♫ ♥ 07/19/06 ♥ ♫

( )-( )
(-'.'-)
(")-(")

There's a link to an online Jap-Eng dictionary in my profile.
Do you guys know the rules of Equivalent Exchange?
I blame the first half of this chapter on Kei. XD Arigatou!
I typed most of this while I felt squishy with my period… Enjoy?
Get well soon, Zan-san! ♥

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dear Daniel Radcliffe,

How have you been? It's been awhile, hasn't it? A lot of stuff happened since my fever went away. Hmmm… let's see. Did I tell you that Atobe-san invited us for over to his private hot springs for Golden Week? It's not like I don't want to go because who wouldn't want to go on a very relaxing vacation to a hot spring resort, ne? I just don't want to feel like I'm taking advantage of Atobe-san's goodwill.

At first the invitation for me, Mitsu-nii and whoever I wanted to bring along. When I repeatedly refused because I really didn't want to take advantage of him, Atobe-san extended his invitation to the whole Seigaku tennis team and even went so far as to tell Obaachan about it. Obaachan was easily won, of course. Anything that was good for the tennis team is always okay in obaachan's book. Kyaa! How embarrassing! And she's not even going! She says she "trusts" Atobe-san would take care of his guests even without her acting as chaperone and with the amount of servants he has, he doesn't really need an additional chaperone. Obaachan says she'll just get in the way of kids having fun.

sigh

Ann-chan is… not pleased. Her family made plans for Golden Week. She and Kippei-no-niichan have to go with their parents on a family vacation. Uwah! I guess it's somewhat good this way. It's almost like fate. Ann-chan does not like Atobe-san. Her whole face morphs into stone whenever he's around or whenever anybody mentions his name. Poor Atobe-san. I should get him a thank you gift.

I asked Shinji-kun to come but he has plans with his family, too. Aaah… it would be nice to spend time with family… my parents are surprisingly very accepting about this. Hmmm… as if they can't wait to get rid of me. Maybe they're planning a wild party at the house when I'm gone. O.o

Tomo-chan is psyched and I'm also psyched for her. Hehe! And no, Daniel Radcliffe, this is NOT an evil grin on my face! Well… okay it is, but don't tell anyone, okay? Why, you ask? That's because… I invited Kamio-kun and he agreed! He's very agreeable these days. I'm excited to do that thing when we get the time. Mwahahahahahahahaha! cough Okay… he had no other choice but to agree. He's very weak against my begging skills and I only used them because I noticed how Tomo-chan has been texting him a lot lately. Hmmmm… he avoided our questions about what happened that time he had to walk her home and I'm suspicious. If nothing happened, why is he so defensive about it? Hm. Suspiciouuuuuuuuus! I think it's time for yours truly to put her matchmaking skills to work, Daniel Radcliffe!

I'm fairly confident that Momo-senpai and Ann-chan are meant to be together. Since Ann-chan cannot come with us on Golden Week, I will just have to create more chances for Momo-senpai to be together with Ann-chan in a date-like setting without making them realize that they're actually dating! Hmmm… I think I need a helper, Daniel Radcliffe, but I'm confident that I can pull this off. Call me Ryuzaki Sakuno, Cupid Extraordinaire.

So before Golden Week starts, let Operation Tomo-Kam and Momo-Ann commence!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She waited until the right time before she pounced. Armed with a few bentos of varying sizes, two thermoses and carefully wrapped pieces of dessert, she delayed her ambush until there were only a few students left in the classroom. The lesser witnesses there were, the smaller the chances were of her being caught or anybody else being privy to it.

He knew he was in for a world of trouble when he spotted the long braids that swished behind her when she opened the classroom door and attempted to quietly peek in. He sighed, stood up and politely excused himself from a clingy female classmate who was attempting to engage him in pointless conversation – something about having lunch together – and walked towards the girl. He needn't have said anything since he could read almost every thought running through her mind.

"Have you had lunch yet, buchō?" He didn't reply but she was an expert in reading his facial expressions by now. "I brought you lunch. Where would you like to eat it?" Again, he didn't reply verbally but he took the containers from her and led the way to the roof. Lots of people gave them curious looks on the way but he was used to it.

There was no one on the rooftop when they arrived. They picked the only shaded spot and Sakuno started to unpack the bentos. His mouth started to water as she did. As always, his bento was bigger than hers and he was happy to find one of his favorites in it. Yup, she was up to something alright.

"Do you like it?" She asked as he took a bite out of the stir-fried eel. He hummed in contentment as he reached for the sweet omelette. She beamed at him and offered him some stuffed squid, which he readily accepted. Oh she was up to something alright. If he were to guess what was for dessert, he would say melon bread.

They ate for several minutes in silence, just enjoying each other's company. Not a lot of students came up to the roof during lunch time, preferring to spend it on the school grounds or cafeteria, so they were left unbothered. She'd sneak him a little peek out once in a while to judge his reactions, when he couldn't contain his equanimity.

"Sakuno." He didn't mind her way of softening him up every time she wanted to ask a favor from him. It was sweet and so very Sakuno to cook his favorite food and put on those puppy dog eyes before she swooped in for the kill each time. He was used to it by now.

"Hai, Mitsu-nii?"

Those puppy dog eyes are going to be his downfall someday, he was sure of it. "Did you need something?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Why did Ryuzaki spend so much time with Buchou? He wondered about that all throughout the second half of the day and was still wondering about it when he stepped into the courts during practice that afternoon.

Why?

Because the one day he decided to forego sleeping in the shaded treetops, favoring climbing up to the rooftop for some alone time instead was the day that Ryuzaki decided that she was going to have lunch with Tezuka-buchou there.

Coincidence?

He thought not. The girl could read minds. That was it. Those ridiculously long braids allowed her to read minds and she could clearly read his. Those braids probably acted as radar that could track him down from the ends of the earth and she was probably sent by someone to torture him this way.

It was bad enough that he could smell their fragrant lunch all the way in his position from the structure on top of the door and behind the water tower, but he didn't have the chance to hear most of their conversation since they spoke in hushed tones. As if what they were talking about was a secret and he wasn't worthy enough to be privy to it.

Arg!

The girl was a menace. Everywhere he went, she was there.

With her braids… and her bento.

Taunting him.

He was hungry. He didn't get to eat lunch because he didn't feel like it before, but he was starving by the time the duo finished their delicious-smelling lunch on the rooftop.

Why did Ryuzaki make a bento for buchou? Why… why did he feel like someone punched him in the gut whenever they had those odd moments where he'd catch Seigaku's stone-faced captain actually show some kind of emotion to their sensei's granddaughter? Eiji-senpai officially lost his marbles after Ryuzaki got admitted to the hospital. Ever since she got back, the redhead proclaimed himself to be Ryuzaki's father. He openly glomped her in hallways, even going as far as to twirling her around like a proud parent would whenever the senior would find something cute about her.

His senpai was totally invading Ryuzaki's personal space and she didn't really seem to mind. She allowed their senpai to do it like a daughter would to a doting father. He found that he didn't mind Eiji-senpai's newest chibi addition either. The less Eiji-senpai showered him attention and the less he gave him those death-glomps, the better life was for him.

The buchou didn't even do anything to even remotely invade Ryuzaki's personal space at all yet… ah. It was different. He felt… If he were to put it into words, the closest he could think of was 'threatened'. Which was, of course, ridiculous. He didn't feel threatened by Tezuka Kunimitsu at all. Sure he respected the guy when it came to tennis and other things… he was older by him by two years, after all, but did he feel threatened by his own captain?

