Disclaimer: Don't own prince of tennis.

Same old excuse, you all. School is taking over my life. Sorry for not updating, yadda yadda.

I started this chapter with an idea of pure fluff, but it turned out quite… unexpected. XD I'm trying to give my characters DEPTH if you know what I mean. Anyways, here the chapter is.

To Catch A Falling Star—Chapter Four: Sushi!

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There was a CRASH as the boys barreled through the door of the sushi shop, kicking off their shoes, and chattering loudly as they found their favorite seats. The burst of cold air from the AC was a welcome on their burning skin. Tomoka and the freshmen trio had somehow tagged along, and the room became a whirl of blue and white uniforms and noise. Finally, when they settled down, they realized that not one of the girls had moved an inch from the doorway. (Except for Sakuno, who had been dragged by Tomoka to Ryoma's side.)

For a second there was absolute silence.

"Umm…" Oishi said uncomfortably. "Don't stand there. Come in."

Akane glanced at her new teammates, all unwilling to budge. Finally, she said, "Well, we might as well." She took a seat next to Oishi and beckoned to Chiharu. Chiharu's face turned as red as Ryoma's racket. Only when Kimiko pushed her forward did she sit at Oishi and Tezuka's table.

"Hmm?" Sayaka tapped Kimiko on the shoulder. "Why did she blush?"

"You didn't know?" Akane hid a smile.

"Akane!" Chiharu cried in panic, turned an even redder shade.

Kimiko grinned, whispering in Sayaka's ear: "Chiharu has had a crush on Tezuka for years."

"Ohhhhh…" Sayaka returned the evil smirk. "So does he know?"

"Nope," she replied. "He's the densest human ever, except for maybe that freshman kid."

"Ha… Anyway, we shouldn't let that sushi go to waste, should we?" Sayaka leaped forward, doing a cartwheel and landing on top of her brother. "Take-nii-san, move over!" Kimiko followed her and sat down at the table next to hers. Reina chose a seat at the counter, next to Inui. They soon became engaged in a conversation that no one could understand.

Suzume, Izumi, and Aiko still seemed frozen at the doorway.

"Morioka-chaaaan!" Kikumaru called. "Come sit over here with me!"

She hesitated. Fuji was also at the table.

"Go," Suzume said. "We all have to sit somewhere, sooner or later." She let out a sigh and sat across from Kaidoh, who seemed to be the least talkative, and probably the least annoying. Izumi ended up next to Kikumaru. He had also wrestled Sayaka over to his table, so at least she wasn't the only girl.

"Come in," Kawamura called to Aiko, the only girl left. He said something in English, and she replied. Then he smiled and gestured at a seat at the counter. She joined him there.

"Oi, Echizen," Momoshiro said. "What did Taka-san say?"

"He asked if she had ever had sushi before, and she said no," Ryoma sighed. "Then he offered to teach her exactly how sushi is eaten. It seems you haven't been paying attention during English class, Momo-senpai."

"Hmph," he grumbled. "Everyone knows how sushi is eaten. With their mouth."

"Stupid…" Kaidoh muttered, just loud enough for Momoshiro to hear. Their tables were next to each other.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Momoshiro jumped to his feet, as did Kaidoh.

"Urusei! I only said what's true!"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Kimiko slid between the two. "Kaidoh-kun, nice to meet you! I'm Marui Kimiko!" She did her signature pose, a victory sign next to her face. "We're in the same Math period class, if you ever noticed. I used to sit two seats in front of you, but then the teacher moved me waaaaaaay up front, because I'm so small, you see."

Kaidoh seemed overwhelmed.

"You always eat lunch in the classroom, don't you? That's why I never see you in the lunchroom? Must be nice, having freshly cooked homemade food for lunch everyday. My mom never does that for me. But that's ok, because the school lunches aren't that bad."

Kaidoh was going to tell her to get out of the way and be quiet, so he could settle the score with Momoshiro, but she looked so darn happy to be talking that he couldn't do it.

"I like your bandana! But I liked the orange one better. I think it makes you look cuter! Green would clash with my hair, I think." She fingered the short strands of bright magenta hair on her head. "It's like your trademark! That's so kawaii!"

He actually blushed.

Momoshiro sat down and turned to Echizen. "Looks like the Viper's in love!" he whispered excitedly, the fight forgotten.

"Has nothing to do with me," Ryoma said, bored. The food was taking a long time… or did it just seem like forever because of all the noise?

Suzume heaved a sigh, her red hair flying slightly upwards from her breath, though not enough to reveal the left side of her face. She never should've chosen the table with Kimiko. Glancing over at Sayaka's table, she noticed that even though it contained Kikumaru, it was noticeably quieter.

Kimiko was now chattering about patterns on bandanas, and Kaidoh, as if under a spell, was listening to her every word. Finally Suzume could take it no longer. "Kimiko." she said.

"Huh?" the short haired girl turned, her lavender eyes sparkling with happiness.

"Shut up."

She stopped talking.

Momoshiro noted with interest that Kaidoh seemed slightly disappointed…

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Izumi bit her lip, erasing her work for the fifth time. She was redoing a question she missed on the physics test, but for some odd reason, she kept getting the wrong answer. Glancing down at Tezuka's test, she reviewed the problem again and started from the top. After two minutes of writing, she came up with the same answer she had before. Her insides screamed with frustration, but only soft sigh escaped her lips.

A slender finger came into view and pointed to the fourth line of her work. "You shouldn't round your answer here," Fuji mentioned gently. "It changes the calculations."

She tried again, and this time got the correct answer. Strange, that altering a number by 0.001 can make the results change drastically. Why didn't she notice her mistake? Tezuka, clearly, had not rounded the number. "Thank you." Her reply was a little cold. 'I didn't ask for your help.'

He smiled. "You're welcome."

Kikumaru frowned at Izumi's test over her shoulder. "Do mistakes that tiny even matter?"

