A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. I'm late, once again. It has sadly become my habit, sorry. ^-^' Therefore, enjoy the next chapter and thank you for waiting and reading.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

~~ Making Decisions ~~

~~ 10. March, Late Night ~~

Kunimitsu didn't know what to say or do after witnessing the kiss between Yukimura and Echizen. He kept his muscles loose and his face straight, having learnt to never show his distress openly, especially not when Yukimura or Syusuke were near and could use this moment of weakness to put him in any embarrassing situation where he had no control.

It was actually pretty strange, now that Kunimitsu thought about it. His first and now ex-boyfriend, Yukimura Seiichi, and his current boyfriend, Fuji Syusuke, were quite similar in many ways. In certain kinds extra ordinarily similar. Like the habit of putting their noses where they didn't belong and poking a person till he was giving them what he wanted, sometimes even without knowing or understanding it. The habit of using other people's weaknesses for blackmail material is also closely developed in both of them. A big difference would be their feeling for pride. Yukimura would do everything to win, not to lose face to anything. Syusuke on the other hand would risk a win if it meant saving a friend or family member from any kind of harm.

Those facts alone made the kiss all the more confusing but also somehow understandable in some strange ways.
The knowledge about the affair between Keigo and him must have been a hit straight in the bluenette's face. His pride must have been shattered, having heard about the affair only then, not knowing and noticing it for so long. The fact about him being also together with Syusuke, Yukimura's former good friend and currently most hated rival, was likely a reason for the kiss too. Yukimura had always been filled with pride, taking everything serious and accepting challenges gladly without questioning them. He had worked hard if it meant achieving a win.

After their painful break up, Yukimura had grown bitter and hateful against others. His pride grew and rocketed high up with each win of game, especially if it was a win against them or Seigaku altogether, and if he was only a little bit like Syusuke than Kunimitsu knew without a drop of doubt that the thoughts about getting revenge were not unlikely. However, the kiss was still not making sense. What had his possible revenge to do with Echizen who had currently enough trouble with himself?

Why Echizen and why so suddenly?
Kunimitsu sighed on the inside. He would have a headache at the end of the night if he continued to think about it. He was really missing his drama free days!

Yukimura had been so focused at the teen since Keigo had confessed their secret affair with each other or more likely, had been even more focused at Echizen than before. First it had only been because of the teen being a student of Seigaku and a gifted tennis player on top but his interest had been mild compared to now. Kunimitsu couldn't think about any kind of connection between these facts. What was missing?

A very light knock sounded from the door, interrupting Kunimitsu's and everybody else's thoughts. Echizen startled, his caught-like-a-deer-in-headlight-look going straight to the door, his whole body tense and ready to jump out of the bed and ran away from whatever he thought was behind the door. Well, Kunimitsu knew whom he expected to be there. Maybe it would be better to tell the young teen that the girl hadn't been his cousin?

Another knock sounded, stopping Kunimitsu from saying anything at all. His body moved without thinking, heading to the door before the person behind it had a chance to enter the room. The last thing, which Echizen needed right now, was curious visitors or nosy team mates. Hopefully, it wasn't one of the coaches either.

Genichirou nodded to him and went in front of the teen, shielding him from the newcomer's view. Syusuke reacted the same, even daring to stand closer to Yukimura to help shield Echizen, who was already shaking again, while the bluenette tried to calm the quivering teen by rubbing his hands along his arms. Only Keigo had the intention to follow him and also confront the newcomer. The brunette took in the scene for a second longer. It was somehow nice seeing them all together and having one goal...

He shook his head just barely and opened the door a gap, so the intruder couldn't see into the room. Kunimitsu gazed down at a young and shy girl who had brown colored hair which was braided into two piggy tails. She wore the camp's assistant and helper's outfit, stuttering and blushing. There was a minute where he didn't recognize her which was rare because usually he was always good at remembering faces and names. Only when she looked up and to the right, searching for something along the corridor, did he know who she was, thanks to seeing her from the side. She had changed clothes. The brunette had seen her before in other clothes and therefore mistaken her at first for Echizen's cousin. Kunimitsu stayed silent, waited for her to start speaking.

