Disclaimer: ...-blinks-...If I owned them, the manga would be in plastic wrap. And the anime sure as all Hell wouldn't be on CartoonNetwork/ToonamiJetstream ...which by the way, totally sucks in English T.T. HAVE YOU HEARD ATOBE'S VOICE?! IT'S. TERRIFYING.

AN: ...Please. Please don't kill me ;.; I've had the worst case of writer's block. And school xx -shudders at thought of Physics grade- ...Is this working for anything at redemption;;;;? I know I said this would be a Yuuta-based chapter...but Yuuta doesn't love me. So um...moving on...until I can get into character for him;;; ...Please don't kill me. -whimpers- ...Please don't kill me TT

There was a little girl who dreamt of fairy tales. She dreamt of a Happily Ever After.

She was a sweet little maid in a large castle, where there lived a King, his Queen, and their daughter. The Princess was the opposite of the maid--she looked down on her maids with a sneer, reminding them they had no place in society, and would never be near as beautiful or blessed as she. The maid paid little mind to the Princess. She knew her place, and it kept her happy just to have a shelter.

She had close friends among the other maids, but none noticed, that behind that sweet smile, would become a tainted, broken doll. The King had saved her from her poverty life, and it had filled her mind with naive dreams of fairy tales. When she slept at night, curled happily in her servant bed, she dreamt she was a princess. She dreamt she would encounter a knight in shining armour.

One day, she did. A Prince came to meet the Princess. He was her betrothed. The little maid girl ran away, to keep from leading herself astray. By the time she was found...it was too late. She lie torn in a ditch--maid's dress ruined, once perfect porcelian skin bruised and red, and honey curls astray.

The Princess paid her little mind--until she noticed her Prince taking care of the little maid girl. The Princess grew jealous, and took this as challenge. She competed for the Prince's attention, until she eventually drove herself mad. The Princess tied the little maid girl to a chair and hid her in a closet; taking her place under the blankets of the bed. That night, when the Prince came in to check on her and whispered soft reassurance, to whom he thought was his new maid friend, the little maid girl fell heartbroken that he hadn't been able to see past the Princess's mask.

The next day, the little maid girl questioned the Princess, but it got her no answers. Soon her broken heart turned into misery and misguidance. Her misguidance became the motive for revenge. One night she planned to kill the Princess, and then herself...she had it all planned out. She snuck into the room quietly, the only light a dying candle and crept towards the bed. The Princess called, asking if it was her Prince that graced her so late at night. Grief took over, and the once innocent maid girl began to suffocate the Princess. Just before she succeeded, she was thrown aside by a dark stranger. Fear set in, and she lashed out with a knife she'd found on the way in. When the rising sun flooded the window, the Prince lie in a pool of his own blood--the Princess beside him, the steel driven in her own heart, leaving the little maid girl shocked silent.

The little maid girl never spoke again, in fear of upsetting anyone. She withdrew from her friends and the King and Queen, least they put heavier blame on her. Her eyes remained on the ground for the rest of her life, until she eventually mislead herself to her demise...

There was a little girl who dreamt of fairy tales...she dreamt on and on, until eventually, her tale became a Grimm.

Tezuka did eventually get Fuji home safetly. They ended up taking the long way, as Fuji flat out refused to get on the train. The entire time, the tensai kept quiet, clutching the shoulder strap of his tennis bag with his left hand, while his right arm hung useless to his side. The minute they were in the house, Fuji kicked his shoes off and run up the stairs, locking himself in Tezuka's bedroom as though it were his own. He went straight for the bed, grabbed a pillow to bury his face in and screamed...and screamed, until his voice began to crack, and he broke into sobs. The pillow remained clutched to his body, as though it were the only thing keeping him sane, as he curled into a ball.

He could vaguely hear Tezuka knocking at the door, asking him to open the door, asking if he was alright, just trying to get some confirmation that the tensai was still at least in some form of reality. As a response, Fuji sat up, grabbed the spare pillow from it's resting place and threw it at the door as hard as he could with his left hand, yelling 'Go away!' before he threw himself back onto the bed in his curled up fetal position.

