6 - Created a kingdom, reached for the wisdom, failed in becoming a God

There was something motivational in routine. It maybe looked like a paradox. Routine was usually related to boredom, repeating things over and over, how could you ever feel motivated by something which just replied itself one day after the other? No-one had ever told Yukimura anything of how lost you became when one single piece in the routine suddenly changed, while everything else remained the same. It was like in those dreams, when suddenly the ground wasn't under your feet anymore, and you just fell, fell, fell. And you needed to find a way to stand back again.

«I knew I would've found you here».

Yukimura turned back, then smiled. Of course. He shook his head; he sneaked there like a thief - or at least he felt like one. Heading out of school after practice was still an alien feeling to him, and it kept leaving him with a weird sense of emptiness, like he had skipped lunch or forgot his bag at home without realizing it. He had said goodbye to his classmates after fulfilling his cleaning duties, and managed to get out of the gates without meeting any known face. He wasn't exactly in a secret mission, but, well, he wanted to do that alone. For his own surprise, he was glad Yanagi was there.

The Master approached, walking towards him at his slow pace, a hand raised to signal him to wait, the other holding the umbrella. Yukimura smiled at him, tilted his head. «You don't need to stalk me, Renji. You can just ask me out».

Yanagi reached him and smiled him back. «There's no need to stalk you. I knew you would've come here. I only needed to figure out when».

Yukimura's smile flickered, he scowled at his friend. He didn't like to be read into, not even by Yanagi. It was true, though. He had been thinking about coming there for three days, and he had only needed to find the right moment. Yukimura had never been a "tomorrow" person; procrastinating wasn't part of his nature. Still, he knew some things required the right moment to be done, and forcing them before the time would've been just a mistake. That afternoon, however, the sense of guilt he would've felt by going straight home would've been worse than the sense of unease he felt being there. There was some irony in that, in his feeling of return as a beggar.

«Why are you here, though? Skipping practice already?»

«It rains», Yanagi replied. «Regular practice had been cancelled today. There was a sign in the clubroom this morning».

Yukimura nodded. «But practicing under the rain is really important to improve power and accuracy», he glanced at Yanagi from beyond the umbrella.

His friend gave a hint of smile. «We were twelve. And if I recall correctly, you and Genichirou both caught an impressive cold after that».

«That's right. But it still had been your idea». Yukimura started to walk towards the school gates, Yanagi following. The plaque which signaled the Middle School Department of Rikkai University was the same as always, with that huge scratch on the bottom left that was there since the day Yukimura crossed that gates for the first time.

«Nostalgic?» Yanagi asked.

Yukimura looked away from the entrance and kept walking. The rain was falling lighter, the first rays of sunshine could be glimpsed through the clouds. The grey building was the same as always, and how it could be different? «It's not been even a month». He shook his head. Well, he sure had thought that dropping there from High School for a visit would've been on different circumstances, but it wasn't enough reason to regret anything. He had collected a lot of good memories between those walls, that was undeniable. Still, he could not say that the last year he had been there had been exactly full of them.

«I just...», he began, then sighed. He couldn't even think of a clear reason for being there, let alone explain it out loud. Maybe he should've let Yanagi explain that to him. If he had been able to foresee the fact that Yukimura would've come there, he would probably know the reasons better than him too. «I feel like coming», he finished, weakly.

«I'm sure Akaya will be happy to see you again», Yanagi said. They met and cross a group of students that Yukimura didn't recognize, but that clearly recognized them, as they greeted the two by their names as they passed. Yukimura smiled and nodded at them, not being in the mood to stop and start any kind of conversation. He didn't plan to stay there more than the necessary time.

«I've texted him last weekend. I did mean to come and visit, but I hadn't had the time before». Yanagi added, as they turned right to follow the path towards the Sports Area. Only few people were around, signal that the practice could've probably been suspended or moved to indoor gyms. During their second year, they gained the right to use the third gym every time it rained, in damage of the boys' basketball club, after the latter had been knocked out in the first round of Kantou Tournament. It had been Yukimura who interceded with the principal to obtain that; he wasn't already Captain at the time - there was no way for a second year to became Captain before his upperclassman; at least, not officially - but he was respected as one. He wondered if Kirihara had kept the right to use the gym, or if he had let someone else steal it from him. They would've soon discovered that, he guessed.

The tennis courts were empty, as expected. Water puddles had been formed at the baselines, where the concrete was consumed by years and years of serves and receives, and water filled the empty holes where the net poles should've been put. The lines, greyed for the rain, were almost impossible to discern.

