A Prince of Tennis fanfic.
SanaYuki pairing a.k.a. alpha pair

Story: Milky Tea (sequel to Sugary Coffee) - Chapter.5

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi.

Author's note: Jam-packed. I like this chapter... Can we really say that there is no such thing as fate?

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5. Red Wine

Another two months had past, but the rumours were still not denied. Although, to be more accurate, it was Koesaki and Yukimura who had not denied the rumoured romantic relationship; both of their respective agencies had insisted that the two were "just friends". Most fans were settled by the agencies' official statements, but Sanada was not.

He knew that if the rumour was false, Yukimura would be the first to deny it.

Sanada walked into the kitchen to fix his breakfast. He did not feel particularly well and while he ate the leftovers from dinner last night, a splitting headache developed. He began coughing as well, and before long, he was sprawled across the couch, drained and flaccid. He drank a few cups of water and had two tablets of Panadol before falling asleep.

Stabbing chest pains woke him and he realised that it was already dark outside. He sat up on the couch and switched on the television. Coincidentally, Yukimura was on screen with his co-star. It was not Koesaki Tsukimoya (whom Sanada disliked very much), but Ito Shin, his male co-star. The two were participating in an entertainment program in promotion of their new single that was recorded for the opening song of Chains.

Watching the two, Sanada was glad that it was Ito and not Koesaki who was standing beside Yukimura. Sanada raised his hand to tuck a strand of stray hair behind his ear. His hand brushed across his forehead. It was burning.

Alarmed, he pressed his hand to his forehead. The skin was as hot as a burning coal. A round of applause broke out on television. Sanada looked up slightly, his hand still on his forehead.

Time froze. Yukimura and Ito were kissing.

After realising that it was a punishment for an activity the two could not complete (stupid entertainment fan-servicing shows), he breathed a sigh of relief and lay back on the couch. But suddenly, his stomach seemed to turn upside down, and he ran to the toilet, throwing up despite not eating anything for the past twelve hours. He took a shower, hoping to reduce his fever. It worked somehow and he took another Panadol before going to bed.

That night, Sanada could not sleep. He clutched his chest in pain, coughed non-stop and wished for Yukimura to be by his side.

The next morning, Sanada decided to go to the hospital. His fever had returned and he developed difficulty in breathing. By the time he reached the hospital, he was nauseous and instead of phlegm, he had begun coughing up blood. However, since it was early in the morning, there were not many people and he was able to see a doctor quickly.

He had a chest X-ray and after a few hours, he was told he had pneumonia.

Luckily, every cloud had a silver lining and he was told he could be treated with antibiotics. Nevertheless, he walked out of the hospital feeling extremely down. He walked to the train station slowly, bypassing apartment buildings. A particular few seemed quite pleasant to live in because they were only five stories high, not the usual 30 or 40-storey apartment buildings.

Sanada walked to a small park opposite the buildings and sat down on a bench. The fresh morning air seemed to have healed his cough a little. He stared at the buildings, wondering if he could afford something like it one day. It seemed to be a nice place to live in.

The entrance door to one of the buildings swung open. A mother and her child walked out. Behind them, a young man dressed in black came out as well. He flagged a taxi and was gone in seconds. Sanada frowned and bit his lip; even though the man was wearing sunglasses and was far away, Sanada was certain that it was Yukimura.

But why was he here? And... why was he wearing the same clothes he wore yesterday?

Unmistakably, Sanada remembered the clothes. The black jacket, the black T-shirt with silver writing, the black jeans... Sanada had seen it clearly when Yukimura and Ito kissed. It had to be Yukimura. But why was he wearing the same clothes? His occupation demanded him to have a huge – ridiculous – wardrobe that could provide him with different clothing every day for at least three months. So why?

Sanada looked at the building Yukimura came out of again. Someone walked out onto the balcony on level 5. Sanada stared.

It was Koesaki Tsukimoya.

She was wearing a bathrobe loosely, revealing almost too much. She held a half-filled wine glass in her hand and was sipping it constantly. Sanada glared at her with slight amusement. She was obviously drunk and probably having a hangover by the looks of it.

Then, it suddenly struck him that Yukimura had walked out of that exact, same building.

When Sanada reached home, Yukimura was lying on the floor half-asleep.

"What's wrong?" Sanada asked, putting his medicine away so Yukimura would not see.

"Hangover."

"Lie on the bed, or at least the couch. The floor is dirty." Sanada said and coughed. He quickly got a cup of water.

"Whatever," Yukimura rubbed his temples. "Are you sick?"

Sanada was about to tell Yukimura, but he was reminded suddenly of Yukimura's overnight stay at Koesaki's. "It's nothing," he said, "just a cold."

Yukimura nodded and went into the kitchen, mumbling about his hangover. Sanada walked into the kitchen as well to make sure that in his drunken state, Yukimura did not cut himself with a knife or something sharp. All of a sudden, Yukimura turned around and looked at Sanada in the eye.

"It's hard being under everyone's watch sometimes," he said, his voice somehow empty.

"Of course," Sanada said. He could see the dark rings under Yukimura's eyes. "Don't overwork yourself."

"I don't mean that. It's hard... because I can't even have an open relationship with someone I love. I'm always scared that I'll get caught. Why can't I have a relationship with whoever I like? Why is it so restricting? Why is my work linked with my private life?" Yukimura rambled on. Sanada could see that Yukimura was no longer talking to him. He was thinking about someone else.

I can't even have a relationship with someone I love. Yukimura's words echoed in Sanada's mind. He coughed violently, his throat burning as if on fire. There was blood on his hand. Sanada stole a look at Yukimura and rushed to the sink to wash his hands.

Koesaki Tsukimoya, Sanada thought and coughed again.

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