Summary: Ryoma and Atobe were desperately in-love, just not with each other. It tore them to realize they could never have their heart's desire so they turned to the next best thing… an affair with one another. Devoid of feelings, succumbing to their needs… until it became something else. But what if their feelings were actually being reciprocated?
Rating: T for adult contents, but nothing really that explicit yet. It might go up in the future if I decide to write lemons
Pairings: Royal Pair, Thrill Pair, Imperial Pair, Perfect Pair
Disclaimer: I DOn't own Prince of Tennis or any of its character. If I did it would officially become a yaoi anime and well… use your perverted imaginations!
Warning: This is a yaoi story. It has boy x boy love here so for those who can't appreciate such thing you are warned. This chapter is safe, so don't worry.
AN: Thank You! Thank you so much to all the people who read the story. The support is really inspiring me more to continue all my ideas for the future chapters of this story and future works that I might post soon.
Crassreine: Thank you for the lovely review. I always believe that receiving a review from you is an honor to every aspiring Royal pair author. You're such a great writer I even printed your works so that I can read it whenever I want to, which is like always.
I try to keep this as realistic as possible and hopefully adhere to the original flow of the anime, since the events coincided during the original anime series. I will be resolving the official paring soon but I won't say anything yet. I'm almost finished with this and it could still go both ways. I always find the royal pair very interesting because Atobe and Ryoma are so much alike and yet so very different. The chemistry between them has always been evident since their first meeting. But the thrill is also very close to my heart.
dani: Its okay not to have any preference as of yet. And hopefully this chapter would give you another angle of the story. Thank you for the review. I am also a very huge Ryoma fan. I can't seem to write anything without making Ryoma the center protagonist. I am also a fan of both the royal pair and the thrill pair.
ichi nichi: Thanks. I try to create as interesting stories as I can. The plot actually just came up one day. It's just too good a chance to write about these characters to pass.
bru: You don't like thrill-imperial pairs? It's okay for me. But the pairing is still undecided, and it is still very early to tell. And I actually I have thought the possibility of an OT4 or OT5. Maybe…
fractured sun: Thank you for liking the start. I thought the first chapter would be too much sappy and people might not really appreciate it but I am so happy that it is not the case. I am glad you love this pairing because there is too few who does.
kay54: I am so glad you love it. Almost everyone are pitting for the royal pair, ne? Thanks for adding the story in your alert list.
Ginchou Kidan: Hey there friend! You are still as biased about me as before… Hehehe. I know you are not a big fan of imperial or perfect pairs… and we are still totally in sync because we both love Ryoma!!! Thanks for taking the time to review.
wackylou: Sorry, but I'm going with the every-other-week updates. I realized a weekly is not feasible since I am taking my masteral studies at the moment. But thank you for loving the story. There is nothing greater than the appreciation of the readers to compensate for the efforts of writers.
kat: Thank you. I try to be as unique as possible, which is really hard when you are amidst many of Prince of Tennis fanfiction writers.
animehpgurl: Thanks!
Kuroi and Shiroi: Yes, the Royal pairing is so wonderful. They totally suit each other. So perfect in the midst of their imperfection. Thank you and I would like to say your royal oneshots are also great. I am so happy more people are writing about these two.
hyperdude: I know the summary kind of assured a Royal Pair. And the first chapter is royal pair centric of some sort, but the next chapter might bring about a new side of the whole plot. I know it's really hard to find Royal pair stories. I really hope there will be more in the future. And Atobe and Ryoma are sooo much alike in sooo many different ways that their chemistry is just so imperfectly perfect!
luckystar03: Actually, Sanada will make an appearance. Ryoma will be fighting him soon for the Kantou finals. And he will make other appearance in the future so watch out.
just a girl: I think out of all Prince of Tennis character these two are amongst the most passionate when it comes to what they feel. And yes, Atobe and Ryoma are just sooo hot together!
