Subzero

AU, TezukaFuji. Fuji smiled sadly, "Someone once told me that when I grew up, I could be whatever I wanted to be. I decided to be me."

Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis. I wish I did, but alas, I do not.

Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews from the first chapter. I promise I'll do my best for future chapters.

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Subzero

Three Degrees

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Kishimoto Apartments - Suite 1452

Tezuka soon found out that Fuji's abode seemed just as humble as Fuji himself.

The car was parked in the parking lot of a five-story high apartment complex, called Kishimoto Apartments. He was led by Fuji, whose cheek was still bleeding, up to the fifth floor, and to a room that Fuji unlocked, and let Tezuka into.

What the bespectabled man saw inside, to say the least, surprised him.

"This is where I live." Fuji declared, shutting the door softly behind him.

The room was about four times the size of a normal apartment; not including the area where a set of stairs led. There was a small table off to the right-hand side where a small kitchen was located. On the left was a space with one crimson red couch, a loveseat, and a coffee table which led to a short staircase, leading to a loft with several bedrooms--empty, no doubt. And then, pushed off against the wall was a long drawer where a telephone was placed. A color that reigned nearly dominant in the room, was white. The walls were white, the loveseat was white also, and so were the stairs.

But the thing that Tezuka noticed most about Fuji's 'humble apartment' was that the window took up practically all of the wall opposite to where he stood.

It had been far more open and light than Tezuka expected for someone like Fuji who seemed to be hiding behind a mask all of the time.

He felt a small hand touch his own. "Please, have a seat." Fuji encouraged.

"Hai." He obeyed and went over to where the two sofas and coffee table were. He contemplated sitting in the soft-looking, white seat, but soon realized that it would therefore create an awkward closeness between himself and Fuji. Common sense told him that as well. By the time Fuji came back with a pot of tea in hand, Tezuka had seated himself on one side of the crimson colored couch.

Fuji gently set down the pot, took a moment to inspect Tezuka, and then he chuckled, "I won't bite, Tezuka-san, I promise."

Tezuka almost felt his cheeks burn... almost. "Ah."

Fuji smiled knowingly, and made himself comfortable on the white loveseat. It puzzled Tezuka to see that Fuji even had a loveseat at all.

"Are you sure you weren't hurt?" Fuji asked, his voice dropping.

Slowly, Tezuka shook his head, "I'm fine." Then he eyed the thin line of dried blood on Fuji's pale cheek. "You were."

Again, Fuji touched a slim finger to the blood, and hid a small wince as his fingers brushed over the cut. However, he just smiled easily to dismiss the fact he had been hurt, "This is nothing. I'm fine."

Tezuka's first thoughts were to say, "'Like hell you are.'" But civility and respect towards his superiors, even if the boy looked half his age, had taught him to choose his words carefully. Instead, he settled with, "Hm." And began looking around the room.

"What is it?" Fuji asked.

"Where do you keep your medicine kit?" Tezuka asked, barely realizing that this had been the most he had said to Fuji since they met just a few hours before.

There was a confused pause, "Why?"

Tezuka turned to Fuji and gave him a long, hard look. Fuji just blinked cluelessly, apparently having no idea why Tezuka wanted the medicine box.

"It's in the second cabinet from the left in the kitchen." Fuji instructed, pointing in a vague direction with his finger.

Tezuka nodded and got up. He walked over and opened the cabinet. Sure enough, the white box with a red cross on it lay inside. As he took it out, Tezuka hardly heard Fuji's light footsteps behind him.

"Tezuka-san, why do you need--"

He turned sharply, with the medicine kit in hand.

And Fuji, in order to avoid the box in Tezuka's hands, jerked back quickly. He hissed in a quick breath as his sock slipped on the slick, kitchen floor.

Tezuka saw the surprise in Fuji's cerulean eyes, and lunged forward. The medicine box went flying out of his hands and onto the counter where it rolled over onto its side, spilling its contents. Tezuka wrapped his arm around Fuji's almost femininely slim waist, halting his plummet to the ground.

