Author's Notes: Yipee! My second and last fic for September! I thought I'd never get to write again because I had so many things to do. But I managed to sneak a few hours into doing this. Anyway, I hope you like this. This is for my favorite rival player, Saeki Kojiroh – ADVANCE HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Disclaimers: Everything belongs to Konomi-sensei. Only the story line and the song is mine.

Dedication: To Reeza, who supported me with this all the way.

Our life is like a puzzle. The pieces of the puzzle are the people we meet, the trials and triumphs we experience. But along the way, we leave a piece behind because we thought that it was insignificant – that it didn't fit into the puzzle. However, it will always be later on when we realize that we should never have left it behind. For in the end, the puzzle will never be complete without that...

Missing Piece

"Hey, Kojiroh! Happy Birthday, man!"

I smiled. "Thanks, dude."

Daniel, a friend of mine, patted my back. "You sure know when to get a promotion, don't yah?" He shook his head, grinning. "I mean, how many people get a promotion on their birthday?"

"Only me, Daniel," I said, grinning back.

He nodded. "Lucky, man. That's what you are. You have everything – job, money, prestige..."

"I know."

"The only thing you lack is a girl."

My eyes widened for a moment before I shook my head. "Nah, dude. I don't need one right now. Besides, I have some more years left in my life. She – whoever she is – can wait."

He rolled his eyes. "You're twenty-nine, Kojiroh. Twenty-nine and a bachelor. She won't wait forever."

"Daniel..."

"But, you are one of the most eligible bachelors here in New York. The ladies just might wait for you." He shrugged. "Guess that means I'll be drinking with girls by myself tonight."

I shook my head, sighing as he left to entertain a bunch of my lady officemates. I sipped the Martini in my hand. Daniel was right, though. I was twenty-nine. I was a successful man. I was just promoted to become the editor-in-chief of The Wall Street Journal. I'm one of New York's most eligible bachelors. And yet despite of all these, I was without a special someone on this night and the nights before this.

It wasn't that the ladies weren't attractive – they were. The thing was, I wasn't interested in looking for someone special when I already met him a couple of years ago.

Yes, him.

I took a seat in the bar near me and closed my eyes, memories flooding. How long had it been since I last saw him – five, ten years? The last I saw him was the night after his Senior High graduation celebration.

Yes. The night that made a lot difference in our lives. The night that changed our lives forever.

"More Martini, sir?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

I was stupid back then. I let my emotions – all those anger – get the best of me. I was selfish – I wanted him to go to New York with me. We had planned it months ago and he said that it was a good idea. He wanted to see 'The City that Never Sleeps'. Then suddenly that night, he said he changed his mind.

"I can't go with you, Kojiroh."

"What?!"

"I'm sorry. I know you already bought the tickets and all. I know that we've planned this for so long. I know..."

"Then why are you canceling at the last moment? Our flight is tomorrow afternoon!" I interjected.

His eyes couldn't meet mine. He couldn't say a word. He actually didn't need to.

"It's Yuuta, isn't it?"

He bit his lip. "I'm sorry, Koji—"

"Dammit, Syusuke! It's always Yuuta! When will you learn that Yuuta is big enough to take care of himself? Besides, Yumiko-neesan will be here to..."

His eyes met mine. "I know, Kojiroh. But..."

I gritted my teeth. "You know what? Don't explain. I'll hear the same shit of an excuse and I'm tired of hearing it."

He tried to reach my hand but I turned around. "You made your choice and you chose Yuuta. Goodbye, Fuji."

I said goodbye and walked out of his life forever.

He tried contacting me. He tried to talk to me – to clear things up. But I wasn't interested in his reasons. If it was about Yuuta, he needn't explain. I could never win against his brother.

"Your Martini, sir."

"Domo."

The waiter was confused. "Sir?"

I blinked twice before it dawned upon me. I wasn't in Japan anymore. "I mean thanks."

"Oh. You're welcome, sir."

Eventually, the news reached Tezuka and he tried to contact me. But no matter what he did to make me talk to Syusuke, I always refused to do so. There was no need, I told him. There was no use trying. I was fed up. I was tired.

"Saeki..."

"Tezuka, when I left Japan, I left everything behind. I left him. I left all those memories. I didn't want to come here with an emotional baggage. No, Tezuka. I decided to come here and start a new life. I don't want an emotional baggage to pull me down."

"Is that all he is to you now, Saeki?"

"Yeah."

"Don't you know how much he loves you?"

"He does?" I answered back sarcastically. "I didn't know. I thought he only loved Yuuta."

