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"Hiyoshi," Tezuka began, "I want you to carry Echizen back to the temporary gathering place. Have someone wrap his leg there. We'll tend to it properly once we've set up a permanent base. Atobe and I will continue on to the warehouse." Hiyoshi nodded and stepped forward. Atobe and Tezuka pulled Echizen up by his arms and lifted him onto Hiyoshi's back, and the two set off back the way the trio had come.
--
"Senpai, I think I hear voices coming from over there." Choutarou rose and limped over to the closest tree, which he used for support as he leaned forward to investigate. Shishido looked up from where he had been ripping his shirt into shreds to bandage Ootori's leg.
"Choutarou, you shouldn't be standing on that leg," he reprimanded.
"Yes, Shishido-senpai, but I'm sure I heard voices," Ootori replied. "Let's go see, someone might be badly hurt." He turned to gaze at his doubles partner, his chocolate eyes brimming with worry. "If we don't find them close by, we can give up and I won't move again." Shishido frowned, ready to protest again, when Choutarou shot him a hopeful smile.
"Alright, we'll go see, but I am the one to define 'close by,' and you better stick to your word," Shishido grumbled. His doubles partner was far too.. He wouldn't dare say cute.. Far too.. Choutarou-ish to resist.
"Of course, senpai," Ootori replied, already beginning to limp away, toward the voices.
"Hey, hey, wait! You can't walk on that leg!" Shishido quickly caught up, and put a supporting arm around Choutarou's waist, helping him keep the weight off of his right leg. The pair had barely walked twenty feet when they came across the source of the voices - Inui and Kaidoh were leaning against each other, talking softly.
"Inui-san, Kaidoh-kun?" The two looked up at the voice, eyes wide.
"Ootori and Shishido of Hyoutei," Inui said, both in question and in greeting. "You two survived?"
"Obviously," Shishido replied, leading Choutarou over to where Inui and Kaidoh sat and settling him down. "How long have you two been here?"
"A while, I suppose, but I'm not sure how long we were unconscious for."
"Ah. Have you seen anyone else?" Ootori questioned.
"No one," Kaidoh growled.
"Neither have we," Ootori replied, sighing. "I hope everyone's alright."
"Can the two of you walk?" Shishido asked, eyeing Inui and Kaidoh with interest.
"I can't say I've tried," Inui admitted. Kaidoh shrugged before slowly rising. He took a few shaky steps before nodding. Inui followed suit, and soon, both were standing comfortably.
"Good. Now, we can take turns carrying Choutarou while we look for the others," Shishido ordered.
"I'm sorry to be such a trouble, Shishido-senpai, Inui-san, Kaidoh-kun," Ootori apologized, gazing at his leg in dismay.
"It's alright, Choutarou, it's not your fault," Shishido said, his voice softening. "Come on, I'll carry you first." Inui and Kaidoh pulled Ootori to his feet, and Shishido carefully lifted him onto his back.
"Okay," Inui started, surveying the land around them, "let's start that way."
--
"This is it," Atobe said, stopping in front of a well-sized building. The right side was slightly charred, and several of the windows were shattered, but other than that, it was in good condition. Tezuka pushed open the door and stepped into an open room, piled high with all sorts of supplies. "Most of the school's reserve supplies are stored here," Atobe informed him. "There should be a decent amount of food, water, bedding... Whatever you think we'll need is probably here." Tezuka nodded.
"This is excellent, Atobe. Thank you for recommending the area." He turned, expecting Atobe to make a comment about his general prowess, but instead, found his companion sheet white.
"My family.. I hadn't even thought of them until right now.. We're not particularly close, but.. There's no way to find out if they're alright, is there?" It was hardly a question. Tezuka remained silent for a moment, before answering anyway.
"I hadn't thought of my family, either. However, there's nothing we can do to help them now." Atobe nodded. "Let's go get the others," Tezuka finished, and started back toward the door. Atobe stood still for a moment, before his senses kicked in, and he followed.
--
"Do you think everyone else is alright? I mean, Fuji, Inui, Kaidoh, Shishido, Ootori, and Kabaji are all still out there somewhere, if.. They're.." Oishi trailed off, gazing around at his companions. Oshitari sat close to Gakuto, Hiyoshi had just finished wrapping Echizen's leg and was now gazing at Oishi intently. Kawamura was sitting next to him, and Jiroh sat beside Momo, more alert than Oishi had ever seen him. His eyes were trained on the grounds, searching for any sign of Atobe and Tezuka.
"I'm sure Fujiko and the others are okay," Taka assured Oishi, who was raking his hands through Eiji's hair, carefully separating the strands glued together by the acrobat's blood. "And I'm sure our families made it through, too." Oishi's eyes widened.
"I hadn't even thought of them," he exclaimed. There was a fervid exchanging of glances amongst the group as the thought surfaced in their minds.