There was only a person - a girl, according to the uniform - who stood at the top of the flight of steps, looking towards the courts. Yukimura was already walking away, heading towards the gym to see if the tennis club was gathered for an indoor practice or has already left for home - he already counted the possibility coming here, and he had the impression that part of him hoped that he would've find no-one there - when Yanagi blocked him. «Wait», he put his free hand on Yukimura's shoulder. «I know her».

Yukimura raised his eyebrows. «You can go and say hello, if you want. I'm looking for Akaya».

«Just a minute», Yanagi replied, and moved towards her. Yukimura wasn't enthusiast to stay and wait in the rain - not when he wanted to finish that thing as soon as possible - but he just sighed, and didn't move.

«Matsui?», Yanagi called.

The girl turned towards him, and when the umbrella was no longer covering her face, Yukimura recognized her as well. She was the tennis club manager, he had seen her on the bleachers the day of the challenge. He sure had no time for talk with her right now. What she was even doing there in the first place?

«Oh, I know you!», she pointed at Yanagi, as she was approaching. «Hello, Yanagi-kun. It's Yanagi, right? Oh, I'm a mess with names».

«I'm well aware of that», Yanagi smiled. «You get my name wrong at least ten times before guessing it right. But don't worry, I'm not offended».

«That's a good thing, 'cause even if you got offended, I wouldn't get any better at guessing names all the same». She shivered, and held the jacket closer to her chest. «Do you have any idea of where the tennis office is? I'm here since forever and no-one was in sight, except for three birds who came to bath in the pool once known as tennis court».

Well, who she could wish to see in a rainy day? Yukimura looked at her. He had nothing against her in particular, but since she was Morimura's manager, he wasn't particularly ecstatic to have her around. She had nothing to do with Junior High club anyway. Yukimura didn't know if she had attended school there, but he didn't recall to have seen her even once in three years, so he guessed the answer was no. He was about to walk away and go looking for Kirihara by his own, when she glanced up and saw him.

«Oh. I didn't surely forget your name. Hello, Yukimura-kun».

He didn't like her gaze at all, he couldn't tell if she was amused or what. He just smiled towards her, and nodded.

«I was waiting for you, you know», she added. «Yagyuu-kun had told me to expect nothing, but I didn't really listen to him. He was right, I guess».

«What are you talking about?», Yanagi asked, sparing Yukimura from the duty to reply her trying not to be harsh.

«I thought you would've come back. To the club, I mean. I think Morimura-san expected that, too. Oh, not that he told me so or anything. It's just my impression, you know», she shrugged, and drops fell from the umbrella right on her face. She wiped them away with her sleeve. «But you didn't».

Yukimura cringed. What would've been the point of coming back, if he wouldn't have been allowed to play tennis? He didn't really expect her to understand, though. He didn't expect anyone to understand. Sanada didn't; and he thought that even Yanagi, although not judging him, couldn't really feel the reasons that had moved him to that decision.

«I didn't see a reason to do so», he told her, who was still staring at him, waiting for an answer.

«Well, to ask to be admitted back, of course», she replied, like it was the most stupid thing on earth. And indeed it was, but, he suspected, not in the sense she meant.

«It's not that easy», Yanagi stepped in. «The club is probably this way, if you want to follow».

«I can't see it as really complicated», she objected, as they began to walk through the so familiar path. «You come, ask to talk with the Captain, apologize for your behavior and then ask to be admitted back. I've already seen it happening. Unless you set the court on fire, there's no reason for you to be shut out of the club until forever».

«The Captain has publicly expelled Seiichi from the club», Yanagi glanced at Yukimura, like he was apologizing for bringing the speech in that direction. Yukimura shook his head; he didn't really care at that point. «He can't simply admit him back. His position force him to be strict, and being strict means do not reverse a decision, once taken».

«As far as I know, exactly because he's the Captain, he's free to do what he wants. Yeah, yeah, I know, with limits, I don't mean that he can turn the office in a nighttime strip club. Even if, it could help to raise some funds, we would really need a gym only for us... But that's not the point», she shook her head. «Yeah, he had already made a decision, but leaving a strong team member out just for the sake of being strict? That wouldn't be doing the best for the club, which is the first duty of a Captain, correct me if I'm wrong. Obviously, this is useless if you don't want to come back», she tilted her head, looking at Yukimura. «He can't be the one chasing after you, you know».

