Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Prince of Tennis!
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Respond to a guest reviewer:
Hyperfangirl-fan: Thank you so much for such a kind review! I really appreciate it and am so happy that you are enjoying my stories! :) I have actually gotten the request to write a crossover for HP and Eyeshield 21 from others as well. But, I haven't watched that anime yet. I might watch it one day and who knows, maybe I'll be inspired to write a crossover then. But, unfortunately, I can't promise to do it right now. Thank you for asking and believing that I could do it. :) I really do appreciate it. XD Hope you'll continue to enjoy my stories. :)
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Also, to other guest reviewers! : I'm sorry for not posting any thanks like this before now! I really do appreciate that you're leaving a review for my story! Thank you very much! :)
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Hari closed her eyes as she leaned against the wall in her bathroom. She gritted her teeth together as she felt her chest throb painfully, it was like someone was pushing against it with something heavy and spikey. It hurt even worse than when she first got it.
She coughed and immediately winced and her hand flew to her chest in order to try to make the pain ease.
"Itee, itee," she muttered under her breath.
What should she do? She briefly considered asking Nanjiro or Rinko, but she was sure it wasn't really that serious and she really didn't want them to think that she was just complaining about nothing. If the bruise was just a bruise then there was nothing they could do anyway. What was the point in saying anything if they couldn't help?
She pushed away from the wall and walked to the mirror and looked at the bruise in the mirror. It was still that dark colour, blueish and red around the edges. Was it bigger?
She brought a hand up and touched it before rapidly removing her hand and scowled at herself in the mirror. Great. Just great. What great timing to get a bruise that refused to go away. It was now Monday and that meant that it was five days since she had gotten it and it wasn't going away as it should!
She felt irritated with herself and kind of worried because she didn't want to slow anyone down at practice. Momoshiro had just gotten back and the last thing she wanted to do was to create anything else with her bruised chest.
She was sure that it would go over in a couple of days. She'd had worse injuries, after all, the basilisk tooth through her right arm for one. She hadn't complained then and she wasn't going to complain now.
With one last look, she turned and grabbed her shirt and got dressed for the day. She could hear her family move around the house and she allowed the sounds to comfort her.
...
Hari texted with Seiichi all the way to school barely aware that Ryoma and Momoshiro were shooting her curious looks as she smiled and texted with her boyfriend. She wished he would come back to Tokyo soon. She missed him.
"Who is it she is texting with?" Momoshiro asked Ryoma quietly.
"I don't know," Ryoma frowned as he adjusted his cap. "I am really curious."
Momoshiro nodded in agreement as Hari chuckled to herself.
"Something funny?" Momoshiro asked.
Hari blinked and looked over at him and Ryoma clearly having forgotten that they were there, and was that movement she just made a little stiff? Momoshiro frowned slightly.
"Oh," she said. "Gomen. I didn't mean to ignore you."
"No worries," Momoshiro grinned while Ryoma grunted. "But what's so funny?"
"Nothing much," Hari shrugged before biting down at her lip and looked away from them.
There was something off but what? Ryoma also frowned as he looked at his sister. She had been a little strange lately, and not just because she was hiding something or probably a boy someone much to his and Nanjiro's horror, but the way she kept refusing to practice when she was home. She just went to her room and said she had homework to do.
When was the last time he had played her at home? When was the last time she had played Nanjiro? Ryoma realised that he had no idea and that worried him.
They had reached the school now and Hari saw other of her friends also arriving and smiled when Kikumaru waved at her but was held back by Oishi from rushing over to hug her. She was grateful for that because her bruise hurt and she really didn't want to have anything put pressure on it.
"See you at lunch?" Ryoma asked and Hari glanced at him.
"Sure," she said. "See you then, Ryo-chan."
Ryoma looked after her as she turned to the corridor leading to her classroom with Momoshiro. He couldn't help the sudden dread he felt as he watched her go.
...
"Run around the courts for the next ten minutes," Tezuka ordered when he joined them at the courts. Hari was careful to keep her face blank as she took in the order but mentally she groaned because she really didn't think she was up to running around the courts and at the same time keep up with the others. But since she was a regular now she had to keep up.
With a mental groan she joined the others as they started to run. She kept pace with Kawamura who gave her a surprised look but she didn't worry about why as she focused on running and not on the pain in her chest caused by her breathing.
Fuji frowned as he glanced over at Hari who had decided to run by Kawamura. Now, there wasn't anything wrong with that. She and Kawamura were friends, but she normally would keep pace with Ryoma or him. So why wasn't she?
She looked okay, though. Didn't she? He frowned slightly as he thought she looked a little paler than normal and was she sweating harder? But her expression was focused and it didn't look like anything was wrong by looking at her expression.