1xmocha: Thank you for the review, goddess of OT5! I started my PoT fanfiction fandom with your stories. And soon the OT5 will be complete when Sanada makes his grand entrance.
12nothings: I'm happy you like it. I am a huge Ryoma fan and I love various paring with him. If you look up my profile I have posted some of stories I will be uploading as soon as they are near completion. I have a pillar pair story there so watch out for you request. Thanks for being my first reviewer!
This chapter is focused more on the side of the other protagonists, meaning Tezuka and Fuji. There's not much royal pair here, and the real feelings of the two Seigaku regulars are to be revealed. I hope you enjoy it!
Chapter Two: Fuji Syuusuke and Tezuka Kunimitsu
Fuji noted as the absence of the two fairly early in their departure. He actually noticed Ryoma slipped away from the group and by watching the young tennis prodigy from the corner of his eyes he observed that Atobe had also disappeared. He felt his lips tugging in a knowing smile, but the others around him failed to distinguish it from the smiles he plastered in his face virtually everytime.
He could still hear Eiji ragging about the fact that Fuji was trying to avoid the subject at hand while Oishi was still trying, unsuccessfully obviously, to placate the hyperactive teen and steer him away from the embarrassing and private subject he wanted to divulge. His eyes, although to others it might seemed closed, followed the retreating back of the youngest regular member until he disappeared from his line of vision. When he couldn't see him anymore he turned back to his best friend and decided to dispel the subject.
"Saa... he just ask about our progress when he calls," Fuji explained. "He said my number was the easiest to remember that was why he tends to call me rather than Oishi. And he has more to say to Oishi so he just emails him."
Eiji looked dubious at the explanation at first and then decided to accept it in the end. He glomped Fuji once again, before proceeding to hand himself to his doubles partner. Oishi was used to it now he already knew how to shift his body so that Eiji would have a satisfactory glomp post at the same time the fukubuchou would not be denied the much needed air.
"Nya, I thought Fuji might be having a relationship with buchou! I mean, they were always pretty close and I thought they were already together, nya!"
Fuji chuckled at the comment, not because it was false but because it was true… partly.
He could not deny the captain had his fair share of allure that could easily catch the ever elusive eyes of one Fuji Syuusuke. Tezuka Kunimitsu was one hell of a presence wherever he stood, may it be in a tennis court, in a classroom or a simple alley. Not to feel the pull of the Seigaku buchou is like saying Horio could make shots that are immune to the ever famous Tezuka Zone. Meaning it was impossible.
And so Fuji proved to the world he was also a mere mortal. For the first time he let himself feel, and succumb to those feelings. Tezuka Kunimitsu was Fuji's first in many ways.
Tezuka was the first to approach him not because of his looks or the whispers of him being a tensai. He walked towards the smiling teen with his serious demeanor and demanded him to be serious. He was then the first one to see through the illusion he had weaved around himself. He was the first person to simultaneously refrain from underestimating him and overestimating him. He was his first real friend, not really like the friendship he shared with Eiji or the rest of the team. He was the first to make his heart flutter and leave him in complete confusion. He was his first date, first boyfriend, first kiss and first time.
Simply said he was Fuji Syuusuke's first love.
But like all first it had to end sometime to experience a second, a third or maybe even a fourth. They had gotten together during their second year at Seigaku and decided to end it before entering their third year. None of the shared friends and acquaintances really learned the extent of their relationship. They were not people known to disclose their private lives. Although many speculations were circulating, neither of them confirmed or denied the existence and then non-existence of the relationship.
Tezuka still remained an important person to Fuji. No one could drive him away from the special place in his heart reserved for the captain. Even after all the months since their break up Fuji could still feel the butterflies whenever he caught glimpse of the stoic teen. One year is not something you could set aside with a few months' time, not when two people shared an intense feeling between them. Had they decided to continue with what they had before there was really no question of it working. They were like two puzzles that fit together. The Perfect Pair.
