Chapter Twenty-Two: Confess and Repent

Disclaimer: I still don't own Prince of Tennis… It's just completely consumed my life, darling. XD

Author's Note: Here's chapter twenty-two! Remember, the complete Author's Note for this fic is posted in chapter one. But here are the warnings, summarized for your convenience: May contain spoilers/ shonen-ai/ not-shonen-ai/ please review/ Ryuzaki-sensei pinches flamers' cheeks and makes them sit on their ankles. Lol.

Yes, it's the next chapter, finally! XD I hope you enjoy it, everyone. In any case, it should help answer some of your questions from various other chapters. It's also a mixture of fluff, angst, and exposition. (The best kind, lol.) Enjoy! And let me know what you all think of chapter twenty-two!

Why do we fall in love with someone?

Is it fate? Is it written in the stars? Is it decided at our birth, from our very first breath?

Or is it just chance? A toss of the dice? A trick of the light? … I wish I knew.

I spent all my time asking why in the world I would fall in love with you.

Then suddenly, I realized… Why wouldn't I love you?

…

Fuji walked and walked, into the dark emptiness of the street before him. He hardly noticed his legs moving, pounding against the pavement over and over in an agonizing rhythm. He hardly noticed, because the pain inside of him was far too overwhelming.

It was very nearly matched, however, with the throbbing ache on one side of his face.

Almost mechanically, the tensai lifted his hand and lightly touched his cheek. Cringing at the sting, he drew his hand back just as quickly and bit his lip in pain. He was sure that it looked even worse than it felt. He had caught a glimpse of himself in a store window as he passed, and the swollen red mark on one side of his face had glared back at him like a threatening reminder of the day's events.

He had deserved it. Fuji knew that for a fact. But it didn't lessen the sense of betrayal.

After all, he had been given the wound by the last person he would have ever expected to hit him. No matter what Fuji did, Taka always understood. Taka forgave him. Even when no one else did, Taka would take the time to listen to Fuji's side of the story, always with that same concerned expression on his face... Taka was Fuji's closest friend…

Today, though, Taka had hit him right across the face, in an absolute rage.

The tensai could feel tears coming to his eyes, but he refused to let those tears fall. He wouldn't cry. He had no excuse to cry, after all… He had gotten himself in this mess, and he would just have to put up with the consequences. He didn't need any pity.

No, he didn't want an ounce of sympathy for what he had done.

What he did want, though…

Well, thinking about that was useless. What Fuji really wanted was something he would never have. He knew that much. He had always known it, really, and yet with the newfound ache in his heart, that old longing couldn't help but resurface with a renewed bitterness…

What he wanted was completely unattainable.

What he wanted was a heart that could not be captured by any merely human being.

What he wanted was the heart of a god.

The tensai's train of thought only gave the hurt in his body a sharper edge. Fuji bit his lip again in pain, until the faint taste of blood entered his mouth. He grimaced, trying to will the ache away, when his eyes fell on the building right in front of him. The sign above the door indicated that the establishment was some kind of restaurant.

Almost automatically, Fuji's eyes fell on the other signs in the window. They were alcohol brand names, presumably advertisements for the types of alcohol available inside the building.

Fuji's eyes dwelled on those signs. The light from the windows gleamed in his sky blue irises, dancing across his face like the slightest hint of inspiration.

…

Hours later, Fuji would stagger outside of the restaurant, completely numb. Even in that shady side of town, people would stare at the drunken teenager and his bruised cheek. They would wonder what had brought such a beautiful boy to such a dark place, leaving him to drown his pain in alcohol. Their questions would go unanswered, though, as the boy slowly meandered down the street, his heart willing himself to go home, even though his legs would not obey.

…

…

…

Fuji spread his arms wide, as if willing himself to embrace the night sky above him. His head was thrown back, so that his eyes looked upward into the vast canopy of stars. Their silver light beckoned to him, like the urging of a voice he longed to forget, demanding to know why he was here and what he was doing.

