I do not own Prince of Tennis.

Lady Monozuki: Happy New year, everyone! I have been absent because my little sister had surgery. I have been very drained and tired. I wrote out this chapter a while ago, but did not post it. Updates will be slower because I don't have any new material right now and the characters are being stubborn. I hope you have a fantastic holiday! Please review!

The minutes slipped into hours slowly. However, time didn't register in his state of mind. All he could think about was the two heavy situations at hand. Atobe balled his fist. So far, he hadn't heard anything else about Tezuka's condition. He kept waiting for some news, some sliver of hope. He had never felt so powerless. Even though he was one of the richest men in Japan, he could do nothing to save Kunimitsu's life. In fact, he could do nothing to stop anything. His money, his estates, his fame, all of it meant nothing.

They had both done unforgiveable things, but still…still, he wanted Kunimitsu to pull through and be all right. He buried his head in his hands, ignoring Oshitari completely. His former best friend obviously had questions, he wasn't prepared to answer them. However, he knew that once they got word of Kunimitsu's condition, that he would be expected to provide them. Everything in his life felt like it was falling out of place. The walls he had built were gone, leaving only a pile of rubble.

"Atobe-san," an unfamiliar voice said. He looked up to see a weary doctor. Atobe waited for the doctor to continue. "We've finished surgery and placed Tezuka Kunimitsu-san in ICU. His head wound is the most serious as it was hemorrhaging earlier. However, we've managed to stop it. We will be monitoring his condition for the next week or so, depending on how quickly he heals. The factures to his spine will recover well, they weren't as serious as we originally expected. However, we did have to repair some of the damage to his arm and wrist. With extensive physical therapy, he may be able to regain some functionality to it."

Atobe sighed. "May I go see him?"

"Yes, for a few moments. We will keep him under close observation for forty-eight hours. After that, you may visit him any time. We'll inform you of any change."

The doctor led him to the room where Tezuka was at. He stepped inside, not prepared for the sight in front of him. Bandages wrapped around Tezuka's now bald head. Even more covered his former lover's left arm. Atobe frowned. That was Kunimitsu's dominate arm. How would his ex react to the news if he knew? The heir took Kunimitsu's right hand.

"Fight through this," he whispered.

Atobe left.

-Stand-

Fuji jolted awake. He panted heavily, scratching at the invisible hands that held him down. His breath caught in his throat momentarily before breaking out of the memory. He recognized the room. He wasn't at Atobe's mansion anymore. Tezuka wasn't there. Neither was anyone else though. Syuusuke breathed a sigh of relief. Syuusuke closed his eyes again, trying to control his emotions. They coursed through him, invading every open wound without mercy. His heart ached. Why did it have to turn out this way? Was he really so oblivious to the signs beforehand? Or was it just a sudden occurrence that he couldn't have stopped?

A shudder ran through him. He hadn't been able to stop Tezuka. His mind had completely gone blank. Even though he struggled and fought, he wasn't able to do much. Syuusuke fought back tears. Since when was he this weak?

If Gen hadn't been there…

With that one thought, he broke through the darkness weighing him down. Gen had been there. Gen saved him. Syuusuke smiled a little. In the distance, he could hear voices speaking. The one that he recognized clearly was Sanada's. His heart skipped a beat upon hearing the deep voice speak. It brought him comfort. Without realizing it, he had made it to the door to follow the voice. He opened it and walked down the familiar hall.

Syuusuke stopped before entering the living room. The words spoken froze him on the spot.

"You're wrong," Ryoma whispered. "I was just too weak."

His breath caught in his throat. He did not need to hear the rest of the conversation to know what they were discussing. Syuusuke had never seen Ryoma open up like this to anyone aside from himself.

"I tried to fight against the thoughts, the darkness, but I gave in. I let it consume me. I'm beyond hope," Ryoma continued.

"You are not beyond hope," Gen said. "You just lost a reason to fight. You will find a new reason."

Ryoma smiled sadly. "Why can't you see? The reason I fought was because of you guys. I no longer have any of you. I never wanted a different reason."

"Ryoma," Gen whispered. "You will always have us. Whether we're together or not, we're always by your side. Even when you don't think we are. You're convinced that you're in this alone, but you're not. We've been by your side all of this time."

-Stand-

Oshitari stared at his former best friend, waiting patiently for the other to start talking. Atobe had invited him back to his mansion in order to discuss everything that had taken place. It seemed like the topic was extremely difficult to talk about though since the diva kept silent. He knew that the heir was troubled by other matters, but he was promised. When they arrived, he looked around.

"I see you're remodeling," he commented.

"Aa," Atobe replied. "Let's go to the first library."

"Don't we usually chat in the second?"

He did not miss how Atobe flinched. Something had happened there. Oshitari did not press. Well, not yet anyway. He followed the heir to the first library, finding it in similar condition as to how he remembered it. The difference being the amount of books in the room. He took a seat by the fireplace, while Atobe took one across from him.

