A/N: I confess, I too am having trouble-keeping tract of Fuji's imaginary family. So when I drew out the family tree, I found mistakes, went back, fixed them. Right.

Chapter Eight: And This Is How The Rumors Go
Tezuka Kunimitsu had never bothered himself with rumors. They were, in his opinion, childish and immature, not to mention always untrue. He would just waver it off like nothing, for gossiping about others was very rude and the time could simply be put to better use like practicing tennis or studying or… tennis. However, when our dear Tezuka arrived at tennis practice on a bright sunny Sunday, there was one set of rumors he couldn't toss away just like that. Why? Because these particular rumors was about him.

"Ah! Tezuka!" Oishi called as Tezuka arrived on court. Everyone immediately dropped whatever he was doing at a terrifying rate and literally charged at the confused and slightly surprised Tezuka.

"Buchou! Everyone's saying you're married!"

"Buchou! Are you really Fuji's nephew?"

"Buchou! Momoshiro's saying you have a kid!"

"Buchou! Echizen says you're Fuji's sister's product of a secret affair!"

"Buchou!

"Buchou!"

"BUCHOU!"

Now there was something you definitely didn't see everyday. It was as if everyone had lost all of their manners and mind, as the screaming and rude outbreaks never had occurred in the past. Only a real sly and tricky individual could explain and execute this situation, and Tezuka had a pretty good idea who that person was.

"…Hundred laps, everyone, now!" Tezuka yelled, feeling a headache come on. Aspirin never seemed so appealing. "Except Echizen, Momoshiro, Eiji, and Inui. You four come over here."

There were whispers of questions as to why those four were excused from the laps, but no one dared voice their opinions out loud, afraid of getting another hundred laps. However, the people just couldn't resist chatting about the newly risen rumors that were still very much in the hot category.

"Well?" Tezuka said calmly (or as calmly as he could) as he directed his gaze on Momoshiro and Echizen. There was an awkward silence between the two as they glared intensely at each other before finally pointing a finger at one another and chorusing in unison:

"It was all his fault!"

Tezuka restrained himself from sighing and slapping both of them. "Where did you hear those ridiculous things from?"

"Your cousin," said Ryoma.

"Your daughter," said Momoshiro at the exact same time. The two glared at each other again. Tezuka's assumption has been confirmed. Who else could pull this off other that Fuji?

"Two hundred laps, both of you," he muttered, sending the two off. Tezuka turned to Eiji and Inui.

"Where's Fuji?"

"Yeah… right… eh… Fuji is…. Fuji is…" Eiji laughed nervously as he poked together his fingers. To be quite honest, he had no idea where Fuji was. Last he saw her, she was hassling the St. Rudolph people, and she hadn't shown up since. Somehow, Eiji had a really bad feeling about this and an even guiltier conscious for leaving the person alone. It just wasn't safe for Fuji to go unsupervised, really.

"You don't know," Tezuka interpreted, more being like of a statement than a question. Eiji gulped and nodded. Tezuka let out that long held in sigh and rubbed his temple, feeling a headache coming on.

"Sorry," Eiji apologized. "Nya, but last I saw her, she was with her brother and those St. Rudolph people." Tezuka squeezed his eyes shut.

"Yes, I believe it's a good idea to check there as with every other school in the area," Inui noted, closing his notebook where he had previously been jotting down notes. "The possibility of finding Fuji harassing the other players is about eighty-three point five percent."

And so off the (less that) happy trio went…

"Eh? Tezuka? Is something wrong?" Tachibana asked as the trio walked up to the Fudomine tennis courts.

"Oh! Tezuka-san! Is it true?" An gasped as she dashed over.

"An, it's not polite to-"

"Kamio heard from Momoshiro that you're actually Fuji's nephew!" An continued on, completely ignoring her brother's signs to stop. By now everyone else on the team had gathered around.

"Are you really Fuji's nephew!"

"Is it true that you're really married!"

"People are saying that you've eloped somewhere!"

"Tezuka!"

"Tezuka!"

"TEZUKA!"

"Everyone, please stop," Tachibana shushed them. Turning to Tezuka, "I apologize for my team's behavior."

