January 6, 2008
Disclaimer: I do not own anything regarding Prince of Tennis, except for manga I have purchased. Thus, legally, they are mine. The actual manga and anime itself is owned by Konomi Takeshi-san. I do however, claim ownership over the misc. nurses and doctors that may or may not appear through ought the story.
Title: Oyasumi Nasai, Yukimura
Anime: Prince of Tennis
Author: PurificationArrow
Genre: Friendship
Summary: As he opens his eyes, the hearts of his friends lightens. Trials have been overcome, limits tested, and friendship strengthened. And as the sky fades to dark, there are few words to describe it.
Notes: This is my first try actually writing the Rikkaidai team in a story... ever. It is a one-shot too. I'm sorry if there are any ooc moments, but I tried my best here. Please review at the end, and thank you for taking the time to read Oyasumi Nasai, Yukimura.
Bold - Title
Italics - Emphasis on words
Bold and Underline - Author's Note
Oyasumi Nasai, Yukimura
Wheels rolled across the smooth floor as a young boy was carted through the hallways of a hospital.
Behind the cart followed a group of young men, trailing the cart—or rather the young boy being carried by the cart—like dogs.
The hospital personnel insisted over and over again, "He is fine. Nothing went wrong during the procedure, and he will wake up as soon as the anesthetics wear off."
Nevertheless, the boys continued following.
After a bit, the boy was put into a solitary room, and was laid carefully onto the bed.
The hospital personnel left the boy alone with the young group of yellow-clad males. One of the boys stepped forward, somewhat shakily, and stared at the young man in the bed. He was careful not to disrupt the oxygen mask over his face.
In the meanwhile, another with a bald head put a hand on the green-eyed boy's shoulder, "He'll be fine, Akaya." He reassured him.
A boy with silver, spiky hair nodded, "Yeah. Jackal is right. The captain will wake up soon. The hospital people said so, Kirihara."
Kirihara Akaya nodded. "I know that, Niou-senpai." He said stubbornly.
Then, one of the males with closed eyes and a haircut like Spock from Star Trek spoke, "Give him some room Akaya. He should wake up momentarily."
Quietly, Kirihara stood, "Yes Yanagi-senpai." And he stood up and backed away a couple steps.
A boy near the back of the group blinked through his glasses. "The machine's picking up some of his brain waves. He is about to wake up."
Someone with bright pink hair turned, "Seriously, Yagyuu?"
Jackal nodded to his doubles partner, "Yes, Marui." He confirmed. Marui grinned excitedly.
"Quiet." A voice cut in.
They all turned. "Genichirou?" Yanagi asked questioningly.
Everyone stared at a tall boy with a cap on. The boy's eyes were cast downwards towards the face of the young man lying in the hospital bed. "He is waking up." The boy said intent on keeping his gaze upon the person who was now waking up in the bed.
Eyelids fluttered for a moment. Blue eyes opened for just a second and then closed again. It was as if the boy in the bed was trying to first get a grip on things before he would trust himself enough to say anything to his peers.
After a while, he fully awoke.
Tinted blue hair framed the boy's delicate, pale face gently. Kind and slightly drowsy blue orbs peered back into the faces of the boys, who had now spread out in a semi-circle around him as they all tried to get the best view of him as they could.
"Everyone…" the boy said in a soft voice. Then he seemed to jump a little, as if remembering something. His hand fluttered upwards, and touched the mask resting upon his face. Quickly, although in the way that he did it, he made it seem very fluid, the boy whisked it off in one quick motion. Carefully, the boy covered it up with a serene smile, expressing his general pleasure at seeing everyone there.
The boy with pink hair, Marui clapped his hands, and jumped into the air, "He's awake!" he cried.
The rest of the boys smiled thankfully.
Yanagi smiled, "I'm glad." He said.
Yagyuu nodded his agreement, "Indeed."
Niou gave him a relieved grin, "You were scaring us, you know." He said, teasing the bedridden boy.
"I apologize for the trouble." The boy said earnestly. "How long were you all waiting?" He asked after a minute.
