Chapter 1

Written by: spicedtea

Pairing: SanaYuki

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: Don't own any of the PoT characters.

The room was somewhere around here. Fingers pulled down at the brim of a black cap. He knew the room's location without looking at the numbers. His hand clenched around the shoulder strap of his tennis bag. It was a habit, almost routine, these visits. After class, after practice, no matter the hour as long Yukimura was willing to see him. But lately, things seemed different. Yukimura seemed different. His smile wasn't gone, but something was missing. The shuffling of Sanada's feet outside the hospital room door halted at the soft call of his name from within the room.

"Sanada..." A deceptively fragile voice called out to him. "Why are you standing outside? Is it really that much more comfortable in the hallway?" Sarcasm enveloped the boy's words, as his voice carried through the room accompanied by slight laughter. These moments with Sanada were probably the only things that kept him going. Through their first and second years as regulars, leading up to their roles as captain and vice captain, Sanada had always been by his side. That support, that presence... he'd grown to expect it, to need it, even.

"No. I was just about to come in Yukimura." Every time, it was like this. He didn't like seeing Yukimura chained up to medical equipment like that. Apparently the relapse wasn't so bad, but nevertheless, it gave him an uneasy feeling. If he had a choice, he would gladly shoulder some of the pain that Yukimura was enduring, all the pain that the tennis captain wouldn't show so openly.

"Good. For a moment I was beginning to think that you enjoyed a hallway of strangers rather than my company." The thought amused Yukimura. The way he spoke told Sanada exactly that, but also hinted that he was hurt by the possibility.

Pushing the door open and taking a step into the room, Sanada was greeted by a smile from Yukimura. That expression would fool anyone into thinking that the tennis captain was much too healthy to be sitting in a hospital bed chained to an IV drip. "How are you feeling today?" Sanada grabbed the nearby chair, as he took a seat by the side table and laid his tennis bag on the floor.

His watch chimed the turn of the hour, as Yukimura remained silent, pondering a response.

Yukimura carefully tracked his visitor with his eyes, wondering how honestly he should answer. He didn't want to worry his vice captain, though in reality, he felt terrible. Even more than that, he didn't want to show how weak he'd grown and admit to any weaknesses.

He already lied to his other teammates, his classmates and even his family at times, saying he was fine when they called, even as the nurse connected him to the IV since he'd eaten too little. And this one youth, Sanada, whom he trusted more than anyone else... he wanted to be honest to at least one person...

"Honestly, I feel like shit. But better than yesterday," he admitted straight out. He knew that Sanada would second guess any response if he didn't have him straight in the eye and tell him. The drained color of his skin probably gave away his condition anyways. At least he hadn't thrown up at all today, and they'd cut back one of his medications. He didn't even know what they were giving him; the mix of pills he took every four hours were all different shapes.

His mouth felt dry again, so he sipped at the glass of water on the bedside table. Sanada kindly took the glass from his hand, and he smiled in gratitude before leaning back into the pillow.

The color was coming back to the patient's face, but still he was far from fine. Unable to keep his gaze fixed on Yukimura's eyes, he shifted in his seat, touching the brim of his cap and removing it from his head. The silence always enveloped the air around them like this. Each meeting started with this lack of words, as if Yukimura were waiting for something. Sanada opened his mouth to speak, but could only fill his lungs with the filtered air of the room. Even then, it was still stifling, but the other was living through it much longer than he was.

"Everyone's worried about you. They really want to come to see you before the surgery." Sanada took a quick glance over at Yukimura, folding his cap in his hands. "You really don't want them to visit you before then, Yukimura?"

The lithe figure paused for a moment, before admitting,"It would be nice to see everyone." But Yukimura didn't want them to see how weak he was. How pathetic their once respectable captain had become.

He drew his hand towards Sanada's, and firmly gripped his vice captain's wrist. He looked firmly into dark, serious eyes as he spoke.

"Take care of them. Train them hard." We must not lose. There were always demands left unspoken. But they were the same demands Yukimura had made for the past two years; Sanada would understand.

He always did. Yukimura's gaze remained fixed on his adjunct, hoping that somewhere in those pools of darkness Sanada would understand his intentions. The small nod and slow curl of the edge of his lips indicated so.

Sanada couldn't move his wrist from Yukimura's grasp, nor could he divert his gaze. His pulse quickened at the closeness, the other's unwavering dependence on him. He couldn't understand what made this time different from all the other times. The way he spoke was as if Yukimura had no intention of making a come back, at least not before the end of the season. However, he knew his captain better than anyone else. He knew he was stronger than that.

"I will. You should just focus on recovering for now. I'm sure the team would like to have you back as soon as possible." Sanada felt the same of course. He let Yukimura's hand rest on his own for a bit longer before trying to slip his fingers away from delicate but tennis calloused hands.

Yukimura wasn't sure what impulse caused him to need physical contact with his vice captain, but he was never one to hesitate when acting on instinct. Right now, he needed something to hold onto, and there was only one thing, no, one person he could hold onto now. The only one that had his full trust. So, he didn't bother to let his quickly stiffening companion go. He clung tightly to Sanada's wrist, damned if the other was uncomfortable.

"I'll be back by nationals." His voice was firm, more confident than he felt on the inside, but only as much as he was determined to be.

"Then, everyone will look forward to that moment, Yukimura-buchou. Everyone will be much stronger by then, surely." Sanada gave his captain a half smile, unsure of the possible outcome of the surgery but still hopeful.He pulled at the hand that still grasped his wrist. He had already gotten the impression that Yukimura didn't want to let go, and didn't want him to go anywhere for now. As he turned his gaze down to Yukimura's fingers, his own hand turned and softly brushed against the other's pale skin.

