CAT CAUGHT MY HEART: DAY VII—SEIGAKU TENNIS CLUB
"Where is Kisara?" Tezuka checked his watched impatiently. It was 10 o'clock Saturday morning, and the Seigaku Tennis Club practice was almost over, but still there was no sight of the young tennis player. The Tokyo final is in two days and everyone was getting a bit critical.
"Maybe her face had taken a more serious toll." Oishi hung his head beside him, a guilty expression on his face.
"A smart little creature like her, she would have called us." Fuji cocked his head and remarked, not to any particular person.
"Besides, she's so determined on playing tennis correctly and learning more and playing better, I doubt that she would not come just because of her face." Eiji sang out while bouncing a tennis ball.
"Maybe she's shy." Taka-san jogged over, and after hearing what Eiji said, put in, his face flushing. "Girls are very sensitive about their looks." He added in a murmur.
"Nonsense." Kaidoh scoffed. "Not Kisara."
"You're just an old grouch because I beat you, Mamushi." Momo came over and teased. Kaidoh sent him a look that could kill and hissed. Momo narrowed his eyes and growled right back. they were eye to eye when Oishi broke them up.
"Cut it out guys." He sighed. "Well, nothing we could do. Shall we take off then, Tezuka?"
"Yes." Tezuka was looking at a portfolio. "No practice tomorrow, rest up for the matches on Monday." The group scattered.
"Yes, a free day, a free day!" Eiji whistled as he began walking toward the main street.
"Eiji!" A voice shouted behind him. The redhead turned around and grinned.
"Oishi!" His friend caught up to him and tried to catch his breath. Eiji tried to help but not succeeding by hitting his friend on his back.
"Hey," the vice-president said once he caught his breath. "I'm going by the Echizen residence, do you want to come along?"
"Echizen? Oh, you want to see if Kisara is all right? Sure." He shrugged. "Why not?" Then he winked. "I don't even know where that kid lives, I probably should, huh?"
"Yeah." They walked in silence to the address written on the paper scribbled by Tezuka at the last minute.
"I think this is it." Oishi commented as he saw the large "Echizen" forged on a piece of silver metal. They walked into the large courtyard and stopped at the door. He rang the bell, and Eiji hummed a tuneless tune. Nobody answered the door.
"Funny…" Oishi muttered as he rang the bell again. Still no one. He tried the knob. "Hey…it's unlocked!" He frowned, usually, unlocked door mean something bad. Eiji stopped his humming and grabbed Oishi's elbow.
"Oishi," he warned, now serious. "We really shouldn't."
"I know." But a sixth sense told Oishi that something was wrong. The house seemed abandoned and there was not a sign of life all around the Echizen property. He mentally battled between being respectful, or being cautious. Then he remembered Kisara and the cautious side won. He quietly turned the doorknob.
"Oishi!" Eiji hissed in a loud whisper as he looked around nervously. He pulled at his friend more anxiously. "Come on, let's go. There's no one home."
"Just one peek, Eiji." Oishi said firmly, trying to reason with companion. "We won't touch anything. If no one's home, then we'll come back another day and apologize for going into the house. If someone's home, we'll just confess right now."
"They'll think we're high school delinquents…or thieves!" Eiji moaned, but Oishi knew he had won the argument. The two boys tiptoed into the house, looked around, and seeing no one, shrugged. Eiji silently pointed at the stairs and mouthed,
"Upstairs?" Oishi nodded and they sneaked upstairs. The two looked back and forth on the long hallway.
"Which way?" They asked as the same time. After a few gestures and a few rolling eyes, the Golden Pair decided the spilt up. Eiji went right, and Oishi went left. Taking their time and respecting the household the best they could, they peeked into the rooms one by one.
Eiji looked from room to room, and sighed. They're not going to find anything. Oishi was just too guilty-ridden. Finally, he reached a room with a sigh that said "Ryoma Echizen." Pausing for a moment, then smirking, Eiji opened the door and looked it. It would be interesting to see exactly how much of a genius Ryoma Echizen really was. He was expecting to see a bunch of trophies in a messy room full of tennis posters, but what he did see caused him to call out urgently to Oishi, forgetting to be quiet.
"Hey, Oishi, come here. She's over here!"
