Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction ❯ To Sedate ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

 

Later, Fuji woke up in the infirmary. When he squinted, whips of conscious memories went by his view, but it was nothing that he grasped. Handsome, light-colored eyes flashed suddenly through his field of vision, causing him to yelp. Fuji scooted far against the headboard of the infirmary bed. The loud thump that he made against the wall was enough to attract the attention of the school nurse. She was one of those stereotypical kind women, yet quite stern at the same time. With another flash, the eyes were gone, and the stranger had disappeared far too soon to draw the attention of the nurse any further. In a way, it was almost doing like a hallucination would. Somewhere deep within his mind, he was praising the woman for breaking him out of the spell he'd fallen into.

 

“Fuji Shuusuke.” She stated in a distant, yet business-like tone. In her hands, she held paperwork, and her eyes were fixated on it. “You've been unconscious for an hour or so. Your parents are worried, you know?” She took a seat in the empty chair next to him in order to get a better look at him while twiddling her fingers, as if something about him made her nervous. “You collapsed when you were going back to class. Is there anything that might have caused this that you'd like to tell me?” Her voice was slightly suspicious. “Is there anything that you have been doing that you shouldn't have been?” Fuji wasn't concerned about her questions. She told him that she'd spoken with his parents. Through his closed eyes and behind his smile, he was worried. Out of nervousness, he began to play with the corner of the bed sheet. Had she spoken whit his father as well, who worked overseas?

 

“I just phoned your mother to ask if you were ill or anything, Fuji-kun. I wanted to know if you had recently developed a medical condition that wasn't stated in your record. Don't worry; I just wanted to make sure of some things. Still, I would appreciate if you could tell me if you might have gotten yourself into any sort of trouble. No matter what, I'm here to help you, but I can only do that if you're willing to work with me. Please, try not to be stubborn.” Fuji didn't like her tone of voice, and he did his best not to frown.

 

“It's nothing, really.” Fuji said, his voice echoing across the empty room. There really was nobody here. Maybe he could talk for a while.

 

“It's nothing, really.” That was his casual answer. Fuji's voice echoed across the empty room. There really wasn't anybody here, was there? Maybe he could talk for a while. No, he must have been crazy.

 

Maybe I can get out what's been bothering me. Really, I wouldn't know how to, though. I don't even know what exactly is bothering me. “Really, it's nothing,” He answered in a confident voice. “There's been a lot going on. That's all. Emotionally, I'm fine. I have absolutely no idea why I may have collapsed. Maybe I'm just coming down with a minor illness.” The suggestion was casual, and truthful in a way. Fuji hoed that the women would buy it and leave him alone. After a few moments of silence, it seemed that she hadn't. Fuji hesitated and continued.

 

“Okay, maybe I haven't been sleeping as much as I should. I'm just a little stressed, I suppose. It's getting near the end of the school year, so I have to try hard and get into a good high school.” This might have been more convincing. Stress was completely normal, and Fuji was a good student, not one that slacked. Stress was a normal thing to see in students whenever they were approaching an important event. As if to try and believe it as well, he pressed a hand to his own forehead and bowed his head so that she wouldn't be able to see his small frown of frustration. This act, all fake, was a very good case of pretend. Partially, it was also a way to try and believe it himself, as well as make the nurse have some confidence in his answers. It looked believable. A breeze touched his cheek, and his gaze was drawn towards an open window.

 

Fuji had always loved the warm spring weather. Now wasn't an exception.

 

The sakura trees would be in bloom soon enough. Fuji wondered distantly if Tezuka would be going to the sakura festival, or any sort of spring festival. Maybe he would try and ask him, later. If Tezuka hadn't planned on going with anyone, he would invite him. He would need to get out the courage to ask him soon. “Na, it's really nice outside as of late, right?” He'd tried his best to avoid any more of her questions. The nurse simply nodded and scribbled something on his paperwork.

 

“Do you like the springtime, Fuji-kun?” Her question was going slightly beyond the simple subject of his help. Fuji didn't mind so much, he guessed. Her casual tone helped him talk for a while, and she wasn't pressing him to say anything that he didn't want to say. That made him feel less cornered, and slowly, he was returning to his normal self.

