Hi guys! Thanks for all of your votes up till now! So when we last left off, Kasumi had won her match against Byodoin. However, after being kissed and confessed to by Kite, she blurted out her feelings as well. At that time, the coaches were planning something unexpected. Sounds complicated? Well, things will make sense as you read along. So here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it.....
There were people scattered everywhere in the building. Some were looking at the shops, others socialized, or they were just bored out of their minds as they waited. It was 4 in the morning, but the weather was beginning to warm up.
"Its really warm~" Kirihara whined as he fanned himself. He, and the middle and high school representative teams were sitting inside near the airport entrance. They all had suitcases and assorted things, piled next to them on carts.
"I can't believe we have to do this," Nio thought.
"But..." Shiraishi looked around, ".... why in Okinawa?"
"It must be nice to be back home," Fuji looked at Kite. He pushed his glasses up.
"I did miss my hometown," Kite replied, "and the weather is no different than yours."
"So where is our coach?"
"No that you mention it," Oishi implied, "I don't see Kasumi...."
"She might be with the head coach," Yukimura thought. Just then, they heard Tanegashima's voice in front. Walking through the doors, Tanegashima was with Kasumi, who wore regular t-shirt and shorts with sneakers.
"Can you please, shut up?" Kasumi sighed.
"Aw come on," Tanegashima whined, "I was really bored on the way here~"
"That's because you traveled by boat," she glared at him, "and I had to wait for you on the harbor for an hour."
"My bad~"
"Shut up!"
"Kasumi~" Fuji called her, getting her attention. She waved at him, but noticed Kite was behind him. Just one look, and she glanced the other way feeling flustered.
"Hey, princess," Byodoin groaned, "where the hell is your gramps?"
"He should be outside waiting for the bus to arrive."
"Kasumi-chan~" Tanegashima tackled her, "don't ignore me~" The others glared at him for being so touchy. Suddenly, Kasumi was being hoisted off the ground. Ochi held her up by her arms, and she was above everyone else.
"T-thank you, Ochi-senpai," she smiled at him as he nodded. Ochi gently put her down. At that moment, Mifune came towards them.
"Looks like everyone is here," he said, "listen up....you all know why you're here, so be prepared for what I have in store. Let's get going." He led them outside, where a bus was parked in front of the drop off. Employees were loading their luggage in the compartments as the members went on board.
After a while, the bus drove down the street. Mifune was in the front while the others were behind him. As for Kasumi, luck had it that she would be stuck next to Kite. It was a whole ten minutes, and the atmosphere around them was a bit awkward. Kite glanced at Kasumi, who was leaning her hand on her chin as she looked at the passing cars. He sighed to himself. In truth, both of them knew that they can't take back what they said. Kite closed his eyes, as if trying to fall asleep. Suddenly, the bus rattled when they hit a bump on the road. It caused him to lean on Kasumi's side, and Kasumi put her hands on his arm to support him. Unintentionally, they both locked eyes with each other. It only took one second for Kasumi to feel flustered, and then sit right back up.
"Sorry..." Kite apologized.
"N-no, its okay," Kasumi sweat dropped. Kite sighed as he pushed his glasses up.
"W-why are you so tense...?"
"!" Kite looked at Kasumi. She stared back, an embarrassed expression as she blushed.
"Its your fault things got weird," she whispered. Kite sweat dropped.
"Hey....were you serious," she asked out of the blue, "back at the camp.... did you really...." her eyes looked down, a bit of sadness in her expression.
"Of course...." he reached out and pushed back a strand of her hair, brushing her cheek.
"I meant every word of it. Like I said.... don't compare me with the others."
"....." Kasumi couldn't help but blush, glancing at Kite as he smiled.
"Heh~~?"
"??" The both turned to see Fuji, who was sitting across them. He had an amusing smile while he cupped his hand under his chin.
"What are you two talking about?" His voice sounded curious and yet mischievous at the same time.
"I-it's nothing!"
'Did I just stutter?' her mind was rambling on with thoughts. She sweat dropped as Fuji kept staring at them.
Soon enough, they were headed away from the city, to a more remote area by the beach, next to the mountains. The bus stopped in front of a mansion, well, more like a huge beach house. Two guards were standing by the front door. As everyone exited the bus, they marveled at the building.