Oishi came in and they stared at the curled-up ball under the blanket. The form was trembling, as if she couldn't get warm, and occasionally, they could hear a low whimper of discomfort coming from under. Bookbags and racket cases were dropped as they hurried over, unsure of what to do.
"Oi, Oishi," Eiji hovered around, his hands above the blanket, uncertain of what to do. His brows were furrowed up in concentration, as he looked toward his friend for further instructions. "What should we do?"
"Well," Oishi sounded as blank and worried as he looked. "We should probably have a look, if she's shaking like this, it can't be good. And I don't see anyone else around…" His green eyes were very troubled as he leaned down and murmured, "Let's have a look-see…c'mon…"
He gently lifted the covers and the first thing he saw was a mass of hair. Rich dark chocolate brown had spilled everywhere and among the cloud, Oishi saw Kisara's face. He lightly laid a cool hand on the little girl's forehead and drew back in horror at the feverish burning of her temperature. Not only that, but he also noticed that she was struggling for every uneven breath. And when she breathe, a little wheezing sound with come along with the shallow breath.
"Gracious!" Eiji was exclaiming beside him. "What cold hands!" He instinctively began rubbing them, hoping to bring back some warmth and blood circulation.
"Eiji," Oishi straightened up. "This is serious." He moved briskly toward the washroom he had seen down the hall, all the while talking to Eiji. "Call Tezuka and Fuji, tell them that Kisara is very ill. She has a fever and probably something more serious. And tell them that there is no one here to watch over here at the Echizen resident. They'll know what to do."
"I'll call them right now." With that, Eiji dashed off in search for the phone, glad to have something useful to do.
"And meanwhile, I'll try to bring down her temperature." He called as Eiji disappeared down the stairs.
When Eiji returned, he saw that his friend was stooped over little pinched white face tenderly, one hand grasping hers and the other dabbing her forehead with his handkerchief and laying another cool towel on her forehead. He was murmuring something to Kisara that Eiji couldn't hear, but Eiji could tell that his voice was soothing and gentle. His soft-spoken, gentle voice obviously calmed the younger girl as the tired lines of her face relaxed and she began to breathe more evenly.
"I called Tezuka and Fuji," he finally said, crossing the room. "They both said they'd be here shortly." The frown had yet to seize on his brow. "Hey," he said suddenly, his voice quiet. "Is she going to be okay?"
Oishi stood up and looked at his friend. "I'm sure she will be." He reassured. "With all of us together, we're sure to figure something out." Eiji sighed.
"I sure hope so." He looked over at the girl and gently brushed back a silky lock of her hair. "I've grown fond of her."
"Yes," Oishi managed a small smile. "So have I."
By the time Tezuka and Fuji got to the Echizen's residence, Oishi and Eiji had developed a smooth routine of changing the washcloths for cooler ones. The acrobatic tennis player had soothed her uncomfort and hummed her to sleep as cozily as any woman.
"How is she?" Tezuka set down a tote that he and Fuji had brought with them. He took off his jacket and walked toward Kisara. His authoritative manner immediately calmed the atmosphere of the room.
"Not very well." Oishi answered shortly, shaking his head, his eyes never leaving Kisara's face. Her face was burning and flaming on the surface, but the others could see how pale it was underneath. Eiji was sitting at the side of her bed, replacing a new cloth on Kisara's hot forehead. Every time she breathes, a little wheezing sound still accompanies it. Her face was flushed and when she coughed, she coughs so hard that it could knock a person's breath out for good.
"Hot…" They could hear her mumbling in her unconscious state. "Hot…Ryoma-kun…" Eiji moved away and Tezuka took his place.
"Shhh…" He brushed back Kisara's hair and felt her forehead. "She is hot." For the first time, a troubled look took over his features. "Fuji?"
Fuji willingly took the seat that Tezuka had just stood up from. He had to say, even though Eiji was a casual and easygoing guy, he was attending to his duty faithfully. For the past half an hour, he had changed a cold wash cloth every two minutes minutes, nonstop. Though the little patient did not wake and showed no sign of consciousness as he held a cool towel against her forehead, the lines of pain smoothed themselves away and left her face quiet and peaceful. Fuji sat down, looking solemnly at the feverish figure. They would find a way to cure her.
