Disclaimer: Even if I would conquer the world, this would still belong to Konomi-sensei.

Warning: Grammar/spelling mistakes, missing words/letters. Characters are probably going to be OOC. Possible yaoi in the future, bad language and maybe fighting scenes or places were one is beaten up or there are people hurting themselves.

Pairing: Royal Pair [Atobe/Ryoma]

Beta-ed by Deaths. Last. Prayer.(Thank you very much! :3)

I Cry For The Last Time

Chapter Eight: I've Already Died.

Ryoma staggered along the road, the bright silver half-moon in the night sky lighting his way. No one was out at such a late hour, this he was grateful for. There would be no one to bother him with idle chatter or even attempt to offer help... that was what he'd hoped for.

"Damn." A low groan fell from his lips as he paused in order to let the wave of dizziness pass. He still felt sick from the dose of medicine forcefully given to him earlier that day. "What the hel-"

Violent coughs racked his body before his hand shot to his mouth. Glistening golden eyes darted around in search for a bush, a trash can... anything would do. His misted irises landed on a grove of bushes a few feet ahead and Ryoma forced himself toward them. When he was close enough, he keeled over and emptied the contents of his stomach into the bushes. His insides... they felt like they were burning and the acidic aftertaste nearly made him vomit again. He gasped, hands resting on his knees, his breaths coming in short as he swallowed the cool night's air.

"Why..." He whispered, his eyes connecting with the inky sky. "Why is this happening to me? What the fuck did I do?" He paused as a cough forced its way up his throat.

Ryoma wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand. A sour taste continued to burn his tongue.

Ryoma couldn't remember how he got back to Akutsu's place nor did he care. His mind was blank, empty of all and any thought as he lay on the couch, golden eyes focused on the dirty ceiling above. He couldn't move, didn't want to move. It was as if he was anchored to the couch and that was fine with him. He felt sick... he felt numb. Not even the stray rays of sun peering through the curtains were enough to jar him in the least. The door to the living room opened with an audible creak before Akutsu stepped inside. Ryoma didn't bother to acknowledge him.

Yellow eyes roamed over the boy lying on the couch and noted that he was still in his street clothes. "Were you always this pathetic?"

"Shut up..." The words that fell from Ryoma's lips were void of their bratty lit.

They were as empty as he felt.

Akutsu shot him an inquisitive glance before he pushed aside Ryoma's legs and sat at the other end of the couch. He lit a cigarette because it calmed him and subsequently put the brat at ease. "What happened?"

"Stuff..." Was Ryoma's mumbled reply.

Akutsu sighed in irritation. "Give me something more than 'stuff' you damned brat." His eyes didn't move from their focused spot on the wall. "Whatever it is, I already told you that you're stronger than it- than them."

"I know..." The words were barely audible as Ryoma continued. "But... I don't get it!" A scowl lit his face and his voice filled with renewed anger. "Why the hell can't they just leave me alone? I didn't come here for this... Why the hell do they- fuck..." Golden eyes slid shut as he calmed himself, his previous spark of emotion dying out.

For a while, no one said a word. Akutsu allowed the silence to engulf them as he waited for Ryoma to start up again. They would get nowhere if he interrogated the 17 year-old brat and he hated wasting his breath. Hell, he hated talking in general, especial about emotional bullshit. That didn't mean that he wouldn't pulverize the bastards who dared to mess with one of his friends. He did care for Ryoma and he had his own way of showing it - gruff approach or not.

"I was drugged." Ryoma lifted a hand to cover his eyes, not entirely sure why he was saying anything to begin with. "After that, I was interrogated by an egotistical prick who wanted to know why I wasn't standing up to Tezuka." He sighed in frustration. "Why the hell does he care anyway?"

Something wet slide down the side of Ryoma's face and whether or not the boy was crying was up for debate. Either way, Akutsu didn't want to know.

"So you're just gonna let 'em keep fucking with you?" Akutsu watched as the ashes from his cigarette landed in the ashtray on the table. "Or are you gonna start fightin' back?"

