Yay! I updated! So I hope this chapter isn't that sad. I think XP but you never know nya! Personally I think its one of those 'nothing happens throughout the whole thing' chapters nya. And also, I just wanted to address this issue (even tho its not really a problem XP). Everyone's been saying that Fuji's progressing very fast. The disease all depends on the number of copies of chromosome 9 you have. Also, it depends on the GAA segment as well (I think! I'm not sure at all nya! I'm not very good in science… aiming for arts lol). For example, Aya had an unusually large amount of chromosome 9, even for someone with this disease. It caused her disease to progress very fast. She even died five years earlier than the expected life span :( Hoi, and I'm afraid the reactions of the regulars won't be in here MUHAHAHA! It will be in some other chapter. Cuz I decided to make Fuji stall :) oh well, on with the fic!

We all know I don't own prince of tennis.

(Yuuta POV)

I can't put it in any other words.

This sucks.

I don't know anyone here. Oh sure, I've seen them a couple of times, but it doesn't mean I know them. I don't know anyone from Seigaku's tennis club.

I remember wanting to be as far away from Aniki as possible when I was in Seigaku. So, I naturally stayed away from the tennis club. It was where we could be compared easily. It was a shop where they could determine which jewel was the best. It wouldn't take much to figure out Aniki was better.

Someone coughed. I looked to my left. Kawamura-san and Oishi-san were both sitting still. It was impossible to tell which one of them coughed. I stared at the three other regulars sitting across from me. Echizen was sipping his Ponta like there was no tomorrow, Tezuka-san looked scarier tonight, and Kikumaru-san fidgeted relentlessly. I sighed. This was going no where.

"When are they going to let us in?"

I glanced over to my right. Momoshiro, if I remembered correctly, looked more stressed out than anyone. The hulking figure of Kaidoh hovered over him. As predicted, he hissed.

"Fsh… baka. They'll let us in when everything's fine. Can't you be more patient idiot?"

"What'd you say Viper?!"

Momoshiro grabbed Kaidoh by the front of his shirt. Kaidoh only hissed by defiantely.

"Say that to my face Viper."

Kaidoh hissed. He grabbed Momo's wrist with a death grip. I took a breath in sharply. Was this… normal?

(General POV)

They all froze. It was like they were waiting for something. Like they were waiting to Fuji to calmly walk up and stop the fight, his sapphire eyes open fully. But this waiting stopped just as soon as it started.

"Oi, Momo, stop it!"

"Stop it you two, we're in a hospital!"

"Momoshiro. Kaidoh. Sit."

The two second years flinched when the captain of the tennis club spoke. They had half-expected him to tell them to run laps; they were in a hospital though, which successfully nullified the captain's classic line. However, it couldn't suppress Tezuka's natural leadership skills.

The spiky haired tennis player released Kaidoh's shirt. He turned away quickly with a 'che' and sat down on the hospital chair. 'Viper' hissed in reply and leaned against the opposite wall. All became silent again as they went back to their thoughts. But inside, they all sighed in unison.

Pure anxiety and fear ran through them. They didn't need to come, but they couldn't leave their friend. It was Tezuka who had called for an ambulance when Fuji didn't wake up from his fall. The coaches wanted to keep things quiet, but couldn't when the loud wailing of the ambulance filled the night. Like flies to garbage, they all ran or hurried to the source of the noise to catch the tennis prodigy being lifted into the ambulance. That was when Yuuta insisted on going with Tezuka. The rest of the Seigaku members followed suit.

They didn't all climb into the ambulance. There wasn't enough room. They kindly asked Hanamura-sensei and Sakaki-sensei to drive them. Fortunately, they complied. All of them had squeezed into Hanamura's red sports car while the rest got into the taxi that Sakaki called. The rest of the trip had been pretty uneventful.

They were all so engrossed with their own worries that they almost didn't hear the nurse call them to say that they could come in. Then, in a mass jumble of limbs, they rushed into the room where the prodigy lay. They didn't bother to question why Fuji had his own room when he supposedly only bumped his head.

Fuji was awake and well. Awake and smiling with a bandage around his head anyways. They couldn't tell if he was upset, surprised, or feeling anything at all. However he did look surprised when everyone filed in; not so surprised that his unusual eyes opened though.

"Minna…"

"Fuji! Are you okay? What happened? Are you okay nya? You scared me so much!!"

Eiji lunged at the tennis prodigy, stopping short and hanging onto the bed railings like a distressed kitten. Fuji smiled as Oishi scolded him for his behavior.

"Eiji! Be careful, you might have hit him by accident."

"I know I know! O-ishi, you don't need to tell me! So so tell me, are you sure you're okay?"

Fuji was about to answer when Eiji's wide blue eyes strayed to Fuji's bandage for the first time.

"Unyah! You got a bandage! Is it that serious? Is it? Nya, this is so scary!"

Fuji laughed and touched his head with his slender fingers. "Maa… it's not too bad. They just said I bumped my head a little too hard. But it didn't do damage. I think." He finished by smiling mischievously. The tensai watched with amusement as he saw Eiji's eyes grow wider and wider, until they shrunk when the owner of the eyes realized Fuji was lying.

