A/N: Hopefully I have enough left in me to finish off this story. Thank you and I'M SO SORRY to all those that waited for this.
…

Koori No Ouji

Rated: M

Summary: Fed up with playing with the same crowd, Syuusuke finds a new form of entertainment after wishing on a star for an interesting Fiancée.

Chapter 14:Ryoma

Recap

Ryoma sunk down and closed his eyes outside as he tried to forget everything Fuji was telling him.

How many more times before he could escape this? How many more times would he be fooled to believe something like this?

"You made me this way…"

Ryoma shook his head in thought as he could see his lover always trailing him, always whispering his love yet why did he sleep with that guy too? Why did he date that one too? Why was HE the other one? The extra?

"It's because you had so much fun with him that you forgot about me…"

"I'm sorry," Ryoma whispered to no one in particular. He had to get away and bury it all again

XxX

Cafe

Fuji sighed as he sat at a circle with what seemed like all of Ryoma's ex's

"It's something you have to deal with if you're trying to take what was ours," Atobe said with a frown.

"He comes with a lot of baggage but I hope you guys will find your own way off without disturbing us," Fuji informed with a widening smile.

"Since when can you turn over a new leaf?" Tezuka asked Fuji.

"I can do anything for my Ryo-baby,"

"Don't call Aka-chan that," Yukimura interrupted.

"Look," Fuji said sitting up straight now. "We appreciate that you guys care, in your own twisted way, but my little ice prince is mine and that's not changing."

"Has he agreed to that?" Sanada asked with a small smirk present on his face.

"He will," Fuji said with a scary smile as well. "We're working on that."

"We aren't sharing!" Atobe reminded everyone.

XxX

Ryoma

"Did you start having flashbacks again?"

Ryoma didn't answer the woman. He was still lost in his own thoughts and memories and disregarded her words.

"Ryoma!"

He blinked and moved to see who had grabbed him. Steady brown eyes stared into his and he felt himself relax.

"Nina…"

A sigh escaped the girl's lips and she grasped his hand.

"Ryoma… it's time to let go of that now." She said. "What Onii did was not your fault."

There was no response and a sadness filled her as she stared at the boy who was here but not here.

The incident had happened years ago and yet she wondered if her brother was in the least bit sorry for destroying Ryoma like this.

Back then, Ryoma and her Onii had been the best of friends. She knew they had a thing for each other but her brother continued seeing other people even though he was steady with Ryoma.

Then that accident happened. Ryoma had come over unexpectedly and she had let him in. They hadn't realized that her brother was already home with another girl. It had shocked Ryoma.

Nina still felt guilty because she had somewhat known her brother was messing around with different people and she hadn't let Ryoma know either.

Ryoma and her brother had argued and Ryoma ran out. Her brother followed and all she heard was the car screech and an impact.

By the time she ran rushed out all she saw was Ryoma covered in her brother's blood as he held him and her brother lying on the road.

For a long while after that, Ryoma couldn't relax according to his family except within her presence. It could be because she looked so similar to her brother.

Nina glanced at the mirror and wondered. If she chopped her hair short... if she wasn't a girl….

The replica of her Onii…

"Masaki…"

Nina snapped out of her daze when she heard her brother's name uttered from Ryoma's lips. Tears entered her eyes as she wondered if Ryoma could ever let it go forever.

For a long while, she thought he had advanced passed it but recently he was coming around quite often again just to sit with her and stare off into his own world. What had triggered such a thing after so long?

XxX

"Where'd you go?" Fuji asked seeing Ryoma come in pretty late. "You're past curfew."

"Doesn't matter," Ryoma said not bothering to look at Fuji. "I'm leaving this hell hole anyway."

"What do you mean by that?" Fuji asked walking over to grasp Ryoma's arm.

"Nothing you need to be concerned with," Ryoma said yanking her arm away from Fuji. "Just stay away from me."

"Ryoma," Fuji said pulling Ryoma into his arms forcefully. "I'm completely serious about you."

"I'm not," Ryoma said angrily as he struggled to escape Fuji's arms.

"Look," Fuji said tossing Ryoma onto his bed before crawling atop him. He trapped Ryoma's wrists with his own hands and opened his eyes to seriously stare at Ryoma.

Ryoma glared back up at him and before Fuji could say anything else, he saw the tears forming from the corners of Ryoma's eyes. He loosened his hands and scooped Ryoma into his arms in a tenderer embrace.

"Ryoma… I know you've been through a lot and I'm not the best candidate to be believed at times like this but I really do love you."

Ryoma didn't struggle, but neither did he reply to Fuji's words. He just laid completely still seemingly listening but not at the same time.

"It also caught me off guard," Fuji continued anyways. "You thought you liked to play around with as many people as you could under your belt? I was ten times worse. The game was the fun, the capture was satisfying and then I felt nothing for them… but you're different."

