BOOK III: STORM contains SoHD version of TeniPuri Regional/National mesh-up. Despite my best intentions, the book is SIX chapters long, from Chapter 11 to 16. Last book (Book IV) is also 6 chapters long (Chapter 17-22) and plot will move relatively quickly for that one. If I can get the damned edits in.

Speaking of edits... I'm at a point where I'm too overwhelmed by Et Cetera to even try to edit properly. I'm sorry. Most of this is going to be very raw, practically unchanged from first draft, and the parts where I jostle myself, I will try to fix as I go. If something doesn't make sense, please comment and let me know! I will get back to you on those. Thank you for your patience.

SEA OF HIDDEN DRAGON

와룡장해 :: 臥龍藏海

by Shiraume (aka Solmae)

[11/2012 & 11/2013]

BOOK III: STORM

[06/2018 Version]

Chapter 11

"Who authorized that? No. Of all the incompetent, thoughtless – forget it. Take urgent word to General Sanada. Tell him he's needed back home. Akaya can take care of things there with you for a few weeks."

Yukimura narrowed his eyes, listening through the door that was open just a crack. Yanagi's voice was sharp with frustration, quite a contrast to his normally mild, cultured tone. A second later, Kuwabara opened the door and came out, and stopped short, startled to find Yukimura standing just outside the door.

"Is Renji alone?" Yukimura asked, waving away Kuwabara's greeting.

"No. Niou and Yagyuu are with him."

Yukimura nodded. "Take Bunta with you. If we're pulling Sanada out, you and Akaya will need help."

"Understood." Kuwabara saluted him smartly and left.

Yukimura knocked on the door once, then entered without waiting for an answer. Yanagi was sitting on his desk, with Niou and Yagyuu sitting across from him. All three rose as Yukimura entered, but Yukimura waved them back to their seats, taking a chair next to Yanagi. "I overheard," he said without preamble. "You're pulling Sanada out from the front?"

Yanagi nodded grimly. "Not public knowledge yet." A warning that everything he was about to say was unknown by the rest of the empire, including the imperial court. "Seishun will be ordered to pull out within the week. Beikoku, our erstwhile enemy, suddenly became quite cooperative, and agreed to virtually all terms presented from our side in the peace treaty."

Yukimura closed his eyes and groaned. "We need to step up our schedule, then."

Yanagi nodded again. "You know this conflict was just an opening salvo. A testing probe before Beikoku launches the main campaign. We might have had a year at the longest. I estimated seven or eight months. Now I estimate six months at the longest – probably four or five months at best – before Beikoku makes its next move."

"Not enough time to decide the issue of succession," Yagyuu observed, looking as grave as Yanagi. "They'll strike while the iron is hot. While our empire splinters over the issue of succession, Beikoku has been strengthened by it since their unification seventeen years ago. Their crown prince is already sixteen, and as the undisputed heir, he has become their national symbol of unity."

"From what Akaya said before, Beikoku is ready to march within a couple months, if needed. The only reason I give it four months is because Higa and Seiru are presenting unexpectedly firm line of defense on our southwestern border. Higa has a new acting lord." Yanagi pulled out a report, and handed it to Yukimura. "He's in charge of the military affairs. Saotome may be a drunken fool, but he's not yet completely senseless. His training methods are infamous, but effective. Higa's new acting lord seems to be the fruit of Saotome's labors."

"Kite Eishirou." Yukimura scanned the report rapidly, then put it down. "He strengthened Higa's side of the southwestern border and bolstered Higa's forces by forty percent. Twenty percent increase for their naval fleet as well. Not exactly something I'd wink at during peacetime, but it may have well bought us a couple months. And Seiru – Mizuki's work, no doubt."

"He's been the chief aide-de-camp to the Lord of Seiru for six years. Enough time to change the dominion's framework. At least for the military structure, he's done a decent job." Yanagi frowned judiciously. "If not quite as good at reconnaissance and data analysis. Whether Seiru can last against the inevitable invasion from Beikoku is another matter, however."

