Something Old - One of Four

Pairings: RyoSaku, Golden Pair, not-technically-mentioned TomoHorio. KachirohKatsuo in later chapters, possibly others to come.

Set sometime when Ryoma and Sakuno are in their mid-twenties. Reference at the end to anime episode 37 (A Tennis Ball With Ryoma's Face); not sure what manga chapter it corresponds to, but I know it's in there.

A/N: Well I should be shot for writing this (and The Truth About Inui Juice) instead of working on other things (like EDAH), but here they are regardless! I've really been wanting to do fics for the phrase "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" ever since I read Hodgela (from Bones) with them, but until yesterday nothing came to me. So here's the first installment of the fics!

Ryuzaki Sakuno sat there nervous; despite the fact that she had hours until the big event, the butterflies in her stomach wouldn't calm. All around her people were flittering, buzzing like bees and working to make sure everybody was dressed and that everyone's make-up was done properly. Her best friend since elementary school, Osakada Tomoka, was running this way and that, making sure everything was done perfectly (and yelling quite vehemently at "the idiots who can't even remember how many floral arrangements we need"); she had already been over to Sakuno five or six times, trying to coax her into calming down and reminding her that it was normal to be excruciatingly nervous and excited – that was how she had been on her wedding day, at any rate.

"Nyaa, Sakuno-chan!" Sakuno turned around to find Kikumaru Eiji and Oishi Syuchiroh. She smiled slightly, relieved for the distraction, and glad that their old friends had showed up.

After junior high both Oishi and Eiji had continued on to Seigaku high, and – just as everyone had predicted – they continued to play tennis, taking the double's world by storm. They briefly played pro for a few years, before deciding on a quieter life back home; together, of course, because they had finally come out as a couple in their second year of high school. (Though, after much pressing, they had admitted to having relations as early as the end of their freshman year in junior high, and definitely by the beginning of their junior.)

"Hi," she said softly; she was still quiet despite the years that had passed.

"Congratulations," Oishi told her, nodding and glad that she and their old kouhai had both ended up just as happy as he and Eiji were. Eiji looked about to glomp her – a habit he had never quite grown out of – but didn't, figuring that the girl's wedding day was meant for her and Ryoma: no one else.

Instead, he settled for a loud, "Congratulations Sakuno-chan!"

"Out, out, out," Tomoka said before the pair could get in another word, appearing behind them. She shooed them away, annoyed. "There are women dressing back here!" she said, though she knew that neither of the two men had any interest that.

"Going, going!" Eiji called dramatically, raising his hands in defense and apology. Tomoka glared, chasing him in circles for a moment as Sakuno and Oishi laughed.

"We'll be going then," Oishi told her with a fond smile, grabbing Eiji's hand to lead him back out. "We just wanted to stop by. See you later." She nodded once, and turned around before Eiji called one last thing.

"Head's up!" he yelled while being dragged out, and she whipped her head around to find a tennis ball flying at her. Catching it (her reflexes had improved over time, thankfully) she smiled when she saw exactly what was on it: Ryoma's face.