?I do not promise you ease. I do not promise comfort. But I do promise you these: hardship, weariness, and suffering. And with them, I promise you victory!?1 Sanada finished the last of his motivation speech as Yukimura dismissed the members of the Rikkai Dai boy?s tennis club with a nod of his head.
?Sanada, that was more of a death sentence than a motivation speech.? Yukimura chuckled, ?You really need to lighten up on your speeches.?
?That?s of no important,? Sanada answered, ?We need to concentrate on the upcoming tournaments and strict discipline is the best way to get the team in shape.?
?Maybe you should be captain instead: you are much better at keeping everyone in check,? Yukimaru joked as he glanced at his watch, ?Oh, I have an appointment that I must keep today, do you mind locking up for me??
?Sure thing.? Sanada answered as Yukimaru threw the keys over his shoulder, ?And I will come early tomorrow morning to unlock everything for morning practice.?
Yukimaru took a few steps and turned, ?Sanada??
?Yeah??
?Learn to live a little. There?s more to life than just tennis you know??
Yukimaru walked away, leaving Sanada pondering the words as the he checked, and double-checked everything before locking up. Sanada sighed at the frequencies of getting ?lighten up speeches? from his teammates and shook the matter from his mind as he walked toward the entrance of the school. Sanada got to enjoy about a minute of peace before he came upon a figure unconscious on the ground.
?A girl?? Sanada froze in his tracks, ?Is she okay??
Sanada took a step closer as he dropped his bags on the green. He knelt down and tapped the girl lightly on her shoulder. No response. He tapped a little harder, yet still no response. A sudden fear rose in Sanada?s mind as thoughts ran through his head.
?She isn?t dead?is she??
Sanada leaned a little closer and was relieved to hear the shallow breathing of the girl. He looked around to find the surroundings completely empty. He glanced at the dark window of the infirmary and could only lift the girl onto his shoulders and headed for the nearest hospital.
?The girl just needs some food, that?s all.? The doctor diagnosed as he glanced at the results from the physical, ?It seems that she haven?t ate for a couple of days now.?
?A couple of days?!? Sanada repeated, ?That?s a long time??
?So it would seem.? The doctor wheeled around and handed a printed report to the astonished boy, ?If not carefully monitored, she may join the growing ranks of girls with eating disorders.? [2]
?Eating disorders?? Sanada repeated again, ?Why? She?s already so skinny!?
?Maybe it?s from peer pressure, maybe it?s about self-confidence, I don?t really know,? The doctor sighed, as he got up to accompany Sanada to the door, ?But I do know this: many girls today think being skinny is the only way to be beautiful.?
?That?s not true!?
?Calm down boy,? The doctor continued, ?We know it?s not true, but there are already millions of victims of eating disorders in the world, and we really need to do something about it.?
Sanada nodded as he stepped out into the hallway and thanked the doctor for his time. He wondered about the idea of anorexia as he was navigating his way to the room where the girl was. After a few dead-ends and wrong-turns, Sanada finally got to the right room and found the nurse waiting for him with a clipboard in her hands.
?I need you to fill out some paper work.? The nurse got straight to the point, ?Please come with me.?
?But?? Sanada was slightly confused, ?Paper work for what??
?About her medical record of course!? The nurse replied impatiently, ?You?re her boyfriend aren?t you??
?No, actually?? Sanada couldn?t find the right words, ?I don?t really know her?I only brought her here because I found her unconscious at school and there was no one around to help.?
?Oh, I?m so sorry!? The nurse exclaimed, ?I just assumed that?well??
The nurse trailed off as the girl shifted in the bed, the two took a few steps closer as the girl opened her eyes and sat up.
?Oh good, you?re awake!? The nurse said in relief, ?Now, the doctor said everything is fine now and if you could fill out some paper work for me, then you?re free to go.?
The girl nodded and transferred her gaze to Sanada. She narrowed her eyes in concentration and then widened them in surprise.
?You?re Sanada Genichirou, of the boy?s tennis team!?
Sanada nodded, surprised that the girl knew whom he was, as the nurse added, ?And he was the one who found you and brought you to the hospital.?
?Really?? The girl muttered quietly, ?Um?thank you??
?He?s such a nice boy,? The nurse said as she poised her pen and prepared to write, ?Now honey, what is your name??
?It?s , .?
A few days later, Sanada?s mind was still filled with the same question ?Why would anyone starve themselves?? He couldn?t shake the question from his mind and decided to take a jog during lunch period to clear his head.
He was about to turn a corner when he heard a crowd of indistinctive female chatter. Instinctively, he stopped in his tracks; Sanada may appear like a tough guy on the outside, but he was actually a very, very shy boy. He leaned against the wall to peek at the owner of the voices and recognized among all the other unfamiliar faces.
?So I?m going to wear this custom made dress to the dance.? Girl #1 announced, ?It?s a single strap dress with multiple layers and it?s made from light blue satin and has thousands of beads sewn on to form a waterfall from the shoulder down until the hemlines. I also got these perfect shoes and I just know I?m going to be the crowned princess at the dance??
The girl went on and on as Sanada lost track of what she was saying. He was a boy after all, and in particular, he was a boy who cared little about anything else other than tennis. Sanada was about to leave out of sheer boredom when the girl finally took a break and made the most surprising comment of them all:
??and guess who I?m going to go to the dance with? Sanada Genichirou! That?s who!?