"The little weasel's come a long way, has he?" Niou was twirling a short throwing knife in his hand. "Or does he still annoy our master tactician?"

"Mizuki is overconfident and arrogant. He's too focused on appearance, and misses more subtle development under the surface." Tactics was Yanagi's home field, and he had no mercy whatsoever towards other strategists. But then again, Yanagi was the best strategist of the empire by far, so perhaps his critical disdain for the others was understandable. "If I were to estimate which would serve as more effective shield, my bet is on Higa."

Yukimura nodded. "At any rate, we'll need to finish up matters at home before our six months are up. Six months," he said firmly, pinning Niou and Yagyuu with a steely gaze, "and you will make sure of that, won't you?"

"Of course," Yagyuu replied promptly. Niou and Yagyuu took great pride in their ability to manipulate espionage and covert operations. Together, they could plant enough confusion and chaos in the enemy ranks to ensure there will be at least six months' time before Beikoku was able to regroup and begin fresh assault on the empire.

"Guess this means this year's martial arts competition will proceed according to the original schedule. If I remember it right, the Emperor wanted to delay the competition until Seishun returns so Tezuka's team can participate. Now there's no need." With the more serious part of their discussion over, Niou's posture had reverted to its habitual slouch. "So? Are you gonna put the kid up for it?"

Yukimura couldn't help a smug smile. "Since I've had to step down as the head of the Falcon Squad after becoming the official Lord of Rikkai... It's a good chance to advertise Akaya's candidacy."

The Falcon Squad was an elite military unit with a deep history, its members chosen from the noble-born youths in all dominions. Originally a training unit developed to teach young noblemen the art of war, the Falcon Squad had evolved in time to become a military academy of sort, a place for young men to gain practical experience in battlefield as well as a chance to practice leadership and hone alliances. And though not a prerequisite, with a system based on strict meritocracy, Falcon Squad was a good place to screen for future leaders within the empire. No matter what took place in reality, formal show of impartiality was of vital importance within the ranks of the Falcon Squad, and therefore no dominion lord was allowed to hold the position of its head.

Niou rolled his eyes. "Legitimize his position as the next head, you mean. It's not like the kid's going to meet serious competition for the spot."

"He might have," Yagyuu objected quietly. "If Tezuka hasn't been confirmed as the next Lord of Seishun, he would have made a compelling candidate for the position. Leaving the Emperor aside, other dominions will be uneasy with the prospect of having another Rikkaian as the next head of Falcon Squad. Not to mention Kirihara-kun's young age. It was lucky for us that Yamato chose now of all times to announce he would pass the mantle down to Tezuka, unconventional though it may be."

"Not as much as you'd think. They have blood ties between them." Yanagi, better informed as always, at least had the grace to drop the news without an air of superiority. "Tezuka's mother, Yamato Ayana, is Yamato Yuudai's second cousin."

"Ah. That explains a few things." Yukimura's fingers were playing idly with a jade tortoise-shaped ink container from Yanagi's desk. "So much for Tezuka's candidacy. But Tezuka has a protégé, doesn't he?"

Yanagi let out a huff. "Surely you're not suggesting that Echizen Ryoma would be recognized as a viable candidate? He's only sixteen, and has not even joined the Falcon Squad yet."

"Can't lead what you've never been a part of," Niou added philosophically. "Anyway, I don't see anyone dislodging the kid. We have this one in a bag. So let's move on to the more interesting part."

Even as Yanagi gave Niou a look for the flippant phrasing, the tactician was nodding. "The competition, yes. We need to discuss it. We should be able to get Akaya and Kuwabara back by then. And Marui too, I believe?"

Yukimura nodded. "They shouldn't need more than two or three weeks to reorganize and come back. Beikoku isn't stupid enough to try again in the same place. They're still testing for a soft spot in our border, and there are better places to attack." With a slight quirk of a brow, Yukimura added, a hint of irony in his voice, "And that should give Seishun enough time to return victorious and join the fun. What is your thought on Seishun, Renji?"

