Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction ❯ To Sedate ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 7 )

Gotta make this quick. Karate's in five minutes; standard disclaimers apply, please review, and thank you to anyone who reviewed. I'll be writing replies tomorrow. School testing is this week, so it's rather relaxed. [Even though I should be studying]

 

Tenshi and Fuji focus in this chapter. Tezuka Fuji focus next one. Hopefully it won't take to long.

 

Matta ne!

 

 

To Sedate- Chapter 7

 

As spring crept along, the weekend dawned that Fuji was to go up to Oosaka with the rest of his family, as they had for as long as Fuji was able to remember. They were even excused from classes on Friday and Saturday for it, and were supposed to be back on the preceding Sunday in time to get enough sleep for the next day. It was “temple cleanup weekend” in Oosaka.

 

For the longest time, Fuji could always remember visiting `Baa-chan and Ji-san'. They were an elderly couple, more ancient than time. Not even Yumiko knew of their relation to either their mother or father. The titles were excused due to the fact everyone called them by the same name, despite relation. Though he'd always found it odd, he'd never really asked his mother why exactly they went out there to help the elderly couple clean the temple in preparation for more visitors. Soon, summer would be there. Summer was important because it brought tourists, lots of tourists. As summer began, everyone at the old shrine slowly became busier and busier. Visitors from the west were in awe from the beautiful Japanese shrines, but it wasn't as if they got that way overnight.

 

The weekend wasn't only to help fix up any problems that the shrine may've had, but also to visit with Baa-chan and Ji-san. They were kind to Yuuta, Yumiko, and Shuusuke, having been the type of couple that seemed to adore children. The shrine was a funny place. Rumored to be one of the oldest religious shrines in Oosaka, it stood proud, yet was made up of small buildings, ranging over acres on the mountainside, right were many sakura still bloomed. Having been so old, there were always problems that needed fixing, and paths that needed to be swept. Not to mention, the place was crawling with stray cats, all of which Baa-chan and Ji-san cared for.

 

On the Tokyo-Oosaka line, Fuji sat. This train would be able to get them to Oosaka, something far across Honshu from Tokyo within a matter of hours. It was the fastest of its kind, traveling at amazing speeds. In fact, it was widely debated on whether or not it was faster than traveling by airplane. Colors were blurring past, including the silhouette of Mt. Fuji, today consumed by dark, gloomy storm clouds. On his left, his sister flicked through a women's magazine. A few rows back were Yuuta and his mother. His mother, currently occupied by the most recent romance novel, ignored Yuuta, who was slightly bored from reading his tennis magazine and had resorted to drumming his fingers on the window.

 

The kiss he had given Tezuka, still fresh in his mind from just early last week, still haunted him not only for what could've happened without Tezuka, but what would've happened if they were discovered. Resolved on not speaking with Tezuka about the matter, he decided to keep his distance. In the warm-up laps for the next few days, he kept firmly next to Eiji rather than jogging with Tezuka like he'd grown accustomed to doing. The captain didn't seem to be in a rush to bother Fuji. Rather, he hung back and jogged along, conversing with Oishi about their strategy for the next tournament, which would be coming up right after the next ranking match.

 

“Where are you going?” Tenshi had asked that earlier.

 

“My family and I are going to visit Ji-san and Baa-chan. We'll be helping them clean up the shrine they run.”

 

“Are they related to you?”

 

“I don't know. Mother never really talks about them until it's time to go and help them clean the shrine. It doesn't seem so, though. I just think they used to be friends of my grandparents or something. Besides, that's the only time we visit them. On New Year's we've never celebrated with them or anything.”

 

“I see.”

 

Foreigners and Japanese alike clambered off the train in an almost tired manner when the train finally arrived in Oosaka. Fuji sniffed the air. He really didn't think anybody else could tell a difference, but he liked the smell of Oosaka. Well, at least, outside of Oosaka, in the mountains. Clinging close to his mother, they retraced a familiar route until they were in a cab, climbing the winding road on the mountainside with Yuuta staring out the window, looking particularly mortified about the height.

