A/N: Sorry for the long wait... here's the new chapter!!!

BOLD- ENGLISH/SHOUT

Normal- Japanese

...

Ryoma's POV:

I was actually surprised after I learned that Doctor Jiroh is my grandfather. Is this a joke or a prank they put up on me for me to feel disappointed and hurt all of a sudden again? I sat up on a bench outside the hospital and waited for Sakuno to approach me. I know that she had followed me here. After a few minutes, I looked around and found that I am at the hospital's garden. I stood up and carried my things after I felt someone's presence. When I looked at my back, I found Sakuno with Doctor Jiroh with her.

"Why are you here?" I asked as I grab Sakuno's hand. "I don't understand what my father have told me. How can you be my grandfather? Oyaji never spoke about his old days except when okaasan showed me his pictures when he was still a pro tennis player. In those old albums, you were never there. Most of all, if he's angry with you, why did he accept you all of a sudden?"

'Ryoma-kun, you well knew me as your doctor. it's my fault why you never knew me. I tried making your father as my heir even I know he doesn't want to but he wants you to be the heir of Echizen Brothers Corporation. I am its CEO. I chose you as the heir of it. If you did closely listen to him, you wouldn't be surprised to learn it now. Your family isn't a normal family like many of your friends. You are richer than Atobe Keigo. If you would lend me your ears, you will understand your father. Your father pursued his tennis career than to replace me as CEO and when you have been sick, he temporarily replaced me. I am very proud of him."

"If you don't want to be its CEO anymore, why don't you tell Oyaji to keep his position? He's a retired tennis player, right? I still don't understand what's happening. It's too much for me. Can't you wait until I can digest everything here? Most of all, I am still in shock! Stop telling me stupid offers! I am still a high school student!"

Oyaji suddenly appeared in front of me and carried me by my collar, "OMAE!!!! KARE WA BOKU NO OYAJI DESU!!! Why, you don't understand a thing!" [He's my father.]

"WAKATTERU!!! URUSAI, OYAJI!" I shouted back. When I said that, he let go of me. "Demo... I can't accept him no matter what. I don't care if he's the doctor who took care of me for this past month! If there's a bond between us, he's just my doctor! Can't you just leave me alone?"

I just felt water spilling out of my eyes. I hate what I'm feeling right now. How could they hide the truth away from me for fifteen years? I just don't hate my grandfather. I also hate my own father. He ran away from his fate to pursue his dreams... I know that isn't so bad.... but... why am I so hurt?

....

Sakuno's POV:

I watch Ryoma so hurt all of a sudden and when I saw him crying, I quickly hugged him. I hate seeing him this way. Well, he has to understand that he's an heir, the future CEO of a prestigious corporation that holds a percentage of Japan's Economy.Well... there's this saying that change is the only permanent in this world. Ryoma's world and my world is drastically changing ever since the tsunami struck us. He only kept hugging me but when he felt that his grandfather's trying to hold him, he grabbed my hands and told me, "Let's go and leave this place. I want to go home and rest."

The two adults only watched us leave and I know that Nanjiroh-san tried to follow his son and follow us.

After a good distance away from the hospital, I only stared at Ryoma who's leading the way and walking farther from me. Since we left the hospital, he's been really very cold to me. He's never like this to me when we started our relationship. He's different when I'm around. He becomes very talkative with me. That's the normal him but now, I'm also becoming a victim of his silence, his arrogant and cocky attitude.

So, I tried breaking the silence. "So, Ryoma-kun..."

He stopped walking and cut me off by saying, "It's too hard to be just like a Sakura Tree. I don't know if I can let the fallen petals grow back."

I smiled at him and touched his pale face, "I know you can! Do not forget what the psychotherapist told you! If you need to feel safe and destroy depression, why don't you just accept the changes popping out?" I told him those words happily. I wanted so much to cheer him up. Most of all, I want him to know that it isn't so bad to accept his grandfather. They're bound in blood anyway. I don't know what could happen to us if ever he accepts the offer as the heir of Echizen Brothers Corporation but I also need to help them. I don't want to see one-third of Japan's economy to collapse.

