Disclaimer: If I own it, I will make Tezuka and Fuji hug and kiss a lot.

A/N: A horrendously long chapter 0.o I surprise myself.

Italic – thoughts, flashback

"italic" – statement/dialogue in flashback

'normal' – thoughts in flashback

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A Shining Future

Chapter I

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"Annyong hashimnikka, Tezuka-ssi? Na-nun Park Soo Ki imnida. Choum poepkessumnida."

The foreign greeting rings in Tezuka's ears. His mind is in chaos. Is this the Fuji he has searched all over Japan for the past year? Is this the Fuji he has loved and does still love since after a decade?

The cerulean eyes look as dazzling as he always knows. The slender body, the honey silky hair, the smiling lips… time doesn't do much to his appearance. He feels so close, yet so distant.

"Soo Ki-oppa, don't tease him! Kunimitsu-nii can't speak Korean. You surely haven't forgotten Japanese, have you?" Tezuka faintly hears Manada say. Obviously she mistakes her fiance's muteness as a result of language difference.

"No, I haven't," the young photographer answers in perfect Japanese. His smile quirks up a little in amusement. "But I doubt he isn't capable of speaking Korean."

"Eh?" Manada tilts her head in bewilderment. "What—?"

Regaining his wits, Tezuka regards swiftly, "Ye, annyong hashimnikka. Na-nun Tezuka Kunimitsu imnida. Choum poepkessumnida."

Manada's jaw hangs open as she turns to look at her bowing fiance, then at a very satisfied-looking Park Soo Ki. "Kunimitsu-nii… Soo Ki-oppa… how?"

"I guess," Soo Ki lets out a light chuckle. "Tezuka just didn't expect that he would be running into an old friend."

"Old friend?" A look of understanding descends upon the model's face. "Oh, so you two have known each other!"

"Yes, we were friends in middle and high school," the infamous signature smile blooms on the photographer's face, sapphire eyes disappearing behind creamy eyelids.

The smiling man said it so easily, as if it were really the truth. Tezuka grimaces at the thought. Shuusuke, have you really forgotten…?

"The old Tezuka I know won't let his guard down as to come to Korea without at least learning basic Korean conversations," the honey-haired man tells Manada with a bemused and slightly nostalgic expression. "Let's see… oraesmanipnita, Tezuka."

Tezuka stares at the beautiful face, searching for any trace of emotion but finding only amusement. I guess he's just too good in hiding. And now he's testing me…

"Aa," the stoic man replies briefly. "Oraesmanipnita-- Ohisashiburi desu, Fuji."

Another chuckle escapes the young photographer. "It's been forever since anyone ever called me that."

Feeling a little bit disoriented, Tezuka says bluntly, "You're always Fuji Shuusuke to me."

Startled into revealing his eyes for a split second, Soo Ki—or rather, Fuji—smiles again. "Is that so? Truthfully, I'm flattered you still remember me at all, Tezuka."

Pain wrings Tezuka's heart. He searches for a sign of accusation on the other's face, but his attempt is again proved fruitless. He narrows his eyes while replying stiffly, "I dare to say I have quite a good memory."

"I believe so. I mean no offense," Fuji grins. "Shou-chan likes to tell me about her great fiance. I mean, being a successful businessman at such a young age… I won't be surprised if you forget one little friend from old time."

Tezuka is taken aback by the words and how easily Fuji uttered it. "One little friend from old time?" Tezuka echoes. He eyes the blue-eyed man reprovingly. "You know you were important to me."

Blue eyes snap open in an instance and immediately hold the other's unfaltering gaze. Fuji's smile vanishes, replaced with a barely notable surprised expression. A faint blush creeps up his porcelain cheeks at Tezuka's bold statement.

What are you thinking about, saying something like that? Your fiance's here…

Tezuka catches the unspoken reprimand within those blue orbs, but refuses to waver. Not when he has fully overcome his initial shock. After all these painful years of waiting and searching, I won't let you slip away. Not anymore.

Fuji is confined within the swirling emotion in those serious hazel eyes. Tezuka tries to convey all his feelings with his eyes. After what seems like an eternity, the Korean photographer finally looks away from the intense staring contest. Looking at his wristwatch, he says almost hastily, "I'm going home now. Guess you two should be heading for hotel as well?"

Escapade. Tezuka tries to think of something to delay the farewell, but Manada beats him to it.

"Don't you think you should spend more time together?" She asks. Her inner female drive probably senses something amiss between the two old friends. "You know, catching up the lost time since you were an important friend to each other."