"Of course!" Sayaka said. "Once, astronauts on the moon were planning their return to Earth. They were off by half a millimeter in their calculations, and as a result they nearly missed Earth on the way back."

"Wow," Kikumaru said, eyes bulging. "I never knew you were so smart, Sayaka!"

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

He laughed and mussed her hair.

"Stop it! I hate that!" She reached across the table to mess up his hair, but her arm wasn't long enough. Frustrated, she went around the table and practically tacked him in her attempt to get at the red strands of hair sprouting from his head.

He bumped into Izumi when he tried to avoid the assaults to his precious hair. "Sayaka-chan, that hurts! Gomen, Morioka-chan!"

Silently, she gathered up her books and papers, and moved to the other side of the table. "Do you mind if I sit here?" she said quietly to Fuji. "It's too noisy over there."

"Not at all." He moved a little to the side in order to make more space for her, although he didn't need to.

She reopened the physics textbook and stared at it, finding it a tad hard to concentrate with his presence beside her. He was watching her. She felt his eyes upon her, and shifted uncomfortably. After a few moments, she realized that she had been staring at the same formula for the past few minutes. She closed her eyes and breathed out, snapping the book shut. Why couldn't she focus?

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Luckily, the food arrived then. She needed a distraction from her thoughts.

"FOOD!" Momoshiro yelled with joy as plates of sushi rolls were placed at his table. He grabbed several and gobbled them down, knowing he had to eat fast or else he wouldn't get much more than a bite. He wouldn't put it past Echizen to just reach over to his table and steal the remaining sushi.

It almost seemed like they in an eating contest. A plate of sushi disappeared almost as soon as it appeared on the tables. Momoshiro and Ryoma worked their jaws like a pair of cows that were chewing on a particularly tough patch of grass. They kept glancing at each other to check their progress in comparison, eyes set in challenge mode. Kaidoh, Kimiko, and Suzume eyed Momoshiro as he gorged down all the sushi. None of them had gotten a single bite yet. Sakuno and Tomoka didn't dare try and steal even one piece of sushi from Ryoma.

"Hmm?" Ryoma paused and swallowed, suddenly realizing that both girls were watching him. "You're not eating?"

'Is he asking me?' The question seemed to be directed to both of them, yet he was looking at her. Blood rushed to her face. Sakuno couldn't find her voice. "Umm… that is… Would you mind?" she finally managed.

He gave her a puzzled look. "Why would I mind?" Then he continued eating. "Strange people…"

Tentatively, Sakuno took a two sushi rolls and handed one to Tomoka. They felt a little weird about eating them, as if Ryoma would look up any minute and demand that they give them back, but he didn't even spare them a glance.

Soon, Kawamura arrived with second servings. He bent down to switch the empty plate of sushi with a new one on Momoshiro's table.

"Thanks, Taka-san!" Momo enthused.

Quick as a flash, Kaidoh swiped the sushi plate before it even touched the tabletop. He picked out the roll with the eel upon it, then set the plate before the two girls, allowing them to eat their shares. Momoshiro complained, but everyone ignored him; he had gotten too much to eat already. He could only watch as they chow down their fillings.

Suzume mocked him. She bit into her roll. "Mmm…" she murmured, savoring the taste. She chewed with relish. "This is really good." Her tongue darted out to catch a kernel of rice stuck to her upper lip.

Momoshiro saw something that suddenly made him lose his appetite. He jumped back a step. "What the hell! You pierced your tongue too? Is there one part of you that's not pierced?"

Absently, Suzume felt for the tiny hoops and studs in her ears (exactly six on her right, seven on her left). Her hand then fingered her small nose stud. Her hand moved down her neck, and she pulled her shirt just a little downwards to reveal a sparrow tattooed on the right side of her collarbone. "There's more that you can't see…" she told him, thinking of her bellybutton ring and the wings tattooed on her shoulders and ankles.

His eyes traveled down her body curiously. The next thing he knew, her fist connected with his face, sending him flying across the room.

"Fckin' PERVERT!"

His body crashed against the wall. The whole room turned to see what was going on. Momoshiro sat up with difficulty, his nose bleeding. She wasn't sure if she gave him a nosebleed, or he got it because he was thinking perverted thoughts. "God, where did you learn to punch like that?" he asked, rubbing his swelling cheek. He felt like he'd been hit with a sledge hammer.

"You don't want to mess with Suzume," Akane stated plainly. "She's a black belt in Karate."

"I thought you played tennis!" Kikumaru said.

"I've done karate since I was four, and even after I began playing tennis, I still had karate lessons. Good thing too, because it comes in handy defending myself against idiot PERVERTS!" she spat.

The room burst into laughter. "So, Momo's a man after all…" Kikumaru teased.

"I didn't know you had such fetishes, Momo-senpai…" Ryoma said without looking up from his food.

"That's not it, it isn't!" he protested, turning faintly red.

Kimiko giggled. "You totally picked the wrong girl! Suzume-chan doesn't even have "boys" in her vocabulary!" She paused, then added thoughtfully: "Unless they're on her "to beat up" list. But the point is, boys are the last thing on Suzume-chan's mind."

Suzume glared at her, and she fell silent.

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It was awkward at their table, Akane thought. Chiharu couldn't seem to say a thing when Tezuka was sitting right next to her. In fact, she hadn't stopped blushing for the past half an hour. She kept yanking on her pigtails and twirling her hair around her finger; habits when she was nervous. 'That girl needs to get a grip on herself.'

Oishi was saying something about the training menu for girls. Akane directed her attention back to him. "…different for girls…"

Tezuka nodded. "It's true that the training must be altered for the female team, but the effectiveness must be the same. We want to make sure both teams improve at the same rate, even with different training menus."

"It would be difficult, though," Oishi said. "We don't know if the girls are on different levels, how their strength compares, or any information about them… How are we supposed to come up with a training menu?" He looked at Akane. In fact, all of them were looking at her expectantly.

