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Chapter 16
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Fuji
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"What's troubling you Tezuka?" Fuji Syuusuke asked, settling down beside Tezuka on a bench.
The captain remained quiet. He was sitting with his hands clasped together in front of him and leaning forward with his elbows resting on his thighs. He had sat there and stared into nothing ever school had ended.
'He's been like this since this morning.' Fuji thought to himself.
He smiled that smile that many people found creepy. "It's Ryuzaki-chan isn't it." He said diving right into the centre of Tezuka's problem. Tezuka bowed his head into his hands and sighed.
"That sounds like a sigh of defeat." Fuji said provoking Tezuka more.
"I told her…just as long as she knew it was ok. That she didn't have to return the feeling. I—it" Tezuka finally spoke, because he knew that Fuji knew everything.
"You should go home and rest Tezuka." The prodigy suggested. "I don't think you got any sleep last night."
"But-"
"Don't worry. We'll survive without you for a day in tennis practise."
"But-" he began to protest again.
"If you don't want to sleep, then go do something about it then." Fuji finally became serious and opened his eyes and looked at Tezuka.
"Arigato..Fuji." he stood up and headed off.
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Tezuka
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He walked home wondering if she was ok. He hadn't seen her today. He had contemplated whether or not to walk her to school, and in the end, had turned up at her door. But no one answered, so he suspected that she had headed off already, but he didn't see her at all at school.
"It feels much too awkward if I just show up now. I already said it was ok that she knew. If I turn up, it's forcing her to be comfortable with me." With that thought, he just headed home.
After his long shower, he just lay in his bed and thought about her.
"If I had just been more honest, I could have told her before it all happened. But…if her heart had belonged to Echizen all this time, I guess it wouldn't have mattered whether I talked to her earlier or not." He said to himself.
Images of her smiling, her crying, and cute faces flashed in front of him. He closed his eyes in misery. With his eyes closed, he remembered holding her in his arms, feeling her tiny hands in his, and the sweet smell of her hair.
"Sakuno…Sakuno." He whispered. Then unmistakably he heard his cell phone ringing. He picked it up, knowing that it couldn't have been Sakuno.
"Tezuka." Sure enough, it was Fuji's voice.
"Ah..Doushita Fuji." He asked, running his hand through his hair in frustration.
"Meet me at the café. I want to talk to you." Then he hung up.
Tezuka didn't feel like it, but he went anyway. 'Maybe it will take my mind off her for a while.'
He put on fresh black t-shirt, red-hooded jacket, and black pants, and headed out. He reached the café, and pushed the door open. Fuji waved to indicate where he was. He slid into the seat across from Fuji, and look at him expectantly.
Fuji was drinking his coffee and smiling to himself. Tezuka knew he was always like this, so he didn't say anything.
"Guess what I found out today?" the prodigy spoke up after sitting for ten endless minutes sipping his coffee casually.
He didn't like guessing games, so he waited in silence.
"You're no fun. Well, Echizen was missing today." He stopped there, as if that explained everything.
At the mention of Echizen, Tezuka's heart felt like it was squeezed, because it reminded him of Sakuno.
"Your point is."
"I heard from Momo, that Echizen is….let's say a little peeved off about Ryuzaki-chan."
"About?" he grew more alert at the mention of Sakuno.
"Oh, no reason." Fuji said smiling and casually reaching for his cup of coffee again.
Tezuka knew it was no point in rushing him, so he sat there for the first time impatiently for the next piece of news.
"Just the fact that she turned him down yesterday afternoon."
"Wh-why?"
Fuji shrugged. "Look rain clouds, looks like it's going to rain again today."
"Damnit Fuji, tell me." His frustration finally cracked.
His friend just laughed gently at Tezuka's behaviour. Out of the many years of being friends with Tezuka, he's never acted like this before.
"Something about how she has someone else in mind and heart. A certain someone, who is usually cold to people but treats her friendly. Now who could that be buchou?" he teased.
"Fuji, I have to run. Arigato." Tezuka bolted out of the café and down the road.
Fuji smiled happily. 'Go get her Tezuka.'
