Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction ❯ 10 Years Later ❯ Chapter 11

"10 Years Later" Chapter 11

By Andrea Readwolf [andrea_readwolf @hotmail.com]

 

Started: August 2005

Word Count: 1589

 

Miss something? Take a look at the <a href="http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=readwolflair&k eyword=%22Ten+Years+Later%22&filter=all">Previous Chapters</a>

 

 

It was early morning when they finally returned home; the hose was empty, of course. Marika was at her grandmother's. Even the cat was suspiciously absent. There was seom food left out in tupperware containers on the table, courtesy of the maid, but neither Ryoh nor Chotaroh felt hungry.

 

It was only a little after three in the morning.

 

There had been papers to sign, some phone calls to make, the consultation with the doctore and the obligatory meeting with a crisis counselor before they were able to nip up to the nursery division. They managed to catch it just right for when the nurses on duty were preparing a feeding.

 

Chotaroh was sure the women were laughing at him, but he was too frightened of somehow hurting or breaking the tiny infant they deposited in his arms to care much. It was only his second time holding a newborn--his sister's children having been much older and fatter when he'd first seen them. Ryoh, he had noticed with a little bit of envy, handled his bundle like a pro.

 

But now they were home, and the house was completely deserted except for the two of them.

 

The day would begin again soon enough, and it would bring with it allt he horrors and the wonders of this past night, but right now Chotaroh was too exchausted to think about it.

 

Last night, with Karina in the hospital, it had been difficult. The first night since Chotaroh had entered this household and started sleeping here that he and Ryoh had slept alone in this bed. Chotaroh had always had difficulties sleeping with other people, but from the beginning it had surprised him how at ease he was sleeping in the same bed with Karina. It had just seemed… natural.

 

Ryoh hadn't such problems the previous night. In the course of ten years it had not been the first night he had slept apart from his wife. Sometimes he'd been away, sometimes she'd gone on trips without him, and a couple of nights he'd even spent out in the living room.

 

Last night hadn't been much different to Ryoh, despite Chotaroh's presence.

 

But tonight…

 

Tonight he went to bed with the sure knowledge that his wife of ten years would not be coming home again.

 

There was a distance betwee the two men as they went about mechanically undressing and dressing for bed before falling onto the matress. A distgance that stretched beyond the centimeters that seperated one tee-shirt clad back from another. A distance Chotarohw as too numb to worry about and Ryoh was too raw to comprehend. It was a distance ten years had made that Karina had seemingly effortlessly bridged.

 

Now that bridge was gone, but the distance still remained.

 

"Chotaroh?" Ryoh said after many long minutes, his voice so quiet the other man wasn't even sure he heard it. "Don't leave me?"

 

There was a rustling of sheets that started with Chotaroh moving, turning to him and settled with them both half wrapped around each other. They held onto each other for many hours like that as Ryoh cried.

 

He cried for the little girl sleeping peacefully at her grandmother's. he cried for the two little infants who would never know their mother's touch, her smile or laughter, or her witty humor. He cried for the young woman who had married him believing she would be dead before their first anniversary--for the young woman who had lived and continued to care for him and created a home and a family for him….

 

He cried for the woman he had failed to protect, who was now dead.

 

And he cried for himself, because at that moment he hated himself more than ever.

 

 

~~~~*****~~~~

 

 

They slept straight past noon.

 

It was actually Chotaroh's mother calling from downstairs that penatrated both men's exhaustion enough to force their eyes somewhat open by the time she was standing in the bedroom doorway.

 

"Up, both of you," Otori-san commanded. "Go take a shower and get dressed, and I'll make you something to eat."

 

"Not hungry," Ryoh protested, although he did sit up.

 

"None of that," Otori-san scoffed. "You need to keep your strangth up, young man. You have two newborns to take care of now, or have you forgotten? No, don't look at me like that. You don't have to worry about anything but taking care of yourself and those babies. Really. Karina organized a lot of things before--well, before. And Main and I know the way of things."

"Mai?" Ryoh wondered dazedly.

 

Chotaroh gave up the pretense of sleeping and let the sheet slip back from over his head. "The maid," he informed the other, sitting up and stetching out sore muscles.

 

"And I've called your mother, Ryoh, so don't worry."

 

But Ryoh's face looked stricken, and it wasn't hard to interpret why when he whispered hoarsely, "Marika."

 

"Your momma's already talked to her," Otori-san interrupted. "She told her this morning, and don't go looking like that! She needed to be told, and you'd both worn yourselves out staying up at the hospital all night. After you've had a bite to eat you can head on over there and talk with her, but not before you shower and eat, so get going."

 

 

