Nya, another exciting chapter of –booming announcer voice- 'A 1000 Days or More'!!! YAY! CHEER EVERYONE! And yes, in this chapter the long awaited answer to the question 'what does fuji have?' will be answered! Also, there is a time skip… it'll be about a week or so. But it won't affect it that much… I think XP
I do not own Prince of Tennis. If I did, Fuji would be everywhere. I'm serious.
Also, I have only borrowed the idea from 1 Liter of Tears and Diary with Tears.
Yumiko drove, nearly speeding. Just nearly. She couldn't help it.
- "Moshi moshi? Yumiko speaking."
"Hello? This is Dr. Wanazuki speaking."
"Wanazuki-sensei? Good afternoon!"
"Good afternoon. I wanted to inform you that the results of the tests have arrived."
Yumiko took a sharp intake of air. The results had come.
"Could you drop by my office as soon as possible? If doable, I would also like to speak to your parents. Please make sure you bring Fuji-kun."
Yumiko stopped walking, causing some of her co-workers trying to get by to mutter angrily.
"My parents? I see… they can only be reachable on the phone though… And Syuusuke has a tennis practice right now. I think I'll be the only one that will be able to come in person."
There was silence at the other end except a long breath.
"… That is inconvenient. I see. Then please come."
Before Yumiko could say anymore, the doctor had hung up. She frowned. 'What a rude doctor'.-
The hospital doors slid open quickly, as if sensing Yumiko's anxiety. But what was she afraid of? She hadn't heard any bad news. At least not yet. But there could be nothing wrong right now, at this point in life.
Avoiding nurses, patients, and anxious friends or family alike, she half-ran into a hallway marked 'neurology' in her high heels. The hall was empty, and let her shoes echo sharply. Sliding dangerously on the newly cleaned floor, she turned to the right and opened the door marked 'Wanazuki Keshime'.
The doctor swiveled around in his chair to catch Yumiko slightly out of breath and hair a little distorted. He almost snorted.
"No need to rush. The results won't go away."
Yumiko felt herself blushing. Of course. The halls were so quiet that he could probably hear her feverish tapping from a mile away. Furthermore, she swore that she saw a smirk starting to form on his lips. It was not in her nature to dislike someone whom she didn't know, but this was one exception she could make.
"Of course not." She said. She took a seat in front of the doctor. The smirk disappeared as quickly as it came. He held up an over-sized brown envelope. The way he held it up clearly indicated that it was the results. Without noticing, Yumiko took quick breaths in while clutching her purse with a death grip. Her eyes watched as he opened the envelope. Her breath seemed to be timed with the rustle of papers.
Doctor Wanazuki held up bunches of paper, stuck together into an equally large folder labeled 'MRI'. He expertly shuffled through it before pulling out a see through image. He deftly stuck it on the board behind him and turned the light on. A series of pictures depicting a head and a brain illuminated the room. Yumiko looked, enthralled with the fact that she was looking at Syuusuke's brain. It wasn't big or anything. It was just… a brain. A normal sized brain in a normal head. But it was amazing.
The doctor tapped on the picture, as if to catch her wandering attention. Yumiko immediately focused on the area he was pointing at.
His finger pointed to the lower part of the brain, the cerebellum if Yumiko remembered correctly from her last science class in high school. As if to confirm, Doctor Wanazuki began speaking.
"This is the cerebellum of your otouto. For now it is a normal size. However, we have detected the start of atrophy in it."
"Atrophy?" She was not a science major. In fact she was studying liberal arts. So the term was foreign to her.
"Atrophy. The cerebellum is wasting away. Because of that, the neurons inside are being damaged." He took out another MRI of another brain. Unlike Syuusuke's, there were no white spots near the bottom of the brain. "Compared with a normal brain, you can see the harm already. His neurons are being destroyed. The neurons acting like messengers to the muscles won't function properly."
"Therefore his movement, from now on…" he dropped his hand, letting it rest on his lap. His eyes bore holes into her own. "Will be very limited."
"I don't understand."
The doctor looked at her. Her eyes showed intelligence, even comprehension. But she had not understood. He sighed.
"The disease, it is called Spinocerebellar Atrophy. It is when the cerebellum starts to degenerate, causing the neurons functioning movement to die. It can also be known as Friedrich's ataxia. To confirm thoroughly, we will have to perform a DNA test. However, the symptoms seem to fall into the category. But if you would like, we can perform it…"
I don't understand.
