Detective Tezuka Chapter 14

[tacuma]

Title: Detective Tezuka chapter 14 – One True Love
Writer: Tacuma
Pairing: Perfect Pair
Chapter: 14/ ?
Genre: AU, romance, angst, crime
Word count: 3086 words
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis

Previous Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |

Chapter 14 – One True Love

'Tezuka-san, do you have another tissue for me, please?'

Tezuka sighed. Ohtori had been right. He was trying to get anything out of Mizuki-san, but the owner of the gym was faking his crying, and making suggestive remarks.

Oishi handed the black-haired man another tissue.

'I know this is hard on you, but we can't find the one who killed Akazawa-san if you don't answer our questions. You said you were a good friend of him, so you probably knew him well. Do you know if he had any enemies? Anyone that was angry at him?'

Mizuki dramatically wiped his tears. 'I understand, you have to do your job, but I can't think of anybody. Akazawa only had friends as far as I know. The others in the group liked him very much as well. I didn't meet him very often outside the gym, so I can't tell you about that.'

'Can you tell me something about that group?' asked Tezuka.

'Of course. We have different training sessions. There are five groups, and every group trains two days a week. Group 5 is the lowest, with the people who only just started with building their muscles. The first group is the group of the strongest men. Looking at you I think you would fit in there as well, with a little practice. They're very good, I often watch them practice. Akazawa was a member of the first group. They sometimes joined in competitions, and as you can see we won quiet often.'

Tezuka looked at the shelves filled with prizes.

'Did Akazawa-san win any of them?' asked Oishi.

'Yes, two or three,' replied the gym owner. 'He wasn't the strongest of them all, but not bad either.'

'Did he join any contests lately?' asked Tezuka. 'Could there be an opponent who got angry, and murdered him?'

'No, he hasn't joined in months! He got injured a few months ago. Nothing big, but he couldn't practice for a while. Now he was trying to catch up with the others of the group, and he was doing well.'

'Tell me, if there is an empty spot in the first group, will someone of the second group get that spot?'

'No, that is not possible. The coach tests their strength,' said Mizuki. 'When someone passes the test he can go to the next group. Ryuzaki Sumire is the coach of both groups; she, and I decide who get into the first group. There is no limit of spots in a group either, as long as it fits in the gym, of course. So if you want to, I can help you to get in.'

Tezuka ignored Mizuki's flirtations. 'One last question: do you know someone named Fuji?'

'Yes,' answered Mizuki surprised. 'Fuji Yuuta. We've been in the same school in middle school, and high school. We played tennis together. I haven't seen him in years. He was a very obedient boy, I remember. A bit too obsessed about beating his older brother, a fascinating, but very annoying guy. What was his name…Fuji Syuusuke, I believe. Yes, with scary blue eyes. What is it about him? Do you suspect him?'

'No,' replied Tezuka shortly. He didn't like to hear such things about his lover. 'It's another case, and I wanted to know if they are related. Thank you very much for answering our questions. The gym will be closed for today, and tomorrow. We'll let you know if you can open it the day after tomorrow.'

With that he quickly walked out of the room, followed by Oishi.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Yagyuu sat in front of four very impressive men, and one woman. They were the members of the first group of the gym and their coach. Yagyuu wasn't small himself, but he still felt a little intimidated by them. Their arms and chests were huge. Even their coach was big, however Yagyuu suspected it wasn't all muscles on her, but some fat as well.

'Ishida Gin, Kaidoh Kaoru, Kuwaharu Jackal, Akutsu Jin, and coach Ryuzaki Sumire, right?' asked Yagyuu. 'Could you tell me something about Akazawa-san?'

'Like what?' asked Akutsu. 'That he was a weakling that didn't belong here? He wasn't even good enough to be in the second group.'

'Don't say that,' said the coach. 'You know very well he got injured, and that it took him very long to heal. He couldn't practice during those months. He just had some trouble to get back on the level he used to be.'

'Why couldn't he train his arms when his foot was broken?' complained Akutsu.

'Could someone tell me what exactly happened?' asked Yagyuu. 'What kind of injury did Akazawa-san have?'

'About five months ago Akazawa dropped one of the weights he was lifting,' explained Ishida. 'It fell on his foot. One of his bones got broken in a complicated way, and it took him long to heal, and learn how to walk properly again. He has been gone for almost five months. During those months it seemed like he lost a lot of his muscles. He has been back for about four months now, but he didn't really get his muscles back, no matter how hard he practiced. I didn't know so much hard work could get lost in just five months.'

'He didn't come here at all during those five months?'

'No,' answered Kaidoh. 'We thought we wouldn't see him again, but suddenly he appeared at practice again four months ago.'

'So, if he really lost so much of his strength, why could he come back in the first group?'

'Mizuki-san asked me to put him back in the first group,' answered Ryuzaki-sensei. 'I thought it was only fair, and that he would get his strength back, but he didn't get a chance to do that.'

'Did any of you see him during those months he didn't come to practice?' They all shook their head.

