Preservation

CHAPTER 4: Seichi

LONDON, 4 years ago

It was a normal day within one the world's most famous cities. 10:00am, the clocks said, including the Big Ben.

Yukimura Seichi was 15 years old and he was staring out the window of his hospital room in passiveness. The beautiful scenery outside nor the gorgeously intricate design of his room did not ease the creeping sadness inside of him. And that simply increased every single day.

It had been a few months since he was confined after fainting during their tennis practice. The doctor said he had the Guillain-Barre syndrome. It was a neurological disease, paralysis to his limbs. He would slowly recover his strength and walk (in due time) but nothing else. His parents were doing their best to find the best way to help him recover.

Really, only the luscious plants on the room's balcony was the nearest to comforting him.

And, right now, he couldn't even walk there.

He sighed.

He had been a good child. He followed his parents' every wish. He had been kind to everyone, as he had been instructed to. He had always shown a smile. A smile of an angel, in fact, if he'd take most of his acquaintances' opinions into consideration.

Everyone loved him. He was sure, even the deities. Unless they were envious of him, of course, but that thought was just too silly.

So it always went back to the question of what could he have possibly done... to deserve this?

...

*A week Later*

CREAK

A few hours after noon, Seichi was back in his position several hours prior- and he thought he'd probably stay there again for a few more. It was until the door opened revealing a figure he hadn't seen in years.

"Ah."

"Yo, Kiddo." It was his coach when he was younger, he heard he was a pro and the man taught him tennis in a matter of a few weeks. It was a Spartan training, to say the least, but obviously Seichii would never show how harsh it was. He made everything look easy.

It seemed that his former coach cut his hair short. He even wore an odd monk attire. He wondered if the man was still as good as before. He wondered how much of the old man's strength could he muster if he were to go against him after he got healed.

Would he win? He frowned. Probably not.

Not yet, anyway.

Indeed, the coaches that followed Nanjiroh didn't even compare. What Nanjiroh taught in a few weeks was his foundation, and not just because he was his very first coach.

Setting that aside... he would never admit he kind of missed the old man. And yes, he admired him, despite his utterly unsophisticated attitude.

Seichi looked back at his new visitors. Nanjiroh came with his wife, who was hugging Yuko, Seichii's mother. He didn't quite know the relationships between those four but it was obvious they were close friends.

They were chatting several meters away from him, just far enough for him not to hear anything. So, Seichi just judged what they were talking about with their expression. He concluded it had something to do with his operation in a few days. The doctors said this was his best bet- and it had a high chance of meant they were supposed to look a lot less distraught.

And yet they hid it well.

It was like they were hiding something from him. Like what? That the chances of surviving were lower than they told him?