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

A/N: I apologize for the late update. I got a little busy. hehehehe...

Warning: There will be OOCness due to circumstances invented by my imagination. Little shounen-ai.

Here it is, the twenty-seventh chapter!

Chapter 27: He was more fragile than the finest glass, but sturdier than the hardest steel.

Kirihara was focused on his schoolwork, until soft sobs were picked up by his ears. There was only one person with him at the time, and they were the only ones in the library. 'It couldn't be-' His thought was cut off as he took in the sight of his boyfriend, streams of tears cascading down his face like a waterfall.

In an instant, he stood next to the crying freshman, ready to console him, but before he could say anything, he saw the drawing on the table. He froze when he actually took in the sketch. It was of the lake Sachiko had shown them from the mansion's lingering memory. Remembering Rinko's words before they left, he pieced it together.

"Hush, Ryoma. Everything will be alright." He whispered. He didn't know if he was doing it right, because he didn't know what exactly was going on his boyfriend's head. He had a rough clue though, and it had something to do with what happened at that lake years ago. When the younger teen's sobs didn't stop but grew more intense, his heart broke at the sight.

'Ryoma.' He sadly thought as he pulled the freshman into his embrace. The crying teen instantly clung on to him. 'What is happening to you, Ryoma?' He asked mentally out of worry. He noticed the teen being more depressed after the few hours of pure hidden delight of Ryoga's return had faded. The sudden crying his boyfriend is going through spoke volumes.

"What is wrong, Ryoma?" He whispered as he leveled himself to the distraught teen. "The drawing- The memories- My step-mother- I-" The younger teen had mumbled only to succumb to crying once again. His mumbled words only confirmed his speculations. Once again, he tried to make his boyfriend stop crying.

"Relax and take a few breaths, Ryoma." He told the crying teen. Luckily for him, the cries had died down to a few sniffles before there was only silence between them. He made his boyfriend look him in the eye, only to see red-rimmed amber eyes full of fear. "What do you fear, Ryoma? What is making you cry?" He asked in a hushed voice as he pulled away to give the younger teen some space.

"I unconsciously drew the lake, and then I remembered about my step-mother." Ryoma took a few deep breaths, calming himself. "I remembered my past, around the time she died. Even if I didn't like her that much, she was still like another mother to me." Ryoma continued shakily.

"A few years ago, I lost control." Ryoma admitted in a bitter tone, fueling his self-hate. "I don't recall much what happened, but okaa-san said I kept hurting myself and I was screaming." He drew his knees up to his body and hugged himself. "When I snapped out of it, I was covered in bandages. The first time was around Ryoga's first return while the last time was just a week before the training." He informed in a low voice.

Kirihara was shocked at what his boyfriend had just told him, but kept his shock to himself. He wasn't always good with words, and he feared that he might say something foolish and depress Ryoma more, so he did what he thought he can only do. He simply took the younger teen back to his embrace.

"You don't always need to be in control. You can loosen up, even if it's only with me." Kirihara didn't know where that came from, but he thought it was the right thing to say when Ryoma visibly calmed down. "Thank you, Akaya." Ryoma said as he faced his boyfriend and gave him a sincere smile.

"Don't worry about it."

The next day, Ryoma was nowhere to be found. When everyone was summoned for breakfast, which was prepared by Sachiko and Izumi, the master of the house was the only one not present. They asked Kirihara but he didn't have a clue. He dropped Ryoma off by his room last night, and even made sure he was asleep before he left. That brought fits of worry and fear among the teens, even some of the haters. Homosexual or not, he was still their comrade. (They wouldn't call him a friend yet.)

"Let's eat breakfast first, everyone. Afterwards, everyone is to go to their rooms and wash up. Meet up in the meeting room closest to the staircase afterwards." Izumi ordered with a sense of finality. No one spoke a word and simply went on eating. A couple of minutes later, everyone but the coaches were there. "The coaches would check if he left the area." Izumi informed them before going to business-mode, as some others had referred to it.

"Okay. Everyone is to be divided by their respective groups. Spider group," Kaidoh, Inui, Hiyoshi, Yanagi, Ibu, Kamio, Yuuta and Mizuki looked at her as she called them, "are to search the third floor." The eight males nodded in understanding. "Next is the Cat group." Momo, Taka, Gakuto, Kabaji, Jackal, Kintarou, Wakato and Sengoku looked attentive as she called their group. "You guys are to search the first floor." They all gave small mutters of agreement.

"Wolf room," Eiji, Jirou, Shishido, Choutarou, Niou, Marui, Youhei and Kouhei turned their heads towards her as she paused for a second, "are to search the second floor." They mutely nodded in understanding. "Inui-san, Jackal-san and Marui-kun, I trust the three of you to lead your respective groups." The three males nodded in reply. "Spider, Cat and Wolf groups are dismissed." With that, twenty-four males left the meeting room, leaving fifteen males, Sachiko and Izumi in the meeting room.

