Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis? Not mine. Got that? Great.

A/N: I dedicate this chapter to Artic-Fox. Thank you for helping me with some story issues. This is number two. This is my gift to you, Fox-chan! :D

Warning: There will be OOCness due to circumstances invented by my imagination. There is shounen-ai in this chapter, but just light.

Here it is, the twenty-third chapter!

Chapter 23: I had been waiting for your return for too long. I was too hopeful and foolish.

Sadly, the next day was anything but uneventful. They were woken up by the sound of growling. Rushing towards the source of the sounds, they found themselves watching a very unpleased Ryoma glaring at a man who looked exactly like him, but only older. "What are you doing here?" Ryoma's voice was venomous and angry.

"Why can't I? Am I not allowed to visit my younger brother anymore?" The man asked. His revelation shocked the teens, but they were still ignored. "I do not give a damn even if you were dying on my doorstep. Leave this mansion!" He shouted as the dark aura around him grew more intense.

"That hurt, Ryoma. How can you say that to your older brother?" The man asked with a pout. The teens didn't know if he was completely oblivious to the dark aura or was only ignoring it. "You are not my older brother." Ryoma growled. "My older brother would not have abandoned me, my older brother would have come back for me, and lastly, my older brother loved me." He sneered.

"That's not true, Chibisuke." The pout was gone, along with the ignorance. The man had a deep frown on his face, his similarly yellow-orange eyes showing his guilt. "I never wanted to leave you. I would've taken you with me if I could!" Desperation was heard in his voice, which cracked and stuttered.

The younger male ignored him and faced his guests. "Breakfast is ready. I was about to wake you guys up when this person came. Let's go." With that, he walked off to the dining room, not once glancing at the depressed man he left in his wake. The teens thought off talking to the man, but the image of Ryoma's angry face earlier had stopped them from interacting with the man.

Breakfast was both silent and cold. The room felt a few degrees colder than usual. The coaches had left to pick up some supplies, so no one else had questioned about the man outside, which the Seigaku regulars were familiar with. After the meal, they were sent upstairs by Ryoma, telling them to stay inside a room and don't wander around without his permission. With that, he was off to do his business.

He searched for his unwanted visitor for a few minutes until he found him in the main lobby, staring at the huge portrait of him (Ryoma) and his mother, Rinko. He cleared his throat to catch the attention of the older male, which worked effectively. He gestured his hand to the coach next to him. With a nod, the older male sat there. He took his seat in front of the man.

"What are you doing here, Ryoga?" Ryoma forced his animosity for the older male to be kept at bay, choosing to be civil to get the current issue dealt with as soon as possible. "I just came home a few days ago, only to find out that you and your friends were training, so I came here." Ryoga said.

"What are you doing here?" Ryoma asked once more, his voice sounding more forceful. "I did some stupid things a few years back. I wanted to apologize." Ryoga replied. "So, you come here unannounced, hoping for me to forgive you? I'm not a child anymore! I'm not the same thirteen-year-old you left, Ryoga. I've changed. I grew up." Ryoma told him, his voice betraying his growing anger.

"I know that!" Ryoga shouted, tears welling up in his eyes. He quickly wiped them away as he looked down at his lap. "Of course I know that. I wanted a shot at it, at least. I want to apologize." He muttered; his voice was low and uncertain. Silence reigned for a few minutes between the brothers. Ryoma had shifted his gaze from his brother.

"I always believed, you know." Ryoga's face shot up when he heard his brother speak, only to see the younger male staring at the fireplace, the glow of the fire illuminating his face. "Every night and day, I believed that you would come back, even if it seemed foolish at that time." Ryoga felt his heart clench painfully at his chest.

"But my wait had stretched on for too long without even a sign, or even a letter, so I let it go and moved on."

Ryoga felt his mouth go dry. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. His brother, the cocky little brat he grew to love, had been waiting for him all the while for his return. He, who once promised to the younger male in front of him years ago that he would be the one to protect him, was the one who hurt the person he cherished the most. His gaze fell back to his clenched fists on his lap.

"I am so sorry, Ryoma."

Tears fell one after the other, but he made no attempt to wipe them away. He deserved the cold treatment he was receiving. His little brother was worried for him and what did he do when he came back? He hollered at him in the wee hours of morning, declaring his unannounced return.

"Sorry for what?" Ryoma's voice brought him away from his thoughts. "What are you apologizing for?" The anger was gone, he noticed. He took that as his final chance, the last chance to let his brother now how sorry he is and how he regretted leaving again without a word for two-and-a-half years. He just returned to them one-and-a-half years prior to his second disappearance. Unknown to him, he had said it out loud.

"Just one letter would have been fine, you know. Okaa-san-" 'I-' "was worried about you, even oyaji. They-" 'I-' "didn't know if you were even well or alive." Ryoma told him, a frown on his face. "They-" 'I-' "hung on too long at the idea that you would come back. They were-" 'I was-' "foolish." He faced the crying man.

"I-" Ryoga opened his mouth only to find out that he didn't know what to say. He knew what Ryoma said was true. He remembered his return to the Echizen Residence. Rinko hugged him to bits, letting go only to be subjected into another hug from the worried retired tennis pro. "I'm sorry."

"Is that what you are just going to say?"

Yellow-orange eyes looked straight at golden-amber ones in shock. "Does this mean-" He wasn't able to finish as he was hit on the head by a fist. "Baka. If I actually hated you, I would have gotten rid you earlier." He wiped away his tears in glee and hugged his brother, jumping across the expensive looking coffee table between them.

"If you are really sorry, then make up for it. Don't wallow in despair and act like a child." Ryoma told him as he sat up straight, not pushing Ryoga away but not returning his hug either. Ryoga ignored that but pulled away. He walked around the table then hugged his brother properly.

"I won't leave again like I did years ago. I promise, Chibisuke." He whispered as he tightened his hold. He felt a fist punch him again lightly on the back of his head. "Baka. Don't make promises you can't keep." Ryoga ignored the insult and simply laughed at his brother's reaction, making him loosen his hold.

Ryoma took that as a chance to escape, and that he did. "Baka." He once again said as he kicked his brother from behind. "Why are you so brutal, Ryo-chan?" Ryoga pouted as he rubbed the spot Ryoma kicked. The younger male did not respond but took hold of the older male's wrist.

Ryoga let himself be dragged for a few seconds. In an instant, he was swiftly lifted off his feet as he was thrown outside the mansion, landing on a huge puddle left by the rain. "Why'd you do that for, Ryo-chan?" He asked in a childish voice. "Next time, call before you visit. We don't have enough rooms." Ryoma replied.

"But Chibisuke-" He was cut off by the sudden basket of oranges Ryoma threw at him. "Welcome back, baka aniki." He saw a faint smile on his younger brother's face before the door that separated them was closed. "Mada mada daze, Chibisuke." Ryoga mumbled as he stood up with ease. He walked off to the path he came from, planning to go back to Tokyo with a huge maniacal smile on his face.

A/N: Anyway, I hope I didn't make the characters too OOC. I might have been a little excited when I typed this so... Please tell me any typos and inconsistencies, even grammar mistakes (being the "Grammar Nazi" that I am).

Constructive criticism is appreciated in the form of private messages and/or reviews.