Of course not, he mentally snorted.

The thought was laughable. Crazy. Insane. Daft. Comical. Foolish. Stupid. Wacko. Two fries short of a happy meal.

That nagging voice in the back of his head had better shut up and stop thinking about that clenching feeling in his gut. Or else.

He was just concerned for Ryuzaki, is all. The girl still watched Power Rangers, for crying out loud. Wasn't it the buchou himself who told them to keep an eye on Ryuzaki and keep her out of harm's way? Wasn't he the same guy who subtly suggested that they help ward off any potential unscrupulous boys from their sensei's granddaughter? Wasn't he the same guy who said that she didn't know how to take care of herself so they had to do it for her?

If so, then what was he doing smiling at her like that? What was he doing eating her bento like that? Ryuzaki hasn't even offered him any of her homemade bentos ever since That Incident. Horio took great pleasure reminding him of That Incident, yet he still couldn't see how Ryuzaki would misinterpret his comments about how a game on the tennis court was turning out to a comment about her bento.

Girls were too sensitive. Ryuzaki more than ordinary girls. One little comment would often send her crying. It was cute, but it made talking to her really difficult.

"Echizen."

She didn't seem to have the same problem talking to anyone else… especially to Tezuka-buchou. Why was that? Did she think he was mean to her or something? But that was absurd! Sure he wasn't the friendliest person in the universe, but he wasn't unfriendly to her either. If she could be friends with buchou, who had the personality of a rock, then why can't she be friends with him?

"Echizen!"

Ryoma blinked away from his thoughts.

Horio was cowering behind one of the baskets where they store tennis balls in. "Watch where you're aiming at!" The boy shakily instructed from behind the basket. He had enough trauma from Echizen's stray serves to last him a lifetime. Lots of tennis balls were littered around him, evidence of Echizen's absent-minded rampage. "Please?" Being around Echizen was hazardous to his health.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was official.

He had a headache; a really big one. It started with a mild throbbing on his left temple which morphed into a dull pounding and then escalated into what felt like beating of ceremonial drums on his head.

"We should get our photos taken first, while we still look fresh! While we're not tired from walking yet!"

"Are you kidding me? We just got off the train! My hair's a mess and my clothes are all rumpled. I think I have a gum stuck in my shoe and I'm not going to be very photogenic, looking like this!"

The girl with the short pigtails glared ferociously. "It's not my fault you're ugly! You can't be photogenic even with the most expensive equipment for photography!"

Veins were visibly popping out of Ann's forehead. "If I'm ugly then you're absolutely hideous, banshee! I'm not ugly!"

"You're right. You're not ugly. You're fugly."

"What the heck does fugly mean? That's not even a real word!"

Tezuka's headache escalated as the two girls argued loudly. You'd think that their shrill voices would be drowned out in the hustle and bustle of the busy streets of Shibuya, but not even the noise of the crowds could stifle the overwhelmingly loud argument. His splitting headache was getting worse every minute.

It started the second they met on the station, even way before they stepped on the train. He was starting to rethink his agreement to help Sakuno play cupid between her friends and her chosen Romeos. Why did she ask him of all people anyway? Fuji or Oishi would've been better choices, in his opinion. He didn't know the first thing about how to match two people together.

'Just follow my lead and back me up,' she had said. What he wanted to do right now was just bark out orders to Momo and Kamio to date the two girls already and spare him the headache.

Seeing no end to their endless battle, Sakuno stepped in. "I'm kinda hungry. Are you hungry, buchou?" The four paused like cornered mice and waited for Tezuka's reply. The arguing girls looked like they just remembered he was with them. At his slight nod, the two shrieking girls relented.

"We could go to McDonald's first, it's Sakuno's favorite." They were surprised that they said it at the same time, but it was true. Their friend was very easy to please. She had the same reaction to a takoyaki stand in the sidewalk to a high class restaurant in the swanky end of town. Momo and Kamio had no objections either.

"But first, pick a buddy!" Sakuno stalled their journey towards food.

"Huh?" Four perplexed faces looked back at her.

"Pick a buddy," She happily repeated, looking totally innocent. Momo and Kamio looked at each other warily the same way Ann and Tomoka did. Clearly they didn't want to be buddies with each other. Without even thinking of what he was doing, Kamio unconsciously picked Tomoka when he should normally have picked Ann instead. He was surprised to find himself paired up with her, so he looked away to hide the slight tinge in his cheeks. Thankfully, his hair covered most of it.

Sakuno was secretly pleased with his choice. She originally thought that she'd have to give him a slight push in the right direction, but it seemed like they didn't need as much help as she thought they'd need. "Alright, now take hold of your buddy's hand and let's get going."

"What?" The four people protested, the boys blushed more than the girls did and then inched away from each other.

Sakuno blinked at them innocently. No amount of protesting was going to save them from this because she had Mitsu-nii on her side! Momo-senpai and Kamio-kun were sure to obey him without question. "What's wrong, you guys? Shibuya is really crowded and I don't want any of us to get lost. But if we really do get lost, it's better to get lost in pairs rather than all by yourself, right? That's why we should have a buddy system."

She was right, the crowds of people milling around them consisted of people from all ages and it was very easy to get lost in the crowd, especially for people of Ann, Tomoka and Sakuno's height and stature. Ann and Tomoka could fight their way through crowds but still… Sakuno had a really bad sense of direction.

"I'll pair up with you then!" Ann and Tomoka said at the same time again, then glared at each other. "Stop imitating what I'm saying!" They snarled at each other.

"But I already have a buddy." Sakuno informed her friends. As if on cue, Tezuka stepped closer to her, making it clear who her buddy was. He was quick to pick up and improvise on his fellow self-proclaimed cupid's schemes. Sakuno was relying on him to help her with her plan and he didn't want to disappoint.

"Momo, you're with Tachibana. Kamio, you're with Osakada." Tezuka barked out.

The boys obeyed, albeit a little reluctantly. The girls weren't brave enough to nay say Tezuka's choice of buddies. "Umm… but do we really have to hold hands, buchou?" Momo couldn't refuse an order from his buchou, so he stopped trying to inch away and accepted his fate.

Kamio also respected Tezuka's authority so he stood next to Tomoka but he was also reluctant to hold her hand. People might assume they were dating or something!

At the boys' indecision, Tezuka took Sakuno's small hand into one of his own. You have to lead by example and they were going to be stuck here all day if he was to wait on the two smitten chaps. Sakuno's hand was very soft.

Their faces hotter than a jumbo bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos, Momo and Kamio followed Tezuka's example. Sakuno was so pleased, she had difficulty stifling a giggle from escaping her mouth. Ann-chan looked so cute with Momo-senpai and Tomo-chan looked really good with Kamio-kun. She squeezed her Mitsu-nii's hand instead. He squeezed back and started walking towards the direction of the nearest McDonald's.

It was really crowded when they got there. The lines winded in a long, snake-like shape, extending outside. The girls went to find available seats while the boys lined up to take their orders. Momo took Ann's, Kamio took Tomoka's but Tezuka didn't even ask for what Sakuno wanted. He was familiar with her usual tastes.

When they returned to their 'buddies', they each carried their buddies' meals.

"Sakuno. . ." Ann's right eye twitched, "Banshee. . . Happy Meals?"