Yumiko looked blankly at the doctor. He was still talking about it, talking about Spinocerebellar Atrophy. Atrophy? Her brother was atrophying? Atrophying. That… wasn't possible. Deterioration. Don't only the elderly deteriorate? He was only fifteen! He would be sixteen soon. No where near fifty or seventy. Don't panic Yumiko. At least… if he does have it, it should be curable.
"What is the treatment?"
The doctor looked at her. His facial features twisted into those of minor annoyance; she hadn't been listening to his careful explanation at all. He sighed again.
"Fuji-kun can start rehabilitation to fix his stumble and lack of control in his hands. He will also be put on medication to help slow down the disease."
"How long before he is cured?"
Doctor Wanazuki fixed her a firm look with his olive eyes. Yumiko bit her lip, dread coursing through her body. The hard eyes did not look away. Please don't say it…
"I'm afraid you misunderstand me. This disease does not have a cure."
It hit her. It hit her so hard that she could still feel her head ringing. The doctor's voice was distorted; her own thoughts were dispersed in her head. Nothing made sense anymore. They were just words. No meaning. They didn't make sense anymore. There was a 'the' somewhere, and in a corner a 'Syuusuke' was trapped. The words… were lost. It was incomprehensible.
"… I don't understand…"
The doctor felt himself tense. The look on her face, the way her lips were parting… She was dying. A tear was rolling down her white cheek, briefly making a wet path before drying. He had told people plenty of bad news before, but this was the first time that anyone had cried like this. He could handle bawling, screaming, raging. But silently crying… he had no experience in this.
"Fuji-san…"
She wasn't looking at him. Her eyes… they were looking at something else. They were seeing through him. To her, the whole room did not exist. Not even him. They were jumbled together into this chaos, so much so that it was unrecognizable.
"Fuji-san…"
Keshime groaned mentally. He had to go on though. He couldn't stop now. He just hoped she was listening. It would be important later on.
"Fuji-san… I hope you will tell this to your parents soon. It is vital that you do. Also, you must tell your otouto. He has limited time right now; his life span has shortened significantly. Please. Tell him. I am hoping that he will come for rehabilitation tomorrow. It is imperative that we start right away. Do you understand Fuji-san? He must come at least twice a week for it. Fuji-"
"What else happens?"
"Excuse me?"
She looked him in the eye, brown burning with anger, sadness, and desperation. It was no longer Fuji Yumiko. It was Fuji Yumiko, the sister.
"What else happens?"
It took him a moment to digest it. Her sudden transformation, though he didn't want to admit it, had scared him. He began tapping his pen out of habit. He felt wrong doing this, telling her all the symptoms of his disease. He felt guilt lurch in his stomach. But it was his job and no one would blame him for being the cause of her sadness. Because he was not the cause. He was only the messenger. To inform them so that they can better prepare themselves, that was his job. He took a deep breath, willing his voice to be steady.
"Fuji-kun will lose the function of his limbs. His gait will become unsteady and he will fall often. Soon, a wheelchair will be needed for him to move. He will misjudge distance regularly, grabbing air instead of the object he was trying to reach. As a result, he may have to quit sports. Writing will be uncomfortable as well; he will not be able to write neatly. His writing will be crumpled and messy due to the fact that he can not grip such a small object properly anymore; he will no longer have the strength to hold it. His muscles will become weaker, regardless of the fact that he exercises. Fuji-kun will also develop dysarthria. He won't be able to speak normally. It will take a lot of effort to. Because his vocal cords are getting weak, the chances of choking will arise. I'm afraid he will need help in almost everything he does. It is a given that he will be bedridden. However, throughout the whole process, he will be well aware of what is going on. The disease, though it affects many parts of the body, leaves the brain itself intact. It is like degenerating, slowly."
The light inside the board hummed, inviting the computer to hum also. Then they both stopped. Silence hung heavily, deafening the doctor. Out of need, he coughed.
"I will prepare medicine for now. Please inform Fuji-kun about the rehabilitation for tomorrow."
"He can't come."
He looked up from his clipboard already full of writing. She wasn't looking at him, but out the window. He put his clipboard down.
"Why not?"
Her face was still pointed to the window. The afternoon light struck her face, making a striped pattern down her pale visage. Her eyes were focused, but afar, as if she was seeing something far away. But Doctor Wanazuki knew there was nothing down there to see, only grass. If he had looking closer, he would have seen tears forming.
"He has to go to the Junior Invitational Enrichment Camp for his tennis team. He can't come. Not until they've chosen the members for the Junior Japan team."
