A/N: Tezuka had been in rehabilitation for two years and then was joined by Echizen to change the world of tennis. Ryoga is Ryoma's blood brother. Also, thanks for the reviews! They really light up my world! :D Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I (sadly) do not own Prince of Tennis or any of the characters in this story.

Way Back To Your Heart

Chapter 2: Return of a stoic captain

Tezuka's POV

Ryoma had finished his match that day so we caught the flight back to Japan together.

"Finally! We'll be home. Na, bucho?" Ryoma muttered.

"Hmm." said Tezuka being a man of few words.

"Oh come on! You've been awaiting this for the past ten years!" Echizen grumbled.

"I know." He replied. He couldn't tell Echizen that he was dreading to go back home because he would have to face her. He knew that he would not be able to face the fact that he had chosen his career over her and would end up losing his cool and hurting her.

"You're scared she married or something right?" Ryoma commented.

"Oh no. She has the right to do whatever she wants." He said the words, but they seemed like a lie to him. He had been telling himself the same lie for the past ten years. He still hoped that she had waited for him but the chances of that happening were very slim since he kept her waiting for ten years.

Tezuka had left in the second year of high school to go to a special school in Germany where they trained skilled students to become professionals. Echizen joined him two years later. Echizen had mentioned that Syuurei- Tezuka's girlfriend for three years- had dropped out of Seigaku unexpectedly a few months after he left. Her older brother Yuuta was still in St. Rudolph and her dad was also there. Only Syuurei and her mother seemed to have 'disappeared'. Tezuka was under the impression that her parents were getting divorced but after speaking to his mother he came to know that they were still together but Syuurei had to relocate because of health reasons.

He didn't speak to Syuurei after that. He tried sending her emails but not one of them got a reply. Eventually, he gave up. She was clearly ignoring him. He figured that she had started dating someone else and hoped that he treated her right but, his love for her never died. He looked at a picture of her every night and imagined how life would have been if he could choose both, his career and love.

Echizen and Tezuka roamed the world together and won every match they played. They were always competing for the world No. 1 spot. The only difference between both their lives was that Ryoma was in touch with the love of his life-Ryuzaki Sakuno. Tezuka envied Ryoma for this.

Ryoma had grown taller over the years. He was almost Tezuka's height. His face resembled his older brother Ryoga. The only thing that hadn't changed about him was his cocky attitude. His tennis resembled his fathers a lot but also like his father, he never let anyone see his weaknesses easily. He had really been Seigaku's pillar of support during Tezuka's absence and had made the team strong enough that they never lost the finals after that. They were far ahead of the former champions-Rikkaidai.

"This flight will be landing in Tokyo in fifteen minutes." The flight attendant announced disrupting Tezuka's train of thought.

All the procedures went well thanks to the help of their body guards who helped them get out of the crowds of people that had formed to get their autographs. They found Nanjiroh and Kuniharu waiting at the airport for them. They greeted their parents and head out. The moment they stepped out of the airport they were surrounded by paparazzi. Also, to their surprise the airport had arranged a limo for each of them. They both got in their respective limos with their fathers and body guards and head home.

"Your mother will be so surprised." Kuniharu told his son.

"You didn't tell her yet?"

"I only came to know yesterday! And forgive me for trying to surprise your mother."

"Hmm."

"You haven't changed a bit. You're just like your grandfather."

"How is he?" Tezuka was extremely close to his grandfather. People often told him that he was his grandfather's reflection and this made him quite proud of himself.

"As healthy as a horse."

"That's good. At his age people start getting weak."

"Oh! Not him! He's as active as ever."

"That's good."

The rest of the ride back home was a silent one.

On arriving home Ayana Tezuka was overjoyed to see her son.

"Couldn't you have informed me?"

"I called dad. He wanted to surprise you."

"Oh. Anyway, your room is ready. I've maintained it well in your absence. I've been waiting so long for this day."

"Thanks." He said heading up to his room.

Nothing had changed since he left. Everything was in place. The curtains and sheets were a light blue shade and the room looked just how he had left it. Except, it was much neater. He could smell lavender in the air. His mother must have sprayed it there.

He looked at the mirror. The only thing that seemed to have changed was him. His brown hair was the same but his face looked much older. His stoic expression was still intact. His hazel eyes showed how much he lacked sleep. They had dark circles under them. He had grown much taller. His arms showed prominent muscles. He had really changed a lot. He sighed and began unpacking.

