Title: Presence

By: Maria-chan aka Moineau

Summary: Fuji receives a visitor, who brought with him a gift.

Pairing: Yukimura/Fuji (o.O) Tezuka/Fuji (Otp!!) Sanada/Yukimura (One-sided-ish?)

Genre: Metaphor-filled Romance

Rating: PG – PG13

"This way, Takani-san."

At the whisper of the door opening, and the sudden flow of sounds from outside the room, Fuji turned his head towards where the door was supposed to be, instinctually lowering the volume on his MD.

That was Maki-san, his nurse, directing someone to his room. The name Takani was unfamiliar, but at the sound of metal, and wheels against the floor, he guessed there was a third person in the room. "Fuji-kun."

The greeting was by an unfamiliar voice, and he voiced his question with a small frown. There was a melodious laugh, as the two nurses exited the room, closing the door after them. "I'm sure you haven't really met me before- Yukimura Seiichi."

With mild surprise tinting his tones, Fuji gave a smile before speaking. "Rikkaidai's captain…" Sitting up, he groped around his bed and found a handhold, before swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and sitting up and facing the source of the voice.

He heard the shifting of weight on the wheelchair's PVC seat, the cut off movement of standing up. Also, he felt the hand hovering around his own, there, but not touching. Not aiding, just… being there. Silently, Fuji thanked Yukimura's acknowledgement of his pride.

Reaching over to a shelf he knew was there, the pale hand snaked out and touched the small pots, carefully skimming over thorns and spikes, not getting pricked, but feeling the brush of tens of fine needles against his skin.

"Aa. I want to apologise- and also thank you." For what, Yukimura didn't specify

Fuji didn't speak, but listened, and merely cocked his head to the side as he felt a warm hand take a hold of his own, the one that remained in his lap as the other touched his cacti, the ones he had asked Yumiko, and even Yuuta (who couldn't refuse, though murmured that it was stupid) to bring to his room, one by one.

Then, the warmth left his hand, and Fuji was surprised that his hand moved towards where the hand had gone. Suddenly, he felt somewhat cold, and oddly isolated. Then, an even warmer weight in his hand, not hot, but close to… And the feeling of clay, and… he focused his touch. "It's a pot." A clay pot, filled with something- earth? And lukewarm with borrowed heat from the sun.

A melodious, if not feminine (he was to talk) laugh filled the room, and Fuji found himself drawn to it, curious. "Yes, it is a pot, but…" Gently, another hand took the one stroking one of his less-spiky cactus, and guided it over something fuzzy- something with little prickly spines, and the shape…

"A cactus?" He was genuinely surprised now, and his interest was piqued. Fuji took a hold of the pot, and brought it to sit on his lap, trying to catch the warmth that was fast fading in his air-conditioned hospital room, though he was sorry to lose the warmth that was humanly Yukimura's.

"Yes, I heard that you collected them." There was a grunt (though it was oddly un-gruntlike, coming form the boy who Fuji was certain Yumiko would say was a girl in spirit or something like that) , and a whoosh, as something heavy situated itself beside him. "But don't' these-" Fuji felt a motion, but a slight sigh as Yukimura caught himself, and voiced his movement out ",your cacti, each symbolise hardships? It's a very curious hobby."

A small chuckle escaped the tensai, and Yukimura watched him interestedly, looking at the person, at his face. "Whenever I feel stressed- troubled- I tend to get myself a cactus and care for it. And then, if they choose to, I can watch the rare event where they will actually bloom…

"These cacti- they were never meant to be in a place like this. Years ago, you would never have found a cactus in Japan. But they are—able to survive, still."

Yukimura took note of when Fuji cut himself off, and didn't pry. "True. Did you get a cactus anytime this month?"

Unconsciously, a hand reached up to touch the bandage covering his upper face- his eyes, in particular. "…No." A smile, shallow and full of hidden meaning that Yukimura did not have the knowledge (nor the right, he thought) to decipher appeared on lips pale from cold, he suspected, and medication. "This isn't a hardship… it's merely a part of life. I will become stronger, and…"

Yukimura did not need to be told. Genichirou would have done the same, would have gladly gone through the same for the team. "Your captain would be very proud of you, Fuji-kun."

That smile suddenly seemed to turn nothing else but sad, and Yukimura found himself frowning. "Yes… He would be… proud." The spite… no, not spite- yearning? No… Anger? Not really… That indescribable meaning behind that negative smile, something between sadness and anger, some kind of feeling that hasn't been named as of yet, made Yukimura suddenly feel like-

Fuji would've opened his eyes in surprise should he have been able to. The sudden warmth, he wasn't able to really say anything, though the need for any was questionable. Leaning into the embrace, into the warmth, Fuji let his tiredness show, as he made sure Yukimura could neither see his face nor get pricked by the cactus.

"If you were a team-mate, Fuji-kun, I would be so proud of you. And I still am, despite the fact that you aren't, and you beat my team." He added smilingly, patting the boy's back.

"I'm sure Tezuka-san would appreciate your actions as well." Smiling and pulling away, he found that he couldn't- didn't want to, and leant his head against Fuji's. "I, for one, will be praying for your operation. It would be a shame…" He trailed off, nothing else needing to be said. They were sharing a moment of understanding, he thought, he never realised it would come from such an unexpected person. A part of him didn't want anything to disrupt them until everything had blown over, and both of them were out of the hospital and in match-playing condition.

But a knock on the door, and the beeping of a device on Yukimura, decided otherwise, and he sighed, as did Fuji, and the pair let out feminine laughs, filling up the room. He pulled away, and sat somewhat stiffly, on the cold PVC and metal of the wheelchair, as Fuji leant over his side-table, pushing away the other cacti to make space for the newest one, his newest companion.

"Fuji-kun."

He turned to face the source of the voice, and a small smile- the only smile he could allow himself at that moment of time in that cold hospital room- And reached out for the head he knew would be there, leaning over to meet his lips with the pair he almost missed, should Yukimura have not moved his head, and held his instead.

"Thank you so much."

As the nurse came in, and chirped happily in a nurse like fashion, remnants of a presence lingered in Fuji's bed as he lay down and curled around the place where they had been sitting, fingers stretching to feel the heat from the sun warmed pot.

He chose to ignore the fact that it had been raining for the past two days.

Owari

Postscript: Well. Uhm. Anou… raises an eyebrow at hands Once again, my limbs choose to do something else other than what my brain tells them to do. Please do leave a comment? They would be truly appreciated, and given a nice home! And thank you to the couple of people who reviewed my previous fic, Frames. hearts To you!!