Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis. And I disclaim it until the end of this fic.

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Chapter 2.1: The Accident

There, the proud RikkaiDai regulars stood in front of their most precious ace, can't even do a single thing to stop their kouhai from coming into the darkness.

"A-Akaya," Marui stammered.
"Get out." He replied softly. So soft everybody could barely hear.
"Akaya, we're just worried." His buchou said, probably the only one who heard the faint reply.
"I said get out!" Who even told you to enter my house huuuuhhh?!?!" This time, Akaya shouted to Yukimura's face. Yukimura, on the other hand, decided to hold his anger back to the younger teen.
"Very well then. Let's go everyone. It seems that it's against the law to worry." Yukimura said with his voice stern.
"Yukimura..." Yagyuu and Sanada said simultaneously as a protest and got a glare as a response.
The team then had no choice but to follow.

As they were going down the stairs, they heard the doorknob of the front door turn. Niou walked to the door and attempted to open it. But before he could do so, it suddenly opened on its own and he met the eyes of Akaya's mother.

"Ah. Aren't you Niou-kun?" she asked.
"Uhh...Yes, I am, Kirihara-san. Please enter." he replied respectfully much to the others' surprise.
"By the way, Yukimura-kun," Akaya's mother started glancing at Yukimura and the others on the stairway. "What made you all come here?" she asked with a smile.
"We're just visiting Akaya 'cause I think his reason for being absent for a week now is more than just being sick." Yanagi answered on behalf of the team.
"Well, he is sick. But he also have some sort of...problems." She replied. For the first time in RikkaiDai history, Yanagi's calculation was only partially correct.
"What is the problem with him then?" Sanada joined in.
"How about we talk about it?" I really believe that you could help him," she replied as she pointed on the couch. "You see, Akaya's been acting like that because of an accident a couple of months ago and—"
"Accident? You mean the one that kept him in the hospital for a couple of weeks?" Marui asked. "Ah. Sorry, Kirihara-san. Please continue.
"Yes. That accident. I can still remember it like it all happened yesterday. I really feel guilty for not being there with him; by him when he was like...that. Lonely, hurt, and sick." His mother said with an obvious hint of sadness in her voice.

~FLASHBACK~

It was a very peaceful Monday morning and Akaya was so excited for school that day. He woke up earlier than usual, cooked his family's breakfast, and fed his kittens he found on the streets weeks ago.

"Bye Akaya! Take care!" Akaya's mother waved goodbye to her beloved son. And Akaya responded his mother with an ear to ear smile and an all-too-energetic wave.

As Akaya walked to the bus stop, he passed by a violently moving box that seemed to be possessed by something...evil. Curiosity attacked him and decided to take a look in the suspicious box.

He peeped inside and shut his eyes and got ready for anything that could attack him but instead,

"Meow" was all he heard. He immediately opened his eyes and found a black kitten struggling to get out of the moving box.

"Aww. How cute you are neko-chan!"
"Meow"
"You hungry? I have a toast right here." Akaya said as he waved his burnt toast to the black kitten.
"Meow. Meow. Meow." The kitten replied with eyes full of anticipation in snatching the toast away from Akaya's hands.
"Here. Catch!" He said merrily and threw the toast to the side for the kitten to catch. But instead of reaching only the nearer part of the street, the toast was thrown too far and reached the main street.

The kitten chased the toast in the middle of the street and stayed right there, joyfully nibbling the toast.

Unknown to all of the people around, including Akaya and the kitten, a gigantic vehicle with poor brakes was speeding down the wide street. But Akaya got careless again and didn't look at his left nor right before crossing the street and followed the kitten there.

"Neko-chan!" he called out to the kitten and waved energetically. "There you are! Enjoying the toast huh?" he asked as he caressed the kitten's head.
"Meow"

The gigantic vehicle got closer and closer and released a low, long sound that seemed to be its horn.

"Watch out, shounen!" A man from a nearby restaurant shouted to Akaya. But before Akaya could even react...

The loud sounds of crashing metal, shrieking brakes, and shocked screams of people can be heard clearly in the place. And the next thing the shocked bystanders know, the loud siren of the ambulance passed through their ears and faded once it left.

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After an hour of cleaning the bloody body and operating it, the doctors and nurses were thankful for the survival of the poor boy.

The doctor who is in charged of Akaya exited his patient's room and talked to Akaya's assigned nurse from Tokyo.

"Fuji-san, do you perhaps know our latest patient?" Doctor Umeda asked.
"Hmm. What makes you think that I do, Umeda-san?" the nurse asked as a form of answer to the doctor's question.
"Well, I heard that your brothers belong to tennis clubs in Tokyo. And from the bag the boy is carrying and from his uniform, I can tell he's from Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku Tennis Club," Doctor Umeda finally wore a smile. "And I doubt that your brothers don't know him, or rather, have not faced him on the courts."
"Oh. Is that so? I haven't seen him even though I'm his nurse. But maybe I do know him. My brother Syusuke and his team faced Rikkai once during the Kanto finals last week." She replied proudly with a smile that resembles her sadistic brother's.
"Then maybe you should enter his room now." The doctor suggested.
"Great idea."

As Fuji Yumiko, Akaya's assigned nurse entered his room, She found him near the window staring outside on a wheelchair. She came closer until she was able to see his face.