Sakuno was gleefully looking for the toy that came with her Happy Meal. Tomoka shot a deadpan look at Ann. "It's because we like to give them to my brothers." The twin hellions were easy to tame if she brought them toys to bribe them into submission with. Sakuno was kind enough to help her collect toys to use for bribery and ordered Happy Meals every time she went to McDonald's to eat. If Tomoka wasn't with her, she'd save it until they got together to give it to her. Sure enough, Sakuno handed her toy over. "Thanks Sakuno." Tomoka placed them inside her bag. Those little spawns of the devil were going to be cute little angels later.

During the meal the girls planned what and where they were going to do next.

"Since we're here, I want to check out the sale at 109," Ann sipped her coke after she said it. The Shibuya 109 (or just 109 for short), one of the famous shopping centers near the Shibuya Station, was having the biggest sale of the year and she wanted to look at the cute tops that they offered.

"Oh yeah, maybe we can find something to get Atobe-san there." Since Sakuno expected a reply from him, Tezuka shrugged. They both agreed (or rather Sakuno asked him and she interpreted his silence and shrug as agreement) to get Atobe a thank you gift of some sort. Their Shibuya excursion served three purposes: a) to get Atobe a thank you gift b) to get Oishi a birthday gift and c) to push the two pairs together.

"I want to watch a movie." Tomoka said as she nibbled on some fries.

Momo started choking on his drink. "But – but that'd be like – like something you do when you're on a date!" He sputtered. Kamio scowled at him.

"So?" Ann asked. "I don't mind. Think of it as a group date. Ne, Momoshiro-kun?" Surprisingly, Kamio didn't jump up and start shouting at Momo. Even Momo looked surprised at the unexpected development.

"Then my date is Sakuno!" Tomoka proclaimed.

Tezuka and Kamio looked warily at each other. Kamio wanted to say something but wisely kept his mouth shut. Tezuka's look clearly meant that he'd rather jump off of a cliff instead of going on a date with Kamio.

"But Mitsu-nii and I are getting a present for Atobe-san and Oishi-senpai, Tomo-chan." Sakuno reminded her. "And your partner is Kamio-kun." Hmmm… was that a blush on Tomo-chan's face?

"W-whatever then," Tomoka said as casually as she could. Who was she to argue, especially when Tezuka-buchou agreed with Sakuno like that? If she was going to be stuck with Kamio-kun… well… she didn't really mind, honestly.

"What would you like to do, Momo-senpai?" Sakuno asked.

"Mmmm… we could go to the arcades and play some DDR." He suggested, and then looked at his captain, almost as if he was asking for permission. Tezuka impassively stared back at him before he bit into his burger.

"And don't forget that we have to go to a photo booth!" Sakuno reminded. Tezuka felt her nudge his foot under the table so he nodded his assent. That was what his purpose was. His mission, should he choose to accept it (and he did), was to reinforce Sakuno's matchmaking in exchange for a week's worth of homemade bentos of his choice… so he wasn't complaining… much. A week's worth of bentos was enough to put up with Ann and Tomoka's constant bickering. It reminded him of Momo's relationship with Kaidoh, when he thought about it… only with less tennis and with no barking orders of laps around the court.

And after a while, when the ceremonial drums in your head had gone way past beyond being just a normal splitting headache, you developed an immunity to it.

"Ahahahahahaha… ugly's going to make the photo booth malfunction with her face."

A fry barely missed hitting Tomoka's head.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

First, they went to get their photos taken. The photo sticker booth was big enough to squish all six of them in it. The girls had fun changing their backdrops and playing with the air holes that gave their hair windblown effects. He didn't object to the colorful background but he did put his foot down at the flying hotdog. He didn't crack a smile, but the others commented on how friendly he looked when they had the pictures developed. In the end, the boys got two pictures each and the girls had three. The one leftover was entrusted to Tomoka.

Next, they went to the mall to look for their gifts. They didn't find any for Atobe, but Ann found a really cute top that she just had to have. They also found some really neat aquarium ornaments for Oishi, whose birthday was coming up, so they bought those and continued for their search for the perfect thank you gift for the guy who had everything.

After they left the mall, they entered kiosk after kiosk, just browsing, but Sakuno never found what she was looking for. She didn't know what it was, but nothing caught her eye, unlike their gift for Oishi. The girls seemed set to explore store after store, kiosk after kiosk, and since they had absolutely no appreciation for things like shopping, Kamio, Momo and Tezuka silently followed.

Their buddy system was still in place, of course. Tezuka was secretly amused at Kamio and Momo's reactions to it. He'd catch the looks they sneaked each other before they would look away and pretend like something away from their partner amused him. How could he not notice, since whenever they did that, Sakuno would shake his hand or squeeze it, and then giggle before pointing at the events happening? It was like watching a teenage love comedy on television.

Not that he watched any of those, of course.

Kamio would maintain as much distance from Tomoka as much as possible, or until some random guy gave Tomoka too much attention. Kamio would then discreetly walk just a little closer to her and make their attached hands more visible. Momo pretty much just followed meekly behind Ann. Tezuka knew who was going to wear the pants in that relationship if they ever got together. Only if some random dude off the street would pause and give the Tachibana girl a second look would meek Momo turn into something fierce.

They reminded Tezuka of dogs marking their territory; Kamio and Momo both.

After they exhausted what felt like all the shops in the area, a suggestion of going to the arcade was made. He had no objection to that, so they went. The four teens in denial played fighting games to take out aggression while Tezuka and Sakuno played a racing game. Sakuno sucked. She crashed most of the time and her car ended up blown to bits in a fiery death after she crashed into a wall.

If you think about it, an outsider would probably see their group as teenagers having a triple date. They were wrong, of course, because even though Momo was in a not-date with Ann and Kamio was in another not-date with Tomoka, Tezuka was definitely in a real not-date with Sakuno. Tezuka Kunimitsu does not go to not-dates. He hasn't been on any kind of dates yet, either. Right now, he was just hanging out with a friend and her friends, while doing that friend a favor.

He didn't mind. He didn't mind the gossip that he knew circulated among some people about him and their coach's granddaughter. He knew that his friends knew the truth, his sensei knew the truth and if people don't believe him when he tells them that he's not dating his coach's granddaughter, then that's their problem, and not his.

But this… this was just…

Oh hell. No.

No.

This was another one of those things that he didn't usually mind doing, but only if he was in the sanctuary of his own home… not here, out in the open; where people can see him do it.

This was just. . .

No.

Sakuno clasped her hands tightly under her chin. A sure sign of pleading.

There was no. way. in. hell. that he —

Sakuno blinked once.

— would ever —

Twice.

. . . well. . .

Her bottom lip quivered.

— crap.

"Yay!" The girls chorused in unison. Even Momo looked excited. Kamio didn't have any objections either, so Tezuka didn't have the heart to tell them no… and he didn't want to disappoint when it was his turn, so he humored them.

The line to their chosen machine was long, but they waited patiently. The guys stuck close to the girls, hovering near like guard dogs against any male that threatened to invade their personal space. Some people in the arcades could get too touchy-gropey sometimes, especially in crowded places.

And Sakuno wore a skirt, Tezuka frowned when he noticed. She always did, come to think of it. Didn't she own a pair of pants or something? Tachibana and Osakada were both wearing Capri pants. Sakuno should learn to wear Capri pants, too; her skirt was too short. Because of that, he had to glare at several boys who threw lecherous looks their way. She was just twelve, for crying out loud. Didn't these people have any morals?

He finally relaxed his guard (somewhat) when it was their group's turn.

It was a battle between the sexes – boys versus girls.

