Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction ❯ ◄:— S A K U N O Chronicles —:► ❯ Sick Days ( Chapter 11 )

♥ because hating Sakuno is like kicking a puppy ♥

 

06/23/06

 

( )_( )
(='.'=)
(")_(")

This is Bunny.

 

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Dis©laimer: If I ©laimed that I own Prin©e of Tennis, invented awesomerifi© words and all the ©haracters featured here, would anyone believe me? O.o I don't own any of the characters featured here because (I am so unoriginal) I'm too lazy to think up a new, original character that might turn into a Mary Sue or something out of a horror flick. I'm just borrowing and playing with my favorite ones for a bit. Please put up with the plotless-ness of the fic until uh… later. I have everything planned out but my planning leaves room for any pairing for Sakuno. Hehe.

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There was nothing but silence, silence, the sound of falling rain forming small puddles on the ground and more silence.

 

“They should build bigger gazebos.” Akaya muttered under his breath. Beside him, Ryoma silently agreed but remained quiet as he glared at the rain.

 

It was rather awkward.

 

With several guys and a girl huddled under it, space was very limited. True, the freshmen occupied less space since they were smaller in stature, but Kabaji alone more than made up for whatever area they saved.

 

“Horio-kun, please stop stepping on my foot.” Kachiro winced, thinking if he should just brave getting soaked through the bone instead of having to put up with Horio's foot on top of his and Katsuo's elbow in his stomach.

 

“I'm trying but there isn't any more space to move here!” Horio snapped back, shifting and hitting Kabaji in the process. Gulp. “G-gomen!”

 

Kabaji continued to stare ahead, ignoring his apology.

 

The structure wasn't even big enough to host a table or bench. It was just four solid posts with a roof overhead. The government either skimped on the gazebo when they decided to appropriate the funds into expanding the courts instead or they never thought that it would be used to shelter more than ten well-built teenagers, four freshmen and a little girl all together at the same time.

 

Not that they thought any of them had cooties or anything… well, except maybe for Horio… but none of them were as touchy-feely as say… Kikumaru Eiji… so having to literally bump elbows with your rivals wasn't exactly their idea of spending their Friday afternoons.

 

Ryoma could swear he could see the buchou's left brow twitch and could almost see him recoil away whenever Atobe's jersey would so much as brush upon his person.

 

“I wonder if Ann-chan and Tomo-chan got home safely.” The cold weather was making her a little drowsy. She liked to sleep whenever it was cold outside. The sound of the rain pelting the windowpane was very soothing. She quivered a little. Her front was toasty warm from the heat emitted from Fuji's back but her tennis outfit provided little insulation.

 

“I'm sure Momo and Kamio made sure they got there safely.” Fuji turned to the shivering girl on his back. “Are you cold?” She shook her head but he could almost feel her insides shaking from the dropped temperature.

 

He wasn't the only one who noticed.

 

Yuuta was taking off his jacket just as Fuji said “Tezuka, lend me your jacket” and “Here you go” came from several people. Several assorted jerseys were presented to him, ripe for picking.

 

Fuji's smile never faltered. “I didn't know so many people were named Tezuka? Ah-- thank you, Yuuta.” His brother pushed his St. Rudolph's jacket a bit roughly on him. Akaya wanted to do the same thing but he had great respect and a certain degree of fear for the tensai so he refrained.

 

Tezuka looked at him expectantly. It didn't take a genius to figure out what that look meant. Are you going to take this jacket that you made me take off or not?

 

It was a bit of a dilemma.

 

Yuuta was offering his jacket and blood was thicker than water...

 

Still… his friend and captain had already taken off his jacket…

 

And he asked for it in the first place…

 

If he knew this was going to happen, he would have just kept quiet and given her the jacket of his back.

 

Ah, youth.

 

Nothing surprised him anymore. It must be the power of those long braids. Much like how Samson's source of super strength was his hair, Sakuno's long braids were probably the source of her inherent cuteness that was present in Disney Princesses like Cinderella or Snow White. Furry woodland creatures didn't just come out to play and sing with normal folks, you know. You have to have a certain appeal to attract them to you and if Sakuno was the princess, then these shivering dorks standing under this gazebo were the furry woodland creatures who were drawn to the beacon of cuteness.

 

Even Eiji with legions of teddy bears paled in comparison.

 

“What are you waiting for, aniki? Take my jacket already.”

 

Tezuka remained silent but he was clearly not pleased with Fuji's indecision. What exactly did Tezuka expect from him anyway? He's never been in a situation where several jackets were offered to him before. Guys normally went through life without experiencing his dilemma right now.

 

Oh look, even Echizen was offering his jacket. “Ryuzaki is my size, she can borrow mine.” The Hakugei expert mentally flinched at the array of choices.

 

Fuji saw the logic in that but he didn't want to slight his precious little brother and his friend whom he had demanded a jacket from. Akaya's jacket was not even an option and he could just ignore Echizen. There were only two to choose from.

 

Eeny…

 

He could risk offending his brother by taking Tezuka's. Yuuta was always indignant towards him anyway.

 

Meeny…

 

But they were making so much progress lately… Not that his picking Tezuka's jacket over Yuuta's would put a dent in the budding sibling relationship, however… but still… he didn't want to embarrass his precious little brother…

 

Miny…

 

Will Tezuka make him run laps, he wondered…

 

Hm.

 

Having made a decision, he lifted his hand -

 

And then Kabaji took off his jacket and draped it over the girl.

 

…

 

The jacket was big enough to cover both of Fuji and Sakuno, making them look like one person.

 

A Fuji hunchback.

 

…

 

Huh.

 

…

 

Did he say that nothing ever surprised him anymore?

 

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Dear Diary,

 

In the end - with the exception of Ann-chan, Tomo-chan, Momo-senpai, Kamio-kun and Tetsu-kun who went home ahead of us - everyone ended up `walking' me home.

 

Fine… so I didn't walk, technically. I just clung to Syusuke-nii's back and then Mitsu-nii's back. I felt like a piece of luggage, but it really felt nice to be not-short, even for a while. Atobe-san had made such a huge fuss about Syusuke-nii carrying me, calling it “indecent”, that's why I got transferred to Mitsu-nii's back but it was all good. I wonder if he'll ever realize that I'm not Mitsu-nii's girlfriend. Not even Yuuta-nii could convince him otherwise and by the time we were halfway home, he gave up trying to convince the Hyotei buchou. He's such an odd fellow. Yuuta-nii calls it “selective hearing”.

