Yet another chapter! I can't believe I'm gluing myself to the computer AGAIN when I should really be practicing my vocal XP oh well, for today I'll sing in front of the computer. Hopefully it doesn't develop into a habit :(

Moving on! It's the rehabilitation center! Guess who might be featured! I'm sure you all know. Well if you don't, then it will be more suspenseful nya! ALSO just to remind you I doubt that there will be any romance in this fic. Sorry to disappoint some of you. So okay, I'll stop boring you and get on with it XD

Me no own Prince of Tennis.

Fuji walked into the rehab center to be hit by cold AC winds. His skin stood up in goose bumps before adjusting to the cool environment. He rubbed his pale arm while looking around for someone, though he wasn't aware who. Nobody made eye contact with him. Feeling a bit dejected at seeing no one, he sat in one of the many chairs in the waiting area.

A girl was sitting in front of him. There were many magazines in front of her that might have attracted any other teenage girl, but she didn't even glance at them. Instead, she seemed to find her lap more interesting, wringing her khaki skirt uncontrollably with her hands. Only when she looked up once to regard him with disinterest did he recognize her. From the hospital. The girl with the lilies.

"Hello."

He swore he saw her jump about a foot in her chair. She looked at him with slight annoyance. He smiled. She looked at him suspiciously, backing herself further in her chair. A stranger talking to you was never a good sign. He was dressed in loose black sweatpants and a white t shirt with red and black patterns at the collar and sleeves. His honey brown hair fell into his eyes. Then she remembered him.

"Ah… ano… hello… um… you are from the hospital?"

Glad to get a reaction from her, he continued to smile. "Hai. Fuji Syuusuke desu."

She looked at him blankly before blushing; she hadn't even introduced herself! "Ah… hai! Yukimura Hanako desu."

Yukimura? That sounds familiar… Fuji nodded. She went back to looking at her skirt hopelessly. Saying she was distressed seemed like an understatement.

"Hanako-chan, if you don't mind me asking, who are you waiting for?"

The girl looked up abruptly, a confused expression on her face before she comprehended fully. Fuji stopped himself from laughing out loud; her reaction was very cute.

"Ah ano… my older brother…"

"I see…"

The two sat in silence again. Noticing a sport magazine featuring tennis, Fuji leaned forward to grab it. Hanako watched shyly.

"Ano… if you don't mind me asking… are you waiting for someone too?"

"Hm?" Fuji looked up. She looked almost afraid of his answer. He smiled bigger to assure her he wasn't a psycho trying to kill her.

"No. I'm here for myself actually."

She blinked rapidly, surprised. It was one of those acts meant for girls who wished to look charming, but from the way she did it without thought, Fuji guessed it was a habit. The girl picked up adorable habits.

"Fuji-kun."

Fuji turned around. Doctor Wanazuki stood behind him, next to a young woman dressed in casual clothing. The tennis player got up to greet them. The young woman was introduced as Idaichi Yuki or 'Yuki-chan' as she preferred to be called. She was to be in charge of his rehabilitation.

"Hanako-chan, Yukimura-kun will be out soon. He's getting much better! It really does seem like the surgery was a complete success!" Yuki said to Hanako. Hanako brightened considerably.

"Arigatou for taking care of onee-sama!"

She bowed deeply. Yuki laughed with mirth and patted her own the head, commenting on how cute she was. She continued coddling as Fuji watched, amused.

"Hanako. Thank you for coming again."

Everyone looked up to see a pale blue haired boy in a track suit. His frame was slight but enough to support himself. His face showed such delicacy that Fuji thought it might be broken by just touching it. The boy bowed to Yuki.

"Thank you for today Idaichi-san. Same time next week?"

Idaichi nodded, somewhat miffed that he had called her 'Idaichi-san'. "Yep. Same time next week! See you next time Sei-chan! Take care Hanako-chan!" She waved for a long time with an extremely happy expression stuck on her face; she had in that short period of time forgotten she was unhappy for being called 'Idaichi-san'. Fuji merely observed them out of interest, like specimens in a test tube.

