The fall of the prince
Disclaimer: Takeshi Konomi's
Pairing: Still none…
Summary: Life will never be easy for the whole time. There are times when we have to face something that seems like it is the end of everything. And what will our prince do when he faced the fact that his life won't be easy anymore?
Note: Beta-ed by Windy-san!!! ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU!!!
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Chapter 2
The elevator doors opened with a soft voice, revealing the third floor upon Ryoma's very eyes. He stepped out silently and walked closer to the 'T'-shaped path he had visited so many times before. He even remembered nearly every single path within this hospital since he came here so often in the past.
He knew his mother's room was on the right alley, but Ryoma turned to walk into the left alley instead, pacing away from his mother's room. He didn't look so determined at that time when he left his house.
Ryoma then continued walking and stopped until he came in front of a familiar-looking door. His mother has always visited the inside of this door in the past. Ryoma stayed unmoving for a moment. Half of his mind ordered him to knock on the door, but the other half prevented him not to do so. He sighed deeply.
He felt a shiver ran through his body as his finger touched the cold wooden-polished door. He then knocks it slowly. Not so long after, the door opened and a nurse appeared from the gap. She looked a bit surprised to see who had knocked the door.
"Echizen-kun." She greeted with a smile. "Want to visit your mother?"
"I'd like to see Endo-sensei." Ryoma said directly, asking to meet his mother's doctor.
"Oh… please come in then." She said, stepping aside and giving space for Ryoma to come into the room.
Ryoma uttered a faint 'doumo' before silently walking inside. Dr. Endo Suzuki was writing something on his desk and didn't realize Ryoma's presence before the nurse called him.
"Sensei, Echizen-kun would like to see you."
The doctor looked up and couldn't hide his surprise as his eyes met with the only son of his intensive patient. "Ryoma-kun." He greeted. "Your mother is in Room 2B," He said, thinking that Ryoma was probably looking for his mother's room.
"I know." Ryoma responded, stepping closer to the desk. "But I'm looking for you now."
"Oh so... have a seat then." He mentioned the empty chair in front of his desk while putting aside the paper he was writing before. "It's so unlike you to pay a visit like this. Is there anything I can help?"
Ryoma didn't directly respond. It seemed that he was hardly finding a voice to speak. "You once said… I could do the general check up anytime, didn't you?" He finally started doubtfully.
"Yes." Endo-sensei said. A sudden fear crept from his stomach.
"I think I'd like to take it." Ryoma said very slowly.
The doctor's eyes widened slightly from Ryoma's sudden statement. "Do you feel something is wrong? I never remember you agreed with this idea before."
"Just… do it," said Ryoma.
"Well, okay then. I'll register you for tomorrow's schedule. You'll probably get your turn around 12 o'clock."
"Twelve?" Ryoma asked."Yes. You'll finish your school at that time, right?"
His mind told him that it's his afternoon practice time. But he really didn't want to tell Endo-sensei about his tennis practice. "Okay then. Arigatou," He stood up and bowed slightly towards the doctor before starting to leave.
And as Ryoma reached the door, he turned back and said "Sensei… please don't tell any of my family about this," and vanished behind the door.
The doctor let out a deep sigh. Silently, he hoped what he had feared would never come true.
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During his way to his mother's room felt very long and far, even though it actually takes far less than fifty meters, his heart was filled with strange feelings again as he finally reached the room.
Silently, he opened the door before him and peeked inside to make sure he didn't enter the wrong room. His throat suddenly felt dry and he couldn't help to cough a few times. The sound of the cough made his father, who was inside turned to the entrance.
"Who is it?" Rinko asked.
"Seishonen!" His father greeted and his son stepped inside, revealing his true self.
"Kaa-san, daijoubu?" Ryoma asked, approaching his mother's bed.
"I'm fine. It was just your father being so over-protective." His mother replayed her weak smile. She looked so pale, just as she used to be recently.
"You fainted again for the third time this week. Should I consider it fine?" Echizen Nanjiroh defended himself, looking annoyed and worried at the same time. Then he quickly turned to his son who was standing beside his mother's bed now. "Seishonen!" He called with a frown. "You look so pale. Didn't you go practicing?"
Ryoma looked a bit taken back from his father's words. He didn't suspect that his paleness would be that visible. "I did. But it took only a while." He answered, in disguising calmness.
Rinko looked up at his son with worry. "Ryoma, you should rest. Don't push yourself too hard."
"I know." Ryoma quickly answered. He really didn't want to make her anxious even more.
"Don't forget to eat and to take those vitamins." She reminded. Her pale face showed a wise smile.
"I'm fine, kaa-san. Don't worry." Then Ryoma turned back to the entrance. "I'll go home now." Before he left the room, he glanced once more both at his father and mother. And his last glance made Nanjiroh thought that there's something different about his son.
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Tezuka was busy writing on the notice board at the clubroom when he heard the door creaked open. It was still very early in the morning and no one ever arrived at this time except him. He turned his head to the door and found someone he really didn't expect to see.
"Ohayou," greeted Ryoma. His small figure moved inside the room.
"Echizen?" Tezuka didn't hide his surprise since Ryoma was always the late one.
Ryoma didn't respond anything. He only walked to the locker and started changing his uniform into his tennis outfit.
"What made you come so early?" asked Tezuka.
Ryoma still didn't answer. He stayed in silence until he fully changed. Then he walked closer to Tezuka. "Buchou…" He called, "can I not practicing this afternoon?"
Tezuka frowned a little from Ryoma's statement. "Why?"
"I just don't feel well. And I'd like to take some rest."
Tezuka frowned deeper. Once again, it's not Ryoma's habit for showing his problem. He never said anything even when he was sick or so. But now, he was asking permission for skipping the practice. "Ryoma, what happened to you?"
"Nothing, I'm just tired. That's all." And then, Ryoma left the room without saying anything else, leaving Tezuka with confuse and growing anxious.
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To be continued
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A/N: It's still very confusing, ne?? Gomen… This story is going so slow…
Would like to say thank you to:
driftingwanderer
wadeva
babymar-mar the illness?? Hehehe… I promise to reveal it in the next chapter
And for all of you who had read this story!! HONTOUNI ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU!!!