Hey guys, this chapter marks the end of Fuji's flashback. I hope you guys enjoy this! Please read and let me know what you think :)

Chapter 24

Fuji awoke to the smell of antiseptic and bleach around him. The first thing he noticed was how sore he felt. Fuji tried to stay still as every small movement seemed to send shooting pain throughout his body.

Fuji blinked his eyes open, hoping to make sense of this unfamiliar environment. He blinked again and saw only darkness. Fuji opened and closed his eyes multiple times as he sat up straight despite the pain radiating through his body due to the sudden move. He rubbed at his eye, hoping to see something other than darkness. He felt a bandage wrapped around his head.

"Oh, Fuji san, you're awake." He heard a female voice and turned to the direction of the sound.

"Wha-what's going on? Where am I? Why can't I see?" Fuji asked frantically, hands groping his surroundings.

"You have to calm down, Fuji san. You were in an accident and you were brought to the hospital. My name is Riko and I am the nurse in charge of you. The doctor will be here soon and he will explain everything, okay?" The woman explained calmly. She pressed the button next to Fuji's bed to alert the doctor.

"Accident? H-how?" Fuji asked in surprise. His brain was foggy and he was having trouble retrieving his memories of last night.

"I'm not sure of the details but please don't move around so much, you have a few broken bones Fuji san."

"B-but what about my eyes? Why can't I see anything?" Fuji kept blinking his eyes again and again.

The nurse looked at Fuji with the look of pity on her face. "Why don't you lay back down, Fuji san. Here, let me help you." She went to the handle next to the bed to pull the bed down but Fuji reached out blindly to her.

Fuji did not understand what was going on but he could sense pity from the voice of the woman and it was enough to send panic coursing through his veins. What is going on? Why won't she tell me anything? His mind kept screaming at him. He tried to remain calm although his senses were telling him otherwise.

"The doctor will be here soon?" His voice wavered as he tried to keep his jitters in check. "He will tell me what's going on?" He continued in a low voice.

The nurse sighed sympathetically and took hold of Fuji's hand. "Don't be scared Fuji san. The doctor will be here real soon, okay?" She patted his hand gently.

Fuji still refused to lay down, but he nodded meekly. Please don't rob me of my sight, God...Please.. He prayed internally.

Fuji heard footsteps and the nurse spoke. "You're here Kazumi sensei, Fuji san has regained his consciousness."

"Thank you Riko san. I will take it from here." A male voice spoke.

"Sure, I'll be back Fuji san." The nurse looked at Fuji for a second before leaving the room.

"Good morning, Fuji san. I am Doctor Kazumi. How are you feeling right now?"

"I-i'm fine. But why can't I see anything?" Fuji asked, his eyes wide as he waited for the doctor to explain what was going on.

"Fuji san, why don't we go talk in my office and I will explain everything to you." The doctor helped Fuji into a wheelchair and pushed him to his office.

As the doctor pushed him down the hallway, a million thoughts ran through Fuji's mind. His mouth went dry and he could feel his heart beating loudly against his chest. He took a deep breath and prepared himself for the news that the doctor was about to give him.

"What is the last thing you remember Fuji san?" The doctor began.

Fuji tried to think back to the events of last night. "I was at a friend's party..." His forehead crinkled in focus before events of last night started to come back to him and his face morphed into fear as he remembered Otsubo and how he ran out of the car. "I- I was hit by a car..."

"Yes, you were in an accident." The doctor reached for Fuji's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm afraid I have some bad news for you, Fuji san. I want you to brace yourself for this, alright? But before that, do you have any family members or friends you want to be here with?"

"N-no, it's just me. Please tell me, doctor." Fuji swallowed dryly and waited for the doctor to continue. His hands rested on his legs as he tried to keep them from shaking.

Over the next twenty minutes the doctor explained about the nature of Fuji's injury. The accident had resulted in a damage to the nerve that was responsible for the eyesight. Fuji had a condition called traumatic optic neuropathy. It requires an expensive surgery to fix the problem and it was not something Fuji could afford. Even if he could afford it, the chances of a full recovery was slim. Fuji had also sustained other injuries including a broken rib and a fractured elbow.

