I'll wait for you……

That phrase kept repeating in his head like a broken recorder, but as much as he found it irritating, there was a sense of warmth that bubbled in his heart. This left him reassured but troubled, torn between his feelings of love and responsibility. He didn't sleep well that night, but drifted in the state of semi-consciousness. Between those moments he dreamt, to be more precise, he remembered the times that they were together. The gentle touches, the soothing voice of comfort, the smile, the passionate interludes and most importantly the bubbling warmth within his heart. He didn't realize it until then, how much he missed those moments. For the six months that went by, he buried himself in work, his new found leadership of the team and adjusting his new life in Kanagawa.

It was a relationship that was built over his insecurity and despite being bathed in his love, Kaidoh knew that one day he might leave him. Just because he was the eldest son and it was his duty to carry on the family line, and to provide his parents with grandchildren. Some may scoff at his old-fashion thinking, but he couldn't help it. It was the way he was bought up. He decided to end this relationship the day his father told the family that he was transferred to a branch in Kanagawa. And the family was to leave with him.

"I am sorry sempai……"

To put the distance between them, he built a wall to separate them. He knew he was selfish for picking such a moment to bring up the issue, when it was so close to his entrance exams for university, but he did it anyway. What surprised him was Inui's attitude when he placed his thought across. Overly calm wouldn't do justice to it, he felt his heart breaking when he saw his sempai sorrowful eyes. But he was so understanding of his position and so willing to let him go that it made him feel guilty. Kaidoh felt like he was a willful child and he was a loving parent. However when he saw his face again a week ago, he begin to wonder, whether he had regretted his decision.

I wish I could tell you I'm feeling better every day
that it didn't hurt me when you walked away
but to tell you the truth I can't find my way
and deep inside me I feel like I'm dying
I have to see you it's all that I'm asking.

The next morning Kaidoh woke up at the sound of his alarm. Sitting up, a wave of dizziness hit him, like an invisible force pushing him back onto the bed. Gingerly, he got out of bed and staggered down the stairs slowly, a step at a time. By the time he reached the dinning table, a good 15 minutes had already past.

"Kaoru, are you alright?" his mother immediately sensed his discomfort. Wiping her hands clean on her apron, she laid the palm of her hand on his forehead. "You are having a fever. Go back to bed, I will phone the school and inform them that you are not going today." Having said that, she ushered him back up the stairs and tucked him into the bed he just got up from not long ago. He could still feel the lingering body heat that was left behind by him this morning. Back into the comfort of his bed, the heavy eyelids began to weigh down and slid shut.

When he was a child, he used to imagine that in the future he would have a family just like the one he has now. With a loving wife who was the caring mother of his children, two children and his parents would visit regularly if not, stayed with him. He didn't count on falling in love with the sport, tennis. If he didn't, then perhaps he would never have met the man called Inui Sadaharu. He remembered when he moved to Kanagawa, it was like he was escaping from his life. He gave very little people his new contact details, hoping that he would not be able to find him. However, another more surprising character did eventually. He was Yanagi Renji, Inui's childhood friend. It would be a lie if he said that he was never jealous of the relationship that Yanagi and Inui shared in the past, the bond that ran so deep that when they were together, Kaidoh felt that he couldn't come in between them. He, in the end Inui choose him, the mamushi, the boy whom they all thought had an attitude problem.

"How could you?"

He remembered Yanagi confronting him one afternoon when he was on his way home from school. Although he knew that the Rikkai Dai player was in Kanagawa, he didn't expect to bump into him that easily.

"How could you? Do you know how devastated he is now?" the usually calm man had grabbed him by his collar, at such a close proximity he could almost feel the rage radiating from his body. Perhaps he really wasn't the one that was suitable to stand by his side.

That day he didn't answer Yanagi's question, and after that day he didn't see Yanagi again.

Vida, give me back my fantasy. The courage that I need to live,
the air that I breathe.
Cariño mio, my world's become so empty. The days are so cold and lonely
and each night I taste the purest of pain.

It didn't take long for the fever to be broken. In fact, if he didn't suffer from insomnia the night before, he wouldn't have fallen prey to the germs. He stood in front of the gates of Rikkai Dai University, after a moment of hesitation, he stepped into unfamiliar grounds. It wasn't hard to find the tennis courts, and with a stroke of luck, the members of the Rikkai Dai tennis club was there practicing. He saw a few familiar faces, namely Sanada and Yukimura. Of course Yanagi was there as well, and spotted him soon enough after he saw Yukimura whispering something into his ears. He approached him almost immediately, and as if he could read Kaidoh's thoughts, he spoke, "Are you here about Sadaharu?"

He had came up with the conclusion that he wasn't the one suitable for his sempai. Perhaps he didn't love him enough in the first place, but more importantly he wasn't brave enough and his cowardliness was hurting the man. He shouldn't be so selfish. What Inui needed was someone brave enough to tread this uncharted part with him.

It was raining again like many of their recent encounters. Apart from that, the scene unfolding before them was much like a replay of the scene six months again. It was in the park, where Kaidoh gentlely broke the news to Inui.

"I am sorry…."

And like the previous encounter, Inui stood still on the spot absorbing the information. The rain droplets dripping down, flattening his spiky hair-do. Kaidoh thought he saw tears flowing down the upper-class man's face, but by then the rain had gotten heavier and he could no longer differentiate whether they were tears or rainwater. However, his next action was completely out of Kaidoh's expectation.

"Why!" Inui shouted at Kaidoh, completely losing the cool composure that he was famous for. He reached out and pulled Kaidoh into his arms and embraced him with so much strength like he wanted to carve him into his soul. Kaidoh closed his eyes for a moment and savored the warmth for the last time, before pushing Inui away.

"Because I can't." he turned and ran, knowing that his sempai would be alright because he already had someone else waiting for him.

"Moshi Moshi?" Kaidoh picked up the telephone that had been ringing for a while. But like many calls he had been receiving lately, there was no answer. "Shhhhhh…." He hissed into the mouthpiece before hanging up. On the other side of the line, a man removed his black-framed glasses, which had lost its usual gleam.

I'm sorry I didn't mean to call you but I couldn't fight it.
I guess I was weak, couldn't even hide it
and so I surrendered just to hear your voice.

Author Notes:

Hope you enjoyed the sad ending. Do read the Happy ending as well.

Yeah! I threw in YanaInu as well, that was the reason I choose Kanagawa for Kaidoh to move to.

Inui! Open your eyes there is someone else there waiting for you.

I think I tortured Inui too much in this fic.

Lastly, I wonder if anyone noticed the 2 calls at the beginning and at the ending of the story. In case you are confused and wondering, the first call was made by Kaidoh, because he misses Inui. The second call was of cause by Inui.