Chapter 18

Fuji stared out the window of his room and sighed. His cell phone was clutched in his hand as he waited for it to vibrate, signifying an incoming text message. Is it done yet? Did it go well? He glanced down at his hand and frowned when he noticed that it was shaking slightly. He abandoned his spot at his window and instead moved to pacing the length of his room. Maybe I should call and ask how it went…

"Syusuke, are you ready?"

He turned to find his sister standing at his doorway with her car keys and purse in hand. Fuji decided to feign puzzlement, even though he knew full well what she was asking. "Ready for what?"

Yumiko gave her brother a curious look. "The hospital, of course," she said slowly. "We were going to see how Asa-chan is doing, weren't we? You were the one who suggested it in the first place. Okaa-san even bought flowers; white heather and juniper for protection."

Fuji offered a soft smile. "White heather also says that wishes will come true," he said softly, looking absentmindedly at his cacti where they sat on his shelf. "Ah… let's go, then. The flowers will wilt if we don't put them in water!" He bounced past his sister and popped into the kitchen. His mother had left for work, but the flowers were placed on the table, so he picked them up, admiring the delicate petals. He'd have to take a picture of them when he put them in a vase.

"They'll also wilt if you stare at them all day and don't put them in water, Syusuke," Yumiko chided, and he gave her a sheepish smile before following her out to the door to her car. Halfway to the hospital, his cell phone rang and he answered it without even glancing at the caller ID.

"Moshimoshi?" he asked sweetly.

Eiji's excited voice blared into his ear. "Nya, Fujiko-chan! Where are you? We're waiting for you!"

"Wha…?" Did I set up an appointment with Eiji? He sat there in the front seat of his sister's car and blinked, thoroughly puzzled.

Miho's indignant voice filtered into his ear as he sat there. "Eiji, let me talk to Fuji-kun! It's my cell phone in the first place. Use your own cell next time."

"But I forgot my cell phone!" Fuji heard Eiji wail. "Anyway, Fujiko! Get over to the hospital right away! I'll fine you 100000 yen if you're not over here in the next three seconds."

"Eiji… you know I can't just magically appear there," Fuji offered meekly. "And I don't have 100000 yen anyways. Not on me at the moment, at least." He paused for a few minutes to shift the position of the flowers on his lap. "I'm on my way to the hospital right now. Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Eiji piped up cheerfully. "We have a surprise for you. Hurry, hurry, Fujiko!" And then there was silence as he hung up and probably returned the cell phone to Miho.

"Ah… that was rather interesting," Fuji said cheerfully as he flipped his own cell phone shut.

Yumiko chuckled, giving her brother a look. "Was it Eiji-kun? He sounds excited like usual; he's such an excitable boy." She had a cheerful smile on her face as she spoke, pulling the car into the parking lot of the hospital. "Well… we're here. I hope everything went smoothly." Fuji was silent as he got out of the car, simply giving his sister a little wave before vanishing into the hospital's lobby. Yumiko looked after him before backing the car out of the parking space and leaving the parking lot. Unfortunately for her, she didn't have the day off and was late for work. Her little brother would have to take the public bus home, much as he disliked it. She almost burst out laughing when she imagined what he might look like when he realized his fate.

Oh, poor Syusuke…

***

"I'm here to see Ijuuin-chan," Fuji said politely to the nurse who ran the front desk. It was a different nurse from the last time he had been here, and this one obviously wasn't in a good mood.

The woman's head snapped up from the computer screen she was looking and she gave him a hard glare. "Ijuuin?" she asked shortly, looking absolutely furious. An expression that said 'why on earth are you asking me this stupid question?' was plastered on her face, and Fuji couldn't help but frown. "She's in room 207. Go through that door and then up the stairs and it's to your left." She waved him off and then returned to her computer.

