Chapter Twenty: Crossed My Heart

Disclaimer: I still don't own Prince of Tennis… I just obsess over it. XD

Author's Note: Here's chapter twenty! Remember, the complete Author's Note for this fic is posted in chapter one. But here are the warnings, summarized for your convenience: May contain spoilers/ shonen-ai/ not-shonen-ai/ please review/ flamers will be subjected to my endless PoT-obsessed ramblings. Lol.

Finally, chapter twenty! At long last... Again, I'm very sorry for the massive delay. I know lots of you were waiting for me to update, and I hated keeping you all waiting! The next one won't be nearly as long a wait, I promise. In the meantime, enjoy! And let me know what you all think of chapter twenty!

There is something that I never said…

But there is only one thing that I really want.

It is not for my wish to be fulfilled.

It is only for you to be happy.

…

Tezuka was sitting by the large picture window in the hotel room, staring blankly through the glass at the setting sun. He had a distinct feeling of dread as he stared at the dimming sky. Something inside of him was sure that a plane was going to vanish into that sky any moment, carrying a world champion away from Japan once and for all…

He was sure of it. It was tearing at his heart. And yet…

He squinted, almost wearily, peering up through the window, trying to see the familiar sparkle of the evening star. There it was, alone in the sky, just beyond the reach of the crowded Tokyo cityscape.

He wondered why he couldn't stop looking at it.

"You've been staring out that window for hours," a voice said from behind him, almost nonchalantly.

Tezuka ignored it. Somehow, he just wasn't in the mood for Fuji's razor-sharp powers of perception.

"Tezuka?" came the voice again, sounding vaguely annoyed.

"I heard you," was the former captain's rather gruff response. He kept staring out the window, not even bothering to turn around.

There was a pause, coupled with the faint shuffle of footsteps as Fuji came closer to where he was sitting.

Suddenly, Tezuka felt two slender arms slip around his neck, as one of the small hands gently caressed his forehead.

"Come now, Captain, why are you being so cold?" Fuji murmured, with that soothingly beautiful voice of his. Normally, that voice had the remarkable power to dull Tezuka's train of thought and weaken his stoic front, at least somewhat.

Tonight, however, it simply irked him to no end.

"I'm always cold, remember?" was his curt response.

He could feel Fuji tense up slightly at the remark, and even though he hadn't looked, he could practically feel the tensai's eyes smoldering. Fuji's reply remained calm, however.

"You aren't always like this, Tezuka. Sometimes, you're very much the oppo---"

"Only when I'm dead drunk," Tezuka shot back, resenting the reminder of some of his more uncharacteristic lapses into compliance with the tensai's whims.

Fuji ripped his arms away from Tezuka's neck at that comment, furious.

"Oh, really? So you were dead drunk on the rooftop yesterday? Interesting, that you can get drunk without drinking anything, Captain…"

Now it was Tezuka who was furious. Did Fuji have to rub it in---?

He practically jumped out of the chair to his feet, whirling around to face the tensai's blazing sapphire gaze.

"No, then I was just out of my mind!"

He controlled his voice, trying not to shout, but the anger was still there. He couldn't help it, somehow… He had too much on his mind, too many regrets, and he couldn't help lashing out at the one person that had always been in the background in all of his darkest memories…

Yes, that was right…

Fuji had always been there, staring at him, whispering in the back of his mind, when he'd done the one thing he could never fix.

That one thing, the thing that had driven Ryoma onto a plane to leave Japan forever…

No!

"I must be out of my mind. Why else would I be kind to you?" he practically growled, glaring straight at Fuji with all the frustration he was feeling.

For the moment, the tensai seemed to be completely at a loss. Those blue eyes were wide open, though with hurt or with rage, Tezuka couldn't guess.

"Why else?" that beautiful voice finally replied, shaking only slightly with emotion. "Why else? Well, I thought that you were kind because---"

"You liar," Tezuka interrupted, still glaring as sharply as if he could actually pierce right through the tensai. "You knew why. You always meant for this to happen. This was just part of your twisted plan to keep me with you."

"Twisted?" For a moment, Fuji just repeated the word, letting it slip lightly off of his tongue, as though he were tasting it. "Twisted? Twisted?"

"You heard me," Tezuka confirmed, the tension still evident in his face.