He looked back in front of himself trying to convince himself that he was just imagining things. He then noticed the looks she got from Momoshiro as well and he was clearly worried about something. Fuji made a mental note that he needed to talk to him later and find out what he was thinking. Until then he would keep an eye on her. Just in case.
Ten minutes had never gone so slow, Hari thought as Ryuzaki finally gave the signal that they had been running for the given amount of time. Hari forced herself to stay on her feet and only allowed herself to lean against the fence for support.
"Here, Hari-chan," Yoshida said and Hari blinked realising that the other girl was holding out a bottle of water.
"Arigatou, Yoshida-san," Hari smiled tightly as she grabbed the bottle. Her grip slipped for a second and the bottle fell to the ground and rolled away from her. She glared at it in annoyance and felt tired and heavy. She pushed away from the fence and was about the bend down to take it when someone already had.
"Are you alright, Hari-chan?" Sakuno asked worriedly.
"I'm fine, Sakuno-chan," Hari said with a small smile and took the bottle from her. "Thank you."
Sakuno nodded and turned to walk over to Tomoka again. Hari sighed took a sip of the water pushing back a grimace as the pain shot through her again. She rubbed a hand tiredly over her face as she tried to calm her breathing and focus on something that wasn't pain.
Seiichi. Seiichi. He was trying to come back to Tokyo soon. His parents were considering allowing him back this or the next weekend. So she would be seeing him again soon. It was something to look forward too.
She managed to relax slightly and the pain resided enough to allow her to focus on Tezuka who had started to talk. Shoot. She had missed the first part of what he was saying…
"…we're practising serves and I want you to split up and work together," he was saying.
Okay, so serves. Right. She could do that.
"Hari-chan," Fuji said stopping in front of her.
"Shu-chan?" she blinked.
He looked at her with his normally smiling face and calm expression but she couldn't shake the feeling that he was looking at her more closely (even though his eyes were closed like normal).
"Let's team up," he said.
"Fine," she allowed and he smiled wider.
She followed him and they found a spot close by Ryoma and Momoshiro who (surprise, surprise) were working together. She glanced around spotting Oishi and Kikumaru laughing and having fun like normal and already working. Kawamura was paired up with Tezuka, while Inui was with Kaido for some reason. Hari had to admit that she found that kind of surprising.
"Ready?" Fuji asked.
Hari nodded knowing that she really wasn't but she had to be.
...
Fuji opened his eyes as he watched her work on her serve. With a quick look, nothing was wrong, she performed one slice serve after another with a precision that was really good, but looking underneath… there was something off about her movements. Or…more precisely when she paused and took a breath. She seemed to be holding herself stiffly and tense, differently than normal in a way that he wasn't sure how to describe.
But what could be causing it?
"Are you alright, Hari-chan?" Fuji asked.
Hari got a guarded look in her eyes before it was gone and a confused and what seemed like a genuine smile crossed her face as she looked at him.
"I'm fine, Shu-chan," she smiled.
He nodded but again he couldn't shake off the feeling that she was lying. But why should she lie about that?
They continued and Fuji was sure he saw a look of relief cross her face when Ryuzaki called out for them to stop.
Unaware to Fuji he wasn't the only one who kept looking over at Hari. Momoshiro was looking at her as well and a nagging feeling was making him think that something was wrong. But from just looking he couldn't say what it was.
...
"Tezuka," Fuji stopped by the Captain when they were going over to the more free part of practice and he was worried.
"Fuji," Tezuka glanced at him. "What's wrong?"
Fuji almost smiled, he knew him so well. Normally people wouldn't see that something was wrong, but Fuji was sure that something was very wrong.
"Have you noticed something about Hari-chan?" Fuji asked.
Tezuka arched a brow and glanced over at Hari who was rallying balls with Nagayama who were smiling and laughing.
"I'm not sure," Tezuka said slowly. "She's not really performing like normal; her running time was slower than it usually is."
Fuji nodded.
"I think something is wrong;" he admitted. "But I'm not sure what."
It was frustrating because Fuji always knew. He knew more than most about everything going on around the team. He watched and observed, but now… he was missing something. Something big and it was concerned with Hari.
"I see," Tezuka said thoughtfully. "Have you asked her?"
"She said she was fine," Fuji said. "But…"
"You think she's lying," Tezuka said.
Fuji shrugged.
...
Hari coughed and leaned forward over the sink of the water fountain. The water from the spring was running and the sound was oddly comforting even as she coughed again and she couldn't keep the pained grimace off her face as the cough shook her body and her chest protested the movement by shooting pain through her body with more intensity. Even her magic was feeling strange, almost like it was stretched thin or something. She didn't want to admit it but it kind of worried her.