 

My ankle is fine already… Okay, so it's not… I can't do cartwheels and run laps with it yet… not that I ever do but okay… I can't do anything much on my feet YET anyway but it's not even remotely swelling so it wasn't as bad as the others were making it to be. Poor Atobe-san. He got all the blame when it was my fault.

 

Akaya-kun gave me a little doggy cellphone strap today. It's so kawaii! I have to think of something to give him back soon, but I have no idea what to yet.

 

I'm currently missing my pink hello kitty chopsticks that match the bento that I packed Shinji-kun's food in today. I wonder if Horio-kun and the others placed it with that bento box? I'm going to call Shinji-kun tomorrow to ask, since it's already this late. I hope I didn't lose it. Those are my favorite pair.

 

I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow.

 

Sakuno

 

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The next morning, Sakuno woke up early to call her grandmother and inform her of Kazuma's condition. Ryuzaki Sumire was concerned about her brother's favorite grandson, so she wholeheartedly agreed to the idea of her granddaughter bringing him some chicken soup. She wasn't going to be able to come with Sakuno since she had an important teacher's conference to attend to, but she offered to drop her off at the train station.

 

Sakuno then stealthily made her way to the kitchen to cook and none of her family had any idea that she was putting most of her weight on her left leg. It wasn't like she was hurt or anything like that; she was just following her orders and making sure that she wasn't going to be scolded for making her healthy and not-hurt ankle swell during the weekend. It wouldn't surprise her if they demanded to inspect it come Monday, actually.

 

Her socks hid the cold stick-on compress and she managed to fool even her grandmother… that is… until Tezuka showed up on their doorstep when they stepped out. He was probably waiting there for several minutes, waiting for them. They greeted as they approached him before he silently took the food containers from her hands, placed them on a bench, placed her on his back, picked the containers up and then casually turned to greet the old woman who was gaping at him like he'd just dropped down from the sky wearing a pink tutu and proclaimed himself ruler of the universe.

 

A quick explanation had her grandmother lecturing her about taking care of herself and got lectured on how she should be more careful next time. They were then coupled with some very loud “What were you thinking?!” which she'd bet that the people all the way in China could hear…

 

As if she was some kind of daredevil who thrived on living dangerously by getting up close and personal with projectile tennis balls or something.

 

By the time her grandmother got to the “You should just stay at home” or the dreaded “you're grounded”, Sakuno was thankful that Tezuka intervened with that mature way of his.

 

“I'll make sure she doesn't strain herself, sensei.” Were the magical words that calmed the tennis coach enough to stop breathing fire, and she apparently trusted him enough to take care of her precious granddaughter enough to drop them off at the train station without as much as another lecture.

 

They got their fair share of curious looks from strangers - it wasn't everyday that you saw a little girl piggybacking a teenager, even if you lived in Tokyo - but their travel was pretty much uneventful. No surprise meetings on the train, no familiar faces, at least to their knowledge. Yes, apparently her grandmother trusted the buchou more than her but she wasn't complaining one bit. It had some advantages after all.

 

The bakery was manned by only one person when they arrived. Sakuno could never tire of that fresh baked smell and the welcoming chime of the bells as they tinkled overhead, signaling new arrivals to the store.

 

“Irasshaimase!” was quickly followed by “Tezuka-san!” and a pleased “Sakuno-san, didn't I tell you that you didn't need to come?” followed with a very confused “What are you doing on Tezuka-san's back?” in which a brief explanation was made by Tezuka as he deemed it safe to put his kouhai down so she can walk on her own two legs just as long as she didn't wander away outside of the bakery.

 

The brief but detailed enough rendition of the events that transpired left Shigeru with a not-so-small dislike for this unknown rival captain, but it was soon forgotten as he narrated to them the reasons why he was alone guarding the store.

 

Kinoshita Kageto, the unimportant employee with the mushroom haircut that no one pays much attention to and was always forgotten or left out of important stuff, was on a week-long vacation to visit his mom.

 

Azusagawa Tsukino would have been here with them, but she was called to an emergency meeting with the board of directors. If it wasn't so urgent she would have stayed to care for Kazuma, but it was, so she had no other choice.

 

The manager, Matsushiro Ken, was whisked away to do something `important' by some of his `friends', Shigeru explained. He mumbled something that resembled “Hashiguchi”, in which Tezuka arched a brow and responded with:

 

“Hashiguchi? You mean the Hashiguchi Yakuza?” Referring to, of course, the most popular, biggest, baddest and most influential Yakuza gang in Japan right now. Everyone and anyone with half a brain knew who they were. Yakuza gangs were dangerous and not to be trifled with and the Hashiguchi Yakuza were at the top of that dangerous pyramid right now.

 

Shigeru merely waved his curiosity away, continuing with his explanation.

 

Kawachi Kyousuke, who was an employee of the Main Branch, he said, was upstairs tending to Kazuma. Kawachi was Kazuma's longest acquaintance in the Pantasia group and was probably closest to him; his bestfriend. He was a Kansai native who had dreams of making it big in the city and was able to fulfill it with direct and indirect help from his buddy Kazuma. It went unsaid that Kawachi still held a deep affinity for the smaller branch, since he preferred to spend his off days here.

 

It was a good thing, because with only two people in the staff left and with one down with a high fever, the responsibility was left upon Shigeru's shoulders to keep it open.

 

“I was seriously considering just closing up for the day,” he informed them. The customers tended to come in at the most inconvenient times - just when the last minutes to baking the bread were ticking to its last. “I can't really tell the customers to come at certain schedules and most of them have bad timing. I almost burned several batches this morning.” He laughed.

 

And that was saying a lot, considering how thorough and precise he was, being a Harvard genius and a multi-task master. He took several steps towards the door and inverted the sign to indicate that the store was closed and lead them upstairs.

 

Tezuka, of course, didn't deem it safe enough for Sakuno to make it on her own two feet, which earned him a beaming smile and praise from the older yet shorter boy.

 

On the second level, they were met with an anxious-looking Kawachi.

