Chapter Eight – Soaked Through

"We got to the Regional's~!" The first years celebrated, clinking their glasses of soft drink together.

"Congratulations Seimaku, and well done: Tezuka, Fuji, Echizen, Momoshiro, Kaidou, Oishi and Kikumaru." Kikuchi announced, raising his glass. "And you're sure to win the next tournament and the one after that as well."

Miyako smiled and raised her glass with the rest of the group.

The modest sushi restaurant had closed its doors early in honour of the celebration – and Miyako was about to witness Kawamura using the same technique with a knife as he did when he held a tennis racquet.

"VICTOOOOOOORY~!" He screamed, brandishing the knife like a sword and chopping into the food lined up on the chopping board. "BUUUUUUURNING~!"

Miyako scooted herself closer to Tezuka, staring at Kawamura worriedly as she sipped her drink.

Tezuka tried not to smile. "He's got a good hold on the knife – don't worry."

"Except for that time when it slipped." Eiji said. "Remember, Fujiko?"

Fuji nodded, eating a piece of his specially made sushi. "It was pretty horrific."

Miyako blanched.

"Nothing like that has ever happened before." Tezuka contradicted.

"Ahh, but it did." Momo said, coming in on the conversation – sneaking away a piece of Eiji's sushi without the redhead noticing. "You see, it was when you were in Germany, Captain."

"It was lucky that no one on the team was injured. But that poor old man who sat in that very spot." Fuji said tragically, motioning to the place where Miyako was sitting. He shook his head, holding a hand to his forehead. "It was so horrible."

"It was lucky that he even survived." Eiji added.

"What happened to him?" Miyako asked while Tezuka had already caught on to the fake story that they were telling like it was piece of folklore.

"Well, his neck was sliced deeply and they had to amputate his leg, right there, where you are sitting." Momo stated.

Miyako instantly stood up, fright written all over her face. "That's so gross guys. Why would you say that to me?" Fuji, Eiji and Momo looked at one another and then back at Miyako as she burst into laughter, taking her seat once more. "I'm not stupid, guys. All the stories I tell Kaiya – that was a very pathetic attempt to frighten me." She then turned on Tezuka. "And you, some gentleman you were – you should have stopped them."

Tezuka raised his hands in defence. "Hey now, I knew that you were playing along as well. Why ruin a ghost story?" He asked. "Even if it's going to fail anyway." He added.

"You think ours was bad, huh?" Momo challenged. "Why don't you give it a go?"

"Why should I?"

"I propose a challenge." Inui cut in.

"What kind of a challenge?" Fuji asked, instantly interested.

"The loser drinks my newest juice. New and Improved Special Ghost Deluxe." Inui replied.

"What are the conditions?" Fuji pressed.

"Each of us tells a Ghost Story. Those who become scared – drink. Those who can't produce fright – drink." Inui explained. "And those who do not participate – drink on default."

Tezuka looked over at Miyako – he never wanted her to drink Inui Juice. It was something he wanted to protect her from and he could tell from the look on her face that she was dreading it. "And those who make their leave before this challenge begins?" Tezuka asked.

Inui looked at him wickedly. "Drink before they leave."

Miyako blanched. "There's no escape." She whimpered.

Eiji was cowering towards a smiling Fuji worriedly. "Inui~! That's horrible."

Inui only grinned and reached into the esky that Miyako had been carrying around the whole day – pulling out a plastic bottle, and then filled a spare glass with a brown-green liquid that smoked with light aqua fumes.

Miyako bit back the dinner she'd already eaten. "I might just be sick."

"I don't think so." Kikuchi ordered, stepping in and taking the drink from Inui's hands. "There won't be any of this after such a great day."

Tezuka looked at his watch and realised. "Uh oh, it's nearly quarter to seven. Your parents are expecting you home soon." He said to Miyako and stood from his place at the low set tables.

Miyako quickly followed and after they slipped back into their shoes and farewelled the people who were staying around for a longer time and thanked Kawamura and his Father they made their way out the front door and down the street.

The sky was turning to shades of yellows and pinks as the sun was setting on the horizon behind them, casting long shadows onto the pavement in front of them as they walked. Clouds of black, illuminated in part by the sunset were still rumbling in the sky, but were yet to release their load.

"I hope we get back to your house before it rains." Tezuka muttered.

