So this chapter is a bit longer than the others because I haven't been updating in a while and I feel guilty about it. (..and partly because there's no way to cut it without breaking the mood..)

Fuji warns though that thou shall read the whole chapter before reviewing. Otherwise, he'll come and pay you some visit. (…despite how I insisted on telling him that you guys wouldn't mind at all….in fact you'd most likely love it.)

Anyway, go ahead and read. That's exactly what you're here for, isn't it?

DISCLAIMER: Why am I writing this? Right. Because I don't own Prince of Tennis.

Oishi fought hard not to sniffle when he found out later that afternoon that Fuji was already back. Not that he was trying to be unemotional. It's just that, crying in front of the whole Seigaku women population doesn't look so cool considering the position he's holding. He might be soft. But he's still a man. And men, if not all, desire to be the coolest person in front of a lady, regardless of who she might be. Crying isn't cool. At least that was how he saw it.

The whole tennis club lined-up in front of coach Ryuzaki, who was then happier to know that their prodigy is back. Now everything might just be back to normal like the way it should.

Save for the fact that their captain was nowhere to be found.

Coach Ryuzaki looked around the area and sighed in exasperation. She knew Fuji was popular. But as popular as this? She examined the four corners of the tennis court they were occupying and heaved a sigh.

"Alright….This is a short notice, but we'll have to cancel today's practice as well." she started, smiling as his team sighed in relief. "First years remain for the clean-up, others go home. Regulars…do as you wish except for games."

Most of the members immediately fled the scene, apparently too uncomfortable being at the center of attention to a flock of women looking at their direction. Oishi led the regulars outside of the court. He thought it was the perfect time to talk to Fuji about everything.

"Wait Fuji…" Coach Ryuzaki called out. She gestured Oishi and the others to leave, which the team immediately obeyed.

"Yes coach.."

Coach Ryuzaki nodded a direction towards the women outside the court. "Do take care of them. I know you don't like it, but don't forget that you're partly to blame for all that has been happening. Just…make them go away….then go home."

Fuji sighed. "Alright."

Their coach tapped him on the shoulders before making her way out. Fuji breathed deeply before he put up his ever sweet, convincing, fabricated smile and faced his 'angels'; all the while fighting the urge to make them run laps until their brains lose enough oxygen to forget they ever knew him.

Fuji loves to be loved. But only if he likes those persons as well. Other than that, it's plain nuisance.

"I understand what you mean and the answer is no." Yukimura said, arms crossed against his chest while leaning against the main door of the Rikkaidai clubroom from the inside. If he wants to turn this conversation in favor of him, he has to make sure both Sanada and Tezuka don't leave the place.

"I don't want to sound so imposing, Seiichi. But the matter I need to discuss is between me and Sanada alone. It's private and I don't think-"

"No Tezuka you don't get it." Yukimura cut him off. "I don't give a damn if it's private or if you think that this is a violation of your privacy. The point here is, I'm considering this conversation as a breach to our teams classified intel." he continued, darting a look at Tezuka then at Sanada to make sure they understand. "Which means, I couldn't allow you to proceed without my presence."

Sanada just looked down, which to Yukimura was good. At least he agrees on what he just said. Tezuka on the other hand looked at him in amused disbelief. Yukimura didn't like that and fought it with a frown. He feels powerful frowning at people. Because every time he does, everyone takes him seriously and eventually end up doing exactly what he wants.

Yet no matter how good he is at frowning, if he's facing the king of frowns, then it'll never work.

"I'm sorry Seiichi, but I still don't understand what you're-."

"You're spying on us." Seiichi declared as if what he said was a fact as obvious as the taste of sugar.

Tezuka gaped. Spying? Him? At Rikkaidai? No way!

"I'm not." he said with smirk, not knowing if he'll laugh or get annoyed with the idea itself. "No look….this is outrageous…"

"Whatever. I'm staying here. Right where I'm standing. Now you want to talk? Go ahead. Pretend I'm not here and discuss whatever you have to."

Tezuka massaged his temples. This was really outrageous. Since when did a personal business become an act of spying? And just how the hell would he pretend that Yukimura wasn't there after all the accusations he said? Tezuka knew he can deal with difficult personalities, but not entirely well when it's someone intelligent who's trying to be stupid. And Yukimura was just being like that right now. Successfully.

"Yuki-"

"No arguments Tezuka. I'm not going to negotiate."

"Who's trying to negotiate? I just want to have some time where I can-"

"Enough." Yukimura commanded. "I've set up my perimeters, now if you don't agree, you better leave."

