A Granted Wish for konkon_pinku
Title: Of Fairies, Sleeping Beauties and Inui Juice
Godmother: [Glass Slippers]
Wisher: konkon_pinku
Fairytale: The sleeping beauty
Character(s)/ Pairing(s): TezukaxFuji, mention of SanadaxYukimura and Royal pair
Rating: PG (crack)
Warning: Possible Tezuka OOC-ness. But let’s face it, if he weren’t OOC, it would be quite a fairytale...
Summary: Tezuka had fell in love with Fuji back then when they were only students. One day Fuji disappears on him, and since then Tezuka had joined a searching party in order to find his love.
Disclaimer: Characters and fairytale are not mine.
A/N: According to Inui’s data, this is 100% not what you have anticipated, oh dear wisher.
Of Fairies, Sleeping Beauties and Inui Juice
“TEZUKAAAA!” the door of said man’s office slammed open. A tiny pink fairy rushed inside in the most improper manners Tezuka had ever seen.
“Inui” he stated, “what’s going on?”
“I found it!” the miniature creature paused for air before continuing, “It’s The Sleeping Beauty! I finally found its location!”
Tezuka eyed him questioningly. The Sleeping Beauty wasn’t the one he was currently searching for. “Inui, this is no joking matter. I joined this tracking company to find Fuji Syuusuke, not The Sleeping Beauty you are talking about.”
It has been eight years since Tezuka had seen the boy. Back when they were still students at Seishun Academy, Fuji was his classmate and his best friend. They had met in the library for the first time, both searching for the same book. That’s when they had found out their common interest for supernatural phenomenon and became comrades very fast.
As time went on, they had only grown fonder of each other. For the first time in his life Tezuka had found someone he could open up to. Fuji had been there for him, Fuji had took care of him, Fuji admired him for who he was… it was to the point that the ever-responsible Tezuka was unable to stand on his own. He grew dependant of Fuji.
And just at that moment when Tezuka had thought he had found the person he wanted to share the rest of his life with, Fuji mysteriously disappears from the surface of earth.
Since then, Tezuka had joined this tracking party along with his fairy he had created, Inui, in order to find the only one he truly loved.
“Tezuka,” Inui pulled him back to the present. “Legend says that if you are able to wake The Sleeping Beauty she will grant you your greatest wish. I’m sure she could help you track Fuji down.” He flipped some pages of his old green notebook and read its information out loud. ‘On a full moon, kiss The Sleeping Beauty awake and she will grant you your greatest wish.’
Tezuka raised an eyebrow. The moon is on its full phase tonight…
“Exactly!” Inui caught the glimpse in his Master’s eyes and answered his unspoken question. “Tonight is the full moon, and if you wake that person with a kiss… Tezuka, this might be your biggest chance to find Fuji! Data never lies.”
Tezuka considered his options. “What are the chances that I succeed?” because really, he had no time to waste. Finding Fuji came above anything else.
“97.3 percent,” Inui stated before closing his notebook. He knew he had won this argument when he saw the taller man’s eyes widen 2.3 mm. “You’re too perfect it makes me wonder if you really are human. There is no way the Tezuka Kunimitsu cannot wake a Sleeping Beauty.”
Tezuka nodded once. The chances he would get his wish granted were indeed very high.
“When are we leaving?”
The pink fairy pushed his square glasses up his nose to hide a victorious smirk. “Right now.”
Really, his master would do anything for that Fuji person. It was making Inui even more curious to find out who the latter was, how he looked like, what did he do… To the dataman, it was practically impossible to be able to completely possess someone as independent as Tezuka, yet that Fuji -a guy, a guy! - had done so faster than within the blink of an eye... it would be good data if he could at least see how that person looked like.
Inui clapped his hands and at that very moment two other fairies entered the room, both carrying a bunch of random stuff. The creature fully dressed in blue was the one who spoke first. “Why does Ore-sama have to carry all those stuff, ahn?” he turned to glare at Tezuka. “I demand you create me a servant! Someone of my rank is not here to do everyday chores.”
The fairy beside him lowered his green hat over his eyes. “Monkeys…”
“No time to fight Atobe, Echizen.” The pink fairy declared. “Tezuka has a big duty awaiting him, and if he succeeds we might finally find that Fuji person he had been searching for since creating us. As his fairies, we have every right to help him in his quest.” He threw them an ‘aren’t-you-just-so-curious-to-find-out-who-Tezuka’s-lover-is?’ glance.
