7 Ways to Spot a Buchou Fit

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Author: PurificationArrow

Rating: T+ (older teens)

Summary: There were many things that gave off a clear sign of when Tezuka Kunimitsu was throwing a "Buchou Fit". To Fuji Syusuke, they were just that obvious.

It wasn't that hard to see. Not at all. To one person, it was as clear as water and fire. Two things that were polar opposites, and always would be, since neither could ever become the other. It was just that obvious.

What also wasn't that difficult to see was why friction made heat; why birds sang. And also why the wind blew. It was just that obvious.

And the most obvious thing in the world to one young man was when Tezuka Kunimitsu threw a fit. It was just that obvious. There were so many signs to see, and yet people were always under the impression that this man was the very definition of controlled.

How wrong they were.

There were many things that gave off a clear sign of when Tezuka Kunimitsu was throwing a "Buchou Fit".

To Fuji Syusuke, it was just that obvious.

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1) Irritation: When he had sent people scurrying to do laps and painful marathons back in junior high and high school, just by looking in their direction.

ex. "Ne, Tezuka. I was thinking of visiting the equipment store after practice. Would you care to join me?"

Tezuka turned his head head and then declined it slightly so he could see the one speaking to him. He had been considering a quick refusal, as he usually would, but silenced himself when two pairs of eyes connected. He quickly tuned out Arai who was loudly trying to show off to his buddies on how to copy Ibu Shinji's Spot technique by alternating slices and topspins.

Instead, he nodded. "I needed to buy a new racquet; a string on mine broke while I was practicing."

The other person smiled. "Then how about meeting in front of the school gate at around--"

"Hah! You see? That's what you get when you mess with Arai Masashi!"

People clapped and cheered at the second year who was bowing. Finally when the noises of applause died down, the one with whom Tezuka had been in conversation with spoke, just loudly enough for his soft voice to be heard by Arai.

"Saa, Arai-kun is kind of loud, ne?"

The courts went silent. And Arai, who was in the lowest part of his bow froze. Slowly, the boy rotated his body until he was looking at Tezuka.

The sunlight overhead created a dangerous glint on the tall captain's glasses. Despite that, it was obvious from the angle of the buchou's head that an angry stare was being directed at Arai.

Promptly, a cloud of dust was seen speeding around the tennis courts as Tezuka apologized for the interruption. And Fuji Syusuke smiled and nodded in return while eyeing three racquets in the captain's bag; untouched, unbroken, and completely intact.

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2) Rashness: When Tezuka charges into something without following his advice of: "Don't let your guard down."

ex. "Where is Fuji?"

Oishi looked up at Tezuka, and then back down at his clipboard, "He isn't scheduled to play in any matches today. He didn't say anything to you about leaving early?"

The stoic buchou shook his head slowly, silently trying to figure out where Fuji would have disappeared to.

Unsure, Oishi put his clipboard down, eyeing Tezuka carefully. "Is there something you need him for?" the vice-captain asked. "I could look for him if you like..."

"No." Tezuka interrupted, almost too quickly. "When he comes back, I'll talk to him."

"...All right." Oishi said, returning his gaze to the courts.

For the next five minutes, Tezuka waited. And waited. And for a change of pace, he waited some more. But when the MIA-Fuji Syusuke still didn't reappear, Tezuka abruptly began to head towards the school's entrance.

"Where do you think you're headed off to, Tezuka-kun?"

"..."

Sauntering up was St. Rudolph's manager and strategist, Mizuki Hajime. Why St. Rudolph's manager was there, Tezuka didn't know; nor did he want to, as he had more pressing matters on his mind, such as discovering the location of where his missing tensai had gone.

Tezuka stopped and grunted at Mizuki. "My own business. We are not allowing other players to watch practice matches today. Please leave."

Mizuki just smiled serenely, in a vain attempt of what appeared to be an imitation of Fuji. "I'm not here on scouting business, today, Tezuka-kun. I'm here to pass along a very important message."