Tezuka would have wanted to protest, but Sanada stopped him. "It's alright Tezuka. You can tell me right here."

"No."

Yukimura rolled his eyes. "Now look who's trying to be difficult. You're only making me believe even more that the information you have can jeopardize – "

Tezuka glared at him. Yukimura stopped talking.

"Fine. You want it here then fine." Tezuka said. He was tired of beating around the bush. He was just trying to be a bit considerate for asking that they discuss personal things in private, but if these people are taking none of it then it's not his problem anymore.

He faced Sanada and glared at him. Sanada didn't flinch and kept his eyelevel with the Seigaku captain.

"This isn't a warning, but if you try doing that again to Fuji I'm not sure you'll be receiving another visit from me before I tell your coach."

Sanada slowly shook his head. "It was nothing."

"It was something." Tezuka corrected.

"You're misinterpreting things, Tezuka. Fuji made the first move. All I did was to make sure he doesn't feel bad about his advances not being repaid." Sanada said, not breaking eye contact with Tezuka. "I may not know him well enough, but I do realize he's not someone you'll be happy to mess up with."

Tezuka regarded Sanada in indifference but with a pang of anger seeping through the confines of his emotional barricade. How dare he act like nothing happened.

"And besides….." Yukimura started.

Tezuka willed himself to turn to Yukimura. Half-knowing what he was about to say judging from the knowing smile that graced his lips.

"Sanada is all mine."

Again that confident tone.

"You knew."

Yukimura shrugged. "Well…..it's not like anyone can hide anything from Renji without me knowing."

"And you just said I was the one spying."

Yukimura smiled. "It's hardly spying when you're doing it on a teammate. Fuji just happened to be there. He was a coincidental variable."

Tezuka held his breath, trying his best not to forget that the people he was talking to were the captain and the vice-captain of one of the strongest tennis clubs in the country and not morons. The longer he stays inside their clubroom, the more it's becoming difficult to believe so. He turned his attention back to Sanada.

"If it was nothing, then leave Fuji alone. He's staying at Seigaku. I'll make sure of it myself."

Sanada nodded. Yukimura moved away from his position to open the door. Tezuka understood and started his way out. Just as he took a step out of the room, he stopped and turned back to glare at Sanada.

"And Sanada….I hope you don't mind, but it's best if you get yourself a phone." Tezuka said in a tone bordering from annoyance and slight anger.

The vice-captain gave a small smile. "I'm sorry Tezuka, but I don't think I'll ever need one."

Tezuka sighed. Whatever.

And then he left.

Fuji turned on the television and switched through the channels. He has no plans of watching anything in particular. What he wanted was a diversion to make sure his mind doesn't wander off to a certain person who doesn't seem to be any grateful of his presence earlier at school.

He finished sorting out all channels but found nothing entertaining enough to make him stop thinking. Fuji tried the sports channel and rolled his eyes when a tennis match was ongoing. He switched to History channel only to be welcomed by a biographical movie of Osamu Tezuka's life. After few more switch, Fuji decided to give up and turned off the T.V.

He laid down on the sofa of their living room and picked up his phone. He has to call somebody.

Shiraishi answered on the fourth ring.

"F-Fuji….h-hey…" Shiraishi said almost in a whisper.

Fuji frowned at the tone. It annoyed him. Plus the fact that he can actually hear some audible gasps and groans from the other line.

"Am I….disturbing something?.." he asked, not particularly interested in Shiraishi's answer but more on somebody else's voice from the other line.

"N-no…of course n-" Shiraishi's words were cut off as it was replaced by a moan that escaped from his lips.

Fuji pulled the phone away from his ears and looked at it in disbelief. Did Shiraishi just moan? More importantly, is Shiraishi really having sex with someone?

"Shiraishi…Are you-"

"He'll call you back Fuji."

The line went dead.

Fuji gaped, pocketed his phone back, and pulled himself up to sit on the sofa. He recognized the voice. The same person who has been calling and lately 'hanging' out with Tezuka on those few occasions when the former had insisted of having an important visit in their region.

Chitose Senri.

He shook his head and sighed. Even if Shiraishi was indeed having a new love prospect, Fuji knew the other's life has nothing to do with him anymore. Their love story's over. It's obsolete and not renewable. Yet what was with this feeling of emptiness and slight contempt?

He sank down deeper on the sofa and allowed himself to think for the first time that day.

Yes, he admitted to himself. He was jealous. And angry.

But that was only because he feels more alone now that Shiraishi was finally moving on while he, for all the glory his mighty reputation is worth, remains single, and defeated, and heartbroken and everything else you can think about someone who isn't receiving the due amount of attention he deserves from the person whom he might just have been loving for the past years.