"You're the practical one…" Coach Ryuzaki told her. "Any thoughts?"

'It always comes down to me, doesn't it?' She smiled wryly. "When you don't know how to do something, get someone else to do it. I suggest we let Inui take over the menu. Reina has our team's data memorized inside out and backwards, so she could help him. Besides…" She looked over her shoulder at the counter, where the two of them were talking. "They seem to be hitting it off pretty well."

"I'll go tell her." Chiharu offered, getting up.

"No, that's ok," Akane said, a hand over her mouth to hide her smile. "You can stay where you are and enjoy yourself…"

The color of Chiharu's cheeks went from "rose" to "cooked lobster". "I'm going." she repeated, almost defiantly. She got to her feet, wobbling a little. Her vision was fuzzy, but it slowly cleared as oxygen made its way to her head. She took a step to her right.

Perfect timing.

Kawamura was just walking past their table, a tray laden with empty plates upon his arm. She bumped into him, not hard, but enough to surprise him and make him drop the tray. The plates shattered onto the floor, fragments of white porcelain.

"I'm so sorry!" Chiharu made a move as if to help him, but tripped, falling straight for the sea of broken glass. One of her pigtails came undone, blue gray strands fanning out behind her. She didn't dare put out her hands to break her fall, for fear of feeling jagged pain through her palms. Letting out a tiny shriek of terror, she closed her eyes tight.

She fell against something soft and warm.

'This is strange…' Her heart was beating loudly in her ears. It was as if she had been enveloped in a warm cocoon. 'It's comforting… and warm… I could stay here forever…'

Then she realized it wasn't her heartbeat that was beating so loudly.

She looked up at her savior. "T-tezuka-san?" She could feel his arms around her! She took a quick step back, and lost her balance, falling backwards, but he caught her on the arm. Akane didn't think her face could've gotten any redder, but at that moment it just did.

"You should be more careful…" His deep voice sent shivers down her spine. In a good way, though.

"H-hai!" 'He caught me! What do I say? What am I supposed to say to him?' Her thoughts were a blur. "T-thank you, Tezuka-san," she stuttered. "I'm sorry for causing you trouble. I didn't mean to not be careful— no I mean I meant to be careful but I wasn't—I mean…" She tugged on her pigtail frantically; her mouth seemed to be moving on its own, saying completely mixed up things. She wasn't making any sense. "Just… thank you." she whispered, staring at her feet. 'You said that already!' She sat down, not daring to look at him.

Akane noticed he was gazing at her with an expression that she couldn't describe. There almost seemed to be—god forbid—a smile upon his lips? Not quite a smile, but that's about as close an expression to "amused" that you would get from Tezuka.

She turned back to the table. The rest of the restaurant hadn't missed the action, it seemed. All the regulars were snickering behind their hands; Inui's pen was quivering as he jotted down the latest data on Tezuka's facial expressions; Kimiko was filling Momoshiro in with the scoop on Chiharu... She got up. "I guess it's best that I go and inform Reina and Inui…"

Chiharu began to rise from her seat, but Akane batted her down.

"Sit. Stay. I think Taka-san would rather keep the rest of his china intact."

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'Before the accident…'

"See…" Kawamura was saying in English. "The green bit is wasabi; a lot of foreigners don't like the flavor. Too much of it will make your nose feel…" He pinched his nose to demonstrate. "Kind of like when you choke on water." he explained.

Aiko cocked her head to the side, doubtful. "That little green lump will make me feel like I'm choking?"

"Ah… it's a very strong green lump."

She threw her head back and laughed, the beads in her hair rattling together. She wasn't sure if it was the language barrier between them that made his replies so amusing, but talking to him was hilarious. He was laughing too. Her skin was the color of milk chocolate, lighter than most African Americans due to her Japanese heritage, but compared to the skin of most Japanese it was as dark as the night. Before, she always felt like an outsider. People talked about the color of her skin, made fun of her braided hairstyle… This was the first time she felt she was beginning to fit in.

She put the sushi in her mouth and chewed. It tasted sweet, salty, and sour at the same time. She closed her eyes, and the flavors appeared like colors. Some were loud and bright, and others were more subtle. She never imagined so many tastes could be crammed into one little roll.

Suddenly, it felt like she had placed her head underwater and inhaled sharply. It seemed like someone had pinched her nose tightly and wasn't letting go. Her tongue was on fire. She coughed, her eyes watering. Kawamura handed her a glass of water, which she drank gratefully, the sensation subsiding gradually. "I see what you mean. That green lump packs a punch."

"Packs a punch?" he repeated, puzzled.

"It's an American idiom," she explained. "It means it's "very powerful."" She coughed again. Her nose still felt numb.

"Ah… power," He gave her a smile. 'That explains it.' "Gomen, my English isn't that good." He picked up her water glass and refilled it.

"No, no," she said encouragingly when he came back, handing her the glass of water. "Your English is really good! How do you speak it so well?" She chugged down the water.

"Ah… we get a couple foreigners in the restaurant now and then," He looked at the empty glass. A few droplets on the edge of the glass were the only evidence that the cup had been full mere seconds before. "And most of them don't like the taste of wasabi."

She wet her lips, the spicy taste still lingering on her tongue. "It is a weird taste," she admitted. "But I think I like it…"

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(The glass broke then.)

Kawamura began to sweep away the broken pieces of glass, before Kimiko snatched the broom from between his fingers. "I'll do it!" she said cheerfully.

"No… It's ok…." Kawamura said, but the pink headed girl was already brushing the pieces into the dustbin, humming to herself.

Tezuka bowed toward Kawamura's father. "I'm very sorry about all this. We will, of course, reimburse all your costs."

"No, no, it's fine," he replied, scratching his head. He chuckled. "My idiot son breaks so much china that these incidents are quite common. We're always prepared for them."

"Dad… don't say that…" Kawamura protested.

