Seigaku was one of the only schools left in Japan. Sure, there were others, but there was none quite like Seigaku's. At the front gate, there were two blue and white jackets blowing in the breeze, reminding anyone who walks by of the regulars they had lost.
Beyond the gate were several automatic tennis ball shooters, all temporarily disabled as the zombie population in Tokyo was definitely dropping. And beyond those was Horio, looking particularly antsy.
"Buchou! Echizen! Momo-chan-senpai!" Horio squawked. Tezuka ignored him, shoving him aside as he entered the school. Momo shrugged as if to say 'what are you gonna do?' and followed his captain. Ryouma allowed Horio to walk beside him.
"What's going on," Ryouma asked, keeping his voice low. The tension in the air definitely asked for a hushed tone.
Horio didn't read the mood. "Ryuzaki-sensei is sick!" He screeched.
Momo turned around dramatically, colliding with Ryouma. "What?!"
"Keep your voices down," Tezuka snapped, looking particularly furious with them. Momo and Horio both sheepishly slunk behind Ryouma, who stood firm against their captain.
"She's sick?"
"We don't know-"
"I have two years of medical experience," Horio affirmed, grinning smugly. "I would know if she was sick or not!"
"Horio, 20 laps." Tezuka turned away, continuing towards Ryuzaki's office. Horio ducked his head and went in the opposite direction, jogging defeatedly. Ryouma and Momo followed their captain, feeling pretty embarrassed (for Horio, that is).
Tezuka threw the door open, startling the people inside. Kawamura was sat beside a cot the team had dragged into the room for their coach, who was lay still on it with her eyes closed. Inui stood by the windows, letting sunlight pass through a glass vial he held.
"You found them!" Kawamura said in a relieved tone, sighing. "Thank god."
"How is she?" Tezuka asked, taking a seat beside the cot.
Kawamura shrugged, looking over to Ryuzaki blankly. "Inui's been trying some stuff, but…"
"Excuse me, but my juice is definitely helping fight against the infection," Inui butted in, strolling over. He was still holding the small vial of potent-looking green liquid. "Do not dismiss my prowess."
"Sorry," Kawamura mumbled. "That's true."
"Yes, it is." Inui said, nodding smugly. He set the vial down on Ryuzaki's desk. Momo sidled over and carefully picked it up, examining it closely. Inui plucked it from his curious fingers quickly. "Where were you two?"
"Uh," Momo gulped. "We, uh…"
"We went to Gyokurin to play tennis," Ryouma said coolly. He leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms.
Kawamura looked at the two with an exasperated expression. "What! Why didn't you just play here?"
Ryouma shrugged, not really sure what to say. Despite the tension in the room, it was quickly forgotten in order to give attention to the biggest problem here - Ryuzaki.
"We need to get to Rikkai," Tezuka said in an affirmative tone after a few moments of thinking. "They have a better chance of saving her than we do."
"That's because they were smart enough to hole up in a hospital," Kawamura mumbled. He was very mumbly today.
"And if we're lucky, they'll be smart enough to help us." Tezuka stood up, looking at the faces of his team. "We'll head out immediately. Momo, Ryouma - you have to stay here to watch over sensei."
"Buchou!" Momo shouted. "That's so unfair!"
"That's what you get for sneaking off on your own," Tezuka snapped, voice full of a surprising venom. "You remember what happened to the last people who did that, don't you?"
A deafening silence settled over the regulars in the room. They all remembered the devastating event. They remembered the consequences, too - they didn't just lose two members. They lost three.
Knowing they had been beat, Ryouma and Momo remained silent as Tezuka went over the plans to get to Rikkai safely.
TBC