"Alright then, twisted," Fuji agreed suddenly, with a maniacal glitter in his eyes. "You and I are twisted. So I knew it all along…"

…

"There's no way I'm staying here for another four years. Do you seriously think I'm just going to watch his back for the rest of my life? No. This time, I'll be the one to walk away. And he'll follow me. You'll see… He will…"

…

Fuji met Tezuka's stare, sending a shudder down the former captain's spine.

"Yes, I intended for you to follow me, all the way to Europe. That was my plan from the start. But make no mistake; I didn't push you off that platform, Tezuka. You did that yourself."

That was it. He couldn't take it anymore. Even though Tezuka had known it all along, that unapologetic declaration was too much, too much to bear…

… The mere thought that he had fallen so easily into Fuji's trap, that he'd actually decided to follow him, that he'd jumped off that platform and shattered himself into a thousand worthless pieces…

For what? For this fallen angel?

NO!

Tezuka lunged forward in a rage, with every intention of hitting Fuji right across the face, when he was interrupted by the ring of a phone.

For a moment, the two just stared at each other, stunned.

After a moment, Fuji made an imperceptible move to reach toward the phone, but he was stopped with the stern command, "Don't move!"

Tezuka grabbed the receiver and held it to one ear.

"Hello?" he said, as evenly as he could manage.

"Buchou? It is you, isn't it?"

Tezuka felt his throat tighten at the sound of that familiar voice.

"Echizen? You're still here? But I thought---"

"Buchou. I have something to tell you. Are you listening?"

For a moment, Tezuka was confused. He was suddenly aware that Ryoma sounded very out of breath.

"Echizen, are you alright?" he couldn't help inquiring, as he tried to ignore the way Fuji's blue eyes were fixated upon him.

"I'm fine. I'm a little tired… I'm calling you from a pay phone."

"A pay phone?" Tezuka repeated, trying to follow.

"My cell phone's dead… and I couldn't run anymore… but, Buchou…"

"What is it, Echizen?" Tezuka asked. He was still very bewildered. He had no idea what in the world was going on…

Suddenly the voice on the other end became very serious. It was a tone of voice that Tezuka had never heard before, but he got the distinct feeling it reminded him of something.

"Buchou, I'll meet you in an hour. You know where. And you'd better come. I have something to say to you. See you there, Tezuka-buchou."

Just as suddenly as it had begun, the phone call was over. Tezuka was left staring at the receiver, stunned.

Fuji had only vaguely followed the whole conversation, but he said nothing either.

For a moment, the two just stood there. And then, a determined look came into Tezuka's eyes. He set the receiver back down with a thud and began shuffling through one of his suitcases.

Fuji just watched in silence.

"I'm going out for awhile," Tezuka said, as coldly as he could manage.

"All right," was the surprisingly quiet reply.

Tezuka would have asked about this, but he barely noticed. His heart was racing.

He knew where Echizen wanted to meet him.

… But why?

- - - - - - - - - - -

Oishi was sitting on the couch, staring blankly at the blaring television screen. He had no idea what he was watching, but he stared at it anyway. He was vaguely aware of the flashing colors, but they seemed dull and gray in his eyes.

It was as if the world was slowly rewinding, in that familiar silent film of black and white…

I wonder if Echizen's already on the plane.

"Oishi?" Eiji's voice interrupted his train of thought, sounding much quieter than usual. The former vice captain felt his heart skip a beat, but he almost didn't notice.

"Oishi, do you really think Ochibi is going to leave?" Eiji asked, worried.

For a moment, Oishi didn't answer. Then he sighed.

"I'm sure he will," he said at last. "That's what he said, didn't he?"

Eiji frowned at that. "Well, yeah, but maybe he didn't really mean…"

"Eiji, he's leaving. He left before, didn't he? He didn't hesitate back then, either." Oishi tried to reason through it as calmly as he could.

Eiji bristled at such a cool response, and he was about to say something, when the phone rang.

For a moment, the two just blinked at each other, but then Eiji rushed to answer the phone.

"Hello?" he said hurriedly, after yanking the receiver free and thrusting it up to one ear.

"Kikumaru-senpai? It's you, right?"

"Ochibi?" Eiji asked, catching Oishi's attention instantly. "Why are you calling?"