"Well, I mean, there's no point wasting our energy worrying, right? There's nothing we can do right now," Momo offered hopefully.
"My sentiments exactly, Momoshiro." Tezuka stepped into the clearing, followed closely by Atobe.
"Buchou! Atobe!"
"Tezuka!"
The group eagerly circled around the returning pair, begging for information about their possible shelter. Tezuka and Atobe quickly explained the situation.
"We will move in the largest groups possible, in order to prevent numerous trips. However, it is my opinion that some of us should stay in the area, just in case more survivors wander in here. We're still missing-"
"Inui? Kaidoh?" Oishi cried, gently removing Eiji's head from his lap before standing up to greet his teammates. "And Shishido and Ootori, too! You all made it? Are there any more with you?" He glanced eagerly behind the group, but Inui shook his head.
"No, it's just us. Who else is here?" Inui asked, surveying the group. "I can hardly make out faces."
"Don't worry, Inui," Atobe's voice floated out from amongst the many blurs. "We have spare pairs of glasses in the warehouse."
"Warehouse?" Ootori asked as Shishido gently set him down beside Jiroh.
"Yes, Atobe suggested a storage building on the outskirts of campus as a good place to take refuge until we can uncover the reason behind this attack," Tezuka explained. "We are about to move everyone over to the building."
"Who else is here?" Inui repeated. "Tezuka, Ootori, Shishido, Kaidoh, Atobe, and Oishi's presences I am aware of. But who else?"
"Oshitari, Gakuto, Hiyoshi, Momoshiro, Jiroh, Kikumaru, Kawamura, and Echizen are all here as well," Tezuka replied.
"Ah.. So only two are missing, then?" Inui deducted.
"Yes. Kabaji and Fuji," Tezuka agreed. A long silence followed.
"Do you think," Kawamura began, but Tezuka quickly cut him off.
"Of course. Now, let's get moving. I think we can move in one large group now, provided everyone is careful and we keep a constant head-count. Atobe, if you would please lead the group yourself, I'd like to remain behind to search for F-..." he paused slightly, before shaking his head and continuing, "for survivors." Atobe eyed him curiously for a moment before nodding.
"Let's go, everyone."
--
The trip to the storage building was fairly uneventful. Those who could not walk were carried, while Tezuka and Momoshiro stayed behind to await what would have to be the miraculous arrival of Fuji and Kabaji. Momo could tell that Tezuka was on edge, for his eyes snapped up at the slightest rustle, and he paced restlessly, sometimes alerted by his own footsteps.
"Tezuka-buchou," Momo started carefully. Tezuka nodded for him to continue. "Do you think we should check the tennis courts? I mean, I know that's incredibly close to where the bomb hit, but you never know. Really, you never know." Tezuka was silent for a moment, before nodding his consent.
"It's a good idea, Momoshiro. Let's go."
The two set off toward the courts, their eyes respectfully skimming the faces of the few dead bodies for familiar features. They saw none, however, until they reached the tennis court gates. Tezuka noticed him right away, and hurried toward the body, his chest tightening as he went. Momo quickly followed him, catching sight of the figure moments after Tezuka had. The two knelt down beside the body, silent. It was a good minute before Momo spoke.
"Kabaji," he whispered. Tezuka remained quiet. Another silence settled over the pair before Momo spoke again. "Tezuka-buchou," he murmured, "there's someone under him." He pointed to a pale, slender hand protruding from Kabaji's lifeless body. Tezuka's heart jumped straight into his throat. Rising to his knees, he motioned for Momo to help him lift the body. The two carefully placed Kabaji on the ground, face up, so that his glazed eyes gazed peacefully at the sky. Closing his eyes in a brief prayer, Tezuka removed his jacket and gently covered Kabaji's head.
Shivering slightly at the feel of the autumn air against his bare skin, (he'd given his shirt to Oishi to bandage Kikumaru's wound) he turned back to the figure which, until moments ago, had been concealed by Kabaji. Momo mumbled a soft message to the gods before joining his captain. Sighing softly, he let his gaze fall to the body at his feet, mentally preparing another prayer for a departed, unnamed dead. As his eyes focused, however, his mouth dropped open. Before he could speak, Tezuka was kneeling beside the boy, measuring his pulse and checking his head and chest for wounds. Momoshiro knelt next to him, the shock beginning to wear off as he watched Tezuka remove the slightly bloody Regular's jacket from the thin frame and tear a sleeve off to stop a deep cut on a pale arm from bleeding. Tezuka leaned forward one last time to check his pulse before sitting back on his heels. He glanced at Momo, who looked utterly shocked.
"Kabaji," he explained, "must have been protecting him."
Momo shook his head lightly.
"I know, it's just that, of all people, I never thought Fuji-senpai would be the one closest to the courts."
Muaha.. Cliffhangers are much more enjoyable when you're not the reader. Have no fear, I'll update soon.. Hopefully. Reviews would be nice!
