Inu: Augh. Well…here's that chapter thing you all like so much…

Note: Spoilers. If you haven't paid attention to this by now…

Warnings: Cursing, spoilers, blah….

Thursday had come, and Sena's breaths came easy and unhurried as he sprinted at full speed to the hospital. People recognized him as he ran and even waved. Without showing the worry that he really felt, he waved back, smiling.

Becoming a bit of a star did teach him how to act in public after all.

Sooner than he expected—or was ready for—the hospital came into view, and it became harder to keep anxiety off his face. He slowed to a walk as he entered the doors, and asked for his room, recalling the talk he'd had with Hiruma the night before.

"He's been injured severely. He got hit by a truck, and it's even a miracle that he survived," Hiruma explained with a grim expression.

Sena's eyes widened, involuntary tears forming, "I-Is he alright? Will he live?"

"He'll live," Hiruma responded, then looked away.

"Hiruma-san…what else? There's more. Please tell me."

"He has amnesia. He doesn't remember a thing. Not football, not Takami, not me, not you…not even himself."

"Bu-But after all that he went through!"

"I know, Sena, but there's nothing the doctors can do. The majority of the impact was to his upper body. It's surprising his head didn't crack open."

Sena winced, "How will he play the all-star game?"

"He won't. The White Nights have someone else applying."

"I-I see. But wow. I didn't know," Sena mumbled dejectedly. How bad a friend he was, not being there when he was needed most.

"Yeah, it was kept under wraps pretty well…"

"We're here sir," the nurse told him, breaking him out of his reverie.

"O-oh, thank you."

The nurse fiddled with her clipboard a little longer, then smiled nervously.

"Uhm, I don't suppose you're Kobayakawa Sena-san? D-Do you think it's okay if I have your signature?"

Sena blinked, then smiled as kindly as he could manage, nodding. She jumped slightly with a large smile, and gave him a picture to sign. After he handed it to her, she smiled more, staring at it.

"Thank you, Sena-san!"

"Don't worry about it," he replied, and started opening the door to the room.

"Uhm, Sena-san?" she asked again.

Sena turned, a little more than anxious, "Yes?"

"I'm sure he'll be glad to see you. Even if he has amnesia. I know he'll be happy with you here. You do that for people. At least, I think so," she said shyly, looking away with a blush.

Sena smiled, a much kinder and honest smile, and nodded.

"Thank you. I really needed that."

Riku had been cleaning his apartment when a rather rude sounding knock came to the door. Just as he walked over to open it, a certain blonde haired god-he's-an-asshole demon waltzed in, after tucking away whatever object helped him break in.

He glared at him, "What do you want, Hiruma?"

Hiruma grinned that evil grin of his, wide and toothy, "I just want to talk. About a certain fucking chibi."

"Stop calling Sena that," Riku growled possessively.

"So you're the one who stared at me with murderous intent that day. I see. So you have the hots for the fucking chibi?"

Riku blushed, but held his ground.

"What do you want?"

Hiruma cackled lightly, then sat down—without invitation to, of course—and wiped his face of all humor.

"I'm not here because I want to torture you. Honestly, I've got the hots for the fucking chibi too, but that means I care about him. So I think we need to come up with something that won't hurt him. Especially now."

Riku's glare lessened, and curious as to what could be hurting Sena, he sat across from Hiruma.

"What is it?"

"Someone close to the fucking chibi has been injured. Severely. And he is still in danger of dying. Worse yet, he has amnesia. He doesn't remember anything."

Riku's eyes widened, "I see. So Sena is mentally…"

"Yes. That would probably put Sena through a lot…mentally and emotionally."

Riku nodded, looking down. "So what do you suggest?"

"I heard about your date—"

"—Hangout!—"

"—tomorrow. That's fine. But, keep the romance out. I'm thinking we can have a fair way to decide who gets Sena amongst all of us."

"All of us? Who would that be?"

Hiruma's humor was quick to come back.

"Don't you know?" he asked, with a laugh in his voice, "Then I'll tell you everyone who's become your rival."