"I'm really, really sorry," Chiharu said again, her head bent with shame. It was bad enough to break the glass of the person treating them, but to have Tezuka have to apologize for her was just awful… "You went through the trouble to treat us and all I did was cause trouble. It's all my fault. I'll pay for it, really."

Kawamura's father smiled. "It's fine. We'll take care of it."

"I'm really sorry."

"Thank you for your kindness." Tezuka said. Chiharu murmured one more apology before Akane dragged her down, saying firmly: "That's enough, Chiharu."

She bit her lip. Her eyes were moist, but she managed to keep the tears from falling down her cheeks. "I just… I feel that everywhere I go, I cause trouble for someone."

"You do, senpai." Kimiko said with a happy smile. "But that's why we love you."

That did it. The tears spilled over.

"Oh, lord," Akane brushed the tears away with her fingers, but as soon as she finished more flowed down. "Did you have to turn on the waterworks, Kimiko?" She placed her hands on Chiharu's shoulders. "Come on, get a grip on yourself. Your tears are capable of creating a pond out of nowhere." Everyone knew that Chiharu was easily moved to tears, but this was a little much. The former captain let out a sigh. "You do realize you're a third year now, Chiharu. You're not a little girl anymore. You can't go on like this."

The pigtailed girl nodded slowly, sniffling between her words. "I… just can't… help it…sometimes."

Akane smoothed the tears away with her thumbs. 'God, where's a Kleenex when you need one?' Almost as soon as she thought that thought, a package of tissues was handed to her. "I didn't know I was psychic," she said, accepting them. "Thanks, Tezuka-san."

There was something between his fingers. Taking a moment to identify the object, he then tapped Chiharu on the shoulder. "I believe this is yours." he said, holding out her hair tie.

Chiharu gasped and turned pink again. She took it from between his fingers, her hands shaking so much she nearly dropped it. "Arigato, Tezuka-san…" She slipped the elastic securely over her wrist, just in case it turned into a slingshot and killed everyone. (There was no telling what her clumsiness would get her into.) 'He handed it to me! His fingers touched it!' Blood pulsing in her ears, she felt obliged to repeat her gratitude. "Arigato…"

He nodded coolly in reply. She nearly fainted.

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"So, a team menu?" Reina adjusted her glasses. Akane had just informed them about her plans.

"It should be rather difficult," Inui smiled, up for the challenge. "And a great opportunity to gather data."

"There's more to people than data, Inui-san."

"That I realize," Inui said. "But people are data."

Reina smirked. "That will be proved incorrect as soon as you hear the information I have collected on our team members."

"Data never lies."

There was a sparkle in her eye. "Our team constantly surpasses data. Data would have to be altered every second to maintain its accuracy, considering the pace at which our team improves. A living example: Never have I been able to challenge one member from our team and walk away victorious relying solely on data."

"Oh?" Inui's eyebrows raised, interested. "Do explain."

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"Kawamura." Akane's tone was urgent.

"Yes?" He crouched down next to her. "Do you need anything?"

"Call an ambulance."

"EH?" This was not what he was expecting… at all. And the fact that she said it so calmly made it even more possible that he misheard. "What for?"

Akane closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. "You put crab in your sushi, right?"

"Yes, some of it. Why? Our ingredients are of very best quality…"

She paused, then suddenly her face contorted in pain. It was then he noticed her pale her face was. Her voice came out in a choked whisper.

"I'm allergic to crab. And my allergies are deadly."

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Two hours later…

The atmosphere was tense. It was getting late. The freshmen trio and Tomoka had already been sent home, but Sakuno stayed so she could leave with her grandmother.

Oishi paced the area outside of the hospital room restlessly. Chiharu sat on the bench, sobbing softly into her hands, several people around her attempting to comfort her. Suzume sat on the floor, chewing on the end of a cigarette; she wasn't allowed to light it. Tezuka and Coach Ryuzaki were engaged in conversation with the doctor.

"Akane's going to be fine," their coach announced.

A collective sigh of relief was exhaled in unison. Chiharu was crying harder than ever.

"Senpai! She's going to be all right!" Kimiko said, playing with Chiharu's blue-gray curls. "You can turn off the faucets you call tear glands now."

A choked sound of laughter broke through her tears. 'They're right. I need to put myself together." She glanced at Tezuka. He was still talking to the coach, and seemed to not have noticed her current state.

"Chiharu's a very emotional person," Reina said to Inui. "She is physically aware of everything and anything; occasionally in quantities almost too great for her mental capacity…" She paused so he would be able to write it all down.

"Through her five senses?" he inquired, his eyes still on his notebook and his hand still writing.

"Not only pertaining to her senses. The tactility of an object serves to aggrandize her senses."

"An instinctive sense, perhaps?"

"No, it—"

"Oshiro-san?" A nurse's eyes lit up in recognition. "How have you been? I don't have you scheduled for tests today, since your visit was unexpected," She smiled. "But we can run a few anyway."

Everyone looked at Chiharu.

"Ano…" Chiharu looked embarrassed. "Not today, thank you. I'm just here with a friend…"

"What tests?" "Are you sick?" "You come here often?" "The staff knows you?" "What do you need to be checked up on?" She was bombarded with questions from the team. Her face turned red again, and she tried to make herself look as small as possible.

"Silence!" Tezuka commanded.

It was then silent. Everyone left Chiharu alone.

"It is only one of the many reasons her tennis style is so particularly unique." Reina continued. "Analytical skills and data are constantly proven ineffective; nothing short of a miracle serves as an explanation for her tennis style."

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Izumi left the waiting room after hearing the news; heading for outside. The rest of the team watched her; it was rude to leave before speaking to the injured member and wishing them a quick recovery. Through the transparent glass doors, they watched as she sat on the steps of the hospital. Strange. What was the difference between waiting there and waiting in the room?

