CHAPTER 44
It was now Ryoma and Inui that were having the staring contest. Unknown to the boy it seemed that his tail had some how force it way out of the back of him trousers. He could control it, but he had just gotten so use to the extension as being a part of his body that he didn't notice he had done it. It was sticking out from under the table slightly. No one had noticed and seemed to focused on the sushi that was still left and their conversation they where having.
It was when Eiji was trying to be sneaky and get more sushi so he went for Syusuke's plate when he wasn't looking. Quickly sticking it into his mouth only to remember of the tensai's unique taste. He suddenly go up and ran to the counter to asked for a drink. Completely ignoring where he was stepping only to slip and fall when he trod on Ryoma's tail.
That's when everything got worse. Ryoma yelped in pain hitting his head on the table and digging his claws into Inui's leg who stood up because it hurt which knocked over a glass of water onto Momo lap making it look like he had wet himself. Eiji was on the floor holding his head and his feet had landed on the table which held a plate of sushi. The sushi flew and landed on Kaidoh's head who gave off a hiss. The ones who had managed to avoid being in the incident watch with surprise at how much could happen with only someone stepping on another's tail... tail?
"Tezuka..." Oishi looked wide eyed at the scene.
"Yeah," Tezuka took his eyes off the others and looked at Oishi.
"Ryoma has a tail." Everyone in the room froze when he said that. All pain forgotten all of them even the news reporter and Kawamura's father stared at the table that the cat was under. The boy couldn't care. 'Damn it' He was in pain and it was all Eiji's fault for steeling that sushi from Syu. Everyone knew never to take Syu's food, it's too dangerous.
"Yeah." Kunimitsu finally replied. He had also just some to the realization that the boy had just been found out by everyone in the room. They all turned their attention back to the table when they heard Ryoma moving underneath it. It was Eiji though, that gave the entire thing away.
"Nya!" He squealed in excitement. "O'chibi had a kitty cat tail along with his kitty cat ears." Eiji could feel the excitement building up inside him. He loved things that didn't make any sense and that had anything to do with cats. He started to shake and he suddenly burst with his arms flying outwards. "O'chibi is so cool. I want a tail and ears too, nya!"
"Wait, he has ears as well..." Inui commented. After he had finally got some of his composure back.
Under the table Ryoma was shaking for a whole different reason. He was scared and wanted to leave. He looked around for the door the see it on the other side of the room. Deciding to just chance it he leaped from under the table and ran for his life for the door. Sadly this was Ryoma and nothing really turns in his favour. He was just about to open the door and step out when he felt someone slip their arm round his waist and pull him away slamming the door shut as well making sure that he wouldn't escape.
Tezuka had seen the boy make a break for it. He saw his tail still out and acted without thinking. He rushed to the door and slammed it shut bring one arm round the boy's waist. He pulled Ryoma to his chest and turned both of them round so that they were facing the others. He could feel the boy's shaking. All Mitsu could think was that this secret didn't really last very long.
Ryoma gripped Mitsu's arm hoping he would let go, but he stood there not even bothered by the poor attempt. "Ryoma." Mitsu spoke up after having enough of the boy's squirming. "If you left everyone outside would of seen you." The boy stopped and looked up at the captain. Ryoma had got a pout on his lips. His tail, the cause of everything, had come up and gripped the wrist of the arm around his waist. Mitsu was about to speak again when the older Kawamura spoke.
"So you're the chimera that Kunikazu and Gen'emon found." Ryoma looked at the owner of the restaurant. "If you must know they are two of my best customers. Normally play shogi here when there not working. I just had a feeling when I first saw that you where the child they kept talking about. Even if they never mentioned your name here the way you act just gives it away." He smiled at the boy. He now understood why the two police officers where so protective of him. Even if he had been though torture he was innocent of living in the real world. Simple things could mean so much more to the boy than something expensive. "Want me to make you more sushi?"
Tezuka's loosened his grip as Ryoma nodded and moved to sit on a stool to watch the elder prepare the fish. With Ryoma distracted he knew he was going to have to explain to the other's now all about this. What was worse was that there was a reporter. It was lucky Inoue was the one and not someone else otherwise it could of ended badly. He was just relived that the freshmen had gone home. He couldn't guess how fast it would of spread round the school if Horio found out.
Tezuka along with Fuji's input every now and then gave them the washed down version of what happened to Ryoma. Leaving as much as they could out. Some questions they got they had to answer others they couldn't because only the cat knew and he wasn't going to part with the information anytime soon. Ryoma was chowing down on the sushi he was given and had tucked his tail back into his trousers.
