CHAPTER 34
"So what's up with that kid anyway?" Asked Akaya while he stood there with his tennis bag on the floor next to his feet and hands behind his back.
"It's nothing you should worry about." Sei looked at the other and wondered what he was trying to get at. Sure, Ryoma could be strange but that didn't mean he should be singled out. "Why aren't you in class this afternoon then. If I remember right you had lessons started from midday." Kirihara looked out the corner of his eye to the captain.
"Ummm... I overslept." Sei let out a sigh. How could he not of guessed. If Akaya could, he would spend his whole day in bed and would only need to get up for dinner. They carried on having a small conversation when they saw Keigo Atobe storming up the streets with steam coming from his ears. He walked right up to them.
"Where's the Brat?" Sei smirked at him. God, he couldn't believe his luck. Turning to Kirihara he told him he was going to show Keigo to the courts. With that they said there goodbyes. Walking back into the school Sei knew it was now or never to bring it up.
"I'm impressed Keigo. Being able to keep your cool like that. Even when a pervert like you should have some idea of the questions that are going to come your way." As they went round the corner he saw Syu and signalled him to do something. Syu knowing exactly what to do, went up to them.
"Saa... Keigo I was wondering if I could take a look a this photo everyone's talking about. I've always wanted one of Mitsu in that pose." The Monkey Kings faced started to heat up. He was now wondering how many people this Brat had told. Unknown to him all Sei really told Fuji was that Keigo had a picture of Mitsu practically naked and the rest was being made up from the top of his head. But it seems he was doing pretty well for guessing. "I think you should talk to Tezuka and explain why you have it. After all Ryoma did explain in amazing detail." They both watched as Keigo paled. Walking faster when the two pointed to the court that Tezuka was on, he charged though the entrance and looked at the Seigaku captain with a red face.
"I did not take that photo, the Brat is lying." Keigo stated. Tezuka meanwhile stood there with a raised eyebrow.
"What photo?" The Hyotei captain froze. 'Why was he asking?' Was all that was running though his mind. Keigo looked into Mitsu's eyes to see he was completely serious. 'Is he making fun of me or something?' Looking around he saw Ryoma with Momo talking casually.
"Brat! What did you tell everyone?" He spoke out loud gaining the attention of others. Ryoma just watch as the King did his monkey act. It was quiet for a second before they all turned when they heard laughing. Sei and Syu where both trying to hold each other up as they held there stomachs. Keigo could feel the embarrassment of what he just did. Charging over to them he stood in front with bight red cheeks. "You idiots. Do you even know what any of this was about really?" Sei tried to straighten himself up.
"I guessing it was about a photo of you know who, who was only covered by very little." Sei wiggled his eyebrows. Keigo clenched his teeth together in frustration. He couldn't believe he got tricked.
"But what's the brat doing about it?" Keigo wondered out loud. "He seems to have a habit of just yelling out things."
"Ah, I sorted that out on the way here. It's a rule I came up with. What happens between any of us in the house stays in the house." Sei grinned knowing it was a good rule for the boy. He just needed to hope the cat stuck with it.
"Is that so if you and Syu get caught, Ryoma won't announce it publicly." Keigo said with a small smirk. Both the sadists looked at the King. "If you must know. Shan and my mother both like to gossip. It's quiet easy to hear when your sitting on a chair not far from them." Sei scratched the back of his head.
"You do realize that Mitsu now knows about the photo because of you... Well not the details, but he knows it something to do with a photo and Sei said between the house. So Ryo-Chan could still tell him." Keigo stood there stunned into silence as Syu announced what could really happen now.
Ryoma was now with Momo in the club room and listening to the other talk about doubles. "So it the outer line that's meant to be used, unlike in singles when you use the inner?" With a nod and grin from Momo. The trickster was happy that the boy was catching on to it so fast. He just hoped the boy would apply it to an actually match and not just here.
Meanwhile at the courts there was all this talk about having two other captains from other schools just showing up. Of course Horio was in the middle of it. "As you can see Seigaku is the best seeing as the captains from other schools themselves would come here to take a look personally. I even saw Rikkaidai's captain along with the vice playing a game against someone last week. They have nothing on our regulars. I bet with my two years tennis experience I could get some points off of them. Hell, I might even beat them."
Tezuka looking over to the small crowd started to get slightly annoyed. "Everyone, 20 laps." With hearing the groan he just added. "Make that 30." All mouths where now shut tight as one by one they started their punishment. Kunimitsu was still wondering what photo Keigo was talking about. It seemed by the looks on Sei and Syu's face that they knew, but wouldn't tell him any time soon.
Finally he decided to asked the one who would tell. Going into the club room he saw Ryoma and Momo talking about strategies. He stood at the door and listened in for a bit until he made his presences known. "Ah, Captain... Umm... We were just talking about different positions on the court."
"Momo I need to talk to Ryoma for a bit." With a nod Momo left saying that they'll finish this later. "Ryoma, I need to know what was in that photo." Straight away the boy looked somewhere else. Tezuka knew that if he boy wasn't covered he would be stroking his tail by now. It seemed he did that when nervous, sometimes jumping was included. Sitting down on the bench he waited for the boy knowing that being patient was better then forcing to get an answer.