She put her chin on her knees. The air was warm; one of those typical spring evenings with starry skies and a gentle breeze rustling the trees. Long, black strands of hair tangled themselves, and she ran her fingers between the strands to smooth them, slightly regretting her choice to get them layered. The longest strands were so long, she could sit on them. She did so, anchoring some her hair to the ground. After the nurse had seen Chiharu, she didn't want to risk being recognized. Her hands tightened around her legs as she pulled herself closer together.

"You left quickly." Fuji commented as he sat down beside her. A shiver ran down her spine when she heard his voice.

"I needed some fresh air," Her response was impulsive and slightly defensive. She suspected that he didn't believe her, and expected him to question her further, but he was quiet and thoughtful. Gentle gusts of wind tangled the shorter strands of her hair; the scent of flowers weaved within them. How lucky the wind was! Wild, free, uncontrolled… with no real shape and no need to have one… Sometimes she wished she was the wind…

"I don't like hospitals…" she suddenly said. Izumi had no idea why she just confessed this.

He nodded thoughtfully. The question 'why' must have lingered upon his tongue, but he asked for no explanation and she did not give one. Perhaps he was more considerate than she gave him credit for.

It was in the tone of her voice, he decided. Even though he wanted to know why she didn't like hospitals, he refrained from asking. The tone of her voice told him that she didn't want to tell.

"Fuji-san, why do you play tennis?"

"Ah?" The question was unexpected. She wasn't looking at him, but her head was cocked slightly to the side, awaiting his answer.

He took his time pondering the question, but she waited patiently. He chucked slightly. "I guess my answer is that I haven't found it yet. For me, tennis is little more than an exciting game I choose to play." His blue eyes found hers and saw a shadow of disappointment. "Were you expecting something more philosophical? If there is a deeper meaning to tennis, I am currently searching for it."

She nodded. 'But is there a deeper meaning to tennis?'

He blinked his eyes; the blue of them clouded from thought. Three years in the same class, and they have never spoken like this. In fact, she rarely spoke at all. This conversation was longer than the little snippets of dialogue between them for the past three years put together. Why didn't they talk more often? She was always silent and indifferent, or so it seemed.

He was curious about her. Confessing her dislike of hospitals was perhaps the most personal thing she had ever shared. He wondered why she disliked hospitals so much. Thinking back, he was quite sure that all her family members were in good health. She was an only child, he remembered.

"They hate me now, don't they?" she questioned quietly. "The rest of the team?"

"No," he replied simply. "Why would you think that?"

"I left early."

"They are confused, yes. But no one would hate you for that." 'She seems to think everything was more than it actually is…'

"It doesn't matter," She watched a ladybug crawl around on a blade of grass. As the wind blew, the grass swayed dangerously, and the ladybug almost fell. "Akane already hates me. She's never liked me. Ever since I quit…" She stopped. 'What is wrong with me?' She was revealing her secrets and innermost thoughts, one by one, to someone who might as well be a stranger.

Was it the way he listened? Unquestioning her motives, her actions? Or was it his eyes? When she looked into them, she felt she could unearth the darkest and most unforgivable secrets chained to her soul, and he would accept them. Either way, it was dangerous.

She pressed her lips together and stood. "I'm going back inside." Her steps were quick as she practically ran into the building. She needed some space.

Fuji's eyes followed her, observing her curiously. She wasn't as cold and hostile as others made her out to be. Yet every time she seemed to open up a bit, she caught herself and clammed up again. What was she so afraid of?

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Suzume bit onto the end of her cigarette and sucked. Oishi looked at her and told her for the third time, "You really shouldn't smoke. It's bad for your health."

"I didn't light it, did I?"

She was irritated. Chiharu was stressing herself out over something already solved. A couple glances in her direction, and she realized that Chiharu had stopped crying, though was still staring at the door worriedly; it was obvious she was anxious to check on Akane. 'Senpai really cares about her…' Suzume smiled slightly. 'Then again, senpai cares about everyone…'

"So why do you smoke?" Momoshiro asked her, seating himself next to her.

She gave him a bored expression. "It's something to do…?"

"It's stupid."

She shrugged.

"Cigarettes and any other drugs are prohibited on the tennis courts." Tezuka reminded her.

"Well, duh, they aren't even allowed at school, what do you expect?"

"Suzume-chan…" Chiharu interrupted softly. "You shouldn't talk to Tezuka-san like that. He's not only your senpai, but your captain now. It's disrespectful on both counts."

"Hai, senpai." Suzume looked at Chiharu and noted that the tear streaks on her cheeks were fading, although she was still sniffling slightly. She turned back to Tezuka. "Gomen, buzhou. I wasn't trying to be disrespectful, I was just in a bad mood."

Tezuka nodded curtly. Momoshiro's mouth dropped.

"Wait, that's it? No laps? So unfair…"

"Lucky me." Her reply was tinged with sarcasm. The cigarette between her teeth shifted up and down as she talked.

Chiharu crouched down on the floor next to her and removed the cigarette from her mouth. Momoshiro shruddered. 'If I tried to do that she would bite my fingers off.' Suzume just cast her eyes downwards and exhaled with an air of annoyance.

'How come she changes attitudes whenever Chiharu does something?'

xxxxxxxxxx

She was a mess. Akane knew it, even though there was no mirror in the room. She couldn't even open her eyes fully; they were swollen shut. Her ginger hair was plastered to her head with sweat. 'Stupid allergies…' She cursed at herself inwardly for not checking that bit of sushi. Normally she was very careful and made sure nothing she ate would trigger her allergies, but somehow she missed one piece. And one piece could mean the difference between life and death.

Shadows were darting in front of her eyes. "Who's there?" she croaked. Her throat was raw and aching from the stomach pump.

"Ah, Akane-san?" someone said.

"We've been waiting for you to wake up." another voice said.

Eyes narrowed to slits, she tried to make out the blurry eyes in front of them. Coach Ryuzaki, Tezuka, and someone currently opening the doors. As he turned to face her, she realized it was Oishi. "What time is it?" she rasped.

"Nearly midnight," Tezuka replied. She couldn't see him well but with his voice it was unmistakable.