Said two boys looked at him in horror and disgust. Since when did Inui care so much about Tezuka’s… he wasn’t even Tezuka’s lover! Atobe wondered if Fuji really was worth all his Master’s efforts… the guy almost literally worked his head off for that friend who left him like, a century ago! Atobe shrugged. No matter how good-looking or nice that Fuji person is, he would never be good enough for someone as high-class as him.
Tezuka stared at his three fairies and then at the pile of things they had carried. He recognized a flashlight, a compass, batteries, water (or was it Inui juice…?) and was that a bow and arrows? “What are all these for?” he couldn’t help but ask. It felt like he was going to slay a dragon or something as silly as that…
Inui threw him the most exasperate look. “Tezuka…” he paused to sigh, just to add to the dramatic effect before continuing, “have you never read any fairytales in your youth? Even if we are in the 21th century do you really think it would be so easy to save The Sleeping Beauty? You don’t just drive in front of her house, kiss her awake and stay for tea; there is what you call obstacles out there. You have to conquer all of them before winning her over.” Tezuka could picture the tiny man roll his eyes in exasperation. “Oh and, if we don’t hurry we’ll be late for the full moon and we will have to wait another month. You don’t want that to happen do you?”
With a few magic words and a spin of the wand, the three fairies magically disappeared along with the items they had carried. Tezuka guessed they were starting to store them in his car and allowed a sigh to escape his mouth. He should have known it wouldn’t be that easy! Just how much more did he not know about this strange situation he got himself into?
He reached for his coat before exiting his office in silence.
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It was only when the four of them had comfortably settled in Tezuka’s car that the latter had realized he had no idea as to where they would be heading. Come to think of it, the Sleeping Beauty could be anywhere; Inui never mentioned her being in Japan! She could be, at the worst, in Africa or something. The tall man knitted his eyebrows together. The thought of flying to Africa didn’t please him at all.
“All set.” Inui once again interrupted Tezuka’s train of thoughts. The pink fairy gently tapped the small screen he carried previously with his wand and the monitor returned to its original place beside the steering wheel. Inui smiled his knowing smile. “Just follow the GPS’s instructions. It will lead you to your destination.”
Tezuka only nodded once and with a quick rotation of the keys the engine roared to life. The bespectacled man started to wonder if he hadn’t accidently added the mind-reading function in Inui’s system because the small guy was reading him like an open book and predicting his next moves with accuracy, which was a bad thing since it awfully reminded him of a certain someone…
Surprisingly, the dive had been a silent one until now, -except for the occasional ‘turn left after sixty feet’ directions the GPS was saying-. Normally, Echizen and Atobe would be all over each other, screaming until Tezuka couldn’t even hear himself think, but now that Tezuka did not need his tormenting thoughts, the two boys had decided to peace things out.
“Ah Tezuka,” if Inui’s voice had startled him, he definitely didn’t show it. “According to my data, your first obstacle should be showing itself any minute now. It’s supposed to slow you down, so please be prepared.”
Said man’s eyes narrowed. The way Inui had said things made him wonder if there wasn’t someone right there at that left corner of the road, readying his gun to shoot him. Obstacles? The term was way too general. It could be anything from earthquake to serial killer on the run. It was only now Tezuka was grateful his imagination wasn’t very broad.
‘Turn left at the next corner and then turn left again.’ So now, even the GPS was against him.
Tezuka prepared himself for anything and everything and turned left, just as the machine had indicated him.
And as he drove on the main street, the first thing he saw was worst than anything he could imagine.
Urgh, he absolutely hated rush hour!
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Two hours later, Tezuka had finally found a faster way to get to his destination. He was tired of the GPS’s ‘recalculating, recalculating’ so he turned it off… not that the honking and cursing he could hear outside was any better.
That is why, after numerous headaches, Tezuka was glad he had reached his goal. He would be even happier if he hadn’t just landed in the middle of nowhere with an unwelcoming gigantic mansion in front of him. It was too bad the tall man was tired and in a bad mood; he never noticed the tombs lying in front of the ruined castle and the ‘STAY OUT!’ signs stickled all over the front door. He directly entered the mansion, ignoring the pink fairy’s warning about the second obstacle ahead. He would never let his guard down when it came to Fuji.
The first thing Tezuka had noticed the second he had stepped inside the mansion was that he was completely blinded by the overwhelming darkness. With the multiple curtains on duty, not a single filter of light penetrated inside the house, adding to the already creepy atmosphere the bespectacled youth wasn’t able to detect. Yet.