 

“Kanmuri, you really should build a handle on the inside of that freezer, so that Kazuma could quit getting stuck in it until someone arrives to defrost him. You know how big of an idiot he is - oh hi Sakuno! Have you come to visit? I swear your cousin is the biggest blockhead this side of Japan.” Everybody could see that he was worried for his friend, so they allowed him to get it out of his system. “How many times do you have to literally freeze before you get it through your thick skull that you shouldn't allow the door to close when you get ingredients from the freezer? I swear, when Kami was handing out intelligence, your cousin was probably too busy to line up to get it because he was baking bread. Oh hey, Tezuka! Long time no see.”

 

The younger teen merely blinked and bowed his head a little. “Kawachi-san.”

 

“Thank you for taking care of him, Kawachi-san.” Sakuno had a proverbial sweatdrop hanging over her head. She didn't know how to respond to his verbal chastising of her sick cousin because, frankly, he was absolutely right. Normal people didn't get themselves stuck inside walk-in freezers as a daily routine.

 

She wasn't criticizing her cousin. Who was she to criticize, considering her ability to attract accidents like iron to magnet, right? She was just making an observation. Maybe it ran in their family…

 

Kawachi looked away and tried to deny that he did such a thing, but the proof was right there in the basin of iced water and wet cloth beside him. Sakuno wobbled her way to her cousin's side, timidly sat down and dipped the cloth into the basin with practiced ease. The men continued to talk as she sponged whatever parts she could reach.

 

“Kanmuri, do you need help in the kitchen?”

 

“No thanks, Kawachi-san. It's just a bit difficult to bake and watch the store at the same time since the customers tend to come in at the most inconvenient of times.”

 

“I could help you out if you want.” Even if he didn't want to, he could leave Kazuma alone now that his cousin was here. Someone really should build an idiot-proof walk-in freezer one of these days. “Even if I don't work for this branch, I can't just leave you to burn the kitchen down.”

 

“Hidoi desu ne, Kawachi-san. That's really very cruel of you to say so. I've never burned any kitchens before.”

 

“There's always a first for everything. Did you bring lunch for us, Sakuno?” Kawachi sniffed the container that Tezuka and Sakuno brought; he wasn't really concerned about things like manners. “Wha- it's just chicken soup.” He sounded deflated.

 

“I'll make us some lunch, Kawachi-san!” Sakuno assured him. “Don't worry.”

 

“You don't need to do it! I can help you with that!” Kawachi replied a little too fast. “I've seen you operate in the kitchen.” He shuddered. “You're worse than Azuma with a knife. I still remember having a little heart attack each time you slipped and looked like you were cutting a finger off. It's a miracle all your limbs are still in tact!” When he used to work in the same small kitchen as Kazuma, he often went through several near-death experiences involving Kazuma and sharp objects. Maybe it ran in the family. The one thing the cousins had in common was that every time they finished using the kitchen, it always ended up looking like a disaster area, no matter how delicious the end result was.

 

Sakuno was doing a good job at imitating a tomato because of Kawachi's frank comments. He was never one to mince with words. She couldn't help it that she was afraid of sharp objects. Ehe.

 

“I can help Kanmuri-san man the store.” Tezuka volunteered. He wasn't really needed upstairs; Sakuno could tend to Kazuma by herself since she didn't have to walk around to do it. The television, refrigerator, sink and pretty much everything else was within a spitting distance.

 

“Ah, you're too kind but you don't have to do that, Tezuka-san.”

 

Tezuka met his sentence with his usual blank stare.

 

Shigeru stared back, smiling, and there was silence as Sakuno and Kawachi waited.

 

Shigeru blinked while Tezuka continued to stare.

 

The sound of water being squeezed from a wet cloth and pouring back unto the basin was heard as Sakuno moved.

 

Kazuma moaned in his fevered sleep.

 

“Um,” Shigeru scratched his pink head in defeat. “Thanks for the help. I'll be waiting downstairs when you're ready then.” They both stood up at the same time. “Or.. right now would be fine. I guess you could call us when lunch is done…?”

 

Kawachi nodded.

 

“I swear your boyfriend gives me the creeps sometimes, Sakuno.”

 

The wet cloth hit him square on the face.

 

“Mitsu-nii is not my boyfriend, Kawachi-san!”

 

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“If you need help with anything, don't hesitate to call me.”

 

How a guy be so chirpy like that was a mystery to him. Maybe it was a genius thing. Fuji could be chirpy and all smiles whenever he wanted to.

 

…

 

…

 

At least the apron wasn't pink.

 

It was an off-white color with a Pantasia logo on the left chest portion.

 

Sigh.

 

Someone remind him why he volunteered for this again?

 

THUMP.

 

“Ack! Gomen, Kawachi-san!”

 

CRASH!

 

BANG!

 

“Damn it Sakuno, didn't I tell you to just sit your a- a - err… just SIT DOWN and tend to Kazuma! I haven't poisoned anyone with my food yet, have I? I might not cook as good as you do but my food is still edible. Just go back, SIT!!!” The employees of the rival bakery St. Pierre probably heard him across the street.

 

THUD.

 

CRACK!

 

“SIT DOWN!!!”

 

Oh.

 

Yeah…

 

That was why.

 

Despite the various… disturbing… dangerous… noises coming from upstairs, he never doubted Kawachi's ability to keep the girl in one piece at all.

 

Nope, not one bit.

 

The faint twitching of his left eye was for another reason. He'd bet his most prized tennis racket on it.

 

Ever since he donned the white apron, the bell chimed every ten minutes or so. Maybe if he gave up on tennis, he could consider a career on sales.

 

…

 

Not really.

 

He was half-expecting a familiar face to accompany the bell chime, but none came so far.

 

Which was a good thing.

 

It wasn't like anybody he knew was going to come waltzing into the store anytime soon anyway. It was a Saturday and normal kids his age spent their days with friends, out somewhere - at a park maybe or at the mall.

 

Not that he dared to venture near any malls lately. The horrors of his last trip to the mall were still fresh in his mind. He wasn't really raving to go back and relive it anytime soon.

 

Maybe in a year or so, but not yet.

 

The bell chimed just as Shigeru just came from behind to help with the front desk. The bread in the oven weren't set to cook for another forty minutes or so and he needed a break from the kitchen.

 

“So you're seriously going to stay with Hyotei even when you reach highschool?” A part of their conversation floated into the bakery just as the pair opened the door and let themselves in.

 

“Father has already agreed with my decision and Hyotei has a really great tennis team.” When his older cousin didn't look too impressed, he added “And besides, if it's good enough for Atobe, why wouldn't it be good enough for me?”

