Bloody Cactus

Fuji

Kiyami: Revised!

Pairings: FujiZuka, MomoRyo, and some one-sided FujixMizuki

Disclaimer: I do not own Tennis no Oujisama.

Tezuka returned to his home to find Momo and Ryoma sleeping against each other with a mess of junk food surrounding them. He turned off the TV that was showing some horror movie. So much for reliable.

Yuuta came walking out of Tezuka's room. Tezuka nodded, "Thank you, Yuuta."

"Fuji?" Tezuka looked into the room to find Fuji sitting by his window to watch the stars begin to twinkle on the evening sky.

"Hm? Oh Tezuka…Did you have a nice day at work?" Fuji smiled sweetly at Tezuka.

"Come on, I'll bring you to the hospital."

"It's all right. I don't need to go. I'm perfectly fine." Fuji protested.

Fuji was right. The bruises that covered his body weren't there anymore, strangely. The only thing that still remained from before was the cut the dart had created and even that didn't look too severe.

"We're going out to eat then."

"Good night, Tezuka, Fuji." Yuuta waved as he lead his two friends to the house right next door. Momo and Ryoma stumbled behind Yuuta, still half-asleep.

Tezuka and Fuji got into the black car parked right outside Tezuka's house. The car rumbled off towards the nearest restaurant that Tezuka found suitable.

"Fuji, where do you live?"

"I don't live anywhere."

"…"

"I move around a lot, but I never have a permanent place to live."

"You can stay with me for the meantime."

There was an awkward silence.

"So where's this place, Ten-Tezuka?"

"You nearly called me Ten-chan…didn't you?" Tezuka said before thinking. No one knew about his dreams.

"So you remember?"

"Remember what?"

Fuji sighed and shook his head. "Nevermind."

"Tell me, do you know about the dreams?"

"Dreams?"

"I have them every month. I think you're in them." Despite having met Fuji only a night before, Tezuka felt a bond between them. He felt as though he had known Fuji forever. He felt as though he could trust him.

"Ah…" Fuji trailed off in thought. Perhaps this Tezuka was Ten-Chan…only reborn.

"Do you know anything about them?" At this point Tezuka was desperate for some answers about his dreams. Fuji seemed like the one who would know.

"I think I do."

"Tell me then."

"It's a long story."

"It's a long way to the restaurant."

"It's all right…I don't have to eat. I'm not hungry." In truth Fuji couldn't eat food anymore. He always ended up vomiting it all up. Blood was the only source of nutrition for him now, but there were some exceptions like he could have some candies.

Tezuka stopped the car right outside a playground. "Tell me."

"B-but…I shouldn't. It might ruin things." Fuji looked away from Tezuka's commanding glare before finally giving in. "All right..."

"You might not believe this, but about three hundred years ago or so I was the son…"

I was the only son of a rich family. We were well favored by the community and we were very wealthy since my father was a very successful merchant. I grew up carefree and often spent my nights with friends.

I lived a very nice life and was spoiled with all sorts of gifts from my parents. The girls would swoon over me and no one seemed to hate me. Life was wonderful.

I had a personal bodyguard who had sort of grown up with me. His father was a friend of my father. Once he had grown old enough he became by guard. His name was Tenaki, but I called him Ten-chan. He was wonderful. He looked just like you. We had so much fun together.

But there was another noble that I knew. His name was Mizuki. I didn't think much of Mizuki since he spent so much time trying to impress me rather than befriend me. It was my biggest mistake ignoring him I suppose.

One day Ten-chan and I were on our way to my uncle's home. He lived by the beach so I was excited to go. On our first night out we were attacked. Ten-chan tried to protect me, but we both got captured.

The men who captured us worked for Mizuki. By that time our fates had been decided. I had already been turned into a vampire and in the aftermath Ten-chan was killed…by me."

"What happened?"

"It's what we do. Vampires drink the blood of humans. We're above you in the food chain. I was new to being a vampire and I didn't know how to control myself. I drank your blood and I couldn't stop until the very end."

"Vampires don't exist." Tezuka said being the skeptical person he was.

"Then how do I remember all this so vividly? Tezuka, I've been living for three hundred years with this guilt of knowing I killed you. Please…let me make it up to you."

