A/N: This is a story featuring a Yuki/Ryo pairing and other Crack pairings inspired by other writers. This is also inspired by my favorite TV show, Heroes. Please enjoy!!!!!!! Warning: might expose random OOC's. Rated for language, violence and possible sexual context.

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis and Heroes. Don't sue me. I swear I'm only following the power list on Heroes™. Don't sue me!

"" for dialogs, '' for thoughts and sound effects, italics for flashbacks, memories and dreams, underscored words for English dialogs and some specified abilities and bold for news telecasts, radio shows, etc…

P/S: I'm tired of typing long names. I'll refer Kikumaru as Eiji and such.

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Previously on Forgotten Heroes

Saturo turned around to face them. "She must've roused and met with the others though I wondered why. She's still not—"

A horrified scream from the garden broke their trance.

"Oh no." Saturo gasped before pushing past the boy in lightning speed.

"What happened?" Fuji asked. Ryoma was already trailing behind his uncle before they could even react.

"Let's go."

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They all rushed to the garden as Ririn's screams grew more hysterical. They stumbled upon a small party standing around what seemed to be an executioner's site. In the middle stood a girl, dressed in pristine white yukata with her dark locks tied up into a bun.

"N-no…" Saturo gasped and ran towards the group. "Reina! What the hell are you doing?!"

Upon hearing her name, Ryoma stumbled across the grass patch to get to the girl. "Nee-san!!!!" He felt tears welling up his eyes. 'I'm so close!' When he was about a few arm's length away, an arm suddenly tugged him to the side.

"What the—" He looked up and saw Ikari's grim face. The young man shook his head. Behind him came his friends, still confused about the situation.

"Stop this nonsense right now, Reina!!!" They turned to Saturo who was pounding his fist against an invisible wall. Ryoma reach out and yes, he felt something solid in front of him.

"What's going on?" Yuushi asked when Ririn collapsed to the ground, still sobbing her heart out.

They watched in stunned silence when Reina held up her hands and ropes flew up and tied her to the pole.

Ikari gritted his teeth, his hand automatically tightening around Ryoma's arm. "Stop it! Please! You don't have to do this!!!"

Hanna stepped forward, her blond tresses bellowing before her. "Please Reina, we can bend the rules. You had to do it. It was under dire circumstances."

Ryoma gaped at the sight of a whip dangling in mid-air. "NO!!!!!" His screams sent chills to their spines. Reina, upon hearing that familiar voice so full of anguish; closed her eyes, fighting back the urge to run to him.

"Saturo-san you have to do something!!!" Fuji's eyes darted towards the man who has his hand buried in his arms.

"Saturo-san can block powers. Why won't he—" Yuushi muttered but Paython cut him off.

"He has mastered his abilities alright, but Reina perfected hers that it even surpassed Saturo-san's ability to nullify it." The redhead replied.

They watched in agony as the whip slashed through the wind and hit Reina back.

"NO!!!!" Ryoma cried harder, banging the invisible barrier. He was trashing uncontrollably when the whip lashed against his sister's back. "STOP IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Yukimura tried to grab hold of him but his powers are kicking in, especially the ones he borrowed from Oishi.

Reina closed her eyes and bit into the cloth hard. The pain was excruciating…but she had to bear with it. 'It's my fault. I broke the laws that I made.' She whimpered when the third strike slashed against her back. Tears started to leak from her closed eyes.

"NEE-SAN!!!!!!!! Please!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The pain of her flesh ripping felt nothing to the pain in her heart upon hearing her brother's cries. She glanced back and saw his face. The tears were not able to block her view of their faces.

It was pain…for her.

Her body arched up when the fourth strike came. Her muscles were trembling like crazy but she has to endure…eight more lashes.

Saturo tried to block Ryoma's voice from coming into his head. Hearing those screams are much more painful than being lashed yourself. He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. 'When will you stop letting me know that I failed in raising you up as normal as I could despite everything?!'

Anger started boiling from deep within him. His body was trembling with it. He gritted his teeth as he summoned all his strength.

"REINA!!!!!!!!!!!"

In a blink of an eye, the whip which was about to deliver the fifth lash dropped into the ground as if the strings manipulating it were cut. Before anyone could react, Saturo took the whip.

