Disclaimer: POT owns me, but I don't own it. All that belongs to Konomi-san. I own the OC characters though.
Yes… I'm updating quickly this time. Surprised? You can thank me by leaving a review. I tried to reply to a lot of reviews left by you guys, but other things in life are catching up with me. Thanks to all people who cared to review though. And thanks to my anonymous reviews as well.
A fan: I can't reply to your reviews since you don't have an account, but thanks for your encouragement! And I'm so glad you noticed that Tezuka calls Akane by her first name! That was, indeed, foreshadowing this chapter. And I think that it'd be just weird for her to call him "Kunimitsu".
I am currently the OC team fic with the most reviews, I believe. Thanks to all of you. That makes me happy.
Enjoy.
To Catch A Falling Star—Chapter 9: Let it Rain
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The ball bounced against the wall.
Pok
'I'm a failure.'
Pok
It wasn't fair.
Pok
No, who was she kidding? It was perfectly fair. Flashes of the match shone before her eyes; the ginger hair, the way those cerulean eyes shifted from one side to the other, the way she was led trap into trap until the game ended, quickly as it begun. She bit her lip and swung her racket with even more force.
Pok
The score had ended at 6-0.
Pok
But the scoreboard didn't tell how she lost without winning a single point.
Pok
It didn't tell how she fell to her knees in the middle of the last game.
Pok
It didn't tell how she—Sakuno remembered this with humiliation—begged Akane to let her forfeit.
Pok
And it didn't tell how Akane refused.
Pok
Sakuno swung her racket again and again. The ball hit the wall and bounced back, over and over. 'All I can do is practice.'
Pok
'I want to be stronger.'
Pok
'I want to play better.'
Pok
'I want Ryoma-kun to notice me.'
Pok
'He hadn't even cared enough to watch my match…'
Pok
'I wasn't good enough.'
It had been raining for a while now. Sakuno had no idea how much time had passed. Puddles were appearing on the ground and her t-shirt was getting soaked. She felt tears stinging her eyes for some strange reason. Gritting her teeth, she kept swinging her racket.
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The rain was falling in torrents now. Still, she swung.
Kaidoh passed the little girl as he began jogging home. He paused, jogging in place, staring at the skinny form swing her racket over and over. Her arm was so thin it seemed as if the racket would snap it in half. However her eyes… her eyes carried strength that her body hid. For a brief moment, he saw his first-year self in that girl.
He smiled and continued jogging.
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The rain poured. Still, she swung.
Aiko finished putting the beads back in her hair and tied her braids into a ponytail, the last one to leave the girls' locker room. She was still upset that the coach and team captains had not put her on the singles list. To her, doubles was a soft option. What's worse, she was playing with that freshmen girl! 'Not that I'm prejudiced, but she doesn't have what it takes! She's not good enough.' She had seen the girl during their laps, and how she was completely exhausted while Aiko didn't even break a sweat. 'Of course, she didn't train under cruel conditions like I did.'
She walked quickly into the rain, her footsteps sloshing in the deep puddles. The pat, pat of a tennis ball caught her attention. Turning a corner, she saw Sakuno swinging her racket like her life depended on it. For a moment Aiko stared, dumbstruck.
Aiko had been forced to train under harsh conditions by her coach.
Sakuno did it by herself.
'Maybe I'm the one that's not good enough for her…'
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"Akane?" Reina murmured as she watched out of the window. The two data specialists with the team captains were all gathered in the classroom. The rain made soothing pit-pat noises on the window. Occasionally, there was a muffled rumble of thunder.
"Yes?" Akane asked. She, Tezuka, Oishi, Inui, and Coach Ryuzaki had been in a heated discussion about the techniques and levels of the girls. None of them had been able to view all the matches from start to finish, so now they were trying to piece it together. Also, Coach Ryuzaki was only able to see bits and pieces of the matches from Court A and B, and had not seen her granddaughter's match nor Sayaka's. It had been a long day, and Akane was frustrated. "And don't give me any of your vocabulary crap. I'm not in the mood."
"Umm…" Reina concentrated. "The freshman girl is still… acclimatizing to, no, practicing." She turned from the window. "Weren't you a little harsh when you played her?"
"In this weather?!" Oishi jumped up immediately. "We should stop her!"
"Don't," Akane said, and he stopped in his tracks. "One of the reasons I chose her for this team was because… that girl has determination. She has the strongest determination I've seen—perhaps even stronger than Suzume." She cast her eyes to the pouring rain outside. "Every time you show her she's not good enough, she'll practice until she gets there. And that's the kind of person we need." Akane looked back at the captain. "It's not just talent that makes a player. It's what they make of it."
"Spoken well, Akane." Coach Ryuzaki smiled with satisfaction and pride. That was her granddaughter out there in the rain, her granddaughter. At that moment, she could not have felt more proud.
"But still…" Oishi protested.
