Disclaimer: Don't own.
Sorry for that HUGE hiatus! This is a HUGE chapter to make up for it. My longest chapter yet.
Thanks to all my reviewers! When I got more reviews yelling at me to hurry up and update, they became my motivation.
To RECAP: The last chapter was filled with hot spring goodness and we met Mizuki and his evil… female counterpart.
To Catch A Falling Star—Chapter Eighteen: All I Want For Christmas
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"Jingle bells, jingle bells…"
The happy holiday tune was coming out of many speakers, all positioned on the street. The street itself was decorated handsomely in green and red, with little lights twinkling merrily and ribbons hanging off the streetlights. Several girls walked down the road, their arms laden with shopping bags. The one in short pink hair was skipping, humming along with the tune.
"I don't get how the boys do it; we've been down here every day for shopping, and I haven't seen them down here once…" a tall, black-haired girl said. "Maybe they didn't get us anything."
"I'm sure they did," the ginger haired one said. "They can be tactless, as all boys can—" All of them nodded vigorously. "—but they aren't mean…"
"Hey, we better catch that bus if we want to be home in time for dinner," one of them said. "The next one isn't for four hours."
They quickened their pace towards the bus stop, each smiling with the knowledge that Christmas was in a few days.
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"Eiji-senpai, that smells amazing!" Sayaka said as she strolled into the kitchen where a delicious chocolate-y aroma drifted up to welcome her.
"Hee hee, I baked a cake for dinner!" He jumped up and down and waved his oven mitts at her, looking—unsurprisingly—like a cat. Christmas spirit was in the air. The chefs in the kitchen were already making Christmas dinner, and the maids had decorated the entire mansion with ornaments of red and gold and strings of fairy lights. Kikumaru frowned. "But I still need to finish up the frosting… Want to help?"
"Um… sure," she replied, tilting her head curiously. She prodded the spongy layers with a spoon. "So what do I do?"
He taught her to lift up the spongy layer with a spatula and spread the buttercream neatly in between. While she was working on the second layer, he made sugar spun roses that he used to garnish the cake with. Powdered sugar was scattered across the top and the sides were iced with white drops. It looked like a picture from a magazine.
"Hahaha! Sayaka-chan, you have a smudge of chocolate right here!" Kikumaru pointed his finger at her cheek.
She studied her reflection in the back of a tin bowl. "Oh yeah?" Grabbing the spatula from the bowl of icing, she swiped it across his cheek, giving him a smudge like hers. "Join the club."
"Hey!" A small food fight followed, involving powdered sugar in their hair and cherries jubilee sticking to their fingers. "Eiji-senpai, you look like an old man!" Sayaka said, pointing to the whipped cream on his chin. She laughed as he threatened to throw the cake at her.
"Oh my god..." Momoshiro said as he walked in. "Sayaka's… cooking? Eiji-senpai, did you call 911 yet?" He glanced at his twin in the apron again. "Or a bomb squad?"
"What are you talking about?" She put her hands on her hips defensively. "I can so cook!"
"No you can't," Momoshiro retorted. "Remember the Pie Incident?"
"Oh. Yeah…"
"Or the Spaghetti Incident?"
"Hey! That was completely different!"
"How so?"
"Nothing blew up that time!"
"My, my, it seems active in here…" A certain smiling tensai entered the room, followed by a scowling freshman. The scowl disappeared for a moment when the aroma reached his nose and his eyes lost their focus. "Whoa…"
"Good, right?" Sayaka demanded with a glance at her brother. "I contributed!"
Eiji scratched his chin thoughtfully, momentarily forgetting that he had some icing there. He licked the icing off his fingers. "I was going to bake a cake for my Secret Santa actually, but I found something even better!"
"Oh yeah, Secret Santa…" Sayaka said. "Dude, I got the hardest person ever… I'm not even sure that they'll like my gift at all…" She punched her brother on the shoulder. "Why couldn't it have been you? Get you a few hamburger coupons and you'll be as happy as a nut."
"Well my person wasn't easy either!" Momoshiro complained.
"You got me a gift, right?" Sayaka asked him, somewhat forcefully.
"Yeah, of course."
"I got Sayaka-chan a gift too!" Kikumaru said happily.
"I don't think anyone only got a gift for their Secret Santa…" Fuji suggested. "I know Ryuzaki-chan bought gifts for everyone because she asked me to help her carry them." He picked up a ball from his pocket. "Eiji, want to play a little before dinner?"
"Yay!"
"I'll watch! I need to learn from Kikumaru-senpai anyways," Sayaka followed them out.
As the door closed, Ryoma turned to Momoshiro and uttered two words.
"Oh… shit."
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"So did you find a good present for your Secret Santa, Eiji?" Fuji asked as they rallied a ball in between them casually. He aimed to the right of Kikumaru, forcing him to run a little to keep up.
Kikumaru swung his racket before replying. "I don't know! I got someone really really really hard, so I have no idea! What if they don't like it! What if they…!" He flailed around for a bit, but being Kikumaru, was still able to return the ball.
Fuji seemed amused that his friend was capable of playing tennis while having a panic attack. "Why? I'm sure they'll like it anyways. Besides, it's the thought that counts."
"But what if they think it's stupid? Or what if I didn't spend enough money on it or something?" Kikumaru said, nearly missing the ball. "What if she thinks I'm cheap?"
Fuji's smile widened. "So you got a girl…"
His ears went slightly pink. "Well, it'd be easier if I got a guy, because we know each other better, right? Gah!" He dove and missed the ball completely. Brushing his knees off, he got up and observed his friend, complaining, "Mou… Fuji isn't worried at all. Fuji probably got someone easy…" Though he doubted his friend would freak out over anything.
Meanwhile, in the courts next to them, Reina and Akane were rallying a ball back and forth, although neither of them seemed to be trying.
"So the two that still remain a mystery to us…" Inui was saying as he wrote in his notebook. "Akane-san and Reina-san."
"How is that true?" Kawamura asked. "We've seen them play before, and we're watching them right now."
Inui glanced at Kawamura. "Taka-san, can you tell me their styles then?"
Kawamura thought for a minute. "Well, Ito-san… she…" His head jerked slightly in surprise. "No, I can't."
"Exactly." Inui proclaimed with a satisfied air. "They haven't been matched against strong opponents yet. They haven't had to show us their own tennis. That's what makes them useful… and dangerous."
Momoshiro was listening, watching the two girls play. "Hey, if you ask me, I think Kimura is still the most dangerous out of us all," he said unexpectedly, turning around. "There's still more to her style than we know."
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Chiharu carried her present to the living room and slid it under the tree, smiling as she did so. The presents under the tree were growing; a pile of gold ribbons and festive wrapping paper. Her excitement was also growing. She was sure that tonight was going to be very memorable. The tree itself was decorated beautifully, with sparkling ornaments and cranberries adorning its splendor.
