Tennis no HimeSama
Chapter 8: Meet the Unexpected
The bathroom door swung open, and Ryoma ushered Sakuno inside. The bathroom tiles were blue as well as the counter and the curtains. He walked towards the curtains and yanked it aside to reveal a bathtub, which was also surprisingly blue. Sakuno squealed in delight as she surveyed the entire room while holding Karupin tightly in her arms. She would certainly enjoy giving Ryoma's Himalayan – Spotted Cat a bath.
"Everything's ready and all you have to do is to push the tap right there under the shower to let the water out. It's already attached to the heater so it shouldn't be a problem," he explained, finding his girlfriend cute as she operated the tap with a small push and giggled like a little child when hot water gushed forth, filling the tub. Ryoma started to shake his head as he went towards the door. "Oi, I'm going to get some towels. I think we need a lot more of it since bathing him would be a pretty messy job."
"Okay!" Sakuno responded, happy and excited all at the same time. She closed the bathroom door, leaving it unlocked for Ryoma in case he returns. She put Karupin down the bathroom floor; his padded feet making circles around her legs as she leaned on the side of the tub, letting her fingers touch the warm water. She gave a sigh of relief as she remembered the events which took place in Ryoma's room and she giggled a bit when she remembered the senpais' faces when he announced that they were officially a couple.
She allowed a smile to brighten her features as she stared at the white gilded mirror hanging on top of the bathroom counter. Her reflection smiled back at her and she shook her head as she turned the tap off, seeing the tub was nearly full and all right for Karupin to plunge into. She stood up and removed her socks and shoes, tied her hair up into a bun and pinned it securely over her head. She folded her skirt up to knee – length then went to look for Karupin. The Himalayan - Spotted Cat was lying on the tiles and Sakuno happily picked him up and cuddled him.
"There, there sweetie! Mommy's going to give you a bath, yes she is," she cooed at the furry cat that just stared at her with its big blue eyes. She reached the side of the bathtub and tested the temperature with her elbow. Finding that the warmth was just right, she stepped into the tub, the water reaching her knees and she sat on the side of the tub. She gave Karupin a final cuddle then without warning, she placed him into the warm water.
A loud shrieking sound was heard throughout the entire Echizen household.
Meanwhile, Momo was staring into space as he chomped down another hamburger. He and the senpais were eating at their favorite hamburger hang – out, and sad to say, they were eating out of disappointment because of what they had discovered back at Echizen's home a few hours ago. He grabbed another burger from his tray and continued to eat ruthlessly like a mad animal.
"Oi, Momo slow down! That's your 30th burger already," Kikumaru commented as he watched Momo choked it down. He handed him a soft drink. Momo accepted it with thanks and chugged it down without stopping until he could see nothing left at the bottom of the glass. He waved his hand to the waiter and yelled, "Five more burgers please!" He slumped back in his seat as the others regarded him with strange looks.
"What?" he snapped.
Kaidoh let out a hiss. "What're you so glum about? It's like you were disappointed that you found nothing about Echizen. You also dragged us all the way there just to find out if he molested the coach's granddaughter!"
"If you're going to lecture about that the entire time, Mamushi, why don't you ask yourself why you even came with us in the first place!" Momo retorted, his fists clenching. Kaidoh stood up from his chair, his snake – like glare glinting madly. Momo also rose up from his chair and faced him head - on when they heard Oishi protesting them to stop.
Oishi stepped in between them, pushing them apart by the shoulders. He forced them to sit back in their chairs while he shook his head in a motherly gesture. "Stop it you guys! Geez, I don't understand why you two can't stand each other."
Inui peered at them through his glasses as he studied the new data he had gathered from Echizen's house. His eyebrows scrunched up together as if he saw something lacking in his notes. "Hmm…this data is not enough."
"What do you mean not enough?" Taka – san prodded.
Inui showed his notes to the rest of the senpais and pointed one particular spot in the page of his notebook that was empty, except for a few scrawls. The senpais stared at the mathematical equations showing the physical layout of Echizen's room, and some descriptions of the 'crime scene'. They sweat dropped; they couldn't believe that that was the inside of all of Inui's notes. It was too technical for them to understand.
"Woah, Inui – senpai, I'm amazed at your data – gathering skills. You even comprehensively described their position at that time they were sprawled out on the floor," Momo astonishly commented as he look at a figure with full of trigonometric symbols pointed at each part. Taka – san and Tezuka were also awed that they hadn't even had the strength to speak. Kaidoh gave another aggravated hiss while Oishi gave a reverberating sigh.
