Moments in Time

Title: Childhood Tangles

Rating: T

Summary: A childhood friend of Ryoma's causes him unneeded troubles.

Relationship status: The two of them are in high school together. Two-year relationship.

"Stop clinging to me!" Ryoma said, clearly annoyed. "We're at school already! What if someone sees us?"

"I don't mind," Fuji murmured affectionately in Ryoma's ear, his arms still wrapped possessively around Ryoma's waist as they stood in the courtyard. "I kind of want people to see us together. That way, they know to keep their hands off of my property." First period hadn't begun yet, so Fuji was taking advantage of the few minutes to be with Ryoma before they parted their separate ways to their class.

Ryoma blushed and stopped trying to push Fuji off, knowing it would be a waste of energy.

"Echizen!"

Both Fuji and Ryoma looked for the unfamiliar voice that called out.

"Echizen Ryoma! I've finally found you. After nine years, I finally get to see you again," said a stranger that ran up to the couple. He had light brown hair—almost blonde—that was cropped close to his head and a tall, lanky build.

Ryoma stared at the unfamiliar face for a few seconds before turning around and walking away. "I don't know you."

"Ah, wait!" he called out, running after Ryoma. "Wait for me, Ryoma!" He threw his arms around Ryoma and snuggled lovingly against the smaller form.

"Ah!" Ryoma cried out, thoroughly surprised. "Wha-what're you doing?!" Ryoma pushed him off.

"Aww, you're still so shy, just like when we were still young," he said, trying to hug Ryoma again.

"I don't even recognize you," Ryoma replied, irked by his familiar attitude with him. "Who are you, anyways?"

"Jeez, Echizen, I can't believe you don't even remember me," he said. "I'm the childhood friend that you were with all the time nine years ago. When we departed, you bid me a teary farewell and promised that we'd meet up once more. During these nine years, I've worked on becoming stronger and bigger." He finished with a dramatic and, in Ryoma's opinion, overdone flourish.

"Childhood friend?" Ryoma said skeptically, his eyebrows raised in disbelief. "I doubt I'd tear up for anyone, even if it was nine years ago."

"You did for me," he said with a confident smile.

"…Well, I still don't recognize you," Ryoma said and turned to walk away once more. "I don't have weird childhood friends."

"Ah, wait!" he called out. "This cannot be! …Echizen, hurry up and think of me so that we can be together once more."

"Hey, if you want to flirt with me, you better think up of a better pick-up line," Ryoma replied in a deadpan voice.

"Ah, poor Ochibi," Kikumaru said from the side. "He always gets tangled up with the wrong people."

Oishi gave a small smile. "He's just not aware of his surroundings at all."

The pair looked over to Fuji, who was viewing the scene coolly and with a contemplative look on his face.

"I wonder what Fujiko's thinking about right now…" Kikumaru said.

"Back then in kindergarten, I used to follow you around all the time! I was so small, and I cried a lot all the time because people would pick on me," the stranger said dramatically, clinging onto Ryoma, who tried to push him away. "You were the one that protected me back then."

"Get off of me!" Ryoma yowled. He stopped struggling, though, as he looked up into the face and saw something familiar. "That mole under your chin…you can't be…Shrimp?"

"Yup, that's right!" he replied happily, ecstatic that Ryoma had finally remembered him. "Do you remember my real name?"

"Eh…umm…" Ryoma said, looking down in embarrassment. "I forgot."

Momo had wandered onto the scene a while ago and stood next to Kikumaru and Oishi. He stood there, snickering loudly. "Shrimp? He's taller than you right now."

"Don't laugh! He was smaller than me nine years ago!" Ryoma directed towards Momo scathingly. Ryoma gave Momo one of his most fierce glares, clearly irked by the irony. "Well, I didn't ask you to hug me, did I?" he asked Shrimp.

"But, you and I made a promise before you left, don't you remember?" he said. "I would grow taller and stronger just for you, then I would come back to you, where you'll run and jump into my arms. Then, it'll be my turn to protect you, just as he you did for me nine years ago," he replied adoringly.

What the heck? When did I make that promise? I don't remember at all… Ryoma stood there, deep in thought. Anyhow, Fuji's weird enough for me. Ryoma gasped out loud suddenly. Oh, shoot! Fuji! …What'll he do to me? He's probably thinking of something sadistic to do to me after school. What do I do?!

"Poor Echizen, he's digging his own grave," Momo said in a pitying voice, shaking his head slowly.

