Find Me
By: Zaid (my friend)
Summary: Sometimes the one thing you are looking for is the one thing you can't see.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN PoT.
Chapter One – Hide and Seek
The end of their senior year. The last time to come together and start of new beginnings.
The bidding of farewells starts. Tears fall, smiles falters.
But for Tezuka, this was his happiest moment. Being recognized as champions at the National Tournament made him smile even more each day.
"No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth."
Everyone else was focused on the valedictory speech of the valedictorian. While Fuji somehow wasn't paying attention. He was looking at a beautiful cherry blossom tree. The petals where slowly falling of its root being swept by the wind to the ground. It was a wonderful sight to see, the scent of spring has come to him. For some reason, a petal was taken by the wind unto Fuji's lap.
He caressed the petal softly, as if it was vulnerable.
Daydreaming was not Fuji's thing. For he had thought it is just a waste of time and that it was to escape the clutches of reality. Being sarcastic as he is, the tensai himself is doing it. The texture of the petal was surprisingly interesting to him. He kept on stroking it. Again. And again. And again. The tensai this distracted was new to everyone except Tezuka Kunimitsu.
The now ex-captain looked at the tensai curiously.
"Fuji." The ever vigilant Tezuka Kunimitsu saw Fuji's hands forming into a ball, grasping it so hard that it almost looked white, whiter than his pale skin could ever seem like. Still, the tensai could not even take his eyes off the cherry blossom tree he's been staring for approximately five minutes or so. Plus, the petal he is holding couldn't breathe any air for the tensai has suffocated the poor thing inside his hands.
"I didn't know you could be this violent." He could barely even see the tensai's face. "Fuji?" His tone was sweet and desperate in a way that would like to bring back the tensai to reality.
After hearing much of the Tezuka, Fuji's eyes snapped open. Revealing his azure eyes that depict sadness and anxiety. Tezuka noticed this too, but was holding back to even ask the obvious. But even so, the concerned ex-captain just had to ask.
"What's wrong Fuji?" To his surprise, the Tezuka Kunimitsu, the national level serious-no-emotion-player, was smiling. Where is his stoic face? It's not a rare sight to see but the tensai was even at glee just seeing that expression of his, making him wonder where has his stoic mask had gone to.
"Nothing. It's just... You're leaving." Fuji replied. His head down and his bangs covering his teary eyes.
"But, it's okay. I hope you will do your best in Germany." Fuji said smiling happily his head facing towards him. This time, Tezuka could notice the fake smile of the tensai. The tensai smile.
"Nothing will change, Fuji." Tezuka assured.
Are you sure about that Tezuka? Fuji thought.
–
Finally, graduation is over. Gripping their diplomas tight, they all gathered around to take pictures, which is unlikely for Tezuka to be this excited.
"Everyone, please compress a little more." The photographer said. As what the man said, all the graduates squeezed tight, making their bodies close together. Then Fuji, who was not expecting to be so close to Tezuka's perfectly shaped body, was stiff while smiling. His heartbeat was beating twice a second. The feeling of excitement he could not get rid of. But albeit the excitement, he was sad to have known that Tezuka was leaving. Tomorrow.
"Ne, T-tezuka." Fuji said stuttering a little. The tensai wanted to give something to his buchou. He wanted to give Tezuka something special that could let him leave Japan with no regrets.
Maybe it was something else he wants to say to the ex-captain.
There was silence. When Tezuka is quiet, Fuji takes this as a sign of agreement or on cue to continue.
"Meet me today here in school at four o'clock in the afternoon. I've got something to tell you." Fuji's face was quite serious, giving Tezuka the chills. So, there was nothing he could do but consent to the tensai's agreement by nodding his head.
–
"Tezuka-kun!"
"What is it, Fuji-kun?"
"Ne, have you played hide and seek before?"
"Hn."
"Would you like to play with me?"
"Okay."
"I will hide, and you will seek! Okay! No peeking!"
Then the game started. It was after school as one boy was running all over the place, searching for a kid about his same age. Some teachers eyed him carefully and wondering why he did not return home yet. Even so, the boy continued his search, but the other one couldn't be found. It was almost sunset and still the game has not ended. By instinct, the other boy just went out his hiding place and ran towards the boy seeking. (Where could he be hiding? The girl's comfort room?)
"Tezuka-kun. I'm sorry but I have to go home. It took you a lot of time to search for me and I'm sorry to waste your time because of this game. I hope we can play this game again. Soon." Then the boy left.
"You're amazing at hiding, Fuji-kun."
–
"Tezuka!" Fuji was running to him while shouting his name. The one who set this all up was late. As expected, Tezuka is an early bird since birth. Fuji rested his hands on his knees while breathing heavily. "Sorry… I'm late."
