A/N: Wow! Already the story is setting a pace and I'm sure you all want to know how the beginning even ended up that way right? Well, that'll be all in good time…as for now we're going to walk a bit into Fuji's POV of the months in-between their meeting and his surgery.

Read+ Review as usual :)

Sweet Obsidian Rain- Well He didn't really fall down stairs…he tripped down XD

Nanjiroh was purposeful though.

crystal yuy- I do hope you'll continue to stick with me then! It won't be super long so do stay close with it!

Selyn-What Ryoma requested will be revealed soon… as for now, let it remain a mystery and piece the story together ne?

..

Part Of Me

Rated: T

Summary: No one truly knew…each just wanted to protect the other from the truth…but in the end; who'll be the last to know?

Pairings: EchizenXFuji FujiXTezuka MomoXEchizen

Chapter 3: Ashita (Tomorrow)

"You don't know me, and you don't even care"

Augustana

Tokyo, Japan

September

Sunday Morning.

"Syuusuke…"

Fuji turned from where he sat by the window. His eyes focused on the stoic look of his 'boyfriend'.

"Kunimitsu…" Fuji finally greeted. The one he wanted to see for a year and many months was finally standing before him…yet he wasn't who Syuusuke wanted to see at all right now.

"How are you?" Tezuka finally asked taking a seat near Fuji.

"Okay…" Fuji replied. Looking at Tezuka, Fuji realized he hadn't changed at all. His clothes was still neat and proper, same emotionless expression, same cool stare…just the same…

'Did I change?' Fuji suddenly thought looking at himself.

"Syuusuke?"

Fuji's head snapped back up to meet Tezuka's gaze.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Tezuka asked bluntly.

"I…"

"I'm going to stay here with you now Syuusuke. I've spent a year away and it's enough." Tezuka said staring out the window. "You no longer have to feel alone…"

Fuji opened his mouth once more but no words came out. He looked at Tezuka now and there was no rush of emotion as there had been before, no need to savor the fact that he was even here. In fact, he felt as if Tezuka was just another man now.

'How am I going to tell him that I fell OUT of love with him? Is that even possible?'

"Syuusuke?"

"Huh?" Fuji asked jerking out of his thoughts once more.

"I said, why didn't you call or tell me earlier?" Tezuka said once more.

"I…" Fuji started only to drift off again. Come to think of it…midway through June he had missed Tezuka so much Ryoma went to America to get him to visit…

………………………………………………………………………………………..

(A/N: Okay! We're now stepping back a few months. We're going to jump back to June. Just as a reminder, Ryoma and Fuji's first meeting was in late April then they met again in Early May when Fuji almost took a bad fall.)

June

It'd been weird how that one incident connected us. After that day, whether it was for sympathy or sheer boredom, Ryoma had visited me like I asked.

Fuji pressed his hand against the glass of the window wishing to see what was out there. It'd been a month and a week since he lived in this constant darkness. He traced the coolness of the glass and wondered if it was as cold outside as the glass. Shifting his weight, Fuji scooted himself nearer to the window. He had requested that the bed was pushed against the window. He somehow felt comfort that at least he could still hear the sounds of Tokyo's bustling traffic to the touch of the glass against his fingertips. Fuji sighed as he pressed his forehead against the cool glass…

"Hey…"

Fuji jerked his head to the door quickly noting the voice. It sounded like…

"Echizen-san…" Fuji mumbled

"Bored?" The man asked. Fuji knew he was coming closer since he heard Echizen's footsteps clearly.

Fuji heard the bed squeak a bit and knew he had taken a seat at the end of the bed. " A bit…Yuuta and Yumiko won't be stopping by today." Fuji said with a smile towards where he thought Echizen surely was.

"Who?"

Fuji smiled a bit. "My Onee-san and Otoutou."

"Ah…"

A silence befell the two yet Fuji, who usually was very good at conversation couldn't think of anything to say. The attitude and tone was enough for Fuji to know that Echizen was anti-social. Suddenly it struck him what to ask about.

"Ne…" Fuji started, "What made you stop by today?"