Fuji rubbed his head against Ryoma's forehead. "It must be karma coming back at me because I enjoyed being the other side for way too long."

"This game has ended…" Ryoma finally uttered after a long silence filled their room.

"I'm done playing games," Fuji said softly. "I just want you."

"These stakes are too high for me," Ryoma said pushing Fuji away softly. "Please, just go away."

Fuji shook his head and pressed a kiss to Ryoma's lips. "I won't."

"If love is like an hourglass to you then once it runs out, I'll turn it upside down and fill it with love again and again," Fuji whispered and pinned Ryoma. "I love you whether you like it or not."

XxX

Panic went through Fuji in a jolt when he opened his eyes to see nothing but crumpled bed sheets beside him and an empty room. He sat up and skimmed the room again in hopes he missed-

"Oh, you're up,"

Relief filled Fuji as his head whipped to the doorway of the bathroom. He saw Ryoma coming out dressed in his uniform with a towel around his neck. His hair was still wet.

"Can I stay with you?" Fuji asked noting that Ryoma seemed keen on pretending last night didn't happen.

Ryoma sighed loudly and came over to sit beside Fuji.

"Syuusuke," Ryoma started. "There's a lot of things I haven't ever told anyone."

A burst of happiness filled Fuji's heart hearing his name from Ryoma's mouth but he contained it in favour of pulling Ryoma into his arms.

"I'm ready to listen," Fuji uttered burying a kiss onto Ryoma's shoulder.

"Masaki…"

"Eh?" Fuji questioned not understanding.

"That was his name," Ryoma said with the slight twist upward of his lips. "He was my first love."

Fuji felt a slight twinge of jealousy at hearing that but he reminded himself that the past could never override his place right now…. And if it did, he didn't mind dismantling him like the rest of those groupies that wouldn't disperse from their view.

"He and I were inseparable for a long while," Ryoma continued with a faraway gaze and small smile. "We had the same hobbies, liked the same movies and got along genuinely well with one another. But I didn't know that while I cherished him with everything I had, he was out there cherishing everyone else too."

Fuji swallowed back some words of comfort. He himself was a bastard like that not too long ago so how could he sympathize and comfort Ryoma for the same things he did.

"He was in multiple relationships with no discrimination between male or female," Ryoma said flatly now. "He continued to do that behind my back because I was busy practising to go pro."

"You were going pro for tennis?" Fuji asked recalling this boy was a wonder-boy when it came to tennis.

Ryoma nodded. "So I became even less aware that such things were going on behind my back."

"So then how'd you find out?" Fuji asked softly.

"The same way everyone does," Ryoma said with an awry smile. "I thought to surprise him and found him buried deep within his current girlfriend in his room. He didn't even panic, just asked if I would like to join."

"So you fought?" Fuji asked trying to fight down his anger on Ryoma's behalf.

"Yes," Ryoma agreed. "He made it clear he liked the openness. Obviously, his girlfriend didn't because she slapped his head back and left immediately."

"I take it you didn't either." Fuji finished.

"I was naïve," Ryoma admitted. "So I threw a fit and ran off telling him that if he liked it that way then he shouldn't be angry if I too went out to do the same. I ended up so angry I stormed out of his house and didn't realize he was running after me. I crossed the street and he followed but the car didn't see him till he came out."

"Did he…" Fuji started.

"Yeah… within seconds because the guy was drunk." Ryoma flatly stated.

"You made me this way!"

"How?"

"It's because you had so much fun with him that you forgot about me!"

"He's my trainer!"'

"That you slept with! Why else would he touch you like that?"

Ryoma exhaled shakily in thought.

"It was my fault that I didn't see that he was insecure with me spending more and more time with someone else. He sought to comfort himself elsewhere while I ignored him."

"That wasn't your fault!" Fuji said tightening his arms around Ryoma.

"You're attitude is exactly like his!" Ryoma said with a slight smile.

"I'm not!" Fuji said staring at Ryoma with slightly irritated blue eyes now. "I may be an ass who uses the pleasure of the game and body to amuse myself but mark my words Ryoma, I will NEVER turn around and do things like that to you without solid evidence!"

Ryoma teared slightly at that and leaned his head against Fuji. "Really?"

"Yes," Fuji said resolutely. "I'm more the type to confront and take that person down for trying to take what's mine."

Ryoma laughed.

It was different from his usual sarcastic laughs. It was a genuine one that if Nina were here, she recognized as the old Ryoma.

A/N: Wow! It's been forever since I've updated this story but I finally have made my way around and back!

It's exciting for me because there is one more chapter left for this story before I close its doors but it was a pleasure to write even if it took years for the end. Thank you for coming for the ride and review.