Rain

AN: My first Prince of Tennis fiction. It's Thrill Pair. o This was posted a month ago at the Livejournal community for Thrill pair. Just search it up! o (for I am a lazy person, and therefore won't put up the ULR to the community)

"Who here likes rainy, windy weather?" Ryoma's geography teacher asked. He loved starting every lesson with a discussible question. Some students found it a great topic opener, but Ryoma thought otherwise. Lazily, he turned around and stared out at the window, while his classmates either rose their hands eagerly, or shook their heads, looks of disgust on their faces. Both groups were making much noise, before their teacher silenced his students. He then rounded to his male student sitting next to the room's window. "And how about you, Echizen?"

Ryoma faced his teacher, who was standing right in front of Ryoma's desk. He licked his lips, a reply already in his mind. "I'm indifferent to it. Rain is a natural part of the world; if it rains, we'll just carry an umbrella or wear a coat. If it doesn't, then we'll just go about in our usual lifestyle." He looked up at his teacher to see a smile gracing his features.

"Ah. Well, I apologize, class. I should've worded the question better. The correct question should be, who here thinks rain is unnecessary?" A couple of hands shot up, including Ryoma's lazy half raised hand. He waited until the last student had made a choice, then continued. " Now, why do you think that?"

The geography teacher quickly chose a couple of students and listened to their comments. Once he and the class were satisfied, he concluded the discussion in a grand voice. "All of your opinions made a lot of sense, but think of it this way. Would you be able to survive on Earth, if there wasn't any rain? Whether we like it or not, like Echizen had said previously, rain is a part of life. Without rain, there would've been no water. Without water, there would be no life. We need rain to survive that is a fact. But there is also a limit to how much rain we need. Too much and you'll get a flood. Too little and you'll get a drought. There are places in the world that gets as much as 100cm of rain at once, or places that goes for 3 months without any rain or precipitation…"

Ryoma still thought rain was unnecessary.

"Due to the rain, we won't be having practice today. Instead, we'll have a morning session tomorrow, as well as the after school practice." A meeting between all the boys' tennis regulars was called by Tezuka to announce the change of plans. " Alright then, that is all." The captain and everyone around Ryoma packed up, getting ready to leave. Everyone except…

"Kikumaru-senpai, where's Fuji-senpai?" Ryoma asked the redhead beside him, who was currently putting on his coat.

" Ah, Ochibi, you didn't hear? Fuji's still sick from yesterday. Nya… he managed to weasel himself out of a math test today! I even got stuck with giving him his homework!"

"Kikumaru-senpai, I can give him his homework if you want." Ryoma offered, interrupting the ranting boy.

"Hoi, Ochibi, that'd be great!" Kikumaru glomped the younger boy before letting him go and staring at him with accusing eyes. "This isn't just an excuse to see your boyfriend, is it?"

Ryoma stared at the hyper boy, eyes wide for a second before going back to their usual sizes. "He's not my boyfriend, Kikumaru-senpai." Too late. Kikumaru had already saw the change in eye sizes.

"Sure, Ochibi! I saw you and Fuji last week by the stairs. Hoi, it looked like his hands were all over you at once!" The older boy determinedly took on a look of mock terror and shock. Ryoma had the courtesy to blush, remember that little incident last week himself. He was glad everyone else in the classroom was gone.

"Kawaii, Ochibi! I'm sure your Syuusuke-chan miss you as much as you miss him." Kikumaru continued, winking at his kohai, who was still blushing.

" I don't miss him, senpai. I have something to ask him!" Ryoma muttered, purposefully leaving out Kikumaru's name, to show how irritated he was. But just for reassurance, he made his muttered comeback sound as icy as he could, while trying to look threatening as well, which was quite brave of the boy, since he still had a slight blush on his cheeks.

