Okay, I give all you guys full rights to kill me. But seriously don't you think you'd rather hear the end first? I have it all planned out from here. the Echizen-Echizen reunion gave me some serious issues (which is why I didn't post for *cough cough* 2 months *cough*) and to be honest I'm not even sure if I'm quite satisfied with it still. If you guys don't like it either, I'll share some alternate ideas I had, but for now, this is what I got. So enjoy the seriously, seriously, late next chapter to....um....whatever this is called, oh yeah, Silent Lies!

soren011: Thanks! I'm glad you're not getting bored!

Zero-onE001: Haha, I know! I do the same thing when I'm watching my brother play tennis. It's so suspenseful that I just can't stand it. Poor tennis balls. They get the worst of everything haha.

Stelra Etnae: I know! I've always had a hard time writing evil things, because I think that even writing something like that must come from some sort of sick twisted mind. DOn't worry, I've already been checked out so I'm good...I think....haha

AkimotoAyumu: Don't worry about it. I totally understand. I have taken two months to update so we're kind of in the same boat. I'm still gald that you take the time to review though :)

.miss: I'm glad! thanks!

cupcakes: Sorry I couldn't incorporate his catchphrase in. I'll try really hard next chapter. Promise. And oh yes, I always end with a cliffhanger hehe ;)

Animealover: Wow, thanks you, I'm so flattered. And i ahevt o say that your review is what really motivated me through my terrible block on the Echizen reunion. The fact that you said "It's been one month" kept ringing in my head every time I tried to put it off so thank you!

(Azumi POV)

I laughed, I cried, I shouted for joy, danced a jig, and let out a "Whoopee!" in the space of a second when I set eyes on Ryoma.

All in my head of course. Which kind of sucked for the rest of my body that was aching to jump for joy. The twitch in my hand returned. I guess that joy was just as hard to fight off as instinct.

My head was spinning. Ideas of how to get him alone and reveal myself were swirling around in my head. Each getting crazier as I kept thinking about the possibilities. I could create a diversion by throwing a dart from my wristwatch at a person across the room and wait for everyone to surround them. I could set off a grenade and throw it across the airport. I could run scream that the ponta truck is out back and run after him when he bolts out the door.

Wow, what great ideas. I am such a genius. Sometimes I didn't know how I did it.

It's not like all those would either give away my identity or contain information that I couldn't possibly know.

I would just have to bide my time.

Crud.

If there was one thing, besides not getting thrown out of Imei high, remaining calm on airplanes, and getting caught that I was not good at, it was waiting.

I tried to tear my gaze away from Ryoma, but my eyes were refusing to cooperate with me.

The rest of the group was pretty much on us now. I turned to get my duffel bag that I had dropped in my attempt to protect Tezuka from his non-existent attacker.

When I turned back to Tezuka, the team had surrounded Tezuka like a pack of wolves. Friendly, fuzzy, warm wolves.

To be honest, I felt a tad bit left out.

He must have been some captain to warrant this kind of reception. I hung back from the crowd, allowing him to get the congratulations that were due him.

Back to being honest about what I was really feeling, I was trying really hard not to cry. I couldn't think of any place where I would be received with any welcome like Tezuka was now receiving.

But as usual, I kept it off of my face. Or at least, I thought I had.

As I gazed forlornly at the love and joy being shared around Tezuka, I made eye contact with the tennis member with a creepy smile and closed eyes. Though as I continued to stare longingly, his eyes, or lids I supposed, came in contact with my gaze.

And to my surprise, he opened his eyes, to reveal the purest, brightest, and most piercing blue that I had ever seen, not even in the D-room with a hundred different shades of blue contacts had I seen such a vivid shade.

The smile disappeared from his face and his expression became one of scrutiny, perplexion even. In that one look, I was almost certain that he could see through my disguise. I had to rally all my defenses to the forefront of my mind so that I didn't shrink beneath his penetrating gaze.

Then, it was gone. His eyes were closed and the smile was back in its rightful place on the front of his face.

It happened so fast that at first, I was at a loss as to how it happened at all. The only confirmation I had, that something had occurred when I had looked at him, was the fact that he had separated himself from the group and began to walk over.

My mind had gone to red alert. I had been trained to recognize threats and I could tell that this boy was nothing but. I hardened my face while setting as close to a real smile as I could on my face.

"Hello, my name is Jukodo Ryuu. I've come back with Tezuka as his trainer." I said amicably as I extended my hand in greeting.

