Ryoma-kun is dying? [Another Story]

By: rennomiya

*Please read 'Echizen is Dying?' first before reading this :) Thank you *bows head

Ryuzaki Sakuno smiled weakly as she walked with her best friend, Osakada Tomoka, in the white and dull hallways of the hospital. The whole building smelt of isopropyl alcohol and other clinical stuffs that she had no idea about. And as usual, her loud best friend was being, guess what, loud again; talking about nonsense and shouting how she felt sorry for what happened to her beloved Ryoma-sama.

The reason why the two girls were at the hospital right now was because Echizen Ryoma's mother asked them to come over to visit her son, who had to be confined in the hospital because of a minor leg injury. At first, when she found out the other day that an accident occurred in school and Echizen Ryoma was involved, Sakuno was downright worried to death. She even thought that she was going to die while running towards the staircase, where the tennis prince was said to have fallen. But the good news is it was nothing to worry about and he'll be out in the hospital in three days.

"ANYWAY!" Tomo shouted while walking in the hallways unsteadily, "I made a poster for Ryoma-sama," she said happily as she took out a folded tarpaulin from her bag while walking, "Tada!" she unfolded the tarpaulin and happily showed it to her best friend.

Sakuno sweat dropped when she looked at the poster her loud-mouthed friend made. At the upper side of the poster was the phrase 'Get Well Soon, Prince Ryoma' and in the middle was Tomo's shoujo-manga-version of Echizen Ryoma (with sparkling eyes) holding a disproportionate tennis racquet on one hand and a huge bouquet of roses on the other. The background of her 'design' was filled with drawings of red roses. And if she observed more, she would see chibi drawings of Tomoka and herself in their cheering outfits, holding pompoms.

"So," Tomo asked expectantly, "What do you think?"

Sakuno gulped uneasily before she answered a weak, "It's nice!"

Tomo's grin widened. She hugged her best friend before she placed the tarpaulin back inside her bag. Then, the hyper lass hurriedly dragged the timid twin-braided friend of hers towards Ryoma's room.

When they arrived, they saw all of the other senpai-tachi (except Kaidoh) already there. Tomo was about to cheerfully greet them when she noticed the gloomy expression on everyone's face (except for Ryoma, who was twitching every now and then). They were circling Ryoma, who was sitting on a white bed with a bandaged leg. "What's with the atmosphere?" she curiously asked.

Sakuno worriedly looked at them. The senpais shot her a knowing and saddened look, which made Sakuno even more concerned. "Senpai-tachi? What's the matter?"

"Listen, senpai!" Ryoma yelled, "I said I'm not going to—"

"Echizen's going to die," Fuji stated bluntly.

Tomo and Sakuno's face dropped. "Eh…? Ryoma-kun/sama is… what?"

Oishi said to Fuji sadly, "Fuji… you didn't have to tell them straight on…"

"Senpai! I told you, I'm not—"

"I have to," Fuji said heroically as he stood up straight, "This is something serious that we must face head-on!" the Japanese flag began appearing behind him as if he were running for a position in the government, "We must… be strong… and true to ourselves to accept the devastating fact that Echizen's going to die… and soon."

Tomo dropped on the ground, tears started to form on her eyes. "Ryoma-sama… n-no…"

"Senpai—"

"What sickness?" Sakuno asked, shadows covering her eyes. The senpais looked down, feeling the same thing as the two girls had.

"Spinocerebellar Degeneration Disease, Heart Disease, and Brain Cancer…" Inui said.

Tomo's tears dropped on the ground. She covered her mouth with one hand. "I-I can't believe it… R-Ryoma-sama… is going to die… W-W-Who am I going to call Ryoma-sama from now on?" she yelled as she stood up. Sensing that the loud-mouthed cheerleader was about to erupt, Oishi quickly walked towards her and began calming her down.

"Just… just find another boy with the same name as his…" Oishi calmly said while rubbing Tomo's back comfortingly.

"He'll be fine… Just remember the good things that he had done…" Momo said weakly, also trying to comfort Tomoka.

"Yeah," Tomo said tremblingly and sniffed her nose, "but still!"

"Tomo-chan, mou ii…" Sakuno said, shadows still covering her eyes.