Ann and Momo went first. Momo was an expert, but so was Ann. Their scores were so close together, with Ann just slightly in the lead. Kamio and Tomoka went next. Their 'match' ended in a perfect draw, earning a round of teasing from Ann, Sakuno and even the small crowd that gathered to watch.

He noticed how Kamio had that constant red tint in his face the whole time. Maybe it was a result from their activity..? Or maybe Sakuno had good instincts playing cupid… he didn't know for sure so he didn't come to any conclusions… yet.

He was getting soft; that was one thing he was sure of. Agreeing to do this when he wasn't at home… he did it with Sakuno lots of times before, but… this was different…

It moved me downtown, the beat

It moved me downtown, the beat

It moved me, it moved me

It moved me, down, down...

But there was no backing down now so he just had to make the best of it.

Let's groove tonight

Share the spice of life

It wasn't like he had no experience in this in the first place.

Baby slice it right

We're gonna groove tonight

They did this all the time… well… most of the time, actually, if it was just the two of them.

Let's groove tonight

Share the spice of life

Especially back when he used to babysit Sakuno. Not a lot of people knew about this side of him though.

Baby slice it right

We're gonna groove tonight

It was a good way to pass the time.

Whoo-oh..

And it was a pretty good workout.

Let this groove... alright... whoo-oh

Let this groove... stand up... (up, up, up..)

Sakuno even proved that she was good at it too, surprisingly.

Let this groove, light up your fuse

It's alright, alright, alright... whoo-oh

If you saw how she played tennis or count the number of times she'd trip on a mere pebble, you would assume she'd be bad at it, but she wasn't. She could hold her own, truth be told.

Let this groove, set in your shoes

Just not against him.

Stand up, alright, alright whoo-oh

He got a little carried away and couldn't help but show off at the end.

As the last of the lyrics faded and their scores were tallied, the crowd erupted into an enthusiastic applause. Several boisterous patrons even whistled in appreciation. Momo looked totally awestruck. Kamio's one visible eye was as wide as a saucer. Ann and Tomoka were stunned speechless. Sakuno was grinning from ear to ear on the opposing dance pad. She was used to losing to him and wasn't the least bit affected when he was proclaimed the winner.

"AAA!" Momo was in shock. Eiji-senpai scored a perfect score every so often, but to see buchou doing it… was just… "Wow!" Kamio nodded energetically beside him, and so did Tomoka and Ann. Clearly, they were in total agreement with Momo's sentiments.

"He's really good, isn't he?" Sakuno earned more vigorous nods. Who knew that behind that Tezuka Zone laid an extreme DDR player? Watching him dance was riveting. "You know what we should do next?" She felt like she was on a roll. She wanted to take advantage of Momo-senpai, Kamio-kun, Ann-chan and Tomo-chan's shock in discovering Mitsu-nii's hidden DDR-player side. "We should go do some karaoke!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I can't get Mizuki-senpai to reschedule." Yuuta sighed, dismayed. He just got off the phone pleading with their team manager to exempt him from whatever training schedule he had planned for the St. Rudolph's team this coming Golden Week. Why didn't he just say that his family had plans? Why did he willingly commit himself to it? Why didn't he know sooner what his aniki's plans were? He banged his head on his aniki's study table. Once, twice… three times because he felt like an idiot.

"There, there, Yuuta," Syusuke tried to console his younger brother. "I'm glad you want to spend time with me that much but there's no need to physically punish yourself for it. I know you love your aniki very much, but I'm not going to be away for that long. I'll even bring you back a souvenir if you want. I promise to spend more time with you when I get back, okay?"

Yuuta banged his head twice more on the table before giving his aniki a dry look. "I don't want to spend time with you, aniki."

Syusuke's grin never faltered. "Then why are you so upset that you can't come with us to Atobe's hot spring resort?"

Yuuta scratched the tip of his nose with his pointer finger as he averted his gaze. "That's just… because I want to go to a hot spring resort, too! It's unfair that only you get to go!" He complained.

The Golden Week is the week of April 29 to May 5, which includes four national holidays. It's one of the most important holidays celebrated on the Japanese calendar and a lot of people even take time off from work (although most companies close down to give their employees time off) to travel and relax.

Yuuta thought that their family was going to just hang back and relax, do same old routine they used to do this year, and that's what he told his senpai when he asked about his plans for that week. Mizuki-senpai then listed him down for the rigorous training he had planned for the members of the St. Rudolph's team who were taking it easy this holiday week.

He didn't really mind until he came home this weekend and heard what his aniki and his friends had planned. The invitation extended to Sakuno-chan and her friends. He was friends with Sakuno-chan, so it was only natural for his aniki to tell him that Sakuno-chan wanted him to come if he was available. And he wanted to go with them.

"Don't worry Yuuta, I'll take lots of pictures, if it'll make you feel better."

Yuuta glared at him. It wasn't like he wanted to spend time with his aniki. No, it wasn't anything like that… "I never get to go to hot spring resorts," he almost-whined. His aniki still wasn't buying his excuse, was he? Well… he had no other reason behind wanting to go! What did his aniki want with him? Why did he look at him like there was something more to this?

Syusuke's phone beeped, indicating an incoming message, distracting him from tormenting his sulking brother. His blue eyes widened when he opened it. He was sure he would've fallen backwards if he wasn't already sitting down. His mouth opened and closed but no sound came out as he continued to watch what was unfolding on his cellphone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

By the time Tezuka dropped off Sakuno at her house that night, she was pooped. Her plan to hook up her friends together felt like it was a total success, but it was still too early to tell. She didn't want to count her chickens before the eggs hatched, but she was very optimistic.

Sitting in a tub of steaming hot water, she looked back at their activities and replayed the interaction between the pairs that they pushed together. She gave herself a mental pat on the back once again for enlisting the help of Mitsu-nii, since his presence certainly placed the boys in line. Without him there, Momo-senpai and Kamio-kun would probably have never agreed to do half the things they did today in a million years.

By drafting the help of one whom both boys recognized as an alpha male, she not only was able to convince Momo-senpai and Kamio-kun to give in to what she and the girls wanted to do, but none of her four friends looked like they even knew what she was up to.

Mitsu-nii was a good buffer because nobody would suspect that he was helping her with matchmaking her friends together. It was the perfect plan! (Oh, there goes that evil cackling in her head again.)

After she changed into her nightclothes, she prepared to make an entry in her diary, but before she could start, her phone beeped twice, indicating that she received two messages.

They were both from Syusuke-nii. She read the text message first:

Hey Sakuno-chan, look at what a little birdie sent me!

Her eyes widened when she saw the content of the next one.

Oh my…

Ain't no other man, can stand up next to you… Ain't no other man on the planet does what you do…

You're the kinda guy, a girl finds in a blue moon… You got soul, you got class… You got style, with your badass - oh yeah!

Her cellphone might as well have played the theme song to Jaws or that horrible, scary music that accompanied all horror films. She swallowed audibly before she pushed the talk button. "M-moshi-moshi?"

"Sakuno."

"H-hai?" She couldn't keep her voice from quivering. If she listened hard enough, she could hear deep breathing at the other end of the line. "You got the same mail I just received, didn't you?" She ventured a guess. His palpable silence was unequivocal proof that he did. He was probably gritting his teeth in an effort to steel himself from getting stark raving mad right now. Most probably at her, if anybody was curious enough to ask.

Even without seeing him face to face, she could guess how upset he was. Ummm… "I'm sorry?" An apology won't do much, but that would set them on the right track of not killing her and not wringing her neck come Monday morning. Syusuke-nii and the whole tennis club was probably going to run a hundred laps everyday for a whole week or until the whole thing blew over. She should be thankful that she wasn't part of his tennis team.

