Note: Whoops.. well, a lot of stuff happened in RL, so updating this fic was not really a priority. I'll be trying my best to update more recently! This chapter is NOT beta read, so please excuse any mistakes. :) You're free to point them out, of course. Thanks a lot!

A loud beeping noise indicated that it was time to get up. Mitobe sighed as he turned off the alarm. Even though he went to bed early last night, he didn't get any sleep. Too scared of nightmares, Rinnosuke just tried to rest without sleeping.

The teen got up and took a shower first. He usually loved a good hot shower and it helped him to calm his mind. Not today, though. After preparing breakfast for everyone and eating at least a little, Mitobe took his phone to text Koga.

Going to the doctor. See you tomorrow.

Rinnosuke didn't have to wait long for a whole bunch of replies. Koganei asked him if he still had a headache, if he needed any help, if he's sure he'll be back by tomorrow... A smile appeared on his face. Even while texting, Koga still talked a lot. Mitobe just answered with an emoticon. There wasn't really much he could answer him anyway.

Two hours later the teen was standing before a white painted house. He read the sign on the left of the entrance: "Dr. Wanijima Konyo, psychologist – depth psychology expert" Mitobe entered through the door, giving the lady at the counter a friendly nod.

"Mitobe-kun, long time no see. The doctor received your e-mail. He is free right now, go on ahead." the lady exclaimed with a soft smile on her face. Rinnosuke gestured her a thanks before he went ahead to the doctor's office. The teen hesitated for a minute before he knocked once and entered the room.

"Good day, Mitobe-kun. Sit down." the doctor greeted him, sitting on an armchair besides a big window. Mitobe sat down as he was told, across to Dr. Konyo. He hasn't been here since middle school. "Since you're here, I guess you're not feeling well?" the older man asked, Rinnosuke nodded in response.

"Didn't Basketball help you to get rid of your negative thoughts and nightmares? Did you stop the sport?" The teen shook his head, it was true that Basketball had helped him a lot back then. He was able to concentrate on the sport, to use all his power for it and could have a good, sound sleep. But now it just suddenly changed, without a warning.

Mitobe wrote something down, since the doctor wasn't as good in understanding him with just gestures like Koga was. The man read the paper, looked up to the teen and put the paper back on the table between them. "I see, so it just returned? And your speaking ability still hasn't improved, as I can hear..or not hear, to be correct." Rinnosuke nodded twice, making a sad face at the second question.

It's true. He was able to speak like normally, before this happened. It's not like Mitobe ever spoke much, he was always rather the silent type, but he could use his voice. He was able to call out to his parents, to answer the teacher, very shyly, but at a noticeable volume. Back in grade school, everything was still fine.

"Listen, Mitobe, there must be a reason for this sudden change. Did anything change in your life? Is there too much stress maybe? Or something else that makes you feel bad?" Dr. Konyo asked, concerned. The teen thought about it for some minutes before he shook his head. It's not too stressy for him, nothing drastic had changed or anything. But did something make him feel bad? He couldn't really come up with something.

The doctor sighed, Rinnosuke really wasn't an easy patient. When he was assigned to him, Mitobe was six years old. His parents told him that the boy was out too late one evening and when he returned, he seemed badly terrified of something and didn't speak a word. It was a complete mystery what had happened.

It took some time to find out what the kid had gone through that evening. Mitobe had suffered from nightmares since then and lost his voice. It was a case of total mutism, an illness that can occur after a traumatic shock. Mitobe is able to speak, physically, but every time he opens his mouth, no sound would come out. It's like a blockade that you just can't cross, no matter how hard you'd try.

He has been in therapy since then, though, since his overall condition had gotten better after joining the basketball club in middle school, Mitobe's visits became sparse. They agreed that, if anything changed, Rinnosuke should come by on his own. Mitobe hoped he would be able to speak again after the nightmares had stopped, but his voice was the only thing that still hadn't returned.

"Well, give yourself some time to think about it. Is there really nothing that is troubling you? Maybe you've fallen in love, it's normal for your age. Sometimes you're in love and haven't realized it until now. Come back in a few days, okay?" Mitobe blushed noticeably. In love? Him? That really was the last option he had thought about, probably because he didn't want to think about it.

The doctor gave him some light sleeping pills before they parted again, because Mitobe looked the same as he felt, completely drained and tired. He was told to rest for the day. Rinnosuke's thoughts were still at what the doctor said last. He couldn't think of anyone. Maybe?

The teen shook his head as the thought of his best friend came to mind. No, they were friends. Sure, they were best friends, they were normally glued together like they were inseparable, but that's all. Koga helped him a lot in school and training, since he talked for him. And his friend had never asked of anything in return. Mitobe sometimes made snacks for him or brought him a bento, but that wasn't much compensation.

His thoughts went on while on his way home and even though he was told to rest, Mitobe lied in his bed awake again. There was more that Koga did for him. Much more. He talked to him normally, he smiled at him, he made Rinnosuke smile too, he cared for him... Why did the teen never really appreciated all of this? He just took it as a given, at least after a while.

It was getting late and Mitobe didn't want to spend another sleepless night, so he took two of the pills for a good, steady sleep. He realized overthinking stuff wouldn't make him feel better at the moment and he really needed that rest. There would still be plenty of time to think about it tomorrow.

After two beeping sounds, a hand found it's way to the alarm clock to turn it off. The black haired teen arose from his sleep. No nightmares, no weird thoughts. He felt quite good and well rested. With a little stretch, he began his morning routine and went off to school.

"You alright again?" Koganei asked when they met on the way, as always. Mitobe nodded with a slight smile. But it was Koga he had to worry about. His friend looked kind of hurt, it was right there in his eyes, after a big smile let it disappear. So Rinnosuke gestured if his friend was okay too. Did something happen?

"I'm fine. I mean well... it's just.. I thought there was more than just a headache you had. Like something is really bothering you. The way you acted two days ago was kinda strange." The brown haired said thoughtfully. Mitobe stood still all of a sudden. Was it that obvious?

He looked a little frightened, not sure how to react. Rinnosuke just couldn't mention his troubles, so he just shook his head and tried to convince him that he was fine. Lying to his friend really wasn't something he wanted to do. The teen felt bad for doing so. But it was too hard to tell him the truth, he wanted to forget it, not remember it.

Koganei smiled, slightly first, then wider. "If you say so, I'm glad you're okay." It was hard to believe him. Koganei just wanted to believe, he wanted to trust him. Mitobe would never lie to him, right? The thought of his best friend not being truthfully to him came to his mind. The feeling of broken trust stung in his heart. When Mitobe smiled back at him, he waved the thought away. No, his friend wouldn't lie to him.

Note:

About mutism: it's a disorder, the most known form is selective mutism, where the person who is normally capable of speech does not speak in specific situations or to specific people. Total mutism is a very rare form, where the person isn't able to speak to anyone or in any situation at all. It can be caused due to a trauma. As I said before, this is just my version of Mitobe's silence. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!