Chapter 1 – Whim

Whim: A sudden or capricious idea; arbitrary thought or impulse. An abrupt desire.

"Will you?"

"It's one sided."

"Maybe, but I'm willing to be with you right now. So please, accept my offer."

"You were the one who ended it all before. Why should you want to be with someone you don't love?"

"You'll find out soon enough, Tezuka, that people are connected not only by love bonds."

The captain's face didn't show any change, it remained taciturn and expressionless. However, inside his well prepared shell, Tezuka was all astonishment. Few were the actions which had once surprised him, but Fuji's sudden and unpredictable haughtiness had caught him unprepared.

"If you accept to stay with me, I'll leave Echizen alone, isn't that what you want? For the team's sake, so you said before."

Tezuka looked up for the first time since the conversation's beginning. Fuji was slowly attacking all his defenses as a hunter hunts his prey. That was Tezuka's main problem: Fuji knew all he could use to drop his guard down, and against Fuji's mind manipulation, Tezuka, the man who was called gutsy, was powerless.

He left out an inaudible sigh and then slightly nodded in agreement.

"Very well then." Fuji stated hiding behind his always present smile. You are mine now.

As Fuji had planned, Tezuka's response was under the effect of necessity more than choice - a sacrifice that wasn't totally an unfair trade. When you know someone so deeply like Fuji knew Tezuka it isn't hard to built a dependence or submission out of it, for the reason that, in Fuji's opinion, Love is no more than the best way to use the others; manipulation itself. Majority believes that love is entirely arbitrary and can never be controlled or organized. Nevertheless, the dreadful truth is that love and its reverse are completely controlled by the mind. If you can come to understand the logic behind that process, then you have a marvelous prospect of making someone fall in love with you. Tezuka was in love with Fuji because Fuji had decided so.

And since he knows and remembers himself, what Fuji wants, Fuji gets.

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For someone like Tezuka it was hard to take deliberation and mental analysis away from his decisions. He knew not if his choice had been the right one, it wasn't something important for the moment. Tezuka was blood and flesh to the bone, not made of stone as others, and himself, wished to believe. He was, after all, human and every human being has his faults. Tezuka, in his concealed imperfection, had many, but his two strongest were weakness face some things - such as his team and Fuji - and cowardly. Indeed he considered himself truly fainthearted towards things he should be able to fight against. He couldn't laugh in fear's face when it was about incontrovertible and irrepressible feelings. Fuji was a flawless shrewd observer and eventually found out. Tezuka believed his teammate was like darkness. When you are surrounded by light and sun you are unable to perceive that they are slowly fading and transforming into the opposite. The moment you realize it you are already blinded by darkness and it's too late, too dangerous and too tricky to walk in it. Yes, Fuji was just like sickly sweet darkness.

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Fuji remained looking at the door several minutes after Tezuka's constrained "I am leaving." He was willing to burst out laughing, rejoicing in his anticipated victory. However that wasn't in his character, silent smiles - his own impenetrable armor- fit him better than luxurious commemorations.

"I am in control right now. Therefore, at my whim, Tezuka Kunimitsu will be forever gone."