"Think of something!" Sakuno yelled.
Ryoma could see that she was close to tears. Ryoma didn't know what to say to her to make her feel better. He pulled out a packet of tissue from his pocket and handed it to her. Sakuno looked at him. Ryoma saw that there were tears running down her cheeks. He could see that she is trying hard not to burst into tears in front of him.
"Ah no, thanks, Ryoma-kun," Sakuno said, softly.
"If you want to cry, just cry. It will make you feel better-" Ryoma began.
"EEEEEEEEEEEE! A cockroach!" Tomochan yelled. The girls screamed. Sakuno hugged Echizen, Ann grabbed Momo and Tomochan grabbed Atobe.
"Oi, what do you think you are doing?" Atobe said to Tomochan. Tomochan refused to budge.
"Kill it for me, Atobe!" Tomochan yelled.
"Where is it?" Ann yelled. "Is it near me?"
"Ryoma-kun! I'm scared!" Sakuno cried.
Atobe felt like he was choking. Tomochan was still hugging his neck, cutting off his air supply. "Get away from me!"
"No! I'm so scared...," Tomochan said softly. "I'm so scared."
Atobe was frozen in his spot. Part of him wanted to push her away but another part of him wanted to protect her. This is crazy, he thought. What am I doing?
He quickly grabbed Tomochan's arms and peeled her away from him.
"Control yourself, woman!" he yelled.
"It's coming towards you, Atobe!" Momo yelled. Atobe saw the little black cockroach crawling towards him.
"Why you little pesky critter!" Atobe cried as he squashed the cockroach under his new shoes.
"Heeyah!" Tomochan cried. "You killed it, Atobe-sama! YAY!"
Sakuno felt relieved. She realized that she was still hugging Ryoma. She let go of him and blushed. Ryoma's face was red too but he was staring at the floor, not wanting to meet her eyes.
"Hahaha!" Momo laughed. Ann was still hugging him. "I would have killed the cockroach! Haha! It's just that the cockroach ran towards Atobe so Atobe get to kill it! HAR HAR HAR!"
"This is irritating!" Ryoma said. He grabbed his bags.
"Ryoma-kun!" Sakuno said. "Were are you going?"
"I am going to find a way out of this place!" Ryoma said.
He headed towards the stairs.
"That's right, Echizen! We'll go down the stairs to the first floor and there must be a security guard who can help us, right?" Momo said quickly.
"Yay! Let's go, Momo!" Ann said as she pulled his arm.
"Let's go, Sakuno!" Tomochan cried as she pulled Sakuno. Atobe watched them all go. He didn't want to follow that stupid Ryoma but he didn't want to be left alone too. He grabbed his bag and he suddenly remembered his handphone.
"Oi, Seigaku!" he called out to them. The whole group stopped to look at him.
"What?" Ryoma asked. Atobe pulled out his handphone.
"I have this! I almost forgot! Let me just call my dad-" Atobe said. Everyone looked at him.
"HEEYAH! ATOBE IS SO SMART! OI, MOMO, RYOMA-SAMA, BOTH OF YOU HAVE HANDPHONES, SO WHY DIDN'T YOU THINK OF IT?" Tomochan yelled.
Momo and Ryoma looked at each other. Why didn't they think of it?
"I'll rescue all of us!" Atobe said proudly as he dialed for his daddy. He got the busy tone. He looked at the phone. There were no coverage so he couldn't make any outgoing calls.
"Ah! This is insane I tell you!" Atobe cursed. "This must all be your fault, you shitty little Echizen!"
Momo took out his phone. He had no coverage too. Ryoma's phone had the same problem.
"This really is a problem," Ann said, thoughfully. "My brother must be worried!"
"Um... my parents must be worried too," Sakuno said. Tomochan hugged Sakuno to comfort her.
"Don't worry, Sakuno! We'll get out of here soon! Let's go to the first floor and hope there's someone there who can help us! Maybe there are still some shopkeepers around!" Tomochan said.
