother explained.

Well, yes...she had known that, but she'd kind of chosen not to think about it too much because it was depressing to think of losing her only family left. Besides, her grandmother had been doing just fine ever since the big scare they'd had years ago. She was still coaching at the middle school and led an active lifestyle. Sakuno hadn't thought for a moment her grandmother was thinking thoughts such as...feeling old.

"Is it getting worse then?"

"I'm not sure, but I'm slowing down. I can tell."

"Don't worry Grandma, I'll take care of you," Sakuno sent a sweet smile across the table, hoping that would reassure her and end this bad topic.

Her grandmother shook her head at her, "Dear sweet girl. I don't want that fate for you at all. What I want is to see you safely settled."

Sakuno titled her head to the side and gave her grandmother a confused look. Settled. Safely settled. Right...

Just what did she mean by that?

Her grandmother let out a chuckle of delight, "You have no idea what I mean, do you?"

Sakuno bit her lip for a moment, kind-of feeling embarrassed that she didn't understand. Then she shook her head and waited for the explanation she knew was coming.

"I want to set up an arranged marriage meeting for you."

For the second time that night, Sakuno burst out with a shocked, "What?"

"The truth is, I'm going to be forced to retire. It will probably be sooner rather than later. I won't have enough income to continue to take care of you, and I don't want you to have to work and possibly support me as well."

Sakuno looked down at the table as she was suddenly overcome with sorrowful emotions.

Grandma sounded so sad and resigned. It was breaking her heart.

"I'm not saying you have to get married. I just want you to consider it seriously for my sake, okay? I'd really like to see you happily settled with a family so I'll know you won't be all alone when I'm gone."

Sakuno wiped a tear that escaped from her eye and sniffed, "Grandma...please don't talk like that."

"Sakuno..."

Sakuno wiped another tear as it escaped from her other eye, and wondered if she'd need to excuse herself to go to the ladies' room.

"Please, just tell me you'll meet with him and try it. That's all I'm asking right now."

A miai. At her age? It was rare, but not unheard of. At least...she did understand her grandmother's reasons. She didn't like them, but if that was what Grandma wanted then...

Sakuno nodded her head as her heart broke, "Okay. I'll do it...for you."

Why did it have to be like this?

"Don't be so disheartened. I think you're going to be pleasantly surprised."

Sakuno's head shot up at that. Grandma sounded really happy about this. Maybe she'd actually found a really great family? Maybe he was a surgeon, or an heir, or something really impressive? Did Grandma really have contacts like that?

"It's Echizen Ryoma."

Sakuno's face instantly crumpled before she burst into tears.

"I can't do it!" She expressed brokenly as she stood up, tossed her napkin down on the table and rushed to the bathroom.

Okay...so here we go again. Starting on edits and posting of this fic FINALLY. The rough draft has been done for a couple of months, but I haven't really had time to work on it. I was editing chapter 19 of It's Complicated today, and it still needs a lot of work, so I decided to have a look through this instead. I really wanted to start posting this story up because I have 3 WIPs, one of them (for the exchange) will have to be completed by the end of next month. So I'm going to get too far behind on posting if I don't kick it up a gear. So for now, I'm going to try to post up two stories at a time.

On that note...I'd love to hear your first impressions of this, though you all probably won't really figure out what's going on with this fic until chapter three, but I leave it to you all to let me know. Like most authors, artists, etc., feedback after all, encourages me more than anything else. :D

Also many thanks to all of you that have connected with me on Facebook, it's been really encouraging to have so many seek me out there to talk about my stories. ...hearts...

...sends out love and sparkles to you all...

xoxo Bunny