They all shrugged. "Not long." Marui said. "We're just glad you're awake, buchou. We were all worried at the match against Seigak— augh!"
Niou dragged Marui backwards, his hand over the boy's mouth.
"I'll recover quickly. I promise." The blue-haired buchou said, disregarding the bizarre scene with Niou and Marui with ease.
Kirihara leaned over, "We'll hold you to that promise, Yukimura-buchou." he said with a grin.
The buchou nodded, "Understood." He said with a light smile. Then, he noticed someone out of the corner of his eye. "Sanada…"
The crowd of boys parted aside obediently to let Sanada Genichirou through.
The tall, black-haired youth stepped forward.
Yukimura gave a gentle smile at the sight of his old friend. "Don't worry. Sanada will give me a report on how the matches against Seigaku went," Yukimura said reassuringly. "I'll also give him special instructions for each of you."
The members of Rikkaidai's tennis club gave a wry smile. That was Yukimura-buchou. Constantly thinking about the team.
A knock sounded on the door, "Yukimura-sama, I'm sorry, but your visitors need to leave now." The nurse said as she stuck her head in through the opening.
Yukimura nodded, "Yes... but I would like Sanada and Akaya to stay for a little bit longer," he requested. The nurse looked as if she were going to protest, but Yukimura added, "Please?" With such an endearing smile that the woman couldn't refuse.
She sighed. "Alright. But please, make it quick."
Then she closed the door.
The members of the tennis team grinned at their buchou. "We'll see you later, Yukimura-buchou." They each said.
"The next time we visit, we'll bring you a treat!" Marui said, rubbing his hands together. Niou rolled his eyes at him, "You won't even give Yukimura-buchou a chance to eat it. By the time we get to the hospital, you will have already eaten it yourself!" he scolded.
"No I won't!" Marui protested.
Jackal gave a barely audible sigh, and pushed them out the door. "See you later, Yukimura-buchou."
The rest filed out after Jackal, Marui, and Niou.
Finally, just Sanada, Kirihara, and Yukimura were left in the room.
Yukimura let out a barely noticeable sigh. Sanada caught it however before all traces of it were erased from Yukimura's pale face. Yukimura turned his gentle but subtle gaze to Kirihara. "Tell me, Akaya. You played against Seigaku's Fuji Shusuke, am I correct?"
The boy shifted slightly. "Yes." he replied.
Yukimura sought his eyes, but Kirihara turned his green-eyed gaze away.
Furrowing his eyebrows, Yukimura turned to Sanada, looked at him a moment, and then turned back again to Kirihara. "Akaya, raise your head and look at me." Yukimura commanded firmly. Kirihara did. Yukimura nodded with understanding as soon as he got a good look at the younger student. "Based off of your reactions, Akaya, you lost against Fuji Shusuke." the blue-haired boy concluded.
"Yeah... I did." Kirihara confirmed.
Yukimura sat up straighter in the bed, pausing only to clear his throat. Sanada's eyes flashed at this. The ever-silence vice-captain said nothing however. "Akaya, this means that you have seen your limit," Yukimura said, copying Sanada's exact words. "But limits are there to be broken, and your limit was the fact that you would lose control when on the verge of losing the match. You realize that now, correct?"
Kirihara nodded.
"You have great potential Akaya. I'm sure you're aware of this, as we all are. But your one, main weakness lies in your inability of control." Yukimura said. "I'm certain that Fuji Shusuke saw this as well, and although that was likely not his intention, he knew he would be able to destroy you as soon as he broke your inner demon. Your new goal, Akaya, is to maintain control of yourself whenever you play tennis or when you can feel yourself beginning to lose yourself. As soon as you are able to achieve that control, you will be able to exceed your limit which holds you back. Do you understand, Akaya?" Yukimura asked him.
The boy smiled, and nodded, "Yes, Yukimura-buchou!"
With a smile, Yukimura let himself relax, though only slightly. "Good. You may leave now, Akaya. I still need to speak with Sanada a moment."
Kirihara gave a nod to his buchou. "Alright. Later Yukimura-buchou, Sanada-fukubuchou."
