Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis, so don't sue me!
Warnings (for this chapter): Mention of NCS, language, violence
Pairings (for this chapter): Oishi + Eiji, Momoshiro + Ryoma, Fuji + Tezuka
Author's notes: This is my first fanfic outside of Gundam Wing, so be kind with reviews. I'm also doing a marathon dash through PoT as well as this story being AU, so characters may be OOC!
Chapter 3
Consciousness
Ryoma shifted his weight as he waited for Momoshiro to get dinner. His mind kept wandering back to Kyle Edmundson, the player he had defeated in the semifinals. The older teen had mocked Ryoma's short stature and Momoshiro's hairstyle, and that made Ryoma vow to crush the boy. The way that Kyle had glared at him afterwards though… Ryoma shrugged.
Thinking back to his teammate, Ryoma felt warmth blossom in his heart. The sensation confused him like it always did, but he couldn't help but smile. Perhaps this is what his dad told him love was?
"Oi, Echizen!" Momoshiro yelled. Ryoma broke out of his daze and saw Momoshiro carrying a tray filled with wrapped hamburgers, fries, and drinks. It also looked like it was about to… fall! Ryoma dashed out of his seat, but he was too late to save both dinner and his clothes. Momoshiro laughed as soda dripped Ryoma's hat, hair, and clothes. "My bad, Echizen. Here, I'll buy you another soda," Momoshiro whispered as a way of apologizing.
Ryoma shook his head after taking off his wet cap. "No, I'm fine. Let's eat."
Momoshiro grinned. "Prepare to lose, shrimp!"
"Made made dane," Ryoma said smoothly, unwrapping the first hamburger.
--
Time since discovery: 3 weeks, 2 days, 15 hours, 58 minutes (5:10 P.M.)
Momoshiro walked into the nearly silent room. He glanced at the monitor, unconsciously looking for a sign that Ryoma was awake, but the slow rhythm of Ryoma's heart was the same as it had been for the past week. Momoshiro sighed. He wished that some of the other regulars had stayed behind to talk to him; they had returned to Tokyo with Ryoma's family weeks ago.
Sitting down next to the bed, Momoshiro reached over to brush some stray bangs off Ryoma's pale face. "If you were awake right now, I'd tell you how much I love you," he said calmly. The boy had been taken off the drugs that induced a coma two days ago, but he still had not regained consciousness. The hospital had also decided to keep him on life-support just in case.
Something moved slightly out of the corner of his eye. Momoshiro whipped his head to stare in the direction he saw the movement, but the action was not repeated. He frowned and looked back at Ryoma.
--
Time since discovery: 3 weeks, 2 days, 22 hours 21 minutes (11:24 P.M.)
Beep… Beep…
The nurse paused in changing the IV bag. She was certain that the patient's heartbeat had just increased, but the pulse remained the same. It must have just been a glitch in the machine… She finished up with her job and quickly left the room.
Beep…
Beep…
Beep…
--
Time since discovery: 3 weeks, 3 days, 5 hours, 19 minutes (6:31 A.M.)
Doctor Shou Tucker sighed as he closed the door to his tiny house. He hated being here in Japan, but he was too poor to live anywhere else. Since his wife divorced him and took his daughter Nina, most of his money was sent to them in America.
"Doctor Tucker, may we speak with you?" a deep voice asked.
Tucker spun around to confront the speaker. He was tired of reporters asking him about Echizen Ryoma!
He was surprised to see two men in suits standing near a very nice car. "We have a proposition for you concerning Echizen Ryoma."
The doctor froze and then smiled. This should be interesting… He pulled the key out of the lock and walked over to them.
--
Time since discovery: 3 weeks, 3 days, 11 hours, 5 minutes (12:17 P.M.)
The doctor walked into the room calmly. All he had to do was make sure Echizen suffered an 'unfortunate accident' and his daughter would be his again. Of course killing a thirteen-year-old kid made him nauseous, but he would do anything to see his daughter again!