"Hmm…" Reina suddenly sounded amused. "It seems that you don't have to possess disquietud—…ah… worry anymore."
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Sakuno felt her arms grow heavy as she flung her racket forward to meet the ball. 'I can't stop! Not now! I want to be better! And if I stop… it'll be a sign of weakness.' The ball had become soaked, bouncing lower and lower as water filled it. Her movements became sluggish as she swung at wet ball, her racket almost scraping the ground. The impact of the ball was like a pocket of cement, and it nearly knocked her over. She stepped forward in order to catch her balance, slipped, and fell forward into a puddle of water.
The cold muddy water splashed onto her face. She felt it soaking through her clothes quickly, like a paper towel seeping up water. She bit her lip, her mouth trembling, not even trying to get up. Now she really felt like crying, and she didn't even know why.
"Ryuzaki." A voice suddenly said. She looked up, only to be hit in the face with a cloth, the metal zipper poking into her skin. 'Wait a minute, cloths don't have zippers...' She pulled it off her face only to find out it was a Seigaku regular jersey. She looked up at the person who'd thrown it.
His name escaped her lips in a whisper. "Ryoma-kun…"
"You'll catch cold." was all he said before he started walking back into the building.
She shuffled into it and got up from the ground. His scent enveloped her and she felt closer to him in a way she couldn't describe. A smile came over her features. 'He does care… Or am I just reading too deeply into his actions?'
The look in her eyes suddenly changed. 'Whatever it is, it won't help me win tennis!' She picked up her racket.
"Ii data…" Inui murmured as he joined Reina next to the window, his pencil scribbling on the notebook marked Echizen Ryoma.
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"Tezuka…" Someone appeared at the door of the classroom. "May I speak to you for a moment?"
Tezuka looked up from where he had been writing. It was Kimura Ren… or Kai? He couldn't tell the difference. Closing the notebook, he got up and joined him outside.
"Thanks. I'm Kai, by the way, in case you couldn't tell." Kai told him. He seemed to have a much more serious air about him then his brother, who had more of a fiery temperament, Tezuka noticed. "I wanted to ask you to look out for someone."
"If it's Oshiro, you don't have to worry." Tezuka said, thinking about how he'd nearly been attacked by the other brother in fear that Chiharu had been hurt.
"It's not," Kai suddenly smiled. 'He thought of her rather quickly…' "Chiharu is actually a lot stronger than she looks. It's my sister that I'm worried about."
"Kimura Suzume…?"
"Yes. She's the opposite of Chiharu. While she seems strong on the outside… she's not all that strong on the inside. I'm not asking you to become her bodyguard or anything. But just… if you notice anything wrong with her, could you tell me?"
The stoic captain merely blinked. 'Wrong with her?' There were plenty of things wrong with her, especially her tennis. That girl had a lot of noticeable mistakes and holes in her tennis. And that attitude of hers also needed a bit of adjusting.
"Just keep an eye on her for me," Kai said. "And tell me if she's not being herself."
He nodded his consent.
"Kai-nii?" Suzume suddenly appeared in the hallway. "What are you doing here?" Her gaze travelled from the captain and to her brother, and back again. "You're not trying to get buchou to go easy on me, are you?"
He smiled a tender smile that seemed to be reserved for her. "No, I just thought I'd pick you up. Bad weather, you know."
"You are a horrible liar, nii-san."
"Actually, I'm a very good liar. I'm just a bit out of practice."
"Oh, so you admit you're lying to me?"
"I don't think I ever admitted such a thing. Did I, Tezuka-san?"
Tezuka began to understand what Kai had said about Suzume. In school, on court, she gave off a rebellious and… almost angry manner. Indifferent, as well, and uncaring about life. Yet last night and right now he had seen her acting in almost affectionate ways with her family. "Excuse me." he said, bowing slightly and returning to the classroom. There were other things he had to attend to.
"Ah, Tezuka…" The coach nodded at him to sit down. "As I was saying, I am still concerned about the girl's doubles 2."
"Ryuzaki-sensei, your granddaughter has a knack for doubles," Akane said firmly. "My concern is that Aiko doesn't have the same knack. We were considering putting Momoshiro Sayaka in, but I think that she'd play a much better combination with her brother in the mixed doubles tournament."
"She could play both," Oishi suggested. "Then we'd have a reserve."
"Somehow, I don't think that would go well with Komboi." Akane said. "And it'd be dangerous to count on Momoshiro for two matches, since her style is bound to give her a sprained ankle."
"Sprained ankle?" Coach Ryuzaki repeated, puzzled.
Oishi sighed in exasperation. "You know, Ito-san, in your own way, you can be as bad as Reina." He began to explain Sayaka's style to their coach.
"I thought I told you to call me Akane."
"Eh?" He looked perplexed. "No, you never told me that!"
"Well, I'm telling you now."
