Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis

Sick part 2

I am definitely sick, but I don't know the right symptoms.

Tezuka was wondering about his strange illness, ever since that day he cushioned Sakuno's fall. Her face so close to him and her soft hands on his chest…. Oh no… there he goes again. His face was red and his heart raced really quickly. It's funny how the symptoms always occur when Sakuno is nearby.

Perhaps he should go see a doctor.

"Inui, you take charge. I am going to see a doctor. This sickness has gone long enough."

Inui who caught every word smiled in the most unconvincing way as he replied in a very kind tone

"Really? I could help diagnose you."

Fuji popped out of nowhere when he hooked an arm around Inui's shoulder as he added his own little look of delight.

"And I will prescribe the cure!"

Tezuka was wary of these two people. They were known to do the scariest things one doesn't hope to get involved in.

"…No thanks… I can go and see the doctor."

"Don't worry Buchou, we could make this cure really quick. You will be out at team practice in no time. Besides we have until after school to cure you. Don't worry."

Fuji patted Tezuka as he pushed Tezuka into an empty room where they could have some privacy. Tezuka sat down on the make shift box as Inui pushed his glasses up higher as he brought out his notebook and asked.

"Well Mr Tezuka. Tell me your pro… no Symptoms."

Tezuka raised his eyebrows at Inui's strange comment as he shrugged it off. At this rate he would do almost anything to solve his sickness problem.

"I feel dizzy and sometimes I feel out of breath and that feels like having a hard time to breathe."

Inui nodded as Fuji urged Tezuka to go on.

"My heart beats faster than it ought to and my face feels warmer and often colouring. Also, sometimes I feel rather numb for my body and my tongue, I keep stuttering too."
Inui noted it all down as he shut his book, he looked at Tezuka with grave eyes.

"…I see… Buchou, I can diagnose several symptoms to you. But there was only one that matches all. However seeing that I am supposed to act like the doctor I shall tell you what other illnesses it may derive from."

Inui drew in a breath as he began his whole list of diagnosis.

"Firstly you could have high blood pressure which does not coincide with some of your symptoms. Perhaps a fever which would be unlikely due to the fact that there is no hallucinations and in fact your temperature is not constantly warmer than usual. Heart disease which is unlikely due to your statistics in health, there is one last one… Eros fatality."

Tezuka arched an eyebrow in confusion, what exactly does he mean Eros fatality? Assuming he knew the word Fatality but he did not comprehend the word Eros. Fuji patted Tezuka on the shoulder empathetically.

"Naturally, I shall call for your cure…"

"Sumimasen, Fuji sem…pai? Ah? Inui and Tezuka sempai…?"

Sakuno entered as her bright brown eyes warmed up his whole body, this was no cure, and he felt worse and worse. His face seemed pretty warm his heart was making weird beats, making it beat quick and erratically.

He wondered why would an extra person in the same room manage to steal all the air in the room, he barely could breathe. His whole body went numb and his eyes were transfixed on the girl who meekly stared at him. This made his heart burst and his temperature rising above normal temperatures.

Fuji looked at Sakuno and smiled at her welcoming her in, as he pointed at the already stiff looking buchou.

"Sakuno, it seems he is pretty sick with Eros Fatality and we would ask if you would help."

Tezuka got up ready to leave at any given moment in fear that her cure may as well kill him. Wait, he remembered his Greek lesson once. They talked about a lot of things that writers wrote and one of the more famous works… Once he woke up from that thought he was already pushed out the door and following Sakuno.

Sakuno looked pretty nervous as she was stuttering more than usual, and Tezuka couldn't help feeling that she was cute. Wait… she was cute… and pretty and everything about her mesmerized people like a siren with her large brown eyes and her cute face and her small pout when she was mad. It was at this time that Tezuka remembered the lesson on the certain Greek myth and he knew what the word Eros meant.

Together the words Eros fatality means fatal love. He was in love with the girl, upon realizing this, his heart and his whole body began to violently react. The realization was pretty scary he felt like he was going to die from some chronic disease if he hadn't acknowledged it any sooner.

Being the man of thoughts he knew he had to get over it quickly, and what better way to do it than to confess and get rejected? Although there were several consequences for that decision, in which case he would lose Sakuno's friendship and perhaps will never get to see her again, but it is all for the good cause right?

His body will be repaired quickly enough and he could start his supervising and his captain job once more. That was what is important wasn't it? He decided it didn't matter that she was going to reject him, for he knew it will only hurt for a few days and that this sacrifice must be made for his welfare and his capabilities as a captain for the Seigaku regular tennis team.

He looked around the place praying to see no one around, only to realize that they were in a small area where it was famous for confessions. Great, perfect. Even the gods want him to end it quickly.

"…Ryuuzaki, I have something to say…"

Sakuno turned to look at the handsome stoic buchou of Seigaku high. Her cheeks looked flushed and they looked adorable.

"Hai sempai?"

"… I admire you a lot. But I know you do not feel the same way and I am prepared to hear the answer for it, but I hope we could still remain friends."

Tezuka being who he was, talked to her, as if he was talking about a tennis match or about the weather. Silently though, regardless of how he knew what the answer will be, his heart still raced and his face grew warm in embarrassment and anxiousness.

He tossed the thought and embraced himself for the words 'sorry, I am in love with Ryoma Echizen.' He waited with his eyes gazing everywhere but her. He didn't want to put her in any bad position, but he knew perhaps this was the way to his cure.

Only his heart refused to give in, it wanted to follow on with his love for her and perhaps hope someday she would look back and see him following her. Until then, the idea was to follow her quietly. But before he could have an argument with his heart, Sakuno spoke up

"Se…se… Sempai, I didn't say… I didn't say I didn't feel the same way…."

Tezuka swore he felt like the world look so much brighter and even the birds were singing, perhaps that was just a part of the package of being in love, hallucination. He was sure he could hear a festival going on in his stomach. Great another two symptoms to the disease he had recently acquired.

"… Sorry?"

Tezuka waited patiently as he asked in a very quiet voice, he personally preferred to believe that what she said was true.

"…I admire sempai a lot too…"

Tezuka thought she was thinking he admires not like love… then he begun to panic. She may get the wrong idea… Quickly deciding that he needed to use this hint…

"… do you know what this place is?"

Sakuno blushed as she looked around and nodded as she replied in a very soft voice.
"It … it was the place… where… where people confess to each other… I know… Cause I wanted to bring you… here…"

Tezuka blinked once… twice… thrice… before it occurred to him, perhaps he was really lucky. God liked him, the world became much more colourful than he has ever seen it been, as he wrapped her in his arms as he hugged her gently as if fearing she might shatter in his touch.

Her scent trapped his heart and his mind, as he released her and gaze into her doe like eyes, realizing that he was truly captured by her. Her glimmering eyes brimming with the happiness he had given her made him even happier that he decided to confess after all.

Perhaps it was her scent or the way her eyes looked at him or even the fact that her lips looked pink and full and so enticing that he lowered his face to capture her sweet lips. Oh yes, love was a good thing. Perhaps this Eros fatality illness is a good thing, and that he should keep having it for as long as it was Sakuno Ryuuzaki, his new girlfriend.

End.