 

“Irasshaimase!” One cheery and one monotone voice greeted, interrupting their conversation.

 

When Ohtori Choutarou turned to acknowledge the employees, he stopped in the middle of the aisle, almost causing his cousin to bump into him. He blinked several times and then reached up to rub a hand over his eyes.

 

Nope, he wasn't hallucinating.

 

No amount of blinking or rubbing made the image disappear and the surprise was very evident in his voice. “Tezuka-san?” He mouthed Tezuka's name like a totally rabid otaku would say `anime'. “Wh- what are you - you're a - you work for Pantasia?” He asked the Tezuka look-alike behind the counter, who was standing beside a guy with pink hair.

 

“Friend of yours?” His younger cousin looked like he needed a good poke in the ribs.

 

“Ah!” The pink-haired guy stepped out of the counter. “You're a friend of Tezuka-san? I'm Kanmuri Shigeru. Tezuka-san is visiting us with a friend today and was kind enough to volunteer since we're understaffed.”

 

“I'm Ohtori Choutarou and this is my cousin, Ohtori Kyouya. It's a pleasure to meet you.” Both cousins were blessed with impressive heights and Shigeru was the shortest one in the group. Both were tall and good-looking, but while Choutarou had the physique of an athlete, his cousin held a scholar's look, complete with expensive-looking wire-rimmed glasses. “He's in highschool and he goes to Ouran.” Choutarou continued to babble on, amazed to find Tezuka in the bakery.

 

Tezuka met his enthusiasm with a polite gaze. “Kanmuri-san recently graduated from Harvard.”

 

…

 

What?

 

It was the truth and Ohtori wasn't the only one who knew people who went to very prestigious schools. Everyone who was anyone knew what Ouran Highschool was. Only the crème of the crop, richest of the richest, those of admirable lineage, best pedigree and a lot of money went to school there and he often times wondered why Atobe didn't.

 

Choutarou, being part of the Ohtori family who owned the Ohtori Group of Companies, was also credible enough to get into the elite school but both remained in Hyotei. Hyotei, after all, had the best tennis program among the more expensive schools for rich kids. Ouran had a tennis club, among other things, just like any normal school, and it was pretty decent, but why settle for good when you can have the best?

 

“What could we do for you today, Ohtori-san? May we interest you in some of our French bread? Or maybe you'd like to try our selection of sweet breads?” Shigeru was in sales mode.

 

Choutarou scratched his head while Kyouya surveyed what the store had to offer. “Actually Shigeru-san, my friends are interested in sampling a `JaPan'. Our parents are in, uh, business together and we were having a little social gathering while the parentals were talking business.” He turned to confide the next sentence more to Tezuka. “Atobe started talking about his afternoon yesterday and before you knew it, he was suggesting that we all try this JaPan thing. Now everyone's interested in it so here we are…”

 

“A friend of mine,” Kyouya interpolated, “is really curious about -” commoner folks and their food “- these things, and Chou was the only one who knew about what Atobe was talking about so I tagged along.” For research purposes.

 

“Ah! Then you're in luck. We have our Black JaPan baked fresh today and we haven't ran out of Number Fifty-Seven, the Kabukiage JaPan yet.”

 

“Interesting,” Kyouya remarked, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. It gave Tezuka a sense of déjà vu. “So this JaPan has more than one flavor and there is up to fifty-seven of them?”

 

“Oh there's more than fifty-seven, but Azuma-kun stopped numbering them a while back.” After they came home from the Monaco Cup, to be exact. “He still makes new ones but they're no longer numbered.”

 

Kyouya was now holding a really expensive-looking pen and leather-bound notebook, poised to take notes. “Interesting. Tell me more.” The sheltered rich people in his club were always eager to try commoner food and this JaPan might go well with the fabled instant coffee that everyone in the club was hooked on now, especially the twins and Tamaki. One could never get enough leverage or bargaining options, in his opinion.

 

Shigeru was more than happy to explain it to him, number by number, so they went off engrossed in conversation, leaving the two tennis players behind.

 

Choutarou chuckled, looking a little embarrassed. “Kyouya-nii-sama likes to gather data.” Tezuka silently empathized with him. “His bestfriend is a very interesting fellow. Reminds me of Atobe sometimes…” Why Choutarou was sharing this with Tezuka, he didn't know.

 

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“You'll never believe who we ran into in the bakery.” Choutarou sat down on one of the unoccupied lavish settees after coming back from the errand. Around him, lots of other rich kids his age were gathering around an attractive blonde guy who was recounting his exploits with `commoner's food'. The girls were especially drawn to him; they flocked around him like his own personal harem.

 

“Oh yeah?” said the boy who listened with half an ear to his schoolmate and half an ear to the blonde. Gatherings like these bored him to tears but it was a part of who he was. Appearances had to be kept and one had to establish friendships with people whom you were going to be dealing with in business years from now, after you graduated and took over your family's company. He would have much preferred to spend his Saturday at home, lounging by the pool or playing with Beat, but duty called. At least he wasn't alone, even if Kabaji wasn't here with him… and Suoh who had a knack for making women swoon was entertaining, too. Maybe it was because of those rose petals that mysteriously float out of nowhere whenever he sweet-talked the ladies. The scent of roses reminded him of a certain clumsy little girl for some reason, but it served well for Tamaki's purposes, too. “Who?”

 

Choutarou reached for one of the breads that he and his cousin brought back and took a bite before he answered. He didn't mind going on that errand. In fact, if it meant that he would get a reprieve from the stuffiness of the gathering, he would gladly volunteer to go out to get some again. “Tezuka-san.”

 

Atobe blinked, then turned to his teammate. “You saw Tezuka in the bakery? What a coincidence.”

 

“Yeah, wasn't it?” Choutarou finished his bread in record time and reached for another. It was delicious! “He was helping out because they were understaffed today. That's what the guy told me.” It was the most delicious bread he has ever tasted in his whole life! Why didn't he know about this before?! “I thought I was hallucinating at first, but it turns out he goes there often enough to be in good terms with the staff. You can ask Kyouya-nii-sama if you don't believe me. I couldn't believe it myself.”