 

“I suppose. I like the spring rain, too. It's refreshing.” This time he was too busy to notice that she was writing more things on the paperwork in her lap, much like a psychologist would. Fuji was too zoned off to even think of it. Otherwise, he would've known better. Birds tweeted outside. It was a sign of new life.

 

“Fuji-kun, what I really want to ask you about is your general health. Have you been sick lately? How much stress have you been feeling? Why? Have you collapsed like this before? What I really want to know, I guess, is if you've seen a doctor yet for this.” It was all in a wave of questions that made his head spin. It took him a moment to process it all.

 

“I don't think I've been sick…” He hesitated at this, remembering how sick he felt after the rainstorm last night. His mother had been horrified at his staying out late. In fact, he was lucky that he wasn't grounded. “It's just normal, I think. There's been a lot of schoolwork with the tennis club and all.”

 

“So you're on the tennis club? Are you a regular?” she interrupted.

 

“Yeah, I am.”

 

Afterwards, she seemed to expect that he would answer all of her questions in an orderly fashion. Brushing the white sheets out before him with pale fingers, he sighed and continued. “No, I haven't collapsed before. It was like… all the energy was drained out of my body, and I fell. I can't remember much of it.” People collapsed at times from stress, so it wasn't like this never happened. “Why would I see a doctor? I'm not sick.” Somebody could interpret that phrase as incredulous denial. Fuji didn't like to think that he was sick. After all, if it did turn out that he was ill, it might mean he'd have to take time off of tennis. Fuji didn't want that.

 

:”Just wondering, Fuji-kun. I just want to make sure there isn't an underlying problem that I've overlooked. Just because you collapsed doesn't mean it should be overlooked as a problem pertaining to stress.”

 

Underlying problem. Fuji winced visibly.

 

“Is something wrong?”

 

“No, not at all.”

 

“Very well. Can you walk, Fuji-kun?”

 

Thinking he was being sent to class, Fuji nodded and pushed his legs over the edge of the bed as a demonstration. “Yeah. I can walk just fine.” His legs ached and felt slightly weak when he stood. Surely, that next spring breeze would be strong enough to knock him right over! Though his knees shook slightly, he managed to stay on his feet without wobbling very badly. Instead, she was scribbling on a green sheet of paper, something that Fuji vaguely remembered it to be one of those green paper hall passes. When she handed it to him, he squinted it slightly, not understanding if he was reading the characters right.

 

Fuji Shuusuke

 

07 April 11.00 AM

 

Infirmary to office of Suzuki-sensei

 

Below was the nurses' short signature, spelled out in fancy-looking hiragana.

 

Nakamura Michiko

 

Wait… Wasn't Suzuki-sensei the school therapist? Why did he need to go to the therapist's office? He was completely fine! This nurse was out of her mind! “Nakamura-sensei?” His voice went slightly high-pitched for a moment. Fuji didn't want to have to go to the shrink's office. He just wanted to go back to class, for goodness, sake!

 

“Your mother and sister are a little concerned about you, it seems. I don't really do well at talking personally to students, so I just want you to visit the school counselor. It's nothing big. She'd just like to have a word with you. Please, Fuji-kun. People are worried about you. Don't worry about it; if there isn't anything going on, then you shouldn't have a problem talking to her. Suzuki-sensei is a really kind person.”

 

Fuji blinked, but nodded. “Yes, Nakamura-sensei. Thank you very much for everything you've done.”

 

“Fuji-kun,” she reminded him, her hands twisting together as if nervous. She bit her lip and looked out the window. “You're a kind young man. Please accept help when it comes; you aren't alone. Staying in silence will only end up hurting you.” She set the papers on her desk and turned towards him. “What I'm trying to say is that there will always be help if you need it. If you don't feel comfortable talking to Suzuki-sensei, then come to me or talk to your mother. Don't act like there isn't anyone who could help you out of whatever you get into.”

 

Tezuka manages it alone. That is, if he feels pain.

 

“Thank you very much, Suzuki-sensei.” He repeated it again just so that she would get it through her head. In fact, he added a smile just to make it more convincing. “Goodbye.” His voice was eerily pleasant.