This was when Inui’s high-power flashlight came in handy, he thought. He would use it before his eyes could adapt to the obscurity of the room.
And with a click, everything became clearer. Glancing around, Tezuka could spot an old piano sitting in the middle of the room, right in front of the stairs to block the passageway to the second floor. The hall below the stairway should be leading to the kitchen, he guessed, and behind that door on his right would be… the lobby? Slowly, he approached the totally out-of-place piano that highly intrigued him. With the thick dust covering its once polished black paint, Tezuka could guess it was old of at least a century.
Was the piano purposely placed in front of the stairs to keep uninvited visitors -like himself- out? He thought no further and lifted the instrument’s cover up and danced his fingers on the white keys. The notes that came out sounded very wrong…
Crack.
Distressed, Tezuka stopped playing at once and looked up, above him. Discreet but distinguish footsteps resounded on the floor above. He glanced around to find Inui Atobe and Echizen already flying towards him. The pink fairy was the one who whispered him ‘that -the footsteps- is your second obstacle. Don’t let your guard down, Tezuka.’ Inui handed him the bow and the arrows he had brought.
Great, just great. Why did everything Inui brought had to be useful? Tezuka wasn’t scared; he just didn’t want to kill someone -or something- when his only goal was to find his long lost friend. If only there had been a better method… but Tezuka wasn’t someone to back down. He came all this way, faced his worst fears -traffic and headaches-, entered the mansion, lit up a flashlight… he wasn’t going to abandon all his efforts and drive back home just because there was an unknown creature above him that knew of his presence and could kill him any minute. Tezuka was a strong man.
And that is why he had bothered to search and find a way to mount the stairs towards doom.
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Gladly, the stairs led him to a long hallway with only one room at the far end of it. He had enough of searching for the Sleeping Beauty. Slowly, Tezuka approached the room that would lead him to his everything or nothing. His heart pounded hard against his chest despite his numerous attempts to calm himself. It was tension that filled him rather than fear. The bespectacled man stretched his arm in front of him and curved his sweaty fingers in order to fit the doorknob’s round shape… and turned.
The moment of truth was here.
A violent pull on the door forced Tezuka to let go of his grip. A man just about as tall as him stood in front, probably just as dazzled as himself. It took them a while before finding the right words to say.
Miraculously, it was Tezuka who spoke first. “Sanada, what are you doing here?” he asked in disbelief.
Sanada Genichirou was his rival back when they were in primary school. Seishun Gakuen had once faced off against Rikkaidai on a research about ghosts and it was Sanada’s school who had won the tournament. Since then Tezuka was unable to forget his rival’s stoic face.
“You stole the words right out of my mouth. I return you the question, Tezuka.”
But said man wasn’t listening anymore. Behind Sanada lied the most beautiful person Tezuka had ever seen. Though her face was hidden behind a white cloth, the bespectacled man could see her short golden strands gently resting on the feather pillow, her long, slender fingers lightly entangled together on her tum. With the obscurity of the room, her fair skin glowed magnificently. If it wasn’t for Fuji who possessed his heart, Tezuka would have fallen for her.
Completely and utterly astonished, the tall man pushed Sanada aside and slowly walked towards the Sleeping Beauty. She merited her name, he finally realized and carefully sat on the bedside she was lying on. Too caught up in the mood, Tezuka hadn’t realized Inui following him, scribbling madly in his notebook something about ‘didn’t even slay the dragon, just pushed him aside.’
Bending down hesitantly, Tezuka closed in the distance between them to gently capture her lips with his own in one chaste kiss. He could feel their warmth and the small curving edge they had. Her lips had tasted even sweeter than anything he had anticipated. Blame him for not having broad imagination.
As he slowly pulled back, Tezuka was disappointed the magic never came to be. There was no golden light encircling them, no sudden butterflies flying around them, not even the gorgeous cerulean eyes he believed the Sleeping Beauty had, opened. She was still lying there, as asleep as ever and he was still there, almost gaping at her in disbelief. What happened to the 97.3 percent of chance of success Inui had promised him?
Speaking of the dataman, he was now right behind Tezuka and handed him a bottle of…liquid substance with an evil grin plastered on his face.
“I knew it would be too good if she could wake up with just a kiss so I prepared this” he gave the bottle to his Master. “It’s my special extravagant Inui Juice deluxe, version 305, with extra caffeine for a healthy wake-up in the morning. Feed it to her.”
Tezuka turned red. And he no longer knew nor cared whether it was from anger or embarrassment. He had just listened to Inui, done the most out-of-character act -kiss a stranger! - just for his fairy’s own personal enjoyment? Oh the dataman just earned himself laps for a lifetime.