"I-I… I just wanted…. see if Ryoma-kun is alright." She stammered and fumbled with her fingers nervously.

"He is fine. Don't worry. He needs to rest now." Kunimitsu replied, ready to shut the door right in her face while thinking about a possible reason for the shy girl to call Echizen by his first name. He had always thought Echizen didn't like girls... or most of the people outside of the tennis world. The brunette had his hand already on the handle to push it close but a voice let him pause.

"Tezuka, good that I see you. My granddaughter had told me about one of my students being carried to the infirmary." It was very rare and happened as good as never but Kunimitsu felt a little bit of dislike for this girl. He knew Ryuzaki Sakuno was just worried, at least judged by her already teary-eyed expression, but it didn't make their situation any better.

"It's nothing, Ryuzaki-sensei." Keigo opened the door a bit more, marching out of the room like a king. "Ore-sama had a little bit of a distressed stimulation of blood sugar."

"Really, but wasn't it you who had gone to my granddaughter to ask her what she was doing here? Don't misunderstand me, it's fine for you to control whoever stays at the camp. It is your camp after all. It's just a little bit strange for you to be the one asking her, when it is usually a person from your security personnel."

"Aah, there was just something not fitting well with my stomach but I'm fine now. After that, Seiichi had a little bit trouble with his heart again too, so we brought him to the infirmary, just to be certain and for him to take a little rest." Keigo explained, laughing a bit. "I thought it just strange to see her going around and not recognize her immediately, so I decided to clear this matter as I was nearby. She should be pleased to have been greeted by Ore-sama himself."

Ryuzaki-sensei was more than doubtful, her face scrunched into a form of pure disbelief and annoyance. She was ready to argue against it but her granddaughter interrupted her. "I'm sorry for causing so much trouble. I just saw someone fainting when I turned around and came here to make sure the person is alright. I'm also certain I saw Ryoma-kun being the one fainting." This time Kunimitsu was absolutely sure about his diskling for this girl.

"Fainting?" Ryuzaki-sensei's voice rising an octave higher due to the worry. Her gaze searching Kunimitsu's, demanding an answer without words. "Sakuno, you didn't tell me about someone fainting." The door opened another time, revealing a smiling Syusuke who chuckled and was…
Well, Kunimitsu would describe it as role-playing. The brunette coughed pathetically, acting as if he was sick.

"Saa, Sumire-chan, thank you for coming and looking after me."

"Fuji?"

"I wasn't feeling well and fainted earlier. My friends were so nice and brought me here just to make sure I was alright. Thank you for looking after me, Sumire-chan. I'm feeling much better now." Syusuke chuckled, coughing pathetically once again. His view landed at Ryuzaki's granddaughter, smiled at he said: "Thanks for worrying about me."

The poor girl went beet red from head to toe, staring at the brunette in awe. Kunimitsu suppressed the urge to grin. This was such a typical reaction. So many girls fell for this prince like and innocent mask, never saw or guessed what kind of person the real Fuji Syusuke was. Ryuzaki-sensei, on the other hand, was everything else than convinced from this spectacle, her frown deepening while the three gazed at her in some kind of a friendly manner. Seconds passed by, nobody spoke.

The coach sighed in defeat, shaking her head in resignation while putting her hands against her waist. "Fine, I will let this matter go and Fuji, I told you not to call me by my first name! I will believe your story for now but only because I know that Tezuka wouldn't do something so foolish as planning a prank or something like this." Her gaze jumped straight to Syusuke, without doubt having caught his boyfriend more than once by such, what Syusuke called, "brilliant plans".

"Then, can one of you tell me where Echizen is?" Kunimitsu felt his blood freezing. Why was she asking about the younger teen now? He took instinctively two steps backwards in the direction of the infirmary's door, trying to block the way inside. Syusuke just chuckled awkwardly while Keigo denied directly, flipping one of his strands back.

