Author's Note:

Greetings!

Thank you for checking this out! I appreciate it a lot!

So this is my sixth PoT one-shot and the second one in Seigaku series. This one is about the infamous Fuji Shusuke! I like Fuji a lot because his sadistic personality kind of matches mine. He is also very cool and collected and it's really funny to watch him devour Inui's juices without trouble - except the Aozu. I also like his route in Gakuensai no Ouji-sama (PoT's otome game) a lot. It's funny and sweet and simply entertaining!

Anyway, I think I failed to mention this in my Ryoma one-shot but I kind of decided a them for Seigaku - rings! In every single one-shot concerning my favoured regulars, they'll be presenting rings to their girls (my OCs). I can't wait to post the next one-shot. But I still can't decide who.

For mariarosa, thank you for your suggestion! I'm currently writing one for Kaidou Kaoru. I like him a lot too, especially his passionate and subborn personality. It's unexpectedly cute when he cowered in fear of ghost too! He's cute. And his route in Gakuensai no Ouji-sama is also cute, really. I hope I can finish his fast enough so I can post it as soon as possible. Thank you for your PM and suggestion.

I don't take request but I do take suggestion. You can tell me if there's a character in PoT you want one-shot for and I'll deliberate. If I happen to like or be interested in him then I'll probably do so. If you happen to have a good inspiration for your suggestion then I'll gladly accept ideas. Is this the same as request? But since I don't take all of the suggestion, I guess it's a little different.

Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy my Fuji Shusuke one-shot.

Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis

Childhood Promise

"In sickness and in health. Until death do us part." Shusuke smiled, tying the red string around my small finger. I giggled and blushed brightly at him. "There you go, Yuu-chan."

"Let's get married for real someday, Shusuke!" hugging Shusuke tightly, I beamed up at him, "I want to marry in a big church! And I want to wear really pretty white dress!"

"Of course. You will be the prettiest bride ever, Yuu-chan."

I held out my little finger, "Promise?"

Shusuke opened his eyes, something he rarely did, and looked into mine seriously, "Promise."

The sound of knocking on my window woke me up. Checking my alarm clock, I groaned angrily and tugged my warm comforter higher. Always, he always woke me up an hour earlier than I was supposed to; just to accompany him to his morning practice.

"Yuu-chan, I know you're awake." He chuckled, "I'm going to be late to morning practice if you insist on being so stubborn."

"…go away…" I mumbled sleepily into my fluffy pillow. Annoying brat. It's his morning practice, not mine. Why would I need to wake up so early then?

It went quiet. Sighing and smiling in relief, I snuggled and prepared to go back to sleep.

"YUUKO! WAKE UP, HONEY! SHU-CHAN'S HERE TO WALK YOU TO SCHOOL!"

"Argh!" jumping to a sitting position, I threw my comforter to my feet and marched out of my room. I stepped back instantly to prevent myself from knocking onto the brunette in front of me. He seemed to have already predicted my reaction because he did nothing but quirking the edges of his lips higher up. "Shusuke!"

"Good morning, Yuu-chan." He chuckled, "Saa, you look as adorable as always in the morning."

I blushed. He was referring to my untamed black hair and my sleepily enraged matching eyes. My bear-print pyjamas were wrinkled from turning and rolling when I slept. Simply put, I looked like a mess.

"You should hurry up and change. Your breakfast is getting cold." He put his hands on my shoulder, turned me around then pushed me into my room. "I'll wait downstairs, okay, Yuu-chan?" he kissed my cheek softly before going back downstairs.

If it was possible, my face turned a hundred shades darker.

I always had a crush on Shusuke, ever since that day in third grade when we promised each other that we would marry someday. He was sweet and kind; although he was also a sadist. He teased me often about things but he had the tendency to tease people that he loved – like Yuuta.

So, in other words, I was just like Yuuta.

Shusuke probably only saw me as his little sister; although we're the same age. I wasn't like his type at all. Shusuke told me once that he preferred elegant girls who behaved well. Well, I was anything but elegant. I was clumsy and I was loud, anything but elegant.