"It's fine," Tezuka returned, though he clearly he was not amused that the rumors had even spread to Fudomine, and at an incredibly alarming speed to.

"Can I help you with anything?"

"Yes. We were wondering if a girl about XXX feet high with light brown hair about XXX inches long and weighs about XXX pounds with a shoe size about-"

"Nya, have you seen that girl that looks a lot like Fuji? The one from the other day?" Eiji cut through before Inui started spurting more random and useless measurements.

"Ah! You mean that girl who stopped my ball from going in!" Kamio raged as he remembered flickers of that day.

"The one who denied being related to Fuji Syusuke even though she was actually his daughter," An added.

"But why would she deny being related to him? Could she be ashamed of having him as a father? I don't blame her. After all, they are around the same age, so if she has his daughter, then… (mumble) so that would mean… (mumble)…"

"Have you seen her?" Tezuka asked bitterly.

"No, I'm sorry," Tachibana apologized. The three just nodded and turned to leave. "By the way, Tezuka, is it true?"

Tezuka resisted the urge to just throw up his hands and scream.

So after the encounter with Fudomine…

"Ah! Sengoku-san desu! It's Tezuka-san desu!" Dan gasped as he pointed to the ever stern-looking Tezuka approaching with Eiji and Inui.

"Oh! Lucky! We were just talking about you, Tezuka!" Sengoku laughed. "That Akutsu heard from his friend in Seigaku that you're related to the Fuji family! Are you really?"

"Hey! Everyone! It's Tezuka! Isn't he suppose to have just gotten married?"

"I heard from someone that he already has a daughter!"

"No way! I thought it was suppose to be his cousin!"

"Hey! Tezuka!"

"Tezuka!"

"Tezuka!"

"TEZUKA!"

"Have you… seen her?" Tezuka said slowly, controlling his voice as he felt a vein throb.

"Yes, we're currently looking for-"

"Tezuka's daughter, or cousin, or… someone, nya!" Eiji smiled.

"Eh? Lost your own daughter/cousin? How unlucky," Sengoku chirped with a goofy grin. "Nope. Haven't seen her yet. Is she cute? And which is it? Is she your daughter or cousin?"

"…Let's go," Tezuka muttered without do much as giving another thought as Sengoku went into a love daze.

"…What school is this again?" Tezuka blinked.

"Jyousei Shounan. You were still in Germany when we played them," Inui answered.

"Ah…"

"Oh! Look everyone! It's Tezuka Kunimitsu!" Youhei and Kouhei screamed in unison.

"You mean THE Tezuka Kunimitsu who is Fuji Syusuke's sister's son!"

"I heard somewhere that he has a kid already!"

"No way! I heard that that was his cousin!"

"Cousin? That doesn't matter! I heard he was married!"

"Tezuka!"

"Tezuka!"

"TEZUKA!"

"Please excuse my teammates," Kajimoto sniffed as he stepped forward. "Do you require anything?"

"Have you seen a girl that's about XXX feet tall and-"

"Tezuka's relative! The girl one, about our age with light brown hair," Eiji interrupted Inui once again.

"No," Kajimoto said. "But is what Mizuki told me all true?"

Tezuka just sighed, turned away, and didn't answer, just like a gentlemen should or shouldn't have done… if that makes any sense…

"Oh, it's Seigaku," Yuuta muttered as the St. Rudolph tennis club froze.

"Tezuka! Is it true that Fuji's your uncle!"

"Are you really married!"

"Do you really have a kid!"

"No way! That kid's his cousin! Fuji's kid!"

"Fuji has a kid!"

"Tezuka!"

"Tezuka!"

"TEZUKA!"

"If you want that weird girl that looks like my brother, and probably is my brother, she's not here," Yuuta sighed. The three didn't need any other signal to run away.

"AH! TEZUKA-SAN! HOW NICE OF YOU TO COME! WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT YOU!" Kentarou screamed in an absurdly loud voice as the rest of the Rokkaku gasped and started gossiping among themselves.

"Hey! Isn't Tezuka supposed to married!"

"I heard from someone that he's Fuji's nephew!"