"Are you sure?" he asked me.

"Mochiron!" I really felt happy when I saw Ryoma's eyes widen in happiness. After a few minutes, we already arrived at his home with Nanako-chan and his mother welcoming us.

It was already night time after we finished cleaning the whole house and when Ryoma's team mates left after visiting him back home and telling him good luck in going back to school. Well, summer's coming soon and tennis tournaments are just around the corner. I didn't leave the house not until Ryoma is already asleep. Now, I was just staring at his sleepy state again with Karupin sleeping beside him. Well, master and pet really were close friends! I know he had missed him too.

Echizen, I know it's hard to accept things out but in this world, change is always there. I wish our relationship's just always the same but you as an heir, I know I cannot stop them. You can't pretend to be a normal boy like Horio, Kachiro and Katsuo anymore.

....

MOMOSHIRO's POV

When we met Echizen again back at school and he's practicing with us again in Seishun Gakuen, Captain Tezuka warned us not to talk about his family matters or even the accident he had one month ago that makes him late for one month of studies but we all know that Echizen is quick to move on and live on his own way. Well, whenever we see him, we also always see Sakuno behind him. I and Eiji-senpai actually hid at some pine tree near at the side of the tennis courts when we saw him and Sakuno talking together. Sakuno's seating on the bench facing the left side of the tennis courts and him, still drinking milk while standing in front of her. He has no cap on and he's staring on a golden necklace. He's still smaller than any of us even he had already gained some height.

That's the reason why we Eiji-senpai still calls him 'Ochibi'.

We decided to eavesdrop on them. We both saw that Sakuno is wearing a cute smile... the smile which captured Ryoma's heart when I was already a senior. When we stared at Echizen, he's not wearing his cap and he has a serious look at the necklace. He threw the empty tetra pack in the green trash can and asked her, "Doctor Jiroh gave this necklace to you, right?"

Sakuno smiled at her while he's still staring down at it. "Hai, he gave it to me. He really does want you to accept him even you still need to think about the heirloom."

After a minute of looking at it, he handed it back at her and told her, "If I accept this, it would also mean I accept that damn heirloom. Oyaji can replace him... not me."

Sakuno sadly stared at the poor gold necklace and told him, "Ryoma-kun..."

Eiji-senpai and I decided to leave them alone and as we depart the scene, we saw Tezuka-senpai looking at him in his stoic face. "Echizen, think closely about the actions you are doing right now seriously. Regret is always at the end."

We left the place where we were hiding when we were suddenly attacked by two green frogs which some freshmen have forgotten lying on the ground. Of course, we were chased by it and because of shock, we ran away from it but the frogs stick to our shirts. We were backing away from the pine tree when Ryoma saw both of us trying to free ourselves from those damn frogs.

"Ochibi! Can you help us get rid of these frogs, nya!?" Eiji senpai asked.

He just stared at us and told us, "Che! Yadda, Momo-senpai."

After that, he just left us trying to get rid off the frogs. When we stared back at him, we can feel a blue aura coming from him. "I wonder... would he ever learn to accept Echizen Jiroh?" I asked myself.

"Nya nya ochibi's so sad this days and so dense! He cannot deny that they're both Echizens! Why can't he just accept his grandfather?"

Suddenly, Inui-senpai appeared at our back that surprised us. "80%, he's still shocked, 20%, even he wanted to accept, he's still angry towards his grandfather who just appeared at him for over fifteen years of his life."

Finally, the green frogs left us. Inui-senpai stared and sweat dropped at us and asked us, "Why are those frogs on your shirts?"

Tezuka-senpai joined us while looking at Echizen. When Echizen have already entered the locker room, Tezuka-senpai picked up the golden necklace from Sakuno's hand and put it back on a heavy, brown box. "Sakuno, you need to convince him no matter what."

