Author's note:Sorry for the wait, I went on holiday ; btw, I know nothing about gondolas, so this is all assumption…
Disclaimer Does it really need to be said again??
Kismet chapter 4: Italian romance
The next morning, one very energetic tensai awoke from a good night's sleep. He grinned to himself as he took a quick glance at the bedside clock. 10 in the morning. Perfect timing. Running a hand through his tousled hair, Fuji decided to take a quick shower to freshen up.
When he had stepped out of the shower, the whirring sound of the fax machine greeted his ears. Picking up the piece of paper, Fuji scanned it curiously, before a wide smile spread over his face. It was his next assignment, and it sounded pretty interesting. Even though it was a Sunday, he decided that he wanted to get started right away. The gears in his head started wheeling as he thought up a detailed, meticulous plan for the day, one that included a certain friend…
Picking up the phone next to him, Fuji read off a number from the piece of paper Tezuka had given him, and dialed.
"Hello?"
"Tezuka? It's Fuji."
"Ah."
"Are you free today?"
"I think so, why?" Tezuka could not help but be slightly wary of Fuji. Afterall, he was famous for his penchant of seeing people suffer.
"Nothing much, it's just that I'll be working today, covering shots outside, and it'll be boring alone. Can you come?"
"Ah, I see. Fine, I can come." Deep inside, Tezuka couldn't help but want to see what Fuji did everyday for a living, and what about it could have held the tensai's attention even more than tennis did.
"Great! It's a date then. Meet you at twelve at the entrance of the Grand canal. See you!" without waiting for a reply, Fuji hung up the phone.
Tezuka nearly choked at the words it's a date. What on earth had Fuji meant? Trying to reassure himself that it had been another of Fuji's meaningless jokes, Tezuka strode off to the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea.
Over at the other end, Fuji laughed quietly to himself. He had caught Tezuka's little choke of surprise at his words. Humming a melodious tune to complement his high spirits, Fuji hurried off to prepare himself a simple breakfast comprising of black coffee and wasabi sandwiches. He knew it had been a good idea to bring along those hundreds of wasabi packets to Italy in the first place. The food here was too bland for his liking as he had predicted.
After polishing off his breakfast, Fuji changed into a pair of black trousers and a white button-down shirt, grabbed his camera, and left his house.
It was a sunny day, perfect for photo-taking. As Fuji admired the scenery, his keen eyes spotted a tall figure already standing at the entrance to the Grand canal. Early as usual, as to be expected of Tezuka-buchou.
Lifting up his hand in a slight wave to acknowledge Tezuka's presence, Fuji felt his smile soften upon looking at the buchou from a closer range. His modest midnight-blue long sleeved shirt and brown slacks suited him well, fitting for his tall and well-toned figure.
"So… let's go," Fuji announced.
"Go? Where exactly?", Tezuka's brow furrowed in confusion, as he realized that Fuji had not told him where they would be going.
"Oh. There, of course. The gondolas.", Fuji inclined his head slightly towards the canal, where there were people taking gondola rides.
"The gondolas?", Tezuka's eyes widened in something akin to horror. He was never too fond of any water activities besides fishing.
"Of course. I'm supposed to take pictures of the architecture lining the Canal. What better way to do so than to ride down the Canal?" Fuji said innocently, purposely ignoring the fact that Tezuka disliked water.
"Ah. Okay.." Tezuka agreed reluctantly, and let himself be pulled off to a gondola by a very enthusiastic Fuji.
Fuji picked a classy black gondola docked near the edge which was furnished with gold details. After indicating to Tezuka that he should get into the gondola first, Fuji stepped aside and told the gondola-rower that they would like to row the gondola by themselves.
The man acquiesced and handed the oars over to Fuji, who promptly handed them over to Tezuka who was already sitting comfortably inside the gondola.
Tezuka's left eye twitched.
"You're rowing, Tezuka-buchou. I have to take photos, remember?" Fuji piped up.
Tezuka sighed. He was, obviously, left with no alternative but to reach for the oars so thoughtfully held outstretched to him. Fuji seated himself directly opposite Tezuka, so as to balance the gondola properly. Then with an expectant smile shot at Tezuka, Fuji lifted his camera and started aiming.
Tezuka rowed for a bit, trying to get used to the how heavy the oars felt once they hit the water. His toned arms, however, meant that it was not a major problem to row the gondola properly. Once he adjusted to it, Tezuka actually found it fun, and kind of peaceful.
Fuji managed to take relatively steady pictures, meaning that Tezuka was rowing the gondola quite skillfully. He chuckled inwardly, not surprised at how the athletic buchou could pick up rowing in a matter of minutes.