Silence.
Fuji calmed himself down for a while, "Ne, Tezuka-kun,"
"Hn?" It seems as though Tezuka is in a hurry. But he did ever so notice the honorifics and didn't bother to speak his mind. For he was, well, in a hurry.
"Do you remember the game we first played when we were first years besides tennis?" Fuji was effervescent.
"Yes. Hide and seek," Tezuka replied while watching his watch.
"Although, I didn't have time to seek you. You were amazing at hiding." Unfortunately, the tensai could not detect Tezuka's desire to speed things up for he was in high spirits knowing that Tezuka has remembered such a memorable game of hide and seek.
"Let's play it again, Tezuka! For old time's sake." Fuji smiled.
"But Fuji, I have to–"Fuji cut him off.
"Pretty please? Just this time, Tezuka." Fuji said in a sweet and cute voice with pleading eyes and pouting lips. Certainly, Fuji was like a puppy. It was something you don't expect from a tensai.
"Hn." There was nothing else to do but accept anyway. For Tezuka, it was not in his nature to reject any of the tensai's offers.
"Okay. You'll hide. I'll seek." Fuji then ran into a nearby tree. Covering his eyes and jumping up and down slowly, he counted up to ten, like a little kid when he was at his freshman year.
One... Two... Three... Four... Five... Six... Seven... Eight... Nine... Ten…
"Ready or not here I come!" Overly excited, the tensai quickly searched for Tezuka.
He ran fast to the tennis courts, he was not there. Fuji ran to the classrooms, he still was not there. This time, it was the teachers who eyed suspiciously at Fuji, but didn't bother him.
To the cafeteria, he was nowhere to be found. Under the tables? No. It was not a good hiding place. Library? Still not there. Locker rooms? Nope, no Tezuka Kunimitsu in there. Girl's comfort room? Don't even think about it.
From time to time Fuji would stop and think where could Tezuka hide. "Ah! The rooftop!" Fuji shouted.
'No one here, eh?' Fuji thought.
Oh. But someone is really there… Who could it be?
Fuji notice someone's back from farther away and took few steps closer to the person, quietly. It seems as though the person could not feel his presence. The person has the same color of hair Tezuka has. So, Fuji just continued his sneaking.
Step. Left. Right. Don't look back. Left. Right. Go!
"Aha! I've found you at last-"
Slight turn of the head. Not the right person you should be bothering with.
"Who are you?" Oops! big mistake, tensai Fuji Syusuke.
"Oh I'm sorry, I thought you were… Nevermind." A big humiliation. Not really, no.
"Wait, do you by any chance, know Tezuka Kunimitsu?" The girl said. The familiarity of Fuji's face made the girl smile. As if her hopes went to the highest of the high and her smile up to her ears.
"Yes. Why?"
"I-it's because…" Loud thump of the heart. Thump. Thump.
"Because?"
"Could you just tell him I said goodbye? Because he's leaving," It was a kohai of the tensai, the ultimate fangirl of Tezuka Kunimitsu. To think that she even dyed her hair to the same color as Tezuka's. She even cut her hair to the same length as Tezuka's. And Oh, she wears glasses the same as Tezuka's. Is this Tezuka's long lost clone?
Good thing though, she doesn't play tennis.
"…" Was the only reply.
–
"Saa, I wonder where Kunimit- err, I mean Tezuka is." The tensai talking to himself louder than usual. "I'd better call him." Dialing.. The phone rang. "Moshi moshi, Tez–"
Fuji could not believe the sound he heard from his phone.
The number you dialed is out of reach at this moment. Please try and call again later. Beep.
"He's not here? Where is he hiding? I'd better ask his mom." Fuji is known to be a tensai, or better yet, the best tensai there is at Seishun Gakuen, but why could he not know where Tezuka could possibly be?
Then, Fuji dialed the Tezuka residence. Ring ring ring.
"Moshi moshi, this is Fuji."
"This is Ayana. Do you need something, Fuji–kun?"
"Hai, where is Tezuka-kun, Ayana–san?"
Silence came from the other line. 'Kunimitsu didn't tell Fuji-kun?' Ayana thought. Ayana's doom to bring on the bad news.
"Ayana–san?"
"Oh. Well, Tezuka is not here anymore." She sighed on the other line.
Fuji's face filled with confusion, "What do you mean?" The tensai really doesn't have a clue, being caught up at an exciting game of hide and seek made his worries of Tezuka leaving vanish. Poof away worries.
For he thought that all is well that ends well. But does reality have to consent to the tensai's thought?
"He's on a plane. Going to… Germany."
Silence.
"When you come back, you'll be the perfect Tezuka Kunimitsu, even more perfect than before."
"Hn."
–
And ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation. -- Credits to the anonymous guy