Inui flipped the notebook shut then rested his elbows on top of the table, interlacing his fingers together. "But as I said before, this is not enough. In order for me to come up with a sufficient data, I have to observe them for one whole day or more in case there are some changes in the data that I gathered from them." He gave an inward smirk when he saw his teammates leaning forward towards him so they could hear out more from him. His glasses gleamed. 'It's all for my precious data…Hehehehe…'
Oishi was the one to speak out first. "What are you planning to do, Inui?" The others held on to their breaths as they waited to what Inui would have to propose. Inui was about to speak when they heard the restaurant's glass doors opened and they whirled around to see a familiar person waving at them in greeting.
"Fuji!" They yelled in unison.
…………
Fuji Syusuke wore his usual trademark smile as he walked towards the booth of the rest of the Seigaku regulars. He plopped at a seat beside Tezuka who greeted him only with a nod. "It's nice to see you again, Tezuka."
"Yeah," he agreed as he took a sip of his drink. Oishi was looking at Fuji as if he was forgetting something.
"Fuji, where's your brother?" he asked.
Signaling the waiter and being asked what he would have, Fuji ordered a strawberry milkshake from the menu and tapped his fingers on top of the table. "Inui called me up and told me to come here. Then Yuuta went to practice his tennis with whose – that – guy in St. Rudolph?"
"Mizuki," Taka – san supplied.
Fuji's eyes blinked open in confirmation. "Ah, yeah that's right. Mizuki."
Momo sweat dropped. "Fuji – senpai, are you accidentally forgetting Mizuki's name on purpose?"
"Hm? Did you say something, Momo?"
"No, nothing."
Kikumaru coughed to bring the attention back to Inui's proposition. "Now, now everyone! Let's hear out what Inui has to say." He added with a glint of mischief in his eyes. "And I think it concerns our Ochibi and his little hottie!"
"Eiji! Watch your mouth, don't say things like that about Ryuzaki – chan," Oishi scolded. Eiji pouted while Tezuka shook his head in exasperation at the scene in front of him. Eiji waved his arms like a bird flapping its wings as he tried to rearticulate his answer.
"Nyaa…I was just complimenting Ryuzaki – chan's attributes, Oishi!" he protested. "But it's true, Ryuzaki – chan is hot!"
Oishi huffed back in his seat. "You and your lame pretexts, Eiji."
Inui adjusted the rim of his glasses as he called everybody's attentiveness. "Now, let's not waste on unimportant things. What matters most is that we come across another plan to sidetrack Echizen's attention from our true objective. I'm sure he managed to fool us with that 'hickey' back there. But what if it was a bruise or a mark?"
"Are you saying that Ochibi is mistreating Ryuzaki – chan?" Kikumaru yelped.
Inui's glasses gleamed. "Seems like it."
Oishi smacked his fist against the table. "No way! You're not going to draw us together into another scheming plan of yours, Inui." He turned to his other teammates, seeking their assistance. But sadly, none offered any resistance to Inui's idea. In fact, they seemed to be more engrossed in finding more about Echizen's well – kept secrets. Frantic, he pleaded to Taka – san who was nervously drinking his iced tea; "Taka – san, please help me persuade them!"
Taka – san swallowed. "I know, Oishi, but I don't have the power to go against them."
"Taka – san's right, Oishi! Just play along. Who knows? Maybe we'll get something much more than kissing!" Kikumaru joked. Oishi squeaked and ducked his head away from them. His teammates must had hit puberty the wrong way.
Momo – chan grinned slyly at his Inui – senpai. "What are we going to do?"
Tezuka didn't make a sound of protest as his teammates huddled closer to Inui, waiting for him to make a plan. Momo, he could understand but Inui?
Inui's glasses gleamed even more. "We'll start by that time Echizen gave Ryuzaki a hickey…"
Ryoma grabbed two fluffy white towels from the towel rack at the end of the hallway and started to walk back towards the bathroom. He began to wonder how Ryuzaki fared. Actually to him, bathing Karupin was one of the worst troubles he'd ever had in his entire life. He could still remember the time he first had given his cat a bath…
…………
He was excited in having a new cat that he received from his birthday when they were still in the US. According to his mother, it was a Himalayan – Spotted Cat, one of the rare breeds of cats back in the US. When he received it at first, he was skeptical about raising a pet since he was always out having tennis practices with his lecherous father. But after catching a glimpse of him, he decided to make the cat his own.