"Had nothing better to do…"

Fuji chuckled, "Uso (liar)"

"Serious…" The voice said getting a bit bratty and defensive.

"Momoshiro would never allow that." Fuji said with a smile. If he knew his Kouhai, the boy would never allow his friend to be bored while visiting him.

"He did… he has a family gathering that I didn't wish to intrude on."

Fuji noted the distant tone in Echizen's voice and really wished he could see this man. What did he look like? What did his face reveal? And why was he really keeping Fuji, a total stranger, company?

"I see…well…I'm sorry I can't really entertain you either…" Fuji said with a bitter smile. Hastily he covered the bitterness hoping Echizen didn't see. Since when did he get so careless about his smile?

"Doesn't matter," Echizen said.

"Ne Echizen…. why do you always sound bored?" Fuji asked curiously. He didn't want the conversation to dead-end again…besides; he was quite interested in this person.

"Don't know… maybe nothing interests me…"

Fuji smiled, "Is that so…I used to think like you too…until that accident. I wish I could see all the things I neglected now."

"You'll see it again…think of this as a vacation."

Fuji laughed lightly. "You make it sound like it's no big deal!"

"It isn't if you can work around it…are you going to lie there all day?"

"Saa… it's not like I can do anything else." Fuji said. He was in the middle of smiling another bitter smile when he noted that he shouldn't. What about this individual made Fuji want to drop the pretense of his smile and show what he actually felt?

A silence filled the room once more as Fuji mulled over the thought. Suddenly Fuji felt Echizen's weight leave the bed and a tug on his arm quickly.

"What-"

"Come on!" Echizen bored tone commanded.

"Where?" Fuji asked shifting to put his legs down the side of the bed.

"You can't see anything right?"

"Aa…" Fuji agreed feeling a bit embarrassed as he felt Echizen's hand help him into socks and shoes.

"Well if you can't see it, image it while we take a walk!" Echizen ordered helping him into his jacket.

"But…" Fuji started to protest as he felt Echizen zip his jacket up.

"But what?" Echizen asked with challenge-laced voice.

"I…"

"Instead of just sitting in bed, let's get out there for a walk! It'll be good for you…I'll help you."

Fuji couldn't believe someone who barely knew him was forcing him to do things. He had then slowly nodded and let himself be swept up with the stubborn confidence of Echizen Ryoma.

………………………………………………………………………………………..

After that point, he came three to four times a week, sometimes less. Ryoma hadn't been one to talk much, and if he did talk, he was blunt and to the point. Each time he came, we ended up going for walks…it was during those briefs walks that we were able to connect the most. He had been willing, despite his attitude, to explain the surroundings to me. He never treated me with care nor made excuses for things he disapproved of me doing. He didn't treat me like Yumiko-onee-san or Yuuta. If he had something to say, he said it…if he didn't like what I was doing he merely said "mada mada".

It wasn't till a few weeks after all of these meetings that he finally told me a bit about his professional tennis career and his family and I, in turn told him about mine. He met Yumiko-onee-san and Yuuta eventually and they all seemed to get along.

"Echizen Ryoma." Fuji heard Echizen introduce himself to Yuuta and Yumiko.

"THE SamJu?" Yuuta ha asked with awe evident in his voice.

At that time a sting of jealously traveled Fuji's system. It was easy to awe Yuuta but Fuji preferred Yuuta to be awed by himself.

"Who else?" Echizen had said with an amused voice.

"Ne, teach me something!" Yuuta said excitedly. Fuji had merely smiled wider as he pictured his otouto's eager face. If there was one thing Fuji hated to share, it'd be Yuuta.

"Now Yuuta." Yumiko's motherly voice popped up. " Echizen-san is visiting Syuusuke, not-"

"Daijoubu (It's all right)" Echizen had replied in his bored tone, "I can show him a thing or two."

"Hontou? (really)" Yuuta said excitedly.

"Aa."

I heard a shuffle of the three moving around before I felt Echizen's warm breath near my ear.

"Don't force your smile…"

I didn't know he noticed.

