Here's chapter four.

Enjoy!

Verse 4 – Recognizing

Atobe sighed as he sat up, gently rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and stifling a yawn. He could tell his hair was messed up, but that wasn't why he had woken up.

He had just had a brilliant idea in his dream.

One of the servants at his Chicago mansion came rushing in to help him dress and also brought him a very late lunch.

Atobe was then informed that one of his guests, Tezuka, had left the mansion shortly after lunchtime and was yet to return.

Once the servant was dismissed, Atobe smirked.

He reached for his private cell phone and used the speed dial function to reach the person he least wanted to talk to at the moment.

"Everything's going well, I believe," he spoke, clear English used for his companion.

"Is that so? We'll be there soon. Think you can handle everything until then?" the voice on the other end smirked.

"Of course," Atobe was annoyed, especially when the other hung up quickly. No one hung up on Atobe Keigo.

Tezuka still couldn't figure out why the name "Sakuno" sounded so familiar to him. He was sure he had heard it somewhere before. He dwelt on it while Aiden continued to ramble on about something or the other, only needing Tezuka to put in a random nod or a shake of the head to continue speaking.

When a smiling Fuji announced dinner, Aiden's hyperactivity increased and he jumped, skipped, and frolicked to the dining room, a contemplative Tezuka following in his wake.

Fuji and Aiden set up the dinner table, which was large enough to seat eight, and refused Tezuka's offer on the basis that he was the guest. Tezuka felt a bit awkward and very useless.

Thankfully, he was saved by the doorbell. Which Fuji reached before he did, annoying him to no end. Fuji was trying get in Tezuka's way – his smile said it all. Tezuka sighed as he realized how much and how little Fuji had changed over the past six years.

"Why did you ring the doorbell?" Fuji asked as he came back inside, followed by two people – a male and a female.

The male, Tezuka guessed to be Aiden's brother. He could definitely see the likeness between the two, though the male seemed about a year older. He was also more muscular, though he had the same build as Aiden, and dressed more like Atobe, minus the flashy. He also had black hair, but his was completely plain, and their eyes were the same. The one thing was that his face looked stern and commanding, something that Aiden lacked.

The female, Tezuka picked out as Sakuno, and as he looked her over, even her face seemed familiar.

As everyone sat down for dinner, Fuji started introducing Tezuka to his companions.

"Tezuka, this is Tyler, Aiden's older brother. Tyler, this is Tezuka."

As Fuji paused, realization seemed to dawn on both Tyler and Sakuno's faces. Tezuka was getting a bit annoyed at how everyone seemed to know him, yet he had no idea who they were.

"And, this is Tyler's fiancée, Sakuno."

Both Sakuno and Fuji turned to him expectantly, though they also smiled when he stared back blankly.

"Do you remember Ryuuzaki-sensei?" Fuji asked, chuckling; Tezuka nodded his affirmation. "Remember, she had a granddaughter who followed Echizen around along with the other freshmen?"

"Shusuke-sempai!" Sakuno reprimanded Fuji with a playful glare; a light blush covered her face but soon disappeared.

Tezuka tried to remember. He hadn't really paid attention to Echizen's fan club – ever – since he was so busy trying to keep the team at top shape. He remembered a loudmouth boy, and two more boys who were quieter, and remembered liking the other two better. He also remembered another freshman, a loudmouth girl who would cheer – scream – during their matches. And then, he finally remembered Sakuno.

Sakuno, he realized, had been the quietest of the five, and they shyest. She didn't stand out in his memory, though he could picture her quite clearly now.

Tezuka looked her over.

The Sakuno in front of him looked and seemed nothing like what he remembered.

Sakuno's hair was cut shorter – he remembered Echizen always telling her that her hair was too long – just a few inches below her shoulder, and was curled. It also had highlights in it, blonde ones. He realized that people here had a thing about highlights in their hair.

Her body was definitely more mature – she had grown into a woman, after all, but Tezuka didn't focus on that too much. The biggest change in her wasn't her hair or her body, but her air. Tezuka could immediately sense the confidence and authority in her calm smile, and couldn't even find traces of her shyness. She didn't blush, or stutter, and carried herself as someone who knew where she stood. Her kindness, though, still remained. Her voice was louder, not in an annoying way, but it could actually be heard now.