"A-Amazing," Kirihara had wide eyes, "this is where we're staying!?"
"Its like winning the lottery or something," Danji mumbled.
"Is this one of the camp's private property?"
"Hm..? Oh, no," Kasumi smiled, "this is my house."
"Eh?" Everyone looked at her, and then at the house.
"Eeehh~!?" Some exclaimed as they pointed at the building.
"This whole damn thing is your home!?" Akustu exclaimed.
"Not bad princess," Byodoin smirked, "didn't think your family was rich."
"I'm not," she rolled her eyes, "all that hard work playing tennis pays off."
"As expected of our girl," Mori came up and patted her head, "not only is she cute, but she's athletic than most girls." Kasumi awkwardly laughed.
"Welcome everyone," a man appeared from the front doors. He had glasses, a rugged beard, short black hair and light brown skin. Two men and women each stood next to him.
"I was expecting you," he said with a smile, "my name is Kuma Takashi; the caretaker of the Kasumi residence. Its nice to meet you."
"Kuma-sensei," Kasumi waved at him.
"Oh, Haruka!"
"I thought it was y--" Suddenly she was being crushed by Kuma's bear hug.
"You're still cute as ever!"
"W-wait sensei! My arm--my arm~!"
"Huh?" He looked down, and saw her right arm bandaged up. She heard him click his tongue, and took step back to see the boys.
"You reckless bastards," Kuma gave a sadistic smile as he glared at them, "I turn my back for once, and I see Haruka has a new scar! All of you line up so I can kick your asses and sniff out the wimps!!" He pulled up the sleeve of his shirt. Kirihara, Marui and Kintaro were shaking in fear, and the others flinched.
"Will you stop scaring them," she sighed in annoyance, "its my fault I got this."
"Geez....if you say so," Kuma looked at her and blinked. Kasumi tilted her head.
"You look like you've grown quite a bit."
"Huh? But I'm still the same height."
"No, I wouldn't say your height," Kuma pointed at her, "but your bust size is impressive."
WHACK!!
"GYAH!!" Kuma was sent flying by Kasumi's high kick. He crashed onto the floor, showing a goofy expression as his glasses were crooked. The boys had flushed faces, but not as bright as Kasumi's.
"Bwuaaahhahah! That was some show kiddo!" Mifune gave a hearty laugh. Kasumi huffed as she turned around.
"Come on," she ordered, "I'll show you around the house." The boys passed the fallen Kuma and into the house.
Everyone followed Kasumi as she guided them. On the first floor, it had the living room combined with the open kitchen, a patio/balcony view of the beach. The backyard was fashioned into a Japanese garden, including cherry blossom trees. The second and third floor were the rooms, which everyone got acquainted with later. Kasumi was on the third floor, and she had the biggest room at the end of the hallway. After a few hours, it was 8 in the morning as the sun began to shine in the sky. The boys were wearing casual clothes as they gathered in the main floor, having a conversation.
"So were going in groups?"
"Yeah. Kite-san said he would show us around."
"Sounds good."
"We can stop for lunch later on."
"Are you planning ahead?" Kuma walked in.
"Don't worry," he reassured them, "I know its unexpected, but you have two days until then."
"Still, we just want this to be perfect," Oishi said.
"It will," Kuma implied, "since you've brought it up, here's a list of things you should get." He gave him a piece of paper.
"Just be back so we can discuss some of.... wuaahh~!!" Kuma screamed over their heads. Standing right behind them was Kasumi. She let her hair down, wearing a purple spaghetti strap tank-top, with jean shorts and ankle boots. She was carrying her tennis bag along with other essentials.
"? What...?" Kasumi raised her eyebrow at him.
"What do you think you're doing!? You can't go out like that!"
"Its just normal clothes, and its hot outside. Besides," Kasumi was walking pass them, "you don't see my grandpa acting like you."
"Hey, where are you going!?"
"I have a meeting with some friends."
"You're not going alone! You boys! Stay with her at all times!"
"Eh?" Some of them unison.
"But I have to be there in two hours," she protested.
"That's enough time! Now everyone go! Shoo!"