"Chiharu-senpai!" Sayaka entered the room, holding a gift in her arms as well. She grinned at her senpai as she too, put the present under the tree. "For your Secret Santa?"
"Ah… yes."
"Same," She made a face. "Except I got someone I don't know very well. I don't know if they'll like what I got them."
"I'm sure they will, no matter what," she reassured her. "And it helps us get to know one another better, right?"
"Really?" Sayaka asked.
"Well, you had to do a bit of research to find out what your "gift-ee" liked or wanted, right?"
"Yeah… I guess so…"
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Reina hated drawing.
No, that was a lie. She loved drawing. She loved making copies of what she saw with her own eyes. She enjoyed it. It was just… She hated drawing stuff that wouldn't stay still.
For example, Kikumaru.
She and Akane had finished their practice game, (with Akane winning), and now she had settled on the bench beside the courts with her sketchpad open. Her pencil was darting back and forth across the page as she tried with all her might to catch some part of Kikumaru's acrobatics onto paper. She had to watch him perform a single movement over and over, so many times that she felt like she could go up there and do it herself, before she sketch out a vague impression of it. And that was only a rough outline. From there on was where her data came into play.
Using her data, she had to guess how he performed the movement, how he managed to twist his body in such ways that it seemed gravity defying. She used her knowledge of his stamina, of his muscle structure, of basic physics, aerodynamic formulae and biology in order to literally "fill in the blanks" and sketch a more solid drawing. She used Newton's laws in order to predict the way the ball would move. It wasn't just drawing. It was cold, hard calculations.
Most people thought that her data was accurate. This was a severe yet common misconception. Her data needed constant updating. Every time she saw the movement being performed again, she was mentally making changes to her drawings and data that she would fill in later. Maybe Inui's data was 99 percent accurate when put into action, but hers was not. Her logical mind told her that her data was around 60 percent accurate.
She tested out her theories and her data through trial and error. Yet now she was beginning to wonder, what if her opponent was so strong that trial and error would mean losing the match? What if it cost them a place in the tournament? She vowed to work harder on her data collection.
But right now, she needed a break. She only had a few pages left in her sketchbook anyways, and she didn't want to waste them making imprecise drawings. Packing up her racket, she swung the bag over her shoulder and walked back inside the hotel, where the warmth of electrical heaters greeted her.
The hotel interior was a spectacular sight. Fairy lights glistened from every corner, and golden globes hung from the ceiling. Springs of fir decorated the corners, giving of a refreshing scent. Velvet ribbons were tied to the handles of all the doorways and wreaths hung on the doors. She walked past all of this and headed towards the lounge.
"Tezuka-buchou?" He was sitting on one of the sofas. A glance at the towel around his neck told her that he just finished working out. He greeted her with a nod.
It looked like he didn't have anything to do either… so why not? "Tezuka-buchou…" Reina asked hesitantly, "Do you play chess?"
His eyebrows raised in surprise at her question. "I'm… passable," he replied.
Reina's lips curved up into a smile in anticipation of a challenge. If Tezuka said he was passable, it most certainly meant that he was nearly a master.
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Ryoma pulled his cap down and glanced left and right before entering the store. He would not let him self be caught going into one of these stores. He would not. The store was filled with cutesy girly items such as bracelets, earrings, hair ornaments and stuffed animals. If his seniors found out that he was in such a store, they would tease him to no end.
"Hello there, may I help you?" The store clerk asked, cheerfully greeting him.
He pulled the cap even lower. "I'm just… having a look around."
"Is there anything you have in mind?"
"No." He edged away from the store clerk, but she followed him persistently.
"All of these are bargain price," She gestured towards the back. "Are you buying something for your girlfriend, then?"
"NO." His voice came out more forcefully then he meant it to be, and it surprised him. Well, it did stop the annoying store clerk from pestering him.
"Um… okay… well I'll just be at the counter if you need me." She quickly scurried back to her counter, unnerved by the irritable midget.
After browsing around for a while and getting frustrated at finding nothing, he called out, "Hey. Do you have anything tennis related?"
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"See, you have to flex your arm first, instead of later when you actually hit the ball. This helps build up power." Kawamura was explaining patiently.
Aiko nodded and tried again, hitting the ball against the wall.
"You're still flexing late. All the power goes on your backswing and not onto the ball itself, you see?" He guided her arm again. "Watch me."
He picked up his racket, and suddenly a fire blazed into his eyes. "Ora ora, I'm going to teach you the Hadokyuu even if I have to stay up ALL NIGHT!" He tossed up a ball and swung with all his might. "DORYAAAAAAA!"
The ball hit the wall with a tremendous force. When it fell from the cement, she saw that a clear mark had been made. Next to her pitiful attempts, it was like a crater being compared with a rabbit hole.
She clenched the ball and prepared to try again. 'I'm not giving up. It's the only way I can help Kimiko win, to help our doubles. I need to have an ace up my sleeve.'
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"Checkmate."
Tezuka was in a slight shock.
No one, no one had beaten him in chess before.
Other than his grandfather, but he didn't count because he was the one that taught him the game, right?
Reina lifted her finger to push her glasses up her nose, the lenses flashing. "My game, Tezuka-buchou."
She wasn't smiling, but she seemed genuinely happy. It was different from when she was drawing or when she was singing. Those were things that she was good at. This was something that she truly enjoyed. Tezuka didn't recall seeing her this happy.
Besides, of course, on the court.
She would be formidable on the courts as well, he decided. With that kind of logical mind, she would be a brilliant strategist. The courts and the chessboard—those were part of Reina's territory.
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"Akane-san!" Fuji entered the giant living room, walking towards her. "I wanted to ask about—" He suddenly stopped when she began making shushing movements at him, indicating the sleeping Izumi next to her.
"She's sleeping?" He said in a lowered voice. It was early afternoon. Izumi was curled up onto the sofa, her head resting against Akane's leg.
Akane smiled and replied quietly. "She's tired. She says she never gets a good night's sleep at hospitals. I guess now she's making up for it. Don't worry, I'll wake her up before dinner."
Fuji thought back to what she said before… " 'I don't like hospitals…'" She'd been released quite a while ago. Maybe she had to go back recently?
Akane laughed softly. "I told her it must be hard to go to sleep when your room is next to a bishonen's!"
A knot inside him tightened, but he kept his smiling composure. "Ah… you're referring to Rikkaidai's captain, right?"
She nodded. "Yup. Seems like they've become a bit close. He gave her that rose, you know?"
"I know."
She observed him for a moment. "Fuji…" But she decided not to voice her question.
He heard it, though. The question she meant to ask but didn't pass her lips. And he wished it was as simple as that yes or no question. But it didn't describe how he actually felt. He was confused; she opened up to specific others but kept him at bay. And yet, the more mystifying she remained, the more he was fascinated by her. Jealous? Maybe, but not in the sense that others assumed it was in. It was more that he was envious of the people who got to see beneath her veil of mystery.
