"Korean"

'Soulmate Bond Talking'

"English"

"I heard your team destroyed Fudomine."

Seiichi gives me a sparse smile, "You heard about what Akaya did." it's not a question, and we both know that it's true.

"Not exactly. I was there," I corrected as I popped a grape into my mouth.

"Speaking of tennis, I heard a certain frail looking manager yelled at his team when they entered the court during play." he teased, tugging at the bottom of my shirt.

I groaned and dug my palms into my eyes, "Why does everyone know about that?!"

Gentle hands pulled my hands away from my face, "I thought it was cute."

I rolled my eyes at that, "It wasn't supposed to be."

A silence settled between us and I just sighed, "Your operation is the day of the tournament."

Seiichi nodded.

I took his hand into my own, "We won't go down without a fight."

"I would expect nothing less."

"How much of an idiot are you?"

Echizen Ryoma would deny anyone who said that he bolted up from his sleep and hit his head on the bunk above him. He groaned and looked to his left where his manager stood in the doorway, amusement in his eyes, "The only other door is a bathroom, wash up." was all the teen said before slipping out of the room.

Ryoma couldn't remember much. His body felt incredibly heavy and a stupid smile was stuck on his face, but that didn't say much about what was happening. So he did as he was told and washed off. He came out of the bathroom, hair still wet and a towel around his neck.

The Korean teen in the room snorted at his appearance and forced him to sit on the ground, saying, "You'll catch a cold."

The teen toweled his hair dry and nearly sent him off. Nearly.

"...Is that… Yukimura Seiichi?"

Ryoma's ears perked up at the name of his soulmate, "Do you know who he is-?"

The teen wordlessly turned him around and pulled off his sock and a black band around his ankle. A matching soulmark was printed on the older teen's ankle.

Jinyoung sighed, "He's my platonic… and the captain of Rikkaidai."

Ryoma's eyes widened, "Rikkaidai as in-"

Jinyoung nodded, "Who you face at the end of this week and the school whose captain is out of commission. His surgery is on the day of the tournament."

Ryoma stiffened and rubbed at his mark.

"I want to see him. When it's over."

Time.

He was running out of time.

Doubles had gone by fairly quickly, but the wins for his team had taken far too long for his liking. And then Renji lost his match after a tiebreak of 29 - 31.

Sanada knew that even with Akaya's harsh training and practice, he didn't stand a chance against the genius of Seigaku. Fuji Syuusuke would play Akaya like a puppet, no matter how hard he tried to resist.

Minutes passed and he continued to glance at the clock nervously.

Akaya was defeated, 5-7.

The operation was in half an hour. And they needed to go back to Kanegawa.

Sanada grit his teeth and made an executive decision.

I watched as the umpire let the Rikkaidai team early, leaving behind their vice-captain.

I turned to Ryoma, "It's starting soon."

Ryoma nodded in understanding, knowing there were two meanings to the word "it". He let out a sigh and rubbed at his mark again.

I let out an exasperated sigh and jabbed at his stomach.

"Manager?!" I heard Momoshiro and Eiji shriek behind me.

I held Ryoma's head close as he had lowered his head in pain and whispered in his ear.

"What do you think Yukimura would feel if you didn't do your best just because it was his team and because he was out of commission?"

As I pulled back, Ryoma had a new look in his eye.

I smirked and sent him off, "Wreck him up, brat."

I watched with pride filling my chest as Ryoma confidently stepped out onto the court.

Sanada was just about to make his way to the closest taxi to head over to the hospital where Yukimura was staying at when a soft, yet attention grabbing voice called out to him.

"Sanada-san? I know you're in a rush but I would like a word."

Sanada felt anger well up in him. This person knew what the situation was but was still keeping from the hospital. But he pushed it down. It wasn't like Yukimura was going to be out of surgery so quickly. He turned and blanched at what he saw. Standing in front of him was the lanky and plain manager of Seigaku, dragging his freshmen ace behind him by the collar of the freshmen's jersey.

The court was still bustling with congratulations but the world seemed to grow quiet as the manager thrust the freshmen forward, "I'm the manager of Seigaku, Sanada-san. And I know this may be sudden but could you take this brat with you to see Yukimura-san?"

Sanada gaped at the request, "W-what?" he stuttered, looking back and forth between the manager and the first year who looked down in what looked like embarrassment.