The tensai lowered his arms again and looked out at the scene laid out in front of him. There, glittering like a treasure chest of jewels, was the cityscape of Tokyo, just as it had been two nights earlier when he had confronted Ryoma with his accusation. The wind was blowing, just as it had during that night, but the smell of rain had completely disappeared from the air. There would be no storm this time.

How fitting. Just when I might wish for rain.

Fuji leaned forward, looking down from the hotel roof to the ground below. A million tiny lights danced before his face, as cars sped by on the crowded streets, and masses of people ebbed and flowed through the crosswalks. It was a dizzying spectacle of distant activity, even so late at night.

And there he was, Fuji Shusuke, standing above it all.

Fuji was used to viewing most of the world from such a height. From the very beginning of his childhood, Fuji had been told he was a genius. He was adored by adults and envied by his peers for his many talents. Yes, from the very beginning, Fuji had led a charmed life, with every kind of natural gift being handed to him on a silver platter.

Or so, it seemed, people thought.

From Fuji's perspective, though, he was only trapped. He was trapped between the earth and the sky, considered too perfect to be close to 'normal' people, but somehow unable to fly on his own. Perhaps it had been his apathy that had crippled his ambition. When it came to tennis, after all, he had only sought the thrill of defeating a talented opponent… That is, of course, until he had finally met a person that he couldn't possibly defeat.

That person was Tezuka Kunimitsu.

That person had forced Fuji to face his own shortcomings, to realize that his many gifts were insufficient when compared to a person like Tezuka's. In seeing the way that Tezuka held himself together, Fuji felt his own self-control falling apart. In understanding that Tezuka's resolve was firmly grounded in his most powerful ambitions, the tensai's dreams only seemed to grow colder and more insignificant. And in witnessing all the natural talent that Tezuka had been blessed with, Fuji felt that his own gifts were little more than a curse.

Tezuka was perfection in human form. Fuji, however, was not, and the tensai had come to understand this all too well.

Still, he had secretly longed to become a better person, from the very first moment that he had seen Tezuka's talent for himself. He had intended to become a worthy opponent for the former captain, and to follow him wherever he led, just as everyone else had done.

And yet, every time he tried to improve, he only found himself wasting time in watching the object of his admiration, until he finally realized what had happened…

He wasn't in awe over Tezuka's perfection. He was in awe over Tezuka himself.

In fact, he was in love.

In love with a god, no less.

If he had realized it sooner, Fuji might have genuinely smiled at the idea, back when they were both still innocent. He might have found it incredibly ironic, that he should have fallen for the only person who was above him, that he had somehow managed to choose someone who was so completely unattainable. He might have laughed, even, and then resolved that he would have Tezuka's heart anyway, and set out to stake his claim over that perfect being.

He might have, but by the time Fuji had realized it, it had been much too late for that. By that time, his own imperfection seemed so hideous in his own eyes that he gave up the idea of earning the right to love that man.

Instead, he chose to ruin that man, in order to make him his own.

It was absolutely despicable. The tensai knew that. It was a filthy method, one that Fuji himself would have frowned upon if his mind hadn't already been completely warped into thinking it was acceptable. In fact, in his view, it was the only option. Otherwise, Tezuka was going to slip from his grasp.

All along, though, the tensai had secretly known that even his best efforts would be useless. Somehow, that god was going to get away from him, no matter what Fuji did. And now, his own unspoken prophecy had come true.

Fuji glanced back up at the sky, and his eyes were fixated upon the glittering stars above his head. He watched, as they shone with their pure, silvery light, placed like diamonds against a cascade of black velvet…

That's right. He's a god, after all. He's up there in that sky.

Fuji could feel his throat tighten up at his mental confession. It was something he could no longer avoid. He had seen that look in Tezuka's eyes, as the former captain had faced Echizen Ryoma on the court. He knew what that look meant.

He's in that sky, and his only possible equal is the star that conquered the world.

… And that isn't me.

Slowly, unconsciously, Fuji felt his legs lift his body up onto the raised ledge on the side of the building. The wind howled around him, but he hardly felt it. Still looking up at the sky, he straightened his legs again, standing precariously on the very top of the twenty-story structure. His eyes remained fixated on those bright stars above him, and he felt his arm reach upward into the night, grasping at the air.