"Where did I put the thermometer?" Tezuka was muttering to himself as he rummaged through the tote.
"Maybe," a voice said helpfully by the doorway. Oishi and Eiji turned, and found Inui standing against the doorframe. "A dose of my special juice would help?" He sounded hopeful.
"If it doesn't kill her first." Oishi was exasperated. "What are you doing here? How did you know Kisara was sick?"
"Oh…" Inui pushed his glasses up and pointed to Fuji. "I met Fuji on the way and he told me that she was in a bad shape." He walked closer to the bed peeked down at her. "However, her cheek doesn't seem to be any worse."
"It was already bad enough!" Eiji pointed out haughtily. "How much worse could it get?"
"She could have shattered her cheekbone, for one." Inui replied chillingly.
"That's enough." Tezuka gave them a look before turning back to the thermometer in his hand. "It's a high fever. 106˚. She should be delirious."
"What are we going to do?" Oishi pressed worriedly. Fuji lay a hand on the vice-president's shoulders.
"We'll bring down her fever first. Then, we'll see."
"Right—oi?" Eiji's ears perked up as he heard something outside. He poked a head out the window and saw Taka-san coming up the path with a package in his hand. He was whistling and doing a little jig while he walked. Eiji sweatdropped unwillingly.
"Hey, Taka-san!" He hollered down, waving as his friend looked up, a bewildered expression on his face. "Whacha doing? What's in your hands?"
"Eiji?!" Taka-san shouted back. "What are you doing here? Where's Kisara?"
"She's very sick!! She's—" Eiji didn't finish as Oishi yanked him back and hissed, putting a finger to his lips.
"Shush! Tell him when he comes up, don't yell in here. Kisara's already bad enough as she is. We don't need to make her deaf, too!"
"Hey, guys!" Taka-san was gasped for breath as he appeared by the door. Apparently, he had ran up the stairs. "What's up? What's going on here?"
"Oishi and Eiji decided the check on Kisara when she didn't show up for practice and found that she was down with a cold and a fever." Fuji explained, standing up. He smiled a small smile. "She'll be okay."
"She's really pale." Inui frowned. "And she looks like she hadn't eaten in days. Eiji," he suddenly said. "Go check the refrigerator. See if there's anything she could eat if she wakes up. She should probably have something to eat as soon as she's conscious."
"Okay." Eiji headed for downstairs.
"I'll go with you." Taka-san volunteered. "I brought over a plate of sushi," they heard him tell Eiji. "Maybe we can find something else to go with that."
"Hot…I'm hot…" Kisara was tossing and turning on the bed. Tezuka covered her hand with his own and talked in a calm, composed voice until Kisara had dropped back to a restless, feverish slumber. Even though he wasn't showing it, the captain of the tennis team was growing anxious at the feverish color that burned on the girl's cheeks. Fuji alone saw how distressed Tezuka was. He followed as Tezuka walked out the door of Arielle's room, closing it quietly behind him.
"What are we going to do, Tezuka?" Fuji ventured to ask. Tezuka let out a deep breath.
"Fuji, I really don't know. We'll have to do the best we can."
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Why is it so hot? And why do I have a headache? Kisara's mind was a blur as she tried to clear it. Where's Ryoma-kun? Why am I so tired…? Questions filled her mind and before she fell back into the bliss of darkness, one last question floated through her thoughts.
Why are there so many voices around me…?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
"No food." Taka-san reported as he and Eiji bounced back up the stairs.
"Nothing?" Tezuka frowned.
"Nope." Eiji spoke up. "All there is in the refrigerator is a carton of milk…and a plate of Taka-san's sushi."
"The cupboards, cabinets…anything?"
"Nothing."
"How strange." Fuji looked just a puzzled as Tezuka. "What has she been eating the whole week? You would have thought if the Echizen family knew she was coming, they would have stocked up the house…"
"Maybe—" Taka-san was just about to say, but he was interrupted by loud, angry voices arguing from outside.
"I told you, Mamushi! I was here before you. I have already made plans!" Momo's voice could be heard.