The manager sighed and turned the freshmen around forcibly, eliciting a short yelp and Sanada saw blue. The same blue that was printed onto the space behind his ear. Sanada immediately understood, "No wonder your name sounded so familiar." he mused. Sanada began to think quickly, "Very well, I will take Echizen with me."

The manager let out a sigh of relief, "I'm sorry for the sudden reveal, he didn't know himself until just two days ago. Thank you, Sanada-san."

Echizen was turned around again and Sanada nodded at the short teen, "Let's go, with haste Echizen."

But as Sanada turned to go, Echizen tugged at his manager's sleeve.

"Come with me, Evan-senpai."

This time, it was the manager's turn to gape, "Hey brat-"

"I refuse to go unless you come."

Sanada's best subject may not english but he could understand that. The manager let out a sigh, "You're such a brat, fine."

The manager turned to say something but Sanada just nodded, "Let's hurry."

The two tennis players and the one manager rushed out of the court, eliciting surprised response from the teams surrounding them.

"Manager? Echizen?"

"Ochibi?!"

Sanada looked back at the older teen who was letting his freshmen sleep on his lap during the long ride to Kanegawa, "Do you not feel the need to tell your teammates and family about the sudden event?"

The manager looked up in shock before responding, "I, uh, sent my team and family a head ups earlier with my phone."

Sanada nodded before looking forward again.

"Are you two soulmates?" For some reason, Sanada felt strangely sociable. But he just attributed that to stressing about Yukimura's surgery and that he needed a distraction.

The manager laughed, "No, but he's rather attached to me."

Sanada nodded to himself, letting the conversation die as it was.

They both split the payment for the taxi and managed to rouse Echizen from his sleep to take him to the waiting room Seiichi family and friends were given.

"What's he doing here?!" Akaya growled as soon as he set eyes on the slightly frantic yellow-eyed first year.

Sanada noticed in interest how the manager stepped protectively in front of his junior and spoke in a deceptively calm voice, "Kirihara-san, I understand your confusion but I would ask of you to be quiet, we are in a hospital."

Akaya snarled and tried to launch himself forward but Yanagi and Jackal caught their junior ace, "Akaya!" Jackal grunted, pushing the devil back into his seat.

The waiting room grew quiet. All of the Rikkaidai members were watching the Seigaku members with distrustful eyes, even as the manager managed to hide his freshmen behind him.

"What's going on here?"

All the teens turned to the rather stoic voice calling out to them, seeing Yukimura Hana standing there with crossed arms, her long, mermaid-like blue hair splayed behind as she watched them with a stern expression.

When no one responded she turned to the Rikkaidai members, "Please keep quiet, Fuyumi-chan isn't taking this very well."

That was all it took for the Rikkaidai members to turn away and go into themselves, muttering apologies.

Sanada felt that his head would explode from all the action today when he saw that Akaya was trembling. Again.

A light hand touched his shoulder, "Go to him," Yukimura Hana murmured softly, "He needs you and your team."

Sanada gave her a grateful nod and watched as she stepped away from him to greet the new guests. She immediately led the two teens over to where the family was gathered in a different corner and watched as the family embraced the two teens.

"And who might you two be?"

Echizen gripped the back of my shirt even tighter and I gave the woman a wobbly smile, "You must be Seiichi 형's mother, it's nice to meet you ma'am," I greeted.

She gave me a look of understanding and sent the younger boy behind me a look, "Follow."

We did as we were told and she presented us to the family. Yukimura Daichi was blonde, a wasian for lack of better word, and Fuyumi resembled Daichi more than she resembled her older brother. Hana-san's grandparents had graying hair and kind smiles when they saw us.

I bowed and made sure Echizen did as well. As soon as he looked up he quietly murmured, "I'm Echizen Ryoma… Seiichi-san's romantic."

Almost immediately, young Fuyumi who I had only seen in pictures, threw herself into Echizen's nervous arms, sobbing quietly into his chest.

I watched with fond eyes as the rest of the family embraced the two younger kids. Suddenly the attention was on me. I bowed again, "I know Seiichi 형 has mentioned me, but I'm Jinyoung, Seiichi 형's soulmate."

That was all it took for the rest of the family to pull me into a hug as we waited. And waited. And waited.

Seiichi blinked, the bright lights blinding him for a second, but managed to adjust quickly to the world around him. It was white.

He was in a room, a room much larger than the room needed to be. The walls were an off white color, the ceiling the same tone. A large counter was at the corner of the room, a sink installed into it with a convenient soap and paper towel dispenser nearby. At the counter was a large bouquet of expensive looking flowers, but they all meant for good wishes and a swift recovery. A soft orange color flooded the room, the view from the window showing a setting sun. A plush bed was underneath him, it covered with the same off white colored sheets.

