Predictor of the Future - Chapter 4
Title: Predictor of the Future
Writer: Tacuma
Pairing: Perfect Pair
Chapter: 4/26 (probably)
Genre: AU, romance, friendship, angst
Word count: 1075 words
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis
Previous Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 |
Chapter 4
The next morning Tezuka was once again up before anyone else. After the usual morning ritual he went to the castle to wake Fuji. He didn't really want to, but it felt like one of his tasks. He was sure Fuji wouldn't be able to wake up in time on his own, but since his father had told him to take care of him he couldn't just leave him be. He was still so small and he didn't know anything of this place.
But when Tezuka was about to enter the castle, he noticed the door was open. It was strange. On rainy days like this the door was always closed. He just closed the door behind him and went upstairs. He walked through the hall way, but from afar he already noticed the door to Fuji's room was open as well. He ran towards the room and looked inside. It was empty. There was nobody. Tezuka ran back to the stairs and over the square. He wanted to talk to Ryuuzaki-sensei and ask if she had already seen him, but then he found the boy. He was lying beneath the window of the boy's room. He was covered in mud and he was breathing really slow.
'Ryuuzaki-sensei!' Tezuka shouted. He frantically knocked on the door of the small building next to the one where they children spend their nights. Within seconds the door was opened.
'Fuji-kun….!' said Tezuka. He pointed to the place where the kid was lying. 'He is…'
Tezuka didn't have to finish his sentence. The teacher had already rushed towards the boy and had lifted him up.
'Tezuka-kun, prepare the bed in the extra room!' Between the boy's and the girls room there were a few rooms where the kids could sleep in case they were ill. That way the other kids wouldn't get ill as well and the sick kids could sleep as much as they needed.
Tezuka opened the door to the extra room and quickly prepared it. Meanwhile Ryuuzaki-sensei was shouting orders to the other kids. Some had to get warm water, one had to make a fire in the extra bedroom and others had to get the doctor that stayed at the castle. She took the dirty nightclothes of Fuji's body and washed him with the warm water. It was difficult, because the little boy was unconscious.
Tezuka watched how his teacher dried Fuji with a towel before she put him in bed and poked the fire to make it warmer. He had never seen her so worried before. She always said things would be fine, but now she was really serious and quiet.
'Is Fuji going to die?' asked Tezuka worried.
'I don't know,' said Ryuuzaki-sensei. 'I don't know how long he has been outside, but his body is really cold while he has a very high fever. We will have to wait for the doctor and see what he can tell us. Do you know why Fuji was outside?'
Tezuka shook his head. 'I think he was scared. He didn't like to be alone in his room and he made me stay until he was asleep. Maybe he was scared because of the storm last night.'
The doctor soon arrived and confirmed what Ryuuzaki-sensei had said. Fuji had a very high fever and his body was still really cold, but with the fire and the blankets he was warming up already. Once his temperature would be fine again they could try to get his fever down. The doctor gave them some herbs that they should give the little boy. It would help to get his fever down quicker.
'When he wakes up you should give him chicken soup with some more herbs, then he'll be back on his feet again in no time.'
'He is not going to die?' asked Tezuka. He had no permission to speak to an important person as the King's personal doctor, but he wanted to know.
'He'll be fine,' said the doctor. 'It might take a while, but he will get over this.'
'Thank goodness, the King would have killed me if something would have happened to him,' sighed Ryuuzaki-sensei relieved. 'If his precious future- viewer would be gone the second day after his arrival he would definitely blame me for it. Tezuka-kun, are there any empty beds in the boy's room.'
'Yes two, sensei.'
'I want you to prepare one of them tonight. It's better if Fuji-kun will sleep here until he is old enough to have his own room at the castle. Someone will hear him if he is scared and he won't stay out all night in the rain again.'
'I will, sensei,' answered Tezuka politely.
'Good. Now hurry or you'll miss breakfast.'
Tezuka hurried to the kitchen to get some food. He was glad Fuji would get to sleep in the boy's room. That way he could keep an eye on him and he wouldn't have to go to the castle to wake him.
It took two days before Fuji woke up and one and a half week before he was fully recovered. In the meantime his friends came to visit him every day. They told him he could have a bed in their room and how much fun it would be. Ryuuzaki-sensei visited him too and warned him to never do something like that again. Fuji promised her, but only because he was promised a bed in the room with his friends.
Tezuka only visited him once, because Saeki had told him Fuji missed him. Fuji had been asleep when Tezuka had entered the room, but he had left a book on the nightstand and Fuji knew exactly who it was from when he found it. From that day it was his favorite book. It had a lot of pictures and Fuji could barely read the words, but he loved it anyway.
When the Seer had gotten better he went to Tezuka to return the book.
'Thank you for letting me read your book,' said Fuji with a bright smile as he handed his friend his book.
'You like it?' asked Tezuka.
'I couldn't read all of it, but it has really nice pictures!'
'Do you want me to read it for you, before dinner?'
Fuji opened his eyes and nodded eagerly. 'Yes, I would like that!'
'I'll help you then, so you can read it by yourself as much as you want.'