Disclaimer: Yeah. Like I own any of this. Beat it you blood sucking lawyers, ya ain't getting anything from me. XP

A/N: I'm starting to regret not planning how this tournament works out from the beginning. Now I have huge plot holes. O.o Sorry guys, hope it isn't bothering you too much. I'm going to train to reign it in a little starting now. AKA let's ignore it for a little bit...XD

On to the story! Whee! And Yuuta may be a bit OOC in this...but uh...He's a concerned brother. They do that. Tezuka too. He's love struck. It happens.

Chapter 14: Charmingly Naïve

Sunday came with sunny skies, as promised, but inside to Fuji it still might as well have been pouring. He had only left his room for meals the rest of the weekend, and there his forced smiles were becoming more obvious to everyone around him. He had to do something fast before things got even more out of control. So far everyone contributed his attitude towards stress, but that wouldn't work for long, but what else could he do?

"I hate life sometimes," he mumbled relaxing back on his bed. The ceiling above him twinkled in the morning sunlight causing him to smile weakly. "I suppose it isn't all that bad though, huh little one?"

Ever since Yuuta had discovered the pregnancy, Fuji had taken to talking to the child when he was alone. Now with someone else that knew, it was a solid fact that he couldn't ignore anymore. He found telling the baby his fears and thoughts was relaxing in a way, even if it couldn't speak back or understand him. It just helped.

"Aniki! Open the door, I need to speak with you!"

Fuji sat up with a wince as the baby gave him a sharp 'kick' in protest of the movement. At three months it had absorbed enough of his magic and grown more, so he might as well have been four and a half months along, sixteen weeks. They weren't really kicks he was feeling, but the developing fetus spitting out bursts of the magic it had taken in, which didn't agree with Fuji's fragile insides. He could tell now that it was going to be a handful to raise later on.

"Come in, Yuuta, it's open," he called out, fixing his hair and complexion with an easy charm. His brother might know, but that was no reason not to look his best in front of him. The door opened and his usually pissed off looking brother walked in, thankfully alone. Fuji wasn't sure if he could have dealt with Mizuki at that time. "What do you need?"

Yuuta looked him over with a frown. "You look horrible, even with the charms."

Fuji let out a weak laugh. "Well yes, a sorcerer's pregnancy is a lot harder to deal with than normal ones. Consider yourself lucky you don't have to worry about being smacked with loose magic in your stomach at random intervals."

"Are you going to be okay like that?" Yuuta asked moving to stand in front of him.

"Of course, it's not that bad really, just annoying. Really though, what do you need? I was about to take a nap," he fake yawned to prove his point.

Yuuta became more serious in an instant. "I want to know who the father is, and why you said they'll kill it if anyone found out."

Fuji sighed, knowing he had that one coming. Gingerly he stood up and walked around the bed to the window. He shook his head slowly. "I can't tell you that, you just have to trust that what I'm saying is the truth. Really I shouldn't have told anything about that. You don't need to worry about me Yuuta, I know what I'm doing."

"Like hell you do," the younger snapped. "I'm on at least three different medications because I'm male and that already makes this difficult for me, but you have magic mixed in as well! What have you been taking to do anything about it? You're harming your own child, you know that, right?"

"I'm doing enough," he replied simply, casting his brother a look.

Yuuta scowled and walked up to take him by the wrist. "I want you to see a healer! Please Syuusuke, I can't stand seeing you continue to hurt yourself like this. I'm sure he would be upset to know what you're doing to your child."

Fuji blinked in confusion before he felt his stomach drop. Yuuta knew. Somehow he knew. He pushed away from the swordsmen weakly and went to sit on his bed. Looking up he gave Yuuta one of the most tragic looks on the planet. "I didn't mean to..."

"Syuusuke..." Yuuta sighed and knelt down before him. "I won't tell anyone, but please promise me you'll at least take vitamins or something. Please. I don't want to know what happened, but I do want you to do that for me."

"I'll see what I can do," he replied in a soft tone. "Can I just be alone now?"

Yuuta nodded and stood back up. "I'll see at lunch, okay? Don't give Hajime any more reasons to think he can tease you."