 

His brilliant mind quickly analyzed the situation. Tezuka was in the bakery and was helping out because they were supposedly understaffed. Choutarou went on this errand because he was talking about JaPan earlier, which piqued Tamaki's interest who fueled the hunt for said bread and there was only one place where you can buy this bread. Why would the likes of Tezuka be there in the first place? “Did you see a girl with long braids with him?”

 

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ACHOO!

 

“Excuse me.”

 

“Bless you.” “Bless you.” “Bless you!” Sakuno, Shigeru and Kawachi said at the same time.

 

Tezuka rubbed his itchy nose before he uncovered his hand from it. “Thank you.” A chill just ran down his spine before he sneezed, he wondered what that was about.

 

It was now lunch time and Shigeru decided to close down the store. After the Ohtori cousins purchased most of their baked goods, he closed the store for the day and announced that they should pop in a movie to spend the rest of the afternoon in the apartment upstairs. Since he was his own boss, he could do what he wanted to do so they chose a movie.

 

While Shigeru and Kawachi prepared lunch, Tezuka sat with Sakuno. Kazuma was still asleep, stretched out on his futon. Sakuno sat beside him as she wrung the wet towel over the basin of ice-cold water and sponged whatever body part she could reach. The cold from the water made her fingers look like a prune, but the mild discomfort was rewarded by Kazuma's sighs of pleasure.

 

His fever gradually went down.

 

She repeated the process every hour or so, changing the water and refilling the ice to keep it cool each time. By the time they were finished with lunch and the movie, Kazuma's temperature was significantly down and Sakuno looked a little worse for wear. It was all worth it, in her opinion.

 

Kazuma had bouts of consciousness in between, but he didn't really make much sense. He mistook Sakuno for his nee-chan once, and the second time he was half-conscious, he kept calling her `Meister Kirisaki' and kept asking her about a peacock. Kawachi busted out laughing both times and even Shigeru couldn't hold his laughter during the second incident, but both Sakuno and Tezuka were at a total loss as to what they found funny.

 

The sun was just making its way towards the horizon when the two students from Seigaku left the bakery.

 

“Bye-bye, Sakuno-san!” Both Pantasia employees said; Shigeru's hair looked more orange than pink as he waved them off into the sunset. “See you next week!”

 

“Bye-bye!” Sakuno happily waved back from Tezuka's back.

 

As the two teens departed over the next block, Kawachi stretched. “Chaa… Kids these days are more mature than I was when I was in their grade.”

 

Shigeru understood what he meant. He smiled, recalling a story that Sakuno told him before. “I heard that Tezuka-san was mistaken for one of their teachers once.”

 

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Her eyes were as round as saucers, threatening to take over half of her face, if that was even humanly possible. Her heart was thumping so loud, she could feel it in her ears. Swallowing was difficult, but that was okay because her mouth was dry and there was a huge stone lodged in her throat anyway.

 

Breathe, her brain flickered to remind her, but was ignored.

 

Oh my god.

 

She forgot how to breathe!

 

“In and out, Sakuno.” The voice sounded distant, for she'd gone deaf in the span of five seconds. “Breathe.” It said once again, firmly and closer to her ear this time. A warm hand rubbed her back, gently coaxing her lungs to function once more.

 

…In.

 

…Out.

 

There you go.

 

Tezuka's sigh was accompanied by an eye-roll. He never thought the day would come that he would see his young friend get awe-struck by someone.

 

Do you like him more than you like Eyes Rutherford?

 

Approximately five minutes ago, they found themselves in front of the Go Salon that Touya Kouyo, father of Touya Akira, owned on their way home and they had thought `why not?'

 

She felt bad about having him do `back-breaking labor' today so she easily agreed to stepping in and taking a look, maybe even playing a game while they were there. It wasn't everyday that you got to see the buchou be a novice at anything.

 

He was looking forward to doing what he was supposed to do yesterday before it was interrupted by Fuji's detour.

 

The Salon was classy; like a quaint high-end café. There were two levels - one was higher where you had to use the stairs to get to it, and one had a darker, more subdued setting.

 

Two silhouetted figures were playing near the elaborately lighted fish tank in the darker lower level; he noticed as the attendant accepted his money. You had to pay to play in Go Salons, and if you were lucky, the salon's foremost expert or resident tutor would even coach you and play a tutoring game with you.

 

Apparently, they were more than lucky that night, since not only was Touya Akira himself was there, that same day, in the same salon, but he was also arguing against none other than Shindou Hikaru.

 

“Oh yeah? But you left yourself wide open right here.” Shindou Hikaru, now age 16 and still sporting his two-colored hair, was telling him as he pointed on a spot on the grid.

 

“It doesn't matter because you didn't even notice this move right here.” Touya pointed to another spot, standing up.

 

Shindou also stood up and glared at Touya from across the board. “I made up for that weakness by attacking you right here.”

 

“But you didn't stand a chance on this side.”

 

Their voices were escalating with each sentence.

 

“Yare-yare, there they go again.” The clerk sighed, then had an idea. “Touya-san, Shindou-kun!” The two arguing professional Go players stopped in mid-tirade and turned to her. “I have a couple of beginners for you. I was wondering if you would be willing to play a tutoring game of Go with them?”

 

A tutoring game meant that the more experienced player observed how you played against them and then offer you tips after the game finished. Since Shindou and Touya were way beyond Tezuka and Sakuno in experience, it meant that they would have to replay the game after it was over and then give them advice on what they should and should not have done. In simpler terms, the more experienced player is the teacher and the inexperienced one is the student. The student and teacher play a game together, then after the game, the teacher tells the student ways on how to improve his or her strategy in the future.

 

The sight of Touya and Shindou arguing over a game they have just finished playing was common occurrence in the salon; not even the customers were affected by the ruckus anymore. It was the same old story each time: Game finishes and the two sixteen year olds discuss it. Sure they would start out being extremely courteous to each other and even go as far as to compliment each others brilliant moves, but it always progressed the same way.

 

The brown-haired kid with the blonde bangs would start criticizing the kid with the bluegreen hair about it (or vice versa) and it would continue for several minutes until it escalates into a shouting match between who said “I see” more.

 

Yep, even though they were both professionals in the difficult game of Go, both were still teenagers and prone to bouts of childish tempers.

 

It also didn't help one bit that both were extremely competitive, especially when it comes to the game that they loved the most.

 

“I didn't know Touya Akira and Shindou Hikaru were friends.” Tezuka was surprised. They seemed so different, from what he had read of them in the newspapers.

