Hi! It's been a while, sorry. It took long than I originally expected to write chapter four... And I don't know if it would be good enough to post it... I'll wait for an answer from my awesome beta-reader :D I'll still try to keep posting at least once a month, but I'm soon going to start classes again, so I may not be able to do it... Though I really want to keep it up... Anyway, we'll see :)

Thank you so much for your reviews and alerts. They really make my day and motivate me to keep writing!

I hope you like this chapter. It was really difficult to write for me. I even lost my motivation and stopped writting this fic for almost a year because of this chapter. Not because I don't like what happens... I just had some things going on and I couldn't keep it up. I'm glad I finally made it through it.

Chapter 3. Painful kindness

"It's not fair!"

Oishi sighed, but didn't answer. He had lost count on how many times they'd gotten that same conversation during the last week.

"Why is Tezuka-buchou able to go every day but ochibi can't see her even for five minutes?"

"I've already told you, Eiji. The doctor has banned Echizen from seeing her and Sakuno only feels safe with Tezuka, that's why he goes every day."

They were the first ones to get to the changing room for the afternoon training. Eiji had been more nervous all day than what was normal for him and Oishi guessed it was because today was their turn to visit Sakuno. After the disaster of the first joint visit a week ago, the doctor had forbidden them to go all at the same time, so they had decided to get turns, normally in pairs. Tezuka was the only one that could go every day, since Sakuno felt better if he was with her. She hadn't had another crisis like the one she had with Ryoma, and every passing day she seemed more used to the presence of the regulars… Except for Ryoma, who had been banned from visiting her by the doctor. Ryoma had protested, of course, along with Momo and Eiji, but they didn't get anything out of it.

"And if it's Sakuno who asks to see him?" suddenly asked Eiji, who had even planned with Momo how to seep Ryoma through the hospital. Tezuka had found them and they'd had to run a hundred laps. "Then he could go see her, right?"

"Eiji, don't even think of-"

"Sakuno is not ready" interrupted Fuji, who had just arrived to the changing room followed by Inui and Kaidoh.

"Demo…"

"I feel sorry for Echizen" continued Fuji, not paying attention to Eiji's protests, "but now the most important thing is for Sakuno-chan to feel all right, and she won't be if she sees him."

Eiji didn't have an answer for that and kept quiet, downcast.

"But, why did she react that way?" asked Eiji.

No one answered. Not even Sakuno knew why. Momo had asked Inui and Fuji, but they didn't understand it either. The doctor had said it may have something to do with the accident, but they all believed there had to be something else. The twelve-year-old Sakuno was easy to read, but not the sixteen-year-old one. When Ryoma returned from America and they suspected that he had fallen for her, they had tried to discover whether she was still in love with him or not; however, all of their plans had fallen through. Sakuno knew them so well that she seemed to sense when they were planning something. Inui often had problems to know how she would react and Fuji was the only one who could still surprise her sometimes, but they still didn't know whether she still loved him and was simply hiding it or she had just gotten over her crush for him.

The actual Sakuno was similar to her twelve-year-old self. She was shy, blushed easily and stuttered constantly. She was easy to read and foresee. But she was also more vulnerable and listless than what they had ever seen her, even when they had met her for the first time.

~Three hours later~

"…And Momo and Kaidoh ended up fighting again" finished Eiji while laughing.

Sakuno laughed with him while Oishi and Tezuka observed them. Sakuno looked now way better. Her face had almost recovered her usual color and she also seemed happier and more relaxed, though that may have been because of Eiji, who always succeeded at making her laugh. Tezuka knew that, after himself, Eiji was the person Sakuno felt better with. The others, sooner or later, ended up looking at her with pity or compassion. Eiji, however, always seemed happy just to see her and talk to her. If Oishi asked her if she remembered something or said anything that saddened her, Eiji always hurried and changed the topic to make her smile.

In spite of it all, Sakuno wasn't silly. She knew perfectly well that the boy with the golden eyes hadn't come back and she knew it was her fault. The next few days after the crisis she had, every time she thought about him she became nervous and was distressed. However, seeing he didn't return, little by little she had noticed she missed him. She had also noticed that no one ever mentioned them and she'd never had the courage to ask. But she missed him more every day and today Eiji was there and not that boy who wore a headscarf and hissed constantly…

"Mmm..E-eto Kik- E-Eiji-san" stuttered without looking at him.