A pink tint came onto his cheeks. "O-okay then… Akane-san…" It was on the tip of his tongue to say "then you must call me Shuichiro", but somehow he couldn't ask her to do that. It made them seem too close. It was one thing for a girl to ask that you call her by her first name, but for a guy to ask… it just didn't seem right.
"Besides… you call Reina by her first name, so it shouldn't make a difference…"
"A-ah…" Oishi suddenly felt very confused. Why hadn't the words "then you must call me Shuichiro" jump onto his lips when Reina had asked him to call her by her first name?
"We're doing some more basic training exercises before starting on the combinations and doubles exercises," Inui said. "After all, the tournament is almost three weeks away. We have time."
"There's a lot of places we need to work on. Inui and Watanabe,—
"—Reina—" she cut through, only no one interrupts Tezuka when he's giving a command, so he just went on as if there was no interruption.
"—I expect the team menu to cover all aspects," His gaze sharpened. "And we mustn't forget the boys too."
"It will, don't worry."
"Then this meeting is adjourned."
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Others ran forward, shielding themselves from the rain. Izumi walked slowly, feeling the rain, enjoying the touch of rain upon her skin. She loved the rain. For a moment, after checking that no one was looking, she twirled with outstretched arms, mentally playing a melody in her mind. The rain swirled around her like a thousand sparkling lights. Iridescent dew bejeweled her hair as it flowed around her, silken black. She was lost, lost within the rhythm of the rain, lost within its sensual caresses, lost within the roaring thunder and lightning that split open the sky, and lost within the deafening silence that followed.
"Dance," The heavens seemed to cry. "Dance, Izumi,"
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Of course, after about fifteen minutes she regretted her decision. The rain was coming down harder now, in big droplets that splattered upon your skin in the most unpleasant way. The wind had also picked up, flinging the drops of rain against her in painful, stinging ways. Her whole body was soaked. She ducked under the shelter of a bus station, dripping water. She waited. No bus.
Five minutes passed. No bus.
Ten minutes.
She was shivering now. The temperature had dropped greatly, and since Seishun Gakuen believed in femininity, she was in her uniform that comprised of a short skirt and top. Her arms and legs were freezing. She blew on her hands, rubbing them together.
Suddenly, a purple van pulled up in front of her. The window of the passenger seat rolled down to reveal the face of her stoic captain.
"Morioka," he said curtly. "Get in."
She obeyed him, but as she opened the door, she found herself looking into the smiling face of a certain tensai. She hesitated.
'Why can't he just leave me alone?'
"Morioka-chaaaan!!" Kikumaru's voice came from the backseat. The redhead poked his head over the seat. "Hee hee, you're the fourth person to be rescued! Oshiro-chan is in here too!"
Feeling a bit better knowing that Chiharu was there, she got in. Kikumaru and Chiharu were sitting in the seat behind them. She wished that she could trade seats with Kikumaru.
"I thought… your car was red…" she said quietly. If it had been a red sports car, she would not have gotten in at all.
"My car needs some repairs," Yumiko said from the driver's seat, looking at her in the rearview window. "A friend lent me this one just for today. Good thing too, a lot of you got caught in the rain out there. The other car wouldn't have been able to hold this many."
While they were talking, Kikumaru had grabbed a handful of Izumi's hair. He twisted it like he was twisting a towel. Water gushed out and splattered onto the leather seat. "Whoa! Morioka-chan is even more soaked than Oshiro-chan, and she fell into a puddle."
"Two, actually…" Fuji said, the smile being ever present. "How did you become so wet, Izumi-san?"
"Eiji…" She yanked her hair away. Not that twisting it hurt; her hair was so long that she didn't feel a thing. But it wouldn't be nice to get someone else's car all wet. The action allowed her to avoid answering Fuji's question. She rubbed her hand along her arm quickly, trying to warm it up.
Tezuka turned from the front and unzipped his sports bag. He took out a towel and handed it to her.
"Th-thank you…" She felt touched. It was almost as if the stoic captain was expressing… care. She spared Chiharu a quick glance of apology, feeling a bit guilty. Taking the towel within her rain-stained hands, she did her best to dry off her hair, since it was dripping onto her shirt and making her clothes wetter than they already were.
"See, Fujiko!" Kikumaru whispered loudly into Fuji's ear. "You should've saved your towel for Morioka-chan instead of offering it to Oshiro-chan! That way Tezuka could've given Oshiro-chan his towel!"
"Gomen. I'll remember next time."
'Fuji's nice to all the girls…' Izumi thought, relaxing a bit. 'It's not as if I've been singled out. Then why… why do I feel so… strange?'
A certain person's head suddenly popped up next to Kikumaru's. "Hmm… Tezuka has shown slight concern to about 12% of all girls that he has encountered."
Kikumaru, Chiharu, and Izumi all jumped about a mile. Fuji looked as though nothing had happened.
"INUI! Were you hiding there the whole time?!"