"Can I talk to Oishi-senpai, please?"

"To Oishi?" Eiji repeated with a frown. What would Ryoma want to say to Oishi?

"Yes. Thank you, Kikumaru-senpai."

Eiji handed the phone to his former doubles partner, with a slight shrug of his shoulders and a very quizzical expression.

Oishi looked back at Eiji for a moment, and then he spoke into the receiver…

"Hello? Is this Echizen?"

"Yes. It's me, Oishi-senpai."

"What's going on?" Oishi couldn't help asking, confused. "You haven't left already?"

"No, I haven't. Oishi-senpai…"

"What is it, Echizen?" Oishi wondered at the serious tone of the teenager's voice. It was something he'd never heard before, but it reminded him of something that he couldn't quite remember.

"Oishi-senpai…"

"Tell him. Don't wait anymore."

Just as Oishi's heart stood still, the phone line went dead.

"Echizen?" He barely whispered it, knowing that he'd receive no answer. He knew exactly what the tennis star meant … In fact, he had understood that part all too well…

His heart was racing.

Tell him.

TELL him.

TELL HIM!

"Oishi? What's wrong? Did he hang up?" said that familiar voice, coming through his consciousness like a flash of color. It made his breath catch in his throat. He felt as though he were standing on the very edge of a cliff, looking down into the abyss…

Oishi couldn't help thinking, in that moment when his mind was thinking in fast forward, about how impossible this was. He couldn't tell Eiji. Not after all these years. Not after so many walls had sprung up between them…

Not when every time he had yearned to say those three little words, he had forced himself to choke them back down and let them burn inside his heart.

No, he couldn't do this.

And yet, Echizen had told him…

TELL HIM!

Oishi took a deep breath, and let it out slowly.

He looked back up at Eiji, who stood by the couch with a very confused expression on his face. After a moment, the redhead put out a hand toward his former partner, presumably to take the phone back.

Instead, Oishi suddenly grabbed that hand with both of his, carelessly letting the phone drop down onto the sofa.

"Oishi---?" Eiji whispered, suddenly overcome with that look in Oishi's eyes. He had never seen that look before, not once, not with anyone…

He had never seen anyone look right at him with so much emotion. Those eyes were screaming a thousand things at him, begging him to see, pleading for him to understand…

Eiji didn't even realize that he had started trembling.

"Eiji…" Oishi's hands gently wrapped around his former partner's fingers, squeezing them with a strangely light pressure. It sent chills right up the redhead's arm.

Much to Eiji's astonishment, Oishi slid off of the couch and kneeled in front of him, not once letting go of his hand. There they were, former partners, and Oishi was on his knees in front of him.

What…? What is he…?

"Eiji…" Oishi repeated the name slowly, taking a deep, shaking breath.

Eiji had never known that his name could be spoken with so much feeling. His knees starting going weak at the mere sound of it.

He wanted to say something, but it felt like his voice had been stolen right out of his throat. He tried, but nothing came out, as he stood there looking down into those passionate green eyes.

He was caught. His very life was hanging on the words that Oishi was going to speak, whatever they were, whatever they could be…

…

Up until the very last moment, Oishi was sure that he would never really say it.

He could never say it, not to those perfect blue eyes… If he said it, it would all be over, the running away, the hiding, the pretending, the lying…

Oh, God…

Don't think about it!

For a split second, Oishi closed his eyes, tightly. The five years crashed upon him like a tidal wave, threatening to pull him away, just like before…

…

"So I'm lying. But I can't tell him the truth! I can't tell him why I'm really leaving…"

"… I HATE YOU!"

…

"Tell him. Don't wait anymore."

"Oishi-senpai…"

…

Oishi opened his eyes. He looked back up at Eiji.

"I love you," he said.

…

"I love you," she said, looking up into Eiji's eyes. She said it so lightly, almost as though the words were as frail as a feather, as though they had already escaped from her heart and were blowing away into the wind.

Eiji wondered why, every single time his girlfriend said that to him, it felt like nothing at all.

Why?

…

Eiji couldn't breathe. He had never felt like this before. It was like he was drowning in the sea, struggling for air, grasping helplessly at the sky…

"Oishi…" He whispered it, so softly that it couldn't possibly be heard.