Ryoma groaned. "Listen to me, everyone… I said I'm not going to die!"

Sakuno stared straight into his eyes, making Ryoma raise a brow. "I'm not going to die, and that's the truth."

"That's right, Echizen! Be strong!" Oishi nodded determinedly. "Fight!" He raised a fist up, encouraging his kouhai. Ryoma rolled his eyes at this.

"Nya, Sakuno-chan… aren't you going to say something to O'chibi?" Eiji said as tears kept on rolling down his cheeks, his nose runny.

"Yeah," Momo nudged Sakuno, "I think there is something you need to say to him before he dies!"

The crying senpais pushed Sakuno closer to where Ryoma was. She kept on looking at Ryoma with a straight face. The two stared at each other with no one speaking and that's when everyone decided to give them privacy. The senpais and Tomo left the room, waiting out in the hallways.

"So, Ryoma-kun," she said quietly, almost in a whisper, "You're going to—"

"No," Ryoma cut her off, "I'm not going to die. It's only a minor leg injury. The senpais exaggerated it."

Sakuno looked on the ground sadly. "Is that so?" she said, as if not hearing what Ryoma said at all.

"Hey, were you listening? I said I'm not going to die!"

Tears began rolling down from her eyes, making Ryoma inwardly panic. "Oi, what now? I said I'm not going to—"

"Please Ryoma-kun!" she yelled. "Please be strong… b-but… you can… always come to me whenever you're feeling weak… I-I'll always be there for you like the times you were there for me… I'm… I… It's just… Ryoma-kun… I…" she said between sobs.

'Is she confessing?' Ryoma thought with a raised brow.

"I'm so sorry… I can't say it even if you're going to die soon…" She was shaking like there was no tomorrow, and tears were flowing continuously from her eyes and it might start a flood in his room soon.

'Oh… so she was trying to confess…' Ryoma thought as he inwardly smirked confidently. "Ryuzaki… like I said before… I'm not dyi—" he immediately halted his words when he realized the situation. Ryuzaki was trying to confess to him because she thought he was going to die (which was a pathetic thing to believe on, he thought). And maybe, she might do more if he pretended he was in pain.

"OW!" he yelled as he clutched his head.

She worriedly leaned closer to him. "W-What's the matter, Ryoma-kun?"

"My… uh… brain cancer's kicking in…" he said unsurely as he closed his eyes tightly. "Ryuzaki… I'm in pain!" he yelled as he pretended he was in pain.

"Oh, Ryoma-kun," she said softly and hugged his head.

Giving him the chance of being squished between her breasts.

If Ryoma was a perverted, and he's not saying he is, then he would have grinned perversely at this.

But he was not a pervert, so he remained straight-faced.

She caressed his head lovingly. "It's going to be fine, Ryoma-kun. I'm right here… I won't let you go…"

Ryoma grinned at this. 'That can be considered as a confession.'

"Ryuzaki… my heart disease… it's killing me…" he said 'weakly' and hugged her back.

Sakuno slightly leaned back and cupped his cheeks. She was staring to his eyes with worry. "Oh, poor Ryoma-kun…"

"Ryuzaki… I…" he said as he pretended to look weak, "My heart… I can feel it… It's slowing down…"

She was damned worried to death (again). "S-Should I call a doctor?"

Ryoma held her wrist to stop her from leaving. "No, don't."

"Ryoma… kun…"

"I know of a way to make it beat faster…" Ryoma said, "And only you can do it."

"What is it?" Sakuno asked eagerly, afraid that his heart might stop beating soon.

"Kiss…"

"… Eh?"

Ryoma's weakened look turned evil. "Kiss me."

Who is he, Snowhite? Except he was not as a princess and there were no dwarves? And that a kiss of his one-true-love would bring him back to life?

Sakuno paused, and felt like she turned into a stone.

"I'm dying… please…" he said, but his looks were deceiving that it made him look like the Queen Stepmother of Snowhite. "Kiss me… before my heart stops…"

Sakuno's worried face turned red. "K-K-Kiss…?"

"It'll stop beating in 3… 2…"

Sakuno pulled him closer and kissed him…

… On his cheeks.

