I promised a1y_puff to write a fic for the TezuFuji fanart she made. It took me five months, but here it finally is! It's based on the song 'Endless love, endless road', by Yuna and Tidus from Final Fantasy X

Title: Endless love, endless road
Writer: Tacuma
Pairing: TezukaFuji
Warnings: minor character death
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fluff, romance, drama and maybe a little bit angst
Word count: 6905words
Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis, nor do I own the song 'Endless love, endless road'.
A/N: B-day fic for a1y_puff! Happy Birthday Ai-chan!! Thanks for beta-ing Ami88, I know you were really, really busy, but you made time anyway! Thank you so much!

Endless love, endless road

The morning light has the scent of hope
Flowing into the colorful stream

A four year old boy was at the park. His mother was sitting on one of the benches, reading a book. The little boy didn't really know what to do. Other kids were playing hide and seek, or they were pushing each other on the swing. He didn't feel like playing with the other kids. It would make his clothes dirty. So he just stood there and watched the other kids and their moms.

One of those women, a really beautiful one, sat down next to his own mother. The little boy watched them. He had never seen the beautiful mom before, but it seemed his mother seemed to like her. They talked a little and his mother pointed at him.

'Kunimitsu, come here for a moment.'

The little boy, with his dark brown hair and hazel eyes, obeyed. He walked to his mother, and the beautiful mother beside her.

'Kunimitsu dear, this is Fuji-san. Her son is also four years old, just like you! Go and play with him.'

Kunimitsu looked around, and then he saw a boy, peeking around the bench. He had been hiding behind his mother's back. The little Kunimitsu held out his hand, waiting for the other boy to grab it. The other boy stepped forward, and took his hand with a bright, closed-eyed smile on his face. Together they walked to the playground. The dark-haired boy glanced at the son of the beautiful mother. The boy was smaller and thinner than Kunimitsu. He looked like his mother, he had the same light brown hair and they smiled the same smile. The boy looked a little like the doll Kunimitsu had once seen in a shop.

'Are you real?' he asked.

'Yes,' answered the boy. He had a soft voice.

'You look like a doll,' stated the little Kunimitsu.

The other boy opened his eyes, and smiled brightly. The dark-haired boy stared at his small friend's eyes. They were blue. He had never seen anybody with such blue eyes. It made him look even more like a doll.

'I'm Syuusuke.'

'I'm Kunimitsu.'

'Let's build a sandcastle, Kunimitsu!'

The blue-eyed boy sat down in the sand and started to build said castle.

'Our clothes will get dirty.'

'Your Okaa-san will wash them,' said Syuusuke, while he ran to the fountain to get some water. He poured the water on the sand. It was easier to build a castle that way. Kunimitsu sat down carefully, so he wouldn't wrinkle his clothes. Then he started to help his newfound friend with the castle.

'When we finish the castle,' said Syuusuke, 'we'll play that you're the knight and I'm the princess, and you have to save me from the dragon.'

'I'll kill the dragon with my sword,' answered Kunimitsu.

'Yes! And after that, you will save me and we will marry and then we'll live happily ever after in our castle!'

When they finished the castle, they started to build a dragon of sand. Kunimitsu found a big branch. That would be his sword. Syuusuke watched how his new friend killed the dragon with his sword. When the sand dragon was completely destroyed, the knight stepped on the pile of sand that was left and walked to the princess, who smiled happily. They had no rings, but gave each other flowers instead when they married. Princess Syuusuke hugged knight Kunimitsu and gave him a little kiss on the cheek. He had seen that in a movie.

When they wanted to build a second dragon, their mothers called them. It was time to go home. The princess and the knight said goodbye and left the park with their mothers.

On their way home little Kunimitsu told how he had beat the dragon. His mother smiled, and patted his head. She was surprised when she felt sand in his hair. Her son never had sand in his hair, nor were his clothes as wrinkled as they were now. She smiled.

'I'm glad you had fun and I'm sure you will see your princess again, Kunimitsu.'

~*OoO*~

All right, our fingertips touch the handle
We'll open the door to the future together

Ryuzaki Sumire looked at her tennis team. She would coach them again this year. The third years from last year graduated, and the second years took their places. A lot of first years joined her tennis team this year, much more than last year, and she already noticed a few interesting ones amongst the group. She could already see whom would become regulars one day.

