AN: Well here it is, the final chapter. I've gone back and made some minor changes to the first couple of chapters, namely changing where I had Japanese in the dialogue to English so it flows a lot better now. Standard disclaimer applies. Kiyokawa is mine, everything else isn't.
IMPORTANT TERM: "Yakusoku da yo" Not only is it the title of this story, but it's also Japanese for "It's a promise."
The days following the match were hard on Kiyo, mainly because she had never walked on crutches before. The doctors wrapped her ankle in an air cast and had told her it wasn't a serious sprain and that she should be off the crutches in a week or two. Unfortunately, it also meant no kendo for her. She had been excused from practice till her ankle healed, which allowed her to spend more time watching the boys' tennis practice rather than catching the tail end of it each day as she waited for Tezuka and Kikumaru.
The Friday following the tournament, while she watched the boys pick up their things, signaling the end of practice, she heard a familiar voice call out to her. "Kiyo-chaaaaaan!" Kikumaru yelled, bounding over to her. "We have a team meeting after practice today so Tezuka and I will be a little late. If you don't want to wait for us it's okay."
Kiyo shook her head. "It's fine. I'll wait for you guys."
Kikumaru's eyes widened. "Okay! We'll meet you at the gate then."
Kiyo nodded and watched her friend join the rest of his teammates. Gathering up her things, she hobbled toward the gate and sat on a nearby bench. After about fifteen minutes of waiting, she heard someone approach her. "Yo. Kiyokawa."
She recognized that voice immediately. Gritting her teeth, she looked up from the magazine she was reading and into the eyes of none other than Atobe. "What do you want?" She spat.
Atobe feigned looking hurt and sat next to the girl. "Only to offer my apologies to you dear Kiyo. It was never my intention for you to wind up like this. You poor thing, allow me to give you a ride home. It's the least I can do."
"The only one you need to be apologizing to is Tezuka-san. Besides, I'm waiting for someone." She replied bluntly.
"Oh? Pity. Then would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the opera this weekend? I have my own private box and it would give us a chance to be alone. What do you say?" He purred.
"We already have plans."
Kiyo and Atobe both turned and met the stoic gaze of Tezuka, Kikumaru in tow. Kiyo stared incredulously at Tezuka, clueless as to what he was referring to. He gave her a knowing glance and she knew she was to play along.
Atobe smirked. "Tezuka." He stated simply. "Do my ears deceive me or did you just say you were taking my dear sweet Kiyo-chan on a date this weekend?"
"That's exactly what you heard." Kiyo chimed in. "And I am NOT yours."
Atobe's smirk grew wider. "That's too bad." He cooed, running his fingers gently over her cheek. "We would have been so perfect together."
Before Kiyo could react, a strong hand grabbed Atobe's collar and yanked him into a standing position. "Enough." Tezuka said.
Atobe slapped Tezuka's hand away, a scowl forming on his face. "Tch. Kabaji, we're leaving."
"Usu."
Kiyo, Tezuka, and Kikumaru watched the two of them head down the sidewalk when Atobe stopped and faced the trio. "Oh, by the way Tezuka how's the shoulder?"
Tezuka glared at the boy. "Kiyokawa, let's go." He turned to her, offering her his hand to help her up.
"I have your bag Kiyo-chan." Kikumaru said.
"Okay." Kiyo replied, hitching the crutches under her arms. She looked up to see if Atobe was still there but he had gone. "I'm ready, let's go."
Tezuka nodded and the trio set off for home.
Kiyo and Tezuka stopped in front of her house, having said bye to Kikumaru a few blocks prior. "Hey, thanks for getting rid of Atobe back there. He really doesn't know how to take a hint." Kiyo said.
"Atobe is persistent. He will not stop until he gets what he wants, as you have seen." Tezuka replied.
Kiyo nodded. "Yeah, you're right, but I'm one thing he won't be getting. Well, I should be getting inside. I'll see you on Monday Tezuka-san." She said, starting up the path to her house.
"Kiyokawa, your bag."
"Oh, right. My fault." She replied, taking her bag from Tezuka's hand, a slight flush creeping into her cheeks as her hand brushed against his. "Thanks."
"What are you doing tomorrow?" Tezuka asked abruptly.
Kiyo's mouth fell open. "N-nothing. I don't have any plans."
Tezuka inwardly heaved a sigh of relief. "There's a new movie coming out tomorrow. Would you like to go see it?"
Kiyo couldn't believe what she had just heard. Had Tezuka just asked her out on a date? "Of course." She managed to spit out, after staring at him dumbfounded for a few seconds.
"Tomorrow at 1:00 in front of the station?" He asked.
"Works for me." She smiled.