There was a challenge in those words that Ryoma didn't like but he wouldn't let the man beside him know as much. His dry lips parted as he uttered a curt "Shut up." That would do for the moment.

Akutsu smirked. "Coward." He muttered as he stood from the couch, positive Ryoma had heard him. It was only a matter of time-

"I'm no fucking coward." Ryoma retorted as he sat up, honey colored irises glaring at Akutsu's back.

"Prove it." Akutsu didn't bother to turn around lest it ended up a waste of his time.

There was silence for a moment before Ryoma spoke up again. "I'll fight back."The admission was soft but steady and bore a confidence that was a semblance of the Past Ryoma. "I'll show them the monster they've been anxious to see."

Akutsu would swear that he detected a smirk attached with that statement but it was Ryoma's desire for revenge that had him captivated. It was all he needed to hear in order to know that Ryoma would be fine and things were about to get interesting. He'd have to tell Marui... the guy would never pass up an opportunity to get revenge no matter the target.

"Good luck with that." He walked towards the door pausing in the doorway to give Ryoma one last glance, his tone bored. "Food will be done in a few minutes so get your ass up from there and do… something about yourself. You smell like shit."

When the door clicked shut Ryoma fell back onto the couch, a groan tumbling from his mouth. It was time for things to change and the best way to go about that would be by telling the truth. But how the hell was he supposed to go about doing that? Did people expect him to post fliers that read "Tezuka is a lying asshole". Yeah... because that would get everyone's attention.

"I guess I need to man up, huh?" Golden eyes strayed towards the window. "Just Great..."

"Sanada? Why is he here?" Momo paused in the doorway of Seigaku's gym, as he watched Sanada use the machine he always used.

The ex-Rikkai Dai student paused, his head turning a little as he glanced at Momoshiro out of the corner of his eye. He'd never cared much for the loud mouthed powerhouse and that had not changed over the years. That being the case, he resumed his exercising and decided to ignore the boy - maybe he would be left alone if he did that.

Momo wasn't surprised by the coldness coming from Sanada so, instead of making a fuss about it, he simply got onto the treadmill next to Sanada and began running. Dark eyes darted towards the man beside him before quickly glancing away again. "Sanada... um... can I ask you... um... something?"

Sanada shut off his machine, his emotionless tone cutting clearly through the silence. "Were I to say 'no,' you would ask anyway, correct?" He could careless for their potential conversation but there was no avoiding it.

"You're right." Momo stopped his machine as well and stared at the man beside him. "About Tezuka... do you-"

"My relationship with Kuni- Tezuka is none of your concern. Unless..." Sanada's deep brown eyes regarded Momoshiro, his tone cold. "Are you the new puppy he spoke about?" He slung his towel over his shoulder as he waited for a response- a reaction of any kind.

Momo's grip on the treadmill railings tightened before he stopped his machine as well, all of his attention focused on the intimidating man beside him. "I don't really care how he sees me as long as I can be by his side..." He wiped at the sweat trickling down his face. "But you... You do know about Tachibana and Fuji, don't you? And now Echizen is back..." His face took on a dark expression. "Are you alright with that?"

Sanada's face drew into a scowl. "This is the last time I am going to repeat this to you: I do not care about what Tezuka does or what he has planned. My relationship with him is purely physical and void of any emotions- this is something we've both agreed to." His words were sharp and his eyes narrow. "As for Echizen... Whatever happened at Nationals is none of my business and, as long as he keeps away from me, I'll have no qualms with him."

Sanada picked up his water bottle and drank before he turned to leave. Momoshiro and the boy's ridiculous chain of questions chased away his urge to exercise and filled the room with a feeling of displeasure. Sanada always tended to walk away from their encounters feeling both angry and annoyed. Yes... Momoshiro had officially ruined his good mood and that was exactly why he hated the boy so.

Momo watched as the stoic boy left, his brows knitted curiously together. "But…" He stared at the mirror on the wall, confused purple eyes staring back at him. "Didn't Inui say that Sanada-san likes that guy… but... so... why is he doing that with Tezuka-sempai?"

He still didn't have any of the answers he'd hoped for. In fact, he was even more confused than he'd start out being.