He looked at her incredulously. Was this woman crazy? She was risking her brother's life for a little tennis match? Oh God, he would never understand women.
"That will have to be postponed. We have to start treatment as soon as possible."
She turned, her sadness, anger, and emotions laid out for him to see. She was trying to smile, but her lips kept turning downwards. The tears that had been accumulating finally fell, going down the cheek, sometimes turning towards the nose. One hung on her chin. She looked like a poor fool, caught in a web.
"Don't you understand sensei? This is so important to Syuusuke. Please. Let him go. He will go to rehabilitation afterwards, I promise. I will make sure of that."
Her red lips trembled and her chin began to be wrinkled at the effort of trying to closer her mouth from crying out loud. The doctor felt a pang in his chest. It made him want to keep looking at her, want to join in her pain. It was pity. He pitied them. But he had to come, to try their best to beat it.
"Fuji-san, he must come. Rehabilitation right now is the key to slowing down the disease. You must understand that. You are risking his life!"
Even the room stood in stunned silence. He hadn't meant to shout. But this woman, gambling with her brother's life; it was inexcusable. However, Yumiko seemed unfazed by it. She had not reacted to the shout at all. She continued to look at him; the intensity made him want to turn away in shame.
"Please. Let him go. I promise that he will come afterwards. Just for tomorrow. I will make him come for the others. But please, for tomorrow. Please. Let him go. I don't feel that it is right… to tell him now. So please."
Keshime was not one to be manipulated by womanly wiles. He prided himself in it. He was handsome, he knew it, but no woman could bribe him. Except somehow… perhaps… he would allow it. This time. She had not bribed him at all. She had simply asked, so he could still keep his word on being bribe resistant. Asking was the key. He turned away, pretending to be writing something important.
"Then please. Make sure he comes the next day."
"Arigatou gozaimasu!"
Startled, Doctor Wanazuki looked to see Yumiko bowing deeply to him. She straightened up, tears in her eyes. Her smile though, was of joy.
"Honto ni arigatou. I am forever in your debt. I will definitely make sure that he comes the next time."
Still grinning, she carelessly wiped the salty water from her face. One swipe left grey smudges under her eyes. She looked tired, like there were bags under her eyes. She bowed again. Keshime bowed out of courtesy. And just like that, she was gone.
The doctor fell heavily into his chair, exhausted. He looked up at the ceiling, where the pattern overlapped together, making it look like one sea of squiggly lines. He closed his eyes. He hadn't slept well since… well since he took this job. Who knew what it was doing to his social life.
He leaned forward abruptly, snatching his clipboard at the same time. He wrote some final notes before ripping off the page. He sighed. The stool where she had been sitting was still sunken in from her weight. He then turned to the window, where she had been looking out so hopefully. He should keep himself out of his patients' lives. But part of him wondered: if the fool looked like that, what would the sufferer look like?
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"Ah? Nee-san?"
"Nani nani? Where where Fujiko?"
"There." Fuji pointed to the car parked along the side of the road closest to the school gate. A white car shone brightly in the sun.
"Heh… your nee-san likes to change her car a lot nya…"
"That's true Fuji-senpai. It was red last time, right Echizen?"
"I think it was. Then I guess you should be going Fuji-senpai."
Fuji waved to the driver in the car. From where they stood, they could faintly see something pink waving back. "Well I guess she does. Her boyfriend gives her a lot of new models for her to try out."
"That's so luxurious nya!"
"Wow! I'm so jealous Fuji-senpai."
Fuji laughed. "It's not like I'm old enough to drive yet Momo."
Momo laughed himself and nodded. He wiped his forehead. It was a humid day, and everyone was still sweating from practice. Fuji smiled at the trio that had followed him: Eiji, Momo, and Echizen. "Saa… I've got to get going now. I suppose I can't go to eat burgers with you after all. See you tomorrow then!"
"Hai Fuji-senpai."
"Bye Fuji-senpai."
"Nya, see you tomorrow Fujiko! Remember! Be here at eight o'clock sharp!"
"Well then, I guess Kikumaru-senpai will pay for the burgers alone."
"NYA?! Again?! Hoi, that's not fair! Fuji! Wait!"
Fuji smiled as he heard the last part, purposely jogging to his car. He turned and waved before climbing into the AC environment of his sister's car.
"How was practice Syuusuke?" his sister greeted. She was smiling as usual, in a bright pink shirt and black skirt. Her make-up wasn't in perfect condition though. But Fuji shrugged it off. He was sure girls had bad days too.
