Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.

Lady Monozuki: Finally, an update! I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It was especially difficult to write. Thank you for being patient with me!

Chapter Five: Another's Help

Ryoma felt himself weakening at Gen's words. Deep down, he knew that the other person was right. He had buried himself in anger and hate, but it was not directed at the other person. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't do so. The only person he really hated was himself. He had let himself fall so far. He was out of reach. He didn't deserve to get out of the pit which he spent his days and nights in.

"I—I am alone. I've been alone all of this time," Ryoma whispered. He stood up. Being around Gen was suffocating. He wanted to go hide in his bedroom, but he had put Syuusuke in there. He still headed toward the hall, but stopped in his tracks when he caught site of the person who was supposed to be sleeping. He couldn't breathe. His head spun and he swayed. The apartment didn't have enough air. He quickly changed directions and headed out of the door, not bothering to exchange his slippers for shoes.

He opened the door and closed it. The rays of sun touched skin, warming him instantly. He took in several deep breathes, trying to calm himself down. This wasn't how he had envisioned things going. Then again, he hadn't counted on living past this point. He walked away from the apartment. What was he going to do?

Why do they care now?

-Stand-

Silence settled in the room. Oshitari stared at the broken man before him. He didn't know what to say in this sort of situation. There wasn't much that he could do. It was a lot to take in. Everything that had happened in the past was just that, the past. It was not the future. There would be hell to go through before they could work on any future. From what he observed, they all had to let go of the past. It was easier said than done.

And he certainly couldn't make anyone let go of the hurt and anguish that had taken place. But why did it take Tezuka landing n the hospital for it to come to this point? Why didn't they ask for help before then? He sighed. Really though, he shouldn't be surprised. There was only one thing he could do in this situation.

"What do you need from me, Atobe?" Oshitari asked, breaking the silence.

"I don't know if there is anything that you can do," Atobe whispered. "I've destroyed everything."

"Do you still love them?" he asked.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"If you still love them, then that has everything to do with now. You have to make your choice. You're either going to fight for them or you walk away. But you have to decide what you want to do. It's going to be tough, but you have to come to that point where you want them bad to start again."

"But everything's changed so much. How can we ever go back to the way things once were?"

"You can't ever get back what you once had. You can only build a new, better relationship," Oshitari answered.

He let his words sink in the rich man's mind. There would be one hell of a battle ahead depending on what Atobe decided to do. He grabbed his coat and stood from his seat.

"I should leave you alone. You need to think about this."

He walked toward the library doors.

"Wait," Atobe said. He paused and looked back. "If I fight for them, will you help me?"

"If I help you, you can't push me out of your life anymore."

"I don't want to," Atobe replied. He saw determination flicker through the businessman's eyes. For the first time in over a year, he saw the same passion that the man had for his exes when he had first started pursuing them. "I'm going to fight for them."

"Then, I will help you," Oshitari said. "Call me when you're ready to put your plan in motion."

-Stand-

Gen sighed heavily. There was so much at stake currently. The pain in everyone's lives clawed at his heart. Their burdens were his. He was never going to be able to let them go. They were his life. They were his heart. They were his soul. They completed him. Now…now everything was falling apart. He didn't know if he was making a difference—or even a small dent to making things better. Even if getting back together with them was impossible, he knew that if things continued the way that they were that they would all never be able to survive in the future.

However, everyone needed some space, himself included. He stood and headed for the door. He froze in his tracks, held in place by piercing blue eyes that belonged to Syuusuke. They weren't filled with hatred, sadness, or fear. For the first time since everything had fallen apart, they were filled will love, kindness, and warmth. The feelings and emotions he felt for the genius overtook him for a moment, but he fought them down. This was no time to get caught up in his own emotions. Not after everything that had happened.

He continued to make his way to the door, exchanging his slippers for shoes.

"Gen," he heard Syuusuke whisper.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Please come back tomorrow. Please don't leave him. He needs you."

He looked back at Syuusuke and nodded. The smaller man hesitantly made his way toward him.

"I will. Please rest in the meantime," he said, understanding how much it meant to Syuusuke for him to be here at this moment. The brunette was right in front of him, trying to close to gap between them, but struggling a bit. He didn't make any movement, letting Syuusuke make all of the moves. Fuji closed the gap between them. The thin arms wrapped around his body, holding firmly on to him as if he was going to disappear. Gen hesitantly put his arms around Syuusuke, feeling the other tense at his touch.

"I need you," Syuusuke whispered.

He felt the tears sting his eyes.

It hurts.

To be continued…