A Prince of Tennis fanfic.
SanaYuki pairing a.k.a. alpha pair

Story: Love Symphony - Chapter.1

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi.

Author's note: My favorite story so far... Wet dreams and breaking voices... This is sort of an experiment, so it might be different to my usual writing style. Please review to let me know if it's good or not.

Please review!

1. Dolce

The Beginning. The beginning of a long dream...

Sanada woke up just before his 4am alarm rang. His palms were sweaty and his heart thumped nervously. Changed into his hakama, Sanada slashed his sword at straw dolls to relieve his stress. When the sun finally rose, he took a shower and changed into his brand new uniform. His clumsy fingers fumbled with his tie for minutes before it finally looked acceptable.

He checked his bag thrice, making sure he had his books, pencil case, wallet, phone and of course, the Sanada family rock, before putting on his new blazer and shiny black shoes. He said goodbye to his father and mother and walked out of the house, embracing his new identity as a junior high student.

"What about breakfast, Gen-chan?" His mother ran out after him, but he did not hear her. He was already racing towards school; he did not want to be late on his first day.

When he arrived at school, there was no one except for a few senpai-tachi with bleached hair and a lot piercing who were too busy smoking to notice his petit figure. He was unsure of what to do; the only thing he knew was that he was in class 1-A (he had aced the entrance exam), but even so, that did not improve his situation.

He wandered aimlessly around the school, feeling quite anxious and lonely. "Sanada-kun!" The dreadful silence was broken and Sanada turned around, and saw a boy racing towards him.

"Yukimura-san?" Sanada recognised this boy from the elementary school tournaments; he was the champion of their age division. Yukimura looked different in school uniform, his aura much gentler than when he was playing tennis.

Yukimura waved upon Sanada's recognition. "So it is you!" Yukimura grinned widely, "I can't believe we're going to the same school! Are you trying out for the tennis team?" He added when he saw the racquet sticking out of Sanada's bag.

"Perhaps," Sanada said, feeling rather self-conscious under Yukimura's intense gaze. He saw that there was a racquet sticking out from Yukimura's bag as well, and like his blue Babolat, the red Yonex was brand new. "Are you?"

"Perhaps not," Yukimura said and stuck out his tongue playfully. "Hey, your tie is crooked," he added. Sanada blushed and moved his hand to fix his tie. But Yukimura beat him to it. He undid Sanada's tie before moving his fingers quickly to redo the knot. Sanada looked up into the sky and swallowed; he could smell a strong fragrance of rose and sandalwood shampoo from Yukimura. A few strands of hair tickled his neck and Sanada felt his heart increasing its rhythm. "It's done," Yukimura grinned and tucked the tie inside Sanada's blazer for him.

Other students began to arrive. Through the Public Address System, the first year students were instructed to proceed to the hall for orientation. Yukimura smiled and led the way. They sat together during the assembly and when Yukimura took out the sheet of paper for his speech as student representative, Sanada could swear he saw a registration form.

Yukimura was in 1-A as well. In first period, they had science, and were paired up to share a microscope. Sanada concentrated on copying a diagram of the microscope and labelling it, trying to ignore the admiring (from girls) or jealous (from boys) glances directed Yukimura. Yukimura did not seem to mind though, he seemed to be familiar with likewise situations; he joked through the whole lesson and even plucked a strand of Sanada's hair to examine it under the microscope.

At lunch, Sanada sat by himself in the stairways. He stared at his umeboshi onigiri and fried tofu, feeling lonely and foreign. Make friends, his mother told him last night, obviously concerned by his solitary attitude and his lack of friends in elementary school. But Sanada shrugged off the thought as he munched on the warm rice ball, thinking about the tennis tryouts after school. "Sanada-kun," Yukimura suddenly appeared, and without even asking for permission, sat down besides Sanada.

"Yukimura-san, why are you here?" Sanada asked. Unlike him, Yukimura was popular the instant he presented himself to the grade. Everyone liked him, and in class, everyone wanted to be his partner in team work.

"Having lunch," Yukimura said light-heartedly, not answering the question at all. "Or would you prefer to eat alone?"

