A/N: I think I failed with Fuji's Smile D: Sorry Anikki. And yeah, I just had to put Eiji in. Although I was going to make it Perfect Pair at first. And it can be dream pair or just friendship, which ever you prefer.
**&**
Fuji touched the bruise on his arm and winced. He gritted his teeth and fought back the anger that was overwhelming him. He wanted to kill them so that they would get out of his life and leave him in peace. But Fuji knew in his heart that he still loved them, that he would never harm a hair on their heads. He slowly walked into court, struggling to keep his smile on.
**&**
"Fuji, where did you get that bruise?" Oishi asked, concerned
"Ouch, Fuji-senpai I bet it hurts a lot." Momo cringed.
"It's nothing much, I managed to bump my arm against my desk again. I'm sure it'll go away in time." Fuji replied, ever smiling.
"Ii data. Fuji the genius can be careless as well. This is the third time something like this has happened according to my notes. Well Fuji, I hope your arm gets better soon. Lucky it's your left arm, or Tezuka would have banned you from playing." Inui scribbled furiously on his notebook while comforting Fuji.
Fuji looked towards Eiji and was surprised and saddened to find that he did not seem to care. Eiji had always been the first to notice and bother him about his injuries. Fuji wondered why Eiji's neglect pained him even more than the bruise on his arm. Nevertheless, he did not allow his smile to falter.
**&**
The lunch bell rang after four hours of lesson. He had long before mastered everything the class had gone through, so as usual, had spent the lesson looking at the serene view of the school grounds.
Fuji and Eiji walked towards the canteen side by side. But not a word was exchanged between them. Abruptly, Eiji stopped walking and turned around to face Fuji. Fuji halted together with Eiji and tilted his head, wondering why Eiji had suddenly stopped. The answer came soon enough. Eiji muttered, "Fuji, can I talk to you?"
"Yeah, sure Eiji, you already are!" Fuji grinned and joked, glad the Eiji was finally speaking to him.
"Fuji, what's going on? Why do you keep getting those bruises and marks? I know you would never be stupid enough to so carelessly get hurt. If it's a joke, it's not funny. And if it's a new idea to throw Inui off track, it's a waste of time and energy." Eiji ranted furiously.
Taken aback at the unexpected burst of anger, Fuji was at a loss of what to say.
"So? Why aren't you saying anything?" Eiji prompted. After thinking for a while, Fuji merely replied, "It's not a joke… It's really true that I'm not cautious enough."
Fuji sighed, suddenly exhausted. He did not want an argument with Eiji; neither did he want to tell Eiji everything. Knowing he would regret if he burdened Eiji with the truth, Fuji denied all of Eiji's accusations, choosing to lie to him instead.
Tears leaking from his eyes, Eiji glared at Fuji.
"Fuji, why won't you tell me what's wrong? I can see through that smile of yours already! Stop smiling like an idiot and talk!" Eiji shouted, shaking Fuji's fragile body.
Still, Fuji continued to smiled and just said, "Eiji, there's nothing wrong. I'm perfectly fine you know."
Eiji hung his head and whispered one last time. "Fuji, I beg you. How can I call myself your best friend when I don't even qualify to hear your problems?"
Fuji shook his head, replying equally gently. "Don't worry Eiji, there's nothing wrong with me. You're my best friend and you will be forever."
Eiji shook his head and murmured, "No, don't lie to me."
He turned on his heels and ran back into the classroom, ignoring Fuji's calls for him to stop.
As soon as Eiji slid back the door of the classroom, Fuji's smile was replaced by an expression which showed a mixture of emotions, sorrow, fatigue and anger. There was not a trace of joy in the gloomy air around him. Fuji sighed and walked on; fighting for the bright smile he needed to dissimulate his life.
**&**
After tennis practice, Fuji slowly walked back home, trying to take his time. He thought about his argument with Eiji, wondering if he could trust Eiji not to tell Oishi. Fuji wished he could talk to someone about his life but he knew he had no one.
Fuji stopped and leaned against a brick wall, resting his forehead on the cool bricks. He did not know what to do anymore. He wondered why he even bothered to pretend, to fake everything in front of his friends. He longed to pour out everything to his friends, to break down the brick wall he had built to seclude himself from the ones he loved. He hugged himself, attempting to ignore the throbbing of his heart.