"It was fine nee-san. A bit tiring though, but that's because we are leaving tomorrow."
"Ah! Of course! I forgot." She smiled again before starting the car. Fuji watched her. She had… forgotten? He regarded her with interest: her grip on the steering wheel was strong enough to turn her knuckles white, her eyes were almost forcibly focused on the road, and she seemed to be stopping herself from looking at him. His blue eyes observed carefully.
"Nee-san, is something wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong. Why, is there something wrong?"
Fuji did not answer. He turned his head to look out the window. Yumiko was a bad liar.
---------
"Medicine? What is it for?"
Yumiko held up a little white envelope labeled 'oral medicine' and 'Fuji Syuusuke' at the bottom. "Well the doctor said that you just have to take this for a while. Two tablets in one glass of water after one meal for once a day. You can take it after dinner today. The doctor said it's only temporary, so it should solve the problem."
Fuji regarded the envelope with interest. "Sou ka…" He carefully undid the seal on it to pull out a plastic bottle full of pink tablets. The bottle had an unpronounceable name stuck in the front as well as the instructions his sister had already told him. Turning it around didn't help. There was nothing on it that could tell him what it was for.
Abruptly turning, he placed it on the kitchen counter and walked out of the kitchen. Yumiko panicked. Did he know that she was lying? Was he mad? She helplessly trailed after him, posing questions.
"What's wrong Syuusuke? Shouldn't you start packing? You're leaving tomorrow aren't you?"
She watched Fuji's honey brown hair sway with his walk. He didn't turn around.
"Mm. Yeah. Later. Right now I want to do this."
Yumiko halted. Syuusuke had stopped in front of the piano in their spare room downstairs. Finally he faced her. His ever present smile was there as well as his eyes closed with lightly doing so. His hand moved to open it. "I didn't think I would be back for a while."
She had almost forgotten they had had it. She herself had learnt it, and so had Syuusuke. Yuuta didn't feel that it suited him and he got a clarinet instead. But all of them had quit just before junior high. They had found new interests, and had no felt no more need to work on something that didn't seem as important. It started with slacking off at lessons, growing to asking mother to stop the piano teacher from coming over, or to stop dropping them off at the music school. It was all the same though: they all quit. They never touched their instruments again. Except Syuusuke. He always seemed to be compelled to go to it once in a while. It would be sporadic though. He would sometimes suddenly get up and go to the piano, play for an hour or two, then go to his room to do homework. Other times he would pass by it like it wasn't there. Nevertheless, he would play a variety of songs on it. And surprisingly, his skill never diminished.
She sighed. It had been a while.
His fingers lightly skimmed the keys, grasping their position and pitch. He played a scale or two carelessly. He never played a wrong note. He froze. His hands automatically got into position. He was ready. The real concert would begin.
Yumiko relaxed as the first three notes rang from the ebony piano. Beautiful. She had played this before too, however would not be able to play it at the moment; her fingers had grown stiffer.
She closed her eyes. It was Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven. Syuusuke seemed to be almost caressing the triplets and letting his emotions flow through all his chords. The white and black keys were dancing together flawlessly. It was heart wrenching. It held all the sadness, all the depth, all the doom the setting moon had.
She watched the brunette, swaying to the music he created. Cautiously, as to not disturb him, she walked away.
OMG I'VE TOLD YOU ALL NOW!!! Yes, now I've told everyone what Fuji has. Just to comfort, I didn't make it up. It is real and still affects people everywhere. There is no cure. –sigh- yes I'm a horrible horrible person for making my character suffer through this. But but… okay ya I have no excuse. I'm also sorry for the lack of Fuji in this chapter. I'll make for it next time!
And it seems I have unintentionally created a definite OC character in this fic. I didn't intend to make the doctor so in depth but… oh well. And Yumiko. Well she's barely featured in the anime or manga so I guess you can basically add anything to her (except her coming through the door with a mega giant cookee gun… unless you write AU) So yes, I've adjusted her to my liking haha.
Anyways, please review! I feel that my writing can improve still. Thank you! Wish me luck on my applications!
It's already chapter 7!! OMG! So starting this chapter, it will be the Junior Selection Camp. Yay! You get to meet all the other schools!! HURRAY! (excuse my happiness. I just had a dose of massive cookees) So thank you to all those who have reviewed! I really appreciate it.
Ps: has anyone else noticed that the alert system seems to be down??