"I still don't believe you're a vampire."

"Believe what you want, but let me do something to get this guilt off of me."

"Even if you try I still won't believe you are a vampire."

With that Tezuka started the car. The ride back home was silent and awkward.

"Tezuka, do you mind if I call you Ten-chan?"

"Yes."

"What about Tezu-chan?"

"Yes."

"Can you tell me about Yuuta?"

"Why?"

"Oh nothing, I just find him interesting."

"All I know is that he's an orphan and he plays tennis. I'm not very close with people."

"You're just like Ten-chan."

"I'm going to sleep. I have work tomorrow."

"You don't have to sleep on the couch. I'm not going to kill you or anything. Three hundred years haven't been wasted on nothing."

"Good night." Tezuka replied and left his room.

Fuji stared at the ceiling of Tezuka's room. It was plain and white just like the rest of his house. Fuji sighed and turned to his side. It wasn't that he didn't sleep, but he had a lot on his mind.

This was a chance to redeem himself from the sinful act he had committed centuries ago. This time he would protect Tezuka from everything in the world. He just had to.

There was also Yuuta. It was a fortunate coincidence that the direct descendant of his sister Yumiko just happened to be the neighbor of Tezuka.

Now Fuji suddenly thought of his own family. He never knew what had happened with them. Mizuki took him off somewhere where hardly anyone lived. There Mizuki had taught him some very interesting lessons. Each day it was agony and finally after two hundred years Fuji had escaped from Mizuki.

Fuji spent that time wandering around the world. There were so many things that humans had made in the time he had been secluded. What scared him the most were the guns that replaced the bows.

He moved often, never lingering in one place for too long. Mizuki would find him if he did so Fuji moved every five months or so. It became a lifestyle Fuji had to grow accustomed to quickly, but now Mizuki had found him.

The men that had attacked him last night obviously knew something of vampires. First they had hit him with a dart covered in poison. It was a certain type of poison that greatly delayed the vampire's natural ability to heal quickly and weakened him. From there they had just brutally attacked him.

Tezuka came to the rescue. It was strange that even after all this time Fuji was still the one that needed saving. Fuji promised to himself that he would be the one to save Tezuka next time. No matter what.

Fuji grabbed the pillow slowly.

Mizuki and him lived in a large house that had been built in secrecy. It was sort of a place to go to when you needed to get away in life. There Fuji was absolutely miserable and his hate for Mizuki grew with each day. But Fuji could do nothing since every time he tried to attack Mizuki, his efforts ended up with pain and more sadness.

He adjusted to the type of lifestyle easily. Being around Mizuki had strengthened him in a way. Fuji learned not to be as empathic like he was before and thought less of whether killing to survive was really right. Mizuki always said that it was their right to hunt on those lower on the food chain.

Finally during a rainy day Fuji crept up upon Mizuki's sleeping form. Fuji stabbed him with a knife covered in the purple poison that Mizuki kept in a locked cabinet. And when Mizuki opened his mouth in shock and pain Fuji spilt the entire vial of the poison in there. Angrily Fuji hoped that Mizuki would die from it all.

Fuji escaped that night. By then contraptions called trains had been invented. He rode his horse to the nearest big city with a train station and escaped his long imprisonment from the one that he hated the most.

The years that followed softened his bitter heart. He spent decades watching the descendants of his family. Yumiko and his immediate family were long dead.

Fifty years after his escape it was around the 1950's. Fuji stopped watching his family knowing it would only endanger them. He tried to grow accustomed to the new devices, but evaded humans. As the saying went, "Don't play with your food."

It was like that for a while. Time didn't matter much to Fuji anymore since time was the only thing that vampires ever had. Mizuki found him again after Fuji chanced a visit to see his relatives. Mizuki ended up killing them and Fuji's anger flared up again. Fuji barely escaped capture from Mizuki. After that Fuji ended up here, in Tezuka's home.

The blue-eyed vampire sighed and sat up. He felt even more guilt now. What Tezuka had told him confirmed it. The relatives that Mizuki killed were most likely Yuuta's family. Now there were even more deaths that weighed heavily on Fuji.

