Title: A moment of Peace
Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Pairing/characters: Shinji, Sanada/Shinji, mentionings of Tachibana.
A/N: Another fic I started on long ago~

A year ago, Shinji would have believed this impossible, no, he did believe it impossible at that time.

What had happened, the darkness that had enveloped him and almost suffocated him. It had broken him into pieces, caused him to shy away from a single touch or feeling from others. He had gotten scared of kindness, human contact and didn't trust anyone. Not even the ones he cared about the most.

He had been betrayed. By the person that he respected most of all.

He had been healed again by the person he trusted least of everyone.

Tachibana-san had scared him into hating and fearing any compassion from any human being, had tore him apart and thrown him away, as if he was trash; something that one threw into the garbage once satisfied and done with it.

Sanada-san had been the one who picked him from his hell, was the one who took him from his home and his street, where everyone thought he was dirtied and worthless; only good for tennis and not even that. As if Sanada-san was like those people who collected trash and picked up whatever thing they saw; shiny or not.

Shinji wasn't shiny. He had lost the little sparks of fire he had once had, and sunk deep inside himself after Tachibana-san had torn him apart, when his family had treated him as if vermin. He had tried to run from the one who saved him from Hell; because it had been his own, personal Hell. And when the other hadn't given up, just brought him back to a calm house where people who actually were nice to him resided, Shinji had cried, scared and shocked and afraid of being used and thrown away again. Sanada had held him, muttering something that Shinji didn't hear – though it might have been the usual tarundoru – and hadn't told him to cut it out because I'm trying to sleep! and it had made Shinji cry until he fell asleep in the others arms. He had slept for days. Several sleepless nights and days had passed by where he had ran, refused to go close to anyone and where he had been siting in the corner of a room and stared at everything that moved with fright in his wide eyes.

Sanada had been impatient, yes, but he still tried his best to be patient. Except about one thing.

When Shinji had gathered up the courage to ask why he was helping him, Sanada replied simply, but still causing Shinji to become confused.

"Because I love you."

Shinji thought he was lying, just to make him more miserable, but after hearing the teen repeat it so many times and from the soft touches over his hair that Sanada was allowed after a lot of time and convincing and promises of not hurting him, Shinji's feelings started to waver. Sanada-san's touches was warm, and Shinji soon got addicted, even though he was scared, and he longed for more, but didn't dare to ask for it.

It had been through Sasuke – Sanada's nephew – that he finally realized his own feelings for the Emperor. The child had from the very beginning been very interested in observing Shinji, and a lot of hours were spent with the two just silently staring at each other. Sasuke had occasionally been told to leave Shinji alone by Sanada; not that the child cared though.

Shinji leaned his head against Sanada's chest, placing his ear against it and listened. Sanada's heart was beating steadily under a firm, muscular chest and the older teens breathing was calming. Shinji let out a low sigh and reached to brush away some hair that had fallen into Sanada's eyes, and an eye opened slightly to give him a questioning gaze. Shinji shook his head and pressed a kiss to Sanada's lips. Sanada wrapped an arm around his waist, once more closing his eyes.

Yes. He had been torn apart, broken and detached, but now the wounds had been sloppily but loningly sewn together, his feelings amended, and he could once again feel peace in someone's arms.