One of the promising tennis players was Tezuka Kunimitsu. He was a very good player; he was also serious, interested and focused. Yes, Tezuka would definitely become a regular. Probably in his second year.

Another interesting player was Fuji Syuusuke. He was small and looked fragile, but when he played a match, he became strong and powerful, almost merciless. He was a good player, and he could become a regular. He could, if only he was more serious about his games. Sometimes the boy didn't seem interested at all. He was the complete opposite of Tezuka. Maybe they could help each other.

Ryuzaki would never forget the first time the two boys noticed each other on the courts. She had been watching Tezuka, when the boy suddenly froze, and stared at something. He was looking at Fuji, who was staring back. His smile was gone and his eyes were open. The stood like that for a few heartbeats, before Fuji closed his eyes again and smiled brightly.

The coach wondered if they knew each other. They were in different classes. She walked a little bit closer to the pair. She knew she shouldn't be eavesdropping, but she was really curious.

'You're the princess.'

'You're the knight.'

'You haven't changed much.'

'You have glasses now.'

'Ah.'

'They look good on you.'

'Arigato.'

'Kunimitsu, right?'

'Tezuka Kunimitsu. Nice to meet you.'

'Fuji Syuusuke. Nice to meet you too, again.'

Ryuzaki didn't understand anything of their conversation. They introduced themselves, but it seemed like they already knew each other. And what was that about a princess and a knight? Those two were definitely an interesting couple.

~*OoO*~

The echoing sounds of happy bells
And the winged angel's song is being sung

One of the second year tennis players, Takeshi, was playing a match against his kohai. He had not become a regular yet, but he definitely would be in the future. He worked hard and he would become one of the strongest Seigaku players. The regulars and a few others were stronger than him. But next year, when his senpai graduated, he would become a regular. Yes, he would be one of the strongest.

There was somebody else who could beat him. A first year, an arrogant first year. Tezuka Kunimitsu. The boy he was playing now.

A few of the other freshmen were good too. That Fuji boy was good, and that acrobatic kid could play well, but they were not as arrogant as Tezuka-kun was.

Takeshi gave his twelve-year old opponent a fast serve. Tezuka easily returned the shot and they played a long rally. The younger boy scored a point. The senpai was angry. He ran and ran to get every ball, but his legs got tired, and that made him even more angry. The angrier he got, the more trouble he had with returning the shots. Then the last point was scored. He was beaten by that damned first year again!

Suddenly he noticed that the bespectacled boy did everything with his left hand, except playing tennis. He picked up the balls with his left hand. He grabbed his water bottle with his left hand. He opened doors with his left hand. But he played with his right.

'You're left handed.'

Everybody looked at Tezuka.

'Ah.'

'I don't care if you were an elementary school champion. I can't take it anymore! If you're not going to use that left arm, here's what I'm going to do to it!'

A swing of a racket.

One of the others shouted at him not to do it. Oishi-kun shouted Tezuka's name.

The racket hit Tezuka's left elbow and the boy's glasses fell on the ground. While glaring at his senpai, Tezuka grabbed the racket.

'This is a joke, right? How long have you people been playing tennis? A racket isn't a weapon for hurting others! I quit!'

Everybody stood dumbfounded. They never believed that Takeshi would really hurt his kohai, and they had never seen Tezuka like that before. Nobody said a thing until Yamato-Buchou ordered them to run 100 laps. Takeshi started to run his laps, but he kept his eyes on that arrogant brat. Would he tell Yamato-Buchou what happened? Takeshi felt relieved when he saw Tezuka started running his laps. Even if the damned kohai told the Buchou, he had to run laps anyway.

When Tezuka finished his laps, Fuji-kun approached him. The icy glare of the bespectacled boy softened as Fuji sat down next to him. The second year just finished his laps and watched the two freshmen. How could they be such good friends? The arrogant, way too serious Tezuka-kun and the cheerful, ever smiling Fuji-kun?

The two boys talked a little, and the honey-haired boy's smile became brighter. Takeshi came closer and when he passed them by, he could hear a part of their conversation.

'I was afraid you would really quit.'

'I won't.'

'I'm glad.'

Takeshi looked at the two of them and was surprised when Fuji's head turned towards him. The smile was gone and two bright blue eyes were shooting a death glare towards the senpai. Takeshi shivered, and quickly walked towards the clubroom. So much for Fuji-kun being a nice and cute boy.