For a moment, he didn't speak. "Yes, you were quite right. They did not notice my presence at all. I got some good data…"
They all looked confused before Kikumaru snatched something black off of Inui's head. It turned out to be a headset and microphone. He put in on his own head. "Kikumaru speaking! Inui is busy stalking someone, and is unable to answer your call. Who is this?" There was a long pause before Kikumaru took the headset of his head, dazed and looking at the data specialist in wonder. "Whoa! Who are you talking to?! Someone in Germany? Or even aliens? I couldn't understand a thing!"
"That would be Reina-san." He put the headset back on his head calmly.
Suddenly, someone's cell phone went off. (Imagine the chorus of 'We love Seigaku' playing) All of them clasped their pockets to check, but only Tezuka pulled his out. He checked the caller ID and frowned, not recognizing it, and answered it. "Hello?" There was a pause. "Kimura…"
"Kimura-san calling?" Fuji chuckled. "And Watanabe-san is plotting with Inui with that microphone. It's almost as if the whole team is in here."
"Yes, Oshiro is with us…" Tezuka's voice continued. "No, we're not in the rain. We'll get her home. Yes, she's safe." He paused, listening for a moment, then handed his cell phone over the seats. "Kimura wants to talk to you."
Izumi passed the cell phone to Chiharu. A smile broke out on her face when she answered it. "Suzume-chan? No, I'm fine. Fuji's sister drove by and picked us all up," Pause. "Inui-san, Kikumaru-san, Fuji-san, Izumi, and Tezuka-buchou," Pause. "Oh, my cell ran out of battery! I'm sorry! I didn't know you were looking for me!" Pause. "Yes, I'll be safe. Tell Kai-san thanks for offering. Don't worry." She passed the phone back to Tezuka, a little bit of a glow on her face.
Tezuka looked at the screen and noticed the call was still ongoing. He lifted it to his ear. "Kimura?" Pause. "Hai." Then he terminated the call.
Fuji noticed Izumi hugging herself to keep warm. He took off his Seigaku regular jersey and tried to drape it over her shoulders before she stopped him.
"Don't. I'm fine."
"But—"
"I'm fine."
He nodded and let the jersey settle in his lap, respecting her wishes. Izumi didn't regret refusing it; she needed to keep him away from her, but the jersey look so warm…
"Where are we going?" she suddenly asked, realizing that they'd been driving for quite a while and none of them had been dropped off yet.
"Fuji's place," Tezuka answered. "You and Oshiro both need to dry off. You could catch hypothermia if you stay wet for too long."
'Fuji's place.' Izumi thought. 'Great.'
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The dark clouds masked the sun completely, as if it was night already. She was sniffling a little from the freezing rain. The ball bounced back to her hand, heavy from the amount of water it absorbed. 'Maybe it's time to stop…'
She would have to run for it. She had no umbrella with her, and her grandma should've returned to the house by now. Her legs ached. Sakuno began walking swiftly home. 'I guess the good thing is that I can't get any more soaked than I already am…'
A dark shape caught her eyes. Someone was standing… waiting… under the tree in front of her. She blinked the rain from her eyes. Slowly his features came into view. "Ryoma-kun…"
Wordlessly, he handed her his umbrella and walked out in front of her in the rain.
She blushed with happiness.
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Izumi felt him drape the jersey over her shoulders again. She tried to shake it off, protesting, "No—"
"You're shivering." he simply said.
She couldn't argue with that, and allowed him to place the jersey on her shoulders.
Inui was scribbling away, and Kikumaru hid his smile behind his palm. However, Chiharu looked at Izumi worriedly. She looked… unhappy. Scared. The blue-haired girl shivered a little at her own thoughts and pulled Kikumaru's jersey tighter over her own body.
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A car pulled up next to him and the window was lowered. "Oi… seishounen… what are you doing in the rain?" a man with sunglasses asked.
Ryoma stuck his nose up in the air. "Walking home."
"Where's the umbrella I gave you?"
"I left it somewhere."
"Hmmm…." Suspicious, the man looked into the rearview mirror. He saw Sakuno walking by herself, holding his son's umbrella and wearing his jersey. "Ohoho…. So this is love…" He reached out and grabbed Ryoma's ear.
"Ite!"
"Making a girl walk on her own… what kind of man are you?!" In a flurry of movements, Ryoma somehow found himself sitting in the back of the car. His father hooked the car into reverse and stopped beside Sakuno. "Oi, pretty girl…"
"Eeh?" She went red at this stranger's comment.
"My idiot son insists that I give you a ride back," he grinned. "Isn't that right, Ryoma?"
"I said nothing." Ryoma replied, though not loud enough for Sakuno to hear.
His dad turned around. "Hmm… she seems really soaked. You could invite her over… then suggest she take off her wet clothes… and then…"
"Oyaji!"