"Well?" he began. "It looks like you have a lot to tell."

"I don't know where to begin, Oshitari."

"How about why you haven't bothered to keep in contact with me?" he calmly pressed.

He noticed Atobe's face darken. "I found out some disturbing news."

"Disturbing enough not to contact your best friend for over a year?" he asked in a low voice.

"You don't understand, Oshitari."

"You're not exactly helping that by avoiding the question, Atobe."

"Ryoma was raped."

The words settled in his mind. His eyes widened. Oh god, how did their relationship survive? His brain slowly began to fit together the pieces. Why the others weren't at the hospital, Atobe's evasiveness, the remodeling.

"You're no longer together with them," Oshitari breathed. "When did this happen?"

"Not until a few weeks ago."

They had survived over a year? He frowned. Then why break up all of the sudden? There had to be more to the story that the rich diva was not telling him. While he was a patient man, he did not like waiting to hear all of the details. He felt like he was pulling stubborn teeth. It was driving him crazy. Still, he waited patiently for the other man to continue, focusing instead on behaviour. Atobe fidgeted in his chair, looking as though he was thinking about how to phrase the words correctly, but failing to do so.

A servant entered the library, bringing coffee for them to drink. He reached for a cup, adding two sugars and some cream to his. He might as well occupy himself for what promised to be a long session of uncomfortable silence on both of their parts. He wasn't there to judge. He was there to get answers. He felt that he deserved at least some considering he had heard from Atobe in over a year. He sipped his drink, savouring the flavour. Atobe always managed to keep the best beans in stock.

Oshitari looked at the books on the shelf. The library had become more of a study hall from the last time he had been in here. He idly wondered if Atobe had moved the fiction to another section of the mansion. He recognized several of the books had to deal with business and financing. Vaguely, he remembered that both Tezuka and Fuji had pursued similar degrees. Tezuka he had understood, but Fuji had been a complete shock to him. In the distance, he caught sight of books revolving around history. Sanada has pursued being a history teacher if memory served him right.

However, there were no books revolving what Echizen had chosen to pursue. The tennis prodigy had chosen to pursue sociology on top of his tennis career. Well, what was left of his tennis career at any rate. Oshitari knew that Echizen had given up the path of a professional player, playing only occasionally instead of frequently. He never learnt the reason as to why.

Atobe took in a deep breath, drawing in his attention once more. The businessman finally spoke.

"Everything is my fault, Oshitari."

He put down his coffee cup and frowned. That was the one thing that he had not expected the usually arrogant man to say.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked calmly. The heir fell into another bout of silence, grating on his nerves.

"I drove them away," Atobe said, burying his head in his hands. "I hurt them. I made their lives hell, and they still stood by me. But after Ryoma was attacked in America, I just couldn't take it anymore. I—I drove us to the breaking point."

"Atobe!" he snapped. It was obvious the businessman was left with a lot of regret, and now he was getting the end of it. "Start at the beginning, please."

The businessman stared into his eyes with tears on his face. "I don't know where to begin."

He sighed. This was going to be more troublesome than he thought. But at least, he was getting some answers.

"I hurt them, Oshitari. I abused them physically and mentally. My parents weren't happy with my choice, but I loved them. I couldn't break up with them, so I tried to drive them away. I made their lives a living hell just so I could be free of the commitment that I made to them. But they never left me. They did not leave my side. After all the torture I put them through, they stood by me faithfully. There were days where I couldn't do it anymore, and let things return to normal. I wanted to make everyone happy, but couldn't. In the end, someone would get hurt.

"But...But I never wanted them to suffer anymore than what I had put them through. Ryoma went to America to play in a tournament, taking a break from the stress here. He ended up in a situation far worse than any one that I could put him through here. Three bastards raped him, and he told me that he was kidnapped too. I never listened to his story. I heard that he did it intentionally and didn't listen. I shunned him and continued my torment. He tried to kill himself because of everything that I did."

Oshitari stood and slapped his former best friend across the cheek. The businessman hadn't bothered to dodge the blow. In fact, it seemed like he had been expecting it all of this time. Atobe did the most unexpected thing. He laughed.

"You know," Atobe said in a dark tone. "They had every right to hit me, but they never did. They never raised a finger against me. They always used their words to try and get me to stop my abuse, but I never listened. I was never prepared to listen to them either. I was caught up in what everyone else wanted and expected of me that I took everything out on them. But they never fought back. Gen and Kunimitsu had all the defensive training in the world, but they never left my side."

"Where are they now?" he asked, taking his seat again.

"Gen's with Yukimura and Syuusuke's with Ryoma."

"I see. You made a terrible mistake, Atobe."

"I know." The businessman gave a bitter grin. "I built my empire. I put my business first, my family. But now…now that they're gone, I have nothing. Without them, I don't know who I am anymore."

To be continued...