 

“Yuuta-kun” Fuji clapped his brother on the shoulder in an attempt to snap him out of his glassy-eyed trance. His mother was in the front seat, so she hadn't noticed his state, and next to him, Yumiko had her head down and her eyes closed. It could only be guessed that she was sleeping. Yuuta's eyes snapped back to him quicker than fire.

 

“What?” The tone was slightly rough, but he seemed to be grateful for his brother anyways.

 

“Are you okay, Yuuta-kun?”

 

“Of course I am.” Yuuta went to look at his lap, but Fuji was able to take it as silent thanks. The dirt on the road ground beneath them, and Fuji looked over Yuuta's head to see the view of an Oosaka cityscape below, cast in a sort of mist because of their elevation.

 

“Oh, I am so glad to see you all.” A thin, old woman came out, waving her arms in the air, the sleeves of her kimono blowing in the slight breeze. She, wearing a stark blue kimono, reminded Fuji of the epitome of tradition. She was willowy, thin, and graceful, though shorter than even Yuuta; Fuji had long since surpassed her in height. Then again, they were all required to wear traditional wear, here. Fuji and Yuuta wore the traditional men's attire, while Yumiko was clad in a delicate floral print and his mother in a plain light green kimono resembling Baa-chan's. Ji-san was slower on his entrance. Pushing open a door leading into one room, he exited slowly, his sandals clicking on the ground.

 

This man, small, yet very well built, was somebody that one wouldn't want to cross on bad terms, even in old age. Over the years he'd trained in various national and international martial arts styles, and it was obvious he was still a diligent participant, or at least he practiced it. As a child, Fuji had called him “Steel man,” because he had such good balance that he was very hard to offset. They even used to play a game, where Fuji had to try and knock the man off his feet without being knocked down by Ji-san. Little as he would've guessed, the game helped Fuji's future tennis, even influencing his technique. Leaning against the trunk of a tree, he gave a friendly wave. “Ah, the Fuji family! It is great to see you all again. Your mother managed to get you out of school this time, right? You're early.”

 

“Yes, Ji-san,” their mother answered. “Fuji-kun and Yuuta-kun were able to get off school. Yumiko-chan was even allowed a few days off work.” The family bowed formally to the couple.

 

“Well, it's delightful that we see you again! We're going to need plenty of help around here if we want this clean by the end of the weekend. It seems that there's so many things that need to be fixed that are just falling apart. First, though, I'm sure you're tired from your train ride. Come inside the house and have lunch with us.

 

The house itself was more modern. The person running the shrine years and years ago would've slept in one of the smaller rooms within the shrine itself. Built around forty years ago, the house accommodated guests well, though there weren't any Western-style beds. It wasn't as if Fuji minded sleeping on a mat on the floor, though. Sunlight filtered thought the treetops. Though this place was in the mountains, it wasn't far enough up that trees wouldn't grow. Fuji thought it was rather beautiful. There was a waterfall about a mile off from the main part of the shrine; he'd brought his camera so that he would be able to take pictures if there was any time to spare.

 

Tenshi was fascinated with Fuji's photography. He often told him that the photographs showed Fuji's talents well, and if it weren't for tennis, he really should join the art club. People would appreciate his photos, he said. Rather than being put on his bedroom wall, they should be displayed in art galleries and entered into art shows. For now, though, Fuji said he was perfectly happy with his tennis. That wasn't just because of Tezuka, either. Tennis was something he greatly enjoyed. Even if he never went pro, he would still have a special place in his heart for tennis.

 

“I made fish and rice today, dears. I hope that isn't too simple for you. We've been so busy that I haven't had any time to make anything else.” She mentioned as they strode into the house. To a stranger, the place would've been very odd. Around the walls were different crystal balls, assortments of ancient decks of tarot cards, good luck charms from Africa and the middle east, and even an ancient-looking Ouija board, that although looked even more ancient than Ji-san.

