Hye! I am back!!! I hope you like this chapter. Domo!!!

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

Chapter 5: Rose Day (May)

Chapter Summary: He surprised her... and everyone.

"Class! Listen up!"

I groaned as I lifted my head from my desk. It wasn't the teacher's voice that made me wake up from my nap, it was the stick that he was hitting on his desk.

Was that even common in this era?

The teacher called our attention once again. I looked at him and waited for what he was about to say.

"Tomorrow we will be observing a special event that also hold in Korea so I want each of you to participate."

"What do you mean by that sensei?" One of my classmates raised his hand and asked that.

The teacher looked at him and answered in another question, "Do you know the event in Korea tomorrow?" The student who asked just shrugged. The teacher looked at us, "Anyone?"

We all remained silent. We didn't really know the event he was talking about. Sensei sighed and started speaking.

"Tomorrow is Rose Day," Murmurs erupted in the class. I bet most of us were wondering what the event meant. I never cared what it meant anyway, "Silence! You have to participate in this event no matter what. Secretly or not."

I stared at our teacher. Was he really serious about that?

"What is Rose Day, sensei?"

"What are we going to do tomorrow?"

"Rose Day is actually a day for couples," Another set of murmurs erupted in the class, "I know some of you are single, some of you are taken or committed and some of you have crushes or anything of the sort," The noise intensified, "Don't get your hopes up guys! This is not about finding a partner right away. This is to observe one's feelings and you are to take this event seriously."

Somehow, I didn't like what this was about. I had the feeling that this was not going well.

"But we will make it fun and interesting," The teacher walked around his desk and stood in front looking at us, "Tomorrow, you will all wear yellow shirts and carry a bouquet of roses. You will exchange the flowers to your partners if you are a couple. If not just give it to the person you admire. If he or she doesn't accept it, you have just to go with it."

"Isn't that a bit harsh? If the flowers will be rejected by the person you like?"

"This is why you have to take it seriously. You have to give the flowers if you truly meant it, if not you better back out and give it to your second best."

"That's harsher because you will know that you are second best."

"The best way not to offend them is to tell them beforehand. This is about the act of communication, not to offend them."

Murmurs and whispers erupted once again.

"For the people who will reject the flowers harshly, I'll make sure to see you after school." His voice was filled with poisonous venom. I could feel in his tone that it was something not to mess with.

"You can do things your own way. Celebrate the day to express your feelings like Valentine's and White Day. Tomorrow will be the day for the couples. It's your chance to express your love to each other. You wouldn't thought, it could help you dealing with this kind of problem."

The class erupted in noises once again. Some were excited, some were doomed but I groaned. I knew this was going to a bad feeling.

xxx

Curse the teachers.

That was what I thought for inventing this day. Why would we have to wear a unicolor for this day? This wasn't even Korea in the first place. It wasn't like all of the students had partners of their own.

Well, except me. Only they had no ideas about it.

The event said you could give the flowers to your partner secretly. That was what I intended to do.

The problem was how was I going to do that? The class was cancelled for the half of the day. Was that even lucky? For us, it was. Maybe. We could practice all day.

I could do that.

"Happy Rose Day!"

I could hear the others shrieking from the fence. Girls and boys were standing behind it. I looked around me and saw my teammates. Tezuka-buchou was denying the roses from the girl. Oishi-senpai was blushing as he received the flowers from a girl. I didn't remember her name but senpai surprised me and everyone else. He returned the gesture by giving his own bouquet to her.

They were a couple? That surprised the court indeed.

Another commotion caught my attention to my right. Kaidoh-senpai and Okasada-san, or, was that her name, just exchanged flowers.

"Congrats mamushi!" Momoshiro-senpai elbowed him, "You are not single anymore!"

"Fssssh!" He turned away from the crowd, blushing, "Contrast to you unfortunately."

"Hey! I just greeted you, you idiot!" Momoshiro retorted.

"What did you say?"

"Senpai-tachi! Stop it, you two!" Ryuzaki's best friend stepped in the middle and pushed them apart, "S-senpai gave me flowers because... because..."

"HE LIKES YOU!" The crowd shouted making the two of them blush. They both looked at each other and then to their exchanged flowers and blushed again.

"URUSAI!" The both of them shouted at the same time. Kaidoh-senpai looked at her and without warning, he grabbed one of her hands and pulled her away.

"Someone's got a girlfriend." Kikumaru-senpai teased which was followed by the others.

"Ryuzaki-san!"

My ears twitched when a certain guy called her. My eyes narrowed when I saw him giving a bouquet of roses to Ryuzaki.

"Please accept my flowers."

Senpai-tachi teased her. She was blushing as her eyes darted everywhere but the boy.

"A-anou, I..." She started as she didn't know what to say. I could see her biting her lower lip before she could form her own words, "G-gomen ne, I cannot accept them."

The boy was rather shocked when he heard that from her, "Oh, do you have someone then?"

Her face flushed even more. It intensified when senpai-tachi teased her. I frowned when she closed her eyes shut and nodded slowly.

"I see, he must be a lucky guy then." I swore that I could sense disappointment in his tone but he was right, the guy was lucky. I couldn't stop smirking at that.

"Enjoying the scene, Echizen."

I turned my head slightly when I saw Fuji-senpai walked to my side, "Enjoying what?"

"Saa, you know what I am talking about."

I decided not to answer him and started to warm up instead. Senpai followed me and did the same thing.

"What are you going to do now?" Fuji-senpai asked me after a few minutes of warming up.

"What am I going to do what?" I asked back obliviously.