~*OoO*~

Being a math teacher at Seishun Gakuen wasn't the best job one could get. Well, that was what the math teacher thought. The school was way too tennis-orientated. The kids weren't interested in math at all. He had to explain everything at least five times before every student understood what he tried to explain.

He liked some classes more than others. He especially liked one second year class. That class had two geniuses that made teaching fun again. Those two students were Tezuka Kunimitsu and Fuji Syuusuke. He had to explain it only once and the two of them immediately understood. Maybe it was because they worked together a lot. They often made assignments together, whispering softly, so they wouldn't disturb the other students. They also made their homework together.

Or maybe they were just smart. Fuji-kun never really paid attention in class. He was always staring out of the window, he was drawing doodles or wrote messages to Tezuka-kun. In the beginning the teacher asked the smiling boy a question, every time he was not paying attention. He soon stopped questioning the smiling boy. Fuji-kun was a tensai and gave perfect answers to all his questions.

Tezuka-kun was the complete opposite of Fuji-kun. He always paid attention, and noticed every mistake the teacher made. Sometimes the bespectacled boy wrote a message back to Fuji-kun, but most of the time he ignored his blue-eyed friend, until they started to work on their assignments. Then they started to work together again.

The teacher became curious. Did Tezuka-kun help Fuji-kun with his work? Why would he do that? Or did Fuji-kun help Tezuka-kun?

To see who of them was better at math and to see if they really were such good friends, the teacher decided to do a little quiz. The whole class would join. The teacher gave them different math problems, and if they knew the answer, they had to stand up. The first student who could give the correct answer could disqualify one of the other students. That way they could disqualify the smartest kids and everybody had a chance to win.

It wasn't completely fair. The teacher knew Tezuka-kun and Fuji-kun would be able to answer all the questions faster than the other students. He just wanted to know if they would disqualify each other.

It wasn't a surprise that Fuji-kun answered the first question correctly, but he didn't disqualify Tezuka-kun. He disqualified one of the other smart kids. When Tezuka-kun answered a question correctly, he didn't disqualify Fuji-kun either.

So it went on. The two of them answered all questions, until they were the only ones left. One more question. Fuji-kun gave the correct answer.

'There is no one left to disqualify, sensei,' said Fuji-kun.

'Tezuka-kun is left.'

'I can't disqualify Tezuka, sensei. I prefer to disqualify myself.'

The teacher didn't know what to say. He had never expected this to happen. He expected them to try their best, to be better than the other, but instead of that, they worked together to reach their victory.

Yes, they definitely made teaching interesting again.

~*OoO*~

Ah, this eternal love continues
To believe that you are near me

Kikumaru Eiji had confessed his love to Oishi Syuichiro at the end of their second year in Seishun Gakuen Middle School. Everybody had seen it coming. When the hyperactive redhead had asked his best friend how everybody seemed to know about them, Fuji had chuckled. He had explained that Eiji and Oishi were always together, and how they always tried to cheer each other up. They always ate lunch together, made homework together, walked home together, and played tennis together. But most important, was the way they looked at each other.

Eiji didn't really understand. Fuji was almost always together with Tezuka. Neither of them really needed to be cheered up, but they would always help each other with problems. Tezuka and Fuji ate lunch together, made homework together, walked home together, and stood next to each other on the tennis court. And when they looked at each other, they didn't need words, he could see that. They understood each other without saying anything. Why was that different from him and Oishi?

Or maybe it wasn't different. Maybe Tezuka and Fuji liked each other as well. That would explain everything. But Fuji was a tensai. He knew exactly why Eiji and Oishi were meant to be a couple, so he should know about himself and Tezuka too, right? It could be that his best friend was afraid to tell Tezuka that he liked him. Nobody would blame Fuji for that, the Buchou could be really scary. Well, if the tensai was afraid to tell Tezuka, Eiji would help them.

Eiji first talked about it with his boyfriend. He might need his help. But Oishi wasn't as enthusiastic as Eiji had hoped.

'Eiji, they're different. Tezuka and Fuji are not like us nor like any of the other tennis players. If they really feel for each other like we do, than they will find out for themselves.'

"Nya, but Oishi, we can help them a little, ne?'