Sakuno nodded. "Let's go!"
The gang walked down the stairs till they reached the first floor. They saw the EXIT door and they heard voices.
"Hahaha! We are saved!" Momo yelled as he ran to the door. It was locked. He knocked on it loudly.
"HEY! LET US OUT!" he yelled. "HEY! WE ARE TRAPPED HERE! PLEASE LET US OUT!"
The voices from outside stopped and they could hear footsteps. The footsteps did not stopped. They heard another door slammed shut.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Momo cried. He banged on the door harder. He stopped when he realised it was no use. He looked at the other apologetically.
"Maybe they didn't hear us!" Ann said. "What are we going to do?"
"We are really trapped!" Sakuno and Tomochan cried in unison.
"Eh, we'll just wait till morning!" Ryoma suggested. Everyone stared at him.
"Oi, shitty little Echizen," Atobe began. "You don't expect me to sleep in this kind of place, har?"
"Oh? You mean you need a nice mattress to sleep on?" Momo said, laughing. "Oi, Atobe-sama, you really crack me up! HAHAHA!"
Ann punched him on the arm. "That is mean, Momo!"
"Oi, dunk smash guy," Atobe said. "I know you are jealous so don't act all cool and calm just because your girlfriend is here."
"Ah! What did you say you little spoiled rich brat! I bet you are scared shitless! Do you want your mommy now? Huh? Huh?" Momo asked. "Boo hoo hoo! I want my mommy! Boo hoo! I wanna go home!"
"MOMO!" Ann yelled at him. The three girls looked at Atobe to see how he would react. Atobe didn't look angry at all.
"Ah! Sakuno! He is so cool! He is so matured!" Tomochan whispered to Sakuno. Sakuno just nodded.
Atobe pointed a finger to Momo. "Oi, dunk smash guy. You think you are so smart ah? You'll be amazed by my ability to sleep in a dump like this! I may seem weak to you but I'll prove you wrong! You just wait, dunk smash guy!"
"Eh... can we quit this irritating argument and think of a way out of here?" Ryoma asked. He yawned.
"We are stuck in the stairwell so I think we should find a good place where we all could get some sleep!" Ann said.
"I'm not sleeping anywhere near Monkey King!" Momo cried folding his arms. Ryoma glared at him. Momo is being such a jerk.
"Oi, Momo... does that mean you only want to sleep next to Ann?" Atobe asked. Momo's face turned red.
"Ack! I did not say that!" Momo yelled.
"Mmm... you are such a pervert," Atobe said. He went to Ryoma. "Oi, shitty little Echizen, I am not a big fan of you but I'd rather sleep next to you rather than sleep next to that idiot dunk smash guy. Let's find a warm place to cuddle up!"
Ryoma's jaws dropped. Atobe have a strange sense of humour.
"Oi, Ryoma! Don't you dare go with him!" Momo warned.
"What's your problem?" Atobe demanded. "I got Ryoma and you got the three girls! Isn't that what you want? Huh?"
"Ack! Hey! What does that supposed to mean, ah?" Momo yelled angrily.
"Mmm... when will they stop arguing?" Sakuno said. "Do you think we should stop them?"
"Momo is so childish!" Ann interrupted. Sakuno and Tomochan looked at her.
"Oi, Momo! Atobe! Would you guys quit it!" Ann yelled at them.
"Oi, Ann! Please don't get involved! This is a fight between men!" Momo yelled back at her.
Ann glared at him angrily. "Fine! Come on girls! We shall find our own place to sleep! We don't need these immatured guys!"
Ann turned and stormed away. Sakuno and Tomochan looked at each other. They got up and followed after her.
"Oi, where are you going?" Ryoma asked as he pulled Sakuno's arm.
"We can't let Ann go alone," Sakuno said. She pushed Ryoma's hand away. "We'll be upstairs. You guys can... erm... continue with your useless arguing."