And as though someone had heard him, rain began to spit down upon them. Only a slight drizzle, so all they did was hasten their pace. And then after a minute the flood gates broke and the clouds poured out every piece of hell upon them. They broke into a desperate sprint. The rain was falling so heavily that it was beating against them hard enough to produce the feeling of bruises. The wind then picked up and thunder rumbled, lightning flashed across the sky.

Tezuka took a careful hold around her shoulders as they ran, knowing for sure that the wind might just carry her away if he didn't. Then, a familiar sight saved them both. "Miyako!" He called over the rain. "It's my house! Come on in and wait for the storm to calm down!"

She was unable to answer coherently – knowing that it was a safe and smart idea. But then she would be in his house. Then before she knew it she was dragged through his front gate and into the front yard and then pushed gently under the front awning of the house as Tezuka searched his pockets for keys before he quickly opened the door and ushered her inside.

"Just put your bags down somewhere here." Tezuka instructed. "I'll go and get some towels." He said, slipping his shoes off and rushing down the long hallway and then turned to the right, leaving a trail of water droplets behind.

Miyako looked around as she slid her shoes off one by one and then her socks, knowing it was useless to keep them on anyway. She folded them – sodden as they were – and placed them down next to her shoes. As she leant down her soaking wet plait flopped down her shoulder and she sighed, untying the sodden ribbon and then pulled the hair tie out from the end.

Tezuka's footsteps on the wooden floor caused her to look up and she noticed that he'd already rid himself of his jersey and long pants and was talking towards her in his tennis playing gear, carrying a pile of towels and had one already over his head. He offered the pile to her and Miyako took the top three. She wrapped one towel around her hair and piled it all on the top of her head and then used one of the others to try and dry her body off. But it was no good. Her uniform was completely soaked through.

Tezuka noticed her frustration and sighed slightly. "Come on. I'll take you to the bathroom and I'll bring you a set of clothes to wear for the time being."

Miyako looked up at him and nodded and allowed him to lead her through the hallways of the traditional household. There was not a doorknob in sight – every door was a sliding one. She was utterly fascinated.

"Miyako."

Miyako looked up and noticed that he was far ahead of her.

"I'll give you the tour once you're comfortably dressed in some dry clothes." Tezuka said, sliding open a door. "Here, this is the bathroom. I'll be right back with the clothes." He said, ensuring that she was standing in the bathroom before he disappeared into the hallways again.

Miyako sighed deeply, sitting on the side of the bath and unwrapped the towel from her head and allowed the plait to fall over her shoulder again. To pass the time she began the challenge of detangling the knots the long hair had gotten itself into.

"How did Rapunzel ever survive with hair this long?" Miyako asked herself as she found a particularly horrible knot.

A knock on the open door startled her a little. Tezuka had obviously gotten changed before he'd brought her a change of clothes. He'd favoured a pair of dark brown slakes and a light grey shirt with 'Seigaku' written across the front in white. "I believe she stayed in the tower all her days – she never had a storm mess it up so badly." Tezuka replied.

Miyako laughed dryly. "And she's not real – how can someone fictional have problems with their hair?" She asked, resting her elbow against her knee and her chin in her palm.

Tezuka smiled slightly and walked over, placing a neatly folded pile of clothes down on a clothes basket by the vanity. "They're mine…so uum…I'm sure they won't fit you – but it's better than your uniform."

Miyako looked up and smiled. "They'll be perfect. Thanks Tezuka." She said, standing up and walking over. She placed a hand on the clothes and sighed. "I really appreciate this, Tezuka…"

"I couldn't let you get sick again." Tezuka said softly. "I'll just wait outside the door. I wouldn't want you to try and find me to only become lost in my house." He said, leaving the bathroom and closing the door soundly behind him.

Miyako made quick work of stripping her uniform from her body and then using the towels to dry her underwear clad body before throwing on his definitely too big clothing. He'd bought her a pair of long legged, light grey slacks with draw strings. She tightened these to their limit and managed to make them stay around her hips, she rolled up the hems so that they hung around her ankles. The t-shirt was lavender purple – making her wonder if it really was his shirt. And if so did he actually wear it? The neckline was low enough to be one of her tank tops, but that was easily managed. The sleeves reached by her elbows and the hem of the shirt reached her mid thigh.