 

Unlike some, that still embraced Japanese culture completely, Ji-san and Baa-chan were ardent for world cultures, whether it is American, European, or Middle Eastern. Baa-san liked to collect all sorts of good luck charms, things used to contact the supernatural, or and anything that was used to tell fortunes.

 

“Baa-san loves anything having to do with crystal balls,” he had told Tenshi just a while ago, when explaining where he would be traveling for the weekend.

 

“Really? So she's into fortunes?”

 

“Yeah. It's amazing she still follows her religion. She reads palms, too.” For a moment, Fuji paused. “When we were younger, Yumiko, Yuuta, and I pooled our money to get her a gift—well, it was Yumiko mostly, since she was old enough at the time that she had a job. We were too young for that. Anyways, we went to a pawn shop about two weeks before we went to visit her and looked if they had anything having to do with crystal balls.”

 

Fuji was musing the story fondly. Though softly closed eyes, he recalled his childhood to Tenshi, though occasionally his eyelashes would flutter to look over at the man sitting near him, a sort of fondness radiating from his gaze. “We found the silliest thing. A foreigner must've dropped it off, and it had to be quite a few years old. Really, it wasn't a crystal ball. I believe it's that American holiday, Halloween, that it was made for. It was in the shape of its skull and the eyes lit up and spun. Then it gave the oddest laugh and said something I can't even remember about.” Reaching his hand upwards as if to grasp something, his fingers sliced air. Looking at it pensively for a moment, he slowly withdrew his hand, letting a pleasant silence pass.

 

“Anyways, she laughed of course when we gave it to her. But to this day she still keeps it with her collection. She must've liked it, even though it wasn't very serious of a gift at all. That same day we were able to buy an English book. It was something like `The Ghost of Flight 401' or something… We gave that to Ji-san. He loves books. He even speaks fluent English.” That book had been written about a flight that had crashed in the Everglades. Interestingly enough, ghosts of the old flight crew began to appear on other planes when they reused parts from the wrecked plane.

 

There were entertaining stories of that place. They only visited once a year. Before Tenshi, almost nobody knew. Vividly, Fuji was able to remember events such as scuffles he and Fuji had gotten into, and funny situations in which Fuji had defended Yuuta against a horde of advancing stray cats. Yuuta swore they looked hungry enough to eat him, but was still thoroughly annoyed whenever Fuji decided to tease him about the matter.

 

Fuji had other things to worry about when he got back to school. Soon, the school would be over. He would be taking exams to help see where he would be going for high school. Slowly, he had to take the process over of choosing where he would be going for high school. It wouldn't be too much trouble. Fuji's grades were spectacular. Right now he was looking at Hyakugei, a school not very far outside of the city. It would be a little of a commute, but the school was known for the fact that second and third year students took a specialized art or photography class. That had been the main reason in his choosing it, but it also, ironically, had a great tennis team that Fuji was interested in as well.

 

Around the corner, though, he felt stress for the fact that he would be going to high school. He would be a lower classmen again. The school was tough to get into. Mostly, he was slowly beginning to worry about choices. Fuji loved his photography, and wanted to do more with it, but throughout Junior High, tennis had been very important to him. He didn't want to have to give that up either.

 

As if it would matter, but he felt like he would be torn away from Tezuka if he made the choice to give up tennis. All he could think was “at least Tenshi would be there.” Support. Fuji closed his eyes and sighed deeply. Tenshi made for good support, even if he didn't appear so. Leaning against the wall, he let his head droop for a moment. If only he was here…

 

“Shuusuke-kun! Come to the table, the food's ready.” To his surprise, his family was already sitting, waiting for him to sit down before they could eat. The fish tasted bitter in his mouth and the rice dry and flaky. It was odd, since Baa-chan was such a good cook. That, and Yuuta, Yumiko, and his mother seemed to not have any sort of problem with it. Even after drowning the food down with green tea, his throat was sore and dry. What a perfect time to get sick…was his last, sarcastic thought before he finished the dry-tasting rice and brought his bowl away from the table. When he stood up his legs were asleep. Cautiously, he teetered, testing his balance and strength.