"Thank you very much," Fuji said with forced politeness before heading off in the indicated direction. What a snappish lady, he thought irritably. Room 207, did she say? That's the same room as last time. He reached the room and his hand had just settled on the doorknob when the door flew open with a bang. Eiji hurtled out and the next thing Fuji knew, he was on the ground, sprawled out flat on his back with Euji on his stomach. The flowers had been knocked out of his hands in the collision and now lay on the floor not too far from the two boys.

He grunted, wiggling underneath Eiji's added weight. "Eiji… you wouldn't mind getting up?" he asked, giving his friend a look. "We're attracting a bit of attention." The other patients on the floor were glancing at them curiously, some with scandalized looks on their faces, and there was a scattering of hushed whispers.

Eiji leapt off of his friend and his face was red. "Gomen, gomen, Fuji!" he practically wailed, looking very sorry indeed. The door opened again, and both boys craned their heads to see Miho, the girl having her hands planted on her hips and a frown on her face.

"What happened?" she asked, giving them a hard look. Instantly, Eiji was up and had latched himself onto her, wailing about the world's injustices. "There, there," Miho soothed, patting him on the back as Fuji picked himself up off the floor and rescued his flowers. "Did you two crash or something?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah… but it's nothing," Fuji assured her. "Saa, Eiji," he teased, going to complete his previous action (entering room 207), "you really shouldn't be running in a hospital."

Eiji didn't get to answer as there was suddenly a stampeding of footsteps and then two little boys charged right past them. Miho laughed, nudging Fuji in the side. "No running in a hospital, eh?" she asked, winking. Fuji just offered a helpless shrug and walked in. "Asa-chan! Fuji-kun's here to visit!" Miho called after him before collapsing in a fit of helpless giggles. Fuji paused to turn around and give her an odd look, and a pair of hands slipped over his eyes.

"Surprise!" a cheerful voice rang in his ear. The hands left his eyes and he could see again. Asa was standing behind him, her hands clasped behind her back and a bright smile on her face. Fuji was left speechless. "My surgery is postponed to tomorrow since the surgeons who were supposed to do the operation had an emergency operation to attend to. Someone was in an accident and needed critical care," she explained, still looking quite cheerful. "Oh! Are those flowers?" she asked, seeing the plants he held in his hands.

"Hai. Okaa-san picked them out this morning, it seems, before she left for work," Fuji said, padding over to place them in a vase. "What are you doing today, since you don't have your operation?" he asked, arranging the flowers neatly in the vase before placing them on the bedside table. "Maa… it's a pity that you can't leave the hospital. Otherwise we could do something fun."

"Yeah… it's a real pity," Miho sighed, seating herself on the edge of the bed. "So… what do we do?" She frowned thoughtfully.

Eiji grinned, grabbing a backpack that was in the chair next to the bed. "I brought board games!" he announced, digging into the bag and producing a variety of games. "How about monopoly?" he asked, looking hopeful.

Fuji's face brightened. "Yes, let's play, let's play!" he said happily, taking the game from Eiji. The two of them instantly set about to set up the game, chattering cheerfully as they did so.

Miho glanced at Asa, flashing her a smile. "Ne, Asa-chan, don't you think this will be fun?"

"Ah… I suppose…" I hope Syusuke doesn't cheat again, she thought, remembering the time she had had a fever last weak and how he had moved her piece all the way from its regular spot to jail. In short, she was wary to play monopoly with Fuji.

"It's ready. Let's play!" Fuji announced, waving the two girls over. "Take your pick of pieces." He paused when he noticed Asa's suspicious gaze on him. "Is something wrong, Aa-chan?" he asked, feigning ignorance.

"Maa… I'm not sure I can trust you if I play monopoly with you," she said, looking rather serious. "Last time we played, you moved my piece all the way to jail when it was on the other side of the board." Eiji's jaw dropped as he listened to the recount of this.

"Nya, Fujiko! That's cheating!" he exclaimed.

Fuji grinned cheekily. "I don't call it cheating, Eiji," he said brightly. "I call it retaliation." Asa groaned as she listened to his reasoning. "Saa… let's play," Fuji urged, sitting down on the floor and grabbing the dice. "I'm going first!"

