Chapter Seven: Crushed
Yukimura's room turned out to be rather simple. As expected of the captain, it was clean and well kept with books neatly placed in a bookshelf and desk free of clutter, but it wasn't so straightforward to the point of it being dreadfully dull. Kirihara spied several pictures that consisted of the team and a few that were ones taken probably a long time ago, judging by how miniature Yukimura seemed to be in those pictures. However, he didn't have long to explore because as soon as the captain dropped off his tennis bag, he whisked the child away.

"Seiichi, who is that?" Yukimura's mother asked as they passed the kitchen. Kirihara sniffed the air wistfully and soaked in all the yummy aromas that were floating about.

"This is a friend. He'll be staying over, is that okay?" Yukimura asked.

"Of course," the other responded with a smile before returning to task before hand. Yukimura said a quick thank-you before dragging Kirihara along. The child was rather reluctant, though. For one, he really didn't like to be dragged along, and he was still quite angry over the fact that Oshitari had crushed him at ping-pong. (If it were only tennis!) For another, he was quite hungry and would've preferred to soak up more of the delicious scents that lingered around the kitchen.

When they were back in Yukimura's room, Kirihara drunk in the final details of his captain's lair. After that, he was forced to 'patiently' wait until the other finished his homework. We all know that Kirihara doesn't take well to being 'patient'.

"I'm bored," he muttered. Yukimura pretended not to hear him. "Really, really, bored," he went on, sneaking peaks at his captain in hopes that he would notice. He didn't. Now that he was thoroughly bored, Kirihara had to find entertainment, and you know that that certainly isn't going to lead to good results. The victim was a photo album.

Kirihara had to admit that even though his captain looked very comfortable wearing pink blouses, the whole idea of it was very freaky. Atobe would've fit quite well into those, but Yukimura had always been one of higher standards in his book. There were pictures of the tennis club as well, and ones from when they won the nationals. Kirihara had to admit it was quite entertaining, but nearly enough so as he soon felt himself doze off into a dreamless slumber.

When he woke up, it was daylight and his head was still buried in the album. His stomach was twisting in hunger, and Yukimura was nowhere to be found. Rubbing his eyes and stifling a yawn, his eyes wandered to the clock hanging on the nearby wall. All traces of grogginess evaporated as he noted the time: ten forty-two. The next bus left in three minutes.
Kirihara knew the bus routes like he knew the back of his hand. Having overslept many times on them, he was no stranger to where he'd eventually end up and how much it'd cost to get back. As he raced to the station as fast as his tiny legs would allow him, his mind whirled with thoughts of possible excuses he could make to get on for free, because he had not a cent to his name at the moment and how to get something to eat, because he had already missed both dinner and breakfast now, and he was not happy.

As the bus pulled up and Kirihara somehow managed to clamber on, he was relieved to see that the driver was one that he knew well. (Actually, he knew most of the drivers around here, and they knew him too as the one who never got off at the right stop) With luck, he might just be able to convince him to somehow get him to Rikkai.

"Hey, hey, you got to pay first," the driver insisted as he tapped Kirihara on the head. The boy frowned as he pulled on his black curls.

"I don't have any money," he grumbled.

"Well then, get off."

"You can ask my… cousin to pay for me the next time he gets on," Kirihara told him. The bus driver's eyes narrowed as a thoughtful spark ran across his face. Suddenly his face lit up.

"Oh, I see the resemblance," he laughed. Kirihara tried very hard not to gag. Of course he'd resemble himself!Well, I guess I could bill that kid later…"

Kirihara let out a sigh of relief as he hopped onto a seat. He made a mental note to pay the driver a little more respect next time and get off at the right stop.

The gate proved to be a more difficult dilemma. All of his ID had been left behind and he couldn't simply jump over it due to his rather… short stature. Heck, he wasn't even tall enough to press the button that would've hooked him up to someone in the office, but like that would help him at all. Instead, he took his chances, got down low, and began wriggling his way under the gate. That plan didn't go so well.

"… Crap… I think I'm stuck…"

Jackal first had a hunch that something was wrong when he saw an abnormally large group of girls huddled around the gate. Jackal knew something was wrong when he saw Kirihara being pinned down by the gate. Dropping thoughts of getting his next class on time down the drain, he dashed over to the crowd and pushed his way up to the front.

"Ki- what are you doing here?" Jackal mentally slapped himself for almost letting the name of the child go. If the people around figured it out and made the connection, then he would be in for some serious trouble with his captain and vice-captain.

Kirihara just glared and frowned, and Jackal inferred that he was restraining himself from speaking in order to hide his identity. Looking around at the squealing girls, he tried to think of a way to get them away, but more so, how to get Kirihara from under the gate he was so very much stuck under.

"Dig him out."

When Jackal turned around to see who had made that comment, he was surprised to find Niou pointing at Kirihara with a smirk. Kirihara looked at him with an aghast expression, and the girls all cooed at how adorably cute the child was with a surprised face.

"Hey! Is he your brother?"

"No way! It must be his cousin or something!"

"Or maybe it's his kid!"

Every pair of eyes in the crowd turned to Niou, who felt rather helpless in the situation. It did prove enough distraction for Jackal to do as Niou advised and dug the little kid out from under. ("Kirihara! What have you been eating?" "Nothing! I haven't eaten since yesterday! Are you calling me fat?" "Yes.")

"So is it true?" one of the girls gasped.

"Is he really your kid?" another took up.

Niou had a sharp mind, and his tongue had a way with words that usually let him slip out of sticky situations such as this one. After a couple seconds of quick thinking, he answered in a way that wouldn't raise more questions had he said 'no', and wouldn't have completely caused uproar had he said 'yes'.

"Do I look stupid?"

Murmurs erupted, but quickly died down as one by one, the girls hurried along to their classes. Niou scurried over to help pull Kirihara from under the gate. It was a miracle that no adult had come to the scene, though it may have been for the better because Kirihara was looking awfully disgruntled and unhappy.

"Have you gotten fatter?" Niou asked as he took his chances and poked Kirihara in the stomach. He got a grumbled from it as a reaction.

"I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday!" Kirihara argued as he hugged his stomach. "I want food!"

"What? Did Yukimura starve you?" Jackal inquired dubiously. He new his captain could be harsh when he had too, but he knew he'd never deprive Kirihara from supper and breakfast.

"I most certainly did not." Yukimura had arrived right on cue. "And you've caused a lot of trouble coming here." This, of course, was directed at Kirihara, who could only sheepishly grin under his captain's ticked-off expression.

"Of all the places, a closet?"

Knowing not what to do with the boy, because they very much doubt he could slip into class without being gawked at, the three stuck in into the nearest structure of which he couldn't b seen from the outside of, namely, the janitor's closet. Kirihara was forced to comply despite his protests.

"And this thing is wet!" Pushing a mop out of his head, Kirihara growled as he began counting seconds in his mind: one tennis ball, two tennis ball, three tennis ball… screw the tennis balls, Kirihara was getting impatient in here, and as we have all learned, when Kirihara gets impatient, he gets angry, and when he gets angry, he tends to forget his morals. Jumping up, he snared the doorknob and began to turn, but unfortunately for him:

"I can't believe it's locked!"