Did he? Perhaps he did. It wasn't that simple.
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White flakes were falling down from outside, brushing against the window.
"Hey, it's snowing, it's snowing!" Kikumaru began dancing around. He grabbed the nearest person to him—Momoshiro—and started to pull him outside onto the lawn. "C'mon, let's go play in the snow!" The door opened and a rush of cold air came in.
"COLD COLD COLD!" Momoshiro cried, leaping back. "It's too cold now, Eiji-senpai!"
Kikumaru ran out without him. A second later he threw a snowball at him, hitting him on the nose. The cold weather was forgotten immediately. "You'll pay for that, Eiji-senpai!" Momoshiro yelled, dashing after him. He packed snow together with his hands and tossed it over, only to get hit in the back with another snowball. He yelped and turned around.
"Watch your back, bro." Sayaka grinned.
"You two are ganging up on me!" Momoshiro whined as Sayaka and Kikumaru exchanged a hi-five.
A silent shadow sneaked up behind them. "You look like you need some help, Momoshiro-san." Reina lifted her head, glasses flashing.
"Whaaa?" Momoshiro gave her a strange look. " 'Call me 'Momo'! And Reina-senpai in a snowball fight…? Isn't that a little out of your element?"
Reina calmly moved towards Kikumaru and reached above him, tugging at a tree branch. A pile of snow was promptly deposited on his head. "AAAAAH!"
Momoshiro collapsed in a fit of laughter.
"Oiiiiii-shiiii!" Kikumaru exploded out of the snow that covered him and packed another few snowballs, which he threw at his doubles partner. Poor Oishi could only shield his head as a flurry came down onto him. After escaping the blizzard, he managed to land a few on Kikumaru himself.
At this point, Momoshiro had somehow provoked Kaidoh enough that the two were engaged in a snowball fight to the death. Out of the blue, something hopped onto Momoshiro's back, almost causing him to fall forward.
"Hee hee, Kimi-chan sneak attack!" She shoved a wad of snow down his shirt.
"COLD!" Momoshiro yelped again and tossed her off his back. She giggled, waving her arms and legs about. "Hey look, I'm making snow angel—" She didn't get to finish before a snowball hit her in the mouth, effectively shushing her.
"If I walk out here right now…" Inui was saying as he walked towards the crowd. "There will be a 90 percent chance that I'll get hit by a snowball right about…"
BAM.
"…now."
"Hey." Sayaka said, handing Sakuno a snowball. "Throw this at him." She indicated the freshman that was standing at the edge.
"EHHH?" she said. "I can't do that!"
"Why?" Sayaka laughed. "It's only a snowball fight! It's fun!"
"Huh… but Ryoma-kun doesn't seem to like these games…" Sakuno said doubtfully.
"He's a kid. He'll like them no matter what."
Sakuno was still doubtful, but since Sayaka sounded so sure she decided to try and threw the snowball at him with all her might. To be nice, she called out, "Look out, Ryoma-kun!" Her aim must've improved because it hit him right in the face. He fell over backwards.
"Ite…" Ryoma rubbed his cheek.
"Oh no! Ryoma-kun, are you okay?" She ran towards him. "Daijoubu?"
"…that hurt…"
"Gomenasai! I didn't mean..."
Suddenly he smirked and shoved a fistful of snow into her face. It was unpacked, so it didn't hurt, but it surprised her.
"Eep!"
"Mada Mada Dane, Ryuzaki…"
He turned around to see two of his senpais glaring at him.
"You don't pick on girls like that, Echizen…" Momoshiro said.
"That's right, Ochibi is being mean…" Kikumaru added. "Get him, Momo!"
And a pile of snowballs found their mark. It didn't take long to bury someone that was only 151 cm.
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As the skies grew darker, the temperature dropped and all of them headed inside for hot chocolate. They sipped at their drinks, casual chatter drifting between them, before heading off to their individual activities once more.
Inui was wandering around the halls, muttering to himself. Momoshiro watched him walk back and forth for a while. "Oi, Inui-senpai, what's wrong?"
"Nothing! Nothing." He fidgeted for a while, clearly uncomfortable before muttering some more. "I seem to have misplaced my data book. This is horrible."
"That is horrible!" Momoshiro exclaimed. He knew exactly how long Inui had been recording that data. Furthermore, he knew that all his weaknesses were recorded in that little green book. "Inui-senpai, you have to find it somehow!"
"You don't think I know that?" Inui muttered some more. "It has to be somewhere. I set it down when we were in the snowball fight and then…"
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Christmas dinner was more like a banquet feast then a dinner. They dined on salad tossed in raspberry vinaigrette, followed by an enormous roast chicken stuffed with potatoes and broccoli. The skin was golden and speckled with pepper that had been ground in. The smell was enough to make their mouths water. There was also a huge selection of food including roast beef, steak and kidney pie, bouillabaisse, and sautéed greens, to name a few. Their plates were then whisked away and they feasted on chocolate gateau, ice cream sundaes, cranberry gelatin, and many other desserts.
"Man, I'm probably going to gain 20 pounds from this dinner…" Sayaka said. "But whatever. Pass the rice pudding, please."
"It's all very delicious…" Akane said. "It's hard to choose what to eat… You kind of have to choose all of them…"
Momoshiro leaned back and let out a burp. " 'Scuse me…" he said while the rest of them giggled. "I'm so full…"
"Wait, save your stomachs!" Kikumaru said out of the blue, waving his arms about.
"Er… a little late for that, Eiji…" Oishi told him, rubbing his own, which actually felt rounder.
Suddenly the lights were shut off, and a dull glow entered the room, coming from the candles of a cake. "Happy Birthday to you…" Seventeen expectant faces turned towards Ryoma.
"What? Did you think we'd forgotten?" Kikumaru grinned. "I baked the cake for you. Happy Birthday, Ochibi."
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Ryoma blew out the candles, feeling oddly touched. Normally, he celebrated his birthday with his parents. He wasn't a big fan of parties or anything. But the cake was very nice of them. He honestly thought they'd forgotten.
Everyone applauded as the candles went out. All of them offered their congratulations as they divided up the cake. As Ryoma took a bite, he had to compliment Kikumaru on the cake. It was truly delicious. The 3rd year beamed with pride.
"Thank you, everyone…" Ryoma said, smiling as he glanced around.
Inui suddenly disrupted the atmosphere by yelling out loudly and pointing a quivering finger at his laptop screen.
"What the… Inui…"
He didn't speak and just stared in shock as his screen.
"What does the screen say? Read it aloud!"
Chubbly_bubbly007: Don't bother looking for your notebook. I have it.