"Take it up with Ryuzaki-sensei or Oishi. Then leave." Tezuka ordered, side-stepping the smaller boy.

He began walking again briskly in the direction of Seigaku's entrance.

"Are you looking for Fuji-kun, per chance?"

At the mention of Fuji's name, Tezuka halted. "Do you know where he is?" he asked slowly.

Mizuki shrugged his shoulders, and then examined his fingernails. "I might."

There was a long, tense pause. "Hospital."

Before the word was even finished, Tezuka was out the gates of the school.

"My, my. He's certainly in a rush." Mizuki mused thoughtfully.

"Fuji isn't the one hospitalized, is he?" Oishi asked, coming up behind Mizuki, a cell phone in his hand. A 'no' was his simple answer.

"There isn't anyone in the hospital, is there?"

A 'no' was his simple answer.

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3) Sadness: When Tezuka takes off his glasses.

ex. It was the night after Tezuka had made his decision to leave for Germany.

"Kunimitsu, bring this tea up for your guest." Tezuka Ayane said, handing her son a tray of steaming tea.

"Hai, Okaa-sama." Tezuk a said, accepting the tray.

As he ascended the stairs, Tezuka heard the second-to-last step creak. It went in time with the soft pittter-patter of rain outside. Then, carefully balancing the tray of hot liquid in one hand, he opened the door to his room with the other.

"Fuji, my mother made us some tea to--" The sentence was lost on his lips when he turned to face his friend.

Fuji Syusuke was leaning half in, half out of the single window in Tezuka's bedroom, eyes closed, and a hand extended out into the freezing rain. There were streaks of water on the tensai's face, making it seem as though he were crying.

"Fuji!" Tezuka snapped sharply, pulling the boy away from the open window.

The tensai landed in a wet heap on the ground while Tezuka shut the window and pulled the curtain.

"What were you doing?" Tezuka questioned, trying to make a strange lump welling up in his throat go away. As he stared at Fuji, waiting for an answer from the still silent boy, he rummaged in one of his drawers for a towel.

When he found one, he walked over and ruffled Fuji's soft hair with the towel in an attempt to dry it.

"...Now will you tell me what you were doing, leaning out of the window like that?" Tezuka asked after a pause.

"I was remembering." Was Fuji's quiet reply.

"Remembering what?" Tezuka wanted to know.

Fuji still just sat there, the rain soaking through his thin, white cotton shirt. "Do you remember that time after I played Echizen, and you wanted to know why I hadn't played my best?"

Tezuka nodded, roughing the towel through the boy's still saturated hair. "Yes."

"It had been raining then too." Fuji continued. "Just like today. I think the rain was about the same temperature, as well...and..."

A pause from Fuji made Tezuka stop. "And what?"

"And I was also thinking that when you leave, it might not rain like this anymore."

Tezuka nodded, and dropped his hands from Fuji's head. Fuji loved the rain. He knew that... probably better than anyone.

The weight of his decision seemed to crush him. His hand reached up and seized the thin wire of his glasses, pulling the delicate thing away from his face. When he looked up, Fuji was staring at him.

"Gomen." He mumbled, the steaming tea forgotten.

-

4) Wonder: When the feeling of complete elation reaches even Tezuka.

ex. The stadium rumbled, not from thunder, but with the cheering and shouting of fans.

"We did it; we did it; we did it!"

"This is it! The Nationals are ours!"

"That was incredible! Kyaa! Ryoma-sama! Wasn't he amazing, Sakuno?"

Sakuno was on her feet, clapping and cheering, with tears running down her cheeks.

Seishun Gakuen's team rushed onto the courts, and lifted Ryoma off the ground. The boy was smiling in triumph, but at the same time he looked slightly nervous at being seven feet off the ground.

The only members of Seigaku's team who stayed behind, content with watching their estatic teammates from afar were Tezuka, Inui, and Fuji.