"What?" His dad frowned at him. "You should enjoy life more, seishounen. You won't be young forever." His attention turned back to the girl. "He wants to invite you over for dinner too."
"Eeh? Is it okay? The ride, I mean."
Ryoma sighed. His dad was being an idiot again. They were wasting too much time already. He opened the door. "Ryuzaki, get in."
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Yumiko parked the car and opened the door, allowing the six of them to climb out and enter the house. She had previously called her mother, alerting her to cook a large dinner. Thankfully, the dining table was big enough for all of them… maybe a little squished.
They took off their shoes one at a time, the hallway not being able to fit all at once. Footsteps neared them and a voice drifted into their ears. "Nee-chan… you're finally home, that took you a really long ti—"
He stared at the crowd of people that had been dumped on his doorstep.
"Yuuta-kun!" Izumi exclaimed.
"Izumi-senpai…" Yuuta said in surprise.
"I haven't seen you since you left…"
"Me neither…" His eyes surveyed the room. "Aniki, it's almost as if you brought all of Seigaku home. Maybe I shouldn't have come home today…"
"Ne, Izumi-san, Chiharu-san…" Yumiko said. "I'll take you up to my room. You can borrow some of my clothes for today." They followed her up the stairs.
"Fuji-san…" Inui walked up to Yumiko. "I need to ask a favor…" He lowered his voice. After a few seconds, he passed her a sheet of paper. She nodded. "Of course! I'm happy to be of help." Taking the two girls into her room, she closed the door securely.
"Fuji…" they heard Inui say. "May I borrow your computer? I need to run a couple of calculations…"
"My clothes are in that drawer…" she said, pointing. "Feel free to borrow anything." After about five minutes, she ended up picking out the clothes for them. Izumi and Chiharu surveyed themselves in the mirror, both looking more feminine than they had looked in a long time. While the school uniform had a short skirt, it often smothered curves that both of them did not lack. "Chiharu-san, come here for a moment!" Yumiko said, seating the girl in front of her dresser mirror. "I'm going to change your hairstyle a bit…"
"No, don't…" Chiharu protested, her hands hovering protectively over her pigtails. 'The last thing my mother told me was that my hair looked cute in pigtails…'
"It's all right, they'll still be in pigtails if that's what you're worried about," Yumiko smiled and pulled out the piece of paper Inui gave her. It was a drawing of Chiharu, with her hair slightly different, making her seem less child-like. The drawing was so detailed—even every flicker of light was penciled in.
"Reina…" Chiharu breathed.
"Hmm?"
"Reina must've drawn this…" Chiharu swallowed. She remembered how people found her hairstyle similar to that freshmen girl's… Tomo-something… "Okay, you can help me change it." Yumiko's fingers worked expertly, and somehow Izumi found herself remembering the sensation she had felt when Fuji helped her put her hair back into a chignon. "Fuji-san, what do you do for a living?" she asked.
"Please, call me Yumiko," she said with a smile. "I'm a makeup artist."
"Really?" That was interesting news.
"Yes, it's almost a joint project with Syusuke…" She stopped talking as she finished twisting the other hair tie in place. "There we go. See how lovely you look?" Her pigtails were tied lower than before, allowing the pigtails to rest in front of her shoulders. Her naturally curly hair framed her face beautifully. (A/N: Girls, you can pull your hair in front of your shoulders and hold it so your hands are right under your ears… that's what it looks like)
"Thank you…" Chiharu said with a little bow.
"I better go downstairs and help with dinner," Yumiko commented, looking at the time on the clock.
"I'll help!" Chiharu offered, and followed her out. Inui was sitting at the dining table with Tezuka, talking about something while pointing to writing within his notebook, while Kikumaru was playing with Fuji's camera. When they came down the stairs, Tezuka glanced up, then looked down. Suddenly, he looked at Chiharu again, looking at her properly as if seeing her for the first time.
Everyone's eyes went to Tezuka. Everyone except Chiharu, that is. She was looking everywhere but him.
His expression was still unreadable. After a moment, he left the room to look up something on Fuji's computer. Chiharu followed Yumiko into the kitchen.
"7 seconds…" Inui murmured with a smile. "Experiment complete."
"7 seconds?" Kikumaru questioned.
"7 seconds…" he repeated. "The longest time Tezuka has ever looked at a girl…"
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For the most part of the ride, the only sound came from the pat pat sound of the rain on the window.
"Ano… it's really nice of you to give me a ride…" Sakuno said timidly, trying to evoke some sort of conversation between them. She fiddled with the strings on her tennis racket.
"It's nothing…" Ryoma said, not taking his eyes off from the window. 'It's all Dad's fault anyways…'
Nanjiro winced. "Neh, little girl… Why don't you join us for dinner first?"
"No, it's okay… I have a lot of work to do…" Sakuno thought of all the English homework ahead of her. If only today was Friday… Then she could spend the afternoon at Ryoma's house… she'd be lying if she said she didn't want to.
