What do we mean to each other?

Chapter 07: Seed

Upon hearing the voicemail, Tezuka's heart sank. He can't help but stare at the screen of his mobile phone. This face… always smiling… always looking at me… digging into me. It's almost like he's hiding something. What it could be? Why does he always have this look upon his face? Or is it just me? Am I over thinking things? Why do I have these feelings?

Without thinking, he dialed Fuji's number again. He heard the same tone over again. Why won't you pick up? What the hell are you doing?

The feeling of desperation began to take a hold on him. Did something happen to him? It is so unlike him. What the hell!

He brushed off the idea. He smiled, but a faint pain is beginning to find its way out of nowhere. He let out a sigh. What is this feeling? This is bothersome. Geez! If he's so busy, he could at least allot more time to improve his techniques.

"Tezuka, are you all right?" a worried look came from his mother. It brought him back to the present time. "You look restless. Is something the matter?" she laid down a cup of green tea on the table. It gave a gentle thud as the saucer hit the table.

Get a grip Tezuka. It is just one lousy phone call. What if he didn't pick up? It is not something to think about. "Don't worry mom. I'm just having a hard time thinking about improving the abilities of my teammates. I'm at a lost actually."

"I see. Then, maybe this tea could cheer you up in a bit. I'm worried, is the problem that bad enough?" asked his mother. She smiled at him to lighten the mood.

Tezuka tried his best to show a genuine smile. "There is no reason for you to worry mom. Thanks for the tea. I think I'll take this in my room and think things through. Maybe I'll get to bed too if it does not yield positive results." He raised the cup, and smelled the aroma. "The tea looks refreshing." He smiled another and headed to the stairs. Upon ascending, he made sure to make his step as normal as possible.

He went to the first room on his left. A tennis racket safely hung upon the door. He twisted the knob. The room has a simple design. A bed, laid flat in a corner, lined up by two cabinets with assorted books. A table and chair were neatly placed on the other side of the room. His silver-colored laptop rested on top of the table. He took a sip and place the cup of green tea beside the laptop. He decided to take a seat and open his laptop.

Absent-mindedly, he clicks the folder named Photos. Resting his right hand on the mouse, he clicked tennis. Several pictures of the team flashed before his eyes. The slideshow of various pictures flashed before him. He smiled at one group photo. All of the members of the team are brimming with smiles. It was a picture taken after the team decided to go to a festival. We really enjoyed the festival. As one picture replaces another, one picture caught his attention.

Ah yes… this is the picture that we took from that festival.

It was a picture of two young men in their yukata. He placed the laptop on his table and lay on his bed. He closed his eyes as he remembers that particular day. He let out an embittered smile.

It is not like we haven't seen each other for ages.

A feeling from his chest blossomed into a tear. Since when did I begin to have this kind of feeling? He kept wondering until sleep found him.#

A/N: A decade of hiatus and now I'm back. Let me know what you think. Love lots, ShadowcLite