Disclaimer: POT doesn't and will never belong to me.
Author's POV
The little girl stood at the top of the stairs, her face an angelic mask, but in her eyes, such hatred it makes one's blood run cold. "Fuji Syuusuke, Ja ne." With a smirk, she left.
Ten years later
"Ne Fuji, want to go out together? Tezuka wants to show us someone. Ne Fuji, do you think it could be his girlfriend?"
"Saa, gomen ne, Eiji, I am not sure either. Let's just go and see what Tezuka wants."
A brown-haired boy left with a redhead. His delicate features make the most beautiful girl envious. Fuji Syuusuke, the tennis Tensai, is a normal high-schooler; he lives with his parents and an elder sister and younger brother. He plays tennis so well he was named the tennis prodigy. His life was complete. So everyone thought, but no one knew the truth, no one knew what really happened ten years ago, before Fuji moved to his current place. No one, not even Fuji himself, knew what happened that year when he was playing with a neighbor girl. Because, Fuji had lost his memory, only of that period of time, and the doctors said that when a person undergo great turmoil during a period of time, and when he snapped, his sub-conscious had decided to bury his painful memory.
The two boys reached the restaurant; almost everyone was there, only Tezuka was late. It was strange, as their Buchou was never late.
The door swung closed behind Fuji and Eiji, and before Fuji could step away, the door opened again to admit Tezuka and… another woman.
"Cheers"
"Hai, everyone, this is Motoki Minatsu… my fiancée." That got everyone's attention, all eyes riveted on the girl beside Tezuka. A full head shorter but a whole lot more sexy, she is the most beautiful redhead ever. Her angelic face was only marred by a little scar by her full mouth, which makes her seems all the more dangerous. But if one looks closely, her midnight blue eyes betrayed coldness and a faint trace of vulnerability.
A shiver ran up Fuji's back. This girl, she looks so familiar, so disturbingly familiar, with her smile and her eyes, where had he seen her before? She saw him staring and smiled a mocking smile. Fuji brought forth his usual bland smile and looked away. He shook off his forbearing.
The night went pretty well, except that Minatsu had been constantly ribbing Fuji. He did not really understand, yet on a more fundamental stage, he understood. The anger and the hatred she had for him, how, is what he can't explain.
The party ended, and as all of them were leaving, Minatsu stopped Fuji. "It's nice to meet you, Fuji." Although her tone indicated otherwise, Fuji smiled and turned to leave before he was stopped short.
"Fuji Syuusuke, Ja ne." It came back, all of it, Motoki Minatsu, the girl who tormented him and then pushed him down the stairs, Motoki Minatsu, the fiancée of Tezuka Kunimitsu.
Fuji's home
Fuji sat by his table, his hands were busy waxing his cactus. She is back, again, after ten years, after ten years of blank memory, after ten years of similar nightmare, she is back again, from hell.
A strange light appeared in Fuji's eyes. Revenge is best served cold. And ten years had cooled revenge sufficiently. Tezuka Kunimitsu, why had you chose such a girl to be your wife-to-be? Why give me a chance to hurt you? Gomen ne, but never had I felt such hatred towards a person. She took my life from me, and I want her to pay in kind. I want back my past. I want…
For the next month, Fuji worked hard at bringing Tezuka around. He flirted with him, made him cookies and even gave him his favorite cactus. Tezuka resisted, but Fuji was persistent. And slowly, his defense crumbled. And a month later, Tezuka broke his engagement to Minatsu.
His parents were shocked, but respected his decision. Minatsu was shocked, at how fast Fuji worked. But she worked even faster.
"Kuni-chan, I need to talk, about Fuji. He doesn't love you, he just wanted revenge…" she regaled the tales of their childhood, how she, a little girl desperate for attention, sought Fuji out, but Fuji was always with his brother and ignored her. In her anger, she pushed him down a flight of stairs. She was sobbing when she finished, her tears were real, and she was upset, still smarting from all the rejections she faced when young. Fuji had hurt her the most; he was the perfect little boy to her perfect little girl.
Tezuka didn't believe his new-found love would do that, at least not lying about loving him. He would not get close to him just to get revenge, but he must admit that Fuji did start to pay more attention to him after meeting Minatsu.
Near Fuji's house
"Saa, Kuni-chan, why are you here?"