After brushing my teeth and washing my face in the adjoined bathroom, I changed into the sailor uniform and brushed my hair really quick. No matter how annoyed I was at being awoken this early, I didn't want to disappoint Shusuke. I didn't want him to hate me. If we couldn't be lovers, friends would be enough.

Just as long as I was with Shusuke.

My God, I sounded so desperate.

"Finally!" Mom huffed when I went into the dining room, "You took so long to get ready! Shu-chan's been waiting for you!"

"Morning, mom." I grumbled, annoyed. Mom seemed to love Shusuke more than me sometimes.

Sitting down, I picked up my toast and spread my favourite strawberry jam thickly all over it. I loved strawberries – an obsession I seemed to pick from Yuuta. Shusuke moved behind me, running his fingers through my hair before gathering it and braiding it back. He did this every morning – taking care of my hair. I admit that it made my heart beat faster.

I bit into my toast, inwardly moaning at the sweetness and the sourness. It tasted so good.

"Saa, Yuu-chan," Shusuke's chuckle snapped me out of my strawberry trance. I raised an eyebrow, still chewing. "You've got jam here." he swiped the pad of his thumb against the side of my lips. My skin tingled where he touched and I blushed, again. This was starting to become annoying.

"My, the two of you are always so adorable!" Mom squealed in delight. She always loved the idea of Shusuke and I marrying each other in the future. Dad was a bit apprehensive but considering the fine relation between our families, and the fact that the two of us knew each other since we were in diapers, he agreed that there was no guy better than Shusuke to marry me.

"Saa, auntie, I think you've turned Yuu-chan into a statue."

"Oh, that's no good!" she exclaimed. "Yuuko, hurry up and finish your breakfast, honey! Shu-chan's going to be late to his morning practice!" she ushered me.

"Gee, mom!" I rolled my eyes. "I'm trying to enjoy my breakfast!"

"Well, then maybe you should consider waking up earlier then!" she scolded. Shusuke laughed beside me. That insufferable sadist.

When we finally got to school, Shusuke kissed the side of my head then went into the changing room. I blushed, glaring at him before going to sit beside my underclassman, who was also my friend, Mikami Airi – girlfriend to one, unexpectedly, Echizen Ryoma.

She greeted me with a squeal, "Ooh, I saw that, Yuuko-senpai! The two of you are always so cute, even in early morning!"

"Ugh, Airi-chan, you're giving me a headache."

"It's soooooo nice! Fuji-senpai is so romantic! He gives you kisses every single day, protects you from his rabid fangirls, tutors you in classics and math, teaches you tennis, goes on date with you almost every weekend, treats you to-"

"Airi, you forget to mention that he is a sadist who enjoys seeing people suffer. And the fact that he has the oddest taste in food ever. And we never go on dates. We are just hanging out." But Shusuke is also very caring and protective of the ones he loved. He was also very passionate about something he liked – tennis, cactus, photography. Shusuke had nice manners and he drew the people around him in.

"Yeah, but you can look over that little bits, can't you? You've been together since forever." She giggled. "It must be fun to date someone you've known ever since childhood, huh?"

I blinked, "Date? Date who?"

"Fuji-senpai, of course. Who else, senpai?"

"What?"

"Eh, am I mistaken?" she inquired curiously, tapping her lower lip with her index finger. The ring adorning her ring finger gleamed in the sunlight. I remembered the day Ryoma gave it to her, she was skipping and bouncing and smiling everywhere. "Fuji-senpai told everyone that the two of you are dating, though."

"He did what?"

"Yeah. So Arai-senpai was talking about how cute you are when Fuji-senpai appeared out of nowhere and told them that you are dating him. We weren't that surprised since we've seen that coming a long time ago and the two of you are always in this world of your own, but-"

I didn't let Airi finish her sentence. I jumped to my feet and stomped over to the tennis courts where he was running laps along with the other regulars. "FUJI SHUSUKE!" all of them stopped whatever they were doing and turned to me, "COME HERE YOU BASTARD!"