Nevertheless none in this world was totally perfect, and even if their relationship seemed close to that point one cannot forget that perfection sometimes means the end, the ultimate completion. And for Fuji completion equals boredom.
So they moved on, each seeking the pleasure of being incomplete with someone. For Fuji he wanted a place where there was more drama, more clash. Someone who could keep up with him and at the same time stand up against him. Someone who would not agree to every single one of his suggestions and fight him tooth and nail for an advantage.
So lately someone has luckily or unlucky, whichever way one put, caught his ambiguous eyes. It was so sudden and so abrupt he did not have a chance to guard himself up. He felt himself drawn to the enigmatic presence and the quiet challenge he seemed to naturally emit. He knew that with this person nothing would come easy for him, and he realized that he was falling for their youngest regular member.
Echizen Ryoma was an enigma to him. He was full of surprises, and he was walking talking, smirking contradictories. He was apathetic and surprisingly involved. He was proud yet humble. He was young yet mature. He was strong, but he was still weak. He takes life for granted yet he approached everyday with so much passion. He was like an open book full of codes that you have to crack in order to see the full message.
He was everything and nothing like Tezuka.
Maybe the initial attraction was due to his resemblance to the older teen, Fuji didn't really know. Echizen looked nothing like the captain, acted nothing like the captain. But when he sees the two of them together he just couldn't help but see the uncanny resemblance between the two, how their mouth would quirk when displeased, how they would frown when angry, how they smile unconsciously.
Fuji prided himself for being the most intuitive person in the group. If he was not he wouldn't have noticed that they boy was returning his feelings. He had noticed the blushes and sudden inattentiveness. Even Tezuka had noticed at some degree. None of the other regulars felt anything amiss, luckily for the boy. Though he was surprised that none of them suspected anything after all the not so subtle moves during the training's camp.
To be honest Fuji was only waiting for the right moment to confront the younger boy with their mutual attraction. Even with a reputation of being a sadist he did not want to mess it up with Echizen. He wanted everything to be right and precise, and if it means pretending to remain oblivious to the boy and denying himself the boy for the time being then yes, he would sacrifice. He was a tensai, and he could almost predict everything.
It never occurred to him that maybe being a tensai had its pitfalls.
***************************
"Yes, it ended in a draw. But if we had gone to a tie breaker who knows what would have happened. It could have gone either way."
"I see. I'm sorry for imposing you this much Atobe. Thank you for your help."
"Get healed quickly and come back here. I will beat you properly."
"I'll look forward to it."
Tezuka placed the phone back to its place and looked outside with unseeing eyes. It was nice to hear the voice again, to listen to the deep, velvety voice of his rival. The husky timbre of the other teen that commanded the 200-member Hyotei team with his usual flair and drama was like music to his ear. Those were something he only admitted inwardly.
A sigh escaped from his lips and he decided to return to his schedule. He still had a couple more exercises to complete to fulfill his rehabilitation exercise menu. He needed to heal quickly. Not being able to play fully was frustrating him; being reminded that his team was fighting to keep their championship hopes alive was eating at him. Most especially not being able to see the person who had captured his heart, even from afar, was grating on him.
Not matter that he had quite a reputation for being a drama king and owning an ego larger then the whole US the fact still remained that one Atobe Keigo was able to break down Tezuka's defenses.
It wasn't like he was new to the whole relationship thing. He did experienced being in a relationship for a whole year with none other than Fuji. It was the perfect match, they understood each other so thoroughly and easily it was sometimes scary. There were no surprises between them. They complemented each other so much that they were called secretly, even if they never confirmed the existence of the relationship, the perfect pair.
But as they say nothing is, was and will ever be perfect.
Neither of then really knew why they broke up. It seemed to him that suddenly, one day, he decided to end it all out. He was more surprise when at the same time that he wanted to call it quits Fuji had came up to him and declared the same thing. He never took things for granted, and he never acted upon arbitrary whims but this one act defied commonality. And then the one year together was over.