"Muu… Fuji! That was mean!"

The said teenager laughed happily.

"Are you feeling fine Fuji?"

The said tensai looked up to the captain of the tennis club. Fuji nodded enthusiastically. "Yes I'm fine. But are you? Did you hurt yourself anywhere?"

Fuji looked at Tezuka with concern. The captain only frowned in return. "I'm fine. You should be more worried about yourself."

Fuji laughed again. "You're always the same Tezuka…" he trailed off his eyes lingering on the hospital sheets.

"Demo… why do you have your own room? Aren't you going to be checked out tonight? It's not that serious is it?"

The calmed atmosphere that Fuji had worked hard to attain was thrown into high tension again. The regulars swore he looked mad enough to throw daggers at them. Fortunately it didn't last long. The brunette smiled at them pleasantly.

"I wonder…"

(Doctor's POV)

I knocked against the door frame; the door was pushed open. A surprisingly large number of eyes stared back at me. Oi. This kid has bodyguards or something?

There were about nine people in the same room as him, all looking rather buff. Except for the short kid near the edge of the bed. I don't know how he fits in with these teens. He looked at me for a second before turning back not so politely. It was a cheeky kid. I hate cheeky kids.

"Wanazuki-sensei…"

My attention was back to Fuji again. He was sitting up in the bed with a bandage rather firmly secured onto his head. A few locks of brown covered the tips. He didn't have an enigmatic smile on his face for once.

I coughed before starting. I could feel the eyes on me yet again. It was unnerving. I mean, I wasn't on stage or anything. I gave them all the coldest glare I could give them. It succeeded. I saw a red head and spiky haired teen shudder at the sight.

"I would like to speak to Fuji-kun alone for now. I'll let you know when you can come back in."

There was a pause before all the temporary inhabitants filed out of the room in a single file. I took this chance to look at them. They were all so insanely different. A scary looking teenager with a bandana and a short kid probably didn't belong together. But here they did. And was that their teacher or something? He looked much older than the others, in his twenties maybe. He was dressed differently too. So perhaps a teacher.

I closed the door as the last of them left. My patient's smile was back on again. It somehow made me not want to talk to him so much.

"Now Fuji-kun, I wanted to discuss something with you…"

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

(Echizen POV)

I wonder why my senpais are such idiots.

They aren't idiots all the time, but sometimes they were. Like right now.

Momo-senpai and Kikumaru-senpai were both pressing their ears against the hospital room door to try to hear what the doctor and Fuji-senpai were talking about. Even Inui-senpai was getting into it. His notebook and pencil were ready for action. Honestly. I wanted to point out that doors were made for a reason.

I sighed. It was just a bump on the head. It shouldn't be anything serious. Even Fuji-senpai himself said that it wouldn't mean anything. It would be a perfect recovery. Then, after this pointless tournament we can finish the match we started. Tezuka-buchou isn't worried either so it's probably nothing. I never knew Fuji-senpai could be so clumsy but it must be true. Probably.

I started to drink from my Ponta can when I realized it was empty. Damn it. I don't have more change.

I turned to ask Fuji-senpai's little brother when I saw someone familiar walking towards us.

Well... I don't think she should be familiar. I've never seen her before. I might have… but I don't remember. If I don't remember, it must be nothing important. I think…

"Yuuta! What happened? Is Syuusuke alright?"

Syuusuke? That's… oh right, that's Fuji-senpai's name. She called him Syuusuke. That must mean… that… at the Rikkaidai match…

"Nee-san! What are you doing here?"

(General POV)

All the Seigaku regulars abandoned their previous tasks to greet Yumiko. They had all talked to her at one point in time when they were over at Fuji's house. Except Echizen of course. He probably wouldn't go even if he was invited; he had a secret fear that he would be ambushed in there for some unknown reason. He stayed away as the rest of the regulars filled the older woman about what had happened.

"I see… How's Syuusuke? Did he come out yet?"

"Hai, we did. But he's in a room. He seems to be fine though."

Yumiko sighed in relief and worry at Kawamura's report. She smiled in thanks to them before turning to Yuuta. Yuuta had sat patiently the whole time; he knew she would want to talk to him in private. The regulars only looked as they engaged themselves in sibling conversation. Echizen stopped listening as it seemed to only consist of 'how are you' and 'how is Syuusuke'.

"Yumiko-san."

The doctor closed the door to Fuji's room as he called to Yumiko. Dutifully, Yumiko stood up and went to the doctor. The rest of the regulars unconsciously shifted towards their direction; their curiosity was at its peak now. Even Tezuka found himself leaning towards the doctor and sister. He made no move to correct his sitting position.

Nevertheless, they were disappointed when Yumiko walked into the room by herself without a glance backwards. She closed the door firmly, shutting away the bustling halls and curiosity.

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

"Nee-san."

Yumiko smiled sweetly at Fuji. "How are you feeling Syuusuke?"

