Flash Effects

Summary: Before classes start for Fuji, Atobe, and Shiraishi, Fuji finds out something no one can predict. Then, all kinds of problems start popping up.

Warnings: Shounen-ai

Pairings: Shiraishi x Fuji, Tezuka x Atobe, Chitose x Yukimura

Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis is not mine.

Okay, guys, this chapter is long! xD;; I have to tell you something, though. I don't know anything about college or anything, so if something is messed up, forgive me! I'm not in college yet and I have many more years to go (a little hint about my age there). I took the classes from a college that my brother applied to. xD;; But anyway, I really hope you like this chapter! I had a good time writing it. Please read, review, and enjoy!

Chapter 2:

Fuji awoke the bright Tuesday morning after his previous dispute with his roommate to the feeling of anticipation. He was really excited for the classes to start. He was also nervous, for the reasons that any student is nervous. What if his professors were mean, or unfair? What if the students were mean? What if he wasn't good enough? What if the projects were too hard or complicated?

Fuji sighed and got up to get dressed. He reminded himself that he was good enough, and things were never too difficult for him. He was Fuji Syusuke, after all. And he did win a photography contest designed to challenge all the residents of Osaka. With Shiraishi's help, of course.

Ah, Shiraishi, Fuji mused. He was the boyfriend that Fuji loved the most out of all the ones he ever had. Even though they had only been dating for a little while, Fuji loved him so much. Shiraishi was always at Fuji side when he needed it the most, and he never pressured him into things. Also, he was smart, handsome, nice, and good at tennis. The perfect person (just like his tennis style).

Fuji washed his face in the bathroom with cold water. He had always used cold water since he was a kid, because it made him feel more awake. Warm water always made him want to go back to sleep. Fuji dried his face and looked in the mirror. Good, he thought, his hair wasn't all over the place. He ran a comb through it and it was ready to go. He was ready to go.

He walked out of the room and almost ran into Shiraishi. Speak, or think, of the devil, Fuji thought. They were going to go to the cafeteria for breakfast together, as they had been doing ever since college started. Atobe would wake up by himself, usually. And besides, Fuji didn't want to play mother.

Fuji's classes were in this order. At 8:00am, his first class would be Drawing 1: General FDC-143, with Shiraishi, and then his next class would be at 9:00, and it was Light/Color/Design 1 FDC-163. The next class was right after that, and it was Photography 1 PHOT-101. Then, he would get a short break for lunch. The class afterwards was Video 1 FILM-109, and then there was Survey of Art 1 HA-115. Then, he would get a long break, and his last class was at 8:00pm, and it was Introduction to Literary & Critical Studies 1 ENGL-101. Afterwards, Fuji was done for the day. It looked tiring to him.

Shiraishi was majoring in graphic design. He put his schedule on the table and Fuji looked at it. He had the same classes as Fuji, except for instead of Photography, he would have 3-D Design1 FDC-163, and instead of Video, he would have 4-D Design 1 FDC-180. That meant Atobe would also have those classes.

In his first semester, he would have Shiraishi in every one of his classes, except for Photography and Video. He didn't know about Atobe, since some of the classes were the same, but were at different times to accommodate for the large number of students. But it was only two classes. He didn't even want to look at the second semester, but he didn't have to worry about that now. Right now, all he had to worry about was to get through this first day. And that shouldn't be a worry for Fuji Syusuke, right?

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WRONG. Wrong wrong wrong, Fuji thought, as he flopped down in a chair in the cafeteria. He had just gone through three classes, and he was already tired. He promised to meet Shiraishi at the table he was sitting at. Fuji looked up. There he was, walking towards him…getting closer…quick, Fuji thought, make yourself look normal. Fuji sat up slowly and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Syusuke, you don't have to act like that," Shiraishi said. "It's okay if you're tired."

After hearing that, Fuji fell into his previous position, which wasn't much different, but for Fuji it was.

Shiraishi went on. "Usually the first days are the worst. Once you get used to it, it's not so bad," he said.

"And how do you know all this?" Fuji asked. He rested his head on his arms and sighed. "This is going to be a long day. And I really don't want to go to that dumb Literary and Critical Studies at nighttime. Why does it have to be then?"

"Relax, Syusuke, we all have classes in the evening. It's just the way it is. I bet that class will be the easiest, anyway. And besides, I'm in that class with you. Now that can't be so bad, right?" Shiraishi joked.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But I'm still exhausted."

