Title: Scent of Iris (S.O.I.)
Disclaimers: Prince of Tennis does not belong to me. It belongs to everyone.
Warnings: AU, OOC tendencies, don't like it, don't read it.

Summary: How do you see if you're blind? How do you wait when there's no one coming? And how do you love someone when you're already gone?


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Chapter One:
The Memories from Long Ago
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"We'll go to Germany. You and I, all alone…"

"What about your career?" a new voice asked, it was mellow and soft.

"We'll find jobs easily. With our credentials and all," the voice reaffirmed.

"You're pretty optimistic," he couldn't help but comment, his eyes smiling as always.

The other guy squeezed his hand tight, all the while focusing on driving. Fuji couldn't help but admire his face—his fine jaw, those lips, that nose, and those eyes that kept imprisoning him.

It was as if, Fuji was ensnared, over and over and over again.

"We're going to Germany," the guy repeated. Fuji was still listening to his soothing baritone voice, Fuji's eyes still clouded with happiness.

"Away from my grandfather, away from society and away from everyone that threatens to separate us…we're going together."

"And we will be together, for eternity, isn't that right?" Fuji asked smoothly. The guy hummed in response.

"Yes," the voice responded, his voice reassuring. Fuji reached out with his free hand and touched his face.

"Don't leave me," Fuji whispered, his hand caressing the guy's neck.

"I'll never leave you," he swore as he kissed the back of Fuji's hand.

"Never…"

"Doctor Fuji of the Ophthalmology Department, I repeat, Doctor Fuji of Ophthalmology Department would you kindly proceed to Room 503… Doctor Fuji of…" the speaker in the hospital kept on announcing. Fuji woke up from his sleep. Not noticing that he was indeed sleeping on his desk, Fuji yawned quite politely, the back of his hand covering his mouth.

"Doctor Fuji, there has been complications—" the nurse, much to her disheveled state, hurriedly announced. The said doctor, about 24 years or so, smiled mildly at her.

"I know. I heard," he said shortly. The nurse looked at him expectantly and Fuji rose to his feet, picking his white coat from the chair.

"Uh…where was it again?" Fuji smiled sheepishly. The nurse tried not to pout. Among all the doctors in the hospital, Doctor Fuji was indeed considered the most forgetful albeit being the youngest.

The nurse does not know why, but from the gossips she'd heard, Fuji's memory weakened when he was involved in an accident six months ago. She wanted to ask the doctor himself but it seemed to be an impolite thing to ask. And she has no right to poke on someone's business, she reminded herself.

"Room 503 sir, you know, the room next to that big shot, filthy rich guy whom you operated yesterday," the nurse said in a hushed voice. Fuji's face twitched by the slightest vague. And as he was striding along the corridor, his eyes passed by room 502, but there was no glass that enabled him to see through the room, seeing that room was private.

Fuji almost looked crestfallen.

"Fuji-sensei?" the nurse asked in concern when the doctor did not talk back. Fuji smiled, yet again, this time ensuring his mask not to fall off his face ever again. He then entered the room with a newfound inspiration in his work.

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"Oh Heavens, what happened to my son??" an overly concerned high-pitched voice erupted from somewhere. It was hazy, dizzy, blurry mass of surroundings and he can't even remember what happened back then. He could feel several hands touching him, checking his pulse, his heartbeat…his eyes.

Where was he?

"He got into an accident and his car collided with a delivery truck. It seems that the driver was very drunk and so he was sent to the nearest police station for interrogation," a familiar voice explained and he knew it too well, he knew that voice too well.

"It can't be!! What will happen to my son!! What will his father say to him!!" the voice gave a strangled sort of cry and he wanted so badly to soothe and comfort that person.

But he felt weak, weaker than he had ever felt before.

And his blurred vision slowly dimmed, it dimmed so excruciatingly slow until he was welcomed with silence and darkness.

It was total darkness.

"Arrrrrrgh!!" he shouted in panic. Although his head was throbbing and his body was aching heavily, he so badly wanted to yell in anger.

"It's dark! I… can't …see!!" he croaked, much to his vain attempt to shout.

And then he heard another sobbing sound, from somewhere far away, it was so lonely.

It was so very lonely.

Where was it coming from? Who was it? He kept asking. And then he smelled the scent of iris mixed with the scent of blood.

Somewhere around him, there was a silent crying voice.