'I don't think Tezuka would appreciate it,' answered Oishi. But he would help his boyfriend. He knew Tezuka would never admit that he liked Fuji, so he could use a little help.

There was no practice the next day and after his classes, Tezuka went to the clubroom to do some paperwork. Oishi quickly sent a text message to Eiji. In the other classroom, Eiji read the message.

'Nyaa, Fujiko, Oishi says that Tezuka asked you to come to the clubroom. He wants to talk to you.'

Fuji opened his eyes in surprise, but then he nodded. Eiji had a small grin on his face. He and Oishi would wait until Fuji went into the clubroom, and then they would lock the door. Oishi was the fukubuchou so he had a key.

Eiji left the classroom, and searched for his boyfriend. When he found him, the two of them quickly went to the clubroom. They were just in time to see Fuji enter. Oishi handed Eiji the keys, and the redhead quickly locked the door. They peeked through one of the windows. They could see the tensai and the Buchou looking at the locked door. Tezuka said something, but they couldn't hear what. Fuji shrugged, and sat down in front of Tezuka.

'What do we do now? How do we make them realize they love each other?' asked Eiji. He hadn't really thought about that yet.

'We don't have to worry about that,' answered Oishi.

Tezuka and Fuji were talking, while they looked each other in the eyes. Both of them had a soft smile on their face, and Tezuka was softly stroking Fuji's hand.

Oishi unlocked the door, without making any sound, so he wouldn't disturb the two love birds. Then he grabbed Eiji's hand, and they quickly left.

'I told you they didn't need help.'

~*OoO*~

But even when I am crushed inside
I still love your frequent smiles

Yumiko walked to her brother's room. Their parents weren't at home, they were out of the country for dad's work. Yuuta was at St. Rudolph and wouldn't be home this weekend, which left Syuusuke and her together. She had just called him for dinner, but he didn't respond.

She knocked on Syuusuke's door. When she didn't get an answer, she opened the door, and peeked inside. Her brother was sitting on his bed, and was wiping his eyes.

'Sorry nee-san, I'll come.'

His voice sounded different, and Yumiko knew he had been crying. He tried to hide it by smiling like he always did. She ignored it, for now. The two of them walked to the kitchen and sat down at the table. After saying 'itadakimasu,' they started eating.

Normally the two of them would talk about their day, the things that happened at school, and at work, but today they ate in silence. When they finished their meals, the youngest Fuji wanted to bring the plates to the sink, but Yumiko stopped him.

'Syuusuke, tell me what's wrong.'

The boy sat back down on his chair, and looked down. His honey brown hair hid his eyes. A drop of water ran down his cheek, and fell onto the table.

'Tezuka is going to Germany,' he whispered.

Yumiko's eyes widened a little. Her brother cried because his friend would be going to Germany. Tezuka-kun would be gone for only a few months. That could only mean one thing: he was in love. She had read in her cards that her brother would fall for a person with a strong personality, with dark hair, but she had never thought it would be Tezuka.

The older Fuji stood up, and hugged her brother tightly. It was good that they were home together. Her brother would never show this side of himself when their parents or Yuuta are at home. The oldest Fuji siblings had a special bond.

'You really like Tezuka-kun, ne?'

She could feel that the boy nodded.

'It will be alright, Syuusuke.'

At that moment the doorbell rang. Yumiko let her brother go, and went to open it. She wasn't surprised to find Tezuka on the doorstep. He looked worried. She smiled, and stepped aside to let him in.

'He is in the kitchen,' she said to the bespectacled boy. Tezuka headed to the kitchen, Yumiko walked to the living room. She sat down on the couch and started to read a book. She could hear her brother and Tezuka talk, but she couldn't hear what they said.

When they stopped talking, Yumiko silently stood up to check if everything was all right. She peeked into the kitchen, and found her brother kissing Tezuka. Her smile grew wider. Her little brother was only fourteen. Of course he would be sad now the love of his life would leave him, even if he knew he would come back soon. But she knew everything would be all right. Not only did her cards tell her so, she knew her brother was strong. Even when he was crushed inside, he wouldn't show it. He would live on and wait, with a smile on his face. And Tezuka would soon return. Yes, everything would be alright.

~*OoO*~

Tezuka Kunikazu opened the front door. He found a blue-eyed, smiling boy on his doorstep. He vaguely remembered the boy. It was one of Kunimitsu's friends. It was not a girl, like he had thought first time the boy had visited, five years ago, in their first year of Middle School.

