Chapter four – The Decision

Ryoma tried to figure out why he felt so sick. He wasn't physically ill at all, thankfully, but his head would go through waves of dizziness and intense pain. He chose to ignore it, along with practically everything else. He wasn't even going to mention that his mouth was killing him, as if his teeth were shifting every second by being knocked around with a hammer.

Momo, who was borrowing a computer in Ryoma's classroom, looked at his best friend with concern in his eyes. His friend now had a peculiar smell about him, as odd as that sounded. He didn't quite smell... human anymore.

But Ryoma had consumed no blood. All he had had was a glass of Inui Juice which he seemed almost immune to. Ryoma actually turned out the best out of them. For once, he actually commented that it was the nicest tasting drink that Inui had ever made, though something disgusting would be delightful to those who had drank Inui's previous concoctions.

Meanwhile, the sky was turning black, like a rain cloud was slowly progressing over Seigaku and refused to go away. The rain was beginning to fall. Slowly. Calmly. Agonizingly so. They wished it would rain or go away.

Fuji and Eiji were still absent, due to Eiji's remaining unconsciousness. Fuji believed that because he was also plagued with the curse of the undead, he should watch over Eiji in case Eiji became conscious and turned into the undead. If Eiji woke an undead, it would be almost impossible to save him.

All thoughts were with Eiji for that not to happen.

There was the ringing of bells from outside, but it was the kind of wind chime bells that gently rang in the breeze. Except there was no breeze.

Ryoma raised his head to look out the window, though that was a painful mistake. His desk had been kind to him. It was near the window, so it was warm from the small peaks of sun and yet, he still had enough darkness to rest. It was English, Ryoma's undoubtedly best subject. Ryoma had time to sleep.

Ryoma hissed in pain as he clunked his head back on the desk in pain. What was happening to him? Why did he feel so unwell?

Momo turned in his seat, speaking quietly. "Oi, Echizen, are you okay?"

Ryoma groaned in protest to Momo's question. All he wanted was peace and quiet. The thought was wonderful. He was better off sleeping on his desk in English class than going home. His father would pester him every five minutes to see if he'd died yet, considering he spent four and a half of those five minutes in his room checking on him. His father would yell and scream that his son was dead and that he had nothing to live for anymore. Then Ryoma would have to remind him that he still had a wife in America and another son... somewhere in the world. Not to mention that the fact he was talking was a sign that he was alive. Then his father would retreat to read his magazines for about thirty seconds and the process would start again.

Ryoma sighed as the class began to talk. They had to try and say a basic conversation in English to each other. Ryoma didn't even bother. He knew he could talk English fluently. He had lived in America since he was little. He was taught English and Japanese since he could talk. His father refused to talk to him in English, the stubborn fool, and his mother constantly spoke in English or a mixture of English and Japanese. She had to speak in English to her America clients. But she did have to speak in Japanese if she hoped to even get a response. She knew Nanjirou spoke perfect English as well.

Horio shook Ryoma's shoulder rather violently and Ryoma gripped his head in pain. "Horio!" he hissed angrily, his whole head beginning to throb uncontrollably and his vision no more than blur. He felt sick to his stomach. His whole body was beginning to violently shake and he felt frozen cold.

Momo, whose computer was right next to Ryoma's desk, began to panic. "Oi, Echizen. Are you okay?"

Ryoma turned his head with one sharp movement before latching onto it. "Yadda."

Momo raised his hand and the teacher walked over rather calmly. Obviously Ryoma sleeping on the desk in English was fairly normal. "Sensei, Echizen-kun is unwell. Can I take him to the infirmary?"

The teacher, a gentle woman who was from a foreign country, gently shook Ryoma's shoulder to try and check. If it was a lie, she wouldn't be happy. Her response was a groan of pain and a low his. "Momoshiro-kun, if you'd please. Thank you."

Momo grabbed his best friend. Ryoma stood up with his head in one hand as Momo supported him with the other. Ryoma took one step and his knees buckled. Momo, thankfully, caught Ryoma before he fell on the floor. Everybody in the room stopped as Ryoma tried to get hold of his feet again. But he was also trying to hold back cries of pain. He felt something strange... almost completely foreign running down his cheek. It was a tear, warmer than his entire skin that escaped his eyes.

The pain was only getting worse and worse. But Ryoma held back as many tears as he could. They had made it out of the classroom without creating too much of a commotion, but he knew he'd be pestered as soon as he was well again. Momo had lifted Ryoma onto his back by halfway down the hallway because Ryoma's legs couldn't cope. The fact they had coped that long was a miracle itself.

Ryoma rested his head on Momo's shoulder, taking deep breaths in between the more frequent tears. He had been hit in the head with broken tennis rackets that cut him open, smashed with hundreds of tennis balls from his childish father, broken a bone trying to retrieve an orange from the tree whilst his older brother tried to hit him with tennis balls - or more trying to hit every orange from the tree when Ryoma tried to reach for it when they lived in America – and numerous other incidents, a lot of them to blame on his father or his brother whom he hadn't seen since the cruise ship incident.

