Chapter Sixteen – Fun on the Sand
The game continued and for fifteen minutes there was no break for either side as they slammed and played their way through to score after score and tricked the other team with strange tactics. Until in the end, Fuji and Sakuno were the winners.
Tezuka held onto the ball he'd just picked up. "We should have made a rule against using our Tennis techniques." He muttered as Fuji stood up from his Higuma Otoshi pose and turned to face Sakuno for a hi-five.
"Don't worry about it." Miyako said. "You can't win all the time. I mean look at Ryoma-kun."
Tezuka looked over at the first year who was teamed with Momo against Kaidou and Yori. The boy hadn't so much as touched the ball – other than the ones who had landed on his head. Tezuka chuckled. "Yes, I suppose."
While he was momentarily distracted Miyako reached for the ball between his hands and snatched it away, running off down the beach. However she hadn't bargained on his quick reflexes or feet on the sand. He seemed to catch up with her in an instant and she squealed – unintentionally grabbing the attention of everyone on the beach.
She quickly changed direction, trying to outwit him and run back towards the nets, but he reached out an arm and caught her around the waist to lift her into the air. She dropped the ball due to her laughter, but with the movement her arm collided with the side of his head and she felt the side of his glasses as they slipped off his face.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!"
Tezuka carefully put her down and before bending down to search for the glasses, searched for a moment while standing to avoid looking ridiculous – but before he knew it, Miyako had bent down and picked them up for him.
"Here." She said softly after wiping them gently on her tank top. "They don't look scratched or anything." She added handing them over.
Tezuka took them from her fingers and was about to put them on when Miyako gasped. He looked up at her, though the vision was a little blurred, he noted the pleasantly surprised look on her face. "What's the matter?"
She shook her head and he could see the slight flush on her cheeks. "Oh, it's nothing. It's just that I've never seen you without your glasses on before. I didn't expect that there would be such a difference."
"And there is?" Tezuka pressed.
"Well…your eyes are lighter than I thought – they're more honey brown than I assumed before." Miyako explained, flushing darker.
Tezuka smiled warmly as he placed the glasses back on. "I'd gladly take them off more often but that's counterproductive to being able to see and walk – without running into things."
Miyako giggled. "Yeah, I guess."
"Lunch is served!" Kikuchi announced. "Go to the hall or you'll miss out!"
The volleyball courts were soon empty as Miyako and Tezuka recovered quickly from their quiet and hardly private moment.
"Miya…I have been doing all that I can…"
She looked up at him and noticed that he could barely look at her.
"And I'm sorry that it looks like I haven't been – but….I promise you…I've been doing all that I can to finally be able to hold your hand without hurting you." Tezuka said softly. "I beg of you, please, wait just a little while longer." He looked at her pleadingly. "And I swear to you, your heart won't ache anymore."
Miyako smiled warmly. "I'm sorry."
Tezuka was startled. "What?"
"I'm sorry for what I said last night – to you anyway. I was upset and I spoke out when I shouldn't have." Miyako admitted.
Tezuka reached a hand out and cupped the side of her face. "It's okay – but I wonder, Miya – what illness did you have that caused you to go into a coma?"
"It was medically induced." Miyako explained, walking towards the hall as they were being called. "I just had problems with my lungs, that's all."
"And yet you play tennis?" Tezuka inquired, walking in place beside her.
Miyako laughed. "I started singing to help strengthen my lungs again and then my doctor suggested that I play a sport of some kind. And I chose tennis."
"And why did you choose tennis?"
"What is this, 'Twenty Questions'?"
"Why did you choose tennis?" Tezuka asked again. "It's my last question, I swear."
Miyako sighed, but smiled at a familiar memory. "I was watching female singles on the television – and they had cute outfits on. I thought that if I played tennis I would get cute outfits too."
Tezuka couldn't contain the snort of laughter.
"Oh come on!" Miyako exclaimed. "I was seven when I thought that!"
. : . : . : .
"Let's have another challenge!" Eiji suggested, fiddling with his Lei as Kiba barked around his legs apparently healed of her pain, though the bandage was still in place around her leg.
"What kind of challenge?" Inui asked, reaching into his bag slowly.
Eiji panicked. "NO JUICE~!" He exclaimed, then calmed down as Inui sadly placed his bag down. "Let's see who can make the best sculpture in sand – using a live person as a basis." He suggested.
"How many in a team?" Yori asked.
Eiji thought for a moment. "Let's make it four. Then you have the option of using two people for your sculpture."
"And the prize?" Fuji asked.
Eiji was stumped. "Umm…"
"How about we just make the prize the satisfaction of victory?" Oishi suggested.
Momo grumbled. "That's no fun."
"Sure it is." Tezuka contradicted, staring darkly towards the second year.
Momo's eyes widened and he looked off in the distance a little as though he hadn't said anything.
"So pick your teams. You'll have half an hour. Kikuchi-sensei, Oshiro-sensei, will you time and be the judges?" Eiji asked.
The coaches nodded.
Eiji jumped up in excitement, running to Fuji to make sure that he ended up on a team with him.
