Disclaimer: Have not and will not ever own PoT.

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who read this story. And a bigger thanks to those who reviewed. I know you're probably waiting for updates on other stories, but I'm still working through them and trying to figure out what I want to do next with them. In the mean time, here is the next addition to this story. Things are starting to move along.

Chapter Eleven

Ryoma arrived home, expecting to immediately come under fire by his father. However, the house was empty from what he could see. A small sense of relief washed over him, but he knew now wasn't the time to slack off. He examined each of the rooms and assessed them for their cleanliness. If he left things as they were, the issue when his parents arrived home wouldn't just revolve around tennis. With a heavy sigh, he began cleaning the kitchen.

This was part of the reason he was allowed to live under his family's roof. He may be a disappointment in tennis, but he was at least useful for something. As he cleaned, Ryoma thought back to the events of the day. Starting with the defiance Sanada and Yukimura had shown toward his father.

No one had ever stood up to them. Atobe had wanted to, but Ryoma had begged him to step aside. He had thought everything would end there. It didn't. He wondered how many people would soon know about the ugly truth he tried so hard to keep to himself. It wasn't his fault, was it?

I'm the blame for this.

With all the new people stumbling into his life and finding out more than they were supposed to, Ryoma was uneasy. No one was supposed to know the truth.

A memory from America came back. He remembered the last time someone dug too deep. Why they came to Japan.

Will we have to leave again?

He wasn't going to let that happen. Tomorrow, he would put an end to others meddling in his life. He wanted to try and live out the rest of his life peacefully, without any more interruptions.

He heard the front door to the home open. Ryoma continued cleaning as his father came to the kitchen. A seething glare tossed in his direction. Ryoma knew this evening would be worse than the last night.

To live out his life peacefully, Ryoma didn't think that was too much to ask for. The first blow came, knocking the wind out of him.

However long my life may be.

-Just-

Yukimura had arrived home, thinking about the day's events. He was happy Ryoma had opened up to him a little bit, but still left deeply troubled. No one deserved to carry all the pain the tennis prodigy was currently shouldering. It was a wonder the boy hadn't completely broken.

He knew there would be a price to pay for his presence in Ryoma's life. He wasn't sure what it would be quite yet, but he was certain he was willing to pay it. It surprised him how easy it had been to accept the unknown consequences. Many people might be afraid of what they couldn't predict, but not him.

Ryoma needed someone now more than ever. Not to fix his problems, but to simply be there. Ryoma needed someone to take him in just as he was. He wanted to be that person.

With his resolve, the next task at hand would be a little more difficult.

He had to explain to his tennis family why Ryoma would suddenly be a part of their lives for the foreseeable future. Yukimura knew some of them wouldn't ask too many questions. He already had Gen on his side, which meant he already had a lot of leverage when it would be time for the discussion. But still, there would be some who would be hard to convince. While what he said was generally considered law, this was different.

This was inviting a practical stranger into their lives and asking everyone to remain silent. He could say whatever he wanted regarding tennis, but not their personal lives. Yukimura was convinced the talk wouldn't go over well. He may even alienate members in the club. Another sacrifice he was willing to make for Ryoma if it came down to it.

When did I get in so deep?

It was then Yukimura realized he was crossing a dangerous line.

Gen, will your commitment waiver if I have a change of heart?

-Just-

Tezuka knew Fuji had spoken with Echizen. He knew the results of the talk hadn't been very good either. But he remained strong and silent, even though all he wanted to know was how his Echizen was doing.

"If you want to know, you should just ask," Fuji said, amusement lacing his words.

"Am I being that obvious?"

"To me. Most people don't know you as well as I do," Fuji answered. "Except for maybe Ryoma."

He flinched. Tezuka hated when Fuji was right about him.

"Where did you find him?"

"Sleeping in their clubhouse."

Why didn't he think of that? He frowned and made a mental note that Fuji was also unhappy. Something in the clubhouse hadn't gone as planned. Then again, nothing they had done that day went well. They had tried to talk to their tennis prodigy, but seemed to only succeed in pushing him further away.