There was a smile of pride and elation on Tezuka's normally frowning face, to which Fuji chuckled as soon as he saw it.

He turned his head to Tezuka, "Saa, I guess this is the kind of thing to finally make you smile."

At once, the smile vanished from Tezuka's face, and he resumed his scowl. He coughed to hide his mistake, "Don't tell anyone that you saw anything, Fuji!" He ordered.

Fuji smiled, though. Good for you, Tezuka. It's nice to see you smile every so often... I guess I didn't steal all your smiles after all.

"Hai, hai." He replied cheerily, while waltzing over to Tezuka's side. "Let's go, Tezuka. After all, Seigaku needs their greatest captain, and pillar of support out there."

The tensai slid arm around around Tezuka's shoulders, and led him out onto the courts where the team turned and began the cheering and hugging all over again.

However, Seishun Gakuen's team was missing one last player.

Inui lowered his bandaged hands, and in them, there was a video recorder. Underneath his bandages he wore a triumphant smirk. "You are... so naive, Tezuka." He grinned, turning off his instrument of data and possible black-mail.

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5) Concern: When Tezuka speaks more than 10 syllables in a sentence.

ex. "Congratulations on your graduation, Tezuka. You've earned it. Hasn't he, Kabaji?" Atobe said, shaking an 18-year old Tezuka's hand.

"Usu." Tezuka heard somewhere in the buzzing crowd of high school graduates.

Tezuka nodded. "Thank you."

Atobe clapped a hand on the tall, young man's shoulder. "I'd ask you to attend a congratulatory ceremony at my home, but it seems that you have other things planned. Have fun with them, and take care."

'Other things to attend to?' Tezuka echoed in his mind.

"Tezuka!"

A hand took his. He turned and gazed into a pair of cerulean eyes. "We are thinking of celebrating at Kawamura Sushi, Tezuka. Kawamura-san says he will close the shop early and give us a free meal. Just us six graduates... you'll come, won't you?"

"Let's go, Buchou! Time to eat and drink; eat and drink!" Kikumaru chanted, dancing in a gleeful circle.

Fuji smiled at his friend. "It seems the verdict has been reached for us. Ne? Let's get going, Tezuka; otherwise they will leave us behind." Fuji said, tugging gently on Tezuka's hand.

With slight hesitance, Tezuka followed, his hand still being pulled by Fuji's. With even more hesitance, he drank a glass of champagne with the other graduates, after some persuasion by Fuji, and much begging by Kikumaru. And with as much hesitance as he could contain, he allowed himself to be fed one of Fuji's wasabi roll by the sadist himself, and have several drinks with the party animal, otherwise known as Kikumaru.

Finally, after much food, cheering, and excessive drinking, it was midnight.

The new graduates began to filter out of Kawamura Sushi, two by two, one by one, until only Fuji and Tezuka were left at Kawamura Sushi to help clean up. Fuji was bent over a table, wiping the surface with a clean rag; Tezuka was heaving a trash bag out the door.

Kawamura emerged from behind the counter, clapping his hands to gain the attention of the two teenagers. "Thank you all for your help, Fuji-kun, Tezuka-kun. Takashi and I can handle the rest. You two go on home."

Fuji smiled and straightened. He went and returned the rag to its spot on the counter, bowed to Kawamura, and waved goodbye to Takashi. "Thank you for closing the store for us, and for the free food. Tezuka, let's go home." Fuji said, patting Tezuka's arm when he came back inside.

Tezuka nodded and bowed to Kawamura. "Thank you very much."

With that, Fuji and Tezuka both left, and proceeded to walk home. The night air was chilly, and the pair could see their breaths fogging the air. They walked in silence, completely at ease with it and each other.

Their light footsteps were evenly paced until one pair stopped, and the other following suit.