Fuji chuckled at the attempt of humor and nodded. "I won't. Thank-you." After his brother had left, Fuji curled up on his bed and touched the place where the ring used to lay on his breast. Yuuta had a point, he did need to be taking something. Sneaking into the infirmary to steal a few potions wouldn't be that difficult. "After lunch though, I really am tired..."

With that said he drifted off into a light sleep.

The next day the sorcerer was in a considerably better mood. His smile was authentic, his words lighter. Tezuka was alarmed at first by the odd sensation in his chest as he watched the man make his way to the table for breakfast, but later he knew it was yet another sign that they were meant to be. Fuji having found his ring was the best thing that had ever happened to the Prince.

He found him self constantly thinking about the man almost every minute of the day, even at practice that afternoon which almost, almost, had him injured when Echizen decided they should spar. Tezuka was very new to this love thing, and he wasn't sure if any of it was normal or not. It didn't feel bad, it was just very foreign.

To make sure he wasn't diving headfirst in to something he'd regret later, Tezuka decided to talk to his vice-captain about it after practice.

The kyuketsuki was chatting away to him about the tournament when the two were finally seated in the Prince's office, and Tezuka was only vaguely listening, his mind elsewhere. At a break in Oishi's conversation he finally decided to bring the subject of relationships up.

"I never got around to properly congratulating you. I'm certain Kikumaru will be a good mate to you, and you for him."

Oishi blushed slightly and smiled. "Thank-you, Tezuka. I'm very happy to have him really. This time last year it never would have occurred to me we'd be together, let alone mates. It's funny how things happen like that."

"How did you know?" Tezuka questioned as a servant poured him a cup of tea.

"Know that he was the one? Hard question to answer," he grinned taking a sip from his own cup. "I just did. He completes me in a sense. Everything he does, to the smallest quirks, makes me smile."

Tezuka set his drink down and mulled the words over in his mind. "Is it really that simple though?"

Oishi chuckled. "Doesn't sound like it should be, but it is. Why are you so interested?" He paused then gasped loudly. "It couldn't be that you've found someone finally? Who is it?"

"I'm still not sure if it's real," Tezuka admitted. "I just started to notice it a few weeks ago, at the ball. I set it up to help me find a wife, but I never thought it would actually work." He took a small sip of his tea to help soothe his mind. "And then the other day something else happened that made it seem more definite. I don't want to make a fool of myself though."

Oishi nodded in understanding, knowing the Prince didn't open up like this often so it must really be bothering him. "Hey, just weigh the pros and cons. Is this person worth getting hurt for? Could you honestly walk away form it and not feel any regrets later? That's what I did, and it helped a lot."

Pros and cons, huh? He could do that. Was Fuji worth it? Could he walk away from the mysterious man because he was scared of being turned down?

"Yes, I think this could work," he finally decided. He frowned suddenly. "I have no idea how to go about doing this though."

Oishi chuckled and shook his head in wonder. Here was a man who could juggle ruling a city and captaining the Racquets with ease, and yet he was clueless on how to court someone. "It's simple. First you find out what they like and send them them gifts. I used to give Eiji roses. If they don't turn the gifts away you know there's a chance they'll return your feelings. Spend more time with them as well, let them know you're worth it. Sooner or later things will start flowing by themselves, and if you're lucky you'll end up happily ever after."

Tezuka raised a brow. "Happily ever after? I highly doubt life is like a fairytale."

Oishi blushed and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Well I didn't know how else to word it since I don't know who you're interested in. Do you want to marry them if they're human? Become mates if they're a hybrid? You're not giving me much to work with here."

"They're human."

"Okay, so then if you're lucky you might end up married one day. Is that better?"

Marriage...Truthfully the Prince had never even thought about it. Seishun would want him to have a child to carry on his title eventually, so marriage would have to happen. Marrying Fuji...Surprisingly the idea didn't sound that bad.

"Alright, I think I understand this more. Thank-you, Oishi. You've helped a lot," Tezuka said standing up. "I believe I will begin this 'courting' thing soon."

Oishi beamed at him. "Wonderful! Are you ever going to tell me who it is though?"

"...Fuji."