Yanagi shook his head. "Tezuka is the only real threat. Even if we recognize young Echizen's raw talent, the rest of Seishun is quite a different matter. No, my concern lies with Shitenhouji." Yanagi speared Yukimura with a serious gaze. "And Hyoutei."

A distinctly annoyed look crossed Yukimura's face. "I know." He sighed, pulling his hand away from the jade tortoise. "Nothing bars Atobe from entering the competition. He will be looking at this competition as a golden opportunity to make up for his lack of service record. And establish himself as the prime candidate for regency."

"Whereas you're stuck being one of the judges, and unable to participate," Niou drawled, his tone reminiscent of a cat stretching lazily. "But don't you worry. Rikkai's victory will be absolute."

"See to it that it is." Yukimura's eyes burned with dark, intense fire. The years he'd spent in covalence in his youth still haunted his thoughts, especially during the early summer, when the martial arts competition took place. Even now, missing those yearly competitions remained something of a sore point for Yukimura. "I will be watching closely."

"Aye, captain." Though the salute Niou gave him was jesting, the look in his eyes was anything but. The same resolve was echoed in Yagyuu, whose back went even straighter, if that was at all possible, and Yanagi, who gave a tight nod.

"There is no blind spot in Rikkai's victory." Yanagi's words were backed with iron conviction. "We are Rikkai. We are the champions, and always will be."

Yukimura returned the nod, proud and defiant. For Rikkai, defeat was unacceptable. They were Rikkai, and would never lose. "We can spare fifteen days. They won't make a move immediately."

"No." Yanagi sounded confident, thoroughly in his element. "I calculate the probability of a premature attack at less than four percent. We will win this competition, and strengthen Rikkai's position. We can use the momentum to push for the resolution of the succession issue. When Beikoku strikes, we will be ready."

Rikkai. The absolute. The champions. This was the Rikkai he, Yukimura Seiichi, had achieved, side by side with Sanada and Yanagi, and the rest of his team. Fierce pride mingled with fire of competition, and Yukimura held his head high.

We must never lose.

The victorious soldiers of Seishun were greeted with due ceremony and fierce enthusiasm at the imperial capital, where they made a triumphant entry and proceeded in a parade to the imperial palace. The Emperor made a great show of personally commending the troops and their commander before dismissing them. Afterward, it fell to Tezuka's second-in-command, Oishi, to escort Seishun's main force home, while Tezuka's other chief aides-de-camp, along with their hand-picked elite corps, remained with Tezuka at the Seishun's dominion mansion within the capital.

The arrangement was extremely convenient for all involved. This year, the Emperor had announced the annual martial arts competition would be limited to group events only, out of respect for those who were injured or dead in the military campaign that just ended. Individual competitions would not take place at all this year. This was a radical move; traditionally the individual competitions were held annually, while the group tournaments only took place once in every three years. The individual competitions were a good way to discover new talent, though certainly the group tournament was a much more lavish affair, not to mention highly politically charged due to its nature.

The group tournament was open to all twenty-four dominions within the empire. There would be five total rounds to decide on a winner. Since there were only twenty-four teams competing, eight teams would advance immediately to the second round by default. While seven of them were already advanced based on their past performance, this year, Seishun was also granted advancement to the second round in recognition of their recent service.

There were only three weeks remaining until the competition would commence, so Tezuka's team had barely enough time to get ready and decide who would be doing what. To that end, Oishi had rushed back to the capital as soon as the troops were safely dismissed back at Seishun.

"So." Inui opened his notebook, and cast a sweeping glance around the table where Seishun's team was assembled. "We are allowed eight members for our team. In each round, a maximum of five matches will be played. Two will be paired matches, or doubles, three will be individual, or singles. Three wins out of five matches will advance the team to the next round. If by any chance a match ends in a draw, the alternate members of each team will engage in a tie-break match. Any questions so far?"