"Ah, Tezuka-senpai, what does he mean that if he accepts the necklace, it would also mean that he also accepted the heirloom?" Sakuno asked.

"Well, it seems Echizen knows about it. Maybe his father told him that if ever his grandfather gives him the gold necklace, it also means that he accepts to be the next person to manage and be obeyed by so many servants."

"The necklace is passed down to the heir, right, Tezuka-senpai? That's what you mean?" I asked him.

"Hai."

Both of us can't reply to that and both of us just rubbed our backs. After that, we decided to go back to class. With our hearts beaming with light, we all know that Echizen is still having confused feelings.

"Sakuno, you mustn't worry for him so much. He'll accept his grandfather no matter what," I told her.

...

SAKUNO PoV:

Tezuka-senpai gave the box back to me and I clutched it harder than I expected and followed Ryoma inside our classroom but when I went inside, I was surprised to see Ryoma clutching his left elbow painfully and in front of him is Dan Frochester, an English man who enrolled in our school.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT, FOREIGN BOY?" he asked him angrily. I noticed that his elbow is bleeding painfully. What did Dan do to him? Why did he attack him?

I quickly dashed beside him before the blond boy do something worse than I expected and I used myself as his shield. I know that he's shocked when I grabbed his wrists and asked him to go to the clinic quickly. He tried refusing but when I shouted at him he followed me.

"S-Sakuno... what did you see to that boy? He's arrogant and when we play, he's only using his right hand!" he told me.

In my anger, I slapped him but our teacher caught us in that embarrassing situation.

"SAKUNO!!!!" shouted our sensei. "Why did you do that to him?"

"Se-sensei....," I stuttered. I froze those times. I don't know what to say to her.

...

RYOMA'S POV:

I entered our classroom after I am finally with all of our classmates shouting angrily at Dan. I know that they all saw what happened to me before Sakuno entered our classroom.

"DAN HIT RYOMA-SAMA'S ELBOW!!! HE'S A LOSER!!!" I well knew who owns that voice. That's absolutely Tomoka.

It seems no one from my classmates that I'm already present and so, I quickly sat at my chair near the windows.

My elbows are bandaged and luckily, there were no bones that cracked but still, I'm wincing in pain because of the deep wound.

The ruckus only stopped when Fay-sensei saw me staring at the blue sky. Everyone looked at me including Sakuno who looked happy and thankful that there were many witnesses who told her what Dan did to me.

Fay-sensei saw my bandaged left elbow. She knew and believed our classmates now that Dan attacked me. She had a frown in her face and told him, "See me after class!"

It more sounded like she shouted at him. "Sensei!!!" now he sounds scared. I smirked. He deserved whatever he did to me.

I just sighed. Dan walked towards me and it seemed he's pissed off.

I even put my right foot at the aisle and because he's totally a jerk, he slipped off and was face down the floor. In his embarrassment, he hid his face down his english book.

Academics truly isn't so fun like the sports activities. After that whole tiring day, I quickly grabbed my bag.

Maybe it isn't so bad if I accept to be grandpa's heir.

I looked at Sakuno and she's staring at the brown box. It seemed to be a ten-decade old box. I sling my bag on my shoulders and went beside her.

I'm giving up. Maybe the nasty feeling inside me will only stop if I accept and so, as I was going closer at her, she looked at me and said, "Ryoma-kun."

I stopped beside her and asked, "What's that?"

"Oh, this?" she opened the box and there, I saw the golden necklace inside. "Will you never accept your fate? No matter what, you're still next in line of leading and managing the corporation."

"I... I actually don't know but I'm already thinking about..." suddenly, when I looked down to finally take the necklace and put it around my neck, the brown box in between us went missing.

"Where could that be?" we both said.

Dan smirked at us while playing with the box on his hands.

...

A/N: I wished you like it!!!