Yamamoto Takeshi

'Its too bad you can't come with us to the countryside Tsunami-neechan.' Sakura pouted the night before the trip. Tsunami is again, cooking her Special Beef Curry and this time, it was Fujitaka who shelled out money.

'Yes but it can be helped...mama wants me to meet a special person and get to know him.' said Tsunami sheepishly.

'A special person?' Yukito asked her while helping with the meat chopping.

'Hai...did Touya tell you how I came to live here?' Tsunami asked Yukito.

'No...I thought you were siblings until he and your appearance said otherwise.' he said, shaking his head.

'I was eight years old back then and Sakura-chan is too young to understand at the time...' said Tsunami softly. 'I had a worst case of Slump ever. For some reason, school became very difficult for me. I had trouble understanding things...and then I became super-clumsy...everyone made fun of me for it...and actively bullied me in school just because they could.'

'That's horrible!' Sakura burst out angrily.

'Things got so bad the teachers had to step in...and when the PTC Conference was over because seriously, my entire class was in on it...my class was severely punished for it and I was given a week-long vacation to recover with school counseling. By around second semester, when papa left for work overseas since he took an eight years paid vacation just to see me grow up, mama decided I should stay here to recover from the bullying...and I did.' Tsunami sighed. 'Touya helped me out a lot and Mama told the faculty of my problems so no bullying will occur here...it turns out that I was just in a slump since here, my grades rose again and my clumsiness was gone over time. But now...I have to go back to...Namimori temporarily...' she gulped audibly. 'When I graduate elementary and I'm a certified Valedictorian by then...I'll be going back and by then I have a bodyguard. Its this person I must get to meet and know for t-the whole summer...'

'But neechan, you're a 5th Dan Black Belt?' Sakura croaked out incredulously while checking on the oven.

'Sakura-chan, a trauma like this can't be overcome by fists.' Yukito told her gently as the older girl was clearly shaking in fear at the mere thought of going home. He's never seen anything like it. 'It can only be overcome by love, care and understanding and by being supportive.'

'I guess so...' Sakura frowned worriedly at her older cousin.

xxx

The next day, Namimori around 11:45 by Bullet Train and a short bus ride...

'Back here again...huh?' Tsunami took out her photo of how she looked like when she was eight years old...and now, her current photo at age twelve. Two entirely-different girls. No one will surely recognize the girl they picked on back then. She burned the photos with her power and headed for...home.

It has been a while since she last saw her house after all.

She rang the doorbell.

'Mama, tadaima!'

And so...

'Its been a while since I last saw this house...' said Tsunami as she sat on the couch. 'Does papa know I'm with relatives?'

'Yes...he made phone calls once a month and he's very happy its just a slump, dear.' Nana smiled. 'He hopes to be able to visit sometime soon but eight years of leave left with a lot of work as big as a hill.' she chuckled. 'His subordinates didn't do his work for him as he hoped, so...ahahaha...he was crying and wailing over the phone but he promises to be able to come to graduation.' Tsunami sweatdropped as she pictured a hill of paperwork, clearbooks, folders, computers and several diskettes and CDs and her father buried in all of it, crying for Nana for help.

That, was an amusing thought.

'Well, he surely has the Guinneas World Record of longest vacation ever.' Tsunami snorted. 'I'll go to my old room, kaasan. So what are we gonna do today?'

'Well...we'll have sushi for lunch, and you'll be meeting the boy I told you about.' Nana chirped as Tsunami swallowed before mustering up her courage while going upstairs to leave her luggage behind before going back down to go out with her mother.

Nana observed her clearly-nervous child.

Well, some things are just plain hard to get over with...

xxx

TakeSushi...

'Irrashai!' Yamamoto Tsuyoshi greeted. 'Oh Nana-san! That her?' he asked, looking at the semi-foreign girl with her. For someone who's a 5th Dan and famous in Tokyo, she sure is skittish, and very wary and cautious, hiding behind her mother. Well, Namimori might be synonymous with 'old school'... 'Hello Tsunami-chan. Rest assured Takeshi will treat you well. He's definitely no thug.' he said. 'Takeshi!' he called upstairs. 'Get your butt down here! She's here!'

From up his room, Yamamoto Takeshi is just as nervous.

He spent weeks preparing himself for his 'job' of helping Nana re-ease her daughter back into their hometown because the mere thought of Namimori makes her 'freeze' while in Tokyo, she's a normal girl, cheerful happy and busy, accomplished girl. But here, she would lose all the confidence and self-esteem she's gained...hence his job. He had practically studied the photos Nana gave him. Her grades in her younger years, the PTC Scandal information, and her progresses in Tomoeda she just could not believe it was a slump that destroyed her child and further gaping 'the wound' were her own peers to the point of toxicity while Tomoeda is a 'breathe of fresh air' she recovered. He was intimidated by her current grades...really, her lowest grade is 95. He felt that if he were to be her bodyguard he has to raise his own grades up to snuff...and learning Kendo from his father as it would be utterly embarrassing that yeah, he's a bodyguard but his own charge is stronger than him and protects him. For now, Baseball is on hold until Tsunami could finally smile in their town. After Grade 6, she would be here for Middle School for good and he prepared himself for his job.

He came downstairs to meet his charge who could not even look him in the eye while hiding behind her mother.