Yukimura stood silent, holding back a smile. He could start to tell her a couple of things about how little respect a Captain could ask if he's not even able to hold fast to his decisions, but what was the point, if she wasn't even able to understand something that simple?

«Both Seiichi and Morimura surely know what is the best decision to make», Yanagi tried to close the issue. «But, talking about you, Matsui, why are you here? You didn't attend this school». This wasn't a question.

«No, no. I moved here from Aomori two months ago. But well, that's the reason why I'm here right now. It's you, by the way», she smiled.

«Me?», Yanagi looked surprised. She laughed.

«You, your team. I don't know anything about you, except the fact that you were strong enough to made it to the Nationals for three years in a row. We - I mean, our team, back in Junior High - did never get there, we had been close during my third year, but we lost in the finals of our region, and since we had only one spot available», she stretched out her arms, and almost skewered Yanagi's eye with the umbrella. «Oh, god. I'm sorry! Are you alive? Can you still see? Good. I was saying, we did never made it to the Nationals, so we never met as teams, and I basically know nothing about you guys. But since rumor has it you're all pretty strong, some research's worth my time», she winked, like she thought she was funny.

«And what kind of research did you have in mind?», Yanagi asked, politely.

«The same as you, I guess», she jumped to avoid a puddle. «You came to ask me for the last year videos yesterday. I guess you have some of them here as well».

«You could've asked me», Yanagi suggested. «I don't mind answering your questions, if there's something you need to know».

She smiled. «I'll keep that in mind, but I'd rather watch it with my eyes first. No offense meant, Yanagi-kun, but I don't know you at all. You could tell me the biggest fat lies and I would have no way to know they're not the truth».

«No offense taken», Yanagi nodded. «Indeed, we had a big collection of videos, even if I think you don't need to watch every single one of them. But I heartily recommend you to watch the National Finals of the last three years».

«Well, if you say so, but you didn't even play in your first year, so what's the point...», she intercepted Yanagi's meaningful gaze. «Wait, you did? Oh my god. And you did play in the finals? Both of you? I can't believe it!»

«Both of us, and Genichirou as well. Sanada», he added, when she looked at him, puzzled. «The one with the black cap».

«Oh. Yes, yes. I got him. Wait, so the three of you had been regular players for all the three years? All the tournaments? Wow, that's... I mean. Wow. I really need to put my hands on those videos».

«You'll be able soon», Yanagi smiled. They've reached the gym, and according to the yellow balls that rolled out of the door, there was no basketball practice held there that day. «We have found the tennis club».

The three of them peaked in through the open door. Yukimura spotted Kirihara almost immediately, at the center of the smaller group. They were practicing serves, hitting through the wall, while a larger group of guys - almost surely first years who had just signed up - were still doing warming-up exercises on the northern half of the gym.

As Yukimura did before him, Kirihara apparently held practice only for the regulars and the new recruits, sending the rest of the club home: the third gym was a good alternative to no practice at all, but it was not even near to big enough to hold the whole tennis club.

They stood at the door, waiting for the exercise to end before calling Kirihara away from his duties. Yukimura glanced at the guys who were practicing with him, and he was almost sure that they were the new regulars indeed. The major part of them Yukimura himself has suggested to Kirihara before leaving him the title of Captain at the end of his third year. A couple of them, however, were a surprise. Yukimura frowned; not the names he would've chosen for his own team; among the guys that weren't there, there was almost two or three that would've been better suited for the role, in his opinion. He shook his head; it wasn't his duty anymore; he had no right to impose to Kirihara who he had to choose for his own team.

Kirihara was showing how to hit a kick serve to a couple of guys Yukimura recognized as current second years, probably the most promising recruits that joined their club at the beginning of the last year. It was weird to see him teaching something as Captain; Kirihara was the learner, the one with big potential but little capacity to control it. Yukimura looked at Yanagi; he was the one who had been able to guide Kirihara during his junior high years. Sanada yelled at him and slapped him whenever he did something particularly stupid - truth be told, it happened quite often - and Jackal babysat him and listened to his never-ending list of complaints, but Yanagi had been the one who spent hours and hours figuring out his strengths and weaknesses and helping him to improve or overcame them. Yanagi had quit the tennis club after New Year's break and Kirihara had needed some time to learn to quit unconsciously looking for him after every shot he tried at practice. Yukimura suspected they had been keeping practicing together during the weekends, but he didn't know it for certain, and never asked about that.

«Oh. That was cool!», Matsui pointed at Kirihara, who was ready to hit another serve, the eyes of half of the gym hooked on him. «Was that a kick serve?»