"Itee…Itee…" she cried fisting a hand as she leaned on the sink of the water station. She couldn't help the sob escaping her as the pain felt worse than ever.
Coughing again she gasped for air and her knees felt weak and shaky like they would be giving out on her any moment now. She forced herself to keep standing and stared at the water flowing down the sink and shakily reached out with a hand to place it under the water and felt the cold against her skin that felt hot and uncomfortable. She somehow managed to cup her hand and bring up some water to splash on her face.
It felt good. She did it again and felt the water refresh her somewhat. She did it over and over but no matter what the hotness of her skin felt like it was there to stay.
Another coughing fit went through her and she fell forward slightly and only just managed to reach out with the hand she had used to splash water at herself with and grab the sink to stop herself from falling against the water station.
...
"What's wrong with her?" Kachiro whispered to Horio and Mizuno as they stared at Hari who was leaning against the water station and coughing and looking like she was in pain. They could hear the quiet sounds of pain from her.
"Shouldn't we go and help her?" Mizuno asked worriedly but he kept standing where he was. He felt like he was intruding on something he wasn't meant to see.
"We should find Ryoma," Horio said and the other two nodded with a relieved look on their faces. They all turned and ran back toward where the rest of the team was practising.
They found Ryoma and the others gathered around Tezuka who had called them in, Ryuzaki wasn't there at the moment but they didn't really notice that.
"Have anyone seen Hari-chan?" Tezuka asked.
"Not for a little while," Kawamura spoke up. "I think she went to get something to drink."
"Ryoma!"
"Echizen!"
Ryoma and the others turned to see the first year trio coming running toward them with worried and scared looks on their faces.
"What?" Ryoma frowned.
"It's Hari-chan-sempai!" Horio yelled.
"What about Hari?" Ryoma asked quickly.
Fuji and Momoshiro also tensed.
"She's hurt or something," Horio said.
"She's at the water fountain," Kachiro said quickly. "She was coughing and seemed to be in pain… I don't know…"
Ryoma was already running and he wasn't the only one. He could tell the others were right behind him but he didn't really care about that right now. He was just concerned about finding Hari.
They rounded the corner and saw Hari standing leaned over the sink of the water fountain and she was coughing so hard that her whole figure shook. She had clearly not heard them as she remained with her back to them.
Ryoma hurried to her and paled when he saw her pale yet also flushed face, she was wet from sweat or water he couldn't tell, probably both, but her eyes had a glassy look and her face was contorted in pain as she coughed and seemed to gasp for breath at the same time. A hand was to her chest.
"Hari!" Ryoma cried worriedly.
Her green eyes flickered over to him and she stared at him without recognition for a moment before she seemed to recognize him.
"Ryo-chan," she gasped out. "No…no…you…can't…see…"
Ryoma wasn't sure what to do.
"What…" he started and looked around. The others seemed to have frozen behind him.
Fuji stepped forward and put a hand on Hari's shoulder.
"Hari-chan," he said and she pulled away but another coughing hit her and she stopped and leaned into him instead. "Shh… calm down… try to breathe…"
"No…no… can't…hurt…" she managed to say.
"Someone find Ryuzaki!" Fuji said as he helped Hari sit down and got a towel from Tezuka. He started to dry her face the best he could as she coughed and coughed.
"Hari…" Ryoma sat down next to her and took her hand in his. "What's wrong?"
She shook her head and they could see her trying to get control of herself again but it seemed like a fruitless struggle. Ryoma watched her with wide eyes unable to help and he noticed her free hand clutching her chest.
"Are you having chest pain, Hari?" Tezuka's voice was calm and demanded to be listened to.
She shook her head.
"Hari…" Ryoma pleaded. "Tell me what's wrong…"
Fuji frowned as he tried to help the best he could and he rubbed her back hoping it would calm her down. He frowned as he knew he couldn't do anything about loosening her shirt since it was a t-shirt and not one he could open up to help her breathing that way.
Ryoma had no idea how long it took until Ryuzaki came running toward them with Kawamura (who had been the one to go and find her). She looked worried when she saw Hari and shooed the others farther away to give her some space.
...
"Hari-chan?" she asked as she kneeled down next to her. "Can you calm your breathing for me?"
Hari blinked at her and nodded. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her breathing and stop her coughing but it was difficult. Her pain was making her almost black out and she felt a rush of panic because her breathing wouldn't calm down and she could feel another coughing fit coming but she had to stop.
"Hari." Ryoma's voice called her.
Ryoma.
Ryoma. He was worried. He was there and he saw…. They all saw. Another wave of panic came over her.