"Eh? But that's not fair, Fuji-kun!"

"Miho is right! We have to all roll the dice! Biggest number goes first!"

"Saa… I got it first, so that means I'm going first!"

"Fuji—!"

"Fuji-kun—!"

Asa watched all of this from the sidelines, a small smile on her face. Ah… it's nice to hear them, even if they're bickering. Her smile widened as she made herself comfortable next to Fuji. He laughed, said something in reply to a sulky looking Eiji before leaning his head comfortably on her shoulder. Miho whispered something in Eiji's ear, and the boy perked up, looking instantly much happier. I want to remember this day, when my friends are with me and we're all laughing.

Forever.

***

Fuji walked out of the bathroom of his house, his brown hair damp from his shower and still clinging to his forehead in limp, sodden strands. His shower had been refreshing; he enjoyed the feel of the hot water washing over his body. "Nee-san, you're up next," he called dutifully to the general direction of his sister's room. Her answering reply drifted through her slightly open doorway, and he started padding down the hall to his own room, rubbing at the back of his head and his dripping hair with his towel as he went in an attempt to not drip as much he could possibly do (there was still a trail of water droplets on the floor, though, Go figure.).

Yuuta's not coming home for the weekend, he thought, padding over to his window and opening it. A warm summer breeze, light and playful, danced into his room and ruffled with his slowly drying hair. He was faintly disappointed; tonight was a beautiful night and it would have been wonderful if he could have taken Yuuta stargazing. It would have been nice to spend some quality time with him.

But, no… he's at St. Rudolph's doing extra training, he thought sulkily, tossing his wet towel onto his bed and climbing up onto his windowsill, leaning his back comfortably against the window frame. His cell phone was on his desk just in his line of vision, and he contemplated calling someone else to go stargazing with him. How about Aa-chan? He was briefly excited with the prospect of going with her again, but then remembered that she was at the hospital. Her surgery had just happened a week ago, but since it was such a large operation, only members of her immediate family were allowed to visit her for the time-being.

And that meant Fuji was at home, with nothing to do and no one to tease. Eiji and Miho were out of the question, since by now both of them had learned that when they spent time together, they were to turn off their phones lest they get interrupted by a nosy Fuji. The first time Fuji had done this, it was just when Eiji had managed to muster up the courage to give Miho a proper kiss, and he interrupted right in the middle of it.

Needless to say, Eiji was not pleased. Neither was Miho, to some extent.

I wish I could visit Aa-chan, he sighed, dropping his chin onto his knees and glaring out at the empty street. Stupid regulations which keep me in the land of boredom… No doubt Asa didn't need to say anything and she would be able to cheer him up considerably and give him something to do.

His house phone suddenly sprang to life, and Fuji, not expecting it to ring, nearly toppled out of his window. It stopped ringing in a few seconds, so he assumed his mother had answered it and it wasn't for him. Another disappointment, he grumbled to himself, making himself comfortable once more on his windowsill.

"Syusuke, it's for you." Fuji's head popped up and he turned to see his mother standing at his doorway. She held the phone out to him. "Phone call for you, Syusuke. It's rude to make them wait." He gave a hasty nod and hopped off his windowsill, taking the phone from his mother with a smile.

"Moshimoshi?" he asked into the phone, settling himself onto his bed, shifting the towel to the other end. He should really probably hang it up and let it properly dry… but he was too lazy and preoccupied at the moment. Yes, that's it. He was simply too lazy and preoccupied at the moment that he couldn't spare a few seconds and hang up his towel. Saa… such a weak excuse, he scolded himself. I know you can do better than that, Fuji Syusuke!

On the other side of the line, whoever was calling him called to some other person wherever they were. "Asa-onee-chan, I'm putting it on speaker phone!" Kurumi's voice drifted into his ear as he sprawled out on his back on his bed, moving his pillow so that he could place it on his stomach and hug the soft material. "Konichiwa, Syusuke-onii-chan!" Kurumi said brightly a few moments later.