"Thank you, Tezuka-san." Fuji murmured as he readjusted his feet underneath his suspended body.

"Be careful." Tezuka reprimanded, his eyebrows knitting together. Fuji weighed virtually nothing, even as the boy was untangling his arms from around Tezuka's neck.

He released Fuji shortly. Fuji laughed and rubbed the back of his head in a mildly embarassed gesture, "I'm sorry. That was careless of me."

"Are you hurt?" Tezuka asked, recalling the fact that up close, Fuji's hair had been a rich, honey brown color, and his eyes had been vast pools of cerulean.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you, again Tezuka-san." Fuji replied. His smell had been quite unique as well, Tezuka realized almost dizzily.

It had smelled like...

"You're welcome."

Like apples and raspberries. And Fuji. It had smelled uniquely Fuji.

Tezuka followed the smaller boy over to where the tea was still waiting.

Fuji had picked up the dropped medicine box and whatever had been inside. He peered into the mess of basic medical equipment, and selected two things. A band-aid and a tube of antiseptic cream.

Meanwhile, Fuji was busying himself with preparing two cups of, what Tezuka smelled, Earl Grey tea. The boy was saying something about how this was the only brand he had with him, and that he needed to restock.

Tezuka began inspecting his boss's home as Fuji poured the steaming tea.

"Where is the bathroom?" he asked. Fuji lifted a finger and pointed in the direction of the stairs, his back still turned towards Tezuka. "Just one moment, please."

He set down a cup of tea. Lumps of sugar still floated at the top. Then, Fuji turned back around to face Tezuka.

"Saa, I'll show you." He said, smiling.

As he passed by, Tezuka fixed his eyes on the red sliver on Fuji's cheek where he had been cut with the knife.

"Tezuka-san, this way." Fuji called from the stairs.

Tezuka followed Fuji up the stairs, taking the stairs two-by-two and easily catching up.

Fuji led him to a closed door, "I'm sorry for that state it is in; I haven't had much time to clean it up." Smiling apologetically, Fuji twisted the knob and opened the door.

The instant the smell of potpurri wafted over Tezuka, he couldn't be certain any longer if Fuji was being sincerely humble and modest, or he was just saying it for the sake of courtesy. The bathroom was about the size of one of the meeting rooms back at SAA's building. Those were big rooms.

Fuji entered the bathroom, his feet soundless across the plush white rug in front of the shower. He crossed the vast bathroom to a double sink positioned in front of a large mirror. He gestured with a hand to the large bowl, and two fresh bars of soap. Tezuka followed shortly, still looking around the bathroom, with its white tiled floors and white walls.

"I'll bring a fresh towel for you, Tezuka-san." Fuji said, smiling kindly.

"We need to clean out your cut." Tezuka interrupted before Fuji could escape.

A look of realization come over Fuji's face as he saw that Tezuka's entire purpose for locating the bathroom was to clean out the wound. There was an almost forced smile on Fuji's face as he answered, "I can just put some antiseptic on it. That should clean out the cut just fine." The excuse was a terrible one. Even Fuji seemed to know that.

Tezuka didn't miss the fact that Fuji was subconsciously looking anywhere besides Tezuka. He also noted the uncomfortable tone that had crept into Fuji's voice. He gave Fuji a displeased look, and remained silent just... staring.

Finally, after what seemed like a long while, Fuji sighed. And Tezuka felt a triumphant feeling rise up. "I understand." Fuji mumbled.

Tezuka gave a satisfied grunt, and stepped back as Fuji approached the sink.

He watched Fuji roll up his sleeves to reveal ivory white arms that were toned with muscle. He felt slightly awkward standing where he was, staring at Fuji as the boy slashed water onto his face. The liquid that dripped off of Fuji's face was stained red as the blood from the cut on his cheek mixed with the water.

A few minutes and a bar of soap later, Fuji was patting his face down with what looked like an impossibly soft face towel.