SLAM!!
Kuma pushed her and a few of the boys out of the house. They sweat dropped a little.
"Geez....that guy...."
BARK!
"Ah..." they looked to see a big white dog behind them. Kasumi lit up as she went to hug the dog.
"Shiro~ I missed you so much," she cooed as the big dog wagged its tail.
"Is this your dog?" Fuji asked.
"Yeah," she smiled, "I rescued him when he was a puppy. He was in a cardboard box when I found him, and he's been with me ever since. Oh wow, I think you've grown a bit more the last time."
"Bark!" Shiro smiled, licking her cheek as Kasumi giggled. Just then, Shiro went and hoisted Kasumi up, her landing on his back as he stood on all four paws. The boys were a bit stunned at the scene.
"Shiro likes to give me rides on his back, ever since I was little. He's what you call a mellow and caring animal. He doesn't mind having cats around him either." Kirihara boldly petted him, and Shiro whined happily. Kasumi got off of Shiro and faced him. Kasumi glanced up and saw Ochi, who was a little tense at seeing the big white dog. When Shiro turned to see the tall boy, he flinched, and Kasumi remembered that he wasn't good with dogs.
"You be good now while I'm gone," she pets Shiro's head, "I'll tell them you said hi." Shiro barked as he watched his owner leaved with the boys.
After a while, they went to town. She was with Kite, Atobe, Ochi, Kirihara, Ikuto, Fuji, Oni, and Tokugawa.
"Senpai," Kirihara looked at her, "are you sure its okay?"
"Its fine," she smiled, "if you're shopping for supplies, then I don't mind waiting a bit."
"We'll make sure to be quick as possible," Ikuto implied.
"You and Kite know more about Okinawa," Fuji stated, "so where should we shop first?"
"Well, there is a mall nearby," Kasumi looked at Kite, who smiled.
>>>>>>>>>>>Fast Forward>>>>>>>>>>>>
They mostly shopped for household goods. The group decided to browse around, looking through the windows of every shop. When Kasumi couldn't see, Ochi would lift her up, though it was embarrassing when people stared. She didn't mind when Tokugawa brought her to a shop that sold snowboards, she knew how much he liked the sport. Most of the time she would catch Oni being surrounded by little kids, while the mothers would giggle or apologize for their children's behavior.
"Kasumi-senpai," Kirihara called her. He was standing at a booth with accessories. The second year showed her a silver necklace with a purple gemstone.
"Its so pretty," she smiled.
"You should get this," Kirihara thought.
"Maybe another time."
"Hey you two," Fuji called them, "we're leaving now."
"Okay~" Kasumi went ahead. As she did, she noticed Atobe walking towards them.
"Oh, hey Atobe.....eh...?" Everyone sweat dropped when they saw a platform cart with gift boxes and bags, rolled by an employee.
"What is that?" Kasumi asked. Adobe smirked as he flipped his hair.
"Even though we're on special training," he stated, "they never said we couldn't enjoy ourselves while we're here."
"I...I see...." she awkwardly smiled; no doubt Atobe bought them with his credit cards. When they left the building, Fuji checked his phone.
"We still have some time," he said, "why don't we head back and eat."
"You guys go on ahead," Kasumi walked ahead, "I have to get going."
"Alright," Oni nodded, "but be careful."
"I will. See ya," she waved and then walked the other way.
"I wonder where senpai is going," Kirihara wondered.
"Going to see her friends," Kite reminded him, "they may be near our neighborhood. Its not too far from her house." The boys called Kuma to picked them up and load up the items.
>>>>>>>>>>>>Fast Forward>>>>>>>>>>>
Somewhere in the neighborhood, Kasumi was standing in front of a house. She rang the doorbell, and then waited.
"Coming~!" a voice shouted. She could hear their feet running towards the door. A small boy with short-brown hair, wearing a white tank-top and baize shorts appeared. He looked at Kasumi with a wide smile.
"One-san!" He hugged her waist as Kasumi patted his head.
"Hello Tobe," she waved. Suddenly two more boys came running towards her.
"One-san!"
"One-san is here!"
"Kenta, Kiba....all of you are so big now," she smiled as she hugged all three of them. Peeking from inside, a woman showed up.