"Why are you upset, Fuji?"

"Hmm." It was rare for his best friend to be so contemplative. In all their years together, the only times Fuji was this concentrated was when an opponent baffled him or he was planning something. Many didn't know how often Fuji acted on impulse. This was a reflective side he rarely saw.

"Fuji?"

"I have a horrible feeling about Ryoma," Fuji said.

He frowned. "That doesn't answer my question."

Fuji didn't purposefully avoid answering unless it was a serious matter or he was trying to spare hurt feelings. Tezuka strongly believed it was the latter in this situation.

"I have the feeling he's going to leave," the tensai answered honestly.

Tezuka froze.

He won't leave because of this, will he?

-Just-

Atobe stared at the papers in front of him. He hadn't looked at them since he discovered what was happening in the Echizen household. He tried to convince himself he didn't care for the brat, but ended up digging into the tennis prodigy's past anyway.

Everything he found was obviously falsely reported. Incident after incident had been reported in America. But every check on Ryoma had glowing remarks. Like his parents could do no wrong.

It didn't take a genius to see Echizen Nanjiroh had meddled in the case filings, probably by paying off the four people whose names constantly showed up in the reports: A doctor, a therapist, a caseworker, and a cop. All of them were involved in this extensive cover up.

What Atobe couldn't figure out is why Echizen Nanjiroh wanted to keep hurting his son. If it was to groom a rival, the method was wrong. If it was to break Ryoma's spirit, then Atobe feared they would soon reach that point.

Under his ever-growing insight, he knew Ryoma would soon reach a breaking point. A knock at his door interrupted his thoughts.

"Come in," he announced. One of the family's most trusted butlers walked in.

"Sir, I'm sorry to bother you."

"What is it?"

"You told me to inform you if those people made any movements."

Atobe turned to his butler and skimmed through the report.

I won't be able to keep my promise much longer, brat.

-Just-

Gen had met Yukimura the next day to pick up Echizen and realized his best friend was even more distant than usual. He tossed glances at the person he cared about most, analyzing the other's mood and trying to decipher the silence.

Something happened at home last night.

It couldn't be Yukimura's parents. Seiichi would be delighted to see them after such a long absence. As they got closer to Echizen's home, Yukimura became more withdrawn. Sanada realized this was about the young boy himself.

They remained in silence when they went to ring the bell. Echizen Nanjiroh opened the door.

"Oh, you two again. Here to pick up my son for practice?"

Yukimura plastered a fake smile. "Yes, Echizen-san. We're sorry to bother you, but he does have a tendency to oversleep."

Gen stared at the elder Echizen, who hadn't bothered to conceal his irritation about his son.

"He must've forgotten to tell you then that he won't be going to practice today."

Yukimura's smile faltered. "Oh? Why not?"

"Ryoma's sick."

That was the end of the pleasantries. The door slammed in their faces. Gen could feel his friend sink further into himself. There had been a glimmer of hope and now it was dashed.

The message from Echizen Nanjiroh was clear: he was going to give Ryoma up without a fight.

"What do you want to do, Yukimura?" he asked.

A moment of silence.

"Keep trying. Ryoma's life depends on it."

Gen couldn't explain it, but he felt the exact same way. Even if he didn't know all the details, he wasn't going to leave Echizen in that place.

"We'll need the others."

"I know."

"How do you want to explain it to them?" he asked.

"I haven't figured that out yet."

"We'll be late for practice if we don't leave now."

They began to walk away. "Gen," Yukimura said suddenly.

"Yes?"

"We'll come back for him every day."

He nodded in affirmation.

We'll rescue him, Seiichi.

-Just-

Nanjiroh watched the two teens walk away from their house from an upstairs window. A smirk wide on his face. The two little pests now knew where they stood. If only his moronic son could figure out his place too.

He turned to see an unconscious Ryoma lying in the corner of his room. Nanjiroh took out a cigarette and lit it. He inhaled the nicotine deeply and walked over toward his son. Nanjiroh began to shake the boy with his foot.

"Time to wake up, brat."

To be continued…