Sakuno had started to call them by their name after she became the manager of the team, but she was now using their surnames again (except with Eiji, who had refused and had begged her to call him by his name). She had also dropped the senpai in favor of the san since she didn't remember anything about high school. Eiji looked at her smiling, waiting for her to continue.

"D-do you know if that b-boy with golden eyes is going to co-come?" Since no one ever mentioned him and she had fainted soon after he saw him, the only thing about him that she could recall was that weird eye color she had been trapped in.

Sakuno had bowed her head, blushing madly while she played with the hem of the sheet, so she didn't see how Eiji's smile disappeared from his face and the three boys exchanged a look. Eiji, who didn't know what to say, remained silent and Tezuka stood in.

"Do you want to see him?"

Before that, Sakuno blushed even more.

"I wa-wanted to apologize for what happened the other day."

"There's no reason for you to apologize" assured Oishi with a smile that the girl, still with her head bowed, didn't see. "So you don't need to worry about that".

Sakuno didn't answer and they remained silent for a while, not knowing what to say, until Sakuno suddenly raised her head.

"The doctor doesn't allow me to see him because of what happened, am I right?"

The three boys were surprised. Not only hadn't she stuttered nor had she blushed (more than what she already was), her look was way more firm than what they had seen since she woke up. It looked almost like the glances she used to give them when she knew they were plotting something.

"The doctor thinks seeing him could worsen your state" answered Oishi kindly.

"But I feel better now and I'll know he's coming, so nothing will happen" insisted Sakuno.

"But still…" doubted the vice-captain.

"Please. It's true I don't know why I reacted the way I did and that at the beginning I felt bad when I thought of him, but it's not like that anymore, really."

Tezuka looked at her. He was the one who spend the most time with her, but, still, he couldn't fully understand her. It was true it was like she had went back to her twelve year-old self and Tezuka hadn't really known her then because when he started to spend more time with her Sakuno started to change. She wasn't so shy anymore, nor did she stutter nor blush constantly. The Sakuno they knew before the accident was still as kind and affectionate as the twelve-year-old, but her will and her character had become stronger. Ryuzaki-sensei said it was because of her friendship with the regulars.

But sometimes, just sometimes, when they were alone, Tezuka thought he could see the same spark of decision and confidence her eyes had before the accident. However, Tezuka had never seen her so determinated as she was then. Even though he had never took part in the regular's "investigations" to know whether Sakuno was in love with Ryoma or not, Tezuka was curious. Deep inside, he believed she still loved Ryoma and that was why she had reacted the way she did. Tezuka knew the doctor was against of the regulars seeing Sakuno, especially Ryoma since he had a big role in the accident, but Tezuka –even though he would never admit it- hoped Ryoma would be able to help her. That was why he had supported him when Ryoma wanted to see her. However, after what had happened, Tezuka had obeyed the doctor and had banned him from seeing her.

Tezuka knew Ryoma was feeling guilty. Because of the accident, because of her losing her memories, because of the reaction she had when she saw him. And the captain also knew Ryoma felt somewhat betrayed by Tezuka himself, who hadn't allowed him to see Sakuno again. But the accident, one way or another, had affected them all, and Tezuka was now afraid of not being able to protect her. Tezuka couldn't prevent the accident, he couldn't prevent Sakuno's reaction when she saw Ryoma and the young captain didn't want Sakuno to suffer anymore. In just three years, Sakuno had become one of the most important persons in his life.

But Tezuka also knew that banning Sakuno from seeing ryoma was a selfish desire. He would do whatever he could and even more to protect her and make her happy again, but to achieve that Tezuka had to trust her too.

"Do you want to see him?" asked Tezuka again, looking at her in the eyes.

Sakuno looked back at him, blushing but not backing off. The girl didn't know where that desire that gave her that strength came from, but she wasn't willing to give up. Beyond apologies, fears and insecurities…She wanted to see him again.

"Yes."

Both of them looked at each other in the eyes, not saying anything, until Tezuka stood up and left the room, still not saying anything. Eiji looked surprised while Oiji was, once again, worried. The vice-captain knew where Tezuka was going and didn't really agree, but he had also seen the change in Sakuno and couldn't –nor did he know how- opposite. Sakuno, who also knew where the captain went to, only smiled, though with a trace of sadness.

~That night~

The room's lights were off since Tezuka had left the room so Sakuno could sleep. She didn't know how much time had passed since he had left, but she just couldn't sleep. Sakuno knew the next day was going to be very important for her. Tezuka had gotten permission to take Ryoma to the hospital, and the more she thought about it, alone in her room, the more insecure she felt. She had tried to convey them to tell her something about the boy, but the only thing she got was his name.