"Good morn—" Yumiko greeted cheerfully but was cut off when she saw an all-too-familiar facade sitting beside the window.
"Is there a problem, Fuji-san?" Doctor Umeda asked, suddenly popping out of nowhere.
"K-Kirihara?!" Yumiko exclaimed.
"Is that his name then?"
"Yes. If I'm not mistaken, his name is Kirihara Akaya. He was my brother Syusuke's opponent during the finals"
"Oh? That's good then. Now that we know his name, we could contact his parents."
"Y-Yeah."

Doctor Umeda went to his office and picked up the thick Kanagawa phone book and searched for one family name: Kirihara.

"Uhh...Kirihara...Kirihara...Kirihara..." he muttered while searching for the name Kirihara on a phone book page, pointing at various names with his index finger.
"Kirihara...Kirihara...Kiri-ah! There it is!" he exclaimed. He then dialed the phone number of the Kirihara residence and waited for someone to pick up the call.

*ring ring*
*ring ring*
*ring ring*
*ring ring*
*ring ring*

'The Kirihara family is currently unavailable. Please leave your message after the beep.' was all he got as a reply from the other end of the line.
"Good morning, Kirihara-san. This is Umeda Junichi from Kanagawa Medical Hospital. I would like to inform you that your son, Kirihara Akaya has currently been confined here for he got in an accident earlier this morning," he continued. "Please call me back if you got this message."

He tried to dial the same number multiple times but only got one reply all over again.

Meanwhile in Akaya's Hospital Room...

"Uhmm...Kirihara-kun?" Yumiko called out Akaya's name but got no reply.
"Kirihara-kun, would you like to eat?" She asked.

"Ah! Then would you like to go around the hospital?"

"Huh? Hello? Can you hear me?" She asked Akaya as she waved her hand in front of his face.

Just then, doctor Umeda entered Akaya's room to inform Yumiko about his previous call to the Kirihara residence.

"It seems that his family is out today."
"Maybe his parents are working?"
"Yes, maybe. We can call again later."
"Yes, that's right," Yumiko replied. "Umeda-san?"
"Yes?"
"Would you care to explain why he is somewhat...paralyzed?"
"Hmm. Yes, he is. His head had the greatest impact on the truck's bumper and his nervous veins got damged. And, he is still recovering from shock."
"Fortunately he'll regain consciousness between seventy two hours to one week. If he doesn't return to his normal self within that time, we may have a problem." Umeda finished.
"Is there anything I could to make his recovery faster?"
"For now, he sses nothing but darkness like eyes closed. So, it would help if you could make him see more sunlight," he suggested. "Walk him around the hospital park from time to time. That may help."
"Then I'll start later after he ate his lunch!" Yumiko said happily and determined.

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"Akaya-kun! It's time to eat your lunch!" Yumiko said as she entered Akaya's room.
"..." Akaya was still there beside the window, motionless.

Yumiko pushed Akaya's wheelchair beside his bed and presented him the tray full of food.
"Since you're completely unaware of your surroundings, I will feed you!" Yumiko exclaimed.

After a couple of hours of Yumiko's struggle to make Akaya open his mouth and feed him, she took him outside of his room, outside the building, an into the hospital's park.

Yumiko always talked to Akaya even though she knows that the other won't reply.

"Akaya-kun? Do you want to hear a story?"

"There was once a girl who has no friends for her schoolmates and classmates refer to her as a world-class klutz," Yumiko continued. "What they don't know is that she suffers from a serious disease that could kill her anytime soon."
"And you know what she did?" Yumiko asked rhetorically. "She confronted her classmates and talked about their 'problem', which only made them laugh at her more," Yumiko showed a sad face and said, "Not long after, she was hospitalized for her disease got worse. It was the only time her classmates felt guilt. Before they could even apologize to her, she died. It's sad, isn't it?"
This time, Akaya answered with a nod, which left Yumiko to be surprised.
"Eh? Akaya? Can you hear me?" Yumiko asked, desperate for another answer from the other. But Akaya didn't respond. He was asleep.

Yumiko and Akaya returned to the hospital building and into his room. And then Akaya's doctor, Doctor Umeda arrived.

"Oh, you're back already. Please help me settle Akaya down so I can take blood samples from him." Doctor Umeda asked Yumiko.
"Hai!" Yumiko replied.

Yumiko prepared the tools needed for the process while Doctor Umeda prepare Akaya.

"Okay, Akaya. This won't hurt." Umeda told Akaya.
And one again, Akaya nodded,

"Well, it seems like you love to go around the hospital park, huh? Slowly, you're recovering," He said while getting Akaya's blood. "Fuji-san, it looks like you're doing well with him."
"Huh? Oh, yes. Thank you." Yumiko answered with a small smile.

Doctor Umeda and Yumiko didn't have any trouble in getting Akaya's blood samples. And by the time they got the result, it was time for Akaya's dinner and sleep right after.

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Wake up in the morning, eat breakfast, call Akaya's family, take a walk, eat lunch, drink medicine, call Akaya's family, take a walk, take medical tests, eat dinner, call Akaya's family, and then sleep.

This has been doctor Umeda, Akaya, and Yumiko's routine for five days straight. Other nurses and doctors wondered why they're not getting tired of it. But, Yumiko just answer them with a shrug for she also don't know why she can't find her tasks tiring.

In the middle of the night, Akaya was already sleeping. A certain visitor of his arrived from Paris...