DISCLAIMER: I do not own POT, not even my beloved Tezuka-kun!

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Chapter 12

"RAINING!"

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"Yes, mother, don't worry, your Tsucchi will be fine." Atsuyo twirled the cable connecting the speaker and the phone as a muffled voice talked on the other line, "Don't worry, I'll just be a little late. Yes… ja ne."

The night was young and Atsuyo didn't want to go home early. It was a good thing that she didn't have to go to the store because her brother, Higashi, had come earlier than expected. But she wouldn't come anyways even if he didn't… she had to think over things.

Again.

The red haired chef walked on the streets, staring emptily on the street walks, with no goal and with no strength.

She couldn't understand why their captain punished them, when they were just trying to protect her, moreover, keep those irritating people who kept on showing up on her office with seething eyes. She frowned at the thought.

'Anger dulls the blade'

Atsuyo's frown grew deeper. Sometimes she just couldn't understand their captain.

It began to rain. People had opened their umbrellas; some were running in different directions. Unfortunately, Atsuyo was one of those who ran with them.

"No…" Atsuyo realized that she had just been lost in another street, covering her head with her bag, she exclaimed "and I forgot to bring my umbrella!"

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, Atsuyo shook her wet head so that the excess rainwater would be lost, thrown away in the wind. But apparently that wouldn't work.

'Must find shelter… must find shelter…' she thought, and upon seeing a sushi store, she felt relieved. Not even bothering to look at the signboard.

Kawamura Sushi.

"Excuse me?" she peeked at the store. There weren't a lot of people inside, probably because of the rain.

"Welcome!" A middle aged man approached her, and upon seeing her condition, "You're soaking wet, ojou-san!"

Atsuyo had put her hand behind her head and uttered a small, "Ehehehe…"

The nice man had offered to lend Atsuyo a towel so that she could at least dry her hair, "Ojou-san, do you have a telephone number? We could call your parents to pick you up here."

"I'll do it, Mister." She stood up, but was stopped by a small girl, probably elementary.

"Nee-san, you have to dry up first," the girl wagged her finger, "Besides, you're a costumer!"

"B-but…"

The nice mister asked, "What's your phone number, ojou-san?"

After Atsuyo gave her number, the mister asked her what was her name so that when the other line would pick, they would know she was there. From the kitchen, Kawamura's head popped.

"Everything's settled inside, Dad!" Kawamura noticed the wet girl, and recognized her, "N-Nozomi-san!"

Atsuyo was surprised as well. But not in a good way.

She immediately made a grab for her things, but it seemed like the little girl was faster than she was. The little girl was already clutching her bag.

"Oi, chibi-chan, please bring back my bag." Atsuyo called out.

The little girl shook her head, and squeaked, "Nee-san, look at the weather outside!"

It was raining cats and dogs.

"My sister is right, Nozomi-san." Said Kawamura, "You should stay here for a while."

"Nozomi-chan! I've already called your parents," the nice mister, which Atsuyo had presumed was Kawamura's father, "Your mother said your brother will pick you up here after fifteen minutes."

'Looks like I've got no choice then.' Atsuyo sighed, "Thank you, Kawamura-san."

"It's nothing," Kawamura's father said, "Tama-chan, could you take Nozomi-chan to the bathroom and let her have some spare clothes from your mother's closet."

"EH?! B-but K-Kawamura-san! This is too much!" protested Atsuyo.

"You're going to have pneumonia or something if you don't change your clothes, Nozomi-san." Said Kawamura, smiling.

Atsuyo held up her hands in surrender, while the younger girl jumped with joy with a reason she didn't know.

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After the good, warm bath, Atsuyo changed her clothes. She was wearing a white sleeved dress, as given to her by Tama. She took a peek at the mirror, she still hasn't found the answer to her question.

"Oi, Nee-san, are you finished?" squeaked the girl from the other side of the door.

Atsuyo smiled as she folded her wet clothes and put them on a plastic bag; Tama had reminded her of her own sister, Kohana.

"Yes, Tama-chan." Combing her wet short hair with her fingers, she exited the bathroom.

It wasn't only Tama who was on the other side after all. Kawamura, who had just come from the kitchen, had just went to the second floor, thus saw her.