Tezuka couldn't figure out whether it was the way her eyes lingered on his face for a while, or the way her hands gripped the cutlery, but there was something, just something, about her that seemed to scream sexiness. Tezuka acknowledged that she was beautiful, but wasn't attracted to her – after all, she already had a fiancé.

Dinner started and small talk ensued. Tezuka didn't really participate in the first half, which was mostly the other four talking about their day. Instead, he concentrated on the food.

Tezuka didn't know Fuji could cook. It wasn't the best he'd ever tasted, but it was enough to satisfy his taste buds and make him want seconds (though he didn't ask). It was just a bit spicy, but not overly so, and Tezuka found that he could stomach it. It reminded him of windy days spent walking and talking, or playing tennis, with Fuji.

Then, the conversation turned to him. Tyler, Sakuno, and, later, Aiden, bore him down with multiple questions, as if they were competing to see who could ask the most. He tried to answer to the best of his abilities, and was more than a little surprised when Sakuno didn't ask a single one about Echizen. Hadn't she been obsessed with him at one point? He knew obsessions, even if they went away, left impressions.

When Aiden joined in the questioning, he found himself trying to avoid Fuji's eyes. Aiden's questions were much more personal.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"No."

"A boyfriend?"

"No."

"Why not? Someone as handsome as you should easily be able to find a mate."

"I don't have the time."

Aiden didn't look convinced, and neither did Sakuno. Or Tyler, or Fuji. Tezuka felt cornered.

"Well, why are you here?" Tyler's question might have sounded rude, but he was honestly curious.

"My friend, Atobe Keigo, brought me to Chicago against my will."

"The Atobe Keigo?" Tyler sounded surprised, and impressed.

"Yes."

"How do you know him?"

"We used to be rivals in junior and senior high."

"Did you ever like him?" Aiden's question caused Sakuno and Fuji to chuckle while Tezuka thought about what enormous consequences – chaos – that would bring.

He vehemently shook his head no. Atobe was gay – actually, almost everyone he knew from every rival team, and even his own, were gay, but that didn't mean he had to be.

Said Atobe was the one who saved Tezuka from Aiden's prying, innocent questions. He called at the worst time possible – or, in Tezuka's case, the best time – and demanded to know where Tezuka was, whether he was being raped, whether he had been kidnapped, etc., and when he was going to be back at the mansion.

Everyone around him roared with laughter as Atobe's voice was very loud, and Tezuka felt the urge to roll his eyes.

"I'll be back soon, Atobe. Annoy Sanada or Yukimura while I'm not there," Tezuka finally said before hanging up.

"Aw, so you have to go now?"

Tezuka was really amused by how Aiden managed to sound like a ten year old kid. He nodded.

"Well, wait until after dessert, at least."

Tezuka realized he had no choice, though he had an aversion to most sweets.

"Don't worry Tezuka, it's not that sweet," Fuji smiled, reading his mind.

Tezuka nodded reluctantly.

"Thanks for dinner, love."

Aiden got up, gathered everyone's plates, and Fuji turned towards him. Their lips met in a soft, chaste kiss, and Tezuka found himself freezing for the second time that day.

The kiss was over as soon as it began, and Tezuka seemed to be the only one perturbed by it. He realized that Aiden and Fuji were going a bit belatedly. So he shouldn't have been surprised – it was only natural for couples to kiss, after all. He shook his thoughts away and focused on dessert instead.

Tezuka found out that he was having tiramisu for dessert. He smiled inwardly – he had always liked that back in high school, and even now.

Fuji watched in an introspective silence as Tezuka left, his smile abandoned. It was broken by strong arms wrapping around his waist and a soft kiss pressed to the side of his neck. He smiled once more, but didn't respond.

"You like him," Aiden stated, his breath warm against Fuji's skin.

"I used to like him," Fuji countered.

"Used to, huh?" Aiden chuckled. "I think you still do."

"Saa…" Fuji turned around and before Aiden could blink he was pressed up against the wall. Aiden quickly melted under Fuji's passionate kisses, and Fuji smirked as he reaffirmed that he never let anyone dominate him.

TBC

So from now on, anything in the story that's said in Japanese will be in bold if English is used in most conversations. That means most conversations with Aiden, and/or Tyler. All other conversations will be Japanese in nature, and I will assume that you realize that.

How was it? Did you like it? Review, please, and let me know?