Disclaimer: Plot is mine, characters belong to Konomi Takeshi.

Warning: Crap grammar. Characters are probably going to be OOC. Bad language in use, hard yaoi.

Bold for English.

I Cry For the Last Time

Chapter Fourteen: Scapegoat.

Tezuka didn't bother to look up when Momohiro walked in his room; Tezuka's mother had already told him that the teen was here and wanted to see him. He wasn't in the mood for talking, or putting up with the loyal puppy dog that adored him. All this mess with Echizen, Atobe and those mumbling idiots that refused to side with him…

"Buchou… Are you..?" Momoshiro stayed by the door and looked like he really wasn't sure what to do now. He just stood there and glanced at Tezuka nervously, shifting his eyes at the floor from time to time.

Tezuka took off his glasses, placed them on the desk and sighed; he ignored his guest on purpose, showing the puppy dog that he was not welcomed here right now.

If Atobe was on Echizen's side then that meant that Yukimura would soon be too, for they had gotten friendlier for the past years, since they started to go to the same learning facilities. Tezuka knew that Yukimura had always been against his way of playing and training, though, Yukimura's own ideals were somewhat twisted when it came to tennis and play styles. Alas, it seemed that even the Child of God, who enjoyed destroying ones senses during a match and watch that person crumble before him, was against such treatment towards Echizen.

Hypocrite.

That was why Tezuka hated that golden-eyed enigma. He suddenly showed up, the child of Samurai, a prodigy, a conqueror and took away his place in the team. Yes, he might have helped the child himself, but it wasn't for those reasons. He had merely wanted to create a weapon, a tool to use as he wished.

Who would have thought that his own creation would steal his rivals, his place, his moves even? Insolence.

"What is it?" Tezuka glanced at the second-year by his bedroom door. "Did I not mention that I do not wish for anyone to come today? And yet, you are here." He could see the spiky-haired teen flinching from his stare; not that he cared much.

Momohiro inhaled a shaky breath, his purple eyes darting around the floor, "I just… wanted to be here. You, uhh, buchou looked like you were in pain, so I… I'm sorry." His voice got quieter with every word that the teen said, as if he was ashamed of his own feelings, his own words.

Tezuka narrowed his eyes; the annoyance he felt was hard to hide, even if you were a master of creating masks and lies around yourself. He looked outside the window again, not really seeing the world outside his room.

I should destroy him, take back what belongs to me and make him pay. But how…? Tezuka closed his eyes. Atobe had ruined it, everything. "Do it." He finally grunted out, too tired to think anymore, "Since you're here, you might as well be useful for something. So do it." He smirked at the sound that same out of Momoshiro's mouth and pointed at his front. "Do it, I told you."

Really – dogs can only listen to their masters, after all.

It wasn't that he particularly hated Echizen. It's just… Something about that boy just ticked him off in the wrong ways and Fuji couldn't really say what.

"What's wrong? You have wrinkles." Saeki touched Fuji's forehead with his finger, soothing the wrinkles. "Is it about what happened at the party?" he looked a bit concerned at his boyfriend.

Fuji smiled up to the man he was dating, "No, it's not about that. It was part of the plan after all. It's just that… How to say this, my thoughts are all over the place? I wonder." He chuckled at the face Saeki made and stretched his hands.

The two were lounging at Fuji's place, watching one of the old romantic movies that were currently on a re-run. Fuji had lied down on the couch and placed his head in Saeki's lap at the very start of the movie; they always watched them like this. Saeki liked to run his fingers through Fuji's soft hair – it had become a habit at some time.

"You know, I've been wondering for some time now, but why are you so gung-ho about doing what Tezuka-san wants?" he made a small shy smile at the look he got from Fuji in return and added, "Since it's not like you have a grudge against the kid."

Saeki knew full well that 'Echizen' was a very… delicate topic for the ex-Seigaku regulars, at least those who were still here, so he rarely brought it up. But after what had happened yesterday, after he had seen the way Echizen had reacted to what Tezuka had said and did, he was starting to doubt whether this was a good thing to do.

Fuji waved his hand as if pushing the topic away. "It's not like that. Haven't I told you, I never really liked Echizen. And besides, I just can't not listen to Tezuka, there are some reasons. More or less." The tensai sighed (he rarely did that), and turned to sleep on his stomach. "Don't tell him that I said this."