"You looked really great, though," she tried another approach. Flattery won't get you anywhere when you were dealing with Seigaku's buchou, but it was worth a try, wasn't it? "Even Momo-senpai said so himself that he couldn't hold a candle to your moves and —"

"Sakuno," he said once again. She was starting to wonder if 'Sakuno' was his favorite word or maybe he just liked to say it whenever she knew she was in trouble with him… like some sort of scare tactic. If it was, it was working really well.

"Hai, Mitsu-nii?" It was true… your life did flash right before your eyes before you died.

The extended silence was killing her. What was she in for now, she wondered.

"You owe me homemade bentos for two months."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The bus that Atobe provided for them was huge. The chairs were larger than her. The rows were comprised of three seats on the left side, two on the right side and there was more than enough for three teams plus some.

"Is this bus really for us?" When Atobe-san told her that he'd provide transportation for the whole tennis club 'plus some' so she should feel to invite whoever she wanted, she didn't imagine that he would go above and beyond special treatment.

They have all been invited to Atobe's private hot spring retreat in Hakone. When he came to visit Sakuno in the hospital, he suggested that they go to Hokkaido at first but Sakuno had exclaimed how far it was and how expensive it would be for them to travel all the way there. He assured her that money was not going to be a problem, even if the whole Seigaku tennis club came, but Sakuno didn't want to impose on him. She repeatedly refused his suggestions, so he switched from Hokkaido to Hakone.

Hakone is relatively close to Tokyo and boasts substantial tourist activity. The spectacular view of Mt. Fuji and the abundance of hot springs in the area drew local and foreign tourists year round. It should have lots of tourists now, because it was the Golden Week, but Atobe assured them total privacy and exclusive use of his private hot springs. Yes, the rich bastard had his very own private hot springs.

At first, she didn't want to go. Ann was fully supportive of her decision. Atobe's Hakone Golden Week get-away was a bad idea and she didn't want him anywhere near Sakuno. Haruhi and Kazuma had been there when Sakuno politely refused, but he went levels above her and asked Ryuzaki-sensei's permission, inviting the whole Seigaku tennis team in the process. When Tezuka didn't oppose his sensei's decision, Sakuno and Ann were outnumbered.

The bright side was that Sakuno (with the help of Tezuka) got Atobe a thank you gift… and it looked like the vacation was going to benefit the team as a whole. The others (like Kikumaru) were really looking forward to it. It was going to be fun.

Tezuka was seated on the window seat of the first row on the left side of the bus. Sakuno sat next to him. He looked at the pink pig she carried curiously. "You still have Buta-chan?" It was several shades of pink lighter than the sleeveless shirt that she was wearing, and it looked cute with her short brown skirt.

Sakuno tightly clutched the pig which was twice her body size, feeling a little defensive. Her toes curled inside her white socks, scraping against the bottom of her pink sneakers. She loved Buta-chan. It looked worn-out from age but not abuse or neglect. She took good care of it ever since she received it as a Christmas present from him two years ago. "I can't sleep without it." The only reason why she didn't bring it to her to the hospital was because she didn't want to expose it to hospital germs. Buta-chan was special.

Only experts in deciphering Tezuka's facial features would be able to identify the pleased look on his face.

"Chibi-musume that's so cute nyah!" Kikumaru reached out to pet the stuffed animal. "Hoi, are you sitting here?" He asked Fuji who was standing behind him in the middle aisle, placing his bag on the overhead compartment.

"Yes," Fuji answered in behalf of Sakuno. "She suffers from motion sickness easily. Sitting in the front helps prevent it."

"Don't they have medicine to take care of that nyah?"

Sakuno looked a little embarrassed. "I took some, but they don't help much, Kikumaru-senpai." She was just too sensitive to the rocking of the vehicle if she can't see the road ahead because the seats were taller than her.

"Is that so nyah?" Eiji grabbed his Ochibi who just boarded and sat him down forcefully on the seat next to his Chibi-musume, taking his bag in the process. "Ochibi you sit here, nyah?"

Sakuno's eyes widened as she inched away from Ryoma-kun and closer to her Mitsu-nii. Why was Kikumaru-senpai making Ryoma-kun sit here of all places?

"Eiji, that's my seat!" Fuji protested as he finished securing his bag.

"Eiji-senpai!" Ryoma glared at his senpai who looked like a cat that just got some cream. What was he up to?

"Fuji, let Ochibi sit there because he gets motion sickness easily, too nyah!"

"Eiji-senpai, I don't—"

"And it'll be easier for me to talk to him because I sit just across the aisle nyah!"

Fuji's brows wrinkled. "You could just sit next to each other and make things easier—"

"But Oishi is sitting next to me, nyah! And I'm very good at finding good places for people to sit on." He then grabbed Kamio who looked totally out of place in the sea of Seigaku students and sat him on the seat directly behind Tezuka. "You sit there, Kamio!"

"What the— Kikumaru-san—"

"Ah!" He had no chance to protest as Tomoka squealed and pointed at Sakuno. "You're sitting next to Ryoma-sama! That's great, Sakuno! I'll sit behind you, okay?" She sat next to Kamio, effectively foiling his escape from the prison that Kikumaru had placed him in. Fuji admitted defeat and sat next to her. Kikumaru's plan was complete. "Isn't this great, Kamio-kun?"

Kamio shifted. He wanted to tell her that he felt out of rhythm, since he was the only one from Fudomine here, but he didn't have the heart to rain on her parade. She was clearly enjoying herself. "Ah… yeah…"

"We're going to have so much fun!" Tomoka continued. "It's too bad that the others couldn't come but you're here so try to make the best of it, okay?" In truth, she didn't really feel all that bad that the Tachibanas had plans with their family for Golden Week, leaving Ann unable to come with them. In her mind, Ann was able to go to the Eyes Rutherford concert and she got stuck at home babysitting her brothers. This was just the how the balance was kept in the universe: Ann was stuck with a family outing and she was free to go with Sakuno on a free onsen trip.

Life was good.

Kamio wished he should've said he wasn't free this week. Or at least had enough willpower to defend himself against those puppy eyes. They were the reason why he was here right now.

Do you have any plans for Golden Week, Kamio-kun?

Wouldn't it be nice to go to some nice, private hot springs, ne Kamio-kun?

Too bad Ann-chan can't come, eh, Kamio-kun?

But you already agreed so you're not going back on your word now, Kamio-kun?

Arg! Even Ibu had abandoned him!

"We're going to visit my grandparents in the country." Was what he said.

He was probably lying! He probably knew what trap the girls from Seigaku had set to lure any unsuspecting male into joining their trip to Atobe's domain. What the heck was he doing here anyway?

He didn't belong here.

Even if the girl chattering beside him was really good company, despite her scary nature, it didn't mean that he was fit to join this outing. In truth, he felt like an intruder. They weren't wearing their uniforms so an outsider wouldn't think they were from different schools, but that didn't erase the fact that he was from Fudomine and that he was in a bus full of people from Seigaku.

"I'm glad you came, Kamio-kun." Only the top half of Sakuno's face peeked out of the seat on the row in front of them.

Since four sets of eyes were looking at him expectantly, he agreed easily. "Aa, me too."

Promiscuous girl… Wherever you are… I'm all alone… And it's you that I want.
Promiscuous boy… You already know… That I'm all yours… What you waiting for?

