Disclaimer: Not mine, but the plot and OC.
Mori's Notes:
Finally, my first horror story! XD Am glad readers like it. Believe it or not, I had a difficult time doing the shower stall scene because I had to get into Tezuka's mind and, well, see through his eyes. Really, I have a too delicate heart when it comes to supernatural stuff… --;
My warmest hugs to my wonderful reviewers: Tora Macaw, tezuka eiri, maldita08, yamatoforever, masi, merissala, and skyblue147. To kayue, thank you for the correction. I wrote this in a rush for a community challenge and my beta hardly slept just to meet the deadline. But we'll be more careful next time.
Happy White Day:D
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Phantom Love
By Moribayashi
-Chapter Three-
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"The clubhouse is empty. I think we'd better start now."
"Do you bring your amulet with you?"
Fuji smiled, dangling the rosy-coloured pouch at Chiyoko.
Chiyoko smiled back at him. "Off we go, then."
Today was St. Valentine's Day. As it was promised, Chiyoko would confess her undying love to her special someone. According to Fuji's plan, the event should take place in the tennis clubhouse, after practice when most team members had gone home. Tezuka would wait inside, as Chiyoko, using Fuji's body as a medium for her wandering soul, would confess to him. The whole process shouldn't take long, but enough for the tennis captain, the genius, and the wandering spirit to perform their duties, so that Chiyoko's soul could finally rest in peace.
"Are you ready?" Chiyoko glanced at Fuji.
Clutching the amulet, Fuji nodded, "Anytime."
Chiyoko took a deep breath. "Brace yourself, Fuji-kun. I'll do my best so as not to hurt you that much."
Fuji smiled. "I trust you, Chiyoko-san."
Standing up straight with both hands on her sides, Chiyoko closed her eyes. As she opened them again, her transparent soul turned a deep shade of purple. Aiming for Fuji's body, whom was standing 2 feet away from her, the girl-spirit glided forwards, no hesitation in her moves.
And so it happened again.
Eyes closed, Fuji felt his body jerking backwards, as if something was pushing its way into his body, forcing his soul out. But this time, he didn't hold back. Bracing himself at the coming of the searing pain, Fuji held onto the amulet, surrendered to the force. Then the pain emerged, and the next thing he knew, Fuji's soul was already outside his body.
"Fuji-kun? Are you alright?"
Glancing up, Fuji saw his body talking to him. It was glowing blue, just like his soul. Only this time, not only could he make out the purple streaks inside, but he was also able to recognize Chiyoko's slender form.
"Yes, I think I am," he replied. Then he remembered the hurricane. Bracing himself once again, he glanced down to find the rosy-coloured amulet stayed in his hand. His eyes widened.
"The amulet serves as your anchor. When your soul splits from your body, the supernatural power inside stays with you as your body keeps the amulet. The power follows you everywhere, so the whirlwind can't break you," Chiyoko explained.
As if proving her words, the whirlwind presented itself around Fuji. But instead of sucking him up, it merely breezed. A little strong, but not enough even to lift him up.
Sighing in relief, Fuji then glanced back at Chiyoko. "Shall we go inside then?"
Grinning, Chiyoko nodded. "Let's hit the road."
-.-.-.-.-
Tezuka had just finished tidying his papers when he saw Fuji walking in. The tennis genius nodded to him, and proceeded to fuss with his locker. Seeing that nothing seemed wrong with the honey haired boy, Tezuka stood up and put the papers into his own locker.
"Tezuka-sama."
Tezuka's hand stopped in mid air.
This was it.
Taking a deep breath, he calmly finished fussing with his locker, then turned to the side.
"Arizawa-san."
Gazing up at the figure facing him, Tezuka saw those eyes had turned the same shade of purple. Now that he was able to keep his calm, he found that there was nothing alarming about them. Instead, they were shy and full of admiration.
"Tezuka-sama, my name is Arizawa Chiyoko, previously from class 3-5. First of all, I'd like to thank you for giving me the chance. I know this must be hard for you, but unfortunately, this was the only way for me to move on," the voice that came out of Fuji's lips was the same several pitches high. However, instead of having goosebump, Tezuka found the voice pleasant to his ears. He also noticed that amidst the characteristics of Fuji's face, he could make out the faint lines of Arizawa Chiyoko's.
"So then, I'll be brief."
Biting her lower lip, Chiyoko took a deep shaky breath and closed her eyes a moment, trying to overcome her nervousness.