Dropping his pen, Tucker knelt down to pick it up. He also subtly unplugged the ventilator's cord. He heard it slowly come to a stop. In a few minutes, the boy's heart would simply stop; he was still too weak to breathe on his own.
Tucker made a few mandatory notes on his clipboard to throw off suspicion and then left the room.
--
Time since discovery: 3 weeks, 3 days, 11 hours, 9 minutes (12:21 P.M.)
Momoshiro sat down next to Ryoma's bed. The spiky-haired teen sighed loudly. He stared at Ryoma's face, hoping to see those hazel eyes open for once.
Ryoma's lips moved slightly, and Momoshiro's heartbeat quickened. Could it be…?
Momoshiro leaned close to Ryoma. His hearing strengthened, but only silence answered his unspoken pleas. What a second… Something's off!
Scanning the room, Momoshiro noticed that the ventilator was shut down. He quickly called a nurse. The woman checked the machine and finding the plug out of the socket, replaced it. Ryoma's doctor came in and checked on his patient.
"Is he alright?" Momoshiro asked Doctor Tucker.
The blond man turned and smiled gently. "Echizen's fine. It would seem that he's strong enough to breathe on his own." With that, the man left.
Momoshiro nearly cheered. Ryoma was doing better than ever! "Come on, Ryoma. You're almost there. Come back to us, Echizen Ryoma…"
--
Time since discovery: 3 weeks, 3 days, 11 hours, 12 minutes (12:24 P.M.)
Damn that boy! Tucker thought angrily. Why did he have to choose now to get stronger?! His grip on his pen tightened. I almost had him! Nina was almost mine again! The pen snapped sharply, covering Tucker's hand in red ink. He stared at it. I have to have her back!
--
Time since discovery: 3 weeks, 3 days, 22 hours, 31 minutes (11:43 P.M.)
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
Ryoma gasped in pain. Everything hurt, but he didn't want to think of why. I'm…in a hospital? Where's Momo? I could have sworn I heard Momo just a little while ago…
Maybe he…
Beep. Beep… Beep…
Ryoma struggled to remain awake, but soon the drugs were dragging him under again.
Beep…
Beep…
--
Time since discovery: 3 weeks, 4 days, 15 hours, 35 minutes (4:47 P.M.)
Beep…
Beep…
Beep…
Momoshiro stood frozen in the doorway. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Doctor Tucker was standing over Ryoma's bed, a syringe in one hand and an IV line in the other. The man had a look of determination in his eyes. The needle neared the IV line, and Momoshiro was sure that it didn't contain medicine.
The teenager dashed forward. He hit the blond man in the lower back, and they toppled forward, hitting Ryoma's bed. The bed fell over, and Ryoma hit the ground with a sickening crack. Various machines hit the linoleum tiles, covering the fighters, patient, and floor with glass. A low drone filled the room; the heart monitor could no longer feel Ryoma's pulse.
Momoshiro ignored the painful cuts on his arms and face as he punched the doctor again and again until the man finally dropped the syringe. "You. Will. Not. Hurt. My. Ryoma!" Momoshiro yelled angrily. He punctuated each word by slamming the doctor's head into the glass-covered floor. He continued yelling at and beating the murderous doctor until nurses and orderlies pulled them apart.
Then Momoshiro heard the dull drone. "My god… Ryoma!" he yelled in horror, fearing the worst. He spotted Ryoma's body lying near the toppled bed. He crawled over to the still teen, ignoring the glass cutting his palms to shreds, and lifted the small body onto his lap. Somehow Ryoma had managed to avoid getting cut by the glass lying around him.
Then Ryoma's eyes slowly fluttered open. They drifted lazily from left to right before settling on Momoshiro. Ryoma still looked half-sleep, and confusion was setting in on his face.
Momoshiro grinned. "Hey there, Echizen," he said calmly. He reached up to brush away some of Ryoma's uncontrollable hair.
Seeing the blood on Momoshiro's hand, Ryoma froze. "Please don't hurt me…" he whimpered. "Please don't hurt me…"
Momoshiro felt his heart crack and shatter.