"Why would you need to speak with him?" Syusuke's smile wavered for a moment and Kunimitsu hoped their coach hadn't seen it. It would only stir her curiosity and suspicion.

"He has a visitor." Ryuzaki-sensei replied and turned around, ready to leave.

"Who?!" Came the instant reaction from Syusuke and Keigo, both stopping her in her movement. It took her a moment to react, apparently, and Kunimitsu knew their reactions were strange and attracting a lot of attention but he couldn't blame his boyfriends. He was just as curious, hoped dearly that his worst fear wasn't true.

"His cousin is here. Echizen Tsukiko is her name, I think. She brought his medication for his throat which he forgot at home, said his doctor didn't allow him any activities if he didn't take them regularly or something. Can you tell me, where he could be right now?" Both brunettes as well as the diva shook their heads in denial. "Alright, then please tell him to come to the guest room as soon as possible. His cousin will stay there for the time being. It's too late to send her home now." The coach nodded in dismissal and left the three behind, who were frozen from the sudden turn of event.

Kunimitsu's looked at his boyfriends with unblinking eyes, hoping he had heard wrong but their expressions weren't encouraging his wish. Syusuke's blue eyes were wide open with a grimly mask on his face were as Keigo wore a funny and dumbfounded look. "Shall we tell him?"

"No, not yet." Kunimitsu shook his head. "It would probably break him completely." The brunette headed for the door, entering silently with the other two following quietly. Once inside, Kunimitsu noted not just one but two strange things. Genichirou sat beside Yukimura and not opposite him anymore and Echizen had seemingly fallen asleep or fainted anew. His body rested peacefully on the bed, a blanket covering and keeping his body warm. His chest was heaving and lowering in a calm and steady rhythm. At least no sign for another nightmare.

Genichirou welcomed them back with a friendly nod. However, Yukimura glared at them in wariness. "Who was it?"

"Just Ryuzaki-sensei. Ore-sama convinced her to leave us alone without a big explanation." Keigo took the only single chair beside the bed, next to Genichirou and Yukimura, who simply ignored his ex-boyfriend and continued to stare at Kunimitsu with unbearable intensity. Kunimitsu swallowed uncomfortably and directed his attention back to Echizen, avoiding the tension.

"And what did she want?"

"Just making sure whom of us had fainted. Her granddaughter had told her and she was worried about it." Syusuke grinned smugly, sitting down opposite Yukimura on the bed with Echizen in the middle. Kunimitsu followed his boyfriend, sat next to him and took the last seat on the bed.

The bluenette narrowed his eyes further when Syusuke didn't offer more information and just smiled further. A smile that changed soon into a big grin of smugness and self-satisfaction. Kunimitsu felt the headache rising. Even in such an absurd moment of distress were the two tensais able to concur their stupid fight. The bluenette broke the contact, directing his attention back to Kunimitsu. Those amethyst colored eyes stared daggers at him and Kunimitsu found himself unable to stop the thought how the same pair of eyes had once been looking at him with care and love. It hurt to see them filled with such rage. He had never meant to hurt Yukimura but all his words of apology had been in vain since then.

"You're hiding something, aren't you?"

Keigo's and Syusuke's eyes wandered immediately to him. So he should decided if he told his ex-boyfriend about it or not?
Kunimitsu sighed, tried to remember where he had put his painkillers after using them the last time while pushing his glasses up his nose. He steadied his voice, cleared his throat and calmed himself before speaking. "His cousin is here, brought him some sort of medicine for his throat."

"So you were right. She actually came here but why? I have never seen him taking any sort of medicine before, so she is obviously lying. Is she in love with Ryoma?"

"Saa, a good question, Gen. A question which only Ryoma could probably answer."