Kawamura leaned over. " 'Don't bother looking for your notebook. I have it.'" He glanced at Inui. "Who on earth are you talking to?"
Chubbly_bubbly007: Rather naïve of you to leave it unattended, don't you think?
"Chubbly_bubbly007," he replied. "I have no idea. But she has my data book!" His hands were in his hair. "I can't do anything without it! I can't make Inui Juice recipes, I can't collect data… and…" Lightning seemed to flash through the room. "The data booklet has all your weakness written down!"
"That bastard stole it then?"
"That's horrible!"
"Who… are… you…" Akane enunciated as she typed the words into the computer. A moment later the computer pinged and she looked up.
Chubbly_bubbly007: Hina.
"Do we know someone named… Hina?"
A second later all of them realized and leapt up. "AH! MIZUKI'S FEMALE COUNTERPART!"
Chubbly_bubbly007: Shouldn't you have guessed? Who else could've achieved the feat of stealing Inui's notebook?
"That is dirty…" Kikumaru complained. "Stealing Inui's notebook to get our weaknesses."
"It proves how weak they are…" Izumi said quietly. "They have to resort to these kinds of methods in order to gain an advantage…"
"Morioka's right," Tezuka said. "The only thing we can do is prove Inui's data wrong by increasing our training amount and overcoming our weaknesses."
"Tell her to give him his notebook back or she's dead." Suzume said, cracking her knuckles. "I haven't gone to the dojo in a while. I could use the extra practice."
"Give… back… the… notebook…" Akane typed into the computer. A second later it pinged with news of a new reply. Akane stared at the screen. "She says she already sent it back with a maid…"
"LIES!" Inui cried, still in distress.
"But not after she uploaded the data onto her computer. Oh wow. That b*tch."
"Akane-san!" Oishi reprimanded. "Languange!"
Kikumaru laughed. "I dare you to type that to her, Akane-chan!"
"Kikumaru." Tezuka said sharply.
He giggled nervously. "It was a joke, Tezuka."
"Is there a person named Inui-san…?" A maid asked timidly. "I have a package for him."
Inui tore the paper off the package to reveal the green notebook beneath. After confirming that it was, in fact, his notebook, he proceeded to kiss the cover vehemently, much to the amusement of the rest of the crowd.
"But she still has… our weaknesses all in front of her…" Aiko said slowly. "Right?
Chubbly_bubbly007: Seems like that girl Oshiro really has feelings for Tezuka. I wonder what other schools would pay for this information…
"It's not just tennis data…" Inui said, horrified. "It's personal data… Everything about you guys… everything I observed… I wrote in the book…"
Akane glanced at the screen, and for the second time uttered the words. "That b*tch."
"What did she say?" Suzume asked, moving towards it. Akane minimized the screen before she could see. If she saw, there was no telling how far she would go to avenge Chiharu. On the other hand, now she was extremely curious as to what was written in Inui's notebook. Were theories and rumors also written in there? Were her feelings about Oishi written in there? He was right. That book was dangerous in the wrong hands.
Kimiko sat there thoughtfully, before walking over and taking the computer within her hands. She unwrapped a pink lollipop and shoved it in her mouth. Her eyes became focused in that instant. She took a deep breath and suddenly began typing furiously, like a squirrel on sugar high. All of the members watched her, stunned.
"What in the world are you saying to her…?"
"Huh?" Kimiko asked, not even looking up. "I'm not saying anything."
Several of them moved to peer over her shoulder. "Then what… are you doing…" There was a huge block of text on the computer.
"I'm writing a script for a computer worm."
"A computer what?"
She looked up, smiling cheerfully. "A worm! You know, a computer infection program?"
"You're writing a virus?"
"No! A worm!"
"What the hell's the difference?"
"Viruses need the person to actually open the program or infected file to work. She might suspect something if I write one of those. Worms travel on their own, do what they're programmed to do, and then disappear. They're so cool." Kimiko grinned.
"Wait, you can't infect her computer!" Oishi cried. "That'll be stooping to her level!"
"Do you think I would do a thing like that?" She made innocent puppy eyes at Oishi.
He sweatdropped. 'Well, I would've never thought that you were a hacker…' "Then what are you doing?"
She made a victory sign next to her face. "It's easy. I'm basically programming the worm to delete any files with containing the words Inui Sadaharu, Tezuka Kunimitsu, etc on them. All I need to do is fix the mutations strings." She typed another paragraph of script in a flash. "That way, everything from Inui's notebook will be deleted, right? She probably typed it up onto a single word document file anyways. And if deletes some of the data she actually collected herself… well, don't you guys think she deserves it?"
Most of them murmured in agreement.
"How are you going to put the worm into action though?" Momoshiro asked.
"Oh, that's easy. She chatted with Inui, right? I'll use her chat account info to hack into her IP address and gain access to her computer. Then all I need to do is click go, and let the worm do its thing."
"Whoa…" All of them were dumbstruck.
"Wait," She frowned, pressing a few more keys. "She has a hidden IP. That's annoying."
"Well…" Oishi said, slightly relieved. "Maybe we should just stop trying to-"
Practically everyone else ignored him and crowded around Kimiko. "Does that mean you can't hack it?"
"I can't… but I know someone who can." Kimiko flipped out her cell phone with the seriousness of a secret agent. She dialed a number quickly and put it to her ear. "AHOY, Miyuki-senpai!" Her cutesy tone was once again a contrast to her serious attitude beforehand, and all of them sweatdropped once more. However, this time they tolerated her sudden change in attitude. Even Akane was able to resist the urge to roll her eyes. After all, she was helping them.
"Miyuki-senpai…?" Reina repeated quietly.
Kimiko continued talking animatedly into the receiver. "Yeah, if you could send a tracer to her account? Chubbly_bubbly007?" She paused for a second, then covered the mouthpiece and turned to the rest of them. "It'll come back with an IP address in about five minutes."
Reina hesitated. "Kimiko, when you said Miyuki-senpai…"
"Oh! She's the one that taught me this stuff! She used to live in the neighborhood!" She grinned. "She was a real techie."
Reina swallowed. "Yeah. I know. That's my sister you're talking to."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Your sister?"
Reina nodded silently.
"But I don't…" Kimiko broke off, eyes wide. "I don't understand how—"
"I don't want to talk about it," Reina stated simply.
"But maybe Miyuki-senpai…"
"Just execute the worm."
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"Well Echizen…" Oishi said as they were walking back to the living room. The data files had been deleted, and all of them were slightly tired from the excitement. "I'm really sorry that your mini birthday celebration had so much action in it…"
"It's nothing," Echizen said with an offhand shrug.
"R-ryoma-kun… Happy Birthday…" Sakuno said as she caught up with him. She wanted to say it to him personally.
"Sankyuu."
Suddenly they heard muffled laughter coming from behind them, followed by several catcalls.