"Uncle no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ryoma cried when his uncle started lashing his sister.

"How many times…do I have to tell you…to stop doing this to yourself!!!!" Saturo yelled; lashes punctuated his words.

Reina bit into the cloth harder as lash after lash almost tore her consciousness away. The piece of cloth was the only thing that is suppressing her screams. The lash marks felt nothing. It was only her flesh that is wounded but Ryoma's cries ripped something inside her that she knew was much more painful than those the whip caused.

Hearing Ryoma shredded what's left of her soul.

"Uncle please!!!" Ryoma, free from Reina's powers, ran to his uncle and tried to hold him back. "Please don't hurt her!"

The others were too mesmerized by the scene. No one was able to move and just stood there, watching the agonizing scene in front of them.

"PLEASE!!!!"

"No!!!" Saturo pushed Ryoma away. "She still has five more. She made the rules. Two lashes per person who was taken inside the house regardless of the circumstances." He paused to deliver another lash on Reina's back.

Sharp lines of angry red marks marred her creamy skin, her yukata ripped into shreds.

"Your sister must understand that this is not only her pain anymore."

Ryoma shook his head. He caught sight of his sister's back…the lash marks are cut off by another…and another with blood dripping down in contrast with that alabaster skin. "Please uncle, stop this. Don't hurt her…don't hurt my sister." Golden orbs looked up to him, pleas almost burning his flesh.

'I know that look.' Saturo snapped back into reality. Those golden eyes bore into his soul like balls of fire, searing and burning. How many times had he seen this look from his niece…for five months that they've been torturing her? Seeing Ryoma now, begging him to stop hurting his sister, almost took Saturo back in time…back to the times where Reina would beg to Mikagami to stop the experiments.

Slowly, he lowered his arm and the whip dropped to the ground in a dull thud. This shattered the stillness in the air.

Soft sobs tore into their consciousness when Reina's bounds came undone and she collapsed on the dirt.

Ryoma let go of Saturo's clothes and ran towards the girl. "Nee-san!" The others snapped in attention and ran towards the siblings.

Ryoma took Reina's limp body into his arms and held her close. "N-nee-san…w-why did you do that?" He choked out while clinging to her unconscious sister.

"Echizen, let's take her inside." Oishi muttered.

"No!" Ryoma snapped at him and held Reina's body tighter. "They'll hurt her again. No!"

Ikari reached and tried to loosen his grip on their leader. "Please Echizen, we'll heal her."

Ryoma swatted his hand forcefully. "No!!!" He caressed her pale face and wiped the tear trails off it. "You'll hurt her."

Saturo sighed and walked towards the boy. He kneeled before them and forcefully tugged Reina from the boy's death grip.

"Get everyone inside." He muttered before he walked towards the house, holding Reina as if she's a fragile doll.

'I'm sorry.'

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The house was filled with eerie silence while Ririn took care of Reina's wounds. Everyone gathered around the poor girl, watching, waiting.

Ryoma never let go of her hands, those hands which felt cold to his touch. He clung desperately to her, hoping that his warmth would radiate to the girl. 'Why is it that you need to suffer like this?' Tears neglected, he glared at the older crowd.

"Why do you need to make her suffer like this!?!?!" hatred was replaced by sorrow. "Why did you hurt her?" his eyes lingered especially on Saturo.

Ikari sighed and sat beside the distressed boy. "Ryoma, you have to understand that in order to survive these past years, we have to set up rules. These rules are good enough to keep us safe."

"Rules? Good rules don't include someone being beaten to death just because she saved her kin." Yukimura spat. He, himself, couldn't fathom the fact that they lived at through the years under this condition.

Ikari met his burning glare. "Reina was the one who made the rules. Despite her young age, she stood up as the leader of this group. If she hadn't imposed those rules, we all could've died right now…even worse our family would have been in danger."

He met Paython's gaze. "It's ok Ikari," the redhead smiled at him. "Not everyone can understand us, especially Dancho."

"You mean…" Oishi gaped at them.