Suddenly a crowd of people gathered around them. Akane didn't need to see to know that Oishi had just let everyone in.

A flash of magenta pink caught her eye. "Akane-buzhou, Akane-buzhou! How are you feeling?" Kimiko bounced to her side.

"You had us all worried sick, senpai," Sayaka commented. "Sheesh…"

"Some more than others." Suzume said with a glance towards the back of the room.

The crowd parted slightly to reveal Chiharu, nose red and eyes puffy from crying. The sight of Akane made her burst into tears again. She rushed forward and flung her arms around her friend, her tears staining the sheets.

"Chiharu…" Akane chucked slightly, wincing as her throat burned. "So this is how I'm going to die. Drowned in my best friend's tears." Her wry humor made everyone smile.

"Ano…" Sakuno stepped forward shyly, holding a bouquet of red carnations. Some of the petals were slightly crushed. "Um… we got these for you, senpai. Sorry. They were the only ones left at the store."

"Thank you," she replied, touched. Sakuno placed them on the tiny table next to her bed.

Kawamura's father stepped forward. "We apologize for not mentioning beforehand our ingredients. Your hospital fees will be covered by us."

"It's all right," She smiled and nodded towards Chiharu, referring to the incident with the breaking china. "Let's just call it even."

"Ah… thank you."

"Wait," she suddenly choked out. "It's MIDNIGHT! What are you guys still doing here?"

"Well…" Kikumaru scratched his head. "We wanted to make sure you were ok, nya…"

They all nodded simultaneously in emphasis.

Her vision became more blurred as her eyes filled with tears. "You waited for me to wake up? You guys… that's so sweet…"

"Oh my god," Momoshiro said in horror. "Don't you start crying…"

"Chiharu-san is enough. Japan doesn't need any more lakes…" Fuji said.

Briskly, she brushed the tears away. "You guys should go home!" She coughed a couple times. "Practice starts tomorrow! Get some rest!"

"Reina and I are in final stages of preparing the menu. The training will indeed help both teams prepare for the upcoming tournament." Inui mentioned, looking pleased with himself. His smile seemed almost sadistic. Everyone fell a chill sweep through the room as they tried to imagine what the training tomorrow would be like.

"Good. I'll look at it during lunch tomorrow."

"Huh?" Kawamura gave her a confused look. "Are we coming to the hospital for lunch?"

"No. I'll be back in school tomorrow." she said matter-of-factly.

"EH?"

"Akane-san, that's not possible!" Oishi cried. "You can't insist on going back with your health in this state! It'll be dangerous for you!"

Reina cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "The ramification of Akane's allergic reaction is expeditious, yet the acceleration of her recuperation is also of great celerity, if expulsion of the intrusive allergen is proximate to consumption," she said. "As we may observe, the symptoms of atopy from the allergens are deterring in her facial features."

Everyone gave her blank stares.

"Does anyone want to translate that?" Sayaka said.

Akane laughed hoarsely, then coughed again. "My allergies take effect quickly, but my recovery is just as fast, as long as they get rid of the crab ASAP. See, the swelling of my eyes is already starting to subside." She winked.

"WHY COULDN'T YOU JUST SAY THAT?" Momoshiro bellowed at Reina.

"I did!" She looked hurt. "I cannot control my need to speak with precision, therefore this is in which the manner I speak."

He groaned.

"Even Inui-senpai's better than that. We can at least understand him when he speaks…" Ryoma muttered. "Most ofthe time…"

Inui twitched.

"Oi, you two…" Oishi said. "That's no way to talk to your senpais."

"Momoshiro and Echizen," Tezuka said, without even looking at them. "Ten extra laps at the end of tomorrow."

"What? But that-" They stopped short of complaining, in fear he would raise the number higher. They sighed in unison. "Hai, hai…"

"Still," Oishi insisted. "It's dangerous if you try to play tennis after having such a large allergy attack!"

She waved his concern away. "I'll be fine, no worries." Her voice was still as raspy as ever. When he pointed this out, she replied, "It's just from the stomach pump. What, you expect after having a tube shoved down your throat, you'd still be able to sing like a nightingale? I'm fine. You should all go home."

"Akane's right. We should leave." Suzume agreed. "If it's even possible to get a taxi at midnight." Her cell phone beeped again, and she glanced at the message displayed on the tiny screen. "My brothers are getting worried."

"Okay, then we have to figure this out," Coach Ryuzaki said. "How many of you live to the south of the school? I'm looking for a show of hands."

Oishi, Tezuka, Kaidoh, Momoshiro, and Ryoma raised their hands, as did Sayaka, Chiharu, Suzume, Aiko, and Sakuno. Kikumaru began to raise his, but suddenly brought it down.

"Whoa, that's a lot…" Coach Ryuzaki said in surprise. She had hoped that the amount of students in the north district area and the students in the south were more or less equal. That way it'd be easier taking them all home.

"I'll ride my bike," Momoshiro offered. "Echizen, need a ride?"

"Hey! I don't get a ride back?" Sayaka exclaimed.

"Oops, I forgot…"

"Thank you so much for thinking of me, though." Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Oi! You usually don't come with me to school anyways!" he said in defense.

"Well that's because Mom only bought ONE bike, and guess who got that privilege!"

"Why don't you just cartwheel home or something?"

While the siblings were bickering, Oishi turned to Kikumaru. "Eiji, don't you live in the south as well?"

"Hee hee, I live on the borderline between north and south!" he replied, waggling a finger at him. "It'll be easier for everyone if I go with the people going to the north district."

"Momoshiro and Echizen can take Momoshiro's bike back," Coach Ryuzaki said, trying to get this organized. "Sayaka, Kaidoh, and Suzume, you can hitch a ride in my car. I'll have to make another trip to pick up the rest of you though. Sakuno, you come too."

"Let Aiko-senpai go first," Suzume said. "I live in the same apartment as Chiharu-senpai, so you can drop both of us off and save some time."

