A/N: Okay, so this was written AGES ago when my best friend gave me a Prompt (I was bored, so I asked for one). Why haven't I posted it yet? I don't know, maybe I was just too busy. But Graduation's around the corner and our finals are over so a PARTY PARTY's gonna happen. (what.)

Anyway, this is dedicated to her, as their play earlier at our Cultural Festival is successful. So, yeah. Congrats, Muning. :))) ]

Warnings: OOCness, as always.

Disclaimer: No. Never.

Prompt: Handkerchief

Handkerchief

by Zero-onE001

"You're so weak," he huffed, kneeling before her as he yanked a handkerchief from his pocket. He pushed the locks covering her face behind her ears. "Stop crying. Nothing is going to change even if you flood the street with your tears like that."

The girl bit her lips and her hands flew to cover her face as her bangs were brushed away.

The lad rolled his eyes, apparently annoyed."I have never imagined you quieting down like that," he sneered provokingly, gently prying the girl's hands off her face.

"B-but—" she croaked, failing to add anything more.

He didn't respond further as he was seemingly satisfied that she spoke. He ran his hankie along the trails of tears in her face; then proceeded to wipe the mud that she got from her previous literal downfall.

She closed her eyes at the comforting strokes he was producing. And then a shy smile lingered across her lips as she realized that her tears had stopped magically.

She knew it; it was the lad's handkerchief that made its magic.

^v^

Ryuuzaki Sakuno came into a half-awake, half-asleep state as she felt a cold compress being pressed on her forehead. The images in her head were getting blurry as she quickly came back to her senses. But she didn't want to let go of them just yet. Those were memories; her memories that she didn't want to remember but never did want to forget.

The compress was lifted and it ran along her cheeks, lips, and back to her forehead where it momentarily rested. She tensed up.

Those gestures…

She sat up rather abruptly. "R-Ryoma-kun…!"

It was hard to tell whether the man kneeling on the foot of the couch where she's on had heard her outburst because he made it look as though he hadn't. He's smiling thoughtfully by the time Sakuno gazed up at him. "Good thing you're awake."

Sakuno blinked repeatedly, sitting up, completely puzzled. "What happened?"

"You passed out," Fuji Syuusuke's eyebrows furrowed, looking weird as his lips were still settled into a smile. "You're stressing yourself out over this competition," his hand reached her cheek. "I'm so worried for you."

"O-ohh…" her cheeks flushed. She finally grasped on about everything, including the fact that she's supposed to be training with Fuji for the upcoming photography competition. She managed to bow. "I'm really sorry for being a burden, Fuji-senpai. I'll promise not to slack off anymore."

The tensai blinked. "You're not slacking off. You're resting.That's two completely different things," he urged the girl to lie down the couch.

"No," Sakuno's voice was gentle yet sharp. She stood up, brushed her auburn tresses with one hand and went across the room to retrieve her camera.

Fuji's usual smile thinned into a firm line. It's hard to believe, but he had to admit, Sakuno has changed. She pictured the Sakuno he'd known, skipping happily and smiling brightly with her cheeks flushed from heat, her twin braids bouncing behind her. Indeed.

The tensai stood up, hands stuffed in his pockets, and walked toward the door, noting Sakuno's awkward glance at him. He wondered about the new Sakuno. Change was merely an understatement for it. He traced the reasons why this had happened, narrowing onto a single event. Echizen's departure from two years ago. And his mind meandered to the things that had happened because of it.Sakuno.He glanced back at her, taking in her long, styled auburn curls that had replaced her braids, her aura of willpower around her that, as far as Fuji had noticed, was only a mask.

^v^

"B-b-break up?" the lass didn't know whether what she heard was right. She looked at her companion in utter disbelief, her chocolate orbs widening.

He didn't want to; truth to be told. But he knew that he had to, for their sakes. He nodded, though stiffly.

"B-but why?"

It was inevitable, he knew. Even though he'd wished earlier that she wasn't going to ask that, he's half-sure that that'd only be wasted. He tried to look like nothing's actually going to happen and that they were only talking nonsense, like he always did. "I'm going back to America," he replied dully.

The girl whimpered. "And?" she looked up at him, waiting and wondering if he's gonna add anything—anything reasonable—but he didn't speak. She felt herself shake, her legs wobbling. "-distance is not a reason," her hands flew up to cover her face as she sobbed.

Even though he tried everything he can to restraint himself, the things had happened rather fast, that the words he said barely registered to him, and that he's again producing a handkerchief from his pockets. "It will be harder for us to work things out." He didn't need to know if he's still in Japan to notice what he's doing; as he was again nursing her tears as though it had been a ritual.

"B-but…" she decided not to protest anymore as she leaned on his gentle feats. "You still love me?" she managed to croak, staring up at him hopefully.

Catlike orbs stared into chocolate brown ones. He studied those big, pleading eyes before finally giving in. "I've always loved you."

^v^

Sakuno jerked and nearly loosened her grip around her camera. She gulped nervously, settling on forgetting those thoughts, those memories that will fade eventually.