"How are we going to decide who does what?" It was Momoshiro, who never hesitated to speak his mind. "Except for Oishi-senpai and Eiji-senpai, none of us are really experienced with paired matches. It wouldn't be fair unless we rotate."

Oishi hummed thoughtfully. "We'll have to vary who does what, and in what order." Out of their team, only Tezuka, Oishi and Kikumaru had gone through a triennial group tournament before. "How are they going about it this year? Still the two doubles matches first, then singles?"

Inui shook his head. "No, singles matches will be interspersed with the doubles matches. It will be as much a matter of who plays what as which opponent each will face. So we must vary our positions in each round based on our predictions of what our opponents will do. I trust you and Eiji will prefer to play as a pair?"

"Of course." Kikumaru threw a companionable arm around Oishi's shoulder. "When do we not?"

"That gives us one pair. We can rotate through the rest." Inui tapped a knuckle on his notebook. "Doubles matches will remain our weakness, however."

"Do we know who we're meeting in the second round?" Kawamura this time.

Inui consulted his trusty notebook. "Either Okakura or Higa. This will be Higa's first participation since eighteen years ago. They were nothing to write home about then, but..." Inui flipped a few pages, making a thoughtful noise. "Higa has a new acting lord. Kite Eishirou. Quite a formidable warrior from what I hear. And a competent leader."

"We already know Rikkai will be a strong contender for the championship." Momoshiro ticked off his fingers one by one. "Shitenhouji – last time, they were in second place. Who else do we need to watch out for?"

"Shishigaku," Inui answered immediately. "And Hyoutei, obviously. Atobe may not have active service experience, but he's no novice in the tournaments. I'd also put a watch on Fudomine this year."

"It's more like who we don't need to watch out for," Kikumaru observed glumly. "Last time, we lost in the second round." Their loss from three years ago was an especially bitter memory for them all: during the last triennial group tournament, Yamato's old injury had become aggravated, precipitating his premature retirement from military service. Of the team then, Tezuka, Oishi and Kikumaru had been the youngest members, and now the only ones remaining.

"We have a different team this time, Eiji," Oishi reminded him with a smile. "I think we'll do well this year. Don't you think so, Tezuka?"

"Yes. As long as we don't get careless."

The familiar addendum earned amused grins all around the table, but also a spark of determination. Oishi nodded to him, and asked the more pressing question that everyone else likely was wondering. "Will Echizen be joining us, Tezuka?"

Everyone present looked up at that, the sudden sharpened focus clear. "He's only sixteen, and he's not in the Falcon Squad," Kaidoh said, a frown on his face. "He may not be allowed to enter."

"But we'd be one member short otherwise," Momoshiro pointed out cheerfully, "since it's eight members per team. And can you think of a better candidate? We need Seishun's best for our team. Echizen would make a great teammate."

"Not to mention his father, the youngest participant in the empire's history, was only thirteen when he entered his first competition." Inui was flipping through his notebook as he spoke. "Although that was in the individual division, not group tournament. This year, we don't have individual competitions, so I'm 83 percent positive we can find a loophole to squeeze Echizen in. Though technically, the eighth member is merely an alternative, so we don't need eight members to register."

Oishi's brows were creased. "I hear Rikkai will register only seven members this year. Yukimura's been chosen as one of the judges and won't be participating in the matches. And Rikkai won't bother with an alternate. They are that confident of their victory." Oishi looked to Tezuka for confirmation. "Yukimura also stepped down as the head of Falcon Squad. Any idea who might be filling in?"

"See, it'd have been sweet if Tezuka could have. Stupid Captain Yamato." Kikumaru's voice took on a petulant tone, directed – as always – to Oishi, who answered with an amused look. When they first met, Yamato Yuudai, the current Lord of Seishun, had been a young captain newly put in charge of a fledgling team of teenagers. Even now, Seishun's team often slipped and called Yamato their captain.

"It would have been a great honor," Oishi agreed.

"And present significant advantage," Inui added with a glint of his square-framed glasses.