Miyako watched as teams were created ad noticed that Anne was sitting beside the coaches – alone. A pang of guilt stabbed her seeing someone like that. But she knew not to change her mind. Anne needed to learn a lesson and she was learning it now.
"You're teaming with me, right?" Tezuka asked.
Miyako nodded. "Of course."
"Hey! Tezuka!" Fuji called, dragging Eiji with him as he ran up to the pair. "Do you have another pair with you?"
"No." Tezuka replied.
"Then we'll join you!" Eiji exclaimed.
Miyako smiled. It was unbelievable to her – they welcomed her so easily and quickly. She barely had to do a thing. It was as though they knew just how much Tezuka seemed to orient himself to her – of course she'd noticed it herself – and they allowed themselves to adjust to that.
Eiji – the most excited about the event as it had been his own – chose the spot on the sand. "I propose that we use Miyako!" He suggested.
"Why me?"
Fuji and Eiji leaned in to whisper. "Because we need a girl to be the mermaid."
"The what?" Tezuka asked.
"Shh." Eiji said. "We have to keep it secret, or they'll steal our idea."
Tezuka raised his eye brows. "Looks like you have no choice." He said to Miyako.
"Oh come on!" She complained, expecting that Tezuka would have stood up for her.
"Sit on the sand, Miyako-chan, we'll run out of time otherwise." Fuji said taking charge.
Miyako grumbled quietly to herself as she settled herself onto the sand and instantly the three boys began to create a tail from the sand and piled it up around her legs.
"Oh, oh, oh. I just got a vision." Fuji announced to the group, standing up.
Tezuka and Eiji looked up at him.
"Miyako-chan, can you take your hair out?"
Miyako raised her eye brows. "Depends on the why?"
"You're a mermaid." Eiji replied.
Miyako sighed and tugged the hair band out and slowly began to detangle the plait.
"No time!" Fuji exclaimed. "Miyako-chan, lie down. Tezuka, finish taking her hair out. Eiji and I will finish the tail."
Miyako was forced onto her back and Tezuka's long and careful fingers continued the job on her hair while Eiji and Fuji thickened the layer of sand on her legs.
"This feels oddly humiliating." Miyako muttered as Tezuka finished his job.
"Are you done, Tezuka?" Fuji asked.
Tezuka nodded.
"Now just kinda lay her hair out like she's underwater." Fuji instructed as he finished adding scales to the tail. "Eiji?"
Eiji looked up from the tailfin he was making. "Hoi~?"
"When you're done there, help me out with making some fish around her." Fuji instructed. "Miyako-chan, you're looking beautiful~!"
Miyako tried to smile, but her current predicament caused her to feel more embarrassed than anything else – especially because Tezuka was still toying with her hair.
"Oh, come now. Don't be so distracted by Tezuka's skills." Fuji suggested.
"Fuji-senpai!" Miyako exclaimed, flushing red.
Fuji only chuckled brightly and began to make fish in the sand.
Miyako sighed and just lay back.
"Tezuka, can you make a starfish on her hair?" Fuji asked.
"On?" Miyako exclaimed. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to wash my hair at the best of times?"
"Don't overdo it, Syusuke." Tezuka warned.
"It's just a one off, Miyako-chan." Fuji said, pleading with a pouted lip and opening his sparkling eyes. "Please~."
Miyako sighed. "Okay, okay."
Eiji had begun to make fish when he looked at his Lei and then at Miyako. "Oh, wait, wait, wait!" He said, taking the Lei off. "Put this on her."
Miyako sat up slightly to allow the Lei to be placed around her neck and then her hair moved out of the way and placed around her as though it was floating on water. "I'm honoured, Eiji-senpai. You gave up your Lei."
"And I better get it back." Eiji warned.
Miyako laughed. "Okay, okay."
"Hey, Miyako-chan, one question." Fuji said. "Why the tank top? Don't most girls like to wear their bikinis without a cover up?"
Miyako rolled her eyes. "Not all girls. And I don't like two piece suits."
"Then why are you wearing one?" Fuji asked, genuinely confused by her answer.
"Because my Mum thinks that I should wear them." She said, glaring at the sky. "She hid all of my one piece suits and put this one in my bag without my knowledge. She's sneaky."
"She probably thought that Tezuka would appreciate it." Fuji said teasingly.
Miyako grumbled and looked away, flushing darker. "Probably."
"Ten minutes!" Kikuchi announced.
This was followed by a chorus of complaint and panic.
Eiji jumped up and leaped over Miyako and to her other side. He took her arm and lay it up to the side, bending her elbow a little and facing her hand palm up.
"Eiji-senpai, what are you doing?" Miyako asked, exasperated by all the different hands that had been touching her recently.
"I'm giving you a dolphin friend." Eiji replied, beginning to pile up sand by her hand.
"Oh, oh, oh. I have an idea." Fuji said.
"And what is that?" Tezuka asked, concerned about what could happen to Miyako next.
"Tezuka, lie down on the sand next to her."
He frowned. "I think not." He wasn't becoming a part of this crazed artwork.
"Aww, but you get to lie right beside Miyako-chan." Fuji said, trying to entice Tezuka into it.