Sena didn't know when the tears began, but they finally stopped. He sat down in the chair beside Shin Seijuro, his rival, and held the unconscious boy's hand. He'd been there for a while, watching Shin struggle to breathe. At some point, Shin stopped breathing, and Sena panicked, calling for help. The doctors thanked Sena for telling them once Shin was resuscitated.

They'd told him that if it wasn't for Sena, Shin might've died.

Sena was at a loss. It wasn't like Shin to be so fragile. The bruises were everywhere, most of his bones were broken, his hair was longer due to time he'd spent there, and bandages covered his entire frame. Some of Shin's carefully crafted body was fading. He was losing weight and muscle. Sena's hold on Shin's hand tightened.

"Shin-san…" he muttered, "I wish I would have been there."

He could've pushed Shin out of the way. He could've warned him faster. He could've diverted Shin from going down that route that day. Anything…anything that he could've done would be better than watching Shin suffer now.

"If only," he whispered, "If only I'd kept training with him after that day…"

The day that made sure Sena stopped his training with Shin. It began like any other day, after all.

Sena left his house, wearing the clothes he usually trained in, and ran to the park. When he arrived, instead of stopping, he turned at the statue and kept running. In three seconds, a larger body was at his side, jogging in stride with him.

"Hello, Shin-san," Sena greeted, looking ahead.

"Sena."

They ran in silence, Sena enjoying his rival's quiet, but comfortable companionship.

As was routine, they ran for 15 miles, then stopped at a restaurant that would supply Shin with the necessary amount of protein that he required.

And a normal meal for Sena, of course.

Sena ate, expecting today to pass like all the others. He and Shin would eat silently, pay, leave, nod at each other, and run their separate ways back home. They ate, they paid, they walked outside.

"Sena," Shin suddenly said, instead of nodding.

Sena blinked, "Yes, Shin-san?"

"There is something I must tell you. But I am not good with words," he stated, voice even.

"Oh?"

"May I show you?"

Sena smiled and nodded.

Shin leaned over and kissed Sena on the lips, eyes open and locked with Sena's wide, surprised ones. He released Sena's lips, and stood straight.

"I like you."

He nodded, turned, and ran back home.

Sena, though, stood rooted to his spot, face red.

Did Shin just confess to him?

"Ugh…" a low, though rasped and unused voice groaned.

Sena's eyes snapped up to Shin's, wide and expecting.

"Shin-san?"

Sena had heard that Shin would wake up sometimes, but only for a few seconds before he'd pass out again. In those small intervals, Shin would panic, not knowing where he was, who he was, or why he was there.

Shin's eyes opened and looked at Sena.

"Shin-san?" Sena asked, his hand still firmly holding Shin's.

The boy looked at him. Who was this spiky haired boy with wide comforting eyes who sounded so worried? Who was Shin for that matter? Could it be his own name?

"Am…Am I Shin?"

Sena smiled a little, pushing back Shin's long bangs, "Yes, you're Shin Seijuro."

Shin nodded, "Who are you?"

"I'm Kobayakawa Sena."

"Where am I?"

Sena smiled more—Shin wasn't panicking, and from what he'd heard, normally Shin would be unconscious again by now.

"You're in the hospital. You're hurt. A truck hit you."

"Will I live?"

Sena nodded determinedly, "Yes, you will live."

Shin nodded, "Why can't I remember anything?"

Sena looked a little sad, "You have amnesia. When the truck hit you, it hit your head too. It might take a while to remember everything."

"Are you sad that I can't remember you?"

Sena nodded, and wiped away the tears that started forming.

Shin nodded, and looked at their hands.

"Why are you holding my hand?"

"Because I care about you."

"Why do you care?"

"Because you're important to me."

Shin nodded again. This must be his lover. But a boy? It was fine, nowadays, but he didn't expect himself to be gay. Then again, having amnesia made everything strange. And this person was so worried and so caring for him, there could be no other explanation.