"I'd love to, but I'm afraid I still have many things to do," Fuji puts on a convincing apologetic look. "Gomen."

"Oh," Manada looks disappointed. But then her smile blooms again. "No problem, we will see each other tomorrow for the first photo session, right, Soo Ki-oppa?"

The lithe photographer throws a quick alarmed glance at Tezuka. "Aah…"

They bide each other farewell and part ways. All the way back to the hotel, Tezuka is guardedly silent as he throws his gaze outside the car window. Manada throws worried glances at him once every minute, but Tezuka is practically ignoring her presence.

After seven long years, I finally met him again… Tezuka muses as the view of Seoul in nighttime passing by. But he saw me with Shouya earlier and will undoubtedly try to avoid me. What should I do?

"Shouya," Tezuka suddenly calls out.

Manada, who already grows nervous besides her unusually spacing out fiance, jumps at the call. "H-hai?"

"Tomorrow's photo session… can come along with you?"

Tezuka turns to look at his fiance and looks at her expectantly.

"Huh? Oh, erm, I-I think so…"

Tezuka darts his gaze back to the view outside the window and silence settles again between them.

---oOo---

"Good job, everyone. Now is lunch break time. Please gather back in an hour." Fuji says with a smile as he lowers his camera. The crews huff in relief. It's a hot sunny day and they are parched.

"Soo Ki-oppa," the blue-eyed photographer turns around at the call. Manada's smiling face greets him.

"Shou-chan," Fuji acknowledges her with a beam in tact. He continues setting up his camera. "Is there something that matters?"

"Actually yes," the model answers. Fuji turns to give her an inquiring gaze. Before he can ask, though, Manada has dragged him away from the photo shooting area in Kyongbok Palace.

Fuji has a feeling where Manada is dragging him to, but the midnight-eyed model doesn't give him any chance to protest. She takes him to a secluded garden behind the building.

"Right there, Soo Ki-oppa," Manada points at a direction before she leaves. As he fears, a certain stoic man is leaning on a wall, waiting for him.

Trying to calm his drumming heart, Fuji walks towards the man who nods and straightens his stance to acknowledge his presence.

Swallowing the lump at the base of his throat, Fuji offers a shaky smile, "Tezuka."

"Fuji."

Fuji tries to find something more to say, but his mind draws to a blank. Tezuka's presence is as overwhelming as ever. Fuji becomes instantly aware of the intense hazel eyes, the orderly tousled brown hair, the lean and toned body…

Clearing his head, Fuji tries to speak again. "Tezuka, what—"

The rest of his question is swallowed as the other man pulls him into a tight embrace. Blue eyes widen at the unexpected gesture.

"T-Tezuka!" What is he thinking about?! His fiance is here! "Tezuka, you can't…"

"Shuusuke…" hearing Tezuka's calling his true first name sends an inevitable shudder of pleasure down his spine. Fuji is slowly but surely drowning in the warmth of Tezuka's protective embrace. After seven long years…

"About seven years ago…" The honey-haired man closes his eyes, almost laughing at their ever so in-tune minds. But he doesn't mention anything, so Tezuka continues, "About the promise we have, I…"

Fuji reluctantly disentangles himself from Tezuka's arms and looks down at the ground. This is all wrong. We can't. "It's all a part of the past. We now have our own lives. Please don't say sorry."

Tezuka frowns and looks at the man in front of him pointedly. "That's not what I was going to say."

The honey-haired man looks up and tilts his head in bewilderment. Tezuka inhales deeply and takes a hold on Fuji's hand. He states without hesitation, "I want to make it true."

The photographer immediately takes a step backwards and tries to pry his hand away. Eyes blazing, he splutters in a dangerous low tone, "D-Don't joke like that."

"Since when I ever joke?" Tezuka asks just as defiantly, hand tightening around Fuji's smaller one. He moves to decrease the distance between them.

Staring at the purposeful eyes, Fuji realizes that Tezuka is serious. Confusion and brief flash of hope overtake anger."How about Shouya?"

Tezuka heaves a sigh and looks away in dismay. "We never love each other in the first place. This whole affair is a forced arrangement."

---oOo---

Flashback

One year ago…

"Please, Okaa-san, Otou-san. I can't just marry a girl I don't even know whom."

"Kunimitsu, this is for the sake of our family," Kuniharu said firmly. "You are going to marry Manada Shouya."

"But…"

"Don't worry, Kunimitsu. I'm sure Shou-chan is the best woman for you. We have even bought an apartment unit. You two will live together there to get acquainted better," Ayana said with a satisfied smile.