 

Touya Akira was destined to be a force to reckon with in the world of Go at age three. His father formerly held five different titles and was said to be the strongest Go player in Japan right now. He was even often compared to Honinbou Shuusaku, the one player in all of Go history who was said to be the strongest. Ever. Touya Kouyo, father of Touya Akira, retired recently, but his son was almost as good as him, despite his youth, that people continued to be excited for the future of Go.

 

Touya Akira liked to dress in collared shirts, slacks, preppy sweaters and loafers… like someone straight out of a GQ magazine.

 

Shindou Hikaru looked like any normal non-preppy teenager who rolled out of bed and put on the first set of clothes he got his hands on. Baggy jeans, shirts, sneakers… you know the drill.

 

The thought of the two Go players being friends with each other boggled the mind.

 

The clerk laughed a little. “They're not really friends… well, they are… I guess… I'd like to call them rivals but yeah, they're friends too.”

 

“You have some beginners for us today?” Shindou and Touya were now standing in front of Tezuka and Sakuno, smiling at them. Their previous argument was all but forgotten.

 

Touya stepped on Shindou's foot discreetly after the boy just gawked at the tall teenager with a little girl on his back. “Welcome to the salon! I would love to play a tutoring game of Go with you. I'm sure Shindou is, too.” Shindou snapped to attention and nodded, then glared at Touya for stepping on his foot.

 

“We would appreciate that very much.” Tezuka inclined his head because it would look funny if he attempted to bow with his cargo.

 

“Is your sister injured?” Hikaru wondered out loud.

 

“She had a bad fall yesterday,” Tezuka explained. “And she's not my sister.” Sakuno didn't say anything.

 

“This way.” Touya directed them near the lighted fish tank.

 

That had been five minutes ago, and now, after Tezuka managed to coax Sakuno into breathing again after setting her down, they were playing Go; Tezuka against Touya and trembling Sakuno against Shindou.

 

Do you like him more than you like Eyes Rutherford?

 

The answer was clear to him. If Kirihara were here right now, Tezuka would confidently tell him yes, Sakuno definitely likes “him” more than Eyes Rutherford. They all posed for pictures and asked autographs with Eyes, but Sakuno hadn't been reduced to a statue having a mild heartattack then.

 

And Fuji accused him of being a `fanboy'?

 

Psh.

 

Sakuno's game finished before Tezuka's and from the corner of his eye, he would bet his left shoulder that she was more preoccupied with trying her best not to stare at Shindou star struck rather than how to move her stones on the board.

 

“Instead of defending yourself on this move, it would have been better if you attacked here instead.” Touya suggested. His hair looked greener as did his eyes, whenever he was giving instructions. Or maybe it was just the lighting in the room. Tezuka nodded, seeing the knowledge in it. “And if you did that, you could have taken this move next.” Once again, Tezuka bobbed his head in agreement. Touya Akira had a lot of great advice for him, and he was more than willing to listen to it.

 

Much later, after bidding their students for that night goodbye and seeing them off, Shindou couldn't help but admire the young man whom Touya had been tutoring. “I wonder if I was ever that serious when I was his age.”

 

Touya shot him an amused look. “You talk as if you're more than only two years older than him.” It was a basic rule to know your student's age as well as his or her level in Go before the start of a lesson. It's also common courtesy. “And just what are you talking about? You're never serious.”

 

Shindou glared at him. “Shut up.” Touya merely stared back at him in that condescending way of his. His bestfriend could be such a pain in the ass sometimes. He counted to ten before he spoke again. “His cousin was a little timid though. I think she was scared of me. Her stones kept rattling on the Go board every time she moved.” He wondered if all girls were like that or if he did something to scare her before or during they played.

 

“Cousin?” Touya was amused at Shindou's naivety. “The girl wasn't his cousin.” Shindou raised a brow at him. Touya was surprised he wasn't able to figure it all out by himself. “Didn't you notice how he kept looking at your game in the corner of his eyes?”

 

Shindou shook his head, his bangs swayed back and forth. “No.” He was totally clueless. What did that have to do with - “If the girl wasn't his cousin then what was she?”

 

Touya held his laughter in. “That was his girlfriend.”

 

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For some reason, Tezuka felt the overwhelming need to sneeze again. And he did. Achoo! “Excuse me.”

 

“Bless you.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“You've been sneezing a lot today. Are you coming down with something?” They got caught in the cold yesterday and he was exposed to a sick Kazuma today… oh no. She put a hand to his forehead but was relieved to find his temperature to be perfectly normal.

 

Tezuka shook his head in denial after she retracted her soft hand. “Do you want to stop by somewhere to eat or would you like to eat at home?”

 

As tempting as getting some milkshake and fries for dinner sounded, she knew he preferred home cooked meals over fast food and she seriously owed him for today. “I'd have to stop by the supermarket but I could cook some unadon if you want.”

 

Unadon is short for Unagi Domburi: Unagi meaning “eel” and domburi being “rice bowl”. Eel is grilled and prepared in a thick soya-based sauce and then served on top of cooked rice.

 

Apparently, eel was the magic word since they were soon picking out ingredients from their local grocery store.

 

The Marutomi Supermarket was bustling with activity. People of all ages were present. A child was pitching a tantrum in the corner while vendors were announcing limited sales. Dads were pushing their carts around, their children safely seated in the front. Colorful signs marked the prices of each item and the checkout lines were never empty.

 

A quick brush through the grocery lanes and they soon found themselves waiting in line to pay for their purchases. People still gave them odd looks here and there but they were used to it by now.

 

“Sakuno-chan…?” A voice asked from behind them.

 

Tezuka turned curiously and found himself staring down into deep brown eyes. He didn't think it was possible for someone to have bigger doe-eyes than Sakuno, but apparently, he was mistaken. The girl - er, boy - or whatever she or he was he was looking at right now probably possessed the biggest honeyed gaze in Japan.

 

He couldn't decide if the person was a boy or a girl. He or she was wearing a brown plaid overcoat and his or her hair was cut short. It was really hard to tell. If she was a girl, she was really pretty yet she could pass herself off as a boy. If he was a boy, then he was a really pretty one.

 

And maybe those rumors about him being gay had some basis after all.

 

The boy - er, girl - or whatever he or she was blinked at the girl attached to his back and then looked curiously at him. “Why are you riding piggyback?”