"Of course they will." It was a command, not an assurance. The team would improve, or suffer the consequences.

And until Yukimura returned, Sanada was the one responsible for that. But... the palsied captain couldn't subdue his frustration, at not being able to be there with them, with Sanada.

He couldn't bring himself to let go. Not of Sanada's wrist, nor his feelings...

"Yukimura Seiichi-kun?" A mature female voice called from the open doorway, stepping inside towards the table on the other side of Sanada. From below, Sanada could see her shadow smiling to herself as she glanced at their joined hands. "Here's your medicine. I'll be back in a couple hours."

Sanada shifted his hand in Yukimura's own, and watched carefully as the nurse softly closed the door behind her. "You should take it." He glanced over at the collection of pills, various colors, mostly white in a clear container.

Yukimura stared at the pills as if they'd bite him. He'd already slipped some under his pillow in the past, and even managed to flush a few down the toilet, but usually the nurse or his parents supervised to make sure he took them.

His parents said they'd leave everything to the doctors, and claimed that Yukimura was old enough to handle everything on his own. They said they wanted him to be independent. Like always. Like he wasn't sick, but rather choosing which school he wanted to attend and what clubs to be in. They hardly visited, and when they did, they mostly just told Seichii to listen to the nurses and do what the doctor ordered.

Yukimura wasn't stupid. He knew the saying, out of sight, out of mind, and his parents did a fine job of managing both when it came to him.

He didn't say anything, but instead tightened his grip on Sanada's wrist. He never broke his genial visage, but inside he was pleading: Don't make me take them.

Sanada closed his eyes for a brief second, before reaching over to the table and taking the cup in his hands. He exhaled a small sigh before glancing down into his hands. There were at least five different medications in there, maybe more. The look in Yukimura's eyes and his actions gave away his refusal. But even he couldn't give in to that gaze so easily. He wanted Yukimura back with him, on the tennis courts. They had gotten this far together, so he wouldn't let it end now over a container of tablets.

"...Nationals right?" It almost felt underhanded using Nationals as the motivating factor, but it was the truth. Gritting his teeth, Sanada firmly pulled his hand from Yukimura's vice and held out the cup of pills. He knew that this time, he couldn't give into Yukimura's whims, since this was for his friend's own good. "We promised that we would take the team to Nationals together..."

The reminder came softly, and Sanada quickly hid beneath his cap, realizing he'd pushed Yukimura to the edge. The anguish aglow in the pair of indigo eyes was enough to give him second thoughts, but then the captain uncurled his hand, allowing them to slip apart.

Yukimura slowly retreated back into his pillow, burying his face in the coarse fabric. "Just give me a second," he murmured, his voice muffled but steady. "It's a lot to take at once."

The truth was, he wanted to hide beneath his sheets, but such weakness was unacceptable. Instead, he counted to ten inside his head, before sitting back up. Taking the glass of water into his hands, he sipped a little, wetting his mouth and lips, before popping half of the pills into his mouth and drowning them down. A moment later he finished the rest of them. The thick feeling of rocks sliding down his throat made him want to choke.

The cup that he held was empty as Sanada reached out to remove the container from Yukimura's hands. Placing the emptied glass and medicine cup on the table, Sanada glanced down at his watch. Outside it was getting darker and the sun's warmth had already dissipated from the room. Twisting his wristband around, Sanada removed the empty cup from Yukimura's hands and placed it along with the medicine cup on the table. Glancing down at his watch, he asked, "Do you know what time your surgery will be?"

Yukimura shook his head. "The doctor will visit me tomorrow morning to schedule it."

Sanada nodded affirmatively, "Tomorrow, you'll let me know when the day it is then?" He looked up at the other's figure, reaching into his pocket. "I don't think you'll really need this, but here..." In Sanada's outstretched hand a red charm rested, small gold threads intertwined within the rectangular shaped bag. At the top, a tie held it closed. "You'll be fine." he whispered, more for his own reassurance than anything else, as he let the charm fall into Yukimura's hands.

Picking up the tennis bag at his feet, Sanada took a last look at his watch. "I should let you get some rest, Yukimura. I have to start heading back home before it gets too late anyway." He stood up from his chair, his body hovering over the other boy as he glanced down at Yukimura's smile.

"Mm, you should rest as well. Training at 6 tomorrow." That gentle expression remained steady, but a mixture of warmth and sadness twinkled in the youth's bright eyes. Yukimura tucked the temple ornament between his palms, squeezing it slightly the same way he wished to squeeze Sanada's hand in parting. But he didn't dare.

"Yes. 6 AM..." Sanada passed his hand along the edges of the bed sheets, before turning and heading towards the door.. "Take care. Good night." Reaching out his hand on the door handle, Sanada quickly glanced at Yukimura before shutting the door behind him and exiting the building towards home.

Feel amused for no reason, Yukimura watched his vice captain trail stiffly away. His smile faded just as the door clicked shut, a sigh escaping his lips.

It was going to be another long, boring night.

Author's Note:

yoshikochan: Yay! Finally post chapter one!

Mama-muse: Too slow.

yoshikochan: -sadface-

Dada-muse: -agrees-

Hehe, so much for trying to get it out in time for Dada's birthday XD

Milai Sapphire desu! Hehe, hope you enjoyed the first chapter of our joint fic, spicedtea's first successful joint fic. XD Umm, tune in for more chapters? And read lots, review, constructive criticism very much welcome

Also, if anyone is willing to beta this fic, we're looking for a beta since our next chapters need editing D