Conditions of Love

Disclaimer: Mm, still not mines. Yeah.

Chapter 3

It seemed strange that such a seemingly small disorder would need to have such a complex surgery to cure it. Or perhaps it was just Yukimura who was the complex one—he had never been one for simple things in life. Yukimura always took things one level higher, striving to go above and beyond the call of the norm. Why, though, did he even have to complicate the matter of Guillain-Barre? Simple enough was the disease to cure, but the surgery was going to be difficult for Yukimura's case. The doctors couldn't seem to understand it, but knew there were increased risks in this particular case that were normally non-existent. Why? It seemed so unfair.

Sanada was worried. And Sanada hardly ever worried. And why was it that whenever the subject of Yukimura came about, was when Sanada worried most? That was beside the point; his captain was to go into the strangest surgery the following day, and he was going to be playing tennis.

Tennis was something he had learned to dread if he was playing alone—specifically, alone without Yukimura. Yukimura's presence on the tennis courts was like a beacon for Sanada. He sought out Yukimura's light, the light that constantly challenged him to become better, to become the best he could be. Whenever he thought he had reached the captain's standards, the bar would again be lifted. Recently, there was no light for Sanada to search for, no bar to be raised, no goal for him to reach. No Yukimura there to challenge him.

But he knew what he was capable of, and it was definitely greater than anything Seigaku had to offer. His—no, Yukimura's—entire team was more than enough to take down Seigaku's best, he believed. The time would be nothing. They would all complete the match before Yukimura had even entered his surgery, presenting their captain with the hard-earned medal. After all, it was Yukimura who put together the flawless Rikkai Dai tennis team, and it was Yukimura who would be rewarded as such. Or so was Sanada's belief.

"The medal is as good as ours. It'll be in your hands before you undergo your surgery. That's a promise, Yukimura."

"I have faith in you, in our team."

"We will not lose; our victory will be dedicated to you entirely. You, more than anyone, deserve it. We've worked hard this year—harder still when we found out we wouldn't have our captain with us at the finals. We all want to win this for you."

Yukimura simply smiled. "Don't forget: its you who has been leading them in my absence, and I daresay you've done an excellent job, Captain."

"No, I could never replace you. Hurry and get well; we need you. We'll be outside the surgery doors before you enter them. You're strong, and you've proven that to me. Prove it to the world through this. I don't know why this disease is so complicated with you, but you're strong, I know it. You're Rikkai's true unbeatable captain."

"As are you. Good luck tomorrow, Sanada."

"And you. Be safe, be strong. We'll all be here for you."

"I'll be waiting."

-----

So ends their conversation preceding the next big chapter in their lives. Words were exchanged; however, the words that needed to be said were not. These words were kept locked within each boy's heart, kept quietly waiting for their chance to be released. The time remained unknown, unprepared for, but existed nonetheless. No matter how simple the words were, neither could bring himself to say them when they needed to come out. Three words—a sentence doesn't get much simpler than three words—I love you.

-----

It was time, the day that could possibly change both of their lives forever. Sanada met the rest of the Rikkai Dai Tennis Regulars at the courts. He didn't know how to express to them how important it was that they all be there for Yukimura, that they all win for their captain. Yukimura would be fighting a battle alongside them, though against a much different opponent. No matter. Rikkai and Yukimura would all embrace victory that day—there was nothing Sanada wanted more for the time being.

"We've come this far, and I want you all to keep in mind that it was all Yukimura's doing. He compiled us as a team, and we are meant to be unbeatable. Rikkai will not lose today, and it will be assured that Yukimura will not lose, either. We are strong, and we will be there for him."

The team didn't need to say anything, for they knew their co-captain spoke the truth. They realized how valuable Yukimura was, and that they owed it to him to present nothing less than their best. For his sake, at least, they would do all they could to bring home the gold.

Matches commenced, and had started off going as planned, if not a little slower than expected. Rikkai's doubles both triumphed over Seigaku's doubles pairs. Marui and Jackal had done well, and even the well-known Golden Pair had experienced defeat by the ingenious combination of Niou and Yagyuu.

Sanada was relieved to have created such a seemingly strong line-up without Yukimura's help. He had his doubts forming this line-up, but Yukimura refused to give him any opinions. Sanada was, after all, the captain while Yukimura was hospitalized.

However, after the doubles, Rikkai began to fall apart. It appeared that he had underestimated the power of Seigaku's singles players. Yanagi had lost the Singles Three position, but that match-up had been on uneven ground since the beginning. Sanada hadn't expected Kirihara to have lost; it completely threw off everything Sanada had planned for. Yukimura was due in for surgery within the hour, and unexpectedly, Sanada had to play. He couldn't blame Kirihara, though, nor anyone else on the team. It was his own mistakes that cost him precious time, and he was now making up for it.

There was no reason for Yukimura to be penalized for his mistakes. The team could still make it in time, though they would have no medal to present. That would have to suffice, so long as Yukimura had moral support waiting for him.

It didn't seem fair, though, that everyone besides him was giving their captain that support. They would be there, in body, for Yukimura, while no part of him was there. And he claimed he loved Yukimura—at least, to himself. It was a fine way to show it, by him not being there for the one he cared most about. His jacket. He didn't know what good it would do, but it would help in some way, he knew. Yukimura would understand. The jacket would bridge whatever gap there was between them until he got there with the medal in hand.

Nothing was going to stop him—he couldn't be there for Yukimura before the surgery, but he would be there the second Yukimura awoke. It was his promise, and this time, it was one he intended to keep.

For now, he prepared for the serve.

To be Continued!

Uhm, well, this chapter is kinda different from the first two because I wanted to get out of first person point of views. It focuses more on the development of the story, even though development of this chapter is extremely minimal and it is rather short XP. Forgive me, but I got lazy again. Hopefully it wasn't too bad of a chapter. Oh yes, it seems Guillain Barre is not always a super serious thing…but it seems they made it dangerous in the series…I tried to work around that here. Sorry if its inaccurate. Also, I think I changed the personalities a bit from when they were telling the story in their own POV's. It wasn't intentional, but its still there, and ahh! This chapter seems kinda rushed, too, in its shortness :(. Oh well, more next time!