"You two are neighbors?" Coach Ryuzaki said curiously. "That's a coincidence."

"Yeah," she replied. "I live one floor above her."

"I feel sorry for Chiharu…" Momoshiro muttered under his breath. When Suzume turned to glare at him he took a few frightened steps back, even though she could only glare with one eye.

"Let's go, then." The six of them said their farewells and told Akane to feel better, before piling in Ryuzaku-sensei's car (Or on Momoshiro's bike, in Ryoma's case) and left.

"My dad can drive some of us back," Kawamura told them. "I'm guessing the rest of you live towards the north? Our sushi shop is closer to that area."

Kikumaru and Inui nodded. Reina, Izumi and Kimiko also did.

"My sister is picking me up," Fuji said. "I can send some of you home."

"Oh, thank you, Fuji!" Kikumaru said.

Kimiko had bought a strawberry lollipop from the gift shop and was sucking on it. She pulled it from her mouth with a 'pop!' "So how are the rest of us going to decide which car we're going in?"

"I'd like to go with Watanabe-san, to finish the team menu." Inui said. "We'll take Kawamura's van."

"I want to see the menu too!" Kimiko whined. "I'm coming with you!"

"Then I'm hitching a ride with Fujiko." Kikumaru decided.

"Don't you have eight hundred siblings or something?" Suzume asked. "I remember reading your profile. Why can't they pick you up?"

"Nya, I have four older siblings! I'm the youngest! I also live with my grandparents!" he announced cheerfully.

"I didn't ask for your entire family tree." Suzume muttered, trying to make her voice just loud enough so he could hear. Unfortunately for her, he didn't.

"My elder siblings are my two sisters, and two brothers! Their age order is my eldest sister, my eldest brother, my second eldest brother, and my second eldest sister. Now come to think of it…" He looked up at the ceiling in thought. "Why can't they pick me up? My eldest sister and brother both have driver licenses! Hmm… but they're probably asleep anyways, so no matter!"

Suzume felt like banging her head against a wall. 'So pointless…'

Izumi felt trapped. She couldn't exactly say she wanted to go with Taka-san, as his van should be full with him, his dad, Inui, Reina and Kimiko. It'd be too much trouble for them anyways. She said nothing.

"Morioka-chan, you can come with us!" Kikumaru enthused. "Right, Fujiko?"

"Sure." Fuji smiled.

"Fine… Thanks…" Luck was not smiling upon her. Why did she always get stuck with Fuji? Not that she minded it completely… but she…changed when she was around him, and it scared her.

They said their goodbyes to Akane, and walked outside. A red car was parked there. "Syusuke!" A girl waved. She was very pretty; the few guys in the parking lot at this hour were all eyeing her.

"Ah, Nee-san!" He led them to her. "Nee-san, you know Eiji. This is Morioka Izumi, a girl from my class. Morioka-san, this is my sister, Yumiko… You don't mind driving them home, do you?"

"Of course not! Nice to meet you!" Yumiko shook her hand warmly. She smiled sweetly. "It's the first time Syusuke offered to give a girl a lift home."

Izumi stiffened.

"Nee-san, it's not like that," Fuji explained. "Izumi-san is a regular on our girl team."

"Oh, are you on a first name basis already?" Yumiko smiled as opened the door to the driver's seat and got in. "Sounds a little like that to me…"

"Yumiko-san, can I please sit in the front?" Kikumaru pleaded.

"Sure!" she said. "You can help me navigate."

"Yahoo!" He jumped into the car with such enthusiasm that he practically tipped it over.

There was an awkward pause as the other two made no move to enter the vehicle. Fuji turned to face Izumi. "Sorry about that…"

She nodded and looked to the side. The faintest of blushes crept across her cheeks. "Don't mention it…"

Silently, he opened the door for her. She got in without looking at him. He followed suit. 'How could one comment change the whole air?' The car sped off into the night.

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In Car 1…

"So, Aiko-senpai…" Sayaka attempted to start a conversation as the car whisked down the dark street; she was proud to say her English skills were better than her brother's, "You were kind of quiet at the hospital. Anything wrong?"

"No…" The dark-skinned girl had a sad smile on. "My Japanese is so bad, so when you and your friends talk, I can't even understand, so joining in your conversations wouldn't be possible…"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Sayaka said, feeling a bit of remorse. Imagine if she was trapped in a foreign country with no one to help her! "We should've translated for you. I'm sorry."

Aiko's smile still seemed sad. By ignoring her, they may have done more damage than it seemed, Sayaka realized. "It's fine. I'm learning…"

"We were just so concerned about our friend…" She attempted to explain.

"Um…yeah, if you don't mind me asking, what happened to her?"

If Sayaka felt remorse before, now she was flooding with it. It made her heart ache to know that Aiko was just left there, being neglected, wanting to know what chaos was going on yet no one offering to tell her.

"She had an allergy attack. I'm so sorry for not…"

"It's fine," Aiko forced a chuckle. "You're starting to sound like that blue-gray haired girl."

"Blue-gray hair?" she echoed aloud. "Oh, you must mean Chiharu-senpai. Haha, yeah, I am starting to sound like her."

Aiko looked out the window. Maybe she was too hopeful in thinking she was beginning to fit in.

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Car 2…

Kimiko had regretted taking the ride with Inui-senpai and Watanabe-senpai. She couldn't understand anything they were saying. It seemed like they were speaking in a foreign language! Not to mention when she peeked over their shoulders to catch a glimpse of the team menu, it was filled with notations and formulas about things like velocity and air resistance. She sighed, wishing that she hadn't slept through physics for the past 3 years. Now she had to bear with it for the whole ride, and she wouldn't even figure out what torture they would put the team through tomorrow.

She heard her name being said, and both of them turned around to look at her. Reina then proceeded to say something in her "foreign language" and Inui nodded. It didn't sound good. Simultaneously, a sadistic smile crept over both their faces.

It definitely wasn't good.