Fuji chuckled. "Konichiwa, Kurumi-chan," he said sweetly. She laughed on the other end and then launched into a spirited monologue, to which he simply listened, inserting a "Yes," or a simple "Hmm…" whenever he deemed it necessary. "That sounds interesting," he said when she was done with her tirade about visiting the new amusement park. "It sounds rather fun. I hope you enjoy yourself when you go there."

There was an excited squeal from Kurumi, and then she was screaming, "Asa-onee-chan! He said it sounded fun!" Almost instantly, Fuji could hear a voice reprimanding her on the other end (it sounded like Narumi) for being so loud. "Ne, Syusuke-onii-chan…" Kurumi was back on the line, apparently not in the least daunted by her sister's scoldings, "you should come over. The nurses say that Asa-onee-chan can take other visitors for short periods of time and I think she gets bored with just having us all day to accompany her."

Fuji perked up, sitting up on his bed and tossing his pillow to the side. "Really? Are you sure it's alright if I come over?"

"Eh? You mean now?"

Except he had already sprinted from the room, making twenty times the noise he usually made. "Kaa-san, could I make a stop at the hospital?" he asked, popping into the kitchen and placing the phone back onto its cradle. "Please?"

Yoshiko looked up from the meal she was cooking, a curious expression on her face. "Is Asa-chan accepting visitors?" she asked. "Make sure you buy some get-well flowers or something of the sort when you go," she said simply, turning back to her pot. "And tell her that she has my deepest wishes for a safe recovery. Don't stay too long and tire her out."

"Hai! I'll do that!" Fuji said brightly as he bounced out the door. He was already halfway to the bus stop when Yoshiko looked up from her pot, a look of slight mortification on her face.

"I hope he doesn't buy a get-well melon…" she muttered. "And then I hope he doesn't buy a permanent marker and draw something on it…"

Maybe she should have thought a tad bit more before she let her son out the door. Maybe.

***

Kurumi was fuming, pacing the hospital room with her hands behind her back. Narumi had retrieved her older sister's cell phone and placed it on the table, turning it off before settling herself on a chair to watch her twin's antics. "I can't believe it!" Kurumi wailed, the very picture of dejection. "I can't believe Syusuke-onii-chan just hung up on me! That's not fair!" Lying in bed under a mountain f blankets, Asa cracked a smile at her littlest sister while Narumi just shook her head. By now she had learned that quieting down her younger twin would simply be a waste of her breath, so she simply didn't bother. The nurses who passed by their open door, however, would always give them either a curious stare or a frown.

Oh, well… it would only reflect on Kurumi, so she supposed it was fine. At least that's what she hoped.

"Hello." They turned to the doorway to see Fuji, looking quite out of breath but otherwise quite fine and his usual self. "I just grabbed something; I hope you don't mind." He had left his house twenty minutes ago and had practically sprinted to the bus stop, calling Eiji on his way. The redhead had promised that he'd be there, too, so he was looking forward to his friend's appearance. "Saa… is there a vase around?" he asked amiably, producing a bouquet of flowers from behind his back.

Kurumi and Narumi looked shocked. "You just… picked that up?" Kurumi squeaked, staring at the flowers. "That would have taken me forever to pick out! How long did it take you to pick them out, Syusuke-onii-chan?"

Fuji tipped his head to the side. "Well, when I say I just grabbed something, I'm talking about thirty or so seconds?" He chuckled lightly at their awed expressions.

"Maa… don't listen to him. He's probably exaggerating." The younger girls turned around to the eldest Ijuuin, puzzled expressions on their faces. "Arigatou for the gift, Fuji-kun."

Fuji found the vase he was looking for and filled it with water before slipping the flowers in them. "No problem. Eiji will be coming soon, too, I think. I called him on the way." And of course, knowing Eiji, he had probably called the rest of the team just to drag them along for company. Fuji was hoping for a full house. Maybe I should call them, just in case, he pondered, but decided that he trusted Eiji enough.