 

Tezuka placed his items on the conveyer belt and waited for the clerk to ring up his items.

 

“He wouldn't let me walk by myself.” Sakuno grinned in reply. “I haven't seen you in a while, nee-chan!”

 

Nee-chan.

 

Ah, so those rumors had no basis. At all.

 

And she was a girl.

 

…

 

He knew that.

 

The polite thing to do was to wait for the mystery girl to finish paying for her purchases so Sakuno could continue her conversation with her, so Tezuka waited.

 

“Uweh… I heard some celebrities visited you recently? I heard some of the neighbors talking about it. Your landlady said that they were riding foreign cars and everything!” Sakuno gushed.

 

Haruhi looked a little pained. “Ahe… no… they weren't celebrities. They were just classmates. Really, really nosy classmates who live their lives without knowing what the real hardships of living in this world are.” A slight tick developed on her forehead.

 

A vision of Atobe proclaiming his awesomeness popped into Sakuno's imagination. “I think we know a guy like that.”

 

Tezuka grunted in agreement.

 

“Imagine having to deal with six of them all at once and having two tricksters, one sadist and one drama king. The other two aren't as bad but they have their moments.”

 

The pair from Seigaku visibly shuddered as they conjured up images of two Nious, a Fuji and an even worse Atobe together.

 

The two girls chatted for a while, making up for lost time as they walked home. Sakuno introduced the two of them to each other, and they exchanged polite nods before the girls continued their discussion.

 

During that time, Tezuka learned that Haruhi lived in the apartment complex that was only a mere block away from Sakuno's house and when they were little kids, Sakuno often played with her and someone named Ranka-san dressed Sakuno in frilly little garments that were meant for Haruhi but were left untouched because the girl wasn't as girly as the Ranka person wanted her to be.

 

“Haruhi is in highschool and she just transferred to Ouran,” Sakuno told him. He wondered what the chances were of meeting two people from the same school on the same day were.

 

“I'm there because of a scholarship,” Haruhi said.

 

“Haruhi-neechan is really smart,” Sakuno added. “When did you cut your hair?”

 

And they talked. They talked as they walked home.

 

They talked about food and Haruhi had this dreamy look and tone of voice when they did. It had a hint of sadness when they talked about ootoro or extra fatty special tuna though. Apparently, in all her years, Haruhi has never tasted it even once. Sakuno, who has tasted ootoro courtesy of the Kawamura sushi restaurant, apparently sympathized with her because he could feel the sadness radiating off of her in waves.

 

He found it odd how two girls would become all weepy over ootoro, but wisely kept his mouth shut and kept out of their conversation.

 

Girls were weird, that's why he stuck to tennis. Tennis was easier to understand and less complex. It didn't go into mood swings or look at you with big pleading puppy dog eyes when it wanted something from you or make you act out of character like Momo tripping all over himself whenever Ann was around. Tennis was a good mistress, unlike girls, and it made total sense.

 

Girly conversations he had the misfortune to overhear in school often consisted of “blah blah blah boys” and “blah blah blah clothes” or “blah blah blah makeup” and “blah blah blah shopping”, but for some reason, whenever he was with the coach's granddaughter, all the conversations made sense.

 

“So soy sauce poured over crème caramel doesn't really taste like sea urchin.”

 

“Waaaah… I didn't know that. You've learned a lot now from your new school, Haruhi-neechan! Remember when we tried putting honey on cucumber to see if it would taste like melon?”

 

The highschool girl laughed. “I remember! And that time when we topped raw tuna with mayonnaise and dipped it in soy sauce to taste like ootoro?”

 

…

 

Even if they bordered on being weird.

 

Soon they reached the apartment complex and Sakuno waved goodbye to her friend.

 

After they parted ways with Haruhi and made their way home to cook dinner, they walked for several moments of companionable silence before Tezuka asked with just a hint of gloating in his voice. “Didn't I tell you that Touya Akira was the better player?”

 

Sakuno didn't reply verbally, but dainty little hands reached from behind and enclosed around his throat.

 

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Dear Daniel Radcliffe,

 

Kawachi-san suggested that I name my diary today so I've chosen to name you Daniel Radcliffe, my one true love.

 

I had two dozen tulips waiting for me when I came home from the supermarket on Saturday, and I almost didn't believe my mother when she told me that they were for me until I read the note. They were from Atobe-san, a gesture of apology for the accident. No boy has ever given me flowers before, so I was pretty happy, even though they weren't sent with romantic intentions.

 

They were really beautiful flowers. They looked like they cost a lot of money, which was kind of a shame if you think about how many meals you could eat with it.

 

I placed them in a simple vase with water and proudly placed them on top of my desk upstairs, inside my bedroom. I thought their beauty would help inspire me to finish my weekend homework, which I have neglected to do so far.

 

Bad move.

 

It turns out that I'm allergic to tulips. Go figure.

 

I woke up on Sunday morning with a huge urge to scratch. The itching was so strong, I could feel it under my skin. Mom was pretty freaked when she saw me come downstairs for breakfast, so I avoided looking at the mirror, just to be safe.

 

I was taken to the doctor immediately, and we found out I was allergic to the flowers. Or the pollen… something or other. It's pretty hard to concentrate when your whole body is itching and you can only scratch on two places at once but your mother won't even allow you to do it. All I know is that the tulips caused it and the tulips came from Atobe-san.

 

I'm sure he didn't mean for any harm to come to me, so I'm not blaming him. It wasn't his fault that I got clumsy on the tennis courts last Friday and my current allergies aren't his responsibility as well.

 

I mean, how would he know that I would have such a… colorful… reaction to his apology gift, eh? I surely didn't. Only a clumsy little freak like me would be allergic to expensive tulips.

 

I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing (the itching is really impeding my thought capabilities at the moment), but the doctor ordered me to stay home on Monday. I guess I should finish up here and call Tomo-chan. I wouldn't want her to worry about me not showing up for school on Monday or anything.

 

Wishing she had more calamine lotion,

Sakuno

 

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Just for ten minutes.

 

She just needed to close her eyes for just ten minutes and that foggy vision she'd been operating on the whole morning was going to be gone, she was sure of it.

 

If only the ground cooperated and didn't rotate whenever she took a step…

 

Taking Monday off was okay and all, but she had to come to school on Tuesday to take that English test. The itching had subsided by now and she didn't have as many unsightly rashes on her skin as much as she had on Sunday morning anymore. Hey, even her non-existent foot injury had healed so everything was peachy.

