Author's Note: …

Alba: Where have you been?!

Shima: Uh...sorry, Alba, but...I kinda forgot about you guys...

Alba: HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?!

Shima: Don't blame me. When people don't review, I don't get reminded to update. So then I forget and don't do it until much later.

Reviews...

loverofallanime: Thanks for leaving me something, otherwise I probably wouldn't have thought to update until next month. -sighs- Is anyone even reading this anymore? Geez...well, anyway! That's alright! Yeeeeeep! Haha, I keep fooling everybody! You can NEVER have Ros! Mwahahaha!

It's alright, I won't let this get me down! I'll keep dishing out chapters even if people don't give a damn! Woo! -fist pumps-

Ros: Glad to see you have your confidence back.

Shima: Eheh. Thanks. Alright, continuing onward! So, this chapter is kinda filler and calm for the most part. Just preparing you for what is soon to come...heheh. This chappy was actually a lot of fun to write. We also get to see more into Teuffel's character! Sorry if I didn't nail his personality like I wanted to, but he's not a major character in the manga and it's hard for me to get a grasp on his personality...so if he seems OOC, please forgive me.

Also, I don't own Senyuu and I never will. Unfortunately.

'Kay, roll the chappy!

Chapter 10

Hospital Hijinks

"Alright, just what is going on here?" Rchi demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

"What's up with Alba thinking you're Ros?" Foyfoy jumped in before Teuffel could open his mouth.

"What happened to him?"

"Is he gonna stay like that?"

"Why is he—"

"Hold on, hold on!" Teuffel said, waving his hands around frantically. "Calm down and let me talk!"

They both gave him annoyed looks, but leaned back and waited for him to speak anyway.

Teuffel took a deep breath and sighed. "He got kidnapped."

Rchi's face paled. Foyfoy gawked at him.

"Wait, what?!"

Teuffel told them everything, starting with how he followed Alba to the apple tree during lunch, Alba's conversation with Elf, the kidnapping, Teuffel tracking them to Elf's apartment, the dilemma of being caught, Alba's screams, Elf leaving, his daring rescue, Alba's mental breakdown. They stared at him, wide-eyed, unable to believe what they were hearing. Teuffel had to assure them multiple times that it had actually happened.

Foyfoy slammed his fist into the wall, eyes pools of rage. "That bastard," he snarled. Rchi didn't seem shocked at his outburst, for she looked quite murderous herself. "The next time I see him, I'm gonna rip his throat out."

"What a horrible thing to do," Rchi whispered harshly. "I hope he gets thrown into jail and stays there the rest of his life."

Teuffel ran a hand through his black locks, exhaling loudly through his nose. "For now, we just need to give Alba all the support he needs so maybe he'll go...back to..." The world started to sway back and forth in front of him.

Rchi grabbed his arm, alarmed. "Teuffel-san?!"

Teuffel steadied himself, rubbing his eyes. "Ah...sorry," he mumbled. "I'm just really tired. It's way past the time I usually go to sleep."

Foyfoy checked his phone and frowned. "Dude, it's only 7:38. Most people are still awake at this hour."

"Have you forgotten that I'm narcoleptic?" Teuffel asked, rolling his eyes.

Foyfoy blanked. "Uh..."

"It's when a person falls asleep a lot and is always really tired," Rchi explained quickly. "He probably goes to sleep early to help with the exhaustion."

"Oh. Sorry, man."

"It's fine...I've been dealing with it my whole life, so..." He glanced around. "Is there a vending machine around here? If I eat something sugary I think I'll be able to stay awake a little longer..."

"Oh, we saw one on the way up!" Rchi said. "Come on, I'll show you the way."

Foyfoy waved as they walked off. "I'll stay here and keep an eye on Alba."

Teuffel nodded. "Okay, thanks."

On their way down, Teuffel and Rchi bumped into some familiar people.

"Oh! There you guys are!"

The duo looked over to see Ares and Hime walking over to them.

"Where's Alba-san? Is he alright?" Hime asked, concerned.

"He's upstairs. Have Foyfoy explain everything to you," Teuffel said, trying to stay awake.

"E-eh?! Fo...you mean he's already here?" Hime squealed, cheeks already beginning to turn pink.

"Hey, you," Ares slapped his shoulder, "you'd better eat something or you'll pass out."

"We're on our way to do that right now," Rchi told her, smiling.

Ares nodded. "Right, then. We'll head on up."

As they walked off towards the stairway, Rchi and Teuffel resumed their walk to the vending machine.

"Say, Teuffel-san, Ares-san seemed to know a lot about your condition," Rchi spoke up quietly from beside him. He looked down at her, blinking rapidly.

"Hmm?"

"Ares-san was the first person to become friends with you, right? You two must be close." She commented casually.

"Uh...yeah, I guess we are." Teuffel shrugged.

Rchi smiled at him. "Could you see yourself dating her in the future?"

Teuffel gasped and tripped over his own feet in surprise. Rchi squeaked and hurried over to help him up from the floor.

"Oh, my, Teuffel-san! Are you alright?"

"Fine, 'm fine," he muttered, hurriedly standing back up.

He walked ahead briskly, eyes lighting up when he spotted the vending machines at the end of the hall.

Rchi caught up to him by the time he got there. Unfortunately, she wasn't willing to drop the subject so easily.