'Kunimitsu hasn't come home from school yet. You're Fuji-kun, right?'

'Yes, Fuji Syuusuke. I know he isn't home yet. We're going to do our homework together, but he had to do something for the tennis club. He said I should go already, and that someone would let me in.'

'Come in then,' answered the old man. 'You can wait in the living room.'

He let Fuji-kun in, and walked him to the living room. After that he went to the kitchen and told his daughter-in-law to make the boy a cup of tea. He returned to the living room, and sat down across Fuji-kun. They talk a little about bonsai and cacti before Ayana brought the tea. Then they changed their topic and started talking about school. Kunimitsu never told anything about school, but Fuji-kun told the old man everything he wanted to know. How Kunimitsu was doing in class and at the tennis club and if he had friends or maybe even a girlfriend.

Fuji-kun told him that Kunimitsu had a few good friends. Kunikazu wondered why Fuji-kun was the only friend that his grandson took home with him if he had other friends as well. The two of them were completely different. The first time Kunimitsu had brought Fuji-kun with him, in their first year of Middle School, Kunikazu had thought their friendship wouldn't last long, but now, in their second year of High School, they were still best friends.

Maybe it was good that the two of them were such good friends. His calm and collected grandson could have some fun if this happy and spontaneous boy dragged him along. They would do more than just homework and playing tennis.

But he still hadn't figured out why Fuji-kun was the only friend of Kunimitsu who had ever been to their house. He had heard things about Oishi-kun, who seemed to be a good friend of Kunimitsu as well. His grandson had never took him home. They never did homework together or anything. Well, Kunimitsu would probably have a good reason.

When the door to the living room opened the two men looked up. The youngest Tezuka entered.

'Konichiwa, Oji-san, Fuji,' he greeted them.

'Konichiwa Kunimitsu,' greeted his grandfather back.

'Hi Tezuka,' said Fuji and he smiled brightly as he stood up. Kunimitsu smiled slightly in return, before the two of them went to the bespectacled boy's room to do homework.

Tezuka Kunikazu was surprised. No, he was more than surprised, he was shocked. He had never seen his grandson smile at someone else than his mother. That would mean that Kunimitsu liked Fuji-kun as much as his mother. Maybe he even loved him as much as his mother. The old man smiled. So that was the reason why Fuji-kun was the only one who got invited to the Tezuka household. He wondered when Kunimitsu would officially tell the family.

~*OoO*~

The most important words
Come from inside the heart

Oishi opened the door of his and Eiji's apartment. A smiling Fuji stood on their doorstep, and after greeting the tensai, Oishi let him in. He wasn't surprised at all that Fuji visited them, since they were next door neighbors.

The four of them went to Tokyo University and in one day classes would start. Oishi, Eiji, Fuji and Tezuka wanted an apartment for the four of them, but those were too expensive. Now they had two small, apartments next to each other. Oishi and his boyfriend already started living in their new house, but Tezuka and Fuji didn't live together yet. Fuji's family did know about their relationship, and understood he wanted to live with his lover, but Tezuka's family didn't know anything yet. Worse, Tezuka's parents hadn't agreed yet to let them live together. They didn't want their only son to leave the house.

Oishi thought that that was also the reason why Fuji visited Eiji and him right now. Fuji had been living in the apartment for a week already and he was lonely without Tezuka. He still didn't know for sure if his boyfriend would come or not. If Tezuka wasn't allowed to leave his parents' house, Fuji would have to leave the apartment. He couldn't afford it on his own.

Although Fuji smiled and happily greeted Eiji, Oishi could see that the tensai was worried. He had looked forward to living together with his boyfriend. Oishi understood. He and Eiji had looked forward to it too.

Oishi let his boyfriend and Fuji alone to make some tea. He knew the redhead had noticed Fuji's depressed mood too and would try to cheer him up.

While the black-haired ex-fukubuchou was boiling water for the tea, he thought about ways to help his friends. Was there a way to help his friends? When the water boiled, he poured it into the cups.

Suddenly his phone vibrated. He quickly picked it out of his pocket and found out he received a text message. He smiled when he saw it was from Tezuka. He read the message, and answered it and put his phone back in his pocket before he brought two cups of tea to the living room. Eiji and Fuji sat on the couch, and chatted about something they saw on television.