Finally, Fuji spoke up. "Excuse me, class is about to start. You guys chat. I have to get going." He turned away and walked towards the classrooms without another glance.

Fuji…you… Ryoma stood there looking at Fuji's retreating back, unable to call him back. Are you mad at me? I can't tell.

Back in the classroom, Ryoma was being interrogated by Horio.

"Echizen, was that really your childhood friend?" Horio asked; the Trio along with Tomo and Sakuno were grouped around his table, every one of them extremely curious. "What kind of promise did you make him?" By this time, almost all the students had heard about what had happened in the morning between Ryoma and the stranger.

Ryoma shrugged, annoyed. "I don't remember at all. I don't even care about it, really."

"Then, why are you so moody?"

"I'm not moody," Ryoma muttered, turning his head away to look out the window. Why would I care about something like that? It's just that…something feels weird…

"Is it because Fuji-sempai didn't come to see you during break like he usually does?" Horio asked bluntly.

Ryoma flinched visibly.

Tomo elbowed Horio in the ribs. "Don't say that so bluntly! Can't you see that this is a touchy subject for Ryoma-sama?"

"It's just that…Fuji didn't do anything to me," Ryoma said, more to himself than to the group.

The group nodded knowingly. Everyone already knew about the relationship between Fuji and Ryoma. It wasn't like it was a big secret; Fuji made sure of that with his daily acts in public.

"You care about him a lot, don't you?" Tomo said. She had long since changed her 'Ryoma the Prince Fan Club' to the 'Fuji-Ryoma Flowers Together Fan Club'. "Why don't you just find him and ask him for yourself?"

"I…I don't care about him!" Ryoma said, glad he was turned away so that they couldn't see his flushed face.

"Aww, Ryoma-sama! You're so cute," Tomo squealed happily. "It's obvious that you care about Fuji-sempai a lot."

I don't get it. Ryoma withdrew into his own mind, tuning off the conversation that budded up in the group around him. To be free of his sadistic clutches for a whole day, I should be really happy. But…why is it that my chest hurts so much? What's going on? "Ouch," Ryoma said, a hand clutching his shirt. My heart hurts so much…

Momo walked into the classroom and threw an arm around Ryoma. "Ne, Echizen, it's lunch already! Let's go get something to eat," Momo said, grinning widely. Without waiting for an answer, he pulled Ryoma up and pushed him outside the classroom. "Let's eat out on the roof today, ne?"

"Oh, uh…" Ryoma said, his head snapping up as he saw Fuji walking in the hallway up ahead of where he was at the moment, his face turned in his direction. Fuji saw me…

"Hoi, Fujiko!"

Fuji turned his head away and began to walk with Kikumaru in the opposite direction.

"Fuji?" Ryoma called out softly, the tone of hurt clear in his voice. My chest is hurting again. It's not just me…Fuji's really avoiding me… "What the heck? He's acting like a total stranger to me."

Momo turned to Ryoma. "It's obvious that he's ignoring you right now. I wonder if he's mad," he said straightforwardly.

"Well, I don't care about him anymore, either! Stupid idiot!" he cried out and stormed off out of the building and onto the school grounds.

"Echizen! Over here!"

Ryoma looked over to see Shrimp clambering excitedly over the fence. "What're you doing here? You might get caught, you know? You are trespassing on school property." He wiped away the excess moisture (that's what he convinced himself it was) out of the corners of his eyes, hoping that no one saw him doing so.

"Well, I couldn't wait 'til you went home, every since I found out that you have tennis practice after school and all," he replied sheepishly.

Ryoma looked around and found Fuji walking ahead of him. "Ah, wait, Fuji-sempai! I have to talk to you!"

"Wait, Echizen," Shrimp said, still clinging onto Ryoma's arm. "I still want to talk with you."

Ryoma could only watch silently as Fuji turned away from him once more and walked away. What…what the heck is going on?! That bastard's ignoring me! He turned onto Shrimp, pushing him away. "I'm telling you to stop bothering me! Can't you see that I'm doing fine by myself?! Go away!" He ran back into the school, knowing instinctively where Fuji was.

"Fuji!"

"What? You have to talk to me?" Fuji had his back turned to Ryoma as he looked out the window of the empty classroom. "You actually deigned to come here today. How rare, Ryoma."

Ah, shoot. I didn't think about what I was going to say. "Uh…well, about this morning—"

"—This morning?" Fuji interjected. "What about this morning?"

