DISCLAIMER: I don't own Prince of Tennis.

Three weeks had passed.

Tezuka skimmed on his day's schedule and sighed in relief. He didn't much have to do. Aside from the scheduled meeting he has with coach Ryuuzaki and the team, the whole day seemed to be free from anything else.

He had already made it up with Oishi, and Fuji seemed to be less and less distant to him lately, which he thought, was good news. They're just particularly restoring the healthy and professional relationship they had with each other. Tezuka liked that.

As to the thing he had with Yukimura, he still thought about it with regret. He knew he loved him. He always had that affection to the blue-haired boy even before. In fact, he still admired him now. Perhaps what made the difference was the thin line that he's finally seeing between love and admiration.

The day after they broke-up, he called Yukimura. The other refused to see him in person and simply dismissed the idea that they could still make it up. Tezuka admitted that he was hurt with the rejection. He had wanted to talk. But Yukimura seemed to have made up his mind not to. A defense mechanism against more pains he guessed.

Tezuka heaved a sigh.

He couldn't help but think about how things are going to work out from now on.

To: Whoever-you-are

From: Seiichi Yukimura

My boyfriend broke up with me. My vice-captain went astray with his lover, whom I still couldn't look at straight in the eye for hundreds of reasons. My temper hasn't been good lately, and my team looked like they've lost interest in tennis.

Now whose fault was it?

Mine?

Hardly.

I don't accept faults when I know I'm doing what's right. Call me selfish, demanding, egoist, rude, and all, and my view about myself and on what I believe wouldn't change. They call me the child of god for a reason.

So why the hell are you reading this? Because I don't know where to run to, and the only thing that's left for me now is to write my precious thoughts down on this sheet of paper, hoping that a noble soul will understand what I've been going through right now.

You don't even have to understand. I know just how complicated this situation of mine is. No one has to understand what's beyond their capacity to do so.

Yukimura reread what he had written before crumpling the note and throwing it in the trash can.

'Useless musings.' he thought as he silently made his way home.

"Coach Ryuuzaki wants you to play doubles with Inui on tomorrow's game against Yamabuki." Tezuka said, handling Fuji a piece of paper containing the line-up of players from the opposing team.

Fuji smiled and accepted the paper, careful not to make contact with Tezuka's hand on the process.

"Tomorrow's going to be a tough game." Tezuka continued, not looking at Fuji's direction, but mindful of how the other was intentionally not looking on his direction as well.

"We'll do our best." Fuji said. "We always do."

Tezuka nodded and glanced at Fuji's direction. He caught the other looking at him, and when Fuji looked away, Tezuka held his arm, stopping the other from walking out.

"Don't." he commanded in a strange, almost close to a pleading tone.

Fuji looked at Tezuka's hand on his arm and smiled; the type of smile that silently asked for the other to just let him go.

"Stay." Tezuka said, looking hard at Fuji's eyes.

Fuji heaved a sigh and looked down. "You shouldn't do this if you want both of us to move on."

"And we're doing just exactly that one, Fuji." Tezuka said, unaware of the slight raise of his voice. "But why do I get the feeling that you're different? So different from the Fuji I know before."

Fuji swallowed hard. He didn't expect this kind of confrontation. He thought they were just doing fine.

"Tezuka…."

Finally, the Seigaku captain released Fuji's arm. "I just want us to be back to how we used to be. That's all."

Fuji shook his head. "We can't."

"Why." Tezuka challenged.

Fuji raised his head and looked at straight to his captain in pain. The emotions that his gaze showed had taken Tezuka off guard. Had he not mastered the art of hiding his own, it'll surely show something more.

"Because the Fuji before was someone who was so in love with you." Fuji started. "….and I couldn't be that person anymore."

A frown appeared on Tezuka's forehead as he took Fuji's answer. "Why." He repeated, this time with a dangerous edge to his voice.

"I just can't"

"Is it because of Sanada?" Tezuka asked.

Fuji hesitated but nodded. "..yes."

Seconds of silence passed, and as time goes by, Fuji could hear the wild banging of his heart against his chest, louder and heavier.

"I see." he heard Tezuka mutter.

Few more seconds of silence passed before Tezuka decided to head out.

"I loved you Tezuka." Fuji blurted just as his captain was about to open the door out. "..always… remember that.."

Tezuka stopped and glanced back at him.

"I don't see why you're telling me now about that." he said and left.

Fuji heard the door closed and smiled. He combed his hair with his right hand and let himself lean back on his steel locker. He then looked at the ceiling as if looking for answers to his own confusions.

"…because I might still do….." he said to himself.

Sanada paced uncomfortably in his room. Fuji wasn't answering his calls and messages. They were supposed to go out for dinner earlier, but when the other guy did not turn out after an hour and a half, Sanada decided that it's best to go home and find out what happened to his boyfriend.

He once again dialed Fuji's number.

The blue-eyed boy answered after the first ring. Sanada sighed in relief.

"Syusuke…. I was worried. Is everything alright? You didn't answer my calls." he said.

"Everything's fine, Sanada. And I'm sorry. There was…I was confused." he admitted.

A deafening silence followed right after, and Fuji guessed that Sanada got the message well. He's deadly perceptive after all.

"Alright. I'll…see you soon then." Sanada said.

"Yes….and Sanada…I love you."

Fuji heard the heavy sigh from the other line and he immediately felt guilty for some reasons. He knew he should have joined the other for dinner. He promised.

"I love you too Syusuke."

Sanada threw his phone on bed right after he hanged up. While he should be happy for hearing Fuji say the words he wanted to hear, he just couldn't find the courage and spirit to feel that way knowing that what could the other had said was merely out of desperation or disappointment about something.

He shook his head and went out of his room. He needed some fresh air.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Nothing much to say aside from how I'm dying to see the end of this story.