Disclaimer: POT doesn't and will never belong to me.

Chapter 4: a perfect yesterday, a broken today and the dark future.

Flashback

The young master of the Tezuka family has returned to Japan, after three years in Germany. The heir to the multi-billion company arrived late last night in their family's private jet. The young heir was alone except for his usual bodyguards. His parents apparently were still in their respective countries, tending to their business. Dressed in a formal Armani suit, this reporter could safely say that the past sullen heir had been transformed into a charming rogue.

The papers were almost correct. He was back, but he wasn't alone this time. He didn't care that his parents weren't going to meet him at their house; he didn't care if he had been magically transformed into a charming rogue. He didn't care about all that nonsense, he had his love, and that was enough.

A pair of slender arms circled his neck and a warm body pressed against him. He smiled, nope, he definitely was not alone. Leaning back into his love's embrace, he closed his eyes. In this pair of arms, he could be spared the pointed eyes of the public, in this pair of arms, he could forget his position and in this pair of arms, he found love and solace.

"Ne, Kuni-chan, do you like my coffee?" warm breath fanned his face and pulled him gently back from his thoughts.

"Hai, oishii ne, arigatoo!"

They had met in Germany, when both were shopping in a tennis shop. Both saw the same racket and wanted it. That racket had symbolized the start of their beautiful love. And less than a month had passed, they had shared everything about themselves. But somehow, both were carefully guarding their families from one another.

Three months later, when Tezuka was summoned home to attend a business meeting his parents wanted him to, he asked Fuji to come along.

I want to show you the place I lived and grew up; I want you to meet all my friends, I... I want you to meet my parents.

Fuji paled when he heard the last part. His parents, which means his mother and…his father.

He agreed reluctantly. The moment he had waited for so long, the moment he had wanted to come for so long, the moment he prayed for since he first planned his meeting with Kuni-chan, was now here, and he was afraid to grasp it.

It was in his throat, to refuse, to hold back. But somehow the no had come out as yes.

He didn't want to sacrifice his love for Tezuka, for he had come to love him since their first meeting. He didn't want to discover his true relationship with Tezuka, he didn't want to lose to Fate, and he didn't want to lose to Tezuka's father. He wanted, no, he needed to stay far away from that man.

But he came. Dressed as another bodyguard, he managed to come with Tezuka undetected. Now, living in bliss with his love, he forgot his anxiety, his fear and the truth he swore to find out.

They lived in undisturbed happiness, the servants were glad that their young master was smiling and enjoying his life. It was a different man they saw. He was no longer the angrily silent boy, who won't smile at normal jokes. The only times he smiled were in painful mockery of himself.

The past wasn't kind to him; his parents' negligence had always and will always be the scar which would never heal. For whenever a little part heals, his mother or father would waltz back into his life; turn it upside down with their momentarily attention, tear the wound apart and then waltz to their next amusement. All that was left after such an occasion was a bloody and lifeless boy.

So when Tezuka was five, he decided that this kind of pain must end, before his scar fester and kills him. He forced his butler, with the forceful commanding voice he had learnt from his father.

He faced his father and made him see light by staring at him and started to tell him every single thing which he could remember doing in the past five years. His father had looked at his young son and saw the boy's logic. Since he couldn't be there everyday for his son, his son decided that he could listen to him reporting every detail of his life. So you won't feel left out when I finally grow up and fly on my own.

The pain and determination he saw in his son's eyes burned his heart. He knew that if he rejects him now, he would forever lose him. He couldn't lose him; he had just lost another son and his love to a pitiless fire. He was still grieving for his son, and here was his heir, so determined not to lose his father, who would never know that he had a brother who was exactly the same age as he, a brother who had gotten his father's brown hair and blue eyes.

Rising from his chair, he crossed to his heir and picked him up. He was surprised how much he had grown. He had known all about his other son's height and weight, yet he knew nothing about his legitimate son. Pain gripped his heart and squeezed hard.

His father had paid more attention to him, but not enough to replace the part still missing from his mother. But he was satisfied, he knew that one day, he would not need them anymore, one day he would find another person who would love him as he deserved.

He found Fuji Syuusuke.

The person whom he knew loved him with all his heart.

End of flashback

Fuji! Wait for me, please, please…no don't go, I know that you still love me, don't leave me, and don't take my heart with you. Don't go, don't go, don't go…I love you…don't go…

He jerked awake. He was afraid.

The dream was so real, so very real. Fuji had left him again, he turned from him, his eyes were so cold, as if he had been detached from all the pain radiating from his own body and eyes. Cold blue eyes chilled my heart; all I am left with was his back view.

From that day onwards, the sullen and angry young master was back. Every single servant walked on egg shells, even the butler had been on his wit's end. He knew that the young master was dying slowly inside, but there was nothing he could do.

Beneath his anger, a hurt little child cried, the same little child who watched his parents leave after satisfying their momentarily spurt of parental need. Beneath his shouts and his violence, a broken soul pleaded with the world to see his pain, pleaded with his absent love to come back.

All his youthful insecurities came back, he no longer smiled at the silly jokes some of the servants made, he no longer forgive with grace. He was no longer a human, losing Master Fuji had made him into a monster with no soul.

It hurt him to see the young Sama to hide his agony from him; it hurt him to see his young charge lost himself in the hellish paradise alcohol had brought. He didn't want to see the dead look in his eyes whenever he thought he was alone.

The young Sama was killing himself slowly and surely. The loss of Fuji-Sama had killed everything within him.

Why can't I see the light, why is the future so dark? When will tomorrow comes, when will today ends?