"Why are you being so immature about this, Saeki? It's just Yuuta!" I could hear the anger rising in his voice.

"It's not just Yuuta, Tezuka. And I'm being immature? Thank you! At least I'm not obsessed with my brother!"

"Saeki! You, of all people, should have been the one to understand! You've known him since childhood!"

"Well guess what, Tez? I DON'T!" I breathed in deep. "Y'know what? Since you're so concerned about him and since you can stand always playing second fiddle to his brother, why don't you just be with him?"

"You don't know what you're letting go..."

"I do, Tezuka. An emotional baggage."

I closed my eyes, willing the tears not to fall.

I was stupid. A really big fool to let Fuji Syusuke go just because of a stupid reason. Tezuka was right. I was supposed to understand Syusuke the best because I had known him since childhood.

But I was blinded by jealousy, by selfishness. I let go of something so precious. I let go of someone so irreplaceable.

And the thing was, I may be one of New York's most eligible bachelors, I may be the new editor-in-chief of the Wall Street Journal, I may have everything – job, money, and prestige...

But without him, all those were invaluable. Like pieces of a puzzle that lost that last piece.

"I remember your smile clearly – sunshine in my dark days.

I remember how we used to play in the sand, hand in hand.

Then suddenly all those sweet memories became bittersweet,

For I had let you go because something stupid called selfishness."

I snorted. The band sure knew when to play the right song.

"Why didn't I listen to your voice?

Why didn't I listen to my heart that told me not to let you go?

Why did I have to put my foolishness first?

Why did I close my eyes when all I had to do was open them?"

Even the voice I was hearing seemed awfully familiar. It sounded a lot like Tezuka's deep tone.

"And now here I am, on the other side of the world,

Alone and lonely without you.

And I could only wish that heaven were listening to me tonight

For one prayer in my heart...

To see you once again."

Did I just let someone write my love story and let him turn it into a song? Or was that band just psychic? Who hired that band anyway?

"Hey there, birthday boy!"

I opened my eyes and saw my best friend and one of the newspaper's editors, Rain, beaming at me. I raised an eyebrow.

"Is there any reason why should be beaming at me like that?"

He, too, raised an eyebrow. "Is there any reason why a dark cloud should be above your head on your birthday?"

I rolled my eyes. "I asked first, Rain."

"You're touchy, Kojiroh," he said, punching my arm lightly. "Anyway, remember that guy I was telling you about? That guy I met in Spain a year ago?"

I was thoughtful for a moment, searching my memory bank. "Oh, that guy? Yeah, I remember. Why?"

"I met him outside and well, I took the liberty in inviting him here. You don't mind, right?"

"Is there anything I can do about it?"

He beamed at me again, turning me around. "No, because you have to meet him!"

Time stopped. Blue eyes met blue. Waves of emotion crashed down like a tsunami. There before me, standing less than two meters away from me was Fuji Syusuke.

The guy's name is Kojiroh? Could this be my Kojiroh?

Fuji shook his head. No. There were a lot of people that could have the same name, he thought. There were millions of possibilities that the person in front of him was not his Saeki.

But indeed, how many Kojirohs in the world had the same hair color?

It wasn't a crime to hope, right?

Rain made him turn around. Cerulean eyes opened and met those of the same color. Fuji froze. Saeki seemed paralyzed.

"Fuji Syusuke, this is my best friend and the new Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief, Saeki Kojiroh," Rain introduced. "Even in New York, it's always the Japanese way, right, Kojiroh?"

Saeki didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to do. Fuji Syusuke was standing in front of him. His Syusuke – no, this wasn't his Syusuke anymore – was standing just a few meters away from him.

"Then suddenly by a twist of fate I see you again.

Standing there with the same smile

It was as if heaven heard me praying

It was as if the stars were aligned to make my wishes come true.

"But the moment I see you, no words come out

I could not speak; I could not breathe.

I could not tell you how much I missed you.

I could not tell you just how much I still loved you."

Rain blinked, eyes travelling back and forth between Fuji and Saeki. "Don't tell me... you're the Fuji Syusuke that Kojiroh told me about..."

Fuji had always been fast in regaining his composure and that didn't change. He smiled, hiding his eyes again, not wanting all those emotions to be out in the open. "Saa... I didn't know that I was already popular here."

The editor laughed. "So you are him! I thought I'd never get to meet you!" He patted Saeki and Fuji's backs. "You two have a lot of catching up to do. I'll leave you two alone."

"Oh heaven, hear me!

Now that he's here with me again, help me tell him

Help me relay this feeling that I've kept for so long.