By the end of the explanation, Fuji was trembling in tears, one hand covering his mouth as he tried to stop the tears from coming. He could not believe the fate that was handed to him. It seemed as though the world was not done at playing tricks on his life.

"N-no, this can't be true…" Fuji shook his head. "I'm not blind..I can't be blind!" He muttered under his breath. Fuji forced a smile onto his face. "I'm not really blind right, doctor?" Fuji extended his hand and felt around for the doctor's hands. When he found them, he gripped them tightly within his own trembling hands. "I must have heard wrong, right? I'm not really blind, am I?" Fuji continued, his voice high and the look of denial was plastered across his face.

"Fuji san...I'm extremely sorry.." The doctor's voice was heavy with sympathy. "Would you like to speak to the counselor in the hospital, Fuji san? They can be very helpful in these types of situations.."

Fuji took in the doctor's words slowly. The look of denial on his face turned to anger as he questioned his unfortunate fate. Haven't I been through enough, God? Why must I be punished this way?

Fuji hung his head low as tears trickled down his face. He covered his face with his hands and he wept into them. A wave of sorrow and despair washed over him as he contemplated the misfortunes of his life.

The doctor got up from his seat and laid a hand on Fuji's shoulder."Why me, why does this have to happen to me?" Fuji whispered, his voice thick with tears as he looked up at the doctor with tear streaked face. "I never did anything to hurt anyone...so why me.." His voice broke into hiccups.

"H-how would I live without my eyes.." He said in between hiccups. He thought of everything that he had been through and could not stand the thought of yet another tragedy he needs to brace through.

The doctor comforted Fuji with kind words but all Fuji felt was emptiness. His soul was empty without a spark of light in them and there was no glimmer of hope visible in the deep blue pools of his eyes. Fuji's sobs died down and he realized his insides felt as dark as his surroundings.

"Can you please take me back to my bed. I want to lie down.." His voice was void of any emotions. He felt exhausted and spent.

"Sure, Fuji san…" The doctor pushed him back to his bed and Nurse Riko helped him get comfortable on the bed. Fuji could hear her saying something in the background but he was too tired to care.

He laid on the bed with his eyes open despite seeing only darkness. Everything around him feels intensified now that he could not see and Fuji wished everything would just stop. He could not understand how things could just resume as usual when his life had just come to an end.

Dinner was served a few hours later and Riko fed him his food as she tried to reassure him that things would be alright. She kept asking him if she could call anyone for him, but all Fuji did was shake his head no.

Fuji knew if he told Saeki about this, his friend would drop everything and rush back home to be by his side. Saeki and his family had helped Fuji too much already and Fuji did not want to be the one to take Saeki's attention away just as the latter was beginning to peak at his career.

After dinner, a counselor from the hospital came by Fuji's bed and explained about all the changes Fuji would have to make to accommodate his life after this. He was told about braille lessons and career options for a person with visual impairment. Fuji nodded his head although his concentration was elsewhere the whole time.

Everything felt bleak and all he wanted to do was crawl under the sheets and fall asleep, hoping that all this was nothing but a nightmare and he would soon wake up and everything would be normal again.

...

Fuji woke up to the sound of chattering around him and the smell of food wafted to his nose. For a brief second before realization hit him, he felt hope. The hope he felt was reduced to ashes the moment he became aware of his surroundings and the constant darkness that would accompany him from now on. He swallowed the lump in his throat and let out a heavy breath.

"Good morning, Fuji san!" The familiar voice that belongs to nurse Riko greeted him. Fuji just nodded weakly.

"I have brought all your belongings here, Fuji san. I will place your wallet and your hand phone here by the bedside table. Oh, one more thing. Your phone kept ringing the whole morning. The caller id said it was Yukimura. I answered and informed her of your whereabouts. I hope that's alright? She said she is on her way here now."