Tezuka waited until the white cloth had been lifted away from Fuji's face to lean in and carefully place the band-aid over the red line marring the porcelean skin. The cloth fell from Fuji's fingers as he gave a start at the sudden contact.

Quietly, Fuji murmured an apology as he picked up the towel. Then a slender hand was lifted, and gingerly touched the covered cut.

Though barely noticable, Tezuka's eyes caught the hand clutching the towel tighten. Fuji face, however, was all smiles, "Thank you, Tezuka-san."

"Ah."

Soon afterwards, Fuji was gliding down the stairs to tend to the tea again. From his spot in the bathroom, Tezuka could hear the boy tutting disapprovingly at the cold tea. He frowned. Saeki-san would most certainly be getting a call.

Then, he heard a quiet gasp.

Feeling his feet rush more than they should have, Tezuka left the bathroom and stood leaning against the railing, looking over most of Fuji's apartment. Fuji had set the pot of tea down, and had his face angled towards the enormous windows.

Outside it was a snowstorm of while, literally. The faint sound of howling wind could be heard even from where Tezuka stood.

"Tezuka-san," Fuji called as he made his way up the stairs once more. Tezuka turned to look at him. "Unfortunately, I don't think I will be able to get you home tonight."

Tezuka looked at the whirling snowstorm outside the window, and nodded. "Ah."

There was a small smile of amusement on Fuji's face. "I have a spare room that you could use for the night." The grin only widened when Tezuka replied with, "Ah."

Fuji nodded, walking past Tezuka to a room two doors away from the bathroom. There was a pause of hesitation, and then Fuji backtracked to the door one away from the bathroom. He gestured with a hand, "This is one of the spare bedrooms I have. It hasn't been used much, so I'm afraid it may be lacking some items."

Almost nervously, Tezuka approached the closed bedroom. He wasn't sure how humble Fuji was being this time, and what he would find inside to surprise him. But then he realized that Fuji had chosen to give him a different room instead of the first one he had been considering. And so, with his faith somewhat restored, Tezuka opened the door and took a step onto a soft, cream-colored rug.

"Does it meet your liking?" Fuji asked from behind him.

"Ah..." Tezuka replied, after a second.

The room seemed slightly smaller than the bathroom, a fact Tezuka found bizarre, but it was most certainly less extravagant. There was a single window that was just above the bed. It was surrounded by royal blue curtains that looked as though they were made from silk. The bed was a twin size bed, adorned with white sheets and a blue pillow. There was a closet, a couple of drawers, and a desk for writing purposes. That was it. Compared to the other two rooms, it was quite ordinary.

Tezuka turned around. Fuji was standing there, watching him with a smile, but he remained outside of the room, not even leaning against the door frame.

"This is fine. Thank you." Tezuka said.

There was a relieved smile on Fuji's face, "That's good." The band-aid on his cheek crinkled a little bit as he smiled. Fuji took another step away from the room, "I'll be making dinner; call me if you need anything, Tezuka-san."

Tezuka was watching Fuji's feet, taking more and more steps away from the very ordinary room. His feet seemed tense and flighty.

Yes. Saeki would definitely be getting a call from him tomorrow.

"Tezuka." He said.

Fuji blinked, "What?"

Tezuka raised his eyes and captured Fuji's cerulean orbs, "You can just call me Tezuka."

There was an unfathomable expression on Fuji's face for a moment until it was split with a warm smile. The constant strictness that kept his back so straight weakened as Tezuka couldn't help but feet the contours of his face loosen. Fuji nodded, "Saa, call me if you need anything, Tezuka." Fuji's feet relaxed just a little bit.

But before the boy's head vanished from the doorway, Fuji smiled again, "And just call me Fuji, Tezuka."

Tezuka kept staring at the doorway where Fuji had just been backing away from while trying to remember what Saeki said his number had been...

Kudo Apartments: Saeki Kojiro - Rm. 443

The moment Saeki opened his eyes, he knew two things.