Sakuno had no idea what was going on. She looked back at her friends and senpais. "What?" It's not as if she did anything to him. All she did was catch up to him, right?
They just kept laughing behind their hands.
Ryoma was slightly annoyed. He really didn't enjoy being the subject of laughter, especially when there was no reason apparent.
Fuji smiled and pointed above them. "Neh, you two know what has to happen under a sprig of mistletoe, right?"
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"As expected of Fuji-senpai!" Momoshiro said, cackling. "Nice one!"
"Well…" Sayaka said with a grin. "I guess you two gotta do what you gotta do…"
"Just kiss her!" Kimiko said, giggling. "You know you want to…"
Sakuno felt like a furnace had been lit under her skin. She didn't know a person could feel this mortified. There should be a law against blushing this much. Really, she could stop traffic now. "Eto…"
Ryoma, being Ryoma, kept his cool. "Yadda."
"Echizen, you're insulting Sakuno here…" Akane pointed out.
"You don't have to kiss her on the lips!" Kikumaru added. "Anywhere is fine! Just a quick peck!"
"Can you get a move on so we can go back and continue celebrating?" Suzume said. "Really. Be a man."
Ryoma stuck his nose in the air and ignored all of them. "Yadda. Yadda. Yadda."
"Echizen, stop being mean…" Momoshiro scolded.
"Yadda. Yadda. Yadda. Yadda. Yadd—" Suddenly he froze, words lost in his throat.
Sakuno had leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.
Everyone around them oohed and Kikumaru whistled. Momoshiro laughed. "I didn't think Ryuzaki would have more initiative than Echizen, but hey."
Sakuno retreated quickly, unable to look at anyone. She wanted to see his reaction, but she couldn't quite bring herself to lift her head. 'I shouldn't have done that!' Her mind was flooded with worries all of a sudden. 'What if things become awkward between us? Mou… now he knows how I feel…'
Ryoma lowered his cap to hide the spots of color that appeared on his cheeks. His senpais (mostly Kikumaru and Momoshiro) began teasing him immediately.
"Ah well, it's a start," Fuji said with a satisfied smile.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
For the next hour or so, all of them sat in the living room and sang Christmas carols. Reina seated herself at the piano, playing the tunes that the group was all too familiar with. At one point, Fuji secretly told everyone to stop singing so that they could all hear their captain sing. Tezuka had a very nice singing voice actually, although it sure didn't sound nice to Fuji when it was giving him 20 laps. All of them enjoyed themselves quite thoroughly.
However the thing that happened next was the highlight of the evening.
"Neh, Fuji-senpai, Tezuka-buchou…" Ryoma said with a smirk. "You two know what has to happen under a sprig of mistletoe, right?"
All of them looked upwards, and sure enough, there was a cluster of white berries dangling dangerously from a piece of tape on the ceiling. When Ryoma had set it up, none of them knew. Several of them snickered from behind their palms.
Fuji smiled and turned towards the captain. "Well then, Tezuka…"
He bristled evidently. "NO."
And all of them laughed.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Finally, it was time for secret Santas.
"Will you look at all those presents under the tree?" Akane said, pointing to the clutter of colorful boxes. "That's quite a haul."
"Let's get started! Let's get started!" Kimiko began bouncing up and down with excitement, as she usually did.
"Well then," Oishi proceeded to hand out all the gifts, noting the addressees. "On a count of three, everyone open their presents."
"One…"
"Two…"
"THREE!"
There was the tearing of wrapping paper, followed by shouts of, "Whoa!" "Cool!" "What the hell is this?"
Of course, some people had delayed reactions. For example Chiharu, who was a very dainty gift unwrapper. She peeled the wrapping paper off slowly in that irritating way that made you want to grab it from her and rip it off yourself. When she finally did, she stared at the DVD box set in her hands. Akane looked over her shoulder.
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Who gave you that?"
"Fuji-san did," She tilted her head, puzzled. It was a nice gift, as she never watched the series, but… 'He doesn't seem like a Buffy fan…'
He chuckled upon seeing her open his gift. "You should watch it in Japanese dub. The voice actor for Buffy is very good."
"Oh really?" Akane asked, taking the DVD set out of her hands and flipping it over. "Who is the voice actor?" She scanned the list of names and suddenly grinned. In that instant it all became clear.
Character Voice Actor
Buffy Tezuka Chiharu
"Kimiko…" Izumi said, holding up a CD. "This is…"
"Hmm? Oh! I mixed a CD for you!" She held up her hand in a victory sign. "It has all kinds of tempos on it—fast, slow, 3/4, 4/4, you name it. It should help you in tennis! That way you can trap some other unsuspecting victim into your rhythm… although it better not be me!"
"Oh… thank you… I don't know what to say…" She felt genuinely touched. 'And here I thought she still bore a grudge against me because of our match…'
Kimiko beamed.
Sakuno opened her present to find a set of pink wrist weights and ankle weights.
"Ryuzaki, what did you get?" Ryoma asked, looking over curiously.
She showed him the weights.
"Hmm…" He weighed them in his hand, smiling slightly. "It's a good present. Who gave them to you?"
"K-Kaidoh-senpai did…"
"Mamushi did?" Momoshiro said, joining them. "That's so like him."
"Ryoma-kun, what about you?" Sakuno asked.
He held out an envelope. Inside contained an all-you-can-eat sushi coupon and a voucher for a case of Ponta.
"Ah, from Kawamura-senpai?" Sakuno asked and he nodded.
Momoshiro showed them his present, which was a leather wallet from Akane.
"Well that's a practical gift," Sakuno said. "As expected from Akane-senpai."
"Hmm…" Ryoma said. "It better be filled with money to treat your kohai with."
"Oi! I'm not treating you!"
Aiko walked up to Momoshiro. "Arigato!" she said with a bow.
"Nice pronunciation, Aiko-senpai." Ryoma said in English. She had nailed that one word, it seemed. Her accent was now more of a lilt.
"It's because of this thing." Aiko said, holding up the translation device. She pressed a button and a tinny voice said, "Arigato!" She turned back to Momoshiro. "Really, thank you. It's a huge help."
He grinned. "No problem. It helps people like me too, who suck at English."
Meanwhile, other people were also enjoying their gifts.
Kikumaru and Kimiko were apparently in the middle of a war. Kikumaru was wielding a giant cat paw plushie (given to him by Izumi) and Kimiko was hitting him with an inflatable lollipop almost as tall as she was. (courtesy of Ryoma.)
Reina received a large, spiral bound sketchbook and two non-smudge erasers from Tezuka. She was admiring them. Tezuka, on the other hand, had begun reading the novel that Sayaka bought him.
Sayaka unwrapped a box to find a simple t-shirt inside. She laughed when she saw it.
I'm Namazu-chan.
And imma CRUSH you.