"Shut up! Who do you think you are?" Kaidoh hissed back. "You're just going to make her worse, playing her with your skills. Why don't you just leave the work to me?! She doesn't need anyone to mess her up right now."
"Me?!" Momo snapped right back.
"Quiet down out there!" They both looked up to see Tezuka, his lips set firmly and his face unpleased.
"Tezuka?" They both said in unison. They looked at each other dumbfounded, then turned back to Tezuka.
"Yes, we're all here." Fuji stuck his head out as Tezuka pulled himself in. "We were wondering when you two were going to show up."
"What's wrong? A party that no one told me about?" Momo, still in a bad mood, grumbled.
"Quite the contrary. Kisara is not in a very good shape right now. We brought finally brought her fever down, but she's still unconscious."
"Fever?" Momo gasped. And at the same time, Kaidoh's eyes widened, "Unconscious?"
"Just come on up, guys," Inui's voice came from the door. He held the door open as they entered. Kaidoh and Momo's jaws dropped open as they saw the whole tennis team lounging around the house. "And join the group."
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
The darkness around her gradually lifted to a soft light as Kisara slowly regained consciousness.
Foggy… where am I? The scent…I'm back in Ryoma-kun's room. I remember now… I must have fallen asleep. So tired… Am I sick? No…just weak. So weak I can't even open my eyes… It's so warm in the blankets. Hmmm? The sound of flipping papers…? And steady breathing…?
Kisara's eyelashes fluttered open and she turned her head slightly, curious to see who was around her. The room was dim, due to her shades being pulled down. And the silhouette against the window, she saw, was Tezuka. He was deeply absorbed in the textbook he held in his hands as he sat by her bed.
"Tezuka-sama?" She spoke very softly in a wondering voice as she sat up. Or tried to. A wave of dizziness caused her to flop back into the bed. Tezuka turned toward her, and stared. Then his face broke into a smile as he reached toward her forehead.
"So you're finally awake, hmm?" He placed a hand on her forehead and his smile grew broader. "Well, your fever is gone. How are you feeling?" His voice was warm.
"Dizzy…" She mumbled, peeking from above the blanket. Eiji popped up right beside her bed.
"Welcome back, Kisara-chan!" He crowed. "You're finally back!"
"You gave us quite a scare." Inui's face came into view.
"Who knows how to cook?" Oishi's voice was heard.
"Not me." Kaidoh's voice was dry.
"Oi, Eiji knows how to cook." Momo said gleefully. "Make him cook." Eiji make a face.
"What?! All I know how to cook are eggs."
"It doesn't matter. She just needs to eat something." Fuji told him, before sending him down to the kitchen.
"Kisara-chan, how are you feeling?" Taka-san asked as everyone crowed around the bed, looking more please at the great job they did of taking care of her. It was like a successful victory to them, finally conquering in her battle with the cold.
"Weird." Was the only word she could use.
"I told you to get warm as soon as you get home," Tezuka began in a paternal, no-nonsense tone as he shook the thermometer and motioned her to open her mouth. "Say ah." She opened it obediently and he placed the thermometer under her tongue and checked his watch. "Normal." He announced and sighs were heard around the room.
"Was I sick?" Kisara asked timidly as she looked around with confused eyes.
"Yes, you were very sick." Inui pushed his glasses up and jotted something down in his notebook. "But thanks to us, you're fine now."
"You guys?" Her mind refused to comprehend what was said to her. "What time is it?"
"It's five in the afternoon." Momo checked the time.
"Friday?"
"Saturday. You've left us for exactly twenty-four hours."
"Saturday…" Kisara thought for a minute, then all of a sudden gasped and sat up straight in bed, startling a few of the boys as they scrambled off her bed. "I missed practice this morning!" She moaned. "And Monday is the finals!"
"You'll be fine." Fuji's smile was soothing and compassionate. "All you need to do now is rest. Leave everything else to us."
"Yes." Tezuka, with much more gentleness then he looked, pushed her back down into bed and covered her securely with the comforter. "Rest now. We'll take care of everything. Just rest."
Rest… Kisara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. They cared for her, they all cared. For the first time since Ryoma-kun had left, Kisara felt loved and cared for. With them around, she felt safe. And with the whole tennis team crammed up in the room, Kisara fell back into the relaxing, deep darkness.