"Call an ambulance," Ryuzaki ordered someone but Hari wasn't sure who.
No, she didn't want an ambulance… she was fine… She just had to…
Ryoma.
"Hari, please…" Ryoma sounded so scared.
She coughed again and her breathing wouldn't stop rushing out of her, her chest hurt and it felt like it was on fire.
"My…chest…" she gasped.
"But you said…"
"Bruise…" she gasped.
"Bruise?" That was Fuji.
She nodded weakly. Why did she feel so tired? She blinked and tried to focus. Her vision was a little bleary but she blinked again and then she saw Ryoma and Fuji right there and Ryuzaki as well. She gasped and felt new air hit her lungs and she managed to exhale as well.
"That's it," Ryuzaki murmured. "Steady breaths, in and out… just focus on that, Hari-chan. In and out."
She tried.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.
"No ambulance," she managed to say.
"It's been called," Ryuzaki said and she frowned.
"I'm fine," she said.
"Fine?" Ryuzaki arched a brow. "I don't think so."
"Hari…" Ryoma said before Hari could say anything else and she glanced over at her little brother who looked so worried and she felt a stab of guilt go through her. It was her fault. She had made him that worried just because she had to get a coughing fit and couldn't stop.
She still struggled a little too keep her breath even as she looked at him but it was a little easier. She still felt warm and sweaty, her shirt felt clammy and gross and she kind of wished that Fuji would stop touching it because it must be grossing him out.
"What bruise were you talking about?" Fuji asked and she realised that she could see his eyes. His blue eyes.
"You have pretty eyes…you shouldn't keep them closed all the time," Hari mumbled as she closed her eyes and leaned against Ryoma. "I'm tired."
"Don't go to sleep," Fuji said and reached out to touch her chin. "Open your eyes, Hari-chan."
Hari blinked and did as he said.
"What bruise?" he asked again.
She frowned.
"Nanimonai," she said tiredly. "Just a bruise. Nothing to worry about."
Momoshiro stepped forward then and he frowned.
"Could it…could it be from the ball I hit you with in our match?" he asked.
Hari blinked at him and frowned.
"It's not that big of a deal," she mumbled.
Fuji's eyes widened. He remembered now. She had been hit in the chest with a ball and it had been so hard that she had been knocked off her feet, but she had gotten up so fast and hadn't shown any sign of being in pain… he had forgotten.
"Shit," he muttered and he saw Ryoma also having come to the same conclusion as him.
Just then the sirens from the ambulance sounded and they looked up to see the ambulance coming toward them and stopping a little bit away since it couldn't get any closer. Oishi (who had gone to the school gate to meet the ambulance) came running toward them with a couple of EMTs.
A man and a woman came toward them had without a pause sat down next to Hari and pushed Fuji and Ryoma away without much effort as they started to work asking questions as they did so.
...
Ryoma felt like the worst brother in the world. How could he not have seen that she was so hurt that she had to have help from paramedics? She looked so pale and small where she was being worked on by a couple of paramedics. She protested their movements but she started to cough again and leaned forward in pain.
"The breathing is shallow and laboured," the man said after listening to her lungs.
"We need to get to the hospital," the woman said.
The man looked at them.
"Can anyone tell us what happened?" he asked.
"We don't really know," Tezuka spoke up. "It appears she got hit in the chest by a tennis ball five days ago and has a bruise on her chest because of it. She hasn't said anything about it and we had no idea she might have been hurt until now."
The man frowned and nodded.
"Alright," he said and together with his partner started to move Hari over onto a stretcher.
"I'm fine," she said despite struggling again to breathe.
"Can I go with her?" Ryoma asked stepping forward.
The man looked at him.
"Anatahadare?"
"I'm her brother," Ryoma said. "Echizen Ryoma."
The man frowned and looked at his partner who shrugged.
"Sure, but don't get in the way, kid," he said.
Ryoma nodded and followed.
"I'll call Nanjiro and meet you at the hospital," Ryuzaki said.
Ryoma nodded.
...
Nanjiro was reading in his magazine and giggling at the naughty Mari. He was laying on the floor and the television was on the background but he didn't pay attention to it as he flipped the pages and another girl appeared. He giggled again.
He could hear Nanako in the kitchen and Rinko had just arrived home and was somewhere around the house. The only ones missing were the kids. But they should be home soon and maybe he could get Hari to play with him again. It had been a while since she had done that.
He heard the phone ring and with a sigh, he put the magazine down and stretched out and reached the phone before he fell down to the floor again with a "humph".
"Hello?" He answered the phone.
"Nanjiro," Ryuzaki's voice sounded.
"Ah, old hag, what…" Nanjiro started.