"Really? That's too bad…" He pulled up at the Ryuzaki residence. "Well, here we are."
"Thank you!" Sakuno got off the car, holding her racket tightly in her hand.
"Ryoma…" Nanjiro said. "Walk her to the door."
"What?" Suddenly his dad's bare foot came flying out of nowhere, kicking him onto the pavement. Ryoma had no choice but to get up, open the umbrella, and join Sakuno.
When they got to the doorstep, Sakuno turned to him shyly. "Umm… thanks for walking me home, Ryoma-kun…" She looked down, tracing small circles with her shoe.
"It's nothing…" He bounced a ball on the ground carelessly, not even looking at her.
"Umm… I'll wash your jersey and give it to you tomorrow…"
"Fine."
Bounce.
She made no move to open the door, so for a while they stood there in awkward silence.
A thought suddenly came to him. "Ne… if you want, I could help you with tennis…" Ryoma said, the ball bouncing back into his hand.
"Really?" Sakuno's face lit up.
"We're one team now… so you need to get better…" He bounced the ball again. "There's still a few things wrong with your form."
"Arigato, Ryoma-kun!" Her eyes positively sparkled. He said few things, not everything. "Then I'll see you tomorrow!"
"Ryoma…" his father said when he climbed back into the car. "I don't know what you said, but you've made her really happy."
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"7 seconds… The longest time Tezuka has ever looked at a girl…"
"Are you serious?" Kikumaru stared. "Did you plan this all out? The rain, the clothing, the hairstyle change too?"
"No… I only discussed the hairstyle change with Reina-san… The rest were coincidental factors…" He noted some more data into Tezuka's notebook.
"But Chiharu looked awfully cute… I'm not surprised…" Kikumaru got up. "I'm going to take a picture, hee hee!" He entered the kitchen, flour crunching under his shoes. The sweet, nectar-y aroma of blueberry pies was in the air. He located her, dressed in an apron and chopping up the vegetables. "Say cheese, Oshiro-chan!"
Chiharu turned from the tomato she was slicing up and smiled broadly. Kikumaru, she found, was growing on her.
Click. "Mou… it's all blurry…" Kikumaru said as he looked at the tiny image on the back of the camera.
"You have to change the setting, Eiji…" Fuji explained patiently.
"Fuji's camera is too clunky and complicated." Kikumaru complained. "But Oshiro-chan! I just noticed! You have dimples!" When the girl was smiling, really smiling, two little subtle dents appeared in her cheeks. The kind that made you want to poke your finger into.
Fuji chuckled. "You should smile like that more often. I'm sure he'd like it."
"Who?" she asked, pretending not to know, but the color of her cheeks betrayed her thoughts.
Yumiko smiled. "I trust Inui's experiment was a success then?"
"Nee-san? You were behind it too?"
"It was a big success! Tezuka looked at her for seven straight seconds!"
Chiharu tried to ignore them, but her face was the same color as the tomato she was cutting up now.
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Izumi opened the door next to Yumiko's room, assuming that this was another bedroom. She felt almost like an intruder; sneaking around another's house without their permission. Not that they said that she couldn't explore… The room smelled faintly like ink and plastic. Her hand went for the light switch.
When the room was illuminated before her, all she could do was stare.
Photos. Hundreds and hundreds of photos were pinned up against the wall, creating a collage of color. Some were giant posters, some were small prints, but all were stunning, beautiful patterns of light and pigment. As she turned, Izumi had the impression that she'd stumbled upon an artist's gallery.
Some of the people she recognized. These were everyday photos. Kikumaru smiled up at her from a picture taken of him sitting on a mountain rock; Tezuka was looking at something in the distance, looking as stoic as ever; Momoshiro and Kaidoh grabbing at each others' shirt scruffs—she smiled at that one, and hundreds more.
The posters attracted her more. They were exquisite, artistic. They captured pure, untamed emotion. They were all portraits. Models posed, smiled, cried… They lighting was perfect, and she suspected that even after taking the picture, more hours were put onto polishing it on the computer. Her favorite was one of a girl kneeling on the floor, her hands pressed up against a mirror. The whole picture was in black and white, except for a drop of blood that appeared to be coming from the girl's lips in the reflection and the rose petals scattered at the girl's knees.
"Izumi-san?"
She whirled around, her hair swirling around her.
Click.
Fuji suddenly stood frozen, bringing the camera down slowly and staring at the little image on the back, transfixed. Kikumaru peeked over his shoulder. "Whoa…"
"I'm sorry…" Izumi said. "I shouldn't be here… right…? …" Her voice trailed off as Kikumaru and Fuji both looked at her intently. "What's going on…?" 'The picture…?'
"I think I've found her…" Fuji said, the smile coming back.
"Who?"
"My next model…"
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"That's stunning…" Yumiko said when Fuji showed her the picture.
