Tuesday, April 17, 2007

I hate being sick >.< At least I survived school today though. Erica said if I find a Sasuke pic, she can make me a shirt with it for Anime Boston! Yay! So I found this pic of sexy Shippuden Sasuke: http://www.animegalleries.net/img/275687
I was also gonna give her this pic of Gaara, in case she wanted to make a shirt for herself: http://www.animegalleries.net/img/283358

Did I mention I started painting my pics? I've got Suigetsu, Deidara, and Hidan finished already. Hidan's definitely my fave of the bunch so far. ^-^ I'm not just being biased cuz he's like my fave character of all time (sorry Sasuke =P) I started a new PoT fic...this time a Tezuka/OC cuz I wuv Tezzi-kun ^-^ He'd probably give me an evil glare of doom and make me run like 50 laps or something for calling him that. XD Soooo...here's what I got so far...I kinda skipped around.

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“Huh? Student abroad program?” Oishi Syuichiroh said in confusion. He and Tezuka Kunimitsu were walking to school together and Tezuka had mumbled about someone staying at his house for a student abroad program.

The taller boy remained silent for a moment before replying. “Students from other countries are chosen for a year to study abroad, staying with host families,” he explained.

“I know that, Tezuka. So…your family is going to be a host family?”

“That’s what my mother said. She agreed before I could say anything.” Oishi could tell Tezuka was not pleased. The boy loved his mother dearly and respected her decisions but this was one he didn’t like one bit. He didn’t want a foreigner staying in his home. It meant he would be required to show them around Seigaku and he would have to introduce them to the tennis team. It meant he would, undoubtedly, be forced to make friends with this person.

“Do you know what country the student’s coming from?”

“America.”

“Oh.”

They didn’t say anything more on the matter. The student would be arriving later that night and Tezuka was in a bad mood. The regulars suffered through his moodiness at practice, being made to run extra laps. “Saa…Tezuka seems angry,” Fuji said with his usual smile. “Know anything about that, Oishi?”

The other boy smiled sheepishly. “I’m not sure if Tezuka wants me to mention it…but I guess his family is hosting a student for one of those student abroad programs.”

The tensai’s smile widened. “Sou ka…now it makes sense.”

“Fuji, 15 more laps!” Tezuka called.

***

“Kunimitsu, you could at least try to look excited at greeting our guest,” his mother scolded as they waited at the airport holding a sign written in English: WELCOME TO JAPAN, RILEY KUMA.

He gave her an irritated look. “Kaa-san, I’m not excited.”

“Why not?”

“I’m not thrilled at having to share my room with this person.”

“Mitsu, you’re both boys. I’m sure you’ll have lots in common.”

He seriously doubted that. Before he could say anything more, a girl with dark brown almost black hair and slightly tanned skin walked up to them. She had warm chocolate brown eyes. “Hi,” she said in English.

Mrs. Tezuka glanced at her son before smiling back and saying, “Hello. May I help you?”

“Um…I’m Riley Kuma.”

Kunimitsu stared at the girl with wide eyes. No…no way. A girl was staying with them? His mother’s eyes widened before she smiled. “Oh…forgive me.”

Riley smiled at Tezuka and held out her hand. “Nice to meet you,” she said in Japanese.

“Aa,” he replied. “Tezuka Kunimitsu desu.”

She gave a nod.












***

Tezuka could feel the heat from Riley’s glare. She was not happy with him and he knew it. She’d only been living with his family for a few weeks and already they were having silly fights. If this was what having a sibling was like, Tezuka was glad he was an only child. Apparently, he had thrown something of hers away, thinking it merely trash. It had, in fact, been something very precious that her father had given her before he had gone off to the army.

Of course he felt terrible after she had told him how much the gift had meant to her. But he’d rather bite his tongue than openly admit that. Riley wasn’t like his fangirls at school, which he was eternally grateful for. However, she also wasn’t like a normal girl that he was used to. She spoke her mind, was very smart (she had to be, to be on the abroad program), got along with all the tennis club members, and had a strange obsession with trying to steal his glasses. He wasn’t sure when this odd habit kicked in, but for some reason, she found it part of her job to find out what he looked like without his ever-present spectacles.