To Fuji, his own situation is embarrassing.

He glared at his own reflection on the T.V. screen.

"You deserve that for falling in love with the ice king, Syusuke Fuji." he said out loud.

The reflection that looked back at him was one he never thought he was capable of showing himself. Broken and tired. Broken from his own stupidity both from not knowing how he was falling in love with their captain and from receiving nothing in return. Tired from always being the one doing the chase without any guarantee that he'll ever catch what he was looking for.

A sudden thought pop out of his mind, and Fuji had to shift from his position so he could look at his own reflection from the T.V. properly. When he saw strength on the pair of eyes that glared back at him, Fuji smiled.

"Rikkaidai Fuzoku." he said. "You think so too, right?" he asked his reflection. "Right…..guess the planned transfer is after all the right decision."

Fuji snickered and stood up, hands on his waist. He knew coach Ryuzaki was just trying to help by agreeing on a conspiracy that would supposedly make Tezuka initiate the move and work things out for the two of them. His absence earlier was obviously a proof that he was not at least interested. It was disappointing but expected, and Fuji should have seen it coming. Perhaps he had, he just refused to concede when there's still the slightest chance that Tezuka would finally look at him not merely as a teammate, a genius teammate.

Fuji heaved a sigh.

"Alright Fuji Syusuke. This is it. You'll go to Rikkai and start all over again." he said to himself.

"And then what? Join their team and fight against us on the nationals?"

Fuji snapped his attention from the direction of the voice. He blinked at Tezuka's figure standing at the partition door of the living room and the staircase leading to the bedrooms upstairs. He frowned.

"How did you get in?" he asked, doubting the authenticity of Tezuka's explanation even before he hears it; all because Fuji knew he was currently alone at the house and that there's no way Tezuka could've broken the main door's locks. It was bolted from the insides after all, plus the recent digital configuration Yumiko had insisted on installing in case the manual bolts don't work.

Unless Tezuka had a spare key or knew the codes to unlock the door from the outside, there's absolutely no way he can enter the premise.

Tezuka took a step back peering on the main door where he just came in.

"The door's unlocked." he said, looking back at Fuji who was now on his side looking at the door. And frowning.

"I locked the door." Fuji insisted. He looked up at Tezuka and realized for the first time what the situation meant.

He was there. Standing in front of Tezuka whom he was just thinking a while ago. Frankly, this wasn't how Fuji wanted their first meet up after the recent controversies happened. In fact he was hoping, after Tezuka's absence earlier at practice, that they wouldn't have the chance to see each other again. Which was of course, impossible.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Fuji asked, strategically moving away and heading to the opposite direction where an adjoining glass door lead to the kitchen.

Tezuka followed.

Fuji opened the fridge and grabbed a can of cola for himself. He turned to Tezuka but refused to look at him directly on the eyes.

"I…we don't have tea. But I can prepare coffee if you like." he offered.

Tezuka placed his bag on one of the surrounding chairs of the glass dining table before facing Fuji.

"I'm fine." he said.

When no more words followed, Fuji opened his canned cola and drank from it. He refused to blush when he noticed how Tezuka 'stared' at him like how a painter does once he finished his masterpiece. Minus the smile.

"So why are you here?"

"To talk."

Fuji set aside the can of cola and faced his captain.

"Then talk."

"Coach Ryuzaki called me just as I was leaving from Rikkaidai. She said you came back."

"Wait. You went to Rikkaidai." Fuji said confirming what Tezuka said.

Tezuka nodded.

"What for?"

Tezuka adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat.

"To negotiate and tell them not to accept you in their team should you decide to go on with the transfer." he lied.

"You what?!"

"Yukimura gave me the assurance. You should be taking a long break from tennis if you leave Seigaku."

Fuji smirked, wanting to feel angry at Tezuka's words, but strangely feeling relieved at the knowledge that he didn't need to leave until graduation.

"You didn't do it." Fuji insisted, even though he had wanted to believe that somehow it was true and that Tezuka did it to make sure he stays because he finally realized Fuji's value more than that of being a genius player of the team.

"You can call them if you like."

Fuji shook his head. "Yukimura doesn't pick up calls from unidentified callers. He doesn't have my number." he said. "And Sanada doesn't have a phone."

An awkward silence passed before Tezuka decided to initiate the conversation he had been thinking for days, and which he planned to do at this visit.

"But I didn't come here to tell you about that Fuji." he started. "I came to tell you that I now agree to work things out for the both of us and make sure future damages are prevented."