With another frustrated attempt she managed to release the plait and pulled the other hair tie away, letting the wet mess fall down and over her shoulders, fringe falling over her eyes further.

"Tezuka?" She called.

"Yes?"

"Do you have a brush or something that I can use?"

"Sure. My comb is in the cabinet above the sink." Tezuka replied.

Combs were hell on long hair, but she supposed that it was better than nothing. She retrieved the comb and began to comb out the many knots. "I'm fully dressed." She said. "You may as well come in."

Tentatively, Tezuka opened the door and met the sight of her in his clothing. Sure, he knew that she would be in them but he hadn't been prepared for how she would look in them. She was sitting on the side of the bath, her uniform lying in the tub itself. She held his comb in her hand, forcing the plastic tooths through her knotty mess of hair angrily, hissing in pain as she found each knot.

"Do you want me to look for my Mother's brush?"

"No, no. It's okay." Miyako replied, continuing to battle with the knots. "It's actually easier to brush through when it's all wet." She commented.

Tezuka sat on the side of the bath and watched her as she continually brushed through the seemingly black hair – darkened in its wet state.

Then after several minutes of hearing her wince over and over again, she finally put the comb down and began to plait the freshly combed hair, plaiting from the base of her neck this time rather than tying it back high on her head to start with. For a long moment he thought that she was going to plait all of it, but she stopped halfway through and tied one of her hair ties around it.

"Tezuka?"

"Yes?"

"I should call my parents." Miyako said.

Tezuka stood up. "You're right. Come with me."

Miyako stood up. "But my clothes?"

"They can stay there for the moment." Tezuka replied. "Let's go. I don't want your Father to think I've done something horrible to you."

Miyako laughed as she followed him out into the hallway. "I don't think my Father would think me weak enough to let you."

"That's promising." Tezuka sighed as he led her into a modern styled kitchen. "I'm sorry that the kitchen isn't traditional, but it would be hard to prepare food nowadays without the essentials."

"I'm not disappointed." Miyako said.

"But you were expecting it." Tezuka said, moving to the fridge. "The phone is just there on the wall – do you want something to drink?"

Miyako walked over and lifted the phone off the hook. "A glass of water would be nice." She then turned from him and dialled the homeline of her home. She held the phone to her ear and waited. The phone picked up on the second ring and instantly she was blasted.

"Where are you? Are you okay?You're not out in the storm are you?"

"Dad." Miyako said. "I'm fine. I was in the storm, but I'm not anymore. I'm at Tezuka's house." She explained.

"We'll come and get you."

"Dad, no. Don't go driving in this storm. Tezuka and I will just stay here and wait it out."

"When the rain stops I'm coming to get you." Naoko bargained.

"Okay, okay. But not if it's midnight or something ridiculous. I'll just have to stay here until tomorrow if that's the case."

"I'm not sure if I like you staying there with him."

"Dad, don't you trust me?"

"It's not that." Naoko admitted quietly.

Miyako sighed. "Dad, I trust him. It'll be okay. Besides, he said his parents should be home soon so everything will be fine. And supervised." She emphasised.

"Well, I suppose. Take care of yourself."

"Already on it. I love you, Dad. And pass it on to Mum and Kaiya. Oh, and Tezuka sends his love too."

"I do not." Tezuka protested, loud enough for Naoko to hear.

Naoko chuckled. "Will do, Miya-chan. Send our love to Tezuka too. Love you."

"Bye." Miyako whispered and hung up the phone. She laughed as she turned to Tezuka. "It's a family joke. If there's someone else there then we always say that they send their love. Sorry."

Tezuka shook his head and handed her a glass of water. "Not a problem. And I never said that my parents would be home."

"Yeah, but I had to quell his worries somehow." Miyako replied, drinking heartily. She sighed happily, finishing the drink. "That's better."

Tezuka chuckled lightly and took her glass to place it on the sink along with his own. "Would you like that tour now?"

Miyako brightened. "Yes. That would be great!"

Tezuka chuckled again in amusement of her enthusiasm. "Well, you've seen most of the hallways in the house." He said, leading the way out of the kitchen and towards the hallway that led to the front door. He slid open a door. "Living room. We don't go in there much – mostly when we have guests or family gatherings and such." He explained. "But it's probably the nicest room in the house."