"Oops, the gorilla queen has been awakened it seems." He chuckled and waved at my approaching form, "Come and get me, Yuu-chan!" he shouted before he began running again. Growling, I chased after him, yelling at him all the while.

"See! A world of your own!" I heard Airi squealed cheerfully from the spot she was sitting on. I glared daggers at her. "Senpai, don't deny it!"

"WE DON'T HAVE A WORLD OF OUR OWN!" I shrieked. Shusuke laughed amusedly and he stopped, miles away from me.

"But Yuu-chan, with you running after me like this, doesn't this look like the scene from a romance movie?" he teased. Instantly, my face bloomed at the image of me running after him in a beach with a sunset background. That was so cliché.

"SHUT UP YOU SADIST!" I screamed, running after him again.

"They are so cute!" Honda Ami, the manager of the tennis club, giggled at us. Beside her, a stoic Tezuka assessed the situation before he ordered the regulars to start running again, adding five more laps because they stopped their running. They all groaned; except Shusuke who was still happily laughing at me as he ran.

That idiot! How could he lie about us dating each other? I mean, that did make me feel a little tinge-ish, but it's not nice to lie about something like that. He was unknowingly playing with my feelings. He was acting all possessive which gave me false hope. Then he would continue to treat me like his best friend and sister and it's hard.

Stupid Shusuke. He could be a prodigy and a good observer but he's as numb as Ryoma and Tezuka in this sense. But even Ryoma found out before he did!

No wonder those boys who seemed to be interested in me suddenly backed off. It was because of Shusuke! How was I supposed to move on this way?!

"Yuu-chan, you're slowing down!"

"Grrr…"

Why did I love Shusuke so much, you ask? Well, he was kind and gentle for one. He was caring and very protective. He was always the first one to notice if I wasn't feeling well or if I was upset, even before my parents. When I got sick, Shusuke would skip his precious tennis practice to accompany and take care of me when my parents went to work. He even learned how to make simple congee for me, instead of his usual spicy sandwich and cakes and other odd cuisine.

There were still lots and lots more reasons.

I wonder if he still remembered our promise. But that's impossible. We even lost that red string we used for makeshift ring for out play-wedding. I wondered if he remembered my telling him 'I love you, Shusuke' every single day back then.

But I guess that was just a promise he made to entertain his best friend. He knew I loved to play house and wedding and dolls back then. It was like when he went on a date with that elementary student just to not hurt her feelings. He was too kind.

Yes, he was simply too kind.

"No, Yuu-chan, you have to use this formula." He tapped his pencil against my answer, circling it. "Here, do it again. I'll direct you."

Shusuke was, once again, at my home. My parents worked until evening so he usually accompanied me until my mother got home. Today, he was helping me do my math homework. Math was one of my weakest subject, the other being classics.

I blush a little when his little finger brushed against the side of my hand. He didn't notice as he kept telling me how to answer the question. I couldn't concentrate. My black eyes flicked up to his eyes, which were closed as usual, then to his moving lips. It's so unnatural. Shusuke's lips were so soft-looking and feminine. But I guess it fitted his feminine appearance.

Shusuke kissed me often with those lips. Usually, he would kiss my cheek, my forehead or the side of my head. They were innocent kisses, which we always exchanged back then. I wondered if he realised that I hadn't been kissing him ever since that promise. I tried to on the day after the play-wedding but, somehow, couldn't and I ended up running away. He was so worried that day.

Blushing when I realised that I had been watching his lips for some time and that he had stopped talking, I glanced up at him briefly, only to freeze in shock when I found his blue eyes looking back at me. They were opened, the rare occurrence it was.

"S-Shusuke?" I murmured. He smiled softly, brushing the back of his hand against my cheek. I shuddered a little.

"You really like me, don't you, Yuu-chan?" he asked with a chuckle, looking amused.

