It's been a while (almost a month) since I updated this story…my apology. As usual, college work is killing me softly. During this period, I have finished Dear Cousin and also written a Nagasarete Airaontou fanfic before Thanksgiving…it's been a while since a manga can really make me laugh, so I decide to put it (you can check it in my profile). Special thanks again to people who like Dear Cousin. I never honestly expect it to be that popular, being one of my most 'hit-ed' fics in this website. Credits to you all.

Summary: 'So, is it treatable?' Her dead silence replied his query sincerely.

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis.

Chapter 5: Trust and Faith

'Where is she?'

A man dressed in a plain white polo shirt rushed into the white concrete building, a bag on his back. He had been enjoying a friendly tennis match with an old friend when his phone rang, revealing the news that his wife and children were involved in a motorcycle accident. Sweat was all over his face, with his shirt soaked.

'What's her last name, sir?' the lady on the front desk asked calmly. Having worked in this place for ten years, she was quite used to frantic family members who screamed while approaching her seat. Besides, she was quite entertained to see a soaked Asian, which showed his tight pectoral muscles translucently.

'Echizen. I was told my family was sent here.'

The blonde inputted the name and looked at the screen intensely. The tall man held his breath, anticipating the result. He should not have attended the stupid game. He should have stayed with them. If that's so…

'She's on fifth floor now. The doctors are performing a surgery on her.' She paused to check the clock. 'It should have ended by now.'

Without muttering anything more, the foreigner flew to the stairs. When he reached his destination, he found no one but an eight-year-old standing emotionlessly, staring at the opened door. His heart gulped. His vision moved from the little boy to the retreating figures from the room. He wanted to scream. He wanted to scream so much. But no words could be vocalized when he noticed the woman standing next to the bed inside the room, whipping her eyes continuously.

'Oh no…' he could only mutter, but his legs were paralyzed. Watching in horror, he found the motionless body on the bed, blood on the floor discordantly. A lady in casual wear was weeping silently, caressing the green-haired body's cheek softly. The man finally found the strength to move towards them and, hesitantly, hugged the sobbing lady. Suppressing tears from falling from his own eyes, he whispered words of comfort, hoping to make her feel better.

Outside, the little boy continued to watch in awe. He had no idea how to feel. Never a person of emotions, he found it hard to breathe. The room seemed to shrink and darken, and he was the only sane person. He could hear not a thing, but allow effortlessly for the whole dimension to twist in front of his eyelids.

Ryoma stared at the building hollowly. The two places looked so familiar yet so different. They shared the same functionality, with alike people working every day and night, serving for the sake of humanity.

However, his faith in them had shattered. As a mature fifteen-year-old, he knew they were not to blame. Yet the pain of losing someone close to you was too hard for him to decipher rationally. He did not hate them. He just had trouble in fully trusting them.

Taking a deep breath, he made himself pass through the transparent doors of no return.

Reaching his destination, only disappointment was kind enough to greet his presence.

He peeked through the limpid box on his eye-level to take a look of the locked room. Everything was arranged tidily in order, with the dim sunlight penetrating through the mild yellow curtain on the other side of the room.

'Are you looking for Dr. Sawakita?' He turned his head to face a fat figure in white, holding several files on one hand while fixing her coat with the free one. 'He's with a patient in another floor. Do you have an appointment with him?'

He took a glance at the clock hanging proudly, indifferently on the cold wall. A quarter past five. So if what was on the card was true, she should be the mentioned one.

'Actually I'm with the patient Dr. Sawakita is taking care of now,' he lied effortlessly, 'but I was late to arrive here. I'm her cousin.'

The middle-aged woman raised a suspicious eyebrow. In her memory, the only visitor the girl had ever got was her other cousin, which was a blond, not some green-haired punk. 'And who might that patient be?' She raised her voice. Ryoma knew perfectly well that his presence would easily indicate apparent incredulity, but he did not have a choice now.

'Ryuzaki.' He replied, still keeping his usual cold tone. 'Ryuzaki Sakuno.'

The tall woman eyed him carefully before turning to one of the files she'd been holding, reading the information printed inside. 'She should be in room 508 now. She'd be staying in there for days probably.' She continued to see if her little visitor needed to know anything, only to find him staring blankly, his eyes hollowed.

508. The three numbers were printed neatly on top of the doors, where they rushed her inside hours ago. He remembered seeing doctors and nurses rushing in and out, performing a very busy task inside while his mother cried frantically onto the phone, urging his father to come. His father should be having a match in somewhere hours from where they were.

