A Kiss to Remember
Summary: Fuji collapses one day and wakes up five years later to a world where no one remembers that he ever existed.
Warnings: Shounen-ai, swearing
Pairings: Ryoma x Fuji, Tezuka x Fuji
Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis is not mine.
Short chapter, last chapter. Sorry, guys, but I thank all of you for your support sooooo much! This is kind of like an epilogue chapter, but it's not at the same time because the last chapter couldn't be considered the end. So I'm saying this is the official last chapter! Please read, review, and enjoy! Thanks for all your support and your wonderful reviews! I owe you guys one!
Chapter 15: A Kiss to Remember:
"Ryoma! I'm going out to get the mail, okay?" Fuji called.
"'Kay," Ryoma said from his bedroom. He was currently getting dressed from just coming out of the shower. He had played a US Open match today. It hadn't been too difficult, since it was still the beginning rounds, but Ryoma hated being sweaty. It made him feel gross.
It was the year 2014. It was two years since the incident, and everything was going well for Ryoma and Fuji. Thing had been much better for both of them since they got together. Less fangirls jumping him in the streets, since he had a 'personal bodyguard'. Okay, well Fuji wasn't really a bodyguard, but everyone knew they were together. Now, instead of fangirls jumping him about his looks, they would jump him about his boyfriend ('What's he like??!' 'ZOMFG HE'S SOOOOO PRETTY!!!' 'I wish I could have such a pretty boyfriend!!!!' the list just keeps going…)
But Ryoma had to admit, he was pretty. He smirked. He'd (Ryoma) probably jump his boyfriend later today. For fun, of course. As if on cue, Fuji walked in the door right then. His smooth, melodic voice rang sweetly through the house. "Ryomaaaa! I got the mail! And we have something from Yukimura!"
Ryoma almost grimaced. Almost. Why was he thinking like that? There would be no way Yukimura would take Fuji away. No way at all. Ryoma wouldn't let him. And Fuji didn't like Yukimura more than a friend. A close friend. A very close friend (1). But still a friend. And that was what counted.
"Ryoma, are you coming or not?!" Fuji called.
"Coming?" Ryoma said.
"Yeah, to read the letter with me," Fuji said. He walked up the stairs and looked Ryoma up and down. The younger boy was still just wearing a pair of pants he had found in his closet, but Fuji showed no sign of being the slightest bit flustered. "You helped heal Yukimura, too, right?"
"Y-yeah," Ryoma said. "I guess so."
"What do you mean 'you guess so'? Of course you helped!" Fuji took Ryoma's wrist and almost literally dragged him down the stairs. Ryoma was surprised at how strong Fuji had become, despite his still lithe frame. Ryoma was still stronger, of course, but he let himself be dragged.
Fuji fell down onto the soft couch, nearly pulling Ryoma on top of him. Ryoma, though, managed to avoid the smaller boy just in time. He must be really eager to open that letter, Ryoma thought. But he didn't blame him; Ryoma was eager to open the letter, too, to see what Yukimura had to say. Fuji tore the top open delicately with long, slender fingers and lifted out the plain white folded sheet of paper. He unfolded it slowly and started to read what Yukimura had written. Ryoma could almost swear that he heard Yukimura's voice in Fuji's.
Dear Echizen Ryoma and Fuji Syusuke,
How have you two been? It's been a year since everything has happened, right? Echizen-Congratulations on winning Wimbledon this year again. I know you won last year, too, because I saw the final match, You're doing so well; Number 1 at eighteen years old. What an accomplishment! And unlike some other tennis players I knew, I think you're going to stay number 1 for quite a while. I also heard you're doing well in the US Open. I'm in New York now, but I haven't seen your matches yet. It's still early in the tournament, right? I'll watch your next match, I promise.
Fuji and Echizen, the thing I wanted to say most, though, is, "Thank you for everything". And when I say everything, I mean it literally. Would I be here right now, if it were not for you two? And Saeki, of course. Tell him I said hi, please. I owe my life to you, and I will forever be indebted to you. I have always been close to Fuji, and Echizen came into my life the first time I heard about him from Sanada while I was in the hospital in Junior high. "A phenomenal junior ace has just moved to Tokyo," he had said. "His name is Echizen Ryoma, and he attends one of the top seeded tennis teams, Seishun Gakuen." Interesting, I had thought. And how interesting it was indeed. I was the best junior tennis player in Japan, until you arrived. Who would've thought you'd exceed me? Not me, that's for sure.
Fuji, the genius. We're alike, are we not? At least, I hope we are alike. You're a genius, though, and much stronger than I will ever be. Think about if you were in my situation. Would you have tried to find a way to live and free your soul? Probably. Me, I just wanted to die. Fuji, you're polite, kind, and almost always smiling. You let people speak their mind to you, and let their hearts out, yet you keep your distance from many people. That's definitely something useful in some ways. But when you want to, you can let your heart out to someone you love, right?