This pain was incredible. I must be terminally ill or something. This... hurts... Ryoma thought as he yelped in pain as Momo staggered to stop himself from slipping on a pencil he hadn't seen. Momo instantly flinched at the cry and the feeling of wet tears on his shoulder. It was sinking through further and further.

Momo found a seat in the hallway, usually taken up by hall monitors, as he put Ryoma down slowly and gently. Ryoma was slightly confused as Momo began prodding at Ryoma's mouth. Ryoma opened his mouth, guessing that was what Momo was trying to get him to do as Momo frowned. "Echizen, what did you eat or drink this morning?"

Ryoma thought for a moment as he spoke slowly. "Normal breakfast... ponta... Inui Juice..." Ryoma listed, "I couldn't eat lunch because I felt sick."

Momo sighed as he noticed the shape of Ryoma's canine teeth. They were slowly growing and reshaping half of his teeth. "Your mouth must be killing you."

Ryoma nodded. "Momo-senpai, what's happening?"

Momo sighed as he dug through his back pocket. "Let's just hope that you're not one of 'them' for now, okay?" Momo held out a red pill, ushering for Ryoma to take it.

Ryoma was unsure. Momo was definitely not a doctor. But Momo looked like he knew what he was talking about. Momo wasn't usually serious. The tablets hit Ryoma's tongue and Ryoma instantly spat them back out, despite the fact they decreased his pain by a fraction of the millisecond it sat on his tongue.

Momo's frown only grew worse as he sighed. "Ne, Gaki. I'm going to take you home and sleep, got it?"

Ryoma nodded as he slumped his head over. Whatever was in that tablet was oddly addicting. He wanted more, but his body wouldn't allow it. "What was in that, Momo-senpai?" he asked as he pointed to the tablet on the floor.

Momo sighed. "That was a blood tablet. The fact your body rejected it isn't good. Humans take them in and it doesn't affect them at all, most vampires take them and it helps them heal or quenches their thirst until they can find an adequate source for blood and well... there are a few vampires that cannot take in blood tablets. Their body rejects them... like yours did."

Ryoma really didn't have the patience for this, or his father that was probably waiting at home. He really REALLY didn't want to go home to that childish father of his. "So, You don't know how, but I'm a vampire now? Mada mada dane, Momo-senpai."

Momo was tempted to whack the boy over the back of the head. "It's not my fault. Not my fault at all. You're the one who has turned into one of us."

Ryoma tried to sit up straight as his head wavered. "Can you stop this?"

Momo thought for a moment. "I'll call my dad. He'll bring something over."

Ryoma nodded. "I'll wait in the clubroom."

Momo shook his head. "You're going home."

Ryoma frowned at Momo with cold eyes. "I go home and get worse, or sleep in the clubroom. Your choice. I'd prefer it if I slept in the clubroom, Momo-senpai," Ryoma said, outsmarting his senpai once again, "Oyaji would keep me up with his ranting that I'm dead."

Momo sighed. "Fine. I'll leave a message on Ryuuzaki-sensei's door for when she comes in. You can sleep in her office. It's better than the clubroom."

Ryoma smirked just a little as Momo helped his best friend. "Mada mada dane, Momo-senpai."

(# - #)

The Seigaku tennis teams practice session was well and truly over. The regulars were required to stay back for a little bit, because Fuji had asked them too. Fuji had called Tezuka and said for them to wait after practice. Since it was Fuji, they all had a fair idea of what was happening.

No surprise that it did.

A smiling, bouncing Eiji bounced up to Oishi and almost strangled him to death. "Oh, Oishi! I missed you!"

Oishi smiled. "I missed you too Eiji. I was worried sick."

Momo crossed his arms. "You're always worried sick. Ah! I almost forgot! Dad's coming with some stuff for Ryoma."

Everyone darted their heads to Momo. Momo had failed to mention where Ryoma was the whole lesson. "What? Where is he?" Everyone asked in unison, minus the 'he' and replaced with Ryoma's many different names.

Momo sighed. "Couldn't you smell it?"

Eiji sniffed the air. "There's a new vampire here. O'chibi made a new vampire friend? Maybe a girlfriend?"

Momo shook his head. "No! Echizen is the vampire!"

Everyone turned to Momo. "What did you do?"

Momo backed off in response, instinctively raising his hands to defend himself. "I didn't do it! He was in the middle of English class and passing out on his desk when I noticed. He's sleeping in Ryuuzaki-sensei's office considering how annoying his oyaji is. He hasn't had anything abnormal except Inui Juice."

Everyone turned to Inui. "Inui..."

Inui flinched. "I put nothing in there that is unsafe for humans. I have the recipe in my notebook."

Speak of the... well vampire, Ryoma came outside looking rather pale, but overall better than before. "What's going on? Isn't practice over?"

Eiji instantly glomped the first year. "O'chibi! You're alright! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Forgive me, O'chibi!"

