Thank you for your wonderful reviews. Presenting the last chapter.

Sitting, Waiting and Wishing: Chapter 7

Tezuka tossed and turned, finally sitting upright. He glanced at the clock which read 4:30am. He put on his bed robe and walked to the window. The wind howled through the small crack of the windows and gently, he teased the window panels open.

The cold air of the autumn night hit him and he inhaled deeply. Autumn. Yes, that was when he had met Atobe, many years ago. Somehow, the autumn air in Japan smelt different from that in Germany, it lacked the magic and mirth that the autumn in Germany had.

The autumn that he and Atobe shared.

"Can't sleep?" Tezuka turned around to see Fuji standing in the doorway. The azure-eyed man smiled and let himself in. "Me neither."

"Oh, why is that so?" Fuji stood besides Tezuka, sharing the chilly autumn wind.

"Sakuno went to meet Ryoma." Tezuka merely looked on and the two stood there in silence.

"Loving someone is so hard."

"…"

"Could I love anyone more?"

"Fuji, it's not your call anymore."

"Loving someone is so hard."

"You said that twice."

The wind dropped down to a breeze.

"It's autumn."

"Hnn."

"I fell in love with her in autumn." A short silence ensued. Finally, Tezuka cleared his throat.

"I fell in love in autumn too."

And it was Fuji's turn to say "Hnn."

And they stood there, till dawn broke.

The note was simple. It merely read three words, "Thank you. Sorry." Simple yet profound, Fuji put it on the coffee table as he sipped his coffee quietly.

So she left, as he predicted she would, despite harbouring that small little hope that she would stay. She did not know that while she walked softly through the house, he was at his door, watching her leave.

It tore his heart, especially when he saw her give the house one last look before opening the door and stepped out quietly. He watched her hail the taxi from the window and closed his eyes.

"She left."

"No wonder the coffee tasted bad." Tezuka said as he sat next to his friend on the couch.

"Are you leaving too?"

"Yes."

"Well, then I'll leave too." Tezuka raised an eyebrow. Fuji let out a chuckle. "I need inspiration for my new collection."

"Alright, and the house?"

"Let it collect dust. Let it sit here, wait and wish." The clock ticked slowly by as the two men continued sipping the bad coffee.

"All the best, Fuji."

At the Tokyo Narita airport, 5 people awaited their flights, each hoping to leave behind a life they did not wish to remember.

The stoic glanced at his watch and shifted in his seat. Germany was hardly a place he called home but yet, it offered the strange sense of relief, a place which he could escape to. It allowed him to bask in the sweet memory of falling in love, in that one autumn where he had realized how love could really make the world turn.

The wealthy businessman paced around the transit lounge. He had thought coming back to his homeland would make everything easier, but yet, it had made everything harder. Perhaps drowning himself in work would make him forget all that he had lost, all that he had given, that one fateful autumn. He would return, to the world he owned, to a wife he never loved, to the glitz of a life in New York which he never loved. He glanced outside the glass windows, and wished that he was out there to enjoy the autumn.

The young man pulled his cap further as he tried to walk through the barrage of reporters, his manager trying frantically to create a path for him. Being famous was never easy and he now knew the price he had to pay, albeit too late. He glanced out at the crowd and saw his two friends, standing far from the madding crowd and tipped his cap. They smiled. When his world stopped turning, they helped him to turn it. He felt a wistful squeeze on his heart as he thought of her, the girl whom he was supposed to be with but had given up for fame. He pulled his cap down and walked hurriedly on, to the only path he had, which was the path of fame.

The young woman murmured a small apology as she bumped into another and let out a small sigh as she settled in her seat. The note she had left for him was short and simple. She hoped he would not be angry with her although she knew that he never would be. Her fingers went around the scarf which was tied around her neck. Her heart was torn between two but perhaps time could heal a broken heart. Perhaps. For now, she just wanted to get away from it all.

The azure-eyed man stood at the glass windows, watching the airplanes take off and land. He was handsome and had many beautiful women dangle from his arm in the dazzling city lights of Tokyo. He was famed for his insightful photographs but the one shot that had captured his attention was that of a girl, looking wistfully out at the sea, locks of brown hair being teased by the wind. He loved her, and she loved him, of that he was certain but she just needed the time to think. And he would give her the time, as he always did for the past fifteen years.

And as each's boarding call was echoed throughout the airport, they said a little prayer for themselves, for the ones they loved and walked on to board the airplane.

After all, each had been sitting, waiting and wishing for too long.

I couldn't let the story drag on for too long because it was getting too soap-operaish for my liking. I am sorry for ending it this way but I do not promise any sequels. Maybe. Let's sit, wait and wish, shall we?