Title: Story of a first love [3/?]
Pairing: ZukaFuji
Genre: Angst, Fluff
Rating: I'd go with PG-16 for reference to Ahem.
Disclaimer: The characters are not mine, not even the plot.
Summary: After three months on top of Mount Fuji, feelings develop and parting becomes inevitable.
Warning: Nuahaha Angst at the end of this chapter~! (Finally, after all the fluff!)

~Drifting Away~

Fuji stretched lazily and popped open one eye to see that it was morning outside. He opened the other, rubbed the former sleepily and yawned. Sitting up, he looked around and remembered where he was. Right. Yesterday he had slept –in the most innocent and virgin sense of the word—with Tezuka, snuggled tightly together in the same sleeping bag. A flood of blood rushed to his cheeks, slightly warming them and he quickly looked beside him to find an empty spot: Tezuka was gone. Suddenly frustrated, he cursed that the taller man for being a coward, sleeping with him and fleeting first thing the next morning. Fuji hastily dressed up, got to his feet and rushed outside, ready to run kilometers just to find said man and reprimand him. He didn't need to walk far, in fact, Tezuka stood right in front of the tent, seemingly occupied with cooking breakfast. Fuji stomped angrily to where he was standing and without even a greeting, demanded an explanation.

Tezuka seemed oblivious to his bad temper in the morning and pulled him into an embrace. He gently kissed Fuji's hair, whispering a good morning greeting against his honey locks. Slowly tilting the smaller man's head upward, he kissed those pliant lips softly, hesitantly, before pulling away and looking into those fully revealed blue orbs, which were in return staring at him in bewilderment. Fuji parted his lips but nothing came out. It was then Tezuka noticed that the photographer didn't return his embrace, nor respond to his kiss. The taller man then released his grip around Fuji's waist and stared into his eyes, waiting for a reaction. When none came, he coughed awkwardly and turned away, resuming cooking their meal. The smaller boy must have forgotten yesterday's events…

When Tezuka turned back he noticed Fuji was gone, and the entrance door to their tent was zipped up and locked from inside. He sighed. It was their second day out of the three months they would be working together and he had already made a fool of himself. Fuji would have a hard time avoiding him, considering he was his guide… Tezuka sighed again before proceeding to eat breakfast alone, convinced that he was the last person Fuji would want to see right now.

Meanwhile, inside the tent, Fuji curled up in a corner and tried to recall yesterday's events. They had climbed the mountain hand in hand, which was what friends would do, right? Then Tezuka brushed his hair away from his face when he was sleeping; he was only being thoughtful! They had watched the sunset after that, which was perfectly out of friendship and they had slept, cuddled together in a sleeping bag. He still held his virginity and believed that Tezuka did too, so that made them friends right? When Tezuka kissed him this morning, it was purely innocent; it meant that they had an unbreakable bond, that they belonged together, that they loved each other… Argh! Fuji held his head in between his palms, unable to think straight anymore. After a few more attempts trying to figure out where they stood, he sighed in defeat and unzipped the tent, ready for the tension that was to settle between them.

And the sight of Tezuka eating breakfast alone, without him, greeted Fuji. Already, a vein popped out on his head. One second ago, the mountaineer was kissing him, longing for him, and now he completely ignored him and did not even bother to call him for breakfast! Inhaling deeply, Fuji then dashed full speed in direction of where Tezuka was sipping his tea, and knocked him down on the grass. Sometime in the process, the mountaineer's glasses fell off and the no longer bespectacled boy found himself lying under Fuji, who was super-pouting in front of his face.

"Mou Tezuka, stop having mood swings! You could at least call me for breakfast!" Fuji reprimanded him, his voice half-serious, half-annoyed.

"Who's the one having mood swings?" Tezuka counter-attacked almost sarcastically.

"You!" Fuji answered without a moment of hesitation.

"That would be you," the taller man amplified the last word, frowning deeply.

Fuji's pout only grew wider and he positioned himself on his knees, exerting only half his weigh on Tezuka's stomach. He then stretched the man's cheeks, trying to force him into smiling. He failed but continued to pull, oblivious to the sharp, menacing hisses the mountaineer emitted. "Stop frowning, it makes you look old and grumpy."

Tezuka sighed and decided that this topic should be dropped since it lead to nowhere. He removed Fuji's hands from his abused cheeks and pulled him down on him. "So, have you decided?" he whispered seductively in his ears.

"De-decided what?" Fuji muttered, blushing at their proximity, or rather, at their suggestive position.

"Whether you are willing to become mine," there was no shame in his voice.

Fuji flushed a deeper shade of red, abruptly remembering the love confession they had the night before. Well, love confession isn't the right word, but they did kiss didn't they? And he did accept, in a way, the invitation right? Fuji cursed himself. What the heck was he thinking, pushing Tezuka down on the grass in this… erotic position! Now that the latter was half blind without his glasses, he must have had the wrong idea! Fuji struggled to get off of him before it turned out into something he will regret. "Mou, let me go Tezuka!"

"I will after you answer me"

"Fine!" and Tezuka let go of Fuji, who stood up at the speed of light. Quickly dusting the dirt off his pants, the honey haired youth crossed his arms before his chest and turned around, sulking and annoyed. A pair of arms pulled him back and he felt Tezuka's warm breath on the crook of his neck. "Breakfast is ready," it whispered seductively.

"I know!" Fuji quickly freed himself and ran to get his food. He refused, in every sense of the word, to acknowledge that such a man could make him shiver in lust. He ate a lot in a record time, trying his best to forget that Tezuka was watching him in pure amusement, despite not showing it. Regardless of the small time they had been together, Fuji understood the bespectacled man enough to know that he wasn't completely emotionless and could be horny if he wanted to. It scared him how they completely saw through each other's souls like none other did before. Not even his best friend Eiji, whom had been with him most of his years, could figure what he was thinking.