"Nice to meet you Jukodo-san. My name is Fuji Syuusuke. But you can just call me Fuji." He gripped my hand firmly, though I noticed that his hands were unusually soft. Especially for a tennis player's.

"So, you're on the tennis team?" I asked, trying to make friendly conversation. Hopefully the other people on Tezuka's team were more talkative than he was. Judging from the hyperactive redhead, I was sure that Tezuka hadn't influenced them too much.

"Sah. I am. Do you play tennis?"

"No, though I wouldn't mind learning. I've been a little busy with medical school."

He nodded his head thoughtfully.

"I thought you looked a little young to be doctor. If you don't mind my asking, how old are you?"

"17." I answered. "My parents were a little intense about school." I added sheepishly.

He leaned in closer and opened his eyes again. The intensity of his stare was amplified by the seriousness that was fused with his voice.

"So, how is Tezuka?"

I could tell he meant business. Behind the stern expression that he now donned, I could see the concern that had brought it on. I decided to answer him truthfully. He must have been one of Tezuka's closer friends. It did not bring joy to my heart though, talking about it made it seem so much more real, and much more dangerous.

I looked him full on just so that he could understand the gravity of what I had to say and also that I was not leaving out any important details.

"His elbow is fine. He is merely suffering from bursitis. The good news is that it is fixable."

"The bad news?"

I sighed. "It may take 6-8 weeks and he cannot play tennis for at least 10. I have to be here during that whole period to run periodical tests and also keep him from overexerting himself." I smiled a little to myself at my, so far futile, attempts at stopping him from doing anything. "That second part is proving to be much harder than I had anticipated."

Fuji closed his eyes and chuckled a soft, feminine kind of chuckle.

"That does sound like our Tezuka." He said with that soft smile on his face again.

Just as quickly though it dropped and I felt like I was being interrogated again.

"But, doctor, I feel as though you're leaving something out."

Man, was everyone, on this tennis team so dang perceptive!?!?!

Gritting my teeth, and with a forced pleasant manner, I answered him, "How perceptive of you Fuji. There…is…something else."

My anger melted as I tried to break the news lightly to Fuji who obviously had a very strong concern for his friend Tezuka.

"We have some inconclusive x-rays of cancer. That is why we have been transported out here. The facility we were at was full of cowards." I stated firmly, steel glinting in my eyes. "So, in case…in case something…goes not as planned. It doesn't fall on their filthy, trembling hands." I finished in a heated whisper, spitting out the last few words.

My passion surprised me. I had only known Tezuka for 3 days and I already was outraged at any injustice to him. Something about him kept getting to me…

Then I realized that Fuji was still staring at me intently. Uncomfortable at both my composure and also what I had just said, I brushed past him with my duffel to stand next to Tezuka.

The excitement still had not died down much around him, though it was less Tezuka centered now, and just random pandemonium.

"Momo! Kaidoh! 10 laps around the airport."

Two of the taller members, one with a distinctive green bandanna and the one with spiky hair and purple eyes, stopped mid-punch to turn to the captain.

"Hai, buchou." They responded in unison and then they ran off to….run 10 laps I guessed…

Wow, he just told them to run laps? In public? And they actually did it? Now I understood a little better why he was always so concerned about them. He was practically the father of this bunch of rowdy teenagers. They responded to him without question and he loved them with reckless abandon.

The bitterness in my heart welled up a little bit more.

It was still a little weird that they were running 10 laps around the airport though. They must be seriously intense about tennis. No wonder Ryoma respected this man so much. He'd have to enough for the two of us anyways, because I sure wasn't going to.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Fuji slowly walking back, the mask back on his face.

Tezuka seemed to have control over the situation now. I could tell that even Ryoma was listening now, though he still had that bored expression on his face.

Pointing to me he announced, "This is Jukodo Ryuu. He will be staying as an extension of the German therapy center I was transferred from. I am sure that you will all be cordial to him, while he is staying with us."

I felt 6 pairs of eyes staring intently at me. It was a bit unnerving. But I didn't have time to notice.

I was pulled into a tight bear hug, very much against my will, and very much tighter than I liked.

This was because I was once again glomped by Eiji. Intentionally I assumed this time.

Dang he was fast. Had it not been for my training, I would have not have had time to even blink before he was on me.

I stiffened instinctively, but allowed him to hug me tight enough to crush my ribs while he kept up a steady stream of greetings.

"Hoi, hoi! My name is Eiji Kikumaru! I'm so glad to meet you Juko-chan! You can call me Eiji." He stepped back but still had his hands on my shoulders as he bent his legs so that we were at eye level. "Have you been taking care of Tezuka for us? How is he? We've been so worried!"