"Probably because you haven't been doing anything in a while. It's been summer; this is how everyone must feel," Shiraishi pointed out. "Look around you."

Fuji lifted his head and looked. Everyone was indeed as tired as he was. "Then what about you?" he asked his boyfriend.

"I'm special…?" Shiraishi said. "No, I'm tired, too. I just try not to show it."

"And how do you obtain that special power?" Fuji asked.

"I wouldn't be asking if I were you."

"The professors in Photography told us that we're going to have a project soon," Fuji said. "I mean, come on. Already?"

"Of course. But that's strange; the ones in 3-D Design said the same thing."

Fuji blinked. "Then maybe we're doing a collaborated project or something. I mean, photography and graphic design were always closely intertwined, anyway, right?" Fuji said.

"That would be cool. Because I'm not good at individual projects."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not creative under pressure," Shiraishi said.

"You were fine with the Autumn Art Competition," Fuji pointed out.

"Having another person there helps," Shiraishi explained.

"Well then think of it this way: everyone else is under the same amount of pressure as you are. So in a sense, you're partners with everyone."

"But I'm also enemies with everyone, since a lot of times, professors grade projects based on what other people also turned in. So if you're work is good and everyone else's is bad, then you'll get a good grade, but if you're work is good, but everyone else's is better, then you won't get as high a grade."

"So basically, they're just trying to get you to always try to be the best."

"Yeah. Which is why I think this college will be good for both of us." Shiraishi smiled.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Fuji looked around again. Everyone was getting out of their seats. It must be time for the next period to start. "Twenty minute lunch breaks aren't nearly enough."

"I'll say," Shiraishi muttered. They threw their trash away and walked their separate ways, since Shiraishi would be going to 4D Design, and Fuji was going to Video.

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When Fuji came back from his two afternoon classes, he wasn't as tired. It was only 3:00 in the afternoon, and he had a lot of time before his next class. He was right about Atobe, in the fact that his classes were the same but at different times. They had shown each other their schedules after Fuji's last afternoon class. It was almost as if the little fight hadn't actually happened. But Atobe was still acting kind of strange. Like, he wasn't talking as much or as loudly.

It gave Fuji an unsettling feeling. It made him feel like his roommate would rather be somewhere else at the moment. Atobe didn't act that way, and he didn't talk in an annoyed manner, but it just gave Fuji that feeling. And he didn't like it.

Which was why he chose to spend most of his afternoon in Shiraishi's room. He stopped briefly in his own room to talk with Atobe a little about his schedule. But he didn't even drop off his stuff. He carried it all to Shiraishi's room, actually, since he felt better if he had his camera with him. Somehow, he just didn't like it to be left alone for a while. And it seemed like he was going to spend a while in Shiraishi's room.

When Fuji walked in, it was still a mess; the same as it had been when Fuji had walked in for the first time. Fuji had to gingerly put down his feet, not even using his heels, to avoid stepping on something. Once, he heard a sickening crack as he leaned down on his left foot, but to his relief, it was just a plastic box. Shiraishi didn't even look up from the screen.

"Hey, Kuranosuke, I hope you didn't need that plastic box for anything," Fuji said. Shiraishi looked up.

"I don't think I did. Sorry about the room. Now that I have it all to myself, it kind of looks like my room back at home," Shiraishi said.

"I wonder if your parents bothered to clean it after you left," Fuji said.

"They better not have," muttered Shiraishi. "I can never find anything when they clean up my room. When my room is messy, I can still find things easily, since I know myself best and I know exactly where I put things."

"It's the exact opposite with me. I have to have things pretty neat, since it bothers me to be messy myself," Fuji said. "But I don't mind when other people are messy, since there's nothing I can do about it, anyway," he added quickly. "Anyway, what were you working on before I got here? It seemed like you were really absorbed."

"Nothing really. Just messing around with Photoshop. I still haven't gotten a lot of the things that they have on there. There's just so much stuff! I was looking on websites for some tutorials, too." Shiraishi turned his whole body so that he was facing Fuji, who was sitting on the bed, for lack of better place to sit. "So, what do you want to do?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe we should call Chitose. He said to call him sometime, anyway."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. I'll dig out my cell phone from this mess." Shiraishi looked around. It really was a mess. He would have to remind himself to clean it up a little later. For now, he just had to think of where he last put his cell phone. Let's see…cell phone…cell phone…he thought. He looked at the wall where the outlet was, and sure enough, the charger to his cell phone was plugged in. He pushed his hand through a pile of papers and pulled out his cell phone. He took the papers and shuffled through them. He threw them all out, since the papers by the outlet were a fire hazard.