Of course he wasn't alright, why did his captain even bother asking? He was the only one that had see the tensai's body and he was asking if he was alright? Where was the logic behind that?! Fuji clutched himself tightly, in a feeble attempt of a self-comforting hug. It wasn't fair...it just wasn't fair.

Why him? Fuji shook, tears again threatening to start streaming down his face as he thought over what had happened only an hour, maybe two, earlier. Why did it have to be someone he knew? Someone that close? He'd known Saeki's family for so long...he never would have guessed something like this would happen. Maybe...he was just drunk that night... The tensai tried to rationalize things out to himself, but it only made it worse. He couldn't have been drunk...he'd remembered every word the fragile tensai had said that night, even if he didn't realize it. How else could he have found out about how his conversation had gone with Tezuka? How he had ended up in the red light district? No...it was him...and he'd meant to do it.

Questions continued flooding the confused teenager's mind, trying to grasp what had happened. He had heard stories of people being found after rape, how sometimes they went completely insane, how some committed suicide...how others turned into rapists themselves...and the one that scared him most, how some submitted willingly to the rape after it happened. He didn't want to be like that. He didn't want to be any of them, but most of all, he didn't want to submit to that fear. Finally the question that constantly drove him to the brink of madness returned.

Why me?

He wanted someone else to suffer...he couldn't explain why he did, but he wanted them to. He couldn't understand why he was targetting everyone closest to him, though, when he could easily sneak away to St. Rudolph or Hyoutei and take it out on Mizuki or Atobe. But, no. He had gone after Eiji...his best friend. He couldn't get the image of how terrified the acrobat looked out of his head. No matter how hard he tried, all he could see were the wide, terrified blue cat-eyes. And they reminded him of how he felt that night. How scared he had been, how confused...making Eiji the perfect target.

Absolutely delicious...don't you agree?

No...no, no, no, no! Fuji shook his head violently. Eiji was not the perfect target. No one was a target. Not Mizuki, not Atobe, and definitely not his team mates.

Just who do you think you're fooling? Revenge is a sweet dish best served cold. You've given them enough chances, why not?

No! At that point, the tensai was beginning to panic. The voice he kept hearing made much more sense than anyone around him, but it scared him. Him. The team sadist, that scared everyone with nothing more than a smile, or a mere, two second flash of his eyes! That just served as further proof, how far he'd fallen from his perch...he wasn't the best anymore.

You were never the best to begin with, though, were you?

No...no, I wasn't... That's right. Tezuka had always been better. No matter what, Tezuka was always one step ahead...grades...tennis...he was always ahead. It wasn't fair. Why couldn't he be the one going through this?

Well, why not?

Azure eyes snapped open, terrified. Tezuka wasn't a target. No...definitely not Tezuka. Tezuka was the light...the support...

The traitor.

"No he isn't!" Fuji clamped his hands tight over his ears for a moment, eyes clenching shut as he tried to block the voice. Tezuka wasn't a traitor...it wasn't his fault...I shouldn't have run off. He helped me...he found me...he's taking care of me...no one knows... No one...he's kept his promise.

Has he?

"Shut up!"

"Fuji?"

The tensai immediately went quiet, hands now clamped tight over his mouth. Tezuka hadn't heard him had he? He whimpered softly, trying to compose himself before answering, "H...Hai?"

"I made lunch, if you want any..."

Lunch? Fuji blinked, realizing that he hadn't eaten since Monday morning, aside from a small snack of wasabi-shrimp chips earlier that morning. Carefully, he stood, wiping at his eyes a couple of times and straightening himself before he peaked out the door. Confusion set in, and he stepped out of the room, looking around the hall. Tezuka was no where to be found...how odd. Taking it as a good sign, the tensai quietly snuck down to the bathroom and washed his face and hands to the best of his ability. He also took the chance to look over himself. His eyes were slightly red from the sobs, but had already begun to return to a clear colour after a few light splashes of water. His hair was dishelved from having curled on the bed and smothered his face in a pillow...that was easy to fix, though. His eyes slowly drifted to the reflection of his neck, and he timidly pulled down the collar of his shirt. The bruise was still a dark purple, but was at least starting to fade...at least he thought it was. It wasn't as dark as before, anyways.