«It was», Yanagi nodded. He didn't add that Kirihara renamed it knuckle-serve, nor his secondary effect on his opponent's body. If she was going to borrow the video of their old matches, she would've been able to see that by herself.

«Is he the Captain? Good. It's him I have to talk with, then». She looked around. «That's a pretty cool gym. I'll need to steal one for our club as well. Do you practice here, in winter?»

«Practice is lighter, in winter. And we keep practicing outside, except for the snowy or rainy days», Yukimura replied.

«I see», she rolled a strand of hair across her fingers. «We barely had practice during winter term; we didn't have any assigned gym, and the weather wasn't exactly appropriate to do anything outside», she sighed. «I guess that makes the difference».

Yukimura could only agree. Skipping practice for an entire term would have meant reach the spring preliminaries completely unprepared; not something he would have ever permitted, even if the whole Northern Pole transferred on the courts outside.

Yanagi opened the mouth to say something back, but right in that moment someone yelled «Captaaaiiinnn», and the next thing Yukimura saw was Kirihara running straight towards them, with his teammates glancing at him half confused, half amused.

«Why are you here?», the younger guy stopped in front of them, the largest smile covering his face, the racket still in his hand. «Hi, Yanagi-senpai, and... Eh...»

«She's our current manager», Yanagi explained, as Kirihara's gaze stopped on Matsui with a question mark clearly sparkling above his face.

«I'm Matsui Aki», she introduced herself with a smile.

«She will need to talk to you as soon as you have time for that», Yanagi added.

«Well, I'm kinda free now!», Kirihara replied. «I have to just…»

«No, you aren't», Yukimura stared at him severely. «You're in the middle of a practice. Take it to an end, and then we will have time to talk».

He clearly heard Yanagi's sigh a few steps from him. «Seiichi...», he said, but added nothing. He knew that Yanagi didn't like him to scold Kirihara in front of his team. He already told him that thousand of times after the Nationals, when he was supposed to retire and leave the club in the second year's hands. Yukimura didn't mean to overtake his position, it was just... He shook his head. What Kirihara did or not did as a Captain wasn't his business, shouldn't be his business. That wouldn't have mean he was allowed to slack off during practice.

The smile disappeared from Kirihara's face as quick as it appeared. «You're right», he tentatively said, avoiding Yukimura's gaze. «Well, I'll be back soon. I guess. See you later, Yanagi-senpai, Matsui-senpai. Cap...», he bit his lip, «Yukimura-senpai». He nodded at them, and then walked back to his team, who hadn't took their eyes from him during the entire conversation.

Yanagi sighed again. «Seiichi». Yukimura ignored him.

Matsui was staring at him as well, but said nothing, playing with the fabric of her jacket instead. She closed the umbrella, and laced it to her wrist. «Was he a regular last year?», she asked, as Kirihara resumed his serve practice, without being able to prevent himself to glance in their direction every two seconds.

«Yes», Yanagi simply replied.

«Good. He has the experience to lead his team to the tournaments, then». She shook the umbrella to free it from the water and showered hers and Yanagi's feet. «Oh. Sorry».

Yukimura glanced at Kirihara, who hit an unnecessary powerful serve towards the wall; the ball bounced back and ended hitting one of his teammates' head. Did it have enough experience? To compete in the tournaments, of course. To lead the team successfully? He didn't know. He didn't said his doubts out loud to Yanagi; the Master would have probably addressed him a condescending look and told him to trust Kirihara. Yukimura wanted to, but he wasn't sure he was able to. This is why he had hesitated to leave the team in his hands until the very last minute, although Yanagi had always made him feel like he was doing a mistake.

They remained silent, watching the practice as it went on. Kirihara had no problems to have his teammates listening to him. Yukimura didn't know how good the team actually was. They would've probably needed some practice matches before Tournament Season started, since, save for Kirihara, none of them had actually played in a official match before. Atobe from Hyoutei used to send reserve players to compete in minor matches, but Yukimura always found it irresponsible; moreover, what was happening to the team now was no more his responsibility - how many times did he need to remind himself that? He couldn't count them. Yukimura sighed, as Kirihara announced a pause, and let go his team to get some food or rest on the benches.

They wait for him to reach them again, but he didn't seem eager to do that as before. He finally walked towards them, the right hand dug in the pocket, the left one up to rub his neck.

«You needed to talk», he said, as he reached them.

«How are you doing?», Yanagi asked.