"No, the other pictures in the room are stunning…" Izumi said. She turned to Fuji "You took all of those?"
"Yes, thank you… It's a hobby of mine…"
Yumiko smiled at Izumi. "I've been wanting to work on a face like yours. You have a very traditional beauty about your face, you know?" She laughed. "A pity I never got to work on Tezuka's regal features…"
"He wouldn't let the camera near him, much less the makeup brush…" Kikumaru commented cheerfully.
Fuji had to admit that the picture was amazing. He'd never really appreciated Izumi's eyes before. Chiharu had remarkable eyes… golden amber, and Akane's blue-green eyes were also breathtaking… it just wasn't a feature he'd ever noticed about Izumi. Her eyes… dark, mysterious, yet vulnerable at the same time. Already he was picturing all different ways to light them, to tie down the raw emotion within into a single image. "So… will you do it?"
She should've said no. She should've refused his chivalry in the car earlier. She shouldn't even have gotten in the car. The minute she saw him in the car, she should've turned away and left. He was too kind, even if this kindness was directed towards everyone, she couldn't feel worthy enough to accept it. "Okay."
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"Really? Well, I must congratulate you then, Chiharu." Akane's voice came from within the phone. "You've been given 7 seconds of Tezuka's undivided attention."
Everyone else was in the room, setting the table or doing something else. Fuji and Kikumaru were showing Yumiko something on the camera. Chiharu was glad that the sound coming from Fuji's home phone was small, so nobody could hear what Akane was saying. "Yes… but…"
"Tezuka never looks at a girl for that long, unless he's standing opposite to her across a tennis court. You should feel flattered. Are you still not satisfied?"
She lowered her voice so no one in the room would hear. "He still calls me Oshiro…"
"Fuji, I need to borrow your phone." Tezuka said. Fuji tossed him a portable one. He held it up to his ear and frowned, unable to hear a dial tone. Testing it, he pressed the speaker button.
Akane's voice could not be more clearly heard in the room than if she was standing on the table and announcing the next few words: "I'm telling you Chiharu, if you want Tezuka to call you by your first name, you have to insist on it—"
Chiharu slammed the phone back into the cradle, a hand over her mouth. The look in her amber eyes was pure horror. Tezuka, it appeared, had picked up an extension.
And pressed speaker.
Everyone was looking at her. More importantly, he was looking at her. By now, she should have at least twenty seconds of his undivided attention. She didn't want it. Not like this. Time seemed to freeze still, as all she could do was gape at him and have him look back. She begged for the earth to just open up and swallow her whole. She begged the sky to fall down and smash her into pieces. Nothing happened.
Tezuka took a few steps closer to her. "I'm sorry…" he said quietly. "But I find calling someone by their first name too personal…"
"But…" Her voice was small. She was still conscious of everyone's gaze on her. "You call Akane by her first name…"
He didn't have an answer for that.
She stepped back, realizing, nodding, her eyes filling with tears. Tears of embarrassment, of shame, and of rejection.
His expression was still unreadable.
'Lightning, please just split me apart.'
Lightning did strike then, and thunder boomed, shaking the house. She would've smiled at how dramatic the situation seemed if it didn't hurt so much. Suddenly, the lights went out.
The room was suddenly filled with voices.
"Oh great, now we can't see a thing."
"Do you think the whole district is out, or just us?"
"I can't see the neighbor's house. They must have lost power too."
"Tezuka…" Fuji said from beside him, a calm voice amidst the chaos. His tone was somewhat more accusing, however. "Why can't you just call her Chiharu?"
He didn't reply.
"It's not as if she asked to call you by your first name…"
Chiharu cried out as thunder roared again. Without light and sight to distract her synesthesic condition, all the sounds were splattering, untethered, unchained, across her eyes in a medley of different colors. The loud ones were red. Too many voices, mixed with the red bolts of thunder that ripped through her vision. It was too much; it frightened her. Her hands were over her ears. She tried to move, but only succeeded in tripping over a chair and stumbling. Blindly, she tried to get away from the noise.
"We need to take care of her…" Inui said, being one of the only people that understood the torture that she might be going through. However, at that moment, Kikumaru snatched his glasses, and Inui was launched into a blind chase, adding to the chaos.
Using the light from his camera, Fuji located Chiharu and gently took her arm. "It'll be okay…"
She was still whimpering, her eyes tightly shut.
"Fuji…" Tezuka pulled Chiharu from Fuji's grasp. "I'll take care of her…"
He nodded, opening a door that led to a guest bedroom. "It'll be quieter in there…" The smile reappeared. "Just don't do anything…"
The warning tone reappeared as well. "Fuji…"
The tensai's smile just grew as he shut the door firmly behind them.
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The only reason she didn't feel the awkwardness of the situation was because she was drowning in her fear. Chiharu was still shivering, but she seemed to have calmed down a bit. She only cried out when she heard thunder. With her eyes closed that tightly, she couldn't see the flashes of lightning, and hence she had no warning when the thunder was going to hit.
