Part Two: Do you know what flowers mean?
Two days. Tezuka was asked to stay in the hospital for two days. For observation purposes, the doctors said. He could not say 'no'. The entire team was practically pushing him down the bed.
He remembered how everyone looked as if it was only yesterday. Oishi was trying his best not to be the mother hen that he was. Kikumaru, Momoshiro, Kaidoh and Echizen were all trying their best not vocally blame either him or Atobe. Kawamura was trying best not to show his worry. Inui was trying to be level-headed about the situation. And Fuji...
...Fuji had his eyes open, concern, worry, anger, sadness all mixed up in those blue irises.
He had never seen Fuji like that.
No. Wait. He had. It was almost the same expression that the tensai had before he played against Mizuki. How he looked at Yuuta while his brother used the twist spin shot again and again...
Tezuka feared what would happen to Atobe.
He would never forget Fuji's lack of hesitation to run to Tezuka's side.
It replayed in his mind over and over again. The Seigaku buchou's pained expression. Fuji's rush towards the taller man.
He did not know why, but at that moment, he wanted to punch Atobe for not playing fair. Sure, he was also Tezuka's rival but that didn't mean he had to do that.
But he also wanted to punch Tezuka. The buchou did not have to sacrifice his arm. Sometimes, being strong was not in the way you held your ground. Sometimes, it was in the courage to admit your limits.
Yet somehow, some part of him understood Tezuka more than he understood Atobe's motives. And this was considering that they were both Tezuka's rivals, one in love, the other in tennis.
It did not surprise Tezuka to see Atobe standing on the doorway of his hospital room. They had been good friends, after all. Yes. Even if they were rivals.
The good thing was, he thought, the team – more specifically, Fuji – had already gone home by the time he arrived.
Tachibana arrived, too, just a few minutes after Atobe did. This did not seem very out of the contrary, Tezuka thought. He and Tachibana had been in good terms ever since that match with Fudomine.
There were no flowers or cakes – only words of encouragement from the Fudomine buchou and words of challenge (with a tinge of apology in his tone) from his tennis rival. A few minutes after, they left.
Fuji came back later that evening and Tezuka could feel a smile tugging his lips the moment he saw the small profile near his door, a dozen blue irises in hand.
Tezuka didn't like flowers but from that moment on, he decided that he did.
To light up the room, the tensai had said.
You light up the room, Tezuka wanted to say. And the irises remind me of your eyes and the way you looked at me.
Thank you, he said instead.
Fuji gave him a soft smile, something that the buchou had never seen before.
And Tezuka knew, it was something he would keep in his heart forever.
Honestly, he did not know what he was doing or why he was doing whatever he was doing.
What was he doing?
He was riding a bus to the hospital where Tezuka was, a bouquet of lily of the valley in hand.
Yes, Saeki thought. He definitely did not know why he was being kind and paying his rival a visit.
But it was the only way to let his head stop conjuring images of a pained Tezuka. It had already bothered him all night the night before. One night was enough.
He glanced at his watch. 8 a.m. Classes were already starting. He sighed. He could skip school that day. What he was doing was for his peace of mind.
After all, how could he concentrate on his studies if those images were plaguing his mind?
Yes. The reason he was doing this was for his peace of mind.
But why the hell was he thinking about Tezuka in the first place?!?
Tea-hued orbs opened, a rare smile gracing his lips as his vision came in contact
with the blue irises near his bedside.
Fuji...
He got up, feeling absolutely better than yesterday, and did his morning rituals. Half-way through his breakfast, a nurse came in.
"Tezuka-kun, you have a visitor."
"Thank you." Who could be visiting at this time? Did Fuji choose to skip classes?
Tezuka's eyes widened at the sight of the person who visited him.
"Saeki," was the only word he could mouth.
"Tezuka," the other acknowledge, nodding. "Do you have a vase?"
His mind regained part of its senses as chocolate eyes flickered at the flowers that the other had bought.
"I think another vase is somewhere there."
No words were exchanged for quite sometime as Saeki arranged the lilies. It wasn't as if there was nothing to be said. The Rokkaku fukubuchou did not know how to start. The Seigaku buchou did not know how to react to his rival's sudden appearance.
Saeki placed the flowers near the ones Fuji gave. "How's your arm?"
"It feels better."
It was good that the conversation was starting, they both decided.
"That's good to hear."
"Aa."
Another bout of silence and they knew they had thought too soon about the conservation. But somehow, Saeki thought, it felt right to be there, standing beside Tezuka's bedside. And somehow, the latter noted, the fukubuchou's presence was warm and was supposed to be there all along.
This confused Tezuka. A lot.
"Why?" he asked. One question. One word loaded with other questions. Why are you here? Why did you visit me? Why did you bring me flowers?
Saeki didn't know what to say. He did not know the answer to Tezuka question which was connected to so many questions. Questions that most probably would get him into a tight position.
He shrugged. "Rokkaku wanted to wish you a speedy recovery. I just represented them."
That was beyond your usual lameness, Kojiroh, he told himself.
Tezuka did not believe it was real reason but he let it pass. "Aa. Thank you."
Fuji entered the room, the usual smile in place, though this was a little bit softer. His eyes opened briefly at the sight of the lilies of the valley before closing, smile even softer even though there was something he was biting back.
"Saeki was here." It was a statement, not a question.
Tezuka was mildly surprised. "Aa."
'Return to happiness', Saeki? Fuji thought, remembering what the flowers meant. Or 'you've made my life complete'? Which one? And what kind of happiness did you exactly mean?
There was a teasing lilt in the voice inside his head and yet there was one part of him that wanted to demand an explanation from Saeki. A part of him that wanted to say that Tezuka was his and his alone.
Wait. Tezuka was his?
Tsuzuku...