"Ryoma, make sure you give Karupin a bath after you finish your dinner," his mother called out from the kitchen. He gave a sigh as he glanced at his cat that was crunching food happily on his platter. He glanced back into his own plate and pushed it away from him. He was already sick from eating American Style food and seeing it again for two months straight in a row made him gag. If he really ended up with a girl and lived together, he would make sure he'd pick one that knew how to cook Japanese Style food.
Yawning, he stood up from his chair, Karupin involuntarily making a run for him and circling playfully between his legs. A lazy smirk formed across his face as he picked him up and padded barefooted towards the bathroom. He was about to open the door when he noticed a messy pile of clothes strewn on the floor. His eyebrow twitched as he pounded his fist against the door. "Oyaji! Don't tell me you're still taking a bath inside!"
He received no reply and he continued to bang on the door a bit louder. Karupin squirmed under his hold, and Ryoma gave an insufferable sigh as he banged harder. He didn't care if he'd break the door constantly due to his pounding. He smirked when it finally opened and out came Nanjiroh wearing a towel wrapped around his waist. His smug expression darted towards Ryoma.
"You've ruined a perfect bath, you spoiled brat," he complained as he crossed his arms in front of his tanned chest. He looked down to see Karupin staring up at him and giving him a soft mewl. "What are you going to do with that cat, Ryoma?"
He shrugged. "I'm going to give Karupin a bath, oyaji. Now move aside so I could use the tub. Karupin is beginning to become cranky because of your slowness." He walked past Nanjiroh and slammed the door behind him. His father only stared at the closed door, shaking his head. 'Che, stupid kid.'
…………
He operated the tap with a small push and giggled like a little child when hot water gushed forth, filling the tub. Ryoma put Karupin down the bathroom floor; his padded feet making circles around his legs as he leaned on the side of the tub, letting his fingers touch the warm water.
He then picked up Karupin that was beginning to fall asleep in between his legs. He began to think. 'How am I going to bath a cat?' He glanced at his furry charge mewling and he sighed. 'Ah, who cares? I'll just dip him inside the tub and give him a bath just exactly as I do.' He smirked. 'Then that's what I'm going to do!'
Turning to Karupin, he stroked his fur. "There, there my sweet baby! Daddy's going to give you a bath, yes he is," he cooed at the furry cat that only stared at him with its big blue eyes. He reached the side of the bathtub and tested the temperature with his elbow. Finding that the warmth was just right, he stepped into the tub, the water reaching his knees and he sat on the side of the tub. He gave Karupin a final cuddle then without warning, he placed him into the warm water.
A loud shrieking sound can be heard throughout the entire Echizen household.
Ryoma winced at the memory. Well, turns out he found out too late that Karupin didn't want any water being splashed onto him even a tiny sprinkle. Somehow, he managed to survive in giving him a bath after receiving several scratches on his arms, legs and face. His ego was also shattered after he squealed like a girl when Karupin accidentally scraped his face with his razor sharp claws.
"I wonder if Sakuno succeeded in giving him a bath," he said to himself as he ambled quietly down the hall. He prayed that he would still find her in one piece. Did he mention that Karupin also had the same equal strength as Taka – san whenever he was in a burning mode?
…………
"Karupin! Hold still," Ryuzaki – chan pleaded as she poured a nickel – sized blob of shampoo on top of Karupin's head. The cat meowed back in protest, resisting violently, his furry arms flailing back and forth, paws exposing his claws. Sakuno used her free hand that was not supporting the cat to lather the shampoo as foam began to emerge. Karupin swatted one paw to her and accidentally tossed huge amounts of soapsuds into her eyes.
"Ohh…!" she exclaimed, rubbing her eyes instantly and Karupin leapt out of her hold. Sakuno suddenly flinched and realized that she was using her hands that were still lathered in soap.She then grabbed the hem of her shirt and used it to wipe the suds off her face. After getting her face clean, she turned her head to the side and saw Karupin's bushy tail facing her, his butt sticking out under the toilet seat.
"Karupin, don't move," she whispered gently, creeping very slowly towards him. The cat didn't move although he meowed very softly, and Sakuno sighed in relief that Karupin didn't result to any more hostility. She sat down on her heels as she stretched out a hand to the cat in an attempt to make him crawl towards her. Karupin still didn't make any initiative to come near her, so Ryuzaki – chan sneaked closer to him. She pushed her face closer to Karupin's and unexpectedly, her expression turned from shock to terror.