He was still unpacking when his mother came in with some snacks.

"Are you going to stay here for long?" she asked, handing him his favourite green tea. He sipped it and really felt at home.

"Maybe for a year or two. My schedule doesn't permit me any more time. Although, I may have to go back in between."

"You should get in touch with your friends. Especially Kikumaru and Oishi."

He stared at his mother. Her soft eyes were so concerned. Her smile was friendly but she looked worried at the same time. Her eyes had slight wrinkles around them but she looked young in spite of that. He knew what she meant when she said 'friends'. But, he didn't want to argue with her. He decided to just ignore it.

"I spoke to Oishi last night. I'll be meeting him tomorrow. I've noticed grandpa is not at home." He said trying to change the topic.

"Yeah. He went to Chiba with some of his friends." This brought a lump in his throat. Chiba was the place she had grown up in. Even if it was a lie, why couldn't his family just understand the fact that he was happy without her?

"You shouldn't have let him go alone at his age. Especially not somewhere so far away."

"You know how he is. You can't argue with him. Just like you."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"Well, sometimes being stubborn can be bad."

He understood the double meaning in his mother's words. He couldn't help himself now. He had to keep his mother from assuming that he still loved Syuurei. Even if it was the truth.

"I know you wanted me to marry Syuurei, Mom. But I made my decision. I loved her but she's probably married to someone else now. Besides, I always knew that if I had to be successful I had to sacrifice something. Besides, it's not like she's the only girl in the world. I'll find someone much better than her. Trust me." He replied.

"I know. But I can't imagine anyone who can make you happier than she did." She said as she walked out of the room.

This left Tezuka thinking. Couldn't he have been like Echizen? Could he have been with Syuurei right now? But he had done his best. He sent her emails; he called up her father's house. But not once did she contact him. He didn't know anything about her anymore. He didn't even know if she was in Japan.

He decided to freshen up. He had an important interview the next day. It was for a sports magazine. He really needed to attend this interview as it was an international company and if they liked him they would probably even hike his ratings. Popularity is the goal when you are a celebrity.

Unfortunately, he didn't sleep well that night. He had a dream about her.

He had won a match against Echizen and was No. 1 again. He was about to throw his sweat bands and racquet into the crowd when he noticed a familiar face in the crowd. She was beautiful. She was his Syuurei. Her beautiful blue eyes looked deep into his hazel ones. She looked exactly like she did in high school. Her honey brown hair was a little below her shoulders and her small frame made him feel like she needed protection. She was smiling like always. But, her eyes were open. He walked towards her but, the moment he was close enough to touch her, she disappeared. The whole scene was dark it was only him now.

He woke up in cold sweat. His room was bright. He glanced at the clock. It was 5 AM.

He wiped the sweat off his face. He grabbed a towel and went for a shower. He could feel the hot water relax his muscles. He looked into the mirror. His face didn't show that he hadn't slept well. He hoped he could stay awake through the interview. The exhaustion of the flight and a night of disturbed sleep had really got it out of him. He sighed, and got dressed and grabbed the visiting card containing the address of the place. He told his mother that he was going out and hired a taxi. He entered it with his bodyguard and handed the address card to the driver. He wasn't aware of the address but he didn't need to bother about things like that.

He was going to meet Oishi today. He might know something about Syuurei. While Tezuka was dating Syuurei in high school, Oishi and Syuurei got pretty close. Other than Oishi, Sakuno was the only one who might have known something. He couldn't ask her since she would tell Echizen and he didn't want anyone to know that he was still in love with her. It might ruin his whole purpose of coming back to Japan. He could easily make Oishi think that he just inquired about Syuurei because they used to date. He knew that Echizen would understand everything the minute he mentioned her.

The taxi stopped and on the notice board of the building, it was mentioned that Tezuka Kunimitsu was to be interviewed by the owner and chairman of Fuji Film Plans. He asked the driver if it was the right address and he confirmed it. Could it be? His heart skipped a beat. If it was, then he would be lucky. So, he headed in with his body guard tailing behind him.

A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed it. Sorry about the cliff- hanger. The next chapter is called "Intertwined Fate". Tezuka meets Syuurei in this one. I love reviews so don't forget to hit the review button. Also, let me know who you want Syuurei to be with. Thanks for reading! :D