Taking that as an even better sign, Fuji happily bound out of the bathroom and down the stairs towards the kitchen. Now that he'd been reminded of food, his stomach was scolding him. He couldn't allow that! Half giggling to himself, he skipped into the kitchen, just to stop short. Tezuka was calmly sipping at a cup of tea, ignoring the plate in front of him. Azure eyes opened in confusion as he tupped over quietly, as a child would if they suspected they would get in trouble for asking the wrong question, and carefully let his left hand rest against his captain's shoulder. Brown eyes glanced up, locking with blue only momentarily before shifting to the other side of the table. The tensai followed the glance and found a second plate of food.

Fuji nodded a mutual understanding and slid into the indicated seat, clasping his hands temporarily, muttering a quiet 'Itadakimasu.' before beginning to pick at the food. It was difficult using his left hand, and he soon found himself struggling to use his right hand. It wasn't any easier. Eventually, he gave up, set his chopsticks down in annoyance, and just stared at his plate in spite. This was what he would normally call Karma coming back to bite him in the ass...but at the moment, he was too frustrated to care. He was hungry, now that he'd been reminded he hadn't eaten in three and a half days. It wasn't fair.

Just before he could start complaining, he felt a pair of hands on his waist and yelped, trying to jump away. He was held firm and he looked up in terror. A comforting pair of brown eyes quietly told him to calm down...told him he was safe. Nothing was going to happen. Fuji untensed, allowing his captain to gently lift him from the chair. Confusion passed over the tensai's face as Tezuka sat down where he had previously been. He started to protest, to question, only to be pulled into the other's lap. Fuji blinked, cheeks taking a light pink colour, "Tezuka...?"

Tezuka didn't say anything. He simply picked up the pair of forgotten chopsticks, took up a small portion of rice and held it to his friend's lips. The colour darkened to a bright red, but Fuji complied, opening his mouth and allowing himself to be fed. It was embarassing to be fed like a child, but he didn't mind at the moment. He was safe, he was getting food, and soon it would be safe to relax. He liked the plan. The blush slowly left his cheeks as he grew accostumed to his new seat. At first, he squirmed--partially to get comfortable; partially from anxiety of being in a position he couldn't easily flee. Tezuka made no move to hold him still, though. He allowed the squirms, waiting until they had subsided to place his free arm around the frail waist to keep the tensai from falling, while the other continued moving back and forth from the plate to his friend's mouth.

After a while longer, he was smiling, quite happily, about his pampering treatment and snuggled back as far as he could into his captain's chest. He couldn't remember how long he'd dreamed of this...now that it was happening, he almost couldn't believe it. He certainly didn't want to believe why it was happening, but at least he had some comfort to hold onto.

Now that he'd thought about it, his mind drifted. Just how long had it been since he had begun to admire his captain beyond that of rivalry? No matter how he tried, though, he couldn't seem to pinpoint the exact or relative date...it seemed to blend in with his innocently rivaling admiration. He sighed softly, his mind trailing back to those days where it was so easy to blend into the team and admire at a safe distance. Back to when he wasn't worried about collapsing, or afraid to recieve hugs and tugs...back when he wasn't afraid to sleep. Now that he thought about it, he'd had day lapses at least four times that morning in less than two hours...what would happen when he finally curled up to sleep? He whimpered softly, forgetting where he was until he felt a soft hand on his cheek.

His reaction was the same as before. He yelped and jumped away, almost stumbling when he jumped up from the chair and turned. Tezuka stared at him, calmly, and slowly stood, putting a reassuring hand to his head, "I'm sorry." With that he went up the stairs.

Fuji donned a look of innocent confusion and quickly followed, scared almost. Tezuka had barely said three words to him since they'd been home, and though that was partially his own fault, he'd just completely left him alone.

"Tezuka--" He cut off with a soft cry, blue eyes widening in fear. "S...Saeki-sama... Wh...what are...where...where's Tezuka?"