"Eiji, I love you," Oishi said again, so seriously that Eiji couldn't possibly question it.

There could be no mistake. Here, on his knees, was someone who meant every word that he said. Eiji knew it, because every single word gripped his heart and echoed in his mind.

"I know that I hurt you, Eiji," Oishi continued, trying to keep his voice steady. "Please believe me, that I never wanted… I never wanted to hurt you. But I was afraid. Because I…"

Oishi tightened his grasp on Eiji's hand for a moment.

"I love you so much that I can hardly stand it."

A lump was forming in Eiji's throat, and suddenly, he almost wanted to cry. This man, his former partner, was looking at him with so much sincerity in those emerald eyes…

Why had he never noticed it before?

"Oishi," Eiji murmured again, his eyes filling with tears.

"Eiji?" The former vice captain had noticed the redhead's watering eyes, and the usual tone of concern came into his voice. "Eiji, are you alright?"

Suddenly, for the first time in years, Eiji could see it. He could see Oishi clearly again, in those green eyes.

He could see him. His Oishi.

He had never left, after all. He hadn't died. He hadn't even left, not really… Because here he was, right in front of him, even if he was saying something that Eiji never would have expected …

Oishi!

Eiji fell to his knees, thrusting himself forward into his former partner's arms.

"Oishi!" he cried, burying himself in Oishi's shirtfront, much to the shock of the taller man, whose heart practically leapt out of his chest at the sudden gesture.

"Oishi, it is you… You always were…" But the tears were running down Eiji's face now, and he couldn't even finish a sentence. So he repeated the familiar name instead. "Oishi!"

"Eiji," Oishi finally managed, bewildered, as he hooked his arms lightly around Eiji's back. "What are you---?"

"You never really left!" Eiji sobbed, hiding his face in Oishi's chest. "I was always scared that you… I mean, it's just… Oh, Oishi…"

In holding Eiji so closely, the former vice captain forgot to be afraid. He forgot to worry that Eiji would reject him, that he would tell him to go away and never come back. He forgot everything, everything that had passed between them, and he held Eiji close, as tightly as he could.

And in those arms, Eiji could feel the love that he'd always wanted.

"What is it, Eiji?" Oishi asked, very softly.

"Just hold me," Eiji answered, muffled.

So Oishi did.

And for the first time in years, the Golden Pair was whole again.

- - - - - - - - -

There was something that I missed…

I was too close to them to see it.

There was something that I missed…

Is it already too broken to fix?

…

Echizen Ryoma was already gasping for breath again, but he forced himself to keep running. He wasn't the type to run marathons for personal enjoyment, but he was certainly in shape… And so this feeling of not being able to run fast enough was extremely unfamiliar to him.

But he needed to run faster. He would never get there, if he didn't…

He forced himself to pick up the pace again, as his feet pounded against the sidewalk. He was vaguely aware of the loud clamor of the city around him, but he didn't pay any attention to it. For the moment, he could have cared less what the people of Tokyo thought of this crazy young man who was running at breakneck speed all over the metropolis.

After all, this was something he had to do. Because if he didn't…

Well, he didn't know what would happen if he didn't.

In fact, he had no idea what was going to happen if he did. But he knew that he couldn't turn back now. He couldn't leave, not until…

Not until I've fixed it.

I don't care if it's impossible.

As Ryoma bolted through a crosswalk, just barely avoiding the swerving path of particularly aggressive taxi cab, he found himself remembering. He was starting to hear the words of a faded past, echoing inside his mind…

…

"Echizen, become Seigaku's pillar of support!"

…

Ryoma took another gasping breath, trying to force oxygen into his lungs. He could still hear his captain speaking those words to him, even though it had been over five years, even though the captain he admired no longer existed.

It was true. That ideal, that perfection that Tezuka had always been… That perfection was gone.

… But Tezuka wasn't gone, after all.

Ryoma could still remember when the only thing he'd wanted was to never let that man down. It had been his goal, the thing that had enabled him to surpass his own limits and become a better tennis player than he'd ever dreamed.

During that year at Seigaku, he had been trying to live up to Tezuka's expectations. He'd tried to become Seigaku's pillar.

But somewhere along the way, he had turned his back on that goal.

Why?

