Pairing: Fuji x Atobe

Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis does not belong to me

Part: Epilogue

Warning: Few background facts AND sequential orders of events regarding the characters have been altered.

A.N: Ok, so apparently I don't need to wait till Friday to upload the last part. The epilogue will be in Tezuka's pov because I feel that sometimes a by stander would see things more clearly than the people who are actually involved.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Color

It was the weekend and on my way home I saw a pair that I wasn't expecting. The pair surprised me, but I have to admit somehow they look right together.

Atobe Keigo and Fuji Shusuke.

One was my most recent rival and another was a long time friend and a teammate that I cherished.

….

Flashback

"Atobe why?"

A smile.

A handshake.

But no answer.

End Flashback

I remember seeing Atobe standing in the middle of the match, his eyes close and he seemed so peaceful and at ease.

Atobe Keigo never answered my question. I had won the match but I didn't felt a sense of satisfaction. I felt like an outsider in the Seiguka celebration.

Excitement.

Happiness.

Gratification.

They all seemed so foreign to me at that moment. I had put the future of Seiguka on my shoulder and it was suffocating me. I needed air. I needed an escape but I couldn't find a way out. I had managed to trap myself in this vicious cycle by my own sense of responsibility.

The match against Hyotei was the first time I ever meet Atobe Keigo and I developed an instant dislike toward him. At first I couldn't figure out why but throughout the match it became more apparent to me. I didn't resent Atobe because he was different from me. I resented Atobe because he was the first person that Fuji showed any interest in since Fuji's brother Yuuta.

I was shock when Fuji asked me to put him in single 1 spot but I try to brush that feeling away. I turned down Fuji's request because I didn't like the look in Fuji's eyes at that moment. Fuji was serious and that means this Atobe person meant a lot to him. At that moment, I felt like I was losing someone of great importance to me and that only made me dislike Atobe even more.

When I finally look at Atobe straight in the eye I sense an uncomfortable feeling from him and my first instinct had never failed me before. There was a determination in Atobe's eyes that annoyed me and I was right. I might have been the one walking away with the win but Atobe had walk away with something much more valuable from that match.

Fuji Shusuke.

Fuji was someone that I had met during a tennis match. The first thing that I noticed about Fuji was his smile. It wasn't a typical smile. It was a smile with many layers. I was intrigue by Fuji because I knew that he wasn't as friendly and harmless as he let others to believe.

I don't know why but seeing them together made my heart ached. I want to look away but I couldn't. I had never seen Fuji so at ease and content. When I came back to Seiguka I had planned on telling Fuji how I felt about him but I was too late. Shusuke had already found his spring and it wasn't me.

I wonder if my spring will ever come. I couldn't look at them anymore. I want to feel happy for them but right now it pains me to see how perfect they look together.

I am not one to run away from my problems but I need to turn away before I hear the shattering of my heart.

….

At that moment, Atobe Keigo ripped a piece of paper out of his notebook. A spring breeze blow by the pair and swallowed up the paper.

Higher

Higher

The paper seemed to take flight and on the paper, it read;

At age six, my world was a pitch of darkness.

At age nine, my world was painted with color.

At age fifteen, I lost my heart and found love.

A home.

A warm embrace.

Someone to love.

Someone to care.

Fin.

(for good this time )

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A.N. Much thanks to all the readers and I am happy that I finished my first PoT fiction for my favorite pair. Just out of curiosity, who are your favorite pairing(s)?

I suddenly had this mental image of Fuji & Mizuki, hah that would be such a crack pairing. I wonder if Fuji will end up killing Mizuki but then again since Fuji's eyes are always close he will be immune to Mizuk's horribly gay shirts Oo.

Oh, how I love the possibilities of PoT pairs. Anyway, before any crack pairings I might attempt to finish "Heaven's Tear" since I had post the intro. to that fiction over a month ago and haven't really made any attempt in updating because of "Color."