Help me tell him that I know that I was wrong."

"Hisashiburi da na, Kojiroh."

Blue eyes blinked back to life as the other pair of azure eyes opened. "Aa. Hisashiburi."

"I didn't expect to see you here."

"So did I, Syusuke."

A soft smile spread across Fuji's face. Saeki raised an eyebrow. "What are you smiling about?"

"I thought I'd never see the day that you'd say my name again."

"Oh." Was all that Saeki could say.

There was tension in the air. There was something both of them knew they should say and yet, they could not find the words to form the sentences needed to relay their messages.

"Yuuta misses you," Fuji suddenly said.

Saeki sipped his Martini. "Really? How is he?"

"First runner up in Wimbledon for two consecutive years. Lost to Echizen on both accounts," he replied proudly.

"Echizen? You mean that brat went pro?"

"Yeah." A light laugh.

"What about Tezuka?"

Another light laugh. "Kunimitsu? As near as married as he could be to Seiichi."

"Seiichi? Yukimura Seiichi?" Saeki choked. "Not to you?"

Laughter again. He could get used to this again, Saeki thought.

"Kami-sama, no! Kunimitsu and I will always be just friends."

Saeki cocked his head sideward. "Why? Was there anyone after..." He paused abruptly. He could not say 'me'.

"After you?" Fuji shook his head, laughter gone from his face. "No, Kojiroh. There was no one other than you. You're the only person I've ever loved."

Silver locks covered the blue eyes that were now brimming with tears. After all he said, after all he had done, after all those years, Fuji Syusuke – the person he failed, he hurt and loved with all his heart – still loved him.

There it was again – the tension between them. The knowledge of the words they needed to say. The failure in knowing how to say it.

But the question was, did messages from the heart require grammatical coherency?

No.

Because sometimes, they didn't need compound-complex sentences. All they needed were a few simple words. And those words would be able to relay to the heart what they really meant.

"I was a baka."

Fuji blinked.

"I was a fool. I was selfish. I was supposed to understand you better because I was your childhood best friend. But who understood you? Tezuka did. And what did I do? I closed my eyes and failed to see just how much you loved me. If it wasn't for me..."

Fuji shook his head. "Kojiroh, I was a fool, too. I was too wrapped up in my own decision in taking care of Yuuta that I failed to see that Mizuki was there to be with him. He didn't need me anymore. I'm at fault, too, Kojiroh."

"Because I don't want to stand alone again.

I want your sunshine smile back.

I want to drown in your eyes and let them speak.

For now I now that no words are needed

When I want to say I love you."

Yes, Saeki thought. No words were needed where coherency failed. For what the ears failed to hear, the body could feel.

Strong pair of arms wrapped around Fuji, startling the smaller lad.

"Kojiroh..."

"I love you, Syusuke. And I don't plan on letting you go until the next apocalypse."

Fuji buried his head on Saeki's chest. How long had he waited to hear those words? How many nights did he dream about this happening? Tears stung his eyes. He lost his voice.

He looked like some weak damsel in the arms of the one she loved, but he didn't care. Who cared if other people said that? He was in his Kojiroh's arms and he couldn't care any less if they though of him like that.

He loved Saeki and Saeki loved him. That was all that mattered right now and that was all that would matter.

"Syusuke..."

"Hmm?"

"Did you just say that Mizuki was taking care of Yuuta?"

Fuji blinked, realizing what he said a while ago. "Aa."

"The same Mizuki Hajime you hate with all your heart?"

"Aa."

Ocean-tinted eyes met the other's blue eyes and soon they were both laughing. Fuji decided that it was nice hearing the other laugh again.

And as for Saeki, he thought so, too. Because now, he found that missing piece.

A small smile escaped his lips, earth hued eyes softening as the scene he had waited for all his life unfolded in front of him.

"That was a nice song."

Tea colored eyes met azure ones, a knowing smile in the latter's as the other stepped down from the stage. "Nothing that could compare to what we have just witnessed."

"Sometimes I find myself asking who you love more, me or them?" There was a playful twinkle in his eyes.

"I wasn't finished yet," the other said, putting an arm around his companion's waist. "However, nothing will ever compare to the love I have for you, Seiichi."

Yukimura laughed. "Such a poet you are, Kunimitsu."

"Only for the people I love, Seiichi. Only for the people I love."

-Owari

::26Sept04:: ::08:01p:: ::2621 words::

Author's Notes: Too cheesy? I know. Reeza said the same thing. So if you didn't book an appointment to visit your dentist for the next five minutes or less, could you please press that button down there and make me happy? Thanks!