Seeing no reaction -on the surface, at least- from his Master, Inui voluntarily poured the liquid in the Sleeping Beauty’s mouth. If it wasn’t for his small lips, the fairy would have used a different method in feeding it to her.
Suddenly, the Sleeping Beauty sat up and crutched her mouth with both hands to cover her sudden coughs. Under the pressure of gravity, the white cloth originally placed over her face fell to the ground, revealing the same blue cerulean orbs Tezuka had envisioned. When her sudden illness passed, she gasped for air before finally settling down, her honey hair covering her lowered face. It was only when her breathing became even that she had glanced up to face Tezuka.
The latter held his breath and it wasn’t until he heard his name called in that same melodic voice he remembered Fuji had eight years ago that he remembered he needed air.
“T…Tezuka…” how he loved hearing his name called from that voice he had missed …
“Fu…ji…” Tezuka whispered to himself in disbelief. So the Sleeping Beauty was a male, huh. The love of his life. What a coincidence.
It was Inui’s notebook that dropped to the ground with a loud ‘thud’ that had brought them back to reality. They turned in unison to see the pink fairy gaping at them -or at Fuji, more precisely- with his mouth wide open. If fairies could drool, Tezuka knew Inui would have done so.
For the first time today, Tezuka felt good. Fuji seemed to be exceeding all data Inui had managed to collect from him. Well, it was only normal. Fuji’s angelic smile was enough to bewitch half the planet.
“Who is that?” Tezuka turned to see Fuji, just as dazzled, but definitely not mouth wide open with non-existent drool flowing out. The angelic boy was smiling his eternal smile. “Why is he completely dressed in pink when he is clearly a male?”
“He is Inui, a fairy I created. And fairies don’t have any sex. He could be both male and female though I think he prefers female clothing.”
“Oh.” Fuji laughed his clear, melodic giggle. Oh how Tezuka had missed this sound…
Come to think of it, Tezuka never knew why his best friend left him. Fearing the worst, he decided to shut up and ask when he was sure Fuji wouldn’t disappear on him again. Instead, the bespectacled boy allowed stealing a shy glance in his love’s direction. He was glad that he and Fuji still shared their past unspoken relationship because the honey haired boy knew of his anxiousness and decided to answer Tezuka’s silent question.
“I left to join Rikkaidai eight years ago…”
‘Sanada-kun!’ Fuji ran towards said boy and caught up with him. ‘Could you please teach me how to become a strong researcher? I have a passion for ghosts and I heard that you were stronger than Tezuka Kunimitsu when it came to tracking… please, would you care to teach me?’
Honored to be known as ‘stronger than Tezuka Kunimitsu’, Sanada had decided he would take Fuji in as an apprentice if the latter was willing to join their school in exchange. After Fuji had accepted, he had transferred to Rikkaidai and started his hard training. It didn’t take long for him to be known all across campus as the next genius of the century. Some people believed it was because his official teacher was Sanada, others thought he was more than just plainly intelligent. Though no one affirmed to dislike Fuji, Yukimura, Sanada’s secret admirer had shown otherwise. He was also one of the best students in campus, himself nicknamed as the child of god. It wasn’t because Fuji was just a slightly better than him that made him jealous; he only disliked the fact that the Tensai shared an intimidate relationship with Sanada.
So one day, evil Yukimura had spot Fuji leaning a little too close to Sanada and decided he would plunger his rival in eternal sleep. His evil smile always on, he poured his top-secret poison his fairy Yanagi had prepared him on a spindle. Chanting, he had cursed Fuji to prick himself during their next art class, and sleep until someone would wake him using an even stronger juice than his own. Along with the curse, the one who would accomplish such a thing -hopefully a mad scientist- would have his greatest wish -which would obviously be marrying the beautiful creature Fuji was- granted.
“…and that is how I ended up sleeping here for I’m not too sure how long. Thanks for waking me though, Tezuka. I’ve missed you.”
Before Tezuka could react, it was Inui who had spoke up. “But… how could this be? The Sleeping Beauty… a man?” he mumbled.
Fuji smiled his wicked, dangerous smile. “Inui-kun, you of all people should know Wikipedia isn’t the most reliable source ever invented.” He joked.
“But…what about the…the greatest wish…”
“Ah, that.” Fuji searched in his left pocket and took out a small satin box with two golden rings lying inside. “So Tezuka, would you marry me?”
