Nya nya~! I know...this is ultimately strange...and is going reeeeally crazy...and of course, I hope to put Tezuka back to a guy...(pls refer to sakura2814-san's review for more info..^-^) Oh, and this is the last chapter for now, coz it'll be continued in the second sequel to ICBG. Hm...I think I'll call it '1000 Words'! And there is also an explanation later on why Atobe was actually at the pub, in the first place ^-^! So, any comments, please leave some before pressing the 'X' button on your browser!

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Tezuka was acting perfectly normal the next day at tennis practice. He, of course, generously gave out laps to anyone who disobeyed his orders or broke the rules.

"Unya~ Fuji, doesn't buchou seem a lil uptight today?"said Kikumaru.

"Ah, sou ne.."

Both of them observed the stern Tezuka as Tezuka gave laps to Kaidoh and Momo for fighting. No one knows how Tezuka feels inside, no one but himself, because he hides his emotions with his cool self.

After Tezuka dismissed the members of Seigaku, Fuji was spotted again with his girlfriend. Tezuka felt his blood boiling, but of course, he avoided seeing the couple together. He changed his clothes and quickly left for home to dump his racket and book bags in his house before Miyuki reached home. After that, he quickly adjourned to the pub he usually hung out at, 'The Ice Palace'. In his favourite casual clothes with his purple pendant[1], he walked slowly to the pub.

Though it was about 7 pm, the pub was already open. Tezuka made a decision to have dinner at the pub and lounge around till midnight. There were quite a number of people at the pub compared to those normal days.

"Excuse me, I'll have the special teppanyaki chicken[2] of the day,"Tezuka said to the bartender. The bartender nodded his head, and quickly went into the kitchen to relay the order to the chef. Meanwhile, Tezuka's ears perked up and caught what the people around him said.

"It's gonna be a crowded nite, eh?"said some person. The other person nodded his head.

"The Atobes' are doing a good job with this pub...I think it was wise for the young Keigo Atobe to invest on this pub."

Wait. Did they just say the name 'Atobe'? Isn't he the captain of Hyotei Gakuen's tennis club? Tezuka thought hard as he processed the data in his brain.

"Yeah, that young dude has got this place for kids 15 and above. Of course, the kiddo himself is 15."

Tezuka decided not to eavesdrop anymore, and payed attention to the paintings in the pub. Suddenly, someone patted Tezuka on the back.

"Ah, so your sister was right, Tezuka. You do even bother giving this pub some business,"said a voice from behind. Tezuka turned to the back and caught a glimpse of the pub's owner.

"Hello, Atobe-kun. Nice to see you here."

"Tezuka, you ought to stay here and watch the performance tonight. It should be one of the best, or rather, the best performance we are going to have for a while,"Atobe continued.

"Mm.."

"Better stay here, ok? I'm counting on you to watch it,"Atobe said before moving on to some other customers.

Tezuka gobbled down his teppanyaki in order to have some mugs of cold sake. The world around him became a little blur as he drank more sake. By 10 pm, people were flooding into the pub. Since Tezuka was early at the pub, he got a seat closest to the stage. It should be something spectacular, enough to make Atobe even ask his opponent to stay and watch. At first he thought it was a striptease, but thought twice whether to leave or not. After all, Atobe asked him to watch the performance.

Finally, it was show time. At 11 pm sharp, the MC for that event stood on the stage, adjusting her jacket.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, you all should have been waiting for a while, right? Finally, the main event of the day is about to begin. Are you all up to the challenge?"

The spectators all cheered.

"Okay, here we are, in the Ice Palace, presenting, Kiritani Yuko!" the MC said before leaving the stage, leaving all the lights on the singer for the day. The curtains were drawn.

"Ano hi kokoro no kanata ni, egaiteta basho ni iru...tohou ni kuretetari suru keredo mou modorenai....

Yume ni mita katachi to wa

nanimokamo ga chigau

genjitsu ni wa... memai sae suru……….

Riaru na sekai ni yureteru kanjyou

maketakunai

mou tada hashiru shikanai kono mune ni

kikoetekuru

kimi wa hitori jyanai..[3]" The girl sang with expression.

Tezuka felt himself warping into another world, into the song. She was a really good singer, able to warp her audience to somewhere else. She danced well, too. Tezuka could faintly see her shape as he was quite drunk, and couldn't focus much.

After the song, Tezuka heard everyone clapping and asking for encores. She smiled, and of course, continued with another song. Since Tezuka was too drunk, he just passed out, seated on the chair.

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"Ano, are you alright?"chimed a girl's voice in Tezuka's mind. He instantly opened his eyes, finding himself at the pub. Everyone had already left the pub, except for him, the girl and some other staff members.

"Ah? Yes. I'm fine. Now, I think I'd better...OUCH!" Tezuka said as he got up, slipping on a bottle of sake on the floor.

"You sure? Come on, I'll take you home. What's your address?"

Tezuka gave out his address to this mysterious girl. He remembered seeing her somewhere, but his mind sort of blanked out.

After a few minutes walk, Tezuka reached his home.

"By the way, what time is it?"

"About 2 in the morning. You better get some sleep. You need to go to school tomorrow, okay?"said the girl in reply before heading back.

"Wait. If you're really tired, you can stay at my house,"Tezuka offered.

"No thanks. I've got a home too. Ah, oyasumi!"she said before really leaving Tezuka alone.

"That girl...who is she?" thought Tezuka to himself before opening the door to his house.

TBC as '1000 Words'.

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Ahh! I've got this done, but I may take some time to start on '1000 Words'. Oh, and 1000 Words is the continuation of this short sequel..so...enjoy!

[1] – Yes...the purple pendant. I remember seeing some screencap of Tezuka wearing som purple pendant with this light purple shirt of his...^-^

[2] – Teppanyaki chicken. I don't really know what Japanese eat for dinner, so that's just my guess...

[3] – It's a extract of the lyrics of the song 'Real Emotion' for FF X-2, sung by Kouda Kumi. A rather nice song with a catchy tune. By the way, the song is NOT mine, and belongs to whoever who wrote the lyrics...^-^..and here's the translation of the extract, if you want it.

Translation..

I pictured myself somewhere far in my heart that day

It becomes dark in the distance, but I can no longer return

The shape I saw in my dream

Is different from everything

I become dizzy from reality

The feeling of swaying in the real world

I don't want to lose

The only thing I can hear from my heart is

to run.

You are not alone..

Lyrics from : Animelyrics.com...

So, have I been helpful? Sorry, I'm not that creative to compose a song, so I just used this song, Real Emotion. NOTE that it is NOT mine, and belongs to whoever who wrote it. Got it? Good.