His mother hugged him tightly. 'Don't worry, she'll be fine. She'll be fine. She'll be fine…' He kept hearing her repeating the same thing, without knowing exactly who she's trying to comfort, him or herself. He felt his heart ached. It was of no doubt that he loved his family very much, even his annoying arrogant oyaji, and seeing her in a broken state and him in a lifeless status made his stomach swirled. He had never had this feeling before, and he had to act his best to prevent himself from breaking the cold mask he loved to wear.

He's still a boy of emotions after all. People just did not usually see who he was.

'Are you listening to me?'

Ryoma snapped back to reality as the unnamed lady waved her hand in front of his eyelids. He suppressed a bitter smile. Nostalgia again, he really should stop thinking about the past so often.

'Yes I heard. Room 508 right?' She sighed. Kids nowadays…she motioned towards the stairs behind them. 'Turn left after you reach fifth floor. It will be on your left.'

The fifteen-year-old muttered a low 'arigato' before starting to climb up the stairs, leaving the nurse behind.

Every room here had a large window for the patient to have a nice view of the environment outside, seeing the trees planted outside the hospital and grasping the view of the whole city. There's another window in between the room and the corridor outside, allowing the doctors and nurses to be alerted should there be any sudden change to a patient's condition.

As Sakuno sat on her bed peacefully, she couldn't help but wonder how she should spend the remaining days. Make a bucket list? She wasn't even allowed to go to the washroom alone, let along leaving this place to fulfill her wish. Tell all her friends about it? She didn't need that, again. She was a strong girl. She needed no sympathy. Maybe Sakura and Takeru could give her some company.

She felt a sense of dizziness drilling through her mind. Dr. Sawakita had told her that the experimental drug contained tiredness as a side-effect, so she decided maybe she should take a nap. Her cousin went to washroom, so she was all alone in the room, had nothing to do anyway. Lying on the soft white cushion, her brown eyes blinked at opening of the door. Feeling truly exhausted, she addressed the person.

'Takeru, I want to take a nap. Could you help me adjust the curtain?'

The sound of the curtain flowing in the air answered her call. Noticing darkness had immersed the room, she opened her eyes slightly to find her cousin, only to be met with a pair of golden orbs, cat-like eyes.

Outside the room, a lone figure stood still, observing carefully the interactions of the two seniors of her in the room. She knew very well of what this would turn out to, but she kept pushing it. The blond next to her sighed. He knew her well enough to know that he could not beat her in strategic planning. He turned his attention to the shocked lady on the bed and the calm lad who stood by her side.

'Come here, Ryoma,' he heard her whisper his name and, hesitantly, entered the room. All medical staff had left already, allowing them to share some last moment of family time. He took his time to reach the rear side of the bed, unaware of the blood he stood on.

He had witnessed it happen. It was a sunny afternoon when they went out. She insisted on getting the ice-cream, so he led her to the shop, with the permission of his mother. When they crossed the road, he put his hands in his pocket and walked arrogantly while she tailed. That's why his eyes did not notice that she tripped, and when he turned, it was all too late. A fragile body was swung in mid-air as slowly as it seemed, and he noted that every single thing paused for a brief moment.

A clear parabola was formed, reaching the peak then falling slowly onto the ground again. He saw it happen. He saw how the curve was perfectly drawn. How the passer-by stopped and watched in curiosity.

And his sister was gone.

When he arrived outside the room, tagged with the haunted number 508, he saw Sakura, who surprisingly reached there before him, and the blond he had seen days ago. Holding a grudge, he kept his temper under control. The brown-haired girl was aware of the appeared figure, so she turned, delicately, and eyed him to go inside. The fifteen-year-old looked at the tall blond, who sighed in defeat and moved away from the door where he seemed to be preparing to enter. Nodding in acknowledgement, he reached for the door knob.

'Takeru,' there was no mistake. It was her voice. Her vey soft voice that haunted him these days. He felt his hand twitched, but he told himself to relax. Although he still knew not of her condition clearly, staying in a hospital room was serious enough for him not to do anything stupid. If his concept was correct, the 'Takeru' she mentioned was the annoying boy standing outside, now eyeing them thoughtfully. He felt his heart ached a beat.

'I want to take a nap. Could you help me adjust the curtain?'

Obeying her request, he moved slowly to the window and closed the curtain gently. Meanwhile, his eyes were fixed on the fragile body on bed. After completing his task, he walked quietly towards the bedside, staring at her on the edge.