Sakuno instantly knew who was calling her, just from the ringtone. She didn't even need to look at the caller ID when she flipped her phone open to answer it. "Atobe-san?"

Ryoma wasn't the only one who raised an eyebrow, but he was probably the only one thinking along the lines of: Holy freaking crap! What the heck is Monkey Boy calling Ryuzaki for!

In other portions of the bus, Momo and Kaidoh chose seats away from each other. Kawamura was helping Horio secure his bags overhead. Katsuo and Kachiro were absent because they too had plans with their families that they couldn't get out of. Inui was seated behind Oishi and Kikumaru. The seat next to him was unoccupied.

"Ah, yes. I think everyone's ready now, we're just waiting for the driver to finish his preparations and we're off. Thank you again." Sakuno spoke as she blushed. She would never be able to repay his kindness to her. "Oh, he's here!" The bus driver took his seat and started the engine, warming it up. "Okay. Mhm. Alright. We'll see you in a bit, Atobe-san. Ja ne!" She hung up, turned and sat back down on her chair just as the bus started moving.

"Sakuno," Tomoka spoke as the bus moved, "I love your ringtone. When did you get that one? I thought you only had UVERworld ringtones?"

"It's really nice, isn't it? Atobe-san sent it to me. Would you like me to send it to you?"

If they took the train instead of the privately chartered bus, it would have taken them approximately seventy minutes to reach Hakone from Tokyo. It didn't really matter much, because their chartered bus was extremely luxurious and made them feel more relaxed. Even if Hakone is located in the Kanagawa Prefecture, it was still relatively close to Tokyo, so the journey wasn't that big of a deal.

"Yes please!" Tomoka happily replied.

"I wonder what my ringtone is for your phone, Sakuno-chan." Fuji wondered out loud, engaging in the girls' conversation about cellphones. "Can I choose my own, perhaps?"

"Sure, Syusuke-nii." Sakuno handed her phone over.

"Chibi-musume, I don't have your number yet, nyah!"

"Let me send it to you, Eiji." He pulled out his own cellphone. "I'll store your number in here, too."

"Woohoo! Thanks Fuji! I bet not even Inui has it yet nyah!"

"I believe you are wrong, Kikumaru. I already have possession of Ryuzaki-chan's cellphone number." Even Tomoka turned to him in disbelief; a little bit awed at his data-gathering skills. He pushed his glasses up his nose before he explained. "I got it from Tezuka."

"No way!" Eiji turned in his seat, trying to judge if he was telling the truth or not.

"Yes way," Inui replied.

"Am I the last person here to have my Chibi-musume's number, nyah?" Kikumaru looked a little heartbroken. "Why Chibi-musume? I'm supposed to be one of the first ones to know info like that about you coz you're my chibi now." He looked at his chibi daughter sadly. He was very disappointed.

"There, there, Eiji." Oishi patted him on the head reassuringly. "I'm sure you're not the last one to have Ryuzaki-chan's number. Ne, minna?" By now, both of them were facing towards the back of the bus. Kikumaru was the only one sitting on his knees facing backwards so he can see better without having to crane his neck though.

"I have it!" Horio happily informed everybody.

"Horio, you have a cellphone now?" Tomoka asked incredulously, not bothering to turn in her seat like her senpais did because it was too troublesome.

"My mom just got it for me recently." Horio explained. "It's because she felt safer if she could reach me anytime when I'm late coming home from club practice."

"We have to exchange numbers!" Tomoka told him.

"I could send it to you, Osakada-chan," Fuji said. He was still messing with Sakuno's phone.

"Thanks, Fuji-senpai!" Then she turned to answer Oishi's question. "I have it, too, of course. And so does Kamio-kun."

Kamio nodded beside her. No matter what school you were from or how good you were at tennis, teenagers would always be teenagers, he guessed. They were no different from him, so he started to relax.

Kikumaru looked gloomier at each revelation. Oishi sought to make him feel better. "I'm sure Taka-san—"

"I have it." Kawamura said before Oishi could finish his sentence. "Sometimes Ryuzaki-chan calls in behalf of Ryuzaki-sensei to place orders and such."

"Er. . ." Oishi swiveled his gaze to his next target. "Kaidoh—"

"I have it, Oishi-senpai. Fssssshhhh." Even Inui raised a questioning brow at this. Kaidoh didn't want to tell them the circumstances of how he had come in possession of the girl's number, so he remained silent. Was it that unbelievable for him to be in possession of their sensei's granddaughter's number?

Oishi had ran out of choices. "Um. . . Echizen?" He almost dreaded to ask the young tennis prince. Eiji looked like he was going to start bawling soon.

Ryoma couldn't keep from feeling annoyed that Ryuzaki and everybody else who had her number seemed so. . . free. . . with her number. Did everyone in Japan have her number or something? "I don't have a cellphone," he told his senpai. His baka oyaji would probably tease him to death about some imaginary girlfriend if he dared to ask for one anyway.

Oishi looked relieved. "There you go, Eiji! You're not the last one, after all!"

Eiji brightened up considerably. "Don't worry, nyah Ochibi? Once you get a cellphone, you can get Chibi-musume's number from me!" A slight tick developed on Ryoma's jaw. Eiji was unaware of it. He straightened up on his chair and sat back down facing the front again. "We should sing a song, nyah! One hundred bottles of—"

"No."

Kikumaru blinked at Tezuka who said it. "Tezuka doesn't like that song nyah?" His brows cutely furrowed as he thought of another song that would please his friend. "Ah! I saw this one on TV the other day." He breathed deeply before he started his new song. "Jeremiah was a bullfrog… was a good friend of mine… I never understood a word he said…" He paused to poke his partner on the arm, "Come on Oishi, you know the lyrics don't you?" Then continued, "But I helped him drink his wine…"

"Aaah…" Sakuno glanced from the rapidly developing tick on the side of Mitsu-nii's face to the singing redhead, "would you like some brownies, Kikumaru-senpai?" The question stopped him in mid-singing.

"Brownies?" Momo perked up from behind the bus.

"I made some snacks in case we got hungry during the trip. Would you like to eat some now, Momo-senpai?"

"Would I!" Momo was already scrambling to get to the front part of the bus, intent on getting first pick of the brownies.

"Momo, me first!" Kikumaru exclaimed. "As father, I get to eat my daughter's food first!"

Fuji dutifully stood up and took Sakuno's bag from the overhead compartment to hand it to her. She rummaged for the brownie containers. When she pulled it out, Momo and Kikumaru were standing on the aisle, beside Ryoma's seat, waiting for the goodies. She opened the container and offered it first to Tezuka who took one, and then passed it on to an exuberant Kikumaru.

"Mmmm…" Kikumaru had brownie crumbs all over his face on the first bite. He grabbed a couple more before he passed it to Momo who was loudly demanding that he not eat all the brownies before he had a taste of them.

"Pass it around, Momo." Oishi was a fan of Ryuzaki-chan's brownies, too. Oishi then passed it to Inui who passed it to Kawamura who passed it to Kaidoh. The rapidly depleting supply of brownies then made its way to Horio, who greedily dug in, before he passed it back to an even greedier Momo again. Momo then took two more out before he gave it to Kikumaru (who was the greediest of them all) and then returned to his seat. Kikumaru took more and then passed it to Kamio. He just remembered that Kamio was their guest.

By the time Tomoka took her share, there were only three pieces left. Fuji graciously offered a piece to Tezuka before he devoured the remaining two and happily presented the empty container to Echizen.