When a few moments later the doorbell rang, Oishi had to stop Eiji from opening it. The redhead was so curious, he always wanted to know who came to visit them.

'Fuji, please open the door.'

The tensai opened his eyes, and blinked a few times. Then he stood up, walked to the front door and opened it. Tezuka stood in front of the door, a few suit cases behind him and a small smile on his face. He bent forward and kissed Fuji on the lips.

'I love you,' Tezuka whispered softly.

Eiji smiled and wrapped his arms around Oishi's neck. They had never heard Tezuka say those words before. Together they watched the happy couple hugging each other at the front door.

'Nya, you knew he would come?' asked Eiji.

'I asked him to pick up his damsel in distress,' answered Oishi. 'Fuji won't need us for a while now his knight will take him to their palace.'

~*OoO*~

If we attack the rage and sadness together
Everything will be okay

Fuji sat on the couch with his laptop. He was working on his assignments, but he couldn't stop thinking about the things that happened the day before. Oishi and Eiji had celebrated their six year anniversary. He, Tezuka and all the other ex-Regulars had been invited. They were still friends, even after all those years. Besides their friends, also Oishi's and Eiji's families had been there. Their parents and siblings, all of them. They had supported the Golden Pair from the beginning of their relationship.

Tezuka and Fuji were together for seven years now, but Tezuka's parents still didn't know about their relationship. Fuji's family knew. Yumiko saw the two of them kissing in the kitchen before Tezuka left to Germany. She hadn't told their parents, but they had soon found out, because their son had been lonely and very sad.

But Tezuka's parents still didn't know. Fuji had asked his boyfriend a few times if they could tell them, but the ex-Buchou didn't want to. He was afraid his parents would force him to leave Fuji. Fuji could understand that, and he didn't want that to happen either. He could never live without his Tezuka. But after two years of Middle School, three years of High School and two years of University it was about time they told them. Tezuka's parents would probably try to set their son up with some kind of girl if the won't tell them soon.

The front door opened, and Tezuka walked in. Fuji smiled at him and stood up to greet him properly. Before Fuji reached his boyfriend, Tezuka stopped him.

'What's wrong, Fuji?'

'Nothing is wrong. I'm fine,' answered Fuji.

'Just tell me,' said Tezuka as he wrapped his arms around the smaller boy.

'I…don't you think we should tell your parents about us? I want to show the world that you're mine and that I'm yours.'

Tezuka sighed, walked to the couch and sat down. Fuji sat down next to him. They sat there in silence for a few moments before Tezuka spoke.

'Give me one more day to think. I'll give you my answer tomorrow.'

One day wouldn't hurt, one day would be fine as long as Tezuka decided to talk to his parents. So Fuji waited. He went to bed, woke up the next morning and ate breakfast like he normally did. After breakfast he went to his classes, worked on his assignments and when he came home he prepared dinner. When the food was almost ready, Tezuka came home as well.

Fuji walked out of the kitchen and greeted his lover. Tezuka looked nervous. He kissed Fuji back, but he didn't look him in the eye. The taller boy took a deep breath before he looked at his boyfriend.

'Fuji, I think you're right. We should talk to my parents, but I'm afraid they will try to make me leave you. That's why…that's why…'

Tezuka sat down on one knee. In his hand he had a small box. He opened it and held it up to Fuji. The box contained a simple, but beautiful golden ring.

'Promise you will be with me forever, Fuji, so my parents won't be able to separate us.'

Tears fell from sparkling blue eyes. Fuji carefully picked the ring from the box, and slid it down his finger. It fitted perfectly. Tezuka stood up and kissed his lover, more passionately this time.

'It's unlike you to do something romantic like that, but I like it,' whispered Fuji as he stood in Tezuka's arms.

'Anything to be with you,' answered Tezuka, before their lips met again.

~*OoO*~

Tezuka Ayana cried. Only one and a half hour ago she had been searching for her father-in-law. Lunch had been ready. Normally the old man would come to the kitchen when it was time for lunch, but not today. She had wondered why while she was searching for him.

When she found him, she understood. Tezuka Kunikazu sat motionless in his favorite chair in the garden. He had died. She had immediately called her husband. Kuniharu had come home, and was arranging everything now. He hadn't cried, but Ayana knew that her husband was very sad as well. He had loved his father.

