jychan: I don't own Prince Of Tennis!!!.. so please don't sue me!!! Warning: Tezuka OOC-NESS at this chapter... Please do pardon the author... I tried my best... But my best was not enough... LOL...
27. His Jersey
"Onii-chan, aren't you going to follow Kaori-senpai?"
Kumiko asked her older brother who was doing his homework,
"Ah. Kumiko."
"It's pretty late, you know. I called her house, or rather, Echizen's residence. I heard she's staying there. She just left alone after bringing me home."
Kumiko said as she looked at her brother who looked at her,
"Hn."
Kumiko sighed as she turned around and was about to go outside his room,
"I heard she hasn't arrived home yet. It's raining cats and dogs."
She added as she left the room as the older Tezuka stopped at his homework and looked at the window.
It was really raining fast, after all.
'But she said that it was already good-bye.'
'You shouldn't put your guard down. Granting she said good-bye, but at this time, she's not yet home because you didn't follow her, despite it was starting to rain. Currently, she's probably still in a shed, waiting for the rain to stop, or else she'd get wet and get sick.'
'But the-'
'No buts, Tezuka Kunimitsu. This isn't the time to let your guard down for her. It was your fault after all that she had to go home late. And you let her run away when she heard that you liked someone else, when in fact, that very someone i-'
'I know. It was my fault.'
'Good. Now, what do you do now?'
'Go after her.'
'So start now.'
He stood up from his seat as he took his Seigaku jersey and went out of his room with an umbrella,
"Kunimitsu, where are you going?"
Tezuka Kunikazu's voice stormed out as Kumiko's older brother stopped,
"Ojii-sama, I will be going to look for Kaori. It seems she hasn't returned home yet after bringing Kumiko home."
Kunimitsu replied as his grandfather looked at him in the eyes,
"Is that why Kumiko went home late?"
"Aside from which, it is also my fault that I had to let Kaori bring her home, as I was thinking that my student council duties would end later than usual."
"I see. Well then, make sure to bring her home safely."
Kunikazu said as he turned around as his grandson nodded and went out of the house saying,
"Ittekimasu."
"Itterashai."
"So cold..."
Takeuchi Kaori said as she braced herself under a white shed,
"And I can't call Chibisuke to get me from here since my battery's dead. So much for a day."
She added as she sighed,
"Why do I have to be so unlucky today? First, I hear that 'Mitsu likes someone, Second, I get scolded by 'Mitsu since I brought Kumiko home late, Third, I said good-bye to 'Mitsu and he didn't stop me, Fourth, I get stuck in this shed because of the rain, and Fifth, I can't contact anyone because my cellphone's battery is dead."
She said as she sat down on the bench,
"K'so..."
She sighed as she looked at the sky,
"And it seems the rain won't end up soon! Why do I have to be so unfortunate today!!!"
She shouted as she braced herself,
"I hate it!!! I hate this day! This is the worst day in my life!!!"
She continued on shouting as she closed her eyes and jerked her head down,
"Why do you say it's the worst day of your life today?"
She looked up and saw a certain bespectacled buchou of Seigaku,
" 'Mitsu... Why are you here?"
She asked as she narrowed her eyes,
"Because I heard from Kumiko that you haven't arrived home yet and it's also raining."
"So? Does that concern you?"
She asked while glaring at him.
A moment of silence surrounded them despite the heavy rain. The two of them were looking at each other's eyes. It was a critical moment for each of them to speak. One wrong word and everything would end.
"Yes it does."
Kaori's expression softened at the older boy's response,
"B-But I already said Good-bye, 'Mitsu! That's not fair!"
Kaori said as she hitted his chest with her closed fists,
"But I never said 'Good-bye'."
She looked at him as tears were getting out of her eyes,
"I hate you."
"I know you do not hate me, Kaori."
"How sure are you that I don't hate you at all, 'Mitsu?"
"Because I... know you much about you, Kaori."
He replied as Kaori pouted and said,
"Yes, you know much about me that you even know that I don't hate you at all."
He nodded at what she said as she continued as she turned around,
"I bet you even know that I like you..."
He raised an eyebrow at what she said,
"I-I mean, I like you as a friend, of course. Ohohoho..."
She added quickly with a fake chuckle at the end as he shrugged but gave her his jersey,
"Arigato, 'Mitsu."
"Hn."
"Geesh... I never knew that I would fall for a person so cold-blooded like you..."
"Fall?"
"So like you 'Mitsu. Totally oblivious. Oh well. Get this."
She swallowed as Tezuka Kunimitsu looked at her,
"Even if you like someone else, I still like you. That's final. I like you more than a friend, I mean. You know, as a person. Well then, ja."
She said as she left and ran,
"Kaori. Wait a minute."
Kaori turned as he ran up to her,
"Nani? I don't want to get rejected immediately, you know!!!"
She added as she pouted,
"I'm not good with expressions."
"I know that. It's a fact."
"I'll be only saying this once."
"Yes. You'll only say it once."