"About that guy…"

Fuji drew near to Ryoma, his face a few inches away from Ryoma's with his arms planted on the wall around Ryoma's head. "What about it?" he said in a dangerously soft voice.

Ryoma looked into Fuji's vivid sapphire eyes, his body shivering at Fuji's close proximity. "Wah!" he said, his knees buckling as he slid down the wall.

Fuji followed him down, keeping his eyes level with Ryoma's as he grabbed Ryoma's waist possessively with one hand and kept the other on the wall. "Who is that guy to you?" he asked softly. "What promise did you make to him?"

"I said that I don't remember."

Fuji suddenly pushed Ryoma down on the floor.

"No, wait, Fuji! Stop!" Ryoma cried out as Fuji began to run his hands over his body in a very possessive manner. "What if people come in right now?! Ah!" Fuji had bitten down on his neck, leaving a deep mark. "Ahh! No…stop!"

Fuji looked up Ryoma, his blue eyes smoldering with lust. "If you're not quieter, than people really will come."

Ryoma blinked, surprised, but suddenly cried out—though at a softer volume—as Fuji licked his jaw line. "Please, stop it, Fuji! I don't like this," Ryoma whimpered as Fuji paused for a second. He could feel Fuji's teeth over the pulse in his neck, shivering when Fuji bit down lightly.

"Then, why did you come here?" Fuji said into Ryoma's neck, his hot breath ghosting over Ryoma's skin.

"Because my chest was hurting so much!" Ryoma said, indicating where his heart was. "I don't know why, but I just know it's all your fault! You're a really big jerk, you know that?"

Unexpectedly, Fuji began to laugh. "You're so adorable, you know that?" He drew Ryoma into a deep kiss, slipping his tongue in when he had a chance.

"F-Fuji…?" Ryoma said confusedly when Fuji broke the kiss long enough for him to talk.

"Ryoma, who do you belong to?" Fuji asked in a silky voice.

"Well, me, duh," Ryoma replied without thinking. When he caught Fuji's eyes, he added, "Uh, I mean, partly you."

Fuji grinned wickedly. "That's right. You're mine." Because I know how you feel about me deep down, past the way you act at school.

"Now, you said the pain was right here?" Fuji said, a warm hand pressed against Ryoma's chest.

Ryoma nodded mutely.

"I'll make it all better for you," Fuji murmured, his head leaning on Ryoma's shoulders. "Would you like me to?"

Ryoma nodded once more, his arms hugging Fuji to him tightly.

So, Fuji took the opportunity during lunch to make Ryoma feel better with some physical activities too naughty to describe.

"So, do you feel better?" Fuji asked after school as the two of them walked to the tennis clubhouse for practice.

"Yes, but my back aches! I don't know if I can go to practice today," Ryoma said.

"But, you feel a lot better, don't you?"

Ryoma nodded.

"I thought so. I've found out that you learn a lot better when you're body is involved," Fuji said wickedly.

Ryoma blushed heavily.

"Echizen!" called a familiar voice.

Ryoma looked back. "Why is he back again?" he asked annoyingly. "He's like a scrounger that keeps coming back."

"Even if you beat me, or kick me, my love for you shall not perish," Shrimp called out happily as he ran towards the couple.

Fuji took the initiative and stepped in front of Ryoma, his arms open wide in a protective stance as he faced Ryoma's childhood friend. "Sorry, but Ryoma is mine," he said softly to him, his eyes opening just a fraction so that a sliver of blue glittered like frost. "If you even dare to touch him again, I can't be held responsible for the punishment that will take place."

Shrimp could only gulp, speechless after Fuji's display.

"Come on, Ryoma," Fuji said in a normal tone of voice as he pushed Ryoma gently towards the clubhouse to change. "I don't want Tezuka to have an excuse to make you run more than you have to."

"What did you say to him?" Ryoma asked, thoroughly puzzled. He didn't catch what Fuji had said. "Tell me."

Fuji only smiled mysteriously. "It's a secret."

A/N- So, it's the start of a new series. Well, not really a series more than what I hope will be a collection of stories based upon Fuji and Ryoma's relationship, from the beginning and, hopefully, not to an end. It will be out of order, because I don't want to constrain myself to a set number of chapters and a time limit. I'll write what I feel like, and won't have any guilt because every chapter will have a proper ending with no questions left over (well, maybe some).

Who knows? Maybe this will be interesting.

Like it? Want me to write more? Comment or send over some story ideas of your own and perhaps I'll try it out.

-The Unreal Phantom