Fuji pointed down a pathway, lit by the street lamps. "My house is that way. I'll split with you now so you don't have to take a detour."

Tezuka gave a nod. "Ah."

"Good night, Tezuka."

"Good night and be careful walking home, Fuji."

Fuji paused a second, and then smiled, saying softly, "Don't worry; I will be."

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6) Fear: When Tezuka considers threatening someone.

ex. Tezuka knew, being the best friend of a tensai, that tensai's had tendencies to disappear. It was rare for someone to find them without the genius in question wishing it; today was no exception.

After class, Fuji had once again vanished around the Tokyo University campus. As Tezuka had soon discovered, he wasn't to be found in their dorm room, or any of the other usual places.

And after a full half hour of searching around campus, the man was beginning to get worried.

He had begun asking around to see if anyone had seen Fuji, and it wasn't until someone said, 'Oh, Fuji-kun? These tall guys in black took him behind that building over there', that he begun to feel like someone had dropped a rock into his stomach. Quickly, he dismissed it as indegestion from his lunch.

Almost immediately, Tezuka dashed to 'that building'.

The closer he got to it, the louder the sounds of several voices became.

"You'll have to excuse me, but I don't have the materials yet."

Fuji's voice - calm and quiet as always.

"Then get them to me - pronto! You know what will happen if you don't..." Someone said.

"Very, very bad things." Another voice chimed in.

"Fuji!" Tezuka stepped out from behind the building. He looked at the two males who had Fuji backed up against the side of a building. They were both tall, clad in black, and scowling.

He went to Fuji's side. "Tezuka?"

"Are you all right, Fuji?" Tezuka replied. Startled, Fuji nodded. "Y-yes, but what are you doing here? I thought you would have been back in the dorm room by now."

"I couldn't find you." Said Tezuka. He'd never dare say that he had been running around campus for a full half hour searching for his room mate. "Who are they?"

Fuji followed Tezuka's gaze to the two looming figures. "Oh, them? They're... acquaintances. Why?"

Tezuka gave Fuji a serious glance. "Why are they threatening you?"

He frowned. If they were, he would have to... he would have to... Well, he didn't know exactly what he would do, but he had a feeling that it would involve much collar-gripping and shaking.

Fuji just stared at Tezuka, and the small area to which the four were confined was silent... until the two broke out in hysteric laughter. Even Fuji had an amused grin on his face.

Tezuka was very confused at this point. It was clear that he had gotten involved in a misunderstanding with... himself.

"They aren't threatening me, Tezuka." Fuji's shoulders trembled with laughter. He gestured with his hand at the two men who were still smiling. "These two are from the yearbook committee. I was supposed to take pictures of someone for them, for the 'Embarassing Pictures' page. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to yet. Their grade in that class depends on the pictures that I was supposed to give them today."

Well, Tezuka felt stupid.

"Sorry about that, Tezuka-san." One of them said with an apologetic smile.

Fuji smiled and waved at them. "I'll bring them around to your dorm room early tomorrow morning. Until then, Keita, Irie. Saa, let's go now, Tezuka." Fuji tapped Tezuka's palm, and slid out of the confined area. Promptly, Tezuka followed.

"I should have told you that I was going to meet up with someone. I'm sorry about that." Fuji said, his shoes scuffling up the dirt.

Tezuka still was facing his head away, just in case his cheeks were betraying him. "It's fine." Tezuka mumbled briskly.

However, later on that night, Fuji did something to Tezuka that was not fine. Not in the least.

...

"Sorry about this, Tezuka." Fuji murmured quietly.

He raised his camera, and a slender finger pressed the shutter button.

A bright light lit up the room, and illuminated a sleeping face.

That face was pale, with a mouth that was usually set in a frown that was now relaxed. There were no hindrances adorning the face either.

Tezuka looked like a sleeping baby.

Fuji chuckled quietly and slid the blankets up to cover Tezuka's chest.