And they lived happily ever after. At least, Fuji did.
The End.
Godmother: [Glass Slippers]
Wisher: konkon_pinku
Fairytale: The sleeping beauty
Character(s)/ Pairing(s): TezukaxFuji, mention of SanadaxYukimura and Royal pair
Rating: PG (crack)
Warning: Possible Tezuka OOC-ness. But let’s face it, if he weren’t OOC, it would be quite a fairytale...
Summary: Tezuka had fell in love with Fuji back then when they were only students. One day Fuji disappears on him, and since then Tezuka had joined a searching party in order to find his love.
Disclaimer: Characters and fairytale are not mine.
A/N: According to Inui’s data, this is 100% not what you have anticipated, oh dear wisher.
Of Fairies, Sleeping Beauties and Inui Juice
“TEZUKAAAA!” the door of said man’s office slammed open. A tiny pink fairy rushed inside in the most improper manners Tezuka had ever seen.
“Inui” he stated, “what’s going on?”
“I found it!” the miniature creature paused for air before continuing, “It’s The Sleeping Beauty! I finally found its location!”
Tezuka eyed him questioningly. The Sleeping Beauty wasn’t the one he was currently searching for. “Inui, this is no joking matter. I joined this tracking company to find Fuji Syuusuke, not The Sleeping Beauty you are talking about.”
It has been eight years since Tezuka had seen the boy. Back when they were still students at Seishun Academy, Fuji was his classmate and his best friend. They had met in the library for the first time, both searching for the same book. That’s when they had found out their common interest for supernatural phenomenon and became comrades very fast.
As time went on, they had only grown fonder of each other. For the first time in his life Tezuka had found someone he could open up to. Fuji had been there for him, Fuji had took care of him, Fuji admired him for who he was… it was to the point that the ever-responsible Tezuka was unable to stand on his own. He grew dependant of Fuji.
And just at that moment when Tezuka had thought he had found the person he wanted to share the rest of his life with, Fuji mysteriously disappears from the surface of earth.
Since then, Tezuka had joined this tracking party along with his fairy he had created, Inui, in order to find the only one he truly loved.
“Tezuka,” Inui pulled him back to the present. “Legend says that if you are able to wake The Sleeping Beauty she will grant you your greatest wish. I’m sure she could help you track Fuji down.” He flipped some pages of his old green notebook and read its information out loud. ‘On a full moon, kiss The Sleeping Beauty awake and she will grant you your greatest wish.’
Tezuka raised an eyebrow. The moon is on its full phase tonight…
“Exactly!” Inui caught the glimpse in his Master’s eyes and answered his unspoken question. “Tonight is the full moon, and if you wake that person with a kiss… Tezuka, this might be your biggest chance to find Fuji! Data never lies.”
Tezuka considered his options. “What are the chances that I succeed?” because really, he had no time to waste. Finding Fuji came above anything else.
“97.3 percent,” Inui stated before closing his notebook. He knew he had won this argument when he saw the taller man’s eyes widen 2.3 mm. “You’re too perfect it makes me wonder if you really are human. There is no way the Tezuka Kunimitsu cannot wake a Sleeping Beauty.”
Tezuka nodded once. The chances he would get his wish granted were indeed very high.
“When are we leaving?”
The pink fairy pushed his square glasses up his nose to hide a victorious smirk. “Right now.”
Really, his master would do anything for that Fuji person. It was making Inui even more curious to find out who the latter was, how he looked like, what did he do… To the dataman, it was practically impossible to be able to completely possess someone as independent as Tezuka, yet that Fuji -a guy, a guy! - had done so faster than within the blink of an eye... it would be good data if he could at least see how that person looked like.
Inui clapped his hands and at that very moment two other fairies entered the room, both carrying a bunch of random stuff. The creature fully dressed in blue was the one who spoke first. “Why does Ore-sama have to carry all those stuff, ahn?” he turned to glare at Tezuka. “I demand you create me a servant! Someone of my rank is not here to do everyday chores.”
The fairy beside him lowered his green hat over his eyes. “Monkeys…”
“No time to fight Atobe, Echizen.” The pink fairy declared. “Tezuka has a big duty awaiting him, and if he succeeds we might finally find that Fuji person he had been searching for since creating us. As his fairies, we have every right to help him in his quest.” He threw them an ‘aren’t-you-just-so-curious-to-find-out-who-Tezuka’s-lover-is?’ glance.
