A/N: Hello Guys, please don't throw things at me for being such a bad writer, leaving you on a cliffhanger for so long. I feel really bad about it and must admit that I had actually completely forgotten about my stories due to my study and personal happenings. I will try my best to write again. Starting this with a new chapter. Thank you, my faithful readers for not giving up on me and I hope you will enjoy the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

~~ Torn Apart ~~

~~ 9. March, Morning ~~

Ryoma stirred slowly awake, his mind trying to figure out where he was, his body still being uncooperative. Warmth surrounded his whole body thanks to the fluffy covers around him. His whole chest felt comfortably warm and a steady beat thumbed through his ear from the pillow beneath him. A light blow of cold wind made the warmth of the covers so much more precious and welcome and Ryoma snuggled even deeper into the warmth holding him. Had Karupin opened the window? Stupid cat...

Someone yawned loudly and another one sighed heavily, waking him up even more. He didn't want to wake up! It was far too early, at least his body told him so. His pillow moved slightly, tried to wiggle free from beneath him. Ryoma tightened his grip on his pillow as good as he could, pulling the soft pillow closer to him and adjusting his sleeping position. However, his body was still too weak to keep his pillow put where it should be so it left him with a soft pet on his head.

A rush of coldness made him shudder and curl his body tighter together, fighting off the morning coldness. Someone shook his shoulder gently, petting his hair. It was strange... a strange feeling. Only his mother had ever woken him up with gentle touches and words. At least she had done so when he had been a child and hadn't felt embarrassed after waking up and finding out about it. How long had it been... When was the last time...

A numbed voice said something but his brain was far too deep in slumber-mode to register any ot it, let alone to form the words into coherent sentences. Ryoma yawned, turned around and pulled the covers higher up until only his head peeked out as another cold rush of air blew around him, teasing him with its chilliness, and a ray of sun shone directly in his face.

For a couple of seconds Ryoma was tempted to pull the covers completely over his head and risking suffocation to avoid any coldness. He hated coldness at the morning, especially the one which greeted one teasingly after leaving bed and forced one to put warmer clothes on real fast.

The hand stopped petting his hair and someone walked away with heavy steps while another tried to enter his kingdom of warmth. "Ryoma." A soft voice called and a fragile hand snaked under the covers, allowing an even colder hand to touch his bare stomach. A shudder covered his whole body and goose bumps appeared on his skin. Far too cold! His pajama top had shifted upwards from all the tossing around in his sleep.

Ryoma tried to swat the hand away and turn around. It was useless because the hand shoved the blanket away and a person pinned him down. "Ryoma, wake up. I need to talk to you and we're finally alone for once." His eyes stirred open, slowly adjusting to the bright light from the sun streaming inside the room through the open window. Another shiver ran across his skin due to the sudden chilliness surrounding him without the protection from the covers.

Cold fingertips guided along his left sides, giving him more goose bumps and jolting his body and mind finally fully awake. He sat upright instantly, breaking the contact by crawling slightly away from the source. He swung his head in the direction of noise. "Ryoma?!"

His sight wavered and blurred for a moment, his head swam lightly, his heart hammered from the sudden and unpredictable movement in his chest. He heard his own heartbeat loudly in his ears. Tsukiko laid on the futon where he had just been a second before, her short nightdress with spaghetti straps hung loosely around her slim body. She frowned at him, worry was clearly visible on her face. "Ryoma, what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare? Your face is as white as a ghost's."

The mute shook his head in denial, catching his breath. The touch... her hand... It had felt cold... wrong. It always happened when she...

Ryoma didn't like it, nonetheless, he couldn't tell her... She wouldn't accept it... never... because he had slept beside her all the time... years ago...

At first she had cherished the memories, held onto every little detail which reminded her of him. But at some point she noticed that is made her only sadder and sadder, kept her from letting go of the past and see into the present and future. After some talks, all she had wanted was to forget. She tried very hard, tried to forget and bury everything which reminded her of him but Ryoma had soon recognized the bitter truth. She failed miserably. Her mind and heart rebelled against each other over the thought to forget. To forget everything.

And with the time, her body couldn't take any more, her heart grew weak and her mind became sore and bitter. Her wishes blurred together, just like her memories did with her sense to diversify reality from dream. The ability to differentiate them, the past and the present. Sometimes she wouldn't recognize him as Ryoma but merely as an older wishful version of him.