Echizen Ryoma.

She knew that name, she was sure about it. Even if she didn't remember it. And the more she thought about him, the more afraid she was to remember. She wanted to see him and didn't want to. She wanted to remember him and didn't want too. Anxiety grew inside of her, but she couldn't back off. She had had a hard time getting permission to see him so she could apologize to him and get to know him so she could tell why she reacted the way she did. She wouldn't give up now, even if that meant remembering things she may have wanted to forget.

She had to see him.

~The next day~

When Fuji stepped in the changing room he immediately knew something was wrong. Oishi looked really nervous and kept exchanging looks with Eiji, who also looked nervous but, strangely for him, hadn't still uttered a word. Both Oishi and Eiji looked over to Tezuka from time to time, but the captain didn't look different at all. Inui seemed to also have realized something, because he was writing non-stop on his notebook, even though he still hadn't finished changing. Kaidoh didn't seem to notice anything and Momo and Ryoma weren't there yet.

Tezuka just continued changing his clothes, ignoring the nervous looks from Eiji and Oishi, and the inquisitive stares from Inui and Fuji. However, once he finished he didn't go to the courts, where most of the team already was, and just stayed in the changing room in silence. That just increased the tension of the other regulars, and even Kaidoh looked at the captain. No one said anything until they heard noise outside the changing room and Momo and Ryoma entered, running.

"This is you fault! Why can't you just wake up in the morning?"

"You didn't have to wait for me! You just wanted to eat breakfast again!"

"Instead of worrying about my breakfast, worry about the laps Tezuka-buchou is going to make us run!" shouted Momo, embarrassed.

They hurriedly changed, unaware of the stares of the other regulars. Tezuka stepped in before Ryoma could manage to answer Momo.

"Echizen."

Ryoma and Momo stopped half naked and turned to look at the captain. Tezuka looked directly at Ryoma's eyes and saw again that spark of sadness that had enlighten them ever since the younger saw Sakuno in the hospital. Tezuka was pretty sure none of the others –except for, maybe, Fuji- noticed it, but he could see it clearly.

Ryoma looked back at the captain, apparently calm. Ryoma had confused feelings for the captain. On one side, he felt betrayed by Tezuka, who had sided with the doctor in order to forbid him to see Sakuno. On the other side, Ryoma knew the captain was doing so to Sakuno's well being and the younger couldn't get angry for that, no matter how much he hated the situation. He still remembered the conversation he had had with Tezuka at the rooftop.

"She may not remember us."

Those words had come true and Ryoma didn't know what to do. He wanted to help her, but he couldn't even see her. And, even if he hated to admit it, he wouldn't have know what to do if he had the chance to see her again. Thank her? Apologize to her?

"Echizen" repeated the captain, "you'll come with me to the hospital after practice."

None of the regulars dared to move or say anything after that, waiting for Ryoma to answer. Tezuka hadn't asked him, but it wasn't as if the younger would refuse.

"Can I see her now?" asked Ryoma.

"The doctor is against it, but Sakuno has asked herself."

"What?!"

"Does she remember him?"

"No" answered Tezuka to the exclamations of the other regulars. "She still doesn't remember anything, but she has realized Ryoma si the only one who hasn't come back and she has figured out why, so she has asked to see him.

Ryoma nodded once without a word and continued to get changed. Momo, seeing his unresponsiveness, was about to say something when he saw the look Fuji gave him and decided to let it go. Tezuka, however, understood Ryoma. The captain knew Ryoma was glad she was better and that she had even asked to see him, but the boy was also afraid. Because the girl was not the same and Ryoma didn't know what to expect. And, what's more, the guilt was still there.

Tezuka also felt guilty, more because of Ryoma than because of Sakuno. The captain wished he could have prevented the accident, but he knew none of them, not even Ryoma, could have. Tezuka knew it had been Sakuno's decision to save Ryoma and he respect it, no matter how much her current situation hurt him. Tezuka had told Ryoma so when he was trying to make the younger react. And he had also told Ryoma that she may not remember them and he ended up being right. The doctor had warned them about possible sequels, but Tezuka hadn't thought much about it then, he had only wished for the girl to wake up. Every thing the captain had told Ryoma had been just to make him react. He hadn't expected to be right.

