"Thought you'd still be here," Fuji murmured, taking a seat by the door in the hospital room. "How's Echizen doing?"

Tezuka stood by the window, his back to Fuji. "He's fine. He woke up an hour ago." He turned around. "He's sleeping now."

"I see," Fuji said because he didn't know what else to say. "Look, Tezuka, I'm sorry about this." I don't know what I'm doing. I'm just in love with you.

"He'll make a full recovery." Tezuka wrinkled his forehead. "We talked about you."

Fuji fought to hide his anxiety. "Did you?"

"Aa. He said," and here Tezuka looked very serious, almost too serious, "quote, 'Tell Fuji-sempai we're not dating. And he has a long way to go if he thinks buchou likes anyone else but him.' End quote."

Fuji had to be certain. "So, you don't like him?"

"There's only one person I like," Tezuka said seriously. He knelt by Fuji's chair so they were eye to eye.

"Then why did you break up with me?" Fuji demanded.

When Tezuka didn't answer, another voice piped up. This one was arrogant though slightly groggy. "Because buchou thought Fuji-sempai was going to leave first."

"What?"

Tezuka finally spoke. "Rumor has it that you're leaving us for Rikkai Dai."

"Oh, that." Fuji shrugged and enjoyed the shocked silence.

Then Echizen's young voice demanded, "What do you mean, 'oh, that'?"

"My parents had applied for a transfer a while back. I completely forgot about it."

"What made you decide to stay?" Echizen asked curiously. Tezuka had yet to find his voice.

"You could say you, Echizen, are my reason for staying," Fuji said sweetly.

"And buchou," Echizen added for his captain's sake. Tezuka looked close to fainting.

But Fuji shook his head. "Not exactly. See, it might almost have been easier if Tezuka and I weren't best friends. If I left, I could challenge Tezuka as a rival, and not as a team mate. I could challenge myself too. Rikkai Dai's tennis team has won Nationals two years in a row. Anyway, I visited a couple months ago. I met with Yukimura. He told me if I transferred, that was my business. But if I was planning on playing tennis, I could not be promised a spot." Yukimura had also said that he could do anything that might harm Tezuka Kunimitsu's potential. Yukimura seemed to think Tezuka's tennis would evolve if Fuji stayed at Seigaku. And Yukimura wanted Tezuka to be at his best when they dueled at nationals.

"Che, we still have to finish our match, sempai. The rain saved you."

"Maybe," Fuji agreed. Glancing back at Tezuka, Fuji was alarmed to see that Tezuka's expression was even blanker than usual. "Ne, Mitsu, are you okay?"

Tezuka stared hard at Fuji. "You're definitely staying, then?"

"Ma, I don't know." Fuji's aqua eyes glowed. "Can you convince me?"

Echizen shut his eyes just in time. He kept him closed and whistled, "Mada mada dane, sempai."

But Tezuka and Fuji were too concerned with kissing the other to respond to their troublesome kouhai.

~Fin