The silver-haired man just simply nodded, even if Fuji couldn't really see it now, "Un, my lips are sealed."

Fuji knew it was childish of them; it was practically a kindergarten bullying what was happening right now. He knew it was stupid and should just be forgotten already. But stopping all of this right now, at this stage, wasn't easy and Tezuka wouldn't allow it. He wanted to destroy Echizen for stealing what was his; all the ex-regulars knew it.

But in reality Tezuka was bitter, Fuji knew. Hell, he was there and saw it all.

A smirk found its place on Fuji's lips. Well, he just went along with Tezuka's little play of 'revenge' for his own selfish reasons. Echzien hadn't taken away his place or rivals, or whatever else was there. Just his very existence pissed the tensai off. The golden-eyed prodigy hadn't done anything, nothing at all, but Fuji just simply couldn't like him. He hated him.

Hated him for being the only one that Atobe looked at.

Hell, even Yukimura had cherished something like a small crush on the brat, but that Fuji didn't care about. He just simply couldn't accept the fact that after two years of trying to get Atobe's attention, a fucking brat destroyed it all with a few-second-meeting and a taunting 'Monkey King'.

That pissed Fuji off.

So very, very, very much.

"What are you thinking about now? There are wrinkles again." Saeki's slightly amused voice made Fuji chuckle. "If you do that too much they will become permanent, you know?" he laughed a bit.

Fuji laughed with him. Atobe was something of the past now, his pathetic little crush on Atobe was a part of the past too. Right now, he had Saeki and he was all that Fuji needed. But the part of him that was hurt by what Echizen had done, or to be more precise, hadn't done was still alive somewhere inside Fuji.

So he went along with Tezuka's petty plan, acted that he was an evil ass and played these charades. All for his own good, to ease that need he felt. All just for the sake of that. Pathetic, yes. But he had chosen to do so. And Fuji didn't want to go back on what he had decided to.

"I love you." Fuji said as she smiled up at Saeki, his eyes half-open and looking straight at his lover. "I love you."

"Un, I know. I love you too." Saeki smiled back and leaned in for a kiss. A sweet kiss that was a sign of their relationship, of their love and of their understanding for each other; just one sweet kiss.

"Oishi~ Wait up!" Eiji grabbed the shopping bags and ran after his friend.

The two continued to walk down the busy street, each holding their own bag with products and chatting about this and that, pretending that yesterday had never happened. It was better that way. They never wanted to be a part of all that, not now, not at the Nationals. So it was better if they pretended that these things never happened.

"Ņe, ne, Oishi! Did you see that? That cute puppy? If only our apartment would allow pets." Eiji laughed, his blue eyes sparkling with true happiness. Well, Eiji could never really fake emotions.

Oishi merely smiled and tried to calm the energetic man down. "Yes, too bad. But maybe it's better that way? We wouldn't be able to take good care of him, not with school and all that, Eiji." He patted the red-head on the back, "Let's go."

Unlike what others believed, they weren't dating. They were just good friends, living together to save up some money. They did try to find out what's it like, dating and kissing and holding hands, but… No matter what others said about them, they just weren't meant to be in that kind of relationship. So they stayed friends, nothing more.

That little fling that they had had left behind some bitter memories, rather than happy ones. So also that time was written off as something that never happened, something that they had forgotten already. Or so they liked to believe and pretend.

"…So when she told Lucio that, her sister just suddenly fell out of a closet and, you know what she did, Oishi? She was all bossy and… hey, that is..?" Eiji suddenly stopped ranting about the last night's newest episode of his favorite show and looked straight ahead."

"Hmm, what is?" Oishi stopped too, glancing back at the red-head. He then followed where Eiji was looking and also froze, his eyes widening a little and the hold on his bag tightening. "Echizen."

Ryoma had just gone out of one of the Starbucks joints. He had a steaming cup of coffee in his hand, held carefully in those thin fingers, as if it was something he really, really needed. His golden eyes were downcast, seemingly seeing nothing in front of him, as he slowly made his way away from the coffee shop and into the crowd.

The emerald-haired boy wasn't exactly walking their way, but he wasn't walking away from them too. Though, Oishi soon caught him looking at him and Eiji, although his face remained the same and nothing seemed to show what he felt right now. The teen just narrowed his eyes a little and walked away, without giving the two another glance.

