Kyandi: Hey everyone! So as a reply to one reader no I did not mention what she forgot in the locker room because, one, that's coming up in the plot and two I'm focusing on Tezuka for the moment.
Hikari: She'll get to it don't worry.
Kyandi: If the way I'm setting up the plot seems weird to you….blame my muse.
Kyandi's Muse: Hey! I work very hard!
Hikari: Kyandi-sama lets move on before your muse starts a riot.
Kyandi: Right! So enjoy and review!
Hikari: Kyandi-sama does not own Prince of Tennis!
Chapter 10 Thoughts of a Siren
A small buzzing sound breaking the silence of his room, made Tezuka look from his desk. He followed the noise to a small gray bag laying at the foot of his bed. He quacking recognized it as Hikari's from the big double H printed on the front.
The girl had been by earlier that day to bring him some training regiments that she and Inui had come up with and wanted to run by him. She must have forgotten the small bag when she left. Tezuka was not usually a nosy person but when it came to someone like Hikari who kept everything to herself unless asked directly, he couldn't help being curious.
He grabbed the small bag off the bed, setting it on the desk in front of him before opening it. Right on top was the small silver device that was causing the buzzing noise. Tezuka pulled out the small cellphone looking at the name on the screen: Atobe.
Tezuka took one look at the name and pushed the ignore button. What was Atobe doing calling Hikari anyway. They were on two opposite teams after all. Tezuka sat the phone aside and looked in the bag again.
Hikari didn't carry much besides her phone and wallet. There was a small photo book with pictures of her brothers, uncle, and her friends in it. Tezuka flipped through the book finding several pictures of their teammates before he found one of him standing off to the side of the court watching a match, his arms crossed over his chest.
The next one was of him as well, except this one showed him in a match. Tezuka had never seen Hikari with a camera so how she had come across taking these pictures was beyond him. And most of the pictures were really good.
At the end of the picture book he found a picture of Hikari, sitting on a bench in the middle of her garden, reading a book. One of her brothers must have taken the picture because in one corner Tezuka could see the tip of a thumb.
Tezuka stared at the picture for a moment before slipping it out of it see through slip. He propped the picture up on the corner of his desk before setting aside the book. Besides a few random objects like a small first aid kit and a mint, the only other thing in the bag was Hikari's infamous data log.
The freshman seemed to carry the thing with her wherever she went and could always be found adding even more information into it. It was basically an old leather bound book with different colored tabs sticking up out of it.
Hikari had once explained to them that the tabs symbolized importance. There were seven different colored tabs all being ranked from least important to most important. There was pink, yellow, red, green, purple, blue, and silver.
She had told them that the least important was pink then yellow, green, purple, red, blue, and then finally silver. There were several blues bunched into groups, one of which was the information on their teammates, but there were few reds or purples, leaving most of the others pink, yellow, or green. But out of all the tabs, only about four or five, were silver.
Tezuka was instantly drawn to one silver tab that supported a large blue T on it. He instantly opened the heavy book to the marked page only to be met with his name in bold, neat script at the top of the page. He thumbs through a few pages skimming over all the information Hikari had on him. He had never known she had really paid that much attention to his tennis, let alone anything else.
Then he reached the last few pages which was devoted solely to information not related to tennis. Tezuka skimmed down the list.
Birthday: October 7
Height: 179cm
Weight: 58kg
Blood Type: O
Favorite Subject: History
Favorite color: blue
Favorite food: Grilled eel with special sauce
Favorite Spot in School: Library
Favorite Quote(s): "The enemy exists within oneself" and "Don't let your guard down" (Says the last one at least once a day)
Favorite Movies: Famous Classics regardless of if their Japanese or not
Favorite books: Western
Favorite music: Classical (Beethoven)
Most Desired Item: A photo book of famous mountains in the world (Give him copy for birthday)
Daily Routine: Writing in journal
Things he Doesn't like: Neglecting one's work
Other special Skills: Fishing, woodwork
School Committee: Student Council (President)
Hobbies: Mountain climbing, camping, fishing, and karate(Note: Boy needs a social life)
Tezuka raised an eyebrow at the little comments she left throughout the list. There were several things he had never noticed that she had. Then again the girl had a knack to noticing things over people over looked or simply didn't pay attention to.
Tezuka closed the book, his eyes instantly finding the picture he had sat on his desk of her just moments before. Hikari noticed the littlest things about others, because that was her job. She collected data of all types and worked out what could be used against someone else in a match, like height, reach, and other things.
But why did he notice all the littlest things about her? He had no need to pay attention to that kind of things unless he was trying to read her movements in a match. So why did he notice? It just seemed like his mind latched on to every little bit of information he got on the girl.
He knew her favorite color was silver, that she loved meat buns, and that her favorite subject was Literature. It showed in how much silver she usually wore outside of tennis and school. How whenever the team went out as a group she always ordered meat buns. And how she always had some form of literature on her at all times.
Tezuka sat the book back in her bag trying to think of the reason. Just then his phone rang. Tezuka picked up the phone and looked at the name on the screen: Fuji. He was instantly greeted with Fuji's voice when he answered. "Hey Tezuka."
"Hello Fuji. What is it?" he asked. "You sound distracted. What's wrong?" Fuji asked. Tezuka debated on whether or not to share with Fuji what he was thinking about, but Fuji, being the genius he was rumored to be, was one step ahead of him.
"It's about Hika-chan, isn't it?" Tezuka stared at the phone for a minute. Even after almost six years with Fuji, Tezuka still had to wonder how the boy did that. When he didn't reply though Fuji took that as a yes and heaved a sigh.
"Really Tezuka how long is it going to take you to realize that you like her?" Fuji asked. "I don't." was Tezuka's reply. "Really? Tezuka…what's her shoe size?" Tezuka didn't see what that had to do with anything and simply answered. "Seven." He replied.
"Her favorite color? Her favorite flower?" Fuji asked. "Silver is her favorite color and her favorite flower is a lily." Tezuka replied before thinking. "Only three people outside her brothers know what her favorite flower is Tezuka and that's you, me, and her cousin Ohtori-san. And if I remember right…she never told you what her favorite flower was, so how do you know?"
Tezuka paused as he thought over Fuji's words. He knew because he had gone and asked her oldest brother, Sosuke, trying to get an idea on what to get her for her birthday that year. Then it hit him. Tezuka pinched his nose as he let out a sigh.
Without even noticing it, he had become attached to Hikari and in more than just a friends kind of way. "See? I told you. Now that you know, tell her. If you don't you're just going to end up beating yourself up over it." Fuji added his tone a little too cheerful for Tezuka's taste.
"Goodbye Fuji." Tezuka said, slightly annoyed at the other boy. Tezuka heard a soft chuckle before Fuji replied, "I'll see you tomorrow Tezuka" before hanging up.
Tezuka sat his phone down next to Hikari's. He could already feel a headache coming. To think that he had been worried about her becoming attached to him, when it was clearly the other way around now. Tezuka looked at the picture before getting to his feet, dropping Hikari's phone back into her purse. He might as well return it to her.
For now he would just push the thought aside and focus on returning the bag. He would think about it again later…when he didn't have to face the girl in question.
END
Kyandi: Okay, done!
Hikari: Your done...for now.
Kyandi: Yeah…for now. I have to update other stories before I update this one again.
Hikari: So for now we're going to leave all of you readers to review and we'll be back with another chapter soon!
Kyandi: Enjoy! BYE!