Tezuka wouldn’t admit it aloud, but he was wary of her. He had to keep his defenses up and live by his own saying by never letting his guard down. She would try and steal them when he was in the shower. That particular episode, he remembered, had been a lesson for him. It had been the third or fourth day of her arrival, and Riley had apparently been bored. So, to entertain herself, she had tried to take Tezuka’s glasses. As he had been enjoying a nice warm shower, he heard someone open the bathroom door and then close it. Confused, he had turned the water off and grabbed a towel. He had run a hand through his wet brown hair, and had reached for his glasses, only to find them covered in soap suds. He had blinked a few times, trying to comprehend what had happened. Someone had put soap on his glasses…so that he couldn’t wear them…because the soap would irritate his eyes. He had then frowned and proceeded to clean his glasses thoroughly before walking out of the bathroom while putting them. He could never forget the scowl on Riley’s face when he exited the bathroom wearing his soap-free glasses.

She had also attempted ‘Operation Steal Tezuka’s Glasses When He’s Sleeping.’ Usually, he would remove his glasses after he’d close his eyes and then place them on the nightstand by his bed. Riley had taken to sneaking into his room (which was disturbing, really) and had snatched his glasses. Her plan would have worked if he hadn’t let a rare smirk cross his lips and taken out a spare case of his prescribed glasses. Needless to say, Riley had been extremely disappointed the next morning to see him walking down the stairs wearing his glasses.

Tezuka also found it annoying that half the tennis team would pay attention to her instead of him at practices. He’d be giving orders, and the others would be watching Riley do whatever crazy stuff she was doing at the time. One time it was ‘Watch Riley Do the Splits’ day. Apparently, none of the team had ever watched the Seigaku gymnast squad, because they did the exact same things in their routines. When Eiji had appointed Riley the unofficial female captain for the boys’ tennis team (well, he had called her Tezuka’s soul mate), the normally calm and collected captain of Seigaku lost it. He’d ordered 100 laps for everyone, too angry to care that he was being severely unreasonable.

Inui had been scribbling away in his data book since Riley had arrived, mumbling “Ii data…” whenever Tezuka was around. It was irritating. And Fuji…good god, the tensai hadn’t stopped giving Tezuka a knowing smile whenever he was in the vicinity. The brunette was positive his friend would grow up to be a sadistic killer or something.

Now Tezuka found himself amidst Riley’s angry glare of doom. Deciding he better do something before she tried to burn a hole in him, he sighed and said, “If I take you somewhere, will you forgive me?”

She puffed out her cheeks, reminding him of a blowfish. “I dunno,” she replied coolly. “Would you forgive me if I threw away something your mom gave you before she went off to the army?”

Tezuka blinked and raised an eyebrow. “My mother isn’t in the army.”

“That’s not the point, Kunimitsu!”

She was the only one, aside from his family, to call him by his first name. Since she was living with the Tezukas, it would have been silly for her to call him just Tezuka all the time like everyone else. So, she addressed him like she would if he lived in America. No honorifics whatsoever. She said it made things easier. He sighed heavily. “I understand that you’re angry with me—”

“Damn straight.”

“—but I am willing to make it up to you by taking you somewhere. Will you come or not?”

“Ice cream better be involved.”

“Fine. If that’s what you want.”

“And I wanna play tennis.”

He stared at her. “Why?”

“Because it looks like fun. I was never interested in it much back home, but since I’ve come here, you and the tennis club have interested me.”

“I’ll find you a spare racket.”

So Tezuka found himself buying Riley some ice cream (mint-chocolate chip) and showing her to the public street tennis courts. Momoshiro and Echizen had mentioned the place a few times, saying that people from Fudoumine occasionally liked to hang there. He only hoped no one he knew would be there to see him with Riley. They would get the wrong impression.

Riley decided she wanted to play against him. Amused, he took his racket and prepared himself. Riley bounced the ball on the service line and threw it up into the air. He waited. Unfortunately, her hand-eye-coordination needed work as she swung after the ball hit the ground. He remained stone-faced but inside he was fighting a laugh. She was truly a rookie at the game if she couldn’t even hit her own serve.