"I can't reach you," he murmured, very softly, as his eyes filled with pain.

He lowered his head again, and looked out over the city. Suddenly, he realized that he was standing on the very edge of the skyscraper, and his heart stopped beating. If he made one false move, he was going to fall to his death. He was absolutely terrified.

But in his terror, he forgot to silence the taunting voices that echoed inside his head.

You are such a fool. Did you really think he was going to save you?

"Yes, I did," Fuji whispered in reply, trembling. Everything in him was trying to keep himself from looking down, because if he did that, he was sure that he would fall…

He doesn't love you. He hates you. He wants you to die.

"That's not true," the tensai protested shakily, trying to breathe normally, trying to calm himself.

Yes, it is. You ruined his arm. You ruined his life. It's all your fault… Just like with your little brother…

… You're so worthless.

Just die, already!

Fuji couldn't believe it, but tears were running down his face. No, he didn't cry… He never cried, but there were tears running down his face all the same. Why was he crying? He had never fooled himself into thinking that Tezuka cared for him, but still…

Something in him just didn't want to die…

You're alone.

Fuji's blue eyes opened wide in sudden comprehension.

You're alone. They're together now. They're going to leave you behind.

And you'll be completely alone. Do you understand?

Slowly, Fuji nodded, showing that he understood. The corners of his mouth began to twist upward into a smile, until they broke out into a positively sadistic grin. It clashed strangely with his tear-stained face, and it looked even stranger when the tensai threw back his head and laughed like an angel.

"I am alone," he declared to the silent world. "I have nothing to lose anymore!"

With that, he looked down, taking in the sight of the city below him. It was a long way to fall, after all, especially for those standing the closest to the sky…

"Well, then, let me fall again. I'm tired of flying," he proclaimed to the empty wind.

With that, Fuji Shusuke put one foot out into the open air, and fell forward into the abyss.

…

Tezuka woke up to find himself in Fuji's apartment in Paris. His head was pounding. He had never tried alcohol before, but after his first sip the previous night, he had completely lost all power of self-control. There was something irresistibly satisfying about numbing all his darkened thoughts with that potent drink, about forgetting his regrets and letting himself drop his guard. Yes, at the time he had been happy to pour himself glass after glass, until he couldn't even see straight…

… But now, he had no idea what had happened to him during the previous night.

Slowly, he sat up in the bed, looking around him at the unfamiliar room. His glasses were no longer on his face, and it took a moment for him to process his currently blurred surroundings. He had a faint conviction that it must have been Fuji's apartment, even though he'd only been inside the tensai's quarters once before. Suddenly, his eyes fell on the bed itself, and his heart stopped beating.

There, lying next to him, was the tensai, clothed only in a snow white bed sheet. And Tezuka himself was also completely naked.

His heart was instantly filled with a thousand conflicting emotions; fear, disgust, and anger were among them. And yet, in that moment, Tezuka also realized something else. It was something he would never admit aloud, not to anyone, but it was a truth that he couldn't possibly avoid.

From that day forward, he wouldn't be able to live without this angelic being at his side.

…

Tezuka felt his heart drop in a horrifying mixture of terror and anguish. He had seen it. He had watched in shock, as Fuji stepped out onto the ledge of the hotel and reached for the sky in abandon. Tezuka had started running toward the tensai then, intending to call out to him, when that strangely beautiful laugh had made the words catch in his throat.

And now, he was watching, as the tensai took a step forward and fell to his imminent death.

NO!

…

"Is this all you want from life, Tezuka? Is this really it?"

…

"Shusuke!" he yelled.

In that moment, it felt as though Tezuka's spirit had left his body, that his conscious mind was watching from somewhere outside of himself as he lunged forward across the ledge. He thought time had frozen, as he groped aimlessly for the tensai, until he discovered to his shock that his hand was gripping Fuji's arm, holding the tensai just below the top of the building.