She knew she had to call her son, but tears kept falling from her eyes and she couldn't speak normally. Maybe she should ask Kuniharu to call him. When she stood up to tell him, she heard something at the front door.

Ayana quickly walked to the front door, wiping the tears from her cheeks. Kunimitsu and Fuji-kun were taking off their shoes. When they heard Ayana, they stood up and turned around. Neither of them said a word. The two boys could see her red eyes, the tears that waited there to fall down.

'Okaa-san, what's wrong?'

'Didn't your father call you?'

'No, okaa-san, what happened?' asked the youngest Tezuka worried.

'Come, sit down so we can talk,' answered Ayana ,and she led the two boys to the living room. They sat down. A pair of hazel and a pair of bright blue eyes stared at the crying mother. They had grown so much. Ayana had known Fuji-kun since her son met him in Middle School. The both of them were so much more mature now. She suddenly missed her little Kunimitsu.

'Okaa-san?'

'It's your grandfather, Kunimitsu. He…he died almost two hours ago.'

For a few heartbeats it was silent. Then the bespectacled boy stood up, and left the room without saying a word. Ayana burst into tears again. She heard soft footsteps approach her and then she felt a hand on her shoulder.

'I'll make you some tea, Ayana-san. It will calm you down,' said Fuji-kun softly before he walked to the kitchen. The woman didn't answer, but when the blue-eyed boy returned a few minutes later, she took the cup from him, and thanked him.

'I'll check on Tezuka now,' said Fuji-kun and he left the room again. Ayana slowly sipped her tea. It was warm and smelled like cinnamon. Fuji-kun was right, she felt more calm now. When she finished her tea, she followed the two boys to see if they were alright. She found the two of them on the floor of Kunimitsu's room. She looked at them from the entrance. Her son sat on the floor, his face buried in Fuji-kun's shoulder, his arms wrapped around his waist. Fuji-kun's chin lay on Kunimitsu's shoulder and one of his hands slowly stroked her son's hair. On that hand she saw a ring. The same ring she saw on her son's finger.

Kuniharu stood next to her, and laid one arm around her shoulder. Together they looked at the boys in the bedroom in silence. Neither of the young men had noticed them. The parents had never seen their son like this before. Not only did he cry, he also let Fuji-kun hug him, touch him, comfort him.

'One family member is gone, but it seems a new one has arrived.'

~*OoO*~

Ah, to walk on this eternal road
Some things are still unclear

Fuji laid on the couch. He was bored. All the house chores were done, their small garden looked perfect, and he had to wait for at least three more hours before Tezuka would be home.

After they graduated at the University, they moved to a slightly bigger house with a garden. Fuji had wanted that, he liked to be outside in summer. Tezuka had soon found a job and started working, but no matter what Fuji did, he couldn't get a job anywhere. Professional photographers weren't as needed as he had hoped. It was almost six months after graduation and he became bored. He often went out to make photos in the centre of Tokyo City or at some park, but that got boring as well. He had hundreds of photos of buildings, plants and playing children already.

Fuji grabbed his laptop and opened his email for the twentieth time that day. He got an email from an unknown email address. It wasn't a Japanese email, the address was from America. Maybe it was spam. If he clicked it, he might get a virus on his computer. It didn't look like spam. It wasn't about penis enlargements (which neither he or Tezuka needed) or weird pills that would increase his lust (which he definitely didn't need).

He opened the email, and slowly read the English text. It came from one of the most famous American fashion magazines. They offered him a job. He couldn't believe it. He read the email again and again, but they really asked him to work for their magazine.

He closed his laptop and laid down on the couch again. A job like that was what he always wanted. This offer was probably the best he would ever get. If he wouldn't take it, he would never get another chance. But working for that magazine meant moving to America. He would have to leave his family behind, his friends, but worst of all, his lover. Tezuka wouldn't go to America with him. He loved his job and he wouldn't leave his family behind. Going to Germany for a few months had been enough for him.

Fuji didn't sit up when he heard the front door open. Tezuka came home early, as if he sensed Fuji was thinking about leaving him behind. Tezuka's familiar footsteps approached the couch Fuji was lying on. Their lips shortly met, before Tezuka sat himself next to Fuji.

'You haven't found a job?'

'I got an offer,' answered Fuji.