Tezuka only glowered at him and didn't move from his place sitting by Miyako's head.
Fuji shrugged. "Okay then, I'll just have to do it." He said, moving to Miyako's other side and lying on his side in the sand, laying an arm around her waist and taking her hand in his.
Miyako's eyes widened and she focused on staring at the sky as her cheeks continued to darken. "Tezuka…" She whispered. "You should have just done as he asked."
Tezuka sighed. "Fine, fine. Syusuke, let go of her."
Fuji grinned, his plan a success as he sat up and left room for Tezuka to take his place.
"Five minutes!"
Eiji began to panic. "Oh no, oh no. I have to finish Flipper~!"
Miyako giggled lightly. "You named him?"
"Every dolphin is called Flipper." Eiji explained, fixing the dolphins tail.
Tezuka only sighed a little as he became a part of the artwork- lying in the same position as Fuji had – not wanting to be ordered around anymore. "This is embarrassing."
"You're telling me." Miyako replied, turning her head towards him and closing her eyes. "But…this is kind of nice." She whispered.
Tezuka smiled a little, closing his eyes and tightening the hold around her waist. "Yeah…it is."
"And time! Everyone step away from your sculptures." Kikuchi instructed.
. : . : . : .
Miyako squirmed a little as voices approached. She vaguely remembered that there had been a competition of sand sculptures and that Fuji and Eiji had left her and Tezuka lying on the sand to go and see the other sculptures. But she knew one thing was for sure – she'd fallen asleep.
She kept her expression blank and breathing steady as she heard the familiar voices of every other student on the camp approach.
She heard Fuji's slight gasp and then he shushed the crowed. "They're asleep." He said with admiring laughter in his voice.
"Kawaii~." A girl's voice whispered.
"Take a photo of the sculpture and wake them up." Oshiro suggested. "It's nearly lunch and besides, they'll get horribly burnt if they stay out in the sun like this."
Miyako nearly got up to refuse the photo – but decided against it and lay still as the photo was taken and then a hand landed on her shoulder.
"Miyako-chan." Eiji whispered. "It's time to wake up."
She fluttered her eyes open and looked up, hissing a little on reflex as the suns light assaulted her eyes. "Ow, what?"
"You guys fell asleep." Eiji laughed as Tezuka stirred. "The sculptures have been photographed and Oshiro-sensei and Kikuchi-sensei will judge them during lunch. Which will be about right now."
Miyako sat up, feeling sand fall from within her hair and the sand crumbled around her legs. "I think I need to go into the water to get this sand off me." She said as Fuji gave her a hand and heaved her off the ground – the sand fell from her legs in cascades. "That was weird." She said and pulled the Lei from around her neck and handed it to Eiji. "Here."
"We'll meet you guys at the hall." Eiji said, putting his Lei back on and the led Fuji to the hall.
Miyako walked towards the surf, feeling grainy and horrible from the sand and her skin felt too warm – she was sure that she was burnt already anyway.
She walked beside Tezuka towards the water, once again conscious of the fact that his hand was right there within reach – but she refused herself the joy of it. It would hurt more when she knew she had to let go.
"That was interesting." Tezuka stated.
Miyako laughed. "You're telling me. You weren't covered in sand."
Tezuka shrugged. "But you really did look beautiful."
Miyako flushed. "Thank you."
"Were you actually asleep?" Tezuka asked.
"No. Were you?"
"I humoured them."
She laughed heartily. "We'll have to make that our own little secret then."
"We've got too many little secrets." Tezuka said as they walked into the water, being careful of the waves.
"Nah. I'm sure that Fuji-senpai knows every single one." Miyako said lightly.
Tezuka smiled a little. "Yeah, he probably does."
She and Tezuka didn't spend a long time in the water, they simply ran in, dipped in and washed the sand away before walking back out, wrapping their towel's around themselves and made their way to the hall.
. : . : . : .
The Fuji, Eiji, Tezuka and Miyako team had won the Sand Sculpture competition, night had fallen, stars were appearing in the sky and the camp group were sitting around a beach camp fire that was sending golden flames up into the sky. They sat on the sand, leaning back against large logs that had been circled around the fire.
The coaches weren't present and several of the Regular girl's had already gone back to their cabin, but Yori, Susumu, Rika and even Anne had remained behind. Miyako couldn't help but notice just how close Yori sat beside Kaidou – who had Kiba sitting on his other side, between him and Echizen.
"Tezuka." She whispered, leaning towards the Buchou slightly. "Look at Yori-san and Kaidou-san."
Tezuka looked over and despite himself, he smiled. "It's good to see things like that."
"People being happy?"
"Yeah." He replied softly
Inui suddenly appeared, a large, familiar bag over his shoulder. "The coaches are asleep and we have some hours to kill before the lights around the campsite are turned off. How about we continue that challenge?"
"Which challenge?" Fuji asked.
"The Ghost Story Challenge."
Miyako blanched. She remembered the challenge.
"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 the 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.
"And I have the newest supply of my New and Improved Special Ghost Juice Deluxe." Inui informed them all.