"Oh hello Haruka. Its been years since I've seen you. Look how pretty you are..."
"Hello Mrs. Yamaguchi," she waved, "I hope they weren't waiting too long."
"I don't think it would matter either way," the woman giggled, "my sons woke up so early after you agreed to give them lessons. They were so anxious they kept looking at the clock every few minutes."
"Ahahaha! So they were that excited..." they smiled. Mrs. Yamaguchi then saw her bandaged arm.
"Oh my," she gasped slightly, "what happened to you? That doesn't look good."
"Oh, I'm fine," Kasumi reassured, "its only for a few days.... I can't use this arm for a while."
"One-san, can we go now?" Kibe, who had a shaved head, was asking her anxiously.
"Can we?" Kenta had black, spiky hair, and wearing a blue tank-top with black shorts.
"Come on you three," Mrs. Yamaguchi called them, "if you want to leave, you need to get your gear first."
"We already did," Tobe pointed at the three tennis bags lying on the doorway.
"Alright then," Kasumi stood up, "we should get going now."
"I packed lunch for them. I even made one for you." the woman gave Kasumi four bento boxes.
"We'll be back later."
"Take care of them," Mrs. Yamaguchi waved as the boys followed Kasumi. They walked about three blocks away. Kasumi led them to a nearby tennis court, one that anyone rarely uses. They settle their stuff on the bench. Kiba looked over his shoulder to see Kasumi. She was unraveling her bandages to replace it with new ones.
"Hey, One-san," Kiba walked up.
"What's wrong, Kiba?"
"..... Does it hurt?" He looked at her stitches. The other boys took a closer look.
"Woah....that looks like it hurts," Tobe thought.
"How did you get it?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you," she sighed with a smile. She started wrapping the new bandages around it.
"Can you still play?" Tobe asked. Kasumi grabbed her racquet with her left hand.
"I can, but only with this arm. So...who wants to go first?"
"Me! I want to go!"
"No, let me go first!"
"No fair! I wanna play!"
"Hold on," she giggled, "I'll be the one to pick. Hmm~.... Kenta. You go first." Kiba and Tobe whined as Kenta happily ran to the other side of the court.
"Yosh~ I'm ready for this!" Kenta fist pumped in the air.
"Okay then, get ready," Kasumi bounced the tennis ball while Kenta readied himself. With just one swing, the lesson was beginning.
Meanwhile, back at the beach house, Mifune was watching his teams doing drills in the sand. Some were running as they pulled tires, others were swinging their racquets or carrying weights on their backs. Suddenly, the phone next to him rang. He picked it up and spoke into the line.
"Yeah?"
"Mifune."
"Oh, Kuma. Did you find anything?"
"Not yet," Kuma was in the city with security guards looking around, "but your intel wasn't wrong. It seems that he's been hiding here all this time."
"I see," Mifune grunted as he laid back in the lounge chair.
"The folks say they don't know where he lives. We'll keep looking and report back. I already told Kurobe about the information."
"Alright then," Mifune drank form his sake, "see that you do everything you can."
"Yes sir." they hung up after that. Mifune scratched his head. He looked at the round table next to him and grabbed the envelope. He pulled out some files, but made a questioning sound when he saw that something was missing. At that moment, Kasumi was sitting down on the bench as she watched the boys play. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a picture. It was a photo of a man. He seemed to be in his late-twenties, dirty-blonde hair, green eyes, and a long scar on his right cheek. She flipped the photo to the back and read the words.
'Kyoshiro Michael..... this photo was taken years ago,' she thought. She had a worried expression.
"Why grandpa? Is he really responsible for this?" Kausmi closed her eyes.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>Flashback>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"Grrr~! Dammit I lost!" Kyoshiro was fuming as Kasumi's dad was giving a smug, toothy grin. They were playing in the tennis courts, while Mrs. Kasumi and the 6-year-old Haruka were watching them.
"Yay! Daddy won!"
"Yes he did," Mrs. Kasumi smiled at Haruka.
"Che~ how come you don't cheer me on, Haruka?" Kyoshiro gave a fake pout.
"Cause she knows who is the best, Michael," Mr. Kasumi puffed his chest out, "and cause' I'm her dad."
