Rant: This is a sequel to Strawberry Kisses since people like it so much. Yea, sequel after a year… er… Hope you all don't mind 3 I will update the chapters twice a week, on Fridays and Tuesdays (I hope sincerely…) Hope you all like it XD

P.S. Fuji angst? Oo

Chapter one

If only the rain would stop.

Fuji Syusuke traced the falling trails of the raindrops that splattered against his window, resting his chin in the palm of his free hand. The glass felt cool to the touch as the window shook slightly every time the rain beat against it, creating music to the ears of its listeners.

Tokiko Sensei's clear voice rang out; describing the effect of western influences on the Meiji Era as she carefully listed the points on the blackboard. She has a fun way of teaching, and normally, on another other day, Fuji would chuckle at her jokes and follow her movements across the floor. On any other day than today that is.

They say that raindrops are the tears from heavens, weeping at the misfortunes of the human kind. It had been raining for three days now, stopping only during the night and restart once more to block the coming of the sunlight.

Fuji sighed lightly, wondering what type of calamity caused the heavens to cry so much that the tears overflowed for days.

"Nya I wanna go home" Kikumaru Eiji whined at the desk beside him, stretching out his limbs to lean on the top of his desk. Somehow, Eiji ended up in every single one of Fuji's classes, including his electives. It's a wonder how two completely different people would be taking the exact same courses, though Fuji doesn't like to think too much about that. Being on the same process level as Eiji, his old friend, teammate, and entertainment, is a scary thought to the Tensai. Eiji isn't someone that people would call stupid, merely lack of motivation in the education department and wasting his intelligence.

"I wanna go home neow" Eiji rubbed his face against his opened history book on his desk, hugging the desktop and stretched out his feet. He blew on the strand of hair that fell before his eyes for a while before finally moving his head to rid of it in his field of vision.

Fuji grinned. Well, cats are always lazy on rainy days.

"Kikumaru, I'm disappointed to hear that you hate my class to much as to publicly announce that you want to go home." Tokiko Sensei raised an eyebrow, obviously annoyed. Eiji's words weren't loud, but Sensei's hearing seemed beyond human boundaries. Fuji held back a chuckle.

"No no Sensei! It's not you! It's that!" Eiji nearly leapt out of his seat, pointing at the rain outside. The chair he sat on knocked against the back of his leg before falling onto the floor with a loud thud. The students snickered.

Sensei crossed her arms. "Kikumaru, just because you have something against the school windows doesn't mean that you should take out your annoyance on the chair. What did the poor chair ever do to you?" Her lips curled into a smile.

"Sensei" Eiji's whine drew more laughter to the classroom as he bent down to straighten his chair, patting the imaginary dust away from his seat with his face flushing.

Eiji is very entertaining indeed.

"All right all right. Kikumaru, we all know that you're aching to play tennis and the rain hasn't stopped. But at least pretend to pay attention to my class to make this old woman happy." Tokiko Sensei shook her head and clicked her tongue. Funny how the twenty-seven year old called herself old; Yamatsuki Sensei would cry if he ever hears that, being forty something and all.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the class and the beginning of the ten minute break before literature. Tokiko Sensei rolled back her shoulder into a shrug as she paced to her desk, speaking to the class in a calm voice. "Well, you all are all third years now, so you should be ready for this. Test tomorrow on the previous five chapters I went over tomorrow, better study for it and get a great score."

A wave of groans spread across the room as the mood darkened.

"Oh suck it up you bums; I have to get you all ready for your final exams soon!" Sensei picks up her folder and a large stack of note, knocked the edges against her desk to straighten them. "Remember to study." She called out in a cheery voice before walking out of the room, whistling to herself.

Fuji decided to pay more attention placing his books in his book bag than his friend's shocked face beside him, amusing as it was, he would be late if he doesn't hurry to his next class.

"Er… Fuji…?" Kikumaru called out, scratching his band-aid with a finger as his eyes darted about the place, avoiding direct contact with his friend. "I… ah… Do you have… er…"

Fuji tossed his notes on Eiji's desk before continuing the clean up of his desktop. "Here. The last twenty pages or so should cover the five chapters; they're all dated on the upper left corner, followed by the chapter number. You have until the end of the school to copy it."