~~~~*****~~~~

 

 

"Chotaroh."

 

He was too tired to be surprised. He merely looked over his shoulder to confirm who the visitors were before turning back through the nursary window.

 

"Long time no see, kid," Mukahi called sing-songingly, but even his normally mocking voice seems to lack luster this afternoon. "You've been avoiding us. Don't like to play trump no more?"

 

"I'm sorry, Mukahi-san," he began, but Atobe interrupted.

 

"Don't. You'll come next time," the self-assured businessman informed him, and Chotaroh knew, if everything else changed, Atobe was still Atobe, and he'd be at the next game. "Now. Where's Ryoh?"

 

A small spark of old jealousy pricked, and Chotaroh was surprised at feeling anything at all when his emotions seems so… dead at the moment. He was even more surprised that Atobe saying Ryoh's name was what set it off--how many years ago had that issue been put away?

 

"He's in the waiting areas. With Marika," he added when the others shifted in that direction.

 

"They needed some time alone," Chotaroh added when Atobe frowned.

 

It was Oishitari who broke the tension, reaching out and gently clasping Atobe's shoulder. "Give them their time, Keigo."

 

Atobe still frowned distractedly, but he answered composedly enough. "Yes, of course. You're not iimplying tht I would be so uncouth as to disrupt father and daughter in their frief?"

 

"How is Ryoh holding up?" Jiroh asked quickly.

 

"He's... Ryoh," Chotraoh finally forced out an answer. "Not good, not fine, but he's doing what he always does--he's dealing."

 

"And how are you holding up?" Oshitari thought to ask.

 

Chotaroh looked at them--he knew he looked at least half as bad as Ryoh did--lack of sleep the night before and heart-weariness more than a hot shower and warm food could cure.

 

"I'm... I'm dealing, too," he answered after another moment. He looked back at the two sleeping preemies. "Look at them. I've never seen anything so small and fragile. They look like they're going to break from just touching them."

 

"Don't worry," Oshitari consoled him, moving up to stand next to the taller man. "All newborns look incrediably delicate and tiny when they're born, but they grow pretty quick."

 

Just then Ryoh arrived with Marika in his arms. The eleven year old's face was hidden against her father's shoulder, her arms and legs clinging to him.

 

"Come on, baby. Look up. Your brothers are sleeping right now, but pretty soon they're gonna wake up and they're gonna be hungry. You wanna help feed them?"

 

Without looking up, Marika shook her head vigerously, her pony-tail accidentally whipping Ryoh in the face.

 

"Two new babies," Jiroh said into the constricted silence. "They look all red and wrinkly and tiny. Hard to believe this elephant was ever so small."

 

"'m not an elephant," Marika protested weakly, tilting her face just enough to peek a glare out at him.

 

"You're not?" Jiroh asked with confused disbelief. "Then what are you?"

 

"She's the big sister, you dolt," Mukahi replied with put-upon annoyance and a small smile tugged at the young girl's lips.

 

"There's that charming smile," Oshitari announced, reaching out for her and taking her from her father's reluctant hold. He set her down on her own two feet and quickly tugged her dress back into shape---the dress her grandmother must have obviously stuffed her in this morning.

 

"Much better," Atobe added, looking her over and nodding in approval. "Now, I'e brought one of my favorite portrait photographers to come and capture this big day. Afterall, it's not everyday one's favorite neice becomes a big sister. "

 

Chotaroh watched with bemusement as the four men argued and fussed over Ryoh's daughter and the girl came alive under their attention.

 

"It's going to be all right," he said softly as Ryoh came up beside him. The other man just nodded, but their shoulders touched, pressed, and it was enough of a reassurance. He felt Ryoh's hand brush against his and turned his palm, threading his fingers with Ryoh's.

 

'I don't know how,' Chotaroh thought a little sadly but hopeful. 'But I know it's all going to be all right.'

 

And it would be, because they would handle whatever came at them together.

 

 

~~~~*****~~~~

 

On to the Epilogue