"Arrrgh! I hate my life! I hate myself!" He lifted his head up and shouted his heart out. He slid down onto the floor, holding his head. Fuji wished he could kill himself there and then. He wished he would not have to see the door that led to the hell he had for a home.
**&**
Around the corner of the wall, Eiji stood watching the scene, tears gathering again in his eyes as he watched his friend suffer silently. He wished he could do something for his best friend. He clenched his fists, wanting to punch the one who was making Fuji so miserable. He turned around and ran away again, unable to bring himself to walk out and comfort the boy he cared for the most.
**&**
"Shuusuke! Why are you so late? I told you to return back home right after your lessons didn't I? Do you really take me as your mother? Have I taught you so badly that you don't even know how to respect your elders? Go to your room now. You won't be getting dinner." Fuji's mother shouted as soon as Fuji stepped into the house.
Fuji complied promptly, knowing that rebelling would only worsen the matters.
He slumped down on his bed without changing, imagining how a normal day would be like for Eiji. Eiji had an ideal family who pampered him with love and care, while he was alone, like a single shrub, growing alone in the middle of a desert. He buried his head under the covers, slowly falling asleep, dreaming about a life as perfect as Eiji's. He smiled, wondering what it would be like to smile because he was truly happy.
**&**
Fuji was jolted awake by a sharp pain on his cheek. "I told you to wake up!" Fuji's father loomed above him, glaring. Yumiko was standing a little farther back, and was looking away. Fuji reasoned that Yumiko must have had tried to stop their father and failed. That always happened. He knew Yumiko never tried properly anyway.
He stood up, facing his father. Fuji was slightly taller than him, but Fuji felt like a little mouse, cowering in front of a cat. He guessed that his father was going to scold him about something or another for which a gentle advice would have been sufficient. He tuned out, waiting for his father to finish his lecture.
**&**
Fuji woke up the next day, feeling stiff from sleeping on the floor. His father had forbid him from sleeping on the bed or changing his clothes, as he had lain down on the bed still wearing his sweaty uniform.
Fuji walked to school, with neither lunch nor the money for it. His parents had "forgotten" to give him either again. He sighed, wondering when he would be able to be free from the painful life he was living. Yuuta had gotten away from their life by transferring to St. Rudolph. He wondered if it was a possibility for him as well. But Fuji knew he would never be able to leave Seigaku and the friends he had there.
"Fujiko-channnnnnnnnn!!!" Fuji was dragged down to earth by the sudden hug Eiji had bestowed on him.
"I'm sorry about yesterday for getting so angry at you… forgive me? I'll treat you to lunch today!" Eiji grinned his trademark cat-like grin, turning the fake smile on Fuji's face into a genuine one. Fuji was glad he had Eiji as a friend, someone who had the ability to lighten the mood with just one smile.
"Thank you Eiji, of course I forgive you. Best friends are supposed to forgive each other no matter what right?" Fuji laughed and replied. He felt his heavy heart lighten slightly in Eiji's presence.
He made a silent vow, that by the end of the day, he would confess everything to Eiji. That he would keep no secrets between the two of them anymore. The burden on him decreased even more. For the first time, he walked into the tennis courts without forcing a smile.
**&**
Fuji fidgeted, counting the minutes before the lunch bell rang. Fuji had decided that during lunch, he would tell Eiji every little thing that he had kept from him. He rocked in his seat, wondering why thirty minutes suddenly felt so long.
**&**
Fuji swallowed, wondering how to start speaking. He had managed to get Eiji to the rooftop, where he knew no one would over hear them talking.
"Fuji what's up?" Eiji prompted. Fuji shook his head, shaking away the tears that were fighting to get out. He began his recount of the things that he had kept from everyone around him for 15 years.
**&**
Eiji stood listening with a serious look on his face. Finally, when Fuji finished speaking, he grinned.
"See now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Eiji laughed, glad that Fuji had finally opened up to him. Fuji grinned back, feeling as light as a feather. He found that he was happy, as he had someone to share his burden with.
Fuji smiled a true smile, instead of the faux smile he had forced on daily. He hugged Eiji and murmured, "Eiji you are truly my bestfriend."