Instantly, a wave of relief flooded the former captain's heart. He had made it in time. Just barely, but… He had made it. Fuji would live.

It was then with dismay that Tezuka realized that the arm that was holding Fuji up was his injured one. His fingers were trembling with the strain, and any second, he was going to drop him, leaving the tensai to fall twenty stories to the unforgiving pavement below…

"Shusuke!" he called frantically. "Grab my other hand!"

The tensai was looking up at him in wonder, as though he couldn't even begin to comprehend why he wasn't dead. But at the former captain's plea, Fuji shook his head violently.

"No! I don't want to live! Let me go!" he screamed, anger in his sky blue eyes.

"Shusuke, take my hand!" Tezuka ordered. "I can't hold you up with this arm!"

A kind of tormented anguish appeared in the tensai's expression, and those eyes lingered on the former captain's weaker arm.

"I know you can't!" Fuji wailed against the howling wind. "And it's my own fault! For what I did to you… I deserve to die!"

Suddenly, Tezuka's eyes sparked with amber fire, and the tensai's resolve melted into nothing.

"I don't care!" Tezuka declared with authority, in spite of the darkness, in spite of the gale around him. He reached out his other arm toward the tensai, straining against the ledge, which was pressing into his chest.

"I don't care!" he repeated, at the top of his lungs. "I love you!"

The tensai stared into those burning amber eyes, and he was completely overwhelmed. He wanted to deny it. He wanted to tell Tezuka that he was lying, that this was some kind of trick to give him the false hope he needed to live…

But those eyes couldn't lie. No, Tezuka couldn't lie.

He wasn't lying. He meant it. Tezuka loved him.

"Tezuka…" he breathed in astonishment, forgetting his precarious position. "Tezuka, how could you…?"

"Shusuke, take my hand!" Tezuka commanded again in desperation.

Much to his relief, Fuji finally obeyed, and not a moment too soon. Tezuka's newly-freed hand instantly cramped up from the strain, and it locked into a weak fist that couldn't possibly have maintained a grip on Fuji's slender fingers. With his other arm, though, he was able to slowly lift the delicate tensai upward toward the ledge. And it was with a profound sense of relief that the former captain summoned his last ounce of strength to heave the smaller man over the side… and into his arms.

They hadn't even caught their breath, as they lay there in exhaustion against the hard stone floor, before Fuji began weeping in a mixture of sorrow and relief.

"Shusuke… don't…" Tezuka was still gasping for air, as he tried to sit up again. The tensai obligingly moved away from the former captain, with the tears still dripping down his beautiful face.

"I'm sorry… Tezuka… but you… you actually---?" The tensai couldn't continue, as he tried to sputter out his words between choked sobs.

Without another word, Tezuka swept Fuji into his arms, and let the smaller man cry into his chest. After a full minute had gone by, and Tezuka's breathing rate had somewhat returned to normal, he began to speak again.

"Yes, I love you, Shusuke," he said once more, the conviction self-evident in his voice.

"But why---?" Fuji murmured, his voice muffled by Tezuka's shirtfront. The wind around them had slowly died down to a gentler breeze.

"Why couldn't you see it?" was Tezuka's almost exasperated response. "I followed you all the way to Europe, and I couldn't once bring myself to leave you. Why wouldn't I love you?"

"I just thought… I thought you felt sorry for me," the tensai replied softly, eyes shimmering with tears. "Because I'm sick, and I…"

"And you needed me," Tezuka interrupted quietly. "And I need you, Shusuke."

Fuji looked back up at the former captain, his expression filled with wonder.

"I thought that you would never call me by that name," he whispered, gazing up into the taller man's blazing eyes.

He lifted himself upward, toward that perfect statue of a face, and their lips met, like two trembling flames that flickered in the wind.

"I do need you, Kunimitsu," the tensai murmured after they had kissed. "More than life."

And again, their lips met. Somewhere above their heads, an exceptionally bright star shone against the night sky, like an unspoken blessing upon a lonely wish that had at last been fulfilled.

"I want you both to be happy."

