Title: Inverted Hourglass

Author: iyris

Fandom: Prince of Tennis

Pairing: Fuji Syuusuke/Echizen Ryoma

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended. Several parts of plot also not mine.

Synopsis: Fuji called but he did not turn back, he kept on walking away from him. Little did he know, though, that it would be the last time he would hear Fuji calling him because the moment he finally looked back, Fuji was gone.

Inverted Hourglass

Chapter 01

"Echizen." Tezuka tapped the younger boy's shoulder gently and…hesitantly. He must be afraid that a light touch would easily shatter the boy in front of him because now, Echizen was like a fragile glass standing on an edge that would quickly fall and break into hundred pieces once touched in a wrong way.

"I'm alright, Buchou," Ryoma replied, his golden eyes were blank and unmoving. "You can go ahead."

Tezuka turned to his friends, giving a small nod and with that, everyone started to walk away from the young prodigy. Maybe, this was the right time to leave him by himself. They glanced at his figure for the last time, worries clearly painted on their faces.

"Damn that Fuji, how could he leave Echizen alone?" Atobe whimpered.

"Keigo!" Tezuka exclaimed in a stern voice. Though he could sympathize with his lover's feelings, he could not tolerate Atobe saying ill of his friend. Especially when it was not Fuji's fault at all to suddenly leave.

"S-sorry, just that I can't bear to see Echizen like that."

Tezuka softened. "I know. I, too, don't want to see him like that. Let's just hope that he would heal soon."

invertedhourglass

Echizen stood still. He must have felt so numb, so numb that he did not even feel when the strong wind blew against his skin, so numb that he did not even notice when the rain has started falling and was getting him wet. He fell onto his knees, still not feeling the pain when they hit the ground. "Why?" His voice was hoarse and it was so low that I barely heard him. A tear, almost invisible as it got mixed with the rain, dropped.

"Syuusuke, WHY?" he shouted as he looked up into the dark sky. It was the first time that I saw him really cried his heart out. For his whole life, I was watching him along with the others and never had he shown such emotion. I was kind of surprised. I never thought that such cocky and blunt brat would be so fragile just because of a sadistic man.

But I can't blame him. Like I have said, I was watching them the whole time and I witnessed their every moment. Their first meeting in Seigaku, their first game, Fuji's confession and his persistent bugging just to make Ryoma submit to him, their first fight, their first date, their first night together. I witnessed them all, all of their memories that I myself felt the pain when the tensai left Ryoma. If it was possible, I would interfere and stop it from happening.

"I'm asking you Syuusuke, why?" He faced the cold marble stone. His eyes were angry, pained, longing. Mixed emotions that it was hard to distinguish what he was really feeling.

"S-sorry, Ryoma," another cry. Of course Fuji had not really left yet. He couldn't leave his love, could he? He was kneeling too, beside Ryoma, trying to hug the boy though he knew he really couldn't. He himself couldn't even feel his own existence, his own body. He couldn't even materialize to let his boyfriend feel that he was just there comforting him.

"I could not live like this." His hands held tightly on the stone. He bowed with eyes closed. "Not like this, Syuusuke. Damn it!"

They love each other so much. They were so happy. They were so perfect together. So I also asked, why did it happen? Was it needed? Was there really a need for Fuji's death and to leave Ryoma suffering? For what purpose? Can't they just be left alone and be happy together? It's better that way, right?

"I want to be with you, more than anything else. I don't care what happens anymore, I just want to be with you again." Ryoma sobbed his wish out loud.

Fuji nodded. "I know, Ryoma," he hushed the boy. Obviously, useless. Tears flowed again. "I-I know," he choked.

I couldn't watch anymore. But I couldn't go away either. I need to see the end of it. What a cruel position I was in.

Night arrived, the sky cleared, and they stayed still. Finally, Ryoma stood up. Not saying anything anymore. He walked away, he looked like a living corpse. It was as if his soul left his body. His eyes were dead, emotionless face. Fuji watched worriedly, hurt not leaving his eyes. It was a painful scene. But at the same time, they showed me the unbreakable string between them. And I thought, they deserve a second chance.

"Don't interfere. It is their fate." He was not smiling like usual. His steps were quiet as he approached me.

"Fate."

"Calling me by that name, you hated me that much?"

I glared at him. Everything was his fault anyway. If he would be an ordinary guy, living a normal life, I might have liked him. But his role in this world was far greater yet crueler than that. He might appear as an ordinary student with the name Yukimura Seiichi in front of Echizen and the others but in front of me, he's the exact opposite. What part of him was normal actually? He was the reason why Echizen and Fuji met, yet he was the reason why they got to be separated now.

"Instead of blaming me, don't you think it was actually Death's fault?" Yukimura sighed.

"Death is inevitable. Every living being go through that process," I said. But Death was to blame too in this. He was one of the reasons why two people were suffering.

"And Fuji-kun is a living being."

"I know."

"So why are you still mad at me?"

Fuji dying, maybe it was not really a big deal for me. If the question would be 'Who got to see the most death in his/her entire life?' The answer would probably be me. I already existed ever since the world began, whether humans realized my existence or not. And up to now, unfortunately, I continuously exist. So I must be unaffected by such things anymore. But what touched my emotion so much was the pain they were feeling. Imagine, if they had not met, and Fuji died. At least Echizen would not cry because he did not know the person and otherwise. Fuji would not feel any pain because of Ryoma because there was no Echizen that he would be leaving. Got my point? If yes, then good. No? Then just leave it.

"If you had not brought them together, they won't suffer like this."

"Can't be helped. It is my duty." He looked away, a trace of sadness and guilt in his eyes. I know Yukimura is kind. And he was just doing what he was supposed to do but still… "Really, I am sorry."

I looked up to him. Fine. "It is not entirely your fault. You are Fate and what happened to them was already destined. You just carried out what your duty was."

Right, Yukimura is Fate-something with decisive or far-reaching consequences that inevitably happens to somebody or something. Fuji meeting Echizen and them falling in love and being pulled apart were all part of their fates. Such fates were given to Yukimura aka Fate to execute from above.

"So what are you planning now?" Death appeared. Dark, quiet, frightening. And he was wearing the usual unexpressive face. He was usually with Yukimura. And sometimes he takes the name Sanada and goes down to the Earth. Reason? I don't know myself. When I asked him before, he just said that he wanted to see the person first before taking his or her life.

Within the four of us, Yukimura is the frequent visitor of Earth. He's the one who usually enjoys what a human life could be. Death would just linger around then suddenly disappear. The next second you know, a life was already taken. While Life and I were just spectators and usually stay behind to watch everything unfolds. Life moves when some couples shared a passionate night together, and I? I sit, I stand, I watch. That's everything, though there are times that I interfere and give a second chance to some I think deserves it. But only few succeeded, actually, there were barely two. Going against Fate was not an easy task after all.

"I'll use it. Only I can control it anyway." I finally decided to temporarily stopped Echizen's time and set it back.