Painless

Summary: Fuji is 'Pain' and Atobe is 'Agony'. Their target is Tezuka Kunimitsu. But will their love for him get in the way? Or is it love for each other?

Warnings: Shounen-ai

Pairings: Atobe/Fuji, Tezuka/Fuji, slight Yuki/Fuji, super slight Fuji/Ryoma

Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis is not mine.

Did you like the last chapter? This chapter is kind of cool, too. As I said before, Ryoma comes in in this chapter. So please read, review, and enjoy!


Chapter 8: Helpless

Yukimura stared out the window of his room. His surgery had been a success, but his team hadn't won the tournament, and it had been partially Fuji's fault. But he wasn't about to do anything to the poor tensai. He would've probably done the same thing if he had been in his place, anyway. The tensai was now on the plane to visit his target for one last time. For an angel, it was like being on death row. And Yukimura sympathized with him. After all, the same thing had happened to him with his last target. It seemed like almost every angel was a victim of love, and Fuji and Atobe certainly could not escape it, not matter how proficient they were.

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Fuji slammed down the shade on the airplane. He was seated at the back of the plane, next to a sleeping Ryoma Echizen. The rest of the team was scattered across the plane, since it was pretty big. The flight was long, around ten hours and Fuji wondered if Ryoma was going to sleep the entire way there. Of course, the team had decided to seat the two shortest people together. Not that Fuji was complaining; he was quite fond of the tiny first year. Only in a matter of hours, he would be gone.

Fuji began to shiver uncontrollably. He wasn't cold; it was a type of shiver that people got when they were nervous or scared. He buried his head in his hands, trying to stop trembling, in fear of waking Echizen.

"Fu—Fuji-sempai." Too late. Fuji didn't show his face. "Fuji-sempai, what's wrong?" Still, Fuji didn't look up. Suddenly, skinny arms embraced him. Fuji stopped quivering. Echizen's arms stayed wrapped around him. Fuji looked up and smiled a teary smile.

"Ryoma, please don't forget me…" Fuji said, hugging the younger boy back. Ryoma probably didn't have any idea what his sempai was talking about, but Fuji didn't stop talking. "Don't forget about me once I'm gone. I don't want to leave you, but I have no choice…"

"Fuji-sempai, you make it sound like you're going to die or something," Echizen said. Fuji laughed wryly, and it was almost inaudible. He seemed so innocent, so clueless. It was cute to see Ryoma like that. If only he knew. Fuji wondered what Ryoma would think if he knew what his sempai was talking about. They stayed like that for the rest of the plane ride.

"I'm glad you came, everyone," Tezuka said as he welcomed them off of the bus. Fuji looked at Tezuka and smiled as their eyes met. It would probably be the last true smile he would give Tezuka.

"Hello, Tezuka," Fuji said. "Can I speak with you in private for a little while?"

"Sure," Tezuka replied. They walked over to the porch of the rehabilitation center. It was a sunny day, in Germany. The wind was blowing gently, perfectly accompanying the sun. The pair stood like that for a while, simple standing there staring into the city. There was a comfortable silence, not at all awkward or stiff, and all Fuji could hear was the whistling of the birds and the rustle of the leaves on the deciduous trees surrounding them.

Tezuka was the first to break the silence, with his stoic, serious way. "What do you want to talk about?"

Fuji walked up to Tezuka and wrapped his arms around him, hugging him fiercely and catching Tezuka off guard. Tezuka patted Fuji's back, though he had no idea what was the cause of this sudden display of affection. He felt that Fuji needed him, he didn't feel like he was being very helpful, just standing there. Tezuka wasn't good at this…comforting stuff. Fuji didn't seem to mind, though. "Goodbye, Tezuka," he whispered. "My stay on this world is over."

"What is this all about, Fuji?" Tezuka asked. Fuji reluctantly pulled away.