Although he taught Yuuta a few things in tennis and played him constantly at the nearby park, he always made time to come see me and tell me how it went. More and more, I tired to hide behind the smile I always wore but something about him made me want to show him exactly how I felt, to rely on him. More and more I wished to see the matches he described, the challenging look on my brother's face when he visited me and challenged Ryoma for a match at the park. I even wanted to see Yumiko's smiling face as she told me how everyone was doing.

………………………………………………………………………………………..

I wasn't sure why I wanted to rely on this man I met for such a brief time. Something about him made me relax and somehow I unconsciously did. Keeping a mask on had always been the game for me. It was a game that I never lost because as long as no one could tell what I was thinking or doing, I was safe and winning. I found the people who tried to figure me out amusing and happily I played with their emotions and toyed with their lives. It helped to keep people from understanding me; it helped for them to keep their distance. So when Ryoma entered my life and I felt like opening up to him, it scared me. Not even Tezuka had come this close to breaking me completely and it scared me because somewhere in my mind, I was convinced I wasn't going to be so interesting if I couldn't toy with his life.

Once in a while between those meetings, my friends will drop by periodically to keep me company for a few hours. Many times Momoshiro comes with Echizen though. One particular day I remember was a day that Momoshiro came with him…

Fuji felt neglected a bit even as Echizen guided him. Instead of the usual outing with just the two of them, Momoshiro had come along and both of them seemed content to talk to each other. Fuji knew he shouldn't interfere since he knew Momoshiro really like Echizen but somewhere in himself he felt a bit bitter and jealous that Momoshiro was stealing the attention. Fuji really wished that it was just Echizen and him as usual so they could talk like the usually do. Although through the walk Echizen still directed him and talked to him periodically, it wasn't the same as when they were alone. Fuji wished that this was the last time Momoshiro would want to tag along…somehow Fuji had become possessive of his time with Echizen. Fuji did feel a bit bad that he could wish something like that later, especially since Fuji had chided himself that Ryoma came all this way to visit Momoshiro, not him.

………………………………………………………………………………………..

I think it was my fault for wishing, even thinking that about Momoshiro. After that outing, Momoshiro never came with Echizen again. He still came once in awhile but alone. During that time Echizen turned even more anti-social. His replies got shorter and his mood started changing. It was as if we had just met each other and knew nothing each other again. Eventually during that time, I revealed to Echizen my greatest wish. It was during one of our walks when Ryoma had told him that he missed his Himalayan cat the most. It had triggered my memories of whom I missed the most. We had just come back from one of our walks

"What are you thinking of?"

Fuji didn't turn towards the door since he knew whom it was. " Betsuni…"

"Something's wrong…what is it?" Echizen insisted sitting next to Fuji on his bed. They had just gotten back from their walk and Fuji had just climbed back into his warm bed.

"Betsuni…" Fuji replied again.

"Fine." Echizen just said. " I'm not one to dig nor listen much to problems anyways… I offered..."

"You have nothing to do with this anyways…" Fuji said softly.

"I don't have anything to do with you actually." Echizen said with an amused tone.

Somehow the way Echizen stated that made Fuji want to explain himself…and that's exactly what he did.

"I miss him…" Fuji finally blurted out.

"Him?"

"Aa…my boyfriend." Fuji said softly.

A slight silence passed before he heard Echizen reply.

"If you have a boyfriend, why isn't he here for you?"

"He's in America…training in Tennis…" Fuji said with a small smile. "This minor problem doesn't need to burden him…"

"Minor? I don't think so… you should tell him!" Echizen said with an annoyed

Fuji sighed, " I tried calling his house phone over there since that's all he had but he never picks up…"

"You haven't sent anyone over?" Echizen asked.

"Who would go?" Fuji asked with a slight, teasing smile.

A long silence passed before Echizen spoke again.

"I would."

Fuji turned to face the direction that Echizen's voice was coming from. " You would?"

"Aa… I could go there and tell him…even bring him back."

"You…you would do that for me?" Fuji asked

" Why not?" Echizen stated cockily.

" I didn't think you were one to-"

"Mada mada Fuji-san… I don't offer for everyone randomly either you know!"