"Fuji! Arigatou!" Kikumaru jumped on the back of his friend, rubbing his face against Fuji's hair. "Now I won't fail!"

This must be what the owner of a hyper cat feels like. "Hai hai," Fuji zipped his book bag close. "You owe me three lunches for the notes. I want…" He pulled his hand to his chin. "What's the most expensive thing at lunch today?"

"Ehhhh!" Eiji screeched and jumped off as if he just touched a burning pot. "Fuji, you wouldn't!"

"Ara, I thought I just did." Fuji turned his face toward his friend and beamed.

Eiji stuffed his books into his bag and closed it roughly. Tossing it over his shoulder, he pointed his index finger at his friend. "Fine, deal. I'll buy you lunch for the notes. But only for one day. For three days, you have to tutor me."

"Hum, seems like I'm at the bad end of the deal there." Fuji pretended to ponder about the proposal as he stepped out of the room, followed closely by Kikumaru.

"Fine fine, you win." Eiji growled before finally giving up, speeding up his pace to walk beside his friend. "Better be some good notes… Tezuka!"

Fuji snapped his attention to the person a few yards away, approaching steadily towards the two friends. It had almost been a month since the concert event that certain Sunday, and all was well until the rain came. Sure, Tezuka's always busy, but he would at least take a few minutes off each day at practice to speak to Fuji alone, showing concerns that others would thought not possible. Since the rain started, Tezuka all but disappeared from Fuji's sight. Being in different classes meant harder to find in the hallways, and Tezuka never stayed at one place for lunch. The phone calls to his home diminished, the conversation died. Nothing seemed right anymore.

"Ah, Tezuka." Fuji smiled as the other man came within speaking range. "When will practice start again?" An easy topic to start the conversation with.

Tezuka Kunimitsu looked stern as always. "When the rain stops and the courts are in good conditions. But do not forget to practice your reflexes in the gym and at home." A solid buchou answer. How fitting.

Fuji grinned slightly, pressing the hint of irritation away as he continued. "Ah, sou Tezuka, can I speak to you for a moment." Not waiting for an answer, he approached the other man directly, forcing the Seigaku Tennis captain to take a step back.

Eiji shrugged and hopped off, distracted by Oishi walking out of his classroom a few yards down.

Perfect timing.

Fuji allowed his smile to slip from his lips. Peering towards the taller man, he drew a breath and exhaled slowly, calming his nerves. It had been two full days since he last saw Tezuka. "Tezuka, you eating all right?" Stupid stupid stupid. Finally seeing the guy and this was the best opening line he could come up with?

"Ah." Came the answer as Tezuka uncomfortably leaned against the glass in the hallway.

"Sou desu." Better just get to the point, Fuji gritted his teeth and spoke his mind. "You've been avoiding me."

"Gomen, I've been a little busy." Tezuka replied without blinking.

He didn't even try to deny it.

"I see."

"Fuji, I have to go, I have to make it down to the first floor to deliver the notes for Yamatsuki Sensei." His tone left no room for questions.

Tezuka took off without waiting for a response from the Tensai, speeding his pace up and disappeared from Fuji's sight within seconds. As if reality ceased to exist, he stood there, staring at the corner where Tezuka turned like an idiot; playing the conversation over and over again without drawing any sense from it.

"Fuji, hurry up, we're gonna be late!" Kikumaru's voice dragged Fuji from his blank mind. It seemed that Oishi just left for science.

Reality hits hard like a bitch.

"Ah." Fuji answered, slipping on his usual mask as he sped to his friend. "Gomen gomen."

Strange how he's so good at placing a smile on his face. "Don't sleep in Samaragi Sensei's class or she's gonna throw a fit."

"I won't!" Kikumaru complained, and then paused before continuing. "If I do, wake me up, her chalks hurt!"

Fuji laughed. A wholehearted sounding laugh, though his mind wandered. Tezuka avoided him and his questions. He doesn't get it, what did he do wrong to make Tezuka avoid him? Perhaps something was up and bothering Tezuka, and after all, his buchou was never the one to share annoyance and suppressed feelings. Perhaps it was a death in the family? His shoulder? Elbow?

Fuji's heart stormed.

If only the rain would stop.