Izumi stared at the two groups left. The Dog group consisted of Tezuka, Oishi, Atobe, Yukimura, Sanada, Chitose, Reiji and Tachibana, while Fox room had Fuji, Oshitari, Yagyuu, Kirihara, Shiraishi, Kajimoto and Saeki. She sighed deeply, glad that she grouped the more level-headed and trustworthy ones together, not that she'll ever say that out loud.

"Dog and Fox groups are to combine and help us," Izumi waved her hand in the space between her and Sachiko, "look outside. I know that otouto told us specifically not to wander around, but we need to look for him. Any suggestions on how we would tackle the huge forest?" She asked.

"I have an idea." They all looked at Kirihara, not the least bit surprised. "What is it?" Izumi asked. "We try to find the lake. That's the only place he could really go to in this forest that was know." He answered. Silence fell in the room. "That is possible. I can try to track the lake using memory trails, which are like scents, using my powers." Sachiko told them. "What if he isn't there?" Oishi asked, being the worry wart he is. "Trust me." Kirihara had a serious look on his face as he stood up.

"I know he's there."

With that, they set off to the forest. Just before they entered it though, they noticed that it was dimmer than before. "At which point do we enter, Sachiko-san?" Izumi asked. "Just follow me. Stay in pairs behind me." Sachiko's voice was straightforward and held no room for arguments, not that they planned to in the first place.

As they trudged along the dirt road and dodged low branches, they noticed the less light passing through the foliage as they go deeper into the forest. The air that was warm before they entered had turned into cold breezes. When Oishi checked his watch, he saw that it wasn't even ten o'clock in the morning, much to his shock.

"Can you tell how close we are to the lake, Sachiko-san?" Tachibana asked. "I am not sure, but I assume so. The trail I am following seems to grow stronger around these parts." She replied, not once looking back at them, solely focused on finding the lake. "I brought healing charm in case you need it, Sachiko-san. I can reuse it as many times as I want." They heard Izumi mutter, but in the silence of the forest, she was heard clearly by them.

Minutes ticked on as they continued walking, an ominous feeling starting to grow as they went deeper and deeper, trees growing closer to one another as the numbers increase. In the thickness of the foliage, barely any light were able to pass through. Luckily, Izumi had brought a flashlight to illuminate their way, even if it was only a sliver of light in the dark.

All of a sudden, Sachiko stops on her tracks. Fortunately for them, they were able to stop in time as to not bump into one another. They waited for the pink-haired female to speak. "Unknown to most, I had brought along Young Master's pet with me. This," she showed them a strip of red cloth, "is the collar I strapped around his paw. Assuming that he is with Young Master and not merely following him, he must have pulled it off when he noticed they were going too far into the woods." Sachiko explained. "Karupin is a smart cat, as he was trained by Ryoma himself." Izumi commented for them to understand.

They simply nodded when they understood what the two females meant. That red strip of cloth was proof, the only proof that they were going in the right direction to find their missing friend, and so, they continued on with their walk. Soon, after numerous minutes of walking – which Oishi deducted was nearly half an hour after checking his watch – and a short break for Izumi to replenish Sachiko's energy, they reached the lake.

Much like the memory they saw, there was a clearing and in the center of it was a lake. The only difference was the trees that were littered in what used to be a clearing. The similarly thick foliage caused by the trees made the area around the lake dimmer, and smaller in comparison as the area blended with the dense forest around it.

By the currently illuminated lake surrounded by red flowers and small boulders was a small huddled figure by the shore. Next to that figure was a white and brown animal. The said animal turned their way before charging towards them, dodging trees in its path, and headed straight to Sachiko. "Meow!" It was a cat, and a few of them recognized the feline to be Ryoma's pet cat, Karupin. "Karupin." Sachiko said as the cat bit on her stocking and tried to pull her towards its master.

"Please go to my master! He needs you!" Karupin said, but was only heard by the humans as a string of meowing. He tugged on the sock of the pink-haired female he recognized by scent. He was glad when she, the pink-haired female, finally understood what he meant and walked towards his master.

Seeing as they were on their way, he zoomed past them and went to his master's side. "Master!" He meowed, trying to attract his owner's attention. His amber-eyed owner did not move. Worried at the human's lack of response and movement, he bit on what he could reach gently, which happened to be Ryoma's finger.

"Itai."

Karupin was glad at the reaction he received. It was proof that he wasn't being ignored anymore. His owner had pulled away from his previous position just in time for his friends' coming. He brought his pale blue eyes to the small group of humans – fifteen males and two females – and scanned them one by one, sensing for any familiar faces or scents.