My mouth fell open and I gawked at him, a really rude display for a girl and a reason why he wouldn't like me. My God, he didn't just- "What?!"

"Saa, I've known about it for a long time. You aren't the best in hiding your feelings, Yuu-chan." Scooting over to sit closer to me, Shusuke tucked a loose strand of hair that escaped from the braid behind my ear. "You never blushed when I kissed you back then. Now look at you." he kissed my ear and I felt my face growing very, very hot.

"Shusuke! This isn't funny!" I squirmed when he kissed my jaw. "You idiot!"

What brought this on anyway? My staring at his lips? Or did I incidentally voice my thoughts out loud?

"Yuu-chan, you are slower than a snail, aren't you?" he teased with a grin. I glared, still blushing. "It's amazing how you never even get the hint that I love you. Probably more than you love me."

"W-w-w-wha-" my head started to get dizzy because of the heat. I felt like exploding. Why did Shusuke confess so suddenly? "W-why-"

"Saa, why, I wonder…" he kidded.

"S-stop joking around, Shusuke! I'm not going to be fooled this time!" I jerked away from him. He smiled sadly.

"I see. I have teased you too often. Now you can't believe me."

"N-no! I don't mean it like that!"

Idiot Shusuke. Stop putting on that sad kicked-puppy face!

"I'm sorry for teasing you mercilessly but I'm serious, Yuu-chan. I do love you. Do you remember that promise we made in third gate? That we will get married someday?" taking out his phone, he showed me a picture of his favourite cactus. My eyes watered at the sight of familiar red string tied around it. "I won't make promises like that without thinking it through."

"…Shusuke…"

"I don't like it when you get too close to another guy but me. That's why I told people that we're dating."

"You always tease me, Shusuke. You tease me like you do Yuuta." I sniffled, "So I thought that you only see me as your best friend and a sister."

"I won't propose to my sister." He chuckled. Zipping his bag open, Shusuke stuck his hand in and he took out a – Oh my God. Don't tell me… "I think a string as a promise ring is a bit too childish. What about this one instead?"

He opened a tiny box and showed me the shining ring inside. It was white with a thin band with round little diamonds lining it. He took my shaking hand and slipped it into my ring finger, smiling when it fit.

"It's not real, of course. But I promise I'll get the real diamonds for the engagement and the wedding rings." He gently rubbed and brushed my fingers adoringly. "It fits your beautiful finger so well."

"You idiot," I hugged him, "You tease me too much, you got me to misunderstand things!"

"Well, I guess I'll have to stop then." He grinned. "But you do realize that I will only tease the girl I love right?"

"W-well, then I guess I'll let you tease me from time to time." I blushed and pointed at him warningly, "but only from time to time, got it!"

"Saa, that's fine. Prepare yourself okay, Yuu-chan?"

Nervousness swept through me, "So fired up already." I mumbled.

He laughed. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding." I huff and crossed my arms angrily. Not five minutes and he was already teasing me again. He smiled. "But I'll really tease you if you don't tell me how you feel." Blushing, I nudged him. He waited expectantly. Seriously? He was pulling this now? He's always pushing things! "C'mon Yuu-chan. It's not that hard. Just three words."

"Urgh! Fine!" I threw my hands up in the air. "I love you, idiot!"

He chuckled, "I love you too, Yuu-chan."

And he sealed it all with the softest, gentlest kiss.

Extended Ending

"But what brought this on so suddenly, Shusuke?"

"Saa, I wonder why."

I pouted. "Just tell me already!"

"Well, for once it's because you look so cute and irresistible when you stared at my lips so lustfully."

"L-lustfully?! You-" he silenced me with a kiss which sent me blushing. "S-stop it already! How many times do you intend to kiss me?! Pervert!"

"Don't worry, Yuu-chan, I'm not passing any boundaries. Not until we got into high school at least." He gave me a sadistic smirk which showed me he was serious. "Prepare yourself when the time comes, okay?"

"Wha- FUJI SHUSUKE!"