"Sooooo?" She pressed, watching as he chose a packet of Skittles from the machine.

With a sigh, Teuffel fetched the candy and ripped open the package. He'd have to answer her sooner or later.

"I...I don't like Ares that way, so no," he murmured. He popped a few Skittles into his mouth, chewing happily. Yum.

"So who do you like, then?"

The conversation from almost a half a year ago came flooding back into his head.

"So, Alba-san, who do you like?"

"Wh-wha? I...I don't...I d-don't like anybody."

That was when everything had been normal and whole and good, when nothing bad ever happened, except maybe Foyfoy's jaw getting broken by Hime's punch. How could things have changed so much in such a short time, he wondered? Now the world was all topsy-turvy and upside-down and backwards and nothing made any sense anymore.

How different would things be if Alba had answered Rchi's question properly that day? Would Ros not have left? Would Alba still be balancing on the edge of insanity, ready to take the plunge any second?

Maybe things would be different. Maybe, if Alba did confess, Ros would have stayed and things wouldn't be so screwed up. Teuffel's heart would be broken, yes, but that was certainly better than dealing with Alba in such a fragile and delicate state.

And, of course, Teuffel went and answered the same way Alba did, anyway.

"I-I don't like anybody."

Rchi lowered her eyes at him. "Suuuree you don't."

But, since she was such a sweet girl, she decided not to push him any further.

By the time Rchi and Teuffel arrived back upstairs, everyone was already gathered. But instead of the usual lighthearted banter that would be tossed back and forth between them, they were all silent, dazed.

Hime sat in a chair, her head in her arms. Ares stood next to her, leaning against the wall, in deep thought. Janua was staring down at his lap, a ball of nerves. Sanejima comforted him by rubbing his back in soothing motions. Foyfoy was the first one to notice they'd returned.

"Oh, there you guys are." At this statement, the tension shattered and everyone snapped out of their trances, looking up to greet them with halfhearted smiles and waves.

"Feeling better, sleepy-head?" Ares asked Teuffel, and he nodded.

"Yeah, thanks."

"Did you guys go in to see Alba-san yet?" Rchi asked them.

Hime shook her head. "The doctors got to him before we could. Besides, we wanted to wait until you got back."

Teuffel looked over at her, panicked. "D-doctors? Is he okay? What happened?"

"They're just checking up on him," Sanejima assured him, his voice a low rumble.

Janua looked over to the door. "Ah, speak of the devil."

The door opened, revealing an older doctor with graying hair. He perked up at the sight of them. "Oh, hello! Were you waiting to see Fruhling-san?"

"Yes," they all responded. He laughed at their enthusiasm.

"Alright then, go on in. We were just giving him his medicine."

They all waited until the doctor was gone before they all barged into the room, almost falling on top of each other. Of course, this scared poor Alba to death, who jumped back and shrieked in surprise.

"Oh, geez!" He sighed, placing a hand over his heart. "You guys nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry, Alba-san," Rchi giggled, straightening out her school uniform.

"Are you alright, kid?" Ares asked.

Alba blinked at her. Then, he gave her a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. A little sore, but fine."

The entire gang let out sighs of relief at this, making Alba laugh.

"What, you were that worried about me?" He giggled.

"Of course, Alba-kun! We're your friends, after all!" Janua stated, crossing his arms.

"As soon as we heard what happened, we rushed over," Hime added.

"A man doesn't need an excuse to attend to someone in need," Sanejima declared, puffing out his chest.

"We're always gonna have your back, Alba." Foyfoy grinned.

Alba stared at them for a long time. Then, his eyes started to water. He beamed at them, tears starting to trickle down his cheeks.

"Oh...e-everyone...th-thank you so much," he whimpered before he started sobbing.

Teuffel was at his side quickly, stroking his back. "Alba?"

Alba sniffed and wiped at his face. "O-oh, I'm fine. Th-thank you. I'm just really ha-happy." He looked up at Teuffel and smiled. "You called them here, didn't you, Ros?"

Hime frowned at him. "Ros?"

Ares elbowed her in the side. "Yes, that's Ros, remember? Have you forgotten him already, Hime-chan?"

"O-oh, right!" The blonde laughed awkwardly. "Ros-san, of course!"

Teuffel breathed out a sigh. Good thing Ares caught on before it got worse.

Alba tugged on his sleeve. "Ros?"

"A-ah," he started. "Uh, yes, I did call them. But I didn't think any of them would show up to see a pathetic Hero." How he managed to pull that off he didn't even know.

"What?! You meanie!" Alba whined, lightly punched his arm.

"You want to go there, Hero?"

"Wh—no! No, I don't!"

"You're strange."

"Heeeeey!"

The rest of the group watched on, unsure if they should be amused or worried. Alba seemed perfectly normal, yes, but he still couldn't tell that Teuffel wasn't Ros at all.

Rchi bit her lip. Will Alba-san ever go back to normal? And even if he tries to, will he be able to accept that he's been lying to himself all this time?

What if something even worse happens when he finds out that Teuffel-san isn't Ros-san...?

Shima: That's all for now, folks! Until next time!

...Maybe!

Alba: Wh-what's THAT supposed to mean?!

Shima: Uh...well...

Alba: Shima!

Shima: Okay thanks for reading love you all 'kay bye bye!

Alba: WAIT WAIT WAIT! This conversation is not over, you hear me?! NOT OVER!