She unhurriedly opened her eyes. Yet before taking note of her stunned countenance, the very position brought him back to years ago in a hospital in America, where he watched as the doctors could do nothing to retrieve his sister's short life. She was only six. They were once inseparable. They played together, ate together, shared everything among themselves. Her disappearance created a great psychological impact on him that indirectly caused him to isolate himself from others.

But the girl now in front of him…resembled her so much. Indeed, Sakuno was a rare example whom he could trust fully. After the incident, he had never really opened up to anyone, let along his parents who also suffered from deep grief. She, however, messed up his seemingly perfectly-alone-life completely. While he thought his whole life would be devoted to tennis and tennis solely, her existence shifted his aim. He enjoyed her company more and started to develop feelings for her, long before he really realized it.

'Ryoma-kun?'

Her sweet tone. How he treasured her voice now. He looked at her, managed to give a smile, a bitter one.

'Why…?'

He gently sat on the side of her bed, and placed his index finger on her lips, hissing a 'sssshhhh' sound. His free left hand moved to play with her hair, combing them rhythmically. How long had he been awaiting for such close contact. 'Just sleep,' he murmured. It needed not a genius to tell she was very exhausted, and even if she wanted to sit up and try to make things sensible, her body went against her will, and she obliged to Ryoma's pleasant order, drifting to dreamland.

When Sakuno opened her chocolate eyes again, she yawned loudly before covering her mouth with her hand, paying dim attention all the traditional manners. For how long she had been sleeping, she had no idea, but the curtain was pulled aside to allow sunlight to ignite the room, revealing the mild amount of snow falling from the sky outside.

She adjusted her head to look at the falling snow. She always loved it since she was little. It was like a miracle, how the tiny white crystals descend from the sky while dancing with the wind. She remembered the time she jumped in joyfulness when the crystal droplets landed on her hand. Her parents would come over and join her, and her mature younger sister would also admire the view silently, wearing a smile on her face.

Her parents…how long had it been? Eight years? They passed away when she was seven. Plane accident. As businessmen of high ranks, they travelled a lot yet that one time, when they took the plane to America, the plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean and no survivors were found. Time did heal her wound. She didn't have much memory of her parents anyway, but she knew that it troubled her grandmother, Ryuzaki Sumire, coach of the Seigaku Male Tennis Team, a lot. Now that one of her only two granddaughters were also approaching death, she did not dare to imagine what the old woman must be going through after her son died nearly a decade ago.

'Ohayo, onee-san,' she heard a delicate voice calling her. Turning her head to her right, a nearly identical facial structure of hers met her vision. Ryuzaki Sakura was holding Alfred Kinsey's Sexual Behaviour in the Human Male with her hazel eyes focusing on the content, which earned a chuckle from her elder sister. They were so different in many areas, from interests to personality, with the only resemblance of sisterhood their brown hair colour.

Fixing her hair, she closed her book and looked at her sister. 'How're you feeling?'

'I'm okay, I guess. My legs still feel numb though.' She honestly replied. It was just a normal sleep that allowed her to rest under the side-effects of medication. Her eyebrows widened in remembrance.

'He's here.' Sakuno stated. Sakura needed not to be Sherlock to understand her meaning.

The fourteen-year-old student paused for a while, and repeated her words. 'He's here.'

Sakuno blinked and looked at her left.

There sat Echizen Ryoma, in his casual white polo shirt and black jeans. His body was leaning forward as he rested his arms on his knees comfortably. Looking at her, he found his very own mind twirling. His lips parted but words could not be heard. So did hers. They both just stared at each other for a still minute, before Sakuno turned to her younger sibling.

'Sakura.' One word was plain enough for her to raise her question.

Sakura flashed her a guilty look. Of all people she knew, the volleyball lover could never put on her mask in front of her sister. Ryoma and Tezuka were easy to play around with, even Fuji failed in tricking or deciphering her. But she…she always triumphed in this aspect.

'Gomen,' she hissed. 'I've explained to Ryoma-san briefly regarding her condition.' Sakuno would have argued had she had enough strength. She was still relatively weak to make a fight with her sister.

'And I'm glad she did.' This time Ryoma interrupted. His golden orbs bore into her small eyes. 'Why didn't you tell me?' At this point, Sakura decided to leave them alone. Her sister, along with her grandmother and cousin, could scold her later. Passing through the door, she gave one last look at her beloved one, made a weak smile and disappeared from both their visions.

The silence grew rather uncomfortably. Both parties wanted to break it yet it seemed too imperfect to blemish.