 

“Shuusuke-kun, are you all right?” asked Baa-chan, drifting over to him and fussing with his shirtsleeve.

 

“I'm fine, thank you.”

 

All he really wanted to do is see Tenshi, or mend things with Tezuka now that he thought about it.

 

“Shuusuke, I'll tell you what; I have a new deck of tarot cards, and I'd like to take your fortune shortly after lunch. Would you like to do that?” Fuji nodded. She smiled. “That's great. Let's go and do it now, since you're done with your lunch.” Fuji was about to protest. After all, she hadn't eaten much.

 

“Don't worry about it,” she added. “I ate a late breakfast this morning, so I'm not very hungry at all. We were up so late cleaning last night that I didn't wake up until later in the morning.” He nodded and followed her into the living room, where she began dealing out the cards. Fuji had his fortune told by these tarot cards many times before by many, many different people. Always, it was pretty much the same. Fortune, good luck, and a happy future were in store. Baa-chan liked to do fortunes, so she even did Yumiko's sometimes. Yumiko had blushed once when she got the prosperity and love card, making Baa-chan predict she would soon have a husband and children.

 

She turned up a card. Frowning slightly, she said, “True love. You will experience true love soon.” Smiling, she added, “You're awfully young for that, young man, just remember, don't be blind about it. You've got your whole life ahead of you, and love can either make or break that life. Please don't throw something away when things seem to be going wrong for you. Setting the tarot cards aside, she looked at him long and hard. That had been advice from her heart, from an old woman who had cared for him and his family for as long as he could remember.

 

“May I see you palm?” she asked out of the blue. Fuji blinked. Never before has she asked him for his palm. Sure, she'd read Yumiko's before, but Shuusuke didn't ever have his read. “I just want to see something… maybe it will help me understand your tarot card.”

 

Thinking for a moment, Fuji answered, “Sure.” Holding out his palm for her, he let the old lady take it.

 

“This is a very interesting hand,” she said, observing it carefully with all her energy for a minute or two, squinting at it a few times and adjusting the glasses on the bridge of her nose. “Dear, your life will be ever changing. You have much fortune in store for you, but it will be very bumpy along the road. Tragedy is in store for you, so be careful whom you trust and that you always keep those you care for close to your heart. You never know when you can lose someone.” Holding his hand close to her heart, she fell silent. Fuji, not being a palm reader, hadn't noticed she'd been eyeing the lines near his thumb extremely carefully.

 

“Go ahead, Shuusuke. There's work to be done. Then we can spend some time together later, okay? There are some paths that need to be swept. Why don't you go outside and do it. Don't hesitate to take a short break in between, but remember there's work to be done, so soon after you finish your first task to go and ask Ji-san about what he needs help with next.

 

The brilliant sunlight greeted him as Shuusuke walked along the path, carefully sweeping it. Over the ledge, Oosaka was visible, and off in the distance, the ocean sparkled. Truly, it was a beautiful place here. Fuji would have loved to be able to spend more time here. It was spiritual, and usually helped him relax his mind. At this time, there weren't many people here, though it wasn't uncommon for people to sometimes come by to worship at the shrine, ask for Ji-san's advice, or to ask the couple's help in performing a ritual. The sound was easily heard against the wooden decks, and it made him feel like he was back in ancient Japan. Clad in traditional gear and wooden sandals, he must've looked the part, too. It was quiet while he was sweeping petals from the sakura, dirt, dust, and dead leaves off the deck; he smiled and contemplated everything while he worked.

 

True love…

 

Nowadays, Fuji could only scoff at it and go back to what he was doing. It wasn't good luck or fortune at all that he was destined to love. With that love came the deep, more carnal longing that bothered Fuji at almost all times of the night. After all, girly as he may have seemed at times, the real fact wouldn't ever change that he was a guy.

