CHAPTER 31

It took about half an hour and Syu and Mitsu had decided after the first 10 minutes to sit downstairs and have hot chocolate. They heard shouting and screaming. What sounds like thing breaking and all sorts. Finally they heard Sei coming down the stairs. He walking in the kitchen and as soon as Syu saw him he was in hysterics. Laughing so much he was having trouble breathing. Tezuka not caring if they saw was fully smiling.

Sei was standing there soaked and cold. "What happened to you?" Fuji managed to breath out.

"Ryo-Chan wouldn't get out the bath. I accidentally commented on his back when I saw it. Didn't mean to, honest. He got out the bath and pushed me in the tub and now there is a naked boy hiding somewhere upstairs refusing to get changed since he's angry with me." Fuji trying to stop his now snickering went to the laundry room and got a towel from the clean pile that Shan left before he went. Walking back in he told Sei to take his shirt off. Tezuka had left telling them he was going to find the boy and get him into something.

Upstairs Mitsu had now found the boy in his room under what will be Genichiro's bed. He was now laying on his stomach and looking under the bed. Ryoma was in the far corner curled up. Tezuka couldn't see much but could tell it was the boys back he was looking at. Putting the bedside lamp on the floor he turned it on and for the first time saw he child's scarred back.

He didn't know what to say. You could see all the years of torture the boy had to suffer with. "Ryoma..." He called gently. The boy slowly unravelled himself and now Mitsu was now seeing the golden eyes. He looked scared in his opinion. Getting up he quickly grab a shirt from his draw and passed it to the boy. "Come on, get change. Your thing's are in a chest in the corner of the room." With that Ryoma pulled the shirt over his head and crawled out. Going over to the wooden box he opened it and got some underwear.

Tezuka had decided to distract himself from the boy getting changed with picking a book from the shelf on the wall. It was then he felt a tug on his shirt and Ryoma was waiting for him. "Yes?" He then pointed to the book. "You want to read it?"

"No, you read it to me." Mitsu felt surprise when he heard that.

"Can't you read?" The cat grabbed his tail in one hand and shook his head.

"Not Japanese. Shan taught me how to read English. Master spoke both Japanese and English to me, but that was it. I sort of pick it up and learnt along the way. Since the other children where from around the world, we all sort of picked up each others languages, but reading is something I'm not that familiar with."

"So how have you been doing in lessons, if you don't know how to read our language?" He saw the ears on Ryoma's head twitch slightly.

"Umm... I sleep and then though tests since it's a multiple choice, I guess the answer." Tezuka looked at the boy and saw he was uncomfortable with this.

"So... No one in the school had picked up on this yet because...?"

"They just assume that I can't be asked and the headmaster did tell them just to let me be." Letting out a sigh Kunimitsu sat on the bed.

"Hold on, your phone?" Ryoma going to the bathroom and coming back with the mobile in hand passed it to Tezuka who looked though it. "It's in English. How did you send a message to Momo then?"

"I guess Shan would of asked the Atobe's to get one that translates it for me or something like that." Tezuka couldn't believe it. The man could remember that the boy only read English but it completely slipped his mind when it came to lessons during school.

"Come here." He said and let the boy sit in-between his legs. Ryoma then put his phone on the side table and settled down. "I'm going to read the book to you first and then I'll teach you the words and how to write them, okay." With a nod he began to read out loud.

About an hour later he felt the weight on his chest getting heavier. Looking down and seeing the boy asleep couldn't help but bring a small smile to his lips. Marking what page he was on, he put the book in the draw next to him and grabbed the one he was currently reading. He carried on reading quietly until finally sleep had also caught up with the him.

While this had gone on, downstairs after Syusuke had dried Sei off and had made him get changed into something else. They both sat on the sofa with a blanket watching horror movies till the early hours of the day. It was then Sei remembered something. "Hey, Syu haven't you got school today along with practice?" With a tired smile from the tensai he answered with a yes.

"But it doesn't matter. One night of sleep is no big loss if I get to spend time with you. Anyway what do you think happened with Ryoma and Mitsu?" Both of them looked at each other before heading upstairs quietly. Looking into Mitsu's room they saw Ryoma and Tezuka laying there completely out of it. They smiled and walked into the room get a better look. Kunimitsu was slightly sitting up and had one arms around the boy's waist while the other was to his side and holding a book. Ryoma had managed to turn on his side and curled up his legs. His head resting on Tezuka's chest and his tail had wrapped itself round the captains arm that was holding him.

"You know what?" Sei looked at Syu when he spoke. "I don't think I've ever seen Mitsu this relaxed before." He went to the bedside and moved Ryoma's hair out of his face. He had a small frown on his features. "I wonder what he could be dreaming about?"

"Who knows, Ryo-Chan's one big mystery even if we do know his secret. Come on we better get at least a tiny bit of sleep before it's six in the morning." With that Sei and Syu both went back downstairs and fell asleep on the couch with their limbs tangled wrapping around one another.

It was now six in the morning and Tezuka slowly woke up. Giving off a yawn, he was about to stretch his arms when he felt one unable to. Looking down he noticed Ryoma. The boy's tail seemed to of had a death grip on his arm. "Ryoma... Wake up." He said in a groggy voice. The boy just moved and rubbed his face against his chest. Kunimitsu already knew he had lost. Gabbing the boy in his arms he checked all the bedrooms for either Syu or Sei. When he couldn't find them he made his way downstairs. Looking in the lounge he finally saw the two curled up with the TV on and a menu screen of the film they where watching last night.

He felt the cat move slightly in his arms. Standing in front of the couch he lifted his foot up and prodded Fuji in the back with it. He heard a few grumbles from the tensai before he tried again. This time he had more success as he looked towards Tezuka. "What?" Syu had only realized till now how tired he was. He felt exhorted. Freeing one of his arms, Syu rubbed the sleep from his eyes. That's when he noticed the boy. Sitting up and sliding off the sofa to sit on the floor so he wouldn't wake Sei. He then picked up the Tv remote and turned the screen off with a click of a button. He waited for his captain to answer.

"I need to put Ryoma somewhere. Sei was the only option I could think of seeing as he doesn't have to get up till later." With a nod, Fuji moved out the way and Mitsu put the cat down besides Yukimura.

"Hasn't Ryoma got to go to school today as well, along with morning practice?" Syu stood and looked at Tezuka trying to get the tail that was on his arms to loosen it's grip. As soon as it did Mitsu backed away quickly so he wouldn't be caught again. Instead the tail wrapped around one of Sei's legs. Fuji seeing this let out a sigh. "Why does Ryo-Chan seem to do all the cute thing with you and Sei?" Tezuka gave Syu a funny look and shock his head. Ignoring the last question from the tensai he answered the other one.

"Anyway there really is no point in Ryoma going to school if all he does in lessons is sleep." Fuji knew the boy like to learn about new things so this didn't make sense.

"What do you mean? I thought he liked to learn about the different things?"

"Ryoma can't read Japanese. He can read English because of Shan and speaking other languages comes naturally to him seeing as he grew up with lots of other kids." With a nod from Syu telling him he understood they both let their attention go to the two sleeping. "I'm going to also assume then the he can't do math or science seeing as he wouldn't know what equations are. I think he would learn more at home with one of us then in a classroom." With that they both went upstairs to get ready for the day.