Sanada was stunned and couldn?t help but listen closer, ?I didn?t know that I?m taking anyone to the dance??
?Wait,? Asked Girl #2, ?I thought you liked Yukimura!?
?Blah, that was way back in the days,? Girl #1 replied casually, ?Now we?re in senior high, it?s time that I grow out of my little crush from junior high.?
Sanada felt slightly uncomfortable with the conversation, and was a bit annoyed that the girl was dismissing his captain as nothing, but?
?So, have you even asked Sanada yet?? Girl #3 asked, ?The dance is in two days!?
?Like I need to,? Girl #1 answered, ?He should be thanking his good fortune that I would even consider going with him to the dance.?
Sanada was getting angry??Who does this girl think she is??
?Wow, you?re so lucky!? ?s words broke Sanada from his thoughts, ?Sanada-san is so nice and??
?, nobody asked for your opinion,? Girl #1 interrupted rudely, ?Remember what we discussed before? Don?t speak unless I tell you to, got that??
?Umm?yes?well, I??
?I don?t want to hear it,? Girl #1 dismissed, ?And stop eating that sandwich, you don?t need those extra calories.?
?Um?okay?I??
?You should be thanking me ,? Girl #1 said proudly, ?I can?t have any of my friends looking like they?re out of shape.?
?I??
?Yeah, you should be thankful !? The other girls said unanimously, ?You?re lucky we even include you in our plans!?
didn?t respond as the rest of the girls got up and collected their things. Girl #1 waved her hands, and everyone else followed, leaving all alone.
If Sanada was angry before, he?s furious now. Obviously, he didn?t understand the majority of the girls? conversation, but he heard enough to realize that the reason was on the border of eating disorder was because of those girls. Sanada was not a person to hold grudges, but he felt this unspeakable enmity toward Girl #1 (whose name he still didn?t know) and the rest of her little group.
Sanada waited until all the girls were completed out of sight before talking a deep breath and stepped out from his hidden spot.
? -san??
The girl turned around and attempted to smile at the sight of the boy?s appearance. But Sanada saw right through her fake cheerfulness and noted the watery frames of her eyes.
?Oh, Sanada-san?? answered quietly, hiding the unsteadiness of her voice, ?What are you doing here??
?Just doing some exercise,? Sanada replied, controlling the urge to just shake the girl and tell her what the other girls said was wrong, ?Are you okay??
?I?m fine,? took another attempt at being cheerful. Seeing the doubt on Sanada?s face, she added, ?Really, I have never felt better.?
Sanada was silent for a moment and couldn?t control the impulse to get some sense into the girl. He took a deep breath and asked rather bluntly, ?Are those girls the reason why you are starving yourself??
was surprised at the question, but she recovered as she shook her head quickly, ?No, they are just trying to help me, it was my own decision, it has nothing to do with them.?
?You?re in denial,? Sanada took a step closer as he continued, ?You?re lying?.?
flinched at the use of her first name as Sanada added, ?You are already perfect the way you are, you just need to be more confident in yourself.?
?You?re right.? said after a moment of thought, ?Being healthy is the most important thing.?
?And you need to promise me to find better friends.?
?I will,? managed a smile, ?Thank you Sanada-san!?
Sanada showed a trace of one of his rare smiles as he turned to hide his reddening face. ?s smile was like a ray of sunshine after the rain[3]; it was so bright and so beautiful.
?I will see you at the dance then, .? Sanada called as he jogged away, afraid to turn and be captivated in her smile once more.
?Oh, the dance committee did a great job on the d?cor.!? Girl #3 shouted excitedly over the music, ?This Hollywood theme is awesome!?
?I know, this red carpet theme fits perfectly with my dress!? Girl #1 answered loudly, ?Now, to find my date??
?Isn?t that Sanada right there?? Girl #2 pointed as Girl #1 turned to look, ?And he?s coming this way!?
The group of girls (whose names shall still remain as numbers) and were at the entrance of the school ballroom, getting their tickets checked for the dance. They joined everyone else on the dance floor as Sanada made his way through the crowd.
?Hello,? Sanada said shortly, ?Would you like to dance??
?Oh, I would love to!? Girl #1 answered, ?Let?s get this party started!?
Girl #1 was about to cling to Sanada?s arm when he side-stepped her and shook his head, ?Sorry, I was asking if she would like to dance with me.?
?Me??
?HER??
Clearly, everyone was surprised, including herself. Girl #1 looked as if she was ready to hurt someone, and glared angrily at Sanada and . She took one last look and stomped out of the dance, snapping her fingers for the girls to follow.
?May I?? Sanada extended his arm as a slow song started.
didn?t trust herself to speak as she put her hand in his. She took one last look at the backdrop of the fuming girls and followed Sanada to the middle of the dance floor. The two joined the ranks of other couples and felt their way through the music.
?Sanada??
?Hmmm???
?I feel like Cinderella.?
?That?s because you are a princess,? Sanada answered, ?MY princess??
Written by Amiya
Requested by Ahotep
September 29, 2007
[1] This is a quote by Giuseppe Garibaldi
[2] I know several people who are dealing with eating disorders and I would like to spread the message that everybody is perfect and there?s no need to change ourselves for other people, I hope I didn?t offend anyone with my choice of topic~
[3] A line from Jolin Tsai?s song ? Because of You