Kirihara shrugged. «Oh, you know. Okay, I guess. Team's good, I'm good. We should have had a practice match today, but none of us had indoor courts, so...», he hinted a laugh, avoiding Yukimura's gaze. «Friday's a day. But yeah. It's good».

Yukimura glanced at him. He didn't seem exactly good, it didn't matter how many times he said that. But he wasn't the one to talk, wasn't he?

«Are you sure? Prefecturals are not far from now», Yanagi scolded him as a worried dad.

Kirihara shrugged. «Yeah, yeah, sure. We're good. Really. There's this first year who's good too. Echizenish good, maybe, with some work. Oh, I don't mean...», he glanced nervously at his former Captain, and Yukimura couldn't keep a smile.

«I'm glad to hear that», and maybe he did mean it too. Kirihara was the same as he's always been, but somehow different too. He was a Team Captain now, Yukimura reminded himself for what could've been the thousandth time. Of course he was different.

Yukimura shook his head; he wasn't sure of the reason he came there anymore. He looked at his former team, strewn around the gym, eating a sandwich or drinking or chatting. He felt nothing.

Kirihara was still staring at him, and Yukimura could read his gaze way too easily, as well as he could read the questions the younger boy didn't dare to ask. Am I doing well? Am I screwing everything up? He had already seen that gaze multiple times during the years, from the moment Kirihara stopped to look at them as only enemies to defeat but also as players he could learn from. Kirihara still needed his approval; Yukimura felt something bitter in his throat. Did he really deserve having Kirihara looking at him like that? Didn't he come there exactly for that reason?

«I should leave, now», he said. His mouth felt dry all of a sudden. Why in the world had he thought he needed to come back to this place?

Three heads turned towards him.

«What», Kirihara flinched. Everything in his face looked guilty. Again, Yukimura could easily tell what was going on in his head. What did I say to make him angry, his expression told.

«You did nothing wrong, Akaya», Yanagi read his mind as easily as always. «And Seiichi, Akaya will be pleased to having you watching over the practice, even if he's too afraid to ask».

Kirihara flustered, lowered his gaze, and then looked at Yukimura again, like a puppy who had just peed on the carpet and asked for apologies.

Yukimura really wanted to leave.

«Oh, please, stay, Yukimura-kun», Matsui chipped in. «Hey, maybe you and Kirihara-kun could play a match? Captain versus former Captain? Oh, please do», she clapped her hands. «What do you think, Kirihara-kun?»

Kirihara's face brightened like a Christmas tree. «Can we? Really? Oh, it would be awesome, it...», he stopped as he met Yukimura's eyes. «Oh. If you want to, I mean. But please, Captain. Can we? Can you?»

Could he? He played against Kirihara unnumbered times during the last two years, starting from the day the younger guy joined the club, confident to be stronger than everyone else there. That was the first of the too many times he lost against the Big Three, whom he swore to defeat one day, before they graduate. That never happened and, according to that last match they played - not more than a month ago - that would never happen anytime soon, if ever, unless some miracle occured.

«I don't have my uniform», he finally said.

«Oh», Kirihara smile faded. «Right», he scratched his head, looked away. «Sure. You didn't come here to play, sorry. I just thought...»

«Seiichi can have mine», Yanagi intervened. «He will probably be a little too big, but it would fit you», he titled his head and looked at him, like he was mentally taking his sizes.

Kirihara moved his gaze from Yanagi to Yukimura, unable to not smile. «Can he? Can you? Oh, please, senpai. Can we?»

«Can you?», Matsui looked at him and smiled as well. «Come on, it will be fun. For the team as well. A clash of captains. Sounds like the title of a very trash action movie. Isn't it awesome?»

«Luckily you're wearing sneakers instead the loafers», Yanagi scratched his chin. «My shoes wouldn't fit you at all, I'm afraid. But for an indoor friendly match, the ones you're wearing should be enough».

Yukimura looked at Yanagi, arched his brows. Really? He shook his head, but he was smiling. He had never refused a challenge from Kirihara, no matter what. Yukimura gave him a glance; Kirihara was staring at him with the last update of his well-known pair of puppy eyes. Yukimura crossed his arms.

«Will your team be okay?», he asked then.

Kirihara seemed ridiculously happy to hear Yukimura say a thing like your team. He turned to look at his teammates; some of them where near enough to have heard most of the conversation.

«Will you play for real, senpai?» One of the new regulars approached the small group; Yukimura recognized him as Yamamoto. He had got a powerful serve, he recalled, and a good level of stamina.