Said two boys looked at him in horror and disgust. Since when did Inui care so much about Tezuka’s… he wasn’t even Tezuka’s lover! Atobe wondered if Fuji really was worth all his Master’s efforts… the guy almost literally worked his head off for that friend who left him like, a century ago! Atobe shrugged. No matter how good-looking or nice that Fuji person is, he would never be good enough for someone as high-class as him.
Tezuka stared at his three fairies and then at the pile of things they had carried. He recognized a flashlight, a compass, batteries, water (or was it Inui juice…?) and was that a bow and arrows? “What are all these for?” he couldn’t help but ask. It felt like he was going to slay a dragon or something as silly as that…
Inui threw him the most exasperate look. “Tezuka…” he paused to sigh, just to add to the dramatic effect before continuing, “have you never read any fairytales in your youth? Even if we are in the 21th century do you really think it would be so easy to save The Sleeping Beauty? You don’t just drive in front of her house, kiss her awake and stay for tea; there is what you call obstacles out there. You have to conquer all of them before winning her over.” Tezuka could picture the tiny man roll his eyes in exasperation. “Oh and, if we don’t hurry we’ll be late for the full moon and we will have to wait another month. You don’t want that to happen do you?”
With a few magic words and a spin of the wand, the three fairies magically disappeared along with the items they had carried. Tezuka guessed they were starting to store them in his car and allowed a sigh to escape his mouth. He should have known it wouldn’t be that easy! Just how much more did he not know about this strange situation he got himself into?
He reached for his coat before exiting his office in silence.
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It was only when the four of them had comfortably settled in Tezuka’s car that the latter had realized he had no idea as to where they would be heading. Come to think of it, the Sleeping Beauty could be anywhere; Inui never mentioned her being in Japan! She could be, at the worst, in Africa or something. The tall man knitted his eyebrows together. The thought of flying to Africa didn’t please him at all.
“All set.” Inui once again interrupted Tezuka’s train of thoughts. The pink fairy gently tapped the small screen he carried previously with his wand and the monitor returned to its original place beside the steering wheel. Inui smiled his knowing smile. “Just follow the GPS’s instructions. It will lead you to your destination.”
Tezuka only nodded once and with a quick rotation of the keys the engine roared to life. The bespectacled man started to wonder if he hadn’t accidently added the mind-reading function in Inui’s system because the small guy was reading him like an open book and predicting his next moves with accuracy, which was a bad thing since it awfully reminded him of a certain someone…
Surprisingly, the dive had been a silent one until now, -except for the occasional ‘turn left after sixty feet’ directions the GPS was saying-. Normally, Echizen and Atobe would be all over each other, screaming until Tezuka couldn’t even hear himself think, but now that Tezuka did not need his tormenting thoughts, the two boys had decided to peace things out.
“Ah Tezuka,” if Inui’s voice had startled him, he definitely didn’t show it. “According to my data, your first obstacle should be showing itself any minute now. It’s supposed to slow you down, so please be prepared.”
Said man’s eyes narrowed. The way Inui had said things made him wonder if there wasn’t someone right there at that left corner of the road, readying his gun to shoot him. Obstacles? The term was way too general. It could be anything from earthquake to serial killer on the run. It was only now Tezuka was grateful his imagination wasn’t very broad.
‘Turn left at the next corner and then turn left again.’ So now, even the GPS was against him.
Tezuka prepared himself for anything and everything and turned left, just as the machine had indicated him.
And as he drove on the main street, the first thing he saw was worst than anything he could imagine.
Urgh, he absolutely hated rush hour!
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Two hours later, Tezuka had finally found a faster way to get to his destination. He was tired of the GPS’s ‘recalculating, recalculating’ so he turned it off… not that the honking and cursing he could hear outside was any better.
That is why, after numerous headaches, Tezuka was glad he had reached his goal. He would be even happier if he hadn’t just landed in the middle of nowhere with an unwelcoming gigantic mansion in front of him. It was too bad the tall man was tired and in a bad mood; he never noticed the tombs lying in front of the ruined castle and the ‘STAY OUT!’ signs stickled all over the front door. He directly entered the mansion, ignoring the pink fairy’s warning about the second obstacle ahead. He would never let his guard down when it came to Fuji.
The first thing Tezuka had noticed the second he had stepped inside the mansion was that he was completely blinded by the overwhelming darkness. With the multiple curtains on duty, not a single filter of light penetrated inside the house, adding to the already creepy atmosphere the bespectacled youth wasn’t able to detect. Yet.
This was when Inui’s high-power flashlight came in handy, he thought. He would use it before his eyes could adapt to the obscurity of the room.