"What's that," Kyoshiro grinned, "but you lost the last two games we had."
"Shut up," they both started a friendly fight.
"Now now," Mrs. Kasumi laughed, "you can both gloat about your skills later." Haruka jumped on Kyoshiro from behind. The blonde laughed as he gave her a piggy-back.
"Michael, can I play this time?"
"Hahaha, of course. Your uncle Michael will show you what real tennis is."
"Hey, don't fill my daughter with your ego," Mr. Kasumi joked, "I don't want her having a big head like yours."
"Ah! Daddy is jealous!"
"That's it! He is jealous!" Haruka and Kyoshiro pointed childishly at Mr. Kasumi. They all laughed as they enjoyed their day. It was one of the fond memories she had of them.
>>>>>>>>>>>End of Flashback>>>>>>>>>>>
Kasumi sighed. Kyoshiro was half-Japanese and half-American. He represented as one of America's top tennis players, an all rounder. He and her father were destined rivals, but no matter what, they have remained friends ever since. Kasumi knew Kyoshiro. Despite being stubborn and frustrated at times, he was a good man. However, to think that her adopted grandfather would blame him for what happened that day.... it sounded impossible. No. Kasumi knew deep inside that it couldn't be. She knew from the beginning that the trip to Okinawa was more than just a training session. She pinched the end of the photo, thinking of only one thing; Kasumi needed to find answers. Just before she could drift off into space, a hand tapped on her shoulder. She turned to see Tobe, who had a worried expression.
"One-san, are you okay?"
"Eh?" she blinked.
"Is it your arm? Does it hurt? We can stop and eat lunch if you're tired." Kasumi sighed with a smile. She admired how mature Tobe was acting. He was always like that, being the oldest out of his brothers.
"Alright," she snuck the photo back in her pocket, "I'm starting to get hungry. So let's eat." She took out the bentos as the boys gathered by the bench.
>>>>>>>>>>Fast Forward>>>>>>>>>>
The representatives had just finished their training. They all gathered in the living room to eat lunch, sitting in the lounge chairs, the floor, or out on the patio. Sitting at the table, most of the middle schoolers were chatting away.
Ring~
"....?" Kite heard his phone go off. He pulled it out and saw a text message.
I'm at the local tennis court in our neighborhood. Do you have time to swing by here?
"Is something up?" Fuji asked. He was sitting next to Kite.
"Ah, its just Kasumi. She wants to meet up at the tennis court."
"I didn't know you had her number,"Shiraishi said out loud.
"Ho~? This is news to me," Atobe smirked, which annoyed Kite. The spectacle boy put his fork down and stood up with his plate.
"I'm going out," Kite gave his plate to one of the helpers. They watched him open and then close the front door. Fuji gave hummed in amusement.
"Shiraishi," Kintaro looked at him, "where is he going?"
"He's meeting Kasumi at a tennis court."
"Heh!? Really!? I wanna go!" He happily smiled.
"You can't," Shiraishi waved his finger, "you weren't invited. We shouldn't bother them."
"Hmm~....oh, I get it," Kintaro shouted with a smile, "so nee-chan and Kite are on a date!"
SPURT---!!
They heard Kirihara spit water from his mouth, which cause an angry Sanada to be drenched on his face. It made Yukimura chuckle. Everyone stared in shock at the red head first year. Oni was coughing harshly as Irie pat his back, Tokugawa felt his eye twitch, even Byodoin was feeling annoyed by that outburst.
"Well, I'm done," Fuji stood up, along with Shiraishi.
"Me too."
"Hey hey, Shiraishi.... let's go see nee-chan," Kintaro insisted. Shiraishi looked at Fuji, who just chuckled.
"I don't see why not," Yukimura joined them, "it would be nice to have a walk."
"Hah....I guess so," Shiraishi awkwardly smiled.
>>>>>>>>>>>Fast Forward>>>>>>>>>>>
"Kasumi."
"Huh?" A voice called her. Kasumi turned to see Kite standing by the fence gate. She smiled as she walked towards him.
"I hope it wasn't a long walk."
"I grew up in this neighborhood," he implied, "don't think I can't find my way here." Kite glanced at the boys, who stared at him curiously.