«Yukimura-san will play?», someone else asked from the background. Soon the gym was filled with chatting and Yukimura couldn't even count the number of times someone said "please".

He turned to look at Yanagi, who shrugged and smiled, as he was saying, how can you disappoint them now?

«It would be amazing to see you play again, Yukimura senpai».

Yukimura breathed. He didn't came there to play tennis, but what if he did exactly came from that? His fingertips were itching, as he stared at the white stripe that limited the baseline running on the floor. He didn't picked up a racket since the day he left the tennis club. He wanted to play. He really wanted to.

«Renji», he asked, «can I have your bag?»

...

Yukimura's return ace smashed through the gym, the sound of the ball hitting the parquet echoing to the ceiling. The first years gathered at the sidelines could barely contain their excitement. That wooden surface wasn't the ideal for a tennis match, but it was better than having no place to practice at all. The white lines that marked the tennis court had been put down by Yukimura, Sanada and Yanagi themselves during their second year, when they finally gained the right to use that place every time they needed to. Those were the privileges you could gain for club activities merits, in a school like Rikkai. Yukimura was planning to ask for a proper indoors court after their third victory in a row - none of them would have been able to take advantage of that, of course, but it would've been their legacy, the permanent mark of their successes in the club - but things didn't go according to the plan, and this is why Yukimura put his greatest efforts to obtain the completion of the rooftop garden before graduating instead. Not the legacy he would've wanted to leave, Yanagi knew that, but at least it was something.

«Doesn't he do the thing?», Matsui asked, as Yukimura and Kirihara were changing courts. Yukimura lead the score from 2-0 up.

He didn't need to ask Kirihara how he was doing as a Captain. No matter how many times he repeated that "all was good", it was clear it wasn't. He already noticed something was wrong while texting with him the previous week. Now, watching him with his team, more details were clear to the Master's eyes. The too little number of guys attending the practice, even for an indoor session on a rainy day. The smirk on some of their lips, when Kirihara ran towards Yukimura. And the even wider grins, now that he was playing and, indubitably, losing. Yanagi sighed; he wasn't something he could solve for him, even if he was tempted to do so; Kirihara needed to learn to take care of his team by yourself, no matter how hard it was.

He turned towards Matsui. «What thing?»

«You know, the thing. The thing he did in that practice match, against that drama guy. Oh, did you know he retired from the club? Morimura-san said he wouldn't have lasted a week anyways, if he retired only for that. Oh, yeah, that wasn't the point. The thing he did against him, isn't he doing that now?»

«Seiichi doesn't need to use the Yips against Akaya», Yanagi shook his head, and smiled, as Yukimura took his position on the baseline and prepared to serve again. «Akaya's level isn't that high yet to force him to that. Moreover, they knew each other's styles so well, so Seiichi can easily take advantage of Akaya's weak points without needing to play all of his cards».

Matsui chewed his lip. «Yips, you called it? And how it worked exactly?»

Yanagi chuckled. «This is what some people would call a million dollar question, Matsui».

She shrugged. «I don't have a million dollar. Guess I've to figure it out myself».

«I wish you good luck, then».

She crossed her arms, and stared at Yukimura intensely. That wouldn't have helped her. If reading Yukimura's play were that easy, he wouldn't have gained the nickname of Child of God. In fact, Yanagi had been really impressed by what Morimura had did in that match. He didn't know if the Captain had been studying Yukimura's play anytime before their match, but he didn't think so. He had figured out that Yukimura was trying every move to drag him into a long rally, and he just did everything he could to avoid that.

It was Yukimura's basic strategy when he faced a stronger opponent, but as far as Yanagi knew, that was the first and only time the trick simply didn't work. Seigaku's Echizen had been the first one to overcame the Yips and get back in the game, as well as Morimura had been the first to avoid the Yips at all. It wasn't like Yukimura's tennis had been destroyed, the Master knew: the former Captain had more than that up his sleeve; but he also knew that when your best weapon had been killed out twice, it wasn't easy to regain the confidence again.

Anyone around Yukimura knew that feeling as well, and there was no-one in the world that knew that more than Kirihara. Kirihara, who tried month by month, week by week to overcame the three of them, who practiced more than anyone to enforce his weapons and overcome his weaknesses, and who just kept hitting a wall over and over.

In that moment, he was struggling at the baseline. His form got better, Yanagi noticed, and even his Kick Serve - the Knuckle Serve wouldn't have been effective against Yukimura, who was able to hit the ball back, no matter which was the angle of bouncing - had got more power, though he still lacked precision.