The cat passed gas right in front of her face.
And another squeal echoed all throughout the Echizen household.
Ryoma was already near the bathroom when he heard another scream. He dashed for the bathroom and yanked the door open. "Sakuno!"
He saw his girlfriend hunched under the toilet seat, her hand covering her nose as if she smelled something offensive. Well she did, but Ryoma did not know anyway. Dropping the towels, he walked closer to her and crouched beside her. She was a mess.
"What happened?" he asked as he took notice of her disheveled hair slightly covered with suds and her entire dress was drenched, making it transparent and leaving nothing – Almost Nothing – to his imagination. He cringed as he stared at the entire surroundings of the bathroom, the shampoo bottle lay discarded and its contents spilled out, the bathtub was half filled with water while the other half flooded the entire place. Karupin still hid under the toilet seat, his tail still exposed to them. Ryoma sighed. Everything was definitely a mess.
"Anou ne, Ryoma – kun," Sakuno began and he leaned a bit closer to hear her better. Her eyes began to water and he patted her back to soothe her quivering shoulders. "K – Karupin… he…"
He shushed her by placing a finger on top of her lips. "Ssh… I understand what happened. I tried to warn you before that he doesn't like taking baths but seeing you so happy and excited, I…" he drew in a deep breath and continued, "I apologize."
Sakuno shook her head. "No… that's okay, Ryoma – kun, it's just that…" She looked into his questioning eyes. She began to have second thoughts of informing him that his dearly beloved cat just farted right onto her face. She sweat dropped. Ryoma might get mad at Karupin and turn him into a meat bun just like in those Chinese cooking shows that she always watched during weekend mornings.
"Are you about to say something?"
She smiled at him. "Nothing. Never mind."
His eyebrow went up. "Are you sure," saying it more like a statement than a question.
She tweaked a strand of hair away from his face. "Positive."
He gave a wry grin and began to stand up. He offered a hand to Sakuno, which she appreciatively accepted and pulled her up easily from the floor. He ran a hand through his midnight green hair, as he looked her over. He grabbed one towel lying on the floor and wrapped it around her body. "Well, what can I say? We'll continue giving him a bath after you go and change your clothes. You're one heck of a mess."
She made a shy face as she deftly covered her thoroughly soaked body with her arms. "What am I going to do? I didn't bring any change of clothes with me. It would be a 30 – minute walk back to the house..." She stared at her boyfriend's feral look. "I can't walk home like this!"
Ryoma rubbed his temples to rid of an incoming headache. "Alright then, I'll go to Nanako – san's room and I'll grab you something to wear. I'll be right back," he stated as he exited the bathroom and made his way across the hall to Nanako's room. Upon reaching her door, he grasped the knob and twisted it open. He heard a soft click and within minutes, he was inside his cousin's room, crouching in front of her closet and began picking out clothes for Sakuno to wear.
Disappointment shot through him when he realized that Nanako's clothes were rather too large, too short, too frilly, too kinky, too slutty, too rubbery, too body – hugging…the list went on and on…for Sakuno to wear. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he closed the last drawer. He suddenly had second thoughts about his demure and inhibited cousin. Was she really wearing all these types of clothes?
Deciding not to dwell on his newfound discovery, Ryoma chose to open another drawer at Nanako's dresser and pulled it open to reveal lacy undergarments. Swallowing, he closed his eyes and seized a pair of pink undies and closed the drawer shut. Stuffing the undies inside his pocket, he walked towards the door and exited the room.
…………
Sakuno stared at her reflection in the mirror and sighed. Well…she looked awful. She worked hard to look good and pleasing when she meets with Nanjiroh. Judging by her current state, Ryoma's father might mistake her for a boy. She heard light snoring and looked down. Karupin was snoozing quietly under the toilet seat, exhausted from the entire bath that was interrupted.
She heard the door open and she smiled in relief when she saw Ryoma enter the bathroom. His cat – like eyes burned into her as he stepped a few inches closer to her. Her arms instantly went around her herself, mindful of her near soaked nakedness. She heard him mutter a "Hn." Then handed her a lime green striped shirt which, she noticed, was obviously a bit too large for her and a pair of dark blue button fly jeans. She cocked her head in question. "Are these for me?"