"No," Sanada mumbled and put the fried tofu in his mouth. Yukimura took out a ham and cheese roll from the paper bag he was holding. He tore it with his teeth and swallowed the bread in large chunks, gulping down his lunch with an incredible speed.

"Want some?" Yukimura asked and handed Sanada a small piece. Sanada was too embarrassed not to take it. He placed it in his mouth slowly, fully aware that Yukimura was waiting for a response.

"It's nice," Sanada said truthfully. Then, after a moment of hesitation, he asked bashfully, "would you like some onigiri?"

"Sure," Yukimura beamed and took the onigiri Sanada handed over. When he finished, he exclaimed, "it's fantastic. Did your mother make it?"

Sanada nodded. He did not want to admit that he makes his own lunch.

After school, Sanada walked to the tennis courts with Yukimura. The tryouts were being held today and already, there was a line at the registration table. Sanada joined the line, feeling insignificant among the seniors and sophomores. "Good luck," Yukimura said and disappeared. Perhaps Yukimura was not joining the team after all, Sanada thought.

The list with the names of the regulars was posted outside the club room the next day. When the bell rang, Sanada sprinted from class towards the tennis courts, praying that his name would be on the list. When he arrived, there were already a crowd in front of the list. As he made his way through the crowd, he could see frustration on almost everyone's faces.

He began to read the list, and his heart pounded against his chest so loudly that he could almost hear it. Under the heading "1st years", there were two printed names. The first was Yukimura's and the second belonged to someone named "Yanagi Renji". A wave of disappointment hit Sanada, and he turned away, biting his lips. Suddenly, a petit figure jumped from the tree and landed in front of him. It was Yukimura, smiling cheerfully at Sanada. "Hello," Yukimura said jovially. Sanada lowered his head and passed Yukimura without a word. He was ashamed.

Yukimura chased after him and Sanada just wished to be left alone. He brushed Yukimura's hand from his shoulder and walked on, quickening his pace. "Wait!" Yukimura cried after him, but Sanada broke into a run. His attraction to the striking boy had suddenly become repulsion. He did not hate – or even remotely dislike – Yukimura, but the feeling of inferiority wounded him greatly.

"Sanada-kun," a voice he did not recognised called out. Sanada turned to the source of the voice and saw a boy leaning against a sakura tree. "I'm Yanagi Renji."

Sanada's eyes widened at the mention of the name. He stared at the boy and saw that he was holding a yellow jersey. He was smiling at Sanada calmly, his bob cut tousled as a gust of wind breezed past. Sanada mumbled, "Pleased to meet you," before walking away in another direction. He did not need another confrontation to lower his self-esteem further.

"I'm sure we'll be great team mates," Yanagi's voice trailed behind him, quiet but clear.

Sanada stopped in his tracks. What did he mean by team mates?

"Sanada-kun! There you are!" Yukimura was sprinting towards him, waving a sheet of paper in the air. "Oh, Yanagi-kun is here as well."

"Yukimura-kun," Yanagi nodded.

"Sanada-kun, why did you run off?"

"97% chance that he thought he didn't make it for the regular team."

Yukimura gave Yanagi a blank stare before shoving the piece of paper in Sanada's face. "Read it!" Yukimura demanded. Without a choice, Sanada obeyed the command.

And his name was at the very bottom, the characters a bunch of messy squiggles.

"Buchou forgot to print your name," Yukimura said. Sanada was overwhelmed by surprise. His jaw fell open as he stared at his barely legible name. It was simply unbelievable.

Yukimura cleared his throat and spoke. "Let's aim to win three nationals in a row!" He said, putting his hand down.

Yanagi smiled and nodded, and placed his hand on top of Yukimura's.

They waited for Sanada's. It was hardly possible to win one Nationals, let alone three, Sanada thought. But looking at Yukimura and Yanagi's eager expressions, he placed his hand on top of theirs with a quiet sigh.

The Nationals was such a far-stretched dream.

The first practice was held the following Monday. Sanada and Yanagi both practised with their captain and vice-captain. And both of them were crushed in quick, one-sided matches. Yanagi disregarded his losses, telling Sanada that he should have expected it since there was no way a first year could defeat the strongest two of the team.