"Echizen, you are not the only person who is popular here," He faced me and caught my attention, "She is as well as popular as you."

My head turned to the direction his head was pointing at. I got his point as another guy approached him. I frowned at the scene. Why were these guys approaching her now? I didn't see that coming on Valentine's day.

"She rejects them." I said shrugging the uneasy feeling I had.

"Until when? We both know that she's too kind to reject all of them."

"That's how she is."

"So what are you going to do?"

I shrugged deciding to be indifferent. Senpai wasn't too oblivious of our relationship. Heck, all my teammates were. He knew what would happen if someone tried to get between me and my girlfriend.

As If I would let that happen.

xxx

"Ryoma-sama! I like you! Please go out with me!" I blinked my eyes at the bouquet of flowers that was shoved in front of me. My eyes shifted from the flowers to the girl who was holding it. When I didn't do or say anything, she looked up and stared at me. She was blushing really hard. I slowly started to notice the girls' intention since I paid attention to Ryuzaki.

"Gomen, I can't take that." I answered as politely as possible.

"D-do you have someone?" I mentally sighed. That was the umpteenth time I was asked like that today. I was hoping that by now they knew the answer.

"Gomen." I answered vaguely as I walked away from her. This kind of get up was tiring.

Stupid event.

It seemed that they didn't actually follow the rules. Some students were already giving their bouquets of flowers even though it wasn't the time yet. We're never good at following rules anyway.

From the third floor of the building where I was standing, I could see the grounds clearly. It was lunch time and the students were getting busy doing the tasks for today. As I turned my head to the greenfield, I could see Ryuzaki and her best friend sitting on the grass. They were eating their lunch in an open area.

I frowned at them. They were actually exposing themselves. Of all day, why did they decide to go on a picnic in such an area. I sighed of relief when her best friend rejected some guy who tried to give flowers to Ryuzaki.

At least, she had some use when needed like this.

One thing was, I didn't have the flowers with me. I wonder if Ryuzaki would be okay with it.

xxx

We didn't actually talk today. We stared and acknowledged each other, smile and blush from her and smirk from me.

I was not surprised when she pulled me to an empty room when the class was almost over. I watched her walk into a corner and pulled out a paper bag. She walked back to me and pulled out what was inside of the bag.

It was a bouquet of roses.

"R-Ryoma-kun, I-I know that you are not this type of person who would accept this kind of gift but," Ryuzaki started as she looked at the bouquet instead of me. Her cheek was flushed red, "I just want to know that... I'm-really happy being with you."

I just stared at her, a bit surprised of her words. She was happy being with me.

"Y-you can get rid of it after the teachers see it." She continued when I wasn't doing anything to get the flowers from her.

I looked at the roses. They were red and neatly arranged. I could see that she arranged them based from the flowers I got to see from the other girls who tried to give them to me. She worked hard on making them for me. If she was happy being with me, heck, I was feeling the same.

Before she could lower the bouquet, I grabbed her one of her wrists that was holding it. It made her look at me, eyes were curious.

"Come with me." I said after being quiet since I was pulled inside the room. This time, I pulled her out from the room before she could say anything.

"W-where are we going?" She asked when I pulled her downstairs and into the open field. I could sense the tense from her voice but I ignored it and so was her question, "Ryoma-kun?"

I stopped pulling her and let go of her hand when we reached the oval. There were other students still lurking around from the area.

Good.

I turned around and faced her, giving her the look that she was really familiar with, "Give it to me."

"Eh?" This surprised her.

"The flowers."

Her eyes widened as she blushed once again. She looked around and I could sense the others were looking at us right now, "H-here?"

"Yes, here." I confirmed.

She bit her lower lip before she looked at the bouquet of flowers that was still gripping with both of her hands. Sighing deeply, she slowly extended her hands with the bouquet towards me. I could hear the other students gasp and reacted even more when I received them with my own hands.

"Sankyuu." I said smiling a little. She smiled back at me, "I don't have flowers with me." I continued after a short while.

"Oh..." I knew that she had expected that from me but her tone was still hinted with disappointment.

"But," I said catching her attention. My hand went to my pocket and yanked something from it. I extended it to her. She stared at my closed fist. Her stare went to me and I nodded before she looked back to it. She held out her hand, face-palmed and I dropped the thing to it. She was shocked when she saw what I gave her.

It was a silver brooch. A silver rose brooch.

"I hope that counts."

If there was one thing I'd enjoy right now, it was her flushed face. She gave me a genuine smile as she closed the brooch with her hand and covered her hand with the other. She brought them to her chest and looked at me, "Yes, a lot. Thank you, Ryoma-kun."

I nodded. I reached out and grabbed her hand. Intertwining them, I brought them down together as I moved closer to her. She looked down and her shyness surfaced. I guess I could work out on that.

Our attention was caught when someone whistled. I mentally groaned when Kikumaru-senpai and Momo-senpai shouted leading the others at their tease.

"Finally! They are out!" Momo-senpai said.

I looked at Ryuzaki who was blushing really hard. The students started to murmur and whisper around us. They didn't matter to me, surprisingly. What mattered to me was the hand that I was holding at the moment. I tugged at it catching her attention.

"Let's get out of here." I said to her.

She was taken aback at first, not expecting that from me but she nodded afterwards. Without another word, we started to scram and left the campus for all we cared.

Our things to be thought about later.

Done! How was it? Hahaha. I didn't know what I was writing anymore. I hope you like it.

By the way, Rose Day is really for the day of couples in Korea and nothing more. They would wear yellow shirts and exchange bouquet of flowers.

Reviews please!!! Need more motivation for the next chapter next month.