Osaka
Summary: For Fuji, Osaka is a place of warm yet chilling and surprising yet predictable memories. Shitenhouji, Fuji, and Atobe centric.
Warnings: Shounen-ai
Pairings: Shiraishi x Fuji, Atobe x Fuji, slight Chitose x Fuji
Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis is not mine
I hope you guys like the story so far! I'm updating as fast as I can, but not updating so fast so people can't keep up with the story! And the people who are waiting for my updates, thank you for your patience! Here's the next chapter. Please read, review, and enjoy!
Chapter 4:
Atobe walked back into the room and dropped the phone in Fuji's bag again before he woke up.
"Fuji; Fuji, wake up," Atobe said. Fuji turned toward the voice. He opened his eyes slightly. He was glad that Atobe had pulled the curtains so Fuji wouldn't have to witness the blinding light of the sun.
"What time is it?" he said weakly.
Atobe looked at the clock on the nightstand. "8:12. In the evening."
Fuji sat up instantly. "I slept for THAT long?!" Atobe nodded.
"It was thunder storming earlier so I pulled the blinds shut."
Fuji blinked. "Thunder storming? But it was perfectly sunny when we went to get dinner. Not a cloud in sight. That's so strange." Atobe agreed. "What did you do while I was sleeping?"
"Checked my email, stuff like that. Shot a couple photos of the skyline."
"In the rain?"
"Yep."
"Wow, those must look good. I have to see them later." Fuji thought for a moment. "Tomorrow I have to take some good pictures of the sunset skyline. I know its cliché, but every photographer has to get one of those pictures in his or her lifetime. It's just one of those things, you know?"
"Yeah, I guess you're right. You know more about photography than me, anyway. I'm going into graphic design as a second job to my inheritance to my father's company."
"Graphic design? That's really cool." Fuji smiled. "I'm not really good with computers."
Atobe laughed. "Same with me and cameras. I used yours, actually, and I'll probably have to seriously Photoshop it to make it look half as good as your pictures."
Fuji chuckled. "Don't flatter me too much."
"Why not?" Atobe said.
"Because I'm not that good."
Atobe sat up. "Are you kidding me? You're amazing. I bet you're going to become so famous when you graduate."
"You're already famous," Fuji pointed out. Atobe shrugged. He didn't really know what to say to that. After all, like in tennis, Fuji could be hiding his true potential.
"Just promise me one thing," Atobe said. Fuji cocked his head to a side indicating curiosity. "Always follow your heart and your mind. Because if one of them is the right answer, then they both should be saying the same thing. That's why we use the same word for them in Japanese."
Fuji smiled. "I promise."
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Fuji blinked his eyes open. The blinds were still pulled, and Fuji couldn't tell what time it was. Then he remembered that there was a clock on the nightstand. Fuji turned his head toward the clock. It read 5:23 am. Perfect timing. Fuji and Shiraishi were planning to meet each other outside their rooms at 6:00 and walk to Kintarou's house instead of taking a bus or taxi, as long as it wasn't raining.
Fuji got out of his bed and peeked out of the window. The rain had just recently stopped, and the trees were still dripping with trickles of water. The sky was the color of early morning. It was pretty much gray with a slight blue-ish tint, the color of the Hyotei jerseys. Fuji smiled at the thought. He walked into the bathroom and rinsed his face before getting dressed in a light blue shirt and a tan jacket. He brushed his hair and wrote a quick note for Atobe. He didn't want to wake him up, anyway.
Fuji picked up his bag, walked out the door, and nearly ran into a waiting Shiraishi. Well, he actually did run into him; his arm, at least. Catching Fuji before he fell on his face, Shiraishi spun him around so that he was facing the taller boy. "You're late," Shiraishi said. Fuji looked at his watch. 6:01.
"Wow, your tennis reflects on your lifestyle, too," Fuji replied.
"What, perfect?" Shiraishi said. He releases Fuji. "I know. It's quite boring, until you show up and mix it up a little."
"Only I can do that?"
"Yeah, one does get tired of Kintarou once in a while."
Fuji blinked. "You might get tired of me sometime, too, if you spend too much time with me."
He shrugged. "Doubt it." Shiraishi looked at Fuji's bag. "What's in there?"
Fuji pulled out a plastic bag. "Apples."
Shiraishi laughed. "As expected. You're so predictable, Syusuke."
Fuji rolled his eyes. "Maybe I am. Or maybe I'm not." He took Shiraishi's hand and held it firmly. "Let's go."
Shiraishi hadn't expected that one. "Maybe you're not," he said quietly, and ran ahead of Fuji, pulling him along.
"Wah!" Fuji cried. "God, you're strong!" Neither of them wanted to be left behind, so they both ran through the city in the early morning, when almost no other people were awake. They skidded and nearly fell at the corners because they were still slippery from last night's rain, yet they were genuinely enjoying themselves.