The silence between the duo was comfortable, serene even, and Tezuka respected the professionalism in which Fuji immersed himself completely into his job. Tezuka glanced around for a bit, admiring the regal looking buildings that loomed over them. He hadn't really been to this part of the city, and the rustic feel of it made him feel settled. The next thing he noticed was that most of the other gondolas were occupied by couples out for a romantic date. He wondered fractionally whether he and Fuji resembled a couple, then quickly dispelled the impending thoughts.
Tezuka continued to concentrate on rowing the gondola to the best of his ability, all the while listening to the comforting clicks of Fuji's shutter. It was only when the sounds stopped for a moment, did Fuji start to speak.
"Ne, Tezuka, don't you think love is just like water?" Fuji asked, his voice coated in deep contemplation.
"Hn?" Tezuka didn't understand how this question fit in at all, and glanced up, trying to find a clue from the tensai's countenance.
Something hit Tezuka like a freight train, and he froze.
Fuji had sat his camera down next to him, and was now fingering the crystal waters. Droplets of water trailed from his svelte fingers, down to his elegant fingertips, falling back to the canal. The glittering sunlight reflected off Fuji's silky brown tresses, bestowing upon him an almost ethereal beauty. Coupled with the beatific yet wistful smile on Fuji's countenance, it was enough to make Fuji an artpiece from heaven.
Plagued with emotions, Tezuka could barely speak. Clearing his throat, which had become parched from just gazing at the tensai, he replied unsteadily,
"Why do you say that?"
Never taking his eyes off the tensai, Tezuka moved his butt the slightest bit forward, not even sure of what he was doing, even less that he was shaking the gondola.
Without lifting his attention from the water beneath him, Fuji replied softly,
"Love is just like water, something everyone too often takes for granted. Yet what most people do not realize, is that at some point or other in their life, it actually becomes a necessity. Something everyone wants, yet it is up to the heavens to decide who receives such a blessing. Besides, true love is clear, pure and untained, just like this water, ne?"
Tezuka continued inching forward, staring at the way Fuji's lips moved as he spoke. Everything about the other was almost… enticing. Soon, he was no more than a hairbreadth apart from the tensai.
Noticing that Tezuka was not responding, Fuji glanced up momentarily, only to find that Tezuka was no more than a hand's distance away, and the buchou was moving closer still. Shocked to the bone, Fuji was rendered motionless.
Fuji's eyes widened as he realized that Tezuka had let go of the oars, effectively causing the gondola to rock precariously.
"Tezuka, you can't let go of the oars! If not, the whole…"
The lack of rowing, and the weight of both Tezuka and Fuji on one side of the gondola only, caused a loss of balance. The entire gondola tipped over, depositing Fuji headfirst into the water with a surprised squeak. He instinctively pulled on the item nearest to him, which unfortunately, happened to be Tezuka's shirt, and the buchou toppled into the icy water as well.
Tezuka surfaced first, blinking confusedly, and it took him a second to comprehend that he had unwittingly caused both of them to fall into the water. Looking around, he found a brown head next to him, spitting out a stream of water. Fuji looked slightly amused.
"Saa… what a situation we're in. I feel embarrassed."
The meaning of Fuji's words dawned upon him as he realized that all the passersby and and gondola-riders were gawking at them. Tourists were taking snapshots of them, and the lifeguards were on standby with their fluorescent orange life-floats, even though the water was no more than waist deep entirely. Tezuka felt like burying his head into the water.
"Hm. Luckily I brought my waterproof camera, although I assumed I would be the one careless enough to cause us to capsize, not you." Fuji laughed, quivering slightly from the icyness.
"Let's get up, ne?" Fuji waded his way to the bank.
"Hn." Tezuka tried to exit with as much dignity as he could muster, which wasn't very much at the moment.
Once they reached the bank, Fuji dissolved into convulsive laughter. The disastrous situation seemed to amuse him to no end.
"It wasn't that funny.", Tezuka muttered darkly.
"Yes, it was.." Fuji managed to choke out between laughs.
"Not exactly how I was planning to end the day, though.." Fuji said wryly, gesturing to his soaked clothes.
"Go home and change before you catch a cold." Tezuka replied evenly.
"Okay… Meet for dinner later?" Fuji inquired.
"Okay."
They walked back to their respective apartments, Fuji hugging his camera and grinning, Tezuka with his hands in his pockets, wringing water out of his clothes.
---To Be Continued--
Don't forget to review! Reviews are important!!