But it was not okay. Yukimura won easily against both their captain and vice-captain half an hour later. Yanagi shrugged and said it was only natural for Yukimura to decimate his opponents. Sanada ignored Yanagi and gazed at Yukimura, who was gulping down a bottle of water at an inhuman speed. He secretly wished he was better than Yukimura in some way or other.

Well, at least his yellow jersey fitted him; even though Yukimura was wearing the smallest size, it hung off him like an oversized poncho. It was a wonder Yukimura could even wear it playing tennis without getting tangled in it.

A tingle of iciness on his cheek disrupted Sanada's thoughts suddenly. He looked up and saw Yukimura holding out a can of Ponta to him. "Is it nice?" Yukimura asked after Sanada took a sip. Sanada nodded and Yukimura took the can from him, taking a large gulp.

"Hmm... not bad," Yukimura said and handed the can back to Sanada. "I'll buy another one. Thanks for trying it out for me." Yukimura winked mischievously and ran off to buy another can.

Sanada took another sip. The tingly grape flavour was a mix of sugary sweetness with a dash of sour grapes. But there was something different from the first sip he took. He could taste the almost indistinguishable sweat from Yukimura's salty lips. It lingered in his mouth for the rest of training.

When he went to sleep that night, his thoughts still revolved around that salty taste. It was not particularly appetizing, but it was addictive like a drug. He could not rest peacefully that night, for his body was craving desperately for the taste of Yukimura's lips.

Every time he looked at Yukimura's lips, his feet would wobble like jelly and butterflies would flutter in his stomach. He wanted to touch them, to taste them again. That addictive salty taste never left his mind, instead intensifying every time he stared at those soft, curvy lips.

"Are you okay?" Yanagi asked, noticing Sanada's blank stare and involuntary trembling. "Are you sick?"

"No," Sanada replied and walked away. It was not the truth. Even though he was fine physically, he was emotionally shaken. He felt like a hideous monster wanting to take advantage of Yukimura's purity. He could not speak to Yukimura anymore. He did not dare; watching Yukimura's lips form different shapes as he spoke was too much of a temptation.

Anyway, the Kantou Finals was coming up in a week. He needed to concentrate now.

They won. They were one tiny step closer to achieving that impossible dream of winning three Nationals in a row.

Sanada could not pretend anymore. He did not want to use practice as a distraction anymore. He decided that rather than living so pathetically, constantly playing hide-and-seek, he would confront his feelings. To himself, and to Yukimura.

He planned to confess to Yukimura under the "confession tree". It was something he heard about when Nishiki-senpai was planning out his confession a little too loudly. Apparently, the tree was planted a long time ago and there was some kind of magical element to it that would bring good luck to the confessor. Sanada did not believe those fairytales, especially when Yukimura had already rejected 58 girls under that tree.

Sanada passed Yukimura a slip of paper during class. I need to talk to you after training today. Yukimura looked at him and simply nodded. Sanada reached for the paper, and was caught by the teacher. She gave him lunchtime detention for not paying attention. Sanada thought that was really unfair; Yukimura never listened and he never got in trouble.

Sanada sat in the classroom all alone during lunch; there was no one else in detention with him. He began to plan out his confession again when the door slid open. It was Yukimura. "Hello," he said cheerfully, sitting on Sanada's table.

"Hi," Sanada said and hiccupped. Yukimura grinned and patted his back. "Why are you here?" Sanada asked in between a violent fit of hiccups.

"I wanted to see you," Yukimura said, twirling a strand of hair. "By the way, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Sanada blushed. He opened his mouth, but his hiccups refused to stop. It was impossible for him to stop. Sanada cursed himself for being such a fool in front of Yukimura. Now there would not even be a chance Yukimura would replicate his feelings. "Here," Yukimura took out a bottle from his bag and handed it to Sanada. "Drink some water before you choke."

Before Sanada could refuse, Yukimura had already unscrewed the bottle lid for him, urging him to have a little water. Sanada placed his lips on the bottle neck, trying to ignore the fact that Yukimura had too drunk from this bottle, and gulped a mouthful of water.