Ryoma gave him a black look and then scowled at the empty Tupperware. There was nothing but crumbs in it.

"Oops!" Fuji had the gall to look surprised when he glanced at the depleted supply of brownies. "I didn't realize I ate the last of it. Gomen, Echizen."

Ryoma narrowed his gaze. Fuji-senpai's closed eyes were hard to scrutinize, yet he wouldn't put it past the tensai to have deliberately ate all the brownies before the container made its way back to him. You would think that since he was sitting right next to Ryuzaki that when she passed it around, he would have been first… or at least second, since she just had to serve buchou first. But noooooooooo, Ryuzaki didn't even spare him a glance when she offered the rest of the bus food. The fat pink pig was wedged between them and she constantly attempted to mold into the buchou's side. He felt like she wanted to get as far away from him as possible, for some reason.

"Um, I have some chips if you want, Ryoma-kun." Sakuno meekly offered. She didn't look him in the eye so she wouldn't stutter, and when he grunted, she translated that to a yes and gave him the bag of chips.

"Before I forget," Fuji was taking out something in his pocket, "let's take a group picture!"

"Yay!" Kikumaru pumped his fist up in the air. "I want to be with my chibis!" He lifted his Ochibi out of his seat, plopped down on the seat and huggled his chibis close. His Ochibi was sitting on his lap and even Buta-chan was included in his chibi group hug.

Ryoma was torn between embarrassment and indignation. He was embarrassed because he was half-sitting on his senpai's lap and half on Ryuzaki's, and he was indignant because his senpai was treating him like some little kid again.

The others scrambled to find their places within Fuji's camera's vision. Some, like Tomoka and Momo, flashed victory signs while they had silly grins on their faces. Others, like Sakuno and Kamio, had friendly smiles on theirs.

"Smile, Tezuka!" Fuji coerced. "One, two, three…"

Click!

"Inui, can you take another picture with me in it this time?"

"Sure Fuji." Inui took the camera from him and took another group picture.

"Thanks."

The next picture taken had Eiji giving his Ochibi bunny ears, which allowed Sakuno to escape his grasp and scoot away from getting too close of a contact with Ryoma. She was starting to get the urge to hyperventilate.

"Eiji-senpai, you can go back to your seat now." Ryoma grumbled. Out of spite, he decided to eat the whole bag of chips by himself. He refused to share any with anyone who didn't leave a brownie for him.

Kamio was having a very good, animated conversation with Fuji and Tomoka. Fuji slipped and asked about what they did when they went to Shibuya that one time and that earned him a sharp, icy glare from Tezuka in the front.

None of them knew for sure who the guy who captured Tezuka's Triple A Victory on his camera for sure (although Fuji had an accurate idea, but he refused to incriminate his friend), but by the time Golden Week came, everyone who had a cellphone that had video playback capability saw the normally stoic buchou of Seigaku bust-a-move. It was like some sort of keitai (otherwise known as "mobile phone") revolution.

After Fuji's friend, who shall remain unnamed for now, sent it to him, he sent it to the rest of his team and triggered a domino effect. Fuji was the one who sent it to everyone on his contact list which included Sakuno, Tezuka, and of course, Yuuta. Yuuta then sent it to everyone on his contact list which included his own team which included one super gossip by the name of Mizuki. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Inside Seigaku, it was taboo to mention It to Tezuka, so whoever had it on their cellphones kept their mouth shut in front of the captain and talked about it only when they were out of his hearing range. The tennis team ran twice as many laps more than normal, but nobody dared to complain. Even Ryuzaki-sensei was aware of the cause of her captain's distress – she was the one who sent it to all the teachers in the Seishun Gakuen faculty – so she also stayed clear of him. It was just best to let him get over his snit by himself rather than to poke and prod him when he was on edge already.

Now, more than ever, was she ever thankful for Atobe's plans.

Sakuno didn't suffer his wrath like she feared she would. No wrath was unleashed upon her and she tried her best to keep it that way by cooking his lunches to perfection. If two months' worth of bentos was going to help him feel better about exposing his guilty pleasure to the world, so be it. It was, in a way, her fault anyway. If she hadn't asked for his help to get her friends together, he wouldn't have been dragged into that arcade and someone wouldn't have come along and recorded him grooving.

She refrained from telling him once again that he grooved rather well, and it looked like he was back to his normal stoic self now. She still had more than a month left in her 'punishment', but she was happy to do it for him. It was worth it. Just look at how Kamio-kun and Ann-chan talked so easily with each other now. That karaoke session was really fun and by the time they parted ways, the two pairs she was helping push together felt more and more like couples.

She soon felt the first signs of motion sickness, so she closed her eyes and leaned comfortably back against her seat. Lulled by the rocking motion of the vehicle, Sakuno fell asleep in no time, still clutching Buta-chan like a pink wall of pig between her and Ryoma. It took him longer, but Ryoma also drifted off to slumber in a matter of minutes.

Gradually, Sakuno slowly fell sideways.

Soon, her head ended up propped up by Tezuka's left side. Ryoma also fell sideways. He was very comfortably snuggled up with Buta-chan.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Everyone on the Hyōtei team, except for Kabaji (because he already knew what was going on) and Jiroh (because he was too sleepy to care), were curious. Vacationing with Atobe was not a new thing to any of them, and they were used to their buchou's extravagance. What he considered a 'cottage', other people would call a freaking mansion; what he thought of as a light, normal, everyday breakfast, other people would call a several-course meal. They were used to his eccentricity by now.

They were also used to dealing with his 'mastermind' plans. He used the entire team to help test Seigaku's power once, before they went up against Rikkai Dai in the regional finals. They were used. Like pawns. But that was just how Atobe was.

When he asked them if they were free for Golden Week and if they were up to spending it with the team in his hot spring resort, they weren't surprised. What surprised them was when he said that he invited Seigaku over.

None of them asked him directly about the flowers, since it would mean that they'd have to admit they were spying on him if they did, so they kept their mouths shut. Nobody thought to ask Kabaji either, since the guy was as silent as a church mouse and didn't really speak much. Legend has it that he spoke more than just his automatic 'ossu' during the sports festival Atobe organized, but that was just a rumor. Nobody actually believed Kabaji spoke more than just 'ossu' because something like that just isn't possible.

Maybe, they rationalized, whoever started the rumor was affected by the altitude of the flying coliseum and started to hallucinate about things like a talking Kabaji.

Yep, that was the only explanation to it.

So they were pretty much on their own in the quest to make sense of Atobe's Hakone Golden Week with Seigaku, as Choutarou named it. And when Atobe's butler loudly announced that the bus had arrived, how could they not follow Atobe outside to welcome their guests?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He woke up to a soft hand prodding him awake.

"Ryoma-kun, wake up. We're here."

When he opened his eyes, Ryuzaki's face was so close to his that he could feel her breath on his skin. He could feel a blush creeping into his cheeks so he discreetly put a little distance between them to regain his bearings. When did Ryuzaki become so comfortable in his presence?

"Everyone left already," Ryuzaki told him as his eyes swept over the empty expanse of the bus.

Huh. His dad always told him he slept like a log. Now he knew there was at least some truth in those words.

"Would you like to follow them or would you like to stay here a little longer?" Ryuzaki placed one hand over his gently. Heat was emanating from it and he could feel the softness of her hand against his. She looked so soft. He wondered if all of her was as soft as she looked. "Ryoma-kun?"

The pink monstrosity was now on the empty chair beside her. The space that existed between them was also rapidly disappearing. Since when did Ryuzaki get so bold?

