AN: Why yes people, this story hasn't died yet. Amazingly enough, I have managed to drag my lazy butt into uploading this chapter. It was originally going to be longer but if I had wanted to make it longer, all the readers would have ended up waiting even longer for an update.

Muse: Are there still people who even read this?

You can always hope.

Muse: As a realist, I'm going to say no.

Muse-chan, why are you so cruel to me? (sobsob)

Muse: Get on with it.

Warnings and disclaimers: Check the chapters before, please.

"Ashiora," Tezuka began as he watched his twin devour another plate of sushi. "That's unhealthy."

"So is your expression," she shot back after gulping down some tea to wash the sushi down. "Well, as long as you're talking it's all good. Still, I can't believe you didn't tell any of your teammates about me."

"Did you not see how they responded?"

Ashiora shrugged. "I thought they took it pretty well."

Flashback:

"WHAT?!" the rest of the regulars yelled out.

"Tezuka-buchou has a twin sister?" blubbered Momoshiro, his eyes the size of the sushi plates.

"Amazing new data," Inui fervently murmured, pulling out a green notebook from seemingly out of nowhere. "The chances of Tezuka having a sibling, much less a female twin: nearly 0%."

"Now Tezuka that wasn't very nice," admonished Fuji, his smile wider than normal and made Tezuka think of very bad things. "Hiding the fact that you had a sister from us even though we're teammates, it's as if you didn't trust us."

Before Tezuka even had a chance to reply, Ashiora cut in.

"You mean he never said a single thing about me?" she asked incredulously. She then turned her gaze at Tezuka, more surprised than angry. "Wow, I knew you were socially retarded when we were kids, but I didn't think it had gotten this bad."

This, Ashiora referred to, was how the group of Seigaku regulars was staring at the two of them in a mixture of disbelief, slight amusement and shock.

"It was never brought up," was all Tezuka said.

"Even if it wasn't brought up, I'm surprised no one knew," Oishi commented, his words meant for no one in particular. "Tezuka-san—"

"It's Ashiora," she said, waving her hand. "Just call me Ashiora or I won't know if you're talking to me or Kuni."

"Ah." Oishi was slightly startled at the girl's bluntness and forwardness but then again, she was Tezuka's twin.

"Then Ashiora-san," Oishi began again but stopped abruptly when the girl whirled around, glaring at him with a sternness and ferocity Oishi thought only Tezuka had.

"It's A-shi-or-a," she firmly stated, emphasizing each syllable. "No honorifics. Just address me the same way you would address Kuni."

"R-right," agreed Oishi, slightly unnerved at how forceful the girl was.

"The same goes for everyone else here," said Ashiora, vaguely waving her hand in the direction of the rest of the regulars. "Just call me Ashiora. Call me by my last name and I'll slap you."

"Ashiora!" Tezuka suddenly spoke up, glaring disapprovingly down at his twin (it still bugged Ashiora that no matter how many years passed, Tezuka still had those few damn centimeters over her). "That's no way to talk to people you just met."

"It's called speaking your mind and first impressions Kuni," was Ashiora's blunt answer before she turned to address the regulars.

"So, would everyone mind introducing themselves now?"

End flashback.

Ashiora shrugged. "It could have been worse."

"Ashiora."

"Okay fine," she relented, backing up from the stern lecture she knew was coming. As reckless as she was, she didn't want to piss of Kuni so much that he ended up having a stroke or something. "I'm sorry, I'll be more courteous next time."

Tezuka knew that was the closest to a promise he could get out of Ashiora so he relented, letting her finish her sushi spree with a gusto that he knew would give her stomach problems later.

Meanwhile, in another part of the sushi shop, far enough to be out of the Tezuka twins' ear shot, the Seigaku regulars had convened and were discussing this new development.

"She certainly is strong-headed," Inui said, remembering Ashiora's threat of slapping them if they didn't call her by her first name. "And blunt, like Tezuka."

"She talks more than Tezuka though," Eiji said, almost sounding awed. "And her expression actually changes, nya!"

Fuji chuckled. "She's rather interesting, isn't she?"

"What does it matter?" Ryoma grumbled, swiping a piece of sushi from Momo's plate. While the comment seemed typical of him, Ryoma felt nothing like himself. He couldn't stop seething, finding himself staring at Ashiora's back in an almost resentful manner as she talked with buchou, their elbows almost touching.

"Hey Echizen, that was mine!" Momo protested, leaning over to put Ryoma in a headlock. "You little…!"