For a moment, the star dimmed slightly, but it continued to shine bravely against the darkness, with a courage that went completely unnoticed by the couple below.

- - - - - - - - -

"I am so in love with you that I can hardly stand it."

…

Eiji's arms were covered in soap bubbles, almost up to his elbows. He had been washing the dishes in the sink, but the task at hand kept slipping away from his mind. For the moment, the plates were just lying there, forgotten. The redhead stared straight in front of him, at the blank wall above the faucet head, and a blush started creeping into his cheeks for the hundredth time in the past half hour.

It was just no use. He couldn't stop thinking of Oishi's sudden confession, of the way the former vice captain had kneeled in front of him and declared so passionately that he…

That he loved him…

"I love you."

A shiver went down Eiji's spine, and he shuddered slightly, remembering the way Oishi's voice had caressed those three little words, with all the emotion of someone whose heart had been stolen right out of his chest.

This shocked Eiji. Could he really have stolen Oishi's heart? He certainly had never meant to do something like that… He almost felt like he had done something wrong, to make his best friend look so desperate for him…

He also realized what the real reason was for Oishi's illness. It was him. Oishi had been lovesick over him.

This truth scared him, in a way, but Eiji couldn't deny that it was breathtakingly flattering. To think that someone had loved him so deeply that he had forgotten to take care of himself, that he had given himself up for dead and wandered through life like a ghost of his former being…

That was a love that was limitless.

It made Eiji's heart falter inside his chest, to think that anyone could love him like that. To think that anyone could hold him so dear, that he would let his unrequited passion consume his very life…

Oishi, I'm scared. I'm scared that you love me so much.

Because I… I don't know what to do about it…

What should I do?

Eiji swallowed, hard, and tried to push his train of thought out of his mind. He didn't want to think about how much power Oishi had given him. He didn't want to consider the possibility of accidentally breaking Oishi's heart… But he didn't know how to keep it from breaking, either.

He just… didn't know. He didn't know a thing about love like this, about feelings that were so strong that they could kill a person.

Eiji shook his head, in an attempt to distract himself from his worries. Suddenly, he noticed that the faucet was still running, and he scrambled to wash the last of the dishes and wipe the bubbles off of his arms. Upon finishing this task, he twisted the knob, stopping the flow of water.

"Eiji-senpai, where is Oishi-senpai?"

The abrupt question made Eiji's heart leap out of his chest in surprise.

He whirled around, only to see his roommate standing in the doorway, meeting his shocked stare with a puzzled expression.

"Oh, Momo, it's you," Eiji breathed, putting one hand to his heart in relief.

"Yes, it's me," Momo confirmed, as he raised an eyebrow. The power player's hands were rested casually on his hips, and his violet eyes were fixed intently on the redhead's face. Eiji didn't notice this observant look, however.

"You surprised me," Eiji was saying, still trying to will his heartbeat to return to normal. "Where did you run off to, anyway?"

Momo shrugged a little, answering the inquiry before he repeated his own question. "I just went out for some air. Where is Oishi-senpai?"

At the sound of his former double partner's name, Eiji felt his face get hot, but he tried to reply as nonchalantly as he could.

"He said he was feeling better, but he was getting tired again… So I told him to go sleep in our room."

"Ah, I see," Momo responded, a bit lightly. His eyes remained locked on Eiji's face, examining the blush on his roommate's cheeks and the embarrassed sparkle in those dark blue eyes.

After a moment of silence, as Eiji wiped his hands on a dishrag, Momo spoke up again.

"Eiji-senpai, did something happen?" he asked calmly, noticed the way the redhead started fidgeting uncomfortably at the question.

"Did what happen, Momo?" Eiji artfully managed to avoid answering, as he became strangely intent on folding the towel just so before replacing it next to the sink.

"Did Oishi-senpai tell you that he loved you?"

Eiji froze in shock.

There was an almost painful pause, filled with something like suspense, before the redhead could bring himself to look his roommate in the eye. By the time he did, his heart was going a mile a minute, and his face was an even deeper shade of red.