It was when the others that had just figured out that they were getting no where, did Inui ask Ryoma. "Echizen, I was wondering if you could tell me why you took the name Ryoma Echizen. Seeing as that child died when he was 2?" He was curious about this question. He wanted to know why he would take the name of a child who was already dead and not of his original. Ryoma frowned and Mitsu and Syu exchanged looks. Knowing that the boy didn't take very well to being told that he shouldn't exist. Inui decided to expand on it. "You must of been one of the children who where reported missing, right?" Ryoma shook his head.
"Ryoma Echizen was my birth name." He looked at them. He didn't get why he was asking. He knew he was dead, but he thought that Shan had sorted it all out. "And I wasn't missing." Even Eiji and Momo hadn't had much information about it and where trying the get what the boy meant.
"But Ryoma..." Oishi said getting his attention. "From what Tezuka and Fuji said they only went after orphaned children and they would of been reported missing." The cat didn't like talking about it. It hurt him saying things that he doesn't remember that well and only what his master kept repeating every time he asked.
"I didn't go missing." He took in a deep breath. "My mother sold me." Silence... That's all he got for answering their question. Going to Mitsu and Syu he grabbed both of there hands. "Can we go home?" He didn't want to be here anymore. With a nod they said goodbye to everyone and thanked Kawamura for the food before leaving.
Everyone in there couldn't believe that a mother would sell her own child. "Nya, do you think O'chibi will be alright. He didn't seem very happy when he told us?" The all exchanged looks and thought over what had just happened.
Inui had abandoned his note book and just stood there thinking. He was shocked. The amount the child had been though. He at this point then decided to start a new notebook and he was going to use it to find all the past information on the boy and all the secrets he was hiding.
Ryoma had kept behind them as the 3rd years walked. "Ryoma, What did Syu whisper to you earlier?" Tezuka turned his head slightly and looked at the boy from the corner of his eye. Mitsu had asked Syu, but it seemed the tensai didn't want to part with the information. Ryoma thought for a second back to the courts after they had just won against Fudomine.
"Oh, he said I could sleep with him and Sei in the same bed tonight." Mitsu looked at Syu with a raised eyebrow. 'So that was his plan.' He thought.
They arrived home and where met with Sei with his finger over his lips telling them to be quiet. He pointed to the lounge. All three took a peek in and saw Gen sprawled out on the sofa with an arm over his eyes. Ryoma took quick notice that the sliding door had finally been fixed and the TV was replaced with a new one. Before letting his attention go back to the one asleep. "What's wrong with him?" Ryoma asked as he opened the door a bit more and walked in. Sei, Syu and Mitsu followed wondering what the boy was going to do. Ryoma unclipped his hood and pulled it off his head. Sei looked at Gen before sitting on the chair that wasn't occupied.
"He just came home and collapsed on the chair. I think the other's must of given him a hard time again. The Rikkaidai regulars can be rather lively sometimes." Ryoma stood next to the sofa and poked Gen on the cheek. He smiled when he saw the other twitch slightly. The three kept an eye on Ryoma as they carried on their talk. "So anything happen today?" They watched as the cat tried to moved Gen's arm off his face.
"Yeah, all the regulars found out Ryoma's secret along with the tennis news reporter, Inoue and one of our regulars father." Syu answered like it was an everyday occurrence. Ryoma couldn't get the other to move his arms and stomped his foot before turning to the one's awake.
"He's not moving." Ryoma pointed at one lying on the sofa. Sei and Syu smiled when they saw Gen lips move into a smile, while his arm still covered his eyes. Mitsu was just wondering what the boy was going to do next, seeing as Ryoma gets more imaginative when there something he's trying to get.
"Hey Ryo-Chan, You could always poke Gen up the nose." Sei said as a joke knowing not to take it seriously.
The boy stood there thinking and finally agreed. Getting one of his fingers he poked it up one of the holes of Gen's nose. Genichiro shot up and looked at Ryoma who's finger was still up his nose. "Are you awake now?" Ryoma asked so innocently.
"Yeah," Gen said still slightly disturbed that the child would go that far just to wake him. "You can take your finger out now." Ryoma pulled his finger back and wiped it on Gen's shirt after he inspected it to make sure he didn't take anything with him.
"Here you can have your bogies back." Syu and Sei had their mouths covered and were crying from Gen's reaction. You could hear the giggles that were escaping their lips. Mitsu seemed to of left the room after what Ryoma did. He had gone into the kitchen and leaned forward with both hands on the table. His shoulder shanking as he tried to stop himself from laughing out loud. 'Damn...' He thought. 'I love that kid.' He could feel his whole body freeze at what he just thought. 'I love him...' He said in his head again.