Yukimura… Sei-chan? Yukimura… Of course, Yukimura Seiichi! The captain of Rikkaidai Fuzoku!

He watched, awed that he had just met the captain of Rikkaidai along with his little sister. They rose from the specimen in test tube status in Fuji's mind. The prodigy's lip twitched, demanding to express itself into a smile. It was, he guessed, something called dumb luck.

"Fujiko-chan? May I call you that? Let's get started okay? Okay!"

Before he had fully stepped out of his head, Fuji was dragged into an exercise room by the overly enthusiastic nurse. A surprised gasp escaped from him; that was all he could get out. The doctor watched Yuki drag another victim to rehabilitate. He looked at his watch. Coffee-break time.

----------

"Yosh! Go for it Fujiko-chan!"

Fuji tried his best to smile. All the other patients in rehab stared at them like they were growing two heads; it made it hard to concentrate on doing his best to move the ball in large circular motions. He flashed a nervous smile at the rest of the people before turning to Yuki.

"Ne… Yuki-chan… do you think… maybe we could do my rehabilitation quieter? I think it might be disturbing others…"

"What's this? You think I'm disturbing others by doing my job?!" Her bright brown eyes threatened to eat him alive. Fuji backed away slowly.

"Ah hah… no… of course not. You are doing wonderfully-"

"Yosh! Then I will continue to do my job! Go go Fuji! Don't stop now!"

Fuji laughed uncomfortably, the sound dying away into a sigh. He blocked out all other sounds and focused. Or at least tried. Yuki was a great in general: patient and clear in what she wanted him to do. But her over-enthusiasm was… well now he knew why she wasn't being assigned to the elderly. Maybe she was a cousin of Eiji's. Their enthusiasm matched perfectly.

Pushing that out of his thought as if turning a page, he took a deep breath. Turn the ball at an angle… move it to your right… Then, slowly bring to your left side while turning the ball. Okay. Turn the ball at an angle… move to left… bring to your right side while turning it…

He never imagined he would have so much trouble doing basic training. The way his hand blundered as it held the ball, it was foreign to him. It was like watching another's body move clumsily. Maybe he really was in another's body? Could this be a dream? It could be he was thinking of Tezuka's own rehabilitation. Fuji sighed. His hand suddenly stretched out, no longer curling to clutch the ball. The ball fell and rolled away to the door. Fuji merely stared, making no effort to chase after it. For better or for worse, it was stopped by a pair of black high heels. Fuji's eyes widened.

"Nee-san?"

(Yumiko POV)

I wasn't going to come and see. I had to get to class. Suki-chan wouldn't be too happy about taking notes for me again. But it would be a great support for Syuusuke, wouldn't it, if I came to watch?

I leaned down to pick up the little red ball. It was one of those balls little kids played with on the streets. It seemed not so long ago that I played with it as well. I glanced up to him. Syuusuke looked at me, obviously surprised. I smiled to greet him. In a moment, he was smiling as well. Then, my view was blocked by a pair of shining brown eyes.

"Wow! Are you Fujiko-chan's sister? Nice to meet you! I'm the nurse in charge of his rehabilitation, Idaichi Yuki. But please call me Yuki-chan!"

She was about a centimeter shorter than me and obviously had a preference for the cute Japanese school girl style. She had clipped her chestnut brown hair with bunny clips and wore a nicely fitting pink shirt with shorts. She held out her hand for me to shake. I took it, smiling still.

"Nice to meet you Yuki-chan. I'm Fuji Yumiko."

She shook it with bursting energy. She surprised me though; her grip was a firm one. It was one that employers appreciated fully. I had a feeling she was more than just smiles and bunny clips.

"Fuji-kun is almost done now Yumiko-chan. May I call you that? Well Yumiko-chan, there's only about 20 more minutes left so why don't you sit over there and watch okay? Okay! Let's go Fujiko!"