"Shall we get going?" Fuji quickly finished his food and helped Tezuka pack up. When they were all set, they resumed their trek up the mountain, this time at a much slower pace. Due to the diminution of oxygen, Tezuka decided that it would be prudent if they walked slowly, but Fuji knew it was a lie. The bespectacled man could be thoughtful when he wanted to, and with that, the photographer managed to get many more shots than on the first day. Fuji smiled, admiring his numerous shots on his digital camera. If this continued, he might just start to love this man.

~oO~Oo~oO~Oo~

Days past and with them, Fuji's despise for Tezuka drifted away too. They decided to settle on the fourth post on the Fujinomiya track, where vegetation and air was abundant. Everyday Tezuka would bring him in the woods and patiently wait for him while he snatched away pictures at approximately everything he saw. When he was satisfied, they returned hand in hand to their tent to develop the photos on Fuji's laptop. Sometimes, the photographer would decided to take a break and they would lie on the grass, admiring the clouds that drifted by. Once, Fuji fell asleep and woke up the next morning in Tezuka's arms. That day, they had stayed cuddled inside their tent until sunset, which they watched together, settled in front of a river stream.

When they ran out of food, Fuji decided he wanted to try catching fishes rather than buy aliment at the convenient store that was located not so far from the hotel. That said, he dragged Tezuka to the watercourse and both sleeves rolled up, they positioned themselves in the icy stream, ready to catch the first unlucky fish that would swim by. After many attempts, Fuji finally managed to catch one with his hands, who struggled madly to be freed. "Wah!" the small youth slid on a particularly slippery rock and fell into the water, losing both his balance and the fish at once.

"Are you okay?" Tezuka stretched his hand out for Fuji.

The latter smirked and splashed a whole handful of water at his taller friend. Taking advantage of his moment of unsteadiness, Fuji quickly dragged Tezuka down on him in the river. They sat there, Fuji chuckling at the bespectacled man's display of emotion and Tezuka frowning deeper each time. They stared at each other for a moment, their breaths suddenly speeding up. Staying that way, completely soaked and sweating, Fuji looked irresistibly sexy to the mountaineer. He hadn't noticed though, that Fuji too stared at him in the same lustful way.

The next thing they knew, they were over each other as if there was no tomorrow. Tezuka pressed Fuji's lips on his while the latter clutched him firmly. Their tongues battled for dominance, Tezuka attacking, and Fuji refusing to let him win. It was only when they needed oxygen that they parted, slowly, just enough to feel the other's quick breaths on their face. The honey haired boy chuckled at Tezuka's flushed face, aware that he was probably just as red. Playfully, he pushed the mountaineer off him and stood up, his whole body drenched and his belly still empty of food.

"Tezuka, if you keep sitting in the water like that, you won't catch anything for dinner," he teased.

The latter stared at him, expressionless, before slowly lifting his hand from the water, a fish struggling within his palm. "You were saying…?"

~oO~Oo~oO~Oo~

The three months they were supposed to pass together went by quickly. Already, the photographer had taken enough photos to write a whole encyclopedia on Mount Fuji. Unwillingly, they tidied up, unsettled their tent and proceeded to trek down the mountain. A pregnant silence built up and with every step they took, their mood darkened at what they knew was inevitable, at what was to come. Partings. It was always the most difficult part to friendship, or in this case, to love. Fuji hadn't accepted with words to become Tezuka's, but he figured his actions spoke louder.

"Ne, let's meet up someday, again, and come back to spend time here," Fuji broke off the silence once they arrived at the base of the mountain. "Promise?"

Tezuka dared to look at him, and for one last time stared longingly at his beautiful cerulean eyes. He nodded in agreement.

After exchanging numbers and emails and all the kit, the two parted sourly, Tezuka becoming some other guest's guide, and Fuji back to editing his photos.

Maybe it was because of the awkwardness, or maybe they both thought it was just another love that came and went away as swiftly as the wind; just another crush. But somehow, none of them dared make the first move and contact the other afterward. They both knew though, as crystal clear as the water they had fished in, that they would never be able to love as much as they did love each other.

And so, time passed.

~oO~Oo~oO~Oo~

Fuji sighed as he yet again closed his photo album about that spring he had spent with Tezuka three years ago. He stared at the piece of paper with his friend's number (written with a perfect handwriting) on it. He remembered Eiji's encouraging words after he had told him their story. 'C'mon Fuji, tell me you can do better than this! If you loved him that much, you should be able to at least call him!'

With a determined smile, Fuji reached for the phone and dialed the foreign number. He settled himself on his bed, his heart pounding faster each time as the dial tone resounded. It took him three years to dial that number, and wondered how Tezuka would react to his voice. Fuji giggled, imagining his long lost friend's face, emotionless at first, then bewildered as he would recognize him. He wondered if Tezuka changed, if he was still wearing his spectacles, or if he start using contact lenses. That would definitely change his image.

Finally, on the other end of the line, someone picked up and ended Fuji's inner thought battle. The honey haired boy grinned even wider. "Hello? May I speak to Tezuka Kunimitsu?" he muffled a laugh, waiting for the mountaineer's reaction.

"Ah," it responded, as stoic as ever. "Please wait a moment." There was a slight pause before Fuji heard the boy scream, "Daddy, it's for you!"

Without further hesitation, Fuji ended the call, his smile and anticipation completely gone from his face.

~To be Continued~

A/N: Muahahaha, a cliff-hanger AND some angst! Sorry for the long delay, but I really really love this story so there is no way I will stop writing it.

Once again, sorry for the delay.

Once again, dedicated to LoveFujiTez, over at LiveJournal. I miss you so.