He's in for a long journey.

'Meet my daughter, Takeshi-kun.' Nana wore a forced, strained smile...'T-Tsunami-chan, you're kind of squeezing me too hard...'

'S-sorry!' came the nervous squeak from behind.

'Come now, I got to know Takeshi-kun and he's nothing like them dear. Say hello.' Tsuyoshi and Takeshi can clearly see merely peeking from behind her mother is practically torture.

'H-h-h-h-he-he...llo...'

They sweatdropped.

Nana gave the Yamamotos a pleading look. So Takeshi took the initiative by stepping forward and took her into his arms to many surprises. 'Hiii!' Tsunami squeaked, stiffening in fear but the hug...was gentle.

'I heard all about you from your mom.' he said kindly. 'Not all kids in Namimori are like your old schoolmates...heck, I'm different ya know?' he told her with a kind smile at her stunned expression. 'I'll prove I'm different and not everyone here is out to hurt you, OK? Just give me a chance.'

'Come on Tsu-chan, he's a very nice boy...I knew him for weeks now so he's OK. Come on.' Nana coaxed her regressed daughter into nodding...but in a rather slow-robot like way.

'Well, I prepared lunch, so why don't you two go upstairs and get to know each other eh?' Tsuyoshi suggested as he got a platter ready of nigirizushi and two saucers of soy sauce.

'Saa, go upstairs.' Nana smiled, handing Takeshi the platter.

'Let's go.' he said, pulling Tsunami upstairs to his room.

'Er, will your daughter be OK?' Tsuyoshi wondered aloud as they watched the two kids go. 'Your daughter is still afraid of a Namimori kid.'

'She'll fight to be OK.' said Nana. 'She doesn't want to be afraid forever...and your son will be of great help.'

xxx

Takeshi's room...

Its a very japanese-y room. The construction and furniture. It can be a lounge area but if the living room stuff is shoved away, its easily a bedroom if futons are taken out. The only modern thing in the room was the air conditioning.

And full of baseball paraphernalia.

Takeshi noted that she acted like she stepped into an alien world in sheer uncertainty.

'...you like...baseball neh...?' she initiated which was...miraculous. Even then her voice is so soft.

'Ahaha, yeah.' said Takeshi. 'It started back when some relatives invited us to watch some cousins of mine play in a High School Tournament at Koshien...my cousin was so cool in the field I wanted to be just like him but for some reason he kept saying Baseball is only good to look at but not good to look at behind the scenes...I don't know what he meant by that and tried to make me quit...because he never could until he graduates.' he said somewhat somberly. 'He still wouldn't tell me why.'

'Maybe because you're still innocent.' Tsunami commented. 'But now that you're old enough...why not try ask again? Being pro looks glamorous when watched in the stadiums but there must be a good reason why he wants you to quit.'

'I'll try...' Tsunami nodded. 'I guess you finally see I'm not like them, huh?'

'...no Namimori kid ever gave me a gentle hug before...and you're warm and you smell nice.' Takeshi blushed beet red and went 'awww shucks!' 'All I get from them were cruel pranks, verbal abuse and humiliation back then.' his blushing disappeared in a blink like someone splashed him with cold water. 'You're a...nice change I suppose.'

'Well, I'm your guardian as soon as we graduate elementary Tsunami-chan.' Yamamoto told her kindly. 'I'm to protect your heart and your mom trusted me with you.' he said with a grin.

Tsunami wondered if the guy is even aware of the weight his words have. He seems oblivious to it though and damn innocent about it but its the thought that counts, right? He'd be her first friend in this town?

So she smiled. A shy smile.

'I'm counting on you...Yamamoto-kun.'

'Maa maa call me Takeshi! That's what friends do!' Takeshi told her good-naturedly. 'Let's eat lunch before the fish goes weird from too much air exposure!'

'H-hai!' they shared sushi together, unaware of sneaky parents listening by the stairs.

'K-kyaaaa!' back at the restaurant, Nana squealed giddily, going all fangirl. 'Did you just hear what Takeshi-kun just said?! So manly~!'

'T-that brat of mine is so old fashioned...' Tsuyoshi sputtered out. 'Who says that these days?!' he choked, his mind repeating what his son just said. And given how THICK he is, he doesn't realize what he just said but no doubt she did.

'Ara, who'd you think he took from, hmmm?' Nana teased the sputtering chef. 'My daughter's in excellent hands and soon, she can smile in this town again...' she sighed wistfully. 'I'm looking forward to that.'

'Aa. I've had enough of your horror stories of back then about your kid...no kid should be scared of their hometown, that's just plain wrong you know.' Tsuyoshi commented.

xxx

'Oh, going out kids?' Nana asked them.

'Yah. Its been years I thought I'd show her around.' said Takeshi. 'No doubt she didn't go out much given what kind of kids are around her back then she didn't get to explore much...she should get to know her town this summer. That's what I thought.' the two kids then sweatdropped when their parents handed them money.

'Have fun!'

And the doors of the restaurant shut behind them after getting pushed out to the streets.

'...uhhh...'

Cards in Possession

Tsunami: Rain, Song, Time, Fight

Touya: Wood, Mist, Illusion, Loop

Sakura: Windy, Fly, Shadow, Watery, Jump, Silent, Sword, Flower, Shield, Power, Float

Shaoran: Thunder