Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction ❯ Electronic Love ❯ Invitation to a Rendezvous ( Chapter 9 )

Invitation to a Rendezvous

Mailbox: checked. Result: negative.

The yard: checked. Result: negative.

The cars: checked. Result: negative.

Where the hell did that Prince Charming put his message? Fuji had been searching the house since morning with the help from Yumiko for no result. Fuji sighed. He even searched inside the house, which was of course useless; unless this Prince Charming was a spectral or magician, it just couldn't be. But where would Prince Charming put his message? Fuji was getting anxious.

“Maybe you overlooked someplace.” Yumiko supplied.

“Nee-chan, I've searched the house three times, with your help, no less. It's neither outside nor inside the house. There's nothing.” Fuji answered exasperatedly. He stared at his cell phone expectantly.

“Well at least that proves two things.”

“What?” Fuji asked.

“One, he's not a stalker. He respects your privacy. Two, he is real and not a ghost.”

Fuji was about to reply that comment when his cell phone rang in his hand. On the screen was the picture of his redheaded friend. Fuji sighed softly in disappointment. He had hoped it was from Prince Charming.

“Moshi moshi, Eiji.” He said with a smile despite his disappointment.

“Fuji, come to the park with me, nya!” The bouncy red head said excitedly from the other line. “You know, the one we came to last month?”

“What's the occasion?”

“Oishi said there was a small cozy restaurant nearby. He wants to treat us, nya!”

“Eiji, I think I shouldn't disturb you and Oishi.” Fuji said with a chuckle.

“No! Oishi told me to ask you to come, nya!”

Fuji blinked slowly. “Why?”

“Everyone will be there. Oishi said he wants us to have fun together before the final exam and our graduation, nya!”

“Everyone?” Did this mean Tezuka would be there, too? Fuji wasn't sure he wanted to meet Tezuka now. It might bring conflict to his heart. He was trying to focus on the development of his relationship with Prince Charming. Being with Tezuka would distract him from that.

“Fuji.” Eiji said seriously all of a sudden. “I think you shouldn't run away from your problem. You can't avoid Tezuka forever. You must confront your biggest problem.”

Startled by the sudden change of attitude, Fuji could only blink slowly. He knew Eiji was right, though. He must confront his problem, Tezuka. With a smile, he answered Eiji. “Alright, then.”

“Great! Meet me there at twelve, nya!” Eiji said before he hung up.

Fuji stared at his cell phone for a while and then turned to his sister who was smiling in amusement. “You don't have to tell me. I've heard.” Yumiko said when Fuji opened his mouth to explain, proving the loudness of an excited Eiji. “Go. It's good for you. I'll tell you if I find the message.”

Fuji smiled sincerely. “Thanks, nee-san.”

“Anything for my otouto.”

Then a voice hollered from the second floor. “Aniki! What have you done to my room?!”

*

The park Fuji and Eiji were talking about was rather hidden in the location of office buildings and during Sundays it was quiet there. Very few children frequented this place since it's built rather far from housing specifically for refreshments for the employees of the offices nearby. Fuji had found it during one of his Tezuka-musing times. The park had been quiet and provided Fuji the solitude he wanted then. Not long after the discovery, he took his best friend there and it seemed like Eiji had told of this place's existence to his boyfriend.

Naturally Fuji was the first to arrive there since Eiji almost always came after him. He guessed living with eight other people made it difficult to do anything quickly.

Fuji stood near the entrance to the park so Eiji could easily see him. A few minutes later, Eiji came running to him. “Fujiko-chan!” The redhead called out, waving his hand. Eiji hugged his best friend once he arrived in front of him. “Have I made you wait too long?”

“Not really. I was early.” Fuji replied with a smile, referring to the fact that it was only two minutes past the appointed time.

“Oishi said he might be a little late because he have to do something first, nya.” Eiji pouted as he let Fuji go.

Fuji chuckled and pulled his best friend's hand. “Let's wait for him over there.” He pointed to two small swings near a camellia tree.

Eiji quickly agreed and soon they were sitting side by side on the twin swings. The tree provided a nice shade and made a nice view. Every now and then soft wind would ruffle the hair gently and the sound of the rustling leaves would add the feeling of peace they got every time they went to the park.

“It's a nice park, nya!' Eiji exclaimed softly, not wanting to disrupt the comfortable silence engulfing them. The redhead swung slightly as he enjoyed the wind caressing his face and hair.

Fuji nodded quietly, with a smile. He was happily looking around the quiet place when something blue caught his attention. It stood out among the natural colors of green and brown of the trees and bushes. For a moment he thought it was a piece of junk someone threw under the camellia tree. But when he looked at it carefully, he realized that it wasn't. Fuji's heart skipped a beat as he recognized the item.

Under the camellia tree beside the swing Fuji occupied, a blue heart-shaped box sat innocently and attached to it was an envelope. It was Prince Charming's promised note, Fuji realized. How did he know Fuji was going to come here? And Fuji was quite sure it wasn't there when he arrived. When did he put it there? Briefly Fuji remembered leaving the park for a while to buy candy on a nearby shop before Eiji arrived. Did Prince Charming put it there that time? How come Fuji didn't see him?

“Fuji?” Eiji asked after realizing that his best friend had been very quiet and still for the past minute or so.

Ignoring Eiji, Fuji stood up and slowly approached the tree, still not quite believing what he thought he saw. He stared in shock and disbelieve when the item he spot were indeed a heart shaped box and a letter. His name was even printed neatly on the envelope. It was a letter from Prince Charming, indeed.

