So I'm getting excited about this story, and I want to update. I got a few hours before my eyes find themselves closing, and I wake up with keys on my face LOL. Done that before not a pretty sight. It was I think 105 pages of mumbled letters LOL. So anyway. If I keep the timing right this will be for Saturday's update, but I'm doing it early. Lucky all of you! I'm a relatively good mood. I guess. I cry and then I laugh then I cry again LOL can't make up my mind! But I'll stop confusing all of you and go on with this story.

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Chapter Seven

Fuji sat outside of the tennis court during the lunch break. He hadn't seen Ryoma all morning and assumed that Nanjiro took him out of school right away. He wondered what Ryoma was doing now. He assumed that the young man wasn't happy at all. Fuji regretted yelling at him the way he did. The skin under his cast itched, and he subconsciously scratched his cast as if it would help calm the itch.

Tezuka sat down next to Fuji. "Sakuno said that Ryoma wasn't in class today. You wouldn't know why, would you?"

Fuji sighed and slouched even more on the bench. "Ryoma said that his father was transferring him to another school. He's not allowed to come near any of us. I kinda yelled at him and ever since then I couldn't get through on his line. He might have unhooked it."

"What about his cellphone?" Fuji held up Ryoma's cellphone that he left at the house. "Oh I see. How about we send Sakuno to his house? I'm sure his dad wouldn't think anything about that."

"I guess we could try that one. I don't know if Ryoma would want to see anyone though. He was quite upset yesterday."

"Nothing comes from not trying." Fuji nodded. "You wait here. I'll go tell Sakuno and maybe we'll wait outside to see what happens," Tezuka said. Tezuka got up and walked off to the school building. He wasn't sure where Sakuno was but he assumed the Coach would know. That was going to be his first stop.

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Ryoma woke the next morning. It was Monday, and he felt completely exhausted. He knew school was today, but if his father was transferring him out, he wouldn't be going to that one. Ryoma didn't sleep at all last night. He still sat in the corner with his shirt drenched in his tears. His eyes were bloodshot, and his muscles felt like gelatin.

Ryoma finally moved and walked over to the edge of his room, holding his ear very close to the door. Occasionally throughout the night he heard someone walking around and once he thought he heard someone stop at the door. He was afraid it would have been his father ready to yell at him more, but the door never opened.

Satisfied that no one was near his door, he slowly crept it open and ran down to the bathroom. All he wanted was to wash his face and get some water. His throat was dry and sore, and he thought water would help parch his thirst. Ryoma considered taking a shower, but he didn't want to be out of his cocoon for very long. He was deathly afraid of his father and really didn't want to talk to anyone.

Ryoma moved back to his room with a glass of water in his hand. He didn't know if anyone heard him moving around and didn't care for that matter as long as they left him alone. Hours went by, and Ryoma still sat in the corner of his room. The glass of water emptied quickly, but he was too lazy to get up and get some more. He would glanced around his room from time to time. Nothing seemed to cheer the boy up.

He heard his mother call his name from downstairs, but different answer her. "Ryoma, Sakuno's here to see you," she tried again this time right outside of his door.

Ryoma wiped his eyes on his shirt and opened the door. "Can you send her up?" he asked her softly.

Rinko saw him for the first time that morning. She was shocked that he was in such a bad condition. "Are you sure you're up for company?"

"It'll give me something to do."

"Honey, I'm sorry," she said before disappearing down the stairs.

In a matter of seconds, Sakuno was coming up the stairs with her book bag and tennis bag. "Hi, Ryoma."

"What are you doing here?"

Sakuno looked back and forth and moved into his room without permission. "Fuji and Tezuka sent me."

Ryoma closed the door and fought back tears that were threatening to come once again. "What did they want?"

"They just wanted to make sure you're okay. Fuji gave me a letter for you." She handed the letter to him. "He wants you to read it after I leave. I was only going to stop in and see if you needed anything and leave. I understand that you're not doing so great right about now."

Ryoma nodded and held onto the letter like it was gold. "Is this how we're are going to communicate? Is this what it comes to?"

Sakuno looked down at her hands and brushed a tear away. "I didn't want to come to this, but I guess your father wants to make sure you're safe from now on. I don't agree with what's happening to you, but I told the team that I would gladly take letters to you. I'll take anything back to them also. Oh and one more thing." Sakuno reached into her book bag and gave Ryoma his cellphone. "You left that at Fuji's house."

Ryoma smiled for the first time. His parents never knew about his cellphone, and it had everyone's numbers on it. He could also put it on vibration and no sound would come from it. It would be easier to call and talk to people that way. "Thank you so much, Sakuno. Tell them that I'll be okay, and I'll try what I can to get my father to reconsider. I'm sure once he calms down he'll be back to normal."

"I will. See you next time, Ryoma." Sakuno moved quickly down the stairs and said her farewells to Ryoma's family before running partly up the street to Tezuka's car.

"So how did it go?" Tezuka asked.

"He looks tired, pale, and has a bruise on his cheek. He must have had a fight with his father. I gave him the letter and the cellphone. His father must have been somewhere I don't know where, but his mother let me in. Oh, Ryoma says that he's okay, and he'll do what he can to convince his father not to transfer him. So it's obvious that he wasn't transferred just yet. His mother looks very worried about him."

"Thank you so much, Sakuno. Get in I'll give you a lift home, okay?"

"That would be wonderful. Thank you, Tezuka." She climbed into the back of seat and glanced over at Fuji who didn't say a word. He just kept flipping his phone open and closed. Tezuka pulled out of his hiding spot and started off towards Sakuno's house.

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Ryoma sat down on his bed and opened the letter. He didn't know what to expect from Fuji. But it made him feel somewhat loved because Fuji considered to write to him. The note was carefully written in Fuji's elegant style.

"Ryoma, I know that I was unreasonable last night, and I want to apologize. I don't have much time to write this letter, and I hope that you forgive me. I realized that you needed someone to talk to, and I completely blew you off. I hope that I can talk to you again so you can hear my true voice apologize to you. I hope you didn't come to the conclusion that I don't love you. I care so much for you, and please whatever you do please don't do something that would attract Akutsu's attention. Sakuno gave you the cellphone. Call me any time. Well I have to go before this teacher kicks me out for passing notes. Again I'm very sorry. I hope you can find it in you to forgive me."

Ryoma smiled again feeling slightly better. He folded the letter and slipped it inside his desk drawer. He flipped his phone open and started to type a text message instead of calling. He didn't want to risk his father finding out that he had a cellphone so soon after receiving it.

"I missed you. I forgive you." Ryoma waited for the response which dragged on for agonizingly long seconds.

"I love you. I'll save you fair Prince. Love, Princess." Ryoma giggled. That was there inside joke. Ryoma was known as the Prince of Tennis and Fuji unfortunately became the Princess.

"So the Princess will save the Prince this time. I'll be waiting." With that he shut his phone and lied down on his bed. Exhaustion finally took him, but he slept well.

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YAY Luckily I did finish it tonight! Thanks for reading please review. I'm off to bed.

Angel Dove