Tezuka had asked Ryoma to become Seigaku's pillar.

Why had he turned his back on them all?

…

"We miss you, Echizen. We are very proud of you, but we will always miss you."

…

Why had Ryoma never realized this before? He had chosen to leave, and that choice came with its own consequences.

… Had he really believed that it wouldn't affect them?

No, this was the reason why. This was why Fuji blamed him for everything that had gone wrong. This was why everything had changed so drastically from what he remembered. This was why it seemed like something was missing.

Something was missing.

It was him.

I don't think I can really help them…

But…

I won't leave until everything is right again.

I won't leave.

Not this time.

Ryoma was running so fast that he didn't even notice when he ran right past two very familiar figures. Instead, he pressed on into the crowd of pedestrians, trying to make the next light before it turned red again.

- - - - - - - - -

Inui and Kaidoh were walking along back to their hotel in complete silence. They had visited Eiji's apartment a few hours earlier, only to find out from the concerned redhead that Ryoma was leaving Japan that very night. Since then, they'd gone out to a restaurant for dinner, but neither had said much for the rest of the evening.

Inui, of course, wasn't really surprised at the news. He had surmised that much since he had talked with Tezuka. He was disappointed, though… He couldn't help thinking of that stray piece of paper that he had surrendered to the wind, hoping that the coin toss would land in their favor…

…

"As for me, my bet is that he'll stay. What do you think, Tezuka?"

…

Inui sighed to himself. It wasn't surprising that Ryoma had decided to disappear, but even so, it was vaguely unsettling. Part of Inui couldn't help feeling that history was repeating itself, just like that time that Ryoma had left Japan five years ago…

Of course, that's illogical.

History doesn't repeat itself. History is simply a progression of events over time, and any similarities in the events are only the result of probability…

Nevertheless, Inui had the distinct feeling that the events of the past five years were rewinding, slowly and painfully, bringing everything to a climax. And when they reached that climax, there was nothing waiting for them except another fall…

Even after all this time, I can't help wondering…

When you leave, Echizen, what will be in store for us now?

…

Inui sighed again, a bit louder this time, and it caught Kaidoh's attention.

"What is it, senpai?" the snakelike teenager asked, his sharp eyes glancing at his tall roommate.

Inui looked down at Kaidoh for a moment without answering, and then he smiled slightly.

"Sorry about that, Kaidoh," he answered as lightly as he could. "It's nothing, really. I was just thinking…"

Suddenly, Inui and Kaidoh noticed a very familiar figure dash right by them, bolting right through a crowd of pedestrians as he flew down the sidewalk.

"Echizen?" Inui said in disbelief, as they both turned their heads to watch the tennis star run as fast as lightning toward the street corner.

"Echizen!" Kaidoh called out gruffly, as his feet started sprinting toward the boy.

"Kaidoh, what are you---" Inui attempted to follow after him, but he had some difficulty making his way through the crowd, even though he could clearly see Kaidoh starting to catch up to Ryoma.

He could also see the light change as Ryoma darted out into the crosswalk, just barely making it to the other side before traffic began pouring into the street. Kaidoh, on the other hand, had just barely left the curb, and the cars were already headed straight for him.

"Kaidoh!" Inui yelled, eyes wide behind his clouded lenses as he struggled to break through the unforgiving mass of people.

Much to both Kaidoh and Inui's confusion, someone appeared out of nowhere and shoved Kaidoh back onto the sidewalk. During the scuffle, Kaidoh's bandana flew off his head and fell into the street. Meanwhile, the person hurled himself right on top of him, as a car swerved to one side and just barely avoided them both.

Inui shoved his way through the swarm and ran toward the curb, only to find Kaidoh lying on the sidewalk, with Momo right on top of him.

"Momoshiro! What are you doing here?" Inui stammered, completely bewildered and feeling like he was quite capable of having a heart attack at any second.

Kaidoh looked equally astonished. He didn't even try to shove Momo off of him, which he might have done under normal circumstances. Momo, on the other hand, rose to his feet and started brushing himself off almost instantly.

He also ignored Inui's question, as he shot a glare at Kaidoh, who was still lying on the pavement.

"Are you insane, Viper? Do you want to get yourself killed? Idiot."