What he had with Fuji was something so special, so rare that he wanted to cherish it the rest of his life the way it was. The perfection it represented was so breathtaking that he knew one little mistake would shatter it all, leaving both of them in a state of loss. In order to preserve what they had they had to let go; he had to let go. Everything was placed high above the pedestal where he could come back and reminisces but never to really hold on to it again with his hands.
Tezuka was sometimes tired of being the strong one, of being the pillar of everyone. He was not a tensai like Fuji nor was he a prodigy like Echizen. He might have been blessed with uncanny ability to make people listen to him, but all he really had was hard work, dedication and passion.
Sometimes he wanted to savor the feel of weakness; to remind himself that he was human like everyone else and not the perfection others iconized him. It was something Fuji knew, but could not dispel. He had tried to share the burden with his new found pillar but Echizen was still a long way from the state where he could lead with finesse. What he wanted was someone who he could be loser sometimes and not come out on top and still seek him out like he was the best amongst the rest. He wanted someone who could see him fall and help him up without loosing the respect he had worked all his life to earn.
And that was when he noticed his arch rival in more ways than one. He always knew the Hyotei captain always saw him as a great rival, someone who the diva needed to defeat in order to stand up proudly on the top. Ever since they met in the previous year where Seigaku lost yet Tezuka had beaten their then-captain Atobe had constantly hounded him in quest of greater glory. And when the diva had finally gotten the chance and beaten him in front of everyone, when he slumped in his most vulnerable state and relished the rush of defeat he had extended a hand and shared with him the bittersweet taste of failure.
And since then Atobe Keigo had stormed his way in Tezuka's life. It was like the diva to suddenly appear in his line of vision and poof, he was smitten. Even with his busy schedule, his student body duties and captain duties and the molding of Echizen he still found ways to keep tabs of Atobe.
But Tezuka was always the silent one, and he never knew what to do to approach Atobe. He was patient and guarded, and he wanted to wait to make everything sure. With Fuji it seemed so natural to just ask him out suddenly out of the blue. They had been somewhat friends before hooking up. But Atobe was a rival, more than just an equal. Even with Fuji's insistence that the Hyotei captain was into him Tezuka could never be sure. He was perceptive of many things, but unluckily the matters of heart eluded his uncanny perception. Maybe when he get back he could muster enough courage to tell him how he was feeling.
It never occurred to him that sometime it was okay to let the feelings dictate the phase.
***************************
Ring. Ring. Ring.
"Saa… Tezuka! How nice to hear from you again."
Fuji smiled as he shifted the phone to his other ear as he walked in solitary around the house.
"Yes, the match went well. We have all improved significantly. He more than anyone else."
He heard a sigh from the other lien and he chuckled. "What can you expect of our little pillar? He was amazing. But he still need to work more, there is still a large room for improvement."
There was a pause before the expected question was asked. "Saa… who knew Atobe could be that serious with our rookie. He tried to put his wrist in the limit. It could have gone both ways if they continued… but you already know that. I am sure he has already called you as soon as he stepped in that mansion of his."
He got some chastising comments before he continued. "Well, everything has been interesting as of lately. He is totally into you Tezuka. I think he's just intimidated by the rumors that we're together, not that it was untrue before. After the Kantou Takai finals I'll make my move."
Another pause lasted for a couple of seconds and final instructions were exchanged. "Okay Tezuka. Ja ne!"
Yes Tezuka. It's time for us to move on and make our feelings know. Before it becomes too late.
It never occurred to them that they might have waited far too long.
TBC…
The regular updates will occur every two weeks. It's hard to keep up with a weekly one. Thank you all for reading this chapter and I really hope you enjoy it. Thank you all to those who reviewed the first chapter and I hope you still do so in this chapter. See you all again in two weeks time!
nicki-gurl