 

With a sigh, he continued to sweep the path, a cloud of dust building around him. Fuji didn't even realize it until his nose began to run. Looking around him, he saw the dust settle slowly down onto the path. As if on cue, he sneezed loudly, groaning afterwards because of the path of dust that the cloud left.

 

True love, huh? It doesn't seem like that to me. More like a curse. I'll probably be cursed for life.

 

Morbid as those thoughts may have sounded, Fuji was amused slightly at the thoughts before he went back to sweeping. Slowly, life was going back to normal before he liked Tezuka. The intense, burning longing was still there; it was the longing that bothered him awake and asleep. As much as he willed it away, Fuji decided it was a normal part of life. Dislike it as much as he did, there was no way to resist, so he let it run it's course, only to pray to the gods above that one day he would finally be able to free himself from it. He spotted a shadow behind a tree, and almost paranoid, he said in a low voice, “Tenshi, if that's you, then come out.” The idea of Tenshi being in Oosaka sounded like a joke to him, and wasn't something that he really felt like taking seriously.

 

Yet somehow, to his surprise, the light haired man strode out, gazing over at him with misty eyes. Fuji didn't know why he gave him that look. It was unlike Tenshi to be so somber. “You're getting better at noticing my presence, Shuusuke,” he mentioned.

 

“It's more of an instinct,” said Fuji truthfully. Really, it all becomes so obvious after a while.” With a smile he gave a kind gaze towards the man. “It's nice to see you, Tenshi. Really, it is.”

 

“Ah, so you're admitting it now! You miss me, don't you?” His accusations were teasing, and he gave Fuji a playful punch in the shoulder, nearly making Fuji drop the broom he held in hand. Fuji returned the playing gesture.

 

“Of course not.” His voice feigned sternness. “Tenshi, you're a good friend. I'm just glad to be able to converse with you.” The joke ended with that sentence, and he went back to sweeping the path. For a minute or two, the man watched him, his head following the back and forth motions of the broom on the ground.

 

“You're okay?” asked Tenshi, abruptly. For a moment, Fuji jumped at the question, as if it had startled him.

 

“Uh… Yeah, I'm fine.” Tilting his head slightly at the odd and abrupt question, he began sweeping the pathway once again, unaware of the hand on his shoulder. Slowly, though, his eyes flickered back to it. Though he smiled, Fuji was visibly worried. Tenshi didn't normally act like this; he hadn't been normal for the past few weeks. That, and Tenshi's affectionate gestures had come to an abrupt halt. Now, in there absence, Fuji was beginning to realize that he really did miss them, though he had never noticed it before then.

 

“Are you okay, Tenshi? Is there anything you'd like to talk about?” Maybe his appointments with Suzuki-sensei were beginning to wear on him. Inwardly, Fuji groaned at the though, while his smile grew a fraction, the only gesture of kindness he would be able to show at the kind. For a moment, there was a mild silence. Up near an inclined path, Fuji's sensitive ears caught the slight shift of gravel.

 

“Of course! I'm dandy Fuji.” Fuji may have shown unmatched cheeriness, but somehow, Tenshi often managed to beat him in it. Lashes fluttering for a minute, he exhaled happily. Yet somehow, in some odd way, Fuji thought that he was lying. Arching an eyebrow in disbelief, Fuji said nothing for just a moment, trying to figure out if there had been a hidden meaning behind what he said.

 

“You sure?” he queried, turning around to face the man, making the hand that was originally resting on his shoulder slip down to his arm.

 

“Yeah…”

 

A kiss brushed his lips, softly enough that had Fuji not been paying attention, he wouldn't have even noticed. His eyes were open now, slightly. Luminescent blue orbs looked confused slightly. Moving back so that Tenshi's hand broke contact with his arm, he said nothing, but didn't frown slightly as he might have in a normal situation. Fully quelled, he glanced once at Tenshi before going back to sweeping. Sometimes, life could be odd, but at least he had something rock solid in his life. His troubles evaporated, yet somehow, everything was still crumbling to pieces before him, and there was nothing that he could do to prevent it.