Letters Chapter 7

Disclaim: I do not own Prince of Tennis…

Warnings: Angst, drama. Will be BL in the future.

11-29-11

Tezuka,

Hey, how are you? Happy to report that everything is fine here. Also we were able to go to Fuji's again today. I think his mom trusts us enough to allow us over every Tuesday, which is good because I think Fuji really enjoys the company. And of course we're ecstatic just to see Fuji, even though he was resting most of the time we were there because he wasn't feeling very well. I have to admit I still get a bit nervous when I see Eiji hug Fuji though… he just looks so frail…gosh don't tell him I said that he'll be so mad! I talked to Eiji about it and he told me it was fine, that Fuji likes to be touched…I really didn't know what to think of that, but Eiji explained it to me…he said it because Fuji never liked people tiptoeing around him in the first place and now that he's suddenly so sick, we've all been treating him like he's too fragile to touch…and that was wrong. I knew immediately he was right. Sometimes Eiji really is wise beyond his years. We're all still learning though right?

Ps. Plans for your return party are in the works! I figured Kawamura's restaurant as usual? Is that okay?

Sincerely, Oishi Shuichiro.

Tezuka too was surprised by the hyperactive acrobat's attunement to Fuji's feelings. He was sure that the blue-eyed genius had never shared his dissent about the way everyone was acting, yet the boy had figured it out and that was surely a feat to be proud of. Tezuka vaguely wondered if Fuji's younger brother had also come to a similar realization, no doubt it would delight Fuji. Tezuka composed his reply, agreeing to Oishi's placement for the reunion before closing his laptop.

(11-30-11)

Tezuka

Oh gosh, I just heard from Yuuta-kun that Fuji was admitted into the hospital, he told me it was just as a precaution but…I mean we just visited Fuji yesterday, and he seemed okay… I-I just can't believe this… I'm sorry I must be freaking you out, hopefully I'm just worry too much as usual…So what I heard is that Fuji started running a pretty bad fever last night and when it didn't subside by this afternoon they decided to take him in… I hope it's nothing too bad he's already so sick… And although it seems strange I've heard it's actually bad for cancer patients on chemotherapy to stay in the hospital because of the exposure to other illnesses… I'm just praying everything is fine but Yuuta-kun seemed pretty flustered, I think he's still stuck a St. Rudolph. I can't imagine being stuck at school if my sister were in the hospital… Yuuta-kun told me he would tell me as soon as he knew anything else…and I'll make sure to pass the information along.

Worried, Oishi

Tezuka's heart clenched as he read over the words before him. And suddenly he wished he could hear the tensai's voice, not strained and fraught with sickness and fatigue, but his usual calm, melodious, and cunning tone. He had never realized how much he truly took for granted his friend's health until now. With a sigh Tezuka wrote back to Oishi reaffirming Fuji's strength, on the inside, however, the subtle question as to the verity of that statement had Tezuka uneasy. Fuji's condition just seemed to be deteriorating further every day. Shaking the negative thoughts from his mind he concluded his message and quickly left for class.

When he returned home at the end of the day he had mail awaiting his attention. It was from Fuji Yuuta.

Tezuka-buchou,

Oishi-senpai told me he already told you what happened, but Aniki would have my head if I didn't tell you as well, besides I have new news. So, yeah, he was taken to the hospital, I'm not exactly sure what happen because I was at school but my mom said that he had a really high fever since last night and she called the doctor and they said to take him to the hospital. When I got there Aniki's fever was already breaking. The doctor said he'd be fine, but that his blood pressure was a bit low so they're going to be keeping him over night for that, and to make sure the fever doesn't come back as soon as the medicine wears off. He probably won't be able to contact you guys for a while; I already know our mom is going to force him to stay in bed as soon as he gets home too. I'll contact you again if anything changes.

Fuji Yuuta

An unfamiliar feeling welled within Tezuka, one he had never before experienced and found quite unpleasant; dread. Never one to be impatient, oddly Tezuka found he couldn't wait for tomorrow to come, to hear that Fuji was doing okay and back at home. It was still hard to comprehend the tensai being so ill it required hospitalization, especial because he couldn't actually see the boy. Fuji had always been healthy, small but mysteriously strong, and overall able to care for himself. That night Tezuka went to sleep with these new emotions flickering within his soul, making for quite the restless slumber.

12-2-11

It wasn't until after school on Friday that Tezuka received mail from Yuuta confirming that Fuji had indeed been released from the hospital and was now recovering at home. Yet as much as Tezuka had been looking forward to this news he couldn't seem to lose the negative emotions lingering in the back of his mind; the longing to visit Fuji in person, progressively transforming into a need. Only two more weeks he reminded himself.

(12-4-11)

The sun was hardly rising in Germany when Tezuka picked up his phone; it would already be early afternoon in Japan, a good time to get a hold of the blue eyed prodigy. Over the past few days getting ahold of Fuji had proven to be an impossibility and Tezuka could only hope everything was okay.

The call took a while to connect and when it was finally received the voice that greeted him was familiar yet wrong.