True to his thoughts, the door suddenly slid open. "Hoi, hoi! We made it!' Eiji announced happily as he bounced into the room. He was followed by Miho, who made gestures with her hands in an attempt to shush him. They were followed by Oishi and Tezuka. "Fujiko-chan called me, and I thought it'd be cool if we all came along!" he said happily. Miho looked like she was going to pounce on him and physically cover his mouth with her hand. "Taka-san couldn't come because he has to mind the shop, Inui is training Kaidoh but he promised to that they'd come later, and Momo and Echizen are coming after they finish their trip to the burger joint."

"Ah… is that so? Thank you, then," Asa uttered from the bed. He didn't have to go to such lengths… now I feel bad for taking so much of their time, she thought, giving an awkward little smile. Oishi kicked into his "Mother Hen" mode, bustling about the room in a rather concerned manner.

Tezuka glanced at the vase of flowers and simply raised an eyebrow. "Did you buy those, Fuji?" he asked, the same expressionless expression on his face.

Fuji nodded in affirmative, looking rather playful. "What? Did you want to buy them instead?" he teased. Tezuka's frown darkened as he looked at his mischievous teammate.

"I was merely curious," he said shortly, and realized almost instantly his mistake. Fuji zoned in on this like a hawk.

"Even the famous Tezuka-buchou can be curious about something other than tennis?" he asked, leaning forward with that dangerous smile on his face. There was an almost equally dangerous air around captain and subordinate that made the other members nervous for a few moments.

"Yeah, I suppose I can," Tezuka said gruffly, folding his arms into their customary position over his chest and turning his face purposefully away from the smiling tensai.

As Eiji promised, the other members arrived some time later. Kaidoh looked obviously uncomfortable in the hospital setting while Echizen looked totally indifferent, even uttering his normal 'Mada mada dane,' much to Asa's amusement. Momo promptly took the liberties of giving the youngest member of the team a noogie, to which he yowled, 'It hurts! It hurts!' over and over again until he finally freed. Inui was rattling off something about nutrition, complete with percentages of essential vitamins and minerals he recommended in a specially planned diet. I think he's getting really fired up about this… I don't know whether or not I should be happy or seriously frightened…

Presently, a nurse bustled into the room and frowned when she saw the small space packed with boys. "Shoo, shoo!" she scolded, making the appropriate shooing gestures towards the door. "Ijuuin-chan is a patient who needs lots of rest. She'll never properly heal if you never let her sleep." At the nurse's accusations they looked dutifully guilty, but promised that they'd be back in the next few days or so for another visit. Asa never got the chance to tell them that it wasn't necessary before they shut the door behind them. She sighed, defeated.

"My, my… what sweet friends you have," the nurse teased, snapping open the curtains that covered the window with a deft flick of her wrists. "They're quite a rowdy bunch, but they're honest enough." Asa cocked her head in light puzzlement, and the older woman answered her unspoken question of 'How do you know?' "When you've worked with people for as long as I have, you're bound to learn these things," the nurse confessed with a wink. "You're lucky to have such good friends to worry about you, as well as your family. So work hard and get better, so you can join them outside of the hospital, ne?"

She was silent for a moment as she pondered this before nodding, smiling as she did so. "Yeah…" she said softly, almost hesitantly, before her resolve strengthened. "Hai! I'll be sure to get better as soon as I can!"

Because when I do get better, there will a special smile waiting for me, she thought, thinking of Fuji.

The nurse laughed. "Ah… one of those boys is your sweetheart," she teased, a knowing look in her eyes.

"Eh?"

The nurse simply chuckled and didn't answer, leaving a flustered Asa to burrow under the covers. "Sleep now," she crooned. "I'll come with your medicines after dinner. Adequate sleep and good nutrition are the keys to good health. Maybe I should see if that friend of yours' menu is any good; it seems like he did a long of research, that boy with the data."

