Muhahahaha, I'm back! Yes, I know, I've been super active lately. ^^ Is that a good thing? :O I'm also taking a break from Coincidences for a while, sorry! Resting from that huge 9000 chapter. ;A;

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Uhm. Konomi Takeshi's name is under "By" for a reason. In other words, all of Prince of Tennis characters belongs to him, though OCs and such that may or may not come belong to me!

Warning: A few swear words. Hohoho. Courtesy of Ryou~! Yes, I like him very much, so he's gotta appear sooner or later.

Ryoma had no clue as to what his next move should be. Despite the time being 4 in the morning, he just could not fall asleep. The sun was slowly creeping up over the horizon already, its bright golden rays coming up to outline several houses.

Kevin was snoring lightly, sleeping well while he had been tossing and turning all night, eyes wide open and his brain refusing to shut down.

He contemplated about all he had gone through in such a little time, and the emotions that had run through him all at once. Everything was just exasperating, and it was tiring him to no end. He wanted things to settle down, to become normal again. His friends would still be there, he'd still be part of Seigaku, and there would be no pain in the process.

But no, he just had to listen to their conversation and learned about their true intentions the hard way. It was probably the worst mistake he ever made, but… At least he's not their puppet anymore. At least he knows of the truth, so they couldn't underestimate him and think him gullible. It was a great smash to his pride, being so oblivious to how they used him and all.

Suddenly, his stomach started to growl indignantly, gnawing at him for his lack of food. That's right…. He realized he hadn't eaten since yesterday's lunch, which didn't exactly fill him. Ryoma parted from the covers, slipping his feet in cozy slippers. His head spun as he adjusted to the changes of position, deciding to splash some water on his face.

He shuffled to the bathroom, glancing at the mirror. The person who stared back at him gave him a startle.

His cheekbones had become visible, dark circles and red surrounding his eyes from lack of sleep. His unkempt hair was knotted, tangled, and gnarled. His skin was an unhealthy, pale color and scratches could be seen here and there. He had become bony, much lighter than the appropriate weight for the average male his age. His lips were cracked and red, making it painful to eat without feeling the sharp sting.

Was this… Was this who he had become? He shook his head, knowing it was not a time for him to be weak. He needed strength to be able to escape from their puppeteering, or to at least be able to put up a struggle before getting caught.

"I'm not going to think of them." Ryoma whispered determinedly, wetting his face with the cool, refreshing water. It helped him clear his mind and allowed him to think easily without any other cluttering thoughts 'invading' the more organized ones.

As his stomach started to yell at him, he grumbled and started making his way to the refrigerator. "Beer… Soda… Leftovers… Cheese… Eggs… Milk…" Knowing there was nothing he could make that would fulfill his hunger with the ingredients in there, he decided to call room service. It was much easier.

"Hello? Yes, I'd like to order some food. Room … What? What do you mean? But… Me and Kevin are… What?" Ryoma's eyes widened as he was informed of the sudden news. "Why – why were we not told of this before? But… Alright, alright. I understand." Luckily, his voice had not changed except for the fact it went deeper, so the person on the other line did not notice how he was choking up. Where were they going to live?

Apparently, someone had bought the hotel chain and decided that Room 348 was going to be a storage room. Out of all the other rooms, why the one they were staying in? Why didn't they choose an empty room?

Then realization struck him. There was only one person who was rich enough to do such a thing, and have a 'reason' to choose that specific room.

"Monkey King." He spat with distaste, eyes narrowing down with anger and frustration.

Tezuka closed his eyes, head throbbing at the thought of a certain arrival.

"Mitsu… Why'd he come back? I thought he was gone forever." Fuji asked softly.

"I don't know… I really don't know, for once." He replied, sighing in exasperation.

How complicated. Despite his victory at the Grand Slam and his popularity skyrocketing, he had been allowed a week of rest. No fans, no reporters, no interviews to worry about. They had to be content with the magazines of him as the front cover which every store he had seen so far had thrust out on display, hoping to gain more customers that way. It'd be quite a feat for most of them to find one that's decent and not sold out, considering all the interest that had been directed towards him.

And then he decided to appear, ruining his perfectly wonderful week.