"Ryoma-kun…"

"Yes?"

"Call me Sakuno."

He blinked. What did she just say?

"Ryoma-kun, I—" She was so close, she was literally breathing on his skin. "I—"

"— you what?" He prodded, unable to look away from her eyes. If he leaned forward a quarter of an inch, their faces would be touching.

"I lo—" she slowly leaned forward and —

With a little jolt, he woke up. For real this time. And he was drooling on something.

As he slowly regained conciousness, he became aware of two things all at once: He was leaning on something very soft and very fragrant, and Buta-chan was no longer between him and Ryuzaki. Ryuzaki was now cuddling Buta-chan really close to her bosom as she snuggled comfortably against Tezuka's side, and who knows how long he had been snuggling against her side.

Ryoma shot up like a bullet, closing his mouth and wiping his drool at the same time. Thankfully, his jerky movements didn't awaken Ryuzaki and the buchou barely spared him a glance. The guy looked totally comfortable, even with the girl trying to burrow herself into his side. Like a kitten seeking warmth.

Before he could identify the resentment that made its way into his heart, the bus came to a gentle halt. They have arrived at their destination. The bus rolled to a gentle stop; most of the passengers didn't even feel the driver braking.

"We're here!" Kikumaru happily stated the obvious. Oishi yawned into his hand beside him. Inui rubbed his eyes behind them. He was just drifting off to sleep when they arrived. In the back of the bus, the others began to stir as well. Kaidoh was cracking his neck, Momo was rolling the stiffness away from his shoulders, and Horio was openly stretching.

Fuji was already unloading his bags from the overhead compartment, while Kamio was stuck in the position that Tezuka was currently in. Tomoka was using him as a human pillow and he didn't know how to wake her up.

Fuji came to his rescue.

"Osakada-chan," Fuji shook the girl's shoulder gently.

Tomoka rubbed her face against her human pillow three times before she opened her eyes. Her pillow was hard yet comfortable, and it smelled good. Kamio blushed to the roots of his hair. Fuji pretended not to notice. Tomoka wasn't even fazed when she recognized her pillow. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, stretched and then stood up to disembark, leaving a still red-faced Kamio still rooted to the chair.

"Eiji, go." Fuji instructed at Kikumaru who was blocking the way. He leaned over his Ochibi to get to his sleeping 'daughter' and let the others pass.

Ryoma was trying hard not to shove him off forcefully off of him. "Eiji-senpai, let me out." He hissed through gritted teeth. He didn't dare to raise his voice. Ryuzaki was still asleep.

"But we should wake her up, nyah?" Kikumaru whispered as he gently poked Sakuno's cheek. She stirred away from the poking, seeking refuge in Tezuka's side.

"Eiji," Tezuka pinned a hard look at Kikumaru who got ready to poke her again, "go."

"Yeah Eiji, Sakuno-chan takes a little time to wake up. By the time everything's ready and everyone has disembarked, she should be ready, too." Inui took that down on his notebook, silently wondering how Fuji would be privy to that information. "See? She's waking up now."

The others started getting off as soon as they got their carry-on bags. It was a little difficult to move around Kikumaru, so Oishi dragged him out of the bus. Atobe and most of his team were there to greet them in front. Everyone but Jiroh (who was still too busy sleeping), were too curious for their own good after all. They didn't want to miss the first glimpse of who their 'special guest' was, so they were lined up in front of the entrance, ready to greet their guests as soon as they stepped off the bus.

"Thank you for inviting us, Atobe." Oishi bowed his head gratefully at Hyōtei's buchou. Atobe returned his gratitude with a slight nod of his own, his eyes searching the bus. Kaidoh, Kawamura were just getting off, Momo following right behind them. A slightly red-faced Kamio came next, followed by Tomoka who felt very refreshed from her nap.

"Wow!" She gushed, looking at the lodgings instead of the unofficial welcoming committee there to greet them. "Isn't this nice, Kamio-kun?"

"Aa," Kamio agreed, and stared back at the people who were eyeing him curiously. The Hyōtei boys recognized who he was. How could they forget the teammate of Tachibana Kippei? Kamio could probably guess what they were thinking about. They were probably wondering what he was doing with Seigaku. They weren't that curious about his presence, he guessed, when their curious faces shifted to the girl behind him. Tomoka was oblivious to it; she was still admiring the large mansion that Atobe called a 'small private onsen retreat'.

Inui disembarked next, a curious brow quirked at the seemingly warm reception presented by the Hyōtei team. Ryoma looked bored as usual; he even yawned as his feet touched the ground. Horio was next, and a still groggy Sakuno and finally Tezuka were behind him. Tezuka was carrying Buta-chan for Sakuno.

Horio was wondering what his mother packed inside his backpack. It weighed like it was filled with bricks. It didn't feel this heavy before… did it? Ah, but that didn't matter now because he was going to have fun. He didn't get the chance to go to an onsen resort everyday, you know. He happily bounced down the steps of the bus. When he reached the last step, his backpack felt heavier than usual. He pulled his backpack higher and stepped aside; his intent was to join his schoolmates (and Kamio) in that line facing Hyōtei they seemed to have formed.

Something went flying behind him when he did.

Sakuno was barely awake when she was told that they had reached their destination. She was still drowsily rubbing the sluggish feeling from her eyes when she miscalculated her next step. She missed the last three steps leading down the bus. Her sneakered feet met nothing and she was propelled into the air with the force of a pebble hurled from a sling. In an attempt to recover her balance, she grabbed the nearest thing she could, which was Horio. But he shifted, then stepped aside, making her wish she knew how to fly.

Tezuka's eyes widened as he saw what happened, as if in slow motion. He attempted to grab her from behind, but his fast reflexes (that were impeded by Buta-chan) weren't quick enough to grab hold of her to prevent her from eating dirt with a loud squeak of pain.

"Kyaa!"

Dust and dirt flew out in all directions when she landed. Sakuno had her chin and entire front part planted in the driveway. She was doing a very good imitation of a flightless Supergirl.

When the dust settled, everyone from the entire Hyōtei team (except for Jiroh who was still sleeping somewhere inside the lodge) to all the Seigaku Regulars (especially Tezuka because he was directly behind her), including Horio, Tomoka, Kamio and even the bus driver (although he can't see much because Tezuka was blocking his vision – but he definitely saw the dive), were treated to a view of Sakuno's checkered pink panties.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
X lol X
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

( )-( )
(-'.'-)
(")-(")
I need a monkey with banana peels to follow Sakuno around. Joudan lang.
(I'm getting tired of putting OBVIOUS disclaimers... people know they're not mine, right?) McDonald's… DDR… Let's Groove lyrics… the characters… 109… etc… Christina Aguilera and Nelly Furtado own the lyrics to Sakuno's ringtones.
If you think Buta-chan is familiar, he is. If you watched the (Christmas Eve) TeniMyu Hyotei Winter Match, Buta-chan is based from that pink pig that Tezuka rides at the end. XD I blame the Jeremiah was a bullfrog bit on VH1: I love the 70s. (I've been watching a lot of TV)
OMG WTFBBQ! Hikaru no Go and Prince of Tennis on CN/dies/

Thank you for all your reviews. I really like it when you tell me which parts you liked/disliked. Reviews that make sense make me less lazy. Kainis kasi kung marami ang nagbabasa pero wala naman nag-review. Keh. (lol, maldita ako, oo XD) Reviews na ganito ang pinakamaganda. Please feed the plot puppies. The summer heat is killing them.