Germany, 6 A.M.
Tezuka Kunimitsu woke up from his sleep. He took his glassed from the beside table and took a glance at the alarm clock that was sitting innocently on the bedside table just beside the small bed lamp.
6 A.M.
He sighed, and he got up from his bed lazily. He was about to place his glasses back on the bedside table and took some new clothes to change into when he heard his cell phone rang. He cancelled his intention to take a shower before and went to pick up the phone.
"Hai?" he greeted as he picked the phone up. He didn't even look at the number that was displayed on the LCD when a phone call came. Maybe because he didn't really mind whoever it was who called him, because calling him at that time was already a miracle.
"Moshi moshi, Kunimitsu? As I thought, you would be awake at this kind of time," his trainer's voice was heard through the end of the line. "You're the only one who would wake at this kind of time," she continued while her voice sounded a bit confident.
"What about you then?" Tezuka asked back, practically being unhappy since he wasn't happy at her statement.
"Well, I was calling to ask whether you can go to the café or not, the usual one," his trainer's voice sounded like that of a little girl's, and he doubted that it was the same person who was speaking, not her granddaughter.
"I think I can," Tezuka confirmed and was ready to hang up the phone in case his trainer decided to prolong the conversation for more than necessary. It's not good for their brain because cell phones emitted some kind of radioactive waves that weren't good for our brain, and because it's bad for their wallet.
"Okay then, jya, see you later," his trainer hung the phone up and Tezuka was relieved that he wasn't forced to hang the phone up by force.
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"Kunimitsu!," Hanna Yasanhaima, Tezuka's trainer, waved her hand from her table. When the latter approached her table, she motioned to an empty chair across of her and asked him to sit on it. "Sit down, please,"
"What do you want to talk about?" the stoic and expressionless guy asked as he sat on the well-carved ceramic chair.
Hanna just smiled at him, not really minding his cold and expressionless face at that time because she had heard that no one could take away that expressionless face from him, except for one person, that she isn't really sure who it is.
"Master! As usual please!" she called out at the owner of the café instead of answering Tezuka's question. Of course, that question could wait, since she was going to tell him sooner or later although Tezuka would prefer the former one to the latter one.
She winked seductively at the owner of the café as he nodded his head and took a glass bottle that contained some bluish liquid. "What do you want?" she turned to Tezuka and asked for what he wanted to drink.
"Coffee," he answered simply and straight to the point. There's no point in saying things redundantly since that one word effectively answers that four words question.
"Oh, come on! Too many coffee isn't good for your health!" she whined a bit when she heard her student's answer. She wasn't satisfied with that answer, since she thought that he would order the same kind of drink as her.
"So is the beer," Tezuka said calmly as he leaned on the back of the ceramic chair. The carvings on the back made his back hurt a bit, but he didn't really mind about it right now.
The words that came out from his mouth weren't even long, but very effective, and what he stated was absolute truth that made people couldn't debate with him.
He is damn right. She sighed as she let her head drop a bit in disappointment and in crossness since she couldn't debate with her student. "Whatever you say," she said finally.
"So, coffee for the young tennis player right? Okay, please wait a minute," the owner smiled at them after delivering the drink Hanna ordered. He went back to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee to be served for Tezuka.
"Well...." the ex-pro tennis player started as she shoved her hand into her handbag and took out a little box from it.
She took Tezuka wrist and placed his hand on top of the table while asking him to open his hand. She placed the little box on his palm. "Here, happy birthday...." she smiled at the young tennis player who was sitting across of her. She could see the potential inside of him, and she was certain that he could fulfill her dreams when she was still a pro tennis player.
Tezuka was taken aback when he heard what his trainer said. "Happy birthday.... eh?" he murmured softly. He totally forgot about his own birthday.
"Ara, you forget about your own birthday? Today is October the seventh, you know," she chuckled a bit when she saw the stoic-now-surprised guy's visage.
"Well, thanks," he said simply and kept the little box in his jacket's pocket. Luckily, it was big enough to store the little box in it. His cold and expressionless face still graced his feature, and not even a single smile graced his feature.
He wasn't like the prodigy in his team who loved to smile.
"Mou, you really are an arrogant boy," Hanna sighed as she dropped her smile from her face. "You don't even smile when someone give you something!" she continued.
"Now I wonder if there is someone who could make you smile even for once," she wondered out loud, and after she said those words, the owner brought the cup of coffee Tezuka ordered. She didn't hear Tezuka said 'Yes, there is' softly and lowly when the owner came.
"Here you go. Do you want some breakfast to accompany the drinks?" he offered as he took out his block notebook and his pen, ready to note down their orders.
