Hye! I am back with the new chapter. I hope you like this. Domo... :)

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Prince of Tennis and never will

Chapter 4: Nine Ladies Dancing

Chapter Summary: She felt down, awful and disappointed now that she lost the only thing that currently connected them.

'On the ninth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Nine ladies dancing...'

I didn't know how I got myself into my room that night. It was awfully quiet in my own perspective. Sighing, I slowly sat down on my bed hoping that I wouldn't feel anything as I moved. But I was wrong. My body was exhausted from moving all day, from searching all day. My limps were aching, my hands and feet were sore from the cold temperature outside. It started snowing since ages ago. My vision went to the window. The pane was already moistened with the snow flakes dropping from it. It was surely cold outside. I was supposed to feel cold but somehow, I just couldn't.

I collapsed on my bed and placed my arm to my eyes willing for the tears to go back from falling. I tried not believing it. I tried refusing the reality. Despite the victory the team had, I just couldn't bring myself to celebrate with them.

I just couldn't knowing that I lost something important today.

xxx

The brightness of the morning sun blinded my sight that morning. I squinted when I felt that rays entered my window and went through my bed. It hit my eyes and it made me cringe for the sudden light. The realization of forgetting to close the window last night only proved how stupid I was. I wanted to curl into my bed and wouldn't get up. It would have been better if I stayed in my bed all day.

"SAKUNO! WAKE UP! IT'S PAST BREAKFAST ALREADY!" Obaa-chan called from downstairs. I whimpered only loud enough for me to hear. That was right. I had to help Obaa-chan prepare some things with Kawamura-senpai before having the party tonight. I didn't want to go feeling that I would only create a mess.

I had something going on in my mind. I bit my lower lip when I remembered it.

I couldn't face Ryoma-kun. I couldn't. I made a promise that I'd take good care of it. But it hadn't been a week and I already lost it. Thinking that, I buried myself further on my pillow. There was no way I'd face Ryoma-kun after losing the bracelet.

I was really clumsy like everyone was telling me.

A knock suddenly interrupted my thoughts, "Get up there, Sakuno. Don't make me come here twice!" Obaa-chan warned me peering from my door, "You must know that we have lots of things to do today and I really need your help."

I slowly lower my blanket and looked at my grandmother, "I understand Obaa-chan. I'll come down in a minute."

She stared at me for a couple of seconds, examining my features. I knew that she would pry about my behavior if I kept acting like this so I got up and returned to my 'normal' self. Her frown diminished and waved her hand in the air before turning around, "Chop-chop!"

I sighed as I slowly stood up. Observing my body, I felt my limbs if I could move freely. When I thought that I could move, I changed into my casual attire and walked out from my room. Doing some things to keep me busy would probably be helpful hoping to forget my current problem today.

This was going to be a long day as well.

xxx

My feet found the court once again. My dismay hadn't changed since last night. The court was still covered with snow. Worst, the snow started to piling up, it was harder to enter the playing area now. The tears that I tried willing to keep were threatening to fall once again.

I was still bad of losing the bracelet.

Shutting my eyes tight, I lifted my coat to my neck to cover my skin from the cold. I bit my lip as I looked around. No one was near the vicinity. My heart was pounding loud once again. The scene had happened last night was happening at the moment. My feet started moving and my eyes looked around hoping to find something on the ground.

I crouched on the certain spot where I thought I dropped it. Good thing I was wearing gloves unlike last night, my hands were sore searching under the snow. I really wanted to find it.

"What are you doing?"

I stopped dead from searching when I heard an unfamiliar voice behind me. Standing amd turning around, I came face to face with the three girls who cheered with me yesterday.

"I-I dropped my coins so I grabbed them." I lied clenching my gloves hoping they believed me. But I doubted that they did. They wore skeptical expressions as they looked at me.

"Really?" The girl in the middle raised an eyebrow at me.

"Yeah. I got them," I confirmed, slipping the coins I 'found' on the snowy ground, "What are you guys doing here?" I asked diverting the attention from I was really doing.

"Ryuzaki-sensei is looking for you. She's in the faculty room." The girl in the middle said.

"Oh," I replied shifting to my other feet, "Thank you for informing me. I'll see her now." I walked past them but not forgetting to bow at them first.

"Where is your bracelet?"

My feet halted from moving away and found myself looking back at them, "My... bracelet?" How did they know about my bracelet? It wasn't that they wouldn't notice but why would they bring that up.

"Yeah, I don't see it," The girl on the left said before facing the girl in the middle, "I knew she was wearing it yesterday."

"Why are you asking her, girls?" The girl on the right commented, "It's not like you cannot afford such bracelet."