Miyako smiled and followed as he closed the door and skipped over several rooms, explaining that they were storage and rooms even he wasn't allowed to venture into. He showed her the lounge room where they spent their normal times and the dining room.

She gasped, stepping into the traditional set dining room. Low table, no chairs and looking out to a bamboo based garden with a bamboo Souzu standing by the side of a small rock lined pond. It filled quickly and tipped several times as the rain continued to pour heavily. "It's…..so beautiful."

Tezuka stood in the doorway, watching her as she took in her surroundings. "It's better on clear days when you can hear the fountain and the window there is left open."

"I hope that I get to see that one day." Miyako said earnestly. Then realising what she had said, turned to him. "Not to sound rude or anything."

Tezuka shook his head. "You don't really get it, do you?"

Miyako looked over at him, confused.

"I would never reject the chance to spend time in your company. In a way…I dreaded taking you home and walking away alone." Tezuka admitted, looking away.

Miyako blushed a little at this announcement. But she sighed. "I feel the same, Tezuka."

Tezuka looked up. "Y-you do?..."

Miyako smiled. "You're usually pretty in-tune with others emotions – but you were so concerned about hiding your emotions around me that you failed to realise what signals I was sending." She said, looking away. "At least that's what Fuji-senpai said."

Tezuka allowed half of his lips to upturn at the corner. "As usual, he's right on the money."

Miyako looked up at Tezuka, surprised. "He was?"

Tezuka nodded. "But...I don't think I can settle into anything…not right now."

Miyako's heart sank a little – but she knew better than to be upset. Forcing him into anything would be stupid and would only hurt them both. "I understand. I'm not sure if I know you well enough anyway." She said, feeling the need to have an excuse to keep him from feeling bad.

Tezuka reached a hand out to her and hesitantly she took it. "But I'd still like to remain in your company as much as I can."

Miyako's blush darkened and she looked up at him through her eyelashes. "Me too."

. : . : . : .

They'd had to wait until the storm had calmed before they left their friend's home and being a little more than paranoid they hadn't called home in case the rumours about phones in a storm was true. But even then when they called his cell phone on their way home in the car there was no answer.

Anzu and Kane Tezuka were a little worried, but assumed that at ten o'clock at night their son would already be asleep after the day he would have had. When they stepped into the house they spotted the extra bags and a pair of smaller shoes with folded up socks. The couple looked at one another and entered the house quietly, wondering just what their son had gotten into.

In the bathroom reserved for guests use there was a sodden uniform slowly drying in the bath and a pile of used towels left in the corner. In the kitchen there were two bowls that had been used recently soaking in the sink and two glasses on the countertop. Anzu looked at her husband curiously and led the way to their son's room.

The door slid open easily and what they discovered was nothing they had ever imagined.

Sitting on the bed was their son, propped up by a pillow behind his back, eyes closed, glasses on, sleeping peacefully. By his side was a young girl, also sleeping, curled up with her back to him, a messily tied plait hanging off the edge of the mattress. The blankets covered her mostly, but Tezuka had some of them bunched around his ankles. At the sound of someone entering the girl shifted, moaned a little and rolled, her arm curling around his waist and snuggled her temple against his side. In response, Tezuka's hand raised to place it comfortingly over hers.

Anzu smiled with delight and pressed a finger to her lips in her husband's direction before silently closing the door.

. : . : . : .

"Where's the address he gave you?"

"I'm not telling you." Tamie replied stubbornly. "She'll hate you if you do this. You saw it as much as I did. And he's a responsible guy; he wouldn't do anything to her – except make her happy."

"Where is the address?"

Tamie sighed. "I'm not telling you. Leave her be. She can take care of herself."

"I'm sure that she can." Naoko said, looking through sheets of paper on the kitchen counter. "It's that boy that I'm not sure of."

"You liked him fine enough when he was here this morning." Tamie said, crossing her arms. "And she's known Tezuka-kun for months now."

"I'm going to get her." Naoko stated.

"You won't find the address. I've hidden it in the perfect place."

Naoko's memory sparked and he grinned at his wife. "Then I know where to look."

Tamie's arms fell to her sides as Naoko made his way over to Kohana's scratching post in the corner of the living room and reached into the small compartment. His hand clutched around the paper hidden within.

"Just because I don't like the cat doesn't mean I wouldn't search here, my dear."