"Mm… Inui-kun is like that," Asa mumbled sleepily. "I think he's the top of his science class or something like that."

The other chuckled again. "Hai, hai," she said gently, tucking the girl snuggly into her covers. "Rest well. If you wake up and anything hurts, hit the button on the top of the bed, alright?" A sleepy agreement came, and the nurse left the room, shutting the door gently behind her. "Oh, you're still here?" she asked curiously when she saw Fuji sitting in one of the benches in the hall.

The boy looked up at her as she spoke and then stood, bowing politely. "Hai. I hope you don't mind," he said by way of apologizing.

The nurse laughed outright, that little knowing twinkle in her eyes growing into a steady sparkle. "You're Ijuuin-chan's boyfriend?" she asked, and was rewarded with a flushed look on the boy's face. "Score for me!" She laughed gleefully, like a little girl. "She's sleeping right now. If you're not disruptive, I think you could stay with her. Technically speaking, she's supposed to have a nurse monitor her when she's asleep, in case something goes wrong with her heart and she can't hit the button to call one of us. She's been doing pretty well these few days, so the doctor's have sad it's alright for to be alone when she naps."

She gestured to the doors. "But it doesn't hurt if she has someone she likes watching over her, ne?" she asked. "If you're not busy at the moment, why don't you stay?"

Fuji thanked her and slipped into the room. His smiling eyes found the button located on the side of the bed. Ah… so that's the button that calls the members of the hospital staff, he noted to himself. It was within easy reach of a patient lying in bed.

He pulled up a chair to the edge of the bed and made himself comfy on it, pulling out his cell phone and giving a quick call to his mother to let her know that he'd be late getting home that day. The hospital is too quiet for comfort, Fuji sighed to himself, leaning forward so that he could rest his arms comfortably on the edge of the bed. Warm sunlight poured into the room and landed on the bed, and he couldn't quite help himself. In moments, he, too, was fast asleep, huddled over the bed with his head cushioned on his arms.

That was how Yumiko found her little brother when she came to pick him up, having pity on him and seeing that he wasn't home by the time she had gotten back from work. It's a pity to wake him; he looks so peaceful, she thought, smiling softly from the doorway. "Sorry, Syusuke, but you can't stay here the entire night," she said, shaking his shoulder gently. He woke, lifting his head with a groggy expression on his face. Perhaps the only time she would ever see a puzzled expression on her brother's face at just like in general would be within the first five minutes of him waking up. It was a pity; he was so cute when he was still half-asleep. "Ne, Syusuke, Asa-chan should see you like this some time."

He shot up, instantly awake. "No thank you, nee-san," he said hastily. He gave his friend one last look, checking to see that the flowers had enough water as he ushered his sister out the door. "What did Kaa-san make for dinner?" he asked cheerfully as he pushed her out of the room. Both Fuji's nodded to the nurse who was standing out side the door with a tray of hospital food, as well as an assortment of medications. "She's still asleep," Fuji informed her. The nurse gave a simple smile in return.

"Did you enjoy your time at the hospital?" Yumiko asked as she drove the two of them home. Fuji nodded, looking quite pleased.

"I want Aa-chan to get better in time for the Nationals," he said brightly. "And since it's summer vacation, I think it will be manageable if I balance hospital visits and tennis practices."

"Such a busy-body you are, Syusuke."

He chuckled. "Am I?" he asked innocently. "But still, Aa-chan's changed a lot over the year. I'll be looking forward to when she's all better and like any other normal girl in our class. Maybe she should try out for the tennis team, too. She's not half bad."

"You're just saying that because you wish you were the one who taught her."

I am, Fuji agreed in his mind. But either way, I'm glad. Aa-chan, who still managed to shine in her own way even though she was sick… she'll shine even more.

And I want to be the first one to see that.

A/N: Yeah! The Epiloque is within my sights! *does a happy dance* Please read and review; hope you guys liked it!