“That wasn’t a real serve!” she called back, face flushed angrily. “Here I go for real now!” Once again, she missed the ball. Tezuka watched it roll passed her feet. There wasn’t much in the world that could make him crack a smile or even laugh, but Riley was getting there.

“Fault,” he mumbled, hiding his smirk well.

“Yeah, yeah,” she grumbled. She tossed the ball into the air again, this time actually making contact. However, the ball couldn’t make it over the net and landed on her side of the court.

“Double fault.”

“Do you have to do that?”

He shrugged. Just as Riley was about to serve the ball again, a drawling voice from behind him said, “Well, this is interesting, na Kabaji? Ore-sama decides to visit the public courts today and who should ore-sama see? Why, Tezuka of course.”

Please no, Tezuka pleaded in his mind. Anyone but him. Riley had stopped her serve to watch the two newcomers walking towards them. They appeared to know Tezuka. “Hello…Atobe,” the brunette grumbled.

“It is rare for ore-sama to see you at the public courts, Tezuka,” the Hyotei diva proclaimed. “And playing with a girl, no less. Is she your girlfriend?”

“No, she’s—”

But Atobe completely ignored him as he strolled over to Riley and took her hand. He placed a kiss on her palm. “Atobe Keigo, miss. And you?”

“Um…Riley Kuma. Nice to meet you.”

“An American? Aa~? Tezuka, you have an American girlfriend? But what on earth is she doing here?”

“I’m part of a student abroad program. I’m staying with the Tezukas.”

Atobe nodded. “I see. So that’s how your relationship began.”

“There is no relationship between us, Atobe,” Tezuka said coldly.

“But you are playing tennis together.”

“Yeah, but I suck,” Riley stated. “I just wanted to try playing once. Kunimitsu has probably had a good laugh at my expense though.”

“Tezuka? Laughing?” Atobe said with raised eyebrows. “Ore-sama can’t picture that. And surely you can’t be that bad.”

“I can’t even hit the ball when I serve it.”

Atobe face-faulted and slowly turned to face Tezuka. “Tezuka, your girlfriend leaves much to be desired.”

“Excuse me?” Riley snarled.

“She is NOT my girlfriend, Atobe.”

“But don’t worry, ore-sama is willing to teach her how to play tennis.”

“I don’t want any help from you. Kunimitsu, stop him!”

“I can’t.”

Eventually, Riley caved and let Atobe help her. She learned that he was captain of Seigaku’s rival school, Hyotei Gakuen, and on par with Tezuka in terms of skills. That statement alone had her intrigued. Tezuka watched them together and had to grit his teeth. He wasn’t angry, per se. Atobe was infuriating. How could Riley stand be being near him? However, when she went to serve a ball, she actually connected and the ball sailed over the net perfectly. He was impressed, though he tried to hide it.

“Well, Tezuka? Are you happy that ore-sama could help your girlfriend out?”

Riley answered for him. “I’m not his girlfriend, Atobe. But thank you for the lessons, they really helped. Maybe I’ll see you again?”

Both boys (Kabaji hadn’t said anything to begin with) just stared at her. Atobe smiled. “Ore-sama would be honored, Kuma-san.”

“Just call me Riley.”

Tezuka twitched. She was becoming too familiar with Atobe. He didn’t like it. It was bad enough she got along well with the Seigaku tennis club members, but now she was getting along with his rival? He packed his racket away and counted to ten in his head before walking over to Riley (who was still conversing with Atobe) and grabbing her hand to bring her home.

“Bye!” she called to the Hyotei diva, waving with her free hand. “Why were you so angry, Kunimitsu? Do you not like him or something?”

“He’s not one of my favorite people,” he answered.

“He doesn’t seem that bad.”

“Try spending all your free time with him. You’ll be begging to have a gun to your head.”

“That sounds a little exaggerated, Mitsu.” He cringed. He hated that nickname. His mother called him that all the time, and since Riley found his name too long or whatever, she decided to shorten it sometimes. It annoyed him. She was too friendly with him for comfort. It was no wonder Atobe thought they were dating.

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And that's all I have for that fic right now. Hopefully I'll get more inspiration for it. Anyway, bye for now peeps!



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