"Thanks, Kimura," she said. "I'll wear these in front of all our opponents."
"You better make sure you can live up to it first," Suzume taunted.
"What did you say?"
"Hey… it's Christmas Eve. Can't you two give it a rest?" Oishi said diplomatically.
"Suzume-chan!" Kikumaru bounded over, still holding the cat-paw.
"Senpai, who said you could call me Suzume-chan?"
"Kimura-chan!" he amended, missing her point. "Was my gift ok?" he asked anxiously.
Suzume pulled out the lighter from her pocket. There was a sparrow printed on the front. She pressed it so the flame appeared. "It's perfect, thanks."
He let out a breath. "Thank god…" Seeing his doubles partner, he bounded up to him. "Oishiii, what did you get? What did you get?"
"This…" He pulled out the picture frame that Chiharu had given him. Chiharu had already put in a picture of all of them together, taken after they'd won the district tournament.
"Whoa! We look so cool!" Kikumaru exclaimed. Then something else caught his eye. He fell back, pointing. "INUI! YOU GAVE TAKA-SAN A GALLON OF INUI JUICE?"
Sure enough, there was a barrel with Inui's name on it in front of Kawamura. His eyebrow twitched as he managed to say, "Thank you… Inui…" He opened the barrel to find out exactly which juice. 'Aozu? Akazu? Vegetable? Special Deluxe gold power remix?' Except when he opened the top of the barrel he found something else entirely. Stunned, he pulled out a set of new racket strings and grip tape.
"Wait, so what was the barrel for?"
Inui tapped his glasses. "It was… a joke."
There was a long pause.
Then several voices cried, "INUI MADE A JOKE?"
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"We should go to sleep soon. We still have Christmas Day tomorrow," Akane reminded them. She indicated the cluster still under the tree. "There's a lot of presents left to give, anyways."
"Tezuka, could you move a little?" Fuji said as he sat on the ground. Tezuka moved a little to the right to make room.
Fuji smiled, and Tezuka knew something was wrong. Instinctively, he looked upwards.
Akane hi-fived Fuji. "Good one, trapping those two."
Taking secret pictures of them, he could handle. Forcing them into the same room, he could handle. Tricking him into an appointment with her, he could handle. But this? Tezuka would not accept being trapped under the mistletoe with Chiharu.
Chiharu was blushing madly. Her heart was beating at an alarming rate; she could hear it in her ears. It felt like it was going to explode out of her chest. It was horribly embarrassing, and she hated Fuji and Akane for it. But a tiny tiny tiny part of her looked forward to it; a tiny tiny part of her was thankful. And that same tiny part was also hopeful, hopeful that maybe something good could happen.
"Now Tezuka…" Fuji said, mischievous smile in place. "You shouldn't have any protests about kissing Oshir—"
"I refuse."
His tone was so sharp that Fuji opened his eyes and Akane took an intake of breath. She turned to her friend and saw that Chiharu had gone pale, her eyes fixed on the floor.
"Maa… Tezuka…" Fuji tried again. "You shouldn't say tha—"
"I refuse."
Cold, clipped, perfectly Tezuka in every way… except it had never hurt this much before.
The captain got up and left the room, leaving a speechless silence in his wake. Chiharu bit her lip, eyes fixed on the very same spot. 'I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not cry.' It was really such a stupid thing to cry over, she told herself. He probably didn't want to embarrass himself or her. Tezuka was the type of person to refuse, besides, the tradition seemed too childish for him.
Yet somehow she found herself even more embarrassed than if he had honored the tradition. The whole world already knew how she felt about him. And now the whole world knew that he didn't feel the same way.
"Chiharu…" She felt Akane's concerned hands press against her shoulder.
"I'm fine…" she said, her voice cracking. "Really. It's… it's such a stupid thing…" She blinked her eyes furiously.
It had been stupid of her to hope. It really had been.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Tezuka…"
Tezuka turned around to see that the tensai had followed him into the kitchen. He set down the glass of water.
"Really, you didn't have to be so cruel back there…" Fuji said, smiling face ever present. "It wasn't that big of a deal, you know."
Tezuka remained silent.
"It's just a game. You sh—"
"No, Fuji," Tezuka said forcefully. "It is not a game."
For the second time his words left the tensai speechless, and he drew in a breath in a sudden realization.
"…You really do like her…"
Tezuka didn't reply.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
….
…
The Next Day
…..
….
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Kaidoh-kun!" Kimiko waved at the tall second year, beckoning him to come closer. It was still early in the morning, although she, Reina, Akane, Oishi and Momoshiro were all lounging around the living room. Kaidoh had clearly come in from his morning run.
Kimiko held out a box. "Merry Christmas!"
The box was the kind with a lid that just came off. Kaidoh sat down, setting the box in his lap. Slightly apprehensive, he lifted the lid. His eyes widened. Astonished, he lifted out the most adorable calico kitten, a ribbon tied around its neck.
"Mrow?"
"Awww…" resounded throughout the room.
The kitten began nuzzling Kaidoh's hand and occasionally lapping at it with its tiny pink tongue. "I… I… thank you…" was all he managed to say. His parents wouldn't mind if he showed up with a cat, would they? Worse come to worst, he'll hide it in his room. There was no way he was giving up this little bundle of fluff. The cat was purring under his hand, the cutest sound he'd ever heard.
"Where'd you get that, Marui?" Momoshiro asked.
"At the pet store in town! I couldn't resist!" Kimiko said. "Isn't she adorable?"
"She is pretty cute." Momoshiro agreed, leaning forward to pet the kitten.
"MEOW!" "ARG!" When he ducked back, there were three scratch marks on his left hand.
Kaidoh tickled the cat behind her ears. "I like this cat even more now…" As if reading his thoughts, the cat hissed at Momoshiro one more time and promptly began purring under Kaidoh's hand.
"Stupid cat…" Momoshiro muttered. "Suits Mamushi…"
Kaidoh lifted the cat so they were eye level. Now this was something he could play with all the time. He was always a bit jealous of Ryoma and his Himalayan cat. The kitten blinked her big black eyes at him. This was someone who he could tell all his worries too. He could already tell that they would become real soul mates—they both hated that Momoshiro-baka, didn't they? "Marui… really, thank you."
"Heh, what are you going to name her?" Akane asked.
Kaidoh thought for a minute before answering, "Miko."
Akane smiled and nodded, wondering if Kimiko realized that was half of her name.
Kaidoh felt like he received 10 Christmas's worth of gifts at once. He vowed to himself that from now on, he'd buy Marui a lollipop before every game.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Oishi-kun, here you go." Akane handed him a wrapped gift. It was small and flat. Oishi thanked her, staring at the gift with interest. He peeled off the wrapping paper to reveal a diary, with a leather cover and his name stamped in gold across the front. "Oh wow… thank you…"
"Because you have more worries than all of us," Akane explained. "You might need something to vent those worries into."