"Oyasumi." (1)

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7) Love: When Tezuka does any of the following...

ex. The night air was chillier than Tezuka thought 40 degrees was supposed to feel, but it might have been because of his body which felt strangely hot.

The cool breeze which was floating in from the open window of the apartment he lived in forced goosebumps to rise on his arms and legs, and even under his silk pajamas.

Vaguely, Tezuka wondered why he was so hot. It was the dead of winter, and the window was open, to boot.

And why was the window open in 40 degree weather at night? Well because of one person, of course.

"Tezuka, could you shut the window, please? There is a draft." A delicate voice called.

Tezuka got up and shut the window, as was requested, mutinously thinking that this person was the one who had wanted it open in the first place.

"...Is it closed?" an almost skeptical voice echoed from the bathroom.

"Yes." Tezuka replied, adjusting his glasses.

There were soft footsteps as said hypocrite exited the steamy bathroom, and padded towards the king sized bed Tezuka was laying on. Even though his eyes were shut, Tezuka could tell that the other party was smiling as he spoke, "Thank you, Tezuka."

"You're welcome."

Then Fuji sat on the bed, and stared down at Tezuka curiously. "What's wrong? You aren't catching a cold, are you?"

Tezuka hoped he wasn't, as he had a business report to turn in to work tomorrow morning. But he had the feeling that something was definitely wrong with him, since he had been struggling to keep his heart beat steady ever since Fuji sat down on the bed next to his head.

"I'm fine." He mumbled.

There was a contemplative silence on Fuji's part. Then Tezuka felt his weight and warmth leave the bed, and his brown eyes bolted open.

Fuji was looking down at him, cerulean eyes chilling as ever, with a reprimanding look. He then spoke in a reprimanding tone, "Tezuka, you know that if you catch a cold, Atobe-san won't give you the day off. He's alwys so stuffy about your work when he should really be focusing on his own."

Tezuka thought there was an indignant and jealous hint in Fuji's voice, but he couldn't be sure.

"I'll get you some soup." Fuji said, turning on his heel.

The tall man's first thought was that for one reason or another, he didn't want Fuji to leave. The second thought was, 'Oh god, don't let Fuji near the kitchen'!

And so he complied with both his thoughts.

A hand shot out and grabbed Fuji wrist suddenly, causing the boy to fall backwards onto the bed with a startled cry, his white night shirt hitched up to his chest, revealing a white, chiseled stomach.

There was a long silence between the two. And before Tezuka had time to regret his decision, he bent low and captured Fuji's lips.

PoTPoTPoT

"I guess this means you like me?"

Tezuka felt Fuji's naked body press against his, and the boy's cool breath tickle his bare neck.

"..."

Then, Tezuka felt Fuji's swollen lips pull up into a gentle smile.

The boy snuggled closer to Tezuka, resting his head just above Tezuka's heart. And when Fuji did that, Tezuka knew that his heartbeat had sped up, since Fuji let out an amused chuckle.

"Yes... I thought so."

Fuji said, his thin fingers touching Tezuka's jawline. Tezuka craned his head downwards, and felt Fuji's lips ghost across his.

Yes. He did.

(A/N): Done. Thank you for reading "7 Ways to Spot a Buchou Fit". It was honestly fun. School has started, unfortunately, which means that my muse will soon be crushed under the overwhelming weight of textbooks and homework. Therefore, please review soon before my writer's block makes it appearance once again. In a nutshell, Tezuka is throwing a Buchou Fit, aptly named that by moi, whenever he shows any emotion.

Also, the stories went in chronological order (or at least they should have). There was one that I used a bit of the manga for, which was number 4: Wonder. For those of you who have read the manga know which parts are derived directly from the manga, and all credit for that goes to Prince of Tennis's amazing creator, Konomi Takeshi.

1) Oyasumi: Good night.

Thanks again for reading, and please, PLEASE review.

Sincerely,

-PurificationArrow