Yukimura gave the kouhai a goodbye smile, and then Kirihara left. In his place, the nurse appeared... or rather her voice was heard. But through the barely open door, they could see that she was holding something up. "Yukimura-sama, I'm sorry to interrupt again, but we need to put in your respira--"
"Miyako-san," Yukimura interrupted sharply. Sanada noted the blankets clutched tightly in his hands. Yukimura never lost his cool like this. "After Sanada leaves, then I will. Just not now..." he whispered.
The nurse, having now been introduced as 'Miyako-san' sighed, and lowered her hand. "Very well, Yukimura-sama. But in ten minutes, no more than that." she said, and left.
"Yukimura," Sanada began. "If I am causing trouble..."
Yukimura shook his head calmly, having gained his poise back. "Not at all, Sanada. Please forget that. What is the report on the match against Seigaku? Rikkaidai lost, did they not?" he asked, turning his icy gaze towards Sanada.
Sanada nodded. "Yes, Rikkaidai lost. I'm sorry Yukimura."
They sat in silence for a moment, holding each other's eyes, only breaking the eye contact for a split second to blink. "I see," Yukimura said after a while. "Then please tell me what the scores were in terms of matches."
With a compliant nod, Sanada stood erect in front of the captain like he had been called to attention.
"In Doubles 2, Marui and Kuwahara against Seigaku's Momoshiro Takeshi-Kaidoh Kaoru pair. Rikkaidai won, 7-5. In Doubles 1, Niou and Yagyuu against Seigaku's Golden Pair, Kikumaru Eiji and Shuichirou Oishi. Rikkaidai won, 6-4." Sanada reported. Yukimura nodded, his blue eyes contemplating. "And the singles matches?" he asked after a brief pause.
"The singles matches proved to be our downfall, Yukimura." Sanada said, his eyes unreadable. "Very well, continue then." Yukimura said, nodding to his friend. "In Singles 3, Yanagi against Seigaku's Inui Sadaharu. Rikkaidai lost, 6-7. In Singles 2, Akaya against Seigaku's prodigy, Fuji Shusuke. Rikkaidai lost 4-6." Sanada said. Then, without hesitation he reported the result of the singles match... his match. "And in Singles 1, I faced Seigaku's freshman, Echizen Ryoma. Rikkaidai lost 5-7. Seigaku conquered the finals." Sanada finished.
Yukimura opened his closed eyes. Sanada's face was straight, and the fact that Sanada's eyebrows were furrowed ever so slightly gave a sign to Yukimura that he was disappointed about the outcome.
"Then we will work harder," Yukimura declared. "We will train longer, harder, and more than ever before. We have the capability of reaching the Nationals, but if we cannot beat Seishun Gakuen there, then we cannot be satisfied. Agreed?"
The corner of Sanada's mouth quirked upwards. "Yes." he said with a firm nod. No matter what, even in this state, Yukimura was still Yukimura. And Sanada could not have been more thankful for it. Then something occurred to the vice-captain of Rikkaidai.
"Yukimura..." he said. Yukimura blinked and looked up. "Yes?"
Sanada brought his hand forward and showed a glimmering golden object to his friend.
Yukimura's eyes focused on it, and they widened. "That is..." he began.
"The medal for the runners up in the finals," Sanada said. "I'm sorry that we were not able to bring you the champion medal, Yukimura."
A gentle, happy smile came over Yukimura's face. He reached up and took it, "Thank you, Sanada. I realize that you all worked hard to win this. And I promise that as soon as I am released from here, I will return to practice. Right, Sanada?" Yukimura smiled the kind of smile that would make a girl's knees weak, and a lesser woman fall to the ground in a dead faint. Thankfully, that was not the case with Sanada.
He smiled in return. It was a smile that he would only ever show in the presence of Yukimura Seiichi, himself. "Yes, Yukimura."
Yukimura smiled again, but was interrupted by a loud and violent fit of coughs.
The smile on Sanada's face quickly vanished as he jumped forward to the aid of his friend. He put a hand on the frailer boy's back while his other hand held Yukimura up. Yukimura was bent over his bed, his face contorted in pain. "Yukimura!" Sanada called.