Tezuka ignored the last part. "Rikkai's Kirihara's name came up several times."

"The young Lord Kirihara?" Kawamura blinked in surprise. "He's quite young for that position. Any other candidates?"

"Shitenhouji's Zaizen, Hyoutei's Oshitari and Hiyoshi. Yamabuki's Sengoku, Rokkaku's Amane, and Fudomine's Ibu," Tezuka rattled the names off without hesitation.

"You could have suggested our Momo and Kaidoh." Although Oishi's tone was mild, there was an undercurrent of concern. "That's practically every dominion pushing for the position."

"I did," Tezuka said, to everyone's surprise. Momoshiro stared at him wide eyed, and Kaidoh looked down, looking embarrassed and shyly pleased at the same time. "Every dominion is pushing, but not to actually gain the position."

"To detract Kirihara, then." Inui adjusted his glasses. "Two heads in a row from Rikkai...it'd be enough to make other dominions nervous. Yamabuki's Sengoku wouldn't be able to, he's already slated to become the next Vice-Lord of Yamabuki. Hyoutei's Hiyoshi hasn't got enough experience on the field, and I doubt Hyoutei's Oshitari was even a serious consideration, given he'd turn down the offer in a heartbeat. Rokkaku would never gain enough support, and Fudomine would be hard-pressed to push for a candidacy even if Ibu-kun were so inclined. Which I doubt. Our Momoshiro and Kaidoh have only slightly better chances than Ibu-kun might. That leaves just Zaizen Hikaru as a viable candidate. How is everyone leaning?"

"Kirihara." Tezuka did not sound very happy. "Yukimura has the Upper Council swayed. Sanada has strong support within the Department of Defense. And Zaizen is no Shiraishi. I doubt he will win the popular vote."

Zaizen Hikaru was an immensely talented warrior, but unlike Shiraishi, he wasn't very popular among his peers due to his rather deadpan and standoffish nature. Whereas Kirihara, despite his violent streak, was strangely well-liked by others, even by the younger recruits who were usually terrified of him. To become the head of Falcon Squad, a candidate had to win popular vote within the ranks of the Squad's commanders and trainers, be approved by the Department of Defense and have his appointment ratified by the Upper and Lower Councils of the imperial court. All of the above placed Kirihara in a strong position for a bid.

"Then Rikkai won't miss this chance to put Kirihara on display during this tournament. Rikkai will be aiming for the championship, and a sweeping victory would be just the thing to cement Kirihara's claim." Inui's assessment was met with silence. While they were none too enthusiastic about Kirihara, at the moment there were no candidates likely to upstage him successfully.

"Did you all hear about what happened? With Ochibi?" Kikumaru often made fun of Echizen for being the youngest and the shortest person in the entirety of Seishun's court. Echizen, being Echizen, had given up trying to make Kikumaru abandon the annoying nickname after the first few tries, but often got back at him in other ways. Nonetheless, there was a great rapport between Echizen and the rest of Tezuka's team, all of whom considered Echizen very much their own. Echizen's run-in with Kirihara at the training arena had been a subject of much interest for their team.

"He went for Echizen's knee. Using a sharpened steel blade." Momoshiro's usually exuberant voice was flat and cold. "If he'd succeeded..."

Kawamura shuddered and looked deeply discomfited by the thought. "They shouldn't have been using steel at all. Not in a sparring match."

Oishi stifled a laugh, but Kikumaru couldn't quite manage the same. "Uh, Ochibi does that all the time with Tezuka."

"Yes, but Tezuka doesn't try to cripple him when they spar," Oishi replied firmly. "I do agree, though: they should have stuck to wooden swords. I'm glad Echizen managed to come out on top, but it was such a near thing."

"But the problem is, Kirihara was bullying the younger recruits when Echizen took him on. That's not the kind of head the Falcon Squad needs." Momoshiro's adamant disproval was a further testament to his fondness for their little junior ace. And the feeling was mutual; Momoshiro was most definitely Echizen's favorite within Tezuka's team as well.