He laughed, blushing a little. "Yeah… I'll put this to good use…"
Akane fingered the pendant around her neck. Oishi, as it turned out, had been her Secret Santa. He'd given her a beautiful jade pendant that was supposedly a good luck charm. Myth had it that it prevented harm to the wearer. She liked the fact that he wanted her safe.
"You don't have to wear that if you don't like it…" Oishi said. He mistook her fiddling around with the pendant as distaste for it.
"What makes you think I don't like it?" She smiled again and he blushed.
Yes, she also liked making him blush. When he blushed, he was so cute...
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Ryuzaki."
"Eh?" Sakuno turned around to have a small package hit her on the forehead. She picked up the small box. "Wha-what is this?"
"Christmas," was all he said.
"Oh! Thank you!" She untied the ribbon and opened the box, gasping in delight. Inside was a small charm bracelet, with several charms attached already. There was a fuzzy tennis ball and a small racket, as well as a soda can. "It's so cute!" 'It's what we do together…' She quickly fastened it onto her wrist, listening to the charms tinkle together, lifting it into the light. "Ryoma-kun… I love it."
A small smile appeared on his face. "That's good."
Abruptly, she leapt up. "I have to give you your present too!" She ran to the tree to fetch it before rushing back. Her feet stumbled over each other, and before she knew it, she was falling forwards.
Before he knew it, he had extended out both arms, catching her.
She opened her eyes to find a pair of golden ones staring right into hers. 'Somehow we get into this situation a lot…'
Ryoma felt something tug at him from inside, but passed it off and set her down nonchalantly. "Your balance isn't good enough."
"H..hai…"
"Here!" She gave the box to him. Ryoma tore it open, curious. When he was finished, he held up a video game.
"A tennis… video game?"
"Hai!" she replied enthusiastically. "For rainy days… or something. I thought if it's Ryoma-kun, he'd still want to do something with tennis involved right? I thought… " Her voice trailed off, suddenly fearful. "R-ryoma-kun doesn't like it?"
"Hmm…" Ryoma murmured thoughtfully, smile in place. "Let's play it sometime."
Sakuno's heart soared with delight when he said "Let's". 'Thank god the mistletoe didn't make anything awkward… he's acting like it never happened…' But then again, she wasn't sure she wanted that.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Tezuka rinsed his face after another game with Kaidoh. The latter was still extremely persistent and this time, managed to take two games from him. Well, he could've played more seriously, he told himself as he walked inside the building. He still wanted to observe the practice match between Aiko and Suzume, so he decided to come back after getting a bottle of water from the mini-fridge.
As he walked down the hallway, Chiharu was walking towards the door. She had her racket in her hand and was dressed for a match. He wondered briefly who she was planning on playing. He waited for her to say hi so he could nod a reply.
Only… she didn't.
She walked by him as if he wasn't there. And Tezuka couldn't stop himself from watching her walk out the door, her back to him, and wondering what on earth he did wrong.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Izumi-san…"
She looked up in a mix of anticipation and dread. She recognized the velvety voice immediately.
"Fuji-san…" she replied, and he smiled.
"Could you come with me for a moment? I want to give you your Christmas present."
"Eh?" She glanced at the people around her. The lounge had quite a few people. Reina was playing chess with Inui (with the new chess set she received from him), Tezuka was still reading that historical fiction novel (she made a mental note to borrow it from him later), Chiharu and Akane were talking, the Momoshiro twins were arm wrestling, and Suzume was on the balcony, smoking a cigarette. Even if he gave his present to her now, she doubted anyone would notice. Still, she rose from her seat, grabbing the present meant for him, and followed him out into the hallway.
In the middle of the hallway, he stopped and turned around. "Here…" He handed her what appeared to be a rolled up piece of paper. "I thought you might like this…"
Feeling a little apprehensive, she took the rolled up paper and slid the rubber band off of it. As she unraveled it, she felt her breath escape her. Her heart appeared to have stopped for a moment.
It was her. He'd given her a poster… of herself.
She was dancing; he'd caught her in the middle of a spin. Her arms were outstretched, her hair whirling around her. He'd edited the lighting in the photo—the light coming from the window appeared to be a thick block, shining on her as if she were a heaven-sent angel. Speaking of which, he'd also added two wings onto her body, although they were so faint that it could've been a trick of the light.
Somehow, the colors were faint and blurred in a mystical manner. As she stared at herself, she could almost feel the music from that photograph, feel herself dancing…
She looked so free…
"It's… beautiful…" she breathed.
'You're beautiful…' But he didn't say it out loud. "You said you liked the other posters and prints I took… so I thought you'd like one of your own…"
"Thank you," she said. Drawn back into the present situation she immediately picked up her present from the ground and handed it over. "This is for you."
He was delightedly surprised. It was a cactus, a bow around the pot. He could see the bud of a blooming flower. He had two of the same species already, but that didn't matter. The fact that she'd noticed his collection of cacti impressed and touched him. Already he was planning to move some cacti out of the way on his windowsill to make room for this one. It was special to him. He reached out to take it from her.
Her hand jerked and she almost dropped it. Luckily, he had fast reflexes and took it before it fell.
She stared at her finger, a droplet of blood shining on her white skin. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid. How could I make the same mistake?' The skin of her finger had split right along the cut she'd gotten from the rose's thorn. She kicked herself mentally. Déjà vu, anyone?
Fuji reached out to take her hand. In exactly the same manner as the one before him, he lifted her finger towards his lips.
She pulled away from him.
He opened his eyes, staring at her. 'I don't understand…' Hadn't she let Yukimura do the same for her? Why was it him that she kept rejecting, kept pushing back? It troubled him.
Instead, she put her finger to her own lips and looked away.
It wasn't just Yukimura. She had told Tezuka things that she'd kept secret from him. Eiji too, seemed closer to her than he did. Even Yuuta was closer to her. Why was it just him? Did she hate him? No… that couldn't be it.
"Izumi-san…" He walked another step towards her. She took a step back, her eyes meeting his with sudden anxiety and fear. "I don't understand… You're always trying to avoid me…"
'What?' She moved back.
"Tezuka… Eiji… Yuuta… Even Rikkaidai's captain…" He let his gaze rest on her eyes. "You let them become closer to you. But whenever I try, you push me away."
Izumi hated confrontations. She especially hated confrontations with people with particularly powerful eyes. She remained silent and stepped away from him.
"Did I…" He moved even closer. "…do something wrong?"
She stepped back.
"Have I…" he continued. "…done something to hurt you?"
She felt cement against her back and realized that she'd backed into a wall. Yet he moved closer still. There was no where to run. "It's not… it's not like that…" she insisted. She raised a hand to her face; to cower under, to shield him from her, or maybe to put a barrier of flesh and bone between them.