Sakuno and Tomochan walked away.
"Smart move, dunk smash guy! Now your girlfriend is really mad at you!" Atobe said. He laughed. "Ah! Ryoma's girlfriend is mad at him too!"
"Shut up!" Ryoma and Momo yelled at him at the same time.
"Oi, Ryoma," Momo said. "This is bad. You think the girls would ever speak to us again?"
"This is all your fault, Momo-senpai!" Ryoma said. Atobe grabbed his bags and walked up the stairs.
"Oi! Where do you think you are going?" Momo yelled at him.
"Ah... the girls needed me. I can't let them all sleep alone! Atobe-sama will protect them while they sleep!" Atobe said. He disappeared up the stairs.
"Why that irritating Atobe!" Momo said but he stopped.
"I guess the two of us shall sleep here!" Ryoma said as he sat on the floor.
"What? Aren't you even worried?" Momo asked. Ryoma looked at him.
"Worried?"
"Sakuno! Aren't you worried about her?" Momo asked. Ryoma thought for awhile.
"Why must I be worried? I think she is old enough to take care of herself," Ryoma said.
"Mmmm," came a voice. Both of them turned to see Sakuno. Her face is pale and she looked pretty upset. She had heard the whole conversation by the look of her face. There were 2 cans of Ponta in her hands.
Ryoma looked away. He had done it again. He had made her upset.
"Atobe forgot that he had bought some food and drinks along... so he wants you two to have these," Sakuno said. She placed the cans on the floor and hurried up the stairs.
"Oi, Ryoma. You are done for," Momo said. He took the cans and handed one to Ryoma. Ryoma looked extremely miserable.
------
"Wah, you brought so much food!" Tomochan cried.
"I bought all these food because tomorrow is my coach's birthday. We are planning a surprise birthday party for him! I guess I have to buy more food when I get out of here!" Atobe said.
"Ah no," Sakuno said. "Is it okay if we eat all these food? I mean... you paid for them and..."
"Hahaha! I paid with my dad's credit card! He won't mind at all!" Atobe said. "If you girls are hungry, help yourself!"
The three girls stared at him with disbelief. Atobe seemed like a different person now.
"Ack! I can't open this bottle!" Ann said, struggling with her bottle of Snapple. Atobe took the bottle from her and opened it for her. He handed it back to her. Ann took the bottle dumbfounded.
"Oi, Sakuno!" Tomochan whispered to her friend. "This is so unreal! Is he possessed or something?"
"I don't know, Tomochan!" Sakuno said. "But he is a great guy, isn't he?"
Tomochan sighed. "Oi, Sakuno... if he's in Seigaku, I'll form a fan club for him too! Atobe-sama is so cool!"
"Um... I thought you liked Ryoma!" Sakuno asked.
"AHA! I liked Ryoma's tennis playing but I don't really like him in person! But I like Atobe for both his character and his tennis skills!" Tomochan said and laughed.
Ryoma-kun, Sakuno thought. Why must you be such a jerk? Even a stranger like Atobe can be so nice to another stranger like Ann but why can't you be a bit nicer to me? Is this a one sided love?
------
Momo and Ryoma were lying on their backs staring at the ceiling.
"Oi, Ryoma. They sounded like they are having a blast up there! They even have food and drinks!" Momo said, feeling slightly jealous. His stomach made a loud growling sound. He is famished.
"Mada mada dane!" Ryoma answered.
"Do you think we should go upstairs and apologize?" Momo asked, rubbing his stomach.
"You go ahead. It's all your fault anyway!" Ryoma said.
"Come with me, Echizen! You hurt Sakuno too!" Momo cried.
"She's not my girlfriend!" Ryoma argued.
"How long are you going to deny it?" Momo argued. Ryoma kept quiet.