Do you know what it feels like wanting to die? Of course you don't. It's not a pleasant feeling, but I have to admit that it isn't sickening either. It gives a bit of comfort, knowing that you will be free. But you will be free from what? Well, in my case, I will be free from my own soul. But then what will happen? Have you ever wondered that? I don't think people were meant to die before they were rightfully destined to die. And if they do choose to die before that, they will only cause sadness and pain, and nothing good will come out of it. You two helped me realize that, and helped me realize that if I wanted to die so bad, why was I still living?
I could kill myself any time. It's not a particularly difficult task, though it does take a lot of willpower (or perhaps it is lack of willpower). But why was I still living on? Because somewhere inside me, I knew that it wasn't the solution, but I kept telling myself that if I died, it would be a lot better for me, since I would be free. But something inside me just kept me from doing it. It was the will to live, and the knowledge that if I died, nothing good would really come out of it. But when I started dying really, I knew that there was no other choice, and that little flame of will to live died out. Well, I'm dying, I had thought. Isn't it what I had always wanted?
But then you came along. You helped me revive that little flame on my soul when you insisted that there was another way. There had to be another way. That was what you insisted. And by that look on your face, the twinkle in your eye, the signs of hope, it revived the flame and made it even bigger than before. Now, I wanted to live. But how? It was already too late. That was what I had thought. At the last minute, though, I was literally living in between life and death. I didn't know where I was. I just thought, am I dead? Then, I forced myself to open my eyes to the bright light.
Fuji, I think you might know this. I could never hear, feel, smell, or taste things. I could, but they all sounded, felt, smelled, and tasted the same to me. When I first saw that the fluorescent light on the hospital ceiling was too bright for my eyes, I was overjoyed. And when I felt the cold air from outside blow on to my body, I was delighted. When I knew that I was happy, I was so, so happy. I could finally feel emotions, and I could tell the difference between a book falling off the shelf and a frying pan falling out of the cupboard. And it was all thanks to you two.
Oh my, I suppose I wrote more than I thought I had. Perhaps I should let you two get back to your own things now, but I just wanted to see how you were doing. I am very proud of Echizen, and I am forever indebted to Fuji. I am in New York, and you'll probably see me in a couple days at Echizen's next match. I will try to find you two, though it shouldn't be too difficult, since Echizen's on the court, and Fuji will probably be somewhere in the front row. Take care, and thank you, again, for everything you have done. I owe my life to you.
-Yukimura Seiichi
PS: I haven't found my special someone yet, but if I do, I will be sure to introduce him or her to you. Good luck with your relationship. I'm sure you two will be together forever and have many happy times together.
"Ryoma, what did you think?" Fuji asked as he put the letter back down onto the glass coffee table.
Ryoma was quiet in thought for a moment, tapping his chin unnaturally. "I thought it was funny at the end when he mentioned about 'introducing him or her' to us. I think it's funny that he put 'him' first."
"Ryoma," Fuji said and hit him lightly over the head. "Be serious."
"It was quite a touching letter. It must've taken a long time for him to write," Ryoma said bluntly.
Fuji sighed. "I guess you'll never really learn…" he mumbled. "I thought it was very considerate that he decided to write to us. We should really write back to him soon."
"We're going to see him in a couple of days," Ryoma pointed out.
"Ryoma, it's common courtesy," Fuji said, sighing once again and shaking his head. "You said it yourself; it must've taken him a while to write. The letter was too sweet to ignore."
Ryoma turned away from Fuji, but not in a harsh way. He was, too, touched by the letter, though he dare not show it. He didn't want Fuji see him wipe away a tear from his eye. Fuji saw, though, Ryoma thought as he saw Fuji smile approvingly out of the corner of his eye. Perhaps now was the time to turn the tables a bit.
Ryoma turned back to Fuji with s smirk on his face. "Saa…that's the I'm-up-to-something-devious-and-you-don't-know-what-it-is face, isn't it?" Fuji asked, smiling more.
"That letter was sweet," Ryoma said quietly, wrapping an arm around Fuji's waist and pulling the older but smaller boy closer to him. Fuji let himself be pulled this time, right into Ryoma's lap. "But not as sweet as this will be." Then, Ryoma leaned in and kissed Fuji on the lips.
When he pulled away, Fuji barely had time to murmur a soft, gentle, "Ryoma…" before he was pulled in for another kiss.
The end!!! I hope you all enjoyed this story, and I'm glad you all chose to read it and review! Like I said, reviews are always open to any of my stories, and it doesn't matter how long it has been since I updated (well, if I haven't updated it in a while, it probably means I finished it). Please review for this last chapter! I might have the next story, 'Mirror Mirror' up in a little while, or it might be a long while; it depends on how much time I have to write it. You can always check my progress on my profile page. Thanks for reading and reviewing again!