Kaidoh sat up, completely stunned. For a moment, he couldn't even find a single word to say. Suddenly, he bristled at the insult.

"What do you mean, 'idiot'? Echizen was over there!"

Momo just rolled his violet eyes.

"Of course he was over there, you moron. But you can't run out onto the street when the light is red. Stupid."

Kaidoh didn't know whether he was angry or just confused, but he got to his feet and hissed at his former teammate anyway.

"Who are you calling stupid? Echizen was supposed to leave tonight, and instead he's running around Tokyo. How thick is your skull, or do you even care?"

Momo frowned and crossed his arms, glaring at his rival.

"Of course I care, you freak. But I already know where he's going."

Both Inui and Kaidoh did a double take at that statement.

"What do you mean, you already know?" growled Kaidoh, clenching his hands in frustration.

"I mean, I already know, okay? It's none of your business," Momo shot back, glancing quickly across the street before turning back to his angry former teammate.

Kaidoh's eyes were blazing with fury, but he controlled it as best as he could. His reply, though, was filled with subdued rage.

"None of my business, huh? So when will it be my business, you idiot?"

This question caught Momo's attention, and he blinked in surprise.

"What do you mean by that, Viper?" he said, frowning. "If you have something to say to me, then just say it already. It's not like you haven't been ignoring me for three years straight…"

"I've been ignoring you?" Kaidoh repeated, glaring. "Sounds like you've forgotten who decided to throw his ambition away for some half-rate part time job and a pointless college degree…"

"SHUT UP!" Momo yelled, right in Kaidoh's face. It was loud enough to stun his rival, and cause him to take a step backward in something like fear.

"You know nothing, Viper," Momo added, his voice lowering to a growl. "Just because I can't be like you… Just because there isn't any point to that anymore…"

He stopped, long before he could clarify what he meant, and then took a deep breath and released it. Averting his gaze from Kaidoh, Momo turned back toward the crosswalk, where the light had just turned green.

"It's not like I wanted this. But it's what I chose anyway."

Momo knelt, reaching into the street to pick up a stray object. He turned briefly and thrust it into Kaidoh's hand, returning the slightly dusty bandana to its owner.

"Anyway, what do you care?" he mumbled. But he never gave Kaidoh a chance to answer. Before Kaidoh or Inui could even react, he darted across the street and back onto the sidewalk on the opposite end.

Just like that, he was gone.

"Well, that was strange," Inui remarked, suddenly recalling his existence to Kaidoh's mind.

"No kidding," Kaidoh muttered, still glaring at the crosswalk. His hand tightened around the fabric in his hand.

"He's following Echizen, isn't he?" Inui observed calmly, crossing his arms. "I wonder how long he's been tailing him like that."

Kaidoh hissed, still tense.

"God knows. He's such an idiot…"

Inui let the ensuing silence linger for a moment, and then he smiled, very slightly.

"An idiot who, it appears, has more than a few people who worry about him." If Kaidoh could have seen his senpai's eyes, he would have realized that Inui was looking at him very knowingly.

"Not that he ever notices," was Kaidoh's reluctant reply, as he avoided Inui's gaze.

"Are you still angry at him for not following you?" Inui asked, somewhat cryptically.

"You could say that," Kaidoh answered finally. He glanced across the street again, trying to see if he could still pick out the retreating figure of his rival among the bustling crowd. But Momo had already disappeared from sight.

"He's such an idiot. How long is he going to stay in Echizen's shadow, anyway?"

And at Kaidoh's annoyed comment, Inui couldn't help but shake his head.

"I'm sure I don't know. That Momoshiro…"

They both looked down the street, and thought of a boy dashing down the sidewalk, being covertly followed by a young man they knew very well.

- - - - - - - - - - -

RING! RING!

Tomoka blinked in surprise, getting up from her desk to answer the phone. She glanced at the display screen, checking the caller ID before answering.

Huh? What's she doing, calling at this time of night?

Tomoka lifted the receiver to one ear, clicking the call button before she started speaking. "Hello?"

"Hello, is this Tomo-chan?"

"Yes, it's me. Why are you calling so late, Sakuno?" she couldn't help asking, as she glanced at the clock.

"I saw Ryoma-kun today." The voice on the other end sounded a bit hesitant.