"Hey," Fuji's younger brother answered, "Sorry Aniki can't talk right now, so I'm…" the boy suddenly paused and Tezuka could faintly hear another voice drifting into the receiver. Then Fuji Yuuta's voice began again, this time quieter and obviously not directed at Tezuka. "Mom said you have to rest…" Through his words it became apparent Fuji was the distractor, trying to commandeer the mobile no doubt. "Che, whatever. Stupid Aniki, I won't apologize to him if you fall asleep again." Tezuka heard the younger brother mumble as his voice moved away from the phone and was followed by the soft click of a door only seconds later.

"Tezuka?" Finally Fuji's voice filled Tezuka's ears, and after a short acknowledgment from him, Fuji spoke again, "Maa…sorry about that. Yuuta was being stubborn, he's been hording my phone all day." At the boy's explanation Tezuka wondered if it was all for the best, his friend's voice was drawn with fatigue, low and brittle, and for a second Tezuka wondered if it hurt to speak.

"How are you feeling?" He had to ask, as much as his mind chastised him for such a redundant question.

At least Fuji didn't seem to mind, for he answered, "Hmm…Honestly? I've seen better days," his answer was vague but more truthful than anything Tezuka could have ever hoped to pry out of him back in middle school. "Sorry about not calling, if you're taking the initiative must be pretty worried, or perhaps Oishi got to you?" The tensai tried to chuckle but faltered after several seconds and the light laugh turned into a stifled moan. Before the words even had a chance to form on Tezuka's tongue dial tones replaced Fuji's side of the conversation.

Tezuka wouldn't say that he was panicking, yet the sudden impromptu ending to their conversation paired with the weakness evident in his friend voice and the resent unplanned hospital stay had his heart thudding a bit too quickly in his chest, mind a bit too frantic to claim himself calm. Opting to glare at the mobile device in his hand rather than think of the possible reasons for the lost call, he wondered if it would be appropriate to call back. Or perhaps it would be wiser to simply leave the boy to rest. The stronger part of him yearned to ensure that the tensai was okay; he supposed he could always call Yuuta. Before he had time to debate any further his phone rang. With one swift fluid movement the cell-phone was against his ear once more, "Fuji?"

"Unn…sorry…" impossibly Fuji's voice was exhausted further, his tone flat and breathing heavy. Giving Tezuka the unnerving suspicion that he knew what had befallen the blue eyed boy earlier. Fuji's next words confirmed it. "Saa, I haven't even eaten anything… and my stomach's upset…So much for my immunity… to Inui's Juice, ne?" The boy tried to joke, but the mirth was lost under heavy layers of weariness and real chagrin.

"Fuji you should get some rest," Tezuka stated, his mind barely able to stay focused as it barreled through the lament over Fuji's poor health.

"Mmh, okay captain," Fuji mumbled, he now sounded a bit incoherent, "Oh, one more thing Tezuka… can you call Eiji and tell him I'll be fine, or Oishi's fine too if you feel uncomfortable… I bet they're freaking out…" the boy's voice was fading now, "Call them, ne. I'll go now." His last words were nearly a whisper, and Tezuka quickly threw in a "Feel better soon," before ending the call. The former captain took a few minutes to calm his thoughts before he gave Oishi a call.

(12-6-11)

Hey Tezuka, I don't know why I always feel like talking to you in the middle of the night on Tuesdays XD I have to tell you though; Yuuta did the sweetest thing yesterday! He left me a gift before he went back to school, I think he was too shy to give it to me in person, but that's what makes him adorable. It was a hat; he knew I was feeling a bit self-conscious about my hair…it's all gone now… but he bought me one! The funny thing is he probably got it last week but I think I was supposed to be adjusting to my new look before trying to hide it. Over the weekend I told him I did mind being bald but it made my head cold so I think that's what gave him the courage to finally hand it over XD I'm so happy! I'm going to wear it every day!

In other news Taka-san, Inui, and Kaidoh came over with Oishi and Eiji today. It was a nice change from just having my mom here all day, she's amazing an everything but sometimes her attentiveness is a little intoxicating, although Oishi doesn't really help with that XD It was good to see everyone though, especially because tomorrow is not going to be very fun, but we're two more days closer to your return so I have that to look forward too. :]

Fuji Syusuke

(12-7-11)

Tezuka had to do a double take at the clock to ensure himself that he had indeed read the device correctly, and as he expected it still read six thirty in the evening. Which meant it was already two thirty in the morning Japan time and was way past any reasonable hour Fuji should be up talking on the phone, yet he was calling.

Tezuka posed his question through his tone, "Fuji?" strict yet inquiring, a hidden message, 'It's late, what's going on, are you okay?' posed in a single word.

"…I'm sorry Te-" a sudden gasp cut off Fuji before he could finish his words, and Tezuka was on edge, it was clear Fuji was having a very bad night. "Tez-ka" the boy breathed heavily as if speaking were a monstrous task. Tezuka couldn't fathom why he would be calling now then it was beyond clear that he should be resting. "Sorry to bother you…But I can't sleep…Everyone's…" Fuji huffed again and now Tezuka was certain it was due to pain, "…Asleep already. I just need s-something… to distract me for a while…" He concluded weakly, crippling Tezuka's heart with remorse.

