A/N: First fanfiction for the tenipuri fandom. Was challenged into writing a pairing different from the really popular RyoSaku, so why not try my hand at the ultra rare AtoSaku! Please be patient as this is my first serious project and the romance will advance slowly but surely. Note also the usage of British spelling.

DISCLAIMER: Prince of Tennis is only my writing playground. Sadly.

Part 1: The Request

Atobe Keigo was perfection incarnate. The King of Tennis. Hyotei's undisputed monarch. Good at everything. Inferior to no one. God's gift to the world. You knew it. He knew it. Everyone knew it.

Which is why his sharp, brilliant mind cannot at first register the soft stutter of words coming from the petite girl with the long pigtails standing awkwardly in front of him.

"Pardon. Ore-sama didn't quite catch that?"

She blushed redder, if it was even possible, and poked her index fingers together nervously. "N-No. I, ah, I'm afraid I, err, can't accept your offer." She immediately bowed her head. "I'm sorry!"

There was no way...not in a million years.

"...Did Ore-sama just heard you say 'no'?"

She bowed even lower and only repeated, "I'm sorry!"

See? As he had thought, it was not the fault of his perfect auditory system that he was hearing things. She really did say 'no'. Atobe was not at all fazed, though. In fact, he looked upon her with great pity in his dark eyes and reached out to take one of her trembling hands in his. "Ah, Ore-sama gets it. You're shy. How cute! But Ore-sama assures you, this date will be the best thing that has ever happened to you! Be glad that you have been chosen by Ore-sama to attend one of his grand parties!"

Poor Sakuno. She'd observed, from the times she'd been present for the matches between Seigaku and Hyotei, that the self-proclaimed King of Tennis was a huge walking ego the size of Jupiter. Impossible not to notice, really. Still, to see it up-close and personal was overwhelming. Why was he here at Seigaku anyway and why was he blatantly flirting with her of all people? Weren't there enough girls at Hyotei to harass? She opened her mouth and closed it and opened it again like a gasping fish, not knowing how to respond to such overblown conceit and actually feeling one of her rare moments of anger. Unfortunately, anger usually made her stutter even worse than it already was. "N-Now s-see here, I said—"

Her words were cut short when Atobe's ringtone decided to rear its head. "Pardon Ore-sama." He gave Sakuno a most charming crooked grin and then, with his free hand, pulled out his fancy-schmancy iPhone. He frowned when he recognised the number flashing on the screen but reluctantly answered it anyway. "Hello?"

"HOW COULD YOU!?"

Sakura cringed. She really didn't need to be part of this drama.

"This is the fifth time you've called. Ore-sama knows he is irresistible," Atobe smirked, "but he insists that you do not continue stalking him or he will pursue a restraining order."

The girl on the other side of the call nearly choked in her rage. "How DARE you! Do you know who I am? I AM YOUR FUTURE WIFE! You CAN'T treat me like some—"

"Ah, Ore-sama must go now. He is busy with some personal business." Before the mystery girl could launch into a tiresome rant, Atobe completely switched off the iPhone so that there would be no more unnecessary calls.

Sakura stood, embarrassed and wanting very much to leave. People were beginning to stare at them, this strange mismatched couple causing a scene at Seigaku's front gate.

Too bad Atobe still had a firm grip on one of her hands.

"As Ore-sama was saying before he was rudely interrupted, he requests that you come with him to the dinner party held in his father's honour."

"I-I'm s-sorry but—"

"In fact, Ore-sama will even grant you the status of being his girlfriend!"

"Wh-Wha—"

"It will be a night to remember for the rest of your life!"

"But I—"

"You should be honoured by this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

"That's—"

"And not to worry, Ore-sama will make sure that—"

"NO!"

He blinked.

Sakuno's face could have burned eggs. She couldn't believe she had shouted like that! But Atobe's selective hearing had left her no other choice. While Atobe's grip on her loosened from shock that someone had dared say no to him, she took the chance to quickly escape as fast as her legs could carry her. She only stopped running once she felt she was a good distance from the school.

She panted, but there was a grin on her face. Finally! She was safe!

The grin crumbled when she realised she was also lost.

...

Drat.

-XXX-

"Th-Thanks for bringing me home, Ryoma-kun."

The young tennis genius only nodded his head in reply before turning to leave from the gate of Sakuno's home. The pigtailed girl watched him walk off, her soft blushing face a bright neon sign to the world that she harboured a serious crush on this boy—this boy who had been kind to her even as he was rude and rough around the edges. Ever since she was twelve, she'd run and stumbled after him with adoration shining clear as day in her eyes. Now she was fourteen going on fifteen and she had finally decided to break out of her shell. She would never give up on tennis, the sport that had opened her eyes to the intensity of passion and introduced such inspiring people into her life. But Ryoma had also shown her that one should follow the path they wanted to walk on without regret.