'Master's maid, sister, boyfriend, close friend, captain are here.' Karupin eyed the unfamiliar people. 'Just as long as they don't do anything harmful to master, I won't bother with them.' With that thought, he jumped towards his owner's arms. When thin fingers began massaging his fur, he purred in content. He looked at his owner with worry. 'I hope you will be okay, master.'

"Ryoma."

The said teen looked up from his ever-reliable pet to see his friends, maid, sister and boyfriend standing next to him. He didn't say a word and simply gave them a blank look. "Why did you go here, Echizen?" Oishi, being the worry wart he is, asked. "I needed some time to think." His voice was lifeless and dull.

Silence befell them for a few seconds before he felt two arms wrap around him, casting him into a cape of warmth. "I understand that you are hurting, otouto." He heard his self-proclaimed sister mutter to his ear which caught him off guard. His eyes betrayed his shock, making Izumi pull away. "It must have been hard on you, Echizen, to be subjected to the others' hurtful behavior, mostly by our teammates." Fuji said as the close-eyed teen kneeled before him and ran thin, pale fingers through his hair.

He purred at the treatment he received. The brown-haired senior massaged the top of his head, bringing back memories he thought he had forgotten. "I was scared." The fingers stopped moving and moved away from him, making an unexpected whimper leave his lips, but the fingers never returned. He turned his head to see not his close friend, but his lover by his side.

"I will always be beside you, Ryoma." The green-eyed junior whispered as he felt familiar fingers entwine with his own. Amber eyes full of worry stared straight into warm green ones. Those captivating eyes gave him the silent boost he needed, but his voice was stuck in his throat. He looked away from everyone and stared at the lake, a weird sense of comfort enveloping him.

"I had been here before, to this lake years ago." He started with his voice shaky at first. "Someone precious to me, someone I held deeply to my heart, had sunken to the dark depths of this lake." He felt as if he was replaced by another person, not foreign but familiar. His free hand grazed the water beside him, making small ripples.

"Before that person drifted away from me, she took something extremely precious from me." He rested his hand gently on top of the water, in between floating and sinking. "She didn't steal it. No, she didn't." Amber eyes welled up with tears. "It was given to her willingly, albeit too early for her own good, and had left with her to join her demise." His voice had no edge or hate, simply sorrow.

Unknown to him, sad eyes stared at him. Pity was present in some, but select others felt sorrow for him. The latter group stepped forward, followed by the rest, and placed a hand on the depressed freshman. "You are not alone anymore, Echizen." Fuji told him. The silence that followed lasted only for a few mere seconds before it was broken by the soft sound of sobbing.

The freshman faced them; stripped from all masks he wore to protect himself. Gone was the cocky and arrogant brat he was known to be. Gone was the aloof façade he had embraced for many years. Gone was the detached person they first knew. There, before them in all his glory, was the real Ryoma.

The real Ryoma was a broken-hearted, lonely child still haunted by the ghosts of his past.

Inside, they knew their hearts ached, painfully being squeezed by an unknown force, but it wasn't unknown to them. This force, they were sure, was the hand of truth. To see a close friend of theirs so broken, so hurt, it drained them of the little life and positivity left within them at that moment.

Somehow, in that single moment, everything was clear to them – well, as clear as it could be. Ryoma was afraid of losing their friendship, but their bond wasn't as simple as others make it out to be, which made it that much more important. It was so simple, and yet so hard to understand at first. The fact was so self-contradicting that it was both confusing but also so clear.

As fast as that moment came, it left in silence, as Ryoma opened his mouth to speak. "Thank you." His voice was hoarse and dry, but his tone was the opposite. His tone showed his relief and appreciation of their actions and presence. He gave them a smile, which – like the look he gave them earlier – was different from his previous smiles.

It wasn't the smirk he places when he wins a match or a prank of his is successful. It wasn't the forced smile he gives when he says that he is okay even when he is not. It wasn't the smile that never really reaches his eyes when he forces himself to be happy. It wasn't the small smile his tries to hide when he bears witness to something he deems funny or pleasant.

There he was, a young boy of fifteen, sitting on the ground next to the lake with his loyal companion – Karupin – on his lap, looking up at his friends that formed a small semi-circle in front of him. On his pale face that still looked a little too young for his age was a sincere smile that came from the bottom of his heart. The light that shone upon the rich blue lake illuminated him from behind, the golden ray giving an illusion of an angel.

He looked ethereal.

The bright light he shone upon them was contagious, and soon all them had a hint of a smile on their face. They felt the warm aura of the freshman that slowly but surely crept into their hearts for many years and made his place. There, they decided individually, and unknowingly as a group, that they would never let the heartbroken child from before resurface again.

A/N: I had an urge to be a little poetic, but since it's been a while since I even wrote a decent poem, this (*points at story*) is what happened.

Anyway, I hope I didn't make the characters too OOC. 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.