Don't Regret

Chapter Twenty-one

The tender moment was unwittingly cut short by Miyu when she saw Sakuno's eyes flutter open.

She went and gave Sakuno a tight hug, "Are you okay? I was so worried, Sakuno? Do you want to go home? Do you need something to drink?"

Sakuno breathed in Miyu's sunny scent and felt strength coming back to her. She felt… loved by these two people who enveloped her with their strength, care and warmth. The cold spot in her heart started to heat up again; that cold spot that pulsed strongly whenever she had her headaches.

She said, "I feel much better now, Miyu-chan and Niou-senpai. Thank you for being here for me…" Her voice almost broke at the end of the sentence but she composed herself.

Miyu released her and got her a chair so she could get off Niou's lap.

Sakuno's limbs still felt weak and she gladly accepted Niou's help in getting into the chair. She did not know why but she did not blush when she found that she had been sitting in Niou-senpai's lap.

She thought it must be because she had such a strong sense of safety there; with Miyu around, she was entirely at ease now that her headache had gone.

She remembered the question Yanagi had asked her before her headache came… the images! She remembered the images! She remembered seeing these two strangers before.

She concentrated on their features, looking from one to the other. Miyu wanted to stop her but since she seemed fine now, she said nothing.

A name came to Sakuno and she said it with thinking, "Fuji… Fuji Syusuke…"

Everyone heard her and Fuji's eyes widened sharply. He did not know what to think for once. Should he be glad that she was remembering or should he be wary of what that might mean?

Sakuno murmured softly, "I-I know you, Fuji-senpai and I-Inui-senpai…" She frowned slightly, "How come I know you? You two…" Her memory took pity on her and gave her two images. "You two… play tennis… at Seigaku?" She asked, not sure if she was right.

Fuji decided to be straight-forward with her, "Yes, Ryuzaki-chan, your grandmother taught us when we were in Seigaku Junior High. We met you when you started studying there three years ago. Do you remember the other regulars? You used to come and cheer for us when we played matches against other schools. You even met some of the Rikkai regulars very briefly when you were twelve."

888888

Sakuno looked puzzled but when she heard the last part of his speech, she brightened visibly and asked with a smile, "I did? I met them before? How come I don't remember? Have I met you, Niou-senpai?"

Niou quirked a smile at her quick change of mood, "No, I haven't met you when you were twelve. We did play against Seigaku in the Kanto Finals but that was it for me. Maybe it was some others that Fuji was talking about."

Sakuno looked disappointed so Inui said, "You were helping with the Junior Training Camp and only Sanada, Kirihara and Renji were there. You did not know them personally because we all had our own jobs to do."

Sakuno nodded, "Thank you, I-Inui-se… Inui-san." They all noticed the change in the honorific.

Sakuno remembered that Fuji mentioned something about the others but she instinctively shied away from thinking about that, so she did not mention it again.