Ryoma flinched. "Eiji-senpai, could you let go?"

Eiji backed off. "Wah! Fujiko! Oishi! O'chibi's mad at me for bitting him!"

"You did what, Kikumaru?" a strong voice came from behind the group, two boys the same age as the third years standing there, one in black coat and the other in a brown one. The second one looked fairly formal, but the other one looked more important.

The group bowed in unison, a sight that would be rare to see. It only happened when no one else was around, or it would blow their cover. "Oujisama!"

Ryoma, however, stood there in a daze, trying to figure out why his teammates were bowing to these two fools and calling one of them a prince.

The paler and more important looking one walked over, standing in front of them. "Enough formalities. Kikumaru, you bit Echizen-kun?"

They all raised but Eiji kept his head bowed. "H-hai." Eiji looked scared out of his wits. Ryoma looked at Yukimura who looked stern and strong as always.

Ryoma opened his mouth and Momo grabbed it, holding it shut. Generally, they looked almost afraid. Tezuka and Fuji both looked normal as always. Everyone else seemed to fear the frail man. "Gomen, gomen, Yukimura. It was an accident on Eiji's half. It was my fault really. We had been busy with practice and naturally, we all forgot to feed on each other. It's my fault for not reminding him," Momo covered.

Yukimura turned to Momo. "Oh? Keigo! What do you think?"

Momo froze as Atobe, the other one, joined them. "I think that it is Kikumaru's responsibility for himself. Don't you agree?"

Yukimura looked at Tezuka. "What about you, Tezuka? You are the heir if something were to happen to me, after all," Yukimura smiled, approaching Tezuka.

Tezuka stayed as stoic as ever. "I believe that it's a mere mistake. No one was harmed... or lets say dead. From now on, we will have to give it our best and don't let our guards down."

Yukimura smirked a little more. "Just like you, Tezuka. You'd be such a lax leader. But, I agree. We had a similar incident in Rikkai except the receiver wasn't within the team. I believe you'd remember her, Tachibana's little sister," Yukimura said, looking Tezuka up and down with analytic eyes, "She's fine of course. Somehow, she already knew that we existed, but she had no idea who was a vampire or not."

Momo inwardly flinched. Damn it. An! I told you to watch it.

Atobe noticed Momo's look. "Oh, Momoshiro-kun, you knew that An knows? Can you enlighten us to how she found out?"

Yukimura smacked Atobe over the back of his head. "Keigo, leave the poor boy alone. He seems to be in shock. We don't want an unconscious vampire on the floor. Heaven knows what he'll do if something were to trigger inside of him."

Atobe frowned. "That's no reason to hit me."

Yukimura looked at Atobe with stern eyes. "Excuse me?"

Atobe stood and smiled a little, remembering that he was the chief advisor of the prince, but he still didn't have enough authority to stand up against the prince for hitting him when it was Atobe's fault. "Nothing. I was commenting on the marks on the wall. It looks worn out by a lot of training tennis players," Atobe covered up, "But it seems we have a new vampire with us. Enlighten us, Echizen-kun."

Ryoma didn't expect to be addressed. Especially by the 'monkey king'. "Ah, we have no idea how, but he's become a vampire," Fuji smiled, speaking for the tired and ill Echizen.

Yukimura walked over and grabbed Ryoma's chin, yanking his head back to look at his teeth. "He has a good set of fangs, and his eyes speak to me, but he reeks of human. Can you not tell?" he stated as he gently prodded the sharp tip of Ryoma's fangs. Ryoma cringed but a drop of blood hit his tongue and he relaxed a little. It was like an antiseptic, his whole body relaxing and pain washing away with one drop "Feel better, Echizen-kun?" Yukimura asked, "Not many people get to taste a Royal's blood."

Yukimura released Ryoma's head and patted his hair. Ryoma didn't have his hat on because he was just sleeping inside and hadn't changed to play tennis. "Thanks."

Yukimura smiled and brushed a hand gently through his hair, treating Ryoma as if Ryoma was his pet cat. What was more amusing was that Ryoma almost purred. A slight purr escaped his lips, only loud enough for Fuji, Tezuka, Yukimura and Atobe to hear. The four gave an inquisitive look to the freshman. Who would of thought their brave freshman regular who made fun of third years and shaved their heads – Atobe – would purr.

Yukimura smiled. "Well I'm going, until next time. I'll let you off this time, Kikumaru-kun."

Atobe nodded. "Okay, let's go."

Every bid farewell and Fuji patted Ryoma's head once. "We have another little neko-chan, ne?"

Ryoma glared at Fuji, holding his slightly better but still throbbing head. "Don't tell anyone!"

(A.N: End chapter. Two weeks to update. Considering how long it is and I had a few tests I needed to study for, I'm quite proud actually. Usually this would take me a month, if I update at all -Looks at Fifty things- Woops. Anywho. Please review. Now you know who the prince is. Tee hee.)