She learned how to stand up for herself. But in the end, he still had to save her.

Necessity

---

“Hey there, little girl.”

---

It was morning, and a Sunday. He always slept in during Sundays when he knew everything was in place. Karupin at his side, suspended in dreamland. The clock lay under the bed. Birds were chirping outside the window, and daybreak cast its light on the tennis posters emblazoned on the walls of his room. On the floor lay a mess of laundry and towels and yesterday’s homework, also, a few old socks. Nothing moved except for his chest, rising and falling with every breath, and the cat’s whiskers; twitching. A sigh floated through the sleeping room. Sunday.

---

She walked past them, ignoring. She was older now; a young lady, and no longer spineless, no longer helpless. She was intelligent and capable. She knew what to do.

---

The temple was empty. Nanjiroh had an old friend to visit, and would be away for the afternoon. Visits like these usually lasted until midnight, after ten rounds of sake and a few good jokes. Then the goodbyes would be long, as the friend would depart for another country the next morning. He knew how it went every time. He was Nanjiroh’s son, after all. But never a copy. Not really. After all, as Tezuka-senpai had put it, he had his own style. The tennis that only Echizen Ryoma could play.

---

“Where’re you going, miss?”

They were tall, smelling of smoke and alcohol. One of them reminded her of a schoolmate, perhaps Horio. But then Horio would never grow up to be like this. He was decent; a good person. They, however, were pitiful beings who had no lives, plaguing innocent passerby with unnecessary rudeness. The pollutants in society. She narrowed her eyes, clutching her bag instinctively.

---

“Ryoma.”

His mother was there, yet Nanako was not. He stared at the ceiling, dressed in a shirt and a pair of shorts, while she walked over and rearranged some picture frames. It was hot today, and there was little wind. The air hung low, and the buzzing of dragonflies could be heard. The sharp clicks of his mother’s heels disrupted the quiet atmosphere, and he dug lazily into what was left of breakfast. There was always so little to do on Sundays. The other senpais did things like go to the mall, or go on dates, or something. He, on the other hand…

“Your friend, Ryoma. The red-haired one,”

The boy looked up. His mother was speaking.

“—I passed by him today. At the market. He says they want to meet with you at the Kawamura sushi restaurant.” There was a hidden smile in her voice. The old regulars hadn’t seen each other in ages.

He closed his eyes, chewing on some rice. “Aa.”

---

“Did you hear that, Genzo? She thinks we’re pollutants.” There was a sneer in his voice, and her eyes widened. Did I just say that out loud? The others laughed mockingly, jeering at the poor, slipmouthed little girl.

“That’s not very nice.”

She tried to walk forward, quickening her pace, but they managed to catch up, blocking her movement. She narrowed her eyes. There were five of them. All leering, lanky and big. She, on the other hand, was petite and soft-skinned; not very athletic except for a pathetic tennis stint during her freshman year. It was a one-sided game, and she had no choice but to play.

---

The familiar surroundings moved past him in slow-motion. The sushi shop was somewhere near that burger joint Momo-senpai always went to, which was near that sporting goods store that he and Ibu Shinji sparred over. And Kaidoh-senpai’s jogging route snaked everywhere. He tugged at the tip of his white hat, putting his hands into his pockets. The clouds
were beginning to float over, countering the blazing heat, and a kick of wind was starting to move. It would be a good day, maybe.

---

Ryuzaki Sakuno is not a pushover. Ryuzaki Sakuno will not let these evil men take advantage of her. Ryuzaki Saku—

Her mantra was cut short when one of them reached for the hem of her skirt. Instinctively, she drew back, jerking away only to bump into another one standing behind her. Ugh. Stupid. I haven’t quite lost my clumsiness. He grinned lecherously, grabbing her arms. She squirmed in his rough grasp, but in vain. The others crowded around her, maniacal expressions on their faces.

“She’s a pretty catch, even if she’s mean.”

Idiots. She thought, fuming. The guy’s breath smelled horribly of tobacco and weed. Five pairs of eyes roamed her body greedily. She saw her chance right then and there. Sakuno set her jaw and grinned inwardly. It’s a good thing I wore heels today. She lifted a leg and kicked it up backwards with as much power as she could manage. It hit him right in the family jewels.