Knowing he had gone a little too far with his playful teasing, Kikumaru started to apologize. " Hoi, I'm kidding, nya! Here, this is his homework, English, math, science… Oh, and don't forget to get Fujiko to sign this!" Kikumaru handed Ryoma the stack of textbooks and papers before passing a lone form to him. " He'll need to sign this to participate in the graduating ceremony. Say 'hi' to him for me, Ochibi!" Kikumaru speedily waved goodbye to his kohai before rushing out the door. "Hoi, it's raining hard…." He turned a corner and Ryoma couldn't hear anymore of his senpai's whining.

Ryoma stared at the official looking form in his hand. 'That's right… graduation is in three weeks…'

DING DONG.

In quick hurried steps, Fuji Yumiko opened the front door, to see a dripping wet boy on the doorstep. "Ah, come in, you're here for Syuusuke, aren't you?" It was a rather pointless question, since Ryoma had already said so when he answered her on the intercom. Nevertheless, Ryoma nodded his head before stepping into the Fuji's residence.

"Syuusuke's in his room right now, here." When Ryoma had left his shoes at the entrance, he followed Fuji's elder sister towards Fuji's room. " By the way, if you want, I'm sure Syuusuke won't mind if you want to borrow some of your clothes. You're dripping wet." She commented before opening a door.

"Syuusuke, one of you're classmates came over." Yumiko informed his brother before sighing. " Syuusuke, you shouldn't be out of bed, especially in this cold."

" Ah, but Nee-san, it gets boring when you stay in bed all the time." Fuji answered calmly.

Sighing again, Yumiko left Ryoma with her brother, muttering something about her brothers being too stubborn. Fuji chuckled before diverting his attention to Ryoma. Fuji's eyes opened slightly. " Ryoma! You're dripping wet! You know, you'll catch a cold like that." He had noticed Ryoma's wet hair, and clothes.

Ryoma raised an eyebrow. " Ryoma?" His golden eyes followed the form of the tensai, as Fuji had walked over to his closet and was currently digging around in it.

" What's wrong with calling you 'Ryoma', Ryoma? After all we've been through, you don't expect me to keep calling you by your formal name, do you?" He stopped searching, and dragged something green out. " Here, Ryoma. You were absolutely adorable in this the last time you were here." Fuji handed the green shirt out to Ryoma, who was slightly blushing. He knew Fuji was referring to the time when Ryoma had spent the weekend with the older boy due to the fact that Fuji's entire family, save him and Yuuta went away on a trip. And because Ryoma was also home alone that week, Fuji had asked Ryoma to stay over with him. "Whatever." Ryoma grumbled out, grabbing the shirt from Fuji, before leaving for the washroom.

" There's towels in the closet beside the washroom!" Fuji called out to the retreating back of Echizen Ryoma.

Not long afterwards, Ryoma returned to Fuji's room, clad in Fuji's green shirt and his own pair of black shorts. He was currently running a towel through his hair before stopping short. "Um… What are you doing to my bag, Fuji-senpai?"

"Saa, since you're here, I thought it was to bring me my homework. Ryoma, your bag is pretty heavy, you know, you're never going to grow any taller with such a heavy knapsack." Ryoma knew Fuji was teasing him, but he couldn't stop the frown from forming on his face. He glared at the older boy while he was walking back to his bed, with all his textbooks and whatnot. "Well, at least Eiji didn't decided to dump some of his homework here too." Fuji muttered to himself, chuckling a bit. As the sick boy began flipping through his science textbook, something had fluttered down to the floor. Ryoma had noticed the piece of paper at once as the graduation form. He stayed rooted in his place, his previous anger and pout gone.

Reaching down so that his hands touched the floor, Fuji picked up the piece of paper and read it. His blue eyes flashed open at the sight of the form's title. "Seigaku Graduation Participation Form…" It was nothing more than a mutter, but to Ryoma's trained ears, he heard all the depressing lacing around it.

Ryoma's golden eyes followed his boyfriend's form, as Fuji got up and placed the form on the table.