«He's doing good», Matsui said, as Kirihara ran at the net to return a drop shot. «But Yukimura-kun's doing better».

«You can tell?», Yanagi asked.

Matsui chuckled. «You just told me that. But yes, I can tell. He's barely moving, isn't he?», he pointed her chin towards Yukimura. «He's like an orchestra leader. He's not playing the game, he's directing it».

Yanagi looked at her. She was following the game closely, chewing her pinkie's nail. He didn't know much about her. The school she formerly attended - Iwamoto Junior High - didn't appear in the Nationals for the last fifteen years. Their best result so far had been the second place in the Regionals achieved the previous year, but none of the players had ever been in Yanagi's radar.

Matsui winced, as Yukimura's backhand hit the left tramline like a bullet, taking Kirihara - and everyone else - completely off-guard.

When he wasn't trying to drag people in long rallies - to catch them in the web of the Yips - Yukimura was able of changing the game's pace as he pleased, and Yanagi had never seen anyone able to catch up with that.

He was truly like an orchestra leader, as Matsui said. Yanagi observed her closely. He didn't need to keep his eyes on the court; he knew both of the players too well, and he could've already played their entire match in his head and predicted the outcome, point by point. He didn't even recall how many times he had already seen them playing before.

For Matsui, on the other hand, it was the very first time - according to the fact that she was telling the truth, of course, but Yanagi couldn't find any reason why she should've been lying about that. Checking her reaction would've provided more interesting and useful data.

Matsui had her eyes stuck on Yukimura, with the mouth half open and the hand frozen in front of her lips. He tried to read through her expression what was like seeing Yukimura's game - his real game - for the first time. His movements were perfect, with nothing unnecessary. Kirihara could barely keep up with his rhythm. Yukimura hadn't practiced regularly for at least two months - if he had at all - due to exams and graduation duties; and still, Kirihara needed to give everything he had, until the last drop of sweat, to take away one single point from his former Captain.

«Dammit!», Kirihara smashed his racket on the floor. It bounced on the head with a echoing, dull sound, then glided out of the court. Someone held their breath; then, the gym was filled with nothing but utter silence.

The scoreboard still signaled Yukimura 5-0 up. By far, Kirihara had been able to take from him no more than six points.

The first year guys looked shocked, but their older mates were more than accustomed to such scenes, which kept happening over and over, week after week, for the previous two years. Someone moved towards him, as he wanted to help, but Yanagi clearly heard someone whisper "pussy", too loud to not be heard.

«Why», Matsui asked, her eyes still stuck on the court. It was clear that the game was over. Yukimura had already left the court, directed to the changing rooms. Kirihara was standing still; he didn't react at all, if he had even heard it, to his teammate's comment, his back turned to the court, heavy breathing, but saying nothing.

Yanagi smiled. «I think you can easily guess why by yourself. Losing with such a score gap is clearly frustrating, and even if I couldn't say Akaya isn't anything than used to that, I still...»

«I mean», she cut him off, «why didn't he play like that the other day as well?» She looked angry. «Oh, come on. Don't tell me he absolutely needed to use his Majestic Hips Move against that drama guy in the tennis club. Don't tell me he couldn't just do that», he gestured towards the court, «and get rid of him in like what, three seconds? Two?»

Yanagi pressed his lips. This wasn't a question she should've asked him. He had an answer, of course, but he wasn't the one meant to give her one. He didn't answer to Sanada as well, when he asked him the very same question.

"You need to ask Seiichi, if you want to know his reasons", Yanagi had told him. Sanada just shook his head, and walked away. Yanagi perfectly understood the reasons behind his behavior, but it wasn't something he could simply point out for him. There wasn't any misinterpretation behind Yukimura and Sanada's conflict. If they simply weren't able to understand each other, that wasn't a wall Yanagi - or anybody else - could destroy in their place.

«Why are you so angry about that?», he asked Matsui instead.

«Isn't this obvious?», she shook her head. «He's so good. Like, Federer good. Oh! I don't mean he's as good as Federer, no-one is. I mean, even if God himself would walk on Earth and compete in a Slam, he wouldn't be as good as Federer is. No, it's a matter oh how he looks, not what he is. Oh. Shit. I suck at explanations», she rubbed her hair, and sighed. «I mean, you know, you watch him play, okay? And when he plays, tennis looks so easy you start to think that the top is so close even you'd be able to touch it. But it's just an illusion. The top of the iceberg is all shiny and glittering and crap, but what's underneath, God, is so much, whether is talent or practice or both, is just much. You can't see that, or the illusion will shatter, but there is. And that's what make him play like a damn genius out there».