Fuji backed up, feeling along the wall to keep his balance. The man advanced towards him, reaching out a hand, "Why worry about him? I can make the pain go away. Come in, from the rain."

Rain? What rain? Fuji blinked, suddenly aware that he was outside, in the middle of the street. Red lamps were all around him. Fear started setting in once more. He was back in the red light district. But that couldn't be right. He was in Tezuka's house...right? He looked down at his right arm...it was still bandaged. It's all in my head...

"Come in." The older stepped foreward again, and the tensai stepped back, shaking.

"This isn't real..."

"Of course it is."

"N-no it's not..."

"If you stay out, you'll catch your death--"

"Get the Hell away from me!"

"Fuji!"

Azure eyes snapped open, and the tensai reflexively pushed away from whoever was holding him. He yelped when he hit the floor, as he had also used his right arm as a brace out of habit. Tears sprang to his eyes when the pain jolted up through his arm.

"Fuji...?"

That time he looked up, his arm still shaking from the impact and paled considerably. Tezuka was kneeling across from him, concern sketched across the usually stoic face, "You were having a nightmare."

"G-gomen...I... ...I fell asleep? B-but I was...you were...you left! I know you did!"

"Fuji...I haven't gone anywhere." The captain reached over, gently brushing bangs from his friend's face, keeping a calm voice, "You fell asleep a couple of minutes ago...while I was feeding you. I was just about to take you upstairs. You started screaming."

"...What...what exactly did I say?"

Fuji's spirit sank further than it already was and he started backing up. He wasn't sure he wanted to know...but if he'd said what he thought he said...

"You were saying it wasn't real...you asked where I was...and you said someone's name." A frown had replaced the concern, and the hand had moved to hold the tensai's shoulder. The other arm slowly snaked around the smaller body, pulling Fuji back into Tezuka's body. Fuji tensed, even with his captain stroking his hair. He didn't like where this was going.

"I...did?"

"Yes...you were terrified...I have to ask. What. Does Saeki-sama have to do with any of this?"

That did it. Blue eyes widened--Tezuka knew.

There was a little girl who dreamt of fairy tales. She dreamt of a Happily Ever After. She dreamt on and on, until eventually, her tale became a Grimm.

AN: ...Please...don't kill me ;.; -whimpers- On to the reviews...T.T -crawls-

Sango Hikari: Thank you -heart- ;.; I'm sorry this took so long -grovel-

Merissala: He's very confused, and being confused scares him. A lot. -pats Fuji on the head and gets bitten- ...I should torture him more, but um...still debating that.

nightmarerose: The stuff'll come soon. Patience is a virtue (actually, it's a curse but um...y'know.) Anywho Thank you for the hug -

Fightingdreamer5: Thanks ;

KiriharaAkaya: Thank you so much! And I agree, that would be creepy o-o; I'M SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG. -cling-

yaelifivefour: Saa, I agree. But Fuji's very self-conscious -pats him- Don't worry, I think you'll like the next chapter. Mizuki is going to be in it.

dotdotdot: XD Looks like you got what you wanted. No Yuuta-chan here. -huggles- I'm sorry this took so long ;.; I really am. And I'm sure you'll like the next chapter too. ...I hope. ;-;

yamatoforever: Yes. Finally. And finally again XD God I'm awful ;------; I'M SO SORRY EVERYONE!!! (Characters: GET ON WITH THE DAMN UPDATE) ...right. hi. uuuh...thanks -heart- enjoy this chapter I hope!

o0xXxGaMe SeT aNd MaTcHxXx0o: Welcome to the family and I"m so sorry this took so long;;;;;

blufox: Thanks -happy so many people like it-

Thr0u6hTh31c3: I'm sorry this took so long ;-; (God how many times have I said that;;;?) I'm glad you like it though -heart- it makes me happy -dork Monica Rial voice-

Next chapter: Fuji and Tezuka get into an argument that ends with Fuji running off...only to end up at St. Rudolph. Just how much bad luck can he unleash on the unsuspecting members of his brother's team?