"Did… did he what? Ah, why would he do something like that, Momo?" he stammered, completely embarrassed.

Momo smiled, ever so slightly, and shrugged again. "I don't know, Eiji-senpai… I was just asking."

There was another pause, until Eiji finally murmured, "Yes, he did."

"That's good," Momo said in reply, as he came up alongside the kitchen table and pulled out one of the chairs. As his roommate sat down, Eiji suddenly realized something.

There was no way that Momo should have known about that.

"Wait a second… Momo, how did you know about it?" Eiji asked suddenly, frowning. Something about this definitely wasn't right. But before Momo could answer, Eiji's eyes widened with a sudden realization.

"You mean…" He trailed off, still in shock. "You mean you already knew about Oishi…?"

Momo leaned forward, resting his elbow on the table and cupping his chin in one hand. He gazed at Eiji very intently, before nodding in reply.

"Yeah, I knew."

"How---?" Eiji couldn't help murmuring, taking a few steps closer to the table. His eyes were also locked on Momo, just as those purple eyes were locked on him.

"It was obvious that he cared a lot about you, Eiji-senpai," Momo answered, very simply and with complete sincerity.

"Momo…" Eiji whispered, almost under his breath. Something in those eyes entranced him. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but those eyes were trying to tell him something…

Be happy.

"Eiji-senpai, how do you feel about Oishi-senpai?" Momo asked quietly, still meeting his roommate's astonished stare.

Eiji felt his breath catch in his throat.

"How do I feel---?" he managed to repeat, trying to ignore the way his heart was pounding in his chest.

"You have to tell him," urged Momo, with surprising gentleness. "Now that he's told you, you need to return the favor."

There was a pause, as Eiji considered this statement.

"But, Momo, what if I don't really know what ---"

Eiji's attempt at a reply was interrupted by a loud knock on the front door.

"I'll get it!" the redhead declared, vanishing into the hallway before Momo could even move a muscle. The power player could hear the door open, and then he noticed the sound of footsteps, as two people stepped inside the entryway. He already recognized the voices, which were talking with Eiji in quiet tones about something that Momo already knew.

"Kaidoh and I saw Echizen running down the street on our way to the hotel. I don't think that he's leaving Japan yet."

"But why? He told Oishi and I that he was going to leave tonight…"

"Something must have come up, Kikumaru-senpai."

"What kind of something?"

Momo listened for a moment to the ensuing conversation, with a blank expression on his face. Then, he got up from the table, quietly leaving the kitchen and sneaking into the living room. He walked across to the other side, to where the porch door was hidden by a long curtain, and started working at the latch with one hand. Deftly, with the kind of familiarity that comes from repetition, he slid the glass door open almost noiselessly and came out onto the porch, closing the door again behind him.

Glancing at the night sky, Momo walked up to the railing and leaned his elbows against it, again resting his chin in his hands. He was startled out of his reverie, however, by the sudden sound of the door opening once again.

"I knew you'd be out here, you idiot."

Oh, perfect. That was just what Momo needed.

The power player rolled his eyes and faced his rival, glaring as he did so. "Yeah, I'm here, Viper. What do you want?"

"What do I want?" Kaidoh repeated in a low growl. "You know what I want. Why were you following Echizen around, you moron?"

"Why was I---?" Momo suddenly interrupted himself, annoyed. "How many times do I have to tell you that it's none of your business, you freak?"

The snakelike teenager's eyes glinted in anger, and he lunged forward and grabbed Momo by the shirtfront.

"And how many times do I have to tell you that it is my business, Momoshiro-buchou?" he retorted bitterly, with only the faintest hint of irony.

At that, Momo couldn't quite suppress a pained grin.

"You would play that card, wouldn't you?" he muttered, trying to avert his gaze from those angry eyes. "Just because we were partners for one year…"

"I'm not playing any cards," Kaidoh hissed. "You and I have always been like this. Or at least… that's the way we always were. Until you decided to abandon us."