"It won't be hard to send him back, Syuuske. Do not fret." He supposed he'd let the other regulars rest a bit. They'll need as much energy as they have and more when the right time comes.

Eiji sighed, dragging his feet around the streets of Tokyo desolately. He had missed his Ochibi so much, regretting what actions he took which made him go away. He regretted not even trying to stop the others from doing something so cruel.

Kaidoh felt the same, walking beside him with a dark atmosphere surrounding his figure. He had to endure more, really, because he had been able to speak with the boy and was thus more affected. When he spoke, Eiji listened intently.

"When… When I apologized t-to him…He said it wouldn't take away his pain, it wouldn't give back his happiness… He said he was a bother again… He told me to go back… We've done wrong, Kikumaru-senpai. We've done the worst anyone can ever do." Kaidoh clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his skin. He still had disturbing dreams of Ryoma ever since that encounter, and a lot of them had become nightmares. It was driving him insane, and he almost couldn't take it anymore. He was about to burst.

Eiji looked at him woefully. "We've hurt him, nya… He won't ever forgive us, and I really don't expect him to… But I think… I think the best we can do for him now is to stop following Tezuka's plans." His face hardened. "The one who started all of this… The one who was the wrong person to help."

Oishi and Taka-san inclined their heads to the side, observing two turtles who were fighting against each other. One was incredibly small and the other, abnormally big.

"Ne… Taka-san…" Oishi started.

"Hm?" The gentle male replied.

"Who do you think will come out victorious?"

Taka-san knew what he meant.

"I believe the smaller one will be able to overcome all obstacles thrown in its way and overthrow the larger one. Big things do, after all, come in small packages."

Oishi turned to look at him.

"Hm. You're with the little guy? How surprising. I thought you'd be more biased with the powerful ones, being one yourself. The larger one will win. It has more of an advantage, being both larger and stronger."

With that, they left the shop, not bothering to spare any other words or stay for the outcome of the match for the real result is far, far away. And they weren't going to accept the other's victory that easily, not just yet.

Momoshiro and Inui were both at the latter's house, dissecting bits of information from articles of Ryoma.

"It says here that he once mentioned a girl. Think he got a girlfriend?" Momoshiro asked, lazily scrolling down the page. Inui shook his head, "Unlikely, but can be considered."

He scoffed and continued, clicking another link with an intriguing title.

"Inui-senpai, you have to read this." His eyes widened. Inui's ears perked up with interest as he leaned over to quickly scan the passage, madly scribbling down all the information given.

Ryoma Echizen… Carrying a Threatening Disease?

'… police went to their homes a day after.. in the sinks, there were pieces of paper… it seemed he was going through a series of tests… proving if his condition was serious… Blood was found… No signs of death… companion gone as well.'

Momoshiro smirked. This could be useful.

Ryou took off his cap, lying on his bed as he went over the rumors that were undoubtedly spreading throughout the whole of Japan

"Echizen used Seigaku." Kabaji had so bluntly stated that certain day, not bothering to use any other words. That statement had caused a lot of confusion and soon, anger. Hatred. Annoyance. Sympathy.

The majority of Hyoutei believed it. After all, Ryoma had been the one who shaved off Keigo's hair. Being the big mouths each person was, they had gone off to tell all their friends, who in turn, did the same. It helped in the process of spreading the news around.

However, Ryou didn't believe a word of it. Ryoma would never do anything this low. Being a man of great pride himself, he knew the younger would never resort to such trickery. He would have gone to the top alone if it was necessary, not bothering to pay any attention to those who offered their help to him.

Most of the regulars had been angry, and a few confused, which were only Choutarou and Jiroh. The other two had been uncaring, brushing it off since it was not their business. The rest had been furious. Yuushi wanted to appear as uncaring, but his fake mask could not trick those who made up the regulars. They knew him well enough to know he was also seething.

All of this just fucking annoyed him. {A/N: And the cursing is done! I just thought it would be characteristic for him to say that during this time. *Sweatdrop*}

Ryou thought they knew better than that! He sighed, placing his cap over his face. He'll have to be visiting someone tomorrow.

Phuphuphuphuphu. Oishi and Taka-san's were short because I honestly had no other ideas. Thanks for reading~! ;D Don't need to review, just knowing you read it is enough.

Though I wanna a review… ROFL.