"Better?" Yukimura asked, putting the bottle back into his bag.

Sanada felt better without his hiccups, but he was even more nervous than before. What if he confessed and Yukimura refused? Sanada did not want to ruin their friendship. He was terrified of losing Yukimura, his first ever best friend.

"So what did you want to tell me?" Yukimura asked, tucking the strand of hair behind his ear.

Sanada took a deep breath. He held onto the edge of the table, fingernails dug into the wood. "I like..." He began.

But then, everything went horribly wrong. His voice cracked and Yukimura stared at him strangely. Sanada wanted to dig a hole in the ground and hide in it forever. He felt like such a fool.

"Pardon?" Yukimura asked politely.

Sanada tried again, but his voice was so croaky that his words were barely audible. The door suddenly slid open and two girls walked in, both wearing their bleached brown hair in braided pigtails.

"Yukimura-kun, please go out with me!" The one standing in front shouted suddenly, bowing her head.

Sanada looked at Yukimura and wondered how he would react. "Sorry," Yukimura was calm as usual, "I need to concentrate on tennis right now. I'm really sorry."

The girl looked at Yukimura for a brief moment before running out in tears. The second girl stared at Yukimura with a strange expression before chasing her friend. Sanada could hear their footsteps fading away in the corridors. Yukimura scoffed. "What idiots," he said, walking towards the door to close it. Then, he started laughing when he caught sight of Sanada's questioning expression. "I thought they would learn from their friends. She's the 59th person I've said no to this year. Although..." Yukimura closed the door and kneeled down when he noticed a small silver pendant on the ground. He picked it up and held it up towards the fluorescent light tubes. He grinned and continued, "she's a little more special than others. She's the first to confess anywhere else other than under the confession tree."

Yukimura tossed the pendant to Sanada. "Isn't it beautiful?" Yukimura asked, sitting down beside Sanada again. "It's real silver, ne. I can't believe she dropped it."

"It's hers?"

"Of course. It's a couple's pendant. See how it's half a heart? She has the other half. She probably threw this on the ground when I rejected her. How funny, she bought this even before she asked. She must have been pretty confident."

"Even though I'm not really into this sort of stuff," Sanada said wearily, "she is the most popular girl in our grade. Everyone wants to go out with her."

"I don't. Do you?"

"Of course not."

"Exactly." Yukimura took the pendant from Sanada. "I would really like one of these. It's so beautifully symbolic. Wouldn't it be nice if you shared a heart with the one you love?" Then, with a flick of his wrist, he threw the pendant out of the opened window. Sanada stared at Yukimura, wondering what provoked such an act. "I only want the one I love to say 'I love you' to me. I hate random people confessing to me." Yukimura sighed, his brows gathered in a frown.

Looking at that annoyed expression, Sanada decided that he would never, ever confess. "What were you saying before she disturbed us?" Yukimura turned his attention to Sanada again.

"Nothing," Sanada croaked.

He sounded like a frog.

"Here." Yukimura passed Sanada a box of cherries. Sanada plucked the stem off and plopped it into his mouth, swiftly spitting the seed out. Yukimura pointed to the stalk and said, "You're supposed to tie a knot with it. With your tongue."

Sanada frowned, but nevertheless placed it into his mouth and wiggled his tongue around. "Like this?" He asked, sticking his tongue out, the stalk now a knot.

Yukimura peered over. "That's amazing!" He exclaimed, "How did you do that?!"

"Why would you want to tie a knot with it anyway?" Sanada said, throwing the stem into the rubbish bin.

"It means you're a good kisser," Yukimura said and his lips curled into a secretive smile. "Have you kissed anyone before, Sanada?"

"No," Sanada mumbled embarrassedly, his voice a weirder croak than normal.

Yukimura handed Sanada another cherry. "Tie it!" He said. His face glowed excitedly, like a child amused by the patterns on a ladybug's back. Sanada shrugged and tied a knot with his tongue again, even quicker than before. Yukimura stared and pouted. Then, he took one for himself and tied it with his hands before putting it into his mouth.