Fuji raised a brow. He only understood one thing; that he was the cause of 'the' damages.

"I don't copy, I'm sorry."

Tezuka nodded and thought for a while. "I….agree to….go out…with you.."

Fuji gaped then smirked. "So that what? So that you can contain me and make sure your reputation stays clean and safe. I'm sorry but I think that's the biggest insult I've ever heard from you Tezuka."

"I'm serious."

"You're not."

"Yes Fuji. I am."

Fuji glared.

"Alright fine. I'm doing this because Inui gave me figures and told me that giving in to what you want is the best way to keep you from resorting to drastic actions." Tezuka said. "Now tell me if there's something wrong with that."

Fuji swallowed hard and looked away. He grabbed his can of cola and stared at it for a couple of seconds. "No…nothing's wrong. You're just doing your job."

He turned his back at Tezuka and finished his drink in one gulp. He slammed the can on the marble kitchen counter. "And I perfectly understand what you mean." he started.

"Fuji…"

"I'm staying at Seigaku. And I'm not going to do anything that would put you or the team in the bad light."

"That's not-"

"It's alright captain. Like I said you're just doing your job. Let's just say I'm doing my own share of responsibility from now on."

They both fell silent.

"If you don't have anything else to say, you may now go." Fuji said, not minding who he was talking to at all, nor trying to hide how he felt; disappointed and hurt.

"Not until you say yes to what I said."

Fuji spun around, frowning at Tezuka for his sick insensitivity of their situation. "Are you really that dense? You really think I'll date you just because you think it's the best way to stop me-"

"Fuji, listen." Tezuka cut him off. "…I lied."

The tennis genius gaped in disbelief and looked at Tezuka as if he just killed somebody.

Tezuka sighed and swallowed hard. He felt uneasy.

"I..uh…..saw you and Sanada the other night….." he started. "…and I…..don't particularly feel good about it.."

Now this is getting interesting. Wait. So Tezuka really did see him and Sanada kissing. How could he forget about it?

Fuji shook his head, trying to stay close as possible to facts and not letting his fantasies and hormones get the will out of him.

'Get a grip of yourself, Syusuke!..' he thought. 'Tezuka just said he didn't feel good. That doesn't mean he's jealous…..does he?'

Tezuka took few seconds to study Fuji's reaction, but when the latter refused to look at him, Tezuka decided to continue.

"Look…I'm not trying to meddle in with your affairs…I never did. But seeing you with someone….." Tezuka sighed as soon as the words fell out of his mouth. He knew his honesty's betraying him once again. "…..I don't…..I'm just….." Another sigh. "…I don't like the idea that you're kissing somebody else."

He said the words so Tezuka-like that Fuji had to finally look at him straight in the eyes to read the lies behind them. There were none. Uncertainty there is.

"Do you know what you're saying Tezuka.." Fuji said carefully, still gauging his captain's reactions.

"I do.."

"And the implications?"

Tezuka slightly shook his head. "It's…I'm aware that it's complicated."

"It is." Fuji agreed.

Another moment of silence passed.

It wasn't on Tezuka's original plan to actually tell Fuji about what he feels after the scene he saw the other night. He found no reason to. But it wasn't on his plan as well to make Fuji feel as if he was the only one who's at fault with the situation that happened at Seigaku.

"Tezuka?" Fuji started.

The stoic captain looked at him expectantly, as if Fuji had a better answer on what they should do about their awkward situation. Awkward because he couldn't distinctively identify how they both feel. Few minutes ago, Tezuka could vouch, Fuji's ready to kill him. Seconds after, he recognized the stark possibility of the tennis genius shedding some tears for reasons Tezuka had a hard time figuring out. And now….what?

"…Can you stay for the night?"

Tezuka opened his mouth and tried to say something, but he seemed to be unable to remember what he was about to say. When Fuji saw the hesitation and uneasiness, he waved a hand in dismissal.

"No….not that….We have a spare room for guests. You can use it." Fuji clarified sensing how Tezuka was reading too much between the lines. "I think…we need to discuss things."

Tezuka thought for a while before nodding in agreement. "I….need to call home." he said.

Fuji gestured his hand outside the kitchen. "The phone's on the living room table. The one beside the T.V."

"Thanks."

And then Tezuka went out.

Fuji followed Tezuka's figure until he dialed a number from the phone and started talking to the person on the other line. Fuji sighed and leaned against the marble kitchen counter.

'Oh god…' he thought. 'Is it finally happening?'

Fuji hoped so.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

*blinks twice*

So…..do I still have reasons to feel guilty?