'Why didn't you tell me?' The green-haired lad decided against it and made a step forward. Sakuno could not look into his eyes that unveiled hurt and disappointment. Of course he was hurt. He was hidden from the truth for weeks while she suffered, all alone practically.

It startled him when Sakura told him, while the older girl was sleeping. While he was away to Rome to participate in another tournament in late-October, Sakuno collapsed all of a sudden one day, at home, and was rushed into the hospital. She had had a fever on the previous week, and constantly felt fatigued, yet nobody suspected anything beforehand.

'SLE?'

'Systemic lupus erythematosus,' Sakura stated, as Ryoma shivered at the mentioning of the name. 'However,' the brown-haired girl continued, 'she did not have the exact same disease commonly known with butterfly rash on her face. Instead, it was an abnormal variation form. There weren't many reported cases around the world.' Sakura spoke as if reciting from a well-known quotation. 'She had also suffered from various other symptoms apart from fever and prolonged fatigue, like pulmonary hypertension and pleural effusion. The doctors could only prescribe drugs to maintain her life longer.'

'Then how did she…' the tennis supernova trailed off. He found it really hard to believe in, although it could explain why she did not attend school for a whole week after he returned from Europe. She having such a disease and he knew nothing about it?

'It could be genetic,' she shrugged, 'but the doctors did not really know, and in onee-san's case, the disease was just spreading too fast.'

Sakura allowed a few minutes of silence to fill the space, as Ryoma proceeded to clear his mind. 'So, is it treatable?'

Her dead silence replied his query sincerely.

'Can't you trust me, Sakuno?' He basically pleaded as she still refused to answer. 'Why do you have to hide it from everyone? The senpai-tachi? Your classmates? Your friends? Even Tomoko?' He gulped painfully. 'Me?'

All the while she remained her posture, sitting on the bed with her back leaning on the pillow positioned onto the wall. She finally looked up, and Ryoma took an interest on the tear stain on her face.

'Parting is the hardest part, Ryoma-kun,' she whispered. 'I have been there…my parents…and I do not deserve people's empathy. I'm not as weak as everybody thinks, Ryoma-kun. I'll be fine without the sudden embrace of everyone's overwhelming concerns.'

The answer came colder than he expected, but he couldn't care less anyway. Leaping forward, his face was just an inch from hers.

'I have accepted the fact that I'll be dying soon, and my diminishing existence should not stop others from living their lives, right? Even Sakura's, and yours…' The female teenager lowered her head. 'I appreciate your visit, Ryoma-kun, I really do. But, please, move on with your life.

'Wha–' but she did not manage to finish the sentence as his moist lips pressed against hers, taking her by complete surprise. She missed the feeling, she knew it too well, but as much as she enjoyed it, this could not go on.

'Get off me!' She raised her voice as he wrapped his trained arms around her, pulling her well-developed body towards his muscular one. She struggled. Hard. Punching his chest did not seem to have any significant effect, as it only aroused him to kiss her more forcefully yet passionately. She wanted to find the strength from her legs to kick him away, but she felt numb on her lower half. It had happened for a while already. Finally, she gave in to pleasure and returned his favour, in a more affectionate manner. Only the need for air stopped them from continuing on.

Both parties retreated only slightly, panting. Their face flushed with the deepest shades of red and Ryoma caressed her cheeks gently. He put on a smile.

'Baka,' he rested his forehead on hers. 'I'll never leave your side. Never.'

Sakuno just nodded, not really knowing how to respond. Without realizing, tears were streaming down her cheeks. Ryoma just pulled her head to his chest, allowing her to soak his shirt.

Of course he knew she did not have much time left, but he found no reason in escaping from reality. Sarcastic, wasn't it? Last time he went to a hospital to witness his sister's death, and now he would accompany her to face the truth. Yet he would not regret the choice he made. No, he wouldn't.

'I'll never leave your side.'

Even if it meant he had to suffer yet again.

-End of Chapter 5

Just to clarify, SLE is a real disease, but I made up the 'variation form' in Sakuno's case. Basically, all the medical information here is mostly correct, but not directly linked to some so-called made up disease that I wrote. If there really is a disease that matches it…well I'm purely lucky I guess.

This chapter was a bit longer than previous'. I hope you enjoy reading this. Writing this story is always an interesting task to accomplish.

I once hoped I could finish this story by Christmas, but now it seems rather unlikely…oh well, I'll try.

Please review too! Your comment means a lot to me =]