The thing about love...
Disclaimer: Konomi-sensei has just gotta be aware of how jealous I am..
Warning: HOT/pretty boys loving HOT/pretty boys yada yada yada.
author's note: Hmmm, this chap is a little shorter that the previous 2 I put up. Gomen ne.. I hope it isn't draggy or anything.. There's definitely angst here OH MY. I is tireds. I is have no brains left. Hahahaha ignore that please, I am being stupid. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this... we'll get back to more action/drama/fluff soon. If my brains decides to function again, I will see you all in about 4 days as usual. Replies all the wayy down, hearts!
Chapter 7
Stars twinkling high up above them, Tezuka walked Fuji home, the light gust of wind stirring up the autumn leaves beneath their feet.
Tezuka had insisted on walking his friend home, half afraid that Fuji might suffer a relapse of that brief fainting spell he'd had back in the park, half wanting to prolong the time spent with his friend. Fuji surprised him by not protesting.
Reaching the Fuji residence, Fuji slipped off Tezuka's coat and handed it to its rightful owner with a grateful smile.
"Arigatou, Tezuka, for spending this evening with me." Fuji's eyes sparkled with pure delight.
Not knowing what else to say, Tezuka said his usual "Hnn… You're more than welcome. You really should get a good night's sleep, your body needs that rest…"
"Hai hai, Tezuka-sama! Your wish is my command… Oyasuminasai, Tezuka!" With a small wave, Fuji disappeared into the house.
As Tezuka left for home, he couldn't stop himself from thinking that if his commands worked so readily… there would be a whole lot of things he'd wish for.
/thethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutloveis\
Early next morning, Fuji woke up to an incessant amount of loud noises and raised voices.
Yawning as he stretched, he could distinctly make out the voices of his little brother and his best friend in the background.
Giving a slight chuckle, he quickly opened the door only to find Fuji Yuuta trying his hardest to block a hyper Eiji from barging into his brother's room
"Aniki is still asleep! He's being a lazy pig right now, so quit trying to bug him!" Yuuta frantically tugged off Eiji, who was whining while clinging on to his arm.
"Nya! I just need to check on Fujiko-chan! I called him so many times last night but he never answered! I'm his best friend! He won't mind me bugging him! I want to make sure he's alright!"
Desperately trying to muffle his laughter, Fuji watched the scene in amusement. This was good morning entertainment and he wasn't going to lift a hand to stop the commotion until it reached its climax.
But his show ended when his sister appeared next to the two bickering boys and greeted him loudly, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.
"Ohaiyou Syuusuke!"
Both boys turned to stare at him.
"Aniki! You were awake? Why didn't you say something…?" Yuuta glared at his brother.
"Fujiko!" Eiji immediately attached himself to Fuji. "What happened to you last night? Where did you go with buchou? Nya! You got me all worried…"
"What? You went out with Tezuka?" Yuuta quickly cut in.
"Ohaiyou nee-san, Yuuta, Eiji…"
Pulling her youngest brother by the hand, Yumiko led a glowering Yuuta into the kitchen, leaving the two friends to speak in private.
Gesturing for Eiji to follow him, Fuji entered his room and sat down on his bed.
Once seated, Eiji started fiddling with the things lying on Fuji's table while shooting questions at his best friend.
Fuji answered as best as his ears could keep up.
"Mnn… Tezuka and I visited some places… No, we didn't go to scary places… And no, we didn't stop to eat at your favourite restaurant… We just walked a lot. And of course we didn't do anything indecent, what makes you think that?"
"Well, because you're a pretty boy, Fujiko-chan… Buchou might harbour some strange thoughts… You never know…" Eiji grinned and wriggled his eyebrows at Fuji.
Laughing a little at Eiji's wild imagination, Fuji switched the subject easily.
"Ne, Eiji, what do you think I should get Tezuka as a farewell present?"
"For buchou? Nya… probably something practical and boring…" He ducked when Fuji reached out a hand to swat him.
Sniggering to himself, Eiji thought hard.
"Nya! Tezuka-buchou's so difficult to choose a present for… Everything doesn't seem to go with his cool image ne…"
"You think so too? I feel the same way… It seems as though nothing is good enough for him, don't you think?" Fuji replied thoughtfully.
Nodding his head profusely, Eiji dragged his friend from the bed and suggested happily, "Since that's the case, let's go shopping!"
Noting the enthusiasm in his best friend's voice, Fuji couldn't bear to put a damper on Eiji's idea and agreed to go shopping together for Tezuka's farewell presents.
While waiting for Fuji to wash up and put on some decent clothes, Eiji smiled with satisfaction.
He'd got Fuji to agree to spend time with him… This way, it would make it a whole lot easier to find out exactly what was bothering the tensai.
/thethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutloveis\
Turning onto his side, Momo gave a sleepy groan as he opened his eyes only to find rays of sunlight flooding the room.
Letting his eyes adjust to the bright light, Momo blinked and stared hard at the object lying right in front of him.
Yelping when he realized the "object" was in fact a person, more accurately, Echizen Ryoma, he scrambled into a sitting position hurriedly.