He blushed, "Oh, sorry, Nozomi-san."

Atsuyo looked strangely at Kawamura, who ducked his head down.

What a funny guy. What did he say sorry for? Maybe it was for what happened earlier…

"It wasn't your fault." She muttered, berating herself mentally, didn't she promised that she wasn't going to speak to any Seigaku anymore?

Kawamura looked up, "B-but. We're his senpai, we should've been able to stop him."

"He's an arrogant and insensitive kid." Said Atsuyo, looking away. "I just don't like that."

Okay, so she's really going to break her promise this time.

Kawamura smiled awkwardly at her. She bowed a bit.

Tama tugged the hem of Atsuyo's borrowed clothes, "Let's go eat sushi!"

"Yeah." Atsuyo nodded.

Tama led Atsuyo downstairs by the hand; looking back, Atsuyo noticed a mess of brown hair suddenly disappearing into a room.

'Kawamura-san?'

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Atsuyo closed her eyes and exclaimed, "WHOA! This sushi is so good!"

"Dad is the best when it comes to making sushi!" Tama cried out, giving a thumbs up to her dad.

Her father laughed in agreement, "Oh, Nozomi-chan, do you want to have another plate?"

Atsuyo nodded. If she won't stop eating, she might get fat… but then again, the sushi was so… tasty! It was good that the knives were tucked away though.

"Here's our day's specialty, Takashi made them." Kawamura's father said, bringing out a large order of differently shaped sushi.

"Taka… oh, Taka-san." Smiled Atsuyo, remembering the nickname that she used to call Kawamura, as told to her by Momoshiro.

The food looked really delicious. Atsuyo picked the one with the crab meat, took a soy sauce, dipped it, and ate the thing whole.

"Mif mimifuf!" she said.

"Eh?!" Tama stared at her. So did Kawamura's father.

"Nozomi-san!" Kawamura called out, "You shouldn't talk when your mouth is full!"

Atsuyo gulped, "I said it was delicious!"

Kawamura blushed, "Y-you think so?"

Atsuyo nodded, "It's one of the most delicious sushi I've ever eaten!"

"I knew you'd be great with sushi, Takashi!"

Atsuyo took a bite, then another, and then another one. Tama giggled, "You sure do enjoy your food, don't you, Nee-san?"

"My mother has her own restaurant," she took another bite, "So I don't really eat anything else aside from food prepared by mom."

"But I thought you could cook?" asked Kawamura.

Atsuyo nodded, "I do… but…"

"I… er… you don't have to answer that!" Kawamura put his hand before him, and then sat down across the table watching the usually timid girl wolfing down his cooking. Somehow he was proud that she liked them.

"Mmm… so good." Atsuyo said, finally finished eating. She turned to Kawamura, "Ne, senpai, how much was it?"

Kawamura's father laughed, "Don't worry about it, Nozomi-chan. It's on the house."

"W-what?! B-but Kawamura-san!" she protested, "I ate your food that's supposed to be served to your costumers!"

"Actually, it's already past closing time." Kawamura pointed at the clock hanging on the wall, "Your brother seemed to be late."

Tama yawned, "Onii-chan, Dad, I'm going to sleep. Dad, could I sleep with mom today?"

"What? You already went to our bed last night!" the old man frowned, following the little Tama upstairs, "Takashi, wait here until Nozomi-chan's brother arrives and don't forget to lock the door!"

"Yes, dad!" he replied with a shout.

Atsuyo sat silently on the other side of the table; her things were neatly tucked away inside her bag, which was on her right side of the chair. She hummed a little, tapping her forefinger on the table.

Kawamura gulped. How the hack was he going to talk to her?

Atsuyo stared at the flustered senpai.

"Taka-san." She asked, "Was that boy… Echizen… really like that?"

Surprised, Kawamura looked at the girl who was playing with her wet necktie, "Huh?"

"I mean, is he always insensitive and uncaring?"

"Well…" Kawamura scratched his face with his finger, "Not really…"

Atsuyo continued to stare at him, as if the gesture said that he continued.

"He can be cocky and arrogant at times, but he can be nice too. I think Momo is right, maybe something bad happened that's why Echizen acted like that." Kawamura rubbed his chin with his fingers, "Uhm, yeah. That must be it."