Ryoma swallowed, his uncle's broken voice and tear streaked face right in front of his eyes. "Ryoma... I beg you... stop using your voice... for us.. for her sake... Tsukiko... we don't want to lose her, too...Please!"

Ryoma closed his golden orbs as his surroundings blurred too strongly and a blackness appeared before his eyes. He didn't like such harsh wake ups, his body was in a turmoil, didn't cooperate completely with his mind. His feet felt numb and cold, his hands were covered in cold sweat. He wanted to just move to somewhere where it was quiet and where nobody would shove him out of his routines.

The door behind him opened soundly. Tezuka's broad shouldered frame stepped inside, his buchou's watchful eyes took in the scene. There was a tiny frown in his forehead, nearly invisible. That alone spoke volumes for the currently emotional on goings inside Tezuka. Though the brunette didn't say anything.

An awkward silence filled the room. The three teens glanced at each other.

How much had his buchou heard?
Hopefully not much, he couldn't. Tsukiko and he hadn't talked much yet.

Could he see his inner turmoil?
Surely not.

Were his eyes too wide open?
Was his body still shaking?

Ryoma tried to act normal, like his usual bored self, nonetheless, his body didn't listen. He blinked to cover up his wide open pupils and swallowed as his mouth felt dry and his throat scratchy. Tezuka spared him with questions. "Echizen, good morning."

The teen nodded in response. "Keigo's car will arrive shortly. You should hurry and get ready." Tezuka's stare became somehow sharper, his glasses suddenly sparkling in the ray of sunlight and hiding his honey brown eyes. "Is everything okay? Have you slept well?"

The mute nodded. It was the truth, he had slept rather well and even without Karupin's help. It had been Tsukiko's touch and maybe the person who had allowed the coldness inside the room which had jolted him out of dreamland. "He's just polite. Ryoma had a nightmare a second ago that's why he's as white as a ghost." Tsukiko stepped beside him, grabbing his right wrist. "He doesn't like to sleep beside strangers."

Was Tezuka actually narrowing his eyes and frowning or was it just him imagination?

"Good to know. He will have his own bed at the camp to which we will travel in less than half an hour." The next words were spoken directly to Ryoma. "You should get ready. Come downstairs when you're ready." The door shut behind Tezuka, leaving them alone in Fuji's bedroom. The silence between Tsukiko and him remained and gave him the much needed time to calm down. After his heartbeat slowed down to a normal thrumming, he turned his focus at his already clothes changing cousin.

She was thinner and her hair longer than the last time he had seen her. Ryoma didn't understand why girls and woman grew their hair so long. He was annoyed whenever his own hair was too long and would poke him in the eye while playing tennis. Fuji's and Yukimura's hair were nice though...

Oh shit, where did this thought come from?

Ryoma pulled his own clothes out of his bag under the desk and started to dress up, lost in is thoughts once more. Had Tezuka seen something? Would he tell the others or ask questions himself? His stomach churned by the thought alone.

"Ryoma!" Called teen jolted and faced his fully dressed cousin. "Why did you lie?" Tsukiko crossed her arms over her breasts, watching him with her dark brown eyes. "Why did you tell him that you slept well when you clearly had a nightmare? He will ask questions if you lie to him and the others!"

He hadn't had a nightmare till she crawled under his blanket. Nevertheless, he would never tell her this. Who knew what it would trigger.
Even so, lying to Tezuka was also out of the question because it felt wrong to do so. His buchou was honest and Ryoma wouldn't stomp on it by lying to him. He just needs to be more careful the next time, thinking before answering.

Ryoma shrugged as an answer, expecting Tsukiko would be satisfied with such a characteristical reply. He finished pulling socks over his still cold feet and packed his pajama inside, scanning the room out of instinct as if he had forgotten something. He went across the corridor into the bathroom and brushed his teeth, running his hands through his dark messy hair and splashing cold water into his face to rinse out the last bit of sleepiness.

He returned to the room. His cousin hadn't left the room and sat on the bed. She simply continued their earlier conversation. "They will ask question... and I know you don't like strangers entering your life..." She stood up and closed the distance between them, coming to a halt only an arm's length away from him. "You don't need to go to this camp."

"Brat! Breakfast is ready!" Atobe called from downstairs, interrupting her midsentence and giving Ryoma a way to escape her fangs. He slowly approached the door.

"How rude!" Tsukiko huffed in dislike. "Ryoma, I think they are a bad influence on you... I mean... their likes... and so... you know?" Ryoma stopped instantly, frowned and shook his head in denial. Bad influence? His team mates, at least a handful, were good tennis players and would make him stronger.