"Stop, Nanjiro, listen," Ryuzaki said and her voice was serious and Nanjiro sat up almost unconsciously.
"What is it?" Nanjiro asked.
"It's Hari-chan," Ryuzaki said and Nanjiro felt his heart skip a beat in fear. "She is on her way to the hospital. There's something wrong with her chest, but we're not sure what yet. She suddenly had problems breathing and was coughing a lot after practice today."
Nanjiro got up to his feet and opened and closed his mouth without making a sound as he tried to make his brain work and actually talk.
"What? Is she okay?!" The words came tumbling out of his mouth.
"She had calmed her breathing when the ambulance got here," Ryuzaki said. "But they took her with them to the hospital. Ryoma went with them and I'm on my way there now."
Ambulance. His little girl had been picked up by an ambulance.
"We're on our way," Nanjiro said before hanging up. "Rinko!"
He rushed to the hallway and saw Rinko coming out of her office looking at him worriedly.
"Nanjiro?" she asked.
"Come on! We have to go!" Nanjiro yelled.
"Go? Where? What's going on?!" Rinko asked confused and worried because Nanjiro looked really scared. Nanako also came out of the kitchen and stared at them.
"Hari-chan is at the hospital," Nanjiro said. "Something's wrong with her."
Rinko paled and if Nanjiro had been calmer he would have cursed himself for not telling her in a better way but right now all he could think about was Hari and hospital.
...
Ryoma paced the waiting area he had been shown to by a nice nurse and he kept glancing toward the doors she had gone back through and he wanted to go back there and find Hari, to see that she was okay.
How could he not have noticed that she was this hurt? How had she even hidden it?
Questions like this swirled in his mind as he paced the room but he became no wiser to the answers. He looked up when Ryuzaki and the rest of the team came rushing in and he almost sighed. She really wouldn't like to be creating such a fuss, but then again…maybe she needed to see just how worried they all were for her.
"How is she?" Kikumaru asked and for once he wasn't bouncing.
"The doctors haven't been out yet," Ryoma said.
Kikumaru's face fell as he looked down at the floor and Oishi reached out to squeeze his shoulder and led him to a chair.
"Ryoma, sit down," Ryuzaki said comfortingly.
"Ie," he said and kept pacing and glancing at the door.
Fuji sat down and stared at the door Ryoma kept glancing at. He guessed the doctor would come out through there so he stared at the door himself. He tried to keep calm but it was much harder than he thought it would be. He couldn't get the image of Hari struggling to breathe between coughing fits and the way she clutched her chest out of his mind.
The waiting room was luckily mostly empty beside them so they didn't bother anyone else.
Ryoma looked up when the rushed footsteps came closer and soon Nanjiro, Rinko and Nanako came rushing into the waiting room.
"Ryoma!" Rinko rushed over to her son and hugged him. For once he didn't mind being hugged by his mother, even if it was in front of all his friends because he needed the comfort.
"How is she?" Nanjiro asked as he joined them and a serious look was on his face. Ryoma thought he looked really unfamiliar with that look; it was hard to connect it with his father.
"The doctors haven't been out yet," Ryoma repeated.
"What's taking them so long?" Nanjiro complained.
"Gaki," Ryuzaki said and he turned to her. "Sit down and wait. They are doing what they can for her."
"Old hag," Nanjiro scowled.
"Dear," Rinko sighed putting a hand on his arm. "Do try to behave."
Somehow she managed to calm her husband down and get him to sit down.
...
"How's Hari-chan?" Nanjiro asked the doctor who had come to get him and Rinko. They were in a small office and beside the doctor, there was a computer with some files opened and the desk was stacked with papers.
"She's very lucky," the doctor, Ito Yuu, said. "She has a bruise on her chest, just above her right breast. It is serious but it could have been worse. She said she got it five days ago and she has kept playing tennis and doing what she normally does despite the injury."
Nanjiro frowned and fisted his hands against his thighs.
"And?" he pressed.
"The bruise is what we would call sportsmen's chest pain," Doctor Ito continued. "It's usually seen in more contact sports like football, hockey, wrestling… but if she got hit by a tennis ball in full speed, then I guess it could explain the injury."
"And if she got it five days ago then why is she only now showing it?" Rinko asked. "Why is she suddenly having problems breathing?"
"She pushed herself too hard," Doctor Ito said. "Normally it's not dangerous if you rest and not strain yourself. But since she continued to play she stressed her chest muscles and the strain it put on her chest caused her to get breathing problems and a cough. Though, I am a little surprised that she lasted this long before the strain showed."
Why had she done that? Rinko frowned worriedly and she couldn't get that nagging feeling that said that this had to do with her time with the Dursley's to leave her alone.
