Hi guys! Tadaima! I'm very sorry for making you guys wait! Final exams just finished yesterday. So this is the only time I was able to post this chapter up! I'm sorry from making you wait. -bows-

Anyways! I'm really happy that you guys liked the last chapter. Thanks to all who read, reviewed, followed, put me and this story on their fav list and so forth! I was all giddy and happy because of the warm acceptance for this story! I'm really motivated.

Well just to let you know, this chapter really looked like a filler chapter for me. I dunno~ But I hope you guys will still enjoy reading this.

Warning (s): This is a semiAU fic. So from this cahpter onwards I won't be following any of the cannon.

OOC characters. Genderbend fic; Fem!Ryoma

UnBeta-ed. (so it's not perfect)

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis, just the plot.

Just to let you guys know. I'll be addressing all the characters in their given names, I'm more used to it so I hope you understand.

Please enjoy!


The Empress:

Chapter 3 : Regret


"I thought they were my friends… I'm so stupid… I'm so stupid. I'd let play with my feelings after all this time…" Reika muttered between sobs.

Atobe could only soothe his cousin's back and tell her to stop crying. He slowly pulled away from Reika and tilted her face towards him. "Stop crying. They are not worth your tears…"

Reika pulled away from Atobe's hand and looked away, attempting to wipe away her tears. But then a sudden surge of familiar headache went through her and she found herself quickly losing her consciousness and engulfed by darkness.


Keigo panicked the moment his cousin's body went limp against his chest. He quickly picked Reika bridal style and rushed to the car that was meant to fetch them.

But then the gray haired teen saw his team hurdled near his car as if waiting for him. He mentally smacked himself. He completely forgot that they were suppose to have a party later. But he just brushed the thought away, partying can wait, Reika is more important.

"Atobe where have you-" Yuushi asked but was cut off after seeing the diva carrying someone on his arms.

"What happened?" Yuushi asked eyeing the haggard looking captain and the body which he identified as Echizen.

Keigo didn't bother to answer the megane's question, instead he pushed through the team and opened the passenger seat of the parked car carefully leaning Reika on his chest. The captain only gave his team a quick glance before returning his gaze on the unconscious girl.

The rest of the guys didn't asked anything else seeing the panicked state of their usually calm captain. They nodded at Atobe in reply and boarded the car as well.

Ryou couldn't help himself but stare at the unconscious body of a certain Ryoma Echizen who is leaning across his captain's chest. He eyed the boy carefully noticing the longer hair that is tucked behind her ears and flowed freely down to the nape of Echizen's neck.

He looked up to his captain on to meet his serious eyes. He wanted to ask Atobe but decided that it's not the time.

Keigo didn't let the suspicious gaze of his team to both him and Reika, he looked up to them and sighed. "Ore-sama will explain later, so quit staring at my cousin." Keigo said brushing some stray stands of hair off Reika's flushed face.

"Ehhhhh?!" Mukahi exclaimed but quickly covered his mouth with his hands.

"Echizen-san is your cousin?" Hiyoshi asked narrowing his eyes at his captain.

Keigo threw the two boys a glare shutting the two of them up. "Didn't you hear what I said? I'll explain it to you later right now we need to get her to the hospital." Keigo said.


Hospital


The rest of the car ride was in silence and the moment the car parked in front of the hospital, Keigo burst out and carried Reika inside the E.R. where she was loaded in a gurney.

Keigo watched as his cousin is being wheeled inside the E.R. with a sigh. He leaned over the nearest wall and closed his eyes. Then he turned to his right and saw the his team. Again Keigo sighed and gestured the team to come closer, he did said that he will explain everything to them. There's no need to hide anything now from them.

"Fine ore-sama will tell you now." Keigo sighed as he took a seat at one of the benches in the hall.

"Finally!" Mukahi whined flopping himself down to another bench just across Atobe's.

"Spit it out Atobe." Ryou cussed also taking a seat next to his doubles partner; Ootori Choutarou who only nodded in understanding.

Atobe sighed for the umpth time before proceeding to tell their history with the Echizen's.