"Aren't you going to sign it, Syuusuke?" Ryoma asked quietly, his voice airy. He had used 'Syuusuke' instead of 'Fuji-senpai', meaning this was something serious to Ryoma. He watched Fuji as he raised his arm towards a random pen on his desk. He picked it up, but just as the pen tip was about to touch the paper, Fuji stopped. There was a quick flash of lightening before the room went dark. The rain had escalated into a thunderstorm. Both boys' attention was caught at the window, as they saw another flash of light.

"Ne, Ryoma, don't you think the rain is pretty?"

Fuji's eyes were opened, his eyes shining like blue flashlights in the dark.

"How so, Syuusuke? Rain is a horrible thing. It prevents anyone from playing a proper game of tennis, and it causes so many accidents, from twisted ankles to car crashes."

Ryoma still stayed by the doorway.

"Saa, I suppose the rain has a sort of beauty that only some people can see."

Ryoma didn't know when, but at some point between their awkward conversation, Fuji had returned back to his bed.

Don't you remember at all, Ryoma?

There was a moment of silence before Fuji had coughed unexpectedly. Ryoma had barely remembered that Fuji was sick.

"Ah, gomen ne, Ryoma." Fuji apologized after his cough was gone. Ryoma didn't know why he had apologized, but he said nothing. "Saa, I suppose you'll have to stay here tonight, the way the storm's coming down."

Every moment we can, let's stay together…

Fuji's voice sounded weak and raspy to Ryoma, so he walked towards the sick tensai. He kneeled before the boy, eyes glazed, hiding his inner emotions. Tenderly, he placed a hand on the older boy's forehead.

"You're burning up, Syuusuke."

The rain pounded hard against the windowpane.

Fuji was at a loss of words, before he laughed a bit. " Well, I do still have a fever, Ryoma."

There wasn't a response from the other boy, but something inside Ryoma's eyes hardened. In a swift motion, said boy flipped over the bed sheets and climbed on the bed. He snuggled next to the tensai, still not saying a thing.

Fuji's body froze before relaxing under Ryoma's touch. "What are you doing, Ryoma? You're going to get sick if you stay so close to me." Fuji whispered down at the boy, lying right beside him, those golden eyes closed peacefully.

"Than we'll just be sick together, ne Syuusuke?"

Fuji's eyes stared down at the boy in shock, before softening. Carefully, he placed an arm around the younger boy before laying on the bed himself.

Distantly, there was a grumble of thunder.

"Syuusuke… will we still be together… after graduation?" Ryoma's facial expression didn't change, but he his voice was enough to tell Fuji how the boy was feeling. Sadness, depression…uncertainty.

I'll be gone…

"I don't know, Ryoma." Instinctively, his arm wrapped around Ryoma tighter. The thought of leaving Ryoma behind…

While you'll still be here…

Ryoma snuggled closer to the tensai's chest.

That thought…

Fuji felt intensely warm under his blankets with Ryoma beside him, but somehow, he still felt the raindrops beating on his skin, the cold air whipping at his face, the weight of the wet tennis ball as he swung his racquet.

The intensity of his gaze.

Another flash of light; Fuji took that chance to study the features of the small boy beside him.

"Rain is a horrible thing. It prevents anyone from playing a proper game of tennis…"

You remember too, don't you?

You feel the same too, don't you?

Fuji fell asleep, with the warmth of his boyfriend in his arms, assured with the realization that as long as there was rain, then they will be together… somehow.

After all, that was how they got together in the first place.

Later that night, Ryoma would open his eyes, sure that Fuji was asleep. He took in the angelic face of the older boy before frowning.

"Syuusuke… will we still be together… after graduation?"

"I don't know, Ryoma."

In that moment, Ryoma had felt his heart break. After how close they had become, everything would just be… gone. Just because of Fuji's graduation.

The rain continued to pound hard at the windowpane

…In that moment, Ryoma had also understood something else.

"We need rain to survive, that is a fact. But there's also a limit to how much rain we need. Too much and we'll get a flood. Too little and we'll get a drought."

It was that Fuji Syuusuke was like the rain. Ryoma can't possible survive without him.

The only difference is Ryoma doesn't think there's a limit to how much Fuji he needs.

AN: Like it, hate it? Review!