"Why the cough, though?" Nanjiro asked.
"It's normal to develop a cough because of the chest pains," Doctor Ito said. "She took shorter breaths in order to relieve the pain and because of that, the cough developed. If it continued like this it would have been a good chance for her to have contracted pneumonia. "
"But she hasn't, right?"
"No, she hasn't," the doctor said.
"So, what now?" Rinko asked.
"She needs rest," Doctor Ito said. "No exercises for at least a week, maybe longer but we'll see how the bruise is healing when she allows her body to relax."
"Can we take her home?" Nanjiro asked.
"I would like to keep her overnight for observation," Doctor Ito said. "Just to monitor her breathing and make sure that we haven't missed anything. Also, I want to give her some breathing exercises in the morning as well."
"Alright," Rinko said placing a hand on Nanjiro's arm. "Can we see her?"
"Of course," Doctor Ito said.
...
"Okaa-san!" Ryoma said as soon as his mother came back into the waiting room. "How's Hari?"
The others looked at her as well and Rinko smiled softly to Hari's friends who had stayed waiting for news. She was really grateful that Hari had found such great friends since she came to live with them.
"Hari's going to be fine," Rinko said. "The doctor said she got what is known as sportsmen's chest pain. She pushed herself too hard and it aggravated the injury."
"But she'll be okay again?" Momoshiro asked quietly.
"Yes," Rinko smiled at him. "She'll just need some rest and she'll be fine. She'll need to stay overnight here at the hospital, though, but she'll be out tomorrow."
"Good," Fuji said.
"That's very good," Ryuzaki said.
"We want to see her, but I think that it might be too much right now," Fuji said getting up and the others glanced at him. "She's probably tired and needs to rest, so…"
Rinko nodded. "I'm sure she would really appreciate seeing you all and knowing that you all waited here for her. If you want I'll check and see if she's ready to see you or you could come by the house tomorrow and you could see her then."
Tezuka got up as well and the others automatically looked to him to make a decision.
"We'll see her tomorrow," he said politely. "She needs her rest."
"Alright," Rinko smiled.
"Tell her we're thinking about her," Kikumaru said.
"I will," Rinko smiled. "Thank you."
Soon Ryoma was the only one left with Rinko and Ryuzaki. Ryuzaki was frowning slightly as she looked at Rinko.
"Where's Nanjiro?" Ryuzaki asked.
"He's with Hari-chan," Rinko said tiredly. "He really got scared when you called."
"I know," Ryuzaki said. "I could hear it in his voice."
Rinko sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I never thought…"
"I am sorry, Rinko-san," Ryuzaki said. "I should have seen that she was hurt."
"We all should have," Rinko said. "She should have said something, we should have noticed… but we didn't and she didn't… there's nothing we can do to change that."
...
Ryoma followed his mother into the room that he was told were Hari's and paused by the door when he saw her laying on the bed. She looked like she was asleep as her eyes were closed and while she still looked a little pale she didn't look to be in pain any more. An IV was connected to her arm and a bag of something clear fluid was hung up next to the bed.
Rinko was already by the bed and reached out to stroke a strand of her hair out of her face with a gentle touch. Nanjiro sat close by the bed and had one of her hands in his and was staring at her face like he was scared she would disappear.
"Ryoma," Rinko said. "Aren't you coming in?"
Ryoma swallowed as he forced his legs to move and walk over to the bed. He looked down at his sister and felt a rush of anger go through him. Why? Why hadn't she told him that she was hurt? Why would she keep that from them? From him? He thought they told each other everything. Didn't she trust him?
Then anger at himself filled him in even greater aspect. Why hadn't he seen it? Why hadn't he noticed that she was hurt? So hurt that she had ended up being brought to the hospital in an ambulance? How could he have let this happened? What kind of brother was he?
"She's going to be fine," Nanjiro spoke up and glanced at him. "She'll need you when she wakes up."
"She didn't tell me," Ryoma whispered. "She doesn't need me."
"She does," Rinko said looking at him before she pulled him into a hug. "Ryoma, she does need you. You're her brother and best friend."
Ryoma just nodded and glanced over at Hari again and wondered how she could look so small and vulnerable when she was the strongest person he knew. He swallowed as he sat down at the edge of the bed and looked at her.
"Where's Ryoga-nii?" Ryoma asked.
"He's on his way," Nanjiro said just as the door flew open and Ryoga came rushing into the room and stared wide-eyed at the bed and Hari lying there.
"Is she alright?" He demanded breathlessly.
"She'll be fine," Rinko assured him.
...
