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

Chapter 7: bitter truth and sayonara

The door separating them never opened, just like the wall erected between them could never be breached again. Fuji sat outside in the draft corridor. He wanted to tell Tezuka of the truth, and in order to do that, he needed Tezuka's father.

Standing up, stiff from sitting in the same position for half a day, he walked towards the main study, where he was sure he could find Tezuka's father. He knocked politely. And on hearing his permission to enter, he pushed open the heavy door.

"Ah, I was wondering when you would come and see. Are you here to talk about Kunimitsu? I was just about to go over when I overheard the shouting match…"

"I am Fuji Syuusuke; my mother is Fuji Akihanashi, she died when I was five in a fire. I was spared as a kind neighbor took me when I got lost. I…I was an illegitimate child…my father…"before he could finish his sentence, he found himself in a strong embrace.

"My son, my son…my precious son…" he mumbled as he tried to accept the fact that his son was still alive. After so long, he had finally found the son who symbolized the love of him and Aki.

Pulling the lean boy into a seat, he dragged a chair over and sat opposite him. Carefully scrutinizing the delicate features of his young son, he tried to figure out how he could have missed the resemblance between them.

"I love your mother so much. We…we met in a flower shop when I was ordering flowers for my…for my wife. Her kindness and her understanding nature etched her looks into my brain forever. At that time, my relationship with my wife was still relatively well, but after I fell in love with your mother, I realized that the love I should have for my wife, wasn't there anymore."

"Later, right before you were conceived, my wife told me she was pregnant. I knew it was a desperate bid to keep me by her side. Being the president of a multi-billion company didn't allow me to be selfish and irresponsible. And your mother understood, for she continued loving me, although I knew it was killing her from inside slowly."

They talked through the night. When finally all the doubts and anger within Fuji had disappeared, his real father dropped a bombshell on him.

"Kunimitsu wasn't my child. His mother had an affair with another person and claims him as mine. She told me when she came back to see him last month only to find him on the other stupid stunt. She claimed that I found out about her infidelity, and that was why I didn't stop him from doing. She just didn't know that I had tried and failed. After she told me, I was so angry and I didn't care what that…Kunimitsu do with his life…"

Fuji didn't catch the rest beyond Kuni-chan wasn't his father's son. He jumped from his chair and ran towards Kuni-chan's room. They weren't brothers! Then their love was allowed!

Finally realizing the importance of his news, he ran after his long-lost son. When he arrived, he found Syuu standing outside the locked room and was pleading with Kunimitsu to open the door. He pushed Fuji aside gently and opened the door with a key.

The room was dark, despite the warm rays flitting through the binds. He frowned at the mess Kunimitsu had made. Vases were broken, wine bottles were smashed and all the pillows torn.

"Kuni-chan, wake up…I need to talk to you." Fuji ignored the deaden look in Kuni-chan's eyes.

"Your father was actually my father too; I knew that when I met you, and I confirmed that before I left. I thought that we couldn't have a future that was why I lied to you, to spare you the pain. But…but I just found out from your…no, my father that you are not his real son, your scheming mother had an affair and claimed you as my father's son. So you see, you are not my brother! We can love one another without fear now!"

Fuji was so happy with his discovery and sure of Kuni-chan's response that he totally missed the look of pain and the shattering of Tezuka.

It was until Tezuka stood up and when he didn't hug Fuji as Fuji thought he would, he finally realized his mistake. Tezuka wasn't happy at all. Pushing past Fuji and Fuji's father he walked stiffly from the room.

He didn't stop when Fuji cried for him to stop; he didn't stop when Fuji's father commanded him to stop. He didn't care, previously he was confused when his father…no, Fuji's father had been constantly giving cold shoulder, but now he wasn't confused, he saw everything through light now.

When Fuji grabbed his arm, his control snapped.

"LET GO! How dare you touch me! You planned your first meeting with me, didn't you?" at Fuji's guilty nod, he gave a harsh laugh and Fuji flinched.

"You just told me that my entire life was nothing but a lie, a fabrication that my scheming mother had come up with. You just told me that the man I had been calling father, the only person I could really rely on wasn't my father! As the matter of fact, we not even remotely related. And you have the cheek to tell me that we can love one another without fear now?" at Fuji's stricken look, Tezuka knew that all that didn't come across in his mind. To him, finding out his real father wasn't Tezuka's real father was good news.

"All you are concerned about was yourself, didn't it occurred to you that it was your mother who had schemed and stole my mother's husband?" for the first time since they met, Tezuka slapped Fuji.

Two slaps resounded through the corridor. Both Tezuka and Fuji were sporting a burning cheek.

"HOW DARE YOU SLAP MY SON, YOU UNGRATEFUL WHELP!"

The last fragment of Tezuka's soul shattered and he knew he could never be whole again. He knew that now the most important thing was to rebuild his life. After all, these two people, who he had loved and respected, had destroyed everything he knew and everything he believed in.

Giving them a mocking bow, he straightened, his pride didn't allow his tears to fall, and his pride didn't allow him to show his grief now. He turned away from them, he took a step and then another. Slowly and surely he walked from them, and with the distance separating them, the ties between them stretched and stretched and until finally they snapped.

From this day fore, I will be my own man. From this day fore, I will never be back. From this day fore, I am no long Tezuka Kunimitsu, the heir of the Tezuka's family. Let Fuji has a taste of it; let him take up all the responsibilities I have been shouldering all these years.

Sayonara Fuji, sayonara otoosan, sayonara Tezuka Kunimitsu.