'I've visited him in the hospital,' said Jackal. 'The day after it happened. I brought him some flowers, and told him to get well soon, but to me it seemed like he didn't appreciate it.'

'Does any of you know if he had any friends? Colleagues maybe?'

'We just didn't care, sergeant,' interrupted Akutsu. 'We trained with him, but he wasn't our friend. We didn't know the guy.'

'That isn't very helping, Akutsu-san,' said Yagyuu calmly. 'I have to ask these questions. Since you've already been involved in a murder case before I would calm down, and answer the question, or I will take you to the station, and you can answer them there.'

'I know he had some kind of office job,' said Kaidoh. 'He didn't talk about work or friends. We don't talk as we train.'

'I know he sometimes talked tot the guy with the glasses from the fifth group,' said Jackal. 'I don't know his name, but he was watching us now and then. He seemed to admire Akazawa. But I don't think they saw each other outside of the gym.'

'Thank you,' said Yagyuu. 'We'll talk to him.'

'Akazawa suddenly became good friends with Mizuki-san after he broke his foot,' replied Ryuzaki. 'As far as I know Mizuki-san was his only friend here. They didn't talk at all before the incident, but afterwards they seemed close friends.'

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Tezuka was searching through some files. He couldn't forget about what Mizuki-san had said. Did Fuji know him? Did he had anything to do with the damaged photo at the gallery. With a sigh Tezuka sat back in his chair and massaged his temples. This was giving him a headache.

He reached for the phone, ready to call Fuji, and ask him about it, when Ohtori and Sengoku entered the office.

'No one heard anything unusual,' said Sengoku who sat down on his desk. Ohtori sat on his chair.

'It seems the people from the gym often drink a little after their practice. Sometimes a little too much,' said the tall gray-haired man. 'They end up making a lot of noise when they leave or even end up fighting in front of the gym. But yesterday nobody heard anything.'

'Which means Akazawa knew his killer, and they didn't have a fight,' continued Sengoku. 'Or the killer was hidden, but that would be difficult. There aren't many places to hide in that street.'

'Maybe it was a passerby,' answered Tezuka. 'Someone that was very quick, and skilled with a knife.'

'I can only tell you the killer was smaller.' Inui stepped into the office. 'No sign of a struggle. Just stab wounds. From the way he was stabbed I can tell the killer was smaller. The stabs were all placed very low in his belly. All the important organs were damaged, but it wasn't enough to kill him. He bled to death. Interesting fact, the guy was impotent.'

'Does that have anything to do with our case?' asked Yagyuu as he dropped down on his chair. He just came back from his interview with the first group of the gym. 'But now we do know it wasn't one of his team mates. They're all taller than Akazawa-san or about the same height, so it can't be one of them. They don't have a motive either.'

'Mizuki-san is smaller,' said Tezuka.

'And he has something to hide,' said Yagyuu. 'It seems he and Akazawa-san became friends after he broke his foot. Before that they hadn't been friends yet, and hardly spoke to each other. It has been only about four months ago. Still Mizuki-san was acting like he lost a friend he had for years. Besides that, Akazawa-san lost most of his muscles in five months, which is strange, but Mizuki-san wanted him back in the first group, even when he didn't show any progress.'

'I might have an idea how he lost his muscles,' replied Inui. 'I will run some tests, and let you know as soon as possible.'

Tezuka nodded at him. 'Meanwhile it seems to me we have to talk to Mizuki-san again.'

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Tezuka rang the doorbell of Mizuki's apartment. Yagyuu stood next to him. When the owner of the gym opened the door he raised an eyebrow.

'How very nice of you two to pay me a visit,' said Mizuki as he twirled his hair around his finger. 'I was getting lonely now that the gym is closed. When can I see my big boys again?'

'We will let you know as soon as you can open the gym again,' said Yagyuu. 'For now we have a few more questions for you. Can we come in?'

'Sure,' answered the black-haired man. 'Want some tea?'

'No thank you,' said Tezuka as they entered the living room. They sat in front of Mizuki.

'Can you explain your sudden friendship with Akazawa-san,' asked Tezuka. 'We heard the two of you became friends after he broke his foot. Before that you hardly talked to each other. What was the cause that it changed so suddenly?'

'Alright, I'll tell you,' said Mizuki with a sigh. 'I didn't want to give Akazawa a bad name, but he used drugs. Anabolic steroids. That is why he got strong enough for the first group. They found out in the hospital when he was treated for his broken bone. He had all the symptoms. His cholesterol was weird, his liver was damaged, and he was impotent. Poor soul. I felt sorry for him. He wanted to be part of the first group so badly that he sacrificed his own body for it. It took him so long to get out of the hospital, because they had to treat him for his liver, and cholesterol as well. I thought that if he practiced he might get good enough to be in the first team, without the drugs. So I promised him he could stay in the team if he wouldn't touch any kind of drugs anymore.'

'Did he win those trophies while he was using anabolic steroids?' asked Tezuka.

'Yes,' answered Mizuki. 'He didn't deserve them, I'm aware of that. But I couldn't take that away from him as well, could I? He already suffered enough.'

