here's chapter 2! Two chapters in one upload.. i'm working hard.. ganbatte to me

R&R as always!

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Conspiring to Get to You

Chapter 2: The Truth

She tried to call her Momo-sempai and ask him out to check if he knows something. She's lucky if he does. Momoshiro agreed, although hesitantly, to meet up with her at the park.

"Sakuno-chan! Over here", he waved the girl so she can see where he is. The two of them sat on the bench just beside an oak tree.

"Ne, Momo-sempai. Do you have recent news about how Ryoma's doing? " she asked straight to the point. She just needs to know…NOW.

"Anou, Sakuno-chan. We have agreed that we won't tell it to anyone else, demo…" he trailed off weighing his options.

"We?" Sakuno asked when he did not continue.

"Ah, Tezuka-buchou, me, Ryoma and his family", he explained, and then continued. "Actually Sakuno-chan, I'm not suppose to tell you this, but I think since you asked, you should know."

Sakuno waited. 'So there really is something', she thought to herself, and this is probably what Ryoma was about to tell her if only he wasn't persuaded by that certain someone not to.'

"Echizen is in a hospital right now", he finally said.

The girl froze into place. She's expecting something other than that! How come he's hospitalized and he even kept it from her.

"Sakuno-chan, it has been two weeks since he was rushed there. A certain opponent of his intentionally flings a racket towards Ryoma because he beat him in a match."

"Come on! He was hit by rackets before, but he only got minor injuries, why sent him to the hospital now?" she fumed remembering the times when Ryoma was his by tennis rackets.

Momoshiro shook his head slowly from side to side. "Demo, Sakuno-chan, Ryoma was standing on top of a flight of stairs when he was hit."

Sakuno gasped.

"He lost his balance, so he fell and landed thirty steps down", he said slowly.

"Oh my God. How is he?" she asked worry evident in her tone.

"He's fine, although he was in a coma for three days, but he already woke up."

'Of course, if he hasn't how come he talked to her over the phone earlier?' she thought.

"He only got some scratches and some wound, but nothing serious…physically."

Sakuno took notice of the last word. So he's fine physically but something else isn't.

"What do you mean exactly, sempai?"

"Well, like I said, he has no serious physical injuries and his vitals are good, his tests even showed positive results so he was sent out of the hospital two days after he woke up", he paused, his expression changed as if he doesn't want to continue. But he resolved that he should, so he did. "After a day of rest, he asked if he could resume training. Receiving go-signals from his doctor and parents, he prepared for a training match."

Sakuno can't understand what's wrong with what he's sempai is saying. It doesn't sound terrible but why does his expression tells the opposite?

"But…but when he was about to serve, he hit it like he was a beginner. He said that he was just kidding but when he tried again, he released his grip from his racket and was unable to hit the ball altogether. Knowing Ryoma, he tried again with his left hand, but still, the same outcome. It's as if he never played tennis before", Momoshiro's hands are balled into fists. It's as if he's restraining himself of something. "At least, that's what Tezuka-buchou told me", he added.

"Momo-sempai, I know you know more", she said as he prepared to leave. "So please, tell me."

Momoshiro could've refused, but he can't. I know he's breaking he's promise but, it's unusual that Sakuno asks things like these. It's as if she knows something herself.

"Sakuno-chan, knowing his condition, he can't play in the competitions so he withdrew. They told the the media that he's still in coma. And because of this, they held him in the hospital."

Sakuno remembered the news some days before. It says that a Wimbledon player withdrew yet she didn't got the chance to watch the full coverage. So it was actually Ryoma. Damn it!

"Held him? They locked him up in that hospital?!" the girl couldn't help to raise her voice. She can't understand why people hide Ryoma's condition.

"If they tell the entire world that Ryoma has yips, it would be the end of his career."

"But, how can you agree to this? How can Tezuka-buchou and his family agree to this?" she pointed out while trying to relax.

"We don't, Sakuno-chan! It's just that, his manager, that bastard of a manager doesn't want his stupid career to end as well. His conspiring with some powerful sponsors that's why we can't get to him"

"You mean we can't help him?" she said in terror.

Momoshiro just shook his head covering his face with his hands.

"But he needs us, Ryoma needs us more than ever! How come they are doing this?"

"Sakuno-chan, this is what money and power can do. So please, for your own sake, you need o stay away from this", the young man with spiky hair stood up and leave without saying another word. He has spilled all and he has also warned her. Even he himself feels helpless. His friend, the person he treats as his own little brother, who badly needs his family and friends right now, was being used by heartless, cold-blooded people for their own freaking sake.

He looked back to see the girl he left in the bench, crying heart out. Seeing this, his eyes welled up as well and a tear streamed down his cheek.

(A/Ns: The stairs that Ryoma was standing, um, just imagine the concrete stairs of shrines in Japan, I believe they have shown such kinds of stairs in some POT episodes too. Do you think 'thirty steps down' is too much? Just tell me, I can change it!

Woah! It somehow felt like this is more dramatic than I intended it to be..well your reviews will definitely help so, fell free to do so…

I know my plot is bizarre and I don't know if it fits POT, but I'm positive that it will.. think positive!)