Disclaimer: If PoT were mine, Fuji and Yukimura would meet and compare semes (or ukes...whatever floats your boat)

A/N: This was spun out while I was watching the Senbatsu arc.

Fuji found that loving Tezuka was much more difficult than he had predicted.

The first sign was Echizen's arrival. From that point on, all of Tezuka's spare time was spent on training and analyzing the little brat, time that was usually spent with Fuji. Over time, their conversations became solely tennis-based, Tezuka not talking much if the subject was otherwise. His eyes, serious and focused as ever, would be trained on the first year half the time as he played tennis, leaving Fuji to stand by his side silently, smiling to hide the quickly accumulating pain.

One day at morning practice when Tezuka did not show up, Echizen immediately asked, "Where's Tezuka-buchou?" and spent the rest of practice gazing at the grounds outside the courts. Fuji knew that things were slowly falling apart.

The next obstacle was Atobe. Fuji was well aware of his obsession with Tezuka and demolishing him. When he had managed to do so in the Kantou tournament, Fuji was livid with anger at both him and his buchou. Wordlessly, he had helped Tezuka off the court. Later, when he and Tezuka had their first real conversation in months on the rooftop, it was to inform Fuji that he was going to Germany.

Fuji felt his world crumble a little further. However, Tezuka's promise of a match forced him to hold his head up. The incident where Fuji had been injured by Kirihara when they went against Rikkaidai, and Tezuka had called him sounding more worried than Fuji had ever heard had also given him hope that somehow things might be okay.

This hope was dashed when Tezuka returned as a replacement coach for Ryuzaki-sensei and did not even spare Fuji a smile. Therefore, he smiled even more than usual to make everything seem balanced again. It was obvious that things were not working.

Even Sanada, the completely-dedicated-to-Yukimura fukubuchou of Rikkaidai, seemed to feel something for Tezuka. Although his obvious loyalty to his own captain never wavered in the slightest, Fuji noticed something during Sanada's and Atobe's match at the Junior Senbatsu Training Camp. They were fighting so passionately and single-mindedly and they were fighting over Tezuka.

Fuji refused to believe it as just rivalry and for once, listened to the Tezuka-voice in his head saying, "Don't let your guard down."

But even the tensai Fuji Syusuke could not keep in perfect shape something that was relentlessly beaten down by so many rivals. And so, a few months before Nationals, Fuji broke up with him.

Tezuka had looked surprised, slightly shocked, and hurt (Fuji thought it ironic that the time he showed the most emotion in their relationship was at the end of it) but he did not look sad and so Fuji found the strength to turn around and walk away.

They did not talk after that for weeks. In a long-term attempt to avoid his ex, Fuji spent more and more time with Taka-san, and while the sushi chef welcomed his company, he kept glancing confusedly at Tezuka when he thought Fuji did not notice. He and Eiji also became even closer and lunches were now either eaten with his best friend or his doubles partner, and occasionally both. Fuji did not eat lunch with Oishi unless he came to their class because he knew that if he went over there, he would either run into Tezuka and possibly be forced to eat with him, and that was something he did not want to experience.

The emotional trauma was even starting to affect his tennis. Luckily, he was such a natural that his little slip ups were covered up with ease so graceful that even Eiji's cat-like eyes did not see. He hoped Tezuka did not see.

Their first confrontation happened one week before Nationals. Because Fuji had been late for practice, he was running extra laps at the end. For an unknown reason, Tezuka was also staying after, and Fuji cursed that reason to hell and back. Fuji felt the awkwardness of the moment as he ran his laps while Tezuka stood against the fence. Ten laps before he was done, the captain made his way over to him and asked, "…Why?"

Fuji looked at the ground and whispered, "My presence was no longer needed."

Then he grabbed his clothes, stuffed them in his bag, and ran off without changing. Tezuka did not stop him.

Higa and Hyotei were both victories—difficult victories, but still victories—for Seigaku. Shitenhouji was different. Shitenhouji changed Fuji. The first official defeat of his life to Shiraishi left him confused and lost. After the day was over, Tezuka had called him, still a little numb from the defeat, outside and wordlessly began to walk forward, beckoning Fuji to follow. He almost didn't. Later when they reached a restaurant and Tezuka bought him the spiciest things on the menu, Fuji really smiled for the first time in a long time.

Now the Nationals were over and they were getting ready to say goodbye again.

"Germany, huh…" Fuji looked down at his hands. "I hope you reach your dream, Tezuka."

"Fuji…"

They were once again on the rooftop where Tezuka broke the news the first time. Now he made no promises.

It felt like one, though, when Tezuka walked over to where he was sitting, bent down, and pressed his lips to Fuji's for the first time since before Senbatsu. It had the sweetness of a first kiss but the love of the millionth.

Everything would be all right.

OMAKE:

At the end of Fuji's first year as a high school student and in the middle of Tezuka's spring break, there was a reunion party for all the schools that had competed. Because Tezuka was visiting Japan, he was able to attend the reunion and meet up with his old teammates and rivals. He would spend one week here and then Fuji would spend the other work in Germany with him (somehow he had deceived his parents into allowing it).

As Fuji sat with Eiji and Oishi, Tezuka suspected that he was being tracked by Atobe and Echizen (who had come back from America for the time being). Sanada was with Yukimura and watched him with gentle eyes, something he heard Kirihara laughing about to Niou earlier. Marui had flicked him on the forehead and told him to cut it out. Kirihara pouted, then proceeded to pester Marui about not being lovey-dovey with him like fukubuchou and Yukimura-buchou.

"Fuji? Are you okay?" Eiji asked draping his arm over his friend's shoulders.

"Ah…I guess." he replied, forcing his lips to smile. "Everyone's having fun, ne?"

"Of course!" Eiji grinned. "But…I don't see why we're having it in the middle of the tennis courts…"

"There most likely wasn't anywhere that the teachers could get that was big enough." Oishi said.

"Except Atobe's house," Eiji muttered.

Fuji chuckled. Although the name still set off alarms in his head on occasion, he had, for the most part, learned to ignore it.

Saeki joined them a little into the party but left soon after when Rokkaku beckoned their old regular over. His solitude didn't last long though as his old tennis captain and current partner joined him, looking frayed at the edges.

"Tired, Tezuka?" Fuji asked, and laughed when Tezuka glared.

"Echizen and Atobe are stalking me." he accused, as if it was Fuji's doing.

"Maa, you never really had a problem with them before." Fuji said, some bitterness from the past seeping into his words.

Tezuka analyzed Fuji's expression, brow furrowed and asked, "Fuji…is that why...last year...?"

Fuji didn't say anything. They had never discussed that issue and avoided it when someone else mentioned the distance between the two. "Saa…"

When Atobe and Echizen found them half an hour later, Tezuka had Fuji pinned against the chain fence of the courts and was kissing him like nothing else in the world mattered. And at that moment, nothing did.

Sigh, just had to give them an omake. THEIR PERFECT LOVE DEMANDS IT!