"See? I can do it too!" He said, grinning.

"Cheater," Sanada muttered, a smile appearing on his solemn face.

"You look good when you smile," Yukimura commented suddenly. "The other day, I heard the girls say..." He started coughing violently before he could finish his sentence though. Sanada fumbled for his bottle of water, but Yukimura shook his head. "I'm fine," he said, clearing his throat, and smiled again, "there's one last cherry. You can have it."

But Yukimura placed the cherry in between his teeth instead and leaned in close to Sanada. Yukimura pointed to the cherry with a slender finger and Sanada reached for it with his hand. Yukimura shook his head and swatted Sanada's hand away, pointing to his mouth. Sanada finally realised what Yukimura wanted, and his face and neck flushed crimson red instantly. Without the patience to wait any longer, Yukimura simply placed it at Sanada's lips. Then, pushing the cherry with his tongue, he passed it to Sanada.

Their lips brushed just before they pulled away. Yukimura's lips were softer than Sanada imagined, and they tasted sugary, like a over-ripen cherry.

The next morning, Sanada woke up from his first wet dream.

Sanada never analysed his feelings towards Yukimura. He assumed them to be fear, admiration and friendship. But now, it was obviously something more. Every time he remembered the softness of Yukimura's lips, his heart would beat like crazy. Every time he brushed fingers with Yukimura when they reached for the same lunch at the cafeteria, his legs would turn into jelly. Every time he saw Yukimura wrap his mouth around an ice-block, his pants would become too tight for comfort. He did not want to think of Yukimura in such explicit ways because he loved Yukimura. But his body's lust was rebelling against his morality and resistance.

He did not know what to do anymore. He loved Yukimura and he hated himself for such an emotion. A week before the beginning of the nationals, Sanada finally decided to cut his bonds with Yukimura. "Buchou," Sanada went up to his third year senpai when there was no one left in the change rooms.

"What is it?"

"I..." Sanada took a deep breath. What he was about to request was the total opposite to his heart's desire. "Please don't make me Yukimura's partner in the nationals!" He cried and bowed deeply, praying for approval.

The captain turned to Sanada and looked at him solemnly. "Why? I though you two were good friends," he said, frowning.

"Please!" Sanada begged, "Anyone but him!"

The older boy looked at his kouhai and wondered what caused the sudden change of heart. "Fine," he finally said, "you can play doubles with Renji. I'll let Seiichi play singles."

"Thank you," Sanada said sincerely and turned to leave.

His heart skipped a beat when he saw that Yukimura was at the door. His lips were trembling as tears filled his hazel orbs. His knuckles were white and his cheeks were drained of colour. "Yukimura..." Sanada said, unable to explain. Yukimura stared at him questioningly before turning, running away. Sanada watched as Yukimura's figure disappeared into the far distance, leaving only a trail of tears behind.

Yukimura's footsteps faded away and all Sanada could hear, were his own pathetic, croaky sobs.

Keeping his promise, the captain never paired Sanada with Yukimura. As expected, Yukimura ignored him, avoiding conversations or even eye-contact. It hurt Sanada to keep himself away from Yukimura, but he told himself it was all for the better. Yukimura did not need admirers, he thought, I'm just another annoying follower bothering him with this stupid feeling called love.

Sanada had always thought he was different to other people. He never expected to fall in love with someone they would fall in love with. But of course, anyone could – and would – become a victim to Yukimura's beauty and charm; his charisma was simply impossible to resist. As much as he hated to admit it, Sanada was the same as all of them, devoted to Yukimura, but rejected by his cold indifference.

It was impossible to reach Yukimura. Dreams alone could not reach the heavens.

It was a common vice for humans to wish – and assume – that they had control over everything. But more powerful forces in nature often contradict our assumptions, like the arms of a clock spinning anti-clockwise. This unpredictability, some called it God, some called it karma, and some called it: Destiny. He did not know, but on that sunny day of the Nationals semi-final, the first act of fate was committed.