And that path for her was baking.

She had never dared to confess her feelings to him. She knew it'd never get anywhere, especially since he was destined for such great things. In fact, he'd only recently come back to Japan after the U.S. Open for a short break.

Who knew when he'd leave Japan again?

Her heart ached. As it always did when thinking of Ryoma.

This year, she thought with a small sigh, I will definitely get over him.

"Oh, so that's why you turned down Ore-sama's most generous offer!"

Sakuno nearly jumped out of her skin at that voice. Only one person she knew had the guts to address himself in such a way. Eyes wide, she turned to face her unexpected visitor. "A-Atobe-san..."

Atobe, who had been leaning against a nearby wall witnessing the tender moment between Sakuno and Ryoma, strutted over to her like he owned the land he walked on. Sakuno grimaced and tried to judge whether she could be quick enough to run past him to the front door. Oh, how she wished her grandmother was home now! But according to Ryoma, she was still at school in discussion with Tezuka. "W-What are you doing here?" Sakuno asked, silently adding 'And how did you know where I live? Are you stalking me, you hypocrite!?'

Of course, she was too polite to say so to his face.

Atobe gave her an imperious 'isn't it obvious?' expression. "Why, to continue where we left off."

"B-But didn't I say—"

"Yes, yes." He waved off her words with a bored sigh. "But Ore-sama was hoping to change your mind." He looked at her with a sudden calculating look in his eyes. "So it's Tezuka's protégé that made you hesitate, hmm?"

Hesitate? Sakuno wanted to use her braids as a choking hazard for Atobe's oh-so-graceful neck. Surely this was how Mitsu-nii felt whenever he was forced to hear the Hyotei captain rant off about how awesome he was in a thousand different ways. Giving up at rejecting him again (and being ignored), Sakuno sighed and wondered aloud, "Why me?"

She had the shock of her life when she noticed how solemn and sincere he suddenly sounded. "Because you're the only girl I know who hasn't thrown herself at me."

"E-Eh?"

"Sakuno-chan, right?"

Now she was officially dumbstruck. He...he actually remembered her name? She'd always been the invisible wallpaper that classmates fail to notice; the girl whose crush never bothered to spare a second glance—but this student from Hyotei, who was practically royalty and rarely even met her, knew her name?

What parallel universe did she fall into?

"Look," his dark eyes were so intense that Sakuno found she could not look away, "just listen to me first. And if you still refuse (although why you would is beyond Ore-sama), I will no longer bother you."

Sakuno nodded.

His gaze lowered to the ground. "My mother is sick."

She remained silent as Atobe turned to look at something far above. "Breast cancer. She was diagnosed a few months back."

"I-I'm sorry."

"Why should you be?" The arrogant rich boy gave a half-hearted shrug. "You didn't cause it. In any case, she has had treatment. The best money can buy. We thought it was over after the chemotherapy and surgery." His face grew hard. "But it wasn't. It came back and spread a little more."

Sakuno felt her eyes water but she blinked them back.

"I've kept quiet about it. Nothing to worry the team over. I'm still captain of the Hyotei team, after all." Atobe squared his shoulders with that proud look in his eyes that Sakuno found she no longer minded. "Ah, but she's anxious about me being happy. I told her I was, but she said I needed a woman to support me if...she ever leaves. She's traditional like that." There was something soft in his eyes that spoke clearly of what this woman was in his life.

Even so, Sakuno didn't understand why it had to be her. And she told him so.

"Didn't you hear Ore-sama?" He cocked an elegant eyebrow. "Because Ore-sama is tired of women looking at him and seeing only a walking ATM machine. And most of the ones who don't are usually too old or already in a relationship. Ore-sama is not a home-wrecker." He reached out to gently grab one of Sakuno's hand again, just like that afternoon.

But this time, she did not try to pull away.

"You don't irritate Ore-sama," he said candidly, "so it has to be you." He squeezed her hand. "Sakuno...be Ore-sama's girlfriend until the next surgery. Ore-sama he..." Atobe closed his eyes, inhaled deeply and lowered his head.

"...I need your help."

This was all too much. The King of Hyotei, arrogant and proud, a thousand times more talented than her in tennis, wildly admired by a multitude of fangirls and boys, whose killer looks and bank account could have bought off any drop-dead gorgeous supermodel to hang on his arm, had humbled himself to ask her, plain ol' invisible Sakuno, for help.

For his mother.

She melted. Naturally.

"All right."

He looked up.

Sakuno's face was set in determination.

"I'll do it. I'll help you."

TBC