"So these are the 'friends' you were talking about."
"Whenever I visit home, I volunteer to give tennis lessons to the younger children in this neighborhood. Think of it as a thank you for all the support they gave me when I was away."
"I see..." He saw Kiba approach him.
"Who are you?" Kiba asked.
"Kibe, this is Kite Eishiroh," she gestured her hand towards him, "he's the captain of the Higa Chuu tennis team."
"Ah, that Higa Chuu! The one that made it to the semi-finals."
"Is that true?" Tobe and Kenta were swarming around Kite. The three small boys were blurting out all kinds of questions, and Kasumi was giggling on the side. She wondered what it was like if Kite had to deal with kids. The boys pestered Kite to playing a match against him, which Kite gladly accepted. A few cheers here and there went on while Kasumi kept score. After a while, things quieted down. The boys were sleeping on the bench, while Kasumi and Kite gathered their belongings.
"I was hoping you could help me carry them home," she whispered.
"Sure thing," he agreed. They gathered their stuff; Kite carried Kiba and Kenta, while Kasumi had Tobe. The sun was still out, giving a yellowish-orange look. They were passing the homes as they walked together, not saying a word. However, Kite couldn't help but see the expression Kasumi was giving.
"You seem worried," he said, getting her attention, "is something wrong?"
"Eh...? Ah, no.... I'm just thinking...." She glanced at him, and he gave a 'don't lie to me' look.
"Oh, we're here...." They stood in from top the house. They saw Mrs. Yamaguchi open the front door. She smiled as the middle schoolers walked towards her.
"Hello there," she waved, "I see my sons are quite exhausted."
"Yeah. They had fun though."
"Oh, is that Haruka?" A man with black spiky hair came out.
"Hi Mr. Yamaguchi."
"I can take them," he grabbed Kiba and Kenta from Kite, as Kasumi gave Tobe to the woman.
"And who might you be?" Mr. Yamaguchi asked Kite.
"He's Kite Eishiroh," Kasumi pointed at him, "he's....um...." for some reason, she was hesitating to continue. Kite sighed, and then put a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm Kasumi's boyfriend."
"!!" Kausmi whipped her head to see him. Her mouth was open, but nothing came out.
"Boyfriend!? Oh Haruka, why didn't you tell us you had a boyfriend?" Mrs. Yamaguchi had her hands together, as she and her husband smiled.
"Ah....um..." Kasumi was as red as a tomato.
"And he's such a handsome boy," Mrs. Yamaguchi thought.
"Good for you," Mr. Yamaguchi gave a thumbs up to Kite, "you seem like a good kid. Take care of her."
"I will, sir," he bowed to him.
"Well, we should head inside. Have a good evening you two..." Before they could walk away, Kasumi snapped out of it.
"O-oh! Wait!" Kasumi pulled out the photo, "um....have you seen this man?" The woman and her husband looked at the picture.
"This is an early picture, so he may be a bit older right now."
"Hmm....yes, we do see him sometimes," Mr. Yamaguchi responded, "we often see him near the beach, taking a stroll."
"I see..."
"Do you know him?"
"Um....yeah. I haven't seen him in years." she put the photo back.
"Well, you can be sure that he's here."
"Oh, okay..."
"Anyway, we should head inside."
"Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Yamaguchi." She watched them enter their house, and then walked away.
"Who was that?"
"Huh?"
"The picture," he implied, "you said you know him."
"Oh....yeah," she nodded, looking in front of her.
".... Are you trying to find him?" Kite asked. He saw her shoulders look tense. Suddenly, Kasumi stopped in her tracks. Kite felt a bit concerned, seeing the face she was giving.
".... Well....," she began, "....Kite-san.....um...."
".....?"
"If....if you don't mind.....I need your help."
"Are you talking about....the man in that picture?"
"Yes," she clenched her hands together, "he was like family to me. I never heard from him in a long time. When I heard he was living here...."
"Is there something going on?"
".... ...."
".... Kasumi," Kite walked closer to her, "please tell me. Why do you need to see this man?" For a while, she said nothing. She could only stare back at Kite, who gave a worried expression.