I sat on one of the old plush benches set against the wall while Syuusuke did his rehabilitation. As instructed by Yuki, he was lying on all fours on a mat. Whenever she said 'go', he lifted one leg and the opposite arm for five seconds. It was fundamental training that even I did in middle school. It wasn't one of the hardest things to pull off. Syuusuke trained very hard in tennis. I knew that. I may not go to all of his games, but when he played, I could tell he had put at least some effort in training.

He was tipping. As if his sense of balance was gone, he bended this way and that. I could feel a lump in my throat. I pursed my lip. It was so… strange… Syuusuke running around the court so effortlessly, stunning his teammates and opponents alike with his skill. The awed silence that would come over when it was his turn to play. I loved that, even if it wasn't for me. It made me so infinitely proud, with all the pride that Mother or Father could not give at the time. I was proud that he was my brother. I still am. But he looks like he would fall at any moment. I blinked fast, noticing my surrounding was getting blurrier. Can't cry now, not in front of Syuusuke.

(General POV)

Fuji brushed himself off. Yuki congratulated him incessantly on their first successful rehabilitation session. He smiled at her and thanked her for her time. She responded with a giggle and pat on his head for being so polite. He then noticed he was a little shorter than her.

"Syuusuke."

His sister offered him a towel though he had hardly sweated. He graciously took it and wiped invisible sweat from his face with the soft towel. He silently wondered where she got it.

"So Fujiko-chan, we'll meet again in two days. Same time and same place. Wanazuki-sensei will be here next time. Oh and here you go, before I forget."

Yuki handed Fuji a thin black binder. He flipped through it curiously. There were many pictures depicting a stickman doing some stretches and some instructions on how to do them.

"That's a little rehabilitation guide you can do at home. After all, the more you try the more you'll improve! Try to do at least two exercises in the book per day. It'll help you lots Fujiko."

She smiled innocently as he tucked it under his arm. His usual smile was there. In fact it had been there the whole session. "Arigatou Yuki-chan. I look forward to seeing you again."

He bowed and left with his sister, humming to himself. Yumiko peered into his face as he regarded the world under half-opened eyes. Half-opened, as if nothing interested him.

"What is it nee-san? Do I have something on my face?"

"No no. It's nothing. I'll go outside to get the car. I'll drive you back, okay? Wait inside, I'll be right back."

Fuji watched as his sister walked off. The sliding door opened, letting him feel the day's heat for a brief instant before closing. He sighed.

"How was your first session Fuji-kun?"

Doctor Wanazuki had sneaked up on him. Though it was unbelievable hot, he was holding a steaming cup of coffee in his hand. Fuji felt a giggle rising from his throat which he quickly suppressed. A stubborn person who wouldn't break habits easily. It was likely he was from somewhere where it wasn't so hot and everyone would prefer coffee over anything else.

"It was fine Wanazuki-sensei. Yuki-chan is very helpful."

The doctor looked at him with slight suspicion before drinking from his cup. "She scared you with her enthusiasm, didn't she?"

Fuji smiled. "Not at all."

There was a silence between them. Fuji preferred to describe it as 'polite silence' while the doctor had a sneaking feeling that his new patient was thinking about possible homicide. Well he was smiling while looking at nothing in particular. It was downright weird. Figures… I always get the creepy patients…

"Ne, Wanazuki-sensei."

The doctor nearly choked on his coffee, wondering if perhaps he had said the last part out loud. He hoped not.

"I've been meaning to discuss something with you."

The small brunette now flashed a smile at the doctor. The doctor didn't react although he did wait patiently.

"What do I have?"

Perhaps he wanted to stall. He took a long drink from his cup, ignoring the fact it was burning his throat. He let out a breath out of reflex. He fixed a look at his patient. The smile was unfazed.

"I'm afraid I can't share that with you. I have a special request not to tell you that."

The boy turned away, looking at the drive way outside. "I see…"

For the first time, the doctor really looked at his patient. He was on the short side for a boy of fifteen. About 165 cm… or barely making 170. He had brown hair that nearly reached his shoulders with pale features that was rare in boys. He couldn't see his eye color since it was always half-closed. Half-closed, as if to shut some part of the world out from his mind. Maybe it was brown, like his sister's. Probably. The doctor flinched when the boy moved his feminine face to his direction.