Sanada was a reserve for the semi-finals, a decision he was not particularly pleased with, but one he could not rebuke because of the choice he made earlier. During the Singles 2 match, he was sent off to the vending machine to buy drinks for his senpai-tachi. Why couldn't they just send a club member to get it? Sanada thought, a little annoyed. He inserted the coins into the machine and waited for the drink to roll out. The machine did not respond, simply taking without returning. Sanada stared at the machine angrily, cursing it for eating his money. Nevertheless, he did not forget the orders of his senpai-tachi, and he turned to the adjacent machine, inserting coins again.

Just when he had finishing buying the five cans of drinks he was ordered to, he saw the vice-captain running over. Crap, Sanada winced, he's going to call me slow again. But instead of shouting at Sanada for being so tediously sluggish, the vice-captain snatched all the drinks from Sanada's hand and handed him his red Babolat racquet. Sanada looked confusedly at his vice-captain, who should still be playing his Singles 2 match.

"Genichirou," his vice-captain said, trying to catch a breath, "my opponent forfeited. Doubles 1 is starting now." Sanada stared at his senpai blankly, wishing he would just get straight to the point instead of telling him something he already knew.

"Nishiki twisted his ankle when he was knocked over by a crowd of Hyoutei fan girls. You're replacing him. Now."

Even before he arrived, Sanada could already hear "A-TO-BE! A-TO-BE!" resonating throughout the courts thunderously. He ran onto the courts, and realised – even though he should have known – who his partner was. Yukimura was standing at the baseline, gazing at him with a hateful glare. "Yukimura... I..." Sanada stuttered.

"Be quiet," Yukimura said icily, turning away, "just take your place at the net."

"Can you two just shut up?" A cocky voice said before Sanada could say anything else to Yukimura. Sanada spun around and faced his opponents. The two players opposite him were, like him and Yukimura, first years. Atobe and Oshitari. Sanada recognised them from scouting videos. They were the only first years, but among the best of the Hyoutei team. "Yukimura and Sanada, eh?" Atobe smirked as Yukimura tossed the ball. "What luck that I happened to want to play Doubles 1 instead of Singles 1 today! Ore-sama heard that you two are quite interesting ones..."

If Sanada did not wish to risk getting a concussion by getting hit by Yukimura's serve, he would have walked over to Atobe, reached over the net and whacked him on the head with the racquet. He hated people who addressed themselves as ore-sama. How stupidly vain.

Yukimura took his serving game easily with four successive aces. Sanada could not put into words how much he enjoyed listening to the fading cheers and seeing Atobe's irritated expression. His glee, however, was taken away quickly when Atobe produced several aces against Sanada himself, wiping off his grin. Yukimura's constant scoffs did not help either, shaking Sanada's confidence as the match went on. He began to make careless, amateurish mistakes, forcing Yukimura to cover almost the whole court. "Sanada," Atobe said, his voice mockingly vain, "are you going to play seriously? Girly over there's not going to last if he has to play for you as well!"

"Be quiet!" Sanada yelled and wished instantly that he did not. His cracked voice sounded even more pathetic than usual when amplified. "Don't call Yukimura a..."

"Shut up, Sanada." Yukimura said even though Sanada was to his defence. "Atobe, let's just get on with the match."

Without another word, Yukimura walked to the baseline, waiting for Oshitari's serve. Watching Yukimura's swaying figure, Sanada wished he could just explain and apologise. Atobe sneered as he observed his opponents' lack of communication with a keen eye. They were heading towards self-destruction, tripping each other over, one with hostility and the other with guilt. They would not last much longer against him.

The ball zoomed past Yukimura and Sanada as their racquets crashed into each other's. "Game, set and match! 6-2 to Atobe-Oshitari!"

After they shook hands with a smirking Atobe and a grinning Oshitari, Yukimura grabbed Sanada's collar forcefully and shoved him against the wall. Sanada closed his eyes and winced, but did not attempt to break free. He knew he deserved Yukimura's wrath (after all, the only games they won were Yukimura's serving games, which were taken both times with four consecutive aces). His team mates, however, thought differently and pulled Yukimura away from Sanada, telling them to clear away for Singles 1, the deciding match.