"You did?" Tomoka was definitely surprised. Of course, she figured that Ryoma was still in Japan, but she wouldn't have expected that Sakuno would have gone to see him by herself.

"I did. You know, Tomo-chan… I think… I think something's going to happen."

Tomoka frowned at that. "What do you mean, Sakuno?"

"Ryoma-kun was very upset. I think he was going to leave Japan tonight."

"What?" Tomoka gripped the phone tightly in shock. "He's leaving? Without even saying goodbye to all of us?"

"I don't know. I don't think he's leaving anymore. I think… I think something is happening."

"Darn it, Sakuno, just spit it out already! What are you talking about?" Tomoka exclaimed in frustration, one hand on her hip.

"It's something about his friends. You remember what we used to talk about… about the senpais, especially last year…"

Tomoka sighed at that. "Yes, I remember. So Ryoma-sama probably found out about all those things that we never understood, right?"

"I think so. I think he's going to confront them about it. I… I told him to go to them. I hope it was the right thing to do…"

"Sakuno, if it's you, it was the right thing to do," Tomoka interrupted, trying to reassure her friend. "Really, I don't know how you can always be so instinctive about these things. You were right on the money with Horio and me, and then you talked to Momoshiro-senpai that one time… I don't know WHAT went on between the two of you, but you always know exactly what to say, at least when you're brave enough to say it."

There was a moment of silence on the other end, and Tomoka could practically feel her friend smiling.

"Well, thank you, Tomo-chan. I'm not sure if that's completely true, but…"

"Of course it's true, you silly girl!" Tomoka interrupted again, in a scolding tone. "Really, I don't know why you aren't more confident of yourself. You should tell Ryoma-sama how you feel about him, even if it has been way too lo---"

"No. I couldn't do that, Tomo-chan."

Sakuno's voice was suddenly insistent, and Tomoka couldn't help rolling her eyes.

"Why not? You're a pretty girl, a great friend, and you understand Ryoma-sama, which is more than anyone else can say---"

"That's not true. And that's why I could never tell him."

The voice was so serious that it made Tomoka pause and rethink her words.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked finally.

"There's someone else who really understands Ryoma-kun, and who cares about him more than I ever could. I… I'm just not right for him. And so I would never let my feelings get in his way."

Tomoka was silent in the ensuing pause. She didn't know what to say. The tone of Sakuno's voice was almost unfamiliar to her; it was speaking with so much conviction. Before she knew it, Sakuno continued.

"I can't get in Ryoma-kun's way. He's up in the sky; he's over my head. And so… all I can do is pray that someone else will be able to fly up to where he is."

Tomoka waited for her friend to finish, and then she sighed. But there was a smile on her lips.

"You're always like that, Sakuno. Completely selfless… And so abstract that I can't understand a word you're saying," she added with a laugh.

"But maybe you're right," she admitted. "In any case, you always have a better grasp of these things than I do."

Tomoka glanced toward her bedroom window, noticing how the sky was pitch black outside. It looked strangely cold, even though she knew it was summertime.

"Well, I hope Ryoma-sama doesn't run away. It would be too sad if he never said goodbye."

-end of chapter twenty-

A/N: I'm so sorry! This chapter is several days late. I had a TON of stuff in my schedule, and I really couldn't find any way around it. And to top it off, this was one of the most difficult chapters to write so far. Arrggghh… I'm really sorry about the wait, everyone! I promise that the next one will get done much more quickly. (Especially because, unlike this chapter, I already have a clear outline for the next one.) I promise that I'll be posting chapter twenty-one asap!

In the meantime, I hope everyone is still enjoying the story. I am so blown away by the kind reviews I've been getting… Many, many thanks to you all! I really wish I could respond to each of you individually and thank you for reading.

Well, I need to get cracking on the next chapter, so until next time, everyone! And I hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know what you thought of chapter twenty!

By the way… we're nearing the end, believe it or not! Get ready for some of the most eventful chapters, coming up soon, along with several key explanations that should answer a bunch of your questions. (Although I think I can say that this chapter was pretty eventful too…)

See you guys very soon! -waves-

Coming Up Next: An epic confrontation leads to a realization on the part of Tezuka, a sacrifice on the part of Ryoma, and a conversation between Fuji and Momo that finally reveals the latter's hidden motives…