Chitose yawned as the doorbell rang to the little apartment that he shared with two of his friends. Who could be here this early? Despite the fact that he was still wearing his pajamas, he got up to get the door. Whoever was there shouldn't be expecting much from him anyway. It was 7:00 in the morning!
Chitose opened to door to find two people there, smiling happily. At first, they looked like husband and wife, but then Chitose noticed that they were both boys. Chitose blinked. "Shiraishi?" he said sleepily. "Fuji?"
As soon as Fuji heard his own name, he jumped on Chitose, embracing him tightly. "It's so nice to see you again!"
Chitose smiled and patted Fuji on the back, while Shiraishi stayed in the doorway. "Nice pajamas," he said.
"What more do you expect from me? It's 7:00 in the morning," Chitose said. "I haven't even put in my contact lenses yet." When Fuji backed off, Chitose admitted that when he first saw them, he thought that Fuji was Shiraishi's wife.
Fuji's eyes snapped open. He looked at Shiraishi, who looked back down at him. They both laughed, and Fuji hoped no one noticed the slight red tinge that spread across his teeth. No one had, except for one person who had just emerged from the bedroom.
"Yo, Fuji, Shiraishi," Kintarou said. Chitose jumped a bit. Fuji thought it was funny to see one of the strongest players in the region like this.
"Didn't notice you there, Kintarou. Did you know they were coming?" Chitose asked.
Kintarou nodded. "Ever since yesterday. Fuji wanted to keep it a secret, so I didn't tell you. I ran into them at a café yesterday."
Chitose blinked. "Them? Shiraishi and Fuji?"
Kintarou shook his head. "Fuji was with Atobe."
Shiraishi blinked and looked down at Fuji, with a look that asked, Is it true?
Fuji looked back up at Shiraishi. Yeah. It was amazing how they could just see right through each other like that. Fuji hadn't even developed that with Tezuka, before leaving for Hyotei. Smiling at Kintarou, Fuji asked, "Where's Oshitari-san?"
"Some obligation. I don't know what though." Fuji blinked. Since when did Kintarou start using such…big words? It was then that he realized that it was Chitose that had answered him. Chitose looked at Kintarou. "Do you know?"
Kintarou shrugged. "Don't remember." Now that was more like it, Fuji thought.
Changing the subject, Chitose said, "I've been meaning to ask how everyone is?"
"At Hyotei or Seigaku?" Fuji said.
"Both," was Chitose's curt reply.
Fuji tapped his chin lightly. They were now sitting on the couch, and Kintarou had departed to make some tea. Who knew someone like that knew how to make tea? "I don't know much recently about Seigaku, but I do know that Ku—" Fuji was interrupted by his own cough.
Shiraishi looked down at Fuji, concerned. "Are you alright?"
Fuji smiled again. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just breathed in the wrong air or something. As I was saying," Fuji continued, "Tezuka is attending Tokyo Medical and Dental University."
Chitose raised an eyebrow. "I was sure he was going into professional tennis. He could be a star."
"It's Ryoma that's going into an athletic career."
Kintarou peeked his head out from the kitchen. "Koshimae? I haven't heard from him in ages."
Fuji smiled. "Yeah, he inquired about you, too, in his message."
"Oh, you received a message from him?" Chitose said. "Then you probably got my call, too." Fuji nodded. "Sorry about not leaving a message. I was in a rush, but I just felt compelled to call you at that moment. It was the strangest feeling."
Fuji crossed his arms. "That's odd." He did note that all the other calls were pretty random, too. "But anyway, did you see how Ryoma played in last year's Wimbledon? Saa, he can probably beat me now."
Shiraishi laughed. "I'd like to see him try. Even I can't beat you!"
Fuji smirked the I'm-Ryoma-and-I've-got-an-attitude smirk. "Maybe your skills have just declined, then."
They continued just casually chatting like that for a while, until there was nothing left to cover. All the gaps, questions, and inquiries had been filled and answered. And now they knew everything, or almost, about each other. The end of their talk resulted in a peaceful, comfortable silence, ending when Kintarou suggested that they go shopping.
"Shopping?" Fuji said. Kintarou nodded. "Saa, I haven't gone shopping in a while. Last time I went was with Yumiko to buy some new clothes for college a couple months ago." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I honestly didn't pack that much, though."
Chitose looked at him. "Really? You seem like the type that would pack truckloads of clothes."
"I just think it's too much hassle to carry too many suitcases," Fuji replied.
Chitose laughed. "I think you've been hanging around Tezuka too much." Fuji visibly flinched at the name, though it was very slight. But being in a room with all geniuses who played tennis, of course he was caught by all three of them. "Not on good terms?"
"Depends. Would you call not directly talking to him in three years good terms?" Fuji said meekly. They dropped the subject at that, before departing out the door.
Did you like this chapter? Chitose appears for the first time! That in itself makes this chapter lovable! Please review!