"That hurts Momo-senpai!" Ryoma snapped, struggling.

"It's supposed to, brat!"

The rest of the meal dissolved into the natural course of laughter, food swiping and the occasional regular running to the bathroom after accidentally eating one of Fuji's wasabi-covered sushi pieces.

Tezuka and Ashiora remained separate from them, discussing family matters.

"Has the music program finished then?" Tezuka asked, just to make sure. Before, when the first director fell ill Ashiora had returned to Japan for several months and Tezuka wanted to make sure this time it wasn't just another break in the program.

"Yeah," Ashiora replied, confirming Tezuka's worst fear. "After the whole concert tour thing in Europe the program finally finished and we'll be moving up."

"Moving up?" Tezuka questioned.

"The program was just a testing ground," Ashiora explained. "Everyone who auditioned and passed to enter the program was being assessed on how much they've grown over the years while in it. The ones with the most progress and had the greatest talent were recommended to Layla Music Academy, the top school in Japan for future professional musicians."

"That's impressive," Tezuka stated but Ashiora looked like she could care less.

"It's just the Japanese government's way of supporting the classical arts now because, apparently, we're lacking in that department compared to the rest of the world," she said dismissively.

"Did you not get recommended to go to Layla?" Tezuka asked, figuring that was the reason for Ashiora's snide remark. Like him and tennis, Ashiora was a very dedicated musician and had practically poured her life into playing the cello since she was six.

"I was one of the first to get recommended."

"Then why are you angry?" Tezuka asked, surprised.

"I'm not angry," Ashiora said, swallowing the last of her tea. "Just cranky thanks to jet lag and the stupid taxi drive."

"Weren't you taking medicine for your motion sickness?"

"I lost the pills."

"When?"

"About two hours after I got on the plane to Kunming."

Tezuka stared at her and then began speaking, no change of tone in his voice. "Ashiora, do you mean to tell me you lost your medicine seven years ago…and never found them again?"

"Yep." Ashiora actually looked proud, as though she had accomplished something worthy of being in the Guinness World Records. "First time I ever lost something so fast."

"How did you get through all the traveling you had to do?"

"I didn't. I threw up after every single ride we took, except when we went to amusement parks and rode the roller coasters."

Tezuka could not fathom how Ashiora could get sick the moment she stepped onto a boat still anchored to shore but demand to ride a 125-kmph roller coaster ten times over without turning green once.

Such was the mystery of his twin sister.

"I'm done," she announced, standing up. "Ossan(1), thanks for the meal!"

"Come back anytime!" Kawamura senior called out, catching the attention of the rest of the Seigaku regulars who watched as the two Tezuka's left.

"Do you think she's going to start school here?" Eiji asked the obvious question, but making sure to only say it after the twins left.

"That would be the most logical answer," Inui stated, pulling out his trusty green notebook. "I'd say there's a 90% probability of her transferring to our school by the end of the week."

Ryoma scowled, though no one else saw it. For once, he actually looked like the child he was, all remnants of his usual bored expression gone. He didn't know why—he couldn't explain it in words—but just seeing someone get so close to Buchou was irritating.

"What do you think Echizen?" Fuji asked the child, the earlier discussion between the other Seigaku regulars completely flying over Ryoma's head.

"Che," he grumbled, snatching the last piece of from the plate. "It's not like her coming to the school going's to change something."

Secretly, he hoped his own words would hold true. He had no desire to see things change just because of a single girl coming into the picture. He chewed on his sushi, thinking this but was cut off from his train of thoughts when Momo put him in another headlock for stealing from his plate again.

"You're not going?" Tezuka repeated, very, very surprised despite his frozen facial expression.

"Nope," Ashiora cheerfully agreed, letting out a small burp afterwards. "I'm going to Seigaku with you."

She grinned at him wickedly, the same way she had done when she threw the teddy bear at him this afternoon. "Make sure to give me a tour of the school, K-u-n-i."

Tezuka almost twitched at the way Ashiora enunciated her nickname for him, her grin even broader now.

AN: Woot! I managed to squeeze in some hints of TezuRyo, if you guys couldn't tell. By next chapter there should be even more hints and whatnot as Ashiora finally settles in and starts meddling in the affairs of her "beloved" twin brother.

(1)--In case anyone doesn't know, Ossan means something like "old man" or "uncle" and is used to address middle-aged men.

(2)--Onii-chan means big brother. Not that Ashiora really thinks of Tezuka as an older sibling (coughcough)