"Eh?! So you're not sure?"

Kawamura laughed awkwardly, "That Echizen, he's usually quiet, but I don't think that he's normally like that… I mean, with what happened earlier."

Atsuyo nodded. She fell silent, and started to pay attention to the falling raindrops outside. Kawamura sighed.

"Ne, Taka-san," she piped, "Do you think… I was at fault earlier? With what I did?"

"Eh?!"

"Taka-san!"

"I mean, well, I'm not really sure with your standards." He leaned on the chair, "But you see, Echizen isn't a disrespectful person. I know he would provoke his tennis opponents before a match, but I've never seen him as disrespectful…"

"…"

"But I have to say…" like magic, a racket "magically" appears beside the chair, "BURNNNINNNG, BABY!!"

Atsuyo's eyes widened, "W-wait, Taka-san! Calm down!"

"ECHIZEN SHOULD GET HIS KICKED ASS!"

Atsuyo covered her eyes (comically), "It's get "his ass kicked", Taka-san."

"YYEEEAAHHHHHH!"

Atsuyo noticed that he wasn't acting like that earlier and came to the conclusion that it must've been a "cursed racket" or something that caused his one-hundred eighty degree shift of character. She held his hand, which he was waving aimlessly and carefully removed the racket from his grasp.

"…"

"…"

SWEATDROP

Atsuyo closed her eyes and sighed. (a hobby of hers, perhaps?)

Anger dulls the blade… what could've Natsume-buchou done when she was in my position?

She frowned, "Nozomi-san, are you OK?"

"Ah, yes. Sort of, but nothing to worry about… it's just that…"

"?"

Atsuyo frowned deeper, "Buchou was right. Anger dulls the blade. I wasn't thinking."

"But, you just defended your captain, there was nothing wrong with that."

Atsuyo shook her head, "I have been blinded by my anger, and attacked Echizen. I wasn't thinking. I must've been like Chokichi-senpai at that time."

Kawamura remained silent.

"You know, Taka-san," she played with her necktie again, "I really admire our buchou. She's so… great, and… she's everything I want to be."

"…"

Sighing, she rested her arms on the table, "But she always told me that I was great in my own way… but, I want to be like her! She's so perfect!"

"No one's perfect. Nozomi-san." Kawamura suddenly said, with his stubbornness showing, "I think your captain doesn't want you to be like her."

"But she's so perfect! She's great in kendo, she's beautiful (Kawamura: Eh?), she's nice, and everyone likes her (Kawamura: Was she really in the office earlier?)."

Kawamura sighed. Atsuyo seemed to be really determined that her captain was perfect.

"Zzzzzz…."

"?!"

"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz…."

Atsuyo had already slept. The timid power player paled.

Was he that much of a bore?

"HELLO?!" a strange voice came from outside, "Is Tsucchi there?"

Kawamura opened the door. It was Higashi, Atsuyo's elder brother; he then noticed that the rain had already stopped.

"Oh, it's you." Higashi said, then proceeded inside, without much further ado; he noticed his sleeping younger sister, "Sleepyhead."

"You'll be leaving soon?" asked Kawamura.

Higashi nodded. He carried his sister on his back and let her hands limp lifelessly before him, "Yeah, sorry I only got here. Mom couldn't let me go outside when it was still raining outside."

"I see…"

"Did my sister bother you?" he asked.

Kawamura vigorously shook his head.

Higashi waggled his brows, "Ah, well. I'll still be apologizing if she did."

The older Nozomi turned to leave when Kawamura asked, "Why does your sister idolize her captain that much?"

Higashi whirled at the other boy, "Don't dare say that to Ayashi."

"Huh?"

"She'll be furious." Higashi shook his head, "She's always told them this: (1) admiration is the farthest thing from understanding. But my sister never learned."

Kawamura looked at the boy, then at the sleeping form behind him. He nodded.

Higashi sighed, "My sister, even though she's already thirteen, still has lots to learn. Whatever she did today, please, don't take it too much on her."

"She still is a child-minded girl."

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A/N: Bohahaha, twelfth chappie! BOHAHAHA…

-- a name I just made up, since I don't know what exactly Taka-san's sister's name is, and the rest of his family…