Practice went on as always, but to Ryoma it seemed the slowest and the fastest practice he had ever had. In the changing room was more silence than what was normal. Most of the club members had noticed the tension of the regulars and kept looking at them from time to time, worried but not saying anything. Momo and Eiji, contrary of what would be normal for them, didn't say anything nor did them try to advise the youngest. When Tezuka and Ryoma were ready and began their way to the hospital, Fuji and Inui joined them, partly because it was their turn to see Sakuno but mostly because they wouldn't have missed it by any means. Tezuka, knowing they would find a way to spy on them even if he banned the from doing so, didn't even try to opposite. Ryoma sent them a look of distaste, but he also kept silent. None of them said anything during their way to the hospital.

Finally, after arriving in front of Sakuno's room, Tezuka stoped and turned to Ryoma

"Wait here."

The young boy nodded, tense, and saw the three regulars entering in the room.

Sakuno waited, anxious, for Tezuka and Ryoma to arrive. She knew they would be there in about half an hour and her anxiety increased. She had tried to amuse herself, but nothing had worked. She had even left her room alone –something she never did, afraid she would encounter another person who would knew her and that she wouldn't remember – so she could go for a walk around the hospital. However, soon enough a nurse saw her and made her return to her room, worried that the girl would be exhausted and ignoring Sakuno's pleas.

Sakuno, however, was relieved that she didn't regret her decision. She still wanted to see him and learn more things about him. Tezuka had only told her that she had pushed Ryoma out of the way to save him and that that was why she had received the car's impact that made her lose her memory. She hadn't been able to find out anything else. Not even Eiji had told her anything about her lost memories and Sakuno knew it was because of Tezuka and the doctor.

Sakuno sighed and tried to make herself comfortable in the bed, but before she could look again at the clock, she heard soft knocks and Tezuka, Inui and Fuji entered. Sakuno's body tensed when she saw them, but she tried to relax when she saw Tezuka looking at her and she hurriedly smiled. Sometimes she felt like Tezuka was always testing her, gauging her reactions. The fact that Fuji and Inui were there as well just increased that feeling. If she passed the test, she would be able to see him. If she failed… It wasn't an option.

Sakuno wanted to prove that she could handle the situation, that she could control her feelings. It was hard not to know who she was nor what relationship she had had with those boys that visited her every day. However, it was even harder to bear the feeling of being disappointing them, especially at the beginning, when she wasn't able to get up and she got tired right away. Sakuno was sure they all would have come together to visit her had the doctor allowed them to do so. There was something in those boys that made her wish to improve, to remember.

To be stronger.

From the look Tezuka gave her when she smiled, Sakuno knew the captain knew exactly what she was doing. For some reason, that only made her smile even wider, a spark of humor enlightening her sweet brown eyes. The three boys approached the bed, Fuji smiling as always and Inui, oddly, without his notebook. Tezuka, at the other side of the bed, sat down on the chair that was already his and took her hand .

"How are you feeling?"

It was the daily routine. The first thing Tezuka always did after entering was sit by her side, take her hand and ask her how she was feeling while looking directly at her eyes. At the beginning, Sakuno had felt as uncomfortable as embarrassed: when all was said and done, Tezuka was one of the most popular boys in their high school (even though just a few girls were brave enough to approach him and all of the other girls were satisfied just by looking at him in the distance). However, no matter how embarrassed she felt, Sakuno couldn't deny she was also grateful. Tezuka made her feel safe and loved, even if she had never seen him smile –or she just couldn't remember it.

And, of course, Sakuno knew it was useless to try to lie to him.

"Nervous, but fine" answered the girl with a soft smile, her previous humor replaced by a mute question in her eyes.

Tezuka squeezed her hand softly before answering.

"Do you still want to see him?" asked the captain still looking her in the eye.

The boy felt her pulse speeding up through her hand. Sakuno, who didn't quite trust her voice, nodded with her head before answering with an almost inaudible but firm voice:

"Yes, I want to see him."

Fuji, who wasn't smiling anymore, and Inui watched the couple with a serious expression but without taking part in the conversation, until the captain raised his head and made a gesture to Fuji, who went to open the door in order to let Ryoma enter. Sakuno, after one last nervous smile to Tezuka, looked over the door to see Ryoma. Tezuka, however, continued to look at her, trying to avoid another crisis. Inui and Fuji, who stepped aside to let Ryoma in, looked alternatively at Tezuka, Sakuno and Ryoma.