The vampire's mouth opened slightly in shock before he quickly composed himself. "Fuji?! Seriously? No offense, but I always assumed you'd be more attractive to the Noble's daughters."

"I used to think so as well, but there's just something about him I haven't been able to get out of my head." He sighed and straightened out his jacket, the embroidery having become lopsided when he sat. "Like you said, I just sort of knew. I can't explain it."

"I wish you the best of luck then, for both your sakes. Fuji could use someone like you, especially now. He's been acting so distant lately, it's troubling," Oishi mused.

Tezuka frowned. "I thought he looked a lot better this morning."

For some reason his statement had his friend laughing. "You really have it bad. Of course he looked better to you, you're just realizing your feelings for him. Look at him closely at dinner, then you'll see what I mean." He bowed politely with a small smile. "I'll see you later, Tezuka."

Tezuka nodded as he left, his mind spinning. First things first though, he had to find a suitable first gift for the man. Now what were those strange plants he liked to collect again...

"The Queen is ill."

That statement was in the hearts of all the Racquets, foreign and local, at dinner that night. Everyone loved the dear Queen, even with her pushy attitude at times. They all prayed to whatever deity they held closest that she would get better soon as they silently ate their meals.

What happened was one of the servants had gone to fetch her for dinner, but found her slouched on her desk with a high fever. The healers were attending to her the best they could, but had tragically discovered she had a rare disease that would take time to recover from. She would be bed ridden for at least a month if all went well.

Unfortunately for the fighters it meant the tournament would have to be postponed, as it was considered bad luck to hold any sort of battle while a monarch was ill. The fights between Hyotei and Seigaku's finest would have to wait while the Queen regained her strength.

Tezuka sighed. Moral was already low, and with this bad turn of events he knew it would take all his efforts to make sure his team didn't lose focus before the next round. He glanced over at Fuji and found the man picking at his food, a deep frown set on his face. Oishi hadn't been lying earlier, he really had let his recent feeling cover up the fact that the sorcerer was still ill looking.

He thought about the gift he had prepared upstairs. Hopefully it would cheer the man up a little, and maybe himself as well if Fuji reciprocated the feelings behind it.

Oishi nudged his gently sending him a comforting smile. "Everything will work out okay, I know it."

Tezuka looked down at his plate and took a bite of the spiced ham. Once dinner was done and the Racquet's dismissed to their quarters he would do it. Only then would he know for sure...

He shook his head to get rid of the bad thoughts. Now was not the time to loose control, not when his team needed him. He turned to look the other men over and sent each of them a supportive look, hoping they'd catch it. When each of them sent back their own form of acknowledgement he went back to eating in silence. They were strong, they would certainly make it through this.

"Tezuka, may I have a word with you?"

Tezuka sighed looking up to meet the smirking face of Prince Atobe. The rest of the hall had gone silent watching the two. It was bad etiquette to approach another table without being invited, but of course the cocky swordsman didn't care about that. He always thought himself above rules and guidelines, always would. Tezuka found him to he highly annoying.

"What do you want, Atobe-sama?"

Atobe leaned across the table and said, "Just because we have to wait until our team's fights continue, doesn't mean you have an upper hand. We'll win this tournament for sure, and when we do I look forward to seeing you defeated and disgraced." Having made his point he stalked off back to his table where he took a seat beside a narcoleptic sorcerer snoring away on his plate.

Oishi rolled his eyes at the display. "What was the point of making a scene like that when we're all worried about the Queen? I don't understand how he became a Prince with an attitude like that."

"Hn," Tezuka replied. "He is a good leader, but you're right in the fact he has some personality flaws. We'll just have to prove him wrong is all."

Oishi smiled while the rest of the table that heard him chuckled.

"Nya, we'll definitely win!" Eiji cheered before his lover scolded him on being too noisy.

Farther down the table Ryoma smirked. "Well he's right. Nothing can beat us."

The corner of Tezuka's lips twitched. His team was really something else. As they all stood to leave he couldn't help feeling proud of them. When he was younger he used to dream about commanding a strong group of Racquets, but this went way over his expectations. They were more than a strong team. They were something that couldn't quite be put into words, and Tezuka didn't know what he'd do without him.