And with a click, everything became clearer. Glancing around, Tezuka could spot an old piano sitting in the middle of the room, right in front of the stairs to block the passageway to the second floor. The hall below the stairway should be leading to the kitchen, he guessed, and behind that door on his right would be… the lobby? Slowly, he approached the totally out-of-place piano that highly intrigued him. With the thick dust covering its once polished black paint, Tezuka could guess it was old of at least a century.
Was the piano purposely placed in front of the stairs to keep uninvited visitors -like himself- out? He thought no further and lifted the instrument’s cover up and danced his fingers on the white keys. The notes that came out sounded very wrong…
Crack.
Distressed, Tezuka stopped playing at once and looked up, above him. Discreet but distinguish footsteps resounded on the floor above. He glanced around to find Inui Atobe and Echizen already flying towards him. The pink fairy was the one who whispered him ‘that -the footsteps- is your second obstacle. Don’t let your guard down, Tezuka.’ Inui handed him the bow and the arrows he had brought.
Great, just great. Why did everything Inui brought had to be useful? Tezuka wasn’t scared; he just didn’t want to kill someone -or something- when his only goal was to find his long lost friend. If only there had been a better method… but Tezuka wasn’t someone to back down. He came all this way, faced his worst fears -traffic and headaches-, entered the mansion, lit up a flashlight… he wasn’t going to abandon all his efforts and drive back home just because there was an unknown creature above him that knew of his presence and could kill him any minute. Tezuka was a strong man.
And that is why he had bothered to search and find a way to mount the stairs towards doom.
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Gladly, the stairs led him to a long hallway with only one room at the far end of it. He had enough of searching for the Sleeping Beauty. Slowly, Tezuka approached the room that would lead him to his everything or nothing. His heart pounded hard against his chest despite his numerous attempts to calm himself. It was tension that filled him rather than fear. The bespectacled man stretched his arm in front of him and curved his sweaty fingers in order to fit the doorknob’s round shape… and turned.
The moment of truth was here.
A violent pull on the door forced Tezuka to let go of his grip. A man just about as tall as him stood in front, probably just as dazzled as himself. It took them a while before finding the right words to say.
Miraculously, it was Tezuka who spoke first. “Sanada, what are you doing here?” he asked in disbelief.
Sanada Genichirou was his rival back when they were in primary school. Seishun Gakuen had once faced off against Rikkaidai on a research about ghosts and it was Sanada’s school who had won the tournament. Since then Tezuka was unable to forget his rival’s stoic face.
“You stole the words right out of my mouth. I return you the question, Tezuka.”
But said man wasn’t listening anymore. Behind Sanada lied the most beautiful person Tezuka had ever seen. Though her face was hidden behind a white cloth, the bespectacled man could see her short golden strands gently resting on the feather pillow, her long, slender fingers lightly entangled together on her tum. With the obscurity of the room, her fair skin glowed magnificently. If it wasn’t for Fuji who possessed his heart, Tezuka would have fallen for her.
Completely and utterly astonished, the tall man pushed Sanada aside and slowly walked towards the Sleeping Beauty. She merited her name, he finally realized and carefully sat on the bedside she was lying on. Too caught up in the mood, Tezuka hadn’t realized Inui following him, scribbling madly in his notebook something about ‘didn’t even slay the dragon, just pushed him aside.’
Bending down hesitantly, Tezuka closed in the distance between them to gently capture her lips with his own in one chaste kiss. He could feel their warmth and the small curving edge they had. Her lips had tasted even sweeter than anything he had anticipated. Blame him for not having broad imagination.
As he slowly pulled back, Tezuka was disappointed the magic never came to be. There was no golden light encircling them, no sudden butterflies flying around them, not even the gorgeous cerulean eyes he believed the Sleeping Beauty had, opened. She was still lying there, as asleep as ever and he was still there, almost gaping at her in disbelief. What happened to the 97.3 percent of chance of success Inui had promised him?
Speaking of the dataman, he was now right behind Tezuka and handed him a bottle of…liquid substance with an evil grin plastered on his face.
“I knew it would be too good if she could wake up with just a kiss so I prepared this” he gave the bottle to his Master. “It’s my special extravagant Inui Juice deluxe, version 305, with extra caffeine for a healthy wake-up in the morning. Feed it to her.”
Tezuka turned red. And he no longer knew nor cared whether it was from anger or embarrassment. He had just listened to Inui, done the most out-of-character act -kiss a stranger! - just for his fairy’s own personal enjoyment? Oh the dataman just earned himself laps for a lifetime.