"And was about to injure Kamio or worse. Don't omit facts, dumbass."

"Don't call me a dumbass, stupid Viper," Momoshiro snarled right back, but without much heat. Momoshiro and Fudomine's Vice-Lord-Elect Kamio shared rather antagonistic rivalry between them, and Momoshiro was disinclined to speak favorably about Kamio even on his best day. There was no love lost between Kaidoh and Kamio, either, but Kaidoh was scrupulous about being fair. Of course, the rivalry between Kaidoh and Momoshiro themselves were much more intense and deeply seated than anything else either one might share with others.

Oishi coughed, drawing both their attention away from a potential argument. "Well, we can all agree Kirihara isn't exactly the ideal candidate. But at the moment, there isn't anyone who can displace him. So leaving that issue aside – we can go ahead and register Echizen as our alternate. Inui, you said you can probably squeeze him in."

"I'll see if I can find a way." Which was Inui's way of saying he'd do it come hell or high water. Despite his alarming ways and a terrifying love for developing utterly vile potions, Inui was solid as a rock in those regards.

"Oishi. You and Kikumaru will be our primary doubles pair. We will rotate pairs for the rest of the matches. From tomorrow on, we will focus on practicing." The effect of Tezuka's words was immediate. Everyone's attention snapped back to him, focused and intent. "We've been on active duty, but we haven't been keeping up with sparring recently. That's what we will work on." And he added, just for good measure, "Let's not get careless."

Oishi didn't miss a beat. "Tomorrow at eight?" His question gained nods of assent from around the table. "Well, then, let's all go have dinner and turn in early tonight. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

In the next week or so, the training grounds reserved for Department of Defense saw their regular traffic more than tripled at all hours, from predawn hours to all the way nearly to midnight. Given that the same grounds would be used for the first two rounds of the group tournament, perhaps it was no wonder. All dominion teams were seeking to gain practice under conditions as close to the actual competition as possible. To be fair, the Department of Defense had done everything in their power to accommodate the competitors: every square inch of available training grounds had been opened up for their use, meticulously divided with wooden partitions to allow maximum number of teams to practice at the same time. Regular training of the defense troops on those grounds had been suspended. Even then, with every team seeking to reserve timeslots in limited space, the atmosphere was tense and filled with frenetic energy.

Seishun's team waited while Tezuka and Oishi negotiated usage of the same arena with representatives of Murigaoka. Judging from Tezuka's increasingly forbidding frown, the negotiations weren't proceeding smoothly, but Oishi's preternatural patience seemed to be doing its work. Kikumaru shifted from one foot to another, then tapped one foot impatiently. Next to him, Echizen, who'd been summarily dragged out of his bed shortly after dawn, was yawning fit to split his face open. Momoshiro and Kaidoh were arguing, partly for recreation and partly to relieve stress, with Kawamura attempting to mediate, Inui was scribbling notes as usual, and Fuji was walking by the wooden partitions.

Kikumaru abruptly stopped moving and did a double take. "Fuji?!"

Fuji turned, surprise and recognition in his eyes. "Eiji."

Before anyone else even caught on to what he was doing, Kikumaru had all but teleported to Fuji's side to envelop him in a bear hug. "You little— Don't you 'Eiji' me! It's been four years, you jerk!" Kikumaru pulled back far enough to look Fuji properly in the face, grinned widely, then hugged him tightly again. "Damn it, Fuji, you never even wrote!"

Fuji laughed. "I'm sorry, Eiji. It's so good to see you again."

At once there was a discordant chorus of "Fuji-senpai" and "Fujiko-chan" and "Fuji," and Fuji blinked and smiled, looking genuinely glad to see them. "Hey, Taka-san, Inui." He nodded to the two younger warriors. "Momo. Kaidoh. Long time no see. Coming to train for the tournament?"

"Yeah." Kawamura thumped him on the back hard enough to send Fuji stumbling forward a step, but the gladness in his eyes was heartfelt. "What are you doing here, Fuji? Are you participating in the tournament, too?"