"Those feelings of yours are reciprocated by mine, as well."
He replied as Kaori stood still for a minute,
"Wait a minute, when you said reciprocated, that means, you return it as well, right?"
"Hn."
"No way..."
"..."
" 'Mitsu, I always knew you were really bad with emotions..."
"I know that, that's why I told you earlier, that I'm bad with it."
"Sugoyi... So, wait. That means we're in a relationship, then. Right?"
He looked puzzled on what she said,
"You know, 'Mitsu, they say that when two people like each other then there should be a relationship. Well, you know, like us, since we like each other..."
"There's nothing wrong with our relationship, is there, Kaori?"
He asked as Kaori sighed in defeat,
"You're really oblivious. I can't believe it."
"Believe what? And what do you mean by oblivious, Kaori?"
" 'Mitsu, you know, you're really intelligent when it comes to school, academics, you're one of the best tennis players, but when it comes to feelings, and emotions, you totally fail."
Kaori said as the said man nodded,
"Geesh... I can't believe you, 'Mitsu."
She said as she sighed heavily,
"Why would you not believe me, Kaori? When I told you my feelings, I-"
"I know that you mean it, 'Mitsu. It's just... Oh, never mind it. At least, you reciprocate my feelings. But it does help a lot, if you know and get what I mean very much soon."
Kaori said as the two of them stopped in the outside of the Echizen Residence,
"Eto, I guess this is my stop, 'Mitsu."
"I can see that."
"Well then, anou, ja neh! Mata ashita!"
"See you tomorrow, as well, Kaori."
Kaori was about to go inside when she turned around and gave a peck to Tezuka's cheek,
"Anou, ja!"
She said as she quickly went inside, blushing, leaving the young bespectacled lad, quite puzzled.
"Mada mada dana, Kaori. who was that lad who brought you home? Your boy friend, perhaps?"
Her uncle, the Samurai, Echizen Nanjiroh, appeared with a sly smile on his face,
"Ojii-san! It's not like that. He's just my best friend."
"Would you give your best friend a peck on the cheeks?"
He teased as the two of them went inside,
"Who's that?"
A woman, perhaps on her 40's asked as the two of them went inside,
"Tadaima."
Kaori said as the woman said,
"Okaeri, Kaori. What took you so long? Tezuka Kumiko-chan called earlier to ask if you've arrived home already, but I told her you're not yet here. Why didn't you call?"
The woman said as Kaori took off her shoes,
"Ah! Kumiko-chan? I see... I'll try to call her later. I tried to call earlier, but my cellphone battery's dead. Luckily, 'Mitsu showed up and brought me home."
She replied as she dried her hair with the towel, the older woman gave her,
"Oh! So, 'Mitsu's the name of your boy friend?"
Nanjiroh asked as Kaori shook her head,
"Iaa! 'Mitsu's not my boyfriend."
"But what's with the peck on the cheeks?"
"What peck on the cheeks?"
Echizen Ryoma asked as he went down the stairs from his room,
"Chibisuke!"
Kaori said as she glomped on the young boy,
"Okaeri, Kao-nee."
"You see, Kaori went home with this certain 'Mitsu, then she gave him a peck on the cheeks."
" 'Mitsu? You don't mean, Tezuka-buchou?"
Ryoma asked as Kaori nodded,
"Tezuka-buchou? Should this be the buchou of the tennis club, Ryoma's part in?"
The woman asked as Ryoma replied,
"Hai, Okaa-san."
Echizen Rinko smiled and said,
"We should meet this boyfriend, of yours then, Kaori."
"Eh? Kao-nee and Tezuka-buchou are already in that relationship? Took long enough, though. Mada mada dane."
"For the last time, 'Mitsu's not yet my boyfriend."
"With the word 'yet'. So, it's soon already."
The older Echizen said with a grin on his face,
"Ojii-san! It's not like that!"
"Mada mada dane. Kao-nee, you're even wearing his jersey."
jychan: This is definitely a OOC chapter.... Now, I'd like to thank mintry1295, FrenzForever, Dragon Reverb, oO-Amaya-Oo and sayume214!!! Finally, I've got lots of reviews... T-T (tears of joy!) Reviews! Reviews! They really make my day.... ^_^ And oh, before I forget, you're going to say good-bye to Kumiko-chan very soon... really really soon... around just a few more chapters to go... but oh well!!!!
Dragon Reverb: Yep. At the author's note last chapter, I typed in that it was from the manga... But oh well...
sayume214: So, the drama noh??? And I thought the genre of this story was Romance/Humor... LMAO...
oO-Amaya-Oo: Yup... I feel sorry for Kumiko-chan... But if I were her, I'd choose Seiichi... Hahaha... So biased... Oh well... We don't know with Kumiko-chan..
mintry1295: Waaa! It's so difficult! I was thinking that I got Tezuka OOC earlier... It's too difficult... He's too... stoic!!! Much stoic than Mori!!! hahahah...
FrenzForever: really? I feel so honored... hehehe... Thank you very much!!!