Ryoga had been with a friend playing tennis at a club, winning money from some older guy who thought he was all that when he got the call from Rinko. He had stopped the game, didn't care that he lost some money, and rushed out of the club leaving his friend in a confused and slightly annoyed daze.
Hari was hurt and at the hospital.
He had seen her recently and she hadn't said anything about being hurt, so had it happened at practice? What had happened? Rinko hadn't really gone into details on the phone. Right now he wished he knew more because the worry and concern were making him go crazy.
In the cab on his way to the hospital, he remembered Seiichi. He had probably not been told because he was the only one who knew about them and Hari probably hadn't had time to call him. If it was serious then he should know… right?
He frowned trying to figure out what Hari would want. She hadn't told Nanjiro about him yet, and she probably didn't want to introduce him to them like this… but, he should know. Ryoga knew that if it was his girlfriend in the hospital he would want to know.
Still arguing with himself he pulled the phone out and found Seiichi's number, glad he had asked for it and received it when he went to see him and pressed the call button.
"Hello?" Seiichi's voice sounded.
"Hey, Yukimura-san," Ryoga swallowed. "It's Echizen Ryoga and I think there's something you should know…"
...
Hari felt confused and sore as the surroundings started to come back to her and she realised that she was in a bed. But it wasn't her own bed, so where was she? She tried to remember but the memory was foggy, she could hear talking around her. Familiar voices talking quietly, tensely and worriedly. Why were they worried?
She blinked and the room came into focus. A white room, too white, and a window to her right that showed the sun still up but starting to go down. Then she noticed the people. Her people gathered around the bed.
"Hari-chan!" Nanjiro was the first to speak. "How are you feeling?"
She opened her mouth to answer before she closed it again realising that she wasn't sure. She frowned and tried to catalogue herself.
"Thirsty," she croaked out and it was true. Her throat felt dry. "I'm fine."
"Fine," Ryoma scoffed. "That was what you said when you were coughing so hard that you couldn't breathe."
Hari blinked and tried to remember and suddenly the memory came rushing back and she remembered going to get something to drink and getting away from the others because she felt her breathing getting out of hand and she thought she just needed to have some water and relax by herself. Then Ryoma had been there, Fuji, Tezuka…everyone.
She closed her eyes. They knew.
"Oh," she said quietly. "I…I didn't…"
"You're going to be fine," Rinko said and Hari looked over at her. Rinko reached out and cupped her face with one hand and smiled reassuringly at her. "The doctors said it's a sportsmen's chest pain, the bruise you have. Because you have been breathing in shallow breaths in order to regulate the pain and have pushed yourself with practice it turned into a cough and the breathing problems."
Hari frowned.
"It's just a bruise," she said. "I didn't think…"
"We'll talk later," Rinko said letting go of her chin. "Right now you need rest and no stress."
Hari frowned but nodded.
"I'm sorry," she said weakly.
Nanjiro squeezed her hand and she realised that he was holding one and Ryoma were holding the other one. Ryoga was sitting at the end of her bed and looked at her with a concerned look but smiled slightly when he saw her looking. Nanako was standing behind Ryoga and smiled relieved at her.
"We're just glad that you're okay," Nanako smiled.
Hari nodded.
...
It was late when Hari finally was alone in her room. The others had just left her and she was a little surprised that they managed to get Nanjiro to go home. It was not easy but she had assured him that it was fine and he really needed the rest. He looked exhausted and she knew he was tired.
She didn't mind being alone for the night. It wasn't like she hadn't been alone before, but somehow… had she wished for someone to stay with her? She frowned. It wasn't possible, anyway. Hospital policy and all that. They had already let them stay way past visiting hours and it was not worth fighting them just because she was…what? Lonely? Scared?
Was she scared? No. Of course not. But she couldn't deny the small worry she felt deep in her stomach at the thought of being alone in the hospital. She kind of wished that Nanjiro or Rinko had stayed with her… they would be a comfort. She wished she could have gone home. She would be so much better at home and not at the hospital.
She scoffed at herself. She was being stupid. It wasn't like she was in any immediate danger. She was fine. She was sure of it.
And since when did she need someone to be with her? She never had before and she had been fine then. She would be fine now. She didn't need anyone to hold her hand just because she felt…oh, she didn't even know what she felt.
But…she couldn't deny (at least to herself) that she had been scared back at the school when she couldn't catch her breath and the coughing wouldn't stop. It had been scary. But why did she feel scared like that? She had been in worse trouble and handled it way better. She hadn't felt scared in that way down in the chamber or in that room with Quirrell… Not like that, anyway.
And the look on Ryoma's face… she felt guilt rise up inside of her just remembering it. He had looked so scared and worried like he really thought she was going to… No. She wasn't going to think about it.