Atobe told the team about the true identity of Reika and why did they decided to hide her true identity. He also told the team their relationship as cousins by their mothers.

"We needed to hide Rei's true identity for her own safety. When we were still kids she was kidnapped numerous times by bloodthirsty criminals knowing that she is the daughter of a rich family." Keigo added. "The Atobe's and Echizen's are one of the strongest and richest families in the country. But due to that incident with his daughter, my uncle; Echizen Nanjirouh decided to stay low to protect his family." Keigo explained.

"So what happened to her earlier?" Choutarou asked.

Keigo's inwardly growled before answering. He told them about what Seigaku did to her, how they used reika for their own selfish use and threw her away after that.

Hyotei was silent after hearing everything what Atobe had said, but everyone understood it all even Jirouh who was surprisingly awake all this time.

"So does anyone know about Echizen-kun's true identity?" Yuushi asked pushing his glasses up to his nose.

"Besides all of you. Sanada and Yukimura knew about Rei's true identity." Keigo replied.

"Excuse me. Are the ones who brought Echizen-san here?" a nurse suddenly asked the group.

Keigo literally jumped from where he sat and nodded at the nurse. "Yes, how is she?" he replied.

"She's resting now; we already confined her due to the doctor's oders. She's in room 1011." The nurse replied before retreating back to her station.

Keigo sighed in relief and quickly heads to the room. He needed to be there before his uncle and cousin arrive whom he called earlier.


Keigo silently watched the sleeping face of Reika from his bedside seat. He noticed how pale the girl's face looked and her eyes that were tightly shut. He sighed and gently ran his hand over her hair.

Then suddenly two men barge in the room panting and quickly head to the girl's bedside.

"Kei, what happened?" Ryoga yelled grabbing his sister's cold hand with his.

Nanjirouh also looked at the pale face of his daughter and turned to his nephew. "What happened Keigo?" he asked in a serious tone.

Keigo was just about to answer his uncle's question before a doctor entered the room. "Oh, you must be the patient's relatives if I'm not mistaken?" the doctor asked.

"I'm her father. How is she?" nanjirouh immediately replied walking closer to the older man in a white coat.

"She's doing fine at the moment. But I need to ask you if she sustained a previous head injury before this." The doctor said.

Nanjirouh told the doctor about their recent camping trip and how Rei fell from a waterfall and sustained a head injury.

The doctor nodded and jotted noted in his medical recode before smiling sadly at the Echizen patriarch. "Don't worry Echizen-san, your daughter is going to be fine. She just had a concussion due to shock that's why she faint. But besides developing a high fever, there's no other complications. But we need to confine her for a day or so to run more tests. " The doctor explained.

"When will she wake up?" Ryoga asked.

"She should wake up by late tomorrow or the day after and after she wakes up please refrain the patient from stressing herself up. I'll be excusing myself." The doctor replied before leaving the room.

Nanjirouh let out a relieved sigh before flopping down to the huge couch in the middle of the room. He then noticed the other boys seated next to him. He looked at Keigo and nodded his head.

Keigo understanding what the older man wanted to say. Told his team to head back to their home and that practice will be put on hold until further notice. Yuushi and the rest just nodded in understanding and headed outside of the huge room with Ryou dragging a half awake Jirouh leaving only Keigo and the three Echizens.


"What really Keigo? Why did Reika suddenly fainted? The doctor said she had a huge shock, what does that mean?" Nanjirouh asked.

Keigo sighed, he needed to tell his family about what happened in the national tournament. The gray haired teen massaged his forehead before again telling what happened earlier to them.

Ryoga was pissed as heck and Nanjirouh was seething in anger, silently cursing the men that made his beloved daughter like this.

"What do you plan on doing now? Ryoga, Uncle?" Keigo asked crossing his legs like a diva he is.

"What else? I'm going to give that bitch of a team a piece of my mind! How dare they mess with Reika that way!" Ryoga growled.

"I couldn't agree less. After that I'm pulling Reika out of Seigaku for good." Nanjirou said. "I really regret enrolling her in there in the first place."

Keigo slightly smiled at his cousin and uncle. He too was thinking of the same way. Seigaku hurt Reika, and he won't let anyone from that team easily. He isn't Atobe keigo for nothing, he then took out one of his phones and started to punch the keys.