She sat on the chair beside Fuji's bed quietly, still smiling. Fuji smiled also. It was a competition to see who could keep up their smile the most. Yumiko lost in experience. She released her cheek muscle and allowed her lips to settle comfortably on her face. Fuji didn't stop smiling. Yumiko looked at him silently.

It wasn't that she was trying to be cold. She just didn't have anything to say. What would she say? She was worried? He already knew that. That he had scared her? He already knew that too. Was there anything to say anymore? There just was nothing to say.

"I quit the camp nee-san."

He… quit? She stared at him in disbelief. He had quit? Just like that? He had told her that it was just a hobby. So it was true? She had thought it was one of his 'white lies' intended to protect. It wasn't a lie.

"I haven't told them yet though… I think I should. Yuuta too of course. What do you think nee-san?"

She wanted to cry. It was like listening to him writing his will. He wasn't. He was only trying to tell his friends that he was quitting yet… it seemed to be bordering on so many levels of wrong. She couldn't remember a single morning that Syuusuke hadn't left early for tennis practice or a single day when he didn't return late because there was tennis practice. She couldn't remember not seeing him go out with Yuuta for a nice tennis game. He was always always doing something to do with tennis. Always. Taking that away, she couldn't quite see what picture it would leave.

"Nee-san?"

"Ah, gomen Syuusuke." She laughed forcibly. It echoed hollowly in the room. She stopped abruptly as if something was caught in her throat. She smiled again.

"It's up to you. Don't you think that you should tell them the real reason though?"

It was the wrong question to ask. As soon as it left her mouth, she wanted to pull it back so that she could hide it and throw it away later. It was too late now. She would suffer the consequences.

Fuji lowered his head a little as if in thought. She knew that he wasn't really thinking though. He had long decided what he was going to do. It was just a secret tease or act he put on when he was uncomfortable. Yumiko had seen this on the day that Fuji realized they would be moving. It was painful to everyone; to see, hear, or feel. It was so blatantly false that one would wonder why he bothered at all.

"Well… I don't think I should tell them. I wouldn't want to ruin their chance of winning at the tournament?"

"What does that have to do with winning the tournament?!"

Yumiko covered her mouth; it had burst out without her acknowledgement. However, Fuji seemed unaffected by her outburst. Instead, he seemed to be intensified by it.

"Mentality has everything to do with tennis nee-san. I don't want them to be needlessly worried about me. It will ruin their concentration. I don't want them to lose because of that."

Yumiko did not back down this time. She looked into her little brother's blue eyes.

"That in itself is a lie too, isn't it Syuusuke?"

She had shot him down in mid-flight. His eyes widened further had stared at her in disbelief. His mouth opened as if to say something but closed again. He ground his teeth, in frustration or to hold his jaw in place Yumiko couldn't tell.

"It's your pride Syuusuke."

He said nothing. His face was… she couldn't read the emotion. She was seeing a whole new side of her little brother, one that wasn't carefully controlled or restrained. It was raw passion she was looking at.

"What's wrong?" she said in a gentler tone. He did not reply. "Are you afraid of something, Syuusuke?"

Growing up, she was always amazed at how her brother could stay so composed. As a toddler, if she took his toy away, he wouldn't cry. He would simply look at her for a long time before leaving to find a new toy to play with. He seemed to regret nothing. She envied him for that. Even his few fears did not seem to embarrass him nor did he regret starting to fear it. He accepted it willingly. But recently, she had discovered something he was ashamed of. Something he knew, feared, but did not change.

"Gomen nee-san. I wanted to talk to my friends now."

She snapped out of her reverie. Yumiko looked at Fuji. He had turned away from her and was looking out the window. I see…

"Okay then… I'll wait outside for you. Hopefully you can come home today! I'll bake a pie for you. And don't forget, Okaa-san and Otou-san are coming tomorrow."

"I might not eat the pie nee-san-"

The door had already closed. Then it opened again to reveal nine tennis players all worn out from waiting. Fuji smiled at them graciously, apologizing for the wait.

"Saa… before you left, I wanted to tell you something."

Curiosity peaked again when Fuji said this. They all gave each other uneasy glances except Tezuka; the stoic captain frowned at the patient.

"You didn't tell them already, did you Tezuka?"

Tezuka shook his head. This was followed by exclamations such as 'he knew already?' and 'what's going on?' Fuji turned to them all, ignoring the confused remarks.

"I'm quitting tennis."

MUHAHAHAHA I left you hanging :) but please don't hate me! I have a lot of exams coming up so I need to start studying haha. But ill get back to this fic as soon as I can! So, the reactions (not the real major 'omg u have WAT' reactions) will be in the next chapter nya :) don't hate me please! At least spare my beloved soon to be mine fuji plushie from it! my bf courteously decided that it was the only way to either get rid of (or encourage) my inane obsession with fuji. I have another excuse too! I'm going to start making a cute scarf and zip up jacket for the plushie so I'm going to go out hunting for materials lol. Wish me luck!

Thank you for reading! Merry early xmas to everyone!