"No, not me. But Yuuta is." Although Fuji didn't sound very happy about the fact, he still pressed Kawamura's hand, smile turning gentler. "I only dropped by to see Yuuta. You look good, Taka-san. I'm glad to see you back safely from the front." He regaled the rest of them with a warm glance. "And my congratulations to you all, for your victory."

"Eh, you can congratulate us properly when we win the tournament. Me and Oishi will be empire's number one doubles pair this year!" Kikumaru hadn't moved from Fuji's side, or removed his arm around Fuji's shoulders. "We're gonna take them all by storm."

"Planning to take down Rikkai, are you?" Fuji's eyes were dancing with amusement. "Good luck."

A snort sounded somewhere behind the wall of bodies. "Luck's got nothing to do with it."

Fuji, in no discernible hurry, turned his head toward the direction of the voice. "Oh?"

Kikumaru shared a look with his teammates. "I forgot. Intro's are in order. So." On cue, Momoshiro and Kaidoh stepped to the side to let Echizen into Fuji's full view. The identical appraising looks on Fuji and Echizen's faces made Kikumaru snicker.

"And who's this?" came the words, in just the right tone of unimpressed disinterest, but in an entirely wrong voice – Echizen's.

Momoshiro let out an involuntary laugh while Kikumaru chortled. "Yeah...so this is Ochibi. I mean Echizen Ryoma."

Fuji studied Echizen with a casual sort of interest. "Echizen... Samurai Nanjirou's son?" Echizen did not so much as shrug, but Fuji seemed undeterred. "Nice to meet you, Echizen-kun."

"Thanks. And you are?"

Kikumaru could hardly speak through his mirth. "Ochibi, meet Fuji Syuusuke."

Echizen, looking supremely unimpressed, let out a noncommittal, "Hn."

Fuji raised an eyebrow in Inui's direction, who pushed up his glasses with a smirk. "Tezuka's project," Inui said shortly.

"Ah." Fuji turned his attention back to Echizen, scrutinizing him from head to toe while Echizen returned the favor with an unabashed interest. "I am looking forward to seeing you in action." Fuji's smile was razor sharp. "It'll be interesting to see if the wait proves worthwhile."

Echizen narrowed his eyes at Fuji, but did not rise to the bait. "Yeah, same here," he said simply. The two then exchanged wary nods, and that was all the time they had before Tezuka and Oishi walked up to join the rest of the team.

"Fuji!" Oishi exclaimed in surprise, green eyes going round, then brightening with pleasure. "What an unexpected surprise! How-how have you been? It's been what, four years?"

"Same old, really." Fuji returned the smile. "Good to see you again, Oishi. You look well."

"Fuji," Tezuka said with a short nod, which Fuji returned with frozen sort of courtesy. There was no more words exchanged between the two of them. But despite the sudden arctic chill between the two of them, there was no surprise upon seeing each other, either. Oishi and Kikumaru traded looks, the former with a raised eyebrow, and the latter with a shrug. The rest of their team was wisely silent – and out of the direct line of sight between Tezuka and Fuji.

"Are we going to practice or not?" came from Echizen's direction, sounding bored. Tezuka and Fuji reluctantly broke their gaze and looked to Echizen at the same time. As Fuji's face regained its usual bland neutrality, Tezuka's face tightened, but neither said anything to acknowledge the change, or even each other.

"We have the use of the center court for the next two hours, then we need to switch with Murigaoka." Oishi, diplomatic as usual. "We should hurry."

"Talk to you later, Fuji." Kikumaru's parting remark sounded more like a threat than a greeting.

"I'll catch up with you later," Fuji promised, and stepped back until he'd detached himself from the group. Tezuka watched him without any change in his expression, then turned to lead his team away. One by one, Seishun's best shuffled by, leaving Fuji with farewells and promises of future meetings, which Fuji returned in kind. Tezuka did not look back as he walked at the head of his team.

Fuji, in silence, watched them go.