Kimiko gulped, nearly swallowing all of her lollipop and choking to death.

xxxxxxxxxx

Back at the hospital…

"Ryuzaki-sensei will be here in five minutes," Oishi informed them after consulting a message on his cell phone. "We should get ready to leave."

Chiharu squeezed Akane's hand. "I'll see you tomorrow. Get some rest, okay?"

Oishi nodded. "If you don't feel well, please don't bother coming to school."

"Nonsense. I feel better already," she replied. And she did look better. The swelling of her face had reduced significantly.

"I forbid you to push yourself." Tezuka commanded. Akane knew this was his 'iceberg' way of expressing care, and she smiled.

"Thanks."

They waved goodbye, leaving the room. Chiharu began sniffling instantly.

"Oshiro-san…" Oishi said helplessly. "Don't cry."

"I'm not going to cry." she stated. Just as she said the words, two tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Oh, dear lord," Oishi fished in his pocket for a tissue and handed it to her. "She'll be in school tomorrow. Stop worrying." Of course, he himself was no exception. He'd feel better if Akane stayed in the hospital. So who was he to tell her to stop worrying?

Chiharu sniffled into her tissue. 'Why can't I just control my emotions? This is embarrassing…' "I just hate the thought of leaving her when she's ill. I can't do anything about it…"

Suzume punched her arm lightly. Though she was younger than Chiharu by a year, she was quite a bit taller. "Senpai, worrying won't help anything. We should just relax and go home."

They entered the car; Oishi in the front; Tezuka, Chiharu, and Suzume in the back in that order. Normally Tezuka would sit next to the driver's seat, but today he let Oishi have that privilege, mostly because Oishi knew his way around the district better than he did. Mostly because of that.

"It's too dark. Navigation should be handed to the most reliable person," he said. "We mustn't let our guard down."

The ride was uneventful. They were all tired, and didn't talk. Chiharu closed her eyes, half-asleep. Several times the car would drive over a bump and she would be jolted awake, but soon she was breathing evenly, in a deep slumber.

Tezuka felt a warm weight on his shoulder. He turned to inspect it. Chiharu had fallen asleep, leaning against his shoulder. He shifted slightly, but she did not awaken. He decided to leave it be. She looked so serene, so innocent…

When they reached Suzume and Chiharu's apartment, Suzume poked her. "Senpai…senpai… we're here!" Chiharu didn't move. She jiggled her. No success. "All that crying must have worn her out." Suzume concluded, letting out an exasperated sigh. Her expression was that of fondness, though. "I'll carry her up."

Instead, Tezuka opened the door and picked her up easily, bridal style, as if she were as light as a feather, surprising all of them. "Which floor?" he questioned quietly.

"Second." She led the way to the right building, but they didn't need to climb upstairs. Someone was waiting for her downstairs.

"Nii-san!" she said, surprised. And the last thing they expected Suzume to do happened; she leaped into his arms and he hugged her tight.

When he put her down, she introduced him to Tezuka. "This is my brother, Kai. Kai, this is our tennis team captain, Tezuka-buzhou."

Kai nodded in acknowledgment, noticing that Tezuka wasn't quite able to shake hands. "I've heard about you. Nice to meet you." He held out his arms. "I'll take her."

Chiharu stirred slightly when she was being transferred into Kai's arms, but didn't awaken.

Suzume looked at her brother. "So where is Ren-nii anyways?"

Suddenly, someone grabbed Tezuka by the scruff of his shirt and slammed him against the wall. Tezuka grunted from pain, sparks dancing before his eyes. He didn't even try to fight back; it seemed wrong.

"What did you do to her? What did you do to Oshiro-chan?" A voice demanded. When his vision cleared, Tezuka found himself staring into the eyes of… Kai? That didn't make sense. Kai had his arms full with Chiharu, unless he threw her at Suzume in the last second. Which made even less sense, since then he would've seen it coming.

"Well, there he is." Kai's voice said.

"Ren!" Suzume protested. "Let him go! He didn't do anything to Chiharu-senpai!"

The person immediately let go of Tezuka and ran to Suzume, scooping her up in his arms. "Are you ok?" he asked when he put her down and spun her a couple times, inspecting her.

"You should apologize, Ren." Kai told him.

Suzume introduced Ren to Tezuka. "My other brother."

Ren shook hands with Tezuka. "Sorry for attacking you. I thought something happened to Oshiro-chan, so I acted out of instinct…" He laughed embarrassedly. "I'm the older twin brother of Suzume's."

"By one minute and thirty seconds…" Kai said.

"So? I'm still older!"

"If you don't mind me asking…" Tezuka interrupted (politely but coolly). "What is your relationship with Oshiro-san?"

Both of them smiled. Ren reached over to smooth a lock of blue-gray hair away from her face. They said in unison, "She's our honorary little sister."

"Chiharu's an only child, and we just feel the need to look after her sometimes." Kai explained.

"I see." Tezuka replied. 'So that's why they were so protective of her…' For some reason, he felt… relieved. "I'll be leaving now. Good night."

As he departed, Ren and Kai looked at Suzume expectantly. "So that was the famous Tezuka Kunimitsu?"

She smiled. "Yes, it was. You think he's good enough for Chiharu-senpai?"

They glanced at his retreating form, then back at the sleeping Chiharu in Kai's arms. "We'll see."

It was a tiresome day, with too many unexpected events, too many accidents. Who knew, an innocent dinner at a sushi restaurant turned into a visit to the hospital emergency room. But as Shakespeare said, "All's well that ends well," and all team members were quite satisfied when they were tucked into bed. All was well.

Until they found out the brutality of the training menu the next day.

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End Chapter Four

A/N:

This chapter is dedicated to my southpaw table tennis doubles partner, who went to Thailand the year of the tsunami and never came back. I stopped playing ping-pong for several years because of that, but now I have taken it up again. I know he's watching me.

No idea, when I'll be updating. School and model united nations are taking over my life.