My face was blank, as was my mind. I just couldn't keep up with his rapid train of thought, which I was sure, must have been directly attached to his mouth.

And, did he just call me Juko-chan?

I slowly wrapped my arms around his back and patted him a little, trying to tell him that the hug was very, very, very over. I didn't think that it was working all that well. I needed to get out of his tight grip. It made me very uncomfortable to have him this close. I mean, I had my chest wrapped, but what if he felt the wraps under my clothes. If I could hear my ribs snapping, then he was most certainly close enough to feel things that I wished to remain secret.

I saved by the tennis member with what looked like a swim cap on his head and two strange tendrils hanging down in front. He must have noticed my face turning blue because he was frantically waving his arms and talking just as quickly as Eiji. Though whether it was to Eiji, himself, or me I couldn't quite tell.

"Eiji! He can't breath. What will happen if he is hurt? He's Tezuka's only hope! We'll never make it to high school level nationals. What will this do to the team? We'll have no captain. Morale will drop! And then we'll all separate and never talk to each other again!" His arms' moved more and more agitatedly as he (for lack of a better way to say it) spazzed out towards the end of his self-induced seizure. For a grand finale, he fainted in a pool of twitching nerves and sweat from worry.

So much for my savior.

I guessed I was on my own.

Trying to interrupt Eiji's endless stream of greetings with much, much, too much enthusiasm, I cleared my throat and tried to emulate Tezuka for a few moments.

"Eiji."

He stopped talking to me, probably anticipating an enthusiastic return of his greetings, which would blossom into a beautiful friendship.

I didn't need to tell you that he was wrong.

"Get. Off. Me." I said stiffly.

I was a little worried that he would be hurt by the frankness of my statement. I wanted to start out on the right foot with the people who could, very possibly, be Ryoma's only friends.

He jumped back with a big smile and gave me a victory sign, before noticing Oishi, still twitching on the ground.

"Oishi! Oishi! Speak to me!" He shouted, as he frantically tried to resuscitate his teammate.

I was pretty sure that I had worried needlessly. It looked as though I would need a jackhammer to get anything, much less insults into Eiji's head.

Tezuka and the rest of the team members stood around the ensuing chaos, acting as though nothing was awry, which was…concerning to say the least. Was this…normal?

A glance at my brother whose non-chalant attitude was at its most extreme at the moment, told me…yes, yes this was very normal.

And I thought that I had had problems with my team.

Tezuka proceeded with the introductions.

"This is Kawamura Takashi. He was a regular on our team in middle school at Seigaku."

"Hoi! Tezuka!" Eiji whined. Apparently he was done waking up Oishi. Not that anyone could have slept through Eiji's frantic screamings for long. "You left out everything!"

He gleefully, bounced (yes, bounced) over to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

Dang it. My plastered smile returned to its usual place. I thought I had just gotten rid of him.

Harumph.

My arms crossed. The only outward sign of my frustration, unless you counted the smile on my face that shone with fakeness.

I could already tell that Eiji would be my undoing. For one thing, he kept touching me. For another, I didn't imagine him to be much of a secret keeper, so if he did accidentally figure something out, he wouldn't have the common sense to keep it to himself.

While I was considering all this, Eiji kept talking, I was guessing about Kawamura, as he hung off my shoulder.

"He used to be on the tennis team, but now he works at his dad's nationally famous one and only KAWAMURA SUSHI! In fact, we're going to take Tezuka there right now. You should come!" He stopped to take a breath and then whispered in my ear. "But don't eat any of Fuji's, it's got wasabi in it."

I looked at Fuji to see his usual half-crescent eyes and mouth, both smiling whimsically at me. He looked innocent enough. And that was what worried me.

"That's Fuji nya! He's our resident tensai." Eiji went on with the introductions, and then leaned into my ear again, "But he can be really scary sometimes."

I looked at Fuji again. This time his smile seemed to emanate a sort of creepy aura that screamed dangerous. Definitely going to have to watch out for him.

I didn't have much time to dwell on it however, as Eiji's extremely short attention span had him continuing the introductions, whether I was paying attention or not.

"And this is Inui Sadaharu! He's our data tennis player." Once again, Eiji ended the introduction by leaning in to whisper in my ear. "He knows everything."