"You haven't have breakfast, have you?" she asked as she tilted her head to the right side a bit. "Order something then, it's my treat," she said and winked at him when she saw him nodded his head, even though only for a bit.
Tezuka knew perfectly about his trainer's attitude and he knew better than to refuse anything she offered, because if he did so, she would give him more comments like 'arrogant and phony boy' or 'pretending to be a model student again'.
Finally, he sighed and nodded his head, "Okay," he agreed as he plastered a martyred expression on his face. But, oh hey, at least he wasn't expressionless anymore.
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Germany, 9 A.M.
Tezuka was on his way home after having breakfast in the café with his trainer when his cell phone suddenly rang, and once again, he picked up the phone without bothering himself to look at the numbers displayed on the LCD.
"Hai?" he greeted.
"Tezuka?" a voice, that he knew for sure belonged to Oishi, was heard from the other end of the line. He knew that voice for sure because they had been best friends for some time, and because no one else sounded that much worried other than him.
"Oishi? Doshita?" he asked as he heard the tone of speaking his best friend use. It was more worried than usual.
"Ano...." his voice sounded very hesitant, as if he wasn't daring to finish what he originally planned to say. But that's just typical of Oishi.
"Wai Tezuka!" Eiji's cheerful and loud voice could be heard not far from the cell phone there. "Happy birthday, nyaa!" he continued, his voice still as loud.
"E- Eiji! Don't be like that!" Oishi cut him and by the fading noise Eiji created, Tezuka could tell that Oishi was either covering the cell phone or trying to get as far as he could from the bouncy redhead. "Ah, suman Tezuka. Well, happy birthday."
"Aa, arigatou," he replied. Deep inside, he felt a bit happy that his teammates still remembered his birthday when he thought that they wouldn't remember it.
"Happy birthday, Tezuka-buchou," Ryoma's cocky and arrogant voice could be heard too, and by the rustling noise from the other end of the line, he could tell that they're probably passing the cell phone over.
"Happy birthday, Tezuka-buchou," Momoshiro added hyperly. "Don't forget to bring us some souvenirs when you come back!" he added, not letting the hyperness vanish from his voice even for a bit.
"Momo-senpai...." Ryoma sweatdropped at the childish remark his senpai said. Their captain wasn't even going on a tour to Europe, for Pete's sake!
"Tezuka," the spooky voice of Inui's could be heard as the cell phone was passed to Inui. "According to my data, today is October 7th, precisely your birthday. Hmmm.... It's around 9.15 A.M. there, I believe, am I wrong? It's because the time difference between Japan and Germany is around eight hours. Well, that's exactly why we call you now,"
Tezuka could imagine Inui scribbling something on his precious green notebook furiously by hearing the sound of rustling paper, the sound of friction between graffiti and paper, and the shaky voice because the cell phone was only held between his cheek and shoulder.
"Senpai, you speak too much," a hiss that originated from Kaidoh, the infamous viper of Seigaku, was heard as he snatched the cell phone from Inui. "Happy birthday, buchou,"
"Tezuka? Well, I just wanted to say happy birthday to you," Kawamura, who had been silent all the time before, said as Kaidoh passed the cell phone to him.
"Arigatou, minna...." Tezuka said gratefully.
There was a pause.
"Where's Fuji?" he asked after he had finished counting the regulars who had wished him happy birthday just now. Seven. That meant one person was missing from the group. And after some time to recall who hadn't wished him happy birthday, he noticed that it was the famous and well-known always-smiling prodigy of Seigaku.
"Oh, well...." Oishi said hesitantly, as if not wanting to tell him something.
"He is absent today," Eiji interrupted when he noticed that his doubles partner wasn't going to say anything more than 'oh, well'.
"Absent? Why?" Tezuka asked out of curiosity.
"We don't know yet. We haven't called him. Did he call you?" Oishi asked as he took control of the cell phone once again, and now Tezuka was really wondering whose cell phone did they use to call him.
"Not at all...." Tezuka muttered a bit.
"It's strange, isn't it? According to my data, he won't be absent, even though this is the doom day," Inui said as he scribbled down something on his precious green notebook, the voice sounded a bit shaky again. "According to my data about his strength and willpower, there is a very slim possibility that Fuji fell sick, and seeing his 79.86 km/hour reflexes, no car can hit him," Inui read his data aloud.
"Yeah, I think so too," Tezuka agreed with him. Inui's right, there's only a very slim possibility that he fell sick. Then what happened to him?
"Well, I think we should really end this conversation now. Ryuuzaki-sensei will be very upset if we don't go to practice now," Oishi said. "Besides, she'll be very angry when she sees her phone bill," he added jokingly, his worries had vanished by that time.
