My Father's Secret

Chapter 30

Kimiko didn't know any other place Tsurugi could possibly be, except for the hospital. If they had any luck finding him, it would be there. In the beginning, Kimiko hesitated to even set foot in the hospital because of the effect of her nightmare.

However, turning back wasn't exactly an option at the moment. Wether or not they found Tsurugi determined the outcome of the entire game.

Kimiko lead Tenma down the hospital hallways that she knew like the back of her hand. She didn't even bother to wait for the elevator, so by the time they got to the fourth floor, they were out of breath.

Kimiko walked quickly past her own room and knocked thrice on the door beside her own. She told Tenma to wait outside and reached for the sliding door only to be standing face to face with Tsurugi.

They were so close, their noses were almost touching. Tsurugi froze once he realized whose eyes he was looking into and his heart skipped a beat.

What is wrong with me? It's just Kimiko...

He was brought back to his senses by the sound of Kimiko calling his name. He must have zoned out.

"Tsurugi, can we talk?"

"I'll be back nii-san" he called into the room before closing the door behind him.

"Matsukaze?" he questioned as he eyed Tenma standing by the door.

"Can you give us a minute, sorry" Kimiko said to Tenma and grabbed Tsurugi's arm, leading him down to the other end of the hallway.

Kimiko knew Tsurugi was probably upset because he didn't want anyone knowing about his brother, but Kimiko didn't have any other choice. So, she decided to talk to him alone and give him some privacy. After all, Tsurugi didn't seem very fond of Tenma.

If they had a chance of convincing Tsurugi, Kimiko would have to be the one to do it.

"Why did you bring him here?" Tsurugi asked angrily once they were far enough from Tenma. He couldn't believe that Kimiko of all people would want to expose his secret, especially to someone like Tenma.

"I didn't have a choice but to bring him along. But please just listen to me first" Tsurugi looked annoyed and that worried Kimiko the most.

"Please, Raimon needs you. Our opponent for the semi-finals was changed to Teikoku Academy and the bus is leaving in less than an hour. Please, Tsurugi"

"I'm sorry, but I don't think can. You know what I would have to do if I play in the match. Raimon is better off without me on the pitch"

"But-"

"Kimiko, as much as I want to help you, my priority is fixing my brother's legs"

"Does your brother know about this?"

"No, so please don't tell him"

"Maybe you should try talking to him about this. Maybe it's not what he wants. Maybe-"

"But it's important to me that I return the favor to my brother for saving my life and it doesn't matter how much I have to sacrifice to achieve that. Family comes before anything else, you of all people should know that"

The realization hit Kimiko hard. She couldn't believe she was stupid enough to come around and nag Tsurugi to play in the match. Everything he said was absolutely true because if she was in his shoes, she would have done exactly the same thing.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"It's fine, I understand you" Tsurugi said patting her on the shoulder.

Their conversation was interrupted by Tenma who was running towards them calling Kimiko's name at the top of his lungs.

"Good luck" Tsurugi whispered and quickly turned the opposite direction from where Tenma was running from. He was gone before Kimiko could even say thank you.

"Kimiko! We have 2 minutes to get back to school!"

***

Luckily, Kimiko and Tenma made it back to school on time to board the bus, otherwise, they wouldn't have time to warm up for the match. That would be even more disadvantageous to their side.

Though the team didn't have much hope that Tsurugi would come back to start with, they were still slightly disappointed when Kimiko and Tenma came back alone.

Throughout the first half, Raimon was struggling. They didn't stand a chance against the fearsome, over powering Teikoku. Ultimate Thunder was still incomplete and even though they tried, it failed miserably.

When Teikoku brought out their avatars, all hope was lost. By the end of the first half Teikoku was winning with a two point lead and Raimon couldn't even score a single goal. The only thing that could save Raimon now, was a miracle.

Apologies for not updating for so long. I was in the process of doing my end term exams and didnt have time to write. To make up for that Im gonna try to update daily and I'll make an attempt to publish at least three chapters today :)