"I couldn't ask you… you're on vacation! Momoshiro-"

"Don't say anymore…it's still a vacation to go see LA right?"

"Just a bit…" Fuji said. Although he was truly happy that Echizen had volunteered to go get Tezuka he didn't want Echizen to waste his time doing that chore for him when Momoshiro brought him here so Echizen and Momoshiro could spend time together.

" I'll book a flight for tomorrow…don't worry, I'll get him to come." Echizen's voice said through a sigh.

"Arigatou…hontou ni…Arigatou." Fuji said with a relief-filled smile. He neither cared about placing his usual smile on his face nor the fact that Echizen might see. All that ran through his head was the fact that he'd soon see Tezuka…

'Kunimitsu…'

"Don't worry about it Fuji-san…after all…Tomorrow's a new day right?"

Fuji smiled genuinely at Echizen. " Aa…"

………………………………………………………………………………………..

The day after Ryoma flies to LA

Momoshiro came to see me the day after Ryoma left. It was a bit awkward since he usually was talkative and laughing…today he was quiet.

"You're lucky Momoshiro." Fuji said with a smile as usual.

"Why do you say that?" Momoshiro asked.

Fuji detected the surprise in his voice and his smile deepened. " You know why…Echizen is a wonderful person."

"Why do you suddenly say this?"

Fuji smiled again. "Because I never thought anyone could be so nice to go to LA for me to go get Tezuka."

"He did that?" Momoshiro asked incredulously.

Fuji almost frowned at the thought of Momoshiro acting like he didn't know. "Well of course you already knew that…"

"I didn't, " Momoshiro said honestly. " I thought he just decided to go visit his parents since they live there as well."

"Oh…" Fuji said

"But that's funny…Echizen the type to not do a selfless deed for anyone…"

"He isn't huh?" Fuji asked.

"Iie…he's the type of person for self-gain." Momoshiro said a small laugh, " But then again he already dumped me."

"Dumped?" Fuji asked.

"Aa…he told me he could only see me as a friend…" Momoshiro said with a small laugh.

Although he tried to hide his hurt and disappointment, Fuji could hear the pain that was apparent in Momoshiro's voice. He finally pieced together why Momoshiro sounded so down.

"I'll talk to him when he gets back for you…" Fuji said finally.

"You don't have too…" Momoshiro said immediately.

Fuji almost smiled genuinely since he knew Momoshiro was scared of the kind of "talk" Fuji would do.

"Don't worry… I'll just give him a slight push in your direction."

"Slight huh?" Momoshiro said nervously.

Obviously he still didn't trust Fuji too much on this issue.

"Aa… a slight one only!" Fuji promised.

………………………………………………………………………………………..

2 Days later

I can't really explain my feelings when Ryoma returned that day. He was extremely quiet that day…he came in with a soft greeting and didn't talk at all…

"Is he coming?" Fuji asked.

"Uh…he…he can't Fuji-san…"

"Can't huh?" Fuji said with a quick smile to hide his disappointment. He should've known that other things were a lot more important to Tezuka right now.

"Gomen-"

"There's no need to apologize Echizen," Fuji started with a small sigh. " I was always 2nd to his duties anyways…" Fuji ended with a smile. A smile he sure was safe…his comforting shield that blocked the world to how he truly felt. He could sulk later…for now; he needed to appear okay for Echizen's sake.

………………………………………………………………………………………..

"Syuusuke?"

"Gomen…" Fuji replied to Tezuka, as he had to snap his attention back to Tezuka for the third time.

Fuji had just opened his mouth to answer when a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in." Fuji said and watched the door open to a nurse who smiled.

"Visiting hours are over and if you would follow me Fuji-san…the doctor wants to examine your eyes in the examination room."

"Aa…" Fuji said and stood. He only paused long enough to tell Tezuka goodbye and then headed out.

A/N: Well that's closes the 3rd chapter! So now you all know about Syuusuke and Ryoma's time together during May. The next chapter will focus once more on Ryoma as he tells his version of their month together and his trip to LA. Review and I will love and grace you soon with another chapter!