"Reika do trust them afterall, no use of hiding her condition from them." Keigo thought finishing his text message and threw his phone back to where he got it.


Yukimura's place


The bluenette was busy staring off to space thinking about what happened earlier when his phone vibrated. It was enough to take him out from his trance and picked the small device and held it close to him. The name 'Atobe Keigo' flashed on its LCD screen, the bluenette then swiped his thumb over the device and read the message. He really didn't know why he had the guy's number in the first place.

|Reika's in the hospital right now. She collapsed after she went out of the stadium. She's fine now thougth so no need to worry. Ore-sama thought that he should tell |you this, since Rei trusts you."

Seiichi's eyes widened after reading the message, he suddenly felt worried for the girl he quickly grow fond off. He clenched his phone close to him as an image of a smiling Reika appeared in his mind.


Sanada's place


Sanada was sitting in a dogeza style at the center of their house's dojo, still dressed in his kendo hakama. And judging from the stray bullets of sweat rolling down from his neck, the stoic vice captain just finished practicing.

Then he heard his phone rigning signalling that there's an incoming message. Sanada then quickly stood up and picked his phone up to see who sent the message.

|Reika's in the hospital right now. She collapsed after she went out of the stadium. She's fine now |thougth so no need to worry. Ore-sama thought that he should tell |you this, since Rei trusts you."

Sanada eyes widened in a fraction upon reading what the message said but quickly regained his composure. He then felt a familiar surge of emotion in his body. He didn't really understand the reason for it. But he is sure that it happens when a certain person with black hair with a hint of emerald in it is involved.


2 days later


Reika slowly opened her eyes with a moan. Clutching her aching head she pulled herself up from her bed and settled in a semi seating position with her back supported with a pillow. She then looked around and examined her surroundings. And seeing that ambiance of her room, she's pretty sure that she's in a hospital.

Reika groaned as she again clutch her aching head. "tch. Great, I'm in a hospital gain. Great, just great."

Then suddenly the events that occurred after the nationals flooded her mind. She remembered what happened, all the stuff her former team said about her. She was already crying and is unconsciously gripping the cream coloured sheets that covered her with her trembling hands.

Then Ryoga, Nanjirouh and Rinko entered the room, surprised to see Reika up and is cryining her eyes out.

Rinko wasted no time and rushed to her daughter's side, engulfing the trembling reika with a hug, hushing the girl.

"I hate them! I hate them all! They toyed with me! I'm so stupid!" Reika shouted between sobs.

Nanjirouh and Ryoga walked to the two girls and hugged them both. The three Echizens looked at each other and nodded. They knew what they needed to do.

Then suddenly Reika stopped crying and pulled away from her mother wiping her tears. She looked up to her family with an emotionless face. "I won't waste my tears on them anymore. I'll grow stronger and I'll make then regret ever toying with me and my feelings." Reika monotonously said.

Rinko looked at her husband worriedly. They never thought that they would see their daughter like this again. They only sighed, it was inevitable and they knew that 'this' side of Reika will surely resurface.

Ryoga patted his sister's shoulder then brought her up to a tight hug. "Of course chibisuke, I'll help you become stronger. Then we'll show that bastard of a team to never mess with the Echizens."

Reika nodded at her brother and slightly smiled.

"Don't worry Rei, I'll be always here to support you. I won't anyone hurt you anymore." Rinko said.

"You can count me in bishoujo. I'm here for you always." Nanjirou said and hugged his daughter affectionately.

Rei smiled at her family. "Thanks Okaa-sama, Baka Oyaji, Nii-sama."


Done! Oh I really hope that this chapter was okay.

So how was it? Good? Bad? or something in between? You guys decide.

Sorry for the grammatical errors and misspelled words. I was kinda in a rush typing this chapter.

tell me what you guys think about about this chapter okay? A review or PM is fine.

Constructive criticism is welcomed and I really like my mistakes to be pointed out to me in a polite way.

I hope you guys enjoyed this!

reviews are forever loved!

~xdarkxkuroko