He grasped her hand and held it in two of his. He could feel her hand shaking. "Do I really frighten you?"
"It's not like that…" she repeated. 'Why… why…'
"Then what's it like?"
Her eyes were darting around, trying to find something to look at besides those blue eyes. From the beginning, she should've lied and said that she didn't realize she'd been avoiding him. She cursed herself for not thinking fast enough. "I…" Her answer was lost in her throat. She didn't even know what she was going to say.
Fuji turned her hand over in his. He could feel her pulse racing. "From the moment you had that outburst at Eiji, you've always fascinated me... Your air of mystery, your tennis style, your dance background… everything about you. Izumi-san…" He ran his fingers lightly over the back of her hand. "I just want to get to know you better… Like Tezuka and Eiji and Yuuta have done…" He fixed his eyes on hers again. "But you won't let me."
She couldn't speak.
He let go of her hand and moved a little backwards. "I've made you uncomfortable. I'm sorry."
She exhaled, slightly relieved. 'Why can't he just let things be?' There were some things about her that no one should ever know. For a while, she just stood there in silence, not quite meeting his gaze. Finally, before she turned to go, she said, "Fuji-san."
"Hm?"
"Do you ever think… that if you got to know me better… I would cease to seem mysterious and thus… cease to fascinate you?"
It was such an odd question, and for a moment it left him speechless. Then he smiled, his eyes folding back into crescents. "No," he said. "I'm sure you would fascinate me to no end, Izumi-san."
Even if he didn't mean it like that, it was perhaps the most romantic thing anyone had said to her and in that moment, she felt her heart swaying. Then she snapped herself back to reality. 'Like two rivers… though their paths may overlap… in the end they each run their own course.' She couldn't let him get any closer to her; it was too… too dangerous. In the end, they'd both end up getting hurt.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sakuno, it turned out to be.
Chiharu was playing Sakuno. She was playing a Sakuno weighed down by ankle weights and arm weights, that is. That worried him a bit. Tezuka approached Inui. "The weights…"
Inui nodded. "They're not a problem for some light practices. If the game gets too serious, I'll have her take them off."
Chiharu hit another shot, pinpointing it to the left corner. The minute her racket connected with the ball, Sakuno set out in a run. If there was one thing everyone else overlooked, it was that Sakuno had very good eyes.
She, Tezuka noticed, reacted almost as fast as Chiharu did.
Now it was just basic training that she needed. Sakuno was lacking in speed, power, strength, and stamina. Those things were needed in her development as a player. Considering the tough schools that they would meet in the prefectural tournaments—Yamabuki, Fudomine, and who could forget Hyotei—she would need to build up those skills, and fast.
The arm and leg weights were a start. Kaidoh had given her a very useful gift indeed.
They ended their game after about half an hour. Both of them headed over to the benches and put away their rackets. They were both panting a bit, the cold air making clouds in front of their mouths.
"Sakuno-chan, we should go inside before we catch cold," Chiharu said.
"Hai!"
Both of them left shortly after that. Tezuka couldn't help but think that Chiharu didn't even look at him before she left.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"We should just let them sort this one out themselves, Fuji…" Akane said. "I'm tired of getting involved. I mean, we just trapped them in a room together a couple days ago, and now this? Chiharu needs to be less sensitive, and Tezuka-buchou needs to be more considerate."
"I suppose so…" Fuji agreed. "But both of them are so hesitant. Speaking of which, Akane-san, why haven't you told Oishi how you feel?"
"Look, Fuji, if I wanted something to happen I would've caught him under the mistletoe myself," Akane said. "But I don't want anything to happen. Right now, I need to focus on our upcoming matches and keeping up my grades for college."
Even in love, Akane was as practical as ever.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Dammit!" Sayaka swore as she lost the arm wrestling match.
Momoshiro grinned. "Sorry sis! Guess I'm just too strong for you…"
Sayaka flexed her arms a bit. "Maybe I should work on some more muscle training… in case any of my opponents play power tennis, you know? What if Kawamura-senpai has a girl counterpart?"
"Namazu-chan, move over." Suzume took Momoshiro's hand from across the table, setting it into an arm wrestling position. "Let's go."
"One, two, three!"
Suzume lasted quite a while longer than Sayaka did, but in the end, she too lost to Momoshiro. "Not bad." Suzume told him.
Aiko, who was watching the whole time, spoke up: "Could I try?"
"Sure…" Momoshiro said as she took his hand firmly. "But I don't think any of you can—OW!"
She slammed his hand into the table with force. "I'm sorry, were you not ready?"
"No… I…" He was dazed. 'This girl… is strong…'
"One, two, three!"
SLAM.
"Whoa… Aiko-senpai… that's kind of amazing…"
Aiko stared at her arm in surprise. So this was the result of all the muscle training. Almost there, she told herself, almost there. The last few steps are the hardest, but it's worth it. It's worth it if it means becoming stronger than half of the boy regulars. Who knows, maybe she could finally do something useful on the doubles courts.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Later that evening, Reina walked over to the piano once more. She pressed her fingers into the notes, and her beautiful voice rang out in perfect tune:
"I don't want a lot for Christmas
There is just one thing I need
I don't care about the presents
Underneath the Christmas tree
I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true…."
And they all joined in.
"All I want for Christmas… is you…"
Momoshiro's arm was slung over his sister's shoulder, pulling them close. Suzume sat next to her, their knees touching slightly. Chiharu, Izumi and Akane linked their hands together. Fuji and Kikumaru sat next to them, with Kawamura kneeling in between. Tezuka and Oishi sat closest to the piano, with Inui on the bench next to Reina, observing her every move. Kimiko and Aiko, the doubles partners, knelt on the ground next to one another. Kaidoh and Miko (his new kitten and best friend) followed. Finally, Sakuno and Ryoma sat next to them, with Momoshiro constantly nudging Ryoma towards Sakuno. Sakuno leaned on Ryoma's shoulder just a little, making the circle complete.
Despite the drama, despite the blackmail, the arguments and unsaid apologies… it was a very Merry Christmas indeed.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"NOOOOOO! MY DATAAAAAAA!"
Yes, a very very Merry Christmas indeed.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
End Chapter... what is it now? Eighteen. Whoa, that's a lot.
A/N: Not entirely satisfied with chapter. I'm sorry. DD:
Anyways, for those who feel like stalking me or something, I will be attending the University of Southern California in the fall.
But before that, I will try to cough out another 2 or 3 chapters.
Next chapter: What is a trip to the mountains without skiing? However, an innocent ski trip turns into a fight for life… and a cruel test of survival. Will Ryoma still be completely oblivious to Sakuno even when her life is threatened? Fear for her senpai's safety causes a panicked Suzume to finally reveal her past… and how her relationship with Chiharu came to be.
REVIEW. I like reviews. Especially long reviews with lots of feedback.