One, it was precisely five in the morning. He knew because the sky was still dark outside, and the sound of cars and people outside the apartment were quiet.

Two, it was snowing. He knew this because the tip of his nose was red and cold, the clouds were dark, and there were small puffs of while spiraling downwards outside his window. Usually white puffballs meant snow... usually.

Saeki sat up, stretching his arms towards the ceiling. His spine crackled in a few places, and he gave a monstrous yawn.

While he had been sleeping, Saeki soon found his neck had developed a crick in it that made it hard to keep his neck straight. That was when the phone rang. It buzzed on his table top. When Saeki didn't make a move for it, it continued to buzz persistently and began emitting a ringtone. He gave a sigh and lifted the vibrating phone off of the table.

The cover was flipped open and he pressed it to his ear, "Hello?"

"Saeki-san," It was Tezuka's voice. "Good morning."

Saeki quickly sat up in his bed as though he were face-to-face with Tezuka. His hand began doing a comb-through of his hair, "Good morning, Tezuka-san. Is there something wrong?"

There was a short pause at the other end of the line. Then Tezuka picked up again, "Has something happened to Fuji in the past?"

Saeki blinked as he noticed Tezuka say, 'Fuji', instead of 'Fuji-san'. "What do you mean?"

"Anything that might make him act..." Tezuka trailed off.

Saeki stood out of bed and kicked away the sheets that pooled around his feet. He made his way over to his desk where his favorite pen lay. He crouched, still holding the phone to his ear. "...Act...?"

"Unusual; unlike how anyone usually would." Tezuka finished.

Saeki's hand froze around the pen. There was an uncomfortable prickling sensation on his skin. He got this feeling whenever his best friend was in trouble. It was never wrong either. "What happened?"

He heard Tezuka take in a deep breath. "Fuji was attacked yesterday."

"What?!" Saeki's head jerked up and smacked the underside of the desk.

SAA Headquarters - Fuji's office

"I told you that it wasn't mandatory you come today, Tezuka." Fuji chastised gently.

Tezuka gave an indifferent grunt, "If I didn't come I would be neglecting my work."

Fuji put his things down gently next to his desk and booted up the computer. "Even so," he looked to the enormous window which was not unlike the one at his apartment. The snow was now coming down in a blizzard. "There might be a bit of trouble getting home if the snow doesn't let up."

There was a slight frown on Fuji's face, which was extremely out of the ordinary for him.

"Is there a problem?" Tezuka asked, "They can always just plow the roads if it snows that much."

Fuji shook his head calmly, turning back to smile at Tezuka, "No. That isn't it. I just like the rain better."

Tezuka blinked, feeling nostalgia at not knowing how to respond to Fuji's strange statements. "Ah..."

There was a chuckle from Fuji, "But I suppose for now you can begin on the work that needs doing." Tezuka nodded, a more secure feeling settling over him at the mention of work. Fuji clicked the mouse, "I just printed out a list of the things that I need done. They are self-explanatory, but if you have any questions, please feel free to come and ask me."

The printer on Fuji's desk beeped a couple times before spitting out a sheet of white paper with writing on it.

Tezuka crossed the room to pick up the piece of paper, self-consciously staring at his reflection in the glass window while Fuji's eyes continued to track him across the room. His suit was crease-free, there were no stains on it, and his hair was...as tame as it would ever get.

"Is there a problem?" he repeated.

Fuji just smiled at him while leaning on his palm, "None at all."

Tezuka made his way to the door, and before he left Fuji's office, he looked back and answered. "Ah."

The moment Tezuka left Fuji's office, he heard a voice, "Tezuka-san!" Thankfully, it was the voice of the person he had been about to go looking for.

He turned, and saw Saeki rushing up to him. Judging from the other man's red face, he had been running hard. When Saeki opened his mouth, Tezuka lifted a finger to his lips. Saeki let out the breath he had been holding and leaned forward onto his toes, "You wanted to speak with me?" he whispered.

Tezuka nodded, and jerked his thumb to point down the hall.

