Summary:

AU. Ryoma, a young street punk who hates to take orders, has one strike too many. Forced into community service at a local hospital, he finds himself in a very awkward position. Subject to the whims of all the doctors in the hospital, it's impossible for there not to be love in the air. Then again that could just be the morphine.

deathbyguilt: Hello everyone.

peachxx: Hi everybody!!

deathbyguilt: This story is a co-authored story. And since my sister and I argued on whose name to upload it to, we created deathxxpeach. Orginal isn't it?

peachxx: lip quiver but I made up that name...

deathbyguilt: Hence the sarcasm

peachxx: pout anyway... This is the first attept at a multi-chapter story for both of us.

deathbyguilt: Therefore we will post the first chapter and wait for responses. If it is deemed that we suck at it, we will withdraw the story.

peachxx: what...NO!! I already wrote the second chapter... Just because you wrote the first one...

deathbyguilt: FINE! we'll wait two chapters...

peachxx: YAY! Which means Read and Review people!

deathbyguilt: Indeed.

Disclaimer: We own nothing of Prince of Tennis, only the plot to our story.

peachxx: but if we DID own it... AHHH

deathbyguilt: rugby tackle Just read on people...just read on...

Candy Stripers

Chapter 1 "The Crime"

It was 2:35 on the dot according to that old worn out Hello Kitty clock hanging on wall of the small convenience store. A boy no older then eighteen was ducking in and out of the aisles glancing carefully and semi-frantically around him. He tried to steady his pounding heart. He knew that no one else could hear it, but he couldn't hear anything else. He knew that if he got caught he would be out of strikes, and there was no way he could weasel out of this situation again. Perhaps it would have been smarter for him not to be there at all, but the stabbing pain in his stomach was so overwhelming, it rivaled the heart reverberating in his ribcage.

He glanced once more around him. There were currently no other shoppers besides himself in the store and the only other person was the owner, a middle aged man with a slight belly who was slowly balding, at the cash register hiding behind the sports section of the most recent newspaper.

He turned back to the shelves in front of him. He had already hidden a few candy bars and a Ponta in his pockets, but he knew he would new something more filling. He reached slowly for a package of instant ramen when a loud noise came from behind him.

"ACHOOO!" sneezed the shopkeeper. The young boy had to stop himself from jumping three feet into the air. He was frozen to the spot. It took him a few minutes to regain the feeling in his limbs, but his heart was pounding harder and faster by the minute. He looked once again at the shopkeeper, only to notice that he had once again returned to the newspaper and was ignoring him completely. The boy pulled his hat down to hide his amber eyes and tan face, a nervous gesture to be sure, for there was really no one to hide from. He reached out again and slowly took the ramen package and slipped it into his ratty and oversized sweatshirt pocket.

The teenager quickly made his way to the door as quietly as he could. He had just pushed the door open when another loud sound graced his ears.

"MRGLGRGLGRL" the shopkeeper looked up in shock at the young man frozen at the door. The stare of the teenager however was a glare directed at his mutinous stomach.

"What do you think your doing?" asked the owner suspiciously. Before the boy could reply a third noise interrupted the conversation.

"RIIIIIIP". All of the stolen contents fell from the ripped sweatshirt pocket to the floor. Both the man and the boy stared at them in surprise. Unluckily, as seemed his luck today, the owner recovered faster then he did.

"You little THIEF!" shouted the shopkeeper, as he ran around the counter to chase the boy. The young teen quickly turned to run faster then he ever had before, but unfortunately a mass was blocking the doorway. He smacked right into an incoming customer, and fell backwards on his back allowing the shopkeeper to apprehend him.

"Thought you could get away did you?" sneered the owner. The man turned his balding head to the incoming patron and said "if you'll excuse me sir I just have to make a quick call to the police. And thank you for coming when you did, if it weren't for you this little shoplifter would have gotten away," gesturing to the young teen.

The young teen was forcefully lifted off the floor causing his hat to fall off in the process. Black hair that gleamed green fell across his amber eyes as he looked to the offending shopper. He tried hard to glare at the figure, but could only manage a cold stare as his bowed his head to the floor. He got busted, and there was nothing he could do.

He was dragged through the 'Employees Only' door to the stock room, located in the back of the store. The owner held his arm in nothing short of a vise grip as he reached for a phone to call the local police station. He was forced to sit in a chair where he could be watched from where the shopkeeper was. The only thought running through the young man's mind as the conversation between police and owner commenced was,

"The old hag is going let me have it for sure this time" and he sighed into his hands. His heart was no longer pounding, but his stomach was still upset. He willed his betraying stomach to shut up. It was only a matter of time before two cops showed up at the store.

"Well, well, well if it isn't little Ryoma-chan" mocked one of the officers, as his green eyes laughed mercilessly at the predicament aforementioned Ryoma had gotten himself into. Ryoma's amber eyes narrowed at the nickname as he glared hard at the offending officer.

"Kiss my ass Kirihara," he spat venomously as he stood to hold his ground against the slightly taller man. Officer Kirihara merely shook his wavy black locks as he laughed.

"You are in no position to be telling me anything Ryo-chan, right Sanada-sempai?" he turned to his partner officer.

"Both of you can shut up," came the cold reply from the tall officer. Sanada turned his sharp brown gaze to Ryoma. "Echizen, being as this is not our first time in this situation, I assume you know what to do." Ryoma glared hard at both of them before he turned around and placed his hands behind his back. He winced as the cold metal handcuffs were placed around his wrists. The shopkeeper who was silent this whole time started at all three of them in shock, but finally said,

"Thank you officers, for coming on such short notice, but if you'll excuse me I should head back out to my shop." He bowed politely and led them out to the front of the store, where he attended the shopper who had knocked Ryoma down by accident.

"In the back you go Ryoma-chan" sang Kirihara as he shoved Ryoma into the back of the police car. Sanada and Kirihara returned to the shop to ask the shopkeeper and the witness a few more questions. It wasn't long though for the witness was soon on his way out of the store and n his way. As Sanada started the car, Ryoma looked back to the shop and caught one final look upon the patron. Male, short brown hair, glasses, and…white coat? However there was no more time to dwell upon the shopper as the car started to move in the direction of the police station. Thoughts once again flowed to what he knew he was about to face.

'The old hag is gonna kill me'

deathbyguilt: since i've rendered my sister unconcious I shall ask you to read and review.

peachxx: Xx

deathbyguilt: It's a good thing she already has the second chapter written...

Read and Review!!