"Oh, shut up, will you?" The girl in the middle scolded and turned to face me, "That bracelet is sure is beautiful. It is a wonder you are not wearing it today."

"So? She decided not to wear it today," the girl to the right said before looking at me, "But she's right. You should wear it. It suits you." They started to giggle as they started to walk away.

"See you later, Ryuzaki-chan!"

I was not able to reply to them as they continued chuckling. Somehow, their gist of laughter made me a bit suspicious of them.

Gripping my hands tight, I tried forgetting my problems for a while and decided to see my grandmother in the office.

xxx

"You are really slow!" Tomo-chan scolded as I approached her in front of Kawamura's. The restaurant was specially opened only for the tennis team that night. That was why Tomo-chan and I were here a bit early to help Kawamura-senpai and his father for the party tonight.

"Gomen! I grabbed this from the stock room when we got separated earlier from the faculty." I showed her the banner that I was holding in front of me, "I almost forgot this so I went back to get it."

"Well, at least it's worth the wait!" Tomo-chan pointed the door before looking at me, "Come on, let get started."

I placed a smile on my lips as I nodded at her. We both entered the restaurant and was immediately spotted by Kawamura-senpai's father.

"Hello girls! I am glad to see you here." The chef said giving us a serene smile.

Tomo-chan walked towards him and saluted, "Reporting for duty, sir!"

Kawamura-senpai's father laughed at Tomo-chan's antics making the latter grin, "Thank you for the help then," He then looked at me as I approached them, "We should work on that thing first." He pointed at the banner that I was holding.

"Hai!" Both of us nodded and responded at the same time.

"Takashi! Come here for a minute!" The chef said calling for his son. The power house player appeared with the apron and torque doned on him. His smiled widely when he spotted us.

"Osakada-san! Ryuzaki-chan! Thank you for being here with us!"

"It's nothing, senpai," I assured him smiling back in the process, "We are honored to help you and Kawamura-san in your own restaurant."

He immediately blushed when I said that and I couldn't help but chuckle a little, "Let's place this banner then." He said grabbing the banner from my hands.

The four of us did our task separately until Obaa-chan arrived to help us. The banner was set dramatically in front of the counter but making sure it wouldn't burn when Kawamura-san and Kawamura-senpai cooked at a later time. It only displayed a simple greeting for the team:

CONGRATULATIONS! SEIGAKU! MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Tomo-chan and I designed each letter with assorted clothes making the banner colorful. It also made the display noticeable especially for the people who would enter the restaurant. It was a nice greeting for everyone indeed.

Not long ago, the tennis players, cheerers and assistants came one by one and the restaurant became crowded all of the sudden. The girls I encountered were already sitting at a corner together with the other girls. They were snickering for some reason and somehow, I had a bad feeling about it.

As I had predicted, the last person who came was Ryoma-kun. He made himself known as he made a beeline to the team's table.

"YOUR LATE!" The people gathered in the table shouted at him.

He made himself comfortable next to Momo-chan-senpai before he murmured, loud for us hear, "I helped an injured dog on my way here. Took it to a vet."

"Yeah, right," Momo-chan-senpai replied not convincing to his alibi. He wrapped his arm to his shoulder. "Like there is an injured dog in this snowy weather."

"Things happen." Ryoma-kun replied prying his arm from his shoulder.

Obaa-chan called everyone's attention by clapping her hands, "Now that everyone's here, I'd like to greet each of you a belated Merry Christmas once again and advance Happy New Year. To Seigaku team, congratulations on winning the match. This serves as to end the year with preposterous memories and give luck to welcome the next year. Enjoy this night, minna!"

The whole team rejoiced as they raised their hands in the air. They started eating and made loud noises. The crowd was a total mess but no one cared, not even Kawamura-san who was busy making sushi for everyone. Ryoma-kun and Momo-chan-senpai were fighting over meat as usual. Kikumaru-senpai soon joined them. Fuji-senpai preferred wasabi sushi like always while Inui-senpai offered his concoctions much to his dismay because no one wanted to try it.

The trio was talking to some girls in the other table. I couldn't help but smile at the crowd. I also ended up giggling when Tomo-chan and Horio-kun tried bickering from one another. It made the whole place livelier than before.

"Sakuno, can you please get me some wine from the cupboard over there?" Obaa-chan requested as she pointed the location of the wine across from where we were sitting. I gave her a frown, "And no, it's just me and good old Kawamura here." She said tapping Kawamura-senpai's father's back.

He coughed but he nodded, "Not allowed for kids, right?"