"This is the first time that Reina underwent punishment. Most of us went through the same whip these past years. To continue living, we have to be detached from the society. No one is supposed to know who we really are and where we live. The punishment would be two lashes per person brought in here or per person who knew about our existence." Hanna sighed and went for the door.

"Just a few weeks ago Paython was subjected to the rule system for bringing in Setsuko." With this, she left the room.

All eyes were on the redhead who just shrugged. "Rules are rules."

Niou's eyes narrowed. "So you mean Echizen-san was supposed to have twelve lashes equivalent to six of us?" He couldn't believe it when Paython nodded.

All the while Ryoma kept blocking their voices from his head. His eyes were focused on the unconscious form of his sister, counting every breath she took. He hastily brushed off his tears and slipped next to her in bed.

The rest were not paying him any mind as he snuggled closer to his sister's warmth. They were busy arguing about the rules.

"Then what did you do to Setsuko-san?" Fuji stepped forward. "What kind of punishment did you bestow upon her?"

"Yeah." Niou nodded in agreement. "If it weren't for her, we could've been fried dumplings right now in the research facility. She saved us!"

"Well her brave tactics didn't turn out quite well." Ikari muttered. "You were still captured and god knows the enemies know we're still alive now."

The tension was escalating into an alarming level.

"Guys, please." Oishi came between them. "We don't need to settle it this way. We can talk." The mother hen cast his friends a pleading look before face Ikari and Paython. "I apologize for the behavior of my friends but we just want to get our point across. There's no need for violence."

Saturo sighed and opened the door. "We can't do this in here. Reina needs her rest." He cast one last look on the siblings. "Come on, everyone move out."

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Ryoma heard the door close. He let out a sigh of relief now that no one could put a damper on this moment. He held out his hands and tentatively caressed his sister's face, taking in the softness on her skin, every detail. She looked just like she was 12 years ago, so young, so carefree. It was as if sleep disguised the effects of the rough years on her face, preserving an ethereal beauty for him to behold.

"Nee-san…" He smiled a little at the way her nose wrinkled adorably when he gently touched it. 'Nee-san is so cute when sleeping.' Soon a thought came to him that made him frown a little.

'Everything would've been different if we were able to spend those 12 years with you Nee-san Maybe someone could help Mom and put a leash on Dad or we would always go out and play in the tennis court in the backyard.' Ryoma let his fingers traced her lips. 'You would be the strongest female tennis player in the junior circuit while I take the male position. Together we would make Dad's dream of participating in the US Open come true.'

'We would've had a better life if things didn't happen as they did.'

A hand slowly took his and interlaced with his fingers. Ryoma held his breath as Reina's eyes fluttered open.

"Ma-chan…"

Emotions came flooding into them as years of separation finally ended. It felt like rain has finally blessed the dry cracked soil ravaged by draught for a long time.

Reina let out a contented sigh when Ryoma snuggled into her chest, sobbing his heart out.

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Nanjiroh felt restless. There was something that kept on bothering him but he couldn't seem to put a finger on it. He looked around and watched his companions for some sign of restlessness but he saw none.

'Calm down Nanjiroh…it's must've been the sleepless nights. Nothing more.' He took a couple of full breaths. He looked out of the window into the sky skies.

"What have I've done to anger the gods and made them dot his to my family?" he tried to brush away the tortured images of Ryoma from his head. "First my daughter, now my son. Who else will you take to make me suffer more?"

The sudden sounds of engines tore into his reverie. He jerked and saw cars circling the building.

"Oh fuck! What now?!?" He cursed when armed men stepped out of the vehicles. He rushed towards the cafeteria where yells and shouts can be heard.

"Oh god no! Not the children!!!!"

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Saturo studied their grim faces. Each one of them resembled an image of the past.

'Hell! I know I wore one of these expressions before.' He sighed. "We understand your concerns. I know that you don't like what occurred earlier but can you really blame us for choosing to lead such a life?"

Yukimura averted his gaze, knowing that he's making sense.

"Now I know you're tired and the things that I'm saying might not be making sense to you right now so you can rest—"

"It has sense, Meino-san." Yuushi cut him off. "I apologize for how we behaved earlier. It's just that—" A muffled sob cut him off. They all turned to Oishi who was making a futile attempt to hide his tears.