"Abandon you?" scoffed Momo, with a defiant toss of his head. "I don't remember abandoning anyone. It's not like I left for Europe…"

"You know what I mean!" Kaidoh shouted in frustration. There was a tense pause. Finally, Momo took Kaidoh's hands in his own, and pulled them off of his shirt.

"Alright," he admitted, very quietly. "I do know. But I told you before… It's not like I wanted to choose this. It's just what I had to do."

In the following silence, the wind sped up slightly, whistling around their heads.

"Why?" Kaidoh asked, still tense, still glaring at his rival.

"Because it was the only thing I could do, for everyone's sake. I'm not like you, Viper," Momo said, turning back toward the railing and letting his eyes wander around the city.

"What do you mean by that?" Kaidoh demanded, even though his frown had become somewhat less infuriated.

"Do I have to spell it out for you?" sighed Momo in frustration. "Look, Viper, you're made for the pro circuits. I'm not. Your ambition grew stronger as we got older, but mine didn't. You're skilled enough to beat professional players, and I just hit power shots. So I couldn't follow you into the minor circuits. And once I finally figured that out…"

Momo let the slightest hint of regret come into his dark eyes.

"Then I knew that I had to choose to stay here. To stay behind. Because there was someone here who needed a friend more than anything."

Momo glanced at Kaidoh, to see if his rival understood, but a slight nod from the snakelike teenager indicated that he already knew who the power player meant.

"Kikumaru-senpai," Kaidoh noted, even though it was obvious to the both of them.

"That's right. So now, I have a new goal. And even if it's nothing like me, I'm going to see that goal through, no matter how much maneuvering it takes," finished Momo, with a frank nod and a determined look in his eyes. It was a look that reminded Kaidoh of other times, times when they had faced each other on opposite sides of the tennis court. This particular look, though, had a faint softness in it that was unfamiliar to his rival.

"I guess I understand, as far as all that goes," Kaidoh muttered at last. "But you're still a complete idiot."

Momo bristled again at that remark. "Who's a complete idiot?"

"You are!" Kaidoh promptly responded, his voice growing louder again. Momo whirled around, eyes sparking, and shot back, "How am I the idiot here? You're the imbecile who doesn't even have a clue about what's going on!"

Kaidoh hissed, meeting his rival's infuriated glare. "And you're the moron who absolutely refuses to tell Echizen how you feel about him!"

For a split second, Momo made a shocked face, one that vaguely reminded Kaidoh of a fish sucking air. But then the power player had his own retort, one that stung Kaidoh to the very core of his being.

"And you're the one who never told Inui-senpai how you feel!"

Completely stunned, Kaidoh just stared at Momo, with his mouth hanging slightly open. He could hardly believe that Momo had really said that. The power player was his rival, and he knew him well, of course… But that particular piece of information should have been a secret to every last being on the face of the earth, except for Kaidoh himself. He had taken great pains to make sure that was the case… and yet…

"How did you know about that?" he muttered, unable to mask his disbelief.

"I know you," was Momo's prompt response, as the violet-eyed teenager crossed his arms and stared right at Kaidoh. "What I don't know is why you never told him, you idiot."

For a moment, Kaidoh was completely silent, as he let himself remember in a single instant what had happened in the space of five years. But even before he had done so, he knew the answer to that particular question.

Frustrated, Kaidoh stared at the ground and mumbled, "I'm not stupid enough to think that he could feel the same way."

"Oh, really?" Momo raised an eyebrow at that. "Well, you don't know until you try, Viper, and I never pegged you as being a coward."

"Fssssshhhhhh."

Kaidoh hissed, annoyed, as he clenched his hands tightly into two fists.

"I know that," he protested angrily. "But there's no point in telling him. Do you have any idea how much data he takes on people? If he actually wanted to, he'd already know about it by now."

Kaidoh never bothered to look back up at his rival, but there was a slightly surprised look in Momo's dark eyes.

"Anyway, that doesn't apply to you," Kaidoh growled suddenly. "What's your excuse? Are you a coward?"

Momo flinched slightly, but he shook it off before replying, "You're right. Echizen doesn't know… Which is exactly the point. What he doesn't know can't bother him."