Opening just one eye, Echizen squinted and sat up slowly, yawning. "Why were you making so much noise early in the morning?" He asked accusingly.
Momo gave no response for a little while, before his face went redder and redder as his cheeks puffed up and he burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Mildly indignant at his sempai's action, Echizen glared at him with full murderous force.
"Hahaha… Echizen… You have hahahahaha… paint hahahaha on your hahaha face…You hahahaha must have hahahaha slept hahahaha on the paint hahahaha baka Echizen…" Finishing that sentence after taking tons of breaths from laughing, he collapsed onto the floor and rolled around clutching his stomach.
Catching sight of his reflection in the mirror, Echizen confirmed what Momo had just told him.
Picking up the bottle of leftover paint, Echizen ungraciously dumped its contents on his sempai's hair.
He then sat back to admire his masterpiece as Momo stopped laughing and sank into stunned shock.
/thethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutloveis\
Stepping into the mall, Eiji started towards the huge department store, dragging Fuji along with him.
"Nya! This is nice!" Grabbing a belt with a star shaped buckle, Eiji posed with it and grinned at Fuji. "How about getting this for Tezuka buchou?"
"Eiji, isn't that for girls? We're on the wrong level…" Fuji looked at his best friend in obvious amusement.
Face scrunching up in cute embarrassment, Eiji hurriedly replaced the belt and pushed Fuji towards the escalator.
"Nya Fujiko-chan, what do you have in mind to get for buchou?" Eiji asked as soon as they reached the correct department.
"I was thinking... a nice new coat since his current one is getting a little worn out…" Fuji answered as he thought about the coat that Tezuka had draped over him just the previous night. It'd provided adequate warmth, but it was getting a little old… Tezuka had had it for two years if his memory did not fail him.
Glancing toward the jackets and coats section, Fuji absently continued, "And… a new pair of gloves too…"
"Gloves?" Eiji followed Fuji as they browsed through the various coats.
"Mnn…" Spotting a white coat with gray finishes on the pockets and collar, Fuji headed in its direction.
"Wah! It's so expensive nya! 32,000 yen! Demo… it is rather nice… and it fits buchou ne!" Eiji exclaimed when he read the price tag.
The golden buttons on the coat would match the golden brown of his eyes, and the design was fitting for Tezuka's image; the sophisticated patterns subdued its glaring stylishness, making it a perfect choice for Tezuka.
Fuji nodded with satisfaction at his choice and brought the coat over to the counter for payment. It was wrapped nicely and placed in a paper bag. Eiji tried on coats while waiting for Fuji to return, parading in front of a mirror while admiring himself.
Making his way towards Eiji, who seemed to be muttering to himself, Fuji silently eavesdropped on his friend.
"Nya… how do I bring up the topic with Fujiko…? He's so sharp, he'll see through me straight away if I beat around the bush…" Eiji pouted as he argued with himself, putting the coat he'd been trying back onto the rack.
"What topic Eiji-chan?" Fuji whispered into his friend's ear, startling a small yelp from Eiji.
"Fujiko-chan! Don't scare me like that!"
"Spill it Eiji… I heard you talking to yourself. What is it you want to talk to me about?" Fuji's eyes gleamed as he watched his best friend twitching and squirming in front of him.
"Nya… It's difficult to bring up…"
"So I heard." Laughing a little to lighten the mood, Fuji patted Eiji's arm gently. "Just say it, don't keep it bottled inside you. I give you permission to speak your mind ne, Eiji…"
/thethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutloveis\
Tezuka jerked his head up and tore his eyes away from the book he had been reading.
Just that second, he'd felt extremely ill at ease all of a sudden.
It was as though a deep sense of foreboding had cast a heavy shadow across his heart.
Stepping into his bathroom, Tezuka splashed some cold water on his face.
Staring at his reflection, Tezuka wondered about his sanity.
'What in the world is wrong with me…? And why did I agree to spend more time with Fuji last night when it wasn't necessary in the least?'
He sighed when the devil half of his mind started answering all his queries at top speed.
'Wrong? Yea sure… There's definitely something wrong with you, but I'm not telling… You're going to have to figure that out yourself… And you spent more time with that pretty boy Fuji because you wanted to… Admit it Tezuka Kunimitsu.'
'Sure I'll admit it… Over my dead body.' He retorted as he settled himself back on his chair and began reading again even though the image of that 'pretty boy Fuji' continued to plague his mind and taunt his heart.
/thethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutloveis\
As they made their way to the exit of the departmental store, Eiji finally spoke his mind.
"Fujiko, ever since Tezuka announced that he was leaving, you've been acting strange. I don't know what's strange but I feel as though you've been keeping something to yourself and the burden's getting to you… Do you want to share? I mean… I'd understand if you didn't want to, but I just got worried seeing you like this…"
Hearing the genuine concern from his best friend's words, Fuji felt touched, but guilty at the same time. He should have known that his normally carefree demeanor would not fool Eiji. Yet, he wasn't ready to tell the complete truth to his best friend.
Pausing at the road junction, Fuji replied with what he thought was a neutral answer.
