Leather Bound Book

The List

Kiyami: So it begins. This is going to be one of my longer running series. I'm going to try update at least once a week. Thanks everyone for the feedback! Eh, short chapter. Sorry!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Prince of Tennis.

Tezuka looked at what was said on the piece of paper. It was a list. The title said "My Life's To Do's." Tezuka read on since his interest in it had sparked.

My Life's To Do's

1. Keep on going to high school reunions until I'm old and crusty.

2. Pretend to be Kaidoh for a day.

3. Pretend to be Atobe for a day.

4. Pretend to be Eiji for a day.

5. Be the best uncle ever.

6. Make sure Yuuta lives a good life.

7. Make sure Yumiko lives a good life.

8. Buy parents a cottage on one of Hawaii's beaches.

9. Play against Yuuta until he beats me.

10. Check to see if Misaki's hair is naturally curly.

11. Find out the purpose of Eiji's band-aid.

12. Look through Inui's notebook on Kunimitsu.

13. Eat the spiciest thing in existence.

14. Cover the walls of my home with my pictures.

15. Travel around the world and see the most beautiful places in the world.

16. Marry Kunimitsu during sakura season.

17. Have a kid/start a family.

18. Beat Kunimitsu.

19. Get Kunimitsu to show some emotions. I'm going to make him cry.-smile-

20. Make a difference in someone's life.

21. Open up a botanical garden.

22. Make a photo album of my dearest memories.

23. Live long and healthy.

24. Be remembered.

25. Make sure Kunimitsu is always happy…and never sad.

He held the piece of paper before folding it gently in half. He got up from where he was sitting and headed for his bedroom. He guessed the list had been made recently. It was stuck to the thick paper next to a recent news article about tennis. He hadn't thought Fuji would care for him much after high school. Sure, they still stayed in touch, but Fuji had been with other people more often.

Tezuka had moved on. Why hadn't Fuji done the same?

Today was Sunday and Tezuka had the day off. He decided to visit Fuji's grave just for a moment. His mind had been on Fuji lately and maybe visiting him would stop the thoughts.

Tezuka approached the grave with a bouquet of flowers in hand. The cemetery where Fuji had been buried was out in the countryside. The same area Fuji had been before the car accident.

Fuji's grave was set in a nice spot. His entire family had gone through a lot of trouble to pick the perfect place. It was under a sakura tree, which was now in full bloom. The tombstone was made of white marble with Fuji's name clearly engraved on it.

Gently Tezuka set the bouquet of flowers on the grass that had barely started to grow. For a moment he did nothing, but look at the quiet grave.

Tezuka imagined Fuji crouching by the grave with his digital camera in hand. He would snap pictures of the scenery with the smile on his face. Maybe he'd point his camera in the direction of that bird overhead or admire the beauty of the sakura tree.

"Tezuka?"

He had been so lost in his thoughts that he never noticed the sound of someone walking up behind him. He turned around to see Fuji Yumiko standing there.

"Yumiko-san."

"No need to be so polite. You were Syuusuke's boyfriend after all." She smiled, a smile that resembled Fuji's. "So what are you doing here?"

Tezuka ignored that statement. He never considered it to be official. "I thought I might drop off some flowers."

"That's very sweet of you, Tezuka." They both went into silence.

Tezuka's cellphone broke the silence. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the silver electronic. While doing so a piece of paper fell out with it. He ignored it while answering his call. Yumiko reached down to pick it up, but had a hard time doing so. Her belly was round and large with pregnancy, but Fuji's death was not the only tragedy to her. The father had abandoned Yumiko.

"Yes? Mhm…Alright. Thanks." Tezuka put away his cellphone.

Yumiko carefully unfolded the piece of paper. Tezuka watched her doing so. He had probably grabbed the piece of paper when he was getting his cellphone. It took her only a minute to read through the entire list.

"You know even after high school Syuusuke loved you a lot." Her voice wavered. She dabbed at her eyes with the edge of her sleeve.

"Really?" Tezuka felt guilty. He had assumed Fuji would find love in other people.

"Yeah, he used to call me all the time when something happened to you. Neesan, Tezuka won the tournament! Neesan Tezuka defeated him! He was heartbroken when you had that injury though. When I saw him after you got hurt in the match I could tell he was in as much pain as you were. He cried so hard."

Tezuka nodded, not sure what to say about it.

"Sometimes I wish that I was the one who died. Syuusuke, was an amazing guy." Yumiko laughed softly while wiping away more tears. "Look at me getting all sentimental."

Silence reigned again. Even the birds had quieted down. The wind blew gently so it shook the sakura tree overhead.

"Tezuka, here." Yumiko handed him the piece of paper. "If you really cared about him then you should fulfill his life's wishes. Doing so will help you remember what an amazing guy he was. Please, Tezuka, do this for Syuusuke? It'd mean a lot for him and me."

Tezuka reread what had been written on the piece of paper. Some of the things that Fuji had wanted to do was absurd. Act like Atobe? Marry Kunimitsu? That would be impossible. He couldn't marry himself.

But this was Fuji. Fuji had always been there for Tezuka. He had been there when Tezuka was having problems with his left arm, he had been at every single tennis game Tezuka played as a pro tennis player. Fuji had been devoted.

"I'll do it. Only for Fuji." Tezuka reluctantly answered. Fuji had died too young with so much left undone. It would be his duty alone to complete what Fuji wanted.

"You're a wonderful man, Tezuka."

He returned home feeling as though he had just agreed to marrying a random stranger. His dignity and pride would surely be shattered if he ever completed this task. He had already agreed to it and he couldn't just go back on his word.

Fulfilling Fuji's dreams would surely make Yumiko happy. Despite all her teasing and giggling over their relationship Tezuka liked her. Yumiko was a good person, but not the luckiest.

Yumiko had announced her pregnancy several months before Fuji's death. She seemed so happy then. The father left her though when he realized the responsibilities of being a father. That hurt Yumiko a lot who had thought their love was genuine. Then Fuji died.

Through it all Yumiko stayed strong.

Now was the time for Tezuka to bring some happiness into Yumiko's life. That was the least he could do for Fuji. It was what he wanted.

Tezuka searched through his bookshelves until he found the one thing he needed right now. A book filled with phone numbers, addresses, and e-mail addresses. He couldn't do everything on Fuji's list by himself so he needed the help of other people. Certain people.

Wakato…Inui…Atobe. Just the people he needed.

Fuji had told him of Wakato from Jyosei. From the sounds of it he could be very helpful in helping Tezuka complete some of the tasks.

Inui, well Inui could help with lots of things, but there would most certainly be a price.

There was one thing Tezuka had in mind. This would need the most help and cooperation from the former regular members of the rival schools they faced as Seigaku in their earlier years. Fuji would always be remembered, without a doubt, if Tezuka could pull off what he had in mind.

Tezuka was determined. He would have to make sacrifices, but it was for a greater good.

To show to Fuji that he cared.

Kiyami: So there will be some funny chapters. I'll give you a warning right now. A sad chapter will always come after a funny one.

It's probably fairly easy to guess which ones of the List will be completed with the mention of Wakato. Until the next chapter!