Momo ended his answer there, turning back to the railing, but Kaidoh wasn't satisfied. The snakelike teenager came up alongside his rival, trying to read that elusive expression.

"That doesn't make sense, you idiot," he observed bluntly. "Since when is telling something you care about them the same thing as bothering them?"

At that, Momo sighed in frustration, clenching his teeth slightly at the remark.

"You just don't get it, Viper," he shot back. "How could you possibly understand? Echizen is…"

His hands gripped the railing.

"Echizen is perfect."

Those dark eyes grew distant, faintly reflecting the glow of the city before them, and his voice grew softer.

"I mean, he really is perfect. He's completely flawless. What could I possibly have to offer someone who's like that? It's just that I… I…"

Momo took a deep breath.

"I don't deserve him."

Kaidoh stared intently at his rival, watching him with his piercing eyes, noticing the way Momo's fingers lightly tapped against the railing, and the way his lower jaw had stiffened ever so slightly with the confession.

"Hmph. Do you really believe that?" scoffed Kaidoh suddenly, with another characteristic hiss.

Momo stiffened again, shooting a glare in his former teammate's general direction.

"Yes, I do," he retorted. "Besides, it's not like you could understand how I feel. You and Inui-senpai were practically made for each other!"

Kaidoh was completely taken aback by that comment.

"Wh-what are you saying, idiot?" he stammered, face flushing.

"I'm saying you were made for each other," Momo repeated bluntly. "Everyone knows it. The only reason you aren't together yet is just because a certain someone really should get a spine and fess up already…"

Kaidoh recovered temporarily from his state of shock, long enough to grimace at his opponent for the slight on his vertebral column.

"Besides, why else would Inui-senpai invite you to come live with him in Kyushu?" Momo added, with a significant look.

At that question, however, Kaidoh just pointedly noted, "I don't know… Why did Kikumaru-senpai ask you to come live with him?"

"You know, Viper, sometimes you're just plain stubborn," was Momo's final retort, as the power player turned back to the glass door and slid it open. He'd had enough of that conversation, and he didn't feel like revealing any more of his secrets at the moment.

"And you're just plain stupid," Kaidoh snapped, more from habit than actual annoyance.

Momo had already closed the porch door behind him, however. For a minute, Kaidoh just stood there, as he looked out over the city one last time.

"Idiot…" he whispered to the wind. "Who's practically made for who?"

But at that, he just shook his head in frustration, turning his back on the shimmering lights as he re-entered the small apartment.

- end of chapter twenty-two -

A/N: Ugh… Once again, this chapter is late. I'm really sorry about that, everyone! Real life attacked me in various forms during my vacation, and this chapter also proved itself somewhat difficult to write. Bleah. Fuji's determination to hinder my every attempt to expose his character strikes again!

Fuji: Oh, don't blame me for your lack of skill.

FallingSilver: But you're such a convenient excuse! XD

At least I finally finished it! And I hope you all enjoyed it. I think this answers a lot of the questions out there about the fic, though if you have others that are still unanswered, you can always note me. And don't forget, more is on the way! Obviously, there are still some pretty big things to take care of before this story can end. Like, really big things. Like plot resolution. -laughs- Not to mention there was actually supposed to be another scene in this chapter, but I figured it was long enough already, so into the next chapter it will go.

In any case, thank you all for waiting so patiently! The next chapter will be up asap, probably around the end of this week. In the meantime, let me know what you thought of chapter twenty-two!

By the way, I know many of you are still reading this in spite of not enjoying the pairings I chose. And I just wanted to say, thank you so much for giving this fic a chance anyway. I really appreciate it. A big thank you, also, to all of my most devout supporters, who have left so many kind reviews! You guys are amazing! This fic really wouldn't be where it is without you. (In fact, it would probably be sitting unfinished on my computer at around chapter five. O.O)

Coming Up Next: Echizen confronts one of his friends and reveals his own conflicted state of mind about recent events. Meanwhile, a most unfortunate thing has happened, one that may cause history to repeat itself and prevent the Regulars' happiness for good…