"Okay, can I ask you something, Ryoma," Momo said. "I think I like Ann and I know that irritating Kamio liked her too. Do you think I have a chance? I mean, she must think I am such a jerk she'd probably would never talk to me again!"
"That's your problem!" Ryoma said. Momo felt like killing him.
"Do you like Sakuno, Ryoma?" Momo suddenly asked.
"I have no time for girls," Ryoma answered.
"Oi, Echizen, don't tell me you'd rather date a tennis racket than date a girl!" Momo cried. "You are serious as always, Echizen. Sometimes I wonder why you are so popular with the girls!"
"Eh... Momo talked too much today! I wonder why!" Ryoma said. Momo sat up.
"Alright! I am going upstairs to apologize! Let's go, Echizen!" Momo said as he pulled Ryoma to his feet. They trudged up the stairs.
"Ann!" Momo cried when he saw the group. He stopped when he saw that Ann was using Atobe's Hyotei jecket.
"Uh oh," Ryoma said, under his breath.
"Momo!" Ann said to him brightly. Ann looked very happy to see him. But Momo did not feel the same way. Momo turned away, looking extremely miserable and angry. He quickly walked back down the stairs. Ryoma looked at him and then at Ann. Ann looked surprised and hurt at the same time. It is so difficult to understand love, Ryoma thought.
Ryoma gave Sakuno a miserable look and then followed Momo down the stairs.
"What was that about?" Tomochan asked.
"Mmm I don't know, Tomochan!" Sakuno said. She looked at Ann. Ann looked miserable.
Atobe was clearing up the trash when he saw that Ann and Sakuno had fallen asleep. Ann was still using his jacket. She had felt cold and slightly sick so he had offered her his jacket. It doesn't even mean anything. But seeing the look on Momo's face gave him a lot of satisfaction. That will teach you to not mess with me, dunk smash guy, Atobe thought to himself.
"Ah! All clean! I was so afraid all the food would attract more creepy crawlies!" Tomochan said. She had volunteered to help him with the cleaning.
"I'll finish this up. You go get some sleep, Tomochan," Atobe said.
Tomochan almost fainted. Atobe actually knew her name! He sounded so cute when he called her name. Tomochan made a mental note to form an Atobe-sama fanclub in Seigaku.
"You okay?" Atobe asked. Tomochan looked like she was in shock.
"Atobe-sama!" Tomochan said. Atobe looked at her surprised. "I think you are a great guy. A really, really incredible guy."
Atobe looked at her weirdly. "Erm... ah... you... erm..."
"Yes! I am amazed by your good looks and incredible tennis skills! But I am even more amazed by your personality."
Tomochan smiled brightly at him. Atobe looked embarrassed.
"Okay," he said after a few seconds.
"Goodnight!" Tomochan said as she skipped towards the sleeping Ann and Sakuno. She joined them and closed her eyes. Atobe saw her shivered. It was a pretty cold night.
He went to his bag and pulled out a paper bag. He just bought a new sports jacket at the mall and he pulled the jacket out of the protective plastic cover. He walked over to where the three girls were. Tomochan looked like she had already fallen asleep. He put the jacket over Sakuno and Tomochan. The two girls must be freezing. Ann already had his jacket so she should be fine. Atobe walked to the stairs and sat down. He couldn't sleep in such a filthy place. Maybe he should just keep watch.
------
Morning came and Ryoma woke up when he heard noises from outside the Exit door. Light streamed from the windows.
"Momo-senpai! Wake up!" Ryoma cried as he shook Momo awake. Momo stirred and looked at him.
"Ryoma? What are you doing in my room?" Momo asked, stupidly. Ryoma rolled his eyes. Momo looked around and he remembered that they were locked in the new shopping mall's stairwell.
"We can go home now!" Ryoma cried, cheerfully.
"What are you kids doing here!" a security guard demanded when he saw them.
"We were locked in!" Ryoma explained.
"Eh? We are here the whole night, how come we didn't hear anything?" the security guard said to another guard. Both of them shook their heads.