Through his coughs, Yukimura managed to rasp out, "I'm... sorry... Sanada."
Finally, a nurse burst through the door and gasped, "Y-Yukimura-sama! Your oxygen mask!" She leapt to his side, and Sanada grudgingly moved away. Because as much as he wanted to be the one to aid Yukimura, this was not his area of expertise. The woman grabbed the oxygen mask from Yukimura's side, and placed it firmly over his mouth while she fumbled around in her pocket for something.
At last, she drew it out, and lifted the mask up a crack enough for her to slide two opaque tubes into Yukimura's nasal passages. She lowered the mask down again onto Yukimura's face and waited.
Almost at once, Yukimura's coughing began to cease. When it stopped entirely, the nurse took the oxygen mask off. She glared into Yukimura's face disapprovingly, the traces of adrenaline apparently not out of her system just yet. "Yukimura-sama, you know very well that you should not have taken your oxygen mask off. Your body is still very fragile from the procedure."
Yukimura nodded. "Yes Miyako-san." he said in a soft voice.
The nurse sighed, and wiped her hands off on her uniform and went to a disinfectant dispenser and squeezed a glob into the palm of her hand. "I'll be back in five minutes, Yukimura-sama. And as for you," she said, turning her steely gaze towards Sanada. "You, apparently being his best friend, should know quite well that he is fragile, especially in this condition. You should not have been making him speak so--"
"Miyako-san! It is not Sanada's fault." Yukimura inturrupted. Sanada and the nurse, Miyako, turned to him. Yukimura's usually kind and gentle eyes were stern and icy. "It was my fault that I kept speaking to him. It is not Sanada's fault." Yukimura repeated.
The nurse chewed her lip, and then sighed. "Fine. As you like, Yukimura-sama. However, it is time for your friend to leave, I'm afraid. When I get back, I expect him to be gone, and you to be resting. Am I understood Yukimura-sama, Sanada-san?"
They nodded and said, "Yes." In unison, Sanada bowing.
Miyako then left, giving one last warning glare to Sanada.
The door clicked shut.
Sanada bowed his head to Yukimura. "I'm sorry, Yukimura. I've outstayed my welcome. I will be taking my leave of you now."
Sanada blinked as he finally saw the strange expression on his best friend's face. It was one of strange suffering and restraint. "Yukimura?" he called to his friend. Yukimura shook his head. "No, I'm sorry for the trouble Sanada. That... smell." Yukimura whispered. Sanada realize that the smell of the disinfectant that the nurse had used still lingered in the air. And despite himself, Sanada felt a small twinge in his chest. Pity for his friend. This was much harder on Yukimura than his friend would let anyone believe.
"Sanada?"
The vice-captain looked up. "Yes? What is it?" he asked.
Yukimura's eyes were downcast as he stared at his hands clasped in his lap. "Before... when Marui was saying that everyone was concerned about me, even while you all were facing Seigaku." he sighed sadly. "I'm very sorry for the trouble." he apologized again.
Sanada looked at Yukimura for a moment, and then removed his hat. Yukimura looked up.
"There is no need to apologize, Yukimura." Sanada said. "None of this could be controlled, and the next time we face against Seigaku, you will be standing there with us. Focus on your recovery first, and then apologize to us later on."
Yukimura stared at him for a moment longer, and then smiled. He nodded, his smile full of gratitude. "I see. Thank you Sanada."
Sanada put his hat back on his head, and readjusted the bag on his shoulder. He went to the door, opened it, and then stepped out. But before Sanada left and shut the door, he looked back once again at Yukimura who was peering back at him with a surprised look on his face.
"Oyasumi Nasai, Yukimura." he said, and then left.
Yukimura smiled at the door and held the medal in his hand. "Oyasumi Nasai, Sanada."
And outside, the nearly set sun cast its final gleaming rays against Yukimura's face. Long stretches of purple and blue were beginning to weave their way across the evening sky which was now turning to night.
Good Night.
-PurificationArrow