Seeing no reaction -on the surface, at least- from his Master, Inui voluntarily poured the liquid in the Sleeping Beauty’s mouth. If it wasn’t for his small lips, the fairy would have used a different method in feeding it to her.
Suddenly, the Sleeping Beauty sat up and crutched her mouth with both hands to cover her sudden coughs. Under the pressure of gravity, the white cloth originally placed over her face fell to the ground, revealing the same blue cerulean orbs Tezuka had envisioned. When her sudden illness passed, she gasped for air before finally settling down, her honey hair covering her lowered face. It was only when her breathing became even that she had glanced up to face Tezuka.
The latter held his breath and it wasn’t until he heard his name called in that same melodic voice he remembered Fuji had eight years ago that he remembered he needed air.
“T…Tezuka…” how he loved hearing his name called from that voice he had missed …
“Fu…ji…” Tezuka whispered to himself in disbelief. So the Sleeping Beauty was a male, huh. The love of his life. What a coincidence.
It was Inui’s notebook that dropped to the ground with a loud ‘thud’ that had brought them back to reality. They turned in unison to see the pink fairy gaping at them -or at Fuji, more precisely- with his mouth wide open. If fairies could drool, Tezuka knew Inui would have done so.
For the first time today, Tezuka felt good. Fuji seemed to be exceeding all data Inui had managed to collect from him. Well, it was only normal. Fuji’s angelic smile was enough to bewitch half the planet.
“Who is that?” Tezuka turned to see Fuji, just as dazzled, but definitely not mouth wide open with non-existent drool flowing out. The angelic boy was smiling his eternal smile. “Why is he completely dressed in pink when he is clearly a male?”
“He is Inui, a fairy I created. And fairies don’t have any sex. He could be both male and female though I think he prefers female clothing.”
“Oh.” Fuji laughed his clear, melodic giggle. Oh how Tezuka had missed this sound…
Come to think of it, Tezuka never knew why his best friend left him. Fearing the worst, he decided to shut up and ask when he was sure Fuji wouldn’t disappear on him again. Instead, the bespectacled boy allowed stealing a shy glance in his love’s direction. He was glad that he and Fuji still shared their past unspoken relationship because the honey haired boy knew of his anxiousness and decided to answer Tezuka’s silent question.
“I left to join Rikkaidai eight years ago…”
‘Sanada-kun!’ Fuji ran towards said boy and caught up with him. ‘Could you please teach me how to become a strong researcher? I have a passion for ghosts and I heard that you were stronger than Tezuka Kunimitsu when it came to tracking… please, would you care to teach me?’
Honored to be known as ‘stronger than Tezuka Kunimitsu’, Sanada had decided he would take Fuji in as an apprentice if the latter was willing to join their school in exchange. After Fuji had accepted, he had transferred to Rikkaidai and started his hard training. It didn’t take long for him to be known all across campus as the next genius of the century. Some people believed it was because his official teacher was Sanada, others thought he was more than just plainly intelligent. Though no one affirmed to dislike Fuji, Yukimura, Sanada’s secret admirer had shown otherwise. He was also one of the best students in campus, himself nicknamed as the child of god. It wasn’t because Fuji was just a slightly better than him that made him jealous; he only disliked the fact that the Tensai shared an intimidate relationship with Sanada.
So one day, evil Yukimura had spot Fuji leaning a little too close to Sanada and decided he would plunger his rival in eternal sleep. His evil smile always on, he poured his top-secret poison his fairy Yanagi had prepared him on a spindle. Chanting, he had cursed Fuji to prick himself during their next art class, and sleep until someone would wake him using an even stronger juice than his own. Along with the curse, the one who would accomplish such a thing -hopefully a mad scientist- would have his greatest wish -which would obviously be marrying the beautiful creature Fuji was- granted.
“…and that is how I ended up sleeping here for I’m not too sure how long. Thanks for waking me though, Tezuka. I’ve missed you.”
Before Tezuka could react, it was Inui who had spoke up. “But… how could this be? The Sleeping Beauty… a man?” he mumbled.
Fuji smiled his wicked, dangerous smile. “Inui-kun, you of all people should know Wikipedia isn’t the most reliable source ever invented.” He joked.
“But…what about the…the greatest wish…”
“Ah, that.” Fuji searched in his left pocket and took out a small satin box with two golden rings lying inside. “So Tezuka, would you marry me?”
And they lived happily ever after. At least, Fuji did.
The End.