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Making History

Friday, February 14 1997

Tezuka held back a sigh as he returned to his class while carrying yet another box of chocolate. He had lost count of how many times he'd been called by girls to accept their home-made chocolate. To this day, he still couldn't find a way to refuse them in fear of hurting their feelings. But accepting those chocolate was the most he could do. He couldn't do anything with their disappointment on White Day next month because Tezuka honestly wasn't interested in any of them.

Sadly, Tezuka still couldn't find a girlfriend. Many of his classmates saw entering junior high school as the first rite of adulthood. Somehow it encouraged them to take the next step in their relationships with girls. Tezuka didn't share the exhilaration. In Seigaku, he had found something far more interesting than getting a girlfriend; tennis.

"Oh, did you get another chocolate?"

Fuji smiled when Tezuka looked at him coldly. He was used to the bespectacled boy, although many were scared of him. Well, he guessed not as many as he initially thought if the overflowing bag near Tezuka's desk in his classroom was any indication. Fuji smiled wider, glad that he didn't have to go through that this year.

"Fuji." Tezuka greeted him politely. They weren't exactly friends, despite the way Fuji treated him. Tezuka was a little wary of the shorter boy. There was always something unexpected when it came to Fuji, convincing him that he had to keep his guard up around him.

"You know, my sister told me there's a surefire way to avoid this situation." Fuji offered. He moved closer to Tezuka, as if what he's going to say was a secret no one should know. And in a way, it was. He didn't want to hurt innocent girls' hearts. "You should get a girlfriend."

Tezuka narrowed his eyes but otherwise didn't react. Fuji liked how he did that. Many times, people seemed confused about how to deal with him, nervously looking for an escape or getting tongue-tied trying to reply. Tezuka was one of the few that treated him as if he was an ordinary person that he was. "I see how that works for you," he said, referring to Fuji's girlfriend, Yuki.

Fuji chuckled, not denying. He did receive some of the delicacy from other girls, but they were all friendship chocolate, ones he didn't mind receiving then returning next month. There's only one homemade chocolate for him this year, the one from Yuki. She also insisted on a special date today and Fuji believed this was the first time Valentine's Day wasn't such a troublesome day of the year.

Tezuka sighed. He didn't want to have this type of conversation. Especially in a public space where he could clearly see girls watching them, looking for a chance to have some of their time. "I'll see you later at practice." He said, wanting to get into the relative safety of his classroom as soon as possible.

Tezuka returned Fuji's wave with a nod, wondering if he really should get a girlfriend to save him from this misery. But he quickly banished the thought from his mind. There were other more important things to worry about: academic performance and tennis. He returned to his classroom, ignoring hopeful stares given his way, and thought of tennis.

Sunday, February 14 1999

Well, this was a nice change, Fuji thought as he smiled at the bright sky. He was relieved that this year's Valentine's Day fell on a Sunday. That meant he didn't have to deal with chocolate this year except for the cake his sister insisted on making. It was nice that he didn't have to deal with hopeful looks and dates. This February 14th was just another ordinary day.

Except that it's not, was it? It was his last Valentine's Day in Seigaku. Next year, he couldn't tease his juniors about their popularity. Next year, he was the junior. Although Fuji didn't think that high school was very different from junior high school, he couldn't help but want to enjoy everything with his schoolmates (or a girlfriend, but Fuji wasn't that desperate for a repeat of dealing with emotional breakdown) this year; reminiscing silly memories, bonding over time that would never return, and celebrating every event, Valentine's Day included. When he saw it that way, Fuji was a little disappointed that this Valentine's Day fell on a Sunday.

He stopped when he saw Tezuka lying down on the grass in a secluded corner of a park. It was one of the last places he expected to find the captain. Fuji knew his life mostly revolved around tennis, school, and home. He wondered what the taller boy was doing here. Nevertheless, he was happy that he would have the opportunity to spend today with a familiar face.

Tezuka tuned himself out of his surroundings. His grandfather would chide him for letting his guard down, but he was very tired. He had spent countless days preparing for the entrance exam to high school, he barely had time to unwind. Tezuka missed playing tennis. He missed his friends and their chaotic energy. He missed having a friendly company to the point of regretting rejecting a girl who confessed to him a couple of days ago. Right now he wanted nothing more than to meet up with his teammates for a friendly tennis match (which he knew would turn competitive if not physically threatening in no time, but that's tennis for you). But he couldn't afford to exhaust himself. He still had a lot to study and had to conserve his energy.

At times like this, he wished he was as smart as Fuji or Inui. He imagined that entrance exam wasn't a big issue for those two. Meanwhile, he had to spend every waking hour cramming lessons into his memory. And although he didn't want to show it, his family's expectation for him to enter a famous high school was making him nervous because he didn't want to disappoint them.

"Are you okay?"

Tezuka opened his eyes. Only years of learning to control his expression prevent him from gasping in surprise when he suddenly saw Fuji's face above his. "Fuji." He greeted.

Fuji frowned. "You don't look okay." He said, sitting down next to his teammate.

"I'm all right." Tezuka said, sitting up. He tried to regain his focus. He couldn't let his guard down near Fuji. Who knew what Fuji would do if Tezuka let that happen. "I'm just tired."

"Studying hard for the entrance exam?" Fuji took a guess. Many of his friends did, and he was now familiar with the symptom of exhaustion. He felt bad for Tezuka but knew better than to show it. What they needed was support, assurances that they would succeed, not a reminder of how they're only humans with limits.

"Haven't you?" Tezuka suddenly snapped. He immediately regretted his words and took a deep breath. He shouldn't have snapped at anyone –especially a dear friend like Fuji- no matter how tired he was. "I'm sorry." He said, massaging the bridge of his nose to relieve some tension in his head. He was more tired that he thought he was if he lost control like that.

"It's okay." Fuji smiled in understanding. "I've been studying forever. I want to take a break." He looked at Tezuka, noting the pale-ish complexion. It's obvious that the boy had spent too much time cooped up in his room with his books. Fuji reached into his pocket for a bar of chocolate he bought to privately celebrate the day, broke it into two, and offered one to Tezuka.

Tezuka stared at the bar of sweetness. He just remembered what day it was, having been focused only on the date of the exam for weeks now. In usual circumstances, he would refuse such offer. But Fuji wasn't one of those girls and the chocolate looked too tempting to pass. He took the offered piece with a thanks and slowly took a bite.

Fuji smiled happily when he saw Tezuka gradually relaxed. He was a little startled when Tezuka's lips curved up ever so slightly. He wished he had his camera with him now; it was a rare scene he wanted to preserve in memory. Fuji began to eat his chocolate piece while looking at the blue sky, enjoying the day with sweetness in his mouth, warmth in his heart, and a friend by his side.

TBC