Ryoma nodded and ran a hand through his hair to straighten it. "Yeah. Nanako – san's clothes were a little…uh…too big for your liking. And besides, we'll air out your clothes for a little while. Once they're dry you can wear them again." He saw Sakuno looking at him skeptically. "What's the matter now?"
Heat flushed upon her cheeks. "Whose clothes are these?"
He shrugged casually. "They're mine."
She blushed a bit more furiously. "What? Ryoma – kun, it's okay. I'll just continue wearing my clothes and let them dry…"
"And let you get stuck with a cold? Mada mada dane, Sakuno. You're not going to play in the Kantou Tournament if you don't care about your health," he snapped dryly. Ryuzaki – chan's eyes went wide as she heard him flashed his concern. A small grin tugged at the corner of her lips as she reached for his hand and squeezed it shyly.
"Arigatou Ryoma – kun. You're right."
He smirked. "No problem." He pivoted on his heel and ambled towards the opened door. He grasped the knob firmly then suddenly stopped. He fumbled a bit inside his pocket and Sakuno watched him with confusion as he threw something at her direction. She caught it with nimble fingers and her eyes went large as she noticed what she was holding.
It was a pair of pink undies.
She was about to lash her mouth at Ryoma when she heard the door closed shut. Her brow rose up in thought. Where did he get of all these besides his room?
She decided to push away all rational thought as she started to peel off her clothes. She was still grateful for Ryoma's thoughtfulness.
Meanwhile, eight heads popped out of the green bush planted in the center of the Echizen yard. Momo's head turned sideways to see if there was a sign of Echizen or Ryuzaki frolicking outside the garden. Only silence surrounded the entire environment.
He frowned. "Ei, the place is quiet again. What do you think happened?"
Kikumaru narrowed his eyes. "Who cares about that? Damn that Ochibi! He tricked us into thinking that he didn't manhandle Ryuzaki – chan!"
Momo gave a nervous laugh. "Kikumaru – senpai watch your mouth! Or Echizen will squirt us of another of his bug spray!"
Kaidoh butted in. "Hiss…you both are noisy. Especially you, addictive youth!"
"Did you say something Mamushi?" Momo snapped.
"Hisss…."
"Stop it the both of you!" Oishi scolded them.
Taka – san backed him up. "Oishi's right. You better be quiet if you want to push through this."
Inui kept scribbling on his notes with his glasses glinting wickedly through the light. "This is good data."
Fuji let out an excited sigh. "It sure is exciting to be parts of this type of game don't you, Tezuka?"
Tezuka rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't say the same thing Fuji."
Inui let out a cough to bring their attention to him. He removed a rolled – up paper from his pocket and unrolled it. He then proceeded to lay it flat on the ground and with a gesture of his hand, motioned them to lean a bit more to him.
He pointed their position on the drawn – up map. "Here we are. This is a battle plan that I made to outsmart our Echizen. Since our targets are located inside the house, we'll use our numbers into advantage to sneak back into that house and catch them red – handed." He turned to Kaidoh. "We're counting on you to use your senses on this, Kaidoh."
Kaidoh hissed. "Whatever."
Turning to the Golden Pair, he pointed at another position. "Now the both of you, Oishi and Kikumaru, you'll be our lookout. Remember; use your coordination skills in knowing where the usual spots that they are last seen. Don't forget to use your hand signals to alert us of any pending danger – being caught."
He glanced to Momo. "You'll be the offensive Momo. Since you wanted to teach Echizen a lesson about youth a few hours ago."
Tezuka and Fuji looked at each other. Inui gave them a knowing smile. "You will become our spectators. Since you don't want to get involved in this then might as well watch us do the dirty work."
Taka – san pointed to himself. "What about me?"
"A reserve."
Taka – san pouted. "That's not fair!"
Inui ignored Taka – san's whines and stood up. Glancing at his teammates, he grinned evilly. It was a second chance and it would be bad if they wasted it. He adjusted the rim of his glasses before closing his notebook shut and faced them.
"Minna…let's go."
Author's Notes: Whew! Chapter 8! Finally, all my hard work of sleeping on my keyboard was worth the effort. I'm beginning to feel sleepy so I'll take a short break. Still working on my other fics. Again, suggestions, comments and reviews are widely welcome. For the previews ones who supported my fic, DOMO ARIGATOU! This is all for you! Ja!