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meijipucca : Thanks! That review made my day :)
I hope I did not disappoint you with the update. You surely have a high expectation from this story :D

On to the story~

Chapter 1

Sanada was at a loss.

He was not expecting to find an unlit, empty club room the moment he swung the door open. And unless the world was turning upside down, Yanagi was never unpunctual. Perhaps his friend had an urgent matter to attend to- but even should that be the case Yanagi would normally have the time to alert him.

An ominous premonition had been haunting Sanada the entire day. There was something off with Yanagi's evasive dismissal that Sanada could not put a finger on. Perhaps he was being ludicrously paranoid, excessively worried that Yanagi might suddenly drop with grave illness like Yukimura did.

Sanada decided against waiting and slammed the club door shut. Having to count minutes pass would only make him grew more restless. He might as well use the time to search the school out-and-out.

Entering the school building, he saw the portable white board where papers listing names of students and the class they were assigned to were attached. Being the first day of school, some students would be reassigned to new classroom. Sanada walked closer and scrutinized paper by paper to find his friend's name.

Nothing.

Sanada was about take another inspection but stopped upon catching sight of a small piece of white paper taped over the last entry of class 3-F's students.

Carefully Sanada peeled off the tape. The rectangular paper gave way, revealing a name that Sanada could not believe. Yanagi Renji.

Was his friend retained? Did he transfer out of Rikkaidai? Could he possibly be expelled?

Anger, confusion; waves of mixed emotions crashed upon him. He could not stand this irregularity. Storming out of the place, he sought his half-Brazillian teammate whose name he had seen listed under the same class. He wasted no time confronting Jackal immediately upon finding him walking towards him in the middle of the hallway.

"Jackal, have you seen Renji today?" His questions were thrown in haste, every words were delivered with great sense of urgency. Jackal was baffled at the raw display of emotions.

"N-no…" He replied hesitantly. "Did something happen?"

Sanada pressed for more. "Was his name called during attendance taking?"

Jackal did not take long to answer. "No. Is he supposed to be in the same class as me? I didn't see his name in the list."

"His name is there, removed."

Sanada promptly retrieved his cell phone from his pocket and dialled Yanagi's number, leaving a befuddled and worried Jackal staring at him.

Five monotonous beats were emitted from the phone before it gave up on trying to connect to the receiver. It was only four beats on his second attempt, and the third attempt was cut off before the second beat even ended. A deliberate move.

His friend was hiding something.

"Damn it, Renji!"

Clinging onto the last thread of hope, Sanada pressed the button and dialed for the fourth and last time.

"Yanagi Renji!"

Yanagi's mind snapped back into attention. He took a deep breath, and slowly pulled his left hand out of his pocket away from his cell phone. The four consecutive calls he had terminated gave him a clear idea of the caller's identity. He should have ignored it, silenced the vibration. Instead he let his feelings dictated his moves, and the careless way he had ended the call would definitely cost him. He had paid enough price for this. He did not want torn relationship to be added to it.

"For a scholarship recipient I have expected you to be more attentive, Yanagi Renji." Rebuked the teacher in front of him. He was back in the face of reality. He was in Hyoutei Academy, currently discussing the terms of his final junior high school year with the head teacher in the teacher's office. Such was the reality that Yanagi could never even imagine happening, until now.

"My apologies, Mr. Kurosawa."

The teacher let out a tired sigh. "I still can't understand why you, a senior student, would receive a scholarship at this time. No matter how outstanding your performances had been, this was anything but appropriate."

Yanagi remained silent.

"Anyway I shall not debate with the principal's decision. Have you been attentive to my words, you would have understood the behavior this school expects from you. I shall not repeat my words."

"And before you leave, here are some forms for you to fill." The teacher placed on the table between them a stack of papers which Yanagi approximated to consist of fifteen sheets.

"These are for your personal details, subject combinations and after-school activities. Return these forms to me by tomorrow. Oh, surely you have received all the school necessities- uniforms, guide book and such?"

Yanagi nodded.

"That's all then. I'm the one in charge of you so feel free to come to me if you need help." Mr. Kurosawa ended with a template sentence. Yanagi knew that he was all alone in this scheme. It seemed it would unfortunately stay that way throughout the year.

As Yanagi stood and bowed deeply to bid his farewell, a hand touched his left shoulder gently. Taken aback, Yanagi looked up to find Mr. Kurosawa whispering softly to his ear in an affectionate tone that had been absent throughout their conversation.

"The final year is going to be rough, but do try to enjoy your only year here in Hyoutei, okay?"

Yanagi bowed deeply once again, expressing his silent gratitude at the token greeting words. No matter how insincere, it helped him convince himself to not dwell on the move he had made. He excused himself out of the teacher's room and walked back to his classroom with the stack of papers.

As he made his way, he couldn't help but to feel alienated like a black sheep amongst the white. The dark yellow blazer he wore instead of the usual dark green, the red tie instead of the green and white stripes…The things he saw too, like the colors of the walls that he walked past and all the foreign faces he saw around him- everything about Yanagi Renji changed drastically. It all told Yanagi one thing. He should not belong here.

It was only the first day, he reasoned logically. He should grow accustomed to it eventually. But no matter how hard Yanagi tried to shake it off, to mentally convince himself out of it, he still felt like an outsider.

"It's my decision." Yanagi firmly reminded himself under his breath. Mr. Kurosawa was right, he had a rough year ahead of him.