“Owwwwwwww!” His face contorted in pain, and an overwhelming feeling of victory washed over her. But, like all things, it was incredibly temporary.

---

He heard voices nearby. Someone had just screamed in agony, and other voices echoed their resentment towards another person. The boy listened some more, jogging. His golden eyes flickered to the buildings that passed by. He was nearing the restaurant. The wind had picked up, and was tossing some leaves along with it. His fair ruffled faintly, and the rough voices became louder.

“Stupid girl!”

---

As soon as the moron let go of her to nurse his pain, she fled. She knew the others would outrun her eventually, due to the fact that her heels weren’t exactly made for this kind of activity; but really, she couldn’t afford to stay. Clutching her bag, she sprinted forward, shoes clattering noisily on the asphalt. There was no way they were going to get their filthy hands on her. Not in this lifetime.

---

Rounding the corner, something soft and clothed ran into him quite suddenly, and the force of the momentum sent the young man flying towards the sidewalk. His back hit the ground, and whoever collided into him landed on his stomach with a sickening thump. He opened his eyes and found them staring into pools of amber and a pinkish face that looked awfully familiar. She pulled herself off, apologizing like she always did. Wait. Always did?

“Ryuzaki?” his voice was oddly tilted, filled with disbelief. But she was too busy gathering her bag and glancing behind worriedly to notice. And then that’s when it happened. The whole damn neighborhood of them came dashing around the corner, looking positively infuriated. For a moment, Ryoma was taken aback. How on earth had she managed to gather up this much trouble? A whole extended family of thugs, thirsting for revenge.

She looked at him and apologized again.

“Gomen, Ryoma-kun, I have to go.”

More clattering of heels followed, and with that, she was gone.

“…”

He paused to contemplate his circumstances for a moment, staring at the oncoming horde of barbarians with sticks up their asses. They had a particularly hostile vibe to them, and seemed rather bent on getting even with Sakuno. Vaguely, he wondered why.

“Get outta the way, buddy!” Bellowed the lead thug, “I’ll get that wench for kicking me in the balls!”

Despite himself, Echizen Ryoma couldn’t suppress his laughter. It had come as a surprise, actually. Sakuno? Kicking this guy? More laughter followed, stopping the gang dead in their tracks. Slowly, painfully, the leader turned his head to look at the young man who seemed to be mocking him. The man gnashed his strong, sharp teeth threateningly.

“Do you know what we do to troublemakers like you?”

Ryoma smirked.

“Mada mada dane.”

Needless to say, the horribly one-sided chase ended with him going to the Kawamura Sushi restaurant bruised and bleeding, and around fifteen of Tokyo’s finest lady-aggravators lying unconscious somewhere in that same area. It was no big deal, really. Being a former freshman who unabashedly provoked the nastiest of his senpais, it was probably in the boy’s blood to be that way. And it was all because of Sakuno, too.

Nearing the restaurant, he heard a rather loud gasp escape someone’s lips.

“Ryoma-kun! What happened to you! I’m so sorry!”

And in a minute, she was all over him, apologizing and putting on makeshift bandages, apologizing, dabbing here and there, and apologizing. He just stood there, a little bit surprised, and a little bit smug. Even if Ryuzaki had learned not to just cower in front of bullies, he still had to save her every time. He would be there every time as well, most probably She hadn’t changed a bit, that overly apologetic, clumsy little klutz.

“Echizen!”

“Ochibi’s HEEEERE!”

“Put a lid on it, Kikumaru-senpai.”

And neither had his former senpais, unfortunately. Changed, I mean.

“What happened to you, Echizen? Hit by a train?”

He closed his eyes and muttered something.

“What?”

“Mada mada da ne.”

“EH? What does that mean, you little bastard?”

Sakuno smiled at him gratefully, as the old Seigaku Regulars surrounded the boy in a big, sushi-scented greeting full of noogies and taunts. Ryoma folded his arms and tried to avoid her gaze. Right now, there was nothing else to say.

---

-end-

..and the corniness comes to a close.