Hazel eyes widened. 'I'm going to live together with some unknown girl whom I'm forced to marry…?"

"The engagement will take place next week. Prepare yourself," Kuniharu told him with finality in his voice, leaving Kunimitsu with no choice at all.

Manada co. was an important client to Tezuka's family corporation. To strengthen their cooperation, Tezuka Kuniharu and Manada Takeshi initiated this plan to engage their children.

Manada Shouya herself was twenty-year-old Japan's rising model. Japan's public loved her so much. They even titled her as Japan's Star. She was indeed cute, with shiny bob black hair and a pair of midnight-blue eyes. Just as Tezuka Kunimitsu, she was also forced into the marriage arrangement.

On the first day of living together in their new apartment, a very awkward silence ensued. Manada kept glaring at Tezuka and Tezuka continuously sighed in desperation.

"Manada-san," Tezuka finally spoke out once they settled down in a same room. He took a deep breath and says, "I don't want any party to get hurt in the future, so I'm stating it now. This engagement is not my wish."

Manada kept silent for a while before replying sulkily, "Neither is it mine."

'That makes it easier,' Tezuka thought. Before he could open his mouth again, Manada asked, "Is there anyone out there whom you love?"

Tezuka raised an eyebrow at the question. "What is that question for?"

The young model exhaled tiredly. "I have one," she said, ignoring Tezuka's query. "His name is Ojiwara Kyoshin. He was a childhood friend of mine, a neighbor. We love each other very much and I thought it was okay. But my parents didn't bless our relationship. They think he's not at our level. He's not wealthy enough. So my parents insisted that we move from our hometown to sever our relationship."

Manada looked so empty and frustrated that Tezuka sympathized for the girl. She was destined the similar way as he was.

"I also had one," Tezuka opened up. "No one in my family knew about our relationship. But one day a classmate of mine told my mother on some purpose. With my mother's back-up, she set a trap to sever our relationship and I fell into it. My distrust caused my lover to move to another place."

Manada's eyes rounded at the story. "Why did Ayana-san disapprove your relationship?"

"Because…" Tezuka hesitated. Should he say the truth? 'If she let it slip to her family, it will cause no good,' "Because she thought we were not meant to be."

It was an avoidance of answering, but Manada wisely decided not to pry and break their newfound trust. "It must be hard, parting because of a misunderstanding."

"Fortunately, the problem was cleared before the departure," Tezuka looked up at the ceiling. The picture of that fateful day was still clear in his mind. "Before we parted, we made a promise to live our future together."

"Oh?" Manada tilted her head. "Are you still in contact with your lover?"

Tezuka shook his head and sighed. It still hurt to think about Fuji. A spark of regret flamed again in his chest.

"But you will fulfill your promise, won't you?"

Tezuka was startled by the question. He didn't even think he would meet Fuji again. He turned to meet Manada's intense gaze.

"Why are you so sure?"

"Because," the midnight-eyed model broke into a smile for the first time that day. "You don't look like a person who would make a promise without intending to fulfill it."

Tezuka was taken aback by Manada's faith in him. They had just known each other for not longer than a week, yet she believed in him more than he did in himself. 'Where did that confident and reliable Tezuka Kunimitsu go?' He almost laughed at this discovery.

'Yes,' he told himself with a new wave of determination. 'When the time comes and I meet Shuusuke again, I will never ever let him go.'

"Manada-san," Tezuka called out. "Thank you."

Manada smiled. "For the time being, let me have you as a brother, Tezuka… Kunimitsu-nii."

Tezuka also gave a tiny smile. "And you are my sister, Manada… Shouya."

The young businessman started his search all over Japan to find Fuji. Even though he still hadn't got any clue about the blue-eyed boy's whereabouts, he would never ever give up.

Because he still had a promise to fulfill, and Tezuka Kunimitsu didn't back down from a promise.

---oOo---

Sapphire orbs are wide open as Tezuka finishes his story. Fuji is staring disbelievingly at the ground, not even daring to look Tezuka in the eye.

When Manada introduced Tezuka as her fiance, Fuji was shattered inside. He thought that he was the only one holding dearly onto their promise from seven years ago. When Tezuka said he was important to the young businessman, he desperately tried to kill the spark of hope inside his chest. He tried to treat Tezuka as a mere old friend and nothing more, even though his heart screamed at him to just claim his beloved. It hurt very much to think that Tezuka still loves him when he clearly already has another obligation.