"Tezuka-sama, I'd like you to know that I've been keeping some feelings for you, which have been going on for 3 years by now. I know that the chance of your reciprocating my feelings is nearly close to nothing. But still, I was planning to confess to you, supposedly on this St. Valentine's Day."
Chiyoko paused, taking another deep breath.
"Too bad, time didn't side well with me. My life ended without a chance to tell you how I felt. If I only knew my time would come so soon, I would've come to you earlier, so that I wouldn't have to be a burden for Fuji-kun, and scare you like this.
"But I'm really grateful that you're still willing to listen to my confession, after all that happened. It means a lot to me, and this way my soul could finally rest in peace," brushing the overgrown bangs, Chiyoko presented a small box wrapped in pink paper that she had been hiding behind her back.
"And so, I've decided to put all my feelings into this box. You can throw it away if you want to. But for now, Tezuka-sama, please accept this humble gift, as a token of my feelings," bowing deeply, Chiyoko held out the box.
Gazing down at the girl-spirit, Tezuka finally reached out his hands to accept the gift. "Thank you, Arizawa-san. I really appreciate the feelings and efforts you have put into this gift, and I will not throw it away," he bowed curtly.
Raising up, Chiyoko's face was beaming.
"However, I'm sorry to say that I'm not able to reciprocate your feelings. But I'm honoured that you keep such feelings for me. I'm also very sorry about your sudden… departure, and that I failed to get to known you better. I pray for your soul, and your family."
Chiyoko's face was wet with tears. "Thank you very much, Tezuka-sama," she said, bowing once again before she turned around and walked to the door.
Standing by the clubhouse door, Fuji's soul smiled warmly at her, feeling relieved that the mission had succeeded.
"Come, Fuji-kun. Let's change soul again so that you can go back to your body," Chiyoko spoke to an empty spot by the door.
"Arizawa-san," stealing a glance at the said spot, Tezuka called.
Chiyoko turned around. "Yes, Tezuka-sama?"
"Do you mind if we… sit and talk for a while?" the stoic boy gestured at the empty bench.
At the sudden turn of event, Chiyoko looked as if she nearly got hyperventilated. "A-are you sure, Tezuka-sama?"
"Yes, and… Tezuka is fine."
"…Hai!"
Eyebrows raised, Fuji was grinning amusedly. Well, well, who would've had thought that the Walking Ice-block could really sit and talk with a girl? The teen genius was surprised at the rare display of Tezuka's gentleness, while cursing slightly that his camera wasn't with him. Not that Fuji was able to use it in his current state, but still.
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Tezuka spooned another piece of chocolate cake into his mouth.
"This is delicious."
"Really?" Chiyoko giggled, "Fuji-kun said so, too."
"Where is he now?"
"He's right there," Chiyoko pointed at the lockers direction.
"Where?" Tezuka looked blandly at said direction.
"There, in front of a locker with Seigaku sticker."
"I see," no, Tezuka couldn't see the honey haired boy anywhere.
Unseen to the captain's naked eyes, Fuji's soul was waving leisurely at him. The teen genius had been enjoying the scene, storing valuable information for later purposes, mostly blackmailing. Having a ghostly figure wasn't that a bad idea. Fuji got to do whatever he wanted, from merely spying to executing a grande prank scheme. He bet Inui would envy him to hell.
Oh yes.
Despite the glorious ideas, Fuji felt a little disturbed as he found himself kept staring at Tezuka's lips. Sure, he had heard the girls in his class talking about them with their dreamy eyes. But only then had he realized that they were indeed a pair of kissable lips, what with the dark chocolate mousse smearing in their corners…
Fuji had to blink every now and then just to clear his thoughts.
The tiny gestures that failed to escape Chiyoko's eyes.
Fuji-kun, come here and hold my hand…
Sensing an echoing voice calling his name, Fuji's soul glanced at his body. It was still facing Tezuka, and yet he could see that Chiyoko's spirit was facing him, her hand reaching out. Confused, the boy was about to open his mouth when the girl-spirit wiggled a finger, giving him a secret smile.
Fuji decided to comply.
"Well, Tezuka-kun, I think my time has come."
Looking at the purple eyes, Tezuka put down the plate.
"Again, thank you for your kindness and understanding. This is the best Valentine I've ever had. Fuji-kun and you have made me the happiest girl on earth. But before I leave, would you please do one last thing for me?"
"Sure," Tezuka replied, question marks on his eyes, and Fuji's, too.
