A/N: Well, this is the opening of a foray into vast, uncharted territory. A while back, I became intrigued with the idea of Tachibana/Yukimura. I signed up for the livejournal community fanfic100. This is the result. We'll see what happens. If I finish the challenge, there will be 100 (short) chapters.

So, please give it a try. It won't start out at all romantic--I'll try to work my way up to it gradually, so that the pairing does not seem too strange. I have plenty of ideas for how it can develop naturally.

I am also considering putting in some eventual side pairings. The most likely candidates are Sanada/Atobe and Kirihara/An. Tachibana/Yukimura will remain the focus, however.

Prologue: First Glimpse

Tachibana will never forget the first time he set eyes on Yukimura Seiichi. Although it might as well have happened to another person, in another lifetime, the day is chiseled into his memory like an inscription on a monument, everlasting.

The captain and regulars might have been sulking at Shishigaku's defeat in the first round of the Nationals, but Tachibana and Chitose weren't about to miss the finals for anything. It was their first year at the Nationals after all, and they were still full of excitement at starting their time on the team for real, now that they were done with their months as ball boys. Nationals were just about over, and then would be their turn to take the tennis world by storm.

"Senri, do you think Rikkaidai is going to win?" Tachibana asked, as they pushed their way into the stadium.

"Dunno," Chitose said. "I guess they've won in Kantou for years, but haven't pulled off a victory in the Nationals for a while. But they're a bit funny this year, didn't you hear about it?"

Tachibana racked his memory.

"The senpais were talking about it, but I wasn't really listening," he admitted.

"You're always daydreaming, aren't you, Kippei?" Chitose laughed.

"Sure." Tachibana had been needled often enough for his dreams of victory that he didn't really mind anymore. "Are you going to tell me about Rikkai, or what?"

"Well, apparently they have three first year regulars."

"You're joking."

"Nope. Look, over there!" Chitose pointed at the Doubles Two pair, which had just entered the court. "Those two. The one in the cap is Sanada, and the other one is, um…Yanagi, I think."

Tachibana shoved at his friend's shoulder.

"If I daydream, you pay too much attention. You actually know the names of Rikkaidai's first years?"

Chitose scowled.

"Everyone's been talking about them. You'll see."

By the time the first year doubles pair won the game, six games to three, Tachibana listened to the cheers and had to admit that they were something unusual. It made him feel oddly impatient. He wanted some applause. Here he was as a first year, barely on the team, not even a regular. And then, there were these other first years, regulars on one of the country's best teams, winning a game in the finals.

He tuned out during the next game, a comparatively boring Singles 3 match between two third years. Sure, they were good and all, but they wouldn't be around by the time he and Chitose were playing seriously.

Rikkaidai lost that match, and the audience grew even wilder. However, the Doubles 1 was a complete rout. By the time Rikkaidai was winning five games to one, the outcome seemed fairly certain.

"I'm going to the bathroom," Tachibana whispered to Chitose. "I'll be right back."

Chitose gaped at him.

"But the match is almost over, and then it'll be Singles 2. The other first year is playing. You want to see him, don't you?"

Tachibana rolled his eyes.

"I'll be back in plenty of time."

Fifteen minutes later, as he returned to the stadium, the noise seemed strangely loud for the middle of a match. Shouts and screams filled the air.

"RIKKAIDAI! RIKKAIDAI! ALWAYS WIN, RIKKAIDAI!"

Tachibana squeezed over to Chitose.

"What's happening?" he yelled. "Did Doubles 1 finish already?"

"He won!" Chitose screamed. "He won in eight minutes!"

Tachibana glanced up at the scoreboard (6-0) and down at the tennis court. An excited throng of players clad in yellow swarmed around one small figure. It took Tachibana a moment, but it wasn't hard to figure out what had occurred.

It was difficult to see the victor through the crowd. Tachibana climbed on top of his seat. So that was Rikkaidai's third first year regular. The one that just won the Nationals. The one whose name rang through the air: Yukimura Seiichi.

He was small (shorter than Tachibana, and more delicately built), with shoulder length blue hair. He would have been pretty, if it was not for the burning look in his eyes, a look that was visible even from far away.

The champion, the conquerer, so slight, so young, and yet so mighty, completely in control, the master of all he regarded. Beautiful. Tachibana didn't want to look away.

"Next year," he shouted to Chitose, to make himself heard. "Next year, I'm going to have a match with him!"

A/N: Please review! I'm quite eager to hear your thoughts on this.