"You can turn cell phones on speaker, right?" Fuji asked.

"Of course." He took the cell phone and dialed Chitose's number. He pressed the speakerphone button and the dialing noise became louder.

Finally, Chitose picked up. "Hello?" he said.

Shiraishi was about to speak, but Fuji nearly purred, "Senriiiii…guess who?"

Chitose laughed. "It's good to see you're doing well, Syu-chan, Kuranosuke," he said.

"How did you know it was me, too?" Shiraishi asked.

"You know, Caller ID exists," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. And it pretty much was.

"Right."

Fuji smiled. His friends were so funny. "So, what's new?" Chitose asked. "Did something happen?"

"Not yet, thankfully," Fuji said. "But our college started today."

"Well, that's something new," Chitose pointed out.

"Right, but we're glad that nothing happened," Fuji said. "But our professors said that we were going to have a project soon in Photography."

"Yeah, and our professors said that, too, in 3-D Design," Shiraishi added.

"Interesting," Chitose replied to the two of them.

"We think that we might have to work with people from the other class for this project or something," Fuji said.

"Yeah, sounds logical. But why would they assign a partner project so early in the year?" Chitose asked.

"Probably for you to get to know the people in your college," Shiraishi said.

"And to separate the top of the class from the bottom," Fuji said.

"You have to remember, Syu-chan, that these people are the best of the best. Only the elite make it into this college. There's not going to be a bottom class. Everyone is top class, and something you have to compete with," Shiraishi said.

"So what that means is that if they grade the way that you told me," Fuji said, "that there will be a very fine line between getting an A and failing."

"Right," Shiraishi said.

"Wait," Chitose interrupted. "What's the way of grading that Kuranosuke told you about?"

"Well, basically, they grade your papers based on other peoples' papers. If you do well, but other people did better, you won't get a good grade," Fuji explained briefly.

"Oh, that must stink. So, unless you're always the best, you will inevitably get a bad grade sometime in your stay there," Chitose said.

"Yeah. But always being the best is something I'm going to try for, not just for my grade," Fuji said.

"This college is bringing out the fighting power in you, then," Chitose said. "That's good. Maybe it will influence your tennis."

"Yeah," Shiraishi said. "You've got a good point."

"I can't wait until we can go play next. Maybe this weekend or something," Fuji said.

"That would be a good idea. I'm not doing anything this weekend," Chitose said.

"Me neither," Fuji said. "And I don't think Shiraishi is, either, right?"

"Yeah, I'm free."

Fuji smiled. "That's great! I can't wait to see you again! It's only been a few days since I last saw you, and I miss you guys already!" He changed the subject. "Has Yuushi left yet?"

"Nope, he's still here," Chitose answered. "He'll be leaving next Sunday, though."

"Then it will be the last time we'll see him for a while, then," Fuji said.

"Yeah."

There was some silence.

Fuji heard a faint knocking on the door which grew louder and more insistent with every collision of hand and door. He stood up and walked over to the door and opened it to come face to face with his roommate. "Oh, Keigo," he said.

"Oi, oi, Syusuke, it's time to go to class," Atobe said impatiently.

Fuji looked at the clock, and indeed it was time to go to his next class. "What's your class, Keigo?" he asked.

Atobe thought for a moment, and he said, "Introduction to Literary & Critical Studies 1."

Fuji blinked. "Same! It's the only class we have together!"

"Ah, I have that now, too," Shiraishi said.

"That's great, we'll all be together, then," Fuji said. "At least we're done after this class. And it's only an hour long."

"Yeah, good point," Shiraishi said.

"Not for me; I have another class right after. But I don't start at the same time as you," Atobe said. Shiraishi looked at him. There was something slightly slightly different about the way Atobe was acting. He couldn't pick up on what it was. He decided to let it go. They left the room and walked to their class together.

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Fuji entered his room with a sigh. Finally, he thought, the first day was over. That was exhausting. Outside, it was raining quietly and lightly. Fuji looked at the rain. It was the kind that would turn heavier later. For now, he should probably just enjoy the quietness while it lasted.

