Disclaimer: Don't own Prince of Tennis
The boys have long since outgrown their middle school days and are now scattered around the globe. But a few kindred spirits have found themselves once more in each other's company, as ties of fate seem to inevitably bring them back together. TeFu plus OCs and some other cameo pairings.
He stood outside of the administrative office, leaning against the trunk of a large shade-providing tree. A gentle breeze ruffled through his light brown hair and he smiled as he glanced around at the old stone buildings.
This was going to be his third year in college. It was hard to believe that he had already spent so long away from home. And yet here he was, in America. He was able to keep relatively frequent contact with some of his old teammates. Kikumaru wrote excited emails to him every day, and Oishi would check in on him once in a while. Every now and then, he'd receive a phone call from Kawamura, and they would chat: Inui published a paper on theoretical physics in Australia, Kawamura's girlfriend opened a French bakery near his sushi shop, Ryuzaki-sensei proudly announced that Echizen and her granddaughter were dating, Kawamura would be going to a professional cooking school to learn more about different styles of cuisine… But with all the work piling up for them both, they had found little time to check in on their underclassmen, and he smiled sadly at how little he had seen or heard of them in the past two years.
He pulled out his wallet and glanced at the old photo of the Seishun Gakuen boy's tennis team, taking a little extra time to examine the never changing stoic expression in the middle. Then he flipped open the wallet and pulled out an even more nostalgic photo.
He opened his eyes. The muted lighting welcomed him to wakefulness serenely, but he felt that the day would be a day like any other. He climbed out of bed and teased open the blinds, happily observing the horizontal bands of light that fell onto the green spines of his newly growing cacti.
Breakfast was waffles and morning coffee. He thought about his brother, all alone in the dorms a short distance from home. He picked up the phone and dialed, smiling at his brother's terse response. Five minutes later, he headed back to his room. After misting some water onto his pudgy cacti, he picked up his bag and headed out the door.
At the tennis courts, he received some happy good mornings and some excited cheers from the sidelines. During first period, a short note from Kikumaru somehow found its way around the classroom to him. He read it and chuckled. The bell rang. It was time to appreciate music.
After spending a period with their short, elderly music history teacher, the students had a break. A quick stroll around the hallways of the school led him to pass by class 3-1, where he snapped a rare photo of Tezuka without his glasses.
During lunch, he calmly ate through his bento, thoughts wandering to the photography lab's dark room, where he would be able to develop his most recent photo. He cleaned up and spent the rest of the lunch period working meticulously in the dark.
After classes finished, he headed to the library. A quiet Echizen flitted through the shelves, organizing books. He thought, with a chuckle, that library duty was surprisingly fitting for the arrogant but cute regular member. He borrowed 'The Little Prince' in English for a bit of bedtime reading.
All throughout afternoon practice, Horio's unique voice carried carelessly over the three practice courts as he boasted about his tennis experience. The dubious looks of the other freshman were constant, turning only to excitement with Echizen's late arrival.
His sister's cooking that night was delicious, and he headed upstairs on a full stomach to take a look at his borrowed book. Before going to sleep, he pulled out his most recent masterpiece. Intending to tack it with the rest of his photo collection, he turned to the wall by his bed and thoughtfully glanced over it. Oishi was curling his bangs in one corner, and Kaidoh was in an unsightly position with Echizen's cat in the other. Kikumaru sleeping while snuggling a tube of toothpaste overlapped slightly with a racket-less Kawamura practicing burning mode in front of the mirror. At the bottom was Inui, frustratingly concocting juice after juice after juice after juice, attempting to create a punishment drink that would finally get a reaction out of the ever-smiling tensai. Momoshiro kissed a photo of Tachibana's little sister just above the (kind of) deadly juices.
He could only imagine what the rest of the team would do if they found out he had all these wonderfully embarrassing photos of their secret moments.
He glanced back at the captain's golden-brown eyes, no longer hidden behind reflective lenses, and after a moment's thought, slipped the photo into his wallet with a smile before drifting off to sleep.
Perhaps the day had turned out just a little bit different after all.
He remembered it like it was yesterday, admiring those very eyes, which seemed to be staring off into space, thinking. The doors to the administrative office opened, breaking his reverie, and he let the photo slip back into its hiding place.
"Fuji."
"Tezuka."
There was a brief moment of silence as the two stood under the tree in a serene and happy reunion.
"Saa, tell me again about your transfer here?" Tezuka noted that even with his near flawless English, Fuji still retained his spoken mannerisms.
"The president of this college is an avid tennis player," Tezuka began. Fuji was happy he could converse with Tezuka in English. It was good practice for the both of them. He listened to the pleasant sound of his former captain's voice, noticing only the slightest of accents. "He heard of my accomplishments in the professional tennis community and offered me an outstanding scholarship to transfer to this school."
They both glanced up at the blue sky, taking in their surroundings. How long had it been since they could just enjoy each other's company? After another brief moment of silence, Tezuka continued.
"He also mentioned that there was an incoming freshman of spectacular tennis skill to be under my care. That person is coming by today to meet me."
"I'm glad that you're here." If the sudden statement had caught the captain off-guard, he didn't show it.
"Hn."
The wind rustled through the leaves and their conversation abated for a moment.
"Buchou." A new voice.
The two turned around in surprise. Fuji wondered long had it been since he last heard Japanese. But the person who had spoken…
"Echizen." Tezuka stated, mild surprise barely gracing his deep voice. He looked directly into the boy's cat-like eyes. "You're…" He glanced at Fuji. Fuji smiled, instantly grasping the situation.
"Saa… it's just like Echizen to show up unannounced." Of course the 'freshman of spectacular tennis skill' would be Echizen Ryoma, and of course he wouldn't have said a word of his arrival, despite knowing Fuji's status as a student at this very university. Attending college in America would have been no big deal to him, considering the time he spent here prior to Seigaku.
"Well then, buchou, Fuji-senpai… I'm going to talk to the president."
"Echizen… huh?"
"The last I heard of him was when we were still in high school." Fuji nodded in agreement.
"Who would have thought he'd end up following us here," Fuji murmured over his coffee.
It was getting late, and the orange rays of the setting sun cast hard shadows across his captain's unreadable expression.
"You must be tired. Why don't we call it a day?" Fuji fished out a few bills and placed them under his coffee cup. "My treat." Tezuka nodded, an unsaid 'thank you' lingering in the air between them. They rose from their seats and as they left the coffee shop, Fuji pulled out his cell phone, silently passing it to Tezuka. Tezuka took the phone, quickly punching in his new cell number.
"Thanks, buchou." Tezuka's eyebrow popped up just a bit. Fuji pretended he didn't notice, a slight smile tugging at his lips. If Echizen could still call him that, why not he? Not that he had ever really addressed Tezuka by that title even when they were on the same team.
"See you tomorrow, Fuji." Fuji waved with a dazzling smile and watched Tezuka's retreating form until it disappeared around the corner. Had Tezuka glanced back even once, he would have noticed that smile slink away as an uncharacteristic look of tortured contemplation took over.
Author's Notes: Hey look at that. I'm back.