"Is there anyone else that cares about me?"

"Of course, Shin-san! All of your friends care about you. You've been asleep for a while though, and they have to train for football…like you loved to do."

"I loved training for football?"

"Yes! We would always train together and run around the whole city. You're the fastest linebacker in all of Japan, in fact."

"Did we play together often?"

Sena smiled, "Well, we're from different schools, so we would play against each other. But we still trained together."

Shin nodded, taking that as proof of their relationship. After all, he supposed it didn't make sense to train with your rival unless he was also your lover.

"Did you miss me?" Shin asked suddenly.

Sena blushed brightly, but smiled kindly and nodded, "Of course I missed you, Shin-san."

Shin-san? Why the formalities? Lovers didn't speak like that. Perhaps they just started? This boy must be really devoted, then. And Shin found himself liking that devotion. He couldn't remember their relationship, and couldn't recall the love he felt for this boy, but he could imagine himself loving this boy. It could happen, and this boy seemed like he was willing to wait. But just in case…

"Will you wait for me?" Shin asked, staring directly into Sena's eyes.

Sena blinked, slightly confused.

'Oh!' he thought, 'Shin-san must mean if I'll wait for him to recover before I try playing pro football.'

"Yes, Shin-san," Sena smiled, "I'll wait as long as it takes."

Shin nodded, a small smile pulling at his lips.

Yes, he could definitely see himself falling for this boy.

Riku's eyes were wide, and the left one was twitching.

Sakuraba. Juumonji. Hiruma. Shin. Mizumachi. Akaba. Kakei. Agon. Unsui. Even Kid! Kid! And there were still more.

"I…I can't believe this. How do so many people have a crush on one boy?" Riku asked himself.

"Because that one boy has the ability to change people and make them believe," Hiruma replied easily, popping a piece of gum into his mouth.

Riku sighed, "And how do you suggest we let him figure out who he wants?"

"Simple. We all do what you're doing—take him out on a date. Get to know him better. After Shin recovers, we can start to subtly suggest that we want more. Whoever he responds to will win."

Riku nodded. It was best.

"And the others all know?"

Hiruma nodded, "All but Shin."

Riku frowned, "Maybe we should hold off on telling Shin."

"That would be best."

Riku sighed. This was getting complicated. He glanced at a picture of himself and Sena. They were kids and smiling, arms around each other in a childlike hug.

Riku smiled.

It was getting complicated…but for Sena, it was worth it.

Shin and Sena had been talking a while. Shin would ask questions about his life and training schedule, and Sena would answer as best he knew. Shin was impressed with how well Sena knew him—they were definitely lovers then.

Sena was pleased to see that Shin's personality hadn't changed at all. He was still Shin—memories or not. And Shin would remember everything. He was sure of it.

Shin, though, had been wondering why they hadn't kissed. Lovers do that, right? Was Sena shy? He seemed like it. Not to mention, Shin was injured. Sena was probably nervous about hurting him. But Shin was sure it wouldn't hurt if Sena chanced kissing him. And he really wanted to see how he would feel after kissing the boy. If his feelings for him continued to grow like this, then it meant that he really did have feelings for him before he lost his memory.

"Sena," he said.

"Yes, Shin-san?"

Shin frowned a little, "Please, Seijuro is fine."

Sena blinked then nodded, "Se-Seijuro, then."

"In that case, Sena, I want to—"

"SHIN!" Ootowara's loud voice bellowed, followed by his large body.

With him, Takami and Sakuraba entered, smiling at him.

"Shin!" Sakuraba smiled, patting Shin's shoulder lightly, "You're awake! That's great! And you're so calm!"

Shin nodded, "Sena has been here with me. He is very comforting. I did not feel the need to panic."

Sakuraba's eyes landed on Sena, and he fought hard to keep the red off his face.

'Sena could comfort anyone with those big, beautiful eyes. But Hiruma's right. I need to back off for now,' he thought.

Sena smiled largely, a blush dusting his cheeks, "I'm glad I could help somehow, Sh—I mean, Seijuro."