"I-I'm sorry." Oishi hastily wipes his tears away. "It's just that a lot has happened and—and it's still hard to get a good grasp on things."

Fuji sighed and placed an arm around his friend. He bit his lip as he too felt the exhaustion of their ordeal finally settled on them.

Ikari sighed. "This shouldn't be happening. You're kids!" He banged his fist on the table. It only took a matter of seconds before the boys started breaking down.

Saturo stood up. "Paython, get Ririn. Ikari, make sure that the rooms are ready. These kids have been through a lot and they need to rest." A hand reached out and grabbed his wrist. He looked down and saw Niou looking up to him.

"Where's Setsuko-san? I want to see her right now."

Saturo sighed. "Very well." the boys stood up. "But I'm already telling you that she's not in the right condition to talk."

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Ryoma's sobs long died down and yet his grip on Reina didn't ease up even for a bit. The older girl didn't mind as she tightened her arms around the boy.

"Cry no more, little one." Reina muttered. She placed a gentle kiss on his temple. "Nee-san's here. She won't let anyone harm you."

Ryoma mumbled incoherently against her chest. Reina smiled and gently raked her hand through his dark locks. The boy gradually calmed down and relaxed in her embrace.

"Nee-san?" Ryoma's voice was hoarse form the non-stop crying.

Identical pairs golden orbs met.

"Tell me all about you." Ryoma's fingers gingerly wiped the tear streaks off her face. "I want to know you for who you really are, for who you've become." He swallowed hard, trying to find the right words to say.

"I don't want to keep on believing in fairy tales anymore."

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Silence reined inside the building. No one dared to move as high-powered guns were aimed at them. Tension seemed to have been reduced into a tiny thread, pulled to its maximum capacity and only waiting for that exact moment to snap.

Nanjiroh tightened his grip on Sanada's hand to the point that he thought he's hurting the boy already. But he has to do that…to anchor him into reality.

They held their breaths, waiting for the first gun shot. The boys held back the tears as their eyes darted from the guns pointed at them to the door, waiting for someone to burst through it and save them.

Footsteps echoed through the hall, slowly approaching…heralding neither doom nor salvation.

Nanjiroh bit his lip hard until he drew blood. 'God please don't do this to us.'

"Nanjiroh Echizen, the man with notorious genes." Four figures emerged from the hall. "I bet your son's cursing you right now for that."

Her fingers deftly flicked off the ashes. She smiled sweetly, gray eyes glinting manically. "Which I don't think he should. I mean…" She eyed Nanjiroh's pale face.

"He should be thankful that you made him so special."

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The steady rise and fall of her chest told them that she's ok…although she could tell them that herself if she's not sleeping.

"Why was she put to sleep?" Fuji finally had the courage to speak up.

"She's safer this way." Hanna told him.

"But why?" The tensai's blue eyes snapped open, sending her an icy glare. "She saved us. She doesn't deserve this." The other boys were nodding in agreement.

"Her ability is solely sensory. It wouldn't do us much help during this time." The blonde woman returned his eyes glare with one of her own. "And besides, she's much too close to the enemy. We don't know where her loyalties lie."

The boys gaped at her. "But she's the one who prevented her brother from finding out who we really are!"

"He eventually found out right? She and Katou were not cautious enough that Soujiroh found out of their plans. They got to Katou first and if not for Dancho, he could've died right now. Paython met Setsuko accidentally and brought her here." Hanna sighed. "My dear boys, this is not just a game some businessman started out of a whim. Mikagami Soujiroh is just as dangerous as his father."

"This is war."

Nobody spoke for a while. The room was filled by the sound of Setsuko's steady breathing.

Yukimura studied the faces of the first generation of evolved humans. "Then what side are you playing?"

Saturo stood up. "Judging by the moves each side had made, it is hard to distinct who's working for the good side." He frowned. "You'll know who to side with once you've seen the true face of evil."

"The only thing that could help you decide which side to choose would be the motivation behind those faces."

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In just a few minutes, the camp was transformed into a mini research laboratory with the hostages locked up inside the conference room. The older ones tried their best to calm the players, fearing for what was going on cross the hall.