A man's voice…

"Mother?" he said groggily as he felt warm, comforting hands stroking his hair. He felt the tiny drops of liquid fall on his face.

"I'm so sorry my son, I should not have let you go," his mother lamented.

"I can't see…"

"I want to see!"

"Are you having nightmares again?" a smooth Kansai accent voice came out of nowhere. He heard distant sounds of footsteps and then silence.

He gasped when a soft, silky fabric touched his face. The man sighed.

"I was trying to wipe your sweat," the voice explained, withdrawing his hand away from the guy. He moved his head, turning left and right.

Why was it so dark? He asked himself.

"You've had your cornea transplant operation yesterday," the guy answered for him, as if he knew what he was thinking. And he then realized something, as his hand tried to touch and feel his head heavily bandaged. His eyes bandaged heavily as well.

"You're going to see soon," the voice remarked, and he felt the sound of joy in that deep, husky voice of his.

"There was an eye donor?" he questioned, as his hand subconsciously trying to feel the bed sheets.

"There was," the voice replied quietly. The man looked at the left, thinking that the person he was talking to was there.

"Who was it Oshitari?" he probed. The man, named Oshitari, replied no more.

"Yuushi?" he asked, not fully liking the silence surrounding him.

"It is a confidential data Atobe. The donor signed a contract of protecting his identity from the receiver of the cornea and only his relatives could know that information," Oshitari said in gentle tone as if dropping the subject off.

Atobe nodded, his head still throbbing in pain and he felt Oshitari's hands assisting him to lie down.

"Thanks," Atobe replied gratefully. Oshitari touched Atobe's arm.

"You're going to see soon…"

"I can't believe it, after so long, I'm going to see soon…"

"Yeah, you will," Oshitari reassured.

"When will it be?" Atobe asked, too eager.

"No sooner than next week. They will remove the bandages around your eyes," Oshitari replied. Atobe smiled.

"I see."

"You do?" Oshitari tried to joke, as if to lighten the mood.

"Stop being a smart-ass," Atobe said wearily. He then heard the door clicked open.

"I'm going to go see Gakuto," Oshitari said finally, his eyes tired from watching Atobe the whole night.

"You're still together?" Atobe asked, rather randomly. Oshitari laughed.

"Yeah," Oshitari paused with a contented smile on his face.

And Atobe was back to his dream world once again.

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"Emergency, Doctor Yanagi there's a case of car-accident, loss of blood severe, concussions, bruises, wounds in his head very critical, I believe he wouldn't last much longer."

"Stop saying… nonsense! He's not going to leave…me!!" a voice croaked, his tears washing away the blood on his face. A couple of male nurses aided him and lied him down to a stretcher.

"You've acquire wounds too Fuji-sensei, we need proper treatment to those," the doctor, Yanagi, gently pressed. But Fuji was far from being calm. He tried to stand up from the stretcher but was easily pushed down, ever so gently, by a nurse.

"I need to see him!" he yelled, desperation evident in his voice.

"Doctor Yanagi, there's no pulse!!" Fuji heard the nurse panicked, Fuji's head almost killing him from too much pain. There was pandemonium and he could feel it. His body felt very sore, his vision felt blurry. He caught sight of him, lying in a mass of blood on the other side of the operating room.

He wanted so badly to reach out and touched him but he was in no good condition himself to do so.

"I'll never leave you."

He just wanted to be with him, for a little more time.

"We'll go to Germany. You and I, all alone…"

He just wanted to touch him, feel his warmth and be reassured for a second.

"We're going together."

That he's alive.

"Away from my grandfather, away from society and away from everyone that threatens to separate us…"

That he's still breathing.

"I love you."

Fuji heard someone whisper in his ears. It was soothing, calming, composing. It made Fuji weary, aware that he is tired and hurt himself. And Fuji smiled as he closed his eyes, hoping that this is all just a dream and tomorrow he will wake up with him by his side.

Fuji lost his consciousness before he even heard Yanagi-sensei's announcement.

"Tezuka Kunimitsu, declared time of death, Seventh of August 2007, time, ten thirty- three in the evening,"


Footnotes: I got the idea last year around September. This was originally a TezuFujiSaeki story but, well, I kind of imagined a different scene with Atobe, Fuji and Tezuka involved and I had a hard time picking a 'character' resemblance to them.

So...what do you think? Opinions are further encouraged.