Tezuka nodded, turning to leave. "Tomorrow then."
"Yep. See you tomorrow." Kiyo replied, heading inside, a huge grin plastered on her face.
Tezuka watched her go inside, a slight smile playing on the corners of his lips and turned and headed toward his house.
Kiyo had trouble sleeping that night; her brain reeling with thoughts of what was going to happen tomorrow. "What should I wear? What if I make an idiot out of myself? What if I say something stupid? What if I offend him? Why can't I be off these damn crutches?" She thought, rolling over in her bed. "I know I should just be myself, but this isn't walking home from school, it's an actual date." Sighing, she rolled over once more and eventually fell asleep.
Morning came all too quick as Kiyo smacked the snooze button on her alarm. Hobbling out of bed, she showered and stood in front of her closet. After deciding on her favorite skirt and a cute t-shirt, she put on a touch of makeup, did her hair and headed to the station.
Tezuka stood as she neared him, meeting her halfway. "Hey." She greeted. "I'm not late am I? I'm kind of slow with these things." She said, indicating her crutches.
Tezuka shook his head. "Not at all. I was early. Ready to go?"
Kiyo nodded and the two set off for the theatre.
"Aww he was so sweet to her." Kiyo commented after the movie let out. "A little clumsy and awkward, but sweet nonetheless."
"Yeah." Tezuka agreed, happy to see Kiyo enjoying herself. "Would you like to get some lunch?"
As if on cue, Kiyo's stomach let out a growl. "I'd love to." She laughed. "What do you want to… oh!" She yelped, feeling someone bump into her from behind, pitching her forward into Tezuka as her crutches clattered unceremoniously to the cement.
"Sorry!" A kid said, taking off after his friends.
"You should watch where you're going." Tezuka said to the boy. "Are you okay?" He turned to Kiyo, who was leaning on his chest to keep her balance.
"I'm fine." She replied, her face flushing even hotter as she stepped back from Tezuka. "Sorry about that."
Tezuka shook his head. "It's alright. Here." He said, picking up her crutches for her. "Ready for lunch?"
"Yeah, let's go." She replied, the two of them heading down the street.
"That was really good curry." Kiyo remarked.
Tezuka smirked. "Glad you liked it. So, how's your ankle doing?"
"It's feeling a lot better. I should be off the crutches by the end of next week. Then hopefully I should be able to go back to kendo practice. I'm getting tired of sitting out. How's your shoulder?"
"It's about as well as it's going to get right now. It will be awhile before I'm able to use it for tennis again."
"Do you know how long that will be?"
"A few months at least. I've been looking into some rehab programs and I was recommended a program in Germany that specializes in tennis related injuries."
Kiyo coughed as she took a sip of her drink; unable to hide her surprise. "G-Germany? But that's so far. What about the team?"
"They'll be fine under Oishi's command. They're more than capable of performing without me."
"Hmm I suppose you're right. Well, you still have some time to decide right?"
Tezuka nodded. "I have a few more weeks to make my decision."
Kiyo smiled. "I'm glad." She glanced out the window of the small restaurant. "There's still some daylight left, do you want to go for a walk? There's a park about a block from here."
"Are you sure your ankle will be okay?" He asked.
Kiyo nodded. "I'll be fine."
"Well in that case, of course." He replied, standing up and offering his hand to her.
The first stars were beginning to appear in the sky when Tezuka and Kiyo stood outside her house. "Thank you for everything today. I had a great time. Thanks for walking me all the way home too. You didn't have to do that."
Tezuka stepped closer to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I've told you, it's on the way. Besides, it's dangerous for a girl to be walking around alone this time of night. If anything were to happen to you I…"
Kiyo's face flushed for the second time that day as she looked up. "Tezuka-san?"
He stepped back. "Sorry, it's nothing. I'm glad you had a good time today. I was afraid you weren't going to. I had a great time too." He smiled. "Well, I'll see you in school. Good night Kiyokawa."
"Good night Tezuka-san." She replied, heading inside, unable to stop smiling.
Kiyokawa beamed as she watched his retreating form from her bedroom window. "So he was nervous too." She thought. "I'm glad I wasn't the only one, but please. Let him stay here."
The following weeks were fairly uneventful, save for the teasing she received from Kikumaru once he found out about her date with Tezuka. Kiyo's ankle had healed and she was able to return to the kendo club. She sat outside the tennis courts one Friday afternoon when Kikumaru came bounding up to her, hugging her from behind. "Kiyo-chaaaaaaan!"
"Eiji-kun you're all sweaty!" She protested, laughing a little.