"What was he doing here? Akutsu doesn't live even near this district." Eiji had stepped a few steps closer to Oishi, his clear, blue eyes following the boy as he disappeared into the crowd of people. "And didn't he leave with Atobe? He also doesn't exactly live near this place."

"Something must have happened. He seemed a bit sick. But we shouldn't meddle. We have no right." Oishi sighed and continued on his walk home.

Eiji followed him, still glancing at the place where Ryoma was just a few seconds ago, now lost in the sea of people. "I guess so." He mumbled and finally looked away. But the feeling of regret, deep regret, was now hanging over him, and surely Oishi too, for they were also at fault.

Yukimura sipped on his tea, lazily twisting a thread from his bookmark between his fingers. He had just heard what Keigo had to say about the 'Echizen thing', as it was dubbed. Like the wealthy man had said, all that he knows in merely what people had told him. Or, to be more precise, what Kawamura, who was now studying abroad to be a good chef, had told him before leaving. He was a kind soul and was never really a part of it, but the pressure from Tezuka made him stay quiet about the whole thing, as well as prevented him to stand by the small and fragile rookie.

Well, knowing Tezuka and what his father did, that was nothing surprising.

Yukimura placed his cup of tea on the table and leaned back in his chair. "Well, I guess I now understand what Genichirou sees in him. Tezuka, I mean. He always has had a thing for the slightly twisted ones." He stopped and swirled his fingertip along the teacup's top.

"He's nothing more than one of Tezuka's puppy-dogs now. Just like Momoshiro and Arai. Although, Momoshiro always acted like Tezuka's faithful dog." Keigo tch-ed and directed his stare at the people outside of the café.

"Well, that boy was obsessed with Tezuka the moment he first saw him play. There is no wonder that things are the way they are right now. In fact," Yukimura took his teacup, "I would be surprised if they wouldn't be." he made a small smile.

"Still…" Yukimura started to talk again, after sipping some of his tea, "You sure don't know when to give up, do you, Atobe? Even after he rejected you, how many times, three times now? I applaud to your persistence." He smiled at the face that Keigo made.

The purple-haired man glared slightly at his friend. "You sense of humor is still unlikable. And just because he has rejected me so far, does not mean he will from now on. Just a little bit more and he will give up." He chuckled a little.

"You reminded me of Tezuka now. Just not in that evil-sneaky kind of way." Yukimura commented and then turned to look at the people walking past the café, just like Atobe had a little while ago. "Oh my!" he suddenly exclaimed, "Echizen."

Keigo furrowed his brows a bit and stared at his friend, "Echizen, he shouldn't be he…re." he blinked a couple of times, just to make sure. "What the…? I was sure that he ran back to that delinquents place."

"Oh, so he ran away from you, huh? Good information, thank you." Yukimura grinned slightly, his purple eyes glinting in that sneaky way of his, promising future blackmailing for favors.

There, staring right at the two, with the same questioning look on his face, was Echizen Ryoma. A Starbucks coffee cup in one hand and an mp3 player in the other. He tilted his head on one side, as if debating with himself whether to go in or simply walk away, pretending this never happened.

Yukimura was faster.

He reacted faster than any of the other two could and rushed outside, grabbing Ryoma by the hand and pulling him inside the small café. The golden-eyed youth looked a bit taken aback, not used to someone dragging him around like that. He blinked a couple of times, already seated down in the chair between Yukimura and Keigo, and then glared.

"Why can't I get away from you?" he mumbled to himself, looking pointedly at Keigo and ignoring Yukimura's presence, "Are you stalking me?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that? You seem to pop out everywhere I go. And besides," Keigo flipped some strands of hair away from his face, throwing a strange, slightly angry glance at Yukimura, "This was all his idea, not mine."

The person in question chuckled and wrapped his fingers around the teacup. "Your embarrassment only serves for my amusement. Now then, Echizen," he pushed the menu in Ryoma's direction, pointedly opening it on the breakfast section, "How come you are here?"

A/N: So, I listened to the requests of you, my dear reviewers, and have written what you all wanted to know so much – why is Tezuka and Fuji doing this. I do realize that I have yet to tell about the others, but it will all be done in time.

I love you all and I love your opinions. Thank you so, so much.

And yes, Tezuka did make Momo do him a blowjob. Yes he did.