Takami's, Sakuraba's and Ootowara's eyes all snapped to the shy boy. Had he just used a first name? Without honorifics?

"Uhm, Sena-kun, if I may ask, why did you just use Shin's first name?" Sakuraba asked.

Sena blushed a darker red and began explaining, when Shin cut him off.

"He is my lover, and that's what lovers do," Shin said simply.

All eyes snapped from Sena to Shin in disbelief—Sena's included.

"Se-Seijuro? I'm your what?" Sena asked in a higher voice.

"My lover, right? Otherwise, why would you be so loving and kind? And why would I feel so comfortable with you?"

Sena was about to deny it, but the look on Shin's face stopped him. Shin rarely showed emotion, but he couldn't hide the heart-break he felt. This boy wasn't his lover then? Why not? He enjoyed Sena, after all.

Sena's heart ached.

'If it wasn't for me ignoring him, he wouldn't be here now. F-For now, at least…I should go along with it.'

"No, Seijuro, w-we are, but this is the first time you've said it out loud. I didn't think you'd remember that, and we decided to keep it a secret for a while," Sena lied, appalled at himself for sounding so honest.

The smile that lit up Shin's face made him feel better, though.

"Then please, kiss me, Sena."

Sena nodded a shaky nod, leant down, and kissed Shin's lips gently.

Sakuraba's face immediately fell, Takami taking quick notice of it.

"Sakuraba, come with me. We should get Shogun-san here so he can see that Shin is fine. Ootowara, stay in the lobby in case Shin and Sena need you. We should leave the couple alone," Takami smiled, putting his hand on Sakuraba's back and guiding him to the door.

Sena pulled away from Shin, smiling nervously. Shin smiled a small smile back, squeezing Sena's hand.

He still had feelings for Sena, so he must've felt something strong before the accident.

"Thank you for coming. I will do my best to recover and remember the rest of you. My priority though is to remember Sena, our relationship, and begin training again," Shin said.

Takami nodded, and led everyone out.

"T-They were together?" Sakuraba asked once out of the room, crestfallen.

"I don't know. I don't think so. Sena-kun avoided him after Shin admitted how he felt to him. I think Shin may be confused, and Sena doesn't want to hurt him."

Sakuraba's broken eyes met Takami's, "Do you think there's still hope for me, then?"

Takami smiled as best he could.

"There's always hope."

Riku and Hiruma had been talking for a while, and it was surprising to Riku how civil Hiruma could be…when the conversation was about Sena. Until that topic had come up again, Hiruma had been trying to find out all of Sena's plays, plans, and ideas for football, so that Hiruma could have a rematch with him.

Not to mention, at some point, he was pretty sure Hiruma made a very snide comment about the size of Riku's penis.

Hiruma was cut off mid-sentence when his phone rang, and he swiftly flipped the phone open.

"What?" he demanded.

Riku sighed, "Polite as ever."

Hiruma's eyes widened, before narrowing, and he hung up the phone.

"What was that about?" Riku asked.

"Shin. He's awake."

Riku smiled, "That's great!"

"And he thinks he and Sena are lovers. Sena is letting him think it too."

The smile fell off Riku's face.

"Well, someone has to tell him that he's wrong!"

"And risk Shin going into depression and losing the will to live?" Hiruma asked coldly.

Riku stiffened, and sat back, frowning.

"This is the first time since he's woken up that he hasn't panicked. Sena's kept him calm, as well as informed. Shin will probably be trying to recover quicker so he can train, no doubt."

"Then we can tell him when he recovers!"

"Yeah, six months from now?"

Riku winced. More and more complicated. He couldn't be mad at Sena. All he was trying to do was make Shin happy and keep him alive. But still, right when he wanted to confess, all these things happen? It seemed as if the world was working against him. Riku sighed.

Was it still worth it?

Inu: Augh, I feel so bad for doing this plot line now…but meh. Stick with me. It'll work out. It will be RikuSena in the end. I promise.