Without hesitation Tezuka replied, "You are never a bother, what can I do?" listening with bated breath, through Fuji's muffled pants for direction.

"Thank yo-" the blue eyed boy choked again, this time his breath transforming into a frail groan, "A-ah…t-this is terrible…" Fuji's voice was trembling with exhaustion and pain, Tezuka's heart pounding with worry.

"What's wrong?" Tezuka asked gently, hardly able to handle hearing his friend in such anguish.

"It hurts…My whole body hurts…" was Fuji's whispered response, "Just please distract me…j-just talk or something…T-tell me about your day…" When the tensai gasped again Tezuka had his phone in a death grip, his mind racing. Frantically he tried to think of what meaningless trivial he had learned in class today.

"We learned about German immigration policy in history today," the bespectacled teen announced stiffly feeling ridiculously inadequate. But when Fuji hummed in encouragement he continued, recalling as many details on the subject that he possibly could, even offering his own perspective on some points. Fuji remained mostly silent thought out the lengthy speech, his heavy erratic breathing muffled, probably by a pillow or blanket, Tezuka surmised.

When Fuji finally began to settle down, and was longer gasping in pain every few minutes, Tezuka was enormously relieved. Still, however, continued his meaningless account of nearly every aspect of German politics that he knew. It was not until he began to deplete his knowledge pool, after nearly an hour, that he ventured to question his friend, "Are you feeling any better?"

Fuji took a while to answer and Tezuka wondered if perhaps the tensai had fallen asleep, which he wouldn't consider a bad thing in the slightest. Eventually, however, the sickly teenager spoke up, "Yeah…" his voice was nothing more than an airy whisper, easily something Tezuka's mind could have dreamt up in his ramped concern. "I think the medicine's starting to take affect now...mn." Fuji muttered drowsily, "If I had known you were such an avid talker I wou-" his words hitched for a second and he took a sharp breath, "…have called sooner…" the boy continued breathlessly.

"Even I can talk for a long time, if it's something I'm interested in," Tezuka replied, judging by the sound of Fuji's voice that he wasn't quite okay yet.

"You really like history right? And some people h-have the nerve to say you only think about tennis." Fuji tried to laugh but it was brittle and worn down.

"And you," Tezuka added quietly, a bit timidly. Never one to be termed romantic he felt rather awkward saying his thoughts out loud.

"Huh…?" The tensai paused for a second then seemed to understand Tezuka's train of thought, "Oh, should I take that…as a compliment?" The blue eyed boy's voice was becoming increasingly weary, but he sounded happy and that was more than Tezuka had hoped for.

"Let me talk for a little while longer, you try to rest," Tezuka ordered softly, pleased when Fuji complied easily with only a quiet hum of agreement.

Tezuka began again, this time talking about the various people he had met at school and in the tennis circuit. At first Fuji offered soft mutterings of acknowledgment but his words and died away quickly, silence filling the other end within minutes. Once it became clear that Fuji was no longer awake Tezuka offered a hushed, "Sleep well Fuji," before hanging up the phone.

(12-8-11)

On Thursday Tezuka had two messages awaiting his attention,

Tezuka, thank you for yesterday…really. I'm sorry you had to experience that, it wasn't one of my best days. I'm feeling better today, but just a little tired. I'll try to save the rest of my phone calls for the weekend. I know you don't have much time during the weekdays, I hope you were able to finish all your homework yesterday…? Well I'll go before I start to type gibberish, my heads a little fuzzy still. .

Fuji Syusuke

Tezuka,

How are you? I hope you are doing well, everyone's a bit down around here after we lost to Rikkaidai in the regional tournaments. I have to admit it wasn't that much of a surprised, practice was important but we all had other things to worry about… I think tennis kinda became a stress reliever for a while… But with Christmas, break, and your return to look forward to, I think everyone is starting to come around. :] We still have a lot of time and we won't lose next time. It's a promise.

Ps. I'm still trying to work something out that will get everyone together. It seems Echizen is also coming back for Christmas so that should work out perfectly. The only one I'm really stuck on is Fuji… I don't know whether he's up for so much… well energy…to put in nicely; or if his mother would even allow him to go out. Maybe it would be better if you just went to visit him alone or maybe with just a few of us… I'll talk to him about it. Tell me if you have any special requests or suggestions and I'll do my best to make everything work out :]

Your Friend, Oishi Shuichiro

I hope you enjoyed chapter seven, look forward to the next chapter when Tezuka finally returns to Japan! :D

On another note I just wanted to thank everyone for the wonderful reviews. It makes me so happy to know that people are actually interested in my story! I hope you continue to enjoy it and I'm proud to announce that this story is now completely written. So we won't have to worry about that stubborn little thing called writers block anymore. Look forward to updates soon :]