He sat down on the bed and placed his fingers around the strap of his camera and lifted it off of his neck. At least, he tried to lift it off. What was going on? He couldn't get his camera off. He suddenly felt his own legs lift him off the bed. He walked over to the door that led to the balcony.

What was he doing? He needed to take a shower. He had run all the way back from the class in the rain. He still felt himself walking towards the door and wrapped his fingers around the handle to the door. He effortlessly pulled it open and stepped out into the night. Into the rain, and he was already wet to begin with.

What was he doing?! He clutched his camera. A clap of thunder was heard across the sky. Yet Fuji couldn't turn himself around and walk into the safety and warmth of his room. He dearly hoped that Atobe wouldn't come back at that moment. Though, a little in his heart, he wished he would come back so that Fuji could be dragged back into the room. Somehow, though, he didn't think that would work.

He was done thinking. His hands were moving on their own. They gripped his camera tightly and his index finger twisted the knob to the little camera icon. He kept telling himself, I'm done, I'm done! Go inside! But he wouldn't turn. Instead, he just stood there, with his camera in his hand. He brought it up to his face slowly and focused it on the moon.

Suddenly, Fuji couldn't feel the rain coming down in torrents on his back anymore. He couldn't feel the icy autumn wind ripping against his body. All he felt was the exhilaration when he saw something that he wanted to take a picture of, but if he made a sound, it would disappear. The moon wasn't like that, though. Then what was this feeling?

His finger pressed gingerly down onto the button. The shutter snapped. At that moment, he heard the door to the room creak open. Fuji didn't change his stance. It couldn't be Atobe. He hadn't been out for an entire hour, had he?

He heard Shiraishi's voice shout "Syusuke!" and his world went black.

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Fuji woke up to a sound coming from the bathroom. He tried to remember something after when he was standing outside in the rain. He could only recall someone picking him up gently and placing him onto the bed. They stroked his hair a couple times, rapped the blanket around him and sat with him. Finally, after a long while, they had left.

Fuji couldn't remember seeing anything, though. All he could remember were the sounds, and the feelings. But he recalled them very well. Normally, he wouldn't have been able to remember the exact number of times Shiraishi had felt his forehead for a fever. Or exactly how long Shiraishi had stayed with him.

Fuji blinked. He could see perfectly fine, now. There was a white-ish light coming from the bathroom. The door was open slightly. There was talking coming from it. Fuji sat up. The talking stopped abruptly. He lied back down on to the bed slowly just as Atobe came out of the bathroom.

Fuji could see with his eyes closed. Anyone who had known him for even a day and a half could see that. He walked around with his eyes closed all day, and he never ran into anything even once. And this skill was coming in handy right about now.

He could see that Atobe had something in his hand. In the darkness, he couldn't really decipher it. No, unfortunately Fuji Syusuke did not have night vision. He thought it looked slightly like a cell phone, though. After about thirty seconds (that felt like thirty hours to Fuji), Atobe finally went back into the bathroom.

"He must have just shifted positions or something," Atobe was saying. Fuji's ears almost twitched. Who was he talking to?! "Yeah, I know. Speaking of him, I can't believe he actually believed that I liked him all that time."

What?! Fuji's eyes snapped open. What had he just heard?! "I know. They're going out now, so it doesn't really matter. Oh. What? Shiraishi, of course; did you think it would be Chitose? Yeah."

What had Fuji just heard? Had Atobe been pulling an act?! For what reason? Now that he was going out with Shiraishi…Fuji had to listen for more. "I know, he still can't get over it. Yeah, I know."

Fuji shifted, but this time, Atobe didn't seem to notice. Fuji couldn't pick up much of a phone conversation from one end, especially if it was the listening end. But he knew one thing. Atobe didn't really like him. He listened for more. They were bidding their farewells now. Hopefully, Fuji might be able to figure out who Atobe was talking to. And why would they need to talk to each other privately?

"Yeah. Okay, okay. I love you, too." Fuji blinked again. Atobe was dating someone? "Mhm. Goodbye, Kunimitsu."

Yay, done uploading this chapter! Sorry for the wait...I went on a vacation. I hope you guys like this one as much as you liked the last one. I love my reviewers who stayed faithful throughout Osaka and here. I'm always looking for new ones! Please review!