"Well I heard that Fuji is married to Saeki's sister!"

"Tezuka!"

"Tezuka!"

"TEZUKA!"

"Ah! Tezuka!" Saeki interrupted as he stopped the whole club from clobbering the poor teen. "Did you come to talk about your, eh… cousin?"

"Ah," Tezuka nodded.

"Nya! So after Fuji dragged you on a date,you ditched her and you don't know what happened to her after?" Eiji asked.

"Nope," Saeki sighed. "But whatever he made," he indicated to Inui, "it was really scary."

"I apologize for her behavior," Tezuka apologized as he gave a small nod.

"Eh, no! It's fine, really!" Saeki returned politely. Fine? Not really.

"So, have you no recollection of where she is at the current moment?" Inui inquired as he adjusted his glasses.

"No, sorry. Last I saw her she was in that restaurant," Saeki confessed.

"It's okay," Tezuka said. "Sorry to trouble you."

"Right, right."

"Hey, Yuushi, isn't that Tezuka?" Gakuto asked as he pointed in the vague direction of the trio. "Oh, and that lame excuse for an acrobatic is here also."

"Look! It's Tezuka! I heard he got into an affair and had a daughter!"

"Cousin! It's his cousin!"

"But that would mean that Fuji is married!"

"Tezuka!"

"Tezuka!"

"TEZUKA!"

"Stop this at once. You're disgracing the school," Atobe said arrogantly as he flashed Tezuka smirk.

"Atobe."

"Tezuka."

"…"

"…"

"Nya, Inui, I feel a bad atmosphere here," Eiji whispered as Inui started jotting down fresh notes about the various Hyoutei players, all whom had gathered around to see the scene play itself out.

"Of course, considering the two's history," Inui shrugged, clearly not disturb by any of it.

"How's your shoulder," Atobe asked tensely.

"It's nearly completely healed," Tezuka replied frigidly.

"…"

"…"

"So, what brings you to Hyoutei, hmm?" Atobe continued on.

"I'm looking for… her," Tezuka answered, not daring to address Fuji any other way.

"Ah," Atobe mused. "Well, she hasn't been to Hyoutei yet. Have you tried calling her?"

"…"

"…"

"…"

The three thought the exact same thing: Why didn't I think of that?

"Heh? Don't tell me none of you thought of that?" Atobe snickered, followed by the rest of the club. It was pure humiliation I tell you.

"Th-thank you," Tezuka twitched as he withdrew his cell phone.

"Tch. Don't think about it," Atobe replied, cool as ever.

"By the way," Tezuka mumbled. "Can you… do me a favor?"

"Oh? So the great Tezuka Kunimitsu asks for people's help too, eh?"

"Ah! Tezuka!" Fuji beamed.

"Fuji, care to tell me about the rumors that are going around?" Tezuka asked, barely containing a long wanted urge to scream.

"Oh, it's nothing," Fuji laughed. "I sort of got carried away, and somehow everything just fell into logical place!"

"…Logical?" Tezuka questioned as a wave of giggles erupted from the other side.

"Sorry, sorry," Fuji said sincerely, or as sincerely as you can get with a scheming mind like hers.

"Don't spread anymore rumors," Tezuka instructed.

"Yes, yes, but you should have told me that earlier," Fuji pouted. "After all, it somehow ended up with the real me splitting with my imaginary wife and now having Inui as my step-father, and-"

"Fuji…"

"Sorry, sorry!"

"By the way, where are you now?" Tezuka asked.

"Hotel. Thought I'd give everyone a break," Fuji told him. Tezuka was relieved that she wasn't at anyone else's house causing utter chaos. After all, he was quite sure he'd be one ending up paying for the damages instead of Fuji.

"Right," Tezuka sighed. "I got your paperwork done as well."

"Really?" Fuji smiled.

"You'll be reporting to Hyoutei tomorrow morning at six thirty sharp."

"Oh, that's- what?"

"I said you'll be reporting to Hyoutei tomorrow morning at six thirty sharp. Good bye."

"Wait! Tezuka! Tezuka? Hello? Tezuka?" But the phone was already dead.

Three days down, four more to go…