The warmth in his hands brought him to focus on the three figures in the room. Sanada was, as amusing as it sounded, was sitting on a plastic hospital chair that seemed much too small for him, his hat covering his eyes as he softly snored in his sleep.

Now Seiichi had seen Sanada sleeping just about the same amount of times he's seen Fuyumi sleep when he used to tuck her into bed. Sanada, if not lying down, would sit with his legs spread wide as they would go, his arms crossed around his chest, his head bowed, and his lips set into a straight line.

But as his Korean platonic leaned into Sanada's chest as best he could while still sitting in the other chair, Sanada cradled his arms around the younger teen, one around his waist and the other in his lap. Sanada rested his chin in the Korean teen's soft ash brown hair as they snuggled in their sleep, a soft smile on Sanada's face.

Seiichi managed to calm his amusement when he saw the content look on both of his platonic's faces.

He turned to his right and saw emerald green hair resting on the bed, a tan hand holding his own with such a comforting grip. And on the neck of the tanned person was Yukimura's soulmark.

Yukimura gave a wistful smile and did his best to kiss the hand of his romantic, "Thank you… Ryoma-chan."

"...tell them?"

"Don't…. So cruel!"

I slowly blinked my eyes opened and took in two mischievous faces. I frowned bearily, "Echizen… Seiichi 형 what-" Echizen snapped a picture with his phone, ignoring me as he leaned over to his romantic to show him the picture.

I jolted, "Oi, brat-"

"Calm down Jinyoung, you wouldn't want to wake him, don't you?" Seiichi asked, his voice strangely just as sadistic even after the surgery.

I gave him a blank look, "What are you talking about?"

As if to answer me, the surface I was leaning on shifted and hot breath entered my ear, making shivers go down my spine.

I tensed and looked down at the large hands on my waist and thigh, holding me securely. I looked up and gaped at the handsome face that was mere inches away from me. The serene expression on his normally tense face made a blush hit my cheeks. I bolted up and out of the arms in panic and started to ramble, "I'm gonna go get some drinks at the vending machine. Imma get myself a coffee, I'll get you a milk Echizen!"

I quickly rushed out the door and shut it behind me with a loud thud. I put one hand to my beating chest and the other to my red face, "Oh my god," I murmured into the hall.

"So you finally woke up?"

I looked up and saw the knowing grin on Yukimura Daichi's face as he held a bag of drinks in his hands. Even more blood rushed to my face, "Oh god…" I hissed.

Daichi-san put a hand on my shoulder comfortingly, "Don't worry, Genichirou-kun hasn't woken up yet. He hasn't figured it out."

I gave him a really weak smile, "Th-thank you, sir."

He smiled back and entered the room with little flourish.

I ran off towards the bathroom to calm my blushing face.

Sanada felt something hit him as his eyes flickered open, suddenly feeling very cold as he finally got his bearings, "...get myself a coffee, I'll get you a milk Echizen!"

Before Sanada could even focus on the manager of Seigaku, he was out the door.

Sanada glanced at his childhood friend and his romantic who gave him sly grins. He frowned, "What," he gruffed out.

Seiichi just smiled innocently, "Nothing, did you have a good sleep?"

Sanada paused at the question. Sanada was never good at sleeping in unfamiliar places, especially in a chair, but Sanada felt fully rested. It felt strange, and Seiichi's implications were weird, but he stuck his nose up high and answered, "As a matter of fact, I did."

That's all it took for Echizen and Seiichi to burst into belt bursting laughter. A slight blush came to Sanada's cheeks as he tried to figure out why they were laughing, whether it was was with him or at him, he wanted it to stop.

Thankfully, Daichi-san entered with some drinks for the boys, claiming that the Seigaku manager had gone to the restroom one asked by Echizen.

Sanada couldn't shake the feeling of the loss of warmth he had experienced right when he had woken up.

Fluff!

Clarification: That scene with Ryoma and Mamoru is after that one scene where Ryoma is provoked by Akaya and they have a match at a nearby tennis club that Rikkaidai often visits. That's when Ryoma first experiences Akaya's rough play and gets injured and enters the state of self actualization. This is a situation if Rikkaidai was able to get into the contact named manager on Ryoma's phone.

Korean Translation:

형 - title for "brother". Equivalent to Japanese "-nii"