"Wanazuki-sensei, I was thinking… could you convince my family, perhaps, to tell me? I would like to hear it from them."

Without waiting for an answer, his patient turned his face again to look outside. A white car pulled up to the driveway. Fuji bowed to the doctor. "I've got to get going. Nice to meet you Wanazuki-sensei."

The boy calmly walked out of the building. The sun shone brightly, making him look translucent. The doctor raised his cup to his lips. The cup was empty.

------------

"Really? But why?"

Fuji looked genuinely surprised when Yumiko informed him his parents would be coming in three days. She felt relief inside; it was a sign he didn't know yet. He knew nothing.

"They just felt like cutting their vacation short. And Otou-san will be coming too! Isn't that great? How many years has it been since we've seen him? Five? Seven?"

"Seven maybe."

He observed the scenery outside speeding by. Row after row of skinny little trees standing pathetically on the sidewalk. What was the point of putting them up? They never grew or flourished at all.

"So Syuusuke, is the camp exciting? I'm sure it's a lot of fun."

He smiled and nodded for her sake. "Yeah, it is pretty exciting. All the best players from Kantou are there after all."

The engine droned on, halting when they approached a speed bump. It droned on again as if nothing happened. "That does sound nice. Do your best Syuusuke! This is a very important for you and your team isn't it?"

He didn't respond for a while. He seemed more interested in looking at the road pass by.

"It certainly is a big event for us."

"Of course. You will be competing with America. That's a big accomplishment. How long do you think the camp will last?"

"Maybe a few more days. I'm not too sure."

"I see. Well, remember to call before the last day. I'll come to pick you and Yuuta up."

Silence took over again, resentment soon following. Yumiko drummed the steering wheel. This stifling sensation that was rarely felt; it was a sign that Syuusuke was upset. He could even be angry. She slowed the car to a stop next to the gates of the camp.

"Here you are. Have fun Syuusuke."

"Arigatou nee-san."

He opened the door and stepped outside. Humidity entered through it. She smiled at him. Instead of smiling back and closing the door, he leaned closer to her while supporting himself with the door and chair.

"Nee-san." Yumiko felt electricity course through her body. She wasn't sure what to expect. Half of her anticipated him to say he knew what he had while the other waited for him to just grin and say thank you for a second time. However, what followed wasn't what she predicted at all.

"Tennis is a hobby. It doesn't control what I do."

His blue eyes were revealed, mesmerizing her. She was ashamed to admit it, but for a moment she felt fear. His eyes always captivated her; they held so many double meanings.

"I just wanted you to know that." She blinked at the abruptness while he smiled, the intense blue of his eyes disappearing. He said thank you again before closing the door. She watched as he walked over and gasped when he stopped himself from falling by gripping the gate wall. He never looked back though. He continued to walk. And someplace inside, Yumiko died.

I've been marring you. I blinded you first. Then I blocked your ears. After that, I tried to stop your lips from moving. I thought it was for the best, keeping you my little doll that must depend on me. I would see for you, I would hear for you, and I would speak for you. Soon, I would alter those visions or sounds to fit your eyes and ears accordingly. Now is your act of defiance. You ripped off the hand that lay over your lips. This is not what you want. So before you can tear off the cloth that blinds you or pry off the hands from your ears, I will do it myself.

I've made a mistake Syuusuke.

Wow I just keep throwing in new characters don't I? Oh well, please bear with me. They are just there… well to make the story work :) And I realize Yukimura didn't make much of an appearance. Damn XP I'll try to incorporate him more in the later chapters. Thank you for reading and reviewing. As you can see, I've tried a POV. Unfortunately, I'm not that good with it nya. So please tell me what you think. I think it wasn't very effective in this chapter. Also, I thought I should discuss this in SOME chapter (before it leaves my mind in a cookee induced drug state XD) I don't know the length of this story. I don't know when it'll end. Nya, I don't even know how I'll end it. Well, I do but I don't really know KNOW if you get what I mean ;) So yes, thank you very much for reading! I wonder what will happen in the next chapter XP