Quietly, Saeki nodded, and the two of them set off down the hall.

"Saa, I wonder what they are going to talk about." Fuji mused, leaning against the double-doors to his office.

Saeki gave a start, "His past?"

"Yes." Tezuka nodded.

Saeki stared uncomfortably at his hands in his lap, "Why would you want to know something like that?"

Tezuka paused contemplating his answer, "Just wondering." He finally decided.

Saeki raised an eyebrow at him. Tezuka just stared back with the same stoic face as usual, waiting. Finally, the silver-black haired man sighed, "Fine. Il'l tell you, but only because I really believe you won't use it against Syusuke."

Despite his nodding, Tezuka noted that instead of 'Fuji,' Saeki had called his superior 'Syusuke.'

"When Syusuke was six years old, his mother died from cancer." Saeki began. "A couple of years afterwards, their father took them and left Chiba, where we grew up."

"They?" Tezuka asked.

Saeki nodded, "Yes. Fuji and his younger brother, Yuuta."

"And then?"

"Well, after that, their father began to lose his temper more often with the two of them; Syusuke thinks that is because he began to drink more." Saeki explained with a tight expression.

Tezuka listened intently, only surprised that Fuji remembered such a detail from over 15 years ago.

"It wasn't to the point of drunkeness, per se, but soon their father began to beat them, in which case Fuji would always protect Yuuta. But after a while, the beatings got more and more severe until they stopped altogether." Saeki said. He tilted his head and stared at a lightbulb on the ceiling, "Unfortunately, things got worse for Syusuke and Yuuta after that. The excessive drinking stopped, and Fuji-san seemed to get better as time progressed... until he got into a car accident."

"Is that when he died?" Tezuka asked, recalling Fuji telling him his father was dead.

Saeki looked up from telling his story, "Dead? Fuji-san is still alive."

There was silence for a moment as Tezuka contemplated why Fuji would lie and say his father was dead. Then a look a realization came over Saeki's face as he sighed wearily.

"I see what happened..." He murmured.

Tezuka waited quietly for him to continue.

"Shortly after Yuuta turned 14, he joined the acrobatics team at his school." Saeki paused to elaborate, "They do the kinds of things as in the Olympics, where the participants swing around on that elevated bar."

Tezuka nodded, and Saeki went on. "Fuji-san had been a professional acrobat before hand, but when he got into the accident, he lost the ability to use his right arm; all the nerves in the arm were destroyed since they were crushed by the car. So he began to get more and more critical towards Yuuta to make up for it. Eventually, Yuuta began to lose confidence in himself because of all the constant criticism he was receiving from his father. And then, when it got enough, it gave a group of the latest teenage bad-asses a chance a chance to get Yuuta to join their group."

"So he joined?" Tezuka asked. The nod that Saeki gave him confirmed it, "Right. And it totally dominated Yuuta's life for the next few years until Syusuke was about to leave for college. Yuuta joining that gang is probably why Syusuke said his father was dead, because Syusuke considers Fuji-san is dead to him."

Tezuka quickly pretended to be immersed with blowing on a steaming cup of coffee that was on the table in front of him the moment someone came close. As soon as that person was distanced enough, he pushed the cup away. He didn't like coffee anyways.

Quietly, Tezuka nodded. It made sense; however rare or unrare something like that was, the fact that children hated their parents enough to call them 'dead' still existed. That much was clear now. But there was still something that bothered Tezuka, a bigger problem.

"Is he afraid of people taking care of him?" he asked abruptly.

Saeki seemed startled, "Not... particularly. Why? Did something happen?"

Tezuka nodded and gave the shadow in the corner of the room a frown, as if everything was its fault, "After we were attacked," he began. Saeki bristled angrily. Tezuka gave him a look and resumed, "After that, we went to Fuji's house to get his wound cleaned up."

Saeki's black eyes were smouldering.

"When I offered to help him clean it, he seemed..." Tezuka struggled for the words, which was an uncommon thing. Tezuka Kunimitsu was never inarticulate. But he was now, "Unsure, nervous, almost afraid of the situation he was in."