Shame and embarrassment went through her as she thought about her friends. They had seen her like that. They knew. She didn't want them to know. They would think she was a burden and then those who said that she didn't belong on the team would be proven right. She hadn't even managed to get through a week before she had caused trouble.
Get the snitch or die trying. That was what Wood had told her before the Quidditch match back in her second year. It was the same principle. Do your best or die trying. Push yourself for the team. That was her duty. That was what she had tried to do, but instead, she just caused them worry and trouble. They must hate her now. Think that she was weak.
She suddenly sat up and gasped slightly in pain. She had forgotten! How could she have forgotten! Seiichi! He didn't know… should she call him? She glanced at the clock. It was pretty late… would he be upset if she called him now? Should she? What was the point in worrying him when she was fine?
Would he worry?
The small doubt rose inside of her and she frowned. Why would he worry? Why did anyone worry? She was just…Hari. Nothing special, really.
Honestly. She wasn't even sure why Seiichi even wanted to be her boyfriend. Maybe he would realise what a burden she was if she called him? Would he think she wasn't worth it?
She couldn't lose him. She really liked him and…
The door opened and she glanced over at it automatically and felt her eyes widen when she saw who was standing in the doorway. It wasn't a nurse or a doctor like she had thought…
"Sei-chan!" She gasped.
He looked at her for a long moment and it felt like time stood still and she couldn't decipher the look in his eyes. Suddenly it was like time moved again and he moved toward her and over to the bed.
"Hari-chan," he whispered. "You're…okay?"
"I'm fine," she said automatically still staring at him.
He frowned and reached out with both hands and rubbed his thumbs over her cheeks wiping away tears she hadn't even realised had run down her cheeks. He sat down at the edge of the bed beside her and cupped her face between his hands.
"How did you know?" Hari whispered.
He didn't answer for a moment before he sighed and let go of her face and his hands fell into his lap.
"Your brother called me," Seiichi said. "Echizen-san thought I should know."
Ryoga had called him? She swallowed.
"Oh," she whispered. "He didn't tell me."
Seiichi looked at her.
"Why didn't you say anything?" he asked.
Hari looked down.
"I…I thought it would go away," she said. "I didn't want to complain just because it hurt a little. It's not a big deal…"
"Hari-chan," Seiichi frowned. "If you're hurt then you should say something. It's not complaining."
Hari frowned. She had always been told to stop complaining when she was hurt as a kid and complained to her aunt when she had to do chores and her arm hurt because Dudley had grabbed it really hard, or she had a bruise because she had been pushed or fallen.
Seiichi saw the confusion in Hari's face and felt worried. Did she really now understand why she should have said something? That he, her friends, her family would have wanted to know so they could have helped her?
She looked so confused and exhausted that Seiichi felt himself soften and reached out to push a loose strand of hair out of her face and let his hand linger against her chin. She blinked at him and he smiled slightly.
"We can talk later," he said. "You need rest."
"I want to talk to you," Hari said but her eyes started to drop.
Seiichi smiled as he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her temple.
"I'll stay," he said.
"But visiting hours…" Hari frowned.
"I got connections," Seiichi said mysteriously.
Hari smiled and closed her eyes before she opened them when she felt someone laying down next to her making her move slightly to the side. She blinked at Seiichi who smiled back at her but there was a question in his deep violet-blue eyes as he looked at her, and she could tell he was nervous.
"Is this okay?" he asked quietly.
He was so close and warm. She knew she probably should tell him to move, but she didn't want to. She smiled and nodded.
"Yeah."
She snuggled closer to him and allowed her eyes to drop as she felt his arm around her waist hugging her close. She felt safe.
...
...
AN: What do you think? XD
I don't know anything about medical stuff so anything medical in this is only taken from some light research. So, I'm not trying to pretend that I know what I'm talking about with the medical aspects of this chapter. But I have tried to make it believable. Hope it is. :) I hadn't really planned on taking the injury this far, but as I wrote I ended up with this so I decided to go with it. It is a consequence of her hiding her injury and ignoring her own needs. It will be a wakeup call for her and those around her. :)
The next chapter will, hopefully, be up in a day or two. I have most of it written out and just need to edit it a little more and maybe make a couple of changes before I put it up :) So, here's to hoping that everything goes as planned and you get another chapter soon! :)
Thank you so much for reading and supporting the story. I love getting reviews from you or just knowing that people are reading my story and hopefully enjoying it! XD
Japanese words used:
Itee - Ouch
Gomen - Sorry
Arigatou - Thank you
Nanimonai - Nothing
Anatahadare - Who are you?
Ie - No
Gaki - Brat
Okaa-san - Mum