Sure enough, even as Eiji was talking, I had already noticed that Inui had been scrawling furiously in his notebook. Well, I supposed that I was a new person, so he was going to have to take my height, weight, name…gender. This could get messy too. So far out of the three teammates I've met, all of them reeked of danger. If Inui kept too close an eye on me and was as nerdy (I mean smart, really I do…sort of) as he looked then he could figure it out in a heartbeat. This could be bad.

Tezuka, who looked a little perturbed at Eiji's whispered commentaries to me, tried to take over the introductions.

"This is Oishi Shuic –"

"This is my best pal Oishi! We've been partners, since…" Eiji pulled his arm away from my shoulders to count on his fingers as he looked perplexedly up at the sky.

Well, it was a valiant effort on Tezuka's part but it seemed that Eiji was just as dense as I had imagined him to be. He had just reached his 10th finger and looked at them, confused, as though he didn't know what to do now that he had run out.

After rapidly looking from one hand to another for quite some time, he put his hands down and beamed at me, "A really long time!"

The fake smile on my face cracked as I tried to control the urge to twitch in my left eye.

I looked over at Tezuka, expecting him to be having similar problems, and then I remembered that I was talking about Tezuka, who had the emotions of a brick wall. Though, it wasn't as though he wasn't perceptive. That much I could tell from our plane ride. But he wasn't exactly a big warm fuzzy teddy bear of mushy-gushy feelings either. Heck, I couldn't even imagine him smiling.

So I was very much surprised to see a hint of amusement in his eyes, though his facial expression had not changed from its normal look of infuriating superiority.

I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to Eiji, who was gone.

The two members that Tezuka had sentenced to laps were speeding towards us without taking their eyes off of each other. As they came closer to the group I expected them to slow down but if anything, they sped up, and then I realized why their stares were so intense. They were racing. And we were all about to get run over.

Eiji, obviously anticipating the fact hat we were about to get trampled had jumped right in front of them to stop them. Or at least that's what I thought he went over there to do. My mind changed when his demeanor changed to greet them with open arms and a ridiculous looking smile.

"Hoi, hoi! And who will win? The viper, or Mom–"

And then they knocked him over.

Did I already mention that he was dense? And I mean like really, really dense. To think he was egging them on….right while he was standing right in front of them.

Tezuka's and my eye slightly twitched in unison. Hmm, maybe he did show some outward signs, if only frustration.

Unphased, he proceeded with the introductions as Eiji lay sprawled on the floor.

Actually the only time he had looked concerned was when Eiji was getting on his nerves. Apparently members falling on the ground and going unconscious was a common occurrence.

That worried me a bit.

"This is Momoshiro Takeshi, and Kaidoh Kaoru. Both are second years at Oshiro high."

Momoshiro flashed me a smile, "Nice to meet you Jukodo-san!" He then eyed my bag. "You wouldn't happen to have any food in there, would you?" He said as he crept over to me to loom over my backpack.

I was about to move away, as the contents of the bag would most definitely expose me when Kaidoh pushed him away from the bag.

"Baka! Don't look in his stuff, you immature idiot!"

"Say that to my face mamushi!"

"That was your face, though with a face like yours it's pretty hard to tell fssshhhh!"

I rolled my eyes as yet another argument ensued for about 5 minutes before Tezuka shot them a look that made them both quiet down and look at him sullenly like scolded children.

I smiled a little to myself, he really was like a father to them.

"And this, is Echizen Ryoma. He is a freshman on the Oshiro high team."

Ryoma gave me a bored glance, not even bothering to give me a once-over and tipped his cap a bit as though he was acknowledging the fact that I existed and I should be grateful to even get that much recognition from him.

My initial joy at finally seeing him again clashed with my irritation at the look he was giving me. That was NOT an okay look to give to your big brother–erm sister. It was time for some sibling pounding time. But on the plus side, he didn't recognize me. Actually the triumph of him not recognizing me also clashed with the sadness that my own brother did not know me well enough to recognize me in this disguise. Even Tezuka had seen through it in his subconscious. What could I say, I was just a big pot of confused emotions.

I gave him a half-smile in acknowledgement, being careful to keep my gaze even.

I don't think he even noticed. His arrogant little face was stuck in a Ponta.

He was going to die.

Interrupting me from my reverie of all the terrible things that I was going to bring on Ryoma, was Kawamura who seemed to be blazing a path to the airport exit. He was shouting something overly loudly in English that….made absolutely no sense at all.

The other regulars were following him from a distance, except Momo and Kaidoh who from the looks of it, racing again. Eiji suddenly sprung up from his comatose position on the floor as though nothing had happened while his longtime partner Oishi chased him with a roll of bandages.