"Fuji, tell me the truth…" Fuji nodded, puzzled at the tense voice. "Did you try to get near me for the sake of getting revenge on Minatsu?"
Fuji's face fell, it was enough, but Tezuka wanted, no hoped that he would say no, even if it is a lie.
"Yes, but…" Fuji reached out to grab Tezuka's hand; he could see him withdrawing from him. Tezuka shook free of Fuji's hand, he turned from him.
"I am sorry, but I can't love someone I can't even trust." With that Tezuka left. Fuji stared after him. He is gone. The moment he heard the question, Fuji knew he had lost him. Why, now, when I love him so? It started out as revenge, but along the way, he fell in love with the silent and stubborn boy. The joke was on him. He was the fool.
Tezuka ignored him the next day.
Tezuka avoided him the whole week.
Tezuka refused to pick up his calls.
Tezuka shunned him openly.
Fuji was hurt, he knew it was his fault, but he wanted… he wanted Tezuka back.
Outside Tezuka's mansion
The rain hit hard. A lone boy stood stonily outside a big mansion. His tears washed away by the rain, his plead for forgiveness silent on his lips.
"Moshi…Moshi… watashi Fuji desu ne. Kuni-chan, please forgive me, please…onegai, I am so sorry."
"… Have you ever, truly loved me? Have you truly meant all your words to me, have you gave me as much as I gave you? Are you even willingly to give? I loved you once, so much I thought I would die from the happiness bursting from my soul, but in the end, all I got is lies. All the love I held dear was simply lies from you Fuji, how can I forgive you? How can I forgive a person I gave my heart and soul to and yet bear to hurt me so? How can I? I am the one sorry, sorry that I found out too late, sorry that I let you had the chance to hurt me."
The dial tone came on, Fuji stared at his phone and looked up towards one of the windows, a curtain fluttered slowly back to place. Fuji hung his head low. He was defeated, by a stupid revenge. He lost everything; he lost the only person important to him. Ja Tezuka, please be happy, I will leave, if that could bring back your life and happiness.
Back in the mansion, Tezuka almost burst out from the house. He could not bear to see Fuji's defeated look, could not bear to let him walk from his life, could not bear…could not bear to pain again. He stopped in his track to the door, his out-stretched hand dropped haltingly back to his side. Ja Fuji, please be happy, I cannot love you like before anymore, leave and find peace with your past, and find your own happiness. Even if it is not with me.
"Mina-san, we need to talk…" Minatsu was shocked to see a drenched Fuji at her door-step. Her heart clenched at the tear-stricken face.
She stepped aside to admit him into her apartment.
"No, there is no need…I came to say goodbye and ask you for a favor."
"Hai, what is it you wish to ask of me?"
"Love Tezuka with all your heart, give him all the happiness I cannot give him, erase the pain and bad memories I left for him. Make him happy, and…make him…make him forget me…" Fuji turned, he left, with his heart a pool of shattered memories and happiness at Minatsu's door-step.
"Fuji, I...Gomen ne, gomenasai."
The day Tezuka and Minatsu got married, Fuji left. He decided to travel to New Zealand.
At the church
Tezuka stood beside his bride, his heart throbbed painfully. Fuji had left, he chosen today, so I cannot even go and get a small peek at him. He turned towards the general direction of New Zealand. Fuji should have reached there by now.
Be safe, my little one, be happy. Forget me and make a future with all the happiness you deserved. Bye-bye, my love, bye-bye my dream, bye-bye, Fuji Syuusuke.
In New Zealand's international airport
Fuji turned towards the general direction of Japan, he chosen today to leave because he cannot bear to say goodbye to Tezuka, again.
If he were to tear away all pretenses, Tezuka Kunimitsu, the boy who had became so important to him, was nothing but a tool for revenge. He laughed bitterly at his own foolishness. I thought you could save me from myself, Kuni-chan, but you left me too. Bye-bye, Tezuka Kunimitsu, my only love, bye-bye, Fuji Syuusuke, the greatest fool I have ever known.
The lone boy was again alone, with a light suitcase, and a heavy heart, he left the airport.
The once proud buchou, was humble, he stood at the altar, pledging his life to a woman he cared, but not loved.
Two people, who once loved with all their essence, now had started a new chapter of their respective lives… without one another.
Ja ne, the mysterious thing everyone called love.