When they were out of hearing distance from the rest of the team, Yukimura leaned in, placing his lips right next to Sanada's ears. Sanada could smell sweat, deodorant and rose and sandalwood shampoo as Yukimura leaned in. But that alluring fragrance failed to captivate his heart as usual, for Yukimura's following words chilled his heart and soul.

"I've never lost since I was 8. And even so, this is the worst loss in my life. Now I know why you didn't want me to be your partner."

"It was humiliating."

After three sleepless nights, Sanada finally decided.

If they won... he would apologise.

And confess.

With 3 wins against 2 losses, Rikkai had vanquished Shitenhouji in the Nationals Finals. They were the victors of this long journey of constant struggles, and along the way (they played Singles 1, 2 and 3 in the finals), Yukimura, Sanada and Yanagi picked up the moniker "Rikkai no Sannin Bakemono". Also, by annihilating Shitenhouji's famed captain 6-0 in Singles 1 within 15 minutes, Yukimura earned himself the title of "The Child of God".

Now, he was even further from Sanada. Dreams could never reach the heavens.

But nevertheless, Sanada was determined to honour his promise. He would apologise and confess to Yukimura. It was to be an act of reconciliation, or perhaps, an act that would end their relationship, once and for all.

He could not pinpoint the exact moment when his lust for Yukimura became love, but standing under the confession tree with Yukimura less than a metre away seemed as though that moment belonged to the distant past.

"Yukimura," Sanada said, his heart beating doki doki, "I'm really sorry for ruining that doubles match."

Yukimura avoided Sanada's gaze and caught a sakura petal in his hand. He crushed it and ripped it into tiny pieces before scattering them onto the ground. "It's fine, I don't care," Yukimura said, his voice as chilling as ice.

"And... about the conversation I had with buchou..."

"I told you. I understand."

"No... I... It's just... I..."

"What?" Yukimura's voice was bitter and harsh. "What? Are you going to tell me how much you detest me? Or are you going to tell me what a horrible person I am?"

"No," Sanada said quietly. Thunder cracked and bright lightening streaked across the sky. The damp, musky smell of approaching rain filled the air. Cicadas had stopped singing, as have the birds that took shelter from the nearing storm.

"Then what?" Yukimura leaned up towards Sanada, who seemed to have grown a lot taller than Yukimura in the past few months. "What exactly, do you want to tell me?" Yukimura's face was only a few inches from Sanada's. A strong whiff of rose and sandalwood shampoo swirled around Sanada and he could see, behind locks of stray hair, the clear question in Yukimura's narrowed eyes.

"I..." Sanada took a deep breath, inhaling the suffocatingly heavy air, "I like you!"

Yukimura pulled away, a shocked expression replacing scorn. Red flooded his cheeks and for a moment, Sanada thought he was blushing. He was wrong. Yukimura burst out in a fit of laughter, his liquid clear voice tinkling through the empty school grounds like an intricate silver bell.

It was a beautiful, mocking noise.

That laughter told Sanada that he was the 60th person to be rejected this year. He stood motionlessly as his face and neck flushed scarlet red. He wished he could fly off to Mars and never come back – or perhaps the further Jupiter would be an even better idea. Yukimura's beautiful laughter was ringing, loud and clear despite the thunderclaps. The captivating tintinnabulation was so enthralling that it was almost piercing, too harsh for the ear. Sanada felt his blood boil, but whether it was from excitement or rage, he did not know. He did not know how long that enchanting string of laughter lasted for, but as much as he hated it, he knew it enticed and hypnotised him. Sanada closed his eyes, that mesmerising, taunting noise resonating all around him.

He opened his eyes when the crystal laughter stopped abruptly. Yukimura was on the floor trembling, his hand on his cheek. It was swollen, an angry crimson. What did I do?! Sanada thought frantically, baffled and at a lost of what to do. Yukimura's lips were set in a hard line as he tried to pretend that the punch did not hurt. His hands tightened into fists as he stood up again, wiping blood from his cracked lips. Then, he took a few breaths slowly, and his trembling stopped.

His lips parted and that musical laughter rang once again.