"Kite--"
"Ah! We found them!" Kite and Kasumi turned to see a few of their friends.
"Guys?" Kasumi questioned.
"Hey nee-chan," Kintaro waved his arms.
"Why are you here?"
"We came to see you," Shiraishi implied.
"Have you already finished?" Yukimura asked.
"Yes," Kasumi replied, "we were on our way back."
"I see," Irie smiled, "I guess we missed some things."
"What are you talking about?" Kasumi and Kite sweat dropped at them.
"Well, why don't we head back."
"Eh~ I wanted to play tennis." Kintaro pouted.
"Don't," Shiraishi told him, "we need to head back so we can eat dinner." They all walked together before the sun went down.
When it was night, almost everyone was settling down. Some had left to sleep in early, while others were minding their own business. Kasumi was alone, sitting on a bench in the garden as she looked at the cherry blossoms. The petals fell on the surface of the big pond, the fish swimming by. Kasumi sighed to herself; she was still thinking about what happened earlier. She pulled out the photo again, looking at the blonde man. Somehow she felt curious, but also concerned about Kyoshiro's whereabouts. She was so absorbed in her thoughts, she didn't see the person walking up to her.
"So this is where you are." Kasumi looked up and saw Kite. He set himself next to her. Kasumi somehow ended up staring at him. Kite turned to see her.
"Are you feeling okay?"
"Eh?" This question there her off.
"You were awfully quiet during dinner," he stated, "some of the guys are wondering if you're sick or something...."
"Oh...really?" she stared in front. Kite glanced down.
"That man must have been important to you," Kite implied. Kausmi looked down at the photo. For a while, they said nothing. The silence was overshadowing everything else. Just then, Kasumi felt a hand touch the top of her hair. Kite let his hand sit there, gently rubbing her head in comfort.
"We still didn't finish our conversation," he looked at her, "I need to know about this. Tell me." Kasumi could hear his voice sounding concerned, yet demanding a straight answer.
"I... Kite...." she clinched her hands, "I'm worried..... I don't know who to turn to...."
"What do you mean?" He watched her look around and up. Kasumi sighed in relief.
"Grandpa....," she mumbled, "all this time..... he thinks Kyoshiro did it...."
"What are you saying? Calm down," he leaned towards her. Just before he could say anything else, Kasumi couldn't hold back anymore.
"He blames him for killing my parents."
"!?" Kite's eyes widened, staring at the small girl.
"I was too young back then to notice anything," she whispered, "but somehow.... when I found this picture.... my grandpa believes he's the one responsible for this. He doesn't know that I know about this....how could I say anything? I just can't believe Michael is the one who killed them. That's why....I have to find him before Mifune does....but I.... I can't do this alone...." Kasumi put her head on his chest.
"Please," she begged, "I know that I'm asking a lot, but.... I need someone I can trust to help me. You're the only person I could think of.... please Kite..... I have to know the truth. Otherwise.... I will never forgive myself if anything happens...."
".... Kasumi...." Kite hesitated at first, but slowly put his hands on her shoulders. He gently pushed her back to see her face.
"Don't worry," he reassured, "if you need my help, I'll be glad to do so. You said he was like family, so I'm sure he's important to you."
"So.... you'll help me find him?"
"Of course," he smiled, "and I'm sure you want this to be kept in secrecy. So I won't tell anyone." Kasumi gave a small smile.
"It won't be easy," she implied, "I'm sure some of them will catch on eventually. Byodoin and Oni might already be aware of it...."
"You're forgetting one thing," he adjusted his glasses, "this is our home, so we know this place better than anyone. In my opinion, we have a 50-50 percent chance of finding this man before they do."
"You sound confident" Kausmi sweat dropped, "but I guess you're right. Thank you, Kite-san. This means a lot...." Kite sighed, but gave a small smile when seeing her go back to her normal self. In his mind, he was more curious to know about this Kyoshiro man and how he was involved in Kasumi's family problem. The more he thought about it, the more Kite realized he needed to help her. Whether good or bad, it was better to hear from the person themselves to find the real truth behind a story.
That's the end of this chapter! The deal is set, and both Kasumi and Kite start their own secret investigation. But will they succeed ?
The next part will be on its way.....