When Ryoma finally entered in the room and he and Sakuno were able to see each other, it was like a déjà vu: none of them moved nor said anything. Sakuno clung on the sheet that covered her legs and Tezuka, who was still holding her hand, tensed.

Even though Ryoma had already seen her, he felt again the same felling, the same mix of relief and loss. Sakuno was fine; she had woken up.

But that girl that was looking nervously at him from the bed wasn't his Sakuno.

Tezuka knew he shouldn't interrupt, that they will speak when they were ready. However, and in spite of what he had told the doctor, Tezuka was still afraid about Sakuno, about that delicate girl that clung on his hand as it was the only thing that could protect her. And as every day when he visited her, his heart broke a little bit more. Because Sakuno only had them, and she couldn't even remember it anymore. In spite of her speeded up pulse and the obvious tension, he didn't move nor said anything. While nervous, Sakuno seemed to be all right, there weren't tears in her eyes nor was she hyperventilating.

Sakuno, on her own, wasn't sure whether she was feeling well or not. She still had that weird feeling of knowing him and not knowing him at the same time, the same feeling she had with the other regulars. However, even though her heart seemed to shrink when she saw him, she didn't feel bad, just uncomfortable. Seeing Ryoma was just looking at her without saying anything, she decided to start the conversation in order to ease the tension.

"A-ano…I'm glad you've come. I wa-wanted to a-apologize for my response the o-other day, E-Echizen-san."

Fortunately or unfortunately, Sakuno's courage wasn't enough to speak while looking at him, so she didn't see the pain reflected in Ryoma's eyes. Tezuka, looking at the younger for the first time, thought Ryoma would collapse and run away. Apologizing for something she wasn't guilty about was normal for the Sakuno they all knew, even at sixteen. In spite of having a stronger personality, she still did it. It was part of her kind self.

Echizen-san.

Sakuno had never, ever, called Ryoma by his surname. Not even after he came back to Japan after three years without seeing each other. They had kept in contact by letter and Sakuno had kept calling him Ryoma-kun.

Tezuka, Inui and Fuji felt again the same disappointment. Deep down, they had expected Sakuno to react different before him, especially after the crisis she had when she first saw him. However, she had reacted in the same way: embarrassed, shy. Insecure. Tezuka feared Ryoma wouldn't be able to bear that Sakuno so different, but he was wrong.

Ryoma had clung to the hope that she wanted to see him for something more than just an apology that didn't even had sense for him. He knew he shouldn't have expected something, but he just couldn't help it, and after listening at how she had just called him he felt empty. So, so empty… But the pain had come and Ryoma was tempted to run away and not come back. Tempted to not see that girl that looked how her fingers rolled up in the sheet, waiting for an answer.

But Ryoma knew he just couldn't do that to her. He just couldn't leave her just because she couldn't remember him after saving him. He owed her. That's why he approached her, thanking all the time he had had to practice the same stoic expression Tezuka always had.

"Mada mada dane, Ryuzaki. You're always apologizing about stupid things."

The girl raised her head, surprised, and heart jumped. Tezuka, who was still holding her hand, must have noticed it, but his expression left nothing away. Sakuno looked at Ryoma, a little bit worried, but even though she couldn't read his expression, she thought his voice was warm, so she tried to answer him with a little smile.

An hour later, the four boys got out of the hospital. A nurse had come to see how Sakuno was feeling and, seeing she had a mild fever, she had made them leave her room so the young girl could sleep. However, even without the nurse, the third years knew they couldn't have been there much longer. Even though Sakuno hadn't realized it, Ryoma was growing more uncomfortable each passing second. All of Sakuno's tries to be kind and engage Ryoma in a conversation had only made the boy more aware of all the differences that there were between that girl and the Sakuno he knew. It made him realized all the things he had lost: the complicity, the jokes… Even the arguments. It was as if Ryoma was craving for something that didn't exist anymore and each minute was harder for him to manage, to be there pretending nothing was wrong.

"Echizen, come with me."

Ryoma raised his head to look at him, but Tezuka and the others noticed he was actually lost in his thoughts. Maybe that was why, after looking at Ryoma, Tezuka just turned around and started walking. Ryoma, after a pause, followed him almost automatically.

Ten minutes later, they arrived, along with Fuji and Inui, to the neighborhood courts. Without uttering a word, Tezuka lead Ryoma to a bench, dropped the tennis bag and took out the racket and a tennis ball.