"Stop!" Sanada shouted, his eyes sprung wide with fear. "Please! Please... please... stop!" He squatted on the floor and pressed his hands against his ears, shutting the world away. He would rather die than being hated by the one he loved so dearly. Perhaps it was his punishment for trying to reach too high.

Dreams were not meant to touch the heavens.

"Genichirou..." A pair of warm hands laid on top of his and gently pried them from his ears. Sanada looked up and saw Yukimura crouching in front of him, looking at him with sobered eyes with a glimmer of dimmed radiance that Sanada did not understand. "Genichirou," Yukimura repeated, his sharp intonation now sedated into a soft, tender whisper, "I'm sorry. But..."

"I like you too."

"No... no..." Sanada shook his head hysterically, "no... no... no... that's not... possible... no..."

"Why not?" Yukimura asked softly, genuinely concerned.

"Because... because... you hate me!" Sanada cried, his emotions pouring out of his psychological barrier he had erected to protect himself from the truth. "You hate me! And how can someone like you ever like me? You're popular and you're perfect! You have so many admirers, so why would you choose me?"

Yukimura straightened his body and pulled Sanada up as well. "I don't know," Yukimura said. There was almost a hint of annoyance in his tone. "I can't explain everything. Love is supposed to be unexplainable anyway. I guess it's just because you're so genuine. And you truly care about me, not like those idiotic girls who only want to go out with me so they can boast to their friends. No, you're truly kind to me. You're always by my side, no matter how big a tantrum I throw, or how unreasonable I am. I am myself around you. And I like you for that."

"Like...?"

"I like you. A lot." Then, his cheeks reddening suddenly, he added shyly, "I love you."

The Confession Tree brought good luck after all.

Sanada stared at the small parcel he was holding as he walked closer to the crowd at the back of the 1-A classroom. It was Yukimura's birthday and it seemed that the whole grade had gathered in their classroom to celebrate. There was a stack of presents on the teacher's table, waiting for Yukimura to open after he cut his cake. Almost all the presents were from admirers and were wrapped delicately and decorated with ribbons and stickers. Sanada looked at his own, and felt comparatively insignificant. His was a tiny box, wrapped neatly in brown paper. He hoped Yukimura would not mind the plain wrapping.

He joined the crowd inconspicuously as they began singing "Happy Birthday". Sanada could see Yukimura sitting in the middle of the crowd, a happy smile hanging from his face. When the song finished, he blew out the thirteen candles and everyone cheered loudly. After cutting the cake, he stood up and moved to the present pile. All the girls screamed to have their presents opened first and Yukimura was looking for a present that did not belong to any of those girls when he caught sight of Sanada.

With a mischievous grin, he climbed onto the table in the centre of the room and silenced everyone. "I have an exciting announcement to make," he said and everyone watched him eagerly, Sanada included. "I've been told today that I'm going to become the tennis club's buchou next year!"

The room exploded in applaud and cheer. Sanada looked up at his friend. He felt proud and ecstatic that Yukimura was captain, and also that he could be under Yukimura's leadership.

Yukimura waited until the room quietened a little before speaking again. "I have also chosen my fukubuchou," he announced loudly and everyone held their breaths, waiting to see who was good enough to be Yukimura-sama's vice captain. "Sanada," he said and everyone turned to face the astonished boy, "will you be my fukubuchou?"

Still shocked, Sanada nodded.

The room broke into another round of applause as Yukimura hopped down the table and proceeded to his new vice-captain. Sanada grinned stupidly, still recovering from shock, and shook Yukimura's extended hand. He had never felt so happy before. The card he spent the last 24 hours drawing, and the pendant he spent 10 months of pocket money on, seemed oh-so insignificant.

It felt as if it was his birthday instead of Yukimura's. Words could not describe his thoughts or emotions.

"Be my fukubuchou until the day you beat me," Yukimura whispered into Sanada's ear, his eyes bright and animated. "Will you?"

"Of course."

Thank you if you have read through the whole chapter! Thank you so much for your patience and perseverance. I hope that did not bore you to death... The action starts next chapter!!!

Please review!!!