The first day of school in Hyoutei had gone as expected. Yanagi was thrown disdainful looks by most people he had come across with, which Yanagi attributed to either his past as a Rikkaidai student or his new reputation as a unexpected scholarship holder. Lessons, thankfully, were on par with Rikkaidai that it could keep Yanagi's restless mind busy.

That being said, he needed to make his move now. He had no time to waste.

Yanagi approached one of his classmates in class 3-H after school. This first fellow he spoke to in Hyoutei was someone he was familiar with as the 'Data Master'.

"Oshitari Yuushi." Yanagi greeted the seated figure as he stood diagonally across Oshitari's desk. The addressed person took a curious glance up from the novel he was reading.

"Aren't you Rikkaidai's Yanagi Renji?" Oshitari replied nonchalantly in his Kansai accent. If Yanagi was affected by the mention of his previous school, he did a great job not showing it. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"This." Yanagi pulled out a sheet of paper from his bag and placed it on top of Oshitari's desk. On it was written: After School Activity Application Form. Oshitari's pokerface gave way to dull interest.

"Hey," Oshitari turned his gaze from the paper to the towering figure. "Are you sure you're applying to Hyoutei's tennis club?"

Yanagi nodded carefully.

Oshitari flipped his book closed and picked the paper up for closer inspection, his emotions was unreadable. "You are seriously applying for-"

"Before you questioned me further on my intention, yes, I do intend to join Hyoutei Academy's tennis club." Yanagi interjected concisely. "In addition, I have a favor to ask."

Setting down the piece of paper on the table, Oshitari brought his two hands under his chin and gave the expression that showed his lackluster curiosity. "And that is?"

"Hyoutei tennis club room is equipped with technologies to assist the training of members, correct?"

Oshitari nodded.

Yanagi continued. "Where could I borrow the key to the room?"

Oshitari considered the question for a moment. "I can get you the key." He answered casually. Yanagi raised an eyebrow, favors never come that easily.

Oshitari took a glance at the novel on his table. On the cover was a photo of a couple holding their hands together as they stood in the rain with the title Love in the Rain printed above them. He gave a coy smile. "Well then, how about a bribe?"

"Pardon me?"

"A book. Just bribe me with a novel and I'll get you the key." Oshitari stated simply, as if they were talking about the most trivial thing in the world.

Needless to say, Yanagi was dumbfounded. Had it been Yanagi on the blunette's seat, there was only 30% chance Yanagi would approve the request. The person asking was a former member of a rival school. Trust had to be built before Yanagi would allow the person near the clubroom

The simplicity in Oshitari's tone made him believe that Oshitari was merely joking, yet he seemed earnest about the ridiculous condition he proposed. Yanagi was familiar with those who had twisted sense of priority (he had one on his team before) but he did not think the man of 1000 techniques was one of them.

If this was how Oshitari wanted to play the game, then Yanagi would follow suit.

"Very well. Any personal preference that I should take note of?"

Oshitari smirked. "No. You're free to give me any book."

You're free to guess which book can serve as a bribe, Yanagi caught the underlining message behind his words. Knowing that the deal was not as simple as Oshitari tried to make it to be gave Yanagi a twisted sense of relief. Upon having to make the decision to come here, Yanagi no longer believed the existence of miracles.

Ending their conversation, Oshitari grabbed his novel, the form and his bag as he stood up. "It's almost time for practice. Shall we go, Yanagi Renji?"

Yanagi stepped aside to give way for Oshitari before he followed behind. Unconsciously his left hand clenched the fabric of the sleeve. He took a deep breath. He would finally meet the other Hyoutei regulars- not as a rival or as a spectator, but as a fellow member. And Atobe too,this time as the captain- his captain.

His mind drifted to the first day of school one year- or even two years ago. He had always walked to the tennis club as a proud member of it. He was undoubtedly a skilled player and even a part of the 'Big Three' in the club that had brought the team to championship. Now he felt as if he was dragging feet made of lead. No, it was a feeling more intense than dreadfulness. With every step he took, his heart throbbed as if trying to break out of the cage. He could hear the sound of his heartbeat loud and deafening.

He was drowning in sea of noise. His right hand smarted, pain buzzing inside his head. There was not enough oxygen for him to breathe. This is reality. His left hand gripped the fabric tighter, tighter until his nails bite into his palm.

"Yanagi?"

Yanagi gasped, releasing breath that he did not know he had been holding. They were in the hall outside the classroom. Oshitari was about five steps ahead of him, looking at him with a mildly puzzled face.

"Something wrong?"

Yanagi stared blankly at his soon-to-be teammate. Forcing himself to relax, his left hand slowly let go of the fabric. Several students expressed their annoyance at the two figures blocking the way in the middle of the hall, but none were interested enough to pay closer attention. Oshitari silently waited for the former Rikkai student to make his move.

After some time, Oshitari sighed and stepped back to where Yanagi was standing. He extended his right hand, which was holding the form towards Yanagi. "You can take this form back and-" Oshitari was abruptly stopped when Yanagi's left hand suddenly pushed his hand down hard.

"My apologies, Oshitari. Let us hence." Yanagi trudged ahead of Oshitari, who threw a questioning look at the back of Yanagi's head. He shrugged.

"The rest is up to you." Oshitari muttered before he casually caught up with Yanagi.

AN: We have Yanagi interacting with a member of Hyoutei, Oshitari. Next up, Yanagi faced what he dreaded the most, Hyoutei's tennis club.

Funfact: Yuushi is said to have transferred school six times. I pity the kid...