Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.

Lady Monozuki: I wrote this earlier this morning. It sort of came to me as I spent overnights at the hospital with my sister. I wanted to give an update for the New Year. Thank you for your support! Please review!

He had never imagined spending the hours before a new year in a place like this. His hand rested firm on top of another. His pinkish flesh stood out starkly against the pale skin beneath his. The deathly light colour was the least of his worries, however. His blue eyes remained fixed on the face of his boyfriend. Green tinted black hair fell over the sealed eyelids of Ryoma. He brushed the strands out of the way with his free hand. A deep intake of breath as he did so reminded him that there was still hope in the situation. Ryoma was still alive. That was enough for him.

The room was filled with silence. He was one of three people present, aside from the prone figure on the bed. Ryoma's parents sat on the couch by the window. When they were first escorted to Echizen's room, Syuusuke had immediately taken the chair beside the bed. He hadn't moved much since. It was probably rude of him, but he didn't care. It was his boyfriend lying on the hospital bed! He felt the hand beneath his twitch slightly. A small smile graced his lips. Movement was a good sign, especially with the news they had received what felt like years ago, even though it was twenty-four hours ago.

"Syuusuke," Echizen Rinko said in a tearful and distant voice. "Ryoma was involved in an accident. The doctors are trying to save his life."

He had rushed down to the hospital and sat in the waiting room with his boyfriend's parents. Together, they paced the room, held one another as they cried, and shared their favorite moments involving Ryoma. The doctors had spent almost six hours trying to save his life. He had spent eighteen hours trying not to envision his life without Ryoma.

The doctors didn't know when or if Ryoma would wake up. But he kept holding on to the belief that Ryoma would awaken. His boyfriend wasn't weak. Ryoma had always fought back. That was the sole reason why he kept believing. He felt like he was the only one who still believed that the tennis prodigy would pull through. The nurses who came to check on his prone boyfriend never expressed positive signs. It didn't matter. As long as he kept his certainty.

"Syuusuke, you should rest." He vaguely registered the soft voice belonging to Ryoma's mother.

"I'm all right," he said.

"You haven't slept since we called you."

"I'm okay," he said with finality. He wasn't going to move. Not until Ryoma was awake.

"It's almost the new year," he heard, a deeper voice this time. Ryoma's father had avoided talking about his son. Instead, he chose to comment on the most random things. Anger burned deep inside of him, but he quenched it. He knew that Echizen-san was only doing it to avoid the hurt and pain.

Syuusuke moved his eyes from the sleeping figure to the clock mounted on the wall. The clock's second hand moved closer to midnight. Quietly, he counted down the seconds along with the Echizens.

"Three, two, one," he whispered. "Happy new year, Ryoma."

"Happy new year, Syuusuke."

He snapped his head back to the figure lying on the bed. The golden eyes were no longer shrouded by lids, but were staring straight at him.

"You're awake!"

"I couldn't miss ringing in the New Year with you," his boyfriend whispered.

He smiled. The beginning of the New Year was already starting out good.

~End~