'That's good. What kind of offer?' asked Tezuka as he stroked Fuji's legs that laid now on his lap.

'For one of the most famous American fashion magazines.'

Neither of them said a word. Tezuka kept stroking Fuji's legs slowly.

'If you want to go, you should go. You might never get an opportunity like this again. Take their offer. I just want to see you happy.'

'I can't be happy if you're not happy and you won't be happy if you would go to America with me, nor would you be happy if I would go alone.'

Fuji sat up and laid his head against Tezuka's shoulder.

'I promised I would be with you forever,' said Fuji. 'I don't want to break that promise, Tezuka. I decided I won't go to America. You are more important than any job.'

Tezuka smiled slightly. 'Thank you. Call me Kunimitsu from now on.'

Fuji looked at his lover. 'Why?'

'We promised to stay together so we can't keep calling each other 'Tezuka' and 'Fuji', right Syuusuke?'

Fuji blushed when Tezuka said his first name. It was the first time he heard him say it. It sounded weird, but good at the same time.

'Alright Kunimitsu,' he answered with a smile. Then his cell phone rang. He quickly stood up and picked it up. It was his sister. They talked for a while, before they hung up.

'It was Yumiko,' said Fuji with tears in his eyes. 'A friend of her works at Japanese biggest fashion magazine and they need a photographer.'

~*OoO*~

Tezuka and Oishi sat on a bench in the park. The two of them were still best friends. Their lovers were playing with Yumiko's children, who stayed the weekend with their uncles. In the beginning Tezuka didn't really like that the two kids would stay over with him and Syuusuke, but he found out that they weren't as annoying as he thought.

The girl was four years old, the boy was two, and would become three in a month. It was fun to see how much the two loved Syuusuke. He always played with them, read them books, sang songs for them and even took them to the zoo.

'Oishi, do you and Eiji want children?'

The ex-fukubuchou was surprised by the question. He thought about it for a moment before he answered.

'We never really talked about it. Eiji sometimes acts like a kid himself, but I'm sure he would like it. You can see he adores Fuji's sister's kids.'

'Do you want kids?' asked Tezuka.

'I never thought about it, but I think it would be nice to have a cute little kid to take care of. Why do you ask?'

The bespectacled man sighed. 'Syuusuke wants kids. My parents want us to have kids. His parents want us to have kids. Even Yumiko-neesan asked if we wanted a kid.'

'So, do you want kids?' asked Oishi.

'I'm fine with Syuusuke, but he is so happy when Yumiko-neesan's children stay over. I want to see him happy like that everyday,' answered the ex-Buchou. 'I'm afraid that if we will have a kid, it will be bullied for having two fathers. And a daughter needs a woman to talk about…girly things.'

Oishi chuckled. 'I think Fuji is perfectly capable of taking care of those 'girly things', Tezuka. Talk about it with Fuji. I'm sure the two of you will find an answer.'

They stood up. It was time to go home. The kids said goodbye to Oishi and Eiji, so did Tezuka and Fuji. Then Tezuka picked up the little boy and Fuji took the little girls' hand and they went home.

Tezuka cooked dinner, while Fuji bathed the children and helped them with their pajamas. They ate their dinner and after that Fuji put the children in bed, while Tezuka washed the dishes. When the children were asleep, Tezuka and Fuji sat down on the couch. The blue-eyed man laid his head on Tezuka's shoulder. They sat like that for a while, enjoying the silence.

'I want a kid myself.' said Fuji suddenly.

'I know,' Tezuka answered, 'but will we be alright? I mean, the kid will have two fathers. Don't kids need a mother? Especially a daughter needs a mother.'

Fuji sat up and smiled at his lover. 'We'll be fine. We can do what mothers do and if we have a daughter, we can let Yumiko-neesan take care of the 'women things' we don't know about. Do you want children, Kunimitsu?'

'You're right Syuu, we will manage. Maybe we should start arranging the adoption then. It might take a few years,' answered Tezuka and he kissed Fuji on the lips. 'It would be easier if we could get children ourselves.'

The honey-haired man smirked. 'You can try to get me pregnant tonight. If I'm not pregnant tomorrow we'll start with arranging the adoption.'

'A very good idea,' answered Tezuka as he picked his lover up and carried him to the bedroom.

~*OoO*~

Continuing on to our future...

I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading and of course: don't forget to review!!