"Drifting Apart"
Summary: Yanagi sets out to find the reason behind the rift between Sanada and Yukimura. But he's oblivious to the fact that he is the cause of it.
Disclaimers: Prince of Tennis is not mine.
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It's strange, Yanagi noted as he stared out to the open court where a lone figure donning an all-too familiar black cap headed, Genichirou's acting a little different today.
The others might not have noticed anything unusual with Sanada on that particular day, but Yanagi's sharp eyes saw the miniscule changes. His shoulders drooped a little bit, his lips pursed in a firmer line, and his eyes were glazed somewhat darkly. He barked orders and reprimanded the first years for not holding the racket properly, but at every word, his voice seemed to be cracking.
And it was not only Sanada. Yanagi noted the slight change in Yukimura's actions, too. The buchou's eyes seemed distant and unfocused as he stared at his team while they were practicing; his face was devoid of any emotion. His arms crossed over his chest firmly; and his posture was stiffer than usual.
Something must have happened, Yanagi thought, as he tapped his pencil against the cover of his notebook, while he observed Marui and Jackal in their doubles match against Niou and Yagyuu. He decided to find out later, for a data master should not let any valuable information slip out of his reach. Maybe a talk with either Sanada or Yukimura would clear things up for him.
And it's not only for the sake of information, he mused as an afterthought. Sanada and Yukimura were his closest friends and a rift between the two was not a very good thing. He knew both of them possessed this innate stubbornness that even in very trivial matters wherein they would disagree, neither of them would back down to give way for the other. Yanagi did not want to go back and forth between the two parties, acting as the diplomatic mediator. He could tell from experience that it was too tiring -- trying to convince someone who was being hard-headed and childish at the same time. Though one could hardly use those two words to describe Rikkai's buchou and fukubuchou, Yanagi knew far too well, that if the situation would call for it, Yukimura and Sanada would revert to being their stubborn, obstinate selves.
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After practice, Yanagi packed his racket and headed for the clubroom; his trusty notebook tucked under his right arm. He passed by Sanada on the way. The fukubuchou had already changed into his school uniform; tennis bag slung over his right shoulder and a hand buried in his pants' pocket. The brim of his cap was pulled 3.5 millimeters lower than usual, Yanagi noticed, and it completely covered his eyes. Yanagi was about to greet him, but the words got caught in his throat, when Sanada walked past him without giving as much as a single glance. Yanagi's steps came to a halt as he stared at Sanada's retreating back with a dumbfounded expression on his face.
It was indeed strange. Apparently, the fukubuchou was ignoring him.
He shook off the initial stupor as he stepped inside the clubroom. He found Yukimura, sitting down on a bench, bent over while tying his shoelaces. The buchou did not look up when he entered and Yanagi wondered why, since he knew Yukimura must have noticed his presence in the clubroom.
The data master silently strode towards his locker and took out his things. He sat down on the bench beside Yukimura, with his back turned against him, as he proceeded to change to his school uniform.
Seconds ticked by slowly, and not a word was exchanged between the two. The silence was turning heavy so Yanagi decided to speak up first.
"Seiichi, did something happen?"
It was an ambiguous question, but Yanagi knew Yukimura would figure out what he was talking about. He was not wrong. Yukimura's response, however, took him by surprise.
"Genichirou confessed to me last night."
Yukimura's voice was very nonchalant, which was unusual, for he regarded these sorts of things as of importance.
Yanagi's hands stopped midway in buttoning up his polo shirt. He glanced sideways at Yukimura but the boy's back was turned against him so he could not really see the expression on his face. He chose to keep quiet as he finished with the remaining buttons on his shirt, waiting for Yukimura to continue.
A soft sigh escaped Yukimura's lips and his shoulders dropped, making a little contact with Yanagi's back.
"I turned him down."
Yanagi's head whipped to the side and his eyes locked gazes with Yukimura's teal ones. He could not read what was in those eyes. They seemed very flat and expressionless.
"Why?"
Yanagi had known for a long time how much Sanada was smitten by Yukimura. It was really evident in the way the boy looked after his buchou. Though Sanada was not very good at expressing himself, the subtlety of his actions failed to escape Yanagi's keen observations.
He also knew that Yukimura was showing some fondness for Sanada for a quite a while now. He looked upon the fukubuchou kindly and always worried about his well-being. The reciprocation was not on the same level, but Yanagi had predicted that over time, it would develop into something.
However, this was not that 'something' he was expecting to happen.
Yukimura's eyes averted towards the open window. Yanagi's question seemed to resound in the room's heavy atmosphere. His eyes were on Yukimura, waiting for a response. Yukimura turned to him and wistfully smiled.
"You should know the reason, Renji," he said softly, looking directly into Yanagi's eyes. "It was the same one you had when you turned me down."
With that, Yukimura stood up, picked up his tennis bag, and walked outside the clubroom; his softly-whispered words resounding loudly in Yanagi's ears, piercing his soul.
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Author's Notes: I was compelled to write this while listening to "Umi no Ballad" by Remioromen. I don't know where this idea came from; I just wanted to write something on the Rikkai troika and I happened to be listening to a sad song that time, and this was the end product. Apparently, another failed attempt at character examination and introspection. Do tell me if it made any sense to you.
I seem to very uncreactive at thinking of titles these days.
If anyone notices any mistakes, please feel free to point out and I'll correct them right away. I seemed to have messed up writing the Rikkai Troika here too, so any suggestions and comments on how I can improve on their characterization or any insights on them is very much welcomed. I plan on writing more Troika fics in the future so I really want to be able to write them down properly.
Feedback is not required but greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading!