"Momo. Momo. Momoshiro!" It seemed like the voice came from a distance. "Hey Momo, wake up" was the hiss of the voice, like it was trying not to do something. Groaning Momo placed a hand upon the back of his head, touching a hard floor as he did it. Wincing Momo pushed himself up with his spare right hand, "Nya! Momo! Be careful!" came the anxious voice and he felt a hand behind his back supporting him. Momo smiled, well apart from having what felt like a splitting headache, it was a nice dream. Eiji was in it, talking to him … Momo's eyes snapped open suddenly and he was staring at the face of the red head, who had disappeared for about a month now. "Eiji-sempai?" he said whisperingly.

"Hoi?" Eiji tilted his head curiously.

"This isn't a dream is it?" he asked, he couldn't believe that the acrobatic tennis player was here, he still felt like he was in the dream. Eiji just raised an eyebrow and with the hand that wasn't supporting his back placed the cold wet cloth on Momo's forehead. Momo jumped violently at the touch of the cold water and scurried back, finally jolting out of dream state into reality. Eiji stood up from his knelt position, with what could only be described as a quirky smile.

"That answer your question Momo?" he said before walking over towards where a tap was. Momo followed with his eyes curiously, viewing his sempai in dim light of a fading light blub.

There were numerous wounds, both short and long, down Eiji's back. Some looked freshly done even recently he would say, others scabbing over but there were some that were turning pink around the edges indicating scars would soon occur but there was one that drew Momo's attention was the longest one that ran from the edge of each shoulder blade across his back, almost like something had been dragged across it painfully. He then only just realised that he could see the scars because Eiji had no polo shirt on. Taking a deep breath in he was about to ask when he heard a murmur from the other side of the room opposite from the tap, where Eiji was currently knelt holding a cloth underneath a trickle of water. Momo turned towards the noise and his opened wide with what he saw.

"Fuji-sempai?" he asked in a shocked voice, leaning slightly towards him. The boy was lain out on the floor tossing and turning only slightly, breathing hard, eyes open. Eiji walked into his peripheral vision and across to where Fuji lay, kneeling besides him on one knee and placed a cloth across his forehead with his right hand, holding it there as Fuji turned to try and shake it off, more from shock.

"Shush Fuji. You need to rest; you've still got a fever." Eiji said in an almost motherly tone.

"Yuuta?" came a weak whisper, the turning stopped and Fuji's left hand grabbed at Eiji's arm, although Momo could even see the grip was weak.

"He's safe Fuji, he's not here. I promise you. He's safe" Eiji repeated his right hand still remaining to place pressure on the cloth so Fuji couldn't shake it. "Rest, Yuuta is safe." He whispered again as Fuji's grip slackened on Eiji's arm and gently fell to the floor. The tensai's eyes were now closed again and the breathing evened out.

Eiji stayed in his position for a little while longer before rising, this time without the cloth. He stared straight ahead at the wall as Momo inched closer to the two boys. "He thinks they have somehow managed to catch Yuuta; so every time he wakes up, he's scared that Yuuta's going to be there with us." Eiji looked at Momo now whom had managed to get in a position sitting by Fuji's head before turning and grabbing another piece of cloth from the pile near Momo. "He's had the fever for a while, a couple of days, maybe a week or so; it feels like its going down finally. I've managed to keep them from taking him for training."
"Training?" Momo asked looking over at the once cheerful acrobatic who had greeted him when he woke up as the old Eiji and now after dealing with Fuji had been weighed down and aged several decades. "What training Eiji-sempai?"

"Nya!" Eiji said rubbing the back of his head with right hand still not looking at Momo, "you don't want to know but if I was you I would hide that shirt quickly. I don't know why you've still got it but they removed Fuji's and mine before we had even woken up. It's what these cloths are. Our old shirts which they ripped to shreds before giving back to us."

"Eiji-sempai, what training are you talking about?" Eiji took a long breath turning back to Momo.

"Tennis training of course." He said trying to give a smile which Momo didn't believe.

"Is that the training that gave you those scars? The reason why you and Fuji look so thin? The reason why Fuji has a fever? The reason …"

"Yes!" Eiji said shutting his eyes and throwing his hands up in the air, "yes the reason why we have these scars, yes the reason why we look so thin, yes the reason why Fuji has a fever, yes the reason why he is taking so long and yes the reason why Fuji has broken under the pressure under the theory that they think they have his brother somewhere and are harming him." The red head ranted off before collapsing on his knees, clenched hands covering his face.

Momo scooted over in alarm to Eiji's left side, grabbing Eiji's shoulders, not too tightly but even to give what seemed to be a gentle presence because Eiji started to calm just slightly. In the awkward situation he didn't know what to say, but he needed not have thought of speaking anyway as Eiji carried on. "I was scared when they chucked you down the stairs, at first I thought it might have been Yuuta and that would shatter Fuji. Then I saw it was you but you weren't moving, I thought you were dead Momo! I froze! I didn't know what to do! You took a long to start moving but I was so relieved when you did."

Eiji turned his face into Momo's right shoulder seeking comfort from another human being with all the pressure he had been facing over the days. Having to convince them to let Fuji rest, having to convince them to let Fuji have more food than the watery, barely cooked rice they got every three days (he didn't manage in that task of getting better food but Fuji got food more often now) having to take on training on his own all day. At least with Fuji there they had alternated and rested in between. The pressure of having to keep waking up to check on Fuji in the small hours of what he presumed was the morning, telling him time and time again Yuuta was safe.

"Momo" Eiji said looking up, after what felt like a good decent half an hour being held in one place; well it felt that way to Momo.

"Yes Eiji-sempai?" he replied frowning.

"When tomorrow comes, don't try and hit the balls with all your power. Save all your energy for trying to hit all the balls, doesn't matter if they are going out, try and hit them all back over the net. I'm sorry I can't give you anymore advice than that, other than, don't answer back to them Momo. Please don't answer back to them." Eiji said with a desperate plea in his words. Momo sighed and nodded his head.

"But don't worry Eiji-sempai; everyone is looking for you and Fuji-sempai. It won't be long until they find this place, I'm sure of it." Momo said trying to comfort the red head. He frowned when the door slammed open and a man came in, pinked faced, looking like he was in a rush. He pointed to Fuji

"Can he walk tomorrow?" he asked simply and clearly even though he was breathing hard. Eiji looked back at Fuji and nodded his head slowly. The man disappeared back through the door, shutting it behind him.

"What was that all about?" Momo asked Eiji looking at him curiously, whom shook his head, just as confused as Momo was. Eiji stood and started to make his way next to Fuji, where he clearly meant to go to sleep tonight.

"I don't know. They've never acted that way before." Momo frowned before the voice clicked in his head.

"Hey I think that was the guy that clobbered me over the head."

"Hoi, and you've got the lump to prove it. There are several men moving around, some I know about and haven't met yet and really don't want to met." Eiji replied with somewhat of that cheerful happy tone coming back to his voice. "Get some sleep Momo, you'll need it." Momo nodded and moved over to near the cloth pile was, removing his shirt, realising how chilly it was. Eiji gave a small laugh, "keep it on tonight Momo, they won't take it whilst your sleeping. It's the only time they don't disturb us." Momo nodded his thanks to him before pulling it back on and lying down. It wasn't long before two questions came to him.

"Eiji-sempai?"

"Nya?"

"Don't you have a light switch in here? It's hard to sleep with the light on."
"Sorry Momo, don't have that luxury." Eiji replied, Momo swore he could have heard an underlying bitterness to the words.

"Eiji-sempai? Last question."

"Go ahead Momo."

"You said there is this tennis training; does that mean they have coaches? I mean coaches that will do this sort of thing."

"There are two coaches, one known as the boss, we've barely seen him. You remember Kevin Smith from America?" Momo nodded. "He looks like him. The other coach you've met before."
"Who?"

"You remember the coach from Higa who wanted the players to keep on hitting towards coach Ryuzaki? Then when they had lost he retired?"
"Him? Didn't he use Spartan methods to train that team?" Momo said alarmed.
"Coach Saotome uses worse methods now than the Spartan. " Eiji replied turning over in his position next to Fuji, whom was lying next to the wall as was the warmest place really in this cold area. When Eiji didn't give anymore information Momo didn't push but he did wonder what type of methods this guy had used as he fell into the blissful darkness of sleep.

As promised, another chapter tonight to make up for last night's bad chapter. Neh, this story was only meant to be 10,000 words long! That failed ...

eijikikumaru01: there is a reason why they took Momo now, although I won't reveal that just yet. There got food in this chapter! I also think Fuji is broken more from the fact that he thinks he's failed from keeping Yuuta safe, I think that was the biggest factor in breaking down, and the fever rounded it off. Although Eiji isn't seemingly going to last much longer either. I don't think the coaches will give into the families pleas but for the families I think they are trying everything to get them back.

REVIEWS PLEASE! Nice reviews ... or nasty reviews if you want to kill/torture the coaches!