“Fuji?” Eiji asked behind him as Fuji bent down to retrieve the letter and the box. The redhead gasped when he saw it. “Fuji is that…”

Fuji held his breath as he opened the envelope. To his surprise the envelope didn't contain a letter but a picture of a beautiful house he recalled seeing in a magazine once. When he flipped the picture he found a date there. What could this possibly mean?

“Is that from Prince Charming?” Eiji asked.

“I think so. I've seen this house somewhere… and this date… Is that a date for the rendezvous he told me about?”

“Fuji, this is great! You could finally see him!” Eiji cried, hugging Fuji from behind tightly.

Fuji laughed softly and opened the box. Inside were delicious looking chocolate pieces. Then he noticed a small piece of paper inside the top lid of the box. On the paper several words were printed neatly.

Please reply the usual way, if you may.

Fuji smiled brightly and pulled out his cell phone to text his sister. But before he could type a letter, Oishi came to the park and called out to them.

“Eiji! Fuji! Sorry to keep you waiting!”

Eiji waved back to his boyfriend. But before he could say anything, Fuji grabbed his hand and pulled him close to whisper something.

“Please don't tell him about this, Eiji. I don't want anyone to find out about this yet.”

Eiji nodded and ran to Oishi to jump him. Fuji observed all this from under the tree with a smile. Quietly, he hid the box of chocolate and the envelope in his jacket before approaching the couple.

“Oishi.” Fuji greeted the vice-captain.

“Hi, Fuji. Sorry, but we must wait a bit for the others. Inui, Kaido and Kawamura will be here shortly. But Ryoma and Momoshiro don't know the place so Tezuka must take them here.”

Fuji felt a jab in his heart at the thought of Tezuka and Ryoma together but ignored it. He busied himself watching the couple in front of him. He tried to focus on the feel of the box against his chest and converse with his friends. Fuji could only hope he didn't fidget too much in his anxiety.

A few minutes later, they had all gathered and soon headed to the restaurant. Fuji refused to look at his captain and busied himself talking to and teasing his other teammates all the time. He also kept glancing at his cell phone in case Prince Charming text him or something.

Tezuka, being a captain, had of course kept his eyes on everyone. If not by habit then by other ulterior motives. He knew that Fuji avoided him and he noticed how the prodigy kept glancing at his cell phone. Slightly intrigued and hopeful, he shifted in his seat -which was conveniently located next to Fuji- silently when the latter was busy with his cell phone again.

“Are you waiting for a call?” He asked softly, not wanting to draw attention from his other teammates.

Fuji stiffened slightly but then turned and smiled at Tezuka sweetly. “Not exactly. Why?”

“You keep looking at your cell phone. Or do you have something else you should attend to?”

Tezuka watched with his cryptic eyes as Fuji hummed thoughtfully. “Not quite. Are you jealous that I'm probably waiting for a call from someone?” Fuji teased.

Fuji didn't know what made him say that, but the light blush on Tezuka's cheeks definitely worth the regret for the slip of tongue. His smile faltered, however, when he heard a chuckle from the other side of the table. Ryoma was smirking at them mischievously and upon realizing this too, Tezuka suddenly backed away.

Fuji's heart ached. He didn't know why he wasted his time here, hurting himself eith the sight of Tezuka and Ryoma together. It wasn't his place to make any remark about jealousy to Tezuka in Ryoma's presence. It wasn't his place at all…

Abruptly, Fuji stood up, drawing confused and startled looks from his friends. “I'm sorry.” He said pleasantly. “But my sister expected me soon. I've promised to accompany her shopping today.”

“But Fuji…” Eiji whined. “You haven't finished your food.” The redhead said, referring to Fuji's only half eaten meal.

“I'm sorry. I really must leave if we don't want to be caught in the traffic later.”

“Fuji…”

Fuji merely smiled to his best friend and left the place after saying goodbye to everyone. Once he could no longer be seen from the restaurant, he broke into a run. A run to escape the pain of his heart…

*

“What do you think this means?” Fuji asked his sister. In an attempt to forget the earlier event in the restaurant, he directed his attention to Prince Charming's note. Once he arrived home he showed Yumiko the note and the gift from Prince Charming and asked her opinion about them. Yumiko was only too happy to discuss her brother's love life.

“He must've wanted to meet you there on that date. It's a good place. I've read about it in a magazine. He must be rich if he could afford to rent that house.”

“I thought as much.” Fuji agreed.

“But what about the time?”

“I don't know. He didn't write anything about it. I'm thinking about asking him about it. But about this `usual way'… you think he means Internet or cell phone?”

“I think it's Internet. You usually communicate this way, right?”

Fuji nodded and went to his computer while Yumiko looked at him happily from his bed. She had been rather surprised when Fuji came home earlier than expected but her confusion was answered when Fuji showed her the note from Prince Charming. She had started to take interest in this Prince Charming, too. From what Fuji told her this far, he seemed to be a decent man worthy of being her brother in law.

Yumiko was glad her brother had found a distraction from Tezuka. She knew Fuji was still hurting from his unrequited love for his captain. Besides, it's rather difficult to forget someone when you meet that person almost daily. But Yumiko believed that her brother would probably forget about Tezuka eventually. This Prince Charming also helped the process and now she could only hoped that Fuji would come to really love Prince Charming and forget Tezuka completely.

“It's done!” Fuji exclaimed

Yumiko stopped her musing and went to her brother to read the recently-made poem.

Clues taken

And despite my silence

I can't wait for our rendezvous to happen

Now if you would be mind

Please do be kind

For this stranger needs to be enlightened

At which number should his time be signed?

“It's quite nice. Now send it! We want to hear from him as soon as possible, ne?”

With a nod and a happy smile, Fuji clicked the send button.

^_^