"Tou-san Stop treating us like kids!" Kawamura-senpai commented. Blush was present to his face, "We're not kids anymore, you know."

"Yeah, but still not old enough to drink so we're not going to let you," Obaa-chan reminded and looked at me, "Please, Sakuno, get us one."

I stood up and nodded at her at the same time, "Hai, I'll be back in a minute." I walked across the room, passing by Ryoma-kun's table next to the girls' table. I could sense their eyes on me as I grabbed a glass of wine from the cupboard. Just as I grabbed one and turned around to go back.

"Hey, Ryuzaki-chan, I still can't see your bracelet," My feet halted when I heard one of the girls said that. I slowly looked around and saw them smiling at me, "Why aren't you wearing it? That bracelet was beautiful."

"I agree. Don't you want it. You can give it to me, you know." The other girl said. These two were the girls who saw me digging on the snow earlier this morning. The third girl spoke much to my surprise, didn't give me a chance to speak;

"It would be a shame if you don't wear it. The pendant was what, infinity? That was supposed to be a good luck. Why did you remove it?"

My voice seemed to lose its sound. It couldn't make myself speak at the moment. Just when I forgot the bracelet for a while they made me remember it miserably. The girl in the spoke and dared me to stare at her which was the wrong move I did.

"I had this instinct that you lost it. That's too bad," She looked at me inwardly making my eyes widened. The girls were snickering. I knew that the boys heard what she said. Worst, I knew that Ryoma-kun heard her.

Gripping the bottle in my hands, I walked backwards trying to get away from there, "I-I've got something to do. Gomen Please excuse me." I turned around and made my way to Obaa-chan not risking a glance to Ryoma-kun's location.

"Gomen, Obaa-chan. I forgot something at home. I'll get it right now." I said after I dropped the wine on the table and went to the front door. I didn't wait for her respond or anyone's. It was snowing once again and the cold increased. I hugged myself as I started to walk.

Christmas songs were still playing from houses to houses and I could still hear them. The song somehow made me feel nostalgic. It was the season where I could hear inspiring songs. It was funny and yet this something might give us enough time to be with someone close to you.

Soon later, I found the entrance of the court. I only realized that I was at school. My feet brought me back to the back and without knowing it, my hands began digging in the snow.

"From God our Heavenly Father," I found myself singing along from the song I could hear nearby, "A blessed Angel came;" The snow was cold but somehow, I could not feel it from the digging.

"And unto certain Shepherds brought tidings of the same..." My knees were already soaking wet from kneeling and the snow had started to fall once again, "How that in Bethlehem was born... The Son of God by Name..."

But I continued digging in this pile of white around me.

"O tidings of comfort and joy... Comfort and joy," I sang endlessly to divert myself from everything, "O tidings-"

A pair of hands suddenly yanked my own hands from the hole I created from digging. My eyes widened when I recognized Ryoma-kun kneeling in front of me. He was actually frowning, "What are you doing?"

I couldn't find my voice as I stared at him. He was here... with me. I just stared at his amber eyes that filled with unanswered questions. One of his gloved hands reached for my cheek and it made me jump from the contact. I realized that I was crying.

"Ryuzaki..."

I blinked my tears back and willed myself to speak, "G-gomenasai, Ryoma-kun," Biting my lower lip, I looked down as I couldn't face him, "I-I didn't mean to... I... I was so stupid e-even though I told you that I'd keep it..." My tears fell freely to my cheeks now. I could feel them freezing from my skin because of the cold, "Honto ni gomenasai..."

He just remained silent as he tried to wipe my tears. Later on, he gestured me to stand up which I followed. He didn't let go of my hand that was sooner held by his both hands. To my surprise, he started massaging it. We were both wearing gloves but somehow, I could feel heat that was radiating from his own ones.

"It was just a stupid bracelet." He suddenly said making me look up and stare at him.

"B-but that was..."

"What we have is infinity, right?" He continued staring seriously into my still wet hazel eyes, "And it will not change by some bracelet."

"Ryoma-kun..." My face was flushed from crying and also his words made me as well. I also realized that this was the first time I stood really close to him. It wouldn't help my heart to keep its normal pace. His words which he rarely shared with me were comforting that made me nod and smile a little.

"Ikou." He gave me a tiny smile as he tugged my hand. I started to follow him as I wiped the remaining tears from my face with my other hand. I looked at his strong back before staring at the darkened sky. It was still snowing.

But his hand with mine made me feel the warmth I only experienced that day.

Done! How was this chapter? I hope I could finish all chapters in time. Wish me luck... XDD

Reviews please! Motivate me to finish this... Thank you... :)

Ja matta ashita!