Chapter 27: Tezuka
Tezuka versus Yukimura. It was going to be something worth seeing.
Worth seeing… but even so, I wished myself a hundred leagues away. Preferably in Osaka eating raspberry pies with Yuuta.
Doubles Two had passed quite uneventfully, with Yanagi and Sujuuta-sempai securing the first win in the Kantou Finals against Seigaku's second-year Ginta-Seiji pair. As Doubles One prepared, I noticed that Echizen had come as a spectator. He probably had his own match to take care of – but then again, the few people against whom he had not won easily were present here now, which might perhaps explain his interest.
Yagyuu and Niou were up against Eiji and Oishi, just like last year. Again, the unbeatable pair held their own. Rikkaidai took both doubles again, and Seigaku did not look happy. Echizen, meanwhile, watched us all as he expressionlessly sipped his Ponta.
Next was Singles Three. I wasn't particularly worried about facing Inui. His precious data wouldn't help him against me; I refute it, each and every time we've played.
He gave up on beating me in our second year, deciding instead to focus on Tezuka. The reason? I had crushed him in fifteen minutes, three times straight. It was too much for him to take. The superb control of the Tezuka Zone was easier by far for him to stomach as compared to my complete unpredictability.
But this time, I had to lose.
"Fuji. Fancy seeing you here," remarked Inui when we met at the net to shake hands.
Smiling, I replied, "I hope your data-taking has improved, or this will be a difficult game."
As I walked away from him to the baseline, I could feel him staring after me in bafflement. Let him puzzle. It'll keep him from wondering why he's winning.
I wanted to see Tezuka and Yukimura fight it out, once and for all. Since I held the power in my own hands…
Was I so helpless that I had to make them choose for me? Why was I pushing the responsibility to others? Did I have no backbone, no mind of my own?
"Fuji-kun? Fuji Syuusuke-kun?"
I looked up to see the umpire watching me rather anxiously. "Fuji-kun, please serve."
"Ah, I'm sorry," I apologized. It seemed that I'd missed the announcement saying that it was my serve first. Maa…
The ball flew high, and as I bent backwards, I forced other thoughts out of my mind to focus on the ball alone. Let's go, Seigaku.
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"Game, Rikkaidai. Six games to five." Cheers erupted from the massive crowd of Rikkaidai supporters. "Change courts."
Yukimura held out my water bottle. "You'd better decide soon," he commented. "As much as the spectators love this seemingly difficult match, we all know you're only playing with him."
I sipped the water slowly, making sure to keep my poker face. "Inui isn't complaining. Who said I haven't decided? I'll lose so that you and Tezuka can play. I promised you I would."
A smile tugged at his lips. "Promises can often be as breakable as piecrusts. We both know that."
For some reason, that made me recall the way I had once promised to stay true to Tezuka. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
"Do what you want to do, Syuusuke. I will not decide for you." His beautiful blue eyes were serene, but I thought they seemed to have a tinge of sadness as well. "You know what your choice is, in winning or losing this match."
He was right. I knew it all too well. In winning, I would deny Tezuka and Yukimura a chance to fight against each other honorably. In losing, I would surrender my pride to them both. Yet, if I lost and they did play, it was more than likely that Yukimura would win. In a sense, that meant it was a foregone conclusion
Sometimes, making informed decisions could be a right pain in the neck. It was so much easier to just rush into something and then blame the outcome on the fact that you didn't know what you were in for. Unfortunately, I couldn't do that.
In the end, it all boiled down to which was the lesser of the two evils – whether my pride or the consequences were of greater import.
If I won this game, I would keep my pride, but there would always be a lingering question mark on who I'd chosen. Yukimura knew it; I knew it. Neither of us wanted the question mark to stay longer than it already had.
Winning the game meant cutting off all emotional ties to Tezuka. Losing it sealed his defeat to Yukimura.
I passed the water bottle back to the pretty blunette, fingers lingering just a little longer than was necessary. "I think you should go warm up."
His eyebrows rose a fraction, then he smiled. "If you say so."
Not long afterwards, the umpire cried, "Game, Seigaku, six games all. Twelve-point tiebreak. Rikkaidai to serve!"
As we changed courts, Inui commented, "Your game is significantly off. This may be the first time I beat you."
"No, Inui," I corrected, "It'll be the first time I lose to you."
Then we had passed each other, and I made my way to the baseline to serve. A short time later, the stadium roared as the umpire shouted, "Game and match, Seigaku! Seven games to six!"