"Now, close your eyes." You too, Fuji-kun…
Seeing that Tezuka complied with the request without so much as twitching an eye, Fuji's soul decided to follow his lead. Eyelashes fluttered close, Fuji soon felt as if he was floating in the clouds. He was riding them, up to the sky, down to the mountain, skidding above the water, the feelings made him nearly suffocated with joy…
Good bye Fuji-kun, thank you for everything…
When he opened his eyes again, Fuji found that he was looking straight into Tezuka's earthen eyes.
-.-.-.-.-
His eyes closed, Tezuka waited patiently for whatever it was that Arizawa Chiyoko was going to do to him. Moments passed by, with nothing happened, and Tezuka's rigid nature was beginning to feel ridiculous at the whole thing. He was about to ask the girl-spirit when suddenly, a flickering blue light was forming behind his closed eyelids. It was getting bigger and closer to his sight, sending warmth all over his body. The blue light soon filled his line of vision, sparkling, sending excited pulses down his heart, butterflies to his stomach, and the force was doubled over as Tezuka began having trouble breathing…
As he blinked open his eyes, the first thing that came into his senses was the brightness of Fuji's cerulean eyes.
And the feel of Fuji's warm lips on his.
Gasping, both teens turned away from each other.
Despite the insignificant wrinkles, Tezuka still felt the need to smooth his Seigaku jersey. Fuji was brushing off his brown bangs so that they wouldn't block his eyes, which were closed at the moment.
"…Fuji-"
"Tezuka, I swear I had no idea she was going to do that," Fuji cut in, thinking that the other boy must've had thought that he had planned this. "I'm sorry."
"I know… I'm sorry too, I should've seen it coming," Tezuka replied, eyes still glued to the floor.
For a while, it looked like both boys were at a loss for words.
"Has Arizawa-san gone?"
At the question, Fuji's eyelids slid open. Came to think of it, he didn't feel Chiyoko-san's presence anywhere in the room. "I think she has."
"Does it mean her soul has moved to the other world?" Tezuka raised his face.
Fuji blinked at him. "I hope so."
"So the mission's accomplished."
"I suppose."
Then both boys sighed in relief, as the earlier tension was melting away.
"Some experience we got, huh?" Fuji grinned. "I've never thought I'd be friends with a ghost."
"Same here," the edges of Tezuka's mouth quirked up slightly.
Fuji sighed again. "And there goes my first kiss…"
Tezuka's shoulders stiffened a little. "Mine, too," he replied.
Fuji stared at him, looking incredulous.
"It wasn't that bad, though," Tezuka glanced at his teammate from the corner of his eyes. His expression was something close to amusement, and tease.
Chuckling, Fuji shook his head. "Nope… it wasn't."
Gazing at the floor absently, Fuji leaned back to the wall. "You know, Chiyoko-san said that you and I look like a married couple."
"Isn't that one of our nicknames?"
Fuji raised one eyebrow. "And you're not the least disturbed?"
Tezuka rose from the bench. "Fuji, let's go home."
Blinking, Fuji decided to ignore the butterfly in his stomach.
But then the captain halted.
"Fuji, do you have plans for tonight?"
Question marks were dancing in those cerulean eyes.
"The Valentine treats… I can't finish them all by myself."
Fuji chuckled. "As if I could with my own," he pointed at a large pile of Valentine chocolates by the locker next to his bag.
"Oh… Well, see you tomorrow then," Tezuka gathered his gifts and began stuffing them into his bag.
"…But I think two mouths are better than one."
Fuji's smile was teasing.
But to Tezuka's eyes, it was more than just a pleasant sight.
And so, the boys spent another time in comfortable silence, munching on each other's share of chocolate treats.
"Fuji, happy St. Valentine's Day."
Munching stopped, Fuji glanced at the bespectacled boy.
But just as he was about to greet back, Fuji saw Tezuka spitting out his chocolate. Coughing, the captain felt as if liquid fire was running from his tongue up to the crown of his head. Squeezing his eyes shut as to will away the burning sensation, Tezuka opened them again and glared at the treats on his lap.
It was the same chocolate cake he had earlier from Arizawa. Only this time, his eyes could make out the faint element of green amidst the dark chocolate mousse.
Glare multiplied, Tezuka turned towards his companion.
Fuji grinned nervously. "…Happy St. Valentine's Day, Tezuka?"
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OWARI.
More Mori's Notes:
About the wasabi chocolate cake, I actually did try to make it for a friend's birthday challenge last New Year's Eve. Too bad I ran out of the stuff the last minute and my younger brother was too lazy to get it from our local Japanese supermarket. Oh well, I still got enough of friends' birthdays coming up this year.
As usual, C&C is highly welcomed. Thanks for reading! XD