Oh, so it's sensei's cell phone that they used. Tezuka said to himself.
"Jya, bye buchou, take care," they said.
"Aa. Yudan sezu ni ikou," he said for one final time before hanging up the phone.
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Meanwhile, in Japan, exactly at the tennis-club locker-room of Seishun Gakuen Junior High school,
"An old habit of Tezuka-buchou," Ryoma commented as Oishi hung the phone up while sighing.
"Nya zannen munnen mata raishuu we don't get to celebrate his birthday party!" the redhead acrobatic player wailed.
"Don't be a spoilt child, Eiji," Oishi warned his childish doubles partner.
"I'm not a spoilt child!" Eiji pouted cutely. That made the vice-captain flushed slightly, but he covered it quickly.
"I hope they will be fine," Ryoma said again.
"They? Who they?" Momo asked, practically being confused at the use of word 'they' since he didn't have any idea about who 'they' are.
Ryoma kept silent. How can I have a senpai like him? He contemplated his misfortunes as he left the locker room silently.
"Oi, Echizen!" the sophomore called out and followed him.
"Sou da nya, I hope they'll be fine," Eiji commented as he watched the vanishing figure of the cocky and arrogant freshman and the loud sophomore intently.
This remark made Oishi frowned a bit. He was about to ask what he meant when Eiji cut him by saying "I mean Tezuka and Fuji" and he just ended up muttering a low 'Oh'.
--------------------
German, 12 P.M.
At last Tezuka came home safely. He had had a 'little' trouble on his way back to his apartment. As you all should have known, he is a well-known person in Germany too, and he wasn't the kind of guy that would be ignored by most people.
Who can have no attention for this cool and handsome guy?
On his way home, many young ladies waited in front of his rehabilitation center with many presents and flowers in their hands. And not only young ladies came to give him presents and wish him happy birthday, his doctors also came to give him some presents and wish him happy birthday.
So, by the time he got home, he had piles of presents everywhere in his bedroom. All the presents originated from his friends, or his admirers too, but none came from Fuji, the one he cared the most.
So when he came to his bedroom again, he immediately took his cell phone out of his pocket and called Fuji's phone. Okay, he is worrying about Fuji so much.
His first call disappointed him, and so did the second, third, fourth and fifth call. All of them weren't answered by the sweet and girlish voice of the prodigy when he thought it would be.
Where the hell is he?! I have called him for five times now, but he didn't even pick up a single call! It's a very rare thing for him to not activate his cell phone. What's the matter with him? Tezuka asked himself and was having a fight with his conscience while he stared at the LCD of his cell phone, and at Fuji's number.
Later, he decided to just call his house.
"Moshi moshi, Fuji residence here," the voice of Fuji's older sister could be heard clearly from the other end of the line.
"Can I speak with Fuji Shuusuke, please?" Tezuka requested politely, being the well-educated and well-mannered boy he is.
"May I know who this is?" Yumiko asked politely too. She was accustomed of answering calls that were meant for her brothers or her parents.
"Tezuka desu," Tezuka answered simply.
"Ara, Tezuka-kun, I regret to tell you but, he isn't home yet, and I really don't know when he will come home. Have you called his cell phone?" Yumiko asked regretfully. Her regret could be heard clearly in her voice.
"Aa, I have, but his cell phone is inactive currently," he answered.
"Sou ka.... any messages for him? Maybe I can help you tell him later when he come home," she offered as she heard that her brother's cell phone was inactive. Fuji never inactivates his cell phone if it's not an obligation or if it's not because of dead battery.
"No, thanks," Tezuka declined the offer.
"Oh, okay then, if he happened to come home, I'll tell him that you called," she smiled.
"Thank you. Jya," he said for one final time and hung the phone up. Where the hell is he? He hasn't come home too. After he called the Fuji residence with the hope of feeling more relieved, he was getting more and more anxious instead.
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Germany, 11.50 P.M.
Tezuka was very worried and anxious. He had tried to call Fuji many times, but all of them weren't answered.
Damn! I had called him for more than 500 times! God, please tell me that there is nothing happening to him... he muttered some kind of incantation silently as he was getting more worried. It was near midnight, but he didn't really mind.
He really wanted the one he cared the most to wish him happy birthday. All of the wishes and presents would be meaningless if the one he cared the most didn't.
Maybe it was very egoistical of him to think that way, but he didn't mind.
The door was knocked and that made Tezuka jumped up in surprise. "Come in," he ordered.
"Tezuka-kun, there's a guest for you. A boy," his doctor said as she opened the door to his apartment a bit, not letting the figure behind her visible from the inside.