His cousin sighed, looked away from him and a shade of pink colored her cheeks. "The guy with the glasses... you slept beside him with your head on his chest... you looked like a couple all lovey dovey. Since when do you feel so relaxed when a stranger - a guy - touches you? You had allowed me to sleep beside you. It must be their influence on you..." Tears welled up in her eyes. "Please, Ryoma, you promised to be there for me."

She closed the distance between them and hugged him, softly but silently crying in his new red shirt. Ryoma was at a loss. He was a horrible comforter and even worse listener for problems. He simply patted her shoulder awkwardly and waited. He had slept in Tezuka's arms? He hadn't noticed. Had Tezuka noticed? What was his buchou thinking about him now after this embarrassing event?

The sheen of pink reaching his cheeks was unstoppable.

The minutes flew by as they stood there till there was a knock on the door and someone cleared his throat. Tsukiko clenched her small fists into his shirt, not letting go of him but forcing her tears and sobs to stop. Having no other choice, Ryoma turned his head and upper body to see who had interrupted and mostly saved him.

Of course it was Fuji, the last person Ryoma wanted to see right now. Well, he was a little bit thankful for the tensai's appearance. Although he could already see the questions welling up in these piercing blue eyes. More and more questions. The camp would be a torture.

"Keigo's limousine has arrived and waits for us. We need to go, Ryoma." The mute nodded and tried again to get out of this now very uncomfortable hug but Tsukiko wouldn't let go. Her eyes glared at the newcomer, sending the tensai a silent message. "No need to glare at me, little girl, I won't do anything to Ryoma which he wouldn't want."

The brunette chuckled at the bright flush on Tsukiko's and also Ryoma's face, grabbed the mute by his left wrist and pulled him out of the embrace, dragging him out of the room. Fuji lifted Ryoma's bag with his free hand and turned around to the still shocked girl. "You should get your bag too and come downstairs. Your aunt is waiting for you."

The tensai left her alone, not glancing back, and hummed in amusement while dragging Ryoma along. "It gets more and more interesting."

"Syusuke, brat, what were you doing so long upstairs? Ore-sama doesn't like to wait!"

"Sorry, Keigo. Ryoma and his cousin had a little discussion." Piercing blue and curious purple orbs zeroed in on him and the mute swallowed. "Ne, Ryoma?" Said teen shook himself mentally and glared back, breaking free from the grip on his wrist. He didn't know where the strength came from but the longer he stood there the heavier grew the tension between them.

Ryoma pulled his bag out of Fuji's hand and headed outside. A large black limousine with black tinted windows waited straight ahead, followed by several other cars behind it which were by the noise coming from them, already occupied. Tezuka stood beside an older man who seemed to be the driver with his black suit, white gloves and shiny black leather shoes. Momoshiro and the sleepyhead from earlier, whose name Ryoma had already forgotten, where nowhere in sight.

"Ryoma, stop!" Tsukiko came rushing down, followed by her heavy bag. She was completely out of breath when she stood before him, panting hard while she hugged him once more, whispering in his ear. "Promise me to keep your distance from those guys." The young woman let go and stared straight back at him, waiting eagerly for his answer. Ryoma nodded, not understanding why his dear cousin was so afraid about his team mates.

Well, he could understand if she would be afraid of Fuji... and maybe a little bit of Monkey King but Tezuka?!

No, his buchou wouldn't tease him or pry... his buchou was actually quite helpful at certain times. He shrugged his concern off, nodded once more in agreement and stepped away from her. He had barely let go of her when Fuji grabbed him and shoved him inside the limo, following as soon as possible. Monkey King was the last to get inside, sitting beside Tezuka.

The moment the door closed and the snapping of a security lock falling into its place told Ryoma something was wrong. The sight ahead of him told him clearly what was wrong and all color drained from his face.

Yukimura, his beautiful neighbour from next door, and Sanada sat opposite him, staring at him with open surprise. "Keigo, what's going on here? Explain!" Yukimura's voice was not the usual sweet sound but more a hiss coming from a snake and Fuji's glare would make any pissed off cat proud. Only Tezuka and Sanada reacted nearly calm, just the twitch in their eyebrows showed their disagreement with this plan.

"Well, I thought a real training camp needs to have worthy opponents in a great variety, don't you think? So I organized a meeting between all the regular from all three schools."

Ryoma had his earlier guess confirmed. His very first camping trip would be hell.