"There, I kissed you," Sakuno said hastily, cheeks, no, whole body red and eyes trying to avoid looking into his eyes.

"You're mean Ryuzaki," Ryoma said. He lied back down on his bed and closed his eyes. "The kiss was supposed to be in my lips. You didn't save me. My heart is going to stop beating… now…"

"Eh?" Sakuno panicked and stared at Ryoma's dead state. "Ryoma-kun? Hey, Ryoma-kun? W-Wake up!" And seeing that the prince was still dead, Sakuno stomped her feet in defeat and leaned closer to Ryoma again and kissed him, this time on his lips.

After a few seconds, she pulled up, looking if Ryoma was waking up or not. But the prince didn't even budge. "Ryoma-kun… w-why… a-am I too late…?" she asked no one sadly. Her eyes began to get watery again.

"No, you just have to kiss me again," Ryoma said indifferently, eyes still closed.

Sakuno almost yelled after hearing Ryoma speak. "Oh, so you're alive!" she said happily with eyes sparkling.

"No, I'm dead. But you have to kiss me at least 100 times to turn me back to normal," he answered.

Sakuno blushed again. "M-Mou! Ryoma-kun!"

"You're not going to kiss me again? Fine, then I'll tell everyone that you're the one who killed me."

Sakuno looked at him incredulously. "Eh? But you're diagnosed with SCD, heart disease, and brain cancer! You can't blame your death to me!" Then, she pouted, "And how will you tell everyone that I killed you when you're dead?"

"Ugh," he said annoyingly and sat up, "You're too noisy. Just kiss me already!"

He pulled her closer and kissed her.

She was blushing after they pulled apart. "Ryoma-kun… you just… didn't…"

Ryoma looked away, completely feeling foolish of the foolishness of his foolish act after he realized what he had done. He was just teasing her… he never knew that she'd actually do it (actually, he really wanted it to happen, he was just reasoning out with himself). Maybe she really was too naïve and ignorant. Well, to be honest, he did feel discontented with the kiss on his cheek, and he felt he want it more when she kissed him on his lips. "I had SCD… I had no control of my body…" he reasoned unconvincingly.

Well, a dying man had his reasons for his actions… Right?

.OwArI.

A/N: -.- Okay… I think I could've done better than this. Argh, I'm quite disappointed with this fic. Then again, I'm feeling a bit sleepy now, which is weird since it's only 1am. Anyway, leave review please if you like it. Just tell me if you were not satisfied, I'll try to re-do this fic or do another one.

*This is the alternate version of "Echizen is Dying?" Please read that too, to see Ryoma under the senpai's (and the world's) humorous point of view :) Let's just say that this fic happened between the scenes in that one.

Prince of Tennis © Konomi Takeshi.

.OmAkE.

"Y-You… Ryoma-kun… I-I… EH…?" she said stupidly. She still can't recover from what happened after the kiss.

"You're going to confess to me anyway… so… there…" Ryoma said.

"C-CONFESS? What?" she said while looking at him with confusion.

Ryoma slowly rolled his eyes to look at her. He looked at her as if accusing her of something. "You said you can't say it even though I'm dying… So… uh…"

"That? I-I-I wasn't trying to confess!"

Ryoma raised his brows curiously. "Eh? Then what was it that you can't tell me?"

Sakuno looked down in embarrassment. "I… I was trying to say that…"

Ryoma thought, though he wished that it was what she's really going to say, 'That you'll love me till death do us part?'

"Ryoma-kun… I-I'm sorry… B-Before you die… I… I want to tell you that I…"

'That you wanted to have twins with me and live in a plain but nice house with a tennis court and kittens?'

"I… I… I heard from your father that you're gay!"

. . .

"What?" he asked sharply.

"I met your father on the hospital lobby while waiting for Tomo-chan on the washroom, then he told me that you were gay because you read… certain magazines with men on it…" she pouted cutely, eyes watery.

He gritted his teeth. Oh well, at least she didn't have to believe those lies anymore. He suddenly felt déjà vu when he remembered that it was also his (not) loving father who told Oishi-senpai that he had heart disease, which turned into cancer, then turned into SCD due to his exaggerated senpai-tachi. He really is going to die with the anger they're all giving him.

"Kuso Oyaji!"