 

The school was very well lit at this time of day. While walking through the upper floors he looked down at the tennis courts on the school grounds. The school was serenely quiet, which was something he always liked about school. Budding trees were speckled green, and he thought it to be very pretty. The school grounds had certain orderliness to them. In ways it helped Fuji stay sane.

 

Suzuki-sensei's office was much like those psychologist people paid much money to listen to their problems. Ironically, she seemed to be waiting for him. At least, she knew his name. “Fuji-kun?” She asked as he shuffled into her office, giving a soft smile. Hesitantly, he handed her the pass that the nurse had written him. Afterwards, she motioned for him to sit in a chair across from her computer desk.

 

“Is there anything you wanted to talk about?” There was no faltering from his normal tone. He was kind, even towards this woman.

 

“Your mother told me a lot about you on the phone, Fuji-kun.” So she spoke to you, too. He scoffed in his brain. Had he really seemed that out of it lately that she need call the school? He felt a wave of reprehension. Maybe Yumiko had lied and really told their mother about his late-night studying. Though she was kind, she would probably think he'd get sick from it, especially after the rainstorm. “How are you, today, Fuji-kun?” Her voice was so pleasant; it wasn't very hard to relax in her presence. Though he was tense, her light, easy-going personality was getting the better of him, and he slowly he succumbed to the idea he just speak his feelings around her.

 

“I'm okay. A little tired, maybe.” He paused. Did this not satisfy her? No, she was just looking at his in the eye intently, as if trying to find something. “What do you want me to talk about?” he asked. Of course, any student would be relatively uneasy in a closed office space like this. It made him slightly uneasy that he had to go and talk to her in the first place.

 

“Anything you want, Fuji-kun. Why don't you tell me about the clubs you're in? Talk about your friends, too.” She didn't want to know about if there was anything wrong? Fuji was hit with a wave of confusion. Maybe he even looked a little dumbfounded, because she scrutinized his expression for a moment.

 

“I don't have to talk about my feelings or anything?”

 

“Only if you want to.”

 

“So you only want to here about the clubs I'm in?”

 

“Anything about you is fine.”

 

Fuji didn't know how long it was after that, but he and Suzuki-sensei slowly got into conversations. Time whizzed by. Fuji talked about anything and everything, about the Seigaku tennis club, about how he liked to play chess and checkers with Tezuka, about his older sister and family. Without even realizing it, he spoke a lot of his feelings, towards them all. However, he was still touchy around the subject of Tezuka, seeming as if to be in pain whenever she asked a question about him. Suzuki-sensei learned quickly to avoid them.

 

“So what style of tennis did you say Kikumaru-kun played?” She asked. She seemed interested, and Fuji was actually glad just to have somebody to talk to. Suzuki-sensei really wasn't that bad.

 

“He calls it acrobatic tennis. He's really flexible and everything, so he can do a lot of flips.”

 

“Interesting.”

 

Fuji nods. Suzuki-sensei glances to the clock on the wall.

 

“I want you to get back to class now, Fuji-kun. You've been out long enough as it is since you were in the infirmary before class even started. She wrote him another green pass and handed it to him along with a note. “Please inform your teacher that next Wednesday I also will want to meet with you again—only for a half an hour. If anything happens again, Fuji, feel free to come back and talk with me. I'll always have an open door.” Fuji was feeling far more light-spirited than he had in a long time. “Now get along, it's probably just about lunchtime, and I don't want you to miss a meal. It would be unfortunate were you to collapse again.” She added this on a more serious note.

 

It's true. By the time he's back in the classroom, he's already missed out on half of lunch, and he's extremely hungry. Maybe it's better that his teacher is nowhere in sight. Class started hours ago, so he's very late. Even with a note, he expected that his teacher would be very upset. Some of his classmates already look surprised at his return. Some didn't think he'd come to school at all. Others knew better. “What happened Fuji? I heard you collapsed!” Fuji gave them the simple answer that he'd been in the infirmary the whole time. They need not know of his trip to the counselor's office.

 

A pouting teacher appeared later. As Fuji presented the note to him, he sighed in exasperation and nodded. “Take your seat, Fuji-kun.” Fuji nodded and went to his desk near the window, where sunlight filtered in making the desk warm to the touch. “Stand. Bow!” After that there was a shuffling of chairs as all the students took their seats. Now was mathematics, a subject that, although it wasn't his absolute favorite, had always been thrilling. Yet somehow, his thoughts were more occupied.