My look of dumb-foundedness must have been very apparent as Ryoma looked at me apathetically and said, "Mada, mada dane Jukodo-senpai." And then trailed away slowly after the other members.

Oh, he was definitely going to die.

Kawamura sushi was sooooooooooo good. Or maybe it was just because I hadn't had real Japanese sushi in such a long time. Regardless, I was slowly chewing on a shrimp sushi, savoring the taste of real sushi rice and properly prepared seaweed completely ignoring the chaos that was ensuing behind me.

Okay that was a lie. A really big lie. Though the sushi was transporting me to a place so wonderful I wasn't even sure that I wouldn't give Ryoma away right now for just another piece, my ears were pricked to what was happening to said brother behind me.

I was sitting on a barstool between Tezuka and Fuji. I had tried to avoid sitting next to the tensai but he had somehow just edged closer the whole night until he had trapped me between himself and Tezuka. So I just participated in the night's festivities by ingesting most of the sushi that Tezuka and I were supposed to share. I would have stolen from Fuji, but I had remembered Eiji's whispered warnings about wasabi and contented myself with swiping more from Tezuka.

And as I pretended to gorge myself, okay so I did gorge myself, but most people, while they're doing it, aren't very aware like I was, I watched Fuji out of the corner of my eye. His sushi remained untouched the whole of dinner, and it wasn't for lack of wasabi. I could see the nasty green mush sticking up way past the top of the sushi roll. His eyes were simply open as he unabashedly observed me.

I kept a close watch on him, and his eyes never left me even as we walked out of Kawamura sushi.

The tennis team seemed in a jovial mood, even Tezuka and Ryoma who had the smallest hint of a smile playing on his lips.

I turned to them and announced, "I need to take Tezuka to the hospital," to the tennis regulars, adding "you're welcome to join us if you want." In the hopes that Ryoma would decide to join us and I could corner him. I was getting pretty impatient about meeting him as me, not a rogue agent, not a team leader, and definitely not a poser therapist named Jukodo Ryuu, me.

Tezuka threw me a disapproving glance. I could kind of tell his facial expressions enough to figure out what he was trying to say. I supposed that he didn't want to show them any weakness. Well, he was just going to have to deal with it, because I was pretty sure that he did not want to deal with me, if I was denied. Not that he knew how troublesome that I could be…yet.

Unfortunately for me, everyone, including Fuji who was making me more and more uneasy, by the moment, was interested in going. Well, everyone but Ryoma, but I didn't need to worry about that because the one called Momo was dragging him along anyways.

I smiled knowingly. Oh, I would get him alone. And it would not be a pretty sight for that cocky little brother of mine hehehehe.

At the hospital, I was running up a whirlwind around the regulars and the doctors as Tezuka sat calmly and ever stoically on the bed. I had to find out whether or not the tumor was, well, a tumor. I was fairly certain it was, but I decided to run tests just to be sure. Strange anomalies have occurred where x-rays only show abnormalities that were unharmful and yet very odd and rare. I was holding out hope that it was just an abnormal growth from birth…or something.

As I ran around, the regulars, who just couldn't seem to hold still, first messed with each other, made a few of the nurses faint, and then slowly dispersed. Momo, Kaidoh, and Kawamura were the first to leave. The first two, were actually kicked out, mainly due to the fact that they were arguing so loudly that they had awakened a man out of his 10-year coma. Kawamura, wanting to avoid trouble had left shortly afterwards, followed by the rest of the tennis team in a slow trickle.

Finally, only Fuji, Oishi, and Ryoma were the only ones left. Fuji was watching Tezuka with obvious concern as he also watched me warily out of the corner of his eye. Ryoma, was surprisingly still at the hospital. Not quite as surprisingly, he was fast asleep in one of the chairs in Tezuka's room, an empty ponta decorating the side table. The soft warm glow of the lamp fell on him, it would have been a perfect picture…had drool not been making it's way down his chin to his shirt and the fact that he was an annoying, cocky freshman.

I looked at the clock, which read 11:43.

Ryoma should probably get home. I didn't want his, or my parents or our parents I guess, to worry about him. I walked over to the spot where he lay, not thinking about the watchful eyes of Fuji processing my look of tenderness towards Ryoma. I shook him lightly and led a half conscious Ryoma out of the room.

We made it to the elevator, Ryoma leaning heavily on me, as I didn't think he was one of those cheery people when it came to waking up. Ryoma blinked his eyes a couple of times and it looked like he was starting to figure out where he was. He looked down at me through half-lidded eyes, sleepily like he wasn't quite all there yet.

