::I DO NOT OWN THE PRINCE OF TENNIS, IT'S CHARACTERS OR STORY::

Ryoma ducked his head under the water, letting himself sink he allowed the late night current wash him farther away from the shore. He knew he would run out of air soon, but that was the idea. The real Ryoma wouldn't have been submitted to this, no way. The real Ryoma would have held his head up high in dignity, but this wasn't the real Ryoma, the new Ryoma was vulnerable, scared, childish and suicidal. The new Ryoma couldn't be convinced to stay the course. Closing his bright golden orbs slowly he tried to imagine death; unfortunately two hands brought him firmly back up to the surface. Faintly, Ryoma heard the deep and heavy breathing of the 'other', his soft murmuring of something incoherent, something inconceivable. A rather hard slap to Ryoma's right cheek re-entered him into the world of the living.

"Ryoma, Ryoma!"

Ryoma opened his eyes halfway, expecting the place he was in; hell, he closed his eyes once more.

"Damn it, wake up!" A familiar voice, strange, could've sworn it was-

Ryoma's eyes shot open in shock, the person had their mouth upon his, desperately forcing air into Ryoma. Ryoma pulled himself away, coughing violently.

"Oh, thank god." The person was identified as male by his voice.

Ryoma coughed some more and then stopped suddenly. Getting his bearings, Ryoma found he was on the shore, he stared at the man. Ryoma couldn't make him out. "Who-who are you?"

The man had collapsed beside the boy, panting. "Why did you do that?"

Ryoma's eyes widened, this guy sounded extremely familiar. "W-what?"

The man grabbed Ryoma by the shoulders and looked him in the eye. "Why?!"

Ryoma gasped, "R-Ryoga."

"You had everything, why do you want to throw it all away?" Ryoga frowned.

"I, it was, it was just all my fault!" Ryoma blurted out.

Ryoga looked at Ryoma questionably.

"It was my fault that you slit your wrists, it was my fault you ran away, and it was my fault that you got depressed!" Ryoma felt tears streaming down his slightly flushed face.

Ryoga stared at his brother in horror. "No." He said sternly. "It wasn't."

"Doshite?" Ryoma asked, eyes open in distress.

"My life was going downhill, you were not the cause. It was my fault that I burdened you…"

"That's what a family is for." Ryoma stated as he wiped away his tears.

Ryoga smiled. "Come on, let's go home."

Ryoma nodded and attempted to get up, but his legs buckled beneath him and he found himself back on the sand again.

Ryoga picked up his brother without complaint and begun to carry him. All the way home…

Okay, this is the other alternate chapter for those who want Ryoma and Ryoga to just have brotherly love.

Hope this works, tell me what you think of the idea and review!