"One set match", said Tezuka looking at Ryoma. "You serve first," added after giving him the ball.

Without waiting for an answer, the captain went to one side of the court and waited for Ryoma to get into position. Fuji and Inui stayed beside the bench and observed Ryoma get out his racket and walk to the other side of the court. He still looked confused, as if he was moving but not really knowing what he was doing.

However, that confusion gradually vanished while they played. During tennis practice, Ryoma always seemed tired, as if he didn't have the strength to go on. He didn't play badly, but it couldn't compare to how he used to play before the accident. However, every shot now was more powerful than the previous one. Neither of them used the Muga no Kyochi. They didn't care about the outcome of the match, they just wanted to let out all the feelings they had locked inside since the accident, especially Ryoma. And the best way to do so was to use those feelings to return every shot.

Finally, after one last smash, Ryoma fell down on his knees, sweating and breathing heavily. Tezuka, although he looked as tired as Ryoma, approached the net. The youngest raised his head and they looked at each other. Tezuka could see calm in Ryoma's eyes that he hadn't been able to see since the accident.

"Are you ready?" asked Tezuka.

He didn't add anything else, but Ryoma understood. He remembered once again the time he had spent with the new Sakuno, the pain and the relief. The loss. But he'll have to endure it. For her. From now on, everything would be harder. They'd have to help Sakuno so she could remember. Ryoma knew it was time to choose. That was what Tezuka had asked him. Now that Ryoma was fully aware of the situation, was he ready to stay by Sakuno's side as long as it was necessary? If he decided he wasn't, Ryoma knew he would never be with her again, not even as a friend, not even if she recovered her memory. It wouldn't have been fair.

But Ryoma wasn't willing to give up on her, let alone leave her. He'll take care of her and he will be whatever she needed him to be. Because he owed her, yes, but above all, because, with or without her memories, she still was Sakuno, and he will do everything to restore her. Anything.

"Yes, I'm ready", answered Ryoma while he stood up and shook Tezuka's hand.

~Four days later~

"But, Tezuka…"

Oishi stopped, unable to find the words. The other regulars were as stunned as the vice-captain and didn't know what to say. They were all in the tennis courts, with the coach. The practice had already ended and Tezuka had asked the regulars –and Kawamura, who had been waiting for them to finish to go and visit Sakuno- to stay for a while. Sakuno was going to be discharged the next day. The doctor had told Tezuka a couple of days ago, but the captain hadn't told anyone about it to prevent them from complaining. Now that everything was settled, Tezuka thought it would be better to tell all of them at once: Tezuka would move to Sakuno's house for a while, living with her and Nanako, Ryoma's cousin. They three alone.

At the beginning, it hadn't been easy to decide it. The doctor opposite to Sakuno living outside her house, but neither Tezuka's nor Ryoma's parents could move to Sakuno's house, not even temporarily. Tezuka's parents worked all day, as well as Ryoma's mother, and the doctor had asked for at least one woman to live with Sakuno and stay with her. Tezuka had volunteered to move to her house in order to help Sakuno and all the adults trusted him, but they couldn't leave him alone with Sakuno all day. So, they had decided that Nanako would live with them to help take care of the girl. Even though Nanako was young, she was older than Tezuka, very responsible and, since she also had holidays at the university, she had plenty of time to take care of Sakuno. Nanako also used to visit Sakuno, so they knew each other and Sakuno felt rather comfortable with her, because she didn't know Ryoma's cousin before the accident and, therefore, Sakuno didn't feel guilty about not remembering her. However, they had also decided that both Tezuka's and Ryoma's parents would visit them from time to time to check out on them.

They had told Sakuno when they had already decided and the girl, though nervous and embarrassed, had accepted. Deep inside, she was glad to be able to stay with Tezuka and Nanako. Both of them made Sakuno feel safe and she had also feared the day she would be discharged from the hospital because, if she didn't have any family left, how was she going to live alone when she couldn't remember anything? She didn't even know where she lived.

"If the doctor has agreed, it must be the best for Sakuno. And we would be able to keep visiting her" said Fuji, who seemed to have recovered from the shock.

At the end, all the regulars agreed, but it wasn't like they could choose…

That's all. How was it? I'm now writting chapter 5. I don't really know how much time I'd need to finish it, but I'll try to come back as soon as possible (if chapter four doesn't need to be re-written...Does that word even exist? Anyway, thank you so much for reading this fanfic! See you soon!