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Yukimura and Tezuka faced each other across the net. "We will now begin the Singles Two match of the Kantou Regional Finals between Rikkaidai's Yukimura-kun and Seigaku's Tezuka-kun," declared the umpire. "Players, please shake hands."
They obeyed, shaking hands a little stiffly. I noticed that Yukimura wasn't smiling. Of course, neither was Tezuka – not that he ever did in the middle of a match.
It was Yukimura's serve first. As he bounced the ball in preparation, I felt a hand land on my shoulder – Marui's. His violet eyes looked odd without their usual spark of mischief. "Pay attention," he said around a large green bubble. "He doesn't say it, but he wants you to see him. Really see him."
"Don't I?" I asked, surprised at the hint that I didn't know the blunette as well as I should.
Marui only squeezed my shoulder by way of reply before walking off, leaving me staring after him in puzzlement. What he'd said was quite thought-provoking, and it was probably best to take him seriously.
I turned my eyes back to the game, trying to see not just his actions but to see through them as well.
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The ball swerved and slammed out of the court. "Game, Seigaku, four games all! Change court!"
Echizen was opening his third Ponta. I could see the tiny, knowing smirk on his face – he knew what this match was about.
I watched as both players drank deeply from their water bottles, wondering why Yukimura was dropping games like this. He hadn't gone all out yet, not like Tezuka, who was unleashing his Zone and Phantom with a vengeance. By contrast, Yukimura had been playing an almost bland game. It wasn't like him. Of course, he was still holding his own – but for how long?
"Don't worry about him," came Yanagi's voice from behind me. "He's fine; he won't lose."
"Why are you reassuring me of that?" I inquired of him, voice carefully neutral.
"You're doubting him, aren't you?" The data master's tone was calm and confident. "You're puzzled as to why he isn't crushing Tezuka, the way he should be able to."
I couldn't deny it, but I didn't acknowledge it either. He continued, "Don't look at the score and the moves alone, Fuji. Look at their faces, and from there hypothesize what they might be thinking."
"They're both tired," I observed after a few seconds.
"Indeed they are. Tezuka's Zone and Phantom are dangerous, and they take a heavy toll on their user as much as their opponent," said Yanagi. "Tezuka is pushing himself to the limit, despite his full understanding of the consequences. Remember why he is doing this."
Once again, I did not answer. The data master went on, "Yukimura could win easily if he only pushed himself a little more. Ask yourself why he spares his opponent at this point."
I bit the inside of my lip in thought. Tezuka… he really wants to win, I realized. Even though he knows it's futile. Yukimura knows this and doesn't play to his fullest abilities because he doesn't wish to hurt Tezuka further than he already has been… And I was the one who hurt him first, by crossdressing and betraying his trust.
"I believe I've made my point." Yanagi's voice pulled me from my thoughts. "Watch them clearly, Fuji, or you will never really see them."
'Really see'. That was exactly the same phrase Marui had used. Was I blind, that I could not, in their words, 'really see' Yukimura or Tezuka? Had I never 'really seen' them before? Or had I simply forgotten how to do so?
I didn't know.
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"Game and match, Rikkaidai! Six games to four!" The crowd's cheers were deafening. "Beating Seigaku at 3-1, Rikkaidai is the Kantou Regional Champion!"
Yukimura exited the court, his eyes weary. "Syuusuke…"
"I know. You're too kind… Seiichi." I smiled, at first tentatively, then more confidently as he returned it with one of his own. Heedless of the spectators, I wrapped my arms around him and rested my head on his shoulder. He smelled of sweat and sun, but he was still Yukimura, and that was what mattered – because Yukimura would love me no matter whether I was really a girl or a boy.
Tezuka knelt on the court, surrounded by his teammates. His fingers gripped his elbow so tightly there were spots of white on his flushed skin.
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A/N: Whew, I finally finished a chapter! I think this will be the last thing I can upload in year 2008… it's already the 27th of December, after all.
I hope you liked this chapter, even though it's so disjointed and everyone's a little OOC. Sorry to those who were still praying for Perfect Pair :-X but it really didn't seem to be working out. I thought it best to give it a better closure.
This fic still has several chapters to go, though I'm pretty sure it won't go over 40 chapters total. Maybe about five or six more chapters for them to go to Osaka, have a few adventures there and then come back for the Nationals, and lastly an epilogue.
Please Review!
P.S. Kid-chan, I'll edit the chappie you sent me (HTIYS) after I write mine since mine has to be uploaded first. Sorry… :-X If you want, you can start working on your Part II for now.