Delicate fingers intertwined as the two clasped hands and ignored the open stares of those they passed by. Neither one of them cared for the opinions of others when it came to their relationship for it was theirs alone. As long as they were fine, everything else was.

Fuji had never cared about social norms as it was and Saeki was to follow him, whether he wanted to or not. He would not take a simple "no" for an answer. Never. And Saeki doesn't mind because he'd long ago gotten used to following along with Fuji's whims. To him, it was entertaining- it was something that made his dull daily life bright and interesting.

"Syuu, where are we going?" Saeki pulled on his boyfriend's hand in hopes of slowing him down. "Do we really need to rush?"

Fuji turned to look at his lover, a mischievous smile dancing about his lips. "No where special. I just want to talk to Yukimura about plans for Yanagi and Inui's birthday. I would've called him but we both know how hard he's been to reach these days." Fuji picked up the pace again feeling he'd explained more than he'd had to.

Saeki sighed as he cast a worried glance at his lover. "What if he's busy?"

Fuji laughed as they rounded a corner and headed down a small street towards a park. "It'll be okay. I asked Niou about Yukimura's schedule and he should be free right now. I promise, we won't be causing any trouble and- ah! There he is now!"

It seemed as though the delicate man was expecting them as he waved them over, Niou by his side. "Hello Fuji, Saeki." Yukimura nodded politely as he scooted over to make room for the two to sit on the grass beside him and Niou.

Niou raised his head from the manga he was reading to give a curt wave before continuing to read Ao no Exorcist.

"It's good to see you Yukimura and, as you know, I've come to talk about the birthdays of our two favorite data collectors. What ideas do you have so far?" Fuji watched as Saeki wandered over towards Niou, the two engrossing themselves in a discussion about the manga the latter held in his hands. He knew bringing Saeki would keep the other busy... it was always good to think ahead. "And I can certainly make arrangements too."

"Well..." Yukimura smiled as he pulled a few neatly folded papers from the bag sitting near his feet. "This is what I have so far but it's not as grand as one of Atobe's parties. Still, I think they'll like it." He handed a copy of his plans to Fuji. "Are you sure they'll be free on that particular day?"

"Yes, I made sure of it." Fuji glanced over the notes written in Yukimura's neat handwriting. "Yes, this will do. Do you have a guest list prepared? Or I could help if you prepare one if you need me to."

Yukimura shook his head in refusal. "Thank you but that's alright. You've done your part and now I must do mine." He looked up at the blue sky and smiled. "Do you have any special requests, perhaps?"

Fuji's smile was simply devilish as his eyes opened, their azure hue glinting beneath light brown bangs. "Actually, I do have something or, more precisely, someone in mind." Boy did he have someone in mind...

Tezuka would be quite pleased, this Fuji was sure of.

Meanwhile...

Saeki leaned closer to Niou as he read over the current page. "That's so unfair. He was just trying to save them!" He glance to the side and met Niou's gaze. "What?"

"They're blinded by fear so it's natural to react like that." He smirked and popped a bubblegum bubble. "Do you know what happens next?" He closed the manga and dropped it beside him on to the grass. "I mean, I already know. I'm just re-reading it since we have to wait so long for the new chapters."

Saeki laughed as he leaned back onto his elbows. "I know what happens. They all go around sulking for a while, right? But I wonder why they're so blind when it comes to the simplest matters?"

The corners of Niou's mouth pulled into a sly smirk. "That's an easy one: it's because they can't tell the difference between good and evil yet. Don't you think?"

"Yea, that's what I thought too." Saeki nodded. Soon, the two were engaged in deep conversation about their thoughts on how friendship, fear, and dishonesty all appeared in the manga.

A/N: If you read all that thing on the top part, well..Not all of it, but some, then you might notice that I have a beta for this story. Yay! She's awesome, by the way. :D

Yeah, so I guess the updates for this one will be quite random again, since I'm one of the lazy writers and it takes some time for her to finish beta-ing what I have written. And, all the previous chapters are going through the process of cleaning, so I'll replace them once she finishes.