"One-san?" he murmured.

Pause.

Awkward pause.

Awkwarder pause.

My normally cat-like reflexes froze up as my body refused to move at the speed that my mind was going. Needless to say, Ryoma and I, frozen in front of the elevator doors, were attracting quite a crowd of spectators.

Suddenly, my mind snapped back into the moment and I hurriedly pushed Ryoma into the elevator and flashed the gathering crowd my most brilliant, innocent, I-am-definitely-not-up-to-anything smile at the people who continued to gawk at us and waved as the elevator door shut us off from them.

Ryoma, seemed not have had the same time snap that I had just experienced and was still frozen in shock. Apparently, my turning up was a bigger surprise than I had bargained for.

"Ryoma?" I said firmly, trying to bring him back to reality, "it's me. Azumi."

"Az-az-az-azu-a-a-azu," he stuttered while still being stuck frozen in shock.

Being the annoyed, extremely impatient older sister that I was, I pulled back my arm to help him snap out of it with a well-deserved slap to the face. However, as I drew my hand to strike him, the elevator doors opened revealing a rather harried looking doctor. Of course someone WOULD interrupt. Extremely irritated, I slowly turned to face him, hoping the sheer fury that was exuding out of my eyes would burn him to a cinder on the ground.

Unfortunately, this didn't happen. However, he managed to get the hint and after shrinking to the smallest height he could manage, he shrunk out of the elevator as I smiled my other most brilliant smile, the one that was much less fake and expressed, a nod that the recipient had just been spared a painful and awful death. Once again, the elevator door closed as his shocked face slowly disappeared behind the thick metal doors.

Turning back to Ryoma, I noticed to my great annoyance that he was indeed still frozen, stuttering my name, or at least the first two syllables of it. I don't think that he had quite gotten past that point yet.

I brought my hand forward, to give him a resounding slap on the cheek.

He was frozen for a moment and then shook himself a bit.

"One-san?" he looked at me questioningly.

"Yeah…" I murmured kind of sheepishly. I was a bit ashamed to be caught cross-dressing by my little brother. Plus he didn't exactly know the details in my line of work. Now that I thought about it, this situation just didn't look good from any angle that Ryoma could look at it from.

Looking back up at Ryoma, I saw him looking at me amusedly.

"I didn't know you were that type of person One-san." He remarked as he chuckled a bit from under his cap.

?!?!?!

This was most definitely not the reunion reaction that I had anticipated. More joyous hugs and tears and less of the skepticism and noticing of my cross-dressing.

"Are you doing this to get closer to buchou? You know, he doesn't like that type of thing. In fact, I'm pretty sure he doesn't like any type of thing, except of course tennis."

!?!?!

Man, did he not have this right. And if I wasn't so appalled at what he was accusing me of, I might have had the strength to actually stop making gawking and telling him so.

"Well, whatever you think One-san. I didn't think that he would be your type either…"

Time snap.

"I DO NOT LIKE TEZUKA-SAN! AND FURTHER MORE I AM ONLY CROSS-DRESSING TO KEEP MY NECK!"

Expectedly, he just shrugged as though he didn't really care.

"Ryoma, really you have to listen to me. You can't tell Obaa-san and Okaa-san that I'm here. There's a reason for all of this, I promise."

The elevator doors true to form opened once again, this time revealing Fuji.

Drat. I hadn't been paying attention to what level the elevator was on. I guess that Fuji had decided to leave in the time that it had taken for Ryoma and I to traverse to the floor of the now frightened doctor and back to the intensive care unit.

The answer to why we were still in the elevator, me with a rather exasperated expression and Ryoma an amused smirk, was beyond me.

Fuji's smile slowly dropped from his face as he took in the situation. His eyes snapped open. After a few very uncomfortable moments staring, his normal cheery façade appeared once again on his face, though there was a menacing glint in that eerily present smile.

He stepped into the elevator, calmly, but with an icy air that made me want to bolt. But then again, a lot of things made me want to do that. When I was on the run from a rather formidable enemy (i.e. the most precise and lethal team of assassins who happened to know everything about me), I tended to be a bit skittish.

"Jukodo-san, Echizen," he said cheerily.

Then, quite suddenly, his eyes sprung open and he stepped unabashedly, menacingly forward.

"What are you two doing still on the elevator?"

Questions? Comments? Complaints? Leave them here, it's the only way this is going to get fixed!