Tezuka, on the other hand, was completely at loss of how to comfort her. They were both sitting on the edge of the one bed in the room. A flash of lightning told him that her eyes were still shut. Kimura's words to him wormed their way into his brain. "Take care of Chiharu-senpai for me…" and he had replied "Hai." "You can open your eyes now…"
"I'm scared…" she said. Covering her ears with her hands did little to smother the sound.
"Why?"
"Because…" She winced as thunder clashed again. "Because if the room's dark, then lightning seems brighter… and the storm is so near that thunder and lightning are almost occurring at the same time…"
Lightning flashed again, bringing the boom of thunder with it. In the flash, Tezuka saw her expression. She looked like she was in pain. Somehow, he felt a compelling urge to put his arm around her and fought it off.
"I'm scared... if I open my eyes and see the flashes of lightning along with the red of thunder… I'm afraid that I'll fail to distinguish my synesthesic colors from reality…"
His gaze did not change. "Surely you've been through thunderstorms before…"
"Yes, and this is how I've gotten through it every time…"
Fear. Tezuka knew that she would be able to distinguish what was real and what was synesthesia; she had been playing tennis with her eyes wide open while still using her abilities… it was just fear that was preventing her from trying. "You have to overcome this… Oshiro, can open your eyes?"
She shook her head wildly.
He took her hands away from her ears. Her eyes stayed shut. "It'll be okay, just look at me…"
She cried out again as thunder shook the house, trying to pull her hands out of his grip and over her ears. He held on tight, refusing to let go.
"Just look at me…" he repeated.
She shook her head.
"Chiharu, look at me…"
Suddenly, her eyes opened.
He'd said her name.
She waited, not taking her eyes off of where she assumed he was. They both sat there, waiting for the next boom of thunder. As the silence grew longer, she held onto his hands, and him onto hers. Her grip became tighter as the suspense grew.
Then it came, the brilliant violet flash of lightning. Chiharu glimpsed his face, his expression again unreadable, but his eyes were different. He looked more… caring, gentle… She'd begun to learn how to read his face. Then the thunder boomed and her vision was ripped, shredded, she couldn't help but flinch… but she kept her eyes open. She realized that she saw the colors in layers, just like how she normally saw things. Almost like layers of oil and water… if she concentrated on one, the other became blurred… it was okay. Her grip on his hands weakened.
"It's okay…" she murmured, more to herself.
He nodded once, but it was enough to reassure her.
The lights flickered back on.
She dropped his hands, suddenly conscious of how tightly she'd been holding on to him. Now that the fear had been eradicated, she was free to embrace the awkward feeling. "Umm… thank you…"
Again, he nodded, getting up. He frowned slightly at the open door for a moment, then left the room, leaving Chiharu alone with her thoughts. He'd said her name. He'd said her name. She replayed the way her name sounded on his lips again and again in her head. 'Chiharu. Chiharu. Chiharu.' He hadn't tried to comfort her. Instead, he'd forced her to confront her fear. And he's sat by her and helped her while she overcame it. He'd held her hand too, 'Both of them!' Thunder roared again and she flinched, willing herself to conjure an image of him up in her mind. "It'll be okay…" she said again.
"It'll be okay…" and it was.
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After everyone had calmed down, they finally, finally sat down to dinner. Kikumaru had a few extra bandages on his forehead, and Inui's cheek had swelled a little, but besides that there were minimal injuries.
"Did you have a good time, Tezuka?" Fuji asked, the smile seeming so very irritating to him right now.
He chose to ignore the bait.
When they were feasting on blueberry pie (Yuuta was especially pleased by this), he realized something. The door was open. "Fuji… if you don't hand over the pictures you've taken, you'll be running 10 laps tomorrow."
Kikumaru smacked his forehead, wincing, for he forgot that he had injured the part earlier. Fuji just continued smiling. "I can never keep anything from Tezuka…" he said, pulling the camera out. "But I'm curious. You said 'hand over' instead of 'delete'. Don't tell me, you want to keep the pictures for yourself?"
Pause.
"20 laps, Fuji."
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End Chapter Nine
A/N: This chapter was written fairly quickly. Why? Because I started this chapter on a rainy day, and there was a rainy day today so I felt the need to finish it. Originally I planned this for RyoSaku, but it evolved into more FujiIzumi and TezukaChiharu.
Not enough RyoSaku for you? Be sure to read the next chapter!
Mini-summary: Ryoma's sick, and who better to bring him his homework than Sakuno? Especially since she feels guilty because she assumes that it was her who made him sick. (The umbrella, the jersey, etc)
I'm still not satisfied with the amount of reviews xDDD. Hint, hint.
I believe I will not START writing the next chapter until I reach 200+ reviews. That's only 7 more. So… sneaky people who have me on story alert but have never reviewed, this is your chance!
