Author's Note: I feel like such a fool for saying I added that part to Chapter 6 when thankfully, Death Claire informed that it wasn't. I'M SORRY! But now, it IS officially up. I checked myself . . . shakes head mumbling 'I even put so much EMPHASIS on how it was added, grumble, grumble . . . So if you didn't get to read that little snippet way back in Chapter 6 of Tezuka's POV, go and read it! And Read and REVIEW this chapter!

Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis, we own not

FALLING

Chapter 8: The Confession (Second to last Chapter!)

Kaidoh attended practice the next day. It surprised him how normal everything was. No one had asked him why he was gone, and no one treated him differently – not even Tezuka. The Captain had acted like nothing had ever happened between them.

Kaidoh was almost thankful for that, but still, a part of him was disappointed.

After practice ended, Momoshiro came over to Kaidoh. "So Kaidoh, did you get everything straightened out with that girl?"

Kaidoh faltered and glanced over to Tezuka, who was discussing something with Fuji.

Kaidoh's answer then fell out of his mouth automatically. "Yes."

"Good for you, mamushi!" Momoshiro exclaimed with delight. "Hey! Kikumaru-sempai! Guess what Kaidoh did!" Momoshiro shouted a little too loudly as he ran off to the acrobatic red head.

Tezuka had been pretending to listen to Fuji but he was focused on the exchange between Momoshiro and Kaidoh. When he had heard Kaidoh speak, a look of remorse crossed his face.

Fuji noticed this look.

"Tezuka."

Tezuka looked at Fuji a little taken aback at the tensai's open cerulean eyes, but both players' expressions reverted back to their normal facades.

"Yes, Fuji?"

A small smile just rose on Fuji's face. "Nothing."

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Kaidoh was walking home with Inui beside him. Inui had said nothing to him, which surprised him more than practice.

However, when they reached the corner where they separated in different directions, Inui finally spoke up. "So you got everything straightened out with Tezuka?"

Kaidoh agitated at this question, quickly answered, "Yes."

"Hm . . . so you know everything?"

Kaidoh nodded his head.

There was a pause before Inui's voice discoursed again. "So you know how Tezuka came to me three weeks ago, asking if I could help him?"

Kaidoh gave Inui a confused look. "No."

"So you don't know how every night he calls me asking if you mentioned anything about him, or what he should do next to make you realize," Inui stated, rather than asked.

"Realize what?"

"Then you obviously don't know that Tezuka feels the same way about you that you do him." Inui watched as Kaidoh's eyes looked down in bewilderment.

"Same way?"

"But you do happen to know that you're in love with Tezuka. Especially after all those sleepless nights of thinking of him, or after your talk with Momo, and primarily after your kiss with him. But the fact that Tezuka kissed you should have made you realize his shared feelings . . ." Inui almost thought to himself, speaking aloud so Kaidoh could understand how foolish he was for not realizing.

Although Kaidoh should've expected Inui to know all of this, his eyes still widened in shock.

Inui continued on, "This means you have not straightened out anything. So I'm going to leave now, letting you contemplate on everything I've told you – everything which is true. And then I want you to decide, the third most important decision of your life, if you are going to go home and forget about this whole ordeal, or go over to Tezuka's and actually straighten everything out."

Inui waited a few moments for emphasis, casting Kaidoh a calculating look. Knowing that his words had indeed reached Kaidoh who still appeared stunned, Inui left.

Kaidoh now stood there, on the corner of the street, slowly reviewing everything Inui had said.

Three weeks ago? Three weeks ago was when he had run into Tezuka while jogging. Was that when Tezuka began to . . . Was that when he did?

A car's loud motor pierced Kaidoh's ears, snapping him out of his reverie. He finally understood what he needed to do.

Kaidoh walked in haste. His mind was trying to think of how he was going to say everything to Tezuka.

When he came upon a moderate-sized brown house, he hesitated, but reassured himself for the thousandth time. On the porch, Kaidoh took a deep breath, hoping his haywire nerves would slow down.

"I can do this," Kaidoh mumbled to himself. Finally with determination, he reached up and pushed the doorbell. He heard it ring from inside.

A couple minutes passed of Kaidoh waiting on the porch. He was about to push the doorbell again when the door swung open.

"Kaidoh?"

Kaidoh stood there in awestruck with a comely crimson flush. Tezuka must have just gotten out of the shower. He was only wearing black sweatpants, and droplets of water languorously glided down his pale skin. His darkened, damp hair untidily fell into his face.

"Bu-Buchou . . ." Kaidoh looked down abashed when he saw Tezuka give him an inquiring look. "I-I need to talk to you."

Tezuka stepped back and held the door open for the flustered boy.

"Come to my room," Tezuka commanded, ascending the wooden stairs. Kaidoh gave a fleeting glance to the living room and kitchen. Were his parents gone?

Kaidoh had followed Tezuka into a bedroom. He stood there awkwardly.

"You can sit on my bed."

Kaidoh looked over to the bed, which was adorned with simple blue sheets. He sat down on the plush bed. Kaidoh began to fidget with his hands and magnetically kept shifting his eyes to Tezuka's lean half-bare form.

Graciously, Tezuka pulled on a plain, lavender T-shirt.

"Was is it you needed to speak to me about?" Tezuka questioned, sitting in the chair at his desk.

Kaidoh's nerves from earlier came flowing back into him. "A-About yesterday . . ."

"Kaidoh, about yesterday. I'm s-"

"Don't say that buchou," Kaidoh impetuously interrupted, but shortly calmed back down. "I should apologize about yesterday." Kaidoh paused to see if Tezuka was going to say anything.

Tezuka just watched Kaidoh carefully.

"I got scared. From my own feelings . . . and yours." As he began to confess everything, Kaidoh's heart began to quicken its pace and made it harder for him to speak. "Th-These past few weeks . . . all I could think about . . . w-was . . ."

"Kaidoh."

Kaidoh looked up and saw that Tezuka was no longer sitting at his desk, but standing before him. Then Tezuka sat beside Kaidoh on the bed, making the mattress slightly shift to Kaidoh's foreign fervor. Kaidoh's heart skipped a beat as he stared into Tezuka's steady gaze.

"B-Buchou . . . that day . . . I think . . . I mean I know . . .that I-"

Kaidoh was abruptly cut off from Tezuka's intoxicating lips.

Kaidoh didn't push him away in fear, but leaned forward in ardor, pressing fuller onto Tezuka's pliant mouth.

Tezuka slowly pulled away, still close enough to feel Kaidoh's warm breath.

Kaidoh stared into Tezuka's enrapturing eyes that seemed to say so many things Kaidoh already knew - that Kaidoh already felt.

Kaidoh heard himself whisper the three words he should have said before.

"I love you."

TO BE CONTINUED . . .

FINALLY! Ne? Well, the next chapter is an epilogue. It's cute and sweet and worth taking the couple minutes to read . . . THE MORE REVIEWS THE SOONER THE LAST CHAPTER!