"Gomen, Eiji, for making you worry, but it's nothing. I've just been too exhausted planning Tezuka's farewell party. Hontoni daijoubu desu, shinpainai…"
"Then why? Why are you working so hard for this party? It seems as though you want to put all your energy into this party so you have none left at the end of the day to think about everything else. Is that it?" Eiji looked at Fuji pleadingly.
Guilt consumed him, but Fuji directed more lies at Eiji.
"Iie, it's not that… You're reading too much into this Eiji…"
As the light flashed green, they continued walking. Just as they reached the end of the traffic junction, Eiji popped this question.
"Don't lie to me Fujiko…Is it because you like Tezuka buchou and can't bear to have him leave? Is that why you're behaving like this?"
Stunned that Eiji had guessed his exact sentiments, Fuji froze on the spot as his brilliant blue eyes snapped wide open and looked into Eiji's worry filled ones.
He watched as Eiji's eyes widened when he caught sight of the car that was nearing Fuji and realized with horror that the lights meant for the vehicles had turned green, even though Fuji was still standing on the road.
Fuji turned in time to see the driver frantically breaking.
But time, apparently, was not on his side.
It hit him before his brain registered enough information to move his legs.
There was a loud bang that accompanied the impact.
He remembered flying a short distance, landing forcefully on his back, hitting his head hard.
But all he thought at that moment was, "I hope Tezuka's coat isn't damaged…" before he drifted into the abyss of darkness.
/thethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutloveis\
He saw nothing for a while, just darkness; emptiness.
Then, light poured into his line of vision and he was once again on the tennis courts of Seigaku.
But, something was different.
He looked around.
With a sweep of his ever so sharp eyes, he immediately knew what was wrong.
Actually, there wasn't anything wrong. It was just that Tezuka was missing.
With an ache in his heart, he recalled that Tezuka had left for Germany.
He stepped forward, and slipped.
He landed on the ground hard.
He looked up when a hand appeared in front of him, offering help.
His eyes opened with sudden force.
The hand belonged to Tezuka.
He reached out to take it.
But it drifted further and further as he moved his own hand nearer and nearer to grab Tezuka's; grab it and never let it go again.
He gave a cry of alarm as Tezuka slowly faded into the background, and his hand grabbed nothing but thin air.
"No, don't go. Wait for me… Tezuka! Come back!" The words seemed cold and flat as they spilled from his lips.
He looked down. There was water on his hand as he held it below his face.
They were tears, he noted with surprise.
With a start, he recalled the lyrics of a certain song he'd heard somewhere, sometime ago.
Love blinds you, and unwinds you.
Love will forsake you, threaten to break you.
His vision blurred as the meaning behind the lyrics sank into his mind and the tears flowed like raindrops during a storm.
He heard his name being called.
He tried his best to open his tear filled eyes, but the lids were so heavy.
Was it Tezuka calling him? Was he back?
His lids opened slowly as his vision cleared.
/thethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutloveis\
"Eiji…"
/thethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutlovethethingaboutloveis\
hitsugayasugar desu: "Hontoni daijoubu desu, shinpainai" roughly means "I'm really ok, don't worry". Gomen ne, my romanisation might be a little off.
PS: Minna! Thank you for your support as usual! Remember to click on that submit review button to tell me what you think about this chapter ne! See you soon! (:
vierblith - -sings-ooh ooh ooh love is in the air! hahahah yes I totally loved the part where Tezuka put the glove on for Fuji, I sat there picturing the perfection of that scene as I typed it.. heh heh Eiji is actually the best character for me to write.. his personality is so open and cheerful :D Kawaii ne! But burningg LOVE is always TezukaFuji. They are considered a whole. Must not be separated...or else..someone will have to pay... -evil glint in eyes-
MidnightSunrise951 - aww arigatou ne! I'm so glad you like it -sends you colourful balloons- and of course! I heart TezuFuji! If you're in approval of more TezuFuji moments, say aye! -winks-
1FujiEijiLover - Thanks for the support ne! I'm glad you'll continue! I will definitely make sure you won't regret it :D -huggles-
Ketchup for Blood - Hahaha WARI NE! I think too much TezukaFuji fries my brain and makes me go off course once in a while! thanks for the constructive criticism ne! I will do my best woohoo! hope this chapter's better? tell me ok:D
Animestar73 - OMG hahahah that would have been great, wouldn't it! If Tezuka had just banished his morals and ravished Fuji heh heh... but if I do write a sequel and do "ravishing", ooh I might just get a nosebleed. I'd better tone down my thoughts.. -hides in corner and grows mushrooms- As usual, hope you like this chap.. will do my best to make sure this lives up to expectations ne:)
Okinneko - Woohoo thanks for liking that chap! I thought it was too angsty for its own good.. :) hahah anyway here's that update you wanted.. hope you enjoyed it! heh heh don't worry too much for Syuu-chan.. it's going to be Tezuka's turn to suffer soon... OHH CAN'T SAY ANYMORE! -drags myself away-
Kiari - hearts you for thinking it was sweet since I really thought it was beyond angsty. hope you liked this chap :D look out for more won't you!