Then Saeki had an understanding look on his face; rather, it was a look of sad understanding. He let a heavy sigh escape from his lips, "He isn't used to being looked after and worried about. When Syusuke left for college, he left for good. He never asked for money from his father to fund himself for college, he never asked for anything from his father after he left. The only family he kept up with was Yuuta, and... their elder sister, Yumiko-san."

Tezuka blinked. It was the first time he had heard of a sister, "She didn't live with Fuji and Yuuta-san, and their father?"

Saeki shook his head, staring at a lump of sugar in his coffee mug, "No. Yumiko's past is... complicated. You see, by the time Fuji-san took Syusuke and Yuuta away from Chiba to live in Tokyo, she was 13; Syusuke was eight, and Yuuta was seven. At the time of their mother's death, she was only 11 and she was visiting some relatives in Karuizawa. When she heard that her mother had died, and she had to go back to her father, she refused. And refused, and refused until they actually went through measures to sign legal papers and transfer her caretaking over to the relatives she was visiting."

"They signed documents because she refused to live with her father?" Tezuka asked.

"She was stubborn." Saeki nodded.

"I see." Tezuka mumbled, watching the final wisps of steam rise from his untouched coffee.

Saeki stood up and brushed off his pants, even though there was nothing on them, "I told you as much as I know. All that I can say about Syusuke acting the way he did is just because he never had people taking care of him as he grew up, so what you did back there put him in a position he didn't know how to deal with."

Tezuka stood up as well and bowed, "What you told me is plenty. Thank you, Saeki-san."

The silver-black haired man nodded and lifted the briefcase resting against the leg of the chair. He gestured to the mug Tezuka still held, "Would you like me to take that for you?" he offered.

Tezuka shook his head, "No, thank you."

Saeki nodded and lowered his hand. He looked in the direction of the elevators, "Well, I need to be going now; I still have work that needs doing."

"Thank you for your help," Tezuka said, bowing again, "I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time."

Then, he was given a smile. "Not at all, Tezuka-san." Saeki replied, a mysterious tone creeping into his voice, "But for some reason, I feel like it was necessary to tell you--no. I wanted to tell you about Syusuke. But whatever you want or wanted to do with this information, please try and help Syusuke with it. It has been hard for him up to this point, and there are still things that I'm sure have happened to him that he would never tell anyone about."

"A-ah..." Tezuka had no idea how to respond to such a confession of faith.

"He may seem like a warm and happy person--which generally he is, but that smile is just a guise. It's a mask, and I don't think he realizes how many cracks it has. You've noticed this already, I'm sure, Tezuka-san." Saeki said, eyeing Tezuka.

Tezuka nodded hesitantly, "Ah."

"Well then, I'll be going now. Goodbye, Tezuka-san." Saeki said, bowing, and heading for the elevators.

Though Saeki couldn't see him, Tezuka bowed at the other man's back, realizing just how much information he had been given.

But what would he do with it, now that he had it?

And then, outside the window of the building, a few lonesome flakes began drifting downwards from the grey-shaded clouds above.

(A/N:) I'm sorry if the first part of this chapter was a little awkward. I was attempting to write it while going through a writer's block phase. Most of this chapter was Saeki and Tezuka talking about Fuji's past.

Eventually, I'll get into more detail on Fuji's past, his mother's death, Yuuta's gang stuff (the fact that I decided to put Yuuta into a gang still makes me laugh), and the issues between him and his father. If any of you had noticed, the thing going on between Fuji, his father, and Yuuta is similar to the happenings in Hana-Kimi (by Nakajo Hisaya), with Sano his father, and his little brother. Except the kid brother doesn't join a gang.

Please review, and thanks for reading!

Quote: "Smile, even if it's a sad smile, because the only thing sadder than a sad smile is the sadness of not knowing how to smile." -Jean de la Fontaine.

Sincerely,

-PurificationArrow