'Do you realize that if it comes out, your gym will be in trouble?' asked Yagyuu. 'You might have to close down. Did Akazawa-san wanted to tell somebody else about it?'

'No, he had no intention to tell it to anyone,' replied Mizuki surprised. 'I thought about telling somebody, but I thought everybody would be better off not knowing, both for the sake of my gym as for Akazawa. That's the reason why Akazawa, and I came to an agreement. This way nobody would get hurt.'

'I hope you told us the truth this time,' said Tezuka. 'If not, we'll be back soon.'

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

'I'm sorry I'm late,' said Tezuka as he approached the table where the Fuji family was waiting for him. He was only ten minutes late, but coming late when having dinner with your future family-in-law doesn't make a very good impression. Tezuka sat down on the empty seat next to his lover. A waiter asked if he wanted a drink, so Tezuka asked for some green tea.

'We almost started without you,' said Fuji's father. 'You must be a very busy man. You didn't even have time to go home, and change. You're wearing the same suit as yesterday. Don't you want to go, and refresh yourself a little?'

Tezuka bit the inside of his lip. He hoped nobody had noticed. He was wearing a clean shirt, but the same suit, and tie as the day before.

'Otou-san, don't say that,' said Fuji. 'He helped me clean yesterday after you all left. It was too late for him to go home, so he stayed over at my place. It wasn't even six 'o clock yet when he had to get out of bed to start working again and he has been working until a while ago. Tezuka is a decent man.'

'If he is out so often, starts working that early, and comes home this late, how can he take care of you?'

Fuji opened his eyes. 'I can take care of myself. Besides, he offered me to move in with him, so we can be together every free minute. I knew he had a busy life when I chose him, and I don't regret it.'

'You're already moving in with him? You hardly know him!'

'Yes, I want to move in with him,' answered Fuji. 'You hardly know him, otherwise you wouldn't say such things.'

'That is why we are here now,' said Yoshiko, glaring at her husband, to make sure he wouldn't say another word about it. 'So we got to see you again, Syuusuke, and to get to know Tezuka-kun better.'

Tezuka was glad when the waiter returned to take their orders. The situation was getting more and more awkward. Under the table he squeezed Fuji's hand, to thank him for defending him.

During dinner Yoshiko and Yumiko made Tezuka tell about himself. He told them almost everything they wanted to know. When they were done questioning him, they started to ask Fuji what he had been doing recently. Now, and then he teased Yuuta, together with Yumiko. The youngest Fuji got a little angry, but it was nothing serious. Tezuka envied them. They hardly saw each other, but when they were together they were really close.

When dinner was over the family said goodbye to each other. Fuji's father gave Tezuka a warning look. Tezuka just nodded at the man, and said goodbye.

'I'll walk you home,' he said to Fuji.

Fuji smiled at him, and took his hand. Tezuka gave him a small smile in return. Behind them he could hear his mother-in-law saying that they were so cute together. He couldn't hear her husband's reply, but he could hear his father-in-law wasn't angry anymore.

'Today I met someone who called you an annoying guy,' said Tezuka suddenly. He had wanted to call Fuji about it, but forgot when his colleagues had entered the office.

'Who was it?'

'Someone involved with the murder case. He is the owner of the gym where it happened. His name is Mizuki Hajime. Do you know him?'

'He is probably your killer,' said Fuji. His voice was lower, darker than normal. 'In middle school he was in the same tennis team as Yuuta. He called himself their manager, and learned Yuuta a new move. That guy knew it would ruin his shoulder, but he didn't care, as long as their team would go to the nationals. He shows no mercy. He is willing to sacrifice people for his own sake.'

Tezuka raised an eyebrow. If Mizuki wanted to sacrifice Yuuta-kun's arm to win, why did he give Akazawa-san, who brought his gym in danger, a second chance?

'So why does he think you're annoying?'

'I played a match against him. I acted like he was much better than me, and that he could easily beat me, until he had only one more point to go. Then I beat him, not letting him take another point. I warned him not to do something like that to Yuuta again.'

Tezuka couldn't hide a grin. 'You must have been pretty scary if he still remembers that.'

'I was,' grinned Fuji back.

'So,' started Tezuka. The grin was gone from his face again.

'What?' asked Fuji

'Do you…really want move in with me?'

Fuji smiled. 'You worried about that? I told my father I would, right, so I will. If you still want me to, that is.'

'Of course,' answered Tezuka quickly.

'Then, let's move my stuff when you're done with the case and you have a little more time. I hope your spare room will be big enough for all my things.'

'You can put things in the living room as well,' said Tezuka. 'We'll find a way.'

They stood still in front of Fuji's apartment. Without saying a word they wrapped their arms around each other and kissed. It was a long, deep kiss, and neither of them cared that anybody could see them. When they broke the kiss they looked each other in the eyes.

'I love you,' whispered Tezuka.

'Secret romantic,' grinned Fuji. He gave Tezuka another kiss before he said goodbye, and unlocked his front door.

'I love you too,' he said before he disappeared.

Tezuka looked at the closed door. With a smile on his face, he walked home.