Authors note: NEW STORY PEOPLE! Sorry that I've been so out of it this summer; I am busy as a high school senior. Well, here I go with my attempt at a somewhat angsty and sadder –than-usual story. This is also a bit different from my usual style since it's in 3rd person. Please review because I'd really appreciate feedback to know if this story is not total junk. Please REVIEW and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own these love birds.

Ch.1 Restart

The road was dark and very few orbs of light skated on the highway. It was a cloudy night; the purple-blue sheets of darkness engulfed the whole town. The music in the black car was muffled by the young couple's arguing. An odd couple they were, at least by society's standards. Two handsome men blessed with intelligence and talent. And one could argue that they were blessed with good luck until this dreadful night. Distracted by the argument he was having with his lover, the hazel eyed man driving didn't notice a truck speeding their way. But just as the truck's white light sucked them in, the car skidded to the left and entered a world of shattered glass and red. The cold wind carried the echoes of the crash along with the distant sound of that truck. The drunken grim reaper had indifferently slipped away without knowing all the things he snatched away from the young couple.

Two pale eyelids open to reveal pacific oceans. The orbs of blue look around the gleaming white room, confusion tinting them. The honey brown haired man sits up, his body feeling heavy and weak. He rakes his mind for reasons for him to be in a hospital room. Just as he starts sliding off the bed, his toes touching the cold blue floor, a doctor and another man walk into the room. They rush to the blue eyed man, saying something about how he shouldn't strain himself.

"Fuji-san, please lay down again." The doctor helps Fuji to the bed.

Fuji sits up, leaning against the bed's backboard, "What happened? Why am I here?"

"Shusuke…you don't remember?" Tezuka cautiously walks to Fuji's side, gently grabbing his hands.

This is the first time Fuji really notices Tezuka; Fuji stares at his relief filled hazel eyes. Fuji moves his hands away from Tezuka's familiar colds ones while shaking his head, "Why are you here Tezuka?"

The dim light in Tezuka's eyes dies down and his face stiffens, "…why are you calling me by my surname?"

"Because that's what I've always called you", Fuji hits the bed softly, "And why am I in a hospital bed?"

Tezuka runs his hand through his hair while sighing, "We were in a car accident."

Fuji's eyes widen, "What?"

The doctor's voice is gently, "Fuji-san, you've been in a coma for the past five months."

"…and? It's not that simple is it?"

Tezuka's hazel eyes meet Fuji's pacific oceans, "How old do you think you are right now?"

Fuji looks down at his hands, "I am eighteen aren't I?"

Tezuka clenches his hands and silently stares up at the ceiling, his face contorted with sadness, "No, you aren't Shusuke."

The doctor touches Fuji's shoulder, "You are twenty-four…it seems you've lost your memories of the past six years."

Fuji laughs nervously, "You're kidding right? I'm supposed to be in my first year of college. Are you saying that I graduated and I don't even remember it?"

The doctor nods, "You hurt your head in the accident and as we predicted you suffered from post-traumatic retrograde amnesia. You will slowly recover some of your memory but the probability of recovering all of your memories is low."

"…"

The doctor gives Fuji and Tezuka a small smile, "Be strong, both of you. It was a horrible accident, you guys should be grateful to be living." He walks to the door, "I'll let you guys talk a bit in private; Tezuka-san you can take Fuji-san home in a few hours."

Tezuka nods, "Thank you for everything."

"My pleasure." The door closes the door behind him.

Fuji clears his throat, "Start talking."

"About what?"

"Explain everything. Why were we in an accident together?"

"We were in the same car."

"Why? You went off to Germany for high school didn't you?"

"I did but we both ended up going to Tokyo U."

"And how was that? Did we have a good time?"

"Yes, we enjoyed our college days."

Fuji's eyes spark with curiosity, "So? Do you know what I was doing after college or where do I live?"

"You are a photographer with your own gallery and studio near our house."

"Our house?"

Tezuka sighs, "We are living together."

Fuji smirks, "Wait, why? I know we were best friends in middle school but you were never the type to room with someone."

Tezuka smiles to himself which surprises Fuji, "You made me into the type that could."

"Really? Why?"

"You ask too many questions."

"This is the last one."

"Because we were lovers, Shusuke."

Fuji's smile drops, "…oh."

Tezuka chuckles bitterly, "Well, we were lovers. I guess we are back to square one."

"I'm sorry."

Tezuka shakes his head, "It's not your fault. It's mine."

"Huh?"

Tezuka walks up to Fuji's bed and pets his head, "No more questions; go to sleep. I'll pick you up at the time they tell me you can leave."

Fuji doesn't understand why his heart skipped a beat when Tezuka touched him. His body remembers another side of Tezuka that his mind can't, his body remembers those cold, gentle hands. Fuji nods and lies down, "Okay."

Tezuka closes the door, leaving Fuji to think about everything he was just told until his mind lullabies him to sleep. Tezuka walks around looking for Fuji's doctor, his face slowly breaking into a pool of worry, sadness, and anger. Tezuka spots the middle aged, black haired doctor.

"Excuse me, doctor?"

"Oh Tezuka-san. Good, I wanted to talk to you."

"Yeah, so did I."

"About Fuji-san's condition?"

"Yes."