"Nanjiroh, this is insane!" Sakaki-sensei cursed under his breath. Some of the kids were still recovering from shock.

"I know!" Nanjiroh muttered in outrage. He's eyes lingered on the scared scare before him. "Not even I could predict this from happening!"

"Please quit it!" Ryuzaki stepped in between them. "This is not the time to do this. We have to think of a way to save the children. That is our top priority for now."

Nanako stood up and went fort he door.

"Nanako! What the hell are you doing?!" Rinko grabbed the girl. She was taken aback at the blank expression she has on her face.

"I'm going out." She replied in a monotone voice. "I need to use the bathroom."

"It's not safe out there young lady!" Banji-sensei cried.

"I'll be fine." Nanako yanked her arm from her aunt's grasp and headed fort he door. With a rapt knock, the door opened.

"Stay put or else I'll blow your head off." The guard pushed her back.

"I need to use the bathroom." Nanako didn't bulge. Nobody dared to move as they watched the exchange of words.

"Fine! I'll take you there." The man smiled ruefully before yanking Nanako out of the room.

"NO!!!!" Rinko ran for the door but it was slammed shut even before she could get there.

Panic erupted inside the room as they tried to bring the door down. They started banging the walls, the door…wanting to take the barriers down to save the girl.

Minutes passed by and three gunshots tore into the frantic struggle. Rinko collapsed against her husband, shocked.

"N-no…" She blinked back her tears.

"NANAKO NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

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"I'm no angel Ryoma." Reina frowned a little. "I've done things that would make me an equal to Mikagami Soujiroh but only one thing separates us apart."

Ryoma looked up to her in curiosity.

Reina held out her hands and fire slowly cackled from her palm. "All the things I did, horrible or not, were done out of my plight for survival. People say morality is measured by the ends justifying the means however morality doesn't exist anymore if one's survival and existence are on the line."

"I understand Nee-san—"

"No you don't." Reina's eyes snapped in alertness. "You said you don't want to believe in fairy tales anymore and what I'm telling you doesn't have a happy ending attached to it."

"I sacrificed myself for your safety because I know that I'm playing a part…a hero's part. But things didn't happen that way I thought God had designed for me and for those who were taken with me." She tightened her arms around her brother. "I thought that we were chosen to save the world…but in turn we were chosen to be its sacrifices."

Ryoma shook his head. "But you shouldn't let things to go on like this. Man has the will to choose how to live his life. You can change everything. You can go against your destiny." He looked up to meet her sad gaze. "You can be a true hero once more and correct what should be corrected."

Reina averted her gaze and sighed. "You do not choose your destiny Ryoma, it chooses you. And those who knew you before fate took you by the hand, cannot understand the depth of the changes inside. They cannot fathom how much you stand to lose in failure."

She let go of the boy and left the bed. "But you are the instrument of a flawless design... and all of life may hang in the balance. A hero learns quickly who can comprehend... and who merely stands in your way."

A rapt knock broken the sanctity of their seclusion. Saturo came in, eyes fixed on Reina.

"Kyouya just left to check on the camp." His eyes settled on Ryoma. "For the meantime, we need to help them with their abilties."

Reina nodded. She held out her hand to her brother. "I see you point, my little one. Now I'm asking you to stand up and face your destiny. Should you want to change it or follow…it's up to you."

Ryoma tentatively grasped her hand. "But for now, let me lead the way."

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A/N: I'm sooo lagging!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so busy right now! I have my hospital duties and the pressure is kinda piling up on me. (I need to comeplete 5 handled birth, 5 assisted birth and 5 cord care on infants!) whew!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know…I know I made things comeplicated again and I left you hanging once more. What can I do? (smirks) I'm evil that way

Did Nanako really die? What's going to happen to the rest of the players? Will there be enough time for Ryoma and the others to master their abilities before Azalli and Soujiroh start making moves once more? What evil lies behind Reina's abilities and how will Ryoma accept it?

Ahh…time is not a very cooperative entity most of the time. Should you want to witness the race for man's survival…read on. I caution you though that lives will serve as pawns in this dangerous game of chess.

If you want more…

MAKE ME HAPPY AND REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!