"Shuusuke," Tezuka tightens his hold on the smaller hand. "Would you allow me to fulfill my promise and live my future with you?"

"Tezuka… Kunimitsu," the name never losses its sense of familiarity. Fuji's hand balls into a fist in Tezuka's. "You're engaged to Shouya since… a year ago, right?"

"Yes," the bespectacled man squeezes the other man's hand reassuringly. "I'm sorry. The fact that I already have a fiance must have hurt you. But don't let it bother you, you've known the truth. We don't love each other in that term and I'm sure Shouya is willing to help us."

Fuji closes his eyes, thinking of the countless times when Manada told him about her great fiance.

"My fiance is very handsome! And he is well-built too. Soo Ki-oppa, you have to see him!"

"My fiance is very smart. He graduated from Todai with excellent grades. No wonder, he is oh-so-very-very diligent…"

"My fiance is very devoted to work! Sometimes I wonder if he ever sees me…"

"My fiance is…"

Blue eyes snap open and meet the hopeful hazel ones. The young photographer feels his tears welling up. For these seven years, I've been dreaming of this day… The day when Kunimitsu comes and takes my hand. The day when Kunimitsu asks me to live my future with him…

"Kunimitsu… I can't."

The bespectacled man goes frigid. A chill runs down each of his veins.

"Shuusuke…" He finds himself whispering. "Why?"

"Kunimitsu, have you ever think about it? In a year span when you know and live with Shouya… she has fallen in love with you."

"W-what?" Tezuka manages to splutter. "What kind of nonsense is that?

Fuji bits his quivering lips to stop the tears from pouring down. He inhales deeply and manages to flash a pained smile. "It's hard for someone to live with you and not eventually falling in love. I can see from the way she always talked about you… She loves you, Kunimitsu."

"She never tells me so," Tezuka states through gritted teeth.

"Because she knows you're still looking for your lost lover. She doesn't want to add to your burden. If she tells you, you will feel obliged to marry her," Fuji pauses to take a calming breathe. He can feel his inner self waning. "If… If I didn't know Shouya, if I didn't know she's a good woman… maybe, it won't be hard to ignore her feeling for our selfishness. But she's your legitimate fiance. If she… if she loved you, I have no right to take you away from her."

And there is another reason. Another reason why I won't be able to live my future with you…

Tezuka's face hardens. He releases his hold on Fuji's hand, only to harshly grab his shoulders. "So, you only think about her feelings? How about mine? Do you know how much I will be hurt by your decision?!" He asks demandingly.

Fuji stares at Tezuka in shock. Never in his life has he seen Tezuka lose his collected self like this. Even in the most emotional situation, Tezuka would still have some of his calmness in tact.

"You don't even know her heart," Tezuka speaks again. This time, the coldness in voice sends shiver down Fuji's spine. "You spend your time forever assuming. If you will, now we go and ask her what she truly feels for me."

Fuji looks down. "If we tell her the story, she won't tell the truth."

Tezuka has had enough. In one swift, almost violent movement he pins Fuji against the wall and crashes his lips onto the other's.

"K-Kunimitsu!"

This is all wrong! How about his fiance, his family, his career…? Fuji gasps, cerulean eyes widening before shutting in pain. He struggles desperately, tears falling endlessly onto porcelain cheeks. He feels his blood rush quickly, drumming in his ears. His brain does a flip inside his head. He can't breath. Tezuka's kiss is overwhelming, shutting off his senses. The dead grip around him crushes. Above all, his heart screams to stop this surreal reality. Before anyone gets hurt…

Tezuka immediately stops his fiery kiss as he realizes the body in his arms passing out.

"Shuusuke!"

TBC (on hiatus)

Mini dictionary:

Ye : Yes (Korean)

Oraesmanipnita : Long time no see (Korean)

Ohisashiburi desu : Long time no see (Japanese)

Gomen : Sorry (Japanese)

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Preview of next chapter:

"Shuusuke," Tezuka lifts Fuji's chin with his fingers. "Let me talk to her. I won't say anything about you, nor will I coax her into saying no. I will just ask about her feeling," Tezuka looks straight into the cerulean eyes. "Let's not torture ourselves anymore. I don't want us to regret anything."

"How if she says she loves you?" Fuji asks, trying to mask fear in his tone.

"Then," Tezuka holds back a shudder at the thought. "We shall not consider this chance anymore."

Both fall silent, thinking just how likely this will happen.

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A/N: Reviews! A free apartment unit if you do (Tezuka will leave that place to live with Fuji and Manada will move to God-knows-where, so the unit is yours to take if you review :D)