"It's time," he said. The wind blew strongly, rather suddenly, and Fuji floated a little off of the ground. He cleared his mind and felt peaceful; the same feeling people get when they know that it's there time to leave Earth. He closed his eyes and embraced the warm air.

"Fuji!" Tezuka shouted. Fuji stayed in the exact position, not flinching a millimeter at the sound of his name being called. "Fuji!"

"What's all the—Fuji-sempai!" Ryoma said as he walked on to the porch. Fuji's eyes snapped open at the new voice. He saw Ryoma, looking shocked, and completely astonished at the sight of his sempai. The peaceful mask flowed over Fuji's face again.

"You promised not to forget me, Ryoma," Fuji said quietly. "Please, keep your promise." The whole porch seemed to start spinning, though in reality, it wasn't. Tezuka and Ryoma, though, could barely keep on their own feet. They clutched the railing for balance, but the ground wouldn't stop shaking.

The goddess of the love affairs, Kitka appeared again. She was dressed in black cloth, the color of the midnight sky. Fuji could almost see the stars on it. It contrasted with her pale blonde hair, and Fuji didn't think it fit her caring nature. He knew she didn't like the job she had, but he also knew that she didn't have a choice; the gods had chosen it for her because they thought that she would be the only one capable of handling something to tear-jerking. "To make a long story short, Fuji Syusuke is an angel. He has broken one of the most important angel laws, not to love," she explained briefly. "Therefore, he must return to the heavens."

Tezuka looked shocked. "F—Fuji, were you…in love with me?"

Fuji laughed, rather sardonically. "It was someone else…" He looked off into the direction of Japan.

"Syusuke!" A shout. Fuji opened his eyes and whipped his head around again. A familiar face was there, surrounded by shining silver hair. Was Fuji again in a dream?

"Keigo!" Fuji called back. He could barely be heard over the roaring wind that had suddenly appeared. It was a miracle that Tezuka and Ryoma managed to stay standing. They were nearly blown off their feet. Atobe, without thinking, flew over to Fuji.

"You too?!" Tezuka shouted. But Fuji and Atobe were obviously not listening to him. Ryoma remained silent, still shocked.

"What's happening?" Atobe asked.

"I kissed you…I broke an angel law, and I have to be separated from you, therefore returning to the heavens," Fuji stated simply, though the answer was strained. The wind was still blowing terribly hard, and it didn't look like it would quiet down anytime soon. It was swirling around only one thing, Fuji.

The sky unexpectedly turned bright, almost blending in with the clouds. The wind grew louder, nearly deafening the five of them, and the sky was only getting brighter, the brightest around Fuji. Finally, it was so bright that none of them could see anything around them.

It happened all at once. Atobe, Tezuka, and Ryoma watched helplessly as Fuji seemed to disintegrate along with Kitka. The light and wind went along with them, and everything turned back to its normal, silent way. But instead of the peaceful comfortable silence that was there before, it was a still, stuffy silence. Atobe, Tezuka, and Ryoma felt like they were trapped in a world of nothingness, though there were clearly trees and other living things around them. Fuji blew his last kiss to all three of them, and he disappeared. Completely. "Please don't forget me…"

A cry of "Fuji!", "Fuji-sempai!", and "Syusuke!" could be heard throughout the rehabilitation center. It had been the most painful thing that the three of them had witnessed in their lives. Including Tezuka.

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Yukimura Seiichi whipped the curtains shut. He fell onto his bed and held his head in his hands. He had been staying inside his room for the past ten hours, not leaving it until Fuji Syusuke had left for the heavens. And he hand finally left. Yukimura disappeared in a blue flame and followed him.

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Jiroh Akutagawa smiled. His mission was accomplished, and he felt good. But something kept nudging his heart. Was it a feeling of…guilt? Jiroh's smile quickly faded into a frown. He would no doubt be receiving harsh treatment from Fuji for the rest of his life. And if you know Fuji, harsh can mean REALLY HARSH.


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Next chapter: Find out what happens to Fuji, Yukimura, Jiroh, and the humans!