 

 

Tezuka looked out the window to see blue sky. Fuji had been acting strangely, and now there was word that he had collapsed. Around Seishun Gakuen, news sometimes would travel fast. He'd need to remember to have a talk with Fuji at practice when he got the chance. After all, the prodigy had been acting very strangely as of late. Despite the fact he should've had at least some insight into the situation, Tezuka was left blind.

 

And ever so slowly, Tezuka was becoming frightened for his friend.

 

Fuji seemed so distant now, and he did often seem to drift off. Tezuka could only hope to the gods above that the problem rested in physical illness, not mental illness. Even as young as he was, Tezuka knew the effects mental illness could have on a person. They were dangerous; they were a person's own downfall. What happened if Fuji went crazy and landed himself in a mental hospital?

 

There was a voice in his head that screamed, “If that happens, then it's all your fault, Tezuka Kunimitsu.” His stomach lurched at the very though. Why in the world would it be his fault? He wasn't the one who controlled or influenced Fuji's thoughts in a significant way.

 

If only he knew.

 

Memories, though not often paid attention to, could be found things. Years went by, and memories wore dull until they were cast aside in a pile, no longer significant. Laying his chin in his palm, he rolled his eyes. Tezuka only lived with the present, not the past nor future. He loved tennis, and would work passionately to improve himself further.

 

What about Fuji? Fuji liked to dwell in the past and plot it all out. There was a “what if” game that Fuji liked to play, thinking over different events and thinking if the opposite would've happened. He remembered the one Fuji had told him about the day he'd gotten out of the hospital. It was something having to do with if they'd gone to different schools, wasn't it? Yeah, maybe.

 

Fuji's smile and laugh seemed far off, for now. And for that, Tezuka was left to frown. Buried under layers and layers, Tezuka was able to tell that there was something the matter with the prodigy. Something had caused him to skid off his original path, maybe only slightly. Now, Fuji was lost in a blizzard. Even though he was only feet from the past, the gusting wind and drifting snow prevented him from traveling back.

 

But if he were to guide Fuji back…

 

No.

 

He needn't debate about this now. Turning back to his exam for History, he tried to remember the name of the radical groups significant throughout history and the significance of samurai before the cultural reforms. For once, he couldn't recall them. World History was his best subject, but today his mind seemed to be failing him. Pushing his glasses up past the bridge of his nose, he set his pen down for a moment and flexed his fingers. He shouldn't be thinking about Fuji right now… he had a test to work on right now. He could talk to Fuji any time after school or during practice; he even had the prodigy's phone number.

 

God, Fuji… How do you do this to me?

 

 

Fuji was walking home, as usual. By now he'd gotten used to this person's yammering. “The foreigner,” for lack of a better name, in Fuji's opinion, couldn't be anything more than a figment of his imagination. He seemed to like Fuji's tennis ball. As they walked, he'd bounce it against the curb. Fuji kept his eyes focused ahead, smiling.

 

“Hey-o don't you want to know my name?” the man practically jumping up and down, obviously in a good mood. After the talk with Suzuki-sensei today, Fuji had to admit that he was also in a pretty good mood. Did he want to know this person's name, though? Knowing his imagination, this strange foreigner would be named after Emperor Hirohito, or Hitler! Really, he didn't want to think of it.

 

“Okay. Fine. Tell me your name.”

 

“Tenshama.”

 

Strange name.

 

“Tenshama?”

 

“Yeah…”

 

His eyes looked over to Tenshama, not believing. Tenshama practically fluttered over and kissed his cheek. Fuji merely pushed him away and gave him no sort of response. This was just a figment of his imagination. Now, why exactly his figment of imagination was kissing him, he didn't know, but he was a little creeped out by it. Left foot forward, right foot forward… He counted his steps, as they got closer to home. Out of nowhere, he spoke again.

 

“Hey, do you have any nicknames?”

 

“You can call me Tenshi.”

 

Fuji raised an eyebrow at this, but said nothing.

 

“Sure, whatever you say, Tenshi.”