Especially that devious sorcerer. Speaking of which, Tezuka straightened out his suit and went up to his office to fetch the gift he had prepared. It wasn't anything too special, but he knew Fuji would like it. It was a cactus he had found growing in his private garden, and because it was slightly rare Fuji probably had not seen one like it before. With it Tezuka had placed a small silver bracelet to replace the ring he had taken back, the ring which Fuji had called his 'good luck charm'.

He took a deep breath cradling the basket he had them in with one hand. With one more breath he descended the steps to the Racquet's private quarters and headed for the man's door, glad no one was in the hallway watching. He wasn't self conscious, but it Fuji were to reject his offer...

Tezuka knocked twice on the door and stood up straight as it was opened revealing a startled Fuji wearing his normal white robes. He still looked breathtaking even with the circles under his eyes.

"Tezuka? What are you doing here?"

"I have something for you," he replied, holding out the basket which was wrapped in cloth. It was now or never. "I hope it is to your liking."

Fuji's eyes furrowed in confusion as he took it. "For me? It's not even my birthday." He pulled back the white cloth and stared at the gifts inside before looking up at the Prince in shock. "Heika...? I don't understand."

"Fuji Syuusuke..."Tezuka swallowed the lump that had suddenly grown in his throat. "Please accept these gifts as a token of my feelings."

Fuji picked out the bracelet from where it lay next to the cactus and studied it. "Your feelings?"

"Yes, my feelings."

"Since when have you had feelings for me?" Fuji's eyes opened slightly as he continued to play with the bracelet, a frown appearing on his face. Tezuka missed the way the other's breathing picked up in his nervousness.

"Recently, but that doesn't really matter. Please just accept the gift."

Fuji chuckled darkly and slipped the jewelry around his wrist. "You make it sound so easy. Before you come back spouting more words of 'romance' in front of me you should consider my feelings as well. I'll be taking this as a gesture of friendship, but you can take that away." He shoved the basket and cactus back into Tezuka's hands and shut the door sharply in his face.

The Prince was left standing there throughly speechless for the first time in his life. A minute went by before he clutched the rejected presents and turned to head back to his own quarters. As he approached the last step he felt a hand touch his shoulder and turned to find Oishi giving him a sympathetic look.

"Sorry, I was going to the baths when I over heard."

Tezuka nodded weakly. "It's alright. Perhaps I just need a new strategy."

Oishi blinked at him in surprise. "You're not going to give up?"

"Of course not. I told you I had a sign, and I'm sticking with it. Sooner or later I will make Fuji understand where I'm coming from." With that said he walked away more determined than ever to make the sorcerer his, even if he still didn't quite understand why.

"Damn him! Does he even know what he's doing to me?!" Fuji yelled to the empty room, slamming his hand violently down on the side table. "Sometimes I wish I could hate him!" He

collapsed onto the floor and curled up into a ball. He stroked the new bracelet adorning his wrist and sighed. "Maybe Yuuta's right, maybe I should just tell everyone already. These lies are getting harder to keep. Tezuka...Did you mean it? Or are did you just say that because I wished you would? Either way I'm having trouble believing it..."

He stood up and went to lay on his bed feeling tired. Whatever Tezuka's true intentions were he'd just have to figure them out tomorrow. Right now all he wanted to do was sleep away his pain...

A/N: Tezuka's so clueless it's cute. XD Yep. Well, in the last chapter I said we were coming down to the last chapters...and I WAS telling the truth. Then this plot bunny if Tezuka courting Fuji popped up and I have to roll with it. That means at least three extra chapters. ...is that good or bad? XD

And this was the longest chapter yet. Wow. O.o

Atobe showed up in this! I love him sooo much. ^^ PLEASE LISTEN UP! Do you guys want Ryoma to battle him or Tezuka? It won't effect the plot much, but I can't figure out which is more appealing. Your opinions please? Thanks.

Next Chapter: Tezuka keeps persistently courting Fuji, and slowly he may just be breaking the man down...Meanwhile Ryoma has to deal with an annoying father and the still recovering Momo's advances. What's a guy to do? Thank-you! Please come again.