Momo and Ryoma apologized and ran out of the shopping mall.
"We are free!" Momo cried. They stopped when they saw Atobe and the three girls. Ann was still using Atobe's jacket. Sakuno was using a large Nike jacket which looked like it belonged to Atobe. The price tag was still hanging from one of the sleeve. Ryoma suddenly understood the whole picture.
"Are you ill, Sakuno?" Ryoma asked.
"I'm just a bit cold," Sakuno said in a small voice. Ryoma looked at her worriedly.
"I'll walk you home," Ryoma said. Sakuno looked at him surprised.
"Ryoma-kun," she said slowly. Ryoma pulled out his jacket.
"You can give Atobe back his new jacket and use mine instead," Ryoma said as he handed Sakuno his jacket. Sakuno looked at him. So Ryoma do care about her.
She took off Atobe's new jacket and handed it to Atobe.
"Ah,no... I hope I didn't stain it! I am so sorry for stepping on your shoes too. Please forgive me!" Sakuno said to Atobe. Atobe had totally forgotten about the shoe incident which had gotten them all stuck in the stairwell in the first place.
"It's okay, really," Atobe said, stuffing the jacket into one of his paperbags. He made a mental note to get his maid to clean the jacket, twice.
"Come, Sakuno. I'll walk you home," Ryoma said. Sakuno put on Ryoma's jacket and waved to the rest of the guys. Both of them walked away.
Momo felt horrible. So Ann must be so cold that Atobe had to give her his jacket. Momo felt silly. How could he think that Atobe was hitting on Ann?
"I am sorry I was such a jerk," Momo said to Ann. Ann sneezed.
"Oi, dunk smash guy. Your girlfriend looked sick. Why don't you take her to the doctor?" Atobe asked. Momo glared at him.
"Shut up! I know what I'm doing!" Momo yelled at him. Atobe just grinned. Ann took off the jacket and handed it to Atobe.
"Thank you so much-," Ann began.
"Don't mention it. You two take care!" Atobe said. "Oi Dunk smash guy, don't be such an ass the next time, okay?"
"Come, Ann! I'll take you to a doctor!" Momo said, glaring at Atobe. Atobe just grinned.
"Ah, this is the Momo I liked!" she said, happily. "Yay!"
Momo looked embarrassed. Ann grabbed his arm.
"Let have lunch together, Momo! We'll have a date today!" Ann said.
"Ah! Ann! Don't say that so loud!" Momo said. They both walked away, looking like a happy couple.
Atobe turned to Tomochan who looked slightly upset.
"My chauffer will be here any minute now. Do you want a ride?" Atobe asked her.
"Um... my house is far from yours. I don't want to be a burden," Tomochan said. Atobe looked at her. He thought that she looked pretty cute. Infact, she was cute when she's not being too loud.
He then walked to the road and flagged down a cab.
"Come, Tomochan!" he shouted to her.
"Oi, mister," Atobe said to the driver. "Here have some money. I think it's more than enough. Take this girl home. I want her home safe and sound, ya hear! And don't try anything stupid!"
Tomochan stared at Atobe. That was a really nice thing he did. In fact, it was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her.
"Um... I'll pay you back-" Tomochan began. She got into the cab.
"What are you talking about?" Atobe asked. "Just forget it, okay?"
"Thank you, Atobe-sama," she said. Atobe looked slightly embarrassed. "Bye bye!"
The cab drove away. Atobe sighed. Finally, he had gotten rid of all the Seigaku people and one Fudomine girl. He cursed his bad luck. It wasn't such a bad experience. He get to hang out with 3 cute girls, he got Momo angry and Tomochan expressed her feelings for him. It had turned out fine.
He sighed. He's finally going home to get some sleep.
------ END ------
Oops sorry for taking so long to update the last part. Thanks for all the comments! I hope you all liked the story... um... yeah... that's about it. Enjoy!