"I am sorry that it turned out like this but with patience and time there is hope that he'll recover most of his memories."

"I hope. Will he have any other problems aside from his memory loss?"

"He might. There is a high probability that he'll have very strong headaches by which some of his memories will return to him. I'll prescribe medicine for those headaches. He also may recover his memories through dreams." The doctor sighs and adjusts his glasses, "How he recovers his memories may depend on his emotional state so try your best to keep him calm. I also suggest putting him in therapy to make the process easier."

"Yes, I understand."

"Tezuka-san, you must be very patient. The damage to his brain not only caused amnesia but it also might have caused some personality change. He won't be a totally different person but some things may be different. Also, he is much more prone to depression because of his desire to remember the last six years but his inability to."

"Thank you."

The doctor pats Tezuka on the back, "Well, we only have a few tests to run so pick him up in an hour and a half or so."

"Okay."

Tezuka walks out of the nearest exit and to the hospital parking lot. He can practically walk to the spot his car is in with his eyes closed; he's parked there almost every day for the past five months. His car is now a modest white Honda since his parent-bought Mercedes was destroyed in the accident. He turns off the car alarm and gets in, slowly driving the short distance to his house. He still isn't used to this car; he had just gotten it a few weeks ago since the accident had made him fear driving. He is getting the hang of driving again and his fear has subsided.

Tezuka is grateful that he and Fuji moved to Nagoya a few years ago, driving here is a lot easier than diving in Tokyo. To be specific, their house is in a town named Kisogawa. It's a quiet, simple town with a lot of rice fields and friendly people. Tezuka pulls up into their driveway and walks to the front door.

Tezuka opens the door, making the silver cactus hanging on the house key jingle. These were Fuji's keys; Tezuka carried them around the past few months to have something of Fuji's with him at all times. He won't admit it but he's been lonely-no, more than lonely- these past few months. He'll never tell Fuji about the nights he cried himself to sleep, fearing that he'll never hear Fuji's voice and blaming himself for everything. Tezuka will never tell him that for some time he turned to alcohol but quit in hope of being in his best condition whenever Fuji woke up. He won't tell him about his parents disinheriting him, or the therapy sessions, or his inability to become a professional tennis player. Tezuka doesn't want to cause Fuji any more pain and he is willing to hide anything and hide his own pain for Fuji's sake.

Tezuka takes off his shoes in the genkan, neatly lining them against the wall. He says "tadaima" to an empty house and in his mind plays Fuji's gentle "okaeri". He looks between the brown shoe closets to the right of the genkan. There is a shelf with a picture of Fuji and Tezuka. It was Fuji's favorite picture of them and truthfully, Tezuka liked it as well. It was taken when they visited London. Fuji is hugging Tezuka from behind, his arms around Tezuka's neck and sporting a brilliant smile on his face. Tezuka is slightly smiling, which is not as rare as it was in middle school. He is holding Fuji's hand, the one closest to the camera. Their favorite thing about this otherwise simple photo is that their matching rings are the center of the photo. Those two beautiful silver rings were their equivalent of marriage rings. Tezuka and Fuji didn't need a piece of paper or a ceremony to prove their commitment to each other. They understood they'd be living as a happy couple in this two floor house that is a bit too big for just two people until they grew old. Or that's what they thought before the accident.

Tezuka sighs, "Square one, huh."

He takes the framed photo further into the house. He enters the first room to his right, across the hallway from the stairs, the living room. At the farthest left corner of the living room is the kitchen and the small ding table is on the farthest right corner. He walks along the wall of the room, corner to corner, taking down every photo of them Fuji had put up. Tezuka doesn't want to make Fuji feel pressured by the photos, the events he doesn't remember, or the feelings he no longer feels. After going through out the house collecting photos and photo albums, an arduous task because Fuji is a photographer, Tezuka puts everything in a cardboard box and stores it in the closet of the tatami room on the second floor. He grabs some clothes and shoes for Fuji and walks downstairs, sighing at how bare the walls now look. Tezuka checks his watch and steps down to the genkan to put on his shoes. He takes Fuji's keys, locks the house, and gets in his car.

"Okay he's set to go. I prescribed medicine for him to take. His legs will fully recover in a few days; just have him take it easy. Are you sure you don't want a wheel chair?"

Fuji nods, "I'm sure."

Tezuka looks at Fuji; the clothes that used to fit him perfectly were now loose on his body. Tezuka puts Fuji's arm around his neck and holds Fuji's waist, "Bear with it until we get in the car."

"Yeah, thank you for all of this."

They slowly make their way out of the hospital and to the car. Tezuka helps Fuji to the passenger seat and buckles him in. Fuji laughs at how motherly his actions are. Tezuka closes Fuji's door and sits in the diver seat, closing his door and buckling in.

"I don't allow music…or talking while I'm driving."

Fuji raises an eyebrow, "Why?"

"You don't have to know."

"It's related to the accident isn't it?" Fuji turns towards Tezuka, "I hate how you are keeping things hidden from me."

Tezuka turns on the car, "Both those things distract me and I don't want to repeat what happened on that day. I don't want to put you through that again."

"Why are you so concerned over me?"

Tezuka looks into Fuji's eyes, "Because I love you Shusuke and I am planning to make you fall in love with me again."