"Are you going to read to me tonight? Promise?" With a nod from the captain the boy smiled slightly. "Ok, I'll tell you. Sei did say to keep these things in the family from now on."
"Family?"
"Sei said we're all family now." The boy nodded agreeing with himself. "You and Genichiro are the bosses. Sei's still a dog. Keigo is the monkey and Syusuke is a racoon." Tezuka tried not to asked, but it seemed the boy already caught on. "I saw a picture of one once and it kind of reminded me of a thief. That and like it was plotting something." Tezuka nodded telling the boy he understood.
"And what about the photo?"
"Oh, Monkey King had a picture of you naked in a secret place under his bed." Mitsu tried not to show his surprise. He didn't really mind. They did go out, but he wanted to know was when and how. Tezuka was normally good at keeping his guard up.
"What exactly did the picture show?"
"You asleep," 'Ahh, that's how.' "and you had this weird bed hair. You looked exhorted and was in a big bed." He knew later he was going to have to thank Sei for making that rule up, but he knew that it was probably more for the blunette's sake than anyone else's.
"Alright, thanks Ryoma. I'll send Momo back in here." He stood up and patted the boy on the head before leaving. The boy just watched the door until the trickster made his entrance again.
"What was that about?" Momo wondered out loud. The cat just shrugged his shoulders and sat down looking at the bored waiting for the other to continue.
It was the end of the day and Ryoma was walking home with Syu and Mitsu. It seemed that Sei had dragged Keigo back when he threatened that if the cat spoke of anything he would die his hair pink and find something of the cat's to break.
Entering the house they smelled food coming from the kitchen. Ryoma being as excited as ever knowing his belly was going to get full soon rushed into the kitchen. There was an elder man standing at the stove. He was between the age of mid 40's to early 50's. "Butler Tomo!" Ryoma said in excitement and hugged the mans waist. The man smiled at the way the boy called him as he tried to juggle a frying pan and keep his balance from the force of the cat crashing into him.
Ryoma had known the man from the time the Atobe's brought him over to America to help Shan, Kazu and Emon look after the boy. It seems that the boy was more work than the actual housework its self. Tomo or as Ryoma calls him Butler Tomo was of course one of the head workers at the Atobe's mansion. He knew what to do and seemed to get things on time. He disciplined the staff accordingly and gave the praise when he thought best. He even raised Keigo most of the time seeing as his parents went abroad a lot for business.
Tomo had grown attached to Ryoma. He was no chief but he took great happiness when the boy would sit down and enjoy every meal he ate. The boy also would talk to him about everything that he had got up to that day it made the man smile as the boy would tell his tales.
He had just told Ryoma to sit on a chair at the table. Ryoma did that and then went into his whole story so far of being in Japan and not leaving much detail out. From catching Syu and Sei to telling him how sad he was that Shan left.
Gen arrived around 5pm and went straight to his room after greeting everyone to unpack his final few things. Dinner started at 6 and that's when the arguments started. "Ore-Sama demands you pay for the TV you broke you Brat." Keigo said as he took another bite.
"Nuh uh, that was your fault and besides, I'm not the pervert." Ryoma crossed his arms and shook his head. Tomo had decided to join the teens at the table and could only imagine what was going to be the turn out for all of this. Syu and Sei where having the time of their lives watching as the great king lost his temper with someone.
"That has nothing to do with the TV you brat. You're just trying to change the subject." Keigo had stood up with both his hands on the table and leaned over into the boys face as he spoke.
"You're just angry because I've found that picture of Kunimitsu naked in a box under you bed. Just admit it. Your a pervert who takes pictures of people when they sleep." It was then that both Gen and Tomo started to choke on their meals. Tezuka had gone to ignoring the whole situation and eating like normal. After all he'll just find the picture later and either burn it or hide it in a better place for Keigo's sake, if it's not as bad as Ryoma had made it out to be.
"That's it." The king placed his cutlery down on the table. "I am going to get you and I will make you into a bloody cake." The cat's ear picked up a bit at that.
"Really, I like cake." Keigo lunched himself at the boy as the boy fled the room and ran upstairs. He went straight for the bathroom and locked the door as fast as he could.
Downstairs everyone had recovered and carried on eating as if the banging and screaming where perfectly normal. It didn't take long for Tomo to finish and he picked up Keigo's and Ryoma's plates and wrapped them before he stuck them in the fridge for later. "Right I'll be going. I'll be here tomorrow and I'll let myself in. Please make sure when Ryoma comes to eating his dinner that none of you let him put it in the microwave on his own. The last time ended badly as Ryoma like the reaction it got when you put metal in. Half the kitchen was destroyed. Such a pity as well. I liked that place." With his goodbyes he left for the day.
That night no one got to use the bathroom so they all shared the downstairs one. It seems Ryoma was one hundred per cent sure that Keigo was really going to bake him. So that night as everyone went to bed and the cat didn't get Kunimitsu to read to him seeing as he was still protecting himself for the evil clutches of the Monkey King. That and Mitsu didn't knock on the door to remind him. The boy had found it rather comfortable to sleep in the tub. He had gotten rid of all his clothes except his boxers and he curled himself up. But unknown to him his nightmare where making there way into his head.