He was rather tempted to join the team outside, and lead that afternoon's exercises but a quick look outside, showed that the Seigaku's tensai had stil not arrived.

Tezuka sighed resignedly and pressed the redial button again, despite the persistent lack of a signal from the corresponding phone. If all this was some elaborate joke played by Fuji, he swore the other would be running 500 laps before the day's end. Yet, he couldn't quite shake the nagging worry after hearing the strain in Fuji's voice...where on earth was he anyway? Had he even left the house? Even when he called their house telephone, no one picked it up.

Abruptly, a dial tone clicked into place.

It was the longest wait he had to endure. When the call connected at last, judging from the silence from the other end, he almost thought that the phone's battery had died. Pressing the phone closer to his ear, he heard the sound of the other boy crying softly. His fists clenched until the nails dug white crescents into his palms.

"Fuji."

"...I'm here. Can you hear me?"

"Where are you? It's already past four." He felt like kicking himself after that response.

"Past four...? Saa...that's certainly one way to put it. Who are you?"

"Who am I?" Tezuka repeated, dumbfounded.

"Fuji, did you knock your head against something? This is Tezuka Kunimitsu speaking. What happened to you?"

"I don't know any Tezuka Kunimitsu. I'm at Amagasaki, the train derailed roughly...2 hours ago? Is there help on the way?"

"THERE WAS A TRAIN ACCIDENT?"

"Hai... It's pretty dark here..."

Tezuka heard the fear in Fuji's wavering voice but he didn't know what to say to comfort the other. He wanted desperately to protect the fragile voice on the other end of the phone, especially as the connection paused with every crackle of the static.

"Don't worry, I'd call for help. Are there any other survivors?"

"Not as far as I can tell...the bodies aren't moving!"

Fuji sounded on the verge of hysteria, his voice trembling with repressed laughter. The laughter was cut off abruptly by a spasm of harsh coughing. His voice sounded so dry and parched despite its usual gentle tone that Tezuka couldn't help but believe him. Where Fuji was, there must have been an incredible amount of debris and the dust must have filled the air throughout the compartment. He didn't really think it was the time to ask, but well, Amagasaki was a long distance away from Tokyo.

The coughing subsided.

"Ne...I don't know you, and I guess I shouldn't be asking for this favour...do you think you could – "

"I won't hang up on you." Tezuka promised quickly.

A silence, and then a gentle, surprised laughter came over the phone.

"That's good. I was rather hoping that you wouldn't either. Would you help me to contact my family? It's already so late...I'm sure they're worried as to where I am."

"Fuji. What are you talking about? It's not even five in the evening."

"..."

"Fuji?"

"It's past nine on my watch, Tezuka-san. Where are you?"

END CHAPTER