That will fade eventually.

Her hands shook, but she expertly hid it as she balled them into a fist. She proceeded on doing her work, acquiring several charcoals and placing them neatly into a glass jar, then taking a picture of it afterward.

"Feeling fine?" Fuji walked towards her, smiling as he handed her a can of cherry Ponta.

Sakuno gazed momentarily at him, wondering if he had forgotten what had happened before. Then her gaze darted to the soda in can, accepting it with slight hesitation. "Thanks," she smiled, slightly forced, before turning to go back into business.

Fuji's cerulean eyes snapped open and he tilted his head slightly to the side. His arm automatically reached hers, stopping and half-turning her to face him. "Wait a second," he produced damp sheets of paper cloth from a box nearby and brushed it to the traces of coal lining across her nose. Then he chuckled at her expression. "Kawaii."

The auburn-haired girl's eyes flickered and she froze at Fuji's actions. The people around them stopped just to see them, some of them whispering furiously to one another and giggling madly while boldly pointing at the two.

Sakuno caught some of their lines that slowly turn her into an active volcano.

"She should have said 'yes' to him from the start," she recognized the voice, which belonged to the Photography Club President, Hanamura Emi.

"Un… Fuji-senpai could make a good boyfriend all right," the new member agreed, though only talking to herself.

"Sakuno-san is so lucky," a dreamy sigh followed as a girl in ponytail passing by saw them.

She would erupt any minute by now. She clumsily grabbed the cloth then dabbed it to her face carelessly. "I—I can do this by myself, thank you very much!"

Fuji only smiled, staring at the girl with his clear cerulean orbs.

^v^

She looked at her reflection behind the mirror, gazing at an unknown person staring back at her. Of course, she knew that she's changed. It was all intentionally. But even she admitted that she didn't know herself anymore.

Sakuno noted the bags under her eyes and realized how much weight she loss. Fuji's right; she'd been stressing herself out. She sighed, getting a brush and started doing her hair.

And then it hit her.

Why did I even change, anyway? I thought I'm only being strong but…she absently tugged strands of her hair as she remembered her vow to not cry when Ryoma-kun left.

Her lips began to quiver. I think I'd want to give up.She hastily made twin braids with her hair, not realizing herself doing so. She placed the brush down, looking at the braided-haired girl behind the mirror. Are you still going back…?

She ran a hand along one of her braids, standing up. Because if not, it's no use hoping. And for once, a tear came gliding down her pale cheek.

^v^

Fuji looked up as he heard the creak of the stairs, smiling as he saw the Ryuuzaki Sakuno he'd known. He offered his hand, which Sakuno immediately accepted. "It's nice of you to be back."

Sakuno smiled.

^v^

It happened so fast: she was just standing there and waiting for the awarding ceremony to take place, and then what happened next came into a blur, and she only realized that she won the second place. Her heart almost leapt out of her chest in utter happiness. Fuji and his crew came running to her, hugging and congratulating her. Tears welled up into her eyes, and when they'd released her, she ran out of the hall, which had not gone unnoticed by the lone person at the back of the room, when it had with everyone.

The person at the far end corner of the hall jerked as he saw her leave. He stood up, alarmed, and muttered excuses to his companion before going after her.

He wiped the smile off his face before doing so.

^v^

Sakuno wiped her tears irritably with the back of her hand, choking on sobs. She didn't have the mind to stifle her hiccups as she did it a little loudly. But, even she didn't know why she's crying in the first place. I'm so weak... She trembled, hugging her legs tightly and rocking herself back and forth, trying to calm herself down. She was gazing at her medal as she did so. It was supposed to be dedicated to him... But now that he isn't here...

She could hear a padding of feet then someone sitting beside her but she decided to ignore it. Maybe it's Fuji-senpai, she thought. It's always Fuji-senpai...

"You're still weak, eh?" they said with a snort. "Mada mada dane."

Whatever the man had said had not been registered by Sakuno's brain as she recognized the same childish voice. She held her head up, attempting to look at him, only to have a soft grey fabric being shoved in her face.

She was stunned as she absently inhaled the same scent of handkerchief from two years ago. The pigtailed girl pulled the hankie from her face, peering at the invader, still dumbstruck.

"Wipe up. You look like crap." With an eloquent eyebrow raised, Echizen Ryoma scrunched his nose up, apparently annoyed.

She started hiccupping violently, as though having a breathing difficulty. It got Ryoma to tense up. "O-oi... I said stop crying..."

Sakuno nodded nevertheless, her hands vibrating as she clumsily brushed her tears away from her blush-stricken face. It was a fail though, because even though she dried her face continuously, she still couldn't stop the tears from flooding her cheeks.

There was a little upper tug on Ryoma's lips as he stared at her, amused. He reached out, holding her hand and guiding it around her face, successfully stopping her weeping. Like magic, as what Sakuno had said.

A/N: Review, onegai. XD I dunno if it's good or bad, so please let me know. :)

R&R!