 

She used her time off yesterday to study her notes again, hoping to gain something from her three day weekend. She had to take this test or else her tutor was going to be ashamed of her, so she dragged her heavy body out of bed that morning. But for some reason, her body felt like lead today.

 

She was a more than a little off-balance when she came to school since this morning, but it was nothing that a short nap couldn't solve. Maybe she shouldn't have stayed up so late reviewing her notes. Keeping up her cheerful and somewhat healthy appearance in front of Tomoka was more difficult than keeping her eyes open. That girl had sharper eyes than an eagle.

 

Tomoka told her to go to the nurse's office but a nap outside, where a cool breeze was blowing sounded so much better. The girl had been insistent so when recess came, Sakuno volunteered to go without any more prodding.

 

Somehow though, she ended up outside and under a tree. The call of a short nap and fresh breeze was just more favorable than a nurse poking at you.

 

So she wobbled her way to the shaded spot, got really comfortable and then proceeded to doze off, secured in the fact that the bell was going to alert her of the time. When it did, she was going to wake up from her nap and walk back to class fully refreshed, proving that a nap would trump a visit to the nurse's office any day.

 

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It seemed like no matter what he did, his path was always going to cross with Ryuzaki's. The girl didn't even have to put any effort into it since she seemed like a total natural at it. From that first meeting on the train to her bad directions that cost him his game… if he didn't know any better, he would start believing in things like fate and destiny.

 

He had to keep himself from snorting. Yeah right. Real men didn't believe in girly stuff like fate and destiny. Real men like him lived their own lives and set their own paths, destiny be damned. That he was sitting on a branch of the very tree that Ryuzaki decided to slumber against again was just a mere coincidence.

 

Like lightning striking the same spot twice.

 

Did all girls fall asleep within the blink of an eye or was it just her? He heard she was sick the day before. He frowned, thinking back to the conversation he overheard yesterday. Horio was wondering out loud why Ryuzaki hadn't been in school that day and Fuji asked his coach the question. Her answer was that someone sent her flowers she was allergic to and had to stay home until her rashes were gone. Since he wasn't super bestfriends with her unlike some people on the team, he resumed his warm-up exercises as the others plied their sensei with more questions. He later overheard from Horio's conversation with Katsuo and Kachiro that the flowers had been from Atobe.

 

He almost tripped on his own feet before he gained his balance and continued with his practice. But one question plagued him. Why was the monkey king sending Ryuzaki flowers?

 

Since they were on friendly (he hoped) terms with each other, being on the same grade, going to the same school, his being a part of her grandmother's tennis team and her being one of the unofficial cheerleaders of said tennis team and all, he figured that he could say… casually… ask her the question if the topic ever came up. He was merely curious. There was nothing wrong with being curious. Karupin was curious all the time and nobody ever hated Karupin for it.

 

He wrestled with that thought for several minutes until he came to a sound decision.

 

Yes, he can ask Ryuzaki because there was absolutely nothing wrong about being curious. Especially since they pretty much hung out around the same set of friends - even if he didn't belong to the people who were on a first-name basis with her. He still belonged to that group that had to call her Ryuzaki, unlike crass people from other schools.

 

That decided, he hopped down from the branch soundlessly. Upon his approach, he noticed that her skin looked a bit more flushed than normal, and she was breathing rather unevenly, like a person who had fever.

 

He poked her shoulder gently. “Ryuzaki,” he whispered, reluctant to disturb her slumber. She looked like she needed it badly. There was something seriously wrong with this picture.

 

When she didn't awake from several additional pokes, he gave in to his curiosity and laid a hand against her forehead. It was hot. Ryuzaki was running up a high fever and she was napping outside under a tree instead of being in the clinic.

 

The bell suddenly rang, signaling the end of recess but it didn't even disturb her one bit. “Baka,” he sighed. He was only slightly taller than her but he was pretty strong for his age. He swiftly contemplated the best way to carry her to the nurse's office without getting accused of being a pervert. His first thought was to drape her on his back and carry her piggyback, but the image of Fuji-senpai and then the buchou carrying her the same way flashed through his mind and left a bitter taste in his mouth.

 

Scratching that idea out, he decided to carry her in his arms instead. One arm was gently placed behind the back of her knees and the other supported her back as he lifted her off the ground, bent his knees and stood up.

 

It was great in theory but the braids got in the way. When he stood up, he tripped on them halfway and was forced to let go of his hold behind the back of her knees to favor encircling her waist instead. Fast reflexes saved them both from hitting the ground as he twisted to gain balance by the help of the tree that made contact with his back. The feverish sleeping girl tucked her head in the crook of his neck and moaned. She was probably having some nice fluffy dream while he did all the labor of ensuring that she got to the nurse's office safely. With the help of his hands on her waist, she was sleeping while standing on her own two feet, leaning against him for support.

 

Oh my god.

 

He was now standing beneath a tree, arms around Ryuzaki's waist and her head snuggled on his neck. He could feel her breath on his skin… among other things. Her upper torso was pressed against his.

 

He blushed wildly, getting his mind off of body parts and what-not and tried to concentrate on moving her instead. He was just going to have to make sure that her dangerous braids weren't in the way when he tried to lift her up and attempted to walk again.

 

He needn't have had to contemplate how to move her a minute later, or ponder upon how intimate their close contact looked to a bystander, when a voice startled him from behind.

 

”Ochibi, why are you hugging Ryuzaki-chan like that?”

 

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“Caution: It melts in your brain” equals “Please do not take this crack seriously.”

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( )_( )
(='.'=)
(")_(")

Bunny cannot believe that people actually read this fic.

 

Yare-yare - Good grief! Or something along the lines of “Jeebus, man!” (Sorry but “good grief” doesn't do it for me as much as yare-yare does. /runs away/)

 

Okay, so I couldn't resist adding the choking in, beda! Sorry if this chapter feels rushed but I'm really tired and would like to go back to spending my summer sleeping. 8P Thanks for all your reviews last chapter. /gets all sparkly/

 

And remember: Every time you read a chapter and don't review, Santa kills a bunny. (uso; hindi totoo) So please, think of the bunnies. Constructive criticism, suggestions, complaints and death threats from friends and pretty people are loved and very much appreciated.