"Aah, a better question would be how we get the brat unnoticed through the halls and back to our house. Ore-sama could call Kabaji. He can carry the brat to the house and we could confront the woman in the meantime, acting as if we're asking for the medicine or something."

"I never thought to hear something so bright from you, Keigo." Yukimura said disdainfully. "But it seems to be a good plan with one mistake in it. Ryoma is sleeping with me, Marui, Jackal and Akaya in one house. Not with you."

"Since when?" Syusuke countered, leaning closer in to the sleeping teen.

"Since today."

"You don't really think he would agree to this, do you?"

"He already did and why shouldn't he? I, at least, haven't buggered him so much like you did."

"I haven't bu-"

"Stop." A weak and raspy voice intermitted the two in their fight, causing the discussion to stop. All attention jumped to the source of the raspy voice, landing at Echizen who glimpsed at them from under his emerald-colored bangs with glassy golden eyes. "Please, do not talk to her and don't tell her about me… about me being able to speak."

Did his heart just skip a beat? Kunimitsu wasn't sure. He wasn't able to steer his focus away from Echizen.

"I think we all are curious and wish to have some answer but maybe not here where someone can interrupt us because he needs some bandages." Genichirou said, facing the youngest teen. "Can you walk?"

Ryoma nodded, swallowing hard. His throat was dry and his voice raspy, unfamiliar with being used. He couldn't believe that he was really speaking, daring to take the risk and following consequences by doing so. His whole body felt alien, cold and weak. He coughed due to the dryness in his throat but ignored it, shoved the blanket away, started to put on his shoes which the others had obviously put off before laying him down on the bed after he had fainted.

He coughed again, suppressed a shiver. His stomach and head felt hollow, his mouth tasted of acid, his legs felt like jelly and he wanted to throw up. He wanted to forget everything had ever happened. The feeling of helplessness dared to overwhelm him if he didn't do anything quickly.

He had woken up due to the door opening and closing so often, had heard more than he wanted and regretted it instantly.

She was here, not leaving him alone.

What else could he do if a short training camp wouldn't stop her to rush after him, controlling him and suffocating him with her very presence?!
Since when was she like this?
What had caused her to react this particular way?

It wasn't anywhere near the anniversary of his death, nor was had anything special happened which could have caused such a strong reaction by her. His mother, father or uncle hadn't said anything to him! What was causing all this!?

Ryoma coughed again. He felt helpless, like being crushed into pieces or just... suffocated and Sanada's words haunted him once more.

"-if you don't tell her that she is blocking your path to find your own way, she will consciously or unconsciously forced the expression and feelings you have right now to be permanent for the rest of your life because she doesn't know what she is causing."

Maybe he had no other choice.
Maybe he needed help from someone else if he wanted to prevent some serious damage.

But were those the right choices?

Ryoma was sure, Tsukiko wouldn't like it and react with insecurity, hate, blame, anger, disbelief and so much more, just to keep him from speaking. To keep him from leaving her like his male cousin had done it to her by killing himself. He had tried to escape her grasp once and was still regretting the consequences. It had ended with her hurting herself badly enough to be kept in the hospital for a week.

Therefore, should and could he tell them the whole truth, asking for help and risk her life by doing so?

His entire being was against it, telling him to take care of this by himself or even better, leave it like it was but Ryoma wasn't sure if he would ever be ready again for this confrontation and if he would ever get such a chance of receiving help when he asked for it.

Tsukiko had intimidated him since years, but never to this extend and he understood those looks which these five gave him meant. They feared he would break, had the same expression in their eyes like his father had after he understood that he would never again hear his son speak.

Damn it!
His hands were so shaky, he couldn't even bind his own damn shoes!

Someone handed him a glass of water while another pair of hands pushed his own gently away and bound his shoes close.
Someone else placed a warm jacket over his shivering shoulders and rested his hand on his right shoulder, giving him silent support.

Ryoma took a deep breath, taking a sip of the cool water.

Maybe it was time for changes.
He just hoped dearly with all he had, it was the right choice.