Fuji remembered he has not gone to work for two days now. The thought had completely slipped his mind with all that has happened. A sense of panic arose within him as once again he realized life has not been put on hold just because of the tragedy that had struck him.

"Fuji kun!" A bubbly voice which Fuji knows belongs to his coworker Jirou greeted him. Fuji sighed, he was not ready for this. "Yukimura sensei! Fuji kun is over here!"

Fuji heard the click of high heeled shoes walking towards him before a mature voice greeted him. "Fuji kun. I'm terribly sorry for what has happened."

Fuji felt the soft curls of Jirou's hair on his face as she leaned down and hugged him. "It's okay Fuji kun, everything will be alright."

The voice full of concern and the warmth radiating from the arms around him was all it took for Fuji's shell to break and he burst into tears within Jirou's embrace. The weight of reality crushed against him as he became fully aware that the life he has known until now is about to change and everything would be different from now on.

...

Yukimira and Jirou helped Fuji a lot in the initial phase of his life after the unexpected tragedy. Fuji quit his job and moved to a less expensive apartment. He was glad he had enough savings to sustain him for a while as he thought of an alternative plan. He was very careful to not reveal the truth each time Saeki called him on the phone and slowly he distanced himself from his best friend. It took all his strength to not burst out and cry each time he heard Saeki's voice, and so he started to come up with reasons to not talk to his friend and after a while the calls became less and less frequent. Fuji knew he was hurting his friend's feelings by doing so but he reminded himself it was for Saeki's own good.

It was Jirou who came up with the idea for Fuji to write children's books and Yukimura helped set up some publishers to meet with Fuji and after a while Fuji was back on his feet again. Fuji has always been known as a prodigy from his young age and it did not take long for him to adapt to his new life. He was quick at learning braille and developed a good sense to get around the house without any help.

Although Fuji did not have that much trouble in other aspects of his life, emotionally he was damaged. For the first few months, Fuji would cry himself to sleep nearly every night and before long he realized he had no more tears left to cry. He decided then that he would continue to live his life as best as he could and hope that one day he too would find his place in this world and finally be happy.

End of flashback

…

By the end of the session, Fuji's chest was heaving up and down with heavy sobs, his eyes red and his shoulders trembling. Fuji gripped the front of Tezuka's shirt as he cried into them. He had kept the gate to his past closed so tight that when it opened, it was with such sheer force that he was unable to hold himself back from drowning in despair.

It was too painful for Tezuka to see his lover in such a state, and he was furious, the most furious he had ever been in his life. Why should something like this happen to someone as pure as Fuji. A look of rage came over his face as he thought of Fuji's dad and that scum Otsubo who had hurt the love of his life. He swallowed deeply as he tried to keep his anger in.

"Syusuke, darling.." Tezuka held Fuji in his arms and stroked his hair softly as he let Fuji cry against his chest. He rested his chin on the crown of Fuji's head and rocked him back and forth gently as his own tears started to flow. "Nothing like this will ever happen to you again, Syusuke...I will not let anybody hurt you...I promise, I will keep you safe."

Fuji nodded against Tezuka's chest. "I love you, Syusuke…" Tezuka kissed the top of Fuji's head.

Tezuka held Fuji for hours until Fuji finally fell asleep in his arms. He carried Fuji to the bedroom and laid him slowly on the bed, careful to not wake him. He pulled the covers and tucked Fuji into them as he sat next to him. He looked at Fuji's sleeping form and a range of emotions ran through him. He wished he had met Fuji sooner, that he could have at least prevented the incident that robbed Fuji of his sight, even though he knew the damage that had been done to Fuji surpasses way beyond that incident. He brushed Fuji's hair away from his forehead and wiped the tears that had still not dried on his cheeks as he laid a tender kiss upon Fuji's forehead.

Tezuka had no idea Fuji had kept so much sorrow hidden away from him. He vowed that he would never let his lover cry again. He would make sure Fuji's life from now on would be filled with only happy memories.