He got out of bed and easily navigated his way into the living room. Tezuka was asleep on the couch. The spare blanket had fallen down onto the floor. Fuji crossed the room and picked up the soft, blue blanket from the ground. Gently as to not wake him he covered Tezuka with the blanket.

It reminded him of when Ten-chan would spend his nights in Fuji's room. No matter how hard he tried he always fell asleep even in the uncomfortable armor. Fuji bent down and placed a light, ghostly kiss on his forehead.

"Ten-chan, please forgive me…Good night." Fuji whispered before exiting the house. Tonight was a night to feed.

Tezuka cracked open an eye and watched Fuji's silhouette move pass the windows into the quiet, peaceful town.

Tezuka woke up to see Fuji staring down at him. "Morning, Ten-chan."

"I told you not to call me that."

"But why? That's who you are."

"No, I'm Tezuka."

Fuji pouted.

"Shouldn't you be asleep or something?" Tezuka grumbled as he got up and opened the refrigerator.

"Why?"

"Don't these so-called vampires die in the sunlight?"

"So you believe me?"

"No."

"Well we don't die in the sunlight. The Sun hates us so we burn quickly in the sunlight. Our reflections are still there just…translucent and I don't mind the smell of garlic. Anything else, Ten-chan?" He explained.

Tezuka gave Fuji a glare that was returned with a smile.

"So is Yuuta coming over today?"

"Why are you so interested in him?"

"Would you believe me if I said why?"

"Probably not."

"Then I won't tell you until you say you believe me." Fuji stuck out a tongue at Tezuka playfully and walked off.

Tezuka sighed and leaned on the kitchen counter. Fuji's presence in his home seemed to make things more carefree and easygoing. A part of him enjoyed the liveliness Fuji brought, but another preferred the quieter, boring life before.

"I'm borrowing some of your clothes! I'm going to take a shower!" Fuji announced from Tezuka's bedroom.

Fuji turned the water on and made noises as if he was taking a shower. He sat on the floor and stared at the handwritten letter addressed to him. On the front was his name in cursive. Fuji opened it to read it.

You're still mine.

-Mizuki

Fuji's hands trembled in fear. Mizuki knew. He knew where he was. As he was returning from the night's hunt he found the letter stuck to the door. Feeling weary and tired Fuji put off reading the letter until today. It put Tezuka in danger and possibly Yuuta.

Fuji ripped up the letter and threw it into the trash. He took off the dirty clothing and stepped into the shower hoping the hot water would wash away the worries.

Tezuka looked up from the TV as Fuji stepped out of the bathroom. A cheerful smile was on the vampire's face. He was dressed in an old blue T-shirt that was too big for Fuji's small frame. He wore white shorts that reached his knees. A white towel was in his hands since his hair was still too wet.

"So refreshing." Fuji commented.

"They found a dead body this morning." Tezuka stated and pointed towards the news report on the television.

"Oh…"

"Did you do it?"

"So you believe me?"

"You could still commit a murder like this without having to be a vampire. There are procedures out there to change your teeth." Tezuka replied.

"The man was a criminal. He robbed a store and injured a man in the process. I think it was my duty to stop the man." Fuji took a seat next to Tezuka.

"Tezuka, why don't you believe me? Why do you deny that I'm a vampire?" He asked curiously.

"They don't exist."

Fuji sighed. It seemed like an impossible task to convince the headstrong man. But a sly smile slid across his smooth, pale face. Silent as a cat he moved until he was uncomfortably close to Tezuka. Tezuka looked at Fuji.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing." Fuji innocently said.

Cold fingers traced the area around Tezuka's neck lightly. Tezuka shivered at the effect. Fuji leaned over and bared both white fangs. He put pressure on Tezuka's neck with the fangs, but not so much that it would pierce the skin. Tezuka pushed Fuji away.

"What are you doing?" He repeated.

"Well you don't believe me so I'm trying to prove to you that I'm a vampire."

"I have to go to work." Tezuka suddenly said. He grabbed his coat and keys.

"Bye, bye Ten-chan!" Fuji shouted after Tezuka.

Tezuka left.

Kiyami: I still don't like this chapter…

Chapter Three: Yuu-chan (Although I have this habit of constantly changing titles. This chapter went through four changes before I thought it fit the chapter.)

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