Kikumaru let go, pretending to be hurt. "Tezuka said he'd be a few minutes late. He's talking with Ryuzaki-sensei about Germa..." He clamped his hand over his mouth, looking everywhere but at Kiyokawa.
"Germany?" She asked. "So, he is going then." It was hard to hide the disappointment in her voice.
"You knew?" Kikumaru replied.
"Well, he mentioned it was a possibility but I...I never knew he decided to go." She bit her lower lip, tears springing to the corners of her eyes.
A look of concern crossed Kikumaru's face. "Kiyo-chan, are you okay?"
She forced a smile. "I'm fine. My allergies must be acting up or something. I'm okay, really." She knew Kikumaru didn't believe her, but it was hard for her to admit just how upsetting the news was to her. "Here comes Tezuka-san."
The captain greeted the pair and the three of them set off for home, concern set in Kikumaru's expression.
After bidding Kikumaru goodbye for the day, Kiyokawa stopped just short of her house and looked at Tezuka. "Is it true?" She asked. "Are you really going to Germany?"
Tezuka sighed. "Yes, it is. I was going to tell you, but it seems someone beat me to it."
Kiyo stared at the cement. "When…when are you leaving?"
"Two weeks from tomorrow. I don't know when I'll be back."
Kiyokawa couldn't hold back her tears this time as two wet spots appeared on the ground at her feet. "I see." She said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Well, I have a lot of homework to do. I'll see you later Tezuka-san." She pushed past him and headed inside much quicker than usual; flinging herself on her bed and sobbing into her pillow.
Tezuka stared with confusion at Kiyokawa's house, not fully understanding why the news made her so upset. It pained him to see her like that, even more so knowing that he had been the cause of it. Sighing dejectedly, he turned to leave when a familiar voice stopped him. "Oh, Tezuka. Was that Kiyo-chan?"
He turned around. "Fuji. What are you doing here?"
He smiled. "I decided to take the long way home today. Is she alright? She seemed upset."
"I don't know." Tezuka replied.
"Ahh. Well, she can't hide it forever." Fuji said, looking up at his captain. "And neither can you." He turned to leave. "I'll talk to you later Tezuka."
Tezuka turned and headed in the opposite direction towards his house, feeling more confused by his friend's cryptic words than he was five minutes ago. "She can't hide what?" He thought, racking his brain for what Fuji meant. "I didn't think she was hiding anything."
"And neither can you."
Tezuka stopped in his tracks. "I really am an idiot." He admonished himself. "How could I have not seen it? No wonder the news hit her so hard." He thought, picking up his pace again. "No, I really can't hide it forever can I?"
The following two weeks went by faster than Kiyokawa wanted them to. They were bittersweet in a way, but Kikumaru had been there for her like her own personal cheerleader. But now, as she stood there with the boys and their coach in the airport terminal, reality finally set in. She hung back as the boys bid farewell to their captain, wishing him well with his recovery. After the final goodbye had been said, Kikumaru glanced over at Kiyokawa then turned to his teammates. "I have something I want to show you guys! It's really neat. Follow me!"
"Eiji-sempai!" Momo protested. "We're going to see Tezuka off."
"You really are stupid." Kaidoh scoffed, heading off after Kikumaru.
"What was that!" Momo retorted, chasing after his rival.
Fuji smiled. "I'll go see what it is."
Ryoma smirked and pulled his cap lower over his eyes, silently following after his red-headed teammate.
Kiyo watched the rest of them follow suit and turned to the bespectacled captain. "So, I guess this is goodbye then." She said, fidgeting with the hem on her shirt.
"Yeah…" Tezuka trailed off.
"Promise me you'll come back." She blurted. "Promise me that once your shoulder is better you'll come back to us."
Tezuka looked down into her green eyes full of hope and gave her a small smile.
"Yakusoku da yo?" She asked.
"Final boarding call for flight 526." The loudspeaker blared.
"That's my flight." He said.
"Right." Kiyo said, biting her lip. "Well, good luck in Germany. Goodbye Tezuka-san." She turned to leave.
"Seira." The sound of her first name stopped her in her tracks and she felt something being draped over her. She looked down to find Tezuka's warm up jacket over her shoulders. Turning around, Tezuka enveloped her in an embrace. "Yakusoku da yo." He whispered in her ear. "Until then, take care of my jacket."
Kiyokawa nodded, reluctantly letting go and sliding her arms through the jacket sleeves. "I'll be waiting…Kunimitsu-san." She smiled, watching his retreating form.
-Fin-
AN: And there you have it. I want to thank everyone who took the time to read this, especially those who stuck with me through the hiatus of this story. I haven't decided if I'm going to write a sequel to this or not. Right now it's leaning towards a no, but I may get some inspiration in the future. Time will tell right?