Theme(s): #1, Broken Pairing/Characters: FujiRyo Rating: PG-13 Disclaimer: No I do not own Prince of Tennis Summary: Ryoma cried for the first time in his life.
Ryoma couldn't believe it; he refuses to believe what he'd been told by the others. Dropping the phone to the ground in shock; confusion still lingering in his eyes, he ignored his parents' curious glances shooting his way. Not even bothering to retrieve the fallen phone, he sprinted out of the house; heading towards the direction of the hospital.
His mind was in a whirlwind, his face devoid of all emotions. To others, he might seem to be calm; while his heart grew heavy with each step he took. If it weren't for his long time experience when it comes to the idea of masking his emotions, he doubt he will be able to remain calm under such circumstances. His heart pound against his ribcage wildly as he stared up at the hospital building.
He stepped through the front entrance, not bothering to stop for directions; he headed towards the direction where he could vividly see a group of ex-Seigaku players gathering around. They looked up at him in solemn, none of them said anything to him; but merely nodded at him in acknowledgement. Nodding back stiffly, he paused in front of the door which labeled 'Fuji Syusuke'.
Reaching for the doorknob with trembling hands, Ryoma forces himself to calm himself before opening the door. He nearly gasped when his eyes scanned the room and landed on the bed. His throat tightened, Fuji's expression was ghastly pale; his chest was full of wires attaching to various respiratory system as well as the heart beeping machine by the side of the bed. The sight of Fuji causes Ryoma to lose his ability of speech for a moment. Settling himself in a chair next to the bed, his eyes examined Fuji closely before he finally croaked out. "How?"
"Accident." Tezuka responded stiffly behind Ryoma.
"When?" Ryoma prompted.
"This morning, outskirts of Tokyo." Tezuka replied.
For a moment, Ryoma looked as if he wanted to speak but decided against it at the last minute. Somehow, Oishi seemed to understand his unasked question and said.
"He was on his way back, but his car brakes weren't working hence he ended up crashing into a large truck; thus landing himself in this situation." Oishi paused, trying to calm himself before continuing. "The doctor said, he might not be able to pull through. Tonight, it will determined his fate."
Ryoma said nothing, but sank deeper into his seat as he took in Fuji's frail form. The thought of seeing the said tensai in such weaken state had never occured to Ryoma before, hence this incident came as a sudden shock to him. For some reason, the thought of losing Fuji only makes his heart ached.
He always thought himself to admire the said tensai, however, now that he was on the brink of losing Fuji. He finally, realized what he'd been feeling for the latter all these time. Somehow, the others must have sense his need to be alone with Fuji hence had decided to wait outside instead.
He must have been thinking deep, for he nearly shot up from his seat when he felt Fuji's hand touching his slightly. His eyes snapped to the figure laying on the bed in an instant, he observed the way Fuji's lips move and figure the latter had something to say. Reaching forward, he removed the oxygen mask slowly and asked. "Fuji-sempai, do you have anything to say? Anything you need?"
Fuji smiled a weary smile, and mouthed weakly. "Thank you..." He paused as he wait for his coughing fit to pass, before taking Ryoma's hand in his weakly and said in a soft but audible voice. "Ryoma, I've never really had a chance to tell you before. I'm going to say now, else I don't think I'll be able to say it later..." he paused for breath, using a raspy voice. He uttered his final words, "I ... love... you..." before passing on with a serene smile on his face.
Ryoma's eyes widen in shock, but that was soon forgotten when he felt Fuji's hand slipping away from his. Fear gripped his heart, his eyes welled up in tears when he heard the heart beeping machine going dead on him. "I love you too, Fuji sempai..." he whispered.
Tears flow uncontrollably as he thought back of all the time he'd spent and wasted with Fuji. He berated himself for not discovering his feelings earlier, and for not realizing Fuji's advances on him all this time. He blamed fate for taking Fuji away from him, he blame heaven for not giving them more time to discover one another. Yet, he knew it won't change things for Fuji was gone and will never be back.
Swiping the tears off his face, he headed back out to notify the others of Fuji's passing with a calm expression on his face. If the tearstains were visible, the others chose not to comment of it. Ryoma didn't know how long he managed to stay in that facade, but he knew he's broken. His heart were shattered into a million pieces when Fuji left. Back in the privacy of his own room, Ryoma broke down. He cried himself to bed that night, for the first time in his life.
He mourns the death of Fuji, he knew irregardless of how his future might be. He would never be whole again, for Fuji was not there to share his life and love with him; he then vowed never to fall in love again.
Owari
date started: 20/06/05
date completed: 20/06/05