A guest? At a time like this? He glanced at his watch and noticed that it was ten minutes to midnight and that meant that his birthday would end very soon. "Tell him to come in," he said finally after thinking for some time.
His doctor smiled and stepped aside.
As the door was opened widely, letting the moonlight came through, illuminating the interior of his room, he saw a figure he had been very longing to see.
A beautiful brown-haired boy who had his trademark smile was standing in front of him, his figure a bit shadowy because of the moonlight.
Tezuka, who missed and worried that boy so much, could only freeze near the threshold. He didn't even dare to inhale or exhale. His breath was caught in his lungs.
"Thank you, sensei," Fuji smiled and waved at Tezuka's doctor as she started to descend the stairs and left the apartment.
"No problems. Jya, I'll leave you two now. Oyasumi," her voice could be heard echoing through the stairways as she left Tezuka's room.
"May I come in?" Fuji asked hesitantly as he looked up at the taller boy who was currently being shocked when he saw the person he cared the most standing in front of him.
"Su- sure," he answered and motioned the shorter and older boy to follow him to the living room, where they took a seat on the couch.
"Why do you come here?" Tezuka started, trying to handle his feelings that had become mixed up by now. He tried to keep calm and composed, but it seemed impossible for the time being.
Fuji's smile faltered for a mere second, before it came back to its place. "So, you don't want me to be here?" he asked mischievously as he smirked.
"Eh? Err, well...." he started to stutter, not knowing what to say to answer the sly prodigy's question. It's the contrary, though, I really wanted you to come here on my birthday since two weeks ago, and it's really silly of me to forget that my birthday finally came.
A slight flush appeared on the stoic guy's cheek and he tried to hide it.
Fuji chuckled when he saw his boyfriend's amusing antics. He always finds things amusing and funny, and it's not seldom that people thought he is strange because he found normal things funny and amusing.
"That's not funny," Tezuka grumbled as he glared at his sly boyfriend a bit.
"Gomen gomen," Fuji apologized as he tried to stop his laughter, "Well, I only wanted to say happy birthday to you," he added.
"Of course I knew that I couldn't be the first, but if I couldn't be the first, then let me be the last but not least," he said as he smiled serenely. Somehow, his serene smile had relieved Tezuka from his worry and stress greatly.
"Oh yeah, sorry for bringing nothing, though," Fuji laughed a bit at his own statement.
These sentences made Tezuka couldn't stand his feeling anymore. He stood up from the leather-made couch and hugged his boyfriend who was currently sitting across of him. They were only separated by a small and short coffee table.
"Tezuka....?" Fuji mumbled as he tried to enjoy the warmth and comfortableness his boyfriend provided after a very long flight. He was having a jetlag although he didn't show it, and he tried to fend off the queasiness he experienced after that.
"Don't say anything more Fuji, this is enough. In fact, this is more than enough," Tezuka said as he tightened his hug around the slender figure of the prodigy. "Where have you been? I've called you many times but you didn't accept my phone call!" he asked, feeling a bit relieved by that time, but still curious about the reason why he inactivate his cell phone.
"Oh, don't you know that we aren't allowed to activate our cell phones in planes? Of course I go here by plane," Fuji answered as his twisted sense of humor came to surface, "Or haven't you been on a plane? What did you use to come here before? Aladdin's flying carpet?" he asked again jokingly.
Tezuka glared at the wall since he couldn't glare at Fuji at that time. He should've noticed it earlier. Now he's going to be laughed at again when they came back to Japan by the other regulars, or even by the other members of the tennis club.
"But you know, I really miss you so much," Tezuka whispered softly to Fuji's ear.
The act sent chill down Fuji's spine, but he ignored it. "That's good, isn't it?" Fuji asked back as he returned the hug.
Tezuka loosened his embrace to look at the cerulean blue orbs very deeply but gently. "I love you," he murmured, his voice was as gentle and as soft as possible.
"So do I, Tezuka, so do I," Fuji replied as he once again smiled serenely. It wasn't his trademark smile, or his sadistic smile, it was his genuine smile.
Soon, they were seen kissing passionately and started doing things on the leather-made couch.
So, the famous phrase that says 'The last but not least' is true, since the last one who wished him happy birthday was the one who he cared the most, and he was very happy when he heard the last wish of happy birthday.
OWARI
A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TEZUKA-BOUCHOU!!! XDDD I was very excited when this fic has already done. I think, it can't be enough time to post it. Thank a lot to Asagi Tsuki who was beta-ing this fic and my entire friend who was supporting me. Thanks for reading my fic. I hope you enjoyed this fic. Well, a lame though. ; jya