Yanagi chuckled. «And that makes you mad». It wasn't a question.

«Sure it makes me mad. He's so good, and it's out of the club just because...», she shook her head, tapped her foot in frustration. «I don't even know why?! It's all looks just ridiculous at this point. What's this guy doing out of the club?!»

«Out of the club?», Kirihara revived, and lifted his head to meet Yanagi's eyes. The Master sighed.

«Akaya», he said, as Yukimura was walking back to the gym, Yanagi's bag hanging from his left shoulder. «Do you mind if I lend Matsui some videos of our old matches, before we go home? We should really leave right now».

Kirihara looked confused. His gaze went from Yanagi to Yukimura to Yanagi again, while his former Captain was approaching. «Is something», Kirihara swallowed, «is there something wrong?»

«Your serve», Yukimura answered behind Kirihara shoulders. The younger guy turned to meet his Captain's eyes. «You need to work harder on that. Your precision is still weak when you're not aiming at your opponent's body. If you're working for a larger number or aces, you'll need to learn how to improve your aim and your power control. It's still not enough».

«That's..», Kirihara started. That's not what I meant, he wanted to say, but his words flickered away in front of Yukimura's harsh gaze. «Thank you. Yukimura-senpai».

«If there something you need, you can always call. Renji, or me, right?»

Kirihara nodded. «Yes. Thank you».

Yanagi wondered if Yukimura too had noticed that something was wrong with Kirihara and the club. He probably did, but had also decided to not interfere. Probably he had already interfered too much, not leaving Kirihara familiarizing with the club as a Captain while he was still a second year.

«Akaya», Yanagi called him back from his thoughts, «the videos».

«Oh», Kirihara blinked, «Oh. Sure. I mean, you don't even need to ask, you...», Yanagi glanced at him. «Yes. You can borrow them. Let me know when you're done with those». Better. «But», Kirihara lowered his voice, «do you really need to go now? You can stay, you know, we...»

«You'll need to go back to your duties as well», Yanagi reminded him. «I will call you tonight. If you want to», he said quietly, so none of Kirihara's teammates could've heard him. They started to walk towards the door; Matsui kept glancing towards Yukimura, who was completely neglecting her.

Kirihara nodded. «Okay. Well, thank you for coming. You know where the clubroom is, ri... Oh. Don't mind me. I'm stupid».

Yanagi smiled. «Take care, Akaya. See you».

Kirihara waved them goodbye while they walked towards the clubrooms. The rain had stopped, but the ground was still soaked and full with ponds, as the sky got darker and darker. A cold, late-winter breeze was blowing.

They walked in silence, as they reached the clubroom. Yanagi chose a selection of videos and handed them to Matsui, who was staring at the trophies and plaques which decorate walls and shelves. «There are more in the Trophies Room», Yanagi informed her.

She nodded, but didn't reply as she shoved the DVDs in her schoolbag. She kept glancing at Yukimura, who was waiting for them outside the room.

«No», Yanagi told her.

She looked at him. «Sorry?»

«You can talk to him tomorrow, if you want to. I don't want to tell you what to do», he rephrased, «but if you accept an advice, I wouldn't talk to him today. Tomorrow is a better choice».

Matsui looked at him, then nodded. «Guess you know him well», she sighed. «I really really want to scroll him now and force him to come to the Captain with me and beg to be admitted back, but it wouldn't be a great idea, wouldn't it?»

«Definitely not».

«I guess I need to study a battle plan then», she sighed again, then she grinned. «I'll start with these ones». She put the last DVD in her bag, then closed the zip and hung it on her shoulder. «And with the two of you. Three. There's another one, right? You need to introduce me to him tomorrow».

Yanagi prefigured the scene in his head, and couldn't help but smiling. «It will be my pleasure», he replied, as they reached Yukimura out in the night, to leave the too familiar Middle School grounds behind them.


...


This chapter kinda slipped from my hands?! I wasn't planning to add Akaya as a character to this story, and obviously here he is. This clearly explains how much control I have on all this. Still, Akaya is a precious angel and I loved writing about him; he still needs to grow a lot as Captain and person, the heritage his seniors left to him is everything but easy to handle I think. Not that Yukimura is doing anything better, to be honest.

As always, thank you so much for reading this. See you as soon as possible, and belated Happy New Year! I wish it'll bring you sweets and fun and successes in everything you do!

Lots of love,

Fanny.

Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi

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